Tuesday 21 October 2014
Monday 20 October 2014
Love Live! School Idol Project Review By Roopayan Ghosh
Genre:- Music/School
No. of Episodes:- 13+13+4 OVA s
Rating :-
Animation-9
Music-9
Story-
Characters-7
Enjoyment-8
(40.5/50)
I was looking for music anime when I stumbled across this one, first impressions were this is
going to be another pretty rhythm, however the more I got into the show, the more I started enjoying it. This is in no way comparable to pretty rhythm, its much better.
The animation is good by the standards set by present anime, the costume designing of characters were done very meticulously, those really caught my attention. The movements however were not perfectly fluid. I know its is very difficult to animate dances with fluid animation, but still that flaw catches the eye.The music being the central theme of the anime did not dissapoint. Of course one cannot expect brilliant music and lyrics from a school idol project anime, I have kept that in mind while rating this one. Its pretty good in that context. The main difference from pretty rhythm lies in the story and characters. Of course it is cliched, but still there is a vestige of story in this one unlike pretty rhythm which focuses only on competitions and some superpower dancing. The characters are cute and adorable, they have been developed in a decent fashion. You at least get to know how their minds work. And it was a pretty enjoyable ride. I marathon-ed the two seasons in two days.
Verdict:- Watching this anime depends on individual taste. If people love watching cute girls in skirts singing and dancing with at least some storyline which need not be that brilliant you can watch this. It is a par anime according to me. Keep your expectations low and you may be in for a surprise and even enjoy it.
Music-9
Story-
Characters-7
Enjoyment-8
(40.5/50)
I was looking for music anime when I stumbled across this one, first impressions were this is
going to be another pretty rhythm, however the more I got into the show, the more I started enjoying it. This is in no way comparable to pretty rhythm, its much better.
The animation is good by the standards set by present anime, the costume designing of characters were done very meticulously, those really caught my attention. The movements however were not perfectly fluid. I know its is very difficult to animate dances with fluid animation, but still that flaw catches the eye.The music being the central theme of the anime did not dissapoint. Of course one cannot expect brilliant music and lyrics from a school idol project anime, I have kept that in mind while rating this one. Its pretty good in that context. The main difference from pretty rhythm lies in the story and characters. Of course it is cliched, but still there is a vestige of story in this one unlike pretty rhythm which focuses only on competitions and some superpower dancing. The characters are cute and adorable, they have been developed in a decent fashion. You at least get to know how their minds work. And it was a pretty enjoyable ride. I marathon-ed the two seasons in two days.
Verdict:- Watching this anime depends on individual taste. If people love watching cute girls in skirts singing and dancing with at least some storyline which need not be that brilliant you can watch this. It is a par anime according to me. Keep your expectations low and you may be in for a surprise and even enjoy it.
Sunday 12 October 2014
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun Review By Sai Prashanth R
Episodes: 12 (Completed)
Plot Summary: Sakura Chiyo confesses her feelings to her schoolmate Nozaki. Due to a misunderstanding, Nozaki thinks Sakura is just a fan. She then discovers Nozaki's other identity; a shōjo manga artist. As she gets closer to Nozaki, she befriends Nozaki's quirky acquaintances who assist him and serve as inspirations for his manga. (ANN)
The summary is pretty much the happenings of the first episode. If you get reeled in by seeing the word ‘romance’, then you probably would be the first person to drop this anime as the romance aspect of this anime is pretty much scanty and one-sided in all possible ways. Fret not, as this anime still provides one of the best comedies that will entertain you to the very last episode. When I saw the anime’s name, the very worldly presence of the word ‘Shoujo’ didn’t fit well with me and hence didn’t bother to watch the first episode. Then, as usual, I was proven wrong once the news floated around in the internet that the first episode was promising and hence with no real expectations, saw the pilot episode and the interest levels were growing at an alarming rate. Note that this anime progresses in an episodic manner except when the all important ‘new character’ introduction takes place.
The entire plot is filled with alarming but comical misunderstandings and the way the characters jump to conclusions by playing it in their mind were hilarity personified. Although the presence of romance is very less, there are still some romantic scenes that take place only to be followed methodically by obliviousness and screw-ups. This show also depicts how a shoujo manga can possibly become either a hit or a dud. A worthy thing to consider is the interactions between the editor-in-chief and the authors. The main character Nozaki Umetaro researches quite a bit for his manga and his research; which consists of the interactions between the 7 characters that helm this show, makes up the 12 good episodes.
The art and the animation had the usage of vibrant colors and vivid backgrounds. One nice point to be taken note of is that, the manga which Nozaki draws. The 2 main characters of the manga, Mamiko and Suzuki-kun have their own voices and it was a different experience. The artwork of the manga was of a typical shoujo manga and the details regarding shoujo manga were neatly analyzed even though they did not delve deeper into the topics related. The OST was good and the timing of the music was good with the music accentuating the situation persisting over in the anime. One piano sonata caught my attention and the OP and ED are normal but catchy, especially the ending.
CHARACTERS: This is where the entire anime excels the most and where this anime became a runaway hit among the audiences. Each and every character portrayed in this anime is unique and have its own quirks that are very much necessary for the progression of each episode.
Nozaki is the protagonist. He is diligent, intelligent but highly oblivious. He is unable to detect the easiest of advances by the only normal and level-headed character, the female protagonist, Sakura Chiyo. Sometimes, it might seems hilarious but at other times the ‘I’mma gonna fucking punch the screen’ feeling arises. Next, Mikoshiba (Mikorin) who thinks he is a playboy (actually, he is, in a way). Wakamatsu, a first year, he is like Kise Ryouta without basketball and handsomeness. They both have the same voice-actors too. Hori is a third year student who is bullied by his underclassman prince(ss) Kashima without her knowledge that she is bullying him. One of the wonderful traps provided to us in recent times is Kashima. Then, finally another oblivious freak who speaks her mind without knowing that she lacks the utmost delicacy, Yuzuki Seo.
All these whacky characters come together in various episodes and the unbelievable incidents that these characters get entangled into duly forms the entire body of the anime. When any one of these characters is missing, this anime would not have thrived like it did. Unlike many anime where the focal point is either the extravagant plotline, animation or the music composition, Nozaki-kun’s engine is the characters. Without the characters’ interaction, this anime would not have become what it is now. The comebacks (tsukkomis) and retorts provided by the characters are magical and seem to be realistic but at the same time it felt as if with each passing episode, the retorts became somewhat predictable, at the least to me. Maybe they should or should not have toned down on the retorts. Note that, the extravagance of the voice-crew for this anime is unmatched by any other Summer ’14 anime excluding Nobunaga Concerto; another vital reason why the characters’ speeches and interactions looked lively.
To sum it up, a hilarious anime that employs misunderstandings to narrate a great story regarding on how to and not to craft a shoujo manga is the gist of this show. Animation, music and plot all seemed normal and maybe this is where the anime comes good owing to its normality although there were some instances (only scanty) that seemed not believable. Animation could have been improved, so could have been the music but even still, it was good. DAT ending to the final episode might not have been the perfect one, but the aptness of it was impressive.
My rating: 8/10
~A review by Sai Prashanth R
Black Lagoon Review By Prithu Verma
Synopsis:
(basically ripped it off from Wikipedia because it was the least spoilering synopsis)
The story follows a team of pirate mercenaries known as Lagoon Company, that smuggles goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid 1990s. Their base of operations is located in the fictional harbor city of Roanapur in southeast Thailand (somewhere in the Amphoe Mueang Trat district, likely on the mainland north/northeast of the Ko Chang island or on the island itself). The island is home to the Yakuza, the Triad, Cuban and French cartels, and a wide assortment of pickpockets, thugs, mercenaries, thieves, prostitutes, assassins, and Gunmen of all sorts. They transport goods in the 80-foot (24 m) Elco-type PT boat Black Lagoon. Lagoon Company does business with various clients, but has a particularly friendly relationship with the Russian crime syndicate Hotel Moscow. The team takes on a variety of missions—which may involve violent firefights, hand-to-hand combat, and nautical battles—in various Southeast Asian locations, even going as far as Phu Quoc island of Vietnam and when not doing much, the members of the Lagoon Company spend much of their down time at The Yellow Flag, a bar in Roanapur which is often destroyed in firefights.
The story follows a team of pirate mercenaries known as Lagoon Company, that smuggles goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid 1990s. Their base of operations is located in the fictional harbor city of Roanapur in southeast Thailand (somewhere in the Amphoe Mueang Trat district, likely on the mainland north/northeast of the Ko Chang island or on the island itself). The island is home to the Yakuza, the Triad, Cuban and French cartels, and a wide assortment of pickpockets, thugs, mercenaries, thieves, prostitutes, assassins, and Gunmen of all sorts. They transport goods in the 80-foot (24 m) Elco-type PT boat Black Lagoon. Lagoon Company does business with various clients, but has a particularly friendly relationship with the Russian crime syndicate Hotel Moscow. The team takes on a variety of missions—which may involve violent firefights, hand-to-hand combat, and nautical battles—in various Southeast Asian locations, even going as far as Phu Quoc island of Vietnam and when not doing much, the members of the Lagoon Company spend much of their down time at The Yellow Flag, a bar in Roanapur which is often destroyed in firefights.
Review:
The only reason I know about this anime is because an OOTW requested the show's main character to appear on the pic for this group(Akx's note : that was Oshin Anilkumar ), and also because Akx was lazy enough to not tell me who the character was, or didn't know who she was. Anyways, wanna thank both of them for peaking my curiosity into this anime, which turned out to be an awesome anime.
Plot: So as far as plots go, this anime kinda falls into different category. The stories featured in this anime are generally 2-3 episodes long, and don't have some kind of an over-arcing plot motivating the viewers to watch it. It just depends on the awesomeness of the stories it shows. These stories, are good, they are quite interesting especially considering how unique the plot is in itself (I haven't seen any other anime that deals with pirating in modern times). Some stories fall short, while some are too good. So I give it an 8/10 here.
Atmosphere: The topics this anime deals with are grim, really grim. The atmosphere is also set in that way to show how it can go from happy to dark and broody. The setting of the story really brings out what the scene is trying to convey, by either giving it a great backdrop to happen, or have the backdrop be in utter contrast to the scene. What really makes this anime the best is the fight scenes it has, they really get your adrenaline running, even while being down to earth realistic fights (as far as anime go, its kinda like Transporter series, or Bollywood fight scenes before people decided laws of gravitation don't rule Indian actors). I give this part a 9/10.
Character Development: Unlike most stuff I have watched, the character development for the main characters is at a more subtle pace. Its not in your face kind of a development, nor is it just absent. I haven't watched Roberta's Blood Trail which is kind of important for this section as a lot of character development happened in that OVA. The series only showed change in philosophies and development of chemistry between the leads towards the end of the anime, and Roberta's Blood Trail is very important in that respect that it carries this development forward. But, development of other characters can have you asking for more, especially the other two members of lagoon company. They do finally do a good job of that also, showing exactly how cold the boss of Hotel Moscow can be, or how twisted people in Roanapour really are, but that comes in only when they have some significant to donate to the plot. So, 7/10.
Production Value: Just a fancy way of saying animation and musical score. They are good in the anime. The animation is killer, doing justice to the fight scenes in the anime. Though, the background is a bit rough.
The musical score is also very nice, though they maybe should use more variety (there are only like two tunes used during the anime, one of which is also used for the ending). I liked the opening which they chose, and the ending is also good.
So, its an 8/10.
The musical score is also very nice, though they maybe should use more variety (there are only like two tunes used during the anime, one of which is also used for the ending). I liked the opening which they chose, and the ending is also good.
So, its an 8/10.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Watch it for the grim depiction of how a pirate really lives like, all the fight scenes that makes it perfect for adrenaline junkies, the well done depiction of the underbelly of the world we live in and how screwed up it is, and a nice story. I recommend also seeing Roberta's Blood Trail for the sake of plot, I don't really know how good that is. Its not the best anime out there (manga is much better, or so I've heard), but its good. Some of you may find my review a bit on the generous side, but it's only cause I don't watch many anime, so I lack experience.
~A review by Prithu Verma
Watch it for the grim depiction of how a pirate really lives like, all the fight scenes that makes it perfect for adrenaline junkies, the well done depiction of the underbelly of the world we live in and how screwed up it is, and a nice story. I recommend also seeing Roberta's Blood Trail for the sake of plot, I don't really know how good that is. Its not the best anime out there (manga is much better, or so I've heard), but its good. Some of you may find my review a bit on the generous side, but it's only cause I don't watch many anime, so I lack experience.
~A review by Prithu Verma
Friday 10 October 2014
The Garden of Words Review By Grail Nikephoros
[The Garden of Words]
"A faint clap of thunder
Clouded skies
Perhaps rain comes
If so, will you stay here with me?"
Takao, who is an inspiring and is training to become a shoemaker, skips school and is sketching shoes when it rains in a garden. He keeps meeting a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then without any time arrangements they two start meeting each other in the garden whenever it rains. They grow close to each other and deepen their relationship and open up to each other, but Takao stops showing up when rainy season ends.
If Five Centimeters per Second is a five on five, then The Garden of Words is a Shinkai on five. Yes, The Garden of Words is that great, not only in visuals that have reached vistas but also the relationship he narrated in his latest work along with gentle soundtracks. The Garden of Words is a perfect example that an anime need not to aim higher and deliver something great, but can just follow and execute what it had set out to. The Garden of Words is a personal and short story of Akizuki Takao and Yukino. It captures the brief period of time they spend together in a garden during a rainy season. It was interesting how the events in the film could not be considered as significant for either. It was not the beginning nor the ending of the either of the characters. But, The Garden of Words effectively explored Takao's and Yukino's struggles and problems they faced in the brief period.
About the animation, I've got nothing to say about the animation for this one, hopefully, I might link some screens I've captured to this post. The animation only got better since 5 Centimeters per Second. But it is only natural to praise the animation is Shinkai's works. The soundtrack composed by Daisuke helps set the mood throughout the film. Still, Kashiwa does a good job establishing the tone of the film, with his arrangements mostly composed of unaccompanied piano pieces. The score is simple yet perfect for a movie of this level. And the ending theme, Rain, by Hata was downright amazing. It was a lovely acoustic music, which plays out well with the end of the movie.
Miyu Irino, voice actor of Takao, did a splendid job with his task. Irino has a very mature and masculine voice which speaks a lot about Takao. Despite being 15 years of age, he knows what he wants to do with his life, and takes his goal seriously. He is mature enough and is level-headed that we forget that he is a high-school student. Kana Hanazawa, voice actor of Yukino, did a great job too. Her soft gentle voice suggests a woman who isn't quite ready to grow up just yet and struggles to maintain that image of someone who is warm and in control of her life.
As said earlier, this movie isn't the starting nor ending of Takao or Yukino. It was just a period of their meetings with each other. The ending doesn't not conclude anything. It doesn't show us that Takao becomes a successful shoemaker or Yukino is happy with her new job. I like how the movie concludes, it ends with both characters being honest about their feelings towards each other. Yet, there was no use of happy-romantic ending. They both go on their separate ways, not concluding anything and leaving it to viewers' imagination.
"A faint clap of thunder
Even if rain comes not
I will stay here
Together with you."
~ A review by Grail Nikephoros
Code Geass Review By Grail Nikephoros
The story is now set in an alternate timeline and the world is split up. The premise is melodramatic, stagy and assertive enough. The story is set after the Britannian Empire's hammering on Japan and stripping the people in it off their rights and proclaiming it now as Area 11 and declaring the citizens as Elevens now. Lelouch is a Britannian prince who is ostracized to Japan as a deal along with his sister Nunally after his mother is killed. Lelouch now embarks on a quest to obliterate Britannia through the use of his intellect and Geass, impelled by revenge and virtuously abstruse altruism. He decides to use his Geass, which he can use to command anyone once, and find out about the murder speculation of his mother, blemish the Britannian Empire and create a better world where Nunally and he can live happily. Promptly, in the process he becomes the leader of a resistance group, The Black Knights and seemingly gaining power from other resistance groups for his rebellion.
Frankly, this was my first anime of Sunrise. And also I was never a fan of Clamp nor I'm well-familiar with it. The character designs were original, peculiar and pretty, they as much impressed me. Though, they ARE good and attractive, they look weird and strange when looked at from certain angles. The animation was well done, and the colors were used brilliantly. The music is appropriate and mostly unobtrusive, whether the mood is serious, exciting, relaxed, mischievous, dramatic or tragic. Loved C.C's themes and other characters' themes too. And the opening and ending sequences were decent, now they are good, really good, but a series like this could've orchestrated something more fitting for the milieu of the show.
Lelouch who practically carries the show by himself receives the most character development. Lelouch procures a subtle personality, such as his emotional range and a sense of humanity emerging from his internal conflicts which sets him apart. C.C is enigmatically perplexing character with a mysterious past, as we've only seen bits and pieces of information regarding her background, yet she is an engrossing and fun character by virtue of her interactions. Other characters get decent amount of attention as well, but I feel that too many characters were introduced, though, this shows needed them equally. The secondary characters were fun to watch too.
Spoiler, skip this section if you haven't watched the first season.
The reason there is a separate section for Suzaku is as he is the most despicable and hated character in the series. But, I didn't 'hate' him. There was no reason to hate him. He is way too self-righteous. Most of the people reason that he always puts his life before others and wants to die. There is clearly nothing wrong with this. This may be subjective, the whole Suzaku thing, but he isn't as despicable as people deem. He is weak, thus, he decides to protect anyone and everyone putting his life on the line. Lelouch wants to protect too and he is buffed with human consideration but he has Geass and he can 'change' the world or so he thinks. But, Suzaku being weak and considerate doesn't find anything wrong with losing his life for someone else. He killed his father to prevent a war when he was a kid, this is something people can only think of. He doesn't like unnecessary blood-shed, though his character flaws from time to time. I'm poorly wording my thoughts, but people who've watched Pandora Hearts can juxtapose Suazaku with Oz.
I tried my best to avoid mecha as much as I was capable of. But I made an exception for Code Geass and I have to say that I really liked mecha, or the use of mecha in the series. Though, mecha is the only driving aspect in the show. Code Geass features Knightmare Frames which are of humanoid shape and are considerably tall than someone piloting it. I've really started liking mecha and would love to watch more of those.
I never wanted to compare it, but I might as well do it. I'll most probably contrast Code Geass with Death Note. The animation, the animation used in Death Note was fitting for it, but Code Geass' animation was way better. The audio, Code Geass delivers appropriate and a variety of soundtracks but the opening and ending sequence weren't fitting as the ending and openings of Death Note are. Death Note was rather slow when compared to Code Geass but it was intense. Code Geass has its intense moments as well, but they are not substantial and are not always good. But, Code Geass is wonderfully well-paced and didn't fail to bore me, even in some of the stagy episodes.
I thoroughly liked and enjoyed Code Geass. The first season was appreciably entertaining and seldom boring. I genuinely appreciate both well-done proportions of the show and absurd scenes and flaws. The show is not a masterpiece, for everyone, nor it'll please each and every viewer. However, Code Geass is an iconic anime, it’s not perfect, and maybe a little overhyped, but there’s still a reason people get so excited about it. Watching Code Geass brought me many hours of joy, and that’s something none of its problems can take away.
~ A review by Grail Nikephoros
Sunday 5 October 2014
Tokyo Ghoul Review By Rias Meh
"Sometimes its better to be hurt than hurt others."
Anime - Tokyo Ghoul (R- 17+)
Producers: Studio Pierrot, FUNimation EntertainmentL, Marvelous AQL
Genres: Action, Mystery, Drama, Dark , etc.
MAL: http://goo.gl/dQAPHb
STORY AND PLOT :
This fantasy takes place in tokyo , where along with humans there are 'Ghouls '. Ghouls, are human species who devours other humans for their apetite (cannibals :p) . Our main character is Kaneki Ken , who is a college student and an avid book reader . He finally meets his crush Rize-san who is apparantly a ghoul and who wants to eat him. However , Rize and Kaneki gets involved into an accident , and the only way to recover Kaneki was by transplanting Rize's (dead)organs into Kaneki . Hence he becomes the Half-human - Half - Ghoul (demighoul ).
Now, now , if you look at the plot , one might find it interesting . But who knew that the studio were going to marathon the story. I've read TG's manga which is a good read , but , when you look at tge anime , they were as complained by many , 'rushing things-up'. The studio had a good plot , and a good story in front of them but no , they want to make an anime of atleast 24 eps into 12 eps. and they expect to score.
That is just bullshit . The studio as I believe had skipped parts which were important for the audience to patch-up properly with the characters. But, beside all the bullshit they did till ep 11 , the , 12th ep was the one which truly showed the beauty , which the whole series could have acheived. I lament over the progession of the story , not the story itself , because the progression of the story itself spoilt the story . The studio failed to exploit the parts from manga they could've properly .
Animation and artwork :
When it comes to artwork, it was decent for an anime of 2014. Chracters were well drawn with the mask and stuff. But as for the animation, it was a dissapointment . The frame per second (fps) also sucked , only during the fights one can see a good fps . And , when it comes to battles in TG it means gore , colours and censorship. The biggest setback of the anime . Those purple-pink-red shade- were just ruining the amazement of the fight.
Soundtrack/OST/EST :
This was the biggest assest of the anime . The OST 'UNRAVEL, TK from Ling' was simply the best OST I had ever heard . Also the in-anime soundtracks were good whose essence of epicness could've been seen in ep 3-4 but then looks like the anime lacked a good director. The potential of the in-anime ST was not exploited uniformly nor in the important scenes. Whereas the EST sounded shit at its inception but one'd slowly get used to it .
Final review : A bit of hype , poor story progression , poor direction with good sountracks and artwork , peirrot shows us a dissapointing meh anime . If you've seen the anime or ever plan to , go for the manga . Anime isn't worth your time I'd say.
My rating : 6.8 /10 (meh....k)
~ A Review by Rias Meh
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