| Metallic Rouge- Review HERE Not much else to say other than what I wrote in my review; I actually finished watching it last week but still didn't know what to say about it til now. It started out with a lot of typical cyberpunk tropes, and then threw a lot of terminology around, a lot of exposition, and it looked really good but I couldn't really relate to the characters... I hedged on the score too |
| @inim that makes sense. Think I encountered this story when reading about Dezaki's works when I finished Ashita no Joe but forgot about the fact he was involved. To be fair to the director of the first half, it doesn't have the intense climax of the revolution and the events give an opportunity for class barriers to break down and romance to bloom. The characters did seem to come alive later on, but not sure whether that's because of the events taking place led to character development, or the hand of the director in bringing these characters to life. Extravagant nobles can be hard to characterise in an interesting way, LotGH managed to make them pretty unique and only other show I can recall is the live action series The Great about a hugely excessive period of the Russian nobility including Peter and Catherine the Great. The nobles in that show are so much fun, despite being utterly deplorable as human beings. If Rose of Versailles has better visuals and OST then the story could've taken it to a 9/10. I've read around the history of France and seen countless drama series and documentaries about the period of French royal excess/Bourbon vs Valois/Marie Antoinette/rise of Napoleon/Napoleon and Josephine etc, but it's interesting to get an anime version of the French Revolution, similar to when we watched Treasure Island. A familiar subject seen from a different perspective. |
 |
| Here is one you're gonna love Gushing Over Magical Girls Yes I definitely watched this anime. My preliminary REVIEW written @episode 3 when I was in total disbelief that this even existed. Alternate title "I admire Magical Girls", is about an awkward high school girl who loves Magical Girls. Sounds innocent enough. She's a big fan of the local trio Tres Magia and has figures of them, tote bags, t-shirts, erasers and pencils with them on them, and pornographic BDSM magazines in her drawer. *COUGH* WHAT!!!?! Did I mention this is a hardcore ecchi BDSM fetish anime and all the girls in it- especially the main character Utena- are total freaks? This anime is whacko, but I don't feel like lying and saying I didn't like it or have a speech all lined up about how problematic sexualizing anime characters is... I was jaw dropped by some of the scenes and can't believe they got away with making this! But I probably would have disliked it if the characters weren't so wholesome and fun; and Utena is a wicked sort of villainess you sort of can get behind. As long as you realize she's crazy and knows she is. It's possibly also going to break my 3+ year hiatus on figure purchases, I want figures of the Tres Magia so bad now |
| Saint☆Young Men (2012) - 2 episode OVA about Buddha and Jesus going on a vacation to earth and moving into a small apartment in Tokyo. Four short stories in all, first couple involving a strict landlady were pretty funny. Mid 6/10 (6.5). @SuperAdventure read your review on Metallic Rouge and agree that it was a really good dub performance from all involved. I especially liked the VA for the singer in ep 1, Sarah/Viola, who has a beautiful sultry singing voice. I mentioned in my Frieren review that the quality of dubs seems to have improved over the last couple of years and there's a larger pool of up and coming dub talent. Crusher Joe (1983) - action heavy sci-fi OVA from the author of Dirty Pair about a young pilot, Joe, and his group of mercenary fixers known as Crushers who are tasked with transporting an heiress in a coma to a distant planet but it's all a setup. Story was pretty simple and mainly provided a framework for the action to move from one sci-fi setting to another with constant fire fights and explosions. Characters weren't the best, but weren't terrible either. Dub was pretty good, not your usual cheesy brie for a movie from the 80's. Animation and backgrounds were very good, detailed backgrounds, colourful, bright and eye catching explosions, plus some nice tracking shots. Reminded me of some of the Dirty Pair OVA's and movies, but missing decent leads and retro OST. Animation quality just takes this up to a 7/10 (7.0). |
23feanorApr 13, 8:55 AM
|
| @23feanor @OrlahEhontas I was thinking along the lines of the fact that production committees seem to be running out of ideas, remaking old shows (not that I mind Spice & Wolf getting a new adaption if we get a complete version as S2 seems to leave off on an odd point) and churning out hundreds of cookie cutter isekai each year (I'm a fan of isekai, but there's so many I don't have time or the patience to sort the wheat from the chaff to find the couple that may be worth watching and the sheer number of isekai being made is a bit ridiculous). Maybe some smart cookie on a production committee should look back to some of these older OVA's to find a decent premise and some promise for a good adaption, like Sol Bianca, or Shinesman even, which could've been a funny parody. Still wish they had at least finished what they started with Shinesman. Stopped it with a major cliff-hanging note, not the last one I've run into over the years. "Dragon Half", "Elf Princess Rane" and "Tank SWAT" just to name a few that didn't go very far and left a person wanting to at least finish the story.... |
  |
| Solo Levelling (2024) - this was the hyped shounen of the season, and... turned out to be another generic power fantasy, but set in Korea rather than Japan. Unfortunately the whole premise is about our MC, Jin-Woo levelling up, there are very few secondary characters and Jin-Woo was boring as hell. So was the world, even the dungeons were boring, too much reliance on RPG and game mechanics. Some of the fights were pretty hype and looked ok, but not good enough to carry the show. Won't be picking up S2. Strong 6/10 (6.8). The only manwa adaption that has lived up to the hype so far imo has been Tower of God, can't wait for S2 of that show to land later this year, all the other manwa adaptions I've seen (Noblesse, God of Highschool, Solo Levelling) have been mediocre. |
23feanorApr 14, 5:46 AM
|
Reply to 23feanor
Solo Levelling (2024) - this was the hyped shounen of the season, and... turned out to be another generic power fantasy, but set in Korea rather than Japan. Unfortunately the whole premise is about our MC, Jin-Woo levelling up, there are very few secondary characters and Jin-Woo was boring as hell. So was the world, even the dungeons were boring, too much reliance on RPG and game mechanics. Some of the fights were pretty hype and looked ok, but not good enough to carry the show. Won't be picking up S2. Strong 6/10 (6.8). The only manwa adaption that has lived up to the hype so far imo has been Tower of God, can't wait for S2 of that show to land later this year, all the other manwa adaptions I've seen (Noblesse, God of Highschool, Solo Levelling) have been mediocre.
| @23feanor So in a lot of rankings I see Solo Leveling near the top- either in popularity (where I've seen it #2) or ranked episodes (think it's #6 on aNN) I'm not surprised by the depressingly low level (no pun intended) of viewer' standards these days, but your description of it sounds even more boring than the ratings would suggest. And that surprises me really. I could ask why you watched it (I did not bother) Maybe that would shed some light onto what made this so undeservingly popular |
| @SuperAdventure whenever I read about which anime people most wanted to get adapted, I'd heard the same few manwa mentioned; Tower of God, God of Highschool and Solo Levelling. So once they finally came to the screen thought I'd check them out. Solo Levlling isn't the worst show, but given we get so many power fantasies, usually isekai, they need to do something special to get my attention. The MC was just bland. I don't have anything to say about him good or bad, just meh, he made no impression. To be fair, this first season (as with many shows) felt like one long prologue and maybe the real action and storylines will begin in S2. Legend of Crystania: The Motion Picture (1995) - a fantasy tale involving a couple of characters from Record of Lodoss War, Pirotesse and Ashram. They somehow made it to a different world inhabited by animal gods and got mixed up in a power battle between different gods. Honestly the story didn't make much sense and was pretty chaotic. Character designs looked a bit off. OST was quite good. Mid 5/10 (5.5). |
23feanorApr 14, 8:57 AM
|
|
inimApr 14, 3:41 PM
 |
| Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files- Rail Zeppelin Grace Note Special That's a mouthful! Leave it to Fate anime to have such long nonsensical titles. It's a Special for Lord El-Melloi's Case Files, that streamed in late 2019, this special came out a couple years later but somehow I missed it. LEMCF is a beautiful production and the quality carries over exactly to this special. The opening scenes then start with Waver's memories from when he was in mage school in the clock tower- with Kayneth Archibald his bad-tempered professor. Not only do they look exactly the same- but they even cast all the same vocals from Fate/Zero, including Doug Erholtz as Kayneth. The pangs of nostalgia are very strong- but it turns out to be the entire underlying plot of the movie. A lot of the detective work involves terms in magecraft, and it's usually pretty hard to really follow what's going on- but the big reveal of what actually motivated the suspect in this was very relatable. I don't think I've ever empathized with a technically-villain this much before... it really does pull a teary-eyed ending. This was a fine way to spend an hour, I gave it 8/10 and would probably watch it again. So Type Moon (aka Fate) is the franchise I support pretty obsessively, I don't follow any others really I watch pretty much everything under Fate, I even have several expensive figures. But Fate is a really big and convoluted franchise with a lot of overlapping, alternate and spinoff properties within it- making it daunting for most people. Fate with its lore and its massive cast of servants and characters, and of course families that go across generations- is famously dense. So the most typical question people ask when they're interested in it is "where should I start" ... and usually the answer is "watch Fate/Zero, then-"... So at least most of us agree you should start in the same place. This movie being related to F/Z is a big plus- but you wouldn't watch F/Z as a primer for this- you would actually want to watch S1 of Lord El-Melloi's Case Files Rail Zeppelin Grace Note and then this special after. Just in case someone asks |
Reply to 23feanor
@SuperAdventure whenever I read about which anime people most wanted to get adapted, I'd heard the same few manwa mentioned; Tower of God, God of Highschool and Solo Levelling. So once they finally came to the screen thought I'd check them out. Solo Levlling isn't the worst show, but given we get so many power fantasies, usually isekai, they need to do something special to get my attention. The MC was just bland. I don't have anything to say about him good or bad, just meh, he made no impression. To be fair, this first season (as with many shows) felt like one long prologue and maybe the real action and storylines will begin in S2.
Legend of Crystania: The Motion Picture (1995) - a fantasy tale involving a couple of characters from Record of Lodoss War, Pirotesse and Ashram. They somehow made it to a different world inhabited by animal gods and got mixed up in a power battle between different gods. Honestly the story didn't make much sense and was pretty chaotic. Character designs looked a bit off. OST was quite good. Mid 5/10 (5.5).
Legend of Crystania: The Motion Picture (1995) - a fantasy tale involving a couple of characters from Record of Lodoss War, Pirotesse and Ashram. They somehow made it to a different world inhabited by animal gods and got mixed up in a power battle between different gods. Honestly the story didn't make much sense and was pretty chaotic. Character designs looked a bit off. OST was quite good. Mid 5/10 (5.5).
| @23feanor Where did you find Legend of Crystania? I remember seeing the cover art of it so many years ago, maybe it was on VHS being sold on eBay. Is it streaming somewhere? 1995 was the bottom of the barrel with anime character styles imo. Personally consider the mid-90s to be the absolute worst period for anime, with no equal. My college roommate watched Tenchi and I couldn't believe how terrible it looked. Even Outlaw Star looked cack 90% of the time. How long is it? |
| @SuperAdventure found it on the high seas, one that used to be a number and is now a wave. Looking at my list from 95 alone you had Gunsmith Cats, Golden Boy and Armitage III, all with great char design, but I get what you're saying, the extra angular eyes like Lina Inverse from Slayers. |
|
Reply to SuperAdventure
@23feanor
Where did you find Legend of Crystania? I remember seeing the cover art of it so many years ago, maybe it was on VHS being sold on eBay. Is it streaming somewhere? 1995 was the bottom of the barrel with anime character styles imo. Personally consider the mid-90s to be the absolute worst period for anime, with no equal. My college roommate watched Tenchi and I couldn't believe how terrible it looked. Even Outlaw Star looked cack 90% of the time. How long is it?
Where did you find Legend of Crystania? I remember seeing the cover art of it so many years ago, maybe it was on VHS being sold on eBay. Is it streaming somewhere? 1995 was the bottom of the barrel with anime character styles imo. Personally consider the mid-90s to be the absolute worst period for anime, with no equal. My college roommate watched Tenchi and I couldn't believe how terrible it looked. Even Outlaw Star looked cack 90% of the time. How long is it?
| @SuperAdventure Found both the OAV and the movie in a couple of different streaming spots. My personal go-to site, Aniwave has both. As to the quality of the 1990's anime, I can't argue about the looks at this time (to many B&C's), but the story-lines from that time were so much better than the majority of the current crop of series. Mind you, I admit the Tenchi series is a poor example with it's problematic "family-wise" (both familial and "series-wise"). (I still say Mihoshi belongs in the main tree due to the relationship to Wasshuu (accepted that it really screws up the tree, but WTH it's not real life..') Mind you the relations will be confusing for the Tenchi series, but truthfully, that ain't nuttin' until you look at the tree for the CLAMP families. |
OrlahEhontasApr 16, 3:05 AM
| |
OrlahEhontas said: Found both the OAV and the movie in a couple of different streaming spots. My personal go-to site, Aniwave has both. As to the quality of the 1990's anime, I can't argue about the looks at this time (to many B&C's), but the story-lines from that time were so much better than the majority of the current crop of series. Mind you, I admit the Tenchi series is a poor example with it's problematic "family-wise" (both familial and "series-wise"). (I still say Mihoshi belongs in the main tree due to the relationship to Wasshuu (accepted that it really screws up the tree, but WTH it's not real life..') Mind you the relations will be confusing for the Tenchi series, but truthfully, that ain't nuttin' until you look at the tree for the CLAMP families. @OrlahEhontas That was the same site I use on the high seas, but wasn't sure if we're allowed to mention it (at least you're not on main discussion pages iirc). It has all the old OVA's, only one I haven't found so far is Weather Report Girl, which is technically a hentai, everything else can be found there, quite impressive really. And yeah, the Tenchi series does get confusing with all it's branches and spin offs, last one I saw was Tenchi In Tokyo, which introduced yet another slight variation on the back stories for Ryouko and the Jurai royal family. We're watching Kobato in the daily group watch atm and that has a lot of crossover and easter eggs for other Clamp works, especially Chobits (Kobato's apartment is a replica of the one from Chobits, even the same room, plus the twins in Kobato are based on Chi's char design). |
|
Reply to 23feanor
OrlahEhontas said:
Found both the OAV and the movie in a couple of different streaming spots. My personal go-to site, Aniwave has both.
As to the quality of the 1990's anime, I can't argue about the looks at this time (to many B&C's), but the story-lines from that time were so much better than the majority of the current crop of series. Mind you, I admit the Tenchi series is a poor example with it's problematic "family-wise" (both familial and "series-wise"). (I still say Mihoshi belongs in the main tree due to the relationship to Wasshuu (accepted that it really screws up the tree, but WTH it's not real life..')
Mind you the relations will be confusing for the Tenchi series, but truthfully, that ain't nuttin' until you look at the tree for the CLAMP families.
Found both the OAV and the movie in a couple of different streaming spots. My personal go-to site, Aniwave has both.
As to the quality of the 1990's anime, I can't argue about the looks at this time (to many B&C's), but the story-lines from that time were so much better than the majority of the current crop of series. Mind you, I admit the Tenchi series is a poor example with it's problematic "family-wise" (both familial and "series-wise"). (I still say Mihoshi belongs in the main tree due to the relationship to Wasshuu (accepted that it really screws up the tree, but WTH it's not real life..')
Mind you the relations will be confusing for the Tenchi series, but truthfully, that ain't nuttin' until you look at the tree for the CLAMP families.
@OrlahEhontas That was the same site I use on the high seas, but wasn't sure if we're allowed to mention it (at least you're not on main discussion pages iirc). It has all the old OVA's, only one I haven't found so far is Weather Report Girl, which is technically a hentai, everything else can be found there, quite impressive really. And yeah, the Tenchi series does get confusing with all it's branches and spin offs, last one I saw was Tenchi In Tokyo, which introduced yet another slight variation on the back stories for Ryouko and the Jurai royal family. We're watching Kobato in the daily group watch atm and that has a lot of crossover and easter eggs for other Clamp works, especially Chobits (Kobato's apartment is a replica of the one from Chobits, even the same room, plus the twins in Kobato are based on Chi's char design).
23feanor said: one I haven't found so far is Weather Report Girl hanime.tv -> search for 'Otenki' -> enjoy |
| |
| Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo I still have the final season to go, but overall, the first three have been enjoyable enough. Nothing special, though, and when I finish the final season/series, I doubt I'll ever re-watch it. I've seen similar forms of the genre multiple times, both the Isekai element and harem rom-coms element. Zero no Tsukaima hasn't really put enough of a spin on the formula to make itself standout. It's been a nice way to unwind after work, though. Tbh, it's been one of those series I've seen referenced quite a bit over the years (whether people talking about it, or people using characters as avis/sigs), and kind of disappointing it's been average. |
 |
| Ping Pong the Animation (2014) - from director Masaaki Yuasa this is a visually striking story about table tennis. Insane levels of character development for an 11 ep show with every character feeling distinct and nuanced. Really good OST with a lovely little xmas insert song. Also some Gintama references. This was one of those shows that I really appreciated watching, but didn't exactly connect with emotionally. I switched to the sub in ep 1 because of a Chinese character (they didn't have subs for the spoken Chinese in the dubbed version, very annoying) and it was much better, sub>dub in this instance. Strong 8/10 (8.6). |
|
Reply to pludel2
Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo
I still have the final season to go, but overall, the first three have been enjoyable enough. Nothing special, though, and when I finish the final season/series, I doubt I'll ever re-watch it. I've seen similar forms of the genre multiple times, both the Isekai element and harem rom-coms element. Zero no Tsukaima hasn't really put enough of a spin on the formula to make itself standout. It's been a nice way to unwind after work, though.
Tbh, it's been one of those series I've seen referenced quite a bit over the years (whether people talking about it, or people using characters as avis/sigs), and kind of disappointing it's been average.
I still have the final season to go, but overall, the first three have been enjoyable enough. Nothing special, though, and when I finish the final season/series, I doubt I'll ever re-watch it. I've seen similar forms of the genre multiple times, both the Isekai element and harem rom-coms element. Zero no Tsukaima hasn't really put enough of a spin on the formula to make itself standout. It's been a nice way to unwind after work, though.
Tbh, it's been one of those series I've seen referenced quite a bit over the years (whether people talking about it, or people using characters as avis/sigs), and kind of disappointing it's been average.
| @pludel2 - Don't feel bad about being somewhat disappointed with Zero. I was rather underwhelmed with it as well, along with the Toradora and Haruhi Suzumiya "families" as well as a number of others over the years. And Haruhi didn't even offer a nice way to unwind after work. |
| |
| @pludel2 I watched all the Familiar of Zero seasons over a decade ago back in the kissanime days, but remember it fondly. I found the MC, Louise, a huge tsundere rather annoying at times. Personally preferred the princess and the maid. It has a conclusive ending, a rarity for older harem romcoms. @OrlahEhontas ditto, I found Haruhi very underwhelming, couldn't understand what the fuss was about. The Haruhi movie otoh is very good, really puts the rest of the series into perspective. I dropped Toradora twice (mainly because of the tsundere MC, Taiga, very similar character traits to Louise from Familiar of Zero now I think about it, pint sized and shouty) before finally completing it during a r/anime group watch, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit, but that may have been partly because of the discourse. Gushing over Magical Girls (2024) - some of the best ecchi comes from a show where the subject of sex, and in this case BDSM fetiches, are used as source material for the content, and not simple fan service where the show is basically saying to the audience 'hey look, this girls hot, isn't this situation erotic and horny'. Interspecies Reviewers managed to do the seemingly impossible and pull off a show about sex and make it funny and entertaining. And now you can add Gushing Over Magical Girls to that list. There's a plot here, characters are fun and engaging, visuals and OST slap harder than I expected and the sexual content is varied and unabashed (haven't seen the depiction of a fuu fuu being opened since Interspecies Reviewers, although ofc with light rays partially obscuring the view so as not to fall foul of nudity laws). Only nitpick was the inclusion of a 9 y/o kid, who thankfully they only show naked once, but it's sexualisation of a child and a bit beyond the pale for me, although she ages up in her illusionary sex scenes. An unironically good show, and not just for the girl on girl BDSM action. Solid 7/10 (7.5). |
23feanorApr 19, 6:36 AM
|
Reply to OrlahEhontas
@pludel2 - Don't feel bad about being somewhat disappointed with Zero. I was rather underwhelmed with it as well, along with the Toradora and Haruhi Suzumiya "families" as well as a number of others over the years. And Haruhi didn't even offer a nice way to unwind after work.
| @OrlahEhontas I felt the same about the Haruhi anime, too, tbh. I read the first few light novels, and enjoyed them more. I actually rather enjoyed Toradora!, but that's probably because it's more in line with my taste (although I found Kushieda to be annoying throughout). I know it's not anything unique, though. Sometimes really popular series turn out to deserve the hype, other times not, lol. @23feanor Louise was annoying at times. I don't mind the tsundere archetype, in-and-of-itself, but there was just something about the execution with her that was off-putting a lot of the time. Nice to know it has a conclusive ending, though. A lot of the time it's been open-ended in the ones I've seen. Ironically, the seiyū for Taiga and Louise is the same, lol. |
|
| Maze: The Mega-Burst Space - 1997 - I've had this one on a to-watch list for a long time and finally got around to watching it. Sadly, it really didn't live up to a lot of the hype I've seen over the years. Also watched the OAV as well and found that to be just a touch better. Still nothing to sing Hosanna's to, but better. The MC, Maze, is tossed into an alternate time?/universe? (never really nailed it down) where there are magical mechas known as demons, demi-demons and rom-demons (in order of strength). She saves (much as in Wizard of OZ) and meets a displaced princess, Mill, that becomes a rom-demon when needed and is able to pilot that with Mill's assistance. Unfortunately Maze is something of a pacifist and doesn't really like having to fight, regardless of how strong the mecha is and how badly her and Mill are getting their tails kicked by the opposing forces. Fortunately (maybe?) when the sun goes down, Maze turns into a (very lecherous) male form who loves to fight and is really good at it. Along the way they meet up with other typical '90s RPG heroes and are able to fight their way through to the end. Regrettably, while the series ends with them winning the day, there are some points throughout the series that really don't get covered. Possibly those were covered in the movie that came out, but audiences today will never find out as the movie was never released on home media and has only been shown in theaters during its initial run in 1998. Strangely enough, according to the stats here at MAL over 250 people have seen the movie. Mind you, a number of those have also watched in the excess of 20,000 anime which makes me wonder about the veracity of their claims. Although they could have seen it in the theaters when their parents took them to see it (at the age of 1 or 2), but still.... Overall, I gave this a 5.5/10 between the series and OAV. Fairly simplistic RPG fodder of the '90s that is watchable, but there are better offerings from that era. |
| |
| Oomuro-ke: Dear Sisters (2024) - a spin off from Yuru Yuri focused on the 3 Oomuro sisters and a film I've been looking forward to since hearing of it's announcement. Same vibe as the original show. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the Yuru Yuri franchise work so well, playful banter and character dynamics mixed with some comedy and light yuri tones as a base. There's something extra that makes Yuru Yuri stand out from other similar cgdct shows and only a handful pull off as well (Minami-ke, GochiUsa and Hidamari Sketch being the others that come to mind). In this film the older sister has a girlfriend, whose identity is teased but not revealed, which is a bit different from the light yuri tones of the previous seasons, except ofc Akari's sister and her unusual sister complex. Straight fire, 7/10 (7.5). Maps (1994) - decent sci-fi OVA about a surviving member of lost star tribe who is discovered on earth in present day Tokyo by a mysterious lady, Lipumira (the biological form of a sentient space ship) and taken into space to help her recover a lost star map needed to defeat an ancient race known as the Mystics. Some interesting worlds were visited, which reminded me of the Star Wars universe with multitude of different races, foods and clothing. The sentient ships were cool, each in form of a woman with arms outstretched. Good story but as with many short OVA's the pacing was a bit rushed. Visuals and OST were decent, high 6/10 (6.8). |
23feanorApr 21, 8:15 AM
|
| El Cazador de la Bruja (2007) - Translated as "The Hunter of the Witch", this is the third and final installation in Bee Train's "Girls with Guns" trilogy (Noir and Madlax being the first two). I wish that Bee Train had continued doing these types of series as they seem to do a pretty good job at it, but such is life. The series overall is semi-episodic (sorta like Kino's Journeys) in that the stories within the series have a definite destination, but we get to see the various trials and tribulations of the two MC's on their journey to that final destination. The story starts out with Nadie (spelled Nadia in the subs), a bounty hunter by trade, having been hired by a mysterious individual to find Ellis and put her in custody and then escort her to a mysterious destination, of which Ellis only knows where (sorta). Oh, and just to add spice to their journeys, Ellis has a price on her head, Dead or Alive. How big a price I can't remember if it is ever mentioned, but it's at least six figures. Mind you, the anime starts in Mexico and moves south so that may be in pesos or whatever currency prevails throughout the story. Along the way we meet the secondary cast members who play a major role in Ellis and Nadie's lives. Ricardo and Lirio, whose relationship never really gets explained other than Ricardo is very protective of Lirio. Maybe father/daughter, maybe something else, but definitely non-sexual. Ricardo is also a bounty hunter who was also hired by a different mysterious individual to capture Ellis and return her to that one. This later turns to a follow and report mission, so that's not so bad since Ricardo is about the only other competent bounty hunter in the series. We also meet L.A. (not the city) who has been tasked with following Ellis by the individual that hired Ricardo. He has a relationship with Ellis that goes back to her childhood, but since she suffers from a form of dissociative amnesia doesn't remember him. If I didn't have a pretty good idea what was the cause of her amnesia, he would have been my first choice for the reason. If he had been sent to a movie studio for the part of a creepy serial killer, they would have sent him home and had a long talk with his agent regarding typecasting choices. Now to the mysterious individuals. The first is Jody Hayward (AKA Blue-Eues), an accountant at a large US government agency, who first hired Nadia. Why is an accountant hiring bounty hunters to escort a bounty to her destination? Turns out she's actually an agent for a shadow organization of witches working in the background to hinder and block the development of an artificial life-form based on witch DNA. Okay, it's a bit out of left-field, but in the long run it works. The prime mover of the organization that is trying to develop that artificial life-form is our other mysterious individual known as Douglas Rosenberg, who is one of the smarmiest characters I've run across in a long time. There are other characters the two MC's meet along their journeys, but typically only for an episode or two. How everything ties together you will have to watch the series to find out. The main VA's did an excellent job and made each of their character really come to life. The story is well written, although it may seem a bit confusing at times, in the end it all ties together quite well. The animation is well done and the OP and ED are pretty good and it has one image song that is threaded pretty much throughout the show that in some ways is hilarious and very catchy, which is how it should be since it is the "theme song" for the chain of taco stores featured throughout the story. Overall this was a very good and enjoyable quasi-action series. Mid-range 8/10 (8.5 @ AniDb) Canaan (2009) - While this has been on my radar for a while, it popped up on the similar anime of the above list and I decided to finally watch it. And I was glad I did. This is another confusing series in the start. Particularly since a lot of the MC characters backgrounds aren't explained until further into the series through a number of flash-backs. There isn't a lot I can describe of the motives of the characters without a LOT of spoilers. Suffice to say it all ties together quite well in the end. The story is well written and the VAs do a good job of bring it to life. The animation is well done and the action sequences are somewhat credible within the bounds of the various characters abilities. The OP and ED are pretty typical for a mid-2K series. Overall, a good watch and quite enjoyable. Solid 8/10. |
| |
| Laid Back Camp Season 2 (2021) - we're back with the girls for more cgdct go camping. Much the same as season 1. Japanese VA often deliver cgdct shows better, but think the English VA did pretty well with this medium sized cast with playful delivery of the roles. Although it does look nice, there's too many dun earthy colours for me, and it's always winter when they go camping so looks cold. Since watching season 1 I've gotten into watching a range of camping youtubers (Kent Survival, Lost Lakes and Outdoor Boys are ones I follow regularly) so know a bit about the gear and set up, ie Pomoly, OneTigris and Amok are good quality suppliers and a bed is known as a 'sleep system'. My only issue with Laid Back Camp is that it feels like a promotional travel vlog too much of the time. Loved the ED and OST is very good. Cosy and relaxing. Low 7/10 (7.1). @OrlahEhontas I've been meaning to get round to one of Bee Trains 'girls with guns' or one of the other shows in that sub genre like Gunslinger Girl, so good to read your review of Witch Hunter. Think I'll start with Noir. |
23feanorApr 24, 5:23 AM
|
| The Tatami Galaxy (2010) I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. It had been touted as a strong comedy, so at the least, I expected to get some laughs out of it and see it in a package that merits the attention this series has received over the years. While I can't say the comedy worked for me or that I consistently enjoyed each episode... I kind of loved it anyway. I put that down to two reasons. First, the overall package is far greater than the sum of its parts. It's a time loop story, and like so many of its kind, it builds iteratively. What is particularly interesting is how it builds and pays off that iteration. Our lead, Watashi, isn't aware he's going through this... well, not fully anyway. He experiences déjà vu and, at random moments, seems to recognize that certain things have either played out before or played out differently. There's a fortune teller who keeps raising her prices every time she meets him in a new loop. The vast majority of the other characters don't give us any reason to believe they know what's going on, though there is the occasional comedic moment that suggests more. And if that's where this stopped, I'd say it's passable, but nothing special. Where it becomes great is in how it builds on the story. Elements in each of the loops, especially early in the story, often go unexplained for a while. Who's that random beautiful girl sitting behind a curtain in Watashi's apartment and why does she look familiar? Why does he have a little stuffed doll from his friend hanging from a light switch? What's with this pen pal he keeps mentioning? What is the deal with all the castella? And who was that random guy that appeared out of the wall in his apartment that one episode? This show is absolutely willing to let you stew in perplexed silence over its various mysteries for a while only to reveal everything in an off-handed manner later like it's not even important. I got a sort of giddy excitement out of spotting them all. Second, the visuals were just captivating. This is a series that didn't go all-in on the animation budget, but instead engages in the surreal by transitioning back and forth from animation to live action and somewhere in between. Particularly as it gets later in the season and in one episode in particular, it gives this feeling that you're somehow a part of that space in which the characters reside. For all the ridiculous stuff that goes on in this series, it really grounded the experience and made it feel personal. So, yeah, I really dug this series. Not everything worked for me - the rapid-fire speaking made it difficult to keep up with at times and didn't really add to the experience, some of the loops were way more interesting than others and did more to flesh out the world and characters, some of the characters were a bit one-note, and its method of storytelling did make it more difficult to get on-board in those first few episodes - but it certainly did more than enough to reel me in and keep me invested. 8.4/10. The Tatami Galaxy Specials (2010) These specials are a strange, strange ride on a submarine that turns solid surroundings into liquid. I was genuinely pretty flummoxed watching these specials. They're only 6 minutes apiece, so it's not like I was expecting anything amazing, though I can't say I was expecting three largely disconnected stories that function based on a kind of nonsense logic that I can't really get onboard with. They're interesting in that they give us some chances to see the odd character interaction that didn't appear in the main series, but honestly, the only scenes I really connected with narratively were the ones at the end where whoever was telling the story was chided for shoddy storytelling in some way, shape or form. That's kind of what these were: just an opportunity to try something zany and string it together with the throughline of involving a submarine that defies physics, a harpoon, and our cast of... heroes? Hard to say at times. Really, what you come here to watch these for is the animation. It's definitely rougher than the series is known for, but that's kind of got its own appeal to it. The color palette is pared down, often to very basic extremes, and they definitely don't always go for fluid movement. I still dig it, even if I can't say this was reason enough to go through these episodes by itself. 5.5/10. Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017) I had a really good time with this movie. It's certainly got a lot of visual flair, often displaying moments and scenes in unique styles to do a lot of the storytelling visually. It can be a little blunt at times in the dialogue, sometimes to the point of hitting you over the head with its themes, but that honestly fits in well for me, especially as this is a movie where its two central leads need to be hit over the head. The Black-Haired Girl spends much of the movie charting a path forward and excelling at pretty much everything she does, but can't perceive anything beyond that path, including her own feelings or those of the people who stumble into it. By contrast, Senpai has trouble moving along his path, stumbling the entire way as he endlessly pursues his goal of having the Black-Haired Girl see him. Even then, he stumbles, not knowing what he wants out of being seen and arguing endlessly with an army of inner selves about whether he should even put himself out there. At least for me, it's a relatable inner struggle made manifest in some of the most absurdly over-the-top scenes in the movie. It's nice to get to spend more time with side-characters in this one. It's not necessarily that they get a lot of depth, but they're interesting insofar as how they facilitate the plot and the MCs. Higuchi and Hanuki are back and it's nice to see that they've fallen into a very chaotic lifestyle together as they impart various pieces of wisdom while engaging in just about every zany thing they can manage within a short time. There's a whole subplot involving a traveling group of performers working in defiance of the powers that be led by the Underpants Leader, a man defined by his love of someone else who got hit in the head with the same item as him at the same time. It's with characters like this that the movie occasionally managed to get a laugh out of me, so a little better than the series did. Ri Haku and the Used Book Market God also managed to direct some fantastical portions of the plot, making for some of the more absurd scenes. Still, not as captivated by the comedy as I was by just seeing the crazy ways its plot unwound and trying to guess how it would come together. It's not episodic like the series, it's one complete narrative with a linear (albeit winding) plot. That makes it easier to follow and keep up with, but I'll admit, I kind of missed the way Tatami Galaxy told its story. Still, there are a lot of interesting visual flourishes in this one and things come back around quite readily from early in its run, and even though it was quite as visually innovative (it didn't jump back and forth between live action and animation), it certainly went hard in the animation department. I had a great time with this one, even if it wasn't mind-blowing. 8.2/10. The Tatami Time Machine Blues (2022) I had a really good time with this one. I was more continuously invested than with Tatami Galaxy, though this series doesn't wrap up as expertly as that did. The time machine itself is quite the vehicle for telling the story, leaving me grasping for hints from previous episodes - I think this might work even better upon repeat watch. It's more the ride than the destination on this one, though it's also nice to see some closure on some of the central plots of the series as a whole. Much to its credit, this also improved on the amount of attention various side characters got, something I felt was distinctly lacking in Tatami Galaxy. The animation is also on point, providing some of what that series gave in a sharper package. Really, my only issues with this one are that the episodes were too short to give me everything I wanted out of a 6-episode run (it crams in a lot, but we often get side-tracked - not that I'm complaining, since I love the side-tracks), the humor of the series still doesn't quite hit for me, and, even after they dedicate a whole episode to him, I'm still kind of baffled by Ozu. He's a great plot vehicle, but such a strange character. 8.6/10. The Grimm Variations (2022) I was looking forward to this with some trepidation. Anthology series are usually pretty hit or miss for me, often with more of the latter and less of the former. I like fairy tale-based stories, but I wasn't sure how these would be translated into anime. Given how distinct these stories were from the originals, it also meant that these stories couldn't lean on nostalgia for these stories as much. They have to stand largely by themselves. So, how well do they stand? In general... not so well. These stories are self-contained, so if the plots are complex, then these stories had the unenviable task of making things clear for the audience while wrapping up their narratives. I don't think many of these accomplished that, particularly as so many of these were either full of plot holes or just refused to provide necessary information. The series has visual flair, and the interludes between stories are serviceable, but the stories themselves are pretty hit-or-miss. I provide specifics as to why in my review here, but the summary is that overall, it's a bunch of interesting ideas that mostly didn't get the space to breathe. Even some of the better stories like episodes 1 and 2 missed opportunities to really make their stories come together or pop, while many of the others floundered in their attempts to tell a cohesive narrative or make sense of some of their more outlandish concepts. The best one in the bunch, episode 5, is simple enough to be effective without more time. The ride's interesting enough that it was worth sitting through, but it's hard to recommend outright for the strange turns it took. 6.5/10. |
 |
Reply to whiteflame55
The Tatami Galaxy (2010)
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. It had been touted as a strong comedy, so at the least, I expected to get some laughs out of it and see it in a package that merits the attention this series has received over the years.
While I can't say the comedy worked for me or that I consistently enjoyed each episode... I kind of loved it anyway. I put that down to two reasons.
First, the overall package is far greater than the sum of its parts. It's a time loop story, and like so many of its kind, it builds iteratively. What is particularly interesting is how it builds and pays off that iteration. Our lead, Watashi, isn't aware he's going through this... well, not fully anyway. He experiences déjà vu and, at random moments, seems to recognize that certain things have either played out before or played out differently. There's a fortune teller who keeps raising her prices every time she meets him in a new loop. The vast majority of the other characters don't give us any reason to believe they know what's going on, though there is the occasional comedic moment that suggests more. And if that's where this stopped, I'd say it's passable, but nothing special.
Where it becomes great is in how it builds on the story. Elements in each of the loops, especially early in the story, often go unexplained for a while. Who's that random beautiful girl sitting behind a curtain in Watashi's apartment and why does she look familiar? Why does he have a little stuffed doll from his friend hanging from a light switch? What's with this pen pal he keeps mentioning? What is the deal with all the castella? And who was that random guy that appeared out of the wall in his apartment that one episode? This show is absolutely willing to let you stew in perplexed silence over its various mysteries for a while only to reveal everything in an off-handed manner later like it's not even important. I got a sort of giddy excitement out of spotting them all.
Second, the visuals were just captivating. This is a series that didn't go all-in on the animation budget, but instead engages in the surreal by transitioning back and forth from animation to live action and somewhere in between. Particularly as it gets later in the season and in one episode in particular, it gives this feeling that you're somehow a part of that space in which the characters reside. For all the ridiculous stuff that goes on in this series, it really grounded the experience and made it feel personal.
So, yeah, I really dug this series. Not everything worked for me - the rapid-fire speaking made it difficult to keep up with at times and didn't really add to the experience, some of the loops were way more interesting than others and did more to flesh out the world and characters, some of the characters were a bit one-note, and its method of storytelling did make it more difficult to get on-board in those first few episodes - but it certainly did more than enough to reel me in and keep me invested. 8.4/10.
The Tatami Galaxy Specials (2010)
These specials are a strange, strange ride on a submarine that turns solid surroundings into liquid.
I was genuinely pretty flummoxed watching these specials. They're only 6 minutes apiece, so it's not like I was expecting anything amazing, though I can't say I was expecting three largely disconnected stories that function based on a kind of nonsense logic that I can't really get onboard with. They're interesting in that they give us some chances to see the odd character interaction that didn't appear in the main series, but honestly, the only scenes I really connected with narratively were the ones at the end where whoever was telling the story was chided for shoddy storytelling in some way, shape or form. That's kind of what these were: just an opportunity to try something zany and string it together with the throughline of involving a submarine that defies physics, a harpoon, and our cast of... heroes? Hard to say at times.
Really, what you come here to watch these for is the animation. It's definitely rougher than the series is known for, but that's kind of got its own appeal to it. The color palette is pared down, often to very basic extremes, and they definitely don't always go for fluid movement. I still dig it, even if I can't say this was reason enough to go through these episodes by itself. 5.5/10.
Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)
I had a really good time with this movie. It's certainly got a lot of visual flair, often displaying moments and scenes in unique styles to do a lot of the storytelling visually. It can be a little blunt at times in the dialogue, sometimes to the point of hitting you over the head with its themes, but that honestly fits in well for me, especially as this is a movie where its two central leads need to be hit over the head. The Black-Haired Girl spends much of the movie charting a path forward and excelling at pretty much everything she does, but can't perceive anything beyond that path, including her own feelings or those of the people who stumble into it. By contrast, Senpai has trouble moving along his path, stumbling the entire way as he endlessly pursues his goal of having the Black-Haired Girl see him. Even then, he stumbles, not knowing what he wants out of being seen and arguing endlessly with an army of inner selves about whether he should even put himself out there. At least for me, it's a relatable inner struggle made manifest in some of the most absurdly over-the-top scenes in the movie.
It's nice to get to spend more time with side-characters in this one. It's not necessarily that they get a lot of depth, but they're interesting insofar as how they facilitate the plot and the MCs. Higuchi and Hanuki are back and it's nice to see that they've fallen into a very chaotic lifestyle together as they impart various pieces of wisdom while engaging in just about every zany thing they can manage within a short time. There's a whole subplot involving a traveling group of performers working in defiance of the powers that be led by the Underpants Leader, a man defined by his love of someone else who got hit in the head with the same item as him at the same time. It's with characters like this that the movie occasionally managed to get a laugh out of me, so a little better than the series did. Ri Haku and the Used Book Market God also managed to direct some fantastical portions of the plot, making for some of the more absurd scenes. Still, not as captivated by the comedy as I was by just seeing the crazy ways its plot unwound and trying to guess how it would come together.
It's not episodic like the series, it's one complete narrative with a linear (albeit winding) plot. That makes it easier to follow and keep up with, but I'll admit, I kind of missed the way Tatami Galaxy told its story. Still, there are a lot of interesting visual flourishes in this one and things come back around quite readily from early in its run, and even though it was quite as visually innovative (it didn't jump back and forth between live action and animation), it certainly went hard in the animation department. I had a great time with this one, even if it wasn't mind-blowing. 8.2/10.
The Tatami Time Machine Blues (2022)
I had a really good time with this one.
I was more continuously invested than with Tatami Galaxy, though this series doesn't wrap up as expertly as that did. The time machine itself is quite the vehicle for telling the story, leaving me grasping for hints from previous episodes - I think this might work even better upon repeat watch. It's more the ride than the destination on this one, though it's also nice to see some closure on some of the central plots of the series as a whole. Much to its credit, this also improved on the amount of attention various side characters got, something I felt was distinctly lacking in Tatami Galaxy. The animation is also on point, providing some of what that series gave in a sharper package.
Really, my only issues with this one are that the episodes were too short to give me everything I wanted out of a 6-episode run (it crams in a lot, but we often get side-tracked - not that I'm complaining, since I love the side-tracks), the humor of the series still doesn't quite hit for me, and, even after they dedicate a whole episode to him, I'm still kind of baffled by Ozu. He's a great plot vehicle, but such a strange character. 8.6/10.
The Grimm Variations (2022)
I was looking forward to this with some trepidation. Anthology series are usually pretty hit or miss for me, often with more of the latter and less of the former. I like fairy tale-based stories, but I wasn't sure how these would be translated into anime. Given how distinct these stories were from the originals, it also meant that these stories couldn't lean on nostalgia for these stories as much. They have to stand largely by themselves.
So, how well do they stand? In general... not so well. These stories are self-contained, so if the plots are complex, then these stories had the unenviable task of making things clear for the audience while wrapping up their narratives. I don't think many of these accomplished that, particularly as so many of these were either full of plot holes or just refused to provide necessary information. The series has visual flair, and the interludes between stories are serviceable, but the stories themselves are pretty hit-or-miss. I provide specifics as to why in my review here, but the summary is that overall, it's a bunch of interesting ideas that mostly didn't get the space to breathe. Even some of the better stories like episodes 1 and 2 missed opportunities to really make their stories come together or pop, while many of the others floundered in their attempts to tell a cohesive narrative or make sense of some of their more outlandish concepts. The best one in the bunch, episode 5, is simple enough to be effective without more time. The ride's interesting enough that it was worth sitting through, but it's hard to recommend outright for the strange turns it took. 6.5/10.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. It had been touted as a strong comedy, so at the least, I expected to get some laughs out of it and see it in a package that merits the attention this series has received over the years.
While I can't say the comedy worked for me or that I consistently enjoyed each episode... I kind of loved it anyway. I put that down to two reasons.
First, the overall package is far greater than the sum of its parts. It's a time loop story, and like so many of its kind, it builds iteratively. What is particularly interesting is how it builds and pays off that iteration. Our lead, Watashi, isn't aware he's going through this... well, not fully anyway. He experiences déjà vu and, at random moments, seems to recognize that certain things have either played out before or played out differently. There's a fortune teller who keeps raising her prices every time she meets him in a new loop. The vast majority of the other characters don't give us any reason to believe they know what's going on, though there is the occasional comedic moment that suggests more. And if that's where this stopped, I'd say it's passable, but nothing special.
Where it becomes great is in how it builds on the story. Elements in each of the loops, especially early in the story, often go unexplained for a while. Who's that random beautiful girl sitting behind a curtain in Watashi's apartment and why does she look familiar? Why does he have a little stuffed doll from his friend hanging from a light switch? What's with this pen pal he keeps mentioning? What is the deal with all the castella? And who was that random guy that appeared out of the wall in his apartment that one episode? This show is absolutely willing to let you stew in perplexed silence over its various mysteries for a while only to reveal everything in an off-handed manner later like it's not even important. I got a sort of giddy excitement out of spotting them all.
Second, the visuals were just captivating. This is a series that didn't go all-in on the animation budget, but instead engages in the surreal by transitioning back and forth from animation to live action and somewhere in between. Particularly as it gets later in the season and in one episode in particular, it gives this feeling that you're somehow a part of that space in which the characters reside. For all the ridiculous stuff that goes on in this series, it really grounded the experience and made it feel personal.
So, yeah, I really dug this series. Not everything worked for me - the rapid-fire speaking made it difficult to keep up with at times and didn't really add to the experience, some of the loops were way more interesting than others and did more to flesh out the world and characters, some of the characters were a bit one-note, and its method of storytelling did make it more difficult to get on-board in those first few episodes - but it certainly did more than enough to reel me in and keep me invested. 8.4/10.
The Tatami Galaxy Specials (2010)
These specials are a strange, strange ride on a submarine that turns solid surroundings into liquid.
I was genuinely pretty flummoxed watching these specials. They're only 6 minutes apiece, so it's not like I was expecting anything amazing, though I can't say I was expecting three largely disconnected stories that function based on a kind of nonsense logic that I can't really get onboard with. They're interesting in that they give us some chances to see the odd character interaction that didn't appear in the main series, but honestly, the only scenes I really connected with narratively were the ones at the end where whoever was telling the story was chided for shoddy storytelling in some way, shape or form. That's kind of what these were: just an opportunity to try something zany and string it together with the throughline of involving a submarine that defies physics, a harpoon, and our cast of... heroes? Hard to say at times.
Really, what you come here to watch these for is the animation. It's definitely rougher than the series is known for, but that's kind of got its own appeal to it. The color palette is pared down, often to very basic extremes, and they definitely don't always go for fluid movement. I still dig it, even if I can't say this was reason enough to go through these episodes by itself. 5.5/10.
Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)
I had a really good time with this movie. It's certainly got a lot of visual flair, often displaying moments and scenes in unique styles to do a lot of the storytelling visually. It can be a little blunt at times in the dialogue, sometimes to the point of hitting you over the head with its themes, but that honestly fits in well for me, especially as this is a movie where its two central leads need to be hit over the head. The Black-Haired Girl spends much of the movie charting a path forward and excelling at pretty much everything she does, but can't perceive anything beyond that path, including her own feelings or those of the people who stumble into it. By contrast, Senpai has trouble moving along his path, stumbling the entire way as he endlessly pursues his goal of having the Black-Haired Girl see him. Even then, he stumbles, not knowing what he wants out of being seen and arguing endlessly with an army of inner selves about whether he should even put himself out there. At least for me, it's a relatable inner struggle made manifest in some of the most absurdly over-the-top scenes in the movie.
It's nice to get to spend more time with side-characters in this one. It's not necessarily that they get a lot of depth, but they're interesting insofar as how they facilitate the plot and the MCs. Higuchi and Hanuki are back and it's nice to see that they've fallen into a very chaotic lifestyle together as they impart various pieces of wisdom while engaging in just about every zany thing they can manage within a short time. There's a whole subplot involving a traveling group of performers working in defiance of the powers that be led by the Underpants Leader, a man defined by his love of someone else who got hit in the head with the same item as him at the same time. It's with characters like this that the movie occasionally managed to get a laugh out of me, so a little better than the series did. Ri Haku and the Used Book Market God also managed to direct some fantastical portions of the plot, making for some of the more absurd scenes. Still, not as captivated by the comedy as I was by just seeing the crazy ways its plot unwound and trying to guess how it would come together.
It's not episodic like the series, it's one complete narrative with a linear (albeit winding) plot. That makes it easier to follow and keep up with, but I'll admit, I kind of missed the way Tatami Galaxy told its story. Still, there are a lot of interesting visual flourishes in this one and things come back around quite readily from early in its run, and even though it was quite as visually innovative (it didn't jump back and forth between live action and animation), it certainly went hard in the animation department. I had a great time with this one, even if it wasn't mind-blowing. 8.2/10.
The Tatami Time Machine Blues (2022)
I had a really good time with this one.
I was more continuously invested than with Tatami Galaxy, though this series doesn't wrap up as expertly as that did. The time machine itself is quite the vehicle for telling the story, leaving me grasping for hints from previous episodes - I think this might work even better upon repeat watch. It's more the ride than the destination on this one, though it's also nice to see some closure on some of the central plots of the series as a whole. Much to its credit, this also improved on the amount of attention various side characters got, something I felt was distinctly lacking in Tatami Galaxy. The animation is also on point, providing some of what that series gave in a sharper package.
Really, my only issues with this one are that the episodes were too short to give me everything I wanted out of a 6-episode run (it crams in a lot, but we often get side-tracked - not that I'm complaining, since I love the side-tracks), the humor of the series still doesn't quite hit for me, and, even after they dedicate a whole episode to him, I'm still kind of baffled by Ozu. He's a great plot vehicle, but such a strange character. 8.6/10.
The Grimm Variations (2022)
I was looking forward to this with some trepidation. Anthology series are usually pretty hit or miss for me, often with more of the latter and less of the former. I like fairy tale-based stories, but I wasn't sure how these would be translated into anime. Given how distinct these stories were from the originals, it also meant that these stories couldn't lean on nostalgia for these stories as much. They have to stand largely by themselves.
So, how well do they stand? In general... not so well. These stories are self-contained, so if the plots are complex, then these stories had the unenviable task of making things clear for the audience while wrapping up their narratives. I don't think many of these accomplished that, particularly as so many of these were either full of plot holes or just refused to provide necessary information. The series has visual flair, and the interludes between stories are serviceable, but the stories themselves are pretty hit-or-miss. I provide specifics as to why in my review here, but the summary is that overall, it's a bunch of interesting ideas that mostly didn't get the space to breathe. Even some of the better stories like episodes 1 and 2 missed opportunities to really make their stories come together or pop, while many of the others floundered in their attempts to tell a cohesive narrative or make sense of some of their more outlandish concepts. The best one in the bunch, episode 5, is simple enough to be effective without more time. The ride's interesting enough that it was worth sitting through, but it's hard to recommend outright for the strange turns it took. 6.5/10.
| @23feanor - Good starting point with Noir. The trilogy isn't interconnected in any ways other than the theme of "girls with guns" and produced by Bee Train. And if you follow that logic, technically Canaan meets those criteria since buried deep within the credits for that series is Bee Train Digital, who did the 2D artwork for that series. @whiteflame55 - Tatami Galaxy has been on my radar for a while as a sorta really long range blip on the scope. Glad to hear it won't be a complete waste of time when I get closer to watching it. On a different note, I finally finished the Sweat Punch OAV (I may have talked about this one before, but just in case...) - This is a series of 5 shorts (15 minutes or less) from Studio 4°C. I won't go into much detail of each as it would take longer for me to write them up than it took to watch them. So in order of quality(?): The best of the bunch is Kigeki (Comedy), which is no longer available if you watch on streaming sites. I understand it's available on YouTube, but my copy is on a hard-drive, so I know my copy has subs. Very good story-line and direction. Mid 9/10 Next best would be Garakuta no Machi (Junk Town) which is a chuckler. Small boy meets up with a small cannibalistic robot in a town filled with robots. The robot starts following him (like a lost puppy) around the town wreaking havoc among his fellow robots. Not a lot of plot and the animation is pretty good. Mid 7/10. Next in line is Higen (Beyond) - story starts with a battle in a wooded region where really both sides are losing to the other eventually ending with a single survivor(?). Won't go beyond that point except to say if you watch it you will understand my (?). Good animation, but very dark. VA came across very well and at 8 minutes in length put the writer's story across. Mid 7/10. Dan Petory-kyouju no Yuuutsu (Professor Dan Petory`s Blues) - basically a puppet show with music. However, Jim Henson does a much better job. I finished watching this and wondered "WTF did I just watch?". There really wasn't anything to recommend about this one, unless you are looking for something out of this world. Mid 4/10. And finally End of the World - like the previous entry, I finished watching with the "WTF?" moment. Animation and story were reminiscent of some of the sequences in the Heavy Metal movie and the story made very little sense. Again, mid 4/10. Those last two got higher rating than I would have normally given, but I've seen worse. If I had seen these before I had seen the others, I would probably go back and upgrade my votes to roughly what I gave them. These are listed separately on AniDb, but have been combined into a single entry here at MAL and I tried to average out the scores I gave each entry to come up with an overall score of 7/10 here. Would have been higher if the last two entries had been better than they were. |
| |
| The Dangers in My Heart (2023) - after hearing countless people praise this show I thought I'd give it a go. Was it as good as people made it out, short answer was yes. As I've said in my reviews before I'm not a fan of school romance, especially if there's lots of scenes at school. A few things made this show work. First off it was age appropriate. So many times I've watched highschool romances and thought they were acting the way teenagers do when they're like 4-5 years younger. Here you have our leads at age 13, and they act accordingly, like people falling for someone for the first time, and learning how to cope with those emotions, as young teenagers. Then you have our male lead, Ichikawa, who is a bit of a socially awkward loser, but hasn't gone full on Hachimann from Oregairu just yet. What I like about Ichikawa is that because we can hear his inner monologue he's a likeable socially awkward type, and he realises when he becomes preoccupied with his own thoughts and pulls back from acting out, and ends up saying the right thing and opening up, even though he's scared and feeling vulnerable. Then you have the female lead Yamada, who doesn't simply seem like Oktau bait and wish fulfilment for lonely losers, as so many female love interests do (ahem, Oregairu). She's her own person, is confident ins ome ways, but insecure in others, but is comfortable putting herself out there for Ichikawa. And it's clear she likes him, not because he's a typical average school boy, but because they shared a little connection and that grew over time into something more. The gradual, yet measured way the romance progresses is genuinely impressive. I began watching the dub but didn't feel the chars so moved to the sub which was better. Only minor criticisms is that there's too many scenes in school (ie classroom and library) and that Yamada is a model, why do authors feel the need to make the attractive love interest a model so often. This is one is at the same level as Nagatoro and Komi for me, just makes an 8/10 (8.0). Kobato (2009) - this show had some good points like the episodic portions earlier one where Kobato is trying to help different people and you get some of the those Clamp nuggets of wisdom thrown in, a tad similar to xxxHolic, but the over arching story was pretty poor. Can't really go into detail without spoiling, but there were loads of breadcrumbs which weren't answered and the answers we did get didn't make a whole lot of sense. For example there was a lot of talk about different realms and creatures from different realms were key characters and it was hinted that they played a large role in Kobato's presence on earth, but no explanation was forthcoming. Kobato was cute and adorable, although HanaKana's delivery of her character was a bit too high pitched and syrupy a lot of the time and I found a bit grating. Fujimoto, the male lead was a one note gruff and stand offish type, who never changed and quickly became frustrating. The romance was also very poor and I just didn't believe these characters had romantic feelings for one another. Ioryogi, the stuffed animal character was the best of the cast with his brash manner and constant berating of Kobato for her many clumsy mistakes. One criticism I've often seen levelled against Clamp is that their later works recycle too many characters, themes and overly complicate the stories by having interconnected links between the various worlds they've created. Up until now I didn't agree with these points, but Kobato feels like they've reused elements from their other works; the apartment where Kobato lives is taken straight from Chobits, even the same room, and there are twin characters who have identical character design to Chi from Chobits. Then you have easter egg appearances from Watanuki from xxxHolic, which was ok, and a whole episode where the characters from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle turn up, which felt like a waste of screen time, especially during the final stages of the show. Produced by studio Madhouse the visuals and OST were very good and the one saving grace. There were portions of the show I quite liked and some of the episodic stories were good, but easily the weakest entry from Clamp I've seen. High 6/10 (6.8). Kurayukaba and Kuramerukagari (2024) - two hour long movies both involving cities with underground areas and with steam punk and automaton themes. The first story involves a detective who gets asked to investigate a case of people going missing in the hidden city beneath the surface. This one was a bit kooky and events and dialogue went by so fast I didn't follow at times. Nice steam punk vibes with an armoured police train that ventured into the lawless underground area known only as the 'Dark'. The second story concerned a city that built up and around a coal mining pit, extending into the underground mines and caverns. This one was a bit better as we follow a young girl who maps the constantly shifting terrain. This story involved automatons and family rivalry. The visuals were nice with a picture book matt quality to them. Kurayukaba is a low to mid 6/10 (6.4) and Kuramerukagari a very high 6/10 (6.9). |
23feanorApr 27, 8:10 AM
|
| oops, I didn't write since March so what I had
|
jdvzMay 1, 2:34 PM
| Haikyuu I think it was the best sport anime I've ever seen. I estimated Sayonara Watashi no Cramer higher, but it's not about quality of the product. There is something unique about that piece, it shows the incredibly things that are happening in football right now. Haikyuu is the solid work about voilleyball for beginners. Haikyuu completely follow the rules, everything is done in time. in the very beginning they introduced the main characters, showed off their main skills, introduced the small group of the new team, and then started adding one member after another. The rules of volleyball and the features of positions on the field are explained in the same way. That allows them to not complicate the narrative, but constantly add complexity to the game. And as always in sports anime, the first attempt showed potential, but failed. It is surprising that after the first season they didn't start another round of Nationals, but introduced the new rivals. It was a good choice. With each arc, the immersion into the intricacies of volleyball becomes deeper. Explanation of setter attributes was good, not too complicated, but not very superficial either. The second season was better than the first because more and more aspects of the game appeared in the story. The peak of the story was reached in the third season. The whole season was one game. It was as good as the real game could be, but even better. It's very important that they didn't use 'ganbatte' style of play, it was about technique and tactics. The fourth season went wrong in my opinion. Too many fillers, too many unnecessary flashbacks for NPC characters, too slow progression of games. And the worst thing is, it looks like some of the guys has aquired superabilities. Our good guys had superpower from the very beginning, but as they are in our side it is allowed as they are protaganists we're OK with it. This is the story about our super guys, but how could it happen that they were up against superpowered players in the quarterfinal? But still looking forward for continuation, since they have a lot of details left for the future. Firstly they already raised the issue of endurance. Honestly I don't understand why the coach uses libero to sub red haired guy, but he tends to replace Tsukki only on serve. Red haired guy (sorry, can't remember his name) has very good stamina, and Tsuki's endurance not as good. Also I want to see more variative usage of substitutions. They had two setters game and it should be more interesting than before. So S1: 7/10 S1 OVA: 6/10 S2: 7/10 S3: (Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa) 7/10 S3 OVA Riku vs Kuu: 6/10 S4: 6/10 dixi |
| Macross Flash Back 2012 (1987) - highlight OVA splicing together footage from the main series and film as well a couple of extra scenes showing Minmay's farewell concert and Misa and Hikaru leaving earth. All shown over the top of Minmay's songs, mainly from the movie, although didn't include her main song from the series My Boyfriend is a Pilot, which I thought was strange. Reminded me what a good series Macross was and Minmay's songs are very good, especially Ai Oboete Imasuka (Do You Remember Love?) with that beautiful high refrain part she does. Minmay bugged the hell out of me when we were watching, but she's an excellent and memorable character. Strong 6/10 (6.7). Legend of Lemnear (1989) - generic fantasy OVA about a girl who has to rescue her brother from an evil wizard with some violence and nudity/groping. Visuals, character designs and electric guitar OST were ok, so bad it's good English dub. At 40 mins this felt like all the important parts from a longer fantasy movie squeezed into the shorter runtime, didn't make a whole lot of sense. High 5/10 (5.8). |
23feanorMay 4, 5:55 AM
|
Reply to 23feanor
Macross Flash Back 2012 (1987) - highlight OVA splicing together footage from the main series and film as well a couple of extra scenes showing Minmay's farewell concert and Misa and Hikaru leaving earth. All shown over the top of Minmay's songs, mainly from the movie, although didn't include her main song from the series My Boyfriend is a Pilot, which I thought was strange. Reminded me what a good series Macross was and Minmay's songs are very good, especially Ai Oboete Imasuka (Do You Remember Love?) with that beautiful high refrain part she does. Minmay bugged the hell out of me when we were watching, but she's an excellent and memorable character. Strong 6/10 (6.7).
Legend of Lemnear (1989) - generic fantasy OVA about a girl who has to rescue her brother from an evil wizard with some violence and nudity/groping. Visuals, character designs and electric guitar OST were ok, so bad it's good English dub. At 40 mins this felt like all the important parts from a longer fantasy movie squeezed into the shorter runtime, didn't make a whole lot of sense. High 5/10 (5.8).
Legend of Lemnear (1989) - generic fantasy OVA about a girl who has to rescue her brother from an evil wizard with some violence and nudity/groping. Visuals, character designs and electric guitar OST were ok, so bad it's good English dub. At 40 mins this felt like all the important parts from a longer fantasy movie squeezed into the shorter runtime, didn't make a whole lot of sense. High 5/10 (5.8).
| @23feanor Macross Flash Back 2012 (1987) - highlight OVA splicing together footage from the main series and film as well a couple of extra scenes showing Minmay's farewell concert and Misa and Hikaru leaving earth. All shown over the top of Minmay's songs, mainly from the movie, although didn't include her main song from the series My Boyfriend is a Pilot, which I thought was strange. Reminded me what a good series Macross was and Minmay's songs are very good, especially Ai Oboete Imasuka (Do You Remember Love?) with that beautiful high refrain part she does. Minmay bugged the hell out of me when we were watching, but she's an excellent and memorable character. Strong 6/10 (6.7). Probably the biggest reason I never cared for the original series was my dislike for the character Minmay and I probably gave them a lower score than normal because of her and the focus on her through out the series. Not that Fire Bomber was any great improvement... The series with Sharon Apple and Sheryl Nome were much better put together, IMO. More of a focus on the story than on the music. |
| |
Reply to 23feanor
@pludel2 I watched all the Familiar of Zero seasons over a decade ago back in the kissanime days, but remember it fondly. I found the MC, Louise, a huge tsundere rather annoying at times. Personally preferred the princess and the maid. It has a conclusive ending, a rarity for older harem romcoms.
@OrlahEhontas ditto, I found Haruhi very underwhelming, couldn't understand what the fuss was about. The Haruhi movie otoh is very good, really puts the rest of the series into perspective. I dropped Toradora twice (mainly because of the tsundere MC, Taiga, very similar character traits to Louise from Familiar of Zero now I think about it, pint sized and shouty) before finally completing it during a r/anime group watch, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit, but that may have been partly because of the discourse.
Gushing over Magical Girls (2024) - some of the best ecchi comes from a show where the subject of sex, and in this case BDSM fetiches, are used as source material for the content, and not simple fan service where the show is basically saying to the audience 'hey look, this girls hot, isn't this situation erotic and horny'. Interspecies Reviewers managed to do the seemingly impossible and pull off a show about sex and make it funny and entertaining. And now you can add Gushing Over Magical Girls to that list. There's a plot here, characters are fun and engaging, visuals and OST slap harder than I expected and the sexual content is varied and unabashed (haven't seen the depiction of a fuu fuu being opened since Interspecies Reviewers, although ofc with light rays partially obscuring the view so as not to fall foul of nudity laws). Only nitpick was the inclusion of a 9 y/o kid, who thankfully they only show naked once, but it's sexualisation of a child and a bit beyond the pale for me, although she ages up in her illusionary sex scenes. An unironically good show, and not just for the girl on girl BDSM action. Solid 7/10 (7.5).
@OrlahEhontas ditto, I found Haruhi very underwhelming, couldn't understand what the fuss was about. The Haruhi movie otoh is very good, really puts the rest of the series into perspective. I dropped Toradora twice (mainly because of the tsundere MC, Taiga, very similar character traits to Louise from Familiar of Zero now I think about it, pint sized and shouty) before finally completing it during a r/anime group watch, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit, but that may have been partly because of the discourse.
Gushing over Magical Girls (2024) - some of the best ecchi comes from a show where the subject of sex, and in this case BDSM fetiches, are used as source material for the content, and not simple fan service where the show is basically saying to the audience 'hey look, this girls hot, isn't this situation erotic and horny'. Interspecies Reviewers managed to do the seemingly impossible and pull off a show about sex and make it funny and entertaining. And now you can add Gushing Over Magical Girls to that list. There's a plot here, characters are fun and engaging, visuals and OST slap harder than I expected and the sexual content is varied and unabashed (haven't seen the depiction of a fuu fuu being opened since Interspecies Reviewers, although ofc with light rays partially obscuring the view so as not to fall foul of nudity laws). Only nitpick was the inclusion of a 9 y/o kid, who thankfully they only show naked once, but it's sexualisation of a child and a bit beyond the pale for me, although she ages up in her illusionary sex scenes. An unironically good show, and not just for the girl on girl BDSM action. Solid 7/10 (7.5).
| @23feanor Yea I 100% agree about the inclusion of Korisu and the episode where she was intro'd, the doll house episode, was my least favorite and I actually complained about it and rated it a 2. Fortunately she was background most of the time after that- but if she had taken over and played any bigger role I would have dropped it. And the thing with, well dealing with Utena' encounter with Sayo, that crossed a line for me as well because the way she ddid that was basically assault and that was part of the "WTF moments" this show gave me. And also the thing Korisu did with Haruka at the end of that doll house episode actually horrified me and yea I hated that episode actually. There's so much problematic stuff in that anime I'm surprised I liked it that much. I personally did not like Interspecie Reviewers and thought it was, in bad taste... |
| @OrlahEhontas when we watched Macross for a group watch a couple of years back Minmay really got under my skin with her wishy washy, flighty nature and desire for attention, but my view of her has been tempered with time as, I remind myself, she is a teenage idol (15 or 16 iirc) and teenagers are still figuring out who they are and what they want at that age (ie look at some of the well known teenage idols such as Britney Spears or Miley Cirus to see how teenage idols can act out). Also Minmay was on a ship sent out into space with alien invaders, so maybe a bit of acting out can be forgiven. Plus so I was suitably mollified by the conclusion of the show. I'm watching Maison Ikkoku atm and one of themes that comes around is that people (in the case of Maison Ikkoku the characters are adults) make mistakes (which lead to those around them being hurt), often and for stupid reasons, so I try and adjust my expectations with teenage characters. Or at least I try to. @SuperAdventure having now completed Gushing over Magical Girls I can see why the show received so much negative attention and people accused watchers of being pedos, yeah a tad extreme as you and I both had exactly the same reaction to the inclusion of a naked child and her overt sexualisation. Ditto the doll house scenes were a bit off. On the scene with Sayo x Utena on the bench, iirc didn't Sayo go out hoping for such an encounter and willingly allowed Utena to give her a massage (by this point she suspected that Utena and Baiser were one and the same and Sayo awakened to being dominated) and could've said stop but didn't, although I can how this is problematic given the current issues over affirmative consent where sex is concerned, rightly so. Interspecies Reviewers does include a lot of objectification of women, by the very nature of the show being around scoring the groups visits to brothels. But I thought there was a lot of smart fun around the issue of sex, such as the men experiencing sex as magically transformed women, being rescued from a bunch of succubi by rampaging orcs (the guys went in to a locked room with succubi like 'yeah we've got this' spoiler they didn't), vikings and nuns role play, haggard fairy mushroom ladies, big dick angel who looked like a choir boy etc, but I can see why anyone would think the show was in bad taste, especially a female audience. FLCL Progressive (2018) - the problem with making sequels to shows like the original FLCL is that you can't help but compare them. On it's own merits FLCL Progressive is pretty good, visuals are striking and OST is good, story is a mess (centred on a girl call Hidomi) but so was the original, but it isn't the lightning in a bottle formula that brought us the original FLCL OVA. Good watch nonetheless, mid 7/10 (7.4). |
23feanorMay 5, 6:44 AM
|
| Gravitation OK, I take my words back, Given is at least no worse. But vice versa Given is not better. So both anime is worse. Well, another anime in which the romantic story boils down to a meeting on a bridge. The characters are uninteresting, nobody has has noticeable personal traits. Reminds me of idols anime where characters differ only in hair and eyes. Oh, wait! Frankly speaking I can remember any idol anime where in order to achieve success you just have to choose a path. Usually participants needs to do at least something else: rehearse, train, compete. There are no such things in Gravitation. Their only rival losts from the very beginning and decided to fight through blackmail. Finally one positive points, as a sitcom it's fine (4/10) |
| Encouragement of Climb (2013) - this short series (12 eps x 3 mins) felt like Laid Back Camp lite centred around shy Aoi and her new friends as they venture outdoors to climb mountains (well hills to begin with). Nice visuals. Iyashikei cgdct comfort food. Next season isn't so short and could be promising. Solid 6/10 (6.7). |
|
| Kobato. (2009) This is my first Clamp series (aside from Code Geass). Yes, I'm a neophyte when it comes to this particular corner of the anime world, and regardless of what else I say, I am interested in seeing more series from Clamp, though not because of the various cameos in this series. Those were honestly a little distracting. And I'm not entering into this one with a negative attitude towards it. Sure, it's a little saccharine, but that's kind of the point. A young woman appears suddenly in a town with a talking, fire-breathing stuffed animal with the chief goal of mending peoples' broken hearts. If that's not a premise for a saccharine show, I don't know what is. So when people start inviting this random stranger into their homes and preschools, you just kind of roll with it. That's the kind of show you're watching. It's not meant to be strongly realistic. That's the vibe I rode through much of the series and I genuinely had a good time with it. The set-up of Kobato meets and helps a new person in the town felt like a great way to build out the world, including some very touching stories about lost love and letting things go, in particular. I only wish we'd gotten to see more instances of this, or at least gotten to see how her many interactions changed the town around her - honestly, just a few SoL moments of her walking down the street and running into people who know her by name after walking in a stranger would have helped establish the depth and breadth of connections she was making beyond the small scope we actually see during the series. But therein lies the problem: I think this is the best stuff in the series. The throughline stories involving a moneylender trying to tear down the school, Sayaka's relationship with her estranged husband, Fujimoto's background and, most especially, Kobato's entire reason for being here along with Ioryogi just don't work nearly as well. To start, the series strings along watchers with a lot of its central mysteries. It's not necessarily a problem to have big reveals towards the end of a series, but it does mean that we can't really interact with a characters' past or their aspirations. We're told from the start that Kobato wants to go... somewhere. It's not clear where for a very long time, so it's hard to get behind her desire, which is the central drive of the series. It's just too vague to get invested, and when things are finally revealed, I'm usually left with more questions than answers. What seemed clear often was revealed to be far less so, and character motivations make less sense when considering the answers we are given. But it's not just the mysteries that bother me. Even when revelations come sooner and characters linger in the story, they shift from apparent threat to background noise back to threat and finally to... pillar of support? There are opportunities to both establish and build on relationships that are missed, turning much of what happens into an arc that takes such sudden turns that it gave me whiplash. It's not like there were no breadcrumbs leading up to these moments, but they made me question a lot of how characters behaved and why for much of the series. And then there's the relationships. Leaving aside issues of how these narratives resolved, I didn't find that the story did much to invest me in any of the romances. If anything, it made it actively more difficult to root for the pairings it aimed to establish. I'm not going to spoil any given relationship, but the show actively rejects some of the more obvious chemistries it establishes in favor of something that feels forced and contrived to happen by the plot itself. Another relationship is both built on an untold amount of time together and marred by strife, but since one of the characters hardly shows up after they apparently reconcile, we hardly get to appreciate seeing it mended. For a show about mending broken hearts, it was disappointing to see it falter with its longer-running examples. Finally, there's the ending. I know I've vaguely alluded to some of what's there, but as a whole, it just left me wanting. There were elements that felt like they were just there to leave us on a certain note, and the show didn't seem to care how we got there. Sure, it was once again that saccharine sweetness, but it felt like we were duty-bound to end up there rather than seeing it build more organically. The show is still a good time when it just sits with these characters and offers moments for Kobato to be a real force for good. It's just a shame they're baked into a story that left me scratching my head or frustrated so often. 6.4/10. Ninja Kamui (2024) This series left me frustrated, but I should probably have seen the writing on the wall early on. It's a series that is built on the "style over substance" paradigm, and at least early on, it largely succeeds in that regard. The fight choreography, particularly in the first episode, is pretty incredible and the animation is generally great. Even as we got into later episodes and the fights became more chaotic, making the choreography harder to discern, I could still appreciate some of what they were doing. Then, several episodes in, we're presented with CGI mech suits. I was initially hesitant about it, but it was still interesting to see how these contributed a new layer to the fights, adding new abilities and fighting styles into the mix (one guy just fights with his legs in his suit), as well as the need to recharge them. Not bad. Then, we're introduced to another set of mech suits and... yeah, this is where my enjoyment of the fights truly falls apart. I don't so much mind seeing the first one in action, particularly since we get a very good idea of the speed and gravity of its attacks, but after that, their inclusion in the series largely serves to make it easier for the animators at the expense of audience enjoyment. You don't feel that speed and gravity in many of the future episodes (until they get souped up again at the end, at least), the aforementioned diverse mechs become virtually useless, and the fight choreography becomes stiff and lifeless, especially by comparison to the series' 2D fights. Unfortunately, that's the direction the series' best aspect took over its run. I'm not going to do a deep dive into its narrative because, frankly, it's too shallow for that. It's a basic revenge story that also shows signs of weakness early on, as Higan seems to be incredibly badass only when it serves the plot. We get some background to try and invest us in the life of Higan and his wife and child, but much of that comes too late to give us any meaningful connection that makes the opening scene feel impactful. It doesn't help that Higan seems to just get assistance whenever he needs it to keep the plot moving - it's a surprisingly passive way to generate literal and figurative plot armor for him throughout. And then there's the larger narrative. I think the world itself is potentially interesting, but they squander it by focusing on a few key plots among its characters. AUZA being this tech giant who has an uneasy alliance with the central ninja group seems like it could be rife with opportunities, but that plot goes from too basic to needlessly convoluted to incredibly frustrating over its run as alliances are made and broken. The same holds true with the ninja organization: the more we learn about them, the more frustrated I get with all the various motives at play and even the way we got to this point. Couple that with the number of fake out deaths and real deaths that feel manipulative and you get... something, I guess. The plot just feels strangely weightless in the end. Maybe that's because I'd lost interest, or maybe it's because the series seems so incredibly cliche in how it wraps. I won't spoil it here, but I predicted virtually every beat in the final episode before it aired. Every reveal felt incredibly obvious, even though several required substantial character assassination, and the number of contrivances for that final fight left me entirely disinterested in the outcome. Couple that with some lines that feel right out of Peacemaker without the tongue-in-cheek delivery or humor and this series ends with a dull thud. A pretty big waste of time and potential to just give us a few strong fight scenes and a threadbare plot, all of which makes me wish they'd just put this effort towards a better project. It's too simple for me to call it "bad" due to the poor narrative direction and choices made on the animation front alone (I generally tend to apply that label to series end up far messier due to bigger narrative swings), but it lacks anything to elevate it above an exceedingly average series with little to recommend it. 5/10. |
|
| The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 (2024) - I've watched a lot of romance and this series might be the best depiction of two young people falling in love I've ever seen. It was unfiltered, touching (my squee-o-meter was going off every episode) and uncluttered with all the usual tired tropes we're so used to seeing from romance anime. It was two people growing closer, dealing with their personal insecurities and learning to communicate with each other and make the other person a part of their lives. Only thing that held my score back was all the school scenes, although there were less than S1. We did get some more insight into the friend group around our main couple, but the series is all about Anna and Kyotaro. The growth and interpersonal dialogue for the romance is better than Kimi no Todoke (the closest comparison for me), better than any other romance anime I've seen (Tonikawa S1 comes close), but it just needs something else. For example Kimi no Todoke has Sawako, who as I said before is a peculiarly wonderful girl, and her friends, all mixed into a shoujo style that is just so complimentary. Kaguya-sama Love is War has the comedy and central cast who we all get to know. Kamisama Kiss has the fantasy element and the music. With a little something else this could've been a 10/10. As it is, a 9/10 (9.1). |
23feanorMay 8, 4:18 AM
|
| Eve no Jiken (Time of Eve) 2008 - This has been on my hints list for a while now (but then so has Ashita no Joe 2, and I ain't goin' near that (hate most sports anime)), and I avoided it for a long time for that reason along with the synopsis. I was concerned that it would be another GiTS knock-off, or worse, a Terminator rip-off, but I had some free time and decided to check it out. Glad I did. This is not a long and drawn out OAV (6 episodes @ ≈18 minutes each) and while androids are a primary theme, it was more about how humans will or won't accept them. There really isn't a main character per se, but there are 2 high school students involved in all the episodes. The one has found a glitch in his family's android maid/housekeeper and the two of them track it down to a back-alley cafe named "Time of Eve" which has one rule. "Humans and androids shall not discriminate against each other here." Now with the androids having a digital halo over their heads, the boys figure it should be easy to determine who they shouldn't discriminate against. NOT! Nobody in the place has a halo and the owner/waitress gets cranky with them for even talking about androids in a semi-negative manner. As time goes by they meet some of the other regular patrons of the cafe and become friendly with them. Only to find out, the next day, that one of the friendlier regular patron is in fact an android. Which proceeds to throw their world view right out the window. Now it's "Who's what?" and they are no longer as sure that they can spot the android or the human and even if they should. We meet other regular patrons along the way and with a few exceptionally "obvious" pointers (one of the regulars is the original maid that started their journey), you don't really know if the patron is human or android, or for that matter, if the owner is human (there's a hint in the final episode, but nothing definitive). This was a nice gentle episodic OAV with only the events in the cafe to tie them all together. The cafe is a book-nook type of establishment with lots of shelves of reading material in the backgrounds. I wish that there were more real places like this to go to. I'd probably spend a lot of time there. The artwork for the OAV is, as in the case of most OAVs, excellent. The acting is great and the stories are well written. There isn't an OP and the ED is only played at the end of the final episode so there isn't a lot to say about them. My biggest regret is the shortness of the OAV, both in play time and number of episodes (could have gone for a full 26 episodes and I would have really liked it), and because of that I gave this a strong upper 8.5/10 (8.8-8.9). Strongly recommended if you enjoy a peaceful viewing. If you're looking for CGDCT, massive mecha battle machines pounding on each other, go look somewhere else. |
| |
| @whiteflame55 good review of Kobato, think you summed up all the aspects of the show whilst avoiding spoilers. @OrlahEhontas Time of Eve has similarly been on my radar for a number of years but never gotten around to it so good to read your summary. Another similar special I've been curious about and has been sat on my ptw list for ages is Otona Joshi no Anime Time, a good josei with 4 short stories. |
|
| Here are a little about my further investigations in スポ根 (also known as spokon) Ao Ashi Football. In general, not very good, the first half is very crunchyrolled by design, just a very typical ganbatte anime about overcoming, unprecedented talents and unimaginable difficulties. Shitty coaches, fights between participants — this is a part of education. Children learn on their own, no one explains anything to the protagonist, let him figure it out on his own. In the end, it’s not even surprising that the best tactician is a girl classmate. I don't think the mangaka intended it to look like this, but alas. What the reason could there to be to have full startup roster every year and noone else. How can you explain the need to take a bad player just because no one better has yet been found for his position? And what if you want to change the position of one player? But these things are too complex for the creator. A little about football, in general the first part is based on Andres Iniesta (I even checked whether it was a biopic, but Iniesta moved to Japan later than the manga began). The second part, as usual, is Trent Alexander-Arnold, only on the left side. The same trick was in Sayounara Watashi no Kramer, perhaps a post-effect from the invention skills of Pavasonics and WakDonalds. Finally about animation. Seems to like good, but the problem that if someone says, that the right side was totally open, than in the picture we must see the same. But if you say that and show that in the ride side, each of the three attackers has one opponent, but in the center there are two free players, then I have bad news. This is not something that spectators will directly notice, but it's what creates the background. Despite all the problems mentioned, it's funny from time to time, football is still not the best sport for visualization, the field is too large, the attacks are too long and have no pauses, but they tried. So (6/10) One Outs Step down to baseball. Two years ago I was watching Touhai Densetsu Akagi, anime about mahjong. I instantly remembered that story in the first minutes of this one. Different creators of sources, but the same director, which says that he has his own style. I'm not a fun of this style, so it was very difficult to me to follow the story espectially for the first five episodes. The story starts in the third episode, but the development is too slow. The best part of this anime is the mangaka's knowledge, he even explained Houston Astros scandal before it happened. The story mostly based on cheats, tricks and superpower. It was kinda interesting, but I'd rather watch baseball anime, not exactly Cross Game, but I'd prefer plain and usual Hachigatsu no Cinderella Nine. This is not because this title is too bad, it's about my preferences. The 'Frustrated Superhero out of blue' is my most hated genre. And we have 25 episodes of Ideal Hero against world. Development is too slow and relies mainly on the narrator's explanations and a lot of dialogue. The animation just follows the speech, nothing interesting. (5/10) Over Drive And to the bottom of our top. So far the clear leader among those watched. The standard of the genre. For the first time in his life, Ordinary High-School Student joins the club, trains, a month later participates in competitions and claims to win. To be honest, I even thought that they would give him the victory right away. But no, this is for next season. As a result, the entire sports career consists of Overcoming. Ordinary High-School Student Overcomes, Overcomes, then his strength runs out, but he also Overcomes. As for sports, there is that too, but only the main instrument is taken from it: here is a drum, knock on it. There is no training, no strategy, no tactics. Our hero just started in sneakers and falling off jeans, and now he is already in excellent sports clothes and shoes without changing the equipment. Where did it all come from if he told his parents about his interest only before the Competition? Well, the Competition itself consists of everyone Competing. In anime we saw amazing things, we were shown the intricacies of knitting, the complexities of pickling. But this anime not about details: sport is Sport, hero is a sportsman, he stood up and ran, sat down and drove, lay down and flew. ps Also there is the Girl. (3/10) Next step is Kuroko no Basket. However I did rewatch Geneshaft. Guys, give this title a chance. It is not perfect, it has flaws, but it has very unexpected moves and can surprise. Well, in general, the idea of testing in a sandbox and debugging on production in space is interesting in itself. People of the 20th century will not understand (there is an episode about this too) |
jdvzMay 8, 2:03 PM
| Noir (2001) - my first foray into the girls with guns sub genre and have to say I was quite taken with this show. At it's core anime can be boiled down to what we see and what we hear, and Noir managed to marry the two to wonderful effect, melding audio visuals to engender a vibe that was distinct. There was that cool feeling, reminiscent of films from Taratino or Luc Besson, but there was something more that I can't really put my finger on or describe well but admired. The story is about two young female assassins with tragic backstories and an obligatory shadowy organisation with a hidden agenda pulling the strings. Most of the show was our two MC, Kirica and Miriel, going on missions all around the world and acting more as guides for the viewer than the subject of the narrative. There were locations all over the world from fights in a Parisian graveyard in the dark shadows, sitting peacefully in the dappled sunlight underneath the trees on the banks of the Seine, desert treks in bright unforgiving sunshine, temple ruins and graveyards in Andorra to a brilliant fight in a Buddhist monastery complex in Taiwan with leaden skies. Every single scene looked so detailed (hand drawn cel backgrounds, one of the last before the advent of computerised animation) and the range of colours was breath taking. It felt like a master of his craft at the height of his talent created the visuals for this show. And to compliment it a very good OST with a range of pieces, my favourite a choral arrangement. The director clearly knew what he wanted to achieve with this show. I'd recommend this for the visuals and OST alone even if girls with guns isn't your thing. Low to mid 8/10 (8.4). |
23feanorMay 11, 2:36 AM
|
| Kuroko no Basket I just trying to imagine, what if someone for whatever reason started watching Kuroko no Basket from the last episode to the first. How many episodes will pass before he realizes that the main hero of the story, that literally the person whose name we see in the title, is just ordinar spectator? Four last episodes were about the game of outside teams. Those who watched this anime will not be surprised why I asked such a question. In truth, it’s hard to remember a more boring match in the world of anime. And we’re talking about both the script and the directing. The director doesn't care what's going on. If you need to jump to interfere with your opponent, then the player takes off without jumping. If the ball is blocked, then the next moment the blocker already has the ball in his hands, and both teams have already taken some strange positions in the center of the court. That's why my thoughts flew far away from what I saw. I also thought that there might be a combination that would allow the player to escape man-to-man defense. For example one offensive player could set a screen for another offensive plauer who currently has the ball. I even came up with an original name for this combination: pick'n'roll. Can you imagine it? Instead of one NPC personally opposing another NPC for four episodes, we would have a teamwork. Isn't that the essence of スポ根? 'The main character devotes himself to competitions with effort and perseverance, undergoes intensive training, overcomes all hardships, grows, and overcomes his rivals'. Ganbatte kudasai, faighto and so on. It's a pity that this is not Spokon. Two characters appeared in the first episode and showed their pros and cons in the second. And in the third they started playing basketball, that’s where the story ended and the mocumentary began. Continuous matches one after another, sometimes two matches a day. Breaks are only to eat. There is no time for teamwork, there is no time for personal growth. It is not surprising that with such a calendar, the coach has no time to come up with a combination that would allow a player who hits a hundred out of a hundred from anywhere on the court not to get blocked. In a general sense, the anime pleased me only because there is no such hell in Japanese school volleyball and the players have time to train and develop. Union basketball team can only hope for some secret school that will educate a Generation of Miracles. Finally, every time I was bewildered at how bad it was, the anime surprised me by getting even worse. 2/10 and I need a short break until the next dive into the world of Spokons. |
| Atelier Ryza Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout Finally found the time to watch this one, the famous Ryza Stout whose short shorts and thicc thighs have made her a darling waifu of gamers and led to multiple expensive scale figures. The anime itself looks exactly as pretty as she does but it has the same problem of Metallic Rouge that I talked about a few weeks ago- all flash and no substance. Well I shouldn't say None, Ryza is an inspiration for her friends and the people in her town and she does nice things with the alchemy she learns. But it lacked an overarching narrative. The cover art promises a kind of adventure story, but they rarely wander beyond the boundaries of their town. They spend an obscene amount of time hanging around two other alchemists named Lila & Empel who literally sit on the sofa in their house and look bored most of the time. It's a game adaptation that lacks a story to tell, so it just has these 2-3 episode vignettes that have Ryza discovering alchemy, Ryza and her two friends fighting "monsters" in a nearby forest, Ryza using explosives to clean up trash in the village, yes for real- and (not only that but they spend several days trying to figure out how to clean the area using alchemy when they could have done it faster by hand.) The rivalry between them and the two jerky guys was basically unnecessary. If I was going to recommend this to someone I'd say watch the first few episodes, watch Ryza move around in her cute and interesting outfit, and you've seen all there is to see. What you have here is like a brightly colored curry with NO FLAVOR. Story is forgettable fluff, the other characters apart from Ryza were uninteresting. But then even when it teased some characterization- like of Lent's drunken father- it does nothing with it. So a bunch of loose story threads not connected anywhere. I gave 7/10 and I'm being really generous. |
SuperAdventureMay 9, 6:23 PM
| Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu Pretty good romantic comedy. And comedy here mostly means the genre of dramatic performance, not genre of fiction. The plot is standard, but the story itself is well constructed, the characters are generally realistic, even though the girl eats like a horse. And this is the first problem of the anime. It’s as if the authors are constantly wondering: are we too serious, is it time to insert a gag. Despite the shortcomings, the overall script is good. But not as good as the characters. Creating characters is the author's best ability. OK, the main characters are not that outstanding and their development on the thumb track. Let's just say this is a feature of the genre. But the supporting characters are amazing. Instead of having the only one comic relief for all kind of situations the author has a whole cast of characters for each occasion. All, without exception, are quite prominent and deserve a separate story. He knows how to show nuances with a broad brush. The second season started off much better than the first. The first part of the second season, with the exception of one short arc, is very good. Then either the author lost his passion (although the manga began in 2018 and is still running), or they decided to cut out less of the source material. But the second half of the season is essentially one arc with fillers and the last episode is very long. By the end, the sense of proportion with jokes had already disappeared; I won’t even comment on the scene with the hero hidden under the blanket. Still, overall very good, especially if you know how to turn off logic for a while. S1, S2: 7/10 ps imortant update: author above means not mangaka, because character design in manga not half as good as in anime adaptation. |
jdvzMay 10, 2:28 PM
Reply to SuperAdventure
Atelier Ryza Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout Finally found the time to watch this one, the famous Ryza Stout whose short shorts and thicc thighs have made her a darling waifu of gamers and led to multiple expensive scale figures. The anime itself looks exactly as pretty as she does but it has the same problem of Metallic Rouge that I talked about a few weeks ago- all flash and no substance.
Well I shouldn't say None, Ryza is an inspiration for her friends and the people in her town and she does nice things with the alchemy she learns. But it lacked an overarching narrative. The cover art promises a kind of adventure story, but they rarely wander beyond the boundaries of their town. They spend an obscene amount of time hanging around two other alchemists named Lila & Empel who literally sit on the sofa in their house and look bored most of the time. It's a game adaptation that lacks a story to tell, so it just has these 2-3 episode vignettes that have Ryza discovering alchemy, Ryza and her two friends fighting "monsters" in a nearby forest, Ryza using explosives to clean up trash in the village, yes for real- and (not only that but they spend several days trying to figure out how to clean the area using alchemy when they could have done it faster by hand.)
The rivalry between them and the two jerky guys was basically unnecessary. If I was going to recommend this to someone I'd say watch the first few episodes, watch Ryza move around in her cute and interesting outfit, and you've seen all there is to see. What you have here is like a brightly colored curry with NO FLAVOR. Story is forgettable fluff, the other characters apart from Ryza were uninteresting. But then even when it teased some characterization- like of Lent's drunken father- it does nothing with it. So a bunch of loose story threads not connected anywhere. I gave 7/10 and I'm being really generous.
Well I shouldn't say None, Ryza is an inspiration for her friends and the people in her town and she does nice things with the alchemy she learns. But it lacked an overarching narrative. The cover art promises a kind of adventure story, but they rarely wander beyond the boundaries of their town. They spend an obscene amount of time hanging around two other alchemists named Lila & Empel who literally sit on the sofa in their house and look bored most of the time. It's a game adaptation that lacks a story to tell, so it just has these 2-3 episode vignettes that have Ryza discovering alchemy, Ryza and her two friends fighting "monsters" in a nearby forest, Ryza using explosives to clean up trash in the village, yes for real- and (not only that but they spend several days trying to figure out how to clean the area using alchemy when they could have done it faster by hand.)
The rivalry between them and the two jerky guys was basically unnecessary. If I was going to recommend this to someone I'd say watch the first few episodes, watch Ryza move around in her cute and interesting outfit, and you've seen all there is to see. What you have here is like a brightly colored curry with NO FLAVOR. Story is forgettable fluff, the other characters apart from Ryza were uninteresting. But then even when it teased some characterization- like of Lent's drunken father- it does nothing with it. So a bunch of loose story threads not connected anywhere. I gave 7/10 and I'm being really generous.
| @SuperAdventure The synopsis, both here and at AniDb, read too much like someone wanted to re-write the Slayers franchise with glossier art to try and improve on it. Your description pretty much put the final nail in the coffin of me ever watching it. Using explosives to cleanup trash in the neighborhood sounds way too much like something Lina Inverse would do, except Lina would have destroyed the village in the process. |
| |
| Maison Ikkoku (1986) - This one slowly grew on me more and more. It was sometimes painful to watching, but in a good way, where you're gritting your nails watching characters make mistakes or actions that you know are dumb, but people still do every day, even when those actions hurt those around them, or hurt themselves and by extension those who care about them. Maison Ikkoku (MI) was more like a soap opera/telenovela than any other romcom anime I've seen, except maybe Domestic Girlfriend, but that's a trashy soap opera. And I don't mean that in a derogatory sense, MI is a romcom SoL where everyone has flaws and can make mistakes, there's a loose narrative of people falling love and living together and off we go. People act and react more like irl and are less constrained by adhering to character types or being subject to wacky antics as in many of Rumiko Takahashi's other works. I'll say here that although this is an older show and it's fairly clear from the sequel film how the show concludes, if you don't want to know more then read no further Visuals are lovely (nice details, colour palette, shot composition, and framing etc), slow relaxed pacing with lingering shots of the backgrounds, giving us an insight into the prosperous era of 80's Japan. Character designs are good. I enjoyed the SoL aspects, retro OST that is a vibe in itself (especially the OP and ED's), good dubcast (why is it the best dubs are the older ones). This show was bad for my health as every time the 3 stooges started tying on one I found myself gravitating towards the cupboard for a refreshing beverage. Going to miss this show. MI doesn't have the bitter sweet romantic euphoria of Rose of Versailles, or the simply amazing dialogue and interpersonal romance like Dangers in my Heart, but has its own unique charm and is well worth the watch for any fans of romance. Haven't come across another romance show quite like it. Rumiko Takahashi's best work imho (although I may have had more fun watching Ranma). Strong 8/10 (8.6). |
23feanorMay 11, 10:41 PM
|
Reply to OrlahEhontas
@SuperAdventure The synopsis, both here and at AniDb, read too much like someone wanted to re-write the Slayers franchise with glossier art to try and improve on it. Your description pretty much put the final nail in the coffin of me ever watching it. Using explosives to cleanup trash in the neighborhood sounds way too much like something Lina Inverse would do, except Lina would have destroyed the village in the process.
| @OrlahEhontas Ugh.. so it's derivative then? I'm not surprised. But I have to say, compared to possibly one of the ugliest anime ever made Atelier Ryza looks very beautiful. It's basically eye candy; and clearly the makers had no imagination but to just borrow some basic plot lines. The lack of proper story writing, and everything being copies is one of the reasons I don't watch much anime anymore. |
| Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun Аnother adaptation of otaku socialization. This time hardcore gamer was convinced to play 'Life' game. Doesn't sound very promising, but the implementation is beyond praise. As usual there are two characters, can't remember their names let it be Chizuru and Hachiman. Chizuru gives instructions, Hachiman carries them out. But it is important to understand what the instructions are. No magic, a little care about appearance, a little conversational practice and the patient is on the path to recovery. Characters are two dimensionals and their development is really bad, story is chaotic and has no progression and eventually comes to the point that Chizuru is the coolest at everything, Hachiman gives advice But it was unusual and memorable. The second season is terrible S1: 6/10 OVA: 5/10 S2: 3/10 |
| Area no Kishi Anime about stereotypes in football. The main character has been a center forward since childhood. He can do almost everything a striker needs: run fast, feint a lot, make the ball invisible. He was just unlucky with his execution, and this put an end to his career, since a forward without goals is not needed. End Score 3/10 OK, unfortunately for us our hero had a brother. Long story short, brother died, we have to watch 35 episodes of 37 to see how the brother will win for brother. So setting. Our hero, his potential girlfriend Messi, his classmate Eraserhead, and a talented, but very fat midfielder (not my value judgment, but a quote), let's call him Higedkuti. And this whole gang, with a little help from the secondary cast and the magic of love triangle will strive to Nationals. Football in anime has a number of rules: defenders play defense, midfieldes make passes, attackers feint. Five feints leads to one-on-one situation. Koeman is red, has played in the Netherlands and hits free kicks (deadly dangerous). A handsome player chooses his position on the field himself. And if you watched football a hundred years ago, then only the last rule will surprise you. But maybe it’s only relevant for the women’s football team. So the new coach, let's call him Meisl, wants to make everyone happy with football. To do this, he transfers the defender to midfielder, which does not change anything, as this player is still running along the sideline. Meanwhile the team wins and wins, so as the next innovation our coach puts the tallest forward on winger position, as the tallest player can reach high balls and head them to the center. Don't ask me how it was supposed to work. I didn't watch enough football matches from the 1930s. However, the idea didn't work, so the next step was to the main thing. Total Foot... Yes. Total Foot. Might it be that the work is so terrible because of poor translation? I'd like to think so, but no. There was an episode in which the goalkeeper took the ball after a corner and sent the ball into a counterattack. It would seem that just now even the team’s defenders were in the opponent’s penalty area, and now all of them are getting closer to the goal than the ball. I think we can stop on Total Foot. I can remember only one funny episode after inventing Total Foot. The anime was stopped on quater-finals. Does it have the second season? Don't know. Finally. The author was started in 2006, anime was created in 2012. Not so far, but how it's already oudated. In 2004 FC Porto won Champions League, Carlo Ancelloti has built his amazing Milan (and lost to Liverpool in 2005), Xavi and Iniesta were in Barcelona, Bielsa in Argentina. What's happening at this time in the author's world? Did Michels meet Cruyff? Did the Hungarians play with England? No, in his world a defender stands in the penalty area and shows the others where to move. Ao Ashi was not as bad as I thought So anyway 3/10 |
| Princess Jellyfish (2010) - this show felt like the opening act of Cinderella josei series that sees our MC, Tsukimi, a nerdy otaku obsessed with all things jellyfish meet a cross dressing bishie guy Kuranosuke who opens her eyes to a new world. The central cast is a group of older otaku NEET girls who live in an apartment building with Tsukimi and who all despise popular trendy people and culture. Nice visuals, some western pop culture and films references, good character designs, character writing was pretty decent with the seeds of some romance. But, I came away feeling unsatisfied, like this was the opening arc of a longer running shoujosei series. Very high 6/10 (6.9). |
|
More topics from this board
» Secret of Cerulean Sand (2002) ( 1 2 )whiteflame55 - Apr 26 |
58 |
by 23feanor
»»
2 hours ago |
|
Sticky: » New Member Introductions ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )Chelle - Oct 3, 2009 |
835 |
by whiteflame55
»»
May 6, 6:12 PM |
|
» Kobato (2009) - April 2024 Group Watch ( 1 2 )23feanor - Apr 2 |
54 |
by filifjonkan
»»
May 6, 7:49 AM |
|
» Anime with adult main characterszubby - Nov 30, 2023 |
6 |
by MeganeOverlord
»»
Apr 25, 7:50 PM |
|
Sticky: » Interest Thread for a Group Watch ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )23feanor - Oct 26, 2020 |
290 |
by OrlahEhontas
»»
Apr 24, 4:05 PM |