- Last Online22 minutes ago
- JoinedFeb 10, 2019
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Oct 22, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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1
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
3 |
| Story |
1 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Character |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
Possibly the most pointless OVA ever made.
Under the Dog is pathetic through and through. I doubt the entire staff were inept, but it was at least most of them. I'm lost as to how this even got to release without any of the rest raising their hand and saying to the room; "Fellas, this is awful. Please tell me this isn't the finished product."
Supposedly Under the Dog was originally a concept for a 2-cour anime, with this OVA possibly acting as an episode 0. In that regard, it's even worse than a standalone work, as it fails to feel like a primer for a longer
story. The world and lore isn't set up at all, and the supposed main character doesn't even do anything until the final few scenes. Like the design of the girl on the poster? Cool, you get about five minutes total screentime of her.
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The OVA does in fact have a story, in that there are people doing actions for a reason. The people are boring, the actions are dumb and the reason is altogether vague, but the absolute minimum components for a story are there. It's presented poorly, as Under the Dog is comprised almost entirely of a single long action sequence. I kept expecting it to wrap up and move along to the next scene, but it never did. The penny only dropped when I spotted that more than half the runtime was over and the story was just where it was fifteen minutes ago.
The characters do not meet that same minimum. Of the few we see, nobody seems to have a presence outside the confines of their surroundings. There's no long-term goal other than to carry out the mission, and the one not affiliated with the Flowers, namely, the male lead, just blunders around the school in tow of the female lead. He could just as easily be a box she has to carry around.
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From a production standpoint, Under the Dog doesn't shine either, but is at least average. Animation and art are consistently alright, as is the music, which I don't recall being bad but also don't recall at all. The character design is also quite weak with the sole exception of the poster girl, but as stated, she is so transient to the OVA itself she may not even have been present. Audio isn't something I usually mention, but I did think it was quite interesting to have the American military speak English.
Finally, there is the world, or rather, how it is presented in the OVA. It appears to be another case of exposition-in-supplementary-material, as the majority of information is direct from the creator's mouth rather than in the production itself. It almost expects the viewer to study up on the setting in their own time.
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Under the Dog puts me in mind of the Victorian practice of Post-mortem Photography. It's dead, literally a corpse of a show that was didn't make it, but dressed smart and stood up on a stick just enough to look proper. But of course, poking around reveals it's all a ruse.
If I were to repair this, then the simple instruction would be to add at least an hour's worth of content before this OVA, allowing ample time to properly explain the world and give the characters something to do other than shoot everything.
Four words: Not worth anyone's time.
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Oct 12, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
3 |
| Story |
4 |
| Animation |
2 |
| Sound |
3 |
| Character |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
Didn't look like there was a lot of effort, and predictably there weren't a lot of results.
Pale Cocoon is at its best right before it starts. The premise is strong, the synopsis is enticing, but right from the outset the OVA is a huge disappointment. It may even be best to just not watch it at all, and save the idea being dragged down by this result.
In the interest of parity, there are some positives to mention. The OVA has a type of confined brutalist architecture that goes a long way towards setting the tone, and some of the visuals are actually rather memorable, particularly
by the end. That being said, and more crucially that being all, its not enough to claw the quality back up.
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Pale Cocoon has a very vague story, in that the actual instigating element doesn't really get dealt with. It is literally shelved until later, leading to a lot of plotless, aimless time over the first half of the OVA. Right by the end, though, there is something in the realm of a twist, without revealing too much of course. It's not the sort to redefine everything that came before, but it's at least a tiny bit interesting.
The characters do not get the same sort of boost in the final act. Neither or the leads have any sort of personality, and I wouldn't even call either one-note since there isn't a single defining feature between them. The presence of side characters is arguable, being as there is only a voice on the phone and another who never directly interacts with the main duo. Following suit, neither is developed either.
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And now the directing and animation, which are an utter travesty. It appears the staff have taken every opportunity to animate as little of the OVA as possible, then attempted to fill in the gaps with inexpert panning shots over 3D set pieces. The result is equal parts laughable and nauseating. The most actually drawn movement that can be spotted is the occasional moving of an arm, but even these are sparse, scattered around what are essentially just still images of characters sitting or standing around. With all other technical elements, there is nothing to say. There's a mediocre song that plays diegetically, the designs are garbage and the art is poor.
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Pale Cocoon, then, is just a failure on every front, but it especially damns itself on that of production. It may not completely deserve to be forgotten, but it could only help its image, frankly.
I can't think of some way to improve it as I normally try to, since this just isn't enough to bother with.
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Sep 28, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
What on earth was going on to leave this on the cutting room floor?
Gatchaman Crowds is a show with an almost comical amount of flaws, but by far the biggest was the finale. The story, already on a long nosedive since the first act, finally hit rock bottom and dug just a bit deeper. Everything built up was waved away, and the few remaining threads of interest cut short. The last few minutes, especially, were a new height in aggravating bafflement.
No wonder then, that exactly those last few minutes are what Embrace fills out. I won't assume anything about the production, whether it was not
being able to get a double-length timeslot, or some pacing disagreement, but whatever the case the version of Episode 12 that aired was the wrong one. I can't give Embrace too much credit, after all it didn't fix the rest of the show's problems, but it did fix the one most significant.
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The bulk of the new footage in Embrace covers an additional confrontation with Berg Katze, interposed around the final scenes of Gatchaman Crowds. While I don't want to spoil the ending of the series proper, it doesn't make a lick of sense. Embrace successfully rectifies this, by way of adding a proper climax to the story, rather than what was in the aired version. Aside from a few more, calmer scenes to close off the rest of the characters' stories, that is about all that is added.
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And I am at an absolute loss as to why this wasn't the aired version. Not only is it far more fitting as a conclusion, removing the additional footage leaves a ridiculously huge plot hole. I would say that Embrace is not just the better version of Episode 12, but the real version.
Gatchaman Crowds itself is still a very poor show, but at least this alternative finale makes it a tiny bit less so.
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Sep 17, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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1
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
2 |
| Story |
1 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
Ostentatious garbage as has only been seen before in student films.
A quick glance at the visuals makes it clear this is an artistic short, rather than a narrative one. On the outset a divisive genre, and even more so being as it only ever results in masterpieces or swill, rarely an in-between.
Pianoman is the latter. I commend the team behind it for trying, and I think it's great they got the opportunity to, but it really is awful. If five minutes is still too long to waste, approach with caution.
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There's nothing to say on the story front. It's what the synopsis says, and that's about
it. Nothing of meaning happens throughout the short, and by the end there's literally no change. Considering the heavy use of music, its practically an AMV with a few voice lines now and then.
The same can be said of character, it's devoid. There is a single man, he interacts with some instruments. He doesn't have a personality other than being a bit confused to start with. While a decent arc could do the trick to make him interesting, there isn't one. By the end of Pianoman, said man is exactly the same as he began.
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With technical aspects the peaks of the ONA can be found. The animation is pretty good, with some very nice shots near the middle and end. The art of Pianoman is also reasonable, giving a detailed, realistic style to the protagonist, while a more stylised, "fairytale" look to the various creatures that apparate as the piece goes on. The music is rather strong, being a single arrangement that flows unfaltered and that harmonises with the in-scene music the protagonist plays.
That's about all the praise I can give, as when it comes to the world and tone, it's a huge step down. Not a lot can be done when setting a piece in White Void (tm), and not a lot is. There are two set pieces, one of which is only ever observed from a distance, and the other is just to break the monotony of the floor for a bit. Neither are used in an interesting manner, especially the latter. There's something of an attempt with growing plantlife that blooms, but it doesn't really have a conclusion or a clear meaning, so it doesn't land at all.
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When laid out, it's clear the biggest problem is the short being pointless. If there is a story to tell, Echoes didn't manage to, and if there isn't then why did they even bother in the first place.
I normally try to spend this point suggesting ways I'd allay its issues, but just as the short says, "there is nothing for [me] here." I'm done with it, and it'll be a while before I can give this Studio the time of day.
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Sep 2, 2020
6 of 6 episodes seen
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3
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
3 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Certainly interesting, and didn't even go too far wrong, but still kind of missed the mark.
Now, I did enjoy Iria: Zeiram. I wasn't uninvested, and I haven't forgotten the events so far. In fact, if anything is to be taken from this review; be it that it's no doubt worth a try. But that said, it didn't quite click with me.
Being seriously strong with characters and their world, and with a pretty decent standard of narrative, Iria: Zeiram, while not exceptional, stands as a fair show. If given another chance to go around, it could easily exceed itself.
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The story is admittedly simple, not boasting any
revolutionary concepts, but is easily followed and flows without issue. Being half-cour length works pretty well, as it keeps each episode unique and doesn't spawn any unnecessary characters. All I can really point to as a plot issue is suddenly abandoning a line of inquiry the eponymous Iria is taking halfway throigh the show, with the information gotten in the previous episide being seemingly forgotten.
The characters are excellent, as is the way they are handled. Everyone gets a sizeable lump of screentime, and their starkly different personalities clash really well. The group that accompanies Iria in the second half has particularly good chemistry with each other, being perhaps the biggest strength of the OVAs. Zeiram himself isn't really a character, being an illegible monster. I can't complain too much being as this is wholly intentional, but there are more interesting villain paradigms.
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Iria: Zeiram has at-par animation, nothing stands out in either direction. The artstyle is quite nice, it gets every character looking good. But music, though, is rather poor. While the ED gets no complaints from me, the OP is surprisingly just awful. The song is grating to hear and feels like the singer hadn't seen the lyrics before the night. Try as I might to bear it, it ended up amongst the few I just had to skip past.
Now, where these OVAs really shine is with aesthetics. The vehicles, technology, clothing and architecture is all extremely unique, featuring antiquated and modern elements in equal parts. While this style isn't my cup of tea personally, I do appreciate the creativity behind it and I would by no means be opposed to seeing more of the world. As for character design, I really like Iria's, with everyone else also being pretty solid until Zeiram. His design sort of falls apart at his head and face, which doesn't really sit right. A few small tweaks could easily make it much more appealing and menacing, but again, this is probably just personal taste.
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Iria: Zeiram, then, stumbles in that while most elements are good, they don't mesh quite as well as would be needed. As for improvements, I'd change the OP first and foremost, and add scene or two in the centre to handwave the forgotten plot point I mentioned.
All in all, much of what I disliked can be chalked down to personal dissatisfaction for one reason or another, so I wouldn't want to complain too much. It's a curious little set of OVAs that didn't do much spectacular, but also never collapsed in on itself.
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Aug 22, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
3 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Has a bit of intrigue on paper but goes all of nowhere with it.
Tie-in ONA aren't like other productions. Rather than telling their own story, they have to promote a completely different one, often in an entirely different medium. Now, for what it's worth, Destiny Child does this. I can't say how well or not it attracted me to the franchise, being as I had briefly played the game long before watching, but it did manage to introduce the story, characters and world to a reasonable degree.
That being said, it doesn't excel anywhere at all. Despite the premise having potential, without being given the reigns
to a full story there isn't any room to really use it. The same is true for the concept of the Children (the given plural is Childs, I should note), who again aren't used to any interesting extent. So without anything being pushed to be impressive, the whole ONA ends up quite mediocre.
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As mentioned, the story has some decent material, but there isn't any progress with it. Nigh all of the plot is delivered either via exposition or fighting, with the latter having practically no stakes, as it is never clear how many Demons or Children are present nor are any rules regarding the combat established. As for how the story is conveyed, the bulk is dedicated to the character arc of and navigated by the Deuteragonist. I wouldn't say this is explicitly an issue, but if told through the actual Protagonist then a lot more of the lore and mechanics could be explored.
The characters are just vacant. Only the two leads have any kind of personality, and even then their arcs are pretty vague. Everyone else is one-note at best, and several don't even get a single line yet are significant enough to be named. For as much as it is later set up that Children reflect various aspects of their sources, this concept is extremely lightly used, despite granting many opportunities for interesting dynamics.
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While the designs are great, with almost all being quite memorable, the artstyle itself is almost repugnant. Noses and cheeks are super red and shiny, a style that I personally detest. Animation has no problems, the effects around hiding the Demons and their Channel Evil were pretty neat, but nothing else really stands out. The music is listenable but not at all memorable, and there is no OP to speak of, only an ED, which is again alright but not notable.
Little is seen of the Demon world, but the limited amount shown is quite interesting. The landscape near the end is particularly striking, and a neat departure from common interpretations. As for the tone, I couldn't really pin anything down, which goes for the themes as well. And finally, as for the miscellany, I thought that the unique contract styles of different demons were interesting, as was the second shown Child transformation sequence.
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All in all, Destiny Child is just a short, inconsequential ONA with nothing particularly special going on. It could likely be improved just by delving more into the plot, but that would probably make it into a direct adaptation rather than a tie-in. Aside from that, the overall concept could be retooled into a different franchise, but again that wouldn't be an improvement more a replacement.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's an absolute waste of time, but it's certainly skippable.
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Aug 3, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
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4
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
3 |
| Story |
2 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Character |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
In its hurry to do everything differently, it does almost nothing well.
Gatchaman Crowds is a horribly jumbled show. It's a Sentai, but also chooses to dismiss the concept of them. It praises human society in one scene then demonizes it the next. When it's all over, nothing really remains as a theme or meaning.
For what it's worth, the first two or so episodes were fairly good, and despite the steep decline in quality as it went on, it was always at least watchable. But after an incredibly underwhelming finale, and the pointlessness I mentioned above, Gatchaman Crowds is going to remain a very annoying series
to me for quite a while.
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The story, as set up initially, is a regular Sentai plot. Bizarrely though, the opponents, the MESS, are retired almost immediately. Their non-threat is barely even addressed later, and the Gatchamen are left wandering aimlessly for most of the first half. The subplot takes precedence here, but that's its own can of worms, as I'll get to below. This in itself is annoying enough, but what's worse is that the new plot, the CROWDS, come barreling in with little to no connection. It feels almost like 2 different seasons jammed together and compacted to fit. I don't think this requires much explanation for why this doesn't work.
Next are the characters, and I'm going to have to use "that" term. Hajime Ichinose, the protagonist, is a Mary Sue, by practically any definition. If it's a terrible idea, it turns out it was actually a good one when she does it. If a character doesn't like her, their arc will be realising they should. I can't even say it's saved by her personality, since she's unbearable. The rest of the Gatchamen are much more interesting, but only in so far as for their stories to still revolve around Hajime, of course. I can't say I'm particularly drawn to any of them, but Joe, Paiman and O.D. have some decent moments on their own.
As for the antagonists, Rui is somewhat interesting for the bulk of the show, namely when they don't interact with Hajime. When they meet, a lot of the intrigue Rui had dissipates. Berg Katze, the final villain, isn't much better. Though they have an incredibly over-the-top performance, that really works actually, there's practically no story to them. It's alluded to briefly, but nothing comes of it. The side characters aren't too bad though, and I'd direct towards Prime Minister Suguyama and Kouichi Umeda, who are both neat in their sparse scenes.
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On the technical front, Gatchaman Crowds is a tad above average. The art and animation isn't too spectacular, but there are good designs amongst the characters, both in and out of their Henshin. The music is equally good, with the OP and main Insert being very memorable. The OP sequence itself is nice, and I do appreciate it updating as more and more Henshin are revealed, though this backfires on the final episode by revealing a form that hasn't yet shown up in the series, lessening the impact somewhat. The artstyle is a little bit different, but not too noticeable on most of the characters.
The set design, particularly at the Gatchaman Headquarters, is quite bizarre, and doesn't really land. While colourful and full of intricate details, these are never used in an interesting manner and come off as pointless. The MESS designs are great, the CROWDS are passable and the show does manage to hold a reasonable tone throughout, even through the falling quality.
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I normally try to give my thoughts on improvement, but Gatchaman Crowds would require a serious overhaul. The main character, opponents, story and themes would have to be altered into unrecognisability, by which point Gatchaman Crowds loses its identity, one of the few things it had going for it.
Altogether, Gatchaman Crowds was really disappointing, and if it had begun as bad as it ended I'd have walked away. I may still check the Director's Cut of the final episode, but I probably won't venture into the sequel until I've forgotten the series almost completely.
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Jul 28, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
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3
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Seriously competent but essentially pointless.
I don't normally care for Anime studios. My tastes lie in stories, not frames. It's for this reason, though, that Trigger is one of the few I've come to follow, what with the vast majority of their productions being originals. While they have a track record of nearly all of these being excellent, I cannot say BNA fits the trend.
There's a sort of permeating indecisiveness all throughout. Stakes come and go, scale fluctuates wildly, and whether or not the characters even address the plot from episode to episode is anyone's guess. All this aside though, I can point to a fair
few good aspects, mostly in design and tone work, as well as a degree of intrigue in the story, when of course the show remembers it has one.
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BNA is a bit confusing when it comes to plot. Michiru, the protagonist, along with her friend Nazuna, have the bulk of the story, but in the second half a new major plot emerges. Since the link between these two storylines is tenuous at best, it rather feels like a large chunk of possible material was cut from the middle. That being said, I can point to both of these plots having reasonable intrigue, and if integrated better could have been pretty good. As for the numerous self-contained plots of single episodes present in the first half, they're all acceptable, and their coming back into play again later in the series works to the advantage of the show.
The characters, or at least the main few, are not the best. Michiru and Shirou, the main duo, I wouldn't at all call stock, but their archetypes and dynamic have been done before. Strangely, the less integral to the plot, the more interesting the characters become. Tertiary characters are more interesting than secondary characters, and recurring minor roles are the most fun and memorable. I don't really have anything positive to say about the villain at all, and especially not without passing spoilers, but the final reveal is sort of nonsensical if given a bit of thought.
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The animation and art is BNA's strongest suite. The show itself looks fairly unique, due to its particular colour palette, and the animation allows for characters who move a lot more and can emote better, something that the writing aspect is lacking a little in. While the OP is excellent, the ED is merely average, and does not have re-listening potential. Coupled with BNA's choice to have it exist in-universe and be played as an Insert nearly once every two episodes, it gets very grating.
The lore of the Beastmen, revealed in the latter portion of BNA, is a huge missed opportunity, as very little is done with it. Michiru becomes something of a macguffin at this same time, and ends up being so suddenly important in the finale it borders on chosen one territory. I wouldn't say that said finale is all bad, as it does have a pretty exciting conclusion, but there again is an issue that it doesn't really fit with the established tone of the show. If there had been more done to establish such a possibility previously, it would probably have worked much better as a climax.
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BNA is rife for improvement. I'd point to a somewhat major rework of central characters and maybe adding a few more episodes before its third act so as not to jump ahead in the story as it did, and maybe explore more of the history elements introduced at that point.
For as much as there are issues, it's not without merit. The show itself is pretty enjoyable all the way through, and I can point to a multitude of scenes I like. However, since it will always be kept at a comparison to its preceding projects, BNA currently stands as a bit of a disappointment.
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Jul 23, 2020
13 of 13 episodes seen
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3
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
A hidden gem that shines tremendously bright.
Symphogear is pretty much the best Anime I have seen to date, and my immediate pick when asked for an absolute favorite.
There are simply so many things done so well, I couldn't hope to cover even half talking for days on end. The show feels powerful to watch, and was absolutely mesmerizing when turned on for the very first time. It genuinely blew me away so far and so fast, it'll be a very tough act to follow. And yet, it does, 4 more times.
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Symphogear has a good plot, but it doesn't spell out the conflict immediately, and instead
prepares what may appear to be unrelated story elements. It does take a little while before the villains, Finé and Chris, are properly introduced, until which point the B plot is focused on a lot more. Said B plot is still good, but being primarily non-combat-performance segments there isn't much opportunity to use the precise style that make the rest of Symphogear so exceptional. I would say, though, that this hesitance to get going pays off, as it allows for the escalation in the last act to have a much bigger payoff. At the same time, the elements i mentioned being setup each have a logical purpose in the climax, making for very satisfying viewing.
As for characters, there are each written very well. A great part of this is because, I'm led to believe, the central few take inspiration from their actual VAs, most notably Tsubasa and Hibiki. Such a technique isn't too common, but it does work nicely toward making the characters and their actions feel realistic. These two, along with Hibiki's companion Miku and the already mentioned Chris form the most integral characters, and they are given enough time to establish arcs, as well as all to reach toward the same conclusion, which is paced very well, especially as they coincide with the culmination of the plot.
The side characters are also really fun. They're given a lot less screentime, but use it well. Commander Genjuuro in particular is a charm to watch, and he thankfully gets expanded on a lot more in later seasons. Yumi, another of Hibiki's friends, also makes for decent comic relief, and even gets a small joke arc of her own near the end. The final villain Finé is perhaps the weakest significant character, and the large bulk of her defining moments come later in the series.
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Then, there is Symphogear's greatest asset: the music. It's absolutely godlike, to put it mildly. The only place I've been able to find a better soundtrack is the sequels. Symphogear unveils a new song almost every episode, and the talent behind them is incredible. Each character has a distinct and easily recalled theme, that not only synchronizes with their fighting style but actually represents it. Not only that, but the singing, all expert of course, is integrated really well by being fully diegetic. The VAs stumble a lyric when their characters fall, and just scream the line when performing a powerful move. It manages to fully realise the logistics of singing while fighting and make it believable that the music exists in-universe. And that's not even addressing the OP and ED, a pair of songs that fit the show perfectly and are excellent themselves to boot.
Regretfully, Symphogear has rather sub-par art and animation. I've always attested these are the least important aspects to an Anime, despite the name, and considering how good Symphogear is in all other areas I'm only reinforced of this thought. Nevertheless, I should cover it. While the designs of the characters and especially the Symphogears themselves are really good, they are best seen in the artstyle of the sequels. Critical scenes do maintain reasonable animation, and despite the sparse lighting there are a lot of good set designs.
Which segues of course into the world design. There are a surprising amount of superstructures in Symphogear, and far more show up on the sequels. They do look pretty good, and are distinct enough to be easily recognisable. The Noise are a mixed bag, as I thought the designs of the most common Noise were great, but some of the larger, rarer types I didn't too much of a shine to. Their abilities were very unique, however, making them a suddenly much more formidable force. That just about leaves the lore of the Relics and Symphogears themselves, and as something of a mythology buff I can attest that research was done. The abilities and forms some take match the stories behind them, and others are creatively re-imagined.
I'd also want to take a moment to mention the stylisation of the combat. Most noticeably is the use of showing the attack name on screen rather than shouting it out. After all, it would interrupt the song. Every character has their own individual font, audio cue and naming convention, not to mention a unique way of using their weapons. Just flashing the name long enough to read it is a very good way of keeping the flow of a fight intact while still giving the intended impact to powerful moves, and something that I'd like to see other series do more often. The pacing is also absolutely exquisite. Tying each battle to a song makes a lot of sense, as the structure of verse and chorus translates surprising effectively. It prevents anything from being too drawn out, and makes an unexpectedly good tracker of when a character is gearing up for a powerful move just from where they are in their lyrics.
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And that's the crux, I think. Singing and fighting go together far better than anyone would think, and bringing them together along with fun characters, a great world, lots of style and making sure that said fighting and singing is just a sight, or rather sound, to behold, makes a show that's as close to perfect as can be.
I would absolutely, in case it wasn't profusely obvious already, recommend Symphogear.
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Jul 9, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
I did not think card games and raves worked together, but I was mistaken.
I value two things most of all - story and style. In the genre of TCG tie-in anime, there isn't a lot that can be done with the former. At the end of the day, tabletop gaming is a constraining plot structure. The simple solution, which Zenonzard has realised immediately, is to pull out all the stops on the latter.
Not just the the field of play, but the audience, the stage, every single aspect that can have been brought over the top, has. The cast is colourful both in and out of
the game, the UIs are nicely modern and surprisingly legible, and even near-emotionless AI can give a ton of personality just through their excellent designs. It's literally astounding.
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While the plot is nothing new, an absurdly popular card game exists that the protagonist plays, said protagonist does have a bit of interest behind him. Unlike other TCG characters, he does not initially want to play the eponymous game, despite his latent interest and history with it. It's a decent idea that I hope could be expanded upon in the full series.
There were elements of an overarching subplot in the opening scene, but this does not get brought back within the duration of this prologue, though appear to be important in the sequel. I wouldn't say this scene helped as there is no conclusion to it, and may have been better suited for the rest of the show. The only annoyance really is that the rules of the card game are not explained other than a few brief comments of a side character, but I'm willing to let this be assuming explanations are done in the main series.
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The art is, as stated, excellent. Even outside the game, the characters look really good, even the normal, mostly realistic designs of the students. The animation does wane a bit with the use of CGI, which can be very detrimental to some viewers but I thought worked well enough. The editing and direction are mostly normal but have standout moments with very impressive angles and shot setups, particularly during the climactic card game.
The music is exceptional, and while used sparingly in the first half pays off tenfold in the second and the ED. The entire game is almost fully scored and synced with the music, and it really helps build excitement during each card play.
The tone and design of the world itself is interesting, and has a lot of nice elements. The character designs fit in when necessary but are also able to be distinct enough, with each Codeman having a distinct palette and motif. Even background characters from The Zenon, each barely seen, have multiple interesting elements in their appearance.
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Needless to say, Episode 0 has sold me on Zenonzard. I can't think of much that I think would improve it other than fully explaining the rules of the card game. Nevertheless, if the main series can keep the same flair and energy, I will certainly be invested.
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