Fate/Zero – Review – Magical Battle Royale

Being a reviewer, I think it’s important to be critical about the technical aspects of a show, yet be able to express one’s own thoughts and views sufficiently enough to let people understand your feelings. However, during the course of my reviewing stint, I have found some reviewers being overly critical about an anime while neglecting his/her own feelings while writing/recording the review. This makes the reader feel as if the reviewer doesn’t enjoy the show even though the truth may be totally opposite from what is perceived.

What has that got to do with anything with Fate/Zero? Well, absolutely nothing except for the fact that I freaking love it!

A lot!

I just kinda want to get it out there very clearly before I do anything.

So, that being said, allow me to introduce you to Fate/Zero, the prequel to ever popular Fate/Stay Night.

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Ufotable Inc. is a rather small anime production studio. To be frank, I have never heard of their previous works before (Except for Gyo OVA) and I don’t think I would want to watch them. This leads me to wonder, how the hell did they even get to produce something with such popularity?

I mean, if you are a Fate series fan, you would know of the countless prequels, sequels, spin-offs, parodies, visual novels, light novels, films, video games, radio dramas etc. that were derived from the original Fate/Stay Night adult visual novel.

Not that it’s popularity is incomprehensible, though. Adult factors (e.g. *ahem* sexual charisma) aside, the concept of the visual novel was one of guaranteed success. Introduce characters with the most mind-blowing powers, then have them to duke it out, then watch the ensuing chaos and madness. This formulaic approach has brought success to countless shounen anime series. Add some of the most famous historic/mythic characters into the mix and you ultimately get the concept of the Fate series, which is kinda cool, since you get to watch historic characters you learn from books and stories fighting each other.

First, the setting. We are introduced to the Holy Grail War that is held every sixty years in Fuyuki City of Japan. Where else? The war chooses seven Masters from the mages in the world and these mages are to summon Servants, embodiments of Heroic Spirits from the history of the world, to fight in the said war.

Enter Emiya Kiritsugu, a freelance mage killer. He participates in the Holy Grail War on behalf of his wife’s family, the Einzbern family. He intends to obtain the Holy Grail, an omnipotent object that grants its owner’s wishes. His goal is to use the Grail in order to achieve his goal of shaping the world into an ideal one where there is only peace, which is otherwise impossible in terms of worldly aspects. In short, he needs a miracle and the Holy Grail promises just that.

Of course, this wouldn’t actually be a war, if there were no other warring factions. And thus, we are also introduced to the other six Masters, each with their individual hidden motives and desires for winning the war. The fact that there are no obvious main characters, with every faction given equal amounts of screen time adds flavor to the story.

Unlike many other simplistic shounen stories out there which are considered to be the next big thing just because a sudden twist in the story, Fate/Zero constantly surprise us with many twists and turns along the way. I mean, this is not a war between high school students, one mistake can prove fatal. Like every ACTUAL war out there, there are alliances, betrayals, and cold-blooded murder during the course of the war, and that lays down the foundations to one of the darker sides to this battle royale.

Now, here comes the juicy parts. There are seven different classes of Servants to be summoned: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Caster and Assassin, each with their special abilities and finishing moves. As if having these characters at each others’ throats are not exciting enough, for the most part of the show, the true identity of the Servants are kept secret from the audience. At least, most of them are not revealed until mid-way of the show.

This adds the flavors of mystery and intrigue as the viewers are kept grasping at straws, trying to figure out the identities of the Servants. But then, (a twist here) the Servants are not just fighting machines that are used by their individual Masters to win the war. They also have their own motives for participating in the war, which most of the time complicate matters further for the Masters.

All the different parts of the plot, hidden or otherwise, can individually make up a good story, but to be able to piece it together to create a phenomenal over-arcing big picture takes exceptional planning and calculated arrangements. Over this, I commend the writers for doing such a great job of piecing all the pieces together and bringing the tried-and-tested formula to a whole new level. Thus, I highly recommend this show to whoever looking for great multi-layered stories featuring a battle royale filled with espionages, betrayal and mind-blowing action.

The only thing that I could complain about the plot is the lacklustre ending, which I will not discuss, for the sake of not spoiling you guys. I can only say that the ending is necessary to ensure the continuity of the series as a whole. In short, the ending was it trying to cover for the retarded 2006 anime version of its elder brother, Fate/Stay Night.

 

The character designs, on the other hand, are one of the most realistic and thought-provoking ones in a very long time in anime world. I mean, it’s been so long since I have watched an anime that doesn’t feature some high school delinquent and their daily lives.

Each individual Servant and Master in the show has their different set of ideals and before long, their ideals clash, causing them to waver. In my opinion, these ideals are eye openers, as we are exposed to different types of thinking and cultures, especially for people who are bounded by the same type of thinking. Who knows? Maybe you can learn a thing or too from this anime.

Ideals aside, the characters also have their very own characteristics that are unique to them. Fate/Zero really excels at giving us a wide array of characteristics, ranging from the prideful to the wimpy to the menacing, and utilizing them to build up the tension in the series. The use of character design also plays a prominent role in boosting the plot as I have mentioned earlier.

Now, you must be wondering why I mentioned the production studio, Ufotable Inc. earlier. Or…maybe not.

Anyway, despite having relatively less experience dealing with highly popular franchises and being comparatively unknown, Ufotable got the project to produce Fate/Zero. Somehow. Whether you like it or not, Ufotable has produced one of the best anime entries in the Fate series, which is not surprising given that it’s predecessor was the 2006 Fate/Stay Night, the UBW film, Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illy and Carnival Phantasm (Does that count?). But not only did Ufotable exceeded the expectations of many but also produced one of the most relevant and entertaining anime series ever produced.

The studio probably also poured all their budget into producing the many epic and beautifully animated fight scenes ever produced. That gamble paid off though, as viewers are treated to fight scenes so beautifully animated and choreographed that it probably ate away most of their budget by the end of just the first season. Trust me, when I say it’s beautiful.

They are not the best choreographed ones though, nor the most epic but it certainly is the most beautiful. The array of colors and the glorious intensity of the fights were simply outstanding.

In the technical aspects, the animation and the music was marvelous too. The animation was flawless and consistent throughout. The production studio certainly did not cut any corners here. The music was also splendid, with the first OP by LiSA, sending chills down my spine. The OST was great too and compliments the series really well. I have really nothing to complain about in the technical aspect, which is pretty amazing, given that it was produced by a relatively unknown production studio.

All in all, this show is one of the best anime series out there. There’s splendid plot, relatable characters, outstanding action, flawless animation and great music. Damn, I think I’ve run out of complimenting adjectives to use. That’s just how good it is.

So after meticulously calculating points awarded for the story, animation, character design, music and my personal enjoyment, I decided to award the series with a rating of:

8.78 (Great)

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So, if you enjoyed this show and would like to watch more like it, I point you towards the remake of the original Fate/Stay Night by Ufotable last year, entitled Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. For another spectacular battle royale story, I recommend you Btooom! which is also very dark and has very graphic content. Definitely NSFW.

So, there you have it, my review of Fate/Zero. If you like this review, do feel free to click the ‘Like’ button and follow my blog too. If you haven’t done it already, also feel free to like my Facebook page here. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post it on the comments below. Like per say, “Daniel, there are too many words. I don’t feel like reading.”

Joking aside, I sincerely hope for any suggestions or requests from you, my dear readers. For example, if you have any topic in mind that you would like to read about, feel free to reach out and tell me. I’ll try to write about it or make a list. Your choice.

Anyway, till the next post, cheerio!

Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne – Review – This Is Exactly Why I Love Anime!

In more conventional and traditional societies, anime is treated as cartoons and regarded with suspicion as there are also a lot of taboos surrounding it. One particular taboo that people use to confront me is how perverted anime is becoming. As an anime fan, I find myself agreeing to this statement even though my credibility as a human being will plummet down to the depths of Hell. I can’t blame people though. It’s becoming more and more common to see that occasional series where the girls are hyper-sexualized and do all sorts of perverted stuff. There is also the ‘ecchi’/’hentai’ genre which can be regarded as borderline animated pornography, some going all the way. This causes people to think there are only two kinds of anime, which is:

1. Anime for kids e.g. Avatar: The Last Airbender (P.S. Avatar is not regarded by some anime fans as non-anime) and Pokemon/Digimon.

2. Anime for people with weird fetishes, like cat girls, lolitas (aka girls that are petite in size or are still children) and even little sisters, or people who are lustful/perverts.

Debunking stereotyping like that is really difficult and takes up a lot of time explaining the basis, history and stating examples from anime so I’m going to save that for some other time. Instead, I’m going to review an anime named after the Greek God of memory. I present to you:

Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne.

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If you haven’t heard of this show, no worries. I’d say, 65% of the anime fandom have not heard of this show either. But if you did, chances are, you probably know it as torture porn where there are scenes where characters get impaled, tortured, or even blown to pieces, all while naked and screaming like they’re on drugs and in some sort of high.

In case you’re about to turn tail and run, screaming: ‘DANIEL IS A F***ING PERVERT!!! I WON’T EVER VISIT HIS SITE!!!!’, don’t worry, I’m totally fine. But don’t you run away yet.

Mnemosyne revolves around women who unwittingly absorbed a Fruit of Time from the Tree of Yggdrasil that causes them to become immortal. One such woman is Rin and alongside her trusty companion, Mimi, who is also immortal, works as a private investigator. Of course, Rin being immortal doesn’t mean that she is like Superman, she is not immune to injury, or otherwise there would basically be no plot left. But being immortal has its pros. Being a private investigator AND immortal means she can just throw herself into various dangerous situations without any hesitation just because she can respawn after dying, rendering Death incapable of keeping her dead for long.

As people say, “There are always two sides to the same coin,” and likewise, being immortal has its cons too. Rin, aside from being immortal, is a normal human being with no superhuman capabilities to speak of. From time to time though, she would find herself trying to escape pain, suffering and even permanent death from the hands of evil scientists, hunters of the immortal and the evil, mysterious being, Apos.

If I’m going to say this, I best be saying this now:

This anime is by no means, an anime suitable for children and the adult themes of homosexuality, sex and extreme violence are very much the norm in the world that is Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne

In other words, this anime is definitely not for kids and can be likened to late night TV shows that heavily feature dark and grim themes. Except take these dark themes, multiply it by ten, add near-nude and sex scenes that would make any censorship board go into overload and in the end, put your character through so much physical and mental torture that normal people would go crazy at the sight of it.

AND THAT’S WHY I LOVE ANIME!

No, I don’t have a fetish towards sadomasochism. No to Vancouver and fifty shades of blue, black and green!!

I meant I love how anime has so much potential to be able to present us a story that normally wouldn’t sell on mainstream TV. I mean how can you possibly make a live action show about people playing basketball? Sure, you can make a documentary but can live action recreate the superhuman feats of strength displayed in sports anime? Can it give us epic fight scenes like Dragon Ball Z or Hunter X Hunter? In reference to this, Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne is a perfect example.

During the course of the series which is 6 episodes of approximately 45 minutes each, the series stretches 65 years from the late 20th century to the near dystopian future. What live action show can do that? Not to mention the gruelling fight scenes and sexual themes, this show is definitely impossible to be remade into a live-action movie and thus potentially great shows like this one are lost.

Not wanting to spoil anymore of the plot, I shall commend the writers for confronting such dark themes without making it feel as if it was there just to be there. Unlike ‘ecchi’ series with their loads of fan service and erotic acts, the torture scenes, the sex scenes and the violence are served to us in adequate proportions. It keeps the fine balance between pleasing people with certain tendencies (you know who you are, *snicker* *wink*) and not making the rest of us feel like we’ve just watched outright, blatant torture porn.

In short, for making lewd plays and outright violence feel like a justified, legit plot, I clap for you.

Jokes aside, the show very cleverly slit these erotic stuff in between events, making it somewhat acceptable for people like me, who are not particular fond of lewd anime while pleasing fans who…well, you know what you like. Prior to watching these, I was having one of these cravings for dark and morally grey series like Death Note, and it is noteworthy that this show scratched this itch very wonderfully.

For the characters, they are written well enough though they aren’t exactly very distinguishable or memorable but I guess I have no qualms over it. It is after all only 6 episodes long and the story doesn’t call for elaborate development of the characters, so I’m fine with the development they give their characters.

As for the technical side of things, the animation was well, rather average. I’m not sure about you but watching this show on 720p, I find the playback somewhat grainy. It’s the same problem I faced with other shows produced by Xebec, the producer of Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne. The music is also somewhat average and serves to complement the tense and gritty scenes but no tracks are worth noting in particular.

To conclude, this show is a blatant, morally grey show that takes themes people shy away from and unashamed-ly serves it with doses of sexual and graphic scenes. Though the execution of the show are sometimes unclear and the writers may not explain enough for everyone to know everything clearly, if you, like me, have a craving for dark, gritty shows, this one is definitely going to fulfill it very nicely.

And so, after meticulously calculating my ratings for the plot, characters, animation and technical aspects, and lastly, my personal enjoyment, I decided to give this show a rating of:

7.72 (AVERAGELY GOOD)

If you liked this show, chances are you would also like the ever popular Death Note, another morally grey series that is sure to turn your ideals on its heads. You may also find Monster, an anime based on the apocalyptic story of the Anti-Christ, to your liking.

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There’s that. If you like this review, feel free to click on the ‘Like’ button, leave a comment below and if you haven’t already done it, like my Facebook page too. I appreciate your thoughts and views and will strive to work towards a better reviewing experiencing.

With that, I leave you. This is Daniel See, signing off. Cheerio.

Baby Steps – Review – Great Strides

I love them wet…Mmm…

Sports anime has really come a long way since, you know, the beginning when we first had Slam Dunk and Captain Tsubasa. But it has also deviate a long way from its origins. Take for example, Free!, an anime about guys who love to swim and do so in various sexy ways. By doing so, they have swam, dance and stripped their way into thousands of fangirls’ wet dreams.

We also had Kuroko no Basuke which is originally NOT about lanky guys involved in ga–, I mean, happy stuff, but about basketball. Somehow, the multitudes of fangirls take it upon themselves to wet themselves silly and create yaoi (Read “BL”) fanfics about this anime. Terrifying.

But once in a while, we have genuine, down-to-earth sports anime that focuses more than just the…um…man-service and the fan fics involving various lanky guys doing really gay (I mean, happy, haha) stuff together.But first, we’ll need to prevent it from turning into Free! V 2.0 so we must first have…

…a goodness-ugly main character.

Welcome to Baby Steps,

Rooster head.

Enter Maruo Eiichiro, your typical straight-A student who is a nerd (almost) and a perfectionist in everything he does. Affectionately known to all as Ei-chan (synonymous with A-chan), he is a kind-hearted person that tries to be nice to everyone. One particular trait of his is that he writes notes. A lot. He writes notes for every subject he studies and for almost everything he does. He even made multiple copies of the same notes so that he can revise and memorise stuff better. These extra notes are lent to students and friends from the same grade.

One day, when he was minding his business, the school’s cutest girl, Natsu Takasaki, came running into his class. Through a stroke of fate (and luck?), he was introduced to her. Loud, obnoxious and happy-go-lucky, Natsu aka Nat-chan called him weird in his face, messed up his notes that she borrowed from him and laughed it all off.

On a side note, he decided to pick up a sport as a spare time activity to get fit and decided to go check out a tennis club known as STC for a free trial. He then saw Natsu. He then packed his bags and ran the other direction.

REALLY??

Of course not, there wouldn’t be a show otherwise. Ei-chan is of course, smittened by Nat-chan after seeing her in action and proceeds to try out for the tennis trials. After fainting during warm-up, he then decided that he is extremely out of shape and decides to join the club.

The plot, from here onwards is really simple. Ei-chan attempts to succeed in tennis and practices hard. Eventually, his perseverance pays off and he becomes a good player.

One notable thing about this anime is that, unlike some sports anime out there, there is almost no such thing as pure talent personified. No fanciful maneuvers here. No “SUPER-SAIYAN MODE!!” anywhere in sight and definitely no superpowers involved here. Just a normal game of tennis.

And practice. Lots of it.

M-m-my heart!!!

 

Unlike many other sports anime, this anime highlights the hardships a guy must undergo and pinpoints the truth that even geniuses need to work hard for what they get. For example, Eiichiro is the kind of person you’d never thought that he’d play any form of sport but thanks to his diligence and good eyesight, he is recognized as a diamond in the rough by his coach. But that alone doesn’t make him unbeatable as he was defeated time and again by his more experienced and skilled rivals, by a great margin too.

To top it all off, Eiichiro has to learn tennis from scratch and work against time to be good enough to be a professional. Unlike other anime, the gravity of reality weighs quite heavily in this anime as Eiichiro’s future lay in the balance. Dreams and reality are very conflicting after all, which seems not to be the case in other sports anime as characters can be total delinquents yet play sports without a care in the world.

Ah….Ah…Chooo!!!

 

The plot was awesome, with many adversaries Eiichiro facing being able to prove their mettle while not looking like total losers. Each of them lived up to their name and Eiichiro manages to win by scraping past them, only to lose somewhere down the line.

True to its name, Baby Steps takes one small step at a time and is not afraid to lose viewers by using a slow pace. However, this anime excels at using this pacing to tell the story and most of the time is used to explain the fundamentals of tennis and how our main character can overcome his shortcomings.

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There’s also the humour and the chibi-artstyle every once in a way to loosen up things which was very welcome after a few episodes of tension and rooster-heads.

 

Changing gears is one thing the plot excels at, the transition is so smooth that you could barely feel the sports anime transform from underdog story to love story. It’s totally worth watching even if you totally do not enjoy the sports section of the anime.Worth waiting too even if it’s just for a few minutes of sweetness that cause diabetes and high blood pressure. This love story reminds me of innocence shared by a couple before the Internet and Snapchat. (Sexting, anyone?) Though I can only complain that the love portion is too little but that’s alright.

And there’s the artstyle. If there’s one thing Baby Steps doesn’t excel in, it’s the artstyle. Understandably though. The source material, the manga has been going on for like 8 years, so the artstyle 8 years ago is a huge difference from what we have these past few years. If this anime was released back then, honestly, there wouldn’t be any problem with the artstyle. In fact, it could very well be more popular than…Prince of Tennis?

Wishful thinking, sorry. You have my apologies, fangirls.

There’s also the little problem with the by-standers during a tennis game. Is it me or does the by-standers look like mannequins brought off the local boutique to just stand there. Thank goodness the tennis matches weren’t animated by CGI.

Look at them mannequins swaggin’ around!

Anyway, this anime is a pretty good attempt at sports anime and definitely deserves your attention, regardless whether or not you played tennis before. I sure as hell didn’t and this anime taught me a lot about it. The characters were likable, the plot is relatable and enjoyable and that love story between Natsu and Eiichiro is worth watching even the rest of the anime is just crap. And guess what? It’s not crap.

I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling it’s only going to get better. I mean, after watching the second season’s OP, I have a lot to look forward to, especially better looking mannequins (hehe) and better animation and camera play during matches. This is really underrated, mainly it’s a sports anime ABOUT sports and because of its bland outlook, but trust me, this is really good for a SPORTS anime.

Well, there you have it. I hope you will give this anime a shot cause this is really, really good stuff that doesn’t feature Super Saiyans and BL. Cause as Baby Steps taught me, sports anime is about SPORTS. Not Shounen-Ai.

Seriously, put that somewhere else.

Well, till the next review, s-wet dreams.

 

The Garden of Words – 言の葉の庭 – Anime Review – Makoto Shinkai’s Gone Soft!

It’s raining outside and I’m coil myself around my sofa cushion. There was a flash outside my window and soon after, there was a faint clap of thunder. I could taste the humidity in the air and smell the scent of wet soil from outside my house. I really hate rain when I was younger, but now, it seems like rain is a welcome friend. I stood up, and walked out the doors of my home. Standing in my yard, I looked up at the grey skies, ignoring the stinging drops of water on my bare eyes and sighed longingly.

 “A faint clap of thunder,
Clouded skies,
Perhaps rain will come.
If so, will you stay here with me?“

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Makoto Shinkai’s latest work in 2013, a 46-minute long anime film that as per usual features a lot of spectacularly beautiful scenes and another somewhat realistic romance story. However, the question remains after I watched the movie for the first time, “Has Makoto Shinkai gone soft?”

On one end, we have the usual male protagonist, Takao Akizuki, a typical highschool student who was a delinquent in school. Nope, he’s not the stereotypical delinquent you normally see in anime that sleep on rooftops all the time. This one is one of those delinquents you see in reality, those that comes from financially challenged families that work part-time all the time. Takao has his aspirations too, that is to be a shoemaker. In fact, he’s so engrossed in shoe making, that he literally makes shoes at home. Though he claims that they are no good, he works at it day and night, sketching, sculpting, sewing non-stop. He thinks that school is not what he should be doing and rather skip school than do sit there listening to the lessons. Who doesn’t, though?

On the other, we have the mysterious women who Akizuki meets and befriends when skips classes on rainy days. She is always clad in office clothes and later, it was revealed that she was skipping work, just like how Akizuki skips school. As the monsoon season drag on, Akizuki meets the mysterious woman almost every day and as in all romance stories, he began to fall in love with her. But, unbeknownst to him, she is actually closer than to him than he had ever imagined…

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Like almost all of Makoto Shinkai’s work, at the center of the anime, there is an unconventional love story. Take 5 Centimeters Per Second, for example. There is the two childhood friends who were separated by fate and as time passes, they find the distance between the two of them increasing despite their growing fondness for each other.

In The Garden of Words, it is almost the same but unlike 5 Centimeters Per Second and his previous works, this film has a more satisfying feel to it. I’ll try not to spoil too much for you but forgive me if I let slip too much.

This film is centered around the themes of love but unlike conventional love, it challenges the viewers’ perception of love. Since Akizuki is still a highschool student, his love towards the mysterious woman who is considerably older than him can cut both ways for many people. While one may feel that relationships like that are impure or unacceptable, he/she may find himself/herself rooting for the duo. The themes of unconventional love rings loud throughout the entire series and despite the main characters’ mutual feelings for each other, they are restricted by the age barrier and their roles in society.

This anime reminds me a lot of GTO which explores and redefines the roles of teachers and students in Japan. What people may call ‘puppy love’ and what is real can be really different in reality. This anime is really bold in exploring these themes and the relentlessness of the main characters in pursuing their happiness is really heart warming.

To date, this anime is one of the most touching and memorable anime produced by Makoto Shinkai, very possibly, even better than his most famous work, 5 Centimeters Per Second. Not only is it the most memorable, in my opinion, it is also one of the most beautifully animated films in the history of anime.

The animation is extremely fluid and each frame was extremely fine in detail. Every rain drop, every ripple, every reflection, every tree, every leaf, every ray of sunlight was so beautifully drawn out. It’s so beautiful that it may even precedes the beauty in real life. You could almost feel the humidity, the raindrops splattering on the ground, it looks so real that our eyes deceive us.

The plot on the other hand, is considerably different from Makoto’s previous work. Unlike his usual slow pacing, this anime’s pacing is quite good and not so slow that you would feel the slowness of the plot. Despite the excellent pacing, I would find the some parts not properly explained as it could have been. Well, basically that’s the only thing I could complain about in this entire anime so that should explain a lot.

One thing worth mentioning here is the fact that Hanazawa Kana voices the “mysterious” woman in this anime. Yes, the one and only Hanazawa Kana. In case you don’t know who she is, she normally voices high-pitched girl characters such as Kuroneko from OreImo, Onodera Kosaki from Nisekoi and Nadeko Sengoku from Bakemonogatari. In consideration of those roles, you would really doubt her suitability in playing a role that is more mature. However, she pulled off a shocker as her voice, though vaguely recognizable, was extremely suitable to this role as a young adult woman in her late-20s. I don’t know how she did it but her voice was deeper and mature when compared to her previous roles.

Apparently, Shinkai chose Kana Hanazawa because who had a very low natural voice, despite typically playing the roles of high-pitched younger girls. One of the things that impressed Shinkai about Hanazawa’s voice was her ability to cover such a broad range of expression and her ability to pull off one of the more complicated realistic elements of the woman’s character that was her sense of purity that her voice convey.

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Now, onto the question that everyone has been wondering about: “Has Makoto Shinkai gone soft?”

Why did I suggest a question like that? That’s because in this short 46 minute short film, no one died, fell gravely ill, broke up with girlfriend/boyfriend, died (yes, I know I repeated.) or left to rot in another planet very far away from Earth. Somehow, that’s what we all began to expect from Makoto Shinkai, or rather, sad anime in general. We start thinking that sad anime will think of the most ridiculous or incredulous way to make us feel sad or crack up even if it means coughing up ridiculous settings for the characters to be in.

I mean, it’s anime but it doesn’t mean it has to be ridiculous. In this movie, Makoto has shown us that you don’t need anything fanciful to be sad. In fact, you don’t even need to try. No robots, no afterlife and no freaking balls of life or whatever. Just the smallest things in life, no matter how small or insignificant it may be, it can still touch your heart and make you feel sad inside.

Like the rain, or a simple poem can touch you more than anything fanciful you may think of. As the upcoming Key produced Charlotte nears, I just hope that the production studio will take cues from Makoto’s way of doing things and just keep it simple. Though I doubt it.

To date, this can be considered one of the most touching stories that has ever come out of Makoto Shinkai’s bag of beautifully animated movies. It has a fantastic plot even though it may be underdeveloped at times, it has great animation as usual and the themes mentioned in this anime will make you cringe and smile at the same time. To top it all off, it has Hanazawa Kana showing us a different side of her normally high-pitched and buoyant demeanour. What’s not to love about it?

“A faint clap of thunder,
Even if rain comes or not,
I will stay here,
Together with you.”

Now, if you will excuse me as I attempt to roll and sleep my hollow feelings away.

Till the next post, then, goodnight.

 

Amagi Brilliant Park – Review – Owaranai Magic Hour!! (I wish)

NEW!!! Up-and-coming amusement park in Japan, Amagi Brilliant Park is now officially opened to all!!!! PV (Promotional Video) below!

As you can see in the PV, Amagi Brilliant Park is an amusement park filled with adorable mascots, state-of-the-art technology built into the facilities and most importantly, it’s family orientated! Bring your families along for the maximum fun exp–

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Amagi Brilliant Park is a 13-episode anime released during the Fall 2014 season and, boy oh boy, is it a one hell of fun ride! Despite its childish appearance, it really is one of the most entertaining series in the Fall 2014 season. And people, as always, judge it to be a childish cartoon despite not watching it. If you watched the PV above just now, you would have the same expression as the thousands of people who watched it:

Ah…no, no, no, I meant this one.

So, Amagi Brilliant Park revolves around a certain Kanie Seiya…

Nope, not Saint Seiya. I meant Kanie Seiya, ok? This Seiya guy was just minding his own business when a mysterious and beautiful girl named Sento Isuzu…

Ok, knock it off… enough of those terrible name puns. This Isu– Sento girl then forces Kanie to go with her on a date to Amagi Brilliant Park, which is called the world’s most disappointing amusement park. Sento then proceeds to bring him to meet the park’s princess who is from a mystical and magical world known as Maple Land…whose name is…

Wait…hold it…Latifa…Oddly familiar name…Latifa? As in Queen Latifah? Kanie…Kanye? Seiya means West…so, Kanye West?

Mind. Blown.

Good luck figuring out who Sento is supposed to be… let me give you a hint. Isuzu actually means fifty in Japanese, so…

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Anyway, Qu–Princess Latifa proceeded to declare that Kanie is the one prophesied by the oracle that will be able to save the park in its current state, being the “most disappointing amusement park” as labeled by Kanie himself. And so, the journey to self-discovery and restoring the park to its former glory (?) begins!

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At first glance, it is easy to write Amagi Brilliant Park off as a show for kiddies and has utterly ridiculous or otherwise nonsensical plot but actually, there is more than meets the eye. Like the names of the characters. Crazy names.

Of course, more on that later. But first, let me introduce you to the crew of the Amagi Brilliant Park. We have Moffle, the chief mascot of the park and fairy of sugar and candies.He is Latifa’s uncle and shares a mutual dislike towards Kanie thus, they are constantly at odds with each other. Then, we have Macaron, the fairy of music in the form of a sheep. He plays the violin and…metal. ‘Nuff said. We also have Tiramie, fairy of flowers in the form of a pink dog who enjoys…uh…charming older women and is a pervert. Together, the trio form the backbone of the various mascots in the park and have the most screen time.

Aside from the mascots, we also have the Elementario dance group, another group of oddballs and airheads fairies, just this time more…um…flesh. Service. You’ll know when you see them.

Ooh!!! I’ll have to hunch over!!!!!!

Last but not least, we also have the “mysterious and beautiful” Isuzu Sento, a royal guard assigned to protect Latifa. Due to her upbringing as a royal guard, her tendency towards violence and inability to convey her feelings is very much a running gag throughout the entire series. Allow me to demonstrate : Senjougahara Lite.

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On paper, this show looks like comedic gags held together by a paper-thin plot and tends to get repetitive over time, but unlike most comedy anime out there, Amagi Brilliant Park actually has a plot. Despite its ridiculously nonsensical plot at first glance, the plot is actually quite realistic and relatable, especially if you work in the management department as Kanie and Co. attempts to beat the clock to attract 250,000 visitors in three months to prevent a multinational development company from taking over the amusement park.

As the crew of Amagi Brilliant Park engages in a rat race to attract visitors to the park, we are served with heart warming measures by the crew, ranging from PVs to selling off a huge plot of land to even resorting to getting families and friends to come over in the very last-minute. Of course, with these oddball characters like the mascots, we can have many things go wrong. And of course, these unorthodox oddballs think of the stupidest stuff to do.

Extreme Ironing, at best!

To be honest with you, I enjoyed this show quite thoroughly even though I didn’t quite like the looks of it at first. It may strike you as childish but let me assure you, this anime is not just for kids. Although the jokes were quite stupid, but it is so stupid that it became funny. But, stupidity aside, no other anime would be able to pull something like this off. One, because it features characters not of this world, literally, thus giving the writers more space for creative writing. Two, it’s simply because this anime has a lot of heart.

I mean, I have never seen something like this. The jokes are corny and cheesy but I didn’t feel anything because when I see the characters, I feel like snuggling up to them. I mean, all the characters, human or otherwise, are given so much development despite their limited screen time that you’d feel for them. You start to care for them unlike the generic characters we see in anime, these characters doesn’t just drive the plot. They literally are the plot, not through their backstories but through their actions.

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I bet after those words you still won’t understand what I am talking about, so, here’s my verdict. This anime is a brilliant comedy anime that is genuinely heart-warming and despite its childish appearance, has a lot of heart and will make you laugh and cry all at once.

All in all, I freaking love this anime. I mean, what’s there not to love? Funnily crazy characters, great comedic timing and witty dialogue!

Go watch it, it’s definitely worth your time! Suddenly, it’d never ended. Sigh~~

Thank you very hunch for your time! See you in the next review!

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