***THIS IS A REVIEW FOR ALL THE FOUR ANIME MIRAI 2013 TITLES. HOWEVER IT IS MAINLY ON DEATH BILLIARDS****
All the four pieces of work from Anime Mirai 2013 were outstanding, in my opinion. Honestly non of them are "bad" or "average" when you consider that they are 24min one-shots. What really matters here is that all the young animators from each production company tried their best and gave their all into the work.
However, Death Billiards stood out to me the most, and is (in my opinion) a must-watch of the animes of 2013, which is why I am taking my time to write this review.
...
I will try not to go off topic, but I must mention the other 3 entries of Anime Mirai 2013 to present and argue some of the points I bring up.
Why did it stood out to me so much? The general circumstances of the plot, story, and setting of Death Billiards prove to be the most difficult to incorporate in only one episode. Yet those young animators found a medium to make it all so cohesive, attractive, and impressive. While Gonzo, Zexcs, and Trigger chose to go with a renowned historical story background, a Matrix/GITS-like Sci-Fi setting, or the brainless Moe witches in school with eye-candy graphic; none of them chose the direction MAD House went - The genre where most animes that follow it are known to be quite meh, which is set around fundamental social norms, human morals, and superstitious afterlife imaging.
Death Billiards was so well executed and original that in my opinion, beats all other similar types of anime dealing with aforementioned morals, ethics, and human psyche (i.e. Hell Girl). My high praising of it does not solely come from its smooth graphics, spot-on voice acting and premise, but that the anime and its characters trigger its viewers to provoke deep thought and reminiscence about their life and decisions after watching it. I'd have no doubts that this would be on par with the psychological goodness of Serial Experiments Lain or Boogiepop Phantom, but in 24 minutes.
While the story of Death Billiards is quite linear and extremely straight forward, but intriguing, suspenseful, and intense, it is not the remarkable quality which made me give Death Billiards an 8/10. To be honest, there really isn't of a story to begin with, and there is no defined plot. Everything is going on as characters explore their intra and inter-personal relationships' worth; nothing is set in particular to anything else. One has to realize that in a one episode series, the most important factor to divide their anime between the line of watchable and not, is character.
No one wants to watch a 24min series about a particular setting, or an eye candy slideshow with some mediocre ambient/contemporary BGM, that's what documentaries do. This meta is exactly why many elements of a story and setting have to be told primarily by characters themselves; Little Witch Academia does quite well in explaining most of the background events and settings through character interactions and monologue, while Ryo (using lessons from Japanese history classes) and Arve Rezzle (using news and the media in the anime) leaves so much ambiguity, which only makes the audience confused, incomprehensible, or lose interest.
With that said, Death Billiards is the pinnacle of character design. From the subtle gestures of politeness with offering strangers greetings and cigarettes, to an outbreak of a violent fight, the characters are beautifully shaped from the inside out. The audience will be granted the chance to measure the weight of the two main characters, and judge them for the better man themselves. You will be fascinated with them right from the beginning, and as the story progresses, each character gets a little closer to resembling someone you know personally from your life. Each of the characters are multi-faced, and has an endless possibility of displaying their different personalities and characteristics; some quality you rarely see in one shot series. Scary, yet amazing at what anime can do to make you think. Every character has their childhood, past, decisions that they regret, and their reasons for acting the way they do. In making all the characters so capable and easily of being related to, sympathize or compare/contrast with, the audience will be able to gain much of the enjoyment from only the characters themselves and their interactions with each other throughout the 24 minutes. Something that neither of the other 3 Anime Mirai's have mastered.
This step away from fancy Sci-Fi action, or the typical school girl kawaii, or any of the pre-existing genre that is destined to sell well is surely a bold one taken by youth animators at MAD, but it also stepped into a boundary where anime can have more philosophical values than anything else of the sort. Yes, it does have a more realistic approach that many find less appealing, though not as realistic as Ryo (man that thing is based entirely on history!), but even so, it will still come as unexpected to most viewers. A surprise that is appreciated by anime viewers of different age, culture, or gender groups alike. The enjoyment versus time-spent ratio on this show is unbelievable. I've watched longer shows, but enjoyed them less than how I enjoyed Death Billiards. It does everything in subtlety, but before you know it things take a good twist and you're left yearning for more. There is also a great deal of usage of symbolism present throughout different parts of the show; mainly that relating to good VS evil, heaven VS hell, light VS darkness, etc. This use of symbolism contributes further to the overall eerie and mysterious atmosphere of the setting.
Nothing is really THAT special about Death Billiards; story is without a beginning or an end, plot is ambiguous, the art is pretty average for nowadays' standards, sound is accurate but nothing soul-shaking (similar to the other 3 titles). Despite that everything else is pretty average, and albeit the short run-time which is probably the factor that makes all of the four entries feel like something is missing, Death Billiards is the only one that feels the fullest, most resembling a show, offering premium quality characters and interaction; it will absolutely positively satisfy any viewer that desires high quality shorter shows. I am not going say "if this is the type for you" kind of statement, but after reading this review, I hope you will be able to decide for yourself if Death Billiards is worth your time.
Scored ratings and punchlines:
Story 6/10 (I am left just as frustrated and confused as I was in the beginning. Nothing is really explained, nothing really "happened." This was probably due to the short time available, so that is understandable)
Art 8/10 (Smooth, extravagant, consistent animation throughout the whole show. Able to make everything feel alive and believable. Frame by frame of goodness, though sometimes feels too dull)
Sound 7/10 (Voice actors give the characters life and personality they should have, spot on with the tone and pitch of voices. Non-animated objects sound accurate as well, though not detailed enough. Average soundtrack that does not represent the mood/atmosphere at all)
Character 9/10 (Characters are so average daily-life type that they seem more realistic than they are. Expressions are filled with hidden personalities and characteristics. Great depth and values, and very interesting interaction between them. A key point of the show)
Enjoyment 9/10 (This is funny, thought-provoking, and dramatic all at the same time. Nothing about it is boring or bland or generic. Leaves many wanting for a full series/OVA/movie)
Overall 8/10 (Definitely the best one out of the four, but only in terms of collective quality and character designs. I wouldn't doubt if some people find the other 3 more enjoyable, but Death Billiards deserves the higher score for its display of limitless potentials of the next generation of animators)
Dec 14, 2013
Death Billiards
(Anime)
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***THIS IS A REVIEW FOR ALL THE FOUR ANIME MIRAI 2013 TITLES. HOWEVER IT IS MAINLY ON DEATH BILLIARDS****
All the four pieces of work from Anime Mirai 2013 were outstanding, in my opinion. Honestly non of them are "bad" or "average" when you consider that they are 24min one-shots. What really matters here is that all the young animators from each production company tried their best and gave their all into the work. However, Death Billiards stood out to me the most, and is (in my opinion) a must-watch of the animes of 2013, which is why I am taking my time to write this review. ... 
Dec 11, 2013
Crayon Shin-chan
(Anime)
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***THIS IS A REVIEW SOLELY FOR THE FUNIMATION ADULT SWIM CRAYON SHIN-CHAN***
When I first acknowledged that Shin-chan is finally going to be dubbed and licensed in NA, I was filled with thrill and excitement, having been a diehard Kureiyon Shin-chan fan since I was born, and could not wait to see it. However, after watching through all of it, and saw that there isn't any review on MyAnimeList on this specific release, I felt like I could give a word of advice or two for those who haven't seen it but will. Every bit of the English dubbed version of Crayon Shin-chan reminds me of the ... |
