'Memento mori': latin for, "remember that you will die". The phrase is a reminder of morality that lies in everyone. We all live, therefore we die. We all die: that is why we live.
Death Parade is based off the 2012 Anime Mirai Project*, 'Death Billiards', where two men enter a bar and play a game of billiards. Except it's no ordinary game: they're playing at the cost of their souls. Produced by Madhouse studios and created by director Yuzuru Tachikawa, Death Parade plays with the ideas of fulfillment, regret and the meaning of life and death through competitive games of bowling, darts and air
...
hockey.
The series expands its original world to thirteen episodes, where two souls of the dead arrive at a bar to play a death game. After the game, the souls are sent to either reincarnation - born again to live anew - or the void - falling down in dark abyss eternally. The arbitrator, or the bartender, judges on who goes where, dependent on their nature and their past life experiences.
After all, life isn't necessarily about winning.
The format of the show is both episodic and linear. Think of it as a coin flip: heads focuses on the participants playing the games, and tails focuses on the staff behind the bar. In this case, tails focuses on the bar of Quindecim owned by bartender Decim. Several episodes focuses on pairs of characters who we only see once, but the entire show really focuses on Decim and his unnamed female assistant.
At first glance, the format here may seem impractical. The focus of the bartender and the world may ruin the mysterious vibe you'd get in the first episode. The format however works by playing with perspective. You head in the show, knowing nothing about the bar or their basis of judgments. Essentially, you are just as confused as the players. Then, as you gradually learn about how the world works, you start taking the perspective of the arbitrators instead. You think about the morality of the players, and almost start judging them yourself.
The show as a whole is thought-provoking and interesting. It tackles themes that revolve around the meaning of life, and why we all have to encounter death one day. The games aren't there to determine 'the winner', instead they're used as a driving force to slowly bring out the players' true nature; taking themselves upfront to who they really are and having the (lack of) control to accept the decisions they had made in their previous lives.
Plot-wise, they're puppets that fulfill the purpose of the arbitrators. In depth, they portray different sides of humanity and what they're like. The best aspect of Death Parade is the execution of how humane the show itself is. The players aren't merely puppets to drive its linear plot. They're humane; people with emotions and irrationality, tied up in society and morality that is, perhaps exaggerated at times, true to heart nevertheless. It explores humanity and their sense of justice: that what makes Death Parade interesting, touching and even scary at times. It's funny what anticipating death does to us at times.
Which leads us to the tails of the coin. Within the set of characters behind the scenes (rather, the games), the story focuses on two of them. Their focus switches on and off between the gaming episodes, and climaxes towards the last episodes of the series. The interesting aspect is how Death Parade addresses the flaws of its own world; the way, essentially the puppets, are judging upon humans, whether the system of judgment is fair or not. Morals are set by humans themselves after all. Who exactly is the 'right one' to judge us?
Decim, the bartender, and his female assistant are very intriguing characters who develop very well. The assistant is human, while Decim is not. The combination therefore sets off a conflict between the two and between themselves and the system. They both influence each other on how they act and think. The direction their relationship heads to leads to an open yet very satisfactory conclusion that warps up their own personal stories.
Death Parade is not without flaws though. As mentioned earlier, it can be melodramatic; exaggerated emotions and irrational actions of the characters, though does get the point across, can be off putting when it doesn't. Episode two can also be a little long-winded for viewers who got the first episode, though later on the non-gaming episodes tend to be more forgiving.
Alternatively, some of the recurring characters are bland archetypes, such as the creepy old man and the drunk woman. They're often used to drive some plot forward, though at least they do have some personalities. Thankfully, characters like Nona and Ginti are more than one-dimensional. Although, Ginti's decision on the girl in episode six still felt silly to me, as if I missed a key point in Ginti's development or why he contradicted the rules of his own world.
The exposition can be heavy-handed and convenient, though again isn't shoehorned in nor is it uninteresting. Justification of the world, for the most part, works well. But parts like the 'extreme situation' feels a little too much to justify the 'bring out their true nature' aspect. When you have a button that pops the control handle of the arcade machine, it not only feels silly but also leaves consequences of the game stale. Again though, the story questions the flaws of their judgmental processes, including the 'extreme situation' aspect.
Madhouse's animation helps bring out the execution to life, the director having a sense of depth in shots and cinematography. Although notably lower than the OVA, the quality is consistent and budget is distributed well in its TV slot. There's a good sense of atmosphere that fits the mixture of both fun and thriller: a laid-back work environment dealing (literally) with souls of dying humans, accompanied with soft filters and dark pallets.
The sound department is good too. Soundtrack often works, though maybe repetitive, but nevertheless fits their respective scenes in terms of atmosphere. The opening song sets the false tone Death Parade participates in its world; fun, thus unsettling. Tomoaki Maeno's voice really sets and suits the silent yet progressive tone of Decim with character.
Death Parade has its problems, but it's far from unremarkable. It's a breather from all the light novel and manga adaptations that cycle the industry. Original series are these are worth watching for the creative visionaries the creators have in animation. It was clear that Yuzuru Tachikawa, creator of Death Parade, was not only able to execute his ideas well, but also loved his world and creations.
So go watch it. It'll only take four hours of your life. Do it before you're dead, or you may miss regretting it afterwards.
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Apr 3, 2015
Death Parade
(Anime)
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'Memento mori': latin for, "remember that you will die". The phrase is a reminder of morality that lies in everyone. We all live, therefore we die. We all die: that is why we live.
Death Parade is based off the 2012 Anime Mirai Project*, 'Death Billiards', where two men enter a bar and play a game of billiards. Except it's no ordinary game: they're playing at the cost of their souls. Produced by Madhouse studios and created by director Yuzuru Tachikawa, Death Parade plays with the ideas of fulfillment, regret and the meaning of life and death through competitive games of bowling, darts and air ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 29, 2014
Ping Pong the Animation
(Anime)
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'Ping Pong the Animation' is an absolute masterful work within its animation medium. When taken out of context, this statement is bound to sound silly. What kind of story, that is based around table tennis, would people consider 'masterful'? Quite honestly, I saw little potential when reading the synopsis. And boy was I proven so very, very wrong.
I was fully aware that Yuasa Masaaki is the director, the man responsible for Tatami Galaxy, Kaiba and several other creative works. Admittedly, I have not read any of Matsumoto's work despite knowing his solid reputation, so my expectations were more so lost than low. But low nevertheless. ... And for those of you who are put off to watch this, don't be. It looks to be several guys playing table tennis for the heck of it, but it's a mountain more than that. Ping Pong isn't really about ping pong - rather the sport is used as a driving sport for characterization than the central concept. It's why people don't consider this as a 'actual sports anime', even though it actually is. It's just not your typical one, and a very non-conventional one at that. I don't particularly refer to the abstract art, which does indeed play a role, instead I refer to the careful yet unique approach towards several characters' development in a mere eleven episodes, by the means of ping pong itself. For example, the foreshadowing at the beginning of episode one presents the quotes: "Call me when you're in a pinch!" "Say it thrice in your heart! "Enter the hero!" "Enter the hero!" "Enter the hero!" "Do that and I'll be there!" In which the known 'hero' then sprouts out his wings and proceeds to fly in the air. Foreshadowing occurs a lot during the show, in various forms like symbolism, metaphors and actual events. But they aren't merely references to their past events. They reference the motivational drives and resolve the characters keep within them, which adds weight and depth to their character that connect table tennis to their lives. These moments of past references generally occurs in the actual table tennis matches, hence the efficiency to develop more than five characters in eleven episodes. Why are they playing table tennis, and what for? The reasonings vary for player to player. Perhaps its the anxiety of losing reputation to merely passing on time. Or from misery in confinement to overcoming talent with effort. Each of the main characters have their ambitions and fears that molds the stages they go through. Majority of these characters' resolutions changes in the duration of the anime, but not in a morally typical way. The events attaches seemingly unrelated characters, and clashes their ideals to each other, similar or not, which changes the other player's mindset for the better or worst. There's certainly more than one theme in Ping Pong, and thanks to the presentation that makes the anime so relatable to a lot of the audience. It deals with the balance of effort and talent within people. The bullying aspect is dealt in a fine manner that connects to humanity and equality. And then there's the metaphors, the central ones from heroes and birds flying, to the more straight-forward ones like dragons and robots. The most pronounced one though is, in Yuasa's words, "the best thing to do is enjoy yourself." Ping Pong is commendable for adapting the entire manga into eleven episodes as a complete product, rather than animation advertisement like LNs. It hardly feels messy or convoluted, but this does lead to some unfortunate sacrifices. At times, it feels like characters change very suddenly, despite being justified. Other scenes are dragged out, specifically the texting scene in the last episode. The pacing is rapid and feels jumpy at times, but it is definitely solid and does not feel rushed to ruin the story at all. The coming-of-age aspects of the writing also leaves an unfortunate cause. Some characters begins unlikable due to their nature. Smile starts out stuck up and, with intentional irony, never actually smiles. Peco starts out pretty cocky whose only purpose is to win, and cries or goes drunk when things doesn't his way. Later on though, the entire cast develops and grows into better people, having their resolves and inspirations changed or realized that both justifies their previous actions and changes them into players that are admirable by the end. It feels simply satisfying to watch these characters grow and blossom with depth, themes and characterization. The writing is not exactly straight-forward, and without convolution too. You are subjected to 'think' when watching the show; by, what the internet would like to say, 'turning off your brain', you'd be missing out a LOT of depth the animation has. You do need to figure out the inner themes and piece together the puzzles in order to fully appreciate the characters. And it's completely worth it. The anime uses lots of psychology and subtle symbolism, even though some themes are put forward more than others like the blood aspect and robotic feature. But it's because of this amount of depth the anime underlies that makes it so especially relatable and exquisite. Animation is brilliant, and yet it's not. Art style is definitely non-conventional because of its abstract nature. This may be close doors for some, but open doors for others. The scheduling and budget, mostly the former, had hit a dead end. It's evidential to some bad 'quality' shots scattered around, some more apparent than others. Frame rate feels low and cluttered at times, but thankfully the prioritized matches and symbolism towards the end is given more fluidity and budget. If you can easily adapt to the abstract art style that heavily resembles the manga, then you are in for a real treat. Both Yuasa's and Matsumoto's style absolutely stands out here. The problem with most adaptations nowadays is that they forget that anime and manga are two VERY different mediums, but Yuasa realizes this. With faithfulness, a lot of manga paneling is cleverly used in animation fashion. Other techniques include the velocity of pacing in matches - since anime is a set-timed medium and manga is not, expressionism in subtle symbolism and characters' body language, the ability to blend both realism and cartoon nature and so on. The exotic animation style allows accessibility to be creative, thus creating a product that goes all out in every single scene. Table tennis matches are an absolute blast to watch at times. Simply because they look like table tennis matches, instead of shounen fest smashing attacks. The techniques, power and accuracy of every hit and miss makes it apparent that the animators has done their research into the sport. And, referencing what I mentioned earlier, the matches don't merely rely on the animation, but also the amount of depth and importance each win or lost has. Sound direction also enhances the experience to a new level. From feet scratching to balls bouncing, every single sound effect creates an atmosphere that is both light lifting yet heavily substantial in its matches. The soundtrack is solid, bringing in tones from uplifting to intensity, and from the depths of hell to heavenly paradise. Every voice actor expresses their characters and brings the life out of them with the correct personality and tone. Cast includes Kouki Uchiyama to some new VAs, and a proper Chinese Mandarin VA to LotGH's narrator. Overall, I loved Ping Pong the Animation. It's more personal love due to its relatable themes hitting close to home, and its 'show, don't tell' execution being most excellent throughout the course of the animation. This isn't merely a sports anime. It's one that pinpoints the nature and psychology of human beings, questioning the purpose of their lives and what WE can do to make the most of ours. Ultimately, the story shows us that life does indeed have a meaning, that instead of stressing ourselves to achieve something, we should strive to enjoy the sports, careers or hobbies we do that defines us.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 22, 2014
Isshuukan Friends.
(Anime)
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Friends aren't exactly necessary, but they're precious. And at times, isolation may get the better of you. You may feel alone, though not lonely. But one day, you spot the splint of light known as 'friendship'. When you gain that fundamental desire to take that alternative life, it's then you start to truly feel 'loneliness'. That is the fate of such a girl named Kaori Fujimiya.
'One Week Friends' has an intriguing concept, however a very loose one. The girl's memories reset every Monday; memories involving friends only. And if you view this on a realism point of view, it's way too loose. Why only her ... friends? Why every specific day? Why couldn't Fujimiya just see a therapist? Is the school informed? I can go on, but thankfully the story doesn't fall in its plot holes. It separates them from the story itself, and creates its own rules plausible enough to be believable despite not being too realistic in a high school setting. What the anime manages to do well is convey a suitable atmosphere and pace. It's sweet and gentle like spongecake - hardly frustrating at all. The soft, whimsical art style maintains the aura of sweetness, and so this anime is pretty laid back at times. The execution on a lot of its drama is worth crediting too; only a few melodramatic events happen involving arguing, with a careful approach of presenting the problems with the characters without relying on shouting or exposition. For that, I think the anime's execution is wonderful at times. The main problem I have though is the nature of friendship. They put forward the theme of 'friendship' way too often by the characters, and that isn't necessary. It feels unnatural. Most of their conversations involves either Hajime saying how lovely friends are, or them talking about her getting friends or discussing her problem. It'd be real dumb to erase all that, yes, but more everyday topics and subtle conversations help build a better establishment in their relationship. I get what you're trying to do, main characters. You don't need to tell me 20 times an episode. That said, the development of Hajime and Hase's relationship is by no means bad. Due to slow pacing, it builds up gradually without rush. Throughout the series, you start to feel like there's 'progress' even though her memories reset every week. As said earlier, the story tackles its own concept without jumping into plot holes. Why not keep a diary to refresh her memory? Oh wait, they do! The anime then rolls on how the diary has its advantages and disadvantages. It's not just the diary, it's plenty of things - object or idea wise. The anime plays by its own rules and doesn't involve its apparent plot holes in the concept. I like that. Despite having a fair amount of comedic moments, the anime does have its serious events blended in. As mentioned earlier, there's a few melodramatic moments. And although part of it does have to do with fine execution, it's also due to the lack of serious events and twists. Perhaps this is a positive thing; the anime is mainly comfortable and adorable. But it doesn't step out its territory, nor does it try hard enough. The revealing of Hajime's past and a lot of other serious moments aren't that impactful as a result; this can make the anime weak in regards to progressing its plot and writing at times. The cast of characters is wonderful with the exception of Hase, the main male. Hase is by no means completely hatred worthy, especially at the start of the series. His incompetence of dealing with Hajime's problem drags him down - this is bound to happen. But he comes off as way too selfish or narrow-minded at times. One time he drags his friend to befriend Hajime. The next he goes all envious and claims Hajime is his. He blames others based on assumption, then he gives up the whole 'friendship' mission with Hajime as progression finally gets going. It's annoying when he starts throwing away Hajime's chance to earn friends because of HIMSELF. But he's bearable and sweet at times. He isn't a beta or alpha, and thankfully he has a somewhat solid personality (possibly very feminine). Hajime is extremely sweet, and the other characters such as Shougo and Saki have personality and weight behind them that keeps the show interesting and enjoyable - especially in the slice of life department. Their actions are usually plausible too; for example, Hajime acts very ignorant in class. The writing justifies this with reasoning that makes sense. Therefore, the characters make sense and aren't either cardboard cut-outs or unjustifiable perfect beings. I tried out 'One Week Friends' for a different high school experience, seeing how the concept is, although very loose, intriguing nevertheless. It didn't fail in that regards, but it didn't surprise me with anything spectacular either. I teared up for the first couple of episodes due to week resets, but any other dramatic events had little impact in me. But hey, it was a lovely, comfortable experience, and a unique one at that. Does it need full serious mode to emotionally break down viewers? It doesn't, and even then its execution is enough for you to receive both warm and teary impression through the journey of 'One Week Friends'.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 21, 2014
Bokura wa Minna Kawai-sou
(Anime)
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'Kawai Complex' is like a blend of romcom, adult jokes, anime seinen elements and wackiness. The main character Usa moves into a boarding house, whom coincidentally meets the girl of his love, Ritsu. Unfortunately the rest of the residents consist of a creepy masochist, a bodacious drunk woman and a backstabbing troublesome girl who puts a mask of cheerfulness to lead men on.
Depending on your preferences, you may either like or hate the characters. But the primary focus is based on the relationship of Usa and Kana Hanaz- I mean, Ritsu; a shy, introvert girl who has a love for books and nothing else. Usa ... on the other hand is like a kinda a semi-beta who gets constantly teased and cannot read situations for LIFE at times. Their relationship is subtle and not forceful - which is nice - however the development hates speed. It's not like a snail crossing the road; it's more like a truck in a middle of a traffic jam. Running out of petrol. This anime is primarily comedy, but it has its serious moments. And the problem is that it has difficulties deciding what it wants to be. Comedy scenes are one after another. Other comedy moments are scattered all over the place during the course of the show, which can damage its pace of development at times. There's a few moments where there's no interruption (like episode 8's scene for example), but other than that, the mood gets killed by a punchline or silly occurrence. This isn't necessarily bad in entertainment's point of view, and I can ensure you this is a comedy series at heart. It just throws more cars in the traffic jam, so when you think 'oh wow plot is progressing!'; no, it's really not. As a comedy though, it's a pretty entertaining show. But it's not for everyone, and can bring back the bad 'typical Japanese humour'. Lots of pervy jokes, but note this is not labeled an ecchi. It has its hot moments, but it's not immature, which is a change. The characters aren't underaged teenagers surrounded by random boobies in highschool. The ecchiness is actually justified and so the perverted, romantic or older jokes seem more natural coming from the cast suited for this type of comedy. But a lot of straight-man jokes are present, and if you're allergic to Japanese humour then avoid. It's not a big offender though, so even if your fondness of it is low, you should be safe anyway. There's no typical tropes of characters like tsunderes - somewhat refreshing - but their tropes aren't really unique either. Their portrayed as what their characters are supposed to be; a drunk woman getting dumped and two-timed, whilst picking on people. A bitch messing with other guys' hearts with a violent nature. And the neck-beard who gains pleasure from displeasing words and pain. They offer a variety of jokes, and they do feel alive at times, but they're not particularly pass 1-dimensional either. But enough of the side characters. Usa can be plain, but he's bearable. Even likable at times. The other times is where his thought process passes comprehension. No, he's not completely beta, but he can't read the mood, nor can he tell whether he's ticking off another person or not. He also tends to fixates his desires way too much and this leads to behavior of density. Expressions go over his head; this can be a large annoyance to some. And honestly, I'm all open to incompetent characters, but Usa continues to have the attitude of "SENPAI PLEASE NOTICE ME~" throughout the show. He gradually improves though, so there's that. Ritsu wasn't favoured by me that much in the beginning. The first problem was how lazy Kana Hanazawa was with this voice acting. Just another Kana. Thankfully her voice actually starts to fit her actual character, and I can indeed say it's her most fitting role. This is because Ritsu's nature is quite intriguing, well, if not for Usa's monologues of grabbing HER LOVE 24/7. Despite being an overly quiet character, she's no kuudere... most of the time. Her development is interesting in a way that he deals with situations involving other people, and the way she opens up to particular people has some depth in it as well. But alas, her developing isn't so large either, especially for being the main girl. The two MC's relationship is subtle, and it actually has some depth without shoving it in your face. But unfortunately the impact of that development is lost due to jokes and random characters interrupting every time. They overcome misunderstandings, feelings inside of them and expressions, and strengthen their bonds. It's just not very consistent when labeled as a comedy because which one is it supposed to be? Comedy or serious? And well, you can argue it's never meant to be a serious show. I can accept that, but if it really was, like a proper full-on comedy show, then all the staggering development, plot points and serious events that is cut off mid-way wouldn't be present. And it's a shame, because I think it had potential to put forward those perhaps tear-jerking scenes with its in-depth characters. But yet it probably had no potential as well due to the concept of a complex having characters filled with... complexity of strange and weird. Brains Base took very careful consideration in the animation. Lots of filters for lighting effects were crafted well, and the art is stylized and well-drawn. There's no terrible quality, due to the fact that a lot of comedy remarks goes into chibi mode. Fluid movement, but not many anyway. A lot of the voice actors do well, even in the straight-man jokes, but sometimes the two MC's sound quite lazy. OST accompanies the atmosphere well, and overall the show looks very, very lovely compared to others. Despite my criticisms, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. It was refreshing, and at the same time it wasn't. For every unique element and positive trope it made, it took another one down. Kind of like Usa. He gets into lucky situations, only to be damned by misfortune. In the end, I didn't really know what direction this show was even supposed to take, but I can safely say the premise, characters and setting were definitely refreshing and enjoyable to watch. I just wished the show had the ability to blend in both its funny and serious moments, instead of staggering them here and there. Otherwise, if you aren't bothered with presented plot elements that are hardly fleshed out properly, then check this out for an amusing romance comedy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 17, 2014 Recommended Preliminary
(10/12 eps)
"Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym.” ― Stephen King
Perhaps horror is long gone absent in the animation industry. The same symptom of films has affected anime as well; deaths often play a humorous role with irony and poor presentation (Another, Blood-C) and over-reaching plots makes crystal clear as day that they wanted to make the audiences shit themselves in fright (though instead they only made shit themselves). But who would've thought that one of the most intelligent, philosophical and ground-breaking anime lies ... in an entry that MAL considers 'utter shit (4.62)' and has a length of only four minutes? That's right, the sophisticated, goose-bumping machine 'Pupa' is here, the most clever thriller since Monster and GitS. You don't need a billion episodes. You don't even need twelve full episodes; 3 minutes of material in a span of 12 weeks is more than enough to realize the glorious masterpiece DEEN has given us. Lots of people complain that it's not long enough at all; "They have their priorities straight with Sakura Trick". Yuri lickers are disgusting, I mean who would want to see 12 episodes of two girls cuddling in bed? Pupa need not 20 minutes to develop a sense of agony, despair and suspense as its presentation and world-building pretty much exceeds in perhaps life itself. Pupa is that strong. The plot follows the ultimate incest story revolving a brother and a sister. They find themselves alone. In life. In darkness. In the universe. And one day, Yume, the sister, finds a ever so strange and out of place butterfly. Perhaps because it was red. But nevertheless, the impact of seeing such a sophisticated and impacting butterfly contrived her to undergo an extraordinary yet unusual metamorphosis that implants her life in stake; a cannibal monster that eats humans. Her brother attempts to save her from the utter despair that bestowed on her, only to be stirred in unsettling situations, events and occurrences that gives his life a twist and turn of fate and mystery. See how deep the synopsis is? And this is only the summery. It passes Evangelion of deep, and Utena of symbolism to the point where both seems like 4-piece puzzles. And from browsing the MAL forums (lol), a lot of responses to Pupa usually varies from "dont get et" to "wat hapend :(" and even "FUCK YOU DEEN I HATE YOU WAAAAA BWAAAAA". Of course, there are people who see this as exaggerate, and it's saddening to see how low MAL has dug their grave but only 200 people on MAL has seriously seen the light, including Rog. One of the many strong components of this extraordinary story is the way they handle its incest commentary. Remember Ore no Imouto? Me neither. Pupa bubbles a series of questions in which involves the boundaries of crossing the line of incest. How far should you go in saving your sister? To the point of spilling your guts out and regenerating a cycle of pain, despair and hopelessness in order to satisfy your sister's stomach (and possibly pussy), while she faithfully repeats "Onii-chan~" about seven dozen times? The bond between their relationship is not of a typical 'i wuv you pls wug me' but instead exceeds with a bond so complicated yet fractured, corrupted while constructed all in their minds, that describing this makes my sentence wobble to the pont wear it aons't maek senasfo32?{'#$*() The psychologicalness is relentlessly high in this sophisticated animation too. The writing offers so much in its concept and messes around how human nature behaves past the borderline of death, and beyond. The pain yet bittersweet comfort of seeing your sister in a monstrous form. The choice of suffering while helping another in order to avoid suffering. Abuse of inhuman abilities within society. Capturing happiness under the conditions of midget police forces and strange pregnant women who wants to capture you. Getting a boner when your sister with tight shorts eats your guts while lewdly touching you and saying 'onii-chan' in your earphone, as the audience reaches for those tissues and- and- and undergoing surgery due to sub-consciously cutting themselves for the trauma or the scarce the anime has caused them. Pupa. The art style references various infamous paintings and sculptures in the last 10 centuries. The paintings includes "Théodore Géricault - Anatomical Pieces", in which has disembodied body parts which Pupa references from the cannibalism imagery blocked by stylish and symbolic shadows (some people call this censoring - ignore them). "Odilon Redon - Smiling Spider" is symbolized from Yume's character, in which she's seemingly a monster that can still earn happiness. "Francisco Goya - Saturn Devouring His Son"; back to face with the relationship of family, in this case brother and sister. "Francis Bacon - Painting" is something creepy but it has bacon, mmmm. But yeah, art is nic Sound give s a creepy, unsettling y et unimaginably po werful at mosphere. Th e use o f s ilence an d dis turbanc e ma kes thi s a nime r ather u n comforable, but ef ffortaleslys enggaing at the smae tmie. Ecah snuod ecfect is uesd wtih esae, form fosetpots to carkeinclg. Not only it starts your body processes of perspiration by stimulating your sweat glands, releasing liquid substance and evaporating on your skin to cool down the body (aka sweating), it gets your mind mentally repaired and stabbed, making you dizzy and shifjeianc UNIAFEXABFaekfocjsngonsncrof And the voice of [ (/ +add_yume(mc)=>_('o')_l:'"Onii-chan~~~ *breathes extremely lewdly and gives bonerlizing stimulation energy to genitals"':-exit_command ) ] from the remarkable scripting that no person has ever topped makes this anime one of the most cleverest, intellagent and thought-provoking stories written of all time. If traditionalized Japanese animation has, with countless of trials and errors, finally carved a place for its name in the caveman wall of history of the extraordinary story-telling world, surpassing the efforts of every psychological thrillers, social commentaries, incestial talks and any sort of non-fiction/fiction/de-fiction, then thank Pupa. Thank DEEN for saving the medium that died long ago. Thank God, for the beginning of life that led our imagination and creativity to show impact and succession in our fullest potential in human nature. My review may not reach to convince enlightenment to those readers out there, but I hope you at least by mere curiousity to check the practically Jesus of story-telling. Pupa is the anime we need; not the one we deserve.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 24, 2013
Non Non Biyori
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Yes, I have a sweet spot for slice of life anime. I genuinely enjoyed the laid-back shows such as GJ-bu, Tamayura, Yuyushiki etcetera this year, but that doesn't stop me from saying that Non Non Biyori was one of the most conformist and loveliest experiences in the past few months. It's definitely great-tier in the slice of life section.
The simplistic story takes place in a rural area of the countryside. Eleven year old Hotaru Ichijou moves into the town from Tokyo with her parents, and transfers into a school consisting of only four more students; Renge, Natsumi and Komari (yes, it's a rather small ... school). It shows the ordinary lives of these children, as well as other residents in the town throughout the seasons of the year. That is quite literally it. And hence is one reason why I love this show dearly. The story knows exactly what its purpose is; relaxation and healing. The execution of the countryside is depicted very well: The writing isn't complicated in the least, rather very simplistic, but the pacing and direction takes a gentle slow approach, and especially a faithful one to its original setting (it's based on a real place after all). Everything content wise is pretty much laid back, whether it's the lack of vehicles to rivers streaming, or doors without locks to shops without its shopkeeper (you pay in the money box!). The nature environment and gentle flow keeps this show consistently soothing, and each episode has the magic to ease you from anxiety or worries. It's not all slice of life though, as its comedic factor takes a big role too. In its environment, it's very light-hearted comedy, carried by its characters heavily, but largely comedy based nevertheless. I'd say it's a mix between Aria's slice of life aspect and Nichijou or Azumanga's comedic aspect, although more plausible than random. But the amount of laughing fit moments are high in its otherwise slow stretched content. Non Non Biyori doesn't illustrate any life messages at the end of every episode, unlike Aria or Tamayura, and its story doesn't particularly end on a high note either (which is good though because second season is possible). However, a few episodes can cause need of replacement for heartstrings, as the dedicated episodes can really warm and break the heart if you're not careful (which can consist of moments we can relate to too). But generally, the story presents the interactions and lives of our cast, and to lay back, eat ice cream and relax in ease is the best way to approach a series like this. In our cast we have the little grade 1, Renge, the two sisters Komari and Natsumi (grade 8 and 7) and Hotaru, grade 5. They all have pretty distinct personalities, although can be considered realistic. What makes watching them more interesting though is that they're all different ages and have different mindsets, so the interactions and chemistry between each of them together are often entertaining. Especially with Renge, because we're able to see a point of view of a child, not often expressed in anime, in which her childish mindset and logic can be quite ironic yet sweet. The characters pretty much drive the comedy factors forward, and you grow to care for them as the series gradually continues. I guess the lack of pandering and 'sexual' fanservice is a strong trait of this show as well. The anime makes hardly any attempt to sexualize the characters (except the beach episode (which wasn't actually typical either (yes there's a beach in the countryside, deal with it))). The prohibition of panty and focus-on-body-parts shots makes them non-existent, and helps the faithfulness of this show to keep its soothing story from being ruined. It also ranges a better audience to non-anime fans (as the Japanese countryside people apparently like this show a lot!). I adore the animation in this show a lot. A lot of long pauses in this show makes up various, delicious wallpapers to use; it's like an impressive painting exhibition at times, with distinct, bright colours of nature in land and sky. Rivers sometimes flow, looking beautiful with reflections and sparkles. It just seems so fun to draw and paint some spectacular scenery, and such exhibitions are a complete plus in these kinds of shows. The shadings and lightning are handled very carefully too, and are the notable strengths in the art department. And of course, the budget is pretty high but that's to be expected with a slice of life shows as they usually are (there's lots of money to spend with not many scenes). Sound direction is done craftily great too. The soundtrack portrays a lazy yet calming mood for the show, sometimes being the center of the scene for a few times. The careful use of silence and sound effects suits the environment of the countryside, in which helps essence the lovely atmosphere this show has to offer at front. The voice actors deliver their lines well, whether it's a punchline or not. You'd probably recognize Joshiraku's Marii in this, and Renge's VA coins the child character with ace. The OP and ED are generally enjoyable to listen to as well, and not once I skipped it. All in all, Non Non Biyori is definitely one of the better shows in its respective genre. It may look appealing to moe-inducers, but its environment and atmosphere is what sets itself apart from the typical slice of life anime with girls doing nothing. Its fun characters, lack of fanservice and soothing lazy pace helps the show in becoming a decent healing anime. And girls doing nothing it is, but as long as you have the right mindset and approach towards this show then it's highly enjoyable and comforting, especially when you're feeling down the dumps or blues. It's an anime that makes you smile; one that eases your tensity. This is why I love the slice of life healing genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 2, 2013
Chihayafuru 2
(Anime)
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Recommended
Karuta! Arata! Taichi? K-karuta!!
Twenty five more episodes worth of charming romance and competitive karuta fun? Yes please. But don't expect a balance between the two; there's more latter quantity than the former, and whether you should be satisfied or not is up to your preference! Who expected, or even acknowledged beforehand, that the true presence of competitive karuta would be ever so fierce and exciting from its outline? Well, I sure certainly didn't when I started from season one. Karuta is more of a complicated sport than popular ones such as baseball and basketball, and the entirety of season one teaches that it requires much more ... than just reaction timing and memorization to win against other players. I enjoyed season one thoroughly, but watching karuta itself doesn't just hold its exciting entertainment factor by itself; there's a much larger insightful fulfillment that keeps its presence in each and every match. It's certainly more complicated than just slapping cards in front of people. And that's what the second season is all about: Karuta, karuta, karuta! Chihayafuru 2 is a direct sequel to its previous entry, Chihaya and her team now in second year of high school. Chihaya is determined to, not only win the individual matches tournament upcoming to earn the Queen title, but to win the team tournament too, as well as establishing more members for the Mizusawa Karuta Club. It sounds difficult, and possibly silly considering it's still studying period, but this is Chihaya we're talking about; the pretty tomboy with a mind of karuta and karuta only. Who's going to stop her? Despite being a direct sequel in terms of story, it does have its noticeable differences. Hardly any distinct features are involved mind; it's more of taking a step up on its previous features that made Chihayafuru for what it is. The central feature of the second season is the sight of karuta matches itself. If you wished for much more screen time on people competing in karuta from the first season, then you'll be delighted to know that your wish has be gracefully granted. If you're for the romance and sweet relationships though, as well as full development between the childhood friends Chihaya, Arata and Taichi, then you might be a little more unfortunate than Taichi himself. The execution of each specific karuta match are all intense as ever. I'd say that probably more than half of the entire season covers the moments of the involvement of karuta matches, and without its sole execution the series wouldn't have been as exciting throughout. Its execution is graceful yet powerful, as well as being a little in-depth in its playful manner, from thought processes of the players themselves to tackling particular cards pronounced from the reader. Some scenes, preferably the opponents winning their cards against one another, can be striking in a single movement, maybe even breath-taking. The careful use of atmosphere and enthusiasm of winning or playing makes use of, and surpasses, the original Chihayafuru style from the first season. With the accompany of animation and the soundtrack, as well as different sorts of techniques and tactics used from each and every player, the passion and spirit created from these matches are very sensational whilst keeping the original, youthful atmosphere of the series. But karuta isn't all just intensity in its matches. Season two explores the sport in a more exhaustive manner than the former season, and not just directly but indirectly too. Karuta is exciting because of the players themselves, but not solely because of their different levels of skill, style and tactics; it's more so as to why they're playing in the first place. Motivation, determination, pleasure, teamwork, whether its for a special someone or a particular goal, is all present in the characters of Chihayafuru. And karuta itself explores the different reasonings for lots of different players involved in the matches, which branches up the pasts and difficulties those characters have inside themselves. Realization can succeed to develop a character in a flowing manner, and that, despite it being a win or a lost, they learn something precious and important for their lives by their opponents. It's the reason why this season, or the entirety of the series in this case, are filled with a great amount of extremely heart warming and tear worthy scenes. You'd love to cheer on one of the characters, like Chihaya, in a match to achieve her dreams, but that can't be entirely the case when the determination and reasoning of the opponent is involved too. Even when one seems in a tight or hopeless situation, you know how slump you're going to feel if the lost is given instead of a win. The motivation for each characters, even and especially side characters, are real. They're hardly one dimensional, and the match doesn't only determine if one has won or lost, but if their hard work and conviction has really paid off. The character's important speeches and actions boil down to karuta, even if slightly, and proves that the competitive sport has created a new light for these people; for something to devote and work towards to and be proud of it. It's a plus too that the characters are in a wide range of variety, in both their motivation and personality. I can say without doubt that every single main and side character are likable and interesting, or at least from my preference. Nevertheless, there's a good deal of depth spiraled in each character, and most aren't so evidential until later on. They appear as mere opponents, not cardboard cut-outs but ones you wouldn't actually feel for if they lose. To be likable or not, they have distinct tropes that creates their characters, which are also for comedic factors which is a plus. But when their matches start, their pasts and goals begins to establish, and despite rooting for the other opponent because you've spent more time with them, your understandings for the character gets established as well. I find that the characters of the series all play out with interesting personalities, mysterious or not, and that their love for karuta is evidentially taken care of, rather than just written on the spot. The series doesn't actually consists a whole load of content you'd expect from a two cour season. The speed of pacing is evidential throughout the series, as some matches can actually last longer than a episode or three. To consider it a problem in the fact that a little more content could've been included wouldn't be hugely anticipated, but it hardly is a problem if you consider wisely. Matches are, as explained earlier, made extremely well with a great deal of enjoyment factor, and the long scenes allows the different insights of each character to develop and to be explored. The pacing is necessary for this, as well as being able to build tension and anticipation on who would win or what will happen next. Though some of the matches can be predictable, the series focuses more on the depth of the players instead of the actual results itself, and plus it relies heavily on execution rather than shock factor, in which was a sensible decision to choose for a series like Chihayafuru. As for the romance side of Chihayafuru, season one definitely contains a bigger portion of it. That doesn't mean to say that this season doesn't consist of no romance, but unlike the first season there are no episodes that fully dedicate the love between Chihaya, Taichi and Arata. The story behind all this continues, but doesn't develop so much throughout the series, rather it's used effectively throughout the minds of the stated characters; which leads to the motivational stories behind them that connects them to karuta in the first place. For those who side for more karuta though, it's presented in a manner that doesn't greatly effect the drama and tension in the series, so enjoyment factor would hardly be bumped down because of the romance. Production values for the second season are not the greatest and grandest, although this is to be at least expected for 50 episodes altogether. However, animation is handled with great care and is used efficiently; both animation and sound are created well for the distinct atmosphere and style for Chihayafuru. Often, still shots are used for the usual swings and hits on the cards, but with great speed and accompany of sound and different textures of colours, as well as various effects in the scenes, it doesn't fail to look awkward or slow in any of them. Budget can look pale from far distances in shots, but when the more graceful or powerful scenes come along, the backgrounds and detail can look anything as beautiful with a fluffy aura or tension effect surrounding it, depending on the scene. It does this when necessary and makes the scenes even more memorable than it already was. The youthful atmosphere is also accompanied by a very expressive soundtrack, applying brand new songs as well as ones from the first season. They are often orchestrated with light instruments like piano and strings, though does consists of acoustic guitars, bass and drums, and even pipes, flutes and traditional drums comes in the soundtrack. It gives a wonderful personality for the actual series to use, and although most are light-hearted or light-weighted, they're used really effectively in contrast of its atmosphere. The volume is oriented carefully so that the sound effects makes the karuta matches a lot more practical and engrossing for the viewers, building up a better experience to watch. I'm glad series like Chihayafuru are still being aired. Produced by Madhouse and presented from the director of Cardcaptor Sakura, Chihayafuru manages to be an extremely enjoyable series with what it has to offer, not holding back with its execution on the theme of karuta. Anime doesn't necessarily need shock factor for a viewer to be surprised, and this series proves that execution is anything but less important than surprises. It's quite astonishing for me as to how much love I can express for a series I certainly didn't expect to ramble about, and especially one about a sport I have never heard of in my life until I started season one. It goes to show though that even such premises can contain a lot more potential than anime ideas that are more accessible for viewers, but fail to deliver because of its execution or lack of exploration in its concept. I don't regret starting Chihayafuru and its sequel; the only regret I'll have is not being able to play proper competitive karuta because I'm in the entirely wrong place. But at least Chihayafuru was a charming experience, and I hope it inspires even more people out in Japan to compete in karuta than season one already has.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 31, 2013
Tamako Market
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings
“You used to be much more... "muchier". You've lost your muchness.” - Alice in Wonderland.
Not that I'm a fan of that series, nor that I even know the story (please don't shoot me), but this perfectly describes studio Kyoto in a ball. They've been famous for making various key adaptions such as Clannad and Kanon, and other series being described as far as controversial like Haruhi. But lately, they've been said that the rising hill is sloping downwards now, and Tamako Market contributes to more evidence for that hill, with less and less 'muchness'. That hill consists of weaker attention for the story, and with ... more delicious amount of budget and moe to sprinkle the... fillings, not just the topping. That's right, it's the infamous "style over substance" type, and Tamako Market went exactly in that route. It'd be really nice to have a good balance of substance, but that doesn't mean we should completely ignore the style either, and it's styles like in Tamako Market that are actually pretty rare. Hence why I used Alice in Wonderland for quoting. 'Tamako Market' means a market full of Tamakos. Just kidding, but please stop laughing at my hilarious well-made joke which was carefully crafted in three whole seconds. It does take place in a market though, and a rather lively one at that. There's several mochi shops rivaling each other, and a high school girl named 'Tamako' is part of the shops. She looooves mochi, and makes 'em for the market who has the happiest atmosphere going around. Also talking bird appears and strange love triangles occur, whilst the mochi shops does the most epic contests against one another, rivaling themselves out with their wild mochi-cooking skills to the point of exhaustion and hardships. Okay, I lied, there's no real cooking rivalry. There's talking birds though. As a complete, shocking surprise, it's about nothing, or at least for the majority of the time. However, the way it structures itself gives both an avoid alert and a treat for those for can bear the first few episodes. My initial first response to the first three episodes were that they were "boring as a wall", as well as "stupid as a talking bir- oh wait". Nothing happens, and it seems a little pretentious with a smiley face to try and keep me engaged with a talking bird hitting on girls. It's only after I finally picked up the series again when it was nearing its end on airing, where the episodes after three actually became a little more than entertaining. It's ironic because, for those of you who follow the three episode rule, you'd be only watching the lowest of the TM episodes. The structure follows a episodic layout, and it's not surprising as it's a slice of life. They're purely episodic to the core though, as they each contain stories of both main and side characters, dealing with simple problems and affection towards different people and such. This kind of layout already sets you up with the characters in front of you, and since the story doesn't follow a linear line, not much changes or developments grow much, if it has any at all. With that said, it allows you to familiarize yourself with the happy market, and as you get more into the market's pace, you'd find it gets much more enjoyable and natural with different kinds of stories later on. That said, it can go the opposite effect if you're not fond with the market itself. If you feel the urge to burn those flowers in the shop, that fat talking bird who didn't save the show, those puffy mochi-like cheeks on Tamako and those puffy mochis themselves, then feel free to get up and leave to collect your fire, as you're not going to like the show at all. Don't burn Kanna's hammer though, Kanna's the best in the show. How dare you. But I'd be a little surprise for anyone to hate the atmosphere of the anime, particularly the market. I find the atmosphere to be a little more... magical. Which is a little bit of a surprise myself, since I don't tend to find this sort of lovely, bouncy atmosphere in anime often now. The show presents itself in a more musical-play fashion rather than a relaxing one. Things play out like a fantasy musical, if there's anything else to describe it best; the lovely, light soundtrack fleshes the musical style out quite a bit, as some scenes feel as though it's actually a music video. Things flow like flipping through a happy and merrily written book, sometimes ending in a fashion where a message warps up the episode as if it actually ends a good night sleep. It's a lovely atmosphere, and gives a tingly sensation of joy inside... though, it takes a bit of time until it really gets into you (at least after episode 3 for me). Oh, did I ever tell you there was actually a story in the show? Dera, the bird who I just called 'the bird' for a while now, actually comes to the country for a specific reason. That background of the story stays behind the shadows for the majority of the show though, so the reasoning for him lurking in the market isn't because he tried to make a 'moe slice of life about nothing' show more interesting, but for a future reason to be revealed later on. The storyline of the whole situation with Dera isn't so surprising though, and in fact it's fairly simple to get your head around without the need of developments or plot twists. It's ever so simple writing, with a vague climax that doesn't really make up for the entire series, so if you're expecting your wow meter to be of the chart, don't be. That and the fact the actual story is literally behind the shadows doesn't keep any sort of substance following, since it's pretty much hidden in the entire series. There's not even a sense of mystery either; the market's being too busy smiling so much that a fat bird that can talk is something that should be subjected upon, since even scientists can't find birds in the world who can freaking talk, let alone a noble perverted one. The point though is that it's a super simple story which doesn't get put on subject until the few last episodes of the show, and so the rest of the episodes is just about character stories in the market, as said earlier. There's no linear story to follow; only those in the market. Let's talk about the lovely dovely production values for now, and take a break of the main cake of the show. What do you expect from Kyoto Animation then? In comparison to ChuChu and Hyouka, the budget doesn't go as astounding as those two. It's more comparable to the likes of K-On!! though, as they are done by the same sub-team as each other. The animation is very fluent with its movement, making them extremely fun to watch and building up a good amount of gif files in your folders. The main girls are in the baton club too; what's more fun than looking at cute girls throwing and spinning batons around in the hall? Also, there's quite a blob of moe in the anime, though it's not focused upon as much as people state it is. If you are allergic to moe and get itchy spots down there, you can stay away from this, but I honestly don't see how or why it's a big problem for the show. The OST is ever so musically lovely. I wish the OST is already out, but it seems like it only goes as far as the character songs for download. Anyway, the soundtrack provides the magical atmosphere even further, and fits the entire show almost perfectly, as said earlier. The opening contributes to the magic musical style too, though not so much of the ED as that's more of a J-Pop serious song. It's not much of a problem, since it's musically very well-done, and it's a must-have to get the full version of. Sound effects and directing is consistently good, and the OST is used wonderfully, fitting from a cute AMV to a mini musical narration play thingymajigy, as described earlier. Voice acting is great too, and Dera's voice gives of the royalty feel of his being quite well. Well... mostly royalty. But umm... about Dera.... Some say he's the life saver of the anime, whilst others state he's a big, fat thing wasting precious screen time for the anime. In theory, he's only set in the market because of plot (oh how convenient!), right? But, as said three main paragraphs ago, the actual story is bored behind the shadows, so Dera's not actually needed 9 tenths of the time. His personality is of a king's noble servant, yet he's not aware that all his 'charm' are not actually capturing any of the girls' hearts at all. Even mochi proves him as a clown, turning him bloated and heavy. He's in the show listed as a main character, but it's in fact that he only proves to be a comedic clown character who can in fact be super annoying to some and praise-worthy to others. Whether or not he saves the entire show is an entirely different question. Without him, Tamako Market would be a normal slice of life about mochis, lesbians and magical happy atmosphere floating around. It can only prove Dera as a little bit of a plot device to bring the "plot" to the market, but even without him the effects of being bored as a brick in the first few episodes would be the same. His existence is very polarizing in opinions because of his strange noble personality, with a sense of weird affection birds shouldn't even have towards girls, and sometimes he just kills moments by narrating with a somewhat cheesy voice. That said, if you really hate to see him, he's hardly the center of attention in the majority of the time, so be glad or be sad; either way, this talking bird isn't going to leave his mochi behind you'd still have to deal with him in the show. Aside the case of the talking bird though, there's a whole cast of other characters too. You got the group of girls being Tamako's friends (Tamako being the main character, if you haven't noticed), who are blond Midori, glasses Shiori and the best character in the entire show, Kanna. Her ruler and hammer wins me over, and so she proves best award for Tamako Market person. The market has a ton of people living there; a flowerist whose gender is unknown, other mochi makers and shop keepers plus the families, the friendly elderly people, dancing old man, newly bird couple, little kids and so on. It's quite a colourful bunch, and the entire cast brings the happy and lively atmosphere in the area, so lively that it's a little unnatural to be in, but nevertheless fun. Several of the characters get a decent amount of screen time, but not much can be said about the developments. They're pretty interesting and likable in their own right, especially having the center of attention in some of the episodes (though Kanna doesn't weep weep...). The cast is a fun bunch, in conclusion, but even with some background and attention, development doesn't really grow upon nearly all of them (except Dera, funny enough). Tamako Market can be regarded as another moe creation from Kyoto, and with even more style and less substance than before. Popularity sure got them "muchier", but now their muchness has shrunk over the years to the point where great things wave bye-bye to their opportunities of potential (talking about that one Key VN which got rejected because Kyoto was 'too busy'... forever cry weep weep...). That all said, Tamako Market wasn't as bad of a ride than I thought it'd be, but stating that the story is extremely unique and well-written is worth face-palming. I wonder what Kyoto's going to do in the future then. And should I look forward to it?
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 28, 2013 Recommended
Being as frank as possible, I found the Winter 2013 season to be quite weak, despite having a lot of bright and colourful ideas. The majority of them only proved to be average, slightly above even, and they definitely won't be memorable for long. Now, this talk may portray to be a little irrelevant and bias (and apologies if it is), but the point I want to get across is that I was hoping that 'at least' one show in the season would be in a state without having to be stalled, being both enjoyable and interesting every episode and with no actual problems dragging
...
it down. In other words, a hidden gem.
Thankfully there was one, and funny enough it's about a school club with absolutely no purpose or theme whatsoever. Wait, what? The anime is about... as stated earlier, nothing. Kyouya is in a club called the 'Good-Job Club', and their activities involve having various discussions, eating food, laying around the room being struck by lasers of heat, biting each other, lewdly brushing hair, bringing little sisters in and many more things. The other members of the club are four girls; the childish club president Mao who has a short-temper, the refined angel-like Megumi, the genius Shion lacking common sense and the mysterious cat-like Kirara. You'd probably be thinking that... it sounds like a pretty generic slice of life without actually anything going on, which would naturally sound really boring to watch. To top it all of though, it sounds like a harem! There's no doubt it's harem-like with the boy:girl ratio of 1:4, and you'll probably agree that nearly all harem shows fail to be remotely good. And guess what? I found this much more interesting than all the other shows, and I'm not close to devoted with slice of life shows in a school setting. So... how, and why, did I find this more entertaining than the rest of the season? Because GJ-bu does something a lot of normal slice of life shows fail to do - restraining from pushing itself to far. Or in other words, it didn't try to hard to be what it is. GJ-bu acknowledges fairly well that it's a full slice of life series with the given setting; there's no unnecessarily technical writing involved and it doesn't forces the contents or intentions of the show onto the audience in a demanding way - it just does what a slice of life is supposed to be. It really does take a slice of one's life, and converts those everyday actions into animated form. Because of this, everything feels natural, both pacing and scenery, and without having to feel boring too. None of the jokes feel dragged, and neither does the dialogue, so the conversations and spacelessness you'd feel in real life are portrayed rather nicely here. But who wants to watch some guy's life in a club in the first place? Who'd find that interesting? Which brings me to my second point. The natural flow in the entire show gives of a really, really lovely relaxing pace. The pacing does feel rather slow at times, but because nothing is so dragged along or forced, it makes the audience quite relaxed whilst watching each episode, and so the slowness isn't something to be weary of (well, depending on your preferences but I'll mention that later). Although the speed of the pace is noticeable when you start the series, it starts getting less obvious and time starts to fly by so swiftly you'd be completely used it over the course of the series. That said, looking at a specialist's point of view, GJ-bu really isn't that unique at all. It just stands out because it does what most slice of life anime doesn't do, and that is to keep the viewers actually engaged without a plot in mind instead of building up their bore meters. The show is just about five members in a non-specified club, enjoying their time there whilst they can, so if anyone is expecting some actual plot, romance, drama, tragedy, deaths, epicness, inspiring moments and so forth, then I'm afraid your expectations are at risk (though, there is a sweet semi-closure which was done really well). But if you thought that it'd be a bore-pumper and something immensely non-memorable whilst choosing your seasonal shows (and, admittedly, that was me), then you should pretty much give this a go for a change of pace, and especially if you're a big fan of the slice of life genre. The animation isn't so remarkable as from the outside, but during the course of the show the art department actually does get handled as greater than what you'd expect. On one hand, the budget doesn't seem so noticeable and it's understandable since it's a slice of life. The outlines of the characters can be inconsistent in terms of thickness, which is a rather rare problem in anime in general. On the other hand though, there's certain scenes where the budget goes remarkably high, in both backgrounds, atmosphere and animation (which applies to 95%+ of the last episode). Regards to the budget, there's no rubbish or quality moments in which effects the series in any way. Talking about animation, the area which it's taken in full consideration is the EDs, which used the budget pretty wildly. Well actually, scratch that. GJ-bu wins for the best ending sequence in 2013 so far. And second place. And third place... ...and fourth place too. The anime consists of four ending sequences, one playing every two episodes and the fourth one playing throughout the second half of the show. Each ED is based around a certain character or two, provided with a theme; the first ED being based around the Amatsuka sisters (Mao and Megumi), the second being based on Shion, the third being Kirara's ED and the last one centered towards the entire club. The collection of EDs varies in the type of songs and mood, being from extremely high-spirited with a fast-paced rock style, to a more contemplative mood in J-Pop form. All four songs are outstandingly well-composed, being catchy and vibrant in their own ways, and the studio probably blew 90% of their budget in the EDs to make them as visually attractive and fluent as possible, even coming with a unique summer atmosphere and funky dancing. They're extremely fun to watch and I doubt you'd regret having downloaded the full songs of all four endings, because I know I didn't regret it. So... in conclusion, the four EDs are the best parts in the animation and sound department, in both the entire show and the Winter season. Woops, it seems like I dedicated a whole paragraph to the GJ-bu endings, so I should start on the actual sound department now. Uh... anyway, the opening sequence plays throughout the entire show, sung by the main VA cast. It's a really catchy up-beat song, and probably not so unexpecting in a slice of life. A lot of the time the OST doesn't play, mainly for the cause of the relaxing pacing and atmosphere. The soundtrack isn't at all incredible in stand-alone, but they're very cutely composed with simple and/or retro instruments, fitting the very light mood for the show. The voice actors do a good job (haha pun) with the characters, generally fitting well in their roles. Not to mention that several of the voice actors are actually teenagers, the youngest being Kirara's VA, at the age of thirteen. Now, despite the relaxing mood and atmosphere to the plotless show, it couldn't be as interesting as it is with just the aspects I described several paragraphs ago. Of course, we can't have a club without its members! Nearly the entire cast consists of female (the male being Kyolo, the main character), and they're divided into two groups; the members of the GJ-bu, and the little sisters of those members. Let's introduce the main members the second (or third?) time, since I think it's a little necessary too; there's presisdent Mao Amatsuka, the orange one, who acts rather childish despite her rich background, and bites Kyolo when she's angry. But her younger sister is quite the opposite - Megumi Amatsuka, the pink one, is both refined and well-mannered, described almost as an angel, although it's not the case when it comes to weight. Shion Sumeragi, the purple one, is somewhat clever in lots of ways, but it seems common sense isn't her strong point. And then there's Kirara, my personal favourite member. She acts less human and more cat, structuring her sentences uniquely, and does lots of things the other members don't usually do, like eating meat all the time. And of course, we can't forget to mention Kyolo, our main man. He's presented in the series as a kind, caring and laid-back guy, though usually questioning whatever actions the other members perform (and usually on him too). Oh and there's the green one. She doesn't appear in the beginning though. All of the members are, firstly to say, stand-alone in their own way. You get a variety of personalities (and hair colours), and each have their own qualities for themselves in which both benefits and non-benefits them. However, it's the way they're presented that fleshes out the personalities further - The features of each individual becomes clearer and fresher with certain tropes and actions happening on-screen. Basically, the characters are in a club room, talking and in different ways interacting with each other. Whether it's conversations or actions, each individual would perform any kind of action which adds up as the evidence of one of the features in the characters, and it fleshes out into the characterization of the members (some of those actions may reveal one of the tropes at first shot though, depending on how obvious the feature is). In other words, characterization happens in the course of events, rather than having them explained, which feels both natural and less lazy. The more fun thing about this though is that each of the characters has quite distinct personalities and different features, fears, knowledge, preferences and so on compared to each other, so it's pretty fun seeing them hang round together as a group. You get a lot of times when they all agree to tease Kyolo in the most entertaining way for them to watch, and then scenes where they all take their turns to do a certain activity, from having their hair brushed, to arm-wrestling, to guessing whatever picture Kyolo drew and so on. There's no real hatred, drama and problems going around in the GJ-bu, so it's hard to start hating a character in the series, though of course it's not the case for everyone. Also, need to mention development. Well, there isn't much development since the anime starts during the middle course of Kyolo's time being in the club, but he does get a well-hidden development in the entire series, to both towards the other members and personality. It's just not so easy to notice and stretched out. Did I enjoy GJ-bu? Considering that the entire show felt really natural and relaxing, and seeing each characters with different kinds of features interact with each other and Kyolo, of course I did. I had a really hard time debating whether or not to rate GJ-bu a solid 7 or a low 8, but it seemed like it was the latter (though honestly, I still can't decide). For anyone who just regarded this as some moe anime with really bland episodes might want to give this a second thought; this was the only show I started in the season which I didn't decide upon my full plan for the season, and it turned out it was the only show I actually thoroughly enjoyed in the entire show. If it wasn't for my brother I would've never encountered this gem, so it was lucky I didn't pass on this. GJ-bu was a enjoyable and relaxing ride for me, and it seems like I've grown fond to the series more than I expected to be. I just wish that more school slice of life anime was like GJ-bu.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 17, 2013
Fairy Tail Movie 1: Houou no Miko
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
Let's not look at the score and assume so soon that I'm not fond with the series altogether; I like Fairy Tail as a shounen series. I'm not the biggest fan of the series, and granted that the series has lots of flaws which can be easily improved, but altogether the series is very entertaining, the characters are memorable and some arcs can be really fascinating. And now, the long-running popular shounen series finally gets its take on a movie. It's fun having a series you may love or like to get a movie, so I was naturally looking forward to some more Fairy Tail
...
fun.
That was when I finally realized that movies don't really work that way. Movies are completely different from anime series, even if it doesn't seem like it on the surface. They're similar in how they tell tales of any kind of stories, achieving many things in the anime industry that cartoons and non-japanese animation can't and, of course, the fact that they're both animation. However, movies tend to be in a much more grand level, and it generally takes difficult steps to achieve the things series can't. Experience can be remotely different considering it being inside a much shorter animation time to tell the story, and it's not so surprising that presentation and development are taken in a completely differently way, as well as budget and production values going all out. And it's mainly the reason why people's expectations go up when a popular or favorable series gets given a movie. Movies tells a story in ways that series sometimes cannot do, and movies like Evangelion, Ghilbi films, Mamoru Hosoda's movies and many, many more are so spectacular in different ways. But what about movies in addition to existing series? Unless some kind of prequel/sequel/remake link is involved in any way, it's hard to add a newly born story to a long-running series because of time-line issues (difficulties as to where it takes place in the series, for example), which leads to many disadvantages with how you can tell a story. Because of this, it'd have to be regarded as a side-story (or in harsher terms, a money milker), and even one where it doesn't effect the series at all. And Fairy Tail fell right into that trap. "B-but hey! It doesn't matter so much if the movie is regarded as a dairy money milker! Who cares, as long as the content is well-written, entertaining and unpredictably gripping with the same charm, right?" Yes, you're kinda right. Except... the movie is nothing like that at all. Firstly, this takes place far in the series, and I don't when exactly but you've got to pass the 'time skip' bit in order to get what's going on around you (vaguely discribing for fans who haven't seen that much of the series). But then again, it doesn't really matter as it's only little details to limit the questions you'd be wonderingly asking, so if you're really desperate to watch this then ask someone to fill you in the very basic details. In other words, do what I did because I haven't caught up with the series. Assuming you've read the quick synopsis on the top, do you know how the bad filler arcs in Fairy Tail are like? Yes, and this movie is on par with them. Go up to the relations and realize that the actual movie is NOT an adaption of the original manga, so it's completely original. Remember that silly Gray arc for example? It's probably worst than that. Not that it's more complicated or contradicting, but the writing is just plain bad. It's basically another set-up like 'the heroes getting caught in a bad situation and they solve stuff' sort of thing. You see the fun atmosphere of the Fairy Tail guild, they gets caught in a mess and get their asses kicked, figure out what to do and attempt to defeat the bad guys (and to stop the world getting destroyed too). If you can convert the inside story into summarizing words on a single paper, you'd find out that it's really, really basic story writing about the fact that two stones would cause big trouble, and the new girl has one and the bad guys has the other. Considering it's made into a movie, the entire plot is basically about all said (with a little more background for teeny development), and it's just too uninteresting and unoriginal to be in film format, as well as being too little and less grand than nearly all the main arcs of the original series. The writing is so cheap that everything inside the story felt so uneven that... nothing seems right. The very fact that some girl with amnesia has some unimportant stone (to the main guild that is) which can destroy the entire world just gives a big sense of doubt, and that can subtract to the experience of watching the film by a lot. Given the thin, thin storyline, it's no surprise that it'd be extremely predictable at some places too. You get your bad guys who shows off their skills and somewhat thrashes the guild at first, but with the comeback of various battles between the two sides, it's easy to guess who would win. And not forgetting to mention the battle of massive monster who's aiming to destroy the world, guess who won that one? There are some story twists in which may shift differently in accordance to what you may think during the film, but the story and premise just seems so silly that you can't even be surprised about it. It's really hard to sense a real feel of hope or anxiety towards anything, and I can ensure you your edge of the seat won't be necessary for you to sit on. Apart from those points, there's quite a few plot holes here and there, though not enough to hurt the writing (well it's damaged enough I'd say). There also isn't enough background on the stones and Eclair (I'll talk about her later though), considering the time limit of the movie. And even with the background given, once again it's not nearly as interesting as what the bad story is, and it doesn't help if they're only presented in single explanations from either narrative or a character's point of view at scenes (which isn't a creative way of telling backgrounds). There's nothing much else to say about the story, except it's just child writing at best. Some may argue that this sort of writing is how shounen shows work, but it's nothing on par with the original Fairy Tail series, and that what mainly matters. It's so unoriginal and predictable that it passes the point where it's beyond help. Let's get aside the point of the writing content for now, and go into the production values. Let's not forget that this is in movie format, because one would expect that the animation would be taken in better consideration than the series. Results? Well... mixed answers actually. In comparison to the original series, the animation is certainly better. The most noticeable thing about it is that the animation is much more fluent and smooth in movements, and this makes the experience of some fight scenes more practical and less forced. With the more cartoony style, it's simply more fun to watch the scenes go less picture-moving style whilst it allows more experimental movements. However, that's the most worth noting in the department, because it's nowhere as close as "movie quality". The style in the art is a little different than the original series (and no worries, it's not by a whole lot) but what you'd expect from a big movie isn't going to be in here at all. Also, quality. There's still a lot of 'quality' moments where the faces from far distance are hilariously distorted, weird positioning at times, and the infamous cheap tricks of moving one frame in certain directions are used here. If anything was really worth getting out of the movie, it'd be the opening song. 200 miles (Jang Keun-suk) is one of those rock songs that you'd find in either classic anime openings or songs from old rock bands outside Japan. I've listened to the full song like, 50 million times, and I still love it. It's a catchy and good-ass rock song, and it's probably the only really, really awesome part of the entire movie. That said, the OST and ED is fine, but nothing really worth saying. The newly composed OST is just on par with the original OST used, and it's mostly not noticeable because the scenes are cliché enough to not even care for the soundtracks. Voice acting is the same as what you'd expect from the series, and Aya Endou (Sora no Woto's Filicia, Needless's Cruz) does a decent job voicing the new, unfamiliar character. Ah yes, Eclair, the new highlight character of the featured movie. The entire movie is based around Eclair (and her bird Momon). She's a pretty good character actually, personality wise. The big problem was though that she was more of a plot device than an individual; It was her being that Fairy Tail was driven into this mess, and if she never met Fairy Tail, then they weren't have the care in the world about whatever's happening (oh and the world would end too, woops). It's not necessarily a bad thing though, as many stories feature encounters of characters who then gets involved in all sorts of troubles, and Eclair even had a decent amount of past behind her considering the amount of time in the movie was only 86 minutes long. The past wasn't so significant though, and definitely wasn't too interesting to know about, especially if the story wasn't good at all. The other problem, again, lies in the fault of being in movie format; it's too short to bring up the development between Fairy Tail (especially Lucy) and Eclair herself; she kinda just met them by chance and became fond with them. This means you won't feel much for her on anything that happens to her, and considering she's the center character of the story, she alone isn't enough to drive my interest towards the story during the entire movie. The entire Fairy Tail cast is involved. It's fun to see every character again, but... that's really it. The lovely charm of seeing the tropes of every individual in funny scenes is there, and if you're a fan of the characters then it's a given that you'd smile to how they usually act. But that's really what they're there for... oh, and the fact that they all try to stop the mess from happening and stuff. They're all trying to do the same thing as a group, and not one of them, apart from Natsu and maybe Lucy, do anything really significantly interesting or important as a whole. They're just there to involve the charm of the Fairy Tail; if Eclair, Natsu and Lucy were the only main characters (excluding bad guys), then it'd still be enough to carry the burden of the thin, thin story forward to where it is. Oh, and the bad guys. The bad guys, uhh... I forgot their names, are bad. And not bad as in "evil bad", but they're actually "badly-written" characters (you can probably tell since I don't even remember their names at all, both group and people). In a long time, they probably have the worst motives anyone can come up with; the motives are generic, rubbish excuses that even contradict each other, and the fact that the world is going to end because of the given motives is just plain horrible for the movie. They're nothing worth mentioning (except a few bad guys are kinda cool), but the rest are your usual assholes with uninspiring motives. It wasn't zero percent enjoyable though. I got through the movie because the introductory was entertaining and was a okay set-up, but from where the story unfolds just unfolds a rotten smell and unpleasant cooking. It's a given that the fight scenes, unique style and seeing the characters again were quite enjoyable, but the story felt like a pathetic excuse to bring up an entire movie, and it's really not worth putting it in film format. A massive fan of Fairy Tail? You'd probably enjoy this, as you get to see every character be themselves and cool fight scenes. But a casual fan of Fairy Tail? Don't bother, because this really isn't anything compared to the original series, and the story is just an extremely cliché, generic and dumb linear story which doesn't add to the series in any way possible. Movies are a cool addition to series, but sometimes they don't work at all, especially if they're setting the bar up high by making it a movie in the first place. But who cares, isn't it about the content? Oh, wait.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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