Anime Review No. 76-Baccano

Baccano

Summer/Fall 2007 TV Series, 16 episodes

Studio-Brains Base, Director-Takahiro Omori, Writer: Noboru Takagi

Well, well time to put out a review on another of my Top 10 Favorites. It was FLCL in January, now for this month, its you guess it, Baccano. Its a story of love, violence, thrills and chills indeed!

Note: I am basing my review off of the US DVD Viridian Collection from late 2010 the Funimation released. The license for this show is now in Aniplex's hands so good luck getting it on BD as they charge by an arm and a leg here.

So, what's Baccano about? Well, it concerns the adventures and events surrounding a large group of various characters-some are gangsters engaged in a turf war, others are trapped on the famous train The Flying Pussyfoot with the mysterious killer The Rail Tracer, and a few observing from the sidelines while some plot concerning immortals brews about. It is a fun and wild ride to be sure, especially since Baccano is Italian for 'ruckus, quite apt for this series.

That is about all I am talking about the plot/story, because its a tad complicated and I don't wish to spoil the show for anyone. You see, Baccano relies greatly on multi threaded story lines and a large ensemble cast. Now, in the hands of a lesser production, this could easily falter into chaos. Thankfully, this is not the case. The direction is kinetic and fast-paced, not taking too many breaths in between the quick-paced action. The many story lines, though staggering at first, by the end makes sense as it reveals how intricately connected together they all are. Scenes are often played several times, but from different perspectives. In addition, the story moves almost effortlessly between past and present without causing confusion. The large ensemble cast complements the multiple story lines in that it allows most of the characters time for development.

Episode 13 is certainly a good ending point for most of the plot and character points as Episodes 14-16 are OVA episodes released after the initial TV broadcast. The remaining 3 episodes mostly tie up some of the other plot and character elements. Thankfully, its not superficial fluff and just as entertaining. Final scene ends the show as it begins-the VP and Carol talk about the appeal of storytelling and how the story never really ends. Honestly, this I quite like as it seems to me that the story may end now, but that doesn't mean its over and one should move on.

Of course, I do have some favorites in the cast. For one thing, Ladd Russo-the mad man with a plan I suppose. I absolutely love this character, as I find him to be the pure embodiment of the show: reveling in its own madness and insanity without apology or restraint. It does help that Ladd is charismatic enough for me to root, even if he is a violent bastard. Heck, he has a girlfriend that shares a relationship that is both sweet and terrifying. The guy revels in insanity, and yet seemingly aware he is mad.

Of course, he narrowly beats out the main couple of the show: Isaac and Miria, a thief duo modeled off of Bonnie and Clyde. While they serve mainly as comic relief and a respite from all the violence, they aren't too annoying. In fact, they are somewhat charming and you actually believe that they are a couple with some brilliant and heartwarming chemistry.

Granted, the story is helped by great music and animation. The Opening song is swinging and full of energy, nice and jazzy, certainly a favorite of mine right behind the ROD TV theme. The animation is fairly realistic and brutal-plenty of gory violence and grim color palette (browns, grays. Etc). Even the low budget tricks (like the repetition of scenes in episode 2 is quite clever) are impressive. Overall, its very consistent in the animation department.

The 1987 film Untouchables is cited as an influence, and especially in the NYC gang wars plot line that's certainly true. Inf fact, much like what the Gunsmith Cats staff went to Chicago, some of the Japanese staff went to New York to see the locations that show up in the series, notably Chinatown and Little Italy among others, and it certainly shows in the backgrounds and details, especially in the parts that take place in NYC.

Finally the english dub is probably the other reason to watch Baccano. In fact, you are best off watching it in english, as it is awesome. If you want proof the Funimation is the top dog when it comes to anime dub productions, look no farther then this show. Its well casted in just about every role, even the bit parts. Granted a lot of Funimation regulars appear in this dub, though you might not recognise many as they use period accents quite effectively. ADR Director Tyler Walker watched lots of gangster films in order to prep for the dub production on Baccano and he went out of his way to bring in new talent for the dub. Some standout performances include Bryan Massey as the manic Ladd Russo along with J. Michael Tatum and Caitlin Glass as the gleefully mad thief duo of Isaac and Miria. If the Ef series can be considered a definitive Sentai Filmworks dub, then Baccano is in the running for the definitive Funimation dub certainly. If you must ask, the other shows in that running include: FMA '03, Desert Punk, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt and some others I can't name off the top of my head at the moment.

Overall Baccano is a great show and I heartily recommend this to anyone asking about anime recommendations. Be sure to check this show out, if you haven't seen it. At first I felt this was too over-hyped, then after watching it, I can say that hype is well deserved.

Well next's up you ask? Well..... its certainly violent for one thing....
Surprise trailer ^_^

'Til next time, dear readers.....

Anime Review No. 71-FLCL

"Never Knows Best"
FLCL

2000-01 OVA, 6 episodes

Director-Kazuya Tsurumaki, Studios-Gainax/Production IG, Writers: Kazuya Tsurumaki and Yoji Enokido

also

2 volume manga (2000-01)-Art by Hajime Ueda; story by Gainax

So, Happy New Year readers

Well, I figure I shall start out the new year with a review of a show that's over a decade old and done by one of my favorite anime studios-that being FLCL or Fooly Cooly. Note, I will be talking about FLCL overall, no need to worry about spoilers. That said, go see this!

Now a brief summary: Naota is just your typcial young kid living in a city, dealing with puberty and the implications of that, be it his brother's ex-girlfriend, etc. He likes life to be easy and dull, yet one day Haruko, a crazy pink haired girl, runs into him with her Vespa motorcycle and from that moment onwards, Naota's life changes forever, for better or worse (more the latter then former anyway).

Suffice to say that it is all I am saying about, because this OVA has been quite overplayed for the past decade, first airing by Toonami then subsequent reruns every now and then. Yet, this show is still quite popular and well-known here in the States. Why's that?

Huh, something about this looks familiar.....

Well, the greatest strength of FLCL is that it serves as a grand pinnacle to anime comedy, at least for Studio Gainax. It is just so quick-fire in pacing that the gags fly full and above the rest, nearly blowing out of the water many of the other anime comedies I have seen. Granted, a lot of the comedy presented is rather surreal so at first glance one might not get it. I stated back on my Anime Favorites page regarding FLCL as such, and I stand by that statement. I feel that Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, which I quite like, is a mere pale shadow of this: the jokes there are more hit and miss, dependent on your tolerance for toilet humor. FLCL is one crazy, insane ride from start to finish and it never lets up at all. In fact, FLCL can be more compared to Kill la Kill, the recent 2013-14 anime put out by Studio Trigger, which is made up of former Gainax staffers. If you have seen Kill la Kill (and you should because it's awesome), then that comparison becomes quite clear.

Why the malformed face......eh?

Of course, this aspect is helped favourably by other factors. First off, there is a great director-writer team in Kazuya Tsurumaki and Yoji Enokido working on this. Now, prior to this, Tsurumaki had overseen the last third of Kare Kano anime (which I have looked at before) and Enokido had written a large part of the Utena anime and co-wrote a few episodes of Evangelion. So, in essence, we get a team getting their first project to run themselves. The result is nothing short of fantastic. The direction is vibrant and full of life, firing on all cylinders like a finely tuned machine. Of course, the animation derps and dips in place, but that seems to be delibarate. But when it is great, the animation can shine, due to this being a Gainax/Production IG collab, which both by this point had done some great work and would continue to do so for at least the next decade. Enokido provides a script which at first might be a tad confusing, but upon rewatching it clears some things up. FLCL is a series that is designed to be rewatched, in order to be fully understood. There is distinct lyrical, nah poetic aspect to the dialogue, though very postmodern, with little throwaway bits that later come into play in surprising ways. The middle of the OVA (episodes 3-4) might seem to be filler material and the ending is so ambiguous, but it manages to be entertaining enough so as to dissaude such accusations. Its no surprise that this same team would go on to make Diebuster a few years later, which is why those two Gainax shows are my favorite over some of the other entries in their catalog, though a good part of the Gainax catalogue holds a special place in my heart. Such a shame that Gainax has been in the pits for the past few years-their current stuff just doesn't match up to what they used to do, or rather they no longer suit my tastes which could be it.

A Faux-meganneko, if you will xD

The sound is equally terrific for FLCL: both the OST and language tracks. The entire OST is done by The Pillows, an alternative rock group who have been around for some time. In particular, the ending song "Ride on Shooting Star" is just awesome (FLCL ED). While serviceable in the Japanese, the English dub is quite good, with some noteworthy performances from Kari Wahlgren, Barbara Goodson, Stephanie Sheh, etc. Though, there exists a nagging problem with the dub: it is too faithful to the original Japanese. Not just in terms of the adapted script, but in how its performed vocally. This has been quite an issue with West Coast/LA dubs, in that they tend to hue more towards the original Japanese. I first actually noticed this with the dub of Lucky Star, which has predominance of 'chipmunk voices' in the dub in an effort to make the dub more like the original Japanese. Madoka also suffers a bit from this practice in the dub as well. It doesn't seem to me that anyone really notice or let them know about that. Regardless, the FLCL dub is still quite good.

Groovy  ^_^

And now for the manga adaptation, as I said before, this is an Anime vs. Manga article:

Typical start of your day....

Hajime Ueda did the artwork for the manga, having been a doujin writer prior to getting tapped for this manga adaptation. Story is credited to Gainax, though I'm willing to bet it was Ueda collaborating with Tsurumaki and Enokido in terms of the writing.

Volume 1 is nearly beat for beat the events of the first 2 episodes of OVA: Fooly Cooly and Firestarter. Some of the details are slightly altered, but the semblance of plot remains roughly the same. If you are thinking that the manga segments in the OVA are like the manga itself, then you are sadly mistaken. The art is very rough around the edges, very cartoonish one might say. Of course, it does fit the tone of the piece anyway, so any quibblings that can be made about the artwork are just that. There are a lot of more references made in the manga, such as one chapter starting off with a panel of Tak-kun and the robot making a rendition of Edvard Munch's The Scream.

Of course, the second volume is a different beast altogether. Sure, it starts off with what happens in Episode 3 and then veered off into totally unexplored territory. In many ways, this is where the manga makes less sense than the OVA, if that is even possible. The manga, in comparison to the anime OVA, ends on a more ambiguous note, but then again that's the open ended nature of the conclusion. That being said, the manga is a quick read (less then 300 pages between the two volumes), so if you have seen the OVA, then I definitely recommend checking out the manga as well. As for other work by Hajime Ueda, well, we shall take a look at that laterz.

Of course, Yoji Enokido did write a pair of novels based FLCL which has been released as well. I have yet to read those, but if given the chance I most likely will.

Actual Audience reaction after this 

At the end of the day, FLCL is a fun and twisted bundle of cartoony insanity. In many ways, it represents the pinnacle of Gainax as an animation studio, in the prime of its heyday. It is very nice that its legacy extends into the present with shows like Gurren Lagann, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt and Kill la Kill.

So, what's next on my platter? Well, its another project Yoji Enokido worked some years later....involving racing and fast action that would put the Fast and the Furious franchise to shame. 'Til next time, dear readers.

Anime Review No. 68-Ah My Goddess, Season 1 Episodes 25-26 (OVA tied to 2005 TV Series)

AH My Goddess Season 1, OVA Episodes
Released December 23, 2005
Studio: AIC, Director-Hiroki Goda, Writers: Takashi Aoshima (E25) and Jukki Hanada (E26)
Now, I am only covering this OVA 2 parter related to the Ah My Goddess TV Series for two reasons. One, I like this show quite a lot but don't quite have the time to cover the series as a whole. Second, the remainder of my reviews for this year will be over OVAs, so it fits within the format. If you want to press me for another reason, I need something to fill in an empty slot and figure that this would be easy filler.

For those reading not in the know for Ah My Goddess, check out my reviews covering the 90s OVA (OMG OVA Part 1, OMG OVA Part 2) and the Movie (Ah My Goddess Movie Review). Also, be sure to watch this two episodes before reading the review as it is spoiler-heavy.
Here are the links to the episodes in question, courtesy of Media Blasters:
AMG Ep 25
AMG Ep 26

Ok, you done now? Let us begin...

Episode 25: Ah! Urd's Small Love Story?

Sake-please drink responsibly

After the incident with the Lord of Terror (final arc of Season 1), Keiichi and Belldandy's life has returned to normal it seems. However, Yggdrasil is running into some problems as it is still recovering, much like a computer recovering from a massive DOS attack or virus. For one thing, Urd has turned into a child and Belldandy has fallen asleep, though she has a nice and cute chibi avatar. After getting some proper clothes for kid-Urd, she decides to go out and just loiter about, with her booze in tow.


I smell a future ufo doll here....

In the course of her loitering, she runs into a young bespectacled boy named Shohei Yoshida, who look likes me back in the day. They bond over some videogames, as you do in these modern times. The poor boy is smitten by her, of course, and they plan to meet again the next day in the park.

Notice that it is POP, not you know, that other mobile gaming device...

Of course, Keiichi and Belldandy are off on a search for moon rocks, which can serve as an alternative power source. But Urd tells them not to worry about, as she is enjoying herself as a kid. One of the things that I like Urd and make her an interesting is her hidden sadness and regret masked by her bold in-your-face exterior attitude. For me , I can see why she is hesitant  to return to normal, as her childhood was, shall we say, less than pleasant. You know, being a half goddess, half demon hybrid; it is explained and explored further in the series proper. 


Words of Wisdom....from Urd?!

So, fun times with Shohei and kid-Urd 'til she ends up rescuing him for falling off a tree. After figuring out that Shohei is a bit of dorky coward, she decides to help him build confidence and get rid of his fear...by taking up to the top of a construction site. She means well, but her methods are a tad extreme to say the least. Nonetheless, Shohei mans up and overcomes his fear. It is quite nice and touching watching the two develop a relationship, only with Urd regretting it later.




So, she turns back to normal and sees Shohei as he had followed her back to the temple home. Of course, he only came back to give back the sake bottle, a nice gesture. She, as the above picture shows, gives him a nice gift in return. It is interesting to see how restraint she is in that scene-the usually boisterous and bodacious Urd.
The episode ends on a cliffhanger as now is Skuld who has become an adult.... Oh noes!!

Yeah, being an adult is too cool..... /sarc

Episode 26: Ah! Being an Adult is Heart-Throbbing?
So, Skuld is now an adult woman, much to the confusion of Keiichi. It is actually another side effect of Yggdrasil being in repair. Of course, the reason for this is quite interesting: The three goddesses govern the three time dimensions, much like the Norns of Nordic mythology: Urd, the past; Belldandy, the present; Skuld, the future. I have to say that is an interesting concept, that unfortunately isn't explored outside of this OVA too much. Perhaps it brought up more in the manga, but it has been so long since I last read it that I can’t properly remember.


Potential shipping ahoy?

Thus, Skuld and Keiichi have some bonding time. Whereas Urd represents the 'what could have been' and the associated regret and sadness, Skuld represents 'what is to come' and the associated anxiety and fear. She has even a run-in with the local play-boy, but thankfully she evades him. In the end, it amounts to the two going out on a date as Keiichi rescues her from that plight.


GAHHH!!!! >.<

Keiichi is a real trooper, I got to say, taking this all in stride. The two of them go out on the town, trying out makeup, shoes, clothes and other things one does with a girlfriend. There is a touching moment where Skuld, Belldandy and Keiichi are on a road, yet when Skuld stops for a bit, Keiichi and Belldandy continue on the path. It is a very poignant moment, with virtually no dialogue, just imagery. This of course leads to some awkwardness between Keiichi and Skuld as it seems that Skuld has developed some feelings for Keiichi. But, once again, this isn’t explored too much in the series proper, thankfully.

Luckily, the system has been restored as Belldandy has woken up. So, in time, Skuld will change back to normal. But before, Keiichi and Skuld share quite a nice, emotional scene. Skuld realizing that she shouldn't rush things and enjoy the present moment, for it is fleeting and the future is always around the corner.
Final scene is well this:


A return to normalcy, at least a certain sense of it.

So, final thoughts: These 2 episodes are a nice diversion between the two seasons of the TV Series. They offer some insight into some secondary characters, particularly Urd and Skuld. It has a few neat and interesting concepts that I wish were more fleshed in the anime proper, but hey that’s life.

The animation is a top notch effort for AIC, in fact its probably the last series AIC has done with this good of animation quality. This leads into something that I must admit slipped my mind: the character design shift. You know, that detail that changed from the 90s OVA to the Movie and carries through to this series. Well, that wasn’t entirely the work of Fujishima-sensei. No, that honor goes to Hidenori Matsubara as well, who also is character designer on Sakura Wars, another project Fujishima worked on and whose career stretches back all the way to Otaku no Video of all things (yay a full circle moment once again). Sorry for not bringing it up before, but it has bugged me ever since my earlier reviews of the franchise.

So, this begs the nagging question: Will I do more on this franchise? Hmm, perhaps. There is material aplenty to talk about, to be sure. Maybe, in the future, I shall see.

So, what’s next on the platter? Well, it’s the story of a shinigami, and no its not Bleach…



Later, dear readers

Anime Review No. 65-Madoka Magica

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Well, it is here at long last. A review that I have long awaited for since I began just over 2 years ago, starting with that long-forgotten OVA. I view this blog as a historical catalogue of sorts, highlighting both the good, bad and in-between that I have covered, spanning from a few from the 80s right up to the present time, or at least close enough. Now, from time to time I have taken a look at some of my personal favorite anime series (my version of a Top 10 List). But here, I am talking about a show that in many ways is a magnum opus of not just the magical girl genre, but anime as a whole. That show is Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Note: some rather subtle spoilers but nothing too revealing, except to those who have seen the series

The lens of the magnum opus

Magnum opus equals great work roughly from the Latin. Another applicable word  would be masterpiece, where all components of a work/piece function so well as a whole. For the purpose of this review I shall examine three aspects of the production: the animation studio, series director and main writer.

Studio: Shaft

One phrase can best describe Madoka Magica: Visual wonder. There is use of nearly every production trick in the book similar to what Gainax less then a year previously with Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, though digital cel animation is the mainstay. Each episode has gorgeous backgrounds, giving the production a rather seasoned creative flair. In addition, the use of gags and references are utilized with a greater purpose then just 'oh let's do random crap' like what Shaft did with early Shinbou directed works (Moon Phase and Pani Poni Dash for instance). Finally, the character design is similar to Hidamari Sketch and works in spite of itself: very moe, but works as a neat contrast to often dark and surreal nature of the show sometimes.

Director: Akiyuki Shinbou

This is Shinbou at the apogee in terms of his directing career in my opinion, especially considering he has been with Studio Shaft since 2004 as their chief director. I have covered quite a number of other shows he did back in the 90s (Detatoko Princess, Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Tenamonya Voyagers) and it is interesting to see how much difference there is between those past works and this. Besides, this is not the first time Shinbou has done work on a magical girl series: Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA (1995-6: done storyboard work on the first OVA and directing the second OVA) and Magical Lyrical Nanoha (2004, but Season 1 only) so he certainly knows what he is doing. Madoka Magica is replete with his tricks including but not limited to: Head tilts, wide range/palate of color and light, cinematic look and feel in battle scenes, atmospheric (dark and surreal at times), surreal imagery (the witch realms).

Writer: Gen Urobuchi

Otherwise as The Urobutcher (heh), I quite like his writing for the series, of which he did all of it, something that happens on occasion in most anime series. Strong writing exists both in the story, characters and setting. The story has a rather organic progression; nothing seems too incidential or un-needed. In fact, the handling multiple threaded story line within the span of 12 episodes is an incredible feat that frankly not too many shows quite get nowadays. The story can be broken down to the following structure-Main narrative : Episodes 1-9; Backstory: Episode 10; Finale: Episodes 11-12.

The backstory is particularly interesting in itself, if only to make Homura's story arc that more compelling. In fact, the story is equally about Homura as it is about Madoka; though that fact doesn't diminish the portions concerning the other magical girls (Kyoko, Sayaka and Mami). The story is akin to walking in a tunnel that gets darker and darker the farther you get along until finally a brightly shining light illuminates you upon exiting, in fact that's a very apt metaphor for this series. There are so much revelations and twists timed just right and make sense within the context of the plot, again something that a lot of modern anime don't really do or they fail at it in some way. Full of wham and surprise moments, the story isn't really so much dark, its mature (it treats the viewer as a mature and active participant of the story and it treats its audience like adults). It deals with issues of grief, loss, suffering but also balances it out with hope, love and power of friendship overcoming all obstacles. Pieces of dialogue that can take on multiple meaning upon rewatching (especially episode 1, which is more interesting to watch again than watch at first).

Only real questionable is the whole entropy stuff thrown in as some form of justification for Kyubey's actions, but it only plays a minor part for the ending only, so it can just be construed as manipulation on Kyubey's part. There does exist a hinting at a larger story: Kyubey's race and their effect on the history and destiny of mankind; Madoka as the embodiment of the eternal struggle of good against evil as examples to be sure. Though, essentially, the central message amounts to this: Hope and Unconditional Love can conquer all suffering and despair. Granted, there are other messages like self-sacrifice should not be in vain, miracles can and do happen, etc but the central message is lent more credibility in the story overall.


Characters: Some of the strongest I have seen in anime, let alone the mahou shoujo genre with the main cast going through the most emotional rollcoaster in recent times for anime. If you have seen the show, you know what I mean. But more than that, these are really deep characters, where their greatest strengths are often their undoings: Be it Mami's devotion, Sayaka's selflessness, Kyoko's righteousness or even Homura's unconditional and unwavering love. The shades of grey morality is in work fully in this piece; though are clear characters that are good and evil but most of them straddle along the grey line of morality. They struggle and suffer through a lot over the course of the show. Finally, Kyubey is a great example of taking a standard trope of the genre (pet mascot) and twisting it into something new and interesting though by the end you will hate its guts a lot trust me.


Setting: This show has a clearly established universe where the rules of magic it has set up are followed to the letter. It also has the right approach to world building: set up enough that the viewer can follow along yet leave in just enough speculation for the viewer to ponder about. In addition, there is some nice use of motifs and cues (wishes, the Soul Gem, Madoka's ribbons) that at first seem innocuous but at some point become vital to the story and take on different shades of meaning.

Overall, a very complete package of a series.

Historiography
The term, used mainly in historical studies, means roughly "The writing of history". This is the part where I go into my personal history with the Madoka Magica series. I first came across this show while at university, where I was a member of the anime club. It was the spring semester of 2011, and I was in the process of finishing up there. Now, the first meeting for the anime club for every semester was a vote tape, and this little show called Madoka Magica ended up on the vote tape, in part due to it being a Studio Shaft production, and most of the club were fans of that studio at the time.

Now, prior to watching Madoka, I hadn't really watched much magical girl shows, aside from the stray episodes of Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. This show blew me away right from the get-go. I was amazed at how fresh and new this series was, in comparison to the stuff I was watching at the time. Each episode had me on the edge of my seat, especially after episode 3.

But, after I watched episode 10, the Tohoku Earthquake hit Japan. The anime club did set aside some money to send over there but the question remain: Will Madoka be finished before end of term? Word soon that studio Shaft had been running late on production for the final two episodes, so maybe there was hope.

Luckily, the episodes came out and we watched them on the final meeting for that semester. Thank god for that extra time as the last two episodes are quite the best series finale in anime I have ever seen. I was literally in tears by end of the finale, it is that excellent.

So, when news came that Aniplex was bringing the show to the States in 2012, I was pumped. Then I heard that it was a staggered release with 3 separate volumes, 4 episodes each, Bummer. Oh, and each volume would cost an arm each, Double Bummer. So I decided to wait and see if the price went down or if somebody would send it to me as a gift.

Finally this summer, I broke down and bought all three volumes via RightStuf (good discount there too). This was in part due to watching SF Debris's reviews on the entire show, episode by episode. I recommend everyone who has seen the show watch this guy's reviews, as they are the best in covering this masterpiece.

Now, some other comments:

I like how the original Japanese voice cast is very archetypal, ie playing to type most of the time and it is probably one of the better casts for Japanese in an anime. Which leads me to contrast with the English Dub, which is rather 'rote'.  Alex von David is perhaps the most pedestrian director for English dubs ever, both here and in SAO. Granted, some of the English V.A.s do very well with the material, the fact is that its unambitious in terms of the voice direction in parts. This is essentially a great show that has a decent dub. Didn't help that Aniplex, the company that brought the series last year, put up what has to be the most reverse hype trailer ever: Madoka Magica US Trailer. I mean, seriously, what the flying fudge?! Anyway, both language tracks get a recommendation from me for sure.

The music is also fantastic. Yuki Kajiura is the composer for Madoka, as well as some other fine anime like Noir, .hack//Sign, and Sora no Woto (well the opening only). Her music is very good at being there to underpin the drama of the piece very aptly. I would love to get the OST for this anime.

　
And so, I end the review with this: A Thought, for the epilogue. What if Madoka Magica serves as an 'origin story' for the entire magical girl genre? Ponder that, dear readers....

See you next time

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 56-Evangelion Rebuild 1.11 and 2.22

Evangelion Rebuild film series (2007, 2009) from a fan's perspective

Well, coming full circle once again. Evangelion is the anime that got me initially hooked. I remember when back around 2003-04, as I was entering high school, I first came across this title. Back in the day, there was a Blockbuster video store down the way from my house. As I was strolling through the shelves once, when I saw something that caught my eye. It was two VHS tapes with the title 'Neon Genesis Evangelion. Intrigued, I rented them and watched them, and it was wonderful. Granted, it was only first four episodes, but it got me interested. I ended up collecting most of the DVDs, later owning the Platinum collection and the End of Eva movie for some time.

Evangelion, it has to be said, is one of the most talked about and analyzed pieces of Japanese animation. Put Evangelion analysis into Google and you'll see. Whether or not you like Evangelion, that is something to be recognized. It broke ground in the mecha genre when it first came out in 1995 and even today the anime landscape has been influenced tremendously by it. My opinion of Evangelion is that despite its flaws (which it does have), it is a very good anime series.
 

But then, talk of a 'Rebuild film series' surfaced around the time I went to college. At first, I was like 'huh?' and 'why?' and 'whats the point?'.. But then, at Anime Weekend event hosted by the anime club at the college I went to, they were showing Evangelion 1.11 film. It was pretty good. Two years later, I saw the second Rebuild film, which is a masterpiece as I will mention later. Recently, I obtained both films from MovieStop at a substantial bargain. Now, onto the films.

Eva 1.11 aka You are (Not) Alone

This is a decent anime film. In terms of story it is basically a showcase of the first five episodes of the TV series rolled into a movie. Or moreover, it's like a highlight reel of the series' start and doesn't really do much beyond that. It does have brilliant animation-nice blend of CGI and digital cel don't get me wrong. But that's hardly praise when most of the movie consists of scenes that beat for beat just like the original series. Of course, this will be evident to only the most astute viewers or fans of the original series.

However, there are great things about this film. For one, Hideaki Anno (director/writer for both the films and the original TV series) seems to learned a bit from the original series as some of its flaws (characters and story) has greatly improved. He has definitely written the characters (especially Shinji) to where they are more relatable. Second, the English dub. This being Funimation, one expect a very good job and they certainly pull this off. Kudos for getting Allison Keith and Spike Spencer back for the dub as Misato and Shinji probably wouldn't have been done justice with a different voice actor. And really, it just go to show how better those two in particular are in comparison to the english dub for the original series, which let's be fair, is a bit rough around the edges.

Overall, a good film. If a newbie to anime wants to know more on Eva, this is a suitable starting point.

Eva 2.22 aka You Can (Not) Advance (and spoiler alert)

The second movie, on the other hand, is far more interesting hence why I shall talk more about it than the first film. The opening sequence with Mari is bloody fantastic and really hooks one into the movie. It also let me know that this is miles above a mere remake of the original series.

This attitude continues with the intro to Asuka and Unit 02: vastly different from the series, but still awesome, using the same music from her introductory episode of the TV series. Now, as for Asuka Langely Shikinami: while toned down in bitchiness for sure, she is still cocky and confident. She also got that still lingering hidden sadness and psychological issues-though not rammed into the viewers' face. Another point is I like how Tiffany Grant returns for the dub. She does a pretty good job, in comparison to TV series dub. Asuka is a tad abrasive towards Rei and Shinji at first.

There is also the lingering mystery of Gendo. Is he doing some kind of Instrumentality project? I don't know, any scenes with him involve being cryptic and mysterious. And what's with the random one-off shots of Kaoru? Once again, I am not sure. There is some more hinting at Rei's true nature and intro to SEELE.

Another aspect of note is the oblique reflection of 'Kare Kano'. Several music bits are recycled from Kare Kano (anime series by Gainax back in 1998-99 and previously reviewed on this blog). I have been wrapping my head around for some time. The best I can come up with is that its Anno looking back obliquely at the previous series he did, before he left Gainax and pursue other projects.
 

That's not to say that it's all serious business. Comedy/light-hearted moments are plenty in this movie: Shinji and Asuka's home life with Misato, school life scenes, the visit to the 'Aquarium' where even the downtime shows character development, and the night after the team fight against the Angel: intimate moment between Asuka and Shinji.

That's not to discount the Angel Fights: very well good, kinetic without cutting too many corners. The Angels are a visual treat, more so than the first film (otherworldly CGI is the way to go). In other words, showing how with the advancement of technology the animation staff and Anno are basically amounting to saying 'Oh look at what we can do now!". The second Angel they fight in the movie (the one that falls down on top of them) shows the group dynamic very well (Rei, Shinji, Asuka).

In addition, Shinji and Kaji's relationship is allowed to develop more so then in the series, like the scene at the aquarium or the watermelon field scene. It's all very good stuff. I really like the Second Impact flashback-visually stunning and captivating and good utilization of the visual medium.

Mari's entrance into the narrative proper, well that's quite surprising-this one scene establishes her character-outgoing and a bit quirky (She likes the smell of LCL?! What?! Explain, movie). Still, it's good to see if this character pays off. We'll see.

The third act aka Rei's Dinner Plans, where the plot begins to deviate wildly from the source material, but for the better. Well, it turns out that there is an Experimental Unit 04. Events in this segment seem to be akin to the 'Calm before the Storm'.

For example, Eva Unit 02 gets grounded and Asuka is not pleased. This leads to the Elevator scene, which is improved vastly from the original 'moment of silence'. There exists actual dialogue and character interaction between Asuka and Rei as they spell out clearly what they are about. IT makes me wish that the TV series had more scenes like this, as it would have bolstered that up a bit.

There is also the Dummy Plug System, which is explained briefly so my thinking is how long 'til someone gets hurt?

What color me surprised Asuka will go in for the experimental test for Unit 03. Though, this makes more sense than in the TV series. There, Touji (Shinji's classmate) ends up the pilot as some feeble attempt for pathos and it fails. This is due to Touji being a side character, so who gives a crap? At least with Asuka it leads to me giving some concern towards what is happening. Asuka's phone call to Misato is a very great moment for Asuka's character development. I have to ask: Why didn't the series have more of this?

Experiment goes awry, as expected. Unit 03 turns into an angel and goes on a rampage. With Asuka in there, the moral dilemma Shinji has is more real and believable. He's hesitant sure, but given the time he has had with Asuka its understandable. It also really shows how much of an emotionally distant authority Gendo is, but again this has been obvious from the first film, so moving on. Finally, with Asuka in the corrupted Eva, it makes Shinji's brief post-battle rebellion much more credible.

Dummy Plug Unit 01 ripping to shreds the Angel-controlled Unit 03 is just a sight to behold. Disconcerting music playing over it, with sweet song over a scene that is still brutally violent, just makes it a terrifying beauty to be seen.

Another aspect of note: The psychoanalytic scenes are short and to the point, not redundant and overbearing like in series In addition, actions have consequences: Asuka is recovered but quaratined , Shinji is told to leave for good and Rei is the last usable pilot. Oh dear...

The Tenth Angel forms the tremendous finale to this movie. It is a very tense and harrowing situation. Mari's first sortee mostly involves to keep on whaling on the Angel with little to no effect. She activates the Beast mode which can summed up as: wow, just wow. Dayumm... Turns out, it is Mari's the one who gets Shinji to man up a bit and get involved by getting him to come back. Once Shijni see the destruction unfolding before him, he realizes that he can't run away. He goes to fight and nearly fail when Eva Unit 01 goes berserk which is another fantastic moment in this movie. It then enhances the scene further by having him save Rei from the Angel itself, now that was a very powerful moment as well.

Third Impact begins.... Ok, ending on a cliffhanger, it seems. Well, alright then. I shall eagerly what happens with the third movie, Evangelion 3.33 or Eva Q,

Still the two Eva Rebuild films are released to the USA by Funimation and I highly recommend them to any fan of the original series or newbies who want to see what all hub-bub is about.

Anime Review No. 55-Diebuster

"Hard Work and Effort"

Diebuster (2004 OVA, 6 episodes)

Studio: Gainax

Now, onto Diebuster. Let me stress first off that I have not yet seen Gunbuster, the original 1988 OVA done by Gainax. So, my evaluation of Diebuster will not be as a 'sequel' to another work, but rather as a 'transitional piece'.

Diebuster is an 6 episode OVA from 2004, in order to celebrate Gainax's 20^th anniversary. It tells the story of Nono-chan, a pink-haired girl from the country who strives to see the stars by becoming a space pilot. She runs into Lal'c Melk Mal, the ace pilot of Topless, an organization where teenage pilots using highly specialized giant robots to fight off space monsters. But, Nono holds a secret that could change the tide of the conflict for the better? What is the nature of the space monsters? Will humanity survive? All these questions are all very interesting.

Of course, from reading my summary, one can piece together similar concepts from other Gaianx shows. Well, no surprise, as Diebuster is very much a pastiche of stuff Gainax has done. From using mecha that wouldn't feel out of place in Evangelion to having a story that at its core is much like Fooly Cooly; that is, it is a coming of age story for both Nono and Lal'C though not in the way most expected.

One of the nice things about Diebuster is its small yet tightly controlled cast. There are only about 5-6 recurring characters throughout the 6 episodes. Nono and Lal'C have an interesting dynamic (some would say its a shoujo-ai relationship, but its more out of admiration than love). The other characters (Casio, Tycho and Nicola) each are very interesting with their own focus episode/time. I won't spoil further, but suffice to say its makes things very interesting.

But more than a simple character study, it is also a rather exciting space adventure. One of the things that struck me about this OVA is how great it looks. From a production standpoint, Diebuster is very pretty to look at; clear, crisp and consistent character design and modeling, even if some of the shots are clearly CG, but then again most CG from pre-2006 or so is mostly obvious and/or jarring, so I won't complain much on it. The action scenes are very well-done, kinetic and fast-paced which you do need in your show with giant robots.

Diebuster also stands as a 'transition piece'. On the one hand, it looks back to Gunbuster (of course), Evangelion (mecha and cosmic horror of space monsters) and FLCL (both share the same writer and director). On the other hand, it looks forward to Gurren Lagann, as both are basically gung-ho sci-fi mecha shows where hot-bloodedness and enthusiasm takes central stage. The epithet 'Hard Work and Effort' which I've titled this review initially serves as the central message of Diebuster, that through hard work and effort one can do the improbable, which happens to occur so often one could make a drinking game of it. Seriously, the feats that break not just physics but reality itself committed by Nono-chan for the most part is astounding yet awe-inspiring.

But, I think that "Hard Work and Effort" stands as a slogan for Studio Gainax itself. This is the studio founded by fanboys back in the 80s who loved those sci-fi/mecha shows from days of yore. They put in a lot of hard work into their shows, despite any production/budget issues, and it shows here in spades with Diebuster. This intense passion and enthusiasm can be seen from the beginning to the final scene. It is very inspirational and powerful.

Now, onto some other aspects of the show: The music is phenomenal, having been done by Kohei Tanaka, who has done several scores for anime, OVAs and games. Just check his Wikipedia page for full credits. His music is very powerful and fitting in just about every scene in this OVA. Of particular note is "March of the Exelion" and "Inazuma Double Kick".

The Japanese voice acting is very good. The DVDs I have for Diebuster were from the Bandai Visual release a few years ago. They decide to just release it subbed, with no english dub at all. Which is fine, as I feel a dub wouldn't be too good. Plus, Diebuster is a very niche title, so I guess that Bandai figured that they could just make their money back on it by just selling it subbed release.

Luckily, Discotek Media is releasing the complete collection of Diebuster in May. This definitely gets a recommendation from me. It is probably one of the better entries in the Gainax catalog, and that includes 'Evangelion', 'FLCL', 'Gurren Lagann' and 'Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt' so it's in good competition/company. Its very good in just about everything. Now, if you wish to view this as a sequel, I would recommend checking out the original Gunbuster, as I hope so to do in the near future. However, as a 'transitional piece', it is perfectly fine to watch just this, it works well as a stand-alone work.

Next review concludes Gainax month with the Eva Rebuild films, to be posted April 27th-28^th.

Laterz,

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review 42-El Hazard the Magnificent World

Fantasy: Then and Now continues with El Hazard: The Magnificent World OVA from 1995-96.

DVD Cover 

El Hazard is directed by Hiroki Hayashi (Tenchi Muyo, Battle Athletes) and written by Ryoe Tsukimura (Moldiver, Tenamonya Voyagers, Tenchi Muyo). Production was done by Studio AIC, who also did Tenchi Muyo, Battle Athletes, and whole lot of stuff in the 90s and early-mid 00s.If they did an anime I reviewed, I mentioned it at least. It is considered the ‘sister series’ of Tenchi Muyo, as the same people worked on both.   

El Hazard concerns the tale of one, Makoto Mizuhara, an average Japanese high school student. One day, when dealing with a self-proclaimed rival Jinnai, he stumbles upon an ancient ruin beneath his school. There, he meets Ifurita, who supposedly met him before and then waited in hibernation for a long time. With the last of her power, she sends him along with Jinnai, Fujisawa-sensei and Jinnai’s sister Nanami to the world of El Hazard, a mystical land. Makoto and Fujisawa-sensei ended up working with the Princess Rune Venus and her kingdom in an effort to stop an invasion by the Bugrom Empire, a race of insect warriors, led by Queen Diva and Jinnai himself. But an even more deadly threat lurks in the shadows, without letting either side know it. In addition, Makoto meets elemental goddesses, Ifurita (again!) and the Eye of God (a mystery). What a thrilling adventure!

What a stunning landscape, brought by stunning visuals

Now, what makes El Hazard such a classic to me lies first in the pure scope and depth this story delves into. This OVA spans 7 episodes, and clocks it at around 4 hours. The first and last are 50 minutes long, with the episodes between last 30 minutes. As such, there’s a lot of time devoted to world building, even if boils down to simple terms: The world is divided by a river, with Rushtaria and its alliance on one side and the Bugrom Empire on the other.  But there’s more to it, with vast forests and deserts seen throughout and even more that we don’t see. The stunning visuals, example above, help to reinforce this. 

L-R: Queen Diva, Rune Venus, Fatora and Aielle, Nanami, Makoto and the three goddesses

The story and characters are also well-done. Granted, the cast consists of Makoto (single male hero) and group of female characters (the goddesses, Ifurita, Nanami, etc.) and their interactions with each other. Sounds familiar, eh? Well, that’s the same setup as Tenchi Muyo except for the initial premise. Whereas Tenchi had a harem of women vying for his affections, Makoto is set on only one of the girls, something not used a lot in harem series. Sure, some of them vie for his affections, but he seems too oblivious to it. Granted, the story doesn’t focus on this too much. Instead, it deals with Makoto and his friends trying to find a way back to the real world, which seems linked to the mystery of “The Eye of God”. It is an ancient weapon long dormant since ancient times and is essential to how the story develops.

The characters are very engaging. Makoto is a bit like Tenchi, above average male hero who ends up being the key to the story. He seems a bit more developed, as he got some brains behind his meek and nice demeanor making him quite relatable. Jinnai, on the other hand, is a perfect foil and quite possibly the best ‘joke villain’ in anime ever. Any scene with him is quite an interesting gem.

Most of the other cast is very typical for anime: Fujisawa is drunk but reliable adult role model and Nanami is a love interest in denial with a slight obsession with money. Even the three goddesses, with their impressive elemental powers, have expected personalities (Shayla Shayla-fiery, hotheaded, confident; Afura Mann-cool, calm and collected; Miz-volatile and moody). Rune Venus is the typical damsel-in-distress who doesn’t do much in the story anyway.

Heh-part of the reason why I'm reviewing this.

The exceptions lay with Princess Fatora and Aielle, who are the lesbian couple in the show. Granted, Fatora doesn’t have an active role until the last episode, but when she does she is quite a surprise. Aielle shows up near the end of the first episode and stays on as the token lolita of Makoto’s group, constantly hitting on some of the other female characters, leading to much hilarity.  They may seem a bit superfluous, but they are entertaining anyway, so I welcome their casual addition.

The English dub is pretty good as well. Been done by Pioneer/Geneon back in the day, it has a cast that includes mainstays for quite a number of their dubs: Eddie Frierson, Lia Sargent, Michael Sorich, R Martin Klein, Melissa Fahn, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Bridget Hoffman, etc. They all do a pretty good job given the material. There are a few others (like Ifurita) where the performance is a tad wooden. I definitely recommend watching this dubbed, though the subbed version is decent.

El Hazard OP

Now, there are a few weaknesses to this OVA. First, the music is rather forgettable, barring the opening and ending songs. I love the opening song, with its rich mix of instrumental and electronic music creating an opening that grips and hooks you in. For the first six episodes, the ending song is a jumpy and energetic tune. The last episode, however, has a quite lovely and nice song to cap off the ending.

This leads to another weakness: The OVA is centered on a time loop paradox surrounding Makoto and Ifurita. Now, while this OVA has it built in such a way to ensure it has a definite ending, there is the possibility for sequels. This is similar to Tenchi Muyo, which had spinoffs/sequels due to parallel universes with the same characters. And considering how successful that was, AIC rightfully though it would work again with the EL Hazard series. To put simply, however, it didn’t. But that’s the subject for another review down the road

At the end of the day, El Hazard The Magnificent World as a standalone OVA is a fantastic piece of other worldly fantasy epic. It is well-done in nearly all aspects of the production, with a few exceptions. It stands its ground with other similar fantasy anime, like Magic Knight Rayearth and Escaflowne, both also very well-done fantasy series. I definitely recommend it. El Hazard is available on DVD quite easily on Amazon. 

Laterz

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 27, “Tenamonya Voyagers” (April Fool’s Day Special Review)

Hello, I’m the Eclectic Dude I review it for the lols.

Well, Happy April Fool’s Day everyone! This special day calls for a special review, because why the heck not. I know the perfect thing to review-Tenamonya Voyagers!!!!!

DVD Cover with the main characters (L-R: Wakana, Ayako, and  Space Trash Paraila) with Inspector Yokoyama near top

Never heard of it? I don’t blame you. Tenamonya Voyagers, a Sci-Fi 1999 OVA done by Studio Pierrot is in that category of ‘rare, obscure” in anime. It also has the distinction for being one of the early titles of anime released exclusively on DVD back in the late 90s/early 00s. But being one of the first, does that make it good?

The story behind Tenamonya Voyagers involves the adventures of 3 young women in space, at some point far in the future. Two of them are humans-Ayako, a new teacher and Wakana, a student athlete. Both ended up at a school on a far off planet of Meldonia, Ayako having a teacher job and Wakana getting there via an athletic scholarship.  However, once they get to Meldonia, the school got shutted down (valid since it took them light years to get there). Anyway, without much to do, the two decides to return back to Earth, despite their limited resources to do so.

Fortunately, a solution comes from above, literally. A giant mecha falls onto the planet, demolishing the school. Out of it comes Paraila, a mysterious young girl who seems more than she appears. Together, they are determined to get back to Earth, the home in a vast universe so to speak. But, it turns out Paraila is a former boss of the Space Mafia who is hoping to get back to Earth for her own selfish reasons. Turns out, some past space treaty left Earth as ‘neutral territory’ wherein any criminal that lands there has ALL their criminal charges wiped clean. In addition to be pursuing by the Mafia, the Space Police have someone on her trail as well-an obsessive policewoman from Hiroshima, Yokoyama.

Sounds pretty good, eh? Well, unfortunately, not only it is rare/obscure it is also unfinished. Only 4 episodes got made. Yeah, spoiler alert, they don’t make it back to Earth and the final episode ends on a cliffhanger. However, unlike Legend of the Last Labyrinth, which suffered from cutbacks it seems, this title suffered from probably low sales. A sad fact of life for OVA collectors, in that a lot of them were released by video every few weeks or months and the continuation of many titles depended on sales of the videos. If sales were good, then OVAs got more episodes and vice versa.

Which is a shame, as Tenamonya Voyagers is a very good OVA. The animation is quite excellent, for its time. Upon first watching it, I did a double take when the fact that this was made back in 1999. It looks good enough to be something made from the early to mid 00s. Characters are extremely expressive and back grounds are well done in every scene of the 4 episodes.

The direction is also something of note as well. Akiyuki Shinbou directed this OVA, yes the same guy who was involved in Galaxy Fraulien Yuna OVAs and Detatoko Princess (both I have reviewed previously). Here, in my opinion, is the best OVA/series he did pre-Studio Shaft. His trademarks are on full display here, be it use of texts on screen, interesting camera angles and wacky/tippy lighting and color effects. He gives it some pacing and quality that one should view the OVA as all 4 episodes at once, as it feels like a movie at times.

The story and characters are well a mixed bag.  It is essential a ‘girls on the run in space’ story, but with a few unique twists thrown in for good measure. The writing is filled with lots of humor, both sophomoric and more subtle. The characters are overall fun and enjoyable to watch. Ayako is a distressed young teacher who is in way over her head at times, but gives enough laughs at times so the audience is totally annoyed at her. Wakana and Paraila basically serves as bouncing boards off each other, Wakana wondering why go through the hassle of going to Earth with a known criminal and Paraila just not giving a crud about what anyone thinks or says. And Yokoyama, the policewoman on the trail of Paraila is basically a crazy badass who probably joined the police just so she could capture/kill people, making her a passable antagonist.

OP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkL-5_eGV0s

Finally, the music is also worthy of note. In particular, the opening, which it is basically a marching band tune set to well weird imagery. The rest of the soundtrack is very much like the OVA-space epic and all that. Granted, they do recycle some soundtrack parts a few times but thankfully it’s not too annoyingly overused.

Not that to say it’s all good. The story is rather unfinished and this fact is no more evident than in the fourth and last episode, where the production team just threw their arms up in the air and said “Feck the plot, we’ll just do something ridiculously awesome”, apparently. Now, there has to be the best way to end an OVA that probably had no chance: Just end on a note of ridiculously awesomeness. Check it out for yourself, I am not spoiling here.

This gets a good recommendation, if you are a sci-fi fan or like parody series as well. It is not that hard to find it, as Amazon.com has it for dirt cheap. It is well worth it, as Tenamonya Voyagers is a joke; a huge, entertaining joke, to be fair, but a joke nonetheless

‘Til next time ^_^  

Anime Review No. 22, "Ah My Goddess" The Movie (2000)

Hi, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.

Well, after some years of the Oh My Goddess OVA and volumes of the manga were released, a movie for "Ah My Goddess" was almost a given. It premiered in October 2000, with a US release in Nov. 2001. It was done by studio AIC and directed by Hiroaki Goda, who also did the OVA from back in 1993-94. In the US, Geneon Entertainment (now defunct sad to say) released the movie a year later past its theatrical release.  So, is it any good? Let's see.

The events of the Movie takes place 3 years after the OVA's events. Belldandy and Keiichi's life is going great and all that. Their relationship/main characters are explained within the first few minutes, so it is assumed that you've watched the OVA or read the manga. More on that later, I assure you.

But, Celestin, Belldandy's old mentor, arrives on the scene unexpectedly after disappearing some point in the past. At the same time, Heaven (under guidance of Peorth, another goddess character who didn't appear in OVA) is dealing with the escape of a convict from their lunar prison and appearance of some problems in the Yggdrasil system (sort of like a giant computer system). Coincidence? Perhaps, though it doesn't take much to piece the two together.
Celestin, upon seeing Belldandy, kisses her and then flies off mysteriously after Bell faints (a cursed kiss?). It turns out, Bell got struck with selective amnesia, wherein she loses all memories pertaining to Keiichi. Now, for the casual/first-time viewer, this might not be a big deal. But for me, personally being a big fan of the series, this moment was a bit heart breaking and sad. Keiichi, along with Skuld and Urd, try to help Bell to regain her memories. Of course, they fail at first.
But slowly and surely, Bell regains her memories. Of course, then Celestin appears again to cause trouble. What is he up to? Well, he is akin to a Lucifer figure. He was a once a member in the high courts of Heaven, who once tutored Belldandy. However, he was troubled by the problems with reality, specifically the way that Heaven deals with relationships between members of different realms. There's this Judgement Gate that exists where these 'special couples' go and test their commitment to each other. Should there be any doubt, the couple is separated forever. So, he takes young Bell along to show this 'abomination' (as Celestin says) and then he attempts to destroy it. Now, while that might be something good, it has one huge downside-IT WOULD RENDER REALITY AS WE KNOW IT ASUNDER. (sorry for the all caps xD). He succeeds for a bit , but then is banished to the moon for his crimes. Belldandy then has to take a forgetting potion, so she won't remember it at all (hence the confusion when he showed up earlier in the movie). Also, this was told all in flashback, naturally.
He recruited Morgan, a fairy princess, to aid in his plan. She is a rather tragic figure, having felt the loss of her beloved at the hands of the Judgement Gate firsthand. She is the one who freed Celestin from the moon prison and aids him in trying to pry Belldandy away from Keiichi by first subtle means, then outright seduction of Keiichi. This of course didn't work too much.  
Now, Celestin wants to basically render reality asunder again, and create a new reality, probably in his own image. Of course, by that point, Bell regains her memories of Keiichi totally and she along with Keiichi, Urd, Skuld seeks to prevent Celestin's plan. The virus that is causing trouble to Yggdrasil is linked into Belldandy. the final solution, put forward by Peorth, would be to inject a vaccination into Belldandy and stem the virus at its source, which unfortunately would have unfortunate side effects as well. But its better then reality becoming no more, so they go ahead with this idea.
But it fails as Celestin takes over Keiichi's body and proceeds with his plan anyway. Just when it seems all is lost, the way to prevent this calamity is.....SINGING (I'm dead serious). Also, Belldandy and Keiichi pass through the Judgement Gate together, and because their love is unwavering, they are successful and they glimpse at Paradise (i have no idea, not really explained). Happy ending, closed by credits.

Well, what are the pros to this Movie? Well, quite a lot.
First, the animation encapsulates one word-Beautiful!!!!! This was where the Ah My Goddess series underwent artistic evolution on a grand scale, that carries through to the TV Series made 5 years later. From the first scene right up to the ending, it is all wonderfully animated. It also has a very well done blend of 2D cel and CGI, probably the best example of such a seamless blend from this era of animation (the turn of this recent century). 
Second, the voice acting (in the english dub). It is of course different from the dub of the OVA, which I reviewed last weekend. Now, the main couple is voiced by Bridget Hoffman (Belldandy) and Tony Oliver (Keiichi). They do a wonderful job, even if this was their own appearance in this role for the series. There are some other memorable performances in the cast as well. This includes Sherry Lynn and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Skuld and Urd, and interestingly enough Steve Blum as the baddie of the film, which surprised me a quite a lot. It is quite awesome, much like the rest of this film.
Third, the story. This is quite possibly the best story for an anime film outside of the Miyazaki canon. The plot is bit more developed than the OVA, as the series has been out for some time before this movie came out. It is also rather original, in that it doesn't take place within the manga series it is based on.
Finally, the music is very wonderful. It was done by Shiro Hamaguchi, who also did music for Final Fantasy VII-IX games as well as the One Piece movies. So, to say it sounds much like a video game soundtrack, not far from truth. Granted, it is totally grand classical orchestra playing the soundtrack and it is very well-done. It is grand and epic, which considering this is a theatrical release for a movie, not surprising.

Now, the one con against this movie, which I mentioned earlier: the continuity. In the first 10-15 minutes, we are thrust into this world, with lots of characters, most of which are incidental to the plot of the movie. Now, for the casual/first-time viewer, this will create some confusion. So, to truly appreciate this movie, one needs to have seen either the OVA or TV Series or read the manga beforehand just a bit to understand what most things are.

Now, final thoughts: This Movie rocks!! Like I say, this is possibly the best anime movie outside of the Miyazaki canon out there. I can heap more praise to this movie than I ever done for a lot for the titles I reviewed. It is the pinnacle of anime, the greatest example for this industry. There's hasn't been a lot of anime titles before or since that are as great as this movie. WATCH IT!!!

Now, next weekend is Legend of the Last Labyrinth.

Laterz, The Eclectic Dude





 
 



 

Anime Review No. 21, "Oh My Goddess" (OVA), Part 2/2

Hello again, this is the Eclectic Dude

Well, after three rather solid episodes with lots of character introductions and situational comedy/drama, does this OVA pick up the pace? Let's find out.

Episode 4, titled Evergreen Holy Night, starts out with a bad dream by Keiichi in which Belldandy leaves him, which causes some distress. It is really good scene illustrating the transient nature of their relationship, especially considering they are an unconventional couple. Anyway, problems (micro snowstorm, things disappearing, magnetism, etc) start popping around Keiichi and Belldandy's temple abode. The problem is caused by the presence of 'bugs' (multi-legged rabbit critters), as reality seems to function akin to a computer system. More bugs equals glitches in the fabric of reality, or something. These 'bugs' come out from a 'portal' formed by the close attraction of Keiichi and Belldandy, as discovered by Skuld. The two now have to be separated or more problems will occur.
On top of that, 'Father' (the God-figure) calls Belldandy and says she got to go back to Heaven. She has 3 days before a gateway opens up to Heaven and take Belldandy. She reluctantly agrees it as she wants to make Keiichi's life better, even though both of them are in deep love with each other. The pain of separation gets to both of them, and attempts to reconnect with more problems. Near the end of the episode, it is discovered that a tree on the grounds of the temple is the source of the 'reality glitches'. Not much is explained about the tree, suffice to say that its is a rather scary and shocking cliffhanger.

Episode 5, titled For Love of Goddess, wraps up the OVA. it is a tad longer than the other 4 episodes, but I don't mind that too much. It continues the plot from Ep. 4 with Belldandy awaiting the day she has to leave Earth for the Heavenly Sphere, Urd and Skuld trying to keep her on Earth, and Keiichi going to do part time jobs to get something special for Belldandy. All of this during Christmastime, which does make it very poignant.  Will it end in tragedy or will our couple have a happy ending?
Suffice to say, they do. I won't spoil details to the ending, suffice to say it does bring up a twist I didn't see coming even after watching it a few times. Thus, the OVA ends on credit roll with a cheery pop song set to character stills. Pretty good I must say.

Now the pros of this OVA:
The voice acting in the english dub is top-notch. Juliet Cesario and Scott Simpson do a very good job conveying the roles of the main couple. The rest of the cast is generally consistent, though Pamela Weidner and Lanelle Markgraf (who voices Skuld and Urd respectively) are particularly note-worthy as well. The music is rather nice as well. It has nice blend of orchestral and 90s J-pop/synth music that works well and complements the story. It also got interesting concepts, especially with regard to the nature of reality and role of fate in the universe. Those seems odd in this story, they do tie in with what the story is about: Even when they are odds against two people in love, they shall overcome.

Now the cons:
The story is rather straightforward: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, the two become a couple and overcome obstacles, both human and universal. Still, the interesting concepts I mentioned above help make this OVA stand out among other similar series. Animation is the other thing that at times, ages this production considerably. The character designs look good and consistent, but the backgrounds often look faded in comparison, especially in the scenes during the daytime. Nonetheless, it is old enough to be considered old-school without much problem.

Now, one particular extra I liked about AnimEigo's release of this OVA in 2 episodes is the audio commentary. They decided to do an audio commentary for all 5 episodes. It includes Scott Simpson, Juliet Cesario, Pamela Weidner along with English Voice Director Scott Houle. It is a very enlightening commentary and worth a listen should you get the DVDs, which I recommend.

In conclusion, Oh My Goddess is a very good OVA and stands out as a classic, in my opinion. Sure, the animation makes this on the old school side, but it is worth looking at. Especially if you've seen the 2005-07 TV Series and want to see what it looked like back in the day. Of course, you can always check out the manga, which is very good as well.

Next week is "Ah My Goddess" The Movie, which came out in 2000.

The Eclectic Dude