Day 1: Death Parade (2015)
Tag: Anime
Lasting Impressions : D-Frag (2014)
(This review may contain spoilers for the following series. If you have not seen the series before, please exercise caution before viewing this post. You have been warned.)
Lasting Impressions : Log Horizon (2013)
(This review may contain spoilers for the following series. If you have not seen the series before, please exercise caution before viewing this post. You have been warned.)
Whoa Ace, What’s Goin’ On!?
Heyos Everyones!!
Didn’t think you’d hear back from little ole’ me, did ya? Well I’m back and I’m ready to start back, right where I left off!! But before that, just a few notes to keep everyone updated on what has changed.
First, Dowase Entertainment had a successful run at Saboten-Con 2013, and will hopefully be appearing at Kikori-Con 2013 and future conventions in the Arizona area. As always, we’ll be front-running with our ‘Name that Anime Tune!!’ panel, with some new games and informational panels that we’re starting up to generate a creative and fun experience for all.
Second, I’ve not seen much anime this year. As such, my backlog is >9000. This is one of the reasons as to why I’ve not made many posts thus far, and why I’ve kinda fallen back on everything. With the end of Saboten, I’ve realized that my passion for anime has been rekindled, and the life blood of the blog and website has been reborn.
So while I’ve not much to say at this point in time, I can say that there will be more posts in the future, and I will be updating the main page with our new panels and plans for the future.
Until Next Time,
-Ace
P.S. Free and Attack on Titan are the next on my list of anime to watch, so there may be something on those these next few weeks.
Welcome Back, Dowase Entertainment!!
Heyos Everyones!!
These past weeks have been full of excitement and mayhem, and I can truly say I have loved every minute of it. Sure, work may suck, but hell, the experiences I held have been the best I have ever had. First off, Aselia Con (The first Tales Of convention in the United States) went off amazingly, and the turnout was much more significant that I had anticipated! Therefore, Dowase Entertainment will happily be returning next year with our panels and fun. Second, Con-Nichiwa (An anime convention in Tucson, AZ which had over 1500 unique attendees) was a blast, and I’m proud to say that our panel (Name that Anime Tune!) was a huge hit! In terms of conventions and panels, Dowase Entertainment is steadily becoming more and more well known, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.
Next up, we have Phoenix Comicon, which we again will hold our “Name that Anime Tune!” panel. We have some other conventions we are aiming for, but I’ll have to keep that sealed until I have confirmation.
But that isn’t the only big news that I have today! Today, April 2nd, 2013, Dowase Games Entertainment has fully transitioned to Dowase Entertainment. Not only do we plan on releasing games in the future, but the group will also be considered a panelist group that programs our own games for our panels. For example, our “Name that Anime Tune!” panel utilizes an engine developed by myself, and our other gaming panel (Crazy Wacky Game of Shenanigans) will also be programmed and developed in-house by myself. It’s going to be awesome, and I can’t wait to get everyone pumped for the fantastic games and activities we have planned for our attendees!
In light of our completed revamp, the official site has returned, and my blog has once again taken to the sidelines. Finally, information can now be accessed via the site, and soon everything will be complete, functioning, and easy to use. Please look forward to our changes, and thank you for reading my blog, putting up with my nonsense, and just being a visitor to the site.
However, this does not mean that I will completely stop blogging. If anything, I will be blogging more now that my motivation hath returned to me. For now, the site updates will be made via my blog, until I restore the forum functionality to the site. For now, however, stay cool everyones. Thanks again for coming to the site, and look forward to the changes we have in store for the rest of 2013!!
-Ace (Founder of Dowase Entertainment)
Lasting Impressions : Hagure Yuusha no Estetica
(This review may contain spoilers for the following series. If you have not seen the series before, please exercise caution before viewing this post. You have been warned.)
Oh man, it’s great to actually have time to watch anime again. Of course, it’s only fair to start off with a bang, and begin my new batch of impressions with an awesome, kick-ass show entitled Hagure Yuusha no Estetica. Baring resemblances to Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou and Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls, the show follows a hero who goes by the name of Akatsuki Ousawa as he leaves the world he was summoned to and returns to his home world. While most stories begin with the summoning of a hero to save the world, this story begins with his departure, and upon arriving back in his own world, it becomes apparent that ‘Heroes’ are summoned often, and while many do not return, the few that do are sent to a school called Babel, where they can learn to control their new skills as ‘Heroes’ and adapt to the world with their new found powers.
The general idea behind this series piqued my interest early on, and it only helps that there is more behind the story than just the setting. First off, the main character, Akatsuki Ousawa, isn’t just a returning hero. He is unable to use magic, but his overall skill level is tremendous. Second, he brings the Demon King’s daughter with him to his world in guise of his younger sister. From the beginning, Akatsuki already has multiple targets on his back, ranging from the kingdom he saved before the series began, to the Babel Academy Student Council. The main characters in the series then range from the Demon King’s Daughter, named Ousawa Miu, to class clown Chikage Izumi, to Vice-President Haruka Nanase. Together the cast encounter wacky hi-jinks in their daily abnormal high school lives.
Unfortunately, this series lacks in character development and characterization. While every character contains some element to personalize them, they don’t really stand out among the crowd and honestly, don’t evolve and develop as the series progresses. However, it can easily be stated that this series wasn’t created to cater to lore fanatics and well-balanced fights. Every scene is catered to demonstrating how bad-ass Akatsuki is, and how he can solve every problem using his power that never truly gets fully explained in the show. Each arc consists of Akatsuki wanting to prove his strength, playing pranks on all the pretty ladies, solve some problems by creating misunderstandings, and usually ends with a woman crying with him coming to their rescue. This isn’t necessarily a terrible situation, as the show does what it intends to do. It entertains and provides great feelings to those who want a good “feel-good” show to watch. In addition, it doesn’t help that the story doesn’t conclude with the last episode, with a huge cliffhanger ending that begs to be filled with another season. Why can’t shows end without cliffhangers anymore? A huge portion of anime nowadays end up unfinished because the companies don’t make enough money to add another season, and the show suffers because of these poor creative decisions. If this show fails to bring a continuation, which I highly assume it will, I’ll be disappointed yet again.
The artistic and musical aspects of this series are phenomenal. The art, while not beautiful or gorgeous by any standards, doesn’t detract from the show and doesn’t appear lazy. While there is an excessive amount of fan-service, considering the audience I don’t view that as a huge negative. In terms of music, there aren’t many memorable tracks, but there is a fantastic rendition of the main theme that plays during the ‘epic’ scenes with Akatsuki, and I love series that contain arrangements of the main theme as they give the scene meaning and signal an important event. However, this piece of music was definitely overplayed, appearing in nearly every episode. Speaking of main themes, the OP for this series really brought the mood of the series, generally pumping the audience up for the episode with action and rock. There was some surprising foreshadowing in the OP that really caught me off-guard, and really made me appreciate the OP even more. As for the ED, a completely different approach was used, but I think it fits. It uses a catchy little song and consists of material focusing mainly on Miu and her relationship with Akatsuki. Overall, the OP/ED aren’t the greatest, but they do provide the correct emotions and enhance the series as a whole.
In all honesty, Hagure Yuusha no Estetica gives a great time for those looking for a bad-ass main character, tons of action, and some quick laughs. There’s a lot of fan-service, and doesn’t provide the best storytelling, leaving some loose ends both in the middle of the series and the end, but provides some entertaining experiences for those bored of today’s moe overload.
-Ace
Why YOU Should Watch Anime Openings.
While the changing of the anime seasons has already occurred, it only now dawns on me the importance of anime Openings and Endings toward the audience. While I have always loved these 1:30 intros and outros, it’s hard to believe so many people don’t understand the significance these seconds make on a potential viewer. The opening will often make or break the viewers opinion on the show, and whether or not the show is actually worth watching. While some people feel reading a synopsis or gathering opinions can give all the reason toward watching a series, the opening can give all the information necessary for judging that series.
I have determined, out of the various series I have had the pleasure of viewing, there are multiple types of openings, and often they will convey the following information. First, there is almost always a character role call. Second, there are subtle hints behind the progression of the plot and/or character development. Third, the opening will attempt to hook the viewer. Of course, there will always be exceptions, as some studios will travel off the path and create something unorthodox to catch the viewers off guard and in turn create more anticipation and hype for the show. I will demonstrate some examples at a later point.
First off, every anime opening consists of some sort of character role call. This doesn’t mean the opening will straight up say who is who, but instead features the main characters prevalently while putting minor and future characters in the shadows. Quite often one can watch the opening and see which character is going to have an impact on the story. For example, Code Geass R2 gives each important character their own segment. C.C appears in the beginning, taking up the whole frame, with Lelouch following in the next few scenes. Again, Lelouch takes up a large part of the frame, alluding to the fact that his existence in this series is important. The minor characters, or rather, the students, are often grouped together and don’t get their own scene. The antagonists are also given the spotlight, often paired up with their mechs giving the impression their battle scenes are going to severely impact the story. Of course, the main antagonist, Lelouch’s father, is given a whole scene to himself, taking up the biggest part of the scene of any character, only proving his power and dominance over the other characters. For one who has seen this series, there are almost limitless amounts of foreshadowing and allusions in this opening; I feel this opening perfectly fits the requirements of a good opening, and only improved the success of the series.
Second, as hinted above in my rant about Code Geass R2‘s opening, there lies near limitless amounts of foreshadowing, allusions, symbolism, and other elements to make the series appear more interesting. While this doesn’t occur in most harem, comedy, school life, and other anime of that nature, they still convey the general idea of what will happen. For example, Mayo Chiki! Doesn’t change up the story often nor does it need to present foreshadowing and imagery to hint at story progression. However, the opening tells the entire story of the series in one minute and thirty seconds. A butler, who hides the fact that she is a girl, becomes friends with the main character. Slowly she becomes friends with other girls who crowd around her due to her popularity, and while she does have her misfortune, as told by the ominous rain and imagery, her life becomes brighter after she turns the other way, and embraces her feminine side. While I explained the story imperfectly and crudely, the general idea and story is still there. Another example of a great opening has to be To Aru Majutsu no Index II‘s opening, See VisionS. I love this opening, as it portrays all the assets of a good opening so well, and I love this song. (I love Mami Kawada; I can’t help my feelings toward this OP) The song starts out slow, introducing the main characters and showing off some of the relations between them. It starts to pick up as soon as Touma, the main character, begins running. At first, he starts jogging, with the music picking up, just slightly, and showing off some side characters that have or will have some relevance to the plot. Then, it slows down again, with some stills of Touma and Index, before kicking off into the climax with Touma bolting off into a full-fledged run. This then changes into the intense battle sequences of the series, showing off some of the antagonists and finally stopping with Touma and Index facing each other with the heavenly sky in the background. I can’t help but see this opening and get pumped; the opening just works so well it’s scary.
Finally, the openings are designed to hook the viewer into watching the series. An action series will often use rock or heavy sounding songs to pump the viewer up and get them ready for the intense show that’s about to begin. Comedy series will often use happy and light-hearted music to relax the viewer or get them ready for the great laughs that are to be had. If the series wants to put their viewer in a good mood, they will use appropriate music and animation to convince the viewer that the series is calm, relaxing, and light-hearted. Working!, for example, contains a very popular bouncy track that makes anyone smile, and Higurashi uses a creepy, almost scary song for its opening. Mystery series commonly use Jazz to relax the viewer and heighten brain activity. It’s amazing how well thought out some openings can be. One of my favorite examples is Shakugan no Shana Second. Mami Kawada’s JOINT just screams “We’re back! Get ready, it’s time to rock your socks off and fight some Tomogara!” I just love the effort put toward these openings, and that includes not only the music, but the animation as well. Quite often some of the best animation is presented in the opening, mainly as a hook to attract new, potential viewers. It’s amazing how much detail is put toward these opening, and I find it disappointing when they are skipped over like worthless garbage.
For these reasons, I attempt to include the opening in every impression post I write. If you, the reader, don’t get my feelings through my writing, then I pray that the opening will give you the final push toward watching or not watching a series. The opening tells the story without wasting too much of your time, and quite often, is accurate in its attempt to tell the overall plot of the series. However, there is one series that I’ve yet to touch upon that I know someone is just waiting to use against me.
Madoka Magica. The one psychological series that plays by its own rules. One would simply tell me this: “Well, if you believe the opening can tell the whole story, watch Madoka’s opening and tell me the story from that!” Unfortunately, I cannot tell the story from its opening. The opening in that particular series is meant to throw the viewers off. The shock appeal would have been lost had the opening been like High School of the Dead or Full Metal Alchemist. However, they definitely added that truth behind the series with the ending. How many Magical Girl shows have you seen with a grim and dark ending like that? That right there tells the progression of Madoka Magica. Light-hearted at first glance, but once you delve deeper into the story, the dark origins are revealed and the truth becomes apparent. While I don’t believe the series was as great as everyone claims, the combination of both the opening and the ending are wonderful, and I applaud the efforts of Shaft for going through that ordeal.
There you have it. I didn’t touch of endings as much, mainly because their importance isn’t as apparent and significant as the openings, but I usually love them both equally. As anime evolves, so do its openings, and while the style may change, I feel the importance of these intros will always exist, and to do away with them would only hurt the industry. Next time you’re considering watching a series, check out the opening; you may find that it gives you the final push toward watching that series.
-Ace
Lasting Impressions : Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru (My Sister is Among Them)
(This review may contain spoilers for the following series. If you have not seen the series before, please exercise caution before viewing this post. You have been warned.)
There were few shows that found my interest this past season, but this one somehow caught my radar with its art style, and with the fun-loving feel of the OP and the mystery aura of its story, I was easily hooked into watching the series. Is that a regretful decision? For now, I won’t say, but I can say that this series did hold some unique traits that not only pander to the younger generation, but also contains a decent story to hook older audiences.
Story has always been a huge part of anime for me. If the series contains any trace of a decent story, one that not only sets up the stage for comedic elements but also pushes the series forward, it generally catches my eye and piques my interest enough to continue watching. When I first began this series, I was under the assumption that this series would follow the conventions of a harem or comedy show. While the show largely borrows ideas and aspects from harem and comedy series, there lies an undergoing story that moves the plot along. In addition, the air of mystery gives the viewers reason to continue watching. Perhaps it’s just my preferences, but I hate leaving mysteries behind and I have to know whether the story proceeds in the direction I anticipate.
Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru, or My Sister is Among Them!, proudly comes off as a harem series with little details to keep you watching. Using the generic plot progression of a young man finding a wife within his last few years at school, the stage is set and the story can move forward. Or so they believe. During the first episode, the reveal of a younger sister, unknown to himself and the world, who just happens to want to marry this fine gentleman.
The story follows Shougo Mikadono, thrust into a new school to find the love of his life. During the next few days, he meets his potential soul mates: Konoe Tsuruma, Miyabi Kannagi, Rinka Kunitachi, Mana Tendou, and Mei Sagara. One of which just happens to be his sister, and while he doesn’t know who the mystery sister is, he boldly claims he will not be found loving his sister as a wife. I think this aspect to the main character greatly improved my impression of him, as it seems more shows today would promote such values as incest. In fact, I’m sure most people don’t share my idealism of such values, and are disappointed with this outcome. Regardless, the series follows multiple phases, and progresses as a decent pace. After introducing each of the characters, we are also introduced to Mister X, a woman posing as a man to assist Shougo in his endeavors. While I could go on by listing reasons why she is best girl, I feel that it would be best to move forward and continue with the petty story.
This show teases at the fact that nobody knows who the sister is, and constantly leads to false accusations and endings that leave the viewer wanting more. There are bullshit excuses thrown out to give reason as to why Shougo was led to belive that this particular character was his sister, and once those claims are acquitted, it’s off to another girl that leads him on to believing that she’s his sister. Rinse and repeat for a couple episodes, and you’ve got the first half of the series.
The second half starts off with the big reveal of his sister(?), someone who wasn’t even a part of the original cast. This person, Yuzurina Houshou, comes out of nowhere and seems to put everything at ease, but once a big scandal begins to reveal itself, it’s once again proven that the search has yet to be concluded and the sister has yet to be caught. While I enjoyed this red herring, there were way too many questionable actions, mainly performed by the hidden “real” sister. Why the hell did the “real” sister hide while the “fake” took on this relationship? By doing so, and bitching how she wants to marry him even though she barely knows him and hasn’t seen him in ages, (Why do these sisters in anime want to jump straight into incestuous relationships? He sat there claiming he would love to love her as a sister, or in other words, a good happy family relationship. RAGE) she puts Shougo and his inherited company at risk due to a potential scandal. The actions behind some of these characters are ridiculous, and while it moved the main story along fine, the character progression suffered greatly.
As for the music, I really can’t remember the BGM of this series, but the OP and ED for this series are pretty catchy. The OP catches the viewer’s attention and introduces the main heroines of this series, while promoting the main premise of the story. The ED, while still poppin’ and rockin’, gets the viewer excited and ready to watch the new episode. I really enjoyed both themes, and if anything, they got the overall music down pat.
Honestly, I really enjoyed the main premise of the series. A harem series that contained a sister with a protagonist who didn’t want to bang his sister. I really respected this side of the show, and the only aspects I really thought fell flat would be the character progression and development. The characters felt flat and uninteresting, and the decisions performed by these characters often appeared pointless and unreasonable. I’m happy the series successfully concluded, and revealed the big question every viewer was asking, the ending could have been so much more. The series ended in typical harem fashion, and just lost the last bit of momentum it held onto. This brings me back to the question of if watching this series was a regretful decision. While I critique this series due to its lack of character development, I really enjoyed watching this series. It still contained the humor and comedy of a generic harem series, and it had its moments. It’s not a series that I would deem a masterpiece, nor would I re-watch this series in the next couple of months, but I did enjoy the laughs and good feelings I received from this series. If you enjoy harem or comedy series, I believe Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru is worth the time. The art is decent, the music fares well, and there does lie a small intriguing mystery that can push you to conclude the series.
-Ace
Initial Impressions : JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures (Anime)
I’ve heard a lot about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures throughout my time, and now that the anime series has finally begun airing, I finally have the chance to view this spectacle myself. With all that I’ve heard, I really had no idea what to expect in this series. However, I really think that this series has many qualities that characterize this show, and I can see how this story fares so well due to its uniqueness and story-driven plot.
After watching this first episode, I can honestly say I am fascinated by the series. The rivalry between Dio and Jonathan, the connections between the Brando family and Joestar family, and the amount of character development in this series is superb. Just in this first episode alone, you can easily see how a story was formed between these two characters, and the development Jonathan goes through to match his new “brother.” While I didn’t find Jonathan to be the best character near the beginning, as he appeared a whiny, unappreciative brat, I later found appreciation for his character as he grew and evolved throughout this episode. To develop a character in such a short amount of time just demonstrates how much detail was put into this series. I haven’t read the manga, but from what I’ve heard there was much more time to develop on that medium, and I can only begin to imagine how detailed and vast the manga must be.
Animation-wise, I can easily say I was deterred after viewing photos of the series. The unique characteristics the animation holds definitely give meaning to the name of the series, and while the story alone proves to be wacky enough, the animation definitely struck the nail in the coffin to the word ‘bizarre.’ While it took a few minutes to get into the animation, once the story began to rev up I was able to cast my doubts aside and appreciate the series for what it truly was.
The OP, which arose during the second episode, gave a wacky and zany impression on what was in store for future episodes. Just watching the OP gives me the ‘bizarre’ feeling implied in the title, and the ED, while not amazing, doesn’t detract from the series as a whole. In addition, the use of foreign bands to perform the songs only added to the experience, as the setting of the anime lies outside of Japan.
While the series has only just begun, the vibes revived from this series were phenomenal, and I greatly look forward to future episodes. If you were on the fence about this series, definitely give it a try and don’t laugh it off until you’ve finished at least one episode. There’s a reason why Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures has such a vast following, and if the fan-base doesn’t expand to unspeakable territory, I feel this series can hold its own during the upcoming season(s).
Initial Impressions : Little Busters!
The time has finally come for another Key novel to be animated and have its story told anew. While it’s been four, almost five, years since that last adaptation, it feels like last week I was sitting in anticipation for the next episode of Clannad to air. While I’ve yet to play Little Busters!, I can say that I really enjoyed this first episode that J.C. Staff has brought to us.
I’ll be honest; when I first heard J.C. Staff was taking charge of this new project, I was hesitant to say the least. Hell, I still don’t know if they’ll do the game justice. However, after watching this first episode, I was able to watch and observe all the crazy antics that make a Key novel funny and enjoyable. In a way, it felt like another humorous episode of Clannad or Angel Beats!, and that’s not a bad situation to be in. However, I must re-iterate that this is the first episode, and what really matters is what goes on after this episode.
The story begins with the return of Kyousuke, a high school senior who completes the group of childhood friends who once called themselves the “Little Busters.” The group, consisting of five members: Kyousuke Natsumi. Rin Natsumi, Kengo Miyazawa, Masato Inohara, and Riki Naoe. At first glance, I had assumed the main character would be Kyousuke, as he’s the cool character with the aura of a cool protagonist. To my dismay, the story is told through the eyes of Riki Naoe, a junior who relies on the friendship and bonds these friends hold after he lost his parents at a young age. Luckily, the episode greatly follows the group as a whole, and doesn’t focus on one person.
During some random course of events, Kyousuke decides that the group should spend their time forming a baseball team, and the episode primarily focuses on the crazy situations that occur trying to build up a team. The episode is full of humor, and I found myself laughing at quite a few scenes. However, this also worries me as I know the feels will be coming at some point, for there hasn’t been a Key work that hasn’t left me feeling for the characters at one point or another. Either way, this first episode was great, and I’m greatly anticipating the following episodes.
Finally, I felt this episode began the series off right, and while it didn’t clear all worries I have with this project, it did ease some of my anxiety over J.C. Staff animating this series. While they aren’t Kyoto Animation, J.C. Staff did a great job with this first episode, and I’m really hoping the following episode will not only be enough to tell the story, but also complete the story without leaving out vial details. Either way, I’m going to be playing the game at one point or another; with that, I’d really like to see this adaptation succeed and tell the story without butchering it. Let’s hope this series doesn’t crash and burn!
-Ace