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| i haven't commented on any of the other eps, the reason being, i marathoned the S**t out of this, literally all done in one sitting aside from toilet breaks and food. This series was amazing for me, brilliant plot-line, great characters, emotional, shock factor, action, crazy ass leader.... I couldn't have asked for me... well actually, I wish it would have been longer to tie up a few things but apart from that, very much a 9 and earning a spot in my favourites! |
| Finally got around to watching this classic. I can certainly feel the flair of 90s anime here with solid story telling and great direction. While I must commend the creators for the heavy message and dark mood, I've also got to say that for such an approach a much more realistic handling would have been necessary. Shu winning fights with a wooden stick against guns? Over and over? Seriously? The 2 assassins failing in their attempt at Hamdo's life? Ridiculous! In a non-anime-environment a character like Shu would not have lived long enough to even make one of his generic speeches. "Everything will turn out well, I promise" - really? I really couldn't come to like his character, it seemed so stereotypical and uncalled for with such a dark story. There were also quite a few questions left unadressed that I felt were rather important, one being Abelia's loyalty (or rather devotion) for such a creep. Some things were just so convenient, simply to make the story run for 13 episodes. Having said all that, I was weirdly fascinated by the show and watched it in a single day. However, I can't really say that I enjoyed it. Important message but somewhat lackluster execution in the details. The series could not transcend its anime-origin - which I feel it needed to in order to fully succeed. |
| Watching Hamdo got beaten by a wooden stick made this series worth it for me. |
| Such a beautiful, strong, and meaningful ending to this anime! I really loved the sense of closure with the death of Hamdo and Sara finding peace with herself! I would definitely give a 10 for the last three episodes and an 8 for the whole anime |
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| What a wonderful anime! Watching the first episode I never expected that the series could become so sad, cruel and cynical. The story is nothing special but the interaction between the characters and the realism of the events have been really well done! I think the end is right, for Sara to return to the earth would have been embarrassing and complicated after all that suffering, but mainly because of being pregnant and Shu finally was able to go home and try to live a normal life. One of the few series that I will hardly forget. 9/10 |
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| Why Lalaru die?!!!!.....Why Sara not going back to earth? minoru09 said: Watching Hamdo got beaten by a wooden stick made this series worth it for me. Yeah, F*cking insane Hamdo beaten to crap by wooden stick and drown to death...... |
| Signature Removed |
| I didn't like the ending at all, it destroyed what the series achieved. First off they make a point of making Sara's psychological after-rape state as realistic as possible, then in like 5 seconds she self cures herself and finds enlightenment. A woman her age in her condition would be very unlikely to keep the child, or being able to take care of it anyway, she would need heavy psychological counselling after that not more responsabilities. Also, why would she stay in a chaotic land with ex melitias running loose rather than return to her obviously worried parents. I'm also really pissed at the obortion deal, it felt like conservative christian crap to me, it's like they outright said to her that decent people don't have abortions. Then there's Abelia, really! It is almost impossible that she wouldn't be executed, but I guess since Sara being a reborn saint and getting appointed as commander and chief she gives the orders now. And with all the crap she did should she be spared? I also found all the heroic sacrifices they did to pass the trash of the cast as decent characters annoying. Sara's rapist redeems himself because deep down he's really a good person; what a load! Yeah sure, he's the kind of guy you want dating your daughter. Some scenes were just utterly stupid. Off course the series had more than just the ending as a weak point, having a shounen hero didn't help either. Don't get me wrong I like shounens, I love them actually, but some genres just don't mix and a gripping realistic depiction of the horrors of war in a post-apocalyptic land DOES NOT need Naruto as the lead. Then there was the character focus, seriously, the boring shounen lead gets almost all of the screen time when the focus should have really been on Sara: she was the best character right up until the final episode. Though to be honest I wasn't too fond on how our shounen lead's speech saved her from depression; heck psychiatry is overrated, you don't need an expert to anylize you for years to help you pass your post-kidnapping/rape/impregnation trauma, all you need is an idealistic teen to give you the shounen "never give up" rethoric. In retrospect I liked the series (7/10) but I would have preferred to love it and I honestly can't. Don't get me wrong, a 7 is plenty from me, it means I not only liked it but will re-watch it one day. But it also means the series as it share of flaws. |
Arch-DefenderOct 6, 2012 5:24 PM
| My reviews of Code Geass, my favorite series: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 My Anime Viewing Blog Part I |
| Disappointing really, everyone expecting Sara to keep the baby repulsed me and I would've liked to see that world die. Too many random things that don't make sense either and too much crap thrown together. Overrated and bad imo. That being said, Lala Ru disappearing was a nice tough, sad, but nice. |
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Xirad said: I was rather disappointed in the anime as a whole. I mean, almost all of the reviews I had read of it spoke of it's thought provoking look at war and how it was a depressing look at the world, etc. etc. Yet that part of the story rarely affected me like that at all. As for the ending, I think it was more suited for the opening quote that you saw throughout the entire anime. All of the time he spent in that world, the relationships he built, how easily destroyed they were. Like his stick he had with him. It stuck with him throughout the entire series, and then... just like that... it was gone. I mean, I don't know about anyone else, but I probably felt more attached to that stick than to anyone else in the story. I felt like there was little effort to forge a connection between the watcher and the characters. Sure some of them I felt a twinge towards when they died, but all in all it was just a "oh, looks like they're done for." All in all, I gave it a 7/10. This. |
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| I can't say the thought "man these last few episodes sure have been rushed" ever popped up in my head. The series was insanely well paced, with nearly every scene having some sort of importance from establishing character traits, to building on it's themes. Really, this series puts up a incredibly solid argument for one of the best directed series I've seen. Anyway, yeah, in 13 episodes this series covered a lot of bases. Violence begets more violence and hope are probably the two themes I'll take away from this. I'll never forget Lala-ru telling Shu that everywhere she goes she is used and fought over and then that exact thing is what happens in the finale episodes. Sara deciding to keep the baby, a long with her protecting the children while escaping the ship, shows a remarkable about of growth and maturation and it didn't even need words. I get the feeling she'll take Sis' place as a sort of authority figure. Seeing Shu beating Hamdo with the stick, and breaking it to pieces, was oddly carthartic....as was Abelia watching him as he drowned. She seemed sort of....indifferent to it which peaked my interest. And, I loved the scene with her going "i guess my job is done" to turn to Sara smiling at her. The scene between Shu and Lala-ru with her disappearing was sweet, though maybe I'd have liked just a bit more to that. I did like him looking at the water tower where they first met, it could have meant so many things and was a pretty effective closing shot. The only main character's ending I have much of an issue with is Nabuca. Not that he died, and I liked his scene with Shu, but I just feel there could have been "more" to it. I reckon he was my favorite character, so I just wish he'd gotten "more". Anyway, I'll cut it off there. I found it to be a great series, that was clearly one of the very best I've seen and will land on any top anime lists I make. The only real issue I have with the show is that it didn't add a whole of context to some characters most notably, I'd like to know how Abelia came to follow Hamdo so loyally. 9/10, series like this remind me why I love anime. No, no just that, good stories period. Edit: Also, I think a lot of people's complaints is directly related to how the series takes a "show don't tell" kind of approach. Like I said in regards to Sara, and this applies to most characters even Shu, alot of their development is shown by their actions. Another great example is how empty and off guard Nabuca as a result of seeing Boo get shot, was when he was shot, along with his wanting to trust his friend. |
Ston3_FreeN7Nov 13, 2012 7:20 PM
| "Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job." - Geralt of Rivia |
| Great ending, I thought that it would be like this already but still seeing it was quite nice, LalaRu used her last powers to make the world a new again, destroying the evil within the progress... she's still alive in the water... The decision Sara made was quite nice and it seems she can pull trough if she keeps on and does what Shu has said to her. Shu made it back to his place with all the adventure and memories the only action now is to fight on... and who knows maybe he did won the match the other day and asked the girl out! Great anime in general, quite dramatic but a great story development 8/10! |
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| The way they handled Sara's psychological trauma was appalling (We didn't need any of that pro-life crap) and Shu is an awful lead to watch. This show so it gets a 7/10 from me and that's being generous. |
sauveterreApr 17, 2013 6:33 AM
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maidoftime said: The way they handled Sara's psychological trauma was appalling (We didn't need any of that pro-life crap) and Shu is an awful lead to watch. This show so it gets a 7/10 from me and that's being generous. I feel kinda the same way, my problem wasn't with Sara keeping the child though; if she had decided to have the baby on her own then I would have been fine with it and would have admired her strength/conviction. But they outright bullied her into keeping it, the show was 5 seconds short of having someone scream "Decent people don't have abortions!". It became shameful after a while. I also don't get how staying in a ravaged war zone with ex militias on the loose and little to no medical assistance, let alone protection, is a good idea for a traumatized pregnant teenage war victim. Maybe that's just me though. |
| My reviews of Code Geass, my favorite series: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 My Anime Viewing Blog Part I |
| I wish anime nowadays had this kind of plot. Damn what a good anime |
| Also did Shu's home town get destroyed when he came back? |
| I think it was obvious that this series took place way into the future since Hamdo stated he doesn't care what time he'll be sent to. A lot of the questions people ask here is not really that hard to answer on your own if you give it some thought. but anyways emotional 10/10 |
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| This was definitely a satisfying, bittersweet ending to the series. It seems as though Sara has taken on the role of Sis now. And the soldier who was obsessed with her finally did one good thing before he died. Was happy to see Tabool and Hamdo drown (I even ended up laughing very loudly when Hamdo's body was floating about in front of Abelia), but despite everything Nabuca did, I felt as though he too was only a victim of the madness and couldn't bring myself to hold it against him. As for the whole pro-life/abortion issue, I disagree with the people saying that Sara was forced into keeping the child or that this series reeked of pro-life propaganda. The meaning behind her keeping it was that despite how much she went through, she could turn all of her suffering and experiences into something good to make up for it all. Overall this was a very thought provoking series and I'll have plenty to ponder on later on. 8-8.5/10 from me. |
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| Despite the strangeness of the plot and the slightly rushed feel of things in the last episode, few anime can ever be as gripping, and filled with emotion as this one. IN a way, I believe this to be one of the ultimate anti war series ever made. Unlike let's say a Gundam, were characters say "war is hell" every episode or so yet get on their shiny robots to fight each other, there is nothing glamorous or exciting about the war here. It's pure and simple slaughter and despair. Sara staying was a bit of a surprise, but I suppose she felt a strong debt to Sis. It was good to see Abelia embracing the new world too. And Hamdo deserved what he got. BTW, kuudos to the seiyuu who played him. That was one insane voice. This must easily be one of the most underrated things on MAL. When I see some of the crap that has a higher score on this website I have to facepalm in order to bear it. |
| "Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov |
| Fuck.... This series is fucking depressing as hell.... But that's what I like about it.... But with logical inconsistencies of characters.. I can't give a higher rating than a 8.... Still an awesome series which gives you something to think over after you finished watching..... 8/10 |
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| So much of this anime to love, and yet the main theme it left drilling into my head went beyond a bad taste in my mouth. Ladies....keep your babies. Even if they are a product of rape. And the ending just made me facepalm. When Shu met Sara all she could think of was getting home, but I guess her experience was so pleasant she decided to stay. Well this rape baby and I have a connection to this place...logic would say get me back to earth and the nearest orphanage/abortionist. And Shu, it will all be ok, oh shit you got raped, guess I was wrong...no wait you get to keep a rape baby and not go home to earth, told you it would work out! eat crow! |
| This anime is truly amazing! I can't really think of words to describe it other than that it's a real Masterpiece! anime_fan_800 said: All in all this anime was perfect for how long it was. This anime is one of those "true classics". There are many good anime out there but this is just like one level above even that. There are so many good things about this anime; the animation, music, characters, etc. "The superb storytelling is highlighted by the intense emotions it can evoke, the trait for which the series is probably best-known. The most severe content is typically implied rather than shown, which makes watching the series bearable, but even so it can be a very cathartic experience. This is a series which will shock and dismay you, at turns make you angry or uncomfortable or sad, and in a couple of places will quite probably break your heart. So powerful can these reactions be that the gentle, soothing closing number, which on its own is a good song, becomes one of the best-chosen and most effective closing numbers ever because of its ability to calm the viewer back down after watching particularly intense content. One would have to look far and wide to find any series (whether anime or not) more effective at driving its viewers to tears and leaving them emotionally overcome.NTHT is a masterpiece of execution. Its story is a straightforward one that stays firmly focused on where it's going, while depth comes from the conflicting ideologies it portrays.(from the dvd review on ANN)" its how i feel about the series and ANN put it into better words than i ever could have. And its so true each side of the arguments present in the series each have there own valid points to them. How can you say no to the guy that wants to avenge his little sisters death by killing King Hamdo after his troops left her die in the desert. Then you have Shu who is against killing. He is right in that the killing only brings more killing and greater sadness than before. To me Shu kept true to his ideals a little more so than Vash did, but Vash didn't have a choice in that moment in time when he did kill. This is a series any true anime fan needs to watch. Well said. I give it a 10 out of 10! |
| "The will to live is stronger than anything else" |
| as picky as i am about flaws i cant help but give this a 10/10 an it becomes my 5th fav anime im surprised that so many people here wanted Sara to f*cking kill the baby like wtf man? its a shame that characters like Abelia an Hamdo werent fully explored an it was kinda dumb that Abelia d miss a point blank shot but those are just nitpicks compared to all the greatness this anime offered |
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| Totally a future shock, dystopian, post apocalyptic desert wastedland, war torn future. BUT WITH ONE MIGHTY WOODEN STICK THAT SEEMS TO HEAL ALMOST...a single boy and a magical ancient girl saved the FUTURE!! LALA RU!!! 8.5 SCORE!!! |
AnchientProphet2 said: Totally a future shock, dystopian, post apocalyptic desert wastedland, war torn future. BUT WITH ONE MIGHTY WOODEN STICK THAT SEEMS TO HEAL ALMOST...a single boy and a magical ancient girl saved the FUTURE!! LALA RU!!! 8.5 SCORE!!! It's a magical stick, ya know? Overall I really loved the series. Sure there's a few problems but honestly? I don't care. |
| A rather sad ending, although kind of expected after the events in the latter half of the series. What surprised me most was that Shu left while Sara remained, kind of ironic considering their viewpoints although understandable since Shu no longer had any reason to remain there while Sara gained a reason to stay. Anyways, good series, loved the setting. 8/10. |
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| I also think that the ending was way too rushed. This anime should have really been a 26 (if not more) episode show and should have built up the whole war aspect way more. The crualty shown through the war, in the middle of the anime with robbering the village and the inner fights of Nabuca were the thing that kept me going. The near the end comming nice days in the canyon village were rather boring to me. The ending was also pretty illogical and stupid. I mean how could the few villiagers take over the ship against so many soldiers? why arnt there any guards for King Hamdon? why arnt there any real guards at all (just the kid soldiers)? Why does Sara keeps the baby? After all the show was pretty good from many aspects such as artstyle, soundtrack and many of the characters and characterinteraction were pretty nice and interesting. The way too shonen main protagonist though was pretty annoying. It would have been a nice story if he had stayed longer in Hellywood and ended up like Nabuca or the other soldiers.. depressed and asking himself if it is right what he is doing. |
| It was a sad ending for me, there wasn't enough grieve for Soon's death, nor Lala Ru's disappearance, the two characters I liked the most. I feel such a void with kind of endings |
| Urobuchi Gen reads Now and Then, Here and There as a bedtime story. |
DaItalianFish said: Shu is obviously the biggest drawback on the series as a whole, but hear me out. You need to see him as more of an ideology than a character. It's obvious that a young boy would never be able to do the shit he does. It's obvious that they would never be able to cope with the shit that happens. But that's not the point. He symbolizes the optimism and persistence one needs to go through those horrible tragedies. That's the whole damn point of his character. Although he goes through tribulations, like finding out Soon was the child of the assassin or Soon's death, he still kept going and never strayed from his ideals. It's just like he said: "No matter where you are, whatever adversities you face, as long as you've got your life, something good is bound to happen". He is the physical representation of that ideology. Sure, he's an unrealistic character in a setting full of (mostly) realistic ones. But he is needed for the show to be as good as it is, for he is the literal representation of the morale of the story. As long as you ignore his unrealism and see him as an ideology, the show makes more sense. Nicely said i agree |
| I'm gonna give the series an '6' because I just can't agree with some moralistic messages in the series. Aka keeping the fetus speech. |
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| So much emotions evoked. Great ending. Simply a masterpiece. |
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| Sure nothing is perfect. This story also isn't perfect. But almost perfect. This has been an extremely fun yet sad ride. Beautifully written and directed. A masterpiece I must say. This deserves a solid 10. Will always remember this anime. Thank you Daichi Akitarou. |
| Very underwhelming series overall ,it was clear as day that they went with the whole "child character getting abused/tormented " thing that was popular at the time after Neo Genesis was such a huge success. Ignoring the production values that were downright bad at points ,especially considering its a very late 90's title it felt like was made in the 80's.My main gripes were with the story and characters: World building was very poorly done to non existing,the time traveling aspects were only present in the first and last episodes as if they were a afterthought,could not care less for any of the character :Sara was introduced one episode,surprise rape the very next (even hentai titles have more buildup) ,the pro life crap was pretty damn moronic and came across as extremely preachy,antagonizing the villain so much to the point of making him a complete laughingstock/buffoon,main character straight up out of a kiddies shonen series ,"war is bad,victims of war,everyone suffers from war..." but were barely going to show any scenes of that certain topic (the blowing up a raided village part was presented as just glowing points on the radar) .... |
amateurOct 23, 2014 12:51 AM
| Yeah no 6/10 Hamdo was poorly written along with Abelia. Sara shouldn't have existed. |
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| Not a bad ending, but something about this whole series has felt just a little off to me. The progression of the story and the characters felt pretty flat throughout. That is to say, I feel like while a lot of stuff happened, none of it ended up being central to the overall plot, making the whole show feel drawn out. The first episode is still my favorite part of the whole show, it really just steadily went downhill after that. These last two episodes bring it back to a normal pace, but I'm still left somewhat unsatisfied by the show. Perhaps part of it has to do with many of the dramatic moments coming out of left-field and feeling forced. I felt like very few of the dramatic scenes had a proper buildup and were actually earned. When it comes to my final rating for the show, I'm debating between giving it a 7 and an 8... but I'm leaning more towards a 7. The show is above average, and has some interesting moments, but it's also got some glaring flaws and it's not something I'd immediately recommend to people. |
vigorousjammerFeb 3, 2015 6:13 PM
::End of Transmission:: What have I been watching? Click here and find out on my viewing blog, "Vigorous Viewing" |
| It was a really, really good serie overall but theres some stuff that annoyed me, especially in the second half for example with Shu who stays pretty much the same overall, always saying the same thing like with Sara wanting to kill herself. Well, its normal to try cheering someone in this kind of moment but saying the same fuckin things again and again till she fuckin get it ... urgh. the lasts episodes i thought it was .. pretty rushed. I kinda wanted to give it a 9 but i'll go with a 8, which is still really good, its just there was some stuff that annoyed me here and here. Thats sad tho, after the first half i was thinking that maybe it could even have a 10/10 if it was still going strong in the second half but ... yeah. |
STOP SLEEPING ON ODD TAXI |
| The show would have been good if it didn't try to push that stupid pro-life message. Wth was up with that BS?! Shu and Sis pressuring Sara into keeping her future rape baby after she went through multiple rapes by different soldiers just destroyed the show. And wtf was that lame attempt at the end to redeem the soldier rapist?! Can't judge a rapist by his cover right? I honestly can't fathom some of these moronic comments advocating for her to keep the rape baby. Also, the protagonist Shu was really getting on my nerves with his stupid Naruto talk-no-jutsu crap. Absolutely nothing realistic there at all. Especially the ending. Shu deciding to go back and Sara deciding to stay in the apocalyptic hell-hole to raise her kid and the orphans instead of returning to her family in America. The moral message on rape here was just barbaric and pro-life to the point where only religious zealots would support. I give this garbage a 3/10. |
NiNjA_kSep 27, 2015 8:04 PM
| overall a pretty good watch, i think the theme exploration was pretty on point and the tale it had to tell was decent as well. My biggest issue with this show was the characters though, by far the weakest part in my opinion, their motivation was really weak for the most part and they lacked any real development. sara got decent development at the end, but that was after being shafted almost the entire series. most of the characters were really unlikable and annoying (yes i understand that characters like hamdo and the other soldier kid werent meant to be liked), but i mean all the characters, shu was rather annoying, abelia was too submissive, nabuca was an idiot... i could go on, but ill leave it at that, i think ill put it at a 7/10 for now |
frequency15k said: overall a pretty good watch, i think the theme exploration was pretty on point and the tale it had to tell was decent as well. My biggest issue with this show was the characters though, by far the weakest part in my opinion, their motivation was really weak for the most part and they lacked any real development. sara got decent development at the end, but that was after being shafted almost the entire series. most of the characters were really unlikable and annoying (yes i understand that characters like hamdo and the other soldier kid werent meant to be liked), but i mean all the characters, shu was rather annoying, abelia was too submissive, nabuca was an idiot... i could go on, but ill leave it at that, i think ill put it at a 7/10 for now This, also, lots of stuff was left unexplained. I would be nice if we got some background of that world/time or w.e. What was Lala Ru exactly? Also, except Lala Ru, Sara, Soon, Sis and that little guy, no one was likable. Hamdo is classic retarded crazy bad guy. I dont understand why would someone follow someone like him, its not like he had whole top of the country behind him, he was alone. They gave soldier kids weapons, why didnt they turn against him instead of killing innocent and abducting them like they were too. They didnt have gun pointed at them 24/7. What was the reason why would Abelia followed such a guy? But despite all that and bunch of other stuff, show was fun to watch. |
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| 9/10 The end was so beautiful ♥. I almost cried when Nabuca died ;___;. Glad that the end wasn't sad like what I expected =p. |
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