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Jan 3, 2016
One would think that after so many anime revolving around similar concepts, something like Overlord is not going to bring anything new to the table.
Well, it has.
I was pleasantly surprised when Overlord offers a fresh angle on the whole 'trapped-in-a-virtual-reality' concept. The key difference in Overlord's setting that gives it uniqueness is this : The main character, Momonga is the only player in the new world, with the rest being 'NPCs'.
Why is this even important?
It is important because it sets the foundation for Momonga's subsequent actions. It is important because it separates and elucidates 3 different viewpoints:
1. Momonga's viewpoint. To him everyone in the
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new world are NPCs'; they are human and yet less than human to him.
2. The NPC's viewpoint. An NPC in the new world is leading a normal life just like how a normal human would lead a normal life in the real world.
3. The viewer's viewpoint. We know that Momonga is in fact a character from a game, somehow transported into this new world, but there is actually a real person in the real world who created this character.
How these 3 viewpoints were isolated so lucidly is precisely because of the fact that there are no other 'players' in the picture. At the same time, Momonga, while being a player, is the furthest thing from a human being as an all-powerful undead lich. I must say that it is brilliantly conjectured and brilliantly done.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 4, 2014
The synopsis is actually a little misleading in that it doesn't sound too interesting and a little wtf? to be honest. I mean, power to call rain? Right....However, the actual anime impressed me despite the lacklustre-sounding premise. In a nutshell, Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii is basically a character-driven romance anime. While watching, I was pleasantly surprised at the plot progression. Without spoiling anything, I can say that a mini-arc approach was taken where there was a central issue, usually involving some kind of politics, for each arc. The transition was smooth but more importantly, as a character-driven anime, we see how the main characters, Nike
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and Livius, developed and how the romance grew between the (mismatched) pair. Another thing I liked about the story is how they managed to keep things simple while engaging. Each characters' motives were made very clear and it is very understandable why they chose to carry out the actions that they did. And again, about the rain summoning powers, I still do think it's somewhat cheesy but it is hardly a central focus of the anime. Of course it has its weak points. The lack of central objective/focus means that there is a very heavy reliance on the characters to carry the show, and also what I would call a loss of momentum as the show progressed. Although I would seem to be nitpicking as many slice of life shows do not indeed have any central aim, I felt like there was some kind of climax-resolution structure at around eps 4-5, after which it got a little boring and then picked up again.
It has got to be fortunate, then, that in this case the characters were able to carry the show, as Nike's hotheadedness and strong emotions (and naisu figurrrre oo yeah) complemented perfectly with Livius' cool and intelligence, with some nice mix-ups as the show progressed. Indeed, the main characters were hard not to like and to back them up there was a lively cast of entertaining side characters, like the trio of comical maids forever trying to stuff Nike into a corset.
The animation was alright, for sure it didn't have to be great for a simple slice-of-life kind of show, with some noticeable poorly-drawn scenes which hinted at a lack of budget, but that's not a big issue for me. Also the rain-calling song is pretty good, and fortunately so because they repeated it like 10 times throughout the anime and you can't exactly skip it like the OP/ED so yeah. Only complaint for the sound was how sometimes the bgm was too overpowering as if purposefully trying to convey the mood. That does not sit well with me as I feel like the voice-acting if done well should be more than enough for convey emotions. Then again, not completely convinced by the performance of either of the seiyuu for the 2 main characters, especially Nikes', but then again somewhat expected as she apparently does not have that much experience, so perhaps the bgm-cover-up was necessary.
Overall, not too bad. Heavy romance isn't really my cup of tea so maybe I would appear to be a little harsh with my final score.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 5, 2014
Yozakura Quartet. The quartet of the night cherry blossoms. What a resonating name.
This is another one of those shows that started off with a bang. Nekomimi girl with pantsu shot? Check. Randomly appearing huge goldfish? Check. All that crazy spiced up with a dash of ecchi. Yummy. I am one of strong believers that the start and the end of an anime are the two most important parts to get right. After all, if you don't get episode 1 just right, you're gonna lose viewers. If you don't get the final episode right, you leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth. So there's that. Yozakura
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Quartet. Great title. Epic start.
Characters were like-able right off the bat. You have the tsundere main girl who literally hums a tsundere song, sports a long-ass scarf for image which scores +1 in my book, don't know if it will in yours though, and kicks ass with a stick/spear/lacross racket. You have that usually-quiet, laid back main guy who actually secretly gives a shit. And a bunch of interesting side casts like nekomimi girl, oni girl, well-endowed glasses girl etc. Great eye-candy if your a guy.
Sound was awesome for me. Like it could be all-peaceful and stuff, and then WHING WHANG WONG the action just ESCALATES out of thin air. It's the kind of in your face music and sound effect that I really like.
Overall, my only complaint it that it's too bloody short and I couldn't get enough of it. So what the hell are you doing reading this bullshit? Get off your rockers and watch it now.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 19, 2013
"Mondaiji defines a new standard for wish fulfillment" is my first thought after watching this anime.
In fact, it is a haphazard mixture of cliched trademark elements of modern anime that draws so much criticism and at the same time are basically "what sells". To elaborate, perhaps the most well-known/notorious anime where this formula was taken, perfected, and executed is Sword Art Online.
Now let's talk about Mondaiji, while keeping that in mind. Overpowered main character. Check. Bright fantasy world. Check. Loli. Check. Moe. Check. Tsundere. Check. Sexy bunny girl. Check. Cute pet. Check. Bishounen. Check.
And yet at this juncture I must remind everyone that many
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of the best things in this world are, in fact, made out of the most common/cliched ingredients. The beauty lies in how each part is assembled to create something wonderful. Indeed, in Mondaiji I see a (near) perfect example of this. At no place was I not amused and entertained by the witty back-and-forth between the main characters and the occasional fan-service. The fantasy world is well-constructed and so blatant in its over-the-top-ness that I would think, "Well, we're talking about Little Garden after all. Anything is possible I guess", whenever seeing something extraordinary. The characters by themselves are nothing too spectacular; in fact, you could probably name for each of them any number of similar characters in other anime. And yet they fit perfectly into the story and I never got tired of, or annoyed by them. Of course I must not forget to mention the main male protagonist, Izayoi Sakamaki, who manages to be bad-ass, clever, perverted, funny, and chill all at the same time.
If you are looking for a great adventure, look no further. This short 10 episodes well take you on a journey you will never regret. Yet if you are looking for something dark, meaningful, romantic, depressing(I can never understand why people like to watch shows which end up in nothing but a bucket of tears), erm you are probably at the wrong place.
Some food for thought inspired by Mondaiji(and other well-known shows, ahem Superman): If ever you had abilities/talent that put you above everyone else, what would you do? Would you try to 'save the world'? Would you pretend like you never had powers and live out a normal life? Will you journey around the world and end up bored because you have seen everything there is to see? Hm..
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 24, 2013
(+) Well-done conventional character design. Nothing super exaggerated like the chibi-style in Mahou Shoujo or the large-face huge-eyes in Higurashi.
(+) Good attention to detail as in befitting of a 2013 anime and consistent animation quality as far as I observe.
(+) Some innovative ideas to capture viewer interest like the bizarre floating gears while Oreki(protagonist) is thinking which is somewhat reminiscent of those in OP of Stein's Gate and Chitanda's(main girl) trademark shiny purple eyes and catchphrase "気になります！".
(+) Interesting characters with the coveted 'development' that is so over-hyped on MAL but whatever, it's there. Also very well-timed introduction of characters throughout the series so as
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not to overwhelm but also managing to add flavor when it is desired. Oreki(protagonist) impresses while managing not to be overpowered by making mistakes now and again.
(+) Mysteries are well-done, well-paced, well-thought, and generally believable while managing not to be predictable.
(+) Very captivating central arc and climax.
(+) Almost no fan-service signifies a no-nonsense and serious approach of the producers.
(-) Music is not particularly outstanding. For me, I just skipped all the OPs and EDs because they failed to interest me. BGM fits in but not really exceptional like that of F/SN, NHK ni Youkoso!, GITS etc.
(-) Being episodic, some episodes tend to be a bit boring and I had to prevent myself from falling asleep in one of them.
(-) In a few parts the reasoning was confusing and I had to replay to try and understand what was happening.
(-) While they did faithfully stick to 'character development/growth', a point so often belabored by critics, I feel some of it was a little overdone. Just a little. Hyouka has the full potential of being more plot-driven than character-driven without having to pander to the expectations of said critics.
(-) Chitanda's voice is just shrill enough to cross the line of annoyance. Sigh...
(-) Some small portions unexplained even in the end.
Conclusion:
A very interesting episodic, detective anime with almost everything done right. It is able to combine the beauty of Byousoku and the intrigue of GiTS(just examples that occurred to me) while retaining the interesting elements of slice-of-life/high-school drama to make a very well-done piece. Why hesitate? Join the Classics Club in their adventures and immerse yourself in some of the most engaging high-school mysteries right now!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 22, 2013
As the second time watching GITS 2.0 after a period of about 3 years, I was pleasantly surprised to find that while I still remember most of the plot, the enjoyment has been in no way diminished.
The familiar feeling of having to keep up with the at-times blazingly fast action, while having to run individual characters' lines a few times through my head in order to process the intrigues that Section 9 was caught up with in the unfamiliar futuristic cyborg-dominated landscape described by Shirow Masamune, assailed me throughout the show, making me glad that I had the leisure of being able to replay scenes
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as many times as I want. Despite all this, it should be noted that viewers were given some room to breathe with well designated intervals showing the futuristic landscape with all its quirks, providing an opportunity to absorb the setting in the midst of all the furious action.
Courtesy of some CG scenes interspersed now and again throughout the show, we get to see the familiar bad-ass fully cyborg Major Kusanagi in all of her unclothed glory. While this certainly added to my personal enjoyment and gave the show a shiny new facet, whether or not they had any valuable contribution is probably a matter for some debate.
The music was excellent, adding an unfamiliar, slightly eerie and disjointed feel that complemented the main themes well.
The characters were introduced in a very rushed manner and it leaves me in serious doubt of whether any first-time viewers could remember anyone other than the Major and Batou. Of course, it probably could not have been done any better given the measly 1hr20min run-time of the show. On the positive side, I think that the director did a great job with the Major, being able to summarize her inner conflicts with a few dialogue-heavy scenes that meshed well with the entire flow.
Re-watching merely affirmed my very first thoughts that GITS was an anime like no other, in the way in which it manages to merge captivating politics-ridden plot with intense action in a believable futuristic setting, while at the same time containing some very thought-invoking themes.
(Note: I have explicitly avoided making any comparisons with GITS 1.0 as I wanted to review GITS 2.0 by itself.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 4, 2013
The moment I caught sight of this anime title, "Zetsuen no Tempest", I knew that it was an anime I could not miss. I was not mistaken.
If I could compare ZnT to a graph, I would say it is best described as a sin curve ranging from 0 to pi(n-shaped). It gets off to a slow start, and may leave you wondering whether to just drop it after the first episode. Well, I'm saying it now, don't. That's going to be a big mistake. Our pair of young male protagonists at first glance appears to be two idiots who are slightly damaged in the head,
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with one guy making infrequent declarations of vengeance and the other guy who shows no sign of surprise/emotion upon seeing his fellow students turned into inanimate black metal. Well, I'll be damned, but this was in fact all planned.
Afterward, we are introduced to a clan of magic-wielders known as the Kusaribe clan. One faction comprises Samon and majority of the clan, the other faction is Princess Hakaze, the fiery clan leader who was trapped by Samon on an isolated island, and our two male protagonists, whose help she had recruited. From then onward, the story picked up and the action escalated as the conflict between the two sides increased, with both sides running out of time. The mystery thickened, the atmosphere got heavier, and the tension was palpable as the two sides faced off. Now we gradually come to the realization that in fact the initial impression of the protagonists were exactly planned to pique our curiosity. Why are these two guys like that? What happened in their past? With us the viewers dying to know in front of the screen, the director could be aptly described as a skillful conductor, controlling the flow of the music to be sometimes slow and methodical, other times furious and powerful, yet always tantalizing. Combine the intriguing story with the intelligent action sequences(sorry to disappoint, shounen fans, this is not your run-of-the-mill "it's over 9000!!" let's-see-who-can-summon-larger-fireballs kind of fights), and Bones living up to their reputation for quality animation, and I dare say that the anime is every bit as good as the Shakespearean plays it pays tribute to.
With a catch, of course. That's only for the first half. In the second half of the anime, things sort of dwindle down and become less interesting. As conflicts resolve and the mystery becomes clear, so too does the tension and force that contributed to the impact of the first half. Not only that, we get introduced to another character who plays an important role but is far more annoying, idiotic, and shounen-ish than the two protagonists. Well, I suppose the message that power and responsibility are sometimes forced upon us was made pretty clear. In the end, the last 2 or 3 episodes were pretty predictable and became somewhat of a drag to me.
All in all though, if you have a taste for intrigue, mystery, action, and appreciate attention to details, ZnT is an anime you should not miss.(Overall 8.5)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 5, 2013
Have you ever played an MMORPG? Sat down in front of your computer, logged into a virtual world, and then realize that the next time you got up from your seat was 5 hours later?
If you ever had this kind of experience, I can say with 90% certainty that you will enjoy SAO. On the other hand, if you have had little experience with online games, you may not be able to truly appreciate SAO.
-Story: 9/10 -
When I completed the first arc - Aincrad, SAO was still ongoing. Unable to wait, I went ahead and read the entires series by Reki Kawahara. On the basis
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that the anime is directly adapted from the light novel series, I can only say that the story is excellent. From start to end, SAO is able to capture the best elements of MMOs(leveling, questing, guild-forming, raids etc), and combine it with a realistic and entrancing vision of a futuristic game based in the floating castle Aincrad. With regards to the adaptation itself, Aniplex is able to piece together the main plot as well as the SAO side stories to give a reasonable chronological recount of the events that transpired in Aincrad. Of course, the adaptation has its flaws, mainly with respect to the development of the relationship between the two main characters.
Alfheim Online, the second arc, brings the perspective back to the real world and is an excellent follow up to the first arc.
-Art: 10/10-
The art stays true to the style shown in the light novel series. The coloring is done in a very satisfactory fashion that does justice to the vibrance of the virtual world. The lines may be over-simplistic but then that can be easily overlooked as an aspect of anime itself. In terms of animation, there is no sign of having too many stills that give a 'cheap' feeling to some other series, and the action sequences are very captivating.
-Sound: 10/10-
The voice-acting is good, although I sometimes feel that the protaganist's voice is overly soft and calm at times. The prolonged battle cries in certain scenes may also be slightly exaggerated, but that is indeed the way it was depicted in the light novel, with the multitude of "Uwa-ah-ah-ah!"s' and such.
-Character: 6/10-
As I mentioned above, the length of the anime is far too short to flesh out the characters. Especially with the inclusion of basically all the Aincrad side-stories, the love-story in the light novel that Aniplex had hoped to bring out in the animation had gone awry, and indeed does not feel right as many others have already said. With the conclusion of these two animated arcs there is also a justifiable feeling that the main character seems like a deux-ex-machina with not enough human qualities. To me, though, this is still better than the psychologically insecure/self-deprecating/extreme-sociopath/extreme-chauvinistic main characters in other animes that I will not name.
-Overall: 9-
At the end of the day, even though I knew exactly what is going to happen having read the light novel, I was still able to finish all 11 episodes of the second arc in one sitting. My advice if you are planning to watch the anime is to just enjoy the action sequences and the vibrant virtual game worlds, and not to expect too much in the way of character development. If at that point of time, you are still able to enjoy SAO, then I highly recommend the light novel series by Reki Kawahara.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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