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Senki Zesshou Symphogear G

Senki Zesshou Symphogear G

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Senki Zesshou Symphogear G

13 episodes ; started in the Summer 2013 season

·        Staff

o   Original creator – Akifumi Kaneko  and  Senki Zesshou Symphogear G

o   Director – Katsumi Ono – Hataraki Man

o   Production studio – Satelight

o   Music – Elements garden – Boburetsu Pirates, Love, Election and Chocolate, Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Uta no Prince Sama, Kimi to Boku

·        Plot Summary

o   As was the case with the first Symphogear anime, this one is fueled by the pop idol power of Nana Mizuki, who as of a couple years ago was the top anime related idol in Japan.  She does the voice for one of the main characters Tsubasa and contributed 5 of her pop songs  to this anime including the main theme, Vitalization.  My belief is that Mizuki Nana’s popularity is the fuel behind this anime and it is probably what allowed it to have a second season in addition to increased production values.

o    This anime continues the story of Hibiki, Tsubasa and Kurisu.  In this anime the world is in peril as one of the planets moons are being pulled down to the Earth on an imminent crash course.  The world is predicted to be destroyed in the future and rival groups are each trying to save the world in their own way.  To this end, an organization of American origin emerges with its own trio of Symphogear users to help remove the seal on mankind’s sanctuary from the impending destruction, “the Frontier”.

o   The anime goes through an array of battles with the Symphogear users, which allows the series to show off its new character’s designs, the improved budget, and show new viewers what Symphogear is all about, music themed battles.  We have battles at concerts, on top of air craft carriers, battles on top of Sky Tree (It gets destroyed a little), and everywhere in between.  The flash and style of the action scenes will win over a lot of users and it’s what this show does best.  One of the most fun aspects of the action is how Symphogear users will often call out the name of an attack, which is displayed on screen, before the move is done.  It’s quite fun.

o   The biggest problem with this anime is how blatantly it rips off the storytelling efforts of prior magical girl anime and it contributes virtually nothing new in the genre.  I feel that Symphogear tries its hardest to be Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha and sadly, the truth is that it just isn’t that good.  The mechanized weapons, the Nana Mizuki flare, and the way that villains are treated in the anime all feel like they were pulled straight from Lyrical Nanoha and in addition, the ending of the anime felt like it an attempted duplication of the end of Lyrical Nanoha A’s.

o   I found the ending of the anime grew more and more convoluted and less and less believable.  I also didn’t enjoy how the show subjected itself to the genre’s clichés and ultimately left me wanting a lot more.   Also, the anime seems to treat the viewer with kid gloves by failing to deliver on its promise to kill off certain characters, magically saving them via some of the most obvious Deus ex Machina.

·        Hanging its hat

o   The anime’s designs are interesting and ton notch.  Magical girl anime such as Symphogear  G have led me to prefer the mechanized magical girl suits to the lace and frills of Sailor Moon.

o   The music in this anime is what makes it special to watch. The openings and closing songs are magnificent and it’s always a treat to hear Mizuki Nana sing as she is definitely a great singer.   I didn’t enjoy the battle songs quite as much as in the first series.

·        Aesthetic

o   The visuals of the anime appear to have been giving a production budget boost.  `The visuals look more crisp than previously and the action scenes are longer and more frequent which makes the show generally look more impressive.

·        Summary

o   Pros

§  Action scenes are great.  Much improved from the first season.

§  Music is great

§  Character designs are interesting and preferred to the lacy style of magical girl

§  Hibiki is a badass

o   Cons

§  Story riddled with clichés and borrows too much from concepts used in other anime

§  Poorly delivered storyline

§  Uninteresting villain

§  Ending is just “WHAT?!”

 

iron man rise of the technovore

Iron Man – Rise of the Technovore

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Plot:  

Tony Stark continues to be the self-declared world protector for criminals and evil-doers.  To assist in this he is launching a surveillance satellite named “Howard” to help prevent crimes by finding them before they start.  But the launch doesn’t go as smoothly as hoped when an unknown force lead by a boy in a suit attacks the compound.  Iron Man and War Machine are quick to the scene but the boy is using a technology unlike anything Tony has ever encountered: the Technovore.  Claiming it is the future Tony is left to learn the truth of the boy, the technology, and their motives.

Run Time: 88 minute OVA

Studio:

Like the Iron Man series before it this installation was produced by Studio Mad House.

Animation – 

Mad House of course delivers on a good-looking show.  While there are clear decisions that have been made to help cut costs (like avoiding showing Tony’s lip flaps in the suit by focusing on his eyes) the OAV overall has a nice glossy look.  There is a clear application of CG, as is to be expected with robot shows these days.  But it doesn’t seem out of place when it is used.

Director:

The director was not involved in any of the previous Iron Man, interestingly enough.  But he did do some shows like Stein’s Gate, so he has been involved in something good.

Dubbing:

I actually watched this dubbed and it wasn’t so bad.  As most of the characters are supposed to be American something about it actually “clicked” being dubbed and not having Tony Stark be Japanese.

That being said some of the writing was just a bit sad in how corny or mediocre it was.  Some lines were particularly awful, but something about it did fit at times as an over the top super-hero movie.

Review:

So, think of Iron Man live action.  What does it have?

  • Iron suit dog fights?
  • Playboy Genius moments?
  • Other superhero cameos?
  • Crazy over the top villians?

This anime?  Check, check, check and check.  It is exactly what Iron Man reboots have always and should always be.  There is light techno babel but the important part is Tony Stark being Tony Stark and unabashedly messing people’s days up as Iron Man.

Right from the start they get into the action and do pretty well at keeping the beat all the way through the movie.

Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Pepper Pots, even the Punisher all have moments in this adaptation and it’s kind of fun to see Marvel’s take on the other characters in the Marvel universe.  However, while Tony seemed to be as on-point as is to be expected these other characters fell flat for me.  I’m not sure if it was writing, acting, or just bad storytelling but most seemed awkward, especially when dealing with Tony.  Key example was Pepper Pots.  I admit to being a Tony/Pepper fangirl.  But every time I saw them together I was left wanting to laugh, or just shake my head.  Right up until the end their whole interaction, professional and romantic, seemed forced and awkward.  It would’ve been far better if she had never been in there from the start.

The story was simple enough to understand, but maybe too simple in that I didn’t completely get some of the motives of the villain.  Just a crazy kid I suppose.  But sometimes they would throw in techno-babble or self-important book quoting that made you feel like you went from the kiddy pool to the deep end and back without ever having a chance to acclimate.

But these are things that are just normal problems that shows, and superhero shows, have.  Iron Man Rise of the Technovore did have some cool moments and great lines.  One such moment was when Tony jumped into his Iron Man suit, literally, and it was an awesome sequence to see the motion of it wrapping around him.

The best thing I can say for this movie is that it’s fun.  This movie is 100% fun.  Like a summer action flick you can turn your brain off and just enjoy what’s going on.  Jump along for the ride and have fun.  If that’s all you go into it with, well that and a healthy love of Iron Man, you will be able to enjoy this movie for what it is.

[starrater]

devil survivor 2 the animation

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation

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Devil Survivor 2 –

 

Devil Survivor 2 is a DS game that came out in the Summer of 2011.

 

Plotline:

The story of Devil Survivor 2 is one of destruction, survival, and rebirth.  The story of a God named Polaris who is displeased with the path that humanity has been taking aims to destroy the world using a force called the Septentrione. There is however a catch.  If humanity is able to weather this storm and survivor the assaults by the Septentrione, then those surviving humans may gain an audience with Polaris and have a hand in shaping the image of the new world of rebirth.

 

In order to survive the apocalypse, an organization called JPs and it’s leader Yamato, seek to harness the power of demons to gain power in the struggle to survive.  Yamato will do anything to ensure that he survives and has a hand in reshaping the world, even if it ensures that all other humans perish.

 

In the midst of all this struggle, a boy named Hibiki and his friends gain power through the use of a cell phone demon summoning program (origin is a spoiler) and assist JPs in the battle.  Through time we learn that Hibiki’s power is mighty and he can use it to protect his own ideals.

 

Positives:

  • The show really doesn’t have any filler and does an excellent track of sticking to its atmosphere and genre.

  • Found that all the characters remained consistent with their personalities throughout.  Nobody did things that seemed to be a huge deviance from their established personalities.

  • Simple story that doesn’t get lost in convolution.

 

Negatives:

  • Another example of how SMT games don’t translate into good action anime.  Nothing is interesting about the combat in the show.  Watching a lion fight another demon using fireballs sounds interesting but it really doesn’t come off as anything but mediocre to watch.

  • Found the story to be at times boring.

  • Aside from the main couple characters and Yamato, the characters feel unlovable and I welcomed their deaths.

  • The ending feels rushed.  Theres about 7 minutes between the final battles conclusion and the total end of the story. Too fast.

  • Nothing about the anime really stands out.  It’s average in many respects.

[starrater]

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