Hello!
Welcome to The Anime & Manga Review!
It has been my dream to create a world on TheO where users can go for anime and manga reviews and finally here it is! I plan to make this world an active, exciting and helpful place for learning about and finding entertaining manga and anime to read/watch.
Karakurizōshi Ayatsuri Sakon
Also known as Ayatsuri Sakon
Who doesn't love an amazing crime solving puppet anime? Have you not seen one yet?! But they're everywhere! (sarcasm) Actually I've only read one other series even kind of like this… (I am so weird… and have no life but reading manga it seems…)
That said, this is a pretty darn exciting and action packed mystery anime series.
It follows the story of a teenaged boy who is the last male heir to That Japanese puppet play art thats name is completely escaping me right now… (its similar to kabuki theater but with almost human sized puppets…) Anyways he's the male heir to that and as such is clearly a skilled ventriloquist… or maybe his puppet is alive, or maybe he has split personality disorder, or maybe the dolls alive, its not clear in the series and while I was watching it for the first time I went back and forth between all those options. (And rewatching it for this review didn't help me make up my mind.)
Other than the angle of a possibly sentient puppet, this series follows a fairly standard boy detective format. However the absolutely bizarre puppet named Ukon makes for an always fascinating angle that keeps you glued wondering WTF?! And in addition, the partially supernatural (or is it? again its left to your imagination in the series) mysteries are fresh (although very 90s) and exciting to watch. (Or at least that was the case for me!)
I was never bored watching this unusual late 90s show! In fact, considering this anime's odd take on the mystery genre, (namely the addition of puppets) it has very hard hitting crime and murder, that again, will help keep you totally hooked.
If you're a fan of mystery and crime series, or are in the mood for something odd, this is one you shouldn't miss out on!!!
And now for some business! I know people are at least visiting this world as my views have been going up steadily! And thank you all for giving this world over 1000 views!!! ^0^/
Anyways I have a couple of quick question I want answered about how I am doing. I put them in poll form to make it easy on those of you who may not like commenting. (Although comments and pms are always welcomed!) Anyhoo please take the time to answer and share any additional info in the comments!
Angel"s Egg
Also know as Tenshi no Tamago
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Ok I promised you an anime next, and boy I found one of the most unusual and artistic anime I could!
First off this is an artistic movie. For those of you who have never seen an art movie they tend to be more experimental and very atmospheric, there is less care about clarity of plot and more focus on making something that has meaning and often beauty. And Angel's Egg is no exception. Yoskitaka Amano, character designer of several Final Fantasy games, Vampire Hunter D, illustrated a Sandman comic, and much more, had a hand in creating the story as well as the art style of this movie. (Here take a minute and just look at his absolutely gorgeous work:http://www.elevenland.com/amano/amano.php3.) If you know his art or style then you pretty much know what you're in for for Angel's Egg and whether you're going to like it.
For those of you who are less familiar here's a quick plot synopsis: The story follows a young girl as she cares for an egg she takes with her everywhere. One day a man shows up and begins to follow her as she goes about her everyday life in a strange abandoned world.
Ok I am not going to pretend I understand what this movie is about. It is beautiful and atmospheric and I can't think of much else to say about it. The movie is very slowly paced which is great in that it really let's you absorb the scenery and not so great in that it's, well, slow. That does not make this a bad movie, it just makes it one that requires attention and care when viewing.
So here are some quick tips on whether Angel's Egg is the one you watch today!
--> If you don't like art movies I'd say skip this one. If you're looking for a movie with a strong plot or action, again, this one probably isn't for you.
--> On the other hand if you've been looking to try something different I'd say go for it!
Also, if you, like me, are a big fan of Yoshitaka's work then this is an absolute must watch! His work is stunning and this movie is a great showcase of that!
“Come with me and we’ll go on a journey to discover the meaning of goodbye.” This quote from the anime movie “Children Who Chase Lost Voices” sums up the general feeling of this movie nicely.
I bought this DVD and a lark from amazon without watching it first because it look pretty. I don’t regret it! It’s awesome!!!
The plot follows a girl as she goes on a journey to Agartha, the afterlife, to bring her friend back to life. She joins up with man who is also looking to resurrect somebody and a boy from Agartha who is trying to stop her and together they learn about the true meaning of life and letting go. The story is incredibly engaging and wonderfully told. The creatures in this fantasy have a distinct look and are really amazing to look at.
I often find that movies that take me to an after life end up letting me down with their visuals, (as the afterlife needs to be amazing somehow) but I can honestly say I felt that Lost Voices had a fleshed out and beautiful idea of what the underworld might be. The visuals and plot take a lot of cues from Greek mythology and I think that that only makes the whole movie a stronger piece.
I simply can’t talk about this movie without also talking about the absolutely beautiful animation! Every scene is just stunning and the movie is worth watching just for that! The images are unique and create a mood all their own.
Every scene is pure eye candy and it has an amazing story!
The director Makoto Shinkai definitely deserves more attention! (Actually the back story of how his first movie Voices of a Distant Star was made is really fascinating, but I’ll focus on this one for now) This movie is comparable to any Miyazaki work in beautiful artwork and story, however Shinkai has his own flare that raises him to a level that would not put his work as a copycat, but rather as an equal. I feel he’s an animator and director to keep an eye on. His other works including 5 centimeters per second and Voices of A Distant star are now officially added to my watch list and I can’t wait to see more!!!
