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Feb 12, 2010
I posted this review on a forum as a recommendation to someone who was looking for a depressing and slice of life anime, and I was told by two people that my review was able to get them to watch the series and I believe they enjoyed it, so I decided to share my review here in hopes of intriguing more people into watching it.
Thoughts: This anime cannot be completely enjoyed unless you have the patience to watch it all the way through. Even if you do not have much patience, I still think the first episode ends in a way that compels the
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watchers to continue watching because it really does leave you at a cliffhanger. I would go more into detail, but I really rather not spoil it for anyone. Even though Slice of Life is not one of the genres for this anime, I still think it has its moments where this genre is applied. The children have to go through a lot, and there are many times throughout the anime where you feel sorry for them, since they lose, let's say, something very close to them after each battle. Again, I do not think the first episode will be as exciting if I go into more detail, so that is as far as I will go.
Story: While watching the scenes from the opening song, you figure that the anime will be a typical mecha with the typical battles, and since you are told that there are 15 children and 15 alien battles, it is hard to be persuaded the battles are going to be very unique. That is partly correct. The battles do seem overused a lot, but the actual plot for the anime is rather unique. As you continue watching, you learn that there is more to the actual battles with the "aliens" each time. There is a deeper meaning in the anime, but it is the watcher's duty to figure it out, which is a good and bad thing. If you are just watching an anime for enjoyment, then I really do not suggest this. However, if you wish to analyze the anime and find the deeper meaning, then this will probably interest you.
Animation: The art is rather simple, and I did not have any problems with it, but I think it could have been better. Sometimes simple art works well for certain kinds of anime, but I think it was not completely fitting for this one. There have been plenty other anime out there that have successfully been able to pull off the simple style of animation before, but unfortunately this one could not. The 3D for the mecha battles were actually pretty good, any way.
Sound: The opening song, Uninstall by Chiaki Ishikawa, was impressive, I thought. She has a pretty powerful voice, and it really worked for the opening. I think the music could even make up for some of the disappointing animation, but that is just my opinion. The ending songs work too, but Uninstall was mainly the only song that captured my attention.
Character: I really could not favor one character over another in this anime (partly because almost all of them "disappears" by the end), but I liked how one of the characters in the beginning acted like a total jerk, and eventually lightened up in the end. There is actually a side story that explains why his attitude is like that, but I cannot be bothered to explain everything in that area. You will learn that some of the characters live depressing lives, pretty much like any other anime, but I do not think there is any one perfect character in this show, which makes it more enjoyable.
Enjoyment: I just really liked how this anime played out overall. I think I said this before, but it is a rather unique story. I do not recall there being much comedy or any at all, but I think that works for some people. I believe most watchers will definitely cry during some episodes. I have to admit that I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 22, 2009
You must be tired of reading this on other reviews, but this is my first review on this site. However, that doesn't mean I can say that I am only writing this because it's the best anime ever or because it's the worse, but rather, I know exactly what I can write about it, and I feel like writing about it. Now without further ado, I'll move on to the review.
Story: After reading the plot summary for the first time, I became intrigued on what the anime would turn out to be like which is why I decided to watch it. After watching the series
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as a whole, I see how artful it turned out to be. The atmosphere is really similar to that of Air TV. That is, it's very much of a "Slice of Life" type of anime. After watching it, you seem to appreciate your life a little more, and so I give this anime credit for teaching a lesson on life.
Art: The most appealing factor about this anime is the art is outstanding. Chise being a weapon of mass destruction and all, you would hope to see beautiful effects, and this anime showed just that. The thing that seemed to bother me at first was the little blush marks that appeared on every characters' faces. I know it's their style, but it seemed strange at first. I just learned to deal with it because it is nothing major.
Sound: The sound isn't as good as the animation, but it worked as a good supplement with the art. I can't say that I really loved the opening song or ending song enough to add it to my mp3 player, but they are still tolerable to listen to. It might just be that I am really picky about the music.
Character: I like how each character seemingly connects with each other. Another anime with yet again a love triangle or even a square. Let's just call it a web in this case. The characters all seem to behave as expected which is kind of disappointing. It is nice to be a little surprised sometimes, but the characters were pretty much consistent the whole time. It was hard to really connect with any of the characters except for a few of the minor ones. I wish I could say that there was a character I really hated or really loved so it would be known that they played their part well, but sadly I can't.
Enjoyment: It might just be me, but I can barely stand watching dramas that are only filled with dramas! I know, that sounds weird, but in Saikano, you expect to see all the tragic scenes seeing as how the setting takes place during a time of war. The thing is, every episode is filled with melancholy. There are hardly any scenes that make you feel happy, only depressed about the situation the couple is in. I understand that war is not a happy thing, but if one is to enjoy an anime, I don't think every scene should have to depress the watcher to no end. I don't mind crying at sad scenes, but there were just too many in this series - I couldn't even cry because everything happened in a way to be expected.
Overall: This series had the potential to be one of the best. It definitely has the animation and even music to show for it, but even Shakespeare's tragedies are more happy than this. Nevertheless, the ending was good, and I'm glad I watched every episode to satisfy my curiosity, but I wish it was a little less painful to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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