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Jun 27, 2014
No Game No Life (NGNL) is actually a highly intellectual anime at its heart, bringing with it a meaningful and mutlifaceted depiction of life as a conquest of oneself.
The central conflict concerning individual life and the struggle of civilisation is painted with the question of mankind's true value. Through the usage of 'games', there is created both a triviliaisation of danger and yet at the same time it reflects a cynical and machiavellian worldview of politics, economy, and government; of control, power, and dominance.
In the reversing and then re-reversing of mankind's supremacy in the animal kingdom we can see the author's potent examination of what
...
it means to truly be human. Via the precarious situation in which a pre-industrialisation mankind finds itself beset upon by overwhelming forces of strength, intellect, and supernatural, we can see the hypothetical: "If one loses in physical capability and in raw mental capacity, then in what way can that weaker triumph?" NGNL answers this pertinent thought with awesome ease.
In the overlying theme of making the most of the tools at one's disposal, there is a hearty rebellion against the perception of stagnation, helplessness, and the fatalistic perception of the world. NGNL is a rallying cry for the belief in the individual and a reminder of the need to persevere against all odds - to climb ever higher on the way to a brighter future.
Here, is surely a message to take to heart.
Utilising the time-long fantasy of 'another-world', NGNL takes that tradition of adventure and gives us also a pampering filled with emotion, drama, wondrous humour, and an exoticism that is both original, but also an amalgamation of all the 60-long years of anime tradition that has come before it. In that sense, NGNL is the ultimate adventure of easy-viewing and heart-pounding mindgames.
Many will note that NGNL is a love-letter to the escapist, gamer, and manipulator. There is no method greater than the mind, and there is no better weapon than a knowledge of one's opponent and their plans. NGNL depicts the back-and-forth of intertwining stratagems, underhanded tactics, and the inscrutable blending of ceaseless mind (planning) and explosive body (action).
Technically, the storytelling by Madhouse and Kamiya Yuu is almost flawless. Combining a unique aesthetic centering around simple lines and a rainbow array of technicolour, we can see the optimistim and liveliness of the show bellied by the unrealism of the 'game'.
Through fast cutting and deformed 'reaction' faces, the director keeps us on our feet while also seamlessly sprinkling perfect refreshments of light comedy.
The soundwork too, is perfect, featuring a star-studded cast of voice-actors and an exciting accompanying soundtrack.
In the end, NGNL is a refreshing, and orgasmic delight of colours, laughter, and heartpounding tension. Yet do not be fooled by the entrancing exterior, this is a series with so very much to say for those who listen carefully. With open eyes, we join our heroes in the conquest of a fantastic world, and yet it is we, the fantasist audience, who is conquered in the end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 31, 2014
In your youth, have you ever played out your imagination? Has your toy soldier ever battled across the carpet, your racing car sped along the dinner table? Do you know the wonder of outer-space and the distant stars? Dear reader, as you are presumably an anime-watcher, I am sure that feeling hasn't quite left you yet.
Gundam Buld Fighters is the playroom that has always been a reality, where our protagonists find themselves in a world where Gundam toys are alive and the world might just as well revolve around them. In short, this is a world where noone has to grow up. Fun is
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the oath to live by.
But what's in a Gundam?
Gundam is a toy comercial filled with a burning passion. There's no denying it, each and every Gundam is an aniamted advertisement for selling Gundam model kits, and along the way, it just so happens they've managed to tell some of the most fantastically memorable and famous stories within the medium. A Gundam show means melodrama, war, giant robots, passion, love, rivalry, cliches, transformations, and a fair dash of cheesy, silly nonsense.
So how is this about Gundam Build Fighters?
Gundam Build Fighters simply put, is the celebration of that legacy.
In a wonderfully paced action-romp of loving care, Sunrise has managed to derive from the world of Gundam a battle-tournament spectacle of the highest quality. In this extravaganza of blatant, subtle, and hidden homage to the breadth of the Gundam franchise (animated or not), Build Fighters is a light-hearted approach to the tournament genre that will endear you with its celebration of childlike abandon.
Appearing as the usual match-up fare, Build Fighters manages to keep it fresh with a variety of interesting turn-outs, characters, and cirumstances. The series length plays to the show's strengths, and never outstays its welcome. The quirky cast are quick to show off their jovial mannerisms, and you can always expect things to turn out for the best.
You'll be treated to a party of tropes: a back-and-forth, tongue-in-cheek free-for-all of serious playtime. This isn't just a fun show, it's a show that knows it's having fun. The animation takes a drop at times, but manages to hide that, remaining stylish with well-drawn stills. What matters most is that the animators really bring it together for the big matches where you can expect dynamic, jaw-dropping, and exciting clashes. With a striking soundtrack and high-octane, talented seiyuu cast, the show is the perfect mix as an easygoing, and over-the-top anime.
There are mysteries and intrigues (masked characters, anyone?). Rivalries, and friendships born from that respect. You'll be engulfed in hot passions, the power of tenacity, a pool of cutsie boys and girls, a background of hairy men, old men, grown men, young men, and even shaven men. Many a socket popped, plastic Gundams broken, torn asunder. Amongst the passionate cries, might even love bloom? Embracing, exonerating, and caricaturing the sins and memorabilia of Gundams past, Build Fighters is a fresh and welcome return to the Gundam world franchise, accessible to both old fan and newtype alike.
Gundam Build Fighters is a show that aims to entertain, and for Gundam fans, its also a masterful love-letter. Gundam is a franchise stretching beyond the realm of anime. This show takes that fact, and has spun it into a perfect celebration: a carnival of Gundams.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 28, 2014
The Silver Spoon is real, and even now yours for the taking.
If there's something to be said about Gin no Saji (trans. Silver Spoon), we can probably boil it down to three core ingredients: Food, Agriculture, and Life. Those are no small matters, but Arakawa Hiromu has masterfully blended these hefty issues into an easily digestible, comforting, and befittingy resonant, intimate work.
A coming-of-age slice-of-life school drama taking place in the remoteness of Hokkaido, Japan, this anime harvests its bounty from the wealth of its source material, but in the move from manga to anime, it augments and adapts it perfectly, adding garnish and spice to
...
the completed dish.
As a second season, expectations and method have already been pre-set, familiar to the returnee viewer, but in this second series Gin no Saji (GnS) advances beyond those previously well-laid foundations. Once again, viewers are treated to those necessary daily hardships and mundane chores of farming life, but also its joys, pleasures, and novelties (oh food, so sacred!). Through that familiar trial of school-life, the varied cast of boarders share with us a glimpse of the agricultural world: the nuanced considerations of livestock-raising, the delicate handling of the horse by its rider, and that telling contradiction of love and necessity with which all live-stock animals are treated within the industry. The farming life and related rural community is lovingly portrayed, yet also, as one of Gin no Saji's good virtues, it is very much grounded in reality, and when events turn against our protagonists, there too, is meaningful realism.
Our hero, Hachiken is a wonderful expy for the viewer. Now familiar (as we are) with the farming hours and various chores, he continues to learn through experience, mistake, and labour, of this huge-world, an industry and life so pertinent to the world-at-large, yet so taken for granted, its hardships forgotten. In his studies and adventure, Hachiken grows so very much, and this is the key to the genuinity and excellence of GnS: the fantastically crafted characters.
Each character brings a necessary layer to the show, and while not all are developed as fully as our main characters, they each have something to add with their unique designs and endearingly comedic traits.
But, ultimately, this is a show centred on Hachiken and his youthful negotiation through hardship, friendship, and expectation; it is here that we get Arakawa's sincere portrayal of the complexities of education, family, economic reality, and all the never-ending steps we take towards our future. Most gratifyingly, Hachiken is a character who battles his insecurities, and bull-headedly rises to those challenges.
Visually, Gin no Saji requires fairly little portrayal of movement, but the animation team has done a great job in adapting the manga stills while maintaining the perception of action and dynamic change. This is most obviously combined with the quick-transfers and exaggerated character 'reactions', delivering both effective gag-comedy, and visual interest.
Voice actor Kimura Ryouhei has done a suiting job as the worry-wart, yet hardy Hachiken, and his acting elevates the show, aided by the superb supporting cast. The soundtrack is fitting, if not too stand-out as expected of an easygoing drama, and the Opening/Ending themes are also properly welcoming and warm.
In conclusion, Gin no Saji is a pertinent story, reminding us of the choices, indecision, and complexities of youth. The agricultural aspect gives a much-needed flavour, educating (never preachily), adorable, and scrumptious. There's drama, but never needlessly heavy, but fittingly serious and real. There are no cure-all solutions, there's nothing here outside the common experience, only a lifestyle unfamiliar to us. This is no stellar visual artwork, as its device is to adapt a brilliant story from paper to screen, and it does so flawlessly.
The Silver Spoon that we all possess, that inheritance, that overlooked richness, or even literal wealth. It takes on countless meanings, and yet reminds us of our worth, our past, and what we are, that is, a coming future. All this contrast can be found in Arakawa's clever title and furthermore in this exellent adaptation.
In watching this anime, you will find laughs, youth, the simple adversities, and also worldy realities. Like the myriad of animals in this world: companion, livestock, worker; this show will be a worthy support as you discover a new and different, yet charmingly familiar world.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 4, 2009
Buzzer Beater (2007) felt somewhat more enjoyable than the 13 eps of the 2006 installment, but overall there's still little going for this series.
If one has watched any "standard' sports animes, then Buzzer Beater doesn't quite fit into them. - there's no intense training, secret techniques. The storyhas basically become one boy's magical run as a basketball-superchild in a league of aliens.
I thought i'd note: it's kinda amusing how inter-galactic league seems to involve a bunch of planets that ae only populated with two species: Humans and superior Gorans... hah...
Filled with minor-plot holes this series is all about the 1-shot jokes; futuristic-alien world and basketball
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which is about as impressive as being able to animate a forrest grow: it's great you can do it; but what's the point?
Cliche lines, annoying lead/s (that girl is soooo argh!) show how heavily child-oriented this series is.
It shows poverty and seems to have it bordering as a theme - yet never realyl explores it. This kind of slide-along storytelling can make it hard to watch.
I tended to find that there was an increased lack of attention given to the rivalries between Hideyoshi and the other "stars". Not that I missed it.
The matches got even less build-up and attention than before. - Now the teams just turn up one episode and they play. There's no proper commentary, suspense.... it's just not good watching.
The major example was one match - the goodguys come back round and win by one point. - they win with a buzzer beater. Noone mentioned that the match was almost over. Noone mentioned that if they didn't get a basket they'd lose the match.
They score; the buzzer goes. and you see the score 91 - 92 and you're like... "oh... so noone cares who wins the match".
And that's exactly it. - there's just no innovation or effort: no real spark in this series.
For me, there was little good about this series; some of the chars were interesting/amusing, some of the plays were alright, but surely there has been nothing in the whole 26 eps of Buzzer Beater that made it worth animating. No.. not even the colourful aliens with their horns and amaazing hair-dos.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 19, 2009
Buzzer Beater is an anime centred around the young basketball genius Hideyoshi and his attempt to take on the inter-planetary basketball league which is currently dominated by the physically superior Aliens.
Buzzer Beater was an anime with a fair amount of potential, but it is in my opinion lacking what makes a good sports anime.
There is a lack of effort put into the series and although I have not watched the sequel ( Buzzer Beater 2007 ), this first installment was not satisfactoy in terms of "sports action" nor noticeably entertaining (thus renegating it to the level of timekiller).
Story - 6/10
The anime mainly focuses on the
...
matches of the All-Earthlings basketball team and the personal journey of Hideyoshi as a sportsman.
The story is a typical sports one; it covers practice, build-up before matches, basketball games and bits and pieces of characters doing their own thing.
Sadly, I feel that the story was rushed with many little bits being skipped or cut out as well as events happening too quickly (or not fast enough).
There is never enough time for the important parts to be spaced out satisfactorily, while I recall some moments where re-used scenes and useless dragged out parts became somewhat intolerable.
This leads on to a sub-section of the Story that I would like to cover:
Matches - 4/10
Now the matches in a sports anime are like your fights in an action anime, it's really one, if not the most important factor/s.
The basketball games in Buzzer Beater are sadly disappointing.
The camera moves; panning and zooming around following the ball which is not necessarily a bad thing, except there's a bit too much *swirling* at times.
As a player dodges past all the opponents, your viewpoint ducks and weaves after them. This creates a nice atmosphere but it seems overdone.
Sometimes there are reused "action sequences" where a 1v1 follows practicalyl the same pattern with perhaps a change in character.
There are frustrating skips in every match, where you go from a third way through the match and suddenly *CUT!* and it's all over with a nice shiny score of 100 - 40 suddenly popping out of nowhere.
(abit of an exaggeration)
Basically there are only a few (about 3 in total) mediocre, animated basketball games with perhaps a special "shonen" scene of amazing styalised "epicness" occuring such as: growing magical angel wings!
(not really a spoiler)
Character - 5/10
All the characters apart from Hideyoshi are underdeveloped at best, which really makes it almost a one-man show with some help from the cool looking guys with fancy hairstyles and dress-sense (everyone else on his team). It's a shame though cause they all had alot of potential.
Art and Sound - 6/10
Reasonable art. The main few characters look alright, but the minor characters and the backgrounds are nothing inspiring. The art does suit the anime, yet the sci-fi aspects are especially pathetic.
In the sound department we dont it's all acceptable stuff, the OP, ED and soundtrack are pleasant enough. I do wish Hideyoshi's voice wasn't quit so girly, it was rather painful at times.
Enjoyment - 3.5/10
4 being decent and 3 being poor, 3.5 reflects a feeling of something not worth the time. It isn't very enjoyable and isn't special unless you've yet to have seen basketball before.
Not as enjoyable as I had expected, especially so after watching Slam Dunk (which may be the cause of my biasedness).
Overall - 5/10
It's a shame but there's just not enough to this anime. It has a rushed feeling. Too few episodes for what should have been some nice, spaced out matches. In hindsight it may be because the creators didn't feel there was anything "important" that needed to be shown, but it makes the experience feel cheap.
Buzzer Beater gives off the feeling of an anime targeted at kids who in a cheap attempt at combining sci-fi and basketball together to grab some attention.
For a serious or mature anime watcher, Buzzer Beater in my opinion should be a miss.
If you want depth, storyline or just some good sports entertainment, watch the far better, though older alternative of Slam Dunk. Or if you just wanted to see basketball, go watch the NBA or you're local counter-part.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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