Steamboy is the most expensive anime-project that has ever been made, with a budget of roughly 20 million dollars; according to AniDB, at least. But then again, a high budget doesn’t always equal a good production; let’s not forget Afro Samurai and its budget of $1 million per episode. Still, Steamboy does pretty well. The graphics and action-scenes look excellent, and they’re accompanied by a great soundtrack, making this into a tense action-series. But what about the plot?
Well, this movie suffers from the so-called “bad main character”-syndrome. It’s a boy, who ends up as the centre of struggles between adults, and I don’t think I need to say more than this. He’s always right, the adults are all too busy trying to kill each other with big weapons, he’s a genius, and he never does anything wrong.
It’s the side-characters you need to look out for. They’ve all got their flaws, and it’s definitely fun to see them struggle with each other and develop throughout the movie (yes, the main character is the only flawless character, and also one of the less versatile ones, ironically). The side-characters have all got their own motives to act, and they were the ones who saved this movie from becoming a flop with eye-candy. I like how the female lead stayed away from all the clichés that plague most other shounen-adventures, and she actually became one of the most enjoyable members of the cast.
There’s one thing about the side-characters I didn’t like, though. The minor ones tend to disappear from the screen, without any trace. I would have loved to see them develop through the movie, but instead time had to be spent on the main character. Fortunately, he got better when the climax arrived, when he stopped being the centre of everything. This made the action-scenes quite tense to watch.
But yeah, like most other action-movies, Steamboy has trouble staying within the laws of physics. In most cases, this doesn’t really distract from viewing, but there’s one major exception: the main character’s (yes, him again) inventions. Especially his jetpack was just too ridiculous. I mean, how does he ever manage to both steer and cling on to it when it’s got that much thrust?
If you’re looking for action, though: look no further. This movie manages to deliver lots of it, with a fairly decent plot and interesting side-characters. Just be sure to ignore that main one.]]>
Author: psgels
Toward the Terra – 21
Excuse my fanboyism and rude language, but this episode was FUCKING EPIC!!! I never expected the first episode of the finale of this series to nearly surpass the previous highlights of this anime. The week-long break was worth it, because this episode was awesome beyond belief, and had me crying manly tears near the climax. Obviously, spoilers are going to follow.
The first half of the episode is still a bit of building up, focusing at Swena, who is still reporting, Toni, who doesn’t notice that Artella loves him and wants attention, Jomie, preparing to warp to Jupiter along with five battleships he snatched from the humans, Keith, preparing to defend Jupiter with his fleet consisting of Myu-proof weapons and Leticia and Jomie’s parents, being moved to a special ship near Jupiter.
But then, the plot really gets fired off again. You really should see it for yourself, and it’s no use describing it, but it was so incredibly exciting, a new and awesome background-tune got introduced and NO LESS THAN THREE natural-born Myu die, Artella included!!
With only three episodes left, Keith has threatened to use the Myu he has captured as a hostage, to make Jomie cooperate. Now it’s up to Jomie to make the right decision. The finale is promising to become awesome!]]>
Dennou Coil – A Circle of Children – 14
“You know, I’m all for giving the animators enough chance to catch up and all, but I’m beginning to get really pissed off when there hasn’t been any Saiunkoku Monogatari or Dennou Coil for FOUR SUCCESSIVE WEEKS! Because yes, this week is yet another recap. This time, told in the perspective of Akira.
Seriously, I’m getting Wolf’s Rain flashbacks here. Thank god the beginning of this episode had at least a bit of new footage.”
At least, that was what I was going to write, until the end of the episode started showing some more new footage. First of all, Fumie discovers that Akira has been spying on her all along. While this was nice and fun, the next scene was what really surprised me: remember the reporter-like guy? He finally shows a bit more of himself when he talks to Haraken.
He really knows a lot about both Illegals and Haraken himself. He also tells him something very interesting: if Haraken continues his research, he’ll end up just like Kanna. The name “Dennou Coil” also has been chosen for a reason, it seems. This seems to be the event, item or phenomena that everything centres around.
We also see a new cyber-pet introduced in this episode: another cat with hands as ears. The question remains: who is her owner? Some heavy hints are pointed to the reporter-like guy, but it can be anyone at this point.
Let’s hope the next episode will be a real one.]]>
Kaze no Shoujo Emily – 22
OMG! The characters have really grown up significantly now! This brings so many possibilities with it, and Kaze no Shoujo Emily grabs all of them! This was such an awesome episode, since just about every character that appeared in it showed a different side of him or herself. Seriously, never have I seen a sudden introduction of romance work SO well!
The thing with romance is that it can completely ruin characters when handled the wrong way. But with characters as awesome as in this show, it only strengthens them even more!!! To give a short summary:
– Perry still remembers the promise he made to Emily, and he confesses his love to her.
– Emily declines.
– Perry gets angry.
– Emily realizes she likes Teddy
– Ilse gets fed up with Perry’s angry behaviour after being dumped by Emily, and confesses her own love for Perry
– A few days later, during a local dance party, Perry and Ilse officially become a couple. The same would have happened with Emily and Teddy, if Emily didn’t get some sudden inspiration for her new poem. ^^;
Aunt Ruth, the most underdeveloped character of the cast also shined in this episode, when she suddenly managed to prevent Emily and the others from being expelled, due to some false rumours that have been spreading.
The thing also is: there are still four episodes left. I’m dying to know how this anime will choose to finish! This episode was so incredibly cute, it’s actually getting sad that it’s about to finish.]]>
Seirei no Moribito – 22
This episode concludes Barsa’s past, and further builds up for the arrival of spring and Rarunga. Barsa’s past continues to surprise me. Jiguro actually killed all of his assailants we saw in the previous episode, and this is the reason why Barsa refuses to kill, because Jiguro felt so bad about it afterwards. Surprisingly, Jiguro never got killed. He died because of a disease, five years ago. Especially that part went against all possible rules of anime up till now.
Afterwards, Chaggumu also decided to learn how to fight with a spear, so that he could protect himself. There’s more to that: this episode went really deep, but I doubt that my summaries will be able show that. Near the end of the episode, we also get our first hint that spring is coming: the egg transports Chaggumu’s mind to the spirit world, just like what happened to Tanda, a few episodes back.
I’m not sure how to explain it, but I really liked this episode. I’m really happy to see that Seirei no Moribito has managed to come together, after all the time it spent building up.]]>
My Beautiful Girl Mari Review – 77/100
Just like Oseam and Wonderful Days, My Beautiful Girl Mari, or Mari Iyagi is a Korean production. It came to me, recommended by Chris, and while it isn’t as emotionally strong and sad as Oseam, or as beautifully rendered as Wonderful Days, it still remains a nice watch. Mari Iyagi is more about nostalgia, about the final year of elementary school (or whatever school you’re on around the age of eleven. I’m still not sure how this is done in other countries), when the world still seems so simple.
This movie benefits greatly from its realism. This probably is the only anime that focuses on the culture of modern Korea, so it’s an interesting watch when compared to usual anime, who often take place in Japan. The differences are subtle, but they’re there. The characters also are drawn with a priority on realism, and not prettiness, so that we’re left with a bunch of real characters, and not a few future photo-models.
Still, there’s one major problem with Mari Iyagi. This may have been because I was tired when watching it, but it really feels like entire scenes have been lost on the cutting-room floor. Some scenes feel disjointed and confusing, and the fantasy-world where our main character is drawn in may be full of imagination, but it’s never really explained or really developed. Mari, even though her name appears in the title, gets hardly any development for herself. I’m also still not sure whether one minor character died near the ending or not…
Still, there’s one reason to keep watching this: the ending. Mari Iyagi is actually one of the few movies where the ending is part of its highlights. It keeps the same level of realism, where not everything can be resolved in a happy way, and life goes on, and it really feels like the entire movie comes together. Don’t expect any brilliant plot-twists, but it just “feels good”.]]>
Ayatsuri Sakon – 25
Yes! Yes! This arc is progressing perfectly! I couldn’t have expected it to get any better, by the standards that have been set with the rest of the series. There’s a strong and consistent emotional strength throughout the entire episode, the mystery progresses perfectly, and it’s great to see Sakon as the centre of attention, without any increase of cheesiness.
The interesting thing is that this is another one of those arcs where we know who did it, before the final episode: the Shinozakis. If the creators are confident enough that they give out these hints, they must have got something very interesting in store for the conclusion. With other words: Shinozaki’s reasons should be quite juicy.
Come on, Sakon! There’s only one episode left! You’ve only got one more chance to prove yourself and your unique character. Please, make your end a memorable one!]]>
Ayatsuri Sakon – 24
So, apparently there is no Baccano-release this week. To make up for it, we get treated to a double-release of Ayatsuri Sakon. We’re finally ready to start the final arc, and it’s exactly as I hoped: the final arc is going to be all about Sakon, as it centres on his succession of his the puppetry-school that has been lead by his father for ages. If I had to say so, this episode was the best opening to an arc since the first one, which benefited most from the fact that I had no idea what to expect from this series.
Lots of side-characters also return for this arc. Shiho from the fourth ac is back, Shinozaki from arc I returns, and our regular side-characters of Kaoru and Zenkichi are also present. Like I mentioned above: Sakon’s famous grandfather finally decides to hand over his title as the head of the house, after suffering from a heart-attack on stage. The successor will be Sakon. I nearly forgot that this grandfather is also Kaoru’s father, by the way. His other child, Sakon’s father, committed suicide when Sakon was only ten years old.
The fact is that people obviously disagree with Sakon being the next head. The most obvious suspect would be Sakon’s grandfather’s brother, but he also coughs up blood at the end of the episode. The big question is now: was Sakon’s grandfather’s heart-attack a real one, or was it created by a human? If it was, I’m putting my money on the guy who takes care of the clothing, due to a hint that was given around the middle of the episode. There are still lots of questions that remain, though. Why did the criminal set a garbage-can on fire? Is Sakon’s father’s suicide related to this?
I’ve got high hopes for this arc. This is probably going to have more emotional strength than most other arcs, due to the fact that it focuses on characters who are already fleshed out, and with a bit of luck, it’ll be able to finally top the seventh episode. Come on, Ayatsuri Sakon! You’ve only got one arc left, so make it an arc to remember!]]>
August Summary
+ August 2007 Rankings +
Okay, last time the ratings were a bit confusing so let me explain them for a bit. They’re out of 10, just like the school-system. 6,0 is average, and you really shouldn’t look for likable series below it. Anything above 9,0 is awesome, hence definitely recommended. After the place-numbers, you’ll see another number between brackets. That’s the place that anime was on last month. If it says “???”, then that anime wasn’t in last month’s ranking, and if it says “new”, that show has started this month. I hope it’s a bit clear now.
(Oh, and before I start: this is still on for one more day. Exactly 24 hours from now, I’ll close the poll. If no more votes come in, then it looks like Gundam 00 will be blogged by me once it starts. If you want to change this, you’ve only got 24 hours left!)
#40 (new): Bokusatsu Tenchi Dokuro-Chan – (4,2/10) – Ugh… when you thought the first season was bad, the second one comes along to smack you in the face. How long will they continue to milk this concept?
#39 (43): School Days – (5,3/10) – Things actually went well enough, until the third AND fourth girl confessed their love for Makoto… where the heck did that come from!? I doubt that the endings will save this series as well. The events feel so incredibly forced, not to mention that the three main characters are still idiots. I also don’t understand the people who claim that this is such a realistic series. Sure, I can see Makoto in real life, there are enough idiots like him around, but what part of the fact that every girl who sees him also falls in love with him is realistic? Is he the most attractive guy in school or something (poor school, by the way)? Is he a walking bag of pheromones?
#38 (38): Romeo x Juliet – (5,5/10) – You know…. we have yet to see any confirmations about Juliet’s mother, have we? At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if she actually had a secret love-affair with Romeo’s father at one point, making the two of them half-siblings. Such a twist would feel perfectly at home in this series, and that’s not a good sign. It’s also ironic that the only enjoyable character is Willy himself, and don’t you also love how there isn’t a single good bowman in the Capulet’s army?
#37 (39): Lucky Star – (6/10) – Really, when I watch this show, it’s like I’ve already seen 75% of the scenes before. 15% is incredibly predictable (Kagami’s admirer, anyone?), leaving only 10% of actually enjoyable stuff, which in most cases are the cultural references, which have nothing to do with the characters. Oh, and the tantrum thrown by the Lucky Channel-guy (apparently, there are only two male characters in the entire series) was fun too.
#36 (???): Hellsing OVA – (6,2/10) – And with the third instalment, the Hellsing OVA has fallen apart. Finally, the story gets to be something entirely different from the anime, but if this is exactly according to the manga, then I can understand why Gonzo changed it. This isn’t entertainment; this is pure and senseless slaughter. If these extra months of delay were created, just to give each human soldier 10 extra galleons of blood in his body, something has to be drastically wrong. The only thing I liked was the humour, though. Seras was awesome in her non-serious state.
#35 (36): Sky Girls – (6,7/10) – Ugh… you know a series is going the wrong way when the characters start comparing breast sizes. I’m feeling it’s trying the same that Nanoha is currently doing: first half of the series building up, while the real meat of the series will arrive with the second half.
#34 (34): Kenkou Senrakei Sueibu Umisho – (7,1/10) – Please… cut down on the huge amounts of fanservice. The characters are enjoyable enough without it, and it only ruins this series! Episode nine showed that it’s perfectly capable of creating a funny episode without any useless fanservice
#33 (35): Nanatsuiro Drops – (7,2/10) – I’m still not sure how this series can manage to be both annoying and yet watchable. I think it’s because the male characters: they all somewhat refreshing, when compared to the usual series, and I like how they all end up supporting the main character.
#32 (16): Shigurui – (7,3/10) – I want to praise this series, I really do, but the past few episodes have been delving more and more in the absurd. I know there’s lots of detail, and the gore is a good way to create a mood, but these utterly bizarre rituals like cutting off a woman’s nipple and raping her are going way too far.
#31 (29): Potemayo – (7,4/10) – I’m still not sure what to think of this series. The initial shock wears off with the first two episodes, and now the jokes still feel refreshing, but not as hilarious as I hoped. There are a few good moments though, like Potemayo chasing the bread-truck.
#30 (23): Mushiuta – (7,4/10) – This series could have gone in so many directions, and yet it headed into the wrong way by making each major female fall in love with the male lead. Ladybird really ruins this series.
#29 (17): Gintama – (7,4/10) – Gintama is the only show where an episode can be extended into the next one. It was a rather strange episode as well.
#28 (30): Murder Princess – (7,5/10) – Actually, episode five was quite good. It explained quite a few interesting things about the setting, and was a pretty nice calm-before-the-storm episode. The question now remains: will this finish well?
#27 (37): Heroic Age – (7,6/10) – Interesting enough, this series is starting to get better when themes as genocide suddenly appear, and the two idiots are mercilessly killed off. This series would have been perfectly fine if it just showed the war between the Iron and the Silver Tribe, but Age and Dianeira ruined the entire show. I still can’t understand why Dianeira is considered such a good leader anyway.
#26 (8): Saiunkoku Monogatari – (7,6/10) – Well, nothing much can be said. Only one episode aired this month, and that was an aftermath. It was a great aftermath, but the fact remains that I’m not happy with the sudden delays.
#25 (25): Shoujo Jang Geum no Yume – (7,8/10) – Okay, it may not be the most realistic series, but it’s fun to watch! I like Jang Geum’s cheery character, and how she’s getting the support she needs from others.
#24 (21): Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – (7,8/10) – This series went so well… and then Yoko returned. -_- She really is the worst member of the cast in this anime, and it was refreshing when she didn’t have much to do. Not only is her return full of clichés, she also has the corniest sense of humour. I mean, does she really expect the school-references to work? O_o Episode 22 wasn’t much better either; sure, it had nice action, but the entire thing felt like one big anti-climax when the moon suddenly turned out to be one giant Ganmen. Gainax, at least do something special for the ending!!!
#23 (28): Tetsuko no Tabi – (7,9/10) – I’m actually interested in what the mangaka thinks of this adaptation. She’s probably one of the very few people to be featured in an actual anime. I still like her character, by the way. She’s witty, and I love her sarcastic remarks throughout the series, even though it’s much of the same. I originally thought that Shigurui had the best OP for the season, but I was wrong; the best OP for the summer-season belongs to Tetsuko no Tabi.
#22 (19): Kekkaishi – (8/10) – And finally the antagonists get serious. It’s now time for Kekkaishi that it’s more than just an ordinary shounen-series, because it can still go down at this point.
#21 (???): ICE – (8/10) – I like the storytelling in this OVA. It may be strange, but it works quite well. It’s obviously not for everyone, though.
#20 (???): Power Puff Z – (8/10) – It’s interesting how Himeko’s sister took over Princess’s role in the original series. While the past few episodes haven’t been as brilliant as some of the episodes in the 30-40 range, they were definitely fun to watch.
#19 (20): Reideen – (8/10) – Finally Roxell is back again. I’m wondering what the creators have in store for the final two episodes. Things are looking pretty straightforward, but I wonder whether the creators can manage to throw in a twist.
#18 (18): Zombie Loan – (8,2/10) – I like how the episodes seem to focus more at the shoujo-roots of the story than the shounen-ones. The banter between the characters is great to watch, and at the same time it’s still able to provide powerful character-studies.
#17 (12): Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei – (8,3/10) – Episode five may have had a tad too much fanservice, but episode four was utterly brilliant. It seems like about 50% of the episodes are okay, while the other 50% are absolutely hilarious. I can live with that. ^_^
#16 (4): Dennou Coil – (8,3/10) – Nothing much can be said. Only one episode got released, and while it was an incredibly cute one, the plot hasn’t really been moving forward. Let’s hope that the next episode will fix this.
#15 (7): Mononoke – (8,3/10) – While it’s still awesome, this month I failed to understand Mononoke’s dialogues. The stories are surprisingly deep, and my level of Japanese just couldn’t handle it.
#14 (22): Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha – (8,3/10) – Finally this series is getting really fired off. Episode 17 was excellent, and I hope that this pace will continue!!
#13 (14): Claymore – (8,3/10) – I never could have imagined the current arc to turn out the way it did. So many Claymores together equals awesomeness. It’s just too bad that Raki took a turn for the worse. I just hope my worries about the ending of this series aren’t necessary.
#12 (???): Deltora Quest – (8,4/10) – It’s such a shame that some of the good series suffer from chronic lack of subs. Deltora Quest really is unique amongst the fantasy-adventures, and I want to see how it continues. 🙁
#11 (9): Darker than Black – (8,6/10) – I’ve seen this get mentioned by at least three people already, but it’s the truth: while they were good, episodes 17-20 weren’t as awesome as episodes 13-16. I liked how they all seemed to focus on running away, though. I’ve got hopes for the finale, as this is one series that completely understands its setting.
#10 (26): Baccano! – (8,8/10)
Don’t ask me how they did it, but all the characters are actually coming together, in a pretty excellent storyline. I’ve got high hopes for this.
#9 (10): Code-E – (8,8/10)
While the past few episodes had me worried a bit with the love-triangle, episode 9 showed that this series knows what it’s doing when everything comes together. The thing I love about this series is how, at the climaxes, the overall quality seems to increase tenfold.
#8 (11): Ooedo Rocket – (8,8/10)
Ooedo’s biggest problem: the characters are so fun to watch, it’s a pity to see them getting serious for the climaxes. It’s perfect at building up, but the climaxes themselves seem to lack something. Still, do NOT miss episode 21 and 22. ^_^
#7 (1): Toward the Terra – (9/10)
This month, this series spent its time in a “calm-before-the-storm”, to set all the chess-pieces right for the big finale. While the series has been better, it still was awesome.
#6 (27): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – (9,1/10)
This is the Higurashi I fell in love with. The Minagoroshi-hen has finally started, and it’s already an awesome ride. I can’t believe the huge focus that is placed on trusting each other.
#5 (15): El Cazador de la Bruja – (9,2/10)
Ellis + Nadie + LA = awesomeness. I don’t care about the flaws anymore, as long as I can see the three of them together, I’m happy. Bee-Train really knows how to flesh out its characters. 🙂
#4 (2): Bokura no – (9,2/10)
You know, many people complain that Gonzo always screws up adaptations by adding their own storylines, but they’re currently doing a mighty fine job for Bokura no. The twists that came with it were awesome!
#3 (6): Les Miserables – (9,3/10)
This month was all about developing the different romances, and I’m developing a sortof obsession for Eponine myself. God, her character is awesome.
#2 (5): Seirei no Moribito – (9,4/10)
It’s very hard to judge the past few episodes of Seirei no Moribito, since it’s so delightfully different from most other anime. There really is no other anime that feels more like a novel than this one, and it’s awesome to see that the story is nearing its conclusion.
#1 (3): Kaze no Shoujo Emily – (9,4/10)
I’m probably the only one who still watches this series, but I don’t care! Emily is awesome, and as a bonus the past month has increased the focus about the characters, living towards their own dreams. The result is magnificent. 🙂
+ Top 5 Episodes +
#5: Ooedo Rocket – 22
One of the highlights of the series in terms of comedic value, and it still finds enough time for some great character-development. A cast as crazy as Ooedo Rocket’s really was given the time to shine.
#4: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – 34
It’s episodes like these where the characters shine. Especially Rika was awesome to watch.
#3: Claymore – 20
The top-3 of this month is all about characters, learning lessons. This episode of Claymore truly shined as an aftermath and introduction with its deep character-developments. I couldn’t help but love Deneve, Undine and Helen and the unnamed Claymore.
#2: Kaze no Shoujo Emily – 19
What would you do if you were asked to do something for a dead person, where the only thing you know about him is that he lived an incredibly boring life? This question worked so incredibly well with Emily, and it was a definite highlight in the series.
#1: Seirei no Moribito – 19
If anyone still doesn’t believe that Barsa can’t be a good parent, this episode should change this thought.]]>
Voices of a Distant Star
Makoto Shinkai is a very strange director. With this, I’ve seen all of his major works now, She and her Cat included, but only The Place Promised in our Early Days gave me enough inspiration to write a review about it. It doesn’t happen often, but some movies just aren’t fit for my review-system, and She and Her Cat, Byousoku 5cm/second and Voices of a Distant Star are examples of this. I could be nitpicky, and pick out lots of flaws, like where did these aliens come from, or the lack of a proper aftermath, but that’s not what this movie’s about. All Makoto Shinkai is interested in is pretty graphics and romance, and he definitely delivers on these points.
While this isn’t going to be a fully fledged review, I do want to grab this chance to say a few things about it. Makoto Shinkai is a master in creating subtle feelings, mostly about loneliness, and being away from your loved one. All his works share this similarity. The setting he places it in often doesn’t really matter, and often only is used as a means of creating this feeling.
The Place Promised in our Early Days is, in my opinion, his weakest production. I think that this is because 1) it was too long, 2) it tried too much to be a standard movie and 3) the ending was his only happy end, in which everything was unrealistically resolved in the end (this is because of 2) as well).
My main gripe with Makoto is the following. It’s not really a problem, it’s not really a flaw, but it seems that he’s only good at one specific style. Am I the only one who noticed that his male leads are practically the same everywhere? Okay, the cat may be different, but the male leads in Voices, Place and Byousoku could very well have been the exact same person. Nevertheless, his particular style can be watched over and over, and I’m looking forward to his next movie. He’s also going to be involved in ef in the next Season, isn’t he? Is this as the writer, or is he just going to do the backgrounds?]]>