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Oct 8, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). Also, I’ll remind you my reviews generally encompass the whole series of an anime unless otherwise stated (That is to say that no more seasons are coming out). So let’s get to it!
Negima!?… I wanted to like this anime. I really did. In fact, I quite fancied the previous installment of Negima way back when. But, this time around, Negima just went
...
full crazy. You should never go full crazy, just like you should never go full retard. We saw where that got Simple Jack after all. (And Excel Saga too) There is something akin to a story here, but the level of ridiculousness encountered as the plot “develops” really is too much. The story is diminished because there are simply no boundaries of insanity that are off limits. Some might like that, but I don’t.
Earning 2 points
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I don’t even know how I should grade this. I mean, when we’re dealing with full crazy, the dialogue synced up nicely. Is that a good thing? I don’t even know. The one thing I will mention is that this time around, Negima focused more on a few characters, developing them to some extent beyond their roles in the previous anime. Job well done for what it’s worth.
Earning 1.5 points
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Animation and style are fine. Luckily, for most anime this is a given 2 points. That holds true here as well. Speaking off the cuff, I’m pretty old school and don’t mind “substandard” animations/style/etc. as most people might. To make a game analogy, I remember one of my friends told me he couldn’t play FFIX because the graphics were too “bad”. That’s pretty sad. Hell, I still play games like Xenogears (which is a masterpiece) and I’ll be damned if I let the trivial mar what is by all other rights extraordinary!
Earning 2 points
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Bonus points goes to… That opening! I have to admit, this anime had the catchiest opening song I’ve heard in a while. In English too!
Earning 1 point (am I not merciful?)
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Add it all up and we have a dismal score of 6.5! Another fail for the anime universe. I recommend watching the first Negima! Unless of course you liked Excel Saga or something, then, go for it! To me, this is what happens when you do remakes. They come out like crap. What’s that say about the Final Fantasy VII remake on the horizon? For that matter, what’s with all the gaming references in this review? Frakkin Frak, GAH!!!
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 6 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 8, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). Also, I’ll remind you my reviews generally encompass the whole series of an anime unless otherwise stated (That is to say that no more seasons are coming out). So let’s get to it!
Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku… I don’t even really know where to start here. There was no story. I’ll be straight with you here, I felt like this anime was Kaiba saying
...
“screw the story, we have fan service!” And, hey, it does work sometimes (ala High School of the Dead). But, most of the time, it sucks (I’m looking at you Infinite Stratos). Honestly, I’m really trying to think right now, was there even an antagonist in this? The whole thing was forgettable. I’m awarding 1 point simply because “stuff happened”. (And it wasn’t the same stuff as I hear happens in the “Endless Eight” arc)
Earning 1 + 1 points
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The dialogue was okay. It might be worth mentioning that I only watch official dubbed versions of anime, so I really pay attention to good localization and fluid conversations when grading dialogue/character development. And, hey, our protagonist went from sleeping in a bag to having her own club! What more can I expect with no story?
Earning 1.5 points
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Technicals are good. Nothing too complain about. Action sequences are fun to watch when they happen. My eyes weren’t bleeding after watching an episode, but they were tearing up a bit from lack of plot.
Earning 2 points
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Bonus points goes to (and god only knows this anime needs some bonus points)… the fact that it’s insinuated that our heroine is into girls?… I would love some girl on girl action, but, we don’t get it here… At least we can dream men.
Earning .5 point.
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Add it all up and we have a score of an even 6! This anime failed basically. Anything I rate below a 7 I would only recommend to my enemies. While I don’t think repeating a premise that’s already been done is necessarily a bad move (firm believer in the idea “if you can’t break any new ground, you can sure break the hell out of old ground”), this anime bombed… Watch Baka and Test instead. Hell, watch Rosario + Vampire again!
This time I don’t need to round down my score because it’s already pretty bad at a 6. Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 8, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). For this anime, I’ll be giving an independent review per season since, while they’re meant to go together, they can be watched independent of each other (Like Clannad/Clannad: After Story). So let’s get to it!
ef: A Tale of Melodies… This is, to me, the darker version of its predecessor, A Tale of Memories. Again, this anime describes what I call “love on
...
the margins”, that is to say a love that is tragic and beautiful. There are two love stories this time around, one told present day and one told through the lens of the past. In my opinion, they’re both equal in terms of impact, unlike in A Tale of Memories, where I thought one stood above the rest. Also, unlike A Tale of Memories, these tales have a much more somber and sobering feel to them. This time around though, I felt some deus ex machina at work in the story, nothing too major, but…
Earning 3 points
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No change in the quality of the dialogue or anything. Again, there are a lot of important messages being conveyed throughout the season about what it means to love another. And, you know what? The dialogue explained that there are TWO towns! Amazing! For that alone… A solid performance. It goes without saying that everything was on par with what I would expect from a romance/love story here.
Earning 2 points
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The technicals are still off the wall awesome here. Truly a work of art. I’m going to throw what might be considered a story element here in the technicals though. I really enjoyed how even though Tale of Memories is a “prequel” to Tale of Melodies, since Melodies focused on quite a bit of flashback storytelling, it actually felt like a prequel itself in a way. Almost like this infinite loop was being created between the two stories. I add it in technicals because the way it was expressed wasn’t exactly by story or dialogue, more like an art to me. Superb.
Earning 2 + 1 points
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Bonus points goes to… well, I’ve again already given a bonus point for technicals, but, extra bonus sketching stuff in the buff! All true art should be done naked in my opinion. It was another scene that ended too quickly though so…
Earning .5 points
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Add it all up and we have another score of 8.5! If you watched Tale of Memories, this will not disappoint in expanding the story for you. If you’re looking for a good love story(s), I would start with Tale of Memories because this one is a little more on the darker side of things. Then again, I’d love to see what someone thought of the whole series if they started with this anime and then watched Tale of Memories. Someone should do that!
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 8 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 8, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). For this anime, I’ll be giving an independent review per season since, while they’re meant to go together, they can be watched independent of each other (Like Clannad/Clannad: After Story). So let’s get to it!
ef: A Tale of Memories… This anime boils down to describing and giving a voice to what I’m going to call “love on the margins”. What do I
...
mean by that? Well, “love on the margins” is an rare and generally tragic kind of love, but, to me, altogether beautiful. Love doesn’t always equal happiness. Imagine falling in love with someone who dies every day, only to wake up reborn but with no memory of you. Could you love that person? A better question, could that person love you? This is the premise of what I considered the main love story arc, although there are three love stories at play over the course of the season, each with their own merit.
Earning 4 points
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There are a lot of important messages being conveyed throughout the season about what it means to love another. Honestly, the dialogue handled quite a philosophical load fairly well without seeming too forced or unnatural in my opinion. Also, the emotion was there, and when we’re talking a love story(s), I want to see that emotion! It deserves to be said, it’s hard to get all that perfectly right all the time, and there are some scenes that are a little off in that regards as well as the ending being a little too over the top for my tastes, but… A solid performance.
Earning 2 points
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RANT -
Okay, I’m going to rant a bit here though. Frankly I was shocked to find this out in the second season, but, I had no idea these love stories were taking place in two totally separate locations. If it was ever mentioned in the anime, it needed to be mentioned again, because I didn’t catch it. That’s no bueno. If you want to hear my honest opinion, I don’t think the first season thought much about the whole two towns idea going on. I mean, the towns look EXACTLY the same. The schools look EXACTLY the same. The beach, yep, same there too. Church? Why not? Long story short, if you’re going to make it where the two towns are IDENTICAL, you better make it incredibly clear through dialogue that they’re on opposite hemispheres of the world.
Deduction of 1 point
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This is going to be one of those rare times that I’m going to talk about technicals. This anime was a work of art. From the opening to the ending, I was blown away with the amount of nuance and artistic flair that went into it. This may very well be one of the most beautiful anime I’ve seen to date. And, when I say beautiful, I don’t mean just good animation, I mean moving animation, I mean scenes that speak to you on more levels than just plot and dialogue. Extra credit for this one.
Earning 2 + 1 points
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Bonus points goes to… well, I’ve already given a bonus point for technicals, but, extra bonus for sex on the roof! Who saw that coming!? It was a quick scene though so…
Earning .5 points
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Add it all up and we have a score of 8.5! It’s a beautiful anime with an interesting story. If you like love stories, this will be right up your alley. If you like art, you should check this out. If you like the philosophy of love, ask yourself this question: Are some people destined to be alone, incapable of loving and being loved truly because of who they are? You might find your answer watching this.
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 8 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 2, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). Also, I’ll remind you my reviews generally encompass the whole series of an anime unless otherwise stated (That is to say that no more seasons are coming out). So let’s get to it!
High School of the Dead… Now this is one of my favorite fan service anime to date. Why? Let me rephrase that question, what is a genre out there that
...
can get away with having virtually no story by its very nature? A zombie flick, that’s what. Yes, this anime has no real story behind it other than to, you guessed it, survive a sudden zombie outbreak! Honestly, the story is about survival, not in finding out where or why or who or whatever, and High School of the Dead does an exceedingly good job in that focus. Throw in a few quips about survival of the fittest, some romance plots, wrap it up with a healthy dose of fan service, and you have something I can’t really see any man out there not enjoying.
Earning 3.5 points
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The dialogue in the show was excellent in my opinion. I should probably note that I watch only dubbed versions, but, I found that the localization was superb. Dubbing has come a long way, that’s for sure! As far as character development goes, I feel it was a bit hit or miss. The protagonist didn’t really do a lot of “growing” throughout the series, just kind of stepped in and saved the day/killed zombies, etc. There were moments, but nothing really stand out. But, it’s a zombie flick… I feel conflicted, because I don’t expect the secrets of the universe to be revealed in the zombie apocalypse. All I’m saying is that it could’ve done a better job, as I do feel that when one is faced with the entire world falling apart, they might change in some unexpected ways (i.e. become “out of character”), and I saw none of that potential developed.
Earning 2 points
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Technicals are again solid for this one. Honestly, I rarely have complaints on technicals, unless of course you do something monumentally stupid like the Code Geass second opening, which was terrible. Whoever let that roll of the production floor should be ashamed!
Earning 2 points
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Bonus points goes to… That fan service episode! Guys, you know the one I’m talking about! Screw the beach episode anime out there, High School of the Dead played it right.
Earning 1 point.
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Add it all up and we have a score of 8.5! All in all, this one was entertaining, hitting nearly all the right points for a zombie story. A little weak on the ending, a little weak on the character development, but, again, I leave you with this important question: What are you looking for in a zombie flick? Philosophy or entertainment? Story or fun? Zombies, to me, are meant to be entertaining and fun, so I don’t sweat the details!
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 8 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 1, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). Also, I’ll remind you my reviews generally encompass the whole series of an anime unless otherwise stated (That is to say that no more seasons are coming out). So let’s get to it!
Shakugan no Shana… I feel that this anime had an enormous amount of potential. With a story revolving around the competing ’existences’, i.e. Flame Hazes vs. Crimson Denizens, who reside
...
on different planes of reality, the show hit’s the ground running with a really cool premise. Think about it, battles going on in an unseen world that you’ll never know about, yet the outcomes of which could and does effect your life in unimaginable ways. So much so that you could just be written out of existence! This was going to be the tragic fate of our protagonist, however, as it just so happens he’s not your everyday human. The story continues with his adventures trying to figure out his place now that this whole new unseen reality has been revealed to him. To me, that’s a goldmine of possibilities set up to work with.
Earning 4 points
However, the ending of this anime decides to throw all that in the garbage. Nearly the entirety of the last season is a mess of epic proportions. Instead of continuing with all the good things the first seasons had built up, the last season goes on its own into the wilderness of horrible endings. By introducing practically a whole new cast of characters, creating nonsensical plot drivers, and just plain ridiculous reasoning by the characters in terms of their decision making faculties, Shakugan no Shana goes out in a pyre of infamy. Frankly, I’m going to be watching it to appear on some top ten list of “Most Unexpected Anime Endings”, because I found it hard to swallow that something so good could become so bad.
Deduction: -1.5 points
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As for the dialogue and character development, I was quite pleased for the most part. The interactions and relationship between the protagonist and Shana were well executed and all in all, the characters were enjoyable. The romantic elements were handled to my liking, and, the protagonist does grow throughout the story as a character (as does Shana). There are some characters (especially towards the end) that are left high and dry in the character development department, but, all main characters have enough in my humble opinion to allow the story to progress relatively unhindered.
Earning 2 points
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Technicals are solid. I truly enjoyed the entire OST of this anime, the style and animation were good too. No complaints.
Earning 2 points
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Bonus points award goes to… having some really cool Flame Hazes out there! And some cool powers to come with them!
Earning 1 point.
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Add it all up and we have a score of 7.5! If you want my advice, just watch the first two seasons only, then let your imagination make up what’s going to happen next. It’ll be better that way. Trust me, if I had done that, this anime would have been an 8.5 easy.
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 7 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 1, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). Also, I’ll remind you my reviews generally encompass the whole series of an anime unless otherwise stated (That is to say that no more seasons are coming out). So let’s get to it!
Shakugan no Shana… I feel that this anime had an enormous amount of potential. With a story revolving around the competing ’existences’, i.e. Flame Hazes vs. Crimson Denizens, who reside
...
on different planes of reality, the show hit’s the ground running with a really cool premise. Think about it, battles going on in an unseen world that you’ll never know about, yet the outcomes of which could and does effect your life in unimaginable ways. So much so that you could just be written out of existence! This was going to be the tragic fate of our protagonist, however, as it just so happens he’s not your everyday human. The story continues with his adventures trying to figure out his place now that this whole new unseen reality has been revealed to him. To me, that’s a goldmine of possibilities set up to work with.
Earning 4 points
However, the ending of this anime decides to throw all that in the garbage. Nearly the entirety of the last season is a mess of epic proportions. Instead of continuing with all the good things the first seasons had built up, the last season goes on its own into the wilderness of horrible endings. By introducing practically a whole new cast of characters, creating nonsensical plot drivers, and just plain ridiculous reasoning by the characters in terms of their decision making faculties, Shakugan no Shana goes out in a pyre of infamy. Frankly, I’m going to be watching it to appear on some top ten list of “Most Unexpected Anime Endings”, because I found it hard to swallow that something so good could become so bad.
Deduction: -1.5 points
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As for the dialogue and character development, I was quite pleased for the most part. The interactions and relationship between the protagonist and Shana were well executed and all in all, the characters were enjoyable. The romantic elements were handled to my liking, and, the protagonist does grow throughout the story as a character (as does Shana). There are some characters (especially towards the end) that are left high and dry in the character development department, but, all main characters have enough in my humble opinion to allow the story to progress relatively unhindered.
Earning 2 points
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Technicals are solid. I truly enjoyed the entire OST of this anime, the style and animation were good too. No complaints.
Earning 2 points
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Bonus points award goes to… having some really cool Flame Hazes out there! And some cool powers to come with them!
Earning 1 point.
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Add it all up and we have a score of 7.5! If you want my advice, just watch the first two seasons only, then let your imagination make up what’s going to happen next. It’ll be better that way. Trust me, if I had done that, this anime would have been an 8.5 easy.
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 7 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 1, 2015
Okay, as always I want to preface my review with the three things I’m looking for in an anime: I want a really good story (+5), I want really good dialogue (characters/character development, etc.)(+3), and I want really good “technicals” (style, sound, etc.)(+2). Also, I’ll remind you my reviews generally encompass the whole series of an anime unless otherwise stated (That is to say that no more seasons are coming out). So let’s get to it!
Shakugan no Shana… I feel that this anime had an enormous amount of potential. With a story revolving around the competing ’existences’, i.e. Flame Hazes vs. Crimson Denizens, who reside
...
on different planes of reality, the show hit’s the ground running with a really cool premise. Think about it, battles going on in an unseen world that you’ll never know about, yet the outcomes of which could and does effect your life in unimaginable ways. So much so that you could just be written out of existence! This was going to be the tragic fate of our protagonist, however, as it just so happens he’s not your everyday human. The story continues with his adventures trying to figure out his place now that this whole new unseen reality has been revealed to him. To me, that’s a goldmine of possibilities set up to work with.
Earning 4 points
However, the ending of this anime decides to throw all that in the garbage. Nearly the entirety of the last season is a mess of epic proportions. Instead of continuing with all the good things the first seasons had built up, the last season goes on its own into the wilderness of horrible endings. By introducing practically a whole new cast of characters, creating nonsensical plot drivers, and just plain ridiculous reasoning by the characters in terms of their decision making faculties, Shakugan no Shana goes out in a pyre of infamy. Frankly, I’m going to be watching it to appear on some top ten list of “Most Unexpected Anime Endings”, because I found it hard to swallow that something so good could become so bad.
Deduction: -1.5 points
----------------------------
As for the dialogue and character development, I was quite pleased for the most part. The interactions and relationship between the protagonist and Shana were well executed and all in all, the characters were enjoyable. The romantic elements were handled to my liking, and, the protagonist does grow throughout the story as a character (as does Shana). There are some characters (especially towards the end) that are left high and dry in the character development department, but, all main characters have enough in my humble opinion to allow the story to progress relatively unhindered.
Earning 2 points
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Technicals are solid. I truly enjoyed the entire OST of this anime, the style and animation were good too. No complaints.
Earning 2 points
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Bonus points award goes to… having some really cool Flame Hazes out there! And some cool powers to come with them!
Earning 1 point.
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Add it all up and we have a score of 7.5! If you want my advice, just watch the first two seasons only, then let your imagination make up what’s going to happen next. It’ll be better that way. Trust me, if I had done that, this anime would have been an 8.5 easy.
As always, since I’m a critic, I’ll round down my score to a 7 because that’s just the way it goes. That way it’ll be better than expected when you watch it! Till next time
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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