Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos「REVIEW」

I finally had a chance to watch the much anticipated addition to the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood series about 8 months after its theatrical release in Japan. I met Vic Mignogna the other day at Supanova and he was so lovely and signed the movie poster for me. The way he speaks is so cute and he's such a lovely person and I fangirled and yeah it was totally awesome. I haven't actually seen the dub yet but I'm sure it's great as all the FMA dubs are.

As a fan of the original series, I was quite excited and it wasn't something that I could miss. I was hoping for something that I would love as much as the TV series. However, I was sadly disappointed and as much as I wish it was good, it simply isn't. This review assumes you've seen the TV series.

Firstly, I'll start off with arguably the most important part of any movie, the storyline. If it doesn't have a story, what's the point? The Sacred Star of Milos has a straightforward and well comprehensible but it felt recycled. That was the biggest letdown. I was hoping for something a little more than your average plot twists and drama but after watching it just felt like I watched FMAB all over again in condensed form. That's not to say it was terrible or anything, I just felt they could've done a little (or a lot) more with the movie than what they did.

What they did do was re-use the whole seeking the Philosopher's stone for one's selfish desire thing and thinking it's some almighty, all-powerful creation until the secret behind it is realised. Then we have the standard torn reaction and the whole family drama etc etc etc. It all sounds very dramatic but it's rather mediocre. It's like a general formula that could be in the continuation of an already successful franchise, where a compromise is found between the effort put in and the quality of the end result. It's something I feel like I've seen only too many times.

Another thing I didn't quite like about this movie was that we didn't get to see much of the characters that were in the series so it just became something like same story, different characters. The new characters aren't exactly interesting either. This isn't completely negative though. I did like the fact that they were from Creta and the fact that the movie was set in Table City, the border between Amestris and Creta. If they ever took up the idea of the war between Amestris and Creta in a new series or something, I'd definitely be there.

The audiovisuals were a positive part of the movie though. Visually, it was a bit different from the series. The colours in the movie were a lot bolder and brighter, and everything was sharper. The action sequences were great. The soundtrack was fantastic as always.

Overall, while the writing was sloppy, it wasn't completely bad. The setting was great, despite being underdeveloped and audiovisuals lived up to what I expected. While I do say that the story isn't great, it wasn't something I consciously thought about while I was watching. It was only when it came to an end that I realised it could've been far better, so definitely give this a watch if you're a fan of the series as I am.

Score: 6/10

Clannad: After Story「REVIEW」

Details:

Producer: Kyoto Animation

Season: Fall 2008

Episodes: 24

Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance

Synopsis: Events in After Story take place immediately after the first season, following Tomoya's final semester of high school. After declaring his love to Nagisa, they begin to have a close relationship. Their life together will be faced with unexpected challenges, as the truth behind the Illusionary World and the city's legend come to light. (From MAL)

Surely by now, you've all heard how much of a tear-jerker Clannad and it's sequel are. After the disappointment that was Clannad, I wasn't expecting much from the sequel and found it difficult to get into. However, after much nagging from a friend, I gave it a try and it exceeded my expectations. I have never experienced something so monumentally heart-wrenching and beautiful as this. It is a huge step up from Clannad but the fairy-tale ending really didn't cut it for me, so this is by no means a masterpiece in any way, but it's definitely worth a watch.

What I loved about this story was that it goes beyond high school romance and tells us what happens after. It goes further than most anime dare to go and is more emotionally and content heavy than most anime ever dare to be. The premise isn't ground-breaking or original. It is simply the story of a boy just trying to do the right thing and protect what matters most to him. Nothing more; nothing less. However, it is this simplicity that makes this story so profound. There is no exaggerated drama or romance, no enemy to defeat, nor is there a need to save the world. While there are supernatural aspects in the story, for the most part it is exceptionally well written realism. The emotions I felt while watching this were absolutely indescribable. Unfortunately, a good story wasn't without its flaws in this case. The first few episodes felt reminiscent of Clannad and made me wonder whether After Story would be as good as it was made out to be. However, after the initial part of the series, it becomes and emotional roller-coaster through and through.

Although I was not a big fan of certain characters, they are easily one of the things that make After Story such a success. They are all so incredibly human and believable, and watching them - particularly Tomoya and Nagisa - grow from boys and girls to men and women, made it a little hard not to feel attached to them. The character development and the relationships between characters really went well with the overall family theme of the series. It was refreshing to see such a pure, innocent love rather than something with over-the-top drama or fanservice. On the downside, Nagisa's character was perhaps a little too perfect at times. While she epitomises quiet strength, she was a borderline Mary Sue. A little more and it would've made the entire series much less believable.

Visually, there isn't much to say. Honestly, visuals was initially the only reason I gave this a try. I'm a fan of Key's character designs and I am by no means an expert on animation but I didn't see anything odd so I guess KyoAni did a fine job with that. I absolutely loved all the background scenery, especially that of the Illusionary World. It was quite surreal and very beautiful.

The soundtrack was perhaps a little mediocre at times. The background music fit well with the situation at hand but there was nothing particularly riveting. There is, however, one aspect of the soundtrack that really didn't sit well with me at all, and that is the ending theme. As each episode tended to end on a sad note, the ED really just detracted from the emotional impact of the story. It's kind of awkward when you're sitting there in the zone with tears streaming down your face and suddenly you hear a poppy, cheerful song. It's a rather strange clash of emotions. I was always making sure of where I was up to so I could close the window before hearing the ED, in fear of an immense buzzkill.

All in all, it's not something I would watch again any time soon for fear of running out of tears but it did leave a great impression. I'm not entirely sure whether it's because After Story is such a huge step up from Clannad, or because it is simply a good story, but it is a great watch and I do highly recommend it.

Personally, I gave it a B(8) but that's rather meaningless as it depends on what you consider average.

Seikon no Qwaser「REVIEW」

Details:

Producer: Hoods Entertainment

Season: Winter 2009

Episodes: 24

Genre: Action, Supernatural

Demographic: Shounen....really?

Synopsis:

In St. Mikhailov Academy, Oribe Mafuyu meets a silver haired boy called Alexander. He is a Qwaser, a being who can manipulate iron and draws his power from breast milk. A mystery surrounding an icon tranforms the academy into a setting for conflict between the various Qwasers.

To make a long story short, let's just say this was very different. Not in terms of the plot per se but rather in the use of sucking breast milk as a plot device. Frankly, the plot itself didn't stray very far from your typical good versus evil storyline and even though I tend to enjoy that kind of anime a lot, Seikon no Qwaser became quite sleep inducing at certain points. It was very episodic to begin with a new enemy appearing every episode. The plot didn't really begin to develop properly until the later half of the season.

The basic concept of a Qwaser is original though. I have to give this show credit for that. The idea is that a Qwaser is a being who has control over a single element. These elements, however, are not the typical earth, air, fire and water, but rather chemical elements that you would find on a periodic table. The show combines science and religion in a really odd way, and watching it would be a better experience with knowledge of Christianity and chemistry. I didn't really get a lot of those religious references but they're not really too important.

The characters in Seikon no Qwaser were far from original. With the girls, you have the tsundere, the damsel in distress, loli, rich bitch, and the list goes on. The males were generally the antagonists and none of them were particular well developed in any way. In fact, the characters were relatively superficial. They don't have any really solid back story. The only real explanation you get is the reason for Sasha's vendetta against the Twelve Adepts, but that was just generic. It's not generally a huge problem if there's a lack of character development for minor characters but here, the characters never stray from their given trope and really just stay the same for the entire series.

The art wasn't fantastic. The focus was generally more on exaggerated features such as breasts, rather than overall aesthetics. At times, breasts and facial features seemed disproportionate with the rest of the body. I'm not really sure if that was done on purpose or not. Although, I guess it's expected from an anime that was made for fanservice. The animation was average. It wasn't terrible but it didn't really stand out either. I thought the action scenes were done really well though. They gave a good view of what was going on.

Musically, it wasn't particularly memorable. The soundtrack wasn't revetting or anything, but it did compliment  what was going on, so I don't really have any issues with that. The opening and ending themes weren't too good, in my opinion. 

Overall, it wasn't really a memorable experience. It was basically a story made for fan service. Being a girl, the ecchi and practically borderline hentai didn't both me at all, but it does make this something I wouldn't recommend to everyone. It's not something that I would watch again either. Conceptually, it's unusual, so I rate this series a 6/10.

Madlax「REVIEW」

Madlax was produced by Bee Train in 2004 as part of Bee Train's 'girls with guns' trilogy but I felt it explored a lot more than simply the 'girls with guns' genre and is a high underrated series.

Details
Producer: Bee Train
Season: Spring 2004 (April 4 - September 27)
Genre: Action, Drama, Supernatural, Psychological, Mystery, Military/War, Girls with Guns
Demographic: I'm not too entirely sure on this but I'd say seinen.

The plot was very intricate in the way the sub plots all tied in with the main plot in the end. The initial episodes are often accused of being too slow-paced but I think it was important in establishing the characters in a certain depth and also the contrast between the war-torn Gazth-Sonika and the peaceful Nafrece. The first part of the series pretty much consisted of self-contained episodes that uncover bits and pieces of the puzzle.

The story on the surface is essentially about people who are searching for answers. Answers for why things happened, answers about who they are and answers about their past. On a deeper level, it brings up a lot of ideas about human existence, emotion and desire, and that was one of the reasons I really liked this series. An idea that is as well though out and meaningful as this is a rare find in anime these days as most of them simply aim to please the audience with unnecessary fan-service, rather than to incorporate any meaning into their story. Speaking of fan-service, it was present, but it was very subtle.

In terms of characters, this is one of the rare anime where I grew to like all the characters over the course of the series. They are really unique in their personalities, from the kind killer to the naive amnesiac. They were from all different walks of life but they were all searching for something and the way they were all connected in the end was really quite profound at the time. It kind of made me think of how as humans, we are all different and yet we are really all the same. I also liked the implied yuri undertones in the relationship between Madlax, Vanessa Rene and Limelda Jorg.

The art and animation in Madlax really weren't the best although it wasn't all bad. The character designs were rather plain and simplistic. None of them really stood out and in all honesty, some of them were really quite strange. The lush backgrounds created a somewhat dreamlike atmosphere which contrasted with the civil war that was going on but really made all the supernatural elements seem very natural rather than unrealistic. What I did have a problem with here was the actual animation sequences. Action scenes were really lack-lustre but I guess the focus was more on Madlax's graceful movements that accompanied her almost superhuman ability than fast-paced action. It made what should've been fun, exciting fight scenes become a little boring and no longer entertaining. The animation also looked unnatural at times when hair was moving in the wind. It was strange to see a few 3D strands flowing amongst the rest of the 2D hair.

The soundtrack also had a powerful effect on the series. It really added to the haunting, dreamlike atmosphere of the whole series and went well with all the scenes. The compositions really accentuated the emotions conveyed and made it all the more memorable for me. I'll never have enough praise for all of Yuki Kajiura's compositions though.

To sum it all up, Madlax is not something for everyone. It's very heavy content-wise and it requires a little faith to get through the first few episodes. If you're looking for a straight up series and some light entertainment, you're looking in the wrong place. However, if you are looking for something deeper, this is something I would recommend this and as a general viewer, I'd score it an 8/10. This is after taking into consideration much more than simply how much I enjoyed it.

On a more personal note, I found Madlax to be a really touching and emotional experience. Even though it took a little effort to get stuck into, it was thoroughly captivating in the final few episodes. At times, I wondered if the story was even going anywhere but it turned out to have real depth that I wasn't expecting. I also noticed that a lot of people seemed to compare Madlax to Noir, as Madlax was its spiritual successor, and seemed to think Madlax was the inferior of the two. I watched Madlax first so I could avoid comparing it and I really loved Madlax. In my opinion, I would give it a 9/10 out of pure enjoyment and not much else.

Kore wa Zombie desu ka?「REVIEW」

This was far from one of the best but it was quite the entertainer and not your typical zombie anime.

Most of the time I felt the story had no direction so after a while I pretty much disregarded the story and just watched the show for fun. Initially, it was about your average high school boy who happens to be a zombie on a quest to discover his killer but after he does find out (in episode 5) the show just loses direction and purpose. It seemed as if the story just ended and they had nothing left to tell. There were a lot of dark, emotional scenes but none without a mood killer or a joke tacked on the end. The show always walked along the border of serious, dark, action anime and a comical romance one. It seemed unsure in which approach it would be taking so I never really knew what to expect. This was really one of the downsides to this show that prevented me from scoring it any higher.

The characters were actually one of the things I really liked about this anime. They were really original in not just who they were but what they were. Take Seraphim for example, she's not just a ninja but she's a vampire ninja. Also with the 'masou shoujo' which is a play on your typical mahou shoujo, meaning magical equipment girl rather than just magical girl. They're really just not the typical characters you'd find in a harem. If you don't believe me, just look at Ayumu. He's a zombie. As a harem lead, he's not a complete failure. He does have his redeeming qualities. I mean he is your average teenager but when thrown into some ridiculous situation he demonstrates some pretty cool badassery.

While I really liked the characters, the art was by far my favourite part of the show. Artwork is generally what grabs my interest in an anime. It's always the first thing I look at even before what the show is called. In this case, it was at times the only thing that kept my interest. I loved the character designs, the soft lighting and the backgrounds. It was also great not to see any extremely exaggerated sizes in body parts which is rare in the ecchi genre these days. The way the violence was drawn, for example slicing a body in half, was more funny than gruesome and I'm the type to cringe at graphic violence. It wasn't so extreme in this case which was a real plus for me.

A further plus for this show would be the soundtrack. I can't really comment on voice acting because to be quite honest, I can't really tell if it's good or bad. The soundtrack on the other hand is a completely different story. It was done by some composer I'd never heard of but it went so perfectly with all the scenes conveying the emotion so well especially during action, suspense and melancholic scenes. My favourite song from the soundtrack is below.

Overall, I'd recommend this if you like light comedy and want to watch something purely for enjoyment. If you're looking for something a little deeper, unfortunately you won't find it here. If a well defined plot is essential for you then this probably isn't your cup of tea either. Plot aside, I found it a thoroughly enjoyable series although a little disappointed with the mood killers and the plot that wasn't really there so in overall quality I'd rate this a 7/10.

IS: Infinite Stratos「REVIEW」

It was so close to perfect for me. The art, the animation, the music. Everything was so perfect except the story. The end. If the series had been extended to 24 episodes, there potentially could've been a lot more development in terms of plot and character but 12 was still great. A second series would be very nice. People were surprised I liked this as much as I was.

Initially, I was hesitant to begin this series and I didn't actually start until episode 9 was released. I read the plot and it just sounded like another badly done harem anime but what really caught my eye was the mecha. The nice mecha that didn't cover the entire body. It looked like a nice change from the typical mecha that doesn't interest me so much. I found the plot to be a little lacking in climactic battle scenes but it was 100% enjoyable regardless. It had many stereotypical harem elements but it was better than many other harem anime I have seen. (Seriously, why do I even watch so many harem anime? I'm a girl.)

With the harem lead, we obviously have the weak guy who is oblivious to all the girls that like him. I didn't like him very much but who ever likes the male lead in any harem? Name one likeable one. I dare you. The funny thing is I actually liked the girls in the harem. I found them all the be quite interesting and charismatic in their own way no matter how stereotypical they seemed on the surface. Actually except Cecilia. That blonde egotistical rich girl. She was a little annoying.

Another reason I simply adored this anime is because I just couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The art, the mecha, the backgrounds, the colours, the animation. It was all just so wonderful and eye-catching especially the battles. They were so EPIC. (I hate that stupid overused word but there are no words to describe how cool the battles looked) The music was also spectacular especially during the climaxes.

The ending was a nice attempt at a tie-in with the pilot even though I didn't even notice until it was brought to my attention. This led me to realise many things that were left unexplained but a second season would suffice.

Entertainment-wise IS was funny and dramatic. It was everything! Well, almost so a 8/10 on this one for me.

Dragon Crisis!「REVIEW」

Aww. Isn't that picture simply adorable? In all seriousness though, this is just another of your typical shounen anime with the happy fairy tale ending that we all love complete with your loveable (or very annoying depending on personal tastes) lolita love interest, your average teenage boy, his hormonal friend, well endowed sister and the shy girl who has a secret crush on him. Not to mention all those stereotypical minor characters but I won't go there.

Now the plot. Credit there for some originality in terms of the concept. The spin on the conventional mythology of a dragon was quite interesting. Other than that it was all quite bland and predictable. You have your boy meets girl in a really random scenario, complications arise but ALAS! there's always a solution and then you have your wonderful happy ending. The romance was way too superficial though.

The series was interesting initially with the high action and not so many elements of a harem but after episode 4 (the compulsory beach episode in any harem anime) it kinda of just...died. Episode 9 seemed like somewhat of a filler. The story did seem to be quite fast paced until mid way and then the ending was just too rushed for my liking. There was also way too much story and not enough back story I mean not to spoil the story or anything but they suddenly spring the fact that Onyx and Maruga are childhood friends on you in the last 10 minutes of the entire thing. I mean it's not like it was relevant or anything so WHY?! Ryuji's irrelevant parents also made a cameo in the last 10 minutes. That was weird.

Don't even get me started on the art. That picture I put up there might look amazing but the actual art was pretty drab.

Here you won't find the normal bright colours and nice character designs that you'd usually find in a shounen anime. Everything seemed terribly ordinary so it didn't do too well at keeping my attention. It wasn't eye-catching like say.. Star Driver. The only bright thing in the entire series is Rose's hair... and dragon mark.

COMPARE THE PAIR! Which would you choose?

The animation seemed a little inconsistent at times. Battle scenes seemed lazy and not so dramatic. There were some other pretty strange things I noticed but in case of spoilers, I won't post them. I really had no idea what the hell was going on in the director's mind sometimes.

Now let's consider the music. I actually quite liked the OP but the EP was just ridiculous. I found that the music conveyed the emotion better that the somewhat superficial sounding voice acting.

OVERALL:

+ Points:

• concept
• high action, well-paced first couple of episodes
• in spite of how rushed it was, the ending was nice
• music
• non-convoluted, easy to follow plot
• potential rewatch factor

- Points:

• predictability
• slow middle, rushed end
• character designs, boring colours
• animation
• voice-acting

Enjoyment factor:

Using Clannad as a level for boring, this was fairly enjoyable in comparison. It did have it's boring bits but there were entertaining parts to it.

Score: 7/10