I have high hopes for Fractale but with each passing episodes, I feel the hopes dwindling to nothingness. The only reason I watched from week to week was because of Sunda but they fucking killed him in the last episodes.
Everyone, meet the late Sunda and Enri Granitz
The story itself was what made this show lacking. It evolved around Phryne, Clain and Nessa and it shouldn't be so. Phryne and Nessa are the key to reboot the Fractale system. If Phryne didn't ran away and be a jackass about it, people won't have to die unnecessarily. Though she is (literally) a slut it is still no excuse for her to be so fickle about every damn thing. If she agreed from the very beginning to be the key and didn't change her mind every god damn 4 seconds, then the Temple will not declare wars on Lost Millenium (they are the one who are against the Fractale System - but not really). Sunda and Dias wouldn't have died.
As you can see, I'm very pissed right now and rightfully so. I am filled with rage when Clain ended up having a happily ever after ending with Phryne (with Nessa's personality). Damn these kids.
I can't believe I said some really nice things about her in my first impression post. 10 episodes later I have nothing but hate for her.
Characters wise, they are not lacking in term of personalities (except for the plain Clain). The character designs also helped built each characters' personalities while the voice actors compliment those characters, giving them souls. Thanks to her splendid performance as Nessa, I think I am a fan of Kana Hanazawa now. Credits for Yu Kobayashi as well for her job well done as Clain though I still wonder why didn't they pick a guy for the job.
The OP/ED, BGM and sound effects for this show is highly commendable. Both the OP and ED are sang by Hitomi Azuma. There are three songs featured in the single CD titled Harinezumi but I never heard the other one. Like I said, towards the end of the show, the OP grew on me and I can even sing along to it. Having said that, my favorite remains with the ED despite the poor Engrish pronunciation.
If there is one thing that blow me away regarding this show, it's the art and animation of the whole thing. I mentioned this several time during in episodicreviews. A-1 Pictures is really good at delivering these sort of stuff. Some of the scenes looks like they came from a beautiful painting, and the camera angle for certain scenes really stood out. Kudos to the animation production team. It was splendid.
But sadly, for a show that is featured in noitaminA, it certainly didn't live up to expectation. I am not entirely sure whose fault is it but if the story didn't evolved around Phryne, it could have ended up as a fabulous show. This show pretended to be deep when it's not. Yamakan totally lost the plot. I rage at how conceded it turned out to be.
arts & animation 10/10 story 7/10 characters 9/10 sound 8/10 enjoyment 6/10 overall 7/10
Another anime I am adding to my top ten list..it's kind of funny that my top ten actually has over 20 and is growing constantly. Denno Coil is what you call an excellent children show although by the end even I was wondering what is going on. Not always a children show, the real storyline is actually very mature. The Denno Coil universe is not incomprehensible but boy was there much thinking and imagining that went into creating those 26 episodes that always seem not enough to explain everything. A lot of questions still hanging in the air.
The whole action takes place 20 years from now where a virtual space coexists with real space and can only be seen using special glasses. Most of the children and some adults use this space mostly for fun and hacking. And although I wouldn't call Dennou Coil funny it did make me laugh. The quality of the animation is its high point with detailed backgrounds and animation of the characters that shows well what they are thinking. It is like a real movie. And once you get into the main plot, you'll never stop watching it. The first part of the anime is mostly episodic with the whole mysterious plot actually exploding by the middle of the series. Even in the end, the true nature of the cyberworld and the Illegals, the viruses in that world, is never 100% explained, and some interpretation is left up to the viewer.
The soundtrack is wonderful. I usually skip the opening and ending themes but I listened and kept humming for 26 times. The sound effects are also beautiful, delivering the exact emotions of suspense and drama at the time they are needed.
The actual tools like glasses and metabugs and kirabugs and other original technology used in the series makes this very fun to watch and the mystery is what kept me questioning its core. However, it does the trick well enough. The computer graphics are superb in creating the cyberspaces and all the technological stuff. Overall, the direction of this anime, how things will be executed and how things will end up is quite unpredictable, and that’s what I likeD about this. You'll laugh, you'll be freaked out and you'll cry in this world of friendship, mystery and pain.
Art 10/10 Sound 10/10 Storyline 9/10 Characters 9/10 Overall 9.5/10
As of the time I wrote the review of this series, there is only one episode that has not been released yet which mean I have watched the other 5 episodes. The reason I did not wait for the series to complete is simply because I am too damn impressed by it. It wouldn't matter anyway. A gem is a gem after all.
Eve no Jikan is an ONA produced by Studio Rikka and directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, who by the way, owned the studio. Naturally, with a guy of his talent, Eve no Jikan does not disappoint. If you don't know how talented he is, he has been compared to Makoto Shinkai, who was responsible for Voices of the Distant Star, 5 Centimeters Per Second and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. That itself speaks volume of his talent and explained why do I have such a high regard for Eve no Jikan.
Eve no Jikan tells the story of a (not so distant) future where humans are living with android. It is a name of a cafe where you can't discriminate androids and treat them as equal. Not that you can tell who is an android and who isn't since they didn't where their 'halo' inside the cafe. Two teenage boys, Rikuo and Masaki often visited the cafe and most of the stories evolved around these two boys.
The story progresses nicely and actually makes you think of what would you do if you are living in that future, which lets be honest, is totally plausible given the technology growth and change. Even though it is a science fiction, it is not overly futuristic. There are some hilarious moments. I remember in episode 4 where this robot walks into the cafe and start behaving so ridiculously retarded. It was fucking hilarious. It also touches some of the more serious issue. I shuddered at the thought of androids getting their independece. For a 15 minutes per episode, the story runs pretty deep.
I have no complains for the sound effects. It was perfectly composed to complement the anime. The voice actors does a good job at it too. Everyone is in character and no one sounds obnoxious.
Even no Jikan has a certain charming originality to it and has diplay quality that is rather rare in anime nowadays. The digital painting fascinates me and I like how they utilized the camera-like imitation to make the story feel more real.
Eve no Jikan is like a breath of fresh air. I wish it happens more often than once in every two months.
I have a habit of downloading all the anime of the season. Then I'll check them out. I'll watch the good one that I thought have potential immediately. I put the average one on hold while the shit one... well, directly to the bin.
Needless definitely one of the most shittiest anime I've ever encountered. The WTF-ness of this series is well... FUCKED.
(Please take note that this review is based on the first episode only. I just can't continue watching the rest of this shit.)
The story is about a kid named Cruz or Yamada or who-the-fuck-cares, a crazy ass chick who supposedly to be the relief comedy of the series yet phailed miserably, and a priest who oh-tried-so-hard-to-be-effing-cool because he so wants to be the incarnation on Kamina-sama but OH-FUCKING-WHY did he thinks he's capable of such feat?! These three travel around saving the Needless. Needless is the survivors of the Blackspots who obtained powers or some shit like that. Whatever right? Right.
It was all irrelevant because you don't know what the fuck you are watching anyway. You just stare at the screen and get yourself brainwashed. Not good. Definitely not good. It was 12 minutes of torture trying to get through the bad humor before you get mentally scarred with the appearance of a bad guy who surprise-surprise! exactly like Viral. Yes, another reference to Tengen Toppen Gurran Lagann (TTGL). PHAILED incarnation.
As for the art. It hurts my eyes. They want to do something similar to TTGL but the immitation is far too inferior. I hate it.
The characters are so unoriginal like I have mentioned before. So lets not even go there.
OMG... here comes the best part. Or the worst. The ED vid. I mean WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK? It has nothing to do with the story at all. Yuri? Really? WHY? HOW? JUST WHAT THE FUCK?!! fanservice or fuckservice? You tell me.
Conclusion: Stay the fuck away from this shit unless you are willing to get your mind raped (not the good kind of rape either).
I didn’t know much about Ergo Proxy when a friend recommended it. He said that it blew his mind (in a good way) and that I definitely have to see it. I said ,,Ok…” but like ,,I’ll do it if you shut the fuck up”, and I didn’t even bother researching it. But I have to admit that it surprised me (in a good way). It’s no ,,mind-blowing” material, but it’s certainly worth the watch.
The world is in a desperate state. After a huge catastrophe, the Earth is largely barren, with only a few domed cities doting the empty and bleak plains. Humans are no longer produced by natural means (which sucks balls) and instead are grown like plants in special factories. In the city called Romdo humans and AutoReivs (some kind of androids) coexist with one another peacefully. But a recent murder streak committed by berserk robots infected with the Cogito virus (something that makes them self-aware) threatens the delicate balance. Behind the scenes, the government is conducting secret experiments on a mysterious humanoid life form called Proxy, which is believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind. Re-l (also spelled "Real") Mayer is assigned to investigate some of the murders with her AutoReiv partner Iggy (which is a most ridiculous name). She encounters a Cogito-infected AutoReiv and a fast and flexible monster. She later learns that the monster was a Proxy. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed as being the eponymous proxy, but his memories of his time in his native dome of Mosque are suppressed, or perhaps he suppresses them. After being hunted down, Vincent and Re-l leave Romdo, only to discover the truth behind the Proxies and the domes. So as you can see the story is complex, but it isn’t very hard to follow. Toward the end there is an episode that gives you a lot of back story to what happened to the world, as well as different clues as to what’s happening and to explain some things about the proxies. I don’t want to spoil anything, so know that these clues are kind of subtle, but you will understand if you put everything together. Some people say this is a mind-fuck, but I have to disagree. Sure, it has mystery and secrets, and it has one episode which I would definitely qualify as a mind-fuck, and one I would qualify as fucked-up, but overall, this is by no means a mind-fuck. And at the end of each episode there are some scientific notes for you to read. They aren’t necessary, but it’s fun to know (I think).
Thankfully, the story isn’t the only thing that makes this show worth-wile. As mentioned, there are more proxies scattered throughout the world in their domed cities (or more like doomed cities). And each time Vincent travels to those cities, he faces them. If it weren’t for these battles, I would say that no matter how great the story is, it would’ve been God-awful boring. I mean if it weren’t for the proxies there would be very few action sequences. Cause aside from a brief assault by drones on Vincent and his friends, and a short battle between humans and AutoReivs, the battle between proxies is the action that keeps you going. And even so, there are some complaints I have about it: 1) Some battles tend to be short; 2) There are to few; and 3) Some aren’t even battles at all, more like ,,confrontations”. What’s the difference? Well in battles there is action, while in confrontations, action sometimes isn’t necessary. The end battle is the only high-light of all the battles, but it doesn’t make-up for the overall lack of action. But the action isn’t the only thing you should be focusing on; these are just word coming out of a guy how eats 10 pounds of sugar a day. But still, I think they could’ve used more proxy battles. What’s bad is that there are episodes when nothing happens at all. They just wander aimlessly, or not wander at all. Remember, this isn’t Disney-World (God knows why I made this reference). This is a world where all you can see for MILES AND MILES are just dust and clouds. Just that. No vegetation, no landscape, NO NOTHING. These are the episodes I usually skip.
I also like the character cast. They have good development, and some are just fun to watch. Take Pino for example. She is a little girl/AutoReiv that has been infected with the Cogito virus, so she travels with Vincent. She almost always is in a good mood, and while some may say ,,Well that’s cliché (or something like that)”, I say that that’s the beauty of it. In this entire bleak and desperate world, she is the only colorful and vibrant thing. Cause I have to admit, Re-l is practically always in a bad mood, and Vincent… well Vincent… he looks pretty retarded if you ask me. When he is in his Proxy form, he kicks ass, but in his human form he is soooo boring, that you want to hang him with a camel’s anal hair. Not to mention that he keeps his eyes closed a lot of times, so he developed something I like to call ,,Brock syndrome”. If you want to know more of it, check my Pokemon review. But overall, I’m pleased with the character cast.
Animation-wise, Ergo Proxy has a good way of giving you the depressing and desperate feel of this post-apocalyptic world. Too good. I found myself drinking anti-depress pills, just so I wouldn’t cry. I’m kidding, it wasn’t that bad, but still, they were kind of dull. That’s in contrast of course to the proxy battles (NOTE: BATTLES). They are flashy and quick, and always look cool thanks to certain camera angles (of course I have no idea what I’m talking about right now). Sometimes the character models look goofy for no reason, but overall the animation is decent. The sound department does a good job as well. It has a kick-ass opening and believable voice-work.
Overall this is a good watch. Personally I don’t think it’s a ,,Must see before I tragically die” but still a fun ride. If you want a good story, philosophical nonsense and some (key word: SOME) awesome fighting sequences, then by all means, ENJOY.
Well I think it’s time to get over my hangover, or… something like that. And what better way to exercise my brain than with a review. Now if I try to sum up Blassreiter in a couple of words all I can say is… it’s a pure and simple piece of entertainment that just blows you away and doesn’t disappoint. Much…
The plot is something I like to call ,,Bare basics”. We have a bad guy that want to kill everyone in the world cause he feels like it, and we have a good guy that wants to stop him. Well at first you don’t know that. At first you know about demons appearing in modern Germany called Amalgams. These demons can fuse with technology and thus enhancing their abilities. But of course there is a group called XAT who hunts and kills the demons. So these demons usually appear from dead people, but those that appear from living people are much stronger. So as you can guess more such people start appearing and some use their powers for good and some for evil. But trust me; the plot is simple and easy to follow. The series is made out of story arcs, kind of like chapters. Each arc is about another person who transformed into an Amalgam (and would you guess there is an actual word ,,amalgam” which means an alloy that dentists use to cover holes in your teeth?) The arc starts in the episode of his transformation and ends with his death (or just another transformation). It’s an interesting way to reveal the story, cause instead of following the same character, you follow different characters, and it’s easier to grow attached to some of them. But even if it is a nice sci-fi setting with a nice way of revealing the story, it still falls short of an amazing plot. I mean it’s not bad, but it has no suspense or reason to want more. Basically I felt it was there just to keep everything going and for the action to make sense, as in ,,Why is he doing it? Why is he fighting this person?” But it has no mystery, and the bad guy’s motivation is cliché… ,,Ohhh I hate that guy…and that guy…and that guy…and that guy too… I think I’ll just kill everyone in the world” Also there are things which could’ve used some more suspense, some more mystery. I’m afraid I’ll have to spoil, but to give an example. Later a traitor in the XAT will appear. Now one would think that they will use subtle clues as to who he is, and you strat suspecting him, but then it turns out that a missing piece of the puzzle was found and you put everything together and voila… this other person is the actual traitor. But as I learned, this anime is anything but subtle. You just see a bad guy come up to him and say ,,You wanna live?” ,,Sure” ,,You want power?” ,,Of course” ,,Then ally with me and betray your friends” ,,Hmmmm… Ok”. And that’s it; you see it from the start. It would’ve been so much better with the subtle clues. But all in all, it is a decent story.
Now what attracts me still to see many scenes from it again is… the action of course. Cause that what it is created for, right? To deliver pure mind-numbing fun and kick-ass entertainment. Some of you might disagree, but I think the action here is awesome. I mean pick some random fight scenes, put Phenomenon and you got yourself a winner. The fighting reminds me of Karas (more on that later) but it takes it to a whole new level of entertainment by delivering more and diverse. A personal complaint for me is the amount of drama. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, powerful, and sometimes I actually ALMOST cried. It gives a good message about the world, how the weak and poor get abused by the rich, how discrimination of racial and national backgrounds still exists, and sometimes does a good job of affecting you emotionally when you see these abuses, and sometimes you can understand some of the characters and their motivations. BUT GOD, HOW MUCH CAN YOU DWELL ON THIS!?! I mean it’s nice to get a feel of what’s going on, but when you get constantly reminded of it, and you see it happening for ENTIRE EPISODES with no action, it just gets a bit frustrating. You just wish that some scenes would be presented in form of flashbacks, and not episodes. But, I say again, this is just something coming out of a guy who prefers action over heart-breaking drama that has no end.
The characters in this anime don’t stand out much. You have your typical lone wolf hero, delusional villain, a silent guy, a noisy guy, a woman that doesn’t know how to act when faced with family problems, etc. But they’re good and some are likable, I mean you’ll really feel bad that they died, and they tend to do that often. I hate to spoil much for those that haven’t seen it yet, but let’s just say that at the end you’ll think it was a genocide. But really, I felt bad when some died, especially since I wanted them to be till the end. I won’t say it is a complaint, just a personal desire, or something like that. But what really stand out are the Amalgams. Every model is different and awesome to look at, cause they have a lot of detail and character. Every time I see them I’m reminded of Karas, cause there really is a striking resemblance, but I think some are more awesome than Karas. Not all, but most have more color and character. I think it’s just a choice of tastes.
The presentation is great. The animation is rich in color and detail, character models look great and make you believe that an ACTUAL PERSON can look that way in real life. And let’s not forget the Amalgams, which look awesome and have some nice CG effects. The music is good. The opening is fast-paced and gives you a feel of the action, while the ending gives you a sense of the drama. But sometimes if you read the lyrics (and in this case hear them) they don’t make much sense. ,,Don’t touch me, baby, freedom baby” WTF? I mean if you read it, maybe it sounds Ok, but when you hear it, there are certain pauses, and the way they sing, well… maybe an ignorant Westerner like me can’t grasp the subtle concept.
Overall, this is a certain recommend to all those action fans out there. If you want some nice kick-ass action with good animation, then I say go for it.
Another movie I watched during my movie marathon was Origin - Spirits of the Past. Well, the movie began with a great start. The art is just simply amazing! Absolutely breathtaking sequences. Only the opening sequence alone is worth seeing the movie for, and the music that plays over it is gorgeous. The movie presents us the classic struggle between man and nature, as it is displayed in some crumbling town, a militaristic city, and the dangerous forest. Modern humanity as we know it is represented in this movie by a man and a girl who have each reawakened in this distorted future where man is at war with nature. They both decide that nature should be the boss on this planet. However, the good stuff basically ends there. In short, this movie is great visually, but it doesn't have much of a plot.
The first half of the movie was actually great, but the second half is terrible. Basically, we have some guy chasing this girl for a while and screaming her name a few times. Then he realizes that, hey, everyone can be at peace by just changing their perspective and guess what? Fucking everyone else agrees with him and they all become better people. Even if the movie may not be the anime of the year nor even have the best story, nevertheless it's still something worth watching.
Okay, so if you've read all of the other reviews on the internet then you know that the animation of this film is awesome! "Vexille" borrows liberally from countless sci-fi films from the past several decades most notably "Blade Runner", "Escape From New York", "Matrix" and "Dune" as well as other Japanese anime films including "Ghost In The Shell" and of course "Appleseed". Unfortunately, that and the soundtrack were the only good parts of this movie. The effects were nice and definitely passable, but the weak plot of the movie is tiring. Some of the worst character development, some mediocre and plain dialog that seemed to be aimed towards children under 7 years old, characters that look too much alike - yeah, I get it that it's a style, but some of the character look like cheap duplicates of one another e.g. Maria & Vexille.
And now a little more about the plot. Once the veil of mystery is lifted about like half an hour in the movie, and explanations start being poured, the whole film starts to degenerate pretty quick. As in all action movies, we have an evil genius type of bad guy with motivation for...well, taking over the world, of course, because he needs some test subjects for an experiment. Really? After so many fucking movies about evil masterminds, did they think it would sound believable to you? Granted, it's all fiction, but it has to be at least a little authentic. Anyway, the so-called good guys aren't much better. In fact, they're extremely "clichesque": we have the main girl, who's quite emotional in spite of being part of the film's version of Delta Force. Then we have a hard ass girl. Both girls are nothing more than cheep copies. Then we have some dude they're both after, who does absolutely fucking nothing except getting captured, thus has to be rescued by the two girls. Then we have...the actual plot. Which is full of holes so frigging big that the dude from 300 Spartans could throw in the whole Persian army inside it and there would still be room for the 300 Spartans to take a dump in the hole. You'll see what I meant if you decide to watch this. If you don't, well, basically there's a team taking over Japan, on its own, and turning it into a "happy" wasteland.
Overall, I guess Vexille was a good combo between action and CGI, a true eye catching movie that will hook any anime/robot lover from start to finish, but might leave others calling 911.
This buffalo shit is a timeless mess that anyone even slightly interested in science fiction or animation should watch before they die. I won't explain any part of the story, as that information can easily be found elsewhere. I will simply try to explain how I feel about this movie, and why. After watching this movie for the first time, I felt like my mind had been blown - which is the second best body part to get blown. I really couldn't stop thinking about obnoxious characters. Those of you who voted for Saw 3 for Best Picture Oscar I think will find a certain charm in its brutality and plot about friendship and rivalry between two young gang punks killing about 831.5 people and then trying to kill each other. On top of that, it's also got great action scenes, 'cause, hey, how else do you kill off about 831.5 people? In fact, about fucking 98% of the people shown in the film die before the end of it.
If honestly, the biggest mistake Akira makes is that, if a movie wants to make people think about it's "hidden meaning", for people to try hard to understand its point, the film should at least offer something to draw the viewer in. Something like enjoyable characters, interesting concepts, or at least something just plain nice to look at. Some positive elements that can make one grow to like a movie. Akira does none of this and is, from start to finish, a piece of fucking shit. It may be just a matter of personal taste, but the character designs was horrible. The film is populated by some ugly goblins with shitty dressing habits. Good Lord, what the fuck. How can one possibly be interested by such a cast of characters who look like radiation-deformed Hiroshima wankers, let alone like them?
The first hour or so is very entertaining if you put your brain on "silent mode" and just don't try to think much about the plot...really stunning animation. But then you can't hold back...and start trying to make sense of what the hell you are experiencing...and honnestly, I couldn't figure it out. The same scenes are whipping and the carnage grows (and I started caring less)...by the final half hour it's one big colorful blur of vomit...what's going on? I'm bored...something's gotta happen...it's all going to be explained...what? THE END? oh, never mind; In my humble opinion, Akira will always remain the most overrated piece of Anime garbage. Good visuals do not make a good movie.
This time I’m reviewing another mecha, and I think this one is one of the most brilliant mecha productions out there. Gundam SEED. No… no it’s not about Gundam jerking off and releasing his seed. SEED refers to some kind of evolution, but I will let you reveal that for yourselves. At first it seems kind of standard, kind of ,,been there done that”, nothing special… but as you continue, each episode gets more and more interesting and the story gets more intense. If you haven’t changed the screen yet, then I think you might be interested in what I have to say, so here are my thoughts on this one.
The story is set in the Cosmic Era. The series begins with the Bloody Valentine War between Earth and the colonies. On one side is the Earth Alliance, and on the opposite are the space colonies that form ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty). Mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as "Naturals" and the genetically altered humans known as "Coordinators", which have enhanced physical and mental capabilities. While ZAFT has a head start on mobile suit design, the Earth Alliance quickly catches up with its five prototype Gundams. With ZAFT having stolen four of the prototypes, young Coordinator Kira Yamato pilots the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam and is forced to fight his old friend Athrun Zala. Little do they know that there exist sinister forces working to bring events that go far beyond their worst nightmares. One thing that I complain about in most mecha anime, and it’s nothing major, but… why in the name of holy fuck do they have teenagers pilot giant-ass robots, and kill a lot. I mean it’s not something rare in mecha anime, to have teenagers pilot mecha suits, so it gets old and you’re like ,,Well that’s a fucking surprise… haven’t we seen this already?”. It also makes me think that anyone can do it, even I. Imagine I just go in one of those things, pull something and the robot will… play… frigging Mozart or something like that. And the pilots instantly go from ,,I can’t handle this” to ,,I’m a fucking expert”. There is nothing in between; they get accustomed to it so quick that it’s almost ridiculous. But anyway, that doesn’t mean that this is a big complaint, it’s just a minor detail I encounter a lot, and I’m sure you encounter it a lot as well. Still this thing influences the story a lot cause it shows how Kira gets troubled about many things (e.g. Can’t protect someone) since he is at an age that doesn’t have much life experience, and it also helps at character development and how he interacts with others.
So there are enough plot twists and drama to make an intriguing story, but it’s the war, the epic battles and the awesome action that attracts you to this. Cause that’s what you expect from it, right? Giant robots with guys inside piloting them, pushing God knows what to make them tango if they have to, and battling each other to the death. If you expect mind numbing action and great battles, then Gundam SEED delivers exactly what you expect. One minor problem is that the battles sometimes get too repetitive. You see the same bad guys fighting the same good guys and the outcome is always the same… bad guys flee, good guys win. And when somebody actually gets hurt or killed (yes, we have such moments… we must have such moments), the pacing changes a bit and you feel like you get a breath of fresh air. Sometimes the enemies change as well, and the battlefields (it’s not always in space), and you get something new. But repetitiveness remains an issue. Imagine you play basketball with the same friends, with the same outcome… 10 TIMES IN A FRIGGING ROW. But aside from that, the battles are awesome, and even if it gets repetitive, you’ll still watch every one of them. The character cast is big, but not so diverse. It has a lot of characters that don’t influence things much (e.g. Kira’s friends) and are there just for shits and giggles. Sometimes they help for character development, sometimes they actually do something worthy, like helping Kira in battle, but most of the times you get the feeling like you can do without them. And worst is that they don’t have anything worth mentioning and act the same, like they all do and say the same things. Also some of them feel like they were copied from other anime. But at least they don’t interfere much, and the story focuses on what it’s supposed to focus… Kira and Athrun: the 2 friends that have to battle each other. These 2 you focus your attention the most on, and the other characters feel like they are there just to help these 2 progress. It’s hard to explain, but… it’s like if you think about your life as an anime series, then all the other characters in your life are there to help you progress in the story. But even though I think that some characters are useless, I also think that they did a good job with the cast, and I’m sure that very few (if at all) share my opinion about uselessness. Presentation is flawless. You have to remind yourself that it’s 2002, so naturally if you watch it now it will feel outdated, but for 2002 it is well done. Character models are good, but feel copied while some feel like they are the foundation for future models. At least they are distinct amongst each other, and don’t get repetitive. But what makes this one good is the coloring. Not just special effects but also characters and objects get the same coloring treatment, which reflect personalities and make things eye pleasing. Voice cast (I’m talking about dub) is believable, even though sometimes feels forced, and sound effects are realistic. The opening(s) and ending aren’t memorable for me, but the music that accompanies the action always feels in-place.
Overall, this is a must see for all of you mecha or sci-fi fans, and I promise that you will not be disappointed. And if you don’t believe me, as proof, look at its ratings and read forums. It’s not just a winner for male viewers, but also has a lot of girl fans. So if you’re busting your balls (or something else if you don’t have balls) on what to see next, you should give this one a try.
Ahhhh, Appleseed… the first anime movie I watched and enjoyed. While some may say that it isn’t anime since it has 3D graphics, but I call it an anime movie. And a damn good one at that. First of all, what attracted me are 2 things: sci-fi, which I enjoy the most, and some fast-paced action. I didn’t expect anything more than this. If you want to know if this is for you, then read on. The story is set in the year 2131 AD. Appleseed stars Deunan Knute, a young, legendary female soldier and a survivor of the Third World War, which brought Earth to the brink of destruction. While fighting a number of unknown figures, a platoon of tall, white-armored soldiers fly in from overhead and just when it looks like Duenan is out of escape options they open fire on the enemy whom she has been fighting. Then they take her to Olympus, a Utopian city. Here she joins the prestigious ESWAT organization to serve as the city's guardian. So there the true story begins, with a threat to humanity being uncovered and Duenan is the only one with the key to save humanity. So as you can see the plot is very linier and the only real mystery you’ll have is who the real bad guy is. So the movie isn’t made for those who seek deep plots and hidden messages or such. The plot is here just so there wouldn’t be any randomness and so the action would have some purpose. What I like is the sci-fi setting, post world war, high-tech cities and armor and weapons, all that good stuff. I mean when I first saw this movie I thought that they read my mind. How did they know that I wanted to see stuff like that? Because I didn’t want to absorb myself in the story, I didn’t want to absorb myself in the drama… I wanted to rot my brain with fast-paced action and NOT give a shit about anything else. It’s not to say that the plot is senseless and makes the movie retarded. No. It just isn’t the type of plot that will absorb you. There is also a good character cast, but it’s nothing special, most are military type, some are more civilian like, one is a cyborg, but in the end it’s nothing original. They gave more attention to the characters than they did to the plot, like they paid attention to character development, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the cast is just above average. The presentation… gorgeous. One might say that the 3D graphics ruin it, but I say it is one major plus. Character animation gives emotion and personality to each individual and also makes the action more enjoyable. Voice cast is believable and the music, while maybe not memorable, fits everything perfectly. Overall, this movie isn’t quite a masterpiece, but I still recommend it to those that just want fun and not waste time thinking about every plot element, and trying to figure things out. If you’re like me, enjoy action and sci-fi put together like a match made in Heaven, then this is one you don’t want to miss.
p.s. There are speculations that Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell take place in the same universe due to the nature of the 3rd World War and some of the sci-fi elements presented here, but I will have to decline that cause: 1) The story here takes place in 2131 AD; 2) They’ve only had WW 3 while in Ghost in the Shell they’ve also had WW4. There are also other differences, but you get the picture… they are NOT in the same universe.
So like I wrote in my previous review Ghost in the Shell SAC 2nd Gig deserves a review apart since it is different from the first and for the better I might add. Off-topic, know from the start that if you’re reading this for a laugh then don’t, cause when I review something I like there really is no point in making fun of it. Know that for funny reviews I prepared a special list of shitty anime ( and the list will be growing ), so be sure I’m downloading a truck-load of shit just for you. So if you’re just interested in my personal opinion on the things I like and why I like them, then please continue reading. Now on-topic, the plot in 2nd Gig takes place 2 years after the first series. Like I said in the previous review between 2000 and 2032 there were two major conflicts that changed the world. The first is nuclear World War III, and the other is non-nuclear World War IV, also known as the Second Vietnam War ( so I suppose it has something to do with Vietnam ). So because of these 2 conflicts, during 30 years a lot of things have changed like an increase in independent states and sovereign regions. And as with any other war-torn world, there is a lot of chaos and anarchy. How do I know all this? Well 2nd Gig uncovers a significant amount of back-story that was only vaguely talked about during the first series, and that includes information about the last world wars. Also in the first series, they usually refer to events surrounding the Laughing Man case, and they focus on the teamwork observed in Public Security Section 9. Here they discuss more on the issue of War, how it can be conducted in the 21st century. Mamoru Oshii, who wrote the story concept, commented about this new approach by saying ,,… we simply couldn't ignore the way society had evolved since the events of 9-11 : That was the approach we decided to take, and I tried to illustrate a 21st century (near-future) war.”. Also, while in the 1st they focused on Section 9 as a unit, now they focus on each character from Section 9 ( including the Tachikomas ). So there isn’t just world history, but also character history and how they met, and what they did before. That helps for character development. And in my opinion the series focuses more on Major Motoko ( which now doesn’t dress like a female super-hero from DC Comics ), and her personal background. There is also talk about a group called Individual 11, but unfortunately I didn’t quite get it all, but what I did get is the most important member of the group, and that is Hideo Kuze which plays a very important part in the story and (spoiler) Motoko’s life. Speaking of character there are a lot more people on the cast compared to the 1st series. There are also the Section 9 Forensic team, the Section 9 All-Purpose Female Androids, two new Section 9 members Azuma and Yano-kun, Proto a technician, the female Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki and what I think is the antagonist of the series Kazundo Gouda head of the Cabinet Intelligence Service. You’d best memorize this names and what they represent cause there are others and it can get a bit confusing at times when they talk about them, especially since they don’t always say ,,The Head of…” but they say they’re name, so you can be a little confused. But every character acts like how he is supposed to act. I mean a general will feel like a real general, a minister will feel like a minister and a technician will feel like a technician. It’s hard to explain, but once you see it ( or if you saw it ) then you probably know what I’m talking about. Plus the Tachikomas are still the same self-aware philosophical little rascals that I love and now I kind of had some smiles while I watched them. I mean don’t get me wrong, the comedy sketches at the end still suck, I don’t know why they even bothered. I hope at least the Japanese appreciate they’re own humor cause if not, the jokes are on them. But when it’s in the middle of the episode it’s good, cause they interact with other characters, some of which grew close to them. Presentation is better then the 1st. Graphics are stunning, character models are sharp and detailed, give personality, background feels interactive ( like real, cause sometimes backgrounds feel more like props in a theater ), and visual effects are realistic. Sound department – flawless. Not just sound effects and voice work are done on a professional level, but the musical score as well. Every action comes with the appropriate musical note, and if you don’t believe how good it is just listen to the opening. One thing about the opening though, I don’t understand why it is sung in Russian then in English. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s not a complaint, but if I didn’t know Russian then I wouldn’t have understood the words which is bad cause these are good lyrics ( I’m one who likes meaning in a song ). Also one minor thing that puzzles me is the title. I don’t get what Gig means. I thought 2nd meant that it is the 2nd season. But no, it is the 2nd Gig. So where is the 1st? The first season isn’t called Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 1st Gig. It’s just Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex. So where is the 1st Gig? I don’t know, and I don’t even bother cause it’s to brilliant a series to get worked up over some title. In conclusion this one is a must see. It isn’t necessary for you to watch the 1st to see the 2nd so I would recommend this one over the 1st if you don’t know with which one to start. So download it, sit back and have a good 2nd Gig marathon xD
Today I decided to do a review of a great anime, and that one is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It has a serious political tone filled with action. It has a lot to offer, but it also has its little downsides. GitS takes place in the year 2030, in the fictional Japanese city of New Port. The series follows the exploits of Public Security Section 9, a special operations task-force made up of former military officers and police detectives. The series comprises individual cases and the underlying mystery of the Laughing Man. So as you can see, unlike most anime the plot doesn’t overcomplicate so you can have an easier time following the story. Since it’s the year 2030 you can guess that a lot of shit happened before, like… 2 World Wars. Yeah, WW3 and WW4. Now how cool is that. And the world isn’t shown like it destroyed itself or anything, it’s still intact and the people are rebuilding it. The anime has a good way of showing not just a good sci-fi imagination, but also a good ,,what if” scenario. But the most important thing is how well it shows Section 9 as a secret special ops team. Unlike other anime, when you see special ops members, they are shown like people with irresponsible or carefree or cool and badass behavior, not like a true special ops member should behave. That type of anime usually focus more on action, so you can’t blame them if those members are behaving as they are, because they do so for the sake of the action. But here they are behaving like true professionals. That’s not to say that there isn’t action. But it isn’t as intense as it would be like in Full Metal Panic or Dragon Ball or other action anime, but it feels more realistic. Add the fact that some of the members are cyborgs and you get one good recipe of entertainment. I also like the cast here. We have the 9 core members of Section 9 and the Tachikomas, cute blue robots with machine guns that become self aware. So first let’s talk about the 9 core members. I already said that they are professionals and that they are members of this special task force, but that doesn’t mean that they are similar. Each individual is an expert in his own domain. I mean, all these 9 aren’t special in the same field, like they all have something in common and that’s why this group was formed, but every one of them has expertise in a certain domain and to accomplish a certain objective, he needs the help of the other members. So it gives the feeling of teamwork and gives importance to every individual. Also the central character, Major Motoko offers sex appeal to the series cause when she’s in uniform she dresses... provocatively. And there are also the Tachikomas. Not only they are a good combat asset, but as the series progress they play more important roles in the story and they become self aware which I believe was meant for comic relief. I say ,,It was meant” because they didn’t quite achieve this purpose. And while I’m at it I’d like to advise you not to expect comedy here. At the end of each episode they have like a small scene of the Tachikomas which are supposed to be funny, but… well I’m not about to criticize Japanese humor, cause a westerner like me doesn’t understand it, but… didn’t they know that shit like that won’t be understood in OTHER countries? It’s not a big flaw, I didn’t pay much attention to it cause I didn’t expect comedy here, it’s not needed, but if you’re gonna do some comedy then do it right. But even though the series is good, it’s not to say that there aren’t flaws. Fortunately for me there is only one, but one that hampers the experience. There is A LOT of talking. And all of that talk is important. But usually they discuss political factors, or history or philosophy. But all of that is important because that’s how they get to a final conclusion or say a key element in the plot. Or you have to discover it yourself in all that talk. It's hard to explian. But it gets boring, and sometimes you can skip it, but most of the times you have to endure it. Most of the talk is about the Laughing Man and some Stand Alone philosophy, but I didn’t quite get it all, so the Laughing Man still remained a bit of a mystery for me, so I had to read Wikipedia to figure him out and that’s no fun. Others may not ecounter such problems, remember these are my reviews, which mean my opinion, but still, there must be other people who share my view. The presentation is top level, background has a lot of lighting and gives the feel of a city, character models are all distinctive and give personality, visual effects are great and the Tachikomas are absolutely cute. The sound is also done right. Voice work is professional ( guess they were paid good ), sound effects are real and the music always accompanies the right mood and setting. Plus I like the opening. Overall this is an awesome anime that’s worth watching. It has the issue of overcomplicated conversations but luckily all of that is addressed in the second season called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig for which I will do a separate review.
Look, I know some of you might have seen Paprika and consider it a masterpiece, and I should truly apologize for the next review, because in my humble opinion it was the biggest smelliest vomit ever. Don't get me wrong, the visuals are astonishing. At some point during the movie I was afraid to even blink, so that I wouldn't miss a scene. Madhouse did an excellent job bringing those characters to life in the unpredictable world of Paprika. The synopsis is as follows: The DC Mini is a revolutionary invention that allows users to access their dreams and perform psychotherapy. Although still in the development stages, the creators have been secretly using it to treat patients, via a mysterious and spunky lady called Paprika. Now, the DC Mini is stolen from the laboratory and believed to be an insider job. It is up to Paprika to find the culprit and prevent him from using the DC Mini that will allow dreams and reality to merge and cause chaos.
The plot sounds simple, but is actually an illusion under which we are kept the whole time. At some point you will discover that what you thought was reality was actually a dream, with parades of freaky dolls and talking refrigerators, flying shit all over the place and stunning effects that present the portals between people's dreams.It is really messed up, and could have never been considered a masterpiece if it wasn't for the breathtaking visuals. The movie is so dumb that the villain who stole the DC Mini is actually the bald dude who owns the whole company that made it. I mean c'mon. There simply must have been an easier way for him to get his hands on this device, like walk (or roll, he's a fucking cripple and looks exactly like Professor X) into the lab and say: "Hello, I own this company and sign your checks. That machine is, technically, my property. I'd like it, please so that I could rule over the world. Now bring me an orange juice bitch and get out of my face." But then we'd never get a parade of dream things and then a final battle between a 500 foot tall naked man and a 500 foot tall naked woman over the city of Tokyo Although the idea is original, it actually has its flaws, like how the fuck do you enter other peoples dreams, and if you're there, how come you're suddenly in control? At some point, by the end of the movie you don't even care in whose dream they are in as long as the keep transforming into giant creatures and kill each other. The sound is dull, with the movie missing anything except a great opening and a good ending. It has that fucking circus theme all over the damn city, which is kind of disturbing if you don't like it, or if you hate those fucking parades that keep popping up all over the peoples dreams. It won’t be wise trying to make a sense of every detail in the plot line because this anime was one giant dream and dreams weren’t supposed to make any sense. It is pretty confusing in many places and I'm not afraid to admit being completely nonplussed at points, but it draws you in to its world through a combination of likable characters. Overall this movie is a bullshit. You know what I think the goddamn problem is? To many people out there are to afraid to say it "This piece of shit makes no fucking sense. Why would you even release it?" because they would be misjudged and accused of not understanding the true masterpiece of Satoshi Kon (some bitch-ass creator from Madhouse considered a genius...he did shit like Paranoia Agent, and other bullshit...just google him). Well I tried. I sure fucking did. But there was no room for logic in this garbage.
Ohh boy… we’re in deep shit now. I can’t imagine I subjected myself to this for 2 hours, 2 fucking hours of my life that I will never get back. At least it stopped were it did, cause if it dragged itself any longer than I think I would’ve had a seizure. Now just for you to know I watched this one to the end ( yeah all 6 fucking episodes ) but only for a reason… one fucking reason… my partner, Animenerdz said he watched 3 episodes. And I thought if he could watch 3 episodes and not turn to drugs and alcohol, while I would back off, then I don’t deserve to work with him. So I endured the 6 episodes. For those of you that don’t know ( and I’m guessing there are a lot ) our first review was s-CRY-ed, and it is a retarded piece of shit ( you should check the review ). And after s-CRY-ed, when I say about an anime having retarded moments, I say ,,It’s not as bad…” or in worst case ,,It’s almost…”, but here I can firmly say… IT IS AS BAD IF NOT EVEN WORSE !!! Yes, WORSE than s-CRY-ed. If you read that review, then now you must imagine how frustrated I really am. And since I like to discuss even the slightest complaint, here it will be hard to make a review because… there are so many complaints. So let’s start with one by one. First of all there is the title. It sucks even worse than s-CRY-ed. Not only it doesn’t say anything about the series or make any sense, the most fucked up part is that the CHARACTERS THEMSELVES don’t know what it means and they try to figure it out. Literally, they ask the main character ,,What does FLCL mean, cause you know, you’re the main hero”. How desperate can it get. And if I’m talking about main character and such let me tell you a bit about the plot. The thing is that Naota's life is confined to going to school and living with his father and grandfather. The usually boring life in Mabase is rudely interrupted by the arrival of Haruko Haruhara, who bursts on the scene by running Naota over with her Vespa scooter and hitting him on the head with a blue vintage Rickenbacker 4001 left-handed electric bass guitar. Later, Naota is shocked to find Haruko working in his house as a live-in maid. So you can clearly see it will get really retarded, really fast. But wait there is more. Turns out Haruko is searching for an alien called Atomsk which puts her at odds with Medical Meccanica, a monolithic industrial corporation. At the same time, Naota is being watched by Commander Amarao. The Commander believes Haruko is in love with Atomsk and that Medical Meccanica is out to conquer the galaxy. The combination of circumstances get Naota involved in a three-way battle between Haruko, Amarao and Medical Meccanica. Now that you have the plot, where do I begin the dissection of this abomination. Let’s start with the names. Like ( yeah you guessed it ) s-CRY-ed, the names are like a joke. Not all, but… come on… ATOMSK. Does that qualify as a name? LARDUS from s-CRY-ed was the name of a group, but here Atomsk is the name of a character which is a giant red bird. Wow… do we also have Quantumsk, or Moleculemsk ? Now coming back to retarded moments, here these moments are all over the place like roaches. Just the first 5 minutes will give you an idea of how retarded it actually is. A girl talks about conquest, swings a baseball bat, talks some random shit with Naota, then they walk on a bridge and he gets hit on the head by Haruko then everybody freaks out then I commit myself to drinking. So much random, useless stuff is happening in such a short time span. And it never makes much sense. And if you’re expecting some explanation well… fuck it, you aren’t getting any for the first 3 episodes. All chaos, robots and shit coming out of you’re head and everybody acts like it’s so natural, it’s something not out of the ordinary. Then from episode 4 a plot appears, you know like ,,By the way…”. So it’s like ,,Yeah you have something growing out of you’re head, there is a robot with a TV head living in you’re house, it’s all good… By the way I’m from there and I want to say that Medical Meccanica wants to destroy you planet. Just thought you might want to know”. I mean the true plot comes so sudden and they explain so quick that you don’t get the proper time to react. Also it doesn’t build any tension. It’s not like ,,Ohhh, I was waiting to figure that out”, it’s more like ,,Why the fuck are you telling me this, NOW ?” Medical Meccanica is another story. They’re building looks like a giant iron. Well I thought it was weird a bit at first but… wait… oh my God, it is ! It is a giant iron. It’s purpose ? To flatten the Earth. You have to sniff a lot of cocaine to think this up. I thought it looked like an iron but I thought ,, Nah… they can’t fuck up this bad “ but then I watched episode 6 and I was like ,, Nope, they actually CAN “. And it’s not to say that I was shocked or disappointed cause by the time I watched episode 6 I already watched 5 of them, so nothing could really surprise me now, but still I was frustrated that I thought of the SAME SHIT they did. That put me and my pride on a low pedestal. At least I can say it has some action but… fuck it, it’s not worth it. The character rooster isn’t big and it’s uninspired. You don’t associate yourself with any of them and you don’t give two shits what happens to whom. So there isn’t any point of me talking about character development here. The presentation… well they didn’t bother much with plot so why bother with presentation. Actually what I can say is that the presentation reflects the key feature of this anime… it’s retarded. Yeah, is it a surprise? In s-CRY-ed the graphics were outdated, but at least they made sense, but here… total FUCK UP. The background looks like it wasn’t finished, like halfway they were like ,,Screw this” and left it as it is, or facial expressions which don’t correspond to the right mood, or… South Park and Manga style drawings? It got so stupid that the characters themselves got self-aware and said ,, Guys let's stop cause it’s getting retarded”, but wonder of wonders… it only got worse by the SECOND. And the sound department sucks too, cause there is little music, and voice acting… never before in a review have I complained about voice acting and I thought I never would. But here it is God awful. It’s like the voice actors weren’t paid enough ( or at all ) and they decided ,,Screw this”. And that’s what the entire anime is – a major ,,Screw this”. In conclusion a question comes in mind… who were they targeting with this? For whom it was intended? Young people that don’t make much sense of life? Or perhaps mental institution patients? I don’t know, and frankly I’m not bothering trying to research this more thoroughly. So stay away from this garbage. It’s so much of a piece of shit that you would rather wipe your ass with a hedgehog than with this piece of crap.
I just finished watching Tekkonkinkreet and I can only say one thing: WOW!!! The visuals are amazing. I can't put it in any words better than that. If you're an anime fan that enjoys a lot of variety you need to see this film, no questions asked. It's the story of 2 brothers: Black and White, two kids who grew up together, helping each other protecting "their" city. The Yakuza also wants to take over the city and a new enemy appears by the end of the movie. Graphically and wonderfully made, it lacks of some nice guide just for you to follow the story. So it's kind of mixed up and has things you can't understand at all, even when you have had the opportunity of seeing other anime movies or anime in general. At some point I was just lost. Seriously lost in the plot, in the incredible graphics and sound. The relationship between Black and White was awesome, and it is the main part of the story, but I fell asleep because I found it so boring. I even watched the rest of it despite already not liking it. So you really get mixed feelings about this movie, but I truly recommend it to every anime fan out there. Another confusing thing about the movie is the amount of characters that interact within the plot. It's like the manga was begging for an episodic release rather than a movie. I really think it would have looked better as a 12-episode series than a 2 hour movie. So, seriously, go watch it, and stop bitching around.
ps: here's the trailer...a sample of some awesomeness the movie contains
After the release of the review for the first season, I know it took me a while to write the second, but here it is: the AnimeNerdz official Code Geass Lelouch Of The Rebellion R2 review. There is no doubt that Code Geass is one of the best anime series ever. With millions of fans and 2 season to entertain them, Code Geass took the "anti-hero" style to another level. What is so amazing about Code Geass that makes it one of the best series out there? The twists in the plot. They started in the first season, and the second season just exploded in twists. It was great, but at some point it was getting old and very confusing. For me, that was the only problem I had with the second season. The twists were very confusing, and there were moments when I just didn't know what to believe. And the way the characters develop throughout the plot and their importance is also something R2 lacks despite of an excellent first season.Another thing that i Hated about Code Geass R2 were the meaningless mecha battles. At some point they were shadowing the strategical mind games that Code Geass was so loved for. The sounds are great, with thrilling soundtracks every second of the action. What I didn't enjoy was the animation. Yes, the character designs and backgrounds are bright and colorful but they were slacking of at the end of the season, in my opinion. The last 5 episodes were horrible when it came to animation level.
All the AMVs on Code Geass on youtube are just horrible...they are all based on the mecha side of the series, which is not what made it incredible..so I had to go with this one... WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Tengen Toppa … is one of the greatest mecha anime ever. I know I haven’t written a review of a crappy one, but I believe that it’s my obligation, as a mecha fan, to write the review of Tengen Toppa… Although it is brilliant, with certain visual styles, it has it’s little moments, when, even for a mecha anime, it loses logic. Unlike other anime, when the lack of logic is frustrating, here I don’t really give a shit because it’s so entertaining that you will stop trying figuring things out. But even so, for the sake of this review, I’ll bring them to light. Now, first of all I want to comment on the title. It’s not that it doesn’t make sense, it’s just, well…. It’s so fucking long. Why ? Gurren-Lagann would’ve been enough, or even just Lagann would suffice. Why not Tengen Toppa ? Because the only time these words are pronounced is at the end. The plot is that in a bleak future where humanity is oppressed by an army of mutants and forced to live underground, a young orphan unearths a powerful robot. Together with a boisterous man named Kamina, a beautiful sharpshooter named Yoko and many other friends, they use the robots power to fight against their oppressors and take back the surface. In their closed-off underground village, Kamina and Simon chafe at the limits imposed by the village elder. Yet all this will change, when Simon stumbles across a fantastic device - just as the village's peace is broken by a violent intrusion. So eventually this adventure takes the form of a war for survival, when our heroes capture more mecha for the humans and form a resistance group to fight the Beastmen. Well it’s all bright and blue, but… where the fuck did they get weapons to fight ? Well they say they found a stash of weapons with ammunition. Ok… but how the fuck did they know how to use them ? And what do they have unlimited ammo ? Best not try to think about it to much. It’s like I said, these are just tiny details, not like Pokemon, and you don’t really pay much attention to them. What’s important is that they have them, and they can use them, and that means you will see a lot of fighting. The plot, even though sounds simple, you know, like… we fight… they lose… the end… isn’t that simple at all cause there are a lot of twists and turns. There are a few moments that I’m sure you haven’t ( or won’t, if you haven’t seen it yet ) even predicted. I would tell you more about some things that don’t have logic, but that would be spoiling for those that haven’t seen it yet but read this review, and they don’t matter really much. The opening song is nice and energetic which really defines the anime. As the story progresses ( both character development and timeline ) there are multiple openings but with the same song. All I can say about the ending is that it’s not memorable. The character cast really steals the show. Like in any mecha anime it is big and has variety. Everyone has his/her own distinct feature and have great personalities and design. One of the biggest characters is Kamina, and rightfully so. He is like a hero of the oppressed and the symbol of the resistance. He is brave, strong-willed, caring and pure-hearted but sometimes… behaves like a total MINDLESS ASS. I mean he says and does stupid things sometimes, and the only reason they work out well is not because of skill but because of luck. Lucky monkey-brained bitch. Also he says some weird things to Simon, like ,,Don’t believe in yourself, believe in ME that believes in YOU”. Ok… so you’re saying ,,Fuck self-confidence, just focus on me”. What a self-centered bastard. But wait, later he says ,,Don’t believe in yourself, don’t believe in me that believes in you but believe in yourself THAT BELIEVES IN YOU” Ok… how does that work ? I don’t know, I just think he is retarded, makes things easier. Sound effects and visuals are pleasing. The musical score is good and always puts you in the right mood, voice work is believable and sound effects are realistic. But it’s the graphics that take the highlight in presentation. Character models define they’re personality, there is a lot of sex-appeal, and all the mecha, although don’t look very realistic, are rich in detail and color. The visual style here really depends on rich coloring and laser-show effects. They are awesome to look at. Overall this is one mecha you do NOT want to miss, cause it delivers entertainment and delivers it with style.
Now I know what you’re thinking… ,,Count of Monte Cristo – haven’t we seen that before ?”. Yeah, many versions of it. I saw the French version, the Russian version and the American version, and I even read the book. So the questions arises… Why the fuck would you even bother with this one ? Well for starters it doesn’t take place in the 19th century but in the far future. Plus this time around the story focuses on Albert and his friends and inter-relationships. Still not interested ? Well then let’s analyze it more thoroughly. The plot is that Albert de Morcerf had it all: wealth, loving parents, great friends. The only thing lacking in his life was excitement... until that fateful day on Luna. After a chance encounter with bandits and a daring rescue, Albert invites his newfound friend and savior, the Count of Monte Cristo, to his home in Paris. Little does he know what fate has in store for him and his loved ones. Just who is the mysterious Count, and what does he want? As tragedy touches the lives of those around him, can Albert’s only recourse be to wait and hope? Well hell fucking no because otherwise there would be no fun. One thing which I like the most about this one is that Gankutsuou is set in the far future, during the year 5053, whereas Alexandre Dumas's original novel takes place during the 1800s. Though Gankutsuou incorporates elements of science-fiction and fantasy, it also retains many aesthetics of France in the 1800s, particularly in regard to social classes and wealth. In addition, each of the episodes begin with a summary spoken in French. So it has a good mix science-fiction and history. One fuck up is the opening. The music sounds like a fucking lullaby, and together with the ,,artistic” images shown, always puts me to sleep. But the ending makes up for it. You can hear a part of it from the end of the trailer that came with this review. The ending song describes very well the atmosphere in this anime, and also gives the feelings of revenge and hatred of the Count. What other minus a have is that the first 7 or 8 episodes are kind of boring. But these are the episodes that introduce all the characters and also give start to each persons drama. So you can’t skip them, cause boring as they are, they are important. Now after that, it gets interesting as the Count’s plan of revenge slowly unfolds. Now let’s talk about the characters. First of all you will notice two things: 1) It’s diverse and 2) They usually represent French aristocratic society. And they sure feel like it. Depending on what position a character has in the aristocratic society ( e.g. banker or general ) they’re features as well as they’re sins, are defined. Example: a banker’s care is only money and how to become rich. And in this anime you can well see those features, so it has a good sense of real life. Everything else about them works out perfectly: everyone has his own well defined personality, and you can’t really feel at first who is a villain and who is a good guy. Another thing that I like about this anime is how good it keeps you interested without the use of action. Not that action is lacking, there are fight scenes which take the form of one on one duels, and there are also brief scenes of intergalactic war, but they are to few and short to matter. These war scenes are there only for the sake of the plot. It would’ve been nice if there were more such scenes and lasted longer, but they aren’t that important, and you can do without. Remember, this anime is more about revenge and relationships, not war. What keeps you watching is the good drama and mystery. I mean you know that Count is bad, you know who betrayed him ( if you read the book that is ) but you still don’t know how he will do that, and what role will Albert play in all this, cause remember the plot here focuses on Albert more than the Count. The sound is good, effects are realistic and voice work is done with talent and professionalism. What really sucks in this anime are the graphics. Usually when I complain about graphics I point out the fact that they look outdated, but here they just went way too far with innovation. The visuals are fucked up. Why ? Cause they fuck up you eyes. I mean it’s not that bad, they don’t cause blindness, but they strain your eyes, which is no fun. Bodies and shapes look good and real, and the background is rendered 3D which is nice. But coloring is God awful. They somehow layer Photoshop textures into digital animation, it’s hard to explain but trust me, it’s bad. At first I didn’t know what’s going on, and I couldn’t tell apart bodies and background, but in time my eyes adjusted and it was easier, but still fucked up. They tried something new, but I think it would’ve been better if they just made it with usual texture and color. In conclusion I’d like to say that this is a nice addition to all the representations of Dumas work. The Japanese never cease to amaze me with they’re imagination. You’d think the would fuck up with an idea like an anime version of Dumas novel, but the showed us that even an old idea can get new and entertaining if done right. Gankustuou…. TWO THUMBS UP.
So, after the Dragon Ball marathon, I believe I fulfilled my duty to the legendary anime, but now I think it’s time to move on. Now I know you’re waiting for a shitty anime review, but I want to talk about another favorite. The reason for this is that it’s all you would expect, and more, from a sci-fi and action anime. With this one, Animenerdz opinions and mine differ because of our different tastes. As you can see I am a more mecha and sci-fi fan. But I think that with this one, you don’t have to be a fan of the genre to truly enjoy it, and see why it is so acclaimed. While it doesn’t offer the same experience as Code Geass, cause it doesn’t have a story as amazing as Code Geass, or many twist and turns in the plot, but it does deliver a good experience. The plot is that after being threatened by extinction at the hands of alien invaders called the Zentradi, humanity undertook the task of guaranteeing itself a future by launching fleets of colony ships into space. On Macross Frontier, one such fleet, high school student Saotome Alto's life is changed forever: the fleet is suddenly attacked by unidentified creatures while he is performing aerial stunts for a concert by the wildly popular idol Sheryl. Alto quickly finds himself in the cockpit of a new-model fighter struggling to protect Ranka Lee, a young girl he met only hours earlier, from the invaders' swath of destruction. Noting his performance during this incident, the S.M.S. Skull Squadron private military company invites Alto to join their organization, where he continues protecting his friends and Macross Frontier. So, as you can see the setting is good for some nice action. One complaint ( one that you will frequently notice in my mecha anime reviews ) is that the main hero, the awesome pilot, IS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. You know it’s nice when you see one or two anime in which the hero that pilots the badass, newest model of mecha suit is just a kid but COME ON ! How many anime do you need with such idea. Well we will talk about that later on but right now I want to praise this one. First of all, let’s start with the opening theme. Just by listening it you can already tell that the musical score in this anime is freaking AWESOME. Every song is a treat and it always fits the mood perfectly, and always helps change it. The character cast is big, it has a lot of variety, with examples of different social status and occupations. Most importantly, each and every character acts the part he is supposed to act. A president will feel like he really is a president, a general will really feel like he is a general and a soldier will act the part. Although I have to say, some of them live some awkward drama, that really don’t make much sense. For example, the main character, Alto, is struggling to figure out if he did the right thing by becoming a pilot instead of some kind of Japanese theater actor. WHAT THE FUCK ! Are you serious ? Are you really wondering if you should have remained an actor and frequently play female roles ? What is there to decide ? I mean honestly if I come up to you and ask ,,Would like to play transvestite roles, and make out with men, or would you rather pilot the newest most badass fighter that can transform into a humanoid robot suit ? I think the choice is obvious. Yet he ponders about it like FOREVER. Also there is a lot of drama going on. For example both Ranka Lee and Sheryl fall in love with Alto, yet he can’t chose one of them. Well that’s easy, just propose a threesome. Just kidding, but the point is that sometimes the drama feels unnecessary and a bit dumb. But it doesn’t spoil the mood. Also I like the enemy because they offer a sense of true and imminent danger, and they are really hard to beat, which heightens the suspense. The action here is more based on epic space battles, but there are moments with more personal confrontations, without any fighters or robots, just a your two feet and a big gun. The best example is episode 20 which is also the most dramatic one. The battles are epic and the visual effects certainly are a eye pleasing. Animation-wise, Macross Frontier is certainly better that it’s predecessors, but I think they aren’t quite the best I’ve seen ( personally I think the best are in Code Geass and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig ). I mean they are good, and use a lot of coloring and laser-show effects, and the character models are beautiful, but there are times when they lose some of it’s sharpness. It’s like the graphics devolve a couple o years for a few seconds, and then they come back. These are minor gliches, and they aren’t really noticeable, but they are still there. The sound department is flawless. I already commented on the musical score, how it is one of the best out of all the anime I watched, and the sound effects are realistic. Voice work is good, it fits every character nicely and the singing steals the highlight. Overall, this is one of the best sci-fi, outer space anime in the market ( well at least presently cause you never know what might come up ). Also I would like to point out the fact that this is ONE of the best not THE best, so I’m still looking for that one, but if someone of you might know, please write it in a comment so that you might see that anime review.
Everyone, meet the late Sunda and Enri Granitz
