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Jul 8, 2014
This review has grown big enough, so I'll cut the chase and let you jump right into it:
-Story-
7/10
I'll go right ahead and say that I'm not usually "into" sports manga and/or anime, mainly because I'm not into sports in general. Thus, I can't really say how clichéd or not clichéd the story is compared to other titles in the genre. I do know a few things about shōnen though, and seriously - this is so shōnen.
A lot of determined faces, seemingly impossible odds, close failures that get solved in the nick of time by the power of some good ol' Japanese
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Spirit(TM), speeches about friendship and teamwork, and homo-eroticism. My god, is there a lot of that last one (this is excellent fujoshi-bait, so keep that in mind fellas).
Anyway; yeah, as far as shōnen goes, this story probably has seen the light of day more times than can be counted. And honestly? I don't mind.
The characters tries, works hard, support each other, fails and then tries some more. The competitions are exciting, the friendships are touching and the funny moments are genuinely funny.
Have we seen it before? Yes, definitely. Does it matter? No, I don't think so.
(It's also nice to be able to truthfully say that I actually learn something new when watching it; Watanabe, the mangaka, is a cyclist himself and all the facts and techniques that show up are real, if sometimes exaggerated.)
-Art & Animation-
8/10
Nothing really special. There are shots that linger a teensy bit too long, many close-ups of the eyes, looped footage, CGI in a few places (though it's not as jarring as you might think; I for the most part didn't think about it) and probably some other tricks to make the animation seem not-as-cheap-as-it-most-likely-is. At the same time, the art still looks nice. The art in the manga is at best stylistic and at worst sloppy, but the anime makes a good job of cleaning it up and giving the character designs a little bit more consistency. The result is polished, if slightly generic.
(I'm also happy to tell that there's a considerable lack of side-mouths or "fish-faces", which is always a welcomed virtue.)
-Sound-
9/10
Absolutely lovely. If the music wants to get you pumped, you'll get pumped. If it wants to break your heart, reach for the tissues. If it wants to make your heart grow three sizes and fill it with fluff, don't fight it - embrace it. It will get you, sooner or later. All of the opening and endings fit very well with the concept and are pretty damn good songs on their own to boot.
The voice acting is equally satisfying; among the cast there are some known and some less known, but all of them are doing a great job and every voice fits their character superbly.
-Character-
10/10
The trump card of the show. These characters are WONDERFUL and I love every single one of them. Each and every one have their own special blend of talent and eccentricity that makes them stand out and be charming both by themselves and when paired with another character. Perfect since much of the humour comes from the guys' personalities playing off each other. Like probably many other sports anime and practically every shōnen anime there are rivalries in abundance, but so far only one of them is actually malicious, which is a nice change of pace. It's safe to say that the characters alone are reason enough to check YowaPeda out.
-Enjoyment-
10/10
If you haven't realised it already, I enjoy this show immensely, both in a written and animated format. It's fun, exciting and at times incredibly sweet. I was amazed at how something as simple as racing up a hill could pull me into the action and struggles of the characters. Sports anime and manga might not have been my thing before and, hell, maybe it still isn't, but after watching Yowamushi Pedal I'm at least willing to give the genre a try.
Overall, a 9/10 - lowered only because of the art and story which we've unquestionably seen before. Still, I cannot stress enough how worthy this show is of your time and attention.
And about the fujoshi-thing I said before? It's actually not that bad, so please - don't let it be a deterrent (just stay away from certain forums and art sites and you should be fine).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 23, 2013
When I went into this one, I really had no idea what to expect and what to receive. It's Shakespeare... as anime.
This would either be the best thing ever, or the most painful.
Story - to begin with, this isn't really Romeo and Juliet. The anime adds a lot of completely original elements, like (Neo-)Verona being a floating city in the sky, the existence of Dragonsteeds (which should be self-explanatory), people in oppression, a "La Résistance"-esque group of vigilantes and most importantly changes the morality from grey-and-grey to black-and-white. And that's this anime's biggest flaw. Capulet and their allies are pure and good and Montague are
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pure evil and rotten to the core, with the exception of Romeo who is almost ridiculously kind.
There are also the problem that every major character seems obligated to, at one point or another through the story, act like a complete and utter moron! It's impossible to count how many things could have been avoided if the characters just stopped to think once in a while. Sure, it's a way to get them from point A to point B, but there were much better and smarter ways of doing so.
Art - the art and animation are mostly good, especially in the first half of the show before getting sloppier for a while, most likely saving itself for the finale. Character designs are nice, body proportions in particular, and the backgrounds and colors are very nice to look at. CGI do appear and while it isn't glaringly obvious it does look a little odd mixed with the traditional art. Drawbacks are thing's "side-mouths", which happen quite often, and walking animation, which can look a little stiff from time to time.
Sound - simply brilliant. There are two ending themes, the first a rock-song and the other a ballad, both very good. The opening theme, a cover of "You Raise me Up" by Lena Park, is even better and is actually sung once in English in ep. 7.
Characters - all major characters and even a few minor from the original play makes appearance and are aided by several original one's. The complexity varies but most of them are sadly simplified from their theatre-counterpart. Romeo and Juliet's "feminine boy, masculine girl" dynamic are exaggerated into making him shy and sweet and her a hot-blooded Action Girl. Tybalt is angry and brooding, Benvolio is nothing but Romeo's voice of reason and the most similar to his original characterization. And then there's Mercutio.
Oh god. Mercutio.
From being probably the most beloved - a charming, boisterous jokester - he's made into a smug snob with more connection to Montague than to Romeo. I found myself shutting my ears off whenever he appeared on screen.
However the original characters, Conrad, Curio, Francisco, Cordelia (the "nurse") among others, I actually found myself enjoying.
Overall, while there are some interesting aspects brought forth, in the end this anime fails as an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. As just another animated show, however? It's pretty damn good.
Despite stupid decisions on the characters part, despite botching of beloved characters and despite the change from "is anyone actually in the right?" to a "simple" tale of good-vs-evil I still enjoyed myself thoroughly while watching. Every episode brought at least one laugh and the finale even some misty eyes.
If you're a hard-core Shakespeare fan, you probably shouldn't watch this unless you're out to anger yourself. If, on the other hand, you're a bit more relaxed, don't care for the original to begin with or just want a new show to follow this is one definitely worth contemplating.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 15, 2012
Everyone familiar with Shugo Chara! probably already know about the abomination know as Shugo Chara! Party! so I'll just get to the point:
This. Is. AWFUL!
To begin with, there's no story whatsoever. Only episodic filler that really didn't have to be made and it's incredibly disappointing. The characters meet up, shenanigans ensue, and that's about it. Nothing important or exciting.
The art is pretty much the same as the previous two seasons, which is a relief. One thing they didn't manage to screw up!
The music... what music? I don't remember any music, which is funny considering they have two opening songs! One for the live-action segment, Dokki
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Doki (which takes up about 15 minutes of screen time by the way. No, I'm not kidding.), and the other for the actual anime (which only gets 11 minutes of screen time). None of the four (they change both songs midway through) are very memorable. The two ending songs by Buono! is better, but by then I was already so pissed off I couldn't appreciate it.
The characters are the worst thing about this whole season. Kukai, Utau, Nikaidou, Yukari and Kairi are almost nowhere to be seen and Ikuto disappears completely, only to show up in the last episode but vanish just as quickly again. I'm not a major Ikuto-fangirl, but I was still angry about his absence, mostly because of the unsatisfactory way he left.
Of all the Guardians, in the end only Amu appears consistently. Yaya, Rima and Nagihiko get little screen time and Tadase don't exactly fare much better himself. Instead they bring in Hikaru and this annoying, obnoxious, spotlight stealing Mary Sue named Rikka as "Guardian Apprentices".
Needlessly to say, this was a mistake! None of them get any development and stay just as unlikable as they started out. Hikaru actually go backwards in development, appearing emotionless even though he got over that in the end of Doki!
Come to think of it, Ikuto's character also gets mercilessly botched the few times he appears.
Of all 25 episodes only three of them is mercifully Rikka-free. Episode 7 is about Nadeshiko "coming back", Rima giving Nagi a hard time trying to keep up the "Nadeshiko-and-Nagihiko-are-two-different-persons" facade, and Amu being none the wiser. It's also my favourite episode this season because of two reasons, besides Rikka’s absence:
1. Nagihiko running back and forth changing clothes, Rima doing her very best to torture him and Amu not getting the picture is HILARIOUS.
2. The slight RimaxNagihiko teasing at the end. Yes, I'm a hardcore Rimahiko fangirl, your point?
The other two Rikka-free episodes are ep. 12 and 19, and even then both those episodes are pretty much "meh".
In conclusion, no matter if you're a fan of Shugo Chara! or not you shouldn't watch this. There's nothing redeeming about it at all and it's all just a waste of time. If Doki! didn't satisfy you and you want a real end to the story you should go read Shugo Chara! Encore! instead. Much more fulfilling.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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