ANIME: 進撃の巨人 (Attack on Titan)

Also known as Shingeki no Kyojin (which is the romanisation of the Japanese)

Image from IMDb

At a glance: action, anime TV series (24 episodes, each ~20 minutes), Japanese, non-English, recommend 18+ (gore, & language [if the subs are to be believed])


Summary

A long time ago, a strange breed of giant humanoid lifeforms called the Titans came into existence. They stand from 3 feet up very high up ^^", often don't show signs of intelligence, and do not seem to have to eat or perform any other biological functions. There is also only one way to kill them, which is by slicing off a piece of flesh at the back of their neck. Their sole purpose seems to be to devour humans.

Due to their size and obsession and resistance towards being killed, they're incredibly dangerous, and the last of humanity now live within the safety of walled cities while the Titans roam the rest of the world.

But then, one day, a previously unknown type of Titan breaks down the outermost wall of the city, causing many casualties and forcing the rest of the citizens inside second wall. Eren loses his mother to a Titan, and from then on focuses single-mindedly on joining the Survey Corps and killing all the Titans he can lay his hands on.


Luna comments

The overview, and warnings of blood and gore, really didn't make me very interested in the series. And I'm generally not very interested in these sorts of premises. But then after hearing everyone in the anime circles talk about it, and then getting it recommended to me by my most reliable sources, and also having nothing else to watch, I gave it a shot.

And now I'm a fan too.

There still isn't much to talk about for the plot. They do make little discoveries, but they're so few and far in between that that's not really what makes the story interesting. For me, this story really hinges upon its characters. Oh, and the action scenes. They use what's called '3D Maneuver Gear' which consists of a pair of grappling hooks mounted on a complicated contraption that the user wears around their waist. This is their primary method of movement in a fight within the city walls. Despite my lacklustre description, surely it sounds awesome =D

Back to the characters. Here's a picture of the graduates from Eren's trainee squad.

Image from Shingeki No Kyojin Wiki
Eren is the 6th from the left.
Mikasa (his adoptive sister) is on his right and the top of the class.
Armin (his friend from childhood) is the 4th from the left.

I really like the the characters, even though I don't necessarily really like some of the characters themselves (most notably: Eren). They're a diverse and well fleshed-out bunch. Even though some of them don't have much screentime, they have the presence of a full-blown character rather than an 'extra'. They give the feeling that they have their own thoughts, emotions and lives somewhere off-screen.

As a group, the series does well in showing the characters' transformations. They start as trainees who may not even be in it because they want to fight titans (some are in it for the glory; particularly, if they graduate in the top 10, they are allowed to join the Military Police and move inside the innermost wall, to live among and move in the circles of the highest levels of society). They know that that's what they'll be doing if they graduate, but even then it's clear that the reality and horror of the situation doesn't hit home. They train hard, and the instructors warn them that not everyone survives even the training stages. These trainees make it anyway.

But then they encounter their first titan and watch as their friends and colleagues get killed. The show doesn't skimp on the visuals either, so these moments have quite an impact. Over the course of the series, they lose more and more members, and have to come to a decision about whether they really want to be risking their lives for the role they've trained for. The levity and playfulness of some of the trainees disappear over the course of the story. It's sad, but very fitting.

Anyway. Eren is very angry, rash, impulsive, and it doesn't take much to make him blow. He can act a bit uncaring and callous even towards his best friends, even though he does care very much for them. He's just a very angry person. Even before his mother was killed by a Titan, he showed a tendency to get angry, but this was exacerbated by that traumatic event. His emotions easily take over his rational thinking. So I don't find him very likable, but he's actions and personality are well-justified.

All the other major and recurring characters are pretty awesome, though =D

Movie version

They're making a movie version of this, which apparently cuts out some very important characters & adds in other new ones.

I think it's very funny that no one (including me) is complaining that cast is completely Japanese, even though Mikasa is the only known Asian. =P But I'm not complaining or anything. I just find it funny in light of the comlaints against the Avatar: the Last Airbender cast (yours truly, of course, being a complainant too).


Closing

Hmm. Give it a try someday. Nice action & cool characters =] 

MANGA: ライアーゲーム by 甲斐谷忍 (Liar Game by Kaitani Shinobu)

Liar Game first volume cover - Image from Wikipedia

 
At a glance: manga (19 volumes), not-English, Japanese, psychological

Summary

Kanzaki Nao is an innocent, naive and trusting girl who's honest to a fault. But one day, she receives in her mail an invitation to participate in the Liar Game, and becomes an unwitting player. After losing all her money, she requests the help of ex-con man Akiyama Shin'ichi...

Luna comments

All names are in Japanese order (surname, first name) & all characters are referred to by surname. So is the mangaka - so 'Kaitani' is the surname.

This manga has been running ran for ten years & I've been chasing new chapters for about five. So when it finished earlier this year, it was both a very happy & very sad moment.

So. Where do I even start.

This is another manga that seems to be rather polarising - out of the people I've asked, they've either liked it or disliked it, but I've yet to hear someone say they're neutral about it.

The dodgiest thing about this is probably the way all the players got into the Liar Game. They were 'invited', as in they received a card in their mail that informed them of what was happening. If Kanzaki's experiences are anything to go by, then there is no way they can get out of it after the invitation. (Some ways arise later in the game, but they had to play the first round.) I found it unrealistic that such a massive operation could remain hidden from authorities - or that there would be no way the players could get out of it - but I suspended that disbelief & read on, & I'm so glad I did.

So if you can get past that initial stumbling block, the rest of the story is completely worth your while.

The Liar Game consists of multiple rounds, or 'games'. Each one of them have different rules. The only thing they have in common is that big money is involved & that players are free to manipulate & lie, or even tell the truth, to their opponents, in order to take the opponents' money. The rest of the plot is just watching how the games unfold - the different rules of the game, the different ways the characters play them, & all the lies & manipulation & tactics that they use on each other.

There is so much in there, & yet I can say so little because nothing beats seeing it first-hand, without that experience ruined by enthusiasts like me who inadvertently spoil the details.

The gameplay is always exciting, without exception, even when a chapter might go through little more than, say, a character pondering a certain move. Kaitani is also an evil genius - most chapters end on a cliffhanger.

But, even though some of the people are so malicious, & the situation so removed from reality, I found that nevertheless there are plenty of parallels between the gameplay & the world we live in. Exactly what they are, I'll leave to you to find out.

This reflection really made the games more interesting - on top of the excellent plot, there are clear messages that Kaitani is trying to get through to his readers. This story really encourages its readers to think. About everything.

One warning: you may not love the ending. I didn't particularly like it. But I can see the sense in it and I can accept what the mangaka has chosen. So it didn't really ruin the series for me.


Closing

Read it now! NOW! Read to the end of the first round, & you can decide whether you're in the 'like' or 'dislike' camp. Highly highly highly recommend.

SHORT FILM: Komorebi [木漏れ日] from Wong Fu Productions

So a friend of mine linked me to this:

It's 7 minutes. Just watch it. 木漏れ日 is now one of my favourite words, never mind that I don't speak Japanese.

My favourite thing about it is that it's completely in Japanese, which doesn't seem like much but Wong Fu Productions has mostly an English fanbase (I would assume) so I think it's cool how they chose to do this in another language. & then there's the pretty standard stuff like the music, cinematography, which I don't really need to say much about except "GOOD~!"

ANIME: かぐや姫の物語 (The Tale of Princess Kaguya)

Image from Wikipedia

At a glance: Japanese, anime, fantasy, ancient Japan, movie (running time: 137 minutes, says Wikipedia)

Summary

A poor, childless couple finds a child in a bamboo shoot, & raises her as her own. She grows up to be known as 'Takenoko' by her friends. When her adoptive father later finds money and expensive clothes inside bamboo shoots, he is convinced that she is destined for a better life. He takes her into the city, constructs a great mansion for her, and introduces her to higher society - anything he can do to make her a princess. She is also renamed 'Kaguya', to fit with her station. However, this isn't the life that Kaguya longs for...


Luna comments


This is directed by Takahata Isao (Japanese order - so 'Takahata' is surname), whose most famous film is probably Grave of the Fireflies (a very good film & so extremely sad that I couldn't bring myself to keep watching). Just thought I'd like to let you know.

I really liked the style of the art used in this film, & so here, have another picture:

Image from Studio Ghibli Wiki

All the Studio Ghibli films are beautiful, but I think that this art style really suits this particular story. There's something soft & simplistic & fantastic about it that contributes to the nostalgic, quietly & contemplatively sad tone of the film. It also has a more 'Japanese' feel to it.

The other good thing is that it's so pretty I can stare at it for ages. Because the movie is incredibly slow, especially for about the second quarter. The pacing there is so slow, that in the middle of the movie I found myself looking at how much I've watched & being very surprised that, even after watching so much, not much has happened at all. But here, the length also contributes to that sad tone, & I can respect the decision for the pacing.

Things start happening in the second half, though, which is good, but it's still slow. (I'm usually very against slow pacing.)

I also love the soundtrack. Which is no surprise, because it's composed by Joe Hisaishi. But I want to make a particular note of the two songs with lyrics, which are both more or less about life. In case you haven't caught the general thread yet, they're both slowly paced, melodic, quiet, unassuming, & sad. One is the children's song, Warabe Uta (わらべ唄), and the other is the ending theme song. I suggest you pay extra attention! I didn't like the voice very much when I first heard it, but as I got used to it, I felt that it was quite fitting.

I think that the combination of everything in this film establishes a certain feeling, or atmosphere to it. I like it when that happens, so, +1 for the film. :)

The plot itself isn't really spectacular, but you don't watch a Ghibli film for its plot. It's a pretty typical storyline, in that the circumstances of the protagonist force them into a position that they don't like. But that's the end of the similarities. The Tale of Princess Kaguya offers a distinctively different take on the story. Kaguya isn't rebellious & she isn't assertive. It's refreshing to see how Kaguya handles her situation.

One thing I'm quite impressed by is Kaguya's characterisation. To be clear: if you want a strong heroine who actively participates in the story & shapes the world around them, that is not Kaguya. She's passive - things happen to her, & she reacts, & she doesn't even make an effort towards changing them. Her actions & emotions are at times immature & don't make her character particularly endearing.

However, despite all her flaws, I didn't find myself disliking her. There may be a cultural element to this - whereas she would probably be seen as a 'weak' character by western viewers (I'm assuming that, based on reviews I've read that comment on the reviewer's receptions of characters in other stories) - I feel as if I understand where she's coming from, that life isn't just about one's own happiness, but that we all carry certain responsibilities. & her choice, or her perception, of her responsibilities ties her down. I can't say her sadness isn't self-imposed, but I can understand why she does it.

I can't say I liked her character either. But despite her childishness, it is clear that her character carries a great weight. There's a quiet sadness & frustration & yearning for freedom that makes it almost impossible for me not to feel sorry for her. In the end, I don't really feel that anything's her fault - she's just a tragic character.


Closing

I really recommend you watch it sometime! Okay, that 'sometime' being a bit more than two hours of spare time. Don't mind the slow pace, & I'm sure you'll have a wonderful visual experience =] It's atmospheric & poignant, beautiful & musical, & I think its cultural elements are quite prominent in comparison to a lot of other films that make it to wider the English-speaking audience (i.e. more than just anime-watchers).

ANIME: サイコパス (Psycho-Pass)

Unit One - Image from Wikipedia
From left to right: Kogami, Tsunemori, Ginoza, Kagari, Kunizuka, Karanomori, Masaoka

At a glance: futuristic, dystopian, mystery, cyberpunk, crime, sci-fi, some NSFW scenes, recommend 18+


Summary

In this highly developed world, people's mental health and tendency for crime are measured by the Sybil System. Of the most interest to this story is the measurement of the Crime Coefficient, which when too high indicates a person has a high probability of committing a crime. Such people are rehabilitated, or failing that, locked up or killed.

Akane Tsunemori is a newly-appointed inspector to Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division. Soon, a certain pattern of deaths emerges, all pointing at a man who's criminal tendency cannot be measured by the Sybil System and so goes unpunished for his crimes. It is then for Unit One to go after him and capture him.


Luna comments 

I will be referring to all characters by surname.

I'm been putting this off for so long (about two weeks now) because there's so much I could say about this anime. I was at a complete loss over where to start, because there was so much I liked about it. Usually, I'm squeamish about the sort of violence & gore that's in this, but the concept, plot, setting & characters ultimately meant that I stuck to it.

In the meantime, I also watched Psycho-Pass 2, but I'll keep this review strictly for Psycho-Pass.

The setting of the world is rather easy to explain - it's technologically advanced, holograms are everywhere, & a centralised system makes measurements ('Psycho Pass') of all citizens, which include things like their Crime Coefficient, their Hue, & then data analysis on the history of their measurements. I really liked how bits & pieces of the world are revealed throughout the series, & I like how the technology is woven into every aspect of their lives, from holographic room designs & clothing changes, to the various hi-tech stuff they do inside the Public Safety Bureau. There's always something to serve as a reminder that it's a different world.

I thought every single character was done really well, or as well as they could have been given their screentime. I chose the picture above in particular because it features the members of Unit One, all of whom are awesome. I can talk about their awesomeness forever, so I'll restrain myself & talk only about the three most important ones.

Tsunemori is an awesome character. She has a lot of positive aspects - so many that, had the story been poorly written, she could easily have been a Mary Sue. But she doesn't give off that feeling. She starts off as a newly appointed inspector, innocent & naive & presumably blissfully ignorant of the violence & brutality that she eventually encounters throughout the series. She's the bordering-on-typical incredibly good character, in that she doesn't want to kill anyone no matter what the circumstances are. In the first episode, she acts in a way that simultaneously shows her potential while also casting doubt on her ability to pull off her role in public safety. But over the series, she becomes a seasoned & capable inspector. In hindsight, I think that her character development is done very very well.

You may now think that Tsunemori looks like a stereotypical character. I'd say that she plays a stereotypical role, but not necessarily a stereotypical character. & perhaps she is a stereotypical, but the way she's been characterised makes her quite different, or at least a distinct character in her own right.

Continuing on with being stereotypical - there's Kogami! The broody, silent, intelligent, observant one with a certain dark spot in their past & an obsession stemming from that. Someone who almost seems to have lost their purpose in life (except for that obsession) until, one day, some special person (Tsunemori) re-ignites a spark in them. Despite being so much like a character out of a YA novel, he's much more interesting than that - or maybe, as a general rule, his kind of character is interesting by default, no exceptions. I ramble. So much of the plotline revolves around some detail of him that, ultimately, I felt that he was the real centrepiece character of the anime, despite his relatively pitiable screen-time.

Another reason was that I felt he represented the dilemma of the world of Psycho-Pass. He's obviously one of those 'good characters with a dark side'. What do you do with a someone who's quite capable of squishing you like an ant? Are you sure you're comfortable with leaving your life or death at the hands of someone like that? Are you sure you're comfortable knowing that you'll live as long as they're happy to let you?

The villain, Makishima, is probably the most interesting, at least out of these character descriptions. He loves old literature, frequently quoting from them. He's also extremely twisted, & seems to commit crimes (read: murder) out of a cold, detached curiosity of human behaviour - it's like a game to him - how would you react if I did this? He's also charismatic & super-intelligent. All these things work together to make him very...creepy, for lack of a better word. Makishima is an interesting villain because he is so scary & so capable.

On the flip side, I found his character a bit weird. Maybe he's just so twisted that I can't work him out - I find him very intelligent & logical, & yet some of his decisions are hard to square with his sort of character. Even in the end, considering everything, I wasn't sure if I understood what it was that he wanted. So he's an interesting one to puzzle over.

Although the individual characters are awesome, what I liked most about Unit One is the feeling of family. It's hard to explain, but despite their roles & the fact that we only really see them at work, their interactions give off the feeling that their relationships are not merely professional - they actually do care for one another in a personal way. Which I liked =]

The plot is very good. Not only is the story engaging, but it also highlights the far-reaching effects of having a society stabilised by the Sybil System, even though it only ever deals with the police's point of view. The pacing is quite fast, & most if not all episodes end not necessarily on a cliffhanger, but somewhere that makes you (me) want to watch the next episode immediately. (Isn't it good that all the episodes are out?) Some of the criminals are pretty twisted, even more so than the twisted criminals you may see in contemporary police dramas & series. As the story goes on, you can see that that, too, is a side effect of the effectiveness of the Sybil System.

Initially, the story starts off as 'just' police detectives tracking down suspects using technology & intelligence, but when Kogami is pitted against Makishima, the battle of the brains becomes more intense & suspenseful. Things get ugly, people get hurt.

I really like how things all came together in the end - the plot, setting & characters - & contributed to the bigger picture of what is the Psycho-Pass society.

My favourite parts

•  I LIKED EVERYTHING...though I wouldn't have minded if it was less gruesome in places. (Also I can't do this without risking spoilers)
  

  

Closing

Watch it! It's really good!

It raises some interesting questions about what sort of choices we want to make about our lives - the sort of society we want to live in, the trade-offs we make to live a stable life sufficiently free of uncertainty, a person's nature against their free will, the value & necessity of negativity, & what exactly is the point of 'crime', 'law' and 'law enforcement'.

So, ultimately, a very thought-provoking watch. Highly highly highly recommended! For those old enough, anyway.

ANIME: 絶園のテンペスト (Blast of Tempest)

Image from Zetsuen.net
From left to right: Fuwa Aika, Takigawa Yoshino, Fuwa Mahiro, Kusaribe Hakaze

At a glance: anime, fantasy, mystery, some probably NSFW moments/scenes; 24 episodes (20-min each)


From Aniplex USA:

One day, a sorceress princess was stuffed into a barrel and banished.
One day, a single girl was suddenly murdered, and the culprit still runs free.
And one day, a battle spanning time and space over magic and revenge began!
Sanity and madness, sense and intelligence, self-confidence and convictions.
The tragic tale of this irrational world starts now.

The Kusaribe family is a family of sorcerers under the protection of the “Tree of Origins”. Their princess, Hakaze Kusaribe, was the greatest sorceress of their family. But Samon Kusaribe, a member of their family seeking to resurrect the “Tree of World's End”, a tree that opposes the “Tree of Origins” and controls the power of destruction, stuffs her into a barrel, and banishes her to a deserted island. From the deserted island, she sends a message out to sea, which is picked up by Mahiro Fuwa, a young boy who's sworn vengeance upon the criminal who killed his little sister, Aika. Mahiro agrees to help Hakaze under the condition that she find Aika's killer with her magic. But once Mahiro's best friend and Aika's lover, Yoshino Takigawa is rescued from danger, he too gets dragged into this tale of revenge.

Luna comments

I'm referring to the characters by first name, because their last names are rarely used in the anime.

The plot was pretty good, once I got over the slightly strange idea of two all-powerful trees. I think that the foundation of the plot is the weakest thing in this anime, but I liked the actual plot & everything built around it, so I can forgive that. It's pretty interesting how they linked all the different plot elements & characters together. I do also have a minor gripe with the idea that the 'Tree of Genesis' preserves the logic of the world - I feel that order would have been a more appropriate word (but that might have been just an issue with the subtitles of the English-sub I watched).

My absolute favourite thing about this anime is all the characters (& there are no shortage of major characters, even if there are only really three main characters). I'd recommend this series even if everything else is rubbish (which is fortunately not true), because the characters are so interesting.

There is no true villain in this series. Even though you have various people & groups who work against each other, they each have their own justifiable rationales for doing what they did. There are lies, deception, manipulation, betrayal & mental sparring sessions, but I didn't think any less of the characters because of their underhandedness. In fact, I think it's amazing how they managed to make none of the characters naive & innocent (okay, maybe one), but they're all sneaky in their own ways. Each character felt different & unique.

I especially liked the contrast between the two main characters, Mahiro & Yoshino. They're in a strange, accidentally-friends-but-not-really sort of relationship. Mahiro is impulsive & driven by his desire to avenge his little sister's death, which makes him indifferent to anything else happening around him, even the possibility that the world would be destroyed. For me, this usually makes a character unlikable, but he was interesting because this made him a real wildcard in terms of other people's plans.

Yoshino, on the other hand, is quiet, rational, sensible & altogether very likable. He tags along because he didn't want to leave Mahiro alone, & then gets roped into this massive adventure.

Unfortunately, I felt that Hakaze, the main female character, was a bit lacklustre compared to her fellow characters. Not that she wasn't a good character, but she was less satisfying to watch.

& finally, I like how the only person who can save the world comes in the form of a bumbling, nervous, wimpy boy who's a bit overwhelmed by his own powers. (For some strange reason, he's the only major character who's not on the poster.)

The other characters are also interesting, but I'll leave it there.

In hindsight, I feel that the pacing is a little off (even though I had no such feeling while watching). The story splits into two very neat halves. The first half of the story is very fast-paced; the second half is still fast, but not as much, & I also felt that the tension was maintained better in the first half. Having said that, the characters are more interesting in the second half =]

My favourite parts

• Mahiro & Yoshino's confrontation with Samon
• Flashback of how Mahiro & Yoshino met
• Timing of the title screen in episode 15
• Episode 21

Closing

Watch it, even if it's just for the characters =]

ANIME: 言の葉の庭 (The Garden of Words)

This is also known as Kotonoha no Niwa , which is the romanisation of the Japanese.

Image from official website
Where he tries to make shoes for her. Click for larger image. Isn't the art so pretty?

At a glance: drama, romance, contemporary; movie (46 minutes)


Summary from the English website:

When Takao, a young high school student who dreams of becoming a shoe designer, decides to skip school one day in favor of sketching in a rainy garden, he has no idea how much his life will change when he encounters Yukino. Older, but perhaps not as much wiser, she seems adrift in the world. Despite the difference in their ages, they strike up an unusual relationship that unexpectedly continues and evolves, without planning, with random meetings that always occur in the same garden on each rainy day. But the rainy season is coming to a close, and there are so many things still left unsaid and undone between them. Will there be time left for Takao to put his feelings into actions and words? Between the raindrops, between the calms in the storm, what will blossom in THE GARDEN OF WORDS?

Luna comments

The first thing that strikes me about this film is how incredibly well-presented it is, especially in the artwork and the soundtrack. As you can see above, the artwork is ineffably beautiful. It's realistic, but also has a certain element of fantasy in it, even though the story is firmly rooted in the real world. There's an insane amount of detail (unfortunately I didn't watch this in very high resolution) but also softness in the pictures. The central setting for this film is the garden (the Shinjuku Gyoen), but the way the artists have drawn it makes it almost like a magical, otherworldly place. The rainy scenes are drawn especially well.

There's a subdued & bittersweet tone to the movie. The pace of the story is rather slow, which I actually didn't mind in this one - for one, it suits the story, & for two, it gave me time to absorb the imagery & the music.

The plot is centred around the Akizuki Takao, the 15-year-old serial truant (only on rainy days) & Yukino, the 27-year-old woman who keeps skipping work. Both of them are lonely in their own lives, & come to enjoy each other's company. There's something really...nice, for lack of a better word, in the simple interactions that they share. He's very mature for his age; she feels a bit lost & childish for hers. I like how I didn't even feel the massive age gap between them, & I also liked how they didn't even know very much about each other all the way through. I guess that this film, for me, seems to strip away all the things unnecessary to a fulfilling relationship (not just in the romantic sense) with other people.

My favourite parts

• Anything that takes place in the garden
• The final scene before the song & credits

Closing 
I would recommend this show purely for its artwork; fortunately, it has the rest of the goods to match =]