Category: Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction

Gosick – 19

by psgels, posted in Gosick



Um. Wow. This might just as well have been the best episode of Gosick yet. This past month has just been absolutely amazing for this series, there’s no way around it. The bad stories? All gone. The annoying characters? Who cares about those? Heck, every episode this month has delivered beyond what I could have ever expected from this series.

Cordelia’s background… holy crap. To think that in the past half year, there have been two series that feature main characters that were pretty much the products of outright rape (for obvious spoiler reasons I’m not going to mention what the other series was, but those who saw it know what I’m talking about). This episode really gave some insights at who Cordellia was, as well as completely prove me wrong in thinking that the red haired guy was supposed to be a villain.

I also love that how in hindsight, the series has been dropping hints and references to this episode over and over. Unfortunately this can’t be said of every arc: the pointless arcs still remain pointless at this point, but the good arcs are surprisingly well tied to each other. And heck, this past month has really made up for the bad arcs of this series. Gosick has turned from a cheap mystery show to an amazingly engaging adventure series. It’s not just Victorique who is awesome: it’s the bond between every character here that just gets better and better.

The only part I did not like about this episode: Bones didn’t have the budget to really animate that dance scene of Cordellia. That’s a bit of a pity.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 07

by psgels, posted in The Money of Soul and Possibility Control



Ah, this episode was exactly what this series needed. This was an episode to look back. It took a break from the different battles, and instead gave two characters the chance to play as the narrator, in order to tell a bit more about themselves. In case of Mikuni, it’s about his past, and in case of Mashu it’s about her feelings. It’s a good chance to take a bit of a step back and focus on these characters in order to solidify the finale of this series, and this episode did that wonderfully. Oh, and it was also a really nice touch to suddenly revisit a past character who seemed like nothing but cannon fodder t the time.

I only have a few minor complaints about this episode. The animation for example wasn’t really up to par, even for this series’ standards. I really wonder what this series would have looked like if the earthquake hadn’t happened, and because of that I do have to admit that despite the creative images, Mononoke, Trapeze and Bake Neko have this one trumped in terms of visuals.

As for the individual stories, the thing with C is that none of its episodes so far have been as bad as the worst episodes of Trapeze, nor have they been as good as the best episodes of Trapeze. In terms of the overall story and characters though, C has definitely been better. Of course, Trapeze did tie itself up really nicely in its final episode, but at this pacing, this series can be able to do the same, only with a much better storyline and characters. At the same time though, the direction will never be as good as it was in Mononoke or Bake Neko. It just lacks the energy, force and timing to really draw you in with its pacing.
Bake Neko was pretty much the perfect short story, and ever since I never saw something of Kenji Nakamura that was good as that one. But his shows have always been very interesting to watch.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Gosick – 18

by psgels, posted in Gosick



I must admit: this episode rocks for blending in another mystery, right after previous one ended. It was subtly built up for during the previous episodes by setting up the right people at the right places, and delivered a great storyline that I did not see coming at this point, after such a major episode. This episode was clearly rushed, but heck: we’re on a train riding back from a huge flood. This episode nicely went on with this flow.

I’m a big fan of good adventure series, and thank god Gosick finally turned into one. The mysteries here all are interesting, the characters have stopped being annoying (or at least the most annoying characters have been gone in this arc) and the past three episodes just kept throwing interesting twists and turns to the story. Now that’s what I’ve been hoping for! Victorique’s hasty explanation at the end would have been really jarring if she did this at the beginning of the series with another of those lackluster stories of the first half, but right now it’s just a minor inconvenience. Finally this series has this great sense of adventure that’s really enjoyable to watch.

What I also want to praise this show for is for avoiding the hollywood gunpowder syndrome. I do not know enough about gunpowder to say this with certainty, but I’m glad that for once a bullet actually doesn’t make everything it hits explode. The only questionable thing about that scene was really Victorique’s aim, but then again we don’t really know how much experience Kujou has in shooting from a fast-moving platform. It’s still quite unlikely, but then again, when the rest of an episode is this good, things like these don’t really matter. The more mundane and boring an episode is, the more these inconsistencies and plotholes tend to stand out.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 06

by psgels, posted in The Money of Soul and Possibility Control




This was by far the best episode of C yet, and that’s a great sign, especially considering how this was the point at which Eden of the East started to dull in. It’s here where this series really shows off its messages as a social commentary and I have to say that I really like how thought-provoking this is getting.

With this episode I have finally found something that makes up for the status of the main character as the “destined rookie”: this episode actually made great use of this by having three people with completely different views contact him and try to influence him to join, and they all have their valid points here. Seriously, in terms of background and motives this series is definitely among the best of the season. Based on the first episodes, this is not something that I saw coming.

The guy of this episode had some pretty harsh criticisms to Minuki, and this really seems to be a harsh criticism to modern day Japan’s economy as well. And yet at the same time this show doesn’t pretend that that view is 100% right or wrong, but instead it offers a lot of different view. Mikuni also has a very interesting defence for his actions. The same goes for that woman that contacted him.

Also, the animation of this series has always been choppy. I’ve heard that the creators were hit hard by the earthquake, so I guess that there’s no avoiding it. But holy crap, the fight scene at the ended was animated wonderfully. Kimimaro was bound to win such an outclassed match and all, but the direction and animation there totally made up for that. It was a wonderful climax to an awesome episode.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Gosick – 17

by psgels, posted in Gosick



Now this is why I originally decided to blog this series! This episode once again showed Gosick at its good side, and it was just amazing. This is what I want to see from this series.

We’re finally getting to the interesting stories here. Beyond the attention to Victorique and her mother, the whole atmosphere of this arc was just wonderful, in this strange theme park full of interesting attractions and people to watch. I also liked the explanation that this episode gave about how Brian Roscoe created the tragedy ten years earlier. He definitely became a much more interesting villain in the second half of this series. This arc ended with this episode, but it left behind a ton more intrigue for the rest of this show to work with.

And heck. The parts that focused on Victorique were just amazing. It’s here where the character development really kicks in, and especially her mother’s message was simple, yet very effective.

The big question right now: why is Victorique so important? Why is Victorique’s mother so important? What item that Brian Roscoe stowed away could be so important? At the moment, these are the things that feel like McGuffins to me. It’s up to the rest of this show to properly explain why the bad guys of this series revolve around them.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 05

by psgels, posted in The Money of Soul and Possibility Control



Beyond the financial commentary, this show is also a fighting series. It’s here where most of the cliches in this series are and after watching this episode another one hit me: the main characters’ powers… are kindof bland, aren’t they? I mean, we have all these characters with cool and very creative ways of killing their opponents, from mirrors to keyholes and flying golems and bug spiky things. So what does the main character use? A small fireball. Couldn’t the creators have gotten a bit more creative with him? Right now it’s the battles between the other characters who are the most interesting.

Instead, the main characters’ purpose here is to explain what this world is about. I can definitely see the intentions of the creators: he is a novice who is being taught by one of the biggest innovators of the financial district. This way it can both go in-depth as keep this series easy to go into, even though in terms of storytelling it could have been more solidly explained.

Creating characters isn’t on the list of biggest priorities of this series, but instead it focuses on its setting. This episode went in even more detail of how the financial district influences the real world and the effects it has, ranging from big companies to random individuals. The previous episode had that too, but this episode gave these topics the depth they needed to be actually quite interesting rather than shallow. In that way, it actually made good use of its characters by using the lead characters’ worries.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Gosick – 16

by psgels, posted in Gosick



Yes! That’s the right direction, Gosick! These are the stories that I want to see. This episode was once again excellent, and focused exactly on what this series is good at. This really is the right direction for this series. Now don’t lose it!

Setting aside that this was probably the first episode f anime I ever saw that took place in Lithuania, this episode also showed Kujou at his best. He may have needed a little help to find out the place that Victorique was brought to when she was taken away from the academy, but I still loved how he pretty much did everything that he was supposed to do, and did not get bogged down by stupidity.

The train journey was also wonderful. It’s a great and down to earth way to introduce the major characters, but it also was quite an interesting way for Kujou to socialize a bit with his fellow passengers. The build-up around Brian Roscoe was also excellent. Not to mention how this episode introduced a certain famous chess machine that was used: The Turk, who even defeated Napoleon Bonaparte. Sure, the time frame is a bit off, but it’s nevertheless pretty neat to consider the idea that someone (Brian Roscoe) actually rebuilt it at some point.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 04

by psgels, posted in The Money of Soul and Possibility Control



It’s here where this series really shows that it’s more than just another pokemon clone. At least, until Pokemon starts turning into a series about economics. I mean, first of all taking away a guy’s kids when he goes bankrupt: that’s some pretty hardcore stuff, but this episode also really looked into why people go into the financial district, plus the difficulties in raising children.

The second half of this episode meanwhile was about reliability, something you also don’t see a lot on these fighting series. The best players are often just one-sidedly strong, while here it’s a bit more nuanced: the best players are the ones who are able to minimize their losses. It’s definitely a series that’s full of interesting ideas.

I have two complaints, though. First of all this episode introduced a lot of new characters who I doubt will able to get their depth within 11 episodes. Also, I’m still not sure why Kimimaro is the main character. He lacks… motivation. I’m still not sure why I should root for him, especially when he keeps winning through either dumb luck or other people helping him.
Rating: * (Good)

Gosick – 15

by psgels, posted in Gosick



Yes! This is more like it! The creators shut Avril up and focuses on the interesting parts: the story of Leviathan and Victorique. That’s what this series is great at, and this episode once again proves that Gosick can be excellent when it wants to.

Most of the mysteries of Gosick were either really obvious, or would require reasoning so far-fetched that the only way for Victorique to have been able to solve them was by having access to the script. This was actually different: Leviathan’s story has deep roots in Sauvure’s background, and instead of immediately knowing the answer, or waiting for a plot device to carry the final clue to solve the mystery, Victorique acquired the answer through careful study, and reading up on Leviathan’s background.

I really like how the creators linked the existence of alchemists to the gold rush in Africa and America, and how the alchemists used that kind of gold to create a legend around themselves through careful tricks. As this episode went on it did become pretty clear that Leviathan really had a large amount of gold to his possession, but even then his background as a former slave who couldn’t be silenced made a lot of impact.

Also, that build-up to Victorique’s father: it just keeps returning, and it’s getting more and more effective. It’s the red thread that connects all of the good arcs to each other. It’s still a big question mark of why such a huge tower is located in the back yard of a prestigious school and all, but at least this was made good use of when Victorique’s father played a key role in Leviathan’s demise.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 03

by psgels, posted in The Money of Soul and Possibility Control



After seeing so many 1-cour series screw up with their pacing, I’m glad to say that C actually knows that it should not slack off. For three episodes in a row, it has been straight to the point, with no intention to waste time. That’s definitely a good sign.

At the same time, this episode also leaves the battles for what they are, and instead focuses on the characters. Also, very important for such a short series. The introduction for that female with a lollipop was actually very good in the way that the creators turned her into a temporary narrator. These inner monologues of her were well written and took a good look at both who she is and what this setting is like.

This episode also showed the main character’s parents, what happened to them and also Souichiro’s reasons for participating in the financial district were a welcome addition to this series. If you want a mundane episode to bring some variation in the pacing, this is the way to do it.

At the same time though, I’m still a bit surprised that this show does have its share of cliches here and there. The disappearing father and especially being really angry at him for it have been done quite often now, so it’s going to matter even more for this show to make good use of them. The crying scene perhaps wasn’t the best way to do that, though. The acting in this series isn’t the worst of this season, but it also doesn’t stand out either, so that also will have to be compensated by something else.
Rating: * (Good)