On a scale of 1-10, rate the animes you've seen recently [Archive] - Page 10

Zenwins

11-14-2008, 11:29 PM

Monster - 10/10

amazzzing ammazzing ammazzing. One of the best villains ever [in my opinion], deep story, characters are great, story is great. the animation is so so, but it fits the feel of the anime quite well. I love how everything connects later on. It's pretty slow paced and long, but that's not something I mind.

another thing that's great about it, it follows the manga pretty much perfectly.

Ergo Proxy - 8/10

It is a pretty great anime, but I did get bored for a bit. I finished it, and it was still pretty great. one or two episodes were completely pointless. characters were pretty damn cool [pino and vincent ftw].

Darker Than Black - 8/10

I got really into this series for a while, then I stopped watching it two episodes before the ending, which I regretted a lot. I finished it about two months later. I liked the ideas this series presents [contractors, hell gates ect.], and the story a lot. Some of the minor characters are pretty memorable also [like Havoc] and some of the major characters are pretty blah, but Hei still kicks ass. I've already forgotton the names of the 'blah' characters .... but awesome series!

animanic_critic

11-15-2008, 08:10 AM

Inuyasha: Fire on the Mystic Island - 4.9/10

Man, I thought their latest offering in the franchise should be better than the three prequels. It turns out to be a major disappointment; both the movie and at myself for overestimating it. Let me give a brief outline on what happens without spoilers.

Enemy debuts. Inuyasha and gang appear. Both parties (Sesshomaru included) square off in round one. Background of enemy is revealed. They head to enemy territory. They meet again. Enemy becomes "invincible". Inuyasha gets into an ethical pinch. They fight - Sesshomaru hardly breaking a sweat as always - in round two. Enemy becomes un-"invincible". Enemy becomes super-cheesy final boss. They fight in final round. Miraculous solution follows. Inuyasha and gang wins. Their journey continues.

**** Inuyasha everyone in the franchise; I hate them all as usual.

KiraraKim

11-15-2008, 08:28 AM

animanic_critic

11-15-2008, 10:39 PM

The Sword of World Conquest is still the best among the Inuyasha movies, although in comparison to all other anime it's just above average. Fire on the Mystic Island is just an extended version of any of the episode in the series.

Oh, and bank on the latter - it is boring.

Latest addition:

Bokurano - 8.6/10

I took on this series after hearing some good feedback about it from various sources. It was great as I expected, but there were some things about the series that I didn't like. Here's the breakdown:
- Some the characters are unlikeable. Kako, Masaru and Jun (originally) really grated on my nerves, even though their character are understadable. I do like Maki, Mako, Kanji and Daichi though.
- The characters are incosistent in such that some are more interesting than the others, which I thought are mediocre. Also, for the earlier pilots, their lack of screen time didn't do much favor either.
- Dung Beetle. I don't understand why is it designed like so (a comic relief?) but he really pissed me off. Plus, it's made worse by the fact that the "Roulette of Doom" (choosing the next pilot) was devised by him for the fun of it. This somehow also compromised the grave situation the children is in and it works against the series for me. And to think that he can be taken out easily with a gun...
However, there are some great aspects about the series. These include how each pilot reacts differently to their impending doom; how Japan is reacting to the Zearth game (and revealing the ugly side of humanity) and most importantly, characters with different individual stories coming together for a common agreement.

It was great after all, and I want to give kudos to Kana. The so-called "battle" she will be facing at the end further bolsters her admirably strong spirit.

C0MPL3X

11-15-2008, 10:55 PM

Also, for the earlier pilots, their lack of screen time didn't do much favor either.
To be fair, even most of the later pilots received only one episode spotlight and only performed as cameos in earlier episodes. There isn't really any great interweaving of different relationships and plots like in Infinite Ryvius. I suppose the very last few did receive great amount of development all the way through.

Barrelhaven

11-15-2008, 11:01 PM

I actually pegged the show for an 8.12824 myself. :p
Sorry, I always get a kick out of that. Reminds me of when Coach Herm Edwards, in all his comical seriousness, said something like he was 93.8% sure a slightly injured player would be available for the next game, hehe.

Anyway, some of the parts you said you disliked the most, I thought were real strong points of the show. Many of the characters aren't likeable...that was sorta the point. There was always a story behind how they came to be the way they are, and I particularly appreciated how the show didn't really shove the sympathy down your throat either. It was more like, these kids are who they are...you don't have to like it, we just want you to understand it.

As for Dung Beetle, I found his character design more disturbing than comical. His whole approach to sending these kids off to die was exactly what made him such a detestable character. He had no value for their lives and enjoyed watching them suffer, which... made it all the more satisfying to see his own sister end his pathetic life.

animanic_critic

11-16-2008, 06:10 PM

To be fair, even most of the later pilots received only one episode spotlight and only performed as cameos in earlier episodes. There isn't really any great interweaving of different relationships and plots like in Infinite Ryvius. I suppose the very last few did receive great amount of development all the way through.
I thought that Waku - the first pilot of the fifteen - had a great character potential that could stir up the group. However, due to the nature of the Zearth game, the earlier pilots naturally get less limelight. It's a bit unfortunate though.

Anyway, some of the parts you said you disliked the most, I thought were real strong points of the show. Many of the characters aren't likeable...that was sorta the point. There was always a story behind how they came to be the way they are, and I particularly appreciated how the show didn't really shove the sympathy down your throat either. It was more like, these kids are who they are...you don't have to like it, we just want you to understand it.
The problem I had with the characters is that you either like, dislike or have no feeling for each of them. I like Daichi, Kanji, Maki, Mako, Yusuke and Tanaka, and dislike Kako, Masaru, Dung Beetle. I don't feel anything for the rest in conclusion. What I wanted was character development for at least some of them (I'm not demanding enough to say all of them but that would be splendid) and this is something only Jun and Kana went through. I initially hated Jun but have come to admire him towards the end (alike Amasawa Yuuko from Dennou Coil). Plus, it helped with the fact that:
he is the last pilot of Zearth
so apparently he gets the most attention among the fifteen. Not only that, I do like the story behind Misumi Tanaka and
the fact that she's Jun's mother made it all better.
And lastly, I doesn't help that Ding Beetle is voiced by Ishida Akira who has done My-HiME/My-Otome's Nagi and Mnemosyne's Apos; both villains who I intensely hate.

Major Tom

11-16-2008, 06:44 PM

AC, your spoilers seem to be broke. You have white text on a black background.

Edit: Actually, everyones spoiler tags are now showing white text. I don't know if it's just this computer or what.

Barrelhaven

11-16-2008, 07:09 PM

AC, your spoilers seem to be broke. You have white text on a black background.

Edit: Actually, everyones spoiler tags are now showing white text. I don't know if it's just this computer or what.

You mean you see the white text without highlighting over it? That's pretty weird if that's the case.

Major Tom

11-16-2008, 07:14 PM

You mean you see the white text without highlighting over it? That's pretty weird if that's the case.

Yep, that's what I see.

laborpilot86

11-16-2008, 09:42 PM

Macross Frontier..................................8/10
While not quite in the same ballpark as SDF Macross, this one is still good fun.

Major Tom

11-17-2008, 01:07 AM

.....and shift to a different computer and the problem goes away. I have no idea what happened there.

animanic_critic

11-17-2008, 05:39 AM

Major Tom

11-17-2008, 06:48 PM

Ah ha! I discovered the source of the problem. In Opera, if the fit to width button is set to on, it displays all the spoilers. Why this is, I don't know but it's worth keeping in mind.

animanic_critic

11-20-2008, 05:15 AM

Use Firefox. It's popular for a good reason.

Lucky Star - 5.1/10

My expression for 90% of the duration of the series:

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/d7b3c337d32d1d2d4d399cad13219f0d.jpg

My random thoughts:
- They can take cheap shots at any series and anything except Cromartie. -1 point for that.
- Some people might say that Akira is moody. Others might say that she is two-faced. I'd say that she's a schizo.
- Lucky Channel > Lucky Star. It should have been the other way round.
- Shiraishi > everyone else in Lucky Star.

Lupin the 3rd

11-20-2008, 08:03 PM

I honestly don't see the big deal in Lucky Star, yeah i got the jokes but its still wasn't funny to me.

Major Tom

11-21-2008, 05:51 AM

Kamen no Maid Guy: 5
Kamen no Maid Guy is a strange show. There is not much to recommend it. The story is rubbish and serves only to somehow put Naekas boobs (or underwear) at risk, the character designs are uninspired and the characters so very typical. Everything, and I mean everything about this show oozes generic and lowest common denominator......except for Kogarashi.

Oh for sure, most everything he does ends up involving boobs or panties (usually both), but his ability to completely misread a situation and come up with a utterly off the wall solution for a problem that probably didn't exist in the first place with what seems to be a new super power every episode makes this show very amusing and sometimes outright hilarious.

This is no more evidenced than episodes 9 and 10, which has very little of Kogarashi in it and they are fanservice at its most mediocre; one long boob joke full of cliche and crap. Even the ED song, which I believe is his theme song, is miles better than any piece of music in the entire show, with its 80's style metal wail.

I would only really recommend Maid Guy to diehard fans of the fanservice genre but I would say that if you are willing to muck through the swill, Kogarashi makes for some funny viewing.

Edit: Oops, I meant to say the ED is better, not the OP. The OP is generic anime pop trash. Changed in the text.

animanic_critic

11-23-2008, 08:24 AM

A I R - 6.4/10

The first-half of the series is slow and even listless at times. Additionally, the supporting characters are weak and overshadowed by Yukito and Misuzu's story and I don't understand how the supporting characters completely disappeared after their arcs are done (even the main protagonist's departure baffled me). Worse still, the sudden inclusion of a past plot in the middle of the story threw me off for awhile.

However, two good things about A I R are the crisp animation (as expected from KyoAni) and the sad ending in the second half of the series. The touching and best part is
Misuzu spending her last days with Haruko like a mother and daughter.
I'm disappointed that the impact of the series is inconsistent in overall. If the series is made twice longer - 24 episodes for example - it could have been better.

Vexille - 5.9/10

Cyberpunk anime have the bad attribute of being plot-driven and not character-driven, so I'm not surprised that Vexille possesses the same characteristic. The animation are gorgeous and the music is funky but all the characters are incredibly shallow. Worst of all, the plot - something that "can affect the future of mankind" - has been done to death already. Eventually, it's just an eye-candy without any filling.

If I want some good cyberpunk anime, well I'd rather resort to GITS.

Barrelhaven

11-23-2008, 08:39 AM

A I R - 6.4/10

Just curious, but why are you spelling it like that?

animanic_critic

11-23-2008, 08:41 AM

I've seen spelling variations of the series - Air, AIR and A I R. I just spelled it the way the main title looks like to my eyes:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/thumb/9/9c/Air_anime_tv_logo.jpg/250px-Air_anime_tv_logo.jpg

The most important thing is, everyone knows which series I'm referring to eventually.

Zelkiiro

12-01-2008, 09:56 PM

Dragonball Z: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return! - 8/10: The bad news, this special doesn't add up to much. The good news, the animation is spiffy and it's a giant boatload of classic Dragonball fun.

animanic_critic

12-01-2008, 09:56 PM

Forgive me for double-posting.

The Sky Crawlers - 7.2/10

The plot's potential is immense and unique - a group of ageless adolescents in an endless dogfight warfare that has an ulterior purpose. The big problem is the way the story is presented; the pace is painstakingly slow (which more importantly was unnecessary) and this kills the momentum some scenes were building up. Furthermore, there were too many still shots which are a tad too long.

Two prominent people in the crew are apparently Mamoru Oshii and Kenji Kawai and sadly, their collaborative work here are not as good as their previous one, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence. One blunt but to-the-point way to describe this movie is that it wasted its own potential, and it's sad because I was expecting a quite a lot prior to watching it.

C0MPL3X

12-02-2008, 02:57 AM

There is this yearly Japanese film festival that just started in Sydney and I'm totally bombed out on not seeing Sky Crawlers on the list. Instead they have Girl who leap through time (which is awesome) and Rebuild of Evangelion (also pretty good)...but I still would rather have Oshii's unseen work orz. Bit off-topic but the entire list of films being featured doesn't look interesting, with a total of two out of sixteen films that's on my "probably will see" list. Maybe I should watch Rei Evangelion on big screen this time.

animanic_critic

12-02-2008, 09:36 PM

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto - 8.1/10

Despite the mouthful title, I was wondering why the series seems to be so obscure; it's as though no one watched it except for me. I still went on to watch this and find it to be better than expected. The supernatural elements in the storyline doesn't overshadow any of the Japanese historical events, which is amazingly accurate for a number of instances (BKI's Hijikata looks so much like the real person). The exquisite combination of the supernatural and Japanese history is one of the winning factor of the series.

Another thing I like about the series is the development in relationship between Akizuki and Yuyama. How I wish the characterization in this case is the same for the rest of the supporting cast, which seem to be merely filler characters.

Barrelhaven

12-02-2008, 10:58 PM

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto - 8.1/10

Despite the mouthful title, I was wondering why the series seems to be so obscure; it's as though no one watched it except for me.

I was watching the show when it first aired, but gave up on it before the quarter-mark. I don't remember much of why I dropped it, but I do recall being bored out of my mind. The whole 'theater' element was pretty annoying too.

animanic_critic

12-03-2008, 05:03 AM

I was watching the show when it first aired, but gave up on it before the quarter-mark. I don't remember much of why I dropped it, but I do recall being bored out of my mind. The whole 'theater' element was pretty annoying too.
It's didn't annoy me because I like how the troupe used the threater element to channel their hatred, contempt and anguish in a creative way... and as a way to get their revenge. Plus, I like their take of fictional retelling on historical figures like Tokugawa Ieyasu and particularly Hijikata Toshizou.

Tyrdium

12-03-2008, 10:42 AM

Plus, I like their take of fictional retelling on historical figures like Tokugawa Ieyasu and particularly Hijikata Toshizou.If you like that, give Hijikata Toshizou Shiro no Kiseki a try. It's a 30ish minute OVA by Studio 4C.

Sae

12-03-2008, 02:04 PM

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - 4.5
Complete plagerism..........that's it.

Paprika - 9.5
Amazing!!!!!!!!!! Omg nothing compares to the confusing high i was on just by watching this magnificient work of art!

animanic_critic

12-03-2008, 06:35 PM

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - 4.5
Complete plagerism..........that's it.
Why do you say so? You do know what plagiarism means, right?

laborpilot86

12-03-2008, 11:13 PM

Kino's Journey..............................................8.5/10
A very atmospheric, thoughtful, beautiful and slightly disturbing series. The lack of an overarching plot does hurt it a little bit.

Tremolo

12-04-2008, 03:38 AM

The lack of an overarching plot does hurt it a little bit.

No it doesn't. Don't be silly.

Not every single anime series has to have an overall storyline, you know.

Barrelhaven

12-04-2008, 09:15 AM

No it doesn't. Don't be silly.

Not every single anime series has to have an overall storyline, you know.

Yeah, it sorta ticks me off when people just assume that's a bad thing.

animanic_critic

12-05-2008, 09:22 PM

Mononoke - 9.0/10

After seeing rave feedback from KiraraKim, Barrelhaven and COMPL3X, I thought that I need to watch this soon. When it came out last year, I took a peek at the first episode and the visuals didn't click with me, thus giving this series a pass. Now after watching the series, I finally know the reason why it is considered a dark horse of 2007.

I was amazed that the unconventional visuals and narrative style play a more important role in the series than the dialogue itself. The dialogue narrates the plot but the visuals - the clever use of hues and facial expressions - portray the different emotions of each character, which to me is just as significant as narrating the plot. Additionally, there are many memorable and powerful scenes that are made feasible due to the creative art style. Artistically, it's the most unique art style I've seen in a very long time.

I thought that all the arcs are special in their own way, but the Bakeneko arc is particularly interesting to me. The Zashiki-warashi arc illustrates horror; Umibouzu arc narrates a story of guilt through false regret; Noppera-bou arc is a case of self-imprisonment and lost love with a touch of Noh (Houko Kuwashima was just wonderful ^^); Nue is a detective-type of story; lastly, Bakeneko is a combination of some of the previous arcs topped with a scary Mononoke.

I really need to tone down on judging a series by the first episode. Hurr~

laborpilot86

12-07-2008, 03:25 PM

Is it churlish to expect a little more 'meat on the bone', story-wise?....

Ghost Hound...........................................................9/10
creepy, on both a 'boo' and a psychological level. I sense a pattern from Ryutaro Nakamura...

KiraraKim

12-07-2008, 04:41 PM

I really need to tone down on judging a series by the first episode.

Of course we are all guilty of this. There are so many series where after the 1st episode I say I am not sure about this and it later ends up being one of my favorites. Then on the opposite side of the spectrum there are those series that have amazing first episodes but end up sucking in the end.

It always makes me wonder how people can say 1 or 2 episodes is a good way to judge whether you will like a series.

But anyways yay Mononoke :)

If you have not already seen it I highly recommend the Bakeneko arc from Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales. It's a prequel of sorts to Mononoke and it's amazing. You don't have to watch the rest of the series just those last 3 episodes.

Tremolo

12-07-2008, 05:13 PM

Is it churlish to expect a little more 'meat on the bone', story-wise?....

You know what? It is, actually. It is in regards to Kino's Journey, a show that is essentially an anthology series albeit with the same two recurring characters. You might as well criticise The Twilight Zone for not having enough story, because it's practically the same thing.

The very nature of Kino's Journey is that she visits a different country each episode and we get to be shocked/fascinated/moved/appalled etc at what she sees at the country in question. That's the set-up, that's what it was designed to be, that's what it is. Each episode is its own self-contained story, there isn't any overall storyline or more "meat on the bone" because there simply doesn't need to be. Think of it as an anime Gulliver's Travels.

Honestly, it's not the fault of Kino's Journey that it doesn't have this "meat on the bone" that you speak of. You're criticising it for something it isn't. The fault lies squarely with you.

animanic_critic

12-07-2008, 11:25 PM

It always makes me wonder how people can say 1 or 2 episodes is a good way to judge whether you will like a series.
This notion applies in the case of an anime that I've just finished watching:

Innocent Venus - 4.6/10

It started off fairly well: An mysterious military force is ruthlessly in pursuit of a girl for an undisclosed (to us) reason but is constantly thwarted by two formidable men. Fast-paced action sets up what I thought would be a solid series. However, from episode 2 onwards the series are beginning to show some of the worst mistakes for an anime. Here are just some of them, (with screenshots ;)):
- Character designs. This is perhaps the most trivial bad points of the anime. One thing's for sure: A Calico Jack costume and a kimono don't complement (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Venus04.jpg) each other.
- How did Shiba attain such powerful weapons and reliable crew members?
- The characters. All of them are bad, one way or another. All of them are very shallow, unexplained or get serious character switch for no reason.
- Jo and Jin. Their role switch was particularly jar-dropping, but at least the twist in episode 8 was interesting. However, the twist shot its own foot when it's supposed to be make it intriguing. This shows how NOT to be use a plot twist.
- Both Jo and Jin's shocking character change. Jo's change from this (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Venus03.jpg) to this (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Venus01.jpg) and Jin from this (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Venus02.jpg) to this (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Venus05.jpg) was baffling for the lack of reasoning.
- Why does Jin wear the mask? I know what's in it for us viewers but what about for Jin himself? He looks so emo (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Venus06.jpg).

What a huge waste. Strangely, the series is doomed ultimately because of one reason: It's too short. If it's twice longer, many of the problems can be easily fixed. Too bad it wasn't the case.

Is it churlish to expect a little more 'meat on the bone', story-wise?....
Tremolo is right. Plus, I don't see why you grade Mononoke in your myanimelist so highly since the nature of Kino's Journey and Mononoke are very similar.

sakura_blossom

12-18-2008, 08:04 AM

Twelve Kingdoms - 8.5/10

I haven't gotten much time to watch anime, though I finally was able to finish this series. I loved the beginning, the series just throws you into this new world and I really enjoyed Yoko's character. There was plenty of drama, but the storyline took a more serious look. It wasn't like Fushigi Yugi where Miaka can speak the language and is automatically welcome into the world. Yoko and her classmates (who have more difficulty) have trouble adjusting and they never fully do.
I enjoyed this series up to the final arc. Each arc had a good storyline and time to develop, except "The God of the Sea in the East, The Mighty Ocean in the West". That just threw me for a loop and I had no idea what was going on at first.
Though besides the final arc, it was a good series.

KiraraKim

12-18-2008, 12:59 PM

Ghost Hound 8.5/10

I don't usually review stuff on here but I feel this series was sadly overlooked and it's actually quite good so I hope maybe I can get a few more people to watch it. I actually watched the 1st 11 episodes as it aired and then forgot about it until now.

Anyways while not perfect (I think the story threw in one too many characters and one too many ideas and perhaps not everything gets the attention it deserves) it still had some thought provoking ideas and well written characters. The 3 main boys + 1 girl could easily have become stereotypes but instead they are written as real kids who slowly develop over the course of the series.

Actually in this review (http://bateszi.animeuknews.net/2008/04/20/the-meaning-of-life-according-to-ghost-hound/) for the series it is compared to Stephen's King's Stand By Me and thinking about it that is a very apt description for the story. While the story does have a supernatural focus (or more precisely out of body experiences, science experiments, and cult religions) this is really a backdrop for the meat of the story which is the human drama aspect.

As a warning this series is "slow" it has a lot of dialog and not a lot of action.

animanic_critic

12-18-2008, 07:12 PM

Ghost Hound 8.5/10

I don't usually review stuff on here but I feel this series was sadly overlooked and it's actually quite good so I hope maybe I can get a few more people to watch it.
I dumped this series upon episode 11 because I thought the content was very dry and the amount of information in the series is awfully a lot for me to absorb, to the point that I lost interest. Plus, a review at NHRW seals my decision to pass it for good. If you say it's good though, I may turn my attention to it once again.

It was produced by Production IG and created by Masamune Shirow after all.

KiraraKim

12-18-2008, 07:20 PM

I dumped this series upon episode 11 because I thought the content was very dry and the amount of information in the series is awfully a lot for me to absorb, to the point that I lost interest. Plus, a review at NHRW seals my decision to pass it for good. If you say it's good though, I may turn my attention to it once again.

It was produced by Production IG and created by Masamune Shirow after all.

Reading the review on Nihon I think this is the issue "turning what could have been one of the best horror/mystery series into one that is worth watching, but ultimately flawed." Ghost Hound is not just a horror/mystery series although this is a part of the series these elements are only the backdrop for a coming of age story. Like I said think Stand By Me just with supernatural stuff instead of a search for a dead body.

I do admit plotwise it is flawed and there are a lot of things left unanswered and unexplored and yes getting to the ending is rushed (although I was fine with the ending itself.) Character wise though I think it's top notch. Personally the flaws did not take that much away from the show for me. It might take away the enjoyment from someone else though.

But at the very least I think some of the negativity I see against the series is because people misinterpret what the series is meant to be in the 1st place. It doesn't focus on the mystery but the characters.

C0MPL3X

12-18-2008, 10:06 PM

Yea that review from NHRW discouraged me from watching Ghost Hound, but now I think it's worth picking up again. Although that may have to wait because I've just started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's kind of silly but still super fun. I like how the character designs look more like characters from Korean cartoons (mostly designed for children), and less like Moe characters. I guess it's not surprising since it's animated in Korea.

animanic_critic

12-20-2008, 07:01 AM

Ghost Hunt - 7.6/10

It was fun, but it could have been better. The subplots are what made this Ghost Hunt interesting and entertaining but the characters could have been explored further to make it even more intriguing. There were some signs of character development but the development merely scratches the surface rather than dig deeper and progress from there. Plus, Mai's personal thoughts on the SPR members does a big favor for the series so kudos to her.

The different cases are mostly interesting (the last one was kinda ill-resolved and its closing ended the series abruptly), but there's one which I thought lackluster while the other which was purely absorbing. The ghost story in the park (File #4) lacks purpose and pointless because if it is included out of comic relief, then I don't see the point since most of it is found scattered among the episodes. However, the blood-soaked labyrinth story (File #7) was simply engrossing; there's even a scene which startled me off my chair.

I enjoyed the series; mostly the subplots but not the characters.

My-Otome 0~S.ifr~ - 4.7/10

Bah! It's no different than My-Otome Zwei - same story but put in a different way and on a different timeline. The characters are shamelessly recycled and there's no substance whatsoever (it is somewhat an add-on OVA to me anyway). Add more fanservice, wailing (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Otome04.jpg) pubescent girls and ball-less guys and you get an OVA with a title that irritates me to the max.

Bottom line: It's a yuri anime full of girls with jiggly boobs (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Otome02.jpg) and shaking asses (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Otome01.jpg) slugging each other in over-the-top and oversized (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/Otome03.jpg) mecha action.

Kavik Ryx

12-20-2008, 05:53 PM

animanic_critic

12-20-2008, 06:27 PM

Flag: 9/10 (91%)

I'm not lying when I say that this piece hits VOTOMS out of the park as Ryouske Takahashi's best anime. The mecha are even less of the focus than most of his stuff. The characters are perhaps his most sympathetic. And the animation and music, along with the framing device, form quite the atmosphere.

It would have been nice for the CGI not to be so poorly integrated or the antagonists to not be so one-dimensional, but I'm not complaining.

Also, it's surprising how in the last two episodes, you're completely split on whether this is going to have a happy ending or not.
I just need to ask you this: Did you watch all 13 episodes? I only managed to watch 6 episodes but I can't get my hands on the last 7. I thought that the series was very ingenious with its narrative style. I've already summed up my thoughts on this series but it'll only be up once I watch all 13 episodes.

Kavik Ryx

12-20-2008, 06:40 PM

How? The same way I get my hands on most anime. With a library card.

I did see the entire series, and I will say that the second half goes above and beyond the quality of the first.

Kavik Ryx

12-24-2008, 10:48 AM

Armored Troopers VOTOMS Stage 2 Kummen Jungle Wars 9/10

Even more exciting than Uoodo City. Far superior battles (and that's hard to believe), top notch pacing, and perfectly sets the rest of the story in gear.

Zelkiiro

12-25-2008, 10:06 PM

BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad Episodes 1-10 - 8/10: Good stuff. However, the pacing creates too many awkward silences and the animation is too uneven; some scenes look fantastic, and some look like garbage.

Amaniachwen

12-25-2008, 10:28 PM

From the first 12 episodes of Toradora, I give it an 8.5/10 for a fun and interesting cast, nice animation, and a great sense of humor.

animanic_critic

12-26-2008, 05:04 AM

Nodame Cantabile ~ Paris Chapter - 7.8/10

I'll go straight to the point by firstly saying this: I belong to the group of people who admits that this series is far from being as good as the prequel for a number of reasons. Yet, I can't feel disappointed over it because at the same time I believe that Paris Chapter is a good series on its own merit. It's basically a shorter watered-down version of the prequel, with less zany characters and classical music diversity; two aspects that made the first series such a delightfully wonderful comedy.

Another thing I notice about this series is its nature, which I think makes it somewhat inferior to the prequel as a whole from the very beginning. NC was a story that started from square one; a story of how a skillful yet conceited Chiaki meets the talented but eccentric Nodame, and begin their quest in classical music. Paris Chapter however, is merely a continuation of their journey so it's only natural that the prequel is a lot more fun to watch.

Despite the undesirable aspects, Paris Chapter still have some redeeming qualities; Nodame still shines and her air-head demeanor in the presence of Chiaki is still pleasantly delightful to watch. Their boke-tsukkomi gag remains to be Nodame Cantabile's winning formula for laughter, and a few quirky side characters renders PC an entertaining series nonetheless.

Zelkiiro

12-26-2008, 04:43 PM

BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad - 9/10: The animation became more stable as the show went on, so that's cool. The ending was cool, and the mystery group in the last episode was quite awesome. ;D

Shadowmage

12-26-2008, 05:18 PM

Chaos Head: 4/10

Unless you enjoy watching a bunch of one-dimensional eroge females talking about pseudo-science in highly technical jargon and fighting with massive, colorful swords, stay far, far away.

animanic_critic

12-26-2008, 09:44 PM

Major Tom

12-27-2008, 01:47 AM

Nodame Cantabile ~Paris Chapter~: 8/10
Paris Chapter isa direct continuation of the Nodame Cantabile story, and a good one at that. I didn't find it to be quite as good as it's predecessor though.

The biggest problem for me is that the first half or so of the show lacked focus on the music and being a musician, something that was a big drawcard for me with the first series. This does sort itself out by the end, and the last half is pretty much everything that I loved about Nodame Cantabile. It's also fairly short. Fortunately it doesn't feel rushed or anything, but it could have done with some more episodes.

But a solid sequel to a brilliant show.

Amaniachwen

12-27-2008, 01:27 PM

Nodame Contabile~Paris Chapter: 7.5/10

Nodame and Chiaki are addictive. I practically watched each episode back-to-back because the characters are so lovable and fun, and I really cared about everything that happened to them. This is a great story, and there's nothing wrong with it.

There were some issues with the presentation of the story, however, in particular its overall pacing. It was fast. Very fast. Over a year passes by within the course of eleven episodes, and more new characters are introduced than old ones brought back. I enjoyed all the characters, but they all just went by in a flash, and even though I did want to learn more about them, considering the series's length, I also wanted them to go away so that the focus would be on Nodame and Chiaki's endeavors as well as their relationship (absolutely adored Chiaki in this, by the way, even though he hogged a ton of the hilarious Nodame's screentime).

And while the last episode was a fine note to end on (ah ha ha ha, pun), it was quite the jumbled mess as well. It attempts to bring back and continue the new characters are their storylines, and in one fell swoop try to wrap them all up, or to conclude them in some way. However, most of these attempts left me feeling dissatisfied and wishing that, if this arc of the series has to be a mere 11 episodes, then darn it, leave those characters out. While they were all interesting and likable, they bogged down the rest of the story and upset what flow it might have had.

On the other hand, fast pacing worked well to get past boring parts and on to the highlights. But at the end of these 11 episodes, it just felt like a very long recap episode. Or the animated storyboards/outline of what the series could (perhaps should?) have been.

animanic_critic

12-27-2008, 08:16 PM

ef ~ A Tale of Melodies: 7.0/10

ef ~ A Tale of Memories was great because of its outlandish visuals which worked in favor of the dramatic story. However, what ef ~ A Tale of Melodies did is akin to Code Geass R2 - taking a winning formula and putting it into overdrive. Melodies' biggest problem is the inconsistency of a factor which I refer to as "visual WTF-ness", something made Memories a groundbreaking series. It was almost nonexistent on the first few episodes, and then it's too extravagantly used for subsequent ones. The scene in episode 7 where
Kuze tries to separate from Miki for good through rhetorical questions
was over the top and - at one point - even tiresome to watch. Rather than making dramatic scenes unforgettable - like what Memories did - those scenes where there's too much of "visual WTF-ness" actually bogs down the dramatic quality and ironically defeats its original purpose. The pacing was also awfully erratic:
The deaths of Amemiya-sensei and eventually Yuuko were jarringly rushed. I was taken by surprise at how conveniently Amemiya-sensei and especially Yuuko were taken out of the picture, after all the hardships she and Himura have went through. Himura seemed to take her death oddly well too.
Well, at least episode 6 stood out in emphatic fashion, being almost comparable to Memories' episode 7 in terms of sheer WTF-ness. This scene (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/ef01.jpg) was particularly bone-chilling. I'm disappointed by the series albeit the enjoyment of watching it. The staff just seem to forget that too much of a good thing can have adverse effects.

Kavik Ryx

12-27-2008, 09:16 PM

What's with anime and having overwhelmingly good episode 6s?

Amaniachwen

12-27-2008, 09:41 PM

What's with anime and having overwhelmingly good episode 6s?

Oo, I never thought about that. To venture a guess, I would say because they act as natural marking points in the series: in a 12-13 episode season, they're the halfway point, and in a larger series from 24-26 episodes, they're the quarter mark. I don't know if "the good 6th episode" is an anime storytelling tactic or something, but you're right, it does seem to happen quiet frequently (FullMetal Alchemist is another series that does this, for example).

animanic_critic

12-28-2008, 03:42 AM

What's with anime and having overwhelmingly good episode 6s?
Plot and story development usually - and naturally - go into full gear past the halfway mark. Those series with the special episode 6 have usually been the short ones i.e. 12-13 episodes long.

Zelkiiro

12-28-2008, 08:33 AM

...Come to think of it...

Noir's 6th episode kicked ass...
Gurren Lagann's 6th episode was great...
Slayers NEXT had an incredible 6th episode...
Cowboy Bebop's 6th episode was awesome...

SOMETHING IS GOING ON HERE.

Amaniachwen

12-28-2008, 08:41 AM

Barrelhaven

12-28-2008, 09:16 AM

animanic_critic

12-29-2008, 07:56 AM

Rosario + Vampire Capu2 - 3.8/10

Here is a series which I definitely know is a piece of crap, but an enjoyable one too a.k.a. guilty pleasure. What prevails are campy fun, thriving fanservice, priceless moments and a subject of my dissection and constant ridicule. Although the overall plot is a big mess in comparison to the first one, I'll rate this series a little better than the prequel for two things: the funky opening sequence and the priceless moments (which I feel is more this time). Also, I had a lot of fun stomping on the series, both in a good and bad way.

Edit:

Kannagi - 7.9/10

Here is a series with a very predictable plot and a familiar brand of humor - the multiple references to otaku culture and real-life instances, akin to *Lucky Star - that is delivered in a very delightful way. The characters are generally fun to watch because of their funny quirks and comical interactions that result, but the peculiar thing I notice is how I find the characters other than Nagi and Jin the most interesting to watch. It's probably because Nagi nevertheless possesses the unfavorable tsundere complex and Jin is the naive boy with the teenage angst to complement Nagi's character. Tsugumi and the art club members just steal the show most of the time.

The animation is amazing, which I think is unusually for a love comedy. It is one of the main factors that distinguishes the series from others of its kind such as toLOVEru, with the other being its delivery of punchlines. The idea of deities harboring devotion through celebrity ways was exceptional albeit somewhat a geeky one. Haruka Tomatsu was great as Nagi, by the way.

*Well, what do you know...
I really thought how episode 10 reminded me a lot of Lucky Star, with all the karaoke thing going on. Imagine how I felt when the group made a cameo appearance. My intuition was fully realized.

The series has a lot of tropes but it was entertaining nonetheless. Episode 8 was incredible but I have to ask: What's up with episode 7's ending!?

LadyYuina

12-31-2008, 03:02 AM

Myself;Yourself - 7/10
Neo Angelique Abyss - 7/10

animanic_critic

01-04-2009, 05:56 AM

Spice and Wolf - 7.1/10

I find the trading concept in the medieval setting to be interesting, but the content and dialogue can get awfully dry at times. The relationship between Lawrence and Horo that blossoms from merely giving-and-taking to something more complex is the winning factor of the series, although I have to say that they remind me a lot of Lelouch and C.C. in terms of their dealings and traits (Horo is generally the haughty one while Lawrence can be self-indulgent occasionally).

I wasn't so keen on watching this series originally, but some favorable feedback have made me into giving it a try. I'll stay on for season 2, that's for sure.

Ghostmaster

01-07-2009, 09:00 AM

Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter - 8/10

I really got into this second season of Nodame right away. I missed some of the old characters from the first series, but you immediately are engaged with the new characters Nodame and Chiaki encounter in Paris, Tanya, Frank, Rui and the returning Kuroki eventually. It mainly focuses on Chiaki and Nodame's relationship but in friendship and love, which I don't usually get into. However it really worked for me. I thought this was a great follow up and I am excited for third season.