- Last OnlineApr 9, 2020 12:42 PM
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- BirthdayDec 17, 1991
- LocationBoulder, CO
- JoinedMar 21, 2010
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Jan 6, 2018
This is a very polarizing show: reviewers either love it or hate it. For the most part, at least; there are a few who don't have strong feelings either way. I am one of those people.
For the most part, I found it enjoyable. There were a few moments that were really quite funny--there was even a subtle Matrix reference! The story was interesting enough, and I think the characterizations really suited the age of the characters. I found even the villains likeable. The music was nice, too. I liked how they brought back the Koshi Inaba closing theme when it was appropriate.
The biggest turn
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off for me was the inconsistency of the art. On one hand, the style is different, and at times I thought, "How refreshing!". There were one or two scenes where it seems they really pushed their budget to create some nice effects (maybe even a subtle Art Shift). But more frequently, I found myself flinching at how off the anatomy was: heads too big, shoulders too narrow, arms too short, tiny hands, weirdly spaced eyes, strange nose shadows. Don't even get me started on their clothing. The last scene was the worst for me--what was up with their necks?? What is this, Liar Game? I don't know if they were going for something 'different', but due to the fact that there weren't *always* problems with anatomy, it didn't seem like a stylistic choice, but a mistake.
If you're not so picky about that kind of thing, it probably won't bother you. It bothered me. Even so, the story kept me engaged through all 52 episodes. Give it a try--I'd say watch until after the time skip to know if you want to stick with it or not.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 2, 2017
considering how popular this anime is and how many good things I heard about it, I was disappointed by how short it fell. The show's redeeming quality is the art, but honestly it's not good enough to watch it just for the art.
The biggest problem for me? Pacing. In episode one, there's way too much that happens. There's a virus that kills everyone under the age of 13. That's oddly specific. How does the virus know one's age? Why 13? And how does it kill people? Where did the virus come from? (this is never explained.) And then, all of a sudden, there's vampires? Is
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this a new problem, or have they been there all along? Are they a result of the virus? Did they cause the virus? Are they susceptible to the virus' effects? None of these things are answered.
Anyway, there are things called vampire cities, and that's where they take all the surviving children (i.e. those under age 13). How did they find them all so quickly and completely? Have the vampire cities been around for a long time? If so, why has no one noticed these massive underground cities?(Also, it doesn't seem that any of the vampires are originally Japanese, because they're all based on traditional vampires like Tepes, Bathory,etc., and the fact that it's mentioned they speak English and Latin better...? but we're focusing on ep 1 rn so more on that later).
So our main characters are living in this vampire city, but we don't get long to learn about their living conditions beyond the fact that they have to give their blood to the vampires to pay for their protection. I guess it's bad? We don't get the chance to find out the particulars because the kids decide they're going to run away. But it's all a trap set by one of the vampires! And allll the kids die except for the Main Character, Yuu, who manages to escape to the outside world...even though we can only assume the virus is still active. Doesn't that mean that a)everyone is dead out there and/or b) once he reaches the age of 13, he'll just die anyway?
I digress. He makes it out because literally everyone of his friends/family is dead. But fortunately, there's a group of soldiers waiting for him outside the Vampire City. The words of the Leader of this group make it seem like it was some kind of prophecy/prediction that Yuu (the MC), would make it out of the vampire city at THAT time and THAT place. This is never mentioned again, nor is the concept of prophecies being a thing ever mentioned. So our MC joins the army to become a vampire killing solider, because "all he has left to live for is revenge". How original.
And that's all in episode one. It's just...too much. It's normal to have questions after episode 1, but Owari no Seraph tries to do too much right off the bat.
Anyway, episode 2 flash forward to 4 years later, he's wielding a sword and fighting monsters in a military uniform, so I guess he's well on his way to getting that sweet, sweet revenge. Or not. Apparently, he wasn't supposed to be out hunting monsters? His punishment is being forced to go to school. He only spends maybe 3 episodes in school though, so it's really pointless. It makes you wonder what he's been doing for the past 4 years, since apparently he wasn't in school before (it's later shown that he doesn't really know any Kanji, which supports that he hasn't been doing anything academic).
But I guess he does make 4 new friends, who are his new "family" even though we're never shown any reason why they should be such close friends. We don't get to see them build relationships, we're just expected to accept that after a couple of conversations, they "get" each other.
So, this group of friends miraculously all make it into the Elite of Elite army group, the Moon Demon Unit (or something to that end. I honestly forgot). Anyway, it's the only group who has the power to eliminate vampires, but even the weakest of their little friend group manages to get into this most ELITE of units because...plot? None of them are ever shown to have trained, but they're just expected to know how to use these crazy weapons and be good at fighting. And it seems strange to let five 16 year olds join the most elite fighting groups that exist in human society. They are not qualified, and are sent out on a mission before they even know how to use their Magic Demon Weapons very well.
I could go on, but I won't. The show tries to do in 12 episodes what it should have done in 25. It doesn't spend the time it needs to develop characters, motives, world building, and believability. It <<tells>> rather than <<shows>> most of the time, and more often than not it skips over important details, which create plot holes and huge gaps in knowledge about What Is Going On Here. The premise is interesting, and I even think the characters could have been likeable if they weren't so generic and inconsistent.
My advice if you really want to get the gist of this show? Watch ep 1, then skip to ep 11 and 12. You'll probably understand just about as much as those of us who watched them all. I might watch season 2 some day, if I have some time to kill, but who knows.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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May 6, 2016
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is an interesting anime. I don't always like mecha anime, but Gargantia is a little bit different.
story: though the story was a little predictable, the overall story arc was well thought out. I'm sure many will disagree with this assessment, so let me explain. At first glance, it might seem like there is a huge mood whiplash between the first and second halves of the story. Certainly, the mood of the first half is much more lighthearted. But if you look at it thematically, the first half of the story is a mirror to the second half; it foreshadows
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what is to come. The first half serves to educate Ledo and Chambers, demonstrating that a) their notions about the purpose of existing might be incorrect and b) educating them on how to live in a new environment. The first half creates an emotional bond between Ledo and the people of Gargantia. Without that bond, what happens in the second half wouldn't have had as much meaning. I won't write any spoilers, but essentially the first half is essential for informing the decisions made in the second half. Other than the actual plot, I think this show does an excellent job creating an interesting, unique futuristic society on Gargantia. There isn't a lot of drawn-out exposition; it's explained subtly through character interactions and the environment.
characters: it is easy to think that the only characters with any real depth in this anime are Ledo and Chambers, but it is also a misguided notion. Without a doubt, the "alien" and his robot do undergo the most growth and development in this story, but that is to be expected; this is THEIR story, after all. It's ABOUT them coming to a new planet and having all their notions about duty, humanity, and life challenged. Moreover, there are only 13 episodes, so there really isn't time for every single character to go through a full character arc. Think about it this way: characters exposed to the biggest challenges are the ones that will change the most. Life doesn't change that much for anyone except for Ledo and Chambers, so it makes sense that those two have the most development. Furthermore, Amy as a female lead is representative of the ideals and mindset of the people of Gargantia. She is symbolic of the society she was raised in. Amy is carefree, helpful, and accepting. She might not stand out as a particularly unique character, but that doesn't mean she's just another two-dimensional character. She has a strong will and desire to help all her friends, including Ledo. She tries the hardest to understand him and in turn help *him* understand her world. Her character has a subtle strength rarely seen in media. As for some of the other minor characters, we don't get much of a backstory for them, but it's not really needed. This isn't one of those "everyone gather around the hero" stories; each character has their own life and goals the dictate how they interact with the main characters. Pinion isn't really bad or good. He's motivated by his own interests. We learn enough about him to understand why he's willing to risk so much to go to the whalesquid nest, especially because it seems to contradict what most people in his society believe about the whalesquid. While initially distrustful of Ledo, Pinion comes to see that Ledo can help accomplish what was once only a dream. His behavior towards Ledo changes once he realizes this.
Final thoughts: Apparently, Suisei no Gargantia is not a show that suits everyone's tastes. If you're willing to reflect on it a bit, it certainly does have a deeper message about coexistence, humanity, and the meaningless follies of war. It probably won't change your life or tell you anything you haven't heard before. What it does do is provide a lens to view our own society by making the familiar strange and the strange familiar. It's an interesting series and short enough that you won't feel you've wasted your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 29, 2016
I am baffled as to why this story is so popular. The best I can say about it is that it was "fine, I guess, if you have 11 hours to waste in the least gratifying way possible."
The good
The world has a very complex magical system that the characters will tell you all about in an extremely boring, unhelpful way. But I guess it's consistant and thoroughly explained, so there's that. The art also wasn't terrible, however I have to say I found the use of 3D modeling a little jarring. It didn't fit in with the style of the art at all, and all
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I can chalk it up to was either laziness or lack of funding. It looked sloppy, clunky, and just...bad. Sorry, this was supposed to be "the good" section. Spoiler alert: the best thing about this is the art, and even that isn't very good.
The bad
I suppose the worst part about this is that there was never any suspense. It's very clear by episode 2 that Gary Stu Wonder Boy (aka Tatsuya) is going to get everything he wants without even having to work very hard. He makes a big show of "not wanting to be in the spotlight" at all ever, and yet somehow he always always always ends up not only involved, but right in the center of it all. There's an unfair discriminatory policy towards course 2 students? Well, now that Tatsuya is here, suddenly everyone is against that unfairness. Secretly, the student council has been against it all along! There's an amazing CAD engineer who can make the impossible possible? Jeez, I WONDER who it could be???? What, our entire team got wiped out right before the finals of Generically Important Sports Competition?? But they don't usually allow replacements?? But this time they will??? And guess who it's going to be??? Tatsuya?!?! Whhaaaat?? Crazy.
This show is ridiculous, honestly. It was almost laughable in how predictable it was. The last arc was by far the worst. The MC is OP, yes. But honestly, he's not the only one. Let me summarize something that happened with not one character, but two (at least): "Hey Dad. Yeah, we got caught up in a terrorist attack...again. Could you send over some helicopters? Sweet. thanks, Dad! You're the best!" Seriously. That happened. TWICE. There's also this weird incestual overtone that is played for jokes...kind of. I really don't get why it was included. It added nothing to this story. Not to mention that OPMC gets a harem for...no reason in particular? He regularly expresses opinions that are unfeminist at best and misogynistic at worst. He never hesitates to tell a girl that what she is wearing is "inappropriate". Even one of his teachers! To be fair, the design of this particular teacher is pretty much "talking boobs". She, like all of the characters on this show, is given no character development. This anime is set in 2095! Are gender problems still that bad??? How depressing.
The final nail in the coffin of this show is that there is literally no point. There's no overarching goal the MCs are trying to accomplish. No Big Bad to defeat. No internal struggle to overcome. The last episode heavily indicates that there's more to the story. So maybe there's a lot of context missing that the Light Novels go into. I'm not sure; I have literally no desire to spend any more time with this franchise.
If you want to watch a MUCH BETTER show about a clueless bodyguard high school aged soldier, go watch Full Metal Panic. Don't waste your time on this anime. Just...don't.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 20, 2015
I enjoyed Blood Lad, but that's mostly because the humor really suited my tastes. It seems to me that the anime is mostly to garner interest in the manga, which is fine I guess, but if you're looking for a stand alone story, look elsewhere. It doesn't really end conclusively. At all. I found that irritating, but overall I'm glad I watched Blood Lad. Other than that, my only criticisms are that it is too short (didn't really develop the story enough to do it justice) and that this is too much fan service (that is not the way breasts work, sorry). It's enjoyable if
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you're looking for something you don't need to invest a lot of time, thought, or emotional venture into.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 5, 2015
Hmm what to say about Black Bird. Words fail me, but here I am. Black Bird is the type of story that normally I would enjoy (genre-wise), but somehow it just didn't work out with BB. It takes all the bad parts about shoujo stories and combines them into one. Somehow, I still wanted to finish it though, so I guess that says *something* about the manga, though I'm not sure what exactly that something is.
Story (4): the story itself was kind of 'meh'. It's not the worst I've ever read, but there really wasn't a point. It was very predictable. After reading
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about half the story, I already knew what was going to happen.
Art (6): I thought the art was actually pretty nice. It's not amazing or particularly noteworthy, but it's clean and easy to understand. I didn't like how big Misao's eyes were, though. They took up half her face sometimes. I also didn't really like most of her outfits. The art is fine, but it isn't good enough to cover up for the poor story.
Character (3): the characters were the weakest part of this story. Misao has NO agency. I don't think she ever decides to do anything on her own. I don't want to give away what happens, so pardon me for being vague, but the only time she ever really "decides" to do something for herself, it's not really even a decision, it's just accepting the inevitable. For most of the manga, all I could think about was how much easier everyone's lives would be if Misao just died. It's not that I wanted her to die...but I kind of did. It disturbed me how infantalized she was. She cried on every other page. who cries that often? It was excessive even by shoujo standards. I also could never understand why Misao and Kyou even loved each other. Misao didn't really have much of a personality, and Kyou spent most of his time maintaining a poker face. It was also annoying that all of the "Great 8" were male. In one of the omake about the mangaka's life, she mentioned that one of her editors suggested that one of the Great 8 be a female, but it was rejected. Why? I really don't understand. The only girls in this manga are Misao, Misao's mom, Misao's 2 friends, Kyou's cousin, Kyou's mom, and Shou's female sidekick (who just kind of disappears after she is no longer relevant to the plot), and the fox head's girlfriend (also disappears without explanation). There's also 1 girl in a side story (Zenki's sister), but she isn't a part of the main BB plot since she has her own story. There were many characters who were introduced, never developed, and then forgotten. They weren't even "put on a bus"; they just disappeared.
In my opinion, the characters are the most important part of a story. If you don't care about the characters, why should you care about what happens to them? I did not care about the characters of BB, so the story wasn't very compelling.
Enjoyment (5): I think that if you like Twilight, you will probably like this kind of story. It has a lot of similarities. Misao is JUST LIKE BELLA, in a very bad way. I read to the end because I wanted to see what would happen. It's like eating a box of chocolates, hoping that at least one of them will be good, and then feeling sick at the end because you ate allll that sugar, and none of them were good. I hoped that Misao would finally do something other than be rescued and hate herself, but it never happened.
Honestly, I do not recommend this manga. I wanted it to be good, and I wanted to like it, but it was lacking in many ways. The notes left by the mangaka throughout each volume are heartwarming and it really seems like she tried hard, but in the end it was very disappointing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Sep 11, 2014
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I do wish it had been a few episodes longer, though. Even one more episode could have tied up the ending in what would have been, I believe, a more satisfactory ending. I think this is a great adaptation of the manga. It stayed pretty true to the story, though it was much faster paced. I really love this story for a lot of reasons, but mostly I think it has really positive role models for girls (which can be hard to find). I appreciate the inclusion of the Sumizome/Keiko, even though it didn't really develop at all. One thing
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I was really impressed with, though, was the background noises, such as the sound of the geta on the tiles. It was a small detail, but it was so well done that it deserved a mention.
In sum, I don't necessarily think that there is anything about Inari konkon that makes it stand out amongst other shoujou anime, but it is short enough that you won't feel like you wasted your time, and it won't leave you feeling unsatisfied.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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