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Jul 19, 2011
It is quite clear to me that C is by far the worst anime ever to have come out of the notamina block airing spot. Initially, with the director of Mononoke behind the steering wheel, and interesting premise of the show, I honestly thought I was in for intriguing series. However, despite this, there were clearly some things wrong with this anime from the start.
What was clear to anyone watching this was how dreadful the animation, art, and editing was. Now it would seem that C never quite received the budget it needed, but still there is no excuse for the choppy editing that was
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present from episode 1 (And got much worst as it reached its conclusion). The show jumped form scene to scene without establishing much context, the transitions were very unnatural, and the character actions were always very hard to trace out.
But regardless of what was going on in the technical department, I was still interested at the start. The story focused on people who participate in a place called the financial district where they would wage duels in which they would use beings called assets to fight. Each participant would put their "future" on the line and the winner would gain more money while the loser would lose his future, and essentially their life would be ruined. The money of the financial district, called midas money, is only visible by people who have been to the financial district. Normal people can't see it, and it's everywhere in the real world. When people lose their "future" the real world has lots of changes in it happen too.
But without rambling too much about the setting, the anime seemed to be some sort of commentary on how money is used everyday, what it means to people, and the impact it has on our everyday lives. There were different things flying around about whether we should value the future over the present or the present over the future (Similar to some of the latest bail out talks surrounding governments), so there were plenty of interesting thing underneath the surface.
That is why it is just so disappointing that this anime had to train wreck so bad with its plot. Throughout the whole show they traveled through the plot points at blinding speed. Character development was hardly given at all, and the main character's development ended up making no sense due to this. Not to mention that the events towards the end seemed incredibly random, and the only reason you couldn't pause to ask yourself what the hell is going on is because every damn second a new ridiculous thing was happening.
C is pretty much a case of nice idea, but horrible execution. Few animes ever get everything so wrong on the production side of things, stuff you can control, that i ends up ruining the show, but that is definitely what we have here. However, if you don't care much for the story it is very entertaining in its own right to see an anime such as this fall apart in such an epic fashion that you would have to see it to believe it.
In any case, don't take this story seriously as I did, otherwise you're in for quite the disappointment.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 19, 2011
Sometimes we get shows where there are particular parts that we don't enjoy as much as the rest of the series, sometimes shows start off badly and come together later on, and sometimes shows have a train crash towards the end. It is because of these facts about many anime shows out there that I have grown to appreciate anime that have consistency. I want to be able to enjoy a show from start to finish and feel like there are no real episodes wasted. This is where True Tears shines. Every episode felt like there was something significant to watch in it, every episode
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was enjoyable, every episode was used to the best of its ability.
If I had to describe the story of True Tears, the first thing I would say is that it is a love triangle story. And while that may sound unattractive to some considering how many indecisive harem leads anime has subjected us to in the past, this show quickly distances itself with its characterization and overall quality of storytelling and direction. The main lead Shinchiro initially starts out the show interested in a girl Hiromi, who for various reasons lives with his family. Shinchiro, a seemingly talented artist, is frustrated with his current lifestyle because he is not able to communicate to the girl he likes, and because he is forced by his parents into participating in a festival. It is at this point that we see him begin to work on a picture book. While on the surface this story is a love triangle story, underneath it is more about Shinchiro finding the will and courage to move forward with his life in positive direction, whether it be love or the responsibilities he is given in his life. This is both reflected in the world of the anime and in Shinciro’s picture book, as one can see the picture book’s story reflecting the inner and outer turmoil surrounding of Shinchiro. The girls, while very interesting characters in their own right, serve as the catalysts for Shnchiro’s development throughout the story. Because of this and more True Tears manages to be a compelling love triangle story.
Anyways, when I decided to first go and watch this series, I was extremely skeptical due to hype tending not to meet my expectations. Much to my surprise though, I was totally drawn in. What really got me into it quickly were a few things that I noticed. One was the pacing as it doesn't rush through anything and quietly moves its plot along in realistic fashion. I must say I was quite elated to find this show. My question though was if this would continue like so? And the answer would have to be more or less, yes.
As I went through the series, two other things captivated me, the subtly of the actions, and the eccentric Noe. While not being the most real character in the series, this is where I believe fiction can do its work with imagination in presenting such a character. She gave a huge sense of freshness to the show in general with her quirky behavior. Both this and the subtly of the character actions really caught my attention early on. Many anime are heavily reliant on building up to climaxes of drama that if they don’t manage to hit you, can often fall flat on their face. They don’t use any subtly in their craft, and really expect to just tug on people’s heart strings. Where True Tears differs is that there’s no desire to really build up to big climaxes. True Tears tries to express a drama in realistic terms, from the body language of the characters, to how they interact. The drama flows naturally and there is rarely moments of hamminess.
I must say though, that I can’t emphasize enough how much I like seeing pretty original characters in stories these days and that is why I appreciate Noe so much. If it were not for her, this series could seriously have just been another one of those romance anime that you don't really care much about if it passes by. The whole influence on the picture book that Shinchiro wrote, and the symbolism going on, was all greatly aided by her character. She added an irreplaceable amount of importance to the story that no other character I think could have done in her place. This is not to say that the other characters were bad. Hiromi is not very likable to me as well, but Noe definitely provided me something special in this series.
If there are any criticisms I have though is that some characters didn’t get enough development, such as Shinchiro’s friend Nobuse and the girl Aiko (Who technically makes this show a love square). Their presence in the show didn’t feel all too needed, so I have to question why their very purpose in the sotry in the first place. Other criticism would have to be is that towards the ending the plot felt like it was directing the character’s actions rather than the characters directing the plot. Because of these things, I cannot justify rating this anime any higher, but really it was still great overall.
This anime should be a winner on technical merits alone, but the mostly genuine feeling of its storytelling and honesty in its presentation makes this series fully worth recommending to anyone with interest in the genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 19, 2011
Before this season, A-1 pictures has done little worth noting for me, but when I saw the synopsis for this anime coupled with the fact that it landed a notamina block spot, I was certain that this was going to be a winner.
The first episode was emotionally riveting, and surely I knew we were in for something a little special this season.
I've always enjoyed stories that manage to make connections to you personally. To me that's one of Ano Hana's greatest strength, its ability to pull on one's nostalgic chords. The whole story about old friends split apart (And in this case it's about something
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emotionally traumatic for the group) and managing to come back together and move on was a fairly straight forward, but effective means of drawing interest from the viewers. Most of if not all of us have probably gone through similar experiences where we split with old friends for one reason or another, and I'm sure many of us have thought about those so called "glory days" as well. In that regard, it managed to make an emotional connection with me from the synopsis alone.
However, this strength may also be Ano Hana's greatest weakness. Due the nature of having to follow the series intermittently week by week, and the fact that the series drives an emotional punch right from the start, there were many moments throughout the anime which failed to elicit the proper sympathetic response. No, one does not necessarily have to tear up or anything, as I never expected that sort of emotionally involving standard, but the anime still should be able to properly maintain the emotional involvement that it started with.
The series was weakest on this front during the middle portions of the story. However, I felt they managed to come full circle by the end, so Ano Hana gets points from me there. Though I will say that the last episode could have been a tad less melodramatic.
Perhaps not necessarily secondary to this strength/weakness though is Ano Hana's characters. Almost everyone in the group was developed extremely well, and each had their own little story, and each had their own problems and frustrations. Couple this with the fact that there's actually 3 guys and 3 girls in the Super Peace Busters instead of the usual harem or 4-5 girl ensemble, and it provided a much more interesting composition of characters in the main cast than you'd typically see in any other kind of show.
Really, the first thing a story should always do after creating the premise to make sure you have characters worth caring about. None of these stock cardboard cut out archetype characters that can't stand up on their own when compared to all the other stock cardboard cut out archetype characters. There needs to be some sort of substance, something more to see that just their quirky personality traits.
And no, it's not simply about giving them some sort of dramatic past like "my parents died in an accident, or my family, or my friend," and then showing them to be sad or distraught. Sure you can throw details like that into any story, but if you don't manage to successfully detail each character's personality, their woes and likes, how they respond to different events, why they think a certain way, then it's hard to understand what these characters even really think about in the end.
While melodrama and magical realism has been done to a certain extent before (See KEY animes), I feel like Ano Hana manages to separate itself and its narrative significantly. One large reason being the length of it, but also the type of story it wants to tell. Melodrama doesn't define a narrative, and people shouldn't try to pin Ano Hana as a story about cheap emotional involvement. I always felt it had a genuine and honest feeling to its story, something that shines true all the way to the end no matter how sappy it got.
That's probably the best word to describe Ano Hana, genuine.
I fully recommend the story to anyone who can accept the premise as is and whose sole goal isn't to make themselves cry. Ano Hana is a story that is more about the journey than the destination.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 19, 2011
It's one thing to produce an anime that turns out badly, but it's another thing entirely to produce an anime that showcases a complete lack of effort put into production. Hidan no Aria is merely but another step into failure by the largely hit or miss JC Staff, but what really manages to tick me off as a viewer is the complete lack of care and effort put into the production of this anime.
Now listen. I had nothing against the initial setup of this anime, I originally started watching it (And kept doing so for who knows what reason) merely because the premise seemed to
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be fun, although ridiculous. It was something for me to just watch for the shits and giggles, a guilty pleasure if you will.
I never expected tons of depth or complexity in this anime, but I did expect to be entertained. I wanted to see an anime that would be almost the equivalent of a summer blockbuster action flick, which while certainly the highest quality entertainment out there, it still manages to be a fun little experience.
Clearly, JC Staff had other things in mind. Instead of just trying to provide straight forward entertainment, Hidan no Aria was very roundabout with its approach. An incredible amount of the show's time was devoted completely to fanservice and the usual anime tropes. Ranging from the main heroine Aria, who is yet another Kugerie Rie voiced loli tsundere from JC staff, who does nothing but treats the half spineless male lead like a slave, to the yandere childhood friend Shirayuki who dots on the main protagonist in a severely annoying manner, there was almost no character here that felt genuine or likable. I say the male lead is half spineless because supposedly whenever he gets a boner for one of the other girls he enters "Hysteria mode" and changes into some super skilled fighter with an arrogant, charismatic, and overbearing attitude. No joke here either.
Honestly, I feel like I'm writing about some action comedy, but the worst part about it all is that this plot takes itself fully seriously. There are several supposed "dramatic" moments in the series where we are expected to sympathize with each girl in the main character's little harem, especially Aria. There are several times in this series where one will be subjected to Aria's toddler tantrums because of things not going her way, and we are expected to sympathize with her when all she does is slave driver the main lead with a leash.
But hey, even if the characters suck, maybe the action and plot is entertaining... Well one of the major facets of the plot is how these famous people in the world are often direct descendants of famous figures like Holmes, Dracula, Lupin, etc. Each of them bears their own pasts and problems, but really, it's just really, really stupid. I think by the end when you see that the Dracula descendant is a werewolf you will also realize just how stupid this plot line is.
The action itself is often very lackluster. JC Staff's continual budget slashing just makes the show look like utter crap. Nothing about it stands out, and there's not enough of it at all. Not to mention that tons of of the action scenes are marred by again, fanservice since our main lead needs a boner to do anything productive. For some reason he is also relegated to support roles as well.
But I digress. What's clear to me, is that there is a clear lack of effort put forth by JC Staff that is pervasive throughout the entire anime. The fanservice is hardly stimulating, especially when most of it is from a loli pink haired girl. The action lacks punch, and there is far too little of it. And worst of all, each and every character is an anime archetype or trope executed in a very uninspiring manner.
If the creators of the show aren't even trying to make me like this, why should I?
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jul 19, 2011
Ore no Imouto or My Little Sister Can't be this Cute is quite possibly one of the most deceptive anime I have ever seen.
Initially I stayed away from this show because I was quite weary of the rather ludicrous premise and the title made me think I was in for another incest anime. However, like any other hyped anime, sometimes one just has to see what is the deal with the popularity.
First of all, I'll admit that the initial episodes showed promising signs. My fears of this turning into some sort of incestual fetish anime were dispelled almost immediately, and better yet, the premise while
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rather ridiculous was merely a vehicle for a much more well grounded and relateable plot. At the beginning of the show, our main protagonist Kyousuke is seen to be in a rather broken relationship with his younger sister Kirino until, by accident, discovers that his sister is an closet otaku who apparently loves eroge games involving little sisters. The later confrontations over this fact would later lead to Kyousuke getting involved in his sister's secret lifestyle, and it is quite possible for this once broken sibling relationship to make amends over the glorious hobbies of an otaku.
Despite all this, my initial positive impression of this show would quickly go down the drain. The show which initially presented itself both seriously and earnestly, became very dishonest. I really was tricked into thinking that they'd treat the otaku issues at least semi-seriously. The way those around her accept her as is puts me in utter disbelief. What was the point of her hiding her hobby in the first place if it was going to seem so easy to get more out in the open with it?
I should have honestly seen the warning signs. Why of course, not only is our otaku in this show a moe bait girl, but she is also presented as absolutely perfect in anything she does. It's both hard to sympathize and care for the character Kirino when almost everything always works out for her.This is further exasperated by the protagonist and side character's willingness to be at her beckon call whenever a problem does arrive.
It is quite apparent by at least the mid point of this show, that all Ore no Imouto truly wanted to be was some clever marketing scheme to create an otaku wish fulfillment fantasy anime. If there is one thing that I do not appreciate in anime, it is being patronized by the creators of a show. And my god, this show was certainly an insult to my intelligence.
I say this of course without even mentioning just how insufferable Kirino is. Tsundere is the sort of trope where if you execute it well, you probably have a decent character in your grasp, but if you make a mess out of it, you get Louise from ZnT, and trust me, that's not a good thing...
There are not many shows where the mere presence of one character seems to drag down the rest of the cast with them. Each and every character is bashed to death with the stupid stick anytime a situation with Kirino arises, in particular the main character Kyousuke. The only saving grace in the cast ever being the goth lolita charcter Kuroneko (They should just a spin off series about her). Hey even I admit that she's a bitch, but at least she's a bitch I can find amusing and sympathize with. There's absolutely nothing sympathetic about the character Kirino. She expresses belligerent behavior to those around her, especially her brother, without consequence and we're supposed to sit here and laugh.
This is merely another breaking point in my suspension of disbelief (As if I hadn't reached that threshold already to some degree) for this anime. One cannot simply accept that a brother, Kyousuke, who supposedly hates his sister, would go to hell and back for a sister that shows anything but kindness to him. It just doesn't make sense. Either Kyousuke is one of the greatest saints I have seen in fiction or the writing here is just terrible and breaks characterization. To say the least, it's not enjoyable to watch either way.
To sum it up without ranting too much about this trash series... If you dislike tsunderes, stay away. If you dislike otaku-wish fulfillment animes, stay away. If you are looking for a real down to earth exploration of a sibling relationship. I repeat, stay away.
All we have here is an otaku wish fulfillment anime centralized around a Mary Sue character. If that is something you enjoy, go ahead. Otherwise, you have been warned.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 18, 2011
While perusing over titles in the magical girl genre it is almost impossible to miss that which is the Nanoha franchise these days. Touted by many as a revolutionary magical girl show with its Gundam like magical battles and its supposed expansive universe, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is certainly not lacking any hype.
However, as reactions may vary, I found this show to be quite the disappointment. This show can definitely be split into two halves.
The very beginning is typical enough for a mahou shoujo show, it certainly plays off the very roots of the genre with how Nanoha first finds and comes into contact with
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magic, but what the show does after that is where the problems arise. The story is very mundane, and lacks any attractive force to it. Almost set up like a monster of the week show, Nanoha does very little to entertain. I was left questioning what was so damn unique about this show when everything about it just seemed so uninspiring, flat, and just frankly boring. One thing is for sure though and that is I couldn't see what so damn exciting or riveting about the fights at this juncture compared to other mahou shoujos.
The show however does become much better in its second half or so when the character Fate Testarossa arrives. I was reaching the point of insurmountable rage about how this show could ever be considered such a classic in the genre when everything about it screamed boring. Fate, probably the best character in the show as far as I can see, injected this show with much needed life. Finally the universe in this show finally starts to be explored, even if just a little bit. There's a tangible conflict beyond finding little jewel shards. The conflict is exciting, and the events that unfold were nice to see. The relationship that Nanoha forms with Fate also becomes a very endearing one to behold.
Another major improvement in the show was the action. Finally it started becoming more exciting. It wasn't the most riveting action ever by any means, but it finally achieved a standard of reasonably entertaining. I do however criticize the action in this show for lacking any sort of mental exercise. The action mostly consisted of beam spamming, shields, and binds, all which were executed at random intervals and varying strength. There is no real strategy to each engagement, so I can hardly consider it top tier action.
However despite my positive comments on the second half, the jarring contrast between these two halves of the show is quite stark. Everything before Fate was a very light hearted mundane affair, but one of the things we're treated to in the second half is much darker (Compared to the first half) and it is hard to believe that this is the same show. It never really felt like there was a transition to this sort of violence and such as the show went along. Worst, it was only at this point that the show seemed like it really wanted to take itself seriously.
The reason I take issue with the show suddenly wanting to take itself very seriously is that it becomes rather hard to hold a strong enough suspension of disbelief over the course of this show. I often quip that this show's title should be Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Therapist Girl Nanoha, because really, Nannoha displays wisdom way beyond her years. She's shown to be like an adult at the prime age of 9. The way she talks to both foes and allies displays a mental maturity beyond many adults you see in real life.
Further things that arise over the course of the show that one must question is the incredibly weird family situation that Nanoha is in. The way they accept her going out at night without much suspicion, the way the mother lets Nanoha leave for months at a time with strangers for no good reason at all, is mind boggling. If a story wants to take itself serious, I also expect them to take care of such details seriously as well.
Unfortunately, despite the major improvements in the second half of the show, it nonetheless concludes in a disappointing manner. The final conflict delivered isn't the type of conclusion I thought it deserved, and many of the characters were shafted. There were a couple of nice moments between some of the characters at the end, but everything felt rather underwhelming.
Overall, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha isn't a bad series. If it had focused more on the elements presented in its second half, had better execution, and other such touch-ups, I'm sure I would've considered this quite the nice show. As is though, it skimps out on too many corners its story and presentation, and the first parts of this were extremely boring. It is hard to see this as a great show, let alone the classic that many tout it to be.
This is both an overrated anime and a mahou shoujo, but is not a waste of your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 18, 2011
Before I begin this review it must be noted that I am not a moe hater. Shows centralized on moe are fine so long as it succeeds at its task. What is not fine is a show that is completely false advertising.
Coming into K-ON! you would expect to see a show about girls getting into a band and watch them enjoy the experience of learning to play music. While we don't exactly expect for them to get all that dramatic or serious all the time, it's still nice to see the struggles of learning to play music, the effort it takes to get good, and
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to get the overall culture of it as well.
However what I did see was none of this at all. Much like many other poorly made animes on hobbies and sports, K-ON! did an immense disservice in portraying what it means to be in a band. The dedication, hard work, the love for music, the love for the culture of music, and even the simple know-how of instrument playing was completely nonexistent.
As a viewer, I find this very dissatisfying. Are we to sit here and really believe that characters like Yui can sit around slacking, eating cake, and hardly practicing at all with almost no knowledge can suddenly be this guitar genius on a concert stage playing these songs perfectly? Even as far as musical geniuses go, there was a lot of hard work and toil and passion put into their craft.
But fine. Clearly this anime never intended to be BECK with moe, so it's fine to adjust our perception of this anime begrudgingly so. However, even for an anime centralized around moe, or more specifically for this show "cute girls doing cute things," the show was hardly entertaining. Ignoring the fact that the characters for me were just utterly dull or annoying, the activities and antics of the girls were not really amusing.
An anime that is 1 cour does need two cliche "beach" episodes. Eating sweets the entire show was not "cute," and really the characters hardly lended themselves to being likable due to their utter lack of depth. None of them seem to be anything but 2 dimensional the entire show's run.
There is definitely a distinction between moe shows with depth and subtle complexities and shows like this, which is essentially moe blobs without soul or substance. This compounded with the fact that is false advertising created a horrible viewing experience for myself. If you were looking for a show that was in any way supposed to be about a nice group of girls truly learning the experience of a musical band, this is probably not for you. If however you are satisfied with looking at what you see is cute animated moving images of cute girls doing mundane tasks, then enjoy it as you would like.
All I can say that this show neither succeeds at being a being an anime about music nor at being a moe show, which I would call a complete derailment of what this show is both advertised and presented as.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jul 18, 2011
Of all the genres in anime, there are few as innocent and as light as the magical girl genre. It is usually by default that audiences expect the same old concept of the young, optimistic heroine who harnesses some sort of magical power given to her to battle evil forces in the name of justice. So to those unfamiliar with director Akiyuki Shinbo and writer Urobuchi Gen, Puella Magi Madoka Magica must have come with quite a shock.
While there certainly have been magical girl shows that have taken a darker focus in the past, none so far have been able to deconstruct the genre as
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successfully as Madoka Magica. In this regard, Urobuchi Gen lives true to his name, as he manages to carefully and logically dissect the magical girl genre, turning it into an often cruel and unforgiving place. The tension and horror that Gen creates is further compounded by an aura of ambiguity that lies over the setting, which is propagated by one of the most unreliable exposition characters of all time, Kyube. In such a universe there is no solace to be found in this little mascot companion, all the while there are barrages of unsettling revelations.
In appreciating the incredible atmosphere of this anime, one must not certainly forget composer Yuiji Kajura. The way she manages to bring out the often somber and dark atmosphere of the show with nothing but the ambience of her music is breath taking. In particular, the way each episode in the series is led into the powerfully dark ending theme, Magia, is chilling. It would not be an overstatement to say that without her contribution, Madoka Magica may have only been two-thirds as great.
Although perhaps a bit eclipsed by Urobuchi Gen, Shinbo’s style and hand in the series is definitely there. From the trippy and LSD induced scenes of the witches that create a sense of a foreign environment, to how usual scenes are made to look surreal, it is definitely classic Shinbo. Whether or not one will appreciate his distinctive style in a magical girl show is a different story. Sometimes seeing a bunch of mustache men and your lunch integrated into the action sequences just goes a little bit too far. There were often points in the series that perhaps would have done better with a more traditional approach to animation and art. This is not to say that Shinbo did not have his usual touches of brilliance, but that there is a fine line between brilliance and just being flat out pretentious, which at times I felt, was violated.
However, despite everything, the story can be boiled down to the personal struggle of our main character Kaname Madoka. As an idealistic young girl, she has to come to terms with the cynical universe she is placed in and search for the best answer to solving the vaguely dark and evil forces that threaten to destroy the world she has come to love. The decisions she has to make eventually culminate into a very touching and emotional conclusion.
Overall, while the plot often forces the characters into dire situations, it is through these plot points that the viewer is truly able to see what each character is made of. In doing so Gen manages to not sacrifice the emotional involvement in this show in his pursuit of deconstruction, maintaining a nice balance of both intellectual and emotional satisfaction. Madoka Magica manages to become a unique experience that almost any anime fan can appreciate, and for that, it is fully deserving of the accolades it receives.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 18, 2011
If there is one thing that should be immediately praised about the anime FLAG is its daring approach to the animated medium. The entire story, revolving around two photo-journalists in a fictional war zone that resembles the middle east/south-east Asia, is seen through either their camera lens, cameras of vehicles, or sometimes someone else's camera. This approach while certainly unique requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief though. You have to believe that every living moment of this series that they have their cameras opened and pointing at people, but nonetheless, for those interested this suspension of disbelief should be trivial and come rather
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easily to the audience.
This stylistic approach really lends the anime itself to being very gritty, pulling you into the world in a manner that a 3rd person point of view could never do. The way the battles are animated earns a unique flavor as you see everything from the perspective of the pilots fighting. Aiding all of this are its outstanding visuals. The quality of art and character designs is off the charts good. All of these visual elements combine to form a rather incredible feeling of what it feels like to watch a war documentary.
Of course, style isn't everything, and a gimmick with nice visuals can only take one so far into the anime before one must scrutinize the plot. One can say that FLAG is the story of two halves, one being that of the Saeko Shirasu and the other being that of the Keiichi Akagi. Both of these photo-journalists friends (A mentor to student relationship to be precise), the beginning of the story starts off with them parting ways from each other in the story. While Akagi is seen trying to dig up information on the events of the war from the grounds of the city where the war zone is centered, Shirasu is shown following a group of soldiers by request of the UN. The journey that both these journalists take is very different, and gives a very holistic picture of the war in question. It becomes a very interesting tale about the people involved, their motivations and goals, as well as a suspenseful mystery, as more and more details of this shady war are revealed through the lenses of our photo-journalists.
The story's strength is not about showing the obvious horrors of war. If one wants to see blood, guts, and screaming children, they would be better served watching live action war dramas or documentaries. It's about showing a gritty perspective of war, where one doesn't understand the forces at play, why certain things happen, how injustices are played out but are never talked about, all the meanwhile shady political movements are abound. It really delves into the roll of the journalist, and how they seek to unravel the mysteries and details before them. Furthermore, one of its greatest strengths is its depiction of people involved in the war, whether it's the common civilians or the soldiers, or even just the other journalists and informants around the grounds of the city. The characters feel very genuine, the emotions and feelings feel very genuine. That's part of what makes this anime so incredible.
Despite everything I said and the rating I gave in the enjoyment category ("9"), I will say that this anime is not for everyone. Without an intellectual curiosity and intrigue for such material, this anime will grow old quite fast. It is something that one must strain their mind to enjoy at times because the great nuances at play and intellectual satisfaction will not come without much concentration put into the anime. It's definitely not easy-bake entertainment.
Overall, I have to give credit to this anime. It delivers a nice intellectual satisfaction, and was definitely a pleasure to watch. If anything, the unique style of the anime is something that makes this anime worth watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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