GolbeztheGreat's Blog

Anime Relations: Baccano!, Baccano! Specials

My long absence from this blog aside, I am glad to report that Baccano! has been reviewed. Another great series and it's a shame this isn't somewhere on TV by now, since if one can get past the chronological issues it seems like the kind of thing that would appeal to the more mature casual fans. Maybe that's just my own impression, I suppose.

By the way, I had a few problems finding my notes and then those turned out to be not quite as detailed as expected, covering only the later half of the show, but my memory should be good enough and the review seems to have turned out relatively alright. Ironically enough, the notes involved would be far more useful for episodic blogging than for reviewing. I don't know if I'll do that, or if anyone would be interested in it, but it was a curious observation.

Speaking of which...it might not be a bad idea to re-watch the series if I don't decide to dig into my previous backlog or pick up more shows in general. I might even increase the score slightly if it still holds up as well as I suspect that it would.

Anime Relations: Kikou Senki Dragonar, Touch, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2, Kurogane no Linebarrels, Bounen no Xamdou

Now that Code Geass R2 has ended, I'm supposed to be reviewing it.

Unfortunately, I'm feeling incredibly lazy right now, so who knows when that will happen. The ending did a lot for the show, however, so the review will take this into consideration. Still not as good as the first season, but I suppose it was already evident. Nevertheless, I was entertained and that will count in its favor.

In other news, Kurogane no Linebarrel is...boring? Too derivative, unimpressive CG animation, generic character designs and an annoying protagonist don't help this show at all, but perhaps there will be something worthwhile sooner or later. Hopefully. Might drop this after a few weeks if that's not the case.

Need to get back into Metal Armor Dragonar and Xam'd: Lost Memories while I'm at it.

Xam'd is excellent and looks like it will be one of the better shows this year, but I'm way behind and don't want to spoil myself. A short marathon viewing session might be in order.

Dragonar has a surprisingly likable main trio, as clueless as they are, and the story is functional, if not too far from the normal Gundam formula. Relatively decent animation for such an old show, at least initially, and a great OP song are a plus.

Speaking of retro shows...for some reason, I'm thinking of starting Touch today or tomorrow. I don't know, not a big baseball fan or anything, but I'm in the mood for something a little different, so a bit of romance and slife-of-life looks tempting. We'll see if this feeling lasts through this weekend.

Anime Relations: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Bounen no Xamdou

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I can't help but feel a bit uneasy when listening to anime music without thinking back to the show it belongs to. I'm not talking about opening and ending themes alone, that can also apply to an entire soundtrack.

If the music's good enough to stand on its own, or has established a certain reputation beforehand, it may not matter and could even be considered a sign of quality. I'm not an expert on the subject, but there's a lot of preexisting classical music in Legend of the Galactic Heroes and it certainly doesn't need to be related to that show at all. The music enhances the series, rather than just the other way around, at least for fans of the genre. No problem there.

But then there's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann's soundtrack. I really liked the music in that show even early on, when I wasn't actually watching it. Yes, I now realize that was a mistake, you don't need to tell me.

I just couldn't help it...but a certain part of me kept insisting: 'you need to go back and finish TTGL, especially if you really want to enjoy the music.' And after dragging my feet for far too long, I'm doing so, which I do not regret at all.

What was it then, that made me go back? In retrospect, it was probably a mix of guilt and a vague recollection of the music being quite appropriate for the show's visuals. Even outside the opening sequence, TTGL really knows how to mix sound and action in very enjoyable ways. Which, in turn, is indeed another sign of a show's quality.

It's not really that much of an issue, in my case, when I've already completed a certain anime title. At most, listening to the soundtrack then may make me want to re-watch the show, or at least remember some memorable scenes from it. But there's really no sense of...duty or obligation, for lack of a better term, like in the previous example. Why? Because the necessary closure is already there.

TTGL wasn't the first time it happened though, and that sensation may well come back in the future. But for now I can certainly say Bonen no Xamdou, another series whose music has caught my ear, will not suffer from that same problem. I intend to keep watching it, at least as long as I have any say in the matter.

Anime Relations: Hi no Tori, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2

Finally! After procrastinating for so long, it's done: my third anime review.

I'm not sure if I did justice to such a wonderful series, but I gave it my best effort. More people really need to see this, but I'm afraid it'll never get the attention it deserves. The material is quite heavy and mature, despite the deceptive child-friendly look, and I suppose both elements may turn off a lot of anime fans.

Now, this is not trying to sound pretentious or anything, but...yes, it's somehow more relaxing to review undeniably excellent shows, like Osamu Tezuka's Hi no Tori, than to go on and on about, say, Code Geass R2, which I'm currently watching. I probably should do that more often.

Is it because Code Geass is such a messy show, which is reflected in the love/hate it enjoys among the audience, yet still remains one of my weekly pleasures?

Maybe. But then there's also the fact I'm relatively new to Tezuka as a whole, which means I don't really need to think about any kind of preexisting baggage, inevitable in the case of Sunrise's latest sequel. I just sit down, look over any notes, and write.

And yes, I'm probably going to review R2 at some point, but certainly not before it's done. Right now...it's clearly no season one, even though both of them share many of the same elements, positives and negatives alike. It also demands a proper ending, at least by Goro Taniguchi's standards, so we'll see how that goes.