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Jul 2, 2009
When I reviewed the first Kara no Kyoukai movie I was dissapointed with how the story was developing through it. I was hoping to see more than I had been actually shown. Still, I have decided to watch the second movie hoping that the potential which was not realised in the first movie would finally be unleashed in the second one... and it was, to an extent I have not anticipated.
The second Kara no Kyoukai movie takes place before the first one when Shiki was still inside Shiki. Unlike the first movie, the second movie has the qualities of a jigsaw. Although you see most
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elements of it from the very begining, throughout the whole movie you start putting them together, not only answering the question in the trailer about the identities of Shiki, but also how the two main characters of the movie became who they are and what secret do they hold.
I won't give you out anymore details, but mark my words when I say, in terms of storyline this movie gives you everything you expect and even a bit more.
When it comes to art, this movie is very similar to the first one in terms of overall quality. It looks great, it's mysterious and what's more important it can actually give you goose bumps.
Although, there is no stunning fighting sequence similar to that of the first movie, there is something I myself found more memorable, something that is engraved into your mind... the gruesome scenes of murder and what's even more terryfing, yet beautiful at the same time, the scenes of the assailant.
The sound is very good. The voice acting is on a very good level. The one flaw from which the music suffered in the first movie, which was the fact that some parts of the score written seemed completely different than the other, has been elimintated in the second movie. It develops along with the storyline and blends in very good with what is happening on the screen.
The potential held in the characters, which was not used too much in the first movie, has been brought out making them not only interesting, but also tragic and watching them develop was a bond creating experience.
Unlike the first movie, which prima facie seems to be a mile better after we get to know the characters that play part in it, I was disturbed with the fact that I simply did not get what I expected. After the second, movie just the opposite happened, I liked the movie so much that it seemed to short, further more it also cleared some things about the first movie, therefore making giving it a possible re-watch status. Last but not least, I got so hooked up on the chracter of Shiki, that I urge to watch the third movie.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 2, 2009
If you want to watch only the action packed part of Initial D and refresh your memory this is what you need to watch.
Basically there is no story. The whole 40 minutes is a simple copy and paste of all the races from the first three stages. Some of them seem to be out of order however which is kinda bothersome to say the least.
When it comes to art. The races have been remastered a bit to look better, but still the character animation, especially that of the first season looks pretty bad. I was acutally hoping that they would make the effort to remaster
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it to the Third Stage level, but unfortunately that did not happen.
The sound has been directly taken out from the earlier episode. So there nothing to it. Personally, the only new thing about the sound, which would be the annoucer, sounds below average, and the OVA would do equally good without him.
Since it is only a recap of the races there is not too much to enjoy, but still if you want to refresh your memory about Initial D, this is the first thing I'd watch if I were you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 2, 2009
Not as good as the series, but it answers all the question left to be answered, which were carried on from seasons one and two.
The story told is about Takumi's effort to tie all the loose ends from the past two series. So, we've got races, development of his craving for becoming the best driver and an emotional part involving Mogi.
Most of the races are as good as always, but there is one which due to the nature of the rival becomes even more interesting. From this race we will also hear some more of Bunta's story which is a very good thing.
Although Christmas and
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snow fit love emotional story like nothing else, while watching that part of the movie I had the strange feeling that it was simply taking too long, especially that similarly to what we've seen before when it comes to emotions Takumi is definitely on the slow side.
The animation is better than in the second season. The races seem more realistic, the car models are more detailed and even the character animation stepped up a notch. It's a shame though that there is still such a wide gap between the quality of how the races and characters are animated.
When it comes to sound it is the same thing we have experienced before. So, once again will listen to good voice acting combined with eurobeat music. It seems that the Initial D style simply does not get old and sounds as good as always.
Most of the time we will be seeing characters, which Takumi has encoutered before. Two chracters are however worth pointing out.
First we have Takumi's greatest enemy in the movie, who all though plays a short part in the story is one of the most memorable characters from the movie.
Secondly, we have the guy who gets involved with Mogi. Since the Mogi part of the plot is way too long for my taste, the least would be to let the viewers know why the hell is he acting like that.
Concluding, it was a pleasent feeling to see the animation improve, but still as a whole the movie is not as good as the second season of the series, but mark my words when I say... 'You have to watch it!'.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 1, 2009
I have not read the manga therefore I will be reviewing this movie strictly from anime perspective as someone who has only seen the first part of the Kara no Kyoukai story as if it was a completely individual production.
The general impression I have after watching this anime is that the great animation tries to make up for the relatively poor storyline.
Regarding the story, before watching the movie I was hoping for something more than a typical there are suicides and a ghost cliche. What I was looking for was some moral or philosophical truth which I could understand only after watching the full movie
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and putting all the pieces together as if it was a jigsaw.
Unfortunately, although that slight amount of moral thought is present throughout the movie, after the very first coversation between two of main chracters it becomes so straight forward that the next twenty, or so, minutes of the movie should be cut down to no more than five, since they do not stimulate one's mind to think even in the slightest.
The greater picture of the movie and the message it was suppose to sent was literally served to me on a plate half way through, therefor causing the movie to be an inengaing yawner for at least one third of it.
That's pretty much it about the greater picture, which is dissapointing becuase the way it is being shown ruins a pretty damn good idea.
When it comes to the suicides on which the story was supposed to develop I had a feeling that I have seen all of it before. But still it could have been quite intriguing if the suicide story want in pair with the developments of the moral background of the movie. This practically does not occur, the moral aspects to why is everything happening seem to develop in a very loose relation to the suicides and entity related to it.
I did not expect to see a state of art story, yet this movie, did not use the potential it had even in the slightly, leaving me with a generally avarage, barely engaging story.
Another thing that actually I couldn't connect with were the characters. In the movie we actually have three that play any part in the story. That would be Touko, Shiki and the menace responsibile for the suicides.
Individually the characters don't seem too bad. Tokuo is especially intriguing, it is evident that she hold a few secrets, which will be revealed later on in the following movies. The 'ghost' is somehow typical but somehow I really felt sorry for what it had been through. Shiki is a different pair of boots, like to story she has potential, which is simply not used properly, let's hope that is the case only of the first movie.
Shiki has powers, of which originins we have no clue. She seems to be deeply frustrated by something, possibly from her past, but once again we have no clue what it is. You can actually call her a big question mark with ass-kicking abbilities. I don't find this method of character development appealing at all. Instead of being shown a billion question at the same time and not providing any answers, I'd rather get a few in the begining, have some of them asnwered and then receive a new bunch. Here, I barely got a single answered about Shiki, therefore in my eyes she did not develop as I have expected and due to this state of things I could not establish a connection with the character.
If we look at our the 'mystery solving' as one we get quite a good picture. They seem to complete each other in their tasks, they have easily distinguishable personalities. However what bothers me is the fact that the primary question why did they get involved in the fight with the supernatural is not answered. You need some sort of reason to do that, it's not like you wake up one day and an idea to kick some etheral ass pops into your head.
When it comes to sound the movie is good. The voice acting does not have too much work to do, since some characters are underdeveloped, but it is still handeled in a pretty decent fashion.
The music is good yet akward. In some moments it's genius while in other not even noticeable. It also suffers from the fact that it does not build up steadily. Some themes are gentle and mysterious while other are action packed and emotional. The problem is that there is nothing between the two and it may give the impression that two seperate soundtracks were written for the movie.
Without doubt, animation is the best aspect of this production. The character animation is good, not too good though. But the enviroment, especially that of the Fujyou building is amazing. The suicides scenes are also a masterpiece. However, sometimes I had the strange feeling that the computer generated animation was running visibly smoother than the drawn one, but that did not ruin the general impression which was great.
Without any regret I have to admit that the movie suffered from the fact that the story was simply not told in an intriguing and intresting fashion and rather poor character development. It is a beautiful picture, but an average story. If it was not for the genius animation this movie would not exceed avarage.
However, it was still worth to watch it till the very end and see the trailer of the second Kara no Kyoukai movie, which hopefully will answer all the questions asked in this one.
Still, even on its own, this movie is worth watching because of the stunning animation.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 1, 2009
It made me want to cry 'true tears'.
True Tears is not a masterpiece, since it does not introduce something brand new in terms of animation, story, sound or characters design, but somehow everything blends in together so well, that it is one of those romantic stories that will make actually feel for the characters and their lives.
The story is pretty much a cliche, all of the twists and turns have already been introduced somewhere before, though this time they were mastered to the greatest detail so that viewer receives someting extra. The story makes sense, though sometimes it seems extravagant,but that's not such a bad
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thing because this is what the particular nature of the characters involved requires.
Similarly to most romantic tales we kind find quite a few metaphores repating throughout the movie, one of which is naturally the concept of true tears.
It is very good that most of the episodes happen one after another without any time span between them, it keeps the story alive throughout all the episodes, making it quite hard to throw in a filler episode.
Concluding on the story, it's quite similar to a piece of painted glass one. It is made from mostly simple elements, which on their own are not that astonishing, however as a whole they are amazing.
Generally, the art is very good, but not revolutionary. The background drawing seems very pastel when it comes to colours. Since the story is about people, such a solution is more than pleasing. Esthetically it looks very good, though it does not turn the viewers attention to it.
The animation of characters is different. They way they are drawn perfectly relates to the emotions they hold within. The colouring of the characters is more lively than that of the background, but it does not disrupt the whole picture since everything blends in just perfectly.
In the sound department the anime does pretty well. It meets all the expectations which are associated with a romantic production such as True Tears. The voice acting is very good, simlarly to the animation it is individual for every single character.
When it comes to the background music, the only thing I can say is that it is there, but it is nothing more than the stuff you can usually hear in a romantic story. It does a good job in supporting the storyline, but it is not something what I will remember.
The characters are pretty much a cliche. We have the popular guy, who seems to have problems making up his mind, we have his best friend, who although suffers from his own emotional problems is always there to help his mate out, the girl next door, the girl, who's the childhood fried, and the eccentric one living in her own world. Simply speaking, nothing new, but still the characters are memorable and so are the emotional bonds between them.
Although True Tears is nothing new in terms of sound, animation, character design or story telling, it only works on those elements to the greatest detail, as a complete picture it is amazing and inexplicablly enjoyable to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 29, 2009
A great movie with stunning animation and sound, yet still a mile away from being flawless.
Although story takes place during a war, it concentrates on the mental and moral aspect of conflict. The main characters are involved in a fight which leads to no benefit at all. Like in a game, the only result is that one party will win over the other. They become cogs in a warfare machine, their humanity is slipping away with every angagement with the enemy. Their life has no meaning at all, once they die new soldiers will be manufactured to fight and step in the same way as
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new planes are constructed when some get shot down.
The story may seems not to be told to the very end, which in most cases is a great thing. It gives the viewer the incentive to think of what more would happen in the conflict and therefore it makes him contemplate not only on the aspect of war but also on the aspect of what it means to be human.
The art is breat taking, it seems realistic, the air battles are a particular highlight to it. It is also worth to notice how the chracters travel to different places, all of which have been designed to the greatest detail, such as the writings on the wall of a building.
The only flaw of this gem is the fact that sometimes the chracter animation seems stiff. This is mostly the result of the poor eye animation. The eyes of all the characters seem empy, as if they had no soul left even in the moments whan that part of them is emphasizing its existence.
The sound is a masterpiece. It's melancholic, nostalgic and dramatic. Although the tones are simple they perfectly fit with the story, along with it they go to the root of the human soul. The voice of Ayaka which we can hear during the closing titles adds value to an already outstanding score creating a memorable experience.
Although the characters seem to be merely tools in a war machine, somehow the viewer develops a bond of pity with them, which I find to be a good thing since it makes the audiance want to learn from the story of the character they are watching. The tragism of who they are seems to be illuminating from them leaving an everlasting impression.
Despite the fact that the flaws of the movie are noticealbe to say the least, because of its philosophical value I personally enjoyed it to an extent which cannot be described with mere words.
If you are looking for something to stimulate your mind into thinking about what it means to be human, you have my word this movie is just what you are looking for. If you want only to kill some time, leave it for another time and watch something less engaging.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 29, 2009
Maybe not as good as Futakomori, but still a must watch for every fan of Enma Ai.
The story is pretty much similar to what we have seen in the two previous seasons, people are being sent to hell and hatred is released, though this time hatred gives birth to more hatred.
Throughout the season it can be noticed that the creators have decided to use the ideas the fans found rather pleasing in the past. Once again someone tries to make a stand against the jigoku tsuushin, similarly to what has happened in the first season of the series. While new characters are introduced stories about
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their past are told to eplain their bonds with Ai, this has already been ecountered in Futakomori.
There is however something fresh about the series, the element of possesion. It is not only an interesting concept, but it plays a vital role in the story throughout the season and builds up the tension until the very last episode.
Unfortunately, what seems to be a great material has it's downside. Some of the grudges people hold against each other are simply speaking too typical and therefore boring. While watching some episodes I actually had the feeling that they were nothing more than mere fillers, which had to be squeezed in so that the series would be 26 episodes long.
Art-wise, we get the same old esthetic and mysterious animation as before, which perfectly fits with the nature of the show as well as the score playing along. In one episode though we get even more than that. While watching the finale one might say that the creators have implemented an inexplicably eccentric idea into the show. The effect is awkward, but it gives you something new to look at therefore adding value to the experience.
What I found the most pleasing aspect of season three is the sound. Although when it comes to opening themes I preffered SnoW, the music in Mitsuganae is outstanding! It fits the feelings which play a crucial part of the show more than ever before. Some of the themes are actually worth listening to even without the video and voice play.
The newly introduced chracters are great, they are intresting and as a viewer I was actually interested what was going on in their minds while watching the series. I was pleased to see how the bond between Ai and her companions thightens. The single-episode chracters were pretty well designed as well, some of them were pitiful, others scary. Several however were completely forgettable and tasteless like a bad meal.
On one hand, Mitsuganae combined all the best ideas of the first two seasons. On the other, some of the typical strictly grudge based episodes were not as entertaining as in the past.
Mitsuganae is a must watch for every fan of Emma Ai. For the rest, it's a good, or maybe even very good, way of wasting some spare time, while waiting for the next episode of your favourite series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 27, 2009
I thought that Initial D without Fujiwara Takumi and his fearsome Hachi-Roku would simply not work out at all, but I was proven just the opposite.
I found the story very good, although it was quite different from Initial D has offered so far. What's more, it was a very pleseant feeling to see one of the minor characters play the lead guitar.
The first episode of the Extra Stage was especially pleasing since it was another race I have become used to throughout the series. It was also very interesting to see the members of the Night Kids in a better light.
The second episode was more
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of an emotional story. On one hand, it's not what one might expected from Initial D. On the other, due to its Christmas theme such a plot did the job perfectly. It was also very pleasing to see one of the characters picture the dilemma each racer faces at the climax of his 'career'.
Concluding, story-wise the OVA does a great job since it answers problems which have not been addressed in the series.
When it comes to art, we see the same animation as in the First and Second Stages. Some characters are still having a bad hair day and the girls are still darn ugly. But Initial D is not about the animation of people but more about the animation of cars and races and in that aspect it fullfills the expectation. As a whole the OVA looks very good, though those of you who don't like Initial D's style of animation will feel dissapointed.
In the sound department we gat the same thing as in the series, which is a combination of very good, almost top notch voice acting with that cool eurobeat we have been savouring throughout the series.
As I have said it's nice to see minor characters in the leading roles. They fit the story perfectly and are interesting due to the difficulties that they have to face due to their line of 'profession'. However, without Takumi, who is the protagonist of the series, and Itsuki, who is hilarious in his role of the leading racing dumbo.
As an OVA Extra Stage was a joy to watch, however I'm hoping that the emotional direction adapted in it won't be used too much in the series itself. If this would be a separate anime I would rate it even higher, since the 'Initial D=Takumi and his Hachi-Roku' factor would be put aside.
In overall, the Extra Stage is quite different in terms of plot from the series it is still fun to watch and a must for every fan of the Akina Hachi-Roku.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 26, 2009
I had great expectations for Jin Roh. However, after watching it I felt like a restaurant customer who was served a great appetizer and dessert with a merely decent main course.
STORY:
The general idea reflected in the story is an intriguing dillema. Unfortunately, at some point in the middle of the movie I had the feeling that its true potential was not realised to the end. Betreyal, loyalty, love and necessity are the key words for a great plot, yet in case of Jin Roh not all of them were the work of a true genius.
Some of the scenes (opening and ending acts in particular) are
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carved into memory the same way an sculpturer carves his work in stone, whereas others are better left forgotten.
The references to the popular story of the Little Red Ridding Hood add depth to the story, and that is one of the strongest points of this production.
The internal game between the central and local police is also interesting, though it lacks those great twists and turns, which one can expect from such a game of chess.
What brings the story down a notch is the relationship between the two main characters, which from time to time seem to be speaking different languages, because of what the emotional connection between them is lost.
Cocluding, the great potential held is not fully realised and what we get in return is a very good story, but without the element, which makes the viewer want to become a part of it.
ART:
Personally I found most of the art perfect. Especially the dark backgrounds are worth noticing, the desing of the special soldiers is remarkable and gives the image of a hell-born warrior.
The characters are design in fashion which makes them resemble natural human beings. Unfortunately sometimes, in emotional moments their faces don't give the impression one might expect.
Since emotions are crucial as well as voice acting, for they build the image of the particular character, despite the great background art I, with great regret, feel bound not to give more than a very good mark for the art.
SOUND:
The music is amazing, in pair with the background art it makes the impression as if we watched a couple dancing.
The voice play is very good, though the protagonist sometimes seems to be off his game. Besides him, all the other voice actors are doing a good job, though it does not get close to what one could describe as greateness.
CHARACTERS:
This the worst element of the picture. Supporting roles are more memorable than the main pair. While watching the two main characters in action I had serious problems establishing a lasting emotional connection with them. Simply speaking sometimes they get to you perfectly, but that connection is severed just a few minutes later.
Because of this, in the character department Jin-Roh performs fair. If it wasn't for the supporting roles I would have no regret to rating it even lower.
ENJOYMENT:
The story and art are very good, some might say great. The sound is trully creme de la creme. But the characters are more than one level below what you would expect from such an intriguing storyline. Therefore, they have negative impact on the enjoyment of the whole picture.
At one point you are completely involved in what you're watching, yet at the other you're just hoping that this boring scene will end as soon as possible.
OVERALL:
If you're not into all those police drama, betrayel, deadly game stories Jin-Roh is a great movie to watch. But if you hold some expectations before watching related to the particular genre of the production, you'll get a good show, though without any fireworks.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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