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Aug 22, 2012
Imagine you're a kid again. You're hanging out with your little circle of friends heading off for a regular day at school. You get to school, everyone's sitting in the desks, but then all of the sudden, a crazy guy in red shows up and starts butchering everybody! Your best friend's head just rolled past your feet! The girl you had a crush on has her blood spread all over the chalkboard! You see the man coming your way and you pass out due to shock...
Then you wake up, and you're in handcuffs. The public believes you committed this heinous crime, killing all of your
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friends and classmates at school. This is what happens to Ganta Igarashi, the main character of Deadman Wonderland.
Story - 7/10
After being framed for this sadistic murder spree, Ganta is shipped off to an insane prison called Deadman Wonderland. This facility is roughly half theme park, half prison, but all crazy. This setup is very intruiging and each episode throws more and more into the pot in attempt to add depth to the events at hand. Soon we discover Ganta is of a breed of people who can manipulate their blood and do so to fight. There are also mysterious things going on behind the scenes and higher ups in the prison have their eye on Ganta. This is all effective in making Deadman Wonderland more interesting at first, but so much is going on here that it makes the big flaw of the anime stand out more. This is one of those shows that lacks resolution at the end. It's extremely rare for any story to be able to successfully leave loose ends and feel gratifying, and Deadman Wonderland is not one of those special cases. Everything goes nowhere and it makes the anime feel pointless, even though the build up and journey to the end was fairly good. The only thing that even feels remotely like a resolved arc is the one involving some secondary characters that you got introduced to more than halfway into the episode count. It all screams for a second season, which I don't deny would be a good idea, but unless that happens this ending is horrid.
Animation - 7/10
There's this constant little skipping in the animation here and there. I thought this was an effect at first but I noticed it just seems like lack of budget or shoddy animation. It's pretty distracting and holds back what is otherwise a pretty decent animation job. There isn't anything great here really but nothing bad either. Character designs are as basic as the characters, except for Shiro, who has a pleasantly unique look. The effects on the Branch of Sin superpowers have a fascinating tech-looking design to them that works surprisingly well. The action is pretty good and on display very often being one of the main highlights of the show.
Sound - 8/10
Voice work is all solid. Deadman Wonderland is so over the top both in violence and dialogue that it could have been utterly horrible if some good actors weren't behind the characters. The lines are just off the wall at times but the delivery makes it believable to a point where it's actually fun to hear these characters be so vulgar and foul-mouthed.
The soundtrack is surprisingly good, even if it's very standard in the use of the songs. You pretty much know after two episodes when you'll be hearing certain tunes chime but none of it is bad. The opening theme is actually one of my recent favorites I've heard in anime. The ending theme however, feels out of place and also breaks the serious mood that most, if not all episodes end on. It's a really happy go lucky song, there's nice lighting and a ferris wheel in the background. It would be downright whimsical if it was closing the curtains on almost any anime but this.
Characters - 6/10
The cast is what's going to lose the show many viewers. The characters are all stereotypes we've seen in one anime or another and very few even have one quality of any value. Ganta is the inferior whiny male lead incarnate. He feels like a black hole of everything that can go wrong with this trope. Even though the audience will feel sorry for him starting out, there's just so much time spent crying and not being good at anything that Ganta never makes up for his flaws. Shiro is the cutesy, dumb, obsessive girlfriend type, but she's got white hair so you know there's more to her than you think. Shiro spends most of her time eating and when she's not eating she's being irritating.
The side characters are full of cold and violent people who are all crazy for no reason. The villains all feel the same, just adding to a number of things generic about Deadman Wonderland. The only characters that were really interesting are Nagi and Karako, a pair introduced very near the end of the show who honestly feel like they could've been the center of a much more interesting plot than what we have.
Overall - 7/10
If you're looking for a short anime that's got lots of solid action that isn't completely mindless, with some foul language, gore, and you don't mind unfulfilling endings, Deadman Wonderland might be quite enjoyable. For most though, it's going to come off as a standard anime that doesn't offer much.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 15, 2012
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is the second entry in the Rebuild of Evangelion franchise. Unlike it's predecessor, there are some fundamental changes to the story which makes things much more interesting for existing fans.
Story - 8/10
Right off the bat we're introduced to Mari Makinami, a new character both to these films and the Evangelion franchise altogether. This opening scene is something new, completely fresh, and opens up plenty of questions as to where Mari is going and how this new character will influence and interact in the plot. This bang that the film opens up on is just a sign of things
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to come for the rest of the running time. But what else is going on in the world? Shinji is trying to settle into his live in Tokyo-3, and gets a new teammate/roomate in the form of Asuka Langley Shikinami, a catty and obnoxious girl who, like Mari, quickly proves to be both enthusiastic and capable about piloting an Eva unit, something that Shinji finds surprising.
It feels almost like being lured into a trap when You Can (Not) Advance gets going. While the first movie was very much a remake of episodes, this one takes far more liberties early on and ends up going into uncharted territory to feel like the start of something completely new. This is what fans have been waiting for, ditching rushing the story and opting to focus on both it and the characters more. Just about everything about this feels different from this point in the anime, giving it a fresh presentation for fans and newcomers alike. There are still Angels popping up on a regular basis, but the mysteries surrounding Nerv start opening up the plot as well.
Animation - 9/10
This is every bit the same high quality visuals we got in the first movie. The use of digital animation never feels out of place which is very impressive. Colors are eye-popping, there are even some new designs to wonder at early on, and plenty of dazzling scenes with compelling animation.
Sound - 10/10
Shiro Sagisu must have been told that his new grandiose and operatic tracks in Evangelion 1.0 were awesome, because he's just throwing more, and better, fresh material on this OST. It's not without the memorable songs people know and love, and it's not just a bunch of opera sounding stuff either. There's a nice variety and everything finds itself working harmoniously with the moment. Some very militant compositions capture the aspect of this war with the Angels perfectly. The most experimental, artistic, and shockingly effective choice is found in a childlike vocal during the movie's climax, creating a haunting moment of intensity.
Characters - 9/10
The biggest improvement You Can (Not) Advance has over both the anime series and first movie right now is the character development. Many of the changes made are in this department making the cast just as, if not more developed at this point then they were by the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Shinji's will has to be the most significant 180 turn here. He stands up for himself, and he's not being talked down to constantly the way he was in the show. What we have now is a Shinji that is not without his internal struggle, but is also more sociable and friendly. Seeing him take initiative to make food for Rei was a great touch for both characters.
Which brings me to Rei. It was a little bit of a surprise to see her smile and speak with some emotion in Evangelion 1.0, but now she's talking about how Shinji makes her feel warm and actively trying to help him patch things up with his father? I know some fans will hate this simply because it's different but it makes sense, but I loved seeing Rei discover her emotions. She reflects on thanking Shinji for his help, and ends up thanking not one, but two other characters in this movie. This kind of stuff has Shinji developing well, and at the same time, bringing development out of more of the cast as well.
Before seeing this I had a feeling Shinji and Rei would stay the same but Asuka would swoop in and take over like she did in the show. This is actually not the case. She gets a pretty even distribution of screen time and development along with some changes right away. Asuka seems much less bratty than before, and even antisocial and troubled right from the start. Her motivations with the Eva and wanting to be a good, reliable pilot are interesting, but it's her interactions with Shinji and Rei that are really juicy. In the series, Asuka bullied Shinji around and she kind of tries it here but it's more of a mutual bickering, and the sense that Asuka likes Shinji and uses her attitude for cover is much more explored here while it was only slightly touched on in Neon Genesis Evangelion. She was also constantly a bitch to Rei, going so far as slapping her in the face. This scene is changed drastically from the anime and it's for the better of both characters, making their relationship much more dynamic.
It's time to talk about the new blood. I enjoyed Mari for the time she had. Her character is pure fun and riddle at this point. However, the movie kind of forgets about her after the opening and doesn't explore much with her when she's back on screen. I expect we'll get more from why she's here and what she's doing. It could be great, but what I don't want to see Mari be is Asuka 2.0 or a replacement for Asuka. I mention this because her character is like Asuka without the emotional baggage (which I feel Mari shouldn't get, as it could be too cliche), and she already does a mini-replacement of Asuka in the movie. Mari is a fresh addition to the cast even while she's underutilized here. Hopefully she won't be overutilized in the future as a result.
That's mostly it for the characters. Kaji is also introduced but his time to shine hasn't really come. Kaji does have some good interaction with Shinji and helps connect the dots between Shinji and Misato, with some insight on Misato and her desires are revealed as well. One of the other changes was Gendo's meeting with Shinji, being more telling of Gendo's emotions and drive in his work.
Overall - 9/10
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance strikes a chord where the promises of what this rebuild is supposed to be start coming true. This one feels like a much more complete movie than the first as well. You Can (Not) Advance is more than a retelling, going far to surpass expectactions, changing the story, improve on building the characters, while keeping the big set-pieces and city-destroying combat scenes. Focus is not strongly on the action at this point but finds a great balance in delivering badass fights and discovering the pace for establishing the characters. You Can (Not) Advance is awesome.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 15, 2012
Evangelion 1.0 is the first of four films remaking and retelling Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is meant to be more accessible for new fans and changing things enough (Most notably, the modern animation) for existing fans to enjoy. The latter point however, doesn't seem to live up to it's promise in this movie.
Story - 8/10
The start of the story seems no different from Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's 2015 and Angels (Don't take it literally, they're big monsters) are showing up to threaten humanity with destruction. These Angels previously annihilated half of the world's population 15 years ago and they're back to finish the job. The
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only thing that can stand in their way are Evangelion units, giant robots that are piloted by teenagers with all different kinds of problems. The main pilot of the story is Shinji Ikari, a b oy with serious daddy issues and personal struggles within himself when he's asked to pilot an Eva and help defeat Angels.
As someone who has seen the anime, there isn't that much that changes the story here. It's basically a prettier version of the series. There are some clarifications and changes, primarily in establishing late-show plot points early on. This foreshadowing approach could potentially be confusing though I personally found it interesting. As a whole this movie does seem to achieve it's goal of making Evangelion more easily accessible and it removes many things from the show in favor to push the story. It feels a little rushed at times as a result, and some level of character development and pace is lost because of it.
Animation - 9/10
It's hard to rework a show from 1995 with modern animation techniques and not have superior animation in every way, and Evangelion 1.0 doesn't disappoint here. Everything looks sharper, the colors are vivid, there's excellent use of CGI, and lighting is distinctly excellent. The new art creates a level of detail that simply could not be done with the original anime series. The landscape looks wondrous, and luckily the Evas and Angels haven't experienced any problems with having digital animation techniques used on them. This movie is heavy on the visual eye candy and it's wonderful considering how dated the art is for the anime series.
Sound - 10/10
It becomes apparent quickly that the experience of the voice cast has helped returning actors perform better than they did before, and replacing plenty of vocal talent for the minor roles has removed a previously existing flaw in the voice department. One thing I will say is I'm not sure what to think about the replacement for Gendo Ikari. The original performance behind the character had a certain tone to it and even though he was stereotypically emotionless often, it seemed more fitting than what we have now. Gendo still seems like a jerk but not nearly as big of one, and even has some feeling behind his words at times. This is however, the only character I felt could possibly be a flawed performance vocally. Everyone else is an improvement. Spike Spencer fixes some flaws he had early on with some line delivery. The "I musn't run away" line is great when before it was anything but. Shinji feels much less whiny and the difference in the performance actually had me enjoying his character more. Brina Palencia serves as the new voice of Rei Ayanami, and this was another case of putting more emotion behind a previously stoic and quiet character. Unlike Gendo however, these subtle changes for Rei seem warranted, and again I found myself enjoying a character that I previously had no feeling for due to new lines and a new actor.
The best part of the sound is by far, the OST. Old classics are reworked and the new operatic tracks are absolutely fantastic. These new songs create a very epic sense of atmosphere when they play and it could not be more suitable for a movie with gigantic robots and monsters fighting for the outcome of humanity. It's really something when some fresh music can enhance scenes you've seen before, but that's what happens here.
Characters - 8/10
This was a hard category to score since this movie retells the first six episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which means some characters aren't here or haven't been delved into. Certain scenes are left out and a few changes felt like they took away from certain aspects of the character development. In light of this, I did mention already that there were changes that made me enjoy characters more than I did before, certainly at the same point of watching episodes in the anime. Shinji feels more natural, and he isn't developing any faster but he just seems more believable. Rei seems much more human, but there's still a bit of mystery there and it will be interesting to see what becomes of her. Misato having lingering issues is brought up early on but she seems like the one who could be sacrificed in the character development area due to more focus on hitting notes with the pilots that were missed in the original anime. This movie does a good job delving into the same psychological issues that the show was famous for with it's characters, but overall it feels like there is less of a focus on the psychoanalysis.
Overall - 9/10
I do think a better effort could have been made to make this movie stand on it's own. Sure, we know it's part of a tetralogy and it's only telling a portion of the episodes, but give it a definite ending. It's such a cliffhanger and another thing that will get different reaction based on whether or not viewers have already watched the series. Even then, many will say this is what Evangelion should have been, but that will remain to be seen. Even if this is just a sexy new coat of paint on an anime classic, Evangelion 1.0 is still worth watching. It's full of the large scale battles that were a spectacle before, and every technical aspect it could improve on is a success.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 14, 2012
Superpowers, noir, action, suspense, and secrets. These are the ingredients to the recipe for Darker Than Black. This anime is undeniably familiar when it comes to it's concepts and some blatant influences, but it's not completely unoriginal, and it's not bad either.
Story - 8/10
The story of Darker Than Black is based around Hei, a super-powered agent working for a shady organization known as The Syndicate. The show takes things from here and slowly, very, very slowly, details and opens up the plot, setting, and backstories of characters. This is done in an episodic structure similar to Cowboy Bebop or Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone
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Complex; with some quality episodes outside of the main plot, but also a little bit of filler too.
The central concept of the universe this anime takes place in is Contractors. Years prior to the beginning of the story, a world-changing event occurs and the result was Contractors. These people, not considered human or capable of emotion, have powers that come with a "contract" price to pay every time they are used. This concept is a unique take on super-powers and it becomes something of an event every time you get to see a new Contractor.
I mentioned things open up slowly, and it wasn't a problem for me, but it definitely will be for some. You better be ready to pay attention when you're watching Darker Than Black, because all but one episode are two-parters. Lots of stuff is left unexplained for periods of time but when it comes time to get to the details, there is no shame in the time the show takes to get into it. This was something of a drawing point though. The mystery of everything that is going on and wondering about it is part of what makes watching this anime so interesting. Interesting may be the buzz word that goes off in most people's heads often during the course of most episodes.
The main complaint I could have with the plot here is that it gets so interesting that I found myself clamoring for a bit more. It was good, but felt like it could have been better at the same time. The last episode leaves lots of things inconclusive, a risky note to end a story on. There are also lots of flashbacks, and it's not always obvious what time the story is taking place.
Animation - 9/10
I'm a fan of Bones' animation. This isn't their best work and it may not be the most fitting for the serious tone of the show, but I'll be damned if it isn't high quality. Character design stands out very often, with plenty of unique people to look at and Hei's mask being something that immediately feels iconic upon seeing it. Action scenes are full of breathtaking moments and polished movement flowing through great scenery in a usually dark color palette. All the powers you see bring a nice level of variety to the stuff Bones gets to pull off with the animation and they do get quite creative at times. The only thing to knock with the animation here is the style seems a little unfitting for the tone of the show. For an anime called Darker Than Black, with such a serious tone, I think something apart from the safe standard approach could have paid off big here.
Sound - 8/10
Yoko Kanno composed the soundtrack, which is usually all there is to say. This isn't her best work either but it's above average for sure. The opening themes are great, the ending theme is pretty basic, and the bulk of the OST that plays during episodes ranges from decent to amazing. Many of the tunes get repeated like with most anime, and it's for better with some and for worse with others. Most of the main songs that you'll recognize hearing are for better though. There's also some very high quality music in the final episodes that probably should have been used more often. It's a very good soundtrack but at times it feels unfitting, with some songs that seem like Cowboy Bebop throwaways.
The voice acting overall is pretty good. There aren't any specific performances that stood out, it's more of a top to bottom solid cast than anything else.
Characters - 8/10
This is where things get odd. A common note people tend to make with Darker Than Black is that lots of characters other than the main cast seems to develop better. I'm inclined to agree. Even lots of the one-off Contractors seem to be extremely interesting in certain episodes. I think the problem here is that when it came time for backstory on the main characters, it was a good starting point, but backstory isn't always enough. Huang for example, isn't a Contractor, isn't really a main character, but turns out being very well developed with backstory episodes and changes that can't go unnoticed as the show goes on. Misaki Kirahara and Mao on the other hand, two characters with potentially the most interesting viewpoints of the show (one is a cop tracking Hei, the other is trapped in a cat's body) and more plot importance don't get nearly enough time in comparison.
This wasn't a problem with the protagonist Hei, as the entire duality of his undercover and Contractor persona was fascinating and becomes important to the resolution of the show itself. Yin however, had a fantastic arc on her backstory which remains one of my favorites of the series, but her character never really goes anywhere after this, and the episode was at the halfway point of the show. It's weird because the portrayal of Yin is that she's the second most important main character but it never really feels like that's the case.
I could go on about people like November 11, Amber, Havoc, and others, but it becomes apparent early on that while characters you can enjoy who develop are plentiful in Darker Than Black, it may not be the ones you expect. It makes scoring this category difficult, because there are plenty of interesting personalities, but the ones that feel like they should be more important aren't.
Overall - 8/10
Drawing clear inspirations from things both within anime and outside it, Darker Than Black is an admirable attempt at bringing so many ideas to the table that it would seem difficult not to enjoy it on some level. There are crazy fights, a puzzle surrounding the story, and even some humor, though the latter was something I found lacking given the business-like nature of the show. At it's core Darker Than Black finds strength in the animation of it's action scenes and the mystery of it's plot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 11, 2012
Neon Genesis Evangelion is hard to put my finger on. It seems like any other mecha anime from the beginning, but gradually morphs into an exploration of character psychology after navigating several surprises and plot twists by the time it's all over. The show follows Shinji Ikari, a 14 year old boy mysteriously called in by his father to pilot an Evangelion unit. These giant robots are the world's only defense against Angels, gigantic creatures who destroyed half of the Earth's population 15 years ago.
Story - 9/10
To break this down, the first two-thirds of Neon Genesis Evangelion is amazing. I found it to be as
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enticing as any anime has ever been. The plot unfolds in brilliant fashion and has the capability to keep viewers on the edge of their seat, impatiently waiting to see what happens next. The problem with the storytelling is that this method is how the show begins, continues, and even ends. What makes Evangelion fascinating is it's willingness to continuously dive deeper and deeper into itself, which naturally drives whoever watches to think and wonder constantly. The issue here is that by the time you're done watching, not many questions are answered, and if there's one thing difficult to pull off when any story ends, it's lack of resolution. It's like going on a scuba dive to see the wonders of the ocean, except you never come up for air. Regardless of this, the bulk of what you do get in Neon Genesis Evangelion is still undeniably interesting, and despite this being far from the most timeless anime around (in terms of quality, not impact, calm down people), it's still one of the most interesting universes I've seen thus far.
Animation - 8/10
There are often questionable moments where I wonder if the show fell into budget problems and got lazy on the animation. This shows during some unusually long holds on scenes (the elevator with Rei and Asuka and the end of episode 24 come to mind) that last well over a minute, as well as some cheap attempt at abstract animation that some will have you believe is artistic in the final episodes of the show. These same episodes also reuse lots of stuff from earlier in the show which again, seems to have no reason behind it beyond the lack of money.
These animation issues are few and far between however, and when Evangelion is going, it's going. While the character designs seem pretty basic, their suits, the mechas, angels, and pretty much anything you don't see in the real world in this show has a great design to it that stands out for all the right reasons. The action scenes were perfect for their time and although they aren't the greatest in this day and age, they still stand up very well. Is the animation dated? Yes. Is it bad? Not by any means.
Sound - 9/10
There's some very good voice acting here that really increases in both emotion and believability as the episode count goes up. This isn't to say it starts off bad but the quality of the acting in the latter half of Evangelion is noticeably great, while in the beginning there are a few deliveries here and there that seem unnatural. Misato and Asuka have particularly high quality performances behind them. Rei and Gendo on the other hand seem to come from the same school of cold and emotionless. Although this is part of each character's personality, it is on such a level where there isn't much to say about either one. I know everyone hates to hear Shinji scream, but it would be a lie to think that his wailing howl doesn't capture moments of horror perfectly. Many of the supporting roles and minor characters do sound pretty bad. Not a huge problem, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.
The soundtrack is stacked with memorable tunes that are even complimented with some fantastic use of classical music. While the OST does re-use a handful of tracks often, it does so in a manner that does nothing more than condition the viewer to know when things have just gone to hell or taken a lighthearted turn.
Characters - 8/10
I think anyone reviewing this anime has to talk about Shinji Ikari, so I'm going to start with that. I don't hate Shinji. In fact, there really isn't much reason to hate Shinji. When this anime begins, everything we see Shinji go through as a 14 year old boy with a dead mother and one of the biggest pricks in the universe as his unloving father, combined with the traumatic experiences he has piloting his Eva, completely justifies how he acts. The problem people seem to have with Shinji is that he's a weak-willed, cowardly, whiny male lead. The flaw here isn't Shinji's character, it's the writing of Shinji's character. Nothing Shinji actually does bothers me, but the lack of development he has is a huge flaw for his character. So big that it makes me question why and how he ever came to be the lead of Evangelion to begin with.
Shinji has a huge conflict within himself from the first of this 26 episode journey to the very last. That is far, far too long of a time span to keep a character the same, especially when that character happens to whine, cry, and scream on a regular basis. Now, I didn't want Shinji to make a cliche transformation into a badass or even a consistently serious or confident guy, but I did want him to get over his weaknesses. When the time finally comes for Shinji to be at one with himself (this is literally in the last minute or two of the show and spends the last 38 minutes building up), I didn't even find it to be believable. It felt contradictory that he even had to try to change anything considering, despite all the hardship he goes through every other episode, he still gets the job done and is often the most capable pilot, despite being portrayed as the one who is least sure of himself. It felt like he should have made this transformation halfway into the show, not at the end.
No character seems to be as flawed in development as Shinji but nobody else really develops much either. The one pilot who does is Asuka, and her character was the one I found to be the most enjoyable and interesting of the main cast. Sadly, as soon as things get really spicy for her, it seems that she gets thrown to the side in a horrible manner. It's a shame too because I rarely find such a catty and obnoxious character like Asuka to have the potential to peel layers back with her past and persona, but that opportunity was completely missed. The other of the main three children, Rei Ayanami, seemed to have a constant mystery around her but ends up saying so little that I found myself indifferent to her. When the truth behind Rei is finally revealed it was interesting, but how Rei ever actually feels about anything is never really touched on, which is another shame. She could have been a truly great character but like Asuka, she's sort of tossed to the side in favor of being a plot device for Shinji to come to terms with himself.
The real stand-out of the cast is Misato Kusanagi. Misato isn't even one of the "mains" of the show, but instead a strong supporting character. It is Misato that's unwrapping all of the mystery at Nerv, Misato is the one helping the Eva pilots do their job correctly, Misato is barking the commands and Misato is the only one that really cares about them. I found myself loving Misato more and more as Evangelion progressed despite the fact that she doesn't seem like even a mildly interesting character when the show begins.
The supporting cast isn't too deep, but works well and I've heard people say they're more interesting than the kids. This is understandable since all of the plot twists and mystery of the show is driven by the adults and the pilots are the pawns in the bigger picture. Overall the characters, while not developing much, are likable, entertaining, and everyone seems to be able to pick one they really enjoy.
Overall - 9/10
Neon Genesis Evangelion was nothing if not ambitious, and it provides a balance of action and humor along with psychological and philosophical themes being explored that may lack polished execution, but draw thoughts in nonetheless. I was very into this anime from start to finish and even though the technical aspects of it pale in comparison to today's standards, Evangelion still has high quality moments and stands apart from everything else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 3, 2012
To say Baccano! is something original and fresh in anime would be an understatement. An anime set in 1930's America, with three main plot arcs being tied across different years, and out of order at that, is a big plate to fill. Throw in over a dozen characters that are introduced, and this is over a short course of 13 episodes. The best part? All of it works.
Story - 9/10
The most unique thing about Baccano! is the Pulp Fiction style of storytelling showing the events of the plot out of order. I thought this was going to be a cheap gimmick to keep me watching
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but it turns out to be an intuitive method to it's own madness. While it seems confusing at first, the plot lines unwind eventually and it leaves just enough in the dark to keep an interesting level of viewer interpretation open, which turns out to be both interesting and effective. While there is risk in telling three main stories that one or two may not be up to par with another, that was luckily not the case. While I favored the chaos going on aboard The Flying Pussyfoot (that's the train's name, I swear), I was never disinterested with everything else Baccano! had to offer. The only thing I could fault the story for is that it transitions from moment to moment in some odd manners at times, and the first few episodes can seem overwhelming enough to have viewers dropping it in fear of it being overly complex. I urge anyone who tries this anime to stick with it though, because really all you need is a little attention to pay it and the rest of the story will tell itself.
Animation - 8/10
When anything is set in a period like this I always take note of the design of everything from the character clothes to the cars. It's all done justice here. There are so many characters and they all stand out in one way or another in their design. Fight scenes are exceptional, and there are some crazy moments of violence that caught me by surprise. The devouring in particular was awesome. There were however some dark moments where, even watching in HD on my 32 inch TV, I couldn't quite tell what was happening. The lighting isn't a significant nor a consistent problem, but you will know it when you see it.
Sound - 10/10
Top to bottom, probably the closest we've ever come to having a Cowboy Bebop level of both music and english dub. The opening theme is so much fun that I actually let it play every single episode. The rest of the soundtrack is wonderfully fitting for the setting and catches it's moments perfectly. When the action kicks up it's fast paced and lively, and when the show slows down and creates moments of terror or suspense the music adapts gracefully. The musical compositions are really a tour de force, sounding perfectly fitting with every note.
The voices are superb as well. Ladd Russo is the stand out with what sounds like a once in a lifetime kind of performance given the kind of dialogue and character that he is. Bryan Massey hits it out of the park with Ladd, helping to personify one of the most interesting yet psychotic sadists I've witnessed in anything. Everyone else is all high quality as well. From Isaac and Miria to Nice or Szilard, the cast is stacked with not only culturally accurate accents that sound natural, but believable performances that never falter no matter what the moment is.
Characters - 10/10
Despite the level of risk in having a show with no main character, and many characters having importance to the events of the story, Baccano succeeds in having a cast with tons of likable people and entertaining personalities. Even the one guy who seemed pre-destined to be hated (Not hard to guess, it's the one named Jacuzzi Splot) ends up being someone I really enjoyed by the time it was all over. The strength in the characters isn't so much that they all develop well, but simply that they are all unique and entertaining in varying ways, a parallel to the very thing that makes Baccano! entertaining to begin with.
My favorite might be Ladd Russo, a certified wack-job with very interesting philosophies on killing. Ladd may just be the most oddly entertaining member of the cast. He's a baddie in every way, yet is so much fun to watch, even when he's doing disgustingly shocking things. The performance and writing of the character created one hell of a persona in Ladd Russo.
Nobody can talk about the characters of Baccano! without talking about Isaac and Miria. Literally every moment they have on screen is flawless, and they serve as the comic relief in a world that's mostly serious outside of these two people. Isaac and Miria are not only a cute couple (Best ever? I would take the bet.), but they're so wacky and out of their minds that it's hard to help but laugh and smile whilst watching them. Isaac and Miria are truly a charming pair.
Overall - 10/10
Baccano seemingly has everything going for it. Brilliant storytelling, very good animation, wonderful music and voice acting, a rich cast of characters, and it doesn't stop there. The show is versatile in displaying moments of suspense, comedy, action, and even a little romance. There's something here for everyone, and to pull that off within a modest 13 episodes is breathtaking.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 29, 2012
I watched Afro Samurai on a whim (meaning, my friends convinced me to marathon it in one night with them) and I didn't know what to expect. Undeniably, it sounds like an interesting project, but one that I didn't really trust. An anime with Samuel Jackson in the starring lead role, a soundtrack produced by the RZA, a legendary hip hop producer, and the villain is voiced by Hellboy himself, Ron freaking Perlman? I hate to gush, but it sounds like it should be the greatest experiment in anime history on paper. Unfortunately, and sadly, not to my surprise, it's nothing special. It also suffers
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from an extremely fatal flaw of attempting many things that Samurai Champloo does, but comes nowhere close to it's quality.
Story - 6/10
Afro (that's the main character's name, I'm not kidding) was the son of the number one ranked killer in the world. We know this because his father wears a headband with number 1 on it in the opening prologue of the show. If you're thinking it gets more complex than headbands, it does, but not by much. See, number one can only be challenged by the one with the number two headband, but the number two headband can be challenged by anyone. As a boy, Afro saw his father die at the hands of Justice, a deliciously evil villain that I wish had more time during the course of the show's petit five episode run. Afro decides to take the number two headband and go on a crash course to grow up and exact revenge on Justice, who sees himself as the god of this world. The plot is as basic as it gets, with one interesting twist that develops during the last two episodes. Even though you will get some backstory on Afro and a few other characters, it never seems to greatly enhance him as a lead or make the journey much more engaging.
Animation - 8/10
Afro Samurai is a very good looker. The style of character design isn't one I'm personally fond of but it would be a lie to say that the level of detail doesn't capture facial expressions very well. The opening moments of the show put things like clothes blowing in the wind or smoke billowing out of nostrils on full display and it looks very well done. There is fluid animation all over, with grand fight scenes that occur in alarming number per episode. The only thing I can knock the animation for is colors, which tend to be very dry and muted too often. Very often, it feels like the anime is in black and white.
Sound - 9/10
RZA's hip hop soundtrack makes an astounding marriage to the samurai culture here. There's a large variety of beats and the arrangement never tries to reuse anything. This is very reminiscent to RZA's work on Tarantino's Kill Bill, but not quite on that level of quality. Voice acting is decent, but many of the voices do seem over the top and exaggerated with weird accents.
Characters - 6/10
Afro is your generic silent badass, his sidekick (also voiced by Jackson) serves as the main mouthpiece and humor during the show. Though, this is the kind of street lingo humor that isn't going to appeal to everyone and will come off annoying to some. The rest of the cast is pretty basic, only serving as foes standing in Afro's way. There was a female character by the name of Okiku that posed as a possible love interest for Afro, but the show pretty much dismisses this possibility as soon as it presents it. The bottom line here is that your main character is a dull lead, ditching words in favor of looking cool. In that respect it works, but it also shows that the lack of depth is not limited to story.
Overall - 7/10
Afro Samurai is so short that it's kind of worth checking out if what you're looking for is visceral action and over the top violence. There are epic fights all over the series and while it's simple and predictable, it clearly succeeds at being an action anime that does the action like few others.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 29, 2012
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex had long been one of those anime I always heard about and knew about. It seems the reception is nothing but varying positives and even though it came out years ago, I never got around to it when I really should have. But now that the time finally came and went, I have to say, better late than never.
Stand Alone Complex, despite being nearly a decade old, still holds up as a fantastic anime today. It follows an episode structure that I find to be masterful when done correctly, which is involving a main plot combined with not
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really filler, but not really character building stand alone episodes peppered into the series. The result is an extremely plot-driven anime, regardless of whether or not it's the main plot or a side one.
Story - 9/10
Between the sci-fi futuristic setting and mysteries surrounding crimes in this world, it's hard not to have your curiosity flowing during an episode. This is an anime with some of the most intelligent writing around, with plenty of interesting ideas presented, and characters rarely ever seem to sit around and talk too much which lets the action pick up at a great pace. It's also is a rare anime where there really isn't anything I consider to be real filler. The stand alone episodes hold up great just like the complex main plot episodes. There wasn't a single one out of all 26 eps that I didn't enjoy and the only one I even thought could have been better was the very last one. Not that it was a bad ending, but the resolution of the main plot seemed like it didn't have the total impact it should have.
Animation - 10/10
While there isn't anything overly artistic about the animation of SAC, I gave the animation a high score because of how well it holds up for being a ten year old anime. It looked stupiendous back when it came out, and it hasn't aged poorly in any form. It has sort of a timeless look where nobody is ever going to watch it and feel like it's out of date. Colors and cityscapes look beautiful and the world is rich with detail. Although it does have some questionable moments of CGI in episodes, most of the time it's quite beautiful, particularly on the Tachikoma robots, computer screen tech, and creating nice depth and lighting effects. The action and fast paced stuff is also animated with such top notch fundamentals and camera work. Seeing metal get shot up doesn't usually look this good.
Sound - 10/10
Yoko Kanno composes a triumphant opening and ending theme here, compounded with an exceptional and somewhat overlooked OST that fits the setting and tone to a tee. It's a creative blend of sounds ranging from rock to techno, but everything does it's job to suit the moment and futuristic world. Voices are all very well acted, and do a great job distinguishing the characters and all seem very fitting. The only thing that ever comes close to faltering in the sound department is the childlike voice of the Tachikoma, which I know some people flat out hate. It tested my patience on an infrequent occasion, but I came to love those high-pitched think-tanks.
Characters - 8/10
Stand Alone Complex is story-driven, and if one comes in expecting to get a whole lot of backstory and development on characters, they may be disappointed. The cast is all likable and cool, but the show pretty much trades it's character development time in to spend it's hours weaving the plot. Motoko is a favorite for obvious reasons, being a rare strong-willed and non-cliche woman who can get the job done. She never waivers, and she doesn't stay predictably hard during the course of the show either. Batou was probably my second favorite behind the Major, and he gets blessed being the focus of some great moments that show off his skills. Togusa was another character I found myself respecting the longer I watched. He's definitely the kind of guy that could have been written poorly and turned into a hated face of an anime. I also enjoyed the Tachikoma and they actually may be the ones who technically got the most development of the show, and I loved their last few appearances.
Overall - 9/10
With no strong flaws, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a very impressive anime that knows it's fundamentals and plays to the strengths it has. It's never trying to be something it's not or appeal to people who wouldn't be interested. This is a thinking viewer's anime with some great moments of action and a little bit of humor. I was hooked from the opening moments of the first episode and left wanting more by the time I saw the closing moments of the last. There's a high value for rewatching this series and I can finally understand the classic status that this superb anime is given by most.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 24, 2012
At the least, Elfen Lied is something unique. An anime with copious amounts of gore, nudity, and explicit content hitting the screen at every turn. The said content is shown in unapologetic fashion every single time, and this series is definitely not for everybody. Whether it's the blood or the boobies, I can see why Elfen Lied seems to be a pretty love it or hate it kind of anime.
For me, I wasn't turned away from the gore one bit. The nudity and other stuff I could do without and only one particular scene (I'll give a hint, dogs do it all the time) really
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came close to making me outright stop watching. Even then, the world of Elfen Lied and it's story unfolds in such a fashion that I had to stay with it, because it does a great job of keeping the viewer wondering what will happen next.
Story - 7/10
When it comes to plot, it builds very well but kind of fizzles and fails to go out with a bang. Things start off action packed to a point where I would find it difficult for anyone to not enjoy the first episode. After all, things are blowing up like the apocalypse and by things I mean people. The viewer isn't told anything and it all slowly unravels the world and characters which has been a successful formula in plenty of anime before. The main story around Lucy and anything involving her was the strong point of the show and I loved it. Lucy is a great character and if I could complain about anything involving her, it would be that she wasn't Lucy often enough.
There are some interesting sub-plots going on as well, but much of my problem with the story and show itself is the lack of resolution when it's over. The two interesting villains are left with very open ends, nothing really comes from Yuka and Mayu, and the very last moment of the show (which is an open end as well) would have had so much more impact if everything else was properly resolved. Just like how food should have a satisfying after taste, anime should as well. The satisfying ending was missing in favor of some poorly executed mystique, which ends up being the biggest drawback of the show.
Animation - 9/10
The character design is...saddening. Generic cannot even begin to describe a world where every female seems interchangeable. But the character design is really the only thing holding the animation back. Everything else is very vibrant and looks beautiful. The colors are marvelous and can be bright and vibrant or dark and haunting.
Sound - 8/10
The music is quite impressive and fits the tone of the anime very well. I love the opening theme and any time that signature tune plays it's very well timed. Though I feel the voice acting really dampers the overall score of sound here. Lucy, Bando, and Kurama are the highlights of the show but everyone else suffers from one flaw or another. Kouta sounds almost like he's brain dead at times. As for everyone else not mentioned, there are so many stereotypical soft female anime voices that sometimes I wondered if Minnie Mouse took the job to universally voice the girls of Elfen Lied. It gets to points where these soft-voiced girls just sound unrealistic and I couldn't take them seriously even during some crucial moments.
Characters - 6/10
Yuka is pathetic. The love story trying to happen between two cousins isn't even the problem here. It's just that she's so clearly not desired by Kouta that I see no reason for her to be spewing god awful hentai-inspired lines like "Kouta, do you want to touch my breasts?" She tries to make everything about herself and it happens way more often than it should. The biggest problem with this is Yuka's voice actress isn't bad, she's just saddled with horrific dialogue.
As said before, I love Lucy. Didn't get enough of her and her Nyu personality was an interesting plot device but Nyu was just happening way more than she should have been. I was getting flashbacks of Pokemon during most of the time Nyu was repeating her name like a mindless drone. I felt that she should have been talking much sooner. That flaw aside, Lucy was a character with depth that I was fascinated by, and the eventual telling of her backstory was such a poignant moment of enjoyment and sympathy.
I really liked the contrast of Nana's character to the way Diclonius are believed to be. She provides surprisingly interesting moments of the show. The stuff between Nana and Chief Kurama was pretty damn good. Their relationship (and Number 35's role in it all) really had me going right down to the final episode. I also enjoyed Bando as a villain, I thought he was one of the bigger shitbags I have seen in any anime. Lots of good stuff was coming from him, but unfortunately Bando gets pretty shafted by the time the show is over along with the only other villain, Chief Kakuzawa. Mayu was someone I didn't care for, and Kouta was a decent albeit uninteresting male lead.
Overall - 7/10
I said it was a love it or hate it anime, but I find myself very indifferent about Elfen Lied. I wanted to love it because it did have me glued to my seat going through episodes relentlessly, but it feels that for everything going great in Elfen Lied, there is something bogging it down. It adds up to a very good fundamental anime, but one that could have been much, much better and lacks a good pay-off when it's all over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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