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Feb 10, 2013
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage is as unapologetically violent and foul mouthed as its predecessor, but it also delves deeper into the human psyche than the original and forces us to explore themes of morality, power and what it means to be human.
The Second Barrage picks up the story of The Black Lagoon Company, with Rock further settling into his new life in Roanapur. Mysterious assassins have begun picking off members of the different mafia groups running the city, and tensions are at fever pitch. By the time this story arc comes to a close 3 episodes later, you get the distinct feeling that The
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Second Barrage is decidedly more serious than the original, with violence being presented more as a consequence of the depravity of the human condition than the punchline in a series made to shock and awe.
The middle arc with Greenback Jane is more light hearted and reintroduces some favorite characters from the first season, along with a host of new ones that are at turns comical and very very creepy. It showcases perfectly the amorality of the denizens of Roanapur as former allies fluidly become foes at the bat of an eyelid. It is in some ways a stark reminder of just how dangerous the world Rock lives in is, and demonstrates how remarkable the bond of trust forming between Rock and Revy is.
The final arc is far grander, but also the most problematic. We get to see a lot of more the mysterious and powerful leader of Hotel Moscow, Balalaika. Set mostly in Japan, the story continually juxtaposes Rock's old life and setting in Japan against the criminal underworld he has now chosen to inhabit. Revy demonstrates a surprisingly soft side in this arc, constantly fretting over whether or not Rock is better off returning to his old life. It's not the "get out of here, I don't need you" routine we're used to seeing, but rather, a softer examination of what is best for the man who has been part of her crew for the better part of the last year. It's very well done. Pasts are revealed as situations complicate themselves. There's a very existential reflection on choices and superb monologues on accepting our lot in life. What is right or wrong is hard to determine as the philosophical backgrounds of the opposing positions is sound, but if anything, this central conflict serves as a reminder that this season is far more than characters toting guns and blasting their enemies into oblivion.
Overall the series is superbly animated. For a series released in 2006 I believe, the art work, animation of vehicles and such is absolutely outstanding. The opening theme is particularly suiting, until you realize the words are in English, and then you simply cannot get over the pronunciations. Which brings me to my biggest gripe with the series, now, I ended up watching the subtitled version and I believe this is a mistake. There is much and more that is lost in translation this way, and certain lines simply do not make sense in the overall context of some conversations, or simply do not carry the same weight they do in the English dub. Moreover, the issue of language becomes particularly problematic in the final story arc because the characters all speak in Japanese, but are supposed to be in a setting where the fact that they do not speak Japanese is key to many of the plot points. It's definitely distracting ... and Revy being Chinese American, the show's attempt to make her speak English in certain scenarios in the sub are simply .. well, I would say hilarious if it wasn't so frustrating. It's hard to believe that a series that did such a good job everywhere else, would drop the ball so badly in this department. I would definitely DEFINITELY recommend watching the dub to avoid these issues.
Then there's the issue with the pacing of character development. Ok, so Rock and Revy go on some introspective journeys together, and although subtle you can see Revy's attitude towards Rock change a bit, but the issue here is that not only is this not very much development in a 12 episode arc, or overall from the first season, but the series spends most of its time focusing on these two at the expense of the other members of the Black Lagoon Company, who basically get shafted. I'm willing to trade on screen time for those two, if we were given more out of Rock and Revy's on screen time, but there's precious little here and most of the "development" you would have to insinuate yourself. In one scene for instance, Revy attacks another character and says "If you ever tease him (Rock) like that again, I'll kill you" but we never really find out what this means in the larger context of her relationship with Rock. We do know it doesn't take much to get her to pull a trigger ... now I'm not expecting a love story here, but I would have liked to see something solid to indicate how Revy really feels about having Rock around and vice versa. Sadly, it seems to be mostly business with these two, and the only thing we know for sure is that they have mostly accepted each other as inevitable objects in the other's existence.
This aside, The Second Barrage is an absolute delight. There are not many anime's that manage to thoroughly entertain while disturbing your perceptions of morality so effortlessly. The show certainly revels in it's goriness, but for those paying attention, there are deeper issues being tackled here. I highly recommend this series, watch the dub if you can, as you will most certainly get more out of it than the sub, and I for one am eagerly looking forward to the more adventures from Rock, Revy and the rest of the Black Lagoon Crew.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 21, 2013
Onegai Teacher is a very cute anime, with a surprising amount of depth. The premise is lame, but since it's just a set up for an incredibly emotional and heart warming journey, it's easily forgiven. Kei Kunasagi is a boy with a medical condition that causes him to "stand still", i.e. become comatose whenever he feels really depressed. There's an overarching theme of "moving forward" throughout the series which is very well done, and this is something Kei is constantly trying to achieve. Enter Mizuho Kazami, a light hearted, and caring but rather naive alien who just happens to be incredibly hot. She accidentally blows
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her cover as an interplanetary observer with Kei and in the course of trying to keep him silent ends up marrying him. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and no, don't stop reading, because despite how this all sounds, this anime turned out to be one of the best I've seen.
At it's core, Onegai teacher is a character driven narrative, and my goodness did they hit the ball out of the park. The main characters are compelling and relatable, and you can't help but empathize with them and really care what happens next. This is a very rare thing. The supporting cast are not ignored either. They are given their own well developed plots and are fleshed out nicely over the course of the series. You end up rooting for them almost as much as you root for Kei and Mizuho. Overall the stories are simple, but the emotions are layered and complex. The real genius of this anime is the focus on the relationship between Kei and Mizuho. It is simply a joy to watch these two grow as a couple, and as individuals, and for the most part, their relationship feels very very real.
I wanted to give this anime a higher rating, I really did .. but there is the one pesky issue plaguing the series; namely the whole student teacher thing. Now, this will bother some people more than others, and if you can focus on the relationship rather than the setup, then you're really going to enjoy the show. But such a glaringly awkward situation was hard to ignore for me, despite my best efforts, especially since Kei kept referring to Mizuho as "Sensei", even at times when he didn't have to ... and I'd rather not speculate why he might have done that. Also, by the end of the series, it almost seemed like the creators were encouraging these types of relationships. It was implied ... not stated ... but implied that another character was on the verge of entering such a relationship. This was completely unnecessary in my opinion, and took away from what was otherwise a very loveable show.
There is fan service, though not excessive and I thought it was rather tastefully done .. if that makes any sense. The animation is beautiful, the character designs are superb and realistic, and easily differentiable, and I loved the opening and closing songs. Overall, I highly recommend giving this series a chance, at only 12 episodes long, it won't take up much of your time, but I guarantee that you will remember it fondly for a long long while.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 6, 2012
Beelzebub is a genuinely funny anime. And I mean laugh out loud 'til your sides hurt sort of funny. You know you're in for a good time when we are introduced to the basic storyline in the first episode... a huge guy floating down the river spots a “handsome and good looking young man” "who cared nothing for his follow humans". He proceeds to then bestow the green haired demon baby (Beelzebub) unto our protagonist, Oga Tatsumi, in one of the strangest fashions imaginable, before taking with an impressive ballerina pirouette. Hijinks ensue when the baby's beautiful demon maid servant, Hildegarde comes looking for the
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toddler and finds him attached to Oga. Hildegarde is not impressed but is intent on forcing Oga to fulfil his contract with baby Beel. Oga spends many many episodes trying to pawn the baby off to someone more badass than himself while trying to keep his family, who comically misinterpret his situation, off his back, with varying degrees of success, and lots and lots of comedy. Along for the ride are Furuichi, Oga's best friend and the show's resident pervert, and a host of other delinquents from his infamous Ishiyama High.
As you can probably tell, Beelzebub is a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, and this approach works very well for the story being told. The main characters, particularly Furuichi, seem aware that they part of a show that routinely sets them up with ludicrous scenarios, as if to test their reactions, and they are not shy about calling out some of the more preposterous elements that arise. Characters also address the viewer directly, which adds a nice touch of humour to the show while making the situations more relatable. I found this approach more satisfying than one where we are asked to accept ridiculous circumstances at face value.
The show has a lot of heart, and can also be surprisingly creepy at times; these are demons and the underworld we are dealing with after all, but this never lasts for very long, which is a pity because I think the show would have benefited from playing up the darker themes for longer periods to counter the otherwise jovial tone, which becomes a bit tiresome over a 60 episode arc. Still, the show maintains enough originality to entertain and the delivery of punch lines remains top notch for the most part.
One place where the show does disappoint terribly is in character development. Its remarkable how little the main characters change over the course of the series. This actually turns out to be a main detractor for the comedy as the show goes on because I often found myself wishing for fewer farces and more feeling. Some decent character growth would have solved this issue, but alas there just isn't enough of that to go around. Relationships are especially frustrating. Waiting for something interesting to happen between characters other than fights with comically named "special attacks" is like watching paint dry; there just isn't a lot going on there. The supporting characters fare a bit better in this respect, in particular with an entertaining story arc involving a multi-player FPS.
To add to this, the filler episodes quickly become an annoyance. Simply put, there are too many of them. This wouldn't be so bad if these episodes contributed something towards developing characters, however, they do not. And in the end I kept feeling like these episodes were simply taking away valuable time that could be better used oh say, developing characters.
Overall though Beelzebub is a well written series which keeps track of its story plots, at least until the last episode, so you almost never see characters “forgetting they did something”, or acting out of character, which is very impressive for a farcical comedy like this. Eventually though, lack of character development and some nonsensical villains make it hard for me to call this anime great. Halfway through this series, if you're not being entertained by the humor, chances are you aren't being entertained by anything else. And this is unfortunate, because the show had all the right ingredients to make it absolutely amazing. Still, I would recommend watching the series because you will not regret doing so, if only because it is very different from a lot of what is out there. Moreover, I managed to find a much more satisfying end by basically ignoring the last episode and switching to the manga to get more out this series. The story of Beelzesama and his contractor Oga Tatsumi, does not end at episode 60, and for my money, is definitely worth catching up on.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 30, 2012
After having watched this a few months ago and concluded that it sucked! ... I'm surprised by how much I think about this show.
Blood C is a violent anime. A very very very violent Anime. Maybe even shockingly so. I watched Elfen Lied and that seems almost elegant compared to this.
Maybe it's the copious amounts of blood and gore, maybe it's the sheer viciousness with which characters are unceremoniously dispatched, maybe it's how exasperatingly inept the main character seems to be, either way, I'm convinced now that Blood C is a show that is much better in retrospect than it while you're watching it.
Most people
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watching Blood C do so because they're trying to get a bit more out of the Saya story, and are maybe even hoping for some continuity with Blood +. Well, no such thing. This show's all new, and while some of the basic themes remain the same, everything else is completely different.
Here's the thing, I hated this show while I was watching it. I thought the main character was pretty much brain dead, and I found myself yelling at my screen more than once. But Blood C is like a scar on your soul that stays with you once inflicted, and over time, you may come to see it as a unique part of yourself, and even think fondly of it.
While I can't say I think fondly of Blood C, I must say that few anime's have stuck with me the way this one has. There's just something about the setting, the fights, the characters, hec the entire plot, that is very very creepy when you think about it. And it's insight into human nature is certainly not appreciated at first - no, that comes after you've stopped hating this version of Saya. No, the subtle genius of this show only becomes clear in hind sight.
I still can't put into words why I think this show is worth watching, but it's a definite for any fan of the blood series. I won't promise that you will like it, but I will promise that you will not soon forget it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 29, 2012
Blue Gender had all the makings of an epic sci-fi adventure story, but falls short in sooo many respects it’s almost painful. It starts with a premise that's been done to death - huge bug-like creatures overrun earth, humans now live in space and are fighting to get their planet back, main characters that suffer from incomplete/nonsensical development, a weak climax, a disappointing finale and an idiotic explanation to wrap everything together.
So should you bother with this show?
Well, yes, and here's why. It's not completely terrible.
Yugi, our main character, has a genetic disorder which results in him being put to sleep for 20 years. Needless
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to say, he misses the aforementioned eviction of humanity from Earth and the arrival of its newest, multi-limbed tenants. Marlene, our buxom blonde soldier girl, is part of the elite unit tasked with retrieving Yugi and his fellow ‘sleepers’ from Earth to deliver to a bunch of creepy scientists back in space. An unexpected attack results in Yugi waking up in the middle of a battle and having to very quickly come to terms with the brave new world Earth has become.
So here’s the thing, neither Yugi nor Marlene are particularly compelling as main characters, and whether you stick with this series or not pretty much comes down to whether you can tolerate these two for the entire series. That being said, the first half plays heavily on their different outlooks to life on an infested Earth and this by and large, carries the series. Their interactions alone for the first 12 or so episodes are worth the price of admission. We see some decent plot and character development, which while not complex, is consistent and makes the show watchable and even enjoyable. You begin to connect with the characters and invest in the rocky partnership forming between Marlene and Yugi. This makes the sense of foreboding as her mission draws to an end that much more poignant.
Then everything changes. We get to see the story primarily from Marlene’s perspective; the problem is that character continuity is done away with to accommodate a new plot line which takes everything that was good about the first half and dumps it out the shoot. Marlene’s behavior towards Yugi will leave you wondering if you missed something – you didn’t. Yugi for his part is also completely unrecognizable. To be fair, it’s obvious the producers were probably trying to do something ‘deep’ with the roles the two main characters play in the 2nd half of the series, and had their transformation been handled more believably, it might have worked. As it stands though, I was left feeling like the show and copped out on real character development for the sake of cheap gimmicks and shock value.
The story also begins to inculcate themes of political intrigue, and while adding politics lent an extra touch of realism to the show, the writers also dropped the ball here, and that was a real shame. Blue Gender is fascinating when you consider who the political heroes and villains really were, and who was turned out to be the misguided lunatic, but this is all presented in such a jumbled fashion that the message barely makes it out at all. And this is a real shame because if pulled off correctly, this would have made the show brilliant, despite the liberties taken with the main characters.
But politics was not the only problem, the conclusion – that inevitable explanation for WHY everything happened, turned out to be … well … stupid. Without giving anything away I will say that it was so lame I considered it insulting to my intelligence. Thankfully such tomfoolery is reserved for the very last episode.
In the end, Blue Gender falls short of expectations, given some of the things it tried to do. But as I said, the show's not all bad. This is still a very mature story, with poignant themes about morality if you know where to look. There is a depth and seriousness to this series which separates it from run of the mill Mecha anime. In retrospect, Blue Gender might have taken itself too seriously for its own good, and while it does not quite pull off the grand plans it had for itself, there’s enough there to keep you thinking about it for a while to come.
Art:
This is an old anime, so even though I'd say it's decent you will be appalled if you're comparing it to today's stuff.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 22, 2012
I watched this after watching Highschool of the Dead. I figured, hey, a little fan service with some character development and some interesting circumstances can go a long way towards making an anime enjoyable.
Yah ... and then there's Highschool DXD.
The sheer epicness of the fanservice was something I definitely was NOT prepared for. It's beat you over the head ridiculous. Every character, and by character I mean pair of boobs and legs, are large and long respectively. The 3 dudes that inhabit this world overpopulated by incredibly hot teenage girls are ... how do I put this ... idiots. And none more so than our
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main character.
How or why ... sigh. I won't bother. Suffice to say, Issei is a pervert and about as dense as they come. The plot's your typically, hot girl sees potential in worlds biggest loser. Loser has potential to be gamechanger, loser just has to believe in himself and his hot compadre.
Ok, to be fair, the show's got some good things going for it. The sequence where Issei gets his first date was very cute and well done, and you couldn't help but feel for him when things went really south. Also, the idea of Angels, Fallen Angels and Demons fighting each other, while not original was done with a twist, namely the incorporation of "chess" pieces as soldier types. Rias is a compelling enough character at first, even though this amounts to very little in the end, and her story arc is incredibly generic. Still, there's a funny episode where we see what Ash Ketchum would turn up like if he lost all his friends and lived 10 years in a demon dimension.
The plot is beyond predictable. The harem sketches are barely amusing, and the characters while well drawn, desperately needed to be fleshed out a lot more. Pardon the expression. If the story execution was any good, this show could have been watchable. Hec even the copious amounts of fan service would not have been nearly as insulting. But as things stand, this is definitely one for people only interesting is seeing how many times animated boobs can jiggle after the rest of the body has stopped moving. That's about as interesting as the story gets.
My conclusion, if you're looking for a bit more out of your ecchi comedies that just panty shots and lame slapstick humor, AVOID THIS ONE!
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 22, 2012
So here’s the thing, if you watched all 7 movies of Kara no Kyoukai , you’re going to watch this epilogue regardless of what I say, so I’m not going to talk anyone out of seeing it. But I would if I could. The thing is, it doesn’t add as much to the story as it could have, and actually ended up leaving me confused and irritated.
So what exactly is wrong with this epilogue?
Where to begin...
The epilogue is meant to expand on some of the ‘behind the scenes’ goings ons in Shiki’s head. It’s basically supposed to clarify the how’s and why’s of her multiple
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personalities and explain the SHIKI versus Shiki dichotomy. The real issue with the epilogue is how they chose to do it.
It’s one giant speech…
Kokutou meets Shiki on the same bridge where they first met all those years ago, and they talk and talk and talk …. and talk. The thing is, by the time Shiki’s done explaining everything, you will have way more questions than answers. Which is kind of funny...
The 7th movie for Kara no Kyoukai, provides a pitch perfect ending. This epilogue does everything it can to disturb that. Now this might not have been done intentionally, but the more I thought about the epilogue, the more I found my focus less drawn to what Shiki was saying as much as the situation we find herself and Kokutou in during the epilogue. Why are they on the bridge? What was she doing there by herself? Why does Kokutou arrive to talk to her there? … in other words, what the hell is going on with those two??? And if you’re waiting for answer, you’re not going to get one, which feels positively awful.
Also, there’s the issue of how confusing the epilogue is. Truth is, unless you’re a metaphysics ninja, you will probably need to watch this twice to understand half of what’s going on. But I found that after sitting through this the first time, I just did not want to. There was too much that was ‘different’ about the epilogue, and not nearly enough continuity between the series and this add on. Even Shiki looks different, and by different I mean more generic. I’m not sure if it’s the result of different artists or what, but that trademark character design, especially her eyes, is noticeably different, and I did not care for it.
Personally, I found the entire thing a tad forced, too heavy and melodramatic. And you could almost have swapped out Shiki for Touko, and achieved a more realistic feel, or at least one that didn’t leave you with so many damn questions.
I can telly you that this epilogue will ask some serious questions about what we assumed happened after the end of the 7th movie. This is not a good thing. You do not need this to be your last episode of Kara no Kyoukai. It takes a perfectly good ending from the series and changes it just slightly enough to put you off. You’re much better off stopping this series after the 7th. But since you’ve probably already watched it as you read this, I’m sure you already knew that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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