I watched Fate/Stay Night quite a while back, and I guess I have to admit I was just a wee bit interested in this prequel, since it was the same story all over again: The War for the Holy Grail.
First of all, I have to say that I never expected the anime to impress me more than the original did. I guess it seemed a bit more realistic to me that adults were playing this game, unlike in Fate/Stay wherein majority of the Masters were students. Also, the chain of events in the anime was like a flower from its bloom to its wilting, wherein the story opens up perfectly to the finish.
The animation was superb, I have to admit. The details of the Noble Phantasms were well executed, but I guess I will always like Archer and Rider's best. The Servants and their respective clothing were also drawn quite well, and the details of their weapons leave none to be desired. Just something I noticed: is it just me or did Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei look quite alike? The resemblance was quite striking especially near the end of the series when they dueled.
The characters? I have to say that they were well developed. I never really enjoyed reminiscing parts in an anime, but it worked quite well for this particular one. I guess it was because it gave the story more depth, and you further understood the character (particularly Emiya Kiritsugu). I liked the mix of the servants, and aside from Assasin, I think all the Servants and Masters were given such distinct personalities that you could really see and understand why they took the actions they took as well as their line of thought.
The soundtrack was great, although I prefer the first opening and ending songs. The BGM was also appropriate during the various scenes, like fight scenes and dramatic scenes.
As I said from the start, the story wasn't really that interesting to me since it was the same plot as Fate/Stay Night, but I guess what makes this anime different is that the war was not the focus, but instead the individuals participating in the war. Even without watching Fate/Stay Night this can be watched, although if you watch this first you might be a bit disappointed with the sequel.
/note to self: make reviews immediately after watching the whole season
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
R002: Winter Sonata
I was addicted to Korean drama from where this anime was based upon, so when I finally got the chance I decided to watch it. How was it? Let me break it down to parts. And yes, please expect comparisons with the K-Drama.
Story:
It was still the same tearjerker it was when it still was a drama, but they changed the plot a bit so that they could put in an ending which made the fan girl in me totally scream. The ending they concocted somehow closed the open ended nature of the drama, wherein it was just implied they got back together again. However, I didn't really like some of the changes they made. It felt like they just tried to prolong the story, unlike the drama.
Animation:
It kinda felt like watching the drama since the characters were drawn to the likeness of the actors. However, I wouldn't say that the animation was superb, in fact it was a bit lacking for me. Since this was a serious drama/romance anime, I was looking for the subtlety in the facial expression, but I guess I was expecting too much. I just wish there were a bit more changes in the faces, since the character's faces seem a bit bland throughout the series, specially during extremely emotional scenes.
Others:
The opening music is the same as the drama, and the other music were Korean as well. The voice actors were the actors in the drama (well at least some of them like the main characters), so basically, it was a Korean anime, if there was such a thing (only the animation was truly Japanese).
I guess this is one of the anime where you would appreciate it better if you were a fan of the original series. I think it was okay, not really the best but since I liked the drama I enjoyed it just the same.
Story:
It was still the same tearjerker it was when it still was a drama, but they changed the plot a bit so that they could put in an ending which made the fan girl in me totally scream. The ending they concocted somehow closed the open ended nature of the drama, wherein it was just implied they got back together again. However, I didn't really like some of the changes they made. It felt like they just tried to prolong the story, unlike the drama.
Animation:
It kinda felt like watching the drama since the characters were drawn to the likeness of the actors. However, I wouldn't say that the animation was superb, in fact it was a bit lacking for me. Since this was a serious drama/romance anime, I was looking for the subtlety in the facial expression, but I guess I was expecting too much. I just wish there were a bit more changes in the faces, since the character's faces seem a bit bland throughout the series, specially during extremely emotional scenes.
Others:
The opening music is the same as the drama, and the other music were Korean as well. The voice actors were the actors in the drama (well at least some of them like the main characters), so basically, it was a Korean anime, if there was such a thing (only the animation was truly Japanese).
I guess this is one of the anime where you would appreciate it better if you were a fan of the original series. I think it was okay, not really the best but since I liked the drama I enjoyed it just the same.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
R001: Itazura na Kiss
Woot! First anime review! At my age (yes I think I am a bit too old for this kind of anime), I never thought I would still like the shoujo anime genre, but apparently I still am young enough at heart to appreciate these kind of things. I have heard about the anime a couple of times from friends who said it was sweet and all, but for quite a time I kind of avoided this genre, therefore resulting to me having just watched it now. I honestly never thought I would enjoy it as I did, nor did I ever think that I would want to watch it again some other time.
So what is this anime all about? It actually has a very simple plot: simple-minded cute high school girl who is at the bottom class of the year falls for the smartest guy in the top class, and due to circumstances beyond their control they share a house. It's not really the most original plot as I've seen some manga with similar story lines, but the way the anime made all the cliches work out just fine is amazing. I guess it was the way they developed the characters, specially the main girl (and later on, the main guy) that made supposedly cheesy scenes just awfully sweet.
While we're into the various characters of the show, I also have to admit that the other characters were part of why the show turned out to be quite nice. Although there was quite a number of characters since the series spanned both high school and college life of the couple, it was all right because there was no waste. Almost all the characters were developed, and that made it quite fun. Everyone had a role to play. Although majority of the show was set in the female point of view, the few scenes wherein the guy's thoughts are shown hit the spot.
The animation, doesn't really impress me, although the way the characters make faces when they are mad is hilarious. The sound track is also quite remarkable, and I have been humming the 2nd ending on my head since I finished the series.
On a personal note, it was quite fun to watch, something of a heart warming kind of story, and also the kind of stuff girls dream about.
So what is this anime all about? It actually has a very simple plot: simple-minded cute high school girl who is at the bottom class of the year falls for the smartest guy in the top class, and due to circumstances beyond their control they share a house. It's not really the most original plot as I've seen some manga with similar story lines, but the way the anime made all the cliches work out just fine is amazing. I guess it was the way they developed the characters, specially the main girl (and later on, the main guy) that made supposedly cheesy scenes just awfully sweet.
While we're into the various characters of the show, I also have to admit that the other characters were part of why the show turned out to be quite nice. Although there was quite a number of characters since the series spanned both high school and college life of the couple, it was all right because there was no waste. Almost all the characters were developed, and that made it quite fun. Everyone had a role to play. Although majority of the show was set in the female point of view, the few scenes wherein the guy's thoughts are shown hit the spot.
The animation, doesn't really impress me, although the way the characters make faces when they are mad is hilarious. The sound track is also quite remarkable, and I have been humming the 2nd ending on my head since I finished the series.
On a personal note, it was quite fun to watch, something of a heart warming kind of story, and also the kind of stuff girls dream about.
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