December 28th, 2015
Fall 2016 Anime impressions
Anime Relations: Digimon Adventure tri. 1: Saikai, Subete ga F ni Naru, Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru, One Punch Man, Kagewani, Hacka Doll The Animation, Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou, Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou
Well, fall 2016 has ended. Time to talk about all the anime I watched and give you opinions on them that you don't care about.
One Punch Man
Lets start with the most hyped anime this season. Honestly it held up really well. As someone who has always thought that power levels and power level arguments were bullshit, I thought the premise alone of a superhero that was so op that he was becoming bored of being a hero was great. Fortunately though, the show does not simply revolve around this premise, with a lot of time dedicated to the world building and explaining how superheroes work in this world as well as giving quite a bit of screen time to its large cast of secondary characters when our main lead is busy not giving a fuck. The show is also really funny with a cast of likeable characters that are good parodies of different shounen tropes while still feeling like they have proper personalities. The actions scenes are also great with some good fluidity in the animation. Overall, Madhouse really brought there A game to this one. 9/10
Kagewani
This is basically a spiritual successor to Yami Shibai with cryptids instead of ghosts. They are 7 min shorts featuring a different creature every week. Like Yami Shibai because its an anthology with changing stories and characters each episode, meaning the strength of this anime comes from the horror factor shown in the episodes. Unfortunately the series is very hit or miss. This may simply be because I don't find cryptids as scary as ghosts but there were many times that I just couldn't feel the tension the show was trying to create. Honestly since the series is mostly an anthology you could probably just watch the best episodes and you won't miss much story wise. I personally recommend episodes 5, 6 and 10 much were quite creepy. There is an overarching plot about a professor trying to discover more about the monsters for mysterious purposes but it's pretty weak and only becomes truly important in the last couple of episodes. This series also uses Yami Shibai's story book like art style which still works well although makes less sense contextually. Like I said, a few episodes are worth it but I'm not sure I'd recommend the entire series unless you a big fan of cryptids/kaiju. 6/10
Concrete Revolotio
"Who watches the watchmen" This anime actually tries to answer that question. In a world where super humans exist but are not acknowledge by the government, the Superhuman Bureau must protect super humans as well as control them from harming the public. The anime really runs with this concept, with a lot of political commentary based around a society with supernatural beings. The shows does a good job presenting different kinds of super beings like heroes, villains, beasts, robots etc and explaining how they are viewed by the general public as well as their own personal beliefs of their treatment by government. As you can imagine there is also a lot of shady shit from the government, the media and even the bureau themselves that is expanded upon. On top of all this the are also time skips in the anime showing that our main character has become a fugitive wanted by bureau, with the present day timeline explaining how he came to this point. Some people have said that the anime is a bit confusing and while it's defiantly something you can't turn your brain of to, I think most people will be able to get their head around most of the plot. The comic book style animation works really well for a show about superheroes and the action and character designs have a good dose of anime insanity despite the often serious subject matter. The main characters are likeable and the show takes time to explain a lot of their backstories and world views and how these play into the plot. The ending theme is also really surreal which I like. Overall, if your like me and like things like the aforementioned Watchmen that act as a sort of deconstruction of superheroes with an anime flair, then I highly recommend this. 9/10 (also it's getting a second season)
Digimon Adventure Tri Part 1
Hnnnnnnng that nostalgia. If you don't know, this movie was split up into a four episode mini series on crunchyroll, which is what I watched it as. Nostalgia aside, it's pretty good although has couple of missteps in the story department. The animation is great and really looks like a step up from the shitty style of the last digimon series (which I never watched but it does look crap) and the fight scenes are good especially the final one between Omnimon and Alphamon. The characters also come back great. They feel like people who have been friends for years and the show does a good job displaying their personalities and relationships with each other and their digimon (Although it's sort of distracting that Izzy still sounds like he's ten years old). The main problem in this is how contrived the conflict surrounding Tai (the main guy) is. Basically, Tai is noticing that digimon fights cause a lot of damage and possible death and people are looking down on the beasts as monsters that must be stops which leads him to reassess how he allows his digimon to fight. Ok, thats fine, it shows Tai being more mature and aware than his ten year old self and addresses something that digimon (outside of Tamers) probably hasn't addressed. The problems is that his solution is more or less to stop fighting in general leading to a conflict with his number two Matt. First of all, mabye I'm missing something ( I haven't watched the first series in years) but why do the people of Tokyo act like they've never seen digimon before, did they just all decide to forget about Myotismon's invasion or the dark masters splitting the sky open or Diaboromon taking over the internet. Secondly, Tai not wanting to fight is stupid, we all know perfectly well the digimon won't just go away and will probably kill more people if not stopped. It really feels like a contrived conflict to get him fighting with Matt. That being said, I'm willing to be more lenient on it because of the great animation, character dynamics aside from Tai and Matt as well as it being the first of six movies meaning it's technically is not even a finished product. The best part however was the music which has full covers of all the the original first season songs; Butterfly, Brave Heart etc. Their great and really hit home for in the feels department. Mabye I'm just blinded by nostalgia but aside from the plot holes, the rest in my opinion is good. It's a fun little adventure with good production quality and a lot of heart just like what Digimon used be (well before tamers at least). 8/10
Hacka Doll The Animation
This ones pretty generic. The three hacka dolls (complete with pretty stereotypical personalities) try to "advance" but just screw up in the end. The jokes are mostly baed around different parts of otaku culture and some hit but most are just ok. The main I didn't rank this too low though is because while it's nothing that good, it's not terrible either, it's just ok. It's also a seven minute long short which means that the episodes don't drag on and can be be kind of entertaining as a short distractions. Like kagewani this is one where you can really just watch the best episodes without missing anything plot relevant. If you need something that can give you some simply otaku jokes while not taking up a lot of time, this is for you. 5/10
Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation-
This was a pretty fun mystery series. The homes and Watson style dynamic between our main characters is good and pretty cute at times. The mysteries themselves are also good with some interesting revelations that often ended in feels as well as some dark shit. The mysteries are the highlight of the anime as some of them are really well thought out and play into the theme of bones (it makes sense in context) that run throughout the anime. The side characters were also likeable, the standout for me being a funny cop that's also competent at his job. I also really like the animation which looks really polished (not to mention how rare it is that it's an anime where everyone has naturally colored hair). The biggest flaw with the anime is that it is very episodic and can feel sort of repetitive later in the series. It does have an overarching plot but it only really starts getting interesting as the show ends. I might change opinions of there was a second season coming but for now it's a good quality mystery series with some redundancy. 8/10
The Perfect Insider
This the other mystery series I watched this season although. What makes this one interesting is that it was adapted from a novel, not a light novel, an
actual novel. The mystery of the anime is great and really did keep me guessing throughout the show however when it finally came together it was a good resolution that made sense. Our two main leads are also fun two watch as well as the victim who's life this entire mystery is based around. The anime however is really slow paced and really requires you to pay attention to understand the mystery (it also helps if your good at math). While I understood the mystery fine, the anime was still incredibly confusing at times when it can to character motivations and concepts which can come of as unexplained or vague. That may be the point of the show however the characters constantly go on about their personal philosophy which I could understand however I really could not see how these tied into the main mystery. There are also times when the anime uses abstract imagery that really feels like it serves no purpose (and I will never look at ostriches the same way again). I usually don't have a problem with "deep" anime but this one had some elements that were just a bit too confusing. 7/10
Attack on Titan: Junior High
It's a high school comedy with Attack On Titan characters. If you like those two things, then you will like this show. As someone who isn't the biggest fan of either, this didn't do much for me. The high school stuff is pretty standard and does not do much new outside of the attack on titan skin, it has the summer festival, the haunted house episode etc if you've watched enough anime, you've seen these scenarios before. I've always held that Attack on Titan is one of the better "mainstream" anime however I was never personally been a big fan. The characters from what I know of them seem to be nice and cutesy version of their main series counterparts but once again it really is just a standard high school comedy with Attack on Titan and the characters do feel a little forced into normal high school archetypes. I will admit that there may have been some references to the manga that went over my head but I don't think it would change much of my opinion if I knew them. I'd only say watch it if your a fan, otherwise it's pretty generic. 5/10
One Punch Man
Lets start with the most hyped anime this season. Honestly it held up really well. As someone who has always thought that power levels and power level arguments were bullshit, I thought the premise alone of a superhero that was so op that he was becoming bored of being a hero was great. Fortunately though, the show does not simply revolve around this premise, with a lot of time dedicated to the world building and explaining how superheroes work in this world as well as giving quite a bit of screen time to its large cast of secondary characters when our main lead is busy not giving a fuck. The show is also really funny with a cast of likeable characters that are good parodies of different shounen tropes while still feeling like they have proper personalities. The actions scenes are also great with some good fluidity in the animation. Overall, Madhouse really brought there A game to this one. 9/10
Kagewani
This is basically a spiritual successor to Yami Shibai with cryptids instead of ghosts. They are 7 min shorts featuring a different creature every week. Like Yami Shibai because its an anthology with changing stories and characters each episode, meaning the strength of this anime comes from the horror factor shown in the episodes. Unfortunately the series is very hit or miss. This may simply be because I don't find cryptids as scary as ghosts but there were many times that I just couldn't feel the tension the show was trying to create. Honestly since the series is mostly an anthology you could probably just watch the best episodes and you won't miss much story wise. I personally recommend episodes 5, 6 and 10 much were quite creepy. There is an overarching plot about a professor trying to discover more about the monsters for mysterious purposes but it's pretty weak and only becomes truly important in the last couple of episodes. This series also uses Yami Shibai's story book like art style which still works well although makes less sense contextually. Like I said, a few episodes are worth it but I'm not sure I'd recommend the entire series unless you a big fan of cryptids/kaiju. 6/10
Concrete Revolotio
"Who watches the watchmen" This anime actually tries to answer that question. In a world where super humans exist but are not acknowledge by the government, the Superhuman Bureau must protect super humans as well as control them from harming the public. The anime really runs with this concept, with a lot of political commentary based around a society with supernatural beings. The shows does a good job presenting different kinds of super beings like heroes, villains, beasts, robots etc and explaining how they are viewed by the general public as well as their own personal beliefs of their treatment by government. As you can imagine there is also a lot of shady shit from the government, the media and even the bureau themselves that is expanded upon. On top of all this the are also time skips in the anime showing that our main character has become a fugitive wanted by bureau, with the present day timeline explaining how he came to this point. Some people have said that the anime is a bit confusing and while it's defiantly something you can't turn your brain of to, I think most people will be able to get their head around most of the plot. The comic book style animation works really well for a show about superheroes and the action and character designs have a good dose of anime insanity despite the often serious subject matter. The main characters are likeable and the show takes time to explain a lot of their backstories and world views and how these play into the plot. The ending theme is also really surreal which I like. Overall, if your like me and like things like the aforementioned Watchmen that act as a sort of deconstruction of superheroes with an anime flair, then I highly recommend this. 9/10 (also it's getting a second season)
Digimon Adventure Tri Part 1
Hnnnnnnng that nostalgia. If you don't know, this movie was split up into a four episode mini series on crunchyroll, which is what I watched it as. Nostalgia aside, it's pretty good although has couple of missteps in the story department. The animation is great and really looks like a step up from the shitty style of the last digimon series (which I never watched but it does look crap) and the fight scenes are good especially the final one between Omnimon and Alphamon. The characters also come back great. They feel like people who have been friends for years and the show does a good job displaying their personalities and relationships with each other and their digimon (Although it's sort of distracting that Izzy still sounds like he's ten years old). The main problem in this is how contrived the conflict surrounding Tai (the main guy) is. Basically, Tai is noticing that digimon fights cause a lot of damage and possible death and people are looking down on the beasts as monsters that must be stops which leads him to reassess how he allows his digimon to fight. Ok, thats fine, it shows Tai being more mature and aware than his ten year old self and addresses something that digimon (outside of Tamers) probably hasn't addressed. The problems is that his solution is more or less to stop fighting in general leading to a conflict with his number two Matt. First of all, mabye I'm missing something ( I haven't watched the first series in years) but why do the people of Tokyo act like they've never seen digimon before, did they just all decide to forget about Myotismon's invasion or the dark masters splitting the sky open or Diaboromon taking over the internet. Secondly, Tai not wanting to fight is stupid, we all know perfectly well the digimon won't just go away and will probably kill more people if not stopped. It really feels like a contrived conflict to get him fighting with Matt. That being said, I'm willing to be more lenient on it because of the great animation, character dynamics aside from Tai and Matt as well as it being the first of six movies meaning it's technically is not even a finished product. The best part however was the music which has full covers of all the the original first season songs; Butterfly, Brave Heart etc. Their great and really hit home for in the feels department. Mabye I'm just blinded by nostalgia but aside from the plot holes, the rest in my opinion is good. It's a fun little adventure with good production quality and a lot of heart just like what Digimon used be (well before tamers at least). 8/10
Hacka Doll The Animation
This ones pretty generic. The three hacka dolls (complete with pretty stereotypical personalities) try to "advance" but just screw up in the end. The jokes are mostly baed around different parts of otaku culture and some hit but most are just ok. The main I didn't rank this too low though is because while it's nothing that good, it's not terrible either, it's just ok. It's also a seven minute long short which means that the episodes don't drag on and can be be kind of entertaining as a short distractions. Like kagewani this is one where you can really just watch the best episodes without missing anything plot relevant. If you need something that can give you some simply otaku jokes while not taking up a lot of time, this is for you. 5/10
Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation-
This was a pretty fun mystery series. The homes and Watson style dynamic between our main characters is good and pretty cute at times. The mysteries themselves are also good with some interesting revelations that often ended in feels as well as some dark shit. The mysteries are the highlight of the anime as some of them are really well thought out and play into the theme of bones (it makes sense in context) that run throughout the anime. The side characters were also likeable, the standout for me being a funny cop that's also competent at his job. I also really like the animation which looks really polished (not to mention how rare it is that it's an anime where everyone has naturally colored hair). The biggest flaw with the anime is that it is very episodic and can feel sort of repetitive later in the series. It does have an overarching plot but it only really starts getting interesting as the show ends. I might change opinions of there was a second season coming but for now it's a good quality mystery series with some redundancy. 8/10
The Perfect Insider
This the other mystery series I watched this season although. What makes this one interesting is that it was adapted from a novel, not a light novel, an
actual novel. The mystery of the anime is great and really did keep me guessing throughout the show however when it finally came together it was a good resolution that made sense. Our two main leads are also fun two watch as well as the victim who's life this entire mystery is based around. The anime however is really slow paced and really requires you to pay attention to understand the mystery (it also helps if your good at math). While I understood the mystery fine, the anime was still incredibly confusing at times when it can to character motivations and concepts which can come of as unexplained or vague. That may be the point of the show however the characters constantly go on about their personal philosophy which I could understand however I really could not see how these tied into the main mystery. There are also times when the anime uses abstract imagery that really feels like it serves no purpose (and I will never look at ostriches the same way again). I usually don't have a problem with "deep" anime but this one had some elements that were just a bit too confusing. 7/10
Attack on Titan: Junior High
It's a high school comedy with Attack On Titan characters. If you like those two things, then you will like this show. As someone who isn't the biggest fan of either, this didn't do much for me. The high school stuff is pretty standard and does not do much new outside of the attack on titan skin, it has the summer festival, the haunted house episode etc if you've watched enough anime, you've seen these scenarios before. I've always held that Attack on Titan is one of the better "mainstream" anime however I was never personally been a big fan. The characters from what I know of them seem to be nice and cutesy version of their main series counterparts but once again it really is just a standard high school comedy with Attack on Titan and the characters do feel a little forced into normal high school archetypes. I will admit that there may have been some references to the manga that went over my head but I don't think it would change much of my opinion if I knew them. I'd only say watch it if your a fan, otherwise it's pretty generic. 5/10
Posted by AlephDaud | Dec 28, 2015 7:55 PM | 0 comments
October 24th, 2015
Anime Recs
Anime Relations: Fullmetal Alchemist, Serial Experiments Lain, Black Lagoon, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Bokura no, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, Baccano!, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fate/Zero, Fate/Zero 2nd Season
Some friends that are just getting into anime asked for some recommendations so I decided to make this little list. Here are a few of my own personal recs of some of my favourite anime that I think are worth a watch. These will just be some short summaries about them, if you want a more detailed/formal review, you can go read them on their mal pages. Same can be said for plot synopsis, if you want one then just look at their page.
Fate/Zero
It’s a giant free for all between seven magi, each with their own mythological hero to fight for them. As someone who likes both mythology and battle royale scenarios, I thought this anime was great. The animation quality is very high quality and music by Yuki Kajiura is epic. It supports a large cast of memorable characters that make up the seven factions fighting each other, each with their own motives, ideologies and tactics to win the war. The variety of personalities clashed well with each other leading to some great interactions. Although if you're big on historical/mythological accuracy then this is probably not for you, the fact that King Arthur is girl should have tipped you off to that.
It should be noted that the studio that made this (Ufotable) also made a remake of Fate/Stay in 2015. While both are great, in terms of anime zero is better (but the f/sn visual novels beats both in my opinion).
Baccano!
It’s worth noting that the light novel this was based on was written by same person who wrote Durarara and takes place in the same universe as that show. Like Durarara, it has a large cast of likeable and memorable characters including a pair of thieves, immortal gangsters and couple of psychopathic killers for good measure. If you’re looking for a more ‘western’ anime this is one of the best you can find. It does a very good job of portraying 1930’s America in terms of design and in its soundtrack. It could be a bit confusing at first as it jumps between three different stories at different time periods which eventually tie together but I you keep with it, it will make sense in the end. Not to mention it's extremely catchy jazz opening.
Also like Cowboy Bebop; it is one of the few anime that is almost unanimously considered better dubbed than subbed.
Black Lagoon
This anime has some of the best action scenes I’ve ever seen. It’s completely over top in terms of guns, babes and physics defying explosions and the animation is some of Madhouse’s best with a more realistic and gritty character design. If you liked anime like Gangsta then this is for you (in my opinion it’s a lot better than Gangsta). The characters the mains guys fight in the series are also insane, these include a chainsaw wielding mute girl, the maid version of the terminator and killer loli’s. And along with all that, it even manages to have some pretty good character development tool in portraying in city that is run by criminals and the lifestyle that involves. The first seasons a bit better than the second but I’d recommend both.
Higurashi: When They Cry
This is probably one of the most well known horror anime there is. The characters may look cute and moe and some may say that it suffers from Dean’s usually cheap animation but when shit hits the fan it can get pretty gory and disturbing. That’s not to say it’s just shock value though, the mystery and atmosphere of being in a remote village is great and really adds to the tension. The characters are also well developed especially the main girl Rena Ryugu who is seemingly both cute and terrifying at the same time and is in my opinion one of the best yandere in anime (eat your heart out Yuno). This show also has an interesting take on time loops which occur after every arc. They make it so that you’re never truly be certain who's trustworthy in the show every episode and characters that were allies in one loop may be complete psychos/assholes in another.
However, only watch the first two season, those are the ones that conclude the main story. The third and fourth aren’t as good. Also the dub is shit, watch it subbed. There’s also a spiritual sequel could Umineko: When They Cry but the anime adaptation is apparently shit.
Serial Experiments Lain
“Present day... Present Time… HAHAHAHAHA”
This anime is fucking weird. It stands out among the other cyber punk 90s anime with just how surreal it gets but if you can get your head around the concepts then it can be really fascinating especially with its comments about the growing use of the internet that go beyond just saying ‘ technology is bad, go outside you nerdz’. The cyberpunk visuals are well done and very detailed for the time, the use of surreal imagery is also good and is implemented well. The english opening theme are also really good and sets the mood of Lain as a person cut off from other people, a major theme of the show. And if all that doesn’t do it for you, Lain as a character as not only really cute but also gets much more development than you’d expect, the few side character there are don't stand out as much but they aren’t really the focus in the first place.
Bokurano
This is probably the most obscure anime on the list but I think it's worth talking about.
Ever want to see Evangelion but less surreal and more depressing, then this is the anime you're looking for. It’s hard to talk about it without spoiling a lot the plot but it gets pretty bleak and never really lets up. Don’t write it off as just being edgy for edgy sake though, it works well as a character study of its large cast and has some good emotional and physiological elements. The main cast consist of a group of 12-13 year old kids and they are some of the best kid characters I’ve seen. The way the anime has them grapple with very adult concepts is extremely well written. It also has a really good opening theme that fits the anime well in terms of both tone and lyrics (that and every vocaloid under the sun seems to have a cover of it). The animation is intentionally minimalistic in terms of design but that might be a plus considered it was done by Gonzo (this is along with welcome to the NHK are some of their only good anime).
Just to note, I would probably recommend the manga more than the anime as it is one of my favourite manga of all time, although the anime (which diverges around the halfway point) is also very good and worth a watch. Either way prepare for some sad feels.
Fullmetal Alchemist/ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Along with Bebop and Trigun, FMA is often considered to be one of the ‘quintessential’ anime. There is a reason for that though; it’s extremely well made in animation, story, and characters. Not to mention some really interesting symbolism and themes. You’d be surprised on just how much it takes from actual beliefs about Alchemy back when it was actually practised. There’s not much to say about this anime that hasn’t been said by tons of other people, just that if you want a good shounen with memorable characters and lore, that does not have usual problems shounen have, then go ahead and watch it.
I’m not sure if I would recommend FMA or FMA Brotherhood more, as they’re both extremely good and do certain things better than the other. FMA gave certain subplots more development and was arguably more in depth in terms of character development for the cast, while Brotherhood had more world building and characters as well as a more expanded plot. I’d watch both but if you had to pick, Brotherhood is closer to the manga so if that means anything to you, then there you go.
Fate/Zero
It’s a giant free for all between seven magi, each with their own mythological hero to fight for them. As someone who likes both mythology and battle royale scenarios, I thought this anime was great. The animation quality is very high quality and music by Yuki Kajiura is epic. It supports a large cast of memorable characters that make up the seven factions fighting each other, each with their own motives, ideologies and tactics to win the war. The variety of personalities clashed well with each other leading to some great interactions. Although if you're big on historical/mythological accuracy then this is probably not for you, the fact that King Arthur is girl should have tipped you off to that.
It should be noted that the studio that made this (Ufotable) also made a remake of Fate/Stay in 2015. While both are great, in terms of anime zero is better (but the f/sn visual novels beats both in my opinion).
Baccano!
It’s worth noting that the light novel this was based on was written by same person who wrote Durarara and takes place in the same universe as that show. Like Durarara, it has a large cast of likeable and memorable characters including a pair of thieves, immortal gangsters and couple of psychopathic killers for good measure. If you’re looking for a more ‘western’ anime this is one of the best you can find. It does a very good job of portraying 1930’s America in terms of design and in its soundtrack. It could be a bit confusing at first as it jumps between three different stories at different time periods which eventually tie together but I you keep with it, it will make sense in the end. Not to mention it's extremely catchy jazz opening.
Also like Cowboy Bebop; it is one of the few anime that is almost unanimously considered better dubbed than subbed.
Black Lagoon
This anime has some of the best action scenes I’ve ever seen. It’s completely over top in terms of guns, babes and physics defying explosions and the animation is some of Madhouse’s best with a more realistic and gritty character design. If you liked anime like Gangsta then this is for you (in my opinion it’s a lot better than Gangsta). The characters the mains guys fight in the series are also insane, these include a chainsaw wielding mute girl, the maid version of the terminator and killer loli’s. And along with all that, it even manages to have some pretty good character development tool in portraying in city that is run by criminals and the lifestyle that involves. The first seasons a bit better than the second but I’d recommend both.
Higurashi: When They Cry
This is probably one of the most well known horror anime there is. The characters may look cute and moe and some may say that it suffers from Dean’s usually cheap animation but when shit hits the fan it can get pretty gory and disturbing. That’s not to say it’s just shock value though, the mystery and atmosphere of being in a remote village is great and really adds to the tension. The characters are also well developed especially the main girl Rena Ryugu who is seemingly both cute and terrifying at the same time and is in my opinion one of the best yandere in anime (eat your heart out Yuno). This show also has an interesting take on time loops which occur after every arc. They make it so that you’re never truly be certain who's trustworthy in the show every episode and characters that were allies in one loop may be complete psychos/assholes in another.
However, only watch the first two season, those are the ones that conclude the main story. The third and fourth aren’t as good. Also the dub is shit, watch it subbed. There’s also a spiritual sequel could Umineko: When They Cry but the anime adaptation is apparently shit.
Serial Experiments Lain
“Present day... Present Time… HAHAHAHAHA”
This anime is fucking weird. It stands out among the other cyber punk 90s anime with just how surreal it gets but if you can get your head around the concepts then it can be really fascinating especially with its comments about the growing use of the internet that go beyond just saying ‘ technology is bad, go outside you nerdz’. The cyberpunk visuals are well done and very detailed for the time, the use of surreal imagery is also good and is implemented well. The english opening theme are also really good and sets the mood of Lain as a person cut off from other people, a major theme of the show. And if all that doesn’t do it for you, Lain as a character as not only really cute but also gets much more development than you’d expect, the few side character there are don't stand out as much but they aren’t really the focus in the first place.
Bokurano
This is probably the most obscure anime on the list but I think it's worth talking about.
Ever want to see Evangelion but less surreal and more depressing, then this is the anime you're looking for. It’s hard to talk about it without spoiling a lot the plot but it gets pretty bleak and never really lets up. Don’t write it off as just being edgy for edgy sake though, it works well as a character study of its large cast and has some good emotional and physiological elements. The main cast consist of a group of 12-13 year old kids and they are some of the best kid characters I’ve seen. The way the anime has them grapple with very adult concepts is extremely well written. It also has a really good opening theme that fits the anime well in terms of both tone and lyrics (that and every vocaloid under the sun seems to have a cover of it). The animation is intentionally minimalistic in terms of design but that might be a plus considered it was done by Gonzo (this is along with welcome to the NHK are some of their only good anime).
Just to note, I would probably recommend the manga more than the anime as it is one of my favourite manga of all time, although the anime (which diverges around the halfway point) is also very good and worth a watch. Either way prepare for some sad feels.
Fullmetal Alchemist/ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Along with Bebop and Trigun, FMA is often considered to be one of the ‘quintessential’ anime. There is a reason for that though; it’s extremely well made in animation, story, and characters. Not to mention some really interesting symbolism and themes. You’d be surprised on just how much it takes from actual beliefs about Alchemy back when it was actually practised. There’s not much to say about this anime that hasn’t been said by tons of other people, just that if you want a good shounen with memorable characters and lore, that does not have usual problems shounen have, then go ahead and watch it.
I’m not sure if I would recommend FMA or FMA Brotherhood more, as they’re both extremely good and do certain things better than the other. FMA gave certain subplots more development and was arguably more in depth in terms of character development for the cast, while Brotherhood had more world building and characters as well as a more expanded plot. I’d watch both but if you had to pick, Brotherhood is closer to the manga so if that means anything to you, then there you go.
Posted by AlephDaud | Oct 24, 2015 2:00 AM | 0 comments
October 23rd, 2015
Thoughts on A Silent Voice
Anime Relations: Koe no Katachi
Ok, so last week a finished reading a romance/drama manga called A Silent Voice. It's probably one of the best manga I've read in while, with great art work, a simple yet interesting story about redemption and coming of age and well done character development especially with the main character who goes from being an unlikeable brat to a guy that you can truly sympathise with.
The interesting thing though is that KyoAni is making a movie adaptation, which I'm actually pretty hyped for. Mabye they'll finally be able to win me over to watching more of their shows instead of just being intrigued by there cute characters and then getting too bored to continue past the third episode. I'm not usually a fan of the 'cute girls doing cute things' shows but they have made some stuff that I've really enjoyed in the past, so I'm sure they'll do the manga justice.
The interesting thing though is that KyoAni is making a movie adaptation, which I'm actually pretty hyped for. Mabye they'll finally be able to win me over to watching more of their shows instead of just being intrigued by there cute characters and then getting too bored to continue past the third episode. I'm not usually a fan of the 'cute girls doing cute things' shows but they have made some stuff that I've really enjoyed in the past, so I'm sure they'll do the manga justice.
Posted by AlephDaud | Oct 23, 2015 2:28 AM | 0 comments
October 17th, 2015
Opinions on Anime Summer 2015
Anime Relations: Gakkougurashi!, Gangsta., Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei Herz!, Hetalia: The World Twinkle, Okusama ga Seitokaichou!, Himouto! Umaru-chan, Charlotte, Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai
This is just summary of the anime that I watched this summer and my (totally non elitist) opinions of them. It's not going to be as detailed as an actual review, just a paragraph of my impressions after completing each anime.
Shimoneta
It has an interesting premise and it can be pretty entertaining however it's sex jokes can get pretty tiring and the only characters that really stand out are Anna and the main heroine. 6/10
School Live
It's the walking dead with lolis. Honestly this was a really interesting twist on the moe stuff that characters like these are usually in. Characters were likeable and the tension in the more serious episodes was well handled. Animation also goes well with both moe and serious scenes. The only real problem with it is that when it does try to be slice of life, it gets a bit boring (like the obligatory swimsuit episode). Overall really good though. 8/10
Gangsta
This probably has the best actions scenes of this season. The animation is slick and works well with the gritty tone of the anime. Characters were also likeable and having the main character be deaf was really interesting. I honestly would've put this higher if it wasn't for the fact that it suffers heavily from a 'lol go read the manga' ending and feels unfinished. And seeing how Manglobe has gone bankrupt there's a slimmer chance of a second season. 7/10
Charlotte (aka mal's current whipping boy)
This series has a lot of problems but it also has some good elements. I'm not sure if I consider it a guilty pleasure or not but I do like it. The main focus is on the mc and he gets some really good development. The main heroine is also well developed not to mention really cute and their romance works well. The other characters are likeable but get sidelined as the series goes on. The problems arise later in the series were the episodes feel more rushed and the conflict feels more contrived (villains just ended up popping out nowhere). That being said I really enjoyed this series, what worked did work. 7/10
Himouto Umaru Chan
This was just cute fun. I'm not a big slice of life guy but I thought the focus on the interactions between Umaru and her brother were really funny and I also like that the brother was an adult with a job, which led to some pretty good gags and less time in a generic high school situation (and it gives a good reason as to why we never see their parents). The characters were a bit cliched but they play their tropes very well to the point that they feel fresh. The animation was also nice and vibrant. Overall good series. 8/10
Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA 2wei Herz! (why is this title so long)
The first six episodes of this were generic moe filler and it was boring as fuck.That being said that last four episodes where the plot gets going were really good, the action was great and character development wasn't bad. The animation (like the other seasons) was also really cute. That being said it can't make up for how dull the first few episodes were. I probably wouldn't even watch this series if it didn't have Fate in the name and this season hasn't changed it from overall being a just average show for me. 6/10
ps - If you want to see loli's making out then this is the series for you
Hetalia world Twinkle (seriously twinkle, can they make this series seem any gayer)
Despite the bad rep this series can get, Hetalia can actually be pretty funny when it tries to do parodies of history and culture. The problem is that when it tries to be bl, it becomes really stupid and the jokes aren't that funny. The same applies to this season. Unfortunately, while not every episode was just fanservice, this season was probably the weakest so far with a lot of hit or miss episodes in terms of the comedy. At least it was five minutes long so it didn't take up a lot of time. 6/10
My Wife is the Student Council President
Haven't heard of it, well its because it sucks. I only really watched it because its less than 10 minutes long and I have a premium membership on crunchyroll so I might as well make use of it. It's a bad ecchi with forgettable characters and mediocre animation. Even the ecchi stuff has probably been done better. 3/10
Shimoneta
It has an interesting premise and it can be pretty entertaining however it's sex jokes can get pretty tiring and the only characters that really stand out are Anna and the main heroine. 6/10
School Live
It's the walking dead with lolis. Honestly this was a really interesting twist on the moe stuff that characters like these are usually in. Characters were likeable and the tension in the more serious episodes was well handled. Animation also goes well with both moe and serious scenes. The only real problem with it is that when it does try to be slice of life, it gets a bit boring (like the obligatory swimsuit episode). Overall really good though. 8/10
Gangsta
This probably has the best actions scenes of this season. The animation is slick and works well with the gritty tone of the anime. Characters were also likeable and having the main character be deaf was really interesting. I honestly would've put this higher if it wasn't for the fact that it suffers heavily from a 'lol go read the manga' ending and feels unfinished. And seeing how Manglobe has gone bankrupt there's a slimmer chance of a second season. 7/10
Charlotte (aka mal's current whipping boy)
This series has a lot of problems but it also has some good elements. I'm not sure if I consider it a guilty pleasure or not but I do like it. The main focus is on the mc and he gets some really good development. The main heroine is also well developed not to mention really cute and their romance works well. The other characters are likeable but get sidelined as the series goes on. The problems arise later in the series were the episodes feel more rushed and the conflict feels more contrived (villains just ended up popping out nowhere). That being said I really enjoyed this series, what worked did work. 7/10
Himouto Umaru Chan
This was just cute fun. I'm not a big slice of life guy but I thought the focus on the interactions between Umaru and her brother were really funny and I also like that the brother was an adult with a job, which led to some pretty good gags and less time in a generic high school situation (and it gives a good reason as to why we never see their parents). The characters were a bit cliched but they play their tropes very well to the point that they feel fresh. The animation was also nice and vibrant. Overall good series. 8/10
Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA 2wei Herz! (why is this title so long)
The first six episodes of this were generic moe filler and it was boring as fuck.That being said that last four episodes where the plot gets going were really good, the action was great and character development wasn't bad. The animation (like the other seasons) was also really cute. That being said it can't make up for how dull the first few episodes were. I probably wouldn't even watch this series if it didn't have Fate in the name and this season hasn't changed it from overall being a just average show for me. 6/10
ps - If you want to see loli's making out then this is the series for you
Hetalia world Twinkle (seriously twinkle, can they make this series seem any gayer)
Despite the bad rep this series can get, Hetalia can actually be pretty funny when it tries to do parodies of history and culture. The problem is that when it tries to be bl, it becomes really stupid and the jokes aren't that funny. The same applies to this season. Unfortunately, while not every episode was just fanservice, this season was probably the weakest so far with a lot of hit or miss episodes in terms of the comedy. At least it was five minutes long so it didn't take up a lot of time. 6/10
My Wife is the Student Council President
Haven't heard of it, well its because it sucks. I only really watched it because its less than 10 minutes long and I have a premium membership on crunchyroll so I might as well make use of it. It's a bad ecchi with forgettable characters and mediocre animation. Even the ecchi stuff has probably been done better. 3/10
Posted by AlephDaud | Oct 17, 2015 8:22 AM | 0 comments