Thursday, December 15, 2005

   Some Awesome Stuff
Ok, two really cool, one meh, one nice. First of all - yeah, I have jumped on the Bleach bandwagon. Despite their tendency to make a lot of episodes, some of which I wouldn't mind if were cut, I am still somehow hooked... Two, it's been a while, so please bear with me. ^__^;;

BLEACH
Premise: The somewhat-normal high school student Kurosaki Ichigo (Ichigo's his first name, so in English I guess it'd be Ichigo Kurosaki) can see ghosts and even talk to them. He's always had this ability, from when he was little, and now he's seeing a bit more than ghosts! After the first episode, you get to follow him in his endeavors as a Death God (Shinigami), where he must battle spirits that have transformed into Hollows, or basically big monsters. With him are Kuchiki Rukia, another Death God, and Kon, a created soul. And, of course, other stuff happens. :P
My Opinion: Heh. I will admit, it's a bit long. They could have cut out some... But overall I'm hooked. I would be more hooked if...it was shorter. It's up to 61 eps. right now, when I'm making this post, and they still haven't completed what they started to do about 30 eps or so ago. No, more than that. 40? Gah, I don't remember. However, I like their music and a good deal of what they're doing in the plot.
Music - like I said, nice.
Animation - ok. They don't do anything badly, because that would just bug me. And to tell you the truth, a lot of it is solidly done and even nice-looking, though there is a section in the middle where it goes down a bit. But it goes back up, so I'm good. The color's rather nice, too.
My Rating: (so far) 8.5

LAST EXILE
Premise: Two young adults, Claus and Lavie, have a dream to one day cross the Grand Stream to the other world of Disith, since their fathers both attempted it and failed (which means they died). To do so, however, they had to teach themselves how to fly a vanship like their fathers did, with Lavie as the navigator (or navi) and Claus as the pilot. They become message couriers to practice, and get better and better. Then one day, during a race, they accidently bump into another vanship carrying a little girl - and their adventure starts when they must bring her to Alex Row, the captain of the Silvana (note: this warrior ship has never lost a battle, but it is a battle ship. At the time this show begins, there is a war going on with Disith). Another note: wars in this world are watched over by the Guild, as is pretty much everything else. The Guild is basically a uber-advanced group of people who in a way rule over both worlds...
My Opnion: Good. The animation is smooth, and it's widescreen, which I really like. The plot, while nothing emotionally touching, is still solid. I am a little irritated that they never went into who exactly Alvis is, but I can overlook that. I enjoyed it, enjoyed the various views that everyone had about life, how they all evolved as human beings, and enjoyed the overall plot. If I had to classify it, I'd have to put it as an epic. It's not drama or humor or action, really (though there are some elements of them all). Overall, I'd say it's feel is realistic, not that dramatized for effect. I like it. Enough to recommend it, especially if you're into plot.
My Rating: 7.5

ELFEN LIED
Premise: There are these people called dicloniuses (people become them by apparently catching a disease when they are really young) who have extra "hands" - invisible, which can do a lot more than normal hands and can reach farther than normal hands. One of them, Lucy (or Nyuu) is considered the most dangerous due to her ability to recreate without just spreading the virus. Then she breaks free of the laboratory she's held in, killing off a crapload of people to escape. Yet when she washes up on shore, and suddenly she's no longer the killer who can ruthlessly murder dozens of people. Kota, a college freshman, is staying in a relative's house, and ends up living with his cousin and Lucy, along with others that join them - all while the military is searching for Lucy.
My Opinion: Weird. Just...weird. And wrong, sometimes. (I mean - they're cousins! They don't do anything...but STILL! The emotion is there... O_o) And it's gory. Weird gory, too, with blood that looks like ketchup. *mmm Heims* However, they tried to do some nice stuff, and the ending wasn't bad, I guess. I guess I would recommend it, but only for those who 1) don't mind an attempt at gory, 2) watch pretty much anything, and 3) like emotional endings. I guess.
My Rating: 5.5

AIR
Premise: There is a girl that flies in the sky and dreams. She is dreaming, and it is a sad dream that never ends.
There is a fellow, named Yukito, who is traveling looking for this person, in the hopes that he can alleviate her sadness, like his mother and other ancestors have tried to do before him (and failed).
My Opinion: T__T I cried through the entire last 3 eps. Yup. This anime is definitely centered around character development and emotion. It's plot is rather abstract, which I actually enjoyed, since I don't get to see a lot of that and not end up being depressed. I was actually happy at the end of this one, for once. Even if I was crying. It's music is sweet and rather enjoyable; the opening and ending songs are really nice. And the animation is really nice. I truly enjoyed watching it. Even the color is really vivid and well-done.
My Rating: 10 (booyah baby!)
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