- Last Online10 hours ago
- GenderMale
- Birthday1960
- LocationBoyds Millpond SC
- JoinedJul 10, 2024
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jan 25, 2025
They fixed a lot of the little problems that affected the first season. The artwork was pretty much the same brilliant job, and the animation, especially the 3D CGI, was a lot smoother this season and much less obtrusive.
Lots of new characters introduced, and our MCs get some development. The BL elements get played up a touch more this season, but it never gets truly obnoxious. This story is still driven by a great plot and not that silliness.
Once again, there's good performances from all the VAs. I thought the English subs for the Mandarin were much better rendered this season. The soundtrack was
...
even better this season, with the traditional Chinese instruments sounding completely etherial. The director uses the actors, animation and sountrack together nicely and in quite a skillful fashion.
I am so torn over scoring this. Definitely an A at 95/100. It's right at the tipping point of being Masterpiece material. If they keep this up, next season will definitely be a 10, though.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jan 21, 2025
Donghua has stepped forward this decade, and here we have a prime example. It might not be perfect, but it's bettter than 90% of the crap coming out of Japan any more.
The art work is stunning. color pallets and background usage is masterful. The animation is all CGI, and it was kind of a mixed bag. At the core, sedate scenes are skillfully rendered. But some of the action is marvelous, and other action scenes are clunky as hell. Still it all comes out in the wash as a mostrly fine job.
There are a lot of characters portrayed here, and they all are
...
skillfully drawn and written. I'm not much of a fan of Mandarin subs, but the VA work here was so well done, it rounded out the characters' emotions nicely. While I liked the MCs immensely, my favorite character was Apple the Donkey. If you have even been around equines, you know the artwork captures the expressions pretty damned close.
The narrative was kind of jumpy, transitions betweens scenes is not very smooth at times. There are some pretty big plot holes that get coveniently overlooked. Still, the story is riveting enough to keep one on the edge of their seat. Especially the first half, seems to owe a lot to the great Hong Kong Jackie Chan movies like Drunken Master. Very similart vibe of mixing action and comedy smoothly enough. Once the flashback episodes begin, though, that dries up and blows away. TBH, that was a good thing, as it would have been too stark a contrast compared to the super drama that instills in later episodes. It all works though, because at the heart of this we have one great story.
I don't often mention it, but I kind of look askance at the subtitle translation. I don't speak Mandarin, mind you, but I found a lot of times the English translations didn't seem to do a good job conforming to what was happening in a scene. I really would like to see a top quality dub done for this, like they did for Link Click.
The direction was so-so. With good characters, voice acting and a nicely wielded soundtrack, there is room for praise. But some of the clunky scene transitions and animation left plenty of room for improvement, as well.
Still, the demons can be forgiven and redeemed. If I were grading this it would get 92/100 for a very solid A-. I would recommend this to everyone, but the Luddites who have a stick up their ass about CGI.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 2, 2025
If this was the fake, I don't think I want to see the real thing.
The art work is nothing to write home about. It's about the same old-same old for the franchise. I did like some of the background stuff. But the animation was the epitome of flashy trash. Lots of color, and camera angles jumping around during the big battle. But if you looked past that, the rest was less than average. Half a notch above kid-vid. You'd think a franchise that has made this much money could do a lot better. Well, I am sure they could, but that would cut into
...
profits.
The characters are the usual cut/paste assortment they've been using for years. Not a smidge of anything original or new happening here. Just slap a new skin on the old animation, and push them out the door, as fast and cheaply as you can.
Got the same impression from the VAs. They sounded like they were in a hurry to go get a bite at McDonald's. The direction is a study in inompetance. Especially where the soundtrack is concerned. I rarely mention that, but this one was so woefully abused and distracting, I'd be remiss if I let it slip.
This left me screaming at twilight. Time forever lost, to yet another gambit, to fleece otakus from another yen. If I graded this prolog, it gets no better than 64/100 for a mere D. Doesn't bode well for the series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 1, 2025
This is just about making me psycho, due to the mental conflicts I have with it. What it does good is superb. What is does bad is abysmal.
The basic artwork is tremendous. It's very rare to see CGI used to this level. Backgrounds and animation are tremendous. Very impressive, indeed.
Then there are the character designs. For the most part, they are great too. But you would think the MC would get the best design. Not so here. The design of Akane, especially the artwork, was simply wretched. Why they decided to create what is essentially a middle school character, instead of a full
...
grown woman, with this design is beyond me. It irked me no end, especially as the series wore on. The character development would have been a hell of a lot more believable. My Helmet of Disbelief kept short circuiting, no matter how many times I reset the circuit breaker. She ultimately falls short, and holds the whole production back.
Then there is the narative writing. The main part of the story is balls to the walls criminal drama. It's certainly at it's best when it is focused on the hunt for Makishima, who is the best character by far. There are some interesting twists along the way, but then there are also a couple that made me go "WTF was that for?" I'll skip the spoilers, but there are parts of this where the writers reach way up their ass, and pull out some real shit.
Then there are way too many instances of monologue. If I wanted philosophy, I'd pick up a book. Yeah OK, I know they are trying to portray social commentary, but this pseudo-intellectualization fell flat as a pancake. One thing I felt the writers did do exceptionally well though, was the relationships and interactions between characters. Well done, even with secondary supporting characters.
So overall, the writing was a very mixed bag, but the VAs did a very good job with what they had to work with. The direction got the best from the cast each and every episode. There was a fine soundtrack I found was well used to promote dramatic scenes. With the stellar animation, the direction was to be commended.
I really, really wish I could give a pass to the stuff that fell short. Without the mistakes in the character design and writing, this would have been a 10. But I couldn't grade better than 84/100 for a flat B as a total project. I'll give the producers credit though. They swung for a Grand Slam, but only lined a double off the wall.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 29, 2024
This anime does lots of things very well, but comes up short and hard in other ways. While I like and would recommend it, it dawns on me a lot of people are going to see the holes in it, and despise it for them.
I found the art work pleasing, and it was above average quality throughout the series. Nice background work. I found the animation was a very mixed bag. The first cour was acceptible enough, but the quality really started to slide toward the end. The last 4 episodes were a little grating with too many stills and panning during the big
...
battle scene. Apparently someone slashed the budget before the title ended.
The character designs ran the gamut from very well done to pukey. Way too much chibi shit, and it wasn't funny, just irritating. Where there was some saving grace, was in the characters' personalities and backstories. Well put together and in many instances they carry things when the plot got a bit sloggy.
The narrative mostly is enjoyable, especially in the first cour. It's at its best when it's focusing on Yona and Hak's adventure. Where it falls short is when it tries to be romantic or comedic. Those scenes struck me as pure schlock and they wouldn't have been missed if they hit the cutting room floor. The second cour also dragged out much too long, and ended in a very contrived manner. It was very unsatisfying and hit a sour note for me.
The VA work was pretty good through the whole series. Better than average with no complaints there. The direction appears to have been a big part of that. But considering some iffy animation and the shoddy attempts at romance, the direction was a mixed bag at best.
I ate this up at first and binged down the first 14 or so eps in a few days. I'd have graded those episodes on their own in the A- range. But while the wheels didn't fall totally off, the 2nd cour could have been so much better. It was no better than a low end C. If you throw it all in the blender and whip it together, it turns out at 81/100 for a B-. It might have been better if the ending wasn't such a cluster, or if there had been another season that would have made that ending make more sense. But it's been 10 years now. Highly doubtful this will ever get the continuation it deserved.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 28, 2024
This started out good, but ended up totally ass squared. Certainly an ass-ass-ination. Huge differences in quality for the first and second cours.
I wasn't ever a big fan of the artwork, below average but not horrible. The character art remained steady but there was a great drop off in background and especially animation work in the 2nd half. The last 4 eps were tough to stomach. It got so bad with the scrolling across still shots.
The character designs are kind of a mixed bag. Koro Sensei was pretty cool, and showed a little bit of depth. But the rest of the cast
...
is very 2 dimensional. If you are looking for character development, you won't find much here. It's a shame, as it seems some of the characters could have been far more interesting. Especially drab was Nagisa. The little androgynous one was about as interesting as a wet dishrag.
The narative was also a mixed bag. The first cour was interesting, and moved along at a good pace. Not so the 2nd cour. It endlessly recycled material from the first cour. It got very sloggy after a couple episodes. They seemed to run out of ideas. So let's trot out the middle school tropes! They stretched out the conclusion over 4 episodes, when it would have been better done in two. The ending was so contrived and cliche, I almost bailed out a couple times over the last two eps. The writing ended up klling the series.
At first I liked this, and would have graded the first cour in the B+/A- range. But the writers and direction were deadly. It was like a knife ro the heart. Final grade for this would be no better than a D+ at 68/100. These producers need some schooling on basic consistency.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 26, 2024
It's been many years. This always seemed to me to be the anime industry's love letter to "Heavy Metal" of the 1970's. The same kind of format, with a number or non-related vignettes strung together. Let's look at the pieces and try to determine the whole.
Magnetic Rose was technically the finest of the bunch. Best art, animation, acting and direction. I'd definitely recommend this to a modern audience, as I suspect it is the one most likely to have withstood the rigors of time.
I found Stink Bomb, well, kind of stinky. OK it was funny in a toilet humor kind of way, for about
...
5 minutes, then it just got draggy. It was a chore to make it through to the end. And I like sophomoric humor. The art and animation are nothing to write home about, and the overacting by the main VA was enough to make one's eyes roll. Yes, it was a bomb alright.
Somewhere in the middle lays Cannon Fodder. The art and animation are a bit above average but not inspired. I liked the character design. The story seemed a little shallow at first, but as it went on, I found a lot of food for thought. The VAs were good, and well directed. In the long run I found that this was the story I liked the most. Even if it wasn't the best produced.
So if you roll it all up into a ball, what have you got? Well, it's much better than your average series of the day, but it wasn't one of the best movies to have come out of the period. If I was grading, this would have been a B back in the day, but 2/3 of this probably has not aged well at all. Still enough good here for 72/100 and a C-. Sadly though, this movie has slid to be little more than a memory for those of us who were around when it premiered.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 24, 2024
Satoshi Kon's magnum opus. Here it is, Christmas Eve once again, and I have trotted out my DVD to watch it, along with Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life. It's never gotten old in the maybe 20 times I've watched it now.
Like Kon's other productions, the art work and animation is superb, especially taking into account when this was produced. It still looks great today. The characters are grand. What can go wrong when you mix up a drunk, a drag queen, a runaway teen girl and newborn infant?? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing. The journey from where they start, to
...
where they arrive, is one hell of a wild ride. It will leave you with as much of a warm fuzzy as that hot toddy you've been sipping on.
I've watched both sub and dub over the years, and I easily prefer the sub. While the English cast is nothing to sneeze at, the Japanese cast manage a performance for the ages. And Kon's direction knows just how to get the best of the cast, and everything else for that matter.
This Godfather's making you an offer you can't refuse. My grade for this 100/100, the elusive A+. Definitely a masterpiece. If you have never seen this, how can you call yourself an otaku?? Santa's got a lump of coal and a switch for you. Get on the peppermint stick, and check it out already.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 19, 2024
I really liked this. I was all set to give it an A- grade. Then came the finale, and it fell flat on its face. It was such a trainwreck I'll be knocking the grade back.
Overall though, this series is well put together if a bit frenetic. The artwork ran appropriate gamuts from bright and cheery to dismal and creepy. Very good background work. I found the animation was above average, with a nice, mostly undetectable, blend of cel and CGI.
I especially liked the character designs. Momo is the bomb. Okarun is a dweeb, but at least he tries hard. The secondary characters are
...
not just cardboard cutouts. The villians are well thought out and creepy as hell.
The narrative felt a little underdeveloped. Mostly episodic, with some short arcs lending a wisp of overarcing plot. But certainly nothing deep, unless you like dick jokes. I get the feeling the producers spent the whole first season introducing characters, and doing set ups, for what hopefully will be a 2nd season one might be able to sink their teeth into deeply. But let's address the elephant in the room. That ending was simply a trainwreck. It left me grinding my teeth. It was some seriously lazy writing to have not found a smoother way to end this season, and be able to segue into season 2.
I have been impressed with the VAs across the board. Protags and antags are done with a nice touch. The direction does a nice job of leading them through drama, action, silliness, and comedy. The director does a nice job with the soundtrack, too, although I found the OP grating, especially as the season went on.
This started out in the 90th percentile for me, and I'd probably have graded this about 92/100 for an A-, at least until the final episode. But that was so badly done, I have to ding this hard. Drop the grade to 86/100 for a flat B. Still, looking forward to a much better 2nd season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 14, 2024
Ep 12 Update: Even lamer than expected. Can't believe this is getting a second cour. Dropped, and lower the grade to a D- 62/100.
Ep 11 Update: I was wrong. This has slid even lower in the last couple eps, and it's looking like the finale is going to be totally cliche. Dropping the grade to 67/100 for a plain old D.
Been holding on this review for about 3 eps now, but its apparent that this series is what it is. I was looking for a dramatic, historic samurai shonen, but it's not very dramatic, its not super samurai (or real ronin, for that matter), and
...
the shonen is not particularly well done. I really wanted to like this a whole lot more. There are too many problems though, and it's become a sore disappointment.
You'd think the art work would reflect a harder, more edgy vibe, but it's full of pastel softness that would be more appropriate for a shoujo. The animation has only shown rare instances being slightly better than average, and since ep 6 has tailed off mightily. Lots of slide show sequences and panning across still frames. Just not cutting it at all.
The character designs show no originality, and everyone fits neatly in their pre-ordained cliche stalls. The narrative started off with the usual tropes. It took a turn for the better after a bit, but this 9th ep has turned out to be pure filler. There hasn't been enough presented yet to get away with a filler ep. Makes me believe the producers have no idea where this series is going next, when it is so close to being done.
The VAs have been kind of a mixed bag. Some are decent and lend some weight to the product. Some are cliche enough to be awful. The majority are just meh. Can't praise the direction between the VA work and lack of animation quality.
This anime has left me singing the blues. I wanted to enjoy this so much more, but it seems like the rug got pulled out from underneath me. It's not miserable, but if I had to grade it, it would be no better than a C- at 71/100. And that might be too generous. I'll wolf down the last couple eps, but I don't really see this doing much better or worse in the long run.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
