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Dec 5, 2021
Plunderer introduces story elements that could have made for an interesting show: A world where people are station in a rigid hierarchy with tattooed numbers indicating rankings, where one must listen to anyone ranked above them and the only way to advance is to perform an (often mundane) assigned task, while failure to comply results in being dragged into an “abyss” (death? purgatory?). Anyone with a day job in a capitalist country can relate to this and it could have been an interesting focus for this anime. There’s also a fun soldier side-character stationed in a small town, who defies orders, instead spending her time
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doing volunteer work around the town, calling into question our conception of what an effective law enforcement officer might look like. This would have been yet another worthwhile concept to explore...but the writers of Plunderer aren’t interested in any of it. Instead she’s just there to be groped, flash her panties, and act demure towards our overpowered, lecher of a hero. After 5 episodes it becomes abundantly clear Plunderer is nothing more than a generic self-insert ecchi fantasy, and that the number system is just a lazy way of expressing power levels of these mostly bland, cliche characters. Don’t waste your time thinking it’s more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jan 24, 2021
The movie has some incredible animation and breathtaking backgrounds, but is wildly inconsistent. Not that any of it is terrible, but some parts clearly stood out as rushed or with janky cgi character movements. Other scenes are quite striking, with fluid animation that adeptly conveys both action, and more subtle body language. In fact, one of the film’s greatest strengths is the animation’s ability to capture the personality of the characters in each scene, whether it’s the rebelliousness abandonment of Qi Jingxuan, or Yao Zhe Tian’s quiet desperation to find purpose and break free from her overly structured life. Even side characters like the teacher,
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who alternates between egotistical authoritarian, sniveling brown nose, achieve a depth of character through their movements and expressions...which is fortunate, because the English subtitle translations often left me unsure of what was really being said in dialogue.
The other great strength of the film is a touching soundtrack that hits all the right emotional notes and really like a punches you in the gut when it wants to make an impact! While not a masterpiece, it’s a respectable feature film from this first wave of big budget Chinese productions. This is a movie that I would like to rewatch if I can find a copy with more accurate english subtitles.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 12, 2020
You know how some stories can wind up going downhill? Well in Gibiate’s case, that hill is a 90 degree cliff...
At the top of this cliff are some uniquely beautiful character designs harkenng back to the days of late 80’s and early 90’s OVAs like Ninja Scroll, with realistically proportioned adult bodies and copious amounts of shading to give them depth and edge! Frankly, the designs are super cool, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since they are the brainchild of Yoshitoki Amano (of Final Fantasy and Vampire Hunter D fame) and then refined by the amazingly talented mangaka Naoki Serizawa, of whom I’m a
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huge fan. (Seriously, check out his art in Billion Dogs and Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire!)
From there these characters are placed into a story with the promising premise of Edo era samurai timetraveled into a scifi dystopia plagued by mutated human monsters, where they must assist the scant remaining pockets of uninfected humanity as they struggle to survive. The tone is set with an awesome OP from the Yoshida Brothers, a talented duo of shamisan players, and a very cool choice for anime opening music that we rarely get to experience. And then there’s the cliff...
The actual execution of the story begins and it turns out the crew of animators is not prepared to animate these incredible character designs. We see a lot of still shots and the animation we do get is stiff and lifeless. The characters are often placed in extraordinary circumstances with little to no visible reaction. This inability to convery emotion makes the characters come off as unsympathetic and robotic.
Rather than being absorbed into the story, the viewer is constantly made aware that they are watching the interactions of poorly written characters. The dialogue also seemed rushed and expository. Rather than expressing the thoughts and personalities of the characters, the dialogue is simply a vehicle for the scriptwritter to coldly convey to the viewers the data and background information necessary to reach the next plot point.
By the third episode, the animation team can’t even maintain the consistancy of the character designs in scenes with limited movement. What a train wreck. Which coincidently, is exactly what you get when you start a train at the top of a 90 degree cliff...
But man are those character designs a thing of beauty at the top of that cliff. Maybe that’s how this is best enjoyed - as pre-production images. Or hopefully, as part of Amano or Serizawa’s next art book ;)
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jul 4, 2020
If you’re masochist who fantasizes about an underage harem of supernatural girls abusing you, then this anime will appeal to you. That’s not a judgement against people who enjoy that stuff, I just want potential viewers to know what they’re getting when they watch this.
I found the show a lot less interesting than its synopsis made it sound, and dropped it after 5 episodes. Lots of voyeuristic camera shots of the female characters, whether they are are actually doing something sexy like bathing or just starting a convo with the male lead, you will probably see a close up pan of their bodies starting
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with the breasts. Much of the show focuses on the fantasy of domestic life with these girls, who are either indifferent to the main character or actively abusive.
The upshot is the show contains some reasonably interesting and well-animated fight scenes with monsters. Occasionally the jokes would have me smiling, particularly the male lead who I appreciate taking everything in stride when his world constantly gets wrecked by the girls of his supernatural harem. This makes him a surprisingly likable male lead for a harem show where the main character is usually a bland stand-in for who creators imagine is their target audience. Lastly, the design for Haruna is cute, though not particularly original, (basically Card Captor Sakura with a chainsaw.) The mystery of the murderer kept me through 5 episodes, but there are way better shows out there that I could be watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Mar 28, 2020
As I start of all my reviews: Who will enjoy All Out?
- Fans of realistic sports animation and drama.
- Fujoshi who are into thick boys.
- People who like stories with a deep roster of developed characters.
- Anyone who appreciates team dynamics and camaraderie.
- Anyone hoping to learn about Rugby.
Things I appreciated about All-Out:
All Out does an amazing job of explaining not only the rules, but also the strategies involved in Rugby, and fits this naturally into the action without any
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awkwardly placed exposition. I came away from this anime with a strong urge to play some Rugby!
The animation (done by one of my faves Studio Madhouse) portrays Rugby surprisingly realistic for an anime. This isn’t Prince of Tennis with outlandish special moves that chracters shout out as they perform them. It’s gritty and brutal, just like the sport in real life. There’s no leveling up. There’s no underdog who becomes the star of the team through sheer determination. It’s just a group of guys, each with their strengths and weaknesses, learning and growing as a team and as individuals. The impacts of the players clashing on the field is palpable. The soundtrack is nothing amazing, but there are couple of tracks that will get your blood pumping every time they start. The only unrealistic aspect to the anime was the lack of injuries.
The cast of characters is really well developed. The character who we assume would normally be the central protagonist doesn’t consume too much of the spotlight. Instead we get a look into the lives of at least a dozen of the team members, each with their own motivations and stumbling blocks to playing rugby. I think anyone who’s ever played in a school sport will be able to find a character they can closely relate to. The character designs are varied and the story’s pacing is such that the viewer is never overwhelmed or confused by the large cast, instead coming to appreciate characters who may have existed more in the background as the story progresses.
This anime has some big gay energy, which is not my cup of tea, but it’s not overt...just very, very heavy handed subtext lol. And if this is something you enjoy in your anime, that’s totally fine too.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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