Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Episode 64

This episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood finally wraps up most of the loose plot threads of the series. While it does lag behind the previous episodes in terms of drama, as the main conflict has already ended, it provides a proper ending to the series (Conqueror of Shamballa was a very poor ending for the first anime series!).

The first half of the episode begins immediately after the conflict, with Roy getting ready to become Fuhrer despite his blindness. However, Dr. Marcoh visits him and offers to give him the Philosopher's Stone if he allows him to be part of the Ishbal restoration movement. He accepts, also using the Philosopher's Stone to restore Havoc's ability to use his legs. This was a nice touch, as I was surprised to see that the show didn't forget the side characters.

I also thought it was nice that Scar finally let go of his bigotry and joined forces with the military in order to restore Ishbal.This is much better than the ending to the first anime series, as Scar never actually turned into a good character and remained an enemy to the military and Edward Elric till the end. His death in the first anime also seemed to be contrived, as he died due to actions that were very out of character.

Meanwhile, Edward and Alphonse finally meet up with Winry, an event that I thought was a bit dragged out. I understand that this is a very emotional moment, but why the hell is this moment dragged out so long? Otherwise, it was a nice scene, even if I never really cared for Winry that much in the first place.

The second part of the episode was the best part of the episode, as it takes place two years after the events of the first half. I was surprised to see Edward settle down a bit, while Alphonse decided to learn more about Alkahestry and explore the Eastern nations. That said, Edward later leaves Resembol and decides to explore the West, meaning that while he may not be an alchemist, he still wants to explore the world and not stay at home all day.

Overall... this was a great episode! While I understand that it could have a few more things could have been wrapped up, it's nice to see that the series has finally ended.

Rating: Great
Note: Definitely going to review the FMA Brotherhood movie that was just green lit!!!!

Seitokai Yakuindomo: Episode 1

Update: I will not be reviewing Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi, as it is way too damn cliched! While I understand that Amagami SS is also pretty generic, the pacing of the relationships is enough to differentiate it from other titles.

Plot Synopsis: Our BORING protagonist, Takatoshi, goes to an all girls school that was recently turned into a co-ed school. After meeting the student council (Which coincidentally is made up of ONLY girls!), he is then (for inadequate reasons) made into the vice president of the student council. Thus beginning your typical harem.

Seitokai Yakuindomo is the worst show I've seen so far this season. Having seen that it was originally a four-panel comic strip, I realized that the whole show might just be an endless execution of random jokes. Unfortunately, I was right. The first half of this episode introduced all the characters, the second half then beginning with the formula that will most definitely be used throughout the whole show: the formula having each character performing a gag from its source material every second, thus making the possibilities for actual character development or a plot nonexistent. This shouldn't have been a bad thing, as shows such as Seitokai no Ichizon were able to use this formula to great effect, Working!! also being based on a four panel comic strip and actually being pretty damn funny. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case.

The main problem with Seitokai Yakuindomo is that, unlike Seitokai no Ichizon and Working!!, it isn't funny or fresh in any way. Sure Working!! and Seitokai no Ichizon weren't exactly unique, but they both made up for this with fresh elements (Such as the hilarious dialogue in Seitokai no Ichizon, and Working!! having a few unique characters.). Seitokai Yakuindomo doesn't do this. Instead, it has terrible writing, generic characters, a male lead with no personality and probably the worst execution for both jokes and simple character interactions (I'm serious!).

At the least, the art and animation is done well. It isn't anything mind blowing, but it looks appealing, character models looking nice and everything being very colorful.

Overall... this is something that I absolutely refuse to follow. No effort is put into this harem, as the formula of jokes being thrown at you constantly, is something that becomes unbearable when the jokes aren't executed well and are also very standard of most harems these says. My recommendation: STAY AWAY FROM THIS!

Opening: Annoying! But at least it's catchy and energetic.
Ending: They didn't even try...
Rating: Horrible

Amagami SS: Episode 1

This was a fair episode. While it does have a lot of flaws, the ending was enough of a reason to keep me invested in the show. The story of Amagami SS follows Tachibana Junichi, a second year in high school who was left heartbroken by a girl who didn't show up for a date on Christmas Eve two years earlier. After having a chance encounter with a third year student named Morishima Haruka, we then get to see the male protagonist get closer and friendlier with her, resulting in him falling in love with her. From what I can tell so far, the anime will be presented in omnibus form, meaning that each girl on the cover above will get to have their own story animated in separate arcs, meaning that each arc should be about four to five episodes long.

While I most definitely will follow this series, there are a few major issues that I think could harm the series later on. The biggest problem would be the male protagonist, who is probably the most bland character in this whole entire show. While he is by no means unlikable, it is pretty hard to care about a guy with no personality. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a normal protagonist, it is a huge problem when he has very little flaws or personality traits to define him. At the least, he is a nice guy.

Thankfully, this is made up by a great female cast, as while some characters may not have been given any backstory, it is nice that they at least give some personality to a show that has a male lead with the personality of a blank sheet of paper. A great example would be Haruka, as she is extroverted and charismatic, making her a fresh and very likable protagonist. 

What makes this show nice is that everything looks very realistic. The backgrounds look nice, with character models that are absolutely fantastic. The female character models are the best though, as they look realistic, meaning that they lack weird hairstyles and odd physical features, making them look very nice. The only downside is that there will be a few moments where you may actually get confused over some of the characters, as most characters either have black or brown hair. Thankfully, this isn't a problem that will stop people from understanding what's going on in the story!

This first half of this episode was a bit boring, as it had the main protagonist walking around the school meeting some of the other female leads. This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that little to no information about these characters is disclosed, meaning that the experience can become tedious. Thankfully, the second half sort of makes up for this, as it has the main character confessing his love to the female lead of this arc, only to get immediately rejected due to his age. This displayed that the pacing of the show will be very quick, a huge leap from most romances that take seasons to have the male or female lead confess their love for someone.

Overall, this episode was OK. While the beginning was flat out boring, the latter half showed that the show will have relationship that develop fast and realistically, something that I'm really looking forward to later on in the series.

Opening: Pretty uneventful, with music that lacks energy.

Ending: Actually superior to the opening. Much better music and more colorful visuals (Albeit inferior animation.).

Rating: Fair

Durarara!

Durarara is probably one of the most overrated shows this season. While it is certainly the best (And is by all means fantastic!), I find that while it may have an engrossing plot and a very interesting cast of characters, a few big things could have been done to make it perfect (Like Baccano!)!

The story follows Mikado Ryugamine, a teenager who recently moved to Ikebukuro after being invited by a friend of his named Masaomi Kida. He is then introduced to rumors of invisible gangs, and a mysterious "Black Rider" who rides a jet black motorcycle around the city. After actually getting a chance to see the rider with his own two eyes, we then see Mikado beginning to actually like his life in the city. Unfortunately, supernatural events occur, resulting in quite a few conflicts among the various gangs in Ikebukuro that lead to Mikado getting involved himself.

Durarara's story is engrossing, continuing to get more complex and chaotic as it goes on, a trait that is also in Baccano's plot. The benefit of this trait is that it usually leads to a satisfying conclusion, the flaw being that the plot can get very confusing at times. This is a bit of a problem, as while the beginning isn't as confusing as Baccano's introduction, the middle has some really confusing moments that will require some viewers to rewatch episodes, something that really wasn't a problem in Baccano! (As the plot got easier to understand with each passing episode.). The first half of Durarara! moves in a non-linear structure, each episode seemingly focusing on a specific character, sometimes giving a different perspective of past events, leading to more depth being giving to each of those events and characters. This style of storytelling is brilliant, but is sadly non-existent in the second half, as the structure in the final arc is very linear and straightforward.

This may not seem like a problem, as the story is still engrossing, and the last arc still gives startling developments that will keep you hooked to the series. Unfortunately, this leads to my second problem with Durarara!, in that some characters are given lots of complexity and development. The reason I say some, is that about 60% of the characters in the second opening are given a substantial amount of screen time or depth. The other 40% are simply not in the show enough(Some actually appearing briefly in one episode), are given very little depth, or appear in the show a lot, but we are still given little to no back story about them. A perfect example of the latter being Semyon, as while he does the role as the voice of reason and wisdom in the show, he is given no back story what-so-ever. Another example would also be the motorcycle cop Kinnosuke, a character who only appears twice in the show, both appearances not being significant enough to warrant an appearance in the opening in the first place! The only major flaw with Durarara! is that while it does know how to create interesting characters, deliver a captivating plot and execute a complex plot, it has no friggin' idea how to balance out all the characters! Unlike Baccano, which was able to give depth and equal screen time to more than 80% of its cast in its opening with only 16 episodes (OVAs included), it still doesn't develop as much characters than Baccano does, something that is inexcusable due to Durarar having 24 episodes, eight more than Baccano had!

Thankfully, the show does everything excellently, as it (As I said earlier.) delivers a story that is very engrossing and interesting, has much better artistry than Baccano had, and even delivers quite a few captivating characters; the best one being Shizuo Heiwajima due to his badassery, unrealistic strength and invincibility. (Even though he probably wouldn't be able to take down Ladd Russo from Baccano!)

Overall, Durarara is the best show of the Spring season. It clearly has its moments where its quality even over shines Baccano and will be a favorite among many fans out their, making it an experience that should be watched. Unfortunately, that does not mean its perfect. For something that has a clear advantage over Baccano, it isn't actually better than it, as huge character development flaws stop from achieving perfection, thus making it inferior to its predecessor. If Durarara had kept utilizing its non-linear structure of storytelling, than perfection may have been achieved. Unfortunately we are introduced to a still fantastic product that could have been much better if it stuck with its original structure. Thankfully, it's still a show worth watching by all means! WATCH IT!

Opening 1: Great! Love the music, also very energetic. Sorta pisses me off that the character names are in Japanese though... (STILL AWESOME THOUGH!)

Ending 1: While it's basically a slide show, the visuals still look nice, with a great song to accompany it.

Opening 2: AMAZING! PERFECT! Absolutely love the song! Definitely one of my favorite openings!

Ending 2: Nice song, but lacking visuals! Definitely not as good as the first ending!

Rating: Excellent

Angel Beats!

Angel Beats is an anime that I really expected to be the best of this season. Upon seeing the first episode, I was introduced to writing that was humorous and fast paced, characters that were very interesting, an interesting concept, and superb artwork and animation. It had potential and seemed to be a show destined for perfection. It was until the fourth episode that the first signs of trouble began to show.

The story to Angel Beats follows the adventures of a group of dead students in the afterlife called the SSS, an organization rebelling against god due to unsatisfactory lives they had previously. The story centers around Otonashi, an amnesiac who is the newest member of the group. Due to his status as a recruit, we learn information about the characters and the afterlife through his experiences, something that is pretty standard in terms of storytelling. Thankfully, the main story is pretty interesting, as the plot constantly leaves the viewer invested with very interesting scenarios and a few plot twists along the way. While the ending is a bit unsatisfying, it's still worth watching due to the surprise you'll get from watching it.

Thankfully, the beginning of Angel Beats is phenomenal, as it introduces fresh dialogue, interesting main characters, an art style that is probably the best Key has ever done, and incredibly smooth and fluid animation. Unfortunately, the first signs of trouble come in the form of humor. A problem that Angel Beats faces is that the humor can get repetitive VERY quickly. That doesn't mean that new and fresh jokes aren't funny, but continuing gags become very old quickly, due to characters using these gags way to frequently. For example: a recurring gag is that all of the people in the SSS are called idiots by a girl named Yui. The problem with this joke is that it's used frequently despite the fact that it's not funny. That's not to say that their isn't some really funny jokes though, as the majority of the jokes are hilarious, the only problem being that a noticeable, if still small, percentage of these jokes are recurring gags.

The characters in Angel Beats are both a great plus and minus of the show. On one hand, you are given interesting characters, such as Yurrippe, Otonashi, Yui, Hinata and Kanade who are given plenty of depth and are also well developed. Some characters, a great example being TK, don't need depth, as their coolness and unique behavior make them already interesting. On the other hand though, a HUGE majority of the SSS members are not that interesting, as some of them are just bland stereotypes, despite some of them delivering some clever dialogue and jokes. An example of this would be Takamatsu, a guy who is mysterious... and that's it! While he does deliver one hilarious joke, he is given no back story, no development, and is an all around uninteresting character in general. If Angel Beats had spent more time developing the backgrounds of all these characters, then it would make for very enthralling characters, but unfortunately, it chooses too give them stereotypical personalities instead.

The biggest flaw of Angel Beats would be the execution of the story. While it is by no means bad, the amount of pointless fillers moments (as each episode is comprised of moments that seem to just be filler) is overwhelming at times. While they are amusing, if more time was spent on developing the plot and characters, then everything could possibly be developed in the thirteen episodes that are its run time. Unfortunately, the series seems to spend too much time on these pointless, albeit entertaining, baseball games, fishing activities and pointless missions that results in an experience that while good, can be so much better. Angel Beats really shines when it's delivering a serious story, not when it's trying to be lighthearted and comedic.

The animation in Angel Beats is amazing, as everything is colorful, vibrant and seems to shine with creativity. The character models also look very nice, as they are expressive, creative and very fluent with their body motions. The best part also has to be the action scenes though, as their is some really great fight scenes for a school-life anime. The gun affects also look nice, as a massive fire fight in the first episode gives viewers an idea how nice the series is. While the gun effects are VERY unrealistic (As I'm pretty sure they don't look this colorful or pretty.) they still look visually appealing.

Overall, Angel Beats is a show worth experiencing despite its numerous flaws. While definitely lacking behind Key's other works (Kanon, Clannad, etc...), it's still a great show that won't be forgotten anytime soon. It's by no means a masterpiece that some claim it to be, but it's still a great series due to its creativity, a few memorable characters (TK is awesome!), beautiful art and animation (Which is probably the best I've seen out of all of Key's creations.), and a story that isn't exceptional, but still entertaining with a very melancholy ending (Which is typical of Key.).

Opening: Beautiful! Well animated with great music by Lia. My Soul, Your Beats! is an excellent tune! (Actually own the My Soul, Your Beats! Album.)
Ending: While by no means a visual spectacle, the music is nice enough to warrant it a mention.
Rating: Great