The Thread of Anime Reviews

I enjoyed reading both of your reviews, Tru-pyon. I hope you continue to write more. :yes:

And thanks, AJ. :smile:

Reply 961

22. Queen's Blade: Runo no Senshi

Every four years, the violent Queen's Blade tournament begins once more. Meant as a test of strength and beauty, girls fight each other in hopes of gaining power over the land, each with her own reason for participating. Reina, Risty and Tomoe, amongst others, are three who seek to win the tournament - but their path won't be easy. In addition to traveling the land, the girls must fight warring ninja, avoid the sting of acid-spitting nipples, and most importantly try to keep clothed when minimally possible - all in hopes of winning Queen's Blade! Who will become the next ruler?

Firstly, before I proceed, it's worth noting that I originally chose to drop this series in account of the lewd imagery, bordering on hentai territory, that was present throughout the first episode. This was supplemented by the weak premise, which didn't inspire much hope, seeming more of an afterthought than anything worthy of attention. However, in spite of this, the production was surprisingly good, or more precisely, was noticeably better than the majority in its broadcast season. The animation was detailed and attractive, with each character design possessing individuality and distinction. The studio responsible, Arms, are no stranger to risqué material, producing the similarly themed Ikkitousen, along with a slew of explicit hentai, so I naturally deemed Queen's Blade to be no different. Unlike the past, where I would happily pick up something of this ilk, I'm unable to delegate that much time to anime nowadays, resulting in being rather selective in my viewing, certainly for what I choose to watch weekly. Therefore, Queen's Blade was placed on the drop pile, never to be seen again...

So, why the sudden change of heart? Well, AJ (AngryJellyfish) and Jenni (skipp) are responsible for this. With the frequent mention of how misunderstood and understated the series is, and that it does indeed bear some notion of substance in its story-line and characterisation, this prompted my reconsideration. After all, with the likes of Atsuko Tanaka, Ayako Kawasumi and Aya Hirano at the helms of the voice cast, it can't be all that bad, right? By this point, the first season, Runo no Senshi, to which this review is intended, had finished airing, meaning it was just a simple matter of marathoning through it. This was probably the best thing, in my case, for had I followed this weekly, my tolerance would have likely snapped again, banishing Queen's Blade to the drop pile once more. Because I was able to watch each episode together meant that I was able to digest the series in one lengthly serving.

And you know what? At the end of it all, it was not that bad. Sure, the scripting was lacking in depth, with erotica aplenty, but the characterisation, while somewhat contrived, did in fact deliver something of merit in its portrayal. I came to like Reina and her search for purpose in this harsh world, with the turbulent relationship she shared with her sister Claudette. This was supported by the subsequent introduction of each character, all of whom were amusing in their own way, but ultimately, lacked any notable background story. Melona has probably the most ridiculous character design I've seen, and with her appearance in the first episode, is probably why I chose to drop this series initially. A Playboy bunny-girl gone wrong (I'm still slightly disturbed by the acid coming out of her bosoms). Furthermore, Echidna, the sadistic snake-seductress, and Nanael, the ditzy but oddly likable angel, added to my enjoyment, but served not much more beyond that. As mentioned, the only set of characters that had any genuine depth was that of Reina and her relationship with her sister Claudette, but even this was marginal at best.

What Queen's Blade did excel in was its production. Overlooking the shininess of each character, with their suggestive appearances, everything was animated fluidly, with lush terrains to capture the world they lived in. The fight sequences, although short, were entertaining to watch. Were they a tad longer, I'd imagine my overall rating would be higher. I can't speak for the second season because I have yet to watch it fully, placing it on hold until it finishes airing, which won't be long now. The voice acting was solid, on all accounts, nothing I can fault. Given how generic each character is, in addition to the superficiality of the script, there's not much room to deliver anything more than they did. I can't really remember the soundtrack, but it was of the orchestral variety, serving well to maintain the intensity of each scene. The opening, Get the Door, by Rie Ohashi, on the other hand, was pleasant to listen to. The ending, Omiode to Yakusoku, was not bad, sung collectively by the voice cast of Ayako Kawasumi, Mamiko Noto and Aya Hirano. Not something I'd actively listen to, though. I often found myself skipping this.

Queen's Blade succeeds in what aims to be, a pseudo-hentai that delivered exceedingly well in its presentation. Borrowing from the shounen stereotype of having a fighting tournament (that had yet to begin during this season) for its action element, while giving its viewers copious amounts of explicit ecchi and yuri, which, let's face it, is what this series is really about. The series is not without its sexual undertone, which is constantly present throughout. At every given opportunity, a character is subject to some sort of lewd situation. I've often said, had this series gone all the way, it probably would have been a top hentai series. My only slight problem with this, bearing in mind that I'm clearly not its intended audience (26-year-old female), is that this was not your typical ecchi or yuri series, which I can happily overlook (a perverted panty shot or two is something I can accept), but with Queen's Blade, it really was explicit. There were multiples instances throughout the series where it crossed the line, without showing it directly. In the first few episodes of the second season (which I've postponed shortly after), one such character has a tentacle monster attached, of which pumps its 'liquid' into her. Need I say more?

With everything considered, I'm giving the first season of Queen's Blade (Runo no Senshi) 3.5, largely in account of its production, but credit is also due for its attempt at character development.

Rating:

3.5

Previous Reviews

Reply 962

bright-eyes

Anybody for Kanon?

Haven't been here for a while. Missed the reviews.
Okay, if anyone wants to review ANY of the following:

•

Full Metal Panic

•

Lovely Complex

•

Gundam Unicorn (?) I think it is out now in anime

•

Romeo X Juliet

•

FLCL

•

K.U.R.O.S.H.I.T.S.U.J.I

•

Magic Knight Rayearth

•

Nyankoi (funny yet gets serious when it wants to be)

•

11eyes (or Eleven Eyes)

•

Saitama Chainsaw Shoujo ( I think some OVAS have been released)

•

S-Cry-ed

•

Scrapped Princess

•

Absolute Boyfriend :woo: (charming shoujo series for January's reviews?)

•

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

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Mushishi

•

Great Teacher Onizuka

•

Hidamari Sketch

•

Real Drive (26 episode anime. Shirow Masamune produced.)

Reply 963

bright-eyes

Anybody for Kanon?

Haven't been here for a while. Missed the reviews.
Okay, if anyone wants to review ANY of the following:

*LIST*

Hello!

If you want to catch up on what we've reviewed since you last visited, we now have a full index of past reviews in the first post of the thread (and overspilling into the second), as well as the review thread A-P account which lists current + previous series and suggestions for next month. :yes:

Going through your list, the only one we've already done is Mushishi (reviewed by Pudding and Cara). But it's a big list, so are there any in particular you want done? If not, Cara and I will pick the ones that we think will be easiest to review, i.e the ones we've already seen or most want to see. Just a couple of questions/comments about some series though:

Kanon: 2002 (Toei) or 2006 (KyoAni) version?
Gundam Unicorn: That doesn't come out until March 2010, so can't do that just yet. :p:

Magic Knight Rayearth: OVAs or TV series? Or no preference?
Saitama Chainsaw Shoujo: Can't find anything about an anime adaptation of this I'm afraid. :s:

Absolute Boyfriend: :ditto:

Chainsaw Girl.

Aside from that, the rest of the series seem straightforward and easy enough to me. :smile:

I'll post nearer the end of the month to let everyone know exactly which series I think should be on the list, taking into account other people's suggestions and trying to make things as varied as possible.

Reply 964

Monster Princess:

Horror, MADHOUSE, Ali Project and maids - put these things together in a single series and the result can only be perfection, right? Apparently not. :s:

The series focuses on a character known only as 'Hime' for the majority of the series. As a daughter of the king of all monsters, she is forever having to fight off various assassins sent by her many (exact number unspecified) siblings, since only one of them can inherit the throne. But being royalty also gives her some pretty awesome powers, including the 'fire of life' which gives her the ability to resurrect the dead. And when a normal (if slightly lame) human being known as Hiro sacrifices himself in order to save her, she repays him using this ability and brings him back to work as her bodyguard. Hiro himself has very little choice in the matter; his new body may be virtually immortal, but if he is not given the fire of life once every three days or so then the effect will wear off and he will die, this time irreversibly.

All sounding good up to this point. But after the first introductory episodes it becomes very episodic and 'monster of the week' in style. Assassin comes to kill Hime, Hiro does the one thing he's good at by jumping in the way and taking all the damage, and eventually Hime or some other competent character who just happens to be passing by defeats the assassin and they all live happily ever after until the next episode. With very little variation. :yawn:

What of the other members of the royal family? A few of them make appearances, but if you're expecting epic battles driven by extreme hatred and sibling rivalry, you'll be disappointed.

When the series isn't focusing on action (and sometimes when it is, as well) comedy plays a big part. Hiro's sister Sawawa, who works as Hime's maid and is the reason for his being there in the first place, is even more ditzy and clueless than her brother. She's just there for comic relief, usually out shopping or something whenever the household is under attack. Her humorous reactions to various situations never get old. :giggle:

Aside from that there's the ancient rivalry between werewolf character Riza and vampire character Reiri which is pretty funny, but like so many other things in the series it begins to lose it's effect 4th or 5th time around. :s:

So overall the series' episodic, repetitive nature despite it's solid premise is the biggest letdown. But surely, being MAHOUSE, it'll pick up on lost points for it's animation? Nope. At times it looked good, at times it looked absolutely awful, but most of the time it just looked average. :frown:

Thankfully the soundtrack was decent. BGM by Katakura Mikiya really added to the action scenes, the OP was decent enough, and the ED (though not one of Ali Project's better songs) grew on me. And I have to say the animation for the ED sequence was great; I imagine that even those crazy people who don't like Ali Project would choose to mute their speakers and watch it as opposed to skipping it entirely. :p:

In conclusion, this series was watchable but failed to stick out. I expect it would be better watched weekly than marathoned. A good cast of characters and decent music (if an acquired taste) made things more bearable. Monster Princess gets a 3/5 from me. :yes:

Reply 965

And Rumiko Takahashi Anthology:

A 13 ep series, with all 13 eps being stand alone, adapted from 13 different one shot manga. I was contemplating doing 13 reviews, but decided that would be a bit too much. :p:

Still, when you've got an anime like this with so many different stories, it's difficult to come up with a score for the series as a whole. I don't have that problem with the currently airing Aoi Bungaku because all it's stories so far have been amazing, but unfortunately Rumic Theater's eps aren't quite so consistent. Some are well paced, with the original manga obviously being just the right length for a 20 minute adaptation, while others felt too slow or too rushed, as if they'd been padded out/cut down to fit. The themes and (to an extent) genre varied quite a bit too. A few examples of situations include a salaryman suffering from amnesia who thinks he's a child, a woman who finds a human bone in a plant pot given to her by a creepy lady, and a girl whose parents' weird behavior leads her to suspect they're planning a family suicide! Most of them were comedies believe it or not, but that doesn't mean they all made me laugh; the ones that did were very funny though. :giggle:

Two of the stories struck me as being a bit too similar, both revolving around apartments, annoying neighbors with influence, and having to look after unusual pet birds for people, but since the characters were quite different in both it somehow worked.

The only consistencies I can think of were the OP, ED and animation - all of which were pretty average. I do like her (Rumiko Takahashi's) character designs though, have done since watching Mermaid Forest. Characters from other episodes would often cameo in the background, which I thought was good fun. :smile:

And that's about all I can say really. No ongoing plot or character development made this pretty difficult to write about. Mostly average with great character designs and the occasional really good ep, I give Rumiko Takahashi Anthology 3.5/5. :biggrin:

Reply 966

add one piece to next months list :smile:

Reply 967

vin

add one piece to next months list :smile:

We've always tried to avoid long series in the past, but since so many people are watching it I don't see why not. Bring it to the attention of everyone who's seen at least a few arcs, and we could end up with a decent number for a change. :p:

Reply 968

AngryJellyfish

you wernt supposed to be so positive

you were supposed to say it was too early :hmpf:

then I was gonna say like I care about that or words to that effect :huff:

Reply 969

vin

you wernt supposed to be so positive

you were supposed to say it was too early :hmpf:

then I was gonna say like I care about that or words to that effect :huff:

Well it is too early (though not the earliest this time), but I'm used to that from you now. And in hindsight it also makes sense to get suggestions now, before people get too busy with Christmas related things. So to anyone else who's reading, keep the suggestions coming. :p:

Reply 970

AngryJellyfish

you're no fun

In on topic-related news im going to actually get round to those reviews I was meant to write months ago now I finally have some time :cool:

Reply 971

I'll be adding Nadia: Secret Of Blue Water myself, as it's been on my want to watch list for a while. :yes:

Reply 972

Im hoping no one can be bothered to review one piece so you have to :tongue:

EDIT: I know this wouldnt happen, but it would be entertaining none the less :tongue:

Reply 973

TBH I'd be a bit disappointed if nobody bothered to review it considering the amount they go on about it. :s:

Reply 974

They were Eleven:

Now here is a film with an interesting plot: Set in the far future during a time of peace between several planets and races, there is a prestigious academy in space that only accepts new students every 3 years and that has an incredibly low entry rate, so applicants are pretty desperate to get in first time. The main character, Tada, is one of these applicants. He passes the earlier exams with ease, and only has one final test ahead of him. From the seven hundred people who made it to this stage, Tada is placed in a group of just ten people, whose faces he cannot see due to the fact that they're all wearing space suits. This group is then instructed to land on a damaged, derelict spaceship where they will have to live for 53 days and work together to solve any problems that they may face. And it doesn't take long for their first problem to present itself: somewhen in the course of them leaving the examination area and arriving on the ship, they've acquired another member! The examiners clearly stated there would be ten of them, and the instructions all confirm this, so who is the mystery eleventh member and for what purpose are they there?

The participants, all total strangers who are only seeing each other's faces for the first time now that they're on the ship, are immediately suspicious of each other. But in order for them to pass, they must work together, so Tada comes up with a solution: why not use his convenient telepathic powers to expose the fake? But when he tries it, he fails to detect that any of them is lying, which makes the rest of the applicants doubt his abilities. The fact that Tada seems to know so much about the ship despite never having been there before, and the fact that he seems to be at the center of all the problems they face only makes them suspect him all the more. And so with this setting and a cast of 11 interesting characters, a great mystery story develops. :yes:

Since it's a 90 minute long movie with a fairly large cast, some of the characters aren't that well developed as you can imagine. The majority of the focus is on Tada of course, but the group's leader figure known as King (AKA Brother Petros from Trinity Blood) and another rather womanly guy called Frol also get a fair bit of screen time. But through seeing their responses to the situations they face, you get a good look into the personalities of even the most insignificant of the 11. Oh, and one of them is a scaly alien voiced by Norio Wakamoto. :giggle:

The character designs are pretty good, with two obviously being aliens and the 9 others at least looking human. Animation on the whole was very good, but old in style as you'd expect from a 1986 film. Voice acting was... well, I've already said they had Norio Wakamoto, but the rest of them were good too. :p:

Music was good, but again very 1980s.

I loved this film. Mystery, excitement, food fights and shower scenes, it had everything. :p:

It didn't quite leave me feeling 'wow, that was epic' though, which most of my 5 star series managed to do, so I'll be giving this a strong 4.5/5. :yes:

theywere114.jpg11.9KB

Reply 975

good review, that film sounds quite interesting :yes:

Reply 976

It was certainly better than the other average stuff I've had to review recently. It's much more fun and easier to write when an anime is either really good, or really bad. :giggle:

Reply 977

Okay, how's this for a lineup for January?

Cencoroll
Kanashimi no Belladonna
Letter Bee
Samurai Champloo
Tokyo Tribe 2 (haunting the reviews list since July 2009 :cool:

)
Nadia: Secret of Blue Water
One Piece
Hidamari Sketch
Lovely Complex
Full Metal Panic
Romeo X Juliet
Nyankoi

The top five carry over from earlier months, followed by one new series each from vin and myself. I also picked the five from bright-eyes' list that I thought we'd be able to do most easily. :yes:

I asked for suggestions in other threads and can't remember if there were any replies, so if I'm missing something or if there's any other problems with this list then let me know. :smile:

Reply 978

23. One Piece

Long ago the infamous Gol D. Roger was the strongest and most powerful pirate on the seas. As he was about to be executed he revealed that he hid all of his wealth, including the legendary treasure known as One Piece, on an island at the end of the Grand Line - a treacherous and truly unpredictable sea. Monkey D. Luffy is a spirited, energetic and somewhat dim-witted young man with a very big dream: to find One Piece and become the Pirate King! However Luffy is no ordinary boy, as when he was younger he ate one of the Devil's Fruits and gained its power to become a Rubber Man. Now in this grand age of pirates Luffy sets out to gather a crew and sail to the most dangerous sea in the world so that he can fulfill his dream... and maybe even his appetite!

Opening 11 - Share the World! (Episode 395 to 425)

One Piece is a long-running shounen anime and manga series; the former written and illustrated by its author, Eiichiro Oda, while the latter, to which this review is intended, is an adaptation by the studio Toei Animation. The manga began serialisation in August, 1997, and is currently ongoing, having released 56 volumes, totaling 569 chapters so far. Its publisher, Shueisha, announced that they have sold 176 million volumes of the manga, making it the most popular and best selling in history. Similarly, the anime adaptation, which began in December, 1999, is consistently within the top 3 anime series in Japanese television ratings, averagely receiving a 10%+ share of the viewing audience. I am currently up to date with the anime series, having seen 431 episodes as of this writing, and have also watched every additional movie released so far, including the most recent, Strong World, which celebrated the tenth anniversary of the anime series.

So, where do I possibly begin with an anime series of this magnitude? Honestly, I'm somewhat apprehensive, in consideration of my undeniable bias that may potentially deter my objectiveness when reviewing. Still, this bias comes not without basis, of which I will endeavour to address throughout. Having watched the anime and read its manga counterpart from the very beginning, surpassing a decade (the longest I've tentatively committed to any series, and by an exponential margin), I can definitively state that One Piece is unquestionably my favourite long-running shounen anime series of all time. This is largely attributed to its stellar characterisation, which only succeeds in becoming increasingly more nuanced and in-depth with each subsequent arc. This is complimented by an established world setting, coupled with an easy to understand story-line of adventure and friendship. The animation and character design, while unique in its stylisation, and something of an acquired taste, enables the series to distinguish itself from others in its medium. All the more so in recent years with the introduction of high definition video (HD), whereby the animation style can finally be shown at its best. The plot, although simple in practice, is carefully considered and designed to remain interesting and entertaining, despite its length. This is where the wide majority of shounen series of this kind falter, tending to lose any momentum and interest they had established due to length. However, One Piece remarkably manages to not only maintain this, but to increase and arguably outdo itself with each story-line arc. Due to its traveling format from place to place, the series can introduce the central character cast, of whom we grow to love, to a completely different adventure, while ensuring that the overarching world setting they reside in is securely interlinked.

Despite all this, One Piece does not endeavour to "innovate" the medium, as such. Neither does it attempt to go beyond the conventional approach that long-running shounen of this kind tend to employ. It's entirely unpretentious, in that regard, and knows exactly what it wants to be, and excels wonderfully at that. It has taken onboard every cue you'd expect from the shounen formula and does it incredibly well. Oda, the manga author and artist responsible, has openly stated that he's heavily inspired by Akira Toriyama, who was responsible for the widely acclaimed Dragon Ball series, to which One Piece, while not directly, certainly bears similarity to. However, unlike the aforementioned, One Piece is less in keeping with its intended demographic, seeming more accessible to a larger audience. The fighting sequences, while frequent and enjoyable, aren't dominant or necessarily catering for a male-only audience, but possesses a certain charm that can appeal to everyone, male or female, and of all ages. The pacing, on the whole, remains strong, avoiding any type of 'filler' which may deter or reduce interest.

Most notably, there are certain scenes throughout the series that provoke such emotion and feeling, unlike any other, and usually one of sheer satisfaction and delight. They happen at the pinnacle moment, normally involving the highly likable male protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, who will act upon his morals in such a way that I can't help but form a big smile. It's a rarity for any anime or manga series to achieve this, and yet, One Piece has managed to, time and time again. I'll admit to re-watching any such scene over and over, simply because I wanted to recreate the feeling it provided.

Every character, specifically those that belong to the "Strawhat" crew, our main character cast, share a highly intimate bond that we, the viewer, can see flourish and develop over the series' lengthly period. When executed properly, as in this case, the length of a series can really propel the characterisation to another level. This is the primary factor of One Piece's strength, the relationships and interactions between its characters. Even if one such character isn't to your liking (in my case, initially Usopp), it's highly likely they'll end up growing on you, simply because they will change and develop over the course of the series, usually to positive effect. The main character cast, in particular, aren't stagnant or superficial, in that sense, they feel very much alive and will evolve accordingly depending on the situation.

The soundtrack by Kouhei Tanaka, although simple in its presentation, is in keeping with the pirate theme, creating the necessary mood for each scene and circumstance. Most importantly, it's enjoyable to listen to, not seeming overly repetitive, despite not having changed all that much since the series began. This is a testament to Tanaka's ability to write a score that's in sync with the animation and voice acting. This will lead appropriately onto the voice cast, all of whom do an absolutely exceptional job in depicting their respective role, making them very much their own. All of the primary cast, in particular, are especially noteworthy. I can't truthfully fault any of their performances, they are simply topnotch and bring each character to life. One Piece has undergone a wide array of opening and ending songs during its broadcast, culminating to 12 openings and 18 endings. I can't possibly choose a definitive favourite for either, but will admit to liking some more than others. However, the very first opening song, 'We Are!', by Hiroshi Kitadani has become engrained in my mind. I deem it very much to be a theme song of sorts for the series, so if I had to select one, it would be the first.

Episode 1

One Piece has certainly been a journey, in my case, providing a significant contribution to the shounen genre. Unlike many of its ilk, which seem to focus predominately on a tentative plot-line, with plenty of action and battle sequences, One Piece conversely builds upon its characters and their development. Sure, it has all of the ingredients to compete with its contemporaries, but succeeds, in my opinion, in offering something far greater in the process.

Rating:

5/5

Previous Reviews

Reply 979