By no means a great anime, SAO epitomises the shonen genre, complete with symptomatic shortages: a story that doesn't really take off, let alone do justice to its premise; art of uneven quality (a few great backgrounds, decent characters, an almost editorial contempt for creature design and execution) and a competent, yet forgettable soundtrack.
In the meantime it succeeds at developing a mainstream experience, sacrificing to the conventions of the genre without altogether turning into a bland, distasteful mess. So I'm happy to say that I waited for (almost) each episode with some anticipation, and enjoyed them (almost) to the last.
By mainstream, I mean that, it
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Jun 7, 2013
Aku no Hana
(Anime)
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It is sad (if unsurprising) that this little gem is getting mixed reviews.
Ultimately, I find this show beautiful, exhilarating, funny and tragic at the same time. So I'm finding it difficult to answer the amorphous mass of misguided criticism that this is receiving. I wrote in my first review that this is a show about puberty. As such I found it furiously amusing. It is also a show about existentialism. Existentialism, however, needn't be philosophy. It could be… (spoilers, any?) ...a red haired girl with glasses, screaming, howling, devoured by an insatiable urge to project her fantasies onto the dull frame of a quiet, provincial town. Now, if you ... 
May 24, 2013
Suisei no Gargantia
(Anime)
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Emotional, reflective and ultimately, *human*, this really stands out as a meaningful, worthwhile piece.
It is often too dialectic to become truly artistic, however the tone is usually positive and relaxed while the story is engaging with (so far) just enough twists and turns to keep me going in earnest. At times the underlying philosophy is a bit facile but there's still enough here and theree to start me a little at times, which I think is great. Maybe the best release this winter. |
