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Aug 24, 2012
~Woyouuuu~ (Burusu Lee style!)
I just picked up this anime by chance when my friend told me that the manga it was adapted from was really good, and was even considered for the Manga Taisho award. And boy, am I glad I listened to him.
We all have dreamed of being into space at one point; I won't believe anyone who claim otherwise. When I was a kid, I was really interested in (what have been) the nine planets, and my ever-growing speculation of possible existence of life in each of these. It was one of my childhood goals to see the Earth from outer space, along
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with my dreams of finally discovering my superpowers or discovering my magic abilities.
Of course, the harsh reality struck the most of us around the time we hit puberty. We give up on dreaming big, on claiming to have seemingly unachievable goals and sharing it with others. By then most of us dream of having a stable family, a 9 to 5 job or starting a business; with having a doctorate degree or owning a multi-national company being the best of our "realistic" goals.
In contrast, Uchuu Kyoudai starts in a quixotic fashion (spoiler alert): "two boys inspired of becoming astronauts just because they have seen a rice-bowl UFO? C'mooon.." Because of that, I had the impression that this show would continue to have an unrealistic atmosphere, which would kinda turn me off. Good thing I was wrong; the show was as realistic as it could be.
My suppressed dreams of donning the white suit and doing the moonwalk in the Earth's only natural satellite came back to me, as the show placed itself very well in order to sympathize yourself with the characters, especially with Nanba Mutta, the main protagonist: Mu-chan starts out as a guy with above-average skills paired with some bad luck, which most of us would use as an excuse for our failures. Right from the start, the story served a dish of bad luck for Mutta, but with the help of his brother, that event had been a blessing in disguise. The way it started out really helped the viewers sympathize with Mu-chan, which made it easier to relate to him as he goes into higher grounds.
Right then, I realized that the UFO the two brothers saw at the beginning can make do as a metaphor of our childhood dreams which feel like they're impossible to reach. However, one of the two brothers have reached it. The challenge is up to us, the other bro, to stand up and fight for our dreams - or let them haunt us with regret.
The plot seems like a good brew for a feel-good anime, but what makes Uchuu Kyoudai stand out is its suave execution of blending the storyline with some well-delivered comedy, usually resulting from Mu-chan's unconventional way of thinking. Even when things get too serious, you suddenly forget the conflicts for a while because of these moments.
Though it has not finished yet, I'm really impressed by this show so far. This realistic take on achieving your dreams and making the most out of every day gives us encouragement to achieve whatever you may want to, and not giving up when you're presented with obstacles and hindrances. Uchuu Kyoudai is an anime apart from others, as it is not really a slice-of-life anime, but at the same time, is as realistic and "down to the ground" as a somewhat sci-fi story could get (unless you count the rice bowl-UFO and Japanese-speaking Americans :P).
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 25, 2012
I'm a sucker for mystery stories.
And I'm a sucker for KyoAni. They have produced so much hype from their past original productions, from Fumoffu, Haruhi and Lucky Star to Clannad and K-on!
*Take note that this review is just my first impression of Hyouka based on its first episode.I'll edit this only when the series is over :D:D:D*
Let's proceed with the art first. Though it's the traditional style and swagger of a KyoAni production, I fell in love at the last scene of the episode where it was raining. The contrast is just.. so cool, like having anime character in a somewhat 'real' world. I guess
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this is one of the few moments where I can just only see but can not describe.
I'm gonna go on and say an unnecessary opinion: the lead heroine looks like a hybrid of Mio (hair), Yui(body language and stature), and Ritsu(same voice actress) from K-on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!There.
What I liked the most is the usage of some witty quotes that a lot of people can relate to. Of course, my favorite was Houtarou's life motto: "I don't do anything I don't have to do; if I need to do something I do it quickly." Also, there's some classical music right here, yo. It's always kewl to have classical tracks be put in an anime.
All in all, I recommend that you watch Hyouka now, whether you're a mystery fan, got a hangover from "Another" or a fanboy of KyoAni. Expectedly, there was no plot development happening in the first episode, but I must say that the characters shown so far were introduced smoothly.
I think that I'll rate Hyouka better if it proceeds with a little faster pace, though it was refreshing to find out that this mystery anime won't be episodic like Detective Conan (btw a classic detective mystery anime, mind you.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 30, 2012
When trying to formulate a good mystery plot, the author is prone to making some loopholes; the biggest challenge is to prevent these from happening, or cover it with a literary device.
It is also easy to make a mystery plot without any loopholes at all, but with that case, it gains a risk of being bland and predictable. I have watched and read my own fair share of those kinds of stuff, like Detective Conan, Gosick, CSI, and other books and movies, and though I'm not saying that they're not enjoyable, some can be easily predicted halfway.
That is why not only I became a fan
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of Ayatsuji Yukito-sensei, I also respected P.A. Works (Angel Beats!, HanaIro) a lot more. Yes, some of you who watched it may argue that there were facts that were intentionally hidden from the audience, but isn't it just as well? This is one of those rare moments when it feels good to be cheated on.
Let's proceed with the story. I'm gonna give it an 8/10. Wait what!?!?!!11 After all those praises, this newb otaku is giving "Another" only an 8? Yes, the scenario that it gave was really unique, in the sense that they give you minimum info at the start of every episode, then just as you are expecting a revelation, it will just leave you hanging and hungry for more (kind of like women LOL). Still, that atmosphere was not sustained for all of the twelve episodes. Also, after some realllllllllllly deep afterthoughts about the anime, I found one big loophole at the end that was not covered up well. Maybe you can find about that too, it's right at the last episode.
Also, even if this was categorized as horror, caveat emptor: horror fans may not be too amazed with this aspect, unless you get easily freaked out by Saw-type movies, as this show will be a bloodbath.
On a side note, I was one of those lucky people who were not spoiled, so my guesses were wrong. -_-
The art is just,,,, WHOAAAH! I'm gonna quote something I read from Japanator: it feels like you can pause the anime anywhere, anytime and it would always be a candidate for an awesome desktop bg. P.A. Works is just so good at this aspect. So yeah, 10/10.
I'm not gonna include OP and ED for sound, since I'm not particularly a fan of those. Anyway, the BGM was a really well-used mood-setter for the anime. By any chance, do you know Hans Zimmer? And by any chance, have you watched The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan? Another's BGM is like TDK's: without the music, scenes are incomplete; without the story, the music is kind of useless. Now, I'm not trying to insult Zimmer here; what I'm saying that the se kind of music are meant to be a catalyst of a situation's atmosphere, and nothing else. And with Another's case, I'm gonna give it a 10, duh.
If you have watched slasher films like Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th, one common characteristic they have is that they have fu**ing DUMB characters! You know, the feeling where you're yelling "DAMN IT WHY ARE YOU STILL INSIDE THE DAAAANG HOUSE" on the screen? Some characters in Another are like that. I guess it's a given for this genre, but still, they could have made some of the deaths more justifiable. Meanwhile, I have to commend Ms. Sakakibara, the female lead. I'm expecting a lot would be irritated by her, but try to put yourself in that situation; try to read her psyche whenever that time (i.e., the hating :P) comes. One good characteristic about her is that she's one of those characters that you can't really label any stereotypes. While most characters were static (which works well for this show), those handful of the lead roles were the opposite of that, and they were well-developed until the end of the series.
As for enjoyment, I also give it a 10. I was always waiting for the subbed episodes to come out as soon as possible, simply because "Another" always ends with cliffhangers. These cliffhangers did not leave me high and dry, and as soon as I finished an episode, it always makes me think, giving me some kind of faux intelligence. xD
Overall, I give it a 10. I just really loved this show, and I would certainly watch and read other related materials, and I recommend you do too. n_nv
In my honest opinion, I recommend you watch the anime first before reading the novel or the manga, because as I mentioned before, a lot more facts are kept hidden, which would mean that your assumptions and guesses would have less evidence, making it slightly more thrilling. ^_^
P.S. This is my first review, go easy on me guys! Hajimemashite. @_@
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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