Tigerkinney's Anime Reviews

[Timber]

Angel Beats!

I just finished watching this on Netflix, minus the ova. It was really good and i'm glad you reviewed it. I think i'd give it more of a grade than you though, i'd say it was a 8 out of 10. Much better than i thought and it truly was a great story and the fact that it's only 12 episodes or so, they packed alot of good story in it.

[Tigerkinney]

Angel Beats!

I just finished watching this on Netflix, minus the ova. It was really good and i'm glad you reviewed it. I think i'd give it more of a grade than you though, i'd say it was a 8 out of 10. Much better than i thought and it truly was a great story and the fact that it's only 12 episodes or so, they packed alot of good story in it.

 

Nice to see that one of my reviews, has got someone to check out a series, and I'm pleased you enjoyed it . I too enjoyed it (anything 6 and above I would have enjoyed to a certain extent), my main criticism is that they tried to pack too much plot into only 12 episodes.

 

Definitely check out the OVA episode though, it has absolutely no bearing on the plot- but as a stand alone comedy focused episodes- it's hilarious.

[Tigerkinney]

Heat Guy J

 

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Genre: Buddy Cop, Action, Science-Fiction Noir

Studio: Satelight , Director/Writer: Kazuki Akane Source: Anime Original

Original Run: October 2002- March 2003. Episodes: 25 (+ 1 OVA)

 

 

Plot: In an effort to combat rising crime levels and super criminals in the city-nation of Judoh, the government built J and android super-cop, who appears human on the surface but underneath is crime fighting machine programmed to rid Judoh of crime. Partnered with the laid-back Daisuke 'Dice' Aurora, 'J' hunts down Judoh's criminals with amazing speed and accuracy.

 

Judoh's mafia won't take them being decimated by this one man army lying down though and as the stakes keep rising, 'J' and his partner 'Dice' find themselves having to fight more than one battle.

 

Animation Quality/Art Style: The art style is recognisably manga/anime without coming across as generic. That's both a good and bad thing, as the character designs with their big honkers, get a little getting used to- though it seems to be a rather distracting signature of this director (Kazuki Akane).

 

The animation quality is generally decent for a early 2000's series, though I did notice quite a few 'filler' shots being re-used throughout the series. For instance we get to see the office building of the police department 'J' and 'Dice' work for rather too much. Plus the futuristic bike that 'Dice' rides on suffers from being conspicuos CG. All in all it's one of those series that isn't at all bad to look at, but suffers from being from an era, where anime makers were looking to impliment new techniques but hadn't quite perfected how to impliment them yet.

 

Music: The opening song 'FACE' by Tryforce isn't terrible, but it's a pretty generic rock tune with some fairly laughable Engrish lyrics. We get two closers another pretty generic rock tune, and a forgettable ballad Seiyuu sung ballad.

 

The actual incidental score music was a little more interesting, with once such piece quirkily introducing bagpipes....I usually can't stand bagpipes but it strangely worked here.

 

Opening Theme, Face:

 

Action: Plenty of it....the usual gun-fights, some Kung Fu, a sword wielding were-wolf and a super tough android, who lets off steam (literally) after he has been in battle...what more could you possibly want? Even though there is alot more to Heat Guy J than action, action is one thing it is not short off providing.

 

Drama: Whilst I wouldn't call Heat-Guy J a heavily dramatic show with the over-arching plot being fairly simple to follow (though that's not necessarily a bad thing), the background of the main characters and their motivations are gradually peeled away throughout the show. The show is semi-episodic in nature with a pretty straightforward main over-arching storyline, whilst side storylines that help provide background to various characters are scattered throughout the shows run, and help flesh things out, to what is quite a thin main story.

 

Comedy: Surely the writers behind this anime, weren't being entirely serious,when having the character of 'J' delivering his 'A Man must....' lines. Intentional or not, they are delivered in such an earnest way, they can't help but be hilarious.

 

Apart from the possibly unintentional hilarity of J's ultra-earnest guide to being a man,the series does a good job of naturally working in comedic elements into the story, without it feeling like it has been shoe-horned in for the sake of providing some light relief. Lighter characters such as the three 'working girls' that are like Dice's groupies and Monica the 'Bratty Half Pint' photographer don't ever intrude on the story. There is also humour to be found, in Dice's 'rivalry' with cynical cop Eduardo, and a strand of the darker kind with the antics of 'crazed' antagonist Claire/Vampire.

 

Moe/Kawaii: The most 'moe' character is a village princess that appears for one episode.Kyoko the third wheel/desk jockey of the special unit that J/Dice work for and Dice's 'Groupies' have moe/cute elements to their personalites, but are drawn/portrayed in such a way not be overtly so, in Kyoko's case it's because she isn't just some cute girl who works at a desk, in the 'Groupies' case it's because their amongst the most insignicant characters in the show to even remotely care about.

 

Adult Content (Fanservice etc): Antonia may be the 'hot scientist' who helps maintain J, but she doesn't really flash the flesh. As an anime, it's pretty much fan-service free, though the odd allusion to more adult themes and the occasional F-Bomb dropped by series antagonist Clair Leonelli means that it's still really only suitable for teenagers and up.

 

Analysis: The twist in the plot, regarding the main antagonist, can be seen from a mile off, but to be honest after a while it did not take away from my enjoyment of the show. And whilst the series doesn't stutter out of the gate, it does take maybe the first few 8 or so episodes, to truly pull you in and not feel like a slightly inferior, somewhat shallower take on Cowboy BeBop (just replace Bounty Hunters with special cops, one of which is an android),...a series which obviously influences Heat Guy J's own easy going charm and the fact that 'Dice' comes across as a younger, slightly less cynical version of BeBop's main protagonist Spike Spiegel.

 

Then again being influenced by a series as great as Bebop, is not really a bad thing and by the end Heat-Guy J comes across as a series that wears it's influences on it's sleeve, rather than coming across like some poor knock-off.

 

Closing Verdict: The over-arching plot isn't all that strong, and it takes a few episode to truly find it's feet, but Heat Guy J manages to pull you in with a good mix of action, charming characters and a subtle injection of comedy. It's far from being a truly thought provoking series or ground-breaking series, but it does a fine job of being a fun buddy-cop actioner, that gets better as the series moves along, in spite of the paper thin plot and as a 26 episode anime, it does a fine job of wrapping the series up neatly with a satisfying, logical ending. In some way it's straight forward approach may actually be an over-riding strength and not a weakness at all.

 

Mildly Recommended

 

Is the Dub Any Good?: Bandai did the dub for this one, and it's pretty decent. Bob Papenbrook (who unfortunately passed away in 2006) did an excellent job as the titular character 'J', whilst Johnny Yong Bosch put's in an entertaining scenery chewing performance as Clair Leonelli- that actually doesn't come cross as sounding like a typical Johnny Yong Bosch performance, as in I did not instantly recognise it was him until I looked at the cast list.

[Wrestling Century]

I have a recommendation. Deadman Wonderland is a awesome show, and it is only 12 episodes long, so if you haven't seen it you shouldn't be put off by the length of the show.

[Tigerkinney]

I have a recommendation. Deadman Wonderland is a awesome show, and it is only 12 episodes long, so if you haven't seen it you shouldn't be put off by the length of the show.

 

Not seen that one yet- but thanks for the recommendation. Read the synopsis on wikipedia- looks promising enough- will add this one the 'to watch' list.

[Tigerkinney]

School Rumble: Ichi Gakki (First Semester)/ Extra Class

 

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Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life

Studio: Studio Comet , Director: Shinjii Takamatsu, Writer: Hiroko Tokita Source: Manga by Jin Kobayashi

Original Run: October 2004- March 2005. Episodes: 25 (+ 2 OVA*)

 

* The OVA episodes are referred to as School Rumble: Extra Class- I've thrown them in with this review as they used the same opening titles/music in these episodes as for the first season of School Rumble.

 

Plot: School delinquent Kenji Harima has a secret crush on airheaded Tenma Tsukamoto but unbeknown to him she's in love with oddball Oji Karasuma who in turn is in love with curry. Meanwhile Tenma's demure sister Yakumo, ojou Tsundure Eri Sawachika and the hot school nurse may also have feelings for Harima. Whilst ultra serious class rep Haruki Hanai is deeply in love with Yakumo, thus seeing Harima as his love rival ...and on it goes, as a web of failed confessions, confessions to the wrong people and relationship misunderstandings just keeps on building.

 

Animation Quality/Art Style: Backgrounds are pretty basic, but the character designs are all unique enough to stand out, and as the main thing about this show is the characters that is what needs to stand out the most. The animation/art quality is a little crude and basic at times, but it's not so bad to be a major sticking point for the series and they do make quite good use of 'art shifts' within the series to drive home a comedic point visually.

 

Music: The opening song Gurguru Mawaru is a somewhat goofy but catchy number, that fits School Rumble like a glove, the ending theme (Onnanoko Otokonoko ) is also rather 'cute' and charming. These probably aren't the sort of songs i'd necessarily download for my i-pod but what they do is fit the feel of this comedic anime series.

 

Opening theme, Gurugu Mawaru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcNSx6XFKxE

 

Closing theme, Onnanoko Otokonoko:

 

Action: School Rumble uses a fair few parody/dream sequences throughout it's two series run, and it uses this to actually shoe-horn in a bit of gun-toting/fist fighting action that you wouldn't necessarily expect in a slice of life comedy. Of course none of the 'action' is to be taken at all seriously.

 

Drama: School Rumble's dramatic moments are drawn from the very foundation it's comedy is based on, the relationships between the characters, however just when it feels like the show might be taking a turn for the serious, it tends to suddenly hit you with a jolt of ridiculousness out of the blue, reminding you that this series is first and fore-most a comedy.

 

Comedy: School Rumble is pretty much built upon the mishaps of the main characters, as their failed love confessions and misunderstandings etc lead to them falling flat on their face, over and over again. And though a slice of life series, it also has a tendency to suddenly put the characters in bizarre situations, such as Harima suddenly having the ability to communicate with Animals, often blurring the lines between 'reality' and 'fiction', as sometimes the crazy stuff is actually part of the storyline, sometimes it's a just a dream sequence.

 

Moe/Kawaii: Quite a few Moe/Kawaii archetypes amongst the female cast, Tenma Tsukamato (the 'cute' girl with a childlike personality), Yakumo (Tenma's more mature but shy younger sister), Eri Sawchika (the beautiful rich girl 'Tsundere') and Karen Ichijou (another shy girl) are the most obvious examples. Even Mikoto Suou (the buxom beauty who is 'tough' and outgoing on the outside, but alot more vunerable than she lets on, on the inside) could also fall into the 'Moe' categorisation.

 

Adult Content (Fanservice etc): There's the usual stuff you would expect from a 'slice of life' series like this, with the usual Onsen/Beach episodes and bathing/shower scenes cropping up, leading to a few ‘strategically placed’ nude and cleavage shots- that end up placing School Rumble in the category of being for teens and up.

 

Analysis: I did wonder how much mileage could be squeezed out of a story based on failed love confessions but School Rumble manages to squeeze plenty of mileage out of it, to often hilarious results. The main lead Kenji Harima is a brilliant comic creation- he's a total idiot but there's just enough charm about him, that you find himself rooting for him even though you know it's only going to end in disaster for him everytime. His love interest Tenma may also be frustratingly dumb but she too has enough charm about her, for you not to dismiss her as annoying. All the characters have their faults, but it's these faults that School Rumble is able to successfully mine much of it's comedy.

 

The only character I didn't really care for was Tenma's one way love interest Karasuma. He's so weird/completely devoid of personality, that you wonder what anyone would see in him, even someone as dim-witted as Tenma- but then again I suppose that's one of the running jokes/absurd situations throughout the series. The ending of School Rumble's first series is also disappointing as it ends up being a bit of a frustrating 'reset button' type of ending, but School Rumble being an absurd comedy in the first place- no one should really be that upset over an imperfect ending (especially with this only being the first series).

 

The two 'Extra Class' OVA episodes- aren't particularly strong, relying too much on silly 'dream' scenario's and definitely feel like filler left out of the main series.

 

Closing Verdict: School Rumble (Ich-Gakki/First Semester) is not perfect, because as expected with any 'gag series' comedy like this, there are going to be some mediocre episodes, especially over a 25 episode run, but for the most part the First 'Semester of School Rumble is as good an anime comedy I have seen.....it's total fluff, but it's highly enjoyable fluff.

 

The extra class episodes have a few funny moments, but are much much weaker than the main first series and do feel like throwaway filler, rather than as a bonus treat.

 

Recommended / (Extra Class: Mediocre)

 

Is the Dub Any Good?: Funimation do a very solid dub with this one and I didn't feel that the 'comedy' got lost- which may have happened if a bad dub was done for this series. Brandon Potter is a comedic tour de force as Harima, whilst Luci Christian once again shows of her excellent range with a charming performance as Tenma.

[Timber]

I dd like Heat Guy J. I'd go with a 7 out of 10 myself. It's a fun action show.

[Tigerkinney]

School Rumble: Ni Gakki (2nd Semester)

 

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Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life

Studio: Studio Comet , Director: Takaomi Tanasaki, Writer: Hiroko Tokita Source: Manga by Jin Kobayashi

Oriiginal Run: April-September 2006 Episodes: 26

　

Plot: It's 'back to school' mayhem as the manic romantic comedy School Rumble returns. Harima's still in love with Tenma, Tenma's still in love with Karasuma and so on. Will anyone be able to confess their feelings to the one they truly love?

 

Animation Quality/Art Style: See the review of the first season- the art style and animation quality hasn't really changed. Whilst that's not entirely a bad thing (as in it hasn't got worse), it's not really a good thing either and it would have been nice to have seen some improvement in this area, in the two years since the previous series came out.

 

Music: The second season opener 'Sentimental Generation' goes for loud and punky, rather than the quirkiness of Gurugu Mawaru- I don't mind it but the first season opener suited the series better for me.

 

The initial ending theme (Kono Namida Ga Arukara Tsugi No Ippo To Naru) for season 2 is utterly forgettable- but it was replaced half way through by a much more charming song (Futari wa Wasurechau)- a duet between the seiyu's of Tenma and Yakumo- that starts off with a really cool swirly guitar riff and then just goes into this really cute pop song . Curiously this song got re-dubbed into an English version sung by the respective English voice actors in character.

 

Opening theme, Sentimental Generation:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOO3R9yU1_o

 

2nd Closing theme, Futari wa Wasurechau (English Dub version):

 

Action: The 'action' is of course as to be expected much like the first season. The 'parody' action is really highlighted in the the 'survival game' episode which ends up being a massive shoot 'em up.

 

Drama: See the review for the first season, because as nothing got resolved after the first season- the second season and the '3rd season' OVA continue to mine the same territory for it's source for drama . Though to be fair the characters do evolve and some relationship's do manage to build an added amount of depth to them, this is particularly evident in the 'relationship' between Harima and Eri.

 

Comedy: The basic formula for School Rumble's comedy remains, that of the characters ineptness to express their true feelings to the one they love and seeing how many mistunderstandings and mishaps they can conjure up out of such situations. What is noticeable in the second season, is that there are more OTT parodies than the first season, so you could say that at times the humour is a little 'louder'.

 

Moe/Kawaii + Adult Content (Fanservice etc): My comments for the first season, very much apply for this second season.

 

Analysis: As amusing as School Rumble's general idea is (a romantic comedy where no one is able to get together, because the characters fnd various ways to screw things up for themselves), the formula starts to become a bit tired and overworn by this second season, because though it occasionally teases things going in a potentially interesting new direction, just like the first season- nothing really gets resolved.

 

The 'Second Semester' also tended to overstretch itself by putting occasional focus onto minor characters (who's storyline's I couldn't really care about) and padding the season out with too many 'filler' episodes, that relied far too much on OTT parody material that failed to hit the target. I also think the obnoxious Mexican transfer student Lala Gonzalez, may well have overtaken Karasuma as my least favourite character by the end of this season, at least it was easy to ignore Karasuma.

 

The weaknesses probably make it sound like I'm really down on the 'Second Semester' butwhen it keeps things focused on the core characters (Karasuma apart) it manages to be both dramatically deeper and even funnier than the first season.

 

Closing Verdict: Ni-Gakki (Second Semester) pretty much offers up more of the same, and though that's not really a bad thing, it's not really a good thing either, because the originally amusing idea of a romantic comedy, where everyone screws up (especially the two key characters of Harima and Tenma) starts to become frustrating, as by the end of over 50 episodes...nothing has really moved forward.

 

On the up side about half the episodes in the Second Semester are as good as (and at times even better than) the first series. But it's definitely a case of diminishing returns and the second half of the season especially, suffers with too many 'filler' episodes and pretty poor filler at that, to be honest.

 

Mildly Recommended

 

Is The Dub Any Good?: My views for the first season still pretty much remain. Though I did find Monica Rial's performance as Lala Gonzalez to be gratingly OTT and probably added to my disdain for that character.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Bonus Mini- Review: School Rumble- San Gakki (Third Semester)

 

The Third Semester consisted of two 25 minute OVA episodes released in the summer of 2008, and saw first season director Shinji Takamatsu return to the helm, whilst the first season's opening theme Gurugu Mawaru also returns.

 

It is obvious when you watch these, that they are a pretty much a condensed 'abandoned' third season and unfortunately because they are trying to rush to complete the story, it is virtually deprived of the comedic charm that made the series enjoyable in the first place. That would be somewhat forgiven if things finally got resolved with a satisfactory ending with these final episodes but the ending makes little sense, so you may as well finish with the Second Semester than waste your time with this.

 

The only real positive is a surprising one in the fact that Karasuma's 'non-character' finally starts to make some sense/show some character depth that you could remotely care about (after about 50 episodes!)

 

Avoid

[Hyde Hill]

Lol at the links. BTW wondering if you where going to be doing any anime movies?

[Tigerkinney]

Lol at the links. BTW wondering if you where going to be doing any anime movies?

 

I go and have a shower, I come back to the computer and the awesome screenshots I did find (including a truly awesome fanservice one of Mikoto)- suddenly turned into some scary message about hotlinking- so you're going to all have to make do with the inferior selection I had to settle for above.

 

Most of my reviews will be series, but I do have a few movies to review- most are spin offs from TV series though. When I get round to tackling Evangelion- I'll be doing the review for the original TV series first and then the movie re-boots.

[Timber]

I tried to watch School Rumble', but i couldn't get far. The characters didn't come across well to me and i just didn't get it. Glad you liked it so much but it's a pass for me. Didn't find it funny or very good.

 

 

I just watched Another off of Crunchyroll.com Great show. Check it out, it's only 12 eps and worth the investment. Can't wait for more reviews.

[Infernalmiko]

Most of my reviews will be series, but I do have a few movies to review- most are spin offs from TV series though. When I get round to tackling Evangelion- I'll be doing the review for the original TV series first and then the movie re-boots.

 

So will this be NGE+End, and then the reboot? You can't do the TV series without EoE, IMHO. NGE+End was difficult for me to watch at times. It's highly emotional. Komm, susser tod remains one of my favorite depressing songs.

 

And for DtB, I did watch Gaiden and thought it was good. It's mostly build up for the 2nd season and the introduction of the new mystery, but there were interesting characters and you really need to watch this first for season 2 to make (some) sense. But seriously, what did happen in the ending to S2? I was less confused by Mass Effect 3's ending.

[Tigerkinney]

Well I'm in Jersey right now and my hotel has free wi-fi but connection seems a......... bit ........... on ........................ the.................... slow.................... side.

 

I tried to watch School Rumble', but i couldn't get far. The characters didn't come across well to me and i just didn't get it. Glad you liked it so much but it's a pass for me. Didn't find it funny or very good.

 

 

I just watched Another off of Crunchyroll.com Great show. Check it out, it's only 12 eps and worth the investment. Can't wait for more reviews.

 

Eikichi Minamoto will be so disappointed with that assessment

 

If you said Kurasuma didn't come across well , then we would be in agreement because I really can't stand that character. Harima in my opinion though is one of anime's great comedy creations.

 

To answer Miko on Evangelion- It will be of End of Evangelion as well. I'm actually holding back on this one a bit, you see it was one of the first reviews I did for my friends at work but it's one of those series I just feel like rewatching to see if the same opinion I had the first time round, still sticks.

 

In the meantime I've got a shedload more series to post reviews up for in the meantime.

[Zergon]

I have watched the first 20 episodes of School Rumble now and to be honest I have a little bit of mixed feelings about it. I´m personally don´t like to see people getting into embarrising situations so obviously it isn´t really for me and I could use little less comedy overall. I´m also not fan of those more odd fiction things like Harima being able to communicate with animals or Yakumo being able to read peoples minds. I don´t really minds those in supernatural series but this is supposed to be just bunch of school kids with no mysterious powers.

 

That said I have actually started to really like some of the characters, more so that I have done in some other animes that I watched recently. That´s basically that reason why I keep going with it currently though I may start another anime series to go with it as for whatever reason I have to force myself to start watching the next episode (I always enjoy watching those episodes though for some reason I just never get it started).

[Timber]

TigerKinney got me to fall back into watching Anime. After his recommendation for Angel Beats, i recommend it completely. I hit Crunchyroll.com and looked for something closer to it.I

 

I found one called Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. It's in the horror section of things if you like that kinda thing. I'm giving it 8/10. I'd love for TK to review it but i know he's got a ton of things to watch first. still. If you like horror stuff, it's really good.

[Tigerkinney]

Steins; Gate

 

http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/data:image/jpeg;base64,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

 

 

Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Time Travel

Studio: White Fox, Director: Hiroshi Hamazaki/Takuya Sato Writer: Jukki Hanada Source: Visual Novel designed by Chiyomaru Shikura

Original Run: April-September 2011. Episodes: 24

 

 

 

Synopsis: One summer's day in the Akihibara district of Tokyo self proclaimed mad scientist Rintaro Okabe (who goes by the alias Hououin Kyouma) and his ditzy friend Mayuri Shina head to a conference, where Rintaro finds Kurisu Makise lying in a pool of blood. When Rintaro sends a text message to his friend Itaru Hashisa about the incident he experiences a strange phenomenon where the people around him disappear and no else notices that anything has changed.

 

After running into Kurisu, who turns out to be live and well he discovers the message he sent to Itaru had arrived a week before he sent it and soon deduces that the 'Phone Microwave' he and his friends had been developing is a time machine capable of sending text messages to the past.

Rintaro soon learns that SERN, an organization that has been researching time travel for some time, and suspects that he and his lab members could be targeted by them. Rintaro's ambitions to experiment are not halted by this however and he presses ahead with his ambitions to take things further than the 'D-Mails', but will his obsession with time travel place not only himself but those around him in danger?

 

Recommended Viewing Age: Teenagers (approx 13+) and up - In terms of what I would refer to as Boobs and Panties fanservice, I didn't really notice much of that. In fact the one scene that could be deemed of a strong sexual nature, is not at all to be laughed at and really brings home the series gradual turn from a quirky somewhat comedic series to something really quite dark and jolting.

 

The series also contains, some realistic bloody violence, the odd bit of adult humour and a complex plot that might struggle to click into place for many younger viewers.

 

Action Level: Low- There's not really much action in the way of fights, car chases or explosion's in Steins;Gate. The 'thrills' provided throughout the series are very much of the psychological kind.

 

Moe/Kawaii Level: Fairly High- With the chidlike ditz Mayuri, Tsundere Kurisu, cute 'all the boy wants her' cat girl Ferris-nyan and even Rukako who is a boy but looks like a bishojo girl and you have a fair few 'moe' archetypes. It seems at times Steins;Gate is sending up 'moe' but it's done in such an affectionate manner where it appreciates that 'moe' is a big thing of Otaku culture and it actually plays into the Akihibara setting of the series- which is after all the mecca of 'Moe'. So the 'moe' element here isn't just used as a sort of fanservicey gimmick, it actually plays a key role in the plot.

 

Animation Quality/Art Style: The character designs seem fairly well grounded in reality (so no females with mega boobs or characters with asymmetrical hair). The Backgrounds are well detailed and there’s a general muted tone to the colour palette, that adds to the slightly eerie undertone/atmosphere to the series, even when things seem to be more quirky/fun in the series first half. Only real criticism I would have of the animation, is that sometimes the lighting can be a little too dark in some scenes, which makes it difficult to make out characters.

 

Music: Opening theme 'Hacking To The Gate' by Kanako Ito is a J-Pop song that didn't leave much of an impression on me at first but I ended up finding the tune to be quite catchy- definitely what I would call a 'grower'. Closing theme Tokitsukasadoru Jūni no Meiyaku by Yui Sakakibara is a slow ethereal ballad- I found it to be OK but nothing special.

 

Plot and Characters: Basically the overarching plot of Steins;Gate see's first year college student and self styles mad scientist Rintaro Okabe, accidentally invent a time machine- what then happens from there is that he and his friends find themselves caught up in a major world changing conspiracy plot that involves the organisation known as SERN, a future world war, the internet postings of time traveller John Titor and obtaining possession of a portable computer from the 1970s.

 

Rintaro then finds himself jumping between timelines in order to put things right and save himself and his friends from a heartbreaking fate, but each time he jumps back or forward in time, he finds himself having to relieve the same horrific situations over and over again, because whilst everyone else is unable to remember what happened from one time line to the next, Rintaro who is the one to actually execute the time jumps, experiences every little detail and it's something that has a huge emotional effect on the leader of the Future Gadget Laboratory- seeing him grow from a goofball, who uses his 'act' to hide his emotional and social deficiencies to someone who is forced to take responsibility for his actions.

 

Rintaro's initial comrades in the Future Gadget Laboratory, are the easy going overweight hacker Itaru 'Daru' Hashida and the innocently childlike Shiina Mayuri, a highschool age girl who has known Okabe since childhood, with the two developing an older brother/younger sister type relationship. Whilst Mayuri might not be the sharpest tool in the box intellectually she has a good heart and her innocent view on life, compels feelings of protection from those closest to her.

 

Whilst Mayuri elicits platonic feelings of fondness from Rintaro, a more conventional though slightly volatile love interest comes in the form of Makise Kurisu. A cynical scientist who finds herself dragged into becoming a member of the Future Gadget lab, Kurisu initially has an abrasive, spiky relationship with Rintaro but the pair who start off polar opposite personality wise find themselves growing closer to each other and by the intellectually sharp Kurisu becomes Rintaro's most trusted confident as he attempts to put things right.

 

As well as the four initial members of the Future Gadget lab, the plot is enriched by a supporting cast that all for the most part have a vital effect on the main plot or at the very least provide intriguing side plots (such as the point where in one timeline jump Akihabara never becomes an otaku mecca and just stays as the Electronics town stocked full of second hand computers, TV's etc it intially started out as).

 

Amongst this cast are Mayuri's classmate Ruka Urushibara, an effeminate boy who can easily be mistaken for girl that has grown close to Okabe, Faris NyanNyan a highly energetic and popular maid, who works at the same maid cafe as Mayuri, Amane Suzuha a feisty girl employed by the grumpy Mr Braun, who lives with his elementary school age daughter Nae and owns a second hand electronics shop below Okabe and his 'future gadget lab' much to his continued annoyance and finally Kiryuu Moeka a shy socially inept bespectacled girl who only communicates via texting.

 

Much of Steins;Gate comedy is farmed from the quirks of it's various characters such as Rintaro's 'Mad Scientist' act, Kurisu's Tsundere tendencies towards Rintato, Mayuri's childlike personality and Ferris-nyan's cosplay cat-girl act. These quirks are very much played up in the series lighter first half (prior to the BIG plot twist) giving the series a more comedic tone early on, but that is gradually whittled away as things get a hell of alot more serious.

 

Analysis: The second in a trilogy of Visual Novel adaptions from a series developed by Nitroplus, all based in the same world and grounded in real world scientific theory (the first being the unfortunate mess that was Chaos;HEaD and the third being Robotics;Notes),Steins;Gate is very much one of those shows that starts 'small' and then grows into something much bigger and much more complex- than you ever would have imagined with some shocking twists and turns along the way, including one key plot-twist half way through that really turns the nature of the series on it's head.

 

But the real key to Steins;Gate dramatic element is the character growth and the way the ever changing plot effects the various characters and their relationships with the other key characters in the story- especially that of the main protagonist Rintaro who evolves from a rather silly OTT character at the start to one who is forced to make some very difficult and heart wrenching decisions. All in all the whole cast start off like caricatures but evolve into much deeper one's than you would have expected.

 

The stories transition from being an amiable 'time waster' to a gripping thriller doesn't seem forced because the groundwork was gradually seeping through in Steins;Gate lighter first half....of course what follows the turning point is one of the most gripping examples of a series examining the 'Butterfly Effect' and the consequences caused by changing just even one little thing were time travel to be made possible.

 

Bar from the intriguing but slightly confusing opening episode (more at the time, because by the end the opening episode does make sense) the series is admittedly at it's weakest during the opening third, where it's a amiable but slow paced slice of life series, following the daily life of a self styled mad scientist and the friends that have been allowed to become part of his world.

 

Though I personally wouldn't call these initial episodes dull, and they do a good job of establishing the main characters and their genuinely amusing quirks prior to any major developments both plot and character wise, they may be a bit of a grind to work through for those with a little less patience. However things gradually get more intriguing during the first half, and then after the major plot-twist at the half point, Steins;Gate literally turns into one of the most thrilling and emotionally rewarding time travels based thrillers to be seen in any medium of entertainment.

 

Whilst it's ultimately the strong plot that ends up carrying Steins;Gate through to success it's the equally strong characters and their development that enhances the enjoyment of the show. What could have ended up as a bunch of characters with overplayed quirks in a overhands are all given a delicate believable touch here. Mayuri stays the right side of being believably ditzy rather than cloyingly so, cosplay icon Ferris ends up having more depth to her than just being an energetic pink haired genki girl who likes to play dress up, whilst in Makise Kurisu the series produces one of the more subtle, believable and sympathetic portrayals of a 'Tsundere' and that's not even taking into account the captivating growth of the series magnetic protagonist Okabe.

 

The slight blurring with reality (though I have a hard time believing time travel will ever be achievable) with references to real life scientific theory, organisations (SERN) and the early 2000's internet 'celebrity' John Titor (there really was someone who posted on various message boards calling themselves John Titor and claiming to be from the future) further enriches the Steins;Gate experience and the references here are done in such a way that feel perfectly natural, rather than forcibly shoe horned into place.

 

Because the plot twists and character development are so enthralling during the series second half, it would be churlish of me to go into too much more detail and potentially spoil the rich rewards that lie ahead- and believe me both the journey and it's conclusion are incredibly satisfying by the time you have finished up with this series.

 

Closing Verdict: Admittedly it does start off a bit slow but Steins;Gate emerges as an absorbing series that seems like a quirky piece of fluff during the early episodes but of course builds into something much bigger and after the series shocking turning point half-way through it turns into one of the best examinations on the potential consequences of time travel, and really it's not so much about 'time travel' as such....that's just a means to an end, because it ends up being so much more than a 'time travel' series.

 

Highly Recommended

 

Is the Dub Any Good?: On my initial review of Steins;Gate Funimation had let to release their English dub, but after purchasing the Blu-Ray's I can now give my opinion on it, and it's also partially the trigger for me re-reviewing what is one of my favourite anime series of recent years.

 

Overall I would say Funimation have done a stellar job with the English adaptation of Steins;Gate a feat I thought may have proved to be too difficult due to some iconically brilliant performances from the original Japanese voice cast. In all honesty the only people who won't like or can't get along with Funimations dub, will be dyed in the wool dub haters or those who have become attached to the performances of the initial voice cast (understandably so)

 

J.Michael Tatum who also worked as the head writer for the english adaptation, ends up doing a really stellar job as the main character of Okabe- whilst his version doesn't come anywhere near the comedic heights of Mamoru Miyano's striking initial performance of Okabe Rintaro, during the protagonists 'I AM A MAD SCIENTIST!'moments, Tatum comes in to his own during the series more emotionally draining second half, and arguably puts in a better performance as 'serious' Okabe.

 

The supporting cast are all very solid, of particular note is the performance of newcomer Jackie Ross who manages to do an admirable job following in the difficult footsteps of having to compare to a brilliant performance by legendary seiyuu Kana Hanazawa as Shiina Mayuri, whilst another relative newcomer in Jessica Cavanagh's shines in tackling one of the series more emotionally complex characters in Moeka.

 

The adaptive writing of the dub, also astutely switches up some of the more obtuse and Japanese specific pop culture references for broader ones that can be more easily understood by a western audience- it's not a case of dumbing down, it's a case of adapting smartly and in all honesty because I got most of the pop culture/geek references in the English dub, I ended up enjoying the first half more- save for Mamour Miyano's brilliantly over the top turn as self styled mad scientist Okabe.

 

[Tigerkinney]

You will notice- no screencaps for the above review- it's not that I don't want to add any, especially for a show as awesome as Steins;Gate but I'm having trouble with adding pictures in the editor on here when I'm on my laptop. I have no problems with my home computer, but the editor on here acts peculiar when I use my laptop.

 

I will add some screencaps in when I get home.

[Dragonmack]

While I am a fan of the more well known and popular animes, aka Bleach, Naruto, Gundam series and Trigun, there are a couple lesser known works I have found very entertaining, and was wondering if anyone else has ever watched them.

 

1. Prince of Tennis ( and Prince of Tennis II which just recently came out)

 

2. Tenchi Muyo ( there are actually a couple different serials and versions of this story, as well as a couple OVA's)

 

3.Trinity Blood (this may not actually qualify as an anime, but it is definitely an entertaining animated series)

 

4. Zatch Bell ( this had a solid run on cartoon network late night a few years ago, but ran even longer in the original japanese anime)

[Infernalmiko]

2. Tenchi Muyo ( there are actually a couple different serials and versions of this story, as well as a couple OVA's)

 

A fairly famous anime, with a number of awesome (and silly) elements. I have a plush Ryo-ohki. It also has the distinction of having the worst dub I have ever heard in my life. Utterly atrocious. A twist on the harem anime, that ended up with it's own ending at TV Tropes for the unique ending.

 

3.Trinity Blood (this may not actually qualify as an anime, but it is definitely an entertaining animated series)

 

Definitely anime, unless you are talking about the manga or light novels. I have a friend who loves this to death. I personally thought it was pretty cool.

 

For sheer fun, The Legend of Koizumi is one of my all time favorites. (ok, it's really just goofy fun) Mononoke (not to be confused with Princess Mononoke) really is utterly awesome and unique. The licensing for Mononoke got caught up in a bankruptcy by the American distributor and it remains in limbo, so I had to settle for buying it off Amazon Japan.

[Wrestling Century]

While I am a fan of the more well known and popular animes, aka Bleach, Naruto, Gundam series and Trigun, there are a couple lesser known works I have found very entertaining, and was wondering if anyone else has ever watched them.

 

1. Prince of Tennis ( and Prince of Tennis II which just recently came out)

 

2. Tenchi Muyo ( there are actually a couple different serials and versions of this story, as well as a couple OVA's)

 

3.Trinity Blood (this may not actually qualify as an anime, but it is definitely an entertaining animated series)

 

4. Zatch Bell ( this had a solid run on cartoon network late night a few years ago, but ran even longer in the original japanese anime)

 

1. Ehhhh, I didn't really care for Prince of Tennis. Maybe its just because I don't like Tennis period.

 

2. Never seen it.

 

3. Found it on Netflix while I was browsing through the anime section. Might give it a watch someday.

 

4. I thought Zatch Bell was awesome, even though I only saw the dubbed version. I usually like subbed anime, so thanks for reminding me about this series, I'm going to try and find a subbed version.

 

Also, thank you TigerKinney. You have revived my love of watching anime. I had forgotten almost completely about anime, probably due to the fact that the past two years I have had a very busy work schedule.

[Tigerkinney]

Also, thank you TigerKinney. You have revived my love of watching anime. I had forgotten almost completely about anime, probably due to the fact that the past two years I have had a very busy work schedule.

 

I was kind of hoping when I started this thing, that I wouldn't just get a small hardcore of anime fans just commenting on here but that I could possibly introduce anime to new fans or perhaps remind people who've stepped away from it just how great it is.

 

And though this thread is called 'Tigerkinney's Anime Reviews', I'm really happy to see general anime discussion away from the reviews- I guess this has sort of become the official GDS anime discussion thread then

 

For now the reviews themselves are going to be on hold until I get back home from Jersey and can get back on my home computer- not being able to post exactly how I want due to not being able to link pictures- is a bit aggravating. I'm at a loss as to why these forums act strange on my laptop- I even tried a different browser (Google Chrome) to the default Internet Explorer but it seeemed even worse on that.

[Infernalmiko]

Well, since this is an anime discussion thread now.

 

Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales was an experiment in reviving old horror tales that had been featured in kabuki plays. It ran for 11 episodes (ie, short enough for Tiger to watch) and featured three main story arcs, each done by a different person.

 

The opening theme is Heat Island by Rhymester. The same song is used for all three story arcs, but the opening animation changes to match the story and the style.

 

This is a horror series, so no moe elements, fan service and little comedy. The first story arc is based on the famous kabuki Yotsuya Kaidan, written by Nanboku Tsuruya IV in 1825. It's a tale of scorned love, poisoning, revenge and haunting that has been very popular. The arc is narrated by Nanboku Tsuruya IV and combines both the tale itself and a story about the cursed element of the play itself as well as thje curse of the story falling on Nanboku Tsuruya IV for creating it. The animation is good but not special, though as the story of the worse works toward modern times some real life shots are added as well.

 

The second arc is a traditional tragic love story based on a kabuki by Kyōka Izumi and it the most conventional arc of the anime. The anime occasionally has issues but is generally good. A young samurai falls in love with a princess of the Forgotten Gods and what follows is a mix of Beauty and the Beast meets Romeo and Juliet. Decent but the weakest of the three arcs.

 

Samurai: You're an interesting guy.

Medicine Seller: But not an interesting human.

 

The last arc is the most interesting for me. It's an original story from Kenji Nakamura that serves as a pilot for his later series Mononoke. The story features a mysterious 'Humble Medicine Seller', a marriage day, a ghost cat and much death filled revenge. The art is pretty unique, based on Japanese woodcut designs and filled with a range of vivid, sometimes garish, colors in a style popular in Japan at times during the Edo Period. This is easily the best of the three story arcs as well as the most disturbing and creepy.

 

Miko Rating: 7.5.

[Tigerkinney]

Miko- the one you reviewed , seemed to kill the discussion Ribbing aside, it does sound the very least to have an interesting concept- I will admit I've not seen that one yet and being only 11 episodes I think I can make space to check it out

 

Anyway I'm back on my home computer- so no more posting problems regarding pictures with the laptop (must look into why it's like that)- as you can see pictures for the Steins;Gate review are finally up !!

 

And to really get this thing back on track- you should see another review posted up tonight.

[Astil]

Hey Tiger did you do/ have you seen Mushishi?

[Tigerkinney]

Hey Tiger did you do/ have you seen Mushishi?

 

Not seen it yet, but would like to see it.

 

Here's the thing with my love for anime....I initially got into it back in the early 90's but nowhere near the level I'm into it now. I then just drifted away from it (just more into other stuff at the time) and for years it was one of those things I've always thought was pretty cool without really getting back into it.

 

That's until the last few years, where I suddenly decided to just check a few series out and this time I really got sucked into anime in a big way.

Also back in my younger days when I initially got into anime, I would pretty much purely just be into action stuff, where as now my anime tastes are alot more diverse.

 

So admittedly with my patchy anime viewing history, as well as checking out new stuff, I'm also catching up with alot of old stuff...I missed the first time round.