Inspiration comes in a myriad of forms, and anything can lead a person on a flight of fancy. In 2007 the artist Huke designed an original character called "Black Rock Shooter", which he posted on his blog. The character inspired Ryo, the leader of the band Supercell, to write a song entitled "Black Rock Shooter", and Huke joined the band to provide further illustrations that were used in the music video for the song. Anyone familiar with the band's musical history will find it unsurprising that the lyrics themselves are sung by none other than the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku.
In 2009 Yamamoto Yutaka's production comapny Ordet
...
(Suzumiya Haruhi fans should recognise his name as the production director for the original series until he was fired from KyoAni during the making of Lucky Star), decided to make a series of animated music videos based on the original work in conjuction with Ryo. Ironically, the same scenes was used for all three shorts, with the only real change being that the titular track was presented in three different ways.
All three shorts were gathered together and released on DVD under the title "Black Rock Shooter: Pilot Edition" and, following its successful release, Ordet embarked on a 50 minute OVA for the show. In an extremely surprising move (and truth be told, a very good bit of marketing), the new iteration was subtitled into seven different languages, and released free (that's right, free!), on the cover of Hobby Japan and Megami magazine, with a further release on the cover of Animedia scheduled for August 10th 2010.
The anime will also be released as a retail version in December of this year as well, but with all the freebies it will be interesting to see if anyone actually buys it.
Okay, now you know something of its history, but why have I bored you with all that when what you really want to know is, is it any good? Well, there's a reason for all that information (and no, it's not because I love the sound of my own voice, which is admittedly rather gravelly these days - and don't ever let me sing!), which has a big effect on how one views this show.
As far as the story goes Black Rock Shooter is ostensibly about two friends, Kuroi Mato and Takanashi Yomi, who are both first years in junior high school. The anime is also about a blue eyed girl wearing very little who is engaged in various battles with other characters.
And that's about it really.
The main issue with Black Rock Shooter is that there is no explanation as to what is actually going on, or more importantly, why. While I'll be the first to admit that such sentiments are not always necessary in anime (especially certain comedies), the lack of any real direction makes one wonder what they've just watched. While the plot may be fairly straight forward in the "real" world (albeit on the brief side), the whole deal with the parallel world is never investigated, nor are any explanations forthcomin no matter how long you wait. The viewer must assume certain things in order for the story to work, however while this may be fine in certain shows, there is simply too much missing from Black Rock Shooter to allow for any viable suspension of disbelief.
What does make sense though, is that the story is effectively about depression and isolation, however the highly stylized approach adopted by director Yoshioka Shinobu leaves too much to the imagination, with no real compensation for the viewer's input except for a scantily clad girl with a gun/sword/whatever it is at the moment. The fact is that there is scope for a much, much better story here, but for various reasons, some of them obviously financial (hence the "official" retail releases and all the merchandise), there is no room for the plot to evolve into something worthwhile.
The seeds are there though, for a much more in depth look at the franchise, and I for one would be interested to see how a 13 episode series would play out as this OVA does have some good ideas and concepts.
One area where the music video influence shows is in the look of Black Rock Shooter. The animation is pretty decent in both the real world and its parallel counterpart, however there are some flaws with both styles used by the show, especially with the character movement which are, at times, a little on the odd side.
The design of the anime is good on the whole, especially the settings in the parallel world, all of which are a little on the post-apocalyptic side. The look of the real world is very much like that of any number of anime, although there has been some effort to increase the level of detail in the surroundings. The one thing that irked me, however, was the number of scenes in the parallel world where one character or another does nothing more than pose in a cool way, as this just seems an unnecessary attempt to curry favour with the viewer.
On a side note, has anyone else noticed that the scantily clad, gun-toting, parallel world loli looks remarkably like a punk/goth version of Hatsune Miku?
As far as the sound goes, Black Rock Shooter is good in every department, but it's a long way from being great. The acting is decent for the most part, however there are occasions where the sieyuu are overcompensating for the lack of characterisation. The effects are well chosen and choreographed, however there are some timing issues that occur during the heavy action scenes.
Now given that this is a show that's ultimately based on a music video, one would be forgiven for thinking the music might be a little bit special, however this is not the case. While the thematic music tends to be rather subdued over the course of the show, there is a distinct lack of accompaniment for the majority of scenes. The major piece is actually the ending theme "Braveheart" by Gomband, a fairly generic J-rock song that actually works rather well given the manner in which the show ends.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what to make of the characters. On the one side Mato and Yomi are decently realised as junior high school students with a budding friendship, however there isn't any real development of them or their relationship as what the viewer is only given a "fast forward" perspective until the "interesting" stuff begins to happen. On the other side there are the characters on ... the other side, none of whom are explained in any way, and only one ever gets named.
Granted this is only a 50 minute OVA and there's a lot to cram in there, but this is exactly why I believe this show should really have been at least 13 episodes, as while the "real" world characters are personable enough, I'm pretty sure many viewers have asked the same questions I did (i.e. who are the parallel world characters and what the hell is going on?).
While the OVA is enjoyable to a degree, the problems it has are simply too big to be overlooked or marginalised. One of the biggest issues is that the money wasted on producing this 50 minute OVA could, with a bit of frugality, been used to produce a 4 episode series that would have allowed formore development o both the plot and characters.
In essence though, Black Rock Shooter is simply another example of what is actually wrong with the anime industry. The various production studios waste so much money making shows that cater to a minority market, even within the anime community, and must therefore make up for their losses by overpricing the licenses for overseas distribution, and that's basically what's going on here (hence the retail release and the huge amount of merchandising).
Be that as it may, Black Rock Shooter is a decent way to waste 50 minutes, but it's not the best way to spend your time given the number of "better" (and I use that word very loosely), shows on offer.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: BRS OVA
Japanese: ブラック★ロックシューター
Information
Type:
OVA
Episodes:
1
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 24, 2010
Licensors:
None found, add some
Studios:
Ordet
Source:
Other
Duration:
52 min.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#38122
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#1346
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799
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Your Feelings Categories Aug 4, 2010
Inspiration comes in a myriad of forms, and anything can lead a person on a flight of fancy. In 2007 the artist Huke designed an original character called "Black Rock Shooter", which he posted on his blog. The character inspired Ryo, the leader of the band Supercell, to write a song entitled "Black Rock Shooter", and Huke joined the band to provide further illustrations that were used in the music video for the song. Anyone familiar with the band's musical history will find it unsurprising that the lyrics themselves are sung by none other than the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku.
In 2009 Yamamoto Yutaka's production comapny Ordet ... Jul 25, 2010
This show was so hyped up. For a year before its release, floods of fanart, teaser videos, even cosplay, were everywhere. Then it finally comes out and is probably the most disappointing thing I've seen in a long time. It's probably going to get high ratings just because it has forced popularity, but don't be fooled. Here's the what and the why. Spoilers, of course.
Story: 2 Awesome promo art, a catchy song, cool fight scenes, and what does the story end up as? A slow-building, slow-moving school drama. It's not even interesting. Basically, the main character Mato becomes friends with a Yomi girl. Mato then becomes ... Jul 30, 2010
If you keep yourself on your toes, and have seen a fair share of anime in the past, I can guarantee you will be able to predict every single major plot event in this drawn out and clunky story. First off though I'll say that the animation does not disappoint, the quality is up to if not better than most on the air shows and although there's not much deviation from the standard in terms of design and motion they staff's done a solid job.
Now, about predictability, which most certainly is not an issue in any good story as plenty of plots have a ... Jul 27, 2010
I've never written a review for this site, so bear with me. I've been noticing a lot of mixed and disappointed reviews. That's somewhat understandable if one's going solely on the trailers. Instead of an all action fantasy piece, we got a very experimental story of friendship. The very core of BRS is the meaning of friendship. How it bolsters one. How its absence crushes one. How far one will go to preserve it.
I'm not good at assigning number grades, so take them in stride. It's hard to quantify the difference between an 8 and 9 and so on and what deserves what. Story: The story ... Jul 25, 2010
Some months ago, I watched the trailer to Black Rock Shooter for the first time. In short, I was blown away: the art was pleasing, the song it featured (also called Black Rock Shooter, released by Supercell) was both memorable and impressive, and the story at its simplest description was not hard to guess from only that preview: two high school girls, friends at some point, locked in battle after one turns evil. Needless to say, I was expecting this to be epic, and I think it's safe to say that I was not alone. However, I'm afraid that Black Rock Shooter simply did not
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Jul 25, 2010
A year ago, an OVA about huke's original character and ryo's song Black★Rock Shooter was announced to the Japanese public, and soon, the Western-speaking world via the Internet. The Vocaloid fandom rejoiced as the thought of something relating to their beloved voice synthesizers finally becoming an anime at last. The project quickly became one of the most anticipated anime of 2010. Was it worth the hype? Well...I'm just going to say it: no, not even close.
For those of you who aren't well-versed in the Vocaloid fandom and don't know what the hooplah is about, here's a brief history: Black★Rock Shooter started out as an original ... Jul 26, 2010
This is my first review, so... Well. Here I go.
Really... Before watching BRS, I was expecting something, like... "Pew pew pew fight fight". Indeed, I didn't receive it. It was just a slice of life. And guys, I tell you. The OVA is good, it just got the wrong public with that trailer. I mean, everyone was expecting something else, like Black Rock Shooter fighting against Dead Master and all. But, well, you see, they got... That. A slice of life. Story: 7 The story isn't bad, it's even good, I tell you. For a slice of life, it's great. But I can't rate it with more ... Jul 25, 2010
(not very good with reviews so bear with me here)
Black★Rock Shooter was one of the most hyped up series of the year and perhaps the decade, everyone thought that this would be the next big thing. However in the end it just appear to disappoint because it didn't turn out to be the masterpiece everyone was expecting. Although it was a disappointment to many, to a casual anime watcher with no real expectations it was alright. Story: The story is about 2 girls who become best friends but as life goes on they grow apart and eventually one of them disappears. I don't know ... Jul 25, 2010
I feel this anime definitely had far too much hype behind it and I honestly feel like it needs to have a review from the other side of the spectrum.
Story 5/10: There was virtually no story line or plot behind the anime besides a girl attending high school and her "alter ego" fighting what turns out to be one of her classmate's "alter ego." The plot was cliche almost entirely with few exceptions. I don't want to add in too much so I don't spoil it for those who really still want to watch it after this. Art 10/10: Was amazing as expected of a newer ... Aug 2, 2010
Unlike a few others, I just picked Black Rock Shooter on whim a few months ago and put it on my Plan to Watch list. I never saw any of the trailers or preview footage, so I had no expectations on how bad or good BRS might be, therefore zero bias. Safe to say, BRS is average at best, though it has a few merits that made it well worth the watch.
The storyline is where this OVA falls apart. Basic premises is that we have two girls (Mato and Yomi) who establish a friendship on their first day of high school. Despite being complete ... Jul 25, 2010
Before I say what I think of this OVA in general, I'm just going to briefly say why I rated each attribute what I did.
Story: 3 (Poor) What story? It's a high school slice-of-life, *but*, an extremely underdeveloped one. I've seen a number of popular slice-of-life animes, and while the genre itself is "basic", it doesn't have to be uninteresting. Genshiken is a shining example of slice-of-life done right. As is Azumanga Daioh, which I've just recently started watching. In order to make up for a lack of deep plot twists and turns (though they can work in the genre, they're rarely done well when implemented), ... Jul 30, 2010 Story: Black Rock Shooter is, for the most part, a simple slice-of-life story. What makes the story unique is the juxtaposition between the real world and the world of Black Rock Shooter. This creates a sense of mystery and breaks away from the more traditional style of linear storytelling. The downside is that this makes certain points in the plot quite confusing, and more than likely you will have to watch a second time in order to pick up on some of the subtler plot points. The main drawback of the plot itself is the rushed feeling it gives; it becomes quite obvious towards the second ... Jul 27, 2010
This is a crappier version of Heartcatch Precure, a magical girl show written for 12 year old girls. I'll be using Heartcatch as a comparison show. Go watch that instead, or do anything else with your time but this.
STORY: THIS IS NOT THE ACTION FANTASY YOU WERE PROMISED BY THE TRAILERS. Roughly half of the 5 to 10 minutes of actual Black Rock Shooter footage was already shown in the previews. I've seen a couple reviews saying that the show is all about a great friendship story, which is the only thing they can claim when the first 44 minutes of this 48 minute show are spent without ... Jul 25, 2010
Now, before I get into the nitty gritty, I must admit I didn't follow much of the hype at all. I like Vocaloid related things and BRS was a pretty good song. I saw the OVA up and decided I'd give it a shot.
Story: 7 I watched the trailer and admit that like others before me I expected tons of fight scenes, epic action sequences and a whole cargo container of gar to top it off. The general expectation wasn't met. I think a lot of people are disappointed, and probably rightly so. Starting with an action sequence right off the bat without any form of conversation ... Sep 29, 2010
I kept hearing about BRS, so I got curious and checked it out.
My friend fell asleep halfway through, I barely stayed awake. There's very little that's worth watching on this mess of an OAV. There's no cohesiveness to this. The main characters are awfully boring with an unoriginal plot. Yeah I'm sure friendship and bonds are the main themes but what other anime doesn't have that? You get pretty much no clues about why the characters jump back and forth between worlds, when you do figure it out, it still makes no sense. The episode primarily comprises of the "real" world, in ... May 8, 2013
And we're back to Black Rock Shooter, an OVA based on a song which was inspired by an illustration. Some of you will remember that I looked at the TV anime back in August. It was a decent little series. So, how does the short OVA that came first compare? Let's take a look and find out.
The story involves two inter-connected worlds. One is an emotional landscape and the other is closer to reality. The story focuses on a girl name Mato whose just starting Junior High school when she sees a tall girl named Yomi and becomes instantly enamored with her. She finds ... Oct 12, 2010
Black Rock Shooter is specifically focused on the idea of protecting and keeping precious friendship from one another. It is a fact that this is an OVA, so it’s compiled and quite rushed in just a short period of time, although the inside of it seems to be well projected and that the main focus is still in contact to the flow of the story. What I’ve seen here is a picture of cherished moments where each passing day there will be some kind of test that will implicate to the main characters, where simplifying each day would be a kind of development for them.
...
Jul 25, 2010
Basic Opinion::
This was a interesting story line . I believe that the parallel universe is a personification of their emotions. Example is when Black Rock Shooter was hugging Dead Master to save her from falling off the edge. The negative part of her was pushing away, and after words fell away from Black Rock Shooter and turned into ash, and all that was left was Yomi hugging the Black Rock Shooter. She was free of all the resentment and jealous she had towards Mato. At the end Black Rock Shooter fused with Mato. She fused with Mato because they are both ... Aug 27, 2011
I swear I couldn't understand what the fuck was happening even after seeing this crapwork of a movie twice.
The stupid story is about two parallel worlds of completely different nature, in which there are two sets of female characters doing completely different things and having different looks except for hairstyles. In one world, it's a typical slice-of-life between two schoolgirls, which led to no conclusion. In the other one, the two girls were fighting to death, and at last one of them died! There are supposed to be connections between the two worlds, but there's effectively none... This kind of bullshit crap... I can make a ton ... Jul 25, 2010
Everyone was really excited about this OVA coming out.
Even I was excited myself, but when I watched this OVA, I kind of felt something was missing. I mean the trailer was everything. I was expecting AMAZING things from this OVA. But it seems like the trailer was everything. I was expecting other characters to come out from the OVA such as Black Matagi, Black Gold Saw (well she did come out but only in the beginning), Black Devil Girl, and all the other characters that Huke has created. I kind of hope there is going to be a second one that is going to be much better. (I'm ... |