Category: Anime Reviews

I’m not sure whether I should publish this review, simply because I have no idea what to think of this movie. It’s more unique and absurd than any other movie I’ve seen up till now. Even Cat Soup was easier to describe: that one was just weird. Tamala 2010, however, is beyond weird. It starts out fair enough: there’s a world in which cats live, and we focus on one of these cats: Tamala. She looks cute, but that’s the only cute thing about her. The movie is full of foul language, blood-references in the form of tomato-soup and other red liquids, and many taboos get broken, for example gay people being open about their sexuality, rape (that poor mouse), tattoos and cute girls smoking. If 4kids got their hands on this movie, the end result would only be about 30 seconds long. The thing is, though, that unlike anime as Dai Mahou Touge and Bokusatsu Techi Dokuro-chan, the purpose of this movie is more than just gore, destruction and foul language. The first half is basically about Tamala doing random, hateful and nonchalant things as she runs away from her mother, whom she hates. Then a very strange twist comes, and suddenly turns this into a mystery-movie. You’ll be surprised at the huge amount of attention the setting suddenly gets, and this really is the part that’s hard to describe, as I know that I didn’t do it justice. But I also have no idea how to really describe it clearly. If you want a strange movie, though, this should be a good pick, as few movies can claim to be as strange as this one. There’s lots of symbolism in it, and I could recognize strong messages against big companies and commercialism. It’s definitely not for everyone, though. I’m also not going to rate this one, as I’ve got no idea how to really judge it. It was enjoyable, though. ^^;]]>

Okay, so this is a movie to avoid unless you’re really, really bored. I was lured in by the attractive character-designs and nice-sounding title, but what I got was a horrible mess. This is just one of those movies which are completely screwed up by the scriptwriters. For starters, the story plays in a world in which once an ancient civilization lived: the Wind People. Unfortunately, they died out at one point, when they were slaughtered by an evil empire. The main character just happened to be one of those Wind People, without any explanation whatsoever on how the heck he became someone of a race that was supposed to be extinct. If this was the only flaw, there wouldn’t be much of a problem. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg. To sum up a few of the writers’ errors: they didn’t build up well enough, plot elements go unexplained, characters lack background, characters lack reason for their actions, entire scenes seem to be missing, characters act unnatural, there are continuity errors, the main character is a Gary Stu, there are heaps of Deus ex Machina throughout the movie, there’s a lack of realism, the entire setting isn’t developed well enough so it makes no sense, lady luck is in favour of our main character throughout the entire movie, the creators jump to the action way too quickly, and probably some more flaws I can’t remember. This should give you a fair impression of the overall quality. About the good things: they’re hardly there, but there are a handful standalone moments in the movie that were sort-of amusing, like the kids’ times in jail, or a baker, preparing for battle. The graphics and music also aren’t too bad. Okay, they’re still nothing special, but by the standards of this movie, it’s nothing to complain about. Overall, this movie is a bad one. It’s another one of those shounen-adventures gone wrong, and if you’re looking for one and a half hour to burn, then you should try a different movie. ^^; I hope the next movie will be a better one.]]>

This movie came to me, recommended by Wyrdwad. Its original story comes from the same writer of Night on the Galactic Railroad: Miyazawa Kenji. I’m glad I checked it out, as it’s one of the most unique music-anime I’ve seen. The story is about Gauche, a professional, though not very good cellist. While this premise sounds rather bland, there is one element in the story that totally gives this movie its own style and charm. I refrain from saying what it is, for the sake of spoilers, though. It’s best if you watch this movie without knowing anything. Because of that element, this movie turned into quite an adorable fable, that neither feels too long nor too short. I also admire the realism, Gauche (or “Goshu”, as his name is in the anime) acts surprisingly likable throughout the movie, as do the other side-characters. The story also isn’t afraid to go into a bit of the technical stuff, while still remaining easy to follow. Despite its age, Gauche the Cellist remains an enjoyable light watch for every age, apart from the people who need action, perhaps. While the movie didn’t reach any heights, it did what it set out to do, and a very good job as well. The art looks fairly unimpressive, though. But because of that, the characters end up looking like any other average Joes, making the mood of this movie even more down to earth. The animation is nothing impressive for a movie, but I must note that this is one of the few times where the animators actually bothered to try and synchronize their instruments with the background music. Most anime nowadays don’t even bother, and I remember how Nodame Cantabile’s attempt of using CG for this failed horribly.]]>

What movie would be a better a better choice after Unico than Vampire Hunter D – Bloodlust? ^^; Anyway, the sequel of the movie Vampire Hunter D, produced sixteen years after the original, is indeed much better than the first one. The graphics look a lot better, and especially the music took a turn for the better, delivering a soundtrack that may not contain some of the best tunes ever, but succeeds in producing an effective atmosphere to capture the viewer. But what about the story? Well, there’s one added element that convinced me that Bloodlust is superior to its predecessor: the romance. Not with D, but the affair the main antagonist has been having. The relationship between him and his loved one, combined with the fact that the vampires are a dying race definitely made the movie worth watching. I wish I could say the same about the action, though. It takes up most of the airtime, and even though the amount of blatant Deus ex Machina has been reduced to only one, it’s just too unimpressive. The fights suffer especially because of their predictability. You’ll be able to easily to predict who’ll survive in the end, after only one tenth of the airtime, and the action itself isn’t really that good for a movie. Especially the side-characters, Layla’s henchmen, are a major problem in this movie. They’re just there to fill time. We never get to see their intentions, background or anything. We never see how they got together, and they get killed as easily as two donuts in a police-station. The main characters may have been interesting to watch, all gets ruined when the movie starts focusing on the obnoxious side-characters again. The minor antagonists aren’t exactly gripping either. Still, this movie is a nice enough watch, though there are better choices. The first half disappointed a bit, though things got better in the second half, when the major characters got some development. The ending is a bit cheesy, though you wouldn’t expect anything else, considering the predictability. I found the last line of the movie to be really amusing, though. :P]]>

This is one for the children out there. The Fantastic Adventures of Unico tells about a little unicorn with an amazing talent: to make everyone he runs into happy. Its storyline and themes (in this case, friendship) are simple and easy to understand, as the movie follows the adventures of the incredibly cute Unico and his friends. If you’ve got a little brother or sister, this would be the perfect thing to show them. Especially the kids in kindergarten will love it. But still, the question remains whether older viewers will enjoy it. If I were to judge the story in the way I do with other anime, this movie would fail horribly. Characters lack background, and Unico is surprisingly mature and brave for his age. The movie starts out nicely, though, when the gods try to get rid of Unico, but these gods play an unfortunate small role for the rest of the airtime. Halfway through the movie, a more clichéd villain gets introduced, who gets to be the big boss who needs to be defeated in the end. This end turns out to be a Disney-ending, so don’t expect much of it. Still, the characters are interesting to watch; if you like cute stuff, at least. I do admit that Unico gets more annoying as the movie goes on, but the other characters are definitely fun to watch. Everyone has a clear role to play in this movie, and a lot of symbolism is used to flesh them out. There are quite a few adorable moments throughout the movie, and despite the fact that the storyline doesn’t always work, the themes are always spot-on. This is one of these movies that you need to watch on a brain-dead afternoon, when you don’t want to think much. For me, this definitely wasn’t Osamu Tezuka’s best work. But then again, I’m not exactly part of the target audience. ^^;]]>

Recommended by Roastedpekingduck. Some of you may remember the first episode of the tv-series Giant Robo that was released at the beginning of the year. I have no idea what happened to the rest of the series (I’d love to see it though), but it’s based on the OVA of Giant Robo, that came out ten years ago. The OVA is sort-of like a prequel, as Daisaku is only twelve years old. The premise revolves all around the Shizuma drives: a miraculous new form of energy that has no effect on pollution whatsoever. The story starts ten years after they’ve been discovered, when they’ve become just as ordinary as air and water. This OVA is about two things: action and manliness. It’s one big spectacle, from beginning to end, and it’s of course full of grand action scenes. Thankfully, it’s got a good enough plot to back this up, as it tries to reach an as large spectacle as possible, combining plot twists and storytelling with its action. This turned into a mixed bag. Some parts are epic, and definitely worth the watch; others just didn’t get enough development, and feel like they were included just to make the scenes more spectacular. Overall, the plot works, but there are just a bit too many plot-holes left open. 50% of the characters that die turns out to be alive at one point (of course, all do this, just when they’re needed the most), and some vital parts about the things that happened in the past go unexplained. Especially Daisaku’s past is guilty of this. A few scenes also like to screw physics at times, performing feats that can’t even be explained if you take the superpowers of the characters (who are never really explained in the first place) into account. Also don’t expect the ending to wrap everything up. Despite this, though, the OVA turned out really nice to watch. Okay, it’s no masterpiece, but the better parts are definitely worth watching. A huge emphasis is also put on battle ethics, which work especially well with Daisaku, despite his brattiness. Everyone’s basically protecting him with their lives, simply because he’s the only one who can pilot Giant Robo. My favourite episodes were 1, 5 and 7. The graphics do look old-fashioned, since this OVA has been made more than ten years ago. The animation looks excellent, though, especially when lots of explosions are featured (which happens a lot). The graphics, however, bleak against the music, because the soundtrack for Giant Robo turned out truly epic. The operatic influences work perfectly.]]>

Kai Doh Maru is making me rather angry while writing this review. Not because it’s incredibly bad, but because it could have been incredibly good. It’s Production IG’s attempt at making a movie, and they went with another setting of Japan’s history. The interesting thing is that while most anime pick a period around the year 1800, with the samurai and shinsengumi and all, Kai Doh Maru goes further back: to the ninth century. Those who appreciated Sisters of Wellber know what to expect: really stylized art that fits perfectly, an excellent soundtrack (this one has been composed by Yoshihiro Ike, the same guy who did Ergo Proxy), and a nice amount of the screen-time is spent on fleshing out the characters, creating a great mood for this movie to work with. Only the humour is missing in this one. So why did it disappoint? Simply enough: it’s too short. If only it had gotten twenty, maybe ten more minutes, it could have been so much better, and it could have made a chance to be memorable. Unfortunately, Kai Doh Maru only has a length of 40 minutes, which may be enough to flesh out its characters, but not to flesh out their backgrounds. Right now, the movie was just way too confusing and failed to answer too many questions. What happened in Kai Doh Maru’s past? Why was he or she hunted, and why does she or he keep changing genders? These questions could have been perfectly answered if more time was given. Then there’s the issue of the ending: there is none. It just ends, and the bad guys still live. What happens next? We’ll never know. One thing I do know is that I really like Production IG’s style of storytelling; it’s just too bad that this movie screwed up. Nevertheless, despite my ranting, it’s quite an enjoyable movie though; you can give it a try if you’re a fan of their style like me. Just be sure for the rather large plotholes it leaves.]]>

Another oldie: this one’s from 1985. It seemed to have enjoyed quite a bit of popularity back in those days, and it still seems to be one of the more well-known movies from the eighties. I got curious as to why this movie turned out much more popular than the others, so I decided to watch this one. Unfortunately, the reason seems to be the fights and the bad-assness of the main character. The guy is your typical silent powerhouse, and he reminds me of an Alucard without personality. He’s been hardened through many battles, and he’s supposed to be dark and mysterious. So basically, don’t bother to try and check this one out. The plot maybe has a few interesting elements, especially in the beginning, but in the end it goes nowhere fast. The opponent is your typical evil king (or count in this case) who is evil and has to be defeated. He keeps talking about how he has to rule the country as an aristocrat but we never see him actually ‘rule’. All he does is sit in his chair, trying to look evil. And this of course wouldn’t be complete without the female love interest. She and her cute brother basically take turns of playing the damsel-in-distress. One particularly bad scene featured a Deus ex Machina, followed by another Deus ex Machina, followed by yet another one. All the characters are interesting when you first see them, but they get old very fast. The few lucky ones who have background often only have to do with one or two lines. While it’s not the worst movie out there, I’d definitely classify this one as below-average. If you’re looking for a way to burn half an hour, there are so many better choices for movies than this one. This is another one of these movies that just didn’t age well.]]>

After a Chinese Ghost Story, the logical next step is of course Wonderful Days; A Korean-made movie. This one comes with a dystopia, and quite an interesting one. The world has yet again been flooded, just like with Noah. One party managed to predict it, and retreated to a safe place. Now, years later, they’re still in control, and suppress everyone not of their kind, just like in a proper dystopia. First of all, the CG in this movie is awesome. I can understand why the Japanese animation-companies outsource to Korea so much, because these guys definitely know what they’re doing. Especially the background-landscapes are just plain gorgeous and a definite highlight for this movie. At the moment, I honestly can’t think of any other movie with better-looking background-art than this one. The traditional animation looks fine too, and blends in with the other graphics pretty nicely during most of the times. But yeah, the story and characters aren’t really that special. There is chemistry between the characters, but for most part this movie just follows a standard plot of beating the bad guys, and no attempts of originality are really made. It’s another one of those anime where the side-characters end up looking more interesting than the main ones, and especially as the story nears its climax you can start to recognize more and more elements that appear in 50% of the other movies. Still, that doesn’t mean that the ending is a complete failure. There is one reason you should be watching till the end of this one: the music. While it’s fairly unimpressive overall, the best two tracks have been saved for last, and they’re perfectly timed. Even though the ending sucks in terms of storytelling, it’s a gorgeous feast for the senses, which in the end, managed to make it worthwhile. The main characters are by no means bad. They’re just… too standard. This movie is a good recommendation if you need an hour and a half to burn. There are enough action-scenes to keep it from getting boring.]]>

To be honest, I’ve never before ran into an anime, set in an all-boys high-school that didn’t have yaoi-undertones. Do the anime-creators seem to think that in absence of females, the males will start to go after each other? Anyway, luckily this OVA from 1994 shows us another viewpoint on this setting, when it provides quite an interesting combination between comedy, drama, and in the later episodes, romance. There’s one reason to watch this: the characters. Each of them, even with the side-characters, has at least one quirk that makes him or her special. Some of them have also got a really interesting and sadistic sense of humour, which works perfectly with the main character, who I way too uptight and serious about everything. The first couple of episodes, which deal with the characters having fun and trying to tease each other turned out really well because of this. They also spend a bit of time fleshing out their characters for the romance-subplot that gets introduced in the final two episodes, which because of this didn’t actually turn out as bad as I suspected. Romance is often tricky to do in anime, but Here is Greenwood showed a fine attempt at it, especially considering the time it has been given. Still, the OVA has continuity errors. It’s another one of these mangas that got animated, with the manga being larger than the time that was given to the animators. Ultimately, this OVA became a collection of the best stories of the manga. Apart from episode five and six, the stories of the different episodes just don’t connect to each other. One particular case even has one of the characters claiming that a plot-hole was explained in volume X of the manga. While you could say that you just need to read the manga for this, I like my anime to be complete. Also, you don’t have to count too much on the aesthetics. The soundtrack consists of typical tunes from the early nineties. The character-designs also look a tad too much like each other, and most feel like they’re all the same body with different eyes and hair-colors. This is especially noticeable when they start taking baths. One character also seems to switch randomly between long and short hair, without any explanation. Overall, even though the graphics are mediocre, the sounds aren’t anything special, the story isn’t something to rave about and this OVA would have been better if it were longer, the characters are a delight to watch. While this OVA can’t match the great anime out there, I definitely don’t regret watching it.]]>