Ah, finally! A year after the series ended, Tsubasa Chronicle gets continued. Let’s hope that the DVD-sales are high enough to give the creators enough motivation to animate the rest of the chapters of the manga.
Let me start with the bad points, though. First of all: the music. Let’s face it, it’s nothing when compared to the series. Yuki Kajiura made way for decent pop-tunes or recycled versions of the lesser tunes of the original series. The art style has also changed severely, and turned into a strange combination of the original one with xxxHolic, and its long limb. Mokona also has shrunk and Fye’s hair grew.
Another thing I didn’t like is how the creators just decided to ignore the fillers of the series, and just continued after the library-arc. It’s a shame, because while the fillers didn’t really progress the story, they did flesh out and develop the different characters a bit. The result is the most noticeable with Sakura: she turned from a growing heroine back into her useless old self who keeps sleeping.
One thing that’s more personal is how it took me a long time to get used to the fact that this series isn’t done by Bee-Train anymore. There’s no overabundance of still shots to build up atmosphere, the dialogue is kept short and to the point, there are no insert-songs and there’s a much larger attention to the different action-scenes.
And really… Shaoran must be some kind of machine or something. He basically stands for minutes at the same spot with an arrow in his leg without even flinching. I mean, doesn’t such a thing usually hurt? In this episode, the Shaoran-lookalike also awakes, though unfortunately I’ve already been spoiled about his true identity, which took away a bit of the surprise.
Okay, those were the flaws. Apart from that, I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. The world of Tokyo (wasn’t that were Kurogane grew up as well?) is totally opposite of what I expected it to be, and I like the idea of acidic rain, spoiling all of the water. I’m interested in how the people who live outside of the two towers get their water, if both sides refuse to give them any. Especially if the rain has been pouring down for fifteen years now. The character-animation may also be a bit buggy at times, but especially the background art is terrific, and they blend really well together.
The best part of the episode was the conversation between Kurogane and Fye, though, because finally Fye gets a bit of depth to his character. It really seems that he can’t just stop putting up his facade, even if he wanted to.
Of course, this was just the introductions, and something tells me that the best parts of this arc haven’t even started yet. I predict that my complaints for the next episode will only be 25% of the ones I had for this episode, because it’ll be easier to get used to the new art-style. In any case, I do like how the creators kept the long limbs into the character-designs, because that’s what I originally liked about them. Next episode will be up in January, and I’m looking forward to it!]]>
Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations – 01
Personally I think still shots are used to build a budget instead of building atmosphere. Well since you seem to be quite taken by Bee-train’s horrid adaptation(Season one was solid) I guess its a little hard to get used to the superior style Production IG has decided to go with.
Well the mokona size is canon. Beetrain actually “enlarged” mokona quite a bit. And Fai’s hair was growing through the manga, but beetrain was too lazy to show that in anime.
The developments fillers took directly contradict on whats going to happen. And don’t worry, these three OVA will develop all characters way more than all filler episodes on both seasons.
You should not be surprised that they ignored filler storyline – One, its not direct continuation of season. Two – the script-writer is one of CLAMP mangaka group. And we all know on what they would be ready to do to beetrain’s “producers”.
The art isn’t new, it’s just more detailed
“Personally I think still shots are used to build a budget instead of building atmosphere. ”
lol,that’s what i was thinking too
also forgot:
“First of all: the music. Let’s face it, it’s nothing when compared to the series.Yuki Kajiura made way for decent pop-tunes or recycled versions of the lesser tunes of the original series.”
so are you also jumping on the “yuki has lost her touch” bandwagon!?I was hearing that quite a lot when el cazador was airing.
Ah, I can already see that I’m one of the few Bee-Train-fans here. 😛
Ara: I disagree. A lot of changes were made to the art-style. Sure, it’s a more detailed style, but take Kurogane for example, his hairstyle has become even more spiky than it already was.
Totoum: actually, I’m not. In fact, I loved El Cazador’s music. The thing is just that the music in this episode didn’t strike me in any way.
Don’t worry about Sakura, she’s gonna go and do something all by herself (finally). Let her sleep, she’s gonna need it.
psgels,oh i know you loved the music in el cazador 🙂 it’s just that i’ve been hearing more and more bad comments about yuki so I thought this was another one.
It’s not really that you are a Bee Train lover, psgels, it’s that THEY are CLAMP and Yuki fanboyz. 😉
Yuki Kajiura HAS lost her touch. Except for the magnificent song at the end of the episode, the music sucked. I just hated how the recycled “Break the Sword of Justice”, which begins STRICTLY at the beginning of the only battle scene in the episode and ends STRICTLY at the end of the only battle scene in the episode.
The art style is good, it’s way better than Bee Train’s, in my humble opinion.
What made me hate this episode is how CLAMP just randomly recycled X’s main cast, turned them into shits, redesigned them and their voices are horrible. Kakyo was saved, his design is way different from the original one, but quite attracting, but as if it was necessary to blow every single damn character, he has the most crappy voice in the Japanimation : Mitsuki Saiga’s. Remember Tsukasa ? Ikari Shinji is GAR compared to this guy.
CLAMP just randomly put original protagonists and antagonists together, blew them up and invented them new personalities. What’s more, I hate how Kamui looked like Lelouch in this episode. First, he has Mamoru Miyano’s shitty voice, now, they make him look like Lelouch ? I already foresee fanboyz screaming “omg luk hes jus like lelouch!!!!!”, cuz YES, today’s CLAMP fanboyz worship Tsubasa Chronicle and think that Code Geass is an original CLAMP work. They don’t know crap about X, RG Veda, Tokyo Babylon, etc., CLAMP’s masterpieces, which they made when they were drawing for fun, not for cash (what they are obviously doing with Tsubasa).
And finally, this episode looked way too shonen-like in my opinion. No still-frames (they don’t build budget, they build atmosphere, and coupled with Yuki Kajiura’s godly music, it works like hell), no epic music, no deep conversations (apart from KuroFye in the middle of the episode), nothing. I admit that Bee Train’s animes are way too slow, .hack//SIGN, El Cazador, Madlax, Meine Liebe : yes, it’s well animated and has awesome music, but it’s just too boring !
This time, Bee Train kept his slow-pacing storytelling, but moderately, making Tsubasa Chronicle a very well executed anime.
It’s just too bad that these OAVs don’t deliver the same feeling as the series.
But oh well…
Oh but if you did NOT notice, tsubasa IS “Shonen”.
For personalities of x characters – they are the same as they were in X anime or manga. I can’t really see any differences in their personalities. Although the harsh conditions of living may have “polished” some of them.
Agreed on musics – the only really good piece were when tube Syaoran awoke.
And I just can’t understand how someone who has read the manga(I assume, since you so bravely put your opinion about it), could say that anime series were better.
Yes Beetrain made some good shows,but what ruined tsubasa was a decision to turn tsubasa into yet another “cardcaptors for kids”.
I stopped reading the manga after the series stopped, can anyone tell me which book of the manga is tokyo revelations based on?
BTW, do you think they will tone down the violence for this season? because it is quite violent. Clamp can’t ruin this one…or can they?
Does anyone know the background music that’s playing when the Syaoran clone breaks from the glass prison? I want to get a copy of the song! Email stelonous@hotmail.com if you know what it is. Thanks!
@Paperheart
Well this OVA1 covered everything from chapter 107 till 115.
And no they won’t tone id down, as its OVA, so it is not bound to the channel censorship standarts.
I was actually very pleased to see that the latter half of season 2 was ignored. As others have said, the character development in this arc is crucial, and to incorporate the filler episodes would have changed those characters. And while the filler episodes didn’t have much in the way of story progression, they managed to have enough to contradict canon, so it’s not at all surprising that CLAMP and I.G. scrapped them.
I’m very sorry,i never see this episods before…i just want to ask that, is this the continue of the Tsubasa Chronicle Resevoir of season3??Or this story is not the continue of Tsubasa Chronicle..Just a difference story??
I’m wonder why…. Maybe i don’t know who wrote this but it makes me feel like he/she is a person that very curious about Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations and he/she just like to put in so many opinoin. He/she is so critical.
Ok, I know this is REALLY old, but I would love to know the name of the song that is playing when the real Syaoran wakes up. I agree that the music isn’t as good, except for that piece, and possibly the OP…but I’ve always hated the way Bee Train animated it, and this was possibly the best episode I’ve seen. As for the recycled characters, they do have the same personalities, just irritates me how they put Kamui and Subaru with the Dragons of Earth and Fuuma with the Dragons of Heaven. And Lelouch was pretty much a one-for-one copy of Kamui in the first place…
Does anyone know the background music that’s playing when the Syaoran clone breaks from the glass prison? I want to get a copy of the song! Email stelonous@hotmail.com if you know what it is. Thanks!
>>> i want to know as well…pliz email to sakura_chan2710@yahoo.com if you know what it is…thanksssss…