Tsunami.No.Anime

Mai-HiME is one of those shows you watch purely because you have nothing better to do and want a decent story to fill your time. I watched this show on recommendation from a friend who said it was an alright show, with boobs, and violence. He was right. Spoiler: You can see the star too, that makes you a chick.

Mai-HiME is the story of boobs with super powers attached to girls who goto a school. Really though, its about a girl named Mai who transfers to Fuka Academy with her sickly brother on a scholarship and finds herself part of a select few girls at the school who are endowed with incredible power. She finds she is a HiME, a girl blessed by the red star only they can see with the power to defeat the Orphan, creatures from another world who have invaded the earth. Mai has to come to terms with her new power and how it affects her relationships with the people she cares about most.

From a plot perspective, Mai-HiME is kind of lacking. The premise certainly isn’t new and the elements of the show have been done before. It took me about 7 episodes to finally discern a plot beyond “you have powers, fight these creatures.” However, the character building that takes place in the first half comes to bear in the second plot arc: the carnival. While not spoiling anything for anyone, the carnival is pretty much where the plot actually starts to come out. Plot twists abound during this period and while I was able to spot most of them before they happened, there were several that caught me off guard. The love story aspect of the show did enhance the plot to some extent, especially for the carnival, but I did thing that there ended up being too much love drama and tension that kept the show from moving on beyond what it was giving us.

The comedy of the show is basically two things: eechi and tsundere. The first half of the show has a lot of the former. There are boob jokes everywhere and one episode is entirely devoted to the humor of underwear. The second element, tsundere, is exhibited mainly by Mai and another HiME, Natsuki. The latter is probably more tsundere and most certainly is more enjoyable to watch than Mai but both of them have their moments of being the funniest bit of the show.

The characters were pretty good. While they were all girls and I couldnt really relate to them, as most had a girly attitude towards fighting, I was able to bond to some of them through empathy. Out of the bunch, I think Natsuki was the most likable despite her initial persona. Mai was too wishy-washy for my liking, but during the carnival I think her character development grew at a rapid pace and was much more believable than other’s reactions. Certainly all the characters had some form of development, but mostly it seemed like a stereotypical transformation: loner to friend, weak to strong, undecided to decided.

That all being said, the show had some big drawbacks. First, the show had a lot plot elements that were never explained fully. While the mystery of what an HiME is was good at first, even the explanation in the second arc of what they truly are didn’t satisfy all the questions raised during the first arc. Second, there was some pretty inexplicable Deus Ex Machina used at the end of both arcs. I don’t mind it so much except when there is absolutely no explanation for how or why someone died or didn’t die, but doing like they did left a sour taste. Finally, the plot, for me anyway, foreshadowed enough that I was able to tell a few episodes beforehand when things would happen. I guess thats to be expected, but for a show known for plot twists and on edge action, it wasn’t all that spectacular to be able to see the result before it occurred.

Regardless, Mai-HiME was fun to watch and raised some interesting questions in me such as “What do you truly want?” I was able to laugh quite a bit as well as have some action while I was at it. There were plenty of pretty women and a plot that gave just enough depth to keep me interested. Despite the qualms I had with the story and characters, the show was good enough to earn it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Few shows are as seamlessly put together as Gungrave. From one episode to the next, Gugrave offers nothing less than an in-depth look at not only the inner workings of the Japanese style mafia, but also a glimpse into what it truly means, to men at least, to be true friends. Spoiler: Grave is dead.

Gungrave is a tale of bloodshed. It follows the lives of Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowel, childhood friends, as they move through life in the big city’s underworld. Beginning from when they were part of a small time street gang the story tracks their progress as they rise to the top of the mafia syndicate. Along the way, they leave bodies, friends, and bodies of friends in a world where betrayal means death and loyalty means life.

As simplistic as the plot seems, the story is actually a very well made one. The very first episode you are shown the same events as you will later see in episode 18. However, all you are told is how things will turn out later. You are introduced to Beyond the Grave, a beast of a man, who has inhuman strength and who, according to a doctor you meat, used to be named Brandon Heat. You meet Mika, who’s mother was killed by someone named Harry. All you know is Harry killed Mika’s mother, Maria, and that some time in the past, Brandon betrayed harry.

Starting with the second episode, the series flashes back to 20 years prior and the rest of the series is from that point to back to where we see the same events in 18 to the end. You see how Brandon and Harry were best friends and how their lives were shaped and molded by the syndicate. By the time you get back to 18, its like seeing it from a completely different angle. The power of Gungrave is in the way you don’t relate to any character, but in the way the characters are completely washed in a fate of blood and their own making. Sympathy, pity, whatever you want to call it is where Gungrave shines.

Even though the story is about mobsters and everyone killing everyone else without a second though, you see how the Japanese sense of mafia, even of loyalty, is different from ours. The syndicate becomes their family and underlings are so loyal to their “Aniki” that they are willing to die for, and even be killed by, their superior. There is an unquestionable sense of family for these (as we would put it) scum. Discounting the crime aspect, you do get to witness, for once, a definite sense of what the Japanese consider to be true male friendship. Not a sense of “buddy” but a sense of “brother”. Regardless your stance on the mob, its hard to say that these men do not have a true sense of what it means to stay true to each other.

I would love to say more about the show, but as the plot is so simple and the story is all about how all the characters’ lives and deaths impact all the others’, saying too much would give away crucial developments that would lessen the effect of the show. Suffice to say, the show is not for the fain of heart. People die left and right. There is never a time in the whole show where I laughed or chuckled. You will occasionally smile when good things happen to the characters or when they have a revelation that you knew they should have had long ago. However, this anime is one of the most heavy shows I’ve come across. Do not watch this for mere entertainment.

Overall, Gungrave made me wonder if there was anyone I had ever betrayed. Having been betrayed myself and having lost people I hold dear in the past, I could empathize with several characters at some points. I was genuinely distressed when characters I had watch grow up over multiple episodes die like they did. I cheered for Harry and Brandon’s rise to power despite knowing from episode 1 how it would turn out. The whole experience was heavy, but good. Because of this, Gungrave gets 4 out of 5 stars.

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After having watched Shakugan no Shana, I really wanted to watch more of it, especially more stuff like the omake. Thankfully, a sequel to Shana was made and had the same characters, the same basic plot idea, and even the same voice actors. The difference? The title, Zero no Tsukaima. Spoiler: Louise is actually 16.

Zero no Tsukaima is a short series about a boy and a girl. The girl, Louise, is a failure at being a magician but has to summon a familiar because she is a sophomore at her magic academy. Unfortunately for her, and for Saito (the boy), she summons him from Japan by accident and he becomes her familiar. Hilarity then ensues.

There isn’t a whole lot to say about Zero as it was a show made for hilarity and not exactly for plot. There is an underlying plot as you are told at the beginning at the Saito is a special familiar but aren’t told till near the end exactly why. The love story grows subtly and there are moments of actual tenderness interwoven into the tsundere relationship. There is also some political intrigue and some personal growth on behalf of some of the characters, but really this show is about comedy, boobs, and romance and not about an intricate story line.

When I say this show is Shana, I mean it. The voice actors for Louise and Saito are the same for Shana and Yuji. The voice actor for the princess is the same as Yoshida. Both Louise and Shana are the same personality as are Yuji and Saito. Both shows have a big breasted woman who turns from being a sloven whore to a softer.. skank.. Shana had a talking book, Zero has a talking sword. Louise likes Saito but wont admit it just like Shana and she has a rival in Siesta as Shana does in Yoshida. So from all outward appearances, the shows have the same characters. The major difference is that Shana was all about drama where has Zero was all about the funny.

The comedy in Zero is pretty good. There are a LOT of boob jokes (notably about Louise having none). There are also several situational comedy moments as well as out of character jokes. Personally, I laughed a lot at this show and couldn’t help it.

Perhaps the only insight I got from the show was the on going theme in anime of nobles versus commoners. This seems to be a running plot throughout animes I’ve been watching and, while not specific to Zero, it certainly played a vital role in its plot, comedy, and characters.

Overall, Zero no Tsukaima was very entertaining and kept me happy the whole time I watched it. While the plot was weak and you can see through the foreshadowing like a window, the humor of the show definitely made up for it. My only complaint was it was too short. Thankfully though, there will be another season sometime in 2007. So, overall, Zero no Tsukaima gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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The past few days have been rough. Life has been good, but I watched Otogizoushi. I originally wanted to watch it because I read the synopsis on anidb.net about it being a period anime set back in the day. Had it actually delivered on that, who knows what would have become of it. Regardless, Otogizoushi was a definite waste of my time. Spoilers: Good art does not make up for bad story.

Otogizoushi is set in Heian Japan, some 1000 years go. The capital has been thrust into turmoil and the emperor sends the famous archer Raikou to go and collect the 3 missing magatama (scared jewels) and return them. Raikou though is struck with a widespread disease and can no longer go, so his sister Hikaru disguises herself as her brother and sets off with the servant Tsuna to take on the quest. They soon discover a plot deeper than they imagined that thrusts them into the position of saving the capital by themselves.

The art in this show is simply amazing. While there is a bit of weirdness associated with Otogizoushi’s art (such as the characters never blink), the detail and style make up for it. Characters, clothing, and weapons all are vividly detailed and are done in a realistic style. Eyes are normal sized compared to other anime. The backgrounds are great too. Reflecting the period the show is set in, they are done in mostly watercolors or charcoal. The serie’s poster, to the left, is what drew me into the show. Note the actuate period dress and lifelike face in the art. Had everything been this good, the show would have been truely epic.

The period stuff was pretty good too. The historical setting and accuracy, from what I can tell as only having limited knowledge of ancient Japanese history, is pretty spot on, minus the magical stuff. It was refreshing and interesting to see how the ancient Japanese society worked and interacted through the anime medium.

Unfortunately, thats all there is good to say about this show. The characters simply never change. Once you meet the characters and understand their personalities, thats it. There is no real growth or change in them at all. They all felt hollow and empty and at no point did I feel an attachment to them. In the second arc, there was an attempt to add back stories to some of the characters, but these seemed extremely forced and very cheesy.

Which brings me to the main blunder in Otogizoushi. The first arc (1-13) takes place in Heian Japan. Had it stayed there, the who probably would have been a lot better than it was. At the start of the second arc, for no explained reason, the entire cast has been reincarnated in modern day Tokyo and is inexplicably living in the same house with Hikaru as the landlady. From here on out, the show plays more like a bad Scooby Doo rip off as the gang tries to find out why mysterious things keep happening to Hikaru and where her brother went. As the viewer, knowing the events of the first arc, you know pretty much why and how these things are happening and what the final resolution will be by the second episode of the Tokyo chapter, but the show drags on like this for the next 11 episodes. The second chapter completely ruins the show in terms of anything that it gained in the first arc.

The only good episode of the whole show was the very last one. While chronologically it should have been between the arcs (just as episode 25 should have been) you have to see the second arc to understand it. The whole episode is a philosophical look into the main protagonist who turns out to be an immortal. The one show is an introspective look into how he views the world changing around him for the last 1000 years. It was interesting to watch and think about, but it was far too little, far too late.

Overall, Otogizoushi had a lot of promise and a lot of opportunity in its story to make it a great epic. However, due to its bad story, characters, and its tragic decision to make half the show take place in modern day, the show ended up falling flat on its face. Art and style can’t really make up for the mistakes made. Otogizoushi gets a 1.5 out of 5 stars. The second opening will make you cringe, avoid it like the plague.

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Once again I am led to the conclusion that if you start a franchise off with novels instead of manga, the end result will most often be fantastic. In this case, Shakugan no Shana is the franchise in question and it delivers a great story with great characters in a great way. For an anime I had never heard of and decided to watch because I saw a picture on 4-chan of Shana and thought she was cute with a sword, this turned out to be a true diamond in the rough. Spoilers: Yuji is dead and red is not her natural color.

Shakugan no Shana is the story of a boy and girl. Except in this case, the boy happens to be dead and the girl happens to be a warrior under contract of a king from an other universe to kill creatures who devour existences. Yuji meets the Flame Haze, known only as the Slayer with Flaming Hair and Blazing Eyes, when he is about to be (re)killed by a denizen who eats human existence. He is told after being rescued that he is a torch, a replacement being brought to life for a short time to replace a human and that gradually fades out of existence to lessen the impact on the world. The rest of the story revolves around Yuji’s acceptance of this fact and his growing relationship with the girl with no name who he calls Shana.

The story behind this anime is pretty good and unique. Kings from other universes, creatures who feed on existences, replacement beings who are supposed to fade out to lessen the shock of having things simply vanish, and of course pseudo-loli girls with swords who kill things. Throughout the show, I tried very hard to second guess what was going to happen, but always found myself being pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. The plot is not a “save the world” type plot. Instead it is a slice of a war that has been raging for centuries and we only see the battles relevant to Shana and Yuji.

The characters in the story were all great. All the characters grow to some extent, and some a lot more than others. Yuji proves that he is not simply another torch by putting others before himself and wanting to protect Shana even though he is well aware that he is nearly powerless. Shana, while being close to Yuji, turns from being a callous warrior to showing a lot of her human side to him and his friends. Margerie Daw, another Flame Haze, develops from being a berzerker type fighter to gaining friends in her “henchmen” she acquires while in the city. Every character in the story that you meet ends up surpassing themselves by the end of the show.

One of the best aspects of the show, and I’ll even admit this, is the relationship between Shana and Yuji. Differing from normal high school love dramas, this relationship is unique in that Shana was never told what love was and therefore has no idea how to react to the feelings of closeness she has for Yuji and that Yuji is dead and also a hunted individual who can not form normal relationships with anyone else now that he knows the truth. The series shows Shana battling with her feelings and with her rival for Yuji, Kazumi Yoshida. The relationship triangle reaches a fever pitch in the second half when Shana has to decide if she must put her human side or her Flame Haze side first in regards to Yuji. For several straight episodes I had no idea how things would work out, or even if they would as it wasn’t just “Should I leave him?” it was “Should I kill him?”

After the amazing final battle of the series there are several issues left unresolved but I was able to get over it because of the way they handled it. Not giving anything away, certain tensions are reset, akin to beginning round 2. Thankfully though, I had the three omake episodes and the OVA to watch afterwards. The omake, which feature prominent scenes of the show redone with Shana in chibi form, were absolutely hilarious. The one with Hacate in the same fashion was doubly funny as it took a few scenes where, as a viewer, you had some joke in your head about that scene being sexual and redid them as such (with chibis).

Overall, Shakugan no Shana delivered action, romance, characters I loved, and humor in proportions that kept me excited and ready to watch more. Im thrilled there are novels coming to the states and a movie (even though its just a redo of the first book or eps 1-6) coming out in April. For being so fun and exciting to watch, Shakugan no Shana gets 4.5 out of 5 stars. Urusai urusai urusai!

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