Name: Angel Beats!
Manga/Anime: Anime (It's a visual novel and a 4-koma comic published in Japanese magazines)
Author: Jun Maeda
Genre: Action, Drama, Comedy, Fantasy
Status: Complete
Story: Angel Beats! takes place at a high school acting as a Purgatory, where students learn to give up any lingering attachments they still have from life before continuing to an afterlife or reincarnation. While the injury or cause of death are gone, those in the afterlife school can still feel pain or other things as they did when they were alive, as well as dying again, only to awaken with no injures several minutes later. The story follows the main protagonist Otonashi, a boy who lost his memories of his life after dying. Upon awakening in the afterlife, he meets a girl named Yuri who invites him to join the Shinda Sekai Sensen (SSS) (死んだ世界戦線, lit. Afterlife War Front), an organization she founded and leads which fights against God for the cruel fates the SSS members experienced in life. Their only enemy in the world is the school's student council president Angel, a being with supernatural powers who fights against the SSS. Yuri believes that anyone who follows Angel's orders and behaves like a normal student at the school will eventually disappear and pass on to Heaven. However, those who fulfill their dreams in the afterlife will pass on as well. (quoted from Wikipedia)
My Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:
Just remembering the last episode of this series just makes me want to tear up. It is such a good anime series to watch. Is there anything else to say? Techinically no, but I probably should explain my reasoning.
Angel Beats! has the same components that either make or break an anime. The story, the characters, the art, and the impression left on the audience. This anime passes every single test in these areas. The story is unique, even if you've seen one that is set in the same way. It never gets old, not only because it is only 13 episodes long, but the plot twists make it interesting while correlating to the overall plot. The characters are all specially unique in their own way with their own life stories, personalities, and impact on the story. I wish that they could expand on more of the characters, but the main ones were covered in a beautiful way. The art is consistantly amazing. There are no parts that the artist got lazy (unlike in Prince of Tennis where there are some spots that are very sloppy).
Then there is the impression left on the audience. I love a good anime that has a very very very wonderful lesson to take from it and an anime that can move me. Angel Beats! does both. Not only does it have a beautiful life lesson that you should take to heart, it will move you to tears. There are just those moments that makes you ache for a character or just feel really sad.
This anime is very captivating and really really really really....good. Uuuuggh, I just LOVE it to death!!! Need I say more?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Kuroshitsuji Review
Name: Kuroshitsuji
English Name: Black Butler
Manga/Anime: Both
Author: Yana Toboso
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, Drama
Status: Ongoing
Story: In a manor house on the outskirts of Victorian era London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of an English noble family and a toy and candy empire, who serves directly under the Queen. Sebastian carries out any task required by his master while solving the problems plaguing England with ease and perfection, because of his demonic lineage and Faustian contract with his master. (again, thanks Wikipedia!)
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My Review:
Again, this was another series that completely blew me away. Even though, like PoT, the anime was frustrating at some parts (more on that later), it was a really well constructed story. The plot and characters were original and unique in their own special way.
The storyline was very original to me. I mean a demon butler and a bratty little head of the family? Amazing! But more can be said about the characters. Take Ciel for example. Some would say that he is a heartless murderer when it comes to his duties as the Queen's "guard dog", but his past just makes you want to feel really sorry for him. It was rough and it was a cruel past as well, so it almost seemed reasonable as to why he wanted revenge. It is also interesting to look into the other character's point of view of Ciel and how they think of him, like Elizabeth. She knows the pain since she had seen it ever since "the incident". The characters are very close knit, they are all connected by one simple thread, and that is how the storyline can work.
Now, the anime. The beginning was pretty much straight from the manga. But then, when it caught up to the unfinished part of the story, it takes an odd turn. Suddenly, it's a demon versus fallen angel sort of thing and it just seems so...weird. But the ending was very beautiful and bittersweet.
~Aileen
English Name: Black Butler
Manga/Anime: Both
Author: Yana Toboso
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, Drama
Status: Ongoing
Story: In a manor house on the outskirts of Victorian era London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of an English noble family and a toy and candy empire, who serves directly under the Queen. Sebastian carries out any task required by his master while solving the problems plaguing England with ease and perfection, because of his demonic lineage and Faustian contract with his master. (again, thanks Wikipedia!)
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My Review:
Again, this was another series that completely blew me away. Even though, like PoT, the anime was frustrating at some parts (more on that later), it was a really well constructed story. The plot and characters were original and unique in their own special way.
The storyline was very original to me. I mean a demon butler and a bratty little head of the family? Amazing! But more can be said about the characters. Take Ciel for example. Some would say that he is a heartless murderer when it comes to his duties as the Queen's "guard dog", but his past just makes you want to feel really sorry for him. It was rough and it was a cruel past as well, so it almost seemed reasonable as to why he wanted revenge. It is also interesting to look into the other character's point of view of Ciel and how they think of him, like Elizabeth. She knows the pain since she had seen it ever since "the incident". The characters are very close knit, they are all connected by one simple thread, and that is how the storyline can work.
Now, the anime. The beginning was pretty much straight from the manga. But then, when it caught up to the unfinished part of the story, it takes an odd turn. Suddenly, it's a demon versus fallen angel sort of thing and it just seems so...weird. But the ending was very beautiful and bittersweet.
~Aileen
Prince of Tennis Review
Hey people!
I have decided to post basic reviews about the anime/manga series that I have seen or will see or are seeing. This is less time consuming and I don't have to reread long series...yea. To start off, we have Prince of Tennis! Here are the basic stats...
Name: Tennis no Oujisama
English: Prince of Tennis (or PoT for short)
Manga/Anime? Both
Author (creator? IDK): Takeshi Konomi
Genre: Sport, Shonen
Status: Complete, sequel (Shin Tennis no Oujisama or New Prince of Tennis) is ongoing
Story: The series is primarily set in Tokyo, and centers around Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy who attends Seishun Academy (青春学園 Seishun Gakuen), or Seigaku (青学) for short, a private school famous for its strong tennis club and talented players. Ryoma quickly defeats numerous upperclassmen shortly after entrance to secure himself a spot as one of the team's regulars. In pursuit of their ultimate goal of winning the National Middle School Tennis Championship, members of the team make new friends while learning and mastering increasingly complex techniques. Ryoma also begins to develop his own style of tennis, and eventually realizes what the sport really means to him. (thanks Wikipedia!)
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My Review:
I loved this series. No matter what I say that is against this series in any way, I loved it. The anime was frustrating at times (ugh, Kevin....grrrrrr) and ridiculous (so...many....metaphors!), but I loved it. Of course, I prefer the manga over the anime any day, but both had their good and bad parts!
The manga had a very clear, consistant storyline compared to the anime. They kept making the story seem insane in the anime, which I didn't like. But the manga actually made it seem more realistic and made you feel like the Hakugei was completely possible.
What I loved about this series was the characters. Each character had their own unique story and goals. Whether it was for family or for their own personal growth, everyone had a separate story that was really well built and supported their personality. Also, the main protagonist, Ryoma Echizen, had many flaws. He was arrogant, unsociable, and made many mistakes in the course of the story. These characters felt real, or "down to earth", and it made it easier for you to connect and love (or obsess over) them.
The author did a fantastic job creating this story. The plot, the characters, everything seemed to fit perfectly. I loved it and I hope that future readers do to!
See you in the next Review!
~Aileen
I have decided to post basic reviews about the anime/manga series that I have seen or will see or are seeing. This is less time consuming and I don't have to reread long series...yea. To start off, we have Prince of Tennis! Here are the basic stats...
Name: Tennis no Oujisama
English: Prince of Tennis (or PoT for short)
Manga/Anime? Both
Author (creator? IDK): Takeshi Konomi
Genre: Sport, Shonen
Status: Complete, sequel (Shin Tennis no Oujisama or New Prince of Tennis) is ongoing
Story: The series is primarily set in Tokyo, and centers around Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy who attends Seishun Academy (青春学園 Seishun Gakuen), or Seigaku (青学) for short, a private school famous for its strong tennis club and talented players. Ryoma quickly defeats numerous upperclassmen shortly after entrance to secure himself a spot as one of the team's regulars. In pursuit of their ultimate goal of winning the National Middle School Tennis Championship, members of the team make new friends while learning and mastering increasingly complex techniques. Ryoma also begins to develop his own style of tennis, and eventually realizes what the sport really means to him. (thanks Wikipedia!)
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My Review:
I loved this series. No matter what I say that is against this series in any way, I loved it. The anime was frustrating at times (ugh, Kevin....grrrrrr) and ridiculous (so...many....metaphors!), but I loved it. Of course, I prefer the manga over the anime any day, but both had their good and bad parts!
The manga had a very clear, consistant storyline compared to the anime. They kept making the story seem insane in the anime, which I didn't like. But the manga actually made it seem more realistic and made you feel like the Hakugei was completely possible.
What I loved about this series was the characters. Each character had their own unique story and goals. Whether it was for family or for their own personal growth, everyone had a separate story that was really well built and supported their personality. Also, the main protagonist, Ryoma Echizen, had many flaws. He was arrogant, unsociable, and made many mistakes in the course of the story. These characters felt real, or "down to earth", and it made it easier for you to connect and love (or obsess over) them.
The author did a fantastic job creating this story. The plot, the characters, everything seemed to fit perfectly. I loved it and I hope that future readers do to!
See you in the next Review!
~Aileen
Sunday, June 6, 2010
MY B!
Sorry I haven't posted anything new lately...I was going to but then I got lazy and then I kept putting it off and then it all kinda stopped. I will continue more often in July (hopefully). I know, that's a really long wait, but good things come to those who wait, right?
Ciao and have a wonderful June~!
Aileen
Ciao and have a wonderful June~!
Aileen
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
