Akatsuki no Yona

2014 Autumn Anime Season Retrospective

The 2014 autumn anime season had a few excellent shows with high production values. It also had a considerable amount of low profile shows that might not be worth your time.

 

The Best

 

Parasyte – the maxim

Parasyte - the maxim

 

The biggest surprise of this season comes from a rare horror guro show; The first in many ways that does these genres justice. Parasyte is cruel, gruesome and captivating. The thought of a brain-eating parasite that crawls into your room in the middle of the night is terrifying. Thankfully the series handles its assets well. Shinichi and Migi’s gradual bonding is interesting (at time funny, at time shocking), Shinichi’s physical and psychological changes are portrayed flawlessly and the series gets better with each passing episode. The shounen formula of a man who gradually becomes stronger and stronger is well suited for Parasyte, specifically because the stronger Shinichi gets the more scarier the consequences of his fights against the parasites become.

The cruel elements of the show are gradually added bit by bit. About halfway through Parasite you discover just how horrible this story can get, but by that time you’ll already be hooked. One thing I didn’t like is that virtually all the females in this series are in love with someone. I can understand one girl having a crush on Shinichi, but three? And then every time a girl is introduced she instantly falls in love with a guy. The girls in Parasite are far from stupid. They are clever and perceptive. So why make them so unrealistically infatuated with men? And if we already opened that can of worms, how come all the guy in Shinichi’s school are either total wimps or gangsters in the making?

Status: It’s hard to believe this series is based on a late 80’s early 90’s manga. Parasyte – the maxim is a shocking experience. The first 12 episodes are almost too perfectly told to be true. I have a feeling a lot of people skipped on this show due to its niche mix of genres. These people are missing out on the most intense series of the season.

 

The Good

 

Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]

Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]

The ending of the first season of Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] angered many, and for good reasons. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start by saying that Ufotable’s version of Unlimited Blade Works is almost as good as the video game, which is a great compliment. It also managed to maintain the high quality standards it set in the beginning of the season. Some visual effects were outstanding, the few fights that were shown during this sesaon fantastically animated and the music really stood out. I haven’t heard such an amazing music compilation since the days of .Hack//Roots.

Now that we got the compliments out of the way let’s move on to the disappointing last two episodes. It’s here the series diverts a bit from the original game’s plot in bad ways. For exmple, Shiro’s is way too obsessed with Archer in this version and long. Fate fans will surely frown at this and other inconsistancies Ufotable unneededly appended near the season finale. The quality of the animation drops in this episodes too (very noticeable in the last episode). But most importantly, by the 14th episode it dawned on me that by trying to fit every little detail from the game they possibly could into the series Ufotable has made the first season of of Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] excruciatingly long and eventless. By prolonging the epilogue of the Holy Grail war Ufotable made it so that the second season will be a series of endless battles with little space in between for idle talk. In other words – this series is being made in an uneven matter. This doesn’t surprise me, considering Ufotable pulled the same trick in Fate/Zero. But Fate/Stay has a much less calculated story than Fate/Zero. It relies on action in order to become meaningful, not on words. Bereft of this action Ufotable’s first season of Fate/Unlimited Blade Works was somewhat anemic.

Verdict: The best representation of Fate/Unlimited Blade Works this far, although not as balanced as the original Visual Novel was.

 

Psycho-Pass 2

Psycho-Pass 2

Psycho Pass 2 greatly improved the Psycho Pass formula. It forced the MWPSB (Ministry of Welfare Public Security Bureau) to fight on two fronts, with the Sibyl system itself becoming its enemy at certain points. Akane proved to be much more capable and at times unpredictable with her subjective law enforcement methods. Unlike the first season she is a great main character here. Psycho Pass 2 also has a satisfying ending that tighten loose ends left over by the first season. Unfortunately some of the things that haunted the original show lingered here. One of the villains is your typical “evil for evil’s sake” person who lacks realism. In a series where both sides are grey and each has its own unique ideology this particular villain sticks like a sour thumb. Character growth is also non-existent and Akane remains the sole character to ever feature in the spotlight.

Verdict: An improvement over its predecessor and a very good show overall. I can’t wait for the upcoming movie.

 

Trinity Seven

Trinity Seven

Trinity Seven has no plot to speak of and relatively zero character growth, but it sure is a fun watch. I love it when Arata genuinely enjoys seeing the girls in the nude, even to the point of thanking them and asking them to grace him again in the future. It’s a refreshing change from the usual wimpy-boy harem shows. Arata’s natural cockiness and the superb character designs are what kept this series enjoyable every week. There was a final battle in the end and Arata kind of accomplished half of what he set out do to, but nobody cares about these stuff in a harem show. Right?

Verdict: An enjoyable little magic harem show. Nothing less, nothing more.

 

The Bad

Akatsuki no Yona

Akatsuki no Yona

Mediocrity can be a foul trait, and Akatsuki no Yona can’t seem to be able to shake its mediocrity off. Even after 12 episodes the series is going nowhere fast.  There’s no hook, no spice. Nothing that would make me anxiously await the next episode. Everything is sterile. From the boring backgrounds (a forest, a village, a village within a forest) to the mundane characters and the oversimplified background story that ties everything together. Some of the character interactions are funny, but I watch Western cartoons for skits or better yet have funny skits with my real-world friends. I’m watching anime for that something special beyond simple stories, and Akatsuki no Yona just isn’t on that level of intellect, nor is it impressive in its presentation.

Verdict: Akatsuki no Yona is a kid friendly show with little substance. It fails to differentiate itself from other shallow shoujo shows. And for that reason I have decided to drop it after 13 episodes.

 

Terra Formars

Terra Formars

I never had any misconceptions regarding Terra Formars. I knew it was trying to present itself as a bad action flick parody on purpose. Of course, even if a series deliberately tells a lousy story it still doesn’t mean it’s any good. Terra Formars is a time-killer where monotonous characters fight even more monotonous bugs. Whenever a backstory is told it only manages to heighten the levels of ridicule this series has already reached. Worse yet, nothing interesting or significant happened during this season’s span. Some people died, a lot of bugs were squashed and I was left with the terrible feeling that I wasted countless hours of my life in vain.

Verdict: If you enjoy mindless action with no plot and a straightforward progression from one fight scene to the next you can still find many shows that do that better than Terra Formars. This series will probably be all but forgotten in a year or two.

2014 Autumn Anime Season Half Point

The 2014 autumn anime season is one of the strongest, most robust, anime seasons in memory. As a result the offerings this time around are mostly well balanced, good-looking and generally exciting shows.

 

The Best

 

Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]

fate/stay night 2014

 

Every couple of decades a great war between magi called the Holy Grail War takes place. Seven magi summon legendary warriors to their aid and fight to death for the ultimate prize – the wish-fulfilling Holy Grail. Emiya Shiro is chosen to be one of the magi. But he doesn’t know how to use magic and his goal is only to stop the needless killing the Holy Grail war has brought forth.

Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] is a great introduction for new people unfamiliar with the Fate franchise, and at the same time a dream come true for long time Fate fans. This feat is achieved via Ufotable’s dedication to the source material. The first four episodes delicately balance the daily lives of Emiya Shiro and Tohsaka Rin, the information-heavy Holy Grail explanatory segments, and the magical battles to great effect. It’s no secret Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] is one of the most expensive anime series in history, and if these early episodes are any indication this is money well spent. The animation of the servent (legendary warriors) battles is jaw-droppingly beautiful, the music is fantastic and story direction is almost flawless. Longtime fans of the Fate franchise will appriciate that Ufotables stuck to the original visual novel scripts but also added some new scenes that complement the old story in elegant ways.

Status: It’s an amazing time to be a Fate fan. Two years ago I reviewed another version of Fate/Unlimited Blade Works that turned out terrible. And now I am here to witness my favorite Fate route being retold in the best way possible. Since this is quality anime at its best Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] is a must watch anime for fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.

 

The Good

 

Psycho-Pass 2

psycho-pass2

Psycho-Pass is back with a new season. A mysterious person known as Kamui is trying to undermine the Sibyl system. But instead of trying to change the system indirectly through the civilian population (like Makishima tried) Kamui is targeting the MWPSB personal directly. After an enforcer is killed and an inspector disappears Tsunemori Akane decides to dive deep into the case.

Psycho-Pass 2 is an evolution of the old series, and I immediately found it better in many ways. First of all Tsunemori is more capable this time around. Having been scarred by her previous cases she is now more cunning and is willing to get her hands dirty. This time around the series doesn’t strictly focuses on Tsunemori’s team exclusively either. Other teams from the MWPSB (Ministry of Welfare Public Security Bureau) are shown working in the background, making the story believable and less personal. The crime cases have an intellectual consistency the series lacked in the past, and the crew handles their jobs better than they did before. If in the first season lots of people died and as a result the MWPSB had to go after the criminal and eventually kill him, in the second season the MWPSB manages to prevent some mass killings and even to capture few of the criminals before they act.

The new season still has its own fair share of problems though. Since Tsunemori has improved it falls to the new inspector – Shimotsuki Mika – to be the asshole I’ll probably love to hate for the rest of the season. She is as arrogant as inspectors get, doesn’t think twice before doing what the Sibyl system orders and has no respect for the people around her (especially if they are enforcers). Criminals are still mostly rendered as inhuman psychopaths. And although this is a bit of nitpicking the music is considerably downgraded and barely noticeable compared to the first season.

Status: I like the new direction the series has been pursuing. The stakes are higher, the action feels tighter and I am enjoying every minute of it.

 

Trinity Seven

Trinity Seven

Kasuga Arata’s normal life is put to a sudden stop when the population of his entire city is evaporated alongside his cousin. All he is left with is a powerful grimoire entrusted to him by his cousin; A grimoire that turns out to be a dangerous magical artifact. Soon after a magician appears before him and threatens to kill him if he doesn’t hand over the grimoire. Reluctant to part with his cousin’s last remnant Arata convinces the magician to allow him to learn how to use magic. He then joins the magic academy in hopes of one day having enough magical powers to help find and recover his cousin, which some believe can still be saved.

I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started watching Trinity Seven. I fully expected it to be a mindless harem show, perhaps even a Negima clone. And while it does take some cues from Negima it has some charming features of its own. The Trinity Seven (a group of seven powerful female magicians) all have distinct personalities and character designs. Most are cute and I can see myself watching the show just for the sake enjoying their everyday magical lives. The protagonist Arata isn’t your typical subdued male character either. Unlike other harem shows he can hold his own and in fact is insightful enough to get the hang of things in the magic academy pretty fast.

Status: It’s nice seeing a polished harem show for once. Trinity Seven probably won’t turn out to be a life changing experience for me. But as a harmless, cute side-dish it has its sweet spots.

 

 

The Bad

Akatsuki no Yona

Akatsuki no Yona

Yona is the princess and only daughter of the ruler of a small empire. Comprised of various fighting tribes, the empire’s power balance is always hanging by a small thread. Years ago Yona’s father – the emperor – has persuaded the tribes to lay down their weapons and live in peace. But on Yona’s 16th birthday one of Yona’s closest friends murders her father and seizes the throne. With aid from her close friend and bodyguard Haku, Yona flees from the capital. Now she must find a way to face and dethrone her father’s slayer.

Akatsuki no Yona: The Girl Standing in the Blush of Dawn is a low-key, shoujo show. It’s pretty mediocre all around and can be awkwardly unbalanced at times. The main characters’ design is often majestic and refined but most of the servants that follow in their footsteps look like chubby cartoonish goons. The scope of the series seems vast, with each tribe having its own agenda, and yet the plot is a bit too thin. Some political struggles could have gone a long way in granting this series the sophistication it sorely needs. Thankfully the poor plot doesn’t stop Yona herself from shining. Much like Nakajima Youko for The Twelve Kingdoms Yona must throw her old self and adapt to her new reality if she wishes to survive. Her changes of heart are the real treat this series has to offer. It remains to be seen if the reverse-harem nature of the series will make or break it. Let’s hope it’s handled in a subtly, unobtrusive, way.

Status: On a weaker season Akatsuki no Yona might have been a saving grace. But since it has the misfortune of airing during a fantastic season it falls short and I can’t really recommend it at this point.

 

Terra Formars

Terra Formars

A group of genetically enhanced humans space-travel to planet Mars in order to collect samples that will enable scientists on earth to create a vaccine for an incurable disease. Upon arrival they face the wrath of mutated cockroaches keen on squashing any human in their way.

Terra Formars is a “so bad it’s good” show. The series severely lacks in the animation department. Everyone is standing still all the time. It’s particularly noticeable in the first three episodes where I almost felt like I’m watching a picture book. If the cockroaches are so fast how come they spend half an episode staring at the humans and doing absolutely nothing?
Furthermore, the plot is really cliché and full of holes. Why did the Mars cockroaches evolve into humanoid beings when Mars’ atmospheric pressure is lower than Earth’s and there is no tall vegetation on it? How come most of the expedition is composed of teenage kids?
If that isn’t weird enough for you just listen to the series narrator, who keeps telling straight-out lies. He explains why cockroaches are much faster than humans, when in fact the cockroaches on Mars are humanoids with a bigger mass than a human and two legs instead of four. He also talks about a spider with six legs which is superior than a bug, but again – the human who is infused with that spider’s genes only has two legs, making the explanation irrelevant. You really need to rely heavily on the suspense of misbelief if you want to even enjoy Terra Formars. Thankfully later episodes resolve to blissfully unrestricted violence, which free us from overthinking about the half-baked plot. There are also some flashbacks that may or may not help you care about the humans that are fighting or Mars. I still haven’t found a favorite human to cheer for, since the majority of them would have been considered serial killers or extremely dangerous individuals if they were living among us.

Status: Terra Formars is a mindless action show; And there is entertainment to be had in mindless action. However it’s a step below other contemporary survival anime shows and only barely interesting enough to keep me coming back for more . I’ll keep watching it for now but those who like the genre will be better off watching Attack on Titan or Btooom instead.

 

Denki-gai no Honya-san

Denki-gai no Honya-san

This is the simple story of the various employees of the doujinshi shop Uma no Hone and their daily struggle to sell their favorite, super unconventional, manga series to the hungry masses.

From the very beginning Denki-gai no Honya-san (“an electric-district book store”) tries really hard but accomplishes very little. In its effort to make jokes more appealing it stretches them a bit too long and make them a bit too vulgar. A joke about the male genitalia? That’s funny! Half an episode about the male genitalia? No so much.
The characters are all unique, but their personalities are so far-fetched that most of them end up acting like lunatics. To add insult to injury the character designs are amongst the ugliest I’ve seen in years. They really are hard to justify considering the backdrop for the show – the Uma no Hone shop – features some very elaborate manga covers. Denki-gai no Honya-san does have an interesting premise to build on. It takes place in a doujinshi store (a Tora no Ana meme for those who haven’t been to Akihabara yet). This in itself could have led to funny otaku jokes, or some much needed satire on the doujinshi scene. It’s very disappointing then that the series doesn’t live up to its potential and instead keeps pulling the same shallow erotic jokes and slapstick humor.

Status: Modern doujinshi culture has a lot of comic potential (pun intended). Sadly, Dengeki-gai no Honya-san is not a good comedy show, nor is does it have any other good merit worth mentioning. Thus I have decided to officially drop it from my autumn season watching list.

Fall 2014 Anime Season Trailers

psycho-pass2 The fall 2014 anime season is here and its time to catch up on what’s new and hot. So we’ve collected the trailers for all the big blockbusters (and also some of the least known gems of this season) under one article for your enjoyment.

Akatsuki no Yona – The girl standing in the blush of dawn

Short Synopsis: Princess Yona has always been spoiled by the servants and family surrounding her. Specifically her father. But when her uncle murders her father on her 16th birthday in attempt to seize the thrown Yona escapes to the country-side. Now her life begins anew. Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Shoujo.

Danna ga Nani o Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken (I Can`t Understand What My Husband Is Saying)

Short Synopsis: The daily life of a normal office lady who married an otaku and must not deal with his weird habits on a daily basis. Genres: Seinen, Comedy.

Fate/Stay Night (2014)

Short Synopsis: Every couple of decades a great war between magi called the Holy Grail War takes place. Seven magi summon legendary warriors to their aid and fight to death for the ultimate prize – the wish-fulfilling holy grail. Emiya Shiro is chosen to be one of the magi. But he doesn’t know how to use magic and his goal is only to stop the killing the Holy Grail war will bring forth. Genres: Seinen, Comedy.

Psycho-Pass 2

Short Synopsis: The second season of Psycho-Pass. Akane and her fellow Enforcement Division members must face a new group of terrorists who wishing to end the current supreme governmental rule. Genres: Seinen, Science Fiction, Action.

Terra Formars

Short Synopsis: A group of mutated humans space-travel to planet Mars in order to collect samples that will enable scientists on earth to create a vaccine to an incurable disease. Upon arrival they face the wrath of mutated cockroaches keen on squashing any human in their way. Genres: Seinen, Science Fiction, Action.

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