What Gundam: Twilight Axis has to offer in its whopping 30-minute total runtime is quite the list. If you thought that this is another Gundam series that has a thought-provoking storyline and thrilling mobile suit action, then this is not the anime you thought it was.
The storyline is disjointed, scenes and music cut abruptly, the characters ain't fleshed out in the slightest and there's too little dialogue. Every episode leaves me dumbstruck because I had simply no clue what the heck is going on. Each episode is about four minutes in length, and because of the sheer amount of flaws in each, the whole series
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May 20, 2017
Blame! Movie
(Anime)
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My first thought while watching this movie was:
"Oh god, this is some choppy shit." However, Blame! did not disappoint. Being one of those watchers that viewed the film because it was a "Netflix Original", I have never been exposed to any of Tsutomu Nihei's works before. Netflix had previously released another one of his works titled "Knights of Sidonia", but I was put off by it due to the film being CGI in nature coupled with its mediocre ratings. Blame! takes us into a cyberpunk world, where robots have taken over (quite literally) and humans, now deemed as "illegal residents", are forced to survive in a harsh ... world where a single misstep in their quest for survival could quite possibly mean their death by creepy robot exterminators. Overall, the film is somewhat... fast-paced. There's never a moment allowed for sentimentality and some characters barely even talk at all. I'm talking about the main man named Killy here, who is so bloody quiet that "a man of few words" might actually be the exact phrase to suit him for the entire movie. The film is delicate and detailed, with each environment designed such that it makes us feel like the human survivors- helplessly stuck in the same place for all eternity. But it remains in every right, a true action movie that should be watched by everyone. Some other action movies try to devote time to so-called character development that usually ends up in a heap of garbled and incomprehensible rubbish, but Blame! does not follow suit. This is how an action movie should look like. The film also raises some thoughts about the future of mankind. We are in an age where technology is growing and an increasingly frightening rate, and humans in this era have successfully produced AI, or artificial intelligence, that can serve us. However, Blame! does tackle a topic most of us might have mused before- what will be the state of humanity should we build something that is more intelligent than us, and that entity happens to turn against its own creators? This subject was the point of focus for the recent season of Marvel's Agents of Shield as well (which is a 3D American TV series for those who don't know). Blame! does incite thinking into this matter. And I guess I enjoy thinking about it, because the time is nearing when humans successfully create artificial intelligences that can think and behave exactly in the way humans do. In spite of the good points of the movie, some might not want to watch it due to the fact that the movie is CGI- some might even argue that in a sense, it isn't an anime. However, it doesn't ruin the experience too much as you will hardly notice it after awhile if you try not to pay too much attention to that fact. Although I say this, it does irritate me quite a bit, so the sentiment that some viewers might face is quite understandable. This mode of animation does not affect character design. Cibo, Zuru, Killy and the rest are still very good-looking. In both ways. ;) Additionally, some word used in this film such as NetSphere and all these jargon might make the film somewhat hard to wrap your head around. Due to lack of explanation of this terms, I had a difficult time understanding certain parts of the movie, and it definitely wasn't very pleasant. People who have already read the manga might understand these terms utilised in the film, but viewers new to Blame might find this slightly unpalatable. Music-wise, the soundtrack does its job. Nothing too shabby or great, since most of the time you'll be too immersed in the action to notice the epic music playing the background. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Blame!. This adaptation certainly does justice to the manga that is held in high regard, and is a suitable starting point for people who are looking to start on Nihei's work, such as me. It's subject brings into mind fresh topics for reflection, and the movie will leave you at the edge of the seat during those aimbot sequences. (lol) Those who have read the manga will undoubtedly enjoy this film more than newcomers. Well, now that I'm done with this, on to the manga I go.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 14, 2017
Koe no Katachi
(Anime)
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For the most part, for someone like me who hasn't read the manga, I can only sum up the movie in one sentence:
It's quite confusing. Of course, this is something that should be expected from 64 chapters of manga compressed into 2 hours of film. It is inevitable that many parts of the story will be cut out. This made me struggle to grasp the full meaning of the film and it was quite irritating. But however, that aside, Koe no Katachi- released in English as "The Shape of Voice" or "A Silent Voice", was not such a bad movie. Even though the movie is Shounen, unlike ... many shounen anime these days that have a simple premise, the film does not hesitate to dive into complicated topics that many teenagers face today. Be it bullying, being bullied, contemplating suicide, or just simply throwing shit at your friends to protect your own pride, Koe no Katachi attempts to capture the very essence of human nature in our teens. Being a fifteen-year-old close to the peak of my teenage youth, I must say that this movie is easy to relate to, which is why I enjoyed it to a certain extent. The story, as most of you should already know, is about Ishida Shouya and Nishimiya Shouko. Ishida had bullied Nishimiya in 6th grade due to her deafness, but after she transferred schools, the tables turned on him. From being the bully to being the bullied, Ishida experiences what it's like to be on the receiving end, and how it felt to be ostracised. Fast forward to high school. He starts to isolate himself and starts marking the people he hates and doesn't accept with 'X's. But then, one day in school, he is reunited with Nishimiya. The overarching storyline is pretty good, but many things aren't explained properly. This forces the viewer to infer the meaning of certain scenes. One or two of these may be alright, but the film has so much of these that it might sometimes be hard to follow what is going on in the film. Besides that, Koe no Katachi manages to show the hardships the deaf people face and how others have to adapt in order to communicate their feelings accurately to the deaf party. In our daily lives, we probably have seen few deaf people. Even if we have, we probably don't know them and have never considered how to 'talk' to them. We don't know how it's like to be close to one or to be one. The film answers many questions I never knew I had about deaf people, and I think this might be an eye opener for many viewers. Another good aspect of this film is how it manages to convey so much through so little words. But credit for this goes to the animation department. When the characters first appeared on the screen, the first thing that came to my mind was Sound! Euphonium. The characters of both anime look very similar- and it's because of Kyoto Animation! Kyoto Animation did an excellent job on Koe no Katachi. From the beautiful character designs to the vibrant landscape, KyoAni makes Koe no Katachi the second best-looking film of 2016, just falling short of Kimi no Na wa. Due to the nature of the film, many character conversations with Nishimiya are mostly silent, with the exception of hand gestures. But KyoAni's great animation of emotional changes of the face makes it such that a scene of conversation with barely any words can convey so much meaning with such a small amount of words. However, the music and sound isn't outstanding but it certainly does serve its purpose. I can't remember the name of the film's OP, though I recall that it was a somewhat rocky English song that fit the playful and youthful environment in the first section of the film. The ED, "Koi wo Shita no Wa, was really good and I suggest that you listen to it. It's quite a pity that half the cinema left when the credits rolled. They missed out. Now on to the biggest aspect of the film- the characters. Koe no Katachi places complete focus on the characters and their relationships. I'd have to say that the characters are the strongest yet weakest part of the film. Let me explain myself: the film fleshes out the two main characters really well, but the side characters are mostly left in the dust. Some even don't have a reason to be there, like that orange haired dude who just appeared out of nowhere and served zero purpose to the story. I feel as if characters such as Ueno are hard to understand due to the short length of the film, and that if Koe no Katachi had been a full TV anime, these characters wouldn't feel as antagonistic as they do in the film. However, not many films manage to flesh out their MCs in 2 hours, and that is already a achievement in its own right. Yet again, I'm going to refer to Kimi no Na wa. Though its story was strong, Kimi no Na wa did lack proper character development for its main characters. As such, the film is able to have strong MCs, but a substandard supporting cast. I enjoyed Koe no Katachi, but in all honesty, I did expect more from a film that had countless positive reviews from MAL and IMDB. Regardless, Koe no Katachi was a very good film, and I would recommend you to watch it as well. I suggest reading the manga before you watch it- it's not very long and doing so should help you to understand parts in the film that viewers who haven't read the manga yet struggle to comprehend. I watched this in Golden Village Bishan, Singapore on 14th March 2017.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 25, 2017 Recommended
Just finished the movie half an hour ago; I'd like to write while my memory is still fresh.
I had watched the first season of SAO last year and it was, well, quite shit. Even though the concept had the potential to make the anime a masterpiece. The romance was flat, the story was a chockful of Deus Ex Machinas and the second arc was just plain bad. I decided not to watch SAO II, as I had read and heard that it was worse than the first season. But when the movie was primed to be released in my region, I just simply had to ... watch it. It is an indescribable feeling that I guess most anime watchers have felt before: Is the movie going to be as average as the original anime adaptation? Is Ordinal Scale simply meant to be a cash grab, or is it going to be a genuine attempt at telling a good SAO story? Sitting on the bus now with an SAO: OS promotional paper bag resting on my legs, my opinion stands is that it was a little bit of both. Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale was surprisingly good. The film kicks off with the introduction of the somewhat new breakthrough in the gaming industry: the Augma. Compared to the NerveGear in the actual SAO arc and the AmuSphere in the other arcs, the Augma was not a VR device, but an AR device. What is AR? Augmented Reality, or AR for short, is exactly what it sounds like. AR devices or games aim to capture virtuality in reality. A good example would be the recent hit phenomenon, Pokémon Go, a game which players try to catch virtual objects in the real world. Ordinal Scale is an AR game on a massive scale. Players, who no longer have to lie in bed and enter semi-sleep just in order to experience a virtual world and its thrilling adventures, could now simply take their wireless Augma out with them, wear it as a piece of headgear and head to various locations in the real world to team up with friends to fight huge game bosses. Of course, rewards were given if each boss was successfully defeated, but the rewards were actually tangible things such as a coupon for a free beef bowl or free cakes at a restaurant. The Augma, however, was not only just capable of providing an all-new way to game, but also had messaging and health management functions. I bet if this was released in the real world, it would be a hit in no time. Appearing before us is our originally overpowered MC Kirigaya "Kirito" Kazuto, who is caught along by the new wave of Augma fanaticism. Along with Asuna and his old friends from Aincrad, now dubbed the "SAO survivors", Kirito goes out into the real world to fight a boss, only to discover that the boss was an old level boss from Aincrad. Realising that he didn't have the weightlessness that he had in VR, Kirito, an unfit bastard, could not replicate his sheer game-breaking power he had in almost all the other VR worlds. In the midst battle, he meets the mysterious girl who appears to him repeatedly afterwards: a popular AI diva Yuna, who is basically something like a vocaloid with personality. He also has frequent encounters with the 2nd ranked OS player, Eij. As battle after battle rages, Kirito starts to feel something amiss after strange incidents occur and uncovers the conspiracy behind certain aspects of Ordinal Scale. While it was somewhat refreshing to finally see Kirito so weak at his game for a short while, the story of SAO: OS was not too shabby. Unlike the anime arcs which had many gaps in both plot and timeline, the film is coherent and understandable. There are no longer any ambiguous character intentions (like Kayaba's reason to create Aincrad ¬_¬) and the reasons behind every characters actions, no matter whether they were villains or the good guys, were presented clearly. The concept of Ordinal Scale and the marriage of the real and virtual world isn't anything new to the current era- but this isn't a bad thing. Instead, it helps us to enjoy the movie better because it relates to us here and now. Despite the fact that the movie is set on the 2020s, Augmented Reality (and Vocaloid idol fandom) is something that is widely talked about and enjoyed presently. The film opens our eyes to see how AR could be enjoyed close to the present; but truth be told, we do not have to wait long. Pokémon Go could have public events soon and players would be able to, as seen in the movie, take to the streets to catch legendary Pokémon. The future that SAO: OS shows us is not far after all and gives us many ideas and anticipations for what's to come in the near future. Aside from that, the movie makes several references to the anime which are pleasing to see. These reasons is why I enjoyed the story of the movie somewhat, despite it's occasional clichés and plot predictability. In the animation department, A-1 Pictures delivers. SAO: OS deviates notably from crappy and sappy story for a more action-centred take on the SAO franchise. Animation is fluid, especially during the action scenes which are fast-paced and literally action-packed, but money didn't leak from the screen unlike films by CoMix and ufotable. A-1 had one job, and they did it. So there's no complaint for this section. As for sound, I would say that this was one of the greater aspects of the film. You would do well to watch this film in cinemas; the surround sound was simply amazing. Along with great music, the background sound effects did an excellent job and immersed the audience in the action sequences. My seat literally shook when a game boss buried his weapon into the ground. Speaking of music, Yuki Kajiura did a fantastic job. Her signature way of composing her music is apparent in countless areas in the movie, and tracks from the original OST such as Swordland (unfortunately, without the coffee and soda) were played, inducing a sense of unneeded but appreciated nostalgia. LiSA's theme song, "Catch the Moment", was the credits song for the film. Ironically, most fans who had left the cinema the moment the credits rolled failed to catch it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Now for the characters. Like I mentioned earlier, the characters, whether good or evil, had clear intentions behind their actions. Unfortunately, even so, I can't help but feel that the characters are bland. They don't actually really serve much of a purpose for the story, but it was still good to see (and relieving not to see) some of the old characters. I was so happy to see Klein receive just a little bit screentime and Suguha not to receive close to any at all with the excuse of being sent off to Kendo camp. She's the character I hate the most in the franchise; just plain obnoxious. Even Yui isn't that bad. Kirito and Asuna's relationship is also one of the apparent parts of the film, and unlike being such an odd couple in SAO, they actually behave like a mature couple. Although they ain't canonically 20 yet, they already seem like they're married. We also get to see how attached Asuna actually is to Kirito. Don't get too worried yet, it's still a healthy relationship that hasn't descended to yandereism yet. All in all, I'll have to recommend Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale. It was an unexpected enjoyment-it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and yet exceeds the expectations of an SAO hater like me. The SAO Movie is well-animated and has great sound and music. It provides a new outlook at possibilities of technology in the future, and yet provides a good story to go along with that. The plot is more than I have described, but I tried not to spoil anything at all, so if you are interested in the movie, please watch it at a local cinema near you. Sword Art Online is not leaving cinemas soon and is still being released in countries across the world, so fret not even if you are not able to watch it now. If you do happen to get a ticket, just don't forget to stay for the after-credits scene!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 15, 2016
Kimi no Na wa.
(Anime)
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Tl;Dr It's a good film that will make you feel empty afterwards.
Kimi no Na wa (lit. your name.) is easily the best anime film in 2016- if not one of the best anime films of all time. Created, directed and written by Makoto Shinkai -the same creator of "5 Centimeters per Second" and "Garden of Words"- and produced by CoMix Wave Films, Kimi no Na wa is a beautifully animated, thought-provoking and for some, tear-inducing film. Though this film is not perfect in every aspect, it is still a masterpiece in its own right. Before I start, there's something special about the film Kimi no ... Na wa compared to other Makoto Shinkai films that I have noticed. Kimi no Na wa runs for a total time of 106 minutes- more than 2 times than that of other films done by him. The extra 40-60 minutes are actually essential to the plot and without it, Kimi no Na wa might have become a TRAINwreck with bad pacing- but it is good that this was not the case. The story starts off with what you see in the description- Taki, our quick-tempered male protagonist who lives in the city of Tokyo, finds himself in the body of Mitsuha, our shy female protagonist who lives in the rural village of Itomori. Later, he finds out that Mitsuha had also found herself in his body and soon, they find out a way to indirectly communicate with each other whilst keeping the other party's lifestyle in check. For normal anime these days, this type of plot has the potential to deviate into a more... ecchi based plotline. But, fortunately, this is not the case for Kimi no Na wa and this movie actually manages to achieve excellence without much fanservice. However, the story is not completely based around body-swapping and the plot soon thickens into mystery and heartbreak. I will not spoil too much about the actual plotline, but the main story of Kimi no Na wa revolves around searching. Searching for different things- places, friendship, people, romance and even names. The protagonists are always, always constantly searching for something, even if it might not make much sense to them or the audience at that moment, even until the end of the movie. The true beauty about this movie are the moments in which they manage to uncover and truly find the "thing" they are looking for, while the heart-breaking moments are the times where they find that "thing" after a long and arduous journey, only for it to slip from their grasp and disappear, turning the emotions of both the protagonists and the audience from initial happiness and relief to gloom and despair. There are many moments in this movie that shook me a little, and though I didn't tear up, it was guaranteed that someone else did. Emotional parts aside, Kimi no Na wa's story also allows for some thought-provoking moments, and mind me now when I say this, but the most important parts of the story usually come from the Japanese words said in the story, namely かたわれ時 (kataware-doki) and むすび (musubi). It is amazing how a whole, coherent story and be created from just these two words alone. The only problem I had with the story is that there were some Deus Ex Machina. That aside, though the story of Kimi no Na wa has some flaws, it still does make for a compelling story. And for that, I like it. As for the animation, it can't really be summed in just a few words alone. Heck, this film has allowed me to see the most beautiful art and animation in my entire time watching anime. Even ufotable can't even get close to this level of beauty and detail. Some people might say that its expected because of Makoto Shinkai, but I have to say that the studio CoMix Wave Films deserve a big hand for Kimi no Na wa. Every frame is crafted intricately and painstakingly, close to that of tapestry but closer to that of an excellent painting. Considering that this is a movie that seems to run at a higher framerate, the amount of effort put into the animation and art must be enormous. Each scenery in the movie is breath-taking and vibrant, and this isn't even exaggeration. The scenes taken in the city displays Tokyo perfectly as a bustling city, and there is so much detail that it could actually be considered a photograph of the city in real life, if not for the equally well-animated anime characters walking around. The scenes taken in the village gives off a peaceful and serene vibe as well, while the scenes taken in rainy weather seems somewhat melancholic. The animation of the weather in Kimi no Na wa manages to match the characters' feelings as well- rainy in times of sadness and hardship, sunny in times of light-hearted joy and the evening sunset in times of seriousness. But what scenery or is completely lively without sound? The music and sound of Kimi no Na wa is outstanding as well. Not just the background soundtrack for individual scenes, but the other sounds such as birds chirping and such. For some particular reason, the detailed animation coupled with the realistic sound does pull you into the show, and for a moment you will be completely oblivious of your surroundings while immersed in the realism of this movie. The music does make everything seem more realistic, even compared to other anime, but what really stands out is Radwimps' insert songs at each individual part of the movie. If I'm correct, the songs are Yumetourou, Zen Zen Zense, Sparkle and Nandemonaiya. The songs really does manage to capture the moment at times with a feeling I honestly and regrettably cannot really describe. It's all going into my YouTube playlist. Definitely. The OST for the movie is also very good, especially the piano pieces in my opinion. The music complements the mood of certain moments in the movie perfectly and appropriately, but in this movie there are certain parts that are void of music, and are for the most part important scenes that require your full attention. As such, I can say that the music and sound of Kimi no Na wa is outstanding and close to flawless. If you have time to spend, go to YouTube to listen to the soundtrack and songs- whether you're studying, relaxing or on the way to or from the workplace, these songs will help to lift your mood. Lastly, the characters and the cast of Kimi no Na wa- namely the two MCs, Miyamizu Mitsuha and Tachibana Taki (both alliterations, if you notice) are believable, likeable and relatable characters. However, their personalities only manage to show so much due to what I think is the curse of anime films. Because of anime films' short running time, there is the tendency for the characters to have little character development. Though Kimi no Na wa can be considered one of the longer anime films, it is an original and a standalone movie that doesn't have any prequels or foundation to back up the characters. This movie being one of the first few 'original' anime films I've watched, this might be something that just applies to me, but I feel that this fact still requires mentioning. I also have one additional problem with the characters- or more exactly, the side characters who are the friends of the MCs. Since some characters such as Tsukasa didn't get much development, sometimes it is hard to understand why they would go so far for the MCs, both literally and metaphorically. They usually show little to no resistance when told to do something, even if that 'something' is a very serious deed that actually requires some form of consideration. All that being said, I still find the characters of Kimi no Na wa much to my liking- they are portrayed very realistically through their individuality, their simple uncomplicated relationships with each other and their individual hopes and dreams of their own. Though the characters are well-written but are slightly flawed, they are not exactly Kimi no Na wa's strong point and would be much better if more time were spent on it. It is, however, definitely an improvement from 5 Centimetres per Second, in which some characters were incomprehensible. For the characters in Kimi no Na wa, there is definitely room for improvement. Did I enjoy Kimi no Na wa? I'm sure I did. Time and time again, I was pushed to the edge of my seat while watching it. The humour made me laugh at times (especially the statements made by Yotsuha) and the touching scenes made me realise that I had a heart. My eyes were constantly glued to the screen- and believe me, when watching Kimi no Na wa, toilets and full bladders won't matter! I think I also enjoyed this film because of the unexpected but essential sci-fi elements that were introduced into the movie, which were also much to my liking. Lest I forget, I also want to give an additional shout-out to the voice actors, especially the ones playing the MCs. After doing a little bit more research, I found out that the seiyuu are pretty new to the voice acting industry, with the girl voicing Mitsuha only 18 years old! The voice actors have done a superb job at voicing the characters, and never have I heard other voice actors voice their characters with that degree of emotion. Furthermore, because of the gender-swapping phenomenon that happens, the voice actor also has to start altering their voice a little, and that was also well-done. It was fun watching certain parts in which the seiyuu of the MCs had to act a little bit more like the opposite sex because of the phenomenon. I've to say that the other voice actors and actresses of the side characters also performed well, especially those voicing the other members of the Miyamizu family. Overall, Kimi no Na wa is a masterpiece with excellent voice acting, great story, exceedingly outstanding art and sound and good character. Everyone who watches this film will definitely enjoy it to some extent, and some might even shed a tear or two. Personally, this film has exceeded my expectations and is currently the best film I have watched so far. I sincerely hope that Makoto Shinkai's next film will be equally as good or better, and I hope that his next film might be the first anime to make me tear up. This is a weird wish... Edit: Having rewatched the film in its entirety again, I noticed a few more things in the movie. Rewatching the film makes it lose its "magic", and since I already knew what would happen I could pay attention to plot details I missed on my previous watch. This made me realise that even though the movie is mostly understandable, the main aim of the movie is to be like a nakige- to mess up your emotions. As a result, since the second run didn't give me much feels and my judgement was not impaired, it could be seen that some plot elements were not very well explained, which still made the movie slightly confusing even after watching it again. However, I still think that this is still the best anime film I've watched so far this year. I still have not watched Koe no Katachi yet as of this time. Second edit: Having watched the film for the third time in its entirety (yes, I'm that crazy but the film was just released in my country and I felt like watching it in the cinema in high definition and surround sound instead of kissanime's current native 480p resolution) I yet again realised a few more things, SPOILERS AHEAD. Many people might ask, why did Taki and Mitsuha forget about each other? It seemed more like a plot device to keep the plot going and emotions flowing. Though I can't really argue with that, the reason for this is also because of the concept introduced (which is pretty true in fact) that dreams fade after you wake up. Everyone always had that one morning when you wake up and think "Hey, I just had a dream but I just can't seem to recall what I was dreaming about." The 'dream' in the movie was attributed to the body switching, and after the 'waking up' was triggered (the grandma asking Taki if he was dreaming) it is only right for the memories of the 'dream' to linger around only for a short while before disappearing. Even so, certain triggers in memory might lead you to remember part of the dream and feel a certain sense of déjà vu. Keeping that in mind, you might still retain a part of the memory of the dream for a while, though that memory is fated to eventually be forgotten, which is exactly what happened in Kimi no Na wa. Additionally, the fact that Taki was able to challenge impossible odds and travel back in time to become Mitsuha again and save Itomori could be interpreted as nothing short of a Deus Ex Machina- which similarly to my previous analysis is in fact a Deus Ex Machina but has a deeper meaning to it. 'Musubi ' is the reason. This 'musubi' is supposed to be a concept of 'connections' in a certain sense, or as the characters would say, something that unravels, intertwine and connects together again. Because of this concept, I am able to interpret it as this : though their timelines weren't in step, Taki was able to change the past because of the shrine god's power (musubi) and this effectively allowed 'the timeline Taki was in' connected to 'the timeline where Mitsuha died' to unravel and reconnect again instead to the morning of 'Itomori's final day in which Mitsuha was still alive and had time to do something about the impending disaster.' This is how it makes sense to me and this is how I interpret it, after a second rewatch. -SPOILER END- SUMMARY = 45/50 or 9/10 (Personally, I feel like giving it a ten though) + Good story with interesting concept + SUPERB art, voice acting and sound + Character all have black hair. Finally. And they're pretty realistic. - Not enough character development for some, due to movie duration. - 1 or 2 Deus Ex Machina - Though mostly understandable, some plot elements are not completely explained or not explained enough, which might make the film quite confusing for first-time viewers +- Not good for the heart, because of the feeling of emptiness that comes after you watch it. Oh, and Yukari from Kotonoha no Niwa makes a cameo here.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 7, 2016
Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu
(Anime)
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(8/12 eps)
Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu is a story about a group of teenagers working together to create a visual novel, and the concept is awfully other animes such as Saekano.
Simply put, the story sucks. Really bland story. After eight episodes, there's not much progress in the story. The first six episodes showcases the problems the team faces in creating the visual novel, but those problems are always solved by the end of the episode. Halfway through the season, other then the fact that they are trying to produce a bishoujo novel, we don't know much of the content the team is trying to ... make, and it seems as if they haven't made much progress at all! And then there's the problem of fanservice. It's as if the writers suddenly realised all they had written was pure crap, amd they thought, "Hey, isn't there a way to glue our audience's eyes back to the screen? Why not give them some ass?" Then, they devoted one entire episode to it! Even the name of the episode was 'This is the so-called fanservice episode.' Really, man? Fanservice is ok, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the story. In this case, it does. The characters in this series are, well, okay. But they're dull. The characters in this anime have average amd cliched personalities. Buntarou Hojo is a good writer and he is called up by Sayuki Kuroda to write the script for a visual novel she wants to make. Kuroda is the leader of the team and is a otaku as well. The other characters also have other personalities of their own, but they are mostly just extras. We have the guy who's devoted to two-dimensional girls, the useless but actually-has-a-crush-on-dense-MC girl (Actually Shiina Mayuri in disguise) , the loud fujoshi, and the soft-spoken artist (Actually Ero-manga sensei from a parelell universe) . In certain episodes, the other characters might be highlighted, but afterwards, they will just be thrown aside and left to frolick in the dust. There's also not much character development at all. The writers must have thought that putting romance as an extra plotline would capture back the attention of the watcher, but instead the romance seemed forced and instead made watching every following episode seem like a chore. Well done. Still, the art isn't bad. The art is the saving grace for this anime, it's really good. If you aren't watching the anime now, take a look at the promotional vid somewhere on the details page. Then afterwards, find another anime to watch. The sound are okay as well. The OP and EN is fine. It's not very good and it's not very bad either. At least it doesn't make my ears bleed. So after reading this review, what should you do? Of course, the obvious action is to pull this anime out of your watch list. It's really not worth your time. Go watch something better, I'm serious.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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