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May 24, 2009
This is the second part of the new Birdy Decode series, but you wouldn't realise it. The first season was good, but the sequel comes along and totally blows it away in almost every department.
Most notably would be the animation - 02 exhibits some of the most incredible animation in a 13-episode series for a long, long time. Where other shows might shell out for a good fight scene here and there, 02 provides stunningly kinetic action scenes throughout the entire run, most notably in its incredible finale. If you like good animation, it's a must.
But it's not just the animation that dominates
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over the first season. The characterisation and setting also prevails - the plot gives a more Birdy-centric view, and Tsutomu loses any annoying qualities he once had. Their chemistry is quite nice to watch, and other characters also receive some good development.
Nataru, a new character, is an excellent addition and forms a large part of the plot, fitting in well with the setting and providing some great development for Birdy. The new antagonists are also worthy, and the colourful villain cast makes a nice change to the vague enemies of the first season.
The music is nothing particularly amazing, but it serves its purpose well. The OP and ED are just as good as the previous ones, and the Main theme that plays here and there is a joy to listen to.
If there is one obvious complaint, then it would have to be the art. In some places, it really suffers, looking lazily drawn and messy - however, this is all intentional in providing some high-quality animation and making an otherwise bland enviroment or dramatic scene come alive. For once, it's nice to see a studio favour the movement and action that you would expect from an animated piece of work, rather than focus on static close-ups and un-necessary amounts of shading.
And, an extra added difference to the second series is that it heavily ramps up the Gore-factor. This is good or bad depending on your persuasion, but the series certainly does not take shortcuts when it comes to brutality. In my opinion, this makes everything even more refreshing, but opinions may differ.
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Overall, Birdy Decode: 02 is a rarity in that it's much, much, much better than its predecessor - which is almost a shame, as people who disliked the first season would be put off by the second, despite it's many corrections and improvements. Overall, I recommend this anime to ANYONE. Whether you saw the first season, whether you didn't, or whether you liked it or not, you should give this show a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 23, 2008
This small OVA sees the Tegami Bachi manga adapted into animated form, and the results are excellent.
The backgrounds and artwork are gorgeous, and very faithful to the manga's original style. The characters, though less detailed, are just as well depicted and yet again faithful to the author of the manga.
The voice acting, music, CGI and other special affects also get high marks.
Being only one episode so far, the story isn't remarkable, but the concept is creative and there's lots of potential there. The plot for this particular story was pulled off well and the conclusion was superb.
Given the treatment of this OVA, it
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shows that the Tegami Bachi manga could make a succesful anime. I look forward to it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 21, 2008
There are lots of shounen manga available today, and lots of them tend to borrow and overuse the same concepts, the same plot techniques, the same story lines, and most just fall flat eventually. Bleach, Naruto, D.Gray-man, it's all very mediocre.
Kekkaishi to me is a manga that doesn't have or do anything particularly special, and like its cousins it uses common aspects and features of action manga that don't break any conventions. However, it manages to accomplish much more.
For a start, the Protagonist's ability is absolutely genius, and it allows for a good mix of flexibility, strategy, power and defense which despite being frequently used
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almost never gets stale. There are no flashy shouting attack names or overblown special moves, the characters progress simply by economically using their ability to create useful effects which make interesting battles, not with power ups and gigantic laser-spewing razors.
The rest of the manga is made up of decent characterisation, unimpressive yet likable and well-rounded villains, political intrigue, layers of mystery, appealing art and most of all, a plot that progresses further and further without ever forgetting it's roots that made it good in the first place.
Kekkaishi seems to be a forgotten shounen series that lags behind other manga, despite how solid it is. Definitely worth reading if you either like shounen or want to restore your faith in it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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