Lindle's Blog - MyAnimeList.net

The Season So Far - Winter 2011

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:01:29 -0800

A new season, and a new collection of shows up for the chopping block. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Do not be deceived by appearances. This show is not what it looks like. While you would generally expect this sort of show to be a generic Mahou Shoujo, it's closer to Bokurano than Cardcaptor Sakura. It takes off with all the staples of the Mahou Shoujo genre, but with distinctly eerie presentation akin to Kara no Kyoukai. After that, though, it doesn't take long for it to get really, really dark. Throw in a healthy dose of What The Hell Hero and an amazing take on the roles of Mahou Shoujo, and you have what is most likely the best show of the season. If it has a problem, it's probably that Bokurano has treaded the same ground before with the mecha genre. But otherwise it's hard to fault. Score - 9/10 Gosick This is the most predictable show ever. Seriously, for a show about detective mysteries, it completely lacks any kind of mystery. There has yet to be a single puzzle they span that wasn't completely obvious from the get-go. For this show to work, every character has to be extremely dumbed down. Which they are. The supposed draw of this series is in its main heroine, Victorique. Victorique is an annoying, stuck-up goth loli with a hammered-in backstory for forced depth that doesn't answer any questions about her annoying personality, and ridiculous amounts of hyper-awareness to everything that happens around her to the point that she is horribly overpowered. In a nutshell, she's a God Mode Sue. Overall, this show is annoyingly similar to Kuroshitsuji. That's never a good sign. Score - 4/10 Beelzebub This show is somewhat hit and miss for me, so far. It has definitely had its funny moments, in particular the first episode made me laugh repeatedly. It's toilet humour, sure, but GOOD toilet humour. However, it gets repetitive quite easily. The"joke" of Baby Beel electrocuting Oga is overused, and wasn't even funny in the first place. They frequently cut to plots about Oga trying to pass Beel of to someone else, but so far they just all seem to end the same way, with Oga gettign defensive of Beel all of a sudden and then punching out the guy he tried to pass him onto. It's still funny enough to stay afloat and be an enjoyable show, but I wouldn't actually recommend it. Score - 6/10 Wolverine It's interesting to note that this was actually based on an existing comic book, unlike Iron Man before it. This probably explains why this is so much better than Iron Man was, but that's not saying much. Even though Wolverine is watchable, it still isn't good. It does have some pretty cool moments, but that's it. Score - 5/10 Level E If you want a good comedy this season, Level E is where it's at. Level E is based on a mid-90s manga, which probably explains why it sticks out so much from everything else this season. The art style seems like a more refined version of what Madhouse are using for the Marvel adaptations, but in some sequences it is used to god effect, and the opening sequence in particular is just plain cool. But onto the important stuff: the comedy. Our main character comes home one day to find a man claiming to be an amnesiac alien. This man also happens to be somewhat insane and very difficult. Comedy ensues. While Level E isn't the best show this season, it does have its best character: The aforementioned alien, Prince Baka Ki El Dogra (no really, his name is Baka). He is completely insane in a way fairly reminiscent of my beloved Nino of Arakawa Under The Bridge, but with a mischievous, sadistic streak. All of the first three episodes have had some real gut-busting moment courtesy of him. Not the best show this season, but worth watching for the prince alone. Score - 7/10 Fractale I'm not really sure what to think of this one at the moment. It takes after Miyazaki way to much, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It could be argued that it lacks identity of its own, but it seems to be building up to something else. While much of the series seems to be well-executed, there are annoying moe elements that seem rather unnecessary. There are certain twists here that seem to be setting it up for something great, and I have to say that I am enjoying this so far quite a bit. I'll have to see where this is going, but thus far, I have a relatively high opinion of it. If only Yutaka Yamamoto would stop being such a goddamn fuckwit, this series could really go to great places. Score - 8/10 Wandering Son Wandering Son/Hourou Mosuko is very reminiscent of a Makoto Shinkai film in its presentation. It takes what seems to be an outside stance on a romantic story whilst combining it with amazing visuals and audio. However, being a series, Wandering Son has a chance to do the one thing that Shinkai's style lacks... create compelling characters. Thus far, it has yet to do so, but it has a chance. More importantly, though, Hourou Mosuko covers a topic in a serious manner that really needed focus: gender identity. Given how much transexuality is abused in anime, a serious stance on it was sorely needed, and Hourou Mosuko provides. Score - 9/10

Top 10 Female Anime Characters

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:28:59 -0800

10.

Villain of the Week 10 - Gauron

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:56:22 -0800

Gauron from Full Metal Panic. You're going to have to dip into a couple of previous week's villains as reference material for this, specifically The Major and Ladd Russo. Gauron belongs very much to the same school of villains as these two, being a psychotic character who is completely off the rails. However, there's a kind of difference between the three. While The Major calmly approaches and designs his sheer bloody slaughter, and Ladd whimsically kills whoever seems the least suspecting with a sense of true freedom, Gauron has a strange sense of controlled chaos about him. He has referred to himself as a businessman, though his business is generally terrorism and related enterprises. This results in a balance of somewhat who really does absolutely not give a fuck, but carries himself as though he knows exactly what he is doing. Of course, there is more to this strain of villains than simply being insane. They have to really sell just how insane they are in their own ways. The Major does so with his deranged, almost fetishistic love of war, Ladd does so with his unique and detailed views on killing and what he likes most about it, and Gauron? With his love of our protagonist, Sosuke Sagara. Ever since he met Sosuke (then named Kashim) in the middle east at a (disturbingly) young age, he was utterly in love with the remorseless killing machine that was Sosuke Sagara. Most of his actions within the series are simply to antagonise Sosuke. In the manga, he's even gone as far to say that he wants to kill Sosuke and fuck the corpse. He is completely, madly obsessed with him. Put frankly, Gauron is just compellingly insane. He holds that key difference from Ladd that while you never knew what Ladd was going to do next, Ladd didn't know either. But Gauron completely knows, and he won't look back for even a second once he knows what he's going to do, no matter how insane it is. Favourite quote: "I LOVE YOU, KASHIM!" Favourite scene: SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING

(Go from 18:20 to 21:40)

Villain of the Week 9 - Mage Animus

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:35:46 -0800

Mage Animus from The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer. Animus is an absolute sociopath. At a young age, he and his twin sister Anima discovered that they possessed psychic powers, which, in a tragic accident, resulted in Animus killing off a large number of people, including both of their parents. Sadly, the man who adopted him made the mistake of telling Animus that he considered him a god. Which ended in Animus going mad with power, destroying the world with a giant fucking hammer (yes, you read that correctly), then going back in time and doing it again and again and again. Thankfully, Anima managed to convince him into making a game of it, giving her a chance to stop him every time. And generally failing. Now from this description, this may make Animus sound like some brilliantly written character, but honestly this isn't the case. He has his moments, but his backstory was way too rushed to make him an impressive character in that respect. So what makes Animus noteworthy? Well, for an omnicidal maniac, he's a pretty nice guy. It's pretty weird, really, that most of Animus' appearances in the series actually involve him having a friendly chat with one of our protagonists. He does occassionally mix it in with trying to antagonize them, but at least he's nice about it. If anything, I think I would call Animus a brilliant example of someone who is Affably Evil. He doesn't really act villainous, he merely has a villainous agenda. Overall, Animus is just generally fun to watch, making an amusing transition between being a nice person and a mentally unstable mass-murderer. Favourite quote: "Shimaki, I'm disappointed. Oh well, let's call it a day now. See yuh."

Top 10 Anime of 2010

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 07:05:04 -0800

10.

4 & 3 (Tied)

Villain of the Week 8 - L Lawliet

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:50:00 -0800

L Lawliet from Death Note. L Lawliet. Pretty much my favourite enigma. We know very little about him, and this is oddly for the better. All we really know is that he's from Winchester, England, and holds a relation to an orphanage called Wammy's House. We also know that he is freakishly intelligent, thinks like a computer, and really, really likes sweets. It's odd how a character that, in terms of plot, could have been replaced by a supercomputer or something, manages to endear himself to the audience. It's not for nothing that he has an army of fangirls, to a degree that I often forget how much I loved Death Note just because of the godawful fandom. L is, in a word, an eccentric. He is loaded with as many quirks that make him not only fascinating to watch, but also very fun at the same time. His unique way of sitting, his odd mannerisms, his use of percentages in speech (which, according to the author, is a load of bullshit that L made up), his dry, monotone voice... it all adds up to something very unusual, and very loveable. It is a shame that we never really come to see any character depth in L, though it could have ruined the mystery of him if it had been added. That said, the expansions onto the Death Note verse (such as BB Murder Cases, the Death Note extra chapters, and L Change The World) are gradually adding small bits and pieces, like L's morality on criminal cases... or rather, deliberate lack of. Favourite Quote: L: "Please turn off all cell phones, laptop computers and any other transmission equipment and leave them on the table over there." Matsuda: "I know he's being cautious from the start, but does he really trust us or not?" L: "No, I just hate it when cell phones ring when I'm talking." Favourite Scene:

Villain of the Week 7 - Friend

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:18:10 -0800

Friend from 20th Century Boys. Friend. Who exactly is Friend? Well, that's the question. It's question that drives the entire series. Just who exactly is Friend, and what is he trying to do? To shed a little background on why this is such a mystery, let's dig into the backstory of 20CB. In the 1970s, a group of kids formed a club. All of them were addicted to shonen and mecha manga series, and questioned why the villains were always such idiots. As such, they came up with their own idea for a manga, and set out a plan for the villain to follow. They wrote down the ideas in a book, which they would call "The Book of Prophecy", which was known only to the club members. 20-something years later, Kenji Endo, the one-time leader of the club, is an unsuccessful rock musician, working at his family's liquor store. In the news, he sees a string of virus breakouts that are killing numerous people in major cities. Around the same time, he sees a familiar symbol... the symbol of his old club. Around this time, a political party known as the Friendship Group appear. Their leader is a strange man calling himself Friend, who wears a variety of masks. The symbol of the organisation, however, is the interesting part... It's none other than the club's symbol, something only a few people knew of. As a series of bizarre coincides seem to line up, Kenji comes to a startling realisation... the disease is exactly what the villain had planned in The Book of Prophecy. And as everything lines up, it becomes clear that Friend is behind everything... meaning that the criminal mastermind is none other than one of Kenji's old friends. The strange thing about Friend is that you hardly ever see him. He's absent for most of the series, and yet he comes off even better for it... because while you can't see him, you know damn well that he can see you. His followers are everywhere. His reach is near absolute. If you know something you aren't supposed to, you're as good as dead. A single slip of the tongue to anybody will almost inevitably end up in Friend finding out, and let's just say that when he does, you're gonna get befriended. The result is that Friend is mortifyingly scary. You never know what he's planning or why, you don't know who he is, you don't know how powerful he is, you don't know who's working for him... all you really know is that whatever it is, it's not good news for Kenji or anybody involved with him. Favourite Quote: "If I show you my face... will you be my friend?" Favourite Scene: Just for the sake of clarity, everybody who saw Friend's face and didn't get ejected from the system killed themselves horribly.

Villain of the Week 6 - Amber

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:08:56 -0800

Amber from Darker Than Black. Have any of you noticed that, up until this point, every single character I've brought up here has been male, smug, enigmatic, and usually in their 20-somethings? Why is it that these characters are so often the type of person who gets cast in a villainous role? So, as a breath of fresh air, here is Amber, a character whose role as a villain is very, very questionable. You could just as easily call her a hero... one who uses some distinctly terrorist-y methods, but still. Of course, Darker Then Black isn't the kind of series that works on a "Heroes and Villains" motif, and if anything you could call Hei a villain just as easily. So does this make Amber a villain? I don't know and I don't care. Now shut up and let me write my article, Steve. >_> So, Amber, A.K.A February. A character who, in my opinion, turned Darker Than Black from an entertaining, episodic series to a great one. For the entire series, Hei is essentially very stoic. As emotionless and cold as contractors are believed to be, he goes through the series killing numerous people as he is hired to. And then, shortly after the halfway mark, Hei finds out that Amber is back, and promptly loses his shit and goes looking for her... yes, apparently the two of them had quite a past together. Amber is a very strange, mysterious person. We don't know much about her, other than that she once worked with Hei and his sister Bai back at Heaven's Gate. What little we do find out is probably best not to mention, since it will spoil people who haven't seen it. I think what makes Amber work so well is contrast. Not only does she contrast massively to most anime villains, but she herself is a massive contrast to the show. As the name would suggest, Darker Than Black isn't a particularly cheerful series. It's quite hard-boiled in places, and you'll scarcely find a smiling face on any of the characters, and a genuine one scarcer still. Enter Amber, a bright, glowy bundle of happy joy. Easily the most emotive character in the series, and yet the most extremist as well, Amber sticks out like a sore thumb in the best possible way. Favourite Quote: "The thing about him? He's only ever smiled once to me, truly. It was a full-blown smile that shot right through me. At the time, I thought... "Ah, I'm done for. I could do anything for this guy. I'd do anything to see that smile, one more time..."" Favourite Scene: (I couldn't find a separate scene, so skip to 17:25)

Villain of the Week 5 - Ladd Russo

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:52:55 -0800

Ladd Russo from Baccano!. Ladd Russo, like The Major (see week 4), belongs to a school of anime characters whose strength, rather than in some sense of believability and depth, lies in their ability to be twisted, psychotic, and unbelievably fun. All we really know about Ladd is that he is a member of the Russo family, a group of renowned gangsters, and that he is a completely batshit insane murderous lunatic. That the first episode of which he is any importance to is (quite accurately) called "Ladd Russo Enjoys Talking A Lot And Killing A Lot" says quite a bit. Of course, what makes Ladd impressive is not just his passion for killing, but the way he goes about it, and the childlike glee with which he brutally murders anyone who looks at him funny. In particular, though, his favourite people to kill are those who least expect it. To him, a look that says "I don't even suspect that I may be about to die" is the difference between befriending somebody and gaining their riches and shooting them in the face. In his sheer sadistic glee, he goes to every length to make sure he will have as much fun as possible. He even makes sure to wear a white suit, just so that the blood on him will stick out so much more. Adding to all the insanity is his fiancée, Lua, a woman who practically plays masochist to his, sadist, revelling in the fact that he one day plans to kill her. All in all, it's really impressive that while crazy, quirky characters always tend to stick out within stories, even among their ranks Ladd sticks out as a truly glorious insane bastard. Favourite Quote: "It's guns! I love guns! ...Machine guns? THat's even better! This will be fun. Sounds like death... and danger. Sounds bad... Danger... Danger. What's happening in the dining car? Is there blood? Who's killing who? Where did they get shot? I have to see! Things are really starting to get exciting... Yes, yes, yes, yes yes yesyesyesYESYESYES!!" Favourite Scene:

Villain of the Week 4 - The Major

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:44:26 -0800

The Major from Hellsing Ultimate. My friends... it has often been said that I like The Major. My friends, I like the Major... NO! My friends... I LOVE the Major. There are going to be a fair few villains on here who are here simply for being really well-written, realistic, and understandably flawed characters who you could truly imagine existing in real life. The Major is not one of these. If anything, The Major is the exact opposite... a man so extravagantly evil you couldn't possibly imagine it. In terms of pure villainy, The Major is second to almost no-one. He possesses a kind of mad charisma that is almost impossible to resist. The man is a deranged war fetishist, who creates armies of vampires in the name of war. Is this in the name of revenge for his fallen master, Adolf Hitler? I think not. He just really, REALLY likes war. And he will not hesitate to tell you this. And you can really feel it. The major is able to ramble about how much he loves war for an entire, 7 minute scene. But that's not the impressive part. The impressive part is that he can speak about it with such passion that he will leave you on the edge of your seats for the entire 7-minute speech. What's more impressive is that The Major is probably the most terrifying character in all of Hellsing despite doing very little himself. The fact that he has such powerful command over a terrifying legion full of characters who are more than worthy of appearing in this list themselves, through sheer force of charisma. Because here's the fun part... The Major is human, leading an entire army of vampires who could easily turn on him and kill him at any moment if they so wished it, and yet they follow him so devotedly that they would never dream of it. Favourite Quote: "Gentlemen, I ask you as fellow brothers in arms, what is it that you really want? Do you wish for further war as I do? Do you wish for a merciless, bloody war? A war whose fury is bent with iron and lightening and fire? Do you ask for war to sweep in like a tempest, leaving not even ravens to scavenge, FROM THIS EARTH?!" Favourite Scene: