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REVIEW: ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. BD/DVD




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#861208



Joined: 07 Oct 2016
Posts: 423
PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:12 am Reply with quote
Quote:
...Furawau is the faux-Indian district...
...Prince Schwan, ACCA's would-be royal antagonist, who is easily the least interesting character in the show.


.... ?

spoiler[Is "would-be" there to avoid the spoiler that Furawau - Dubai, not India, by the way - are actually the bad guys?
That "twist" is more than just a "weak villain" - it really undermines whatever credibility this show was trying to have, to be honest.]


But the first 8 or 9 episodes are still really entertaining.

Also, Badon is so eerily based on New York, and Colore on Paris, that if you've ever lived in either of those cities, it's really stunning. I posted a comparison of some photos of Paris with screenshots from ACCA. That part was really great.

.... also, Schwan and Magie are my babies. I sort of OT4 ship them with Lotta and Rail. Especially Rail/Magie. Bread friends.

I sort of both love and hate this show, but really, more than anything else, I feel frustrated by the distance between what it could have been, and how it ended up... but if anyone decides to make a spinoff about Magie, I'd be at the front of the line to read/watch that.

... dub is excellent except for Magie. No one does that particularly wonderful type of deadpan like Uemura does (see also his character in Kamigami no Asobi).
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Lemonchest



Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 1771
PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:25 am Reply with quote
ACCA - the story of an Aryan who dresses in SS cosplay, who saves the kingdom from the maschinations of evil brown people (who own all the oil) by spoiler[deposing the monarchy & replacing it with a fascist bureaucracy]. Oh & he's spoiler[a secret prince & legitimate heir] too add a bit of spice to the shows already "interesting" politics.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5296
PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:57 am Reply with quote
I can't speak much for the show itself, I however love the background, it was this show that got me intersted in Studio Pablo
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 12:07 pm Reply with quote
Yeah beautiful show but seriously lacking in any substance. The plot is convoluted, probably in an attempt to hide that it doesn't really makes much sense and mostly rely on convenience to move forward. Also none of the character ever seems to take anything seriously, an assassination attempt is treated as mild inconvenience by it's character (to be fair the assassins are so inept that it's hard to see it any other way).

One of the idea that the show flirted with was that even if there's no plot the mere though that there is a plot is enough to cause problem, spoiler[sadly that idea is dropped for an actual, far less interesting plot.]
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thenewtypetheory



Joined: 11 Jun 2018
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:52 pm Reply with quote
The show was a slow burning masterwork of political fiction. I found the motives of villain perceptible and the conclusion without the prejudice that's been attributed to it.
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TrailOfDead



Joined: 09 Aug 2012
Posts: 198
PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 4:57 pm Reply with quote
it has the best bread of any anime.
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:20 am Reply with quote
I enjoyed the political mystery from the beginning. I didn't really get into Jean's personality, though I didn't hate it either, and found other characters more intriguing.

There were two small things that bugged me however: 1) Romaji for everything that is obviously set in a fictional western world. For example Furawasu = flowers (the middle eastern country known for its flowers), Rokusu = Rocks (the American southwest country) and the use of transliterated romanized Japanese for western/Anglo signs and language. This makes no sense whatsoever considering the names are proper non-Japanese with the exception of ethnic Japanese (e.g. Hare country)

2) the ending. spoiler[the info dump via everyone just talking amongst themselves on stage detailing how the coup was subverted in front of a large audience as if time stopped or the audience can't hear]
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K.o.R



Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 221
PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:08 am Reply with quote
No mention of not-The Rhythm-is-Gonna-Get-You as the awesome OP song? Laughing
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Cardcaptor Takato



Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 4787
PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 6:25 am Reply with quote
It's been so long since I watched ACCA that I don't really remember anything about it other than I liked the animation style and the atmosphere of the show. I'll probably rewatch it at some point.
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Songster01



Joined: 05 Nov 2016
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 12:08 am Reply with quote
Unfortunately for me this show suffers in comparison to the wonderful adaptation of Natsume Ono's other manga, House of Five Leaves, with its much more compelling cast and story. While I loved the OP and the aesthetic sense of ACCA 13, oh and the food!porn, the actual story and characters teased at depth more than delivered. I found myself not caring once the ending came out as it seemed to all not mean that much in the end. Clearly important things did happen, but I felt not connected enough to care that much about the fate of the characters. For example, Jean and Nino had a deeper connection than Jean and Mauve, despite his crush on her. So when it turns out we are told (rather than shown) about her own crush on Grossuler, it has a "ho hum" feel to it rather a moment of true disappointment for Jean.
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noblesse oblige



Joined: 22 Dec 2012
Posts: 277
Location: Florida
PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:00 am Reply with quote
ACCA is an anime that has many appealing facets: Ono's character designs are attractive and distinct, the color palette is playful and bold, the music is jazzy and suits whatever action is on screen. However, ACCA is more interested in wallowing in its romanticized European aesthetic than executing a compelling political drama. So you're unlikely to find ACCA super engaging unless you share Ono's fetish for lanky, aloof men going about their unhurried daily lives in a European setting viewed through a Japanese lens. All that being said, I found it enjoyable, but not wholly satisfying.
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