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.
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.
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!