Saturday, October 22, 2005

   WHEW!
Man, does college make you busy. But it also gives you possibilities! I have seen a few since I got here, so I will post a few reviews here!

Mai-Hime
Premise: There are 12 Hime who have the ability to summon Children, or big uber-powerful creatures with powers. (They also have their own powers, too). The star (that only the Hime can see) in the sky comes slowly closer, and while I don't want to give too much away, when it finally comes really close, certain things will happen. I can't say too much without giving things away, but our main character Mai must work her way through the troubles of being a Hime and the oldest sister of an unhealthy brother (their parents are dead).
My Opinion: Very good. You end up being very sympathetic to the characters, and by the end I really wondered why Mai or the others didn't all commit suicide... But anyway, I will not say anything else about the plot - let it suffice that it was quite fun and complex.
The dialogue wasn't bad. I wouldn't say it was anything inspiring, but it wasn't anything bad either. I only saw the sub of this one, so I can't speak for the English version, but the Japanese is nicely done.
Music was okay. I didn't find anything great in the songs, but I guess I didn't hate them either. I won't get a copy of the opening, for example, though it isn't a bad song altogether. And the music in-episode did set the mood, at least.
Rating: 8.5

Rozen Maiden
Premise: A boy who is so depressed he no longer even bothers going to school mysteriously gets a wind-up doll that can move as though she is human. Together, they battle other dolls and eventually teach Jun (the fellow) to live again.
My Opinion: Good. I really like this one. While it is geared toward a younger audience, it has substance and was rather satisfying. We did indeed have a main baddie that toyed with the main characters instead of killing them when she could, which is turning into a pet peeve of mine, but is was really the only thing I really didn't like. While they do have some filler episodes (which is interesting for a 12-episode series), I think the purpose of those episodes was to show how much Jun was opening up. So while they may not swear a lot or show blood, I truly liked the plotline and the entire series. Defintely one I would recommend for those who like the ones that combine action with deeper meanings.
Music-wise, the opening is really cool, and the ending isn't bad (I think...I will admit that I often skipped it in order to get to the next episode). The thing they put up to lead in and out of the commercials was odd and broke up the mood (I hate that), but otherwise I didn't find any fault with the music. There were even a few in-episode songs I liked.
Animation was okay. I can't think it was anything special, but it was definitly not badly done - I would have noticed that. The drawing style isn't as detailed as some, but I don't really find that irritating.
Rating: 9

ROD
Premise: The British government is attempting to resurrect a super-smart human they call Gentleman, and they need some books that contain his knowledge. In their way are three (and later another) Paper Masters (they basically can control paper to fight with), an author, and a woman that can phase through walls and people.
My Opinion: Nice. Now, I actually didn't see all of it (the person who watched it with me didn't wish to see the middle). Apparently the middle is a lot of questing/searching/etc. for the books mentioned above, so we skipped it. I have a feeling there was some bonding done, but overall I didn't feel like I had missed too much by not seeing those episodes. Perhaps I would have liked to see one or two of them to see how things were progressing, though. It should be noted that it is beneficial to see the movie, Read or Die, because the background to the series makes more sense, but as I didn't (though my friend was telling me stuff when they mentioned it), I didn't feel like I was missing too much. It does tend to add another dimension to things, however. Dialogue was great, the voice acting very well done (one of the best I've heard).
Music was pretty nice. I have a few of the in-episode songs as well as the opening and endings, and they are nicely done.
Animation was also very well done. Aniplex did this series, so think along the lines of Fullmetal Alchemist in terms of that level of animation. It was all very nicely done.
Rating: 9.5


^__^ That's all I've finished. I'm working my way through a couple others, so bear with me, I'll put my reviews of those soon! Sorry I've taken so long to update. :P

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