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Mar 22, 2022
So, I don't think anyone is expecting greatness out of the boys at Orc Soft or even studio Seven, whose only notable show I know of is "I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying". That said, we shouldn't cut them slack just because they're making porn.
I haven't played the original visual novel, so I can't comment on its quality, but I firstly watched the prequel(?) OVA to this one, and though I was not amazed at all, I saw an attempt, be it generic, for some characterization and plot (both in big quotations).
Yet this thing somehow fails at even that. Events just happen, with
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literal fade-to-black between scenes. Even though I bet they had some sort of context in the visual novel, they don't here at all.
First thing the viewer sees is this chick that gets off-model the second she so much as blinks. The overall fluidity of the animation is actually not so bad, I'd say better than its prequel, though the classic re-using of animation clips happens a lot.
I'd say the biggest offense that this OVA makes is to have that stupid non-stop spouting of stupid lines that Jap porn is known for. I get some dirty talk or even commentary, but here this is dialed up to an insane degree - literal minutes of the voice actress going "lick, lick, lick". It's super annoying.
I won't comment on the sex scenes themselves beyond saying that if you're not into tanned bimbos, old men screwing young girls and detailed commentaries about uncircumcised phalluses, you won't get much out of this one.
TL;DR: I'd say don't waste your wank time watching this one, as there is waaay better smut out there. Look at "Baka Dakedo Chinchin Shaburu no dake wa Jouzu na Chii-chan" for something that caters to the same fetishes, but it's actually better animated and has both an actual plot and character development!
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Aug 31, 2018
Commercials suck, right? Everyone despises them. But this... this right here... it's beautiful!
This Mercedes-Benz commercial, along with the 6 min ONA are ones of the most incredible marketing I've ever seen. We all know that popular brands attach their names to other popular things, but never did I ever imagined that Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the guy behind the character designs of Evangelion, FLCL, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (to name a few) would design CG songstresses in a Mercedes commercial, and that's knowing how weird Japanese commercials are.
The video is super simple and nothing really goes on - some girls sing and dance and
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some robo dude is driving a car. Still, it's unbelievably, utterly, amazingly amusing.
Even if Sadamoto did it just for money, it's still enjoyable; seeing this guy doing something like that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 20, 2018
Ah, Gunbuster...
Top wo Nerae is an anime that means a lot to me. I won't forget the first time I watched it as a "starry-eyed" teenager - the style of animation and directing, the visual and audio quality, the plot consistency... all great, but I didn't really care about any of that! What I care about is the sheer burning passion I felt while following Noriko Takaya's journey and how much that character's feelings spoke to me.
So, I re-watched it again and decided to explain why Gunbuster is one the best shows I've even seen.
The story, without getting into too much detail, is a fairly
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common coming-of-age story in the clothes of a real robo space adventure. Of course, humanity is in a fierce battle with space monsters and is steadily being pushed back. All that's fine and good, but there is a twist. The concept of time is one the show plays with quite skillfully. Basically, in deep space, flying with amazingly high speed, time passes considerably slower than on Earth, which of course leads to some really effective melodramatic events. The universe (get it?) of the OVA is as fleshed out as possible for something so short; the technology and rationale of the world is a bit shaky, but all is sacrificed to bring forth the emotional growth of the characters, along with some gut-punching and though-provoking twists. The masterful style of directing of Hideaki Anno will be later transferred onto Nadia and Evangelion, the latter of which will be seriously influenced by Gunbuster.
The art and sound are as gorgeous as possible. Seriously, they put most modern shows to shame. The visuals consist of only the finest things cell animation could offer, with striking designs and attention to detail. The hand-drawn explosions (specialty of studio Gainax) are visually impressive and deliver a special kind of impact to the scenes they are featured in. And the same could be said for the background art. The look of the characters is one of my all-time favourite, standing on the perfect ground between moe and realistic. Same could be said for the robots - they have the best aspects of super robo and real robo in them, especially the iconic Gunbuster! There is a lot of rail porn (i.e. there are a lot of trains and other rail-based vehicles, as well as shots featuring characters in said transport) and as an enthusiast of this, you could say it was a real treat for me. The musical score is, as said, perfect, featuring some of the most memorable and emotional tracks in anime history. The OP is my go-to motivational video (whenever I need one).
And I haven't even mentioned the battle scenes! They are great, with superb directing and fluid animation; some of them are downright iconic!
The characters, mainly the main character Noriko Takaya, are great, considering the little development some of them have. Their personalities are interesting and relatable, with their visual design complimenting them greatly, as well as excellent voice acting. Some characters (I'm looking at you, Smith!) might disappoint the viewer, but one should remember than Top wo Nerae is a very personal story, so the job of the side characters is to compliment the hero, which they do effortlessly. Some (kind of expected) deaths push Noriko into becoming the hero we all need, while other traumas help her understand her peers and mature as a person.
Something interesting about Noriko Takaya's character is that she is one of the earlier representations of the "otaku hero" (term coined by Digibro). Her implied passion of anime and pop-culture (look at all the wallpapers in her room) suggest a lot about her personality, even if we see this character for the first time - she is passionate, prone to getting influenced by people she looks up to, somewhat shy or at least awkward and perhaps a happy-go-lucky person. All of that is correct, as well as other details about her which start to become apparent with the progression of the show's plot.
Top wo Nerae is pure joy to watch. It's a mix of happiness, excitement, tension, sadness, seriousness and goofiness - all perfectly combined. The last two episodes are some of the most hyped moments I've experienced in any media, with the ending bringing me to tears every time. That, my friends, is what I call art. Because art is supposed to reach your heart, to help you understand the feelings of the creator... and Gunbuster did just that. I love it, because it holds the hard work, passion and love of all the people that worked on it. It's a show that these people wanted to make. And while I'm sure it wasn't easy, they did it. They didn't give up and aimed for the top!
And that, I think, is what's so amazing about it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 15, 2018
Now and Then, Here and There (may be referred to as NTHT from now on) is an original series from studio AIC, a studio known to put out questionable anime when it comes to quality (Blue Gender and Aa! Megami-sama!, but Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari and Amagami SS). Yet this show has a striking, fresh setting, pretty straightforward and easy to follow plot and cool military designs. You don't always see such a survival-based setting in anime, plus the water-based technology is something I really haven't seen in other series. What's more, the shows comes from the post-Evangelion era of strange, experimental productions. This hot
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mix of Evangelion and Nausicaa is one helluva mix! It's edgy, it's realistic and it sounds like great time. Right? Well, I regret to inform that this is NOT the case. The show is, as we say back home, kinda shitty. Stick around and I'll explain why.
Short review for the busy bees:
Story - seemed like a deal at first, but quickly turned boring
Art - good for its time, yet somewhat cheap looking from a modern perspective
Sound - pretty good, gave deeper impact to some scenes than the animation itself
Characters - annoying and unrelatable (with few exceptions)
Enjoyment - somewhat amused (the ending sealed the deal for me), yet disappointed overall
Since the dawn of artistic expression, story has been the most important subject of refinement and evolution. The pieces with great narratives are the pieces people remember most fondly, even to this day. Hell, Homer's Iliad was so good, people still care about it! That said, I surely won't remember NTHT. That's not to say it is terribly written, that's not the case. But it isn't that great of a story either. It is mediocre.
My main issue is that the plot tries to be all cool and dramatic, but one should be consisted of both the story, the characters, the setting and most importantly - the directing. Clever directing and editing can make otherwise mediocre series great (see anything Shaft has made for example, K-On! and Highschool of the Dead). Such directing was mainly absent from this show. We have long, silent shots of characters standing ala-Evangelion, but they are neither long enough to be atmospheric, nor short enough to not pay them that much attention. There is a little bit of a play with colour symbolism, but it isn't as striking as in Kill la Kill, nor subtle like in, well, Evangelion. And I mention Eva so much because I feel like the staff behind NTHT were trying to recapture that golden fish. The main character "discovers the horrors of war", the way Shinji discovers the dark secret behind the Evas, but they don't change his outlook and mindset; there is "brutal torture, hunger, thirst, and child exploitation" all for the sake of being edgy, while making little sense or straight up not being addressed at all, unlike in Evangelion.
The backgrounds have a hot, dusty and worn-out feeling to them thanks to an excellent choice of a colour palette and the fact that they are hand painted, while standard for the time, gives it a nice touch. I respect the team from withholding from using CGI even for the more tacky scenes, and the mechanical design looks and moves well on the screen. That said, I take issue with the character design. While not terribly dated, it looks boring the very least. My main issue, however, is with the main villain, Hamdo. I don't know how his design got approved on any stage at all! It's just... terrible. And I also dislike the way Lala-Ru was drawn. I understand the need for her to look outlandish, but her eyes were kind of bugging me through the whole run. Overall, my complains of the art are minor and can get used to with time. Except for Hamdo's haircut and moustache.
I'm no musician, but the opening and ending songs are good enough for me to listen even after I finished the series (just to note, the actual OP of the anime is terrible - no animation, no nothing. I was not expecting such a thing). The BGM is also good, as said above it made the touching moment more touching when the animation would fail to deliver either due to technical issues or just plain incompetence. That said, I feel I need to mention the voice acting as well. For the most parts it is okay, but the voice of the main guy was wearing on me by the end of the series, and some boy characters have way too feminine voices to an unfitting degree (Oda for example).
Finally, I want to talk about the characters - my main issue with the series. All of them are obnoxious in different ways - Lala-Ru is way too apathetic and useless, Shu is the absolute worse with his annoying, loud and blatantly dull personality (the show points that out as well, but doesn't make an effort to fix it), Nabuca is too up-his-own-ass most of the time and Sara was both unimportant and annoying (with some exceptions). That is not to say the characters are badly written, as for the most part they aren't. But the audience doesn't really have a vehicle to project onto, I feel. None of them are remotely likeable for me (except Sis and Boo, but they aren't too important) nor all that relatable, because their struggles felt so far away from me that I simply couldn't sympathize. Sorry, but seeing obnoxious brats getting beaten for no reason by an obnoxious, toothless bitch isn't something I can relate to (and inb4, I wasn't beaten by my mum when I was little, fuck you). I say toothless because some characters just have no personality whatsoever. Plot convenient or not, this isn't a well-done character. Once again Hambo makes an appearance in this review simply because I hate him THAT much. While on purpose, his personality is the single most annoying and jarring thing about this anime. Seriously, fuck the guy.
Overall, I enjoyed Now and Then, Here and There. Flawed or not, it certainly had a unique flavour and its creators obviously had "something" to say. How much they succeeded can be measured individually. In my eyes, the fact that this anime is merely mediocre is worse than if was just bad. "Bad" might be an anime that overshot itself, was overly ambitious or just a mess. "Mediocre", on the other hand, is safe. Plain, middle-of-the-road. And that's more disappointing. For me, the weaknesses in writing and structure ruined the show. Some might overlook that, but I entered the series expecting a gem. Instead, I got a piece of copper. And copper is still perfectly alright for some people. But not for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 28, 2018
Here's a summary for all the hectic folk with not enough attention span to read something longer than two sentences -
Story: 9 ; Art: 10 ; Sound: 9 ; Characters: 9 ; Enjoyment: 10 ; Overall: 10
Best girl: Roberta (obviously)
Still here? Great.
Black Lagoon in general is an exciting thriller, revolving around a group of pirates and their "wacky" adventures in the South Asian seas. This OVA is a sequеl, exploring the vibrant story of the beloved Terminator maid Roberta and aims to be a more fulfilling (temporary, because the manga is still ongoing) ending to the overarching story of these series. And boy,
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does it deliver!
Now, I'm sure you're at least slightly familiar with the content at hand and what you really want to know is if it is good or bad. Well, there is just one answer really:
IT'S GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!
Roberta's Blood Trail's story is flawed, but its awesomeness and badassness cover the holes to a great extend. With a well-executed pacing and engaging themes, this OVA stands out from even its own parent series. There is a great flowing contrast as well - whenever you get "the feels" from all the nihilistic and depressing events (and let me tell ya, this anime has plenty), there is always a fun over-the-top action scene to cheer you up. If you like movies like Pulp Fiction and Seven (there really isn't an adequate anime comparison that I'm aware of, except Jormungand, which was inspired from Black Lagoon) you will have a great ride with this 5-episode OVA.
What about the art you ask? The art is stellar. Unlike in the original series, there are almost no bad quality shots. The attention to detail is astonishing - plenty of the scenes are wallpaper-worthy and flow pleasantly for the eye. The baby "anime eyes" (you know what I'm talking about) have been completely replaced by a fitting seinen-like style and the character art have been given a more gritty-realistic feel to them, putting some of the recent "serious" anime to shame. In short, there is plenty to love and little to hate so far.
Now, the sound - while the OP was cool and the ED - great - didn't seem to leave that much of impact. If fact, I can't come up with a single OST from the top of my mind, unlike with something from Evangelion for example. Still, not been as good as Eva is something most anime suffer from, so it doesn't mean it sounded bad. MELL managed to pull quite the tunes at times and I doubt the soundtrack is essential for the overall enjoyment.
For a character-oriented story, Roberta's Blood Trail and Black Lagoon in general suffers from the Shirobako complex - putting too many characters and forgetting to develop them thoroughly. And yeah, in real life you don't get to know the entire backstory and character of a person from just meeting him twice. But I dislike the fact that the newcomer and wanna-be protagonist Fabiola has her personality explained in a few words in-between constant gunfire and dick-stabbing (you'll see), plus we got just a tad bit more information on Garcia which is a shame. Though some interesting characters from the previous series like Eda, Chang and of course - Roberta - get some great development in an unexpected directions.
With all that said, my personal enjoyment of the series was pretty high, surpassing Season 1 and 2 by a long shot. The main character Rock gets a surprising twist in his personality that honestly made him a lot more interesting for me and all the fucked-up crimes Roberta commits kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire run.
Overall, I'd recommend this OVA to both old and newcomers to the series, with the fans getting to enjoy more of the Black Lagoon experience. If you are faint of heart (or a pussy) this is not for you. But if you prepared for a bloody animated 90s thriller, then you will certainly get your money's worth!
PS: Watch it with dubs, they surprisingly better the overall experience with their constant swearing and Western pop-culture references.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 16, 2018
Introduction:
Shirobako is a great example of the hardships any team project could undergo and the individual struggles the creators experience. It manages to convey a sentimental story with characters that feel real and their problems - relatable. In this review, I'll try to explain exactly why Shirobako might be considered a modern classic.
Story: 8/10
The story revolves around five alumnae and their mutual goal of making an anime together. The plot revolves around the characters and relies on them to keep it moving, so if you expect a complex worldbuilding this anime is not for you. Otherwise the story is straightforward and simple, yet well-paced and
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gripping. Exception are the last few episodes for their misfitting over-the-topness. The series are deprived of plot-holes and the tastefully placed twists, while not so unpredictable, are still exciting.
Art: 9/10
The art is visually stimulating and fits the tone of the show. Even so, I think the style is a tad bit too "moe". While generally a comedy, the show also has its deeper mature moments and in these moments I was wishing for a style akin to something like Cencoroll or Kiznaiver. Despite that, all characters are well-animated and vibrant, with the low quality moments being countable on one hand.
Sound: 8/10
There is nothing in particular I want to note about the sound; it was pretty standard for a show of its kind. However, the OPs made me sing with the lyrics with my whole heart and I never missed an ED while watching.
Characters: 9/10
Here is where the show shines the most. As mentioned above, the characters' worries strongly related to me. I'm sure the very creators of these series used their own experience as a fuel for them. Beside the expected work-related problems, every now and then a more philosophical and existential problems appear, while still maintaining the lighthearted tone of the anime. The supporting cast is as strong as the leads. The only problem was that some characters were left underdeveloped and unexplored and I believe it is because of their large number.
OVERALL: 9/10
I obviously enjoyed the ride this show provided (so much so that I watched it twice). However, there is still to be desired. That is why, even after claiming a spot on my list of favorites, I'll refrain from giving it a perfect score. If P.A. Works ever make a sequel, they are count me in as a potential viewer.
P.S.
Ema-chan is best girl.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 13, 2017
Gundam Twilight Axis is the physical manifestation of that slap Bright gave Amuro in the original 0079 series with Bright being Sunrise and Amuro being the UC Gundam fandom.
Not even my father ever hit me as hard as this piece of trash did!
OVERALL: 2/10 (barely at that)
Story: 1
Have you seen one of those ''*anime name* in 10 seconds'' videos? Apparently Sunrise has and decided to actually make their anime 10 seconds long as a joke.
I'm not laughing Sunrise. Neither does anyone that has seen it.
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From what I was able to comprehend the story was about a girl that apparently is NOT a pilot but a mechanic despite being a newtype or something. It doesn't matter. No one likes Gundam for its interesting storitelling, amirite.
Even as I'm writing this, thinking of what to say about the plot, all I can recall are flashy lights, screaming and a brief shot of Char and Lalah that was repeated in every second episode as if to remind me that I was watching UC Gundam and not Aldnoah:Zero sped up.
Art: 4
I actually enjoyed the art, I thought that it was well-made for the most parts. The MS there too flashy for no reason and the candy coloured Normal Suits were a grit in the eye but it was still watchable, for that aspect at least.
Sound:1
What sound? I honestly don't remember anything.
Character: 1
What character? I honestly don't remember anyone. Seriously, I bet no one was able to remember anyone's name through watching it.
Enjoyment: 1
I felt as if I was watching a commercial for the new season of Gundam SEED.
Overall: 2
The animation saves this series from being 1/10 really.
GUNDAM FANS - Stay away!
AVERAGE ANIME VIEWERS - Stay away!
AUTISTIC PEOPLE THAT WATCH TOO MANY TV COMERCIALS - Be my guests and watch it, you might have a blast with it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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