Attack on Titan: Review

Attack on Titan...

What do I have to say about my experience with this show?  You are here probably because you wanted to read a review that would convince you one way or another to watch.  Right away, I'll concede that my own impression whether to keep watching was shaky during the first arc or so.  So let's huddle up together and break down why.

The year... I can't remember the year.  Its like just after the dark ages in technology - that's the more important setting information.  You have canon's and sophisticated muskets.  You have giant walls. These walls are there to keep out the greatest enemy of man kind: The Titans.  The Titans, in their various shapes and sizes, have decimated the worlds population and forced the remaining survivors behind three walls.  Our show opens after 100 years of peace - within those walls.  Humanity has become corralled cattle to an enemy of unknown motivation and origin. But they are surviving. 

Eren is angry at his people's plight.  We see immediately that he is going to be the single track protagonist hero.  The set up is perfect.  We know Eren wants to become part of the expeditionary Scout Regiment that struggles (and fails) to take the fight outside the walls.  The series sets the tone and what we can expect from our heroes and then...

BOOM!  A colossal titan, shatters not only the peace of the last hundred years, but also literally shatters a nice big whole in the wall.  And the Titans attack. Violently crashing through the city, the Titans search to gobble down each and every human they can get their awkwardly expressed faces on.  And this is where the confusion in the shows watch ability begins to set in.

Everyone dies.  Horrifically and in small bite size pieces.  The juxtaposition of Eren's ferociously generated hope against the tragic hopelessness of the reality of the setting is to put it mildly jarring.  I'm going to swing and judge something I don't usually comment on - the art.  Because it fills out my point.  The art is beautiful.  Its both at once anime and very different from anime.  The backgrounds are lush, the cityscapes are a bit repetitive, but in the way a mountain range painted gorgeously would be repetitive and stunning. Eren and Mikasa are the  most anime looking (big eyes small mouth) of the troupe.  Everyone else has non traditionally Caucasian noses and facial features.  When I say that everyone dies in bloody messes, they are beautifully rendered, gross, almost too realistic pieces of human meat sticks.

I'm feeing a little wordy, overly descriptive.  I mean you would think that painting a war - whether between humans and titans, or nation against nation - as the bloody mess it really is, would be  good thing right?  And there have been movies and literature that do just that.  Its just in this case that the art and Eren makes us believe that we are watching a different story - a story of hope and triumph.  Of sheer force of will conquering any foe.  If that's the story you want, I'm not sure if you'll get it here. 

The mystery of the Titans, and humanity's desperate attempt to over come those mysteries drags the show forward.  I found myself dragged into each episode by clever cliff hangers and plot devices. Not that the plot was overly original.  We've seen giants attack before in Neon Genesis Evangelion - a similar theme set in a different time.  Whereas NGE focused more on Shinji's internal struggles against the backdrop of apocalypse, Eren's struggle isn't the main focus.  Eren is used only to give you a main hero and a way to drive the plot forward. 

Suspension of disbelief is important to become immersed in a show of this magnitude.  There is all this mystery and a fictitious world that has been crafted.  Mostly in an attempt that author can make some kind of allegorical statement about the real world.  The last thing we want is to be distracted by little inconsistencies.  Unfortunately - it feels like there are a few glaring items throughout.  And they can't be explained away with the inherent mystery of the show.  My first gripe is the 3D (or Omni depending on the subtitles) Directional Movement Gear.  This technology was developed to counter the Titan's height.  It is a grapple system that yanks the user up similar to the way Spiderman or Batman gets around the city.  It's fast, and while the how makes it sound fairly difficult to use - its not like any of the soldiers truly have a hard time at t.  My problem is the technology scale.  This is some really sophisticated and accurate stuff here.  It uses complex pulley systems, air pressure and comfortably houses it all in a light package that can be carried around with minimal effort.  It felt like it only existed so you could get these really cool visual effects.  But how else would you fight Titans that only have one weak spot?  Ah yes, my second gripe - the weak spot.  A specific chunk of neck has to be cut from the back. It must be a certain depth and width.  This is the only weak spot of the titans.  I'm not so much worried about why that is the weak spot, but how this decimated overly taxed humanity discovered it.   You see Titan's regenerate.  And in the show, prior to the 3D gear, the soldiers used canons which only succeed in slowing Titans down.  They can completely grow back heads given enough time.  So what's the deal?  Who made the discovery and how was it made?  These are just two, and I'll leave it here.  But given the setting of the show and what we know, there are elements that aren't as well thought out that nip at everything else the show is attempting. 

I've mostly talked about the negatives, but I did watch every episode, and I'm looking forward to the next season.  Short of learning more Japanese and picking up the light novel, its the only way I'm going to get all these mysteries in the show solved.  It's the world and it's mysteries, and wondering if Eren's over the top desire to kill all the Titan's and free Humanity that drives my interest.  And while Eren as a hero is my favorite character plot, there are some well thought out characters that act as foils against Eren.  Each hero that survives more than a few episodes has their backstory and fleshes out the themes of war and how you deal with it.  Here in the US we've never been faced with Genocide or any war that has threatened our very existence.  I read on Wikipedia, that there are cultures that were drawing parallels between their plight and this show, so I imagine, some of these themes were better executed but lost on me. I should probably fact check Wikipedia, but if you watch the show, its not hard to see the leap. 

Overall, I'd say Attack on Titan is entertaining.  With the hype around the show you would think it was the best anime of its time, but I'm not sure if I'd go quite that far. It's good.  I want to watch more, but I've seen others that hit me harder, were better thought out, and more original. 

Think I got it wrong?  Leave me a comment.  Have anything else to add?  The comment section is for that too.  Or you can follow me and other late night otaku at our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/latenightotaku.  If you found the review helpful, make a request for another anime.  Also I tweet random dumb comments about the shows I'm watching at #latenightotaku, so join the conversation.  Thanks for giving us a read. またね、

The Irregular at Magic High School: First Impressions (And my first request!)

So this was my first ever request!   Happy to give impressions.  Hit me up at the Late Night Otaku facebook page or in the comments here. So without further ado... 行くぞ！

     The Irregular at Magic High School poses a world in which magic is not only real, but technology enabled.  This was all necessary in a world in which global cooling (haha, appreciated that one) and world wars ravaged the population.  Now countries are desperately creating magicians and adapting to a world in which what you think can become reality. Sound interesting?  That is the magic of The Irregular - its setting in all its well thought out glory.

     The show opens on two siblings discussing school matters. They have been accepted into an elite Magic School.  The brother, Tatsuya Shiba, is in the lower ranking classes due to his practical exam being so low.  His sister, Miyuki Shiba, had no such bad luck.  Miyuki was accepted into class 1 - the elites. Its a hard conversation to follow.  If there is any gripes, its that the world is too big, there is so much to try to figure out.  Personally I enjoyed it.  I've only watched the first arc, and it was like reading the first novel in a series.  Detailed enough to feel out all the characters, but short enough to be enjoyable (and keep me awake all night still...). 

   

As the series progresses, we find out Tatsuya is not what he seems.  Despite of his poor magic testing marks, hes actually a hard working magical genius.  Our hero is worth his title as he solves problems by being calm, wise, hard working and just play bad ass.  Each character presented this far has a strong trait that makes them heroic, but Tatsuya is much like Wesley from The Princess Bride. He is completely over the top but likeable anyways. 

The writers play lightly on the humor - no breast grabbing tropes here.  Any humor comes from well written character dialogue.  The action runs well through out and keeps the plot moving.  The moving plot tends to leave more to ask then answered and again that just makes the series the more watchable. 

 To dig just a tad deeper, the first eight episodes dug into discrimination between Class 1- the elite magic user - and Class 2, our have nots.  While they were talking about magic, one can't help but be curious as to what our heroes actions and the resolution of this arc were actually allegory for current economic grievances.  Then again I am told I tend to look to deep.

Overall if I was to rate the series its better than entertaining.  But just a bit thus far.  While not on my list of MUST SEE's, its good thus far and if you want a series to watch its worthy.  I'll be watching for sure. 

So what do you think?  Think I missed something?  Think I got it wrong?  I'll do a full review when I finish, but in the meantime, join the conversations by commenting or at #latenightotaku.

No Game No Life: Review

No Game No Life Review
Bound by normal conventions we start with a basic summary... No Game No Life is an anime that follows in the footsteps of Alice in Wonderland with several important twists.  We have two protagonists of amazing abilities.  They are both geniuses with only slight divergences in skill sets  Sora, he male older brother, is incredibly smart with a knack for analyzing people.  Shiro, the sister, is beyond a genius, this once in a thousand years analytical machine.  The normal formula would have two normal people go to a mystical land and find their way; however, in No Game No Life, these two abnormal game lovers are transported by a God to a world in which everything is settled through... games. 

Humanity, called Imanity in this world, is at the bottom of the sentient and magical food chain of 16 races. They are backed into a corner and must fight their way out.  Enter our heroes, and all of a sudden humanity has a fighting chance.  Shiro and Sora decide to climb the hierarchy and challenge the god of games himself, Tet. 

Sadly the series is only 12 episodes long and therefore way to short for their dreams to victory; but as a I sad sadly.  The ride through their first few battles is well worth the watch and I'm sure I'm not the only one waiting for a second season.

Each mini arc of the 12 episodes revolve around the victory of a major challenge culminating in Sora and Shiro playing a game against their opponent.  The danger of such a set up is two fold.  Firstly, the writer has to make us believe there is a chance that they could lose - not that surprising, otherwise what's the point.  Second the solution to their victory has to be believable. The game has to be solved through something the viewer couldn't have imagined themselves while still following all the rules of the game and world.  And this is where the series gets a little weak and the message seemingly built in muddled.  The games are FUN.  The solutions are fun.  But our heroes are so over the top geniuses, that often their solutions don't feel even obtainable by normal mortals.

And that is where things fall apart for at least me...  You see the set up here is that normal boring humans are weak.  But its through this weakness that they invent, they are creative, they are more than any of the other races.  Because its necessary, because its adaptation, because its what makes us great.  We don't have physical strength and we don't have magic... we have our minds.  Sora and Shiro as our champions just don't work, because their minds are inhuman.  They are so good at what they do, on such a different level than your average mortal that this message, that humanity IS clever and creative and smart is lost because not a human exists in reality will ever be Sora and Shiro level smart. 

The art is beautiful, the fan service is there, the over the top moments in more younger audience animes are all there.  In fact, as a whole I may be asking the series to be more than it was intended.  After all, what 15 or 16 year old doesn't imagine themselves or desire to be the greatest gamer, and want to be seen as a hero for it.  And the show provides that fantasy wrapped in a beautifully rendered package tied off with laughable moments. 

So I'd have to say on a scale of I want my 6 hours back, to OH MY GOD THIS IS A MUST SEE... I'd say the series was entertaining.  I'm looking forward to them making more but I'll stick to watching it on crunchy roll - I'd probably never pay full retail to watch the series. 

What do you think?  Did I get it wrong?  You have a comment?  Then please post ^.^  Also join all of us other late night otaku at our facebook page: late night otaku or by using the hashtag #latenightotaku

The Devil is a Part-timer: FIrst Impressions

  You want to talk about a fun premise?  King of demons, lord of flies, corruptor, and spreader of vilenesses lowered to the position of fry cook?  Really? 

 I tend to be very interested in Christian mythology having studied it quite a bit in my life.  An anime based on "the devil" immediately caught y attention; however I wasn't anticipating too much as I'm regularly disappointed as much anime just grabs the images and names rather than necessarily the themes or settings.  Not to say that I am disappointed in the anime themselves.  And this was true in the case of the Devil is a part-timer.

The first episode was filled with the backstory and was beautifully animated in what you might see a darker or medieval/fantasy style.  You learn that there is an alternate universe filled with demons and the kind of demons: Satan.  Satan aggressively strikes out to conquer the rest of the land, raping and pillaging as he pleases.  The humans are able to strike back and during the final confrontation of The Hero and the Demon King, Satan is forced to withdraw. Opening a gate to another world, the devil flees the scene with one of his last generals, Alciel.  Flees right into modern day Tokyo. 

 So in other words, this ain't yo' momma's Satan, nor story about heaven and hell.  There is no "Yahweh" or true god mentioned, though the humans do have a religion in this alternate universe.  And while you see early on Satan is considered a bad guy, cruel and wicked, there is nothing about the war with the humans that humans havn't done amongst themselves in our reality. Its a fight for land, not for truth and justice or souls. 

  Baffling to all, by the end of the episode we see Satan and Alciel settled down into a very quaint slice of life routing.  The animation style has changed along with Satan's appearance.  The demonic lord is gone replaced by a teenage boy.  The animation keeps its quality but shifts to what you might expect out of a high school romantic comedy.

  So far in the first few episodes the show is paced extremely well, masterfully interspersing comedy and normalness with the mystery and fantasy of the devil's story.  Further
the main characters are engaging, the devil being the most three dimensional of them; though some of his dimension merely comes from the impressions we get of him from the first episode. Its hard to tell how much "changing" has actually gone on, as we don't truly get to see his personality in the first episode. 

  You know I'll be sure to try to find a deeper meaning if you've been reading any part of my blog.  The use of the Christian names and titles for characters has to be for something.  What's more is the seemingly role reversal of the hero and satan. The Hero, Emi, acts like a spoiled brat, psycho ex girlfriend for much of the first episodes and reminds you much of an antagonist, while the devil is this soft, charming guy, dedicated to his work.  Very interesting indeed. 

  The anime has me hooked, and being only 13 episodes I'm sure Ill get through it quickly. Until the full review, じゃまた

First Impressions: No Game No life

  Watching I was immediately expecting another Sword Art Online.  You know, protagonist gets stuck in a alternate digital universe and then has to survive, find his humanity and deal with the consequences of being stuck in a new world.  IT ISN'T THAT!

  Oh there is an alternate universe that is introduced first thing, and its a world with a seemingly active god and very odd rules.  And there are characters that go through the looking glass, take the red pill, or whatever have you and get pulled into it, at first against their will.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

  Two episodes in, I'm guessing we're watching a morality play unfold.  A story built on over the top characters that represent thoughts and ideas in moving form that are going to lead us to the artists message. I talk a lot about "the artists message" because mark my word, that every story has an intent or a message to say about life and OUR reality. Well, not every story.  Inu to Neko which I just reviewed earlier this evening is just there to make you laugh.  And maybe there you can stretch and say that is the message - just laugh more, but sa... I'm digressing, back on point.

 Sora and Shiro are brother and sister.  They form a sort of yin-yang of personality and ability.  In "OUR world" they are two elite gamer otaku who can beat any game and any player.  They are geniuses on a level that is hard to fathom.  In the first to episodes, they beat 1200 players in an MMORPG EVEN when the other players were cheating.  They were playing 4 characters - that's right the two of them were playing with their hands and feet in an attempt to control 4 characters by themselves.  The two are our over the top protagonists.  Sora is good with people... well analyzing their motives reading their micro expressions and manipulating them.  You might think of him as a jerk and a bad guy, but just under that we see his genius has led him to be a jaded naïve virgin.  So while he seems to despise people and only see them as his tools, he holds some values close that he is searching for in others.  Shiro is the mechanical genius.  She is the type of person that can see every possible combination of a chess board at once.  She is adorable, but obviously way more soft spoken and doesn't want to attempt to deal with people.  Oh btw, Shiro means white.  I wonder what Sora means... I should look into that.  Kuro is black, so I don't think "Sora" completes my yin yang combo here sadly...

 The world our pillars get transported too is a world where games rule.  No one can steal or be murdered.  But they can challenge you to a game. These games are bound by 9 rules, and once the terms are agreed to any particular challenge, the results of the games are mystically enforced.  There are 16 races, with humans being on the bottom of the totem pole in this world.  Enter our two heroes and I can't help but predict that the siblings will champion the human race and help us climb that totem pole.  So what is it the author is telling us?  That if you can find some over the top champions of the human race we can do whatever we want?  That seems too shallow and unrealistic and inapplicable so I'm hoping there is more to this series.

You take all of the above and dress it up in anime clothes and you have No Game No Life.  The normal dated sight gags are there, the hair, the big eyes.  You know all that stuff. I'll catch up to the current episodes and keep sending you guys my insights and thoughts on how the series is progressing. 

Think I got it wrong?  Have a comment?  Leave me a post!  Thanks!
#latenightotaku 

Not really a review: Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san

  This isn't really a review, because I'm not sure if you can write a review on an anime in which every episode is only three minutes long. 

  BUT what it is, my thoughts and feedback on this series.  I guess that makes a review of some nature.  Well it couldn't be helped.

  So these three minute anime episodes are comedies that make you laugh quick and easy and then it ends.  The series revolves around Nekoyama, a girl whose name and demeanor reads cat; however, she contrary to what you might expect loves doges.  She introduced within the first thirty seconds of the anime to Inugami, a girl whose disposition lends itself to dogs and you guessed she loves cats.  So naturally this was a match made... in japan at least.

  And so the puns, dirty jokes and quick surface level humor begins.  The show makes fun of other anime, itself, and various "complexes" line after line, joke after joke, all the while keeping the humor "above the belt" and the cuteness rolling. 

  If you want something super clever or deep, stay clear.  In the three minutes, the level of humor never goes beyond the rote stuff you'll see in every other anime you've seen.  But let's face it there isn't much new under the sun anyway.  So if you really enjoy that brand of humor, they'll keep it coming in short burst of sugar high enducing tooth achy candy bar goodness.

  I for one like my candy bars, so I'll be watching the episodes as they simulcast.

Review: My Little Monster

  My Little Monster

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Setting: Japan, High School, Modern day
Late Night Otaku Rating: 2.5 Stars/5

Synopsis: My Little Monster follows Mizutani Shizuku, a studious, friendless, teenage girl, who meets Haru Yoshida.  Because Haru refuses to go to school, starting his high school career with a fight, Shizuku is recruited to deliver his homework to his home.  And that is where the ice meets spring.  Where Shizuku is generally apathetic, Haru is an overwhelming eruption of emotion.  Situations unfold that force Shizuku out of her comfort zone, ultimately calming Haru down enough to be a sensible enough member of society.  The plot follows their relationship, new friends, and life's little hiccups.  While you are never left feeling the two won't get together or that the relationship itself is in much danger, its all the externalities that keep you the viewer engaged. 

Personally, I felt that the contrasts between Shizuku and Haru's personalities is how the author made his statements abut the way relationships and life should be handled.  All the other plot variants bounced off of these two forces.  Shizuku, while gernally apathetic, I also introspective and intelligent about the way she deals with the different encounters in the series.  She is constantly questioning herself and those around her in an attempt to make sense of it all.  She doesn't have a lot of practice with people, having spent most of her childhood stuck in books, but all this studying has given her a sharp wit and self awareness.  I imagine the thoughts that are going through her head that we are privy to during the series is what makes her a relatable character.  Her doubts and concerns were very similar to questions I would ask of myself growing up, and her level of self awareness is a virtue.

On the other end of the spectrum is Haru,who acts without thinking.  But his redeeming virtue is brutal honesty and candor.  You don't have to guess hat Haru is thinking - he is going to tell you either loudly or with his fists.  With such a character it isn't hard to move your plot, and have it feel natural as Haru's character is established quickly.  Violence aside, if more people were as vocal and forthright about their feelings the world would be far less complicated. 

With their "star virtues" clearly laid out, Haru and Shizuku provide a romantic comedy that is more than just one part romance and one part comedy.  We also have a coming of age story, quests for friendship and the right way to build relationships, all packaged together with a rooster.  Yes a rooster.  Why the rooster is a running gag, I'm not sure but he was worth a cluckle or two. (see what I did there?)

I've been reading other review sites lately, attempting to establish the "market standard" and expectations and it seems like I'm meant to comment on the art or music of the series.  What do you want?  It was an anime.  The art was just whatever.  It wasn't fantastic, but it didnt' look like the studio had a parent kid work day either. With modern technologies, I find commenting on the art of most tv shows pointless as the level of consistency and quality is much greater than shows from years ago. The music was also appropriate, but nothing special.

Overall, the anime was worth watching.  In terms of the spectrum of animes I've seen it would only fall somewhere in the middle.  Romantic Comedies are my favorite genres, so I tend to be biased.  Its lack of over the top themes mean I would use this series as a good gateway to anime for someone I wanted to get into anime and was used to other romantic comedies.  Its short and while the ending is typical of a 13 episode series based on a manga that is ongoing (whew that's a mouthful), the ending was still appropriate and worked.