Engaged to the unidentified ep 6 reaction

 
Why? Why do I like this show so much?! I honestly have no clue. By all accounts this is average! There has been minimal development, if you can even call it that, animation is nothing special, sound design is solid but nothing special. The whole thing is just a generic Romantic Comedy, so why do I like it so much?! 

Search for Engaged to the Unidentified, find Greed; Google Logic

Sorry I just had to get that out. There are probably reasons why I like this show so much, or at least I'll make up some that sound intelligent. Anyhow, I'm going to publish a Chuunibyou impression thing tomorrow. Would've updated today, but it still needs a bit of editing.

Gundam 00 Second Season Anime Review

In case you don't know, I love the Gundam Franchise. Sure, it's had some slip-ups now and then, but overall its one of the only high budget mech anime out there that has enough of a length to fully develop a decent story, enough depth for characters to be likeable/ hateable, and some kickass fight scenes. If you read the first season review (or you just read the title) you know where this is going. Gundam 00 Second Season.


Gundam 00 Second Season sits in a weird place with me. On the on hand, I still see it as one of the best examples of what a mech anime can be, and how an anime as a medium of fictional storytelling can be taken seriously.Yes it still has a small margin of fanservice (the characters-have-have-gigantic-boobs-and-barbie-like-figures not the boobs-in-your-face-every-two-seconds-are-you-not-entertained kind), and I'm pretty sure most fourteen year olds are not as developed as Feldt...character wise! This anime is one of my favorite anime of all time. At the same time, the second season just is not as good as the first. But we'll get to that later.


Animation-- So to get to the point, it doesn't look as good nowadays as it did back then. Animation is good, but not good enough to blow minds. For a mech anime, it's pretty good. Visually Gundam 00 suceeds (taking into account when it was made). Mech designs are appealing, fights are stunning even in 2014, and characters are detailed enough to set themselves apart from the rest of the cast.

They even color-code them for you!

The action scenes are really a ton of fun, ranging from tense, to massacre level engagements. Let me just say this; if you thought the Strike Freedom was overpowered, you have not seen anything yet. While a lot of the fights were fun, they all were solved by the Gundam of Gundams. Still they gave enough action to get the fanboys their adrenaline rush for the day. Something I didn't like so much this time around was that there was a lot more action. I mean it was fun and all, but I can't help but think that the political ploys and tricks are all but gone. The series is still fun, of that there is no doubt, but the politics of Gundam have always been its strongest feature.

Something else I found really cool about the actions scenes was that they actually were tense. Yes, you knew that the meisters (still can't get over that title) were going to win the battle, but it wasn't as one sided as it used to be. I'm assuming you've watched the first season already, so I'm not going to put a spoiler bit here. Now other machines can use the gn drives, making the battles a lot more tense...until of course Setuna comes in guns blazing. So here's another thing that kind of annoyed me; as much as I love the 00 Gundam, it was not as invoved in close comabt as Exia. The last one was cool that way, this one just shoots stuff... never the less, aside from the only thing that could make the 00 Gundam more overpowered would be if it had a giant S on its chest, the visuals have never looked better.

What? We all knew it was coming.

Plot--Wow, I'm doing a lot of bit***** for a show I like so much, but the plot isn't as good as last time either. I mean it is still damn good, but the first one's was still better. This plot-line is a lot more straightforward, which is a bit of a shame. The first Season's plot was absent of a straight forward villain. In some ways the Gundam were the villains, and that was cool. Yes, eventually there was a definitive antagonist, but for most of the series there was not. This left the viewer to decide who was right or wrong. It made the viewer actually think! At the same time, this anime does benefit from the straightforward plotline in some ways. First off it's villain, is so much more compelling than the predecessor that was revealed with as much consequence as Oz was in the movie of the same name (with a the and a wizard of course). The antagonist again makes you think, but still provides a goal; someone we grow to hate, and love at the same time. He's a cool villain, with an unbreakable composure; and that's why it's all too satisfying when it finally breaks.

Now the other thing that this anime has over its predecessor is the ending. This has got to be one of the most kick-ass finales I have ever seen period. Every gundam series ends with a final battle, a finale that few, if any anime can match, but none come close to this one's. It's the battle of Helm's Deep, the storming of 300 guys in a canyon, it's every little bit the fantastic specticle you could imagine in a final battle. It is amazing, and is built up like no tomorrow. Unlike a lot of other gundam series, it's also less an equal battle between giants, and more like a suicide mission. Oh, and the final battle of the final battle gives enough nostalgic thrill to make even the most hardcore gundam fans break. I just recommend turning off the sound for it, because you have to listen to Marina Freaking Ismail talk for the entire length of the fight.

Sound-- I was watching another reviewer who was saying that having a short but good soundtrack is better than having a long but boring soundtrack. to him I say why not Both...

Boring and short!

No but really this anime has the best soundtrack I've heard in a while. There is a very small number of tracks I can say are sub par. To prove my point;

Once again I'm going to say that if you enjoy English dubs, watch it in dub. While I myself watched in subs, the anime boasts an amazing dub performance. Every voice actor is impressive, and like the soundtrack there is a very small amount of voice talents that I can say are sub par. That being said Ayumi Tsunematsu, the voice actress is someone I would point as as not being exceptional. She's not cringe worthy, but she never really gets a chance to shine, to show that she actually has a good amount of talent. I mean she hasn't really done anything else that I've seen, so I can't say that she's actually any good. She filled her role; it's just a shame her role is as interesting as watching paint dry.





Characters--The characters in the second season don't get as much development in the second season, but that's cool.they got enough development in the first one. Instead they make way for some of the other characters, like colonel Sergei Smirnov, the bear of Russia.The main characters still get their screen time, but so do the other characters. This allows for more character development, and perspectives other than just the view of Celestial Being. This makes the antagonist seem a bit more three dimensional and a bit more realistic because of this. they are not your typical mustache twirling bond villains. They are definitely unjust, but at least they think that they're doing the right thing, and it's the thought that counts. I'm not going to go into most of the characters, because I think I've covered the characters enough in my review of the first season. Instead I'm going to focus on three, Saji, Louise, and *sigh* Marina. Now in the first season I found Louise and Saji to be annoying and pointless. they only mattered at the end, and while I was supposed to care about them, I couldn't. They were annoying, and while Louise showed a lot of development, meaning I felt an emotion somewhat in the ball park of sadness, I felt as much feelings for Saji as I would a brick. Actually supposing it wasn't one that hit me on the head, I think I would've had more feelings toward the brick. In the second season, their relationship is a bit more plot centered and complicated. Louise is now a fully developed character who is likeable and just a good character. Saji, is now just a character. He's not anything too important, but he's not annoying anymore. At least he has some ties to the plot.

Daw, no really, this everyone saw coming

Marina--Yep an entire section dedicated to why I hate Marina freaking Ismail. God! You know what's worse than being a character with a ton of potential that drops down to being a plot device? A character that is nothing but a plot device. Not only that, but after she finally overstays her welcome (the first episode) she even drops that. What the hell is the point? Why is she here? This makes no Goddamn sense! She does nothing throughout the series. The only thing of importance that she actually does is have some conversations with Setsuna, that give him a bit more character. that and I kid you not, write a freaking song. You know this character doesn't have the personality of a rock. She makes a rock look like Hamlet given her performance. She shows no character development whatsoever. She is as static as an old 50's TV and about as interesting as the programs on it. She is so damn useless! Even Saji, a pacifist to the core was able to fight when he was needed, even Relina Peacecraft, who's very name implies pacifism is able to pick up a gun and do something, Lacus Clyne is smart capable and an intelligent politician that doesn't have to resort to violence to get her way. Oh but what am I talking about, Marina can write songs! Jesus, Lord, and Savior, she is truly the one that drives this series forward. I hate her! You know maybe they do this on purpose. To create a stark contrast...between fun and boredom. That's it! They're saying, well some things could've been better, but at least the whole anime isn't this.

Romance--It's valentine's day whatddya expect? So it's hard to put into words, but the romance in Gundam 00  Is something that I think is sorta weird. This is either one of my favorite romances or one of my least favorites, and that depends on the outcome. Okay, so more and more gundam has been moving to a bit more of a romantic standpoint. In fact originally the series was slated to have a lot more romance and drama--something that was cut short due to time constraints. So that being said, the romance here is a bit shallow--meaning it's not as developed as other series. Myself, I don't mind it so much. Why? because it makes the characters feel more realistic, and by consequence the romance. The characters aren't focused on romance, there are there other things in their lives than their relationships. So in that way the romance feels natural and not forced. More than that, it feels more like the viewer is an observer, rather than a psychic. There's a lot of good romance in here. I don't want to spoil it, but if you've seen the first season, you'll know almost all of them. Now when I say almost there is one exception. That of course being Setsuna. It's pretty strongly hinted that Feldt has some sort of romantic attachment to Lock-on in the first season. I mean it's unrequited both due to Lock-on not being interested, and a small case of death. Yet, towards the end of the second season, Feldt randomly becomes attached to Setsuna. To me it felt out of place, but...right. I don't know how to explain it, it just feels like it was meant to be. They feel like they have chemistry without having to express it in a way that everyone can relate to. Neither of them are normal, both of them are used to solitude and their relationship reflects that. That being said I was eager for anyone to be with Setsuna except for Marina, but I still think that it fits like a glove. Oh and in case you're wondering I don't accept the ending of the manga. First off, the anime came first, second there are a lot of differences between the manga and anime, and finally if it was truly cannon, then I would be bouncing of wall pillows. 

So i took a week off doing this stuff, but I'm back! So I'll be updating regularly and by that I mean within the next year or so! Thank you for reading, likes, follows and just spreading the word are all things that I would appreciate. Happy Valentine's day, and I'll siya next time!

There were other kinds of fan-art, of them kissing, getting married, etc. I dunno, something about this touches me.

Go watch!

What? A review? With my procrastination? So once again it's 2014. I mean I really don't need to be repeating this, it's been like a month... So what other great anime are out there?

Hamatora-- An anime smelling of sweet nostalgia is not something that I find to be very common these days. Especially when said anime has the words 'the animation' attached to it. In fairness this anime is not even adpated from something. It was planned from the start; a mixed media project. In any case, the anime breaks it up a bit by having almost no fanservice, a compelling plot, a good old getbackers/ darker than black story, and the most psychedelic action sequences I've seen in an anime.

 Noragami--

A god, a cat, and a katana walk into a bar. Noragami in a nutshell. Not only does this anime have one of the weirdest concepts I've ever seen (broken only by sodas that can transform into girls) it also is just awesome. It's a lot of fun. Animation is smooth, script isn't the best, but Hiroshi Kamiya (voice of ararararararararararararagi, Izaya, and the one most of you would know Levi) definitely makes up for that. He plays the role of Yato, the flamboyant god working to become famous by making a shrine out of 5 yen donations. It also helps that Yuki Kaji is in here. Admittedly I've only seen three episodes, but this anime is looking promising.

Engaged to the unidentified-- I actually have no clue idea what to make of this anime. It's not blowing away, but it's strangely addicting. I really want to know what's going to happen next. It's got me reallyintrigued and I don't really know why. It's a funny show, not My Mental Choice, but still funny. Characters are fun to watch, though not fleshed out enough as of yet for me to truly pass judgment. Okay whatever, it's fun! You'll enjoy it! I'll save everything else for when I review it!

Discussion about casual anime fans

Hey guys, unfortunately I'm not here to review any anime in particular, but more to talk about both casual anime fans as well as some pretentious idiots with a bunch of equally pretentious anime stuck up their asses. So yeah, if you want to look at stuff more about anime and less about discussion, go the next page/scroll down. So in case you didn't notice, this is purely opinion.

So this is a discussion segment. Gather round kids, and pull up your stools, because we're going to have a freaking chat. This rant was originally instigated by a youtuber by the name of Green Eye, who claimed that anyone who watches Attack On Titan, is a casual anime fan. I then asked this youtuber to see if Gigguk, a very influential and popular anime review, was a casual simply for watching AoT. They said yes. You can't hear it, but I'm screaming right now. I'm not even going to go into how stupid this argument is. Here is the link in case you want to follow the discussion. (look under the video anime in 2013) Gotta say at this point I'm pretty sure that this person is a troll, but whatever.

I'm here to address something I find really damn stupid in the anime community. This is the idea that popular anime are only designated for casual viewers. Now for those of you not familiar with the term, casual refers to a person who watches anime without frequency. They are people who skim the surface, not delving into the depths of anime.

Casual fans have developed a bit of a bad reputation among the anime community. More often than not casual fans do not have much experience in anime. So for instance, if a casual anime fan saw something like Naruto, they may call it the best anime ever. Most anime fans, including me, would disagree with this. Naruto is not a bad show, but it isn't the best the anime industry has to offer. Fate/Zero, Monster, or Cowboy Bebop, are just a few critically acclaimed anime that are considered by many to be leagues ahead of something like Naruto. In the end there is a multitude of anime that are more complicated, have a better plot, better action, and most of all don't take over 500 episodes to tell their story. Even among the more concise anime, like Sword Art Online, casual anime fans have the tendency to boost the credibility of an anime through sheer numbers.

Are Casual anime fans a bad thing though? I don't think so. In the end, you just have to be on the lookout for over-hyped anime. While sometimes casuals can do things that really get on my nerves, such as promoting the KiritoxAsuna pairing as the best paring of 2012, generally I'm okay with them. In the end theirs is a positive benefit. First off, casual anime fans help the industry. The sheer amount of casual anime fans out there helps to keep the industry alive.Why the hell is Naruto at the top of Crunchyoll's charts? It is most likely because the majority of the fan base re casuals. I could be mistaken, but I don't think I am.

The second reason why they're good, is because they show promise to stop being casual fans, and delve into the deeper depths of anime. Let's face it; anime is not exactly the easiest thing to get into. the crazy plots, the nonsensical characters, it's all a bit much. Especially at a young age. Casual fans get to sink into the lighter stuff and get comfortable with it before diving into the more hardcore stuff.

Because, let's face it, anime can get pretty crazy

So why is it so bad to be called a casual, if they're in fact a positive influence on the anime community. They're are a few reasons, for why this is the case. Seeing as casual fans by definition do not have a lot of experience, generally undermines your opinion. Think about it like this, would you expect a ten year old who only played call of duty to give an accurate representation of how good the game is? Of course not! If you only know one thing, and you enjoy that one thing, then to you it's the best thing ever! Same with anime. Obviously you still have your opinion, but its weight is undermined with the label of casual.

Replace Naruto, with any anime that another living soul knows about, and you'll get what I'm talking about.

 So we come to the topic of this discussion. To sum up, casual fans are a good thing. While they do have some cons, in general, they're pros far outweigh they're cons. It's not a bad thing to be called a casual anime fan, if you're a casual anime fan. It just means that you're inexperienced, not that you'll stay that way forever. When you really are into the community and involved with it, then it becomes an insult.

Now we come to the other side of the coin. The pretentious assholes, who believe that any anime that is popular is automatically casual. The difference between these guys and casuals, is that while casual anime fans have an excuse, these guys, do not. Now, there are some people who consider a popular anime to be crap for their own reasons. There are people who think Attack on Titan is a horrible series. These people can articulate their points, saying that its a gore fest, with either predictable deaths, or not enough development to make you care for the characters before they die. While I may disagree, I respect their opinion. But, when anyone blows off anyone who watches a show, just because it's popular, I cannot respect them. Another anime where this happened was Sword Art Online, where the same incident happened. Now if you've read my review (which is right below this one) you'd know that while I thought it was overrated, I genuinely liked the show. Now, I don't want to call myself a hardcore anime fan, because I'm not that involved in the anime community, but I'm certainly not a casual anime fan. I mean after watching something like Wincest the show or Buddha and Jesus as roommates, I can safely say I'm not casual. Yet, just because I liked Sword Art Online, it means my opinions aren't valid?! No! This is something that needs to stop. Not every hardcore anime fan is like this, but there are enough out there, so that I get freaking annoyed.

I was looking for an image for casual anime fans, and I found this...How is this casual? This is one of the most inaccessible anime I've ever watched! What 'casual' fan would watch a show where the entirety is just talking combined with a camera that has the attention of a butterfly?

Take an anime like SAO for instance. A casual fan of the show, may defend it to death despite it's numerous flaws, not admitting that there is anything wrong with it (oh, have I had a bunch of these discussions). At the same time a pretentious asshole, would rip the show to shreds, without recognizing any of the things it does right. I recently read an article on a site called Seventh Style detailing the good and bad anime of 2013. I don't want to delve too deep into it, but let's just say that I have more fingers than the amount of positive things they have to say. I'm not saying that these guys who run the site are the pretentious assholes I'm writing about, but it sure gave that impression from the article I read.

I could go into more stuff on the matter, but i think I've stirred up enough controversy for today. If you enjoyed or agreed with this, leaving a like, follow, or spreading the word, are all things that would be cool.

 

Five Centimeters per Second--sorta review

There are three questions that you're probably asking right now. The first is, why is this called a sorta review? Well to put it simply, it's because I couldn't finish it. I watched until there was about twenty minutes left before I couldn't take it any longer. So really this isn't as much a review as it is my thoughts on the movie.

Now you're going to ask; Is it a bad movie then? To which my answer is no; it's the complete opposite. Five Centimeters per second is a very good movie, but if were to say why you wouldn't read the rest of it, now would you?

Finally, if you're like me, the final question will be; What the hell is Five centimeters per second. to which my answer is; depression.

Makoto Shinkai. If you're unfamiliar with that name, that's cool. He's a director who's known for making beautifully rendered movies that pluck at your heart strings even if it's two sizes too small. he's known for movies like Voices of a Distant Star, Children who chase lost voices, and a plethora of other tear fests. Now I don't like to jump into his movies, because frankly, I don't like leaving a movie with a sad pain in my chest. Call me immature, but I am a Stickler for happy endings. When I saw that this movie was a romance, I thought, well maybe this one won't be so depressing. Ha, ha, ha, goddammit. 

The first thing you'll notice about this film is it's production values. It looks amazing. Every been amazed at something like Attack on Titan? Or maybe SAO? This anime's production values trump those by tenfold. I'm pretty sure that Japan's deficit would be solved if they devoted the budget of this movie to it, but whatever. It is pure eyecandy, nothing less than spectacular. Even if you don't like romance, even if you don't like depressing endings, the movie is still worth the price of entry if only for the visuals. But if there's anything I've learned from Guilty Crown, it's that visuals aren't everything. 

The next thing you'll notice about the anime is the atmosphere. Characters are strangely melancholy. Contrary to their moe counterparts, these characters are not all smiles and sunshine. Of the four characters in the film, each and every one is not exactly content with life. Let me put it this way. Characters are not overacted, and there fore feel distinct. Nothing is overacted, and people behave as regular people. There are many great and memorable moments with each of the characters. Tear jerkers, tear jerkers, and, hey look a heart warmi---nope another tear jerker. 

Plot--For some reason there are three arcs to the movie, one of them being completely unrelated to the other. It was sort of random, but it was a good arc. Other than that pacing is done pretty well. It kept me onto the edge of my seat until the end of the second arc, wherein I realized this anime was not going to have a happy ending. Sigh

Sound--I actually didn't really pay much attention to the soundtrack, but as far as I can tell, it's pretty good. It didn't stand out enough to distract me, but it set the mood well. 

Finally the Romance. it's good romance, and it goes into the complexity of the emotion that few anime dare to---aw who am I kidding, I freaking hate it! Yeah this is damn subjective, but I don't give a freaking damn. Yes its a good romance, but its so damn depressing. Nothing turns out right, everyone leaves with a broken heart. Sure this anti-resolution is part of the movie's theme. it's all about moving on; creaking away from the past and paving the way towards a brighter future. i can appreciate the overall theme, but again this movie made me feel so damn depressed. 

While other anime like Mirai Nikki pluck at my heartstrings, these guys just flat out rip them out. And while Sakurasou places them back, this movie throws them down the drain, before hitting the garbage disposal button.

So this isn't a review, this really more my thoughts on the movie. I recommend it to anyone who likes really depressing movies. It's a really good movie. Characters are well designed, visuals are stunning, from what I can tell the soundtrack is damn good, and the message is a good one. Not every romance is going to work out. God knows I know that, but at the same time it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

If you liked this review, likes follows and spreading the word are all things that would be nice. I'll siya next time.