Friday, April 11, 2014

Eden of the East [11 episodes] [R: 17+]

Sorry for the irregular postings D: subscribe via email if you like my reviews and want more!


Plot:
On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory, is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding in the other. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. [Source: MAL]

Individual Ratings:

Art: 9/10
Higashi no Eden does a pretty good job of keeping its art up to par. Fluid movement as well as good background art keep the anime visually entertaining.

Plot: 6/10

The plot has its ups and downs. To get the bad things over with, the ending is pretty bleh. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered(which is okay because there are 2 more movies after the series), but doesn't give you enough incentive to finish off the movies. There are a lot of random moments that would fill up FLCL fans, but not much comedy either.

Character: 6/10

Like may other anime, Eden of the East has a ton of characters, but almost none of them get character development (like Angel Beats!). The main character, Saki, doesn't really go through anything worth mentioning. Probably the only character who was interesting was Takizawa. Since he erased his own memories, he's essentially on a quest to discover the motives of his past self.

Sound: 8/10

Nothing special here.

Enjoyment: 8/10

I felt like the creators could have done so much more for this anime; sadly, we are left with a bunch of half-baked characters and no ending. Still, the series was pretty fun to watch and I would recommend it for a marathoning session.

Overall Rating: 7.4/10

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Most anticipated anime of Spring 2014 [LIST]

Here's a list of the anime I'm looking forward to watching during the Spring of 2014 (in order of interest):

1. Mushishi Zoku Shou

Continuing from the first season, this show is THE SHOW for watching on the potty seat, especially when you're constipated. The tranquility and the amazing artwork will make the brown globs of glory ooze out with utmost consistency, and you won't have a rash on your butt that you have to slather with vaseline every other hour. If you haven't read my review for the first season, check it out.

2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Stardust Crusaders

Another sequel. The first season caused my growth spurt the last 2 months with the huge amounts of testosterone injected into my eyes. The main characters are all many and badass (even the woman), and the first episode is just as interesting as the first season. If you haven't started the first season yet, you better start fast.

3. Haikyu!!

Now I'm not a fan of sports anime. In fact, I'd say 99% of sports anime is bullcrap with unrealistic movements, not to mention that when the mangaka runs out of ideas he starts making up the most retarded shit (like unhittable shots in Prince of Tennis) that doesn't make sense. Haikyu!!, on the other hand, starts out with AMAZING animation and visuals, and gives you an interesting premise. 

4. The Irregular at Magic High School

This show started out as a cliche magic school anime with female characters with bouncy boobs and a boring main character. Heck, they even went so far as to give the female lead a freaking big bro complex. By now you're probably thinking of not watching this. I thought so too, until I got halfway through the first episode and suddenly WAAUUU a fight scene with the main character being badass. The animation then was simply flawless and I jizzed on my iPad. Then, in the final moments, we were hinted that the main character has a sort of hidden power that he isn't to reveal to others. 

5. Brynhildr in the Darkness

From the author of Elfen Lied, we have another dark-ish romance. By the end of the first episode, you can tell that this anime is either going to be completely amazing, or is going to be screwed up so much that it turns into a piece of goo-nana at the end. Either way, it's definitely an anime I'm looking forward to following for now.

5. Captain Earth

Yes, it sounds like this anime will be another uneventful mecha anime. And it might just be. However, it could also turn out to be the next Evangelion. From the very beginning, you are treated to multiple subtle visual metaphors that slowly reveal little things about the situation of the main character(if you can't notice these metaphors go back to middle school). There are also a lot of visual parallels, and although it's pretty obvious, I felt that the studio did a great job of keeping the symbolism in check.

6. Black Bullet

No, it's not an Attack on Titan copy you moronic fanboys. This isn't the first time people have used the concept of people protecting themselves in their little place. The animation was definitely well done and the setting was pretty interesting too. The only thing that they could screw up is overuse of bullshit jokes that aren't funny.

7. The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

Whoever came up with that title is an imbecile. It feels like an old-school romance at the beginning, but adds some interesting ideas to the first episode that aren't normally in rom-coms. The character cast is pretty interesting, with a masochistic roommate, a silent hottie, a busty businesswoman with too many ex's, and a granny (sorry, no TEEN X GRANNY action for you).

8. The World is Still Beautiful

HEY GUYS GOOSE GIRL GOT AN ANIME! The first episode was full of cliches and bullshit, not to mention it starts out EXACTLY THE SAME as Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. The main character in both is a princess who's going to marry a king in another country, plus both of them can control wind. I'm only going to follow this because I have tons of free time after getting my League account to Gold 2.


So yeah, these are all the anime I have watched so far and am looking forward to. Keep in mind I still haven't watched No Game No Life, Akuma no Riddle and Mekakucity Actors, which are more anime I'm planning to keep up with. Hopefully I'll start giving my opinions on the newest episodes of each of these. Keep updating by subscribing via email!


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Torrenting Tutorial?

I was wondering if anyone was interested in me making a tutorial for how to torrent anime (since that's how I get almost every anime I watch). Torrenting is a good way to watch anime wherever you want without internet connection, especially if you have a smartphone. A lot of people oppose torrenting, but think of it this way: most of you probably just stream anime on random sites, which accomplishes the same thing as torrenting it (except there aren't annoying ads, the quality is usually good, and you can get subbed and dubbed). However, the internet is a scary place, which is why it's better to learn how to torrent from someone who already knows rather than finding out how on your own, since this usually leads to viruses and/or entering inappropriate websites.

Please comment if you are interested. I will write one up soon if enough people want one.

Guardian of the Sacred Spirit [26 episodes] [PG-13]

Plot:

After saving him once from drowning, Balsa the spear-wielder is tasked with defending Prince Chagum from the Chin-Yogo Emperor, who plans to kill him and extinguish the evil spirit residing within him.

Individual Ratings:

Art: 10/10
Guardian of the Sacred Spirit has some of the most astounding visuals you will ever see. The amount of work put into the scenery is incredible, especially since most of the scenes are outside. The character designs are better than most anime in my opinion; in fact, this is the first anime I've seen where they don't put too much work into making the female lead sexy. Balsa is muscular and strong, and doesn't strip to her underpants when she fights, which is a huge accomplishment for an action anime with a female lead. Also, the animation for the fight scenes are simply superb. The characters move realistically, and the style of their fighting was given much thought when the movements were choreographed.

Plot: 8/10
The plot is realistically paced towards the beginning, although there is a couple-month time skip near the end. The beginning is more fast-paced, the middle is kind of slow but allows for a lot of character development, and the last 5-6 episodes speed up again to fit in all of the source material.

Characters: 9/10
All the characters of the anime are realistic. Unlike mainstream shonen, the characters all have their ups and downs. Also, I really liked how Chagum wasn't a stuck-up brat like most princes - rather, he was actually quite admirable. Balsa is also an interesting character, with a harsh past and a realistic goal as a spear-wielder. The reason I give it a 9/10, however, is because there are also many characters who don't get any development, such as some of the government officials.

Sound: Unrated
Unfortunately, the speakers on my laptop broke, and of course I had to lose my headphones. I can't rate the sound on this one until I rewatch it, which will probably be a couple months from now.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I really enjoyed the pacing of the series, as well as the fighting scenes. The characters were interesting, and the serious mood of the show somehow blended well with the fact that there is NO human blood in this show. That's right, I didn't observe a single drop of blood, despite the fact that the anime is very mature and has action. Remember that this is a compliment.

Overall Rating:

9.3/10

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Sorry I'm updating older posts to make them more sophisticated XD

Won't be posting more for a little while.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Its the Hunter homies!

Plot:

Hunters are people who specialize in different things, such as capturing bad guys, fighting enemies, or even going on journeys to uncover secret treasures. Gon, the main character, sets out to become a hunter just like his father, making new friends (and rivals) on the way. Along the way of their hunter career, they will encounter countless enemies and allies that both help them get stronger.

Individual Ratings:

Animation: 8/10

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 9/10

Music: 7/10

Enjoyment: 9/10


Opinions:

I have long disliked long-running series, simply because I felt that the mangaka just tacks on new ideas whenever he runs out of material to work with (plus the goddamn fillers piss me off). Also, the anime producers tend to stretch out the battles so much that the characters literally hit each other every 5 minutes.

Hunter X Hunter is probably the only long-running anime I know that doesn't have as much of a problem as these. The only thing the mangaka added afterwards was the concept of Nen, which was actually completely relevant. Some of the battle music tracks are also incredible, plus the animation is standard.


Overall Rating:

8.2/10

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon)

STOP! IF YOU HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS, TAKE THEM OUTSIDE! I know Avatar: The Last Airbender is NOT an anime; it is an American cartoon. However, it is asian-styled and has many aspects that are present in some of the greatest anime shows of all time, which is why I am deciding to review it here.


I didn't want to put in a kiddy picture and scare you away,
 so here's a dramatic representation of Aang in Avatar form.

Plot:

[This is where I quote the opening lyrics word-for-word]

Before the story begins, there was a time of peace where the Avatar kept peace between the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and Air Temples. However, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, the master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

A hundred years passed and Katara and her brother Sokka discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. Although he is a skilled at airbending, he has yet to learn the other three elements before taking on the task of stopping the fire nation.




Individual Ratings:

Animation: 7/10

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 9/10

Music: 9/10

Enjoyment: 9/10


Opinions:

If I were ever to make a top anime list, I wouldn't include this American cartoon, since it technically isn't an anime. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying it completely. I enjoyed this series so much that I rewatched it 3+ times.

There are a lot of great things about this show, so I'll start with the negatives: the animation is obviously lacking in some places. I feel like in some scenes, the animators used a relatively low framerate, resulting in characters walking awkwardly at times. However, that is pretty much the only bad thing about this show (plus, once you get into it, you don't even notice it).

Now comes the good part. The show does a great job of fitting in a more episodic structure while still having the main plot as the core of everything. The show is meant to appeal to children, which means that there will be some funny moments. However, what really stood out to me was the fluid action scenes. There aren't any ninjas just running at each other or people punching. Also, although the main character DOES have an OP power, he is still inexperienced and unable to control it. This allows for character development in terms of fighting.

Overall Rating:

8.4/10