- Last OnlineNow
- BirthdayNov 1
- Location753
- JoinedNov 27, 2015
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Jul 11, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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0
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
3 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
3 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
There's little horror to be seen in this anthology of three short stories involving ineffectual male characters and their interactions with a mysterious woman named Mumako who grants their wishes...with a twist.
The animation style is pedestrian at best, and drawn more like a gag comedy anime than horror. The stories are not in the least bit scary, offering at best a vague surprise in the end, but prepare to be unimpressed.
Basically this is a waste of your time. It's dull, not scary, and the art and music are barely doing the minimum. There are plenty of actually decent one-shot horror releases from the
80s and 90s so don't spend half an hour on this one.
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Mar 23, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Eizouken is a blast of 100% DIY, punk rock energy in anime form. Once the first notes of “Easy Breezy” play, you know you’re in for something genuinely different, and things just get better from there. The three high school girls of Eizouken, determined to make anime at any cost, embody in every line of their animated existence an irrepressible energy that can’t help but translate into an emotionally moving and compulsively watchable journey for anyone willing to jump on board for the crazy ride.
And a wild ride exactly what you get. While Eizouken doesn’t wave away the details that go into making animation, it’s
not too concerned with the day-to-day operations (unlike the exemplary series Shirobako). Instead, Eizouken is more focused on the intense drive to create, and the frustrations that inevitably arise when irrepressible imagination confronts implacable reality. Luckily, a lot of Machiavellian scheming and some old-fashioned blunt coercion on the part of Kanamori Sayaka, who takes the part of the team’s producer, keeps things careening along towards their goals.
Meanwhile, on the fully unhinged side, we have Asakusa Midori, the character who’s really the driving force behind the whole crazy anime project. She regularly pulls ideas out of her notebooks and engages her friends in absolutely joyful flights through imagined landscapes, improvising wildly along the way. As these fantasies unfold, the focus is on how all three girls contribute to create a shared, vibrant, and cohesive world. Technical problems are solved (or cleverly “explained” away), and everyone has a role in getting to the “end” until it all starts up again the next day.
While Asakusa’s imagined world is lovely, and highly reminiscent of Miyazaki Hayao’s sketches, the actual world of the characters is just as compelling in its own way. Canals run through apartment complexes, the high school’s faculty office room is an abandoned swimming pool, and the city in which our characters run riot exists as a chaotic warren of narrow passages, secret escape routes, barely stable architecture, and tantalizing vistas of a semi-drowned metropolis. It’s our world in a way, but beautifully transformed. It teases familiarity while always reminding us that something’s just not quite right. Mostly, it makes me want to go exploring. It doesn’t even matter if I never figure out the mysteries of Eizouken’s world; isn’t it enough to just visit and maybe make some new friends?
Preferably, it’d be nice to make the acquaintance of Asakusa Midori, the impossibly electric creative talent; Kanamori Sayaka, Asakusa’s affectionately cynical and practical-minded best friend; and Mizusaki Tsubame, who’s determined to become an animator despite her rich parents’ objections. The show wastes little time on polite introductions, overly complex back stories, or endless complications based on contrived misunderstandings or the dreaded “character who’s so shy it takes 12 episodes to get her to smile” trope.
Instead, we get three unique individuals who just decide to say “what the hell” and see what happens. Interpersonal conflicts and developments that occur develop naturally as they get to know each other, but they keep focused on the main thing: they are absolutely 100% making anime. For real. And it’s that dedication to the joy of shared creation, the excitement of pursuing a dream sheerly because it makes you feel so damn alive, that elevates these three girls far above the grim archetypes that haunt most seasonal anime productions. They are all, in their own ways, fully alive.
Eizouken is a love story dedicated to animation as an expressive medium and as a source of emotional connection, drawn with such energy and blissful abandon that one only encounters work of this quality every few years at best. While an anime series that’s about making anime might not seem appealing to everyone, this show is really just about the thrill of new friends and the incomparable exhilaration of experiencing a new creation just as it takes flight. Shows like this remind me why I love anime.
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Mar 12, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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3
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
3 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Character |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
While Ziggy isn't exactly good, it deserves attention from those who have a taste for the kind of wild, anything goes type of anime that was easily available in the 80s/early 90s OVA scene. The plot's absurd, the characters are barely developed, and the animation is mediocre, but who cares? You get to watch a Japanese hair metal band run around London, play bad songs, and clear themselves of murder charges! The film contains some unintentional comedy at its finest and deserves a viewing (preferably after a few drinks).
There are a lot of great moments in Ziggy just waiting for well-deserved mockery, like the band
playing an impromptu concert while on the run from the police, and a hilariously sexist and clueless scene where the members of an all-female punk-ish band giggle around in the kitchen, happily cooking a big meal for the all-male members of Ziggy and some assorted British punk dudes. You will also learn, again and again and again, about how important it is to never stop rockin'.
To be fair, the people in charge of this production weren't completely deluded into thinking an audience would hail this fiasco as being great art. Once you learn why Ziggy's been framed for murder, it's pretty clear that the whole movie's just meant to be a joke. The big reveal is genuinely hilarious and in the best tradition of campy films featuring rock bands. There's an aerial battle that takes absurdity to new levels, and plenty of other deliberately ludicrous moments leading to the grand finale.
I had a lot of fun watching this little gem and definitely recommend it for a certain kind of anime fan. Ziggy is never dull. You'll be laughing (or at least cringing) all the way through. Just don't expect it to be anything more than what it is: an obscure bit of anime that manages to entertain despite itself.
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Feb 21, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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12
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
Move along folks! Nothing to see here.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, production had to be delayed, and it's completely understandable that a recap episode would be on the table. Nobody should complain about that. It's a global health crisis. But there's also no need to watch this episode. There's no original content besides a few voiceover lines that add zero additional information.
So, for viewers in the future who wonder about the value of this "special" episode, just don't bother. It's not going to tell you anything new and there was no effort made to add original content. The production committee or studio
could have added some content by using the seiyuus more and writing some original dialogue, but no. It's strictly a cut-and-paste job. Ignore this.
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Feb 11, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
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48
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Character |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
Kuutei Dragons had all the components necessary for a really interesting show but ultimately failed to put them together in a satisfying way. Airships straight out of Laputa, amazingly beautiful dragons, world travel and adventure...what could go wrong? Well, a few things.
First off, the sole motivating force of the show is just "we hunt dragons for money and because they taste good." We never get much more than that, and it's just not enough to drive twelve episodes unless you really, really like watching dragon hunting (and eating). Almost every one of those scenes, and there are a lot of them, play out identically: people
fire guns at dragons, dragons get hit, one particularly reckless character (Mika) jumps on the dragon to kill it, and then we see Mika drool over whatever dragon meat dishes the cook prepares.
This is a shame because there are so many suggestions of what might have been. There are hints that some characters, especially the outwardly cool beauty Vanabelle, have complex prior histories that they're trying to escape by signing up to become drakers on the Queen Zaza. Takita, the newest crew member and the main character of the show, is given slightly more character development but we still never know why the hell she joined up for what is described, by all present, as a thankless, low-paying, and low-status job. And then there's the resident glutton, Mika, who lives only to eat every species of dragon possible and take insane risks in pursuit of that goal. You'd think that, as much screen time as he gets, Mika might become more complex. You would be wrong. The other characters just fall flat, even when they're given chances to shine.
Similarly, the world building is actually really great, but it rarely gets the attention it deserves. The episodes spent with a focus on towns or cities shone as great examples of how to create a complex backstory about an economy and culture that's in some ways dependent on dragon hunting yet suspicious and possibly a bit fearful of those who do the actual dirty work. There are also great moments that expand on the insular world of the drakers, who have a history and hierarchy all their own. I really wanted more of this, as it provided a richness that the vast majority of the other episodes just lacked.
Secondly, the CGI animation is frequently very distracting, especially when it comes to characters' facial expressions. I'll fully admit that, compared to a lot of CGI shows I've seen, Kuutei Dragons was far better than most, but the faces were frequently awful and drained a lot of emotional impact from otherwise intense scenes.
And finally, I just wasn't sure what this show wanted to do. It clearly didn't want to problematize the idea of dragon hunting in a moral way. It also wasn't sure if it was a slice of life story that just happened to be about dragon hunting, or if it was mainly an action story that put hunting first and foremost above everything else. Because what we got was a lot of slow, slice of life material without any character development, and hunting scenes that ended up being too formulaic and repetitive to drive an action-oriented series.
Without having read the manga, I can only hope that, if Kuutei Dragons gets a second season, we delve more deeply into the characters and the world they live in. The show has potential, but after twelve full episodes they didn't convince me that anyone knows what to do with it. (Also, could they please build a railing around the entire ship's deck? That's been annoying me to no end, and it's ridiculous).
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Aug 14, 2019
2 of 3 episodes seen
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39
people found this review helpful
Preliminary
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Is this one of the most ridiculous ideas in anime history? Of course! And that's why it works. With just about 2 minutes of material per episode, you don't have to invest yourself in anything. Just enjoy the surreal juxtaposition of angsty teen Amuro having a serious mid-battle discussion with Hello Kitty about friendship and nonviolence.
I'm not sure that traditional notions of good or bad apply here. This is just a series of shorts celebrating the 45th anniversary of Hello Kitty and the 40th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam. The animation is actually much nicer than it ever needed to be, and the production
in general is well done. It's not a pure throwaway; effort was spent in making this something special (if extremely bizarre and disorienting).
If you want a few laughs and like the weirdness of the whole notion, give it a look. I like that it's well-executed, has an odd respect for both franchises, and at this point I can't wait to see how things finally end up.
The final question: Will this anime be canon for the Gundam universe?!?!?!?!
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Jun 27, 2018
1 of 1 episodes seen
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5
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
This is the coziest episode of one of the coziest series in history. The first part is cute, but ultimately a throwaway story that others have summarized. The main story is the gambling. It's everything Hakumei to Mikochi does best: let these characters just do their own thing, enjoy the situations that unfold, and watch the (very low key) chaos fly.
I truly felt like I'd want to be nowhere else in a snowstorm than in that exact place, gambling, drinking, and generally having fun with exactly those four people...although I damn well wouldn't be betting money given certain individuals...*cough*
It was precisely how you'd want
to hole up on a cold, snowy night. Good friends, games, sharing jokes, hot food, and a bit of alcohol to warm you up even more. It made me feel nostalgic for some nights like that in the past. I suppose it made me feel a bit sad, although I laughed much more. But I think that's part of Hakumei to Mikochi's charm as a series. It reminds us of the most important things in life...many of which are unappreciated in your average anime series.
I'd rather live in the small, simple, quiet, and charming world of this series than any giant dramatic anime of any kind. I truly hope we can see more Hakumei to Mikuchi to come. I would hate to say goodbye to the lovely art and exceptionally high quality adaptation that we've seen in this series. It's been faithful to the manga and a gift to all those who have enjoyed the experience.
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May 25, 2018
6 of 6 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
4 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
Softenni is known as a lolicon show. The series itself was really not particularly extreme, except for some silly and predictable fanservice. (Nobody cares about seeing pantsu but whatever.)
These specials throw it all out there. Do you want to see 13-15 year-old naked anime girls? Here you go. Uncensored.
In terms of quality they're quite good. If you enjoyed the series then absolutely give these specials a watch. It's the same humor and not just throwaway trash.
But, if you are uncomfortable with the 100% nudity plus lolicon, and have concerns in that regard, I do not recommend these videos.
Nov 9, 2017
24 of 24 chapters read
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10
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Art |
5 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Before reading 1F, I'd seen a variety of reviews online. Thankfully I ignored several of them and read the manga anyway. It's a very detailed story of the life that workers faced (and still face) at the epicenter of an unimaginable disaster.
The value of the manga is that it doesn't attempt to diagnose or encompass the entirety of the Fukushima disaster. There are many other well-researched and compelling books that can offer readers that experience. What 1F provides is the chance to experience the daily routine that defines the perilous existence of those who have chosen to face a set of dangers that most
of us would avoid at all costs.
1F can, at times, be dull. It can also be frustrating, especially when it describes the conflicted nature of most employees at the site: they're proud of their work but aren't always welcomed in the communities they're helping, they're working hard but know that the system by which jobs and wages are allocated frequently enriches middlemen at the expense of the people putting their health at serious risk, and they know that they can't do much about any of the high-level problems that make their lives more difficult.
The real difficulty lies in assigning some sort of exact valuation to this narrative. Its informational content is absolutely indispensable to anyone seriously interested in what's gone on at Fukushima. On the other hand, the artwork is rather pedestrian and you certainly won't get anything in terms of character development. I think that these latter concerns are a much bigger issue for non-Japanese readers because we're just not familiar with the utterly pervasive nature of manga in Japanese society. Manga is, of course, primarily for entertainment, but it's used for just about anything else too. Westerners may have "XYZ for Dummies" books, but in Japan manga is perfectly acceptable as a mode of communication that encompasses much more serious work.
1F may not be for everyone, but it's indispensable for anyone who wants a unique and exceptionally well-observed account of what only a few very brave individuals have endured to make Japan safer and more secure.
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Jun 23, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
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6
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
3 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
It's not a good sign when the most compelling scene of a new anime series occurs before the opening credits in the first episode. Clockwork Planet was pretty much all downhill from there.
I recall noticing a comment on some website or other noting that this was the ultimate chuunibyou show, and I'd say that's about right. Clockwork Planet plays out as an endless variation on weird anime-centric fetishes instead of something resembling a real story. I was initially attracted to the show because I thought it might involve some kind of steampunk aesthetic, but I was quickly disabused of that potentiality. Instead, you have
a ludicrous notion that the entirety of planet Earth was reconstructed with gears, cogs, and endless other mechanisms. Evidently this world also includes artificial intelligences that are also made entirely of clockwork parts.
Now, this is not necessarily a bad premise for a series, but Clockwork Planet makes absolutely no effort to explain, justify, or even marginally expand on this initial concept. Instead, you get a lot of incredibly dull bickering between the two protagonists, and even more ridiculous interactions between them and a few clockwork-based humanoid creatures. It's barely worth expanding on this aspect of the show, but the male protagonist spends a ton of screen-time obsessing over two female clockwork entities to the point that it really becomes creepy. Obviously this is the intent, and it's acknowledged quite a few times during the 12-episode run. But why? Who cares? Not me, at any rate.
I didn't care because, for all of its action scenes and supposedly intense narrative drive, Clockwork Planet had nowhere to go. The characters don't really develop, and really it's pretty generous to even call them characters at all. You're essentially given a set of archetypes and asked to care about their actions and choices when (a) they're really just constructs serving as mechanisms to advance the plot, and (b) they never really develop in any noticeable way. If the overall plot had been at all interesting, then I think it would be possible to forgive some lack of decent characterization, but I couldn't be bothered to care about that aspect of the show either. As far as I could tell, things happened, characters popped up when necessary to advance the rather meaningless story, and then it all ended. That's it.
I was incredibly disappointed by this show and I would not recommend it to anyone. It's not vile, but it's pointless. I know that the goal was to create some really cool show with "meaningful" plot developments and genuine emotional depth, but I cannot possibly imagine how the mess that is Clockwork Planet could ever attain even the level of an average but uninspiring series. In a way, perhaps that's appropriate. Clockwork Planet, in a sense, lived up to its name. The show runs like an odd little machine ticking away, without a point or purpose. By the time its mechanism ran down at the end of episode 12, could anyone really have been bothered to wind it up again? I certainly could not be bothered.
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