Moyashimon – 22

by psgels, posted in Moyashimon

Hey, currently posting from an outskirt town in Cornwall, England and resting a bit from my trip to Napels, it sounded like a good idea to check out Moyashimon’s conclusion. In the end, it turned out that the climax of the series was last week. This instead was an aftermath. Everyone returned to Paris and all issues got settled. Haruka blew off the marriage and is back again like nothing happened.

Now, this episode did have what made me originally like the series: a lot of good chemistry between the different characters. Everybody got the chance to talk to each other and sort things out and the way in which it happened was quite down to earth. I just dislike a bit that some things about Haruka were a bit side-lined. Most notably, her future. This episode did bring up that she now lost any reason to stay at the school. That’s fine, but it made it seem like she was going to stay there forever. There was no mention of her future plans, or any kind of ambition. I think that’s a missed opportunity, and it’s what makes this series inferior to Nodame Cantabile and Honey and Clover, the only other two Noitamina-series to have gotten sequels.

Ultimately, this was fun, and Moyashimon’s sequel did get the Noitamina spirit, but in terms of structure it’s not a Noitamina-series. This second season feels more like a random side-story that got stretched into an entire season. To me, it doesn’t really feel like this was a necessary sequel, and while it was fun to watch, I would rather have seen a new series instead. I mean, the first season was inconclusive as hell, but it had its charms that way. The way in which they tried to stretch it out by moving Haruka to Paris feels… forced and not in the spirit of Noitamina by having series that are short but sweet.

There actually are only a few Noitamina-series that would benefit from a second season, I think. Hourou Musuko would be one to pull it off, because there still is a ton of potential left in that series, both if they went for the prequel and sequel route. That’s also the beauty of that series, because it still works as a series without that sequel. Apart from that, Toshokan Sensou with its movie will also benefit quite a bit, and I can also see Kuragehime 2 work when done well. Apart from that the only other kind of sequel that I want to see is a series set in the same universe as Fractale, but actually makes use of its setting.
Rating: 4.5/8 (Good)

The Manga Experiment – Week 37 + Short Hiatus

by psgels, posted in Manga Experiment

Okay, this is a bit of a weird entry. The thing is, that this will be the last entry for a few days. Tomorrow I’ll be on a holiday and I won’t return until upcoming friday. I do have internet connection starting tuesday, which I’ll probably use to submit a few entries, but expect some huge delays here.

Because of that, this week’s manga experiment is a bit different, because I’ve been busy packing my stuff and having a real life for a proper entry. I did visit a local manga library, at which I read a bit more of With the Light. Plus, I got a friend to loan me some manga that I can read while in the plane (all four volumes of Clamp’s wish to be exact, of which I already managed to finish the first chapter). But yeah, I can’t make any screenshots out of those, so no images for this entry.

With the Light – Vol.1: I finally managed to finish the first volume (which is like, triple the size of a regular manga volume), and I continued some of the steps in the life of the family while the titular autistic child Hikaru was in elementary school. A huge focus was on getting him to interact with “normal” people, instead of sending him to a place that only has autistic people, and I really liked that despite how hard it could be on him, that he’s improving slightly and slightly. The character-development here is top notch. At the same time, the author also takes her time to show some other problems of society, like domestic abuse, which is quite neatly woven into the rest of the story and used to relate back to the main characters. Quite well done.

Wish – Ch.01: I’ll have enough time to read this one while in my plane, but my first impressions of this are very favorable. I was a very big fan of Kobato’s last half, but so far the characters introduced here are completely different. And I like them a lot, especially the lead guy is likable and down to earth (not to mention in his twenties). This has got charm, of the same kind that made me such a big fan of Kobato.

And now for something completely random: what series would you like to see me blog next season? This is no thing definitive or anything, but I might use these results as a guide line.

What series would you like to see me blog?
  
pollcode.com free polls 

Natsuyuki Rendezvous Review – 91/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews, Natsuyuki Rendezvous



The Noitamina timeslot started back in 2005, as an attempt to air series aimed at an older audience than usual. It was a wide success and spawned many awesome series. Then, in 2011 something happened: Fractale aired. It was alongside Hourou Musuko of course, but Fractale is the best symbol for the timeslot as it headed into a completely different direction, making shows about teenagers like what every other anime was doing. There were exceptions like Usagi Drop and Un-Go, but the general new shift in style was definitely noticeable. Until the Summer of 2012, that is. The past three months, we got to see Noitamina return back to its roots. And it was awesome.

Setting aside Moyashimon, Natsuyuki Rendezvous pretty much delivered one of the two best shows of the year, leaving every other series miles behind. It’s just so well made. The production company may be Dogakobo, these guys manage to deliver the best animation they’ve ever done. The characters are drawn incredibly expressive and they come wonderfully to life. And that can be added to the fact that this series is directed by Kou Matsuo, whose series often have this interesting habit of recording the voices before the animation is made. The result is fantastic acting with voice actors who instead of focusing on matching the flaps, can focus on interacting with each other. This show has brilliant characterizations overall.

And realyl, the story knows what it is. It’s deceptively simple from the outside, with very little unneccessary twists. It knows exactly what kind of story it wants to tell and has paced this out perfectly with hardly any moment wasted or rushed turing its 11-episode run. Instead of random twists, it thrives on letting the characters just interact with each other and create their own tension. It has nailed their background and gradual development, and it really succeeded in creating an awesome romance based on the three main characters who feel real and down to earth.

The thing also is, that I can’t think of any real criticism for it. Perhaps there are times at which one of the characters, Hazuki, becomes a bit too forceful, but really: we’re givern plenty of explanation for him to act that way and his acting is really consistent thoughout the series. Heck, if there is anything such as perfection, then this series comes closest to it this year. It’s a must-watch if you’re into realistic drama. It’s not for everyone obviously: if you want action, then don’t bother. However, I do believe that this is the kind of series that can attract people who normally aren’t into romance, but are interested into the genre.

Storytelling: 9/10 – Goldilocks pacing: neither too fast nor too slow. Really manages to let its characters tell its story.
Characters: 10/10 – Fantastic voice acting, amazing chemistry, wonderful drama.
Production-Values: 9/10 – Very expressive and detailed animation throughout the entire series.
Setting: 8.5/10 – Down to earth and very believable, with a great idea to base its romance on that it uses really well.

Suggestions:
– Aoi Hana
– Sakamichi no Apollon
– Hourou Musuko

Natsuyuki Rendezvous – 11

by psgels, posted in Natsuyuki Rendezvous

And here we have the ending of one of the top shows of 2012. I mean, back during the Spring season I already was very impressed with Sakamichi no Apollon, but that series had its flaws: it at times tried a little too hard, and as a result the characters forced themselves a bit too much into romance and drama. This series however was just perfect. It made brilliant use of its length and its story was simple, yet so effective. My favorite shows usually are complex series with huge storylines, but this was done so well that it completely won me over.

The ending here was no different. Screw trying too hard, this was just perfect: Atsushi got his time to say goodbye to Rokka properly, pissed off Hazuki one final time with his threat to kill her, and afterwards Rokka and Hazuki officially become a couple. Atsushi really shook up both of them in his attempt to leave a lasting impression, and I love how well the animators captured their emotions at just that moment. Hazuki’s utter surprise and Rokka’s hopelessly sad face were incredibly genuine.

And after that, this series picked a very interesting epilogue. Usually we skip forward to a few years later. This time however, we turn to the point where Hazuki dies, living his life happily. We got to see his daugthter with Rokka all grown up, which really is not something you see often. In fact, I can’t remember any other epilogue that did that. Beyond that, we never see Hazuki or Rokka in the epilogue other than in pictures. Again, a wonderful idea.

At this point I can’t say whether Natsuyuki Rendezvous will be my top pick for 2012. I can however say with quite a bit of certainty that it’s in the top 2 of the year. Its exact placement depentds on how Space Brothers fares in its third quarter, and whether it keeps up the pace it created. Space Brothers has slightly better characters, but on the other hand its pacing and animation just aren’t as good as this series. Nevertheless, these two shows stand miles above anything else this year.
Rating: 6/8 (Awesome)

Summer 2012 Kaleidoscope – Week 37

by psgels, posted in Summer 2012 Kaleidoscope

#1: Hunter X Hunter – 46: It’s as I hoped: the creators really nailed Uvogin here. He’s not just your average strong guy, because in this episode he really showed that he also has a pair of brains that he can use. In the meantime Gon and Killua make their appearance again. While they definitely aren’t the stand-out characters of this arc, without them the parts with Kurapica and the Spider Troupe wouldn’t stand out so much. – 5.5/8 (Excellent)

#2: Kokoro Connect – 10: And with this the second arc of Kokoro Connect ends. To be honest, I liked the first arc better: it was sharper and lead to better drama, and the climax here felt like it would have happened even when Heartseed came up with something completely different (although it definitely sped up that process). Still, Inaba got a great conclusion to her feelings here. – 5/8 (Great)

#3: Saint Seiya Omega – 23: Saint Seiya isn’t the most complex series. This episode again was focused on a bunch of simple fights. But to be honest, it did get its build-up right, which is why I’m enjoying it quite a bit now compared to the first half. This episode was about Soma’s story again, and I must say that I like the direction that it’s heading into, now that we get a bit more detail in how he looks at his own quest for revenge. – 5/8 (Great)

#4: Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon – 22: A very enjoyable episode for this series. The insert songs were quite well used, and there were quite a few well delivered climaxes. The creativity also had a bit of wit added this time, which helped to differentiate this episode with the other episodes of Horizon (as creative as it is, creativity for the sake of creativity stops being interesting at a certain point; you have to do things with it). – 5/8 (Great)

#4: Polar Bear Cafe – 24: Ideally, Polar Bear Cafe should have been shorter. I’d say 20 episodes was fine, because then the creators could have skipped the boring parts and the good parts could have been more concentrated. The first half of the episode was nice and had some good laughs, but wasn’t good enough to keep my attention. The second half with the sports festival though was hilarious. This show again takes something completely normal, and puts talking animals in it and lets the chaos unfold, and this was one of the best examples of that. – 5/8 (Great)

#5: Tari Tari – 11: Um… okay. So this was supposed to be Tanaka’s arc. And what did he end up doing? He drew badly and accidentally saw the panties of one of the female cast members. Nothing about badminton whatsoever, there was nothing about his future or his past, and instead this show went on with this bafflingly random and forced twist about the school. Beyond how bad that twist was, what I really don’t like about these past episodes is how I get more and more the feeling that Tari Tari is looking down upon its male cast. They’re just there for comic relief and instead it’s up to the females to be all heart-warming. I mean, the past episodes have systematically avoided any kind of serious depiction of them in favor of comic relief, even though this was supposed to be their point to shine. PA Works, I expected better of you. – 3/8 (Mediocre)

Uta Koi – 11

by psgels, posted in Uta Koi

Uta Koi already was a great series to provide background for Chihayafuru while we wait for the second season (Winter 2013, hell yeah!), but this episode showed a little detour. A detour into Genji Monogatari, to be exact. This episode was entirely dedicated to its writer: Murasaki Shikibu, offering its own interpretation of what her mindset would have been like while writing it.

Once again, this episode fits itself into the “being a woman in history SUCKS”-themes. Murasaki managed to avoid this fate, but a close friend of her according to this episode’s interpretation did not, and ended up being a captive in a marriage. With that in mind, I can see how that would result in the creation of such a romantic drama as with the Tale of Genji, although it remains a bit strange for her to at the end simply say that she wants to tell a story about female strength. Sure, it’s one of the themes of the Tale of Genji, but there was much more going on in Genji Monogatari, especially considering all that the girls and women went through. A few of them died quickly after giving birth after all.

What’s also daring is that they turned her of all people into a lesbian. I mean, I paid close attention to the OP and noticed one female couple amongst the different people who passed the screen, but I never imagined that this would be the author of Genji Monogatari. It’s an interesting idea, especially considering the contents of what she wrote about. This kind of meta-fiction is what makes Uta Koi so good and special: showing the mindsets and thoughts that were put into works of fiction and poetry. I have no idea how this happened, but nevertheless I’m really glad they made this.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Rinne no Lagrange – 22

by psgels, posted in Rinne no Lagrange

Well, things got serious here. This was the episode in which all hell breaks loose. There are two episodes left, so this was about time, things look promising, but I still feel like this could have been more.

Overall, things would have been bad if this episode had been delayed till next week, however with two episodes, or fifty minutes, the creators can do some interesting stuff with it because it doesn’t take that long to just stop a world destroying superpower: there will be more. In the meantime this episode was fun and action-packed, so the creators did get that right.

In the meantime we have Dizelmine going totally ballistic. The more I think about it, the more issues I have with that. To list them:
– It was… rather overacted, especially for him. Where did that sudden outburst come from? I’m not really that convinced that he went mental, just because Madoka stopped him. He was able to interact with Vilagulio perfectly fine before.
– The “this guy is evil due to another more evil guy behind the scenes”-twist near the end of the series is a difficult one to pull off. Why? You just poured so much time into showing who he is, and why he does the things he does. And then you suddenly create an even more evil character from out of nowhere, who has had absolutely no development whatsoever. The result is that the creators are going to have to give a new character impact from out of nowhere. It has been done plenty of times before with success, but when the guy is such a stereotypically evil bastard with no other sides things will get a lot trickier.
– Just have Dizelmine kill Vilagulio. That shows that he really is serious and that something snapped with him. If you don’t show him actually dying, you’re just going to obey the golden rule of anime (no character is dead unless confirmed so).

I’m also complaining so much for another reason: a lack of other things to keep me interested. I mean, after how awesome the conclusion for Mouretsu Pirates was, I guess that I got my hopes up too much for Tatsuo Sato’s other series. And the characters indeed are great, but the plot has lost all its creativity ever since Yurikano disappeared. And unfortunately, this is because the creators focused too much on getting that epic world-threatening ending. Please put some creativity in the final episodes because the characters are too good for just a standard climax.
Rating: 4/8 (Nice)

Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita – 11

by psgels, posted in Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita

So in the first half of Jinrui, the order of episodes is all jumbled up, but in the second half, there is a clear order, and all of the episodes are airing in reverse. So indeed: the series ends with the period at which Watashi attended school.

This episode was quite a bit different from the usual episodes. For once, there was hardly any focus on the fairies: only one of them appeared at all in this episode, and its role was pretty minor. Instead this episode finally brings a bit of depth to Watashi herself by showing how she turned into that cynical future version of her, explaining that she was both bullied, and refusing to befriend others. I think that that’s also why she took a liking to Assistant so much: he did not try to invade her personal space. At all.

So yeah, in terms of characters, this is going to be a great ending. But in terms of the show’s themes, I’m not so sure. Again, there were very little fairies.

Unless the title of this episode can be interpreted literally. I only realized that this episode had a very weird title just now: “The Fairies’ Secret Tea Party”. I mean, that has absolutely nothing to do with this episode, unless you assume that the group of girls that Watashi ran into at the end of this episode were actually fairies in some sort of disguise.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Hyouka – 21

by psgels, posted in Hyouka

This was an interesting episode. I mean, movie or no movie: the series is ending next week, so Kyoani can pour even more budget than usual into it. The result is a really well animated episodic story with weird build-up.

I mean weird build-up in the way that this episode on one hand develops Satoshi, it explains his actions of some of the previous arcs, and on the other hand it suddenly turns Mayaka and Satoshi into a couple. Now, I know that my memory isn’t the greatest with these kinds of things… but have we ever seen hints to that twist before? I mean, it’s not something that blossomed overnight: they’ve apparently been going on for more than a year now. And with the incredible attention to detail that this series has, I find it hard to believe that they’d never hint at this. So did I miss something?

But whatever faults Hyouka may have had there, it made up for it by giving a very different meaning to his part in the school festival arc. What he did there wasn’t jealousy, it was a battle of him trying to win from his obsession. He allowed himself to dabble a bit with trying to solve things, but he never went far into it like Oreki did. It makes much more sense: if he’s such a large sherlock-fan, then why doesn’t he try to formulate theories or brainstorm? Well, that’s why. And that’s also why Oreki’s plan last week went wrong.

Also weird was Chitanda. I mean, the usual progression for a character like her is to done down: as she grows up she becomes more mature in the process. She however is completely different and after the school festival arc, she suddenly got more extreme, acting more and more on her feelings than she already did before. The animators really liked to exemplify that with a particular few scenes.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Uchuu Kyoudai – 23

by psgels, posted in Uchuu Kyoudai

You know what? I think that Space Brothers just got better.

I mean really: this episode was just brilliant and I was incredibly moved at the end of it. Seriously, this is how you write your characters. Every single character was enjoyable to watch, and Mutta’s acting was even better than usual. We now know him for 23 episodes already, and he’s still changing. Most notably his confidence in this episode was completely different compared when he went to Hibito for his first trip. Putting him in weird yet realistic situations only made this better, like when he dressed up for Santa Clause for a part-time job, or when he forgot to charge his train fare. Or take the rest of the cast: I loved how Serika randomly danced around at the end of the episode, or the little tantrum that Kenji’s daughter gave when Mutta visited (hiding behind the curtain was just way too adorable!). Despite the slow pacing, this episode had so many memorable scenes here.

But the real star of this episode was Yuri. I already suspected that now that he would be part of the main team, he’d get some more attention and all, but this episode completely went against my expectations. It without a doubt was one of the best executions of the “This character is put on a bus… oh wait, he is not!”-twist I have seen. With just ten minutes, this guy got a ton of depth, and I never imagined that the past episodes were all building up to that moment. I really got his fascination with aliens, and what he feels he should be doing with his life, but especially the talk he had with his father was beautifully and wonderfully down to earth.
Rating: 7/8 (Fantastic)