… have I already mentioned that I love Mawaru Penguin Drum?
I mean, heck. This episode once again was just completely amazing, and yet it seems like this show has just only started. Sixteen episodes, and this show is still delightfully fresh and dynamic, and we’ve now reached the point where the really good character development comes in. At this point the characters are an absolute joy to watch.
This episode was all about Yuri’s background. Last week was all about asking questions, and this week in its turn managed to answer them. Yuri’s twisted background made a huge impact, but I especially loved how the creators managed to write Ringo’s sister in there. When we first learned of her death, it was through the eyes of Tsubaki. This episode however completely turned that around when it was revealed what kind of role the diary played in this.
Also, the storytelling in this episode was just weird. It was the kind of episode that was full of plot devices, but they were so brilliantly used that it didn’t matter at all. The fact that Shouma stayed in the same inn as Yuri and Ringo was revealed hilariously, and I also love that the creators just pulled some random friend of him from out of nowhere to accompany him. Like, he actually had a life before the beginning of this story. Only for all of that to be nullified when he slipped on a random bottle. Natsume’s part in this episode also made no common sense whatsoever, but damn, was it glorious!
Also, did I understand this correctly? Did the creators really turn Tokyo Tower into THAT?!
Rating: *** (Awesome)]]>
Category: Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense
Un-Go – 02
With this, I’m sure: Un-Go is along with Chihayafuru my favourite show of the Autumn season. What can I say? I’m a sucker for episodic shows done right.
This season has a lot of creative series with creative premises and backgrounds. Un-Go is no exception to this, but what sets it apart from all of the other sis how it uses its creativity. I really like how much the creators managed to cram into just two episodes. This episode in particular was just chock full of neat ideas, creative twists, science fiction. I in particular love how well this show manages to use its apocalyptic setting as the basis for its murder mysteries. That’s what managed to turn this into a unique mystery.
What’s more: it also seems that this series understands what it means to be a Noitamina series. Leaving Guilty Crown aside with its 22 episodes, the pacing in this show is really fast, but not so rushed that it takes away from the storytelling. The decision to focus more on storytelling and setting than on characters had an interesting effect compared to C: the creators really can cram in as much as possible into just one episode. This definitely is not an easy show to watch: you need to be constantly paying attention in order to keep up with all of the revelations. It’s great to see another one of those series where you have to put in effort to really understand everything that’s going on.
In any case, I was looking forward to this show right from the beginning, thanks to the staff who are behind this show. Un-Go had definitely the best pedigree out of any of the fall series, and that’s saying something in a season with two Sato Junichi shows. Of course the director of Oh Edo Rocket and the first Full Metal Alchemist series is a plus, but what immediately sold me was that this thing is written by Shou Aikawa. This guy has written a truckload of original stories for anime, most of which sparkled with very inspired writing and creativity. This is the guy who came up with Oh Edo Rocket, Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi, Nadesico, and even Simoun, of all things.
What’s more: the producers got themselves a sound director who really knows what he’s doing. The music in this series doesn’t just feel like random background noise, but is really well timed for each of the scenes. In particular the tracks of the idol songs were perfectly played in according to what went on on the screen (which especially sounded nice during the download scene). What also surprises me is that the creators actually showed the difference between J-Pop idols and people who can actually sing well: the voice they got for the girl who was supposed to play for the part of the dead girl really was significantly better than the other members of the idol group, who were just in for their looks.
One complaint about this episode: continuity. One moment the male lead has scars on his face. A few scenes later, they’re completely gone. Also, the characters still aren’t the strong point of this series, but it has more than enough to make up for that.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Mirai Nikki – 02
This show is crazy. But that’s the interesting part about it. It’s completely over the top action and suspense, and it’s bound to be one hell of an entertaining series. The question now is: can it keep this pace up for the rest of the series, without self-destructing under its own ideas?
That bomb girl that appeared in this episode particularly over the top, where she pretty much had planted bombs around an entire school building (not an unimpressive feat, by the way). It lead to quite an interesting episode to watch. Her major flaw again was that she’s portrayed as this complete psycho, without much more (you’re a terrorist bomber? That’s great, but how do you make money and where do you get your materials from?). Thankfully she managed to escape so that she can at least get some development later on, but so far this is the part where this series needs to work on the most at this point: giving a reason to care for the other diary holders.
The chemistry between the two main characters is wonderful, though. Yuki in particular is how a wimpy male lead should be done. Instead of just acting bland like how most of his counterparts are done, this guy really acts scared and pathetic, especially around people he believes can help him. Also, did two main characters just kiss willingly in the second episode already? Thank you for not beating around the bush, actually!
Rating: ** (Excellent)
OP: A contender for the best OP of the season, if it didn’t spoil some of the rest of the characters.
ED: A bit more subtle in introducing the rest of the characters, but also a bland song.]]>
Some Quick First Impressions: Last Exile – Ginkyou no Fam, Guilty Crown and Un-Go
Last Exile – Ginkyou no Fam
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is a young genius pilot.
Well, first things first: it’s awesome to see Gonzo back. It’s not just the series they make. It’s because of their balls: they like to take risks like no other studio out there, and that’s why I became a fan of them, even though they did release their fair share of crap. Now, as for this series: it looks just gorgeous. The CG is still up to Gonzo’s high standards and the creators didn’t just copy designs from the first season, but came up with a whole new set of eye candy that certainly does not stand out as inferior to its predecessor. As for the story of this episode: it’s definitely more childish than the first season, and shows a bunch of teenagers being able to disrupt an entire fleet. The first season had this too, but was a lot more subtle about it, especially with the enemy fleet having very stuck-up commanders and deploying no vanships whatsoever to intercept the main cast. There’s also fanservice, though thankfully not as much as was feared. The acting is overall very good, though it does have a number of weak points. The direction is also quite solid, despite the lighter tone. This is a typical example of a first episode with a lot of potential to become amazing, but also with quite a number of things that can hold it back and didn’t work out as well as you’d hope. Yup, that’s Gonzo alright.
OP: The OP of the first season was much better.
ED: A familiar voice. The song is a bit redundant after hearing it in other EDs, but the picture slideshow looks nice.
Potential: 80%
Guilty Crown
Short Synopsis: Our lead character meets a half-naked girl.
That was absolutely gorgeous. The first episode of Guilty crown is a visual feast, in the way that just about every frame is meticulously detailed and well drawn, in the way that only Production IG can do for a television series. If they keep this up, then this will very likely be the prettiest Noitamina series of the year. As for the rest of the episode though: there were a number of issues I had with it. The biggest is that outside of the visuals, I miss creativity: the scenario of this episode had a been there, done that”-feeling, and the main characters are a bunch of walking cliches. On one hand you have the really bland male main character, and on the other hand we have this female who has special powers, is his childhood friend, and gives the male lead a special weapon that he can use to kick ass. There have been way too many shows already with that premise, and the only thing that this show really added to that was its gorgeous visuals. This is a show that needs to grow significantly. But heck: at least the characters are far from as stupid or annoying as they were in Fractale.
OP: Good idea to combine it with the content of the episode.
ED: A bit of a dull ballad with nice art from the promo images.
Potential: 75%
Un-Go
Short Synopsis: Our lead character solves mysteries.
Here is a very interesting one, and I don’t mean that in the way you might expect. At first this episode started off like your average murder mystery series: the protagonists happened to be stuck in a room full of people where someone conveniently got murdered. It was well built up, but strangely mundane. Then however the second half came around and this episode just kept switching moods, themes and atmospheres. This series is attempting to breathe a new wind into the episodic murder mystery genre. This episode had science fiction, horror, and the post-apocalypse all stuffed together. This was the strange case of not the culprit getting some surprise added depth, but the setting itself became a lot more intriguing once this episode started putting the pieces of its puzzle together. On top of that, this episode was well produced and well directed with very natural camera work. The creators definitely took creative liberties on the original work it’s based on, and the episodic set-up really allows them to try a wide variety of different stuff. Oh, and as an added bonus this episode had the best use of music and sounds of the entire season so far. My only warning for when you plan to check it out: the characters. They are not on the list of priorities for this series.
OP: A bit of a dull song, but lots of neat eye candy.
ED: By far the best ED of the seasons. Heck, even the OPs get nowhere as close to the imaginative visuals and music that was displayed here.
Potential: 90%]]>
Mawaru Penguin Drum – 14
Holy crap. Is there any limit to how high this show is willing to aim? This episode once again was completely amazing and heck, I can’t remember the last time in which this series didn’t deliver an awesome episode.
The twists in this episode were very surprising, and yet they fit so well. And heck, why didn’t I ask this myself sooner: what happened to the lesbians in a Kunihiko Ikura series? Well, this episode gave the answer when it suddenly revealed Yuri’s background from out of nowhere. I should have known: she was a bit too composed for this series. She was just very good at hiding her own issues, but her quirks fit in perfectly with this series. It’s a neat little twist for her to have been best friends with Ringo’s sister, and it actually gives a pretty plausible excuse for Tabuki to know her.
The rest of the cast was also excellent. The creators put a ton of emotions in the characters, and it really was a great example of angst done right: emotional, yet avoiding the story or characters to stagnate just because of that angst. Himari in particular was adorable (and seriously: something tells me that somewhere in the near future, her two friends are going to make a return, and I’m really looking forward to that). Kanba meanwhile was put into a bit of a strange situation: Natsume basically offered to cover the expenses for Himari, and he refused. He didn’t really strike me as a proud person before, so what could it have been that he’d even prefer cooperating with these shady men in suits?
I’m not sure if I’ve said this before, but one thing I also love about this show is how brilliantly it uses its music. Instead of just staying in the background, it is really well timed, and forces the atmosphere of each scene to really stand out. The best example of that in this episode was the car scene at the beginning, but also the ending did this really well.
This episode really didn’t attempt to hide the fact that this came from Utena’s director when it introduced cars and lesbians like this. The thing is however that he’s putting in so much new stuff in this series that it doesn’t really matter that he’s using ideas that he used before.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
ED: New song. Not as good as last week, but still some nice ideas and especially the second half is quite catchy.]]>
Some Quick First Impressions: Chibi Devi, Mirai Nikki and Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
Chibi Devi!
Short Synopsis: Our lead character receives a baby from out of nowhere.
Just… what the hell was that supposed to be? This was… so bad that it became hilarious again. This episode was five minutes long, and it featured some of the worst animation and most wooden characterization of the entire season. The plot where a bullied girl takes care of a devil baby who is literally dropped into her bed (I really do mean literally: there are two hands visible who really drop that thing from out of this random hole in the air) is just ridiculously stupid and the acting may be so stiff and wooden that it becomes hilarious, it’s the kind of hilarious that’s probably going to be fun one episode. Of five minutes.
OP: Those vocals! Make them stop!
Potential: 0%
Mirai Nikki
Short Synopsis: Our lead character has a stalker.
Ooh, I like this one. This one turned out to be an excellent suspense series, with a very creative premise of using diaries that can predict the future. This episode was especially good at portraying the main character, and especially relating in how he slowly realized how badly he has been screwed over; his reactions were just priceless, and it gives this show a whiff of psychological horror that I can really appreciate. This episode was well animated, which is also a plus and for once an episode was fast-paced, without rushing though everything. There was one part where this episode fell down, though: the bad guy of this episode. He was just… there and we really don’t know anything about him. The creators had better try harder for the next characters to run into our main character, because this has potential to become a really fun series. Oh, and finally a series has the balls to have school that doesn’t feature school uniforms. That gives the character designers much more freedom, and it shows: this show really has this unique look without having a particularly different art style.
ED: Clever
Potential: 80%
Mobile Suit Gunam AGE
Short Synopsis: Our lead character pilots a giant robot.
Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. The big selling point of Gundam AGE was that it would show a completely different version of the regular Gundam series. In the end though, all that that amounted to was a new coat. It actually did nothing to remove the most obnoxious parts of the franchise. The male lead still is a teenager who for very convenient reasons ends up piloting a giant robot stronger than all others, he instantly knows how to pilot it, the female lead is completely useless, and there is a lot of angst about how bad war is. Sunrise, for the love of god try something new for a change. Probably the most insulting part is how pathetic the military is: even though they have never been attacked, they’ve only got one capable pilot. On top of that, they allow a twelve year old boy to design new mobile suits for God knows how much money. Really guys: designing and coordinating such a large-scale project isn’t so easy that you can just take off to school at the same time. Oh, and another cliche: everyone is an idiot in order to make the male lead look smart. Throughout the entire episode he is the only one who worries about the incoming invasion. Please Sunrise: you’re mecha series rocked because of how creative they were. This is not the way to do it.
OP: You can see that a lot of budget was put behind this, but it’s just too mainstream to really work. The flying scenes are good, though.
ED: This is pretty decent, though.
Potential: 30%]]>
Mawaru Penguin Drum – 13
I dislike it when a series revives a character back from the dead. But seriously, when it’s done this well, I really can’t complain. With this episode, the creators made Himari’s revival such an integral part of the plot that I have no problems with it. The revival had enough repercussions on its own, it had an amazing effect on the characters and we got to know a lot more about them. The kinds of revivals that got on my nerves were the half-assed ones: the ones who are just there to generate cheap drama without actually killing someone.
In any case, I loved how well this episode was told. It was an aftermath, but the pacing was just perfect. The dialogue was just excellent for every character: Shouma, Kanba, Tabuki and that pink-haired guy all had some amazing monologues, and I loved the use of music throughout this entire episode, and all had something interesting to tell as they analyzed what happened last episode and related it to their own experiences.
The new ED also is amazing. It’s not just a case of “let’s insert a random song here!” – it fitted perfectly with the end of the episode. For me, the best EDs are the ones that force me to keep watching them, and the transition was just seamless. The piano at the end also was absolutely wonderful.
Rating: *** (Awesome)]]>
Mawaru Penguin Drum – 12
Oh my god, Penguin Drum. You just didn’t! Tell me that you just didn’t!
Here I was expecting the entire episode to revolve around the parents of the trio, only for this show to quickly wrap that up and laugh at everyone for thinking that the penguin hat would be a permanent solution. Did they seriously kill off one of the best characters of the series?
This episode was absolutely amazing. Also, why did Tabuki’s hands look like they were cut off? What happened to the parents (heck, at least the father is still alive!?) where did the bunnies come from? Who the hell is the pink-haired guy, who are his assistant and what is that apple he’s holding? That just makes no sense when put next to the symbolism of the previous episodes!
And then there’s Kanba, probably the best part of this episode was when he arrived at Himari and started talking about some sacrifice he gave her. Was that that kiss that was shown in the first episode?
This episode again looked gorgeous. I really like that the creators still are trying to insert a ton of visual ideas that are creative, yet consistent with each other. This show is chaos, but there is a very well defined order within its chaos. In any case, I’m really looking forward to the second half of this show.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji Review – Hakairoku-Hen Review – 75/100
I personally had a hate/love relationship with the first season of Kaiji. Of course the concept was awesome: gambling and mind games? this series would have been awesome to watch… if only it didn’t take forever to get from A to B. The first season just consisted out of four arcs, but in the end it was just too dragged out for me to really recommend it. Now, the second season only has two arcs. And yes, it’s just as long.
Again, it sounds wonderful on paper: this series continues with Kaiji having to find a way to win seemingly simple gambles, which prove to be exceptionally devious. The first arc is actually very good: it’s got excellent build-up and knows exactly what it wants to be. There is a good balance of Kaiji to figure out a plan to win his bets, the execution is short but sweet and it overall reaches a very satisfying and adrenaline filled conclusion.
The problem with this season lies with its monstrous second arc: the pachinko arc. Oh my god, that was way too long. In total, this one takes up a whopping seventeen episodes, even though its story really isn’t that complicated. The creators could easily have done this arc in about 11 episodes. The result? is that the remaining time is spent on stalling time.
Now, delaying the inevitable on its own can be quite effective. This show however takes it way too far. It starts off nicely with a crazy premise, intriguing build-up and an atmosphere that just tightens with every episode. After a while though, the creators just start to repeat themselves to increase tension. They repeat over and over how characters are feeling, they explain over and over what’s going on, and this just goes on and on, without going even further. On top of that, they just keep inserting these pointless and inconclusive symbolism scenes that all try to be different yet all just try to say the same thing. This show tries to build up an over the top atmosphere filled with adrenaline, but it lacks the substance to keep it up. I’m willing to say that if you marathon the first season, you’ll get an adrenaline filled roller-coaster ride out of it. I can not say the same for the second season, however.
To make matters even worse, this season also features its share of character derailment, especially near its end. The old man of the first season devolves into a deranged lunatic for no discernable reason whatsoever. Kaiji himself also starts to act really weirdly and against his character near the end, and the final episodes are also way too filled with manly tears. There’s a difference between acting over the top and overacting, and this series ends up crossing that line. And this takes into account the first season, in which that line wasn’t crossed.
What also makes this less adrenaline filled as what it could have been is that the stakes at the final arc… really aren’t that severe when you compare it to what Kaiji had to go through in the first season. That season was completely crazy in what Kaiji all had to do in order to win. When you compare the gore with each other, the second season is really tame. In the first season Kaiji was pretty much scarred for life or even dead in the case of a lost bet. The second season reduces the stakes to life time imprisonment. I mean, that’s pretty bad too and all, but not for watching a hot blooded adrenaline show.
There were months in which I rated this second season quite highly, and its first fifteen episodes or so pretty much do what they need to do. Looking back though… I really can’t recommend this show in its entirety. Just watch up to the Chinchiro arc for a nice conclusion, but there’s no need to bother with the incredibly long pachinko arc. It’s just not worth it.
| Storytelling: | 7/10 – Is way too long for its own good and drags on needlessly by repeating itself. It’s a shame, because the first arc is well written. |
| Characters: | 7/10 – The final parts are bogged down by tons of bad overacting. |
| Production-Values: | 8/10 – The unusual art style is definitely appreciated, and the animation does what it needs to do, although it’s nothing amazing. |
| Setting: | 8/10 – This show does have the uncanny ability to portray gambling well. The best parts of this second season are the plans that Kaiji comes up with. |
Suggestions:
– Kurozuka
– Touhai Densetsu Akagi
– Rainbow
Kami-Sama no Memo-Chou Review – 85/100
Time to review another one of the top shows of the past Summer season. Kami-Sama no Memo-Chou is either my third or fourth favourite show of the serie that debuted on Summer 2011, depending on how well Blood-C’s ending turns out. This was the series to go to for intelligent mystery, well written scripts and varied cast.
Especially the script of this series is something where this series shined like no other. Thsi show, above all else, is well written. It consists out of a number of standalone arcs that are all focused on some murder mystery, and it’s the script that does wonders in fleshing all the different cases out into multi-layered stories and it tries to put as much meaning into the eventual conclusions as possible. This makes just about every conclusion worth watching, as the creators always manage to throw in some sort of satisfying conclusion.
The cast of characters is also an interesting bunch: from the outside they all look like your regulr JC Staff cliches (you know, moe school girls, bland male lead and in particular an annoying little girl), but this show actually manages to give an original spin on them. It does so by excellent acting, and also by giving each of the characters strong roles. The cast of this show is HUGE, but it’s very varied, and most of them turned out to be actually very interesting to watch. The male lead meanwhile starts off a bit bland, wanting to help people for the sake of helping people, but as the show moves on he really grows into a reliable and sympathetic manager and organizer.
Where this show falls down is that it doesn’t seem to realize that it’s only got 12 episodes. It doesn’t drag, but some arcs are very long (one takes up four episodes; that’s a third of the entire series!) and there are too many episodes that focus on the side characters. That’s nice and all, and the result was that the characters in question got some really memorable stories, but because of that there was no time left to animate the arc that focused on the central character of this series: Alice. She could have been an amazing character with a little bit of depth. And in fact, the entire series ended just prematurely: It’s built up in such a way that a potential second season has the potential to become a classic. Unfortunately, that will probably never arrive.
Oh, and there is also something that you need to take in mind when ou start watching this series: the fanservice. This remains JC Staff unfortunately, and so the creators tried to insert very out of place fanservice scenes, similar to what happened with Index II. Don’t worry though: these scenes disappear in the second half. Right when this series really starts to hit its stride, although its opening episode also is one heck of an eye catcher.
| Storytelling: | 9/10 – Terrific script, well use of build-up and twists. Only 12 ewpisodes long. Will become even better with more episodes. |
| Characters: | 9/10 – Varied cast, likable characters, strong drama, excellent character development. |
| Production-Values: | 8/10 – Crisp art and animation, nice usse of CG in the backgrounds. |
| Setting: | 8/10 – The stories don’t tie together whatsoever, nor do they have a general theme beyond murder. But this show does create a very believable atmosphere. |
Suggestions:
– Himitsu The Revelation (Granted, Kamimemo does not hold a candle to the master of the arc-based murder mystery genre, Himitsu – though it is a fine attempt nevertheless)
– Ayatsuri Sakon
– Shinrei Tantei Yakumo