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Dec 31, 2015
It's new, it's hip, it's edgy. All coming from a 1989 adaption... I have to say, Madhouse has done an excellent job modernizing such a relic.
As much as I would love to talk about how polished the series looks, Parasyte is much more than just that. Essentially, it can be interpreted on many different levels; whether it’s a coming-of-age story or a moralistic story of the supremacy of humanity, Shinichi's struggle with his new found metamorphosis on top of his altruistic ideals make for an interesting story. The body horror in this anime can be interpreted in so many ways because a lot of the
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things mentioned are left ambiguous. Parasyte can teach us the fear of what we cannot run away from, whether that's losing someone dear, or losing your own humanity. Other interpretations could even relate to that of Peter Parker. Unfortunately, this range of themes isn’t followed through. More on that later.
Parasyte's story is coupled with a revisit to the character designs and animation that have best fitted to the advancement of technology and trends of society. I personally love this. Appealing to the modern audience isn’t necessarily worthy of praise, but it’s certainly an aspect that makes the series much easier to watch. Superficially, the thought of large, flashy shounen-esque battles is not usually well received... but I believe that is what's part of its charm. Plus, in Parasyte, the 'big battles' are more of a side-thing if anything else (they’re kind of lame, sometimes). It balances the ticket of a psychological horror, as the battles are more for advance of story than its face value (at least for the initial half of the series). That being said, Parasyte's coupled with a modernized OST filled with not only dubstep, but a number of poignant songs for the more meaningful moments.
One of the things I liked doing during the first half of the series was interpreting from the development it provided. For example, we can see when Shinichi is united with Migi, his new hand-infested friend, many of Shinichi's perhaps dormant desires are catalyzed. Of course, Shinichi's huge metamorphosis is a physical one, so any change he takes on a psychological level can be interpreted in different ways. Shinichi becomes much more brave, and he takes a much more heroic role for humanity and for himself. Is Shinichi changing to some sort of a superhero, reminiscent of Peter Parker? Or does it stray from that, and instead of a superhero story, it's a coming-of-age story about leaving one's parents behind, starting anew? The question, unfortunately, does have an answer. The show provides it.
I had been describing the initial half of the series. The latter half is not as convincing, and herein lies the problem with Parasyte. Shinichi’s struggle in the first half of the series is very personal -- it beckons not only his personal growth with respect to Migi but also his family relations. The struggle was built up extremely well, but never had a satisfying conclusion (that’s not to say it wasn’t concluded). One could argue that the show really was never deep in the slightest. Even so, the motivations and struggles were interesting to watch and easy to sympathize with. The rest of the show comes as a disappointment, as less relevant characters are built haphazardly, and a generic and vapid theme is pushed towards the audience. It is because of Parasyte’s pushing of certain ideals and philosophical inquiries that the show falters. Parasyte had the potential to be good because of its ambiguous body horror and personal development of conflicting goals. It essentially tries to become a superhero story, which it ultimately fails to deliver under.
Ultimately, the show is definitely one that sparked some interest, but somehow ended up being much more shallow. One thing I can say about Parasyte is that it does try. Even in the latter half, there are a few meaningful moments. Alas, the series is definitely worth a watch; especially so if you only seek some enjoyment. Just don’t expect a fascinating follow-up on what potential it builds.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 31, 2015
There’s this anime I watched on Tuesdays, namely, Hidan no Aria AA. It’s literally a show about a bunch of lesbians... and they “fight.” Yet the fight scenes are seriously embarrassing! I seriously have never experienced an anime fight that made me cringe this hard until now. Actually, I probably have. This isn’t the worst thing ever, but seriously, with every passing episode, I think to myself: this is so cringey. And yet I sit there, watching the anime. Heck, I even want to watch more; I’m addicted to the cringe! Okay, not really, but I don’t mind watching another episode. Then people get pissed
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at me because I can’t sit through another episode of Shigatsu or FMA. Well, they’re pissed for good reason. The anime industry produces stuff like Hidan no Aria AA often. Why the hell am I wasting even more time on it? You could say I have bad taste... but I think HNAA is terrible. I still watched it though.
Why should you watch Hidan no Aria AA? Or rather, why did I watch it? The only thing I can reasonably defend about Hidan no Aria is its sick opening and its art style. Everything else is objectively bad. The majority of the show is the fanservice and shoujo ai aspect, and I’m not going to criticize people who enjoy the fanservice in Hidan no Aria. It’s there for a reason; I don’t necessarily mind it, but I’m not watching HNA to fap vigorously with sweat dripping down my forehead for these little kiddos. I dunno. Anyway, if people wanted to fap then there’s hentai for that. Then what is Hidan no Aria AA for? is it just there to tease the mind? Are you being blue balled? haha. That’s a joke if I’ve ever heard one.
I watched Hidan no Aria because it’s a drug. This is especially true for those who seem to be lonely, which applies to a lot of anime fans (not all, of course... I also understand that last sentence was very contentious). It supplies relationshipping very bluntly to its audience, which in its own right is very satisfying. Every character is psycho-bonkers crazy over each other. It’s downright silly. “Love” in this anime is so unrealistically forced and actually pretty random, too. It’s basically a parody on serious romantic relationships in anime. Of course, I know that’s not true; it’s not intended to be a parody. I feel like whoever made this anime/light novel was being serious with the relationships in this series. But seriously, I feel nothing! Maybe because nothing was built! And yet, I feel like I can support these relationships and feel good when they succeed. Why does this work? Think of generic harems like To-Love Ru and Nisekoi. There’s always a "best" girl, and damn when best girl gets her "moment" my heart can’t take it. Well, not really, but I get really excited. HNAA has a bunch of different relationships between moe-blobs. Literally all the characters are moe-blobs, and I think it’s adorable when they have their psychopathic tendencies. There really is no “lose” relationship happening. Think of it like a pseudo best-girl moment over and over.
But wait! what about the plot? After all, isn’t that what makes an anime good? Not necessarily. However, if you wanted to watch this anime for the action or substance of plot, all you’re going to get is a different kind of “plot.” Enjoy the moe, enjoy the moe, enjoy the moe… enjoy.
Godspeed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 29, 2014
This anime gave me more than I came for... but in a bad way.
Even with a medium like anime -- which is well built for things like this -- there comes a limit. An anime like this should not have plot if it's going to be this bad. Did I really come to watch how hard it was to maintain twin-tails? Did I come for horny lizards? Did I come for a lesson on a separation between fetishes and people? I didn't ask for it, but the anime gave all of those things.
For most, the show is mostly due for its fan-service. It's understandable, a
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lot of shows have peculiar themes meant for this type of stuff. Unfortunately, it's subdued by pretty much everything else it decides to mix into the hodgepodge. The plot itself is about as strong as Team Rocket's failed attempts in Pokemon. It's completely predictable, thrown in with a little fan-service and hardships. About half of every episode is devoted to the comedic situation between the characters, and the other half devoted to slaying horny lizards. I don't care much for the latter, but only because I had given hope for a good plot upon the first episode. There's also the possibility that the show itself is satire on male-aimed magical girl/mecha anime. Even if it is, its goals aren't met.
In consideration, perhaps we could ignore all these bad plot points and enjoy the anime for what it is. It certainly delivers (to some extent) few enjoyable scenes -- awkward situations worth a little giggle. I think that's exactly what this anime should have delivered on, and yet instead we cue to awkward tentacle scenes, short-lived remorse and doubt. The show itself succeeds in only particular scenes. Most might find its charm through particular highlights of the show. Watching an entire episode is quite different.
Aside from (debatably) the main cast, the enemies are unlikable. Perhaps they represent the audience the show was aimed for, but as obscene as their fetishes are, all they receive is a cruel and meaningless punishment of death. In attempt to analyze the show on a deeper level, perhaps the monsters are symbolic. Perhaps these monsters give off a message that the fetishes they seem to have are disgusting and unjustified. As much as I could go into this, it's simply just false. The show itself isn't anything more than a cock-tease most of the time.
The battle scenes in particular are atrocious, and are better off skipped. The opening and ending songs with their respective scenes give all the action you'll need to see in the entire series. It's pretty much all the same aside from the enemy looking a bit different each time. The peculiar thing about this anime's battle scenes is that they seem to make the quality of the anime seem a lot worse than it actually is. As much as I want to see a generic shounen fight where the characters yell out the names of their moves... It's completely unneeded for this type of show. The charm of the show is due to its peculiar and awkward situation, not the fact that the protagonists are fighting horny lizards. However, the plot begs for it, so the scenes are structured towards it. It would be acceptable if they were even mildly entertaining. The funny thing is the fact that the novel's illustrations actually make it seem like the battle scenes are cool. Perhaps they had potential with this, but potential means absolutely nothing if never brought out.
In the end, this is one of those shows you wouldn't want to be caught watching. The concept itself isn't terrible (I for one love twin-tails), but its application is questionable. Whatever you may come for, it'll give you something else in combination. Nothing in particular stands out, and it definitely goes for more than what its capable of.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 18, 2014
Bones and a supernatural shounen? This just might be amazing...
Unlike previous works of Bones that may prompt one to think of the magical works of Fullmetal Alchemist or Zetsuen no Tempest, the concept of Noragami is rather peculiar; it takes the concept of deities and the supernatural, and places it in a shounen atmosphere. Such concepts have nevertheless been done many times before, however, Noragami takes a strange twist on it. Yato is a rather poor god (being a newcomer), and in order obtain respect and fame he must earn it through favors. On his path to fame, he encounters Hiyori Iki, a seemingly random
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schoolgirl. Hiyori notices Yato in danger (he isn't usually noticed) and "pushes him out of the way of a speeding bus; unaware of his status as deity." This ultimately causes Hiyori to become a "half-phantom" and thus becomes a major driving factor for the plot in the series. Unfortunately, Noragami (in this aspect) lacks strong plot and premise. There are many inconsistencies that seem to arrive, and many questions unanswered. For example, why was it possible that Hiyori could see Yato in episode 1? The anime itself makes a rather ridiculous example of how deities and phantoms from the "far shore" are unnoticable, and later it becomes a huge plot device. Such holes continue when one considers the lack of proper backstory of many side-characters, such as the later revealed incidents with Bishamon, Nora, or even Kazuma. Without a proper amount of content, one has to question their true relevence aside from being plot devices or canon fodder. Unfortunately, Noragami totals at a whopping 12 episodes, so there isn't much time to provide for such things. Luckily, Noragami doesn't take up the challenge of compressing so much into a miniscule amount of episodes, as seen many times before by previous failures.
The primary focus of Noragami seems to be the characterization of Yato's trio of: himself, Hiyori and Yukine. Because of this, the pacing of the story seems to be quite slow, and one could easily get lost at the shift of plot's goal. The whole thing does seem a bit messy; however, Noragami does manage to maintain great characterization. The driving factor of this anime seems to be Yukine, a wandering spirit who still has regrets from when he was still alive. This is (more-or-less) due to the fact that he died while still young. Upon reunion with the world, his "regret" is slowly shaped into "jealousy," and as a spirit, these emotions do not come cheap. These concepts of his "regrets," and the "punishments" regarding them really starts to ameliorate the plot; Yato is left with the trial to properly discipline Yukine, while concurrently trying to maintain his own ideals and respect. From this point on, the series itself takes quite a bit of an emotional turn, and the darker pasts and truths of the characters are revealed. Noragami does a great job with the aspect of "regret," and utilizes the supernatural aspect of the anime to further the emotional progression. Unfortunately, Hiyori herself doesn't develop into a substantial character, but fills the role of both an inspiration to the others and an essential advocate.
Whether Bones has done a good job with the animation is quite important, as Noragami is (despite the lack of emphasis of it) an action anime. Ultimately, it seems like Bones really delievered quality content. A good representation of how this is portrayed is shown in the first few minutes of Noragami. A girl named Matsumi is seemingly being attacked (quite reminiscient of schizophrenia), and Yato descends as she pleads help from the gods. Yato slays a rather menacing looking phantom by a means of many flashy jumps and slices. The animation in this scene in particular is very much like many of the other battle scenes in the anime. It's done quite well, and very much gives an impression of a typical shounen with many action scenes. Noragami also suppplies an array of impressive swordsmanship shown throughout the series, delivering what many who were interested in Noragami came to see. Unfortunately, Noragami isn't entirely action, as it seems to be a minor aspect of the series. Most of the anime scenes fail to live up to a continuing expectation of colorful looking phantoms and artsy buildings as seen in the opening. It should also be noted that the consistency isn't regarded too highly in terms of animation, but it's honestly hard to complain when Noragami was produced in 2014.
Regarding the opening, the selection of music was quite appropriate throughout the series. After an introduction of various closeups and 3D gimmicks, Yato is seen around a rather surreal city while "Goya no Machiawase" plays, a J-rock song that seems to maintain the mood of a typical shounen. The ED in particular, "Heart Realize," a standard J-pop song, captures a much more realistic mood of Noragami; Hiyori is seen searching for Yato and Yukine with an umbrella in a rather frigid, yet exciting atomsphere. Supercell in particular did a nice job of introducing Tia, a young Nico Nico singer. Her voice needs more exposure to the anime industry, as with Noragami, I am now a fan of hers.
The voice acting, in retrospect, is quite conventional. Yato is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya, a very credible voice actor who won best "Best Lead Actor" and "Best Personality" at the Third Seiyuu Awards. Many viewers may be familiar with his work in Attack on Titan as Levi. The other seiyuus can be held into equal respects, as Maaya Uchida, who acts as Hiyori, won Best New Actress Award in the 8th Seiyu Awards. I'm quite impressed by the voice actors' level of ability, as the amount of emotion needed is essential for success. Without the proper voice acting, it wouldn't be proper to call Noragami a "tear-jerker," while it certainly does hold the title. Unfortunately, the voice acting can only do so much for the series.
Noragami is an anime that had some mediocre plot points, but shapened it up with its great production and characterization. Its pacing is slow, but correct, as it manages to slip in its high points. It's a bit unfortunate that Noragami received only twelve episodes; it could have easily become something special in the anime industry.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 13, 2013
"Noukome is just another generic harem-comedy."
...Is probably the response you would get when asking about this anime. And it holds true, as Noukome proceeds with the same method as many of its preceding anime: MM!, To-LOVE-Ru, Date a Live. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Noukome obviously has its mind set for exchanging quality plot for cute girls and second-rate entertainment. However, Noukome obviously has a directed audience to those who like watching things like this. Which is why there's no reason for anyone to completely analyze and justify an anime such as this. It isn't an anime targeted for complex thinking, mystery
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solving or touching moments. This path of thinking has led many to automatically assume that Noukome is bad without even giving it a chance. The harem genre obviously has had this type of treatment time and time again. Why do you think there's no high rated harem?
The story follows with Kanade Amakusa, who has been popular until he's recently gotten a problem with "Absolute choice," where Amakusa must choose between two or more choices, usually commanding obscene actions that no one would do in public. However, if Amakusa does not choose to proceed with any of the choices, he receives pain punishment until he does so. Supposedly, this is the work of God himself (or herself, as this anime seems to play around). The concept and story of Noukome is a play on the popular visual novels seen in Japan, and Noukome attempts to make a comedy out of this, just as it is portrayed in the title.
Noukome does a good job with the humor aspect -- I've laughed so many times that I've considered this anime a guilty pleasure. Yes, the plot has an uncountable amount of holes, and the characters are complete nuts. You would never see any of this in real life -- which is what makes it so entertaining. Do you want a story where a high school boy makes the choice whether or not to study for his History exam? Something like that wouldn't even get past the storyboard outline. And Noukome obviously has thrown away all its sense of the real world in order to make an outrageous scenario that makes us all smile at home.
So why the addition of the harem?
The harem definitely shifts the tide of audience more to teenage guys and men, and it makes the comedy much easier to direct to. This further reasons why second-rate plot is more common, because it develops the same amount of success with haphazard ideas. Obviously, not all are to be happy, as no anime is perfect. If a teenage guy were just to seek out outrageous entertainment, Noukome is probably a good go-to. It's funny, and fits the bill for most. Noukome does a good job on what its set out to do, but that doesn't mean it's entirely good.
Although it's fine to have ridiculous characters and plot, it doesn't really sink. Noukome is good, but also very forgettable. What Noukome does could potentially be strong if everything was developed much better. With only 10 episodes, Noukome has very little time to set an impact on the viewer, and the sheer amount of characters and plot points is destined for development failure. Thus, we are left with another forgettable anime in which we may see time and time again every season. Noukome in particular has pretty good execution though. Thankfully, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and continues to make fun of itself the whole way through.
Looking more into the overall quality, the anime's art is as cute as it gets. And for good reason, as many will find themselves indulged in jealousy of the main character. The girls being as cute as they are, are in quite a variety and with their own ridiculous personality. It's honestly hard not to like most of the girls. The music and voice acting is equally respectable, as they both fit their designated roles pretty well. They are not supreme, but are good enough to be attractive.
Noukome definitely serves justice for guys who seek a comedy, but not in the way that will have him talking about it for the years to come. Noukome is more of a show we enjoy and forget about, and gives us the laugh we may be looking for.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 22, 2013
Upon seeing Akame ga Kill's picture, you may believe it to be another generic shounen adventure story... and you're right. However, there are many other factors contributing to a great manga.
One big factor in contributing whether or not the reader likes a story is influenced greatly on how predictable it is. A typical shounen manga would be so predictable that it's easy to predict exactly what happens: the bad guys get close to "taking over the world," but they're going to lose to the heroes anyway. It's possible they may even join the good guy's side. Akame ga Kill! challenges this concept, and surprises the
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reader by continuously having very unpredictable results within each fight. You may even question who really are the good guys and the bad guys.
...That being said, Akame ga Kill! is definitely a rare and great find to read for those who enjoy shounen manga. The first chapter blows up and throws so many twists that it makes a good highlight representing the series. Give it a try, and if you dislike the first chapter, I wouldn't recommend reading the manga.
The art used in the manga is rather intense, meaning, if you can't handle gore, try staying away from this manga. The gore is drawn in brilliant detail, and it's actually pretty heartbreaking, but at the same time, commendable, to see people die in such a brutal way (especially so if he/she was one of your favorites).
The gore, although abundant, does not happen for no reason. It's the unique characters who make this manga really stand out. Their ideals are so extreme and twisted that it's almost uncanny. It's really easy to either hate or love someone in this manga. And just when you think you hate someone, the character may show another side to them that makes you question your own ideals.
Though a shounen, this is definitely one that has a darker background than most. There are scenes that are really repulsive due to the sheer torture characters go through. Even some generic shounen aspects like legendary weapons (teigus) are twisted in such a way so that they are meant for torture and death scenes. It's questionable whether or not these sadistic ideals were held by the author due to how brutal some scenes are...
So it's a good thing people can enjoy such a thing like this.
And although I've definitely made a point on emphasizing the dark side of this manga, that doesn't mean it's completely depressing! The "shounen adventure" trope definitely shines through, but is overshadowed by it's other dark characteristic for sure.
I definitely had a good time reading this manga. It's probably one of the few mangas I've read with a lot of gore. After reading Akame ga Kill!, I can say a shounen manga with gore and unpredictability formulates pretty well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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