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Sep 12, 2011
Before you click Unhelpful because of the low score read the review and judge based on helpfulness. It's not Agree/Disagree it's Helpful/Unhelpful.
To LOVE-Ru OVA:
I watched this after the TV Series To LOVE-Ru. The first thing I noticed was the increase in ecchi scenes. If you enjoy ecchi, than you will be quite happy with this OVA. Also the source I watched included a lot less censorship which again should be a positive for anyone who loves ecchi.
The characters are similar to the series and continue to be entertaining. The characters in my opinion are one of the best features of the
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show, I really enjoy their antics and the situations they end up in.
The art and sound are on par with the TV series. I didn't care as much for the Opening in the OVA but the Ending theme was great. The voice actors were the same, and they fit the roles pretty well in my opinion. Sound effects and the art style were fulfilling to the overall experience but didn't stand out as anything spectacular.
But let me get to the reason why I scored the OVA so low.
First off, all I know about the To LOVE-Ru universe is what I've seen in the series. The OVA makes the assumption that individuals have read parts of the manga. There are a couple additions and changes to characters that isn't explained. I felt instead of making that assumption it would of been easy to explain changes using a very short 1 or 2 min comedic flashback to for the uninformed audience.
The third episode is Awful. I don't mind ecchi (otherwise I wouldn't be watching this) BUT about 12 minutes of the 3rd episode is a series of pictures in the style of a slideshow with music playing in the background. Something I could do in 5 minutes using any photo manager. What's worse is they try to have a story they don't really do anything with it. Considering there are only 6 episodes total, that's a big knock against the OVA.
Finally: I scored the OVA so low because the 6th episode is wonderful. Confused? Let me explain. The 6th episode is split into 3 mini stories. Each story takes about 5 to 8 minutes and there was just the right mix of story, comedy, ecchi, and enjoyment. It was great. The problem is because the 6th episode was done so well, it shows how inferior the other 5 episodes are. It shows the true potential of To LOVE-Ru. I felt robbed of an enjoyable OVA and had to put up with 5 mediocre/crappy episodes and one outstanding episode.
A score of 5 might be a little harsh but for how good the 6th episode is the 3rd episode cancels it out with how bad it is. That leaves the 4 remaining mediocre episodes. Hence the mediocre score.
Conclusion:
This OVA had a lot of potential and falls short. But If you were a fan of the TV Series I would still recommend watching this show. The characters continue to be amusing and if you are a fan of Ecchi, this OVA should be enjoyable for you. But if you are expecting anything meaningful here, you should probably just pass this up and look for something different.
*Edit 9/15/2011* just saw that in my Anime List I gave it a 6 not a 5. Changed the overall score here. Guess I was trying to be too harsh haha.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 16, 2009
The three episode special of Ah! My Goddess should be looked at in two parts, Episode one and then Episode Two and Three.
Story
The first episode is a recap of the first twelve episodes of the TV Series with commentary from Keiichi and Belldandy. The recap episode reuses previous animations and sounds and provides little new material for the show and involves no advancement in story. The last two episodes take place immediately after the events in the TV Series. The story progresses based on different side-effects the Goddess’s exhibit after the series finale. The second episode focuses mostly on Urd while
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the third episode focuses on Skuld. The stories of each are cute and silly, similar to many episodes from the TV series. It will feel as if the TV Series hadn’t actually ended.
Art
The art in these episodes are nearly identical to those of the series. All of the scenes and characters are drawn brightly and are colorful. The backgrounds are all drawn well, with just enough detail to feel natural within the show. All three Goddess look beautiful and cute throughout the show. Visually, Keiichi is one of the only characters I can’t stand. His character design at times just looks awkward and out of place in the show especially when surrounded by the Goddesses. The animation is smooth, the lighting is well done, and unique/interesting camera angles help bring the stories to life. By no means will the animation blow you away with stunning graphics, but it does more than what is necessary to get the job done.
Sound
The openings for all three episodes remain the same as all the other episodes in the series, “Open Your Mind ~ Spread Your Small Wings" by Yoko Ishida. While the ending of episode one is the same as the first 12 episodes "願い (Negai)" by Yoko Ishida while the other two episodes have the second ending "Wing" by Yoko Takahashi. The sound effects are well done and accurate for what you’d expect certain actions to sound like. The Japanese voices match the characters very well and they do a great job matching the characters expressions or emotions. The background music is fitting for the scenes and really blends in well with the show. All in all it is an enjoyable listening experience.
Characters
This is one of my favorite parts of the show, I adore all the characters. Belldandy fits in a motherly role quite well while Skuld and Urd have a fairly accurate sisterly relationship. Keiichi on the other hand is caring yet a bit weak especially for a main male lead. It all balances out well between the characters creating a lot of comedic moments as well as cute moments. Although for episode two and episode three, the majority of the emphasis is put on Skuld and Urd instead of Belldandy and Keiichi and it is very interesting to see a different side of these two characters. Since Skuld is one of my favorite characters, I adored these two episodes a lot.
Enjoyment
Episode one is simply just a recap so there really isn’t much enjoyment there. The commentary between Belldandy and Keiichi is mediocre as well. Rating solely on this episode, I’d give it a 6. Episode two and three though are much more fun simply because they are unique in comparison to episodes from the series. They are each very light hearted which explore vastly different situations and scenarios than the series. Both were very cute maybe even a little sad but nevertheless quite enjoyable. If I were to rate solely on these two episodes I’d probably give it a 9. All in all the enjoy-ability of these two episodes should be equivalent to the enjoy-ability from the entire series.
Conclusion
The first episode can pretty much be skipped, it doesn’t do anything constructive with the story or even the characters. It’s only purpose would be if you had forgotten what had happened in the first twelve episodes. If you enjoyed the series, the other two episodes should definitely be watched. You can expect a very similar experience with these two episodes as you did with the majority of the Ah! My Goddess TV Series. If you like Skuld and or Urd then this is a must see! If you simply enjoyed the TV Series I would highly recommend this. Similarly if you disliked the TV Series then you might as well not waste your time because these two episodes fit in perfectly as episode 25 and episode 26.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 7, 2008
Update: Q: "Does it contain any nudity or ecchiness?"
A: Despite being based on an H-Game this show is quite safe to watch, there is no nudity. There is one scene in the second episode which seems questionable but things are averted before getting out of hand. You should not have any qualms about the viewing content in "With You".
I watched "With You" by streaming it so the actual quality of the video wasn't all that great and may have hindered the Art and Sound aspects some. I tried to compensate in my scoring and reviewing.
The Story
It honestly wasn't too bad, just a
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little weird and perplexing. The biggest downside is that everything is crammed into 2 episodes. I felt like the story kept being rushed in attempt to finish as fast as possible. Also at the end there isn't a feeling of completion like anything really happened.
Art/Animation
Due to the quality of the videos I was watching, it is hard to get an accurate gauge of the true quality in the art. From what I could see, it wasn't outstanding and some of the scenes had some fairly poor animation quality. For only being two episodes long it could have been fleshed out a bit more. The character designs were one of the highlights, I felt they were pleasing to the eye. Many of the backgrounds seemed a little dull, there wasn't much detail or effort put into them.
The Sound
The sound was mediocre. It didn't stand out and just kind of blended in and was there. The ending theme was eh, okay, nothing special. Sound effects were the highlight of the sound experience. There was a decent array of sounds used and nothing seemed really out of place. The voice actors were decent, they seemed to fit the characters fairly well.
The Characters
I felt like there was a lot of potential here but similarly with the Story, it is too short to really flesh out the characters. The three characters involved in the love triangle are obviously the most important characters but it was hard to actually feel or sympathize with any of them. There were a few other characters that had major roles but in some cases you don't learn much about them, sometimes not even their name. Very little to no background information or history is given on the characters which made it hard to have any emotion for the characters.
Enjoyment
I wasn't expecting much from this show as a whole, so it didn't disappoint but there was nothing memorable. The length is just way to short for what they were trying to do. Four episodes would have been much more efficient. There was a little bit of comedy sprinkled in and the romance was mediocre. The show ended in a slightly unexpected manner but it seemed to wrap up quite quickly and it all didn't make much sense either.
Conclusion
I wouldn't go so far as saying With You is a bad show but it's not really good either. I realize the budget was probably fairly small but it really would have needed at least another 2 episodes to give everything more time to build up. Also the actual quality of the execution for it all was lacking as well. Once the show finishes you feel like you didn't go anywhere and nothing really happened. There was a decent amount of potential here but a few more episodes and a little more effort put into polishing the show would have bumped the score up to about a 7.
I wouldn't recommend this show unless you're looking for another show to just add to your list. The one benefit is if you do watch it, it's short so you can get it out of the way quickly.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jul 4, 2008
As far as I know, there are no Spoilers or Summaries here.
-There is one thing I need to point out about my scoring. The enjoyment of a show is weighed heavily by me. If I can't enjoy a show then what's the point of watching it?
Now without further ado.
Story:
The actual story and plot of the show isn’t bad other then being a bit confusing. It jumps into the plot right away for the first few episodes. The story progresses rapidly at first before coming to almost a complete stop. For about 7 or 8 of the episodes between 10-20,
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I felt like nothing happened nothing really changed and that the story and plot crawled by very slowly and in some cases made no progress at all. And then at the end when I expected things to pick up and everything to come together like in the movie Fight Club or Donnie Darko. It just didn’t happen. I felt like the ending was throwing answers at me that didn’t add up, like a puzzle where the last 5 pieces don’t fit at all.
In a general wholesome look the plot makes sense. But on a detailed level I felt the story was just pulling ideas out of a hat and tried to make things work that really didn’t. The idea was good but it was executed poorly and fell short of its intention.
Animation:
This is where the show really shines. The visuals in this show are easily some of the best I have ever seen. Many of the visual angles used were unique, fresh, and quite artistic without taking away importance or detail from the scene. The animation was very fluid and realistic. The colors and lightning were also done well. Scenes in bright places were done quite well almost in a blinding way. While the darker scenes did a great job representing the destruction and despair throughout the rest of the world. The art/animation is the best thing about this show. Although there was a lot of dark scenes, so be prepared.
Sound:
Well I’m not much of a Radiohead fan so the ending theme didn’t do anything for me, I skipped it every time. The opening theme didn’t do much at first but it wore on me and near the end I actually started to enjoy it. Although the OP didn’t fit real well, it was to “active” to really relate with the show. As for background music I can’t really think of any of them specifically which I guess means it wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either and did a good job of blending into the scenes. The sound effects were good at doing what they were supposed to, adding to the scenes and the detail of the world. The voice actors did fairly well I felt like for the most part the voices fit each character fairly well. I didn’t watch the English dub so I can’t say too much about that.
Characters:
One of my biggest problems with Ergo Proxy which also greatly lowered the enjoyment as well as overall score was with the characters. I simply did not care about them. The two main characters Vincent and Re-l didn’t do anything for me. I wouldn’t care if they died, or if they fell in love, or if they disappeared never to be seen again. Maybe I might have liked them more if they turned into slugs or something. Re-l’s bright blue eye shadow/mascara whatever it is bothered the heck out of me the ENTIRE series as well. All I wanted to do was wash it away. Also there were a few instances where the producers wanted the viewer to care or get emotional over different things between the characters, all it made me do was yawn.
The one and ONLY character I liked was Pino. Pino was used many times as comic relief and did a decent job of it too. When she dressed up in her costume, it was very cute as well. Although even then, there were times when Pino just didn’t evoke any emotion from me except boredom.
On an objective level the characters were well developed. You get a good understanding of their story. You even occasionally get a good analysis of their psyche and mental stability. They were fleshed out and felt like completed beings. Some of the supporting characters were well done as well. Although some of them were much more unstable than you originally think and act in ways you wouldn’t have expected.
Enjoyment:
To be honest, I did not enjoy this show at all. I frequently thought about dropping it but I told myself to get through it. I was hoping that everything would click in the end and I’d end up loving it, but that didn’t happen.
To put it simply there were a few times that I’d be watching and suddenly start nodding off in the middle of the episode. The next day when I tried to watch the following episode I couldn’t remember what happened and had to re-watch the previous episode a second time. None of the episodes really grabbed me and held my attention like it could have.
My sleeping problem seemed to occur more frequently during some of the middle episodes, 10-20. Some will disagree with this, but I felt many of these episodes were pointless filler episodes. Yes some of them did give a little bit of back-story or history of the world but none of it really had any major impacts on the series as a whole. They could have been reduced to 2 or 3 episodes that could have presented the same information in a better way. Some of those episodes also felt extremely out of place. Many times an episode would start off in a completely different totally unrelated location from anything else in previous episodes. And at the end of the episode you are left scratching your head asking what the hell had just happened. Many times I felt I had wasted 24 minutes of my life which could have been spent on an episode of a different show.
Conclusion:
From some of the other reviews and from the score, I had some decent expectations for this show. I went in knowing that it will require some philosophical reasoning which is fine with me. But nearly everything about the show seemed to fall completely short of what I anticipated. Even after seeing the “surprises” near the end, I was left feeling uninterested, a “So what” expression hanging around me.
Because it is highly regarded by some people I can’t completely say you should stay away from this anime. If you understand that this will be a confusing trip and don’t mind experiences resembling the last two eps of Neon Genesis then it won’t hurt to give this show a try. But if you are like me, and by about eps 8 don’t care about the characters or about the story, just stop before things get really ugly.
In my opinion if you don’t see this show you aren’t missing out either. Although I do think if I re-watched it, I might respect it a little more. But the first time through was miserable enough and I couldn’t watch it again. So if you do plan to watch this you probably should re-watch it to fully enjoy the show. If you cant imagine yourself re-watching it then you should stop where you are and move onto a different show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 27, 2008
"The work which becomes a new genre itself will be called Cowboy Bebop"
Cowboy Bebop is one of the few shows which can actually be called Epic. Not an epic such as the Homeric poetry but epic as Webster’s Dictionary says “extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope.” It’s a word that shouldn’t be used lightly. Cowboy Bebop is the standard by which Anime should be molded after. It achieves near perfection in creation and at the end there is a feeling of fulfillment. No other anime has a more complete and satisfying ending.
The story element is
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where many great animes get their strength from but Cowboy Bebop is actually weakest here. The story is very individualized, rarely do the events of one episode effect other episodes. Yet despite this “episodic” design, actual plot is occasionally used and by the end it feels like the plot has always been a part of the show like a shadow that had just been noticed.
In other anime I can’t think of too many action scenes that can come even close to those in Cowboy Bebop. Motion is almost always drawn smoothly and action scenes are incredible to watch. As Spike says, “like water.” The artists did a superb job in being able to create a certain mood through lightening and the vibrant/dull of colors. The artwork altogether is incredible and visually everything feels natural.
The sound was particularly enjoyable. There was a good amount of jazz music which fits Bebop well due to the uncertainty which is the foundation of jazz music. I wasn’t too fond of the opening theme though(I’m probably the only one). But in eps 5 near the end and at the conclusion of eps 26, the music is beyond incredible. It honestly speaks about the show in ways words could never describe and help elevate Bebop to levels rarely achieved. But like I said, for some reason I hate the opening theme.
Because the story is sort of “weak” the characters are the driving force of the show. This is where Bebop is made. The characters are all vastly different and don’t really fit any particular clichés, which is quite refreshing. All you need to know is that you won’t find more original and more entertaining characters anywhere else.
If this anime doesn’t speak to you or inspire you, don’t worry because it is extremely fun to watch. Bebop won’t put you in stitches for the full 20 minutes nor will it try to force you to enjoy the show. Instead it does it’s own thing and you can’t help but smile while watching. The Bebop crew is just pure fun and I guarantee you will enjoy it.
Conclusion: Cowboy Bebop is not my #1 personal favorite show, but it is the most complete and perfect anime out there. It is in all sense of the word, A Masterpiece. Bebop may not be exactly what you want for an ideal story anime, but in no way does that take away from it. The light hearted and random episodes are fun all the way through. The characters are very likeable and create a great atmosphere. The visual style and sound combine with the other elements in a perfect blend to make a perfect show (or as close as you can get). This may not be your favorite show but you will not be disappointed and at the very least you will finish with a smile feeling as satisfied as if you finished eating a great meal.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 11, 2008
Spiral was an interesting show. The story grabs you right away, spins you around and confuses you (in a positive way of course) It really makes you want to keep watching to find out what happens next. Unfortunately the story doesn't keep up with it's great start. It starts to slow down and less questions get answered. This is my biggest disappointment with the show, if the story had kept up with the beginning it would have been an absolutely incredible show.
The art work is mediocre and at times poorly done. The colors seem kind of dull. The
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purple irises always stand out from everything else in the show.
I felt the sounds and music worked well with the show. I enjoyed listening to the opening theme as well as the ending theme. There is a lot of piano played throughout the entire series as well which adds a feeling of uniqueness to the show.
The characters in the show I thought were the best aspect. Narumi was fascinating to watch throughout as he solved and figured out puzzles and traps. Hiyono and some of the blade children were well developed especially Rio, Kousuke, and Eyes. We learn a lot about their personality and care about them almost as much as Narumi.
I for one love puzzles and that made many parts of Spiral very fun to watch. Narumi solves a few detective cases early on, giving a feeling similar to CSI. It then changes to figuring out traps and outsmarting the opponent which reminded me of Death Note. If you enjoy problem solving or puzzles, You will definitely enjoy watching Narumi in action.
Overall I liked the show and wish I could have rated it higher especially for how much I enjoyed it early on. The series as a whole had one particular point it was trying to make and it's easy to understand in the end but I felt let down overall. The ending didn't really answer any questions or even leave possibilities open, it seemed too focused on making the point that it detracted from the reason I watched the show. Also the progression of the story and the answering of questions went so slow that I started watching only for the puzzles and stopped caring about the outcome.
But I do recommend Spiral for anyone who enjoys puzzles or mystery/problem solving type shows. Otherwise it's still a good watch, just don't expect it to be the greatest thing ever.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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