Otaku In Kenya

Spy X Family Review

2022-07-22T11:32:00.001+03:00

For what it's worth, I don't usually watch anime when it's airing. I'd patiently wait until it concludes. But the fact that Spy x Family has actually surpassed many shows despite being a newcomer, and that many of my friends have actually told me to watch it, intrigued me.

On the record, shows that have something to do with spies have actually never sparked an interest in me. That's why I initially thought Spy x Family would be boring just like the others in the competition. However, after only three episodes in, I came to a realization that I was in the wrong. Spy x Family turns out to be better than what I expected, to the point where it could end up being one of my favorites.

You know a show is considered as great when you always end up wanting more every time an episode ends. This is exactly my case with Spy x Family. It's mainly due to the unique and interesting concept that the show has to offer. I've never watched anything that came close to this when it comes to the overall notion. It's in a league of its own.

Just imagine being Loid Forger, one of the infamous spies in town, who was required to be married and bear a child for the completion of an important mission. And on top of that, the child that he adopted is precious and cute as hell, and the girl that he ended up marrying is innocent and attractive. The intring things don't end there, because it turns out that the child possesses some kind of power that enables her to read people's minds. Not only that, behind the innocent of the young lady that he married, lies a shocking truth. She is actually one of the deadliest assassins in town that has been responsible for a glaring number of murder cases.

Due to how the approach of the story, Spy x Family has successfully put me into different kinds of emotions every time. There are countless times when I find it to be cute and heartwarming at the same time. It's mostly due to the interaction and relationship that the new family has. There are also some moments where Spy x Family intentionally makes us furious and left us with no choice but to wait for the next episode. I mean, come on, I just want to how the family members would react when they discover each other's real identities. It would also be interesting to see how Loid would end up in the story. Will he be able to genuinely see Anya and Yor as part of his family at the end? Or will he just stick to the initial plan and abandon the 'family' game as soon as the mission concluded?

Overall Rating 8.9/10

Bio

Genre Action, comedy, spy[1]

Manga

Written by Tatsuya Endo

Published by Shueisha

English publisher

Viz Media

Imprint Jump Comics+

Magazine Shōnen Jump+

Demographic Shōnen

Original run March 25, 2019 – present

Volumes 9 (List of volumes)

Anime television series

Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi

Written by Kazuhiro Furuhashi

Music by

Makoto Miyazaki

Shūhei Mutsuki

Studio Wit Studio

CloverWorks

Licensed by Crunchyroll

SA/SEA

Muse Communication

Original network TXN (TV Tokyo), ux, TV Shizuoka, RCC, BS TV Tokyo

Original run April 9, 2022 – present

Episodes 12 (List of episodes)

Akame Ga Kill Review

2016-05-23T21:00:00.000+03:00

Akame Ga Kill is worth watching and kinda unique. It spans 24 episodes which are decently paced. The story revolves around a group of assassins trying to overthrow an empire in a fantasy world. The plot is great. The art style is traditional. The character development is alright. The dub not so good. This is one of those shows where the less you know the better, but if you want more relatively vague details read below.

Story

"Once upon a time, a boy and his 2 friends left their village seeking to make a name for themselves and send money back to their village. After getting to the capital however, the boy discovers that what he thought the capital city was like and what it is, were two very different things"…

It’s a little difficult to talk about this story without spoiling it. At its core it’s a harem anime, with an ‘overthrow the government’ plot (similar to most mecha shows), with a bit of Game of Thrones thrown in (saying how will ruin it).

The characters in the show are all great, most being a particular trope, but having a pretty unique twist. In terms of character development, the main protagonist, and a few others have great development, the majority however don’t, but for decent enough reasons (telling you will spoil it).

The first few episodes or so introduce you to the world that the show takes place in whilst giving insight into some of the characters.

The pacing of the story is pretty good and the show tells a full complete story. There is potential for a spin off show, but explaining how will once again spoil it.

8/10 (5 being mediocre, 10 being awesome)

Art Style

The art style is traditional, with no real over the top super stylized effects. I did feel like some of the fight scenes could have done with some better effects, but that’s just a matter of taste. Scenes that had some particularly emotionally intense moments did have a distinct difference with art style that did help elevate the scenes being presented, but those last only a couple of seconds at a go even though they will leave you with an impression.

6/10 (5 being uninspired, 10 being unique)

Sound, Music and Dub

The sounds for the show were ok, with nothing really outstanding. The music though was amazing. This has one of the most unique soundtracks I’ve heard in a while, containing oriental, Bollywood, African, and even industrial tracks that really get you psyched for what’s about to happen. The dub was serviceable, but really badly translated at times with some lines not really making any coherent sense. The actual acting is also not that great, except for the main character, who is just ok. This is actually one of those shows where I would strongly recommend a subbed version.

6/10 (5 being mediocre, 10 being awesome)

Conclusion

You should watch this show. Even though it’s a harem anime at its core, its plot is insane to a point where you will actually have to think about whether it really is a harem anime. If you are not ok with gore or violence, then don’t.

7/10 (5 being ok, 10 so good that you will create your own costumes for each character and cosplay as them for the rest of your life)

Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins Review

2016-05-13T17:16:00.001+03:00

Seven Deadly Sins: Lion’s sin of pride, Serpent’s sin of envy, Boar’s sin of gluttony, Goat’s sin of lust, Grizzly’s sin of sloth, Fox’s sin of greed and Dragon’s sin of wrath.”

Action without reason or thought is just a testosterone-trip; complete with flashy powers and fights that drag on for way too long. So, it’s interesting to see an anime that suffers from these clichés and more – but also utilizes them to their fullest extent, giving rhyme and reason to them, and making the show a whole lot more fun and meaningful than was expected.
8/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Story

The core plot is simply the adventures (and misadventures) of an unlikely team as they traverse the land, looking for other members of a mysterious group known as the "Seven Deadly Sins”. While traveling, the ‘team’ comes across other past members, gets into fights with various characters, help people out, chat, joke and just generally try to have fun and do what is just while working towards completing their ultimate objective of reuniting all seven and reclaiming the land. The series has a great grasp on balancing the humor, the drama, and the action. One never seems to overpower the other.

The soul of this show though, is divided into two aspects: the fights, and the character development (which often ties into the aforementioned aspect). Most of the main characters (and many of the side characters and antagonists) get their time to shine and be developed. Character dialogue, actions and interactions, as well as fantastic back stories for many of the characters really flesh things out and add a sense of purpose and reason to the story.

Also, things don’t always end up being what they appear to be, and there are many points in the series where completely unexpected things happen that really help make the series more refreshing and less repetitive. But, some parts of the plot are a bit convoluted. Nothing that should detriment the experience, but things can sometimes seem a bit… off.

Lastly, the ending is a bit lackluster, but still thrilling to watch. And, the way it ends leaves it open to the possibility of a new season.
8/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Art

Art in ‘Nanatsu no Taizai’ is of an extremely high quality. Action scenes flow well and character designs, facial expressions, backgrounds, etc. are above par. The greatest thing about it though is that the quality is maintained throughout the series.
9/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Sound

The music in the series is more quality over quantity. There are many pieces that are repeatedly used, but they all fit the times and scenes in which they are used and didn’t become annoying.

All four of the openings and endings are great and add to the series, rather than being something that most people would skip.

Voice acting is also of a high quality. No lines felt hammy, forced or otherwise grated on the ears.

8/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Character

This is where this show absolutely excels – for most of the characters. A majority of them have unique personalities. They fear things, love things and hate things. They cry, they laugh and they have morals, hopes and dreams. The series does a great job of building most of the characters up and making it feel like these are living, breathing people.

The main female character, Elizabeth, has a decent amount of development. But, regrettably, the main male character, Meliodas, does not. He really doesn’t seem to change over the series, and remains – for the most part – an enigma. There is a backstory given to him that helps shine a little light on who he was and currently is, but so many things remain unclear concerning his character that it can be hard to attach yourself to him as the show progresses.

The secondary characters though - who I won’t name or give details for, as finding out who they are and what they are like is a part of the series’ enjoyment – are the most well developed in the entire series. There’s a great possibility of you coming to love a character you previously hated or vice-versa.
8/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Enjoyment

There are a lot of flaws. But even with those flaws, this was still an immensely enjoyable series. It had great fights with meaning to them, great humor, great characters, and some really powerful stories. I was pleasantly surprised with the anime and don’t regret the time I spent on it.We wait for the seconds season Nanatsu no Taizai: Seisen no Shirushi/The Seven Deadly Sins: Signs of Holy War in August 2016

8/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Fate/Zero Review

2016-04-22T17:16:00.000+03:00

Fate/Zero was a tough watch. Mainly because of its pacing. The story revolves around a magical contest (known as The Holy Grail War) where various powerful mage families (and a few randoms) compete against each other to win the Holy Grail. The winner gets one wish. Most of the character development in the show is good. The dub, not so much. The art style is also inconsistent. I wouldn’t recommend watching this, but if you are still on the fence about this have a look at the details bellow and decide for yourself.

Story

Fate/Zero consists of 2 seasons, 25 episodes in total. Both seasons feel very different from each other, the first setting up the world that the story takes place in, and the second, getting the plot to progress. And when the story concludes, let’s just say you might be left wanting.

It isn’t all bad though, the strongest part of the series are the characters. Only four characters are very clearly portrayed as good and evil. Everyone else is grey, and if you are wondering how many characters there are let me explain, there are over 16. 14 of which are the contestants and their summoned spirits…

“Summoned spirits?” Again let me explain, the contestants summon the spirits of ancient heroes from times of old to serve them in the Holy Grail War (eg. King Arthur). Here in lies the problem with the show, all the contestants have their own motivations and back story for wanting to win the Holy Grail War. All the heroic spirits have distinct personalities, motivations, and back story to become servants. So there is no way to be able to do all the characters justice in telling their stories leading to most being well rounded, and others wasted.

6/10 (5 being mediocre, 10 being amazing)

Art Style

The art style in the show is pretty, but inconsistent. Season 1 has a great use of subtle lighting effects. Season 2 however is not so subtle, making all kinds of gains with bloom and depth of field effects. The difference for myself at least was pretty jarring. I find myself debating over which style I liked better because both are good, I just wished they stuck to one.

6/10 (10 being breathtakingly awesome, 0 being uninspired and crappy)

Sound, Music, and Dub

The sounds in the show are pretty standard fair, without a special attention to environments in each scene. The musical score was also not memorable and only really helped to enhance 2 scenes in the entire series. And the dub… not good. The voice actors here are experienced for the most part, however they didn’t really seem to suit the characters. It seems like one of those situations where actors have no real context of what is actually happening and who they are portraying. To add to that, the script was not translated very well. Once again having such a diverse range of characters meant that only a handful would be given attention to detail that they require.

5/10 (0 being terrible, 10 being flawless)

Conclusion

All in all, as a stand-alone series, I can’t recommend this to anyone. There really are better shows to watch. The other series that take place in the same universe as this may build on this show and be better for it, but as someone who had no idea about what the Fate universe was about, it has done little to peak my interest.

5/10 (0 being utter crap, 5 being mediocre)

By Hellsknight Sujay.

Free! Review

2016-02-18T23:20:00.000+03:00

Free! is a show that revolves around a group of swimming obsessed teenagers who want to try and rebuild their old swim team and rekindle the fun times they had as kids. The animation and art style are beautiful. The characters are just okay. The plot is alright for the most part though the show does have some pacing issues at the start. I’d recommend this to anyone who might want to watch something slow paced with a bit of sports.

For more details, read bellow.

Story

Once upon time, three teenage boys who happened to be childhood friends decided to rebuild their swim team. What followed next were the trials and tribulations of trying to create a swimming club in their school, such as finding new members, organizing facilities etc.

While this story is unoriginal, the same can be said about the characters who fall into the usual anime tropes. You have the moody protagonist who is sometimes an idiot, the innocent one, the group leader, the uptight one, the rival, and the wise old man. A trope that is missing is a love interest, which to be honest, is kind of refreshing.

Instead of the plot being the main focus, you have a very character driven story that deals with the relationships between the tropes, both in how they overcome most of their personal issues and how they cope with each other.
Rating 7/10 (10 = amazing, 0 = uninspired, unoriginal and boring)

Art Style

Kyoto Animation did the show, and boy is it pretty. The background scenes look amazing and wallpaper worthy, but the biggest star with the art style is the water. All the shots with the water look incredible both outside and in with the use of reflections and distortions that look amazing. Even the character designs seem linked to the water, with them moving and looking a little awkward when in school uniforms away from the water and then looking smooth as hell in or around the water.
Rating 10/10 (10 = beautiful, 5 = uninspired, 0 = bad)

Dubbed Voice, Sound, and Music

I watch a lot of English dubs, and this for the most part has some of the same recognizable voices. All in all, it was just ok, not great, not bad, just ok. The sound design on the other hand is great with some underwater scenes having that underwater distorted reverb sound effect that anyone who spends time underwater will recognize. It’s done really well and adds a lot to the shows atmosphere. As for the music, the opening and closing tracks were ok, but they didn’t really stand out to me, nor were they very catchy, the same goes for the score.
Rating 7/10 (10 = outstanding, 0 = crap)

Final Thoughts

So this anime gets a lot of grief for being ridiculously fan service heavy, homoerotic, homosexual, and such. Personally I didn’t get those vibes at all. Sure there are lots of scenes where guys take of their shirts, but seriously, why would they swim fully clothed. Think that would be a little strange, in any case though I can’t think of a single anime show where guys weren’t shirtless at some point. That said, the female representation in this show is a little lacking. It didn’t really bother me, but if you are the type to get bothered by such things, you may not like this. The only two female characters are the swim club manager who pervs on the boys every chance she gets and the teacher, both of whom were really underdeveloped in the show.

Another strange thing with the show is the severe lack of completion. There are literally just two tournaments in the show, which makes it feel not so sporty. All this aside though, Free is worth watching despite having a slow start.
Rating 7/10 (10 = amazing, 5 = average, 0 = avoid like the plague)

By Hellsknight Sujay

Cosplay Un-boxing Survey Corps Jacket.

2016-01-26T09:48:00.000+03:00

Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri

2016-01-17T16:24:00.000+03:00

Ever wondered what's it's like when an ancient army clashes with modern military? GATE is unique in the way that it presents to us a variety of ideas; the clash of armies, the blending of cultures, the true melting pot of Anime.

Do you love Fantasy? Action? Captivating music? Well-crafted and diverse characters?

I'll try to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible but if I do post one, it was an accident and I apologise in advance.

Story [9/10]

If you said "Yes" to any of these questions, this gem of an anime is one that you should DEFINITELY catch. (If you said yes to all, you won't fail to orgasm every episode).
The potential in the concept itself already warrants an 8.

However, potential alone is nothing.Delicate execution and engaging plot propels this to a solid 9, further supported by the intensity of the developments that leave you begging for more.

Despite the Fantasy theme, GATE attempts inject Reality back into the plot as well. The focus of the show is occasionally shifted back from the"Special Region" to Japan, and sequences that occur back in Japan can affect the main plot happening beyond the Gate, adding to the realism of this series.

While there are arguably certain flaws in the plot, they shouldn't stop you from enjoying the show at all.

Art [7/10]

While the art isn't exactly magnificent, it's far from bad.

Just don't expect it to be at Kotonoha no Niwa standard.

Despite the animation (which is fine, really), the characters are really well illustrated (up close) and the vehicles of the JSDF (Eg helicopter, trucks) were well drawn and very detailed.

The only fault in the art is that the backgrounds were not taken care of properly. Eg if a character was in the background of a certain scene, details could be missing from her in general

Sound [10/10]

Both the OP and ED were beautiful.

OSTs are as realistic as they could get: the gunshots, clashing of swords, the helicopters; an experience that shouldn't be missed.

The Seiyuus were amazing too! (Especially rory's one)

Opening Theme

"GATE: Sore wa Akatsuki no you ni (GATE～それは暁のように～)" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets (eps 1-11)

Ending Theme

#1: "Prism Communicate (ぷりずむコミュニケート)" by Rory (Risa Taneda), Tuka (Hisako Kanemoto), Lelei (Nao Touyama) (eps 1-11)

#2: "GATE: Sore wa Akatsuki no you ni (GATE～それは暁のように～)" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets (ep 12)

Characters [9/10]

Often said to be the most attractive aspect of this show: The Characters

The anime's main character Itami Youji,is an Otaku and First Lieutenant that most of us can associate with. He's funny and surprisingly caring, a character whom you will absolutely love. Having an MC that viewers can understand, relate to and empathise with is evidence of a great Anime.

Lelei is a smart 15 year old Sorcerer's apprentice that has taken a particular interest in the Japanese language, often acting as a translator for the Japanese soldiers. Her curiosity and cuteness just makes her a lovable character in the series.

Tuka Luna is a teenage elf (isn't as young as she looks) that lost her family and ends up in the care of the JSDF.

Last and definitely not least, Rory Mercury is a (horny) gothic loli demigod that carries around a giant halberd. Her alluring voice and tantalizing demeanor makes you wish that the one she was teasing was you. Yet, she can be unusually deep at times. (If you know what I mean ;)

Of course, there are many other notable characters that all have their own good points, but for the purpose of the review I won't be mentioning all.(One word: DEMIGOD.)

What constitutes aesthetics? What is true aesthetics? Philosophers can debate for years on the true manifestation of aestheticism. Is it Art? Is it Music? Little do they know that the answer lies in an Anime TV series. A series called GATE. The true embodiment of aesthetics .is in its characterisations.

Overall [9/10]

Yes i had to endure the hardship of waiting for Season 2 which finally is here.Currently on Episode 2

There are so many reasons why I just love this series; the Fate references during the Special Forces mission, the Ride of the Valkyries Helicopter scene;In the Preview Video

TL;DR? Gate presents an unprecedented concept to the fantasy genre. If you enjoy shows like NoGameNoLife, SwordArtOnline, Overlord, or fantasy in general, then this is a show that you will certainly adore. Thank me later :)

Donate

2015-04-22T18:01:00.001+03:00

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi (Sunday Without God)

2014-05-07T15:36:00.003+03:00

If God suddenly decided to abandon the world, what'd happen to its people? If no one else can be born however, no one else can also die, what'd happen to Earth?

I'll try to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible but if I do post one, it was an accident and I apologise in advance.

Story [8/10]

The plot is actually, in my point of view, really complex. God abandoned earth, in this "new earth", people can no longer be born however, people cannot die as well.

However, before giving in to the world, God left behind "Gravekeepers", gravekeepers are the only ones capable of actually killing, or to be more specific, "put ease to the souls" of the dead by burying them.

The story begins with a girl named "Ai Austin", she's 12 years old and she belongs to the last generation of borning humans since god abandoned earth 12 years ago. Ai's a gravekeeper and eventually embarks on a journey to search for herself and later, save the world.

Art [9/10]

The art matches with the theme of the anime and their quality is top notch. The characters are well drawn and I didn't feel any kind of "lazy animation" throughout the whole series, all the colors are adequate with the theme and style of the anime.

Sound [10/10]

I really really loved Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi's OST, the OP and ED were both really addicting and equally good and the OSTs blended really nicely with the scenes, it comes in the right moments and really helps establishing and improving the emotion of the watcher because let's be honest, mood-music is the best thing ever and adequate mood-music it's even better.

Characters [7/10]

I will confess that I felt kind of annoyed by Ai in the first couple episodes for a 12 episode anime her development was really well done and by the end I had already fallen in love with her and all the other characters that came across her way.

The development is really well done for a 12 episode anime and I was able to understand and feel emotionally connected to all characters, share their suffering, pain and problems.

Overall [9/10]

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi was a great anime and probably one of the best this summer. The characters are unique and not really cliche'd, are nicely developed, allowing you to feel connected to all characters, the plot is entertaining and different and merging with different themes that usually aren't a part of only one anime. The art is of good quality and the soundtracks will give you plenty to look forward too even after you finished the anime (I'm looking at you, ED song).

If you're looking for a good story, with interesting characters a some plot twists, then Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi is the anime for you, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I and others did.

Thanks for reading my review and have a great time watching Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi.

"Birth" by Eri Kitamura

"Owaranai Melody wo Utaidashimashita. (終わらないメロディーを歌いだしました。)" by Mikako Komatsu

Log Horizon

2014-01-15T19:11:00.000+03:00

I think it's fair to say, as soon as someone sees the words; 'Stuck' and 'Online World' in the same sentence, they mainly think of Sword Art Online. So it's pretty easy to see why a lot of people would think this Anime would be a lot like Sword Art Online.

However with Log Horizon, that is not the case.

For one, the main character is a realistic gamer, and not some incredibly photogenic Overpowered teenager, who just so happened to practice martial arts when he was younger. Instead, the main character of Log Horizon is an elite couch potato, with a mind made of pure strategy-sauce and a rather lanky and skinny frame, which is great, because most 'elite' gamers are a lot like this in real life.

The supporting characters are a great deal more 'down to earth' than Sword Art Online's cast as well, their purposes as characters are a lot more obvious and the way the Lead's companion's mind's work in tandom with his borders on the scary.

So for the Story I gave Log Horizon a 7:

The Story seems very unmotivated at times, as we all know, in the online world there is always plenty to get on with, even if you are the max level as soon as you begin (for some strange reason). However in Log Horizon the Lead characters just seem to wander around aimlessly looking for things to do and jump on an opportunity to travel halfway across the continent. However there is a lot of hidden potential in the story and it seems a bit too early to give a definitive view.

As for the Art, I gave it an 8:

The Art quality overall is very good, however not eye-meltingly amazing. Although the realistic way everything was presented, did reflect people's expectations of what life would be like inside an online game.

The sound gets an 8:

The theme as well as the OSTs are very nice and give a very iconic gamer feel to the anime, somewhat attracting a gamer crowd to the anime. The theme itself is called 'Database' and was selected for obvious reasons as it works well with the overall story of Log Horizon.

Character design is a solid 9:

The character design is very unique and reflects the kind of people I would expect to see getting trapped inside an online world, doing what I would expect them to do, however no doubt they will add some twist to the characters at a later date.

Enjoyment gets a 9:

I do enjoy this anime and that has nothing to do with the fact I enjoyed Sword Art Online, its just a very well executed anime.

Overall I would give Log Horizon a 9:

Great for Gamers as well as people who don't play games quite so much, however its a little to early to say how the story might pan out. Guess the only thing we can do is wait and see!

Kingdom Anime Review

2013-03-24T18:58:00.001+03:00

This is a somewhat content based review.You should have at least some knowledge before reading my review. *there are some slight spoilers in it*

STORY: 8

The story at first seemed to start off rather weak, but became very interesting later. It's about two slaves who are as close as brothers; they are always fighting and training against themselves to become stronger. They have a dream to escape slavery and become great generals. their ambition is what fuels them to advance and work hard. At first I didn't understand why they were so eager to become warriors from them just seeing a battle, but it later became clear as we find out that that is how they intend to escape their current social stature as slaves. They are orphans who were taken in as slaves, they have a dream and they train tirelessly to achieve it. Later Hyou dies and that's where things get serious. When he died, I have to admit it gave me goosebumps and really made me empathize with Shin and the pain that he felt. An anime that can make me feel something emotionally is certainly a well done anime. That what I have to say about that.

ART: 6

I give the art a six because it really throws me off. The animation is far different from traditional animes. I don't know if it's something new, or if they purposely wanted to make it this way, but is almost feels like a poorly developed 3D game if you know what I'm getting at. I personally think that the animation could have been better.

SOUND: 8

I give the sound a 8 because the voices are certainly awesome. They main character's voice is actually Ichigo's from bleach. Hyou is also some famous voice, but I don't quite recall what it is. And the guy that narrates for background information is the same guy who does it for one piece. I personally really liked the voices and I think that they fit quite well. The only thing that threw me off a little is Shin's and Hyou's voices. the voices seemed a bit too mature for their age, they're like kids or mid-teens yet they have grown up voices; It throws you off a little.That's the only thing I don't like about it. But other than that, I'd say well done on the sound.

CHARACTERS: 9

I don't know why but apparently, Hyou, the more outgoing of the two is favored more by others more than Shin is. The family who he is enslaved to treats him better and even the old royal guy who offered him to come with him to be an officer seemed to want him more. I suppose it makes sense though because Shin is more rough around the edges than Hyou (more rude and upfront). But I personally like Shin more, I feel like he has a stronger personality than Hyou. Their relationship is as strong as brothers and they are easy to like. I also feel like the kid's strength is greatly exaggerated for their sizes. They carried a basket that was like 4 times their size. And shin plowed through a huge group of strong bandits.I get that they are strong, but it makes no sense how they can do all that with their size and proportion...

The Characters I don't like is that old royal asshole who only offered a position for Hyou and wouldn't take Shin when its clear they would both make excellent soldiers. I also hate the family that the two of them are enslaved to. They are spoiled little pricks who deserve to die, or at least in my opinion. And lastly, the King's little brother really pisses me off. He's jealous of his brother who is the king and starts a revolt because of it. He is the most spoiled little bitch I have ever seen. My anger towards him only show how good of a job this anime did in making a decent supporting side character. I also think it's stupid that anyone would follow a little midget who has no power and thinks he's something special. It never does make any sense to me why people would follow such a pathetic excuse of a human being.

Overall though, I like the characters introduced thus far, and It certainly makes me think more of this anime for it.

ENJOYMENT: 9

My enjoyment to this point is fairly high and I'm interested in what's going on. I feel like this is going to be a successful anime based on what I saw so far to this point.

OVERALL: 8

I give this an 8 total because of the average of all the scores, and I feel that it describes my thoughts on it quite well. I would definitely recommend this anime. At the very least it is worth seeing yourself. season two will be in mid year.

Eyeshield 21 Anime Review

2013-01-02T23:57:00.001+03:00

Ready set! Hut hut! Touchdown! These words should be familiar to any fan of American football. Year after year, this famous game is play from every level to pee-wee football to the NFL. High school football is no exception in being able to create spectacular plays, high-profile teams and memorable players. For some people though, American football can be dull at times, but thanks to creators Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata, Eyeshield 21 may just be able to make some new fans of American football.

Not like most sports-related shounen manga or anime, Eyeshield 21 focuses on the trials and tribulations of a rag-tag team trying to reach their ultimate goal. In this case, our main hero is Sena Kobayakawa, a small and non-assertive kid who’s been treated like a gopher for most of his life to avoid being bullied. With his only friend/protector most of the time, Mamori Anezaki, being his only sense of support throughout his life, Sena decides that once he’s in high school, things will turn around for him.

Once he arrives at Deimon Private Senior High School, Sena is immediately bullied once more though this time he is determined to fight back. After all of his years as being forced to be a gopher, Sena developed an incredible amount of speed when he runs as well as intense agility. In one instance where his tormentors chase him through the crowded city streets, Sena uses his size and speed to cut through the crowd; it is during this instance that Yoichi Hiruma watches Sena’s ability and decides to approach him to join the football team. Eventually, Sena crosses paths with the devilish-looking Hiruma and the huge, yet kind hearted Ryokan Kurita and joins the football team as it’s manager, where Kurita reveals of his and Hiruma’s dream of going to the Christmas Bowl – Japan’s American football championship game. Despite Sena’s role as manager of the Deimon Devil Bats, Hiruma secretly enlists Sena as a running back for the team by using a football helmet with a green-tinted eyeshield to protect his identity, as well as a football jersey bearing a ’21′.

Despite the fact that not many people willingly join the Deimon Devil Bats (most of the players were actually blackmailed by Hiruma), people are quite curious of Eyeshield 21, the enigmatic player that seemed to burst out of nowhere. Eventually, the rag-tag Deimon Devil Bats begin to establish themselves with players that seemed to have various natural talets – most of whom were misfits to begin with – but it is Sena that becomes the heart of the team. Overcoming numerous odds, the Devil Bats continue to march towards reaching the Christmas Bowl.

When the manga was originally published in 2004, the anime itself was adapted and released con-currently in 2005 until the anime concluded in 2008 while the manga actually concluded in 2009. In February of 2010, Sentai Filmworks acquired the rights to release Eyeshield 21 while online streaming site Crunchyroll continued to air the Japanese episodes.

As it stands, there are four volumes of Eyeshield 21 currently available on DVD, spanning episodes 1-52 where it ends with the Zogaku Chameleons playing against Kyoshin Poseidon in a playoff tournament to reach the Christmas Bowl. Though there an English voice cast for Eyeshield 21, the only version available at this time from Sentai is the subbed version. Also, whether you are a fan of her or not, Aya Hirano provides the voice of Mamori Anezaki, where she does a fairly good job in her role.

Opening Theme
#01: "Breakthrough" by Coming Century (eps 1-35)
#02: "Innocence" by 20th Century (ep 36- 64)
#03: "Dang Dang" by ZZ (eps 65-103)
#04: "BLAZE LINE" by BACK-ON (ep 104-126)
#05: "Hanno no Runningback" by SHORT LEG SUMMER (eps 127-145)

Ending Theme
#01: " Be Free" by Rikken'z (eps 1-13)
#02: "Blaze Away" by TRAX (eps 14-35)
#03: "Goal" by Arashiro Beni (eps 36-64)
#04: "Run to Win" by Mamori (Aya Hirano), Sena (Miyu Irino), Kurita (Koichi Nagano), Rimon (Kappei Yamaguchi) (eps 65 - 100)
#05: "A day dreaming..." by BACK-ON (eps 101-116)
#06: "Flower" by BACK-ON (eps 117-126)
#07: "Song of Power" by SHORT LEG SUMMER (eps 127-145)

La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia Reveiw

2012-10-29T13:03:00.000+03:00

La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia for short it’s called Arcana Famiglia.

This anime started airing on July 2^nd 2012. Showcasing twelve episode it falls under the genre of Romance, Shuojo. It’s rated PG13. Producers J.C staff.

The story takes place on the Island of Regalo. The Arcana Famiglia, act as the vigilante committee. The Famiglia have psychic power called secret ritual.

Story 6/10

The anime has a feel good to it especially for people into the supernatural stuff. The first few episodes start off as side-stories like cat chasing, babysitting for crying out loud to the main story the tournament Arcana Duello, between the psychic users (arcana-users) which totally caught me off guard seeing as it was allotted a total of 12 episodes. It has it good laughs here and there, but the fights happen off the stage.it is certain lacking as compared to it game version.

Art 6/10

The art blew me away with the first episodes; it was well done not as good as the game. The art getting worse as the episode progressed, with recycled backgrounds. That really disappointed me. They would have delivered like they did in the first episodes.

Sound 8/10

With the lacking storyline, the voice actors (seiyuus) did well, the same ones from the game were used .The OP and the ED were a good listen. Wish they could have mixed them up, but it was okay hence the rating of 8.

Character 5/10

This is where the fan cries tears of sadness. The problem is Felicita. They tried making her badass where they failed when her inability to speak was discovered.it wasn’t such a big problem in the game. Why does she even need a seiyuu? The side characters are more interesting with their rivalry, especially the Luca, Pace and Debito. Honestly J.C staff would have done better.

Overall 6/10

I can’t say that J.C staff did a good job. They have good adaptations but also have bad ones, and this is one of them; we expected more like what the game (otoge) has. The anime had its moments. If you haven’t played the game its about a thousand times better than this so play it.

Sword Art Online Eps 1-10 Review

2012-10-25T15:49:00.000+03:00

In the near future, a computer game called Sword Art Online is released where the players control their avatars using headsets called Nerve Gear. Everyone who logs in is unable to log out; the game creator has made it such that the only two ways of leaving the game are by dying or reaching the 100^th floor and beating it. Dying in the game means dying for real, and millions of players die within the first few days.

The anime initially focuses on how different players react to their predicament, through the eyes of the protagonist Kirito. Some embrace the world and even get married, while others relentlessly try to beat it to go back to the real world. Others still turn into psychopathic killers. It’s a little bit like Battle Royale in this case.

The anime’s themes subtly shift, and by the tenth episode, it turns into a love story. This shift means that most of the previous episodes were side stories, which might infuriate some viewers.

The anime’s art is breathtaking. From spectacular sunsets to dark dungeons, the art and color are nearly unmatched. Sword Art Online is one of the most beautiful anime to come out this year.

The first ten episodes are a mixed bag. They don’t all follow the primary plot, and some are boring while others are captivating. However, wondering when the players will beat the game—if ever—is what sucks you in. It’s not the best anime in recent times, but Sword Art Online is still worth a watch.

Rating 7/10

OTAKUKENYAN COVER PHOTOS

2012-09-24T20:31:00.001+03:00

My sister did this for me when she was on sick off.the things she can do :) arigato

Accel World Review

2012-09-14T11:47:00.000+03:00

Get Ready To Accelerate Your WORLD.

Hey I know its been awhile since i put up a new review been so engrossed with other stuff that i took a break from Blogging (How I missed it).but am back now here is a review of Accel World its still ongoing but i never miss the weekly episodes that Air.

Am really impressed with the amazing anime this season! "Accel World" is one of these series. The artwork is superb, and its use of technology is creative and interesting! Let's go into the plot.

"Accel World" centers in the future of 2046 around Haruyuki Arita, a chubby social reject who is constantly picked on by the bullies of his school. He lives in shame and can't stand his life. The only thing that gives him any real happiness is, when he is submerged in virtual reality, where he commits his time to beating his high-scores in video games, something no one can top him in.

Though all of his efforts seem to be in vain when one day he discovers his top score is beaten to the ground, the culprit? Kuroyukihime, the most popular, praised girl in school; And she wants to talk to him!
Not prestigious at all himself, he cautiously takes up the offer, but he never thought the offer would be something like this!! Kuroyikihime offers him the chance of a lifetime; the chance to bend the world in his favor, the chance to escape his daily criticism and torment, the chance to be free! This choices name? BRAIN BURST

A "Virtual Reality" that can stop time itself. This is a world far different from his own. The universe "Accelerated World" only few are privileged to engage in, which quickens the thought process through acceleration.

A second in the real world, is instead 1,000 seconds, or 16 minutes in "Accel World", effectively making it seem as though time has stopped. Though such a promising opportunity does not come free, and the consequences for using it are nothing short of brilliant.

If you're a Videogame kid, I'm sure you've heard the saying:

You can only prepare yourself for you know what it means, and here in "Accel World" it's meaning is no different. In order to preserve the number of times you can accelerate, you must collect points in, you guessed it, Fighter battles!

Whenever you walk out of your house you're in danger of being challenged, which can become quite tedious, if you think about it, however, once you run out of "Acceleration", that's it. Game Over!

You don't get any more chances and you are unable to download the software again. So Fighting is one's only choice, but it's not all bad. If you win, ten points are added to your "Acceleration"; that's ten more chances to stop time, definitely worth the strife!

The battles are really enticing, and if you're a video game player of sorts, you'll get a lot of the references and understand the game-play much more.

The overall character design for "Accel World" avatars is sleek and gorgeous as well. The fighting style is based on the character, so like any fighting game the moves of the character vary for each, and like an MMORPG, character progression is based upon defeating enough enemies to level up and receive new moves, or just power up the old ones.

Aside from 'gameplay' there's seems to be a romantic element in this series as well. So I suppose we'd call this genre, 'Sci-Fi Romance?'

Kuroyukihime

As comedic and strange as that may sound, these first two combined episodes were very enjoyable, and contrary to the argument that it's just like "MÄR" or "Hack" I find the plot extremely original and unique.

Personally it's going to take a while for me to get used to such a lame hero main, but I'm hoping it'll be one of those situations where he gets cool later, so who knows?

If you're one of those people whose interests lie in Voice Actors, you'll be glad to know Arita is played by popular VA, Kaji Yuki. More commonly known for his roles as Shu of "Guilty Crown", and Finny of "Kuroshitsuji".

To wrap it all up, "Accel World" had a very promising start and I suspect mass popularity in the near future! And with both PSP and PS3 games coming out soon and even completed Nendroid, Figma, and Banpresto etc. figure designs completed for the near future, there's really no doubt at all this is going to be a really big hit!

There's no turning back, your whole reality will change as you know it. So what do you say? "Don't you want to accelerate any further?"

Guilty Crown Review

2012-07-24T15:43:00.000+03:00

“Why do people fight, hurting one another?”

As of recent years, among all the overrated anime, Guilty Crown may perhaps be one of the most over-hyped series yet.

After the “Lost Christmas” virus outbreak, Japan had been under control of GHQ, a military force backed by the United Nations which helped Japan in maintaining the virus outbreak. The main story focuses on Ouma Shu, a high-school student who got dragged into a war between the “Undertakers”, a group of terrorists, who are fighting against the government. Shu has a strange ability called the “Powers of Kings”, where he can extract tools or weapons from the hearts of other people, which are more commonly known as “voids”.

Inori

Guilty Crown may sounds interesting at first, but their storytelling dampens on the overall potential of the show. The anime’s main problem story-wise can be easily summed as unoriginal and unorganized. The anime is filled with numerous cliches and the plot is one big jumbling mess. The writing is really bad, as if the creators are just doing whatever they want with the plot as the show went on. This problem is present until to the very end, resulting in awkward and unnatural plot twists, due to silly reasons or logic behind some character’s actions.

Because of bad writing, I had been watching the whole show at face value, even when there were drama, tears and even death, I watch all of them with a poker face. I can’t feel anything, due to aforementioned issues. Of cause, this is still somewhat okay, but even the characters are horrible.

The whole shows focuses on Ouma Shu, a seemingly bland male lead at first who only desires an ordinary life. While his character development to a more matured and decisive lead would had been better with a more flowed pacing, the creators messed it up. Latter part of the series, he looks like a complete imitation of Lelouch from Code Geass, a very bad imitation at that. I would had pitied and sympathize his role, but again, with the unstable pacing, I just watch him running about with a poker face once more.

The other characters are no better, Inori, for one, is incredibly dull and serves nothing more but just a plot device. Arugo at one point mentioned that Inori had been reduced to nothing more but Shu’s servant, or something along those lines, and he’s completely right. Gai, on the other hand, “plays” leader at one point, and “plays” the bad guys in the latter part of the show, again, with a pretty illogical and dumb reason which the creators probably just came up with as soon as they arrive at that particular scene. The rest of the supporting cast doesn’t even look that appealing too, or perhaps Tsugumi’s waving her ass around while hacking may be the saving grace as characters go by.. wait, whut? I almost got blinded and was about to judge Guilty Crown in a biased manner, whew.

The true saving grace for Guilty Crown, may be the sights and sounds. The visuals are nothing of cause, compared to the likes of Nisemonogatari or Black Rock Shooter, but on it’s own, it is already a sight to see, literally. The backgrounds are astonishingly detailed, and gives a post-apocalypse atmosphere, which the show is obviously going for. Animations are damn smooth too, which results in great action sequences.

The music is nice, though some English tracks can be heard from time to time, not to say they are bad, but they doesn’t quite match with Guilty Crown. The openings and ending tracks are amazing though, and both Koede and Chelly, who sang most of the opening/ending tracks, are awesome singers. Of cause, any songs which are involved by supercell one way or the other will never disappoint for sure.

Guilty Crown had a huge marketing budget, and was given a 22-episodes timeslot. They had more then enough episodes to create a more organized storyline. As of now though, Guilty Crown’s plot and characters are just a huge blatant rip-off from other popular titles, creating an anime far more cliche one had never thought of. That is actually okay, if Guilty Crown had a decent execution, even a typical plot element can be great, but Guilty Crown falls short at it’s way of presenting it’s storylines.

Overall, Guilty Crown is disappointing, and it’s best not to expect too much from this show, despite the hype over it. I heard Nitroplus is going to adapt a Guilty Crown spin-off visual novel, well, here’s hoping Nitroplus will do the anime some good, some way or the other…

Katekyo Hitman Reborn Review

2012-07-20T01:24:00.000+03:00

Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn Review

“Zero to Hero”

Hitman Reborn lasted much more longer then we thought. Aired on 2006, the series ended on Sep 25 2010, airing for almost 4 consecutive years total of 203 episodes. It is not exaggerating to say that Hitman Reborn is pretty much a veteran, especially in regards to the shounen genre, excluding the comparison of The Big Three that is.. since those three are quite incomparable.

Hitman Reborn’s story revolves around a teenage boy attending Junior High whom everyone calls “Tsuna”. He is known to be bad physically and academically and top of that, he is unpopular and had no friends. His life however, takes a sudden and extraordinary change when ‘Reborn’(ciaos), an infamous hitman from the Vongola mafia family, takes a flight to Japan and trains Tsuna into becoming the 10th boss of Vongola.

One main flaw in Hitman Reborn’s storytelling is the plot inconsistencies, not much planning can be seen in plots department. That’s the sole reason why Hitman Reborn’s story changed so much drastically over the years. First, we have normal everyday school life with humors and styles that could easily turned into a harem show. Then, the actions come in and the anime finally became what it is more intended for.. shounen. It is at this time where arcs like the Kokuyo Arc and Varia Arc (no more underwear transformations! Yaaay!) emerged. And for the most recent one, it now turns into a bizarre arc which even involved time traveling on a large scale. Ironically, it seems this franchise gotten more known just when the actions started kicking in. And I myself, also prefer the more technical and bizarre plot too, with all those time traveling, guardians, rings, boxes and deathperation flames, in contrast to the former harem-y situations.

Hitman Reborn is very good at character developments. Out of all the characters, Tsuna is probably developed the most. From one who had no friends to someone who has his own mafia family (although he denies it), from one who is physically weak to someone who can fight bravely, from a wimp to a 10th generation mafia boss. Basically, he turned from zero to hero. For the other characters, I found them a bit annoying at first but after learning more about them, I grew to love them and each of their special traits the characters possesses.

Hitman Reborn has a big character cast and I can’t help but find that some of them are nothing more then just plot devices. Besides, some of the characters could even be removed and the show would have been perfectly fine too. Especially when it’s nearing the end, there’s the main character and his guardians, the Varia, the Arcobaleno, Mukuro/Chrome and the rest of the gang. In a way, it’s like Nanoha. After some epic fights, the bad guys are defeated but they usually don’t die. Then after a while, the bad guys return and help the protagonist. Rinse and repeat and that explains the huge character cast. Having so many characters made viewers lose focus on the main characters, namely Tsuna and his guardians. Nevertheless, Hitman Reborn still has some good characters. I eventually found myself liking all the guardians and some of the supporting characters like Xanxus and Squalo.

For an anime that started in 2006, it has quite a decent level of art and animations. Though I found their battle animations looking a bit stiff at some points but that is nothing to fret about as most of the elements are illustrated thoroughly. The art styles is well designed and the characters and settings did not lack too many details from the original artwork.

Hitman Reborn has a lot of great openings and endings. One of my favorite is LM.C’s BOYS & GIRLS. I also like LM.C’s 88, CHERRYBLOSSOM’s DIVE TO WORLD and Ame Ato by w-inds. The voice acting is good too. I think the only voice acting I don’t like in this show is Gokudera. He sounds too forced, especially when he had to shout during battles, doing tsukkomi or when he had to show sincearity in his voice. I do like Mukuro’s distinctive “fufufu” and Hibari’s “kamikorosu” and Squalo’s “VOOOI!!!” Lastly, I applaud Ryohei’s with his ‘extreme’ voice acting. Kiuchi Hidenobu certainly did a fine job in delivering the ‘extreme’ qualities with his voice much needed for Ryohei. Both the sound effects and background music are good but seems reused a lot as you watched the more later episodes.

Now that this anime had ended, some people found that it’s good since they don’t want Hitman Reborn to turn into another Naruto/Bleach. Yet, some miss the show and wish for more. Well certainly, Reborn had a good run and it did a good job coming so far. If you don’t like the beginning of this show, give it a chance. The plot starts to build up later on and that is when this show starts getting more interesting and exciting.

*Spoiler Alert*
The Manga is still Ongoing has three more Arcs from where the Anime left Off we Met Enma.Demon Spada, and finally the mystery why Reborn and the others are Arcobaleno. (super babies)

Beelzebub - Review

2012-07-06T19:53:00.001+03:00

Beelzebub refers to a deity in Hell's realms and his name means "Lord of things that fly" his full names are Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV(bellbo). The story follows the "strongest delinquent" in a "delinquent school" as he takes the role of a father over the demon lord's son, who has a mission as he grows up, to destroy mankind.
The story follows Oga Tatsumi, Beelzebub, Hildagarde, Aoi Kunieda and "The Loser" Takayuku Furuichi.

Oga Tatsumi who's title was Kata Middle School's Ogre and reigns as one of the strongest at Ishiyama High School despite being a freshman. He shows many qualities of an ideal demon: strong, audacious, and self-centered. Through a series of events, he is bound by a sacred contract as the "father" of Beelzebub.

Beelzebub is the son of the demon king and is the person that is to become the future demon king. Ever since his contract with Oga, he exhibits behaviors such as clinging to Oga obsessively that even Oga can't shake him off.

Hildagarde also known as Hilda, is a demon maid that was assigned to take care of baby Beelzebub. She is well-known for her appearance of a gothic Lolita with huge breasts, but is also known for her brute strength and power as a demon.

The storyline is very original. A powerful delinquent named Oga is chosen to be the "father" to the son of the devil. Along with the son of the demon is a demon maid, Hilda who is to take care of the demon's son as the "mother". She moves into Oga's house in order to take care of the Beelzebub. Although the story may sound serious, there's always a light mood in this anime with ridiculous moments following Oga and Baby Beel all the time, though as the story goes on the viewer may be turned off by the repetitiveness of the plot, just like i was.

The animation is well made and the art is good. It offers the viewer a great experience of demonic auras and magical blasts.

The sounds give a nice tune for your ears. The openings and endings are fairly good aswell as the OSTs which give a good feeling for the anime.
Personally i find Beel and Furuichi hilarious not to mention MOKU5. I didn't really find the Touhoushinki amusing at all (The delinquent gang of Ishiyama). Chiaki is cute, but I don't really like the barking milkmachine (The ginger girl).

The anime is enjoyable overall. Worth a check.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Review

2012-06-19T20:43:00.000+03:00

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (season 1) Review
Genre: action, mecha, sci-fi, drama
Released date: October 5, 2006 – July 28, 2007
Episode: 25
Director: Goro Taniguchi

” The only ones that should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed. – Lelouch Lamperouge

Code Geass sets in the alternate universe in which Japan was conquered by the Britannia Empire and was renamed ‘Area 11’. Lelouch, whose mother was murdered and who is the heir to Britannia Throne, accidentally runs into C.C. the mysterious woman who gives him ‘Geass’, the power to control other people’s minds. With this power, he starts the plan to destroy the empire and rebuild the world in which his beloved sister can live happily.

Another leading character is Suzaku, Lelouch’s childhood friend, who disapproves of Lelouch’s idea and becomes his enemy. The two characters do everything according to their beliefs and the anime never says if any of them are good or evil. They are full of details. Lelouch is a realist, a murderer, the savior or just another greedy person trying to claim the throne. His action results in changes and hope for many and also suffering and loss for the rest including himself and his friends. While Suzaku is an idealist and sometimes pacifist but his action sometimes seems foolish. Code Geass has a very serious political issues and adult situations. I think the theme in the anime is too mature for high school children who form the main characters of Code Geass but after I let myself be carried away by the story, the feeling never bothers me again.

Code Geass keeps creating difficult situation for the characters to solve and endure. The anime introduces large group of characters who are closely connected by either blood or comradeship or friendship and they are divided into two opposite groups by different political idea. It tells the story from the point of view of both opposing factions. This division leads to endless series of tragic stories resulted from political conflicts and the war. The viewers will see friendships torn apart, families destroyed and alliances broken. While watching the series, I experienced various emotions all at once as if I were trapped in a box which was tossed around all the time. For example, I cheered for Lelouch when he won the first battle and felt sorry for his loss and then I hated him for his cruelty and for what he did to many innocent people. I ended up having mixed feeling towards him and, belief it or not, I felt like this toward almost everyone. Code Geass cleverly creates “gray characters”, who are neither good nor bad but they are very real. They all have their reasons for doing what they did. I saw them clashed and I saw them fell and I was devastated. There are many messages hidden in the story but the most prominent one is that war never leads to happy ending.

Aside from political themes, the anime is also a mind blowing military action anime. Drama and romance can also be seen hidden throughout the series. The animation of Code Geass is superb. The action scenes are plenty and masterfully executed. The first season ends in a cliffhanger and I feel like I would die of suffocation if I don’t start watching the second season soon. Conclusion: Code Geass is one of the most powerful anime in recent memory. It is serious, complex, thought-provoking and entertaining. Making an anime which has all these qualities is not an easy job at all.

“Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to watch this show!”

Stein's Gate Review

2012-06-18T17:00:00.004+03:00

Stein's Gate Review
There are few things in the world I enjoy more than I good time travel story. Time travel offers a unique twist to a standard narrative, in that, events don't always occur linearly. The events the characters experience are jumbled and due to this the plotting of a time travel story come out far more interesting than a standard drama. Steins;Gate takes place in Akihabara where a group of friends modified a microwave to send text messages into the past. Underestimating the consequences Okabe Rintaro, self proclaimed mad scientist, allows people to use the machine to change the past. What he discovers is that even altering the past slightly can completely change the world.

Steins;Gate is really two different shows. The first half is a Moe show with time travel elements and the second half is a time travel show with Moe elements. Strangely both work, for different reasons, and the transition from the lighthearted and fun atmosphere of the first half of the narrative moves smoothly when Steins;Gate suddenly becomes deadly serious. Such a change in tone is difficult to pull off, yet Steins;Gate manages it by having a fantastic first episode which encapsulates most of the elements that the series will represent going forward. The audience gets the insane antics of Okabe, the wonderful Moe of Mayuri, some of the deep time travel elements, technobabble, and murder. This execution is viewed in hindsight, however, as the first episode’s tonal imbalance may turn away overwhelmed viewers.

The element that really drew me into Steins;Gate was the use of internet culture as a hook, specifically using John Titor as the jumping point for the series. In late November 2000 a man who claimed to be a time traveler appeared on IRC and his claims have been immortalized on the internet. Steins;Gate's hook is when Okabe notices that the first message they send back in time, accidentally, erases John Titor from existence. Going forward Steins;Gate uses pieces of the John Titor story has important plot points including the search for the IBM 5100, Titor’s explanation of how time travel works, and the year John Titor claimed to have been from; 2036. Prior knowledge of John Titor isn't required to enjoy the narrative but you get a little extra out of the show by recognizing the references.

Moe

Early in the show Okabe recruits Kurisu Makise, a prodigy scientist, and together they develop and test the Phone Microwave and it’s unique ability to send messages back in time, called "D-mail." Much of the first half of the show is spent on these experiments and on playing around with the show’s moe cast of characters. Being Akihabara, many of the characters are Otaku with classic Otaku tropes. Daru is a brilliant engineer but comes off as a lonely pervert, Mayuri is an adorable cosplay Otaku who works at a costume cafe, Feyris works with Mayuri and remains in her cat persona even outside of work, and various other characters. They're enjoyable to watch interact and the characters who get a chance to change the world with D-Mail get backstories which crush the heart of the viewer and Okabe in the same fatal stroke. However, I never felt like the majority of the characters received any depth. Most of them simply work as plot devices to drive the narrative forward, provide a reason to alter the course of the world. Even when their backstories were explored I felt more for Okabe than I did for the individual characters because he had to explain that their wishes were harming the course of time, and he felt responsible for them having to undo their changes to the past.

Kurisu Makise

Kurisu Makise is also an interesting character. While she holds many of the stereotypical Tsundere traits she is given enough development to not only to overcome them but to somewhat justify them. Her secret obsession with 2channel gives her an interesting quark and the unintentional rivalry with her father both shows why she seems profoundly sad yet has accomplished so much at a young age. Even her first encounter with Okabe showed her range, at first she took a profound enjoyment out of proving him wrong and yet when he proved that time travel was possible she was humble enough to agree to work for him. I have a respect for characters who command respect and yet can be humble when they’re defeated. Mayuri offers an interesting intersect because while she is a character who exists as a plot device and doesn't have much development you can't help but fall in love with her. She is the sweetest, most gentle creature in the world, which works as a nice foil to the often abrasive and rude Okabe. She's able to bring out a side of Okabe no one else sees which makes their relationship profoundly endearing.

Time travel is the main focus of the plot in Steins;Gate. D-Mails sent into the past don't exactly change the future but shift the "world line" Okabe inhabits. He has the unique ability, conveniently, to remember all the world lines he happened to inhabit. His friends don't notice any change because they've always existed in the world created by the D-Mail. So "Time Travel" for the majority of Steins;Gate is actually "world line travel." Altering a small part of the past allows Okabe to jump between the world lines. Although later in the show more actual time travel takes place I enjoyed the plots created by the D-mails because of the mystery around what effect the message would have on Okabe's world. One simple jump and an element he was relaying on, a driving focus of the plot for the early episodes, would just disappear forcing Okabe to completely rethink his strategy. In total, Steins;Gate uses three methods of Time travel; world line travel, consciousness travel where a person's present mind jumps back into their physical body; and physical time travel where a character travels from the present into the past. Each of the methods are pulled off well with their own benefits and drawbacks expertly explored.

The Hostage Mazui

One aspect of Steins;Gate that I didn't like is that the science changed when it became convenient to the characters. At one point Kurisu declares that her field of study was in the brain when she is first scene giving a presentation on physics and had, up to that point, only mentioned being a physicist. Another bit of rule breaking that irked me was they changed rules when the plot needed a rule to be changed. At first one Time Machine is limited to only travel backwards through time, which creates a depressing departure that the show spends an entire episode fixated on. Later a time machine of the same make has the ability to travel forwards and backwards through time, which gives Okabe an extra chance to change the past. It's sloppy storytelling and bad science fiction.

I've discussed how well I think the time travel elements of Steins;Gate work, and indeed at its core this is an extremely solid Time Travel narrative. However, the moe elements are going to drive away people who would otherwise find the series enjoyable. The early episodes are light on the Sci-fi and heavy on moe characters doing moe things, the pacing is slow allowing the audience to spend more time with the characters. Each episode reveals one small piece of the plot. When that shift in the middle of the series happens Steins;Gate becomes a serious time travel narrative but getting there is going to prove difficult for someone looking for good science fiction right from the start. It's unfortunate that by playing to the Otaku crowd who love both science fiction and moe, the audience who would most appreciate Steins;Gate won't be able to make it through those first few episodes.

This review might feel a little negative but I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed Steins;Gate. For all it's failings, Okabe and Kurisu remain interesting characters and the way it employs the standard time travel tropes are always fun and entertaining. The dark, serious tone during the second half of the show is contains some incredible character drama despite the cast of mostly shallow characters. Okabe is forced to carry the burden of the narrative, being remembers world line jumps, that the depth of his character, what he goes through, and how he is profoundly changed by the end is truly moving. So while moe elements hold the show back and some of the science fiction elements are weak, the show comes off as a definite watch for science fiction and moe fans alike. No where near a perfect show, but an entertaining and moving piece of animation.

Another Review

2012-06-16T13:58:00.000+03:00

Another Review

The creators of Blood-C give us another chance to look at the horrible Horror of people dying gruesomely. Another with the most stupid title any sane person can come up with shows how important the atmosphere in a plot is. When I think about this series I don’t remember any characters, the story or the fact that Ali Project delivered performance #1034 of the same frigging song and called it new, no, what I will think of the creepy soundtrack played in the background of people doing normal stuff.

This will be used to do some Damage

This series is about the constant danger that anyone in this class could die in any minute. And the solution to this “phenomena” is also a nice development following that notion and raising the bar for the finale. But what this means is that this series should tell you that the characters are always in danger. To that effect some person decided to let the soundtrack tell us exactly that – all the time. I know that people can die eating peanut-butter in the kitchen but that’s not really a setup for a gruesome death, isn’t it? That’s a comedy! That’s what it is! Danger unseen and seen has to be present as part of the scene and not as a contradiction to the general impression of it. If I see a peaceful scene and the BGM signals suspense then that’s just silly.

Although I have to admit that at least this time I cared about some of the characters compared to Blood-C. What Another is really good at is showing the characters under pressure. The drastic influence of constant danger can be felt when confronted with the class’ behavior, especially in the beginning when there’s the contrast between the main-character’s ignorance (following the new-comer-stereotype) and the big unknown that is the mystery at that point. Misaki is also a very interesting character whose soulless character actually has some surprising depth considering how usually it’s just a forced “Look how weird I am!”-characterization is. Her actions seem rather mysterious at first which is one of the issues I will talk about later but her character is consistent throughout the story so that makes her mysterious appearance actually interesting instead of generic. And in contrast to the ever-present haunting soundtrack her actions are a far better demonstration of the weirdness of the place. The classmates are okay in their presentation as side-characters but never get any chance to become particular deep like the story did with Misaki. Rather the story wants to concentrate on Misaki’s character which is a strange choice for a mystery-driven plot like this one.

Now the main-character is the worst character of the bunch but not really characterization-wise. He’s not obnoxious or anything. My problem with him is connected to the pacing of the story. His actions have a rather plot-convenient feeling to it. It’s a mystery-driven story so you’d expect someone to play Sherlock and solve the mystery, right? Naturally there’s the main-chara investigating with support from other characters and there are some antagonists trying to stop him. It’s the usual picture of a force trying to overcome some form of resistance so that the truth can be revealed. I already said that the atmosphere of the series fails at portraying the danger or rather it’s overdoing the whole thing so that it becomes stupid. So one is sitting there and the series tries to force its horror-notions on you. Even the last idiot will realize something’s not right and something has to be done against it. But the main-character…? He doesn’t do much. Like a snail he slowly crawls towards the point where he starts asking the hard questions. And all the way towards that point I had already asked the hard questions a hundred times and wondered how long the main-characters would stay dumb. Like that the series has a rather slow pacing that in a rather unconvincing way stretches the story until the point when it meant business.

And therefore the second half of the series is far better than the first half. The developments and the revelations about the central mystery of the series are really worth sitting through this stupid first half. The characters aren’t very endearing so it might be difficult to relate to the plot in some ways but the strangeness and absurdity of the plot is more than enough to make it entertaining, I think. It also comes together very nicely in the end (the stupidity of the slow pacing excluded) which is the kind of reward you like to see in a mystery-series.

This Dolls Get To you

Another is a solid mystery-series with strong (or obnoxious, one might say) horror-overtones. As solid as the overall impression is it’s rather unlikely that the characters will leave any impression at all. With a good thought-through mystery at its core, though, this flaw doesn’t really matter. The flaw that really matters in the end is the atrocious pacing which turns the first half into a dull “Let’s wait and see”-scenario which keeps plot-development forcefully to a minimum. But everyone who loves a good mystery-series should suffer through that because the ending is good enough to make this a worthwhile series despite its flaws.

Yakitate!! Japan Review

2012-06-14T23:29:00.000+03:00

Yakitate!! Japan Review
Disclaimer: This series is completely ridiculous, utterly ludicrous, and deliciously absurd. If you are a serious baker, patissier or have simply undergone a sense-of-humour bypass, then it’s probably best that you turn back now. If not, then leave your hat, coat and common sense at the door and prepare for some freshly baked fun!

Yakitate!! Japan follows young baking genius, Kazuma Azuma, on his quest to create the ideal ‘Ja-pan’ – a pun-a-licious bread that perfectly sums up the Japanese nation – in the same way that the French have the baguette and the Italians have the ciabatta. In order to further his mission, the dim-witted Kazuma begins working at the most revered chain bakery in Tokyo: Pantasia. The series’ sixty-nine (yes, sixty-nine) episodes consist of Kazuma and his new colleagues participating in one increasingly unbelievable tournament after another. Sounds pretty crappy right? Well, it is. Luckily though, the whole show is one massive parody, and Yakitate!! Japan’s inherently stupid nature becomes its greatest asset.

Kazuma Azuma

So much of Yakitate!! Japan‘s humour comes from how seriously the characters take each tournament, as if it were a serious battle to the death – and with katana-wielding samurai, Kai, getting riled up over his croissants, it occasionally seems like a bloodbath could follow. Fortunately, the series knows how completely rubbish its premise is and plays on it to great effect, most noticeably in the various characters’ reactions to the latest delicious loaf, which are, without a doubt, the series’ highlight. From a bizarre loquat-based parody of Lord of the Rings, bulldozers smashing holes in kitchen walls and a crazy clown that has mastered the multi-clone technique, to bread that makes judges strip down to their underwear, turns back time and literally sends you to heaven, Yakitate!! Japan defies expectations and pushes the boundaries of believability with each passing episode.

Like all longer series, Yakitate!! Japan has its flaws. Many plot elements are predictable, especially as Kazuma always seems to have the perfect bread for each occasion. Though part of its charm, the whole series seems like Pokemon with bread and I half expect Kazuma to whip out a small dough ball at any moment and yell: Ja-pan number 53, I choose YOU! Also, while it remains humorous throughout, the novelty does inevitably dissipate. Though the Monaco Cup arc revitalises the plot by continually going one step beyond with its lunacy, the following ‘Yakitate 9’ arc drags somewhat and despite managing to raise a smile, the jokes wear a bit thin. Also, the final episode is exceedingly rushed given its content, particularly when preceding this was an entire twenty-four minutes documenting a single bread reaction.

This reaction notice the parody

Watch Yakitate!! Japan. It's a pretty old series now, but it's still great and fun. I mean, I still have yearnings to re-watch some episodes every now and then. It's also educational, but done in such an entertaining way (a big plus!).

Green bread Amazing

Which part of this is bread watch to find out!

It's because of this series that I have a greater appreciation for bread and a strong fascination for melon bread.

Ben~to Review

2012-06-10T16:30:00.001+03:00

Ben~to Review

BEN-TO looks like one of those animes you would compare to the rest of the season then decide not to watch it but if you do that then your really missing out of some of the best laughs and entertainment for a long time.

Sato and the Wizard

Story:
Sato Yo is just a normal teenager who likes video games,he wakes up on the floor of the grocery store not remembering what had led him there,then he finds out though a girl who was in the store that he was beaten up because of the war games where students fight to get half price BEN-TO,interested Sato Yu joins in and try's to become a "Wolf"(top fighter).

What I like about the story is that it is very funny and overdone in a good way like the first season of Baka to test and Sato Yo isn't one of those characters who is a loser that would take the whole season just to win just one fight,and the actual fights are really cool,there a mass of people punching and kicking each and getting severe injuries over BEN-TO ! XD and I like how these is a whole system of ranks and special names for the top fighters.(Great 9)

Art:
The art isn't "OMG look at the animacion" but ain't bad either,all the characters faces and eyes are in the right places,you can't complain about it becuase it's better then average with all these lazy animators nowadays,it looks good in high quality on the TV.(Great 9)

Ice Witch

Sound:
The opening is cool while the ending song is a nice slow one and the backgorund music when there fighting is a up beat song that is just the right one for the mood of the anime.(Great 9)

Character:
The reason I picked up this anime was because one of the main girl characters Sen Yarizui(aka the Ice witch) caught my eye and that rarely happerns with me,she's cute and unique looking and I also liked the look of Yuu Kaneshiro(the wizard),so far there isn't a character I don't like.(Outstanding 10)

Enjoyment:
I don't even understand why I enjoy this anime so much but I can't help smiling and getting exicted rooting for the characters! Very very funny and I don't get bored at all which is something to say for me.(Outstanding 10)

Overall:
Very enjoyable :D (9 Great)

Add this to you MAL list now and don't miss out on the laughter and enjoyment of this anime! BEN-TO ! BEN-TO ! I won''t forget you !

Un-Go Review

2012-06-08T20:55:00.001+03:00

Un-Go Review
Un-Go is probably one of the many sleeper hit series to come out of the extremely jam packed Fall 2011 season. With an amazing story, unique characters and stellar production values, however, its definitely one to take note of! Un-Go is actually based on the noted Japanese intellectual and novelist Ango Sakaguchi’s novel Meiji Kaika Ango Torimono-chō. In a time where story is often thrown off into the back burner in favor of more flashy animation or fan service, Un-Go focuses on masterful storytelling, truly complex plots and a strange mix of Japanese culture, fantasy and sci-fi to create one of the most unique detective anime to come out from the anime industry.

UN-GO features Shinjirou Yuuki , a man nicknamed the failed Detective, and his partner Inga. While Shinjirou is a normal human, Inga is actually some supernatural vampire that can change genders, and force anyone to answer a single question. Shinjirou often finds himself solving crimes that relate to a certain chairman of a software company, Rinrouku Kaishou. Kaishou serves as the antoganist to the series, and one, who while always losing to Shinjirou’s detective skills, is able to cover himself with his immense wealth and resources. He’s as unique a villain, as Shinjirou is a hero.

Adding to the already impressive hero-villain dynamic is a very interesting and diverse cast of supporting characters that really add to the show. While the plot of the series is definitely’s its biggest strength, the characters definitely serve to elevate the show to near greatness.
The productions values for the show are also excellent. The first, and most striking thing about the show is its different kind of art style. It’s a unique blend of the semi-realistic style of the recent Lupin the Third animation projects and the extremely elongated Clamp style. That too is a very loose description of a refreshingly different but still familiar art style.

What really shines through, are the character designs and backgrounds. The world comes to life, with some truly amazing and unique locales that the anime takes place in, that seem reminiscent of modern Tokyo, but at the same time, feel like they are set a bit farther in the future. The character designs, are simply put, amazing. Shinjjirou himself definitely supports the cool, modern take on what a detective would be in this day and age, Kaishou definitely seems like a “nice on the outside, but evil on the inside” software company CEO. Every character’s design really brings a lot to the table, and really adds personality to some already endearing characters.

Finally, there’s the sound work, which is also hard to find faults with. The series features a really edgy trance soundtrack, which fits perfectly into the semi-futuristic fantasy world. The voice acting is definitely one of the high points of the anime industry, with exemplary work from all the sieyuus. All in all, production wise, its hard to find much fault with Un-Go, so props to Studio Bones for another job well done!
What then? is the fault with Un-Go…. It actually lies in the episode length, and the fact that its another one of those series that doesn’t resolve the entire story. As a production, and adaption, UNGO is amazing, given its length, which is only 11 episodes. At the same time, one of the series biggest themes, the clash between Shinjirou and Kaishou, is never really fully explored in the series. There are teases and hints in the series, with the last arc even being a major cop out, but it never really comes to fruitation. There is progress, indeed, but the major crux of the series is never resolved. If anything, it feels that there needs to be a second season, of another 12 or 13 episodes which adds another set of cases and brings out the big battle between Shinjirou and Kaishou to a close.
What is sad, is that the series really doesn’t feel unsatisfying. It doesn’t, the last arc in particular, progresses the story farther enough and provides enough of an ending that you don’t feel the burn that is generally felt by series that end without completing the story. At the same time, there is some room left for the story to continue, either in a potential sequel or in the manga itself. Either way, the story feels unresolved, and though it’s not horribly done, the ending leaves the main issue hanging.

At the end, the story, which is the major reason for this series entertainment value, doesn’t feel complete, and prevents this series from truly achieving greatness. Un-Go is a series with many strengths, with excellent production values, writing and pacing, but its also a series that’s doomed to be forgotten unless a second season comes in and truly wraps up the story. Must watch for Mystery Lovers