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Aug 7, 2013
When I was in need of a quality show to immerse myself in, I came across Princess Tutu. Even though the main title irked me a bit, I continued into watching it, and guess what : I don't regret it at all.
Story : 7.5 / 10 "Very Good"
Long ago, there was a story teller who died while in the middle of completing one of his greatest works. The main characters in that story where a prince and an evil raven, who were now destined to fight for eternity without a conclusion of this battle. Unsatisfied by this event, the raven escaped the story
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and the prince did so as well in pursuit of the raven. Then, using forbidden magic, the prince sealed the raven away by turning his heart into pieces. However, hiding in the shadows, the storyteller manipulates the events of the story, even after his death. That's were the main character Ahiru, a duck, turns into a human with the assistance of the storyteller, and with a unique pendant, she can further change into Princess Tutu, a graceful ballerina, who has the power to return the heart shards back to the prince of the story. That's when the darker main story unfolds, filled with graceful ballet scenes and emotional crescendos. As a result of mixing many different fairy tales into one, Princess Tutu sacrifices a little of consistency in some episodes, but manages to present something unique out of many common fairy tale stories woven masterfully together. It does not struggle, however, to find it's own "ballet".
Art : 9 / 10 "Great"
The art of Princess Tutu manages to achieve turning the established world into a dreamy, magical one appropriate for a fairy tale. Gentle colors, changing in shading to represent the change in mood, gracefully drawn figures dancing ballet are some of the highlights of the artistic expression of the show. Additionally, the battles in form of ballet dancing off, strengthens the show's artistic quality, presenting something surreal in the most imaginative and enjoyable manner possible.
Sound : 10 / 10 "Masterful"
Even though using the masterpieces of the big composers, such as Tchaikovsky, in anime have become tiresome, there is not a most appropriate soundtrack for a ballet show than these classical music pieces. When Princess Tutu is dancing a pas de deux, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake fits perfectly as the music of the scene. Classical music may be overwhelming, but it manages to add to the emotional impact of the ballet scenes, without surpassing the magnitude of emotions that the characters of the specific scene emit. As for the voice acting, the cast is also doing a masterful job. When Mytho regains a heart shard, the viewer can feel the successful regaining of the particular emotion it holds, Ahiru really reminds her true nature (that of a duck's) and when she turns into Princess Tutu she certainly changes and becomes a graceful and warm individual. Rue and Fakir also deliver a great emotional impact for their respective situations.
Characters : 7.8 / 10 "Very Good"
If there is a negative side of this show, this would be the slightly weaker presence of some of it's characters. Even though the voice acting is superb for all the cast, some characters feel considerably weaker, in presence and backdrop, from others. Mytho may steadily regain successfully his emotions, but loses the spotlight from the more believable and better-founded personality of Rue, making a little bit more difficult to sympathize with him. Fakir may be mysterious and intriguing, but does not measure up to Ahiru's believability, graceful and unforgettable presence. The differences on the founding of the characters may be very slight, but they certainly exist. However, all characters are believable and feel real to a very good extent, and have a great character development through the story.
Enjoyment : 8.8 / 10 "Great"
I loved the series for showing something unique, and with no fear of being unpopular because of it. How could I not love graceful ballet sequences like Princess Tutu's?
Verdict : 8.1 / 10 "Very Good"
A graceful and unforgettable series. Add a little of Tchaikovsky's and Korsakov's great music, a unique storyline and a touch of enchanting art and you have the successful fairy tale recipe of Princess Tutu.
If you'd like to watch a different show, rich in various thematics and allegories, then search no further, because Princess Tutu is standing tall in front of you. Are you up to the challenge of immersing yourself into a dreamy and enchanting world?
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 7, 2013
My dear readers, please try to see this review with eyes unclouded by hate.
Princess Mononoke is another film of the famous Studio Ghibli, which is the studio partially responsible for changing the way we see today's animated films, and in my humble opinion, it's magnum opus.
Story : 7 / 10 "Good"
The story takes place in Japan's Muromachi Period (15th century) and it portraits the state of constant changes of the relationship between man and nature. The prince of the people called Emishi, Ashitaka, takes part in a fight against a demon boar-like god and manages to defeat him, but he does not prevail
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unscathed. A deadly curse is implanted upon him by the demon - god, forcing him to search at his origins for a method to lift the curse. Thus, he embarks on a journey to the West, looking for answers, not knowing the perils he would face and the complicated situations he would get in : a war of epic proportions between man and forest gods of the west, and also between man and a autocratic ruler hell-bent on domination and imperialism. That's exactly when the main plot unfolds, giving a mature take on man's thirst for war and domination, and mainly focuses on man's hatred on everything which seems to be an obstacle on achieving his purpose (the purpose justify the means).
Art : 9 / 10 "Great"
Along with the masterful plot, the gorgeous animation does work wonders for this film, making it enchanting. From the fluid animation in the intense action scenes, to the awe-inspiring portraying of forests and landscapes and the intimidating presence of forest gods, the animation delivers the maximum possible result. Additionally, the character's facial expressions are superbly animated, resulting in a very realistic depiction of a person's emotional struggle. It manages to reach new heights on representing the essence of a quality story, and the animators deserve the utmost respect for achieving this feat.
Sound : 7 / 10 "Good"
The voice acting, from brave Ashitaka to proud San is great. All the characters of the movie feel real and alive when they are talking, and they are all emotionally - charged as a result of great depiction of a real human. Joe Hisashi's music on Princess Mononoke is inspiring and appropriate to every single scene, managing to be strong and simultaneously not overwhelming the scene's content. Varying from gentle when Ashitaka speaks with San, to intimidating when a forest god appears and epic when Ashitaka rides on his red elk crossing huge forests and green landscapes, the music contributes into setting the right mood properly for every scene.
Characters : 7 / 10 "Good"
The big cast of characters, considering the big variation and believability of the different type of characters, adds an extra layer on the complexity and maturity of this film. Focusing on the main characters and the secondary ones who stand out, we have three dimensional and believable individuals, free from the norm of "good or evil character". They all have purposes which must be fulfilled, even if sacrifices are sure to be made, and they differ on sorting out of their priorities. Ashitaka is a brave warrior with a noble heart, who desires peace among gods and man. However, he is initially forced to become a hero, because he wants to lift the curse and save his own life. San is a human protected by the gods and living with them in the forest, because her parents left her behind when were frightened by the presence of the gods. Her disgust and anger against human is justified and profane, but in the end a human cannot forget his real nature, and thus she partially sides with the humans to face the crisis together. Lady Eboshi, who rules the iron-making settlement of Tatara Ba, is a warlike individual who wants to exterminate the gods from the forests, but for a reason : she wants to re-assure the safety of her people, who seem to be a bunch of outcasts that she sympathizes with. She's afraid of the God's total power over the human race and decides to act this way. Kudos to Hayao Miyazaki for not using the common and simplified archetypes of good and bad people, because there are no such a thing in existence.
Enjoyment : 9 / 10 "Great"
I fully enjoyed every minute of this epic saga that lit a fire inside me about how we humans treat our second mother Earth and it's nature, in the name of domination and money.
Verdict : 7.4 / 10 "Good"
The best out of Miyazaki's films, showing a magnetic appeal that no one on this planet can deny. Dark, mature, thought-provoking and intense through all it's duration, never compromised with giving a simplistic answer to a complex matter, Princess Mononoke is not just another movie. It is a life experience.
Give yourself a present today. Instantly watch Princess Mononoke, and be amazed of the food of thoughts and visual experience it will provide you with.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 31, 2013
From time to time, I desire a show that will deliver a simple and grounded in reality plot in an unorthodox way with great success. Yes, you should already understand that Tatami Galaxy holds no need for superficial or amazing concepts to be successful, just a realistic story executed in a masterful way.
Story : 10 / 10 "Masterful"
Tatami Galaxy is set on a fictional universe, specifically a town, which seems pretty close to the modern Japanese towns. Our main character, Watashi, expects to find the rose colored campus life that he always dreamed of, entering a campus club. Instead, he finds mischief and disappointment in
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every way possible. Every time he joins a club, everything seem to go wrong and he ends up regretting his choice, wanting to go back to the moment of choosing it and reset his life by changing his choice. The plot is following his different choices and the different lifes he lived after them. Watashi begins a journey of self-discovery, where the weight of his choices matters the most, becoming a matured young man who lives his life with unlimited freedom but also respect on every choice.
Art : 9.1 / 10 "Great"
The show uses a minimalistic style that combines cartoonish graphics with no shading with a lot of live action film segments used in for quick depiction of areas with lots of background detail. Seen as poor by many, the art of Tatami Galaxy is gravely underrated. It effectively depicts the themes of the show, taking a realistic approach on many problems that college students face in Japan. Furthermore, it becomes very interesting when adding the psychological symbolisms included in the show.
Sound : 9 / 10 "Great"
A testament to the superb voice acting could be that, even though Watashi's speech is faster than a bullet train, he still manages to keep the viewer in his toes with his smart (and funny) take on many different subjects and make him feel whatever emotion he emits. As for the soundtrack, it fits great with the theme and mood of the series, succesfully representing the constant changes in atmosphere, from the melancholic "Youjou han to Castella to Watashi" to the mysterious "Kamotaketsunuminogami" and powerfully liberating "Yojouhan Ki Owari" or "Takasegawa".
Characters : 9.3 / 10 "Great"
From the bullet-speed monologues of Watashi to the stoic and spiritual presence of Higuchi, the cast is the recipe for instant success. Watashi is a young college dropout who never seizes to amaze with his sarcastic and dark but witty dialogues on everything he analyzes. He is the source of the dialogues and monologues in Tatami Galaxy, and his themes vary from social commentary to self - sarcasm of the highest caliber. Ozu is another college student, dark and devilish character, who constantly drags Watashi to troubles. However, he has some hidden aspects which make him intriguing and three-dimensional. Akashi, a college student in the engineering department, is an adorable female character, and Watashi's biggest love interest. Higuchi is a stoic, and full with dreams on exploring the globe, character who is still a college student, even though he ,by far, had exceeded the minimum years of studying there. He also has many hidden sides, which made him mysterious, spiritual and occasionally wise. There are more characters that are also very interesting, but doesn't quite measure up to the other mentioned above. However, there is not a single character that is not likeable in this series, because of his quirks and personality.
Enjoyment : 10 / 10 "Masterful"
I fully enjoyed every minute of Watashi's attempts to reach a rose-colored campus life, his moments of self-discovery and liberation scenes.
Verdict : 9.5 / 10 "Masterpiece"
When simple but meaningful premises meets innovative and unique storytelling methods, a show like Tatami Galaxy is born. Excluding or changing only one component of the Tatami Galaxy's recipe would result in losing it's eternal glowing.
There's nothing more boring than reading a review, so give yourself the chance to watch this exquisite show. You will not regret it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 31, 2013
"In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same".
Haven't you always wanted to find an anime that is equal to a great book, an anime that you'll hold dear as you will age through time? Then search no further, cause this anime alone is sufficient to satisfy your hunger.
Story : 9/10 "Great"
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (LOGH for short) is a space opera taking place on a small amount of planets in our Milky Way Galaxy, with a greater and noble main purpose : To teach you about the political and war schemes of men. In this Galaxy, there are
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three separate sides : The autocratic Galactic Empire, the democratic Free Planets Alliance and the politically neutral planet and product trading center, Phezzan. The plot is mainly centered around the political and war games between the first two, but also around the political importance of Phezzan in forming the shape of this great war. The plot thickens when Reinhard von Lohengramm, a military genius from the side of the Galactic Empire who constantly rises in the military ranks and begins to change the autocratic government from it's foundations, clashes with another military genius from the side of Free Planets Alliance, Yang Wenli, who wants democracy to prevail as the best out of the existing government types and, ultimately, to end this futile war. Empires rise and fall and democracies turn into military-driven governments as the series progress and our characters shape their opinions on human ideals and mature in the most logical way possible out of the results of this endless and brutal war.
Art : 7 / 10 "Good"
The art of LOGH could be seen as it's most vulnerable side. It has many still scenes, many sloppily re-drawn scenes and maintains a mediocre facial consistency till the end. However, the art is improved through the years and could be recognized as something unique, artsy and very fitting to the mood and themes of the series.
Sound : 9 / 10 "Great"
The works of the big classical composers such as Brahms, Strauss and Tchaikovsky are worldwide known as masterpieces. Thus, I will not further analyze the importance they hold, not only in the classical music section, but to the whole world of music. However, when used properly, they instantly turn a show into a majestic one, with LOGH being the most obvious and well-refined example.
Characters : 8.6 / 10 "Great"
There are lot of characters who have significant value in forming the elaborate plot of LOGH and all are three-dimensional, but two of them shine the most: Reinhard and Yang. Reinhard Von Lohengramm is a poor noble from the Galactic Empire side who, along with his best friend Siegfried Kircheis, want to overpower the Kaiser (emperor) , rescue his sister from Kaiser's hands and then unify and rule the whole known universe. An interesting character full of ambition, born to be a wise and thoughtful leader and showing the utmost respect to his citizens, soldiers and subordinates. Yang Wenli is a stoic, sarcastic and witty character, a rising star in the military section of Free Planets Alliance, who, along with his son Julian, wants to contribute the most into ending this endless war between Galactic Empire and Free Planets Alliance and give an end to the unlimited numbers of dead soldiers. Also an interesting character, who is more interested in history lessons than going into battle, and feels the weight of the dead soldiers keep growing on his shoulders, as a respectful and wise military commander should do. The other members of the cast are, if not equally, rather interesting because of their contribution to the plot, their three-dimensional and believable aspects and their redeeming qualities.
Verdict : 8.8 / 10 "Great"
There is no other show like it. It have some cons, but they are completely surpassed by it's magnitude of feelings and emotions, giving maybe the most powerful anti-war message of our recent times, and most meaningful political analysis on the schemes of men.
A review ends, an amazing experience begins.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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