#anime reivew

[ecargmura]

Medalist Episode 13 Review + Final Thoughts - Good-bye To The Old Inori

I love how the season ends with Inori saying good-bye and thank you to who she was before she got into skating. The stark contrast between her in the first episode and the final episode of this season is astounding. She’s still the same person, but a lot more confident and happier. That’s what character development truly is. There’s no need for Inori to become an edge lord as people think that traumatic events and becoming a shell of their former selves surmounts to character development—it’s not. As long as the character is able to retain who they are from beginning to end, even with a few tweaks, that’s what I believe character development is.

While it was obvious that Inori was going to pass her Level 6 badge test, the way she did it was so satisfying. She got a new dress, song and skills to show off how much she changed. I do like that even though her program was a success, but she’s still feeling anxious whether she did something correct or if she made unknown errors that could make her fail. I’m glad that Rioh was able to reassure her that she did great. Her new song, The Flower Fairy, has vocals and the lyrics do feel as if they’re narrating Inori’s journey to now.

Speaking of Rioh, I do wonder why his performance, although brief, was animated in 2D. Regardless, I can see how he’s like Inori in that he’s imitating Tsukasa’s movements like how he saw at the camp, but also amps it up with his triple-spin double toe loop combo that he had been struggling with. The way he gives off that satisfied, confident smile when he pulled it off was so nice. It shows that nothing is ever a waste of time if you work hard, regardless if you have the best deck of cards or the worst one. The way Tsukasa and Shinichiro were excited when he pulled off his combo was great. They’re so proud!

It’s also nice to see the interactions of the other characters. It was super hilarious to see Shinichiro thanking Tsukasa for pulling Rioh out of his slump. Tsukasa’s power knows no bounds when he’s got freaking Sung Jinwoo bowing down to him (Jinwoo and Shinichiro share the same voice actor, Taito Ban). Also seeing Inori’s interactions with her family was sweet. The part where she was asking Mika if she had changed was nice. Even if Mika doesn’t see Inori that much due to school, she does notice a subtle difference within her sister. Nozomi, on the other hand, got me tearing up when she hugged Inori and thanked her daughter for helping her see that she has such a strong daughter. Remember how she was negligent, negative and underestimated her daughter a lot? Look at Nozomi now. She’s such a supportive parent and it’s all because of both Inori’s passion for skating and Tsukasa’s support. Her love for her daughter is shown with the dresses she makes for her as Inori’s white and gold dress is a lot more detailed and her new pink dress is very elaborate. Nozomi should work as a figure skating  dress designer because her designs are amazing.

There was also a cute moment between Inori and Hikaru. Fun fact, Hikaru is actually younger than Inori, yet she’s so much taller. Japanese school systems have it to where kids born from April 2nd to April 1st of the following year are grouped together for the same year. Inori’s birthday is April 16 and Hikaru’s is January 31. I can’t wait to see these two compete because Hikaru did say she’s waiting for her. Their showdown is going to be epic.

Fortunately, Medalist did get renewed for a second season and the post-credit scenes did show off new rivals for Inori, so it’s going to be exciting! Let me know your thoughts on the finale!

Final Thoughts

Imagine being a lauded manga, but got stuck with a rather infamous animation studio. Like, I remember people bemoaning ENGI being the studio in charge of Medalist, but it seems that the complaints have died down as the months pass. I can safely say that Medalist has saved Studio ENGI from total infamy and that’s an amazing feat in itself.

Sure, it’s not perfect as I’ve seen people complain that some scenes were toned down for the anime, but I’ve seen more praises than complaints for this adaptation. From an anime-only’s perceptive, I can tell a lot of love was poured into this project. The CGI used for the performances were very good; the music choices like having Kenshi Yonezu singing the opening song and having a stellar voice cast really sealed the deal for a successful project.

It’s rare to see a sports anime be this good because the popular ones usually focuses on team sports like basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball and soccer to name a few. Heck, the biggest sports animes have always been the team sports with a pretty boy cast. So, for a story about an individual sport like figure skating to be this detailed and intriguing really shows that anyone can make a compelling sports story if they know how to write.

I know that Yuri on Ice is another case of a successful figure skating anime and I like the it a lot too. However, Yuri on Ice is a story about how skaters past their prime get another chance before they retire. Medalist is the quintessential youthful sports story with a rare female-dominated cast. I like seeing that difference to show that Medalist isn’t some sort of Yuri on Ice copy, but it’s own genuine figure skating story as a whole.

I think it’s a fine way to showcase a sport with such a short shelf life from the perspective of a child who grows into an Olympic medalist. I think that seeing time pass by and Inori aging is one of the positive things because sports stories usually stick to the characters being in a team for one school year and that’s that. However, the story isn’t just about the kids as it’s also a story about the adults too. Sports stories don’t usually involve a coach and if they do, they aren’t as emphasized as much as the athletes. Because figure skating is an individual sport, the bond between coach and athlete is a must and it’s amazing to see adults be a positive aspect of a sports story as their decisions affect their young skaters.

  Not only that, the way the children are written in this story is such amazing. I mentioned before in my Episode 11 review that a writer’s capability is determined by how well they write children. Some stories have it to where they write kids as short adults, so they don’t feel realistic, but the ones in Medalist are very realistic in that they behave like kids. Inori and Rioh are examples of extremely well-written kids with stories that differ in their circumstances.

Watching Medalist makes me excited for more sports anime and what the second season has to offer. It’s so fun to learn about the fundamentals and the techniques of the sport. It makes me want to go to a skating rink and have a fun time skating for fun. Though, my only skating experiences come from roller-blading which I am good at! I don’t know if roller-blading and ice-skating are the same thing because ice is silppery and my sense of balance is awful. But yeah, the best thing about Medalist is the new things I’ve learned from it. It’ll definitely be useful for writing later on. I’ll definitely be checking out the manga when I can. Let me know your thoughts on this anime as a whole!

[angryanimebitches]

UniteUp! Episode 7 & 8 Review

Here are my thoughts on Episode 7 and 8 of UniteUp!

[shanksreviewsr]

First Impressions: Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time

Druidquest was very wrong, I get the worst gotdam anime going. Fight me about it.

[animewithairplanewings]

Memories - 彼女の想いで

Memories is a three part anthology of sci-fi stories by Otomo Katsuhiro, released in 1995 by Studio 4°C.  Over the next three weeks I shall be releasing a review for each, as they are self-contained stories and I feel it would be unjust to review them as a unit.  The first of these, Magnetic Rose, had its screenplay written by Satoshi Kon, and was directed by Koji Morimoto.

A team of deep space salvage workers receive a distress signal from the graveyard of space. There they find an enormous station that is haunted by the ghosts of the past.

This film takes place in deep space, far away from any atmosphere and the spacecraft follow a more realistic style, meaning that because they are not restrained by aerodynamic drag, they do not look like airplanes.

The interior decoration of the ship is that of Victorian England, Rococo France, or some similar pre-airplane fashion, reflecting the fact that the Lady of the station was a famous opera singer.  Her memories, and the memories she brings out of the others, reflect this sensibility, and so there are not even planes in the flashbacks and remembering.

The total lack of airplanes means that Magnetic Rose gets Zero airplanes out of Five.

Hey folks!  If you liked what you read, consider liking and sharing this post, and following me to see more.  And if you really liked it, consider visiting my Patreon page, where you can get exclusive content like early updates and my notes!

[wort-review]

[Anime] Karneval - Episode 1

Welcome to my first Not-A-Review Review!

To reiterate, this is not a serious review and only my rambling and pointing out the weird stuff. 

My Background: I’ve read Karneval and watched the anime a long time ago and had adored it enough to cosplay one of the characters *coughGarekicough*. I’m reviewing it now as it has been several years and I am now re-watching the anime. 

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

My Rambling & Spoilers Below

The episode started with a glistening field which reminded me of just how pretty this anime is. The scenery and the characters all have sparkling and glistening details which I admire a lot. However, one look at Nai’s arm, I also remembered how anorexic these characters can look. 

After calling out to a mysterious blue-haired man, Nai wakes up in chains and in a rather compromising position. In which, he basically told the woman that her breasts pressing against him was unpleasant. I think it was to show how innocent Nai’s mind worked but it ended up being just an awkward exchange. “Sorry ma’am, but your heavy bags are sitting on my stomach.”

Then the woman, Mine, suddenly sees Nai’s wrist band. Which is probably the weirdest time to notice that as she must have had Nai looked over at some point during his unconsciousness. Or whoever placed those cuffs on him are just blind or ignorant. 

Btw, drinking game: Take a shot every time Nai says “Karoku”.

Next there was an explosion caused by this guy, who for some reason started to rummage through the only drawers in the room. Seriously, this room only had one bed in the middle and a dresser. This whole opening scene was always ridiculous, but I forgive them since everything is nice to look at. 

There is a whole half of the intro that I’m skipping that involves a train hold-up that was happening and the introduction of Hirato and Tsukumo (they’ll show up next time, I promise). While exciting as that is, this is where the main characters are and where the awkward introduction is. 

“Hello strange man who blew a whole in the ceiling dropped head first. I was frightened by the woman earlier, but I have no concept of fear if it involves handsome men like you.” - Actual Nai Thought

Of course you know what is going to happen next (god, I remember how much I disliked the way Karneval started out). They get caught.

Oh shit, I forgot she turns into a monster. 

And btw, what kind of positioning is this? Just how big is this room and how far to her right were they positioned that they had a mile to escape her? And I love the drama throwing of the bomb and it going off. Legit physics, boy has arm strength. 

They managed to escape Mine with, guess what, more explosions (I’m surprised Gareki doesn’t just explode himself at random). Mine ends up being killed by some shadowy figure so hello plot-line. 

Gareki and Nai ended up on the train that was held-up. And this is another one of those giant plot-holes. How did they end up getting into the car, sit down, and not notice there was no one else around?

“Asking for a friend”

Stuff happens. Everyone is rescued (maybe? half the train was blown up) due to Gareki finally not blowing something up, but trying to disconnect a signal that detonating bombs (new drinking game: Take shot every time Gareki blows something up).  

After everything was peachy, Gareki and Nai somehow managed to escape from the Circus folks. The Circus folks themselves doesn’t seem all concern of losing them, but yet had intrigue in them? Then, we get a look at the old man who was tied up in the train and who, at first, looked like a mob character. There was an awkward scene between the old man and some guy who looks like the main antagonist (because anime discriminate, yo). Btw, as a reminder, this is only my rambling, not an actual review. 

I didn’t add photo of the awkward old man/young man scene because of Tumblr’s photo limit. This is because I had to add the following two as very important because...

It’s fucking Nyanperowna.

And the fucking Robo-Sheeps. That sheep holding Yogi’s sewing kit is precious and I need one (okay, I have one, but I want a live one). 

And that concludes my ramblings about the first episode of Karneval. Episode 2 might be better since I’ve never liked how Karneval opened (both in the manga and the anime) so everything was brief and me pointing flaws. Though, I probably will keep pointing out flaws. 

That is all. Until next time. 

-Jay

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[22wildasies]

Amaama to Inazuma/Sweetness and Lightning

Synopsis: Inudzuka is a teacher who has been caring for his little daughter, Tsumugi, on his own since his wife's death. He isn't good at cooking, so they've been eating packaged meals from the convenience store. A series of events lead him one evening to a restaurant run by the mother of one of his students, Kotori. Her mother isn't there, but Kotori does her best to feed them both. It turns out that Kotori is often alone since her parents are divorced and her mother is frequently not around. The three of them begin to meet and cook tasty food together.

Authors: Amagakure Gido

Genres: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of Life

Published: 2013

[animewithairplanewings]

青空少女隊

801 T.T.S Airbats (Blue Sky Woman’s Squadron in Japanese) is a military-comedy manga created by Toshimitsu Shimizu, which was published by Tokuman Shoten between July 1991 and October 1992.  The OVA adaptation was directed by Yuji Moriyama and was produced by Studio Fantasia between May 1994 and March 1996.

The anime follows aviation mechanic Takuya Isurugi after he is transferred to the 801st Tactical Training Squadron, an all-woman aerobatics team in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).  Isurugi is caught up in the drama and hijinks of a squad that is always one mistake away from being disbanded.

Airbats is something of a refreshing comedy in the airplane genre, which (naturally) tends to be more focused on the drama of aerial warfare; it has its serious moments, but it always falls back onto that over-the-top, screamy, sometimes raunchy humor that typified early 90’s comedy anime. And Isurugi is something of an audience-insert character, being himself a shy otaku.

Airplanes, then, and more importantly the aerobatics, become another vehicle to play out the drama and the comedy of the show.  How the characters fly is directly correlated to their mental states and their relationships with each other, the grounded world and the aerial flowing together.  It is fitting that Isurugi is the mechanic and not another pilot, because his ultimate role is to repair broken relationship of Haneda and Mitaka, rather than coming in and “putting them in their places.”

The attention to detail in the animation of the planes themselves was also very nice, and a lot of work was obviously put into the designs as there are several members of the JASDF credited as advisors.  And as always, I will praise this show for its hand drawn animation of the machines, which I am an absolute sucker for.  I was, however, looking for more.  In a show about an airforce squadron an unfortunate amount of the seven episode run being a bit lacking, with several episodes having only a few shots of planes.

In the end 801 T.T.S. Airbats earns itself 4 airplanes out if 5, with good use while they are there, cut with the fact that they could have easily had more.

Hey folks!  If you liked what you read, consider liking and sharing this post, and following me to see more.  And if you really liked it, consider visiting my Patreon page, where you can get exclusive content like early updates and my notes!

[animewithairplanewings]

Memories - 大砲の街

Memories is a three part anthology of sci-fi stories released by Otomo Katsuhiro, which was animated by Studio 4°C.  This post is the last in a three part series reviewing each of the films separately. For the final film, Cannon Fodder, Otomo worked as both the director and writer.

This film follows the day of a family, following their life in a hyper-militarized, dystopic society centered on the production and use of artillery.

Fodder has a lot to say about nationalism and militarism, and uses airplanes in part to make its point.  The last scene, a dream sequence, includes a shot of eighty-two (eighty-eight, if we include the six hidden behind the flag) bombers flying across the sky in the background.  Though it is done in a way to argue ultimately against their existence, these eighty-some-odd planes do fly across screen, and Otomo gets points for making a statement with them.

Cannon Fodder earns itself Two and Three-quarters Airplanes out of Five, because even though they are used as a background element, they speak to a grander message.

(Links to Magnetic Rose and Stink Bomb)

Thus concludes the Memories saga.

Hey folks!  If you liked what you read, consider liking and sharing this post, and following me to see more.  And if you really liked it, consider visiting my Patreon page, where you can get exclusive content like early updates and my notes!