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Apr 9, 2010
Most action shows gives a group of people some of the coolest most destructive powers ever imagined. Cutting huge boulders with a sword, blowing stuff up with their mind, shooting laserbeams from their eyes, and so on. “The Law of Ueki” decided to go in a different direction. It decided to give a bunch of people some useless powers, throw them together and see what happens.
It took me about 5 minutes into the first episode to figure out this show wasn't going to have the greatest plot ever. The whole show is just a glorified tournament. The way the show explains all the
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rules is a girl arbitrarily stumbles across some one using their power and so someone decides to just explain everything in depth to her for what really comes down to no good reason. In short the new king for the celestial world is going to be picked. Every candidate can select a middle school student from earth to fight for them and give them 1 power. Then they all fight until one wins. At least the show gives a reason why the fate of the world is in the hands of a bunch of school children.
Even though it isn't a spectacular story it isn't all bad. The show did manage to throw a few plot twists in that genuinely surprised me, and I found very enjoyable. However no matter how you rap it up the show can't change the fact that the story is just an excuse to string together a bunch of fights.
What could possibly be the most interesting thing about this tournament is the powers people get. There is the power to turn trash into trees, towels into iron, and electricity into sugar. The powers are kind of like “I guess I could see how that might be useful in some way possibly”, but the power aren't exactly my first pick material. There some other more practical powers like that power to turn beads into bombs or rings into rockets. Even these power aren't “I can blow stuff up with my mind” good. As odd as it might sound these powers are actually the thing that makes to show enjoyable. People end up coming up with some very creative ways of using these powers. There is also a limiting factor to powers. If someone can figure out someone else's limiting factor that will give them a great advantage. Seeing characters come up with strategies with seemingly useless powers is the best part of the show.
Ueki the main character and Mori the female lead easily stand out as the strongest characters in the show. These 2 actually have some development to them and even though the clueless hero and the bossy damsel in distress has been done before I still found them fun to watch. In second is Ueki's teammates that join him along they way. They all have decent enough personalities although it maybe a little bit on the quirky side. There will be more then a few “I am going to fight for my friends” type of speeches, but I found I ended up caring about all of them by the time the show finishes. They may not get the same treatment as Ueki and Mori, but they all get their moment in the sun. If nothing else they are good for a few laughs. Lastly there is the numerous amount of opponents. A lot are just there so that a fight can happen, but some do get a sappy back story. During the fight they will somehow see the error of their ways. Even the main enemy is fairly thin. It my not be a 5 star cast but at the end of the day they managed to made me smile.
This is a show that is only going to appeal to action fans. I wouldn't consider the story or characters bad but I have a hard time seeing anyone go through 51 episodes of this show just to see how the story plays out or what happens to the characters. The fights themselves are quite interesting. I can honestly say I have never seen many of the powers in the show and will probably never see them again. Most importantly a lot of interesting uses of these powers will keep you guessing what will happen next.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 13, 2010
You will have to put a lot of effort to follow this show and frankly you will get little reward for your troubles. Many aspects have a lot of content to them, rules, ins and outs that you need to know to follow the show. However even with all of that I still have no idea what is going on with this show.
"Asura Cryin" has a lot of problems but the one I had the biggest issue with is that the whole show is convoluted. Not only is the story complex but it is unnecessarily complex. There is a lot of different factions and
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rules for these factions. A person may not be able to attack someone if they are a member of a certain faction so long as that person doesn't interact with members of this other faction. Also the way the members of different factions interact don't make any sense. Enemies have lunch with one another, making all the separate groups feel pointless. Just to make sure I don't care about these groups at all the show decided to pick the stupidest and nonsensical covers possible. There is the School Student Council, The Science Club, The Second School Student Council, and it goes from there. Each name more meaningless then the last.
With all this complexity between groups it would makes sense that the story was equally deep, but actually the storyline is very shallow. Some young boy gets a package that holds one of the most powerful magical mechs in the world. Some event needs to be stopped or the world will end. The thing is 13 episodes later I still don't know what that event is and why the world will be destroy. There is a mysterious quality to all of this at first but that soon goes away after the story stops moving forward and the show doesn't seem to be concerned in answering any of the questions it brought up. To be completely fair this isn't the complete story, there is another show, but at the end of the last episode I still don't have enough information to understand so of the basic/core elements of the show.
This is a mecha show, and with that comes a few action scenes. The quality of the action varies a lot. Most of it is the one mech does its super move and then the other mech does its super move and the fight is over. There are the few the go outside of this norm. These are well done and interesting. Still more often than not the mech scenes are kind of lame.
One of the few things I didn't completely hate in the show was the comedy. The comedy is definitely on the corny side. Expect jokes about Tomo(the male lead) and breasts along with a few toilet jokes. Probably not everyones taste but I kind of like it. However with a few laughs come a honorable sense of timing. I can't count the number of times that the show tells a joke that just destroys what little pacing the show had.
What I loved most about the show was the relationship between the two main characters. The personalities of Tomo and Misao play off one another so well. Those 2 would bring a smile too my face more often then not. The rest of the cast didn't deliver quite as many smiles. They start out good. Each character is given a deep back story and a personality that is all their own. That is where it ends, the show doesn't do anything with the characters after that. I don't mean the show does a poor job of developing them, I mean the show literally doesn't do anything with them. In some cases you don't even see them for 4 or 5 episodes and in the 13 episode show 4 or 5 episodes is kind of a big deal.
Is “Asura Cryin” a good show, not really. Does "Asura Cryin" have its moments, you bet. There were times it made me laugh and the 2 main characters are a joy to watch. It is too bad the there is a lot more bad then good in the show. The rest of the cast could be described as “thin” at best and after the 3rd episode I stopped caring about the story line.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 10, 2010
Sometimes it is just nice to have a ordinary love story. A young man and a mermaid find one another and get engaged under pain of death. The father in-law sics a shark on the young man and calls him up in the middle of the night and whispers in a deep voice “I am going to rip your frickin balls off”. You know the usual father in-law type of things. O and I forgot the father in-law is part of the underwater Yakuza. Yea just another ordinary love story.
The show opens with a mermaid saving a young boys' life. The boys name is
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Nagasumi and the mermaids name is San. Apparently there is a rule that if a human sees the true form of a mermaid that mermaid must die. Sans father isn't exactly crazy about that idea, so he comes up with a plan. He is going to kill Nagasumi. San and her mother are not in love with that plan so they come up with a new one. If Nagasumi marries San he will be part of the mermaid clan and the problem will be solved. Sans father doesn't want to loose his precious little girl to marriage so he comes up with a plan. He is going to kill Nagasumi. No one ever blames Sans father for being overly creative. From here the craziness ensues, plus you know all the attempted killings.
More than anything “Seto no Hanayome” is about nonstop comedy. I did find a lot of the show funny but the show is really NONSTOP comedy. The show just never lets up. Plenty of genuine moments of romance or storytelling are ruined by the shows need to tell a joke every second and a half. This is also the main reason why so many jokes are just pounded into the ground. The first time Nagasumi is almost killed, funny; 5 billionth time, not so much. The show does get better at knowing when to let up as time goes on but even at the end it is pretty bad.
It is a shame that the show is so crazy most of the time because underneath all of it is actually a good romance. Most of the usual high school romance plot devices are used. Several girls have crushes on Nagasumi, love triangles, etc. The thing is these things are all down played so much it is almost as through they aren't there. Example, Kai is introduced a few episodes into the show. He has had a crush on San sense he was young and vows to steal San away from Nagasumi. He makes a big attempt on the first episode he is introduced but that is about it. He is still there for the rest of the show and he continues to hate Nagasumi but he really doesn't do anything to try to steal San away. I think he makes one attempt right before the end of the show but that is all. There are obvious complains to be made for introducing plot elements and then never really doing anything with them, but I really enjoy this approach. None of the clutter that usually comes with a romances are here. There isn't a group of girls pushing themselves on one guy episode after episode, you don't have two people who obviously like one another but take 15 episodes for one of them to say something, and even though they are both very dedicated to carrying out the promise of marriage neither are under some dilution of love at first site. So at the end of the day what you have is just a guy and a girl getting to know one another.
The cast is, if nothing else, interesting. Everyone is pretty much insane in their own fashion. Nagasumi and San are easily the two most normal, but considering their competition that isn't necessarily saying a whole lot. San seems normal enough most of the time but other times she seems oblivious to situations including Nagasumis near death experiences. Nagasumi is freaking out for half of every episode, admittedly he is trying to be assassinated a lot of the time so it is somewhat justified. Individually these two are OK but together as a couple they really seem to shine. The rest of the cast plays their comical rolls. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy them or that they don't have personalities, because they definitely all have their own personalities. It is just that they don't really get any development and the part they play in the story is to setup jokes. The characters do go along with the none stop comical style of the show.
The main fault of this show is that it tries too hard. Which is too bad because I did enjoy a lot of the comedy and there is a nice romance hidden in here. With the show just not knowing when to let up the comedy gets tiresome after a little while and too many moments that didn't need comedy are ruined. If you are someone who doesn't mind comedy that never lets up even in scenes were it probably should than I highly recommend it. You will have the comedy you love plus a decent romance. For anyone else my guess is you will start getting a little frustrated with the show before you get to the halfway point.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 28, 2010
Valkyria Chronicles
What would make you go to war? Everyone has some line that can't be crossed. Weather it is your home being taken away, your family and friends are in danger, or your lover is also going to war. In “Valkyria Chronicles” a small country is pushed into a war that they most likely will not win. Now the people of that country need to ask themselves that very question.
When the show starts out the thing is a mess. The story was slowly paced and had filler episode thrown in so it took forever to tell anything. Slow pacing I could have dealt with
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but it felt like it didn't even know what it wanted to do. The story felt disconnected and it jumped from trying to push focus on the story to the characters and back again. Trying to develop characters and a story is great but the way it was done the whole thing felt unnatural and forced. On top of that I couldn't tell what kind of mood the show was trying for. Sometimes it felt easy-going and comical well other times it felt dark and dramatic. Maybe the show was trying to blend the two or it was purposely going back and forth. Whatever the case, it didn't work.
Despite all these problem somewhere along the way the show managed to pull itself together. First the show decided it wanted to be a drama. A joke will pop-up now and then, but the show firmly places itself on the dramatic side of the line. The balance between characters and story development is also solved. Storyline elements help develop characters now and the show no longer has to forcibly insert some small story element just to get a little character development for someone. This also made the story feel much stronger and flow more nicely. By the time the show ends almost every problem I had at the beginning is fixed.
The story takes an interesting mix a fantasy and WWII-ish fighting. Never relying too much on one over the other. The weapons of war are along the lines of rifles and tanks, but at the same time almost everything in the world is power by a material called “Ragnite”. This material also ties in with the legend of the Valkyrian, and I bet you can guess that the Valkyrian ends up making an appearance by the end. Changing the setting from the usual futuristic or sword and sorcery gives the show a different feel them many others.
The show manages to create and develop a terrific cast on both sides of the war. Each person has his/her reasons for entering the war and a great back story that goes along with that reason. In some cases these reasons lead to strong social issues that are not easy to overcome for the character even when they know they are in the wrong. “Valkyria Chronicles” really strives to make you care about these characters and by the end it really pays off. The show pulls off some truly emotional moments between these characters; weather it be between characters on the same or apposing side, friends or lovers.
Beyond the main cast there is a bunch of soldiers under the various commanders. Really they are all just there to fill the void of the squad. However everyone of these characters is pulled from the video game. Like the video game each has their own distinct name and personality. This is good because it gives the squad more personality then just a bunch of nameless faceless soldiers. This is not so good because they are all just glorified extras. By giving them a personality it kind of feels like the show is going to do something with them. They don't really get any development and the only part they play in the story is that you can't win a battle with one person you need a whole squad. The show also through in a few inside jokes between the squad members that only people who have played the game will get. These are never important enough that someone who hasn't play the game will not get the full experience but it is a nice little extra for those who have. All and all I think this is preferable to a bunch of nameless soldier just don't expect too much from them.
The art style has something of a pencil drawn look to it (for lack of any better way of explaining it). This is an attempt to try to copy the art style of the video game. Personally I think it fails in this respect but none the less I like it. It manages to keep a traditional anime look and at the same time can stand out in a crowd.
I have a lot of bad things to say about the beginning and a lot of good things to say about the end. If you can make it through the not so good beginning, you will have a great story and cast waiting for you. However part of me cannot forgive the show for taking so long to get there.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 11, 2010
“Sands of Destruction” turns things around. Instead of being the guys who are saving the world, the main cast are the one trying to destroy it. This might lead you to believe that this is going to be a dark show, after all they are the “bad guys” this time. That couldn't be further from the truth. Almost nothing in the show is taken seriously, making the show a very carefree experience.
The premise plays out like this. A group of 3 people are trying to destroy the world, these 3 people are appropriately call “The World Destruction Committee”. The plan to destroy the world is
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to use, what else, the “World Destruct Code” witch happens to be an easy to carry pocket size black ball. Only one problem stands in their way, they have no idea how to use it. In actuality 2 out of the 3 don't really want to destroy the world, they are only along for the ride because the government thinks they are part of the “The World Destruction Committee” and can't go back to their old lives. Even the 3rd person seems to spend more time trying to convince people that she wants to destroy the world then actually trying to destroy the world. The group apposing “The World Destruction Committee” is call, of course, “The World Salvation Committee”. These are the bad guys, but they are the ones trying to save the world so how bad can they really be. The whole thing is absurd, but it is absurd in a hilarious and good way.
The show doesn't spend a lot of time developing the story. For the most part they seem to go around not getting any closer to the goal of destroying the world. The show does give reasons why they go from place to place but for the most part it is just them wandering around for 10 episodes. However it all comes together at the end and out of no were manages to pull off a really good ending. A pleasant surprise to a show that otherwise didn't have that strong of a storyline.
Even though this show is mainly a comedy it manages to throw a few action scenes in it. No a whole lot but the couple that make it in the show are entertaining. Many times it actually ends up being more comical then action but still fun to watch.
The characters really work well together. Morte, Kyrie, and Toppy make up “The World Destruction Committee”. Morte is a hot headed female and the one who is trying to destroy the world. Plus she has this cool giant blade thing has her weapon of choice. Kyrie is a laid back male lead. His biggest concern most of the time is were his next meal is coming from. He tries to convince Morte to not destroy the world from time to time but not because he actually cares if the world is destroy it is just that the whole thing seems like a lot of trouble to him. Lastly there is Toppy, an adorable yellow teddy bear with an eye patch. He hates when people call him a teddy bear so Morte and Kyrie call him it all the time. On the other end “The World Salvation Committee” is made up of Lia and Naja. Yes thats right the world is in danger of being destroyed and the army sends 2 people. Lia's solution to everything is to punch people first and ask questions later. Naja spend most of his time convincing Lia to not hurt people. Both teams manage to play off one another personalities for a lot of comical moments.
The animation is sufficient. The colorful art style is appropriate for the mood of the show. Nothing is wrong with the animation it just fails to impress.
“Sands of Destruction” is a nice easy going show. It never takes itself serous enough to try and push morality on you. An absurd but entertaining story line and a cast that can hold your interest. Just a fun little comedy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 11, 2010
The “if it is not broke don't fix it” approach to anime is not exactly a new (unfortunately). However, there is one very big difference between all the other crappy copy cat anime and Sword of the Stranger. Whatever the show decided not to brake must have been working very very well in the first place.
This may just look like another samurai film plot, and in many ways it is. There is a wandering samurai who ends up helping out a little kid and makes a vow to never unsheathe his sword again. OK yea the stories is down right generic. Generic doesn't necessary mean
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bad.
The show makes an interesting choice with the placing of the actions scenes. There are 2 short action sequences right at the beginning of the show and then not even the hint of an action sequence until the ending. I am not saying there is not action in this film. The action sequence at the end is a 20 minute battle with several one on one fights chained together at the end and it kicks ass. The 2 in the beginning aren't bad either.
With such a long period of time with out any action and a generic plot it could have easialy become boring. However the main cast is great. The 3 main characters are “Kotaro” a little kid, “Tobimaru” Kotaros' dog (yes I count the dog as a main character, the show does a great job with him and he plays an important roll at several points), and “the guy who technically has no name” the wondering samurai. Watching and getting to know these 3 ended up filling the middle of the show wonderfully. Similar to the plot they are not that original but still enjoyable to watch. Unlike many other movies of this type I actually felt that even though they just met there relationship is strong enough that they would risk their lives to save one another. The rest of the cast I don't have a lot to say about mainly because the other characters are not given enough on screen time to really create any decent personality with the exception of 1 or 2 of the bad guys. Even though I think most of the cast is very thin I will say that each character plays his/her part well.
Visually this movie is stunning. You will be hard pressed to find any fault in the art. Characters, settings, high movement action scene all look great. I personally think the show managed to keep the gore from becoming too much. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely blood in the show but I fell the show stopped it before it got so gory that it turned me off.
It is a run of the mill samurai flick but it is a very well done run of the mill samurai flick. It isn't going to change the minds of anyone who doesn't like this kind of anime but for those who do I highly recommend it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 26, 2009
If variety is the spice of life then Master Keaton delivers one hell of a spicy dish. It is hard to say what genre the shows is because it is almost everything. But is variety by itself enough?
Master Keaton's greatest asset is its variety. One episode it is a mystery, the next it is an action show, and the one after that it is a slice of life. The show really does end up getting it fingers in to almost every genre there is. To go along with the different genre, the show is in a different place every episode. In the rice patties of
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Japan and then in the hills of Scotland. Walking into the beginning of every episode and not knowing exactly what to expect is probably my favorite part.
Unfortunately as much as variety is the show's greatest strength it is also its greatest weakness. Any RPG player can tell you a jack of all trades is a master of none. The show ends up falling into that same problem. I wouldn't say that the show does anything down right poorly but it definitely doesn't do anything extremely well.
Mr. Keaton himself is kind of a James Bond meets MacGyver except he is really dorky. He plays the buffoon and no one ever really expects him to be good at anything until he makes his move and it is too late. Keaton has basically had every job in existence. I really like how the show handled Keaton's past. The show gives you little bits of information here and there; in almost every episode there is something new introduced about Keaton. It could be something important and explored the whole episode, or it could just end up being a few lines where one more job is added to his already long resume. Most of the other characters are only one episode characters. There are a few recurring characters, like Yuriko his daughter and Daniel O'Connell a friend of his. But even these characters only get a few episodes. I think all the characters are likable and well done for the time given to them but not a whole lot is done with any of them.
The animation is kind of interesting in that it looks older then what it is. The show came out in 1998 but I would have guess the early 90's to maybe even little earlier. I don't mean to saying the animation is poor, it just seems that art style is from a earlier era. Characters in the background tend not to be draw as well. It also has a more realistic looking than most anime but at the same time it is just cartoony enough to not look overly realistic either.
The quality varies a little episode to episode and it false to do anything particularly well. On the other hand it has great variety and I really enjoyed the lead character. Master Keaton didn't exactly WOW me but I could see someone else falling it love with it. I would probably recommend some other shows before this one to someone but I think it could end up being worth wild to check it out and see for yourself.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 25, 2009
The first 5 min of the show are actually entertaining. After that the quality goes in a steady downward decline. This decline will eventually reach 0 and somehow manages to keep going.
Like I said right at the beginning, the show isn't terrible. There is kind of a mysterious quality to it. There seems to be some kind of cover up going on, involving multiple governments of the world. The show then makes the mistake of actually telling you what the story is about. This is the point were it just falls apart. The story's premise is so stupid that..... You know when someone makes
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a comment so stupid and you want to give some kind of response but you find no words that would be appropriate for that level of stupidity. That is how dumb this story is. I am not going to go into great detail but lets just say it has to do with vampires actually being aliens.
You might be thinking; alien vampires OK it sounds B movie-ish, but that could lead to some good action. This is not the case. There isn't very much action at all and the few action sequences the show has are very very short. There is one action scene right at the very beginning, the main character fights off 8 guys all at the same time. This is actually a cool scene, but then nothing near that good happens again. Even with the little amount of action this show has it somehow manages to put a surprisingly large amount of blood on the screen.
I hate to give even a single complement to the show, but the main character is actually fairly good. “Kuki” is a manly man type of guy. You know the kind that guys want to be and girls want to be with. Super secret agent with the ability to kick anyone's ass. The rest of the cast doesn't even come close to him, there just isn't much to anyone of them. Even though I did like “Kuki” he is hardly good enough to carry the show.
The animation was probably not that bad back in 1990. It doesn't hold up honorable to the test of time but it certainly isn't anything that good by todays standards.
The 2 min action sequence at the beginning is good and the main character is cool. Those are the only two good things I can say about this show. The story is one of the worst I have ever heard, poor action, and there is nothing to the rest of the cast. 45 minutes of my life were sucked away.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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May 13, 2009
I am going to be honest and say when I started to watch this show the idea of earth being saved by winning a race seemed kind of lame and I was only watching it for the futuristic alien racing action. I figured the show would have some cool races, a bad guy to focus my hatred at, and O look the earth hasn't been destroyed at the end. However I found my self pleasantly surprised to find a solid story and a great lead character.
I have already stated that I wasn't going into the show expecting much from the story; soon after getting
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into the show I realized that there was a lot more here then I thought. First thing to note is that it is not so simple as if the earth team wins the “Oban Race” the earth is saved and if they lose the earth is doomed. The race is to decide who gets the “Ultimate Prize”, the thing is no one on the earth team knows exactly what the “Ultimate Prize” is. Information on it is given out as the show goes on but when the group first starts out they know next to nothing. Also there maybe more to this race than meets the eye, as a few mysterious things end up happening. There is also Molly who is the abandoned daughter of the earth team's manger(Don Wei) who ends up getting on the earth team by chance. The thing is Don Wei doesn't realize she is his daughter and Molly is trying to get him to notice her. Throw in a little intergalactic politics and you have the basics of the story.
The overall storyline dealing with the “Ultimate Prize” moves very slowly. Luckily every race is its only little mini story, and there is more than enough going on with these to keep your interest well the main storyline takes it's time. The apposing pilots are usually given some kind of back story or development before or during the race. Some pilots are bad, others are good guys that the earth team just happens to be racing against. Although later on the races are group races, when the show first starts out they are all one on one. I actually like the one on one more than the group races, so I think the later races are not as good as the early ones. For those like me looking for some futuristic alien racing action you will not be disappointed. Almost every show has a race and a race will probably take up 1/3 to 1/2 the show. The show manages to keep the races interesting. The aliens and their ships are very creative. There are the usual technologically advanced ships, a guy that rides a giant flying beetle and shoots magical arrows, and a species that actually transforms into the racer itself. Special rules come up now and again that changes the way the race is held. The earth team also loses enough that I could not always guess how the race was going to end. There are crashes and people do shoot at one another but no one ever dies from these crashes and if the pilot does get hurt they are always up and about in an episode or two.
Now we come to my favorite part of the show, MOLLY. Molly's real name is Eva but her dad(Don Wei) didn't recognize she was his daughter so she lied. She is strong willed and self reliant with just the right amount of venerability to her, and has great growth and back story to her. Don Wei also has a great growth and back story (well Molly and Don Wei have the same back story), he is kind of a jerk but you also empathize with him at times. Unfortunately the rest of the cast does not get any were near the development of Molly and Don Wei. That isn't to say they have poor development. Jordan (Molly partner), Rick (a member of the earth team), and Prince Aikka (a opposing pilot) are examples of characters that have good personalities and do get development of the the course of the show. It is just kind of sad to see something that is done so well with the main character and then done only just good enough with the rest of the cast. I love Molly and even though I wanted a little more from other members of the cast they are still good.
The animation does a great job of combining 2D and 3D. The 2D and 3D do a good job of complementing one another and not just trying to out do one another like I think happens all to often. I will have to note that none of the characters have noses. This annoyed the hell out of me, I did get use to it but I never grew to like it. One complaint aside I like the animation.
In closing I should probably point out one more thing before ending. Some people will most likely be turned off by the less mature nature of the show. An 8 year old could follow the story and even when people crash their ships into little tiny pieces the pilot never walks away with more than a few scratches. Please don't let that scare you away, there is enough substance here to keep a much older audience interested. It has a nice story, good cast, Molly is a strong lead female character that other shows should strive for, and the races are fast paced and exciting.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 13, 2009
This is a show that is hard to give justice to in just a paragraph or two. It is a unique show that makes a few choices that on the surface seem like it wouldn't work. However it is these same choices that make the show stand out the way it does.
One of the most important parts of the show are the two main characters, because these are the only things that you are going to see repeatedly from beginning to end. Every other person or place you will see for only one episode and then its gone. We have Kino and Hermes.
...
Kino is a traveler and Hermes is the talking motorcycle that Kino drives. Kino is a little bit of an odd one in that nothing gets her excited. Even when her life is on the line she never seems overly troubled by the whole thing, and when it comes to morality issue she seems somewhat indifferent. This may sound like I am being very negative toward Kino, but that is just not true. Although she may not go down as one of the most emotional or vibrant characters in anime, the character's personality play a significant role in the show. One of the main things that mades this show so good is how it deals with the issue of morality and philosophy. Many shows run into the problem of having an idea shoved down the viewer's throat. With Kino as the lead it is very easy for the show to side step this pitfall. The show presents the idea and it is what it is. It is just there for the viewer to think about without one side or the other being pushed on the audience. Who ever thought up Hermes was a genius. Hermes is a motorcycle and he can't help anyone or ever move unless someone drives him. The only thing he can do by himself is talk. The show uses this to have Kino and Hermes talk through the various ideas of the show. This really helps the ideas move along without taking a side. If one of the characters favors one side a little more than the other, the other will always play devil's advocate. Hermes help keeps Kino in the spotlight sense Hermes can't really interact with anyone. The people Hermes and Kino meat along the way are short live but some of them still manage to stick out and be memorable.
So we have Kino and Hermes and they travel from one “country” to another. “Countries” in this show are not much more than a city/town with a wall around it. Each country has some gimmick. Some are technologicaly advanced, some have deep religious believes, etc. Kino visits one of these countries ever episode(sometime more then one) and the viewer is exposed to some new idea. There is also usually some problem to the country as well. The thing is Kino isn't going to fix all these problems, and even the time she does get involved nothing is ever completely fixed. The countries are creative and the ideas are interesting. The problem with this journey is that it has no point. The show points out that there is no point to the journey more than once. Kino is not trying to get some place, find something, or learn anything. There is a reason for her starting this journey but the show does not tell you until you get several episodes into the show, so I am not going to give it away. Because of this, although the show does a good job of presenting the ideas and stories in an individual episode, there is a lack of focus to the over all show and there is not a solid conclusion at the end.
I also want to point out the action. Action isn't a focus of the show, and really there is only around 2 parts of the show that have action. However the few time it does deal with action I found myself extremely impressed with it. The show deals with action so little that I wouldn't suggest it to action fans, but it is a nice bonus to have such well done action sequences in a non-action focused show.
I have heard people give high prays to the art style of the show, I don't see it. I don't have a problem with the character animations, they look OK. It is the environments. Even if I take into account that it is a stylized look stuff like trees and bushes don't look much better then green blobs. Maybe I just can't appreciate it, maybe I am missing something, but I don't think the animation is that good.
I know there are a lot of things wrong with Kino's Journey. The story wanders and has no goal, the animation isn't wonderful, and the main character has a very small emotional range. However at the end of the day I didn't care, I love this show. The countries Kino visits are interesting, the 2 main characters play to the shows strengths, and the philosophical element doesn't feel forced. For anyone who likes shows with heavy emphases on ideas of morality, this is a need to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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