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Feb 15, 2015
I loved the first season of Love Live, but sadly this one could not quite keep up. The great graphics, characters and music are still here, but despite a worthy ending, the story stumbles a bit.
The first season was all about the characters overcoming internal obstacles and growing as artists and as persons. Many obstacles in this season are more of the external kind. Which is a shame; after the brilliant introduction of the cast the first season gave us, I would have hoped the plot would be deeper and even more character driven this time around. Instead we got blizzards, hurricanes and inavoidable deadlines,
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all in a rather episodic format. The last couple of episodes however, are wonderful and almost made me forgive the somewhat disappointing first half.
All in all, a bright and heartwarming show that couldn't quite keep up with my expectations from the first season.
Alright, keep the downvotes coming...
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 15, 2015
Ow, my face hurts! The very first seconds of this show put a big smile on my face and it stuck all the way through.
The story contains a lot of cliches, but it is so well directed that they don't really matter. The pacing is a masterpiece that allows for drama, comedy, "girl of the week", some degree of actual character depth and slice of life in the mere 13 episodes, without feeling rushed or crammed. This is the only show other than AIR that has managed to pull off something like this in such a compact format. The only complaint I can come
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up with regarding the story is that the second half contains a couple of wierd twists that didn't feel entirelly waterproof.
There are quit a few characters that are all likeable in their own ways. Perhaps the story could have been even more fleshed out with a somewhat smaller cast, but as it is, everyone fits in nicely enough due to the great directing.
Graphics-wise, the standard is set unusually high for a high school anime, but the animation during the live performances and OP/ED is mindblowingly well crafted with smooth, vivid and realistic CGI movement that actually doesn't clash with the traditional 2D graphics. Very well done.
The sound score is hard to set objectively, since even if the songs themselves might be mediocre at times, they absolutely are the climaxes of the show when bundled with the awesome performance animations. So as a part of the whole package, the sound gets a 9, even though ther are only a couple of songs I would actually bother to put in my "good shit" mp3 folder.
All in all, Love Live sets a new standard for innocent feel-good anime. It is a great piece of both craftsmanship and art.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 14, 2015
Furi Kuri is an eyegasm, a mindfuck and a nosebleed. I have never seen an anime this graphically appealing before, and it's annoying beyond belief that nothing has bested it in the 15 years since it was created.If you see it mainly as a visual piece of art, you won't be as disappointed by the pointless and random story. Sure, this is supposed to be a nonsense-hysterical comedy, but it would never in a million years have worked if it wasn't for the outstanding graphics. The story isn't contributing at all to the enjoyment of Furi Kuri; it's the animation that pulls the entire burden.
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All the laughs and all the goosebumps are 100% graphics-induced.
Well, the soundtrack helps as well, to be honest. In the meantime the voice talents fit the absurd atmosphere, even though (or maybe just because) they all seem pumped full of Valium.
Well, not much else to say about this. It was absolutely worth watching, but at the same time it's kinda depressing that anime graphics in general hasn't evolved beyond this in 15 years. I would totally love this kind of animation in an anime that actually had anything else going for it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 13, 2015
I have seen a fair share of harem anime, and I wonder why I still bother. They all follow a formula that barely would be entertaining if it was applied to just a single show, let alone a whole genre.
But this worn formula is what makes MM! so great. This anime follows the harem doctrine to the letter, but turns it up to eleven on all fronts. The whole cast sports some kind of perversion, the violence is out of control, the characters take the harem cliches to the extreme and the panty shots... oh, wait, there are none of those. Right.
Graphics are colourful,
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crisp and nice enough and the characters may look a bit too stereotypical with wild hairdos and -colours, but that's kind of the point. The music fits the hysterical theme of the show very well, even though it's far from good enough to make it into my "good shit" mp3 folder. Character and story depth are nothing to write home about, but it does its job.
All in all, MM! is a great comedy and an even better parody of a tired genre that really needed this vitamin injection. Let's hope it evolves from this, alternatively dies off completely when it is realized it can't get any better than MM!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 11, 2015
Aw, man... I really wanted to like Last Exile. There is a lot going for it; great graphics, a fascinating steampunk world, and an epic script. But sadly it all gets all but ruined by bad editing and directing. Dialogue is often stiff and riddled with awkward and pointless pauses. Events get little to no buildup, making the dramaturgical curve way too straight and even. In a story as epic as this, you need buildups and climaxes, but the dynamics get lost in a mess of wierd cuts and directing choices. And voice acting is far from consistantly great.
On the plus side, the graphics are
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really cool with awesome backgrounds that really gives life to the world. And the dogfighting scenes are mostly great. Sometimes the CGI clashes a bit with the traditional art style, but it didn't bother me all that much.
Sound effects and background music works well with setting the mood and enhance the immersion (an immersion that rarely lasts longer than to the next cut due to the awful editing). Opening track was not my cup of coke, but the ending theme went straight into my "good shit" folder.
The story is really complex, with lots of characters, political factions and side arcs that do a good job of obscuring most of the cliches that might arise. Best of all, the story is perfectly intertwined with the world in which it takes place. And what a world, by the way!
All was set for this to get at least an 8 in my book, and I'm really sad it crashed in on itself the way it did. I can't give it less than a 6 overall because I could kind of brain-edit it myself in real time, but you should not have to do that to enjoy a show. Maybe we can look forward to a total remake for an upcoming anniversary? Maybeprettyplease?
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 9, 2015
Standard high school Shojo, but an unusually good one. Very slow paced with sensible and not the slightest bit over-the-top characters. The story is entirely character-driven and feels 100% plausible and realistic. The dialogue is coherent, makes sense and works well as a medium for the cast to drive the story forward. Graphics are a fair bit above average and character design is spot on.
This could have been a real masterpiece if there was a wee bit more happening. As it is, it is a heartwarming feel-good slice of cousyness and reminiscing. And I'm totally fine with that. But if Ao Haru ride would
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have any ambition to be the next Bokura ga ita or Kimi ga nozomu eien, they should have put a bit more pressure on the gas, and probably extended the show with more episodes in the process.
All in all, a great but harmless shojo.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 9, 2015
A big bucket of WTF. Ok, I get where Gainax was going with this, and I suppose there are lots of fans of this kind of humour. But this constant bombardment of colour, chatter, explosions and random events is not my cup of fun. I tried to watch it in japanese, but the hysterical tempo made it impossible to keep track of the subtitles, so I quickly switched to the english dub. Which actually was really good. The voice acting was totally fine and the dialogue was freely translated and greatly improved upon. That, combined with the western-style art style, made me forget that this
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was actually made in Japan in the first place.
Background music and sound effects are top notch and fits perfectly with the bombastic animation. Opening and ending songs are a bit more bland. The art style is cool and very well executed. I love the foul language and the indecent theme. But it all is too much and it comes at you totally at random. I like poop, foul language and sex just as much as the next guy, but when it's all presented so methodically erratic, I have a hard time enjoying it to the fullest.
Another problem I have with this show is that, although it nearly kills you with the epileptic seizure-inducing intensity that it blasts all of this at you, it still holds back when it comes to sex. The main character's name is Panty, a nymphomaniac. As anime fans, we are constantly bombarded with unmotivated panty shots, and when we finally get a show where they would actually fit in perfectly with the theme, Gainax holds back. It's not like I feel robbed of a masturbation session, it's that it feels so insincere by the creators.
All in all... sure, I liked it, it was pretty funny. But much of the humor was just not my thing. Too bad, the first episode really got my hopes up.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 8, 2015
I didn't have high hopes for Golden boy, but it wasn't half bad at all. Sure, the art is dated, music and voice acting is so-so and the story is extremely episodic. Apart from a couple of sexy scenes and about one big laugh per episode, the most appealing part of this anime is the main character himself. If you are fed up with main characters who are just passively letting the plot take the lead, Kintaro is the guy for you. He is a nice guy, sure, but he is also a pervert, a wierdo and a go-getter. With just 6 episodes, there really
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are no excuses for not watching this. Just take it for what it is.
A fresh breeze in the anime scene, despite being twenty years old.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 7, 2015
Planetes starts off slow and takes its time to establish the setting. The first half or so is basically episodic slice of life which does a very good job of building up a rich, plausible and fascinating world. The cast gets plenty of time to establish and grow, and the characters are great.
I love these kinds of "down to earth" (not entirelly a fitting term in this case), almost "pigfarming" stories. No super powers, no abyssal evil. Just people. The first half of Planetes reminds me of masterpieces such as Haibane Renmei, Cowboy bebop and Trigun.
Sadly, when the main story takes off, it does so
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in a direction I wasn't entirely sold on. I would have been more than happy to let the second half be more like the first. I like the political aspect that is introduced, but I would have prefered that the low-level drama was kept as the main focus.
The show also suffers from being too clean and nice. I'm not asking for all out Elfen Lied here, but a wee bit more blood and sex (or at least a kiss or two) wouldn't have hurt at all. It is hardly a kids show anyway. The immersion gets weakened when you feel the creators are holding back.
Graphically it is alright, although I had hoped for more. Simple but fitting art style, decent character design but a bit stiff animation. Soundwise, the opening and ending songs are decent, had it not been for the awful male vocals. The background score is among the best I have heard though. Varied and atmospheric.
All in all, I loved the first half, and really thought it would be a new top 10 show. But the 2nd half let it down in my opinion. Still worth watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 6, 2015
I was hoping for a new Elfen Lied, but this was mostly a big disappointment. Basically just another shonen, but with the lights turned down. That in itself wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but all the good things about Deadland Wonderland are obscured by the many flaws. All in all, I don't regret watching it, but there are way better options out there for all the genres this series claims to be.
Regarding gore and violence, there are a couple of strong scenes, but they are few and far between. Fans of Gantz and Elfen Lied will not be impressed.
The artstyle is great and frame
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by frame it looks really good. Problem is, the animation is stiffer than I'm comfortable with. The animators really just put in work where absolutely necessary. Thus, the character speaking will move and behave normally, while all around him freezes in place. Even wind blowing in the hair is obviously reserved for the one in focus. Bah. At least the fighting scenes and special effects got the love they deserved.
Character design is fine for a shonen. Hair colours, wierd clothes and weaponry in abundance.
The intro song is pretty good, if you can get past the emo engrish lyrics. Ending song is well produced but didn't hook me. The background music is varied and unusually well done. No repetetive midi plinky-plonk to be heard. The japanese voice acting is average or slightly above.
Story-wise, it's a mixed bag. Mixed with cliches, that is. The "kid turns into super hero but struggles with his own insecurities" and "mysterious magic girl with a challenged intellect and hot body" are staple commodities in anime and it takes something more special than this for me not getting bored of it. The grand plot is a bit compelling in all its wierdness, but a lot is left to the imagination. A good 2nd season would hopefully be able to bring this score up a notch or two.
Most of the cast has a lot of potential, but not much of it is realised as the plot just drags all of them with it with no time for anyone to really shine.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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