Ghost Hunt is an arc-based anime, focusing on a group of people who exorcise haunted buildings, like mansions, houses and school-buildings. Every arc ranges from one to four episodes, in which some kind of supernatural being has to be taken care of, sometimes resulting in rather bloody scenes. The series clearly did its homework, as it’s able to present the viewer with complex cases, and if offers some quite complex ghosts and exorcism rituals. Interesting premise, but does it deliver?
First, let me say that the best episode of the series is arguably episode five. It’s a masterpiece of fast pacing, tension and great characters. After that, the anime tries, but it never quite manages to reach the same heights of that fifth episode. This is mostly due to the main character of this series: Mai. She’s a normal schoolgirl, who gets recruited for the group in order to handle some of the smaller tasks, like paperwork, fetching coffee, installing cameras, etc.
Mai’s character is quite useless throughout a major part of the anime, apart from some prophetic dreams she has, perhaps. All she does is wander around, talk to people, get scared, and let others do the dangerous work. It’s such a pity, as her character works best when she’s actually in danger and has to fight for herself. But when she keeps getting saved by others, the fun quickly dies. Only two arcs bring an exception to this: the second and the final arc. Because of that, these two arcs showcase the best of the series, and possibly the only arcs which I really enjoyed.
Ghost Hunt also messes up its side-characters a bit. They work good on paperwork, but they aren’t just used to their full extend. In one particular arc, some of them also end up baking cakes, in order to conveniently have them out of the scene for a bit. Attempts are given to give them a bit of background, but apart from one case, these backgrounds are never finished. Speaking of finishing, a lot of questions also are left unanswered after the final episode.
In terms of graphics and music, however, this series shines. Character-designs are crisp and detailed, the use of CG is brilliant and the animation is very acceptable. (Someone also noted that the different characters end up wearing something different for each single day.) The OP and ED are definitely something to remember, some of the monsters and ghosts look very creepy, while the music fits the tension-full series perfectly. And I could go on for a while longer.
About the question whether this anime was worth watching, well, it is. The second arc, the final arc and also the small fifth arc were definitely enjoyable. The other arcs were just decent stories, nothing special.]]>
Ghost Hunt – 25
Short Synopsis: The end of Ghost Hunt. Naru wakes up, his secret is revealed, and the case gets solved.
Good: Matsuzaki was in her element.
Bad: A few important questions remain unanswered.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
You know, for a Ghost Hunt-episode, this wasn’t such a bad one. I quite enjoyed it, actually. Especially Matsuzaki was great to watch. There were a nice amount of climaxes, all of them were worthwhile to see. I also liked how this episode didn’t go into the “worst case scenario” as well, and chose the most natural solution instead.
Still.
Leaving the last part of a manga you’re based on out never is a good idea. xxxHolic was the only anime so far who left an acceptable result, but the fact remains that Ghost Hunt did leave a number of unanswered questions behind. First of all, Naru’s parents. While it’s nearly obvious that it’s that professor, I’d like to see it actually confirmed.
I was glad to see that Matsuzaki’s story felt the most complete after this episode, and therefore, it’s my favourite. Bou-san could have used a bit more explanation why he ended up in both a rock-band and a monk as well. For Mai’s case, we still don’t know how she got her powers, and why it’s Naru that always appears in her dreams. John doesn’t have any background at all, while we still don’t know why Naru is so incredibly friendly towards Masako. Overall, this could have been done much better, so I’m hoping for some kind of OVA to finish all these stories that were left in the final two books who haven’t been animated yet. But that probably won’t happen.
Overall, I expected a lot from Ghost Hunt, but overall, it rather disappointed. Episode five was awesome, but I still have yet to encounter an episode that managed to beat it. It would have been better if a bit more emphasis was put on the side-characters. That’s why I liked this final arc: because it put one of the main characters out of commission for half of its airtime.]]>
Death Note – 24
Short Synopsis: Higuchi dies, while Light’s plan gets revealed.
Good: With this episode, my faith in Death Note is entirely restored again.
Bad: What? No fingerprint analysis?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10
Holy god, this episode clearly proved the point I’ve been making for episodes: evil Light is awesome. I can’t believe how awesomely evil he was, ever since he got his note back. His plan also was pure brilliance. I can’t believe he believed in this enough to actually risk this. But then again, if your life is at stake you start to behave strangely. I hated the Yotsuba-arc because of the horribly dull good Light, but with this I can finally enjoy Death Note again to its fullest.
And it’s a more ingenious when you start to think about it. It took me a while to figure out that Light first made Ryuk write some fake rules in Light’s Death note. Light then gave up the ownership of the Death Note he got from Misa to Rem, making Rem the owner. Rem then gave this Death Note to Ryuk, making Ryuk the owner. Ryuk then dropped it yet again, so that Light could pick it up. His own Death Note then transferred to Rem, making Rem the owner. Because of this, when the police would find Higuchi’s Death Note, they’d find a list of the people who were killed by Light, instead of Misa’s actions. This would probably make the policemen less wary about the existence of the second note, though it seems that L has seen beyond that.
Light would then use the Death Note, owned by Ryuk, Misa’s original Death Note in order to bring back Misa’s memories. He buried it, gave Ryuk some instructions, and then he later gave up his ownership. My only problem: how come Light’s fingerprints haven’t been found on the Death Note? Or do they actually disappear after a number of days? And how about handwriting analysis?
Still, I loved how Light used Misa in this episode. This just shows the incredible confidence he has in himself. Before, he was a bit wary about using her, but now it seems that she’s doomed to accompany him (otherwise Rem will kill him) he’s probably planning to get her full support, and make full use of her eyes. That was so evil. And of course, seeing Ryuk back was awesome. 🙂
In terms of Misa’s life-span, it’s interesting to wonder how much she’s got left. If I’m not mistaken, she now has a quarter of the lifespan of an average shinigami. Aren’t those supposed to live very long? Still, judging by Rem’s and Ryuk’s reaction, she doesn’t have much time left. I wonder how much it is actually. It can’t be too short either, otherwise Rem would never have allowed her to make the eye-deal for the first time.]]>
Some quick first impressions: Keitai Shoujo, Idolmaster Xenoglossia and Hitohira
Keitai Shoujo
Short Synopsis: Ordinary schoolboy has a childhood-friend who’s in love with him, he’s in love with her as well.
Good: Finally, a harem that’s short! Only 4 minutes per episode.
Bad: Harem; Childhood friend; Annoying classmate; The usual.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10
Well, the spring-season started out quite horribly with Ketai Shoujo. But then again, it’s not like I expected something different. And at least it’s an OVA-harem. Those usually have a bit more creativity than the usual TV-Series-harems. _summer, for example, was horrible, but it did feature some interesting direction. Keitai Shoujo on its turn only has 4 minutes per episode, excluding OP and ED, so at least it won’t be able to bore you to tears. But then again, four minutes per episode, with only five episodes in total. There’s no way the creators are going to get some good development out of this. And heck, Keitai Shoujo, the phone who turns into a girl has yet to even appear. Anyway, It’s not like I’m going to continue this one. Dropped.
Idolmaster Xenoglossia
Short Synopsis: Girl auditions to be an idol, gets selected, but doesn’t know that she’s actually going to pilot mechas
Good: Some funny characters, solid animation.
Bad: Cast of stereotypes, useless fanservice-jokes, why are these girls the only ones who can pilot mechas?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10
Idolmaster Xenoglossia got aired on its website for its first lucky 1000 visitors. Obviously, this had to leak out somewhere, resulting in raws getting posted for everyone to view. After watching this episode, it’s clear that we’ve got ourselves a sunrise-anime here, as it just screams “Mai Otome”. Not that that’s a good thing, though. The main character is your usual clueless girl who will end up piloting a mecha without any prior experience, she’s joined by a rather shy girl and a loudmouthed one. So far, these characters didn’t really catch my interest, though I do admit that the loudmouthed one was funny. I wish I could say the same of the small fanservice-jokes which slip in occasionally. Those who are into solid animation could check this one out, but don’t expect the character-designs to be memorable. Dropped.
Hitohira
Short Synopsis: Extremely shy girl gets recruited for the drama-club
Good: Charming main character, some very interesting side-characters.
Bad: Other side-characters, though, were rather clichéd.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
I’m glad to see that Hitohira actually turned out good. The first episode definitely showed that Mugi is more than just the standard shy girl of a harem whose only goal is to get into the harem lead’s pants. She’s got a really cute personality, especially if she doesn’t know what to say. She’s more versatile than I imagined, which is always a good thing. This series comes accompanied with quite a few interesting side-characters as well. My main problem lies with two characters: the head of the drama-club and the Mugi’s love interest. The first is a bit too nice to her, while the second just screams “harem lead”. While it’s good to see the latter being abused and chased around, and his sense of humour is nice, I just can’t help but fear that his relationship with Mugi will be too forced.]]>
Some thoughts on Code Geass
I assume that most of you have already seen the infamous episode 22 by now. I’ve already shortly expressed my opinion about the episode in the shoutbox, but I figured to dedicate a post about it, since it confirmed something that’s been irking me about Code Geass for quite a while now. I adore series full of plot twists, which would naturally mean that I’d enjoy Code Geass as well, but for some reason I just couldn’t get into it. Now I finally know why.
Not just in this episode, but throughout the entire anime did Code Geass have the nasty tendency to feature a bit too perfect of a timing. Events are so arranged that they create the biggest sensation. The plot twists don’t rely on the characters or the plot, but they rely on coincidences, just like your standard soap-opera. Just think of when Lelouch found out about Suzaku’s identity because his mecha was cut just in the right way to reveal his face and not kill the guy or stop him from moving. Or in episode 21, when Lelouch, C.C., Shirley, Suzaku, Kallen, Ougi and Villetta all somehow end up in the same warehouse at the same time. Or Suzaku just catching Kallen when she’s bathing, and I could go on for this for a while longer.
Sure, one coincidence in a series never hurts, and neither do two or three of them. But when a series practically lives off the stuff, something has to be wrong. I’d much rather see a cleverly thought-out plot-twist than the result of what happens when two characters “accidentally” bump into each other. It just feels cheap.
I’m quite surprised that this series is so enormously popular, as it’s not really that good. Because of this series, the cleverly-written anime like Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi get nearly no attention at all. Overall, it’s sad to see that Clamp’s talent got wasted on this one. Ah well, at least the character-designs look nice.
(on a side-note: my favourite part of episode 22 has to be Lelouch’s father laughing at everything that’s happening. I wish he’d get more screen-time, the anime would turn a lot more interesting with this.)]]>
Ghost Hunt – 24
Short Synopsis: More people die as the sprits are trying to free whatever is trapped inside of Naru.
Bad: Most of the episode was boring…
Good: … but the ending was awesome.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10
Most of the episode did not what I’d like it to do, and yet again it reduced Mai to just a bystander, who just stands on one place while the others do the work. Okay, the possessed Kazuyasu in the middle of the episode proved to be at least something for her to do, but overall, the episode felt a bit boring to me. The death of the guy also lacked a bit of impact.
But then the ending came. Boy, that was one powerful cliff-hanger. Okay, I’ll scream if the next episode comes with a dues ex machina, but I’m just feeling that this arc is building up for something. It’s great to see that Mai was actually being hurt, other than just fainting at random places.
That’s also quite a strange use of an op they have there. First, it’s being left out, and then the tune appears at the time of the climax. Heh, quite interesting, and it works as a perfect background-tune for the cliff-hanger.]]>
Deltora Quest – 06
Short Synopsis: Lief, Barda, Marasu and Jasmine head to to the city of Raradin, after which they reach the Nageki Lake, in order to collect the second gem.
Good: I still love how different this anime is from your usual adventure-anime; great cg.
Bad: Predictably, Lief is the only moderately annoying character.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Quite an interesting episode. In only 7 episodes, two gems will be collected. I’m looking forward to the fight next episode, as I’m interested to see how such a huge sea-monster can be defeated. Another thing I really liked is how Lief and the others have learned from the previous episode. During this episode, they’re extremely careful not to run into unnecessary danger. The Rara-tribe also shows quite an ingenious method to remain hidden from the Gray Guards. For also one of the first times ever, a wound actually remains for more than one episode, and it actually has to be healed. Quite interesting when you compare it with other anime, in which characters magically heal all of their wounds within ten seconds.
Sure, it may have cheesy elements, but the fact does remain that a lot of thought was put into the storyline. The only bad part is probably Lief. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great character, but the fact does remain that he’s a bit annoying. Still, things could have been a lot worse. At least he’s not incredibly stupid, and he actually manages to use his head.]]>
Master of Epic Review – 89/100
Master of Epic is really recommended for all the MMORPG-fans out there. Basically, it’s just one huge parody of nearly all aspects of a MMORPG. Things like fighting monsters, shops, reviving, clothes, haircuts, quests, dungeons, cooking, weapons and item-collecting are just a small collection of all these things it pokes fun at. Heck, most of the characters have some sort of recycled clone with different hair-colour of themselves running around, in true MMORPG-fashion. Oh, and let’s not forget the sentai-team parodies.
Master of Epic definitely is a unique anime. If you’re looking for a continuous story, then you should stay far away from it, as every episode is a collection of the most random sketches. No overall story is present, even the final episodes don’t introduce some kind of dramatic element for the show to close on. The best you’ll get in terms of a storyline has to be the Waragecha, who return in nearly every episode and do something random. Apart from that, other sketches feature former characters returning, but an overall storyline is nowhere to be found.
I’m probably the only one who thinks so, but I found these sketches, with a few exceptions, very funny. They either made an aspect of MMORPGs look ridiculous, or they were just plain random. Certain sketches also were just plain wrong (imagine a couple of tough guys doing silly dances, or a male orc-like creature dressing like a female), while others were too cute at times. My personal favourites were the sketches which featured Bukotsu and Chuu. The first episode already starts them off with Chuu eating a live bat.
In terms of animation… well, Master of Epic was produced by Gonzo. With Gonzo-anime, the animation either is incredibly good, or incredibly bad, and this is the same with Master of Epic. Some episodes have some great animation, while others look horrible. (Small note: especially the earlier episodes feature bad animation, while the latter showcase the better animation, unlike most other anime which feature beautiful animation for their first few episodes, only for the rest of the episodes to look horrible). The soundtrack features a selection of J-pop. It’s not really my taste, but it does fit the mood of the anime well enough.
Aired in the winter-season, Master of Epic quickly became the black sheep. I’ve seen very few people who actually gave it a chance. While I did see this coming, (after all, it’s based on a MMORPG, and it has all looks of a cheesy moe-show) the fact does remain that this is another one of those neglected anime which doesn’t deserve it. The MMORPG- and moe-elements are perfectly parodied throughout the series, and a good balance is kept between male and female fanservice. Another interesting note is that this is one of the very few anime without a main character. The closest person you could call a main character (the orange-haired girl who shows up in the centre of all the promo-art and the OP) never really has a major role in any of the sketches. Heck, she appears in probably the most sketches of all character, but her only role is that of a random passer-by. She’s got like 3 seconds of airtime at most, before she disappears again.]]>
Master of Epic – 12
Short Synopsis: The end of Master of Epic. The last bit of budget is spent on a rather strange song, while the Waragecha-arc literally ends with a bang.
Good: In terms of an ending, it was a great one…
Bad: …but I want more!!!
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Bummer, the moment is finally there to say goodbye to this awesome anime. The worst thing about Master of Epic is probably that it left me wanting so much more, as I’m really craving to get more of the different characters. I’m really rooting for a second season for this, which focuses more on the characters themselves, but that’s probably a futile hope.
Anyway, sketch 1: the last Bukotsu and Chuu-sketch. They comment on that strange dance, performed by Bukotsu in the previous episode. This is the first time Chuu made herself look like an idiot. XD
Sketch 2: the party with the noob again. Their hair seems to have grown back, and they’re now out to tackle a huge sea-monster. Miraculously, the Elmony manages to defeat it.
Sketch 3: the fishing scene returns Chuu alone when she fishes up a rather strange bloke with a big sword. XD
Sketch 4: Angelica and her quirks again. This time, she attempts cooking. Obviously, she overdoes it yet again, and the boy she loves runs away from her in the end, having gained “a few” pounds. On a side-note: this is the first time we actually see someone log-out. I kept wondering when that would come.
Sketch 5: Chuu doesn’t have it easy, when she gets featured in another fishing-scene. You would expect the closing sketch of Chuu to feature a huge monster, but instead she’s being tortured by a strange kappa-like creature who attacks her with leaches.
Sketch 6: The Radio-show. The hosts talk about pets this time, and one sells another strong story about how pets can cook for you… right. XD
Sketch 7 is probably the weirdest one in Master of Epic yet. We see two tough fighters (Bukotsu and the grown-up version of Philippe) fighting monsters when suddenly people dressed up like cute and cuddly animals perform a cheesy song and dance in front of them. And the two of them actually participate. XDXDXD One shot of the two of them was particularly wrong, and I loved the expression of their faces when the song ended. XD
Sketch 8: the final Waragecha scene. I wondered how the creators would end the Waragecha-arc, but it turned out quite good. First the five get nostalgic a bit due to boredom, after which the guys from the first few episodes return, armed to kill them. Then another team of Waragecha appears (and YES the main character is among them!!! It’s probably the first time she actually played a role in a sketch, apart from bein an NPC XD). I also loved the Bukotsu-clone dressed in the Waragecha-purple outfit, and what was up with Warage-Black’s expression? XD And of course. How better to end the Waragecha-arc than with a BIG bang? 🙂
Sketch 9 recycles Sketch 7, where the same fluffy animals appear in front of an Elmony with his bat. A bit cheap, but still hilarious. XD
Sketch 10: the end of Master of Epic, with the announcers announcing that the show has ended. It’s interesting. Usually an ending is very hard to do, as it has to close off a big story in just one episode. But Master of Epic doesn’t have this problem, and it’s perfect to just end the show with a little announcement in the end. Of course, I’m hungry for MORE, but I’m really glad to see that this is like the only anime which didn’t reduce to melodramatic crap in the end, although that would actually have been interesting with this anime. ^^;
Also, the closing picture of Chuu smiling was just perfect to really end this one.
Sayonara Master of Epic, things have been really fun. :)]]>
Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight Review – 81/100
Every season comes with its surprises. The summer-season last year had Night Head Genesis and Chevalier, the fall-season had Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto and Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club, and winter-season had Manabi Straight. I normally tend to dislike school-based slice-of-life series, and okay, the series wasn’t awesome, perfect, stunning or extremely heart-warming. But I still have to say that I had a good time watching this series.
The thing that immediately strikes about this anime is its energy. Seldomly I’ve encountered an anime which almost sparkles with its energetic characters. The unique art style, the great animation and the perfectly fitting soundtrack turned this into one of the few slice-of-life series which actually caught my interest.
Another strong point of this anime is how it quite easily breaks a lot of stereotypes that have been plaguing other school-based anime oh so often. The most striking is the student-council president: Manabi, the main character of this anime. Up till now, a student-council president either was an arrogant but rather stupid bitch who likes to abuse his/her students or a perfect human (you know, the rich, smart, talented, high-classed and uberpopular one). Manabi Straight finally puts a human being in the seat of the student-council president, someone who loves her school, and wants to keep it alive.
Not only Manabi, but also the four other main characters felt very refreshing. Usually, in a show of this nature, the story usually revolves around two characters, while you can replace the other main ones with paper bags and still not notice any difference in the story. Manabi Straight makes sure that each of the five heroines has a significant role in the story. Sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious. Also, even though Manabi is the main character, and the central person in the story, she doesn’t necessarily get more screen-time than the others. Mikan and Mei get just as much airtime as Manabi, while the other two also are quite present.
Okay, so the anime is not going to go down as the “best anime ever” anytime soon. At times, the drama was a bit too forced, and the ending was a bit cheap. And okay, for a show which is supposed to take place in 2035, the only thing we got to see to illustrate this were strange-looking gadgets. I still enjoyed the unique parts in this one. I liked the quirky humour which showed up once in a while a lot. The animation was excellent and full of creativity, I hope it’ll set a standard for future anime to work towards. It’s a show, perfect for a light watch, but don’t expect anything amazing.]]>