Rate the last anime you watched out of 10
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IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
It's less of a case of not being able to pay the price than not wanting to pay the price 
Animefreak17
Godhand
I'm in love with the fate zero series...... type moon has a grand feel to them
black1blade
Thousand Master
The nasuverse is my fav fictional universe. The kara no kyoukai films are the best type moon adaptations. They have the best animation, music and arguably story (it is the only fully adapted type moon work sans zero but zero is dependant on stay night where as kara no kyoukai stands alone- kinda). Truly the best thing about the nasuverse is how the stories are pretty unrelated but they feed into each other in very subtle ways. The flashback eps in zero where my fav because it had so many tsukihime and KNK references. I know £60 seems like a lot it is really worth it and it's definitely a series you can watch multiple times (on my 4th watch in less than a year!). The tsukihime VN is on youtube btw.
Animefreak17
Godhand
Zakuro
Pretty decent... episode 11 was fantastic I wish they explored it more
8/10
Pretty decent... episode 11 was fantastic I wish they explored it more
8/10
qaiz
Pokémon Master
Romeo no Aoi Sora: Review (TV Series, 33 Episodes, 1995)
As with all of the other World Masterpiece Theater series, Romeo is based off of a novel, this one being Die schwarzen Brüder (The Black Brothers) which is a reference to the soot covered bodies that they wear, and is considered to be one of the most popular children’s books in Germany. Published in 1941, it tells the story of poor families that were forced to sell their children, usually young boys who were then sent off to sweep chimneys in the middle of the 19th century. It’s a journey that most kids never return from, with many hardships being faced along the way. It’s a fascinating, sad story that pulls you in and never lets you go, forever making you wonder what happened to the hundreds of kids that went out to sweep chimneys.
In school as a kid, it was common to learn about chimney sweeps and the things people had to go through back then, and although it always seemed to be dangerous, I have to admit that after watching this series, my respect for what they had to go through is undeniable and I’ve no doubt come to realize fully how incredibly dangerous this was and how lucky I am to be living in the world that we live in now, and without a doubt their acts paved the way for future generations in securing the safety of children. The series itself doesn’t delve too deep into the sweeping itself but instead uses it as a catalyst that brings together a bunch of children that forge an unbreakable friendship. The series however has inspired me to read up on these events more, to become more aware of our history and I feel that in this instance, the series has done its job.
From the very first instance that I laid my eyes on this series, I instantly fell in love with it, and sure enough 33 episodes later and Romeo not only struck a chord in my heart, but has become a series that I will forever treasure. Entertainment is good, and this series entertained no doubt, but the delight that I received from knowing of the lessons kids and the younger audience would learn from this series is invaluable and is without a doubt the greatest joy to come out of my almost two decades of anime viewing. From the beautiful animation to the lovely character designs, all backed by a wonderful soundtrack and voice cast, Romeo is both visually and audibly mesmerizing.
Yoshiharu Sato is the man who is responsible for the character designs here, and he did a great job in making them both charming and lovable, which works in juxtaposition to the often bleak story that inhabits this series, because what at first glance seems to be a happy, child friendly story goes into places that others daren’t go. From child slavery to general violence towards young children and poverty stricken families, it’s a show that’s had me crying both tears of sadness and of happiness many times throughout its duration. Each kid looks distinct and memorable, even the characters that don’t really do much, you remember them all though this journey, and that matters a lot in a show like this. The memories are priceless.
I don’t want to spoil this beautiful series, so without going into too much detail, the main character of this series is an 11 year old boy named Romeo who belongs to a close-knit family which has been affected by the drought. Day in, day out they work hard in order to earn what little money they can in order to survive. As the episodes go by you learn of a mysterious man who goes by the name the ‘God of Death’, a man who buys children off of poor families and sells them on for profit where they live the life of a chimney sweeper. Romeos father doesn’t give in to the man’s demands, but the God of Death doesn’t play by rules and sets fire to the only bit of field Remo’s father owns causing them more despair. With his father’s illness worsening, Romeo sells himself in order to help his father and sets off with the violent man to Milan where he hopes to one day return to his family, and his home. It’s fair to say that he meets many fiends along the way, and his life is never the same again, as he ventures off to become an adult.
Romeo’s Blue Skies never pulls any of its punches as it had me both crying and smiling in a way that most shows never do. It’s earnest and true to itself and tells its beautiful story with tact. The juxtaposition of the beautiful art style, cheery characters, bright colors and grim story creates a series that is an instant favorite of mine.
The soundtrack is great in Romeo, and as far as I am aware was done by Sadayosh Fujino. It does a brilliant job of juggling the funny, comic moments with the more serious. The theme song, composed by Taku Iwasaki is equally beautiful. On the subject of audio, the voice acting is top notch here and the innocence of the children is perfectly captured. The kid’s actually sound like kids, with fleeting dreams, and optimism for a tomorrow that may never come. What surprised me with the voice acting, and is a fact that I didn’t know until after I had finished was the fact that the two main characters are actually voiced by females, I actually never would have guessed!
Apparently this show supposed to be around 50 episodes but was cut down to 33 due to poor viewings, and I think herein lies the very unfortunate issue. You see, Romeo is too bleak and dramatic for the younger audience, and yet may come across as too childish for the more mature audience. This, to me is unfortunate. I hope that people are able to put precautions like that aside when looking at a show like this, or any of World Masterpiece series for that matter. These are beautiful series that deserve to be seen. Neither childish nor grownup they tread this beautiful path that lies in-between the two, which made me not only feel the fleeting emotions that I once felt as a child, but also managed to add the emotional punch that in the end hit the perfect balance. I felt invested in the story, I cared for the characters; I wanted them to be happy. Maybe I’m gushing here, maybe I’m melodramatic, but is that a crime? To speak passionately about something that I care so much about? Is a show that is aimed at a younger audience exempt from such feelings? I laughed while watching this show, and I cried hard. It was a beautiful journey that I’m glad that I got to experience, and a show that has without a doubt opened my eyes up to the genre and the World Masterpiece Theatre series and this is a path that I without a doubt want to delve deeper into. I love anime, and I love all sorts of series, from the very serious to the very silly, and I’m always in the mood for either. Romeo was a breath of fresh air for me, a show with a different pace and different tone. It’s melodramatic and over the top at times, and you know what? That’s fine.
The show contains many clichés, many convinces, but the characters are great and it just pulls you in and never let’s go. The end is amazing, but no doubt you can see that it’s rushed and certain character develop suddenly at the end that at the time felt natural, given everything concluding but looking back seem a bit convenient, and some characters that I love with all my heart never get a conclusion or are never seen again, and that truly breaks my heart. Having said that, I think the ending was still satisfying and had a huge emotional impact on me and I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.
In the end, I love this series but did try to be fair, acknowledging its flaws and weak points. It is something that I will recommend to everybody, but I do fear that people may look at it and turn up their nose, feeling too big for it. Hopefully that’s not the case. It has parts that could have been strengthened, but that’s fine, because as a complete package from start to finish I had an amazing time with it. It’s a story about being optimistic, fighting as hard as you can, for both yourself and for your friends. A story that expresses the importance of both friendship and education, and how no matter what obstacles lay in front of you, fight on, hand in hand with your friends as you pave a better future. Life will always throw you a curve, and at times you'll resent everybody around you, but you have to keep your chin up and move forward, to not let your struggles be in vain, and to most importantly never let go of your dreams. Life is cruel, but it doesn't have to be as long as you have your friends by your side.
Romeo no Aoi Sora (Romeo's Blue Skies) is a 1995 Nippon Animation production that was directed by Kouzou Kusuba (Alps Stories: My Annette). This 33 episode TV series is a beautiful slice of life drama that is packed with historical facts, beautiful animation, great characters and an amazing soundtrack that together makes for a beautiful production that is a delight to watch and to be a part of. A member of the World Masterpiece Theater, home to series such as Anne of Green Gables and Heidi, Girl of the Alps (both of which were directed by Isao Takahata), Romeo is one of the last in this long lineage of amazing series that dates all the way back to the 1970’s, with veterans such as the masterful Takahata and Miyazaki being at the helm of a few, but even so Romeo fits in with the rest of them with ease as a remarkable animation in its own right that tackles themes often not seen in the medium with both delicacy and care. It’s a show that from beginning until the end had me hooked as it pulled me deeper into its world that is brimming with life, sorrow and happiness. Friendships are forged, and friendships are interrupted by the raging seas known as life, as people both come and go, at the mercy of fate and the cruel cards that they’ve been dealt, but no matter what happens, tomorrow will always be there, waiting for them to grow up and become adults and better people.
As with all of the other World Masterpiece Theater series, Romeo is based off of a novel, this one being Die schwarzen Brüder (The Black Brothers) which is a reference to the soot covered bodies that they wear, and is considered to be one of the most popular children’s books in Germany. Published in 1941, it tells the story of poor families that were forced to sell their children, usually young boys who were then sent off to sweep chimneys in the middle of the 19th century. It’s a journey that most kids never return from, with many hardships being faced along the way. It’s a fascinating, sad story that pulls you in and never lets you go, forever making you wonder what happened to the hundreds of kids that went out to sweep chimneys.
In school as a kid, it was common to learn about chimney sweeps and the things people had to go through back then, and although it always seemed to be dangerous, I have to admit that after watching this series, my respect for what they had to go through is undeniable and I’ve no doubt come to realize fully how incredibly dangerous this was and how lucky I am to be living in the world that we live in now, and without a doubt their acts paved the way for future generations in securing the safety of children. The series itself doesn’t delve too deep into the sweeping itself but instead uses it as a catalyst that brings together a bunch of children that forge an unbreakable friendship. The series however has inspired me to read up on these events more, to become more aware of our history and I feel that in this instance, the series has done its job.
From the very first instance that I laid my eyes on this series, I instantly fell in love with it, and sure enough 33 episodes later and Romeo not only struck a chord in my heart, but has become a series that I will forever treasure. Entertainment is good, and this series entertained no doubt, but the delight that I received from knowing of the lessons kids and the younger audience would learn from this series is invaluable and is without a doubt the greatest joy to come out of my almost two decades of anime viewing. From the beautiful animation to the lovely character designs, all backed by a wonderful soundtrack and voice cast, Romeo is both visually and audibly mesmerizing.
Yoshiharu Sato is the man who is responsible for the character designs here, and he did a great job in making them both charming and lovable, which works in juxtaposition to the often bleak story that inhabits this series, because what at first glance seems to be a happy, child friendly story goes into places that others daren’t go. From child slavery to general violence towards young children and poverty stricken families, it’s a show that’s had me crying both tears of sadness and of happiness many times throughout its duration. Each kid looks distinct and memorable, even the characters that don’t really do much, you remember them all though this journey, and that matters a lot in a show like this. The memories are priceless.
I don’t want to spoil this beautiful series, so without going into too much detail, the main character of this series is an 11 year old boy named Romeo who belongs to a close-knit family which has been affected by the drought. Day in, day out they work hard in order to earn what little money they can in order to survive. As the episodes go by you learn of a mysterious man who goes by the name the ‘God of Death’, a man who buys children off of poor families and sells them on for profit where they live the life of a chimney sweeper. Romeos father doesn’t give in to the man’s demands, but the God of Death doesn’t play by rules and sets fire to the only bit of field Remo’s father owns causing them more despair. With his father’s illness worsening, Romeo sells himself in order to help his father and sets off with the violent man to Milan where he hopes to one day return to his family, and his home. It’s fair to say that he meets many fiends along the way, and his life is never the same again, as he ventures off to become an adult.
Romeo’s Blue Skies never pulls any of its punches as it had me both crying and smiling in a way that most shows never do. It’s earnest and true to itself and tells its beautiful story with tact. The juxtaposition of the beautiful art style, cheery characters, bright colors and grim story creates a series that is an instant favorite of mine.
The soundtrack is great in Romeo, and as far as I am aware was done by Sadayosh Fujino. It does a brilliant job of juggling the funny, comic moments with the more serious. The theme song, composed by Taku Iwasaki is equally beautiful. On the subject of audio, the voice acting is top notch here and the innocence of the children is perfectly captured. The kid’s actually sound like kids, with fleeting dreams, and optimism for a tomorrow that may never come. What surprised me with the voice acting, and is a fact that I didn’t know until after I had finished was the fact that the two main characters are actually voiced by females, I actually never would have guessed!
Apparently this show supposed to be around 50 episodes but was cut down to 33 due to poor viewings, and I think herein lies the very unfortunate issue. You see, Romeo is too bleak and dramatic for the younger audience, and yet may come across as too childish for the more mature audience. This, to me is unfortunate. I hope that people are able to put precautions like that aside when looking at a show like this, or any of World Masterpiece series for that matter. These are beautiful series that deserve to be seen. Neither childish nor grownup they tread this beautiful path that lies in-between the two, which made me not only feel the fleeting emotions that I once felt as a child, but also managed to add the emotional punch that in the end hit the perfect balance. I felt invested in the story, I cared for the characters; I wanted them to be happy. Maybe I’m gushing here, maybe I’m melodramatic, but is that a crime? To speak passionately about something that I care so much about? Is a show that is aimed at a younger audience exempt from such feelings? I laughed while watching this show, and I cried hard. It was a beautiful journey that I’m glad that I got to experience, and a show that has without a doubt opened my eyes up to the genre and the World Masterpiece Theatre series and this is a path that I without a doubt want to delve deeper into. I love anime, and I love all sorts of series, from the very serious to the very silly, and I’m always in the mood for either. Romeo was a breath of fresh air for me, a show with a different pace and different tone. It’s melodramatic and over the top at times, and you know what? That’s fine.
The show contains many clichés, many convinces, but the characters are great and it just pulls you in and never let’s go. The end is amazing, but no doubt you can see that it’s rushed and certain character develop suddenly at the end that at the time felt natural, given everything concluding but looking back seem a bit convenient, and some characters that I love with all my heart never get a conclusion or are never seen again, and that truly breaks my heart. Having said that, I think the ending was still satisfying and had a huge emotional impact on me and I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.
In the end, I love this series but did try to be fair, acknowledging its flaws and weak points. It is something that I will recommend to everybody, but I do fear that people may look at it and turn up their nose, feeling too big for it. Hopefully that’s not the case. It has parts that could have been strengthened, but that’s fine, because as a complete package from start to finish I had an amazing time with it. It’s a story about being optimistic, fighting as hard as you can, for both yourself and for your friends. A story that expresses the importance of both friendship and education, and how no matter what obstacles lay in front of you, fight on, hand in hand with your friends as you pave a better future. Life will always throw you a curve, and at times you'll resent everybody around you, but you have to keep your chin up and move forward, to not let your struggles be in vain, and to most importantly never let go of your dreams. Life is cruel, but it doesn't have to be as long as you have your friends by your side.
Animefreak17
Godhand
Frezzing..... fan service
8/10
8/10
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
animefreak17 said:
The best review I could hope for
Lutga
Mad Scientist
On a bit of a roll through some good stuff at the moment:
Kids On The Slope - 8.5 / 10
At its heart, you could argue its 'just another romance triangle', and it certainly shares a lot of its DNA with similar shows like Your Lie In April and Waiting In The Summer, but succeeds simply through its peerless execution. It's just so well directed, perfectly paced and gorgeous to look at. And yes, the soundtrack really rocks. It feels a lot more positive for the most part than similar shows too.
The Fruit of Grisaia - 8 / 10
For the most part, a competent, but incredibly pretty harem show. What makes this stand out so much is it 'goes there' when other series never would. In places, probably one of the most mentally scaring anime I've seen, there's some properly gruesome, brutal stuff on offer. The final arc of the first season is jaw-droppingly stunning too, three self-contained episodes that are basically the anime version of Lord of the Flies. Worth watching for those eps alone.
Death Parade - 8.5 / 10
Such a strong premise, the first episode just shoots out of the gates with the kind of Death Note-esque 'this is how this is going to work' set of rules that grip you from the off. It then uses that as a playbook to work some brilliant moral grey areas in. For me though, the heart of this show was the dynamic between the Dark Haired Woman and Decim - she was played to perfection and when you come to see just how her arc plays out, it's done brilliantly. It's so nice to see a 'mature' anime for a change too, where the majority of the cast are all adults.
The Flowers of Evil - 8.5 / 10
Oh man, this is properly grim. It's like every worst-case-scenario of high school bullying and teen angst bundled into one, plus a strongly executed romance thrown into the mix too. If you can get past the weird rotoscoped look (which actually works in its favour in terms of creepiness), then this show is a masterful case study on just how f***ked up school life can get in terms of power dynamics.
(part of me does wish there was a super moe-fied looking version of this show too, just for a point of comparison)
Kids On The Slope - 8.5 / 10
At its heart, you could argue its 'just another romance triangle', and it certainly shares a lot of its DNA with similar shows like Your Lie In April and Waiting In The Summer, but succeeds simply through its peerless execution. It's just so well directed, perfectly paced and gorgeous to look at. And yes, the soundtrack really rocks. It feels a lot more positive for the most part than similar shows too.
The Fruit of Grisaia - 8 / 10
For the most part, a competent, but incredibly pretty harem show. What makes this stand out so much is it 'goes there' when other series never would. In places, probably one of the most mentally scaring anime I've seen, there's some properly gruesome, brutal stuff on offer. The final arc of the first season is jaw-droppingly stunning too, three self-contained episodes that are basically the anime version of Lord of the Flies. Worth watching for those eps alone.
Death Parade - 8.5 / 10
Such a strong premise, the first episode just shoots out of the gates with the kind of Death Note-esque 'this is how this is going to work' set of rules that grip you from the off. It then uses that as a playbook to work some brilliant moral grey areas in. For me though, the heart of this show was the dynamic between the Dark Haired Woman and Decim - she was played to perfection and when you come to see just how her arc plays out, it's done brilliantly. It's so nice to see a 'mature' anime for a change too, where the majority of the cast are all adults.
The Flowers of Evil - 8.5 / 10
Oh man, this is properly grim. It's like every worst-case-scenario of high school bullying and teen angst bundled into one, plus a strongly executed romance thrown into the mix too. If you can get past the weird rotoscoped look (which actually works in its favour in terms of creepiness), then this show is a masterful case study on just how f***ked up school life can get in terms of power dynamics.
(part of me does wish there was a super moe-fied looking version of this show too, just for a point of comparison)
qaiz
Pokémon Master
Aku no Hana is one of the greatest anime in recent memory, an instant favorite of mine. From the audio to the visuals, pure masterclass. Containing an episode that features a 6 minute stretch of pure, interrupted silence, just a phenomenal series all around.
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Winkuru
Adventurer
Tiger&Bunny Beginning
This one felt like an American show right from the bat and i'm not saying it just because it was a super hero movie/show. I was actually pretty surprised that the studio hadn't worked for DC because i think it really looked like DC's animated films.
But anyways. I actually really liked this one. You have to accept **** that come with the super hero genre but they managed to keep the annoying things at minimum at least in this "movie" (it's actually more like a directors cut of the first two episodes and not a movie)
So yeah. Enjoyable action, nice visual,likable cast and solid but not ambitious story but like i said it was only a extended version of the first two episodes of the show so it was understandable that it didn't feel like complete package due to that.
Really looking forward watching the actual show but sadly that's not probably going to happen anytime soon because i'm not buying the really expensive packs and there is not other source to get it from at the moment.
This one felt like an American show right from the bat and i'm not saying it just because it was a super hero movie/show. I was actually pretty surprised that the studio hadn't worked for DC because i think it really looked like DC's animated films.
But anyways. I actually really liked this one. You have to accept **** that come with the super hero genre but they managed to keep the annoying things at minimum at least in this "movie" (it's actually more like a directors cut of the first two episodes and not a movie)
So yeah. Enjoyable action, nice visual,likable cast and solid but not ambitious story but like i said it was only a extended version of the first two episodes of the show so it was understandable that it didn't feel like complete package due to that.
Really looking forward watching the actual show but sadly that's not probably going to happen anytime soon because i'm not buying the really expensive packs and there is not other source to get it from at the moment.
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Non Non Byori-9/10
I don't have a lot to say about this one, so I'll keep it short. This show is well animated, cute and really quite funny. Like Kiniro Mosaic, it just makes you feel happy from start to finish and is just a really genuine and relaxing show. Looking forward to Season 2!
Now if it follows Kiniro Mosaic in the fact that Season 2 pushes the Yuri ship further, it will be golden.
I don't have a lot to say about this one, so I'll keep it short. This show is well animated, cute and really quite funny. Like Kiniro Mosaic, it just makes you feel happy from start to finish and is just a really genuine and relaxing show. Looking forward to Season 2!
Now if it follows Kiniro Mosaic in the fact that Season 2 pushes the Yuri ship further, it will be golden.
black1blade
Thousand Master
Mitchiko and hatchin. 8/10, really good episodic show. The ending wasn't too satisfying but I think it would have defeated the point if it was.