- Last OnlineJul 17, 2018 6:14 PM
- JoinedJun 3, 2014
No friend yet.
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
May 9, 2016
THERE MIGHT BE MILD SPOILERS (I don't consider them as such), BUT NOTHING THAT GIVES AWAY CRUCIAL INFORMATION FOR ENJOYMENT.
This was one I didn't expect to watch in full, but I really associated with the protagonist: overly knowledgeable on subjects that would normally be considered pointless. Overall, I enjoyed this anime as a whole, and everything I don't complain about I was quite happy with.
As for complaints:
1) I like the idea of a worldwide event that leads to the existence of the paranormal (kinda like Area D). However, I'm not a fan that they are the global subconscious made corporeal. I probably would have
...
introduced some plot fixing fairy dust into the mix or just elaborated on what that event was if I had to keep that point.
2) Introduction of characters is a little slipshod and unorganized. The development of relationships between even more so.
3) The magic system is... hectic, but luckily only focuses on a select group of characters.
4) One or two characters are almost entirely two dimensional (in the story-writing sense), but still lovable.
Definite compliments:
1) I love the animation style and I will likely lose anime fan credibility for it. I'm kind of a sucker for jump cuts (in anime, not cinema), and any shot that makes you question whether or not the story, the narrator, or even your own thoughts on the situation are trustworthy.
2) Despite being hectic, the magic system is certainly varied, as are the powers of the antagonist, and the methods of dealing with said antagonists. Original ideas were definitely indulged.
3) Character arcs are very different and occur at different times. It gives you the time to get to know each character, how they can assist the other characters, but you don't need that first character maturation to understand.
Final comments:
Good anime, but not one I can sit down and watch multiple episodes in one setting. That's about the best I can do without spoilers.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Oct 18, 2015
I'm going to get my biggest praise out of the way now: The ending credits kick ass! Seriously, you have to watch at least that once. The animation and song are both absolutely fantastic, and I literally (and I mean it in its denotational sense) ignored the attractive woman doing the fan dance in favor of the effects surrounding the fan and her.
Now to serious stuff:
The characters are sort of well rounded and generally likable, but still hit on some of the tropes, namely being emotionally dead inside and lo-and-behold therein lies all your problems. Oh, and let's not forget that you have to have
...
something to protect as well.
The animation is solid throughout the whole series except for one episode for about 1.5 minutes where it looks like the heroes are riding past a background painted on plywood.
One of the big problems is that very few things are fully explained, namely the Impurity stuff. So sometimes you have to burn it for incense, other times you have to boil it and drink the resulting water, other times all it does is cause hallucinations, sometimes it blows people up, sometimes makes a shockwave, sometimes it makes you strong, and sometimes it's just a pretty "poison" that noone properly explains. That's world-building spackle, kinda like how the Force can do whatever it needs to in Star Wars.
The plot's a little all over the place, and the lack of continuity makes it harder to engage in watching. If I were forced to watch it again (I hate re-watching or re-reading anything), I would do it at about one episode a day, because nothing about the ending of the previous episode really pushes me onto the next.
Another thing that's worth noting is that the ecchi is entirely arbitrary. There's no reason there couldn't have been more important male characters, the female characters couldn't have dressed in a more, either western fantasy or traditional anime, style and it would have sacrificed nothing. The last episode in particular was really the only ecchi episode, but I would say it was a fair palate cleanser after all the death, sadness, etc. from the story proper.
I do like that the female characters are strong (for most of the series), but when protagonist du jour discovers feelings again, she's essentially incapacitated for four episodes, and it get's really dull. However, I think that that leads me to my final point:
There might be some reference to the story of Buddha. After getting her emotions, Alka finally 'sees' the old, the sick, and the dead. Though I think the argument falls apart a bit when she goes on about actually living instead of being an ascetic.
Final verdict: Sure, go ahead and watch it. I'm sure you'd think it's around a 6 or 7 too. It was good for me just because I was running out of things to read and watch when I got home at night.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Sep 25, 2015
So, I watched this series through twice, the reason being, so I could get a hold of my opinions on it. A friend of mine said that it had an original story and aesthetic that I would appreciate if it weren't for the gore and liberal use of sex and nudity. I took this as a challenge (I don't care for anything sadistic, and think that sex and nudity should be used as seasonings for a story, not what they revolve around) and did watch, but I can't say that I'm not still a little confused.
The Good:
1) This is an original story for sure. I
...
would have gone with more of a 'trials of the immortal' thing than the story did, but that's my preference. 2) I'm a fan of these time skips. It shows the characters in a completely different character when you see them in the next episode 20 years later. Plus, it reminds me, somewhat, of Kara no Kyoukai. 3) It made me think. I will profess to enjoying mindlessness on occasion, but I enjoy it when there are things I don't know, am confident will be revealed, then realize I should have seen them from the beginning in hindsight. 4) The main characters can, or may not be, the most interesting characters in your mind. As the description says, we're talking about immortals here, so that can be hard to relate to, but the secondary characters, to me anyway, pepper the narrative with what makes it good.
The Bad:
1) Sex should not play an integral role unless the story is a romance or smut. I realize this is an opinion, but when talk of sexual arousal stopping a hardened female action character comes up, I find it difficult to swallow. 2) If you want to be mature, and appeal to a mature audience (as your rating seems to insinuate), using a juvenile 'blood and boobs' routine isn't going to help. 3) The intro song. Yes it's petty, but it doesn't change the fact that it suckered me in with a fair musical score and ruined it with j-rock lyrics sung by the one kid who failed his english classes. There's a reason I don't sing in Japanese, despite knowing how to, at least, communicate on a daily level in it.
The Ambiguous:
1) Gender politics. I don't know if the creators are trying to make a message out of what happens when men and women gain power followed by the interactions of said parties, but it comes across that way. Maybe that's how it supposed to be. The main character kicks enough ass to put the Levi jeans company into overdrive, but is still forced to submit at times (normally in a sexual manner; see 'The Bad' section on that).
2) The Sexual Politics. Again, this is a sort of gender politics thing that I can't get too much into without going into spoiler territory, but I will say there is a lesbian threesome during which important information is shared among the participants. Now, as an adult male, let me say, this information could have been presented better. It was certainly artistic and erotic, but difficult to hear over the sexual groans of those involved. Added to that is that, apparently, the best way to get information relevant to plot points is to sexually satisfy a nymphomaniac lesbian (or bisexual, it was never made clear). This could have been handled better, but I don't know if the anime as a whole could maintain its identity without such... accoutrements.
3) What is actually happening? Keeping your audience in the dark until just the right moment is a skill few possess. In this anime, the dark shifts back and forth between knowing and not knowing. While generally well paced on an episodic level, I would have preferred a more cohesive whole than what was presented, despite the fact that I appreciate the segments on their own. It would probably be better to assess those segments (episodes) individually with more scrutiny, but they do all interconnect.
Conclusion:
I can't give you any real insight. Go ahead and watch the series for yourself (6 episodes, 45 minutes each) and have your own opinion. You could almost argue that this is an anime for forcing you into creating your own opinion on some issues that come up in modern life or fantasy. But always remember to keep an open mind. Read the other reviews and they might provide more insight than mine ever could.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 6, 2014
This is an anime you have to go into where you can't just 'watch'. You've got to pay attention, and that's one of the things that makes it so endearing. The characters are well rounded, but still hold mystery, the art style is wonderful- switching between styles for either comedic, artistic, or referential effect, and the presentation of the material takes en-medias-res to its zenith. The biggest thing that could be called a negative, the quickly transitioning screens with pertinent information, is also mostly covered (in my opinion, a bit cheekily) by being an artistic statement (noting that the source material is a light novel,
...
and that the information is a fleeting dalliance while maintaining it's importance).
Another thing you would think impossible, is that throughout the series, every single character is shown to be equally important in the mythos as a whole. Being referenced later based on the chronological order of the books, despite the fact that they may not have been covered or even mentioned. It was a wise choice to release Nisemonogatari as an animated movie last, in my opinion. I'm not a fan of light novels, but I was so intrigued by what happened on this spring break that I powered through the whole thing in a half a day. Think about that: this is a medium that forced me to experience it through an entirely different medium, and lost absolutely none of its appeal.
One of the last things that I like about the series is that it completely dehumanizes anyone who isn't an important character. Parents of the high school/junior high students are hardly acknowledged, even when playing large roles in their childs life. Passerby aren't drawn in so much as given an outline with a splash of color and a kanji. It shows how isolated the characters are in their own story, and how isolated the apparitions have made them. Even the Fire Sisters who do socialize and keep the peace, so to speak, are never shown doing so, and never bring it up in conversation beyond vaugities.
I will say that conversations tend to take circuitous routes that none of the ages represented would establish, but at the same time, further add to the feeling that the characters live in a little bubble world away from us boring people. And really, a story about interesting people is what we're here for, not the boring world they can't interact with. If I was that interesting, I wouldn't want to interact with the normal world either.
So long story short: fantastic story building, story structure, ideal-yet flawed and human-characters, and a great experience overall.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
