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Sep 24, 2015
“Ladies and Gentleman! I bring you marvelous illusions that make this town sparkle at night.” – Kaito Kid; Magic Kaito 1412
Ever since magic has become a trend genre in 21st century – most likely since the release of the Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter franchise - we have seen many films involving the preternatural, yet wonderful power; and many more will come. And consequently, magic found its way into the “world” of anime. But what about illusions?
To put it plainly, an illusion is a distortion of the human senses; and though they distort reality, they are generally shared by most people. It describes a
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misinterpretation of a true sensation – unlike hallucination. So no abracadabra: just a trick…
And this is what this show – Magic Kaito 1412 – is mainly about: illusions and tricks, but the feelings are magical. It is the job of an illusionist to keep its audience entertained throughout the show. A job which Magic Kaito 1412 does very conscientiously.
The magic show is a largely episodic series centered on the adventures of the high school student Kaito Kuroba, who shines as a charismatic gentleman thief - who steals rare jewelry and returns it shortly afterwards - to thwart the people responsible for the death of his father: the original Kid, the Phantom Thief. And yet Kaitos father has his own set of background episodes without being actually present throughout the series. In fact, these episodes are essential to the story because it shows what motivates Kaito to become what he is during the present storyline.
For the most part of the magic show, however, Kaito Kid does what he has to: he keeps his show moving and the audience entertained. He performs most of his heists in such a flashy manner that it rapidly turns into a free magic show – much to the displeasure of the hotheaded inspector Nakamori and the Japanese police. Besides Kaito Kid, inspector Ginzo Nakamori and his daughter Aoko are the most prominent amongst the cast members during the 24-ep. run; the latter is ironically Kaitos friend who he has known since they were kids.
Some of those who might have expected rather cheesy magical battles between the characters might have been disappointed and have even dropped the show. Instead of this, Magic Kaito 1412 features in most episodes a very nice cat-and-mouse game. It might feel repetitive once you are halfway through the show; and yet, since everyone has his own taste and preference, each episode might be either a hit or a miss. And rather than relying on fan service or cliché romance stories, the magic show delivers a very charming comedy and simple storytelling instead. Simple but clever.
The character design is nicely done throughout the magic show - especially Kaito Kid is clothed quite noticeable; some of the characters noses, however, look rather bizarre at times. It does not ruin the anime in its entirety but it might be distracting. Nevertheless, Ginzo Nakamoris frustrating, but amusing expressions, Akakos rather mysterious beauty and Hakubas sense for style truly fit each characters design. The settings, on the other side, work very well and do not share similarities with the ones that have already been used in previous episodes. And due to the excellent cuts an edits, the magic show becomes even more suspenseful.
A rather decent, yet well balanced and slightly jazzy soundtrack delivers all the emotions it has to. After all, nothing seemed misplaced in the anime where a few dramatic moments are also captured on screen. But mostly, the soundtrack supports Kaitos actions during the magic show and is worth listening on its own. On the other hand, the voice cast deserve praise for their solid performance; thanks to their skillful effort, it helped the characters (and the show) coming to life.
Is this show a hallucination or an illusion? Well, it is obvious, is it not? Kaito Kid is a good host who keeps his audience entertained throughout his magic show. Whether he appears under the moonlight or is walking through the air, his audience will not get bored. Kaito Kid creates the illusion and fools you - while having a gentle smile on his face...
Personally, I thought the anime was a real thrill to watch. It might have some flaws here and there but they do not ruin the atmosphere the magic show creates from the very beginning. At the end, it is all about illusions. And illusion is nothing more than a misinterpretation of art in its own true nature.
“See you… next illusion.” – Kaito Kid
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 22, 2015
The task or purpose of a circus is to keep the audience entertained throughout the show they deliver; sparkling lights, well costumed actors and cute, yet dangerous animals are either helpful and seek your attention. None would dare to blink more than absolutely necessary. Once you leave, it is the greatest reward for a circus if you would not forget what you just have experienced. A reward which Karneval struggles to achieve.
The anime opens with two of the main character, Nai and Gareki. Nai - a simple minded boy who clearly cannot survive in such a harsh world – is looking for a guy
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named Karoku. His search brings him in contact with Gareki, a young pickpocket guy who has nowhere to go. After seeing Nais priceless bracelet that would bring Gareki certainly the so much needed money, they end up on the run and encounter a battle between the supernatural Government defense force known as Circus and a evil supernatural organization named Kafka that develops these demonic creatures called Varugas. Both, Gareki and Nai would soon be caught in the hunt as the mysterious organizations seems to have a deep interest in each of them – and especially since Nai is not as human as he appears.
Karneval has rather modest ambitions, and accordingly, it packs only a modest emotional punch in terms of story and character development; it is mainly about pretty guys – in roles big and small - in pretty, yet fancy outfits and the characters leave a lot to be desired.
Talking of which, this leads us the first issue: the characters. The main characters (Garki, Nai, Yogi and Tsukumo) are attractive and each of them is individual; however, there is still room for development. Gareki is a guy who does not like getting close to people but actually cares for them deeply whereas Yogi is a rather childish guy who wants to get along well with everyone. Nai is the innocent and cute guy, but as the story progresses – which it hardly does - he becomes more and more a background character. And last but not least, there is Tsukumo, a fighting, yet calm girl who – after the anime introduces her – is not as interesting as we might have expected her to be. In conclusion: out of the main cast, Gareki is the only one who receives a proper background which is why he seems to be the most interesting of the cast.
There are some other pretty faces stumbling through this show but due to the lack of depth and further explanations, we cannot help but to realize that we do not care for the characters at all; yet, they serve the anime as the ordinary, stereotypical supporting characters.
On the other hand, there are several issues with the story. The anime has two plot points: one is about the rather lukewarm relationship of Gareki and Nai whereas the other is all about the mysterious organization called Circus.
The story of Gareki and Nai is more a personal journey; Nai seems to love Karoku -. a mysterious young man who does have screen appearances but the viewer has little to no clue to his true origin or identity; which is why Nais own identity is mostly unclear throughout the series - but apparently grows very fond of Gareki as well. And Gareki slowly changes whenever he hangs out with Nai. And even though this plot takes up a lot of the series running time, there can barely be seen any progression at the end of the show.
The second plot about Circus is mostly a puzzle throughout the series; at first glance, this plot appears to be generally just about certain missions the members of Circus tackle that Nai and Garkei tags along to. In fact, however, it is about their pursuit of the organization called Kafka. Circus is actually trying to find suitable evidence of crime since Kafka is responsible for creating monsters called Varuga. These monsters were once humans that got their cells altered. As a result, they became rather deformed super humans that hurt innocent people. The issue in this plot is the lack of explanations. They are an organization - involving some pretty faces - and that is nearly it. Therefore, the manga gives you unquestionably better explanations.
As a matter of fact, it is saddening to see that the anime lets you down even though it has such a stunning animation. The character designs are all gloriously done; the world looks as if it wants to be explored and the studio added so many little, yet seemingly unimportant background details which really highlights the series strength.
Additionally, editing and cutting are well-directed too which is sort of the pounding heart of the show.
The opening song is definitely a good start into the show, whereas the rest of the soundtrack appears rather decent: in other words, it is only noticeable during tense moments. It has its moments when it shines out brighter than expected but all in all there are numerous of far better soundtracks out there.
As mentioned in the opening, the series struggles to achieve any notable reward. The concept might have been promising but failed to keep you breathless in the seat - while the show is running - until the curtain falls for the last time. And after it fell it was and is clear: most would leave the show without having a look back.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Sep 19, 2015
“Does losing prove that you are weak? Isn't losing difficult for all of you? A challenge where, after ending up on your hands and knees, you must see if you can stand up again?." – Ittetsu Takeda (Haikyuu!!)
Some of those who have already written about Haikyuu!! have mainly categorized it as a bloody good show with a high level of realism and great characters. It is true; however, it is not just about the sport itself, the much needed team spirit or the willing heart you need in order to succeed in the court. There is a decent feeling of longing and beyond that, the
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anime awakes a silent slice-of-life lesson during its first season; a lesson – or a topic - which modern society tends to avoid and overlook: it is all about failure.
But to put it plainly, Haikyuu!! – based on the same titled manga written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate; directed by Susumu Mitsunaka - is a direct, straightforward and heartfelt piece of work; and the story, while easy enough to grasp, stretch far beyond the typical homilies of being true to oneself, or asserting that everyone is special – which is (ironically) already a given fact. In truth, the series does rather honor and celebrate individuality; only if you are truly individual – thus, being able to work on your own and yet understand others mind and knowing how to make use of their strength - you complete a team.
The anime opens with Shouyou Hinata, a young enthusiastic boy, who falls in love with volleyball after seeing a small athlete – nicknamed the small giant - seemingly fly during a national championship match on TV. He then decides to form a volleyball club at his school; but due to the lack of team members, he has to practise with members of the basketball and the girls’ volleyball team. However, after a while, he is able to gather enough people for the tournament where his first match is up against one of the tournament favourites: a school lead by a talented, yet tyrannical ace setter named Tobio Kageyama; dubbed as the king of the court and the second main character of the show.
Hinata and his team, nevertheless, fight hard but eventually loose and his defeat appears much more bitter because of the arrogant – at times refusing - attitude Kageyama showed not only towards him but also towards the game itself and his own teammates. But still, Hinata does not give up his dreams and later he goes to Karasuno High in hopes of being in an actual volleyball team in order to defeat Kageyama. In Karasuno High though, he encounters Kageyama – who is practising by himself – and they end up being in the same team.
At first glance, the topic seems to be rather easy to understand and follow: it is a sport anime. Nonetheless, things are (and might become) a bit more complex if you truly watch this series as it is. It is not just about winning the game, being the last one in the court while others had left long ago. In one hand, it is about the team as a whole; on the other hand – when we narrow it down – it is about the individual on its own, thinking about questions such as: How do I interact with the team? What decisions need to be made during a game? What can I do as a setter/libro/… to serve and support the team? Fortunately, we witness many questions - and answers of course - as these ones throughout the show. It is such a pleasure to see how they come and work together as a team and how they keep pushing each other to raise the bar higher
There is no light without a shadow – and ironically that is the moment when the series shines out most. In the past, we barely have seen anime or films facing the pain and bitterness of failure. Is it bad to fail? Or… Why do we fail? Showing the effects of losing is a common thing in sports anime; however, it has rarely been done with such depth as it is in Haikyuu!!. Most other anime (and films) tend to only focus on those who lost to the protagonists. With that being the case, we unfortunately tend to ignore or even avoid the losers since we have been convinced that the only thing that matters is winning.
Is it bad to fail? It happens every now and then to everyone; and we look then for a light at the end of a tunnel which appears to be a hope rather than reality. In the anime, many of the players fail and have failed; even Tooru Oikawa, claimed to be the great king in the court, failed. Sometimes, however, it is the failure that becomes the solid foundation on which a dream can become reality. That is why AND because of this, Haikyuu!! is also without a doubt a charming little slice-of-life show even if we tend to overlook such themes and topics.
Having mentioned Tooru Oikawa, this leads us to the players of Haikyuu!!. It is a pleasure of watching so many players - in roles big and small – who are so well-developed and individual; and each of them has a specific set of skills, flaws, fears – and even dreams. With Tobio Kageyama and Shouyou Hinata as main characters, it is also great to see that the show gives the other players a chance for spotlight. Instead of giving us the usual, faceless supporting characters, Haikyuu!! does the opposite. The most notable ones might be the following: vice-captain Koushi Sugawara, ace Asahi Azumane; captain of Nekoma high, Tetsurou Kuroo and Kenma Kozume; and captain of Aoba Jousai High Tooru Oikawa and Hajime Iwaizumi. Above all, it appears needless to say that there is a lot of character development to be found in this series.
Among all these character, Koushi Sugawara deserves a special mention. He is a third year student at Karasuno High School as well as being the setter in the Boys' Volleyball Club. However, since Kageyama joined the team, Sugawara is not Karasunos official setter anymore. Now, what is most wonderful about him is the fact that he does not dream of giving up on playing in general - although he was replaced by a younger player. As such, he encourages himself and all of his teammates not to give up; with the latter, he acts as a pillar of support for them. He is the much needed and appreciated glue that holds the team together (and in check at times).
Longing is another, rather decent aspect of the anime and yet, many of the characters embodies this so beautifully. All of us know the feeling of longing; and while we are alive it seems as we can never give up longing. And at times, longing is hard to put into words – that is why, the anime makes such a fantastic and extraordinary use of symbols: the raven that rises into the air and flies away; the view from the summit whenever Hinata or someone else jumps.
Further, it may not be a surprise that Haikyuu!! has some great comedy in it, and it usually happens when you hardly expect it. This is truly one of the backbones – involving some hilarious “over-the-top” expression that generously pepper the show.
Another strength of the series is its realistic style. There is no absurd or supernatural movement throughout the show. Instead, all dives, spikes, serves, passes, … can be seen in a common volleyball game. Besides being excellently edited, the matches are fast, suspenseful, exciting and even dramatic - Realism at its finest.
The character design obviously shines through the most because of Production IG’s high quality presentation. When you see Hinata speed up, the body tones are incredibly beautiful as you see the muscles tense up. (Based on Haruichi Furudates manga) Production IG manages to capture a pleasing sports character design as well as making sure the characters are not too overly muscular, unlike other sport anime. As a result, it is a pleasure seeing Haruichi’s vision come to life.
One mark of good animation is when the viewer can tell from a characters body languages alone what they are actually thinking in a certain moment. For instance, there is a shot on the team manager, Kiyoko Shimizu, tensing up as she watches the game which tells us something is about to happen that goes by very quickly. Consequently, the viewer does the same – he or she tenses up.
A rather decent, yet well balanced and beautiful soundtrack delivers all the emotions it has to. Nothing seemed misplaced in the anime where dramatic moments are also captured on screen with the proper music to make it feel and look real. After all, the soundtrack is worth listening on its own. On the other side, the voice cast deserve praise for their solid performance; it is their work and effort that helped the characters coming to life.
The opening (especially the first one) sets Haikyuu!! apart from most other sport anime since there is only one shot – involving the small giant - in a proper volleyball game; the rest focuses only on their training in the gym whereas other anime focuses on big games in the series. In fact, the first half of the first minute is a slow build up before anything happens. Then the angle of the camera changes rapidly; well-timed short shots from different angels can be seen which does not simply introduce the cast; it also shows each characters strength in the court such as the intensity of Ryūnosuke Tanaka or Kei Tsukishimas blocking abilities.
Once the show has ended, we might realize what the series is all about. Yes, mainly it is about sport - volleyball – but there so many other things as well. It is also about the passion and the love for doing what you are doing; it is about overcoming your fear and proving that you are ready for the game; and - even though the anime does waste no time in mentioning it - that each of us is a talented and special individual.
Is this not what makes a show so realistic? Or would we not care if it was not? An anime about sport that gives us an astonishing point of view about success and failure. It is absolutely inevitable to fail. Failure means a stripping away of the inessential – stop pretending and start doing what you want to do; you might fail, yes. But this proves that you have tried, that you have lived. And as Ittetsu Takeda stated at the end of his speech: you have only failed/lost “If you stay on your hands and knees (that proves that you are weak)”.
I (a person who mainly watches anime but does not make them) consider the anime as one of the best I have ever seen in my life. Haikyuu!! is such an inspiring and motivating anime and at the end of season 1 I felt nothing but gratitude for the joy that the creators were able to give me: watching them thriving on negativity that has crossed their way, seeing the seemingly eternal beauty of passion and the power to believe - even when all turn away. And if I were to offer some criticism, it would be either the hope not turning the anime into a show filled with supernatural powers and abilities rather than being realistic; and giving some of the supporting cast a little bit more screentime as well as showing a new side of longing. But the season 2 is already at hand…
(“Failure means a stripping away of the inessential” – by J.K. Rowling; Harvard Commencement Speech, 2008)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 15, 2015
"No matter how many years go by, I'm sure we'll still be laughing together."
This dictum from Kimi to Boku season 2 leads us through the entire series. It does not sound really outstanding or impressive, even not meaningful. But after we get to see the show we might change our mind. We start thinking about how deep this statement in fact is and how important it will become, even if it seems difficult to imagine at the very beginning.
The “heroes” of this second season are the same as last time; the Twins Yuta and Yuki, Kaname, and Shun. All have been childhood friends since kindergarten,
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and after Chizuru joins them, their school life changes and becomes livelier. That is it. Well, what did you expect? A bunch of good-looking teens trying to find their love – or just someone who does their homework? No at all.
The twins, Kaname, Shun and Chizuru are as normal as anybody out there could possibly imagine. Normal in a rather extraordinary way.
One of the great pleasures of Kimi To Boku is its inherent lightness, the way it seems wholly unaware that it is a grand achievement – even though it actually is. Its story? The “ordinary” daily life of “normal” people. Have you ever had one of those days when the night came and you were watching or reading something - and all of a sudden someone asked you: how was your day? And the only thing you said was: “Just normal… daily stuff…”
In modern society, people tend to forget the daily life; the little things that happens all the time - but we do not pay attention. We would rather see something else. And from that point of view, this anime appears to be quite different – and yet normal. Kimi to Boku is one of the great animes precisely because it is not set out to “wow” us. None of the characters are flawless; and yet, they are all very well fleshed out – but not storyboarded. They act normal, ordinary - and unpredictable.
The twins are very talented in their own ways but can hardly be separated; Kaname is very into his studies whereas Shun keeps an eye on all of them. Last but not least there is Chizuru, the energetic and cheerful young guy who used to live in Germany. Each of them have a specific set of gifts, skills, dreams, qualities and flaws – as well as we do. But just recognizing them is not enough: what counts is what we do with them.
Timing is everything - the anime has its own. And this can be seen in each dialogue, each emotion, and each movement from the characters and, of course, the camera: nothing happens too early, nothing too late. The plot is the pounding heart of the series. Every episode takes one of the characters - whether this is a main or not - and does something clever with him or her. There is a lot of character development to be found in this series.
The Design/Visuals should not go unmentioned. It stayed the same as we had seen this in its predecessor; however, it still had a relaxing colour palette. There are scenes where the anime stands still: and then in the way as the scene changes its colour, it does remind of a storybook. The wonderful, seemingly unimportant score and the beautiful colour help to get deeper into the “ordinary” story and the series.
What is most wonderful about it is the way how the cat – which is some sort of a “hidden” main character - is embodying and carrying a certain moment which the characters are facing at this time; fear, anger, happiness, loneliness, boredom, tiredness and so on.
"No matter how many years go by, I'm sure we'll still be laughing together."
By the time the show has ended, we should be able to understand what they meant; it helps the series to become what it is: art. It is not the colour, the score or the characters. The fact, that the series talks about “daily life” – which is a really boring topic for most of us – could confuse. However, it also shows us that we do not always need a big story or topic to create something big. Something that is worth to be seen.
And laughing, on the other hand, is not just about being happy; it is also about the pursuit of pleasure and delight and surprise, being able to spend your time with those people you hold most dear; Laughing can be symbolized with the seeking of both sensation and meaning.
Personally, I have found it is also the small things – even if we call it “ordinary” stuff – that can create great and memorable art as Kimi To Boku did, and the deep happiness I got from the series itself is truly my greatest reward. That is all I can ask for. Some may share my opinion, some not; depending on what perspective you have and what perspective you have got.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 4, 2015
Rin Okumura, our main Protagonist, lives a fairly normal life until the day he finds out he is the son of a demon - more specifically: the living offspring of Satan. Quite a promising premise for a shounen anime; unfortunately, it could not keep its promise, mainly due to its characters and storyline.
Having said that, this leads us to the first issue: the Story. Ao no Exorcist starts off strong; throwing both you and Rin into unfamiliar territory filled with demons and priests and a very interesting actual state of the world and how it is divided. But soon after, the story develops into a
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veritable donwfall. The Serie suffers greatly under its predictable storyline and lacks of the much needed depth which is essential to keep the story interesting for the rest of the show. Rather than giving us a better picture of the two worlds, the Story is filled with bland humour and uninteresting storyarcs instead.
Ao no Exorcist revolves around two worlds; the human world "Assiah" and the demon world "Gehenna". One does not simply travel between these two worlds unless you have a key which, paradoxically, quite a bunch of poeple seem to have. With this being the case it appears as if this key had been sort of a giveaway long time ago.
Let us have a look at the characters of Ao no Exorcist. Rin Okumura appears as the stereotypical shounen main protagonist; not much intelligence, edgy personalty,... . He might be likeable, but is definitely not worth being called memorable.
Yukio, his brother, serves as the smart, clever boy who tries to hold his brother in check throughout the anime - but offers not very much to the story itself.
And of course there is a archetypical girl in the anime which, after all, can easily be compared to Sakura from Naruto or Asuna from Sword Art Online. They all share and possess the same stunning quality to serve a story.
However, there were things that deserve a certain amount of praise. Let us begin with the Animation and the visual quality. The regular animation (CGI has been used as well) and the visuals of the demons did not disappoint. The variety of demons that were presented can arguably be
classified in "exceptionally creepy", "fancy little badass" or "cute little fellows".
Editing/Cutting were well-directed and the Music/Sound were appropriate for each scene. That is all we can ask for.
In conclusion, the anime does not have the dark tone as we could have expected out of the first few episodes. Surprisingly, however, it possess a reasonable amount of Entertainment, especially at the beginning. Therefore, Ao no Exorcist cannot be classified as entirely bad rather than wasted potential.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Sep 3, 2015
So this is how the world could be if Psychokinesis had taken over...
Shinsekai Yori takes place in the future - in the very distant future. Interestingly it does not really look like the very distant future; rather than the distant past, before electrcity and that stuff had been invented.
1000 years passed... and people have not changed at all. For instance: they believe in almost the same things as they did back then in 2010. They have not grown over those years or have not made any usages of the modern technology to rebuild their lives after Psychokinesis had almost wiped out humanity (or was on
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its best way to do so). No TV, no superdimensional computers or futuristic architecture appear in the monitor in front of you. To sum up: People in 1000 years would rather go back in the forest and live under trees - using boats in order to cross (or "drive" on) the river and so on - than using the enormous "power" of our modern technology. The basic idea of this distant future story might have been pretty interesting and surely had a lot of potential and freedom to make use of it.
With this being the case, just shows us that there was never much room for an utopian, 24 ep-lasting serie in the distant future. Thus, after the first four episodes, the serie eventually turns into a political, action-packed drama which involves a romantic drama as well with very simple characters.
Having said that, this leads us the next issue: the characters. They were generally likeable, but definitely not memorable. The anime is told from the perspecitve of (almost) Saki only. There are, however, a lot of other characters stumbling through this Anime; therefore, it would have been nice to get some insights of other characters. Or a proper farewell since some of them just disappaer.
The animation was really inconsistent. Also, there was a guest director for some of the episodes, and while one of them was really good, one of them was not. Notably episode 5.
Another notable episode is definitely episode 8. It is not mainly due to its subject matter. It is rather due to the fact that there was no lead-up to what happened. There was simply no explanation, no clarification for what they did; or why a certain person has a certain feeling for someone else. And as suddenly it started, as abruptly it ended.
Besides these problems, there are notable things which serves the anime quite a bit. The sound does deserve indubitably solid praise and the serie has a well used voice cast. Sound effects, however, were rather decent.
The first few episodes need to be praised for its really well-directed, excellently edited and accentuated musically atmosphere. It makes you feel uncomfortable watching it and furthermore shows the seemingly endless power of Psychokinesis in its own true nature.
In conclusion, Shinsekai Yori cannot be classified as bad since the start was very well done; but it is far from being a masterpiece and cannot fully satisfy its more critical viewers.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 16, 2014
"Let there be shining lights in the starless sky" - No. 6 ending (song)
Well, the story takes place in - *rataplan* - No. 6; an ideal and perfect City, without starvation, without wars and everything you need is right there. The only thing: the city is surrounded by walls.
Soon after the start we're introduced to one of the mains; Shion. A curious, naive young Boy who lives in no. 6. One night he lets a strange, injured boy into his house - and this boy is revealed as the second main named Nezumi (Side note: Nezumi is the jap. word for Rat).
Of course is
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Shion interested in Nezumi - who would not if hardly nothing happens in your life and everything seem to be predictable - and that is point where the story starts.
The setting was very nice indeed and gives the show a cool atmosphere. But yet, it takes almost the entire show to get the answer for questions such as "why it was built like this?", "why does Nezumi try to destroy it?", "why..." "what..." "how..." and so on.
Some parts of the story were extremly predictable, whereas others weren't at all; the Kiss for instance.
The animation was alright, but not outstanding. The same for the characters. They were memorable, but not special at all. They were explained, but at times I felt I was missing out something. Perhaps the novels have or give a better explanation. I assume that they would since 9 volumes were published. However, I did like Nezumis style most, followed by Inukashi "Dogkeeper. I think they gave a nice impression of how life could actually look like if you were an outsider.
Another thing what I extremely enjoyed was the attention for details in the background - the leafs moving in the wind, the light behind tiny windows far away - which gave the anime such a great atmosphere.
But, without a doubt, the animes strongest point was the Art/Sound. The sound of rain or wind for instance are very well done and the voices fitted the characters nicely.
The opening and especially the ending theme can be easiely described with one word: awesome! I became a huge fan of the ending theme because of the very nice sound and the beautiful lyrics. But I also liked the sound during the show - there were times when it was bizarre, there were times when it was quite soft - and I found myself paying more attention to the sound than the show. Having said that, I personally think I only keep the anime in my mind because of the sound.
So how shall I rate this anime? After considering all these points I would give the anime 7/10 rather than 6/10, just because of the sound.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 12, 2014
The distance between a good Anime and a bad Anime can be quite a long way to go...
Well, this anime is either of it. It doesn't try to be good, but it has proved; it's better than we might have expected.
Let's have a short and sexy overview; the plot is strange, complex, confusing, interesting, colourful,... yes, I think that's quite a good bunch of useful words to give a short description... ou, different - quite forgotten - might be the best one! And it's different indeed. But yet; different doesn't mean "bad". It's nice to see something new, something, that is not afraid at all
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to present itself in a way different than we may have seen before. Undoubtedly, I believe many people will not like it because of all these things. However; the story is easier than we think: it explores all the events that happen around August 14/15th in which our protagoniste - kown as Mekakushi-Dan - find together.
Having said that, this leads us to another good point of the anime: we get to know a bunch of People and each of them has gotten his or her own qualities, skills and personality. You will either find at least one of them you like or dislike - but let me say, I loved following each of them on their personal way and getting through their past and experience. And we must know that each of them has a special ability hidden in their eyes and our young fellows are forced to deal with it.
What I feel stand out most is the art of the anime. It's pure. It reflects the emotions in a certain moment beautifully; furthermore, in a very abstract and strange way. But yet, it gives the anime this very special flair. And the sound does the rest!
The greatest flaw, however, is without a doubt its length: it's too short.
12 Episodes are not enough. It would have been a great benefit for the serie if it had at least 20 Episodes, so they could focus on giving us more details.
I can recommend the show, but only for those who enjoy staying focused while watching an anime of this kind. If you are a person who wants to give your brain a rest then however it's - sort of - my duty to say; you'd better stay away!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 9, 2014
My expectations weren't so high... but after I got through the 2nd season I just can say: I did enjoy the show very much!
Of course there actually is a slight homoerotic undertone but this does not mean guys should stay away from it or it's only a show for girls and Yaoi Fans. I think for guys it's quite amusing to see those guys swimming, chatting, ... whatever..., with each other.
However, during the show, there is not so much attention on the swimming; rather, how they interact with each other, how they come and work together as a team and how they keep pushing
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each other to raise the bar higher and - finally - for achieving their goals and dreams.
Furthermore, Free absolutely stands out for being an Anime with a great character development. It was beautiful to see how the boys - literally - went through the episodes, with their own personal ups and downs (and sometimes something in between).
The art and the sound work beautifully together. I absolutely love the OST because it does suit in the setting perfectly and gives the anime this unique, pecial Flair.
So, this is an anime I can highly recommend to everyone! It's anime about swimming, about friendship, about being a part of a Team, about loyalty and about dreams!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 2, 2014
First of all I have to say; thanks to Christina Aguilera! Because of her I got through the entire Anime. (I was listening her music all the time, especially "Dirrty"). But I was still able to catch the point of the story.
- Sora and Shiro are hikikomori siblings who don't care for the real world, but dominate any game when they work together as "Blank." -
This should be enough introduction I suppose. Some may say it's a "must watch" for everyone who's fallen in love with all kind of video games.
Well, I myself am a fan of videogame, yet I admire "real" games even
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more. Poker or chess for instance.
So I should like this anime(?); however, I do not at all.
The story itself would be quite interesting. In fact, after the first reviews I've read, my expectations were on a fair level I think. And even my first impression wasn't so bad.
But yet, I noticed after the first few minutes how incredibly boring the anime turned out to be. Especially because of the two main protagonists - Sora and Shiro. They are incredibly talented kids - full of skills and their only "weakness" is apparently that they have to be together... all the time. Otherwise, they behave ridiculously strange!
In my opinion there's another problem. How they actually win all the games. It is sort of "Oops, I did it again" (Thanks Britney for this line - now it makes absolutely sense.)
Therefore, you undoubtedly know the kids will win every single game no matter what! They bet something, literally their lives, and win of course; otherweise, the serie would come to an abrupt ending...
I thoroughly believe that the anime is totaly overhyped, in any ways you can even think of. Still, there are a plenty of animes out there which are far worse than NGNL actually is. Yet I must confess the beginning was decently entertaining; nevertheless, I'd rather be watching a show which keeps what it's promised.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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