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Tales of the Abyss was originally developed by Namco for the Playstation 2 and released on the 10th anniversary of the “Tales” series. The anime first aired 3. Of October 2008 and it’s the fourth installment of the “Tales” series to be adapted into an anime. I liked the game a lot and thought I should review the anime for the users on MAL.
In the review below I’ve tried to include an objective opinion of both the fan treats and possible faults that a game adaption poses to viewers, who haven’t played the game. To this end a section called “Compared to the game” can be found later on in the review.

Story
Tales of the Abyss’ storyline has a balanced amount of both good and bad points. The main storyline is interesting, but is highly dependent on long tiring explanations of terms like “fonons”, “Yulia’s score” and “fomicry”. However the main story moves along at a fairly good pace even if a few explanations are needed along the way.
Also the short stories about the characters’ relationships and pasts are very good. They bring a fresh perspective once in a while and makes sure the viewer isn’t left totally clueless about the characters’ former lives. Especially the slight romances make the story appear more appealing.
The most alarming point of the anime’s story is the sudden leaps in time and progression. A few times during the show an episode ends on a cliffhanger only to skip the situation, and leave the viewer wondering what happened in between the two episodes.
These sorts of skips are continuously used throughout the show and might irritate even the most die hard fans of the game.
Despite the tiring explanations and unresolved cliffhangers Tales of the Abyss presents a fairly enjoyable story with a lot of powerful action and appealing side stories.

Characters
The protagonist of Tales of the Abyss is primarily Luke von Fabre. However the rest of the protagonists play essential roles regarding both the main storyline and the immense character development of Luke.
One of the best elements of this particular anime is the character development that all the main characters go through. The development of each character is carefully included in the storyline and none of it seems forced or out of place. This makes for a cast of very likeable characters and a pleasant watch.
Even so a few of the major developments happens in a very short amount of time and a few characters loose some of their distinctive and humoristic character traits. This is a very small fault but it’s still bound to upset some viewers, even if the characters actually seem more likeable after the development.
Altogether the anime presents the characters in a good way and the character development is smooth and nicely included in the main storyline or some of the previously mentioned short side stories.

Animation
The category in which Tales of the Abyss performs the best is animation.
The high quality of character models and scenery is constant through all 26 episodes, and it doesn’t seem like Sunrise and Bandai Visual made any noticeable or irritating mishaps.
The production team should especially be credited for the fast paced swordfights which are all breathtaking and surprisingly fluid in motion.
Also a select few scenery shots seem particularly well made; for example the shots of the capitals: “Baticul” and “Grand Chokmah” seen from bird’s eyes view.
The character models are all highly detailed, very distinctive and recognizable. This is certainly a positive aspect during the high paced fighting where some viewers might have confused one character for another, had the characters been more alike.
The only slightly infuriating thing about the characters might be the cast of “good” characters, who seem a bit neutral compared to the “evil” characters. The evil “God-generals” simply seem to be more unique and interesting in design. Animation wise some of these characters definitely deserved more screen time. However, despite the critique, the good characters shouldn’t be called boring or uninteresting.
The show also contains a high amount of well placed CG and the CG objects don’t seem out of place. Some of the computer generated spell graphics are a bit extravagant. However this isn’t really a flaw since the same graphics and spells were used in the original console game.
All in all the show should be particularly credited for the high quality of animation which the production team at Sunrise and Bandai Visual is responsible for.

Sound
The music of the show didn’t impress me much. The background music used during the actual episodes is neither spectacular nor bad. The music helps set the mood but I personally didn’t notice the music much throughout the episodes.
I did like the opener “Karma” by Bump of Chicken but just listening to the song without the animated intro makes it loose some of its charm. Especially because a lot of the emotions expressed in the song is complimented by the opening sequences. Nevertheless “Karma” is worth recommending to any fans of J-rock (myself not particularly being one of them though). The ED "Bouken Suisei" by Kurumi Enomoto, like the background music, was okay but nothing out of the ordinary.
The voice actors did a decent/good job portraying the emotions of the characters and it’s always a treat for the fans of the game, when the original voice actors also do the voices of the anime. However the voices of Luke fon Fabre and Mieu did irritate me a tad at first but getting used to both voices doesn’t take long.

Compared to the game
Being an adaption of a RPG game, it’s inevitable that the show doesn’t contain some obvious game-based faults, one of them being the unexplainable fast-travel from one location to another.
If the viewer hasn’t played the original game or equivalent, the jumping could seem weird and confusing, since no information about the trips is given. Also the spells, abilities and tech terms (see Story) might be confusing if the viewer has no knowledge of the game. The use of the original spells is simply a treat for the fans without any real meaning to the individual watching Tales of the Abyss by chance.
The last big fault is the dramatic change in tempo during episodes. The action is definitely one of the best things about this anime, but the high paced action makes the story progressing conversation seem boring at times.
Yet even with the obvious fault, the production team did a good job adapting the game into a fairly enjoyable anime adventure which should please fans of the “Tales” series.

Final Thoughts
Tales of the Abyss isn’t a masterpiece but probably never had the potential either. Yet it’s still a fairly good series with a balanced amount of good and bad elements. The story is complicated and some of the leaps in time are awfully confusing, but the characters are likeable, the character development is interesting and the animation is great. The fluid movements during action scenes would without a doubt be pleasing to every anime action fan out there.
For the fans of the original game this is a must see, while other potential viewers should be aware that some parts of the anime is included purely as treats for fans of the game.
Tales of the Abyss is good but nothing spectacular. If you’re a fan of the “Tales” series or an adventure/action fan this show is worth checking out.
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I finished watching The Place Promised in Our Early Days and simply had to write something about how I perceive and feel about the movie.
I think a lot of different animes stimulate a lot of different feelings. Some are funny, some are sad, some are mysterious and confusing, but The Place Promised in Our Early Days made me feel a lot of different emotions all at once. I felt joy, sadness and relief in a way I’ve never experienced before. The movie is one of Shinkai Makoto three dominant works Voices of a Distant Star, 5 Centimeters Per Second and of cause The Place Promised… And while all of the three movies contain seemingly identical themes, they individually interpret friendship and the universe differently. In The Place Promised the existence of alternate universes is interpreted and the friendship of three middle school students is put to the test.

Story
The Story is really made up of three parts: An introduction of the characters and their friendship, a phase of separation/despair (the dilemma) and an ending. This is not an uncommon composition. However Shinkai Makoto (the writer/director) has a very special way of making the parts look like three individual chapters in a book or three individual chapters in each of the characters life stories.
The introduction of the characters (the first part) has a distinctive slice of life feel to it, which works really well, since the first part of the movies is supposed to present the set of characters and make the viewer understand how special and precious their friendship is.

The second part of the story is set into motion by skipping forward in time. The sudden skip in time is possibly the only thing that disappointed me about the story or actually the composition of the story, not the story itself. I understand why the story had to move on, but I enjoyed the slice of life setting a lot and felt like the skip was all too sudden and harsh. Especially because the second part of the movie is a psychological drama.
The friends are separated and during the second “chapter” the plot of the story truly unfolds. Even though the story as a whole isn’t hard to follow, the second “chapter” contains a lot of information which is essential to the ending of the story and it can at times be confusing.

The final chapter contains a philosophical theme, since Shinkai Makoto raises the question as to “whether or not friendship can overcome seemingly impossible separation and bend the laws of the universe?”
In the end all the bits and pieces of the story come together to round off a beautiful and captivation story of friendship and love.

Personally I think the storyline is the most powerful part of the movie, particularly because of the powerful friendship which is shown throughout the scenes of the movie. All in all a very strong story making this movie worthy of recommendation no matter how bad the other elements of the production are.

Art
The art of Shinkai Makoto is really distinctive but hard to describe. The only way for me to fully describe it is recommending everyone to watch at least one of his movies. I do nevertheless have a few comments about the artwork.
The characters are simple but their raw emotions are beautifully portrayed. This is important but also to be expected from a higher budget anime movie. However the scenery and animation of the friends’ aircraft really made me love the artwork. A lot of the frames in this film would make wonderful screenshot in part because of the studios tremendous amount of work, making sure the artwork would never be one of the movie’s bad characteristics.
The only mishap might have been the movements of the female main character Sawatari, Sayuri.
Most of her movements are very graceful and a pleasure to watch, but at one point I really though her running looked awkward. But only being able to point out one small and insignificant movement during a single scene is actually more of a testament to how well the artwork is then it is criticism.
All in all the artwork is superb and even better then I expected, at least compared to his previous OVA: Voices of a Distant Star. Even though the story is the strongest element of this movie, the art isn’t lacking far behind.

Sound
The sound is possibly the weakest element of The Place Promised in Our Early Days. I feel like the sound effects throughout the movie could’ve been better. The sound isn’t bad; I’m still giving it a 7, but this is the weakest point of the movie.
Don’t mistake me, I really feel bad for writing this about the sound because the music is great.
The ending theme by Ai Kawashima, Shinkai Makoto and Tenmon is magnificent and made me love the ending even more.
But I feel like it’s necessary for me to point of the weakest element of the film, even though I loved some parts of the sound.

Characters
I was stunned by how much well described character development Shinkai Makoto is able to bring into this movie, without damaging the story or overall entertainment value.
The cast of characters is good and their personalities are very befitting to the progress of the story. The three main characters are totally different and show different emotions to the same problems throughout the movie.

The two friends Shirakawa, Takuya and Fujisawa, Hiroki are the two first characters to be presented. The two middle school boys are totally different but still posses a very special friendship and understanding of each other’s feelings. The character development leads the two fiends in opposite directions. Shirakawa, Takuya being the most rational and intelligent, while Fujisawa, Hiroki is the more emotional of the two.
The female part of the trio, Sawatari, Sayuri, is very energetic and emotional..

Sawatari, Sayuri and Fujisawa, Hiroki share a special bond which makes them the main protagonists while Shirakawa, Takuya is a smaller yet important character.
The development of Sawatari, Sayuri and Fujisawa, Hiroki is portrayed through their special bond and the way they overcome the feelings of loneliness for the sake of love.
Their shared development is one of the major reasons why the story is so appealing.
It is also noteworthy how Shirakawa, Takuya becomes a more emotional and caring character towards the end of the moving, wanting to protect something very precious to him.

Conclusion
I really enjoyed watching this movie. The entertainment value is huge and it’s hard to criticize it because of the very appealing story and powerful character development.
The ending of the movie also concludes the story well and leaves the viewer satisfied with using 90minutes to watch something this great. All anime fans with a love for good artwork, a appealing story of friendship and hardships or intense character development should have this on their completed list.
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In 2003 anime artist Leiji Matsumoto and the french house dou Daft Punk decided to turn the 2rd Daft Punk album, Discorvery, into a thrilling and enjoyable anime named Interstella5555 - The 5tory of the 5ecret 5star 5ystem.

Story and Characters
Interstella5555 isn't your average anime since it doesn't contain any dialog at all. Therefore the story is really simple and easy to follow. If you're looking for a detailed and deceptive plot you won't find it, however I personally like the simplicity since it makes you enjoy the other parts of the anime even more.
The characters, like the story, don’t undergo a tremendous amount of development, but I think Leiji Matsumoto did a really good job establishing the characteristics of each character and making them likable.
I was particularly amazed at how well the emotions are shown and how powerful the character Shep is portrayed.

Art
The opening music performance shows the weakest animation of the movie, but the animators more then makes up for with the action scenes during the second song "Aerodynamic". The animation really does a good job complimenting the music of Daft Punk.
All in all a weak start but generally very good throughout the movie.

Sound
The music is nothing short of amazing. Daft Punk creates some of the most amazing beats and sounds of electronic music. The music really is the catalyst of the story and helps the animators portray emotions, action etc. in a strong way.
I know the movie is a anime adaption of the Daft Punk album, but I'm continuously thrilled at how the music makes everything come together and seem extraordinary.

Conclusion
Interstella5555 isn’t your traditional anime. It contains no dialog, a simple plot and vague character development, but the extraordinary music and great artwork really makes the story seem credible and characters likable. On the bottom line the art and music increases the ratings for all the elements of the movie.

Watching this is a must for all House, Daft Punk and anime fans
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