Woodpecker - Cool AMV's

   Woodpecker reporting. Just wanted to start by saying that every month from now on I will be posting my top 10 AMV's of the month. This may also mean that some AMV's may get back in next month depending on the availability of new AMV's.  I hope to continue bringing you as many fresh and awesome AMV's as possible, and with that please enjoy these findings!

Hope you all enjoyed these AMV's, these producers have definitely put a lot of time and effort into their work and for that I applaud them. You should be sure to see another one of these posts in the following month and I still am expecting to publish my review on SAO very soon. This is Woodpecker signing off.

-Woodpecker

Death Note AMV Prelude 12/21 - Roxas

Hey guys, this is Roxas. I decided that I'd try my hand at making my own AMV. Check it out and let me know what you guys think:
Youtube link
Vimeo link

Wolfe: Chaos;Head (カオスヘッド)

Wolfe reporting.

So, Chaos;Head (alternatively: ChäoS;HEAd) was one of my first anime (way back when), believe it or not. In retrospection, I realize that I was seriously fortunate when it came to picking anime as a newcomer. Chaos;Head (カオスヘッド) comes from two pieces, カオス (the concept of chaos or pandemonium; transliterated: kaosu) and ヘッド (head; transliterated: heddo). So, the English rendition of "Chaos Head" is actually a really sharp translation. Of course, based on the transliterations, I can't wonder how powerful the English language was in the word choice (I mean, kaosu heddo, seriously?).

Chaos;Head is definitely a strange anime, but I seriously adore it. It has 12 episodes, some better than others. For genre, it's considered as follows: psychological, sci-fi, supernatural, thriller, and romance. I could show you portions of the show, and you could consider it creepy, dark, and supernatural. I could show you other portions of the show, and you could consider it almost-traditional High School date-focused anime. For somebody who has an odd taste for the High School date focus, and yet absolutely adores dark and disturbing elements, this was an absolutely golden anime. It's very clean, too, which is nice.

I'm also starting a new judging category (well, I'm actually re-vamping an old one)! Rather than the "OP" section, I now have a "power balance" section, taking a point away from "animation style". I'm also now adding to the "characters" section by providing pictures and names of the "major" (and sometimes minor) characters. I'm getting pretty close to my final lineup, I reckon. A big thanks to those who've had to bear with me as I underwent my evolution.

I give it a 10.5 / 13! (=80.8%)

Concept: The concept behind this anime is complex (and that's an understatement). In fact, even through my fourth or fifth watch-through, I'm still left with questions unanswered, and at this point I don't think complete 100% understanding can even be achieved. The larger underlying concept isn't actually revealed and developed until later on, so I'll put in under "plot". The other concepts are focused on the main character, Takumi Nishijo, and... well, I won't say anything more on him under here, look to "characters". The only concept piece I can really throw at you is that there are Gigalomaniacs, people who can see "errors", and interact with these "errors" (most commonly in form of a Di-Sword and Real-Booting). Don't even get me into delusion synchronization.

Di-Sword example, from this forum.

Introduction Sequence: 0.5 / 1. I don't believe this introduction deserves full credit, nor does it deserve no credit, so I give it half-credit. While it doesn't exactly spoil anything directly, I think it's deceitfully lighthearted and harem-looking. The song doesn't really land well, nor do I believe it to fit the anime-- though the lyrics aren't bad. Personally, I skipped over it pretty much every single time, unless I was actually too lazy to move or paying attention to the translated lyrics. Anyhow, here it is: Link to Chaos;Head Opening.

Animation Style: 0.5 / 1. As another of my "personal" points (as opposed to "objective"), I've decided to mark this one down in animation style. The styles appeared repetitive and simple, and I feel that there were some artsy aspects that weren't there when I looked for them. I like being able to pause during a city show and admire the picture, for instance, but I found these moments to be drab and dull. While I believe these add to the anime, in an odd way, this doesn't mean I have to like them. I also wish that the eye-to-face ratio was a bit closer to the accurate styles I prefer; of course, I don't mind occasional eye exposition (like in Steins;Gate), but the eyes were always just slightly and uncomfortably too large for my tastes.

Examples:

This is a very common shot. Source.

I love this shot. Source.

Music: 1 / 1. Loads of the music isn't that good, actually, but there are moments when the right tune sends a chill down my spine, and that takes some talent. Of course, the mundane and normal moments in the anime are set equally to the dull and repetitive music background tracks. I personally love a good dose of fear, and so, rather than marking it down in music, I'll keep it where it is. OST: Link to Chaos;Head OST.

Plot: 4 / 4. Oh, good heavens, the plot. I la-love this plot. For one aspect, we have an almost-classic High School date-focused anime. We have girls falling left and right for the main character, who (see the "character" section) doesn't really deserve that at all. The thing is, unlike other normal anime, the main character is mostly apathetic to this affection-- he's only into 2-dimensional girls, particularly Seira. Then there's the other (and more heavy) aspect: the main character is delusional. Sometimes you'll be confused and realize that he just had a delusion (which he perceives as reality). Other times you'll be confused because you assumed something to be a delusion when it wasn't. And, my favourite: sometimes, it was a delusion, and then became real... or was it precognition? Did a delusion become reality, or was the delusion a foresight of reality? Of course, the main character has always felt like someone's eyes were watching him, leading him to always ask the question: Those Eyes, Whose Are They? The plot gets wonderfully thick, but only later on in the episodes, and so it is with a twinge of sadness that I must say no more regarding the plot, besides that it's amazing!

Characters: 3 / 4. As much as I love this anime, I definitely have some character points to knock down. The main character is an "otaku", one who stays home whenever possible to watch anime and play video games. That's all he does, attending school only as much as absolutely necessary to graduate. He's referenced to be a bit of a pervert (having more erotic tastes in manga, if I recall), but this isn't highlighted strongly, thankfully. He's also heavily delusional and pathetically weak. As much as I hated the main character's weakness and lack of evolution, it seemed perfectly viable, and even when he was more able, his actions always seemed accurate. As much as I liked Rimi Sakihata, she was as inconsistent in Chaos;Head as Inori Yuzuriha was in Guilty Crown, for heaven's sake! Her actions (and what these actions said in regards to her feelings towards the main character) were definitely inconsistent, and she was given virtually zero back-story. While there are other characters I could attack, I can see reasonable explanations (excuses) for them not having back-story and/or character development. Again, for those who didn't catch it: be warned, seriously weak main character (like Raki in Claymore). Pictures: Takumi Nishijo, Rimi Sakihata, Nanami Nishijo, Ayase Kishimoto, Yua Kusunoki, Sena Aoi, and Kozue Orihara.

Power Balance: 0.5 / 1. This is where I definitely mark the anime down for the pathetically weak main character. I actually like having the women roles more powerful than the male roles (just because it's refreshing), but this doesn't mean that I like pathetic male roles. Souta from Guilty Crown was weak, for example, but at least he was in on the power balance. Also in Chaos;Head, the main bad guy is seriously overpowered, and has seriously zero back-story.
 While they deserve a pretty little "you tried" sticker -- and they definitely could have been worse -- they still needed a lot more balance or at least variability.

Addictability: 1 / 1. This anime wasn't addicting at first, at least, not in the traditional sense... it was odd enough that I wanted to go on, but I didn't have any sort of defined desire. Once the plot thickened a few more times, though, I was hopelessly hooked.

If you like the High School date-focused anime, and the supernatural and dark-focused anime, and don't mind the pathetically weak main character, you'll love this one. Generally, if you like the concept of delusions, you'll adore this one. I recommend it, and I personally love it.

Wallpapers:

Both sides of the coin. Source.

Rimi and her Di-Sword, being pretty. Source.

I think that's the "Whose Eyes Are Those" quote there. Source.

I love this background. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy ^_^ (Source)

Nanami and her Di-Sword. Isn't she cute? Source.

AMV's:

Delusions  - A really fitting AMV, the best-cut one I've seen for Chaos;Head (not saying too much, mind you).
Don't Stop (Innerpartsystem) - This one's pretty good! I like this song in AMV's.
Own Little World (Celldweller)  - Had to post this one (I love Celldweller), it's pretty good.
Black Skies (Bleed the Dream) - It's not bad, and it shows both sides of the coin.
Tormented Soul - I actually like this, even though it's not really an "AMV" per se.

There was a really popular (upwards of 1 million views!) AMV I found almost immediately-- it was terrible! In fact, most of the ones I found had poor cuts and the background music was unrelated to the cuts (or poorly related).

Next Time: Date A Live or SAO. I know I keep saying SAO, and I'm not sure why I'm putting it off. Felt the sudden urge to do a Chaos;Head review this time, so you never know what's next.

Wolfe out.

Introduction

Hello, I am Demothis. I have been brought on about three weeks ago and have been putting off this introduction for quite some time now, but I have decided to grace you all with my presence and introduce you to who I am and what I intend to do for this site.

So then, time to start my Intro. I was introduced to anime at a fairly young age. I would watch shows like Case Closed, Yu Yu Hakusho, Inyuasha, and DBZ on Toonami while it was up for the first time. I was not an avid viewer in the sense that I would watch each new episode, but I watched it whenever it was on and I was around to watch it. After I moved I had no friends to talk with about other stuff so I quickly discovered the internet and its many wonders. One wonder was the amazing phenomena known as "watching anime whenever you wanted". I would spend all my time watching anime and the first anime that I completely engrossed myself in was Naruto. Soon after my post-completion depression I discovered Bleach and then a few months later was One Piece. I now have watched what I believe to be quite a few anime and have a slightly broader spectrum of anime that I have seen. My job now is to essentially tell you what I think about certain aspects of it and them in general.

I have probably seen the most anime out of anybody else working on the site and will thus have quite a bit in queue for what I am to review. I have already watched several anime that most of the other members refuse to watch despite my constant pestering. I will be doing some of the, what they consider, longer anime out there that they, or I, wish me to review.

I cannot say how accurate my rankings will be for certain anime depending on how hard I fan-boy over it. In said reviews I will give fair warning that it will probably be biased towards my own beliefs for anime, but I will try my best to be unbiased for the good of the site!

Wolfe: Darker Than Black Gaiden -黒の契約者-

Wolfe reporting.

First and foremost: I'm reviewing Darker Than Black Gaiden, four OVA episodes set between Darker Than Black Season 1 and Season 2. I usually don't watch OVA (finding them to be far poorer quality than the seasons I love), but Roxas was very insistent that I watch these particular OVA. To be fair, these are the best OVA I've seen. Also to be fair, I've only seen one other OVA (Steins;Gate).

Gaiden feels like a mini-anime, a standalone with the main characters already introduced. You definitely want to watch Season 1 before watching Gaiden. That being said, while it did taste less professional-grade (in comparison with Season 1 DTB), it was actually pretty good. My rating system doesn't work as well for such a short "season" of 4 episodes, so keep that in mind as you read onwards.

I give it a 10.5 / 13! (=80.8%)

Concept: The concept is still the same as traditional DTB-- for explanations regarding the contractors, dolls, etc., please refer to My Darker Than Black Review.

Introduction Sequence: 1 / 1. I feel a little bit ridiculous rating this introduction sequence, given how absurdly brief it is. However, assuming that people have already seen Season 1, it makes sense: it's incredibly brief, and displays only the logo of the anime. After all, at this point, that's all they need to do (and can do). 4 episodes isn't enough for a shot-filled intro; showing clips from Season 2 wouldn't be fitting; showing clips (or the same intro) from Season 1 wouldn't really be appropriate. For my own personal opinion, I found myself enjoying the brevity of the introduction sequence-- I actually recall noting something along the lines of: "That's actually pretty nice."

You can't actually find a Youtube clip of the opening, so here's the logo it portrays (it's truly that simplistic):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Dblack.png

Animation Style: 2 / 2. The animation style in this OVA does not deviate from Season 1's animation style. I am a fan of this animation style! It's on the harsher side of the chibi-to-harsh scale.

Examples:

http://randomc.net/image/Darker%20than%20BLACK/Darker%20than%20BLACK%20-%20Gaiden%2004%20-%20Large%2001.jpg

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7460/dtb0.png

Music: 0.5 / 1. I actually mark it down for music, because I think there needed to be more music. There were scenes where I found myself missing music. I reckon there was a lower budget for these OVA, because I also noted that several of the heard soundtracks were recognizable [in a negative way] (as freebies on the 'Net somewhere, I'm sure). I understand that they wanted a lot of quiet moments, but even quiet moments could use soft background music (as is done in Season 1).

Plot: 3 / 4. I enjoyed the plot, but it could have been done better. Yin undergoes a change, differing from other dolls. She actually gains some amount of power (how much and what kind I shan't say), which is pretty cool/surprising. I mark the plot down mainly because I don't think there's any back-story (I was waiting the whole first episode but never got it). I think the plot they came up with simply had to happen, so the animators didn't focus enough on the lead-in (although there is a little good lead-out). In the first episode, Hei and Yin are at a hotel of sorts, trying to get somewhere, but end up just hanging around for several days, which, in comparison with Season 1's movement, felt completely unrealistic to me. The climax on the last episode seemed rushed, too.

Characters: 3 / 4. Listen, I love Yin. In fact, I think I have a small crush on her (similarly to Kurisu from Steins;Gate, but that's another story). Yin is the huge role of Gaiden. Despite this, I have some points to bring up. Firstly: there is a transition with Yin, but it starts too quickly. Her last appearance in Season 1 and her first appearance in Gaiden are very different. She transitions appropriately thenceforth, but I'd have preferred that she be presented firstly as her original state in the end of Season 1. Also, "the thing" (that's what I'll call it, so I don't spoil anything) has bad back-story-- we hear something about the Articles of something (again, trying not to spoil anything), but other than that, "the thing" has zero back-story.

OP: Believe it or not, Hei isn't portrayed as OP in Gaiden as he was in Season 1. He's definitely feared (and rightfully so), but he seems to be, well, human (yes, that's a joke, but the point remains that the things he does seem more possible in Gaiden). "The thing" (for what else can I call it without ruining anything?) is obviously pretty OP, but we never get to see too much of this, just references to it. Everyone is pretty OP in this, making it seem like no one really is (besides aforementioned exceptions).

Hey guys, guess what? There's a new rating category: "Addictability". It's my effort to put my personal opinion in with the objective.

Addictability: 1 / 1. This little 4-episode piece was actually very addictive. I started and finished it on the same day (probably not a good thing, considering the work I should be doing). Definitely worth the watch once you've seen Season 1 of DTB.

If you liked Season 1 and liked Yin, you should see Gaiden. I don't know how I could emphasize this more. It's 4 episodes. Just watch them.

Wallpapers:

http://blog.pucp.edu.pe/media/2957/20100506-Darker%20Than%20Black%20Gaiden%20OVa%203%20full.png

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn8ql6V0oM93-o9zqeC1CgrxUn2PDGYu6jdTNuS5ofKIKsOMIhs0NV81dFzzLX0FXZCeR_6M2ubclpJI41APS1nWYCd3Q3pmv2GAdXanDbytinovn9awqexX1e3b6S3dqVzM83-PBsU8/s1600/DTB+Gaiden+02+8.JPG

http://www.anbient.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/completa/screenshots/darker_than_black_-_kuro_no_keiyakusha_gaiden/darker_than_black_-_kuro_no_keiyakusha_gaiden-2811.jpg

https://blogs.emory.edu/animec/files/2010/07/DTB04-34.jpg

So, there aren't any AMV's for this particular little piece that were any good (that I found). After all, it's an OVA. Not enough material in 4 episodes for a good AMV.

Next time: ??? Dunno what'll be next, guys. I'm thinking SAO, maybe.

Wolfe: What the Heck is Up With Wolfe's Rating System?

Wolfe reporting.

So, there's been lots of confusion (apparently) regarding my rating system. I'd like to start by saying that I do not like using a rating system... it's like assigning numerical values to art. Each piece of art is, well, art, so calling one piece a "5" and another piece a "4" seems counter-intuitive for one such as myself.

However, that's not to say a rating system is without its value. After all, a reader is either reading on something they've already seen, or, more importantly, reading to determine whether or not the anime wants to be seen at all. Usually, if I complete an anime, I didn't dislike it. I want to highlight the points I liked and make educated arguments against one point or another (whether it be plot or characters).

Also: I was new to this when I started. I started out without a rating system entirely, and then moved onto a tentative rating system, which is continually evolving. While I can't pretend that it's stable yet (there are bits I intend to modify), I reckon I'm pretty close to my final line.

Ultimately, this comes down to this debate: do I rate based on what I (personally) thought? Or do I rate based on what I (objectively) thought? The perfect example would be in my Baccano! post. There are two comic relief characters that get a lot of screen time in Baccano!, and are, best as I can tell, well-loved by the average viewer. I didn't like them (although I did eventually warm up a little to them). So, do I mark down points under "Characters" solely because I didn't like them? In the personal rating system, I would. Under the objective rating system, I would consider other elements: for instance, both comic relief characters were consistent, had good back-story, and seemed likeable enough (even if they weren't so for me). So, under the objective rating system, I wouldn't mark the anime down for good characters just because I didn't like them.

Second debate: do I rate things down for bad elements, or rate things up for good elements? This is a tough question, in my opinion, and I understand people who do things either way. If rating down for bad elements, I suggest a zero-to-"x" scale, starting off with a perfect score and being marked down for this or that. If rating up for good elements, I also suggest a zero-to-"x" scale, starting off with a score of zero and building the anime up for this or that. If a combination of both the down and up systems is desired, I suggest either a zero-to-"x" scale (whereupon one starts halfway between zero and "x") or a "negative x"-to-"x" scale (whereupon one starts at zero), then bumping the score up or down based on this or that.

Conclusion: my methodology of choice is an objective rating system based on rating things down for "bad" elements. While I include my personal opinion, I don't give it any weight. For an example, I'll point again to my Baccano! review. I gave the Character section a 4 / 4, a perfect score... or, rather, I marked nothing down under Characters. While I noted that I disliked the comic relief, I defended my rating by explaining that each character is thoroughly thought-out (with good back-story as well).

Most of this was said just to sate Roxas' and Woodpecker's confusions, as well as to give advice to Iorek (who is awesome and rather new). I may or may not point out my personal opinion in juxtaposition with my objective opinion in later posts to help avoid confusion.

Death Note Review - Roxas

Hello people, I'm back. Today I will be looking at an anime that has become quite popular where I live recently, Death Note. Both subs and dubs are good for this 37 episode anime, but I chose to stick with dubs because I didn't like the voice given to one of the main characters in the sub.

Premise - Alright, let's all be honest here, our world is pretty messed up. Crime is rampant, war is looming, and humans are stupid. So what if you were given a chance to right the wrongs? What if the power to end the lives of evil-doers was merely a pen's stroke away? These are the questions that Light Yagami went through when the Death Note fell into his life. The Death Note possesses the ability to kill the person whose name you write in the book, while picturing the face of the person who you are killing. Without spoiling anything, let's just say the world governments aren't happy with someone taking the law into their own hands, so they get someone to find this perpetrator, and take him down. The premise is the reason I decided to watch this anime. Its unique ideas sucked me in right away, and I couldn't get enough.

Animation - The animation in this is very well done, going with a harsher, more realistic look. It gives the world an appropriately bleak feel. A nice touch added to the animation in this show, specifically later on, is that main characters have their eyes and hair change to a certain color when they have asides. For example, many times when Light is plotting, his hair and eyes become red, while another character, L, will have his eyes and hair turn blue when he is thinking to himself. This serves to give characters their own identity, which I think is used to great effect.

Plot - Now we come to the meat of this anime. What makes this anime so great is the conflict between the two main characters, L and Light. Their clashing ideologies and unique mannerisms endear (and at times disconnect) you from these two. Both L and Light are extremely intelligent, and the constant outsmarting will have you jumping up and down from overexposure to pure awesomeness more than once. Another thing that makes these characters so great is that, despite the fact that they are trying to take out each other, they are also very similar. The great thing about this show is also its downfall at times, though. With so many amazing things happening, the parts that lack the amazing moments are very obvious. Thankfully there are only two or three episodes that drag in the beginning. Now, my next qualm with this anime. This show spends its entire time building up the confrontation between the two characters, and the final battle between these two happens at episode 25 of 37. Not only was the confrontation ridiculously anti-climatic, the plot keeps moving after the battle between the two intellectual titans has ended. Another battle begins in the next episodes, and although the ending was MUCH better this time around, these episodes felt a bit derivative at times. Still, I am impressed at how interesting and unique the new characters are. They add a cool dimension.

Characters - The biggest problem with the characters in this show is that so many of them get killed. A lot of the characters steal the spotlight for a few episodes, only to be offed a few moments later. The main characters L and Light are amazing. Both of them evolve extremely well, and they play off each other beautifully. These two characters sold the show for me. The new main characters introduced in the later episodes are a mixed bag. Some are great, and really add something fresh, while some (Mello) feel like archetypes that I've seen in shows past. One of the new main characters, Near, was very well-done, and helped me through the show even after that terrible death in episode 25. In short, great characters, small lifespans.

Verdict - I was surprised how a show with such great moments could such stupid decisions at certain points. Still, despite some dumb turns here, boring parts there, Death Note manages to do something that few shows do; it made itself memorable. I would recommend this show to almost anyone.

Score - 8.5/10

Wallpapers:

deviantart.net

wallbase.cc

wallbase.cc

wallgood.com

wallbase.cc

AMVs (Note that all of these contain spoilers):

EPIC! Stole this one from Matt's Cool AMVs post. Let it Burn by Red

Hero by Nickelback (All about L! =D)


Last Night, Good Night by Vocaloid2 Hatsune Miku

Outside by Unknown - Near Tribute

Prelude 1221 by Unknown - Short but great

Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit

Baldr: Introduction

    Heyo, Baldr here. As the newest addition to the team I wanted to say hello and give a quick introduction of myself.
    I may love to watch anime but I am first and foremost, a gamer. I have done both since I was little kid as I tried to fit in with my brothers, but I have since realized that they have horrible tastes and have moved on to much greener pastures. I continue to learn about the best anime and hope to dive even deeper down the rabbit hole in the future.
    First off, I personally think it is difficult to find a bad anime, and I enjoy most of them that I watch. That being said, I still have my preferences. I tend to gravitate towards more action oriented anime, even though some of my favorites have no action whatsoever. Honestly, any anime that can get you to relate to one or more of the characters is great to me. This leads you to want to know what happens to them and continue watching, giving them the freedom to mold the story however they would like. But fast paced action is what usually gets me into an anime.
    Just like with games, I feel graphical style isn’t a major part, it can help you visualize and can get their information across, but it is not the most important aspect of any anime. That being said, good visuals can greatly increase an anime’s appeal and your inclination to watch it in my opinion. And I can always appreciate when there has been effort put into the aesthetics of something. Though I do like when something looks amazing, it doesn’t change what it is, just how you see it.
    Generally I prefer subs over dubs, but as I usually multitask when watching things, I will sometimes watch dubs. That would usually be for an anime that I am not that into and if I am invested in watching it, I will definitely watch it with subs. Being a very literary person myself, I put much thought into language and tone, and dubs usually change these quite drastically. I just feel that this changes how a character is portrayed and how certain information is given to you.
    With all that being said, I hope to get some reviews out soon. However, seeing how my colleagues have already done all of my favorite anime, it might be a while until i catch up on watching some. I will probably not be the most active member of this team as I watch many other things besides anime and most of my time is taken up by gaming, but still expect to see things from me in the future.

Wolfe: Baccano! バッカーノ!

Wolfe reporting.

Just finished Baccano! last weekend, and it's actually been about a week without anime for me. Real life got busy. Sadface. Fortunately, I have a history of anime, so I'll be able to keep pumping out reviews, even if at a slower pace than before (closer to the weekly deal until life slows down a bit). The word Baccano is Italian for a "racket" or "ruckus", which, in and of itself, is a pretty decent description of the anime. The genre is, in my opinion: action, comedy, dark, adventure. I'm also introducing a brief section on "OP" (Over-Powered) which will not contribute towards the overall grading. So, let's get started!

I give it a 12.5 / 13! (=96%)

Concept: Well, the setting is back in the 1900's, but when it comes to the actual underlying concepts... {WARNING: SPOILERS} Oddly enough, the viewer doesn't really catch onto the actual underlying concept for a few episodes. If a certain elixir is drunk, one becomes immortal-- they stop aging, and, if harmed, take only a handful of seconds to recover fully. They can still be killed, but only temporarily. The only way they can truly be killed is if they are "eaten" or "devoured" by one of their fellow immortals, in a ritualistic act. Also: if an immortal is within earshot, other immortals have to use their real names (so as to be identifiable to each other). That's about it for the concept, in all honesty. It's the plot that's got more things going for it.

Introduction Sequence: 2 / 2. I thought the introduction was a bit long, but it was spoiler-free, and the song was (I guess) catchy. During the introduction sequence, they generally do a few brief clips from previous episodes, so as to remind the viewer that [x] and [y] happened previously. All the characters shown in the sequence are major characters, if this gives you some idea as to what I'll be talking about under "Plot". Link: Opening Sequence.

Animation Style: 2 / 2. I liked this animation style; it was very Steins;Gate-ish.

Examples:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano_1-1.jpg

http://www.animeclick.it/prove/serie/Baccano/Baccano21.jpg

Music: 1 / 1. I didn't necessarily dig the music, but I know there are loads of fans for this type. It often fit the mood well enough (to my disdain), with a cheery upbeat sensation to it. Link: Baccano! OST.

Plot: 3.5 / 4. Does this anime probably deserve a 4? In the eyes of most (being a popular anime, apparently), it probably does. I agree that it is well-done, indeed, but I found the introduction too slow-paced, the ending leaving a bad taste, and the progression either too simplistic or too complex. The plot itself is a complicated matter, definitely, most of the anime (episodes 1-13) revolving around what happened during a train ride. Each of the characters have a backstory, and each backstory is investigated with varying degrees of precision. You start off completely disoriented, and, piece by piece, work out exactly what happened where, with who and why. It is my opinion that the first episode was very poorly done, which is why I mark it down half a point in this category; the second episode (and beyond) was far an improvement. Episodes 14-16 were a bit odd to me, and I can't help but wonder if they weren't added in afterthought (as I would have been content with the climactic ending to Episode 13).

Characters: 4 / 4. I really, really disliked two of the characters (comic relief) for a majority of this anime, slowly desensitizing to them and eventually almost enjoying their screen time. But, I am not a fan of comic relief. (Side note: best as I can tell, it is solely because of these two characters that the anime was so well-received). However, character development was ever-present, each character thoroughly thought-out and displayed well, unique and with their own characteristics and backstory. In the introduction sequence, each character you see is a major character. In this particular anime, Characters and Plot cannot be untangled, for each has an arm around the other-- it was an interesting feel, quite unusual. However, whether or not I liked the characters, they were well-put-together and deserve credit as such (*cough* Roxas *cough* S;G *cough*).

OP: Good grief, some of these characters were OP. If you read past my spoiler warning under Concept, you'd understand only a small portion of how OP other (shall I say "normal") characters are. There's bullet deflection, physically-impossible feats, and some people took wounds far better than they really could've. Ladd Russo is my main example, although... AGH! I can't say the name of the other one without spoiling anything, apologies. There are others as well, of course, but those two especially.

If you like anime with a '90s feel to it, with comedy relief, action, adventure, and, yes, darkness (and by that I mean blood), then you'll enjoy Baccano! immensely. It's well-made.

Wallpapers:

http://gallery.minitokyo.net/download/344748

http://gallery.minitokyo.net/download/460114

http://www.wallcg.com/download/99040/baccano-high-quality-and-resolution-original/

AMV's:

These are some of the best AMV's I've had the pleasure of viewing!!
"Miss Murder" - EPIC!
"Ugly is Beautiful" - Great lip work!
"Rumble in New York" - Excellent newspaper work!
"Give Me More" - Decent!
"Don't Stop Me Now" - Ladd Russo Tribute

Where's everyone else? It's nice and lonely.

Next time: Dunno! We'll see what I feel like reviewing next.

Steins;Gate Review - Roxas

Hey, Roxas here with another review. For this anime I watched the subs, but I recommend watching both the subbed and dubbed versions, as both add their own flavor, both of which are very nice. I am in the process of watching the dubs right now. Now, on with the review.

H.G. Wells once said, "Man . . . can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way." This is the main idea that is illustrated in Steins;Gate. We all ponder the famous what ifs of time travel, and this anime puts its own interesting twists on this topic. I will mention that this anime was based off of a sim-game of the same name, and it shows. So buckle up lab members, and don't forget the three secret words before we jump into this review. El Psy Congroo!

Premise - Alright, so this story mainly revolves around the character Rintarou Okabe, a.k.a. Okarin, a.k.a. "Hououin Kyouma!". This guy is an over dramatic, paranoid, and slightly crazy self-proclaimed mad scientist. He believes that a large organization has taken over the world through time machines, and he must stop them. To help Okabe in his quest are his lab members Mayuri and Daru. These seemingly harmless and ignorant friends eventually find themselves entangled in a web of darkness, murder, and corruption. The premise, while seemingly simple in the beginning, becomes all the more intriguing as the full weight of events is seen as time goes on.

Animation - Watching this, you can tell that they did not have a lot of money to spend on the animation for this anime, but even though it is pretty average, it is done well with what they have to work with. Things stay fairly nice, and the world sticks with a more realistic look.

Plot - It is really hard to talk about the plot without spoiling anything, so I'll do my best to keep this free of spoilers. This plot was very up and down for me. At times, this show would be brilliant, and at other times this show made me want to fall asleep. When this show first started, it was quite boring, with episodes consisting of odd interactions and very little character or plot progression. It picks up after a few episodes, becoming both suspenseful and funny. These episodes contain some awesome and hilarious moments, and really endear you to the characters, except Mayuri, a.k.a. Mayushii, she's just annoying. After these great episodes, this anime reverts to a boring sim-date feel. These episodes consisted of having to get something for a woman, interacting with the woman, and having her fall in love with the main character, get the item, then repeat with a different woman. These episodes bored me to death. The worst part of this is that little plot or character development appears at all. Now we transition to last few episodes. These episodes are amazing, and most certainly make up for the previous episodes. These episodes are intense, and have a darker feel. And you will definitely have those "Ah! I get it!" moments. There is also an OVA episode, and it is terrible. It is a "fun" episode that is completely irrelevant, and very boring, but I am not putting this into consideration for the score, as it is merely a single OVA.

Characters:
Most of the main characters are very well done, specifically Hououin Kyouma. Very few times have I ever seen such a natural evolution of a character. I felt very connected to him the whole time, and he always seemed to be a person you could actually meet. Another job well done in this part are the character interactions between Kyouma and Makise Kurisu. Their relationship evolves beautifully, and also felt very real through its entirety. Kurisu is a very well done character, and was surprisingly dynamic, given the plot situation (don't worry, no spoilers). The other "main" characters, however, did not feel so natural. Mayuri felt like a cookie-cutter and static character throughout, and her character development did not do much to pull me in. She has one or two moments of depth, but on the whole feels like a facsimilie. Granted some of the reason Mayuri never really develops past her shallow self is due to some plot elements, but even so, Makise was bound by the same plot rules as Mayuri was, and Makise was quite developed. Daru fared better than Mayuri at times, but not of his own merit. A certain interaction with another character gives him a nicely added dimension. I won't really go more in-depth for the other characters, as these are the main ones. Let's just say, they don't develop that well either, except maybe for Suzuha Amane.
  
Verdict - With all its ups and downs, in the end, Steins;Gate is a solid anime that you should certainly watch, as long as you don't mind that it doesn't have a lot of action.

Score - 8/10

Wallpapers:

images.alphacoders.com

imgbase.info

images2.alphacoders.com

gallery.minitokyo.net

AMVs:

Great cutting on this one!

Cool effects!

Wolfe: Corpse Princess / Shikabane Hime (屍姫)

Wolfe reporting.

I watched Corpse Princess (aka Shikabane Hime) a while ago. 屍姫 : roughly translated, it's "dead" and "princess". I'm also starting a new category, "Concept", based off of Roxas' "Premise", that doesn't hold any weight (any negatives or positives will be attributed to "Plot"). I found the anime by a suggestion from Claymore, one of my classic cornerstones in anime. And, in all reality, it's very similar to Claymore. While it's arguably not a "great" anime, I liked it, especially the darkness and the bad guys (the Seven Stars). The genre is labeled as thus: romance, horror, action. While the romance seems fairly hollow/shallow to me, I very much enjoy the horror, and the action is fairly straightforward (Claymore with guns, effectively). So, let's get started!

I give it a 8.5 / 13! (= 65%)

Concept: I'll start this out by explaining (best I can) about the concept of a Shikabane in the first place. A Shikabane is the name for someone who died and hung onto life because of a powerful regret or obsession-- it's very rare, so just because someone has a powerful regret/obsession doesn't at all mean that they'll become a Shikabane upon death. Shikabane can sometimes look the same, but oftentimes have very different appearances-- very much akin to the Awakened Beings in Claymore. Also like Awakened Beings, the Shikabane are superhuman in strength, size, etc.-- like a spirit that is also solid, if that makes sense. They are prone to changing form. Humans basically can't harm them (and maybe not see them either-- it's been a while since I've seen the anime). So, basically, when someone has died and is turning into a Shikabane, if a priest (that's the best word I have for them) is there, the soon-to-be Shikabane can willingly choose to serve them, then transforming them into a Shikabane Hime. Shikabane Hime are able to stay in this world due to Rune (life-energy) provided by the priest. Shikabane Hime are used to hunt Shikabane (again, like in Claymore, where half-Yoma half-human Claymores hunt Yoma). Their incentive? Once they kill 108 Shikabane, they get to go to Heaven (whereas killed Shikabane are certain to go to Hell). Shikabane Hime are nearly invincible, able to survive very very grevious wounds, only able to be killed by having their brain destroyed or by being chopped up into little tiny pieces. Extra card: Shikabane (not Shikabane Hime) have a curse, an ability they can use and/or have to use (and that's about all I can say on that without spoilers).

Introduction Sequence: 2 / 2. I don't necessarily think it's the best intro by a long shot, but it has all the elements I like. It doesn't spoil much, accurately portrays the anime, is fast-paced, has eye-candy action and a song that's okay. Link: Opening Sequence.

Animation Style: 2 / 2. I enjoy this animation style. Absolutely no chibi here, assuming I recall correctly. It's right up there with Steins;Gate.

Examples:

http://img.zimabdk.com/uploads/13776650852.jpg

http://static.minitokyo.net/reviews/1722_2.jpg

Music: 1 / 1. I'm actually making assumptions by giving it this rating-- I recall the music setting the tone perfectly well at dark/horror parts, and yet, the OST is pretty bland/generic. Link: Shikabane Hime OST.

Plot: 2 / 4. I very much enjoyed the second half of the anime, but the first half was incredibly lacking. I'd have given it a "0.5" were it not for the second half. If I was reviewing just the second half, I'd have given it a "3", maybe. There was some romance throughout, but it was very hollow/shallow; it didn't land well, and, as Roxas'll tell you, I can normally attach to characters very easily. There was a lot of action, and the action was actually very good. Simplex and straightforward, but good. Like swordfighting in Claymore, Shikabane Hime fight Shikabane with guns (and I do believe there are a few sword-users). There were some very dark and twisted parts to this anime, and I absolutely adored these-- for these, I was definitely willing to overlook the poor romance. I also adored the bad guys! The main bad guys, the Seven Stars, are very slowly introduced, shrouded in mystery for the first half of the anime. I'm especially a fan of three of the Seven Stars, but naming them and their abilities would be quite the spoiler, sadly. The plot follows the main girl character, a Shikabane Hime, but the camera (so to speak) mostly follows the main boy character (who I don't really like, sorry).

Characters: 1.5 / 4. The characters weren't very good, and I reckon that was the issue. I mean, I'm in complete adoration of the Seven Stars, but they're the only characters I liked. There were some temporary characters that I liked, but usually they aren't seen long and are never seen again (hard to explain why). Some characters were weak, and others were overpowered (although, happily, not nearly as much as the Seven Stars). Some characters were obviously eye candy (women). I will say that Raki (from Claymore) is almost exactly alike to the main male character. He's something of a crybaby who's in love with a powerful girl, who has these overly-optimistic ideals regarding "no war", "no pain", "no death" scenarios. The women are touched that he cares for them, etc. etc. Shallow and hollow, really.

If you like the dark and twisted, a long lead-in, and untouching romance, then this is the anime for you. As for myself, I just liked the dark and twisted (and, eventually, the bad guys).

Do excuse my constant Claymore references. This anime truly is ever so similar to Claymore.

Wallpapers:

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/20800000/makina-shikabane-hime-20891770-1024-768.jpg

http://cdn.madman.com.au/images/series/series_15818.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo186/slayer545/snapshot20081205011024.jpg

http://baratijasblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/10cbe66a2c93e2af22e302667cfa9bc6.jpg

AMV's:
EPIC AMV
AMV (Thriller)
AMV

We miss Baldr. He'll show up. Eventually.

We have a new admin in the house!! His name is Demothis ("deemo"+ "this" as in "thistle"). He's been an Animehead for a long time! (As Japanese doesn't exactly have a "th" sound, the closest I can manage is デモせ). Welcome!

Next time: Baccano! I'm not quite done yet, but it'll likely be my next review, unless I manage to pump out one within two days somehow.

Sunday without God Review - Roxas

Hey guys, here with my next review. Sunday without God is a fairly new anime, coming out this past July. I was pleasantly surprised by how mature this anime was, considering the art style seemed to be geared towards a younger audience. It is only at twelve episodes right now, but the conclusion of the twelfth appears to give hints at a second season. By the way, I have added a new criteria to be scrutinized: premise. So, let's start with that.

Premise - The basic idea of this story is quite interesting. In this place, God created the world, and then abandoned it when Heaven was becoming too full. After admitting his failure, he leaves the world with a few final changes. In this new world, you may live forever, even after death. Humanity also may not produce anymore children. After awhile, however, Humanity's eternity became a curse, as people's bodies were burned, cut, and began to deteriorate, their souls lived on in pain. So, another gift was granted to the world. A race called Gravekeepers popped up. Gravekeepers are benevolent beings who, when a human is buried, send the buried human's soul away from this world. I quite liked this premise, as it gives a unique setting for this story. One thing I wish they would have specified is where the buried soul goes after it moves on, as Heaven is filled.

Animation - The animation in this is nice, if a bit on the plain side as far as characters go. The backgrounds are very picturesque at times, and the particle effects are nice. What I really like about the animation in this is the difference in styles between the characters. Some characters had a noticeably different feel from the others, with the lighter styled characters brimming with innocence, while the more realistic character had a grittier air about them. I found these two styles in juxtaposition to each other to be a nice touch.

Plot - The story progression is divided into five arcs that are 1-3 episodes long, with a main arc intertwined throughout. The first arc was very interesting, and does its job at hooking you into the story. My biggest problem with this arc is how abruptly it ends. The character development was going very well, and the ending left me quite unsatisfied. Still, it had some great moments. The main character, Ai, does an okay job, though I frequently find her to be blindly idealistic at points, and although it may be blamed on naivete, it really doesn't make it much better. The second arc has some impressive philosophical connotations, and introduces some well-done characters. However, I am not a fan that some of these good characters are left behind at the end of this arc as well. The third arc is terribly boring, giving a cliche feeling high school anime. The only saving grace of this third arc was that two of the better (and more permanent) characters are introduced. As these two characters develop, it makes this show significantly better. The fourth arc is very short, but gives some more background to gravekeepers, which kept things interesting. The final arc is the reason for watching this series, for now anyways. This story arc creates a great atmosphere, and introduces a dark and pitiful world. The connotations of this world made for some wonderful philosophical points, and the conclusion was, for the most part, quite satisfying.

Fights - There really isn't much here when it comes to combat. The fights in the beginning are pretty high-octane, and scenes in the final story arc are most definitely intense, but there aren't that many fights. This anime is made more for contemplation and caring than action. When the fights come, they are well done, and quite unique.

Verdict - Certainly not ground-breaking by any means, but this is a surprisingly poignant and mature anime, with the exception of the Goran Academy arc, which felt boring and immature. All in all, not too bad of an anime, and I am interested to see the second season (if there is one).

Score 7/10

Wallpapers:

deviantart.net

animemage.com

animemage.com

AMVs (This anime is quite new, so not many good ones yet):

Spoiler Warning on this one (more of a tribute than an AMV)

(Soft one) Open your eyes now by Andrew Belle

A Tragic Instinct by Coldrain