Brandon Varnell's Blog, page 4

A Certain Magical Index, Volume 6

とある魔術の禁書目録 6 by Kazuma Kamachi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In keeping with the traditional storytelling of a Japanese light novel, volume 6 of A Certain Magical Index blends action, humor, and the high school setting in an entertaining tale that, while unoriginal, never ceases to be amusing.

I know that volume 6 has gotten some low ratings for whatever reason, but I actually think this was one of the better volumes of the series - especially compared to volume 5. The story starts off with Touma Kamijou attending his first day of the new year. Given that he doesn't remember anything about school aside from general knowledge, it's an awkward time for him. Still, like the main protagonist that he is, Kamijou pulls through.



The book introduces us to a new character of the series: Hyouka Kazakiri. For those of you who are curious, yes, that image up above is how Touma and Kazakiri first meet. He walks in on her and Index changing. I know. It's weird. But hey, this is a Japanese light novel, which is like a western young adult novel, and for whatever reason, fan service is the word of the day in this sort of story. I just rolled with it and continued reading.



Fan service aside, I feel like this volume was a lot more cohesive, than the previous volume. From page one all the way to the end, everything in this story connects in a way that A Certain Magical Index hasn't before. Until now, it's mostly felt like a series of really unfortunate coincidences, but this volume makes me think that everything that has happened up to this point is somehow connect to a grand scheme.



The writing in this volume is pretty solid. Since it's translated, there are some mistakes, but I think the translations are getting better. There's not as many spaces between paragraphs, and it looks like the spaces now represent POV changes instead of just random spaces. Occasionally, an important one-liner will gets it's own little space. Something like:

(Insert paragraph here.)
- Space -
And Toma Kamijou suddenly realized that having a harem was more trouble than it was worth. Nom nom nom.
- Space -
(Insert another paragraph here.)

But for the most part, it's gotten a lot better about formatting. As a whole, I think I liked this volume more than several of the other ones to have been translated thus far.

View all my reviews

Rosario+Vampire, Volume 3

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 3 by Akihisa Ikeda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rosario+Vampire, volume 3, is where the Rosario series really begins to pick up the pace. While volumes 1 and 2 are something of an introduction, introducing us to some of the characters and going through the daily life of a harem protagonist trapped within a school for monsters, volume 3 deals with the culmination of what I consider the first true villain and expands on the characters in a way that takes us somewhat out of the typical harem tropes.



I feel like volume 3 is a lot more intense and plot driven than the previous ones. There's still some typical shonen romcom stuff going on, but more than that, we're delivered a combination of character driven plot, drama, and a little bit of action. Of course, at heart, this story is still a harem manga, so while we have some intense action, the ending remains true to the story's original theme.



Despite how the story ends on a harem romantic comedy note, I can't bring myself to complain here. The amount of development given to our main protagonist, Tsukune Aono, is impressive. Generally, protagonists like him remain weak and useless throughout the series until the very last chapter of the whole manga. In this volume, I feel like Tsukune has taken his first step on the path toward becoming an actual badass and not just a wish fulfillment character. This volume also sets the stage for further development.



On the whole, I would say this is my favorite volume of the series so far. I look forward to seeing where the rest of this series takes me.

View all my reviews

Snow White with Red Hair, Review!

Snow White with Red Hair is a two season anime that's... how should I put it? Really cute. It doesn't have an amazingly intense story, and it doesn't bring anything new to the table. However, it does give us a fun take on the Disney princess theme and gives us a highly successful take on classic shoujo tropes in a fantasy setting.

The story is about Shirayuki, a young woman living in the fantasy country of Tanbarun. Because the prince of her country is a jerk and wants to turn her into his concubine, she is forced to run away. I guess the prince had a thing for her red hair, which is noted to be an unusual hair color. During that time, she meets Zen, strange boy who is a little standoff-ish at first, but comes around quickly thanks to the "Shirayuki Effect." Through a series of circumstances, Shirayuki learns that Zen is actually the prince of Clarines. With Zen's help, Shirayuki leaves Tanbarun for Clarines and starts living in the castle with the prince.

I feel like I should mention this right off the bat - this anime, despite not possessing many of the typical tropes found in a shoujo, is still very typical of its genre. The reason being? Disney. This story is mired in what I call the "Disney princess cliche." You've got the strong and independent Shirayuki, who strives to follow her dreams and rarely requires help. Everyone she meets can't help but respect her by the end of their meeting. And despite not being royalty or from Clarines, she lives in the palace with Prince Zen, where much shipping between these two characters goes on. Now, some people might find this off-putting, but I actually enjoyed seeing an anime with a Disney twist. It was oddly refreshing for me.

Following on this theme, Snow White with Red Hair is a very character driven story. If you're looking for an intense plot filled with political intrigue and epic sword fights, then you should look somewhere else. This anime focuses mainly on developing its characters, revealing their backstory, and reveling in the way they all interact with each other. It's a nice, calm story with the occasional twist. Plus, Shirayuki and Zen are adorable. That said, they aren't the only characters. There are plenty of other characters who get developed to the point of being fully fleshed out. Mitsuhide and Kiki, Zen's retainers, are given plenty of time in the spotlight. They're loyalty to the prince and their strength is something to be admired. Obi, a bit of a rogue who ends up working for Zen, is an interesting character who has something of a smart mouth and a sharp wit. It's always interesting to see how he teases everybody else. I could go on about how fun the characters, but I think I'll end here so I don't gush.

One thing I liked about the series was that, while it does follow some typical shoujo plots, a number of them are subverted. Yes, there is a bit of character O likes character S who likes character Z, but it's not really a focus here. What's more, we pretty much know the pairing right off the bat. There's none of that "Oh, who should I choose! They're both so hot!" that we often get in the shoujo series. While this means that there are other cliche's, namely, Disney ones, I don't feel bothered by that like some people might. I believe I already mentioned this, but the use of Disney cliche's in an anime is kind of refreshing. Besides, I'm a sucker for a cute romance.

Artwork: 9/10
Animation: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Story: 6/10
Personal Enjoyment: 10/10
Total: 8.5/10

GATE! Review

GATE: The JSDF Fought There is by far one of the best anime series this season. It's a two coir anime with 24 episodes, and the plot suffers none of the degradation that often comes with having more episodes than it can handle. I can honestly say that I loved this anime.


When 33 year old Itami Yōji, an otaku who works as a member of the JSDF (Japan Self-Defense Force), travels to the biggest con of the year, he never imagined how his life could change. A giant gate appears during the convention, and strange people wearing fantasy armor come out and start attacking others. Fortunately, Itami is a member of the JSDF, and even if he's a lazy otaku who works only to support his hobbies, he's still a soldier and well-versed in combat. During the chaotic battle, he directs the police and various forces, saving many lives in the process. Unfortunately, this causes him problems later on down the road, when he and several other soldiers get sent on a mission to travel beyond the gate. Perhaps he would have been better off not acting at all.


This anime is what I imagine it would be like if you were to combine Game of Thrones with Call of Duty. It blends fantasy and modern warefare in an intriguing way that I haven't actually seen before. It also takes the "travel to another world" storyline in a unique direction. I thought it was interesting to see how they combined our world with a fantasy world that reminded me a lot of medieval Europe. Ah, but of course, I don't think medieval Europe had goth lolis wielding big-ass scythes, so there are some differences.

One of the things that I really liked about the series was its blend of humor and serious moments. There were times when the anime would become really intense. There's a lot of political intrigue, the battles are gory as hell, and many of the themes are more adult-oriented and not necessarily for children. However, for as many dark themes as this anime possessed, it had just as many light-hearted themes. There's a bit of romance, a dose of comedy, and watching Itami and his gang get into trouble was positively hilarious.

Something else that I really loved about this anime were the characters. There are a lot of really awesome characters in here. Going off just the main ones, we have Rory, an immortal demigoddess dressed in gothic lolita fashion who wields a giant scythe; Lelei, a 15 year old mage training to become a master magician; Tuka, an elf whose village was burned down when a fire dragon attacked; and Itami, a 33 year old otaku who works in the JSDF for the sole purpose of supporting his otaku hobbies. However, while these are the main characters, they aren't the only characters. There are a lot of supporting cast members who get some serious time in the spotlight - a badass female soldier with a streak of violence, a female officer who works mainly as a nurse, another otaku who looks up to Itami as his senpai, kickass female warriors and Princess Pina of the Empire. There are so many characters that look like they'd be a joy to watch.
I also feel like all of these characters give the anime more depth. Yes, Itami is the main character, and yes, he sort of gets three girls to fall in love with him, thus ensuring that the "Harem Effect" is in place. However, many of the supporting cast members get time in the spotlight, and there are a lot of relationships that develop outside of Itami's relationship with Lelei, Rory, and Tuka.

I mentioned the action before, but it deserves to be mentioned again. This anime is violent. There are a lot of battles that take place, and unlike standard shounen anime, which feature stupidly long 4 to 5 episode battles that are half monologue and half explanation of techniques, this series takes a more realistic approach to combat. Battles are fought using a combination of modern tactics and fantasy warfare. Of course, you've got Rory, who is unconventional simply because the idea of a loli tearing people apart like they're made of wet paper is unusual. However, this only adds more spice to an otherwise awesome anime.

Overall, this has been one of my favorite series to come out recently. And since it's based on a light novel series, I can proudly go up to anime snobs who claim "LN adaptations are trash" and shove this in their faces.
Artwork: 9/10
Animation: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 10/10
Story: 9/10
Personal Enjoyment: 10/10
Total: 9/10

KONOSUBA! Review

I'm here to speak with you today about the most hilarious anime that I've seen in a while. KONOSUBA is an anime that takes a traditional Dungeons and Dragons RPG fantasy setting and flips it on its head. Before I begin, I should state this point right now: KONOSUBA is 100% parody. It's entire purpose is to make fun of fantasy RPGs for shits and giggles. That's what makes it so damn funny.

So... let us start off with an introduction. Basically, KONOSUBA is about a guy named Kazuma, who is a hikkikomori NEET, or in other words, a useless shut in who never leaves his house and spends all his money on figurines and video games. During the one time where he leaves his house, he dies in the most humiliating way possible, and is given another chance at life in a new world with new opportunities...

... Well, he would have gotten another lease on life - if this wasn't a comedy. Since half of the story is him getting caught in stupid situations that are hilarious beyond belief, and the other half is him doing stupid stuff that's funny enough to make people piss themselves from laughing too hard, his new life is a tenuous and ephemeral thing.


Starting right off the bat, anyone who knows typical D&D will know how the mechanics here go. Characters in the world that Kazuma has been sent to are divided into classes. His companion, a goddess named Aqua, ends up becoming an arch priestess. He ends up with two other companions as well, both of which have arch in their titles as well. Kazuma, unfortunately, has really low stats, so he's at the bottom of the barrel. Not that it matters, since all of his companions are useless despite their power.

I think it's the characters specifically that make this series so funny. All of them are basically typical characters that you would expect to see in a fantasy setting turned on their heads. I like to think of them as mentally unstable at best and bat shit crazy at worst, and there's no denying that they're not necessarily the smartest bunch. The goddess is an egotistical idiot, the arch mage is a  chuunibyo with a love for explosions, and the arch knight is a traditional beauty with a masochistic streak so wide you can park several fuel tankers on it and still have extra space for that Death Star. Kazuma himself is also quite the character, though he mostly plays the straight man - when he's not doing stupid things himself. It is here where the story truly shines.


KONOSUBA doesn't have much of a story. I mean, technically, it's supposed to be about Kazuma getting sent to another world where he has to beat a Dark Lord, but we never even see the Dark Lord, so there. The story is essentially Kazuma and his harem of eccentric women getting into a lot of misadventures. I personally don't have a problem with this. Since this story IS a comedy, the comedy is what's supposed to make up the story. However, some people don't like it when anime don't have any linear progress. I figured I'd mention that for people who are looking for something with more plot development.

On the whole, I'd say this anime, in terms of pure dumb humor, was awesome. It has everything that I need in my mindlessly fun anime series. Though I was disappointed that it ended with only 10 episodes. Fortunately, a second season has been confirmed, which is nice because it means that other people have acknowledged this anime's awesomeness. I always like it when people understand the fun of watching something that's not meant to be taken seriously. I can only hope that seasons two us every bit as ridiculous as the first season.

Artwork: 7/10
Animation: 7/10
Sound: 7/10
Characters: 10/10
Story: 7/10
Personal Enjoyment: 10/10
Total: 8/10

No Game No Life, Volume 3 Review

No Game No Life, Vol. 3 by Yuu Kamiya
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm... I'm not exactly sure what to say about volume 3 of No Game No Life. In many ways, it was worse than volume 2, but in some ways, I liked it more. Since I'm a jerk, let's start with what I didn't like: the grammar.





Like volume 1, the grammar in volume 3 makes me feel like I'm losing brain cells from reading, which I never thought I would say. The English in here is atrocious. At the same time, I'm 100% certain that this is a stylistic choice of the original author, which means the translator is being true to the author's writing. That being said, even if someone wishes to keep their translations accurate to the source content, if that writing doesn't work well in another language, then it is the translator's job to make it flow more smoothly. Here, I feel like the translator stopped at the translating and didn't even bother trying to make it better. The paragraphs in this volume were all like: "Sora stood there. Wearing a smug expression. Looking like a douchenozzle. King. Eighteen. Virgin. Stop being a n00b."

If you look at the paragraph, the only complete sentences in this entire paragraph are the first and last sentences. The rest aren't. Now, while I can deal with this sort of writing if it serves a purpose, such as to increase the pace and flow of a story, when 90% of a story is written like this, it pisses me off.



So, I bet you're asking yourselves: If he hates the writing so much, why does he continue reading? That's because the story is interesting. For all its faults, this is probably one of the most entertaining light novels I've read. The characters are intriguing, the story is awesome, the humor is hilarious, and despite how horribly written it is, I really do enjoy reading it. I wonder if that makes me a masochist? Aw, well.



One other thing that people should be aware of is how awkward some of the dialogue can be. Yuu Kamiya apparently doesn't believe in adding dialogue tags. This isn't a problem when only two or three people are talking and each person has a distinctive speech pattern. However, when six or more people are talking at the same time, even with distinctive ways of speaking, it's impossible to know who is saying what. Toward the end of the book, this issue becomes even more prevalent.



All this being said, if you can enjoy the story for what it is and not remain hung up on the grammar, then you might just like this. Sora and Shiro are in fine form this volume, Jibril is as hot as ever, and Steph makes for excellent comic relief. I think the only awkward thing was the bath scene with Shiro and Izuna. I don't know about you, but reading about an 11 and 9 year old taking a bath is just awkward. I know that Japan has different beliefs on nudity than America, and I don't really get hung up on stuff like that, but it's still awkward when the characters are that young. I almost skipped that part because reading it makes me feel like a pedobear.

View all my reviews

No Game No Life, Volume 2

No Game No Life, Vol. 2 by Yuu Kamiya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What is there to say about No Game No Life, volume 2? Well, it was a lot better written than volume 1. A LOT BETTER. I enjoyed this story way more than the first volume. In terms of writing only, volume 2 kicked volume 1's ass. It was like watching Kakashi Hatake give Naruto the One-Thousand Years of Pain.




And now that your mind has been thoroughly robbed of all reason by my super awesome gif, let's get back to the review.

Like I said before, this volume has way better grammar. There are still a large number of run-on sentences, but with the much improved grammar, I can state with some certainty that this was likely a stylistic choice of the author. While the run-on sentences annoyed the crap out of me, I could put up with them since the rest of the story had some damn fine English.



Writing aside, I feel like the story is about the same as the last one. It maintains a healthy dose of humor, but it also deals with a few issues that would've cropped up for kings and queens during the renaissance period in Europe - except problems here are solved through games, not war. Sora and Shiro are in great form. They're probably the most mentally unstable pair that I've ever read in a light novel series, but that's kind of why I like them. I enjoy reading about batshit crazy characters.



Also, we've finally been introduced to my favorite character in the series. Jibril. Jibril is a Flugel, which is like an angel of death. She's also crazy - both crazy powerful and just crazy. Before the Ten Commandments forbade all forms of combat, she was a creature who spent her years slaughtering just about everything in sight, and, as part of a race that was created specifically to kill gods, her power is undeniable. I think what I like about her the most is her personality, which can change at the drop of a hat. No joke. One minute, she's all polite and kind. The next, she's talking about how she used to collect the heads of her enemies. Jibril is also a knowledge junky who gets her fix by collecting books from around the world.


I do feel pretty bad for Steph, though. As is the case with the first volume, Steph is basically comic relief. Shiro and Sora spend a good deal of time by beating her at games, and then making her do stuff that normal, sane people just wouldn't do. Reading this story, I would often wonder if I was a bad person for laughing at all of the crazy and mean crap that those two did to Steph. It's cruel, but undeniably funny.



Overall, this was a good installment to the series. I'll be reading volume 3 shortly, and I have some pretty high expectations for awesome this time.

View all my reviews

Negima Magister Magi!

Negima! Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 1 by Ken Akamatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What starts off as a creepy harem comedy about a 10 year old boy teaching a bunch of 14 year old girls eventually turns into an epic journey that is, surprisingly, really fun to read. Are you surprised? So was I. Truth be told, the initial story behind this series is one that I didn't think I would like. I'm not into manga about 10 year olds being put into pervy situations with his 14 year old students. It's just awkward.



The first volume starts off with Negi, a young mage who graduates from a magic academy, getting his first job as a mage... which somehow ends with him being a teacher for a bunch of girls. I'm not really sure how being a teacher is supposed to help one become a better mage, but I'm assuming there are plot reasons for this, like, ya know, the "oh, my God! I just ran into the girl's communal bath to find a bunch of surprisingly busty middle school girls naked!" kind of plot. Either way, it sort of creeped me out, and despite how I enjoyed Ken Akamatsu's first manga series, Love Hina, I was initially turned off due to the ages of the characters.



Despite my initially being put off, I continued reading, hoping that it would get better. Low and behold, this manga does get better. As you begin to read more volumes, you learn more about all of the girls that make up Negi's class - and let me tell you, these girls are an absolute riot. They're the most carefree and insane group of outgoing people I've read in a manga. Each one has a distinct, unique, and vibrant personality. Not only do they have great personalities, Ken Akamatsu is able to balance the amount of time they get on screen, giving all the main characters a moment to shine, while allowing side characters to get their time in the limelight. Several of the characters who, at the beginning were just background characters, occasionally get pulled to the front, where you learn new and exciting aspects about them - their past, their dreams, their goals. It was the way these characters are portrayed that really sucked me in.



As the manga progresses, I became less bothered by the random bouts of nudity. Now, I'll admit, part of that might just be my propensity as a male. We're horndogs at the best of times. However, like I said earlier, I was initially put off because of the characters' ages. I think what softened the blow here was how... busty, many of the girls are, and how surprisingly mature they act. I just can't see them as a bunch of middle school students. The more I read, the more I realized that many of these girls acted more like high school and college students. That they also LOOK like high school and college students further took the edge off their actual age. In the end, I just decided to think of them as being older than they actually are, and decided that the middle school setting was simply part of the plot by which Ken Akamatsu decided to tell his story with.



One aspect of this story that I really enjoyed was how it mixed and matched genres. At the start, this series is almost purely romantic comedy with a lot of fan service. As the story progresses, it enters the realms of magical realism, fantasy, epic, tournament, dark fantasy, sci-fi, sci-fantasy, and continues playing the guessing game all the way to the end. The manga's evolution from purely fan service-y romcom to insanely epic sci-fantasy with hints of romance and comedy are one of the aspects that I feel make this worth reading.



Of course, one cannot forget the main character. Negi starts off this story as a prim and proper Englishman... boy, who happens to be naive and incapable of dealing with real-life problems. His entire life is centered around the goal of finding his father. As the story progresses, Negi undergoes many metamorphoses, changing, growing stronger, becoming more mature. As a main character, and one in a harem series, I'd say that he's one of the better ones. If Ken had made him older, like, 16 at least, I probably would've placed him as my number one favorite character. As is, Negi is a protagonist who I enjoyed watching grow.



While some people may be put off by the risque humor, if you enjoy a little romance, fan service, epic magic battles, insane fights, well-crafted characters that you can actually care about, and a plot that becomes more complex and immersive as the series progresses, then you'll probably enjoy this series.

[image error]

View all my reviews

No Game No Life Volume 1 Review

ノーゲーム・ノーライフ1 ゲーマー兄妹がファンタジー世界を征服するそうです by Yuu Kamiya
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So.... No Game No Life. I first picked this series up because the anime was awesome. Seriously amazing. I loved the anime series, and I thought I would love the light novel series even more. After all, the anime is based off the novels, and I love reading more than watching. I regret to say that I am somewhat disappointed with this volume.



Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't a terrible book. It's just not that good. There were a load of mistakes piled up to the ceiling. I found more than just a few minor grammatical errors. There were formatting issues, random switches between past to present tense, random switches between first to third person without any indication that these were the thoughts of our characters, head hopping, spelling errors, punctuation errors, and incomplete sentences. Basically, the writing in this volume was bad. I don't know if it's due to the translations, or if it's because of the source content, but there were a lot of mistakes that would jerk me out of what was generally an immersive and enjoyable book.



Disregarding the English itself, the story was fun. I still like the anime more, but I didn't dislike the story told here. Sora is an interesting character, and though I feel like he sometimes strays into sue-dom, his general insanity shoves whatever perfection he might seem to have out of the window. Likewise, his little sister, Shiro, is an adorable and intelligent person. I don't think I like Shiro as much as Sora, but that's mostly because I'm not into 11 year old children. While Shiro does act mature for her age, some of the situations she was put in made me uncomfortable. That being said, I enjoyed how in-sync these two were. They have an unusual synergy that I find unusual in a brother and sister - though that likely has a lot to do with my relationship with my sister, which is the antithesis of this pair.



On the whole, I would say this was a decent story that could've been better. The story is interesting, the banter was light, and the characters are off-the-wall intriguing. I will be reading the next volume because, well, why the hell not? I already bought the first three volumes. It would be a waste not to read them. I do hope the writing in the next two volumes are better, otherwise I might drop a series that I was really hoping to enjoy.

View all my reviews

Daimadaler

I'm going back a little bit. Daimadaler: Prince V.S. Penguin Empire is an anime that came out, I wanna say, last year. Before anything else is said, I feel the need to state something. This anime is undeniably, unequivocally, and unrepentant... stupid. It's dumb, it's crass, it's honestly pretty sexist, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has strong sensibilities. That being said... it can also be pretty funny, and I won't deny that a lot of the sexual innuendo made me laugh.

Daimadaler is like Gundam... if Gundam was about a massive pervert who became more powerful after fondling a pair of sweater holders. And by sweater holders, I mean boobs. This dude is like Issei Hyoudo cranked up to 9,000. Think I'm joking? No, this isn't a joke. I'm 100% serious. Issei Hyoudo is a harmless pervert; too nice to actually do anything without a girl's consent, but lecherous enough to make people uncomfortable. This dude doesn't have Issei's niceness - and while his bad boy attitude is kind of a nice change of pace from traditional protags, I actually became really uncomfortable watching all of the scenes where he groped the female heroine. Like, really, really uncomfortable. This anime is, quite literally, the guilty pleasure of guilty pleasures. You're not going to watch this series for the story. The only people who are coming here are the ones who want to see this girl having her massive mammaries fondled.

Another thing I would like to point out is the enemy... penguins. Yes, penguins. Not only are the enemy a group of penguins, but they are a group of horny penguins with large front tails. Yes, you heard right. Front tails. No, those things jutting from their hips isn't a penis. It's a tail. A front tail. And yes, the penguins in that gif are thrusting their front tails out as if they were, um, swords. Front tails aside, the whole "penguin empire" thing is... original... but dumb. I know that anime comes up with some really stupid stuff sometimes, but this takes the cake in terms of sheer "WTF?!" At the same time, the whole plot about horny penguins trying to steel people's sex drive is pretty funny in an, "Oh, my God! What the hell is wrong with you?!" kind of way. Overall, I would never recommend this anime to anyone who isn't looking for a guilty pleasure. It's funny, but in terms of story, characters, plot, and, well, everything that's not sex-filled humor... this anime is lacking.

Artwork: 8/10
Animation: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 5/10
Story: 5/10
Personal Enjoyment: 7/10
Total: 6.7/10