What You Will See

I forgot to mention this previously during the original introduction, but there are four categories of entries that may show up for any given anime:  Mini-Reviews, Reviews, Summaries, and Essays. 

Mini-Reviews are designed to be Spoiler-Free.  If you're interested in seeing a series, but just want to get my take on it, this is what you'll want to read.  I give my rating, a brief spoiler-free description of the premise, and my recommendation of whether it's a good watch or crap.

Then there are the full Reviews.  This is where I do a break down of the scoring, including discussing each section in detail.  There are spoilers in these.  The fact that one of the categories is 'Ending' should be self-explanatory on that point.  These full reviews are either for people who don't mind spoilers, those who don't intend to watch the anime, or those who have seen it already.

Summaries are nothing but spoilers.  I give a walkthrough of the plot, including pointing out various parts that are good, bad, or just making random comments.  This section is for the same population as the full Reviews, and also those who just like my writing style.

Finally, we have essays.  Most essays will be spoiler-ridden, but on a specific topic.  Some essays I plan on writing are things such as the symbolism and allusions in Code Geass, the treatment of nudity in Elfen Lied, and what makes the use of Shinji in Evangelion refreshing (though your mileage may vary).

Essay - Shinji (Evangelion)

One of the main complaints with Neon Genesis Evangelion that I've heard is that Shinji is a whiny, pathetic waste of air.  I'm not going to disagree.  Though one thing that I was thinking about recently, is how refreshingly unformulaic that is.

I mean, most action-oriented anime take on a similar formula.  Person with a crazy amount of tenacity or is otherwise completely awesome meets up with random situation which allows that awesome to show through, which kicks off their entire world view changing, usually in association with being thrust into constant combat.  I mean, let's look at some examples.  And warning:  there are spoilers for MULTIPLE anime coming.


Code Geass:  Of everyone in Tokyo, the one person who happened to be in the right place at the right time to be given the power of Geass from C.C. was (a) the only exiled prince of Britannia, (b) one of a small population who went to the same academy as one of the *2* people driving the truck C.C. was in, (c) the biggest tactical genius in all of Japan (err, Area 11), and (d) a close personal friend of the soldier who happened to be first on the scene.  VERY convenient, though necessary to get the plot moving.  Right person full of awesome (tactics and genius), just happens to be given power (Geass), kicked off Lelouch entering into an entire arena of combat (albeit voluntarily, which is generally not the case).

Elfen Lied:  Of all people to find Lucy is her amnesiac state, it was basically her exclusive childhood friend who just happened to have returned to the same city after several years on that same day.  He also just happened to be exactly the person who would be needed for Lucy to not just arbitrarily kill whoever took her in, most likely, and then let her start to re-embrace her humanity.  Right person full of awesome compassion (childhood friend), just happens to be given power someone with power (Lucy), kicked off the whole diclonius repossession efforts (albeit he didn't get too far involved until the end of the anime/midway in the manga).

Bleach:  Of all the people for a soul reaper to need direct help from in a random attack, it just happened to be some kind of super-dude who could already talk to ghosts and had crazy spiritual strength.  Albeit Bleach was a little less contrived as the fact that he saw the Shinigami/Hollow is what put him in the line of fire to begin with, it still happened to be getting visited on his house.  Right person full of awesome (tremendous spirit energy and other things), just happens to be given power (zanpakuto and shinigami powers), kicked off the whole involvement with shinigami and hollows.

Guyver:  Of all the people to find/activate a Guyver unit, it just happened to be someone with insane tenacity and stubbornness.  Right person full of awesome (raw tenacity), just happens to be given power (Guyver suit), kicked off the whole involved-with-Cronos thing.


But then you have Shinji.  He isn't full of awesome.  In fact, the only thing that he's brimming with is unresolved issues.  With a lot of anime, it comes to mind:  What would happen if some random Joe found it instead?

I mean, what if some Japanese bystander was offered the Geass power instead of Lelouch getting involved?  Lelouch would have remained being a bored student, and the new person would either get themselves a little bit of power, get themselves shot, or go hide in a corner where they would be safe.

Or what if someone less stubborn had found the guyver I?  Monster:  "Come back to our HQ, and you'll be just fine."  Joe Shmo:  "Alright, just get this thing off me, k?"

Or what if the very exact person who is the only one who can possibly use your super-awesome Evangelion unit was just some whimpy kid instead of a natural born mech pilot?  Oh, wait, that IS the case with Evangelion.  He's not the ideal candidate, not even a passable candidate.  He's a pathetic waste of air, and the exact wrong person to put into a situation where they need to be at all responsible for the mass wellfare of others.  That said, it has to be him, because *only* he can pilot it.


I was never as critical of Shinji as most people I've talked to, but could never put my finger on it.  I think this explains it, though.  He's not a superior specimen as Lelouch or Ichigo.  He's not the right person for the job like Kouta.  He's not even just a strong human being, like Sho.  He's just the only person who can physically do the job.  Even if that makes him a bit less awesome, and even if he's a pathetic human being, I've always found it a little refreshing that he *is* pathetic, and so breaks the typical anime mold.














(All pictures found on Google)

Tengen Toppa Guren Lagann Mini-Review

Tengen Toppa Guren Lagann, or Guren Lagann for short, is an enjoyable parody of many mecha anime.  I enjoyed this anime greatly, though it has its flaws, to be sure, not the least of them being a sudden jack-knife in mood halfway through.

The series follows Simon and Kamina, two residents of an amiable underground post-apocalyptic community who find a small mech that they name Guren buried deep underground.  With it, they end up journeying to the surface to begin a camp adventure to free the world from its oppressors, lead by the Spiral King.  Halfway through the show, the lighthearted mood suddenly is replaced by a dark drama, which can be somewhat awkward to adapt to.

Overall, I give Guren Lagann 4 stars, a 69.5 out of 100.  It has several weak points, but I would definitely recommend watching it.  There is no actual nudity, though there is the occasional Austin Powers style 'nudity hiding'.  Also, the show isn't at all bloody.  90% of all combat occurs in mecha, and the combat that takes place without mecha never results in fatalities.

Code Geass Mini-Review

Code Geass is my favorite anime.  Favoritism doesn't apply, however, for the simple reason that the high score this anime receives reflects the reasons *why* I like it so much.  I originally watched Code Geass towards the end of 2009, and I've rewatched it at least twice since then.  ...for reference, it is incredibly rare for me to reread or rewatch anything within several years of originally doing so.

Code Geass is arguably a mecha* anime.  I say arguably because although the focus of the combat is on the mecha, the combat isn't the focus of the anime itself.  The mecha could be replaced with some other form of vehicle with little loss to the anime as a whole.  Not saying mecha are poorly used in it.  To the contrary, the mecha make perfect sense.  The anime needs a fast, maneuverable, omnidirectional ground unit.  Cars aren't maneuverable enough, and are too unwieldly in dense terrain.  Tanks are slow, and are hard to aim quickly.  Something of human frame, though, is natural to figure out how to aim, can turn on a dime, and is much more adaptable to tight quarters.

Japan has been conquered by the Holy Britannian Empire, stripped of their national identity, and renamed simply Area 11.  Treated as barely people, the Japanese, or 'Elevens' as they are now known, desperately fight against the dictatorial empire oppressing them through terrorism and hidden rebellions.  With an element of the supernatural introduced, one boy, Lelouch, a Britannian schoolboy of no small gifts, manages to change the fate of the world.  Code Geass is a combination political machinations, tactical conflicts, intrigue, and slice-of-life as Lelouch struggles to accomplish his grandiose goals while still maintaining his cover as a mere high school student.

I overall rate Code Geass as 5+ stars, with a score of 101/100.  For poignancy and character development, especially, it is the standard by which I judge other anime.  It does have violence and bloodshed, and is fairly dark, but neither is particularly extreme for a show rated 'Mature'.  Nudity does not abound in it, but it is for mature audiences.  I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys action, intrigue, or political/military machinations.  All three are common enough to keep it interesting, and unlike many action series, the combat does not tend to get at all repetitive.

Glossary

Mecha:  Giant robots.  Most accurately, mecha are generally piloted machines of war in a generally humanoid shape.  They are a common staple in anime.

Elfen Lied *Anime* Mini-Review

I want to preface that this is regarding the Elfen Lied Anime, not the manga.  The anime was very poignant, while the manga threw out the most poignant aspects of the show, devolved into totally unnecessary levels of cruelty and sexual themes, and took the plot in ludicrous directions.

A diclonius (Lucy) using her 'vectors'

Elfen Lied focuses on a sub-race of humans that develop, known as Diclonius to humans.  They are almost exclusively female, and possess two primary distinguishing characteristics:  small horns, and telekinetic 'arms' known as "vectors".  These semi-real arms are incredibly strong, but have a limited range.  The focus of the anime is on a diclonius known as Lucy, and on two normal humans named Yuka and Kouta.  After losing her memory, Lucy is found and taken in by the two normal humans.  The anime proceeds with the interplay of characters, a dark para-government organization, the introduction of multiple similar yet contrasting individuals, and plenty of characterization through character interaction and well-placed flashbacks.

I give the anime 5+ stars, a score of 106/100.  It's a damn good series, but is definitely not for everyone.  Elfen Lied is known as one of the bloodier anime, and for very good reason.  There is continual nudity, violence, and gore throughout the series, which means that anyone faint of heart, or young, should not watch this.

Despite this, it is also extremely deep.  I enjoyed it greatly, and for those enjoying dark and/or poignant shows, I think you would too.  If you aren't bothered by the aforementioned nudity/blood/gore/violence, I definitely would recommend viewing it.

As a mini-review, this is a spoiler-free zone.  The full review will go into far more detail, and will clarify many of the things I see in it.  Additionally, I will eventually be adding a number of essays to this anime over time, more so than for most anime.

Introduction and Scoring

Hello, my name is Brian.  I am not an Otaku*.  I just wanted to make that clear before going on.  I do, however, like anime and manga.  I am probably also one of the few people who has absolutely no Asian genes (to my knowledge) who started learning Japanese before discovering anime/manga (Saturday morning cartoons like Pokemon excluded, but hey, at the time I didn't even realize that was Japanese).

On a seemingly completely different note, I always hated English class in school.  It wasn't because I wasn't good at it, to the contrary, I actually enjoy analyzing literature.  The problem was that most of the 'literature' forced on students in English class is designed entirely for entertainment, and thus really has no depth to analyze, or is written in an attempt to be deep and fails utterly.  In the former case it can be a fun read, but trying to analyze it is like wringing water from a stone:  not worth the effort, you probably won't get any actual results, and even if you do, it probably wasn't actually there to find.  The latter, though, usually tries to be preachy and deep, and only succeeds in making itself entirely uninteresting.

Where do these two thoughts converge?  Well, I have found that many anime series possess more literary merit than the so called 'award winning' works of prose that English teachers dote on.  And that's what's up with my reviews.  I'm not some fanboy preaching the awesomeness of my favorite anime, I'm going to look at various anime (and manga) series from the perspective of depth, literary merit, and quality in general.

That said, there are certain elements of anime that just can't be ignored, like badassery*.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not some stuffy professor with a thesis.  I'm a 22 year old college student.  I very much like the carnage and explosions of anime.  Hell, the things that make the peoples fall down is what initially brought me into the anime fold to begin with.  Since then, though, I have seen just how deep anime can be, even with entertainment as the primary goal.

So, you're probably tired of me blabbing on about myself and why I started these reviews.  As such, I will lay out my criteria:

Poignancy (20):  What sort of deeper meaning did this anime have?  What is the theme and message behind it?  What introspection does this anime put to the viewer?  Without depth, literary merit falls apart.  That said, though, if you’re beaten over the head with a message, the merit is no greater.  For full points, the anime must have a striking perspective on human nature or other poignant perspective, and should imply it without it actually being stated.

Character Depth and Development (15):  Good anime is character driven.  Anime explores the conflicts of interest and the deepest struggles of friends and enemies.  As such, cardboard characters get you nowhere.  Unless the character is the equivalent of Soldier #3, a static, shallow character cannot hold a good plot.  Further, a character must be built up slowly and carefully, cultivated by the writers like a delicate flower.

Enjoyability (10):  Anime is meant first and foremost to entertain.  Therefore, if I don’t enjoy watching it, it has failed in that regard.  This is not worth as many points as I would like, but if this is low, chances are the other elements are also going to be low as well.

Filmography (10):  Anime has an advantage over traditional film:  it uses no actors, no props, no stages.  The only limit to what can be shown is the artist’s own skill.  As such, there is plenty of room for skillful use of camera angles (since there is no camera limitation), zoom shots, slow motion, etc.  Good filmography can highlight the meaning of scenes, draw attention to crucial aspects, etc.  At the same time, though, everything in moderation.  Overuse of “camera tricks” can ruin an otherwise good scene.  Music choice and integration is also part of this category, being a very dynamic part of many anime.

Comic Element (10):  Rarely is there an anime without some sort of comic relief.  Others are outright  comedies, but these are neither rewarded nor penalized in this score.  This isn’t a judge of how funny the jokes are, per se, but more of how fitting the comedy is to the anime.  A lack of comic relief can make a series overly depressing and grim, while an over-abundance of it, or even a single critically misplaced joke, can ruin a scene that should be extremely poignant.

Ending (10):  How an anime ends can make or break the entire series.  Two of my current all time favorite anime (Code Geass and Elfen Lied) both have incredible endings that tie everything together, create revelations, and bring the unspoken theme to just below the surface.  Yes, I would consider tragic endings to often be the best, but only because tragic endings reveal a great deal about a character.  Happy endings are not necessarily penalized by me, though, if they are done well.

Badassery (10):  How epic were the fight scenes?  How epic was the main hero?  The main villain?  This is the place where I award points for making me grin while the peoples fall down.  Afterall, this is anime.

So called 'Fan Service'* on display

Nudity (10):  It seems like every anime has at least one compulsory nude scene.  This doesn’t mean full frontal or anything. In fact, it can be as unrevealing as a mere towel scene, or even skimpy costuming.  This category isn’t a facet of my hormones, quite the opposite, really.  This category is judging the tastefulness of such scenes.  Many scenes such as this are part of either character development, poignancy, or comic relief, and will be looked at as such.  Even if there aren’t any nude scenes or towel scenes, even the amount of dress (or more accurately the lack there of) can be looked at in this section.

Violence (5):  What did violence serve?  Did it further character development, further the plot, or was it rather empty and pointless?  This is not a “less is more” category, but nor is it a second badassery column.  This section is looking at how tasteful the violence in the anime is, and in that way, it is quite similar to the nature of the nudity judgements.

Manly Tears, of course

Crying Bonus (+5):  Yes, I’m a 22 year old guy.  Yes, some anime makes me cry.  I’ll admit it; I’m secure enough with myself to tell people I’ve cried when watching some anime.  It takes a lot to make me cry, however.  In order to do it, the characters and situations have to have clicked with me in a deep and meaningful way, and the event (almost certainly a death scene) has to be poignant in of itself.  If an anime makes me cry, it gets an automatic +5 to its final score.

Obsession Bonus (+5):  Sometimes, an anime makes me obsess over its meaning and characters.  Now, I don’t mean daydreaming about “what would I do with a Geass power?” or “I wonder if I could excel as a ninja…”  What I mean, is obsessing over the messages and the characters of the anime.  And I don’t mean simple introspection, but true obsession, being unable to truly shake my thoughts away from it for at least a few hours, and to have my own feelings caught up in it rather than simply my imagination.  If an anime is able to take hold of me so completely, it gains an additional +5 to its final score.

Glossary

Please note, many Japanese words have different meanings in Japan to the English-speaking anime culture's usage.  When writing, I typically use the latter sub-culture's meaning, rather than the original, though my definitions will try to cover both meanings.

Otaku:  If you aren't familiar with this term, you probably aren't one.  The word is used to refer to people with obsessive interests, especially with regard to anime and manga.  It serves a similar usage in Japan, but carries the connotation of being a social outcast, much like the English term 'Geek', and isn't as focused on anime/manga as its English usage.

Badassery:  Not a word?  Don't care, it is now.  It's the best word to summarize the sum total of awesome for a series.  Awesome fight scenes, characters who can best be described as badass, etc.

Fan Service:  'Fan Service' is an expression that refers to material added to a series specifically to please the audience, though it is most often used to refer to 'gratuitous titillation'.  This can take many forms, but is most often characterized by bathing scenes, low-cut cleavage, panty shots, skimpy bathing suits, or other unnecessary shots of little or no clothing.