Bakemonogatari is something that I would classify as being a sort of trippy show. Follows Arararagi (oops I stuttered) Araragi as he runs into all these different oddities and ghosts.
Basically the show can be broken up into five diferent sections, which makes it easy to stop watching and then pick it up again. The downside to this is there is no sense of guilt or desire to return to watching the show once you stop. The main character isn't completely what I'd call bland but he isn't that I would call exciting either. The show is rather carried by the side characters who an episode after their thread tend to disappear.
Another thing that can be considered a turn off is the unnumbered cuts in this show where they give you a nice colored screen with some text to look at. I'm still not completely certain of the purpose of these slides. However it is my belief it is used in a way to help the viewer get a feeling of involvement as an investigator of sorts, but this connection never really happened for me. Instead I wondered whether they were just ready to get the show out. The consistency of this type of thing leads me to believe it is purposeful though.
This show is fairly enjoyable, but it is not the most compelling of tales. It's pretty easy to drop it and that makes sense considering all the main characters are just shrouded in masks. So i'm going to have to rank this show as a 6. I like the art and the idea, but its slow. And if its slow then what am I watching for?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Angel Beats Review
Angel Beats is a rather interesting anime which involves the afterlife and a soundtrack to die for. Okay maybe my pun there wasn’t quite founded, but the soundtrack really is very good. The show however is only good if you don’t think about the facts. The show is enjoyable, but as soon as you finish it you suddenly realize that it makes absolutely no sense.
The basic plot follows Otonashi after he has woken up in the afterlife (which for mysterious reasons is a high school) with absolutely no memory of who he was or how he died. There he meets Yuri a young woman who is not content with being dead and leads a group of rebellious youth in their quest to defeat the school’s head Angel. Through these interactions Otonashi has he eventually regains his memories and develops a need to help his fellow students find peace.
First there is the essence of time in the show. The timeline doesn’t work out. With the end there should be a source of answers, but instead of pulling everything together I just was hit with the realization that everything I had just watched was a lie. I loved the plot, but I was confused at how most of the events were possible.
Another discrepancy in this show is the supposed ability to create objects from nothing if you atleast have memory of it. Yet even though it is said to be extremely easy, we never see anybody do this. Even when it’s a life or death situation. And then there’s the guild, that’s members don’t seem to really have any regrets in life and still don’t move on.
As moving as this show is, it doesn’t add up and often contradicts itself. It’s definitely a show worth watching, but I can only give this show a 7. I highly suggest the shows soundtrack at the very least.
The basic plot follows Otonashi after he has woken up in the afterlife (which for mysterious reasons is a high school) with absolutely no memory of who he was or how he died. There he meets Yuri a young woman who is not content with being dead and leads a group of rebellious youth in their quest to defeat the school’s head Angel. Through these interactions Otonashi has he eventually regains his memories and develops a need to help his fellow students find peace.
First there is the essence of time in the show. The timeline doesn’t work out. With the end there should be a source of answers, but instead of pulling everything together I just was hit with the realization that everything I had just watched was a lie. I loved the plot, but I was confused at how most of the events were possible.
Another discrepancy in this show is the supposed ability to create objects from nothing if you atleast have memory of it. Yet even though it is said to be extremely easy, we never see anybody do this. Even when it’s a life or death situation. And then there’s the guild, that’s members don’t seem to really have any regrets in life and still don’t move on.
As moving as this show is, it doesn’t add up and often contradicts itself. It’s definitely a show worth watching, but I can only give this show a 7. I highly suggest the shows soundtrack at the very least.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sumomomo Momomo: Strongest Bride on Earth!!!
Besides the mouthful of a name and the insanely catchy theme song, Sumomomo Momomo (say that 3 times fast) is your pretty typical borderline harem anime where 3 girls with super strength and abilities are mercilessly throwing themselves at one guy.
The basic plot follows Momoko young heiress to a powerful martial arts family as she attempts to have the child of Koishi, the heir to another martial arts family in order to prevent a war between the 12 martial arts families of Japan. (Yes, Martial Arts are VERY prevalent throughout this show.) Unfortunately Koishi after a traumatic incident disowns his family’s legacy to pursue his dream of becoming a lawyer. So, when assassins are after Koishi’s life suddenly, it’s up to Momoko to become the world’s strongest bride in order to protect him. Along the way they make many friends and Koishi discovers his inner strength.
The show relies heavily on slapstick comedy as well as sexual humor to poor Momoko’s expense as she fails time and time again trying to attain her acclaimed husband’s affection. The side characters in this show also rely heavily on caricatures, paradox, and irony. A good example is the indestructible Tenka of the tiger clan who happens to have the disposition of a tiny kitten. The show is a great example of farce for this reason.
However, despite the ridiculous nature of farce seemingly keeping the viewer at a distance, the show does a surprisingly good job of secretly drawing one in. So by the last episode the characters are so endearing that one can’t help but become very upset.
Sumomomo Momomo is a wonderful and farcical show, despite at times being almost too sexual for more modest tastes. Great action paired with slapstick humor and an extremely catchy theme song have convinced me that this show, in all its non-deepness, deserves nothing less than a 7. If you watch this show I’m almost completely convinced you will have a good time.
The basic plot follows Momoko young heiress to a powerful martial arts family as she attempts to have the child of Koishi, the heir to another martial arts family in order to prevent a war between the 12 martial arts families of Japan. (Yes, Martial Arts are VERY prevalent throughout this show.) Unfortunately Koishi after a traumatic incident disowns his family’s legacy to pursue his dream of becoming a lawyer. So, when assassins are after Koishi’s life suddenly, it’s up to Momoko to become the world’s strongest bride in order to protect him. Along the way they make many friends and Koishi discovers his inner strength.
The show relies heavily on slapstick comedy as well as sexual humor to poor Momoko’s expense as she fails time and time again trying to attain her acclaimed husband’s affection. The side characters in this show also rely heavily on caricatures, paradox, and irony. A good example is the indestructible Tenka of the tiger clan who happens to have the disposition of a tiny kitten. The show is a great example of farce for this reason.
However, despite the ridiculous nature of farce seemingly keeping the viewer at a distance, the show does a surprisingly good job of secretly drawing one in. So by the last episode the characters are so endearing that one can’t help but become very upset.
Sumomomo Momomo is a wonderful and farcical show, despite at times being almost too sexual for more modest tastes. Great action paired with slapstick humor and an extremely catchy theme song have convinced me that this show, in all its non-deepness, deserves nothing less than a 7. If you watch this show I’m almost completely convinced you will have a good time.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
.hack/ROOTS
I only have one thing to say about .hack/ROOTS... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS SHOW!! If you have some masocistic wish to waste hours of your life on a show that goes nowhere be my guest, but there is really no point to this show.
You'll probably watch the first episode and say "Jee, I have no idea what you are talking about." This is because the first 12 episodes of this show really arent too bad. But the second you get past episode 13 you're sitting there expecting the action to pick up when it infact does the exact opposite. I mean this very seriously; there is no real plot for the next 13 episodes after that. All that those last few episodes are is dull filler which never has a plot. And even when you have lost all hope this show decides to backhand you by pretending that we have reached the climax. The hero is about to get revenge! He's the only one who can do it! They go to fight! Oh he's over powered! He disappears! And-... he suddenly returns to his average joe self as if nothing ever happened.
WHY?
WHY?
Because this show was intended to be advertisement and warm up to a new game release......
So I'm not even going to give this show a score, because there's no reason to. It really does nothing. And I personally felt so blindsided that I would have to give this show a 1 in score. And that would be super unfair to the amount of time it probably took to make this show so. No score.
*Pause and zoom away way too slowly as character stands motionless thinking deep thoughts*
You'll probably watch the first episode and say "Jee, I have no idea what you are talking about." This is because the first 12 episodes of this show really arent too bad. But the second you get past episode 13 you're sitting there expecting the action to pick up when it infact does the exact opposite. I mean this very seriously; there is no real plot for the next 13 episodes after that. All that those last few episodes are is dull filler which never has a plot. And even when you have lost all hope this show decides to backhand you by pretending that we have reached the climax. The hero is about to get revenge! He's the only one who can do it! They go to fight! Oh he's over powered! He disappears! And-... he suddenly returns to his average joe self as if nothing ever happened.
WHY?
WHY?
Because this show was intended to be advertisement and warm up to a new game release......
So I'm not even going to give this show a score, because there's no reason to. It really does nothing. And I personally felt so blindsided that I would have to give this show a 1 in score. And that would be super unfair to the amount of time it probably took to make this show so. No score.
*Pause and zoom away way too slowly as character stands motionless thinking deep thoughts*
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Usagi Drop
An adorably endearing anime about a lonely bachelor
raising his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, Usagi Drop (or Bunny Drop)
explores a Daikichi Suchiro’s transition into parenthood as he deals with his
six year old aunt, Rin.
Along with its endearing two main characters, Usagi Drop
features a solid group of side characters including a hyper-active young boy
from the neighborhood, his mother, runaway cousins, a single mother from
Daikichi’s workplace, and many more.
This series does a pretty good job of sticking to its main
plot while including a couple fun sub-plots such as Daikichi’s slight
romantic relationship with the single mother who lives down the street.
However, probably one of the sub-plots that separates this from similar stories
is Daikichi’s determination to discuss Rin’s future with her mother who ran
away when she was very young. The fact that it becomes apparent that Rin and
her mother are very similar just makes it even more awkward.
However despite all of these heartfelt moments one cannot say that this show is
a tearjerker. This is probably due to the upbeat and warm-fuzzy nature of the comedy in this show. Though I admit Kouko-san Rin’s friend did put me in a very apprehensive mood with his trouble making. So two thumbs up for that.
a tearjerker. This is probably due to the upbeat and warm-fuzzy nature of the comedy in this show. Though I admit Kouko-san Rin’s friend did put me in a very apprehensive mood with his trouble making. So two thumbs up for that.
Although the whole show is sweet beyond all belief, the
happy go lucky nature of this show never gets old, supporting Daikichi’s point
in the end that parents shouldn’t feel regret over having children. And like
his point about parents to kids, I most certainly didn’t regret spending the
few hours which it took to go through this show.
As for score I’m going to have to give Usagi Drop a 7 out of
10. The art at times can seem a bit too childish and it wasn’t the world’s MOST
interesting show. However, the show definitely accomplished what the creators
were going for and is definately an easy to enjoy. It's sweet and funny, but I’m
probably not really going to remember much about it in a few weeks.
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