Anime _MEGA's Anime Reviews

[_MEGA]

Have you reviewed any Ghibli flicks yet Mega? Those movies made up my childhood.

I have a draft of Mononke Hime and Tonari no Totoro written, just need to look it over. I was trying to get at least one shown for each letter of the alphabet first! Maybe Totoro can get into the "T" section. I'll be saving "K" for Kimi no Na wa. though! I plan on posting the Blood Lad review when I get home from work tonight, assuming I don't fall asleep.

 

[Ryo5678]

z/x ignition for the Z?

 

[_MEGA]

Black Lagoon

MAL Link

Within Thailand is Roanapur, a depraved, crime-ridden city where not even the authorities or churches are untouched by the claws of corruption. A haven for convicts and degenerates alike, the city is notorious for being the center of illegal activities and operations, often fueled by local crime syndicates.

Enter Rokurou Okajima, an average Japanese businessman who has been living a dull and monotonous life, when he finally gets his chance for a change of pace with a delivery trip to Southeast Asia. His business trip swiftly goes downhill as Rokurou is captured by a mercenary group operating in Roanapur, called Black Lagoon. The group plans to use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations which ultimately failed. Now abandoned and betrayed by his former employer, Rokurou decides to join Black Lagoon. In order to survive, he must quickly adapt to his new environment and prepare himself for the bloodshed and tribulation to come.

A non-stop, high-octane thriller, Black Lagoon delves into the depths of human morality and virtue. Witness Rokurou struggling to keep his values and philosophies intact as he slowly transforms from businessman to ruthless mercenary.

Source: MAL

That's right, no longer are we in Japan for this show. We're in Thailand! Black Lagoon follows Rokurou who is on business in Thailand. Once he gets caught up with Lagoon Company, his entire world changes.

I thought this show was great all around, but the characters and even art/animation really stood out to me. Starting with art/animation, it's actually very dark. Needless to say, a show about mercenaries probably should. I felt that a lot of the heavy and intense scenes regarding smuggling, gun fights, etc were dark when they needed to be. And some more relaxing scenes, such as those at the bar, were lighter in comparison. I felt it really helped the viewer with some down time between the action. Or at least until the bar delved into chaos.

As for the characters, the members of the Lagoon Company are the ones I want to highlight. Well, mainly Revy and Rock (Rokurou). These two characters are just polar opposites of each other. But, kind of like Penny and Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, they work so well together. Revy is highly aggressive and competitive and is a fan of using force to get her way, while Rock is a fan of more diplomatic solutions. Over time, these two have to learn to deal with each other and start to recognize the other as family within the Lagoon Company.

If you do watch this, keep in mind this show is actually 10 years old now. So there is a very large difference in animation then and now with all of the recent changes in style, cgi, advancements, etc. Nevertheless, I still think the show is great and even within its time it is one of the best to me.

8/10

 

[_MEGA]

C?

MAL Link

From the light novel series written by Minase Hazuki, comes a story of love, action, and comedy. Yachi Haruaki is a high school boy who is naturally resistant to curses. After his father sends him a mysterious black cube, Haruaki awakes to find a nude girl named Fear standing in his kitchen. She’s the human form of the cursed black cube – and an instrument of torture! Utilizing her special abilities, Fear fights alongside Haruaki to defeat other cursed instruments and their owners.

Source: MAL

Don't worry if you're confused by the synopsis. I was too. Actually, most of this show made little to no sense. Once they explained what these cursed instruments are and who characters were, that's pretty much the entire show. The plot is sort of all over the place and I just felt like it was missing some interest to keep me hooked episode to episode.

Characters aren't much to write home about. The main group are all passable I suppose, but the antagonist are just really annoying and obnoxious. There's one that literally curses, in English mind you, every other word. I guess to show she's mean and aggressive, but it was just way too much. Only thing interesting about some of the characters were the details on their curses. However, only thing I did enjoy were the two opening sequences/dances (more in the first). They sort of separated the two parts of the story portrayed in the show and I thought they did a nice job with them. Almost like two sides of the same coin.

Not much else to say about this show. Kind of just there. Has some rather interesting supernatural elements, such as curses/instruments, but not really a lot of substance to the show. If anything, there is one important take away: Fear never looked so cute.

4/10

 

[Samurai_TwoSeven]

Since the live action is coming up, how about Ghost in the Shell, arguably one of the best sci-fi anime movies to have come out in the last 30 years

 

[_MEGA]

Since the live action is coming up, how about Ghost in the Shell, arguably one of the best sci-fi anime movies to have come out in the last 30 years

That sounds like a fun idea. I'll probably give it a rewatch just to make sure it's as accurate as possible. I also think the tv series was done very well. But I would have to agree the movie is truly one of the greats out there.

 

[_MEGA]

Elfen Lied

MAL Link

Lucy is a special breed of human referred to as "Diclonius," born with a short pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands that lands her as a victim of inhumane scientific experimentation by the government. However, once circumstances present her an opportunity to escape, Lucy, corrupted by the confinement and torture, unleashes a torrent of bloodshed as she escapes her captors.

During her breakout, she receives a crippling head injury that leaves her with a split personality: someone with the mentality of a harmless child possessing limited speech capacity. In this state of instability, she stumbles upon two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take an injured fugitive into their care, unaware of her murderous tendencies. This act of kindness will change their lives, as they soon find themselves dragged into the shadowy world of government secrecy and conspiracy.

Source: MAL

Elfen Lied is a very interesting show. This show is definitely well known enough that people who haven't seen it know what it's about. That is why it's so interesting. This show has violence, some mild nudity, vengeance, and romance?! With a combination like this, it really seems like it would turn a lot of people away. While I'm sure it does, there are those who looking for this show specifically after hearing about.

Elfen Lied tells the story of Lucy, a innocent, yet deranged, girl. Originally living as an orphan, this is when Lucy first awoken her powers in a sense. Years later, after some government experimentation, Lucy found some freedom. It is here that the story begins and a huge series events involving Lucy and the government unfold. The show progressed rather well and the characters became rather well developed, all with their own baggage. However, I felt that the ending to the show was rather weak and it didn't seem to match everything else that was going on. Almost as if it was a bit forced.

Story aside, the show isn't bad, but it's not great either. Sitting at a modest 6.5/10, slightly above average for most shows. I would rank it higher, but the ending, as I mentioned, was rather lackluster. Also, the other main issue I had while Elfen Lied was the presence of... erotic scenes. I don't mind them here and there as long as they have value to a specific scene or the story as a whole. But for some, it just felt like they were added because they could.

6.5/10

 

[_MEGA]

Gokukoku no Brynhildr

MAL Link

Ten years ago, Ryouta Murakami set out with his best friend Kuroneko to find proof of alien life. A tragic accident occurred, killing Kuroneko and injuring Ryouta. In honor of Kuroneko's memory, Ryouta now searches the night sky for alien signs, determined to prove that his friend had been right, and that aliens really do exist.

Then one day, a new transfer student comes to his class and shatters everything he believes: her name is Kuroha Neko, and she looks exactly like the deceased Kuroneko. Kuroha denies being Ryouta's friend, but there’s something strange about her. She somehow aced a difficult test to transfer in, but doesn't know her multiplication tables. She possesses inhuman strength and strange abilities. And strangest of all, she predicts death.

After Kuroha displays supernatural strength in saving his life, Ryouta becomes a part of Kuroha's life, learning about her past and the hidden forces that exist in the universe. As he sinks more and more into a world of artificially created witches and magic, Ryouta must allow his scientific mind to accept that Kuroha has a very real power - the kind of power some forces will stop at nothing to get a hold of.

Source: MAL

Figured I might as well toss up one for Lynn Okamoto's other work. And yes, it's pretty obvious it's also by Okamoto. Brynhildr's premise is actually unsettling similar to Elfen Lied, except with more girls. I guess an easy way to describe Brynhildr is Elfen Lied but more "haremized". The story, at first, seemed like a nice sweet separated and reunited trope and I may have really enjoyed that. But everything that followed after Kuroha and Ryouta meeting again just went from odd to odder.

Similar to Kuroha's power, the other girls that appeared also had powers of their own. Some can see the future, others are expert hackers, someone can just destroy the world. The motivation for genetically altering the girls to have these powers is pretty generic in this type of show. It's to actually destroy someone or something that is incredibly powerful. Except, the anime never really got into too much detail on who or what that is other than aliens.

Watching the show will explain it in more detail, but the harness each girl wore was an interesting idea, but I felt it was poorly executed. There was potential to add so much more to it, but it came up rather underwhelming for me. I think part of this review's score is on my fault, but I came into this expecting something more like Elfen Lied, but it just seemed a bit silly at times.

As a side note, I don't normally mention things like art/music unless it really stands out to me in a good/bad way. This time is a bit different as it is a group I enjoy listening to: Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas. They performed the opening songs and, while they were at least appropriate for the context of the anime, those songs alone were pretty great. The BGM and part of the OST I listened to was a bit sub par. I don't think it captured the dark element of the show enough in its music.

4/10

 

[Snipeye]

That's a good anime. Not for those with a weak stomach however. Makes me think of Stranger Things now....

 

[_MEGA]

That's a good anime. Not for those with a weak stomach however. Makes me think of Stranger Things now....

Not sure if you're talking about Elfen Lied or Brynhildr, but I think it would actually apply to either. I actually just finished the brynhildr manga the other day, kind of disappointed to find out where the anime went unfaithful. It didn't really change the story that much (mainly something about Hatsuna), but still a shame I guess. I think it's just I liked that particular part more the way the manga had it lol

 

[Sexy Beast]

Elfen Lied reminds me just how much my tastes have changed since High School. I tried watching it again about a year ago and couldn't make it more than a few episodes in.

 

[Simon]

Great Black Lagoon review, thanks for doing it! I totally agree, although I feel that the art style actually aged fairly well overall. It has a unique feel to it.

Looking forward to more reviews Interested to see your Ghost in the Shell one, if you do it!

 

[_MEGA]

Elfen Lied reminds me just how much my tastes have changed since High School. I tried watching it again about a year ago and couldn't make it more than a few episodes in.

I know exactly what you mean. I've gone back and rewatched shows I used to love in high school and it's really something. While I can still enjoy some shows purely for entertainment (which is never wrong!), it's amazing how average everything seems now. I'm sure even with your movie thread as you kept going it just gets easier to tell the difference between bad, average, and good.

Great Black Lagoon review, thanks for doing it! I totally agree, although I feel that the art style actually aged fairly well overall. It has a unique feel to it.

Looking forward to more reviews Interested to see your Ghost in the Shell one, if you do it!

Thanks! I do want to write a Ghost in the Shell review, but I was thinking of waiting until I rewatch it near the end of the year with some friends. All in hype for the movie coming out. Although previous anime adaptations have been sub par, I do have some faith this one will be done well. It is Hollywood after all!

 

[Snipeye]

Not sure if you're talking about Elfen Lied or Brynhildr, but I think it would actually apply to either. I actually just finished the brynhildr manga the other day, kind of disappointed to find out where the anime went unfaithful. It didn't really change the story that much (mainly something about Hatsuna), but still a shame I guess. I think it's just I liked that particular part more the way the manga had it lol

Was referring to Brynhildr, but it does work for both.There's another anime that made me sick to my stomach as it depicted cannibalism for a bunch of high schoolers whose bus fell off a cliff. Among many other stomach-sickening moments.

 

[_MEGA]

Was referring to Brynhildr, but it does work for both.There's another anime that made me sick to my stomach as it depicted cannibalism for a bunch of high schoolers whose bus fell off a cliff. Among many other stomach-sickening moments.

Grisaia no Kajitsu. That's part of Amane's route in the visual novel: Heaven's Feel. I was actually rather pleased with how they adapted it in the anime, even though it was a bit intense :facewall:

 

[_MEGA]

Joukamachi no Dandelion

MAL Link

The Sakurada siblings live a normal life in a typical Japanese household. Well, that's what their father, the king, wants for them at least. As members of the royal family, each sibling possesses a unique ability, and over two thousand security cameras have been placed around town to make sure the children are safe and sound. Moreover, all nine of them have been designated as a potential successor to the throne with the decision that the next ruler will be selected through an election.

However, for the timid Akane Sakurada, the third eldest daughter who wields the power to manipulate gravity, all of this attention is a complete nightmare. With all the cameras constantly monitoring the candidates and even broadcasting their actions on the Sakurada-dedicated news channel, she decides that if she becomes king, the cameras have got to go. But just how will she convince the public that she is the most suited to rule if she can't even overcome her own shyness?! Election season is in full swing as the search for the next king begins in Joukamachi no Dandelion.

Source: MAL

Joukamachi no Dandelion is a cute little show that is actually based on a 4 panel manga series. Although mainly told through the view point of Akane, the various stories focuses on each member of the Sakurada family, both siblings and parents. This is actually something I really enjoyed about the show, because you often don't get to see the backstory of supporting characters (the parents in this case). There are even some connections between their backstory and the current stories of some of their children.

Moving on from the backstories, I found most of the characters cute and charming, each with their own reasons for wanting to become the next king/queen. Some, of course, had better reasons than others. Honestly, other than the short stories each episode and the characters, there is not much to talk about. Just an average slice of life show. The summary does a pretty good job summing up everything else. If you're bored looking for something to pass time, definitely check it out. If not, you're not really missing out on much.

5/10

 

[ZER0C00L]

Elfen Lied reminds me just how much my tastes have changed since High School. I tried watching it again about a year ago and couldn't make it more than a few episodes in.

Saaame. I tried watching Elfen Lied a couple months ago and it just wasn't the same. But edgy preteen me thought it was crazy

 

[vitopsp]

what do you think of Inuyasha?

 

[_MEGA]

what do you think of Inuyasha?

Inuyasha was enjoyable. Wasn't great, but wasn't bad either. Been a while since I've seen it though with no intention of rewatching it or other scenes unless I write a full review on it. One thing I did like, and this is just something I like in general, is the setting. I tend to like stories that take place in a more "historical" setting if that makes sense. For example I really liked the setting of Magi was it, to me, has this "old world" feel. Or Shuumatsu no Izetta because of the alternate WWII setting.

I think though next couple reviews I have lined up are some movies, would have to check what I put on my laptop. I know I have Tonari no Totoro for Samurai, another Gibli film, and then to Haiban Renmei. With the holidays though, not sure when I'll actually write them out. Hopefully soon?. Then I'll go back to a randomized letter and randomized anime with that.

 

[_MEGA]

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai

MAL Link

Keima Katsuragi, known online as the legendary "God of Conquest," can conquer any girl's heart—in dating sim games, at least. In reality, he opts for the two-dimensional world of gaming over real life because he is an unhealthily obsessed otaku of galge games (a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive girls).

When he arrogantly accepts an anonymous offer to prove his supremacy at dating sim games, Keima is misled into aiding a na?ve and impish demon from hell named Elucia "Elsie" de Lute Ima with her mission: retrieving runaway evil spirits who have escaped from hell and scattered themselves throughout the human world. Keima discovers that the only way to capture these spirits is to conquer what he hates the most: the unpredictable hearts of three-dimensional girls! Shackled to Elsie via a deadly collar, Keima now has his title of "God of Conquest" put to the ultimate test as he is forced to navigate through the hearts of a multitude of real-life girls.

Source: MAL

I feel that almost everyone who watches this anime can relate to the main character, Keima, in some way. It could be his nerdy, his love of games, or even just trying to escape his everyday life. Even if we all do various things to pass time and/or escape, albeit not as extreme, Keima just feels like a down-to-earth character. It feels weird to say that when he's always sucked into his dating sims though....

This is where I get a bit jealous. Keima's expertise of the dating sim world actually comes in handy. And of course, there are demons from hell involved. As these runaway spirits find the emptiness in a girl's heart, they take hold and can only be removed by falling in love!

Although this show is tagged as a harem, for obvious reasons, it's not really in the same category as other harem anime like Fruits Basket, Grisaia series, Da Capo series, and so on. It's more like Amagami SS in the sense every heroine gets her own story. But yet, it's still different from Amagami SS in that time does not "reset" in any way. Time continues to move but Keima and every heroine still is uninterrupted by the events of the previous heroine. That is because after a girl's "conquest" has been completed, and the runaway spirit is captured, they forget their memories regarding those events. Although it may seem a bit off, I felt it was executed well.

Going off of the execution of the plot progression, every new heroine still felt unique. They all had their own personalities and traits that differed enough to provide some diversity in how the show portrayed their stories. I feel that when a show uses this type of set up, one where each character receives their own arc, it goes one of two ways. It does well such as in this show and Kanon (2006 version, 2002 fell a bit short), or it flops like Yosuga no Sora. I find it's a great opportunity for the characters to grow and develop and, because the story is continuous and does not "start over", continue maturing with the rest of the characters.

I think I sort of goofed a bit on the explanation but hopefully it made sense. If not, let me know and I'll try to clear it up.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for a nice light comedy with a pinch of romance and cute demon girls from hell, check this out.

7/10