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Nov 29, 2016
Wolf Children, (aka) Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki.
This is a fantastic movie. The amount of emotional depth that is packed into this film is quite breathtaking. It captures the struggles of being a single parent flawlessly, and despite the strange premise it's extremely relatable. If you have a very close relationship to someone who raised you, if you're a parent, guardian, or ESPECIALLY a single parent, then I HIGHLY recommend you read this entire review.
Below is the movie's synopsis.
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"Hana, a hard-working college student, falls in love with a mysterious man who attends one of her classes though he is not an actual
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student. As it turns out, he is not truly human either. On a full moon night, he transforms, revealing that he is the last werewolf alive. Despite this, Hana's love remains strong, and the two ultimately decide to start a family.
Hana gives birth to two healthy children—Ame, born during rainfall, and Yuki, born during snowfall—both possessing the ability to turn into wolves, a trait inherited from their father. All too soon, however, the sudden death of her lover devastates Hana's life, leaving her to raise a peculiar family completely on her own. The stress of raising her wild-natured children in a densely populated city, all while keeping their identity a secret, culminates in a decision to move to the countryside, where she hopes Ame and Yuki can live a life free from the judgments of society. "
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Many people will tell you this anime is sad, or tragic. And while there are certainly sad moments, I feel like the movie's actually a very valuable, beautifully heartwarming, and melancholic reminder to treasure the time we have with our loved ones. And while that's the main theme, it's far from being the only valuable life lesson. There are so many precious life philosophies in this movie it's practically stuffed to the brim. No matter what age, or who you are, you will always be able to take something valuable away from this movie.
The movie follows multiple time-lapses to show the development of Hana's children, and inevitably, the completed cycle of parenthood. Often, people who've seen the movie wonder what happens to the kids after the movies conclusion. I like to think they live long and fulfilled lives. The movie feels very brief despite being longer than average, and I think that's intentional. It seems symbolic of how quickly our children grow and leave us. And how we'll be left constantly craving more time with them. Which is exactly why I can't recommend this movie enough to anyone that's a parent, or that has raised children.
The music and art style are stunning. To the point of swaying people in it's favor who traditionally dislike animated movies. The movie itself breaks down all stereotypes that most westerners associate with animated movies, or cartoons, in the same way as any of the Studio Ghibli films do. The writing, the themes, the emotional potential, the art, the soundtrack, it all adds up to be a beautifully, and masterfully, crafted experience. It's quality challenges and, in some ways, surpasses even the classic's we've all grown to love.
I give the movie a 10/10, it's a masterpiece in it's own right. And if you're a parent, an absolute MUST see. It's a story you'll remember for years to come. If you have someone you love, grab them, sit down for just 2 hours, and share in an emotional event that can only be experienced so many times in our lives.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 21, 2016
Plastic Memories. This anime, man. It's an absolutely beautiful story, that tackles tough topics that can be related to real life. I noticed that all the other reviews never really touch on this, so I'll give you some important insight on how to enjoy this show. The main theme of the show is about loved ones who have terminal illnesses, and coping with the aftermath of said illness. If you go into the show knowing this deceptively well hidden theme, you will enjoy it a lot more. The show itself offers many touching and thought-provoking scenes. As well as a
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truly beautiful love story.
I walked away from this show with a few things. A new out-look on life, teary eyes, and a renewed appreciation for my loved ones. It's has heavy feels and is absolutely worth watching. It's one of my all-time favorites. I highly recommend this show.
9/10, and my 'Quality Guaranteed' seal of approval.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 15, 2016
I've decided to write a VERY long, but in-depth review for Angel Beats. There may be very minor spoilers, but no real detail about the show will be given. I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible. :)
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Pros: Very nice music.
Good lighthearted comedy.
Decent animation.
Enjoyable characters.
Cons: Horrible story pacing. (Not saying the story is bad.)
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Very poor character development.
The show tries too hard to make you care.
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Ok, so I see a lot of people always recommending Angel Beats to people looking for a feels anime. And while I understand why, I just don't feel like it's that good of an anime for people looking for feels. In fact, I feel like it really isn't that great of anime as a whole. Does that mean it's a bad show? Absolutely not. There were just some very bad choices made when the show was being made. So lets get into the review, I'll start with the negatives, then move onto the positives. So stick with me, because I actually rather liked the show.
The Negatives. :(
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Story 5/10
Alright, so to start, the story is an absolute train-wreck (pun intended). Every episode is fractured, and feels detached from the rest of the show. Starting off every episode, it left me feeling like when a dream jumps from one scene to the next. You have no-idea how you got there and you have no clue what's going on. Some may argue that it's intentional, since the show takes place in purgatory, but if you ask me it's just jars the viewing experience and makes things even harder to follow.
Additionally, 80% of the episodes have absolutely no meaning or effect on the story. Which means 80% of the show's potential is wasted. They could have spent the time developing the characters, or building an actual plot, but instead they chose to change directions every episode leaving the viewer confused. And since there was so much time wasted in the main middle chunks of the show, it leaves the ending rushed, not giving it the attention it needed.
Don't get me wrong I really liked the ending of the final episode, I think it was extremely well done. But it also shows what the entire show could have been like, and that realization was the saddest part of the show.
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Character Development 3/10
Next is the character development. This show has to have the worst character development I've ever seen, which is admittedly not entirely it's own fault. A lot of it is made worse from some of the points I made above. Since there is no real story, it's impossible to properly build up character development. I'll go more in-depth in the next point, but because of the rushed pacing of the story, the characters never get a chances to leave a lasting impression. The majority of the characters feel hollow and dull, like they have no personality. I understand that one of the main characters is a Kuudere, but I'm talking about all the other characters. None of them left me wondering, "What happened to them? What/who were they before they got stuck in purgatory?" and that's a huge flaw in the show. And it's made even worse because the show makes a massive mistake, which will lead me into my next point.
The show constantly tries to force you to care about it's characters. It's especially bad in the beginning and middle parts of the show, where it's trying to make you feel bad about a character you literally only met 13 minutes ago, with extremely little character building in between (you all know the one I'm talking about). And it's a shame, because they wasted that character's potential just so they could cash-in a quick explanation on how things work. This is the first and only episode that does any clear/significant character development for a side-character. Don't get your hopes up though, because there won't be any other lasting side-character development for the remainder of the show.
The main character and main supporting character don't even get hardly any development until the last 3 episodes of the show, with an absolutely massive burst of rushed character development on the very last episode. Which is a fatal flaw for the show, since they could have been spreading it out over the entire course of the show. In all honesty the only saving grace for the characters development was in the last 3 episodes. And to be blunt, if it weren't for the last 3 episodes, this anime's final score would have been much, much lower.
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Ok, so I've beaten the show into a pulp at this point. But now is time for me to build it back up. The show, for me, is kind of like a dysfunctional relationship. Most of the time things are bad, but when they're good, they're really good.
The Positives! :D
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Music 8/10
The show's soundtrack is great. I really like it. It has some really beautiful pieces, and some great action music. Both of which are implemented very well into key scenes. It's very well suited for the theme of the show, and has a really good balance. Even as I've been writing this review a few songs from Girl Dead Monster (the shows mascot band) have played from my playlist. The music is powerful and doesn't lack emotion, especially in certain key scenes. Which is something the show does really, really well.
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Humor 7/10
While not the most hilarious show I've seen, the show executes it's humor very well. There's a really nice balance created from the diverse types of characters the show has. The interactions that come from the over-the-top characters with the calm and serious characters were often very entertaining. There's a good diversity of comedic situations that arise just from having the cast's personalities so different from each other. There are very few times the humor seems forced, and is always well placed to take some weight off the more serious topic the show likes to frequently bring up. While occasionally the show can't seem to decide whether it wants people to take it seriously or not, the humor does a good job taking the seriousness off the show, ultimately making it more enjoyable to watch. The clashing themes of coping with death, while also enjoying the present offer a really nice contrast with each other.
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Enjoy-ability 8/10
When not looking at the show through a critical lens, the show is really quite enjoyable. For me the most enjoyment came from the characters interactions with each other, to the situations they have to deal with / get themselves into. The lighthearted aspects and themes in this anime really shine, ESPECIALLY with a shounen audience. The characters, music, and humor all pull together very nicely to become a show that's enjoy-able to just sit down and watch after a long day. If you're looking for a show that's just easy to watch, with a good soundtrack, then Angel Beats is for you.
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The Ending 8/10
The ending to Angel Beats was worth watching the entire show to get to. While there're a lot of flaws with the major aspects of the show, the ending is done beautifully. It's the reason why so many people offer it as a feels anime. The ending is discretely built-up over the final 3 episodes. While most of the last episode is built to soundly conclude the story, and create a feeling of sentiment (which it does it quite well I might add), it's all a rouse to set you up emotionally for the show's true finale. It pulls a secret, one-hit KO feels punch out, and throws it straight at your face as hard as it can. And it when it hits, it hits hard. It's deceptively powerful and lasting. Bringing a clear message to finalize the show. It's an incredibly satisfying ending. Beautiful, and masterfully handled the ending will stick with you for a while, and that's a promise.
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Summary
So in conclusion, I would like to state that while the show was not really tailored for me, it is a good show. And well worth watching, if not for the shounen aspects, then for the ending. I respect all peoples opinions about the show, since I know it's very popular. If you're looking for a feels anime with amazing character development, an amazing story, and an amazing ending I recommend Anohana. However, if you're looking for an enjoy-able, lighthearted anime, that has some action, and a still very powerful ending then definitely watch Angel Beats.
I liked the show, despite it's flaws. It's themes split the show in half however, causing it to clash with itself, not seeming to be able to decide if it wants to be serious or lighthearted. So I will give it two separate final scores.
The first score is a critical score, placing weight on it's flaws.
The second score is a relaxed score of the over-all show.
Angel Beats final score: [ 4/10 ] -> [ 7/10 ]
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Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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