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STORY: My Neighbor Totoro is simple and whimsical. Although the story is a children's fable, the heart of the tale can draw out the child in everyone. The movie begins in a period of transition for a family, and the movie concludes alongside the end of the transition. The finished product is like a meaningful photograph. The events occurring in the story or picture are not life changing. It's the memory and feeling you take away that holds the worth of the story in Totoro. However, the story is not ground-breaking or awe-inspiring. But the it is delightful and unforgettable.

ART: Consistent, good quality in animation can do wonders for the experience, and this work is another fantastic example of Studio Ghibli's dedication to their art. The scenery in the film is immersive, and the world painted before our eyes is just out of reach, detached pleasantly from reality. The animation is not on par with the works Ghibli produces today, but the animation is still fantastic.

SOUND: The voice acting is good, and the sisters' actors are pleasantly convincing. However, their father always sounds less happy than he appears. Also, the acting for the different Totoro sounds too human for their completely non-human appearances. Although there won't be many musical moments that will stick with you after the viewing, the music is charming and fits perfectly with the events taking place. The show's audio succeeds in making this already joyous world more delightful.

CHARACTER: The characters of Totoro are relentlessly likable. Even though there is little character development, the everyday life appeal of these characters is so genuine and endearing. Yet as fun as these characters are, the lack of character progression leaves a longing for more. The glimpse into their lives is all too brief, which can be good and bad, showing just how attached you can become to this little family. Yet this element is a slight detriment to the power and draw of each character.

ENJOYMENT: Totoro is utterly delightful. The show is meant to put the viewer into the best mood possible, and it succeeds on many levels. The scenes are creative and curious and the characters make you laugh and smile. As endearing and involving as the show can be, the plots avoid hitting on the heart strings and emotions. Thus, at no point does the show place the viewer in suspense and tension, allowing the show to be pleasantly blissful.

OVERALL: My Neighbor Totoro is a movie brimming to the rim with fun and games. What really makes Totoro work is how openly the film acknowledges its simple, child-like style. Sometimes overly optimistic titles can overwhelm viewers with unrealistic and unnecessary happiness. With Totoro the film is happy but not overly so. There is realism within the fantastical here, and that realism makes the joy and laughter genuine, grounded, and accessible. My Neighbor Totoro is a story for all ages within the vessel of a children's fable. read more

STORY: Code Geass is a story about just/unjust war, the aftermath, peace, and pride. There is great content here with multiple levels of conflict, making the process of deciding right and wrong very difficult. The plot lines are complex, easily drawing the viewer into this fictional world. While the story is not tangibly realistic, the show is quite convincing and alluring. With Code Geass the plot material is serious and demanding. Silliness, fun times, and character development are required and acceptable as long as they remain within the established context. At times the story-telling of Code Geass steps out of its theme, and the flow of the solid story loses impetus and direction in uncharacteristic light-heartedness. The show is then thrust back to its original course which can be jarring. The negative effects of this shift result in a loss of the strong conviction by which the show is driven. Also, this series is not finished, and the end is a huge slam on the brakes. I do not consider the abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion to the 25 episode season to be detrimental, but the end will leave you craving more. Besides the occasional sharp, awkward shift in the plot dialect, the story of Code Geass is fantastic and one of the best of the 2006-2007 season.

ART: Sunrise is one the oldest and most reputable animation production companies in Japan, and they have no problems upholding their reputation with Code Geass. Although it's not the best I've ever seen, the animation is very good. At no point is the art direction bad or frown worthy. Mecha fights are convincing enough, dramatic scenes are illustrated well with emotion in mind, and filler scenes don't fall below the established visual standard. The animation is very good, but, more importantly, the animation is consistently good.

SOUND: The voice acting is okay. Some of the voice actors blew me away, especially Suzaku's. Some of the actors left me feeling a little soapy with opera, especially Leuloch's. At times important lines, ones meant to finish a powerful scene with conviction, fall short of their mark. However, the voice acting is situational. Sometimes Leuloch's voice actor convinced me to the fullest. At other times the voice actor made me roll my eyes and laugh. The sound effects are decent, and the music is good at getting the audience interested. However, the soundtrack here does not take command of the epic saga, and there are no moments where the music capitalizes on a scene. The audio aspect of Code Geass is sometimes hit or miss, and the audio is always runner-up to the other facets of the show.

CHARACTER: There are tons of characters in Code Geass, and the show does an exceptional job of trying to involve each and every one of them. Even among the farfetched fantasy of the show, the characters felt unnervingly human and real. Amongst the diverse multitude of characters, there are complex characters being developed through genuine, deep emotions. And then there are the characters who are well developed but not deep. These characters seem out of place like infants among giants. Whenever these normal characters are on screen, the show drops the ball and begins to feel out of place. The screen time was a little too divided between the true characters and the cookie cutter characters. The true characters of the show sold the story and are arguably the strongest element of the show. I just wish they received more time and focus.

ENJOYMENT: Code Geass is compelling, complex, and convicting, and the final product leaves your heart pounding with tension and suspense. While the experience is very entertaining and enjoyable, Code Geass is dark. As the characters make decisions with massive consequences, the vast amount of emotional weight of the show can easily affect the viewer. The show is fun to watch and equally difficult to watch. As previously stated in the story section, the show does not do a good job of providing light-heartedness and release from the stress. Thus, the peaceful and happy scenes feel forced and out of place at times. Still, Code Geass is entertaining and involving.

OVERALL: Code Geass is an intelligent and provocative, war-time, think piece. The production has flaws but is still great, and the final product is much greater than the show's parts.

I hope this review has been beneficial. All feedback, critiques, and comments are appreciated and well accepted through messages. Happy anime watching! read more

STORY: The story or stories within Karas stem from several archetypal anime genres. We have a story of redemption, a story of discovering oneself, a story of the super-natural versus the corporeal, a story of good against evil and the blurry line between. In fact there is a ton of story in here that, with proper plot development, could easily fill an entire 25-27 episode season. And therein lies the problem of Karas's story. There are just too many many plot lines being developed in this movie. Also, the show paces itself slowly, telling the audience only the bare minimum of what needs to be known at the time and ultimately hindering the viewer's involvement. While this amount is sufficient in understanding the full story, the story loses its intrigue that draws in the viewer. There is vast potential for plot here, but this potential is not fleshed out and used.

ART: Karas is a visual powerhouse with few peers to call its equal. All of the major battle and dramatic sequences are perfectly epic. If you enjoy watching superhuman battles with swords, explosions, lasers, robotics(both big and small), etc., then this is the best that anime has to offer. This OVA is one of the most gorgeous films for its genre, and few shows can live up to this caliber of animation quality. Although animation and art design can't carry an entire show, Karas's visual appeal carries a great deal and redeems most of the show's flaws.

SOUND: Fortunately for the visual production of Karas, the sound develops the already epic, visual appeal into unreal proportions. The voice acting is fantastic for each character. The music gives each scene the appropriate response to each emotion. This is the kind of music that inspires roaring during battle scenes, quiet trepidation during conflicts, and cries of "That was beastmode!" during victory celebrations. The audio portion of the show is no pushover in relation to the visual aspect, but there are a few scenes in the show that need audio editing. Besides these few qualms, the sound is fantastic.

CHARACTER: The character development of this show suffers like the story. There are too many characters, and they all have deep histories. However, the show doesn't have the time to delve into all but one or two of these characters, and those select few receive the slightest bit of detail. Ultimately, I just didn't care about anybody other than the protagonist, one of the fortunate characters to receive miniscule detail. It is unfortunate because, like the story, there is so much potential behind the plethora of characters presented. Yet this potential is barely tapped.

ENJOYMENT: Karas is highly enjoyable with varied rewatchability. The battles and epic drive of this series make the experience invigorating, and several post-initial viewings are required to realize the sheer force this epic extravaganza possesses. However, there is very little depth beyond the flash-bang-awesome, and this effect does wear off over time. The initial and second viewings will be the best, and they will be highly memorable. However, there is little to take away from Karas other than, "That was unbelievably cool."

OVERALL: Karas's production team sacrificed plot, depth, and series longevity for visual, audio, and sensual awe. These balances have noticeable and predictable pros and cons.

Also, Karas displays graphic violence overbearingly at times. To some, this graphic effect may not be a problem. However, the gore in Karas is extreme and may be too excessive for others.

I hope this review has proven beneficial, and I appreciate any feedback, critiques, or thoughts through messages. Happy anime watching! read more