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Jul 11, 2016
Prison School, is a school based ecchi anime that released in Summer 2015.
Story (7): The premise of the Prison School evokes the tale of the protagonist Kiyoshi Fujino, and his classmates Andre, Joe, Gakuto, and Shingo as they embark on their first semester at the illustrious Hachimitsu Private Academy. The school was once an all-girls boarding school, but with the revision of the school’s policy due to a new director, 5 boys were introduced onto the campus. During the first episode, the boys are surrounded by girls, and planned to go peeping on the girls as they showered, yet to their dismay they were
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caught and sentenced to the aforementioned Prison School. The interesting aspect to Prison School, is that unlike other ecchi series, it puts the fan service and comedy towards the progression and development of the story. Certain events that rapidly progress the series forward are direct influences from ecchi or fan service moments, and reoccurring plotlines are extensions of previous fan service laced moments. While the story is not the most engaging, the humor certainly paid an effect on the development of the series and certainly does well.
Art (8): The art style has a strong sense of variety and style, with crisp animation, and a certain gloss to it at times. The overreacting shots surely make the series stand out with many over the top situations and reactions to events bring out the art style and design of the characters in their development at Hachimitsu Academy. The character designs are certainly well done and with the production of the anime being J.C. Staff, the animators behind Bakuman, Shokugeki no Souma, and Toradora!, the art quality certainly is worthy of the pedigree.
Sound (8): The music used certainly had a great effect on the condition and the quality of the scenes in the series. The OST did a tremendous job of amplifying the emotions and tone of the setting during the course of the story. The Opening and Ending theme songs also bear a similar quality, with an addicting opening theme song featuring lyrics of the eponymous show.
Characters (8) While other series offer fan service and ecchi scenes as a means to coerce their audience, Prison School does a tremendous job of amplifying the ecchi into the development of their characters. All of the characters in Prison School show signs of insecurities and lacking aspects of the character as the series begins, as all of them start as stereotyped aspects of a typical teenager. Gakuto is initially a closet otaku who obsesses over Chinese tales and the Warring States, Joe is a quiet loner who enjoys being alone with his ant farm, Kiyoshi appears to be the most stable of the group, but is having issues on knowing what to do and how to find his place, Andre has a keen obsession on being punished, and Shingo has leadership qualities but does not know where his allegiances lie. The characters certainly change as the series progresses, and all of them had likable qualities by the end of the show.
Enjoyment (9): Prison School was an excellent school based ecchi anime, that leads its fanservicing moments towards the actual development of the series. Not only do the boobs jiggle, or the booty clap, but in doing so has a clear influence on the developments of the characters and the progression of the series. The humor of the series was certainly on point, with many aspects of the humor being absolutely hilarious at times. A great mold of story influenced ecchi, fantastic humor and gags as well as well done character development with crisp animation and sound design, I’d happily recommend Prison School towards anyone wanting to watch an ecchi based humor anime in a school setting, as well as fans of the similar series: Shimoneta.
Overall (8/10)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 24, 2016
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, otherwise known as Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, is a Survival MMORPG anime that released in Winter 2016.
Story (6): The premise of the series sees our protagonists waking up in a fictional world, similar to that of an MMORPG. There are goblins, thieves, black knights, hunters and more. They awaken into this mysterious world, barely remembering their past and recalling vague terms from the real world such as “cell phones” without remembering what the words actually mean. The main protagonists separate from their other counterparts and form a party. The main purpose of the 12 episode series is having
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the protagonists try and achieve their dream of becoming fully fledged members of the Reserve Army, by raising money and defeating enemies. This would be a fine series if it was solely a fantasy anime, but the introduction of characters whose origins come from a realistic world into that of fantasy, arises several questions. “Why are they here?” “How did they get here?” In cases such as this, other fantasy based series where the protagonists come from other worlds delves into the question of how and why, with series like Log Horizon going into depth into trying to solve the mystery, with Sword Art Online actually giving a vague answer. This series (at least this season), answers none of the initial questions, and brushes them aside to solely focus on character development. Fans of similar series won’t see anything particularly new, with the entire series’ plot being an extended version of the 3rd episode of Sword Art Online. The pacing of the series dregs along at times, and makes it hard to enjoy with much of the series being chocked full of filler, and not enough meaningful character development or substance. There are some great moments in the series, but as a cohesive hole, the individual pieces stand out better than the entirety of the product.
Art (8): The art style is a breath of fresh air, and offers an appealing stigma to the eyes. While I was not fond initially of the art style, the simplicity of the watercolor backgrounds calls back to other series such as Valkyria Chronicles, which use the distinctness of the art style to their advantage. While the characters and plot may have been generic, the art style used in the background helped alleviate some discomfort while viewing the series.
Sound (6): The music used is serviceable, but the OST was not exciting or memorable enough to be missed or listened to again. While others may have enjoyed the ost or the sound design, I felt that there was no standout or memorable tracks from the series.
Characters (6) When other series attempt meaningful character development, this series tries to make generalized character development. The characters never truly feel fleshed out, with them being archetypes without any pay off from all the random activities we see them engage in. They all show signs of growth at the end of the series, but the sense of growth and development felt contrived and drawn out, and the series could have easily been told in a single episode or a short OVA series.
Enjoyment (7): Grimgar is a decent series that hits the right points at the right time, but fails to muster up enough interest or enjoyment in between the big moments. The series starts off with questions that it never answers, and turns down on a path of general living that fails to ignite enough intrigue. A unique art style and serviceable characters might make the series a draw to others, as well as great action scenes that arise here and there. But nothing truly steps out in a show fumbling with mediocrity.
Overall (6/10) Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is a decent series that shares similarities to other series in the fantasy genre, placing more of an emphasis on character development and the lives of non-hero characters. As opposed to other series such as Overlord, Sword Art Online, and Log Horizon, our protagonists are not major players in their universe, and hold basic lives. Instead of answering the big questions of why and how, they try to answer the smaller personal questions in their lives. There was a lot of potential in the series, but it generally fell flat. I'd give the series a pass and worth checking out if you're into the fantasy genre and like watercolor art. Otherwise, you're better off with a different series that does Grimgar better than Grimgar.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 16, 2013
Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words) is a 2013 short film directed by Makato Shinkai, the famed director of other films like Byousoku 5 Centimeter (5 Centimeters per Second) and Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo (Children who Chase Lost Voices). Kotonoha no Niwa is a beautiful film that expresses emotional virtues of love and life.
Story: 8
The story for Kotonoha no Niwa is one of romance and dreams. Takao Akizuki is a young man training to become a shoemaker, who encounters a woman older than him in the garden. Throughout the season they begin to meet each other within the garden, but only on rainy
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days. Their relationship evolves throughout the film, and as similar to other films in the romance genre, they begin to bond with one another. The plot is simple and easy to understand, but its simplicity can be an issue for some who are looking for a deeper film. Despite its simplicity it still holds a sense of charm, and the character interactions are heartfelt. I enjoyed the various time lapses through the film, as the two characters met throughout the days of rain. Kotonoha no Niwa is a love story above all else, and accomplishes the job reasonably well.
Art: 10
Makato Shinkai is famous for his usage of detailed environments and enticing animation. Similar to his other films like Byousoku 5 Centimeter he uses the environment to his advantage, and enlarges the scope beyond the characters to give us feeling of immersion within their world. As a child I grew up hating the rain, thinking it to be cold and heartless. I thought it only symbolized sadness and tears. Kotonoha no Niwa has romanticized the feeling of rain. Each droplet of rain animated is like an emotion from the hearts of our characters, from the laughter and smiles to the romance they hold. Everything from the puddles in the film, to the detailed trees in the garden are soothing giving an impression of realism, while holding a sense of romantic fantasy. Aside from the fantastic environments, the characters are well animated, and the transitions between scenes are well done. Kotonoha no Niwa is one of the most beautifully animated films of our time and other films or series should take note of Shinkai's production.
Sound: 10
The sound of rain had once sounded like cold, dying steps on a street of gravel. Kotonoha no Niwa has changed them to sounds of beats of emotion in one's soul. The sound effects for the rain are magnificently soothing, while the soundtrack used in the film was gorgeously done. The central theme of the film, "Rain" by Motohiro Hata as featured within the film's trailer radiantly powers the film with emotion and grandeur. The acting for the film is also well done. The various seiyuu in the film such as Kana Hanazawa and Miyu Irino show great skill in their voice work, portraying their characters with realistic emotions and reactions.
Character: 7
Kotonoha no Niwa is an interesting film as it incorporates two main protagonists with the male being younger than the female lead. This distance in age causes much character development for both as they learn things from each other did didn't before. Takao is a likable character, being mature enough to understand his position throughout the film despite his age, while also understanding the consequences of the actions he takes. Yukari acts younger than she really is, putting her at an opposite position to Takao. The characters are well made, and the interactions between both are realistic and heartfelt. Despite this, the characters in the film are not memorable, and the limited time of the film causes a lack of proper characterization. The protagonists are not as fleshed out as they possibly could have been, and secondary characters such as Takao's brother are not given enough screen time for us to care. The film does a decent job of defining character models and roles, but does not have enough time to expand on their particular traits and backgrounds.
Enjoyment: 9
Kotonoha no Niwa is a beautiful film, filled with eye candy and wonderful set pieces. The blistering winds, the soothing drops of rain and the gorgeous greens of the garden bring out a somewhat magical experience. The romance and sweet interactions between characters and the enthralling soundtrack give rise to a film that trades away quantity for quality. Despite having fantastic animation and sound, its running time causes certain limitations that impact its story and character development. Main characters are not as fleshed out as they could be, and the story does not go beyond the time frame of a year. Even with these shortcomings the film itself is fun to watch, and still emotionally riling.
Overall: 8.8 (9)
The Story itself can be a hit or miss, but for me on a personal level it was a hit. The Artwork is amazingly crafted, and is reminiscent of Shinkai's other works alongside other visual masterpieces such as films by Studio Ghibli. The soothing soundtrack and theme make the film stand out, and while the character development was not as good as it may have been, their actions and words resonate with pure-hearted romance. Kotonoha no Niwa is a visual masterpiece, with excellent music. Its story and character development is well done, yet flawed. Kotonoha no Niwa is by no means a perfect anime film, but considering its position as a short film it accomplishes its goal excellently despite its obvious setbacks.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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