So far, I’ve complained more about this arc of MHA than any other in the past. I wasn’t sold on the departure from the school setting, and I’ve bemoaned my favorite characters not getting screen time.
I was wrong.
These last two episodes have silenced any complaints. These were two superb episodes: top 10 for the entire series easily.
Continue reading “My Hero Academia – 76/77 [Infinite 100%/Bright Future]”
Welcome to Jeweler Richard, one of the two shows that Amun and me are going to take turn to blog each week. For me, I find it interesting to see the varied opinions between me and him on the same shows. This episode, in particular, divides us. Amun hates it but I find it decent – not on par with the premiere, but still very decent. Granted, I can see some issues this week, most notably the case that has little to do with Richard’s appraisal skills. The jewelry in question this week is the pigeon-blood ruby, known for its namesake color. Mami the client wants to know whether or not the ruby had been heated, but it’s increasingly clear that there’s something else that she wants. In terms of the progression regarding that ruby case, it is all over the place at best. Suddenly out of nowhere, her fiancee appears to info-dump about Mami’s backstory – and the thing was he’a never that important a role to begin with. She uses a fake name whose we soon find out is the name of her past’s flame. On the positive notes, Jeweler Richard the show has this fascinating view about women’s lives – Seigi’s grandma last week and Mami this week show how these women struggling with the roles they were expected to perform and their real desires. For that I’m willing to look aside all its shaky elements for now.
Continue reading “The Case Files of Jeweler Richard – 02 [The Ruby’s Truth]”
Magia Record sure has a pretty big hurdle to pass: for everything it does there will be a comparison to its original – which for me is both fair and unfair at the same time. Every product should be judged on its own merits, but Magia Record gains its attention for being a Madoka’s spinoff (or else no one would be willing to watch it), so that it’s a show’s responsibility to justify why it needs to be here in the first place. As far as the first three episodes concern, they (mostly) manage to stand on its own terms. It keeps the spirits of the original – the sense of there is something wrong in this world is clear, and several mysteries remain in support for that uneasy feeling. What is the deal with this Kamihama city, for example? The magical girls there are more powerful than the rest, the witches don’t have Greed seed (which implies that they might not be witches in the first place), and Kyubei can’t enter the area. Then we have the mystery regarding Iroha’s little sister Ui, as she dreams of her sisters’ best friends while she was living in the hospital. What did she wish for that single handedly wipe out Ui’s existence from everyone’s memory, Kyubei included? I’m sure that wish is not for the faint of heart.
Another week, another fantastic episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! This week we continue to dive in to the technical side, as our crew begin to produce their first animated short. Learning about short cuts, time and business considerations, and just creative freedom. So without further ado, lets dive in!
Starting off, this week Eizouken gives us our first major goal, the Budget Committee! It’s a nice and manageable one I think, a way to get the ball rolling, and lets Kanamori strut her stuff. As this first goal, with its set deadline, really lets the time/business aspect of anime production shine through. For instance I loved how Kanamori just broke down how much effort a 5 minute shot would be, at a simpel 12 fps. Resulting in a 3600 frame count, along with all the other overhead. While its pretty obvious, and something anyone could figure out, it’s also something anime fans ignore a lot I think. The sheer amount of effort that goes in to a production, the sheer number of drawings that have to be produced for a single minute of footage. And yes, there are shortcuts as Eizouken shows us, but its still work.
Continue reading “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – 3 [Let’s Accomplish Something!]”
Welcome to the second new series I am blogging this season, Runway de Waratte! A really odd choice for me all things considered, but it caught my interest and I figured why not branch out. This week continues the surprises as Runway backs up the progress a bit and shows us just how brutal the fashion industry is. Lets dive in!
Runway opened up answering a lot of questions/issues I had with the first episode. Such as how quickly it was moving, how they became professionals almost immediately, etc etc. I didn’t like how it seemingly skipped over all the hard work/amateur level stuff they could have done. So to see Tsumura’s age come in, how they won’t hire high schoolers and such, was nice. It sets up the end goal of the season, getting hired, and makes them actually work for stuff. Now I am still not sure what Chiyuki’s position in all of this is, as her father seems pretty adamant about not letting her model. He didn’t even lift her suspension until the 2nd half of the episode, but that’s also not terribly important I don’t think. No, the important thing is what Runway does from here.
Continue reading “Runway de Waratte – 2 [The Professional World]”
Amun: New year, new writers, new website, and a new intro! 2019 saw many changes for Star Crossed, but as long as we have our anime with big eyes, bright colours, and minor epilepsy inducing flashes, everything will be alright! This was the year of sequels: good and bad. Not to worry though, as many smaller projects shone through – with a couple breaking out to become multi-season franchises and promised movies. Now that the year is over, it’s time for the Star Crossed writers to dole out our accolades to the anime that impressed and disappointed us; and we finish off with our collective top ten best of the year. So let’s take a look back at the annoying cat-girls, weird kappas, no longer mysterious Titans – and finish out the decade in style!
Lenlo: Some series had worse animation, some had worse story, and some had worse characters, but One Punch Man managed to be consistently terrible in all of them. The production by JC Staff fell woefully short of “acceptable”, the narrative adapted the incomplete setup to an actual arc that mattered, and it butchered some of the series’ best characters. Across the board, this season of One Punch Man was a colossal failure that every member of staff here managed to agree upon. And it only gets worse once you start to consider the legacy of the series. From Murata’s godlike art, to the labor of love that was the first season by Madhouse. There is a reason that, collectively, everyone here hated it.
Runner-up: SARAZANMAI. Star Crossed authors are deeply divided on Sarazanmai, with a vocal minority giving enough negative feedback to propel this to the runner-up spot; the detractors decry the pretentious, “woke” plotline and peculiarities masquerading as “artistic”.
Amun: Arifureta had the worst first episode I can remember. The animation was unacceptable for a production level anime – it was actually unacceptable in some places for a PowerPoint presentation. Normally, first episodes are meant to make a good impression by pulling out all the stops up front – quality then tapers down later. Not so here. The tragic part was that I came into Arifureta with reasonably high expectations: White Fox, who knows how to make a fantasy anime (even if I didn’t enjoy Goblin Slayer), helmed the project. The director Kinji Yoshimoto had several decently well known series under his belt (Queens Blade and I Couldn’t Become a Hero). Unfortunately, in a season marked by poor isekai adaptations, Arifureta stood out as the absolute worst. May its namesake award on Star Crossed First Episode Awards serve as a warning to other shows: at least make your first episode decent.
Runner-up: GIRLY AIR FORCE, for hideous production values and a script that set our minds on autopilot.
Welcome one and all to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, the first of the new series I am covering! I’ll be honest, i’m excited about this one. Eizouken is looking to start the year off strong. Giving us a lovable look in to the animation industry we haven’t seen since Shirobako. So let’s dive in!
Right off the bat, Eizouken reminds me of these old cartoons I used to watch as a kid. Ones like Kids Next Door or Ed Edd n Eddy, which are just kids being kids. Hanging out in their day to day lives, using their imagination to make every day an adventure. It brings a sense of nostalgia with it that other highschool centered anime just lack. Most likely due to what they focus on vs Eizouken. Its this focus that, while the two previously mentioned showers were just good, sets Eizouken. As it manages to be both entertaining and informative, a sort of edutainment if you will. But while it manages to shed some light on the Animation process, that doesn’t feel like Eizouken’s purpose. More a consequence of Yuasa’s goal of telling/showing the viewer his, and others, passion for the medium. And I can’t wait for more.
Continue reading “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – 2 [The Eizouken Takes the Stage]”
Mario: Hey folks, welcome to the brand new decade of anime. Winter season is usually the quiet time for anime, and this edition doesn’t seem to break that pattern. Wish-fulfillment isekai and jerky CG idol shows are still going strong to remind us that the fruits of the last decade aren’t truly gone. And while this season might be lacking in terms of truly elite premieres (I can count only Eizouken and Haikyuu), there are many promising lower-tier shows that could manage to become sleeper hits. Without further ado, I’m pleased to present our coverage for this season:
Mario: Magia Record – The Case Files of Jeweler Richard/Kyoko Suiri*
Lenlo: Eizouken ni Wa te wo Dasu na! – Runway de Waratte – Throwback Thursday: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Wooper: Chihayafuru 3 (carry-over) – Dorohedoro
Amun: My Hero Academia 4 (carry-over) – The Case Files of Jeweler Richard/ Kyoko Suiri*
As you can see, this season we writers are trying something a bit different with the blogging. In true “multi-author” spirit, Amun and I will take turns covering Jeweler Richard and Kyoko Suiri each week. Expect an array of different opinions from each of us. In addition, it’s my intention to keep the Weekly Summary running, which means that some shows that aren’t in our blogging list might find their way over there.
You know, I’m normally pretty critical of Neon Genesis Evangelion, it has a long and storied history to live up to. But this week’s double feature lived up to that. Focusing in on Misato and Shinji, giving Gendo some much needed characterization with some good fights on the side. So without further ado, let’s jump in.
Starting off, Evangelion continues to look pretty good. We got some more of Anno’s weird longing stills in certain places. But either they worked better or I am getting used to them. Like a weird sort of Stockholm Syndrome. That said, the fights we got this week looked pretty freakin great. I will always love the fluid movements of the Eva units, making them more like living beings than machines. And the Angels lead to some pretty novel “fights”. Meanwhile, I am starting to get in to the VA work. Kotono Mitsuishi is doing some great work as Misato, and Shinji is starting to let Megumi Ogata show some more emotion. Meanwhile Asuka is also toning down the “Tsun” part of her “Dere”. The only real issue I have is Rei, who is just flat and lifeless. Sort of the point, but not pleasant when she talks.
Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 11/12 – Throwback Thursday”
Short Synopsis: A ship of vagabonds hunts dragon for food and money.
Amun’s review:
This is a terribly hard anime to find, but if you can find it….it’s not really worth your time. I’m even willing to forgive whoever valiantly tried to sub it, despite having a mastery of neither the English nor Japanese language. No, the real problem here is the jerky 3D animation and the thinly veiled analogies to whale hunting which don’t really translate well to steampunk/dragon fantasy. Hopefully the staff will learn enough here to become full fledged animators in their own time – this just isn’t going to be their breakout project. With ironically flat characters (except their thighs for some reason) and subpar visuals, I think everyone can safely pass on this.
Potential: 10%
Mario’s review:
Unlike Amun, I can say I have a good tolerance with full CG shows, well… some of them. I can’t be bothered with the new clunky CG in Berserk or Ajin for example (the latter is from the same company of Kuutei Dragon), but I did enjoy shows like The Magnificent Kotobuki last year or Ronja the Robber’s Daughter. So, which spectrum does Kuutei Dragon fall into? I’m happy to report that I enjoy the whole lot of it (well, terrible sub aside). The CG character models look bland, true, but I got used to that very quickly. The CG fares better when it concerns the ship and the dragon models. Add to that, I like the worldbuilding of dragon hunting just for food, like a good mix of whale hunting and the love for delicious food. Its easy humor and tongue-in-cheek nature reminds me a good deal of Magnificent Kotobuki, and if that is the case, I know I am in a good company. Just give me a decent enough subtitles.
Potential: 50%
Short Synopsis: A behind-the-scenes look at a male idol group.
Mario’s review:
Right off the bat, the CG live performance stands out like a sore thumb and things only get worse from there. This is apparently based on a real (maybe virtual?) band, and all we see in this episode is a little bit of them in school. It functions more like a promotion for that art school and the ARP director (whatever ARP means) than putting effort to tell any story. To give this show some credit, the dance routine of one team member is surprisingly inspiring, and it is in traditional hand drawn style. When it switches to the CG (especially the after credit where it doesn’t need to be) it becomes soulless. Soulless is pretty much how I’d describe this show.
Potential: Soulless
Short Synopsis: A girl walks around in search of the Chosen One.
Mario’s review:
Just like what Amun said back in the season preview, Plunderer is indeed terrible. The concept of a world run by “counts” is not a bad idea, but they mishandle everything else completely. There is not a single likeable character, and the show goes borderline offensive with its sexual harassment jokes and cringe worthy humor. Girls are treated like dirt in this show, especially the main girl who is so dumb that despite living in that world she doesn’t know one bit about the rules – how does she survive until now? Congrats Plunderer, you beat Ishizoku Reviewers as the worst premiere of this season.
Potential: TERRIBLE. HORRIBLE