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Feb 10, 2011
Next time you pick up an anime to watch, beware!
The curse of the unfinished manga may be in it.
To be quite honest, if the only mistake of Pandora Hearts was having an open ending due to the manga not being finished I wouldn't have given such a low rating to it. Let's just say that the open (and bad) ending was the cherry on the top.
Oz Bezarius, son of a nobleman is about to come of age and thus, a ceremony to celebrate this fact will be held in a mansion that hides many secrets behind it. While exploring outside
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the place, Oz starts to see, in his mind, a disturbed girl who is in a room full of toys. Still confused about what he saw, the young man returns to the mansion and the ritual starts. When the ceremony is about to finish, Oz finds himself surrounded by mysterious people who want to send him to the Abyss, a place said to be a prison in where creatures called Chains will take the bad guys to places from which they can't escape.
The boy ends up being sent to the Abyss and there he meets with the girl he saw before. He finds out that her name is Alice, a Chain and she tells him she is the only way for him to get out of that cursed place. In order to do that he needs to seal a contract which consists on lending his body to the Chain. Oz agrees to it and together with Alice, the Black Rabbit, they leave the Abyss only to find themselves 10 years in the future in front of three people who were just about to go rescue him.
Sharon, Xerxes Break and Raven work for Pandora, a group of people who hunts wild Chains and Chains that have signed a contract with humans (called Illegal Contractors). Upon finding out that Oz made a deal with B-Rabbit they decide to take them to Pandora's Headquarters. Before they can do that, however, they are attacked by a Chain and are saved by Alice. The girl then, reveals that she only wants to find her lost memories that are shattered throughout the world. Believing that these memories might be related to a tragedy that took place 100 years ago, Alice and Oz are sent in a journey to find out more about Alice's past.
While this sounds promising, as far as story goes, very little happens after this. And this basically summarizes the 4 first episodes. After that we have very little development overall. Lots of episodes are filled with information, that in the end turns up useless. If the story wouldn't be finished in the anime anyway then it might as well have been compressed into 12 or 13 episodes. Watching 25 episodes only to get nothing in the end gave out a feeling of a huge waste of time.
There are some good points to the series, however. The problem is that they walk hand in hand with counterpoints. The main characters are well developed, even though the feeling I had was that they were developed to no purpose in the end. The soundtrack is from Kajiura Yuki, which is enough to know that we aren't dealing with crappy stuff here. Unfortunately, Kajiura's excellence was put to a bad use. The songs are repetitive and used in wrong moments, showing that more important than a good composition is a good sound direction. The art ranges from beautiful to average and even the many references to Alice in the Wonderland present in the show add up for nothing.
Up to a point it was enjoyable watching Pandora Hearts, but as the end drew closer and nothing happened to help clarify the main points I felt kinda annoyed for having watched it at all. The lack of respect from the studios is becoming chronic and Pandora Hearts ends up being another anime on an already overcrowded list with shows that could have been something but turns out average due to bad production.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 27, 2011
A boring-looking guy, a hyper-active flirt boy, a shy and quiet girl, a headless rider, a crazy doctor, a manipulative youngster, a russian who works in a russian sushi restaurant and an insanely strong and wild bartender.
This is just to mention the most recurrent characters in this amazing work from Brains Base, the same studio from Baccano!
I decided to start out by mentioning the main characters' personalities because I believe this is exactly the strongest point in Durarara!! From the boring-looking guy to the insanely strong and wild bartender all characters are very unique and well developed.
The story revolves mainly around the two I
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first mentioned, Ryugamine Mikado and Masaomi Kida, two childhood friends, who after living separate for a while, meet in the Ikekuburo downtown district of Tokyo.
Ikekuburo is a place where many distinct personalities and urban legends gather. How are or will be Ryugamine and Masaomi related to them is the key element in the show and it is delivered in a plot full of twists, adventure and interesting characters. In the end is nothing more than a detailed account of inner conflicts of two teenagers in love with a lot more to them than the eyes can tell.
For those who followed Baccano!, you can expect the same high level of animation, sound production and script writing from Durarara!! There are even some very clear references to Baccano! in this series which makes the ride even more fun.
To wrap everything up, I wouldn't go as far as to say that Durarara!! is the best thing in 2010 or of all times, but it is surely an extremely enjoyable and original show that will easily get you hooked until the end!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 26, 2011
I'll be crucified for saying this, but I'll say it anyway.
There's no need to watch the first season to comprehend or like the second season. If you're not up to excessive moeness and a dull story, the prequel might end up making you don't watch the sequel, which would definitely be a waste.
You can get a pretty good idea of what the first season was by watching the first 8 episodes of Clannad ~after story~. All the mistakes from the previous series are there. Lame humor, dull drama, unlikely reactions to over-dramatized conflicts and a weak soundtrack.
I was very close to dropping this
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anime thanks to KyoAni stupidity in copying every single aspect from the prequel. There were some improvements, it's true. After episode 8, the soundtrack was much better and even the art seemed more beautiful. Also, I have to admit that, thanks to being 4 episodes long (contrasted to 7, 8 episodes long arcs in Clannad), it wasn't that hard to watch Sunohara's and Misae's arcs.
Thankfully, some light shone upon Kyoto Animation and they realized that a more tangible plot without relying in nonsense supernatural references or in bad jokes every two minutes would work way better to actually create a dramatic environment.
From episodes 9 to episode 21 we are delivered a beautiful and extremely saddening story of the hardships of becoming an adult, having dreams, seeing they fall apart and getting over dark times.
Hardly did an anime approach these topics in such an effective way without losing focus that they are dealing with human beings and not perfect beings who are flawless or solve everything with some tears and "I'm sorry" all the time (which basically summarizes the first installment).
Tomoya's adult life's story unfolds in a carefully detailed account of how life can be a bitch. It's really easy to connect with him, suffer with him and cry with him many times, too. It was a wonderful development to his personality making him an extremely likable character, probably one of my favorite male characters ever.
Nagisa had some development, too. But overall, I still felt a bit annoyed by her quite often childish personality. Even when she acted a bit more independent and adult-like it was hard to not think of her as a child.
Ushio goes without saying. Probably the main reason many tears were shed in this series. Her voice actress did a wonderful job in giving life to such a special child.
But in the end KyoAni couldn't resist revisiting old mistakes. In the very ending it was decided, in a way that seemed completely out of the blue, that after causing so many tears, telling such a beautiful, tangible and human-like story they would laugh hard at your face and say "Just kidding, it was all a lie".
It was completely uncalled for. It fell like a rock, crushing everything that had been done up to that point. I understand the need of a happy ending. But one thing is ending happily, another thing is destroying 13 episodes of development just for the sake of an unreal conclusion.
I was more disappointed from this outrageous flaw than I was from watching the first series. The feeling I got was "Oh, we didn't have the guts to make the story follow the pace it was following so far, so we decided to change everything in the last episode just not to make you sad anymore. Here, have some candies"
Once again, a poor ending causes tremendous damage in a very promising show. It always angers me the desperate need of a complete surreal "happy" ending that so many movies, animes, series, etc have rather than showing a more soothing and human-like ending.
Still, it's a highly enjoyable show. Just don't expect much of the conclusion.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 24, 2011
Well, I've been surprised again.
A pity it was in a negative way this time. Due to the enormous repercussion Clannad has I thought I would give it a chance, since so many people said it was beautiful, tear-jerking, sad, etc.
Drama my arse.
Clannad is drama as much as Naruto is.
Yeah, you read it right. I'd dare say that Naruto might even be more successful on its attempts to drama than Clannad was. I was utterly disappointed by how lame the attempts to pull tears out of your eyes in this series are.
The producers relied so much on (poor) humor, that every time where you had
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a "dramatic" moment it ended up coming across as exaggerated or unnatural.
Even more unnatural are the attempts to a supernatural approach. They just don't fit, sound forced and nonsense.
Clannad might have been a lot more enjoyable if it was reduced to 12 episodes only. There were at least 7 complete unnecessary episodes, and several other ones that could have been reduced to half of what they are. Not only does this dramatically decreases the pace of the series but it also gives the show an overall feeling of lack of creativity since the episodes just drag on lame jokes and useless dialogues.
The characters are really shallow, extremely stereotyped and hard to connect with. They overreact or act unnaturally on almost every conflict that they face. Nagisa's constant promptness to tears drove me crazy.
While Kyoto Animation did a good job on Air and Kanon (2006) it's hard to understand what they were trying to do in Clannad. There was an attempt on focusing on family relationships, but even this is extremely poorly done.
The soundtrack is very repetitive, the art has nothing original to it and quite often I felt annoyed by the voice of some characters (Nagisa being the most annoying of'em all).
Once again, it's really difficult to me to understand the hype behind some animes. I'll give a chance to Clannad ~after story~. Since my expectations are so low I might as well be surprised positively this time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 21, 2011
Unexplainable. It's completely unexplainable how big an approval this anime got from the overall anime fans. There isn't a single reason I can see to that after watching The World God Only Knows 12 episodes (being painfully tortured by the last 5 episodes).
It's cliche after cliche every single episode. It's true that they tried to cover it up, by coming up with the whole "I don't get in touch with real girls because the games girls are so much better but I'll use my gaming skills to stereotype girls and it'll work out" stuff, but while it worked well on the first episode, it got
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boring right after it.
The story is really lame. Like, totally lame. Lamest of lamest. The guy is a master on finishing dating games with the heroine. He then, receives a "challenge" asking if he really can capture every girl and accepts it. The thing is that the challenge was about real girls, who are possessed by loose souls and to free those souls he has to make them fall in love with him and have a "happy ending" with them.
The girls with whom Keima ends up on each arc are painfully dull. They act exactly as you'd expect from them. No surprises at all. It's like they're actually following a book for cliche girl characters on animes. The hyperactive-strong-tempered girl, the high-and-mighty-tsundere, the popular girl who fears being alone and the freaking annoying silent and shy librarian (god, how I wanted to shoot my screen while she went on about books! The hell was that, some sort of "go read a book" brainwashing?) I'm not gonna even bother mentioning Elsea cuz she's just there to add another boring character to the whole set.
The soundtrack felt out of place during the whole anime! Epic songs, characters suddenly singing, seriously, why? The art was nothing more than you could expect from a harem anime. Even this aspect feels like a cliche.
I was able to enjoy myself a lot in the first episode, and a little bit up to episode 6 or 7. After this, god knows where I gathered strength to watch it till the end.
I really can't understand all the hype behind this anime. There isn't a single trace of originality nor attempt of seeking it. I wasn't this dissatisfied after watching an anime since Shuffle!
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jan 20, 2011
What a pleasant and unexpected surprise was to watch Katanagatari! Episode after episode, the way this anime grew on me is hard to put down in words, but I'll do my best!;D
The plot is actually quite simple, the way it is developed, on the other hand, is masterfully done.
We have this stubborn and cute strategist, Togame, whose objective is to collect 12 legendary swords by the order of the current shogunate, who fears a revolt from those possessing the 12 Perfected Deviant Swords. After being betrayed by ninjas and samurais she seeks help of a man who lives exiled in an island with his sister.
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The 7th Kyoutouryuu head, Yasuri Shichika, an easygoing youngster whose only worries prior to Togame's arrival were training and living peacefully with his sibling, Nanami.
After getting to know a bit more about the strange girl's past, Shichika decides on helping her on her quest and so they set on a journey full of joy and sorrow which will change their way of seeing the world and themselves, as well.
Surprise is certainly the best word to define this series. Each episode lasts for around 50 minutes, but you can hardly feel those minutes going by. The art, characters and story are so rich and amazingly done that there wasn't a single moment of boredom while I was watching it.
This is not your typical anime art, but any other than the one we have in it would look out of place. The sceneries, the characters, the whole atmosphere, everything is really beautiful, full of colors and details. You could say that the art itself would already be enough to give this anime a chance.
Thankfully, this is not the only reason. The characters are outstanding, as well. Their expressions, their voice actors/actresses, their development, thoughts and reactions. All of it, is very much human and it was the major surprise I had while I was watching it. You can easily connect with the main character and with the side characters as well. The only letdown I had was the Princess Hitei - Emonzaemon part. I think they could've had a bit more development, specially on their past, but it's nothing that hinders the overall enjoyment.
The soundtrack was the weakest point in Katanagatari. It ranged from perfect to average during the show, but the overall feeling is of a very good sound production.
Katanagatari is a rare jewel in a time of so many cliches and average animes. Its beauty, the likable characters and the involving story will definitely catch your attention till the very end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 17, 2011
After two big disappointments with Soul Eater and Occult Academy I decided on watching 2 respected animes yesterday. One which has been very good so far, Durara!! (I only watched 12 episodes so far) and the other which is very good, but that could've been a masterpiece - Arakawa Under The Bridge. Before anyone says anything I didn't watch the 2nd season. I'm just analyzing the first season for what it was.
*Note: I've finished watching the 2nd season and it's exactly the same as the 1st. A little bit more boring, actually, but it's still enjoyable.*
An overly proud man who accepts no favors from
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anybody is saved by a self-proclaimed Venusian woman. He can't feel at ease unless he pays her back. What she asks in return is nothing else than to be loved. Ko (the man) agrees with her and is then forced on start living under the bridge with Nino (the girl). He then, finds out that there are many other people living under the bridge. The first one he meets, the mayor (a guy wearing a kappa costume) names him Recruit and thus, his life with Nino under the bridge starts.
I must say, the first two episodes were perfect. Full of comedy, interesting twists and the promise of one of the best plots you could find in an anime. But it stopped there.
I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who felt like that while watching it. I truly believe that lots of other viewers were expecting a lot of character development, such as the reasons why those people decided to live there, what happened in their past and why most of them try hiding their real identity (Star is the only one with some consistent background in the whole first season). I must admit that I was also expecting some romance development, which is really rare for me in a series. I thought Ko and Nino made a really interesting couple, and think they could have provided some unique moments during the first season.
And this was my major let down with Arakawa. After watching the first two episodes I thought I was about to watch a masterpiece for sure, but their resolution on focusing on the comedy only and on some cliche situations (like the conflict between Ko and his father) was a definite waste, in my opinion.
I won't deny that I enjoyed watching it a lot. Despite the average story, the art is really beautiful with expressive characters and beautiful landscapes. The seiyuus did an amazing work as well, even when the other sound aspects weren't that special: an okay soundtrack, op & ed.
It could have been a masterpiece. I hope the second season makes amends for the first one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 15, 2011
I've finished watching a few animes in the last month and I must ask: What the hell is wrong with those script writers? It almost feels disrespectful towards the fans the way some endings are presented.
Among the over 150 animes I've watched the general feeling I got in 90% of the endings was "Lalala, it's so nice doing an anime! Oh, wait, we have to finish it! Just come up with anything and let's call it a day!"
Seriously! It's not that difficult doing an ending that goes along with the pace of the anime for pete's sake!
When it comes to Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin, it's
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not only the ending that makes no sense. Don't get the wrong idea, the anime is good, but they simply proposed on doing something, to completely forget it during the series and remebered to pick it up again on the ending in a completely nonsense way.
If this was simply an anime to tell the story of a group of teenagers facing supernatural occurrences it'd have been an amazing one. After all there wouldn't be any kind of commitment to a larger story.
And that's where Occult Academy went wrong. They offer you an interesting premise only to abandon it afterwards , and, even worse, to "suddenly" remember it on the very ending.
This mistake has been repeating itself in SO many animes that it's getting on my nerves. If you don't know how you want to end a story, don't even get started!:@
All that aside, this show can offer you an enjoyable ride if you're expecting little commitment to the plot. The side stories are very good. It's just the way they are told to be related to the larger story which is not very convincing.
The art is the best part on this animation. It's really beautiful and well done. It's noticeable that some effort was put on this area which helps making this anime bearable til the end.
The soundtrack on the other hand, has nothing special to it. Sometimes it felt kinda out of place, but nothing that would hinder the anime.
The characters were cliches overall. Very few development, except for Maya, your typical tsundere, but at least with an interesting background.
As I said before, it's an enjoyable ride if you focus on the side stories. After episode 11, however, I wouldn't even mind watching it. All I could get from episodes 11, 12 & 13 was a big WTF?
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 13, 2011
The Kouga and the Iga clan are in peace after many hundred years fighting.
The current shogun, after seeing a representative of each clan fight each other, becomes afraid of their power and in order to get rid of such fearsome creatures, resolves to use them to decide his political issue on the choice of a successor to his post.
Each clan representing one candidate to be the next shogun, and the war starts once again. The best 10 fighters from each clan shall battle to death refueling a hate that was only pretended to be forgotten.
However, unknowing that the war has
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begun once again, the successors of each clan: Kouga Gennosuke and Oboro Iga are living their happiest days in love with each other, blessed by ignorance.
The stage set, the story starts focusing on the characters and their fights. Fights that happen with the other clan, among their own clans or even with their inner selves. The plot advances in a very dark tone, blended with action and romance all of it in the right amount, making for a perfect combination, if I may say.
The art in Basilisk is outstanding. The best I've seen so far and the same goes for the music. The way one complements the other and both complement and enhance every single minute of the anime is unparalleled. The characters design and sceneries are really beautiful. Also, I must confess, I was driven to tears more than once while watching it, and much of this was due to the powerful work of Nakagawa Kou behind the soundtrack composition, although there's a lot of credit to the voice actors/actresses, who were brilliant, as well.
It's really easy to get mixed feelings towards some characters in Basilisk, which proves just how well built and developed they are. They go through inner conflicts, have their own thoughts and act for their own reasons. Some of them really surprised me, which, considering the constant cliches we have in so many shows out there, was another quite welcome characteristic of this show.
I've watched Basilisk 6 years ago, and I can assuredly say it's beautiful and moving from beginning to end. I can still remember quite vividly the impressions, emotions, music, art and story of the anime. A feat that very few achieved and, although I wish for otherwise, even less will in the future.
10/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 9, 2011
It's hard to understand why DenYuuDen has lost its way when it was going so well. Some said it was because the low audience, some say it's just bad script writing, maybe a mix of both. The fact is, Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetu is a good and enjoyable show, which unexplainably went the wrong way on the last 4 or 5 episodes. The only way to redeem itself would be by having a second season, but this seems highly unlikely from what I read.
I was really surprised by the story on this series. I was expecting just another action anime full of cliches, but
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I was proven wrong and in a very pleasant way. The constant dark tone this series presents allied with political conflicts and personal conflicts were what made this a very good series, despite the bad ending.
The animation, characters design and the sceneries were well done. It wasn't anything original but they enhanced to the right amount the feeling that was supposed to be conveyed at a specific moment. The action scenes were very short but were good as well.
The soundtrack ranged from very good to very bad sometimes. More than once the music felt completely out of place to a certain scene, which made me feel quite confused if that was actually the intention or just the sound director going nuts.
The character development was another strong point in this series, they were convincing, deeply explored and had their reasons to act as they acted. The only bad point was the development in the end which was very confusing and this is specifically what made this series lose so many points with me.
Overall it was still a very enjoyable series, despite the terrible ending. Even though I wouldn't say not to watch just because the last episodes. I say, watch it, and pray for a second season!XP
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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