anime review: ano natsu de matteru

i watched this anime last night and to be honest i was totally disappointed. sharing the same director with AnoHAna and Toradora, i had high expectation for this anime, but i found it quite bland. to be honest, i watched this because i need a little feels. but throughout the anime i didn't had any feels ride. no. none. nada. empty. zero.

but i can't base this anime just because it didn't make me cry. here are some reviews of it:

the plot:
the plot what somewhat quite similar to most romance anime lately. a girl in a spacecraft crashed on earth and ended up living with the male protagonist? this was done multiple times that it was quite expected. however this time it is not the usual harem in which all the girls want that one boy, which make it much more bearable. it all began when the Kirishima Kaito decide to make a movie. with the help of his friends (Tetsurou, Mio, Ichika and Kanna)  and a scheming-chibi senior. here the plot started to revolve around those characters and slowly each and every characters' secrets and feelings were revealed. however in the romantic department between Ichika and kaito was quite rushed (confessing at second episode?) but it was smoothed down on the later episodes.



the setting:
natsu yasumi (summer holidays). usually, the summer holidays scene was added purely for the sake of fanservice but this anime use the whole summer holidays as setting thus escape the usually new-school-term anime stereotypes. because of the summer setting, we can see the characters wear and use different kind of clothes so it was much more colourful.


the characters:
the characters were developed quite nicely. however, it was obvious who had a crush on who even in the first episode. and it ticked me off because out of all the possible couples, only one make it official.


the art:
thanks to the summer holidays setting, the art of this anime was colourful and bright. however, JC Staff was one of the best animator so it was quite expected. in short, the art was nice and managed to really brings out the mood.

music:
the opening and ending of the anime was okay but i really wanted to complaint about the background music on the emotional scenes. it was just not there. i believe sometimes we cried at some scenes because of the background music but in this anime the background music failed quite badly.


all in all, it was indeed a good anime. i am just pissed because it failed to make me cry. maybe i need find the mood and watch it again. maybe i need to really understand the whole if-i'm-gone-we-will-never-meet-again and i-live-in-the-other-galaxy ideas to get the feels.
highly recommend this to those who into romance anime

anime review: mahou shoujo madoka magica

mahou shoujo means magical girl in japanesse. and  there are lots of mahou shoujo anime out there such as Sailormoon, wedding peach, magical girl lyrical nanoha and so on. all focusing on cute/kawaii, super nice girl fighting evil using their magical powers and win each time.  so what is the difference between Madoka Magica and other mahou shoujo anime?

well, let me put it in order according to my opinion

plot:

at the earlier episode we were introduced to madoka and her simple life, friends and family and a new transfer student, Akemi Homura. later she and her friend, Miki sayaka rescued Kyubey and he offers he to become magical girl by a contract. sound simple right? but no. in the later episodes, the harsh reality of being a magical girl is revealed. the life and death and the deeper meaning of the contract. you see to become a magical girl, you need to form a contract with Kyubey and in exchage he will grant any wish the girl wanted. here we will understand that magical girl did not fight to fight witches but they really are fighting for their wishes. even if the wish somewhat come true but they have to pay dearly for it so that the balance of the world is maintained. deeper into the story, you will figure out Homura's intention on killing Kyubey and stopping Madoka from performing the contract with him.

the plot was very intense and have you hooked to it to the very end. and even the ending leave you wish for more.

the art

in anime, the art is what make it distinctive. in madoka magica, at first i thought it used what i called as lazy-animator-style. if was kinda thing that you see in Shin Chan and Lucky Star. even so, it was properly done with the futuristic elements (the world the creator imagine in ten years to come).

but the animator sure blows my mind away during the fighting scene. usually the magical girl will fight the witch in the barrier of labyrinth the witch created. here the art was simply stunning. it was something you would see in an art museum. it really added the chilling effect and also making the whole scene different that usual fighting scenes in anime. 

Sayaka in witch form

kyoko's reflection on her past

the first time being in a barrier

the setting

the time setting was set to be a few years in the future. there are lots of futuristic devices in this anime yet when we look at it we didn't feel awkward, meaning that the creator managed to add the futuristic devices without making it feel like we were watching Sci-fi anime. 

the characters:

in my opinion, the characters were developed wonderfully. we were introduced from one character to another. the character development goes in sync with the plot so well that as long as we understand the plot, we will understand the character and vice-versa.

the ending:

the ending of this anime is somewhat unexpected. it left we with tears in my eyes. it was a beautiful yet tragic ending. it was totally different from any normal mahou shoujo anime i have ever watched. 

overall:

mahou shoujo madoka magica really blew my mind away. i put it on a hold for so many time and when i started watching it i seemed to be cannot stop. it was a much see for anyone who wanted to have a fresh view on anime.

mahou shoujo

anime review: elfen lied

elfen lied (meaning elf song in germany)

"we capture them, experimented with them them kill them and they are the monster?"
 

the anime begin with a bloodbath of a girl, escaping from the institution that held her captive. a sniper tried to kill her by shooting straight to the back of her head but missed and the girl fell into the sea.
in another part of the town, two cousins found a clueless girl who incapable of speech except for "nyu". they took her in out of pity and a sense of humanity. and that was when all the weird thing started happening and "nyu" was the center of it. what is the goverment are hiding. who are those people that start showing up at their doorstep and what is a forgotten past that seemed to slowly resurfaced?

elfen lied focus more on the mistreating of the beings that was different from normal humankind. a diclonoids, born with two horns and telekinetic ability were considered bloodthirsty monsters and should be eliminated. it was no different from real life where we tend to judge those who are different from us.

were the diclonoids really a bloodthirsty murderer or the 'normal' human treatment that make them snap? that is what the creator was trying to imply in the anime. other than that the anime also focus on child abuse and psychological trauma that ones may suffer after a shocking incident.

the art is so beautiful and it fit the anime perfectly. the opening song especially add a sense of chill towards its listener and the ending song seemed to soothe down the shock we experience throughout the anime. the plot and story-line was easier to understand with not too much character, giving us the understand the situation more. the difference between Nyu and Lucy give us a chance to expect what would happen (and to tell the truth, my heart always beating fast when i saw Lucy)

i recommend this anime to those who like gore anime because gore is the largest portion of the anime with a little mix of romance, social situation and action.

anime review: toradora

TORADORA!  and the amin characters

toradora is a cute romantic comedy anime. the story revolves around aisaka taiga and takasu syuuji who live next to each other.

ryuuji, despite his appearance like a yankee is actually is a soft hearted boy who loves cooking and cleaning. he has a crush on a classmate called minori. taiga on the other hand, live alone after the fall out with her parents. a certain love letter accident brought them together where ryuuji promise to help taiga confess to her crush, kitamura. however, it kitamura rejected taiga so but taiga hold out to her promise and help ryuuji confess to minorin even by that time she has feelings for ryuuji, despite her attempt to hide it.

minorin was well aware of taiga's feeling for ryuuji and even though she also like ryuuji, she rejected him even before he had a chance to confess. in her (minorin) words, "i can grab my own happiness but if ryuuji leave taiga now, she'll lose all hope in life". this refer to taiga's dependent on ryuuji in her life such as preparing food and cleaning. ryuuji also give taiga a little feeling belonging and family, the feeling that taiga's had long lost due to her conflict with her family.

taiga's tears

the clashing of character between ryuuji (soft-hearted kind boy) and taiga (brutal mini tiger/tsundere) is so hilarious. it was kind of a refreshing anime where in here viewer can relate to their life. the plot was also well written and it was hard not to root for taiga. other than ryuuji and taiga's relationship, there is also a dash of school-life added to it making it much more cuter yet balanced between love and life. i highly recommend this for those who love romantic comedy.

palmtop tiger kick!!!

trivia:
TORA DORA
is a combination of both ryuuji and taiga's name
tora means tiger in Japanese and it refers to taiga's nick name "palmtop tiger/ palmtop taiga" and dora is the first two syllable of japanese  way of saying dragon (doragon) which is ryuuji's name (ryu=dragon)

anime review: another

the story began with he gossiping of two students about a student called misaki who was dead 26 years ago and how his classmates of class 3-3 won't accept it and pretending that the misaki is still alive and among them.
26 years later, a boy moved into the school and met misaki mei, an aloof girl who in his opinion was beautiful. but no other person notices her. it was as if he was the only one can see her, or is he? follow his as he unravel the mystery of the girl, the school and more importantly the cursed class of 3-3.

misaki mei and sakakibara at the hospital

class 3-3

misaki's abnormal eye

kill...

...or be killed

mass murder ala battle royale

it was so good that i feel bad if i give a spoiler away.
if you're a fan of mystery thriller, i guess this one is for you.
and i love it. i think it has great story-line but i do think the end was a bit rushed. the minor characters were also underdeveloped but i guess that adds to the mystery of it all.
i really recommend this to those who love horror/mystery/thriller  genre. and even if you are a fan of gore, there are lots of blood splashing and bone cracking scene in this.

I had finished this a few weeks back, but because of shitty internet connection I can’t post the review.

What i can say about sword art online is it is different yet the same. It was different because it involves real life (reality) as the setting but also forged the virtual world of Nervegear, where there are magic, sword fights and all the things usually in fantasy genre. It lead me to the question, what is the genre? Fiction or fantasy? Or both.

On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and subsequently discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who is determined to beat the game. As the game progresses for two years, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna with whom he ultimately falls in love. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's avatar in SAO, they confront and defeat him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

Upon returning to the real world, Kirito learns that Asuna and 300 other SAO players have still not awakened yet. Following a clue about Asuna's whereabouts in another VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online (ALO), Kirito also logs in there. Helped by his sister Suguha, he learns that the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan devised by Nobuyuki Sugō to perform illegal experiments on their minds to put them under his control, including Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world in order to take over her family's company. After Kirito stops Nobuyuki's plans, he finally reunites with Asuna in the real world.

I find the storyline is amazing. It was easy to understand yet got me hooked up on it. The adventure was something predictable in action anime yet the romance is bit different. I mean the progress rather quickly, an unusual trait in other anime. However, the bond that they have with each other and others characters was so heart-warming.

I definitely suggested this anime. It goes to either gender boys or girls. There is a perfect balance of action and romance in it.

 * the line is shitty, i can upload the pictures i wanted huhu TT

anime review: sword art online

I had finished this a few weeks back, but because of shitty internet connection I can’t post the review.

What i can say about sword art online is it is different yet the same. It was different because it involves real life (reality) as the setting but also forged the virtual world of Nervegear, where there are magic, sword fights and all the things usually in fantasy genre. It lead me to the question, what is the genre? Fiction or fantasy? Or both.

 

On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and subsequently discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who is determined to beat the game. As the game progresses for two years, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna with whom he ultimately falls in love. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's avatar in SAO, they confront and defeat him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

right after they got married

Upon returning to the real world, Kirito learns that Asuna and 300 other SAO players have still not awakened yet. Following a clue about Asuna's whereabouts in another VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online (ALO), Kirito also logs in there. Helped by his sister Suguha, he learns that the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan devised by Nobuyuki Sugō to perform illegal experiments on their minds to put them under his control, including Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world in order to take over her family's company. After Kirito stops Nobuyuki's plans, he finally reunites with Asuna in the real world.

I find the storyline is amazing. It was easy to understand yet got me hooked up on it. The adventure was something predictable in action anime yet the romance is bit different. I mean the progress rather quickly, an unusual trait in other anime. However, the bond that they have with each other and others characters was so heart-warming.

I definitely suggested this anime. It goes to either gender boys or girls. There is a perfect balance of action and romance in it. 

* the pictures goes all haywire because my internet is so slow......  TT