Student Review Contest #19

[Niner]

Okay kids, time for another go-round! This time the theme is:

Favorite Voice Actor/Actress

I've always been a sucker for talented VAs, so the only criteria for this contest is that you must review an anime that has your favorite VA in it. Preferably in a lead role, but smaller parts are okay too, so long as they're not like "Boy A in episode 13" or whatever. If you don't have a favorite VA, then now's a good time to go and find one!

And since this is my contest, English-language VAs don't count. :p

To help get you started, here's a short list of prominent VAs today:
Mamiko Noto - (Yakumo from School Rumble, Ana from Ichigo Mashimaro, Yukino from Mai-Hime)
Tomokazu Seki - (Sousuke from Full Metal Panic!, Touji from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kyo from Fruits Basket)
Kotono Mitsuishi - (Misato from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Murrue Ramius from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Excel from Excel Saga)
Maaya Sakamoto - (Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club, Hitomi from Vision of Escaflowne, Reika from RahXephon)
Kappei Yamaguchi - (L from Death Note, Inu Yasha from Inu Yasha, Ranma from Ranma ½)
Ayako Kawasumi - (Fuu from Samurai Champloo, Herikawa from Onegai Teacher, Melfina from Outlaw Star)

There are many, many more excellent VAs out there, so please do not feel restricted to this list.

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.

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.

In addition, since this contest's theme is VAs, it would do well for you to mention your favorite in the course of your review. Submission deadline is May 7, 2008 @ 1200 EDT. Now have at it!

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The Honor Roll

Student Review Contest #1. Theme: Gonzo. Winner: Scoot
Student Review Contest #2. Theme: Synergy. Winner: Sorrow-kun
Student Review Contest #3. Theme: Tsundere. Winner: Kuzu Ryu Sen
Student Review Contest #4. Theme: Studio Ghibli. Winner: Mouse
Student Review Contest #5. Theme: Rodents. Winner: C0MPL3X
Student Review Contest #6. Theme: Complex. Winner: 7Raven7
Student Review Contest #7. Theme: Kanno Yoko. Winner: L-sama
Student Review Contest #8. Theme: Megumi Hayashibara. Winner: Milkymagic
Student Review Contest #9. Theme: Gainax. Winner: Two-twenty
Student Review Contest #10. Theme: WTF is this shit? Winner: Sorrow-kun
Student Review Contest #11. Theme: Anime based on novels. Winner: COMPL3X
Student Review Contest #12. Theme: Couple. Winners: LadySage and Sorrow-kun
Student Review Contest #13. Theme: Old-School. Winner: ohtori akio
Student Review Contest #14. Theme: Sailor Moon. Winner: L-sama
Student Review Contest #15. Theme: Short and Sweet. Winner: Sorrow-kun
Student Review Contest #16. Theme: Review a title NOT currently in Anime Academy's Library. Winner: 7Raven7
Student Review Contest #17. Theme: /Sarcasm. Winner: no one
Student Review Contest Extravaganza - Action Prize Pack: Winner: Shinomatrix
Student Review Contest Extravaganza - Comedy Prize Pack: Winner: C0MPL3X
Student Review Contest #18. Theme: Year 2007. Winner: Niner
Student Review Contest #19. Theme: Favorite Voice Actor/Actress.

[L-sama]

Great topic idea, Niner! This one should be interesting

[animanic_critic]

Hmm... I feel compelled at writing one. I have just one question: Since this is based on your favorite seiyuu, must the content of a review at least emphasise on how good a seiyuu has contributed to the anime, one way or another?

Or it is only based on writing a great review that has your favorite seiyuu?

[Niner]

Like I said, it would do well to mention your favorite seiyuu in the review, but it doesn't have to be the focal point of the whole thing, just mentioned as an aspect.

[Niner]

omgz double post i'm so bad

Just a reminder that there's only 5 days left in this contest, so if you've got something for it, slap it up here. At the rate we're going, it might not take much to win this one. :/

[Kavik Ryx]

I knew I wasn't going to do this one, considering that I don't pay too much attention to seiyu and the one anime that has one that I would rave about, I have 41 more episodes to go.

Otherwise, yeah, you would have at least expected the usual suspects to have had something by now.

[L-sama]

Title: Martian Successor Nadesico, a.k.a. Kido Senkan Nadesico
Genre: Action/Comedy
Company: Production IG
Format: 26 episodes
Dates: 10/1/1996 to 3/25/1997

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d113/Rina1_/Anime/Hoshino%20Ruri%20from%20Nadesico/SingingRuri.jpg
Could she be the next Nadesico Idol?

Summary: Akito Tenkawa used to be a pilot on his home planet of Mars, when a mysterious group of invaders known as the Jovian Lizards attacked his home colony. Under equally mysterious circumstances, he finds himself on Earth shortly thereafter, where he resigns his piloting life and picks up cooking. Unfortunately for him, the Jovians decide to attack the Earth, starting a full scale war. Akito enlists himself as a cook on the advanced warship called the Nadesico, but as fate would have it, he is thrust back into the cockpit of an Aestivalis. As if that wasn’t enough, it turns out that his commanding officer is a girl he once knew on Mars that still has the hots for him! How will Akito be able to handle fighting the Jovians and keep his sanity on board the Nadesico?

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m295/Fullmoon01/Nadesico/Nadesico13.jpg

Score: 89%

Highs: Hilarious: Well done parodies; Lovable cast; The Ending

Lows: Comedy wanes in the second half; The Ending

I consider myself relatively new to the mecha anime genre, with my main exposure to it being in the form of Evangelion, Gundam, and a little bit of Macross. So when I heard about Nadesico and its parodies, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve laughed more throughout any other series.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to mecha anime, Nadesico doesn’t fail in its quest to poke fun at its ancestry and let you know about it. It’s rather fun to watch the show and point out the parody moments in each episode. It even contains a parody within a parody in the form of Gekigangar 3, a spoof of the mecha anime of the late 70s and 80s. Don’t think that parodies are the only things that will make you laugh. There are many points where the crew takes over and keeps the laughs coming with their daily interactions.

Speaking of which, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the crew of the Nadesico. Each crew member is unique and memorable in his or her own way. The entire spectrum is there: the otaku, the diva, the quiet one, the pervert, etc. It’s almost impossible to not find one character that you can relate to in one form or another. The seiyuu do an equally great job at fleshing out their respective characters. Houkou Kuwashima (InuYasha’s Sango, Azumanga Daioh!’s Kagura) does a wonderful job as Yurika, switching from heartfelt to hyper with ease.

As the series cruises along the half-way mark, the focus changes. The rampant parodies are taken back a bit, and a solid plot emerges. There are several psycho-analytic moments that blatantly poke fun at Evangelion, but I just didn’t find myself laughing as often as before. As everything hits the fan and the end begins to come in sight, I was waiting for the epic conclusion that I had planned out in my mind. What I saw was nothing close to my hopes. Rather, Nadesico simply ended.

The ending left me with mixed feelings, and it will most likely be seen as a love it or hate it ending. On one side, there are numerous plot holes that are left wide open, and several events are left unexplained. To put it simply, under most circumstances, I would see such an ending as a failure. However, I found it to be fitting finale for such a quirky series. There didn't need to be a perfect ending. I was able to leave the Nadesico with a smile on my face and a satisfied feeling, and that’s what matters.

Whether you’re a fan of mecha anime or not, I still highly recommend this anime as an enjoyable comedy. Sometimes, you just have to take some time to laugh at yourself, and Nadesico does just that.

[Shadowmage]

Title: Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
Genre: Action/Drama
Company: Khara
Format: 1 movie; 98 minutes
Dates: 1 Sep 2007

http://www.nihonreview.com/images/AnimeEva1-03.jpg
This time, we get tits.

In the year 2000, mankind suffers a cataclysmic event that wipes out half of the human population. Fifteen years later, another devastation awaits humanity if it is unable to ward off a group of mysterious giant creatures known as the Angels. Due to the incredible strength of these monsters, only the humanoid fighting units known as the Evangelion can destroy them. Called forward by a father who abandoned him, fourteen year old Ikari Shinji is given the choice of piloting an Evangelion. He must now choose between risking his life in battle or running away from his fear, from his father and from himself. -Summary by Shadowmage

http://www.nihonreview.com/images/AnimeEva1-01.jpg

Score: 81%

Highs: Completely redrawn animation; greater focus on the main story; Ramiel fight scene.

Lows: This is essentially episodes 1 to 6 of Evangelion repackaged.

It seems that director Anno Hideaki hasn't yet realized that he has already concluded his vision of Evangelion with something called the End of Evangelion. Considering the continual popularity of the franchise merchandise from LCL orange sodas to custom cell phone bling, it seems that fans haven't realized this either. Being a moderate fan of the series, I could only act with silent joy at the announcement of the remake of the original television series. For the most part, Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone delivers the goods complete with a hot fudge sundae; if you enjoyed the original television series, I can practically guarantee you that you will enjoy this anime.

However, for those of you who didn't enjoy the original, this movie probably won't change many opinions. You Are (Not) Alone is a near verbatim retelling of the original with less comedy, a few inserted transition scenes and even better action. Sadly, when I say "near verbatim" I mean "ripped from the cold, dead fingers of the original." The only reason this wholesale copy, redraw and paste can be so wholly overlooked is the fact that the original creator Anno Hideaki headed both projects. It seems that he likes his old vision of the first six episodes, so he faithfully recreates it with only a few tweaks. While I would like to make references to CliffsNotes, I really can't since the movie is pretty complete in and of itself; this way it is still accessible for those who haven't seen the original.

As expected from a remake, the standards set by the seiyuu and the music carry over to this movie. The voice actors, including the excellent Kotono Mitsuishi, give it their all once again, and the music does not disappoint. As far as the story goes, it's a more tightly written version of the television series'. Once again, this is Ikari Shinji's story. His angst, his loneliness and his desperate longing for acknowledgement from others are the real focal points of the movie. Also, it may just be me, but this time around, Shinji feels a bit more assertive, which does make the experience more pleasant.

Now, I'll be blunt. To me, the very existence of the movie begs the question "what's the point"? The first six episodes of Evangelion television series was a complete product. There is really no need to fix what isn't broken. Considering that this franchise has been raking in money for the past ten years, I might as well assume that money was the primary reasoning behind the entire project and proceed to call this a 98 minute circle jerk. Beautiful, yes, but a part of me really has a difficulty of seeing the point of meticulously redrawing over an hour content when the original still looks pretty darn good. Rather than a near exact rehash, why not go for a completely new retelling? I'd rather a movie pervert the original in attempts to reach genuine creativity than to tread an already beaten path just to make sure it's flat enough.

Regardless, this is still a very entertaining movie. The fights were excellent, the visuals were pleasing and the perpetual déjà vus fell more along the line of nostalgia than disgust. It's just this lingering feeling that I've been sold a prettier version of the exact same thing that bugs me. Oh well, at the end of the day, I really enjoyed Evangelion 1.01 You Are (Not) Alone. Despite what my inner critic has to say, solid entertainment is all I truly ask for and this movie provides just that.