Review: Beautiful Bones

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Beautiful Bones, Characters, Music, Opinions, Story, TW: Abuse, TW: Death, TW: Suicide

Listening to: Dear Answer – True (Beautiful Bones Opening)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

CONTENT WARNING for some discussion of suicide, abuse, and death.

“Here, beneath the Kujou family’s cherry tree, is a princess who loves bones.”

I’ve always enjoyed a good mystery, and I frequently enjoy anime, but Beautiful Bones was actually the first pure “mystery” anime I’ve watched (for the purposes of this review, we’re not counting The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as a representative of the genre). So, while I certainly can review it (and am currently reviewing it), I don’t have as much basis for comparison. With that minor disclaimer out of the way, here we go.

This story takes place in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido Prefecture, where a rather odd pair of freelance investigators make their home. The first is Sakurako Kojou, a rather antisocial woman whose consuming passions include sweet desserts, loud music, and painstakingly assembling skeletons for display in her home. The other is Shoutarou Tatewaki, a rather hapless high school boy who serves as Sakurako’s assistant–and sometimes “guardian,” when her eccentricity gets out of hand.

Although their main objective is to find Sakurako more specimens, they frequently stumble across much more sinister situations: cold cases of murder or suicide where Sakurako’s talent as an osteologist shines through. Further complicating matters is Shoutarou’s confusion as to where the two of them stand in regards to each other: does Sakurako consider him a mere nuisance? A convenient helper? Or perhaps, an actual friend? 

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Review: One Punch Man

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Characters, Music, One Punch Man, Opinions, Story

Listening to: THE HERO!! – JAM Project (One Punch Man Opening)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“I’m just a guy who’s a hero for fun.”

The quest to become a hero is a common trope in anime, whether your goal is to be a better fighter, a better cook, or simply “the very best, like no one ever was.” But while most anime focus on the journey, there aren’t many that show what happens at the destination. Enter One Punch Man: an alternately hilarious and melancholy look into the life of a hero at the top of his game.

In the mega-cities of the future, battles between superheroes and supervillains are an almost commonplace occurrence. The Heroes’ Association employs hundreds of costumed vigilantes with varying levels of power, but not every hero is under their jurisdiction. Saitama, a young man who claims to be “a hero for fun,” is one such freelancer, whose incredible strength allows him to end any battle with one punch.

While his power is considerable, however, it doesn’t seem to bring him very much happiness. Bored out of his mind and frustrated at his inability to find a worthy opponent, Saitama lives an uneventful life until the arrival of Genos, a young cyborg who witnesses his strength and begs Saitama to take him on as a disciple. 

Review: Overlord

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Characters, Music, Opinions, Overlord, Story

Listening to: Clattanoia – O x T (Overlord Opening)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“Please bestow your orders upon us, Supreme One. We offer our complete loyalty to you.”

To the most casual observer, Overlord might appear to be derivative. It shares a basic premise with Sword Art Online: a protagonist trapped inside a video game, and the adventures that they have as they attempt to navigate the world. However, the two series could not be more different, both in tone and the way that the premise is carried out. As for how that makes a difference… well, wait and see.

Overlord opens with the announcement that the servers of the popular Dive-MMORPG, Yggdrasil Online, will be shutting down. Momonga, the leader of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, decides to hold a vigil of sorts, staying online until the servers are shut down at midnight. When midnight passes, however, Momonga finds himself still in the Tomb of Nazarick–his guild’s headquarters. What’s more, the NPC guardians that his guild trained are suddenly showing a lot more personality than programs usually do.

Momonga decides to make the best of things, taking on the persona of the Overlord that all of the guardians expect him to be. In the meantime, he tries to find out as much as he can about how the world has changed, and perhaps if other players from Yggdrasil found their way inside the new world as well.

Review: Sky Wizards Academy

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Characters, Kuusen Madoushi, Music, Opinions, Sky Wizards Academy, Story

Listening to: D.O.B. – Iori Nomizu (Sky Wizards Academy OP)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“I’ve been assigned to be your instructor, fireteam E601.”

Well, this was a difficult review to write. It took about five tries to get together the motivation to do a write-up for this. If you happen to be wondering “was it really that bad?” allow me to answer you in a word: YES. It was really that bad. But before we get into the whys and hows, I may as well follow my traditional format and give it a bit of outlining.

Humanity has withdrawn to flying cities to escape the threat of the Devil Beetles overtaking the surface. In order to ensure that these sanctuaries are not also overrun, they train an elite force of Sky Wizards for their defense.

Kanata Age, formerly an adored member of one of the elite fireteams of Sky Wizards, is now reviled as a “traitor.” One of his former comrades arranges for him to receive a teaching job in the Academy as a way to redeem himself. He is assigned to the notoriously unskilled Fireteam E601 as instructor. Unfortunately, he doesn’t exactly make the best first impression.

Review: The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Characters, Kyon, Music, Opinions, Review, Story, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Yuki Nagato

Listening to: Furefure Mirai – Hokkō Bungei-bu Onagokai (The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan OP)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“This is the story of a somewhat shy, bookish girl.”

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan (hereafter referred to as “Nagato” for the sake of convenience) is the latest spin-off of the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which I’ll call “Melancholy,” and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, which I’ll call “Disappearance,” are the other two animated features). As far as the franchise goes, it’s a bit of an oddball–rather ironic, seeing as it’s the only installment of the animated canon that doesn’t center around aliens, time travelers, espers, and other supernatural elements. This review is somewhat late in coming–the original airing finished in mid-July, but as a fan of Crispin Freeman and Michelle Ruff, I waited for the dub to complete before my viewing.

In contrast to its predecessors, Nagato is mainly a slice-of-life romantic comedy, focusing around the members of the North High Literary Club. Yuki Nagato, the heroine and president of the Literary Club, has a crush on her best friend Kyon, but is too shy to admit it. Matters between them are further complicated when Haruhi Suzumiya, an energetic and rather domineering student from East High, decides to appoint herself to the Literary Club as well.

Throughout the series, the Literary Club embarks on a series of adventures, from a Christmas party to a vacation in the mountains. As time goes on, Yuki begins to examine her feelings for Kyon more and more, and their friends take notice of it as well.

Review: GATE

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Characters, GATE, Music, Opinions, Story

Listening to: GATE～それは暁のように～ – Akeboshi Rockets (GATE OP)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“If you asked me which I’d choose–my job or my hobby–my hobby takes priority.”

I didn’t pick up GATE until just after its final episode aired, but when I began watching it, I ended up sprinting through every single episode and coming to the end within three days. Accordingly, I can’t really speak for the pacing of the show, but… well, it was one wild ride, and one that was definitely worth the time.

The story kicks off when the Ginza district of Tokyo is attacked by an otherworldly army, led by dragon-mounted knights and men in legion-style armor. Itami Youji, an off-duty lieutenant of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, helps to coordinate the evacuation of Ginza before the remainder of the JSDF shows up to push the enemy back. For this, he is promoted to First Lieutenant. Three months later, when the JSDF enters the Gate to secure a foothold in the so-called “Special Region,” Itami is put in charge of a recon unit with the purpose of communicating with the locals.

Itami isn’t terribly happy about his promotion–after all, according to Itami himself, his job takes second priority to his otaku lifestyle. However, he decides to make the best of it, and as the occupation of the far side of the Gate goes on, he comes to be known as a hero, both to the Japanese and the people of the Special Region.

Review: Chaos Dragon

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Chaos Dragon, Characters, Gen Urobuchi, Kinoko Nasu, Music, Opinions, Story

Listening to: ISOtone – Natsumi Kon (Chaos Dragon OP)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“I’ve decided which friend to kill… and in turn, what is to be protected.”

Owing to the sheer number of anime that I eventually picked up over the course of this season (and, thusly, the greater number of reviews to be written), I’ve decided to stray from my normal updating schedule a bit so that I can finish reviews earlier and be able to write about a greater variety of subjects. Today’s review is on Chaos Dragon, one of the best 12-episode Japanese animated television shows based on a tabletop game that aired during the Summer 2015 anime season.

The island kingdom of Nil Kamui has its fair share of problems: the covetous nation of Kouran overrunning the west, their supposed ally Donatia occupying the east, and Nil Kamui’s guardian deity–Red Dragon–driven insane and laying waste to the center. In the interest of preserving the island’s resources, the three factions strike a temporary truce to form a party known as the Red Dragon Expediition–an organization with the sole purpose of putting down the mad god and stopping its rampage.

Ibuki, the last surviving descendant of the royal line of Nil Kamui, is chosen to represent his people in the Red Dragon expedition. However, the other members of the party have plans of their own: for both Red Dragon, and Ibuki himself. When the mad god imbues Ibuki with a portion of its power, the fate of the expedition–and the kingdom–become more and more uncertain.

Review: Rokka ~Braves of the Six Flowers~

Tags

Animation, Anime, Anime Review, Braves of the Six Flowers, Characters, Music, Opinions, Rokka no Yuusha, Story

Listening to: Cry for the Truth – MICHI (Rokka no Yuusha OP)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“It is always six that are chosen. And for that reason, they are called the Braves of the Six Flowers.”

Sometimes, I don’t need anything more than the premise of an anime to choose to watch it. I was onboard with Rokka from the moment the episode started. Everything that happened afterward was just icing on the cake.

Opening in the Mesoamerican-inspired kingdom of Piena, Rokka tells the story of six heroes–the titular Braves–who have been chosen by fate to save the world from the fiends who threaten to destroy it. Upon being chosen, each of the Braves is marked with a crest of six petals, proving their identity. This is a recurring cycle–over and over, the Demon God awakens, and in turn the Braves arise to return him to slumber.

The protagonist is Adlet Mayer, the self-proclaimed “strongest man in the world.” Determined to be chosen as one of the Braves when the time comes, he has trained his entire life to be deemed worthy. When the time comes and he receives the crest, he sets off alongside Nachetanya, the princess of Piena, to join the other heroes and meet the Demon God in battle. However, when the heroes gather, they begin to suspect that there is more to the choosing than meets the eye, and not all is well…

Review: Knights of Sidonia

Tags

Anime, Anime Review, Characters, Knights of Sidonia, Music, Opinions, Sidonia no Kishi, Story

Listening to: Kishi Koushinkyoku – angela (Knights of Sidonia OP 2)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“I’ll do it… I’ll become a Knight of Sidonia!”

Technically, this review should have been started a year ago, back when the first twelve episodes were released, but I wasn’t writing blog posts back then. This review will touch on both the first season and the second.

Knights of Sidonia is set aboard a human “seed ship,” the titular Sidonia. After Earth was overtaken by monstrous aliens called gauna, humanity was forced to flee in these seed ships, hoping to find a new world to settle. Even though it has been some time since the last time the gauna attacked, the crew and military of Sidonia must always be on their guard.

The story centers around Nagate Tanikaze, a young man raised in isolation, living in the maze-like underground tunnels of an old reactor. He spends most of his days plugged into a simulator of the Tsugumori Mk. 17–a mecha known as a garde, designed for fighting gauna. After the death of his grandfather prior to the beginning of the series, he heads to the surface in search of food and finds himself caught up in Sidonia’s military affairs. In order to protect the colony, he joins the garde squadron at the captain’s request. Nagate is put in charge of piloting a vintage Tsugumori, the only one of its type still functioning.

Review: Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Tags

Anime, Anime Review, Characters, Fate Series, Fate/Stay Night, Music, Opinions, Rin Tohsaka, Saber, Shiro Emiya, Story, Unlimited Blade Works

Listening to: Brave Shine – Aimer (Fate/Stay Night OP 2)

This review is free of major spoilers, in the interests of being helpful to those who are considering watching the show in question.

“Is it greedy of me to wish for an outcome in which everyone is saved and happy, and can share a laugh about it afterward?”

Fate/Zero was, and remains, one of my favorite anime of all time. Its combination of complex morality, interesting characters, and the writing of Gen Urobochi made me fall for it instantly. Shortly after I finished it two years ago, I turned Fate/Stay Night, of which Fate/Zero was a prequel. I was, unfortunately, less than impressed by Studio DEEN’s 2006 adaptation. Compared to Fate/Zero, I found the characters bland, the animation lackluster, and the story out of focus. Thus, when I found out that ufotable, the same studio responsible for Fate/Zero‘s production, was onboard for a remake, my excitement was considerable.

Note: Given the sequential nature of the series, some spoilers for Fate/Zero are inevitable in this review. You have been warned!

Fate/Stay Night tells the story of the Grail War, a battle in the Japanese city of Fuyuki for control of the Holy Grail, said to be an omnipotent wish-granting device. The grail chooses seven mages, called “Masters,” who call forth “Servants,” the spirits of legendary heroes given form by the Grail’s magic. Since the Grail can grant only one wish, the seven fight each other until only one remains.

The most recent Grail War ended in disaster ten years ago, and the magical backlash burned down a sizable portion of the city. Shirou, a survivor of the fire, was adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya, one of the Masters who had failed to gain the Grail. The idealistic Shirou’s goal is to carry on the dream that Kiritsugu was unable to fulfill, and become a true “hero of justice.” After he inadvertently summons Saber, one of the seven Servants, he is dragged into the Grail War. One of his fellow Masters is Rin Tohsaka, the daughter of a prominent mage family, who is determined, with the help of her own servant, Archer, to carry on the family legacy. The pair take to the battlefield–sometimes as allies, sometimes as rivals–and, as the Grail War goes on, learn more about both the Grail and the others pursuing it.