Action Prize Pack thread

[Two-twenty]

This thread is for posting entries for the Action Prize Pack for the Student Review Contest Extravaganza!

Please note, this is only for posting entries, discussion belongs in this thread (http://www.animeacademy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24993).

[SaiRong]

Title: Midnight Detective: Nightwalker
Genre: Action/Drama
Company: AIC/Bandai Visual/TV Tokyo
Format: 12 OVA
Dates: 7/8/1998 to 9/23/1998
Grade: 60%

Summary: Tatsuhiko Shido is a vampire who works the mean streets of Tokyo as private eye. Along with a high school girl, a cop, and a sassy demon, Shido fights to keep the city safe from the night breeds, demons that prey on human weakness. However, often times the humans are just as bad as the actual monsters.

Highs: Interesting characters.

Lows: Lackluster plots, cheesy music besides ‘Gessekai.’

For its opening song, Nightwalker uses a version of Buck-Tick’s ‘Gessekai.’ While the Nightwalker version is good, it’s somewhat limpid and boring compared to the more unsettling original. That pretty much sums Nightwalker up; what should be dark and edgy is instead mildly enjoyable but ultimately dull.

I don’t have anything against episodic formats. Shows like Mushishi show just how well they can be used in anime. Unfortunately, Nightwalker doesn’t do it so well. Each week Shido and co., take on monsters and immoral human beings. Even a tired formula like this could work if the cases were actually interesting, but they aren’t. Ironically, this means the show has a great re-watch value; not because your enjoyment of each episode deepens upon re-watching, but because the stories are so bland and forgettable by the time you watch it again you will have already forgotten what happened.

Early on the show does try to string out a few episodes into a longer narrative. It has all the markings of an interesting storyline: characters in danger, the threat of the apocalypse, and some vampire shounen-ai action. And then the show just drops it like a newborn baby. The wasted potential is almost as bad as the actual failure to sustain an over-arching storyline.

The few really good episodes are the ones that focus on the main cast. Despite the episodic format, the characters do grow and change over the course of the series, and by the last episode the relationships are very different from how they were in episode one. Whether that’s enough for you to keep watching the series will depend on how much you like the main cast.

Aside from the already mentioned opening song, the music is below-par. The same pieces of music are used every episode for the same emotional beats (i.e. when you hear the twangy guitar and piano music start, get ready to hear a sob story). At least the seiyuu do a good job however in bringing to life the characters.

Despite the mostly negative review, Nightwalker is not all bad. The animation isn’t great and neither is the background music, but where the characters are concerned Nightwalker depicts them as flawed but ultimately good people. And since the show was also my first introduction to Buck-Tick, it will always have a soft spot in my heart.

I would like to enter for the action prize pack.

[Akimichi Choji]

Title: Samurai Champloo
Genre: Action/Slapstick
Company: Manglobe, Inc
Format: 26 episode series
Dates: May 20th, 2004 – March 19th, 2005
Grade: 91%

Summary: In Japan’s Edo period a former waitress named Fuu searches for a Samurai who smells of Sunflowers. Fuu, having lost her home and workplace in a fire, enlists two young samurai with contradicting techniques and personalities, Mugen and Jin, as bodyguards for her journey. Tensions rise and fall throughout the series between Mugen and Jin, as both itch for the ultimate conclusion to the battle between them. Passing through Japan, the group follows clues and hints as to the location of the infamous “Sunflower Samurai,” whose trail so frequently eludes them…

Highs: In-depth Characters, Great Soundtrack, Battles unlike Any seen Before, Connections to Japanese History, A Welcome Return to Samurai based Anime

Lows: Characters can be annoying at times, Typical Anime conflicts

Review:

A long time has passed since the age of the Samurai. Almost as long as it’s been since a decent Anime based on Samurai was released (Trying to repress memories of Samurai Gun and Ninja Scroll). Why is this? Are we tired of characters fighting for honor and justice, wearing their hearts on their sleeves? Or do we want something other than the same old sword fights against antagonists who always seem to get the upper hand? These are just a couple of the reasons, and Samurai Champloo conquers nearly all of them.

With fights that remind us why Eddy Gordo is the unofficial pimp of Tekken, And characters so bad ass they remind us what anime is all about, Samurai Champloo modernizes what took place more than one hundred and forty years ago.

As the perfect accompaniment comes a soundtrack too amazing to describe, greatly enhancing the hip-hop feel of the anime. The break-dancing sword fights are also one of the many reasons this anime stands out from the crowd. As strange as it is, the beauty of it all completely overwhelms my deep hatred for the hip-hop genre.

Quite possibly the most fascinating part of the show though is its inability to take itself too seriously, a flaw that has left many a series in the dust. Samurai Champloo gives us just as much slapstick comedy as it does innovative action. Making it a well-rounded piece of work.

With hilariously vulgar and sexist commentary that would make a drunken Mel Gibson shake in his boots, how can we lose?

The overall quest in Samurai Champloo seems simple, but the plot is far more sophisticated than it leads us to believe. Searching for the “Samurai who smells of sunflowers,” is easy enough, but when you factor in the pasts of the 3 main characters, 26 episodes couldn’t possibly fit it all!

Facing off against evils blocking the way to the “Sunflower Samurai” is only the face value of Samurai Champloo; we must delve further to find a deeper meaning.

Shadowing such films as Twilight Samurai and The Last Samurai, released in 2002 and 2003, we see the evolution of technology and the impending fall of the ways of the Samurai. Although Samurai Champloo foreshadows the same inevitability, it takes a different route. As samurai still seem to have the edge against overconfident gunmen.

Though truly amazing in many instances, Samurai Champloo cannot escape those all-too-common Anime clichés. Often enough the internal and external conflicts between the group members become tired and repetitive. Leading to the same ‘Lets fight’ looks on everyone’s faces. Money is always a factor as well. Never having quite enough seems to be a big problem, and one that’s been seen many times before.

Though Samurai Champloo will never be the highlight of Shinichiro Watanabe’s career (Cowboy Bebop), it is a must see for ALL Anime lovers; one that will be enjoyed for a long time.

Despite falling short of perfection, Samurai Champloo is a breath of fresh air, giving life to a period of time that seemed past its prime.


I will be competing for the ACTION PRIZE PACK!

[ShinoMatrix]

Title: Byousoku 5 centimetre (5 cm per Second)
Genre: Drama
Company: CoMix Wave
Format: OVA/Movie
Dates: 11/02/2007 to 03/03/2007
Grade: 86%

Summary: Ever since finding each other in grade school and taking solace in the little things that made them the same, Takaki and Akari believed that they were destined to be together forever. Life however had a different plan and after a bitter farewell they are pulled away from each other. Meanwhile, Kanae appears in Takaki’s new life and almost immediately falls in love with him and though the two strike a cordial friendship, Takaki always seemed to her as someone very distant. It seems that even at the slow speed that the cherry blossoms fall, given enough time, the distances separating their lives becomes ever yawningly far.


Highs: Inspiring visuals and cinematography and ironically real characters.
Lows: Ending that leaves you hanging.

Review:

If there was one thing that Makoto Shinkai should be feared for, it would probably be his obsession for detail. Seeing the jaw dropping visual masterpieces prevalent in every little corner of this feast for the eyes thoroughly induces awe demanding inspiration. Trust me when I say that I needed to dust off the old thesaurus and browse dictionary.com just so I can put together that last sentence to even come close to doing justice to the artwork of this piece. From the dynamic camera focusing of the falling cherry blossoms, to the expansive panorama view of an ever colourful sky, to the multi-faceted scenery of a busy cityscape, it is obvious that there’s only one thing to say; Shinkai strikes again!

On to the characters of the show; this is the first Makoto Shinkai feature that had nothing but just thorough character analysis and growth from start to finish. His previous works in the past tended to idealize his characters and complex technological props sometimes hindered rather than helped move things along but we don’t have that here. Takaki, the leading man of the show, is shown as a very real person who is hard to change even with time eating away his hopes. My favourite would have to be Kanae, possibly because her story of falling for the unattainable is one very familiar in life and is why she, along with Takaki and Akari are very easy characters to relate to. Add to this the voice work that is sublimely nostalgic, and you now have characters with depth and an ongoing need to cling to a fading innocence.

The somewhat unorthodox break up of this anime mildly complicates the matter of whether one should call this an OVA or a movie. Separated into three pieces, the story is progressed in different views of time that is used rather well in making the audience wonder what was next. Throughout Cosmonaut, the second piece for example, we are plunged into the story purely from Kanae’s point of view and through this and Akari’s obvious absence, the audience is made to identify with Takaki’s longing. The story is simply just how each character moves on with life, but sometimes, those are the stories that really stick with you.

Many would however be sourly disappointed by the disjointed ending. Unlike the first two pieces, the third piece was more of a hindsight episode which arguably doesn’t offer any real conclusion. It climaxes into a montage music video that accentuates the figurative point of the title; “a chain of short stories about their distance”. All I’ll say is, although we may not reach a resolution, the feeling of a missed chance during the last crescendo brings to home a very unique and lonely message which is “don’t blink, for every second counts”.

If you’re a sucker for the bittersweet drama with lots of “aww” factor, then you probably have already seen this movie. If you haven’t, then you might be living under a rock. If you don’t like this style, just enjoy the eye candy. If you haven’t gotten the point yet that this is a show not to be missed then I hope you’re enjoying your Dragon Ball Z.

Prize pack: I would like to enter to win the Action prize pack

[Miko]

Title: The Hakkenden, a.k.a. The Legend of the Eight Dog Warriors
Genre: Samurai/Drama
Company: AIC (Anime International Company)
Format: 13 episodes, OVA series in two sequences
Dates: 1990/91; 1993-95
Grade: 80 %

Summary:
Satomi castle is besieged by a demonic enemy. In desperation, Lord Satomi promises his daughter Fuse's hand to his dog, in exchange for the assassination of the leader of his enemies. When the dog succeeds, Fuse insists in upholding her father's promise. Both her and the dog are eventually killed by Fuse's former fiancee, but not before she has learned in a vision that she bears the dog's offspring. Fuse carries a necklace of eight beads, each of them representing a fundamental virtue of Confucianism. At the instant of her death it bursts and the beads disperse into all directions. In the following years the beads incarnate into the bodies of eight babies, the future 'dog warriors', who in the course of the series will meet each other, learn about their spiritual origins and eventually find out about their true destiny: to lift the curse of the house of Satomi

Highs: beautiful, captivating, thought-inspiring; psychological depth, a critical and innovative approach to a somewhat dated classic
Lows : extremely inconsistent artwork and animation, disrupted story-line, confusing

Review:
The series is based on the 19th century samurai epos 'Nansō Satomi Hakkenden', which at 106 volumes is by far the longest novel in classic Japanese literature. With this preamble I have already touched upon a major problem of this series: it is to short. I can sympathize with the difficulties of breaking this amount of material down to the originally planned 6 episodes. However, it becomes quickly clear that the creation of an easily digestible narration was not intended. The narration jumps back and forth in time and space and is constantly intersected by purely symbolic sequences, which I found beautiful, but also confusing. I couldn’t help the feeling that I was somehow expected to know the basic story-line in advance. Especially in the second OVA, I was more than once under the impression of having missed an episode or two. On the positive side I can say that on a second and third review the narrative structure becomes clearer, and a lot of names and details fall into place. Meaning to say, this is just the type of demanding show you have to get hooked enough to see it at least twice to be able to appreciate it ......

The Hakkenden is famous for its use of several distinctly different visual styles, which certainly doesn't help to follow the story-line, although it makes for an intriguing (as well as irritating) visual experience. Animation and character design are very inconsistent in quality, but usually a certain level of animation goes along with a certain style. Unfortunately, there is also a disparity of quality between the episodes, most notable in episodes 9 and 10 : Here the character designs are surprisingly 'old school' even for a show of the early nineties, and the animation is so basic that in combination with the artful backgrounds and an outstanding cinematography (two elements that retain constant high quality throughout the series) the effect is decidedly strange, almost comical - more like an animated sketch to what might have been a great episode.
With all its imperfections, this is one of the most fascinating shows I have seen. What sets it apart from the mainstream is its narrative depth: the way concepts and values of medieval Japan are portrayed and at the same time questioned; the way it operates on several interwoven levels of meaning - for instance: Aboshi, the great antagonist of the Satomi Clan, is a perfectly wonderful 'bad guy' on the surface, on a deeper level he seems to be impersonating a hidden evil trait within the heart of each Hakkenshi, leading them to offend against the very virtue represented by his own bead. And then again, the violation of the virtue sometimes serves to put its fundamental validity into question.
The Hakkenden is certainly not everybody's cup of tea on account of its complex structure and an excessive amount of splattered blood, combined with some dark and sexually ambiguous motives. On the other side, anyone seriously interested in the art of anime in general and the Samurai genre in particular shouldn't miss it - you may not like it, but you won’t forget it either.

Prize pack: I would like to enter to win the Action/prize pack