splotchydivinity's Anime
| Seen some▲▼ |
|
Bakemonogatari (TV) I seriously thought I wasn't going to pick up any shows from this summer 2009 season because it looked like a really generic season of junk. Luckily, in the midst of my boredom, I stumbled upon this little gem. This show is seriously weird, but I don't know why, I keep wanting to see more of it. It's not like there's intense chemistry or hilarity or any kind of emotion you feel right off the bat (other than shock at what Hitari is willing to do with a stapler/other stationary supplies), but it still feels, well...for lack of a better word enigmatically enjoyable. The voice cast is pretty amazing in my opinion. They all seem to get their characters across very well. No one's voice is annoyingly grating or high pitched for that matter. Hitagi's voice actress, Chiwa Saito, gets props from me for being able to drip sarcasm and spitefulness by the truckload with every word that comes out of her mouth. The art/animation is visually stunning. The quality and production value is very, very high and maintained throughout all of the first two episodes that I've seen. I LOVE IT! It's such a pleasure to watch such nicely drawn, colored, and animated things like this. It doesn't have the same artistry value as say Seirei no Moribito, but it does it in a much more experimental style with flairs of modern/urban sense. Oh, and the ED by supercell is pretty superb. Last note, Hitari really really looks like Yomi from Ga-Rei Zero, doesn't she?! |
|
(The) Beast Player Erin (TV) A very promising show, albeit very odd (perhaps lazy/cheap artists?) art. The songs actually are pretty good and overall everything plays really well to a long-storyboard (supposed to run for 50 episodes). Reminds me of old times when you sit down to read (or listen to if you're really young and someone is reading to you) a traditional folk tale that spans many nights. Just finished watching Ep. 4, and I really really hope some quality subbing group takes this series from start to finish. It's such a sweet, endearing show. I want a daughter like Erin! |
|
Cross Game (TV) I am not a sports fan by any wide margin of the definition of the word. However, I thoroughly love this anime and look forward to it eagerly every week. I didn't realize that Michihiro Tsuchiya was behind this series composition and after looking into some of his credentials realized he did some excellent screenplays for some of my favorite episodes in the series Scrapped Princess. It also looks like he's working on some of the Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood pieces (ep. 4 was very well done, and if I hadn't already known what kind of a crazed bastard Shou Tucker was, I would have been more moved by the episode). In any case, the first episode of this series was really something. I didn't expect to feel like I was punched in the stomach then kicked some more once I landed on the floor. I can't say that I'm familiar with his writing style, but I have to say I'm a big fan now; he has an excellent sense of pacing and how to craft a slow-paced tale (which is really hard I think because you have to make very good use of silence and how characters are placed in relations to one another both physically and emotionally in that time and space). The dialogue is superb and I find myself getting so into each episode that I'm so sad to see every episode end. Looking forward to the rest of this season!! (Oh, almost forgot to add: The ED is the best this season, hands down I think. Ayaka does a superb job with the ballad Koi Kogarete Mita Yume.) |
|
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (TV) My opinion after watching the first episode: I LOVE IT! The art and animation is really, really smooth and clean. The only thing I have to gripe about in that department is the color of choice to outline Edward....It's not only different from every other character in the series (a light brown for Ed, instead of brown-black for everyone else) it just makes him look weird in a lot of shots. I'll probably get used to it. The best surprise for me of the first episode though, is that not only did they pull it off really well (I thought I would find myself bored through the first episode since I recently rewatched the whole first season/anime adaptation), but that Kikuko Inoue was Lust!!! That earns an OMFG, THIS IS AWESOME!! Though I really liked the old Roy Mustang, I also really love Shinichiro Miki (Kurz Weber, Full Metal Panic!) in all of his roles. A lot of other new talents are also professionals, so this is going to be great! I always thought she would be awesome for the role, and I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her voice. All I'm going to say is, I'm down for as many episodes as they can put out for the Brotherhood. |
|
Gosick (TV) [Adding comments about 7 episodes in] I think this is a very fun series for mystery lovers. I don't actively seek out mystery series to watch, but I'm pleased whenever I stumble upon one that has good pacing and a plot that knows where it's going/what it's doing with itself. The directing and script writing is set in an alternate world, gothic/lolita themed, but not really pandering to fanservice moments. It's definitely modeling after Sherlock Holmes and Watson's original story, so if you like that I think you'll enjoy this one. It has touches of humor in the right places, elements of a tsundere (hope I'm applying this term correctly) female lead, with a B-type male lead all combined into one. This series definitely uses elements of horror/terror with its combination of scene angles and music to really give a creepy element to the story telling. I'm a huge chicken, so I have to mute the sound sometimes. -.- But I still keep watching! (Just never at night.) |
|
Kino's Journey (TV) Seen 1 episode so far. While I think this series has potential and clearly it's a very popular title as seen by the number of great ratings this series has both on ANN and other review sites, I must admit I'm going to be coming back to this show only when I find myself in the pits of utter boredom. The pace is extremely slow, and by extremely slow I mean, a snail would lap the pace of this show twice around the globe before an episode would end. I'm also not sure I really like the voice actor for Hermes, something about him really annoys me. Other than that though, I think it is actually a series that could be quite worthwhile and charming in and of itself. |