Kiznaiver
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K
Kotetsujou no Kabaneri
Alternate Titles: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
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Kekkai Sensen
Alternate Titles: Blood Blockade Battlefront
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Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki
Alternate Titles:
Knights of Sidonia Season 2
Knights of Sidonia: Battle for Planet Nine
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Knights of Sidonia
[Review Written by Chiaki]
Alternate Title: Sidonia no Kishi
Number of Episodes: 12 (Season 2 has been announced, but is not scheduled)
Plot:
1,000 years ago the Gauna, a strange alien race, destroyed the solar system. Portions of humanity were able to escape via “Seed Ships” in search of new homes as they drift through space. One such seed ship is the Sidonia. Nagate Tanikaze has been raised in the depths of the Sidonia, but is plunged into society when he fails to steal rice. Despite his differences from others his age – such as his inability to photosynthesize – he is enlisted in the military to learn how to pilot large mecha known as Gardes used to fight off the Gauna. With his underground training Nagate is entrusted with the legendary unit known as Tsugumori. As the battles against the Gauna increase shadows surrounding the truth of who Nagate is, Sidonia’s “immortal council,” and more become longer and darker.
Original Source:
Knights of Sidonia is based on a manga series by Tsutomu Nihei that began publication in 2009 and is ongoing with 13 volumes as of January 2nd, 2015. Nihei is also the creatore of the manga Blame!, Dead Heads, NOiSE, and Sabrina.
Adaptation:
The adaptation for Sidonia is worth mentioning. The man behind the screenplay and series composition is Sadyuki Murai. He’s done scripts for Cowboy Bebop, Natsume Yujinchou, Perfect Blue, and screenplays for Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and Steamboy.
Music:
You know just from the opening song that this series music will be working hard to set an epic and serious tone throughout. The music being on-par should be no surprise as the man behind t is Noriyuki Asakura who did music for Major and all of Rurouni Kenshin.
Director:
Despite the accolades of many of the staff the Director of Knights of Sidonia, Shizuno Koubun, is relitively untested. He worked as the director on a few anime such as Armored Core, and Detective Conan movies, but this was the second prominent series he worked on. His first series was Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Bride, so perhaps he wanted to make a name for himself in a more serious front.
Art & Animation:
This must be discussed for Knights of Sidonia as it is a 100% CG anime. This anime was produced by Polygon Studios. Polygon Studios has been around for some time, contributing to the 2002 Ghost in the Shell 2 film. In recent years they did animation for Hasbro’s full CG TV series Transformers Prime and the show won an Emmy for “Outstanding Special Class Animated Program.”
Initially, the animation may throw many anime fans who are partial to traditional looking anime, or who are long-time fans unaccustomed to even minor amounts of CG in anime. I was uncertain, but the style grew on me quickly. It’s almost like looking at a 3DS for the first time and letting your eyes acclimate to the 3D.
The backgrounds are interesting and well done. For an anime that takes play in space the inside of the Sidonia (the spaceship they reside within) is rich and full of character. Things look beaten and worn down, appropriate for a ship that a pocket of humanity has been surviving within for hundreds of years. The backgrounds have a painted look to them that complements characters.
Characters have a more “natural” look to them overall. Natural hair colors and generally modest proportions. The movement of the characters is what Polygon should really be commended for. They move in a way that seems fluid to what the normal anime fan should be expecting.
Review:
Knights of Sidonia will get you in the first episode, I promise. If you’re in the market for a realistic, no-nonsense, mecha, space anime then Sidonia is what you’ve been waiting for. The first episode is a nearly perfect example of what first episodes in anime should be. We meet the main character and through his eyes gain an introduction to the world he lives in. Sidonia has a bit of grit to it that feels natural to the series. Pilots suits are grimy, scuffed, and worn. The city has been built on top of itself throughout generations to create a seemingly endless honeycomb of life. Immediately the viewer gets an important sense of desperation, that this is the measure of what it takes to survive in this world.
Nagate is immediately interesting for the viewer because from the viewer’s perspective he is more normal than where humanity has evolved to. Out of necessity humans have been genetically engineered to photosynthesize, this enables them to live off smaller amounts of food in space, prolonging rations. Nagate’s history, however, is different. Having grown up with his Grandpa in the mysterious depths of Sidonia he is immediately able to pilot a Guarde, leaving the questions of how his grandfather got a piloting training system and why Nagate would be trained in it unanswered. Equally intriguing is why the Sidonia’s captain seems to accept his abilities without question and what their involvement really is in the immortal council.
Half of the enjoyment of Knights of Sidonia is navigating through the world and learning about it. Things like characters going into the water reservoir that’s an ocean, living on a planet being a novel concept, even how gravity affects the people, it’s all thought of. Everything seems to exist with a purpose, as it should, in the world.
The fight scenes are also great. In the first episode you get the first Gauna attack and from there on they find new and interesting ways to keep it fresh. The Gauna have the ability to morph shape and this creates a host of opportunities to change battles and strategies so that nothing is overly repetitive throughout.
But, the show does have its flaws. One example is the photosynthesis. It’s a logical leap for how humans could force evolution to eliminate some of the pressure on resources, and it also makes sense that the sun would need to come in contact with skin. But, its presentation comes off as being there only to have shots of mostly naked girls. It cheapens the effect and is jarring. Had there been an equal number of men and women scenes I may have a different opinion, but it was played as an excuse for fanboys.
Another major flaw is the bear who is also a chef – literally a talking chef bear. This is never explained and it comes off as very “anime” in an otherwise serious show. The bear does get some back story, but it’s never explained why there’s a bear. There are no other humanoid animals and yet no one seems surprised by the bear. Perhaps this is something that will be expanded upon later, but for now, it detracts far more than it adds.
Throughout, the show stays true to a central theme: What is the limits of what people will do to survive. The first 12 episodes end on a very “to be continued” note and this hurts the show’s overall score for what we can give it at this time. But, with a second season on the horizon it is well worth getting into now because it’s a show that’ll successfully keep you guessing on what’s next.
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Kyonyuu Try! Tanki Shuuchuu Chichi Momi Lesson
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Kill La Kill
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Kyoukai no Kanata
Alternate Titles: Beyond the Boundary
Plot:
Akihito Kanbara is a seemingly normal high school student, except for he belongs to a whole other world. Kanbara is a part of the world of Yomu and Spirits, maintained by people who are “spirit world warriors,” those who possess special abilities to fight against spirits gone awry. Kanbara is kept under close watch by the local warriors as a half-yomu with the ability to heal so quickly it renders him immortal. He maintains a peaceful coexistence until he is walking home one day and sees a girl at his school about to commit suicide by jumping off a roof. As he stops her, she stabs a sword made of her own blood through him. She uses him as killing practice for her spirit world attempts, but things quickly change between them.
Source:
Originally based off a 3 volume and currently ongoing light novel series started in 2012.
Animation:
The animation was done by Kyoto Animation they did work on other visually impressive shows such as Air, Clannad, K-On and a ton more.
Kyoukai is along the same lines of visual dominance. Having won best animation in the 2013 Anime Oscars it is a mix of style, fluid movement, amazing fight scenes and beautiful colors. It looks expensive and that makes the whole thing amazingly easy to watch.
Music:
The music was not of a caliber that would demand a nomination in the anime oscars. But, if you listen through the OST there are definitely a number of gems there that helps make the anime shine. Intense moments are made that much more intense by the soundtrack that fits each scene well.
Review:
Kyoukai no Kanata is a show that I think loses people early-on because of it’s moe characters and the main character being a self-professed “megane-ist” (Or glasses feddish person). Despite the high-paced action beats, interesting characters, and teasing foreshadowing you get in the first three or so episodes those points are enough to make any serious anime viewer pause. It was enough that, despite my better instinct, I gave into and did not pass this show for our group-reviews on the season it came out. But, because of this show’s strong other elements I ended up watching it on my own. And, I am very glad I did.
Let me get it out of the way. Like most anime, it presents what it is and what it has right off the bat. The main character loves girls in glasses and a counter-part character has a ‘little sister complex.’ The main character’s mom sends letters where she’s dressed as a hot catgirl and there’s one episode where the show is on crack and for some reason they all became pop idols (I’m thinking more licencing and needing an excuse to use said song in an episode) and that episode actually made me laugh like mad.
Sounds bad, right?
All that stuff is literally the tip of auxiliary when it comes to Kyoukai no Kanata. The show almost laughs at itself for the troupes used and they take up maybe a cumulative hour and a half over the whole show. The show is not about moe-blob or cliche laughs. It will focus very clearly on its own drama and sometimes gritty nature of what happens.
In the first arc everything is about the two main characters, Mirai Kuriyama and Kanbara. Kuriyama is a spirit world warrior in training, coming from a clan of people with the cursed ability to manipulate their own blood. She is the last living member of this clan and as a result automatically draws an interest from the local society for warriors. This arc both gains momentum and then end with a particularly strong Yomu coming through town. This causes the characters to both reveal things about them and their past which brings them closer in ways that were not expected in the slightest. The whole first arc has the feeling of being really predictable, and then the story becomes something better that you weren’t really expecting.
When a yomu is defeated it drops a spirit stone which can then be exchanged at special shops for money, this is how spirit world warriors make their living. One such shop is actually managed by a yomu and this serves to show that not all yomu are at odds with humans.
The next arc to occur starts with the little sister of Mirai’s friend who was killed by a particularly strong yomu in their childhood, one which was seemingly defeated in the first arc. The ultimate ‘bad guy’ remains ambiguous and vague though we definitely see someone pulling the strings. As the little sister is focused on becoming stronger to extract some sort of revenge or repentance on Mirai for her sister’s death there is a strange phenomena about to come through the area.
This phenomena is known as ‘beyond the boundary’ a time in which yomu are drastically weakened and Spirit world warriors have the ability to take down yomu that they wouldn’t be able to before. Naturally, Kanbara, being half yomu will be affected and no one knows exactly how. As the story progresses through here we begin to see secrets and previous unknowns brought to light that affects both main characters and their relationship with one another.
That’s one thing that the anime does incredibly well. The relationship between the two main characters. While this is a supernatural action show the anime has a clear focus on the relationship – and romance – that develops between our two leads. This anime is carried just as much on the supernatural and action as it is carried on the two people who are brought together in the whirlwind of everything that is happening around them.
The largest problem this series faces is the ending. The anime is unexpectedly ambitious and you realize it halfway through. Perhaps it’s a product of having a large breath of source material in the light novels or a mistake in adaptation, but the ending is incredibly difficult to follow. With all that happens in the last 3 episodes it leaves the viewer feeling confused and overwhelmed. You end up clinging to that focus on the character’s interpersonal relationships because everything else feels so convoluted.
That’s the main problem this show faced, sticking the landing. Everything leading up to it hit all the right notes. The comedy was light and well timed. The drama sucked you in. The action scenes were fast-paced and heart-pounding to watch. But what the show left out in the story, especially at the end, really hurt it.
Overall it is an enjoyable 12 episodes, but its flaws kept it from being the masterpiece it could’ve been.
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Kyousougiga
Alternate Titles:
Kyosogiga
Kyousogiga
Kyosougiga
Kyousou Giga
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Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi
Alternate Titles:
A Sunday Without God
Sunday Without God
Plot:
God creates the world and then abandons it, saying that heaven and hell are too full, the world is too crowded, and he has failed humanity. Upon God’s abandonment people can no longer reproduce or die. If someone is killed the dead will keep moving even after their flesh begins to rot. The only way for people like this to find rest is for a Grave Keeper to bury them (or having dirt shoveled by a grave keeper hit the dead person). Grave Keepers are God’s final miracle sent to the world in the form of human-like creatures with massive amounts of knowledge and lacking social skills.
Ai Astin is one such person, through she is very different from most Grave Keepers. One day her life is forced to change and she sets out from her small town to discover the world with a naive hopefulness.
Air Date: July 2013
Episodes: 12
Source:
Light Novel by Kimihito Irie with 8 volumes, started in 2010, still ongoing.
Manga started in 2010 with 4 volumes, still ongoing.
This is the first Television adaptation.
Studio:
Madhouse
Staff:
Yuuji Kumazawa – Director. A relative newcomer with a very short list of total credits to his name. Also directed Oda Nobuna no Yabou or the Ambition of Oda Nobuna. I have a feeling this newcomer may have gotten overwhelmed from adapting the source material.
Shinichi Miyamae – Character Designer. This is his first Character Design credit, however he has been involved in a lot of big product as Animation Directors and Key Animators such as Chihayafuru, NANA, and FMA: Brotherhood, to name a few.
Hiromi Mizutani – Music. Also worked on Hell Girl, Toriko and the Wallflower.
Sound/Visual:
Kamisama is GORGEOUS. It was like eye-porn to watch. I loved the coloring done and the animation. The music was fantastic and the character designs were excellent. The sound and visual made a lot of this show worth watching for me, as someone who is very big on presentation.
Review:
This is an anime with an interesting premise that has a lot of potential. At its core it is a different take on a zombie-apocalypse story. You have people that keep moving after they die. But, what sets it apart for me and intrigued me right off the bat was their approach. Rather than your normal hack-and-slash gory zombie rundown Kamisama offers a different approach. Despite being dead and rotting, lacking beating heart, etc, the “Zombies” (I’ll call them loosely) still maintain their humanity. They can still talk and interact as though they had not “died.” This, of course, opens a lot of opportunity for how people react to these people who are “dead” but still able to move, speak, and interact as they once did.
However, the adaptation of this anime and the way the story and characters are handled presents a great deal of problems. The first arc revolves around the girl grave keeper Ai. We meet her and learn that she has inherited her mother’s duties as the town Grave Keeper from a young age. She is raised by the town and lives there with the townsfolk. Then, the town is destroyed by a man named Hampnie Hambart. What does she do with this maniacal murderer who killed everyone she loves? She decides to go on an adventure with him!
The world that gets set up through this first arc are fantastic. The characters also do shine, but the problem I always felt came in with many of the interactions between the characters. It was as though they created this amazing plot and ruined it with characters who couldn’t carry it sufficiently.
The anime returns to a better focus, IMHO, when they move onto the next arc which is the city of Ortus. This city is ruled by the dead and we’re back to investigating the questions of how the dead should be handled. If they are capable of living “normal” happy lives should they be “put to rest?” But even this arc I found disappointing as it generally felt too light hearted. It had all of these potentials for tense drama and real discussions on the plot and the world and what the implications of things mean and spent it with character-focus to the point of practically ignoring all the rest.
The final arc (or final two, depending on how you want to split it) of the show reminded me, of course, I am still watching anime. I don’t mean to sound like a hater, but why must we always end up in a school? We end up in Goran Academy where all the kids are special because they have had wishes granted by God. But, they are forced to study and cannot escape. So what do they try to do? Escape.
I’m not saying good things didn’t happen in this arc. But, was the school setting really necessary? Beyond that, out of all the others, this arc felt to me like it was the most out of place for everything that had been built up so far and completely rushed to make the viewer care about what is going on in the Academy in a short 3ish episodes.
This drops us into what I’ve heard some say is a fourth arc, but I kind of lump it all together as an evolution of the academy arc. Ai’s friend from school, Alis, has a goal that is fundamentally against Ai’s character morals (I won’t say for spoilers, but one guess is as good as the next) and she decides to HELP HIM. This is one of the weakest female characters I’ve ever seen. “I want to go on an adventure, oh I’ll go with you I guess. You’re an awful piece of shit? That’s cool, I’ll just ignore that fact.”
In any case, the last arc actually is okay. We stopped the rampant introduction of characters and had a lot of excitement right toward the end. There were decent twists and the management of them by the characters was as rewarding as it was dramatic.
This show wanted to say a lot about God, humanity, and their relationship specifically through the notion of wishes – which I would analyze to be considered “prayer.” But the story felt rushed and crammed into 12 episodes and then everything focused on the characters at the expense of – I feel – a far better story/plot.
The anime started out very strong with setting up the world and, despite the already present genre-clashing and character annoyances, the first 3-5 episodes presented this anime in such a way that I thought it truly would be one of the best in the season. However, once the city of Ortus was introduced and we were dragged into the academy things went to BARELY average until we got to the final arc again.
This anime’s main crime is ambition. The anime set out to try to do too much in too short a time. I almost wish the first arc could have been really developed as a beautifully done OVA. Or, the entire series got 24 episodes to really have time to focus on the characters (as much as they apparently wanted to) AND the world. The world ends up feeling ignored and the main character Ai doesn’t feel like she really changes at all throughout the show despite having the most focus on her and the most potential for development.
This is a show I really wanted to like, after the first 3 episodes I was fairly sold, even with the genre clashing and “WTF are you doing” character problems. I saw the potential for an excellent world to be built and evolved upon. But, with the majority of the cast having less development than the main character the notion of it being character-driven fails for me because I think character development is essential to character driven shows. Since they sacrificed plot/world for character focus then we miss out on the interesting nature there and everything ends up going from a potential to be amazing to just, blah.
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