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Dec 2, 2015
I, for one, was drawn into the intriguing world that Gate drops us in, but the real question is what else does Gate manage to do besides having an interesting premise?
The premise and the mystery surrounding the so called "Special Realm" are the strongest points of the show by far, however the execution felt a little lacking in the story department. The battle scenes show how ridiculously one sided this war is between the two realms, which detracts from the suspense of the story as the outcome of any battle is never in doubt. Coupled by the fact that one of the protagonist is literary
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invincible make the SDF and their friends virtually unbeatable.
Despite this, the moments showcasing the might of the SDF still manage to be engaging as it really made me think of the morality of the war, or rather, the slaughter that takes place. Also the rampant nationalism gets old real quick in this show, as Japan is the best at everything, everything they make is amazing, basically all I can picture is Japanese Big Brother nodding in approval after seeing how the might of Japan is mentioned once again. Another point of annoyance for myself were the constant mentioning to otaku, and how it felt at times that moments had been crafted to fulfill some otaku fantasy checklist rather than advance the plot. At times it felt like the creator was thinking more along these lines: I know you like cat girls, so here's one and a bunch of fanservice to go with it, and just to sweeten the deal, here's a bath scene, you can thank me later, you otaku you.
The plot isn't really anything to call home about, but gets the job done and sets up some questions about the realm from both sides, and kind of surprisingly focuses on the political aspect of the situation from both sides. As I mentioned before at times it certainly heads down the path of the cliche , but at the same time does manage to patch in some engaging actions scenes at the same time, as well as humor from time to time. Nice guy Itami is the typical male lead who only works to supplement his otaku tendencies, and at times it feels like his character and his skill are just a little too convenient for someone of his background. Most of the other characters are pretty much husks, besides Rory who provides some of the more interesting moments, but also hinders some moments due to her immense power. I found that one character introduced later in the series really added a lot of depth to Itami and his character, but unfortunately she only stuck around for a short time.
I found the music to fit in well with the action scenes and the series, and think that the OP of the series really stands out. The art is visually pleasing as well, I can't even complain about the CGI, which is used minimally and fits in without being too intrusive.
Overall, Gate has a strong concept that will initially get you hooked, but the pieces of the story aren't nearly as strong as its premise, and I felt that at times the narrative fell into some of the usual anime cliches. The constant mentioning of the Japan's might and otaku culture also result in some weird alienating moments from the narrative, taking me out of the immersive world. I would say that Gate is definitely worth checking out, but if the world itself is not able to keep you occupied than you may find yourself tuning out earlier than expected.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 18, 2015
The two studios responsible for Angel Beats have once again teamed up to create the next great baseball anime, this time sure that they will able to avoid the same issues with pacing that plagued their first collaboration, what could go wrong?
The most praiseworthy part of Charlotte has to be its premise, as it is offers a unique approach on the superhero genre where every power has a very apparent flaw. The premise sets up an approach that allows us to laugh at some the ridiculous powers and their readily apparent flaws, but also opens up the door for the feels that we all love
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so much as those with powers have to face the reality where they are treated as a useful anomaly.
Now onto the characters, which for me felt fairly undeveloped except for the main female lead, which is a real shame, as the main male lead Yuu is introduced in the first episode as a much more deep character, but towards the end of the series it seems as if he has been changed to some everyday nice guy devoid of any personality, a stark contrast to his introduction. Besides Yuu’s sister, the “two” other characters of the show are plagued by some otaku jokes that stop being funny the first time they’re uttered, and lack of any development. The other character Yusa, doesn’t do much but provide some the musical content similar to Girls Dead Monster, and honestly doesn’t do much but provide some humorous moments due to her status as an idol. Basically all she accomplishes is to provide the story of another character, who is much more interesting than she and seems to dominate the duo. Tomori is easily the most developed on the show, and provides some of the funniest laughs due to her blunt personality. But wouldn’t you know it there’s a lot more to her than initially appears, and the narrative relentlessly points out how well Yuu and Tomori would work as a “couple”, needlessly holding the hand of the viewer.
As I already touched on the initial plot of the narrative is really interesting, and I felt that the first episode was executed very well, but unfortunately this show has a tad bit of a pacing problem. After the first episode it instantly jumps into a school setting, which offers some really great humor, but lacks in almost all forms of plot development. Essentially the first few episodes are monster of the week segments, which is way too much time to be spending in a 13 episode series. There episodes aren’t awful, in fact I found them to be very humorous and provide an enjoyable school setting, while still being able to fit in some serious epitomes of what happens to those with powers. However, after a few episodes I felt I had to remind the creators that they kind of have this really interesting plot and lore they created that they should get to. Then all of a sudden the pace picks up toward the middle of its run and things start changing, offering an episode showing some of the inner emotions and the downfall of our main character, which is a nice change of pace, but almost immediately after all of this is immediately negated, and then the plot starts to get a little wonky. I felt that the latter half of the series really offered some insight into what was going on in a world of super powered children, but the plot device used to do so… has its limits, and is very tricky to execute properly. I presume this is the point that will make or break how much enjoyment you derive from this anime, as it opens up a whole new can of worms that seem promising, but still results in a lackluster ending. The pacing of the last episode is honestly on the next level of bad pacing, and had my scratching my head of why this was how it ended, the whole thing felt forced and really did not do the series justice.
All in all Charlotte is tough to recommend, as it has a really fantastic premise and is able to offer some great humorous moment’s as well serious ones. The series fails to deliver them in a timely manner as the pacing of the show is quite bad, with both the funny and the sad sandwiched far too closely together with a plot that takes the series in a new direction, but opens up several pitfalls and confusion. Charlotte is a show that ends with a lot of promise, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired, so it is best to proceed with these things in mind.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 23, 2015
I initially had low expectations for the latest and greatest shonen series, and my thoughts were at first confirmed after the first episode, which sets up the series as a mash-up of successful series and hilariously bad dialogue. However as the series progressed, I found that while never truly becoming great, the series managed to never truly managed to cross the line into absolute crap, and so I find it hard to fault this series which managed to stay absolutely average during its run.
This is a double edged sword as it also hard to praise the series and the fact that most of my
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enjoyment from the series was honestly laughing at the dialogue which is ridiculously blunt, if I had to accurately describe the exposition in this series I would say that this series is the anti Fate/Zero. Rather than explaining, this series simply shows rather than tells or cuts corners. An example would be the hilarious end to the first episode in particular, or by offering quick solutions rather than lengthy alternatives. The main story is alright, its a typical revenge filled protagonist who can't shut up about his revenge, and his counterpart who is on the other side of the conflict. (That's not a spoiler he's in the OP and all the promotion material if you didn't figure it out you're dumber than the dialogue of this series.) It starts off in the vampire world which seemed pretty interesting, but then switches to a school setting which we've seen many times before and introduces more cookie cutter characters, the nice gentle guy, the rival guy that always butts heads with he main character but then they have to work together, dat tsundere that lost her former comrades, the commander who is hot headed just like the main character, is honestly goes, it honestly goes on and on. The vampires are pretty interesting honestly and as more and more is learned about their cause the series transitions from black and white to more of a drab grey, which is a welcome development to a series that feels destined to mediocrity due to the fact that it feels more like a rehashed concept rather than the real mccoy. The dialogue needs a special note here because it is so blunt and crash it is honestly downright terrible at points, so bad is honestly hilarious which made the series more enjoyable for me, and another part I enjoyed about the series is how absolutely mean the characters are to one another with their sarcasm and teasing, such as Shinoa who was one of my favorite characters from the series during its run. The animation is also spectacular, after it takes some time to adjust to the style the backgrounds of the destroyed landscapes are honestly beautiful, and the animators help some of the inserted sight gags such as those involving the car really pop. The actions scenes in the series are also well done, and it becomes readily apparent that the humans are outgunned by their adversaries, and that their only chance is to use and develop weapons that seem to be a little questionable of use for the good guys of the series. Obviously the main character is a little OP at times, as he constantly runs into situations that he is told not to try and despite others warnings he succeeds with flying colors every time, once again showing how this series does not care at all about exposition, similar to how its character's don't seem to care that much.
This is a series that is much more interesting to watch when it focuses much more on its supposed villians the vampires, who seemingly appear to be a bit more human than the humans themselves as time goes on, but the show is bogged down by its generic nature and its inability to to push into uncharted territory in order to become great, instead it plays it safe resulting in a series that is simply noteworthy of not being particularly bad or good. There's certainly potential there for the second cour to be much better than the first as the series does have an intriguing plot and some cool weapons and action scenes, but it is also possible that the second cour will turn out to be as bland as the first.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 19, 2015
It's no secret that Japan loves making series about cute things, especially girls. Most series about cute girls focus on having its main characters doing cute things just to fill out an episode, but every once in a while an anomaly arrives. This series is wonderfully twisted, and despite its initial appearance it offers a compelling murder mystery and some excellent insight into its characters as they are slowly broken down. It is fascinating to watch each character as they are slowly backed into a corner and their thoughts turn from rational to irrational, this series is one that appears to be yet another typical
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cutesy harem but quickly shows its true colors as something much more enticing.
The story starts off fairly similar to a horror/mystery narrative, with
Keiichi a city boy moving to an rural village that appears to be hiding some secrets from its past, in particular murder. At first the story starts off as appearing to be a school slice of life with some harmless play between friends, but surely but slowly more and more sinister details begin to build up and do a great job of building tension and mystery to the story at the same time. Another interesting note is that the series does not follow a linear story line, as being adopted from a visual novel it instead shows the same day over and over. This could have easily been botched on make the series fell dull, but each story follows another main character and shows just exactly how they managed to slip so far out of touch with their sanity, and each perspective offers new clues and mysteries to the narrative, so it never feels repetitive or filler esque.
They all start very similarly however, each will start with a slice of life segment before meticulously working towards breaking its character, but the events that transpire in each timeline are so twisted and suspenseful that its hard to tear your eyes away from the screen, similar to how people can't but watch when there's a disaster on the television. The outcome of each particular timeline is usually known, so the series heavily relied on its execution to keep you watching, and it does indeed showcase some dark content and lots of blood, there are a lot of sequences in this series that will make your skin crawl, and I haven't felt such a sensation since when I watched Elfen Lied. I also enjoyed how the series leaves the source of the main mystery ope throughout its run, as its difficult to pick out what is causing all of this insanity in such a little town, and the writers do a great job not dismissing any possibility from aliens to the supernatural, and it legitimately feels like each is a legitimate possibility. However, if you do want answers to most of the questions that are posed in this series, you'll have to be in it for the long run as they are answered in the 24 episode second season. This makes this series a 50 episode investment, which is something to weigh when deciding if this series is right for you.
This anime really shines when it showcases its characters at their darkest moments in their respective arcs, as you see how they are slowly are beginning to unravel with each event until they reach their breaking point, with delightfully wonderful results. This anime plays deeply with the psychology of its character, and sometimes it is difficult to trust the narrator of the arc as you can see that they are clearly are no longer thinking rationally, which adds more to the suspense of the series as the characters rush to find that the dead have apparently left their graves or interpret every action of their friends as a threat. The trademark pan onto a character's face followed by a screeching soundtrack is employed heavily in this series, and surprisingly helps add to the atmosphere instead of making it appear cheesy. The art is definitely dated at this point, and is alright at best, its nothing spectacular but its not horrible either.
Overall this is a compelling mystery and psychological anime that offers a lot more than initially expected from its cover and first episode. It strays from a linear story line and is still able to provide a beautifully twisted yet compelling story, and has a large cast of characters that is able to develop throughout the course of the show by slowly breaking them down. This series is definitely not one to show the kids, and is a series that any fan of psychological or mystery anime should give a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 12, 2015
Watching this series brought me back to the days when I played volleyball for my high school, but as can imagine coming from someone who is writing anime reviews I rode the bench for all it was worth. But enough with the self deprecating humor, despite not being a starter I still managed to have fun and teach the younger members of the team what I knew and provide some laughs. I still had an impact on my team which is the main theme of this anime and the sport it focuses on in general. This series was successful due to its large amount of
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character depth, realistic and suspenseful matches, and a healthy dose of humor.
The story starts off with not the most original premise as two rivals are forced to work together after choosing to attend the same high school. The main focus of story are, Hinata a short but athletically sound goober, and Kageyama, the skilled but conceited setter. The two clashing due to their differences sets up some of the funnier moments of the series, but as the two learn to work together is where the series offers some of its best moments. Unlike other sports it is impossible for one player in volleyball to truly dominate the game without having strong support from their teammates, and the two protagonists play out this theme as the two need each other to unlock their true potential on the court and unleash their awe inspiring attacks.
The narrative for the first half of the series is based on the team improving and introduces most of the main players and characters, while offering insight into how the game is played. For those not familiar with the sport, Sensei's character asks most of the mechanical questions so they can be cleared up for newbies. As the characters are introduced you can see how they are perfectly tailored to offer their own unique role to the team and series, and that even without the input of some of the more minor characters, Karasuno would not be able to play at a high level. It is satisfying to see the pieces slowly come together as they recruit old members and new ones. Some of the characters also have some surprisingly deep emotional baggage, which made their comeback all the more satisfying but I also felt that sometimes their was just a bit too much flair of drama as we learn more about some of the characters.
The series really hits its stride once it reaches the second half and they start playing for real in the March Madness style tournament, I loved how it jumped straight into single elimination format as it greatly added to the intensity and suspenseful of the matches. The matches themselves are very well done we see both the protagonist and their foes adapt and play their hearts out playing the game they love, and it makes for some truly great volleyball to watch. The music of the series adds to the intensity of the matches, adding to the suspense during a big play or playing more somberly as the characters reflect struggle to cope with being called on or possibly letting down the team they love so much and have to face the prospect of not playing volleyball, their greatest passion. The matches are highlighted by not only by action, but also by the smart play by both teams. Sometimes the matches feel akin to a chess match as every action taken by the players is well thought out executed. For example a player will attempt to break another team's best passer in order to lower another team's morale, and use this lull to gain momentum.I thought the ending was executed beautifully as well and tied into the theme of the series of how your teammates are always there for you no matter what and as long as you have the will and the passion to fight the game never ends.
Another interesting aspect of the series is how fleshed out the players on the other side of the net are, it is unusual to see opposing players developed so much. However it pays off for the most part as it makes the matches that more intense by having them face "Real" players rather than nameless and "evil" players. Many times you are given insight into the other side of the court and you see how these players are similar to our protagonists, they love the sport and have worked harder than anyone to get to the position they are in, and it sometimes it feels that the opponents have a more legitimate claim to victory than the heroes. None of the opponents are completely unlikable, and we see them work together and stress teamwork as they cleverly try to outmatch the Ravens, and we see their struggle right until their bitter end. It could also be argued that this is the series' greatest weakness, as it takes away time from the heroes of the story and their team, and in fact many members of opposing teams are fleshed out much more than character's on the protagonist own team. Some of the opposing team members are more like palette swaps off the Karasuno team, which could explain why they are so likable and its fun to see them interact with their counterparts on the heroes' team, as the characters they are based off of are the one's that are fun to watch.
The animation of this series is top notch, which is to be expected by Production IG. Their are also some nice visual effects in the series, as often the character's fears will come to life on the court through the use of imagery, or it will help boost the humorous scenes.
Overall this is a fun series that is able to provide some funny laughs through the interactions of its wacky characters and the snide remarks they make, sometimes to break the tension during the more suspenseful parts of the matches. It features some great development for most of its characters especially Kageyama, but some characters feel left out. The value of teamwork is extremely important in volleyball, which is something that Haikyu!! manages to nail perfectly while providing some action packed, mostly realistic, and suspenseful matches. It does all this while maintaining a strong sense of humor throughout, and its easy for me to say that Haikyu!! stands head and shoulders over its competition.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 9, 2015
I stumbled upon this series while searching for a romantic comedy that was heavier on the comedy and lighter on the romance. Despite the romance tag on this series, this series main focus is comedy, and is a series that was able to create a constant stream of chuckles like few other.
This relatively short series starts with a confession of love by our "straight man" in the series to her crush, Nozaki. However he misunderstands this confession as Chiyo stating that she is a fan of his shoujo manga. From here hilarity ensures, and the plot of the series is rather character driven as
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we are introduced to the various wacky characters, with the underlying theme of romance driving most of the character's actions. The series is able to succeed so well because the humor is intricately crafted around literature's oldest friend, irony. The majority of the humor of the show is caused by the various juxtapositions and paradoxes created by the main characters and their interactions in everyday school life. By doing so the series is able to make normally mundane school activities go from ordinary to extraordinary funny as the characters struggle to complete the simplest of tasks due to ridiculous misunderstandings. Their are some great sight gags in the series as well, and it still is able to create some strong laughs even when straying from the ironical and paradoxical humor and situations that it does so well. If there are any aspects that could leave you disappointed after watching this series the most glaring is that despite the fact that romance is teased several times, the series offers no closure to the numerous couples that it teases throughout its run. Romance takes a back seat in this series, but it still is a driving force for the character's actions and causes a great deal of the humor as the characters struggle to grasp the concept.
The characters are easily the highlight of the show, and I will not discuss specifics as I feel that learning more about the characters and their ridiculous behavior is what makes the show worth watching. When a character that you enjoy watching is absent for an most of an episode, it really is noticeable as each character is able to bring so much to the table in terms of humor and personality. I particularly would lie to praise the character of Nozaki, as his deadpan delivery of lines is expertly done to create the most laughs possible.
Overall despite not being the next great romance series, this anime brings a fantastically whimsical cast to the table. It also has a funky OP and soundtrack, and has some sharp crisp art. All in All this series is able to effectively make use of irony and misunderstandings to create one of the funniest series that I've seen in quite a while.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 7, 2015
When I saw that Shinihiro Watanabe was attached to this project, my expectations for this series were that it would contain a fair amount of substance, and a narrative that contains some complex but intriguing characters. And obviously it goes without saying that the series must have a impressive soundtrack, and I found that, for the most part, this series lived up to my expectations.
This anime tells the story of the terrorist organization known as Sphinx, and its two young members Nine and Twelve who make Tokyo their own personal game of dominoes through the use of explosives. Right away the series is shrouded in
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mystery as little is revealed about the two main characters and their motives, and they prove themselves as being more than worthy opponents for the police. They manage to "recruit" a new member the klutzy Lisa who is desperate to escape from her troubled home life and the bullies that surround her at school. The story manages to suck you in with its stylized action and the large amount of unanswered questions, but unfortunately some of the more pressing or engaging questions remain unanswered after all is said is done. Perhaps what is most interesting about the series is the fact as the series grows and the motives of the main characters comes to light, it becomes harder to pin who is the terrorist and has harmed society in their situation. Rather it seems more appropriate to say that the series offers a lesson on how much you sacrifice in order to re-cement yourself, or to find answers.
The main characters of the series lack names, but still are interesting to watch as the viewer slowly learns more about them and their past. Both of them are quite smart, but 12 is much more childish and fun loving than his bespectacled counterpart. 9 is much more serious and is clearly the adult of the pair. The characters themselves stay rather static, but the real treat is being to interpret their actions as you gain more insight into the past of Sphinx as they send their message out one building at a time. Lisa is their tag along, and she starts off the series pretty depressing, but as she grows closer to Sphinx in 12 it offers more about both their characters and her moe element adds some funny and lighthearted moments to the series, but for the most part she just manages to get in everyone's way. Shibazaki is the former ace detective that becomes the polices' only answer to Sphinx, which is a tad it cliche, but Shibazaki is an interesting character to watch who has a strongly ingrained moral compass. Here is where some cliche moments from a mystery film come to light, such as finding the answer to a puzzle to by having the fat funny guy inadvertently solve it. However the puzzles are still engaging, most of which are taken from classic Greek or Roman mythology/history for all the history geeks out there. Lastly their is the main antagonist of sorts 5, who acts very much like a comic book villain for my tastes, but honestly is still fun to watch even feels a tad stale and goes out with more of a fizzle.
The art of this series is also incredibly well done, and also brings to mind the same style used in Psycho-Pass, at one point I thought I was watching psycho pass after staring at the pasty white skin of the characters for so long. The music is also fantastic and is able to heighten the feel of both emotional and action scenes. Also the scenes depicted in the series was under great scrutiny, as it appears there was a clear vision when planning out the scenes and certain shots. All in all the series offers some great entertainment and a compelling mystery despite its short run time, and I commend the creators for tackling such a controversial topic with such a superb piece of art.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 28, 2015
Recently I had the chance to re-watch this series which was one of my favorites when I initially started watching anime about a year ago. After re-watching the series I found that in fact I had some different opinions that I originally held, and have decided to craft a new review that reflects my updated opinions of this series that is both heavily praised and considered to be quite overrated by others.
Angel Beats is a series that hits the ground running and never looks back, throwing the viewer and its main character Otonashi directly into the thick of it with little explanation provided. The large
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number of questions raised about the world of Angel Beats! work to its advantage at first, especially surrounding the mysterious Tenshi. Angel Beats works best when it is moving so quickly that you don't have time to stop and think about the plot. The story can't decide which path it wants to take, switching between comedy, action, slice of life filler, and tear filled drama. This may have been acceptable if the series had a larger run time, but an only 13 episodes its hard to justify some filler type episodes that are fun to watch but do little to drive the narrative forward.
The comedy can be executed quite well, but sometimes the gags are recycled and can feel quite stale the second time around, I really wish they explored more options during the second trip to the Guild in particular rather than relying on old tricks. The mystery of the world and the characters was one of the driving forces for me to finish the series, but unfortunately the series offers little closure to its world and its ensemble cast, with most of some of the more interesting characters whisked off in an instant. The narrative struggles at times, but hits its stride when the deeper parts of the series are showcased, as one of the standout episodes in my opinion is episode 3 and Iwasawa, if only some of the other characters were fleshed out in a similar vein and also result in some world building questions.
The narrative becomes a bit weaker the more and more we learn about Tenshi and one of the more interesting aspects of the story is exposed. The middle is pretty weak until we begin to learn more about our main character and his story is able to tug at your heart strings. The obliteration of one of the other characters results in one of the most emotional moments in the series. The last of the story returns to its action roots and sees our heroes battling across a strange foe and trying to find the answer behind their world, which unsurprisingly doe snot yield much information or closure on such an immense topic. The ending showcases a final farewell and a heartbreaking twist that is pretty ingenious, so ingenious that its a bit hard to register as possible, even in a world such as Angel Beats!
The characters of the show are beloved by many, and most of the supporting cast can be defined and described by one unique trait, such as the jack of all trades, the stubborn one, or the ninja. This is not exactly a bad thing, as most of the characters are fun to watch, but it would have been nice if even some light was shined on their motives or back stories. The main character is a stereotypical nice guy who helps everyone, and not much goes on in terms of development. some of the more intriguing characters include Yuri and her quest to find God, and her tragic back story as well as how she realizes just how important her friends are to her. Trying to piece together the mystery of Tenshi is one of the high points of the show, and learning more and more about her is one of the driving parts of the show. Hinata is a genuinely funny character and is fun to watch, including his interactions with Yui, who initially comes off as a bit annoying but the more you learn about her the more her hyperactive nature makes sense.
The sound of the show is one of the highlights, whenever if its in the background or a performance. The art is very bright and crisp as well. Angel Beats! is a fun show to watch that tries its hand at many genres, unfortunately stretching itself too thin in the process. Most of the characters are not fleshed out except for a select few, and the series poses a lot more questions than answers. The story and world is an intriguing one, but it or the characters are not fleshed out and it feels a bit too rushed at times. The series is still worth a watch despite its flaws, however, as it still can make you laugh and tackle a much more serious tone, as well as has an intriguing cast of simple characters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 27, 2015
Attack on Titan is a series that is held in very high regard by the majority of the anime community, thus I found it a little strange how I struggled to finish the series for so long. This series found itself fluctuating between my on hold and watch list, and for quite a while it found itself on my back burner due to its quite abysmal pacing through its first half and the large amount of one dimensional characters. However the series truly does shine during its very well done action sequences and how it is able to create an interesting world. There will
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be some spoilers in this review.
The story of Attack on Titan is fueled by a lust for revenge by our main character, Eren Jaeger who wishes to kill all the Titans. This is his defining trait, and drives him to eventually enlist in the military and join the Recon Corps. I wish I could say that is character is fleshed out more as the story goes on, but he is mostly driven by his desires for justice and revenge and sees little developmental change from the start to beginning. The story creates an excellent atmosphere of hopelessness right from the beginning, and is well done through the savage depictions of violence by the Titans and the twisted horror that is often seen on the faces of characters as they attempt to fight in vain or survey the death and destruction around them. The narrative then shifts introducing us to an ensemble cast of characters and focuses on their training as they attempt to join the most prestigious ranks of the military.
Almost all of the characters can be summed up with one quick sentence, such as Mikasa who, really likes Eren and is one of the top recruits, she is able to cut down Titans with ease. Her fondness of Eren is her only defining trait, it is the reason behind almost all her actions and in fact her screaming "Eren!" could be argued to make up a healthy amount of her lines. Armin is the physically weak but smart kid who comes up with the majority of plans that the group uses, and befriended Eren because he used to stick up for him when he was bullied. Almost all the characters are fairly one dimensional, except for Jean one of my favorite characters from the show who goes through a fairly significant change in his outlook as the show goes on. I also wanted to learn a lot more about Annie and her motives, finding her to be an extremely interesting character to watch, especially as the show continues on.
The story progresses very slowly, the battles are stretched out over several episodes and are sometimes inter-cut with a lot more dialogue than necessary. This sometimes makes the series really feel like it's dragging on, and the reason I had trouble watching the show. It felt the battle of Trost was simply never going to end, despite the fact that there were a lot of interesting developments and some excellent battle scenes, as well as a great veil of despair and hopelessness that surrounded the human's as they fought the Titans. This leads to one of my biggest problems I had watching the series, the fact that Eren has the ability to turn into a Titan. This negated the air of despair that the series had so intricately crafted and gave our main hero a super powerful form that instantly turned the tide of the battle. Also when we watch series there is a degree of believability that we all have, and I found it difficult to believe that even in the fantasy world of AoT, Eren could turn into a hulking giant simply by biting his thumb. I would have much rather have seen Eren and humanity struggle and fight against these unstoppable foes rather than gain such a game-changing ability.
I found that the second half of the series solved some of the pacing problems of the first with the introduction of the mysterious female Titan, seeing such a powerful enemy and the vain attempts to take it down drove the feeling of desperation that humanity is feeling. Having a set goal in the second half helped drive the narrative forward and it was highlighted by some great action scenes, as well as some well though out plans that are able to be triggered. The death and destruction that humanity faces is once again brought front and center, and is what makes the series so interesting as humanity faces a clearly superior foe. The series really hits its stride when it shows the psychological as well as the physical effects that the Titans have on the population, and crafts an interesting that leaves you wondering about the Titans, the walls, and makes you questions if humanity will be able to overcome its slow extinction. Attack on Titan sports some top notch action this is only amplified by its haunting soundtrack, and sets up an excellent atmosphere and world for the viewer to enjoy. However it is bogged down by slow pacing and a large cast of one dimensional characters, which isn't always a bad thing, but I expected to see much more significant development with the main cast. Overall the series is an intriguing one that is highlighted by some fantastic action, but will try your patience as the narrative crawls along.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 14, 2015
I can say with great confidence that Cross Ange is one of the trashiest, garbage series I have watched in quite a while. Its ridiculous amounts of over the top fan service and emphasis on shock and awe scenes are legitimate lunacy. However, after the travesty that is the first few episodes a compelling story begins to rise from the muck that is Cross Ange and give people a legitmate reason to keep watching besides the fanservice and some some good mecha action.
The story begins by introducing us to our main heroine Ange, who lives in a world where magic is a used daily,
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and those without magic are a persecuted group of people called the Norma. Ange is pretty unlikable for the first few episodes, as she clings to the fact that Normas are inferior, despite the fact that she is revealed to be a Norma herself, apparently not realizing that not using Mana once in your life is a tell tale symptom. From there she is shipped off to a Norma prison island and told that she has to fight DRAGONs to save humanity, why in all caps? Apparently Sunrise thought it looked cool. From there Ange is introduced to the other Norma, who are all young girls, and the fanservice begins, and it's literary ridiculous. There's some weird rapey scenes, lesbian three ways to keep the plot moving, and Ange is naked for about 60 percent of her on screen time, a trend continues as the series moves on. The first few episodes will test if you are ready for this series, from going for over the top shock affect on issues such as racism, lots of nudity, and little girls getting lopped in half by giant dragons. It is as ridiculous as it sounds, and it sometimes hilarious to watch the over the top nature, and the series seems pretty self aware of just how trashy and bad it is. The cast of side characters initially aren't very important to the plot or are given much attention, besides the leader Salia and the head lesbian Hilda. There is also a guy named Tusk who lives on an island and rescues Ange at some point, and all of their conversations consist of him accidentally bury his head in her crotch or something like that, than Ange shouts "baka" and beats the crap out of him. That is basically a summary of that episode. However Tusk shows some interesting characteristics as well as brings up some mysteries about the world of Mana.
The story starts to pick up near the end of the first half, when the narritive shifts from the island back to the mainland, where we are given a lot more depth into Hilda's character that makes her much more likable and understandable, and we once again see how ingrained the fear of the norma is in the people who use Mana. However a large battle breaks out on the Norma battle island, and during this battle we are introduced to the main villain Embryo, whose main attack as well as the other special mechas is powered by song. I wish I was making some of this up, but it seems like Sunrise started throwing crap at a wall until it stuck. The story starts to get more and more interesting after this point, and has some twists and shows us how exactly the earth has ended up in this state and the true nature of the DRAGONs, and some honestly genuine twist regarding the cast of characters and how they have been manipulated by the great Embryo, and seeing how he played off the weaknesses of each girl makes him a cool character to watch. They start throwing a lot of science jargon around during the end that feels like it could be replaced with a recording of Jesse Pinkman saying, "science bitch" over and over as it seems like they are just sputtering straight nonsense. Also there is a ridiculous deus ex machina near the end that left in tears as it tried to explain how a frying pain stopped a bullet and can also apparently save you from falling into a ravine and getting hit by an exploding car, its like they suddenly realized these characters are integral to the plot and has never heard of the no take back rule. But in all honesty, the second half is a vast improvement and has an interesting plot that can suck you in.
The characters are very diverse, with most falling in the categories of being Ange, wanting to bone Ange, or strongly disliking Ange because they want to be her. Ange falls in the being Ange category, and starts off pretty dislikable, but quickly turns into the chosen one who pilots the special mech with great skill and cares deeply for her comrades and friends. Tusk falls into the wanting to bone her category, and is a skilled fighter and nice guy who helps out the Norma and is considered to be Ange's knight, which as a side effect grants invulnerability. Salia is the leader and falls into the hate us because they ain't us category, and is initially a fairly competent leader who keeps a steady head, but is insecure due to the fact that she was not chosen and Ange was. Hilda wants to bone Ange and starts off unlikable, but as she learn more about her and she softens up she is a fairly likable character who goes through some nice development. Embryo wasnt to bone Ange, is the ridiculous Op bad guy with a justified God Complex, and is actually interesting to watch how he toys with others and manipulates them to accomplish his will. i was also impressed with the later development of some of the other side characters, as it really shows what's going through their heads and proves they are more than just boobs and ass.
Overall Cross Ange is a train wreck, but is one that you can;t turn away from. It's over the top scenes can make it hilarious, and it seems aware of this fact which is honestly pretty funny. the fan service is up to ridiculous levels, and I would advise if you choose to watch this series do it in a sealed room because if someone walks in on you during some of the more fanservicey scenes you are going to have some explaining to do. The plot really gets going as the show completes it's run, but you have to put up with the trash that is the first few episodes and be able to take a ready helping of fan service. Cross Ange is definitely an experience, and one i would recommend giving a try, even if you can hear cackling Sunrise execs counting their money as you watch the literal crap they put out that somehow turned out to be pretty good. Nest year we'll probably have a mecha series featuring fully naked girls fighting GRIFFINs in space while trying to bring down two gods in a separate dimension, with a healthy dose of lesbian three ways, but that goes without saying.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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