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Sep 30, 2013
I'm no critic, so just consider this my opinion and nothing more
Being a 74 episode show, the plot of this show is bound to get complicated, and it most definitely is. Never "confusing", but it is a somewhat deep story as far as just how much is involved in it. If you enjoy mystery, this will most DEFINITELY be your cup of tea, it most definitely was mine. However, I've heard many people call the story "slow paced", and it really, REALLY is. This isn't just a slow burn, this is a sloooooooooooww burn, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't drag
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at times. There is some semblance of filler in this anime as well, with I'd say about 30% of the episodes focussing on side stories and characters. These fillers are definitely enjoyable, and build on the world and atmosphere nicely, but if you're someone who just likes to "get to the point", this may irritate you at times. Of course the story has many twists and turns and is very good at keeping you guessing, which is of course the point of a mystery. Because of how well the story is written, it even managed to make me overlook some of the leaps in logic it took occasionally.
The art in Monster is somewhat unique, in that it goes out of it's way to avoid every anime art cliche. No huge eyes, bright colours, or chibi here. The colour palette is gritty, lots of greys and browns and dark blues, fitting the gritty tone, and the animation is solid throughout. The character designs are more realistic than conventional anime, and translate very well to real life. You can imagine how these characters would look like in real life, and as a result makes them easier to care about and root for.
As far as music goes, it's dark and atmospheric. Dark strings, sombre opera singing, even hard edged guitars all keep the atmosphere and tone consistent throughout the show, it always works. Nothing is outright catchy, but both the opening and ending are quite beautiful and captivating. Just an overall very well done soundtrack that fits the show like a glove.
If there were one area where Monster suffers slightly, it is in the characters. First off, Monster is VERY good at making you like and care about it's characters. I found myself becoming attached to one-off, episodic characters because they were just written so well. It is in part thanks to the slow pace, that we spend so much time with these characters, and begin to really care about them. Same goes for the show's villain, who is written incredibly well, he's terrifying, and yet whenever he's on screen you cannot take your eyes off of him. However, the issue comes in this show's main character, Dr Kenzo Tenma. He has one issue and one issue only, he's too PERFECT. He starts out as the perfect, ethical, all around good guy, and stays that way throughout the WHOLE series, never growing or changing in any significant way. This is a huge issue, as the protagonist is the most important character, and if they are written poorly, it effects the show much more negatively than if some random side character was written poorly. Still, Tenma is very likeable and easy to root for, which still means something, and keeps him from being a straight up bad protagonist.
Overall, I enjoyed this series a hell of a lot. I'd go through stages where I lost interest for a while, but I always found myself coming back to find out what the hell was actually going on! The ending is definitely polarizing, I'll let you come to your own conclusions on that though.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 22, 2013
This review has been a LONG time coming. I'm no critic, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
The story to BECK is a simple one, simple yet very well done. While of course, the story is dramatized to make it actually interesting to watch, there has yet to be an anime that has felt this REAL in terms of story. The pacing is slow, moving along at a snail's pace. But this a show where the destination doesn't matter nearly as much as the journey. The show feels real in that there's no sugar coating anything. There's no perfect high school life,
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no perfect high school friends, it portrays high school as an awkward confusing time where no one really knows what they're doing or where they're going, which is something I'm sure a lot of us can relate to. We see life through the main character Koyuki's eyes, both the good and the bad. The story is relateable, heartwarming, dramatic and overall a real joy to experience.
The art style of BECK is definitely different. The colors are very stilted, lots of dark greens, browns, and beiges making the setting feel gritty and realistic. Character designs are varied and instantly memorable while not looking over the top or exaggerated. The animation is a sort of mixed bag, during most of the show it's standard anime level quality, occasional low points but for the most part substantial and at times very well done. On the other hand is the animation of the live musical performances of the band we see throughout the show. The performances were rotoscoped to look as realistic and true to life as possible and they succeed. The live performances look great and seeing the characters suddenly become hyper realistic versions of their former selves kind of works as a metaphor for the band "coming alive" when they play music together. Occasional shortcuts in some long shots aside, the animation and art are fantastic.
When your anime is based around music, you run into the issue of the OST being so much more important than just background noise for scenes. There is barely any "background" music in this anime, the only source of music is the bands performing in the scene, if there's no band present, no music! I really liked this anime's use of ambient noise, things like cars passing by, crickets chirping, rain pouring down onto rooftops, it all enhances the realistic tone and ambience the series is obviously trying to go for. The music is fantastic, all of it guitar based rock music, some acoustic some electric. I don't usually mention dubs or subs here but this is where I need to make an exception. Funimation ran into the problem of having to dub an anime with more than a few scenes of characters singing. This leaded to them re-recording every song in the show in english with the english voice actors portraying the characters. I'm happy to say they do a fantastic job, Greg Ayres and Brina Paencia who play two of the main characters in the dub are fantastic singers, Brina Palencia in particular being just absolutely breathtaking in some scenes. So, great ambience, great music and a fantastic dub, yea as far as sound goes this show can do no wrong.
When it comes to anime, I have a particular hatred for teenage characters because they all tend to be the same old thing every time. While some of the characters in BECK are basically tropes, they're tropes done really, REALLY well. The main character Koyuki is the shy sensitive boy done right. He's sensitive, but not to the point of being a complete social reject. He can be a bit cowardly sometimes, but stands up when it's important, leading to some great emotional moments for his character. The rest of the members of the band are all memorable and likeable. Ryusuke is the cool and charismatic leader of the group, that may sound a bit trope-ish, but what makes him memorable is his passion for music. Music is not something Ryusuke takes lightly, in fact it's basically his entire world! You can tell just by watching him that underneath that calm exterior is a mad guitar genius. Taira, the bassist of the group may seem calm and disinterested, but it becomes clear as the anime progresses that he may care more about the band than anyone else in the group. Chiba is of course the hyperactive, "crazy" one. Again, kind of trope-ish but Chiba has got a whole other side to him, and as the anime progresses we find out he actually has a bit of depth to him. I'm not gonna name off every character in the show or this would be really boring to read, if it isn't already, so I'll just say that the characters are great, not one of them boring or forgettable.
Overall, this anime holds a special place in me that no anime has even come close to filling since my first viewing of it. It is by far the realest, most down to earth slice of life you will ever watch and I don't think I've ever seen an anime that captured adolescence as well as BECK has. It's a definite must watch for any anime fan. Great music, great characters, and an awesome story are what make BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad my favourite anime of all time. This show can be watched for free legally on Funimation's website in sub and dub and is also available for cheap on DVD by Funimation.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 15, 2013
When I first picked up Serial Experiments Lain, I knew what was coming based on scattered reviews and comments I'd heard. I'd heard it was weird, I'd heard it was confusing, I had even heard it was one of the deepest anime out there. Even with all that, I didn't expect the like the show as much as I did, let alone love it to pieces!
I won't talk about the story too much, as saying pretty much ANYTHING would be a spoiler, at least in my opinion. The most basic I can make it is that this young girl named Lain lives in a time
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where computers are everywhere, and something known as "The Wired" is drawing people in, becoming more than just a portal to the world wide web. This includes one of Lain's classmates, who's recent death is more suspicious than it first seems. The plot deals with themes such as technology's role in peoples daily lives, how we relate to everyone around us, and the value of human interaction. It's not a show you'll "get" the first time, at least not 100%. But Serial Experiments Lain is unique in that even though I didn't always understand what was happening, I was NEVER bored! The story has a way of drawing you in it, much like the wired does to many people in the show. It's an amazingly well paced and deep story which I won't dare say another word about, in fear of giving too much away.
The art is amazing. The art was unique for it's time because the art director of the show was actually forbidden from watching anime while growing up, so he had no idea what the typical anime style was. The characters look relatively less cartoony and more real than a lot of other anime, which makes sense because this show is far from cartoony! The colour pallet is very dark, lot's of blues, beiges, and dark greens giving the vibe of cyberpunk, which I love. The animation is also solid, never looking cheap or half-assed.
The sound is another standout element of this series. As far as music goes, their's very little. Sometimes a psychedelic, backmasked guitar may appear to make a scene particularly visceral or mind blowing, and it always works. Aside from that, a lot of the soundtrack consists of ambient noise. Wires humming with electricity, idle chatter of city streets, keyboards and mice clicking. It's all done to give you the feeling that there is no moment of total silence in this world, that Lain is always surrounded by technology or people, most of the time both! The sound design adds to the atmosphere wonderfully, and can be quite relaxing! Side note; watching this show right before you go to bed is a great idea! The opening is somewhat unique, in that it's in English, done by an English speaking band! The song is called "Duvet" by a British band called "Boa", and it's absolutely fantastic. It fits the show perfectly, is achingly beautiful, and was my favourite opening of all time before I had even seen the show!
As far as characters go, the only one that really matters is Lain. She starts out as your usual quiet, shy student who's perfectly content keeping to herself. But as she is exposed to the wired, new elements of her personality begin to come to the surface. As a character Lain is very interesting because it's really up to you what exact role she plays! You can find hundreds of theories on what Lain is and why she is the way she is. There are side characters, like Lain's sister, and her family, as well as her small group of friends. They are not explored as much because really, they don't need to be. Lain's family is about as drab as they come, never talking to each other, and never showing any emotion towards each other. With the theme of this show mainly being human communication in a world overrun with technology, this makes total sense.
Overall, I enjoyed this show immensely. If it was any longer than it is, it probably would have gotten a little tiresome. But at 13 episodes, it's the perfect length and makes sure that this will be a series I'll be revisiting some time very near in the future! The show can be streamed legally for free on Funimation's official website, as well as being available for purchase in a blu ray/DVD combo pack from Funimation as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 2, 2013
Going into this anime, I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. Why? Let me explain.
The characters are very good in this show. Some you may hate, some you may love, and some you may start off hating but love by the time the series is over. The show is very good at destroying first impressions. The characters are complex, they have good and bad traits, and seem very real. They are flawed, but understandably flawed. This was a nice change of pace from the usual characters I see in slice of life, and I really liked it.
The music and animation are
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both fantastic, the music always enhanced the mood and the animation faired well throughout, but pulled out most of the stops during the final episode, which I 'll get to later. The opening and ending are both very nice, and fit the show perfectly.
The story is very well written, very well executed, and very relateable. I can see the story hitting a lot of people hard because at it's core, the story of AnoHana is something I'm sure a lot of people have experienced at some point in their life. But there is one problem, ONE PROBLEM that keeps this show from being perfect, and that is the last episode. To be more specific, the last HALF of the last episode. It's clumsy, confusing and a bit overwrought as well. I won`t go into why for fear of spoilers, but watch it and see if you agree or not.
Overall, AnoHana is great, really great. Amazing characters, an awesome story, and art that never fails to impress makes AnoHana a must watch. At 11 episodes, it`s definitely worth your time
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 2, 2013
Now, since this movie hasn't been seen by a lot of people, I going to keep my review somewhat vague. Let's just say I was disappointed. After seeing the masterpiece that was 2.0, I was expecting a lot from 3.0, and boy was I let down! For the story, its been 14 years since the events that happened at the end of 2.0 and a LOT has changed. I'm not going to spoil it but let's just say that for how much has changed, not a lot really happens in this installment, and it seems to be almost like the filler movie of the series.
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Also, I sure hope you didn't care about pretty much every key character in 1.0 and 2.0, because they are barely featured. Misato, Asuka, Rei and several others are pushed to the side when really as an audience we want to see them and how they have changed in those 14 years, but we don't get that. Since there is a timeskip, there's barely any character development, Shinji is back to his old self, and like I said before, the key characters from the last 2 movies get barely any screentime, all the development happened within those 14 years we didn't get to see. We are introduced to two new characters, but I'm using "introduced" in the loosest sense here. As always, the animation is quite good, the music is nice, and I actually liked the interactions between Shinji and Kaworu during the middle of the movie, so there is some good here. Overall, nice art, but terrible story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 1, 2012
I'm just an average everyday watcher, so take what you read with a grain of salt.
If you feel like you might enjoy High School of the Dead, then you are in luck, because you most likely will. Why? Well, because I liked it. I mean, it's not like my opinion matters or anything, it's just that I normally hate these kinds of animes. I hate ecchi animes. But I enjoyed HOTD. Again, why? Let's find out.
The plot is basically your average everyday zombie apocalypse plot. The outbreak happens, people band together and try to survive. I may be a bit biased because I've always
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really liked these types of stories. I love zombie movies and the idea of friends and sometimes complete strangers having to come together and survive. HOTD pulls off this often used plot actually pretty well. I mean, it's nothing special, but it's nothing really bad either. The characters form a group with only a couple people actually knowing each other. Since this is a fanservice show, all the females in the group have comically huge breasts and panty shots are sprinkled in at every opportune and sometimes inopportune time.
The main characters are hit and miss. As far as the girls go, you've got the smart bitch, the calm combat specialist, the ditz and the main character's love interest. I really don't know what he sees in her, she's also kind of a bitch. But, that's besides the point. Really the only female character I like was Saeko, because she was badass. The two males in the group consist of the generic hero/leader who is also the main character of the show, and the otaku who just so happens to be a gun nut, so he's quite useful to the group. Whether you like the characters or not depends on whether you feel a character can be saved based on how hot they are.
Seeing as how this is a show done by studio madhouse, the animation is actually quite good, and not just for the fanservice. The characters are well animated, move realistically and the backgrounds in this show look like an apocalypse, as they should. Weirdly enough, the angles in the show are pretty good too. Overall, very nice artwork and once again, not just for the fanservice.
The music is nothing the write home about, it's generic but works with the show. The opening is pretty damn awesome, awesome enough that I didn't skip it.
Overall, HOTD shouldn't be that good at first glance and really, it isn't. But despite annoying fanservice, some unlikeable characters and an otherwise generic plot, I did really enjoy it, and apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way. Many people have indicated HOTD as their guilty pleasure, and so do I. At 12 episodes, it's an anime you can watch in a day and it's a lot of fun. If you go in with the right mindset, you'll have yourself a good ol' zombie slayin' time!
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 1, 2012
I'm just an average everyday watcher, so take what you read with a grain of salt.
So NHK ni Youkoso! or "Welcome to the NHK" for us English speakers, is a slice of life psychological anime about Satou Tatsuhiro. He's a 22 year old, unemployed "hikikomori" living on his own. He hasn't talked to another person for about a year, and hasn't left his apartment for 4 years. He believes an evil organization known as the NHK has doomed him to this fate of being an anti-social loser. One day, he comes into contact with a young girl named Misaki, who claims she can cure
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his hikikomori disease and make him a productive member of society. From there, literally EVERYTHING that could go wrong, does, and it's amazing.
Basically, NHK has 4 main characters, Satou and Misaki being 2 of them. Also, there is Satou's old Classmate Hitomi, who believes in the NHK and conspiracies just as much, if not more than Satou. Then there is Yamazaki, another school acquaintance of Satou's who just happens to live next to him, and also just so happens to be a fanatical misogynist and otaku. Satou and his friends get mixed up in everything from pyramid schemes, to porn addiction to hentai games, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! Even though all the main characters are very messed up and sometimes even despicable, we can all find something we relate to in them, and the struggles they go through. While the show does have a lot of comedy, it also has a lot of drama and often t's hard to tell if what you are watching IS comedy, drama, or both!
The art in this show is good for the most part. The characters are well designed, move realistically (for the most part) and have very detailed and expressive faces, looking more run down than a lot of other animes, fitting with the tone. However, there are times where the animation goes for good, to flat out horrible, with characters turning into caricatures of their former selfs and not moving so much as teleporting from place to place. It is clear they didn't use their budget wisely. But, it's not unwatchable, and once again, the majority of the time the show looks just fine.
The music is fantastic, the soundtrack is only beat out by Cowboy Bebop as one of my favourites. Songs are used repeatedly throughout the show, but they all sound great, are used at the right time, and never overtake what is happening onscreen, only enhancing it. The score reminds me of something I'd hear in an indie movie. The first opening and ending themes are amazing too, and the second ones are also pretty good.
The subject matter of this anime is VERY questionable. This is definitely not a show you want to show to kids, and some adults may even be turned off by it for how disturbing and perverse it can be. The show pokes fun at porn, MMORPGS, and of course, otakus. When you've made an anime that calls out it's main demographic, you've got some balls! The anime is so hell bent on sending a message that it almost becomes a subversion of slice of life anime, which I can totally get behind!
Overall, Welcome to the NHK is an all around amazing series. It's got the addictiveness and watch-ability of a slice of life, but has a lot of substance behind it. It can go from disturbing to heartwarming to funny to sad, and sometimes all within the same episode! At 24 episodes, it's worth a watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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