1,000 Pageviews!!!

Whooo, now I can officially say my blog has gotten off the ground!!!

All my advertising payed off...and it only took me 7 months! *said with a bit of sarcasm*

Yes, this blog has been viewed 1,000 times, but I'd really like to get some viewer feedback. Please comment on any of my reviews!!!

Cheers,
~Selena

Squeaky Clean Anime Review: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica)

I've had many lackluster experiences from jumping on the figurative "hype train." And this doesn't just apply to anime (Frozen, Rise of the Guardians, TFIOS, Matched, *sigh*). But once again, I gave in and decided to jump on and watch Madoka Magica. Does it live up to the hype? Let's find out. The G in Magica is a "hard" g, FYI. The Rebellion movie will be a separate review.

Synopsis: 
Madoka Kaname is your typical eighth grade girl who one day rescues a white cat-like creature named Kyubey. Kyubey is searching the world for girls willing to become magical girls and fight witches in exchange for any one wish granted. Meanwhile, a mysterious transfer student named Homura Akemi wants to stop Madoka from making the contract with Kyubey at all costs. Together with some of Madoka's classmates, friends, and other magical girls, they fight witches and then discover the horrifying truth about magical girls, Kyubey's secret, and the universe to it's very core.

Story: 

As you've all probably heard before, Madoka Magica is a deconstruction/post modernism anime. It starts off with a rather simple premise, only to become darker, more complex, and deviating far from people's preconceptions of the show. Think of it like adopting an adorable kitty from an animal shelter, taking it home, it gradually turns into a terrifying tiger, and then it demands you to sit down and respect it. The story is very original, although the plot twist(s) didn't shock me because I was spoiled by Wikipedia (really my own curiosity) and tumblr. The writing shines the best when there's character interaction, which is where most of the show's psychological aspect is. The words really resonated with me, and just go to show how dark, thought-provoking, and mature this anime is. Quite often I found myself connecting the themes of this anime to the infamous "Law of Equivalent Exchange" from Fullmetal Alchemist. The plot itself didn't feel like a solid linear PLOT, really, but this can be due to the fact that Madoka Magica is only 12 episodes long. I would like to say a show as "well written" as this has perfect pacing, but at times, I did feel like the show needed to "get on with it." This is probably because I can kind of separate the anime into "arcs" and this setup felt a bit abrupt for an anime this short. And I felt that with a plot that's not necessarily linear, a few events (no spoilers) felt just a bit dragged out, with better events and plot points getting less screen time than I would have liked. I can't really talk about the "mystery" aspect of this pacing, because I already knew the ending from the get-go. Lastly, for an anime as dark as this, I was somewhat surprised that the ending felt melancholy and bittersweet. It was (almost) a perfect ending, with everything resolved, and you feel like you've accomplished something after watching this. oh, and one more thing: there is a very minimal Yuri undertone to this anime. I'd say this anime implied Yuri like Free implies Yaoi. Just to be clear.

Characters: 

The characters in Madoka Magica all start off as variations of character archetypes (like most anime do nowadays). Madoka, the (ridiculously) sweet and kind-hearted girl, Homura, the mysterious transfer student (seriously, there are way too many of these in anime), Mami, the big sister/mentor figure, Sayaka, the tomboy best friend, and Kyoko, the redhead rebel who takes no flack from anyone. But as the show progresses, the line between good and bad is blurred for almost all the characters, with Madoka being the emotional and psychological anchor for the characters and story. She's sweet, kind, and caring to the core, almost to the point that it got annoying a few times. All the other characters do get some backstory, which did make them more complex, dynamic, 3-D characters. This is probably why I considered Homura, Sayaka, and Kyoko to be anti-heroes. Every character in Madoka Magica, no matter how minor, helps move the plot forward in some way or another. There are no "useless' characters, and I felt all the characters were used to their full potential. Now, by all definitions, the characters in Madoka Magica are good. The only problem is, I found many of them to be annoying or I just plain hated them. They're not very relate-able, for starters. Even after finishing the anime, when every character showed redeeming qualities or did something to change the audience's perspective of that character, the only one I liked in the end was Kyoko, and even when she was first introduced, I didn't really like her. Most of the conflict and what made most of the characters annoying at some point or another could just be solved with someone (or me) saying/doing something profound, stating the obvious, or just needed to be said/done. Just one sentence could've done the trick at times! But then again, that's the shojo way to resolve character conflict, and Madoka Magica is a Seinen, so yeah.

Art: 

The human character designs are all very moe and their faces look like they were taken straight off a sketchpad. I say human because, well...the witches are something else. The use of actual photographs, stop-motion, a layered-paper effect, and innocent yet subtly creepy imagery in the witch's labyrinths and the designs for the witches starkly and VERY EFFECTIVELY contrast the moe character designs. I mean, you wouldn't think desserts, art supplies, and an orchestra would be creepy. But Madoka Magica makes it so. The best way I can describe this art style is comparing it to an American cartoon called Chowder. Anyone who's seen it knows there are parts that are fully animated, but the show sometimes uses stop-motion type photographs, patterned textures, and even live action puppetry. But as unique (I say this instead of good) as the art is, it does suffer a consistency problem. I watched the fully touched-up version of the anime on Netflix, and a few days later, I saw screenshots of the Japanese TV broadcast version. Some scenes weren't completely drawn, and others had the characters look fuzzy and even have misshapen faces. I wish Shaft would be more timely with the production of Madoka Magica, but I understand they apologize with the DVD release version. In the fully finished version, everything looks very nice, consistent, and very clean, especially with distance shots. One last thought I would like to add: Every single building in this anime is ridiculously nice. Like, how much money do these people have?!?!?

Animation: 

The animation during the action scenes is very smooth and consistent throughout the entire series. Almost exceptionally so. Mixing the smooth movements of the magical girls with the erratic, (creepy) stop-motion animation in the witches labyrinths was very jarring, but worked to the show's advantage VERY much so. The action scenes, combined with the amazing OST (more on that later) made all of the action scenes very exhilarating and often would make my jaw drop. It doesn't do an Attack on Titan, where the camera spins around a lot, which was much appreciated. The animation also doesn't feel like shonen action, which I guess should be expected from an anime of this quality level. Even in non-action scenes, Shaft didn't skimp too much, which is also a good indication of quality.

Voice:  

Now here's the one area of the anime that I had low expectations. I know moe is very hard to dub in English well. But the thing is, Madoka Magica didn't need cutesy moe voices for the dub. This is a dark show, after all. The dub didn't distract me, and the dub script was not rewritten much from the original script. I switched between sub and dub very frequently throughout the series, and I honestly couldn't hear the difference between Madoka's voice in sub and dub. Because if you can act out a(n annoying) character so well that you feel the urge to yell at/slap that character, that deserves major praise. Shout out to you, Christine Marie Cabanos. You easily gave the best performance in this entire anime. Kyubey's voice took a little getting used to. I don't think Cassandra Lee quite nailed it whenever Kyubey has to explain/reveal things to the magical girls. Everyone else (Cristina Vee, Sarah Williams, Carrie Keranen, Lauren Landa, Shelby Lindley, Marianne Miller) gave rather average performances (compared to better dubs), but I actually didn't mind. Every dub VA in this anime has a wide (enough) emotional range, and this dub shows it with all the characters. Sure, the quality of this dub isn't earth-shattering, but I would actually recommend watching this in English, even though to others this may just seem like a passable dub (and it actually kind of is). Also, since this is an action anime, that's another reason to watch this dubbed.

Music: 

As usual, let me start with the opening. Now, I saw a YouTube comment on a video of the opening that said something along the lines of "I love how this opening lies so much to the audience." To which I would disagree, because I think it isn't a happy-go-lucky song like the kinds used to open other moe or magical girl anime. Sure, it's not something I would want on my MP3 player, but it actually suits the anime quite well, both music and animation. The soundtrack to Madoka Magica was composed by Yuki Kajura. As such, a lot of the music is dark, chilling, and ominous. The OST music in this anime DEMANDS attention with many memorable tracks with many different "feelings" to them. A sign of a good OST is when there are many tracks that would be great as just music, to which Madoka Magica delivers with flying colors. Even when characters are just having a conversation, the music makes it ten times darker or intense. The same goes for the show's ending themes 2 and 3. One of the best tracks in the OST is the second ending theme "Magia." It matches the anime in both melody, mood, and lyrics (yes I looked them up). Seriously, I got chills whenever I heard that used as a battle theme in the anime.

Execution: 
As a deconstruction, Madoka Magica does fine. However, it's not AS BRUTAL of a deconstruction as many people say it is or like we've seen from other anime. (If you want more info on this, read my magical girl rant) In 12 episodes you get a solid and complete story, well-written characters with proper character motivations, and a soundtrack that will blow your mind. However, despite the overall quality of this anime, I consider Madoka Magica to be a WW (weekend watch) anime, albeit a very good one. It's one of those short shows that you can finish in a weekend if you have nothing to do. And while I don't think I could have written a better ending, it does leave a bit to be desired (something that people say Rebellion fails to fix.)

My Enjoyment: 
It should be pretty obvious that this anime is not necessarily meant to be "enjoyed", but to be "awed at" or to promote deep thinking. The pacing was a bit strange, and I never really found my self in awe until towards the end of the story (probably because I spoiled the entire plot before watching this) and after I gave the anime a little thinking over. I never felt a moment of AMAZINGNESS while watching this anime, probably because many parts felt slow compared to what my expectations of the show were. And honestly, I didn't have that "OH MY GOSH THIS IS AWESOME" buzz that I've gotten after finishing other anime. I even waited a few days, and it didn't come. I'm sorry if that makes me an immature anime fan. However, all the headcanons, fanart, and other Madoka Magica stuff on tumblr did leave me with a little bit better of an impression of this anime. Seriously, I actually really like (Non-Yuri) Madoka Magica fanart. So, learn my lesson, and go into this anime with NO SPOILERS.

The Score: 

Averaging the eight numerical values for the categories listed above, I give Puella Magi Madoka Magica a 7.8875/10 and my orange flag. Yes, I think Madoka Magica IS overrated, but only a little bit. This actually came close to getting my pink flag, but it just fell short due to me actually not REALLY LIKING this anime a whole lot. I would recommend this anime to people like deconstructions or moe girls doing awesome things. Actually, I would recommend this anime to a lot of people.

Story: 8.3    Characters: 8.3
Art: 7.2     Animation: 7.9
Voice: 7.5     Music: 8.8
Execution: 8.0     My Enjoyment: 7.1

For similar anime, I suggest the ever so popular Neon Genesis Evangelion, a classic deconstruction with similar character development, symbolism, and psychological aspects. But if you like your girls moe with a psychological battle-to-death story thrown in, I suggest the very recent Selector Infected WIXOSS.

NEXT REVIEW: Cowboy Bebop *sigh* 3,2,1, I'll start writing...

Cheers,
~Selena

Last Updated: 27 August 2014
Originally Published: 1 August 2014

Squeaky Clean Anime Review: Black Lagoon (24 eps)+Roberta's Blood Trail OVA

Special thanks to BlackCriticGuy and 42believer on YouTube for giving me advice on how to improve my reviews on this blog. Thank you very much!

How ironic. I am going to review one of the least Squeaky Clean anime out there that's not hentai. But you're here to read my review, so let's get on with it!

Synopsis: Set mostly in Southeast Thailand during the early 90's, the Lagoon company is a pirate/mercenary/shipping company that deals with the vast criminal underworld of the South China Sea. They're just one of many shady businesses in Roanapur, a city teeming with lowlifes. The crew is made up of Dutch, the ship's captain, Benny, the technician and navigator, Revy, the foul mouthed gunslinger, and Rock, the former Japanese salaryman (He's new). Between getting the Yellow Flag bar destroyed over and over, they deal with folks such as the Russian mafia, a smuggling group disguised as a Catholic Church, and a housemaid turned Terminator. Get ready for a bloody, gun-blazing adventure with with the Lagoon Company!

Story:
There is no "overarching story" to Black Lagoon. Instead, Black Lagoon is composed of many "little stories" or "arcs" taking about 1-6 episodes each. The basis of these arcs are somewhat simple and formulaic. The Lagoon Company gets a job, new secondary characters are introduced, there's fighting, more fighting, even more fighting, and it all finishes with some character backgrounds, development, or moments that will probably make you think, "Gee, this isn't JUST a mindless action anime." This method of storytelling very much reminded me of Cowboy Bebop, with its many self contained stories, characters that are important for that story, but that story alone, and each conclusion is usually different than one would expect. It's these conclusions, and moments of character development that usually come with them, are when the writing is best. Gritty, harsh, and realistic. Each arc is very creative, while still feeling realistic. The thrill of this anime comes from the viewer almost being a part of this relatively unknown but very believable dark criminal underworld. Black Lagoon's pacing is also well thought out, even for the last arc (which is 6 episodes long). You really need to turn off your brain for this anime, except for the last 6 episodes and the OVA. (And here's where some ranting comes in) All the arcs are great and very enjoyable, until the anime decides to go for a very different mood for the last arc (the last 6 episodes) and the OVA. This is when the anime decides to be excessively and unnecessarily deep and dramatic. I'm not sure if that final arc is part of the original manga, but it just felt REALLY out of place. Stemming off from this problem, the final arc and the OVA involved a lot of very realistic political issues. As creative as it was, it felt so forced to me, that I started to not really care. If this has anything to do with me not being "mature" enough, oh well.  

Characters:
Let's be honest: Half the reason people watch this anime is because of Revy. And I have to agree, she's both an awesome fighter and not a useless or dumb fanservice character. Even though Revy is hot-headed and violent, Rock contrasts (more like compliments) her in a very unexpected and good way. Rock is smart, and acts as the moral compass for the series, and it's his antics (or plans) that often push the story. I actually didn't find him useless, unlike some others I've heard from. It was very refreshing to see ALL the female characters (even a minor character like Sawyer) in this anime not be helpless or idiots. I'm starting to think the epic chicks in Black Lagoon are one of the draws for its primary target audience. Black Lagoon is a great example of fanservice done right. It's Seinen, so there's obviously got to be boobs. But it's NEVER distracting, and never one of the show's focuses. Yeah, I get that all the female characters in this anime were supposed to be attractive, but I wasn't bother by the fanservice. The rest of the characters all have something that makes them unique, but not like the typical "archetypes-or-quirk" approach. This allows a lot of room for originality, and the anime uses this to its full potential. All the other characters are very unique, but I often felt very conflicted if I should like a character or not. But I still had my problems with the characters. First, there was almost no information or story involving many characters, most notably Dutch and Benny. You only get character backgrounds for more characters in the manga. Second, character motivations for the final arc and the OVA were very unclear, or became very unclear. This is another big reason why I didn't like those episodes. And lastly, Mr. Chang kind of reminds me of Greed from FMAB. AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY.

Art:
Black Lagoon is a Seinen anime from Studio Madhouse, so OF COURSE this anime resembles their other Seinen works such as Monster, Kurozuka, and Texhnolyze. The art is simple, realistic, and rather neutral in color (save for all the blood). I'd call the art style in this anime Madhouse's signature Seinen look. It's effective and fine the way it is, I just think the art in this anime just isn't exceptional. It just lacks the finesse that I've seen from their other works such as Death Note, Btooom, and Hellsing Ultimate episodes 5-7. For example, there's a scene where there's a gang meeting in a strip club. Let me just say there was some of the blurriest, no-effort art I've ever seen. But, despite all the negative things I've just said, the art does seem a little better in the OVA. Probably because the animators got more time because it's only 5 episodes.

Animation:
The animation in the action scenes isn't that realistic. It's smooth enough that you can tell what's going on, but the physics can be so ridiculous at times, Lupin III would be proud. But honestly, that just adds to why you shouldn't take this anime too seriously. Animation quality is consistent, with just a little extra polish in the OVA. Again, I'm glad the animation wasn't 90% boob bounces. Overall, the animation is fluid enough, and is very enjoyable to watch.

Voice:
Originally, this dub was done by Geneon, which is why there are NO Funimation regulars in this dub. One of the merits of this dub is that there are no getting voices mixed up with other characters in other dubs. Well, except for Rock, who is voiced by Brad Swaile. (LIIIIIIIIIIGHTTT)
Okay, let me drop the classy act: This dub is GREAT. I'd say this dub rivals Cowboy Bebop in quality. Not only is it (almost) PERFECTLY cast, the voice acting feels SO NATURAL. From all the no-holds cursing, to the fact that 3 of the Lagoon company come from the US, I don't see any reason not to watch this dubbed. I hold a belief that 2 kinds of anime should usually be watched dubbed: action, and comedy. Rei Hiroe (the original mangaka) even said in an interview that most of the characters in Black Lagoon speak English in canon, and that the Japanese is just for audience. This dub is one of the extraordinary few where the Japanese directors think the English voices are better. Weeaboos, your argument is invalid.

Music:
Let's start with the opening. "Red Fraction" is probably the first opening most seasoned anime fans will think of that's originally in English (sorry, Engrish.) The pumping instrumentals, the lyrics you can barely make out, and 80% of the animation about Revy make this opening great and perfect for the anime. There are a total of 4 ending themes used, and I'll just tell you what I thought of them. 1) I get how it's supposed to be "deep", but it just sounds depressing at the end of an episode. 2) Awwww... now you're making me feel bad that they died (No spoilers) 3) Didn't leave much of an impression on me to remember it. OVA) Kind of ironic how an American marching tune is used. The rest of the OST is a mix of hard rock tracks for whenever there's action, quiet, slow tracks for rather dull or uneventful moments, and one or two "the plot thickens" tracks. It's not exceptional in any way, and most of the OST will fly right over your head.

Execution:
For the most part, Black Lagoon follows a formula, but this doesn't hinder the anime in any way. You're supposed to sit down, turn your brain off, and have fun. And the creators clearly had this in mind with episodes 1-18. Black Lagoon keeps the mood and style consistent through those episodes. There is some drama, but it never feels forced or stupid. In fact, I think the reason there's drama is so that people don't feel entirely stupid for watching/liking a show like this. Basically, you won't feel like an idiot while watching this anime. And as for the last arc and the OVA, I don't think it necessarily 100% failed, I just personally didn't like it. Those episodes are the only places when characters seem, out of character. The action scenes, while sometimes a little stupid, never had me really face palming, or anything like that.

My Enjoyment:
So I bet you're all wondering what a non-adult-male thought of this anime. While there were never moments of  "OH MY GOSH THIS IS AMAZINGGGGG", I never once thought of dropping this anime (even through those less entertaining last episodes.) But I didn't really have a blast with Black Lagoon, either. Towards the end of the anime, I actually wasn't too motivated to keep watching, other than for review purposes. But episodes 1-18 did have me entertained and engaged within whatever story arc was being told.

The Score:

Averaging the 8 numerical values for the categories listed above, I give Black Lagoon a 7.37510 and my pink flag (Good think I don't have a Yellow flag, otherwise it would probably get shredded by bullets within seconds). The reason this anime gets a pink flag from me is because I would actually recommend this anime to a lot of people, especially guys who's idea of anime is some dumb, long-running shonen or a cutesy magical girl anime. I think this anime is worth watching soon, but it's not one of those shows you need to watch as a flagship for your credibility (such as Bebop or Evangelion). It's about this unique experience that you probably won't find anywhere else in anime (although some come close).
Story: 7.1     Characters: 7.9

Art: 6.2     Animation: 7.2

Voice: 9.0     Music: 6.8

Execution: 7.8     My Enjoyment: 7.0

For similar anime, I suggest the previously mentioned Cowboy Bebop, an anime with similarities I already discussed in the Story category. I would also suggest Jormungand, an anime that also deals with an illegal business (this time a worldwide arms dealer) with a large cast of unique characters.

NEXT REVIEW: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Last Updated: 18 July 2014
Originally Published: 18 July 2014

I AM VERY SORRY

 


I DID NOT MEAN TO PUT THIS BLOG ON A MONTH LONG HIATUS.

Every site and domain owned by Google (that includes this...) IS BLOCKED in China. So are most American news networks. Wikipedia doesn't appear on the Chinese search engine Baidu.

As an apology, there will be a sort of montage of my anime anime reviews starting this weekend. I used the notes function on my phone to write 5 anime reviews. Trust me, finding the time was easy. I also want to clear (I mean publish) some of my drafts.

Now, please vote in the comments which reviews you would like to see published very soon. If no one votes, I'll do what I want. This does NOT include my Black Lagoon review. That one I promised to you.

Here are your choices!

-Blue Exorcist
-Puella Magi Madoka Magica
-Cowboy Bebop
-Death Note
-Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 version)
-Kaze no Stigma
-Fruits Basket
-Ouran High School Host Club
-A Thought Box (this is new) on Attack on Titan

Again, sorry for the hiatus! now, *cracks knuckles* time for me to start writing.

Cheers,
~Selena

P.S Thank you to all the people that read my Magical Girl rant! And WHY is my Eternal Diva review my most viewed one? IMO, I didn't write it very well.

Squeaky Clean Rant: The Magical Girl/Mahou Shojo genre

MY HIATUS IS DONE. YEATARDAY WAS MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! 
There will be a lot of CAPS LOCK in this rant. What do you expect, IT'S A RANT.

Okay, so I started watching Madoka Magica (THE G IN MAGICA IS A "HARD" G. READ THE KATAKANA) because of all the hype, and I needed a short anime for me to finish before leaving for China. I'm also inexplicably drawn to shows that don't seem to fit my tastes at first (see Black Lagoon and Deadman Wonderland). And because my hiatus is done, why not write a rant?

Now, I have always known that Madoka Magica is a dark show. And, I pretty much spoiled a lot of it for me by reading the Wikipedia page (WHY DO I ALWAYS DO THIS?!?!?!?!) So I think I just killed a lot of the potential buzz *sigh*. 

But the one thing I noticed in EVERY review of this anime (YouTube, MyAnimeList, Netflix) was a sentence along the lines of "Do NOT let the cover fool you. It may be a magical girl anime and look really cutesy, but this is a VERY dark anime." In response to one such comment, I found this little gem. I would like to credit a YouTube user JohnJacob JinglehimerSchmidt who made this very interesting comment on a YouTube video.

If you search on YouTube "Madoka Magica op" and select the first TV size one, he's there. And he's right. Darkness/tragedy and Yuri (I added that because a lot of people were surprised by the Yuri undertones in Madoka Magica) ARE staples of magical girl anime. 

Let's start with the Yuri. 

Sailor Moon-check
Cardcaptor Sakura-check
Shugo Chara-check
Revolutionary Girl Utena-check
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (Also directed by Akiyuki Shinbo)-check

And the tragedy:

Penguindrum-check
Ojamajo DoReMi-check
Princess Tutu-check
Full Moon O Sagashite-check
D.N Angel (I'm kind of cheating here, but you get the point)-check

Also, some of the anime I just mentioned have both traits. HA.

Now, let's compare episode counts: (TOTAL episodes, including OVA's. Excluding films)

Cardcaptor Sakura: 70
Shugo Chara: 127
Ojamajo DoReMi: 214
Sailor Moon (including the upcoming Crystal): 226
Madoka Magica: 12

It just so happens that these are some of the most popular magical girl anime out there. And because the popular shows are so long, it takes a while for "outsiders-looking-in" to see the darker parts of the show.

Sure, there are a lot of magical girl anime that ARE nothing but sugar, spice, and everything that seems sort of pedo. But the NUMBER of examples I provided should speak for themselves. 

The ONLY reasons Madoka Magica gets all the hype is that it 1) kicks up the darkness level, 2) does it in a tiny 12 episode package (Well, there's also 3 movies), and 3) aired in a time when a lot of people thought moe was going to be the death of anime. Often time, the people who praised Madoka Magica a a deconstruction say they're not into magical girl anime, that they thought all magical girl anime were like Sailor Moon. And the problem is that those people don't see past the long transformations with short skirts (in the shows I mentioned above) to see the darker side of the show.  

Yes, I acknowledge Madoka Magica as a deconstruction. And so far, YES, it is good. BUT I just think that a lot of people lack perspective about Madoka Magica and the Magical Girl genre itself. 

I hope you are now a bit more educated about the Magical Girl genre and have a bit more perspective now.


How did you guys like this rant? Should I do more like this?

Cheers,
~Selena

Last Updated: 7 June 2014
Originally Published: 7 June 2014