Anime Review - Guilty Crown

Title: Guilty Crown  

ギルティクラウン

# of episodes: 22

Genre: shounen, mecha, science fiction

Story:  It’s the year 2039 and Japan is under martial law because of a traumatic incident that happened ten years ago, known as the ‘Lost Christmas’. Although no one knows exactly why it happened, during this event many people died from an alien virus and an international governing power, GHQ, stepped in to take control of Japan.
The story follows Shu Ouma, a high school student, who encounters an injured girl, Inori.  Before being taken captive by government agents, Inori asks Shu to take the genome she’s stolen to the leader of Funeral Parlor, a military resistant group that is working to overthrow the GHQ.  When the genome vial breaks and transforms Shu’s DNA, he suddenly has the power to turn people’s hearts into weapons and tools and becomes a key player in the fight to reclaim Japan.  

 

Positives:

Story – The first two episodes really drew me in with an amazing fight scene involving mecha and huge swords (yeah, I like big swords and I cannot lie), and it only got better from there (~Episode 11!!!).  The series takes quite a few unexpected twists and turns in the second half, after episode thirteen, and while the action was a bit slow at times, there was more emotion and character development and the themes explored really made you think: absolute power corrupting absolutely, blind obedience to a higher authority, and the disturbing qualities of mob mentality.  I know it made me stop and think- what would I do if I had incredible power over others?

Characters –  The series really keeps you guessing about the relationships between a lot of the main characters, and there are quite a few surprising revelations (well, I was surprised anyway).  It took me a while to warm up to Shu’s character, but I really loved him in the second half when you started to really feel the pressure he was under, how it affected him, and how much it humanized his character. 

I never truly cared too much for Inori (I just felt she was . . .blah), but I loved the side character, Hare Menjou. She was so sweet and made me cry.  That’s a win in my book.

Ayase and Tsugumi

Giant Robots and Awesome Weapons – The mecha battles were pretty awesome, as were the mecha pilots on both the good and bad sides (although I thought Daryl Yan seemed to destroy a lot of robots . . .and for such a supposedly talented pilot! The female mecha pilot, Ayase, and the hacker girl, Tsugumi, were especially cool~  And the sword that was Inori’s heart somewhat made up for her stoic character (It would have been cooler if she had wielded the sword though . . .)

Soundtrack –   The music was absolutely wonderful!!  My favorite songs were:  “My Dearest” by supercell (the first opening), “Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai noUta~” by EGOIST (the first ending - click the link for the youtube video), and "Release My Soul" by Aimee Blackschleger (the song in episode 22).

The epic scene in episode 11 – Just watch and you will understand why.

Possible Pitfalls:

Inori – One of the artists on Deviantart.com commented that although Guilty Crown is a good series, it would have been nice if Inori hadn’t been such a wimp at times and I must admit I have to agree.  She broke into GHQ and stole that vial, but then she was constantly needing Shu to rescue her?  Sigh . . .  And just when she started to get kind of cool at the end . . . Double sigh. . .

Mature Content – The second half of the series (after episode 12, I believe) tends to take a darker turn and does become more violent, but it isn’t too bad. So this is just more of a heads up if animated blood isn’t your thing.  Oh, and there are subtle hints of incest as well (think Game of Thrones sort of incest).  But like I said, the second half does get darker.  So ye be warned!

Overall, I thought the series was really great!  The action scenes were good, but there was enough emotion and romance to satisfy my hopeless romantic side too.  Shu became such a likeable character and I admit, I was crying at the ending. (But I’m a big sap, so there ya go)  And since the positives definitely outweigh the possible pitfalls, I’m giving this series 4 out of 5 firecrackers~  So if you have some extra time, go watch it and then youtube the very awesome soundtrack!

Next week, I’m going to post either about my second maid café adventure in Taipei with a very good otome friend or our trip to a comic exhibition.  So until then, ja ne!    

Anime Review - Brave 10

        Ah!  This post is coming a bit late this time.  I’ve been soooo busy at work. #_#  And busy = limited anime viewing hours!!  NOOOO! ::minor breakdown in progress::  Okay, better now . . .  However, since there are only ten episodes out of Brave 10, I was able to catch up with the series and give you (hopefully) a decent review.  So in famous words of Nsync (yes, I’m a 90s teen), here we go!

Brave 10!!

Title: Brave 10

# of episodes (so far): 12

Genre: shounen, ninja/shinobi, historical

Story:  Based on the manga of the same name by Kairi Shimotsuki (which has 8 volumes), the story, set during the Warring States period, starts with the shinobi, Saizou Kirigakure rescuing Isanami, a shrine maiden who is on the run from assassins.  After escaping the assassins, they arrive at dwelling of Sanada Yukimura.  Sanada is planning to put together a group of ten warriors with amazing abilities in order to affect change for the future of Japan.  Both Saizou and Isanami decided to join his group, especially when it is revealed that Isanami may be more than what she seems . . .

 

Positives:

Story – Although the story can be a bit confusing at times (as I think anything based on history can be), I love watching anime that touches on Japan’s history.  Real events figure into the story’s timeline, which adds a slightly authentic feel (minus the huge swords, sorcery and crazy shinobi battles)

Did I mention giant swords??

Characters – Another thing I liked about the anime was the vast group of characters.  Each of the ten warriors (it takes about 8 episodes to meet them all though) are really different and well-formed.  My favorite is Saizou and the insane redhead Kamanosuke Yuri, mostly because I think the strange relationship between the two is pretty funny.

Weapons – Giant swords!!  Ninja battles!!  Enough said. 

Possible Pitfalls:

Lack of historical background – I think one of the hardest parts for me is that a lot of the references that are made to major figures in Japanese history are lost on me.  Even with my (very brief) study of Japanese history, I’m still often googling or wikipedia-ing (is that word?) a lot of the battles or important people mentioned.  Of course, normal viewers could just skip over that part and focus on the interactions between the characters.  Then again, I’m a (closet) history geek and once I hear of some historical event I can’t help but research it.

She could get tougher . . .

Isanami’s character – I usually like to watch anime where the main female character is, at the very least, not a whiner.  (The whole reason I never got into Twilight = Bella . . . I think if I had to read another, “Oh, Edward, I’d die without you . . . I would pull my hair out.  But please no hatemail from Team E. ^_^)  Towards the later episodes she does seem to whine a little bit less . . . and true, evil people did burn down her shrine and kill everyone she loves . . . but it would be nice to see her develop some kick-butt powers (that have already been hinted at) and have some awesome battles like the other nine warriors seem to be able to do.  Come on, Isanami!  I’m rooting for you to be cool!!

              

So, at this point in time I’m still planning to continue the series (since I think season one is only 12 episodes), but I’m afraid it only gets 3 out of 5 firecrackers, unless A) the battles get even more awesome B) Isanami starts kicking butt or C) everything does actually manage to get explained before the series ends

  

Has anyone else see Brave 10?  What do you think of Isanami (though actually, I’d love to cosplay her!)?  Did you check out Saizou’s sword?? (>.<  Sorry . . . that just sounds wrong . . . But his weapon is very awesome!)  Which warrior is your favorite?

Well, I’ve got another maid café adventure planned for tomorrow, so next week will either be more info on Taiwan’s maid café culture, the Y mall (which I still need to take pictures of!), or info on Animate, the number one store for manga and anime collectibles!!  Until then, mata ne!

Manga Review - D Gray man

Finally!  The manga I’ve been . . .::ahem:: you’ve been waiting for!  On with the review~

Title:  D Gray Man

Mangaka: Katsura Hoshino

Genre:  Shounen, Supernatural

Story:  In a world filled with akuma (loosely translated as demons) created by the Millennium Earl to destroy the world, Allen Walker ( our hero! ::cheer::) becomes an Exorcist and joins the Black Order to fight against the Earl.  As an Exorcist he uses his left arm, which can transform into a claw, to release the human souls trapped inside and powering the akuma.  Besides hunting down akuma, the Black Order’s Exorcists are also searching for pieces of Innocence, an item that allows Exorcists to battle akuma.  The Earl and his allies, the Noah family, are in a race with the Exorcists to find a piece of Innocence called the Great Heart, which would give a powerful advantage to whichever side finds it first. 

Positives:

The Exorcists

Characters:  If you haven’t guessed by now, my favorite character is Allen!  I’m a sucker for the nice guy with a sweet smile and a tragic past (and of course the awesome powers are nice too!).  But actually all the characters in the story are well-developed and even the characters I didn’t want to like, I ended up liking.  (I hate/love it when that happens >.<) 

Storyline:  To tell the truth I was a little worried about the storyline when I first started reading.  I was afraid the series would turn into a battle every X amount of chapters with bigger and more powerful enemies to defeat until things got to a ridiculous level (Naruto, I’m looking at you. ::accusing stare:: )  But thankfully, that didn’t happen.  There are battles, don’t get me wrong, but the story does keep moving ahead pretty steadily with more and more depth.  Katsura-sensei’s world-building skills are excellent and really pull you into the story.  And there are a few funny filler chapters to lighten things up right before the story turns dark.  And dark it does indeed become.

Possible Pitfalls:

Length:  Although I love this manga and its characters, storyline, etc., it is long.  The last chapter I read I believe was 212 and it is released monthly, which makes it a long wait for each chapter. (I’m seriously dying with anticipation . . .@_@)  Although MangaFox, where I’ve been reading the English scanslation, is really good about posting the most recent update.

Tearjerker:  I’m not usually one to cry when reading stories, although I do get pretty emotionally involved with the characters. (I’m just sensitive >.<)  However, that being said, there were a few times the events in the story had me grabbing for a tissue.  (As a writer I understand that we have to torture our characters sometimes to move the story along, but still!!)  So, just a heads-up to have a full tissue box nearby when reading into the wee hours of the morning.

A lovely drawing from Katsura-sensei ^^

Overall Impression:

        Like you’ve heard, uh, seen me write time and time again, I love this series!  It was way too easy to fall in love with the characters, to really start to care about their lives and feelings, and dive into the world of akuma and Exorcists created by Katsura-sensei. The art is great, and although the series is long, it is nice to slowly watch Allen and the rest of the team mature (in both art and attitude) as the stories moves along. 

At times the story becomes quite dark, but I would argue that makes the questions arising from the events that much more thought-provoking.  If there’s one type of manga I love, it’s the kind that starts with a character thinking A is evil and B is good and then halfway through the series asks: but what if what I thought was good is really evil and vice versa?  (I like those deep thoughts ^_^)

So, for my overall score, I give this one 5 (out of 5) firecrackers. It is a definitely a must-read manga!  

 

And for next week I'm hoping to review the live-action movie Death Note, so stay tuned!  But I'll leave you with a few questions:  Have you read D Gray Man?  What do you think?  Good?  Wonderful?  Awesome?  Bad?  And the most important question of all:  Who do you think Allen should be with:  Lenalee or Road?  (I choose me! . . .That was unmentioned Option C ^^)