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Dec 12, 2017
Well well, looks like this is the most undeservedly hyped anime I've watched so far in my endlessly long journey in the worlds of Far East Asian animation. Wait, don't grab your pitchforks, lemme explain myself. And no, no spoilers. I... guess? Not like you'd have to worry about this with Lil Witch Academia anyway.
Little Witch Academia tells the story of a girl who daydreams about magic, becoming a witch, and all this stuff. Mostly because magic DOES exist in her world. This is particularly interesting for a setting because becoming a witch is an attainable goal for the main character, she's not batshit delusional
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always talking about magic on a normal world, unaware that magic actually exists...
From that point onwards, well... generic_anime_storyline.txt . Everything you've watched a dozen times before WILL happen here, except on a magical, witch environment. There is the calm, ponderate and intelligent friend; there's the unreliable and mysterious pal; there's this badass character that is the main character's hero; there's this cocky (who so happens to be blond and rich); there's this rebellious, smug and edgy girl who doesn't abide the rules; there's this goofy and kindhearted teacher that probably holds a secret (dunno, didn't watch enough to tell); there's the main character in her first interaction with the magical world demonstrating to have insane abilities or otherwise being the chosen one to harness aforementioned insane abilities... see? Everything you've watched before. So yeah, the characters and the storyline are bland and boring. But...
The art is pretty awesome. It's detailed, it's "minimalistic", fluid, artsy, dynamic, cartoonish, colorful, vivid. The character designs are really interesting (when they're not the boring old stereotypical face we've always seen); heck even the blond cocky girl which could otherwise have a generic blonde cocky girl face looks unique and interesting. The sound is... fitting, I guess? It's not bad, so I guess it's good.
Yeah. Honestly, this is the kind of stuff I wouldn't watch for the plot. I mean, if you're out for some good ol friendly fun time with cutely designed characters, go for it, I'd said it's worth it. If you want something intelligent, or just not the same old same old... I'd say the gorgeous design won't be sufficient to keep you from slowly walking away, wondering what happened to all these people to praise this so much. I mean, it happened to me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Oct 12, 2017
While Mukou Hadan's storyline feels somewhat generic (or, by the time it reached me, feels like something I've already seen) with its "ronin and kid" style and honestly dragging at many points, I must admit that the battle scenes are spectacular. Cold, dynamic, realistic, the characters move fluidly and deaths happen regardless on how important the characters are. The first hour is mostly used to build the climax, which then explodes in the last twenty or so minutes, and boy it feels pretty great.
The characters aren't really remarkable, even the main ones. The lone, mysterious ronin; the bratty but brave kiddo, the badass foreigner... the
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ending (or at least the climax) is pretty predictable, to be honest.
I'd give it a 6/10 ("ok") but the battle scenes really made me regard this higher.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 2, 2017
I'm genuinely surprised. Kill la Kill is much more intelligently built than just a shounen ecchi, as it seems to be from the outside. Initially, it plays as a satire, with over-the-top sexualization (ecchi), a straightforward, simple plot, and hyperbolic scenes that try to make clear that... it just doesn't care about logic or moderation. From its beginning, it is highly energetic. I supposed it to be a simple satire of shonen animes... until the plot developed and demonstrated that the storyline - as well, surprisingly, the characters - is much more well-built than it seemed. Granted, it is satirical and purposely cheesy on many
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aspects, but after a while, things get much more interesting.
Ryuko ( the main character) and Satsuki (main villain) are developed greatly as the series progresses. They have goals, ambitions, and really, really strong motivations. Especially Satsuki - she's the epitome and embodiment of ambition and determination.
The other characters aren't given a depth nearly as profound as them. However, for as much as present little development, are not meaningless or ignored - they have a personality and a "satirical purpose".
Mako is the allegory of the funny bff. And, in the same time, of the overly kawaii character. And boy, she's good at it. She is genuinely funny, an interesting character, ridiculously dramatic yet impossible not to love. Mikisugi is the "hot dude". He's so hot his nipples shine. Each member of the Great Four also has a meaning (the overly disciplined/serious character / the cute bitchy girl / the ultra hackerman / the super awesome ninja dude [who is also hot]).
This is what I loved about Kill la Kill - it doesn't give a damn about details, it's all about being straightforward and telling the story. And by the moment you get used to the lack of details and perhaps a lack of "profundity" on the overall purpose, events unfold in an unexpected way.
Worth mentioning is that the main plot is really absurd. It's amazing to think people really spent their time making such a complex story with such a ludicrous motivation.
But then again, where would be the fun in Kill la Kill's fun if it wasn't ludicrous?
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 4, 2017
Tatami Galaxy has a highly peculiar narrative, most of this having to do with the fact it deals with alternative realities. So much so that the story could easily be summed in three episodes, but the objective isn't merely to tell the story but to convey a powerful message.
One of the best things in this anime is that it's deep as an ocean, but its waters are clear and you can see the benthic zone. It's not highly complicated, although it is full of amazing details and has a complex objective, most of the nuances are understandable and observable by the most realistic, "unimaginative" type
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of person. The use of arts, sounds, plot devices etc. are all explained, and everyone is able to understand that, instead of just people with an amazing attention to details. There's little implicit here, pretty much everything is explicit.
I could even say here what's the message it tells but I assure you that you WILL UNDERSTAND IT PERFECTLY as you finish it. This is for me the high point of the anime.
The characters aren't really complex (aside from Watashi himself) but that is not really necessary. They fit their role, whatever they are, pretty well. They're interesting and unique, and not eccentric for the sake of "look I can make some fancy characters".
The art is fantastic. If features either minimalistic animation with great character designs or small excerpts of real life and character interaction. Those moments are really subtle and add special flavour.
My review as I have observed wasn't particularly descriptive, so pardon for that. I think my point, the point I'm trying to make, is that this is a really intelligent anime. Nothing on it exists just because, and by the ending you will understand its lore and peculiarities entirely. So if you wanna feel smart by saying 'I understood all the metaphors', go for it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 1, 2017
You'll hardly find an anime that is as difficult to grasp than Mononoke. The very concept is hard to understand, from the requirements of exorcism to each act's storyline. Nonetheless, it is exactly this intricate, dreamy insanity and the seemingly incohesive plot that makes Mononoke one of a kind. What happens if you get Expressionism and Symbolism and ask some Japanese masterminds to animate the quintessential allegory of them? You'd have this. I can't think of a better definition of visual avant-garde.
The storyline (for each act) is generally really great, and for as much as the nuances most likely won't be understood by non-genius viewers
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(such as me) right away the narrative as well lessons can be understood if you pay attention. The art is simply put fantastic. The sound is good, but it deserves 8/10 thanks to the Chorinho-inspired intro song. The characters are the high point of the anime, as the Medicine Seller slowly crawls through the psychological insanity of each seemingly sane character, and we are left with a completely naked, primitively emotional creature. We see their motivations, their hopes, their dreams, their suffering, exactly how they are, and not how they pretend it to be. The Medicine Seller's apathetic approach is really important so we can see the characters REALLY showing their faces: they're not angered because the Seller said something mean, they're angered because that's their state of spirit. They're not sad because The Medicine Seller mocked of them, they're sad because that's what they are. Spoiler: The Medicine Seller is OP. Honestly, the objective of the anime really isn't to be "action" in any way so his ridiculous One Punch Man-esque invulnerability is a mere plot device that makes no different (unless you're expecting some shonen action). I really enjoyed the anime, and I think it's worth the flawless 10/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 15, 2017
I watched a YouTube video depicting a few fighting scenes of this movie. The animation was superb, character designs (the bunny fighter vs Love Machine) was fantastic and it seemed like a great anime.
Oh boy..
The history is appalling. It's not a bad storyline, it's just a bland, cliche storyline. Every single "plot twist" can be expected by any attentive or knowledgeable media watcher. It is a fluid story (that is, there is coherency between the events), but it doesn't feel like a real story. It doesn't feel like each happening is a sequence of the earlier because that's just how it'd flow, it just feels
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like it's like that because hey that'll make a cool story.
There are SO MANY CLICHES. On the storyline itself (really visible plot twists) and on the characters along their designs.
[SPOILER ALERT BEGIN] Grandma is a stereotypically badass old lady who has the feudal Japanese mentality, so far so as calling someone else "a former vassal". Because she's old. The main boy character (I don't remember the names) is the biggest John Doe we all don't want to see. Shy, unconfident, but an expert on math. Where did I see this before? Everywhere... maybe... The girl is an asshole (she likes an asshole [the uncle] and she literally pulled him into a shitfest without warning! I mean, sure, there's no problem in doing what she was doing as long the poor lad knew it!). The uncle is an asshole. A stereotypical "adopted family boy gone wrong" who did some bad stuff to the family and has left everyone behind, trying to appear as cool but deep inside he's attached emotionally to his family. So far so in the ending EVERYONE IGNORES THE FACT HE STOLE GRANDMA'S MONEY TO CREATE A VIRUS THAT ALMOST DESTROYED EARTH. The middle schooler... oh my, he is not only the biggest badass among 1 billion people, but he's also an amazing kung-fu master! YET HE WAS STILL BULLIED AT SCHOOL! Who bullies a kung-fu master? Damn.
[SPOILER ENDING]
The characters they don't feel as "developing throughout the plot". They just... change. It feels unnatural because they feel unnatural from the beginning. They do things that people under their personality wouldn't do. And in the ending, they're brought with a surge of determination so predictable (the old "important badass character gives everyone a morale boost on the apparent imminent problem") yet so strong that it's not right.
The integration between the OZ and family is poor. It's forced. There's just so many unnecessary or otherwise apalling connections of the family and the OZ world that will leave you thinking "how the hell can this family do this?". Unless she was like wife of the Japanese Emperor himself that wouldn't be possible. Spoiler: she's not.
The story and characters as I made clear are unenjoyable. This would, undoubtfully, be a poor attempt at "good storylining" (chained to mediocrity) that should be dumped among hundreds of waves of thousands of seas of bad animes. But I think one thing that really stands out is the art. The character designs, although some concepts are corny and sloppy (the badass guy looks like an asshole? Drunken uncle looks like a fat, 50-years-old drunken uncle? Talk about stereotype!), some others are great (the OZ characters, when not in chibi form, stands outs) and the animation is SPECTACULAR.
It's dynamic, the movements feel fluid, everything seems coherent, when characters are fighting they're not merely shooting a flaming wave of armless hands, they're actually moving their way through the medium to hit their enemy. Not only this, but the human character designs are... human. None of those big eyes, ridiculous expressing, bla bla. They act humanly, they move humanly, they look humanly.
They would be humanly, should it not feel like the characters are more soulless medium to move the story than the story is a series of event that happens due to the characters. I think that's my biggest issue here: it feels like the story happens not because the characters made it happen, but instead that there was a pre-scripted story that had to flow in x way and then characters were thrown in to fit the plan.
It didn't fit well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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