September 15th, 2013
Sakamichi no Apollon - Anime Review
Anime Relations: Sakamichi no Apollon
I am sure you have heard about Jazz being the music of self expression. Jazz musicians often do improvs and create their own melody through freestyle. A number of people felt that this anime was focused more on drama and romance but Sakamichi no Apollon is not to be interpreted that way. It can literally be anything out of the thousands of genre music has, but Jazz played an important role on Sakamichi no Apollon. The anime is no way near about Jazz, but Jazz acted as a medium for character expression.
A musical instrument alone can be pleasant to the ears but grouped it with other instruments and the music it produces can be a masterpiece.This is why I find Sakamichi no Apollon amazing. The anime showed what can a harmony of individuals achieve whether it's music or understanding. I believe this is why the anime stands out above the rest.
Not only that the anime covered a lot of real life implications, but this anime is also the unification of great names in the anime industry. For instance, Watanabe ( Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop ) as the director collabs with Yoko Kanno. This medley of superb story telling and amazing soundtracks makes this anime a roller coaster of emotion when you are watching it.
As far as the story is concern, there is nothing there to point out. It is not completely terrible but nothing also good that shines bright. However, the execution of the anime was done well. If you are one of those person who enjoys extreme twists and plots then this anime is not for you. The anime is realistic ergo really predictable.
The characters in this anime are really plain. First you have Kaoru, the rich, smart, and loser type of guy. He befriended Sentarou who is strong and tough guy who has the same taste of music as he does. The cliche opposite attracts friendship kind of thing. However, what makes this anime real good is the development. I mentioned that this anime is realistic. Thus, you can see some traits and backgrounds from characters that applies to some of us in real life.
The animation and art is splendid. It is not ground-breakingly over the top good but it is also not garbage looking bad. The animation really gives out this slice of the life feeling. It blends along with the Jazz.
The music is a masterpiece. The anime totally depicted 1960s music. The opening song, ending song, background music, and voice actors were done to perfection. Not only that the music is terrific but also it captures the hearts of the viewers through symbolism. Unfortunately for you, this is a review not a summary so you need to find those symbolism for yourself.
To wrap things up, I enjoyed this anime to the bones. The anime takes you in a magic carpet ride. You feel sad, and later on you feel happy. This anime will leave important messages and implications in your life. This is the best music anime I've watched so far. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did.
A musical instrument alone can be pleasant to the ears but grouped it with other instruments and the music it produces can be a masterpiece.This is why I find Sakamichi no Apollon amazing. The anime showed what can a harmony of individuals achieve whether it's music or understanding. I believe this is why the anime stands out above the rest.
Not only that the anime covered a lot of real life implications, but this anime is also the unification of great names in the anime industry. For instance, Watanabe ( Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop ) as the director collabs with Yoko Kanno. This medley of superb story telling and amazing soundtracks makes this anime a roller coaster of emotion when you are watching it.
As far as the story is concern, there is nothing there to point out. It is not completely terrible but nothing also good that shines bright. However, the execution of the anime was done well. If you are one of those person who enjoys extreme twists and plots then this anime is not for you. The anime is realistic ergo really predictable.
The characters in this anime are really plain. First you have Kaoru, the rich, smart, and loser type of guy. He befriended Sentarou who is strong and tough guy who has the same taste of music as he does. The cliche opposite attracts friendship kind of thing. However, what makes this anime real good is the development. I mentioned that this anime is realistic. Thus, you can see some traits and backgrounds from characters that applies to some of us in real life.
The animation and art is splendid. It is not ground-breakingly over the top good but it is also not garbage looking bad. The animation really gives out this slice of the life feeling. It blends along with the Jazz.
The music is a masterpiece. The anime totally depicted 1960s music. The opening song, ending song, background music, and voice actors were done to perfection. Not only that the music is terrific but also it captures the hearts of the viewers through symbolism. Unfortunately for you, this is a review not a summary so you need to find those symbolism for yourself.
To wrap things up, I enjoyed this anime to the bones. The anime takes you in a magic carpet ride. You feel sad, and later on you feel happy. This anime will leave important messages and implications in your life. This is the best music anime I've watched so far. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did.
Posted by Acropyre | Sep 15, 2013 11:34 AM | 0 comments
Puella Magi Madoka Magica - Anime Review
Anime Relations: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Go easy on me please. I'm a beginner at reviewing =)
It would be extremely helpful to hear your feedback
Without a doubt, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica ( or MSMM ) is one of the best deconstruction anime ever made.What makes this anime a masterpiece is the perfect portrayal of Urobochi Gen's nihilistic views but at the same time giving the viewers principles of friendship, love, and sacrifices. What made this anime so popular is because of its deep symbolism for reality such as: the heavy prices of miracles and the darkest truth in a seemingly harmless concept.
The story seemed like how the characters react and decide from the short arcs of revelation and truth about the concept of being Magical Girls. While at their edge of their seats, the viewers can not help but accept this since these are the key factors that drives the plot forwards. The execution of this is very well mannered and balanced: not enough to keep you interested but not too much for you to get bored. The series ended with a blast that kept me awed for weeks from the raw amazement of it.
All of the character development was mostly geared towards our main character Madoka. To elaborate, the development that happens in all characters were reflected through Madoka's action and decision making which in turn also her own character development.
Shaft animated this, so you will see a lot of the studio's classic references. For instance, the infamous Shaft's peculiar animation and coloring. Shaft , in their anime, will always produce an artistic world. Due to this approach, it is either love or hate in terms of animation.
Music plays an important role in this anime. ClariS , well known for its catchy rhythm and beat, sang the opening with hopes to get unsuspecting viewers off guard. Honestly, it got me too. How can they play a song like that in this dark themed anime ? I still question about that myself. The ending theme song is marvelous. It depicted the anime's true colors. From the magical girl transformation theme songs to classical song references such as The Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Debussy, the Ave Maria, and the voice actresses, MSMM Soundtrack/music is not to be underestimated.
I did enjoyed the series. I learned a lot of lessons from this anime. I recommend this to beginning otakus who just started, otaku veterans who thrive in the philosophical, and casual who just likes to watch anime. Perfect for the people who enjoys dark-themed anime. One of the best anime I've watched.
It would be extremely helpful to hear your feedback
Without a doubt, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica ( or MSMM ) is one of the best deconstruction anime ever made.What makes this anime a masterpiece is the perfect portrayal of Urobochi Gen's nihilistic views but at the same time giving the viewers principles of friendship, love, and sacrifices. What made this anime so popular is because of its deep symbolism for reality such as: the heavy prices of miracles and the darkest truth in a seemingly harmless concept.
The story seemed like how the characters react and decide from the short arcs of revelation and truth about the concept of being Magical Girls. While at their edge of their seats, the viewers can not help but accept this since these are the key factors that drives the plot forwards. The execution of this is very well mannered and balanced: not enough to keep you interested but not too much for you to get bored. The series ended with a blast that kept me awed for weeks from the raw amazement of it.
All of the character development was mostly geared towards our main character Madoka. To elaborate, the development that happens in all characters were reflected through Madoka's action and decision making which in turn also her own character development.
Shaft animated this, so you will see a lot of the studio's classic references. For instance, the infamous Shaft's peculiar animation and coloring. Shaft , in their anime, will always produce an artistic world. Due to this approach, it is either love or hate in terms of animation.
Music plays an important role in this anime. ClariS , well known for its catchy rhythm and beat, sang the opening with hopes to get unsuspecting viewers off guard. Honestly, it got me too. How can they play a song like that in this dark themed anime ? I still question about that myself. The ending theme song is marvelous. It depicted the anime's true colors. From the magical girl transformation theme songs to classical song references such as The Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Debussy, the Ave Maria, and the voice actresses, MSMM Soundtrack/music is not to be underestimated.
I did enjoyed the series. I learned a lot of lessons from this anime. I recommend this to beginning otakus who just started, otaku veterans who thrive in the philosophical, and casual who just likes to watch anime. Perfect for the people who enjoys dark-themed anime. One of the best anime I've watched.
Posted by Acropyre | Sep 15, 2013 11:33 AM | 0 comments
Kotonoha no Niwa - Anime Review
Anime Relations: Kotonoha no Niwa
Go easy on me please. I'm a beginner at reviewing =)
It would be extremely helpful to hear your feedback
Kotonoha no Niwa is Makoto Shinkai's latest work. The anime film focuses only one thing and one thing only; Romance. While the notable works of Shinkai romance such as 5 centimeters per second and Hoshi no Koe were depressing from the get go, Kotonoha no Niwa is something peculiar. Like a sense of completion while at the same time a hint of sadness, what you will feel in the end of the movie is something unique and may be different to another audience because the movie was not one sided. Shinkai explored two target audiences for this film, adolescence and adults. Thus, the ending that Shinkai accomplished was completely dependent on what the audience standpoint on ethics and the audience current age. You maybe scratching your head for why two target audience, I will cover that on the rest of the review.
The story may feel like the cliché young guy x older woman romance but it is not. Along with heavy symbolism such shoes being a medium of looking forward and the awful weather disturbance called rain as a condition for the romance, Shinkai made this cliché into a masterpiece. The pacing is kind of weird. It heavily relies on the audience's ability to recognize good stuff directory. Long story short, mediocre storyline but the execution and the bitter-sweet ending made this anime worth putting on my top list.
The characters are fairly well done. First you have Takao, a 15 year old boy who likes to make shoes. Then you have Yukino, a 27 year old female that seems like, in an audience perspective, a mysterious figure. As the plot progresses, the audience learns the backgrounds of the two characters. Because this is a realistic anime, the audience can not help but relate to the two lovers. Whether it is the age difference in relationship or problems that take a piece out of your will, whatever it is, the audience will be engaged in this deep relation with the characters.
The animation is also a factor why this movie became so powerful. Shinkai's works such as 5 Centimeters per Second and The Place Promised in Our Early Days have insane animation. The latest installment of Shinkai's movie is not an exception. The detailed landscape will make you feel refreshed and the rain artwork of the movie is vibrant.
The music of Kotonoha no Niwa was ingenious. A guy named Daisuke Kashiwa made the Kotonoha no Niwa background music possible. Not only that the songs gives the romantic feel, the music also perfectly blended with the rain and river flow. The ending song gave a nice closure. Sang by the artist Motohiro Hata, he gave the classic song Rain a new meaning. The sound effects in this anime were also amazingly done. The sound effects of rain, thunder, and footsteps were good. They helped the movie gave the realistic feeling. For the voices, a lot of people felt like Kana Hanazawa as Yukino was horrible, but for me Kana was perfect in that anime. Kana is almost the same age as Yukino, so it felt like Kana was speaking from her true self. Did Shinkai do this on purpose? Next, Takao's voice actor was Miyu Irino. I heard a couple from this guy but his notable works were Jinta from Ano Hana and Akira Tsubaki from Nazo Kanojo. I must say this guy was good in Kotonoha no Niwa. Shinkai usually hire low tier voice actors/actresses in his movies, but he finally picked the best ones this time.
Lastly, I enjoyed this anime. When I first watched the trailer was immediately hyped by the visuals and music. I recommended this to a lot of acquaintances and they were not disappointed. The movie helped me grew as a better person today. I recommend this to the people who would enjoy romance, amazing visuals, and ecstatic music. Kotonoha no Niwa is a ten on my list.
It would be extremely helpful to hear your feedback
Kotonoha no Niwa is Makoto Shinkai's latest work. The anime film focuses only one thing and one thing only; Romance. While the notable works of Shinkai romance such as 5 centimeters per second and Hoshi no Koe were depressing from the get go, Kotonoha no Niwa is something peculiar. Like a sense of completion while at the same time a hint of sadness, what you will feel in the end of the movie is something unique and may be different to another audience because the movie was not one sided. Shinkai explored two target audiences for this film, adolescence and adults. Thus, the ending that Shinkai accomplished was completely dependent on what the audience standpoint on ethics and the audience current age. You maybe scratching your head for why two target audience, I will cover that on the rest of the review.
The story may feel like the cliché young guy x older woman romance but it is not. Along with heavy symbolism such shoes being a medium of looking forward and the awful weather disturbance called rain as a condition for the romance, Shinkai made this cliché into a masterpiece. The pacing is kind of weird. It heavily relies on the audience's ability to recognize good stuff directory. Long story short, mediocre storyline but the execution and the bitter-sweet ending made this anime worth putting on my top list.
The characters are fairly well done. First you have Takao, a 15 year old boy who likes to make shoes. Then you have Yukino, a 27 year old female that seems like, in an audience perspective, a mysterious figure. As the plot progresses, the audience learns the backgrounds of the two characters. Because this is a realistic anime, the audience can not help but relate to the two lovers. Whether it is the age difference in relationship or problems that take a piece out of your will, whatever it is, the audience will be engaged in this deep relation with the characters.
The animation is also a factor why this movie became so powerful. Shinkai's works such as 5 Centimeters per Second and The Place Promised in Our Early Days have insane animation. The latest installment of Shinkai's movie is not an exception. The detailed landscape will make you feel refreshed and the rain artwork of the movie is vibrant.
The music of Kotonoha no Niwa was ingenious. A guy named Daisuke Kashiwa made the Kotonoha no Niwa background music possible. Not only that the songs gives the romantic feel, the music also perfectly blended with the rain and river flow. The ending song gave a nice closure. Sang by the artist Motohiro Hata, he gave the classic song Rain a new meaning. The sound effects in this anime were also amazingly done. The sound effects of rain, thunder, and footsteps were good. They helped the movie gave the realistic feeling. For the voices, a lot of people felt like Kana Hanazawa as Yukino was horrible, but for me Kana was perfect in that anime. Kana is almost the same age as Yukino, so it felt like Kana was speaking from her true self. Did Shinkai do this on purpose? Next, Takao's voice actor was Miyu Irino. I heard a couple from this guy but his notable works were Jinta from Ano Hana and Akira Tsubaki from Nazo Kanojo. I must say this guy was good in Kotonoha no Niwa. Shinkai usually hire low tier voice actors/actresses in his movies, but he finally picked the best ones this time.
Lastly, I enjoyed this anime. When I first watched the trailer was immediately hyped by the visuals and music. I recommended this to a lot of acquaintances and they were not disappointed. The movie helped me grew as a better person today. I recommend this to the people who would enjoy romance, amazing visuals, and ecstatic music. Kotonoha no Niwa is a ten on my list.
Posted by Acropyre | Sep 15, 2013 11:30 AM | 0 comments