And as if nothing happened last week, this episode just continues building further upon the excellent setting and atmosphere that this show already had. While last week was just too silly, this episode had a much better balance between light hearted stuff and dark material.
This episode also introduces this noblewoman, and I really like how smug her acting was. The creators really nailed that air of importance around her. Milia had to get dressed up for her again, but this time it at least makes more sense. This time it fits into the setting, rather than having Millia just pull a maid costume out of her ass.
In terms of building up, Fam’s past was nice, and Milia’s home country also got thrown into an interesting direction here. I did however spot a number of recycled cells here and there. In particular the CG overviews of the past episodes were used again here. That’s good of course, since they are gorgeous. Even Porfy no Nagai Tabi, which stood out for some of the best background art out there, reused its backgrounds. But this show looks so damn pretty that I really wish that the characters would visit some more different sites.
Rating: * (Good)]]>
Category: Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction
Fate/Zero – 08
This episode showed three fights right through each other: Emiya versus Kayneth, Kirei versus Irisviel and Maiya, and Caster versus Saber and Lancer. I especially liked the middle one, in which two vastly inferior fighters tried to stop stall time and prevent Kotomine Kirei from reaching Emiya. This guy really is brutal when he wants to, and it’s probably only because he was interested in the two of them that they got away with it.
The blob fight also was pretty interesting. Emiya had a very clear plan on defeating Kayneth, and Kayneth was just way too cocky. His pride is by far his biggest flaw, in that he refuses to acknowledge anything other than accomplished magic. He’s like this character who spent way too much time reading books, instead of getting actual combat experience. He relied too much on his tricks to realize the possibility that people might have developed weapons that are designed to take down mages.
The fight against caster though… I don’t really know what to make of that, and it was rather boring. At first Caster is all like “I have you surrounded now, so I’m just going to sit back and give you time to talk about how to defeat me!” and then saber pulled this shiny thing that allowed lancer to charge past these monsters and cut Caster’s book which somehow made the monsters disappear, only to heal afterwards but the monsters didn’t return… I’m not really sure what the creators wanted to do with that battle. In general battles against small armies are really hard to do in anime… and this unfortunately was not a counter example.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Fate/Zero – 07
Hmm, the creators really are putting Saber in the underdog role. In this episode she again gets saved from being killed in the midst of battle, she walks into any trap her opponents throw at her, she has most of the enemies going after her, she is the only one who has gotten handicapped. I mean, if she really is supposed to be the king of kings, then she doesn’t need this. This is why I like Kotomine Kirei: at first he seemed to be the one who was going to play the role of main character, and yet his role in the story is a very interesting one as an observer.
In any case though, what I am very happy about is that again the battles are set up so that they can involve as many characters as possible. This episode already gathered three master/servant pairs and that makes things much more interesting than if it was just two characters fighting each other, due to the slow nature of the battles in this series. The intrigue works well, and I especially liked the battle between Emiya and Kayneth and that silver blob of his. Although the climax of the episode was a bit weird, in which Emiya first yelled before shooting, announcing his presence that he masked with so much care, so that Kayneth could react against it…
Oh, and by the way: this episode was very good at building up atmosphere. The thing about this season is that the majority of all good series (not counting the usual crap as Maken-Ki of course) are actively building up to something, and they all do this in many different ways and forms. This season has more long shows than any season since Spring 2009. Fate/Zero is a tad slow for my liking, but it has some very good promise on its second half here.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Last Exile – Ginyoku no Fam – 05
This episode was a bit of a step back, mostly due to how it got a bit too silly at times. There is in particular the point in which Fam stood in front of the idiot commander, and the point at which Millia decided to dress up as a maid. That does not fit this setting at all. We’ve got enough moe shows doing that already. Why do so many shows insist in adding a maid, just for the sake of adding a maid?
Then there is the way in which the characters were rather off-model. This unfortunately is typical Gonzo, but thankfully they have shown many times in the past that even after dips like these, they can still deliver excellent action scenes. The best example of that was Shangri-La, which on one hand had horrible off-character models on one hand, and absolutely gorgeous and ground-breaking 3D effects on the other. In any case, the worst were the mechanics in this area, as while Fam just looked off-model, they just looked silly.
This episode meant to introduce the crew of the Silvius. Overall the problem was that there were too many carbon-copies of the same characters. The creators did pick a number of distinct character designs to portray the crew, and characters like the cook, the navigator, the head engineer: there are still plenty of characters who stand on their own. What clever writing should have done is to create just enough mechanics for the setting to feel alive, without making any two of them like a carbon-copy of another. The first season actually did this.
The interesting thing though, was that just as this show looked like it was getting too silly for its own sake… it recovered. the final quarter of this episode was strong character-building and it also added quite a bit of intrigue with Millia’s sister’s whereabouts revealed. The acting in this series is very peculiar. I mean, most of the characters do know how to act, and there are a lot of very solid performances, and then once in a while they slip out into these silly stupid moments, or meet very badly acted side-characters who only appear for a minute. The acting of this series ranges from near the best of the season to near the worst of the season.
Rating: * (Good)]]>
Fate/Zero – 06
And another episode of building up, although there is one particular scene that really had some gorgeous visuals: the part where Emiya blew up that building. It did unfortunately again follow the golden rule of anime (people aren’t dead unless confirmed. Archer’s master’s death wasn’t confirmed), which does take away a bit of the tension, but that confrontation was my favorite part of this episode.
I’m still a bit puzzled about my enjoyment of this show. I mean, this show is definitely the most solid series of the season, but it feels like it’s missing something on the emotional level for me, and I can’t exactly put my finger to what it is. And that while I normally love series that are full of talking . Right now the only thing that I can think of is that at the moment, is this show has too much exposition. The good thing about that is that it’s very solid build-up, and therefore there is plenty that can still happen when the spring season starts and this show enters its second half.
In any case though, the people i n this show are smart. Or in any case, quite a few of them. There are a lot of people who know very well to run away from battles they can’t win. I also would have liked to see how Emiya managed to blow up the building: putting explosives in a mage’s tower with god knows how much surveillance is no small feat. Did he use magic for that, or is he just really good at hiding?
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Last Exile – Ginyoku no Fam – 04
Haha, Tatiana actually returned here. It’s great to see small hints of how the different members of the original cast of Last Exile have ended up, while at the same time this doesn’t detract new viewers from the experience.
This episode perhaps wasn’t as serious as the previous two, it still really showed that this show knows what it’s doing. This episode showed the characters from their lighter side. The first half was all about fleshing them out, and it did that really well. It showed the characters having a random meal, or making a bed, or doing maintenance work. All those details contribute to making this setting come more alive.
Also, this episode explained to me why they chose Fam as the main character: she’s very energetic and positive, and this transfers to the people around her. My big fear was that Gonzo would turn this into some sort of weird copy of the cast of Sky Girls, but thankfully these characters have a lot of personality, and despite the childishness, it makes them fun to watch. I like how even the people on the ship she tried to attack didn’t act like random goons, but were actually interested in her.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Fate/Zero – 05
Um, people. If an entry of my is delayed, It just means that I’m busy with this thing called life. I really try to update fast, but there are times when I’ll be busy with either work or friends. It doesn’t mean that I’ve dropped something, just because I’m late with it.
Now that that’s out of the way, this was a definite improvement over the previous episode due to all of the characters involved. Aside from the Caster-Duo, all of the major master-servant pairs were involved here in this episode, which fits this series much more compared to the previous episode’s duel with lots of talking. There was a lot of stuff that everyone had to take into account, and everyone arrived at the battlefield with a different agenda, and a completely different battle plan. If the rest of the battles are like this the we’re really in for an awesome show.
I’m probably not the only one in this, but the one who really stood out for me was Rider. His chivalry along with his air of just not caring to be careful really stood out. Apart from that I also like Kirei and Kiritsugu, as they seem to know what they’re doing the most. There are a few characters who are still a bit too one-sided at the moment, like Caster’s master and Lancer’s master also needs a bit more attention. I also find it a bit of a pity that Saber is being pushed in the underdog category. That just doesn’t fit this series where the themes as chivalry are huge.
I also have to praise Ufo-Table for their great work on the CG. I mean, it has the bad luck that it airs in a season with both Last Exile and Guilty Crown, but if those two weren’t there it would without a doubt had the best visuals of the season.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Last Exile – Ginyoku no Fam – 03
Now that every show has put out three episodes, I think I’ve found my three favorites of the season so far: Un-Go, Chihayafuru and Last Exile. Un-Go for its storytelling, Chihayafuru for its characters, and this series for its setting.
Because seriously man, is there any limit to the creativity here? Compared to this show, Un-Go seems like a collection of cliches. The background art isn’t just gorgeous here, it’s full of all kinds of original ideas and the architecture in this series is some of the best I’ve seen in years. What’s most important though: the setting here feels alive.
This episode really convinced me that the creators know what they’re doing. On top of showing the main characters mourn about what happened, they also show how the people who live in the same city deal with the recent attacks. The ritual of letting balloons fly upward with candles underneath it was also a really nice touch, but also the way in which the debris of last episode was salvaged was a great addition.
I also have to say kudos to the characters for bringing this all out. This episode showed that the creators know when to be serious and when to be light-hearted. There was not a hint of the creators wanting to downplay the loss of Turan’s family, while at the same time they also didn’t try to make it melodramatic or way too angsty for its own sake.
Good Gonzo, it’s great to see you back again!
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Fate/Zero – 04
Ah, now I’m beginning to see what this show was trying to do with its long build-up: the introductions may be long, but the battles themselves take up a lot of time as well. This entire episode was about the fight between Saber and Lancer, and at the end of the episode it was hinted that things had only just begun.
With this set-up, it’s really necessary for this show to not devolve into a string of random battles, but instead give a clear meaning to all of the fights, and not just have them end with everyone retreating and restoring the status quo. A lot of people were involved in this episode: there were a bunch of spectators, and a total of four servants present. This battle needs to have a meaning besides just introducing powers: the previous episodes had enough time to do that.
The biggest reason I’m saying this is because this series’s episodes lack one important thing: variety. The individual episodes are very different form each other, but each episode so far has had a pretty homogenous mood, and this show doesn’t make use of sudden plot twists or mood changes. The result is that the fight in this episode took place at the same location for 20 minutes, while the characters stood and talked to each other for more than half of the time. That’s very easy to make boring if you’re not careful. This episode however evaded the Bleach syndrome quite nicely by having enough to make up for it.
The animation was excellent. The spectators had interesting potential roles, and the battle itself was really well choreographed, considering that it just took place in one spot and the mages apparently have healing powers. Yuki Kajiura also created a good atmosphere, although I do want to elaborate a bit more on what I said after listening to the first episode: in that the soundtrack of this series isn’t among her best work.
The thing with this soundtrack is that, unlike most of Yuki Kajiura’s works in her early days, I don’t think I would listen to it as a standalone soundtrack. It’s great at creating an atmosphere, and the soundtrack definitely has a bigger budget behind it compared to her work when she was younger, but I don’t know. It lacks a bit of creativity compared to those. It’s not just this series; in fact I do consider this soundtrack better than the ones of Madoka Magica (I have to be honest here: I completely forgot what that show sounded like; that’s very unlike her). But back in her days with Bee-Train, she used to use all kinds of interesting instruments, and the contrast with her different tracks in particular made it stand out. Her new work has been much… smoother and to the background, while instead she should make more music that can stand in the foreground.
Rating: * (Good)]]>
Last Exile – Ginyoku no Fam – 02
You know, I was about to put up this story of how this show may be more childish than the first season and how this was a bummer, but not necessarily a bad thing as long as it was handled well and all. And then this episode aired.
I’ll repeat myself here, but the key here to these shows that try to aim at a younger audience is whether or not the creators believe that kids are idiots. This episode showed that the creators understood that, and it was much better than the opening episode. It packed some gorgeous visuals, and the acting was also surprisingly solid. Even Fam showed that she can be serious when she needs to, which was really needed after the previous episode. This show still uses the fact that she’s an incredible pilot to put her in the spotlights, but for now, it’s believable enough (only just, though).
In any case though, this episode surprisingly made the plot a lot more intriguing when suddenly the princess got kidnapped and called down this gigantic moon thing that was supposed to be another Exile down to earth in order to blow everything up. The relationship between the two sisters was surprisingly genuine and well portrayed. Not to mention the girl suddenly losing her father. This really was the sign that this isn’t necessarily just a lighter version of Last Exile.
Also, the graphics. Before the start of this show, I knew that a lot of people had left Gonzo. The CG team however stayed, and it really shows in this series. Gonzo has always been un-rivalled in terms of CG. Not with combining CG with traditional 2D drawings, but in terms of CG foreground animation they were consistently putting out the best of the best in all sorts of innovative ways. Just look at the first Last Exile, Gankutsuou, Bokura no, Blassreiter and Shangri La. And they really plan to show that they still got it here. While it’s impossible to beat Guilty Crown in terms of sheer animation power this season, this series still looks gorgeous, and I’m actually willing to say that it has the most creative visuals of the entire season. The ship designs are all full of imagination, but also the way they’re used, the dogfights, the camera angles and the huge fleet battles. There’s a lot of stuff to see here to marvel at. On top of that the soundtrack also arrived and did a great job in creating its atmosphere.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>