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Jul 4, 2014
*Note: If this review is tldr, then at least jump to the end and read my advice on how to approach this anime. Thanks for your patience.
Two words sum up Black Bullet very well: Paradise Lost
I began watching this series out of curiosity, since it had finished airing last week. The first episode blew me away in terms of art, sound, and story. I was deeply interested in the Black Bullet's world, and I wanted to find out more. I prematurely gave this anime a 9/10 rating after the first four episodes, but that rating slowly decreased into a 6/10. At the end of
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the series I was left with an opinion on what the show was and what it could have been.
Black Bullet is a prime example of how a potentially great series can be ruined with sub-par pacing. It was imprudent to abridge such an enormous universe and story into a mere 13 episode show.
The story of the anime is quite intriguing, and you will see many other viewers refer to Attack on Titan or other dystopian anime series for Black Bullet’s dark world of humans’ fight against alien parasite. The premise of the story is certainly strong, but it is dragged down to terrible rating due to the quick pacing of the series. The first four episodes is a very interesting arc, and has a mini climatic moment in itself. Quickly after this, the series slowly deteriorates and diverges from its main selling point: badass action and emotional feels.
The story is very complex and deserves a bit more than what most critiques are willing to give. The internal conflict of the city and the cursed, the fight against an alien race, and the personal struggles of the characters are very intriguing and interesting. Yet the main problem results from inadequate screen time spent on those important conflicts and emotional triggers, and this restricts the series from becoming more than average.
The art and sound of the show are very sharp and sleek. They really make the show shine and sparkle despite the many inherent flaws. The character designs are very well done, and the music (original soundtrack, not the OP and ED) sets the mood for both the serious and happy moments.
The characters, while inherently interesting and strong, suffer from a lack of screen time and important development. The anime focuses strongly on a handful of characters, while ignoring the other very important side characters who play a pivotal role in the story. Many times, you are overwhelmed with random characters that explain the political aspect of the series, and you’re left scratching your head on who that character even is.
Overall, I enjoyed the series. I don’t believe it was a waste of my time in anyway, and I’m sure that the light novels are really interesting (I have not read any of them prior to this review). If only this anime took its time and expanded the episodes from 13 to 26, then many of the problems could have been fixed. I’m sad to see it end on such a sour note, and I hope a second season can perhaps make amends.
*Personal advice to those who do not want to watch the entire series due to overall negative reviews: Watch the first four episodes of the series, and leave it at that. This series is similar to the TV show Dexter – it becomes progressively worse, but the beginning is really amazing. First four episodes = 9/10 rating.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 21, 2014
You know, if there was one thing I always hated about conventional anime plot lines it was this awkward "brotherxsister" love. When I first saw it on Sword Art Online, I was completely confused and wondered why such a story archetype even existed! Yet, OreImo, isn't about incestuous love. It's really about two siblings bonding together over their problems and worries.
I'll save the plot line and generic review comments, and tell you this: this anime was enjoyable to watch. It has a lighthearted tone throughout the anime and its comedy sure made me crack up every episode. The art is standard and doesn't pose
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any problems, and the story itself it interesting. The character interactions between Kirino and Kyousuke really drives the story forward with otaku-esque themes being the facilitator. There are a lot of "easter egg" like comedy in the anime, mainly through comedic allusions of existing anime (sort of like Lucky Star's Haruhi Suzumiya references, although the references in OreImo are not as obvious); thus, if you watch Oreimo after watching a lot of other anime, you'll enjoy the series even more.
Yet, this anime is not without its problems. Kyousuke's constant "save the day" moments with Kirino's problems become slowly annoying over time because Kirino acts so pretentious and rude despite her brother's acts of kindness. I question Kyousuke, "Why do you help your sister so much despite her terrible treatment of you?" Kyousuke continually helps his sister through her troubles because in the end, they are blood siblings who love each other for who they truly are.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 18, 2014
At a first glance, Hyouka seems like an ordinary "slice of life" school anime with romance. In reality, Hyouka transcends the typical cookie cutter archetypes of school-slice of life stories with a great mix of mystery. While this anime can't necessarily be called "mystery" because it does not deal with thefts and murders like the Detective Conan series, it deals much more with "everyday mysteries" - small questions that sometimes need good answers.
I'll save you the summary, but let me say this: Hyouka's story is not only strong and enjoyable but also touching. This anime is a mixture of many emotions: happiness, curiosity, fun,
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jealousy, love, ambition, and even despair. The anime's mysteries aren't what drives the show forward, it is the relationships forged from them which truly make this show propel towards greatness.
The beginning of the anime Oreki Houtarou and Chitanda Eru are two strangers meeting in the same club room, and by the end their relationship becomes much more meaningful. Through all the "mystery cases" the classics club solves, they group of four teenagers (Houtarou, Satoshi, Mayaka, and Chitanda) reveals their backgrounds, struggles, and personal stories. This slow unveiling of the characters creates an immersive experience albeit quite slow for some viewers.
One of the best aspects of Hyouka is its art. Kyo Ani has once again impressed me again with their amazing artwork and beautiful graphics. The first episode is full of amazing eye candy visuals, and the series continues strong with great display. Hyouka and Pet Girl of Sakurasou are quite arguably the best visuals I have ever seen, and I was never disappointed with their art.
If you're familiar with classical music (fitting, since the story revolves around a "classics" club), then you will definitely enjoy the music in this anime. Being a classical music lover, I recognized many of the music played in the anime such as Bach's Cello Suite No 1.
Overall, this anime might not be for everyone. It doesn't have a straightforward plot, and it focuses more on telling the stories of four characters coming together as part of Classics Club. It's a beautiful tale of friendship and love, and it is arguably one of my favorite series so far. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys an immersive story telling experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 16, 2014
Nothing sets up an interesting story and fails miserably like Golden Time. Let me say this first : This anime was in no way a waste of time; in fact, it does have its moments, and it is enjoyable when it does do things right. Sadly, the overall anime lacked depth and true emotional link between the characters and the viewers which ultimately resulted on a sour ending.
The story of Golden Time is something quite unique. There are many stories that follow an amnesia plot line, but I had never really watched anything like this. Banri is split between his past with Linda and
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present with Koko, and this internal conflict of finding his true identity is what drives this story forward. Sadly, the story fails in its progression and pacing. The beginning episodes up to around 13 or 14 have an incredibly slow pace. The story and the conflict doesn't truly develop until around episode 17 to 18, and most of the beginning seems like filler. Koko and Banri's relationship suddenly appears out of nowhere, and I was quite confused on how that even happened; while it is clear from the opening theme that Koko and Banri are the main couple of the show, the anime doesn't present their relationship with an appropriate pacing. Koko simply jumps into Banri's life, and he accepts her. The last part of the anime attempts to cram in everything important in the series, and this results in a rushed conclusion.
The art of Golden Time is crisp and good, but the character design for Banri seems too feminine for a guy character. While I didn't expect a "pretty boy" image like Yana's character, I didn't think Banri's design fit his role well. Overall, the art is sharp, and nothing much to complain there.
The sound is another aspect of this anime I found annoying. The opening theme was something I wanted to skip over every episode, and Banri's voice was a tad on the annoying side. This, of course, is a personal opinion I hold.
Characters for this anime bring so much to the table, yet they leave much to be desired. Linda's true feelings for Banri are not focused on at all during the anime, and Okami doesn't really achieve anything in the anime at all. The story focuses on these characters and their backgrounds, but then abandons these character progressions. The series leaves you wondering what happened to the characters' problems that were never directly addressed. The strong friendship between the characters is clear, yet they never express their feelings correctly to each other until of course, the end ( which is crammed into the last 20 minutes of the entire series).
Over all, Golden Time wasn't too bad of a series. It was potentially a very interesting drama anime, but it focused too much on love and trivial things instead of focusing on important aspects of the story. While some parts of the show kept me hoping that the anime would bring more depth, it never delivered the much needed impact. Overall, Golden Time is a mediocre ending that should be watched at an idle time when you have time to burn.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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May 14, 2014
Every once in a while, I run into an anime that has a strong cast of human-like characters. These particularly interest me mainly because of the realistic human character of the anime cast; this allows for a greater level of viewer-character empathy, which is the main component of a moving, character driven story.
Sakurasou attempts at this endeavor and does a fairly good job of it. While it masks itself as a cheap-ecchi anime in the first three episodes, it slowly transforms into a much more serious slice of life anime which has both depth and scope. Its story becomes a bit repetitive as the
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characters continue circling around in their personal failures, and it lacks a definite dynamic change towards the end of the series.
While the focus of the story is finding overcoming failures and continuing towards one’s dream, there is no clear resolution for this problem at the core of the anime.
Sakurasou's biggest plus is its art. J.C. staff's vibrant color and art made a pleasant viewing every time, no matter what episode I watched. The first episode has the biggest eye candy, as it is full of bright color pallet and dynamic art style.
Its great music/sound complemented the visuals, and I found my self enjoying the opening/ending theme after episode 12. The voice acting for this anime is really great, especially for Nanami Aoyama. The voice actress for this character captures the comedic moments as well as serious moments so well that I would be willing to watch another anime with her voice acting.
While its characters have their own unique problems and personalities, they sometimes get in the way of the story telling. Some of the main characters can come off as more annoying than inspiring, and I became frustrated at their reactions to the events; yet, I can’t help but laugh at the characters’ comedic moments and become moved at their strong friendship with each other.
Sakurasou does a great job in a lot of aspects. It’s story’s focus is not simply rom-com, but more of a reflection on life. It unveils some of ugly human aspects we all share within our hearts, while not being afraid to make you laugh continuously with a joke or an embarrassing situation.
With this in mind, I give Sakurasou an overall score of 8/10, a strong suggestion to anyone who likes comedy with a dash of romance. It does not bring much to the table for re-watch value, but it does leave a strong imprint on you as an anime that will make you both laugh and cry.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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