Category: Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction

Robotics;Notes – 14

by psgels, posted in Robotics;Notes

With this episode, it’s time to address the premise of this series: gamers saving the world. With gamers for some strange reason becoming more and more celebrities, it had it coming that there would be more series that would cater to them, resulting in creators finding more and more alaborate ways to somehow put these people in the spotlights. It’s not as bad as the typical loser, but yeah… you probably get what I mean.

Attempts so far failed for me. Kirito from Sword Art Online was just giant wish fulfillment. Accel World, from what I watched of it, looked the same. Btooom was better, but still gave the male lead way too much plot armour. With this, Robotics;Notes has given me the first gamer male lead that I actually like, and I feel is done well.

Either way this was so much better than the examples mentioned above. For one, the entire series doesn’t just revolve around Killballad, but the game is just a small part of the whole conspiracy that’s going on in this series. That means that the series doesn’t automatically revolve around the male lead, but it has to offer more than just him being good at this game. Second of all, it allowed the creators tocreate this weird mish-mash of subplots that somehow managed to link a robots, solar flares, an evil organization, an anime and brainwashing together, and actually get away with it pretty nicely. Sakurasou also has this variety of not just being based on one thing, which really helps for the diversity.

This episode had a climax for the gaming subplot. The robots can only be stopped if you manage to beat a game. It’s a completely crazy security system, but if you take into account that it was made by someone who was mentally screwed while also brainwashed… it’s still silly. And yet they pulled it off by using Kaito’s time slowing powers, which were previously established to be really intense. On top of that, some very convincing romance between him and Frau.

I usually hate love triangles for being pointless, so please: Akiho. Move on. Just… get over your crush. I know that this is unheard of in anime and all, but people can get over love. This series has intelligent writing, so make use of that.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Psycho Pass – 14

by psgels, posted in Psycho Pass

And the system just continues to break down. Previously we were introduced to the rare case in which someone kills whilbe being perfectly mentally healthy. This time the dominators are limited even more by devies that mimic the Psycho Passes of others. I can only see this escalate and get better.

Also kudos to the directors in this episode. First of all, the gore in this series really hits the mark, especially the part where that woman was being beaten to death and how everyone just looked on. It most of all showed how desensitized to problems and violence this society is, and I was really at the edge of my seat. Later, when Makishima started kicking ass I noticed that we’re really talking about Production IG here: it’s been a while since they’ve done a fight scene like that, but I really like the style of trying to be as realistic as possible. That only makes it hurt more.

The one criticism I do have is that everyone is lumped together in this series. I would have liked to see in the minds of those bystanders for example, and why they found it interesting to film that incident. That really was the first time where we really got a good view of what was wrong with the Psycho Pass society, but it’s not in much detail. I’d like some attention on tha in the next few episodes, because it also serves as a good backup for Makishima’s motivations.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

From the New World – 16

by psgels, posted in From the New World

This was a very interesting episode. The thing is, that it’s clear that it had hardly any budget, yet it did have a couple of very talented animators and artists. This episode threw away a lot of conventions, looked inconsistent, spent its first half on recycled footage, and yet looked really gorgeous.

The new footage showed the cast when they were young children, which contrasted really well with what they went through later. And then came that incredibly weird dream that Saki had afterwards. I can only imagine the symbolism that was in there for the final half of this series, but the thing that caught my attention the most was how it stated that it was no use to bring Mamoru and Maria back. That they were better off dying. I mean, dreams in anime are always with a purpose. What was that dream trying to tell her?

I really liked Maria’s letter and how it was written. But really: the writing in this entire episode was just excellent, how it was entirely focused on Saki’s worries about the loss of her friends; it really went in-depth there. Saki and Satoru, they have lost three really good friends now, and they’re pretty much alone at this point. This episode wasn’t really clear whether or not they will return to the village, or also run away. Either way, it’s going to be really tough for them.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Psycho Pass – 13

by psgels, posted in Psycho Pass

Now this episode marks the time for Psycho pass to take a more in-depth look at its setting. In the first half we got to see what it’s like to live in this society, and now this series really starts to question it, and it does so in quite an interesting way. It’s not like the Sybil system is currently evil now, this episode looked at it from quite a few different angles and perspectives. I really liked that.

Nobody in this episode actively questioned the Sybil system, yet everyone talked to each other as if they did, to try and reassure each other. Akane in particular did bother her time to question that system, but rather actively challenged her emotions by reliving her memories, going along with the system. In this episode she was shown that her crime coefficient does not rise really high, but in the end, what does this mean really? She is a great asset to the flawed Sybil system.

Also, take note: this episode had a small bit that played at the end of the ED, which is rather important. In this episode we’re introduced to who is probably the one who manages the enforcers and the entire police. I already like her character: I like her dialogue and how she is trying to manage the Sybil system without things going out of control. And at the end of the episode a connection between her and Makishima was revealed, which should hint that her hidden agenda could become really interesting for the next few episodes.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Robotics;Notes – 13

by psgels, posted in Robotics;Notes

Ah, and some more of the different storylines are starting to connect more closely. This episode reaffirmed that the bad guys in this series were basically trying to annihilate the entire world, but this episode showed that the final episode of Gunvarrel contained quite a number of big hints that these plans were in the works. So yeah, Frau’s mother knew what was going on, and tried to stop it, using the same kind of subtle messages that that dead guy whose name I forgot has been showing. My guess is that he knew what happened to Gunvarrel, and tried to be even more secretive, hence why these hints were even more obscure.

The solar storm thing by the way is something that really shows that this is from the same creators of Steins;Gate: the world won’t be destroyed because some giant thingy of doom will explode, no: it put some extensive background into why this will happen with the magnetic storms. It found quite a clever way to put these in by not fully having the characters explain what would happen, but to show a file containing the details. This will be something that you need to pause your browser for in order to fully understand, but I find it a very nice addition there.

Also things just got real here. The solar storms happened at the end of this episode. What I didn’t expect was that at this stage, this series would ask even more questions: which bugger managed to hack into Frau’s twitter account? It probably has to do with the cheater subplot, which will probably get a lot clearer in the next few weeks. I actually like that a lot: the series has managed to balance all of its different subplots quite well. Probably the only one who doesn’t really fit is Subaru: what’s his point in this series? He hasn’t really done anything major, other than help a bit with the robot building.

Oh, and I just realized: the solar storms and the robot building are of course linked to each other because it’s the solar storms that will make all robots go out of control. Next question: why is the main robot of this series special here?

Al for the characters, Frau went through a lot here, even to suicide attempts, although it seems that she was stopped just in time. We also finally got to see her younger version, which always is a great way to flesh out a character. It’s clear that the second half of this season will be a lot heavier in terms of drama, and yeah: with Frau the creators again did a very good job.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

From the New World – 15

by psgels, posted in From the New World

And with this episode, we come back to squealer. The Queerat with a surprising intelligence. This episode confirms it: he’s not exactly evil, but he is clearly trying to use the gods for his own gain here. I actually really like his character, and how he’s this guy who on one hand can’t be trusted, yet on the other hand is very useful.

But this episode came with another very interesting revelation here: the queerats are trying to copy human culture. Like, the culture the humans left behind when they started getting the cantus. This episode showed this even more, by showing exactly how much of these queerats there are in one colony (tens of thousands), and by throwing some traditional Japanese armour on them. It might very well be possible that Squealer also caught one of those snails, and if he did, the information he got out of it could prove to be very dangerous. Like, this episode was only the tip of the iceberg. Note that he talked about colonies he “merged with”. Something tells me that he just captured them by force.

Also, the queen story becomes more shocking again. It’s like this bizarre combination between an insect society and a human one. With ants for example the queen also never leaves the nest again, but this really takes it a step further when she’s forcefully kept alive, just to produce offspring. It’s a huge moral dilemma: she’s needed because she is the only one who produces children, but in the meantime she also attaks and kills everyone.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Psycho Pass – 12

by psgels, posted in Psycho Pass

Interestingly, Psycho Pass had the same idea for episode 12 as Robotics;Notes: develop a side-character. Overall, this always is the episode for side stories: right after the big halfway climax. Psycho Pass’ case is interesting, because of how little the character in question showed of herself before that episode. She was just there, but with this episode, Yayoi got a character.

Dead people are often glorified in these kinds of series, but here is one who actually turned out to be quite an asshole when you learn who he actually was. Or at the very least he is incredibly rash. Beyond being about Yayoi, the rest of the older cast also got some interesting details added to them.

I found it quite strange that all of the latent criminals were just lumped together like that. Yayoi for example still could think quite clearly, but she was put together with people who had very obviously lost it. Or was that meant to show how she was special? That she was one of the few people who did not go crazy from being locked up for so long, being denied her artistic expressions?

Artistic expression is one of the surprising themes of Psycho Pass, by the way. It’s almost as if there is no normal art to be found and instead it seems like this show hates artists. Or more precisely: the Sybil system hates artists. In this series, you’ve got the psychopaths, like with the murdered schoolgirls, but the other artists are labelled as liberalists and freedom fighters. I can’t believe I’m spotting similar themes as AKB0048 here…

Also, the new OP: I liked the old one better. Mostly because of the dull vocals that you hear everywhere else in rock-songs. The ED is similar: quite generic, in my opinion. Although it does have some nice visual ideas.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Robotics;Notes – 12

by psgels, posted in Robotics;Notes

Robotics;Notes has returned, and with a pretty interesting episode to boot. Instead of continuing the main storyline, it makes a little detour to a couple of side characters: Jun and her grandfather. This is where the character-development really begins, starting with some of side characters.

I nearly forgot that that old guy was the grandfather of Jun, but his illness really reminded me again. And thi showed some interesting dynamics between the two of them, along with the past they shared. It revealed the guy feeling guilty over whta he did to her in the past, and how he let one of his robots go out of control.

It had a bit of cheese, but it worked. The end effect of this episode was that it was quite heart-warming to watch. Most interesting was Jun overcoming her own fears though. I liked her doubts about the robot club and how she was forced to choose between two things that she’snot entirely confident of, but she has fond memories with.

Also, new OP and ED. I think they’re improvements over the previous ones. They are more slick and interesting looking. Nothing amazing yet, but definitely better. The ED is a slide-show, but it does show a lot more about the character. It slightly flehses the cast out a bit, which is a nice touch.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

From the New World – 14

by psgels, posted in From the New World

You know, for a while I just kept wondering why Saki and the others were special. But yeah, there are more anime that just make their main cast special and stand out for no reason whatsoever other than that they happened to be at the right time at the right place. But this episode actually addresses that: the lead cast could have actually been just a bunch of obedient vegetables, if it wasn’t for the decision of the board of education to have them develop their own free will. Now it all makes sense: why they were the only ones who went to look for that slug creature.

I still can’t believe that Shun was killed off so early. This episode really made me suspect that he originally was meant to lead the village next, but then his powers went out of control. This episode also hints very heavily that we’re not going to Maria and Mamoru back. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a show pick off its supposed main characters so easily.

What I do wonder is why the decision was made to dispose of Mamoru? I mean, there were a few things going on in this episode that weren’t mentioned: the feelings of the board of execution. They probably got scared of Mamoru. My guess would be that giving him a mind of his own didn’t work out too well: he didn’t become independent and was rather weak, and they started to fear this and just disposed of him, since he was useless with a mind of his own. Now that that failed they tried to cover themselves up with their own authority.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

From the New World – 13

by psgels, posted in From the New World

The first half of this episode had something that you hardly ever get to see in anime: tracking. It was fairly basic: following someone’s sled tracks in the snow, but what made it work was the mystery: Mamoru had some kind of reason to do this, and it wasn’t even sure whether he, with his weak cantus, would have survived.

The revelation of why he ran away… yeah. For some reason the adults found it appropriate to get rid of him. Even though at first sight there might not be something wrong with him. Next episode will probably delve more into that, and why he has to fear for his life and got those copycats after him (which were quite the intense scenes, by the way).

What I’m also quite worried about was that one queerat that this episode showed. This episode avoided the issue, but it WAS walking around in holy territory, which it probably is not supposed to do. I love how gray these guys are on the moral scale: they’re always helpful, and yet there is always something itching about fully trusting them.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)