Romeo's Blue Skies is one of the shorter and more recent additions to the collection of World Masterpiece Theatre series produced and animated by Nippon Animation. Once again it is an adaption of a work of literature originating from Europe, this time based on the novel "Die schwarzen Brüder" written by Lisa Tetzner.
It tells the story of a young boy sold into slavery and bought into a world that he must survive that is far more desolate than that he had ever experienced in the past. It is a look into the life of the poor and oppressed in the face of an unfair
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society. Showing us the hardships that children sold into slavery and forced to work in far away cities experience, unaware of the inhabitants they will find; but most of important of all this show elaborates on the repercussions of being forced apart from your family.
This thematic concern is implemented into the story structure of Romeo's Blue Skies. The show is essentially divided into three distinct arcs and are developed with an epic sense of storytelling where the events of one arc ultimately contribute and effect the events of the next until the story reaches its ultimate conclusion. Throughout these arcs, the underlying theme and tone is always about the repercussions of being forced apart from those who you love. To keep this from becoming a thematically repetitive bore-fest the series does the liberty of investigating and exploring different concerns that can directly correlate to that of the main theme and it achieves this with almost perfect fluidity. Concerns for child abuse, theft, justice, gangs, backstabbing and betrayal all carry the show and make it very engaging. These aspects that are shown are given plenty of attention without ever feeling rushed nor feeling painfully slow, also the transitions between events and these concepts do not seem jarring and have without fail received proper explanation and development each and every time.
If there was one particular thing I had to complain about it would be some of the narration which at times can be criticized for not leaving enough to one's own interpretation, falling into the trap of telling rather than showing, but these moments are few and far between and I have seen cases of it elsewhere that are far worst.
The characters for the most part each receive good development and are often realistic character types without any notable genre cliche's dominating a characters personality which works in the shows favor. Building on this, the show makes use of this fact by making the characters varied: some being mature, some being downright brats, other's are just living life finding out how to get another penny in their pockets, this makes for a diverse cast and what makes it splendid is that even if two particular characters share a similar objective they are not just simple copycats of one another, each character has their own personal issues and identifiable traits (aside from appearance) that separate them from the others.
The show adopts a bildungsroman approach to storytelling developing Romeo's own self-awareness as a character supported strongly by surrounding characters especially that of Alfredo and in the mid-section of the series Angeletta. Romeo has a flexible personality and is able to adopt to the conditions of the environment he is in, allowing him to be able to progress around the hardships that take place. This is shown extremely well and is a most noteworthy effort, he is a complex character who has brilliant chemistry with his surroundings and this is established without ever being forceful.
Some complaints can go towards some of the side characters and even some of the older characters for being fairly simple and having only some depth, but nothing too much to complain about here as none of the side characters can be called poorly written and fleshed out as their actions are still grounded and remain reasonable in the context of the situation that the show presents. To give clarification on this without giving away important spoilers, there was one scene in the series that focused on the life of an elderly man and his attitude towards his son receiving a proper education. The son in question wished to become a doctor, much to the disbelief of his father and his father wished to put an end to his son's supposedly foolish aspirations. I thought about this for a bit and whilst it may seem stupid to prevent someone from aspiring to such a career. It can make sense from an economic and social standpoint from the position of the characters. The amount of time that would have to be sacrificed by these individuals who were living in poverty it may seem almost impossible, and the pre-established attitude towards that of doctors for the period would be one thing to consider as well. Doctors cost money to ask for an appointment and that brings about a defeatist pretext to the whole situation where if the man's son were to become a doctor, he would be just like all other doctors, being inaccessible to those who are poor, to those can't afford to have a family member treated for an illness etc etc...
There were some other questionable actions by some characters as well throughout the series but nothing so illogical or stupid that drives the whole series under. Outside of these small complaints the writing is consistently high in quality, with fleshed out characters and considerable attention to the detail of the theme's that the show explores.
Romeo's Blue Skies breaks more of the traditions that are prevalent in many of the WMT series, especially the traditions that were prevalent in the older works of the genre. Probably because of the shortened air time and condensing of the events. Of course some traits still remain, the main characters are young children no older than 12 and are living in a period of struggle (this case slavery and poverty), it is an adventure series despite the location for the most part being the same and last of all there is always a cute little animal on Romeo's shoulder half the time. I want to make a criticism of the last genre trait and how it is used in this particular show, keeping this particular trait is both a detriment and occasionally a strength to the series. It is especially a detriment in the later half. In other WMT series, the animal that usually accompanies the child tends to have a larger role to play and are far more crucial to the operations of the plot. In Romeo's Blue Skies, the fun little side character looses most of his importance early on in the series. Though the animal still come's to aid the plot later on in the series he/she isn't made as effective use of as a plot device. I can appreciate a little animal being there to release some of the tensions seen between characters later in the series because hey this show is for little kids after all, though this may have been the intention it was relatively unsuccessful however as the little animal hardly dampens the mood.
As usual from Nippon Animation, the art is top notch and attractive even by today's standards. The character designs maybe a little flat but that is more of a product of its time, what really shines in the animation depart is the background illustrations. Where the city-scapes are beautiful to be hold. I wish to make mention of a particular scene where you are witnessing a setting sun and this setting sun captures the outline of a church and it's many spires. It is absolutely gorgeous art and can still be appreciated by today's standard of art. As for animation, the series has fluid animation, though some shortcuts were made here and there but for the most part are hard to notice. A couple of complaints can be made though with some notable scenes where the amount of frames per second were seen to be slightly reduced in contrast with some other scenes, but altogether though. It is very well done for hand-drawn animation. With notable attention to background details throughout the most of the series which is a feat considering the time that the show was made.
The soundtrack is definitely commendable as well, with many orchestral pieces setting the scene beautifully and never feeling inappropriate, most especially helping to drive those feelings home when a scene was particular emotional or on the occasion when a scene was frightening. Ranging from calm and serene to exciting and adrenaline-pumping. On top of this, the voice acting was all top-notch and a characters line's were always in sync with the animation.
From a production standpoint, Romeo's Blue Skies is phenomenal the amount of effort that went into the technical aspects of this show is simply awe-inspiring, I couldn't imagine if this was a movie. It would have been better animated then Ghost in the Shell and Akira were.
As a children's show, the show has many excellent moral messages for children showing the importance of education, encouraging and enforcing an understanding and immersion of works of literature and the operations of the way of the world. Teaching how to appreciate the lessons that you learn from your life experiences, be they sad and heartbreaking or pleasant and heartwarming, as one emotion cannot exist without knowledge of the other. To be prepared for your departures from the good and if you aspire to a goal and confront the ways of the world that wish to prevent these goals from ever coming to pass and most of all embracing the warm ending after many turmoils.
This show is a classic series in every sense of the word. Strong storytelling from the first frame to the last and many great, relatable, inspiring characters dominating the screen, it is a great edition to the WMT franchises by Nippon Animation (though for me it is not the best) and Romeo's Blue Skies would be an excellent work for a newcomer to these classic works to experience.
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Jul 23, 2014
Romeo no Aoi Sora
(Anime)
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Romeo's Blue Skies is one of the shorter and more recent additions to the collection of World Masterpiece Theatre series produced and animated by Nippon Animation. Once again it is an adaption of a work of literature originating from Europe, this time based on the novel "Die schwarzen Brüder" written by Lisa Tetzner.
It tells the story of a young boy sold into slavery and bought into a world that he must survive that is far more desolate than that he had ever experienced in the past. It is a look into the life of the poor and oppressed in the face of an unfair ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 3, 2014
Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri
(Anime)
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I often reminisce over those beautiful and irreplaceable moments from my childhood when I was in a loving embrace with my mother, and now that I am 22 years old I feel I need to grow up a little as this appreciation for a loving embrace hasn't budged a single inch. This concept of a child's love, is the foundation for everything that this anime is and about and oh boy does it do it well.
As I mentioned in the introduction. This show is about the importance of being able to be close to those that are important to you, and I don't imagine ... many things would be more important to a child then family. The story being told is very simple, but it is the many other aspects of the series that make it quite emotionally complex. Before I go on, I must commend the first episode of this series for being one of the best introductory episodes that I have seen in quite a long time. If the whole series had captured the power and emotional intensity that was emitted during the first episode alone I would have easily given this a 10/10. Whilst it is a little unfortunate that it does not maintain this consistent quality, I am still glad to say that it does not stray too far. One thing that makes this series stand out compared to other long series is that it establishes everything that needs to be established within the first part of the series and never fails to revisit them later on in the series. There were quite a few astonishingly well positioned moments of foreshadowing scattered throughout the first third of the series that constantly hinted at a larger scheme of events. Many clever uses of symbolism were also added in for good measure, which is something I always appreciate. If I say any more on this though, I will be spoiling the series, so I will leave it at that. Because of the series relatively slow pacing, it takes a while to get going, besides this fact, once it gets going its hard to put down. Whilst watching this series I actually was tempted to look up a fair bit on Argentina's history mid-way through my run, and I must say that this setting was practically the most perfect pick for a story such as this. It works amazingly well, the vast plains of Argentina brew a storm within me for every moment I witnessed them on-screen. It felt very lonely, and this landscape shoved it down my throat to the point that it almost hurt. It made me sympathize with our protagonist and captured his loneliness as well. And the further into the series you get, the more powerful the backdrop becomes as a presentation. It really feels like I, a member of the audience has traveled 3000 leagues. While I did find the ending to be slightly rushed in comparison to the pacing of the rest of the series, strangely enough, I am still satisfied with it as an end product. No loose ends were noted, nothing felt out of place. The show was simply about the journey, longing, craving for the warmth at the end of the road, and I felt that the production team did a fantastic job at capturing its essence. I feel a good series has its characters and story very heavily intertwined, and this series has that down-pat. The setting of this series is in the late 1800's, early 1900's in Italy and Argentina, and the series does little in romanticizing this period. A particular highlight for me was how human everything was and the show does well in matching many peoples action with the period of time. Everything was a struggle, many characters were cruel, selfish and worried little of moral ambiguity but many characters were also charitable, appreciating and caring. Saying that the characters are very human, is a positive indicator as to how well made they are. Each character has their own personality and traits, even the characters that are on-screen for a short period of time are given remarkable development. One notable character was an elderly woman who, while only being on screen for five minutes in one episode. Her character was as striking and as noticeable as an erupting volcano in the middle of an empty paddock. The characters were also surprisingly diverse, taking a look at many potential people one would encounter on a journey as epic as this. Probably the only archetype here that can be considered cliche is that of the protagonist, but what sets Marco apart from the common shounen archetype, is the shows simple commitment to developing and identifying him as a complex and potentially realistic character. Marco learns from his mistakes and experiences, and gains a more mature and somewhat adult perspective on life. Comparing him as a character at the start of the series to how he is at the end, whilst it isn't a drastic change as his personality remains somewhat consistent, it is still a change nonetheless and the way this show presents it left me in awe. The family of performers were particularly entertaining to watch, and Marco's family members were well developed also. Giving insight into each and everyone's every day frustrations and their goals and what they strive to achieve. Whether it be to make a play that will make the audience cry or studying to become an engineer or the struggles of running a non-for-profit business. There were many heartwarming moments between our lead protagonist and a potential love interest and these moments didn't seem to be shallow, but more close to what many would romantically be described as "an innocent love". These moments are witnessed pervasively and is a key factor in making this series as memorable as it is. (For me at least) I like to see our protagonist Marco, as a superhero of sorts. A presentation of a human beings capabilities if they yearn to achieve something and if they are willing to be relentless in their commitment and effort. Now I know this ain't exactly original, but it is a timeless theme, and this series handles it better than most series I have encountered that look at something similar. In spite of his constant failings and how his situation gradually gets worse and worse as the series develops. With a little push from those around him, he was able to shine brightly. In spite of my love for the main character, I must say I was rather annoyed on a few occasions by his naive actions. Though this can hardly be considered a criticism but more of me being a cynic, as I recall back to my childhood the few times I ran away from home. At least our main character here has a goal in mind. The art in this series is literally quite phenomenal for the period of time in which the series came out. Sure it makes a couple of short-cuts here in there, namely with how the show animated the Atlantic ocean, but other than that nothing really sticks out as being poorly animated. The whole show maintains a consistency with its artwork that was nice to look at and easy on the eyes. There were a few particular moments where the art on-screen was simply fascinating to look at, without spoiling anything, one particular scene I want to take note of was a nightmarish dream sequence, and the contrast of colors on screen was both mesmerizing and scathing with how eerie it was. It felt desolate. Another scene that takes a similar form and probably one of the most memorable for me, was a screenshot of our lead sitting astride on his horse. Pausing to look down a long road. The palette that the picture was drawn on was a saturated white and it matched the series tone tremendously well. I feel it was an example of the fragility of a child's emotions. A memento to the human spirit of wanting to be embraced by another, and the consequences of not being given this opportunity. So all in all great artwork. I wouldn't say the sound holds up quite as well as the art in the technical department. Probably the only slightly memorable part of the soundtrack were the Opening and Ending credits. Regardless of this criticism, I need to commend the sound for being able to capture each and every moment, it may not have captured many scenes to their full potential but at least it made me more engaged with the series. It was smooth, and never felt rugged or out of place. On a few occasions the characters broke out in song like what you would see in many Disney films, those moments were more memorable than the actual soundtrack, unfortunately these moments that I am referring to are few and far between. One particular song that I liked was when our lead was being comforted in a local bar when he had been fiercely rejected by someone based on his ethnicity and economic position. I wouldn't call the song catchy, but it managed to put a smile on my face. There was one particular song performed by one of the lead characters that is repeated over and over in the series. It was a comedy act, and whilst it was mildly amusing at first, it got a little tiresome by the end of the series, but it was not what I would call a bad experience either. So for the sound, the only problem is this. I have simply heard "better" soundtracks elsewhere, and that is really the only thing keeping me from giving this a more commendable score. Being classified a G rated anime, I was quite surprised to find some unusually violent moments in this series. Especially in the later half with some moments of animal abuse and graphic punishments, some of the scenes and concepts that the show portrayed were literally quite unnerving, probably made all the more potent by the series fairly positive nature. That said, it treats these many moments very maturely and respectfully, neither patronizing nor condemning them. Here's what I say to the producers for that, good on them. Kids aren't stupid, it's time we treat them that way. Blending all these elements together, the result is nothing but an explosion of fireworks. "Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri" is a special series that is well-deserving of the title as a classic, and I am sure it will be treasured by those that have had the pleasure of viewing it for years to come. Though being slightly juvenile, it manages to maintain a mature and sympathetic observation of one of the most simple but ultimately important things in our own human existence and that alone is enough for me to recommend this series to almost anyone. I am usually fairly sore over the fact that many anime adaptions of World Masterpiece Theatre are rarely given the recognition that they deserve. As the synopsis for this series describes; this show is based on a small section of a piece of Italian literature. Having not read this book. I am quite glad to say that this show has made me somewhat enthusiastic in wanting to pick up the original story and savour every moment of its contents, and I encourage to all of you reading to do the same. Story 9/10 Art 9/10 Sound 7/10 Character 9/10 Enjoyment 9/10 Overall 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 27, 2013
Michiko to Hatchin
(Anime)
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Anime that are set out of Japan whilst not as uncommon as many may think are still few and far between but what is even more rare is an anime that takes place in Latin America. Michiko to Hatchin is representative of everything that is uncommon but amazing about the anime industry: it has style, nice characters, a unique setting and a vast array of themes, and whilst at times it is harsh it never forgets to be light-hearted in its ingenuity.
Michiko to hatchin's story is rather unusually executed; my original impressions was that the series was episodic but upon completion that statement was a ... fairly inaccurate description, but in saying that I still find that each episode is 'episodic' in its own way. Each episode does contribute to the story being told, but interestingly enough they also provide detail on many background details: such as the lives of a group of kids growing up in the slums Sao Paulo, or even settling in on the business motives of an organized crime network hosting a bullfighting tournament or a prostitution ring etc etc... To its credit these many moments scattered throughout the series helped maintain my interest throughout the series entirety; each scenario was new and refreshing, each life had something different to offer. Unfortunately, criticisms still need to be considered, as whilst all these many moments managed to pique my interest. I could only feel that they somehow seemed to be a foot-hold in grabbing the viewers attention because the actual story seems kind of trivial in comparison to many of the side-stories. This observation still only further justifies why i believe this series to be good, as it came up with such a variety of side-stories that managed to maintain a consistently high level of quality, that made the long journey all the more worth it in the end. One thing that I wanted to point out upon entering this series, is that at the period of time in which Michiko to Hatchin is set. Brazil was going through a revolution. I was personally a little disappointed when I discovered that this series covered very little of that historic event. Not to discredit the series for this because instead of doing that, it's vivid portrayal of life in Brazil at the time seems particularly plausible and in many ways makes up for my disappointment. Underneath every garbage bin and behind every building, the place oozes with a deep sinister corruption. Everything from the police cover-ups and false justifications, money laundering, prostitution, you name it, this series probably has it. A positive to all this, is that the series doesn't try to make a bad name out of all of this. It simply lets its vision unwrap itself never bombarding its audience with moral preaching. This is the lives of these people, are they happy with it? Maybe, maybe not, but at least they are making a living out of what they got, and if what they have is morally ambiguous then why not use its absolute best. The actual story whilst being rather trivial as I mentioned earlier is twisted around with the many side-stories adding a bit to the series worth. What irks me though is the motivations behind the foundation of the story, our main character Michiko being one of the soul main characters comes across as ditzy and in many ways, really gullible which does little to help with story progression, and most of the story is moved forward by side-characters. Even with these criticisms, I still must say that Michiko to Hatchin's ending is probably one of the best conclusions to an anime series that I have ever encountered. One problem I have found with many shows is that they take too long to conclude or the exact opposite where they don't have a conclusion. Michiko to Hatchin falls fair and square into the middle. Covering everything that it had previously established and no noticable plot threads are left unresolved without seeming to rushed or too slow. One of the most notable things about Michiko to Hatchin's story is its interesting cast. The show takes the time and effort to construct a diverse quantity of personality and character traits. I do have a couple of issues with some minor and the main characters, some minor characters (not many) are occasionally used as plot conveniences but even these characters still get some level of development. Emphasizing that this series waste's no time in establishing its characters personalities, ambitions and motivations, which is certainly a good thing. One of the best things about watching this series was watching Michiko and Hatchin's characters develop as the series played out, they're an unusual and possibly eccentric combination of mother and daughter. Many times I began to wonder if they are even related, like at all, but as a member of the audience, I could feel a relationship present, whilst being slightly unorthodox it was not an impossible relationship to envision. It is entertaining to watch as they interact, learning from each others mistakes. Watching the unusually mature Hatchin take care of the naively reckless but caring Michiko, and vice-versa. My complaints with some of the characters, are that their motivations are occasionally very vague. A good example would be some of the interactions between Michiko and Atsuko, a few of the outcomes from there encounters are occasionally poorly explained and sometimes a little stupid. Without giving away any spoilers, there was one particular scene where I was screaming at Atsuko in my head for not carrying out a particular action that she had tried so hard to achieve but in the end didn't carry it out. The reason? Well I might have missed it because the motivation behind it was sort of precarious but the consequences for iit rendered their reasons completely arbitrary. Our main character Michiko isn't without fault either, very prone to some questionable actions throughout the series, chasing someone who is clearly trying to get away from her just seems to be a motivation that is slightly beyond my comprehension. Other than these complaints it was an interesting cast nonetheless and despite these people's shortcomings, these actions (even the ones that I previously mentioned) never felt out of character and becomes a small plus in my book. The Art whilst not anything spectacular is very clean and this quality is constant throughout the entirety of the series. The most notable moments are seen in the many action sequences. Each scenes choreography was well animated rarely ever resorting to cheap techniques (and if the series did they were very well disguised). Each scene had a fluidity all on its own, it was fast-paced when it needed to be, retrospectively it was slow when demanded and normal between these many moments. Each frame never felt out of place when actions were being displayed. I mention this because the sheer breadth and style of the many action sequences in this series never lets up and the art knows how to dictate the adrenaline pumping moments and thus contributes to the series well-established atmosphere. One of the best things about Michiko to Hatchin is the background designs. Never before have I seen a 3rd world/2nd world country presentation as detailed than I have in Michiko to Hatchin (with a possible exception of "Flag") in an anime/manga series. Everything from the large open spaces accompanying a desolate road; to the slum, crime ridden districts of Brazil's many cities, towns and communities. The level of detail that goes into many of the locations emphasize the tensions building in each district and community. The character designs across the board are very commendable, and I loved how all the characters have a degree of acceptable realism to them. Whilst Michiko the main lead has a busty accentuated figure, her figure is complimented by the shows diverse characters and as mentioned previously with their large range of personalities, the same can be said for each character's designs. Figures often appear in a versatility of chubby, well-groomed and formal, poor and hungry, old and young character types. Serving to make the characters far more relatable, increasing the series impact. One particular aspect of the art that I wish to take into consideration is actually the opening and ending credits. One thing I loved about this series was the mesh of beautiful textures that I witnessed upon entering and leaving every episode. With a hint of photo-shop thrown into the blend of pseudo-phantasmagorical art reminiscent of a retro-American psychedelic hippie movement. Michiko to Hatchin's soundtrack is a well-made and thoroughly appropriate soundtrack with a collaboration of string instrumentals, mostly of the ukulele and acoustic guitar, with a common accompaniment of percussion instruments such as the timpani, bongos and such. A lot of the songs in the series ost are wildly and energetically presented, catering to the fun and adrenalin-soaked and occasionally sexually fused atmosphere that the series provides. Some of the tracks are particularly memorable, most notably the opening sequence with its bubbly bebop jazz style. Effectively melding its complex harmonics making it an absolute blast to listen to, with the show forcing me to listen to it every single time I started a new episode, and that is definitely a good thing. Each track adequately sets the tone of each scene and never fails to boast an exciting entourage. Overall I see no reason to complain about the ost. It is effective, different and great to listen to. Overall, this show does have a couple of faulty points, where entertainment value can be somewhat lacking on a couple of occasions and at times I felt the characters make stupid decisions but they are few and far between. And as I mentioned before, rarely do those stupid decisions seem out of character, so if anything it helps benefit the series. Altogether this series is a quality adventure taking place in an untouched landscape. It has a positively balanced story with non-repetitive scenario's, the show never tries too hard at what it does and loves to revel in its own world. It knows its limits and actively makes use of that boundary. It is a vision that is both refreshing and entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone who shares a delight in venturing into a world of interesting characters and constant thumping of a glorious beat in every background. Story 8/10 Characters 7/10 Art 7/10 Sound 9/10 Enjoyment 8/10 Overall 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 13, 2013 Recommended
I for one am a person that likes to judge a situation based on my own personal experiences, but how far can I judge a scenario based on MY OWN experiences? The more I look into many tropes, the more I begin to realize that my own incentives on a situation can be appallingly naive and to truly understand certain scenario's, you truly need to see the bigger picture. Koi Kaze is one show where none of my personal incentives and experiences could have prepared me for its outcome.
Perhaps it is Koi Kaze's brutal honesty on the subject matter that it explores that makes this ... a truly distinguishable feature from any other show that has dealt with incest in the past. Not limited to the general fetish-pandering occupation of incest related series in anime and manga. It is also hard to find any movie or any other series that deals with the subject of incest as profoundly and maturely as Koi Kaze anywhere else in the world. I imagine it would be very difficult for many people to take a relationship between a 15 year old girl and 27 year old man seriously. With that in mind, as I am writing this review. I am heavily reminded of a strange case that occurred in the US in 2012 where a 32 year old man was having a consensual incestuous relationship with his 18 year old daughter. The documented evidence of the case showed that the circumstances in that relationship were almost exactly the same as the situation that Koi Kaze envisions. Koi Kaze's plausibility is an interesting topic to research. Many family, sociological and (occasionally) anthropological studies have identified many possibilities in as to why an incestuous relationship would develop, asking why such a thing would happen? and the reasons for it? I wish to make mention of an interesting article that I stumbled across that was written by L.S. Penton-Voak, who along with others, carried out a computational analysis that found almost every couple that they interviewed and analysed, had faces that were allegedly similar to one another. I mention this because siblings being attractive to one another may not seem to be so far-fetched an idea when you take into consideration that they are made of the same genetic make-up and will thus likely have many similar facial structures, tones and other features. At a deeper and more important level is a phenomenon cited by Edvard Westermarck, called the Westermarck effect that states that an incestuous relationship is more likely to develop if the elder of the family member involved in the relationship does not recall living through the younger individuals developmental stages of childhood and adolescence and vice versa. These theories of Genetic Sexual Attraction carry a lot of weight on Koi Kaze's content and makes its realism far more possible if I were to compare the show to a real life scenario (as mentioned in the case above). Incest is mostly illegal due to the associated genetic deficiency's that occur through incestuous reproduction. Thus becoming an argument based on the human rights of the child. This is another sociological perspective that I wish to explore because Koi Kaze looks at the relationship without the idea of an offspring becoming involved and wishes to emphasize the emotional tension that develops between the characters, it is interesting in how I would judge this scenario. Would I consider the relationship acceptable if a child were to come into the midst or not? Like every other aspect of this series, it doesn't make a judgement but merely observes. I mention all of these points as I believe it builds a crucial context for the series. I am encouraging a look into the greater aspects that this series is earnestly but subtly conveying. Koi Kaze develops the relationship between the couple taking particular time and effort on emphasizing the gradual isolation that Koshiro and Nanako receive in the eyes of the greater community. Whilst making time to recognize the characters turmoils from accepting and carrying out such a harsh and difficult decision. The constant threat of society looming, only serves to ostracize them even further. I imagine that this would be exactly what would happen if an incestuous relationship were to be discovered in my home country. The general consensus would be that any "reasonable" adult would think poorly of the situation. It is these details, that make Koi Kaze's story almost genius, it begs to subtly question every little detail that I would usually consider to be wrong and turns it on its head. Inspite of this praise, Koi Kaze is not as perfect as I would hope for it to be. As you can probably tell with my score. There are a couple, if not a few downsides to the story that make it very difficult for me to give it a 10/10. Before I go into actual criticisms, one thing that I did want to criticize Koi Kaze for was its romantic nature, but after much pondering, I found myself disregarding this criticism. I asked myself. Why is this? Koi Kaze wants us to observe the situation at hand from its characters. Speaking realistically, romance is something that I would want to experience in a relationship as well. I think it would be kind of rude for a person to step in and say that a romantic atmosphere is not allowed in any relationship that I may have. Koi Kaze in doing this displays that it is treating its topic maturely and taking itself very seriously and not trying to be a social dictator on the themes that it explores. With that out of the way, onto criticisms. The first thing I want to point out is that there is this one particular guy in the supporting cast who I just WANT TO KILL, and I regret to say that for a few instances he made me question the shows intentions. Mostly due to the questionable conversations and topics that he brought up without hesitation. However, after finishing the series, most of my suspicions for that particular character are somewhat vented towards an ill-gotten attempt at humor because at one point in the series he only receives the lime-light and never becomes the center of attention again. This might be more of an insight into cultural differences between my home country and Japan, so I will only let it pass, just barely though. However, in saying that, the character still contributes to the thematic concerns the story envelopes. Most particularly highlighting the type of attention that those kind of people get in the face of society. I'd hate to broken record here, but one thing that seems to bother me is some of the cliche situations. Seriously how often have we seen a romantic scene take place on a ferris-wheel? I don't want to say this, because from a personal perspective the scene in question (along with some other scenes) was very powerful and well-done, but I just couldn't help be reminded of the many times that it has been used before. However, in spite of saying this, I found that these moments are easily ignored because the series puts so much time and effort into making each of these moments as effective and memorable as possible which is more than I can say for many other shows that do the same. Thus fortunately not decreasing the score by much in my book. Another downside to the story is arguably in the way that it ends. Whilst I for one had no major problems with the series ending, I still found myself saying. It can still do more. The story could have gone further into the future turmoils or even the future beauties that the couple will possibly experience. What is the future of their relationship? Whilst this outcome leaves much to speculation, it still stands that Koi Kaze adequately explores the concepts that it had originally given us. Koi Kaze recognizes all of the aspects of its story by giving its main characters significant development. The extent to which Koi kaze achieves this is recognized on the many occasions in each and every episode where a character questions the activities of what they are partaking in: What will my family think? What will everyone else think? Should I be doing this? How will I feel afterwards? What are the consequences? These rhetoric's constantly build upon one another, with highly appropriate timing and never going out of its way to lecture the viewer. Instead it creates some of the most multi-layered characters I have ever encountered. The two leads are particularly complex, in the way that they display and handle the situation that they are dealing with. For example, the defensive barrier that Koshiro establishes; a facade so that his feelings don't hurt Nanoka, and much the same with Nanoka with some honest interaction that is neither complacent nor entirely naive. As I mentioned in the Story section, most of the characters are put there to look at the situation from different perspectives. One character that I wanted to give particular praise to is "Chidori, Kaname". What she does is offer a confrontational perspective on the themes being explored and interestingly enough I believed that she was representative of most viewers watching. A person who, whilst having good intentions, barges into someone's life to inform them that what they are doing is wrong in the eyes of society, basically speaks for 95 per-cent of the people watching, especially those raised with Western moral incentives. It poses a question, how much do we really know about the people that are experiencing such a situation? Do we have any right to interfere? Each and every character achieves what they set out to do (yes, even the abominable character I mentioned in the story section) and for that I can say that Koi Kaze has great three-dimensional, well written characters that are removed from the traditional character archetypes of the incestual anime sub-genre. Much of Koi Kaze's art correlates perfectly with the serious tones imbued within the story. The entire show is drawn on a very subdued pallet which makes the series very easy to look at; it isn't intense nor is it dramatic and I must say this was the almost perfect blend. The character designs are interesting in where they look absolutely natural. Unlike many other series out there including the many series that don't follow the mainstream, Koi Kaze still stands out. The designs particularly for the male lead are more representative of an average person you would walk past in the street. Giving more credit to Koi Kaze's intentions as a realistic series. Even the main female lead, I would say is perfectly comparable to someone I would consider her age. This, whilst being a bold move is essentially putting the cream on the cake. It works together with the series and blends in perfectly with the soft, non-tenuous backgrounds of the series. However, one thing that bothers me big time with the art is simply the white mouths of every character. Seriously they are the biggest eye-sore. How hard is it to draw the insides of a mouth? Come on. Other than that minor complaint, the art overall captures the emotional intensity that the series is conveying exceptionally well and any other style of art would probably have carried many negative connotations in the face of the thematic concerns that the series is dealing with. The sound runs parallel to the other technical aspects of Koi Kaze; in fact, it is actually surprising how well the technical aspects of this series meld together. Much of the OST consists or original tracks that are a dual mix of mellow and soft beautiful sounds. Most of the music is composed through a small assortment of wind, and string instruments and the occasional piano piece. This collection of tracks make a terrific soundtrack that is somewhat memorable and is very nice to listen to, within the context of the show and outside the context as well. A particular track that I wish to mention is Masanori Takumi's "Main Theme". Whilst it isn't what I would call the best soundtrack of the OST, it certainly stands out when I take into consideration in how appropriately it was used in the series. I thought every scene that used that particular soundtrack was perplexing and the track used only served to drive the potency and overall impact of the scenes. As for the entertainment factor. Koi Kaze doesn't have anything going for it in the excitement department because at it's core it is a slice-of-life series and observing the every-day actions of a persons lifestyle is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. However whilst Koi Kaze's goal doesn't appear to be stimulation with special effects or hyper-realistic excitement, it needs to be genuinely noted that there were many moments in Koi Kaze that were highly engaging, encouraged a level of sympathy and empathy that weren't forced but bloomed with the phenomenal writing that the series offers. I think that a well developed drama insights that the characters and their actions, development and their surroundings all meld together to lead to a conclusion that is inevitable and Koi Kaze does this extremely well. The direction that it takes whilst being highly questionable on the surface, quickly builds into a multi-layered that story that builds an insight into the turmoils of the two main character's, and the tension was so strong at times that I couldn't help be pushed to tears in disbelief at how society can be so unintentionally cruel. And as much as I am a sucker for a good drama and a show that deals with unorthodox relationships, Koi Kaze was the cream of the crop of its genre. I believe that what makes Koi Kaze work as a series is its overall tone and its achievement of keeping the themes that it explores constantly in the grey. From a personal perspective, the fact that it managed to completely challenge everything that I had originally thought of the topic of incest makes this an experience unlike anything that I have encountered. It is intriguing, intelligent, mature and very risky. As for recommending the series. Well, naturally, the adult themes in this show will make it a turn-off for most potential viewers but for anyone interested in seeing a well-written story about forbidden love. From my perspective at least, Koi Kaze is probably one of the best achievements in any medium. Story 9/10 Characters 9/10 Art 8/10 Sound 9/10 Enjoyment 9/10 Overall 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 8, 2013
Casshern Sins
(Anime)
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What would you do if you couldn't change your fate? Would you grasp at any slither of hope that presents itself, even if that hope required you to hurt someone else? Or would you accept your fate? Just letting it pass over you? This is one of the many questions that Casshern Sins asks. "What is the answer" you might wonder? Well, let us sit down together and discuss it shall we.
Casshern Sins is a remarkable feat, in that it somehow captures every single, minute detail of the human spirit. It achieves this by starting from the very basics and quickly developing on the basics ... as the series moves on. One thing that really took me in, is how Casshern Sins truly captured my fear of death. It achieved this through an odd but clever display of writing, by showing us that even the machines that we make will some day fall into decline as rusting scrap metal. I for one like to identify myself through the materials that I collect and make, and even this review right here is constructing another aspect of myself. Casshern Sins asks, what is the point of all this? I believe the materials that remain after my death will serve as a reminder of my existence, but nothing can escape the harsh reality of time and a millenium from now, it is an almost inescapable fact that those materials that I had so carefully constructed, so thoughtfully made, will just vanish. It is quite frightening and puts true emphasis on the word death. Things change however, a chance of hope comes along. An ideal that preserves life, immortality. Many religious affiliations pervade Casshern Sins series. God from the perspective of Catholicism promises a chance of eternal life, I make this comparison as Sins as a robot stands as a metaphor for this deity, a promise for immortality. Building on that concept, the precious beautiful skin of his body only serves to emphasize the prize of such a trait, but being immortal comes at a price. A price that one may not expect. As time wears on, one discovers an infinite sea of potentials, this quest to transcend the boundaries between being just a simple robot engineered to destroy, to becoming 'human', not physically but consciously has begun, but once this has been achieved. Who is left to bear witness it? Even though this concept and theme is not exactly original, it must be said that Casshern Sins is particularly noteworthy on how it manages to effectively show this journey of emotional discovery in every excruciatingly painful detail. Watching this show reminded me of Paulo Coelho's quote "It is the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary" and it is the simple things in life that Casshern Sins detaches from and allows us to witness as realistically as possible; both the efforts and dramas to recapture these important and sometimes trivial things, but it is these aspects that only elevate the potency of Sins journey. Even when the helping hand of a loyal friend may seem far away, capturing that relatable and simple essence of loneliness has rarely ever made such a profound impact. A negative aspect to the story can largely be centered on the extremely pessimistic nature of the series and it can arguably fall into the category of angsty melodrama rather than insightful, and many of the concepts that are brought up through the entire series can come across as completely redundant by the series conclusion simply because of the handling. One scene that I wanted to bring up in particular is a scene where a robot finally submits to her desire of wanting to be immortal after reflecting for an entire episode that she wants to die naturally. Whilst it was certainly a powerful scene at the time, thinking back on it, the series only seems to want to be as depressing as possible. Whilst this isn't always a bad thing, it comes across as forced, and lacks a level of fluidity. However, with those observations out of the way, it still can't be dismissed that the overall series has very solid writing and is riveting in how it plays out. Never failing to provide a delicate balance of answers to the many questions that the series asks. Much of Casshern Sins' characters are truly integral to the story that the show is telling, and because of the theme heavy story in respect with the series episodic nature. It is only inevitable that many new characters are constantly introduced in order to represent another aspect of a philosophical question/s that the series imposes. A lot of the characters become representations for the themes of mostly hope and despair, but entangles within many varying levels of regret, remorse, guilt, jealousy, occasional romantic struggle and sometimes optimism. Considering the series episodic nature, a large majority of the episodes do an absolutely splendid job of building characters in such a short time and it is a truly commendable aspect because at times I was almost pushed to tears in some of the more powerful episodes. Saying that, I will have to discredit some of the episodes for having an inconsistent quality, this inconsistency is mostly due to the characters that are being presented, but for the most part the character development is well above average and occasionally phenomenal but these cases are few and far between. I can only appreciate the characters so far though, because as I said previously there is a varying level of quality in the development of many of the characters, another problem I had with the characters is that many of them have very similar intentions throughout the entire series, it can get a little repetitive at times. Adding onto that; some characters only seemed to be placed there to plunge Sins into a more intense state of guilt and regret. Even though this can be perceived as a problem. The fact remains that this can be ignored to an extent because these characters show that this the series is remaining true to the premise that it has given and does not cop-out, even at the moments when the series becomes unbearable. Many of the motivations for the characters are understandable, as a dying breed of life suffering from an incurable disease; I imagine it would only be natural for someone to carry out desperate measures when they have been pushed to their breaking point. This is one theme that Casshern Sins portrays better than anything else. The series artwork does nothing but do what it sets out to do, abysmal and ruined, wrapped up in an unusual mixture of bluish-greyish brownish textures that builds the apocalyptic landscape with powerful ease. The series takes time to build on its own sorrow in order to emphasize some lovely landscapes that capture the quintessential and brooding style that is reminiscent of an Edward Hoppers painting, two that come to mind are "The Lighthouse at Two Lights", and "Screaming Monkey Drive In", pleasant to look at but cringing with a landscape of heart-ache and desperation. Much of the animation is carefully designed. One noticeable moment was a touch of rust painted below the eye-line of a robot. The moment was heart-breaking and is something that took me by absolute surprise. Rust is deterioration and its symbolic connotation within this scene was used to its utmost potential. I always look forward to bear witness to the fascinating ideas of art that series from Madhouse Animation studios have to offer and Casshern Sins is a beautiful edition to the collection that is sure to become an influence in the future. One thing I noticed about the OST was the consistently monotonous style across the board. Which certainly works in the series favor, but a couple of tracks stood out for me: the first one being "Roamer" as it captured the image of one man, simply standing a-top a hill graced in a red sunset, contemplating as to where his feet will take him next, it's a classic pose and one that holds much weight. The second one was "Memory Past", I'm not entirely sure what it was about this track but it just pushed a button in me. It was like I was floating in a sea of water feeling the waves softly carrying me. An interesting perspective to say the least, but I couldn't help picturing myself as a robot resting in the sand of the shallows feeling the water brush over me. It was a vivid moment, and a beautifully foolish one, it is simply a moment of passing time awaiting the day of no-return. At the time of watching this series. I think I was in the exact state of mind that was required to enjoy Casshern Sins and I finished it up in a marathon sitting. I tend to love a nice happy show as much as the next fellow but my thirst for drama can be over-bearing at times and Casshern Sins knew how to keep me glued to the couch. I was engaged with every detail that was playing out before me and every bit of terror, every moment of blissful decadence only served to invoke a greater emotional response from me. Those special moments of heart-ache scattered throughout, only serves my interest as keeping Casshern Sins as a worthy investment of my time for years to come. From what has been discussed I believe that Casshern Sins is a fantastic work, capturing every rigid emotion of the human spirit and melding every element so effectively. Constantly serving as a reminder to the breadth of questions that have been brought up and sought after in this series. Deep, often beautiful questions that serves as a recipe for sympathy and empathy towards all its characters as you bear witness to there destruction. I find it difficult to recommend this series mostly due to its overbearingly negative nature, and time has shown that not many people like pessimistic series. Nevertheless, for all of those out there who can withstand or perhaps immerse themselves in Casshern Sins battlefield of depression, they will surely find solace in the beauty of its melancholy. Story 8/10 Characters 8/10 Art 9/10 Sound 7/10 Enjoyment 8/10 Overall 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 7, 2013
Mouryou no Hako
(Anime)
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Have you ever wanted to be a private detective? Asking that, I beg to you another question. What is the degree of depth and detail that needs to be sought out to truly understand the complexity of a criminal mind? Perhaps this is out of my comprehension as an avid anime viewer but I'm sure Mouryou no Hako is not only scratching the surface of the true horrors of a criminal mind, but is inviting me to bathe in it.
Me and dialogue story-telling have never really snuggled up together on the mattress but being a person entirely aware of that, I can wholeheartedly say, ... "what a truly astonishing exercise in dialogue driven story-telling we have here". As I stated in the opening segment this show stands as a tribute to detail and the huge amount of research that is required in truly understanding the mind of a criminal, the component of this series that reflects this above all else is the dialogue. Each and every spoken word is like a work of art, each uttered letter is a moment worth savoring, whether it be the simple whisper of a future lover; the withdrawn complacency of an actress; or the intelligent observations of a detective, the essence of the dialogue's writing is phenomenal. All of these moments pervade the entire series that make this an intellectual feast for any sturdy and patient viewer. As some would know, the Japanese meaning for Mouryou is Goblin and a Goblin bears resemblance to a picturesque description of madness, painting an image of its grotesquely alienating figure. This ideal crosses and intersperses itself in the eyes of its antagonist. What beauty is there, finding solace within the impurities of insanity? Mouryou no Hako answers this question with the act of deforming and preserving human ligaments, the act of preserving the human body after death, a fools hope, but an act that has been carried out by mankind for eons. I would like to say that the whole story matches up to the quality of dialogue and the mass of clever metaphors within this series, but sadly, the actual story only just missed the cut. Mouryou no Hako follows a series of brutal murders carried out by an anonymous killer, and becomes a philosophical study of the condition of those deemed mentally insane, the series asks many questions about this fortunately never wavering to far from what it originally set out to do. The negatives that I refer to would actually be the dialogue heavy story-telling. Now this might come across as unusual considering the praise that I have given the dialogue but even its phenomenal quality does not excuse the fact that spent too much time on too many details. There was a particular scene in the middle of the series that was a discussion that took place for two whole episodes. The scene in question though being necessary could probably have been a condensed a bit, as it can be argued very truthfully that it removes a lot of the tension that had been developed up to that point and the other problem with the scene is that while it was very interesting, it didn't contribute as much to the series as was probably intended. Besides that point, I have little to no problems with the story as it is well made and knew how to keep me guessing until that final moment when the mystery was revealed, which brings me to say that the story is almost masterful in its execution and that alone can make it a true gem in the anime medium's detective genre. It is not unusual for me to commend Madhouse studios in the art department for any of the series that they have released, but as it stands Mouryou no Hako's art is highly noteworthy simply because of its detail and intense elegance, which helps to accentuate and set up the mood that the series wishes to establish. There are two particular scenes that I want to take note of within this series, mostly because I believe that they capture the insecurities that lie deep within the characters. Falling cherry blossoms are a foreshadowing of death, two girls dancing a careless waltz in the moonlight, a waltz of death amidst the ascending petals of these blossoms. This scene was almost painful to watch with its melancholy but at the same time it was almost impossible to look away with how truly mesmerizing it was. The other scene that I would like to mention was a moment of disconnection, a scene of limbs moving without a body, it was highly ostracizing and highlighted a comparison to the feeling of having one's limbs removed from the body whilst in a state of consciousness. These two scenes delved into what I believe are the true horrors of this series and the art and design of the scenes are what effectively achieved it. Another aspect that I wished to mention is the attention to detail with all the characters actions, movements and display of emotion, they are fluid actions which have a realistic touch, I will delve into more of this in the character section. The characters in this series are truly immersed in the story and that is a feat in and of itself. As I stated in the Art section, many of the characters in this have a divine commitment to insanity, and to properly highlight the insecurities that these characters have requires proper development, does Mouryou no Hakou achieve this, yes. Much of the characters development is heavily influenced by the dialogue on display, and wastes little time in identifying the subtle animosity of one character, the worrisome plight of many observers and the subdued emotionally detached personality of a strong steadfast detective. Dialogue isn't the only contributor to character development as the creators are fully aware that much of what is spoken is not spoken at all, the art department did well in identifying a realistic approach to the display of body language which is a leap away from much of the quirks of your average anime series. I found this aspect of Mouryou no Hako to be very interesting and in some way refreshing. A particular point that I want to identify is the moment that a girl grins at a friend of hers, that one small action contained an unspeakable malice driving pure fear into me as a viewer and it made me question much of the intentions behind such a smile. The actions are thought provoking, like the detail and textures of the story the show is detailing, it offers an almost beautiful contrast and reflection of the richness of the series. Not one character does not contribute to the entirety of the story, which is an excellent feat again, whether it be the man and woman casually preparing for work finding the detached limb of a murdered girl beautifully preserved, just that moment is acknowledged later in the series. One problem I have with the characters is this, they are not memorable! Even though I commend the show for its detail in its characters and their actions, I simply cannot praise this series characters as much as I want to. One thing that the OST of Mouryou no Hako has going for it is that it is simply relaxing to listen to, it's not a pumping soundtrack but is more of a sound that is grounded in the traditions of the theater. There were many moments in the soundtrack that were like sweeping rustlings, carefully placed to build tension, a particular track that I want to commend is "Madoi Hito", that is an orchestration of string instruments that builds a spectacle, almost romantic display of the tension. These tracks seduced me into the moment, which does wonders for the series as the immersion exacerbates the constant build. This build made many scenes all the more potent especially in those moments of horror. I do love a good murder mystery and Mouryou no Hako is definitely satisfying that sweltering itch but the best thing and most notable thing about it was that it scratched it in the most surprising way possible. That said, it must be said that much of the reasons why I have enjoyed this series have already been listed. I believe a well made story can contribute to how much I enjoy a show and Mouryou no Hako certainly fits into that category with many twists and turns that constantly enlightened me on the depth that this series had. To its credit any series that can keep me so actively engaged with such heavy dialogue is worthy of being commended, and it is those many moments of dialogue that made this series an absolute delight. However, I can only enjoy a series such as this so much, thankfully with my large attention span I was able to take in many of the details but on some occasions I found myself yawning during a very long bit of dialogue. Despite being remarkable, at times it just simply stretched out for too long but these moments are few and far between. Would I rewatch this series? Perhaps. If I were to ever re-watch it, I imagine I would probably like it less because the mystery is so well crafted that I would probably catch on to every single moment when the culprit displayed an important piece of evidence. Mouryou no Hako is a rare series that does everything (literally) to remove itself from the norm, I probably haven't seen a series so far removed from the norm for quite a long time and for that it gets some points in my book. It is not a perfect series either, with some questionable moments here and there but for the most part many of the scene changes were fluid and the series maintained a height of consistent quality on both a technical level and story-telling level that is rarely seen. Unfortunately Mouryou no Hako is not a series for everyone and has a particular niche audience in an already niche medium, which is a pity as it is a truly excellent work in many respects that offers an experience like no other. Story 9/10 Characters 8/10 Art 9/10 Sound 7/10 Enjoyment 8/10 Overall 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 2, 2013
Saraiya Goyou
(Anime)
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Peace and serenity, independence of the mind, graceful beauty, resting, & death; the rich magnificence of a maple leaf as it falls at the closing of its years. Before we begin, I would like to say that no other symbolism can effectively associate itself with Saraiya Goyou moreso than that of a satin maple leaf.
At this very instance, the broad versatility of references that exists within this beautiful piece of nature constructs a focal point for everything that Saraiya Goyou is and stands for. To me, it simply opts to convey every aspect of the rich symbolic context of a maple leaf through its character ... driven drama, plot, and art. For story, I want to take note of the way that Saraiya Goyou handles its episodic nature by overlapping many of the stories into other episodes to effectively condense the series and maintain a level of fluid consistency between each episode and cleverly allowing minor points in these plots to serve a purpose later on in the series. Building on that, what I am more particularly fond of is the fast-paced "snappy" style of storytelling. For example, in many cases an episode will go into immense depth on tactics that will be used to carry out a crime that the characters are planning to execute and then suddenly, after this discussion of tactics and such, the actions that they were discussing have taken place and in the very next scene the characters will be dealing with the consequences or an issue that was encountered in the off-screen event. It's not a generally favourable story-telling style but it allows room for more development of the characters that is far more down to earth. This style also allows room for heavy interpretation of many events that take place off-screen and is essentially fast-paced, focused story development that never looses an ounce of its vigour. It's a case where the producers seemed to know exactly how long to make the show which is a problem that I have had many times with anime. Another thing that I wish to emphasize is how the show adapts its dialogue in such a way that it is constantly melded into each characters personality and essentially never falls into the pit of telling the story rather than showing it. Sure this kind of observation has been made on other series before, but in my mind Saraiya Goyou is one of the best examples of dialogue driven storytelling that show-cases an equilibrium between the audience and itself. Another dimension that I appreciated of Saraiya Goyou was the Robin Hood nature of the scenario's that it looked at, but unlike Robin Hood, all the scenario's were not left morally ambiguous but were "heavily in the grey" from the criminals perspective (e.g. the entire main cast) or the one's being subjugated to the criminal activity. In many respects it is quite suspicious that many of those at the receiving end of the criminals activities were more or less deserving but the best thing about it, is that it doesn't make a clear cut judgement on the themes that it explores, which are (at their core) very mature and sensitive topics and Saraiya Goyou takes a stance for a tasteful perspective on the mature themes that it explores which earns it extra credit in my book. I rarely hand out a perfect score for anything, but this is one part of Saraiya Goyou that I really cannot find a flaw, simply put, its characters are nothing short of remarkable. Saraiya Goyou is essentially a character driven drama and the series comes across as completely aware of that. It is rare to find an anime where the characters are so well developed with such little time, so the character development I can allegedly say is masterful, no member of the cast is left out of the equation (yes including minor characters that are only on-screen for an episode or 2) each character has a fully orchestrated history that is highly detailed. Taking it a step further, to truly emphasize the beauty of the characters within this series is that the show has not one occasion where any character does anything "out of character" and when questionable actions take place, the context of the series steps in to justify those actions fair and square. The art in Saraiya Goyou whilst it is an acquired taste, is nothing short of beautiful in its detail with lavish background settings, the character designs are very interesting and hardly comparable to anything with a possible exception of Kaiji and Fantastic Children's noses (those noses, I can't get them out of my head), that said the ending product in the animation department is fascinating in that whilst it does not allow itself to revel in an exercise of romanticism of the Edo period what it does do is somehow allows an attachment to be built that tugs at my "heart-strings" inviting me into a world of rich depth, making me wish that I was a part of the whole ordeal unfolding between the characters. That said, I cannot quite put my finger on what it is about the art that makes me feel that way, is it perhaps a combination of its art and the simple exchanging of words as one hikes down the main road or even partaking these everyday activities through the streets of an Edo suburbia? I haven't got much to say on the sound department except for the fact that it gets the job done. The OST is oozing with tracks that set the mood and allow me to become engaged and invest in the emotional aspects of the series. Like the rest of the series, the music used remains sincerely reflective of a story that is constantly providing subtle questions from the grey area, and the music recognizes this, with that taken into consideration it kind of pains me to say that the score is the series weakest point. One thing that is possibly wrong with the series; is that it lacks entertainment value. Now I for one enjoyed the series immensely but as I mentioned before in my comment that the art in this show is an acquired taste, this statement also applies to the entire series. That said, to fully appreciate the series you may need to be a more experienced anime or manga fan, so it is not favourable for many that Saraiya Goyou excels in every other department except for high-octane stimulation but with all of this said the fact that Saraiya Goyou takes up this bold sense of direction remains a benefit to the show. It serves as a reminder that simple stimulation can only achieve so much and sometimes we need to step back and take our time to divulge in a shows inner essence, which is something that Saraiya Goyou does very very well. There really isn't much else in the way of negatives and to be honest I am scratching my head trying to find a major flaw (there are 1 or 2 unbelievably-obscurely minor flaws that the only way that they would become major problems is if you kicked out logic in the first place). That said, there was one major flaw but quite contrarily the series managed to effectively rectify it in the end which makes it even more easier for me to say that this series is deserving of every bit of praise that it gets. Saraiya Goyou is a great anime, almost no flaws, amazingly well developed characters and top-notch execution all around. I believe that a review should let you decide whether or not you should watch a show, and if I was the ronin in this series, I would invite you all to spend a quiet moment with Saraiya Goyou. Story 9/10 Characters 10/10 Art 9/10 Sound 7/10 Enjoyment 9/10 Overall 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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