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Aug 6, 2013
It just sucks the way it ended…
Not that it ended badly, it just sucks that it ended at all.
Fairy Tail is, for lack of a better term, your generic shounen. You have a group of teenage wizards running around fighting bad guys and all the while they get stronger as Natsu Dragneel looks for his father… who is a dragon. Shounen clichés come with the territory, and Fairy Tail is no exception. Think about it. If you make a shounen, no matter how you make it, it is going to have some generic components. What makes Fairy Tail so unique is that it is
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good in spite of all the clichés the plot may have.
You have to remember something that so many people easily forget. Not every part of a generic shounen is bad, and Fairy Tail actually does a really good job capitalizing on the things we love in a shounen. It has great humor, consistent arcs, short recaps, nice fight scenes, and most importantly nice character development.
The members of the Fairy Tail guild are an interesting bunch to say the least. Since they can all use magic their fighting styles are extremely diverse. After the first season you will feel like you know the members of the guild personally. There are dozens you are introduced to and you will most likely remember their names because the show does that good of a job at giving the characters a long lasting impression. When something happens to one of the members of the guild it will probably make you sad, maybe even bring on some tears. You won’t even realize you have an emotional attachment to these characters until something happens. It is almost as if you are blind-sided a bit by the connection you have with the Fairy Tail guild members, and you will most definitely have a connection with the members as you will most likely see yourself in one of them. I guess it doesn’t hurt that this anime had an all-star voice cast to help with making you like the characters.
That’s right; you’ll definitely recognize at least a few of the voices in this anime. The first one that I noticed was the voice of Toradora’s Aisaka Taiga, but the show itself has many more notable voices than that including Alphonse Elric, Hanekawa Tsubasa, Miki Sayaka, and Amane Misa. A voice cast like Fairy Tail’s does not come around often and is something that must be acknowledged when going into this anime. Not only does the show have an all-star voice cast but the score for the show is also pretty over the top. Normally it would be hard for a show to get the soundtrack just right but Fairy Tail managed to do it extremely well.
The art and animation should really go without saying. It is extremely well done, and fluid allowing for really awesome fights to be had. The style of the art is a little strange though, and not unlike One Piece it may put some people off at first, but after a few episodes you will find yourself really loving the art, just as you will find yourself loving the anime as a whole.
I myself really love Fairy Tail. I love the jokes that I used to see, the characters that I got so attached to, the fight scenes, the soundtrack, the art, and you know what? I even love all the generic shounen aspects that came with it. If I had to describe the show in exactly five words I’d tell you “Fairy Tail is really fun.” Because it is, it is just plain fun to watch.
That’s why I’m sad that it had to end.
I didn’t want it to have to end.
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Story – 5
Art – 7
Sound – 10
Characters – 9
Enjoyment - 9
Overall - 8
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 30, 2013
Fabricating a world in a mere 26 minutes is no easy task, and that task is made even more difficult when you are challenged with adding characters and plot-line to the fabricated world.
While not perfect, Little Witch Academia accomplishes the aforementioned task quite stunningly, and is more than worth the 26 minutes of your time.
The story of Little Witch Academia is definitely not the highlight of the show. You follow a young witch named Akko as she attends Witch Academy to try to become more like her hero, Shining Chariot, a flashy stage magician that most witches look down on. It is relatively
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simple and could have been very interesting if given time to develop. Due to time constraints, however; the story is not given the necessary time to develop. It does its job of giving the world a structure and nothing more.
This also goes for the characters. Its surprising that in such a short time they can be so enjoyable and even seem to have underlying depth to them. Sadly, they are not given the needed time to develop in only one 26 minute episode.
But that is okay!
What the show lacks in plot and in overall character development is made up for by the fact that the art and sound are absolutely stunning.
The art itself has a certain air about it that a western animation would have. It could put many leading anime to shame, and that is what the competition was all about! In 1080p(and even 720p) the show has extremely fluid and enjoyable animation to the point where it makes the characters seem quirky and interesting. The animation is made even more impressive when you thing about the crew of young animators that put it together.
The sound is also extremely incredible. It has a great soundtrack. A really great soundtrack, but what really makes the sound stand out is how well it fits with the animation. Sound effect were used alongside the animation to produce quite an alluring experience over all. The voice actors also did an immaculate job at giving the characters the proper quirky vibe needed for the show.
Needless to say I enjoyed all 26 minutes of Little Witch Academia. I am really blown away by what these young animators did in a 26 minute time frame, and I'd recommend the show to anyone.
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Story - 6
Art - 10
Sound - 9
Characters - 7
Enjoyment - 8
Overall - 8
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 30, 2013
Often times people like to think of themselves as “the normal one.”
At least this is the case for Kou, a self-proclaimed part of the “elite.” From the day he was born Kou was taught to never be indebted to someone. For the most part Kou does a pretty good job of it too, that is until he loses his pants and falls into the Arakawa River. Now we have one indebted Kou, and a savior named Nino that wants Kou to help her experience love. He accepts, and begins living under the Arakawa Bridge with a group of bizarre social misfits.
It sounds a
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bit absurd I know; but this absurdity is what makes it so great. Arakawa Under the Bridge uses a unique mix of absurdism and slapstick humor with a few deeper messages added along the way to bring you a really nice comedic experience overall. The story itself is lacking as show isn't episodic but can appear to be that way at times because of the absurd things happening. The story really takes the backseat and suffers to let everything shine through in this anime.
As for the artwork found throughout this series... well, this is SHAFT we are talking about here. They are a studio known for their odd visuals and cinematography. You know, the people that brought you Bakemonogatari and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. Although it is less experimental in art style than the previously mentioned series, it is still up to standard with any of their works and at times can even make for some really nice scenery porn.
The Arakawa Bridge is called home by a village chief that thinks he is a Kappa, a killer nun, a literal rock-star, a Martian, two runaway guinea pigs from a laboratory, and of course the main character Kou. All of the characters are as absurd as they sound and maybe even more. They are the focal point in which many, if not all of the jokes in Arakawa come from. As you can tell the cast of characters found throughout Arakawa are not your average run of the mill people, and although they lack depth they are definitely the highlight of the show.
The sound in Arakawa Under the Bridge is suiting. The soundtrack wasn’t mind-bogglingly amazing but it was still good. The background music enhanced the comedic moments so they did their job quite nicely. The opening of Arakawa Under the Bridge is definitely more satisfying visually than musically and I felt the same way about the ending too. As far as sound goes the voice acting was definitely the highlight, the voice actors did an absolutely incredible job making the jokes told in the show that much more memorable.
It is true that people often think of themselves as “the normal one.” But after watching Arakawa Under the Bridge I think it is safe to say that normality is relative. It constantly wears this theme on its sleeve while presenting is odd, yet surprisingly pleasant form of absurdist comedy. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to say that I don’t like absurdist comedies. I have just never found them that funny, but Arakawa Under the Bridge was a pleasant surprise. I found myself laughing from the beginning of one episode to the end, which is a huge win in my book. I strongly believe this anime is a must watch for all comedy lovers.
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Story- 4
Art- 8
Characters- 8
Sound- 8
Enjoyment- 9
Overall- 7.4
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 22, 2013
Everyday we wake up, preform our daily ritual, then go to sleep, and all the while the world around us seems so perfectly normal. We, as people, have evolved to accept the normalcy of everyday life. It is seeing how people really act when normalcy is torn away from them that many people find so intriguing.
The sad fact of the matter is that mystery thrillers are so rarely done right that people over look them without a second glance. Shinsekai yori is one of those gems that does it right, and should not be looked over so easily.
The Story (10):
Shinsekai yori is set
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one millennium in the future. Yet the the depicted future will remind you more of a feudal japan as there are no fancy gadgets or mecha robots to really say "Hey, this is the future!" Instead people in this distant future have created themselves a Utopia, and hold psychokinetic powers know as Cantus.
In this "New Age", Cantus users are the dominate species on the earth, while humanoid rats known as Queerats also inhabit the planet. They are treated mainly as slaves and do work that Cantus users don't deem worthy to be done by themselves. These Queerats literally refer to Cantus users as God.
The events of Shinsekai yori follow a certain group of friends as the try to master their Cantus through schooling. All the while Watanabe Saki and her friends try to unravel the mysteries of their society, and in doing so also unravel the normalcy that we humans hold so dear.
The first three episodes are entirely used for world-building, while nothing special they lay the foundation for a beautifully intricate story to be woven. After finishing episode four, the story of Shinsekai yori becomes a compelling work of art. Any small plot holes this anime may seem to have are hugely overshadowed by the seamless transition from one episode to the next.
It becomes almost impossible not to relate the world of Shinsekai yori to the world we live in now. As normality is ripped away from the lives of our protagonists and the darker themes are revealed you will realize how truly mind boggling the writing of this masterpiece is.
The ending of Shinsekai yori could not have been better. It leaves no questions to be asked and really ends the story right. It does not leave one wanting more, rather the ending concludes the story in a way that sums up all events and any questions you may still have.
One of the biggest complaints about the story of Shinsekai yori is that there are homosexuals scenes, and yes there are. These scenes are in 1-2 episodes tops and the are completely relevant to they story. I assure you that they are not there for no reason, and will, if anything, add to the depth of the presented story.
Art (9):
The character designs of Shinsekai yori may take some getting used to for some, but it very beautifully done and suits the work quite well, the backgrounds are desktop worthy, and the animation effects are quite stunning.
The only misleading part about the artwork is that it appears to be very light and happy. Shinsekai yori is not light and happy, Shinsekai yori does have some graphic violence at heaver points in the show and the art style can somewhat take you out of the moment. But it in will no way keep you from being on the edge of your seat as you click on the next episode.
The highlight of the art in Shinsekai yori is by far the backgrounds you will see. The artists put a tremendous amount of detail into the work, and it payed off in making some of the best scenery porn in anime.
Sound (10):
Wow. The tracks played with this anime blend so smoothly into the moment that you won't even realize the music is playing. It sets the feeling in a way that enhances the story, never once did I find a kink in the sound that would have lessened my enjoyment. Something that really blew me away was that Shinsekai yori doesn't have a musical opening. Instead, it has one of the best musical endings in all of anime. That is no exaggeration, the EDs for Shinsekai yori are fabulous.
The voice actors did an immaculate job. I can't express this enough, the voice actors did so well with this anime. They fit the characters perfectly.
Characters (9):
Often times we see plot driven anime fall short because of the characters in them. It is when we find a set of characters that fit a story perfectly that it really shines. Shinsekai yori has a beautiful cast of characters. You will even find yourself loving to hate the antagonists. As I said earlier, the VAs did so well with the characters that you will never doubt why they are doing what they are doing, or why they feel the way they feel. What actually happens is that you begin to see yourself in them.
Enjoyment (10):
I watched all 25 episodes in one go. I believe this anime to be a masterpiece in the best way. The entire show felt tense/dark, and I couldn't help but get sucked in. Yes there are some pacing issues, and there are homosexual themes in 1-2 episodes but that never took away from the enjoyment I experienced watching this anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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