sic vita est said:
AironicallyHuman said:
Kurau: Phantom Memory - 7/10
I've been having a debate over whether or not to buy this for a while. Whilst most people seem to be reviewing this fairly favourably (anything over a 6/10) I still have my doubts. Sounds like it has some pacing issues but decent characterisation.
It's character-focused and one for those who care more about characterization than plotting. At first my rating was 8/10, leaning towards 9/10, but the lack of growth in terms of the main relationship, or even the characters individually, as well as the story bouncing from point to point without any real direction made me go with 7/10, in the end.
Y'see, the lead duo are likable, and it was easy for me to feel connected to them, emotionally. But they never advanced beyond the older 'twin' fighting and the younger, more feminine twin worrying/cooking/supporting. I was impressed with the early characterization, and there were some nice touches further down the line, but it seemed to me like the writers were too busy having them move around/run to bother adding onto the early development significantly.
There's also the small matter of Kurau's stupidity irritating me, by the end. She expressed throughout the story how nothing was more important to her than staying with her pair... and yet, she refused to kill psychotic killers/people out to catch them because killing is wrong. She suffered from Vash Stampede syndrome and her childish mentality seriously got on my tits after a certain point.
What's affecting my views is me having recently watched Figure 17. F17 has the same basic premise of an alien element resulting in a human finding herself with a twin. The key difference is that, unlike in Kurau, the twin had a positive impact on the heroine: ultimately changing her from timid and shy into a stronger, more independent girl. That sort of advancement was missing from Kurau.
The two shows are very similar. F17 wins on the characterization front. However, it has even slower pacing and a worse, duller sci-fi side.
Here's my recent MAL rec:
MAL Recommendation said:
Figure 17 and Kurau are remarkably similar. As well as having a blend of slice-of-life and sci-fi, the two share one other fairly unique element: the development of a relationship between two girls; one of which being an 'alien' twin, in both shows.
In terms of characterization, Figure 17 is the better the two--the introduction of Hikaru into Tsubasa's once timid life changing her for the better. In the case of Kurau and her relationship with Christmas, neither of the two had a huge impact on the growth of the other, and the focus was always on remaining together as opposed to growing together.
What lets Figure 17 down is its repetitive, undeveloped sci-fi side and a number of its 40 minute episodes suffering from bothersome pacing issues. Kurau has issues on the sci-fi and pacing fronts also, but not to the same extent.
Be sure to watch the two of them if heartfelt family drama and character-focused stories are your cup of tea.
Ayase: I DO like Kurau. I've seen a lot of anime, and that means - according to my grading system - 7/10 is very much a 'worth owning' score. I'm glad I picked it up. Ignore my teasing.
I fully understand where you're coming from: it was the theme of pure love that drew me in. It's hard to separate love and lust in relationships with a physical edge, and the idea of two 'siblings' wanting nothing more than to remain together throughout their lives and not going their separate ways as real families are forced to, with age, moved me.
I suggest you watch Figure 17 and Witchblade. They, along with Kurau, are all about family bonds. You'd probably like all three.
City Hunter: 9/10
CH is the most watchable & fun episodic anime out there. The series' structure wasn't an issue because of the variation; Ryo saving ladies from killers, helping a nun in need--anything beauties wanted. Only Kaori's repetitive anti-sex hammer let it down.
My only disappointment at this point is not owning all of CH. Towards the end I did start to get tired of Kaori's only reason for existence being to hit Ryo with a hammer whenever he got near a member of the opposite sex, but I'm still pretty much good to go--ready to go through another 60+ episodes. But I'll have a lil' break before moving on, if only to extend the lovefest. After all, remembering the specifics of a series where around 42 episodes were standalone ones and the rest two-parts isn't difficult!
My CH/GTO rec from MAL:
MAL Recommendation said:
So similar are Onizuka (GTO) and Ryo (City Hunter) that I have to assume Fujisawa was inspired by City Hunter when he created GTO.
The way the two alternate between perverted idiot mode - always making women fall for them but, for one reason or another, never getting laid - and superhero mode makes it impossible for me to think of one without thinking of the other. Nothing is impossible for them, no matter the circumstances. Boys are inspired to become men after watching their actions, and no woman can resist the duo's manliness for too long--even if they do get slapped a lot, to begin with.
...oh, and it goes without saying that banging school girls is viewed as morally wrong by them, no matter how... hard they find... it. Taking advantage is also a no-no, comedy scenes aside. Real men aim for fully-developed ladies and don't need to get the object of their affections drunk to do the deed.
It's impossible to like one without liking the other. City Hunter is entirely episodic and lacks the drama of GTO, but the feel of both series is very, very, VERY similar.
