Category: Anime Reviews

Gedo Senki, the first attempt of Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki at making a movie. From the things I read about it, it was supposed to have gotten rather bad reviews. But after having seen it, I have to say: it’s not that bad. It definitely beats Gonzo’s attempts of Brave Story and Giniro no Kami no Agito. One thing that becomes clear quite soon is the fact that Goro just doesn’t have the same amount of imagination. Because of this, Gedo Senki didn’t turn out into such an outrageous setting as Howl’s Moving Castle, or Spirited Away for example. Instead, he comes with a children’s adventure, and tries to make up for the lack of imagination with a huge degree of realism. The different characters really feel real, and are fleshed out in a relatively short amount of time. The thing I liked about this movie is that it doesn’t really try to be anything more than it is. Sure, it starts out with a king and a prince, with a dying country, but soon it boils down to just the adventure between Arren and Teru, the two adults that take care of them, and the antagonists Usagi and Kumo. I was surprised to find out that the fate of the world actually doesn’t play a big role, and that the focus really fell on the characters, unlike other movies of the fantasy-genre. Still, the fact remains that Goro has a lot to learn. The fact remains that the start that seemed to suggest lots of dragons and politics is rather misleading, and many questions that were asked in this introduction weren’t answered (either that, or I didn’t pick them up when I watched the raw). There are also, despite the realism, quite a few convenient coincidences. The real bad part, though, is the ending. I don’t know why, but it seemed that Goro found it a good idea to go with a Disney-ending, complete with one heck of a blatant Deus ex Machina. The fact that the biggest part of the anime doesn’t try to be anything big is a double-edged sword. The movie is focused now, and it takes its time, but on the other hand, it’s not a big spectacle. You won’t hear people talk about how awesome this movie was. Still, like most movies, Gedo Senki looks great in the graphical department. It’s interesting, as you wouldn’t suspect that it’s a 2006-anime, since there hardly is any CG, but the style fits perfectly.]]>

Let me get straight to the point for this review: Shining Tears X Wind, is utter crap, and I can’t believe the creators were really serious about it. It really gives a bad reputation, The first episode starts off decently enough, but after that, everything falls apart with some garbage-level script-writing. The characters are seriously horrible. Basically, we have a bunch of guys, accompanied by their personal harems, who get transported to another world, and save it. Why? No idea. The males are all fourteen ear-old brats and a bunch of Gary Stu’s, who are awesome for no possible reason, and the females have no roles whatsoever. Heck, if you’d replace them with potatoes, the only difference you would notice in the final product is a lack of fanservice (because yes, that’s all they’re good for: skimpy outfits and orgasms when their “soul blades” are drawn from their hearts). The plot isn’t much better off. It tries being dramatic with lots of shocking plot twists, but the entire concept of “proper development” seems lost on the writers, and the episodes also get cheesier and cheesier as the anime progresses. The graphics and music are the only two parts that actually come a bit close to decent. Still, it can be fun watching this when you’re with a couple of sarcastic friends. Especially episode 12 is the epitome of stupidity and cheesiness, which can become hilarious when you’re watching it with the right person. If you’re planning to watch this one alone, though: don’t. When I watched episode 12, I fell off my chair out of agony.]]>

From the makers of Touka Gettan, this is their previous work: Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. Having watched this, I suddenly realize why Touka Gettan felt so weird, because these guys have quite an interesting sense of storytelling. This one is about a collection of stories. Basically, there’s a great library, with a huge amount of books. Each of these books represents a world, and the anime basically features a bunch of people who travel through these worlds, all because of some reason. The inividual stories aren’t anything special. They either give off a feeling of “been there, done that”, or just aren’t as well developed as the ones in, say, Jigoku Shoujo or Mushishi. What counts in Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito is the overall storyline, because that‘s a memorable one. It may not seem much at first, but even at this time, I continue wondering how deep it actually went. There are quite some motives and emotions that you don’t think off so fast, and I like how, somehow, everything comes together in the end. The ending itself is also quite an interesting one, that actually turned out good. I can’t believe I’m giving praises here to a hentai-game adaptation, but it’s actually a pretty nice series. This also is one of the few anime-series that actually has shoujo ai as one of its major themes. But, indeed, there is an abundance of useless fanservice at times. Some women also have some of the most impossible hairstyles ever seen in anime, and a few questions were left unanswered by the end (especially the ones regarding the fox). It isn’t extremely emotional or hilarious, and most of the episodes that focus on the side-stories are quite dull, but the plot-related scenes were worth the watch.]]>

Soultaker is a definite recommendation for any mystery-fan. If you ignore the cheesy title and OP that seems to suggest we’re dealing with a GAR-mecha show, then you’ll find the perfect example of a well-written mystery-series that’s perfectly fitted for thirteen episodes. The first thing you’ll notice when you start watching this series is the direction. It’s hard to describe, but we hardly ever see any normal shots of the characters, most shots we see of them are weird camera-angles with lots of lighting-effects, which seldom stay for more than three seconds. Because of this, almost the entire series gives off a feeling of fast pacing, where perhaps only one episode really takes its time. Despite this, though, Soultaker never feels rushed, and the creators knew exactly what they were doing. It’s hard to talk about the plot of this series. Heck, the very first scene already is a major spoiler. Let’s just say that it’s about a mutant with a messed-up family. Through the course of thirteen episodes, it gradually answers more questions, asked in previous scenes, where the new revelations all increase in terms of impact, ending in a nice though predictable climax. Mystery-series should definitely take an example out of this one. To accompany the mystery, this series comes with a cast of intriguing characters; all with their own motivation and intentions, and most of them get a decent amount of time to get fleshed out. Even the seemingly annoying brat turns out watchable in the end. I do feel, though, that they could have had more development. This series is really well written, and the creators knew how to use their time, but the series never really reaches the height that requires it to become an awesome series. There’s also the matter that all mystery-series need time to build up, so the show needs some time to really get going. Nevertheless, I’m glad I watched this. It’s an excellent mystery-series that delivers, without hitting the heights. But don’t worry, you’ll be in for lots of surprises. ;)]]>

I was really surprised when I found out that this was the third-worst rated anime on Anime News Network. Heck, even Tekken had a better rating. I can’t believe how many people gave this a measly 1/10 score, just because it’s a bit different from your usual anime, and failed to look at the merits of this series. For me, Alexander Senki is a piece of art. It’s loosely based on the life of Alexander the Great, we see him take over the title of king of Macedonia from his father, and we follow his world conquest, and the people around him. The background art is incredibly surrealistic, and it turns this anime in a visual treat. Everything in this anime is just extremely stylistic, which fits the mood of Macedonia before Christ perfectly, and not to mention that we’ve got quite a few famous people from those ages making cameo-appearances. The music makes the atmosphere even better, when it combines epic music with synthesisers. Still, I can imagine why people wouldn’t like it. Not only is the character-art very unconventional, it also tries to meld in with the unique style of this anime. It works, but lots of male and female skin is shown in the process. People basically walk around without any pants, nude women often parade the screen, and there’s also plenty of male nudity. It’s easy to think that this will lapse in some kind of yaoi-fest. But let me assure you, there isn’t any hint of Yaoi in this anime, and you also can’t really call this shounen-ai. Still, there are a few technical flaws in this series, which prevent it to be part of the top-notch anime. The most notable one is that this show brings the Deus ex Machina back to their original meaning, when it seems that at times, the Gods themselves like to interfere. While it is nice when compared to the Deus ex Machina from other anime, they do remain Deus ex Machina, and certain parts, especially the supernatural ones could have had more explanation. Some important side-characters also could have been a bit more fleshed out as well. The fact remains, though, that this is a really thought-provoking anime, with lots of symbolism and references to the ancient Greeks. It constantly makes the viewer think a bit. The ending may have been a bit too enthusiastic in this, by the way, and I’m still not sure whether that’s in a good way or a bad way. It’s clear that the creators intended to end the series with a huge question-mark, and lots of questions that shouldn’t have been answered are left for us to ponder, but there were also enough questions that should have been answered, and the fact remains that this series would have benefited so much from one more episode. Overall, if you like unique anime, favour thought-provoking series, are interested in the ancient Greeks and don’t mind the male nudity, this can be an interesting watch for you. The series has its flaws, but the third-worst anime ever?! It seriously deserves better than that.]]>

So… because the summer holidays started I have a bit more time to watch anime, so there’ll be an increase in the amount of reviews. First one up is Mahou Tsukai Tai, a charming slice-of-life show, about a school’s magic club. At first sight, the cast looks like a terrible amalgamation of stereotypes. There are five members in this magic club, and among them are a ditzy idol, the pretty-boy who gets adored by al the girls at school and is terrific at sports, and a geek who can’t help to think perverted thoughts. Still, upon further watching, it becomes clear that these stereotypes are just small parts of these characters, and they all form a very likable cast. To give a few examples, remember the pretty-boy? Well, he’s gay, and he’s put his eye on the geek, hence the reason of his unlikely membership of such an obscure club as the magic club. The geek, on his part, is the one who founded the club, and throughout the series, we actually see him stand up for the things he believes in, unlike his counterparts in, say harems, who never get to do anything. And I haven’t even started talking about the main character: Sae. She’s a really cute character, who always has trouble expressing what she wants to say. And the combination of all these different characters makes the anime feel incredibly genuine, which also plays a big role for the story, in the end. The anime basically consists out of two parts. In the first, the magic club tries out random spells, all going different from expected, so that they can give the different characters some development. The second part is about the main storyline, in which a mysterious character appears and starts wreaking havoc. In my opinion, the first part was the better one. The main storyline is nice and all, but what really shines in this anime are its characters, and they show their best while dealing with the random spells that they let lose on the world (think of spells involving a giant walking cherry-blossom, or a spell that teleports you to the place that’s on your mind). The fact also remains that this mysterious character takes quite a few episodes to get interesting. Mahou Tsukai Tai did air about a decade ago, so don’t expect much on the graphics-department. The animation looks decent and it’s never awkward and the art style does well enough to tell the story but it’s nothing special. At times, there may be a bit too many fanservice-jokes, but it’s nothing serious. Apart from a very catchy OP and ED, the music also does a fine job of not getting noticed. Overall, if you’re a slice-of-life fan, you could check this one out, as it’s got some memorable characters. It was definitely fun watching especially the beginning part, and the ending left me with a good feeling, it’s just too bad that some of the middle episodes were a tad dull.]]>

Highlander is a movie that came out recently. It’s another one of these English-spoken anime, where the original voices are all in English instead of the usual Japanese. I’d like to describe this one as “Afro Samurai with personality”. Basically, what this anime does is about the same as Afro Samurai, only a lot better. The main storyline focuses on two powerhouses, one of them is out for revenge on the other because the other killed someone important. There is the side-kick who provides your occasional commentary, and of course the female love interest. All it misses is the childhood friend, but I’m actually glad he was left out. Anyway, on top of this, Highlander manages to add enough other elements to prevent this movie from becoming as dull as Afro Samurai. For starters, Colin, the main character actually has a bit of development up to the point where he actually becomes pitiful. I won’t spoil it, but I admit I laughed at how stupid, yet tragic his character is. The side-kick also has a sense of humour, which I quite appreciated. There is also a side-story focusing on oppression, which turned out really interesting near its climax. Overall, I wouldn’t call this a failure of a movie. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have any flaws, though. Let’s start with the voice-acting. The cast comes with both Scottish and American ones. With the Scottish voices, there is no problem at all. Scotland and other Celtic settings are hardly touched upon by anime, which is a darn shame, since it has enough interesting background material to make for some interesting stories, and the parts of the movie that played in ancient Scotland were nice to watch, and especially the voice-acting was a delight. I wish I could say the same about the part of the story in New York, though. The American accents just don’t fit in anime, and some particular cases of side-characters speak like a drunk Tarzan. Especially near the beginning, the dialogues just don’t flow right at all, luckily this gets better as the movie progresses. There’s also this matter of this being an action-movie. Thank goodness it isn’t just one big excuse to display some action, but the fact remains that you can’t really get a good ending out of it, and indeed, the final scene is just one big Deus ex Machina whose only purpose is to close off the story at its climax. The major antagonist also is in dire need of some character-development. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend you to go out of your way and check this movie out as soon as possible, as it’s not really that good. If you’re bored, though, and need an hour to burn, this may be a good choice. It’s nothing special, but at least it’s entertaining.]]>

The world is in trouble. Everywhere in the world, Raaja start to appear along with the pollution, caused by humans and something needs to be done. This is the message that Earth Girl Arjuna tries to bring. It features a high-school girl who receives the power of the earth in order to protect it. Unfortunately, though, she remains a high-school girl, and so she also has her own problems. And that’s where the problem with this anime lies. The two major focuses of this anime, the endangered environment and Juna’s personal problems don’t really mix together. They’re constantly trying to get the centre of attention, not to mention that the love triangle, that takes up quite a bit of airtime just gets nowhere because of this. The individual parts are good, yes, but this anime really had an identity crisis throughout its run of 13 episodes. There’s also this matter of the rather disappointing ending, shamelessly ripped off from Nausicaa. If you’re looking for an anime about human pollution, Nausicaa definitely is a better choice, as Earth Girl Arjuna comes with a bunch of theories that just don’t make any sense at all. Also, we never really get to know why Juna got her powers in the first place. The closest reason we get is “there was no other choice”. It’s also a bit too coincidental that the “big boss” is caused by none other than Juna’s boyfriend’s father. Still, Earth Girl Arjuna isn’t all that bad. One thing it did right was character-development. The cast of characters gets well developed and explored throughout the anime, and I overall had a good time watching. It’s just that now that I started writing this review, I’m beginning to notice more and more flaws and plotholes. You’ll probably enjoy this if you don’t get too much bothered by these. The graphics look quite interesting, Juna’s designs are done with quite some creativity, and the entire anime sparkles with imaginative choreography. The music also is quite unique. It’s not really memorable, but I can see myself going after the soundtrack, as there are quite a number of interesting tunes worth listening to. Overall, Earth Girl Arjuna is not a bad anime; it just has a lot of flaws. Let me just warn you to skip the final episode, though, as it’s the worst episode in the entire series, and the perfect example of a bad and rushed ending.]]>

Hitohira is going to be a rather difficult anime to review, since most of its major merits are rather spoilerific, but I’ll give it a try. Basically, it’s one of these rare high-school dramas done right. It features Mugi, an extremely shy girl who even has trouble speaking up at times, who gets recruited for the local drama-club. Why? Because her voice can be incredibly hard when she’s not holding back. When I first read this description, I indeed was sceptical. After all, many anime have come up with similar concepts, and failed horribly. Hitohira, though, proved to know exactly what it was doing. There are no stereotypes, no excessive fanservice, no harem, and no artificial student council. Nearly all of the clichés that we usually see in these school-based shows are gone. Instead, this anime delivers characters that go well beyond the stereotypes. They’re rich and versatile, and each of them gets a great dose of development through the course of only twelve episodes, ending with an actually good ending. Hitohira turned out to be surprisingly genuine, but it does take two or three episodes to get going and show its full potential. Nono’s case is beautiful, and I loved how this anime didn’t try to keep its characters together. Life goes on is a major theme of especially the later episodes and it’s done beautifully. I won’t say anything more than that that the major climax was amazing, and it was a definite highlight of the spring-season. Just go and check it out for yourself. The character-designs are done beautifully and unique, making the visuals a real treat. The animation itself usually remains minimal, though you won’t see any distorted faces or strangely drawn bodies. The background music doesn’t stand out, but it still contributes to the scenes perfectly. I really hope for this series to get subbed soon, as it deserves to be watched. This series really is one of the spring-season shows that went right. The only flaw that I managed to spot was that especially in the beginning, the drama was a tad too forced, though as the show went on this became less and less apparent. It’s a great choice for anyone who isn’t bored too fast.]]>