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May 9, 2016
*EDIT - Since writing this review, a girl named Valeria visited my profile to tell me this movie was wasted on me. I bought it on DVD, Valeria. So I think the only thing that wasted here was my life. Joke's on you.*
... What.
Okay so basically this movie is kind of about children who can turn into wolves at will, but it's mostly about their mother, Hana. We have to see the financial and emotional struggles she goes through when her wolf/human husband fucking dies in a river while he's a wolf for no particular reason other than to make life difficult for Hana. What
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follows is like two hours of "omg my children are wolves and children. how 2 parent?? will they choose wolves or chilluns??"
Now, at first I tried to give this movie the benefit of the doubt and I assumed there was some actual depth to its plot. I thought that maybe the wolf/human thing was a metaphor for the experiences of a biracial individual. The experience of a mixed race person obviously varies, but it's not uncommon for narratives about a mixed race person to be focused on ostracization in both of their parents' cultures, finding a place of belonging with neither groups of people unless they abandon one half of their heritage. I thought maybe the movie was going to try to point out that, really, the child belongs with both of their parents' cultures. Both are integral to the child's sense of identity, thus wolf children learn to accept themselves as both wolf and child.
NOPE. I apparently forgot that this movie is from the nearly homogenous country of Japan. It's literally posing the question "wut if you fucked a wolf tho" without alluding to some wider sociopolitical issue. Which is fine. It's fine to just be strange and have fun. But this is WOLF CHILDREN - its reputation precedes it, the anime community loves this movie. I thought this was on the level of Eva, Madoka, Trigun, Perfect Blue, literally anything else that's more contemplative and - honestly - smarter than this piece of shit.
But then I thought, hey, maybe it can still encapsulate the feelings of marginalized people within this fucking weird premise. You'd think that Yuki and Ame, being the only people in the entire fucking world who possess the AMAZING ability to sometimes be wolves, would turn to each other as the sole beings who truly understand one another's identity crises and woes? Right? You could flesh out a really beautiful relationship between the two and still capture the essence of companionship between ostracized or isolated people. RIGHT?
NOPE. *SPOILERS*
By the end, Yuki chooses to be human completely and Ame chooses to be a wolf learning about life and shit in the mountains. Obviously, you can argue that they're both choosing the aspect of their heritage that they identify most closely with, but they are so vehemently against the choices of their sibling. There's no compassion, empathy, or understanding where such emotions would undoubtedly exist. Instead you get Yuki basically admitting she only wants to be human because she's fucking ashamed of her other half, the pair fight and Ame wolfs out.
And Hana! She puts up a twenty minute fight at the end of the film to prevent her son from choosing the wolf path. She's crying about it until the last two minutes of the movie, but she hears Ame howl and she's like "ooooo nvm bye bye emotions." SHE JUST. SITS. Next to a picture of her dead husband. And she's content! I had tried to give the movie some credit once again by thinking that maaaaybe the film was an ode to motherhood and the difficulties and tragedies associated with single parenthood.
NOPE. Hana 1) quits university, never goes back, 2) sacrifices physical and mental health for the wellness of her children who 3) basically ditch her by the end of the movie, leaving her to 4) live alone and content with the picture of her dead hubby. Don't get me wrong - Hana's a badass. She moves from the city to the countryside to learn to farm, fixes up a pile of wood into a house, and also raises her kids by herself. However, I think this ultimately becomes a translational issue whereby ideas that would normally be considered feminist in Japan are viewed as fucking shitty circumstances in the West.
This is the thing: whether you agree with me about what makes for a robust and thoughtful narrative or not, you have to admit that this thing is SLOW. Like, taking your first walk four months after healing two broken hips slow. This is a problem I've had with every Hosoda film since GWLTT, he's so enamored with his own premise that he forgets to actually think about pacing and just spends hours stroking himself over how cool his little furry fantasy is. Now, if you check my profile, you'll see that I'm a pretty huge fan of Ghibli and others like it, but the difference with those anime is that their meticulousness and their slow pacing is usually purposeful. It's meant to revere the minutiae of the everyday lives of ordinary folks. You'll get lots of footage of women labouring over laundry or cooking in films like In This Corner of the World or Only Yesterday because that's what those films are about. They want you to stop, breathe, and closely examine. WOLF CHILDREN THO - WOLF CHILDREN IS NOT INTERESTED IN THAT. It's JUST evidence that some guy who think's he's deeper than he is had a lot of disposable income to throw at a little fantasy he had and that's it. Which is fine!!!! But not in a film that's THIS critically acclaimed!
I've also got to say, the scene where Yuki is conceived was ridiculous. I had to pause because I had keeled over laughing. Wolf-daddy and Hana are enjoying a bed time romp, and daddy leans in for a smooch while still in wolf form?? So did Hana boink him in wolf form or in human form? Would the children have been completely human if the parents had both been human during coitus? WHAT.
There were so many hilarious moments. Unintentionally hilarious, but hilarious. My top four are:
1) Wolf daddy face reveal. Omg
2) "Sensei lives in the mountain and he teaches me about life."
3) "Sohei, I am a wolf."
"I always knew" *violin crescendo*
4) Every single time the kids transformed. Holy shit.
Here's one thing I have to say for the film: it's gorgeous. I'm sure if you scroll through the other reviews for the film you'll see that there's almost a unanimous recognition of this anime's beauty within the community. But no amount of aesthetic pleasure can stop me from pooping my pants when a lady and a wolf have babies for no other reason than it seems kinda cool.
Oh, and if you aren't convinced that this is just a furry thought-experiment, remember that Hosoda's newest film is about a boy with a giant furry friend, and his preceding project was about kids jumping into online spaces to roleplay anthropomorphic characters and fight each other. That is all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 18, 2015
I'm sexually attracted to this anime.
Gankutsuou is a loose adaptation of Alexadre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo with a little sci-fi twist. In this anime, Albert, our sweet, naive, privileged protagonist, befriends a mysterious, strange, super secret man of the aristocracy (The Count) while travelling abroad with his friend Franz. Despite Franz's warnings that there may be more to the Count than meets the eye, Albert is drawn to the Count and the excitement that follows him, and so Albert invites him to visit Albert's home in Paris. What follows is a shit show of political intrigue within Paris' aristocracy, romance, espionage, embezzlement, engagements,
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sex, and every other crazy fucking thing under the sun.
The biggest selling point for this one, if you watch anime purely for the entertainment value, is that the plot for this one always keeps you guessing. You don't have to worry about reading the brick of a book beforehand, because Gankutsuou takes a lot of liberties with its source material. What you'll find is an anime that never seems to let up on the intrigue, but doesn't rely on your complete and utter confusion in order to maintain that disturbing and oh so interesting atmosphere.
I was immediately drawn to this one after the first two episodes just because of how perfectly the art style compliments the show's political commentary. You may have noticed in screenshots or during your mind-reading expeditions that Gankutsuou doesn't seem to have any solid, muted colours or textures on anything except characters' skin. If you've seen the witch Labyrinths in Madoka, you'll know what I mean when I say this show has a beautifully sophisticated scrap book kind of look to it. Everything is exceeding opulent to the point of distraction, and that's what's so genius about it. If you stop and think about it, why does everything look so ostentatious in the life of an aristocrat? Maybe it has to do with the fact that THEY'RE HIDING SOMETHING AND THEY'RE TRYING TO AVERT YOUR ATTENTION. *gasp*
You'll find very quickly that almost every character seems to be hiding something. Members of the aristocracy are excellent at keeping up appearances, with every person either harbouring a dark secret or forbidden thoughts and feelings (including sexy ones, but we'll get to that). Just as the art style seeks to avert your gaze from the unsettling goings-on, every character that Albert meets is an expert actor with a propensity for obfuscation. Basically they're slippery little shits. It's awesome. The extra sprinkly bit about this is that any good-natured pure hearted characters are so much the more relatable. They're little gems in a pile of poopy nuggets. Hopefully that makes sense.
The soundtrack was out of this world. At times the sweeping symphonic orchestra would kick and you'd be like "unf", while at less dramatic moments it would adopt a little more modern beat. Where the show's aesthetic exudes obnoxious beauty for subtle reasons, I'd say the soundtrack is beautiful for its subtlety. It knows when to shut up and let us try to break down crazy developments in the plot, and it knows when to emphasize when those crazy developments are happening DUNN DUH DUUUUUHHHHH.
*not really a spoiler since I'm not talking about any plot points but I'll leave this here just in case**
One thing I'd definitely keep an eye out for, if I was watching it for the first time, is the queer subtext. Queer meaning in this case non-hetero-normative forms of romance, often between people of the same gender. There are so many interesting dynamics between the main characters, and all of them are sexually charged to some extent. You could say I'm reading too much into it, but I really, REALLY think this brings a lot of substantiality to an already dense anime. Character motivations are all the more complex when you factor in the turmoil they experience from these weird and interesting relationships. Keep an eye out, I think you'll be happier for it.
If you're looking for a show that you can just chill out to or you want something that will make you feel better, this one isn't for you. If you're up for a compelling narrative with interesting subtexts and a whole lot of sparkles, you've got to give Gankutsuou a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 13, 2015
I've got to say, I'm kind of disappointed at how unknown this little gem is to the community. I picked up the first volume on a whim and I'm having a lot of trouble finding the second one. This is a series I reaaally want to own.
Milkyway Hitchhiking is about a special, vain little cat named Milkyway who has lovely star-patterned fur, thus her namesake. She's been around since, seemingly, the beginning of mankind, having had many masters and witnessed a myriad different little tales over the years. She "hitchhikes" from master to master, and sort of acts like a semi-omniscient observer over all the
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people she encounters, and tries to lend a helping paw or comforting presence to anyone she takes a liking to. Milkyway acts as a narrator of sorts throughout the first volume, but there's a huge shift in focus in the second volume where she is treated more as a character than the storyteller.
The manga doesn't have an overarching plot, so far as I've read. Each chapter features a new set of characters in a different time period and setting. Some stories are heartwarming, others dramatic, others comical, but every single one always has that same little charm that I can't quite explain. You're probably not going to be blown away by the ingenuity of these stories, but I don't think that's the author's intention anyway. This is more a serial focusing on personal connections between people, pets, etc. with Milkyway bridging the gap between time and space and love (awwwww). That isn't to say that none of the stories are particularly well written - many of them are, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't leave this one feeling touched.
The main thing you're going to notice about this manhwa, which is the reason I strongly recommend picking up a physical volume for yourself, is that eveeery single page is in full colour, glossy glory. I love black and white manga and comics too, but I really appreciate such stand-out art work when the artist has been able to put the time in to make it. Milkyway has a watercolour feel to it as well, and I totally eat that shit up. So very pastel, so lovely. To put it more eloquently, even if you don't enjoy this manhwa for the storytelling, you should still buy yourself a volume just to look at it. I will note, after reading the second volume, that Milkyway's design, as well as the design of human characters, seems to change just slightly enough to be noticeable. It's not in a bad way, but it's worth noting.
I'll admit, this isn't a very substantial manhwa, but it really deserves more attention than it has right now. At this moment, I haven't found any free digital versions on the web, but Yen Press has an app you can use, and I'm sure it'll let you get a look at this one. Other than that, Amazon sells it for almost $10 CAD less than normal retailers, so I would highly recommend ordering online. I know, I know, most of us would prefer to try before we buy, but if we all put our pennies in maybe we can make this one more readily available to future fans! Please give it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 6, 2015
I would like to preface this review by warning ya'll that this anime suffers from Ending in the Middle of the Manga Syndrome. If you've enjoyed an anime like Fruits Basket, Ouran Highschool Host Club, Soul Eater, Kimi Ni Todoke, etc. and felt a little uneasy by the inconclusive ending and then googled your uneasy feeling and discovered the manga is like 80 chapters ahead of where the anime left off - you're going to run into the same situation here. Clear your to-read list, because Princess Jellyfish is going to be a top-priority read for you once you're done this bite-sized series. Then again,
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if you're made of metal or something and you don't care about having a plot with any resolution, proceed without caution.
Slice-of-Life and RomCom anime are my guilty pleasure genres. I don't always find that they have a lot of substance beyond endorsing really cute teeny-bopper supportive relationships. I've found that a lot of slice-of-life anime fall into the trap of over-emphasizing the romantic sub-plots to the extent that any other story elements are underdeveloped or just plain boring. In contrast, Princess Jellyfish, like all my favourites in the genre, brings something new and insanely interesting in all aspects of its plot. Even the shoujo elements - where one character stares bleary-eyed at the stars and contemplates feelings - aren't in your face. This might not make sense, but the plot mutes itself in such a way that all of its features shine(???)
The only word I can really use to describe how well this anime shines out would be 'character'. The show literally oozes character from its every inappropriate crevice. The actual characters are unique and varied, ranging from flamboyant and confident to wacko or sweet or mature, but every single one of them is fucking hilarious. Granted, a lot of the main characters can be difficult to relate to, but they'd make for some poor outcasts if the audience were able to instantly project themselves onto their favourites. They're all likable, regardless.
Even the character designs are super innovative (I hate to use that word, but it's the best I've got. Sad face), I can't gush about the designs nearly as much as I'd like: they're all so different!! And they suit each character's personality so well!! GUSH.
What really caught me off guard was how mature Princess Jellyfish was, too.
Like, one of the main love interests is a heterosexual drag-queen who helps build confidence in young women. *SPOILERS* There's a male character who is kind of almost date-raped by one of the female antagonists. The overarching plot focuses on the implications of changing infrastructure on the lives of a city's residents. PARENTAL LOSS. SOCIAL ANXIETIES AND SELF-CONFIDENCE IN YOUNG WOMEN. GENDER AND SEXUALITY. I have absolutely no idea how this anime can be so unassumingly smart but lighthearted. It's impressive and it makes me happy.
If I were to make a complaint, it would be that the score wasn't particularly stand-out. That's it. Everything else was enjoyable and cool. If you're itching for a slice-of-life gem, this one's for you!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 23, 2015
So, Steins;Gate. Probably the most blatant abuse of the semicolon ever borne out of Japan (because that particular offense is so ubiquitous, hardy har). Your friend Jeanie the otaku/weaboo has most likely recommended this to you at some point, and you've nodded your head inattentively and added it to the pile of shows that she's said will change your life and that you KNOW you're going to get to eventually (including but not limited to Neon Genesis, Cowboy Bebop, Akira, a Ghibli film, and like 2 shonen things).
Let me reaffirm Jeanie's gushing recommendation: you've got to got to GOT TO get to Steins;Gate.
The first
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ten episodes will feel like a slog. I realize that's not exactly helping this work of art enter your good graces, but bear with me. There are no filler episodes in this anime, and every episode contains at least 2.34 plot points that become crucial elements in the show later on. The show runners used as much time as they possibly could to meticulously and slowly build this world to make the ensuing drama as rewarding an experience as possible for you. THEY DID THIS FOR YOU.
I hate summarizing plot in reviews, and I feel like the best way to go into this one is with a blindfold and a poking stick. I will say that if you like sci-fi, slice of life, romance, action, drama, and damn good writing in your anime, you're going to love Steins;Gate. The reason the show has reached such a high level of popularity is because it's got a little something for everyone, and it still achieves a level of originality that most anime in this day and age just can't seem to reach (IMO, sorry bros).
When it comes to the more objective side of things, i.e. music, art, characters, yadda, the show is very well done. You don't have a crap load of tropes with arms and legs, which does soooo much to help the viewer empathize with the characters' plight. The animation is spot on 99% of the time, the soundtrack is lovely, and the tone shifts from comedic to dark seamlessly and appropriately. Steins;Gate has personality, and I will reiterate by comparing its personality to ranch dressing on romaine lettuce.
I just finished the show about twenty minutes ago, went to the bathroom, then wrote this review. It's all over the place, I know. But hopefully I've given you a little more incentive to please your anime connoisseur friend Jeanie and watch this darned-good piece of work.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 3, 2014
Lemme tell you why you should watch Trigun:
Cats
BOOM. Now go watch it.
I apologize, but I really have to indulge myself a wee bit when I partake in this writing-jane-doe-thinks-her-opinions-are-warranted fest thing.
Trigun is a title that will consistently appear on lists of top 90s anime, and with good reason! The soundtrack alone made me weak in the knees, and that was before I even had one eighth of an inkling as to what was going on. The show is set on an Old West themed, arid, harsh planet, and follows the story of Vash the Stampede (infamous gunslinger outlaw with a mysterious past) and the various
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friends he makes along the way. Two of his companions actually work for an insurance company that is trying to cut costs down by preventing Vash from causing anymore destruction, as nearly every town he passes through ends up being utterly totaled.
Naturally, this anime has palpable similarities with Cowboy Bebop: from the inhumanly skilled but laid back main character to the interesting supporting cast, fans of both series will find themselves drawing parallels between the two, and that's a good thing! Something Trigun provides that is unique from Bebop is that, by the end of the series, significantly more questions are answered. Not all of them, mind you, but just enough that any viewer can walk away satisfied but still speculating on what could have happened in this universe.
Some wonderful and refreshing news pertaining to Trigun is that it is light on the commonly exaggerated anime character tropes.Yes, the side characters can be silly, but I rarely had to suspend all disbelief in order to take particular characters seriously. In fact, the more fleshed out Vash the Stampede becomes, the less you question whatever stereotypes he may fall into.
I briefly mentioned the soundtrack earlier and I'm 100000% positive it's worth discussing again: fucking gorgeous and insanely badass! I haven't heard guitar riffs this insanely catchy in a very long time, and one particular song had me whistling for days after I finished the show in its entirety.
Trigun is an upbeat adventure, a hilarious comedy, and a stirring drama. Definitely worth checking out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 24, 2014
I would never presume to write a review that one could consider to be a calumny of the Chobits brand, but I will admit this review will not be glowing.
Chobits follows the life of Hideki Motosuwa after he chances upon a discarded and beautiful amnesiac of a persecom (human computer, person computer, persecom? Incorrect spelling likely: urge to google = 0) in the trash one unlikely day. He dubs her Chi, as that's the only word she can say, and the pair embark on a slough of high jinks and hilarity, har har hoo ha.
Now, you may initially view this as a perfect set
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up for an intelligent deconstruction of typical human romance stories along with a creative sci-fi story based in a world rich with lore. What you're going to get in place of that is your nearly standard rom-com slice of life anime wherein a naive girl and a bumbling idiot fall in love in the first episode but dance around each other in a will-they-won't-they tease routine for all the lonely souls out there to enjoy and cuddle over.
Please don't misunderstand: the show has great potential! Especially during the segments when viewers are actually treated to a little of the reasoning behind all the mysterious and spooky techno-bull that's going on. Unfortunately, most of the real plot is literally brushed aside 90% of the time with a "Oh well, let's chase that shiny over there, tee hee" from the oblivious and obtuse main characters. Why explain the purpose when you can watch this little pink thing spin in circles and squeak? Trick question - always watch the pink thing.
Most of the slice of life gravy that the directors poured all over their teaspoon of potato is meant to elucidate the main conflict. This creates a problem, as we end up with a show that's attempting to be two clashing genres at once instead of a graceful meld. The reasoning behind the sci-fi ends up being lame because it was set up by the rom-com aspect, and vice versa. Chobits tries to grapple with the definition of humanity while forcing its main characters to hunt for underpants in an oh-so-entertaining 22 minute shenanigan filled episode.
There were times when I enjoyed this show, and there were many more times where I slapped myself on the forehead solely because I enjoyed it. I also slapped myself from cringing too much. Most of the show's charm is eclipsed by its unsuccessful attempt to be two things at once instead of its own thing. However, if you enjoy most Romantic Comedies that you watch, you'll probably find this one is worth checking out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 22, 2014
Well, here we are. The anime industry's magnum opus, or one of them, at the very least. From what I understand, no one who watches this show is on the fence about it: you'll either love it, or you'll hate it. Before I sing my thousand praises for this lovely thing, there are a few things you need to be informed about before embarking on your mech future journey thing.
Without spoiling anything, you should know before going into this series that the original two episodes that aired as "the ending" are not an ending. They have absolutely nothing to do with the ending, and quite
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frankly it's a little generous to say they're closely related to the show itself. Make note: you can skip the psychological trip that is the original episodes 25 and 26, and move right on to the movie that was created to replace them ( I have yet to watch it).
Secondly, as production continued, the animation studio behind Neon Genesis eventually became a little short on cash. What resulted from this was: 1) The crap final two episodes, and 2) extremely and unnecessarily long still shots wherein the characters do absolutely nothing, accompanied by random background noise. Most of the flaws I was able to find in the show itself stemmed from this dip in production value, but personally I didn't find them to be so jarring I could no longer enjoy the series.
Everyone who likes this show has their reasons, and I'm sure we can all agree that, symbolism etc. aside, Neon Genesis Evangelion is just a fun time to watch. It's a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed to the sub-par contemporary anime you've watched consecutively for months on end. The characters feel real: they rarely ever exemplify one specific character trait without stepping out of what is expected of said trait. Futhermore, they're all the most damaged fictional beings I've seen in a long while, and only seem more irreparable the closer you become with them. These fictional characters all interact in the most mesmerizing ways, and all I wanted to do was jump into their universe and join them.
The action is always fast, the art style is beautiful, and the voice acting for the English dub is fabulous. As the complex and intricate plot begins to unfold, you're often left with a thousand more questions than answers. That in itself can be frustrating for some, but it gave me incentive to watch ten episodes in a row and still want more.
Something has to be said for the maturity of this show as well, and by that I'm not referring to the violence or sexual themes. Evangelion heavily subscribes to the, "show don't tell" rule, which, to be quite honest, bumped it up to my top five after the first episode alone. It lets you think about its content without spelling it out for you, and it makes masterful use of the animated medium to place certain things in plain sight without grabbing you by the ears and forcing you to look in that direction. To give a simplified example, there is once instance where a character has sustained an injury, and the audience is expected to figure out what that is without being told it's there, if that makes sense. Another thing I have to give the director props for is knowing when to use music and when not to, along with the unique soundtrack. This is just further proof that Neon Genesis expects you to be able to figure things out for yourself, as it rarely ever plays an obviously emotional song to tell you what you should be feeling at any given moment.
What I found most riveting was the show's use of symbolism. Yes, there is the obvious aesthetic borrowing from various religious systems, but there is also a multitude of metaphors subtle enough that you wouldn't notice them unless you paused during or after the episode and gave the whole thing some consideration. Cracked glasses, for example, representing a character losing sight of what is important, or a distorted viewpoint, or maybe even something entirely different! There is endless material for discussions comparing the relationship between creator and created being, parent and child. This may be my bias as a literature major shining through, but I feel like a work of art has done its purpose if it has either provoked thought or invoked emotion in its audience.
That being said, the ending of this show did not ruin my regard for the anime in its entirety. I'm sure I'll have the same opinion once I finish the film (or is it two films?) that were created to rectify the studio's original mistakes. Chances are that if you're reading this you've already watched it, but if you haven't, I'd highly, highly recommend this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 13, 2014
I'm not a big Shoujo girl, and that became increasingly obvious the longer I watched this series.
I will say, several of the first episodes brought me to sappy weepy tears. The main character, Sawako, is a lonely girl whose attempts to make friends routinely fail due to her outwardly intimidating appearance. The tried and true "don't judge a book by its cover" will be shoved in your face for multiple episodes as you learn Sawako is actually very sweet, and she usually interprets the horrible treatment she receives from her peers as other people being cooler than her.
Those were the moments that really
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got to me in the beginning - I haven't seen a whole lot of slice of life anime that's dealt with bullying, and I felt like it was done very well here.
I will be honest, past that, this show became more of a guilty pleasure for me (as it is with most Shoujo. Why can't I just embrace my femininity??) and I felt embarrassed to be watching it the more I saw. Kimi ni Todoke suffers from the run-of-the-mill Shoujo traits that can be extremely jarring for someone who may have difficulty getting into it.
For example, people will have VERY bland conversations, but the characters involved will feel the need to gasp with widened eyes after every line the other speaks.
A: Hi B-chan
*animators zoom in dramatically on B-chan's mouth/eyes*
B: A-kun, I-I-I like your pickles. *blush*
A: *small gasp, animators draw hair-shadow in replacement of eyes*
Etc.
In all seriousness, this show is good fun: it doesn't take itself too seriously, there's plenty of humour, and it's quite cute. I'll be following up with the manga to see where it goes after the second season, but I didn't feel like this one left a huge impact on my soul that will influence my cognitive functioning for the next 12 years.
If you like most of the Shoujos you've seen, I'd say check it out. If you don't, don't.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 8, 2014
SPOILER WARNING
I've heard and read nothing but good things about Code Geass, so when I started the series, I liked it because, quite frankly, I expected that I was going to like it. For a time, if you asked me if I was enjoying it, I would have answered "yes", simply because the premise is interesting, the dialogue is fairly well written, and the art style is unique.
Lelouch Vi Brittania starts off normal and goes insane with power - the power of Geass, to be precise. Don't ask me what Geass is, I can't define it and I'm already watching the second season (I'll clarify,
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this is out of obligation. I am driven to the brink of madness myself by not completing what I start, even if it is crap). It's magical stuff, that's all you've gotta know. Anyway, his descent into badness is reminiscent of Light Yagami from Death Note, which will obviously compel any anime fan out there. If you're feeling like that alone makes this show worth checking out, I implore you, hear my words.
All the major problems this show has can be pinned down to that stupid Geass, which is especially problematic as that is the titular subject. If you take it at face value and resist any ability to reason or consider logic that your brain may possess, this show will seems flawless.
So, what exactly is the problem with the Geass? How could I find any conceivable botheration with such a critically acclaimed masterpiece??!!
Well my friends, it all begins with the fact that Lelouch's damned Geass only works on a person once. But that one time, oho, he can make that person do anything he wants. This is the only reason the plot thickens in the show, because the tactical genius that is Lelouch Vi Britannia is too stupid to think up a good command.
This series suffers from time turner syndrome. All Lelouch needs to do is say, "You will do everything I say at all times forever, without question," and EVERY SINGLE CONFLICT in the show is nixed! Our protagonist would suddenly have the ability to repeatedly order around all the people he's come in contact with. Oh, you saw me kill a guy? GEASS - remember you've always got to obey!- now you've forgotten it. Oops, I told Euphemia to kill all Japanese. GEASS stop it Euphie.
Why bother infiltrating the ministry when you can travel in time 60 years past and kill the evilest person to every live? Shh don't question it, it's so intense.
But noooo, instead of being rational, our dear Lelouch gives orders such as, "Draw chalk on the wall forever," and my personal favourite, the menacing, "Give me your knightmare," REallY LELOUCH? You have one chance to control this guy. You're in a position where it's 2 to 1 in your favour. Shoot the guy in the leg and hijack his Knightmare. What if he ends up becoming the Emperor of Britannia, and you can't control him because you already wasted your fucking geass on him? Pfft forget all that. Order this guy to get me a kit kat while you're at it.
The problem with even the end all command, is that the all powerful infallible crazy god talent that is the Geass fails all the fucking time. Nearly everyone who is affected by Lelouch's power ends up fighting against it or figuring out Lelouch's identity anyway.
You want to know the sad part? I JUST thought about this! I went through 28 episodes of this crap before I figured out what exactly was bothering me. How could you possibly neglect to notice plot holes this huge? Every time anything happens now, the only think I can think is, "Easily avoided. Uggghh chess metaphor but they suck at tactics. Are you dumb? Yes, you are, since you didn't notice that thing."
Like I said before, if this kind of stuff doesn't bother you, I'm sure you'll enjoy this show. Personally, I don't know if I can do this anymore. sigh
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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