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Feb 25, 2018
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 or Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 is a refreshed envisioning of the retro space epic Space Battleship Yamato. It takes place in the year 2199 and follows the epic tale of the Space Battleship "Yamato" as it engages on a solitary Intergalactic journey to save the whole of humanity. Earth and its sister nation of Mars have been laid to waste by the alien civilization known as Garmillas, with the aforementioned Nation sending massive Planet bombs down towards the surface of Earth. These bombs have raided the once fertile and healthy Earth and transformed it into a oceanless and toxic brown husk
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of what it once was. But there lies hope in the form of assistance from Iskandar, a planet whose people provide a means of perhaps solving earth's crisis. Therefore, the Yamato departs from its own Galaxy on a year-long voyage into the depths of space in desperate attempt to ensure a future for the human race. But the plot itself can't carry a show, and what really makes this show work is in its fully fleshed out characters. Over a diverse cast of many different characters who all have their own separate stories contained within the show, Yamato 2199 expertly manages to weave the plot intricately within the plights, dreams, struggles, and desires of each character. For only having 26 episodes to work with, every individual character from the ships' Nurse to the enemy Admiral charged with preventing the Yamato's success feels fully fleshed-out, and you are drawn to them and their own plights. Those who could be just as easily portrayed as one dimensional enemies, are all the same nuanced and complex with their own agendas and own feelings that can and do shine through. But that is not the only area in which Yamato 2199 is worthy of credit.
Yet in addition to its compelling plot, the developments of all cast members over the duration of the show was a true pleasure to watch. It is very rare that you are able to see characters grow and change as clear as you can see within Yamato 2199. Relationships are brought to bloom, friendships form, struggle and then are rekindled. Diplomacy occurs and new ground is made. Tackling all these interpersonal plot lines and developments is undoubtedly a hefty challenge for director Akihiro Enomoto or so one might expect, but if it is, he does not show it. Assisting in this challenge is the voice cast of 2199, with whom great acting is done. Still, even in addition to all, that the art portrayed in the show is beautiful and doesn’t use an excess of CGI or other computer aided art in order to placate budget concerns, as is a pitfall of many other competing Space Opera anime such as Knights of Sidonia. Things like the ships, the planets, and the settings are all meticulously designed and executed, but even when it comes down to the appearance of weapons such as lasers and space torpedoes, it's just as believable as any other show of 2012. Not to be mistaken, CGI is certainly used and this can be considered a knock against the show, but it’s well advised for audiences to look over that fact thanks to the tasteful way that it was blended in with lush environments and fast paced, engaging action scenes. Because even if you consider that, all characters in the show are drawn lovingly and not rendered, with eye catching character designs that just further add to the relatability of the characters.
You feel a part of their own struggles as an audience to Yamato 2199, and that’s a particular finesse that is very hard for most shows to capture. 2199 is not most shows. And here in the end, that is the greatest point of Space Battleship Yamato. It isn't like other shows because it captures a different type of humans- Yamato 2199 paints an exceedingly human depiction of real, adult struggle against the odds, people holding fast together to accomplish something that seems unthinkable. It mirrors us in our own struggles against any number of trials, and that's great. Amidst the washing sea of countless seasonal anime depicting Japanese high schoolers do any number of miraculous things, here presented by Studio AIC is a refreshing take of regular, heroic people taking up the mantle of humans just trying to survive. And in Yamato is all the accompanies of that very mantle-- the excitement, discovery, disappointment, the failures of people doing what they think is right, love, hate, camaraderie, and hard won success. It's all there, and that is what makes Space Battleship Yamato 2199 a great watch.
Thank you for reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 11, 2017
I have always, and likely will always, be someone who observes at least visual mediums like movies at their face value. Essentially, I like to take in and digest visual media armed with nothing but what is presented in the film, and the conclusions I can make from what is shown in the film. When I analyse any film, I like to pull empirical facts from it, and create an abstract from what can be provably described and explained. I dislike when the audience is presented with things that are open to interpretation, and things that are kept intentionally vague or undefined despite being seemingly
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major elements or events. In short, I was out of my depth watching The Angel’s Egg, or Tenshi no Tamago. So, having written that disclaimer, let me jump into a review.
Angel’s Egg is a movie depicting a little girl and a younger man who reside in a derelict and eery world. A world devoid of others like themselves, with only shades of fish and automaton-like men who chase them ceasely, to no avail. The girl is left to her own, wandering throughout this dark and abandoned world, clutching under her blouse her most precious possession- a small egg. Eventually, the man, the only one with color and light to him in the whole world besides the girl arrives borne upon massive tank-like vehicles. The relationship that they form provides the only context that the viewer can rely on, as they observe and discuss the silent, desolate world that they reside in. Through their shared knowledge of the situation they have found themselves in, the world is brought to clearer context: a scourge which brought the world they remembered to an end. A massive bird, sent as the harbinger of this plague. The world which they have since long forgotten in the ceaseless monotony thereafter. Yet in this stillness, the man is troubled. The girl’s most precious possession, he fears, it is the bird which may spring from it that strikes something into his heart. The only emotion he shows throughout, the flash of humanity that dictates the course of his motives to come.
Angel’s Egg is a brilliant showcase of how animation alone can tell a story, and you needn’t view it with no sound or subtitles to realize this. While plenty is left untold and even unclear in both the devoid narration and minimalist dialogue, the scenes which come together in tandem with the journey of both the man and girl throughout this fiction allow the viewer to have a unique grasp on the universe. The film shows and tells you only the barest trace of what you need to know, and there is clear purpose in what is not described. There are things that the audience will not understand, and things that will be clear as day, in a excellently choreographed direction by director Mamoru Oshii. The plot is simple enough, and the motives of the two characters crystalline: It is the way that the world reacts to them and their actions which grip the audience and leave a suspension of belief, if you will. This movie wants you to think about what is happening, not seeking to merely tell a story-- it doesn’t want to show its hand, and it conceals the answers to the most pressing questions that arise perfectly. This theme carries throughout the film to its conclusion, and the phrase ‘untied loose ends’ is in fact the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks to its conclusion. But that too is perfectly intentional, with the movie ending on the bizarrely formed planet drawing further and further from the audience and fading to black. To use a word; “kino”.
My biggest, albeit minor complaint with the film was that it lacked the polish that it could have had to make it truly fantastic. But that is understandable, given both the year that the film was created (1985) and the conditions of the now renowned studio DEEN. While it was staffed by immense creative and artistic talent, it created Angel’s Egg as its first major debut to the animated movie scene, and in the dropping frames and bizarre movements of small things, like the girl’s hair, as well as a relative lack of sound immersion outside of the most obvious things like voices and loud noises, the audience is incapable of feeling a true sense of placement inside the fiction, and for that I need to dock the overall product in some respect. However, in the lush art, intensely imaginative storytelling, and uniquely poised characters I have to hold this movie with very high regard. I’d give this a 9 out of 10 overall, and very much recommend others who enjoyed this film to give the director Mamoru Oshii more credit and viewership.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 4, 2015
Great story that had very practical lessons and remarkable broadness of themes, with very legitimate relatability, a trait rare in many anime.
The avant garde, highly stylized aesthetic I feel in some ways detracted from the execution of the overall story and is in other ways I must grant, lost on me. While watching, it was my biggest issue cause I can fully believe that the story itself was a masterpiece in its design, where it was a deeply relatable story with memorable characters that brought an almost unparalleled sense of reality to the table, an exceedingly rare feat.
However, outside of even the
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visual appearance, Tatami also drug its feet in full development of characters and the plot, and at times left me wishing it could have been improved and in some points even reworked entirely- especially in terms of pacing. But in the ending, I felt as if the climax and conclusion was rushed. Overall I give the Tatami Galaxy an 7/10, all the while I admit, wistfully wishing it was better; because, the story has such an enormous potential that ended up through a few flaws, short of its full fruition.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 10, 2015
Incredible artwork and impressive technical detailing which boasted impressive dialogue and an intriguing fictional universe worth further examination, but plot was mediocre and at points devoid of movement. I came into it with high expectations, and while it met some with it's appearance, atmosphere, and dialogue, the plot was superficially entertaining at best, and doesn't merit the acclaim it receives.
I give it a 8/10, as I'm blown away by the quality of the artwork and deeply intrigued by the conceptual universe portrayed in it, but otherwise Ghost in the Shell was a fairly bland watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 10, 2015
I find it difficult to objectively review Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood because simply put, it is my favorite anime of all time.
To put this statement in perspective, as of the writing of this review, I will have consumed over 1,723 individual episodes, OVAs, or movies of anime, a total sum reaching around 30 days in time spent watching anime. And despite my consumption of all this anime, I still have not watched an anime which I consider better than Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
In essence, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the golden standard by which I compare all other animes. And therefore I find it exceedingly difficult
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to review it with as little bias as possible to convey the most accurate review for those considering watching it.
This alone, I hope, serves as legitimate clause for watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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