5cm per second is a great movie and really recommended to any romance anime fan. However, it's less of a simple romance and more like an experience. Note though that this review may contain VERY HEAVY SPOILERS and since this movie is only like 60 minutes long and with all respect to the other reviewers, I don't see how it is possible for anyone to read a review of the anime without having the 'punch' the films gives reduced. My advice: watch the anime than read this review.
So what did I like about it? Animation aside which is BRILLIANT, I have to talk about the
...
All (2)FriendsRSS Feeds |
Jan 19, 2013
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
(Anime)
add
Recommended
This is my review of FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Or rather, it's my opinion on why FMAB is the greatest anime ever made.
Note though that I have not seen the 2003 anime nor have I read the manga ; I bring this up because a lot of people who are fans of the 2003 anime bash on Brotherhood for either being a rehash of the mythos and not having as much 'impact' as the 2003 one. I don't exactly know what they are going on about as I'm not a fan of the 2003 version but I respectfully disagree with them. That aside, why do I ... think FMAB is one of the greatest anime of all time? Because it gets literally everything that a good story should have right and more. For one thing, it is an epic, epic story. A lot goes on in every episode and the scale of the journey is big, spanning a whole continent plus some of its neighbors. Its one of the few modern works of fiction that deserves to be called a saga (saga means heroic journey of great length) and its world is really unique, original and actually pretty believable. Sure, alchemy is unrealistic. Sure, it does not exist. No, that doesn't really make 'realistic' anime better than FMAB. Haven’t you guys heard of suspension of disbelief?! As long as a world sticks to its own rules and FMAB does just this, I devour a work and its world. Whenever I search out any work of fiction, the first thing I look for are great and compelling characters and when it comes to character, FMAB hit it right out of the park; it has some of the most inspiring, unique, compelling and relatable characters ever, be they villains, heroes, allies or even minor characters. Edward Elric never gives up no matter how much crap he goes through (yeah, sound familiar? kenshinhimuragutskenzotenmagokuetc... hey, that’s not a bad thing, it's actually a very good thing). He is a bit whiny when it comes to his pride and height but not when he goes through actual bad stuff. No, when he does you can be sure he'll try to fix it by any means possible. Al is also a very great character; looking up to his brother and helping him out with his quest to gain their bodies back and honestly, can you imagine FullMetal Alchemist without Alphonse? The two complete each other with their brotherly love and companionship and this companionship helps them out a ton in their journey. The rest of the Elric allies, I will not mention as there are too flipping many. However, they are all very fun, likable and when some of them do die, it's heartbreaking and haunting. Yes, even the death of THAT character that died in episode 20 or so of the 2003 FMA but died in episode 10 of FMAB was very tragic and haunting. I could not believe it and the rest of the series became really suspenseful because of that. The villains are also great. Scar is mysterious and interesting, the Homunculi are for the most part fun and even scary and Father who turns out to be the big bad is a fascinating, horrifying and a really effective villain. One thing that did bother me though and the next sentence is a minor spoiler for a character death, was that the homunculus Lust was killed off too quickly whereas according to the stuff I read, she was a much more interesting character in the 2003 version. It did bother me a little but not by much because the Homunculi Wrath, Pride and of course, Greed more than made up for any loss of her character. I think my most favorite villain in Brotherhood ha to be Wrath. He's just really scary and a very real threat to our heroes and I won't spoil who he is but it's really surprising. And then there is Envy. Biggest. Bastard. Ever. Well, except for Griffith. And Johann. And Dan'Ichiro Sanka. And Hitler. What, only fictional characters count? FMAB also has without a doubt the best depiction of women in all of fiction. Sure, there are the usual tsunderes in this anime like Winry and Izumi Curtis but they still come out as fully fledged characters and despite Winry being an engineering nerd and Izumi and Riza always moving and being utterly badass, THEY STILL COME OFF AS FEMININE. Finally, a work of fiction where a (relatively) well adjusted woman can actually be herself and acts all girly but at the same is still very competent instead of always needing to be rescued. No women pretending to be like men as if their femminity was a disease needing to be wiped out, nor are there any dumb blondes who get themselves captures or whine about being rescued! And then there is the Father of the Elric Brothers. I won't spoil his character but trust me he's really compelling and great. Does FMAB have flaws? Well yes, but some of these 'flaws' aren't really flaws. A criticism I often heard for Brotherhood was that it didn't pack as much punch as the 2003 version. I disagree so much with this reasoning because FMAB is one of those very rare anime that brought put all of my feelings: it made me cry (those war scenes, oh my gosh...), it made me think (war is bad but can it be used to do good?), it made me angry (Envy you bastarded son of a...), it even made me happy and elated. I, an 18 year old man at the time, found myself cheering for the characters out loud when they were doing something awesome as if I was watching my favorite football team scoring a goal. No other anime or manga, not even Berserk made me do such things. Then there were the times where I was really disturbed. I think Brotherhood is one of the most violent anime out there. It's not Berserk levels in its blood and gore but it's fairly graphic especially when the Homunculi themselves are getting beaten up. However, those scenes weren't really disturbing and to me, episode 4 of the anime was one of the saddest moments I've ever seen. I did not see that moment coming and when it did, I was speechless and felt really empty inside. So to me, the idea that Brotherhood didn't pack a big punch is a non-sensical argument as it really did get a lot of different feelings from me. The comedy was also pretty nice. Edward despite being such a badass is hysterical when he's all angry about his own height (IF YOU PRAY, YOU'LL DEFINITELY BECOME TALLER!) and the funniest joke involved Winry actually KILLING Edward with her wrench. That scene came out of nowhere and the fact it was never mentioned again made it all the more hilarious. The comedy never takes away from the mood though and like the Higurashi anime, the comedy made the characters seem closer to us and friendly; comedy when done well can actually give characters a ton of depth. Edward may never give up and he's still really smart but he's still impulsive and stubborn. Someone else told me that FMAB doesn't stand on its own, meaning you have to watch it from the beginning in order to understand the plot instead of picking it up 20 episodes or so in and starting from there. While I am someone who thinks that works of fiction like books or films in a series should stand on their own, to me it doesn't count for TV series animated or not. TV series have a huge advantage over films, animated or not, in that they have much more time and narrative devices to explain their story and in my opinion, this should be taken advantage of. Not every series has to have an episodic format (like Cowboy Bebop which I didn't like) especially if the story doesn't call for it and why would anyone watch any series with only 64 episodes 20 episodes or so in? While it's true that episodic anime are more mainstream and probably bring in a bigger audience, the fandom that you bring in with a non-episodic anime will still be big and it will be a dedicated fandom always analyzing and dissecting your work. If I had to name a real flaw Brotherhood had, I do think the first 10 episodes were a bit rushed. Oh they were still deep, well written and compelling but compared to the rest of the anime I agree that they were rather rushed. Sometimes the animation does look a bit off model and a character in the last episode does look a much older than he really is due to off-model animation. However, none of these flaws took away from my enjoyment of the anime and I find the story to have very little flaws. There was really only one moment where I didn't quite buy that a character would do such a thing because I always thought that this character was way smarter than she really is. Also, what on earth happened to my dear Sheska?! I want to know more about her even though she is as minor as you can get with a character! Either way, the plot is as close to perfect as you can get. Hell, for such a complex system of fantastic science (alchemy is not magic. Even the Catholic Church studied alchemy in the middle ages, look it up), I understood and believed everything so that when the characters did search and discuss the different forms of alchemy, I understood what they were saying and was never confused. My final verdict for FMAB is a 10/10 for masterpiece. It is a definite must watch and while fans who saw the 2003 version may dislike Brotherhood's early episodes, I've seen just as many fans love both equally so it's highly, highly recommended. It has something for everybody, is relatively free from fanservice and it's really fun and awesome in the end. PS: About FMAB being the greatest anime ever. Lets be realistic now, while it certainly is one of the best, no anime or manga that is truly great is better than another. FMAB is part of the pantheon of great anime, those anime that have alot of influence on the world and are also very well written. I won't name them but FMAB is definitely one of the greatest ever.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Informative
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all 
Jan 18, 2013
Cowboy Bebop
(Anime)
add
Recommended
I think Cowboy Bebop is overrated. OK now fans of the 90's with your torches and pitchforks calm down and let me have my own opinion. personally, while I do see why people love this anime I think they're reading too much into it and worse, some of them overhype it to such a degree that other better anime in my opinion suffer from unjust criticism. Note that if you like it a lot, fine I respect your opinion, I really do, nor do I think less of anyone who does. Just don't call me immature just because I don't like it because, I am
...
NOT an idiot. OK?
Now why didn't I like it? I can't simply list the stuff I liked and didn't like so I'll review the show as a whole. Everyone says that they like it for the characters, animations, simple plot and the narrative which is supposed to be subtle and leaves a lot to the imagination of the viewer. Animation is very, very good and the action is some of the greatest (well, most of the time. The 'fight' in episode 19 sucked) and the soundtrack, with or without the way it was used is one of the greatest ever. Favorite tracks include Blue, Call me Call me, The Real Folk Blues, Ask DNA and of course Tank! Before I talk about the plot, let me talk about the characters. Spike and Faye are without a doubt the most interesting characters in the whole show. Faye herself starts off as a 'femme fatale' character that dislikes men and tries manipulating them for her own wants. We later see what gave her this mind set and her back-story was believable and rather tragic, so much so I actually did feel sorry for her. She does develop a lot through what I deem intense suffering and I like how she gets a crush o Spike. Speaking of Spike, he's also a complex character, one who is fairly sympathetic and compelling. Despite being really lazy and only cares about food and playing pool because he believes life is nothing but a dream, he still searches for and loves his missing girlfriend. OK, so far so good but Spike has a really grating flaw of being very reckless and wild when chasing his bounty. We've seen him engage in dogfights with a lot of his bounty whilst being inside a populated city too many times to count. Because of this, the show states, a lot of the bounty they do get ends up being used to pay for property damage. Oi, writers, what about the hundreds of people Spike accidently massacred? To make this worse, some of the people he is chasing aren't necessarily a threat like Jet's ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend Rint. I mean dude, they were on a cheap boat, stop trying to kill them just because you’re hungry. Geez. Jet while still complex has a really clichéd back-story and I didn't care much for his character whilst Ed is Ed; she's funny and can even be cute but that’s about it. She doesn't have that much depth as a character. Vicious was an interesting and effective villain though. I actually did want to know more about him and his plans and motivations are actually interesting. The same cannot be said for most of the other villains. Pierrot le Fou as I said was a boring character and his back-story is also really clichéd. I mean come on, how many time have we seen a villain who becomes evil because of torture before? How many villains also have an amusement park of doom as their secret hideout? And is it me or did episode 20 of Bebop have much more fluid animation than usual? Now, you'll tell me that Bebop's main appeal isn't the plot so much as the characters who themselves are supposed to be everyday type of people; you'll tell me that Bebop is more about the experience, that it wanted people to feel rather than give them a normal 3 (or 4) act story. Note I love works of fiction that are supposed to be more of an experience and don't necessarily have a plot and I also love different characters. Sadly, I didn't find the world of Bebop or the premise that interesting. I didn't care for the characters that much, I didn't care for the world and I also didn't experience anything from Bebop's story that other anime have given me. The only time I can say I actually felt anything was in episode 24 with the scene where the song Call me plays. I actually did cry at that scene but that’s it. The rest of the series didn't give me anything that would make me feel sad, angry, sick, happy or anything. Yeah, do you remember that scene in episode 26 where a friend of the protagonist dies? Yeah, I didn't cry because I did not care. They say that Bebop's narrative style relies not only on the music but also on the lack of back-story, letting people draw up their own conclusions. Draw up conclusions to what? What motivates the characters to act like they do? I guess it did work pretty well sometimes but not all of the time and this is another major flaw I found with Bebop. I didn't care for most of characters because I didn't know a lot about them and what I knew were too vague. In a work of fiction you can't build off a character based on mere hints: we must have a reason to care and the only character I really cared for was Faye as her back-story wasn't clichéd in the least and she was actually interesting. Even Spike who is an interesting character on his own suffered from me not caring because I didn't get his mindset. What made him believe that life is just a dream? What made him give up on life? What DO Spike and Julia see in each other? No, scratch that, somebody tell me what is so interesting about Julia because other than being Spike's girlfriend and one who cares for him a lot, I don't know much about her. I don't know what Spike sees in her, how they got off and developed their relationship and when things start to take a turn for the worse for them, I found myself not caring because as I said, I didn't have a reason to care about this relationship. In other good anime and manga like Berserk, Rurouni Kenshin, Sankarea, Clannad etc... we actually see the main couple develop feelings for each other over time, so much so that when they do suffer it becomes all the more heartbreaking. Bebop, didn't show Spike and Julia developing. They just got it off (I guess) and pretended to leave their relationship to our imagination. Explain anime, explain! With this thought process, am I to assume that Ed became the way she is because she had to roam the world because her father abandoned her? There are plenty of children who are homeless and yet aren't insane so what on earth drove Edward to become like that? Something more sinister maybe... I also disagree with the line ''And the work which has become a genre unto itself shall be called: Cowboy Bebop.'' I find it pretentious and non-sensical because no matter how many genres it crammed into its 26 episodes, it didn't explore every genres strengths and devices and in the end it is and will always be a science fiction action show. The absolute worst flaw Bebop has though is the lack of plot and character development and over reliance on filler episodes. The best episodes like Jupiter Jazz, The Real Folk Blues, Hard Luck Woman and of course, Ballad of Fallen angels all had character development or a new revelation about the most interesting characters namely, Spike and Faye. Most of the time though, the show was spent on the 'gang' either tracking a boring clichéd villain (like Pierrot le Fou and the Space eco-terrorists), not very funny comedy antics (Mushroom Samba, Cowboy Funk and Toys in the Attic) and sometimes, I found myself absolutely bored by the show with really pointless episodes (like Speak like a Child and the horrible Wild Horses). Now, I'm someone whom likes good episodes that don't necessarily advance the plot but instead reveal more about the characters and the world they live in. Cry for the devil was very good and so was My Funny Valentine. Ganymede Elegy was a good episode showing more of Jets back-story and Gateway Shuffle was rather intense and atmospheric. Most of the other episodes weren't like that. My least favorite Bebop episode is Wild Horses: there wasn't an interesting fight scene, the characters introduced were very forgettable and we didn't find out more about the world of Bebop because the episode TOOK PLACE IN A FREAKING DESERT FULL OF UNINTERESTING SAND! The episode before it was just as bad because half of it is just Jet and Spike searching in vain for a VCR in order to play the mysterious video tape Faye received. Some people thought the entire struggle was funny: I thought the writers were too lazy and I don't want to pass through a boring episode like that just to get one sad moment that lasted 3 minutes. Someone told me that episode 19 was important in showing how Spike and Jet's relationship worked and again, I don't want to pass through a boring episode like that only to see two characters exchange a few lines and pretend that I'm seeing something deep. I think I'd have given the series a much higher rating had it been shorter and most episodes having focused on the plot and character development because when it did focus on the plot, Bebop was amazing and without a doubt those episodes had the best moments and use of music. My final verdict for Bebop is a 7 for good. It's just an action show, a good action show but just an action show. It doesn't deserve a 10 because it's not that deep nor inspiring, nor do I think it is the masterpiece most fans of the 90's think it is and no, Bebop fans, the worst of Bebop is NOT better than the best of anime. Period. There are plenty of anime that are vastly superior to Bebop in both characterization and writing. However, as I said, it's not horrible or downright bad and it does stay with you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Jan 18, 2013 Recommended
Rurouni Kenshin is without a doubt the greatest shonen manga and anime ever. Well, except for FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood but in my opinion FMAB would not have existed without Rurouni Kenshin's influence. It also happens to be my most favorite anime of all time and I'm someone who has only watched Rurouni Kenshin for the first time like last year. I didn't grow up with Kenshin as a kid and what makes me love it so much is that it is a very, very inspiring story. Yes, it's flawed but not by a lot.
Kenshin has, like Berserk, a simple story. It's about an ex-swordsman who ... repented of all his murders and his new companions and how they live through life whilst meeting up with new and old enemies and how they learn and develop their characters. That’s pretty much it and it's a very good thing. Politics and why they came to be play a big role in the story but aren't really focused on so much as how they affect the people, and while still epic, the story of Kenshin isn't as grandiose as that of other anime and manga because none of the arcs have that grand of a scale. It relies more on developing the characters and how they want to make their own and the life of others better. This makes the story seem more mundane and normal than it really is and the struggles of the characters more relatable and believable. The characters, especially Kenshin are great. Kaoru, whilst starting off as a bit weak and whiny (really Kaoru, Megumi was the one hitting on Kenshin not the other way around, stop beating him up!) but she still gives Kenshin a lot of moral support, is still emotionally strong and she is the most vulnerable like when Kenshin leaves for Kyoto she snaps out of it with a little help from Megumi in the Kyoto arc. It’s a great development for her character and I like that. Yahiko is a kid samurai albeit a MUCH more competent and much less annoying than most. Sanosuke is a fun character yet still has a lot of depth and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him with the events he had to go through in the Shogo arc of the anime. He's also the only character in all of fiction, with the exception of Guts, to travel half a country in a single day on foot without using any supernatural powers. That is freaking awesome. And then there’s the titular Kenshin. In my opinion he is together with Guts and Kenzo Tenma one of the greatest characters of all time. He is to anime and manga what Superman is to comic books; every mangaka and creator who grew up with Kenshin look up to him as a great hero, partly because Kenshin refuses to kill, partly because his refusal to kill actually turns the situation he is in his and his repentant opponent's favor and partly because Kenshin for being such a hero isn't without his flaws. From time to time he himself thinks about whether his refusal to kill is the best option and sometimes he slips back into his former man-slayer self who was so used to killing multiple people. He himself gets troubled and warning as this may be a bit of a spoiler but as Yahiko said, no matter how depressed he is Kenshin will always come back if he hears a cry for help. A very inspiring character, he's the reason I said FullMetal Alchemist, with all it's themes of war being bad wouldn't exist. The rest of the side characters like the Oniwaban and the rest of Kenshin's allies and one shot characters are all great. Then there are the villains: Kenshin has, together with Batman, Superman and Spiderman one of the best rogue galleries out there, with almost all of them being complex characters and a genuine threat. If I had to name my favorites, they'd be Shishio and Enishi as not only were they the biggest threat to Kenshin but they, especially Enishi had very complex personalities and motivations. Aoshi comes in second for the same reasons and of course, there is also Saito. I hate Saito despite being a well written character. He's full of blood lust and is really mean spirited. At least he adopted Eiji to show that he still had a heart. The animation and art in the anime and manga are a mixed bag. The first episode of the anime had excellent and fluid animation although the animation in the next few episodes until after the Megumi rescue arc was pretty static. There were some exceptions like the Jin-E arc but the first season had mostly average animation. The second and the first half of the third season had great animation for the 90's; it was very stylistic and atmospheric and you actually felt as if you were in that age and place. It’s the same thing with the manga: while the art was always good, the fights scenes started out really cluttered but improved rapidly, culminating in the epicness that is Kenshin vs. Enishi. Speaking of fights, the anime had rather static fights at first but starting with the Shishio arc, the fights became MUCH better and more intense and they themselves have become really iconic images. The soundtrack of the anime on the other hand is great, one of the best. Yes, the first opening Sobakasu is a bit silly. I mean, why does an anime about a swordsman with a dark and troubled past have a song about a BITTER BREAK-UP? All thee the ending songs and the second opening are very good songs in themselves, catchy and very famous. The soundtrack by Noriyuki Asakura is in one word amazing: it's atmospheric, epic, and memorable and fits Kenshin perfectly. Notable tracks include the Last Wolf Suite, Hitenmitsurugiryu and my favorite Departure. Does Kenshin have flaws? Yes, every anime has flaws and even Kenshin isn't immune to this. One flaw not related to the story or its quality though is the Sony or Columbia dub marketed as Samurai X in Europe. This dub is hands down one of the worst dubs I've ever heard. If you have to watch Rurouni Kenshin in English like I do watch the original English dub as it is rather good and well written unlike the Sony dub which is full of mispronunciations, lame voice acting and dialogue that is really out of character (Kenshin would never say something like 'your days are numbered Shishio!' ). The worst moment in the story was how the business with the Shishio's war boat was dealt with. Spoiler in the next two sentences but after a lot of buildup with how such a dangerous boat could lead to a big civil war because of Shishios plan at a frame-up, do you know how it is taken down? Sanosuke throws some pocket bombs at it and makes a hole in the ship forcing it to sink. That’s it. He does lampshade it exclaiming how he could have been carrying such powerful bombs with him all this time but such an anti-climax can hardly be made up for with a joke. However, at least it's better than the final fight in the Kyoto-hen OVA which I hate. Also, contrary to what others have said, I don't hate the filler in the anime except for the last few episodes of the anime. The Shogo arc was just fantastic and tragic and the infamous episode 66 of the anime was gut bustingly hilarious. The filler in the first season ranged form decent to very good and made me more interested in the Japanese culture of that time. However, the last few episodes of Kenshin did suck a bit as they were pretty lukewarm and that’s about it. None of these flaws take away from the enjoyment of the anime or the manga though as they're not huge plot holes, just stuff that took away some believability and even then, not by a whole lot. I'm still waiting for an animated adaptation of the Jinchuu arc. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to made an OVA remake of the Kyoto arc and not of the Jinchuu arc? Why fix something that isn't broken? And no, all the talking and philosophy between and during fights is NOT a strike against the series. In fact, Kenshin's philosophy and talks on life and fighting were very convincing and Kenshin just wouldn't be Kenshin without all the talks during fight scenes. However, don't think that the fights are all talk and no clashing; at least Kenshin didn't stretch its fights for 15 episodes like other shonen anime do. Overall, I give Kenshin 9 out of 10. Why 9 and not 10? Kenshin isn't the story that deserves a 10. While still a masterpiece both because of its story, message and influence, it's not as epic or subtle as other manga and anime. However, it's still a very, very enjoyable series and has aged really well. It's a definite must watch if you're an anime fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Jan 17, 2013 Recommended Preliminary
(334/? chp)
First a little bit about me. Berserk is a dark fantasy. I love dark fantasy and honestly find fantasies like Lord of the Rings really boring. However, I don't love Berserk simply because it is a dark fantasy; when you have such an epic, epic story with some of the most memorable, coolest and compelling characters ever, it's more than enough to keep me reading.
First of all, I don't think Berserk is for everybody. Sure it has great characters, narrative, plot, emotion, etc... But it's very, VERY violent. In fact, it's bar none the most violent manga I have ever read. Kentaro Miura is a ... great artist but man, sometimes he comes up and draws some TRULY MESSED UP AND SCARY CRAP. Berserk has a lot of people getting dismembered and killed very violently including children and the subject of rape is discussed a lot and even outright shown. However, it is all dealt with tastefully because despite how explicit it is, it's used to show how messed up the world of Berserk is and how much suffering the victims are going through. Hell, I think Berserk is one of the few works of fiction out there that have a male rape victim as a character. However, for anyone who can withstand this stuff, there is a lot as these subjects only serve to further the story. Speaking of story, it is simply outstanding. Like that of Rurouni Kenshin, Berserk has a simple story. It's about a man seeking revenge against his former best friend whilst protecting the woman he loves and meeting up with new friends. When it isn't about that, it's about a complete monster anti-Christ wannabe trying to conquer the world and his own companion’s misadventures and when it isn't about that, it's about how the events of the manga came to be the way they are. There isn't a lot of politics and rubbish about battle strategies and complicated stuff we don't care for, it's all about the motivations of the characters and how and why they try to fulfill them. And when an emotionally challenging conflict crosses their path, you can expect it's going to be either a very sad encounter or a very heartwarming one. Guts himself is hands down one of the most complex, inspiring and BADASS characters ever made. Since character development plays a HUGE role in the story, seeing Guts change from a guy only caring about swinging his sword to someone who wants a bigger dream to a cruel knight in black armor and again into a man with a dream was a pleasure to read. What I love the most about him though is how he never gives up. He had to pass through ALOT of suffering before he passed 20, a million times more intense than most anime protagonists passed through yet he never gives up, lives life for life itself because life is worth living for, unlike Griffith who throws away others just to fulfill his own dreams and can never have the satisfaction of earning his wishes through hard work. The rest of the characters range from excellent to good; Griffith is himself a great character and very effective villain. He's one of those villains who are so monstrously evil you can't help but hate them but at the same time, he is still very complex and he did start out likable. Casca is also a great female lead before and after the eclipse. Before it, she was a badass chick who warmed up for Guts and learned that there was more to life outside the mercenary band she lived with. After the eclipse, she serves more as Guts' only reason to live, the chain that holds him from falling off into becoming a downright villain. Guts companions like Farnese, Schierke, Serpico, Isidoro and everyone's favorite, Puck are also great although Isidoro and Puck unfortunately have been the butt of too many pointless jokes recently. They all pass through some character development and Puck himself is like Casca after the eclipse a morality chain to Guts. It's even referred to in story. Then we have the artwork. Google Berserk manga and you'll immediately see why everyone loves the artwork. Almost every page is like an Albrecht Durer woodcut with its detail and expressions. It's just beyond brilliant. Pity it takes a very long time to release a chapter because of that... Now for the bad stuff. Firstly, recently Berserk has been engaging in a lot of comedy and jokes. Even Berserk isn't immune to 'chibbiness' and when 'chibbiness' was used in the early volumes like when Guts playfully spanked Casca (her and Griffith's 'WTF' reaction makes me laugh so much) or Puck's 'chestnut mode' and his short-term memory (chibi godhand, oh my gosh), it was hilarious. But when you have a character like Isidoro acting like a monkey or a serious character like Schierke becoming really super-deformed like a blob monster like in the recent 'Sea God arc', it really distracts from the very serious story and just looks awkward and out of place. I mean, when was Berserk ever meant to be funny? Even Puck has been reduced to nothing but a joke character. The 'Sea God arc' itself while not bad didn't reach the usual quality of Berserk. Captain Sharkrider was very annoying and out of place and the nature of the mermaids themselves was really clichéd and uninspired. However, there were still a lot of awesome moments in that arc and the business that was happening with Griffith's side of the story more than made up for this lackluster-by-Berserk-standards arc. The first two and a half volumes, or until Guts meets and fights with the Count are rather bland. While cool, they're not really well written and essentially are what you call senseless violence. Also, the art was average. However, none of these flaws take away from the story or experience. In conclusion, Berserk is a very well done epic with some of the greatest and most memorable characters ever and one heck of an inspiring protagonist. I give it 9 out of ten and not a full 10. Why? Yes it's a masterpiece but it's not finished yet and only the future knows how awesome the ending will be. If it is going to be as awesome is not more than expected, I will certainly bring it to a ten. Right now, Berserk deserves a 9 in my opinion.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Jan 15, 2013 Recommended
I had heard of Sankarea before and reading the premise I didn't except it to be any good; I expected it to be some ecchi romantic comedy with alot of black comedy and pointlessly dark moments, much like the lukewarm Elfen Lied. However, it caught my interest after seeing it labeled as one of the best anime of 2012 and started watching it some time after. And I was completely blown away.
Contrary to what others have said, this anime is NOT a romantic comedy in the least. Sure, it has some decent comedy but not a lot. What it gave me was an engaging drama ... with two great leads and a lot of emotion. Let’s start off with the bad stuff though: Sankarea really doesn't have that many flaws honestly. Maybe the biggest flaw it has in my opinion is the character of Chihiro's pervert red headed friend whose name I can't recall. He was a VERY annoying character, being inconsiderate of other people, totally flat and as a comedic relief he failed miserably. In one scene, he actually makes Rea's situation WORSE giving me more reason to dislike him. Another flaw that I can't really call a flaw so much as my own opinion is Rea's father. Oh my gosh, Rea's father is one of the most obnoxious, hateful, loathsome, horrifying, selfish villains I have ever seen in any medium. Unlike other truly evil villains like Griffith from Berserk or Johann from Monster, he has absolutely no redeeming values. The only time he did do something that wasn't self centered was ruined by the fact that he still engaged in horrifying and selfish desires after it. He's by no means a badly written character because he was very well written, it's just that he really, really isn't fun to watch. But maybe that’s a good thing though. Now for the good stuff: animation (which was excellent and atmospheric) and sound aside (which was good), the characters of both Chihiro and Rea were just great. Chihiro isn't a typical romantic protagonist; he's not bland or boring, in fact he's rather quirky, can be funny and under his jerkass exterior is actually a rather swell guy. I immediately liked him and the story showed that he was a great guy by showing him being kind to Rea. Speaking of Rea, she ahs to be one of the greatest female anime characters I've ever seen. Not every female anime character has to be a badass like Rukia from Bleach nor do they have to be well adjusted people. In fact, Rea's back-story really hit me. When I found out what happened to her, I wasn't angry. I was FURIOUS. Ballistic. It was the kind of righteous fury where you want to do anything and everything to solve someone else's problem and that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to save Rea from her abusive home, I wanted to hug her and comfort her. Her personality was also really great. Beneath her suffering and the fact that she is a zombie, Rea is still a very normal girl, one who wants to do normal girly things. I like how instead of making her into a typical introverted girl who keeps to herself ala Rei Ayanami, they went into a different direction. Because of that, Rea feels like a real person and not a typical cookie cutter anime girl. Then there are Rea and Chihiro's interactions: there’s some obvious sexual tension and the anime does point that the two will end up with each other and I'm really rooting for them to do so. Chihiro is a really kind person at heart and his declaration of protecting Rea and standing up to her is really sweet. As for the other characters like Mero, Ranko, Grandpa etc... They’re all OK and memorable and interesting and with the exception of redhead pervert and Dan'Ichiro Sanka, they're all pretty likeable. Overall, I give this anime a solid 9 out of ten for excellence. I wish a second season came out soon because frankly, I want more and the 'ending' does sort of point out that the story will continue. It's not a 10/10 as it's not something like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood or Monster but it doesn't have to be. Is it recommended? Highly so, but don't except this anime to be some ecchi rubbish because it is not. While it does have some fanservice, it also has a lot of fan disservice and the tragic moments should not be taken as opportunity for engaging in lustful thoughts.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all |