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Apr 2, 2016
Some time ago I was thinking that anime was lacking a good show with historical premise, and then Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu arrived. Considered by many the underrated gem of this season, it has undoubtedly become on a smart and beautiful masterpiece.
While the story starts with Yotarou, an ex-convict, begging for the opportunity to become Yakumo's trainee in the hope to become in a rakugoka someday, the real plot develops when Yakumo starts to tell the story of his life. From this point we embark on a trip full of irony, rawness and above all karma. The topics covered in the show
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are realistic and adapted to the period in which it develops, and although never seems to be any unexpected twist, near the end there are some revelations that will make fit some pieces that did not seem important at first. The way in which Rakugo is introduced, is efficient, making it shine artistically, but while still being entertaining. Despite its historical and artistic theme, it never holds on unnecessary symbolism or abstract art to seem more interesting than it is. A great story is not the most complicated, is which has control over its plot, knows how to give it a good closure yet still manages to be entertaining, and Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu meets and exceeds that purpose.
And if the story is already great, the characters are no less. Kikuhiko (Yakumo) and Sukeroku, the main characters, are two guys who had to go through several difficulties in their childhood, and learn Rakugo under the lessons of the 7th generation Yakumo is presented as an opportunity to continue their life. Although with different initial perspectives on the Rakugo and despite their opposite personalities, both end up with the same ambition to become Shin'uchi. The main repertoire is strong, but the secondary still manage to shine with characters like Miyokichi, a woman who depends on men to be happy or the aforementioned 7th generation Yakumo, a master with many secrets under his rank. There is not a single stereotyped character, each one of them has a definite personality and the luxury of developing a backstory which allows us to understand the reasons for their actions. However, the icing on the cake is the very accomplished interactions between all of them.
But the strengths of the show do not end there. The art is well drawn, directed and embodied, with an ambitious atmosphere and a beautiful and cared color palette that highlights the details of each scene. The character design is simple but detailed enough to give personality to each character and their animation is smooth yet dynamic when they interpreting the various Rakugo stories. The sound proposal is a masterful blend between traditional Japanese music and jazz. The compositions of Ringo and Kane are outstanding and the Japanese musical instruments used as taiko, biwa, fue and other ones are several, but the overall sound does not feel overproduced, it's entirely organic and suits the show in an impressive way. The opening is a pleasant piece of jazz sung by Miyokichi's voice actress and the ending is an instrumental track that closes every episode on a melancholic note. The voice actors also do a quality job, although it is expected with big names such as Akira or Megumi in the repertoire.
Stellar in all its nuances, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is not just a highlight of the season, but of anime itself and deserves every second, every minute of your time and attention.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2016
Boku dake ga Inai Machi or better known as Erased has been undoubtedly the breakthrough show of this season. It has managed to pierce in the audience with an appealing, gloomy premise, but the end result is just mediocre. Let us see why.
The story set us in the year 2006; Satoru is a manga artist that lives a fairly normal life except for one detail. He has an autonomous ability to go back in time when something bad happens around him, which has allowed him to avoid unfortunate events. For unknown circumstances, a family member who was visiting him is murdered and he goes back
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in time 18 years in the past. Feb. 1988, Satoru realizes that in a few days the murder of a classmate will happen, so he decides to change the course of events to save his classmate and therefore his family. Interesting, right?
As is notable, the story wraps up time travel and unsolved homicide cases as main premises and the first episodes are brilliant to hide the flaws that the show has from the beginning, but a flat story always has short legs. The development of the story begins to become deficient from the middle of the show and if we analyze the situation for a moment, we will realize there are facts too implausible such as Airi's family backstory or the way the police operate without any kind of research on the crime scene. Nevertheless, its biggest flaw is the different plot holes as the origin of Satoru's ability to go back in time or the reason why the murderer did what s/he did, which was little deepened. The story also suffers of predictability and it’s obvious who the killer is and the worst is that the script makes it clear only for the viewer, but never leaves clues to the protagonist itself to deduce it. For the final arc, all end up rushed and the overall enjoyment is drained.
The characters are as mediocre as the story. The protagonists are decent enough to fulfill their roles with Satoru (although being extremely cliché) reaching a certain grade of sympathy in his struggle to save the lives of his loved ones and Kayo, who is capable to transmit her pain rightly. Instead, the secondary repertoire is flat. There are boys like Kenya with a little credible personality, the generic supportive girl like Airi, an abusive mother with a backstory made last minute or a villain with a meaningless reason to kill. However, Satoru’s mother called Sachiko is a selfless woman and devoted to her son even in the most difficult moments. She’s wonderful and the best Erased has to offer.
Technically, the show accomplishes a raw atmosphere, the use of palette colors is pretty good and the animation is fluid enough. The design of characters and backgrounds are decent, although some CGI details can feel out of place. The overall set is good but not impactful. The sound section is more discreet. While the opening interpreted by Asian Kung-Fu Generation is catchy and does a good job presenting the show, the ending can go completely unnoticed. There are no impressive instrumental tracks so its inclusion is just as remarkable as the ending. The voice actors do a better job than the music and the new ones surprisingly stand out.
Erased, the first big disappointment so far this year, had it all the right elements to be great, memorable, but opted to use its premise only to attract audience instead of develop it and ended up being just a bunch of gimmicks.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 16, 2016
In my search for new animes to watch, Chihayafuru turned out to be a light and fresh option after seeing shows as Serial Experiments Lain that required too much concentration and mental analysis. And the truth is I made a good decision.
The story is simple and even predictable, but emphasizes important values such as friendship, self-improvement and professionalism in such a natural way that allows it to develop different nuances that keeps of being generic. One peculiarity to note is like for example, Ping Pong The Animation, this isn’t a show focusing on the sport, but uses it as a resource to develop the
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characters, something not exactly bad as Karuta reaches a certain grade of prominence which allows us to know about its bases, playing styles and even the meaning behind each poem. The only problem is that the plot structure is like any other sports anime and there isn't a high point in the whole development of the show.
Each character has a unique personality as well as various charms and fears they face along the series which allow them to develop a backstory. The protagonist, Chihaya, may seem too perfect in the first episodes but this dissipates with the passing of the show which makes her credible as person. Moreover, it's remarkable she's the key of the team’s chemistry and without her the things wouldn't be the same. In general terms, the repertoire is solid and varied.
Speaking of technical aspects, Chihayafuru has visuals full of vivid colors, well-drawn backgrounds and design character quite accomplished. However, certain distant scenes lose spectacularity. The animation accomplishes its purpose and is efficient transmitting the feeling of tension and agility when the characters play Karuta. The sound effects sound organic, but sometimes can go unnoticed. Both the OP and ED are a bit generic, but they make a good presentation of the show. Of course, the voice actors did an excellent job interpreting each character.
Chihayafuru is an inspirational show which is totally enjoyable and if it's true is not stellar in most of its aspects, is nice and worth seeing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 12, 2016
Today was aired the second part of Digimon Tri and I have some bad things to say about it.
While I didn't make a review about the first part, I can say I was left unsatisfied and afraid of what could become this sequel. To our bad luck, my fears came true.
The story is easily the weakest point of this show. It focuses more on banal situations as the typical visit to the thermal baths or the thousand times seen school festival rather than developing the plot itself turning out what should be action and adventure in a generic slice of life. The pace is still
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anticlimactic and crucial moments as the appearance of Rosemon and Vikemon end up as forgettable. And even though it makes interesting approaches through the characters, instead of deepening on them in an analytical way, they end up more dramatized than a Mexican novel. To all this, at least was good to see again to the charming Lillymon even for a few seconds.
The characters aren’t much better than the story. While is interesting to see the different ways of thinking of the now grown 'Chosen Child' most of these are too dramatized (As I stated before) and makes it annoying to watch. The group lacks the chemistry of the original series and Meiko is just a shy girl that fails to add something new. Until now none of them has had an important development or a revealing backstory and the entire repertoire falls flat.
I consider that there has been an improvement in the visuals, with a much more vivid colors and more defined design of characters. Unfortunately, the animation is still deficient and tends to look slow and forced which makes the action scenes unexciting and dull. The sound section is worse with generic instrumental tracks and only being saved by the nostalgic OP. The voice actors are average at best with nothing remarkable.
Toei is ruining our childhood which is really irritating, but most of us will continue to see what's next by pure nostalgia. However, if you're not an early fan of the series, I recommend you not to waste your precious time on this hot mess.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 10, 2016
I have some things to say about The Tatami Galaxy and its hipster nature.
I'm kidding, though I won't deny its uniqueness. As many of you, I was interested to watch the show for the variety of artistic styles that it has. And now that I saw it all I can confidently say it's artistically beautifully done, but it also overshadows other aspects of the show.
Initially, the story is confusing and the show gets a little heavy to see, but eventually you will realize it's simpler than it seems. There are constant introspective dialogues of the protagonist, the context in which the story unfolds is practically
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the same in almost every episode and it’s also full of symbolism and literary references (Metamorphosis, I'm looking at you) but at the end of the day all turns out to be a compendium of experiences because of the different decisions that the protagonist makes to the restart his university life when he goes back in time. The set is coherent, but pales in comparison to other aspects of the show.
The characters are charming in all the sense of the word. Each one has a distinct personality and almost all develop a backstory. However, the show focus too much on the protagonist who is clearly the most annoying character in the whole repertoire (Come on, it takes the whole show to him to realize the interesting life he always had) and leaves aside to interesting characters like Akashi. It makes a bit difficult to connect with all of them.
The show excels on technical aspects. The art is gorgeous, full of details and the use of the color palette is very careful while the animation is fluid. The sound section shines through all the show, both the rockish OP and the hypnotizing ED are memorable and the instrumental tracks sound organic and suit the show. The voice actors did a great job too, highlighting to Shintaro with his narration of supersonic speed.
The Tatami Galaxy is one of those animes not so easy to watch, but the overall experience is satisfying and it's a total delight both visually and audibly although the story may not be up to par.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 3, 2016
I just finished watching Serial Experiments Lain and I have some things to say about it.
I got interested to watch the show for its timeless approach, topic of discussion even almost 20 years after its release. It truly deserves its position as referring of the genres Cyberpunk and Psychological, but it has flaws which can mess up the experience and keep it from being great.
The story is a double-edged sword. Its brilliance is because of the complexity of the blend of theology, existentialism and communication and to this are added word games with the name of the main character, recurring places and objects in
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the foreground. Everything you see, every second is important to understand the story. Then, Why is it a double-edged sword? Why isn't it perfect? Simple, the argument structure is a hot mess. It's easy to lose the thread of the story most of the time and you probably will have to take a break many times to think about you saw. Also, you will have to relate certain things between past and recent episodes because everything is messy. But the most irritating thing is that when you manage to order all the facts and draw your own conclusions, you will realize there are still too many unanswered questions and it's frustrating to deal with that after all the mental effort you had to do.
The characters are mostly good, but they're overshadowed by the story and only two people manage to shine. Lain seems flat at first sight but her dissociative identity disorder make her great and Arisu stands out for her sense of friendship and her youthful personality with her own fears and sexual desires. Other good point is that all the characters are realistic and while most don't develop a backstory, at least they fulfill their function.
The show has high quality values. The art is dark, beautiful and it manages to transmit the feeling of being overwhelmed, the obsession with the online world and the trash of the collective consciousness of the society. The weak point is the design of the characters, unoriginal. About the animation, it was good, but there were better exponents at the time as Cowboy Bebop and some facial expressions failed to transmit what they were supposed to. However, there are some marvelous scenes as the materialization of Masami, which I can point out as one of my favorites. The soundtrack is one of the highlights, each track fits the perfect time and both the OP and ED are beautifully done.
Serial Experiments Lain is hard to digest and probably you'll be driven more by curiosity than enjoyment itself, but it's a different experience that deserves to be seen and analyzed patiently. Who knows and you can solve the mysteries that still keeps the series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 2, 2016
Finally, I had the opportunity to watch Ping Pong The Animation and I have to say some things about it.
I decided to watch it for all the critical acclaim it garnered and I ended up liking it more than I expected. To enjoy the show you have to get used to the 'weird' visual proposal and interpret the first episodes as a period of adaptation. Probably it isn't so difficult for you because it depends on each one, but I can assure to everyone it's a grower.
The story is simple, really simple, but it gets interesting because of the characters, its best feature. The ping
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pong is used as a resource to introduce and develop the characters, but the sport doesn’t get overlooked. Another good point is that emphasizes the value of friendship and the importance of having ambitions in life, in a good way. The pace of the story intensifies episode by episode, until to reach the masterpiece that is the last one. However, I think it could have been a little better if it had explored into other characters and the story can feel short and a bit rushed. Although it's understandable by the number of episodes.
The characters are almost all memorable and they develop naturally. To be honest, who caught my attention to continue watching the show was Hoshino, Yutaka 'Peco' with his carefree and bright personality. Later, you can be attracted by Kong, Wenge with his strong appreciation to his homeland and his mother or the coach Koizumi with his funny Japanglish. The list is long and I'm sure you will empathize with many of them.
The weakest point of the show is the visual proposal. It's unique, but that doesn't mean it's great. It has its moments, the color contrast is absorbent and most backgrounds are beautiful, but the character design and some scenes like Peco swimming at the beach can be irritating. The animation is fine. The good news is that the show is easily recognizable by its distinctive art and the risk they took is appreciated. The sound has high levels of quality and is fresh, suits the show. The voice actors did a great job too; Yousei did it phenomenal as Wenge.
In conclusion, Ping Pong The Animation may not be the most accessible anime to watch, but if you're a person that can highlight the good things of a show despite the difficulty to digest new proposals, I recommend you to give it a chance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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