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Reviews~
First impressions~
Anime-related thoughts~
Favorite anime:
1. Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)
2. Mushishi
3. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
4. Yuri!!! on Ice
5. Space Brothers
- Created By KyraChan
Elfen Lied Review
Plot Summary
Lucy has been locked up for most of her life for one simple reason - she is a human subspecies called a diclonious. Diclonious are known for their horns on their head and their dangerous ability to use invisible arms called vectors to destroy virtually anything One night she escapes, killing many soldiers along the way, and, after getting injured in her head, falls into the ocean. She gets discovered by two cousins with her memory lost and with the ability to only say one word, "Nyuu".
Story
The story has a lot of plot conveniences and few pointless side-stories, which does bring it down. For the most part, nothing in the plot has anything to make up for these faults.
However, it has a powerhouse ending, made purely to make the watcher emotional, which it does pretty well. It wraps itself nicely, leaving the watcher satisfied.
6.8
Characters
It does give some good development to the characters, leaving almost every character memorable and likeable to some degree. Because of the powerhouse ending, you find a deep emotional connection to some of the characters, making them ones you may never forget.
8.2
Animation
There is almost nothing to say about the animation. It wasn't horrible, it did its job, but there wasn't anything memorable about it whatsoever.
5.1
Music
Most of the music is not noteworthy and forgettable. However, the opening is absolutely beautiful and renowned as one of the most recognizable melodies within the otaku community. It is so great that the song itself has a part in the actual anime, bringing it to the forefront of all the emotional moments. The ending, however, I felt was out of place and not only was skippable, but skipping it would have been preferable.
6.5
Overall
Before I say anything else, let it be known that this anime is very violent and has nudity in it. If you do not wish to see those things, I recommend you skip it altogether.
That aside, despite a weak plot and unremarkable music and animation, the sheer amount of emotion makes it one I definitely recommend to anyone.
Gibbous
6.6
Other
I daresay that overall, Lilium may be my favorite anime songs.
Dangan Ronpa: The Animation Review
Plot Summary
Makoto Naegi considers himself extremely lucky when he is accepted the highly renowned Hope's Peak Academy - only to discover, along with fourteen other students, that behind the walls of the Academy is something much more sinister. Now they are all trapped inside with only one way to get out - to kill another student without getting caught.
Story
The story is a little bit of a double-edged sword. The mystery of who did what and why happens every couple of episodes, and, while they are quite entertaining, they do get to become a little repetitive after a while.
About halfway they do start to focus on the mystery behind the academy itself, however, it isn't completely focused on until the final couple of episodes. The sad part is that, though, I find the final two episodes to be the weakest. The explanations are a little confusing and the execution was almost sloppy.
7.5
Characters
They do a good job of making a lot of characters relatable and likeable. I find that I really do like a good chunk of the characters.
However, there isn't a lot of backstory to the characters, and when there is, I feel like not a lot of emotion was put into it, making more developed characters seem hollow and less developed characters the more relatable ones.
6.7
Animation
The animation is beautiful. No doubt about it. The character designs stand out and make all the characters recognizable and add to their character.
But I must specifically mention a couple of things. First off, they really integrated the whole "based off a video game" thing. It almost felt I actually was playing the game, which, in this case, was a plus.
The second thing was the execution scenes. Every one of them was incredible - however, I found some of them to be more haunting than others. Still, each carries a certain type of frightening beauty that I haven't seen in any other anime.
The only thing to complain about was the pink-purple blood. Though it does add character to the anime - really? It was a little hard to invest yourself when every time you saw blood it pulled you back to reality.
8.3
Music
The background music, while not exactly taking away from the anime, didn't really add much, either. They did their job of adding to the atmosphere, but didn't stand out at all, except for one pretty decent track.
However, both the opening and endings songs are incredible, and ones I could listen to repeatedly and not get tired of them.
7.2
Overall
Dangan Ronpa has its good and bad points, but in the end, it's a pretty good watch. It has an entertaining plot, incredible animation, and an amazing opening and ending.
Half Moon
7.48
Other
Side note: All spoiler text in this section is now official spoilers (so no reading if you haven't seen it yet)
...Pink blood... really?
...am I the only one who's, like, obsessed with Monokuma? I freakin' love that bear. He's so sinister, and at the same time, he's a freakin' teddy. He's the type of character you'd hug, then back away slowly as you realize your life is very much in danger. Also, his final words are totally haunting... something along the lines of "I am not a toy" as he stands up... OH MY GOODNESS I'M GETTING SHIVERS
Leon's execution is my favorite. It's just so... horrifyingly and beautifully haunting... *shivers again*
My favorite characters are Sakura, Yasuhiro and Yamada. I like the weird ones, okay?
*ahem* Pon pon pon poooonnnn~ A body has been found.
Top 10 Openings
Honorable Mention - Guns & Roses (Baccano!)
I freakin' love jazz, so when this swingin' tune comes in while showcasing all the characters, not only does it serve as an exciting opening but as a great way to keep all your characters straight in this amazing anime.
Honorable Mention - My Soul, Your Beats! (Angel Beats)
This opening sports both beautiful animation and an incredible song. It seems like the absolutely perfect song to wake up to, and it matches the anime itself very well. Like another reviewer had said, it feels heavenly - getting ready for the beauty of the anime itself.
10 - No Matter How I Look At It, It's Your Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! (Watamote)
Ignoring its extremely long title, what's amazing about this opening is how it combines the spirit of Watamote with a lot of grunge, and if you didn't know something about me, it's that I love grunge. It's like J-Screamo, and I absolutely love it.
9 - Hero's Come Back (Naruto Shippuden OP 1)
I really hope I don't regret putting this here... this opening and the opening in 8th place have been fighting each other up until the very end.
Okay, I love this song sooo much it's ridiculous. It might be the song on this list I could listen to most. Catchy as heck, with a low, grunge rap-ish part... how could you not love this song? However, with it's somewhat less-than-thrilling visuals, it pulls this place lower on the list.
Hello, guilty pleasure anime. Beginning with a mysterious, lilting tone and then blowing into full rock, its lyrics, visuals, and music all adds to the intense yet calm feeling of the anime. Plus showcasing its hot guys in multiple different ways reminds me of the real reason I love this anime.
7 - One Reason (Deadman Wonderland)
Hardcore rock, man! (I love rock, have you noticed?) This probably has the song with the best full version out of any other on this list, and fits the anime to a tee. However, like with Hero's Come Back, the visuals don't quite meet the excitement of the song, thus pulling it down further on the list.
6 - Paper Moon (Soul Eater OP 2)
I'm not going to lie. I love the first opening. It's super catchy, and I sing it along with my best friend all the time. But this one... it adds more depth and adds a more serious tone to the anime. It's closer to my heart, and I'd probably listen to this one more than the first one. Plus the lyrics are amazing, and when you add some pretty good visuals it brings this opening to a happily placed number 6.
5 - Monochrome no Kiss (Kuroshitsuji OP 1)
Just a little side note, one thing I hate about some openings is when they try to shove a showcase for all the characters. Not this opening. Throughout the entire thing, only two characters are shown - Ciel and Sebastian.
In all honesty, this shows everything that I love about Kuroshitsuji - a Victorian style not only in its visuals but in its music, a type of dark, romantic feel, not to mention it's surprisingly catchy.
4 - In My World (Ao No Exorcist OP 2)
(Opening has been edited slightly by poster)
Though the song isn't my favorite on this list, its visuals are incredible. I think more thought has been put in this opening than in any other on this list. It's a great way to get hyped for this anime and yes, the song is really good, too.
3 - 19sai (xxxHolic)
This opening has some of the slower visuals on this list, but it's still incredible and manages to suck you in. It's not the visuals, though - it's the song. I absolutely love this song, probably the most out of any on this list. It's impossible to listen to this song without singing - I'm trying to type, chew gum, and sing to it right now (it's not working out). It's lyrics to, though not necessarily having much to do with the anime, are amazing. The song, it's... it's just so much fun. And catchy. Yeah...
2 - The World (Death Note OP 1)
It's a simple equation. Amazing song + Amazing visuals = Amazing opening. This opening perfectly showcases the intense awesomeness without being too in-your-face *cough*SecondOpening*cough* The beauty in the visuals is undeniable, and the song is exciting with lyrics that fit the anime greatly. (Confession: I once tried to memorize the English lyrics to this opening.) And that's why this opening deserves a number 2 spot.
1 - Now and Then, Here and There (")
Now, I know what you're thinking - "How can an opening with no lyrics and little animation make #1 spot?" One word - hype. Out of all the openings, this one never manages to get me hyped for an episode and still does get me super hyped to watch it. With an opening song that sounds like an opening song to Macgyver (ever notice that?), of course it would be exciting. Plus, it gives you time to relax and think about the anime itself, instead of shoving your face full of visuals that do nothing to expand the anime.
2013 Year-End Posts
As the year begins to come to a close, some posts will be made within the next couple days in regards to 2013 and how it turned out. I'm expecting these posts to become an annual thing, so expect more things like it next year. They are:
Top 10 Openings
Every year I will do a sort of "Novelty Top 10", having a wide range of possibilities of what it could be. This year is Top 10 Openings (of all time)
Top 10 Anime
You may have seen my "Top 5 Anime" list at the introduction of this world, but here's where I will add 5 (making 10) and explain why I love these anime so much.
2013 Lunar Awards
My awards for the anime that came out in 2013, which includes everything from "Best Anime" to "Hottest Boy"
2013 Lookback
Where I look back at 2013 not only in regards to theOtaku but in parts of my personal life, too.
Hope to see you guys there!
Hell Girl (Jijoku Shoujo) Review
Plot Summary
There's a website called "Hell Correspondence" that only people with deep contempt for another person can reach, and then only at midnight. They are then given a doll by the Hell Girl with a string around its neck. If they pull the string, they seal contract that the person they hate will immediately be taken to hell - but there's a catch. Once their own life is up, they, too, will be taken to hell.
Story
The plot to Hell Girl is very formulaic, which both works for and against it. Some of the episodes glue you to your seat through terror, contempt, or sometimes just out of curiosity of what will happen next. However, there are episodes that feel slow and boring. There is a well-done side plot that explores Enma Ai (the Hell Girl) and whether it's right to send people to hell or not. Overall, I'd say it was pretty good.
8.2
Characters
There is some good character development with reoccuring characters, but some don't get any.
And obviously some pretty good one-episode characters.
8
Animation
They don't really have too much stand-out moments, but for the most part the animation is pretty solid.
7.1
Music
With an upbeat, beautifully animated opening and a soft, lilting ending, the non-background music is incredible.
As for the background tracks... They were pretty amazing, and I would be lying if I said I never listened to it outside of the anime. Its only flaw is that it is repeated often, so you may grow tired of it if you watch many consecutive episodes in a row.
9.2
Overall
Great music, a solid plot and some good character development, I'd definitely recommend Hell Girl.
Gibbous
8.58
Other
There are some absolutely despicable people in that anime...ugh.
