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Aug 20, 2010
A 21st century Japanese apocalypse/horror (or more accurately, "no hope") manga; your first thought? Tits. Your second? Ass. This is the drawbacks to all those fan services, those juicy, bouncing, voluptuous drawbacks. Something about the end of the world or death, and women (who's "accessories" make her fit more on a farm in montana than an urban Japanese environment), make the Japanese (and probably tons of Americans) scream MOAR!!! Does this honestly make sense? If the world ended, wouldn't small girls with washboards survive better? So shouldn't all horror apocalypse stories star creepy old lolicons and doll-size girls instead of reckless selfless and otheradjective-less guys
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and his herd of cows?
These were some of my first thoughts when I read the synopsis for Cage of Eden; When in the first chapter, the guys are watching a video of their classmates in swimsuits. I thought, this is just another fan service filled action, adventure, comedy, romance, horror manga.
And man, was i wrong.
It was strange to think that I read a manga, where the Male:Female ratio was 3:2, and not 1:20. It was strange that even though the main girl has tits, she shows them ONLY when she bathes (BLASPHEMY!!). I'm going to make comparisons to Highschool of the Dead, not only because of the similarity of the story's feel, but because they counter each other in so many ways, and in the end, i still like CoE better.
Plot: Cage of Eden blends a good amount of action, adventure, and horror. Comedy and romance are the bench players, chilling out, rooting for the team, and every once in awhile they come out and play. CoE blends these genres very well and there are good timings of romance and comedy. When HSotD characters are surrounded by zombies, their first thought is "Will so&so fuck me if i save her?". HSotD had too much melodrama. It made me think, people are fighting for their lives and your trying to figure out which pair of breasts likes who? Cage of Eden focuses on survival, and only throws comedy/romance in when completely necessary and in times when everything is fine or when it fits. My favorite element of CoE; however, is the horror. When your surrounded by zombies, but there's a military force somewhere, it offers some sanctuary. CoE doesn't excel because it's on an island with tons of extinct monsters, it excels because of several scenes that just tell you, "it's fucking useless, you'll die here".
*Mild Spoiler, but a spoiler nonetheless*
The only signs of salvation CoE every offers, are often shut-down immediately. Settlements of people often go from normal, to insanely dangerous in several chapters. One of the most horrifying moments was very early on, when the protagonists and several other students try to sail to safety. The protagonists are betrayed and kicked off the boat where they return to the island. The others sail to a 10 ft rock, tricked by a mirage that caused them to believe it was an island. They are then eaten by a extinct sea monster. Not that scary?
Spoiler End
CoE isn't BOO horror, it's that creeping horror. It's like watching a slasher flick; everybody knows the killer, but what can you do? CoE gives that feeling, that you can't escape, you'll never be safe, only death is salvation
The story is a blend of plot and character driven arcs, with only one big goal in mind for our protagonists: Survival. There aren't any outstanding characters, but each character has something to offer to the groups overall survival. None are sitting eye candy, they all work, and there isn't a character i feel you can call a waste of space. Arcs are interesting and are filled with mystery. There are some good twists to the plot, which simply add to the terror.
Art: I had a hard time believing the synopsis when i read it. The characters look fragile and Yuyu hakusho-ish, but unlike Yuyu, most people who died weren't highschool girls/boys who were eaten and stomped and brutally murdered. I can best compare it to happy tree friends, characters are simple and very shojo looking, only to get fucking chomped on as a midnight snack. Animals look great and detailed as well as death sequences. I can't tell if the animals that show up are real or not, but the author definitely did his research.
A great series altogether, action is around every corner as well as horrifying deaths or monsters. Not alot of fan service, but fan service is either something you look for or don't care about. I found the amount here is satisfactory without it turning into full on porn. Cage of Eden proves that putting a body and brain behind those tits can still make a series great.
Story: 9
Art: 9
Character: 8
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 9
Go read it bitches
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 10, 2010
How many of you grew up with a hobby? With something you just in general, love/loved? Living in Hawai'i, I've grown up on a mix of Asian and American culture. A long time ago, I was introduced to anime by my brothers best friend. He taught us about the late, great, Toonami; with Rurouni Kenshin, Tenchi Muyo, Gundam Wing, and the ever popular Dragon Ball Z. As we grew older, he introduced us to Saturday night Adult Swim, and with it the gore and sex every puberty ridden boy needed; Inuyasha, Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Case Closed, Fullmetal Alchemist, Outlaw Star, and the life changer, FLCL.
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Needless to say, i've grown up on anime; i've had my hating phase, loving phase, and the one most people go through, the "wait, no one thinks anime is cool, I should hate on it" phase. The fact that i have a MAL account and am writing a review for a manga should tell you that I went through the "wait, I don't give a fuck about anybody else" phase. Now, the big question. Do I find anime/manga girls attractive? Why yes, i do. Would i date one? Probably not, while attractive on paper, anime girls would just look ridiculous in person.
Now that my biography is done, Go back and read this entire paragraph again, except replace 'Hawai'i' with 'Japan', 'Asian and American' and every existence of 'anime' or 'manga' with 'Zombie(s)', and every anime show named replaced with the name of a George Romero zombie flick. Finally, change that last sentence to "Yes, i would in a heart beat". You're probably thinking WTFBBQ...no? Anyway, I've just described the main lead Furuya, the only hitch in this great zombie romance by Mitsuru Hattori.
I don't like to review something I haven't finished. There's so much uncertainty about any manga/anime series that a great story, could become terrible just because the author decided that the main character should wake up (fuck you smb 2, fuck you). Sankarea is only on chapter 8, and it's impossible to say where the story is going and be 100% right. The story so far is good, it's a good mix of comedy with romance, with a little seasoning of action and suspense. It wasn't until recently i realized that this romantic zombiexhuman was actually not unique (There are two recommendations down below), but i like the way Sankarea handles its story. The zombie element is presented scientifically in most cases (you know, aside from the reviving the dead part) and it's not overbearing, especially in comedy. I can imagine some people going "Zombie comedy? Why would i wanna see some stoopud zomby fall apart over and over again"? Well Sankarea doesn't do this fortunately, comedy stems from the science or perverted nature. It's pretty funny to see a 15 year old fragile looking girl place her soft hand down...where upon she picks up the bench she "gently" placed her hand upon and swings it like a 8 year old boy with a poostick. Essentially, the zombie element is there, but Sankarea is at it's core, a romance with a zombie theme, not vice versa.
The story is the best so far of Mitsuru Hattori, which isn't saying much actually, but it's got some mature themes which makes the bad/good guys very black and white. You know who to hate and you boy do you hate them. I need to see where this goes though, I'm hoping the personality of her father (no spoiler) isn't a constant with other characters and i hope he doesn't around. If Mitsuru has to resort to such a disturbing way of making us hate the villain, he isn't a good writer and there won't be much depth to the story
Furuya: Furuya, ah what a great character. He's the kind of guy i can empathize and feel for. He's very determined to help his..."friend"... when she's in a time of great need, giving her a place to stay, and even researching a way to help her..."condition"... Probably my favorite about him, is that he's Furuya, he's not the MF'ing coolest kid in town. When he's confronted by a scary old man, he doesn't stand infront of a light, look up with one eye (his other covered by his hair) and say something cool that make the bad guy go "GAH, MY WAYS MUST BE CHANGED"; Furuya fucks with the guy; he jokes and he tells him why he's a bad guy, all in a playful manner. It's great, it's courageous, and i felt like this was so much cooler than acting cool and pretending to be on top of the world. Furuya does what Furuya wants, he's not Ichigo, he's not Luffy, he's F'in Furuya.
BUT, the only thing i hate about him is the centerpiece that makes this a unique manga, his zombie addiction. He dates exclusively zombie girls and barely even stares are human girls (cough keima cough). Fine, understandable, bitches be bitches. But the idea of a zombie girl being hot? Nothing says love like open bloody sores, puss, flies, skull broken open, limbs falling off, OH, and the fact that she wants to rip you open and eat your fucking guts. While you /b/tards are probably in need of a change of underwear, us normal people are grossed the hell out. Of course, in classic romantic comedy fashion, the zombie is hot, cute, sexy, innocent, etc etc. I didn't like this Mitsuru, i don't like the idea that our main character wants to get it on with a dead body. I don't know about laws in Japan, but that's 4-5 in America. It seems like Furuya, however, likes Rea for who she is, not a zombie (He actually doesn't think about it till much later). That move alone saved me from dropping this series. It's not that i hate zombies, but it's strange to think that a guy who's watched Zombie movies would want to stick a dick in them.
The art is smooth stylish with that Mitsuru style written all over it. Character blush permanently, it can take a little getting use to, but when you see color pages you'll see that Mitsuru has a great sense of colors. Don't read Sankarea thinking about other manga's, or at least don't think that everybody is drunk. He does this to bring a sense of life and color to these characters and when/if a anime comes out, you'll see how well it translates. However, Mitsuru isn't one for details, backgrounds are about as average as the main characters, which are still nicely drawn and beautiful. He's great with shadow, especially in the recent chapter; Mitsuru may not be the best artist, but he definitely understands what he's doing. I'm probably a little bias by the way, I've read Inu Neko Jump and Umisho, two of Mitsuru's more famous works. I'm not bias in that i'd like anything he writes, but bias in that I've seen how much he's improved over the past 10 years. In Inu Neko Jump, the college and high school students look midgetized and strange. Umisho was better, but it still kinda looked like a sketch book half the time. Sankarea is such an improvement that is just unbelievable in everyway.
Notes:
+ Zombies, nuff sed
+ Relatable Main character
- ...besides the fetish
+ Great female lead
- Not really haremy nor too ecchi
Story: 8
Art: 9
Character: 9 (generous here)
Enjoyment: 10 (I'm a sap for a good RomCom
Overall: 9
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 5, 2010
B Gata H Kei is a recent 2010 spring anime series based on a 4 koma manga that is currently, to my knowledge, still running. You're basic school romantic comedy with a twist (of course, was isn't these days). It's animated by Hal Film Maker, who also did Skip Beat!, another good romantic comedy. First and foremost, B Gata H Kei is heavily based on sex jokes and not so much physical humor as most romantic comedy's are, along with the fact that it aired at one AM, this is easily not recommendable for girls/women; this is strictly teenagers to old guys. The humor mostly
...
stems from the nympho female lead, Yamada, who's dream is to have 100 sex buddies due to her virgin insecurities. However, she's quick to try and rush the sex part of her relationship with male lead, Takashi Kosuda. But despite her high ambitions, she can't find it in her to go through with the act, devolving from self proclaimed sex maniac, to a normal shy virgin girl. Not helping the situation is Kosuda's own sexual inexperience and nervousness, leading to usually hilarious awkward moments. Usually.
Story: The entire story is told literally in the first five minutes; Yamada wants sex. Her pride keeps her from jumping anyone more experienced with her, so she "chooses" Kosuda. From episodes one to twelve, it remains entirely episodic, with usually a small string of plot keeping the episodes connected. Characters are introduced at a good steady pace with an obvious and huge focus on Yamada. Anybody who watches B Gata H Kei will either love Yamada, or hate her, depending on how you think about it. On the outside, she's just a sex maniac, which alone is enough to get on some people's nerves, who can't go through with actually have sex with a guy, even though when you're the school idol anyone will have sex with you. At first i thought this was funny, then i got really tired of it, until i thought about it differently. She's clearly a parody of "horny" girls who try to grow up too fast. While I may be reading into this too much, you'll see that she goes to great lengths to know sex, yet refuses to try it. Clearly no girl is as crazy for sex as she is, and her straight faced friend, Takeshita Miharu, even points out that she makes no sense. Even Kosuda is a parody; he's portrayed as a boring individual, and it definitely shows as in most of his scenes his name is either forgotten or he's ignored outright. There is the classic childhood friend unrequited love, which everybody is so dense about it's almost pitiful. Even the cliche perfect study abroad girl who returns to Japan is "perfect", she definitely wants to keep the apples falling as close to the tree as possible (you'll see). Don't take the story or characters seriously, it's a light hearted sex comedy that doesn't treat sex like taboo, but this may be the only thing that makes it funny. Watch the first episode and decide, as i can't tell if the humor came from the shock value of a crazy horny girl, or if it was legitimately funny.
One complaint is the last two episodes, where it ultimately devolves into a borderline hentai video. Nothing is shown, but it quickly goes from funny perverted show, to censored porn. Again, don't take it seriously though, it's a more realistic view of what virgins think when they first have sex. The conclusion is also meh, but above average. It gives a clear conclusion for most characters, and ends nicely, but abruptly. It ends in a way that won't have a sequel, but you know it still goes on in the B Gata H Kei world.
Asthetics: The art is simple and nice, but nothing amazing. Character designs aren't interesting, which is a shame since there aren't too many characters that get the spotlight. Clothes; however, are rather nice. While most school life animes have nothing but uniforms, you'll see a nice variety of dresses and suits, but if you're a guy you probably don't care and most people watching this will be guys. Opening is poppy and energetic, while the ending isn't anything special, music isn't used too much during the show either.
I know B Gata H Kei got a lot of bad rep (threatening letters) but it's a good show if it's a satire, bad show if it's a straight romantic comedy. In the end, don't take it seriously and don't go looking for amazing plots. Girls should stay away if looking for romantic comedies, but any girl looking to laugh at themselves or have a good sense of dirty humor are welcome.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 26, 2010
I started watching Angel Beats about a two weeks ago, caught up with all the episodes and decided to finish the series before writing a review, mostly because i wanted the entire story and that i only needed to wait two weeks. I am by no means an anime guru, however i have been watching anime since DBZ first came to America and am in the process of getting back into anime after about four or five years of break. I consider myself a blank slate for AB! however, as I heard no hype and simply went in on a friends recommendation.
Angel Beats! or AB!,
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is an "action" comedy with hints of fantasy/romance. Angel Beats is rather deceiving so i'm putting this section at the very top. The first scene is of a girl holding a sniper rifle. In the first couple episodes guns are everywhere and you have about ten or so people shooting like mad men. Explosions, knife fights, etc.
For about a total of three episodes....
If the entire series is about 260 minutes long (4 1/3 hours) probably about 20 minutes total is action, the rest is either story or comedy. Nothing wrong with that, but don't watch AB! for big explosions and girls with guns, it's a comedy/fantasy/romance/school life.
The story is wrought with drama and romance, with twists and turns every so often. It's hard to fit a fleshed out story into thirteen episodes and in the last three i was worried they wouldn't wrap it up. This is both the case and not the case. Episode twelve feels rushed and half assed, while a huge, interesting, important chunk is left out in the middle of twelve and thirteen. Fortunately, the ending is still good and each episode ends perfectly. It's not like ToraDora! where every episode ended with a cliff hanger, nor does it end like a Pokemon episode. I felt each episode had a proper conclusion with enough cliffhanger to make you come back next week.
Unfortunately, the story is not complimented by its wide cast of characters. Otonashi, the male lead, is amnesiac and blank for awhile, but i was interested as he isn't your classic fight against evil selfless hero, he's a little more selfish than most main characters. Yuri has a nice backstory that's explained early and Angel is explained, though not till the very end. It's the supporting cast that definitely gets the shaft. There are about ten or so supporters who are equally funny and crazy. However, that's ten different backstories and only three or four are explored. One character disappears till the end, comes back for literally five seconds, and then is never shown again.
This is also worth noting, most of the humor this series relies heavily on the world itself. As everybody is dead, no one can really die again. So most of the humor comes from people getting murdered (in non bloody ways). I personally liked this humor because i've been watching Maria Holic, Zetsubou Sensei and other satirical and pun based shows, which just don't translate. AB! is hilarious, but it is definitely not smart humor in any way shape or form.
The animation and art are beautiful. It combines simplistic characters, who look beautiful, with an even more beautiful background. I was disappointed that the art wasn't put to as good use as it could've been; many scenes take place in tunnels, classrooms, the track. Yet shots show a huge campus that is never really used to its fullest. Animation works well, probably helped by simplistic characters. Angel has beautiful fluid motion and the graphics that appear when she uses her powers are great. Much of the animation can be compared to Spice and Wolf's, another beautiful series. The art clearly shows how well technology has advance, as everything about it is beautiful. I'm pretty sure this is what hyped Angel Beats up and it doesn't disappoint. Music is also up to snuff. Openings are beautiful and smooth, yet it sticks to the piano a bit too much, same goes for the ending. My favorite musical aspect is the band in the show. They perform flashy rock hits which get a little repetitive, but still enticing. Music is also used greatly for humor, inserted at key moments which i found enjoyable.
After writing this and doing some research, i believe AB! may have been a little overhyped. It's very interesting and i'd easily recommend this to any American whose interested in drama. I feel like it wouldn't be as drawing to someone with anime experience and is looking for smart humor. Anyone looking for action should stay away. Few animes pull of a good ending, AB! kinda disappoints, as it becomes kinda predictable once the big plot moment comes in with Otonashi, and the plot is such that it can either be good or really bad, of which i almost believed it was going to be bad as i finished it. It's not great, it still is unresolved and not what i had envisioned (to all who have seen it, i wished they could've shown everyone and what they were doing afterwards, maybe some of them meeting. I at least wanted them to go even a little beyond what they showed similar to the end of .://hack).
Rundown:
Story: plot driven, good twists, felt like it was forced towards the end
Characters: Worst part, not enough detail into interesting supports, main characters are more relatable than interesting
Art: lives up to the hype, doesn't go beyond it though even though it could
Music: Pleasing and interesting, little variety
Verdict: Go Watch It
When you stop liking it, watch two or three more episodes, as the story will change.
Still don't like it, then it's not your kinda anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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