Rate the last anime you watched out of 10
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Dai
Death Scythe
Unfortunately it's a lot of episodes to get BBFC-rated for a 15-year-old show with no prior release over here to prove sufficient demand for it. Plus it would likely get an 18 certificate due to one particularly unpleasant coercive sex scene. Based on the price of the Sentai set it's probably an expensive license, so I'd guess it would be £100+ over here. That's a lot of red flags for any UK distributor.
It's geo-locked though, so the US discs will run on a UK Playstation.
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Geriatric hedgehog
Pokémon Master
Oh I see, that all makes sense. Good to know about the geo-locked aspect though, that's very handy. I've got a few import baskets with it in them, between rightstuf and otaku.co.uk, neither being cheap so making me reticent about putting an order in at the moment. Actually should get a up1 basket going as well... But definitely going to get Nana at some point, it's been on my list for a long time and I was just pleased it was re-released.
Girls with Guns
Chuunibyou
I have the 4 Viz Media DVD releases of Nana I picked up in 2015 for less than $20 each; for the last few years before this re-release, those sets were listed and actually selling for up to $400 each on eBay. I was really happy when Sentai put out the Series on Blu-ray and in a steelbook, so I grabbed that right away - although now my DVD sets have been severely de-valued on the secondary market, lol. It's definitely another series I want to show to the next-dour neighbor couple.
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Dai
Death Scythe
Kanon (2006 KyoAni version)
This was an uneven series. I gave up on the 2002 version after a few episodes because the characters didn't grab me and nothing interesting was happening. The 2006 version likewise starts with several episodes where nothing of note happens, but I've enjoyed enough KyoAni shows to persist and give it the benefit of the doubt. Unlike Clannad, which quickly started focusing on the arcs of each girl in turn, Kanon gets stuck in an interminable holding pattern where the protagonist spends one or two inconsequential scenes with each girl every episode. These are often near-identical scenes each time that only exist to remind us that all of these girls exist. It barely counts as slice-of-life when we're just seeing the same slice over and over. Thankfully it's made more watchable than that part of the 2002 version by the injection of a lot of humour, which makes most of the characters more likeable. That and a handful of mysteries were the only things that kept me watching initially, in no small part due to the protagonist often being an insufferable douche who has no clue where the line sits between teasing and bullying.
Kanon does eventually get into gear around episode 8, and starts focusing on one girl's arc at a time. These arcs are also uneven. The weakest is probably Mai's, since she's the most frustrating silent-type character I've ever seen, and much of her arc involves her swinging a sword at invisible enemies. Most of the others fare better, to varying degrees, but the show is often too blunt and stretched out in its attempts to make the viewer cry. Real emotional impact requires some subtlety, but this is like someone grabbing you by the shoulders and screaming in your face, "Be sad, damn you! That's not enough! Be sadder!" It doesn't help that the series piles on a ridiculous number of tragic incidents and tragic backstories. The rates of accidents and fatal illness in that town are so high, there must be cyanide in the water.
Fortunately, the climactic arc is probably the best, so the series ends on a high note. Kanon 2006 ends up feeling like a stepping stone in KyoAni's learning process of how to adapt Key games for TV though, since the elements they struggle with here are handled far better in Clannad.
6/10
This was an uneven series. I gave up on the 2002 version after a few episodes because the characters didn't grab me and nothing interesting was happening. The 2006 version likewise starts with several episodes where nothing of note happens, but I've enjoyed enough KyoAni shows to persist and give it the benefit of the doubt. Unlike Clannad, which quickly started focusing on the arcs of each girl in turn, Kanon gets stuck in an interminable holding pattern where the protagonist spends one or two inconsequential scenes with each girl every episode. These are often near-identical scenes each time that only exist to remind us that all of these girls exist. It barely counts as slice-of-life when we're just seeing the same slice over and over. Thankfully it's made more watchable than that part of the 2002 version by the injection of a lot of humour, which makes most of the characters more likeable. That and a handful of mysteries were the only things that kept me watching initially, in no small part due to the protagonist often being an insufferable douche who has no clue where the line sits between teasing and bullying.
Kanon does eventually get into gear around episode 8, and starts focusing on one girl's arc at a time. These arcs are also uneven. The weakest is probably Mai's, since she's the most frustrating silent-type character I've ever seen, and much of her arc involves her swinging a sword at invisible enemies. Most of the others fare better, to varying degrees, but the show is often too blunt and stretched out in its attempts to make the viewer cry. Real emotional impact requires some subtlety, but this is like someone grabbing you by the shoulders and screaming in your face, "Be sad, damn you! That's not enough! Be sadder!" It doesn't help that the series piles on a ridiculous number of tragic incidents and tragic backstories. The rates of accidents and fatal illness in that town are so high, there must be cyanide in the water.
Fortunately, the climactic arc is probably the best, so the series ends on a high note. Kanon 2006 ends up feeling like a stepping stone in KyoAni's learning process of how to adapt Key games for TV though, since the elements they struggle with here are handled far better in Clannad.
6/10
RadFemHedonist
Mad Scientist
I loved Kanon 2006 but was still interesting to read your thoughts as someone who had a more mixed reaction (I even warmed up to the English dub a lot in the end). Like I'm generally not a big fan of the whole "watch them kick the
awadama
Mad Scientist
One Piece: Stampede
This is awful, even by the very low standard of One Piece movies.
Movies based on shonen shows usually have a flimsy story, but Asda Smart Price toilet paper has more substance than this. The first 30 minutes is some kind of Fortnite/Wacky Races routine - the remaining hour is just one big fight against a boring man.
It's hyped up as some kind of "love letter" to One Piece, but all that means is that dozens of characters from 15 years ago show up, have a line or two, then vanish again. Oh it's Wapol. And there's Django. It's Foxy now. There's Jewelry Bonney. And Crocodile. Wow.
The story is crap. The animation is...fine, I guess. I had to watch it over three nights because it's just so boring. I couldn't have coped sitting in the cinema to watch this all in one go.
2/10
This is awful, even by the very low standard of One Piece movies.
Movies based on shonen shows usually have a flimsy story, but Asda Smart Price toilet paper has more substance than this. The first 30 minutes is some kind of Fortnite/Wacky Races routine - the remaining hour is just one big fight against a boring man.
It's hyped up as some kind of "love letter" to One Piece, but all that means is that dozens of characters from 15 years ago show up, have a line or two, then vanish again. Oh it's Wapol. And there's Django. It's Foxy now. There's Jewelry Bonney. And Crocodile. Wow.
The story is crap. The animation is...fine, I guess. I had to watch it over three nights because it's just so boring. I couldn't have coped sitting in the cinema to watch this all in one go.
2/10
Yeah... Innit.
Actually, what was the one mark you gave it in recognition of, if you don't mind my asking?
awadama
Mad Scientist
@Neil.T It really doesn't deserve that one star, but I'd get annoyed if I had something without a star rating by it on Anime Planet. I gave this absolute mess half a star (out of five stars) on there, so I guess that translates into 1/10.
Really though, there's absolutely nothing good about the show. The story is nonsense but also horrible. The characters are a hateful shower. The dub just seems to be a huge piss take. Even the OP and ED songs are bad.
But on the bright side, at least it's another DVD I can get out of the house! At the minute I'm split between leaving it on a bus for some poor soul to adopt or just burning it in the shed.
Really though, there's absolutely nothing good about the show. The story is nonsense but also horrible. The characters are a hateful shower. The dub just seems to be a huge piss take. Even the OP and ED songs are bad.
But on the bright side, at least it's another DVD I can get out of the house! At the minute I'm split between leaving it on a bus for some poor soul to adopt or just burning it in the shed.
Patlabor: The Mobile Police (1989) Scotland Loves Anime cinema showing
Very much enjoyed revisiting the first Patlabor movie after quite a number of years - and in the cinema, no less! Seeing Special Vehicles Section 2 tangle with an increasing number of unmanned mecha going berserk around Tokyo Bay, following the death of renowned computer programmer Eiichi Hoba, this is very clearly a Mamoru Oshii film, with the familiar combination of high tech crime and political manoeuvring, but it's frequently a lot warmer and funnier than his later work, finding plenty of humour in the very human foibles of our heroes.
In many ways the film does seem to predict Oshii's later films however, particularly Ghost in the Shell, with its equally meticulous attention to background detail employed for some very similar scenes of environmental storytelling, as pair of detectives wordlessly navigate the city's slum districts in search of Hoba's former homes. Something that particularly struck me on this viewing was how the characters never explicitly discuss Hoba's motivation for doing what he does, but we can certainly infer a lot from what Oshii shows us, with these richly detailed shots of the junk left behind from demolishing what were clearly peoples' family homes, and the (rather less subtle) motif of the empty birdcage.
Despite it being part of a wider franchise, I think it's also impressive to see how well the film works as a stand alone piece. The OVAs and TV series both provide a backstory for the characters, but I feel their personalities and situation are conveyed so well during the film that it's hardly a requirement for any newcomers. I'd go as far as to say I think this might be Oshii's most accessible film, although I've certainly not seen all of them.
My only minor complaint about the film is that I would dearly have loved the climactic assault to be just a little bit longer. The scenes of SV2 battling their way through a hoarde of security drones while Kenji Kawai's guitar wails in on the soundtrack are spectacular, but rather brief, and, much as I can appreciate that the whole sequence was no doubt difficult and time consuming to animate, I think a few extra shots of the battle becoming a desperate scrap would have really added to the scene.
It's unfortunate that the sequel film isn't also playing as part of SLA's cinema lineup (although I believe it is available through their streaming service at the moment) as, while I've seen this first one a few times over the years, I've only ever watched Patlabor 2 once and I'd be curious to see what I'd make of it now. Patlabor 2 is highly regarded, and usually seen as the better film, but I remember finding it very dry and dialogue heavy compared with the first. Although I do always have to qualify this by saying that I was about 12 at the time and would most likely appreciate it more now, even if I'm not sure it would ever quite replace the first film in my affections.
Very much enjoyed revisiting the first Patlabor movie after quite a number of years - and in the cinema, no less! Seeing Special Vehicles Section 2 tangle with an increasing number of unmanned mecha going berserk around Tokyo Bay, following the death of renowned computer programmer Eiichi Hoba, this is very clearly a Mamoru Oshii film, with the familiar combination of high tech crime and political manoeuvring, but it's frequently a lot warmer and funnier than his later work, finding plenty of humour in the very human foibles of our heroes.
In many ways the film does seem to predict Oshii's later films however, particularly Ghost in the Shell, with its equally meticulous attention to background detail employed for some very similar scenes of environmental storytelling, as pair of detectives wordlessly navigate the city's slum districts in search of Hoba's former homes. Something that particularly struck me on this viewing was how the characters never explicitly discuss Hoba's motivation for doing what he does, but we can certainly infer a lot from what Oshii shows us, with these richly detailed shots of the junk left behind from demolishing what were clearly peoples' family homes, and the (rather less subtle) motif of the empty birdcage.
Despite it being part of a wider franchise, I think it's also impressive to see how well the film works as a stand alone piece. The OVAs and TV series both provide a backstory for the characters, but I feel their personalities and situation are conveyed so well during the film that it's hardly a requirement for any newcomers. I'd go as far as to say I think this might be Oshii's most accessible film, although I've certainly not seen all of them.
My only minor complaint about the film is that I would dearly have loved the climactic assault to be just a little bit longer. The scenes of SV2 battling their way through a hoarde of security drones while Kenji Kawai's guitar wails in on the soundtrack are spectacular, but rather brief, and, much as I can appreciate that the whole sequence was no doubt difficult and time consuming to animate, I think a few extra shots of the battle becoming a desperate scrap would have really added to the scene.
It's unfortunate that the sequel film isn't also playing as part of SLA's cinema lineup (although I believe it is available through their streaming service at the moment) as, while I've seen this first one a few times over the years, I've only ever watched Patlabor 2 once and I'd be curious to see what I'd make of it now. Patlabor 2 is highly regarded, and usually seen as the better film, but I remember finding it very dry and dialogue heavy compared with the first. Although I do always have to qualify this by saying that I was about 12 at the time and would most likely appreciate it more now, even if I'm not sure it would ever quite replace the first film in my affections.
awadama
Mad Scientist
Ace Attorney season 2
I really enjoyed the first season and I was excited to see the followup, especially because it's based on my favourite AA game (and one of my fav games of all time) - Trials & Tribulations.
I had no objections - it didn't let me down at all.
Compared to other game adaptations I've seen (Danganronpa), Ace Attorney really works. It gives the story time to breathe and doesn't rush through things (unlike Danganronpa). If anything, the last case went on a little bit too long - but I can forgive it, because it was still very enjoyable (especially compared to something like Danganronpa).
It looks good, the dub cast is pretty much perfect and it all makes sense (it's easy to follow, even if you've never played any of the games). There are a couple of anime-exclusive/filler stories in there, but they're interesting and both offer something new - one of them focuses on young Edgeworth and the other is a trial set on a train.
After the first season, I was pretty sure this one would be a winner and I was totally (W)right!
I find this show guilty of being a 9/10
I really enjoyed the first season and I was excited to see the followup, especially because it's based on my favourite AA game (and one of my fav games of all time) - Trials & Tribulations.
I had no objections - it didn't let me down at all.
Compared to other game adaptations I've seen (Danganronpa), Ace Attorney really works. It gives the story time to breathe and doesn't rush through things (unlike Danganronpa). If anything, the last case went on a little bit too long - but I can forgive it, because it was still very enjoyable (especially compared to something like Danganronpa).
It looks good, the dub cast is pretty much perfect and it all makes sense (it's easy to follow, even if you've never played any of the games). There are a couple of anime-exclusive/filler stories in there, but they're interesting and both offer something new - one of them focuses on young Edgeworth and the other is a trial set on a train.
After the first season, I was pretty sure this one would be a winner and I was totally (W)right!
I find this show guilty of being a 9/10
RadFemHedonist
Mad Scientist
awadama
Mad Scientist
How did you guess?!
RadFemHedonist
Mad Scientist
fabio de lunatico
Claymore
I'd agree with this. My first exposure to Patlabor was this film as that and the sequel on VHS were all we got over here from Manga. Outside of there obviously being some kind of backstory for Kanuka, I never felt I was missing much for not having seen the OVAs.
As much as I love the second film - I think you will appreciate it more now than you did then - the first better captures the spirit of the manga and TV/OVA series in that it has moments of levity. One of my favourite scenes is where Azuma and the chief are having a shouting match while their angry faces are distorted fishbowl-style. This film was perhaps the last time we saw this kind of visual humour from Oshii, most evident in his Urusei Yatsura directorial work, though I haven't seen Vlad Love.
Great film.
Dai
Death Scythe
Overman King Gainer
I've seen quite a few Yoshiyuki Tomino shows at this point. If there's one word I wouldn't use to describe most of them, it's 'goofy', but King Gainer sure is a goofy show. Turn-A Gundam had its odd moments and the first half of ZZ was heavy on comedy, but this is on a different level. I suspect the famously weird opening is designed to make the viewer cast aside notions of expecting a typical straight-laced real robot show, and buckle up for some super robot madness.
That said, it takes a few episodes for King Gainer to hit its stride and for it to become apparent what kind of show this is, mainly thanks to some sloppy plotting while it's setting up the scenario and character motivations. This is especially problematic in a series-long plot thread involving the murder of Gainer's parents. We never meet them, they're killed off-screen between the first two episodes, and we only find this out a couple of episodes later when Gainer starts shouting about it in the middle of an unrelated robot fight. That's the worst example, but the show generally falters when it tries to be serious.
Fortunately, most of the series focuses on one over-the-top super robot battle after another, and these are the highlight. Enemy mecha have a plethora of bizarre abilities that make for varied and interesting battles, and the designs are some of the quirkiest you'll see this side of Gurren Lagann. The robots wear interchangeable clothes, for example, and the cockpits close with a giant zip. Most of the characters are likeable oddballs, with some of them adding an almost Ghibli-esque feeling of comfiness to the series. The villains chew the scenery in classic Saturday morning cartoon fashion.
Any time King Gainer doesn't take itself too seriously, it can be a joy to watch. It's just a shame that the writing for its series-long arcs is relatively poor.
7/10
I've seen quite a few Yoshiyuki Tomino shows at this point. If there's one word I wouldn't use to describe most of them, it's 'goofy', but King Gainer sure is a goofy show. Turn-A Gundam had its odd moments and the first half of ZZ was heavy on comedy, but this is on a different level. I suspect the famously weird opening is designed to make the viewer cast aside notions of expecting a typical straight-laced real robot show, and buckle up for some super robot madness.
That said, it takes a few episodes for King Gainer to hit its stride and for it to become apparent what kind of show this is, mainly thanks to some sloppy plotting while it's setting up the scenario and character motivations. This is especially problematic in a series-long plot thread involving the murder of Gainer's parents. We never meet them, they're killed off-screen between the first two episodes, and we only find this out a couple of episodes later when Gainer starts shouting about it in the middle of an unrelated robot fight. That's the worst example, but the show generally falters when it tries to be serious.
Fortunately, most of the series focuses on one over-the-top super robot battle after another, and these are the highlight. Enemy mecha have a plethora of bizarre abilities that make for varied and interesting battles, and the designs are some of the quirkiest you'll see this side of Gurren Lagann. The robots wear interchangeable clothes, for example, and the cockpits close with a giant zip. Most of the characters are likeable oddballs, with some of them adding an almost Ghibli-esque feeling of comfiness to the series. The villains chew the scenery in classic Saturday morning cartoon fashion.
Any time King Gainer doesn't take itself too seriously, it can be a joy to watch. It's just a shame that the writing for its series-long arcs is relatively poor.
7/10
Spark_Heal
Kiznaiver
One Piece Film: Gold
What a waste of a genuinely great idea for a Shonen franchise movie and lovely soundtrack.
A heist film staring the Straw Hat Pirates? Robbing a casino vault using all their crazy and varied powers? Brilliant idea. There's so much you could do with all their personalties in this wildly unusual adventure. And the film does an admirable job establishing the conflict and setting up sneering yet charismatic villains. The flamboyant and grinning Gild Tesoro is very similar to Doflamingo but the overlap can be forgiven because he is entertaining in his own right. Someone despicable and hateful enough that you want to see Luffy and the gang to outsmart and overpower him by the end.
Unfortunately Film: Gold fails to deliver on its promises despite its strong beginning and solid animation throughout . The actual heist part of the film disappoints and ultimately feels redundant. The constant introduction of new characters and out of place set pieces leave it feeling disjointed. And despite a surprising amount of the film focusing on Nami as a leader, adding to her backstory while also using her status as a capable burglar: it never really amounts to anything. The heist might as well not exist because the resolution is borderline nonsense and it leads into the disappointing climax.
It's fine to have a One Piece story end with the crew splitting up and squaring off with their chosen adversary. But the action just isn't good enough. And to reach a speedy conclusion, the film throws away the core of the setting and has to completely ignore Gild Tesoro's power so he can loose within 10 minutes. It also starts hinting towards him being a more complicated person than the monster he acts like but does nothing with it. Which is the ultimate issue I have with the movie. There's a lot it could with its ideas and it refuses to engage with them and for us away all the good will it builds.
I'm trying to decide if this is better or worse than One Piece Stampede. Film: Gold at least has one of my favourite 'Brook is a skeleton' jokes in the entire series. But it also disappointed me much more because it starts so strong.
4/10
What a waste of a genuinely great idea for a Shonen franchise movie and lovely soundtrack.
A heist film staring the Straw Hat Pirates? Robbing a casino vault using all their crazy and varied powers? Brilliant idea. There's so much you could do with all their personalties in this wildly unusual adventure. And the film does an admirable job establishing the conflict and setting up sneering yet charismatic villains. The flamboyant and grinning Gild Tesoro is very similar to Doflamingo but the overlap can be forgiven because he is entertaining in his own right. Someone despicable and hateful enough that you want to see Luffy and the gang to outsmart and overpower him by the end.
Unfortunately Film: Gold fails to deliver on its promises despite its strong beginning and solid animation throughout . The actual heist part of the film disappoints and ultimately feels redundant. The constant introduction of new characters and out of place set pieces leave it feeling disjointed. And despite a surprising amount of the film focusing on Nami as a leader, adding to her backstory while also using her status as a capable burglar: it never really amounts to anything. The heist might as well not exist because the resolution is borderline nonsense and it leads into the disappointing climax.
It's fine to have a One Piece story end with the crew splitting up and squaring off with their chosen adversary. But the action just isn't good enough. And to reach a speedy conclusion, the film throws away the core of the setting and has to completely ignore Gild Tesoro's power so he can loose within 10 minutes. It also starts hinting towards him being a more complicated person than the monster he acts like but does nothing with it. Which is the ultimate issue I have with the movie. There's a lot it could with its ideas and it refuses to engage with them and for us away all the good will it builds.
I'm trying to decide if this is better or worse than One Piece Stampede. Film: Gold at least has one of my favourite 'Brook is a skeleton' jokes in the entire series. But it also disappointed me much more because it starts so strong.
4/10
Dai
Death Scythe
Bartender
My opinion of this show changed significantly when I gave it a second chance. Initially I dropped it after five episodes, and now having watched the whole series I can see I did so because I hated the main character in episode 5. My other complaint about the series initially was that I found it unconvincing that people's whole attitiude or direction in life could be swayed by being served a particular cocktail, but on a second viewing (and watching the rest of the show), that's rarely the case. More frequently it's the anecdotes and arguments that the bartender builds around the drinks he serves that have an impact on the customers, and that's more effective for the stories it tells. He understands people and how to give them a nudge in the right direction. I must not have been paying attention the first time I watched Bartender.
Watching it as a whole, this really is the show I wanted it to be. It has adult characters facing adult problems, and mostly tackles them in a measured and thoughtful way. It's not perfect, but has a relaxing atmosphere that's enjoyable to settle into.
I'm raising my score from 5 to 7.
Original (now defunct) review below:
I wanted to like Bartender. Anime where all the characters are adults are a rarity, and the concept was interesting, but the result was merely okay. Each episode centres around a drink that is important to the customer in some way. The better episodes are the ones where this idea is smoothly integrated into the story, such as where the bartender helps a woman identify a particular brand of liqueur that was intended as a gift from her late father. Unfortunately, some episodes fall into an odd pattern where a customer is having a major life crisis and the bartender serves them a cocktail that magically changes their outlook on life in an unconvincing way. The show tries to be profound with its nuggets of trivia behind the origin of different drinks, but I'm forced to question how accurate any of them are when a show called Bartender gets the origin of the word 'bartender' wrong in its first episode.
I believe a great show could be made from this concept, but sadly Bartender isn't it.
My opinion of this show changed significantly when I gave it a second chance. Initially I dropped it after five episodes, and now having watched the whole series I can see I did so because I hated the main character in episode 5. My other complaint about the series initially was that I found it unconvincing that people's whole attitiude or direction in life could be swayed by being served a particular cocktail, but on a second viewing (and watching the rest of the show), that's rarely the case. More frequently it's the anecdotes and arguments that the bartender builds around the drinks he serves that have an impact on the customers, and that's more effective for the stories it tells. He understands people and how to give them a nudge in the right direction. I must not have been paying attention the first time I watched Bartender.
Watching it as a whole, this really is the show I wanted it to be. It has adult characters facing adult problems, and mostly tackles them in a measured and thoughtful way. It's not perfect, but has a relaxing atmosphere that's enjoyable to settle into.
I'm raising my score from 5 to 7.
Original (now defunct) review below:
I believe a great show could be made from this concept, but sadly Bartender isn't it.