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Mar 29, 2019
***WARNING: THIS REVIEW ASSUMES YOU'VE EITHER SEEN THE MOVIE OR READ THE VISUAL NOVEL, AND CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS***
Lost Butterfly is probably the first adaptation of Fate Stay Night that actually gets better the more I think about it. It is also ironically the one that possibly makes the most changes from the source material.
After letting it sit, I realize that while the visual novel may be the most well-rounded experience overall, what is IN the film is definitely a big improvement from the source material. Aside from the Shirou/Sakura rain scene, I was surprised at how much more subtle and nuanced
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the film was in conveying its characters and themes compared to the novel. The juxtaposition of Sakura's wonderland dream to her realization of her being the shadow and Shirou's nightmare of the path of his ideal in contrast to how he ends up abandoning it in the scene with the knife was a genius move in visual storytelling. Both characters willfully deny the harsh reality of their situations and who they are, and the director Sudou cleverly illustrates the similarities between them through the use of dream sequences; Sakura with a deceptively bright looking dream in contrast to the dark path her character walks and Shirou's nightmarish vision of him killing his loved one in contrast to his pull towards a hero that cannot commit evil even for a greater good. These are excellent examples of visual storytelling that are far more effective than a barrage of internal monologues and repetitive flashbacks that is common in typical action shounen anime.
As much as I enjoyed ubw, it didn't make me think very much about its themes and characters given it's straightforward narrative... in fact the problems that arises from that series was when it started to repeat its ideas in a circular fashion that could have been delivered in a much more straightforward way. These films remedy this issue through strong directing and story-boarding which convey so much without any dialogue. The subtle implication that Shirou knew all along Sakura may have been the shadow and willfully denying the reality of the situation until Zouken forces him to see it was also great. In the novel it was more of a twist reveal, but here it carries far more weight and ties really well into the theme of ideals and reality.
Despite having far less time than the ubw tv series, the characters in the heavens feel movies that are fleshed out are more deeply explored. This is the first time Shirou actually feels like a human being rather than an idea and its the story that finally delves into his character. Ubw is an oddity in that just when the show finally establishes his character and what he stands for... it just ends. He doesn't really go through any real meaningful development. Here he is actually challenged to the core and forced to make decisions that have real weight and consequence. While RinxShirou was fun to watch, SakuraxShirou is more dynamic and interesting. Their relationship is very different by the end of this film compared to how it started in presage flower. Both characters struggle, change and are key drivers in each others development.
There are changes made to Archer and especially Rin from the source as well. In the novel Rin was cold to the point of being really out of character. She went as far as breaking the truce with Shirou to want to kill Sakura. In the movie she considers it, but can't bring herself to do it, which was far more fitting. The scene of Sakura and Shirou walking hand-in-hand accepting whatever fate befalls them with no resistance, as Rin struggles to make a move to kill her was a much better way to convey the situation in a way that doesn't betray her character. Again, the film is at its best when it's able to show things visually without a word being said to convey moments like these. Archer also goes out in a really badass and heroic way which as a fan had me internally cheering!
The production values are stellar across the board. Amazing cinematography and meaningful shot composition with top-notch animation. Sound effects are great as is Yuki Kajiura's excellent score. The murky and deep colours as well as the music provides it the sinister and nightmarish tone that the film needs. The only minor gripe is the salter vs berserker fight being hard to follow at times and an odd transition after the climax of the forest set piece.
My issues with the movie is what's NOT there. Ilya is cut out significantly. In a story where Rin and Sakura have their bonding moments, it would have been nice to have Shirou and Ilya to have their moments too. Now that Fate Zero exists I feel like these scenes could have been even more impactful given that it is a reparation of the decisions that were made by their fathers that ultimately broke their families. This all feels like a missed opportunity and were actually some of my favorite parts in the original source material. The other part that was cut was an interesting friend-enemy dynamic developing between Kirei and Shirou; however there is a third film that could remedy this, so we will have to wait and see.
The Fate stay night visual novel took many risks and had grand ideas; however it did stumble many times with the small steps to get to encapsulating it's huge ambitions. This was a flaw in the way it was written and this film took many risks of its own to mitigate the problems of its source. And for that, I applaud the film for taking these bold steps to make arguably the most flawed part of the heaven's feel route the best it could be. With that being said, it makes me all the more excited to see what ufotable and Sudou can do to bring out the best part of the source material for the upcoming third film. While I think Fate Zero will stay as the best fate anime overall, fate stay night has come a long way since the mediocre DEEN adaptation
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 1, 2018
Saying Fate Apocrypha knew what worked about Fate Zero and the Fate franchise is like saying Guilty Crown knew what worked about Code Geass. This show is absolutely clueless and is the biggest train wreck of a show I have seen all year. Doubles the characters (28 of them!), quadruples the exposition, and has so many explosions it would give Michael Bay a run for his money. This is a classic case of bigger not being better. This is an uninspired, directionless, boring mess of a show.
I will start with the few positives I can think about reflecting back
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on the show. By far the best characters in the show are Mordred and Sisigou. They aren't great characters, their screen time is limited, and are underdeveloped. However, they are the only characters that had any chemistry and personality. Every time these characters were on screen, this soulless show would show some signs of life and show glimpses of what it could have been. On the technical side: the music is very good albeit overused, there is some decent sound design, visuals can sometimes look nice when its not nighttime and despite some awfully edited and directed action sequences there are moments of good animation. Aside from that... Shakespeare is in this show???
Everything else in this show doesn't work at all. The cast is horribly mismanaged and are so dull and forgettable that I probably forgot some of them writing this review. The protagonist Sieg is the most uninteresting and dull character I have seen in recent memory. He has no backstory, no personality, no desires, infinite plot armor, no chemistry with the characters and feels completely pointless in this train wreck of a story. This has to be one of the worst written characters I have ever seen. The side characters don't fare much better either, the majority of them don't even want anything from the grail which can grant any wish... almost all of these stupid servants either say "I have no wish I want granted" or "All I wanted was to die a hero!!!" Which just makes me wonder the whole time: why should I care about any of them winning?! If you build characters around a wish granting premise, why give them zero desire to want a wish fulfilled??? Some of these characters are laughably bad, anyone who is a fan of the Atlanta legend or Jack The Ripper... I am so sorry for the way these characters were butchered/treated. The cast is so huge as well that no time is given to develop them. Its just a bunch of pointless explosions with no personal conflict or characters to care about most of the time, and even the action is so poorly directed that its hard to even enjoy the spectacle on its own. The action in this show is handled poorly. I can barely make out whats going on because there are so many quick cuts and characters move so fast without any real choreography. In a show full of swords, arrows and magic, there is definitely something wrong when my favorite fight in the whole show is a fist fight.
I think the thing about this show that puzzles me the most is that I don't know what its going for. The story was such a mess that I don't even know what themes it was trying to convey. The ideas were uninteresting for the most part or they were horribly executed. The action is poor and it seems to be the driving force of this show. Its not character driven. Visually there isn't anything that interesting I can recall. Its so exposition heavy and badly paced that I find it hard to enjoy it as simple entertainment. Its very talky and complicated, but isn't thought provoking or smart enough to justify it. The rules of the war and mechanics of how magic and servants work are either utterly broken or completely incomprehensible. MAYBE its explained in the light novel its based on, but there were multiple times where I had to go online to understand some of the random bullshit that happens in this show... and this is coming from someone who read the Fate Stay Night visual novel, watched Fate zero, Deen's Stay Night and the Ufotable's unlimited blade works! Rarely do I see a big popular show come out and fail to at least see the appeal in it.
I don't recommend this show to anybody. There are better action fantasy anime out there and it doesn't hold a candle to the Ufotable adaptations. Fans deserve better than this and I really hope this is just the lowest point of this mostly enjoyable franchise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 24, 2016
This is one of the worst adaptations I have ever seen, and easily the worst Key anime to date. 8-bit, Tensho, and the entire staff should be ashamed of what was produced here. This Rewrite adaptation is in the similar vein as M Night Shyamalans "The Last Airbender" adaptation where you have characters with the same names and some of the story elements, but presented without soul and crushed down until it possesses none of its quality. The original source material wasn't perfect. In fact I would deem it inconsistent and flawed, but it was refreshingly different from other works from
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Key and was a very interesting read. However, to see it degraded to this ugly mess was utterly depressing.
Story: 1/10 (atrocious)
Seriously!? Who is this adaptation for? Studio 8-shit thought it was a great idea to horribly rush events directly from the VN for the first half, and then go anime original into a rushed incomprehensible second half. Like... if you don't have the time to adapt it and were going to make most of it original, you might as well have made it completely anime original. If you wanted to adapt the whole thing then trying to do it in merely 13 episodes was a terrible idea in the first place. The first half will immediately turn off people who haven't read the novel since it appears to be something generic with rapid tonal swings and horrible pacing. The second half only goes out of its way to give fans of the novel the finger by creating a train-wreck of several side routes combined into a weird anime original clusterfuck with only one frigging thing original outside of the source material. Finally if your a Key fan, you will be so emotionally distant from the generic underdeveloped characters that if you were hoping for the famous "feels" you won't even get that. There are many elements of the story that will probably seem incomprehensible to new viewers, and when you need the source material to understand what is going on, then it has failed utterly as an adaptation.
Characters: 2/10 (terrible)
Incredibly thin and underdeveloped. Like the other flawed Key anime Charlotte, most of them only have time to be defined by some single trait that is repeated for punchlines. "Pervert and lets be BFF generic" Kotarou, the ribbon girl loves coffee, Chihiya is a dumb jock, you have tsundere "don't touch me pervert" Lucia, you have "cute loli that defends protagonist no matter what" Shizuru. I don't even remember what they gave Kotori as a character in the anime. Two of the characters are given backstories with some scenes that feel like they were on fast forward... I am not even kidding, all of it is so rushed that even as someone who read the novel, I was BARELY able to follow, and felt disconnected pretty quickly. When you speed up events with no flow or breathing time, it ends up moving too fast for you to digest and process what is going on and what you should be feeling. The result is a rapid slideshow summarizing whats going on without giving you time or space to feel or care about the events on the screen.
There are only two characters in the show that could be somewhat entertaining. One of them is in it for like 10 minutes (Yoshino), and the other was the ribbon girl who ironically has the least personality in the original source material. The ribbon girl has an anime original circumstance that occurs, and there is a charm to her that sort of works for a single episode that I thought was passable.
However, it was when I saw the final episode that I realized how terrible the cast was treated in this horrid adaptation. You see characters being injured, dying, yelling and screaming in a chaotic battle with supposed high stakes in the air. Yet, despite having read about them for 50+ hours in the novel, I simply watched bored and emotionally disconnected from everything happening onscreen. I didn't care about any of these characters that I remembered liking so much from the visual novel. None of the charm, fun, or heart of these characters were there. They were became nothing but hallow shells carrying their names.
Art/Animation: 3/10 (terrible)
Rewrite looks ugly. The art and animation is somewhat passable for the first couple episodes, and then it takes a quality nosedive in the second half. 8-shit decided to make this show CGI heavy and the result is atrocious. It honestly gives Berserk 2016 a run for its money in awfulness. I hate the character designs, which look too small and way too "cutesy" for my liking. The character are very often off-model and look awful in motion at times. Tensho, the director, is also very weak at framing good actions sequences so even if your just there for decent spectacle it can't even manage that. Plus, a personal gripe, why is the lighting always so bright? Jesus!!
Sound: 8/10 (very good)
Like... the one saving grace? Maybe? Something good to say about this trash is the soundtrack that was taken straight from the visual novel...
Enjoyment: 1/10
I honestly wished this anime didn't exist. The fans of the visual novel and of Key deserve much better than this. I feel very bad for people who loved the original material and was expecting something good. Unfortunately this isn't the adaptation you were looking for. If you aren't a fan of either Key or the novel, I don't recommend this either since there are much better options out there. This entire adaptation needs a rewrite, and from a studio that doesn't rhyme with shit.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Apr 11, 2016
There is a saying: "don't judge a book based on its cover." This is a show that I expect was dropped by many because of constant delays and a dull as fuck pilot that was followed up by an even worse second episode. To be honest, I was one of those people. I thought the first episode was really dull with confused direction and the second episode had all the trappings of an incredibly generic shounen. There were also many red flags: video adaptations tend to suck, this anime's purpose at the time seemed to be to function as an uninspired
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advertisement, and lines like "press this button to fire, press both to rapid fire" just screams PREVIEW FOR GOD EATER FOR PC!!
However, after like three episodes aired after 10 weeks or so (probably leaving poor fans screaming at the multiple delays), I decided to give it another shot. The delays started with episode 4 onward apparently... and it REALLY showed. Not only did the show get better with each episode, I actually was left curious for a second season in the end.
Story/Characters: 6/10
This show, similarly to Attack on Titan, does a pretty good job at world building. There are memento-styled flashbacks that gives context to the world and many episodes are dedicated to show how much humanity struggles in this dark post-apocalyptic world. These elements are really interesting and helped fleshed out the grim setting. The numerous locations Ufotable draws also really gives the world an interesting look, feel and scale to it.
Another well done aspect of the show, and by far the best thing in the show, is the feeling of helplessness and some gut-punching reveals that unravel. While the writing is mostly mediocre, a lot of thought that was given to the show was how to present a world full of misery and on the brink of destruction. There were a couple moments where there would be something achieved, only to be followed by a twist that gives a feeling of helplessness. The main character, Lenka, encounters many situations like this and has a surprisingly solid arc. In this cruel underworld, the show attempts to contrast the darkness with themes of hope and "passing the torch". It is in these moments that the show it truly at its best.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the characters. These elements, especially in the first half, represent the show at its worst. The side characters, with the exception of one, are paper thin with very little depth and stale personalities. I will go through each character briefly:
Lenka: By far the best character in the show. Ironically, I thought he was going to be my least favorite character: looking like a generic Eren clone with rage as his only character coupled with zero logic. Unlike Eren however, he grows and learns from his mistakes and experiences REAL consequences. He is the only one in the cast with any depth or character arc worth mentioning, and his backstory is easily the best episode of the entire series.
Alisa: In contrast to Lenka, she seemed cool initially.... and ended up being easily the worst character in the entire cast. There is a difference between a SYMPATHETIC portrayal of emotional frailty and making a character seem completely PATHETIC. From her overly stupid character design, to her tediously repeated backstory, and to her total reliance on others to solve her problems.... I was literally yelling at the scream hoping someone would bitch-slap her. Oh and her arc was really rushed towards the end. It was almost as if the writers realized at a certain point that her character wasn't worth spending more time on.
Lindow: Bad-ass, likable, and is a character with some actual personality. He is the only one who has any real chemistry with the protagonist, and the scenes between these two provide some of the most human moments in the show.
The rest of the characters have some characterization here and there, but are mostly unexplored and uninteresting. Despite some of the positives I mentioned above, you really don't get attached to the GOOD characters until quite late in the show. This, again, is probably why so many people dropped the show before it finally had characters to root for.
Audio/visual: 9/10
The visuals and music are honestly top tier. Fantastic work all around. The music is epic and most of the insert songs were surprisingly very fitting. Excellent backgrounds coupled with great animation. The art style is unique and interesting, and despite the visuals being oddly inconsistent with some CG blending that didn't mesh very well in the early episodes, it is a great looking show.
Enjoyment: 7/10
To me this is an example of a show that came out before it was ready. Every single aspect of this show got better following the delays, which is especially true of the last four episodes that seemed to finally have a grasp on what works in its favor. While I don't think of this to be particularly great, I think it is interesting and quite an under-the-radar that deserves a little more attention and less hate than it is getting. The first three episodes are rough... but once you get past it, the show becomes surprisingly enjoyable with a few gems to show off.
Overall: 7/10 (good)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 16, 2015
Phantom Requiem for the Phantom is basically a mix between Bourne Identity, The Departed and The Godfather. It is written by Gen Urobuchi (Fate/Zero, Madoka Magica, and PsychoPass), whose work have been critically acclaimed and praised by many. Why this show never got the same attention as the shows mentioned above is a complete mystery to me, as this is an ambitious, engaging and terrifically executed anime.
Story: 9/10 (Excellent)
The plot surrounds a character name Zwei: who gets captured, his memory gets wiped and is forced to work as an assassin for an underworld organization called Inferno. The best assassin in Inferno, Ein, trains him to
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become the ruthless bad ass he needs to be. What really makes this anime stand out is the interesting perspective it draws on assassins and the workings of being one. These qualities and their methods are cleverly integrated in very creative and interesting missions that are forced upon the two main characters. It has a grounded and realistic approach that really helps immerse you into the show. There are three major acts in this anime that progress the main character, and each present major challenges for him to overcome. The first two acts are outstanding: incredibly engaging, full of memorable and shocking moments, with excellent character development. Where the story stumbles... is during the last act.
One of the major problems with the last act was some odd and unrealistic decisions that breaks some of the realism established in the preceding acts. One example of this is when machine guns are firing at one of the assassins and the assassin just goes into God mode. The henchmen shoot like storm troopers somehow hitting every molecule around the assassin without hitting the assassin!! The show did such a good job making the gun fights feel threatening and real earlier, so what is with this hiccup?! One of the cool things in the show was seeing the assassins come up with ways to apply their training or clever thinking to outmatch their opponents. This obviously sticks out as a problem, because of how well handled they were before. Another problem with this third act was the tone; I am all for dark stuff, but holy crap it was bleak and negative to the point where it got tiring. The first arc offset this dark tone with plenty of well spaced missions and action, and the second act accomplished the same with an optimistic and humorous character. To me its important when having a dark story to have other elements to balance it; otherwise it becomes harder to enjoy after a while. One last major issue with this final act is a tragic moment near the end that isn't as impactful as it could have been due to a mishandled character. Without spoiling anything a major character could have been more sympathetic in her portrayal, as this character becomes surprisingly unlikable at this point of the show.
Despite its problems, the last arc makes up for its shortcomings with an admittedly riveting climax with things coming together strongly at the end. The ending itself is divisive and won't be to everyone's liking. However, I feel like it really couldn't have ended better.
Characters: 9/10 (great)
Despite the one mishandled character I mentioned earlier, the rest of the cast is handled amazingly. Zwei is an antihero done right. They find just the right balance between sympathy and stone cold bad-assery, which makes him a really strong protagonist to follow through the show. Of the secondary characters... Ms. McCunnen and Cal really stand out. Ms. McCunnen is manipulative, cunning and quick on her feet. She is a really cool character with some great moments. Cal was also excellent in the second act of the show, providing a charming and funny personality that the show needed. She also has the closest things to really heartwarming and emotionally genuine moments this anime has to offer.
Art/Animation/Sound: 9/10 (great)
The production values are surprisingly excellent for a studio I have never heard of. But it isn't the art and animation that blew me away, it was the music. The OP is beautiful and perfectly complements the show. The soundtrack is also killer: adrenaline pumping when it needs to be and giving the show a chilling and haunting atmosphere that fits wonderfully. The English dub is also really solid, so if your not anti-english dub that is an option. I found Ein's voice to be a bit odd in english, but everyone else is solid (especially Cal's VA).
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall, I loved this show. I was always left in suspense and was constantly impressed with the smart and thought provoking elements of the show. In my eyes this is a show about ones actions, and the ramifications one faces as a result. The past is like a ghost that comes back to haunt you, that reminds you of your sins and has you struggle with it as a consequence. I really like shows that are thought provoking, and it is certainly memorable. If the final third could have just injected a bit more humanity and kept the grounded realism of the first two-thirds of the show it would have been perfect. This was like Death Note in a sense. Overall its fantastic, but the last third is clearly the most flawed part of the show.
I highly recommend this show. This may not appeal to you if you are looking for something fast paced, simple and purely fun. However, if you are looking for a great dark psychological thriller, this is a truly excellent show to watch.
Overall: 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 15, 2014
Utawarerumono is an incredibly long complicated title that took me forever to pronounce correctly, and it translates to: "the one being sung". I would have never found this anime if it weren't for a friend of mine, and I have to say that this could have been one of my favorites had it not have such a terrible ending. It creates an interesting fantasy setting, it has incredibly likable characters, and if the ending didn't have such an awkward tonal and directional shift: this could have been a perfect family animated show. Like seriously, about halfway I was like: "finally an anime
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that could a appeal to a wide audience that doesn't have to be dark, super serious and depressing." This anime seems to be underrated, and kind of under the radar, which is a shame because there is a lot to like in this show.
Story: 7/10 (good)
One thing that is very well done (until the last 6 episodes) in this show is pacing. Something is always happening, whether it is a new conflict, an interesting hint to a mystery, or some funny and enjoyable interactions between the cast. This show is very entertaining and I found it hard to get bored. The setting is established really well. You will be surprised how attached you become to the small little village you start out in, and when the characters feel at home at the palace, so do you. This is what separates this fantasy show from others: you feel a sense of attachment to characters that feel real, and to a world that you don't want to stop visiting. Strategy, battles, rallying... everything you need to make a medieval-type fantasy work is done very well. The battles are very engaging and fun to watch, but its because of HOW its done rather than WHAT is done. There is a great build up to these fights, and the well executed and clever plans by the protagonist will always put a little smile on your face. Plus there is always a clear goal, none of the fighting is mindless, there is always some cost or conflict to be invested in. The plot balances humor and dramatic moments very well, which is essential for the main theme of this anime: family. No matter how hard things are, you'll always find a bright spot in life with family and friends which is what makes these moments between characters so strong. What kills the narrative is the absolutely terrible last 6 episodes (more on that later), watch up to episode 19 and stop.
Characters: 9/10 (fantastic)
Easily the strength of the show in my opinion. The main protagonist Hakuoro is very underrated, and is pretty unique to the anime genre. He is an adult character that makes adult decisions, which is refreshing from the typical high school protagonist (plus he actually has his shit together, unlike many wimpy underdog male characters). He has amnesia, which has been done before, but isn't often done this well. What makes his character so compelling is that he stands out in this world precisely because he doesn't have memories. He looks at the world from a completely unbiased perspective, he was never brought up with beliefs (the tiger goddess arc at the beginning illustrates this) or was brought up by society to establish morality. He develops his own morality based on the kindness of the people around him, and becomes an incredibly relatable character that simply wants to protect the ones that he loves. The most engaging part of the series was his rise to power. He didn't desire power or conflict, but was forced in a situation where he had to adopt a leadership role, because it was necessary to keep the only life he knew and grew to cherish. He is a natural leader and a brilliant strategist. It is a joy to see him outwit his opponents and kick ass with a very impractical but awesome unique weapon that he uses. The side characters are also great, each with a distinct and memorable personality. Eruru and Aruru are the characters that stick with Hakuoro and are his family. Eruru is an incredibly likable tomboy character who is supportive and adopts a very motherly role. Aruru is shy and cute, but is also rebellious and surprisingly energetic when pursuing something she wants. These three characters make up most of the emotional core of this series. The soldiers and comrades that serve under Hakuoro are also a joy to watch each having their own colorful personalities and place in the war. If there is to be some flaw within the characters it could be the villains. They are kind of one dimensional and are just kind of dicks. However, they do a good job at making you hate these characters, which makes taking them out so incredibly satisfying.
Art/Animation/Sound: 8/10 (very good)
Opening songs and ost are great. They are catchy, and complement the anime very well. The art and animation isn't anything too spectacular there are some copy-paste and awkward 3d models, but it does its job well.
Enjoyment: 9/10
I really enjoyed this anime... 19 episodes of it. The ending is what hold me back from completely loving it. The last 6 episodes is some of the worst coma inducing garbage that I have ever seen. It takes a turn for the worst and in my opinion contradicts a lot of what the series seemed to be working towards. It is unnecessarily dark, convoluted would be an understatement, and the more you think about it the worst it gets. Seriously, I tried to go with it, and I thought about what they were going for. But the more I tried the more plot holes and inconsistencies I found. They raise more questions (not in a good way) then it answers. Additionally, why explain things that really don't need to be explained? Its like scientifically explaining what the force is in the Star Wars prequels, we don't really need one. Plus its devoid of humor, you barely see the side characters you grow to love, and the elements that are introduced feel so incredibly out of place. It also has easily the most underwhelming and boring final confrontation that I have ever seen (I fell asleep and was forced to see the episode again). Despite how terrible this last portion is, the journey getting there was worth it, and stopping at episode 15 or 19 in my opinion is already a satisfying enough conclusion. So please, please, please, I implore you to stop at episode 19 and don't go on anymore than that unless you want to try to laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
Overall: 8/10 (very good)
If you like fantasy that doesn't have to be dark to be good, then I really can't see you not liking this. Give this show a chance, and I am pretty sure you will find a memorable, entertaining and enjoyable experience. Watching it sub or dub doesn't matter too much IMO, either is good. So as long as your not a sub purist, english dub is an option.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 6, 2014
Key is famous for creating lovable characters that you come to like, and then ripping your heart with feels. If you know anything about Key than you probably have heard of Clannad, Kanon and Air. Each of them are harems (one guy goes after several different girls and eventually ends up with one of them), and usually each heroine is given their own subplot. What makes Key better than 90% of these type of narratives is all of them usually amount to something; whether it is an overarching theme (Kanon) or an effective way to lead into something more (like Clannad After
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Story). Air however... is disjointed and isn't as clear in its direction as the other two, but it had the potential to be something really amazing.
Story: 6/10 (above average)
Clannad was more grounded. Kanon is a mix between reality and supernatural. Air takes the slice of life genre and attempts to go more to the supernatural side. The first half of the story is your typical harem, and is in my opinion pretty mediocre. Air tries to give each of its 4-5 heroines a sub plot in the span of 6 episodes... and the result is a hit and miss. There was one potentially interesting story about a girl who may have had some real psychological issue, only to disappoint me by turning it into a "supernatural phenomenon", which ended up being surprisingly dull. This isn't to say that supernatural elements can't be interesting. In fact one arc at the end of the first half was well done, and just when I was starting to get used to it... they change the direction of the series completely. One of the biggest problems I have with Air is that the first half barely amount to anything, and the characters that were built up are completely forgotten in the second half! This results into 2 disjointed halves that don't mesh well. This sudden awkward change in pace and direction leads to a cluttered and somewhat unfocused experience. Fantasy is thrown in, the core relationship focus changes, and... a really strange transformation occurs (???). This may sound like Air fell off the rails and became a train wreck. But when the last few episodes came together, it blew me away. These last three episodes are fantastic, packing a really powerful emotional punch, and even reaching heights that can compare with their best work. It explores a complicated mother-daughter relationship, that I really don't see a lot in this medium of story telling. It also culminates in what is, in my opinion, a really powerful bittersweet open ended ending.
Characters: 7/10 (good characters overall, but a little mismanaged)
The "main character" is a weird looking hobo named Yukito that goes around trying to get money as a puppeteer and fails miserably. While he sounds interesting, he doesn't have much character development. In fact, in the second half he is... shall I say... ignored. The side characters are also not very memorable and don't have much relevance in the big picture. However, the cast really shines with Misuzu and Haruko. Misuzu is a kind, clumsy girl who finds Yukito and helps him out by letting him stay at her place with Haruko. Initially, she seems to be a stereotypical not-so-bright naive blond girl, but when you find out something about her and follow her development in the second half... you will be surprised when she becomes a character you admire and really care about. Haruko is the mother that adopts Misuzu and isn't the motherly type. She doesn't seem to care much about Misuzu and appears to be incredibly irresponsible, and this creates an interesting dynamic that is explored brilliantly in the third act.
Sound: 10/10 (masterpiece)
Some of Key's best music. Uses violin :) one of my favorite instruments. Complements the setting perfectly, and delivers well on the dramatic front. Also has a core theme that is very memorable and that I listen to regularly!
Art/Animation: 9/10 (excellent)
Really impressive for a 2005 anime, but the real reason this scores high is not how good it looks but how it is used. It creates a fantastic setting full of mystery and wonder that perfectly complements the story they are trying to tell.
Enjoyment: 5/10 (mixed)
For everything I liked there was something I didn't like, resulting in a mixed bag. Overall, I admire Key for trying something new and attempt something outside what this genre usually presents. If you enjoy their other works, I think you will enjoy it, but be ready for an unexpected turn in the second half. While many people felt this is where it went downhill, try to give it a chance, because while it is a little clumsy, the vision they tried to reach was really admirable.
Overall: 7/10 (good)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 29, 2014
I saw a fire that ignited and blazed strong for an instant. It grabbed my attention and had me going towards it. The fire quickly died down however, weakened and became very dim. I watch the flame, waiting for it to die, but for some reason it stays: weak and flickering.
This is essentially what I thought about this anime. It starts off really strong in the first four episodes with really cool ideas and even some thought provoking themes that could potentially be explored. I was really interested to see where it was all going to go... and it ended
...
up being really disappointing. But oddly, it was never really bad or terrible.
Story: 4/10 (below average)
It starts off great, putting the main character Yuji in a shocking realization: he found out that he died a long time ago and has a limited amount of time before he is wiped out of existence. I loved seeing his denial, I enjoyed seeing Shana initially looking upon Yuji as some object, but realizing through Yuji and his situation that not all people were selfish. Unfortunately, something very convenient ends up happening and from that point on, the story descends to mediocrity at best. The story goes from being unique with cool ideas to incredibly cheesy: protagonist is clueless and is part of an annoying love triangle, girl with superpowers finds boy who holds the key for the bad guys great evil plan, main villains want to obtain ultimate power. It also really fails to balance comedy/slice of life with action/adventure, resulting in a really inconsistent experience. Sometimes they spend way too much time on pointless swimming episodes we have seen a million times or pointless love triangle crap. Other times when you have an interesting arc they don't explore it as much as I would like, and the arcs that are really boring feel like they go on forever!
Characters: 5/10 (average)
Shana's character is what kept the weak flame alive for me, even though she is your typical tsundere. I think the reason I like her is because conceptually her character is very interesting and despite her cliche archetype is the only one that gets any meaningful character development. Yuji's classmates aren't too bad either.
On the other hand...
Yuji is a typical clueless, dense, dull protagonist
Villains are almost all one dimensional and are as dull as dishwater.
Big-Breasts-Blond booze drinker and talking book were both incredibly annoying, with just as painful sidekicks to boot.
Art: 7/10 (good)
It does its job well. I particularly like the flame haze look.
Sound: 7/10 (good)
The ost is actually pretty good albeit repetitive. Serieux was an ost I really liked in particular. A really fitting track for a bad ass red haired chick kicking ass with a sword.
Enjoyment: 5/10 (meh)
This is a very popular series and I am pretty sure a lot of people really like it. I did see the potential and I do see some of the appeal for this show, but I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
How much you can enjoy this, I think, depends on how much you can tolerate the high school melodrama, cliche shounen action stuff, and some cookie cutter character archetypes. If you can get past all of this: it does have decent animation, good music, some interesting concepts, and some surprisingly charming moments with Shana.
Overall: 5/10 (average)
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 26, 2014
Who is this for? Why was this even attempted?! Who the hell thought cramming 30 hours of story into a 90 minute movie was a great idea?! This "movie" is a disaster! If you have never heard of fate, you will be lost in this incomprehensible mess. If you have seen fate stay night by DEEN, the first third of the movie is a boring recap, the twists in the second act will be rubbish to you and in the third act... you will have an embarrassingly hilarious final fight and instead of a CG dragon you will get a
...
CG dolphin. If you have read the visual novel, you will probably hate it the most, especially when there is a superior adaptation by ufotable you should watch instead.
To sum this up (in case you don't want to read about me tearing this to shreds): this is a shiny pointless piece of crap that has no reason to exist exist other than to spoil twists in the novel and take 2 hours of your life. Unless you don't care at all about this franchise and just want to see flashy animation... stay away from this film.
Story: 1/10
Example of Real storytelling: Basis/premise, Story and Character building, character interaction, internal struggle meets external forces, twist, climax, resolution
This film: Basis, TWIST TWIST TWIST TWIST TWIST DOLPHIN (WTF?) DEUS EX MACHINA!
The pace is all over the place, sometimes you don't even know how characters got to places, nothing is explained, and there is no flow or consistency.
Characters: 1/10
90 minutes trying to cram 30 hours... Ya... there is probably not going to be much room for development, but even if you know the characters you will be disappointed. The protagonist is an idiot who makes wrong choice after wrong choice, Archer (one of the other main characters) is an indecisive whore that switches sides every two minutes, Saber is reduced to a damsel in distress, Rin doesn't do anything smart, in the third act an "goldy archer" takes out two swords and charges in melee mode like a moron, ect. I kid you not, there isn't even a real conversation until 45 minutes into the film.
Art/Animation: 8/10
Admittedly it looks really good. There is a particular amount of detail emphasized on the character models and it all looks great. However, considering that the remake has already bettered this movie in these regards belittles this complement.
Sound: 9/10
Really the best thing going for it. The soundtrack by Kenji Kawai is excellent, making the action feel more epic and exciting than it otherwise be.
Enjoyment: 1/10
DEEN's movie is the bone of my suffering,
Broken is my body, and boiled is my blood,
I have created over a thousand tears,
Unknown to Death, nor known to life,
Have withstood pain to find my sanity,
Yet those hands will never hold me,
So as I pray, Ufotable's Blade Works
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Nov 25, 2014
What attracted me to this show actually wasn't the hype around it at the time, but the split opinions. I was fascinated to see this on top 10 best lists and top 10 worsts lists. I am kind of in the middle: I think overall it is a good show that is fun to watch. I think what draws people to this show is the setting that it created. It creates an interesting world that is constantly introducing interesting ideas that keep you wanting to see more of whats in store. This is my third review, and I am changing
...
up and experimenting with the format I will use. My goal is to try to give my honest opinion, and try to explain the pros and cons. I will try to be neutral in my future reviews and provide reasons why you may like or dislike the show.
Story: 6.5/10 (decent)
The first half actually does what I think more action/romance anime for simple entertainment should do. It sets up its premise incredibly well and then expands on it nicely. It explores the world, and shows how different people deal with it or react to it. Some people accept the world and just want to get used to living in it. Others can't accept the world they are in and try to group together and break out. These lead to some cool ideas and actually has you question how it would be like if people were stuck in a virtual world for so long. If there is one problem I have with the first half, its that it could have expanded on these ideas more. Unfortunately, there are a lot of time skips and the pace moves a little too fast for my liking. The biggest problem of the show is the narrative in the second half. Without spoiling too much: it loses a lot of the tension in the first half, has a new cliche over-the-top villain with a laughable motive, and it revolves solely on a love story which you may or may not be on board with.
Characters: 5/10 (average)
The characters aren't the big highlights for this show. For the most part are likable and well established in the first half, but don't expect too much depth in their development. One of the elements of the show that has the most mixed response is the romance. Some people LOVE the romance, others see it as poorly written teen drama. I personally think it works. Is it a unique and well written romance? Not really. But, do the characters have good chemistry and are you rooting for them? I would actually say yes. They fit each other well and it doesn't feel totally unbelievable especially under the circumstances they are in. I do have a problem on how the characters are treated in the second half however. The side characters in the second half are completely forgettable and the main heroin is reduced to a damsel in distress.
Art/Animation: 9/10 (Near perfection)
Part of the reason why this show succeeds so much is the world that is created. The setting is beautiful and you really feel like your in a video game that you almost wish you were in (minus the death penalty :p). The action scenes are terrific: short, creative and exciting. And I personally love the designs of some of the bosses in the world.
Sound: 10/10 (Perfect)
Yuki Kajiura is one of my favourite composers in anime and the ost is perfect for this show. Swordland in particular is fantastic, making each fight scene feel epic and exciting.
Enjoyment: 8/10 (overall a fun show!)
Personally, I really enjoyed the first half a lot and if I rewatch the show I probably will only watch the first fourteen episodes. To me its harmless entertainment and good escapism if that is what your looking for. I also played quite a bit of video games so this show did appeal to me. The second half had a plot that was a little too dumb for my taste and I am never a fan of love triangles; however if you can turn your brain off and tolerate these things then you might enjoy it more than I did.
Overall: 6/10 (above average)
In conclusion, if you are a gamer or someone who likes to get lost in a fantasy world with a simple and straightforward story this will probably appeal to you. If you are looking for a lot of depth or raise your expectations too high you probably won't like it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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