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“What’s past is prologue.” - The Tempest - William Shakespeare

Nothing could say more about Blast of Tempest than Shakespeare’s The Tempest which is heavily referenced throughout the series. Blast of Tempest is a story about overcoming entrapment in the past, both figuratively and literally.

Story

One thing that can be said about Blast of Tempest is that it follows a logical premise that manages to feel legitimately inspired despite its fair share of twists. Even though the story involves magic, the series defines a strong logical framework that both empowers and entraps its characters.

Above all, our character’s personal history is a major factor in the ... series. It drives Mahiro on a vengeful path to determine who killed his sister and weighs down Yoshino to the point of near-detachment. It is only when these characters are able to accept fate and focus that they are able to allow a tragic event to become the means to a better end (saving the world). Moreover, past as a general influence is extremely well-realized. Events in the past, including Hakaze’s imprisonment, Aika’s death, and even further back to the formation of the Tree of Exodus as a means to end the Tree of Genesis’s purpose in resetting humanity are central to the plot.

Furthermore, the notion of order and chaos is thematically prevalent in the series. Even though the Tree of Genesis represents order, it is only with the chaos represented by the Tree of Exodus that humanity can thrive and even exist. Despite the resurgence of crime and inequality after the dissolution of the Tree of Genesis, it is easy to understand the necessity in the action and why the order imposed by the Tree of Genesis would eventually deem all of humanity unrighteous.

The only major flaw to Blast of Tempest‘s story is that it tends to use its characters as if they are actors in a play (perhaps intentionally). Each character plays his part, often without question. This is extremely noticeable in Aika’s casual acceptance of her fate despite what clearly would have been a difficult decision – but this may actually speak more to her character than to the show’s tendency to have its actors fill a role.

Characters

Character development is very important in Blast of Tempest - and all of its main characters, Hakaze, Yoshino, Mahiro and Aika, are a strong basis to the show’s central themes despite their differing personas. What enforces their strength is their intelligence – even in Mahiro’s case – the characters carefully and cleverly plan their actions.

Hakaze is a strong female lead that is open and direct, while sometimes being too upfront and occasionally becoming distracted by desire. What defines Hakaze the most is that, despite her attunement to the Tree of Genesis, she is far from unquestioning. Her actions are often fueled by her desire to seek her own path, even with opposition or without knowing the consequences. It makes her into a character nearly embracing chaos despite the order surrounding her – which accentuates her foil in Aika.

Aika, though appearing frail, is strong to a fault. Her character embraces the ideology of Exodus far too unconditionally which is but testament to her acceptance with being an actress in a play. She often quotes Hamlet and The Tempest because she feels that her only goals have already been previously scripted and she must play to those ideals.

Mahiro, on the other hand, represents another extreme of chaos with his absolute path of vengeance. His early ambitions are simply to avenge the death of Aika, but this actually drives him to greatness because of her involvement in much more crucial matters. When he is freed from this path, his goal has actually become to enact a plan to save the world. Mahiro is a renegade without being overly reckless and ambitious to a point where he is not clouded.

Yoshino, for a large majority of the show, is very detached. Aika’s death had an opposing effect on him in that he nearly lost desire to function after her passing. Even though he is tied down by her loss, he thinks clearly and keeps Mahiro in check when he is pushing himself too far. It’s important to note that Yoshino is the last character to resolve his past as a lesson in history, because he is too entrapped by it. Hakaze’s confessions to him cause him to break because he is not ready to continue his life until all others’ problems have been resolved.

Quality

Blast of Tempest is breathtaking visually and its usage of classical pieces in its soundtrack is excellently done. By now, this is what we expect from BONES, so it isn’t too unbelievable that this show lives up to BONES’s capability to generate quality in its production value. Particularly of note are the show’s excellent action scenes that accentuate brilliant animation along with well-utilized classical music.

Closing

While Blast of Tempest occasionally falls short of absolute excellence in its willingness to allow its characters to fill roles, it presents a story of past entanglements that is very well-realized and non-contradictory with a cast that synergizes their differing viewpoints.

Kyousougiga is the absolute epitome of when anime attempts to be far too ambitious and subsequently obfuscates every piece of its content. While I can't say I wasn't entertained while watching the short ONA, I also can't say that I have the slightest inkling as to why the anime was condensed down to nearly an unintelligible level.

If there is one thing (besides viewer confusion) that definitely stands out in Kyousougiga, it's definitely the art. Fast-paced and colorful, the animation really complements the chaotic nature of the ONA but only to the point of adding a visual level to the acid trip that is ... the story. If the rest of the aspects that make a good show were executed properly, Kyousougiga would have been an extremely good watch.

Despite the outrageous visuals, the story was too dense for its allotted time. Because of this, the viewer is left with vague ideas and general plot directions that are not terribly easy to follow. Honestly, Kyousougiga's story feels like the climatic moment in a longer series with no rising action or conclusion.

Like the story, character development, due to the length of the ONA, was very much lacking. We're pretty much forced to take all characters at face value because that's all we really see of them.

To add on to the fire-pit, the soundtrack was pretty awful. There were several moments where a musical score continued way after it should have and didn't even try to correlate to the moment in the show at all, although, considering the rapid sequence of events, it would probably have been just as chaotic to change scores between moments, too.

While I'm necessarily hard on the show for its obvious faults, it's hard to say that it wasn't enjoyable. Clearly, the problem with Kyousougiga was not that it didn't have the ambition to create something great, it was that it tried to do so in far too little time. Even if given three or 4 times the amount of time it allowed itself (roughly the length of a movie), the show would have been spectacular.

That being said, Kyousougiga is probably still worth giving a watch if you have 20 minutes and are in-between series, and especially if you liked FLCL or Dead Leaves as the nature of the three is very much similar.

The main problem I have with pretty much all the Gundam series is that they are far too long for what they are. The release of the movies pretty much guarantees that I can watch these shows without being bored by useless drama and filler. All of the Gundam movies have done a great job of rounding out the series into a succinct bundle that allows a viewer who doesn't want to parse 50 episodes to sit down and watch a set of movies.

That being said, I first was recommended Gundam SEED from friends who thought the anime was groundbreaking and excellent. ... After watching a couple of episodes of the series, I could tell I was going to have to deal with the "Gundam Drag" in this show, as well. Instead of writing off the show as too slow, I decided to watch the much more concise movies.

I will admit, I wasn't terribly impressed by the story. The plot was very much scripted from previous Gundams, which is pretty much understood to be the norm for any Gundam series, but I felt some of the character interactions let it at least stand alone as a separate entity. If you have watched another Gundam series, except for a few of the lesser projects, then you will not be superbly impressed by this one. Both the start and end of the plot are near carbon copies of other Gundams, only the culmination of events is slightly different.

Even so, the films still seem to deliver. In the little time that the series of movies has to capture your attention, it is easy to get attached to or disgusted with any of the characters. As the events unfold, nearly every moment is enjoyable and feels somewhat fresh.

As long as you don't start role-casting from other Gundams like I found myself doing, you should be able to enjoy these films in their entirety and not have to worry about far too much time spent watching the entire series.

ChäoS;HEAd is not the most groundbreaking anime, nor is it too unpredictable. The true beauty in the anime lies in the fact that you are immersed in a world that the characters themselves know is fabricated.

Some of the more brilliant moments in the anime are not when the characters are struggling against [insert evil corporation], but instead when they realize and admit that their situations are obscure and that these situations are cliched. In this way, even though a lot of the elements of ChäoS;HEAd seem recycled, the fact that the main character, Taku, is a figure-collecting NEET justifies this (for even more ... reasons than just because the situation calls for it).

Story:
Beginning with scenes from what seems like a semi-insane NEET holed up in his hovel Welcome to the NHK style, the story progresses quickly and adequately. Taku struggles with inner strife, and encounters many oddities and mysteries within Shibuya. The story is intriguing and keeps the viewer watching.

Art:
Art is up to par from what would be expected from any studio these days. Some of the effects on the weapons are particularly good.

Sound:
Sound is usually not something I pay very close attention to in an anime. I don't recall anything particularly interesting other than a couple of inserts when the eerie Japanese folk song "Sakura" is echoed. It took me a minute to recall what song was being played, and I was happy with the inclusion of it.

Character:
Character development is likely the biggest downfall of this anime. Taku is fairly well developed, but his harem of women follows well-defined stereotypes for characters: cute sister, contemplative quiet girl, semi-yandere, childhood friend/girlfriend, warrior chick. Some of them fall out of their bounds a bit, but not to any extreme level.

Overall, I really enjoyed this anime. I actually finished it in one sitting, which hardly ever happens for me. I hope you found this useful, and that from this review you can decide whether ChäoS;HEAd is relevant to your interests.