- Last OnlineMay 10, 2013 7:40 PM
- GenderFemale
- BirthdayAug 4, 1992
- LocationVoorhees, New Jersey
- JoinedJul 28, 2008
No friend yet.
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Aug 5, 2008
Oddly, when I looked it up, some of the cliches made it look very interesting, for whatever reason: a bad dude has massacred a family except for one girl who must learn how to fight and plan to take him over, while she struggles with a love. Meanwhile, there's this dude who's on her side, more or less, but isn't anywhere near as pure-hearted as her and has a much more troubling personal history. What's not to like, right? Well, once I started watching it, it didn't feel that exciting.
Story: It's not at all like the Shakespeare show. The only real similarity is the retention
...
of Romeo and Juliet names, and the fact that they're from opposing families; they both die, but it's not even with a double suicide. However, if you forget this fact, it's mildly entertaining; the characters are cute and their wanderings at least give something to focus on. It is, however, nothing special; there are a lot of cliches and the characters aren't much good.
Art: The art is, actually, pretty good; Neo Verona is a very attractive city; particularly worthy of notice is Montague's palace, which has beautifully-rendered halls, courtyard, and more. All the other locations also are nicely-done, and seem very earnest; the mines really look like mines and the abandoned village really looks like an abandoned village. Characters are very cute, with big Honey-and-Clover style eyes, and some have very interesting stylistic points: it can be a sight to see, watching Juliet's hair cascade down every time she removes that wig of hers. Although they are realistic overall, a few of the characters seem color-coded: Juliet's hair and clothes are red; Romeo's are blue; Mercutio's are green; Tybalt's are black, etc.
Sound: The sound is nothing special. The background music is not worth focusing on, the OP is subpar compared to those of other anime (particularly Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note), and the closings are terrible; I mostly didn't even bother to sit through them to see the scenes from the next episode!
Characters: Okay, the weakest point of the show. Although the characters are cute, they are really not very well-done at all! My first hint of this came from what the show did to Benvolio. Benvolio is really clueless and stupid; he doesn't even know how to use a broom! It was awhile after when I realized that he wasn't the only one like that; Romeo was no smarter (he gets sent to a mine and farms while Juliet risks her neck). Even Juliet, who is arguably the main character, is an idiot: she keeps getting in trouble and getting rescued by Curio (etc.) or Tybalt, and doesn't emerge triumphant in any undertakings. In fact, the only truly interesting characters are Tybalt and Mercutio. Tybalt gets to have a lot of the action, and Mercutio's ambition and the horrors he faces as a result are well documented. However, they are the only exceptions to the rule that most of the characters are stupid and hard to enjoy; in fact, I may be rare to even like Mercutio!
Enjoyment: As I said before, the show is mildly entertaining on days off. However, compared to other anime, it is nothing special, and is in fact much less enjoyable. I find I enjoy parodies of this show more than the show itself.
Although I did enjoy watching the show, it is not a very good show. I am not a Shakespeare purist and was not expecting a show faithful to the Shakespeare; however, Romeo X Juliet is mediocre even if the fact that it draws from Shakespeare in any kind of way is overlooked. In fact, with stupid characters, a subpar plot, and very little else, it almost seems absurd that the show could take itself so seriously!
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jul 29, 2008
Rurouni Kenshin is an anime I first tried out having recently gotten off of Inuyasha.... I watched a certain AMV featuring a cute guy with red hair, and learned the anime was Rurouni Kenshin. Soon after I'd gotten just a bit more information, I watched an episode, and just like that, I was hooked. This was my favorite anime for quite some time, and, while now Death Note has come to share that position, Rurouni Kenshin is still THE anime to me.
Story: Great story. Enough said. Rurouni Kenshin has something for everyone: action, comedy, suspense, romance, distressing scenes, heartwarming scenes, rich historical detail, absorbing characters
...
with first-rate personalities, and a good premise. Honestly, it sometimes annoys me just how much attention the humorous aspects of the story get; I prefer to focus on Kenshin's inner turmoil and the serious romance. However, the slapstick and little comic gimmicks are immensely fun to watch, and never come at bad times. More important, however, are the serious occurrences, which often reveal people or things from Kenshin's past. And, of course, there's the love story: Kenshin's and Kaoru's relationship, as well as more implicit chemistry between Yahiko and Tsubame, or Sanosuke and Megumi. Another good thing about the serious scenes, apart from the fact that they give the characters a chance to be "dramatic:" expose themselves as people, go on about their pasts, etc. (which I personally think makes them more realistic) is that they mostly end happily: Kenshin protects the innocent, and most (if not all) characters you've come to care for will end up okay (sounds cheesy, but after shows like Death Note or Fullmetal Alchemist, where you have to excuse or at least tolerate one character death and another character loss, that sounds perfect).
Art: Rurouni Kenshin I praise time and time again for its superior visual quality. The scenery is really something else: from Kamiya Kaoru's dojo, a sprawling building surrounded by gardens; to the narrow streets and shops of Tokyo; to the overhead views of forests and mountains; all are done with perfect color and clarity. The characters, meanwhile, are done beautifully as well; the protagonists sport, hands down, some of the GREATEST clothes, eyes, and hair I've seen in anime (get a load of Kenshin's sleek red ponytail, and the way it swishes around him or blows in the wind); and even the less-attractive villains still look reasonable for their own purposes. A minor technicality could be that the characters are not quite so realistic as some; most good characters are decidedly cute, and wild facefaults are common in all funny scenes.
Sound: Sound in this show is quite good; I personally enjoy most of the background music, such as that when Kenshin wins. The music in openings and closings has been okay, too; for some reason I really enjoy the first and third closing more than the first opening and the second closing and the second opening. However, all songs seem to be reasonable, and certainly every one is appropriate to the story.
Character: There are really great characters in Rurouni Kenshin, which is only to be expected, as it is a drama. Kenshin is truly a complete character: kind-hearted, yet also strong enough to take care of himself and make things happen; intelligent and talented in a few areas (he's good at swordfighting and cooking, for example); yet possessed of a conflict that makes him interesting (he used to be a murderer, etc.). He's even a good role model, protecting the innocent and spreading pro-social messages. Iin addition to Kenshin, all the other major characters he's surrounded by (Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Megumi) are strong, intelligent, and with absorbing personalities, which are a lot of fun to compare and examine. The other good thing about the Rurouni Kenshin characters is, both the protagonists and the major villains have background histories, which make them realistic.
Rurouni Kenshin has to be one of the best anime around. On the other hand, Rurouni Kenshin, with Death Note, is one of the most mature anime I know of that's not specifically intended for adults. With lots of realistic violence; brutal deaths (both murder and suicide); some alcohol; dubious language; and sophisticated topics (e.g. politics in the Meiji era) it is probably best for ages 15+. That being said, if you are 15 or older then you will probably find something about Rurouni Kenshin to your liking, from the scenery and historical detail to the dramatic battles to the romance. Definitely not to be missed unless you REALLY, REALLY hate having noble heroes as protagonists (in which case, go watch Death Note; you won't be disappointed)!
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
![]()
Jul 29, 2008
I got introduced to this anime because I remember my young cousin mentioning it. Before I knew it I was poking around pages of information and mentioning it to other anime enthusiasts. Ultimately I decided to watch some of the series for myself, and I was instantly hooked. This is, hands down, one of my favorite anime, and for good reasons.
Story: Death Note has one of the most compelling stories I have seen. To me, a psychological thriller about an insane mass murderer with a perverted sense of justice sounds totally cool, and Death Note lives up to this expectation entirely. I love the plot
...
twists and the psychological battle of wits between Light and L; it's well-orchestrated and immensely engaging. If there is one flaw in the story, it's that Death Note, though a drama, is barely a drama; few of the characters are looked at in-depth as people.
Art: In Death Note, dull, dark colors are the order of the day. Light, for example, has toned brown hair, dark brown eyes and wears a lot of clothes in either black or muted colors. Most of the characters follow this same pattern; even those who do possess features in bolder colors are still toned, to a degree. This extends to the scenery as well; even decidedly attractive objects, such as the cherry blossoms at the ceremony where Light enters university, look dull; the blossoms are more grayish-white than pink. Nevertheless, Death Note, while not the most attractive anime out there, is still technically very competent, especially because the image the story is attempting to project is a dark one. In fact, Death Note, given its dark, serious nature, is as artistically perfect as it can be! Another stylistic fact about the art of Death Note is that, not only is it very realistic in its own right, but there are no facefaults. Although there is humor in Death Note, all the characters maintain relatively realistic facial expressions and body gestures. However, as Death Note is darker and more serious overall than most anime that do have facefaults, this is perfectly appropriate.
Sound: Sound in general is very good; the background music generally works well with the various characters and occurrences. Particularly noticeable is the music that plays when Light writes in his Death Note, which sounds like a choir; this helps to add to the mood considerably. The opening and closing songs, at least for the first half, are quite good, too; I like the first OP so much that I feel let down if I cannot watch Death Note with the opening theme. The first closing theme, too, is very good.
Character: The characters in Death Note are quite incredible! Evil protagonists do not get any better than Light; his motives are clear, and, though he is insane, it is obvious that that is a result of his experiences with the Death Note, and not his own personality; this helps make him seem more realistic. In addition, his transitions between "good Light" (primarily seen by his family) and "Kira" (the side of him that manipulates and murders) are incredible to consider as he spirals into deeper and deeper insanity. L, too, is an immensely strong character, a complex insane genius with a few well-developed eccentricities. Even Misa, though extremely difficult to like, is nevertheless still at least an okay character, as she freely agrees to do as Light tells her; she would be a lot worse if her relationship with light simply happened to her, but instead she orchestrates it by seeking him out. Furthermore, even more minor characters (e.g., Raye Pember, Naomi Misora, Sayu, etc.) are still fully fleshed-out characters; only the criminals Light kills seem to be anything less.
In consequence, Death Note is truly one of the better anime out there. It is, of course, for somewhat more mature audiences (suggested for ages 15+), because of some of the dubious content and the fact that most of the characters are either criminals or insane or both. However, if you happen to be 15 or older and you are interested in psychological thrillers, stories with evil main characters, or anything Death Note can possibly offer, then Death Note is definitely an anime to watch.
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
|
