Zero no Tsukaima
Story: 7,5
In a fictional fantasy world the power of magic is held in high respect, and those who can use it are considered the nobility of that world, where those without the ability to use magic are treated as inferior in every aspect: not quite slavery just yet, but definitely a difference in class. Louise is one of these nobles, however also one of the worst, and pretty much every attempt at using advanced magic ends in failure or destruction.
The first episode introduces this new world, at an important day at the academy of magic: the day when each student summons his or her familiar, a magical creature destined to accompany them. All sorts of strange and wonderful creatures are summoned, but Louise’s familiar is something else altogether: a young boy from our present-day
Even though he’s from another world, most others simply see him as a commoner, someone who can’t use magic, ridiculing him, and frustrating Louise even further –another failure-, frustration which she violently takes out on Saito.
At first there doesn’t seem to be much going on Zero No Tsukaima, a chain of loose episodes, but gradually a storyline starts to develop, though it rushes with some plot twists around halfway, introducing a lot of new elements. But everything ties together in the end, even though some aspects of the story still feel a bit rushed to me…
Graphics: 7
Graphically, Zero no Tsukaima is nothing to write home about, though the animation is far from bad either. There are some stills, but nothing which disrupts the flow of the series, and the action sequences are good. Nothing to write home about, but nothing bad either.
Audio: 7,5
The same as with graphics, season 1 of Zero was good, it set the mood well, but apart from a few strong tracks, it wasn’t really something to write home about. Average. The voice acting was well though, enthusiastic and professional, no complaints there.
Characters: 7
The series introduces a set of fairly cliché characters early on: the silent brainiac with glasses, the rose-wielding arrogant but cowardly playboy, the busty attention-craving female, etcetera. Fortunately there’s room for some more original characters as well, such as a talking sword, or the headmaster, who looks like he could’ve been swept straight from a Harry Potter movie, except for his pervy nature to use his pet mouse to find out the color of girls’ underwear.
The relationship between Louise and Saito is pretty much defined from the start: she is the noble, and he is a commoner and a familiar, a lowly servant without any real rights. But Zero no Tsukaima has a romantic element as well, so of course more is bound to happen… were it not for complicated love triangles and at least a handful of others having an interest in poor Saito, while Louise in turn keeps denying her feelings.
However just as important as a good hero is a good villain, and since the story feels a bit rushed sometimes (perhaps 12 episodes is too little?) most of the villains aren’t really developed as well; in fact, most of them are only introduced in the last few episodes, which in turn gives them very little depth.
Overall: 7
Zero No Tsukaima is a fun little series and has all the potential of becoming a popular series: a fairly original setting, good characters, a promising plot –which I can’t tell much about since some vital elements are only introduced in the final episodes- and a nice mixture of action and comedy. Season II is out, and if it improves a bit in the story department, it could be a hit indeed.
Rozen Maiden Overture Review
Story: 6
Rozen Maiden Overture is a separate story that tells the history of the relationship between the dolls Shinku and Shogintou. The timeline where it begins is somewhere in the second season but I couldn’t quite place it myself. This aspect doesn’t matter so much since the whole thing is basically a 2 episode flashback.
I didn’t really think it adds really much to the whole series. It is a nice story but I wouldn’t have noticed if it wouldn’t have been told. To me it doesn’t add anything really spectacular. It is a sad background story which is mostly an addition for Rozen Maiden fans.
The animation is the same as the other Rozen Maiden series and therefore there is of good quality. The atmosphere is more grim and dark though which fits the melancholy of the story. The thing that was done really well is the transformation of Shogintou from an almost cute doll to the wicked doll we know her. I noticed the small differences they put in her expressions and it really adds something the whole picture.
The opening is once again done by Ali Project and is not really my taste, however this one isn’t as bas as the 2nd seasons. The ending I liked better since it is more soothing, almost comforting which matches the theme quite well. Of course the voice acting has the same quality as the rest of the series so there is really nothing to complain about.
Since this prequel only lasts 2 episodes, the character development is down to a minimum. The episodes concentrate on Shinku and Shogintou and their relationship. Shinku is still her old demanding self and not as compassionate as she came to be in the second series. It tells the Story how she pitied Shogintou and how she and Shogintou were friends first and why Shogintou’s hate for Shinku came to be. It does add some sympathy towards Shogintou since Shinku isn’t displayed as merely the good doll here. The other dolls only play minor parts in this story.
We meet the past medium of Shinku, a little rich girl. She adds her opinions on the whole thing but further adds nothing of importance.
Since the great stories of the other series I went in with great expectations, however I was slightly disappointed. To my opinion this story could have seen told in the 2nd season and there wasn’t any need to make a separate appearance. It does have the same quality of sound and animation, but it just isn’t as good as the rest. For the fans it can be a nice addition but it isn’t a must see.
Tsubasa Chronicle : The movie (Princess of the Birdcage Kingdom)
Story: 7,5
The CLAMP studio has already been around for quite a while and produced a good variety of different mangas and, additionally, anime shows, most of which became little gems of their own. An item which has been seen several times before in CLAMP shows has been the re-use of characters: some characters can make a new appearance in a different series, either as the same character or as a completely different personality who has nothing in common with the original, except for appearance.
The Tsubasa Chronicle series takes that aspect one step further, by re-using every CLAMP character in existence, several times over: the series is based on the concept of the existence of many different world in different realities, each with their own theme. The same people can exist in different worlds, and yet while they may look the same, their characters might be as opposite as day and night.
The plot of the Tsubasa Chronicle in a nutshell: the princess Sakura (originally from Card Captor Sakura) is lured into ancient ruins and loses all her memories as a result, which are scattered across different worlds and dimensions. Determined to win them back, thus saving her life, her childhood friend and potential lover Saiyoran journeys with her to the Dimensional Witch because it’s believed she can help him. She gives him the ability to travel between worlds (in the form of the cute creature Mokona), but in exchange Sakura will never be able to remember their past together. Saiyoran agrees and sets off on this journey, together with two others, Fai and Kurogane, both who have their own reasons to travel across worlds.
After a whole season of traveling, finding feathers, and bonding between main characters, the movie is a logical continuation of that; in reality, the Tsubasa movie is little more than a lengthy, drawn out episode, and that’s also its main flaw: there’s a story to be told, and in this case that story would take more than one episode, yet at the same time the movie is short, and trying to cram as much of that story into as little time as possible. The result is that some things aren’t explained that well, or rushed through, and it may leave the viewer confused sometimes.
Graphics: 8,5
After seeing the first season of Tsubasa Chronicle, this ‘movie’ came as a bit of a surprise. A different studio was responsible for this production, and it was notable in a subtle change of animation and redesign of characters, both in outfit and appearance. Fortunately, none of this seems to disrupt the flow of the movie in any way, apart from taking a moment to get used to.
However the movie is fast paced, leaving no room for filler scenes or long (boring) dialogues, mixing said dialogues with camera changes, rather than using a lot of stills. There’s plenty of action, yet it isn’t all about action, and this movie creates a fine balance of that.
Audio: 8,5
A good soundtrack can either make or break an anime series, and where Tsubasa Chronicle is concerned the soundtrack serves only to strengthen the anime, with soft calm tones during quieter scenes, romantic melody where romance is required, and wild, upbeat orchestral tracks to intensify the action scenes. The only real shame is that, though the Tsubasa movie introduces some new tracks, some of the old ones are also re-used, even after a whole season of it all.
Characters: 8
With every new episode (or in this case, a “movie”) it’s always a surprise what kind of characters will be introduced; of course there are the main characters, who travel between worlds, along with both good guys (the Dimensional Witch) and bad guys (Fei Wong Reed) who watch and influence them from the sideline, but in every world characters from different series and previous worlds are re-used and it’s always a matter of finding out whether or not they are good, bad, have hidden agendas, dark pasts, etc.
This ‘movie’ brings back some old characters in new roles –or similar roles, since Tomoya has been a princess in several worlds already- but also introduces some new faces, which are a welcome sight.
There isn’t much room for character development since most characters are too busy rushing back and forth either carrying out evil schemes or preventing them, but there is a glimpse of the love relationship which is about to blossom (again) between Saiyoran and Sakura, though this movie by itself does not indulge further into it, leaving that story to be told another time.
Overall: 8
As I already mentioned, the title “movie” isn’t totally fitting of this Tsubasa Chronicle installement, and while it does influence the overall quality of this title a bit, it’s still a worthwhile movie to watch. It’s still recommended you watch season 1 of the series first though, since pretty much everything in this movie has references back to it, and you won’t have much of a clue about what’s going on if you don’t. But Tsubasa fans will agree that it’s a good… episode.
Final Fantasy Unlimited
Story: 7
I’ve been a long time fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, a series of roleplaying games in a fantasy setting, and perhaps one of the most famous roleplaying games out there. Of course which such a popular item, it would be only a matter of time before Final Fantasy would move beyond a game franchise, and so it did, with an anime OAV based on Final Fantasy V, and a valiant effort of introducing Final Fantasy to a broader, worldwide audience with a feature (computer animated) film. The anime failed hopelessly, and the movie had only moderate success. Having seen both these attempts, I was somewhat skeptical about Final Fantasy Unlimited, and worried that it would indeed turn out to be another fluke.
When the anime started in our own world (
Unfortunately a quick pace isn’t always kept as the story progresses; fortunately the story lacks fillers, but especially in the beginning there are some “monster of the day” episodes, and later on several episodes are spent on the good guys escaping a complex enemy puzzle which offers them many challenges.
On the other hand, the final episodes feel a bit rushed and could’ve drawn out a bit more, but this is no surprise, given the series was supposed to last for about 52 episodes, but was reduced to 26 due to poor ratings in Japan.
Because of this a continuation of this series is probably out of the picture as well, which is a pity, because while some import issues are concluded at the end of the show, there are quite a few loose ends that need to be wrapped up, and could fill at least another season.
Graphics: 7.5
Character design has always played an important part in the Final Fantasy games, especially the later ones, with characters which can either look completely human, yet with odd spiky hairdo’s, or completely beyond that, odd creatures and mad villains. The anime is no exception, with a generous host of different characters and designs; standing out most in this aspect are perhaps the “Summoned Beasts”, creatures conjured forth by Kaze’s Demon Gun, and the special bullets it’s equipped with: each of these creatures is computer animated, though some of these Summons still lack some detail.
As I stated earlier, Final Fantasy Unlimited was initially planned to last 52 episodes, to be aired on Japanese, even though this was cut back later; still, a lot of episodes means a lot of screentime and thus a lot of animation, and that usually means certain tricks are used to cut back on costs. A well known method is the use of stills, especially when dialogue is used, ie. By focusing on a certain bodypart which doesn’t move when talking (eyes) or by showing an image of a landscape; FFU is guilty of this one, though not by extremes. Another method is by re-using key animations, and FFU does this richly: Summon animations are re-used, and when Kaze powers his Demon Gun, the same method is shown (in one episode even at least four times!). Pity, because it tends to get annoying…
The action sequences are good though, and they make up for a lot where graphics are concerned.
Audio: 8
One of the better aspects of pretty much every Final Fantasy game out there has been the beautiful orchestral soundtrack which carries each game, a soundtrack with some familiar tracks which return with every new game, yet also always renewing itself with a brand new soundtrack. The Final Fantasy Unlimited anime is no different from that, carrying a fairly large soundtrack of different themes, personal themes, battle music, cute innocent themes – enough to set a certain atmosphere for every major scene.
Characters: 7
As I already mentioned earlier the characters in FFU are as diverse as some of the characters in the game series, and no doubt the artists have enjoyed that little bit of freedom. Some characters are fairly stereotypical: the powerful villain warrior, the seductive femme fatale villain, the genius Cid (in most final fantasy games there is a character named Cid, who usually takes on this role). However there is also room for some unexpected roles, for instance the evil Count, main villain of the show, takes the appearance of a seven year old boy.
Unfortunately that’s about all there is for most characters, they tend to stick to their clichés with no major character development. Sure, the grouchy loner becomes a bit more… socially acceptable, the innocent children become a bit more independent, and some of the villains turn out to be more than meets the eye, but don’t expect any major developments like you see in some of the games (then again, in some of the games the characters stick to their pre-determined clichés as well.. )
Overall: 7.5
Final Fantasy was a fun anime to watch. Fans of the games will not be disappointed when it comes to reference material from a good host of Final Fantasy games, however might find the storyline a bit lacking in the end. Still, it has enough action, comedy and stuff going on to keep you entertained for the full 26 episodes.
Rozen Maiden Traumed Review
Story: 8
This anime is a sequel to Rozen Maiden and I recommend you watch that one first, if you haven’t done so, or else it will be easy to get lost plot wise.
Rozen Maiden Traumed picks things up where Rozen Maiden left them so it is easy to follow along if you have seen the first series, unless it has been a while, like me.
There are some new characters introduced and some old ones re-introduces. With a complete set of Rozen Maiden dolls continuing the
Like Rozen Maiden, the animation of the dolls is very cute and sometimes wicked. The dolls are animated like their personalities, for example; pink for Hina-Ichigo, the childlike hyper active doll. The costumes of the dolls are detailed which adds to their unique designs. The action scenes are fluent and intense, like they should be. The designs of the human characters on the other hand are plain and simple; I think this is done to lay the accent on the beauty of the dolls. Shading is done well. There is nothing really to complain about here.
The voice acting of this show is simply brilliant. There wasn’t one moment where I thought things were off. They have chosen the voice actors well for each character and this makes it a really intense watch since the actors managed to get the emotions of the dolls across in such a splendid way.
The scenes are accompanied with beautiful orchestral music, to stress the situation the characters are in. The only think I really disliked was the opening theme of the series. It really doesn’t do the series any justice. The ending theme on the other hand is very beautiful and I wouldn’t mind listening to it on its own.
It’s clear that each doll has its own personality. From quiet to hyper active from smart to mischievous, it is all there. It makes it fun to see all the dolls interact with each other. The interaction between the cuter dolls and the more wicked dolls is interesting. All dolls have their own motives for competing or not competing in the
As the situation gets tenser in the last few episodes the dolls change and some unexpected events happen, this makes them develop in certain ways as they have to make choices.
This series delivers a mix of comedy, sadness, action and cuteness all in one and manages to combine this with a deep and heart touching story. I think this anime will be liked by a broad audience but I strongly recommend watching Rozen Maiden first.
As for people who have already done so: This is a sequel you must watch since it really will add something to your Rozen Maiden experience.
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!
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.