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Apr 27, 2013

Evangelion Movie 3: Q (Anime) add

Mixed Feelings

I'll be honest here, the first time i watched NGE a month ago, I bought the concept of 'Neon Genesis' of the world brought through Evangelion units and thought it was pretty damn cool, but after plowing through the whole series, End of Evangelion, and then THIS, It left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

First, the story is haphazardly paced, but i think that was obvious from the way they handled the final fight in 2.0 - so go figure. The movie makes VERY little attempt to bridge the gap between the abrupt ending where Shinji gets speared with the Longinus by Kaworu ... and the events leading up to the situation in 3.0 - to the disdain of many rebuild fans.

How about the trend of Anno being incredibly cryptic with his stories ?You will find that his realization is still going on strong here - the climax sequence of the film was pretty much End Of Evangelion 0.5. Let me tell you, there is nothing wrong with being cryptic in a narrative, but one should do it a manner that complements the story - obviously Evangelion has never done its storytelling in a satisfying fashion so it's a big minus. The rule of thumb is: it's entertainment, and you ( the producers ) are supposed to narrate the story - by using any means - in a fashion that is deemed comprehensible and entertaining by the END of the story. By saying this, No , i do not believe audiences have to be spoonfed with information every single time they are seated - a good story is where elements and plot points are revealed in tandem with the pace of the story. That's all that is asked for out a story, to be honest.

I could go on but this just 3.0. so many things may be answered by the final so again, here's to me hoping things will clear up.

This is a major problem, among many in the movie and here's to me hoping that the revelation in the final will be substantial and conclusive.

Props go to the characterization of Kaworu Nagisa and his interaction between Shinji, as he was probably the only person who was not harassing Shinji [for being a wimp]. In the original, this Child always had the feel of being tacked on to the final stretch of the show and simply felt too rushed as a character to fit in the story. In this rebuild however he did his role nicely as an 'apologist got Shinji' -- whom is always afraid and is need of guidance through his life. Kaworu was the only person Shinji could lean on and have no doubts about - a refreshing break from all the angst and emotion from the first half of the movie. It was a good feat of characterization altogether , though there seems to be no other way to make him a more realized character.

I always loved the design of the EVA units and the way they did the 3D renders of the fight sequences, albeit very draggy at times. They rarely felt out of place and fit nicely into the visuals of Evangelion overall.

The original Evangelion had the best OST and it's not wrong of them to just remix and rehash them for the purpose of the movie; the pieces sounded fitting and had its own trademark tunes to itself.

Overall, I thought Rebuild would've been a more coherent alternate to the original, but awesome visuals and animation alone can(not) save this movie.

Cheers

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Mar 25, 2012

Toaru Majutsu no Index (Anime) add

Recommended

Fukouda !!

I found myself using this signature phrase (albeit in an unlucky way) of Touma everytime I am in a bind in my daily life.

Now.. onto the meat of the review

Seeing as how light novels are almost always superior in terms of storytelling compared to the anime, or even equal (e.g Haruhi ), it's best to adapt a proper screenplay from what has been set in the books, and I think Index has done that quite nicely.

Basically you have the life of a forever-interesting high school student named Touma, but this time set in a more engaging and thought-provoking way. What if one live ... in a world where magic and science co-existed ? How would they react to each other ? What can we anticipate ? And so Touma is tossed in between the crossfire between the two powers ( and they get really cataclysmic in the series ) as he discovers an unlikely person on his doorstep one day.

However, I found the pacing of the story pretty slow and painful. They can spend up to half an episode explaining how magicians and churches are linked together in a network coming after Index who happens to be a walking library of ancient grimoires, and yet her importance becomes near zero in certain arcs of the story (especially when 'BiriBiri' is around, woot ). 'Convoluted' is perhaps the perfect word to describe how they lay out the story to the viewers. Not insanely difficult to comprehend, but just confusing at times. Nevertheless, even villains need a break from being the warmongers they are, right ? So let us just leave it at that and let Touma entertain us.

The quality of the animation, as well as the sound is commendable. BGMs are very well-suited during its fighting scenes, especially when in the instances where Touma faces Misaka Mikoto ( nicknamed 'biribi' ). The voices also suit the characters marvelously. Though, the only thing I find not to my liking is some of the obvious auto-tuning in the series OP and ED themes. tsk tsk.

Most of the characters are memorable, though there seems to be a trend for main characters to uphold morality and be a paragon throughout the whole story, putting others before himself (Touma). Despite being the champion of misfortune, Touma is quirky and redeemable as a main character, not to mention his unique special ability too. Index on the other hand.. err.. is what I would call 'a pain in the ass', especially to those who have watched/ read the series. No joke, but we have to compromise for greater good and a major stakeholder in this tale, right, Touma ? Good.
And of course, Misaka Mikoto deserves special as the compulsory tough-as-nails tsundere that's essential in anime nowadays ! Attractive and unique to me? yes, but to each his / her own, I must say.

Ultimately, the production values (including character design ) are what warrants this series a good rating. The story is a rough ride into a world of science and magic, but still quite enjoyable if you manage to last through it all.

peace

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