Student Review Contest #6

[C0MPL3X]

Continuing the tradition of glorifying the champion’s graceful username, this contest’s theme is,

C0MPLEX

Your task: To review an anime that presents a story in a relatively confusing way, making it difficult for viewers to grasp and/or follow it in first viewing.

Remember, animes like evangelion might be considered complex because it’s hard to follow what’s going on, while animes like haibane renmei might not be considered complex because it’s definitely not hard to follow what is going on. So spare me the arguments ‘what! Evangelion is not complex! It just shamelessly tries to be complex!’ and ‘what! How dare you say haibane renmei is not complex! Didn’t you get any of those deep and complex symbols you nimwit!’ , I don’t care! Remember, the word ‘complex’ is misleading. This contest is not interested in animes with complex characters or ideas, but with a plot that is hard to follow. Basically, if you have constantly asked yourself ‘I don’t get it/wait what just happened/wtf this is confusing’ while watching, then you have chosen the right anime to review.
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Rules:

1. One entry per person.
2. Only completed anime can be reviewed.
3. Reviews that are posted after the two week deadline will be disqualified.
4. Entries are final. Once a review is posted no more editing is allowed, regardless of whether it is still before the deadline.
5. The winner chooses the next theme and hosts the next contest.
6. Reviews must include at least a title, review, summary and grade.
7. The review and summary must be written by you.
8. No entering a review that has previously been entered in an Anime Academy Student Review Contest.
9. Fully clarify your theme. Do not be vague or over restrictive.
10. Plagiarism in any shape or form (including summaries) will result in immediate disqualification.

Guidelines
1. While it is not mandatory, including series details such as title alternatives; genre; company; format; dates; highs and lows; screenshots and a captioned screenshot, are looked upon favourably.
2. The preferred word count is about 300-500 words, as per the Anime Academy main page.
3. Previously written reviews are allowed to be entered as long as they don't break rule #8.

Submission Deadline: Monday 5th of September
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And this is my wishful thinking, but it would be nice if the body of your reviews explained how this presentation of story attributed to the overall quality of an anime. Not just identifying the theme, but incorporating the theme into the body of review, which I don’t think has been done previously except in #2.

Good luck peopLEE!!!!~~

[LadySage]

Boogiepop Phantom
Genre: Drama

Format: 12 Episodes

Allegiance: Boogiepop Phantom (TV)

Director: Watanabe Takashi

Vintage: 2000

Five years ago, a serial killer terrorized this town. Then, a month ago a strange light appeared in the sky and somehow, everything had changed. Now children with strange powers are cropping up and people are disappearing. Could this all be caused by Boogiepop, the fabled embodiment of death?

Grade: 76%
Highs: Excellent individual episodes; series as a whole is a fascinating and challenging puzzle
Lows: Puzzle is missing more than a few pieces; frustrating lack of explanation

Boogiepop Phantom grabs your attention from the get-go and doesn’t let go until the end. And when it’s done, you’re left sitting in shock, wondering what the heck just happened. Bizarre, suspenseful, and deliberately obtuse, Boogiepop succeeds spectacularly in making the viewer think, but the payoff is unfortunately weak.

Every episode is an individual story, with its own cast of characters and plot. Very few characters are actually central in multiple episodes, beyond a brief appearance to establish the episode’s connection to the rest of the series. As a result, there’s very little character development. Even the recurring characters receive only perfunctory development.

Most episodes function quite well on their own as miniature horror movies. The suspense works quite well and I was often on the edge of my seat. Boogiepop Phantom likes to keep you guessing, and each episode functions as a piece of the puzzle. By the end, however, the puzzle stills seems to be missing most of its pieces. The series asks far more questions than it answers. The final episode tries to make up for some of this with a rushed explanation of one facet, but it’s nowhere near satisfactory. As much as I enjoy giving my brain a workout, I do not appreciate it when it seems like all the effort I put into a series seems to be all for naught.

Boogiepop Phantom’s atmosphere almost manages to make all its flaws worthwhile. The art is deliberately muted and monochromatic, creating a dreamlike feel and the music is properly eerie. Voices are frequently digitally warped or synthesized to represent inner turmoil and unbalanced psyches. As difficult as it can be to keep track of them all, the characters’ appearances are all easy to differentiate, despite the pseudo-realistic style.

The final episode was animated with bright colors to emphasize that the mystery had been cleared up. Unfortunately, as much closure as the characters may have had, Boogiepop Phantom remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery to its viewers.

[NausicaaBoy]

Title: DearS
Genre: Comedy, Science-Fiction
Company: Dome
Format: 12 TV Episodes
Dates: 2004

Grade: 70%

http://www.animenfo.com/image/anime_1414.jpg
A spaceship crashed into Tokyo bay over a year ago. The stranded aliens aboard have become known as the DearS (Dear Friends of Earth). The aliens which take the form of extremely beautiful, voluptuous, and intelligent girls have been granted Japanese citizenship and know mingle with humans. To speed the integration of DearS into society a home-stay program is created for the DearS to attend Japanese high schools, in order that they learn the language and culture. The "Dears" take on a celebrity like status in society and are the apple of many teens eye.

An anti social high school student by the name of Ikuhara Takeya stumbles across a seemingly lost DearS, who is starving in the street. With no other choice Takeya takes the alien into his home. However, the DearS (Ren) becomes a more permanent resident than Takeya would have desired. Ren takes Takeya for her master and follows him everywhere including school...However when the real DearS home-stay student turns up for class complications are destined to arise.

DearS manages to capture the viewers interest for the first and last episodes, however, everything in between is almost too light to be interesting. The story itself is a cliché about a "non human girl" who is overly submissive. The plot is not very engaging and can be either confusing or so thin its hard to follow.

Comedy is the best classification for this anime and the entertainment value is enherant. As such this anime is not complete bunk and scrapes in at 70 percent.

Highs: Cute artwork; humorous characters; fun love story

Lows: Oh so Cliché ; Highlight character is the expositionist teacher

[7Raven7]

Paranoia Agent
69%

Title: Paranoia Agent
Genre: Mystery/ Drama
Comapany: Studio Madhouse
Format: 13 Episodes
Dates: 2/2/2004 to 4/26/2004

Highs:
Concept, the first few episodes, some clever moments of philosophy, imagery and animation.

Lows:
Does not put it all together, main character, loss of focus and direction.

Synopsis:
Sagi Tsukiko, creator of the cartoon idol Maromi, ends up in the hospital and the tale of her attack in a parking lot and a profile drawing of a kid with golden roller-skates and a bent baseball bat is all Detective Keiichi Ikari has to go on. Seemingly made up, another attack is made with the same description, then another. Lil’ Slugger, the "Shounen Bat" attacker is now on everyone’s mind. And with fear and rumors abroad, it hard to tell fact from fiction, truth from reality, and true fear from paranoia.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/7_Raven_7/breathdeep.jpg
Breath in deep and all your cares will go away...
Review:
Kon Satoshi, director of Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers, said in an interview “every time I did one, there was a mountain of leftover ideas I couldn’t use…. So I was thinking [what if] I could recycle those ideas.” Or that’s a translation at least. What he ended up with is possibly one of the weirdest anime series I have ever seen: Paranoia Agent. But are these movie leftovers enough to satisfy a mind looking for a well thought-out mystery or is Satoshi’s paranoia simply too complex to grasp?

It starts off promising enough. With all the semblance of a mystery, the series begins with vicious assaults made in dark alleys, introduces new characters who seem to be connected in each episode, and presents us with the craziest villain ever animated. Attention is then drawn to the detective who has to figure out the motive of the attacks and eventually nab the culprit and his performance truly shines. A text-book start to an intriguing story that I was ready to enjoy.

But Paranoia Agent changes as suddenly as it started and where it takes you next is as strange as its transition. From episode five, which as the lone fantasy-themed episode does not mix well with the horror or suspense previously established, they decide to kill the initial mystery, introduce more undeveloped characters while abandoning others, and throw in side episodes that explore the concept of paranoia but add nothing to the plot. This extreme shift from who-dun-it to philosophical discovery is complex and ultimately unexplained.

Also, for some reason complex anime in the past (See Also: Serial Experiments Lain) use a main character who is quiet and unsure and rarely speaks. It didn’t work back then and it doesn’t work for Paranoia Agent either, the only consolation is that Tsukiko receives little screen time. The wrap up pathetically tries to use her as a focal point but by then our focus is lost and the conclusion feels forced.

Being the table-scraps of masterpieces, there are high points however. The animation is on the high budget side. And while visually this is a treat, the brilliance in how it is used, whether to animate a talking stuffed animal or in strolling through an old world of cut-out people, is mind candy as well. And the situations with the characters themselves, all buckling under their own stress and fear, really help us to understand paranoia. At times this is the only entertainment as you grow weary waiting fruitlessly for everything to come together.

Though paranoia is the goal of this series, you are more likely to glimpse at your watch then to worriedly look over your shoulder. “In order to go through life everyone needs to have something apart from reality,” Satoshi confesses. But if you are going to appeal to an audience you need to offer them something real. You cannot supplement dazzling artwork and clever imagery for a comprehensive plot and meaningful characters. Bottom line? Failing grade.

Score Breakdown
Characters / Development: 6.5
Music, Seiyuu and Sound Effects: 8
Art, Animation and Cinematography: 8.5
Story, Plot, Theme and Symbolism: 6.5
The Big Picture: 5
(scores + together / 50 * 100 = %)