Review: Clannad
Story: 6.5
When I heard there was going to be another anime by the same makers a Kanon2006, I knew I wanted to watch this. And even though I think the story from Kanon was better, I wasn’t disappointed by this series, far from. Like Kanon, this series is build up in different arcs that focus on one character. Tomoya is the male lead and there are several female students in his surroundings who he somehow manages to become friends with. As he gets involved in their lives, he comes across as really helpful to aid these girls whenever he can. Each of these girls has their problems or insecurities to face and Tomoya lends a helping hand. The main story line which ties all the characters together is about Nagisa whose dream is to re-start the drama club at their school. There isn’t really going on much plot wise in this series since it is mostly the character development that makes this series interesting. It is a pity though that some characters didn’t get as much screen time as others and it left me wondering what could have been their motives.
I am personally a huge fan of the animation style used in this series. I really like the big eyed girls and their hairdos. Because of the detailed backgrounds and the vivid colors this anime was a joy for the eye. I feel there isn’t much more to say about this point since I can’t really find anything bad about it.
From all the songs of this series I like the one that closes up Fuuko’s arc the best, but the opening theme is also very beautiful. The rest of the soundtrack delivers a good quality of songs which I actually enjoy listen to on its own. The Dango theme sounds like a lullaby which is interwoven with the whole series. The voice actors also do excellent jobs on personalizing the characters and like the animation I really have nothing to complain about here.
As stated before this series involves around Tomoya who does anything for others as long as he doesn’t have to go home. I really like his sarcastic character and I think it is one of the best male leads I have seen in a series. As with all Key adaptations, Clannad has a huge side cast. There are several girls that get in touch with Tomoya somehow. I do feel that there are a bit too many characters in Clannad because as mentioned before some characters didn’t get the screen time they deserved. However the characters that did are likable characters with interesting tales to follow.
I would defiantly recommend it to anyone who liked the other Key adaptations. This one is more realistic then Kanon and Air however it still has the same quality and charm. I found it a good watch even though some things remain unexplained in the end.
H20 - Footprints in the sand review
Story: 6
Now this is a series that started out really promising. The first episode did contain a lot of fanservice however things were still interesting. The 2nd episode did contain a lot less fanservice and it still seemed promising so I decided to watch the anime further from then on. Well lets just say that this series kept amaze me. On moment the story was so touching and deep that I would think it could become one of the best anime of the season and the next moment everything was thrown overboard because a completely random episode was thrown in and I thought it would become a major flop. One thing is certain: with this anime you never knew what to expect. It could be that you were totally amazed and touched when an episode ended or you were left frustrated and confused.
The animation overall is cute. There are bright colors used most of the time and the nature backgrounds are really pretty. However there are some odd things in the animation as well. Some movements being a bit off, like Hayami’s hair moving in the wind still felt kind of static and unnatural. This is a pity because if they would have paid more attention to such details, the score would easily have been an eight because I did like the overall feel this anime has.
I actually quite like the opening theme of the series. It is catchy, yet not too happy or hyperactive. A lot of scenes are accompanied with suiting orchestral background music, which set the right mood. The voice acting is ok as well, all though some girls do have high pitched voices, the voice actors manage to lay a lot of emotion in the characters. Kudo’s for Harumi Sakurai who voiced Hayami. The ending theme is quite good as well, so nothing to complain about audio wise.
The character development faces the same issues as the story basically. In the beginning of the series the characters develop really well and the series mostly focuses on one character in an episode. This concept worked for the first half of the series, and then randomness kicks in. When you expect a character would develop a certain way, things turn around and things go in a total different direction. It is good to make some unexpected twists however these twists didn’t make sense at points and it looked like the makers just threw them in at random, making development forced, unbelievable and unreal. Especially in Hirose’s case his development felt rushed in the last episode, like they wanted him to end somewhere but didn’t have enough time to make it look natural.
This series starts out in a good way and the first half is really enjoyable to watch, however the series feels unnatural after that because of the many random twists and forced development stated earlier. The series could have been a brilliant one but turned out to be a flop due to the bad decisions of the creators.
Karin review
Story: 7
I normally dislike vampire stories. Sure, I don’t have a problem with a series that happen to have a vampire in it, however I wouldn’t normally watch an anime where it all involves around these creatures of the night. Yet, when I read the synopsis of this series, I got curious and decided to watch it.
I normally dislike anime that has blood. However if there is blood it is animated in an almost cute way. For example flower shaped blood. Even though it is unrealistic, I really liked it because in this way I can handle blood.
Further the animation is nothing really special; it is the kind you normally encounter in a romance anime. Backgrounds aren’t really detailed, but characters have more details and most were aimed to look cute. Some characters look slightly odd but there is always a reason behind it. Extra details were laid in the different costumes characters wear. A thing that did draw extra attention was the last episode which was fully drawn in a grey and red palette.
The first thing that stands out is the classical vampire sounds that are used as a comical note in this anime. I find this very well done and it made me laugh on several occasions. The voice acting is done splendid. Karin’s father Henry has this really amusing voice and Winners voice has a bad American accent which fit his character well. All other voices are also fitting so the series scores high marks here. The opening theme is a catchy upbeat song. The ending song is somewhat mellower. Both aren’t outstanding however I have heard far worse.
There are a lot of characters in Karin. At first it starts out with her, most of her family, best friend and Usui Kenta, the male lead of the anime. First the anime focuses of Karins daily life and how she gets along with this unusual situations she gets involved in and Usui Kenta who discovers Karin’s secret. It shows the weird family structure and their way of caring for Karin.
This anime made me warm up towards vampires, and I enjoyed watching it. Even though there are some points of annoyance as well. It isn’t the most outstanding anime out there but if you want to see something lighthearted about vampires then this is a good pick, even if you normally aren’t into the vampire genre much, I would still recommend you try it out.
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.
Nanatsuiro Drops review
Story: 8
Nanatsuiro Drops is the example how a simple story can make you all warm and fuzzy inside. Endearing, cute and innocent are keywords here. The story isn’t deep, not unique, yet it has something that simply works. You can probably best compare it to Card Captor Sakura, it has the same combination of a magical girl on a mission on one hand and a story of first love on the other. While with Card Captor Sakura the magic aspect was their main focus, with Nanatsuiro Drops both aspects are more in balance. This series is also aimed at a slightly more adult audience since there is some minor fanservice present.
With a cute and endearing story like this series, a matching drawing style is a must. Bright colors, sparkles, extravagant magical girl uniforms and big eyed kawaii looking characters are the key to meet this required style. Yet it is not over the top to make it more realistic. The romance part is accompanied with lot of blushes to state the innocence of this first love and the inexperience of the characters.
Backgrounds are very detailed and also the use of shading and lights add to the atmosphere of the series. All in all the animation really made my watch more enjoyable. I know I’m biased because I really like this kind of drawing style, therefore I might have scored the animation higher then someone else, yet in my opinion it is well deserved.
All though the audio isn’t bad, it is the weakest point of the anime. The voice acting is ok, but nothing really special. A funny part is that Haru does have a different voice in his human and sheep form. The only real point of annoyance is the voice of a classmate of Sumomo and Haru, it’s very high and it kind of felt like unnatural.
As for music and sound effects: there is plenty. Orchestral music is accompanying various scenes throughout the anime, like magical battles but also conversations. The start theme is a light hearted upbeat song which fits perfectly with the series. The ending song I didn’t find that appealing though.
All though the characters are a bit stereotypical as we could expect from this genre, but I found them very loveable. Because they bring their feelings are genuine, I was able to feel with them every step of their journey. Sumomo, the female lead, started out as a very insecure but cheerful girl. On the other hand she is a crybaby and that is why she is easily mistaken for being weak. However nothing is more further from the truth then that. She has to overcome a lot of hardships during the series, especially near the end, and she turns out to be a lot stronger then everyone would have expected.
Yes this is another magical girl series and therefore it might not be for everyone, nevertheless its one of the better ones out there. Due to the length the series is perfect for a boring afternoon. It will bring you a mix of magical girl, innocent romance, friendship and hardships without being too predictable. In combination with its cute animation and great character development I find it a great watch and I really enjoyed myself.
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.
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.
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.