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Dec 9, 2013
Air is an extremely difficult show to rate as you would others since an individual's enjoyment is largely dependent on whether or not they understood what the bloody hell actually happened. It's certainly a confusing show, but whilst it may have failed miserably in some aspects, it doesn't do as poorly as my overall rating might make a person think.
We'll start with the positives.
Of course, being from KyoAni, the visuals are stunning. Even though the character designs (with their large eyes, bizarre hair and pointy noses typical of KEY) could throw off a viewer, each character is still well-animated and the backgrounds look beautiful. Heck,
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even the sky in the opening sequence is gorgeous viewing. Yes, the animation might fall far short of the stuff we have coming out today, but considering that Air was made around eight years ago, it's really very good next to other stuff of its time.
The music adds to this atmosphere: not just the opening and ending themes, which are naturally good, but also background music. There is nothing particularly unusual about it, but in its simplicity it really shines, and not a single piece fails to evoke the right mood for the scene it's played over.
Unfortunately, in terms of actual content, the show is...
I hesitate to say 'poor' because it tries. It tries so hard to tell us a different, inventive story, and in the originality stakes it certainly did a great job. But that's just the problem: the show tries so hard to be different that it ends up losing a lot of viewers in the process, because it gets incredibly bizarre and doesn't seem to have any real sense of direction.
The ending of every story arc is very rushed- sure, we always have our resolution, but it's never fully made clear why or how the resolution came about. And before we've had time to fully comprehend what just happened, there's a new plotline to focus on. Maybe this just really isn't the sort of show you're meant to marathon in one sitting as I did, but I found this jarring.
And, unfortunately, the characters suffer too. This is possibly the saddest thing about the series, because most of the characters were very likeable and interesting, but we never got to see a lot of real depth to them and this would really have made the series more gripping and involving than it actually ended up being. The last two or three episodes did actually become more absorbing emotionally, and might even bring a tear or two to the eyes of some viewers, but it was too late by that point for it to make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.
I appreciate that the issues with a poorly explained plot and poorly developed (albeit likeable) characters was mostly down to the fact that Air only had twelve episodes in which to tell its story, but I get the feeling that if Air had been more focused in regards to whose story it wanted to tell and how, it could have been a much better series. It's just a pity that the lack of focus mixed with the short length meant that Air failed in the aspects a show like this relies on most heavily.
To be honest, I'd never say that Air is an awful show or that people should never watch it, because its redeeming qualities do shine through and I know that other people have genuinely really enjoyed the show as much as I'd hoped to.
But I certainly wouldn't put it on a 'must watch' list, because as animes go, this is one that's worth the watch on a rainy afternoon, but could probably be missed overall.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 8, 2013
When people hear the words 'Studio Ghibli,' many have come to expect a masterpiece. This is both a blessing and a curse; whilst this does mean that more people watch these (usually pretty amazing) films, it also means that people can mistake 'imperfect' for 'bad.'
I can't speak for everyone, but I actually really enjoyed From Up on Poppy Hill. The characters were likeable - not particularly in-depth or rich, but likeable - and the quirky supporting cast were always there to pick up any slack. In fact, I would say that the supporting cast is one of my favourites from a Ghibli film so
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far, beautifully designed and entertaining to watch.
The story was engaging, too: a simple teenage romance with a couple of surprising plot twists and an ultimately uplifting result. It may not have been full of drama and suspense, but the film had that wonderful Ghibli charm to it, reminding me of some of their other simpler works: Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart (the latter being a personal all-time favourite).
Whilst the plot may have been slow-moving, a faster one wasn't really required. The world of the story was, as always, built beautifully, and it was a pleasure to watch events unfold even when they were unfolding quite cautiously. This, of course, was because of the astounding artwork, backgrounds and animation more than anything. There's not really anything more to say on this, it's just beautiful.
The music also deserves a mention. The opening and closing songs were lovely, very fitting and atmospheric, and whilst I can't really pinpoint a specific part of the background OST that I enjoyed, I can safely say that it always suited the scene it was played against, whether or not it was anything particularly special.
I was also pleasantly surprised at how good the English dubbed voice acting was, for the most part. (I can't comment on the original Japanese as I didn't watch it).
So, to summarise; this film isn't for everyone. It doesn't have a very describable plot, nor does it have any particular deep characterisation or meaning (unless I was missing something). It's comparable to a nice soup in winter; it might not be the most exciting or substantial thing ever, but it's comforting and sympathetic and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Unless, of course, you don't like soup. But anyway, you get my point.
It's not the best work ever to come from Ghibli, but it's still a lovely film, it has an irresistible charm and it's definitely worth a watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 29, 2013
I've already written a review for this series, but I wrote it when I was tired and not thinking well enough to create very coherent thoughts, so this is me trying again.
You know what? I love this series to pieces, and my love for it only increases each time I read. I've scored all four of the categories Story, Art, Character and Enjoyment fairly high, but only one of them is the reason for my shameless adoration of the manga (and its anime adaptation, but I'm not reviewing that right now), and that would be its characters.
That's not to say that I love all
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of them. But I can safely say that this series holds some of the most entertaining, interesting and original characters I've ever read about...which is funny, as most of them seem to be based on common archetypes.
We have the shy, misunderstood loner; the popular chick-magnet she falls for; the hyperactive tomboy; the quiet, apathetic guy; the mature and worldly wise girl, and a number of other fairly well-worn character clichés.
And yet it's the way that the characters are developed far beyond what their moulds would initially make them out to be that makes Kimi ni Todoke really shine. They are so much more than what they may initially seem in the first few volumes, and so are the relationships between them.
This being primarily a romance manga (in the technical sense of the word, anyway, but I'll go into that later), character interaction and development of relationships is obviously a very important element, and, due to the brilliance of the characters, it's handled incredibly well. Love - romantic, platonic or an entirely different - is never easy to understand or handle, and the series does a great job of handling that realistically whilst keeping just enough light-hearted fluff and comedy in the equation so as not to let things become melancholy and exhausting.
But still, realistic it is. Sawako and Kazehaya find expressing their feelings difficult to the extent where any chances they have at love are often poorly handled or missed entirely; Ryu and Chizu have such a strong friendship that Ryu's romantic feelings for her are naturally approached with the expected caution; Kurumi is in love with a boy who's never noticed her back (and, unless the plot takes a shocking twist, never will); Ayane finds it difficult to feel true love and isn't sure that she deserves it anyway.
The relationship progression between all of the characters is slow - sometimes painfully so - but it's amazingly rewarding because the next steps feel much, much sweeter as a result.
So, to wrap up: is this series perfect? No, not at all! Sometimes the pacing is a little inconsistent - potentially deeper storylines are occasionally rushed, whilst some of the more tedious ones are dragged out to a ridiculous extent. At points, the chibi forms of the characters are overused, killing what may have previously been a serious or emotional scene and creating severe mood whiplash. The love bubbles everywhere are very pretty, but sometimes they only serve to make an already cute scene almost too sickly-sweet. And it's slow moving, very slow moving, to a point where things are *horrendously* frustrating at times (although I wouldn't call this a flaw persay, since it does mean we get a lot of relationship development; still, if you don't have a lot of patience and you aren't prepared to really commit to a series, then maybe this isn't for you).
And yet these flaws all fall into insignificance, because I can safely say that I would far rather put up with those and spend time with characters I can't help but love to pieces than, well, not.
Kimi ni Todoke is a romance manga, and yet it is about so much more than that; it's about friendship, it's about overcoming social difficulties, it's about moving on after times have been rough, it's about being true to yourself, it's about loving and caring and hurting and growing up and learning and being honest and so much more that comes with being alive. It's funny and cute and sometimes sad, and no, it's not perfection. It's probably nowhere near as amazing as I think it to be.
But as far as high school dramas go, it's one of the best out there. And I'd advise anyone who wants to read something that will make them smile and giggle and feel things to pick it up, because it's well worth a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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