Aug 5, 2009
The Law of Ueki
This anime starts pretty weak. When you first walk into The Law of Ueki, there's not really anything to pull you in. It's a shounen anime. Ok, sweet, shounen I can get in the mood for shounen. So what's the main character able to do? Turn trash into trees. Awesome! wait what. He can turn trash into..... trees...
That's pretty much what The Law of Ueki will hit you with. However, that's what turns this anime into something so brilliant.
--Story--
You've read the synopsis so let's cut to the chase. The story in The Law of Ueki is definitely not its strongest point. As
...
far as shounens go, The Law of Ueki is ahead of its competitors. Ueki strives towards his goals one step at a time, while meeting characters who ultimately he befriends. Stick in some backstory for the characters and you have the formula that The Law of Ueki pretty much adheres to.
As for the actual plot, I would give it a 8. It's interesting, because even God has a backstory in this anime. Although the story does take a bit of a dive in the middle, and never really fully recovers. Other aspects of the anime (I.E. the battles, which is what Shounen is pretty much about) more than make up for it.
--Art/Animation--
There's not much to comment about. Everything is done as it should be. The Law of Ueki isn't an anime that's going to wow you with its visuals. Nor is it an anime
that you can't bear to watch because your eyes are bleeding. The anime doesn't cut any corners, and battles are animated to what they need to be. There's no
slow-mo hi-def sword battles in this one. But that's really not something The Law of Ueki should even be judged on.
--Music--
The music is simply great. It's basically your daily allotment of Jpop But of course, does it contribute to the anime? I would say yes. Some
of the fights and situations in the anime really get you pumped because of the added music, and that's what I believe a 8/9 under music should do for you.
Clearly The Law of Ueki is no Yoko Kanno composition, but hey it gets the job done and it gets it done very well.
--Characters--
The strong point of the anime is right here. At first, Ueki seems kind of empty actually. However, over time Ueki begins to really become that
character you root for. Sometimes his "justice" oversteps the line and you simply facepalm or headdesk, but thats a rare occurance.
The characters are well developed, because their backstories are superb.Each character becomes unique and well defined while all contributing
to the overall enjoyment of the show. Even the character I hated the most (Saru) had his good moments. Although a part of me wanted a little more
"interaction" between Ueki and Mori, alas it was not to be.
What's the best about the characters in The Law of Ueki, is that the anime also pays attention to the villains. Although they clearly aren't given
as much attention as the main heroes, The Law of Ueki really nails it by giving them just the right amount of attention. It's not a 1 minute "blah blah blah
this is why he hates Ueki/wants to win/hates person X/wants to destroy the world" nor is it an episode dedicated to a character who ends up writen off in the recap
time of the net episode.
--Overall--
Overall The Law of Ueki is a superb shounen. The creativity behind the battles makes it a very enjoyable watch just because you think
"Well how is he gonna get out of this one?" That question isn't simply answered by "OH MY GOD HE HAS ASCENDED AND HE'S KICKIN ASS!" There's actually thought behind each battle, and that's what differentiates the average shounen from the great shounen.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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