- Last Online5 hours ago
- GenderMale
- Birthday1989
- LocationFrance
- JoinedNov 16, 2011
No friend yet.
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jun 20, 2022
Innocent. Funny. Inappropriate.
What is love? How can it be rationally defined? How can the love between two people be proven?
These questions were the root of the first season of this anime, trying to rationalise what is considered pure emotions by most. The second season follows in these footsteps. As such, characters are well established and viewers have expectations regarding the themes ans atmosphere.
This review contains light spoilers.
NARRATIVE: a first expected part, a second unexpected part
...
This season may be divided into two parts.
The first part follows more or less the same pattern than the first season. Yukimura and Himuro deepen their relationship while doing research on what defines love. There are new characters and some character development, but viewers should know what to expect from this unique bunch of science and technology students.
The second part, however, focuses more on Kanade and her struggles to lead a “normal” life. While the concept is a good idea, the arc is more drama-oriented and may stretch too much at the expense of the main plot. The worst part is the infamous, inappropriate, last episode. The themes of this episode are way too heavy and traumatic for this kind of story, and are treated with a cartoonish, psychopathic, delusional character.
CHARACTERS: new characters, more character development
The main couple, Yukimura and Himuro are still the main focus with their unorthodox research. While they are still as logical as ever, they become more and more honest with their feelings for one another, making them now an uncontested couple However, they are not enough anymore to maintain the flow of the story.
The other characters are not outdone. Ibarada and Inukai always have this ambiguous relationship. While Ibarada's have been pretty much established since the first season, Inukai is the star, with his undying love for the virtual Aika seriously challenged in hilarious ways by the scientific facts of his peers' research and by his childhood friend's bolder and bolder teasing. This is always welcome in a slice of life, romantic comedy.
New characters are also introduced: an established, luscious couple from another research lab. They are just as wacky as the other characters, but offer a different, informative view about love which is useful for the main couple's research.
MUSIC: catchy songs
The opening and ending songs are catchy and memorable and fit the theme of the anime. The soundtrack does not distinguish itself.
In the end, this season is a nice continuation from the first one, managing to expand the characters, but is shadowed by its out-of-place end and the treatment of Kanade's arc.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jun 16, 2022
What is the purpose of my life? What should I do of my remaining days? Would I be better off dead?
These are the questions the characters of Summer Ghost ask themselves. In this movie, three high schoolers, meet offline for the first time, in order to investigate a rumour about a ghost on an abandoned air strip. Their trip is a success. They meet the ghost of a girl their age and ask her questions about her current “life”. One of the trio gets relatively close to her afterwards and wants to help her move on. The story is mainly about how people should cherish
...
life, accept hurdles and find their own path. This is quite cliché, but effective in this context, while facing a real ghost.
Due to the movie's duration, the characters are barely developed. However, each one, ghost included, has their core well defined. They have their own troubles and questionings, about life and death, based on past and current events.
A recommended short story which may have deserved a longer movie or a series. There are a manga and a novel, part of the same projects, so maybe check them out if interested.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 24, 2022
As a filler movie of a big shounen franchise, this is an enjoyable watch, nothing more.
Positive points:
- The animation is of high quality with several sakuga scenes.
- The initial premise with the terrorist organisation and its goal is well thought.
...
Negative points:
- As expected from this kind of movie, the story is pretty weak and straightforward, condensing shounen tropes in 2 hours.
- There are a few inconsistencies. The movie takes place all around the world. Where are the foreign heroes? We see Salaam (introduced later in the manga), one from Singapore, barely seen, and that's all, while we see Japanese heroes doing most of the work. Are Japanese heroes the only ones so strong and numerous that they can afford to send people abroad when Japan too is threatened?
- Izuku, Bakugo and Shoto basically save the world by themselves. This kind of makes the following events in the manga kind of underwhelming.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 21, 2022
Light-hearted. Dazzling. Soothing.
Amanchu! is a manga from Amano Kozue, created after her famous Aria. This is exactly what made me discover this manga, having enjoyed both manga and anime versions of Aria. I was watching the Amanchu! anime broadcast, without any prior knowledge, and was of course struck by how the character designs were so familiar. Obviously, when I learned of who created it, I began to read the manga, published in my country, and here is a short review, now that the manga has ended.
Narrative: a sure-fire, expected slice of life / iyashikei
Amanchu! follows the same path than its famous sibling. This is a
...
slice of life story, of the iyashikei subgenre. As such, there is no major plot, no excruciating drama, just the beauty of daily life, of friendship and of the sea.
The manga covers the three years of high school of the two main characters: Ooki Futaba “Teko” and Kohinata Hikari “Pikari”. The first one just moved to the Izu coast from Tokyo, while the second one comes from a local diving family. Quickly after their first meeting, Pikari forcefully introduces Teko to diving, and both enters the diving club of their school. The following three years, the reader follows their school and diving activities, with the departure of old club members and the arrival of new members, contrasting with the unchanging sea.
In Aria, there were some unexplained fantasy elements. Amanchu! has some too. However, this concerns only one small subplot, which does not involve the main characters. As if the mangaka sensed this was disconnected from the rest, this was quickly wrapped up and no more fantasy was added, leaving the less fantastical, dreamlike small stories. Actually, if you have watched both seasons of the anime, I think you have already seen the most of it, if not all.
Still, a kind of fantasy remains: the sea. A part of the story, as expected from the theme, is about discovering the wonders of the sea, which may be seen as fantastical to many people not involved with diving, or any other submarine activities, just like Teko was.
Characters: a great duo of main characters outshining everyone else
The two main characters, Teko and Pikari, are obviously the main focus of the manga. Teko is a very shy girl, isolated in an unknown city, while Pikari is extroverted, even weird and reckless in many regards, who thinks of nothing else than diving. This is yet again a prime example of “opposites attract”, as the two of them will create a strong, life changing bond over the course of their high school years. Each one makes the other one change for the better. Teko's self confidence improves radically, leading her to new goals in life, while the temerity of Pikari is tempered.
The “main side character” cast, mainly feminine, is varied nonetheless: the two senpai at first, then two or three kouhai each new year, and of course the both reliable and unreliable diving club advisor. While they are not as fleshed out as Teko and Pikari, or could even be dispensable for some, each one has its own unique traits and quirks, and are the focus of their own mini-arcs, bringing a breath of fresh air and new insights about diving or about the main duo.
At last, let's give a special mention to the cats, that the fans of Aria will no doubt recognize.
Art: the beauty of the sea and the chibi expressions
As befitting the theme of her manga, Amano often shows us underwater and coastal landscapes through the pages. Already familiar with the water after drawing the sea and canals of Neo-Venezia in Aria, the mangaka displays her best work that she is constantly improving. For example, how the light shines and is reflected, underwater or on the surface, through water bubbles or on the skin, is beautifully done.
Another highlight is the character design. Characters are well drawn, detailed, with various expressions, and giving the feeling that their design is actually evolving while they are maturing themselves, especially Teko and Pikari. The expressions are of course conveyed traditionally, but also with cute, funny chibi versions of the faces. Compared with Aria, these faces are far more varied and differing from one character to another, giving to each one basically two unique faces. This is an excellent way to shift tones in scenes that might be otherwise too heavy or bland.
In the end, Amanchu! is a worthy successor of Aria. Anyone having enjoyed one of them should read the other one. The manga focuses heavily on the deep bond between two opposite girls through diving. So, anyone with interest in the sea wonders, the life in coastal areas, or simply watching a deep, evolving friendship should also give it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 18, 2022
Harsh. Heart-wrenching. Heart-warming.
Rainbow is harsh. Be warned, the anime deals at some points with sexual abuse on teenagers, torture, murder, and other niceties. Yet, within all of this darkness, the strong bonds between people prove to be a ray of light.
Narrative: a depiction of post-war Japan
The harsh reality of a ruined, troubled Japan is depicted here, 10 years after WWII. Among the victims of this period are children. Some of them are simply left out by a society which has to forcibly rebuild itself. Most of the seven protagonists are prime examples: one’s family was at home in Hiroshima on a certain day of August
...
1945, another one’s mother had to sell her body to feed her sons, another one, half-Japanese, was abandoned in front of an orphanage.
The protagonists did missteps, leading them to the cell 2-6 of a high school for delinquents, more akin to a prison of a poor country to our current standards. The story begins there, as they are mistreated and humiliated, while a friendship between them is budding. After their 2-year term, they are released into the adult society and the rest of the anime is divided into small arcs, again depicting parts of the Japanese society of the 50s: American occupation, unemployment, prostitution, yakuza, rock and roll…
Characters: friendship through hardship
The main protagonists are excellently done. Each one is unique, with his own past, his own motivations, his own goals he may or may not fulfil. Most of them are well fleshed out through flashbacks and personal mini-arcs, as well as the interactions with their friends. Their common trait, at the centre of the show, is definitely their strong friendship they maintain through any event, whatever the risks.
Concerning side characters, they are as varied as the main ones. Some will help the protagonists, some will join their “family”, some will despise them, some will hurt them; but all of them will contribute in one way or another to the growth of these young men.
Two negative points could however be pointed out. First, as this is the adaptation of a manga, some contents have inevitably been left out. This results in one or two main characters having barely no description of their past or personal arc, giving the feeling they are less important in the group. Second, in the first part in the school, the “bad” characters are presented as bad, and the “good” characters, the main ones, as good, without much nuance. This gives a sharp contrast with the second part, much more nuanced.
Art: realistic design, beautiful artworks
The character design and animation stay on the side of the realism, according to anime standards: no deformation, no overly animated movements, no noticeable special effects.
At some points, in each episode, beautiful artworks of the characters during climaxes, with the voice-over of the female narrator, are shown.
In the end, Rainbow is an anime you have to be prepared for. However, if you like developed characters in a contemporary setting, this might well be a good pick.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
