(A Certain Review from an LN and Manga Reader)
This is an adaptation that is long overdue, and right off the bat it quickly delivers the uniquely Railgun experience that has captivated millions of anime fans around the world (China really loves this anime for some reason).
Everyone and their mama agrees that the Sisters' Arc in Railgun Season 2 is some of the finest animation ever put on television, and guess what? We'll get another arc that is just as action-packed and just as filled with intrigue on Academy City's dark secrets. Enter the Daihasei Festival Arc.
Misaka Mikoto is just as good as ever, and her
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Apr 3, 2019
Liz to Aoi Tori
(Anime)
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Naoko Yamada directs a masterpiece in Liz and the Blue Bird, a beautiful story between two close and longtime friends who run into a hurdle in their relationship and as a result are both forced to take a step back and reexamine their feelings toward each other.
To get this out of the way immediately, the events of this movie take place after the events of the last episode of Hibike! Euphonium Season 2. You can certainly watch this movie without having seen the Hibike! Euphonium TV animation series beforehand, because it was made to be a standalone spinoff to said anime series, but having done so ... will allow you to quickly get all the things happening in the background so you can focus your attention more on the sad, beautiful, and delicate story this movie has to show. Now, I'm a huge fan of the Hibike! Euphonium anime series for its inspiring tale of working hard as you reach for your dreams. I particularly liked the club's advisor, Taki-sensei's, blunt and unforgiving attitude towards improvement because honestly, that's the best way to go about in the real world. But I digress. In almost direct contrast to the anime series' focus on music, rehearsals, the ever-present goal of winning that coveted gold at Nationals... this Liz and the Blue Bird spinoff focuses on much more human and close to the heart concepts, such as friendship and learning to see when a relationship is starting to become unhelpful to a person and then taking steps forward to resolve that. The entirety of the movie's ninety minute runtime leaves little room for any of the familiar scenes in the anime series. Sure, there are a few slice-of-life scenes (an art that KyoAni has perfected) and rehearsals here and there but they definitely take the backseat in this movie. The movie takes place in the same high school and in the same wind ensemble club room that fans of the anime series have grown to be fond of, but the focal point, the viewpoint... the cinematography itself demands that you focus your attention on the two main characters in this movie, Yoroizuka Mizore and Kasaki Nozomi. Mizore is your quiet and soft-spoken girl who is close friends with Nozomi, your lively and outgoing girl. They are both third-years at high school and members of the wind ensemble club. Both know that this is their last chance to enjoy their youthful and carefree lives before they step out into the unforgiving real world. Luckily, they are both also the aces of the club in their respective instruments so they get a chance to play a critical solo part in the club's upcoming competitions. That's a pretty good way to go out, if I do say so myself. But I feel what I've just said in this paragraph does not do these two's relationship enough justice. The two of them have been friends since middle school. Nozomi is very introverted Mizore's first friend and definitely holds a special place in her heart. However, this relationship seems hopelessly one-sided as Nozomi, being the outgoing person that she is, views Mizore as simply another friend. Their relationship is made to go a little deeper though when Nozomi invites Mizore to join the wind ensemble club. Eventually, spending time together both in and out of club allows Nozomi to also see that Mizore is a special friend to her. Their relationship then hit a rough spot during their first year in high school but has since been resolved (watch Hibike! Euphonium Season 2 Episodes 1-4 for more details!), but not without leaving behind lasting anxiety and uncertainty in each others' hearts, especially Mizore's. This movie does a stellar job of portraying the two's pure, delicate friendship and how they resolve the aforementioned anxiety and uncertainty by reexamining their relationship. From the get-go, Liz and the Blue Bird sets very down-to-earth expectations for itself and that never wavers throughout the movie. It doesn't try to be the next big hit in high school romances, or drama, and definitely not in the music genre like its parent story. It is, very roughly summarized, nothing but a story between two close friends who are nearing the end of their high school lives. The movie both begins and ends with a normal, everyday scene of the two of them walking to or from school and engaging in typical youthful conversation, albeit a little less chatty than expected due to the nature of one of them. From an outsider's point of view they would certainly look just like typical best friends in high school.. And this is where this movie's beauty lies hidden. We see as the movie progresses that there is so much more going on between these two seemingly inseparable friends. The movie takes care to use every precious scene with detail and craftsmanship that turns an otherwise stereotypical "hIgH sChOoL" anime movie into a true work of art. Whether it is Mizore's constant uncertain glances at Nozomi, or in general just how much Nozomi's typical friendly acts and words toward her can turn her blushing red in an instant. Whether it is Nozomi's extroverted-ness shining out as she interacts with everyone. Every single emotion that the two characters feel in this movie get animated with clear distinction. You can physically feel Nozomi's surprise when Mizore asks if she can invite someone else. You can physically feel Mizore's hurting when Nozomi deliberately snobs her. I've read in an interview with Naoko Yamada that she took extra care to make sure not to "disrespect" the two characters' complex emotions and damn did she accomplish that in this movie! Interestingly and as an aside, Yamada showed increased interest in directing Mizore and Nozomi's story way before production and this goes to show how talented, passionate people who like what they are doing can really create the best works. Probably my favorite part of this movie is just how entrancing the relationship between Mizore and Nozomi is. On one hand, you know they are close friends and that chances are high they will remain so for the rest of their lives. But Mizore's increasing uncertainty toward Nozomi feels like it put their relationship on knife's edge; a bubble that has grown too big. Another big rife in their friendship could very well put it to a irreversible end, but you can feel that Mizore is taking great pains (at least for someone as introverted as her) to make sure it never comes to that point, ignoring everyone else as she only really has eyes for Nozomi. On the other hand, Nozomi is just being her usual outgoing self, confident that Mizore will always look up to her, but even she comes to a point where she realizes just how vast the difference between the two of them really is and makes up her own resolve toward their friendship. At this point I can only say that my number one ship in anime has safely become MizoreXNozomi (friendship ofc) and I really hope things work out well for the two of them going further. I've been focusing on the two main characters and their story in this review so far because after all, they are the highlight of this movie and imo, where the nail truly hits the coffin. But that is not to say that the other elements of the movie do not deserve mention. In particular, the accompanying soundtrack was really good and silent tracks were used with care in the movie's more emotional scenes. Mizore's oboe explosion at the climax was a thing of beauty to listen to as well. The different artistic style and redesigned characters really help to make this movie feel parallel to the anime series. Liz and the Blue Bird is not a grand story, and doesn't try nor have to be. It's not a tale between fated lovers, nor a huge chronicle of working hard towards sweet sweet victory. Hell, it's not even a good drama! This movie cannot be viewed with the typical expectations that its genres seem to imply, because it deliberately exists as an independent plot point in the Hibike! Euphonium universe and therefore cannot be viewed like the anime series. I'm sure this movie's events will only get passing mention in the upcoming Chikai no Finale movie or a Season 3 (fingers crossed), and yet they have stuck with me. It's a combination of the pure and delicate love story between Mizore and Nozomi and how they reexamine and advance their relationship forward and the sheer amount of detail and craftsmanship that went into making sure both their emotions got properly expressed and felt on-screen. The sound (as expected from a music-oriented series) and art-house like visual style were the cherries on top. Liz and the Blue Bird is a must-watch for anime fans period, but even more so for those looking to take a break from all the serious anime that have come out recently. For those that want a work executed to near perfection with skill and craftsmanship only made possible with a dedicated and talented director who respects their characters' humanity and emotions, this movie is right up your alley. People who don't care much about technical stuff and only want good content will still find Mizore and Nozomi's personal story to be a truly moving one, even if the setting seems a bit too ordinary and grounded. Even then, this movie reaches level of detail and craftsmanship seen in few other anime and that alone is enough to warrant me giving it a perfect score.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 23, 2018
Sword Art Online: Alicization
(Anime)
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(12/24 eps)
[Sword Art Online: Alicization First Cour Review]
DISCLAIMER: This review assumes that you have watched the previous two seasons of Sword Art Online and possibly the Ordinal Scale movie, which canonically takes place in between Mother's Rosario and Alicization - as retconned by Reki Kawahara the author of SAO himself. This review is also more suited to those who have watched the twelve episodes of Alicization that have aired so far and NOT those who are only about to begin watching the anime. ----- I'm reviewing this as someone who has read the entire fan-translated Alicization arc and is a fan of the SAO franchise. I feel like I ... need to preface this, my first SAO anime review, by saying that I get the people who are on the other side of the spectrum - that is, the people who hate SAO. However I won't go into full detail and instead only give my short opinion, that people hate SAO like they hate any other popular entertainment or media franchise. Because more people know about its existence, the more chances it has to garner haters as well as fans. Simple as that. To those people though, the Sword Art Online: Alicization arc might just be enough to tip you to the other side, or at least turn your opinion on this franchise into an uncertain neutrality. Having said that, I will try to make this review as inclusive as possible - to fellow fans like me and to the passionate haters. Let me begin right away: Alicization has a beautiful concept, it really does. The idea of a virtual world indistinguishable from the real physical world has long been teased in the former arcs. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the eight light novel volumes that preceded it (or the two 25-episode seasons for anime-only people) were merely setting up for Alicization. In simplest terms, Alicization is the climax of the Sword Art Online story. But the idea of a climax that takes ten(!) light novel volumes and reportedly fifty or so episodes in animation to tell does not really seem promising. Reki Kawahara, the author of SAO, still suffers from his introducing-shit-out-of-nowhere syndrome. Granted we haven't really seen this yet on this first cour of the Alicization anime, but trust me when I say it will get worse as we go on. Also, he still relies on infodumping literally the entire plot/premise instead of letting the characters find out through natural interaction and discovery. And of course the infamous episode ten, where he proves yet again that the only way he can write remotely villainous "villains" is by making creepy aristocrat perverts who are like that because why the hell not? "I have money and influence and I'll use them to swing my dick at you!" Sure, you can chalk this out to the fact that Alicization was written in the 2000's when this villain archetype was a lot more common, but that's no excuse for lazy writing. As I was reading the light novels I fell asleep multiple times, with the fascination of this amazing concept and philosophy of virtual worlds the author created being the only thing that carried me to finish reading the arc. Yeah, I'm a fucking nerd. In short, Reki Kawahara knows how to write great ideas. Conceptualize. He just needs improvement at telling stories. For evidence of that look no further than episode six. *** Right! So I've got all the mainly negative stuff out of the way! I have also digressed too much, so let's go to purely this first cour that A-1 pictures has graciously gifted us. I'll be using criteria points to make things easier. A numerical value for each criteria is at the end of this review. [Premise] Alicization will appeal to anyone who's even remotely interested in the idea of living in another world, getting a chance to be in a place where no knows who you are - where you can start anew. In this sense, Alicization should probably already appeal to a lot of people. Right from the onset of the first episode we are greeted with unfamiliar scenery with the only familiar thing being Kirito himself, who we all know lives, breathes, and interacts in a real physical world much like ours. However he acts as if he has been living in this new world all along, complete with memories, clothing conforming to the fashion in that world, and even close friends - and that's something I really loved about the introduction and that they took an entire episode worth of screen time for it. For a moment there, SAO was able to apply one of the golden rules of good story-writing - show, don't (only) tell. Both in LN and anime, I was genuinely interested in all three of the young characters and their interactions as humans living in a next-level virtual world, no matter how brief that time lasted. To any sci-fi fan out there, the idea - concept, behind the virtual world itself is something truly fascinating, and in my opinion the most noteworthy achievement of this anime so far. Quantum physics is involved heavily and do you know why I think it was done good? Because I don't freakin' understand it! Even now I still don't get how the Soul Translator truly works - especially when it involves vague and touchy subjects like the 'soul', and that's fine. No one really understands quantum shit at first! Alicization deals with heavy stuff like law and order and if there ever is a time when an individual can justifiably break it. To overcome limits set by societal standards and rules, to make it sound more positive. And of course we still get our usual beautifully-drawn and animated sword fights and action scenes. Nothing new here. -- [Plot and Setting] The plot in the outside world is nothing special. Kirito suffers a life-threatening condition during a normal day walking home with Asuna in the real world and his only hope of recovery might be in the revolutionary STL technology which he has been doing test runs for. Unfortunately, Megane-kun the enigmatic JSDF secretary is in charge and as we all know he has been interested in Kirito since the SAO incident. He takes him away... to the middle of the freaking ocean! Asuna then of course uses her usual Mary Sue shit in an attempt to bring back her one true love who, for all intents and purposes, can be considered kidnapped. How nice it must be to be rich and influential. The real deal is in the Underworld. At first it seems like the ideal fantasy world, a peaceful quiet place where one can live without fear of dying due to evil monsters and wars and shit. To enhance that sense of safety further, ultimate warriors with the highest skills in both swordfighting and magic known as Integrity Knights patrol the lands regularly, in case the people need to remind themselves just how.. safe they are. As long as they live quietly. As long as they obey. To say any more would be spoilers, so I leave only this quote (paraphrased) from an anime, "If someone always follows the right path without ever failing, is that really what's best for them?" Just what is the price to pay, if there is any, for the perfect state of peace and progress the Underworld has achieved? The Underworld itself is one of the better fantasy worlds I have seen in any media. Then again, I am biased towards anything that involves high fantasy and/or new worlds, so I'm not really the best judge for the setting of Alicization. -- [Character and Story Development] Kirito is Kirito. He is Jesus-kun. Chick magnet. Edgy, but with just the right sense of morals and values. However in Alicization his OP-ness has taken a direct hit! Or so it seems at the beginning. But it is clear that he can no longer, and does not - at least immediately, roflstomp people like he did in Aincrad, Alfheim, or that lightsaber bullshit in GGO. His way of thinking and approach into fights can be said to have grown more careful, more mature, and more refined. Although that could be because the pain he feels in the Underworld is essentially 1:1, unlike previous VR worlds with pain receptor settings. Now, Eugeo is a character I have mixed feelings for. He's absolutely well-written, but only in the context of Kirito and as his faithful travelling companion, close friend, and fellow budding swordsman. When Kirito is taken out of the context he's a character with nearly zero redeeming qualities and nothing interesting about him at all. The seal of the right eye, System Alert Code:871, is a good way to make him feel even more artificial. Which is funny because you know, he is really artificial. It doesn't help his case when Reki Kawahara decided to pull the shit-out-of-nowhere card with him one too many a time. I really want to like Eugeo, but he feels more like a plot device than a real human. Which is funny because, yeah . . Alice, ah yes the beautiful Alice. Part of why I like Alice so much is the idea, the drama - the romance, that comes from naming an entire part of a long story after her! Alicization. A word made by combining 'Alice' and the suffix '-tion'. Does that mean this arc emphasizes the state or quality of Alice, as what "Alicization" would imply? But I digress. Alice is our lead female. A headstrong, kind, smart, beautiful youth - one of the two friends Kirito makes in his first dives into the Underworld. Comes back ten episodes later as the even more beautiful but now cold and hard as steel Integrity Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty. The part of the story that turns Alice from a plot point to a well-written, interesting and dynamic character hasn't really aired yet, so there's not much I can say about her right now. SAO's supporting cast is hit and miss and Alicization continues this trend. Asuna is the chick determined to bring back Kirito, in what is nearly a reversal of their roles from the Alfheim Online (Fairy Dance) arc. Kirito's other friends barely get any screen time aside from Sinon in the first episode. The team in charge of the STL technology are nothing to write home about either aside from Megane-kun with his usual mysterious megane tendencies. On the other hand, the supporting cast in the Underworld is absolutely fantastic! Liena-senpai is one of the most beautiful anime girls I have seen in a long time, and of course Tiese and Ronie are best valets! Now let's talk about the story, or rather how it will develop from here on, and this will be quick as the arc is only about one-fourth done as of this writing. Alicization will be the biggest story SAO has ever told, dwarfing everything before it in size, importance, amount of characters, consequences, and implications going into the future. It will also attempt to explain some of the unsolved mysteries such as how way back in SAO Kirito was able to come back to life to defeat Kayaba (and Asuna overcoming that paralysis) with what seemed like complete and utter plot armor at that point. Now that last bit is important as a significant part of how the STL works is directly connected to the answer Kirito comes to. Alicization will be darker and more edgy going forward but definitely has more lessons to teach. -- [Animation and Art] The SAO anime was already known for having top-tier art and animation but Alicization ups the game even more. Every minute is movie quality on par with the level of Ordinal Scale. If you've watched that movie, then you know how ridiculously slick it looks. Perhaps the most important visual aspect - the sword fights and the sparks and dust from the action scenes, are also done accurately which I really appreciate in my fantasy-type anime, thank you very much. It's clear that A-1 are really taking this project seriously and it shows in every smooth fluid frame of animation and the attention to detail. I have nothing more to say but that I am looking forward to the Blu-Ray release of Alicization as I just know it will look gorgeous when polished and treated further. -- [Soundtrack] The Yuki Kajiura brand of quality anime OST graces SAO yet again, perhaps at the best possible time as it is now telling the climax of its story. Not to mention LiSA is back! And damn, she hasn't lost her magic touch at all. If anything, she only got better. ADAMAS is such a hype-inducing OP and is pretty related to Alicization, more specifically to Eugeo imo. The ED is yet again Eugeo-focused and is a bit more toned down and melodramatic, but with the same magnitude of feeling as the energetic and upbeat OP. -- [Production and Replay Value] A-1 are really upping the standards for production with Alicization. Ofc anime production quality in general has been only getting better through the years as competition continues to increase but even in Fall 2018, a season packed with lots of decent shows with similarly high production value, Sword Art Online Alicization manages to snuggle comfortably into the top through not only its popularity but also with consistently movie-budget quality levels of animation and art, the lethal Yuki Kajiura-LiSA combination (also seen in Fate/Zero for reference), a captivating virtual world with good concept, and an overall improved main character in Kirito. Regrettably, the only thing holding it back is the actual storytelling in its source material, but I have faith that A-1 will do the best adaptation they can going forward. No replay value yet as the anime is only about one-fourth done through the arc. -- [Summary of Sword Art Online: Alicization's elements] Premise: 8/10 Plot and Setting: 6/10 Character Development: 9/10 Story Development: 7/10 Animation and Art: 9/10 Soundtrack: 10/10 Production value: 9/10 The best: Animation and art, soundtrack, production value, character development The good: Story development, premise The bad: Plot and setting, the storytelling technique of the author That's it! I might update this review once the entire Alicization arc has been adapted. Let's hope A1-sama does not falter all the way! Stay cool~
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 12, 2018
Nagi no Asu kara
(Anime)
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Prepare to dive into an ocean of emotions and a whirlpool of feels with Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea). This anime is truly a hidden gem, a diamond in the rough in the world of shows out there. I must confess that this show completely bypassed me when it aired back in Fall 2013, and I only recently picked it up during late November 2016, more than three years later. Boy am I glad I found it! I went into the series blindly, and ended it feeling absolutely satisfied, warm all over, and just generally in a state of emptiness when I
...
don't know what to do after the perfection that was this anime. Looking back, I could only wonder why this series seemed to go terribly underrated and not mentioned a whole lot in the community. But I digress.
While I admit that I probably haven't watched too many anime yet to truly justify my rating, as I will most likely continue to watch more shows into the future, I can safely say that among those that I have already watched, Nagi no Asukara is the only anime I can give my rare, proud 10 to. Why? Before I go into my long, deep opinion, let's take a look at the components of the show first and how I feel about each of them: Premise: Nagi-Asu promotes itself as a drama, fantasy, and romance according to MAL, and I think it delivers in all of these perfectly, especially the first one. Truthfully, the synopsis didn't really give me a clear idea of what to expect from the show; it was as ambiguous as a road map you could get. I thought it would be a slice-of-life in a manner similar to Kokoro Connect, and while the first half of the series definitely felt like it at times, the second half all but abandoned the general cheerfulness of a SOL. -- Plot and Setting: Under the sea and in a town beside the sea. We've seen this many times in both anime and other media before, but Nagi-Asu goes beyond and adds racial traits, prejudices and misunderstandings to the people who live underwater and the land-dwellers, almost making it seem like the equivalent of color, wealth, or beliefs in the real world. And boy, does Nagi-Asu deal with the topic of discrimination beautifully . . . Moving on, the plot is nothing too special but the execution was godlike, and safe to say there were a lot of twists along the way, with the most heart-wrenching ones truly unexpected. -- Character and Story Development: The character development in this anime is a masterpiece, and even then that stills sounds like an understatement. One of the male MC's was the most unlikable piece of shite at the beginning, but he did a full 180 throughout the series, until it came to a point that one of the things that kept me going through the 2nd half's more emotional arc was seeing his progress as a person into something truly unforgettable. And it's not just him, everyone else in the ensemble cast had developments worth watching. The story also had a very reasonable pacing, with no unreasonable or unwarranted slow-downs or rushes. As I already mentioned, the first half feels a lot like a SOL, but after the first half ended it slowed down a lot, but in exchange we get even more of the character development that I've praised so highly (although the first half definitely had great character developments as well). The ending. As much as I'm a fan of Nagi-Asu, I can't help but be disappointed with the way the show ended. Yes, everything was resolved and all the ships sailed, but I feel like a lot more could have been done it if just wasn't rushed as hell. All that wonderful buildup for those last underwhelming 5-7 minutes .. -- Animation and Art: Now, let me just say one thing: That animation was legit, bro! If you haven't watched Nagi-Asu and are browsing the internet for recommendations about it, then 9 times out of 10 this is the aspect of the anime that most people loved. PA Works, the studio behind Nagi-Asu (which is an anime original by the way), has always been known to deliver and exceed expectations in the visual department, and this series is no exception. Seriously, just pause whenever you encounter a background or basically any scene with few to no characters on it, and observe every little detail drawn in glorious, movie-level quality. In particular, the various underwater effects are simply spectacular. The art style is really beautiful as well and definitely works in favor of the show. -- Soundtrack: Any anime with Kana Hanazawa as a seiyuu is already a winner for me . . But seriously, the soundtrack is yet another masterpiece element of the show. There are a lot of great tracks, with its fair share of upbeat and happy and sad and emotional. The right tracks play at the right moments, and a lot of times I was just held into a 'wow'. Here is probably one of the most uplifting tracks I've heard in all of anime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBpHEnSIIU8 And an accompanying emotional track, which has feels written all over it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bNFA7unbg0 The OP's and ED's do well to accompany the series' soundtrack. Ebb and Flow (OP 2) is still among my favorite anime songs. The ED's also have great usage in the ending of some episodes as well - the one that comes most to mind is Episode 23. -- Production and replay value: Consistency is the name of the game for Nagi-Asu, as its wonderful animation never falters even late unto the series. There is little to no drop in soundtrack quality and usage as well. Sasuga, P.A. Works Replay value is at an all-time high here. Rewatch it whenever you've lost hope in humanity but still want to believe there is a chance, whenever you want to feel warm all over .. no. Just rewatch it whenever you have the time to fully commit to it, as this is when Nagi-Asu will reward you the most. --- Summary of Nagi-Asu's elements: The best: Animation and art, soundtrack, production and replay value, character development The good: Story development, premise, plot and setting The bad: the ending ---- Personal opinion: I've already gushed about all the things about this anime that made me love it above, so I'm just gonna keep this short. Nagi no Asukara is an anime you MUST watch before you die. It definitely and safely belongs in a top 50 anime of all-time list, although I would boldly argue it has the repertoire to belong in even a top 20 list. This anime takes its rightful place among the likes of Toradora and Clannad as some of the best romance and drama anime has to offer. Although I admit, the starting episodes might not really hook you in, as this anime only really starts to get going by around the ninth episode. It definitely has the pacing of a 26-ep show and I'm so glad P.A. works made this rare decision instead of going for their usual 12-13 ep shows. Twice the amount of episodes really helped this show flesh out the world, characters and the story it wanted to tell. This anime had me not watching anything else for about a week after I finished it - it was that good for me. It made me question important things in life such as family and love. This anime is that kind - that is, if it hits you in all the right places, it is a show capable of changing your very life. An ocean of emotions is waiting for you in Nagi no Asukara!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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