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Yeah I was genuinely seriously impressed with part 4 of The Origin - in my eyes miles ahead of the other three parts (which were good in their own way, but always felt like they were lacking something because they were so focused on build-up as opposed to specific conclusion)

Beautifully animated, and with some actual serious meaty mobile suit action finally. The comedy moments were spot on too - and the scenes between Char and Lalah are the kind of stuff between them I've wanted to see animated for ages.
 
The Perfect Insider-Episodes 1-5

Whilst I'd hesitate to call this show boring, it does manage to keep my interest for the whole running time of an episode, I can't help but feel it's a little dry. Like, it could have used a bit more energy or something. Obviously, I'm not expecting it to be manic like Kill la Kill or something, but it just inherently feels quite slow, all the way down to the down tempo music and the rather drab colour scheme. I guess it's doing something right if it's holding my attention though, so I'll see how it goes. Oh, and the whole backstory of a 13 year old girl having a relationship with her uncle is a little weird and seems to just crop up at the end of the episodes. I hope that actually goes somewhere interesting.
 
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Watched Usagi Drop over the last few days and absolutely loved it, 10/10 for me.
I feel so sad after finding out what happens in the manga though, I just cant understand why it went in that direction... So disappointing. :(
 
Your Name (2016, Film) - Impressions

I just got back from watching Your Name and I thought that I'd try to articulate some of my feelings and impressions on the film before going to sleep whilst everything is still fresh. I've never really cared for the animation and visuals that embellish Shinkai's films and although this is unmistakably a Shinkai film, from the close-ups of phone screens to the in-world representations of real establishments like Starbucks and of course the shots of raindrops ricocheting off of the pavement and characters staring at their own reflections on the train window as the world passes them by are common place here, Your Name however is easily his most refined. A bevy of dynamic camera perspectives are utilized with the camera panning and swooping in some beautiful segments that add a level of depth to the images that you're seeing on screen that make them and the world that much more palpable. These scenes are effective in adding a sense of physicality to the world. It's a gorgeous film; everything is soft and welcoming but detailed. It's obvious that a lot of care has gone into each frame and I have no qualms with the visual aesthetic of this film.

Shinkai has always loved showing the audience just how beautiful his worlds are, focusing on background objects, the canvas caresses even the minutest of details, almost boasting at how detailed everything is. Here however it feels a lot more appropriate, in part due to the fact that at 107 minutes Your Name is a lot longer than his other features, only being topped by “Children Who Chase” in run-time. What this added run-time does is allows for those moments to work like pillow shots, visual representations of punctuation allowing the viewer to both breathe in and appreciate the atmosphere and thus making the world and its characters that much more tangible. The main character ties her hair, the camera cuts to a succulent dish on the table, characters chatter in the background, for those 107 minutes the lines blur and you feel as if this world is real. Cutting back and forth from countryside to Tokyo allows for a diversity of environments and styles. The countryside is full of gorgeous vegetation, sparse in contemporary establishments but littered in culture, the city is bustling with vehicles and crowds interacting with one another. You’re never tired of looking at this film and it’s easily the highlight. Colors pop, character designs are attractive and the post processing effects are tasteful and never feel gaudy.

In contrast I don't really remember much about the soundtrack outside of the contemporary pop tracks that are usually paired with small quirky vignettes that litter the film. They do the job and are both fun and lively and match the tone of the film.

Like many of Shinkai’s films Your Name requires a level of make believe and a suspension of disbelief. You’re never quite sure if something happening on screen is otherworldly or if it’s just allegorical to something real. This has you questioning whether or not the events on screen are fantastical and so when the answer is given you can feel a little in the deep end. In hindsight I will say that although the film has parallels on which it’s drawing to the real world, allegories and metaphors, the film plays its straight, embracing the make believe nature of what’s ensuing on screen and it’s something that I can appreciate and a reason why this film resonated with so many people. This is animation after all, the world of imagination. People often come to the cinema in order to escape and the world within Your Name is one in which I felt happy to be in. The story isn’t deep but the different threads are interwoven nicely.

Your Name is a film that juggles its emotional elements handily, and although a lot of the humorous moments are repeated it never fails to lose its charm, in part due to how pleasant the characters are to be around. You jump back and forth between the two main characters but I still felt a connection to the both of them due to the fantastic world building, the aspect in which I attribute the huge level of success that this film has found with and the reason why I believe the film to have captivated so many people. Your Name is a fun, light-hearted film that manages to feel mature and refined even amongst its make believe plot. Beautiful to look at and fun to be in.
 
Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin - Episode IV: Eve of Destiny
This OVA series has been amazing. I'm so glad things aren't just stopping here and we will be seeing an adaptation of the Battle of Loum - I cannot wait!
 
The Perfect Insider-Episodes 6-11 (Complete)

Since I don't like talking about spoilers in my full reviews (Of which one is coming, if you're interested!) I thought I'd put my thoughts on the ending in here.

I was totally onboard with the ending when they were going for the whole 'Birthed in the room, ritualistic killing' angle, but it lost me a bit when they did a twist within the twist and have it turn out to be the actual Doctor killing her daughter. The big, gaping plot hole that this opens is the fact that no one who saw the corpse realised it was of a girl 15 years younger than Dr. Magata. I'm usually pretty forgiving when it comes to forgiving small things for the plot to make sense, but there is no way in hell you get a 15 year old girl that looks 30 or vice versa. If you stuck with the original twist of having the daugher kill the mother, it would have made a ton more sense, as the corpse would actually be Dr Magata, and as such they people at the lab would've been able to recognize her. The fact that the mother and daughter look identical to each other is also really stretching things. Yes, kids look like their parents, but these people looked like twins. If the original twist was kept, it would have been much better, and I liked the logic that not only does her death bring penance for her killing her own parents, it would also let the daughter be free, much like she wanted to be free from her parents.
 
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Outbreak Company-Episodes 1-4

Got this on a Deal of the Week ages ago, and only just got around to watching it. This was a total blind buy, I didn't even look into what it was about, I just thought the cover art looked nice. I thought this was a magic based action show, and it turns out I was quite far off! Actually, I do find this quite hard to nail into a genre. Sure, it's Fantasy, but beyond that, I'm not too sure. It's not really an adventure series, per say, nor is it a full on comedy, despite a few jokes here and there. I guess it's sort of slice of life-y? Eh, anyway, it's a pretty enjoyable show so far. The whole concept of trying to export Otaku culture to a medieval fantasy world is quite interesting in itself, but the fact that they make it more than just that by having Shinichi try and import equality into this world full of racism and classism is what really elevates the concept. I also quite like all the references to other anime, and I think it's handled pretty well and isn't overly dependent on them. I could do without the ecchi, but that's just me.
 
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The only thing I really remember about Outbreak Company is that I found it relatively average and that the main girl has a really funny / weird voice in the English dub.
 
The Great Passage ep 5. The romantic plot is actually making progress, which makes a nice change from all the high school based anime where it's eternally 'will they, won't they'.
 
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