Genre: Comedy
Age Appropriate: Teen
Emotional Response: smack your head and shake it in shame funny
Notable Features: awkward teens, martial arts
Language: Japanese
Length: 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Good
"I meant to confess to your sister!" - Wassan
Yoichi is a young man who has been training on a mountain for most of his life. He's been home school and kept away from the city. So, he is sent tot he city to be with his cousins as a way to expand his horizons and train in a different environment. As soon as he arrives in town, however, he manages to get himself into misunderstanding and subsequent trouble. Like many harem anime, this series involves and awkward boy cast and beautiful, smart, violent ladies. There are four cousins, two in high school, one in middle school and a younger one. Of the four, the oldest is the smart, pretty one everyone is in love with. Ibuki is super nice and popular. The second daughter, Ayame is a traditional tsundere character - basically mean but with a good heart. The third daughter is a manga artist with a fun attitude and the youngest is adorable.
The one thing that gets them all is the social awkwardness that leads everyone to think Yoichi is a bit of a perv. Every other episode he manages to fall into some girl's chest or lap. The confrontational part of the story comes from a secret guy, and his sister, constantly sending assassins after Yoichi for no apparent reason. It is a vehicle every other episode to add conflict to move the story along. Despite the fact that the group has been successful in fending off the attacks, no one understands the reason motivation of the villain!
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It was cute. There wasn't a whole lot of plot in the story. There were some parts of the story that just seemed unnecessary, but as it was a high school harem anime, I don't think it really mattered. It's not really the type of series you hang around for because you can't handle not knowing what is going to happen next. I did find some enjoyment out of it. Unlike some of the recent awkward boy series, this one referenced naughtiness without any nudity at all - in a good way. I also appreciated the additional of the little sister. Nothing untoward happens to her (which is good) but she's just so freakin' cute! It also appears that she might be a good cook!
The assassins are great! Well, they're terrible which makes them great. I just wish there was a little more lead in to the whole bad guy motivation thing. There were some real hints, but not until episode 9 - given that there are only 12 it was a little late. I would've been happy with more action/fight scenes. Either way, it was good. It's a nice rainy day anime, really. You can sit through a few episodes without blinking an eye, and still have a nice little amount of enjoyment out of it. If that's something you're looking for on that rainy day, I would recommend it.
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Next Week!: Next week I'll be in Chicago for Anime Central (ACEN). I'm super excited. This does mean, however, that I won't be posting a blog post on Thursday. I will post a review of the convention the following Thursday. SO EXCITED!!
Showing posts with label samurai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label samurai. Show all posts
Friday, May 9, 2014
Monday, February 11, 2013
Master of Martial Hearts
Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: O.M.G., speechless
Notable Features: actions, fighting, high nudity, shocking messed-up-edness
Language: English
Length: 5 episodes
Overall Recommendation: WTF
"What the hell is going on!?" Aya
There is a supposedly magical heart that will grant the bearer any wish. This heart is the Martial Heart. Generally, it's considered some sort of local urban myth but young women everywhere believe in its existence. The way to obtain this magical heart is through trials and battles. It was thought to have disappeared but some time recently it resurfaced and now women can be found secretly battling each other for the chance to have their wish come true.
Aya is a teenage high school student who stumbled upon one of these fights with her friend. The fight was between a priestess and a stewardess, and the girls were shocked to see two random people fighting. Aya steps in a certain point, being a good person, and beats the stewardess enough to get her to back off. It is revealed that she has a good amount of martial arts training because he mother used to compete. The girls make a new friend, Miko, as a result. She explains to them how she entered the battle via text message and her wish was to make new friends.
The girls become her new friends and she decides to drop out, somehow this means that Aya is now in the fight and Miko has disappeared. The stewardess returns, holding Aya's crush hostage, and Aya beats her soundly, cementing her fate to enter the contest. The series follows Aya's desire to figure out what is going on, and how to save Miko from her mysterious fate. There is a giant, unexpected twist at the end!
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The series is messed the hell up. The high nudity is a little extreme. Every point of contact in a battle means some piece of clothing is damaged or outright destroyed. Really, a punch to the face shouldn't end up with someone's shirt tearing off, but that's how it goes. Generally, this isn't that unexpected. It almost reminded me of Sekirei in that respect. It's also a bunch of women fighting for some sort of prize, also very like Sekirei. The big difference is that there is no comedy in this series whatsoever. It's almost as if the nudity is supposed to be some sort of smoke screen for how messed up it really gets. It isn't nearly as bad as Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne, but it Rin is one of my favorite anime series, and this is not.
There is a lot of bizarreness involved. People disappear after losing and no one ever hears from them again - the myth says to a mysterious "Dark Realm." Not only that, but it seems that others have no idea that the person in question remembers their existence. It's also a little strange that Aya's sidekick friend follows her to almost every fight as her cheerleader. The messed up part is actually hidden until the very end and then o.m.g.. I mean, if you like this type of series, go for it. I'm sure it's a good one. Personally, I watched it in the light of day. Of course, I can sometimes be a little bit of a wuss.
Don't let your kids watch it.
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Turn around: Blue Exorcist
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: O.M.G., speechless
Notable Features: actions, fighting, high nudity, shocking messed-up-edness
Language: English
Length: 5 episodes
Overall Recommendation: WTF
"What the hell is going on!?" Aya
There is a supposedly magical heart that will grant the bearer any wish. This heart is the Martial Heart. Generally, it's considered some sort of local urban myth but young women everywhere believe in its existence. The way to obtain this magical heart is through trials and battles. It was thought to have disappeared but some time recently it resurfaced and now women can be found secretly battling each other for the chance to have their wish come true.
The girls become her new friends and she decides to drop out, somehow this means that Aya is now in the fight and Miko has disappeared. The stewardess returns, holding Aya's crush hostage, and Aya beats her soundly, cementing her fate to enter the contest. The series follows Aya's desire to figure out what is going on, and how to save Miko from her mysterious fate. There is a giant, unexpected twist at the end!
-----
The series is messed the hell up. The high nudity is a little extreme. Every point of contact in a battle means some piece of clothing is damaged or outright destroyed. Really, a punch to the face shouldn't end up with someone's shirt tearing off, but that's how it goes. Generally, this isn't that unexpected. It almost reminded me of Sekirei in that respect. It's also a bunch of women fighting for some sort of prize, also very like Sekirei. The big difference is that there is no comedy in this series whatsoever. It's almost as if the nudity is supposed to be some sort of smoke screen for how messed up it really gets. It isn't nearly as bad as Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne, but it Rin is one of my favorite anime series, and this is not.
There is a lot of bizarreness involved. People disappear after losing and no one ever hears from them again - the myth says to a mysterious "Dark Realm." Not only that, but it seems that others have no idea that the person in question remembers their existence. It's also a little strange that Aya's sidekick friend follows her to almost every fight as her cheerleader. The messed up part is actually hidden until the very end and then o.m.g.. I mean, if you like this type of series, go for it. I'm sure it's a good one. Personally, I watched it in the light of day. Of course, I can sometimes be a little bit of a wuss.
Don't let your kids watch it.
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Turn around: Blue Exorcist
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Brave 10
Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Pre-teen/Teen
Emotional Response: Excited, a little confused
Notable Features: samurai, ninjas, swords, ninja magic
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"You are my one light in the darkness" - Isanami
Brave 10 refers to the ten brave warriors being assembled by Lord Sanada. His main goal is to assemble these warriors to serve him in a variety of ways. These warriors include fighters of multiple styles. While they are primarily some sort of ninja or samurai, they all have specific abilities that set the apart from each other. Some of them have elemental abilities, some are skilled weapons fighters, and one pretty lady is a warrior with heart.
The series actually follows Isanami, a priestess from a fallen village who seeks out Lord Sanada at the behest of the priest who raised her. On her way to Ueda, Lord Senada's home, she runs into Saizo, a wandering-type samurai who is completely apathetic to her plight, but battles the ninjas chasing her as an act of self-preservation. Due to Isanami's innocent pleas and her certain charm, Saizo takes her all the way to Ueda, and curiously finds himself staying with her and reluctantly agreeing to have Lord Sanada as his master. As the series progresses, new warriors are added to the mix.
Isanami has a hairpin, the Kushimitama, that is a relic of untold power. In the beginning, the hairpin is shown to have the power to destroy all life within the powerful bubble that seems to emanate from it when Isanami is highly distressed. The other lords during this Warring States period all want this power for their own gain. The Brave 10 end up protecting Isanami throughout the series, to keep her out of enemy hands and protect everyone, in general.
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Brave 10 is a great departure from the typical high school comedy/romance that I find frequently. In the Warring States period, which I'm not really familiar with, there are feudal lords, samurai and ninjas running around in conflict. Brave 10 uses that conflict as the foundation for the story. It's very interesting. I really wanted to watch a series that was apart from the usual. I'm glad I did, too. Brave 10 is great.
It reminds me, in some ways, of Neo Angelique Abyss. Some of the plot devices are the same, if in a different setting. The period part does remove the magic/technology post-Apocalypse parts. The ten warriors do have special "techniques" that essentially represented as magic. All ten also have strikingly different personalities. Those personalities play off each other really well, including a gruff samurai, a shy ninja, and a weird, masochistic-type potentially-transgender, weapons-master/thief. Say that 5 times fast.
The action is very exciting. There is some sort of battle (epic or otherwise) in each episode and I'm always cheering for the Brave 10, and laughing at the absurdity that is the womanizing Lord Sanada. The end has a few twists to it, but in a good way. I think this is a good anime for anyone. There is a pretty boy or two, a lovely young lady, NINJAS, and humor. I'm sure I'll watch it again in the future.
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Hai!: Murder Princess
Age Appropriate: Pre-teen/Teen
Emotional Response: Excited, a little confused
Notable Features: samurai, ninjas, swords, ninja magic
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 12 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great
"You are my one light in the darkness" - Isanami
Brave 10 refers to the ten brave warriors being assembled by Lord Sanada. His main goal is to assemble these warriors to serve him in a variety of ways. These warriors include fighters of multiple styles. While they are primarily some sort of ninja or samurai, they all have specific abilities that set the apart from each other. Some of them have elemental abilities, some are skilled weapons fighters, and one pretty lady is a warrior with heart.
The series actually follows Isanami, a priestess from a fallen village who seeks out Lord Sanada at the behest of the priest who raised her. On her way to Ueda, Lord Senada's home, she runs into Saizo, a wandering-type samurai who is completely apathetic to her plight, but battles the ninjas chasing her as an act of self-preservation. Due to Isanami's innocent pleas and her certain charm, Saizo takes her all the way to Ueda, and curiously finds himself staying with her and reluctantly agreeing to have Lord Sanada as his master. As the series progresses, new warriors are added to the mix.
Isanami has a hairpin, the Kushimitama, that is a relic of untold power. In the beginning, the hairpin is shown to have the power to destroy all life within the powerful bubble that seems to emanate from it when Isanami is highly distressed. The other lords during this Warring States period all want this power for their own gain. The Brave 10 end up protecting Isanami throughout the series, to keep her out of enemy hands and protect everyone, in general.
Brave 10 is a great departure from the typical high school comedy/romance that I find frequently. In the Warring States period, which I'm not really familiar with, there are feudal lords, samurai and ninjas running around in conflict. Brave 10 uses that conflict as the foundation for the story. It's very interesting. I really wanted to watch a series that was apart from the usual. I'm glad I did, too. Brave 10 is great.
It reminds me, in some ways, of Neo Angelique Abyss. Some of the plot devices are the same, if in a different setting. The period part does remove the magic/technology post-Apocalypse parts. The ten warriors do have special "techniques" that essentially represented as magic. All ten also have strikingly different personalities. Those personalities play off each other really well, including a gruff samurai, a shy ninja, and a weird, masochistic-type potentially-transgender, weapons-master/thief. Say that 5 times fast.
The action is very exciting. There is some sort of battle (epic or otherwise) in each episode and I'm always cheering for the Brave 10, and laughing at the absurdity that is the womanizing Lord Sanada. The end has a few twists to it, but in a good way. I think this is a good anime for anyone. There is a pretty boy or two, a lovely young lady, NINJAS, and humor. I'm sure I'll watch it again in the future.
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Hai!: Murder Princess
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