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Review: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (魔法少女まどか★マギカ)

Posted by ranpha on 28th June 2011
Posted in: anime review, STOP THAT BLURRY ANIMATION TECHNIQUE NOW!. Tagged: . 6 comments


Kyubey, the villain of this series, yet is one of the two best characters in this anime.

The sixth anime series I’ve chosen today for the ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ audition is titled Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, a series from the tried and trusted magical girls genre. Just look at the Precure or Sailormoon series if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, this series is quite different from those two titles, and you will know why when you read the review below.


And just like your common diligent marketing executive, Kyubey works her socks off to secure those lucrative contracts.

Story:-
The idling peaceful life of our middle-schooler main title protagonist was suddenly turned upside-down when a cat-like creature appears out of nowhere and offered her an entry to the exciting world of magical girls where she can fight witches and stuff, in exchange of having a wish granted. She then witnessed a senior student at her school enjoying her magical girl career, and decided that the career move is actually worth it, for a cake. But just when she is about to put the pen to the paper, a mysterious transfer student appeared and stopped the MoU signing ceremony. To say that the legal fallout from the failed ceremony is enormous is definitely an understatement.

Just like what I have said above, this anime is different when compared to your standard magical girls titles, such as Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha or even Powerpuff Girls Z. In fact, structural-wise, this anime has more similarities with the current ‘Anime of the Year 2007’ incumbent Bokurano then those two aforementioned titles. Let's take the examples from the villains of both this series and Bokurano: Kyubey and Koemushi respectively.

 

Kyubey

Koemushi

Mission

To defend the universe from devastation.

To defend the universe from devastation.

Against who?

Entropy.

Mechas from other universes.

How?

Magical battles.

Mecha battles.

Procedure used?

Making contracts.

Making contracts.

With who?

Young girls ONLY.

Anyone will do. Young girls included.

Contract discussion?

Cunning and underhanded negotiation tactics.

Deception. Force is also an option.

Contract perks?

A wish will be granted.

None.

When the contract ends?

The contractee dies.

The contractee dies.

Ability

Definitely immortal and probably invincible.

Immortal and invincible.

Modus operandi

Discreet. None of the world superpowers probably knows about her.

Overt. None of the world superpowers can stand up to him. America cannot do anything when one of the battles happened on her soil while being nuked by Japan.
Personality

A pompous jack-ass.

A snarky jack-ass.

It is not a coincidence then that both Kyubey and Koemushi are best characters in their respective titles.

But when it comes to the storyline, the difference cannot be any bigger. The main reason why Bokurano is the current holder of ‘Anime of the Year 2007’ title holder is because its storyline are largely excellent despite being the watered-down version of the source manga. Bokurano may be a seinen with mechas in it, but the POV arcs are mainly realistic-type slice-of-life stories or drama or both, and less similar to the mecha titles like Infinite Stratos et. al. For this anime, the storyline is more like a thriller and less magical than the magical girls titles I have mentioned before. And here I do think that the best arcs in Bokurano is better than the best arcs in this anime.

This anime started slowly, plodding around the dithering main title protagonist that still hesitated to sign the MoU while various events happens around her. It only gets better around the end of episode 6 when the true nature of Kyubey and the Soul Gem were finally revealed. It was also here then where the first weakness of this anime’s storyline begins to manifest itself.

The revelation in episode 6, which is for me the major milestone in this anime, is basically a double-edge sword. The positive aspect of that revelation is that it allows the true face of Kyubey (a.k.a. one of the two best characters in this anime) to be finally revealed to all viewers (and the characters), which then allows for considerable character development for her part. You can also apply the same thing to the other best character of this anime, Sayaka Miki who not only gets to benefit from even larger character developments than Kyubey is, but also gets to become an integral part of one of the better story arcs in this series.

The main drawback of the revelation at the end of episode 6 is that it (the revelation) basically make the series become much more predictable. The writer deals out too much cards on his deck at that particular point of the storyline, and all I have to do is to connect the gist of the revelation with certain events that happened in previous episodes to know what will happen in subsequent episodes. Adding to injury, a couple of ill-timed revelations that happened after episode 6 compounded the said effects even further; I can even see the ending from miles off. At that part, this anime is just as predictable as Dragon Crisis! is. 

The presentation aspects in this anime is good; the pacing is a little bit faster than I think it should be but the flow of the storyline is excellent. The ending, while predictable, were at least competently written to not allow any loose ends to remain. For an anime with thise kind of storyline, this is a good thing. I doesn’t see any potential for a second season though, unless the main title protagonist wants to throw the ‘deus ex machina’ dice and reset everything. But considering the wish she has made when she finally signed the MoU, even she cannot do that.

As for character developments, Kyubey and Sayaka Miki are the two best characters in this anime, mainly because of the character strength of the former (especially after episode 6) and the extensive character development of the latter. These two easily outshone the main title protagonist and the other magical girls too. The character developments for the ‘woe is me’ main title protagonist are too minimal considering the huge airtime she has. The same can also be said for the other magical girls too, even the one that time-traveled a lot.


And just like your common diligent marketing executive, Kyubey do ensure that you doesn’t read the fine prints.

Character Design:-
While storywise this anime isn’t your typical magical girl title, the reverse is true when it comes to character design. Actually, general character designs in this anime is comparable to what you can see in  Dragon Crisis! (read: just ordinary). Black hairs are rare in a world where magic actually exists.

But Kyubey character design is simply top notch, better than her counterpart in Bokurano. All five screenshots for the blog entry has her in it.

Voice Acting:-
This anime has done very well in this aspect overall. Outstanding performers includes the main title protagonist, Sayaka Miki and also Kyubey. Definitely a positive aspect for this anime.

Music:-
The OST is excellent, but not for the OP/ED themes or the inserts.


I’m pretty damn sure that my secondary-school physics classes says otherwise.

Animation/Direction:-
This anime is yet another title that uses the blurry animation technique that almost all other titles that has been reviewed in the audition except the Highschool of the Dead OVA has used. Docked one point from the final evaluation.

Character animation can be jerky quite a lot of the time, but general animation are fine even in fast-paced scenes. CGI and 2D animations are integrated properly. Choreography is mixed bag; action scenes by that big-breasted magical girl is excellent while action scenes for everyone else is just average. The directing is decent, especially with the construction of the environment inside magical barriers, and the ending management.

Conclusion:-
7 out of 10. The grip of that Highschool of the Dead OVA on the ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ title has just become stronger…


To become a magical girl, costume planning is definitely high on the list. The main title protagonist sure does her homework before signing the MoU.

Shortlink: http://wp.me/prgSo-pm

Review: Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!! (お兄ちゃんのことなんかぜんぜん好きじゃないんだからねっ!!)

Posted by ranpha on 23rd June 2011
Posted in: anime review, STOP THAT BLURRY ANIMATION TECHNIQUE NOW!. Tagged: . 5 comments


The main female protagonist and also the best character in this anime.

This blog’s ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ audition now reached the halfway point with this review of the mouthful Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!! (I wished the title could have been simpler, like ‘Naruto’). I have a specific reason why I choose to watch this title, and it will be discussed more in the blog post below.

Story:-
The main female protagonist has the hots for her perverted porn-freak older brother, and will do anything to push him over the forbidden edge and make him rape her. But various obstacles appeared as a hindrance to her ultimate goal, in various forms such as a childhood friend, her brother class president, her brother clique members and ultimately, the social stigma in conservative Japan. Ok, I lied about the latter.

This anime has very many uncanny similarities to another anime series that is part of ‘Anime of the Year 2010’ audition last year, B gata H kei. So let see what this anime copied from the latter:-

  1. A strong main female protagonist: One of the positive aspect this anime has is definitely the dialogue-heavy main female protagonist. In fact, it was her mannerisms that caused me to connect the dots between this anime and B gata H Kei. The similarities between these two anime’s main female protagonists are numerous, especially the perverseness, tendency to talk (and monologue) a lot, and the humor. The main female protagonist of this anime has some sadistic streaks too. Still, I think the main female protagonist for B gata H kei is a little bit better character than her counterpart in this anime.
  2. The censorship system: This anime use exactly the same method of censorship in B gata H kei, although with different motifs. This by itself isn’t a bad thing, but my beef is the censorship in this anime is way over the top for my taste. It wasn’t at Kodomo no Jikan TV level, but close. At least the censorship in B gata H kei TV (Blu-ray version isn’t that different – dammit Japan) are meant to stop making that series turning into 3-star soft-core hentai. In  this anime, censorships were applied far more indiscriminately; many innocent panty-shots and cleavage close-shots are blocked just like that. B gata H kei TV version would have had left those scene slipped untouched.
  3. Uneven character developments: Character development in this anime is also largely uneven just like it is in B gata H kei. The best character in this anime is the main female protagonist, and I will left my view about her opposite number below. Her two main rivals have far less character developments though, and I think I can say the same too for all of the secondary characters.


The censorship method seen in B gata H kei is used in this anime. I’m pretty damn sure she has panties on in this scene, which means it shouldn’t be censored. Unless,somehow, this anime was aired in the evening. And for God’s sake, who aired this kind of anime before 12am?

So, what are things this anime doesn’t copy from B gata H kei?

  1. Overly weak storyline: The storyline in this anime is definitely better than what you can see in B gata H kei. It isn’t a masterpiece, but is simply comparatively better. Nothing actually happens apart from the shenanigans of the main male protagonist and his mixed-sex ‘harem’. And the beach episode in this series is completely inferior to what you can see in the current front-runner for the ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ title Highschool of the Dead OVA – Drifters of the Dead. If only the main male protagonist imitates what his counterpart in that OVA does, to any of the three main girls in this anime, this anime will easily score at least 2 extra points for its final evaluation. Or, should I make it 3 extra points?

    Surprisingly, this anime also made some references to other anime titles, especially during the Akihabara episode. The aforementioned Kodomo no Jikan is one of them (thank God this anime doesn’t copy that series TV version retarded censorship scheme). The pacing of the storyline is slow for my liking, but I think this anime has some timeline management problems in it. Assuming that the main male protagonist doesn’t have to take summer supplementary classes, why is then his school is in session in the events within episode 10 and 11? I assume that the Comiket event at the end of the episode 11 is the summer version in August? Which means that it should happen during the main male protagonist summer holiday? Even if the main male protagonist flunked his exams and has to take extra classes, does that applies to his A.G.E. cohorts, his sister (who never occurred to me to be dumb) or his childhood friend and also the class representative (definitely not dumb even if her tastes is questionable).

    The ending is simply ordinary, just like the whole storyline is. Nothing significant has happened as usual, just like it is in other similar anime/manga titles. And with nothing happening (no sister raping has been commenced), a second season should be in the cards, and I do think this anime deserved one. Barely.

  2. Overly weak main male protagonist: While the main male protagonist in B gata H kei is a disgrace for all male high-schoolers, the main male protagonist in this anime is a definite improvement. The improvement isn’t much, but is noticeable. He is better than his counterparts in Dragon Crisis! and probably is on the same level as the main protagonist of Infinite Stratos. He is still spineless, but then again that is necessary so that the storyline can be dragged on (for another season?). At least he doesn't really drag the main female protagonist down. Well, maybe just a little. The final episode shows off the worst aspects of his character though, and is the main reason why the ending looks ordinary as it is.


She should take a long hard look at the mirror before accusing someone else as a pervert. She is even creepier than her older brother is. A proper raping is the least deserved punishment that befits her.

Character Design:-
When I started to watch the first episode of this anime, it dawns to me that the designs in this anime is your old-school shoujo-style commonly seen in the likes of Perfect Girl Evolution and Hana Yori Dango. It took me quite a few episodes to get used to it after seeing shounen-style designs in previous titles in this audition. And this is very helpful in certain scenes in parts of the series. Black hairs are rare with only one significant character having it. A positive aspect for this anime.

Voice Acting:-
Voice acting in this anime is actually very good, and this is extremely important considering the amount of dialogues. Both main protagonists, the other two girls plus the captain of the A.G.E. group has done exceptional jobs here. Definitely a positive aspect for this anime.

Music:-
Unfortunately, this anime totally failed in this section. The OST and OP/ED themes are all below average.


But throughout the series, the main male protagonist is drifting away from the three girls into the arms of someone unexpected…

Animation/Direction:-
The main reason why I choose to watch this anime at this stage is because I want to prevent me watching three consecutive titles having the ‘blurry animation technique’ application within them. The result: I failed. Even this comedy title with no action scenes whatsoever used the said animation technique. There are not many scenes that has them, but they are there. One point docked from the final evaluation of this anime.

Even B gata H kei doesn’t use it.

Apart from that, the animation quality in this anime is good even in the little fast-paced scenes it has. Choreography is non existent, which is understandable (this is not Naruto). The director isn’t helped by the excessive censoring which negates any good camera works this anime may have, plus that timeline problem mentioned above is really glaring.

Conclusion:-
6 out of 10. Would have eclipsed B gata H kei score if not for the blurry animation technique usage. Man, which one of the remaining five titles that doesn’t have it?


…and eventually the series will conclude with the ‘true ending’.

Shortlink: http://wp.me/prgSo-p8

Review: Level E (レベルE)

Posted by ranpha on 19th June 2011
Posted in: anime review, STOP THAT BLURRY ANIMATION TECHNIQUE NOW!. Tagged: . Leave a Comment


The main protagonist (one of the best characters in this anime) with his first punk’d victim.

The fourth 2011 anime reviewed in the ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ audition today is going to be Level E. Actually, at first, I thought Level E is the third season of the CODE-E series (I really need to get off my ass and watch the second season that is rotting on my file share already) but it turns out I was wrong. Therefore, here is my review of a title better than the first and third audition entries reviewed in this blog before.


The always stressed subordinate of the main protagonist, also one of the best characters in this anime.

Story:-
In our peaceful world, humanity doesn’t realize that extraterrestrials from other planets has been living amongst them, just like it is in Men In Black. The various diverse interests between those aliens factions are the only thing that keeps interplanetary wars from happening between them. With the situation hanging on a balance, Aston Kutcher Rio Ferdinand the main protagonist crash landed on Earth, and everything started to change…

Even with its science fiction background just like Infinite Stratos and Dragon Crisis!, this anime is more comedy than shounen action unlike the the other two titles. Just like Dragon Crisis!, this anime also went with the multiple-arc presentation format, but unlike the former, the arcs in this anime are mostly better. The first arc is outstanding (unlike Dragon Crisis! crappy initial arc) and the same can also be said for the first Color Ranger arc. The Twilight Zone-like arc between those two is just average, and probably is the weakest arc in the whole series. The second Color Ranger arc isn’t as good as the first one though, but is still decent. The Princess Saki and the Koshien arcs are slightly better than it though.


I laughed hard when this anime made this E.T. reference. The context is spot on and the scene is so hilarious.

The quality of the comedy here is very good; one of the defining aspects of this anime. It was the comedy that make me hooked to this anime in merely one episode, mainly because of the tsukkomi-like interactions between the main protagonist and his first prank victim shown in the first screenshot above. There are plenty of hilarious dialogues and slapstick routine in this anime. The presentation in this anime is also excellent, with spot-on pacing and smooth story development. Some references to other materials are also done here, like the E.T. parody above.

Character developments in this anime is pretty much non-existent, but strangely this doesn’t affect this anime much. Only the kids in the Color Ranger arc have some semblance of them. Meanwhile, the main protagonist is pretty much the same character from the first episode until the last one. The other blemish that this anime has is the ending arc that is even more obvious when compared to the ending arcs of Dragon Crisis and Infinite Stratos, which makes me wonder how on earth the main protagonist didn’t see what is about to come. From how the ending was written, there should be no second season though.


One of the two best arcs in this anime.

Character Design:-
Character designs in this anime is just average, and this is probably where both Dragon Crisis! and Infinite Stratos are better than this anime. It simply look less modern to newer titles, and maybe it has something to do with this anime being an adaptation of a manga from the last century. Black hairs are common though just like Dragon Crisis! which is a good thing. Even some of the aliens choose to have one…


Just one of the hazing events that the main protagonist enjoys himself doing.

Voice Acting:-
Voice acting in this anime is good overall with no sub-par performances. Then again, there are no outstanding voice acting gig(s) in here either.

Music:-
The complete opposite of Dragon Crisis! and Infinite Stratos happened here. The OST is average but the OP/ED themes are good.


Quoted For Truth #1.

Animation/Direction:-
Unfortunately, just like Dragon Crisis! and Infinite Stratos, this anime also employed the blurry animation technique I don’t like. Not as much as the other two titles, but too much for my liking. Automatic one-point deduction from the final evaluation will be done. With this, three out of four anime titles I watched for the ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ audition already has them. Which is not  a good sign.

Ignoring that, character and general animation quality in this anime are good, even in fast-paced scenes. Choreography is non-existent in this comedy anime. The directing is flawless, and I have no problems with the efforts.


Quoted For Truth #2.

Conclusion:-
7 out of 10. Definitely a better title than Dragon Crisis! and Infinite Stratos, but nowhere good enough to prevent HighSchool of the Dead OVA from running away with the ‘Anime of the Year 2011’ title. The less said about the usage of the blurry animation technique, the better. If all the listed unreviewed titles at the right-side bar has them, HotD OVA will simply walk away with the title unchallenged.


Quoted For Truth #3.

Shortlink: http://wp.me/prgSo-p3

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