Rate the last anime you watched out of 10
- Thread starter Aion
- Start date
The Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas 8/10
The basic premice is pretty wacky, A young girl gets a gargoyle guardian from the local witch/oddities seller, which she in fact does not want. The gargoyle (gar-kun) stands guard at her door, zapping anyone who comes past. throw in robots, more gargoyles, flamboyant thieves, mind controlled girls, and crazy living plants, and you have a right set of madness!
Strangely, this show does not quite go for the jugular in comedy - it is pretty damn funny, but it does have its softer side, usually related to its quirkyness mind you, but all the same it isn't a complete one trick pony. The characters are likable, and the plots, though not really adding up to much, do give a few laughs. Nothing special, but making a story out the life of an imobile gargoyle is pretty clever all on its own!
The basic premice is pretty wacky, A young girl gets a gargoyle guardian from the local witch/oddities seller, which she in fact does not want. The gargoyle (gar-kun) stands guard at her door, zapping anyone who comes past. throw in robots, more gargoyles, flamboyant thieves, mind controlled girls, and crazy living plants, and you have a right set of madness!
Strangely, this show does not quite go for the jugular in comedy - it is pretty damn funny, but it does have its softer side, usually related to its quirkyness mind you, but all the same it isn't a complete one trick pony. The characters are likable, and the plots, though not really adding up to much, do give a few laughs. Nothing special, but making a story out the life of an imobile gargoyle is pretty clever all on its own!
fabio de lunatico
Claymore
Vampire Princess Miyu OVA - 6/10
A four-episode OVA from the late 1980s, Vampire Princess Miyu is a horror anime about a young vampire girl (duh) who, for reasons that are never properly explained, is impervious to sunlight, crosses, garlic, and all the other stuff that's supposed to turn vampires to dust. It's a show that is highly regarded by fans and critics, but it failed to captivate me.
The good? Well, it's certainly atmospheric, elegant, decently animated, and I love that late 1980s design aesthetic. The problem is that the slow-paced stories are never as interesting as their premise suggests they might be. It's not particularly scary, or even unsettling, though the same could be said for every "horror" anime I've ever watched. A decent show, then, and perhaps worth a re-watch at some point.
A four-episode OVA from the late 1980s, Vampire Princess Miyu is a horror anime about a young vampire girl (duh) who, for reasons that are never properly explained, is impervious to sunlight, crosses, garlic, and all the other stuff that's supposed to turn vampires to dust. It's a show that is highly regarded by fans and critics, but it failed to captivate me.
The good? Well, it's certainly atmospheric, elegant, decently animated, and I love that late 1980s design aesthetic. The problem is that the slow-paced stories are never as interesting as their premise suggests they might be. It's not particularly scary, or even unsettling, though the same could be said for every "horror" anime I've ever watched. A decent show, then, and perhaps worth a re-watch at some point.
Dokuro-chan - 7/10
Meh. It was alright. Nothing great or anything, though. Was quite easy to watch but a bit tiresome towards the end (good job the episodes are short and there is only 8!). Characters were well designed and funny. I'm not really into this kind of "random stupid funny" genre, so I didn't like it as much as I.. "should of"? Anyway, not much more to say..
Meh. It was alright. Nothing great or anything, though. Was quite easy to watch but a bit tiresome towards the end (good job the episodes are short and there is only 8!). Characters were well designed and funny. I'm not really into this kind of "random stupid funny" genre, so I didn't like it as much as I.. "should of"? Anyway, not much more to say..
ilmaestro
State Alchemist
Chevalier - 9/10
This series has just about everything going for it. Great visuals, really exciting action sequences, nice OP, some good voice work (especially Durand), intriguing story. Definitely recommended. Particularly good use of established historical "characters" like the Comte de Saint-Germain and Robespierre (although, after reading about him, the use of d'Éon is arguably the best of all), and of course France around the time of the revolution is well established as a great setting for a story.
A couple of spoilery bits:
Glad I wasn't paying too much attention to the OP, gives away Teillagory's traitorousness! Although I guess to some extent it was always hinted at, and I was very glad that they went back to the initial story of the Duc d'Orléans and the French Revolution in general.
Robin's turn into arguably the most important character of the story was brilliant, well earned through the narrative and another example of the beautiful use of the historical aspects of the series.
This series has just about everything going for it. Great visuals, really exciting action sequences, nice OP, some good voice work (especially Durand), intriguing story. Definitely recommended. Particularly good use of established historical "characters" like the Comte de Saint-Germain and Robespierre (although, after reading about him, the use of d'Éon is arguably the best of all), and of course France around the time of the revolution is well established as a great setting for a story.
A couple of spoilery bits:
Glad I wasn't paying too much attention to the OP, gives away Teillagory's traitorousness! Although I guess to some extent it was always hinted at, and I was very glad that they went back to the initial story of the Duc d'Orléans and the French Revolution in general.
Robin's turn into arguably the most important character of the story was brilliant, well earned through the narrative and another example of the beautiful use of the historical aspects of the series.
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Voddas
Symphogear
SO MANY SPOILERS *eyes start to bleed*
Sworg of a Stranger 8/10
I was told to watch this movie a couple of weeks back and glad I did. Wasn't the best story ever and here were a few loose ends that weren't answered but... there was a lot more going for it. Characters are well designed and the art work is refreshing in some scenes taking a different style on scenery and view points. This also applies to the fight scenes, I loved them. They didn't consume the story (not Afro like) either.
If you like your samurai animes, then this is a definate one to watch.
Sworg of a Stranger 8/10
I was told to watch this movie a couple of weeks back and glad I did. Wasn't the best story ever and here were a few loose ends that weren't answered but... there was a lot more going for it. Characters are well designed and the art work is refreshing in some scenes taking a different style on scenery and view points. This also applies to the fight scenes, I loved them. They didn't consume the story (not Afro like) either.
If you like your samurai animes, then this is a definate one to watch.
Aion
Time-Traveller
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (6 episodes): 7/10
Like I assumed it would be before watching, it was too silly for my tastes. And, as well as being daft, a lot of the story wasn't explained very well and left me confused. Here's an example of some of my questions:
Why can a ship/crystals turn into carrot eating furballs? Why can Tenchi use special powers that allowed him to beat Kagato? Why was Ryoko able to fight against Kagato after he'd been able to control her with ease in the previous episode? Why was Yoshio happy to have Ryoko, whom he'd sealed 100's of years ago, living with his grandson? WHY!!!???
The ladies that made up the harem were far from original -- one 'virgin' type; an older, more sexually open type; a complete airhead who has no clue what's going on most of the time and a loli -- and I didn't find myself caring for any of them very much. And as for Tenchi, he's your standard issue plain harem lead with limited likeability.
It was a decent series but far from a classic. It was enjoyable to watch but also very easy to forget.
Barefoot Gen: 9/10
A line from Apocalypse Now kept creeping into my head whilst I watched this - "The horror, the horror..."
Barefoot Gen more than lived up to my expectations. I'd read before watching that it's very similar to Grave of the Fireflies, it being story about children trying to survive during World War 2, and they are indeed worthy of being spoken of in the same breath. There aren't many films, live-action or animated, that have the sort of impact these films do on viewers.
Barefoot Gen is a story told from the viewpoint of a child, the story being about the Hiroshima bombing. Instead of rushing into the bombing, time was spent showing the viewer Gen's (Gen is the main character) family and how they struggled to survive with little to no food. Gen spent a lot time with his younger brother during the early section, trying to find food for their pregnant mother and, basically, acting like kids do. This early pre-bombing section was good because it allowed viewers to become emotionally attached to the family and made them want the familty to survive.
And then, suddenly, the atomic bomb hits and, in graphic detail, you see people falling apart and getting burnt alive. Eye sockets fall out, skin melts...it wasn't easy to watch. Gen then rushed back to home to find his father, brother and sister all stuck under their house, which had collapsed due to the blast. After Gen and his mother couldn't lift what their family was stuck under, Gen had to pull his mother away from their family in order to save themselves due to the fire spreading, but Gen first made a teary-eyed promise with his father - his father made him make a non-verbal promise that he'd protect his mother and the child growing inside her.
It continued like that until the end. It was realistic to the point of being painful to watch. Animation or not, it was hard not to see what was happening as real. Barefoot Gen was based on the real life story of the author, so it'd be wrong to view as "just a silly cartoon" because of the lack of real actors, but it's rare for animation to have that sort of impact on me.
There were a few things I wasn't impressed with, such as the semi-annoying voice actor of Gen, how easily Gen's brother was allowed to be replaced by someone who looked like him and how well Gen and his mother handled losing their loved ones, but the good outweighed the bad. It was a wonderful film, and I highly recommend it to handle anyone with interest in the more realistic side of anime.
Barefoot Gen 2: 7.5/10
Barefoot Gen 2 continues the story 3 years after the end of the first film. Japan has started to return to normal but there are still problems like starvation and people being homeless. The bombing resulted in a lot of kids having their entire families killed and that obviously meant there were a lot of kids living on the street, unable to even get education because people need to pay to go to school in Japan. The story in this film focuses on a group of kids Gen befriends and shows how, even after the bombings had stopped, Japan was still far from repaired.
In all honesty, there didn't need to be a sequel made. The first film covered everything important and only the left the aftermath, which was never going to be as powerful as what came before, to be shown. The film had potential but a lot of the potentially interesting aspects, such as how people with burns from the atomic bomb were treated like monsters, were never looked into too deeply. Although I didn't feel the film was bad, I felt it wasn't made with the same amount of effort as the first and, quite simply, the story was weaker due to it not having to cover anything as horrific as what was shown in the first film.
A decent sequel, and a very nice DVD extra (both Barefoot films are on the same disc), but not worthy of a high rating.
Like I assumed it would be before watching, it was too silly for my tastes. And, as well as being daft, a lot of the story wasn't explained very well and left me confused. Here's an example of some of my questions:
Why can a ship/crystals turn into carrot eating furballs? Why can Tenchi use special powers that allowed him to beat Kagato? Why was Ryoko able to fight against Kagato after he'd been able to control her with ease in the previous episode? Why was Yoshio happy to have Ryoko, whom he'd sealed 100's of years ago, living with his grandson? WHY!!!???
The ladies that made up the harem were far from original -- one 'virgin' type; an older, more sexually open type; a complete airhead who has no clue what's going on most of the time and a loli -- and I didn't find myself caring for any of them very much. And as for Tenchi, he's your standard issue plain harem lead with limited likeability.
It was a decent series but far from a classic. It was enjoyable to watch but also very easy to forget.
Barefoot Gen: 9/10
A line from Apocalypse Now kept creeping into my head whilst I watched this - "The horror, the horror..."
Barefoot Gen more than lived up to my expectations. I'd read before watching that it's very similar to Grave of the Fireflies, it being story about children trying to survive during World War 2, and they are indeed worthy of being spoken of in the same breath. There aren't many films, live-action or animated, that have the sort of impact these films do on viewers.
Barefoot Gen is a story told from the viewpoint of a child, the story being about the Hiroshima bombing. Instead of rushing into the bombing, time was spent showing the viewer Gen's (Gen is the main character) family and how they struggled to survive with little to no food. Gen spent a lot time with his younger brother during the early section, trying to find food for their pregnant mother and, basically, acting like kids do. This early pre-bombing section was good because it allowed viewers to become emotionally attached to the family and made them want the familty to survive.
And then, suddenly, the atomic bomb hits and, in graphic detail, you see people falling apart and getting burnt alive. Eye sockets fall out, skin melts...it wasn't easy to watch. Gen then rushed back to home to find his father, brother and sister all stuck under their house, which had collapsed due to the blast. After Gen and his mother couldn't lift what their family was stuck under, Gen had to pull his mother away from their family in order to save themselves due to the fire spreading, but Gen first made a teary-eyed promise with his father - his father made him make a non-verbal promise that he'd protect his mother and the child growing inside her.
It continued like that until the end. It was realistic to the point of being painful to watch. Animation or not, it was hard not to see what was happening as real. Barefoot Gen was based on the real life story of the author, so it'd be wrong to view as "just a silly cartoon" because of the lack of real actors, but it's rare for animation to have that sort of impact on me.
There were a few things I wasn't impressed with, such as the semi-annoying voice actor of Gen, how easily Gen's brother was allowed to be replaced by someone who looked like him and how well Gen and his mother handled losing their loved ones, but the good outweighed the bad. It was a wonderful film, and I highly recommend it to handle anyone with interest in the more realistic side of anime.
Barefoot Gen 2: 7.5/10
Barefoot Gen 2 continues the story 3 years after the end of the first film. Japan has started to return to normal but there are still problems like starvation and people being homeless. The bombing resulted in a lot of kids having their entire families killed and that obviously meant there were a lot of kids living on the street, unable to even get education because people need to pay to go to school in Japan. The story in this film focuses on a group of kids Gen befriends and shows how, even after the bombings had stopped, Japan was still far from repaired.
In all honesty, there didn't need to be a sequel made. The first film covered everything important and only the left the aftermath, which was never going to be as powerful as what came before, to be shown. The film had potential but a lot of the potentially interesting aspects, such as how people with burns from the atomic bomb were treated like monsters, were never looked into too deeply. Although I didn't feel the film was bad, I felt it wasn't made with the same amount of effort as the first and, quite simply, the story was weaker due to it not having to cover anything as horrific as what was shown in the first film.
A decent sequel, and a very nice DVD extra (both Barefoot films are on the same disc), but not worthy of a high rating.
chaos
The Boss
Pricey... but they are well worth.Aion said:
As for getting over their loss, I remembered about a post about a death in the gaijin smash blog that reports something similar.
Shintoist believes that the deceased can enlight themselves to became some sort of family Kami (god). Showing how you hurt for the loss can either slow this process down or in extreme cases, make the deceased become some sort of ghost.
It's not that it doesn't hurt, it's just that you won't show.
fabio de lunatico
Claymore
Toward the Terra - 7/10
I finally got around to watching the final two volumes this week, having waiting a month for them to be delivered.
So humanity has fled an earth ravaged by war and pollution and ventured out into space so they can **** up other planets as well. But the Powers That Be considered that possibility and established a Brave New World-esque totalitarian system to regulate human life and weed out evolved humans called Mu, who are swifty eliminated. They have psychic powers, see, and are viewed as a thread to society. Protagonist Jomy is a particularly powerful Mu and ends up in a big old spaceship with all the other Mu and is soon in charge. Humanity still wants them dead, though, so relentlessly pursues them through space blah blah blah
Despite its unoriginal premise and overly familar themes, this is a show that started and ended well. Unfortunately it drags in the middle, where not much of interest happened. What I like is that two leads receieve some interesting character development, even though neither was particularly likeable, and that the show does not shy away from depiciting death. This is war, after all. Overall it's a well-told story with no misplaced fanservice or "comedy", and which has a lot to say about discrimination, war, and having faith in humanity -- scummy and retarded as we are.
But the show's reliance on inner monologues and too much melodrama betrays the age of the source material and its original audience, and that made me enjoy it less than I might have. It's definitely a cut above most shounen anime, though, and is well worth watching (but perhaps not owning).
I finally got around to watching the final two volumes this week, having waiting a month for them to be delivered.
So humanity has fled an earth ravaged by war and pollution and ventured out into space so they can **** up other planets as well. But the Powers That Be considered that possibility and established a Brave New World-esque totalitarian system to regulate human life and weed out evolved humans called Mu, who are swifty eliminated. They have psychic powers, see, and are viewed as a thread to society. Protagonist Jomy is a particularly powerful Mu and ends up in a big old spaceship with all the other Mu and is soon in charge. Humanity still wants them dead, though, so relentlessly pursues them through space blah blah blah
Despite its unoriginal premise and overly familar themes, this is a show that started and ended well. Unfortunately it drags in the middle, where not much of interest happened. What I like is that two leads receieve some interesting character development, even though neither was particularly likeable, and that the show does not shy away from depiciting death. This is war, after all. Overall it's a well-told story with no misplaced fanservice or "comedy", and which has a lot to say about discrimination, war, and having faith in humanity -- scummy and retarded as we are.
But the show's reliance on inner monologues and too much melodrama betrays the age of the source material and its original audience, and that made me enjoy it less than I might have. It's definitely a cut above most shounen anime, though, and is well worth watching (but perhaps not owning).
Aion
Time-Traveller
Ah! My Goddess: Sorezore no Tsubasa
This review is for the continuation of the Ah! My Goddess (AMG) TV series, Sorezore no Tsubasa. It can be be watched without watching the previous series but it's probably best not to because all the major character introductions were handled in the first series.
AMG is your standard romantic comedy (rom-com), complete with a rather pathetic male lead and a huge amount of large breasted females around him. It has its quirks, such as supernatural elements in the way of Goddesses and demons, as well as some robots, but the main focus is on the comedy side, with the supernatural stuff often used as a means of getting more laughs out of viewers.
Keiichi, the pathetic male lead mentioned above, lives with no less than three Goddesses: Belldandy, a doormat who has no evil in her heart and would do anything for Keiichi; Urd, Belldandy's half Goddess, half demon big sister who likes wearing revealing clothes and attempting to push the lead couple closer together and Skuld, Belldandy's younger sister who wants all of her big sister to herself and is an expert at building machines. The four different personalites work well together, with Urd being my favourite by far because she comes across as the most real character and has had the most development in AMG to date.
A few weeks after finishing the first season (S1), I typed up a very short review. I commenting that, although the plot didn't really advance after the start, instead going around in a seemingly endless circle, people would walk away glad that AMG is a 'circular' series because it's so heart-warming and charming.
After finishing season 2 (S2), I'm starting to think I was incorrect. The fact that the relationship between Keiichi and Belldandy didn't advance beyond them 'sort of' confessing their love for each other wasn't a bothersome issue in S1 because it dealt with the start of the story, including the introduction of all the key characters. It also ended fairly strongly for the start of a lengthy rom-com saga, with the last few episodes being about Belldandy stopping the Lord of Terror from destroying the world.
In S2, however, there was only the introduction of mostly unimportant characters to draw the viewers attention away from Keiichi and Belldandy 's relationship. And there was no Lord of Terror type of story this time around to the end the series purposefully. Apart from one or two episodes that continued on from where the previous episode ended, the entire series was episodic. Even the final episode that aired on TV (22) was random, with little to no build-up. Even though I'm not doubting that all the content included in the series was taken from the manga, it wouldn't be unfair to label most of what was included as filler designed to stretch the story beyond reasonable limits. The manga is still on-going after something like 20 years, and I read that Keiichi and Belldandy STILL haven't kissed even in the manga, so I'm sure it'll only get worse in the future TV series. I'm hoping not but I can't see any way for the story to have lasted for 20 volumes without 90% of the chapters not adding anything constructive.
Watching S2 actually made me start to dislike both Keiichi and Belldandy. Keiichi's a complete loser, lacking any backbone, and his inability to even openly admit his love for Belldandy after living in the same house for over a year made him look really, really pathetic. It's normal for the lead character in a rom-com to be like that but the endless length of AMG makes it much more of an annoyance. And as for Belldandy, her carefree and 'love everyone, no matter what' attitude became bothersome as the series went on. You'd expect a woman to get a little sexually frustrated with a guy who can't even bring himself to kiss her, despite his obvious feelings, yet she seems more than happy to go her entire life without so much as kissing...unless cooking gives her orgasmic pleasure, which isn't out of the question going on how much she cares about what Keiichi thinks of it, her passive personality is as fake as you can get -- it'd only work well in an erotic game.
The only episodes I truly enjoyed, aside from a few that made me laugh, such as the one involving the plum spirit singing about how he loved Urd, were those that attempted to add character development, and those were few and far between. There was one episode near the start that presented Tamiya, the comical senior who bosses around wimpy Keiichi, as a real person who could fall in love, and there were another two that attempted to develop Skuld, the kid Goddess who wants Belldandy (her 'big sister') all to herself, into a more mature character by bringing a young male into the picture...but that was it really in terms of character development. Near enough everything else could be discarded without it damaging the series.
Another issue I have is how the supernatural (the Goddess and demon stuff) was handled. I'm well aware that, first and foremost, AMG is a rom-com and that the viewer isn't supposed to take anything seriously. However, I can't deny that it bugged me how Urd, a Goddess and one of Keiichi's harem, casually revealed her mother to be the leader of demon kind, and the same goes for seeing the leader of demon kind become just another member of Keiichi's harem. Goddesses are supposed to stop demon kind from doing demonic stuff, yet the three Goddesses at Keiichi's house see no problem with talking to them and being friendly... Shouldn't they attack demons on sight; not befriend them? It's all a bit too silly, even for a rom-com.
As for the visual and sound side, AMG (both seasons) is the most visually pleasing rom-com anime I've seen. The range of colours used is impressive, the art is very consistent, the anmation is good when it needs to be and the computer graphics blend well. The new music used in S2 isn't as good as the music from S1 but that isn't a big issue when S1 music gets used as well. In short, there are no problems.
Even though I've spent a lot of time complaining in the above paragraphs, I did actually enjoy watching it quite a bit. Not as much as S1 but that's to be expected -- after all, the start is always stronger than the middle, and stories usually only ever come close to matching the start near the end. It was very easy to watch because of its episodic nature and, despite a few characters coming across as fake, AMG isn't short of likeable characters. I rate S1 8-9/10, giving it 8/10 on MAL, and I rate S2 7-8/10, also giving it 8/10 on MAL. If I could I'd rate S1 8.5/10 and S2 7.5/10, but MAL doesn't allow me to give 0.5 ratings and makes it look like I view the two series as equal in terms of quality.
If there's to be a third season I hope Sayako, the posh chick and 'queen' of Keiichi's college, appears more. She only appeared during the early episodes of S2, which is a shame when she was probably my favourite character in S1. I also hope Megumi, Keiichi's tomboy of a younger sister, appears for more than a few seconds in any future AMG offerings. I can understand why most of the S1 supporting cast didn't get much time in S2 - they'd already had their own episodes in S1 - but they are far better characters than the likes of Peroth; the Goddess who acts like a hooker (I got the impression she only 'helps' humans sexually). I'd hate to see more poor characters thrown in and less time being given to the more likeable characters.
Anyway, enough. I rate the series 7.5/10 and, despite its flaws, hope a third season will be created. If there's still no progress after that then I'll consider dropping everything AMG, but until then I'll stay interested in seeing more of Belldandy.
Rating: 7.5/10
This review is for the continuation of the Ah! My Goddess (AMG) TV series, Sorezore no Tsubasa. It can be be watched without watching the previous series but it's probably best not to because all the major character introductions were handled in the first series.
AMG is your standard romantic comedy (rom-com), complete with a rather pathetic male lead and a huge amount of large breasted females around him. It has its quirks, such as supernatural elements in the way of Goddesses and demons, as well as some robots, but the main focus is on the comedy side, with the supernatural stuff often used as a means of getting more laughs out of viewers.
Keiichi, the pathetic male lead mentioned above, lives with no less than three Goddesses: Belldandy, a doormat who has no evil in her heart and would do anything for Keiichi; Urd, Belldandy's half Goddess, half demon big sister who likes wearing revealing clothes and attempting to push the lead couple closer together and Skuld, Belldandy's younger sister who wants all of her big sister to herself and is an expert at building machines. The four different personalites work well together, with Urd being my favourite by far because she comes across as the most real character and has had the most development in AMG to date.
A few weeks after finishing the first season (S1), I typed up a very short review. I commenting that, although the plot didn't really advance after the start, instead going around in a seemingly endless circle, people would walk away glad that AMG is a 'circular' series because it's so heart-warming and charming.
After finishing season 2 (S2), I'm starting to think I was incorrect. The fact that the relationship between Keiichi and Belldandy didn't advance beyond them 'sort of' confessing their love for each other wasn't a bothersome issue in S1 because it dealt with the start of the story, including the introduction of all the key characters. It also ended fairly strongly for the start of a lengthy rom-com saga, with the last few episodes being about Belldandy stopping the Lord of Terror from destroying the world.
In S2, however, there was only the introduction of mostly unimportant characters to draw the viewers attention away from Keiichi and Belldandy 's relationship. And there was no Lord of Terror type of story this time around to the end the series purposefully. Apart from one or two episodes that continued on from where the previous episode ended, the entire series was episodic. Even the final episode that aired on TV (22) was random, with little to no build-up. Even though I'm not doubting that all the content included in the series was taken from the manga, it wouldn't be unfair to label most of what was included as filler designed to stretch the story beyond reasonable limits. The manga is still on-going after something like 20 years, and I read that Keiichi and Belldandy STILL haven't kissed even in the manga, so I'm sure it'll only get worse in the future TV series. I'm hoping not but I can't see any way for the story to have lasted for 20 volumes without 90% of the chapters not adding anything constructive.
Watching S2 actually made me start to dislike both Keiichi and Belldandy. Keiichi's a complete loser, lacking any backbone, and his inability to even openly admit his love for Belldandy after living in the same house for over a year made him look really, really pathetic. It's normal for the lead character in a rom-com to be like that but the endless length of AMG makes it much more of an annoyance. And as for Belldandy, her carefree and 'love everyone, no matter what' attitude became bothersome as the series went on. You'd expect a woman to get a little sexually frustrated with a guy who can't even bring himself to kiss her, despite his obvious feelings, yet she seems more than happy to go her entire life without so much as kissing...unless cooking gives her orgasmic pleasure, which isn't out of the question going on how much she cares about what Keiichi thinks of it, her passive personality is as fake as you can get -- it'd only work well in an erotic game.
The only episodes I truly enjoyed, aside from a few that made me laugh, such as the one involving the plum spirit singing about how he loved Urd, were those that attempted to add character development, and those were few and far between. There was one episode near the start that presented Tamiya, the comical senior who bosses around wimpy Keiichi, as a real person who could fall in love, and there were another two that attempted to develop Skuld, the kid Goddess who wants Belldandy (her 'big sister') all to herself, into a more mature character by bringing a young male into the picture...but that was it really in terms of character development. Near enough everything else could be discarded without it damaging the series.
Another issue I have is how the supernatural (the Goddess and demon stuff) was handled. I'm well aware that, first and foremost, AMG is a rom-com and that the viewer isn't supposed to take anything seriously. However, I can't deny that it bugged me how Urd, a Goddess and one of Keiichi's harem, casually revealed her mother to be the leader of demon kind, and the same goes for seeing the leader of demon kind become just another member of Keiichi's harem. Goddesses are supposed to stop demon kind from doing demonic stuff, yet the three Goddesses at Keiichi's house see no problem with talking to them and being friendly... Shouldn't they attack demons on sight; not befriend them? It's all a bit too silly, even for a rom-com.
As for the visual and sound side, AMG (both seasons) is the most visually pleasing rom-com anime I've seen. The range of colours used is impressive, the art is very consistent, the anmation is good when it needs to be and the computer graphics blend well. The new music used in S2 isn't as good as the music from S1 but that isn't a big issue when S1 music gets used as well. In short, there are no problems.
Even though I've spent a lot of time complaining in the above paragraphs, I did actually enjoy watching it quite a bit. Not as much as S1 but that's to be expected -- after all, the start is always stronger than the middle, and stories usually only ever come close to matching the start near the end. It was very easy to watch because of its episodic nature and, despite a few characters coming across as fake, AMG isn't short of likeable characters. I rate S1 8-9/10, giving it 8/10 on MAL, and I rate S2 7-8/10, also giving it 8/10 on MAL. If I could I'd rate S1 8.5/10 and S2 7.5/10, but MAL doesn't allow me to give 0.5 ratings and makes it look like I view the two series as equal in terms of quality.
If there's to be a third season I hope Sayako, the posh chick and 'queen' of Keiichi's college, appears more. She only appeared during the early episodes of S2, which is a shame when she was probably my favourite character in S1. I also hope Megumi, Keiichi's tomboy of a younger sister, appears for more than a few seconds in any future AMG offerings. I can understand why most of the S1 supporting cast didn't get much time in S2 - they'd already had their own episodes in S1 - but they are far better characters than the likes of Peroth; the Goddess who acts like a hooker (I got the impression she only 'helps' humans sexually). I'd hate to see more poor characters thrown in and less time being given to the more likeable characters.
Anyway, enough. I rate the series 7.5/10 and, despite its flaws, hope a third season will be created. If there's still no progress after that then I'll consider dropping everything AMG, but until then I'll stay interested in seeing more of Belldandy.
Rating: 7.5/10
miscs said:
I'm not surprised you couldn't get into it before, watching the episodes in that way - it's confusing enough as it is!
Have you watched just the first series so far? Do you plan to watch the second series, Higurashi Kai? There are several forum members (me included) that have given this series 10/10 after finishing the second series, so it's definitely worth it
Shining Tears X Wind
Well the main story is about "End Earth" which is basically another reality where elves, beastmen.. and whatever else you can imagine live.
Ignoring the fact that it doesn't really explain how 4/6 people managed to get there which is kind of a big factor in the anime I thought, it just throws you in to the main focus for the anime which is "Soul Bladers".
I felt that while watching it most of the side characters were more interesting than Souma, it gets to the point where you're hoping something just kills him for being dull. As for Zero, it felt like he could be more.. it's like there always being the option that he could appear.. but never really does..
I watched it all the way through hoping that the ending makes up for it.. and it was pretty good but predictable the some extent. The only thing I really liked about it was everyone else but Souma and Zero.. which is sad really as it was based mainly around them..
Oh and a random note, Zero just reminds me of D.N.Angel every time I see him for some reason.
5/10 - Wasn't the worst thing I've seen but no where near the best either..
Well the main story is about "End Earth" which is basically another reality where elves, beastmen.. and whatever else you can imagine live.
Ignoring the fact that it doesn't really explain how 4/6 people managed to get there which is kind of a big factor in the anime I thought, it just throws you in to the main focus for the anime which is "Soul Bladers".
I felt that while watching it most of the side characters were more interesting than Souma, it gets to the point where you're hoping something just kills him for being dull. As for Zero, it felt like he could be more.. it's like there always being the option that he could appear.. but never really does..
I watched it all the way through hoping that the ending makes up for it.. and it was pretty good but predictable the some extent. The only thing I really liked about it was everyone else but Souma and Zero.. which is sad really as it was based mainly around them..
Oh and a random note, Zero just reminds me of D.N.Angel every time I see him for some reason.
5/10 - Wasn't the worst thing I've seen but no where near the best either..
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Urzu seven
Dandy Guy, in Space
Seirei no moribito
9/10
I really loved this series,so much so that as I'm writing this I've started to watch it again.Everyting about this show screams quality,the characters,story and production values are all top notch.The only reason i didn't give it 10/10 is because i can't buy the whole series on dvd yet.
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9/10
I really loved this series,so much so that as I'm writing this I've started to watch it again.Everyting about this show screams quality,the characters,story and production values are all top notch.The only reason i didn't give it 10/10 is because i can't buy the whole series on dvd yet.
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