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Dec 1, 2014
Hajime no Ippo accomplishes what many have tried and failed to do; make an entertaining and witty sports show. It's gotten bad enough that even the idea of making a fictional sports film or series is laughed into nonexistence. I can't blame others for their skepticism; after all we're talking about the same genre that brought us great classics like "The Mighty Ducks" and "Air Bud" (dripping with sarcasm). However, believe me when I say this series breaks the norm in almost every aspect.
Setting:
Hajime no Ippo takes place in Tokyo, Japan stretched over a four year time period. The series starts
...
in the late 1990's and ends in the early 2000's. While most of the series is centered around the Kamogawa Gym; on occasion we are shown different fighting arenas scattered around the South Pacific.
Story:
This is the section where HnI loses most of its merit. The plot is your average "search to find answers and one's self". The problem here, other than being an overused trope, is HnI never actually completes its search. The series ends without any kind of conclusive answer and satisfying resolution. To add to the list of plot points HnI doesn't finish; we have a love interest that makes close to no progress, and a enough pacing issues to power the flow of a wave pool. I will admit that Ippo's relationship with Kumi is rather endearing; and the comedy produced by it is some of the best in the series. However, this just makes the lack of serious development that much more painful to endure.
Then as if the series thought it wasn't ruining itself at a fast enough rate, the pacing gets worse and worse as the show progresses. With each new boxing match the development to battle episode ratio gets a little more unbalanced. It gets to the point where the length of the fight scenes double the length of the character development scenes. This is very detrimental to the suspense and realism of HnI. Normally this would be the final blow to most anime series, but HnI is able to steady itself on the ropes of its other sections (puns fully intended...I'm sorry).
Art:
The art direction of Hajime no Ippo is defiantly a product of its time. The art style slowly changes as the series leaves the 1990's and enters the early 2000's. I find it hard to fault the show for this as it looks fine for its time; but when compared to the series of now it pales in comparison. The backgrounds are very lack luster, and inanimate objects are drawn very basically. So take that as you will; I'll give it a grade of "passable". However, there is one aspect that I rather enjoyed; the character design is very well done. They all fill original and personable; which is great to see in an industry known for generic character re-skins.
Animation wise HnI still holds up well, for the most part. The matches are intense, and a pleasure to watch. The lip flap is expertly timed, and the facial expressions are very assuming. My biggest complaint would be the lack of animation for objects and persons in the background. They often look placid, frozen in time if you will; as if they're waiting for a signal to start moving.
Sound:
The ambient sound design for Hajime no Ippo is constructed strikingly well; especially for a show with an obviously low budget. The fights only intensify with each "whoosh" of a missed punch, or loud "squeak" of boots gathering traction. Excellent work on the quality guys; now if you would stop over using the same sounds everything would be gravy. Unfortunately I can't praise the English dub as much. Sure it's not bad work per se; but it fails to reach any point beyond adequate. Even with the excuse of age, this dub is still "post bebop"; meaning a certain level of quality is demanded. Their voices come off as overblown and phoned in. Even with a well translated script, and highly entertaining bits of comedy; HnI just barely misses the mark.
The OST marches to the same beat, being enveloped in the murky brown goo of the "nothing special sauce". The only songs that manage to escape this death of mediocrity are the three opening themes; all of which got me fired up for the episode to come. Sadly, the rest of the OST could be best summed up as lukewarm. The soundtrack would be more aptly named a soundboard. Each time some kind of event occurs, be it exciting or funny, the same song is played to match the tone. Much like a DJ playing the same uninspired sound effects on a radio station. The songs aren't inherently bad, but the extreme lack of variety turns them into nerve grating sound effects very quickly.
Characters:
I wouldn't say that the characters of Hajime no Ippo make the anime, but they most defiantly save it from a humdrum death. Each has an interesting personality and are easy to become invested in. Every one of Ippo's opponents is uniquely crafted; toting a strong disposition and a memorable fighting style. Even later on in the series I never felt the characters to be ordinary. Every man had an important reason for fighting, and the iron determination to achieve that goal. All of the main characters receive fleshed out back stories, but don't see as much development as I would have liked.
That would be my main issue with HnI. Other than Ippo the main characters don't develop over the two year span of the show. No one reaches their goals laid out at the beginning of the show; even Ippo fails to achieve a satisfying conclusion. The series ends with so many unanswered questions you'd think it was cancelled half way through.
Personal Enjoyment/ Overall:
Hajime no Ippo provides an exciting experience, but fails to reach its original intent. If you're looking for a fun filled sports anime with comedy spliced in, you can't go wrong with HnI. Just don't go in expecting anything ground breaking. HnI has put the sports genre on the right path, now it just needs to make the climb to the summit. I give it a Watch rating on my scale of recommendation.
Masterpiece-Best
Must Watch
Watch
Try The First Couple Episodes
Skip It
Run For Your Life-Worst
As usual I recommend you buy a copy, and help support our local dubbing companies and the anime industry as a whole. However, just taking the time to watch it is of greater importance.
As a final statement I recommend that you take my numerical scores with a grain of salt; as numerical scores are easily skewed and each person has their own understanding of the 1-10 scale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 13, 2014
What would happen if Facebook was used to control every key factor of society? Used to govern every day to day function of our lives? Director Mamoru Hosoda answered this question in 2009 with his heartfelt standalone, Summer Wars. We live in a world that is constantly becoming more and more integrated with the technology we create; so where do we draw the line and say enough is enough?
Setting:
Summer Wars takes place in two primary locations, Ueda, Japan and the virtual world OZ. The year is an alternate, but very similar 2009, where the world relies on a virtual database known
...
has OZ. Every piece of information humanity controls and uses is stored in OZ; from personal records to nuclear launch codes. Least to say, humanity struggles to function without it (sound familiar).
Story:
The story of Summer Wars accomplishes what many other anime fail to do; teach two separate lessons and manage to give ample development to both. To add a cherry on top, the two lessons have very little to do with each other; but they meld together so well I had to remind myself that they weren't one and the same. The movie has a natural, realistic feeling about it; so the moral lessons rarely come off as childish or goofy. In addition to a great message, Summer Wars provides an interesting look into the lives of a "traditional" Japanese family. Hosoda himself said that he received inspiration from the first time he meet his wife's extended family. I'm always interested in learning about the daily lives of other cultures; even if it is through a semi-fictional movie.
However, the story of Summer Wars doesn't hit every mark correctly. Often times the older family members appear to have little to no knowledge of OZ, only to have fully fledged avatars a few hours later. All throughout the movie people seem to lose and gain knowledge of OZ, just to progress the plot and allow for exposition. In turn this makes many scenes come off as silly and unbelievable, which is one of the worst flaws for a fictional movie to have. If the viewing audience can't take the film serious, the message in question will be lost. Luckily this isn't prominent enough in SW to ruin the picture.
Art:
I have a love-hate relationship with the art direction of Summer Wars. The style used in the real world was a wonderful choice. It has a "lived in" feel; everything is worn and brimming with history, just like the Jinnouchi family. In addition to their personalities, the design of the different family members makes them very easy to relate to. Unlike most anime, they are designed with realistic proportions in a way that gives them an inviting appearance. I could feel the emotions they were expressing as if they were real people; the facial movements were wonderful. However, none of this applies to the virtual world of OZ. The art direction is goofy at best, and the 3D animations looks terrible. Not to mention the very creepy and nonsensical design of the central, social hub. The whole world is just very bizarre and I have trouble believing that this program would have worldwide success. Also what's up with the obvious Disney advertising? Disney world/land are mentioned multiple times in the movie; and the main character's avatar is literally an angry version of Mickey Mouse.
In the animation department everything is on par with your average high budget film. Nothing is particularly bad, but there isn't anything ground breaking either. The biggest highlight would be the movement of various facial features, such as lip flap, cheekbones and smiles. I can't say the "Art" for Summer Wars was poor, but it left me grasping for more.
Sound:
The sound design of Summer Wars is a bit of a mixed bag. The environmental noises meet the required mark, and never show a desire to go beyond that point. For most anime series I'd let this pass, but not for a movie with such a large grossing total. By this point the anime industry is doing well enough, that budget and "expertise" issues are no longer a legitimate excuse. It's time to step up to the plate and get "sound design" under control. However, I am happy to say that the English dub for Summer Wars is of very high quality. Each voice actor matches their character's personality perfectly; and they project their emotions in a way that warms the heart.
The OST is on the same note (sorry) as the voice work. Just like life, the spice of soundtracks is variety; and Summer Wars never lets down. There are soaring trumpet blares, emotional violin pieces and funky electronic beats. It has a magical air about it, that you only find in top quality animated works. All this was especially surprising, when I found out that the lead sound director was a relatively new face. The guy doesn't even have an English wiki page, so you know he's pretty obscure. Still, he did a wonderful job; and I hope to hear more by him.
Characters:
This, my friends, is where Summer Wars truly shines. This why we watch it. The dialogue between the family members and Kenji's friends is wonderfully crafted, without any of the charm being lost in translation. As a matter of fact, the translators have written in some American cultural references to give the characters even greater charisma. I've never felt more connected to a group of characters than I did with the Jinnouchi family. Every one of the members is unique; each has a memorable personality that is original and easy to identify with. I found myself comparing them with members of my own family; rekindling past "get togethers" and events.
My biggest and only complaint is the amount of screen time each family member receives. A handful were allotted large chunks of dialogue, but many were left with just a few moments in the movie. These characters still stand on their own; I just want to get to know them better.
Personal Enjoyment/ Overall:
Summer Wars is a gripping tale, that will catch hold of your heart and not let go. Even with its problems, there is just too much to love. This movie needs to go down as a family classic. I give it a rating of Must Watch on my scale of recommendation.
Masterpiece-Best
Must Watch
Watch
Try The First Couple Episodes
Skip It
Run For Your Life-Worst
As usual I recommend you buy a copy, and help support our local dubbing companies and the anime industry as a whole. However, just taking the time to watch it is of greater importance.
As a final statement I recommend that you take my numerical scores with a grain of salt; as numerical scores are easily skewed and each person has their own understanding of the 1-10 scale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 4, 2014
I happened to stumble upon a little hidden gem, a couple days back by the name "Sword of the Stranger". I was surprised by how few people were talking about the film. The only threads I found about the anime were very specific and spoiler heavy; no general discussions, no recommendation topics. Naturally this lead me to suspect the worst, but I figured I'd give SOTS a shot anyway. Besides, at only an hour and a half in length I wouldn't be wasting that much time. I'm quite glad I did, because this movie is the very definition of a
...
hidden gem.
Setting:
Sword of the Stranger takes place in Japan during its Sengoku period; I would estimate the year to be around 1550. It follows the journey of a vagabond rōnin, a young orphan and his pet dog; who are trying to reach the city of Shirato. Hot on their trail is a group of Chinese alchemists trying to capture the young boy for use in the creation of the elixir of life.
Story:
The story is well crafted and truly captures the environment of the Sengoku period. The tale starts out grim and holds its tone throughout the majority of the film. In many ways SOTS personifies the transition from the Sengoku period to the Edo period in Japanese history. The characters are made to suffer through great pain, just for the empowerment of others. There are no golden sun sets, just the cold grip of death at every turn. If I was too describe Sword of the Stranger with one word it would be consistent. The narrative flows at a steady rate, never leaving the viewer bored or overwhelmed. All of the action scenes are interspersed throughout the show to keep its audience constantly on edge. SOTS truly understands pacing and uses that to its full advantage.
As for the plot of SOTS I can't be as kind. The story is interesting enough, and definitely has some unique aspects; but turns into more of a back drop for the characters to develop on, than being an actual focus point. It could have been anyone chasing after our characters, and I would have enjoyed it just the same. The movie makes it clear from early on that it does not matter who is doing the chasing, or why; just that the characters need to be pursued so they can grow together from the experience. In addition, there are a couple side plots shoehorned in for no apparent reason. I won't spoil the movie, but these side plots could have easily never existed and the story wouldn't have changed in the slightest.
Art:
The art style and animation of Sword of the Stranger is easily its greatest strength. Talk about fluidity; the fight choreography is some of the best I have ever witnessed. The "camera angles" capture each masterfully crafted battle with speed and grace. Many times I was sent into an state of shock and awe from the gory intensity thrust upon me. It's been a while sense a movie has got me so excited that I've stood up, face glued to the scene without even noticing until after the fight subsided. Even the minor details that often get over looked are well taken care of. Horses gallop in a natural way, disabled people limp or hobble correctly, clothing reacts to movement and gravity as it should, etc. The addition of these little details really brings the world to life.
Speaking of the world, the art direction of SOTS is one of favorite in recent history. The weather and season (early winter) chosen for the backgrounds, brings out the harshness of the Sengoku period. The entire movie feels cold and wet; as if even the Earth itself is trying to kill the main characters. This was a refreshing change from the typical colorful, golden draped samurai series. The palate of SOTS is very grey and dreary; other than the color red, that is. Blood and gore is highly exaggerated, so each cut or stab unleashes a fountain of bright crimson. As subjective as the word is, I believe the "Art" of SOTS hits every mark perfectly.
Sound:
The sound design of SOTS is good. There's nothing special about it, but it does everything it needs to. I never found myself turned off by the design, but it didn't make much of a lasting impression either. The only sections of note are the sounds of impact; be it sword on sword or sword on skin. The crack of bone or squelch of bodily fluids really intensifies the fight scenes. The English dub is quite similar in quality. Each actor fits the character he/she is playing and the emotional projection is spot on; but only a week after watching I'm already struggling to remember any moments worthy of note. Either way, it comes recommended; just keep in mind what I've said.
When it comes to the OST I give Sword of the Stranger a big ol' thumbs up. The soundtrack is mostly comprised of intense war drum solos and saddening flute melodies. My biggest complaint is the lack of variation between most of the pieces. While they are all good, the majority of the tracks reuse similar or the same melodies and rhythms.
Characters:
As I started describing earlier SOTS is filled with many characters, most of which aren't memorable in the slightest. Beyond our main trio, there are only two other memorable characters. Both of which only make an impression, because of their design and amount of screen time they receive; neither develop over the entire movie. Don't get me wrong, I understand that not every character should have a purpose beyond cannon fodder for the battle scenes; but SOTS gave far too much screen time to side characters for there to not be any sort of explanation and development.
On the positive side the interaction and development between our main characters is quite good and a real treat to watch. This is where the heart of the film comes from. These three characters brought out the light in every dark situation and truly made the movie a whole lot better than it would could have been. It's not often that an hour and a half long movie can bring a tear to my eye; but these guys did it somehow.
Personal Enjoyment/Overall:
All flaws aside, Sword of the Stranger was great fun to watch and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a entertaining and memorable film. As a side note I would highly recommend this as a starter anime for anyone new to the medium. The action is exciting, the atmosphere is tense and the animation is beautiful. I give it a rating of Must Watch on my scale of recommendation.
Masterpiece-Best
Must Watch
Watch
Try The First Couple Episodes
Skip It
Run For Your Life-Worst
As usual I recommend you buy a copy, and help support our local dubbing companies and the anime industry as a whole. However, just taking the time to watch it is of greater importance.
As a final statement I recommend that you take my numerical scores with a grain of salt; as numerical scores are easily skewed and each person has their own understanding of the 1-10 scale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 22, 2014
What would happen if humanity was no longer on the top of the food chain? How would we adapt, and how would our perception of the world change? Tetsurō Araki came to answer these questions with the release of his latest series. It is a tale of tragedy and revenge; of uplifting hope and crushing sadness. A love letter to the struggle of humanity and its destructive nature. This is Attack On Titan.
Setting:
The exact location and time place of AOT is unknown, but based off of the clothing, architectural style and character names it is safe to say that the
...
series is located around Germany and takes place during the 17th century. Humanity has locked itself away behind three impossibly tall walls named Maria, Rose and Sina. After the outer most wall, Maria is assaulted and damaged titans flood in, starting our tale of woe.
Story:
The story of AOT is quite simple, but not in a bad way. Yasuko Kobayashi (the anime writer) didn't over complicate the plot with half baked symbolism or conspiracy pandering. AOT knows exactly where it wants to go and doesn't waste any time getting there. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying the series is dull, far from it actually; I just find it refreshing to watch a show that doesn't spend the first half trying to convince about me how cool and artsy it is. I knew exactly what I was getting, and AOT never changed that. In addition to the narrative, the actual setting is wonderfully crafted. While removed from reality AOT never strays to far from the believable. Everything fits from a historical point of view; the powerful religious presence, the centralized political structure, the proper use of period weaponry. The only problem with the story its pacing. While fine for most the show it does tend to drag between episodes 10-15. The show presents our characters with a simple task that takes them far too long to complete.
On a side note I found a lot of similarities between AOT and the average mecha story line. While AOT is leaps and bounds over most generic mechas I couldn't help, but make some connections. Angry new-comer discovers hidden robot (titan power), uses robot to avenge loved one, fights others with similar robots, gets butt whooped, gets stronger, defeats opponent, rinse and repeat. I just thought it was an interesting notion.
Art:
I'll start off this section by saying that, for the most part, AOT was animated by a brand new studio with no other anime under its belt. Studio Wit is a surrogate of the well know studio Production I.G.; so its member clearly have experience, but until AOT they had never worked directly on a project as a singular group. So with this in mind it is literally astonishing how much quality this show has. Seriously, if Attack On Titan were a fruit it would be dripping with the succulent juices of grandeur. Most shows allocate their budgets to the most "important" parts of each episode, i.e. the action scenes. In turn this causes most of the scenes involving dialogue and plot development to come off as unimportant and lack luster; when in reality these scene are just as, if not more, important than the ones involving action. However, the animation for AOT never falters; each scene is given the same amount of care as the others. In addition, this show has an air of excitement about it. I could tell AOT was more than just another job to Studio Wit; they truly care about this series.
Not only is the animation beautiful, the art style itself is brilliant. The varying thicknesses of black borders around each character and object helps to add an increased field of depth during scenes of rapid movement. This creates a sense of urgency whenever the characters use their 3DM/ODM gear, only maximizing the excitement the show puts off. The art of AOT is perfect, literally.
Sound:
The OST for Attack On Titan should be used as model to teach young composers about the necessary elements that make up a great soundtrack. While not perfect, the OST hits every note it needs to, and then continues on to become even better than required. Even though all the tracks are great in their own right; a few of them managed to reach the "anime peak of greatness status". Those would include the two openings of the series. Which are easily up there with "Cowboy Bebop" and "Baccano!" (btw second opening is best....let the fighting ensue). Sound design on the other hand sits right at the average mark. Most of the sounds are over used, and were never that great to start. So, after a while it can leave a bad taste in your mouth. It works for what it is, but isn't anything to write home about.
As the astute reader you are, I'm sure you have figured out that I will always watch the English dub if available. So how is the Attack On Titan dub? The best way to describe it would be unique. I say that, because some of the voice actors Funimation picked require a certain taste. For example, Bryce Papenbrook choose voice Eren in a very forceful manner. It reminds me how most people sound when they smash their toe; jaw clinched with a slight growl in their voice. Personally, I rather enjoyed the English dub, but I understand that I am in the minority of this one. I would recommend to watch the first four episodes in dub, and decide where to go from there.
Characters:
In the character department I would compare AOT to the critically acclaimed video game "The Last Of Us". I understand that not everyone is a gamer as I am, but just bare with me here. The characters in both of these are as unoriginal as they come. However, they weave such a unique story and have such interesting development, that in turn, they become fresh and a great enjoyment to watch. Some of the development is a bit rushed at times, but it always comes from a natural progression and doesn't feel forced in the slightest. As any anime junkie would know, that is an accomplishment on its own; especially in this sea of generic rom-coms and forced love triangles. My main complaint is the lack of development for side characters. Some get their deserved screen time, but others only receive some kind of goofy quirk as to be memorable without actually accomplishing anything. We have potato girl (Sasha), bald dude (Connie) and freckles kid (Marco). I want to know their stories and what kind of people they are beyond their stereotypical traits.
Personal Enjoyment/Overall:
All flaws aside, Attack On Titan is one of the most entertaining shows I ever had the pleasure of watching; I can't wait of season 2 to be released. The action is exciting, the story is tense and the animation is beautiful. I give it a rating of Must Watch on my scale of recommendation.
Masterpiece-Best
Must Watch
Watch
Try The First Couple Episodes
Skip It
Run For Your Life-Worst
As usual I recommend you buy a copy, and help support our local dubbing companies and the anime industry as a whole. However, just taking the time to watch it is of greater importance.
As a final statement I recommend that you take my numerical scores with a grain of salt; as numerical scores are easily skewed and each person has their own understanding of the 1-10 scale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 7, 2014
After having consumed the flesh and blood of her grandmother, Little Red found herself in bed with the wolf. Then in the blink of an eye the wolf devoured Little Red, just as he had the grandmother before her. Tis what happens when humans lie with beasts. Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade examines the life of a metaphorical wolf and the impact his actions have on those around him.
Setting:
Jin Roh is set in an alt-history 1950's in which Germany has conquered Japan. Our main character Kazuki Fuse is part of an elite antiterrorist unit, called the Kerberos Panzer Corps. His
...
unit has been deployed to quiet the economic riots happening in the city of Tokyo.
Story:
The story while narratively pleasing can be overly convoluted at times. The heart of the problem is in Jin Roh's structure; which can skip all over the place. I could understand that there was a plot to be told, and for the most part knew where it was leading me; but too often Jin Roh has trouble conveying itself. For example, there is a scene early on where four important political figures are meeting. Throughout the entire scene there is no introduction of these characters, or their motives; yet their dialogue revels one of the most important plot points of the entire show. How can the audience be expected to follow the story when we don't know what to follow, and why we should be following it. However, I do have to applaud the show for its wonderful use of symbolism to demonstrate the emotional collapse of Kazuki; even if it is a bit heavy handed at times. Overall I enjoyed the message the story was trying to convey, it just accomplished it in an unsatisfactory manner.
Art:
Here is where Jin Roh truly shines. This movie was released in 1999, and the animation still looks good to this day. I guess I've come to expect that from a studio as praised as Production IG. In addition to great animation the art direction taken in Jin Roh is very fitting. Originally its creator Mamoru Oshii wanted for Jin Roh to be shot in live action, however when Okiura approached him about the directing role, he managed to convince him otherwise. You can still see the remnants of this in the style of animation chosen, as the characters have a very life like design. Heck, for the opening scene the background is actual footage of Japan after WWII. Speaking of realism the facial expressions of the characters, for the most part, are beautifully animated rivaling not only other anime of the late 90's, but even modern shows. However, with every gift comes a curse; that curse being bad lip flap. There are multiple close up scenes where the lip movement is right out of a B rated kung fu flick. I will admit this is due in part to the English dubbing, but even show some of the expressions can almost be frightening. As a side note, Guerrilla Games stop stealing your designs from anime.
Sound:
So how is that English dub I just mentioned? Not bad, not bad. The dub done by Bandai Entertainment had all the right fixings to be great, but in the end was just above average. At least, each actor is well matched to his/her character. The only performances of note are Kazuki Fuse and the main supporting character Kei Amemiya. When these two are together in a scene they truly sound like a troubled couple; they're a classic Romeo and Juliet. I will add the caveat that Jin Roh's voice acting can be hard to judge, because there is so little of it. The movie really prides itself on its use of silence as a story teller, and I've got to applaud it for that. The vast differences between the scenes of silent passion, and blazing gun fire creates a wonderful contrast that makes each moment special.
It doesn't hurt that the soundtrack was composed by Hajime Mizoguchi, who at the time was married to Yoko Kanno; so she had a pretty big hand in it. While not every piece fits there are a few that carry the themes of the show with them. I personally love the ending credit song.
Characters:
Sadly most of the characters in Jin Roh are forgettable at best, and throwaway at worst. Only three made a lasting impression on me; Kazuki Fuse, Kei Amemiya and Nanami Agawa. Even the infamous Wolf Brigade turned out to be a bunch a nameless nobodies, whose only reason for existing was to tie loose plot lines together. Without the above three Jin Roh would have fallen apart from the start. The narrative designs for our trio are quite simple, and not very original; but the mental development they cause or go through is quite good. By the end I truly did pity Fuse and Amemiya. The final scene will stay in my memories for a long time I can promise that.
Personal Enjoyment/Overall:
While flawed I did manage to have a good time when watching Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade. I give it a "Watch" on my scale of recommendation.
Masterpiece-Best
Must Watch
Watch
Try The First Couple Episodes
Skip It
Run For Your Life-Worst
As usual I recommend you buy a copy, and help support our local dubbing companies and the anime industry as a whole. However, just taking the time to watch it is of greater importance.
As a final statement I recommend that you take my numerical scores with a grain of salt; as numerical scores are easily skewed and each person has their own understanding of the 1-10 scale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 1, 2014
Sakamichi no Apollon, or better known as Kids on the Slope is a coming of age anime about three teenagers, each with their own saddening past and personal issues, who overcome the struggles of life through the playing of jazz music. It was written by Ayako Katoh in coalition with Yūko Kakihara (the manga creator). The anime was directed by the god among gods Shinichirō Watanabe known for Cowboy Bebop, among many others.
Story:
Kids on the Slope is not what many of us have come to think of when we watch an anime. There are no epic battle scenes, or large dangling "tracks
...
of land"; there is only the pleasant serenity of life in post war Japan. Life for these three teenagers is much like the slope they walk up and down each day, while attending school. They all experience rough patches, and seemingly endless hills; but they manage to make it back down every day through the friendships they create. We can all relate to this story in one way or another; be it the death of a family member, or the rejection of a loved one. Yet life continues on, and our pain is soon forgotten in place of joy. I only found two complaints to make about the story. The first being the lack of detail sometimes found during the time skips. Often there are many months, if not years that go by with only a small monologue in between to catch the viewer up. In addition there were not enough jazz jam sessions/concerts, but I believe this was due to the 12 episode time constraint.
Art:
The art the style chosen is a perfect pick for this type of anime. The extreme detail given to the characters faces makes every little change in emotion noticeable. This is especially prevalent during the musical sessions. Seeing the characters eyes move up or down as they increase pitch or speed really brings the show to life. All of the characters have been drawn in a proportionate manner, almost mimicking an actual human face. As a tenor saxophone player myself it was great to see this inclusion. However, this is where our experience starts to get a little rough. The water color backgrounds can be utterly astounding at times, but the animation quality drops at random intervals. The still frames will be left close to blank, and the running animations can look very off. I'm not sure what this shows budget was, but seeing as that Watanabe headed it I'd be surprised if it was under the normal rate for a single cour program. Also what's up with a the opening sequence, it looks terrible? None of these problems are very serious I would just like to know why they happened in the first place.
Sound:
I'm just going to say one thing, Yoko Kanno. If you don't know what I mean by that the door is to your right. All jokes aside if a sound track is good enough for me to listen to without the animation behind it, it deserves a 10/10. From "husky" woman solos to the ever amazing Moanin' by Art Blakey, this soundtrack is just about as perfect as perfect gets.
For the voice dubbing I choose to go with the English version, as I normally do, produced by Sentai Filmworks. I'd say the best word to describe the voice acting for this show would be "passionate". I could tell right off the bat that the voice actors had been matched to their respective characters perfectly; hats off to Sentai for their excellent screening process. Not only are the actors voices filled with emotion, they adjust their level and type of emotion from scene to scene in a manner that rivals traditional acting. It's a damn good piece of work.
Characters:
KOTS has three main protagonists, with a variety of supporting characters. Kaoru Nishimi is the well off "prodigal son" who at a young age was chosen to, by his aunt, become a wealthy doctor in order to carry on the family name. He plays the piano. Sentarō Kawabuchi is seen as a bully with a negative outlook on self worth. He plays the drums. Our final protagonist is a girl named Ritsuko Mukae. She has always been a sister figure to Sentarō, and his only true friend. These characters are as close to perfect as they come. They all develop in a natural way as the show progresses; weaving their personal stories into the overarching narrative. While not always positively, the three react to each other meaningful ways. They understand the problems of each other, and share a deep connection that can only be found in love and friendship. The only complaint I can muster, is the supporting character "Pops" didn't receive enough development. While showing potential, he is no more than a walking string bass.
Personal Enjoyment/Overall:
After having just finished watching "Durarara!!" (review coming...someday) it was relaxing to just sit back, and take in this life-like story. Other than the occasional fault this anime is a joy to watch from start to finish, and receives a "Must Watch" on my scale of recommendation.
Masterpiece-Best
Must Watch
Watch
Try The First Couple Episodes
Skip It
Run For Your Life-Worst
As usual I recommend you buy a copy, and help support our local dubbing companies and the anime industry as a whole. However, just taking the time to watch it is of greater importance.
As a final statement I recommend that you take my numerical scores with a grain of salt; as numerical scores are easily skewed and each person has their own understanding of the 1-10 scale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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