Shangri-La

Shangri-La is a weird show to me because I honestly can't tell who this show is for. With a long list of story lines and plot threads all mashed up together, all trying to tell there own stories with varied tones and subject matter, you would think in all of that there would at least be something you can like about this show, or at very least something positive to take away from it. In actuality this show feels like what was intended to be many different ideas that were intended to have their own series devoted to them got crammed together like some sort ... of anime soup. I don't mean to take away from the writer though, in actuality I thought that many of the plot elements in this show had potential.

What could have been is sort of the tune I'll be singing to though. From the very start of episode one I felt this way. At first it seems like a interesting take on the post apocalyptic setting, In which the worlds polar ice caps are melting at such an alarming rate that populations across the world are forced to consolidate their living space and leave most big cites to be taken over by the forest out of necessity to keep the worlds carbon balance at bay. This show also shows what a word economy based on carbon would be like, these are actually some of the most entertaining parts of the show to me but I realize I'm not everyone.
And this is where the biggest problem this series is put in full spot light, the main character Kuniko is one of the least interesting people in the story. There are a TON of interesting sub-plots in this show that easily overshadow the "main story." The only interesting things that happen in this show are things that usually have little to nothing to do with Kuniko. I guess I just personally dislike her to some extent simply because I was much more interested in the side characters. So I beg ask the question, Is it that Kuniko is badly written or that the supporting cast is just written better than she is? I don't rightfully know myself, if you decide to watch this then I guess you will come to your own conclusions. The supporting cast I mentioned before is quite interesting, and in some resects is worth checking the show out for. You have Momoko, the trans-sexual motherly figure to Kuniko ( wow, I never thought I'd write that). Karin the carbon terrorist (sort of) and just over all economical badass. And Mikuni-sama, the mysterious little girl that carries a strange disease that doesn't allow her to go out in the sun, but does seemingly give her some horrifying powers. And Kuniko has a boomerang, riveting. The characters do give this show some redeeming qualities so if you are just looking for a few neat characters to tickle your fancy (not like that) then you could pick a worse show.
The story is still a mess though.
"Okay, lets have an episode with a lot of action in it!"
"Wont that drain our budget and force us to spend way too long focusing on the supporting cast since Kuniko is a action based character?"
"Shut up! No one will care about this show if we don't blow most of our budget on the first half!
Now animate some more explosions and have that one chick beat up the waiter guy again, that doesn't make people feel uncomfortable at all."

Shangri-La is very average in my opinion. It has some good things going for it, but at the same time a lot of stupid crap as well. Mediocre is probably the best way to describe this in short.
This show has been licensed by Funimation, and is relatively cheap on DVD. If you are wondering there is a english dub that is quite serviceable. There is also a French dub if thats you thing.
This show gets a 5/10 in my book, but I do recommend it if you don't mind sitting through a bit of a mess. Thank you for reading, please tell me if you found this helpful.

Story: It has a nice start, giving you a slight air of mystery while not overdoing it. I won't say it's the best plot I've seen but it's better than some of the animes I've seen. Plus, I do like some futuristic animes once in a while :)

Art: It's good, with some nice explosions and action scenes, but it's not terrific either. It's of average to me but I'm not the sort to be very picky on the subject.

Sound: I like the sounds but as I said with art, it's average.

Character: Kuniko is a cute and likable character but I think she's a bit too ... naive and foolish at her age of 18. The other characters are pretty good, with some nice backgrounds that are interesting, especially the cute Karin's.

Enjoyment: I did enjoy this show very much though I wish they did a better job with the ending, I just felt the ending was too swift. The plot twists weren't very surprising but it added a nice flavor to the show.

Overall: It's great, nice action scenes and even some cute romantic scenes. I can't say it's the best show ever but it certainly ranks pretty high in my book.

I didn't think I'd be hopping back to Shangri-La again. When I think of this series, I think wasted potential. A post-apocalyptic anime focused around themes such as reduction of a country's carbon footprint for economic stability and dealing with the corrupt creator of a utopian city would seem like interesting ideas on paper for an anime series. However, Shangri-La chooses to mix said ideas around while sticking to conventional territory in its focus on our lead heroine Kuniko and her comrades of the radical group called Metal Age. This results in some pretty mixed and often sloppy results as the anime attempts to spin ... mature storytelling with exploring the dark side of Atlas, yet also tries to pander to otaku and has some immature comical elements it usually incorporates into its episodes. The anime does explore some interesting aspects and developments to its world with pollution affecting the grounded populace and corporate corruption running amuck with some exploiting the strict carbon laws enforced in the world of Shangri-La for their personal financial gain or abusing their power at the cost of the impoverished who are trying to gain citizenship into Atlas. Yet at the same time, the series has ridiculous characters like Kuniko's transvestite bodyguard known to creep out male soldiers with his flirting in battle and a trio of otaku living in the remains of Akihabara who are black market dealers that Kuniko and Metal Age buy supplies or information off of. Comical moments such as the mentioned flirting of the transvestite bodyguard and jokes cracked about Kuniko's chest add to the show feeling a bit juvenile despite the seemingly mature themes it pushes with its setting and story. Many other characters in the series were either cliched (Kuniko and Ryoko, the former being the always optimistic and lively youth who is always right in her convictions and the latter feeling like a clone of Last Exile's Maestro Delphine), are lacking in depth or their characters are too over-the-top for me to take seriously (Shion and Sayoko are masochist and sadomasochist respectively).

The storyline for Shangri-La also has its fair share of ups and downs. The series mixes focus around between several characters at differing points between Kuniko, Kunihito, Karin Ishida and Mikuni. While the four arcs may seem irrelevant at first glance, they slowly come together as more about the darker side of Atlas and Ryoko are revealed as all have their connections to Atlas that are hinted upon. Kuniko's story is fairly typical, yet engaging, as she tries being outsider to the activities of Metal Age before prolonged exposure to the corruption of Atlas drives her to make decisions that lead her to become more involved with Metal Age and Atlas' dark side. Kunihito serves as an opposing side to Kuniko for the first half of Shangri-La, but he doesn't get as much focus as the other characters and is fairly dull character as a result. Karin has the better developments in this series as her seemingly corrupt actions have purer motives that are revealed throughout the course of the series and she learns to accept experiencing the world. Mikuni's developments are also weak here as she is one of several catalysts that introduce mystical elements to Shangri-La that are poorly incorporated into the series and her character doesn't get much in the way of development. The later episodes to the series build up to the mentioned mystical elements that Shangri-La attempts to mix in with the anime's futuristic setting, yet feel very out of place and do not feel smoothly integrated into the show.

The one element that the series managed to pull nicely is its visual presentation. Scenery shots such as the inside of Atlas, toxic jungles and Kuniko's hometown of Duomo sport vivid color and high levels of detail. Character designs are drawn in a typical style, yet sport just as vivid color and detail as the scenery. Action scenes sport solid choreography with some unique approaches like Kuniko's use of her boomerang and Sayoko's use of medical equipment as weapons, though there are occasional animation shortcuts and the CG-animation employed at points still sticks out from the regular animation.

Overall, it felt like Shangri-La was trying to juggle too much throughout its run. The series tried to implement mature themes and storytelling with its setting, yet features elements of pandering to its audience and implements humor and content that make it seem juvenile. It sets up a solid futuristic setting, yet sloppily tries to incorporate mystical elements. It lays out focus on several character storylines with some occasional solid developments, yet two of said characters are bland or lacking in development. This is yet another subpar effort from Gonzo in its continued hit-or-miss efforts with dishing out anime titles.

i have never given an anime this much of a low rate,i don't know what happen to this anime it makes me so upset that i watched it.people who watched it said it was bad but i still wanted to give a chance but i was disappointed and felt like im watching a very sad bad joke.oh...boy.....i have never wrote a negative review and its harder than i thought coz we adore anime so much..ok to make it easy for everybody lets talk point by point..first the good points even though its not much.... ... 1-it has solid beginning,with mystery.
2-fantasticly interesting characters.
3-strong woman lead character.
4-good sounds(just good nothing else)
5-great voice actors.thats all now the bad ones... 1- the story unfolds its self but the mystery remains a mystery and the story is based on carbon index that i don't get no matter how many times you re watch it when you think you get it then something else happens in that market that we cant grasps,its the main point of the story wich they don't take time to fully explain it its like they didn't care if the fans get it or not.
2- the English voice actors was great(thats why i gave characters 7 otherwise it would have been 4 if i watch in subs that is)but some dialogs sucked so bad specially the explaining of the story ,history of it was horrible it was filled with poems and riddles and words that i have never heard and it was done in one minute can you believe it.i got so mad because the explanation was more confusing than the story it self.now im telling you this my head aces thinking about it and when something serious and heartfelt moment goes on they threw a joke in to fuck the Sean up,i hate the dialog director because some dialogs was too americanish,not heartfelt or touching it was like somebody is reading a book.(he is the one guiding the voice actors)
3- the animation was good-7,backgrounds was good but the characters facial expressions sucked actually they didn't have any facial expressions,they where not animated at all and their eyes was not animated either(its like they where dead inside the art was weird too)specially they should have animated them top to bottom because they are anime characters not cartoon it was like looking at puppet show or dolls dance around,if someone watch this anime for the first anime of their life(to get into anime loving) they will hate the industry trust me for the love of god don't watch it you will start to hate yourself for watching it like i do now!!!!

Sometime in the future, the Earth is ravaged by the effects of Global Warming. The flora fights back, violently overtaking civilization. In Japan, a perfect utopian society, Atlas, is built and shelters the chosen few, while the rest of society fend for themselves in the ruins of civilization. The global economy is based on carbon. The CO2 producing nations of the world owe large tax levies. Businessmen, hackers and terrorists alike battle for control of the global market and power.

The story revolves around a spirited young girl, Kuniko, who is heiress to a "terrorist" organization called Metal Age. Metal Age opposes the exclusionist principles of ... the Japanese government and wishes to protect all people by gaining access to the safety of Atlas. We follow Kuniko as she battles her personal demons and inspires her people to action. With strength and resolve beyond her years, her decisions change the world.

Shangri-la succeeds in creating unique characters. The most memorable characters in my mind are the three codgerly otaku, who deal in underground goods, and Momoko, a transsexual who acts as Kuniko's foster mother and confidant. They provide much needed comic relief to the anime. There are a myraid of supporting characters. Each character is adequately fleshed out with back story that explains their personal motivation.

Shangri-la is visually appealing. There are drastic color palette differences between the sterile Atlas, the encroaching jungle and the ruins of society. These differences really serve to accentuate the segregation of these three equally important pieces of the plot. The character design and wardrobe (a sailor type school uniform) for Kuniko emphasize her young age. Transsexual Momoko's wardrobe changed frequently and was as unique as her personality.

The audio for Shangri-la was uninspiring. The voice actors, although competent, are relatively unknowns. The OP by May'n called "Kimo Shinitamo Koto Nakare" really didn't create a mood for me. The audio wasn't bad, it just wasn't noteworthy.

With its tangled plots, Shangri-la misses the mark in making a comprehendible story line. Rouge computer programs; governmental power struggles; environmental issues; and personal and interpersonal struggles are all very interesting themes, but together they become a mess of overflowing ideas. What the author seeks to accomplish might have been fulfilled in a 50+ episode anime, but I really think simple is better in this scenario. Pick a plot and a subplot and weave your story.

Overview:
The post-apocalyptic genre is one that has been done to death in just about every form of media you can think of, yet has proven to remain popular even to this day. "Shangri-La", an anime by Gonzo originally released in 2009, is one of the lesser known examples of the genre, and is in equal parts an example of what to do and what NOT to do with it. It's an intriguing series to be sure, but it never manages to make the most of that intrigue, and is a very mixed bag overall.

Story (6.5/10):
Set many years after an earthquake ravaged Japan, the human population ... has been split into two main factions- the elite, who live in a grand, futuristic tower named Atlas, and the refugees, who live a ramshackle town called Duomu and have to regularly take up arms in order to get through day by day. Belonging to the latter group is our protagonist, Kuniko Hojo, an 18-year-old girl who has recently been released from a detention centre and is being trained to become the future leader of a resistance group called Metal Age, who serve as the main providers of supplies for people in the slums. While Kuniko and her friends are performing a raid on Atlas, Kuniko discovers an unpleasant truth- Atlas has more than enough vacancies for everyone living in Duomu, which can only mean the higher-ups are selfish jerks who would rather keep it all to themselves. After this, Kuniko becomes determined to take what she and her people are owed and fight for a better future.

The story is interesting and complex, I'll admit. Unfortunately, it also has a serious problem with getting to the point! Even though the truth about Atlas is revealed at the end of the third episode, it isn't until just over halfway though the series that any meaningful attack on it is launched. Between all of this is a set-up that feels like it goes on for much longer than necessary. There's even some attempt to question as to whether Metal Age are really doing the right thing, which would probably have had the intended impact if it wasn't for the fact that the supreme leader of Atlas is clearly shown to be a selfish psychopath who openly admits that she sees everything and everyone as tools for her amusement, and whatever problems the people in Atlas might have can't even begin to compare to those of the people in Doumu, something Kuniko herself even points out. There's even an arc where Kuniko is sent back to the detention centre for a few episodes, during which pretty much nothing noteworthy happens aside from Kuniko's first face-to-face meeting with the main villain, making it feel like empty padding more than anything. Fortunately, I can say that the second half of the series is a lot better than the first, but that really isn't saying much since it was a pretty low bar to clear.

Even beyond the very slow-paced beginning (which I've honestly come to expect from Gonzo anime, anyway), the series often ends up confused and entangled in its own narrative. Throughout the series, there are no less than four stories going on simultaneously, and while some of them are decently enjoyable (Mikuni's story being a highlight), there are others that I couldn't make sense of for the life of me. The biggest example of this would be that of Karin Ishida, a young girl and genius programmer who enjoys messing with the world's economy at her leisure. Throughout the series, I couldn't make heads or tails of the scenes involving Karin and couldn't really figure out why they were even in the series, considering the plot mainly revolves around a resistance group trying to overthrow a tyrannical government, and Karin's economic endeavours don't exactly lead to anything important. Ultimately, it's hard to say whether the series would have benefitted from more episodes or less, since while it does try to ram an awful lot into 24 episodes, a lot of the stuff it puts in feels really unnecessary and the series wouldn't lose much by removing it.

Art & Animation (7.5/10):
As is typical of a Gonzo anime, "Shangri-La" visuals are... not great, to put it bluntly. While the animations are good enough and there are some pretty decent character designs and minimal fanservice, dull colours, muddy textures and rough edges are very frequent. While the series doesn't look horrible by any stretch of the imagination, there's nothing about the visuals that stood out to me either, and so the best way to describe them would be "average".

Sound & Dialogue (8/10):
There really isn't all that much to say about "Shangri-La"'s soundtrack. It's barely even there a lot of the time and even when it is there, it mostly just blends into the background. The opening is also rather forgettable, though the two ending themes are both good in their own way and I will admit I enjoyed listening to them. The voice acting is generally very good, with Lindsay Siedel and Apphia Yu being particular highlights as Kuniko and Mikuni, respectively, and Austin Tindle doing a respectable job as Kunihito. Still, it can be very jarring to hear the voice of Kent Williams coming out of a transgender woman like Momoko, and I don't really know why they didn't go for a softer voice. All in all, the sound design has its problems, but it is still probably the best part of the series.

Characters (7/10):
The best way to describe Kuniko is that she's determined- once she has her mind set on something, she will not give in until she sees it through, and sometimes gets pissed at people who are easily willing to give up simply because they see no point in trying. Of course, determination won't get you far unless you have the strength to back it up, which Kuniko thankfully absolutely has, skilfully wielding a boomerang as big as she is and showing no hesitance to kill if necessary. What's more is that you can certainly tell that's she's been trained for a long time to take over Metal Age, as once things get going, she proves herself to be a very capable and charismatic leader. Unfortunately, while she is a likeable protagonist, she doesn't really undergo any major growth over the show's 24 episodes, which is especially noticeable give that she's the character we see the most of. The closest thing she gets to character development is becoming more determined to improve the lives of her people, something she's attempting to do even in the beginning. Also, and this is a rather minor criticism, but I found her character design to be rather lacking, as she looks like a kid despite being supposedly 18. Personally, I think they should have either made her a few years younger or have her look closer to her age. I'd have been fine with either, honestly, because what's the point in making her older than the usual anime protagonist if she's not going to look it?

Second in importance to Kuniko is Mikuni, a very pale young girl who lives in Atlas and is treated as royalty over there. Initially, she comes off as really creepy and ruthless, even habitually putting people to death for lying (which she is able to see through easily). However, it's later revealed that this isn't her fault, with the heavy implication being that she just doesn't know any better due to her upbringing in Atlas (as well as the fact that her power appears to be out of her control), and she is actually quite innocent and kind, if also rather annoying at times, as any child is. She also suffers from a condition that makes her vulnerable to sunlight, and as such rarely leaves her chambers. Her story runs parallel to Kuniko's for the majority of the series, with it not being until the second half that the two girls meet. While she's not quite as important to the story, I slowly but surely found myself liking Mikuni more than Kuniko (and every other character, for that matter), due to the fact that she actually has a character arc and undergoes some very noticeable changes over the series. Her story also has easily some of the most emotional moments in the anime, and towards the end I just wanted to give the poor girl a hug after all she had been through.

The last member of the main cast is Kunihito Kusanagi, a military officer who resides in Atlas and works for their corporation, which naturally puts him at odds with Metal Age, whom he initially sees as a bunch of selfish rebels. That said, it's hard to call him a villain, as at the end of the day he's just a soldier doing his job and is more than willing to negotiate, even if he's not the best at it due to his refusal to see others' points of view. Unfortunately, there isn't an awful lot to say about him compared to Kuniko and Mikuni, with his character type being one you'll find in many other anime, especially the "Gundam" franchise. Besides the main three, "Shangri-La" has a pretty sizeable supporting cast, some of which are interesting and likeable while others are forgettable or annoying. Among these is two transgender women, who rather than being treated as offensive jokes, are instead major characters with their own feelings, dreams, friendships, and roles to play, which is practically unheard of in anime. In general, the women in the series tend to have bigger roles and importance than the men do, with even the main villain being a woman who constantly expresses dominance over her male subordinates. As a whole, the cast is good, but there isn't anyone I found to be all that memorable.

Enjoyment (7/10):
"Shangri-La"'s poor pacing not only hurts the storytelling, it also means the series can be pretty boring in the first half. While there are some action scenes, they aren't as common as you might think and multiple episodes can go by without their being any action at all. Ultimately, whether you're invested in what's going on or just bored out of your mind really depends on what part of the series you're currently watching, though I can at least say that things get a lot more exciting in the second half, though it can also be rather dark at times, with a number of notable character deaths.

Overall:
While "Shangri-La" isn't a bad anime per se, there isn't really anything about it that makes it stand out among other stories of its kind. The plot is all over the place, the visuals are dull, the soundtrack is passable at best and the characterization varies wildly in quality. It's worth watching if you're a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, but if you've already had your fill of the genre, I would recommend either giving it a miss or saving it for when you have nothing else to watch.

Score:
6.5+7.5+8+7+7=36/50=7.2/10

This anime had some potential, but...I just think it missed the mark.

The main character never really appealed to me at all. I cared about her the least of any of the characters in the show. She's bright, and sunny, and everybody loves her. She can do everything, be everything, always saves the day, etc. etc. She's boring. I didn't care about her at all. Some of the other characters were a little interesting, but you really don't learn enough about them to care too much about them by the end.

The story was interesting at times, but other times it dragged on. I think if there ... were more time spent on the inner-workings of Atlas, and less on international currency/economics, it would have made for a more interesting story. That entire branch of the story seemed like it could have been done without, or at least minimized.

Some things were a little weird, and although I didn't mind it, it did seem like it was weird just for the sake of being weird, which made it seem as though it couldn't take itself seriously, even though it appeared to be attempting to serve up a serious story.

I'd recommend this anime to people who...don't really care about story or character development too much, and just want to see something a little different.