Oddly enough i find myself reviewing a hentai. Well, to be honest this one is a bit special.
Unlike most hentai, this series doesn't spend it's focus on sex scenes and position fetish-serving; instead the focus is on Hikaru's thought and experiences. Unlike any other story i've heard of, you will find yourself put in the shoes of an experimental exhibitionist herself, going through the motions or her hobby. Hikaru is a pure-hearted and honest exhibitionist who manages to get herself into and out of many sticky situations.
In a drive to protect her virginity, she finds herself getting into many risky scenarios, basking
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Nov 22, 2016
Mahou Sensei Negima!
(Manga)
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I've read this manga numerous times and it still holds the spot of my favourite story of all time in any medium.
...Maybe i'm a bit biased, but so far as i can tell it is also one of the most intelligent stories i've ever read or seen. Do not be fooled by this manga's apparent nature, or how it starts off. This manga makes the biggest 180 you will ever see in a story. Once you're in the latter half of the series you'll hardly recognize it or the characters anymore, as so much has changed. There's an even bigger change once you ... graduate from Negima, and move on into the world of UQ Holder, which is 80 years after the end of Negima, in a changed world. If you want a bite-size taste of this manga and how it changes, check out the OVA's: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba, and Mou Hitotsu no Sekai. They blew my head off it's socket and forced me to have to read the manga. The ova's will spoil part of the plot, so be aware of that in your decision. (The original 2 full tv anime series are complete garbage, do not use them to compare to this manga) Some people are off-put by the bizarre nature of it, and tendency to oddness, apparent skirt-pulls (seemingly unjustified plot additions), and things that could solve all the problems but don't because that would be boring... However, this manga is a testament to Ken Akamatsu being a meta-writer of the highest calibre. Literally every element in Negima that would normally equate to what some people would call "bad story writing" is something he does it intentionally, and utilizes circumstance and characters to identify it as such. The point of it was to show that in the real world, things will broadside you without warning, situations can be completely unfair, or solutions may be just barely missed because they weren't looking in the right place. Pay close attention to tiny side comments and details in the environment, as they often tell a narrative of their own and answer questions you likely had. Some stuff you may even want to research if you're unsure of what a reference is or where something came from (there's a lot of wiki info, and information books for this manga). -> Story: brilliant, but procrastinated in the beginning <- Overall the story does have it's flaws, like anything, but if you can embrace the style, you'll quickly stop caring. Mahou Sensei Negima! is by no means an ordinary manga. It is written with such meta-knowledge, trope abuse, and fiction satire, that the story is completely unapologetically itself. Negima is a very eccentric manga. It is a wide-spectrum story which crosses countless genres and themes: from mundane school life, to underworlds, to complete other worlds, and even hits of sci-fi. This is a story that will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what the world will throw at you next in the endless chain of events leading them from place to place and into problems of epic proportion and forced to handle it. Akamatsu's method of storytelling is fairly obtuse, however a keen eye will spot the amount of research and dedication put into the series, from martial arts to sciences, to mythology, and history, he truly manages to make full use of his knowledge and ability. From some of the best reveals, to some of the best character exploits, Negima has it all. This manga also possesses some of the most well handled time travel continuities in any series ever (and i mean down to the finest background detail, i haven't spotted any bloopers). It's really hard to give examples, as some of the best reasons to read this manga, are in the pinnacle moments when something happened in just the perfect way that makes you fall out of your chair in amazement. This manga probably has one of the coolest schools ever invented anywhere (and the craziest student body, they even have an aviation club; it's like a gathering of all of the #1 geniuses and unique people in the world in one place). Also one of the most epic libraries, if not THE most epic library ever designed... I don't even like libraries, and i wish i could visit and explore the depths of the Mahora Library Island every day (like their library expedition club). There's beautiful fantasy environments, sky castles, and all kinds of awesome stuff to be seen later on as well. There's almost no place in this story i wouldn't visit if it were possible. -> Character: outstanding! <- This manga has absolutely phenomenal character development, especially for how many characters it has. Negi ends up as a teacher for a class of 30, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the manga many more characters are met and fleshed out. Negi and his students grow incredibly in ability and mind. You will see them grow from a bunch of silly middleschool girls to heroes strong enough to take on world-changing problems. Some characters come out the other end completely changed individuals, and others will remain the same, but full of memories and experiences. All of the characters are a bit insane, so don't expect anyone to react realistically to things like life or death situations; they'll usually manage to dive into it with indestructible optimism (even if it's an extremely difficult problem or fight, which they may not even win, and without damaging the suspense), but that's what makes it fun. So many characters might seem hard to keep track of, but you'll find this to be surprisingly not the case. While you may not remember their names that well, each character has a very distinct appearance, personality, speech pattern, and their own unique abilities that no one else has. Though i guarantee you will have zero trouble remembering the impossibly badass Jack Rakan. -> Art: detailed and fluid <- On a slightly technical note, Akamatsu-sensei is one of the better artists out there for designing action scenes. Each frame flows from one to the next in such a way that you're never lost as to what's going on; there is ample indicators to interpolate it in your mind. He is also very good at drawing and maintaining environments in a sense that you can spatially orient yourself in the environment without getting lost. There are numerous spreads with absolutely beautiful scenes and scenery throughout the manga - truly valuable when exploring a magic world. -> Enjoyment: off the scale! <- I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but i love the hell out of this manga, it's intelligence, characters, environments, themes, and so on. It contains most of my favourite places in any story, my favourite characters and so on. This manga had me riding on the edge of my seat, and reading my nights into oblivion, because i couldn't pull myself out of this dangerously addicting series. I've read it 3 times now, and i get the same excitement, hype and joy from it every time. Mahou Sensei Negima is truly close to my heart; i love it to bits. One of the things this manga does that doesn't happen often, is scaling the strength of all the characters, like fans do when they propose charA vs charB wondering who'd win. In Negima, it's a lot of fun comparing all the characters and wondering who's the strongest, who's effective against who, what is their weakness, will their weakness work against them? ...Overall this manga is really hard to judge on any sensible basis, because it pretty much deconstructs everything you can criticize of it and throws it right back at you without caring. Stories that can do that are very rare. In a modern world where so many people are picking apart technicalities of story design and standards, to have a complete fantasy that will do things like create completely broken cheat characters, then advertise they're broken cheat characters, and make you love them regardless (yes, i'm talking about the famous Jack Rakan, the impossible badass himself). With a series like this with such a colossal towering mass of things to talk about, it's a wonder why there isn't more conversation on it, especially with UQ Holder publishing now. I can only guess it's due to the inacessibility of it, and the poor impression in which the animes have on it. Hopefully the UQ Holder anime will bring a lot of people back to this. Read this manga, you will not regret it. I'll see you around Mahora~ PS: If you don't believe me in the complexity of this story, or want a heap of spoilers, just look at it on TvTropes. This manga's exploits are off the charts. - Semi-spoilers - If you want a milestone of where to expect the manga to start taking shape and showing it's true colours, it's at the Mahora Festival Arc, which starts around chapter 70.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 5, 2016
Clannad: After Story
(Anime)
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Many people have reviewed this over the years, and i feel giving structured essays and numeric ratings doesn't do it justice. I've seen hundreds of anime, and none really seem to be able to do what Clannad has done, even works by the same creators.
~After Story~ is the second half of Clannad, and where everything comes to light, and everything changes. I've seen Clannad many times, and every time it hits all my sweet spots. While i have cried to it in the past, i've even cried myself to sleep listening to Chiisana Te no Hira (the song from the last episode, 22), but ... i don't cry every time. I don't feel something should be measured in terms of how much it makes you cry either. What matters most is how much you understood it and how much it impacted you in the process. Clannad is exactly as it's genre describes, however taking it to a different level: slice of life. Or rather, a while life pie. You will experience the rollercoaster of life, full of it's joys and sorrows, hellos and goodbyes, it's simplicity and it's beauty. ======================= How it impacted me: There was a time in the past where i was a stoic shell of a person, wasting time in games and becoming sick of the mundanities of life, and had no perspective or care of people, i hated people in general; they all seemed pathetic and dumb. I saw this anime at a point in my life when i really needed it, and it forever changed me. Clannad puts everything into perspective: friends, parents, children, the struggles of life, confusions, desires... but most importantly, appreciating the aspects of life which cannot be easily explained. I gained an understanding and respect for the difficulties of others, in which i'd never previously thought about. For the first time i really saw the beauty in humans; not just the anime characters i'd been familiar with, but actual people i'd never met. From the unparalleled life experience, that is life itself in a nutshell, which is Clannad, i can now always manage to dig out positive traits or understanding of anyone's circumstances given i try. If you really think about the meanings of all of the mundane things that happen on your journey through this story, you will also come to this realization if you didn't have it already prior to seeing Clannad. As a person interested in the sciences, i found Kotomi's arc in the first half to be very enlightening. Before then, i considered science and the approach as just that cool thing that is used for exploring the physical world and creating technology, but when i heard the analogy her father used, it made me realize what i wanted. The world is beautiful (even if there's a lot of ugly things in it), and can be explained in beautiful terms; there is no need for nitty gritty jargon. From then i've ever sought to discover the meanings of life and the universe, through understanding and with the words mentored to me, i wish to someday be able to express it with the most beautiful words. In the future when i'm standing on top of a story and important scientific works, i will be able to look back and say Clannad is at my roots (amongst other things). I experienced a lot of things like sad goodbyes... i never thought i'd get so attached to the characters as if they were my friends, that the change was sad, and would remind me of things i'd left behind as i went through life. Ponder what's ahead of you, look at what's behind you, understand where you are. I hope anyone watching Clannad can have the same level of self-reflection. ======================= Analysis: While Clannad, as a material anime, does have numerous flaws, judging it based on those shows that you probably missed the point. Life itself is full of flaws and errors, cringes and 1-dimensional characters. No amount of sensational individualism is going to erase the fact that people can fit into psychological taxonomy, and people do often appear to be very straight forward and undeveloped; it's not stereotyping unless you use it to make assumptions. There is nothing wrong with understanding personality types and how to interact with them; it's just how you're born. The lack of understanding of social taxonomy is why people don't have a bloody clue how to handle people who act differently than they feel; nobody has the social precedent to understand that it is common, and there's nothing wrong with it, try to understand it, and you can befriend even the most awkward of people. Often times in stories characters will develop so much that it'll blow your mind, and from that you get a full understanding of all of these aspects. With this you have the impression of a deep multi-faceted character, especially if they're very much different in a fundamental way to when they started. However, in real life, that doesn't happen as often as one might think, and even if you feel you're a completely different person as an adult, someone who hasn't seen you for a long time might think you've changed, but also very much not changed. Each person is always themself, unless they completely lose themself and have to find their way back. Clannad's characters may seem simplex, and they are, and more people were simple back then as well. If you hadn't noticed, Clannad is set probably around the 80's, before the digital age. If you lived in a small town, that's how you lived, the small town life. Something many people don't realize about anime, and especially Clannad as it was actually implied as such, is that characters are usually made to exaggerate their archetypal traits for the sake of character study. The characters are simplified, and stood out dramatically from eachother so it can become very clear what it's like to have very different people interacting with eachother. Just as how often anime will colour hairs via colour theory to match their traits. It's a well studied endeavour, and very much intentional. If there's one thing that anime is always dead accurate on, it's individual aspects of natural human psychology. Characters are simplified for a reason, and a good reason at that. Experiences can change how you see and react to the world, even have you discover new things about yourself, however they will never change you at your core. Psychologists recommend you read biographies to understand how people got through troubles, what better than a heart-wrenching fictional biography on the difficulties of family? Overall the material presentation is exceptional (even if not perfect), and the care put into it is clear. There are many things hinted towards for a long time, until they're finally revealed, such as the episode title cards and ED. Be sure to keep an eye open for details :) ______________________________ PS: If you were cynical towards Clannad, then perhaps you missed the point. This is what makes it an art piece and not a product of expectation. I'm no sensationalist, i'm no fanatic of the show, and i'm certainly not a follower of any paradigms, thus this is a completely genuine and independent review without anyone's influence. As a scientist and philosopher, i seek the most objective understandings possible, even if i explain them through a particular perspective (such as my own, which i'm most familiar with). There are other anime which have given me more excitement and joy, but none have the depth and impact that this has, and objectively i cannot identify an anime with more combined intentional/unintentional meaning. When i say this is the best anime i've ever seen, that's not meant to be just an opinion, that's what seems to be so even through extensive study and self reflection. Clannad doesn't have to be your favourite, but i do recommend respecting it. Clannad also answered me this question: "What is the meaning of life?" The question that seems to be on everyone's mind but for some strange reason seems to elude everyone even though it's answered for them. "The meaning of life is to live on and pass on." –Aria (author) You can take that quote any way you want, it has limitless connotations.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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