My anime rampage
Feb. 28th, 2011 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandrootI keep meaning to write up actual reviews of what I've been watching, and then I keep having to grade papers instead. So have a quick set of thumbnail recs, instead. These are all off Crunchyroll.
SHANGRI-LA: This was actually pretty interesting, and has complex worldbuilding, a strong cast of characters, and more than one plot thread. Unfortunately it's also got That Trope. The one where being an adult woman with temporal power not just causes but is, in and of itself, a sexual disorder. I'm also not sure how I feel about the transgender characters; I mean, they're a hell of a lot more three dimensional than usual and they get to be heroines to boot, and there is definitely a perfectly serious side to them both... but they also get played for humor more than I like. And the translations of the running "okama no kin/gin" joke is really inconsistent. Watch it if your stomach is feeling strong this week.
Sasameki Koto: It's bona fide schoolgirl yuri! Like, not the nasty fanservice kind! Unfortunately, pure drama anime are hard for me to get into, so I didn't finish it. But real yuri!
Miracle Train: I watched the first ep and died laughing. It's the most transparent dating sim anime ever and involves anthropomorphized train stations. Who are bishounen. And will fix all your problems. I never watched more, but if you need a really good laugh, you might want to look at it.
11 Eyes: This was actually not too bad. It's action, it's got good characters for the most part, it's got a twist at the end, the hero's struggle to power up is actually pretty believable. My one real beef with it is that the one girl who goes totally batshit and almost destroys the world because she's pathetically and psychotically jealous gets to live happily ever after. No repercussions, no sacrificing herself to save the day at the last minute (which the manga apparently allows her to do, and die with some fucking dignity) no just a total magic reset for the person who most deserves some repercussions. Argh.
Asura Cryin': There's some annoying fanservice, but overall this is actually quite a good one. Once again, love is weirdly toxic and makes you world-destroying crazy, but it also saves the day so... it's a wash? Really fantastic characters, brain-twisting world building in a good kind of way, brisk action, some really heart-string-pulling moments.
Durarara: Still haven't finished (I did mention me and the drama, right?). But again with the excellent characters. It's got a slow-building plot, but it's a very complicated one too, so that's not entirely bad. It's a very dense series, which is a little unusual for things that run this long, these days.
Sora no Woto: Simply lovely. Kind of military slice-of-life girl anime. With music. And mythology. And a history that is mostly hinted at and you have to build up the idea of it yourself, which is very typical of Anime no Chikara's series. It's cute; watch this one when you need a pick-me-up.
Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru: Understandably known as UraBoku. It's shounen ai with demons and genderswapping and eternal love, just dripping with sentimentality. I actually cried laughing in some places. Watch this if you need to turn off your brain and just appreciate the silliness of shounen ai tropes in all their bondage-tinted, crystal-tear-dripping glory.
Senkou no Night Raid: This one actually isn't on Crunchyroll, but you can find it pretty easily. You need a quick history review of Asian Politics In 1931, because otherwise you won't follow who's who, but it's worth it. Psychic spies in Shanghai, with lots of acting out one's philosophy of life and reflections-in-action about the atomic bomb and pan-asianism. Also featuring rival-slash to beat the band.
Occult Academy: Another Anime no Chikara production, entertainingly revolving around every UFO-watcher trope imaginable with our heroine alternately scoffing and enthusing over it all. Totally ass-kicking women, and a wimpy kind-of-hero. With a spoon. The sexual politics at the end kind of squick me, as the only explicit sexuality is weaponized by the villain and narratively marked as selfish. Pick your time to watch this one, but it's mostly worth it.
Strike Witches 2: ... okay, so I watched the opening, closed it down, and went away for two weeks, utterly squicked by the detailed panty-shots of elementary schoolers. Fortunately, that really does reduce a lot once the action is underway, and if you want an action series that centers around females... this is kind of the only recent choice. Life sometimes sucks that way. Only watch this if you have your filters firmly up.
Otome Youkai Zakuro: I loved this to death. It's kind of alter-Meiji magical girl with demon heroines. And spiritual family drama/mystery. And three couples (okay, two couples and a threesome) that are really kind of adorable, each in their own way. And the girls kick total butt while the three military boys stand around and mostly just manage to cheer them on. Totally watch it.
So there you go. Conclusion: anything Anime no Chikara puts together is worth a look-in.
SHANGRI-LA: This was actually pretty interesting, and has complex worldbuilding, a strong cast of characters, and more than one plot thread. Unfortunately it's also got That Trope. The one where being an adult woman with temporal power not just causes but is, in and of itself, a sexual disorder. I'm also not sure how I feel about the transgender characters; I mean, they're a hell of a lot more three dimensional than usual and they get to be heroines to boot, and there is definitely a perfectly serious side to them both... but they also get played for humor more than I like. And the translations of the running "okama no kin/gin" joke is really inconsistent. Watch it if your stomach is feeling strong this week.
Sasameki Koto: It's bona fide schoolgirl yuri! Like, not the nasty fanservice kind! Unfortunately, pure drama anime are hard for me to get into, so I didn't finish it. But real yuri!
Miracle Train: I watched the first ep and died laughing. It's the most transparent dating sim anime ever and involves anthropomorphized train stations. Who are bishounen. And will fix all your problems. I never watched more, but if you need a really good laugh, you might want to look at it.
11 Eyes: This was actually not too bad. It's action, it's got good characters for the most part, it's got a twist at the end, the hero's struggle to power up is actually pretty believable. My one real beef with it is that the one girl who goes totally batshit and almost destroys the world because she's pathetically and psychotically jealous gets to live happily ever after. No repercussions, no sacrificing herself to save the day at the last minute (which the manga apparently allows her to do, and die with some fucking dignity) no just a total magic reset for the person who most deserves some repercussions. Argh.
Asura Cryin': There's some annoying fanservice, but overall this is actually quite a good one. Once again, love is weirdly toxic and makes you world-destroying crazy, but it also saves the day so... it's a wash? Really fantastic characters, brain-twisting world building in a good kind of way, brisk action, some really heart-string-pulling moments.
Durarara: Still haven't finished (I did mention me and the drama, right?). But again with the excellent characters. It's got a slow-building plot, but it's a very complicated one too, so that's not entirely bad. It's a very dense series, which is a little unusual for things that run this long, these days.
Sora no Woto: Simply lovely. Kind of military slice-of-life girl anime. With music. And mythology. And a history that is mostly hinted at and you have to build up the idea of it yourself, which is very typical of Anime no Chikara's series. It's cute; watch this one when you need a pick-me-up.
Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru: Understandably known as UraBoku. It's shounen ai with demons and genderswapping and eternal love, just dripping with sentimentality. I actually cried laughing in some places. Watch this if you need to turn off your brain and just appreciate the silliness of shounen ai tropes in all their bondage-tinted, crystal-tear-dripping glory.
Senkou no Night Raid: This one actually isn't on Crunchyroll, but you can find it pretty easily. You need a quick history review of Asian Politics In 1931, because otherwise you won't follow who's who, but it's worth it. Psychic spies in Shanghai, with lots of acting out one's philosophy of life and reflections-in-action about the atomic bomb and pan-asianism. Also featuring rival-slash to beat the band.
Occult Academy: Another Anime no Chikara production, entertainingly revolving around every UFO-watcher trope imaginable with our heroine alternately scoffing and enthusing over it all. Totally ass-kicking women, and a wimpy kind-of-hero. With a spoon. The sexual politics at the end kind of squick me, as the only explicit sexuality is weaponized by the villain and narratively marked as selfish. Pick your time to watch this one, but it's mostly worth it.
Strike Witches 2: ... okay, so I watched the opening, closed it down, and went away for two weeks, utterly squicked by the detailed panty-shots of elementary schoolers. Fortunately, that really does reduce a lot once the action is underway, and if you want an action series that centers around females... this is kind of the only recent choice. Life sometimes sucks that way. Only watch this if you have your filters firmly up.
Otome Youkai Zakuro: I loved this to death. It's kind of alter-Meiji magical girl with demon heroines. And spiritual family drama/mystery. And three couples (okay, two couples and a threesome) that are really kind of adorable, each in their own way. And the girls kick total butt while the three military boys stand around and mostly just manage to cheer them on. Totally watch it.
So there you go. Conclusion: anything Anime no Chikara puts together is worth a look-in.
