Category: Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru – 21

by psgels, posted in Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru



Holy crap, here is one series that suddenly became just better and better. Seriously, these past two episodes have far surpassed anything else this series had offered up to that point. And this episode ended with yet another cliffhanger, as if to say that it’s still nowhere near done yet. I keep wondering how many parts of the soundtrack the creators haven’t shown yet.

In a way though: I love these kinds of series: those who for their majority aren’t anything special aside from a few scenes here and there, and suddenly as they enter their final quarter flick the awesome switch and finish with one heck of a finale. Uragiri looks to be well on this path with only three episodes left, same with Kobato half a year ago. The disadvantage is of course that it’s impossible to pick these kinds of series out when they first start. I’m REALLY glad that I took the few hints of episode two and continued to blog this series, because I recall having laughed quite a bit at this series for how silly it looked at times.

One of the things I especially liked here was the way in which Reiga continues to set off hints to Yuki that Kanata was still out there, only to completely trash Yuki afterwards, telling him to get off his high horse. It’s a very interesting way of showing Yuki’s flaws, this naivety in which he keeps hoping for Kanata to magically return really adds to his character, and yet this doesn’t take his naivety over the top like what you see with most naive characters who too often degenerate into utter stupidity.

With three episodes left (according to ANN at least, don’t take my word on that because they still seem to believe that this show is only 13 episodes long), I do hope that the creators still have enough time to put girl Yuki’s background in it. Right now, that’s my biggest question mark along with the reason why Reiga protected Yuki in this episode. If the creators can pull that off, while making these three episodes as good as the past two, then I’ll be entirely happy.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu – 09

by psgels, posted in Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu



Okay, so this is the long awaited moment in which Ryner “snaps” again. Is it as good as the third episode? Nah.

The second half of this episode was very intense, yes. But to me, it felt like it was trying a tad too hard to make Ryner’s life as miserable as possible, using too many cliches in the process. “Oh god, I’m a kid with lots of powers. I used to live peacefully with everyone but now that I’ve shown my powers after evil people killed my friends everyone sees me as a monster!” Yeah; been there, done that.

It’s a stock fantasy cliche, with not enough to deviate it from the other stories that use it. The reason why the third episode was so awesome was because it really was about the relationship between Ryner and that girl who was in love with him. It developed both him and her; it was well directed and just kept throwing in more and more interesting stuff. This episode was just there to show how sad Ryner’s past was. The enemies were also rather generic as well.

As a build up, I guess it suffices and it’s not like this episode was annoying like the one with that female captain, but this show has now reached the point in which I’m starting to get bored. Apparently, especially the later volumes of the original light novels are going to be awesome, but I first want to see that before believing it.
Rating: (Enjoyable)

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin – 08

by psgels, posted in Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin



With so many episodes devoted to nothing but the characters, I demand an awesome ending. If not, then this was a wasted episode.

The previous two episodes were very well written and directed so I didn’t mind, but this episode didn’t belong in a 13-episode series. Series like these have a very limited amount of airtime, and really need all of the time they can get. Episode six and seven did this well with great pay-off to their build-up, but the Chupacabra fight that allowed Maya and Ami to make up again… I feel like the creators could have done more with this episode.

The acting in this episode was great, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that the script disappointed me a bit. Especially the following thing: Chupacabra are seen as blood-sucking monsters, right? This episode saw them killing off a ton of cows and chewing who knows what kind of animals right down to the bone. So why did they keep Ami alive? Why did they not harm her? Why was Ami fine after being bitten by such a huge monster? You’re ruining the suspense of disbelief that was built up by the previous episodes!

At this point, I’m beginning to think that Nostradamus’ key is something very obvious. I can easily see it being Kozue who tries a little too hard with her experiments on the occult. Please let it be not that simple!

Either way though, I can very easily see this series divided into three parts: there’s the first action-packed part, spanning the first four episode. This one was full of tension, ranging from Maya’s hatred of Bunmei to all of the weird occult monsters they ran into. Episodes 5 to 8 slowed down the pacing for a character-development arc, which seems to be finished at this point. At the final arc, this show needs to start delivering, though. Arc 1 provided the entertainment and the background, arc 2 provided the depth. Now, arc 3: USE THAT.
Rating: (Enjoyable)

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru – 20

by psgels, posted in Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru



Holy crap! I’m impressed here. This could pretty much be the best episode of Uragiri so far. It’s really amazing how this episode stood out when it mostly involved characters we only really got to know one episode ago.

When Yuki ran off for Luka I expected another silly conflict. But instead this episode just kept building up its tension more and more. Every time at which I thought that the episode hit its climax, it just went even further. The build-up here was absolutely terrific, there was no minute wasted. The episode started out really quiet with actually some really effective piano music. After that point, there was hardly any break to allow the viewer to catch a bit of breath.

Looking back, the point at which Kuroto told Senshiro to quit was really powerful. After four years of hardships. This choice between protecting someone or protecting yourself from getting involved is nothing new in anime, but because it’s such a major theme in this series it’s really working here. I mean, half the cast in this series is struggling with that exact question, but all under different circumstances.

Also, during the second half, I really like how the creators subverted the “sudden save”-cliche. I’ve seen so many of those scenes in which characters are driven to the brink of defeat, only for someone who was looking for them to arrive at the exact right time. The second half of this episode had three or four of those moments, and yet Luka arrived too late to do anything here. Every time, the save was made by either Yuki, Kuroto, Senshiro or Reiga; all of which were fairly believable. Reiga’s appearance at the end. He may have just been sitting in the shadows. Really: what were his intentions back then? Doesn’t he want Yuki to die or something?
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu – 08

by psgels, posted in Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu



This episode was mostly centred around politics: the revolt of the nobles of Estabul. The revolt itself doesn’t seem to have that much of an impact on the story, and it seems more of an episode for the characters. we get a new character added to Shion’s group (whose character-designs unfortunately made that plot twist a bit too predictable), and Miran now is seen as someone who just disobeys Shion’s orders, causing Claugh to probably hate him for the rest of the series.

It was a pretty nice episode, though I do feel like it could have used a bit more build-up. It feels a bit… stereotypical right now, just meant to show how that new character is very righteous and gullible. I guess that with the rest of the cast, she is different from the rest of the characters, and I guess that the creators wanted a saint-like character like her, but I don’t like her yet.

In the meantime, the creators are continuing to build up Miran’s character, and they can’t just keep doing this for the entire rest of the series. I’m curious what the creators have in mind with him. Having said that, though, after five episodes I still have yet to see anything that matches up to episode 3. At this point, that’s the most dangerous for this series: what if it ends up never surpassing that particular episode? It’s an episode that created a lot of expectations, but will the future episodes be able to live up to them?
Rating: (Enjoyable)

Katanagatari – 08

by psgels, posted in Katanagatari



Whoa, we got a musical upgrade this episode. There were new background songs and a brand new OP and ED. I like the former a lot. The latter… not so much. I finally realized what has been bugging me about the ALI Project. I mean, their biggest complaint is that all of their songs sound the same, but that’s nust one part of the problem. They’re really good composers, and you can only say that their work looks the same on their least inspired OPs and EDs. The thing is more tha their OPs and EDs often feel completely out of place.

I mean, their OPs and EDs are perfect for chaotic series, or series with a soundtrack that is all over the place like most of the Bee-Train series. Most of the time they’re into series that completely don’t fit the mood of these chaotic and random songs, and the same goes here: the new OP is nice and all, but it in no way fits Katanagatari’s style or substance. The ALI Project really have a unique sound, and most anime producers just don’t seem to know how to use them well. I don’t like the ED either, but the reason for that is far simpler: the incredibly squeaky voice annoys me.

This was a fairly standard episode, though I liked the chemistry between Togame and Shichika in this episode. They were just like a bickering couple. The interesting part is that the sword in this episode was a doll, where the main battle against it consisted out of fighting it until its energy was drained.

On a side-note: as soon as the upcoming autumn season start, I might stop blogging this series. This first of all is because it’s going to be the first season this year in which I won’t have a quantity problem and there actually seem plenty of bloggable series to debut, but the biggest reason is going to be that… I just don’t know what to write about this series weekly. And really, don’t get me wrong: this is far from a bad series; it really is quite good, and I’m enjoying it a lot more than Bakemonogatari. The episodes are well paced and told as well with few hiccups and no moments of stupidity. But the thing is that for me, nothing stands out: neither good or bad. For the past number of episodes, I have found myself struggling to come up with things to actually say about the episodes of this series, more and more with every episode. This episode was no different, unfortunately.
Rating: * (Good)

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin – 07

by psgels, posted in Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin




The execution in this episode was completely different from the previous one, but the basic premise was the same: a lot of build-up that comes together wonderfully at the final few minutes of the episode. This episode wasn’t as good as the previous one, but it still was a great one.

For most of the episode, I actually didn’t think this was the case. I mean, I could see what it was trying to do: showing different sides of the characters and flesh them out. That’s great for a series with 26 episodes. For 13 of them… not so much. I mean, there is a plot that you’re meant to tell. If you’re going to keep wasting episodes like this the ending won’t have any build-up.

But really, after the climax everything made sense. This episode did more than just flesh out the characters, it really developed them a bit, and added extra depth to them. The climax was completely different from the climax of the previous episode, which was strong, full of energy and visually powerful. This time however, the episode ended with this awkward silence when two people in a group are fighting. I loved how Maya clashed with everyone else in this episode, who without knowing pulled a completely inappropriate prank on her.

This episode was a bit shaky at times, especially Kozue was reduced to a walking stereotype, but when it mattered this episode really delivered. Ami’s father really stepped too far when he tried to turn Maya back to the way she used to be. When Maya was slapped, it didn’t suddenly make her nice again like you’d expect in some cliche. It was rather Ami’s words that calmed her down. I loved how realistically this was portrayed.

The storyboard of this episode also was… interesting. Especially in the first half, it just kept switching back and forth to close-ups, regular shots, far-away shots and close-ups at random objects or limbs. I wouldn’t call it low-budget because it was as detailed as ever (save from a few notable far-away shots here and there).
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru – 19

by psgels, posted in Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru



Whoa, this was a really good episode. I mean, suddenly out of nowhere Kuroto comes and starts talking about his back-story. Of course this adds even more depth to the cast than it already had, but the episode itself also was really well executed, despite how filled it was with death and destruction.

This episode was mostly about Kuroto, but it also fleshed out the people around him, like his grandfather, Senshiro and Yuki’s aunt. He actually received quite a bit of character-development throughout this episode: it’s not like he was the same kid throughout his entire youth, and instead the way that he grew to trust Senshiro and his family progressed bit by bit.

I’m also beginning to think that Luka isn’t exactly being kept away from the main house because of how it would be disrespectful. It’s not like Takashiro hates him or anything, and this episode shows that Kuroto trusts him a great deal. Who would then be left? I can hardly imagine the butler or Yuki’s aunt to hate him with passion. It’s probably some sort of precaution of a power that hasn’t been explained yet, or something similar.

In the past, I used to compare this show with Night Head Genesis. Yeah, so that turned out to be completely wrong. While both series are gothic and have great soundtracks (especially NHG had one of the best soundtracks I’ve listened to), Night Head Genesis was all about its story, while Uragiri is all about its characters. The two series get their depth at completely different points. Of course, I’m still hoping for more series to come along that have plots as tight and interesting as Night Head Genesis, but that has absolutely nothing to do with Uragiri. The plot of this one is simple, but the characters more than make up for it.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu – 07

by psgels, posted in Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu



It’s strange that the comedy in this series only works when either Ferris or Raina is directly involved. I mean, both their characters are pretty interesting and their wit is delightful to watch, but on the other side of the coin we have some of the other female characters here. When these people try to be funny they’re just yelling randomly and they’re more annoying than funny here.

The problem with this episode was obviously that female captain, whose story is just too typical: childhood friend, still in love, spunky personality, rather stupid. Yeah, the kind of character I was glad that this series avoided. And how did she make it to captain anyway? I mean, any of those four companions of her is far more suited to lead them around. When are we going to see Raina’s actual love interest again? I actually liked her a lot here. Unfortunately, the OP seems to be hinting at how she’s going to become a major character here. Ouch.

On the bright side, this banter between Raina and Ferris still isn’t getting tiring, which is a really good sign after seven episodes. This episode also was building up some pretty intriguing stuff, and I also really like Shion at this moment, and how Fior’s sister has decided to serve him. The drama overall in this episode wasn’t as good as usual, thanks to whatshername, but still, to have one of the vassal states of the kingdom start a rebellion, it’s yet another layer of problems that Shion needs to overcome.
Rating: (Enjoyable)

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin – 06

by psgels, posted in Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin




It’s just as I hoped! This episode really was awesome, and it had a really excellent direction behind it. With the comedy elements this really was different from the likes of Mouryou no Hako and Hashire Melos, but you could still see the traces of Ryousuke Nakamura and Mieko Hosoi. God… these people need to direct another full fledged series.

There were a ton of really well animated shots in this episode, with quite some fluid animation and imaginative camera angles. There were a few scenes that really brought these characters alive, and especially the diving scene at the end was just utterly beautiful. It’s also very interesting how two completely different types of artists worked on this episode and the previous one: the previous episode was very obviously drawn by Mamoru Hosoda fans, while Mieko Hosoi has a completely different inspiration (I’d love to know what that was, by the way).

As for the direction, I absolutely love how this episode played out. Throughout most of the episode we see this careful build-up that shows Maya investigating exactly what happened, combined with a number of quick but really good jokes. There were a few outbursts of drama, like the sudden point in which Kozue started crying, but that too was just used to build up to that final part, which worked really well with Bunmei’s life flashing before his own eyes. It lasted like what? 2 minutes. But they really were worth it.

Beyond that, they also made it plausible for Bunmei and Maya to make up. Thankfully they stayed away from any sort of romance, but rather Maya forced herself to see past her biases after having seen the future.
Rating: *** (Awesome)