-Naami-'s Profile - Reviews

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BirthdayDec 31, 1993
LocationLondon, England
JoinedJul 21, 2009

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Dec 14, 2009

Hikaru no Go (Manga) add

Recommended

Finished being published in 2003, created by Takeshi Obata (art), known for his works on Death Note and Bakuman and Yumi Hotta (story); Hikaru no Go (English: “Hikaru’s Go”) is one rollercoaster of a manga.

Go, the main focus of the story is an ancient tactics game that originated from China approximately 3000 years ago. A complex game, much of the equivalent to Chess and is commonly known to be played amongst the elder generations.

This is where Hikaru no Go comes in. Taking the youth by storm and literally turning the Go world around, it takes a presumptively boring game which only ‘oldies’ are ... thought to play and incorporates it into a teenager’s manga. And it’s no one trick pony as to how it popularizes Go practically overnight.

The story is simple; Hikaru is plummeted into the world of Go after Sai, a spirit from a Go board takes residence in his consciousness. Through Sai Hikaru starts taking an interest in the game. Sai (by dictating moves to Hikaru) beats the child prodigy Akira. Thinking it was really Hikaru who had beaten him, Akira starts chasing down Hikaru - starting an epic battle and rivalry for many years to come.

The story is, in essence, realistic. Not the part about Sai taking place in Hikaru’s mind and whatnot but the part about Hikaru starting off and remaining for a long time, a mere amateur. So he doesn’t start off like everyone else, what with a spirit starting off his passion, but his progress and journey from amateur to pro is. Even with the supernatural element the story still remains realistic, because that element is very minor.

In most shounens the main character has a lot of natural talent and always seem to beat every major opponent that endangers his honour or him becoming the best, however Hikaru has or does neither. He isn‘t the best during the course of the series, loses a LOT of games throughout it and just isn’t annoyingly fabulous like most shounen protagonists.

How it manages to run for 191 chapters on a story that is supposed to be all about Go isn’t a wonder either, because it DOESN’T just focus on Go throughout the whole saga. There are many games shown throughout the series, yes, but also keep in mind that it is also a drama.

And what a drama it is.

Character relationships and character themselves play a big part in the drama aspect. One important character relationship is Sai and Hikaru. Teacher and Student. Friends. They may be forced to be stuck with each other but it becomes apparent that they value each other companionship. Yumi Hotta’s clever manipulation of this pair brings the reader to some level of wrenched heart as you progress through the manga, as you would assume this goofy pair would always remain a comedic goofy pair.
The rivalry between Akira and Hikaru is another splendid character relationship present throughout the manga. It’s an awkward relationship. They don’t like the other but they don’t dislike them either. They’re rivals but to an extent they also become friends. It’s an admirable rivalry, possibly up there with L and Light’s rivalry from Death Note. From the age of 12 to 16 and probably for the rest of their natural lives they are completely obsessed with chasing the other’s shadow, trying to beat them. They’re eternal rivals. The other’s existence becomes so important to them because without the other, Go becomes boring for both.

Art critic or not there’s no doubt that Takeshi’s Obata is extraordinary. The art is so realistic it’s hard to remember that HnG is only a story, as it is as if the whole thing is brought to life. Even the most minute detail is there - from backgrounds to the clothing patterns to the design on the shoes. The most amazing thing again about the art is Hikaru and Akira (and every other character who started out as a 12 year old at the start of the manga). As aforementioned, the story starts from when they’re 12 years old till they’re 16, so when you read the manga you literally see them grow right before you, volume to volume - which adds to the “coming of age” part of the story. They become taller, their baby fat thins, and their jaw and shoulders become more defined. Not only do they grow height wise, but also in maturity. Character development is another excellent part of HnG. Every experience brings forth a lesson for these characters, every volume shows a little difference in their character. Hikaru may have started off as a naïve, ignorant and somewhat insensitive little boy but no way does he end like this.

The fact that the characters develop physically and mentally adds sentimentality to the story. You feel a part of their lives. The reader can’t help but feel things for the characters when they have conflicting inner struggles and resolves or even for the outside battles.

The other characters in the HnG family are fantastic; do not be fooled that this is just about Hikaru and Akira. Every character is important -- all carrying their own personalities, struggles and values. Of course with it being a manga about Go, most characters would be Go players; though this does not necessarily mean that they are only shown before the Go board. Moreover, the fundamental characters aren’t just kids. There’s a wide range of ages in characters -- from as young as 10 years old to as old as 60. Surprisingly, these adults are just as common to see in HnG just as much as the kids -- especially in shounen this is certainly a rare see, since adults either seem to extinct, easily disposable or unimportant in them. There’s even a broad range of nationality: Koreans, Chinese, Germans, Americans etc. showing that Go is an international game enjoyed throughout the world.

What surprises most readers is the exceptional emotional drama, which isn’t as strong in the anime. Although the anime has done an excellent job in sticking with the manga storyline the intensity, feelings, atmosphere and drama is far beyond that of the anime version. It is almost a wonder how a manga about a board game can manipulate a person’s emotions so well - it can have you laughing, annoyed, moved, feel sad and (if you’re a bit of a softy) cry. The only real problem I had with this manga is its unsatisfactory ending, right in the last couple of pages of the final chapter. However, this can be cast aside because of my overall enjoyment of the rest of the series which undoubtedly high.

Knowledge of Go is irrelevant when reading this. Most foreign readers do not know what Go is when they start. However, inevitably the reader will want to know and learn about Go. Filled with inspirational messages along the way, great characters, development and bonds, realistic stories and quite questionably, exciting games it’s no mystery as to how it managed to sell 22 million copies in Japan alone and even stir up the Go world in other countries around the world.

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Dec 4, 2009

Digimon Adventure Movie (Anime) add

Recommended

Ah Digimon, a childhood favourite for many. But as we all know how we perceive shows now and how we perceive shows as a child are completely different. So how is this childhood classic seen from a supposedly more critical individual?

As you first start the movie you are immediately hit with the nostalgic Digimon theme song: “Digimon, Digital monsters, Digimon are the champions!”, a dangerously catchy tune that will have you humming it for ages afterwards. For a twenty-minute movie not much else can be said about sound except if you watch the English dub, they surprise the viewer by using some well known ...

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Nov 12, 2009

Clannad: After Story (Anime) add

Recommended

To be frank, I despised the first season with a passion. For the life of me I couldn’t understand what was so great about it. Yet I still saw the fandom of Clannad everywhere; from the forums to it being favourited on every other profile. I promised to stay away from ~After Story~ after witnessing the fail or rather mediocrity of Clannad. However, seeing the rage of it rising faster and louder with it being currently ranked #1 on the site I caved. Like a kid being peer pressured into smoking I reluctantly watched it. And I’m glad I did.

This is a continuation of ... the previous series and opens up with the conclusion of Clannad: That Nagisa and Tomoya has finally started dating. But by no means does it stop here. Not many anime, or any stories even, tell a story where the couple are already together and go off from there. Most of the time it’s about how the two love interests get together and fall in love, which is all well and fine but what about after? Do they actually live happily ever after? Are their futures sure to be fine and dandy now that they are together?

I never thought highly of ‘slice of life’ anime. If I wanted to watch an anime about people’s lives I would just record myself, or better yet - watch Big Brother. Anime is all about the supernatural, fantasy, badass and beautiful characters, action, over the top romances and comedic situations -- the unreal!

Or so I thought.

Clannad ~After Story~ proves you don’t need any of these to make a great anime. There’s no world destruction, huge responsibility, convenient coincidences, twists of fate, gore, blood, lovey-dovey romance or any of the usual routine. It’s life. With heart-wrenching drama. With every day real life events that could happen to any of us. And with bittersweet moments.
It does have some supernatural elements though, but if anything, it adds a touch of realism rather than the opposite. Who’s to say these supernatural mysteries do not take place in real life after all?

The main cast remains the same, however unlike the first series, ~After Story~ concentrates more on Nagisa and Tomoya, especially in the second half of the series -- one of the many reasons why I enjoyed this. There are also many episodes which are dedicated to characters whom are important and dear to Tomoya and holds value in his life. I also found these a great joy and equally inspiring. The quality of content in these episodes are much higher than those in the prequel series and of faster pace. They don’t draw out one character’s story for five episodes, but instead packs one or two episodes with such inspiring stories that moves a person emotionally.
The series has a strong family theme, with Nagisa’s parents being central characters in the story. Tomoya’s father has a bigger part in this series, as we see a progression and revelation between Tomoya and his father. Rarely is there ever a family theme in anime. We hardly ever see parents being shown, never mind being main characters - they really do well in pulling off such a delicate theme.

What really made the anime for me was the animation and sound. The animation was so surreal, so vivid it simply made me stare in awe. Key’s animation really impressed me; at times they would they would do sweeping camera follow ups, follow the movement of a flying baseball in slow motion or even chase the movement of a little girl as she runs through a field. The sound was beautiful too. I usually never sit through every single episode’s opening however I could never resist ~After Story’s~ opening. It always sets the mood of the anime and prepares you for what’s to come. Even the opening could twinge your feelings a little. The other themes were wonderful as well. It could go from happy, joyful tunes to melancholic, depressing ones to uplifting and inspirational instrumentals. Nagisa’s Dango Song affected me the most as it would be soft and cute at first then go on to be so painfully uplifting with the use of percussions.

Another beautiful thing is Nagisa and Tomoya’s relationship. Not once in the entire show are they shown to kiss and even holding hands was a rare see. Yet, their relationship is truly on another level. What they have is a bond so strong and pure that those sort of actions do not need to be shown to tell us that they are undeniably close.

I disliked Clannad. This feeling I cannot change. But Clannad ~After Story~ is a whole other world in anime. It has the art of anime, but has the feel of an old time classic love story of happiness, tragedy and bittersweet revelations. I sought an anime that would make me cry. And sure enough it did. Even the most stone-hearted person would feel a heart aching twinge. Either that or bucket loads of tears. It’s simply beautiful.

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Oct 16, 2009

Gravitation (Anime) add

Recommended

The truth of the matter is that most shounen ai anime just isn't good; be it because of the crappy story, obvious fan service or bad direction. However, Gravitation doesn’t just pull it off as a shounen ai but as an anime in general.

The story follows Shuichi Shindou, a 19 year old vocalist trying to make it big in the music industry and Eiri Yuki, a young, cool and cold romance novelist and pretty much revolves around the couple’s careers, love life and past. Nothing complicated or confusing neither is it plot less or pointless. The series is short, only 13 episodes long but ... every episode is filled with quality; it’s well paced, never did it ever feel even slightly slow or boring. It's simply entertaining which is what an anime should be!

Shuichi is a generic uke; he’s loud, cute, innocent, has a feminine body (which he uses for his failed plans) and is quite open about his love towards Eiri yet he’s a loveable character. I don’t usually like characters with this sort of annoying personality but with Shuichi he grows on you, maybe because its quite nice to have such an energetic character as the main lead.
Eiri is….a cool guy, look wise and personality wise. He’s the classic “Tall, dark and handsome” character fan girls scream over. When I said before it revolves around the couples past, its actually his past that it’s focused on (I mean, seriously, you can’t expect Shuichi to have a dark past now could you?)
Other characters include Hiro and Suguru who are the other members of Shuichi’s band ‘Bad Luck‘, Mr K their manager, Mr Sakano their producer, Tohma Seguchi their boss, Eiri’s brother in law and a member of Shuichi’s favourite band ‘Nittle Grasper’ etc. The cast of Gravitation is likeable, they’re mostly used for comic relief and for a 13 episode show they all carry a decent amount of distinct characteristics. Tohma reminds me of some petite pretty boy gangster though, the way he handles certain situations and is one of the more serious characters.

Here comes the music. A very important part in any anime, even more so in this one since it’s a show all about music. The music and themes in this are just simply fun and personally I quite liked them - the opening and other songs the band sung had some techno in it which made the songs really funky, which I enjoyed since I don’t really listen to techno. The piano themes used when there’s a ‘heart-warming moment’ or whatever got me every time (in a good way) and the ending is used to create a cliff-hanger moment at the end of each episode.
However, it sort of annoyed me that they recycle the same song/scenes every time they showed Bad Luck singing - only a couple of other times did they use new footage or songs. The music aren’t masterpieces but it’s a great listen.

If outfits come under art, I would down rate the art because the performing outfits that Shuichi and Ryuichi wore are HORRIBLE. They look like some bad cop out from the 80’s which I don’t understand how it managed to find its way into this show since Gravitation came out in 2000. Then again, I don’t live in Japan so I don’t really know how singers dress there, though I’m pretty sure no singer in their right mind would dress like that. Other than that little critique the art was fine. The cover shown in the summary pretty much tells you what the art is like - bright, pretty and cute, so not much more I can really discuss on that.

In my opinion, Gravitation is one the best shounen ai out there to date. The only reason why I say “one of” is simply because I haven’t watched all the shounen ai out there, but even so it’s still up there because it also does well as an anime. It’s well funny, throughout the series I had had many good laughs. There are extremely lame and stupid moments (e.g. Shuichi dressing in dog costume) that had made me cringe but I guess that’s just part of the course. There are also shocking pause-the-screen-to-take-in-what-just-happened moments which either puts a huge grin on my face or make me look completely dumbfounded.

The music industry aspect is quirky, serving much humorous content with the sheer craziness of it all and does make the audience doubt the music industry of today if that’s how it’s really run. And even though it is shounen ai, don’t be completely put off by it - I guess if you ever want to explore this genre then Gravitation is a good or perhaps the only place to start.

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Oct 3, 2009

Gravitation (Manga) add

Recommended

I strongly recommend watching the series before reading the manga for the following reason:

The story. Due to Murukami Maki’s rather undeveloped art at the beginning of the series it had also hindered the flow of the story telling; so it is rather difficult to understand or get into the story. From own experience, I had tried to read it first but the art had threw me off completely and I dropped it after the 2nd chapter.

Now, onto the review...

Gravitation is often called the gateway to the shounen-ai genre because of its appeal. What separates this from every other of its genre is ... its diversity. For once it does not focus solely on the character’s (in this case Eiri’s and Shuichi’s) relationship but on everything going on around them – the side characters, the music, their careers, them as an individual and most of all – the gags.

Comedy is the widest appeal this manga has, and it does a good job giving laughs to the reader. Most of the comedy relies on over-the-top shenanigans, references to the music industry (such as N-Sync) or sexual innuendo. Another thing that it makes it so approachable is the lack of typical lovey-dovey or corny scenes. If there are any present, it is usually used as a gag itself as Murakami mocks this for the reader’s enjoyment.

The first few volumes’ art is - to put it bluntly - quite horrendous. As previously stated, it’s enough to repel readers, and the story-telling is sloppy. However, readers see a drastic change in art during the latter of series and it first becomes noticeable around volume 6. Murakami also introduces a neat way of using panels to better the flow of the story telling. Although ultimately her art has changed for the better I wasn’t too keen on the new character design for Shuichi. One of the good points of Gravitation at the beginning was Shuichi’s more masculine physique, but as the story progresses Shuichi becomes shorter and eventually has a physique that downplays readers imaginations (for either better or worse, up to the reader really) so in the end, he would fit the stereotypical uke.

The cast of Gravitation all play significant roles in the story – whether it is to meddle, to be the shoulder to cry on or part of the past, they all have more or less something to give, again giving this the sort of edge that other shounen-ai’s don’t have.

I find it unrealistic how every accepts Shuichi’s and Eiri’s relationship; but then again a manager who uses a gun for persuasion and a giant robot panda chasing Shuichi through New York isn’t exactly realistic either.

All of Gravitation has been licensed under Tokyopop, who has done a spectacular job at translating. However the first couple of translated volumes may cause some to cringe with their attempt of using ‘hip’ phrases; often backfiring by employing tacky lines such as “take a chill pill”. Fortunately it gets better along the way, and I appreciate how they make it appeal to Western audiences by using our entertainment industry like MTV (“Oh, I get it I’m on Punk’d. Where’s Ashton?”)

Both versions of Gravitation are light-hearted, filled with humour and entertaining. The manga does make you appreciate how well the producers of the anime adapted it - it’s one of the best adaptations of a manga I’ve seen in fact. And the manga has got to have the silliest content I have ever read - but it’s the stupid shenanigans that make me laugh so much.

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Sep 30, 2009

Kuroshitsuji (Anime) add

Mixed Feelings

---The review contains spoilers---

So, Kuroshitsuji is an anime that is labelled “shounen” but I don’t really know why - it’s filled with bishounens, pretty clothes and the fancy Victorian age backdrop with massive shounen ai and shota undertones. Oh, and the obvious gay shinigami who keeps trying to kiss the butler.

The story starts off with an eerie atmosphere, showing a 10 year old child who exchanges his soul for a demon butler to help exact his revenge against the people who killed his parents and humiliated him. Two-three years later they are still together; Ciel Phantomhive the 12 (later 13) year old Earl also ... the head of his house and company and Sebastian Michaelis, the demon butler who could do anything and together working for the Queen to solve mysteries and at the same time learning about Ciel’s past.

It would have been a great story. If not for the amount of filler episodes that had been injected in due to the lack of material that had come out from the manga and the confusion in later episodes that still left me with many, many questions.

The first and second episodes were indeed spectacular. Instantly there is a dark and mysterious aura and it is well maintained throughout the entire series (except for the idiotic moments with the less than lovable extra staff at the Phantomhive household). Even up to episode 6 it was still good. However, after that it just started to get a little tiring with all the missions they have to carry out. Boring in fact. The second half of the series was entirely all filler; filler that wasn’t even interesting and to put it plainly – all over the place.

As mentioned before, the anime does not follow the manga series exactly but the first half of the series does to an extent. The second half was written exclusively for the anime. Now this is where it goes horribly wrong. Most of the second half’s story made absolutely NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Take Sebastian’s sudden disappearance for example. For someone who has made an unbreakable contract and who has already done about two years work for Ciel it was a unrealistic that he would leave Ciel. Moreover it was uncharacteristic of him. His personality wouldn’t allow him to do such an act, even if it were to benefit Ciel in the end. Plot twists came from nowhere, justifications and character motivations did not add up and I would end up sitting there by the end of the episode wondering what on earth has just happened. Poor writing plagued the last three-quarters of the series, which is a real shame, considering how much I enjoyed the first six episodes.

When I first heard Sebastian’s and Ciel’s names I laughed. ‘Sebastian’ as the butler’s name, that was so cliché and Ciel ‘Phantomhive’ - now that didn’t sound conspicuous at all did it? Well it certainly did humour me with these obvious names, but the characters themselves aren’t ones that you can laugh at. Sebastian is seriously one badass butler, the anti hero of our story; he can do anything and I mean ANYTHING. After he SEDUCES A NUN to get information he certainly got my respect - the thought of him using such tactics was almost unthinkable (considering all the "sexual tension" between him and his master). And Ciel… well he is bratty. And he certainly does talk a lot of bull when it comes to why he is doing all this and such. What I liked about him though was how the producers practically used him as a doll to model fashion wear of the 19th century.

But these factors do not save them from being two dimensional characters. Sebastian can be thought as the anime parallel of Edward Cullen. Essentially a ‘perfect’ being with zero flaws, devilishly good looks (no pun intended) and abilities to do the impossible he contains no realism in him, more like a fantasy or ideal of ‘the perfect man’. But unlike the Twilight character mentioned there is an almost witty aspect to the butler, as each episode displays his tendency to be mischievous. In all honesty, though he is not much of a character for BEING the main character, he was still quite the fun person to watch as a viewer. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Ciel. As far as I’m concern, he was there for the fanservice – from cross-dressing to wearing scantily clad clothes for a teenage English boy – mass producing shota fans as we speak. His reason for working for the Queen is neither explained nor in line with his prideful personality and his burning desire for revenge towards the people who ‘humiliated’ him is not emphasized or profound enough to take him seriously that he is truly a bitter, angry boy.

The OP and ED were very well done, both musically and animated-wise. Most anime usually does this thing where in the middle of the series they change the opening song and have a whole new animation to it. With Kuroshitsuji they keep the same song but switch around the verses used but have a whole new animation to it. The first ED uses an American song "I'm Alive" by Becca which would catch some off guard. The rock/pop song contrasts greatly with all the other themes uses but is a song that can be easily sung along to. It also is one of the most amusing endings ever with the animation that employs a chibi-styled art showing the day to day activities of Sebastian as a butler. The second ED song is a lot more melancholic to fit the serious second half of the story. The background music is smoothly done and go fittingly well with the scene at hand. As an anime set in the high class 1800s, the production company rightfully uses dark gospel choruses to jazzy themes.

Art and animation was very beautiful and fluid. Grand manors and clothing were all intricately designed and even in the few action scenes A-1 Pictures still had animation kept up – never letting choppy animation to ruin the flow. Everything is very gothic usually with night-settings, religion being brought in and of course, the clothes. Although Ciel did look very adorable in his attire, I felt like the clothes he was wearing were almost asking for him to be molested, which just made the paedophilia and gay overtones a lot more strong.

The most enjoyable part of this anime was the London/Victorian age setting. I was actually quite impressed with how well they displayed and used London and its history, like how they made Bethnal Green the base where all the drug dealers were from or the fact that there used to be fairs on the Thames during the winter when the water turned to ice. The producers did use the London card to the max - playing with different versions of “London Bridge”, using the Jack the Ripper character and displaying the fashion of the time. And of course since it’s set in England there is some engrish, but the best one is Sebastian’s “Yes, My Lord” - makes me smile every time. The setting practically made this anime; I mean if you replaced the setting to a modern time, different place this anime would have immediately failed.

Although I wouldn’t necessarily say it put the ‘shit’ in ‘Kuroshitsuji’ neither would I say this is a spectacular watch. This series was just ‘okay’ to me, it wasn’t particularly special and it’s quite tedious. I have had many unanswered questions formed in my mind and quite a few qualms about it. For those of you who actually read manga I suggest doing so first or instead of watching this since it just contains the main story and does not sell itself short with fan-pandering nonsense.

Will I be watching the second series? Well, yes for numerous reasons. I liked the manga enough to want to see it animated. I want to see if my questions will finally be answered. And most of all I want to find out WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED after the end of the last episode.

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Sep 29, 2009

Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime) add

Recommended

What I hate the most when it comes to anything remotely to do with science is science that doesn’t make sense (e.g. Doctor Who). I thought FMA would be like this, just spewing out any rubbish to explain the situation or how they saved the world and call that science. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with this anime. I was actually quite impressed with some of the science used behind it, e.g. the fight between Greed and Edward…and the use of carbon (won’t say anymore, trying to keep it spoiler free).

“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal ... value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange."

Thus the concept of Equivalent Exchange; it’s a fundamental theory throughout the series and movie and that had constant speculation; whether or not if this was true - applying it to real life situations, without the alchemy business. I think I like this theory mainly because it’s a lot similar to the concept of Karma - “What goes around, comes around” which sometimes has me and many others asking if its true or if we just choose to believe it to make our own lives easier? Unintentionally, this anime has produced quite a philosophical theory giving it a real life sort of edge that has me thinking and intrigued at the same time.
The show was a bit slow for me at first, but strangely enough it wasn’t boring, and being the type to get bored easily with an amazingly short attention span this certainly was a spectacular job the anime had done. I’ll be fair - it does take quite a few episodes to get into it, but it’s time worth spent once you’re sucked into this world of alchemy.

I won’t go into the story that much since the summary does a good job of telling the gist of the anime. What the summary doesn’t tell you though is that there is a fair deal of dark themes, psychopaths and mad scientists/alchemists. I was surprised how bloody, warped and twisted it got especially around episode 7. The anime does a good job of using both dark and comedy/adventure themes and it does lean towards the latter most of time but still has the seriousness and tension that makes it exciting.

The cast of characters were very well ranged. It didn’t seem like there were too many characters or any useless characters - they were all pretty much important to the story and you get a mix of personalities, characteristics etc. Some may be there for comic relief, but none at all were boring and it didn’t seem like it was annoying to see them. Edward Elric, our protagonist of the story is sort of your average funny, short tempered, stubborn chibi hero but he doesn’t fall short there, he also brings along brains as well as brawns which he does use from time to time amazingly enough. He’s a likeable character and he isn’t too noisy to the point where you want to punch his lights out (e.g. Naruto, Ichigo), and I really do admire the bond he and his brother, Alphonse has. Edward is a little different from the typical super power shounen character in one aspect: Motivation. He’s not just a do-gooder who does it because it’s right; he’s actually doing it to repent for his past deeds and to restore his brother’s body.

For me, the art was a plus. I understand some people did not like the art but I liked the unique style it had; it didn’t try to make everyone look so pretty or with pointy chins etc. and Roy Mustang actually did look Japanese to me. This is probably my favourite art amongst all the anime I have watched because it’s so different yet it’s not an eye sore - it’s refreshing I guess.
I watched this over 6 months ago and still I can remember the music used - so it definitely isn’t forgettable. The openings were all amazing, especially the fourth one which I’ve even downloaded on my phone and have made me an Asian Kung Fu Generation fan.

I did think this show was a bit over hyped and overrated at first, and maybe it still is, but after watching the series I understand why it is so loved – It’s simply exciting. You have comedy, action, adventure, magic, tiny bit of blasphemy, some science, brotherly bonds, friendship, psychopaths, conspiracy theories, racial elements, political issues and even a little romance if you’re willing to look deep enough into it.

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Aug 24, 2009

Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch (Anime) add

Mixed Feelings

Yet another review for the highly acclaimed Code Geass. I believe this is the 98th review C.G would’ve received; but I can’t help but review this even if so many others have.

How does such a blatant horribly written show gorging with clichés and plotholes ever be compared to the likes of or considered as Death Note’s rival? I suppose it's because both shows were aired at the same time in Japan. I suppose it's because of "how uncanny" the resemblance between the two anti-heros are. And I suppose it's because they feature "the ends justify the means" views and morals. I started ... watching because of the many reviews that has praised this and the amount of people who recommended this for people who liked Death Note. And so I watched it. And regrettably so.

Meet Lelouch Lamperouge. Former prince of the Britannian Empire, previously named “Lelouch Vi Britannia”. He and his younger sister, Nunnally had left the royal family after their mother had been brutally assassinated many years ago and they now live on campus on Ashford Academy, where he also goes to school at. One day, he comes across a beautiful girl named C.C or C2 who gives him the power of Geass which is located in his left eye. His Geass allows him control people and make them do any of his bidding once. He uses this power to crush the Britannian Empire and under the alias “Zero” he leads the Black Knights, a terrorist organisation, and sets out to free the world from Britannia’s clutches.

I wonder how many clichés we already encountered in that paragraph. We have the “secretly a prince” cliché, the “school environment” cliché, the “mysterious and beautiful girl” cliché and the “revenge on killing my mommy” cliché. And that’s just the beginning.

The story is just one big mess. It had more plot holes than the ozone layer. They just keep adding and adding to the plot but do nothing about it. To keep up with the ‘story’ I had to constantly read the episodes summaries in Wikipedia, which I never had to do with any other series. And quite frankly, this has got to be the most boring series ever. I bet if they took out the mecha part of this the show would’ve been a flop.

Characters. We have a number of characters in this show, whom are mostly ineffective and does not add to the story whatsoever. Why the need for so many characters? Throughout the whole series I think I remembered 5 characters out of a cast of 50+. The White Knights didn’t do much; neither did the Chinese government and where the hell did that guy who I assume is the glasses-girl-who’s-madly-in-love-with-Princess-Euphemia boyfriend come from?!

Lelouch has got to be the most overrated character ever. We’re told he’s smart but so far all I’ve seen is that he’s good at chess. His strategies are bland and under explained to the point where logic seemed to be extinct when coming up with them, as if he just guesses the next move to take correctly. And he is the worst anti-hero I’ve come across. The way tactlessly kill innocent humans isn’t justified to well either. It was quite a bore to see him ‘use’ people, but not actually manipulate him; like getting close to them and puppeteer them in such a way that angers the viewer. But instead, the viewer doesn’t feel anger towards Lelouch for being such a bastard prick who play with people because he DOESN’T play with them. The viewer feels nothing: no anger, no sadness nor even excitement as he continues killing people. In other words, he fails at being an anti hero.

Another thing. The Geass. He can make any person do his bidding once. And that’s about it. He doesn’t try to find any way around the Geass, how he can use it or anything of that nature. Totally boring.

Normally having different art styles is one of the plus sides of anime. However, the art in this had me cringing. The characters are disturbingly anorexic, all of them being 6ft tall and 40kg heavy. It was just ridiculous. The noses are undefined and oddly shaped, as for the rest of their sack of bones of a body. The animators weren’t afraid to show scantily clad woman at the drop of a hat either. Ecchi in this show managed to exceed that of a sleazy harem, and fan service covered just about every minute of this anime.

The only thing I can salute Code Geass for is the music. They manage to skilfully implement everything from jazz music to marching band trumpets in the show. However the openings were a bit of a let down, with average J-Pop taking the spot.

Overall I believe this just seems to be an anime where the creators tried to throw in as many clichés as they can possible and tried to make it an intelligent anime but have failed miserably. Have I mentioned how BORED I was from this? I’m surprised how masochistic I’ve become and actually watched 15 episodes of R2 before it became too much and dropped it.

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