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Jul 12, 2015
(Heads up, this is a bit of a long one, but I felt the show really justified this discussion)
An unexpected delight, that’s how I would summarise this anime. Time and time again, Kyoto Animation have shown themselves to be one of the greatest animating studios in Japan, but despite this I still go into shows like this expecting a moeblob. Boy was I wrong. Even for a Kyoto Animation show, Hibike Euphonium has set itself apart from their lineup through creativity and its sheer attention to detail. Let’s see how exactly it does just that.
Hibike Euphonium is the story of a group of girls
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in the school brass band, all working together to try to reach the nationals competition. So let me ask you something: Have you ever been in a band? If you have, you will really appreciate just how well replicated the band atmosphere is in Euphonium. For those not familiar though with being in a band, let me give you an idea. Bands are stressful, unpleasant environments. You can never work too hard, and you’ll still never quite perfect the piece you’re playing. But at the same time, there’s a thrill in gradually building up little sections of the performance, and tying them all together to perform the piece to the best of your collective abilities. So if you’re worried then that this brass band setting isn’t really going to make for exciting anime, think again. Euphonium has all the joys and tension of a sports anime, but at the same time never exacerbates the band setting, and never tries to portray something that shouldn’t really be there. It’s realistic but at the same time damn exciting.
Onwards then to the meat of the show, the characters and the story. There’s a lot to be said about what Kyoto Animation has managed to do with these characters, because on the face of it, they’re all not really that exciting. Adorable beyond words, I grant you that. But exciting? Not so much. Fans of the K-On style characters will find themselves right at home here, but you may find yourself disappointed with the more simple character archetypes that make up the cast. There’s Kumiko, our determined and slightly sullen protagonist, accompanied by the exceedingly rambunctious Hazuki and the queen-of-all-things moe Midori (I couldn’t care less that Midori is almost a carbon copy of Yui, because she is most lovable little button this side of the 2D world). Simple on their own, but together these characters have a lovely chemistry that makes the show just so pleasant to watch.
One very interesting character though is the slightly mysterious ice queen Reina. She mostly remains unexplored for the bulk of the anime, but proves herself to be a truly intriguing character towards the end of the anime (no doubt you’ve seen already if you’ve done any research on this show, but her relationship with Kumiko is a source of great ambiguity…) Apart from that though she’s also by far the most skilled musician in the band, and since she’s only a first year this provides some of the friction between band members that occupies much of the story.
Moving on to the story, it’s really not too different to the classic sports anime formula: New kid on the block becomes part of a group, and together they work their way towards trying to win a competition, in this case the school brass band national finals. What is original though is just how well it works in the school band setting, just as well as in a sports anime, if not better. The large size of the band means there’s inevitably in-fighting and drama aplenty (due in part to Reina as mentioned). Curveballs such as auditions and potential love interests amongst the band members provide the story material for individual episodes. But the overarching storyline is the band preparing for the competition in which they are undoubtedly the underdogs. You can really feel all the stress and tension in each character as they desperately prepare, and their actual performance itself in the final episode is a real crescendo if there ever was one.
So if the actual performance is the crescendo, then there must be some pretty good music right? Absolutely. The budget for this anime must have been phenomenal, because the quality of music performance in this anime is something straight out of a national orchestra. It’s very well produced, and even if this sort of music isn’t your thing you’ll surely appreciate the obvious effort that has gone into making the music sound amazing. I’m even tempted to say it’s better than any school band could ever be able to perform (bit of a mistake there Kyoto Ani eh?).
Finally, I’ll talk about the one piece of this Kyoto Ani show we all knew was going to be good: the animation. Needless to say they’ve done it again with Hibike Euphonium, as it’s really a fantastic showcase for the studio's talent. The locations, taken from real life Kyoto, are all beautifully replicated and full of detail. The instruments as well are works of art, especially when played because the music is perfectly synced to the animation of the instruments being used. My favourite little detail though has to be the individual music sheets. Each music book we see has these wonderful little annotations, such as particular sections to look out for, or small notes of encouragement, making them feel so personal they could easily have been real.
I’m waxing lyrical about this show because I think it’s a fine example of what anime is really capable of. It’s about larger than life characters such as Kumiko and Midori, who are appealing for being just so lovable, and are placed in an exciting and original setting that is full of drama and superbly animated. Before you are tempted to dismiss it as ‘another Kyoto Ani moeblog’, please for the love of all that is anime watch this show for yourself, I know you’ll change your mind.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 5, 2015
Anime in particular seems to have a soft spot for eschewing logic. Don’t laugh, it’s true! Ever since I watched shows like Bakemonogatari or even Haruhi Suzumiya, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. Now here comes a new contender for the throne of procedurally defying logic: Durarara X2 Shou. The original season had an approximately chronologically linear story, popping to different character’s viewpoints now and then. X2 has taken a leaf from Haruhi’s book though, so you can probably tell where this is going… (The storytelling this season which is about as scattered a baby’s abandoned jigsaw puzzle.)
It’s been a while since
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season 1 of DRRR first aired, but in the world of DRRR it’s business as usual. The cast is largely familiar, as is the wonderful setting of Ikebukuro. Depressed over losing contact with Masaomi Kida, Ryuugamine Mikado continues his student life with Anri Sonohara. Celty meanwhile continues her job as courier, although finds herself being dragged into deep, deep water with the arrival of a hit group from Russia. And yes, Shizuo and Izaya are still at each other’s throats, fear not! You’ll no doubt have already realised, but you’re really going to want to have watched the first season of Durarara before watching X2 (that said, I’ll keep spoilers of season 1 to an absolute minimum).
Given X2’s limited 13 episode run-time, this cour opts wisely I think for the 1 overarching arc storyline. There are quite a few branches to this tree though. As ever, we firstly have the gang conflicts, because without them Ikebukuro just wouldn’t be Ikebukuro. The Dollars, Blue Squares and Toromaru are all at each other’s’ throats as they try to gain control of the district. We’ve also got some interesting mafia relations thrown into the mix as well. This mafia/gang warfare is pretty much the overriding storyline of X2, and nearly all the main characters are involved in some way in this story. Over the course of the series, these gangs slowly plunge Ikebukuro into complete madness – with Izaya pulling all the strings of course – and the dynamic between the gangs that the original season did so well to portray remains as exciting to watch in X2.
The gangs aren’t the only players in X2. This time, Ikebukuro has some visitors from the distant Russia to stir up further trouble: the beautiful but deadly Varona and the philosophical Sloan. Of the new additions to DRRR’s already expansive cast, I thought these Russian hit-men were some of the best. Like us viewers (unless you happen to live in Ikebukuro…), these new additions are foreign spectators reluctant to intrude on a well-established ecosystem, so it’s interesting to see how they react to the madness that is DRRR. Varona however in particular took me by surprise. At first sight, with her good looks and revealing outfit I had her pegged as clichéd fanservice material. Varona quickly establishes herself as a power player of Ikebukuro, and her personal vendetta against Celty provide some of the real highlights of this season. Her expert combat skills matched with Celty’s fantastical powers set the stage for some of the best battles in DRRR.
Now with these storylines, in theory these would and should have been sufficient to satisfy me for this season. What makes Durarara a more difficult recommendation than I would have hoped is the way it goes about portraying these stories. By the end of the season, you’ll have them figured out. Before that though, the structure and pacing of X2 is so fragmented that, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be scratching your head a few too many times. I don’t have a problem with a scattered storyline, Baccano is an example of how a disjointed story can be used to make the series’ conclusion all the more satisfying. X2 however seems to introduce a sense of confusion for the sake of confusion. Where am I? What’s coming next? These are the sorts of existential debates you’ll be having with yourself as you slog through another timeskip. I expect that, given DRRR’s five year absence, the producers were keen to fit in everyone’s favourite characters at every available opportunity, to reassure everyone they had everything under control. Instead, the story comes across as needlessly complex. I very much hope that X2 Ten and Ketsu can provide the much more streamlined storytelling that will do the fantastic characters and setting justice.
At this point, I’d like to be able to say I’m done: X2 Shou had a few flaws but overall had things were pretty fine. There are a few more points worth covering though. The sticklers for animation in the audience should note that X2’s animation is embarrassingly lazy at some points. I’m not talking still frame lazy, I’m talking jittery motion and forgetting to animate every second still. Oh well, this is so they could pour more money into the other 2 cours isn’t it? The music on the other hand, which I had high hopes for after season 1, does not fail to deliver. The op and ed are both catchy as hell, and there’s the ever helpful last episode catchup worked into every op as was the case in the original season.
The few foibles I have put aside, if you enjoyed Durarara you will still enjoy this series. I certainly did; Shou is setting things up nicely for the two remaining cours of season 2, Ten and Ketsu. Shou ends on a high note, and I’m confident the talented team behind DRRR can continue to deliver.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 7, 2015
In a match made in heaven, the Japanese interpretation of English aristocracy finally meets one of the most English of inventions, the mighty Sherlock Holmes! This is Black Butler’s most serious and mature arc yet. Fear not though, because it’s also one of its best. Book of Murder’s two hour long episodes are a very worthy addition the Black Butler universe.
Book of Murder places a stronger focus than is Black Butler’s norm on the details of the storyline, so I am happy to say that story-wise this is one of the strongest entries to the series yet. Chronologically, Murder sits right after the Book of
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Circus arc, so you’ll definitely want to watch that first. For people who have watched Circus, Book of Murder nicely references events of the Circus storyline, while tying up a few loose ends to the Circus arc.
The story of Murder is unabashedly well trodden, as a cast of characters are invited to a Phantomhive banquet, but find themselves being murdered one by one. The events that unfold though are anything but clichéd however, maintaining suspense and introducing some very nice twists. Unlike previous arcs, Murder’s not action-packed, so whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to you though. Don’t mistake this lack of action for being boring though, as Murder’s tense and exciting mystery provide more than enough excitement by way of compensation. It’s a classic Sherlock Holmes-esque scenario, so the cute Sherlock references here and there were more than welcome, and the story definitely takes a very Sherlock-style logical approach to solving its own mystery (although I do think there were a few lapses in logic here and there).
A strong logical progression is not really why I came to watch Murder though. I came to see the more of Black Butler fantastical setting and Sebastian’s awesome powers put to full effect. Book of Murder certainly delivers here, in an intensely satisfying way. Sebastian is still ridiculously powerful, of course, but as the mystery unravels I found myself thinking not ‘Oh that was how Seb did it, that’s cheating!’ but ‘Ah, so that’s how it was done! Well that was neat’. They’re fine lines, but I’m glad to say Book of Murder stays on the proper side. With regards to pacing, Murder wraps its murder mystery up a bit quickly in my opinion, but there’s more to this story than meets the eye! Keep watching Murder, and you’ll find yourself surprised I’m sure at its unexpected ending!
I’ve talked about Sebastian already since he is no doubt the main focus of your attention (he was mine!). You may be surprised to learn that Sebastian is this arc’s main focus though. No, that honour goes to our narrator Arthur. Arthur’s a struggling doctor and writer, unexpectedly receiving an invitation to the banquet because Ciel is fond of his stories. He’s smart and able to keep a cool head, so naturally becomes heavily involved in identifying the murderer, helping Ciel with some well executed displays of deduction.
Arthur’s not just a super sleuth, he’s also a wonderful father figure. Arthur’s paternal instincts bring out a newer side of Ciel that I promise you’ve never seen before. With all Ciel’s confidence and meticulous planning, I sometimes forget how he is, at heart, still a 12 year old boy. Murder’s story is a mystery first and foremost, but if mystery isn’t normally your thing, you might be interested in seeing Ciel’s more vulnerable side exposed during his brief relationship with Arthur. In and of itself, this was a huge leap for Ciel’s character, so Arthur is pretty much a godsend!
Apart from Arthur, there’s a mix of old and new faces at Murder’s deadly banquet. Familiar favourite like the Phantomhive staff, Lao and Ran Mao are joined by newer faces, like Grey Charles, the queen’s personal bodyguard – watch this guy, he’s an interesting one. Apart from him though, the newer additions are pretty weak in general if I’m honest. I guess when there’s a murder mystery, someone has to be the victim right? (I’m sorry, that was morbid I know…). Overall though, the focal point of this story is definitely Ciel, Arthur and Sebastian, which is good because in Book of Murder they’re all fantastic.
Regarding the animation and sound, there’s not much to say about Murder other than it’s business as usual. It’s not anywhere near as action-packed as other arcs have been, so the animation isn’t quite as extravagant, but I didn’t mind at all. In addition, there’s no OP and EP to talk about, which I haven’t experienced in a while, but it drives the point home that Black Butler isn’t taking any prisoners here: it’s out to show you what it can do when it’s at its most serious and best. So to wrap up, Murder is in a way more of the same, with a familiar cast for the most part and the Ciel and Sebastian still occupying much of the attention. On the other hand Murder offers a new, more mature, sort of Black Butler. Ciel and Sebastian are still kicking underworld ass, and I for one really enjoyed the Black Butler’s take on England’s greatest detective stories. Book of Murder is a definite recommendation to fans of the franchise.
Pros:
Great mystery story
Black Butler + Sherlock-Holmes = Win!
More Sebastian! But perhaps not in a way you were expecting…
Cons:
Uneven pacing with quite a slow start
Not very interesting cast of new side characters
Not much action (could be a plus though)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 2, 2015
I am very glad I watched Death Parade. Let’s get that out the way first shall we? The 12 episodes of time I devoted to this anime were some of the best 4 and a bit hours I have spent. I would not call this anime a masterpiece. As a ‘social experiment’ though, it performs fantastically. Death Parade asks you questions: what does it mean to be human, do beings with no emotions have the right to judge our irrational selves? Death Parade does not hand you the answers, but does a good job of guiding you as you come to make your own decisions.
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For a show that does all that though, its premise is surprisingly simple. What happens when you pit two people against each other in a game with their lives at stake? A lot actually, when you add in the fact that these people slowly realise they are dead. These games function as a means to expose the deepest recesses of the competitors’ personalities, in order to determine whether they will be reincarnated, or cast into the void. This makes Death Parade, characters-wise, a tricky beast to judge, for the simple reason that you are introduced to a new pair of character in most episodes. Each episode, the focus is placed on determining the true personalities of these new characters, before showing whether they are sent to the void or reincarnated. Without strong characters here, the anime would have been a dud. Thankfully though, they are all very well done, each feeling unique with their own motivations and back stories. Each also has a hidden aspect of their lives that the arbiter seeks to extract. As is fittingly remarked in the show, ‘The truth is, there are no lives that are nothing but pretty’. This fantastic quote sums up nicely the sorts of characters you will find in Death parade, and what it is the arbiters look for.
Now you might be thinking whether, given the complexity of human emotions and personalities, how this game method could possibly be an effective way of judging them? You would be absolutely correct. This is a point Death Parade wisely decides to deal with head-on. The story is mostly episodic, but over the anime you watch the arbiter, Decim, struggle to decode the emotions of humans when he is neither human nor capable of feeling emotions. It’s incredibly provocative stuff. From time to time, I found myself disagreeing with Decim’s opinion on who deserved reincarnation, but this really emphasises how tangible and different human emotions are. Death Parade really nails this down: Using these very small human interactions to ask larger questions about whether what the arbiters are doing is right.
Death Parade’s not entirely about these human-human battles though. Decim’s female companion (I can’t name her sorry, spoilers!), provides a human touch to the world of the arbiters. The focus gradually shifts to her own story and her relationship with Decim. Now you may not see it as such, but I think episodic formats often seem to struggle when it comes to reaching a conclusive ending, for by introducing new characters every episode, this duo is left with less characterisation than might be expected. Without delving too far into spoilers, their side story becomes the main conclusion to a strong anime, but has some flaws: An enemy appears in with little in the way of motivation, and at the expense of the traditional games. Thematically though, Death Parade ends on a high, with Decim’s gradually dawning understanding of morality exposing a difficult discussion about what it means to be human, and it is here the strength of the story becomes apparent. This is a story of what it means to live. There is a sense of moral relativism here – is what humans judge as right and wrong dependent on the human capacity to feel emotion? If it is, then because Decim cannot feel emotions, can he truly be an effective judge? This is your decision to make.
I’ll leave it here for the most part, but as an aside though, but I’ll make an extra point about the OP. In case you haven’t seen it it’s an odd one that is entirely unlike the rest of the show but is nevertheless brilliant. Death Parade is an anime that is all about its sombre atmosphere, but this OP is one of the catchiest, most upbeat opening themes I have had the pleasure of watching. Just something more to love about the show. Death Parade is consistently exciting, emotional and provocative, appearing out of nowhere to take the place as one of the highlight anime of the season. To wrap up, it’s something you should be watching, being one of the most thought-provoking anime I have watched.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 25, 2015
Sakurasou no Pet no Kanojo follows a year in the life of the eclectic inhabitants of the Sakurasou dorm, as they each enter the path towards growing up – and all the responsibilities and hardships that it involves. I have a friend who suffers from mood swings, and there’s an element of that in the style of Sakurasou. It’s unrelentingly happy at times, and crushing otherwise – a show with such a huge amount of energy as this has very little need for a middle ground. This applies to pretty much everything about Sakurasou, from the characters to the plot. Whether it’s working to create
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a motion capture game that the entire school gets involved in, to the main character intense breakdown as he is forced to deal with failure, the good and the bad emotions run high throughout.
At heart, Sakurasou is an anime about creating a goal for yourself and dedicating yourself to the struggle of realising that goal. For our protagonist Sorata, what is initially a struggle to fit into a school dorm reserved for his school’s most eccentric of odd-balls soon becomes a struggle to manage the disappointments of failure, when oftentimes he is surrounded by success. His main love interest Shiina is, by contrast, a girl who despite her intense social awkwardness is an undisputed maestro in the world of art.
Sorata and Shiina are the true heart of the story, as Shiina comes to realise her true feelings for the Sorata, as he shows her the world outside of art which she has never truly known. But the surrounding cast however are incredibly strong, on par or even more compelling than the actual main characters. That’s a good thing too, as the story of Sakurasou is devoted to its characters more than any external events. Aoyama’s pursuit of a career as voice actress is given a lot of attention because it truly is a tale of dogged determination and persistence in the face of adversity. Her own character is so fleshed out that I you can easily see how she, not Shiina, could have been the focus of Sorata’s affection. Shiina’s character is unique and intriguing, and let’s not forget utterly adorable, yet rather as was the case for OreImo with the Kuroneko/Kirino dilemma, the manner in which Aoyama is inevitably discarded is bound to frustrate some of the fans. Let that not put you off though, for there is an equally well realised side-story to accompany, or even supersede, the main relationship: that of further Sakurasou inhabitants Jin and Misaki. They are both besotted with each other, yet struggle to establish a meaningful relationship between Misaki’s success as an anime creator and Jin’s unwillingness to, as he sees it, ‘taint Misaki’. Their relationship is just as well-developed and emotional as that of the main’s - tumultuous to say the least, but emotionally far more raw.
The production values of Sakurasou are certainly one of this anime’s further selling points. Exquisite art backgrounds and a vibrant use of warm colours are Sakurasou’s norm, fitting given the Sakura (cherry blossom tree) is such a bright and colourful motif. The focus on pinks and purples tinges the anime with romantic and sombre tones that fully complement the emotional affairs of the plot. These colours that provide the warmth to accentuate the uplifting moments are equally at home in the anime’s gut-wrenchingly sad moments.
Sound wise, both OPs and EDs are great additions, the second ED being my favourite with catchiness and synth-tracks galore. I would not go so far as to say the backing music was extravagant, but it was certainly atmospheric. The music and sound design does a fitting job of enhancing the range of the emotions as they develop throughout the show. Overall there is also much to admire in the talent of the staff, the music producers, the artists, but especially the voice actors. Shiina’s voice actor, Kayano Ai, in her subdued and deadpan delivery of her character accentuates the extent to which Shiina feels estranged from the community that surrounds her. She is reserved and yet, if you will pardon the pun, she shines when on select occasion she brings to Shiina’s voice a raw tenderness, so utterly contrasting her standard delivery I find myself earnestly bewitched. I’m focusing on the sound aspect more so than I usually would because honestly the strength of the voice actors and their delivery brings so much to the appeal of the characters and the anime as a whole.
Sakurasou no Pet is a bright and colourful anime populated with a variety of quirky characters bounding with enthusiasm. Yet at the same time it does not let itself succumb to a rosy view of the world that would distil the drama. For its colourful innocence and the occasional, inevitable fanservice, Sakurasou takes a firmly mature approach in its portrayal of Sorata and his friends as they enter the beginnings of adulthood. It’s what I could only describe as an ‘emotional rollercoaster’: I laughed and laughed at its unrelenting joie de vivre, and cried and cried as the characters are forced to fight to achieve their dreams.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 30, 2015
There is a lot of space for a cynic to hate on Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. In the most sarcastic internal voice you can muster, you might think to yourself watching the first episode: ‘Oh great, another romance anime with one of those clueless protagonists who can’t take a hint. Just what we need’. You would be right – it turns out another one of those anime was exactly what we needed, because rarely is the concept so well executed, or stretched to such hilarity, as it is in Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.
Gekkan Shoujo is about Nozaki-kun, a high-school student who is secretly a shoujo manga artist,
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and his life. (The anime is based on a manga as well, so I guess it’s manga-ception?) Now Nozaki-kun is not the world’s most perceptive character, and so when his adoring fan and the anime’s main character Sakura tries to ask him out, he infers that she wants an autograph, much to his satisfaction and her dismay. Similarly dense moments make the biggest running gag of Gekkan Shoujo. This is a show that creates scenarios so that the relationship between our protagonists might develop, only in order that they can be shut down in the most hilariously tragic way possible. You might be wondering whether it’s a parody of the shoujo genre or just a funny shounen? It doesn’t really matter when you’re laughing.
Sakura is a feisty protagonist if I ever saw one, the polar opposite to the Nozaki’s docile silence. But she’s very sweet and loveable all the same, such that you’re always excited when her relationship with Nozaki seems to be getting better. And what better way is there for it to improve than to help Nozaki with his manga? That’s right, not only is this show funny, you’re getting an insight into how manga is made at the same time! It’s not Bakuman levels of complexity, but it’s nevertheless really interesting to see all the different roles that make up the creation of a manga.
Obviously, Sakura can’t do this job on her own however, so this is where Gekkan Shoujo brings in its remaining cast of quirky characters. There’s Mikoshiba, our very own male tsundere with a talent for spouting cheesy pick-up lines and becoming embarrassed immediately after saying them. Then there’s Seo, the most insensitive best friend you could ever have – she’s desperate to attract the attention of one of Nozaki’s assistants Wakamatsu, but will happily compare Wakamatsu to a dog without so much as considering it might be insulting. Finally, there’s the drama club dream team Kashima and Hori. These two are the Laurel and Hardy of the show, and Hori is always Kashima’s throat trying to drag her away from her doting female fan club.
What’s great about this rag-tag bunch is that they’re all given room to let the story explore their relationships. All of them are also built into storyline of Nozaki’s manga, often in ridiculously roundabout ways. Mikoshiba (a guy) is used as reference for the school-girl heroine Mamiko! What’s more, Kashima then becomes the reference for the hero’s rival, who tries to snatch up Mamiko’s love! With the sheer eccentricity of all these characters, Nozaki wisely decides to use his entire school life as one big reference for the manga. This results in all sort of comic situations for Nozaki and Sakura, including Nozaki trying to get into the mind of his manga characters (and possibly the best line ever muttered in anime: ‘I wish I’d been born a slender bishounen!’) Needless to say, when summer arrives Nozaki suddenly seems very keen to organise a guy’s pyjama party...
At the end of Gekkan Shoujo, I don’t really feel as though the story progressed all that much, and certainly Sakura and Nozaki are nowhere near the relationship level Sakura pines for. So if that’s something you’re looking for, you might want to look to something a bit more focused on the serious romance department. But as a comedy which uses romance as its medium, Gekkan Shoujo certainly delivers. I look forward to season 2, where perhaps Mikoshiba will learn not to volunteer for nude modelling until after he’s calmed down a bit.
Recommendations: School Rumble – Romance may be an element of both shows, but it’s an excuse in both to laugh at whichever wacky situation the characters will plunge into next!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 18, 2015
There are an unassailable number of anime out there, too many. Logically then, there are going to be a very large number of truly great anime. But I haven’t watched them all, and probably never will. Why? Because I’m already having fun. Why am I having fun? Because I’m watching Amagi Brilliant Park.
Kyoto Animation are the undisputed kings of the moe slice of life style. Anime like K-On are thoroughly enjoyable rides if you accept that Mio is just the best girl, whilst Clannad is a masterpiece of the anime world, despite the fact that Key are seemingly only capable of drawing side-characters with purple
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hair. There is a sense of sameness though to a large number of Kyoto Ani’s shows, a sense that they’re a one trick pony. That is, until they released Amagi Brilliant Park. For better or for worse, Amagi Park is a noticeable departure from the standard mold, not least because it spends less than 99.99% of the time OUTSIDE a high-school.
Amagi Brilliant Park is set in a magical amusement park. It’s populated a variety of chirpy characters, with talking animals, a fairy who thinks she’s a helicopter, and a dragon suffering from acute anxiety. Most importantly, it has Kanie Seiya: our narcissistic, arrogant and friendless protagonist. Yes, that was not a sentence I would ever have expected to write in a review for a Kyoto Ani show. For once, Seiya is not the layman protagonist who attracts girls with his aura of affability. I definitely wouldn’t say he brings an air of maturity to the KyoAni roster (far from it, he’s about as idealistic a character as you can get). What he does is bring a likeable cocky persona to the table. Cracks in his armour of confidence do begin to appear throughout the show though, and so Seiya thankfully isn’t all talk. He’s a fully-developed character, but simply chooses to hide behind an exterior that can get things done. It’s something that KyoAni show themselves capable of doing just as well as their Aizawas or their Tomoyas.
As the protagonist, Seiya is tasked with rebuilding the park and attracting 250,000 visitors, or else the magical staff of the park will lose their popularity and die! He has no mean challenge ahead of him then, but the challenge itself though is not the focus of the show. Enter his side-kick and ‘obligatory KyoAni love interest’, our very own Isuzu Sento.
Not quite a tsundere (lovey-dovey under a ‘it’s not like I only have eyes for you, baka’ layer), and at the same time, not quite a kuudere (lovey-dovey under a ‘I couldn’t care less if you fell out of that window’ layer). These are the two features that most define Sento. She is efficient, but trigger happy and very willing to pull out her trusty shotgun, often with hilarious if painful consequences. Although Sento suffers from a distinct case of inexplicable in-love-with-the-protagonist-for-no-particular reason-it is, she is still the more empathetic character of the two – she suffers from nervousness when interacting with others, often resorting to violence as she pulls her gun from underneath a skirt that seemingly holds TARDIS like qualities. Sento is loveable and entertaining in the very opposite way that Seiya is, but their chemistry is more than enough to drive the show, and largely overshadows the artificial drama set-up for each episode. No, there are no panty shots as a result of this ‘TARDIS’ skirt, but I hear Highschool of the Dead is very happy to see you now.
You’ve probably noticed by now, but entertainment is an approach that plays a much larger part in Amagi Brilliant Park than in some of the more dramatic pieces Kyoto Ani has become known for – many episodes I did indeed find myself in tears, not from sadness, but from excessive laughter. The OP is insanely fun and catchy, and I’ve not seen anything quite as entertainingly ridiculous as when I watched three stuffed animals sitting down to a pint of beer, but it’s situations like these that Amagi revels in. There’s a good blend of more innocent and inventive humour more traditional to KyoAni, and a very adult, crude approach as well. It may be a KyoAni show set in an amusement park, but sometimes the show is anything but child-friendly!
So I definitely enjoyed the show. There is a ‘but’ though. And that but is this: Amagi Park is very similar to many of the shounen anime out there. Amagi Park may be a departure from Kyoto Ani’s norm, and that’s to be welcomed, but it starts to become inseperable from other popular shounen titles in the process. Kanie Seiya’s cock-sure personality is something we’ve largely seen in shows like No Game No Life’s Sora. I have grown accustomed to Kyoto Ani shows emphasising the moe fan-service, and Amagi Park doesn’t buck this trend, but it introduces a surprisingly sexual sort of fanservice into the mix. It’s one of the few problems I have with the show: I wanted and expected to innocently enjoy this storyline, and on a few too many occasions I was vehemently obstructed by several busty pairs of PLOT (those milk secreting mammary glands females have).
I should note that, for better or for worse, Amagi is simply not a finished story. It's got an ending that successfully manages to tie up the 13 episode series, there is still ample room left for what will presumably be another season. It’s not a bad ending, justifying the drama that had been building up the last couple of episodes, but it leaves me vaguely underwhelmed. Regardless, I look forward to the inevitable Amagi Brilliant Park!!/Amagi Brilliant Park: After Story.
Amagi Brilliant Park is light-hearted and whimsical, largely satisfied to be nothing more than harmless fun and looking pretty great to boot. If you’ve enjoyed this year’s lineup of shounen anime, no doubt Amagi Brilliant Park will leave you satisfied. If you’re a KyoAni fan, you may find yourself disappointed with quite how the show doesn’t take itself seriously enough, and doesn’t feel quite finished. Ultimately though, you’ll probably find yourself surprised at how, even when it’s not particularly serious or a tearfest, the KyoAni magic is still there, making Amagi Brilliant Park both a visually impressive and wholly enjoyable anime.
Recommendations: No Game No Life - Seiya and Sora are similar arrogant and good at getting the job done. Both are set in a fantastical world with magic, with a mixture of drama, comedy and fanservice. Also both need a season 2!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 27, 2014
If you’re familiar with shaft anime, Mekakucity fits into their portfolio perfectly, but that’s not to say the anime is perfect. If you’re unfamiliar with Shaft anime, it’s an experience very different to any other anime producer, and it’s very important to bear that in mind. I’m focusing on some of the flaws the show has in this review, but I enjoyed the show as much as I did some of the Monogatari series, and I’m very pleased to be able to say that. Regardless of your opinion on the director, Akiyuki Shinbou’s, polarising style, he has stayed true to it and to the source
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material, inviting viewers into the faithfully recreated Kagerou daze world.
Unlike a lot of anime, Mekakucity’s plot is not character-driven. The characters are actually a product of the story, and the behaviour of the characters is defined by the direction of the plot. It’s an abnormal approach to storytelling, and has its drawbacks. Many of the characters as a result are left woefully underdeveloped when a new character is introduced to fit in as many fan favourites as possible, and to help push the story along. However, what it does means is that there is a large variety of personalities put on display, so you’ll likely find that perfect one. Finding a character you really like, even despite having a few flaws is not hard when they’re all so likeable!
The show spends roughly an episode for each of the character arcs, these mini-storylines tying in roughly with the stories of the actual songs. It’s disappointing to say this, but old and new fans won’t be on an equal footing in Mekakucity. The stories are conveyed well enough though to give newer fans fun and hopefully an interest in the original songs behind the series. The way the characters, and their backstories, neatly link together is a convenient excuse to fit the series into 13 episodes, but they fit together very well. In the grand scheme of things, each character’s mini-arc does contribute to the pacing of the overarching plot, about the story of the monster who gives all the characters their supernatural powers. It’s a convoluted story and full of flashbacks, but pay attention and things will fall together, I guarantee it.
What Mekakucity does do, as a result of its roundabout approach to storytelling, is repeatedly twist your perception of the main characters. The show’s big ‘mystery’, where you have to guess which character is actually the one holding the witch’s power, is one that takes a while to become obvious. Inevitably though, Mekakucity’s short running time means that as the pace picks up, useful details are conspicuously left out. Time is probably what this anime needed mostly, but it makes do with its restrictions admirably, and the general tale is satisfactorily wrapped up by the end of the 13th episode. The ending is definitely inconclusive due to time limitations, but also I would like to think by design. Rather like Madoka Magica’s ending there’s a level of hopefulness in the ending thanks to its lack of conclusiveness.
Despite its rather convoluted, serious storyline, Mekakucity does not forget the importance of simple fun. On a more positive note, this is where the show really thrives. On their own, the characters don’t stand up very well. It’s an inherent weakness of having to flesh out characters only introduced through a 3-4 minute song. But this is more than made up for though by the ways the characters are able to interact, playing off each other and enjoying the company of people who have powers like them. And probably enjoying their awesome hoodies as well. Seriously, where do I get one? Anyway, if anything the characters add to the eccentric but fun personality that the show has, what with its distinctive music and art style.
Onto one of the most important features for the original fans: The music. Quite simply, all the music that started the series is there, and it’s really good. Rather than shoehorn them in at the end or beginning, the songs are used in their original purpose: to tell a story. The songs become a natural part of the storytelling, when they could so easily have just been placed in to please the long-standing fans. For the voice acting, the cast of wacky characters have suitably colourful voice actors. The seiyuu of Mekakucity Actors bring so much more into the story, really justifying the anime adaptation, and special mention goes to Ene’s seiyuu Kana Asumi – her character never fails to bring a smile to your face!
On the Shaft artstyle, it really is put to full effect in Mekakucity Actors, for better or for worse. As much as I empathise with the people who hate the largely abstract artwork Shaft have made their own, it can’t be said that Shaft did a bad job here. The surreal geometrically impossible scenery is not a style that will immediately make sense or click, because it seems so unnecessary and pretentious even at times. But even if you don’t love it, there’s excellent use of colour and a particularly heavy emphasis on chiaroscuro, a strong contrast between light and dark. It’s beautiful, and helps covers up some of the inconsistencies in the art itself.
Mekakucity is a polarising anime, and not without its fair share of flaws. What is important to me is that, even off the back off Shaft’s work on Hanamonogatari, Mekakucity Actors comes off as one of the most refreshing and original anime series I’ve recently watched. Yes, I wish it were longer and able to give all the characters the time they deserved. I still consider it a very enjoyable and memorable anime that I recommend to fans of Shaft and Kagerou Daze. I would also definitely say fans of modern-fantasy anime looking for something a little bit different should check it out. Mekakucity Actors is a fine introduction to the wacky world of Shaft anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 21, 2014
Full Metal Alchemist is the work of mangaka Arakawa Hiromu, and is undoubtedly her most famous work. While an anime series under the name of Full Metal Alchemist did air in 2003-2004, the actual manga itself had not finished at that point and, as a result, the ending differs significantly from the actual manga’s ending. Airing in 2009-2010, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood (henceforth referred to just as FMA) rectified this. Finally viewers were able to experience the joy of the entire Full Metal Alchemist story adapted to anime format – and what a joy it is.
FMA is very quick in establishing an action-packed storyline, soon
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evolving from the small-scale tale of two boys trying to find a way to recover their bodies into an epic quest to save the people of the nation of Amestris from being literally devoured, as a family of homunculi seek to gain the power of God (perhaps the Japanese ‘Kami’ is more appropriate here, as this God is more of a divine lifeforce than a fully-fledged supreme being). One of the coolest parts about FMA’s storyline, and this came as quite a surprise to me, was how dramatically the pacing slows down in the last quarter. These last 16 episodes represent only about 2 days’ worth of the story, and from this point on everything really is switched up to 11. The action definitely is amped up from this point on, but so too are the personal stories of our characters. It’s hugely rewarding to follow all the mini-storylines as they comes together for the story’s suitably epic conclusion. Without going into any spoilers, the ending to FMA was as close to perfection as I think anime will ever get.
FMA succeeds on multiple levels, being an accomplished mixture of the more enjoyable and light-hearted fights and comedy that a good shounen needs, with a very mature and intelligent approach to the personalities of the characters. It straddles the line between a more adult philosophical anime and a shounen anime placing action first and foremost, dedicating equal time to both these approaches. This is possible largely thanks to the concept of alchemy – the superhuman powers alchemy grants its user is almost absolute. The theme of humans playing god is heavily prevalent in the show, as is the concept of religion in general (Never is the maxim ‘advanced science is indistinguishable from miracles’ more applicable than in the case of alchemy in FMA). It’s a very compelling topic of discussion, and one happily that FMA doesn’t fail to address. The first mini-story of the show, set in the religious town of Leto, is designed to introduce you to our main characters, is focused exactly on this idea, with a healthy dose of action and drama for good measure.
Without further ado though, let’s look at the characters of FMA and why it is this aspect of FMA that is truly what sets the show apart. These characters are what drive the show’s considerable runtime to be a constantly entertaining and, thankfully, filler free experience. I counted about 30 characters who received decent development in the story, an astonishing figure when you consider that’s a character being fully developed every 2 episodes!
It probably won’t come as a shock to you, but it soon becomes apparent when watching FMA that the characters were its biggest strength. This is not only due to the fact that none of them stick to the archetypes loved by many (myself included), but because of how many of the leading characters are both physically and emotionally scarred. Our main characters, Edward and Alphonse, strive to save the world, but not because it is a simple driving principle that they live by, but because they need a solution to atone for their sins. This is not an uncommon driving force in FMA: the Ishbalan war soldiers, Lieutenant Hawkeye, Major Armstrong and Colonel Mustang, are also examples of characters living with regret, as is Scar, an Ishabalan hunted by the country and determined to exact revenge on the soliders of Amestris for killing his entire race! These characters are spending the bulk of their lives having to deal with the consequences for their actions.
This is why the primary villains of the series, the homunculi, are so much more important than just punching bags. Each homunculus is named after one of the seven deadly sins, and overcoming and defeating the sins that our cast bears is brilliantly exemplified by the action-packed battles with the antagonists. These details add fantastic depth to what could easily have been a very plain ‘stopping bad-guys trying to take over the world’ situation. In a normal shounen anime, I would normally say overcoming enemy after enemy is not the same as character development, but in the case of FMA, it very much is.
Fullmetal Alchemist makes full (hehe) use of the wonderful opportunities the writer has set up to allow the characters to flourish as humans, not just ideals with bodies or walking plot devices. As a result, the tragedies that befall these characters are not only obstacles for them to overcome. No, they are genuine disasters that scar these characters in longer-lasting and character defining ways. It is the way that the characters are shaped by the actions that surround them that gives them such relatable and loveable traits.
I won’t spend too long on the animation and music section of FMA, because this review is getting long enough as it is! The sound and music of FMA is something I regularly look back on fondly, because there’s not a moment where it slips up. Voice acting is perfectly cast, and Edward’s squeal when someone calls him short never gets old. The theme songs for FMA are also consistently on point, starting strong with Yui’s fantastic ‘Again’ and never looking back, especially impressive due to the fact that FMA switches up its OP and ED a total of 5 times in its 65 episode running time.
By contrast, if there’s one thing that Full Metal Alchemist doesn’t excel in, it’s the animation. It does the job and is pleasing to look at, but isn’t anything that you would write home about: character movements are smooth and some of the alchemical constructions are pretty impressive, but that’s pretty much that.
To wrap-up, FMA is that rare breed of shounen anime where the difficulties the characters face are solved by brains sometimes just as much as they are by brawn, but FMA doesn’t stop there. The characters are all likeable, well-rounded and intensely well-written people. Such is the complete quality of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood that, over the course of writing this review, my analysis of the characters and their situations has led me to respect them even more than I did having just finished the series for a second time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 13, 2014
I discovered Koe no Katachi by chance, and within a day had the entire story finished. It’s an absorbing coming-of-age romance, heavy on the drama with hints of comedy to lighten the tone. It jointly focuses on bullying, the issues of friendship and chasing after one’s dreams. Koe no Katachi has a unique twist though: the main romance is between a deaf girl, Nishimiya Shouko, and the guy who bullied her in elementary school, Ishida Shouyo. An odd pairing it is indeed, but the relationship is driven by the insecurities and weaknesses of both characters, questioning the limits and potential of catharsis to heal what
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was an utterly broken relationship.
One of Koe no Katachi’s most noticeable features is how human the characters seem. The manga, although having started publishing in 2013, relies very little on the tropes that seem to dominate manga and anime today. Although certain characters do appear to fulfil popular archetypes (for example, Ueno Naoka, the classic childhood friend), it is not what defines their personality. It is instead a catalyst for the events that take place in the manga, and the actual plot and the development of the manga are by far more significant contributors to the personalities of the characters. Koe no Katachi displays its characters proudly, and rightly so, as they are a truly exemplary of what happens when a romance story can do things right.
Our main character, Ishida Shouyo, starts the manga as the cast’s most unsympathetic character, a shock for sure. His vile treatment of the eponymous ‘silent voice’ of the manga, Nishimiya Shouko, prompts her to leave the school, spawning hatred from the reader and even his group of friends, who have spent the years since Shouko left the school bullying him. The story of Koe no Katachi is therefore actually split into two: One the one hand, it is a story of Shouyo attempting to repair his ruined relationship with Shouyo, and on the other hand it is about Shouyo finding a place again in society. Through hanging out with Shouyo, Shouko too is helped to overcome her own disability. As many a romance story has done before it, Koe no Katachi portrays the lives of two high-school students who are able to create much a much happier place for themselves by working together and with their friends.
Shouko is the real heart and soul of the manga, her stubborn kindness extending even to the boy who made her elementary school life a living hell. Whether or not her character relies too heavily on this trait is tricky to say. The conclusion I came to was that, had I lived as harsh a life as hers, friendship is something I would crave more than anything else. Her pursuit of catharsis is not so surprising really taken in this light. I would add that it is Shouko’s openness and innocent friendliness that brings out the best in the other characters too.
While not featuring as heavily as Shouyo and Shouko, the support characters are certainly not underdeveloped. The focus is initially placed on the relationships of these characters with Shouya, and how he helps them to get to know Shouka better. By the midpoint of the story though, these characters act independently, contributing heavily to the direction of the manga, in particular the ‘Let’s make a movie!’ storyline that occupies a significant portion of the overall manga. At certain points even, the story focuses entirely on these side characters and their relationships with each other, such that, when Shouya’s and Shouka’s relationship returns to the forefront, the reader notices a much warmer ‘group’ feeling, and more developed relationships between all the characters.
Although the story is not a long one, spanning only 65 volumes, there is a remarkable breadth in the topics Koe no Katachi manages to cover. Early in the story, Shouya nearly resorts to suicide before meeting Shouka, and death is a persistent theme in the manga – Shouka’s younger sister Yuzuru has an uncomfortable obsession with the topic even, going so far as to nearly only take pictures of the dead animals she finds. Being set in a high-school, also addressed are common issues such as the future plans and careers of the cast, and what it means to be ‘normal’. However, Shouko’s deafness really helps set this apart from the way these topics are typically dealt with in the high-school genre. With her disability, the topic of her future is a very important, as is how she is considered an outsider by society. The author deals with the topics in a very capable manner that fully demonstrates his respect for Shouko, her disability, and having to lead her life at a constant disadvantage. Shouko’s deafness is obviously the major theme of the manga. Although I cannot speak for the accuracy of the sign language which is prominently featured in the manga, the author takes great pains not to make Shouko’s deafness a gimmick, but a fully realised and critical aspect of her interaction with the other characters, which anyone who has experience with a hearing impairment will definitely appreciate.
The manga’s art is both detailed and very lifelike, with not a disproportionate head or oversized pair of eyes to be found. This massively helps in reinforcing the drama of the story. One thing I would point is the mangaka’s ingenious visual representation for Shouya’s seclusion from his classmates. The faces of the people Shouya hates are all crossed out, and Shoya’s gradual development as a character is accompanied by the faces slowly being revealed providing a very effective visual means to portray the development of his relationships.
One other technique that popped out was the heavy use of honorifics to signal how the perception of relationships changes. Many of the characters distanced themselves by changing how they would refer to Shouya or Shouka, adding a –san for example. This blatant relationship development suits the manga style well, making situations with several characters and the numerous relationships involved that much easier to follow.
Koe no Katachi takes a very positive and optimistic outlook on handling a hardship which can never be truly overcome, only minimised. It’s a story that is wrought with drama but critically no melodrama. All the conflict is fundamentally human, and is dealt with as though it were a conflict taking place in real-life. I highly recommend Koe no Katachi to people looking for a good romance manga, and also to people looking for a very down to earth and personal story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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