Angelique - When the heart awakens
A young galaxy is crumbling and their queen is in a deep slumber.According to prophecy a young girl becomes the etoile to save the galaxy. The queen and her nine guardians start the search for this girl. They ship 100 talented girls to their land but none of them seems to be the one they are looking for. However there is one girl who refuses to take her interview since she is so insecure of herself.
Shigofumi - Stories of last letter
People who died cannot live again, however they can send one letter to the living. Those letters are called Shigofumi. Fumika is a mysterious girl who delivers those letters to the living, together with her talkative staff called Mayama. The deceased can only speak truth, but will the living believe in the messages of the dead?
H2O - Footprints in the sand
Takuma Hirose, a blind high school student transfers to a small village. The cause of his blindness is unknown, but due to this fact he gets into trouble the first day he goes to his new school. He receives help from several girls which causes a handful of weird situations.
Romeo X Juliet Review
Story: 8.5
Almost everybody knows the sad love history of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s work has been used on several occasions already, so it was only a matter of time before there would be an anime made. That this story is one of success has already been proven, and Gonzo’s version is no exception of this rule.
The animation is splendid in lost of different ways. The characters are drawn according to their personalities. This means for instance that Romeo comes off as really innocent while his father is anything but that. They aimed for a realistic look, where characters aren’t just cute, or just dark. The main characters are beautifully color coded: Romeo in various shades of blue and Juliet in various shades of red. To me this was a very appealing choice. Action scenes are fluent and brilliantly drawn while romance scenes truly are endearing.
The opening song is the most beautiful one I have heard in a while. It really captures the atmosphere of the series in one glimpse. The first ending theme is a funky rock theme. I was surprised they would choose a song like that for this series; still it is a great song to play DDR on, though I like the second ending theme better because it is more fitting for the series. The voice actors did an awesome job with the characters. I especially fell for the voice actor who did Romeo’s voice. It was the best out there of the already amazing cast.
Of course this animes main focus is the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Their relationship is full of development from the moment they met till the final moments of the series. There is a lot of chemistry between the main characters. They are struggling with their feeling for each other and the fight for the one they love is very believable every step of the way. Next to their growing relationship, both main characters also grow as persons, making individual decisions that affect the relationship between them.
The cast surrounding Romeo first seems like a bunch of average noble snobs, with exception of Romeo’s mother, however they also have a story of their own. The background story of Romeo’s father was quite unexpected and it gave the final episodes a nice twist.
Romeo X Juliet is a perfect example how a mix of a great story and a strong character development, can become an awesome whole.
I think that because of the action and the tragedy next to the romance, Romeo X Juliet will please a rather board audience. Even those who aren’t normally into the romance genre, I would advise to try this show. Chances are you might end up pleasantly surprised.
Giant Robo: the day the world stood still (OAV)
Story: 8.5
One of the first anime shows I’ve ever seen was “The new adventures of Gigantor” (Shin Tetsujin-28). Perhaps that was the reason why I’ve felt drawn to the mecha genre ever since, or perhaps it’s the odd combination of humor, action and science fiction which always seems to go with this genre, or perhaps it’s because I’m a boy and secretly every boy would like his own giant robot to plow through cities with.
The fact that Giant Robo falls into the mecha category goes without saying, this much can be derived from the name alone. And yet, it’s not entirely a mecha anime either; sure, it has robots, and sure they do battle on occassion, but on more than one occassion attention is shifted from these titanic clashes to the people behind it, elite agents in many different fields, yet all human, all with their own dilemmas.
The story itself may seem pretty cliche at first, no more than an average mecha plot: taking place on our earth in the near future, a perfect energy source, and an evil terrorist group using giant robots to wreak havoc. And yet while it still revolves around all that, there’s more than meets the eye: hidden agendas, secrets from the past, the plot and storyline twist and turn with every passing episode, and it isn’t until the final episode is past that the full truth will be revealed.
Story is told at a rapid pace, with barely any room for a slowdown, leaving no room for fillers, just for flashbacks – and these too arrive at the exactly right moments, to further broaden an already expanding storyline.
All by all, I have very little complaints here, as there’s been few anime shows which told a story as well as this one did, especially in the mecha genre.
Visuals: 8
The first thing I noticed when watching Giant Robo was the obvious retro-look, with mecha and character designs that were popular decennia ago but became less used as new styles developped. But Giant Robo takes it one step further, and as a homage to its original manga creator, Mitsuteru Yokoyama, by using his mecha designs, however also by re-using characters from various mangas he created into this seven part OAV.
But where the graphics department is concerned there has been put a good deal of attention in the Giant Robo OAV. Even during monologues and dialogues there are different angles and the camera usually keeps moving, avoiding stills whenever possible. The different sceneries used throughout the anime are detailed and worked out, and backgrounds are just as beautiful, using a good amount of colours for realistic detail. The creators of this OAV have done as much as possible to keep the story and the action fast-paced, without going overboard, and it shows.
Audio: 9
One of the things which I liked most about Giant Robo was the elaborate and extensive soundtrack. Composed by Masamichi Amano (also known from the soundtracks of Stratos 4, and the Battle Royale movies) and performed by the Warshaw Philharmonic Orchestra, each track is a little gem and carries the series the way a good soundtrack should.
Characters: 7.5
On first impression and judging on appearances alone the Giant Robo cast may seem like a rather diverse bunch, with a good manner of different appearances, hooked or enormous noses, obscure hairdo’s and diverse outfits. In truth, as I briefly mentioned earlier, the original character concepts come, for the most part, from other manga’s made by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, no matter which genre or setting they originally were portrayed in.
While some of the characters were fairly stereotypical (the burly but not so smart warrior, the teenage boy and his giant robot, the bishonen villain, the mad scientist) each of them, as well as the other, less predictable characters, had their own luggage in back history with them: personal grudges, troubled pasts, a history of lovers, and even situations that are only hinted at but never explained in full, meant to be saved for another, different OAV perhaps? A pity though, because I personally would love to have heard more of the history of some characters…
There is a good deal of support characters in this series, and most of them have a fairly stagnant role, however the main characters, even though they already carry a significant background, grow over the course of the series as they’re exposed to more hardship, but also good situations. What amused me though is that this growth did not apply solely for the heroes, but also for the villains – in fact, even though the badguys are part of a terrorist group bent on global domination (of course) they are not entirely evil, in fact often portrayed as human beings with mixed human emotions. And I like that.
Overall: 8.5
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review Shin Tetsujin-28 was one of my first animes, and also the show which drew me to the mecha genre to begin with. When I first purchased Giant Robo it was because it was one of the few anime shows available in common stores in the
In the end, they had little in common, and the first episode of Giant Robo served more as an introduction, with fairly little action; as a result I nearly decided not to continue this series, but in the end I decided to give it another go, and I’m glad I did.
To summarize, I really enjoyed this show; the characters grew to me as I watched more of it, and I was shocked to even see some main characters die. Besides that I enjoyed the unfolding and changing storyline, the good pace of action and storytelling, but what drew me in most –which is not uncommon for me- was the extensive soundtrack, performed by the Warshaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and it shows. My only regret is that there are only seven episodes of it, because I certainly would love to see more of Giant Robo.
Lovely Complex Review
Story: 7
The concept of this anime is simple: You have a girl who is 1.70 tall and a guy who is 1.56 short with loud characters, who both face certain problems due to their heights, throw in an entertaining side cast and you have Lovely Complex. The first part of the anime is immense funny because both main characters dislike each other and constantly tease one another with their lengths.
I would describe the animation as simple and sometimes plain ugly. This is done intentionally to bring out the comedy aspect more. For example: Risa is drawn in a way that she seems even longer then she already is. Everything in the anime is drawn kind of exaggerated, like for instance facial expressions. I really liked this aspect of the animation, especially because the characters also react to the ugly drawn facial expressions. It might take some time to get used to the style but I grew to like it, it really supports the absurdness of this anime.
The voice acting of the series is brilliantly done! The actors manage to bring out the comedy even more. Also the voices from the side cast fitted the characters well.
The first opening theme is catchy; however to my opinion the singer isn’t the best out there and the second opening is even worse. The first ending is a slow, mellow song but it didn’t catch my attention to ever finish it once throughout the whole series. I had to listen to it just now so I was able to write something about it; however it is the best song of the series. The accompanying background music and sound effects are once again to support the comedy aspect of the series and they succeed at doing so.
This is the main focus of the series since the plot itself isn’t very thick. The relationship between the main characters undergoes several stages throughout the series. Also the main characters separately grow throughout the series, especially Risa, the female lead. I have to say all though I admire her for her determination; she also became a very whiny character and cries almost every episode. It certainly became a point of annoyance at points.
Even though I think this series would have been better if it would have been 12 episodes, I generally enjoyed watching it. The absurd comedy effects in animations and characters made this anime one of the better comedies out there, especially the first half of the series is really good. I wouldn’t watch it though if you are not into the romance theme, because the focus is more shifted to that aspect in the second part of the series. Even though the comedy aspects remain, the whiny factor can become a point of annoyance.
Still with these flaws I had a good time watching it and I think a lot of people will be able to appreciate the absurd outlook on romance that this series offers.
Kiki’s Delivery Service Review
Story: 7
It’s a tradition that all 13 year old witches leave home to become independent. Of course the story starts out on the night that it is Kiki’s time to leave home and settle herself in a town of her likings. The movie is basically about how Kiki manages to do this. To my opinion this isn’t a very original concept since there are a lot of anime about the theme where independency plays a big role. The thing that makes it perhaps a bit different is the young age Kiki is at. The story isn’t very thick plot-wise and it’s more evolving around character development.
This movie was made in 1997, that being said I think the animation was splendid for that time and even today there are a lot of anime which look far worse then Kiki’s delivery service. If this will be the first Ghibli movie you watch, it might take some time to get used to this rather unique style. The characters all have fairly small eyes and faces are drawn in a quirky way. However once you get used to this typical Ghibli style, the animation comes across timeless, with as strong point their beautiful vivid colored backgrounds.
A lot of scenes are supported with orchestral music on the background which really adds to the atmosphere. Another thing that stood out was the music that came out the radio Kiki got as a present from her dad. It produces some old and nostalgic tunes and also the opening theme. The ending theme is a happy tune that matches the last part of the movie well. The voice acting fit the personalities of the characters and does an excellent job with supporting their emotions. So there is nothing to complain about here.
Basically the whole movie is about Kiki’s development from a child to an independent person. In the beginning of the movie Kiki comes across as clumsy, insecure and childlike. But later in the movie, after Kiki has taken various bumps in the road, she grows aware of her own abilities and develops a much stronger personality.
I really enjoyed watching the conversations between Kiki and her black cat Jiji. With his sarcastic and grumpy comments, he added a comical note to the movie, which I found very amusing.
This movie is a nice watch for a broad audience from all ages. All though it is aimed at younger children the movie is much more then that. I think that most adults will be able to appreciate this movie for its nostalgic feel. The rewatchability of this movie is also high, and I surely wouldn’t mind seeing this movie again in the future. If you are in the mood for a light hearted slice of life movie with a fairy tale feeling to it, I strongly suggest checking this title out!
Ef - a tale of memories review
Story: 7.5
The story of the anime is confusing at first because it seems that two unrelated stories are told. It seemed like a puzzle at times. I watched some bits, not knowing where it would lead to or what it has to do with anything basically. But slowly more pieces of the puzzle were falling into place and I wanted to know more, I wanted to finish the puzzle.
What really catches the eye are the interesting scene transitions. For example black and white drawn scenes are thrown in to create a different atmosphere. They play a lot with shades to lay accents on certain events. The backgrounds are done beautifully. There are a lot of scenes outside and they used amazing colors to capture the sky and sea.
There are several opening and ending songs. I find this a really good point for a short series like this one, which makes it stand out. Most short series only have one opening and one ending song so I was pleasantly surprised about this, especially since I actually like most of the songs.
The voice acting was ok, but not outstanding. However the voice actors did manage to get the emotions of the characters across.
The characters development is a thing that is hard to describe in this anime since it is exactly about the opposite at some points. They main question of this anime was: Will certain characters develop and how will they manage to do this? All main characters are struggling at some point and they have to overcome their fears in life to reach their goals. With some characters this development is more intense then with others but they all go through the same progress in their own way.
The good point about this anime was that even though there are 5 main characters and only twelve episodes, all characters got the attention they deserved.
To my opinion, the character development alone makes watching this anime worthwhile.
As mentioned above this anime stands out because it dares to experiment. They do this with the animation and audio alike. This mostly gives interesting results and a fresh outlook on what otherwise might have been a plain romance story. At some points they are a bit off, but since this is only on one or two occasions, this flaw is easily forgiven.
If you are into the romance and slice of life genre I recommend adding this to your watch list.
Tales of Symphonia Review
Story: 6
I totally love the game Tales of Symphonia so when an anime came out it instantly did draw my attention. I probably shouldn’t have watched this anime since I didn’t finish the game yet, but I couldn’t resist to take a look at it anyway. As far as I can tell the story followed the game close enough. Therefore the story isn’t very original and I doubt that for people who have played the game fully it will add anything new. However I still enjoyed watching this anime even though I already knew what was going to happen in the first two episodes.
The visuals are pretty true to the game only better. They used the same funny expressions that are used throughout the game to give the anime a certain light hearted feel. This style of animation certainly adds some comedy to the series which I find a plus.
Backgrounds contain a fair amount of detail however the characters are pretty plain drawn with simple shading and without much detail. The thing I do like about this anime are the colors used, it is mostly drawn in vivid bright colors. All though the animation isn’t anything special, it wasn’t an issue of annoyance.
The voice acting was done pretty good. Therefore you actually get to believe in the sincere ness of the characters. They have done a good job on that one. Mostly scenes are accompanied by instrumental background music to set the mood. Soft ones for the gentle or sad scenes and battle like themes to support the various action scenes. On top of that I really liked both: the opening and ending themes of this series. Further there isn’t much vocal material, but the songs are used to support certain scenes in the anime itself as well and for a 4 episode series there really isn’t much need for more vocal songs.
I really like the sincere personalities of most characters. They all have their own beliefs and motives and they follow them to the end, good and bad characters alike. Because of this it’s easy to care for the characters and to feel with them.
I think that this anime is a great one to watch if you haven’t played the game or don’t know the game. Then the story is new and in combination of the great characters you will surely like it if you are into the fantasy genre. If you did play the game, I think it will only be re watch of the game since it doesn’t really add anything new. However if you don’t mind that you already know where the story is taking you, it could still be an enjoyable watch. The series stopping in the middle of the story did give me a disappointing aftertaste though, that’s why I won’t give it a higher score. Knowing all the above I think you better decide yourself if this series is for you or not.
Sola review
Story: 9
Once again I picked this anime just randomly out of a list of new anime from the season and I wasn’t disappointed!
In the first episode there is a lot of action and I was interested immediately. This does not happen often. Most anime need an episode or three to get me interested so I definitely consider this a plus for Sola. Then the anime becomes kind of slow for the next 4 episodes. You know that there is more to things then they let on, but it is not until episode 6 that the story really starts rolling again. The story takes some unique and unexpected turns that surprised me; something that I think is a strong point of this series as well. And it keeps doing so until the very end of the series.
Animation: 9
This is truly the best point of the anime. The backgrounds are really beautiful and focus a lot on the different kind of skies. The colors that are used are lively and inspired me. Character designs are detailed and unique. They paid a lot of attention to the designing of the outfits from the characters, especially the female ones. This also goes for the hair and eyes. They made sure the looks of a character fits their personalities. Shading and light effects is another thing that was done really well. It was all very detailed.
The series switches a lot with the lights used since it lays accents of the different times of day and night. This was done really well and I didn’t feel “off” once. The colors were dark or bright when they were supposed to be because of change of scenery. The anime also had a lot of special effects, especially in the later episodes. And once again I can only say that this part was also done splendidly.
Audio: 8
The music is another strong point of the anime. As with the visuals the audio varies a lot because of the amount of different moods used throughout the series. This makes it a varied soundtrack to listen to. The background music supports the scenes greatly. The opening and ending theme are both really good and are worth listening to on its own as well. There is another vocal song used somewhere in the series to support the scenes. This is done in a wonderful way. The voice acting is splendid. The voices fit the characters well and the combination of audio and visual makes the characters feel as if they are alive.
Character development: 7.5
There certainly is character development but I feel that is mostly because of the twists and turns of the story then that the characters purely develop themselves. In the beginning of the anime everyone is just presented as normal average characters. When you learn the truth behind the characters, your outlook on the characters will change. However this is mostly because you learn about certain events in the past and not because the personality of the character develops that much. It is not until the last few episodes that the real motives and personalities of the characters will become clear. This is both a good and a bad thing: Good because it keeps you in the dark until the very last but bad because it doesn’t give the characters time to develop.
Certain bonds are formed between the characters throughout the anime and the way the characters interact with each other changes throughout the series. I cant say too much about the relationship of the characters towards each other without giving away too much but this is one aspect of the many surprises Sola has in store. The series seem to focus more on the development of the bond and the relationship between characters then on the characters itself. But because this aspect is done very realistic it didn’t bother me the slightest.
Overall: 9
If you want something different to watch, Sola is the way to go. Because of the well chosen combination of a good plot with unexpected twists, splendid animation and fitting accompanying music it will draw you right into the series. The combination of genres used makes it an enjoyable watch for a broad audience. This series was one of the rare ones that still managed to surprise me and is one of the better ones out there.