Rurouni Kenshin
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Adventure
Summer Wars
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Wakfu
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Magi
Plot Summary:
In a lose “retelling” of stories from the classic Arabian Knights tales the story is set in a fantasy desert land filled with many peoples and countries. In this land magic and the fantastic are still very much alive as the world is filled with Rukah, the magical life source in every person. Only a couple people in the world are known as Magi, those with the power to draw endlessly from the Rukah and use their powers to suppose their chosen King candidates. A young Magi, Aladdin, has begun to discover what it means to be a Magi as he explores the world with his new friends the brave and kind Alibaba and the strong and mysterious Morgiana.
Technical:
Magi is based off a maga which started in 2009 and is currently still running with 16 volumes.
Staff~
The director Koji Masunari has little other notable credits other than the Read or Die OVA. Which speaks well for the action sequences in Magi and the attention to detail in that respect shows.
Otherwise this series has a mac-truck metric ton of episode directors, story boarders and key animators. Most notable is the art director Ayu Kawamoto who worked on No.6, Kodomo no Jikan as the art director.
Studio~
The animation was done by A-1 Studios which is a subsidiary of Sony Music’s Aniplex. They’ve worked on other shows such as Black Butler, Big Windup, and Fairy Tail.
Animation~
The fight scenes are really well animated and the animation, especially in the beginning of the series is fairly good by current standards. Not amazing, but good. The fight scenes remain consistent throughout but other animation gets really sloppy toward toward the end.
Music~
Music is catchy, diverse, and well done. It’s not going to win separate awards for music but it’s above average in my book for a shonen show. The man who did the music, Shiro Sagisu, also did music for many other shows including Bleach, Evangellion – including the reboots, and His and Her Circumstances to name a few.
Review:
This review will be developing as I review later seasons. The fact remains that the series will be more than one season and at the end of the first it has a literal “to be continued” type ending. Since I know it will be getting more I won’t entirely fault it for this.
I’d also like to say that I haven’t read the manga, and being a good girl and doing my homework I have discovered many people lamenting about the pacing of the adaptation relative to the Manga. I’ll touch on this more in-depth in a bit if I think not reading the manga is a pro… or con…
So, the first season…
The series starts out with a bang. Right off the bat we’re meeting the main characters, being introduced to an engaging world, and getting involved in back-stories involving poverty, purpose in life, and slavery, to name a few. We meet Aladdin first who you know off the bat has a greater purpose but you don’t really know why yet. Aladdin meets Alibaba who wants to be a dungeon capturer. Dungeons are these large tower places with treasure rooms, inside are djins who will lend their power to the capturer and massive wealth.
Within the first five episodes they capture a dungeon, seeming like the series has already completed its purpose of what it set out to do. But one amazing thing the series has going for it is progression. By the end of the first season capturing a dungeon doesn’t even seem like it’s that big of a deal anymore because the characters have moved so far past that.
But after these awesome first few episodes where we meet our main cast they end up splitting apart in a second arc that seems relatively slow, and comparatively pointless. The whole time you’re wondering if the characters you thought were the important ones actually are… spoiler, they are, despite this arc. Yes the arc ends up doing some things for character personal evolution and ends up being necessary, but the adaptation from the manga here I think is weak and lacking. I’m sure in the manga this part is much better. Or maybe, the anime is better because it blows through a “boring” part of the manga when they’re split… I don’t really know.
After the characters come back together, unsurprisingly, things pick up and get really interesting again. There are two more arcs following this, the third was my favorite and felt the most developed. The fourth was so-so. It felt like the progress that was made in the third arc was removed as characters just moved on from their achievements rather than building upon them in some way. Beyond that it felt like aspects of the fourth arc existed as simply a way to introduce more of the world that we won’t see till the second season. I read the ending is actually not a “manga ending” but an anime adaptation, I can’t confirm or not, but if they did make up an ending for the show it really wasn’t much of one.
But I’m not complaining, I want more of the series. It had great action, good humor, and really good characters. It does have flaws, obviously in the fact that I’m not able to sing a lot of praises with regards to the depth of story and at times it felt like it moved way too fast to have any more depth. But the series is entertaining and has everything you need to be a good shonen show. Action, characters, and battles that seem to get more and more impressive as time goes on.
I’ll be looking forward to future seasons. But since I have to review what is out right now I’m going to be forced to give it 3.5 flying turbans out of five. The reason why this score is low for all the good I’ve said about it is because of the ending and overall pacing that didn’t seem to allow for anything deeper. It’s not finished and so it just can’t get an amazing score. But on an entertainment level it falls pretty high for me. I think if you like shonen shows and enjoy this brand of fantasy then get on the show now because it may be a long running one…
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Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman
Studio: TMS Entertainment (Lupin III, Detective Conan, Baccano, Panda! Go, Panda!)
Dir. Hirofumi Ogura (Gintama, Inuyasha, Black Butler II, Samurai 7)
-BGR is his first head director gig
Wri. Tatsuto Higuchi + 3 others (AKB0048 Next Stage, Inazuma Eleven, Phi-Brain)
-Wrote six of twelve episodes, the most of the four writers
Music: Hiroshi Takaki (AKB0048, AKB0048 next stage, Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock [sequel to Bardock – Father of Goku])
SYNOPSIS
Taking place in Kyoto during the late 1800s, Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman tells the story of Manjiro, an nigh impoverished ne’er-do-well gambler who lives with his younger sister in her decorative chopsticks shop. But when night falls, he becomes the masked superhero Roman, an analogue of Robin Hood, taking and returning things that were unrightfully stolen from the lowly citizens of Edo-period Japan.
REVIEW
It’s so nice to see Monkey Punch’s work on the screen again. There’s so much personality conveyed in these character’s faces and body designs that it’s impossible to deny the artist’s influence on the audience’s connection to them. It’s a shame the animation couldn’t live up to the fantastic design. This show is ugly. Like, embarrassingly ugly. TMS Entertainment cut every conceivable corner to get this thing produced, saving a little scratch for some slightly nicer sequences toward the end of the season.
The characters aren’t anything we haven’t seen before. Besides the goofball hero Manjiro, there’s his cute little sister, a busty prostitute, a pervy old inventor, and a stoic badass. There’s also a foreign mad scientist of sorts who I believe is supposed to be German. He speaks Japanese very strangely and incorrectly writes the Japanese characters on the sign outside his clinic. He’s a pretty fun character, but I’m not sure if I should be offended by his depiction or not. He also slaps a woman in the last episode for basically no reason, and the show plays it for laughs. The main villain turns out to be a defected American Civil War general who has gone completely bonkers, wears an eye patch, and constantly sings “My Old Kentucky Home” in a crippling Japanese accent (all due respect to the voice actor; the poor guy is really doing his best). With the aforementioned exceptions, all the voice actors bring something nice to the table, especially Kazuya Nakai with Manjiro, a performer probably best known for his work on One Piece as Roronoa Zoro.
The story is light and fun, but not surprisingly it’s all a little formulaic. The series spends about half its runtime giving you very little backstory and showing you how Manjiro and his crew of “get-backers” operate in largely episodic installments. The last half is a combination info-dumpy conversations, flashbacks, and some pretty cool and coherent action scenes that build up the larger conflict.
The music is great. The bygone big band style reminds one of the great Yuji Ouno and his incredible work on Lupin the 3rd. Some flourishes of traditional Japanese instruments make it its own, but it’s the swing music of Monkey Punch’s flagship franchise that truly sells it.
If the music were the only anachronistic thing about the show, I’d be a lot happier with it, but the show’s pervasive goofiness gets the best of it at times. The show starts dipping into genres it has no business being in and clearly has no idea how to handle them with any sort of finesse. I can say with confidence that this is the first historical fiction I’ve ever seen with super sentai rangers, fusing mech suits, zombies, a giant laser cannon, and a one-eyed, gun-armed cyborg mounted on a mini-tank at the waist. Some of this stuff can be fun while watching it unfold, but there is no rhyme or reason for its existence.
The show took a little while to get off the ground. It wasn’t until the last five or six episodes that I started enjoying it. It doesn’t have very much to say beyond the rote good vs. evil, dealing with regret, and a little bit of family-doesn’t-always-mean-blood, but what it does it does pretty well.
3 Lupins out of 5.
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Legend of the Legendary Heroes
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Aria the Scarlett Ammo
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Trigun: Badlands Rumble
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Hoshi o Ou Kodomo
Alternate Titles: The Children who Chase lost voices from deep below
Original Japanese Release Date: May 2011
Episode Length/Run-time: 100 Minutes
Summary:
Asuna lost her father at a young age and has lived an independent lifestyle with her loving, yet absent often due to work, since. One day, she meets a boy whose sudden death triggers a series of events that pulls Asuna with unlikely companions into a mysterious world beneath the earth that holds the secrets of life and death.
Review:
This movie is made by Makoto Shinkai, if that doesn’t tell you some things about it then you have clearly not seen his other works or listened to the show much before.
But! If you are such a person I shall elaborate for your benefit.
Unlike Shinkai’s past works this one really hits the ground running. Asuna is an uncertain yet strong character and we first meet her listening to a mysterious song on a crystal radio. Her father passed when she was young and she lives just with her mother, making her a fairly independent young woman. One day, heading out to her special place she runs into a strange, large, and violent creature, a mysterious boy saves her from this creature and as theynspend time together for the rest of the day she develops a clear strong admiration/love for him. But as mysteriously as he comes he disappears from her life, dead. Now Asuna is drug literally to the bottom of the earth lead by Shun’s (the boy) brother and her new teacher Ryuji. The world they find themselves is defended by large ancient beasts known walrus quetzacotl, for this world holds the powers of life and death.
All this in the first 25 minutes, I told you it moved fast. And that’s the first, and really only criticism for this show. Shinkai moves so quickly in his storytelling that you barely have enough time to stop and absorb things before you’re already three steps further. The world that he creates I such a short time is so rich and vast that you are literally yearning for more time there, but if he stopped to do it the movie would be 3 hours long… Though I wouldn’t complain.
Another thing that Shinkai does not fail on is the execution. In his normal fashion it is beautifully animation with an attention to detail that could make a grown man weep its so lovely. It suits the fantasy world and his storytelling well. Compared to his previous films he still pays close attention to light and dark but seems to have a new kind of restraint that adds additional sophistication and refinement to his work.
The music is simple but well fitting and really helps the overall package.
In all, this movie won’t disappoint and I cannot recommend it enough.
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Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing
Alternate Title: Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam
General Summary: Set four years after the original Last Exile series, Last Exile Fam the Silver wing follows the story of a sky pirate named Fam who gets involved in a world-wide war when she saves the princess of Turan as the Ades Federation takes her kingdom by force. The Ades Federation operates under the belief that anyone who abandoned the earth during the Exile should not be allowed to return. Now, Fam, with the assistance of her co-pilot Giselle, and the rescued Princess Millia must cut a new path through the turmoil for the ultimate goal of peace.
Sequel?
This is the first thing worth noting is that Last Exile Fam the Silver Wing is a sequel to the original Last Exile series, while very few characters or events remain particularly relevant in this series the original Last Exile created a world deep with culture and history. You will NOT get as much out of Fam the Silver Wing without watching and knowing the importance of many of the events that happened in the original Last Exile, particularly the end. Plus, for reasons I will continue to go into the original is much better than this so if you’re watching only one watch that anyways.
Technical Notes:
Staff~
Fam the Silver Wing kept studio Gonzo for production and director Koichi Chigira.
The primary composer for the music also remained the same so the music feels in-line with the Last Exile feeling.
Music~
I’d place the music to be just above average one would expect with a few pieces here or there that stood out alongside a decent opening. It has a very dreamy quality to it that really matches the series well.
Animation~
While the character designs seemed to be a slight departure from the original Last Exile, trading in for a generally softer and more commercial look I would say the world has a beautiful style to it and glossy animation to match. The sky battles take place flawlessly and the characters move beautifully at every turn. It is definitely a show that is easy on the eyes at almost all times.
Review:
The show is filled with a number of double-edged swords for the viewer, where something shines it normally casts a large shadow on something else in the show that is very, very, noticeable.
Firstly, the show features a number of strong women. Women who are not directly reporting to men, the love interest for men, or who ultimately give up their dreams, powers, or whims for a man. As someone who identifies herself as a strong woman I admire this and the love taking a back-seat allows them to really shine and not clutter up the show with things that are really unimportant.
But, they can’t resist themselves in the end and having a cast that is all-female ultimately leads to pointless fan-service moments from time to time. Such as as a hot-springs scene in which the setting could have just as easily been a dinner table or sitting looking at the stars.
The second pro the show features is the gravity of the situation and the emphasis of the world events. Countries fall and others rise, there are discussions on selling out one’s people to save one’s self, and if it is better to bend a knee for the sake of world peace.
These are the things that really could make the show a special piece of work… But instead…
The main lead, Fam, through which we see almost all of these themes, is annoying and immature at best. Her whims that I can only assume are meant to be charming come off as hot-headed, brash, irrational, whimsical, and immature. It’s like watching a ten year old try to explain war in a five-paragraph essay. It ends up cheapening everything else that’s happening and the more mature viewer is left feeling teased and hungry, and not in a good way. War cannot be solved with a warm fuzzy friendship speech and anyone who is beyond the age to know this is simply disappointed by the treatment of such a serious topic.
What turns from bad to worse for the viewer is that Fam never seems to grow throughout all the ordeals presented to her. She remains virtually the same happy-go-lucky, peace dreaming, idealistic girl as when she started. To have almost no growth in such a character is disappointing to say the least…
As a fan of the original Last Exile this show feels like a cheap replacement and an effort to milk a previously successful franchise (which isn’t far from the truth for Studio Gonzo…). It ends up contributing very little to the world and disappointing to any fan. Halfway through the show you find yourself bored and while there are moments that shine they can’t support the many other short-commings glaring throughout the series. But, it’s animation quality, lingering style, and even hallow attempts keep it in the realm of below average.
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