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- BirthdayNov 25, 1990
- LocationWashington
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Apr 28, 2014
As I'm writing, I'm not entirely sure what to say about Planetes as a whole. This show was very interesting to say the least. The show starts with the main character 'Ai' who is a new recruit on a space station. Her job is to assist in cleaning debris from humanities expansion into space, so ships can fly around without worrying about being shredded. And really, that's it. Keep in mind I'm avoiding spoilers. Bigger things happen, but I can't say. The basic premise is a constant throughout the show however.
What Planetes did was focus on a possible
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culture that could arise from humanities expansion into space, and there were several points that were made throughout the show that weren't necessarily part of the main storyline. It's definitely a weird way to approach a show, but it worked. To top it off, you can't have a show based on humanity without exploring what exactly it means to be human (you know, that stuff). It sounds corny, but it was actually a very nice change of pace. There's also a little romance which is definitely a part of the show, but like anything else in Planetes, it was done a bit differently.
So for all that happens in Planetes, the best I can respond with is "A group of people cleaning space trash" (again, this is considering the fact that there are bigger events that I can't go into without spoiling it). Everything else that happens is best experienced rather than explained, not that I could begin to know where to start. It's not that it's complex, but it was so shockingly normal. Again, I don't say that implying it was a bad thing, I actually really enjoyed it.
This is absolutely a show that lives for its characters. Their stories and how they interact with each other and any given situation is the backbone of Planetes, and it was done very well. In the beginning, I can't say I was fond of any of them. I found them slightly annoying and wish they'd just shut up and get back to cleaning garbage, and I was slightly disappointed with how it was going. After a while, the chemistry starts to stabilize, and I started liking them one after another, even the most insufferable ones started showing their good sides. By the end I can't say I disliked any of them honestly. The story unfolds in a way that makes you see everyone's side, which was a really great experience. The character development in this show gets a solid 10 from me.
Otherwise, I don't feel comfortable rating anything else, the other aspects of this show were strong, but nothing I can mention with any level of substance behind it. If Planetes is on your mind as the next show to watch, absolutely go for it. I'm glad I own it, and I look forward to re-watching it someday.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 26, 2014
I didn't start Eureka Seven with any expectation. It was something I put on my 'to watch' list as a sort of filler before I could find another show to watch. It was related to a couple shows I've watched, and generally had good reviews. I started it, and was surprised by how quickly it kicks off.
You're greeted by a boy named Renton, who likes to say how things are the worst. He hates his town, hates this, hates that, etc. But one thing he likes is a sport called Reffing. A futuristic equivalent to surfing which sounds like
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it has no relevance at all. His hero is a man named Holland, leader of a group called Gekko State.
It starts off with showing us how ambitious Renton is, how he wants to get out of the town and be a professional Reffer like Holland, etc. We're subtly introduced to his family history and how his dad was a hero, etc. Then something literally crashes, and he's presented an opportunity to leave home. There wasn't anything particularly spectacular with the shows beginning so much other than some really great action sequences and a really cool introduction into one of the main plot points. What this show evolves into is much more important. A show based on robots and futuristic surfing wouldn't be very good, would it?
What I liked about this show was all the connections people had to Renton, past and present, and watching Renton being forced into making decisions he probably wasn't even equipped to mentally handle. The show is quick to show you what he can do, but later explores the moment where he suddenly realizes what he's actually doing, and that the world isn't how he percieved it to be. Of course his actions reflect on his fellow crew-members, and the show explores their side a bit as well. As far as characters go, this show did very well.
What's a mecha without a good soundtrack? Bad. Thankfully Eureka Seven had an amazing soundtrack (sans the third opening song, I'm not so sure on that one). Every moment has a really great background track to it, which helped support the emotion behind each scene. Along with characters, I enjoyed this aspect quite a lot.
The overall story was really good. It had some very interesting elements to it, but I can't say that I was blown away, or that some scenes had me thinking "Oh, that makes sense", I just kind of took it for what it was, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It had a lot going for it, and they ended it very well. A few aspects didn't make sense and were never explained, but nothing major. The overall message was sent, and it was a good one.
I'm not going to say "If you haven't seen this, watch it NOW", but definitely put it on your 'to-watch' list and don't forget about it. You'll be happy with what you see, it's definitely going to be a favorite of mine.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 21, 2014
By now you've probably read the introduction to the show listed above:
"In this utopian village, strange rumors about a monstrous cat that abducts children circulate, and students are said to disappear from the academy. The world and its history are much darker than they appear and humanity is on the verge of collapse."
That in particular. This is a spoiler free review, but I'm going to start off with this. This show is absolutely not entirely about that. The premise of some big cat being the antagonist slightly interested me, but this show was by no means a priority for me based on
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that. The show starts off as such, everything was pretty much as I expected, along with some cool surprises.
But, that simplistic plot soon crashed. What this show gets into is completely unexpected, and was an amazing experience. I'm not going to say that what this show did was incredibly unique (honestly, I got a ever-so-slight Final Fantasy X vibe from it. That in no way spoils anything, but some of the foundation kind of reminded me of it). But even so, what they pulled off was amazing. Every major detail this story had got a good amount of attention. It was at times kind of hard to keep up if you weren't paying attention, but I loved the depth behind everything. I felt like there was a story behind every house, brick, etc.
The story developed well. Initially, while they're exploring the incident with the big cat, it was interesting, but by no means something that kept me guessing. While that incident is still important, other things occur is when I was on the edge of my seat. There were many scenes in this show where I was holding my breath because the situations were so tense.
Everything aside, I really loved the message this show conveyed. Just when you feel like you know who the enemy is, they give you a different perspective on things. Which isn't surprising considering they used a certain establishment to base humanities civilization on. The last episode left me in shock, not because they revealed something I slightly expected, but because I didn't expect the sudden shift in perspective. I'm so used to shows ending in a predetermined way "Bad guy looses, good guy wins, the end". The formula doesn't entirely apply here. The morality of everyone's actions was a common problem in the show (not that they were beating you over the head with it surprisingly enough), and ended on that note. It was a really great way to carry the story and its characters throughout the show.
Even with all that, I can't say I was too attached to this show while watching it. For all its depth, I didn't really feel completely attached to the characters. I don't know if this was intended or not, but as much as I enjoyed them, I had a hard time feeling too much remorse for them. That was kind of a problem being a show based on the darkness of humanity. That isn't to say I didn't feel anything, but I can't say I really had a favorite 'human' in this show. I absolutely had a favorite character, but it was from a place I didn't expect. Long story short, I was interested in what happened next, occasionally an episode ended on a cliffhanger and I had to tune in immediately, but that absolute investment wasn't there for me.
This show may seem extremely shallow just reading the short bio, reading a couple reviews, or even watching the first few episodes. However, there are a lot of really great surprises that you can't even comprehend without giving it a chance. I'm so happy I decided to give this show a chance, I have a feeling you'll feel the same way after finishing it. It's a great story that really gets you to think while watching it, which is very refreshing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 19, 2014
Spoiler free.
I found this show by browsing through related anime of my favorite shows, and I'm so glad that I did.
Bokurano follows the events of a group of children who have inadvertently been thrown into a large scale event, thinking it was just a small game. From there, they have to fight to secure the safety of everything they know. About now, I imagine some of you are yawning. Something like this is seen in so many different shows, and the concern I had was it was going to be another show just like that. I was surprised to
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find that wasn't the case.
Bokurano had no problems with kicking off immediately. I thought there were going to be a few primer episodes, but if I recall correctly, you're being introduced to the main plot point in the first episode. This can either succeed or fail, in Bokurano's case, it didn't really do either, it's just how it was. Another interesting thing Bokurano did well was not introducing the children alltogether. For reasons I won't get into, their back story is introduced individually throughout the show, and I thought this was fantastic. Everyone had their time in the light, and it's hard to pin down just who the main character really is. After finishing it, you could argue who it was, but the point is I don't feel like it matters so much. With that said, I really enjoyed how the characters were developed, if not for just a short while.
Another interesting thing was the fight scenes were slow paced, and ended abruptly. Half the episode wasn't spent sequencing robots hitting each other. A couple of them were fast paced based on the pilot's ability, but generally, you could feel the weight of each machine. This is another thing that could have bothered me if the show hadn't been able to pull it off so well. I was actually more interested in the story than I was watching a couple hunks of metal hit each other. That isn't to say it didn't have its great moments, in fact, it kind of presented a nice build up to the last fight, which was really good.
This show is relatively older, so it doesn't look as 'clean' as some of the newer shows. I guess people care about that, but even with that aside, the overall design of the show was really great. Some of the mechs had awesome designs, and I really enjoyed each of the environments presented. I couldn't say this show was visually lacking at all.
The only complaint I might have is I would have liked there to be a couple more episodes that really emphasized on the gravity of the overall situation. As with any show, there's a point where you realize things aren't so black and white, and something larger is presented to you. Bokurano had a nice set up, but unfortunately didn't have a lot of time to go deeper into what was going on behind the scenes. I wouldn't say it's a huge downside, considering it was mostly just focusing on the story of the characters, but even so, I was really interested in the large picture. But I suppose that's what the manga is for, right?
Lastly, the music. The music playing throughout the show was really good, but the main theme is amazing. Few anime out there have a really good opening song, and I'm overjoyed whenever I find a good one.
In the end, this show is still kind of "just another robot show" in a small way. I feel like some things could have been explored, but overall I'm happy with how it played out. It wasn't really a leader in terms of doing things differently, but even so, I really enjoyed every moment of it. If you haven't tuned in, you need to. It's a humble reminder that sometimes things don't need to be revolutionary, and sometimes something so simple can turn out really great.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 17, 2014
I stared Monster as a recommendation. All that was said was "A doctor on the run in Germany". I've been spending so much time watching shows that bend the rules of anything real, big robots, space, a couple slice of life shows, this sounded like something nice to get into.
So I started the first episode. I was interested, but not hooked at all. I'm sure you've read many times that this show starts out slow in relation to how big it gets. The situations are things that any of us could face in our daily lives. Then
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something happens that changes the course, even still, remotely. A couple murders, an investigation, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I didn't expect it to be a typical murder mystery.
But then the restraints on the story snap, and things start moving. You start to get a feel for why this show is called Monster (ignoring the fact that it's being pushed at you). My one possible complaint that I had was: "I'd hate how much this show sidetracks if it weren't so awesome". Even when you feel the story couldn't stray anymore, you know that everything that is happening is absolutely applicable. Everything comes together in the end, I don't know if there was a loose end by the finale.
If you're getting into this show, I would really urge you to keep going. I was considering turning it off a couple times, it just felt a bit dry in the beginning. As I said, it was interesting, but I didn't feel much substance to it. I think it was intended looking back.
One of my favorite aspects about this show are the characters. They were very well developed, and even the ones who were purposefully made out to be no more emotional than a rock, one of them in particular ended up being my favorites out of the show. Some of these characters didn't get the glory of being introduced with a huge back story, and they were still really interesting. Their contributions weren't their past, but what they did during the story, which was really great. Even one of the people I absolutely hated at the beginning became to be someone I really enjoyed seeing on my TV. The characters and how they develop are no doubt the strongest aspect of this series.
Interestingly enough, a lot of the time while I was watching it, I kind of lost focus. Some conversations do kind of go on for too long, and I took a couple breaks from it as I went. The immediate enjoyment factor is there, but not as much as you'd like. It's definitely not a steroid-fueled experience, which is good, but don't go into it under the assumption that every moment is going to be tense, they replace that with a slight sense of paranoia instead. I wasn't always thinking to myself "I need to see the next episode right now or I'll lose my mind", but I always kept coming back to it wanting to know overall where everything is going, and where it will end.
Apparently this show is very acclaimed, and rightly so. I hadn't heard of it until very recently. If you're put off by the hype around it, understand that it lives up to it. I would recommend you watch this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 14, 2014
I'm conflicted as I write this. I wanted to love Sword Art Online, but..
The story starts off very strong. Kirito, the main character, participates in a new game that utilizes a headset that allows a users 'consciousness' (for the lack of a better term) to be placed into the game's world. Everything starts out well, but something goes wrong, etc. The calamities taking place at first were pretty heavy, it really got a reaction out of me. What they did for the first half was done very well, and I assumed the rest of the show would be like that.
Except
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it wasn't. After the first half, things happen, and the show gets really weird. Again, no details. I can understand what the writers may have been trying to do. You set up a great story, spin it around a little bit to create a surprising element to the show, but it spun off its axis and fell on the floor honestly. Weird is even an understatement, some aspects just got creepy.
For all that, I was somewhat comforted by the ending. I felt like the writers had strong momentum for the first half, forgot what they were doing for the second half, then regained some of the momentum for the last episode. So instead of splitting my score right down the middle, I'll give them an overall fair rating for it, because I did enjoy it either way.
Being newer, the art quality was awesome. The world they set up in SWO was incredible, the visuals were very nice. This obviously also boosted my enjoyment of the combat scenes, everything was very fluid. What's more, they had an excellent atmosphere set up for it. This is probably my favorite aspect of the show alone.
The music was good, nothing was really memorable. I can't quite remember the theme song even, but I remember it wasn't bad, so they've got that going for them I suppose.
The character, or the main protagonists, were all very enjoyable. Again, this show has its weaknesses and strengths, but for all the weaknesses, the characters are a big redeeming factor. They didn't quite leave a huge impression, but I really enjoyed watching them develop as the show went on, and found myself rooting for them. This and the art style kept me coming back for more episodes.
Overall (or TL;DR), it starts off very strong, really drops in quality for the second half, and then has an ending (that I feel) really redeems it a bit. If you decide to watch SWO, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but it might not be what you think it is. Usually that's a good thing, but I'm not so sure in this case.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 14, 2014
I decided to watch this based on the recommendations seen here on MAL. After Steins;Gate I was looking for something kind of on par in terms of weirdness, and I got a LOT more than I bargained for here.
The basic premise is, the main character Yuki - for reasons I won't get into - is able to see future events via his cell phone. Using this, he has a chance at becoming a god. That's all I'm saying, from here you can guess why there may be conflicts with this, and where some of his enemies may sprout from. I was
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very cautious with the reviews I read, and the whole series was just a complete surprise to me.
Something this show did well was leading you into thinking one direction, then taking you somewhere else. I don't know if I'd call it plot twists, but they're just simple explanations that you may not have considered. That said, the scale of the story is pretty ambitious. So it retains a balance between simplicity and complexity that kind of leads you guessing what's going to happen next.
As far as just small enjoyment, there wasn't an episode where I didn't utter "What the hell.." during. Not all the turns this story takes are huge revelations in terms of the overall plot, just subtle events that make you feel very uneasy that may or may not come back to haunt the characters.
The visuals were overall pretty great, I can't say I have any complaints in that regard. One thing I have to say is the initial intro is probably one of the best I've ever seen. There wasn't an episode where I wanted to fast forward through it (until it was updated of course). This goes along with my comment on the music, which absolutely leaves an impression.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this show. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 11, 2014
What is there to say about this show? I had no prior knowledge of it (I seem to have a habit of getting into shows I know nothing about), and decided to watch it because the cover art looked interesting.
Initially it starts off fair, you get the typical setup you might expect. It does well at introducing the main character, but initially I was under the impression that there was a large-scale calamity ahead of him, and what I found out is there actually is, it's just under a different pretense than you're lead to believe (This is a spoiler free
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review, don't worry).
Welcome to the NHK broaches on NEETs (Not in education, employment, or training), or more importantly, a hikikomori. Hikikomori is a phenomena (not exclusive to Japan, but more focused to it) where someone completely shuts themselves out from the outside world. It's not uncommon for them to even stay in the same room for up to a few years. The main character is somewhat of a Hikikomori, but not completely.
What follows this setup is an outstanding story of someone overcoming themselves with the help of a few good friends. Don't misunderstand this show for anything other than a slice of life anime, but even if that's not your cup of tea, it's absolutely worth it. What I felt this show captivated very well was having us really empathize with the main character. A lot of people really understand the urge to break away from the outside world and stay in a cocoon to yourself, because that's an area of safety. So while we're not all Hikikomori, it's something we can relate to regardless.
As stated before, the show starts off fairly, you get a pretty common setup. But a while through the show, something a bit unexpected happens that forces our main character to really challenge himself, and does something a little odd as a result. The common setup kind of breaks out and becomes its own thing, and you're left wondering what's going to happen next. This happens just when I felt like I had the show figured out, and it was a pretty pleasant surprise.
There's not a lot to say about it really, it's a slice of life anime, and it's something you have to experience to really appreciate what it broaches on. I felt a pretty good connection with the characters, and really enjoyed what it brought to the table. The art was a little strange sometimes, but wasn't by any means disruptive. The sound quality was good, but I unfortunately didn't make any noticeable impressions on the music. It's not action packed, it's not even a rollercoaster ride, but what they pulled off with it was absolutely amazing. I don't know what kept me coming back to it, but I finished it pretty quickly wanting to know what happens next, even if I couldn't even define what was happening at all. Above all, it closes in a pretty NEET package (hue, pun).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 11, 2014
I took a risk with this one. I had no idea what I was getting into, I just decided to take the plunge based off no recommendations at all, and was I surprised with what I got.
My initial surprise, unfortunately, was "what the hell am I watching?". The show starts off a little awkwardly, when you realize the main character is trying to act as a mad scientist with no goals other than fighting back against an invisible organization. This initially got on my nerves a little, especially when I made the mistake of watching the dub first (please don't expose yourself
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to it, the voice actors in the subs portray the characters a lot better in my opinion). I was reluctant to push on, especially when I looked into it a bit more and read how the plot involved time manipulation via microwave. At that point, I really couldn't tell you what kept me going through the first few episodes, but there's something oddly intriguing about it.
When you push through that awkward hump in the show, you really can't stop watching it. I finished it within a couple days. Few shows based on the exploration of time travel really grab me, it's usually that cliche of the whole grandfather paradox, butterfly effect, or what-have-you. While the show did broach on one of them, it really has its own way of going about things. When you're launched into this world, you're launched hard, and you realize the severe implications of the main character's actions. But you don't just realize it, you feel it. Again, this is something that's almost exclusive to this show (for me). I've seen quite a few movies and series that go on the subject, but none of them have ever made me feel why you shouldn't meddle with time. Steins;Gate did this, and it did it hard.
Above that, you really do care for the characters, even the ones you should hate. You really did want things to work for the best for everyone involved, because they really were just a group of people who got in over their heads. I didn't mind joining the main character through repeats in time, where that might have bothered me in other shows, because the story was in full throttle to the main point.
It's rare that I find something where I can't think of any reason why anyone could possibly hate it. Steins;Gate certainly isn't without its flaws (mainly, as stated, its weird start), but it has a great combination of everything you could ever ask for in a show (a good balance of cheesy vs witty humor, drama, action, sorrow, anger, happiness, etc).
If you're not watching it, I can understand your reluctance. But you won't regret getting started once you start seeing what this show really has to offer. It has great characters, it bases itself on tiresome cliches and promptly destroys them, it's visually appealing, and you really do invest yourself in it. It's definitely going on my list of favorites.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 10, 2014
I absolutely enjoyed the ride I got out of Noragami. I found it on Hulu and decided to give it a shot without really knowing anything about it, and what I got was pretty fair. I did quite like the characters in the show, but I didn't really get the feeling that I got to know them as much as I'd like. They did pretty well in setting up who is who, who's going through what, but I'm not so sure that I know everything that there is to be known about them.
I suppose that's what you get for going into a
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show with one planned season, and manga pending. With that, most of my disappointment stems from me just wanting more of it. The art was amazing, and the potential for a storyline is there. The entire first season to me feels like a setup for something more. I'm trying my best to not give anything away here, so it may sound really vague.
Some very small plot points were solved in the long-run, but I didn't think they were serious enough for a show to be based on. It's common knowledge that the main character runs into a god, has a problem retaining her soul, etc. That much is kind of delved into, but everything else that happens is relatively erroneous, just small obstacles. There's no grand scheme, and to get it, you'd probably be best reading the manga afterwards.
In short, if the series continues, my ratings for the story would absolutely be higher. All the other elements of Noragami are really amazing, but there's so much potential here for something awesome, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by the end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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