So here I am staring at my blog and realizing how much I'm neglecting it. 4 posts in a month! I'll have to do something about that. So maybe I'll come up with a weekly format for my blog that will keep it rolling. So I thought why not do something where i feature an ED or an OP or a seiyu at least once a week and then do a review one day a week as well. I guess I'll need a schedule for that. But at least I'll be organized and have a format then. Also I seriously need to improve my reviews.
So to get myself rolling I'm going to do an ED of the week post.
This Ed is a lovely ending theme to an anime I just watched recently.... Shigofumi. Of which i will definitely have to do a review later. The song is called "Chain" by Snow. A perfect ending ballad for this anime.
Slice of Life anime have become one of my favorite forms of anime lately so I would like to take the time to review one that I enjoyed.........Tari Tari
Details can be found here...http://myanimelist.net/anime/13333/Tari_Tari
A summer 2012 , 13 episode anime.
Now the first thing I will say about this anime is that it is by P.A.Works and this studio is known for it's gorgeous scenery in it's animation. Every anime i have watched by this studio which has some of my favorite anime has been art for the eyes and this was no exception.
The basis of the story is that it is the last year of high school and Konatsu Miyamoto decides to form her own choir club after an incident in last year's choir leaves her on the sidelines. The story focuses on her and two of her friends forming the club and overcoming trials to fulfill her dream.
A touch of drama ensues as each girl overcomes something to fulfill the choir's goal. One dealing with an overbearing father who does not want his daughter to become a jockey and the other overcoming the death of her music loving mother.
Rivalry with the lead choir's sensei and a conflict with the school administration help to set the stage for a heart warming drama setting.
Takagaki Ayahi (who played Noe in True Tears) plays Wakana Sakai a girl who lost her mother and has been struggling with music ever since. And in many ways this drama arc is one of the more important and central arcs of the show . Touching a range of emotional chords in a very real way that brings out a lot of empathy for the character.
But it's the ending. the final triumphant heart warming arc that makes it worth the watch. I felt like applauding this group of kids.
The anime does have a preteen /teen air about and seems to be aimed at that audience so don't expect things to get too heavy like you'd see in a Key production but the feels are there both good and bad. Definitely a pleasant watch.
I was hoping I would be able to blog on a regular basis but I've been faltering so as part of a promise to myself to blog more, I thought I'd just blog about anything anime related.
The Anime Music Video otherwise known as AMV is something I enjoy checking out when I'm browsing around on Youtube so I thought I'd share one of these for today's post
This one involves probably my favorite Key arc of all time ..the Makoto arc from Kanon. Yeah I balled like a baby at the end of the arc. Thank you Key for all the glorious despair you've brought me.
Today I'm going to review a rather unique anime Mawaru Penguindrum
Directed by the brilliant Kunihiko Ikuhara , this was an original series that he co wrote and was produced by Brain's Base. It aired in the last half of 2011 and was a two cours anime of 24 episodes.
Details here.. http://myanimelist.net/anime/10721/Mawaru_Penguindrum
When i watched the first episode of Penguindrum I was intrigued but at the same time rather lost. That feeling of being lost never left until the final episode when everything finally came together. For me that represented how brilliant this story was. But it's not just the story that is brilliant but the visuals and symbolism used throughout the series to show the various facets and side stories that are all woven into an intricate plot.
Basically this starts out as the story of a group of siblings . But one day the youngest sister Himari dies but is miraculously saved from death by apparently a spirit residing in a magic penguin hat. The spirit however sends the two brothers (Kanba and Shoma) on a quest for the elusive penguin drum to ensure their sister's continued existence.
Now to say that is a synopsis of the story would be ridiculous. That is simply how this story begins and the rest is mind boggling comedic and dramatic at at times bizarre and somewhat cruel fun and tears
There are numerous side stories besides the brother's search for this item. All the characters are slowly brought in to play each having their own little story that is all part of the whole. At times it's confusing but it all gets resolved and that constant what the hell is going on feeling keeps this series moving.
Comic relief is provided by three penguins who mirror the three siblings. Numerous other mechanisms are used to both bring comedy into the darkness as well as show some deeper more tragic aspects of the story. It's that element of symbolism and metaphor through great visuals that makes this story so brilliant and unique.
Each of the side characters is given an interwoven back story that intricately ties into the main story. The obsessed Ringo who is determined to win over and stalk an older teacher Keiju. keiju however is in a relationship with an actress. And all three have back stories that intertwine and have enough drama to shock you and possibly at times sicken you. And then the half crazed Masako who really has it in for one of the boys Kanba .
Drama, romance, comedy, supernatural, mystery ...yeah that pretty much sums up the genre . Adjectives...let's go with funny, bizarre, tearjearking, amazing, brilliant, shocking and beautiful . This is one of those anime that is too unique to describe in terms of the average anime types out there.
The overall themes can be summed up as family or a sense of belonging to something or someone. Even the side stories have this element in them.
I really couldn't describe this anime well enough without spoiling the hell out of it because it's one of those anime that has to be seen to be felt and understood. It definitely stands out from the norm. So just watch it and you'll see what I mean. This one comes HIGHLY recommended by me as a must watch anime. This one is a wild ride.
Well 2014 has finally arrived and so I think it's time I started the new year by following through on my desire to blog. So let's get the show on the road with my first attempt at an anime review ever!!
Basically the premise of the story is about a Japanese foreign exchange student Kazuya Kujo who comes to study at a prestigious school in the fictional country of Saubure (roughly the western piedmont region of Italy) in the year 1924. The school has numerous legends and he meets the mysterious Victorique de Blois, a sheltered bibliophile with genius deductive reasoning powers who solves the mysteries around here.
Victorique is really the focus of the story as it develops. What seems to start out as a Sherlock Holmes style setting with a gothic lolita heroine equipped with fake pipe, becomes a dramatic story about Victorique's past and the nefarious plans for her. Politics, intrigue, drama, and romance abound with a splice of action.
This is a 24 episode two cours series that aired in the beginning of 2011 . Like many two cours animes, I found that the drama and story really picked up in the second half of the series. And at that point I just couldn't put it down.
It's produced by Bones so it definitely has good animation and quality including a great sound track of which I'll have more to say later. The overall series composition is done by Mari Okada who wrote 11 of the episodes as well. I mean do I have to say more..it's Mari Okada for crying out loud so expect decent drama and emotion. But I know there are critics of Okada out there and all I'll say is , this isn't her solo type stuff so those things people don't like about Okada are not present here.
Now besides the fact that we have a decent story line and some decent drama what I loved about this was the romance. the story of Kujo and Victorique is one of my favorite anime romances akin to my love of Ryuuji and Taiga in Toradora! Victorique has a spoiled tsundere atmosphere about her though the spoiled part hides the reality of her past. Kujo is loyal, kind and pure. One of the reasons I love Kujo so much is the depth of his loyalty and he grows stronger as the show progresses just as Victorique gradually grows more emotional and less cold. But it's the gradual slow development of their relationship that makes the romance perfect and desirable from the audience standpoint. And it is one of the tenderest romances I've seen in a while.
Victorique is one of my favorite anime characters ever as well. Voiced by Yuki Aoi who is a favorite seiyu of mine. This time she takes on a tsundere role in contrast to her voicing of the meek Madoka in Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika or the spoiled yet mature child Murasaki in Kure-nai. Starting out as a tsundere, the character gradually evolves into someone you grow to love and care about especially as her situation is revealed to the audience.
Now I'll interject here to point out a minor annoyance. the Japanese pronunciation of Victorique as Vic -tor-i-ke is a bit annoying as Takuya Eguchi (in his role as Kujo) spends a lot of time calling out her name. But yeah.. I'll live with it lol.
The anime is plot driven especially in the second half and very character driven among the two main protaganists. The side characters play an important part in the plot and have their roles but the main focus of the story is Kujo and Victorique.
It's difficult to give a review without spoilers because like many anime there are those moments ( you know..those moments) where an anime captures an emotion perfectly. And for me it's those moments that really make an anime and Gosick has quite a few of these.
Themewise I guess love and loyalty especially loyalty seem to be the main themes here in this anime and with Kujo and Victorique's mother these themes come through very well.. And the themes are done in both a melodramatic and in an endearing way.
As for the music.. loved the music..not a big fan of the OP but it did fit the series. I loved the ED themes of which there was two down by Lisa Konime. My favorite being the first ED theme "Resuscitated Hope" which is one of my favorite anime songs of all time.
In terms of atmosphere I love the sort of Victorian feel this anime has with it's society in industrial transition feel about it. And the old school monarchal politics of the times.
So do I recommend this anime. Absolutely! And I'll leave you with a video showing the first ED which will give you a feel for the anime. I wouldn't say the video gives spoilers so it's fairly safe to watch though it might spoil the odd scene.
Kujo x Victorique forever!!!
Thanks for reading my first review ever. feel free to comment and let me know what you think about the show or if you have any advice on how to do reviews that would be great. Arigato !
Well , I am finally going to do it. I'm going to start my own anime blog where I can do my own reviews of the anime I have seen. I'm personally very excited.!
A little about me? Who cares? It's all about the anime dude! No just kidding. I've been watching anime for about nine years on and off. Lately I've been watching a lot of anime as I refound my love of this medium. I watch many genres but am inclined to slice of life , drama, romance, fantasy stories. I do like some action but only if it has other elements present. I do not watch echhi or harem oriented shows or shounen oriented action shows.
Currently I am watching True Tears and Ef - A Tale of Melodies. And for this fall season I am watching Little Busters - Refrain, Golden Time, and Nagi no Asukara. I am following a few others but not as religiously as these three. My favorite long running anime is Fairy Tail ..which..sighs.. is on hiatus..sighs again.
My plan is to review at least one anime every week . Hopefully two or three depending on my schedule. So hopefully I can get some feedback from the world about what they think of some of the anime I review. Or you might think...god this chick's blog is boring. And that would be Ok too.
So yeah...enough with the boring welcome post. See you soon!
