Zero Angel Richardson's Blog, page 6
February 20, 2016
Macaroni and Cheese (of the stovetop variety)
A quick rant, I promise.
First, some background. I love macaroni and cheese. When I was a child, it was one of 5 dinner foods that I deemed worthy enough to consume—along with cheese pizza, scrambled egg sandwiches (first without crust, but eventually progressing to crust included), cheeseburgers (ketchup only), and spaghetti with Parmesan. (I've since graduated to other foods of course, but these 5 still hold a special place in my heart).
So relatively early, I took over the important part of mac and cheese cooking: the sauce.
Adding butter, milk, your own Velveeta (or easy melt equivalent) and an assortment of spices to the powdered cheese gunk that comes with even the cheapest of macaroni and cheeses can make it palatable to any one that isn't trying to be a pretentious fart.
(My present personal blend consists of excessive amounts of garlic powder, "Italian seasoning", basil, onion powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, dill weed, paprika and probably a couple others I'm forgetting at the moment.)
Of course, then they come out with the "deluxe" boxes and family sizes with cheese SAUCE instead of powdered cheese gunk and everyone's life markedly improved.
Of course, you should still add all of the previous additions, but it's no longer a requirement unless you want to go from yummy to oh-my-god-I-can't-stop-eating-I'm-going-to-die-like-Tycho-Brahe (who purportedly died of explosion from eating too much and not leaving the table, but actually died several days later very painfully from probably uremia).
Quite recently (after buying four or five boxes of mac and cheese), I realized that I was paying two or three dollars more than normal pasta pretty much entirely for the cheese sauce, which—after the amount of Velveeta and Parmesan I add to the sauce (not to mention whatever other cheeses I have on hand)—is really quite superfluous.
So I've switched away from the traditional brands of macaroni and cheese, and now make my own.
Now, I may not have spoken at length on here about my views on stagnation, but for quite a long while, I've believed that stagnation is akin to dying (although maybe not as bad because of the hope for a future renaissance, although maybe worse because at least if you're dead you have an excuse for being stuck in a hole). So I try to continue to improve my blend and I work further and further on the Macaroni and Cheese Problem.
Once, my mother had an exclusive garlic pesto blend she bought at some social gathering that ended up being way better than anything I had ever done up to that point. The macaroni and cheese I had that year was legendary, but when the pesto ran out and the truth about its origin came to the surface (namely that there wouldn't be any more ever again) it pushed me even further until I eventually came up with the blend I use today (which, if I'm being honest, is a bit of a combination of the spices my father uses for his spaghetti sauce and the spices in my favorite chicken scampi recipe + a lot more garlic).
So this brings us to tonight: I'm hungry, but not famished—and a bit overly salted from my lunchtime ramen—and I remember that I had just bought some easy melt cheese last week, so macaroni and cheese is officially an option.
Recently, I've come to the conclusion that eggs are almost more a condiment than a food in most dishes, and I've been increasingly interested in adding eggs to, well, everything. So I go online to see about adding some eggs to my macaroni and cheese.
First, I just come across the standard carbonara recipes, so I refine my search and try again, and I come across this expansive guide on making macaroni and cheese.
Well, I believe that stagnation is akin to death, so in for a penny in for a pound, I'm fucking doing this, you know?
And this guide isn't overly revolutionary, but they do stress the creation of a pseudo-bechamel sauce, so OK, let's make a roux, not something I've ever officially done (although I have made gravy, which is basically the same thing plus meat). Great, roux officially made, now adding milk and bechamel (without all the fanciness) done. Awesome, Next, separate eggs, again not something I've ever done, but it's a snap. Why did I ever think this was difficult? OK, next is tempering eggs, not something I ever remember even hearing about in my entire life, but SUPER glad I know about this now. Eggs are now getting added to EVERYTHING.
And I mix this all in with some spices and cheeses and am ready to add the macaroni.
. . .
. . .
. . .
And it's OK.
But WHAT IS ALL THAT EFFORT FOR JUST FUCKING OK MACARONI AND CHEESE?
I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed to have something that tasted good in my entire life.
I ended up adding a significant amount more of cheese and milk to sublimate the roux in the end and there was the funny quality of not-being-able-to-stop-eating-it-even-though-I-don't-really-love-it. And it was definitely a hell of a lot more filling and heavy than anything I had ever made. And that might be interesting. I'm glad it had strange properties that don't make sense to my heart, but I wanted some Tycho-Brahe-exploding-level of good macaroni and cheese.
I'm also glad I learned some new cooking skills, but it was just such a disappointment overall that I had to share.
Thanks for reading! Do you have any cooking fails you'd like to share? Or do you have a special way to make macaroni and cheese you think I might love? (stovetop or baked is cool with me).
Oh. Also, I guess I'm not very trustworthy. That's like 1000 words. Nothing quick about it at all. I'm very sorry.
First, some background. I love macaroni and cheese. When I was a child, it was one of 5 dinner foods that I deemed worthy enough to consume—along with cheese pizza, scrambled egg sandwiches (first without crust, but eventually progressing to crust included), cheeseburgers (ketchup only), and spaghetti with Parmesan. (I've since graduated to other foods of course, but these 5 still hold a special place in my heart).
So relatively early, I took over the important part of mac and cheese cooking: the sauce.
Adding butter, milk, your own Velveeta (or easy melt equivalent) and an assortment of spices to the powdered cheese gunk that comes with even the cheapest of macaroni and cheeses can make it palatable to any one that isn't trying to be a pretentious fart.
(My present personal blend consists of excessive amounts of garlic powder, "Italian seasoning", basil, onion powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, dill weed, paprika and probably a couple others I'm forgetting at the moment.)
Of course, then they come out with the "deluxe" boxes and family sizes with cheese SAUCE instead of powdered cheese gunk and everyone's life markedly improved.
Of course, you should still add all of the previous additions, but it's no longer a requirement unless you want to go from yummy to oh-my-god-I-can't-stop-eating-I'm-going-to-die-like-Tycho-Brahe (who purportedly died of explosion from eating too much and not leaving the table, but actually died several days later very painfully from probably uremia).
Quite recently (after buying four or five boxes of mac and cheese), I realized that I was paying two or three dollars more than normal pasta pretty much entirely for the cheese sauce, which—after the amount of Velveeta and Parmesan I add to the sauce (not to mention whatever other cheeses I have on hand)—is really quite superfluous.
So I've switched away from the traditional brands of macaroni and cheese, and now make my own.
Now, I may not have spoken at length on here about my views on stagnation, but for quite a long while, I've believed that stagnation is akin to dying (although maybe not as bad because of the hope for a future renaissance, although maybe worse because at least if you're dead you have an excuse for being stuck in a hole). So I try to continue to improve my blend and I work further and further on the Macaroni and Cheese Problem.
Once, my mother had an exclusive garlic pesto blend she bought at some social gathering that ended up being way better than anything I had ever done up to that point. The macaroni and cheese I had that year was legendary, but when the pesto ran out and the truth about its origin came to the surface (namely that there wouldn't be any more ever again) it pushed me even further until I eventually came up with the blend I use today (which, if I'm being honest, is a bit of a combination of the spices my father uses for his spaghetti sauce and the spices in my favorite chicken scampi recipe + a lot more garlic).
So this brings us to tonight: I'm hungry, but not famished—and a bit overly salted from my lunchtime ramen—and I remember that I had just bought some easy melt cheese last week, so macaroni and cheese is officially an option.
Recently, I've come to the conclusion that eggs are almost more a condiment than a food in most dishes, and I've been increasingly interested in adding eggs to, well, everything. So I go online to see about adding some eggs to my macaroni and cheese.
First, I just come across the standard carbonara recipes, so I refine my search and try again, and I come across this expansive guide on making macaroni and cheese.
Well, I believe that stagnation is akin to death, so in for a penny in for a pound, I'm fucking doing this, you know?
And this guide isn't overly revolutionary, but they do stress the creation of a pseudo-bechamel sauce, so OK, let's make a roux, not something I've ever officially done (although I have made gravy, which is basically the same thing plus meat). Great, roux officially made, now adding milk and bechamel (without all the fanciness) done. Awesome, Next, separate eggs, again not something I've ever done, but it's a snap. Why did I ever think this was difficult? OK, next is tempering eggs, not something I ever remember even hearing about in my entire life, but SUPER glad I know about this now. Eggs are now getting added to EVERYTHING.
And I mix this all in with some spices and cheeses and am ready to add the macaroni.
. . .
. . .
. . .
And it's OK.
But WHAT IS ALL THAT EFFORT FOR JUST FUCKING OK MACARONI AND CHEESE?
I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed to have something that tasted good in my entire life.
I ended up adding a significant amount more of cheese and milk to sublimate the roux in the end and there was the funny quality of not-being-able-to-stop-eating-it-even-though-I-don't-really-love-it. And it was definitely a hell of a lot more filling and heavy than anything I had ever made. And that might be interesting. I'm glad it had strange properties that don't make sense to my heart, but I wanted some Tycho-Brahe-exploding-level of good macaroni and cheese.
I'm also glad I learned some new cooking skills, but it was just such a disappointment overall that I had to share.
Thanks for reading! Do you have any cooking fails you'd like to share? Or do you have a special way to make macaroni and cheese you think I might love? (stovetop or baked is cool with me).
Oh. Also, I guess I'm not very trustworthy. That's like 1000 words. Nothing quick about it at all. I'm very sorry.
February 17, 2016
RWBY RWBY RWBY (S1-3)
I love RWBY and want so much out of it. With the passing of Monty Oum, (creator and lots more for the production), that hope is pretty shaken. S3 has shown us that they can still make RWBY arcs and storylines that are worth watching, but I am worried moving forward.
Sorry, that was mostly in response to people getting mad at RWBY being on Crunchyroll (it's also on YouTube) and doing things like refusing to review it because it's "not an anime". Hey, whatever you want to do to limit your enjoyment of life, that's your decision.
Moving on . . .
I don't care what you call me, just don't call me late to dinner.I have reviewed S1 previously (here) and I feel that a lot of the production issues have been mostly resolved. Now we're firmly past S3 and the episodes are a consistent length (if still too damn short!) and the art quality doesn't have peaks and valleys anymore (it's consistently OK).
The Final Fantasy style action—which is what most people come to the show for—is still going strong and they've picked up the rate of action scenes per season as well, which should be good . . .
Unfortunately, it seems like they are doing action for action's sake in S3 especially. S2 has the absurd food fight, but it was with characters that you had come to know over the previous season and yeah, you can definitely see those characters doing those things. In S3, we have this tournament artifice that introduces super random characters that have no backstory, but seem to be an exercise in making characters that look fun to cosplay with random powers and abilities, and watching them fight with our characters. Every one of these fights (which took up a lot of screen time for such a short show), meant that the plot wasn't going to be advancing very much when they happened and less time was spent on the relationships between the characters.
And by less time, I mean really, practically no time. Thinking back on the super-short season of super-short episodes, I can't tell you a single thing about our main characters or their relationships with each other that was advanced (with the exception of meeting some of their family members).
Also, if you're curious about the White Fang people, you definitely need to watch the character trailers to S1 (specifically, Blake's) for the necessary backstory. These weren't trailers so much as mini-prequels, and they're all full of some of the highest quality action of S1.
I'll just post them here for convenience sake:
First, here's the link to ALL of the RWBY videos on YouTube: Rooster Teeth RWBY
At the time of posting, S3 still has a few episodes to go on YouTube (it's finished on Crunchyroll).
Trailers:
Ruby
Weiss
Blake
Yang
The action really is incredible in this show (as you've just seen if you didn't know already), but the humor and characters are just as entertaining in seasons 1 and 2. The world-building itself is also pretty damn interesting. Season 3 really isn't bad, but it feels more like filler for the interim between 2 and 4 than something that will be good on its own in hindsight. Everything just feels a little more forced and a little more railroaded in S3. My BIGGEST complain with RWBY though is that there's not more of it.
RWBY seems to be a hugely successful show for Rooster Teeth, and I don't get why they can't produce longer episodes to let us enjoy the plot and action equally. The break between 3 and 4 is supposed to be shorter than past seasons, but I can't help but feel like we're in limbo waiting for 4, especially with all of the drastic changes that happened at the very end of the last episode.
If you're worried about cliffhangers, I'd say feel free to marathon 1 and 2, but maybe wait for 4 before starting 3 (although 1 is more of a sprint than a marathon). Again, I love this show and really can't get enough of it, so the short episodes and this last season of low development of characters and random development of plot not to do with the main characters and with SO MUCH AT THE END BEFORE CLIFFHANGERS GAH!!! is beyond frustrating.
Have you seen RWBY yet? What did you think of it? If you haven't, you're really missing out. I can't get enough and am eagerly waiting for our next scheduled dosage of awesomeness. (The fact that it's totally free is also pretty rad.)
Sorry, that was mostly in response to people getting mad at RWBY being on Crunchyroll (it's also on YouTube) and doing things like refusing to review it because it's "not an anime". Hey, whatever you want to do to limit your enjoyment of life, that's your decision.
Moving on . . .
I don't care what you call me, just don't call me late to dinner.I have reviewed S1 previously (here) and I feel that a lot of the production issues have been mostly resolved. Now we're firmly past S3 and the episodes are a consistent length (if still too damn short!) and the art quality doesn't have peaks and valleys anymore (it's consistently OK).The Final Fantasy style action—which is what most people come to the show for—is still going strong and they've picked up the rate of action scenes per season as well, which should be good . . .
Unfortunately, it seems like they are doing action for action's sake in S3 especially. S2 has the absurd food fight, but it was with characters that you had come to know over the previous season and yeah, you can definitely see those characters doing those things. In S3, we have this tournament artifice that introduces super random characters that have no backstory, but seem to be an exercise in making characters that look fun to cosplay with random powers and abilities, and watching them fight with our characters. Every one of these fights (which took up a lot of screen time for such a short show), meant that the plot wasn't going to be advancing very much when they happened and less time was spent on the relationships between the characters.
And by less time, I mean really, practically no time. Thinking back on the super-short season of super-short episodes, I can't tell you a single thing about our main characters or their relationships with each other that was advanced (with the exception of meeting some of their family members).
Also, if you're curious about the White Fang people, you definitely need to watch the character trailers to S1 (specifically, Blake's) for the necessary backstory. These weren't trailers so much as mini-prequels, and they're all full of some of the highest quality action of S1.
I'll just post them here for convenience sake:
First, here's the link to ALL of the RWBY videos on YouTube: Rooster Teeth RWBY
At the time of posting, S3 still has a few episodes to go on YouTube (it's finished on Crunchyroll).
Trailers:
Ruby
Weiss
Blake
Yang
The action really is incredible in this show (as you've just seen if you didn't know already), but the humor and characters are just as entertaining in seasons 1 and 2. The world-building itself is also pretty damn interesting. Season 3 really isn't bad, but it feels more like filler for the interim between 2 and 4 than something that will be good on its own in hindsight. Everything just feels a little more forced and a little more railroaded in S3. My BIGGEST complain with RWBY though is that there's not more of it.
RWBY seems to be a hugely successful show for Rooster Teeth, and I don't get why they can't produce longer episodes to let us enjoy the plot and action equally. The break between 3 and 4 is supposed to be shorter than past seasons, but I can't help but feel like we're in limbo waiting for 4, especially with all of the drastic changes that happened at the very end of the last episode.
If you're worried about cliffhangers, I'd say feel free to marathon 1 and 2, but maybe wait for 4 before starting 3 (although 1 is more of a sprint than a marathon). Again, I love this show and really can't get enough of it, so the short episodes and this last season of low development of characters and random development of plot not to do with the main characters and with SO MUCH AT THE END BEFORE CLIFFHANGERS GAH!!! is beyond frustrating.
Have you seen RWBY yet? What did you think of it? If you haven't, you're really missing out. I can't get enough and am eagerly waiting for our next scheduled dosage of awesomeness. (The fact that it's totally free is also pretty rad.)
February 16, 2016
Why Not Romance Anime?
So it's St. Valentine's Day . . . err, at least it was (a little late!). Maybe you're lonely and want to push the knife in a little deeper or maybe you're happily in love. Or maybe you're like me and just love well done romances no matter what is going on in your own life.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, but one of the very best things about anime is that there is so much choice. I honestly can't remember the last good Hollywood romance I saw (maybe Definitely, Maybe, but how many freaking years ago was that? 7? 8! 8 years, sheesh), but there are *GREAT* romances put out every year in anime format. It's awesome.
Here are some recommended romance anime shows and movies. Some of these I've reviewed before, others are still on the to-be-reviewed list. All of them I think are worth your time, and a few contain some of the greatest moments in fiction I've experienced the last few years.
(There are also great romance plotlines in other great genres, but I'll try to keep it to primarily romance genre shows and movies here.)
Note that even though I used Usagi and Mamoru in the cover image, I don't really consider Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン) a "romance" anime or manga. If you want some Sailor Moon romance however, there are AMAZING fanfics on the internet that remain some of the best romance stories I've ever read. I'm sure other series have similar, but Sailor Moon is at least somewhat unique in that its popularity has been rather consistent over the course of the last 20 years AND there are some great couples in the show (Usagi x Mamoru, Rei x Minako, etc) so there's a ton of choice.
Kimi ni Todoke (君に届け From Me to You)
This is an adorable anime with an equally adorable lead character. The art style can be a bit distracting at times (it looks old), and I wished I could fast forward the second season to get to the conclusion because I loved the main characters so much. One of my favorites.
It's a high school romance between Sawako—who looks so much like the girl from the Ring that everyone is afraid of her—and Kazehaya—the most popular boy in the class. Sawako is such a cute, endearing, helpful character that it is almost impossible not to root for her, and you get pretty annoyed with Kazehaya for not being a little more competent in love and relationships because she is of course faultless (because of her pure heart and complete isolation from EVERYONE).
(In case it's not clear, that was sarcasm: a lot of the drama comes from her taking on too much to try to spare others and not knowing how she should act with friends and Kazehaya/not believing that they will like her. Still, she's the best.)
Ah! My Goddess (ああっ女神さまっ)
In any form, Ah! My Goddess (or Oh My Goddess! or Ah! Megami-Sama) is a wonderful experience. The love between Belldandy and Keiichi never feels artificial even though it starts so immediately. It may superficially resemble a harem show, but there is never a relationship between Keiichi and any of the other characters. Besides Bell's sisters, other female characters come and go and have various impacts on the story, but Bell is fantastic. There's a pretty nice mix between gearhead/racing action and complications arising with the Heaven, Hell, Goddess, Demon systems that keeps the stories moving.
The manga recently finished and the ending was very fitting, even though it called back to the movie ending from a few years ago. By the way, the manga was the longest-running manga in America. So you have lots of awesomeness to catch up on if you haven't experienced this story.
The recent two anime series did a great job adapting a ton of the manga, so if you want to really jump in and get to the end right away, you might want to start there and then switch over to the manga from the end of the second series.
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。 My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong as Expected)
What a great show. The main character is practical and can't seem to help others without making himself the bad guy, but his interactions with the two leading ladies are something to look forward to. There are two series and I believe plans for a third, and I cannot wait for more of this. I haven't gotten into the manga yet, but I am looking forward to it!
Is it a love triangle? Is it just high schoolers that have no idea what love is? Hachiman and Yukino both have a hard time connecting with others, but are forced to interact with each other as part of the school's Service Club. Yui clearly has a crush on Hachiman from the get-go and joins them after they help her out in an early episode (first episode maybe? It's been a while). The three of them are great and I can't wait to see where it goes. I love Hachiman's commentary on everything because he is so pragmatic and has given up on so much for himself.
Vampire Knight (ヴァンパイア騎士(ナイト))
This isn't necessarily one of my favorites, but it's hard not to put it on the list. If you want paranormal vampire romance, look no further. This series started a long-running joke with my fiancee where I would look at the cover and see a ridiculously attractive male supernatural character next to a human female character and say, "Looks like something you would like." This joke is never not funny no matter what she says.
Anyway, it can be cliche at times (such as the whole entire setup), but it's an interesting show and HEY! one of the leading characters is named Zero. That's always a plus when that happens. Not to mention that the art is freaking gorgeous, especially in the manga. I haven't read the conclusion to the series, although I've heard it was a little disappointing, but the anime series is pretty solid and worth your watch, especially if you like the whole supernatural-male-characters-romancing-the-human-female-characters . . . genre? Can we call that a genre now? (P.S. It actually is a genre, but they call it paranormal romance). Oh, and there's action and stuff too.
I'm being a little rough on it (because it's fun), but I genuinely enjoyed the show and read the manga all the way up until it started taking months to release a new tankoubon. It's a love triangle between the human Yuki, the vampire Kaname and the vampire hunter Zero, all three of which live and attend school together at a special academy consisting of a day class (for humans) and a night class (for vampires). Yuki and Zero work together to make sure the vampires aren't exposed and the vampires have agreed not to be vampires. Sounds like an arrangement that will work out GREAT with NO problems.
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (山田くんと７人の魔女)
This is a freaking adorable show, although the conflict near the end of the first season feels a little artificial/forced. Apparently, it's explained in the manga, but I haven't gotten that far. Yamada and Shiraishi are two high schoolers that fall down a flight of stairs and end up kissing at the bottom. Perfectly reasonable, except in the act of kissing they switch bodies. Turns out Shiraishi is one of 7 witches that occupy their school, each with a different power. Told from the POV of Yamada, it's great to see him develop feelings for Shiraishi and work through the conflict of finding the other witches and what that entails. The manga covers and the art style in the opening are super gorgeous. Worth watching just for the opening! But the story is good too.
Rosario + Vampire (ロザリオとバンパイア) (manga)
Here's one where the anime is practically unwatchable and the manga is pretty darn good. They even follow the same storyline, but the anime adds so much over-the-top fanservice and repetitive art/phrases/actions, that it makes you question the reality that the manga was any good. I really enjoyed the manga, and although I suppose it's a harem romance, the main guy Tsukune seems pretty devoted to the main girl Moka, and I liked watching their relationship together. I haven't read the second series of manga yet, but the first series is highly recommended. Tsukune couldn't get into any high schools, but somehow manages to get into one he's never heard of. Turns out that he got into a monster high school where no humans are allowed. He is immediately bitten by Moka, a beautiful vampire that really likes the taste of his blood.
Moka apparently has two personalities though, one that is cute and charming, and one that is deadly and powerful. The "true" personality is unlocked by taking off the rosario she wears, something only Tsukune is able to do. I really recommend the first series of manga (10 tankoubon volumes), and I recommend that you actively stay away from the anime series. I haven't gotten around to watching the second season of the anime because the first was so disappointing so maybe it gets better then.
B Gata H Kei (B型H系)
Here's a funny one. It follows a girl named Yamada that wants to have sex with hundreds of boys in high school and CANNOT WAIT, except she's pretty insecure when it comes to the actual act of it and turns down everyone. She searches for a loser to lose her virginity to and falls for, or rather, falls on her classmate Takashi, an unremarkable individual she is sure is a cherry boy. The perfect target.
The rest of the anime is her trying to seduce Takashi (and usually sending mixed signals), with him being blissfully unaware that she is only interested in him because of his inexperience. Of course, you can't try to seduce someone for so long without either losing interest or actually developing feelings.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day)
Here's where we start getting into the "feels" department. Anohana is a pretty beautiful story involving six kids where one dies and the group splits up. Years later, Jinta is visited by the ghost of Menma. Thinking he's hallucinating, he doesn't really do much until he realizes that in order to help her pass on he needs the help of the rest of their friends.
The relationships here pass beyond just romance and the friendships are equally rewarding. The question or romance between the members of the group and the ghost herself is definitely lingering throughout the series. It's a really beautiful story.
Working!! (Wagnaria!!)
I almost didn't include this one because it's very much a series of gags following the antics of the part-time employees of a family restaurant. However, the third season recently concluded and I've got to say that the relationships developed throughout the three seasons and really made progress in the last. Definitely romantic, and every episode makes you laugh too. A lot of fun.
Takanashi loves cute things and is recruited to work at Wagnaria by the young-looking Popura, someone he thinks is in elementary school, but actually ends up being a year ahead of him. Every character at the restaurant and in the families of the workers end up being total whack-jobs in very amusing ways (with the exception of Maya, who is excessively normal and avoids everyone else). Inami in particular is androphobic, something which Takanashi ends up trying to help her with.
Chihayafuru (ちはやふる)
Here's another one that is more of another genre than romance. I included it because from the very beginning, the two male leads are in love with the female lead even though she's completely oblivious to their feelings and is wayyy more interested in karuto, a Japanese card game (and as such, most of the time it feels more like a sports anime than a romance). The romantic elements never progress as much as you'd like in the anime, but the manga has been making some movement in those directions. The series remains one of my favorites and I'm really hoping for a third season soon. I heard there is a live action movie being made (or has already been made), and I can only expect that they will emphasize the romance elements there, but I haven't seen it yet.
Sakura Trick (桜Trick)
Here's an absurd one. This is yuri out the wazoo. The two female leads were best friends throughout their childhood, but in high school they're seated on opposite sides of class. To ensure their friendship they start kissing each other. Sounds reasonable, right?
Teeth-rottingly sweet. Not a ton of drama, but just a saccharine yuri show that is hard to turn off.
Golden Time (ゴールデンタイム)
Here's one that I stumbled upon. Never saw it recommended, never heard about it. Read the description on Crunchyroll and jumped in. Great idea! It's good.
Main character Banri develops amnesia after graduating high school and forgets all of his childhood friends, family, everything. He takes a year off and goes to college where he makes good friends with Mitsuo, who happens to be stalked by the rich and beautiful Kouko. Banri develops feelings for Kouko, but the spirit of his youth haunts him forcing him to recall the feelings he had for a girl in high school. More tension comes about as the two Banri's fight over his body, with present Banri feeling like he will forget his current self if his past memories come back.
It is one of the best romances I've watched in years. Unlike some of the others on this list, the focus is entirely on the romance, relationships and friendships of the characters. Extremely good and if you are a romance junky, this one is for you. It's also refreshing that the characters are in college. I don't have any problem with characters of any age, but it feels more significant of a romance when the characters are at least partially grown up.
Nisekoi (ニセコイ Fake Love)
Here's a take on Romeo and Juliet that is rather refreshing. Raku and Chitoge are the heirs to rival gangs (one classic yakuza, and the other more of an American mafia) and the only way to keep the gangs from killing each other is to lie to all of the members that Raku and Chitoge are dating. The two are forced to pretend to date each other, but the waters are muddied by the fact that Raku is in love with his classmate Onodera. The waters are further muddied by Raku promising to marry a girl from his childhood that he can't quite remember, with Chitoge, Onodera, Marika, and Yui all being present during that time of his life, who is the girl he promised to be with and will that change his feelings for either Chitoge or Onodera once he finds out?
I really love Nisekoi. Although there seem to be lots of cliches and even the inspiration for the whole thing is Romeo and Juliet which itself wasn't the most original, it tends to do even the most cliched parts at elite levels of awesomeness. It feels fresh and familiar, and both Chitoge and Onodera are wonderful female leads.
The first season is far superior to the second in my opinion, which starts to fall prey to the whole, let's-drag-this-out-so-we-can-keep-making-money schtick. The manga was just as strong in the beginning and fell prey to the same thing, but recently has started making actual plot developments. Knocking out two of the romantic rivals that had started to hang on. I'm very hopeful moving forward!
Anyway, your best bet is S1 of the anime if you want the most resolution currently available, but if you can't get enough of these characters S2 is definitely entertaining and the manga has recently started picking up the pace.
Oreimo (俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute)
So here's one that may not be for everyone. It revolves around Kyousuke and Kirino, a 17 year old and his younger 14 year-old sister. His actual sister, not a younger girl that just refers to him as older brother (which is surprisingly a thing in Japan). I'm not going to lie and say that it isn't weird. There's definitely some uncomfortable parts of this show, but the characters themselves are pretty solidly built and everything does feel natural. For a good portion of both seasons, their relationship is that of an estranged brother and sister that are trying to become better family for each other, but there's always the hint of something more lurking in the background even as Kyousuke likes and even dates other girls. The other girls are all awesome by the way. This is one of the few anime where I would have been satisfied no matter who the main character ended up with.
I can understand and agree with the characters' decisions based on their motivations and past actions. That being said, for the actual conclusion to the two season show, you do need to watch the OVA, and you can look it up for yourself, but most people say you should stop it 5 minutes before the end.
Apparently, even for Japanese companies, what was originally planned for the series was too controversial, so they took everything back in a way that is probably completely unsatisfying for everyone no matter what side they were on or who they were rooting for. I mean, the actions the characters took leading up to this ending are completely absurd if you take the ending as canon, but if you stop it just a few minutes early, it is a complete story.
Oh, actually, they did something similar in the first season too. They ended the season one way, then in the OVA said that actually isn't what happened, here's what happened. It can be pretty confusing going from S1 to S2 if you're not aware of that. I had to look it up online since only the main seasons are available on Crunchyroll.
ANYWAY, if I haven't scared you away, it really is a cute show, although with heavy hinting of incest so be aware of that going in (of course, I think the title probably should have given that away).
Plastic Memories (プラスティック・メモリーズ)
Here's a Blade Runner-y setup of a show. Replicants (or whatever they're called . . . edit : Giftia) live next to humans and occupy many roles throughout society, but many people take them in as parts of their family. The issue here is that they can only live for about 9 years. After which, if they aren't taken offline, they go completely berserk.
Tsukasa ends up getting a job at Terminal Service, the company responsible for taking Giftia offline at the end of their lifespans. He is the spotter to the Giftia Isla, and supports her as she helps other Giftia end their lives. Unfortunately for Tsukasa, he ends up falling in love with Isla, and her lifespan is pretty close to up also.
I guess watching this one is an exercise in making yourself upset. Although the relationship between the two can be frustrating and it can be sweet, the inevitable end is, well, inevitable. The only thing up in the air is how the two of them are going to handle it, how it will affect their relationships with their coworkers, and how exactly it goes down.
White Album 2 (ホワイトアルバム2)
Here's a realistic romance if there ever was one. The characters are pretty freaking real (albeit very talented) and their manipulations of each other are something else entirely. When you finally get to the end you feel like you yourself have gone through a love and been wrecked by everything that has happened.
I loved Touma and even Setsuna. They're both incredible characters with their own flaws and attractive qualities. The male lead Haruki is a little more passive than I would have liked, but it never seemed as though he wasn't a realistic character either. I will warn you that when the ante gets up, it gets WAY UPPED. All-in upped.
Also, if you watch it on Crunchyroll, don't read the episode descriptions before you watch them. They give too much away.
Although White Album 2 takes place in the same universe as White Album, there's no need to watch the first and 2 is usually considered better than the first critically (secondhand information, I haven't watched the first yet myself). Finally, if you can't get enough, there is information online about what happens afterwards because White Album 2 was originally a visual novel in two parts. The second part picks up years later. However, I really didn't like where the characters went in the visual novel.
For what this show did emotionally, I highly recommend it, but maybe don't watch it with your significant other.
My Love Story!! (俺物語!!)
So much cuteness. Takeo is a bear of a high school student that constantly saves the day because of his incredible size and strength. He does the right thing to a fault. He has the unfortunate habit of falling in love with girls that only want to date his friend Makoto, who promptly rejects the girls (usually because they're shitty to Takeo).
Takeo's enthusiasm is one of the highlights of the show, and I was expecting Makoto to be a dickwad, but he ended up being a good friend in spite of how gorgeously he is drawn. Anyway, one day Takeo sees a molester on the train and saves the girl he was trying to molest.
Rinko is instantly enamored, but Takeo—after being rejected so many times—thinks she's only interested in Makoto.
This is the show to watch to restore your faith in humanity after it was wrecked by White Album 2. Super cute, super sweet, and way more interesting than you might expect when the characters so obviously love each other.
Angel Beats! (エンジェルビーツ!)
I consider Angel Beats! a romance, even though it's probably pretty firmly in the supernatural action genre for most people. Otonashi has died, and wakes up in a strange high school. Immediately recruited to be a member of the Afterlife Battlefront by its leader, the teenage girl Yuri. Apparently, all of the kids in this school have died and are in some weird limbo before they can pass on, but they don't want to pass on. Enter Angel, the white-haired girl that tries to force them all to follow the rules and pass on—and the primary opponent for the Afterlife Battlefront.
No matter what any of them do, they can't die again, but the threat of passing on and the threat of losing your soul to become what the kids call an NPC (non-player character) keeps tensions high. Still, Otonashi can't help but feel a mysterious attraction to the girl the others call Angel . . .
Also firmly in the realm of probably not a happy one (since everyone's dead and all), but it has some great moments.
Love Hina (ラブ ひな) (manga)
Love Hina was super popular back when I was first getting into anime and manga (beyond the initial gateway drugs of Sailor Moon and Dragonball). The anime can be amusing, but the art is pretty low quality (one of the first digitally drawn/colored anime, but with frequent strange deformations that just seem lazy). The anime also moves away from the heart of the manga and devolves more into gags and cheap jokes. On the other hand, the manga is everything the anime isn't. The art is fantastic, the characters are much more complex and less frustratingly stupid, and the story line isn't just in service of the next gag. Naru is also WAYYY less of a bitch.
It's really night and day. I enjoyed the anime, but compared to the quality of the manga, it is nothing but a disappointment. The basic plot is Keitaro is a ronin—not the cool kind, the post-high school, unable to get into university kind—and his parents won't support him any longer. He goes to stay with his grandmother at her onsen, the Hinata House, but when he gets there she is gone and it's been converted into an all-female dorm. About to be kicked out (or killed), his grandmother sends word that he is to become the manager of the dorm.
Marmalade Boy (ママレード·ボーイ) (manga)
An oldie but a goodie, Marmalade Boy definitely has an interesting premise. Miki is a content sophomore when her parents go on vacation to Hawaii. When they return, they announce that they're getting a divorce and swapping partners with another couple they met while on vacation. Since both couples have children, they decide to all move in together. Miki is immediately forced to meet her new step-brother Yuu, who is kind of a jerk at first until they become friends and start to fall for each other.
If you can find this manga, it's well worth the read. Sam and I liked it so much that we went crazy finding the out-of-print DVDs of the anime series. When we finally got them all, it was a pretty big disappointment. The anime is pretty crappy and drags on way too long. The manga is great though!
Marmalade Boy is also notable for the interesting arcs the supporting characters go through as well. Many of them are very fleshed out and take some surprising turns.
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions (中二病でも恋がしたい! Even With Eighth Grader Syndrome, I Want to Be in Love!)
I haven't been able to find more about chuunibyo or "eighth grader syndrome", but it sure seems like it's a form of autism, or at least is more likely to affect children with autism (living in your head or living a fantasy life sound familiar?) Everything I've found on it describes it more as "delusions of grandeur" than anything else. Apparently in Japan especially, sometimes eighth graders will be ridiculously embarrassing and pretend to have magical powers or be some sort of hero or villain (going beyond cosplay and just playing). Those that "graduate" from this state can't help but be embarrassed out the wazoo by their past behavior. To me, this seems like an intersection of Japanese culture with being on the spectrum, but I haven't found much research on it (really need to brush up on my Japanese reading and writing skills).
Anyway, Yuuta is a past chuunibyo that just wants to put that part of his life behind him when he goes to a high school that he knew none of his middle school classmates would go to. Unfortunately, he happens to live a floor below Rikka, a chuunibyo that never grew out of it. Yuuta ends up helping Rikka out with many things, you get the feeling because he feels like she is helpless. Their relationship develops throughout the show and they work through being a chuunibyo together and with their friends that have various backgrounds themselves. I'm actually partway through the second season of this one at the moment, but it's definitely worth watching.
If you have any sort of background with being on the spectrum or have people in your life like that, you may see some things that are a bit embarrassing for yourself, so it's easy to feel sympathy for Yuuta. It also may bother you when he is rather merciless with Rikka, but I found that aspect of their relationship one of the most realistic and entertaining parts of the show.
Although you really want to yell at the screen and have the characters just enjoy being chuunibyo as play and not have it consume their lives. Still, that's why it's a syndrome and not just an inconvenience.
Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城)
Ah, Studio Ghibli. And a Miyazaki film at that. What else needs to be said? The film far surpasses the original English novel (although that's worth a read also; the two are actually pretty different in terms of content), and depending on how long it's been since I've seen it, it sometimes tops my list of favorite Studio Ghibli films (beating out Princess Mononoke). It follows Sophie, a young girl that has been cursed into an old lady as she moves in with the wizard Howl. The two are often at odds with each other and bicker and fight. Howl's been cursed as well, and is sought after in two different kingdoms to try to help in the war between the kingdoms. Watching Sophie's relationship with Howl is a real treat, and the film is beautiful in the way only a Studio Ghibli film ever is. If you haven't seen it yet, put it at the top of your list.
Toradora! (とらドラ!)
Here's one I couldn't get into, but after Sam's recommendation and watching a couple AMVs featuring the show, I gave it a second shot. I'm so glad I did. The romance and relationship quickly gets past the annoying start of the show and I couldn't get enough of it.
The near-end was mind-boggingly frustrating and annoying, but I mean, they are kids so in hindsight I totally get it, and the very-end was satisfying. The entire show is highly recommended and I love the characters. It's one of those shows where after it's over, you just want to experience more with the characters, whether that's drawing or making AMVs or writing/reading fanfiction. Great great show.
Your Lie in April (四月は君の嘘)
And here's the trauma again. I can't even think of this show without tearing up. Anytime someone puts a scene of Your Lie in April in an AMV, I shout at the television. "FUCK YOU! WHY!"
It's an incredible journey from start to end. The events, the characters, the background, the relationships, and the end. Impossibly beautiful and a true needed experience. Of all these shows, several being in my all-time favorite list, none have affected me quite like Your Lie in April. Truly beautiful.
The show itself is gorgeously drawn and animated with a blow-all-the-money for the finale that was as incredible as the entire series is. The characters are impossibly lovable. Kousei, the child prodigy pianist that had a breakdown and can no longer hear the music as he plays. Kaori, the free-spirited violinist that shakes him from his torpor both musically and emotionally. Tsubaki, Kousei's childhood friend that can't deny the feelings she has for him even through his depression and rehabilitation by another.
The music aspect of the show pushed it over the edge for me probably, although some scenes showcasing Kousei's inability were painful to watch. If you're not into classical music, the romance parts will probably still keep your attention.
What do you think of the list? Did I miss any you think deserve to be on the list? Some popular ones I left off include 5 Centimeters Per Second (秒速5センチメートル) and Clannad (クラナド) amongst others (I couldn't get past the slow start to 5 and Clannad is good, but feels a little too inorganic in my opinion—you definitely feel the visual novel origin to the show).
Thanks for reading!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, but one of the very best things about anime is that there is so much choice. I honestly can't remember the last good Hollywood romance I saw (maybe Definitely, Maybe, but how many freaking years ago was that? 7? 8! 8 years, sheesh), but there are *GREAT* romances put out every year in anime format. It's awesome.
Here are some recommended romance anime shows and movies. Some of these I've reviewed before, others are still on the to-be-reviewed list. All of them I think are worth your time, and a few contain some of the greatest moments in fiction I've experienced the last few years.
(There are also great romance plotlines in other great genres, but I'll try to keep it to primarily romance genre shows and movies here.)
Note that even though I used Usagi and Mamoru in the cover image, I don't really consider Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン) a "romance" anime or manga. If you want some Sailor Moon romance however, there are AMAZING fanfics on the internet that remain some of the best romance stories I've ever read. I'm sure other series have similar, but Sailor Moon is at least somewhat unique in that its popularity has been rather consistent over the course of the last 20 years AND there are some great couples in the show (Usagi x Mamoru, Rei x Minako, etc) so there's a ton of choice.
Kimi ni Todoke (君に届け From Me to You)
This is an adorable anime with an equally adorable lead character. The art style can be a bit distracting at times (it looks old), and I wished I could fast forward the second season to get to the conclusion because I loved the main characters so much. One of my favorites.
It's a high school romance between Sawako—who looks so much like the girl from the Ring that everyone is afraid of her—and Kazehaya—the most popular boy in the class. Sawako is such a cute, endearing, helpful character that it is almost impossible not to root for her, and you get pretty annoyed with Kazehaya for not being a little more competent in love and relationships because she is of course faultless (because of her pure heart and complete isolation from EVERYONE).
(In case it's not clear, that was sarcasm: a lot of the drama comes from her taking on too much to try to spare others and not knowing how she should act with friends and Kazehaya/not believing that they will like her. Still, she's the best.)
Ah! My Goddess (ああっ女神さまっ)
In any form, Ah! My Goddess (or Oh My Goddess! or Ah! Megami-Sama) is a wonderful experience. The love between Belldandy and Keiichi never feels artificial even though it starts so immediately. It may superficially resemble a harem show, but there is never a relationship between Keiichi and any of the other characters. Besides Bell's sisters, other female characters come and go and have various impacts on the story, but Bell is fantastic. There's a pretty nice mix between gearhead/racing action and complications arising with the Heaven, Hell, Goddess, Demon systems that keeps the stories moving.
The manga recently finished and the ending was very fitting, even though it called back to the movie ending from a few years ago. By the way, the manga was the longest-running manga in America. So you have lots of awesomeness to catch up on if you haven't experienced this story.
The recent two anime series did a great job adapting a ton of the manga, so if you want to really jump in and get to the end right away, you might want to start there and then switch over to the manga from the end of the second series.
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。 My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong as Expected)
What a great show. The main character is practical and can't seem to help others without making himself the bad guy, but his interactions with the two leading ladies are something to look forward to. There are two series and I believe plans for a third, and I cannot wait for more of this. I haven't gotten into the manga yet, but I am looking forward to it!
Is it a love triangle? Is it just high schoolers that have no idea what love is? Hachiman and Yukino both have a hard time connecting with others, but are forced to interact with each other as part of the school's Service Club. Yui clearly has a crush on Hachiman from the get-go and joins them after they help her out in an early episode (first episode maybe? It's been a while). The three of them are great and I can't wait to see where it goes. I love Hachiman's commentary on everything because he is so pragmatic and has given up on so much for himself.
Vampire Knight (ヴァンパイア騎士(ナイト))
This isn't necessarily one of my favorites, but it's hard not to put it on the list. If you want paranormal vampire romance, look no further. This series started a long-running joke with my fiancee where I would look at the cover and see a ridiculously attractive male supernatural character next to a human female character and say, "Looks like something you would like." This joke is never not funny no matter what she says.
Anyway, it can be cliche at times (such as the whole entire setup), but it's an interesting show and HEY! one of the leading characters is named Zero. That's always a plus when that happens. Not to mention that the art is freaking gorgeous, especially in the manga. I haven't read the conclusion to the series, although I've heard it was a little disappointing, but the anime series is pretty solid and worth your watch, especially if you like the whole supernatural-male-characters-romancing-the-human-female-characters . . . genre? Can we call that a genre now? (P.S. It actually is a genre, but they call it paranormal romance). Oh, and there's action and stuff too.
I'm being a little rough on it (because it's fun), but I genuinely enjoyed the show and read the manga all the way up until it started taking months to release a new tankoubon. It's a love triangle between the human Yuki, the vampire Kaname and the vampire hunter Zero, all three of which live and attend school together at a special academy consisting of a day class (for humans) and a night class (for vampires). Yuki and Zero work together to make sure the vampires aren't exposed and the vampires have agreed not to be vampires. Sounds like an arrangement that will work out GREAT with NO problems.
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (山田くんと７人の魔女)
This is a freaking adorable show, although the conflict near the end of the first season feels a little artificial/forced. Apparently, it's explained in the manga, but I haven't gotten that far. Yamada and Shiraishi are two high schoolers that fall down a flight of stairs and end up kissing at the bottom. Perfectly reasonable, except in the act of kissing they switch bodies. Turns out Shiraishi is one of 7 witches that occupy their school, each with a different power. Told from the POV of Yamada, it's great to see him develop feelings for Shiraishi and work through the conflict of finding the other witches and what that entails. The manga covers and the art style in the opening are super gorgeous. Worth watching just for the opening! But the story is good too.
Rosario + Vampire (ロザリオとバンパイア) (manga)
Here's one where the anime is practically unwatchable and the manga is pretty darn good. They even follow the same storyline, but the anime adds so much over-the-top fanservice and repetitive art/phrases/actions, that it makes you question the reality that the manga was any good. I really enjoyed the manga, and although I suppose it's a harem romance, the main guy Tsukune seems pretty devoted to the main girl Moka, and I liked watching their relationship together. I haven't read the second series of manga yet, but the first series is highly recommended. Tsukune couldn't get into any high schools, but somehow manages to get into one he's never heard of. Turns out that he got into a monster high school where no humans are allowed. He is immediately bitten by Moka, a beautiful vampire that really likes the taste of his blood.
Moka apparently has two personalities though, one that is cute and charming, and one that is deadly and powerful. The "true" personality is unlocked by taking off the rosario she wears, something only Tsukune is able to do. I really recommend the first series of manga (10 tankoubon volumes), and I recommend that you actively stay away from the anime series. I haven't gotten around to watching the second season of the anime because the first was so disappointing so maybe it gets better then.
B Gata H Kei (B型H系)
Here's a funny one. It follows a girl named Yamada that wants to have sex with hundreds of boys in high school and CANNOT WAIT, except she's pretty insecure when it comes to the actual act of it and turns down everyone. She searches for a loser to lose her virginity to and falls for, or rather, falls on her classmate Takashi, an unremarkable individual she is sure is a cherry boy. The perfect target.
The rest of the anime is her trying to seduce Takashi (and usually sending mixed signals), with him being blissfully unaware that she is only interested in him because of his inexperience. Of course, you can't try to seduce someone for so long without either losing interest or actually developing feelings.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day)
Here's where we start getting into the "feels" department. Anohana is a pretty beautiful story involving six kids where one dies and the group splits up. Years later, Jinta is visited by the ghost of Menma. Thinking he's hallucinating, he doesn't really do much until he realizes that in order to help her pass on he needs the help of the rest of their friends.
The relationships here pass beyond just romance and the friendships are equally rewarding. The question or romance between the members of the group and the ghost herself is definitely lingering throughout the series. It's a really beautiful story.
Working!! (Wagnaria!!)
I almost didn't include this one because it's very much a series of gags following the antics of the part-time employees of a family restaurant. However, the third season recently concluded and I've got to say that the relationships developed throughout the three seasons and really made progress in the last. Definitely romantic, and every episode makes you laugh too. A lot of fun.
Takanashi loves cute things and is recruited to work at Wagnaria by the young-looking Popura, someone he thinks is in elementary school, but actually ends up being a year ahead of him. Every character at the restaurant and in the families of the workers end up being total whack-jobs in very amusing ways (with the exception of Maya, who is excessively normal and avoids everyone else). Inami in particular is androphobic, something which Takanashi ends up trying to help her with.
Chihayafuru (ちはやふる)
Here's another one that is more of another genre than romance. I included it because from the very beginning, the two male leads are in love with the female lead even though she's completely oblivious to their feelings and is wayyy more interested in karuto, a Japanese card game (and as such, most of the time it feels more like a sports anime than a romance). The romantic elements never progress as much as you'd like in the anime, but the manga has been making some movement in those directions. The series remains one of my favorites and I'm really hoping for a third season soon. I heard there is a live action movie being made (or has already been made), and I can only expect that they will emphasize the romance elements there, but I haven't seen it yet.
Sakura Trick (桜Trick)
Here's an absurd one. This is yuri out the wazoo. The two female leads were best friends throughout their childhood, but in high school they're seated on opposite sides of class. To ensure their friendship they start kissing each other. Sounds reasonable, right?
Teeth-rottingly sweet. Not a ton of drama, but just a saccharine yuri show that is hard to turn off.
Golden Time (ゴールデンタイム)
Here's one that I stumbled upon. Never saw it recommended, never heard about it. Read the description on Crunchyroll and jumped in. Great idea! It's good.
Main character Banri develops amnesia after graduating high school and forgets all of his childhood friends, family, everything. He takes a year off and goes to college where he makes good friends with Mitsuo, who happens to be stalked by the rich and beautiful Kouko. Banri develops feelings for Kouko, but the spirit of his youth haunts him forcing him to recall the feelings he had for a girl in high school. More tension comes about as the two Banri's fight over his body, with present Banri feeling like he will forget his current self if his past memories come back.
It is one of the best romances I've watched in years. Unlike some of the others on this list, the focus is entirely on the romance, relationships and friendships of the characters. Extremely good and if you are a romance junky, this one is for you. It's also refreshing that the characters are in college. I don't have any problem with characters of any age, but it feels more significant of a romance when the characters are at least partially grown up.
Nisekoi (ニセコイ Fake Love)
Here's a take on Romeo and Juliet that is rather refreshing. Raku and Chitoge are the heirs to rival gangs (one classic yakuza, and the other more of an American mafia) and the only way to keep the gangs from killing each other is to lie to all of the members that Raku and Chitoge are dating. The two are forced to pretend to date each other, but the waters are muddied by the fact that Raku is in love with his classmate Onodera. The waters are further muddied by Raku promising to marry a girl from his childhood that he can't quite remember, with Chitoge, Onodera, Marika, and Yui all being present during that time of his life, who is the girl he promised to be with and will that change his feelings for either Chitoge or Onodera once he finds out?
I really love Nisekoi. Although there seem to be lots of cliches and even the inspiration for the whole thing is Romeo and Juliet which itself wasn't the most original, it tends to do even the most cliched parts at elite levels of awesomeness. It feels fresh and familiar, and both Chitoge and Onodera are wonderful female leads.
The first season is far superior to the second in my opinion, which starts to fall prey to the whole, let's-drag-this-out-so-we-can-keep-making-money schtick. The manga was just as strong in the beginning and fell prey to the same thing, but recently has started making actual plot developments. Knocking out two of the romantic rivals that had started to hang on. I'm very hopeful moving forward!
Anyway, your best bet is S1 of the anime if you want the most resolution currently available, but if you can't get enough of these characters S2 is definitely entertaining and the manga has recently started picking up the pace.
Oreimo (俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute)
So here's one that may not be for everyone. It revolves around Kyousuke and Kirino, a 17 year old and his younger 14 year-old sister. His actual sister, not a younger girl that just refers to him as older brother (which is surprisingly a thing in Japan). I'm not going to lie and say that it isn't weird. There's definitely some uncomfortable parts of this show, but the characters themselves are pretty solidly built and everything does feel natural. For a good portion of both seasons, their relationship is that of an estranged brother and sister that are trying to become better family for each other, but there's always the hint of something more lurking in the background even as Kyousuke likes and even dates other girls. The other girls are all awesome by the way. This is one of the few anime where I would have been satisfied no matter who the main character ended up with.
I can understand and agree with the characters' decisions based on their motivations and past actions. That being said, for the actual conclusion to the two season show, you do need to watch the OVA, and you can look it up for yourself, but most people say you should stop it 5 minutes before the end.
Apparently, even for Japanese companies, what was originally planned for the series was too controversial, so they took everything back in a way that is probably completely unsatisfying for everyone no matter what side they were on or who they were rooting for. I mean, the actions the characters took leading up to this ending are completely absurd if you take the ending as canon, but if you stop it just a few minutes early, it is a complete story.
Oh, actually, they did something similar in the first season too. They ended the season one way, then in the OVA said that actually isn't what happened, here's what happened. It can be pretty confusing going from S1 to S2 if you're not aware of that. I had to look it up online since only the main seasons are available on Crunchyroll.
ANYWAY, if I haven't scared you away, it really is a cute show, although with heavy hinting of incest so be aware of that going in (of course, I think the title probably should have given that away).
Plastic Memories (プラスティック・メモリーズ)
Here's a Blade Runner-y setup of a show. Replicants (or whatever they're called . . . edit : Giftia) live next to humans and occupy many roles throughout society, but many people take them in as parts of their family. The issue here is that they can only live for about 9 years. After which, if they aren't taken offline, they go completely berserk.
Tsukasa ends up getting a job at Terminal Service, the company responsible for taking Giftia offline at the end of their lifespans. He is the spotter to the Giftia Isla, and supports her as she helps other Giftia end their lives. Unfortunately for Tsukasa, he ends up falling in love with Isla, and her lifespan is pretty close to up also.
I guess watching this one is an exercise in making yourself upset. Although the relationship between the two can be frustrating and it can be sweet, the inevitable end is, well, inevitable. The only thing up in the air is how the two of them are going to handle it, how it will affect their relationships with their coworkers, and how exactly it goes down.
White Album 2 (ホワイトアルバム2)
Here's a realistic romance if there ever was one. The characters are pretty freaking real (albeit very talented) and their manipulations of each other are something else entirely. When you finally get to the end you feel like you yourself have gone through a love and been wrecked by everything that has happened.
I loved Touma and even Setsuna. They're both incredible characters with their own flaws and attractive qualities. The male lead Haruki is a little more passive than I would have liked, but it never seemed as though he wasn't a realistic character either. I will warn you that when the ante gets up, it gets WAY UPPED. All-in upped.
Also, if you watch it on Crunchyroll, don't read the episode descriptions before you watch them. They give too much away.
Although White Album 2 takes place in the same universe as White Album, there's no need to watch the first and 2 is usually considered better than the first critically (secondhand information, I haven't watched the first yet myself). Finally, if you can't get enough, there is information online about what happens afterwards because White Album 2 was originally a visual novel in two parts. The second part picks up years later. However, I really didn't like where the characters went in the visual novel.
For what this show did emotionally, I highly recommend it, but maybe don't watch it with your significant other.
My Love Story!! (俺物語!!)
So much cuteness. Takeo is a bear of a high school student that constantly saves the day because of his incredible size and strength. He does the right thing to a fault. He has the unfortunate habit of falling in love with girls that only want to date his friend Makoto, who promptly rejects the girls (usually because they're shitty to Takeo).
Takeo's enthusiasm is one of the highlights of the show, and I was expecting Makoto to be a dickwad, but he ended up being a good friend in spite of how gorgeously he is drawn. Anyway, one day Takeo sees a molester on the train and saves the girl he was trying to molest.
Rinko is instantly enamored, but Takeo—after being rejected so many times—thinks she's only interested in Makoto.
This is the show to watch to restore your faith in humanity after it was wrecked by White Album 2. Super cute, super sweet, and way more interesting than you might expect when the characters so obviously love each other.
Angel Beats! (エンジェルビーツ!)
I consider Angel Beats! a romance, even though it's probably pretty firmly in the supernatural action genre for most people. Otonashi has died, and wakes up in a strange high school. Immediately recruited to be a member of the Afterlife Battlefront by its leader, the teenage girl Yuri. Apparently, all of the kids in this school have died and are in some weird limbo before they can pass on, but they don't want to pass on. Enter Angel, the white-haired girl that tries to force them all to follow the rules and pass on—and the primary opponent for the Afterlife Battlefront.
No matter what any of them do, they can't die again, but the threat of passing on and the threat of losing your soul to become what the kids call an NPC (non-player character) keeps tensions high. Still, Otonashi can't help but feel a mysterious attraction to the girl the others call Angel . . .
Also firmly in the realm of probably not a happy one (since everyone's dead and all), but it has some great moments.
Love Hina (ラブ ひな) (manga)
Love Hina was super popular back when I was first getting into anime and manga (beyond the initial gateway drugs of Sailor Moon and Dragonball). The anime can be amusing, but the art is pretty low quality (one of the first digitally drawn/colored anime, but with frequent strange deformations that just seem lazy). The anime also moves away from the heart of the manga and devolves more into gags and cheap jokes. On the other hand, the manga is everything the anime isn't. The art is fantastic, the characters are much more complex and less frustratingly stupid, and the story line isn't just in service of the next gag. Naru is also WAYYY less of a bitch.
It's really night and day. I enjoyed the anime, but compared to the quality of the manga, it is nothing but a disappointment. The basic plot is Keitaro is a ronin—not the cool kind, the post-high school, unable to get into university kind—and his parents won't support him any longer. He goes to stay with his grandmother at her onsen, the Hinata House, but when he gets there she is gone and it's been converted into an all-female dorm. About to be kicked out (or killed), his grandmother sends word that he is to become the manager of the dorm.
Marmalade Boy (ママレード·ボーイ) (manga)
An oldie but a goodie, Marmalade Boy definitely has an interesting premise. Miki is a content sophomore when her parents go on vacation to Hawaii. When they return, they announce that they're getting a divorce and swapping partners with another couple they met while on vacation. Since both couples have children, they decide to all move in together. Miki is immediately forced to meet her new step-brother Yuu, who is kind of a jerk at first until they become friends and start to fall for each other.
If you can find this manga, it's well worth the read. Sam and I liked it so much that we went crazy finding the out-of-print DVDs of the anime series. When we finally got them all, it was a pretty big disappointment. The anime is pretty crappy and drags on way too long. The manga is great though!
Marmalade Boy is also notable for the interesting arcs the supporting characters go through as well. Many of them are very fleshed out and take some surprising turns.
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions (中二病でも恋がしたい! Even With Eighth Grader Syndrome, I Want to Be in Love!)
I haven't been able to find more about chuunibyo or "eighth grader syndrome", but it sure seems like it's a form of autism, or at least is more likely to affect children with autism (living in your head or living a fantasy life sound familiar?) Everything I've found on it describes it more as "delusions of grandeur" than anything else. Apparently in Japan especially, sometimes eighth graders will be ridiculously embarrassing and pretend to have magical powers or be some sort of hero or villain (going beyond cosplay and just playing). Those that "graduate" from this state can't help but be embarrassed out the wazoo by their past behavior. To me, this seems like an intersection of Japanese culture with being on the spectrum, but I haven't found much research on it (really need to brush up on my Japanese reading and writing skills).
Anyway, Yuuta is a past chuunibyo that just wants to put that part of his life behind him when he goes to a high school that he knew none of his middle school classmates would go to. Unfortunately, he happens to live a floor below Rikka, a chuunibyo that never grew out of it. Yuuta ends up helping Rikka out with many things, you get the feeling because he feels like she is helpless. Their relationship develops throughout the show and they work through being a chuunibyo together and with their friends that have various backgrounds themselves. I'm actually partway through the second season of this one at the moment, but it's definitely worth watching.
If you have any sort of background with being on the spectrum or have people in your life like that, you may see some things that are a bit embarrassing for yourself, so it's easy to feel sympathy for Yuuta. It also may bother you when he is rather merciless with Rikka, but I found that aspect of their relationship one of the most realistic and entertaining parts of the show.
Although you really want to yell at the screen and have the characters just enjoy being chuunibyo as play and not have it consume their lives. Still, that's why it's a syndrome and not just an inconvenience.
Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城)
Ah, Studio Ghibli. And a Miyazaki film at that. What else needs to be said? The film far surpasses the original English novel (although that's worth a read also; the two are actually pretty different in terms of content), and depending on how long it's been since I've seen it, it sometimes tops my list of favorite Studio Ghibli films (beating out Princess Mononoke). It follows Sophie, a young girl that has been cursed into an old lady as she moves in with the wizard Howl. The two are often at odds with each other and bicker and fight. Howl's been cursed as well, and is sought after in two different kingdoms to try to help in the war between the kingdoms. Watching Sophie's relationship with Howl is a real treat, and the film is beautiful in the way only a Studio Ghibli film ever is. If you haven't seen it yet, put it at the top of your list.
Toradora! (とらドラ!)
Here's one I couldn't get into, but after Sam's recommendation and watching a couple AMVs featuring the show, I gave it a second shot. I'm so glad I did. The romance and relationship quickly gets past the annoying start of the show and I couldn't get enough of it.
The near-end was mind-boggingly frustrating and annoying, but I mean, they are kids so in hindsight I totally get it, and the very-end was satisfying. The entire show is highly recommended and I love the characters. It's one of those shows where after it's over, you just want to experience more with the characters, whether that's drawing or making AMVs or writing/reading fanfiction. Great great show.
Your Lie in April (四月は君の嘘)
And here's the trauma again. I can't even think of this show without tearing up. Anytime someone puts a scene of Your Lie in April in an AMV, I shout at the television. "FUCK YOU! WHY!"
It's an incredible journey from start to end. The events, the characters, the background, the relationships, and the end. Impossibly beautiful and a true needed experience. Of all these shows, several being in my all-time favorite list, none have affected me quite like Your Lie in April. Truly beautiful.
The show itself is gorgeously drawn and animated with a blow-all-the-money for the finale that was as incredible as the entire series is. The characters are impossibly lovable. Kousei, the child prodigy pianist that had a breakdown and can no longer hear the music as he plays. Kaori, the free-spirited violinist that shakes him from his torpor both musically and emotionally. Tsubaki, Kousei's childhood friend that can't deny the feelings she has for him even through his depression and rehabilitation by another.
The music aspect of the show pushed it over the edge for me probably, although some scenes showcasing Kousei's inability were painful to watch. If you're not into classical music, the romance parts will probably still keep your attention.
What do you think of the list? Did I miss any you think deserve to be on the list? Some popular ones I left off include 5 Centimeters Per Second (秒速5センチメートル) and Clannad (クラナド) amongst others (I couldn't get past the slow start to 5 and Clannad is good, but feels a little too inorganic in my opinion—you definitely feel the visual novel origin to the show).
Thanks for reading!
February 12, 2016
DEADPOOL!!!!! Movie Review
Deadpool is here! WHOO!
My fiancee has been pretty in love with Deadpool for years and it remains the only comic I can get her to read (Also, she's done some genderbent Deadpool cosplay HERE). (And of course her cosplay has gotten more views than the last two months of my blog) so needless to say the Deadpool movie has been a topic of conversation ever since the test footage leaked.
No need to worry about spoilers here and I can promise that some of the funniest parts of the movie remain firmly in the movie and not in the trailers (although in hindsight if Deadpool was like Captain America or the Avengers I would have been pissed I saw the trailers). I'll leave the decision up to you. Redband Trailer:
This movie is simple and straightforward, although it breaks it up by cutting up action with flashbacks. As far as origin stories go, it was really nice to not have an hour of set-up and an hour of action, but instead to have action interspersed throughout.
This movie is FUNNY. I think that was the most I laughed in any movie and there were like four times where I thought I was going to pass out.
It's not the Avengers and it's not Superman. It's nowhere near the scale of those movies, but the action is great and you actually get to see the results of superheroes using their abilities on each other (and on regular humans) in Rated R fashion. Deadpool is hilarious throughout, and Wade Wilson before Deadpool isn't exactly a straight man.
Colossus was a great foil for Deadpool and serves as the upright, this-is-how-you-superhero character for Deadpool.
Overall, the movie was hilarious and the action was good. The plot was personal more than epic, but it served the character and the film overall. If I were to nitpick, it would be to say that it seemed like Weasel broke the fourth wall a couple times—not, look at the camera level of breakage, but making a joke that wouldn't be a joke without the fourth wall. Deadpool is able to break the fourth wall because he's crazy and everyone else in the story is supposed to look at Deadpool and go, "who are you talking to?" or "what are you talking about?" Weasel shouldn't be breaking the fourth wall.
Have you seen it yet? What are you waiting for? Go watch!
(By the way, the film is rated R and it definitely earns the rating. They swear regularly and with diversity and the action is bloody with dismemberment, decapitation, etc. If you're easily offended, maybe wait for Cap in April).
Make sure you stay through the entire credits. Another scene at the end.
My fiancee has been pretty in love with Deadpool for years and it remains the only comic I can get her to read (Also, she's done some genderbent Deadpool cosplay HERE). (And of course her cosplay has gotten more views than the last two months of my blog) so needless to say the Deadpool movie has been a topic of conversation ever since the test footage leaked.
No need to worry about spoilers here and I can promise that some of the funniest parts of the movie remain firmly in the movie and not in the trailers (although in hindsight if Deadpool was like Captain America or the Avengers I would have been pissed I saw the trailers). I'll leave the decision up to you. Redband Trailer:
This movie is simple and straightforward, although it breaks it up by cutting up action with flashbacks. As far as origin stories go, it was really nice to not have an hour of set-up and an hour of action, but instead to have action interspersed throughout.
This movie is FUNNY. I think that was the most I laughed in any movie and there were like four times where I thought I was going to pass out.
It's not the Avengers and it's not Superman. It's nowhere near the scale of those movies, but the action is great and you actually get to see the results of superheroes using their abilities on each other (and on regular humans) in Rated R fashion. Deadpool is hilarious throughout, and Wade Wilson before Deadpool isn't exactly a straight man.
Colossus was a great foil for Deadpool and serves as the upright, this-is-how-you-superhero character for Deadpool.
Overall, the movie was hilarious and the action was good. The plot was personal more than epic, but it served the character and the film overall. If I were to nitpick, it would be to say that it seemed like Weasel broke the fourth wall a couple times—not, look at the camera level of breakage, but making a joke that wouldn't be a joke without the fourth wall. Deadpool is able to break the fourth wall because he's crazy and everyone else in the story is supposed to look at Deadpool and go, "who are you talking to?" or "what are you talking about?" Weasel shouldn't be breaking the fourth wall.
Have you seen it yet? What are you waiting for? Go watch!
(By the way, the film is rated R and it definitely earns the rating. They swear regularly and with diversity and the action is bloody with dismemberment, decapitation, etc. If you're easily offended, maybe wait for Cap in April).
Make sure you stay through the entire credits. Another scene at the end.
February 10, 2016
Erased is a must watch for Winter 2016!
Holy cow! How could I have overlooked this one? For some reason the description of a mangaka traveling through time to try to save a child abduction victim he knew as a child just came off as stupid in my head.
I could not have been more wrong. I was hooked 5 minutes into the first episode.
I feverishly devoured the first 5 episodes that are presently out and am waiting the sixth with bated breath.
Guys, it's so good. Sooo good.
The fact that the protagonist, Satoru (藤沼 悟), has such an OP ability, but not having any control over it and always using it to help others AND in using it, things tend to backlash on him makes for a fucking TENSE drama/thriller/mystery.
The more Satoru raises the stakes and tries to help the people he couldn't help before, the more you're dreading what is to come, especially when the backlash starts to affect those around him.
My biggest fear is for a Butterfly Effect ending (director's cut). The Japanese title maybe supports this because it is titled, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi or The Town Where Only I Am Missing (僕だけがいない街). That's a pretty loaded title guys! It would be fitting too because Satoru takes so much on himself, but I don't want it to be fitting! Give me a good ending dammit!
Ach! The manga the anime is based on is ongoing! That's not a good sign for us! I hope we get a satisfying ending this season!
But still, the show is so good. Every episode is good. Watch it! (It's on Crunchyroll).
Trailer:
Oh, quick summary! But I mean, I thought it sounded stupid, but here you go. Satoru is a 29 year old failed mangaka (comic book writer) that has the special ability to go back in time a few minutes. He has no control over this ability, but it activates any time something bad is about to happen around him. He goes back in time, tries to stop whatever is happening, and if he is lucky, it doesn't mess with him. If he is unlucky, it has a negative effect on him. It never benefits him, but he continues to help others.
When he was a kid, there was a girl in his hometown that was abducted; he remembers thinking that if he had just asked her to walk home with him, he could have saved her. Well, after a traumatic event, his ability activates and sends him all the way back to when he was a kid: his reasoning is that the events of his childhood led to this traumatic event, so he has to change the events then to fix the events in the present. While he's there, he decides to try to save the girl he couldn't save before.
It's easily the best show of the season that I've seen, and this genre isn't even one that I am particularly keyed in to. Watch it already.
I could not have been more wrong. I was hooked 5 minutes into the first episode.
I feverishly devoured the first 5 episodes that are presently out and am waiting the sixth with bated breath.
Guys, it's so good. Sooo good.
The fact that the protagonist, Satoru (藤沼 悟), has such an OP ability, but not having any control over it and always using it to help others AND in using it, things tend to backlash on him makes for a fucking TENSE drama/thriller/mystery.The more Satoru raises the stakes and tries to help the people he couldn't help before, the more you're dreading what is to come, especially when the backlash starts to affect those around him.
My biggest fear is for a Butterfly Effect ending (director's cut). The Japanese title maybe supports this because it is titled, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi or The Town Where Only I Am Missing (僕だけがいない街). That's a pretty loaded title guys! It would be fitting too because Satoru takes so much on himself, but I don't want it to be fitting! Give me a good ending dammit!
Ach! The manga the anime is based on is ongoing! That's not a good sign for us! I hope we get a satisfying ending this season!
But still, the show is so good. Every episode is good. Watch it! (It's on Crunchyroll).
Trailer:
Oh, quick summary! But I mean, I thought it sounded stupid, but here you go. Satoru is a 29 year old failed mangaka (comic book writer) that has the special ability to go back in time a few minutes. He has no control over this ability, but it activates any time something bad is about to happen around him. He goes back in time, tries to stop whatever is happening, and if he is lucky, it doesn't mess with him. If he is unlucky, it has a negative effect on him. It never benefits him, but he continues to help others.
When he was a kid, there was a girl in his hometown that was abducted; he remembers thinking that if he had just asked her to walk home with him, he could have saved her. Well, after a traumatic event, his ability activates and sends him all the way back to when he was a kid: his reasoning is that the events of his childhood led to this traumatic event, so he has to change the events then to fix the events in the present. While he's there, he decides to try to save the girl he couldn't save before.
It's easily the best show of the season that I've seen, and this genre isn't even one that I am particularly keyed in to. Watch it already.
February 3, 2016
There's nothing like a new Evangelion — Evangelion 3.33
If you're caught up with what Eva is, scroll down to the embedded video for the start of the review of Eva 3.33. Personally, I can't just jump into a review of a new Evangelion without talking about the past first.
I have a very long history with Evangelion. A VHS tape of Asuka's premiere in the original series was the very first anime I ever purchased and I was originally the same age as the characters when it came out. The characters go through a metric fuckton of crap concerning relationships & psychology, and the series became intertwined with my own identity. I would not be who I am today without Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE).
If you're not aware, the "mecha" genre (giant fighting robots) was completely revolutionized by NGE in the late 20th century. Mecha and anime today would be vastly different without NGE. If you were to go back and watch the original series after years of watching anime, you might think that it is unoriginal until you realize that everything you are seeing was the first time it was done or effectively the first time it was done. Also noteworthy, its airing on Japanese television prompted the JAPANESE to go and revise their rules for what can be aired on daytime television for its violence.
Unfortunately, the production was rather troubled. Failure to budget properly meant that the ending of the series was drastically lower quality than the beginning to middle, with an over-reliance on text and long shots on immobile backgrounds. For all that, it was and remains one of the all-time great anime series and one that I have never gotten tired of.
A few years later, Evangelion received two films designed to be a retelling of the end of the series. Death and Rebirth was a retelling of the first 20 episodes (Death) and a "director's cut" of episodes 21-24 (Rebirth). End of Evangelion gave alternate versions of episodes 25 and 26. I've heard it said that if the series was what happened inside Shinji's head during the Human Instrumentality Project, then the movie was what happened in the outside world. It's an incredible movie that I've only been lucky enough to watch two or three times (due to production problems with the DVDs).
My largest complaint is that they do some really stupid, jarring things involving real-world images and shots partway through that really take you out of the experience. For all that, it is still an incredible experience.
Then, the Rebuild of Evangelion came into existence through Studio Khara. According to Hideaki Anno (director, writer, producer of most Evangelion projects, but not directing these films), this is Evangelion as it should have been with all technical and budget restraints removed. Evangelion 1.0 came out in America in 2009, 2.0 followed in 2011. Evangelion 3.0 had a THEATRICAL RUN in 2013 and it's taken THREE YEARS TO FINALLY BE RELEASED YESTERDAY (in 2016).
My fiancee has had the third film (home releases differ in title by adjusting the numbers to 1.11, 2.22, and 3.33 and include improved graphics) on pre-order for over two years and was amazed that it was being shipped and arrived in the mail yesterday. She surprised me with it at the end of the night and I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning watching the film I waited three years for.
Without further ado, let's get into it. Trailer for the dub:
The production quality is simply astounding. Maybe I've been lulled into a false sense of mediocrity by watching so many anime television series, but everything is top-tier—some of the most amazing visuals I've seen in anime. Not as painterly as a Studio Ghibli film perhaps, but a real visual marvel.
I make the modifier on Act 1 because if we compare the movie to the traditional three act structure it would be Act 2, then Act 1, and ending with Act 3. This means that the middle of the movie does slow down drastically and shifts from mecha action to psychological.
The action in the beginning and end of the movie is incredible and almost too dense. I need a 100-inch television and multiple viewings to keep track of everything going on (and double subtitles above and below from multiple people talking at the same time sure doesn't make it any easier!). There were multiple times in the beginning where I felt lost because the flow of visual information is incredible.
Additionally, much of the exposition is hidden, forcing you to seek answers online. Evangelion has never been afraid to keep information from you, to the point that much is left up to the viewer, but there was a significant amount of things happening that were wholly unexplained.
I will say that all of the angel-like baddies in Act 1 are all Evangelions (Mark.04 units in fact). This doesn't spoil anything I think since evangelions went rogue in 2.0/2.22 and in the original series. It does beg the question of how they are as powerful as they are and how humanity has been able to advance in the wake of the Near Third Impact / Third Impact, but these questions will probably never be answered.
I haven't witnessed the dub yet, but I've always been a big fan of the original actors and I have no worries that they did a spectacular job, and the new actors are definitely serviceable—even if the Japanese studio was purportedly not very happy with the theatrical translation (hence the 3 year delay). The Japanese actors did a great job, although I personally always find Gendou's voice a bit jarring and look around for another speaker before realizing it's Gendou.
And then there's Shinji. Poor, pathetic Shinji.
I've always been a Shinji defender, but his actions in this movie seem unforgivable because you've known Shinji for so long and you think of him as progressing. But if you think about his behavior in hindsight, I suppose it makes perfect sense. A lot of shit happens in this movie, not the least of which being everyone he's ever loved holds him responsible for the end of the fucking world. That might even pale in comparison to the revelations about Rei that are made perfectly clear to him.
If you're an Eva fan, this is required immediate watching. If not, it may be worthwhile to wait until the next film . . . although that may take another lustrum if this last movie is any measure. It does have great action as we've come to expect from the Rebuild films, but it also delves more into the mindfuck, psychological territory than the films have thus far.
I have a very long history with Evangelion. A VHS tape of Asuka's premiere in the original series was the very first anime I ever purchased and I was originally the same age as the characters when it came out. The characters go through a metric fuckton of crap concerning relationships & psychology, and the series became intertwined with my own identity. I would not be who I am today without Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE).
If you're not aware, the "mecha" genre (giant fighting robots) was completely revolutionized by NGE in the late 20th century. Mecha and anime today would be vastly different without NGE. If you were to go back and watch the original series after years of watching anime, you might think that it is unoriginal until you realize that everything you are seeing was the first time it was done or effectively the first time it was done. Also noteworthy, its airing on Japanese television prompted the JAPANESE to go and revise their rules for what can be aired on daytime television for its violence.
Unfortunately, the production was rather troubled. Failure to budget properly meant that the ending of the series was drastically lower quality than the beginning to middle, with an over-reliance on text and long shots on immobile backgrounds. For all that, it was and remains one of the all-time great anime series and one that I have never gotten tired of.
A few years later, Evangelion received two films designed to be a retelling of the end of the series. Death and Rebirth was a retelling of the first 20 episodes (Death) and a "director's cut" of episodes 21-24 (Rebirth). End of Evangelion gave alternate versions of episodes 25 and 26. I've heard it said that if the series was what happened inside Shinji's head during the Human Instrumentality Project, then the movie was what happened in the outside world. It's an incredible movie that I've only been lucky enough to watch two or three times (due to production problems with the DVDs).
My largest complaint is that they do some really stupid, jarring things involving real-world images and shots partway through that really take you out of the experience. For all that, it is still an incredible experience.
Then, the Rebuild of Evangelion came into existence through Studio Khara. According to Hideaki Anno (director, writer, producer of most Evangelion projects, but not directing these films), this is Evangelion as it should have been with all technical and budget restraints removed. Evangelion 1.0 came out in America in 2009, 2.0 followed in 2011. Evangelion 3.0 had a THEATRICAL RUN in 2013 and it's taken THREE YEARS TO FINALLY BE RELEASED YESTERDAY (in 2016).
My fiancee has had the third film (home releases differ in title by adjusting the numbers to 1.11, 2.22, and 3.33 and include improved graphics) on pre-order for over two years and was amazed that it was being shipped and arrived in the mail yesterday. She surprised me with it at the end of the night and I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning watching the film I waited three years for.
Without further ado, let's get into it. Trailer for the dub:
The production quality is simply astounding. Maybe I've been lulled into a false sense of mediocrity by watching so many anime television series, but everything is top-tier—some of the most amazing visuals I've seen in anime. Not as painterly as a Studio Ghibli film perhaps, but a real visual marvel.
I make the modifier on Act 1 because if we compare the movie to the traditional three act structure it would be Act 2, then Act 1, and ending with Act 3. This means that the middle of the movie does slow down drastically and shifts from mecha action to psychological.
The action in the beginning and end of the movie is incredible and almost too dense. I need a 100-inch television and multiple viewings to keep track of everything going on (and double subtitles above and below from multiple people talking at the same time sure doesn't make it any easier!). There were multiple times in the beginning where I felt lost because the flow of visual information is incredible.
Additionally, much of the exposition is hidden, forcing you to seek answers online. Evangelion has never been afraid to keep information from you, to the point that much is left up to the viewer, but there was a significant amount of things happening that were wholly unexplained.
I will say that all of the angel-like baddies in Act 1 are all Evangelions (Mark.04 units in fact). This doesn't spoil anything I think since evangelions went rogue in 2.0/2.22 and in the original series. It does beg the question of how they are as powerful as they are and how humanity has been able to advance in the wake of the Near Third Impact / Third Impact, but these questions will probably never be answered.
I haven't witnessed the dub yet, but I've always been a big fan of the original actors and I have no worries that they did a spectacular job, and the new actors are definitely serviceable—even if the Japanese studio was purportedly not very happy with the theatrical translation (hence the 3 year delay). The Japanese actors did a great job, although I personally always find Gendou's voice a bit jarring and look around for another speaker before realizing it's Gendou.
And then there's Shinji. Poor, pathetic Shinji.
I've always been a Shinji defender, but his actions in this movie seem unforgivable because you've known Shinji for so long and you think of him as progressing. But if you think about his behavior in hindsight, I suppose it makes perfect sense. A lot of shit happens in this movie, not the least of which being everyone he's ever loved holds him responsible for the end of the fucking world. That might even pale in comparison to the revelations about Rei that are made perfectly clear to him.
If you're an Eva fan, this is required immediate watching. If not, it may be worthwhile to wait until the next film . . . although that may take another lustrum if this last movie is any measure. It does have great action as we've come to expect from the Rebuild films, but it also delves more into the mindfuck, psychological territory than the films have thus far.
January 18, 2016
The Shannara Chronicles — Have now watched more than I've read.
The Shannara Chronicles premiered on MTV the other week and I've had a lot of ambiguous feelings about the show so far. We're currently three episodes in with the fourth available online and about to air tomorrow. Shannara airs Tuesdays at 10PM EST on MTV. Review after the trailer:
First, it's been said that Terry Brooks as a world-builder is very much like my own style of world-building, and I don't necessarily think that's an unfair comparison (at least on my side of course). Post-apocalyptic, explaining other races through magic and science, I get it.
But Terry Brooks in the Shannara books always struck me more like Tolkien than anything else. (See my Lord of the Rings review for how I feel about that). Long-winded. Boring. Not for the ADHD.
So right off the bat before the first frame, I'm biased both for and against. Yes, I want to see my style of world-building be successful because many people can't deal with fantasy existing alongside science in the future and the more successful that sort of thing can be, the more successful that sort of thing can be. A rising tide raises all ships as it were. But please don't be boring.
It should be mentioned that the The Shannara Chronicles adapts the second book in Brooks' original trilogy, The Elfstones of Shannara. From what I could find, it does this because the first book is a bit too straightforward and lacks diversity (i.e. effectively zero female characters).
It's produced by Jon Favreau and has a bevy of young actors and actresses of varying quality, including Deathstroke, err, Manu Bennett as Allanon the Druid and Austin Butler as Wil Ohmsford.
The incredibly winsome Poppy Drayton is distractingly beautiful and an inconsistent actor throughout as an elf princess named Emberly, err, Amberle (fantasy names spelled stupidly is in full force throughout Shannara; to be fair though, sometimes characters do pronounce her name as Amberly instead of Emerbly). This usually prompts the reaction of every time she comes on screen in a scene I can't help but exclaim, "Wow," or "She's so pretty!"
Good casting choice for an elf princess physically at least. And her acting isn't terrible. Most of the acting in the show isn't terrible. Sometimes it's good, and usually it's OK. I haven't come across any "bad acting", but it's nothing that's going to astound you. Some scenes the actors will do well and some scenes the actors won't do so great. The blame I suppose rests with the director beyond anything else.
She looks good in still images, but when I say "distractingly beautiful", these images don't really do justice to her in motion. Some of the outfits they put her in you know they chose specifically because of how beautiful she is (which is stupid), but most of her action outfits seems almost normal for a fantasy setting. If anything, the scenes where they're not taking advantage of her looks are when she really distracts you. This is almost a negative for the series because I'm not joking when I say it pulls you out of the show.
Also distractingly beautiful is New Zealand. (Again with the similarities to Tolkien!)
They have yet to really skimp on their use of CG with the backgrounds and it is telling. You're regularly exclaiming at just how gorgeous everything looks. And yet, if there is a criticism I can level against the show above even the inconsistent acting, it would have to be that it is almost too glossy and too pretty. The third main character (after Wil Ohmsford and Amberle Elessedil) would have to be Eretria, a girl living outside normal society in a bandit society that freely preys on all others. You can tell that bathing in general isn't something that they would think of, but she's so done up every time you see her that it's distracting in a bad way.
You can argue that this is a stylistic choice, and I do believe they did this purposefully, but it feels off. In Excalibur, it didn't feel off. In the trailer for the new Warcraft film, it doesn't feel off. But here it does. At least to me. I'm hoping as the show moves forward I'll care less. I'm also hoping that Wil and Eretria do not end up together, because that would be stupid at least as far as they're presented three episodes in.
One place they did cut back was the CG of the demon at the end of Episode 2 (or end of the 2-hour premiere). CG for demons was fine in their introduction, CG for demons was fine for the same demon in Episode 3, but for a few minutes at the end of Episode 2 I thought I was watching a SyFy Channel movie from the 2000s.
I can forgive bad CG in television shows (or at least bad compared to movies), but inconsistent CG is so glaring that it's hard to look past. If you don't have the visual effect budget for something, maybe try to find a way to have that without showing it instead of dropping the quality so much that it casts a pall on the entire premiere.
Other than that, there seem to be some plot inconsistencies and character inconsistencies that I'm not sure were present in the source material or is a result of the adaptation. One is the speed of travel. In the first episode, Amberle travels from the elf capitol to her aunt's in the time it takes Allanon to travel from his wake-up location to the capitol to Wil to druid temple place to capitol to Amberle's aunt's. A map might help, even if it's blatantly obvious exposition solely for the audience's sake.
Another weird thing is how does this world that's obviously had magic throughout modern history completely deny and ignore its existence? There's a great amount of emphasis placed on the elves not believing in magic anymore, even though it was 100% present within the last 30 years. (side note: elves appear to live about the same amount of time as humans do and all classic fantasy races (dwarves, gnomes, elves, trolls) are offshoots of humans from our time.)
Finally, I think fans of Sword of Shannara would probably be very surprised by Flick's attitude towards Shea, Wil's father. If the events in Sword are canon, then Shea saved the world with Flick's help. Even if the experience ended up messing up Shea significantly, Flick should be aware of how much good Shea did and what a great person he was in spite of the price he had to pay. You could argue that Flick is just resentful of how Shea ended up and doesn't want the same thing to happen to Wil, but there's none of this subtlety in his conversations with Wil, so I find it unlikely to say the least (unless it's yet another example of inconsistent acting).
I'll continue watching the show in hopes that they're able to pull off the ending and maybe change a couple of things up that never sat well with m, although that raises the question on if they are going to go through the entire book in a single season and where would they go from there?
Are you going to be watching Shannara this season? The first four episodes are online through MTV if you want to get caught up.
December 30, 2015
Japanese Voice Actors: Subtitles vs Dubs
The question of subtitles vs dubs is a divisive one in the anime community. Many are quick to claim if you don't watch anime in subtitles, then you're not a real fan of anime. I won't go that far, but I will say that you're missing out.
Look, if your reading comprehension isn't the best, or if you have visual issues with reading and watching, or if you just don't want to be distracted from what's on the screen, then dub is an option. However, voice acting in the English speaking world is nothing like what it is in Japan.
Anime is an artform and medium that is as appreciated as any other in Japan. Right now, the anime movie for Yo-Kai watch is beating out Star Wars Episode VII in Japan's box office. Princess Mononoke was the highest grossing film of all-time in Japan until Titanic beat it. Anime's acceptance and prevalence in Japan means that the quality of actor for the original run of an anime is almost guaranteed to be better than the quality of actor that a dubbing company is able to get.
For that reason alone, the Japanese voice track is superior, and in an ideal world, we would all understand every language and you could just watch it in Japanese without having to read.
That being said, there's nothing wrong theoretically with a dub, if the dub is done well. For most anime series made in the last 15 years, the dub is done OK. Japanese still has the edge over the English-speaking actors and if possible, I choose to watch it in Japanese. For big release films, the voice acting is usually much better on both sides, and the English speaking actors are maybe not as good as the Japanese speaking actors, but they're usually good enough to give them the edge if English is your first language. It's also nice to be able to have anime on in the background and not give it 100% of your attention (which is necessary for subtitles). One other issue you may run into is bad translation, but you run into this with subtitles just as much as dubs. There have been many instances where I'm watching an anime and the subtitles translate something one way when it really probably should have been translated a different way or it lacks the subtlety that the original Japanese intended. With dubs, you also get the translators trying to get the words to match the lip flapping of the characters. It's a mess, but they do it a lot better since the 2000s than they ever did when I was growing up.
Before the 2000s, in the 90s and 80s, the English voice track is nearly always grating and unwatchable for adults. Children may be able to get past the terrible voice acting, but even if subtitles aren't your thing, for anime that old, having to pause to read the subtitles would be preferred to listening to the terrible, terrible, terrible voice acting done by English voice "actors".
There are exceptions, but generally those exceptions are by actor and not by series. As in, there may be one character that is voiced well, while the rest of the characters are shrill and annoying and will give you a headache if you listen to them.
So yeah, in summary:
80s - 90s: Japanese voice acting all the way.
00s - Present (TV series): If you struggle with subtitles, your language of choice dub is probably OK, but if not, then treat yourself to the Japanese voice acting.
00s - Present (Wide Release Film): Your language of choice dub
(of course, how many wide release films are there? Only 10 anime have ever been given a wide release in America, and of those, 7 were based on TV shows (and so the voice acting rules don't apply) and 3 were Studio Ghibli films. I included Princess Mononoke when I spoke about good voice acting above, but really, they were just good actors that were lending their voices; the reality is that you are almost always better going with the Japanese performance).
So yeah, learn to read better I guess. But I won't hold it against you if you like the dub and anyone that does is an elitist jerk. We should be trying to get more people interested in anime, not keep people from it.
What are your thoughts on the dub vs subtitles debate? I haven't really even touched on live-action dubs which are often unintentionally hilarious and even worse than anime dubs (although some are intentionally hilarious, the Raid movies and Battle Royale for example were just bad dubs).
Look, if your reading comprehension isn't the best, or if you have visual issues with reading and watching, or if you just don't want to be distracted from what's on the screen, then dub is an option. However, voice acting in the English speaking world is nothing like what it is in Japan.
Anime is an artform and medium that is as appreciated as any other in Japan. Right now, the anime movie for Yo-Kai watch is beating out Star Wars Episode VII in Japan's box office. Princess Mononoke was the highest grossing film of all-time in Japan until Titanic beat it. Anime's acceptance and prevalence in Japan means that the quality of actor for the original run of an anime is almost guaranteed to be better than the quality of actor that a dubbing company is able to get.
For that reason alone, the Japanese voice track is superior, and in an ideal world, we would all understand every language and you could just watch it in Japanese without having to read.
That being said, there's nothing wrong theoretically with a dub, if the dub is done well. For most anime series made in the last 15 years, the dub is done OK. Japanese still has the edge over the English-speaking actors and if possible, I choose to watch it in Japanese. For big release films, the voice acting is usually much better on both sides, and the English speaking actors are maybe not as good as the Japanese speaking actors, but they're usually good enough to give them the edge if English is your first language. It's also nice to be able to have anime on in the background and not give it 100% of your attention (which is necessary for subtitles). One other issue you may run into is bad translation, but you run into this with subtitles just as much as dubs. There have been many instances where I'm watching an anime and the subtitles translate something one way when it really probably should have been translated a different way or it lacks the subtlety that the original Japanese intended. With dubs, you also get the translators trying to get the words to match the lip flapping of the characters. It's a mess, but they do it a lot better since the 2000s than they ever did when I was growing up.
Before the 2000s, in the 90s and 80s, the English voice track is nearly always grating and unwatchable for adults. Children may be able to get past the terrible voice acting, but even if subtitles aren't your thing, for anime that old, having to pause to read the subtitles would be preferred to listening to the terrible, terrible, terrible voice acting done by English voice "actors".
There are exceptions, but generally those exceptions are by actor and not by series. As in, there may be one character that is voiced well, while the rest of the characters are shrill and annoying and will give you a headache if you listen to them.
So yeah, in summary:
80s - 90s: Japanese voice acting all the way.
00s - Present (TV series): If you struggle with subtitles, your language of choice dub is probably OK, but if not, then treat yourself to the Japanese voice acting.
00s - Present (Wide Release Film): Your language of choice dub
(of course, how many wide release films are there? Only 10 anime have ever been given a wide release in America, and of those, 7 were based on TV shows (and so the voice acting rules don't apply) and 3 were Studio Ghibli films. I included Princess Mononoke when I spoke about good voice acting above, but really, they were just good actors that were lending their voices; the reality is that you are almost always better going with the Japanese performance).
So yeah, learn to read better I guess. But I won't hold it against you if you like the dub and anyone that does is an elitist jerk. We should be trying to get more people interested in anime, not keep people from it.
What are your thoughts on the dub vs subtitles debate? I haven't really even touched on live-action dubs which are often unintentionally hilarious and even worse than anime dubs (although some are intentionally hilarious, the Raid movies and Battle Royale for example were just bad dubs).
Star Wars Spoilers — Review, Analysis, and Predictions!
Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars! Give me those Star Wars! Don't let them end!
Here's the long-awaited spoiler review of Star Wars, with my thoughts and predictions as well. Basically, this is you and I have both seen Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens and are now talking about it; at least, that's the idea.
Spoilers after the jump . . .
I unabashedly love this movie and watching it a second time has only reinforced my love for the movie even more. I don't think it's as good of a movie as Empire, but I enjoyed it more than any of them. It's the most well put-together film and absolutely has the best cinematography.
So let's get into the movie's events.
I was expecting to start with Han when the crawl says Leia sent her best pilot, but Poe is an incredible character and more than any other pilot in the Star Wars films we really see his ability as a pilot. That scene where he's coming to Maz's castle and lighting up tie fighters and storm troopers is incredible. One hell of a pilot.
I loved Poe's instant acceptance of Finn and their relationship was incredible even for how little it was on screen. They're wonderful together and I'm really hoping to see more of the two in the sequel. I'm a little worried that Poe may be more of a side character, but his attitude, personality, and superior piloting ability was awesome and it'll be a waste if we don't see more from him in the future.
Knowing through the entire film that Han is going to die and his eventual futile attempt to try to redeem Kylo let you in on a lot of the subtlety in Harrison Ford's acting of the character. There were many times where you'd see an expression on his face or in his eyes that let you in just a little bit into his psyche and ultimately made his death scene a lot less rushed/forced and have more emotional weight. My first time watching the film I thought it was too predictable and telegraphed; it had no more weight than going, "well that's probably why Harrison Ford signed on to the film to finally be killed off". The second time, I was much more affected by the scene. I didn't view it as a hero's sacrifice or even still as a son killing his father, but you could see the betrayal and it did have impact. I still think that it would have been a lot better if the two could have had some more interaction earlier in the movie besides Han watching Kylo carry Rey into his ship.
Rey is not a Mary Sue. She is not wish fulfillment for the author (the real definition of Mary Sue) and she is not overly, inexplicably competent any more than any character in any movie is (the definition most people are going with in this case). Some of the cues were blink and you miss them cues, but practically everything has been explained with the possible exception of her understanding of the Wookie language. Still, we are not surprised when any other character in Star Wars knows every other alien language enough to understand, so I don't view her knowing Wookie as an indicator of her being a Mary Sue.
She's a scavenger and mechanic. She has to know parts well enough to disassemble Super Star Destroyers and she's obviously worked on the Millennium Falcon itself as part of her service to Unkar Plutt. She describes the modifications made to the Falcon in several scenes and how she's argued against them herself with Plutt. This explains both her familiarity with the Falcon and her ability to seemingly drive it better than Solo himself (when in reality he's not used to the modifications that have been made). Her familiarity with a speeder is clearly greater than Luke's was and her mechanical ability is more explained than either of the previous Skywalker protagonists; if Luke can take out the Death Star after only flying a speeder, then I don't have a problem with her being able to fly a ship that she's worked on personally through ruins that she knows intimately.
Combat-wise, she gets off a couple shots with a blaster, but makes the mistake of not taking off the safety. She then gets owned by Kylo Ren. For her lightsaber duel, watch it again. Kylo Ren is in complete control despite being probably mortally wounded by a bowcaster and having already fought one battle. It's not until she taps into the Force that she is able to hold her own against Kylo and had the circumstances been any different, he dominates her.
Force powers. I didn't have any problem with her using force powers the first time I watched it and I definitely don't now, knowing that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda have both interacted with her from beyond the grave and that she is strong in the force. The scene where she touches the lightsaber, we hear Kenobi say, "Rey, these are your first steps," and we hear Yoda as well. Although Yoda's lines were in the past, the line from Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor is NEW, as in, that's 100% a force-ghost talking to Rey through the force. Also, Frank Oz had come in to record more lines as well, but they ended up using lines from the past in the final edit. In one article I read, JJ Abrams said he wanted to reveal that Rey is as connected to these characters as it is possible for her to be.
If you have two of the greatest jedi talking to her, even subconsciously, then I have absolutely no problem with her being able to tap into the force in limited, temporary ways before she is fully trained by her dad, Luke Skywalker. Come on, she has to be related to the Skywalkers. I really think that her mother got pregnant with Luke's kid and then ended up abandoning her on Jakku. In the novelization, there is a scene with Leia and Rey where Leia says to her basically, "What happened with our son won't happen with you." Why would she say that unless she was worried about the influence of Vader? And why would Vader be influencing her unless she was his granddaughter?
Everyone caught that the Starkiller base didn't blow up, right? Was that just me? It turned back into the star it was using for fuel once it couldn't hold it anymore. If it hadn't been full at the time and they blew up that component, it wouldn't have affected the base overall AT ALL. Also, the idea that they had to blow open a hole, get in there, cause more damage, etc. I thought it was the most satisfying destruction of large base in the entire series. (The fourth in the series by the way: two Death Stars, a droid control base, and this Starkiller base).
I thought Finn's progression was beautifully done. Someone that can't ignore injustice but really wants to. The fact that he spends half the film looking for a blaster and then is stuck with a lightsaber was a nice touch also.
And I didn't have a problem with a non force user using a lightsaber either. He's not the first and I'm sure he won't be the last. The Mandalore leader of the Death Watch in Clone Wars (which is canon) used a lightsaber effectively enough to fight off and kill jedi. As soon as Finn encounters a stormtrooper with his lightsaber, the stormtrooper immediately pulls out some sort of electric tonfa and starts dueling him. I haven't watched VII enough to see if all Stormtroopers have these on their belts, but it stands to reason that Finn has been trained in melee combat with weapons and if that's the case, then he can make do with a laser sword at least as well as any trained fighter. He wasn't doing flips or deflecting blaster bolts with the lightsaber, just swinging it at people.
I also think that Snoke is Darth Plagueis. It would make sense and he has that lightsaber-looking head wound. Who else besides Plagueis would be able to come back from that? If he's not Plagueis, then I hope they go way old-school and have him be an ancient sith lord, like before Darth Bane ancient.
Anyway, any spoilery things you want to discuss? Look forward to hearing your opinions!
Here's the long-awaited spoiler review of Star Wars, with my thoughts and predictions as well. Basically, this is you and I have both seen Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens and are now talking about it; at least, that's the idea.
Spoilers after the jump . . .
I unabashedly love this movie and watching it a second time has only reinforced my love for the movie even more. I don't think it's as good of a movie as Empire, but I enjoyed it more than any of them. It's the most well put-together film and absolutely has the best cinematography.
So let's get into the movie's events.
I was expecting to start with Han when the crawl says Leia sent her best pilot, but Poe is an incredible character and more than any other pilot in the Star Wars films we really see his ability as a pilot. That scene where he's coming to Maz's castle and lighting up tie fighters and storm troopers is incredible. One hell of a pilot.
I loved Poe's instant acceptance of Finn and their relationship was incredible even for how little it was on screen. They're wonderful together and I'm really hoping to see more of the two in the sequel. I'm a little worried that Poe may be more of a side character, but his attitude, personality, and superior piloting ability was awesome and it'll be a waste if we don't see more from him in the future.
Knowing through the entire film that Han is going to die and his eventual futile attempt to try to redeem Kylo let you in on a lot of the subtlety in Harrison Ford's acting of the character. There were many times where you'd see an expression on his face or in his eyes that let you in just a little bit into his psyche and ultimately made his death scene a lot less rushed/forced and have more emotional weight. My first time watching the film I thought it was too predictable and telegraphed; it had no more weight than going, "well that's probably why Harrison Ford signed on to the film to finally be killed off". The second time, I was much more affected by the scene. I didn't view it as a hero's sacrifice or even still as a son killing his father, but you could see the betrayal and it did have impact. I still think that it would have been a lot better if the two could have had some more interaction earlier in the movie besides Han watching Kylo carry Rey into his ship.
Rey is not a Mary Sue. She is not wish fulfillment for the author (the real definition of Mary Sue) and she is not overly, inexplicably competent any more than any character in any movie is (the definition most people are going with in this case). Some of the cues were blink and you miss them cues, but practically everything has been explained with the possible exception of her understanding of the Wookie language. Still, we are not surprised when any other character in Star Wars knows every other alien language enough to understand, so I don't view her knowing Wookie as an indicator of her being a Mary Sue.
She's a scavenger and mechanic. She has to know parts well enough to disassemble Super Star Destroyers and she's obviously worked on the Millennium Falcon itself as part of her service to Unkar Plutt. She describes the modifications made to the Falcon in several scenes and how she's argued against them herself with Plutt. This explains both her familiarity with the Falcon and her ability to seemingly drive it better than Solo himself (when in reality he's not used to the modifications that have been made). Her familiarity with a speeder is clearly greater than Luke's was and her mechanical ability is more explained than either of the previous Skywalker protagonists; if Luke can take out the Death Star after only flying a speeder, then I don't have a problem with her being able to fly a ship that she's worked on personally through ruins that she knows intimately.
Combat-wise, she gets off a couple shots with a blaster, but makes the mistake of not taking off the safety. She then gets owned by Kylo Ren. For her lightsaber duel, watch it again. Kylo Ren is in complete control despite being probably mortally wounded by a bowcaster and having already fought one battle. It's not until she taps into the Force that she is able to hold her own against Kylo and had the circumstances been any different, he dominates her.
Force powers. I didn't have any problem with her using force powers the first time I watched it and I definitely don't now, knowing that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda have both interacted with her from beyond the grave and that she is strong in the force. The scene where she touches the lightsaber, we hear Kenobi say, "Rey, these are your first steps," and we hear Yoda as well. Although Yoda's lines were in the past, the line from Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor is NEW, as in, that's 100% a force-ghost talking to Rey through the force. Also, Frank Oz had come in to record more lines as well, but they ended up using lines from the past in the final edit. In one article I read, JJ Abrams said he wanted to reveal that Rey is as connected to these characters as it is possible for her to be.
If you have two of the greatest jedi talking to her, even subconsciously, then I have absolutely no problem with her being able to tap into the force in limited, temporary ways before she is fully trained by her dad, Luke Skywalker. Come on, she has to be related to the Skywalkers. I really think that her mother got pregnant with Luke's kid and then ended up abandoning her on Jakku. In the novelization, there is a scene with Leia and Rey where Leia says to her basically, "What happened with our son won't happen with you." Why would she say that unless she was worried about the influence of Vader? And why would Vader be influencing her unless she was his granddaughter?
Everyone caught that the Starkiller base didn't blow up, right? Was that just me? It turned back into the star it was using for fuel once it couldn't hold it anymore. If it hadn't been full at the time and they blew up that component, it wouldn't have affected the base overall AT ALL. Also, the idea that they had to blow open a hole, get in there, cause more damage, etc. I thought it was the most satisfying destruction of large base in the entire series. (The fourth in the series by the way: two Death Stars, a droid control base, and this Starkiller base).
I thought Finn's progression was beautifully done. Someone that can't ignore injustice but really wants to. The fact that he spends half the film looking for a blaster and then is stuck with a lightsaber was a nice touch also.
And I didn't have a problem with a non force user using a lightsaber either. He's not the first and I'm sure he won't be the last. The Mandalore leader of the Death Watch in Clone Wars (which is canon) used a lightsaber effectively enough to fight off and kill jedi. As soon as Finn encounters a stormtrooper with his lightsaber, the stormtrooper immediately pulls out some sort of electric tonfa and starts dueling him. I haven't watched VII enough to see if all Stormtroopers have these on their belts, but it stands to reason that Finn has been trained in melee combat with weapons and if that's the case, then he can make do with a laser sword at least as well as any trained fighter. He wasn't doing flips or deflecting blaster bolts with the lightsaber, just swinging it at people.
I also think that Snoke is Darth Plagueis. It would make sense and he has that lightsaber-looking head wound. Who else besides Plagueis would be able to come back from that? If he's not Plagueis, then I hope they go way old-school and have him be an ancient sith lord, like before Darth Bane ancient.
Anyway, any spoilery things you want to discuss? Look forward to hearing your opinions!
December 18, 2015
No Spoiler Review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
To the extent that it is possible, I will do my best to reveal no spoilers in this review. To the extent that it is possible, because from a certain perspective, just saying whether I like it or not could be considered a spoiler, and my opinions on the trailers after having seen the full film could be spoilery.
So, STAR WARS!
Acting:
BShow grade
Nearly everyone in the movie acted phenomenally, but Carrie Fisher acted so badly that it immediately dragged me out of the movie. I'm searching my brain for a single scene where she acted at a base level of ability you'd expect any actor to be able to act at and I can't think of one.Show explanation
Person to Person Action:
BShow grade
The action was solid, the melee weapon fighting was good and the blaster work was also cool. I didn't have a problem with a single thing. I went into the movie hoping for Raid level fighting though and it's definitely not that. Still, I thought it was probably the best person to person fighting that we've had in any of the Star Wars movies. Show explanation
Vehicle Action:
AShow grade
Whether it's the stuff in the Millennium Falcon or the X-Wings, Tie Fighters, Star Destroyers, and Turrets facing off against each other, everything was resoundingly solid. It was busy without being overwhelming. You could follow the content of the scenes in ways you absolutely couldn't in the Prequels. There were a couple things they did that seemed a little inconsistent within my understanding of the way these vehicles work in the universe, but I'll go more in-depth with that in my spoiler review.Show explanation
New Characters:
AShow grade
I loved all the new characters. They were organic and sincere. I may love every single one of them more than the characters of the original trilogy. For every thing I like about the characters in the original trilogy, there was always something that made me go, "aw, really?". There's practically none of that with the new characters. BB8 is the best droid. Rey is fantastic. Kylo Ren is way more authentic and interesting than I thought he would be. Finn was fantastic and even Poe Dameron was stellar.Show explanation
Character Relationships:
AShow grade
The relationships between the characters were fantastic. Again, organic and believable with only Leia being a weak leak (and not in the way she was written, but in the way it was executed).Show explanation
Dialogue:
BShow grade
The dialogue was serviceable. I wouldn't normally comment on dialogue that didn't distract from the plot or wasn't fantastic, but the prequels had such terrible dialogue that I felt compelled to. It's fine.Show explanation
Plot:
CShow grade
The plot did what it was aiming for, but it definitely was a revisiting of plots from previous episodes in a lot of different ways. There were change ups and overall it was executed excellently, but if you sit back and are just looking at the plot, there are some obvious questions that are raised.Show explanation
Practical Effects:
A+Show grade
There were no rubbery creatures and each and every practical effect looked real, I imagine through a combination of digital effects with practical effects. It was the most beautiful representation of science fiction I've ever seen.Show explanation
Digital Effects:
BShow grade
Most of the effects were seamless. I've heard several people complain about one series of scenes early in Act II of the movie but I didn't have any trouble with that visually (although I did have another issue with it). In general, you did not notice the digital effects which is what makes them so effective. There was only one bad example, and that was the character of Snoak played Andy Serkis. I won't give away his appearance, but it's been known for a while that it would be a Motion Captured character. I'm not sure why they went this route for him. It was unnecessary and a combination of practical and digital effects I think would have served this particular character in the role he played in this movie better.Show explanation
Overall Visuals:
A+Show grade
If the sound had been on mute the entire time, this movie would have been worth watching for the visuals alone. You felt like you were in another galaxy on different planets. One of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever seen right up there with Hero. And I only saw it in a Standard 2D Theater. I can only imagine what it would be like to see it on 70mm IMAX or even the other IMAX version a lot of theaters have. Pittsburgh has the other IMAX version of the film so if I can manage to afford it in the next few weeks, I will be going to see it in IMAX. I think it's worth it to see it in IMAX. As far as 3D goes, a lot of the 2D scenes had some serious depth to them, so I can only imagine how they'll look in 3D. I think it's a worthwhile experience for at least one of the times you go to see it. Show explanation
Nostalgia:
CShow grade
There were many things included as a nod to previous episodes and they nearly universally took me out of the movie. Some of them were cute, some of them were even appropriate at the time within the context of the movie, but I hope that we got most of them out of the way for this first film and that they won't continue in the next. If I hear, "I've got a bad feeling about this" one more time I think I might rage-quit Star Wars for good. As I mentioned in the plot section, the overall plot feels a lot like a mishmash of previous episodes, but I didn't think of this as a bad thing. I thought it was an effective way to revisit and set the stage for the future. The classic Star Wars score when it was there was superb as always and the film feels like Star Wars. This is Star Wars, finally, after 30 years.Show explanation
Levels of Cheese:
Remarkably lowShow grade
If you haven't seen the anti-cheese edits of the Prequels, then you haven't seen the best versions of those movies. If I were to make an anti-cheese edit of this movie, I can only think of one specific instance that I would change which is the same issue I mentioned in the Digital Effects category above that I'll talk more about in the Spoiler Review. Also, Rey's attachment to the planet Jakku I probably would have downplayed. It was the only thing I felt made her character at all weak, although that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a bit frustrating for as long as it stuck around. Jakku is the planet that we meet Rey on and I don't think the movie a good job of showing us why she would want to stay there.Show explanation
How Much Did the Trailers Reveal?
D — Too muchShow grade
The trailers weren't Terminator Genesys levels of spoiler or even Avengers levels (two films that I will probably never forgive for ruining), but if you've seen the trailers, and if you've seen the trailers more than a couple times, there is a lot that they reveal. If I could reset this year and NOT watch the trailers, I would have preferred that route.
I wonder if the average moviegoer has some level of selective amnesia about trailer scenes. I know that for myself personally, each scene of a trailer gets checked off as I'm watching the film and there are scenes from all three acts of the film in every trailer that debuted this year. That means as a tense scene is happening my brain is going, "Well this other thing still hasn't happened yet so that character is perfectly alright or it will probably play out like so . . ."
For Star Wars, this was completely unnecessary. If they could have just not shown anything from Act III I would have been happy. Give us Act I and II. There's enough there to make good trailers without going into what they did. Worst part of the my movie-going experience today and made many things feel very predictable and telegraphed.Show explanation
How Did It Function as a Reboot/Refresh?
PerfectlyShow grade
At the end of the day, no matter any of the nitpickery things I can say about it or how I felt about a particular actress's acting, this movie perfectly refreshed the franchise. It has never been set up better than it is at this moment. I'm even more excited for Episode VIII (which is only A YEAR AND A HALF AWAY) than I was for Episode VII.Show explanation
I'm guessing my review so far hasn't swung your opinion one way or the other. If you were the type that wants to see Star Wars, you've probably already seen it. I will say that if you're waiting for the crowds to thin, you're going to risk some rather large spoilers and it's going to be a while before they thin. I know many of my friends have sworn off social media until they see it, and more people than I've ever heard of are planning on seeing it on a SUNDAY (and it will probably beat the all-time highest Sunday box office records in the same way it's annihilating other box office records).
In terms of a little more general judgements, The Force Awakens is incalculably better than the prequel trilogy is. It suffers from none of the drawbacks of those films and improves on the special effects. I think it compares favorably to the original trilogy and that many people younger than me will like it more than the original trilogy while many people older than me will place it as their 3rd or 4th favorite.
For me, it doesn't have the legendary untouchable status that the original trilogy does, but it is about as good of a save for the franchise as could be imagined. I probably like it more than the original trilogy, but I don't love it as much as the original trilogy. I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.
Overall, Episode VII: The Force Awakens was thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable, and thoroughly Star Wars.
What do you think? Have you seen Star Wars yet? Was this format for the review helpful in avoiding spoilers? Let me know what you think below, and stay tuned for my Spoiler Review.
(I'll delete any comments that intentionally spoil the movie, but no guarantee I will have seen it between when they are posted and when you look at them, so if you're concerned, stay out of the comments until you've seen the movie).
So, STAR WARS!
Acting:
BShow grade
Nearly everyone in the movie acted phenomenally, but Carrie Fisher acted so badly that it immediately dragged me out of the movie. I'm searching my brain for a single scene where she acted at a base level of ability you'd expect any actor to be able to act at and I can't think of one.Show explanation
Person to Person Action:
BShow grade
The action was solid, the melee weapon fighting was good and the blaster work was also cool. I didn't have a problem with a single thing. I went into the movie hoping for Raid level fighting though and it's definitely not that. Still, I thought it was probably the best person to person fighting that we've had in any of the Star Wars movies. Show explanation
Vehicle Action:
AShow grade
Whether it's the stuff in the Millennium Falcon or the X-Wings, Tie Fighters, Star Destroyers, and Turrets facing off against each other, everything was resoundingly solid. It was busy without being overwhelming. You could follow the content of the scenes in ways you absolutely couldn't in the Prequels. There were a couple things they did that seemed a little inconsistent within my understanding of the way these vehicles work in the universe, but I'll go more in-depth with that in my spoiler review.Show explanation
New Characters:
AShow grade
I loved all the new characters. They were organic and sincere. I may love every single one of them more than the characters of the original trilogy. For every thing I like about the characters in the original trilogy, there was always something that made me go, "aw, really?". There's practically none of that with the new characters. BB8 is the best droid. Rey is fantastic. Kylo Ren is way more authentic and interesting than I thought he would be. Finn was fantastic and even Poe Dameron was stellar.Show explanation
Character Relationships:
AShow grade
The relationships between the characters were fantastic. Again, organic and believable with only Leia being a weak leak (and not in the way she was written, but in the way it was executed).Show explanation
Dialogue:
BShow grade
The dialogue was serviceable. I wouldn't normally comment on dialogue that didn't distract from the plot or wasn't fantastic, but the prequels had such terrible dialogue that I felt compelled to. It's fine.Show explanation
Plot:
CShow grade
The plot did what it was aiming for, but it definitely was a revisiting of plots from previous episodes in a lot of different ways. There were change ups and overall it was executed excellently, but if you sit back and are just looking at the plot, there are some obvious questions that are raised.Show explanation
Practical Effects:
A+Show grade
There were no rubbery creatures and each and every practical effect looked real, I imagine through a combination of digital effects with practical effects. It was the most beautiful representation of science fiction I've ever seen.Show explanation
Digital Effects:
BShow grade
Most of the effects were seamless. I've heard several people complain about one series of scenes early in Act II of the movie but I didn't have any trouble with that visually (although I did have another issue with it). In general, you did not notice the digital effects which is what makes them so effective. There was only one bad example, and that was the character of Snoak played Andy Serkis. I won't give away his appearance, but it's been known for a while that it would be a Motion Captured character. I'm not sure why they went this route for him. It was unnecessary and a combination of practical and digital effects I think would have served this particular character in the role he played in this movie better.Show explanation
Overall Visuals:
A+Show grade
If the sound had been on mute the entire time, this movie would have been worth watching for the visuals alone. You felt like you were in another galaxy on different planets. One of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever seen right up there with Hero. And I only saw it in a Standard 2D Theater. I can only imagine what it would be like to see it on 70mm IMAX or even the other IMAX version a lot of theaters have. Pittsburgh has the other IMAX version of the film so if I can manage to afford it in the next few weeks, I will be going to see it in IMAX. I think it's worth it to see it in IMAX. As far as 3D goes, a lot of the 2D scenes had some serious depth to them, so I can only imagine how they'll look in 3D. I think it's a worthwhile experience for at least one of the times you go to see it. Show explanation
Nostalgia:
CShow grade
There were many things included as a nod to previous episodes and they nearly universally took me out of the movie. Some of them were cute, some of them were even appropriate at the time within the context of the movie, but I hope that we got most of them out of the way for this first film and that they won't continue in the next. If I hear, "I've got a bad feeling about this" one more time I think I might rage-quit Star Wars for good. As I mentioned in the plot section, the overall plot feels a lot like a mishmash of previous episodes, but I didn't think of this as a bad thing. I thought it was an effective way to revisit and set the stage for the future. The classic Star Wars score when it was there was superb as always and the film feels like Star Wars. This is Star Wars, finally, after 30 years.Show explanation
Levels of Cheese:
Remarkably lowShow grade
If you haven't seen the anti-cheese edits of the Prequels, then you haven't seen the best versions of those movies. If I were to make an anti-cheese edit of this movie, I can only think of one specific instance that I would change which is the same issue I mentioned in the Digital Effects category above that I'll talk more about in the Spoiler Review. Also, Rey's attachment to the planet Jakku I probably would have downplayed. It was the only thing I felt made her character at all weak, although that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a bit frustrating for as long as it stuck around. Jakku is the planet that we meet Rey on and I don't think the movie a good job of showing us why she would want to stay there.Show explanation
How Much Did the Trailers Reveal?
D — Too muchShow grade
The trailers weren't Terminator Genesys levels of spoiler or even Avengers levels (two films that I will probably never forgive for ruining), but if you've seen the trailers, and if you've seen the trailers more than a couple times, there is a lot that they reveal. If I could reset this year and NOT watch the trailers, I would have preferred that route.
I wonder if the average moviegoer has some level of selective amnesia about trailer scenes. I know that for myself personally, each scene of a trailer gets checked off as I'm watching the film and there are scenes from all three acts of the film in every trailer that debuted this year. That means as a tense scene is happening my brain is going, "Well this other thing still hasn't happened yet so that character is perfectly alright or it will probably play out like so . . ."
For Star Wars, this was completely unnecessary. If they could have just not shown anything from Act III I would have been happy. Give us Act I and II. There's enough there to make good trailers without going into what they did. Worst part of the my movie-going experience today and made many things feel very predictable and telegraphed.Show explanation
How Did It Function as a Reboot/Refresh?
PerfectlyShow grade
At the end of the day, no matter any of the nitpickery things I can say about it or how I felt about a particular actress's acting, this movie perfectly refreshed the franchise. It has never been set up better than it is at this moment. I'm even more excited for Episode VIII (which is only A YEAR AND A HALF AWAY) than I was for Episode VII.Show explanation
I'm guessing my review so far hasn't swung your opinion one way or the other. If you were the type that wants to see Star Wars, you've probably already seen it. I will say that if you're waiting for the crowds to thin, you're going to risk some rather large spoilers and it's going to be a while before they thin. I know many of my friends have sworn off social media until they see it, and more people than I've ever heard of are planning on seeing it on a SUNDAY (and it will probably beat the all-time highest Sunday box office records in the same way it's annihilating other box office records).
In terms of a little more general judgements, The Force Awakens is incalculably better than the prequel trilogy is. It suffers from none of the drawbacks of those films and improves on the special effects. I think it compares favorably to the original trilogy and that many people younger than me will like it more than the original trilogy while many people older than me will place it as their 3rd or 4th favorite.
For me, it doesn't have the legendary untouchable status that the original trilogy does, but it is about as good of a save for the franchise as could be imagined. I probably like it more than the original trilogy, but I don't love it as much as the original trilogy. I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.
Overall, Episode VII: The Force Awakens was thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable, and thoroughly Star Wars.
What do you think? Have you seen Star Wars yet? Was this format for the review helpful in avoiding spoilers? Let me know what you think below, and stay tuned for my Spoiler Review.
(I'll delete any comments that intentionally spoil the movie, but no guarantee I will have seen it between when they are posted and when you look at them, so if you're concerned, stay out of the comments until you've seen the movie).
