Student Review Contest #20

[L-sama]

Well, with the second tie in the contest's history in the books, it's time to hit the big 2-0 for the SRC. That having been said, the theme for the 20th contest is...

A Night At The Movies

Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner in the States, and as that comes around, the unofficial beginning of the summer movie season is getting into full swing too. With that in mind, your mission this time around is to review an anime movie.

Any year, any genre, anything!

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.

Submission deadline is June 2, 2008 @ 1200 EDT. Now go!
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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. Winners: Shadowmage and L-sama

[animanic_critic]

First to grab the first seat!

Title: Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo aka The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Genre: Drama/Romance
Company: Kadokawa Shoten
Format: Movie; 100 minutes.
Date: 15 Jul 2006

Synopsis: Konno Makoto is a 17-year old average tomboy who hates studying and homework, and prefers playing catch with her two best male friends. One day, she gains the ability to travel through time by ‘leaping’, and she uses to score good grades and avoid imminent mishaps. Things then turn for the worse when her seemingly innocent changes have adverse consequences that will hurt everyone around her, including herself.

The Highlights
Story: Your typical shoujo slice-of-life made right.
Animation: Generally clean and fluid, except for some dizzying scenes.
Music: Simple music for a simple movie; absolutely apt.
Balance between comedy and drama: Deserves a standing ovation.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/AnimeTwKS03.jpg http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/AnimeTwKS01.jpg http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/animanic_critic/AnimeTwKS02.jpg

“Time waits for no one”. It is certainly mundane yet true, and this is the main slogan of the movie. The movie eventually does embody the slogan with perfection, but its winning factor is its overall end-product. Each attribute of TwKS - the artwork, music and story - are not outstanding when analyzed individually, but when they are blended together they create a movie that invokes laughter, pity and sorrow.

The movie is truthfully just a standard shoujo slice-of-life high school drama. Our protagonist is a tomboyish high school student who loathes school and prefers wasting her time in karaoke lounges and playing with her two best buddies; in other words, your average joe. Things get interesting when she gains the ability of ‘leaping’ through time. She uses it to amend the little things in her life, and that is what make this movie special - ordinariness. The movie contains the scientific plot device of time-traveling and yet, the emphasis is more on how it affects Makoto and the people around her due to her amendments. The development of each character is down-to-earth, which in turns enhances the message of the above slogan inexplicably and powerfully.

The animation is akin to titles produced by Studio Ghibli (even though this one isn’t) - clean, crisp and fluid. It seems that there is nothing to complain about the artwork and animation, until the time-traveling scenes arrives. The scenes, to put it mildly, are jarringly bizarre and stuck out as a (very) minor sore thumb. Fortunately, these scenes are brief. Other than that, the background themes are beautiful and detailed. The movie is made better with music mostly made up of simple piano tunes and Yoshida Kiyoshi. Unlike some shows where the music overwhelms the ambience, the tracks in TwKS are aptly timed and composed to suit each scene, whether the mood demands comedy, serenity or poignancy.

The balance between the comedy and drama in TwKS is ineffably flawless. The laughable scenes of Makoto getting into various fixes and tumbles after every leap bodes excellently with the moments of suspense and sadness during her tribulations and attempts at fixing them. Furthermore, the supporting cast has their fair share of the limelight and they produce chemistry between each other that is both logical and emotional. Ultimately, it results in a list of characters that come to life in under 100 minutes.

TwKS is a movie that is very hard to dislike. Simplicity does not come as elegantly and well-balanced as this and a movie that evokes different types of feelings does not come very often. Said to be “the anime movie of 2006″, I was pretty skeptical about the statement. After watching it, the skepticism has become nonexistent in the passage of time.

Grade: 87%

[Kavik Ryx]

I feel kind of lazy to write a new review, so I'll just take an old one.

The Ideon: Be Invoked

Title: The Ideon: Be Invoked
Genre: Action/Drama
Company: Sunrise
Format: Movie; 98 minutes.
Date: 7 Jul 1982

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/hyukai/BeInvokedcap.jpg?t=1212265381
Every man, woman, and unborn child for themselves

Synopsis: The crew of the Solo Ship have become the outcasts of humanity. Being perused mercilessly by those in search of the Ideon, a weapon that they only hold on to as they know its power. However, that does not stop Karala’s father, Doba, from sending his most powerful weapons out on an all out suicide mission to claim the Ide. Judgement day is approaching for the Terran Humans and the Buff Clan, and now the Ideon has placed everyone’s fate in the hands of Karala’s unborn child.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc257/hyukai/BeInvokedcap3.jpg?t=1212265450
The Highs: Engrossing drama; artistic flair; you cannot ask for a happier ending
The Lows: Watching the series and/or first movie is needed to get a richer viewing experience; poor Ashura
The Grade: 94%

If you have never scene Ideon before, its movie A Contact somewhere and brush up on it. It will only take up 90 minutes of your time, so just sit back and let it entrance you. Now that I am sure your off to find it, remember to go stretch your legs and refilled you’re popcorn afterwards. You know, forget that, it’ll ruin the moment, just pop in the tape, or DVD, (or downloaded fansub,) or whatever, for if you thought that was something, then you ain’t seen nothing yet. Given a second chance to wrap up his series, Tomino Yoshiyuki wastes no time and puts you right in the middle of the action. I have seen many of his works, but none got to me quite like Be Invoked.

The original ending involved what was going to happen anyway in episode 39 followed by two minutes of explanation of what happened next. Needless to say, it was not really that satisfying. This time, the story begins with a revised flashback to the Kyral story from the TV version followed by a few clips from episode 38, an episode which embodies just what the Ideon is capable of. From here, the movie is 39 again followed by the last four episodes. Personally, I think the use of the big screen and larger budget did this conclusion good. I would have to say that it was the first time I was so entranced in the battles; not only did they look good, but the atmosphere of them was captured as well. Even better, a large portion of the action takes place on the Solo Ship. Between the headshots and decapitations, this movie features some death scenes that may only be surpassed by The End of Evangelion. Now obviously, with a cast consisting mainly of children, women, teens, toddlers, and a pregnant women, the death count can’t be that atrocious, but hey, it’s Tomino we’re talking about.

Be Invoked does not stop at the horribly beautifully depicted carnage. All this action is backed up by a thrilling story that never loses momentum. While I always felt sorry for the crew of the Solo Ship and their hopeless flight around the universe, this was the one time I truly connected with everyone, and as characters died one by one, their suffering was tangible. I kept hoping that Karala’s unborn child would survive the movie, something I rarely do. Besides the torment of the crew, the saddest moment had to be when you see the Buff Clan’s Earth after witnessing the wrath of the Ideon’s self preservation instinct. I sat through the movie unable to accept the hell everyone was going through, just wishing for a happy ending for someone or something; that’s a sign of top notch storytelling.

For all intents and purposes, I chose not to speak of the last 30 minutes of Be Invoked; it is just too good. Needless to say, it the happiest ending ever envisioned by Tomino Yoshiyuki that I’ve ever seen (a close second being Gundam ZZ). In all of the death and destruction, one thing remains constant about life: it goes on. Immediately, I recommend this anime to fans of Gundam or Anno Hideaki’s Evangelion. Though just about anyone should see this, granted they can withstand the TV series it originated from. It’s worth it, for it is among the greatest payoffs in the history of visual arts. I’m no expert in artistic masterpieces or how to identify one; however, I am absolutely certain that Ideon has deserved the title.

[animanic_critic]

Darn you Kavik for making this contest from a one-way giveaway to an actual contest!

[L-sama]

Less than 24 hours to go in this one. Get those review in!

[7Raven7]

In before the lock?

Appleseed Ex Machina
84%Title: Appleseed Ex Machina
Genre: Action
Comapany: Micott & Bassara, Digital Frontier
Format: 1 Movie
Dates: 2007

Synopsis:

The Year is 2135. Humanity has survived a Third World War and it
has been only 4 years since Olympus, humankind’s last hope as a
city of peace, has begun to rebuild from an internal attack of its
own. Now, a new threat looms over Olympus as an outbreak of
cyborg-related violence link to a strange signal. As members of
E.S.W.A.T, Deunan Knute and her partner Briareos must once
again track down this threat and protect their homeland… and
each other.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/7_Raven_7/watch.jpg
"Geez. You guys were made for each other."

Highs:
Cinematographic and choreographic perfection, same “Appleseed” with more personality.

Lows:
Somewhat “deus ex” ending; still has not achieved C.G. excellence.



Review:

In an encore to Shinji Aramaki’s “Appleseed” (2004) he comes after us once again, this time bringing to the table the talents of John Woo and even famed clothing designer Miuccia Prada for costumes. Reformat any bad data you might have regarding movie sequels being inferior to their predecessors; Ex Machina is exactly the Appleseed 2.0 we were hoping for.

Part of what made the first movie such a big hit was the contrasts between human and non-human; between violence and love. Ex Machina takes this same foundation and builds from there. Now we add another factor with a world more modified with cybernetics. And then there’s the big shocker: Duenan’s newest partner is actually a bioroid clone of Briarios.

I, of course, don’t need to explain how this amps up the inner conflicts between Deunan, who now sees someone who looks like the man she loves, and Briarios, who is that man but trapped underneath a layer of machine. One beef I had with the original movie was that the secretive plot kept us from getting to know the characters; this plot explodes all these personalities into the forefront giving us more than 2-dimentional motives and feelings from each main character, and even down to the simplest foot soldier we can feel their pain.

Of course it’s still Appleseed which means more impressive visuals and some new and pleasant tunes. Now the action is supervised by none other than John Woo himself, and it shows. Not only do we get acrobatic mastery, but even the “slower” shots and downtime inbetween the action show clever cinematography and thoughtful direction.

However, with many movies of the C.G. variety breaking out into the public forum, the Appleseed legacy still has some work to do. While before efforts such as displayed in Ex Machina could be applauded, talks of this day-and-age would mention flesh-tones, lighting, and lip-to-voice synchronization as areas of improvement. Fans will still come to enjoy and most anime viewers should flock to this impressive title in droves, but it still has a long way to go before it can stand on the same podium of excellence and popularity enjoyed by C.G. masters like Pixar and Production I.G. Also, with a name like “Ex Machina” I found it a little too ironic that all the information and weapons were available for our heroes in their final fight. Oh well, nobody’s perfect.

While you may not get a chance to see Appleseed any time soon on the big screen, there is no reason to pass this title up for the favorites section in your anime collection. With as thoughtful a concept and as cunning the camera work; a second-best category in C.G. is not going to stop even the most mind-controlled individual from enjoying this thrill ride.


Score Breakdown
Characters / Development: 9
Music, Seiyuu and Sound Effects: 8
Art, Animation and Cinematography: 8.5
Story, Plot, Theme and Symbolism: 8
The Big Picture: 8.5
(scores + together / 50 * 100 = %)

[L-sama]

In before the lock?


Yer good, Raven. You got it in with time to spare. =)

[7Raven7]

Woot!

BTW, you now officially have taken the "best avatar" possition in AA, I lol'ed. :)