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.
16.10.13
14.10.13
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:
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:
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.
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.
7.10.13
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!
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:
AMVs:
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:
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| images.alphacoders.com |
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| imgbase.info |
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| images2.alphacoders.com |
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| gallery.minitokyo.net |
Great cutting on this one!
Cool effects!
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