And I thought anime was dead

Fat Cat Lim · Post by **Fat Cat Lim** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:47

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's = TOP TIER MAHOU SHOUJO. Highly recommended, especially if you're a fan of the first season. The first season started off slow as they introduced the main characters but it slowly build up to a climatic finish at the end.

In the second season, they concentrated on the new characters' backgrounds since we already know the main characters from the first season but they also made sure not to neglect the first season characters, giving flesh to their backgrounds and adding to their character (especially Fate). The first episode starts off with a bang and from there onwards, each episode ends with either a story twist or some cliffhanger to draw you in. Animation was consistently good, especially during the battle scenes. Great, great stuff.

I remember reading a blogger's comment about how Lyrical Nanoha A's is basically a shonen anime series in mahou shoujo form, and I agree with him. But Lyrical Nanoha A's does a number of things that makes it slightly different from other typical shonen series by not introducing a real 'villain' to the show. Instead, the characters have their own agendas and reasons for fighting, which makes the series more a clash of different goals and aims rather than a battle between good and evil.

The finale suggests that there might not be a third season since it showed them 6 years later when they grow up, adding notes to what they're currently doing now. It's a common film epilogue device that adds a sense of finality to the series, so I'm sad to see this happen. Lyrical Nanoha A's has a great likable cast, and it has a good combination of light drama, comedy, and a lot of action to keep everyone happy.

Post by **SonicTempest** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 13:17

Kyosuke Kagami wrote:Movie Misuzu > TV Misuzu.

Why? Dunno, probably I liked the fact that Misuzu doesn't look very strange there (her bewbs are NORMAL!).

I thought the AIR movie vastly paled in comparision to the TV series, though.

Fat Cat Lim · Post by **Fat Cat Lim** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 14:02

Sidenote: Chapter 129 of Fruit Basket

;_;

The manga is finally coming to an end too...this anime series really need a second season.

Sheba · Post by **Sheba** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 17:42

Fat Cat Lim wrote:stuff about Nanoha A's.

Grow-up Fate is hot.

BP · Post by BP » Thu Jul 06, 2006 06:21

Fat Cat Lim wrote: The manga is finally coming to an end too...this anime series really need a second season.

Seconded.

Perferably, if Akitaro Daichi is taking the director's helm once again. You woulda expected a new season would be announced sooner, but to this day, there's been no hints yet.

Speaking about Daichi, I'm hoping that his latest project, Bokura ga Ita, turns out to be good. I've only read a number of negative reviews from the 1st episode so far saying that it's a "generic shoujo story" and that doesn't sound too comforting. I guess we'll see how it goes from there.

P.S TMoHS's ending made me sad that it's a 14 episode series.

Iie-Kyo · Post by **Iie-Kyo** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 14:02

Yeah, a few days late, but after watching the 14th episode, it's safe to say Suzumiya is going to see a second season. There's MORE than enough material for the animators to build off of, and the overnight success this series has become and the HUGE fanbase it's created in JP and the rest of the world (with many of us demanding MORE, I'd imagine) makes it a clear sign to the creators that this series deserves - no - outright demands a second season.

Oh yeah, and many many thanks to the awesome group a.f.k. for diligently and consistently releasing this series every week. The fact that they released the final episode a day early, probably for the sake of the fans of Suzumiya shows that they're lookin' out for us. Their high quality yet simple subs will put them on the potential to become the next ANBU, Lunar, or Solar.

I'm currently rewatching the series with the episodes in the "right" order, just so I can pick up on the storyline a bit better. For those of you who are curious, here's the list.

SPOILERS UP AHEAD.

The "real" episode number that is in chronological order to the Suzumiya timeline and books is on the left, the "released" episode number (what Kyon says in the preview at the end of each ep after telling Haruhi she is wrong) is on the right.

01 | 02
02 | 03
03 | 05
04 | 10
05 | 13
06 | 14
07 | 04
08 | 07
09 | 06
10 | 08
11 | 01
12 | 12
13 | 11
14 | 09

As an example, the first "true" episode of the series was Episode 2 of Suzumiya. The last "true" episode of the series was Episode 9 (the one where Kyon picks up the AC). The Adventures of Mikuru episode (the very first episode of Suzumiya) is actually episode 11, before the amazing concert episode.

Edit: I know I'm repeating more or less what FCL said weeks ago, but I'd also like to add in my recommendation for SHUFFLE! I recently finished this series and all I can say is this: Anyone got the number of that anime that just ran me over?

*** Begin review

Alright, I will say this first. This is a love it or hate it anime - the reviews you will find throughout the 'net will tell you so. This deserves several paragraphs worth of introduction and explanation because I am one of those who love it. Firstly, if you haven't heard from the many people around you - this is an anime based off an H-Game, much like AIR. What the heck happened in the game itself - you are better off asking someone else, cos I got no idea...

Anyway, let's forget about its origins and go straight to what this anime is about. It's initially harem. But before you come after me with a Giant Club for advocating another "mindless harem anime", please bear with what I'm gonna say. This series is far from mindless and "typical".

Simply put, the main character, Tsuchimi Rin, is a usual high school guy in a normal high school. He lives with a female childhood friend (Kaede) who is his age. Kaede's father is the type that's always away on a business trip - Kaede's mother and Rin's parents passed away in an accident eight years ago, so Kaede and Rin are more or less always in the house together alone, and Kaede pretty much acts like the usual "I'm going to serve you like a mindless maid" type of girl for Rin with no apparent reason why.

Later on, you learn that he also has a couple of females he's friends with at school - Asa Shigure and Mayumi Thyme. Then Rin gets "forced" into being chosen to be the potential groom for the daughter of either the King of the Gods or the King of the Demons. Unlike how traditional gods and demons are typically believed to be like in RL, in this world of gods and demons (who are only differentiated from humans by the way their ears are pointed and their "magical powers") all three races peacefully coexist with each other side by side. Anyway, because of the strange proposition, Rin ends up with two more girls to add to his "harem" - Lisianthia, the daughter of the King of Gods, and Nerine, the daughter of the King of Demons.

So at first, you're wondering - wtf, why do they all want Rin? So later on you come to learn it's because of a somewhat "overused" reason for harem anime girls - that he did something kind for both of them. Of course, this doesn't fully explain why Asa is interested in him nor as to why Kaede acts the way she does towards him, but you could say at first you are told to just shut the heck up and enjoy the craziness and ecchiness.

Rin isn't your typical "harem anime guy" though. He has balls - and what I mean is that he doesn't let himself (at least often) get pushed around by the girls. He'll talk back - he's not a bumbling idiot who gets dragged around by the "harem". And so on and so forth, which is already a great thing that makes this series already very different from other "harem" series.

And yeah, for the first half of the series, it's pretty much a funny, crazy, slapstick ride through what is "typical" harem anime. Lots of laughter, lots of "RIN IS MINE!" fights and whatnot. Of course, if you hate that sort of thing, by the 4th or 5th episode you probably would've given up on this series, and I don't blame you.

I stuck around because 1) I don't really mind this genre and 2) I was wondering if they would really go for 24 episodes of this. Mind you, I had NO idea what I was getting into, I honestly thought it was just gonna be 24 episodes of girls fighting over Rin, general craziness and stupidity, and MAYBE Rin making a decision at the end, but obviously, quite obviously, this series was FAR from it.

Halfway through the season, another girl who was added to the harem, who goes by the name of Primula, suddenly becomes the focus of attention. From here on the series takes a staggering 180 degree turn in atmosphere. This is where the story picks up and actually develops. Episode by episode, you learn about how each girl became what they are, and needless to say, EVERYONE in that so-called harem has some sort of dark past. I won't spoil what these dark pasts are, but I can say that the "delivery" of these pasts were very well done.

On top of that, the harem genre actually becomes realistic. As the main character struggles to decide and balance his relationships with everyone, he unwittingly ends up causing despair, rage, envy, angry, melancholia, and sorrow amongst the group of girls. The true reality of the "harem" genre starts taking course... when the one guy who has all these options available to him, starts going towards a certain girl, there will be a severe negative impact amongst the others as they too end up struggling with the fact that they may not be the one who is chosen by Rin. By the time I got to the point where I realized it'd turn dark, I became too familiar with the characters and the series to stop watching there, despite my dislike for dark anime. I wanted to know what was going to happen to them and how all this would be sorted out, and I did.

And as I've said before, little by little do you learn about how everyone is, why everyone is. So much ends up happening before Rin finally chooses one that each and every main character gets a fully fleshed out tale about their past, and with it a "completeness" that no other so-called "harem anime" has matched just yet. Episodes 18-20 left me hanging by my seat, glued to my monitor, wondering wtf was going to happen and had me empathizing for the characters involved - it felt pretty damn real. They even continued the series after what "looked" like the ending on the 21st episode, and brought it to a fairly satisfying end.

If you're willing to put up with 12 episodes of happy-go-lucky comedy and/or if you're looking for an anime that succesfully dispels the stigma of emptiness that so-called "harem anime" has made ever since Love Hina, watch this series.

Be mindful of the "fanservice" though. There's tons of panty shots and nude scenes galore, and I can honestly say this series definitely does NOT need them. It can hold up on its own merits simply because this series was that good.

But seriously - this series (after the 11th episode) put me on one heck of a roller coaster ride. You could say it was similar to a suspense thriller - it really put me on the edge of the seat since with each episode, I simply could NOT predict what the heck was going to happen and who it was going to happen to. Each episode's end left me with a "wtf?!" (in a good way) type of feeling that made me want to see the next one immediately. The 20 minutes that I spent per episode flew by me like nothing, and anime rarely does that for a lot of people, including me. Sometimes it'll look like it'll get dark again, but it'll remain light, and vice versa.

I would not have made this review if this anime nor spent as much energy into it if it sucked ass. It's great - endure the 12 episodes of supposedly "mindless" fun - learn how the characters are then dive in and be prepared for a dizzying ride through the story. You will not regret it. Who knows, considering it seems to have enough of a fanbase, perhaps we'll be seeing a second season sometime in the near future, eh?

As a side note, it is quite obvious that the main guy will have to make a final choice, and at first I wouldn't had mind who he had chosen. But because of the incredible plot development and character background, I was actually rooting for Rin to pick a particular one because of the events that transpired in episodes 18 - 20. To say the least, I disagree with his decision. *runs from FCL*

Sheba · Post by **Sheba** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 14:28

*HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO HAD READ LITTLE TO NOTHING ABOUT THE NOVELS*

Those are the two big reasons why the fans want a second season. And why most of the fans want it to be based on the fourth book.

Fat Cat Lim · Post by **Fat Cat Lim** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 15:19

Iie-Kyo wrote:
*praise for SHUFFLE!*

To say the least, I disagree with his decision. *runs from FCL*

I disagree! Of all the girls, only she is the most mentally stable girl who carried less emotional baggage and liked Rin for who he is, rather than from a passing liking from an event that happened long ago back in their childhood. She offers selfless advice to not only Rin but also to the other girls. She's ace.

But yeah, SHUFFLE!'s a good example of character growth in a harem anime and tying up all the girls' story plots with one another. Hmm...I feel like watching it again...

P.S. I'm repeating myself, but I want to emphasise that Canvas 2 SUCKS. Avoid like the plague. Starts off interesting in the beginning, starts to draaaaaaaaaaaag in the middle, goes down a particular girl's path and then BAM! turns it around 180 degrees to another girl without much explanation. A happy yet convoluted and crappy ending.

Post by **SonicTempest** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 01:49

The new anime season is starting soon. Stuff I'm intending to watch:

- Honey & Clover II
- Kanon 2006

Any other recommendations?

BP · Post by BP » Mon Jul 10, 2006 06:17

I myself am looking forward to watch:

- Muteki Kanban Musume (Comedy with lots of potential)
- Coyote Ragtime Show (Heavily action oriented)
- Bokura ga Ita
- Chevalier D'Eon (The premise sounds...a little odd, but interesting)

-Defuser- · Post by **-Defuser-** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:02

Ok, good news, a friend of mine who i translate with for fun emailed kyoto animation on whether a new season will be out, they said YES!!! but unfortunately, they will be starting 2 other series before they get to a new season of this, they think they will get around to it in late november, looks like more wait!

SHnY .... BS news? or really a savior news?

Fat Cat Lim · Post by **Fat Cat Lim** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 13:40

I say bullshit. No way they'll be able to produce another season of TMoHS in this next 4-5 months and then later pitch it to the TV stations whose year-end schedules are already filled. If anything, I expect an announcement regarding TMoHS at the end of the year, before the start of the next spring season.

Gojira · Post by **Gojira** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 23:03

But that's not what it says, it says they'll probably start producing a new season around November. Which means it'd probably be ready by April 2007. We already know Kyoto's not working on any Haruhi stuff now because of other projects.

Fat Cat Lim · Post by **Fat Cat Lim** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 21:00

Another anime recommendation here: Kimi ga nozomu ein (or Kiminozo) is a great rollercoaster of an emotional ride for a love triangle anime.

Again, it's another Hgame turned anime but instead of facing the character off with half-a-dozen girls as his potential mate, the story focuses on only two main female characters while the other girls feature as side-characters. While they don't feature prominently, a few of them play their parts well as support characters, sometimes providing both comic relief and sources of much needed advice in the midst of the emotional turmoil of the complex relationship of Takayuki, Haruka, and Mitsuki.

The animation was average and at times, they looked harsh since the series didn't appear to apply any anti-aliasing filter to "soften" the overall appearance of the show. But even so, the show still looked decent. The highlight of the show were the drama and character interaction. The plot twist at the end of episode 2 set the wheels in motion for the cruel hands of fate and time, marking the melodrama underlying the rest of the episodes.

Kiminozo also highlighted yet another common weakness of the stereotype kind male protagonist character in Hgames that SHUFFLE! also made known: kindness can be a cruel thing, and indecisiveness over not wanting to hurt anyone will eventually hurt everyone around you. Some people may not like the ending but I personally thought it was a satisfying one. The lesson learned, that people should move on without regrets and not look back, befitted the series and it did well to relay that message to its audience.

The Cliff-Notes version: Kiminozo is SHUFFLE! with 0 fantasy elements, 30% less comedy, 50% less episodes, and 50% more drama. Sadly no boxcutter or psycho-Kaede in sight but a couple characters come close to it. :D

Perfect Stranger · Post by **Perfect Stranger** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 23:00

Second the recommmendation for KimiNozo: It's pretty old now, but it's a pretty intense series, a believable love story of heartbreak, loss, the need to move on and how hard it is to do so. If you watch this series and don't have to repress a surge of empathetic anguish and morbid fascination, check your pulse: You might just be a cold, heartless bastard. ;p Also, almost totally irrelevant, but the ED theme song is one of my favourites, and with a pretentious title like "The eternity you desire" (which, to be honest, is what drew me to the show in the first place), don't you feel like you have to check the show out? :PPP