Series Review – Yuri on Ice

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Studio Mappa

If you told me at the beginning of the year, that I would be watching an anime about figure skating, I would not believe you.  My biggest regret of the year was not checking this show out until it finished airing.  Despite all the shows I was watching during the fall season, I somehow missed this masterpiece.  Of course, I am talking about Yuri on Ice.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

The story focuses on a figure skater named Yuri who begins to question his professional skating ability.  In the last year, Yuri put on a terrible performance in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating and a variety of other local competitions.  Yuri returns to his hometown to rest and he decides to visit his childhood friend.  He perfectly mimics a routine performed by the famous Russian figure skater named Victor Nikiforov, who is Yuri’s idol.  This performance is secretly recorded and uploaded to the internet which attracts Victor’s attention.  Victor then travels to Japan and offers to coach Yuri, with the aim of helping Yuri win the next Grand Prix.

First and foremost, this is a sports anime, which brings some typical plot elements.  However, the story excels with its focus on the Japanese Yuri and Victor.  Both of these characters are the main focus of the series, and they are developed perfectly.  Yuri is rather tepid and a nervous wreck.  Despite being great at figure skating, he often collapses when the pressure gets to him.  He’s always questioning his ability despite everyone being extremely supportive of him.  His character arc of the series involves him overcoming his anxiety and this is a thrilling plot point.  The audience is rooting for Yuri every step of the way.  As for Victor, his story arc develops quite differently.  As the number one skater for years, Victor actually began to lose his passion for ice skating.  When he saw Yuri’s mimicked routine, this brought back the passion so much that he gave up competing for a year to be a coach and to help Yuri improve himself.

This of course leads to one of the most naturally developing relationships in anime.  Yuri and Victor’s relationship comes across as genuine.  It can be easy to solely focus on how it’s a depiction of a same-sex relationship, which is rare for the anime medium.  However, it does not fall into the same traps as other anime would employ.  The relationship is real and not just physical.  Yuri and Victor complement each other well and each of them grows as a result of the relationship with each other.  It’s actually really endearing.  Ice skating is just a means by which the characters express emotion and it’s a back drop for studying Yuri and Victor’s character.  This relationship drives this show.  It’s not the main focus, but it’s perfectly mixed with the other plot points to create a truly masterful story.

Animation and Sound

Let’s start off with something easier to talk about.  The animation outside of the figure skating scenes is solid.  The backgrounds manage to be diverse and interesting.  The characters are also animated very well and exhibit a large range of emotion.  The figure skating can be a mixed bag at times.  Some scenes perfectly showcase the ability of animation to create beautiful moments.  The opening alone is a perfect example.  I would also say the animation is beautiful in any figure skating scene with either Yuri.  Some of the scenes though lack this quality.  This is usually present in the skating sequences of the other professional skaters.  It’s noticeable and does take me out of the moment, but I would not say it dampers the quality of the show.

The series shines with its music collection.  The opening is godlike.  It was definitely the best one of the season.  The series also has an excellent selection of music used in the figure skating programs.  These pieces exhibit all sorts of emotions ranging from innocent love to self-idolization.  Each piece perfectly matches the skater.  JJ has the catchiest and most self-serving theme.  Chris has a piece that exudes with sexual energy.  These pieces of music go perfectly with the skating scenes even if the animation is weak.  It’s for this reason that the weaker animation for certain scenes is not an issue, as the overall sum is excellent.  The voice acting is also great.  I love how confident and loving Victor comes across with his performance.  I also love the hesitant and scared performance of Yuri towards the beginning of the series.  Everything about this show comes together to form the complete package.

Final Thoughts

Yuri on Ice is one of the best shows of the year.  At its core, it’s a simple story about a man finding his self-confidence with some help.  The relationship between Yuri and Victor is one of the most genuine and endearing relationships in anime.  The animation can be weak at times, but certain scenes are freaking gorgeous.  The voice acting and music are great.  Yuri on Ice was my surprise of the season.  I give Yuri on Ice my Bananaowns’ stamp of approval.  I’ll be back next week for another review and thanks for checking this one out.

Series Review – Girlish Number

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Diomedéa

It is inherently interesting to view a series that goes into the making of anime.  Shirobako remains the golden standard for an anime about making anime.  Girlish Number initially starts out in a similar vein, but quickly becomes a character centric piece.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

The story features Chitose Karasuma, an aspiring voice actress that has recently begun working in the anime industry.  Despite strongly believing in her talent, she mostly has been voicing minor characters.  However, she gets her big break when an opportunity arises for her to become an idol voice actress in an upcoming anime adaptation of a popular light novel series.

Girlish Number initially starts out as a very tongue-in-cheek look at the pitfalls of the anime industry, most notably the commercialization of the voice actors and the treatment of light novel authors.  This early tone is where the inherent strength of the series lies.  The early episodes that chronicle Chitose’s foray into being a lead and an idol proved an interesting look into the industry.  However, the show quickly turns away from looking at the industry and simply looks at the characters themselves.  This is definitely where the show gets weaker.  There was some real heart to the earlier episodes, but then it simply devolved into a rather generic show about a cast of cute characters.  That is not to say that the latter half is bad, it’s merely disappointing compared to the start.

The character Chitose is the driving force of the series.  Scenes without Chitose are not as interesting.  There is even an episode that does not focus on the character and it is definitely the weakest episode.  Chitose is great because she is an atypical protagonist.  She has a rotten personality that is filled with self-confidence that seems to arise from nowhere.  Of course, the series places a large emphasis on giving Chitose a wake-up call.  The second half of the series mostly focuses on Chitose coming to terms with her lack of worth ethic and lack of talent.  While not as good as the industry related stuff at the beginning, it’s a solid character arc.  Overall, the story for this series is a mixed bag, but features a strong protagonist.

Animation and Sound Design

Certain sequences of Girlish Number feature outstanding moments of animation.  The series starts off with a great musical number that really sets the tone of the series.  After that sequence though, the animation is mostly average.  The aesthetic is bright to match the mostly comedic moments.  The largest strength is with the character design.  All of the characters possess striking designs that I loved.  From Chitose’s egg white sweater, to Momoka’s cute, but refined attire, the design of the characters does not disappoint.  It’s a shame that the rest of the animation is rather average.

However, the sound design does not disappoint.  The main plot point of this series is all about voice acting, so it makes sense that the voice acting is very well done.  My personal favorite scenes involve hearing how awful Chitose’s acting is.  Her actual voice actor captures this awful style of acting to perfection.  In regards to Chitose herself, the voice actress also has a masterful performance.  Chitose’s laugh, self-confidence and even lack of confidence all come across perfectly.  As for the music, it’s mostly solid.  The standout tracks are the idol performances of the group.  My personal favorite display is in the first episode which I mentioned earlier.  Overall, there are some strengths with the animation and sound design, but it’s mostly average.

Final Thoughts

Girlish Number is an entertaining show, but it’s not special.  There are strengths, but the series is mostly average.  I give Girlish Number my Watch rating.  I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out, just know that it’s not amazing.  I’ll be back next week for another review and thanks for checking this piece out.

Series Review – Izetta: The Last Witch

Written by Bananaowns
Images courtesy of Ajia-do Animation Works

I’ve already mentioned in past reviews that I am a sucker for any period pieces.  World War II is one of my favorite periods to explore in any medium.  The show I am reviewing today takes place in a fictional world heavily inspired by the events of WWII, but with a magical twist.  Of course, I’m talking about Izetta: The Last Witch.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

The story starts with the Germanian empire, this world’s Nazi Germany, conquering the entire continent.  In order to have a better route, the Germanians seek to control the small country of Elystadt. Elystadt is ruled by a monarch that is loved by the people.  However, during peace talks, Princess Finé is kidnapped by the Germanians.  On this same plane, the Germanians are transporting a witch named Izetta, who happens to be a figure from Princess Finé’s past.  The pair manages to escape and Izetta vows to protect Elystadt from the Germanians.

Despite the presence of magic, this anime is mostly focused about war efforts.  The series places a significant amount of time on dealing with a wide variety of issues ranging from dealing with refugees to acts of espionage.  Izetta and the overall magical presence merely serve to aid in this total war effort.  While the use of magic was entertaining, I actually enjoyed the more subdued moments immensely.  For instance, a couple of episodes focus on the topic of propaganda and how to present Izetta to the rest of the world.  I also enjoyed the moments of espionage that saw agents going undercover to deal with foreign spies.  Details like this give the series a more weighted feel.  It was not only about the magical elements, but about the fate of a war.

The strength of the story is bolstered by the great cast of characters.  Princess Finé is one of the most impressive female leads in recent memory.  She is kind and caring, but also tough when the situation calls for it.  She is actually a great leader and is more than willing to put herself in danger for her kingdom.  For example, in the first episode alone, she resists every effort of Germania to kidnap her.  Finé never stops fighting even when the situation is at its most dire.  I also loved Izetta’s character.  She actually has a lot of doubts about her ability to protect Elystadt, but will do anything for the kingdom.  Izetta is also conflicted about using her powers for war, but her love of Finé triumphs all of this.  Speaking of love, there is an actually hint of a relationship here between Izetta and Finé.  It’s not just yuri-baiting like in Sound Euphonium; it goes a little bit deeper.  It was really refreshing because it felt genuine based on the interactions and history between Izetta and Finé.  Overall, this series had a solid story with a great cast of characters.

Animation and Sound Design

Izetta: The Last Witch features a surprisingly high quality of action animation.  It is an absolute treat to watch a scene in which Izetta fights with her magical powers.  The animation captures the aerial dogfights to perfection.  It’s so great that it manages to overcome the absurdity that Izetta uses a sniper rifle as her witches’ broom.  The first major sequence that showcases Izetta’s powers gives a great example of how the action animation is.  Izetta sweeps across the battlefield with enchanted objects, taking out tanks and infantry.  It was and still is highly impressive to watch.

Outside of the action, the animation can look a bit mediocre.  However, it is saved by the excellent stylistic design of the characters and the environments.  The country of Elystadt is breathtaking to behold.  The animation really brings the bright cities and the countryside to life.  The characters also possess striking designs.  Princess Finé comes across as royal in any one of her outfits.  Izetta’s red mages outfit is also one of my favorite designs of the season.  The red outfit is a stereotypical witches outfit, but with a regal flair to it.

The sound design is of a similar quality as the animation.  There are high points, but for the most part it is fairly average.  The sounds of the machine guns, planes, and bombs are excellent.  In fact, the audio is great during any of the larger action scenes.  The opening song is actually quite good as well.  I also really enjoyed the use of choir-like music for the more fantastical and heartfelt moments.  Besides these moments though, the music didn’t really catch me.  The voice acting was excellent.  Princess Finé comes across as a proper, but loving monarch would.  The voice actors for the more clandestine characters also possess that mysterious edge as well. The presentation and sound design of this series has excellent moments, but has a lot of mediocrity too.

Final Thoughts

Izetta: The Last Witch is a solid show with very some exquisite high points.  The main issue is that the series was fairly average during every other time.  However, the story is very strong and has a great cast of characters.  I believe this can carry the weaker points of the animation and sound design.  I give Izetta: The Last Witch my Watch rating.  It’s highly entertaining and worth the watch.  Thanks for checking this piece out and I’ll be back next week for another review.

 

Series Review – Sound Euphonium Season 2

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Kyoto Animation

Second season reviews are kind of awkward to write.  Generally, the pros of the first season remain mostly the same and the cons are usually worked on.  As a result, a second season can feel very similar to the first, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  With that said, it’s time to check out the second season of Sound Euphonium.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

The second season features the same likeable high school band as they compete to win a spot in the national competition.  Everything that was great about the first season returns in some sort here.  The dynamic between Kumiko and Reina is just as great as the first season with the yuri-shippers having a field day as always.  I actually am tired of this ship though, due to the fandom’s tendency to cast hatred on poor Shuichi for even attempting to talk to Kumiko.  That aside, the relationship between the main characters is as solid as ever.  I also enjoyed the exploration into backgrounds of characters that were prominently featured in the first season.  The motivations of Taki-sensei are revealed in this season in a surprisingly emotional moment.

Much like the first season, the drama from this one little band manages to create some compelling story arcs.  The first arc involving a band member that quit last year is relatively weak though in comparison to the main plot threads of the season.  The biggest change is Kumiko’s direct involvement in the drama now.  Last season, she just happened to be in place as issues were resolved, but now she is actually the target of the drama.  Between the story arcs involving Kumiko’s sister and Asuka, Kumiko is actually impacted by all this drama.  Of course she still maintains her very blunt personality which is a plus, but her character manages to become more genuine as the season progresses.

I really don’t have much to say because this second season is just more of the same.  Given my love of the first season, that is not detrimental in any way whatsoever.  Chances are if you enjoyed the story of the first season, then this one will be highly enjoyable as well.

Animation and Sound

The presentation and sound design for this series maintains its excellent quality.  The animation is flat out perfect.  The backgrounds are highly detailed and the moving animation of the characters is unreal.  It is a treat to watch the animation anytime the band plays.  The standout sequence of this season is the full band performance.  This scene was absolute perfection and was one of the best sequences of the entire year.  Of course, the series also maintains its astounding use of facial expression, showcasing the best cute girl animation of the season yet again.

The sound design is great for this series as well.  Like with the last season, a show about a concert band needs to have great sound design.  The characters play a great selection of music, especially during that band scene that I mentioned above.  The instruments still sound great and the sound design in the band scenes impresses yet again.  The voice acting also maintains its charm.  Again, the highlight is the performance of Kumiko’s voice actress.  There is just something so inherently real about the way Kumiko talks and the actress captures this sarcastic tone perfectly.  Given that Kumiko is actually the subject of some emotional scenes now, the voice actress needed to explore a new side of the character.  Thankfully, she managed to pull of these emotional scenes to perfection.

Final Thoughts

The second season of Sound Euphonium is the perfect follow up.  The story brings the band drama, but the new focus on Kumiko directly makes it a lot stronger.  The animation and sound design is still amazing as well.  I give season 2 of Sound Euphonium my Bananaowns’ stamp of approval.  I’ll be back next week for another review and thanks for checking this one out.

Series Review – Kiss Him Not Me

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Brain’s Base

I was initially introduced to this series while I was perusing a Barnes and Noble with a friend.  Most of the time, we end up gravitating toward the manga section and checking out what’s on display there.  I initially found Kiss Him Not Me solely because of its ridiculous name.  At first glance, it looked like a trashy manga.  One Google search later, I found out that the anime would be premiering soon after this manga discovery.  I was surprised to find out that after watching the first episode, I was absolutely in love with the series.  I am Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

Kiss Him Not Me stars Kae Serinuma, a female otaku who loves reading yaoi material.  One day, her favorite anime character is killed off and she goes into shock.  A week later she finally emerges from her room and finds out that she has lost a lot of weight, becoming gorgeous in the eyes of her classmates.  On her first day back to school, she catches the eye of four of her classmates: Igarashi, Nanashima, Shinomiya and Mutsumi.  The series then turns into a reverse harem of sorts with each guy attempting to charm Serinuma and win her heart.

The series is an absolutely perfect comedy.  Much of the initial comedy comes from the boys learning about Serinuma’s otaku ways.  For instance, the first episode alone ends with Serinuma proudly proclaiming her love for her favorite anime character while carrying a body pillow with his image on it.  Serinuma is a proud otaku and it is hilarious to see how much the boys will put up with in order to get closer to her.  Another portion of the comedy also comes from the competition between the characters for Serinuma’s love.  The characters get in all kinds of wacky situations that end up turning competitive.  For instance, one episode features the characters going to a convention to assist Serinuma in acquiring all sorts of merchandise.  They end up being overshadowed by another character who seems to be the perfect match for Serinuma.  Another episode features a shipping war that could only be settled by a fan fiction competition.  The situations that the characters are placed in lend itself well for a variety comedic moments, a significant amount of which will please any fan of anime.

As for the characters themselves, the series boasts an impressive display of likeable characters.  Igarashi is relatively athletic with a good nature.  Nanashima is the classic tsundere with an adorable relationship with his younger sister.  Shinomiya is the youngest of the bunch, with an effeminate, but tsundere attitude.  Mutsumi AKA senpai is my personal favorite of the bunch.  He is obsessed with history and is the most genuinely nice character of the entire series.  Of course, there are a variety of other characters, some of which also attempt to woo Serinuma.  I won’t spoil these interactions, but the fourth episode introduces a new harem member that was absolutely genius in retrospect.  Overall, this series is a perfect comedy with an impressive batch of characters.

Animation and Sound Design

The animation for this series carries a bright aesthetic.  As a comedy, this bright animation style perfectly fits the tone.  As for the actual movement, the animation quality is decent.  This is not a series that requires excellent animation though as it is solely focused on character interaction and not on displays of animation.  At certain points, the characters are heavily stylized in order to showcase character reactions.  These moments perfectly fit in with the series.

The strength in the animation lies with the character design.  Every character is unique, with a variety of outfits.  Each character also has their mannerisms perfectly captured by the animation.  My personal favorite examples of this involve any moment where Serinuma goes into an otaku reaction mode, usually when the guys are interacting with each other.

As for the sound design, the series features some impressive voice acting.  The main cast is perfectly captured by the voice actors.  Again, I like the use of two separate voices for Serinuma.  Her normal appearance has a very cute and girly voice while her otaku mode possesses a deeper tone.  Little details like this add significantly to the comedy of the series.  As for the music, nothing here stands out besides the opening.  I think Please Princess will be stuck in my head until the end of time.  Overall, the animation and sound design perfectly fit the tone of the series.

Final Thoughts

I did not expect to fall in love with this series.  It ended up being a genuinely hilarious comedy with likeable characters.  Watching it as it aired ended up being my high point of every week.  I give Kiss Him Not Me my Bananaowns’ stamp of approval.  It was my favorite show of the season.  Thanks for checking this piece out and I’ll be back next week for another review.

Series Review – Drifters

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Hood Drifters Studio

I am an avid fan of history which is one of the reasons why the Fate series interests me.  Some of the characters in Fate are mythical, but there are a significant amount based on actual historical figures.  When I heard of Drifters, I was excited to see a show that solely focused on the historical figures.  Drifters was the best action show of the season.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

The series opens with a battle in ancient Japan.  Shimazu Toyohisa is critically wounded, but is suddenly transported into a mysterious corridor.  A man wearing glasses waits at a desk and sends Toyohisa through a door into another world.  Toyohisa soon meets other warriors called Drifters from various eras that have also been sent to this world.  The Drifters soon hatch a plan to conquer a nearby kingdom, but are quickly drawn into a fight with another group of mysterious beings known as the Ends.  Led by the Black King, the Ends seek to annihilate the entire world.

Drifters features a wide cast of historical characters ranging from Hannibal Barca to Nobunaga.  Each one of these characters is interesting in their own way and each brings with them the mindset of the era in which they lived in.  For instance, Toyohisa was born in a rather war-torn period which means that his mind is almost entirely focused on winning wars.  The interaction between these historical figures is the driving force behind the show.  It is inherently interesting to see the skills and training each warrior can bring from their respective era.  Hannibal Barca brings his renowned tactical mind, while other characters like Butch Cassidy bring knowledge of the technology of their era.

Nobunaga is my favorite character of the bunch due to his devious nature.  He is responsible for a large portion of the comedy in this series.  Drifters at times can be very schizophrenic with its tone.  Certain scenes are very serious, but quickly lead into more hysterical moments.  Anyways, Nobunaga perfectly encapsulates what it would mean for a historical figure to have access to better technology.  Out of all the characters, he is the quickest to adapt to the changing situation and the only one to really appreciate the tactical advantages of this new situation.  It is thrilling to see Nobunaga use new technology to his advantage and this makes the larger action scenes a joy to watch.  The story is still ongoing at the end of the season, but with its mixture of comedy and action, the story of Drifters is highly entertaining.

Animation and Sound Design

Drifters features an impressive display of animation.  The more comedic scenes have a stylized look about them that is rather plain, but really works with the lighter tone.  Of course, the main draw is the action.  The choreography of this show is nothing short of amazing.  Each character has their own fighting style and the fights are highly entertaining because of this.  One character fights exclusively with a bow, while another keeps solely to firearms.  My personal favorite is any scene involving Toyohisa.  His fight scenes are so impressive with his character’s almost crazy tenacity for battle.  Toyohisa jumps all over the place and actually manages to be quite cunning despite his rather straightforward plan of attack at times.  The animation for this series is its strongest point.

As for the sound design, Drifters also excels.  The voice acting is a bit over the top at points, but given the tone of the series, this level of acting works very well.  The music is also solid, especially during the action scenes.  My personal favorite piece of music is the catchy opening.  The opening is just filled with so much energy that it is the perfect way to being each episode of the series.  Overall, the presentation and sound design of Drifters is great.

Final Thoughts

Drifters was one of the best shows of the season.  The show captured the perfect mix of action and comedy.  It will be a long time before the next season, but the manga is still ongoing.  I give Drifters my Bananaowns’ stamp of approval.  I cannot wait for the next season.  Thanks for checking this piece out and I’ll be back next week for another review.

Series Review – Orange

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Telecom Animation Film

Every now and then I absolutely fall in love with a show, only to have it disappoint me.  The pattern is always the same.  The initial premise and first few episodes are perfect, but the middle portion always creates the issue.  The show I am reviewing today started and ended very strongly, but the aggravating middle section turned me off from truly enjoying this show.  Of course I am talking about Orange.  I am Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

Orange stars Naho, a high school student who receives a mysterious letter from her future self.  The future Naho asks her to prevent the biggest regret of her life, which has everything to do with a new transfer student named Kakeru.  Early on, Naho learns that in the future Kakeru is dead.  Due to his mother’s death, Kakeru spirals into depression and ends up committing suicide in the same year in which he enrolled at the school.  Naho is forced to overcome her own character deficiencies in order to prevent Kakeru from killing himself.

This initial setup is phenomenal.  It becomes apparent quite early on that the story will have an emotional punch to it.  The story is about suicide, depression, and feeling responsible for the death of a loved one.  It’s quite serious in nature and dealing which such a difficult topic made this show a powerhouse in the first few episodes, but it loses its way during the middle.  This is due to a weakening story and Naho’s character.

Before getting into my gripes, the rest of the main cast is great.  Naho’s group of friends feels absolutely genuine with how much they love and respect each other.  Some people have criticized Kakeru’s character, but I find this does not really a lot of legitimate criticism.  Kakeru is depressed and he acts out at times.  He’s at the point where he is depressed enough to be suicidal, so his acting out is completely appropriate in terms of the story.  Suwa is also a delight.  He is the nicest and most sacrificial anime character in existence.  He goes out of his way to help his group of friends, often at his own detriment.  He is one of the first to figure out that Kakeru is dealing with some dark stuff and he actually sacrifices his own personal feelings to help save him.

As for the criticism, the plot meanders quite a bit to the point where episodes feel identical and this is usually caused by Naho’s character.  The typical episode structure consists of Naho failing to consider the letter because of her own insecurities even though she knows what will happen as a result.  This is fine for the first couple of times, but these moments still occur towards the end of the series.  Just when you think her character is evolving and she’s gaining more confidence, it just goes back to the drawing board. As a viewer it gets frustrating to watch Naho make the same mistakes over and over again.  At a certain point, they probably could have cut a significant portion of episodes and the payoff of the ending would likely not change.  This repeating story really diminishes the emotional impact of the anime and brings the series down as a whole.

Animation and Sound

Initially, the series starts off with gorgeous animation.  The backgrounds are highly detailed and carry a bright aesthetic.  This initial bright aesthetic is an excellent contradiction to the serious tone of the series.  Much like Kakeru, everything looks fine on the surface, but there are issues within.  The first few episodes possess a high detail of animation which creates an issue that is highly similar to the issue with the story.  The animation quality drops down significantly during the middle of the series.  There are plenty of noticeable moments with awful animation quality similar to that of the infamous Dragonball: Super screenshots that went viral awhile back.  Again, it’s unfortunate because the series started off very well, but degraded in the middle.  However, I had no problems with the animation in the last couple of episodes.

As for the sound design, everything is just generic.  The music carries the typical dramatic and hopeful tones that the audience would expect given the subject matter.  Similarly, I found the voice acting to be average, with some scenes standing out immensely.  The actors do pull off the more emotional scenes to perfect, but these scenes do not compose a large chunk of the overall series.  However, I will say that Suwa’s voice actor perfectly captured his character’s caring personality and it was the best performance of the series to me.  Overall, much like the story, the animation and sound possessed problems that held the series back.

Final Thoughts

Orange started off great, but quickly lost its way, which is a shame considering how emotional the story could be at times.  These problems manifested themselves in a way that could not be ignored which is why I give Orange my Don’t Watch rating.  The series had the potential to be great, but simply ended up in the bowels of mediocrity after the issues began to become a real problem.  I’ll be back next week for another review and thanks for checking this one out.

Series Review – New Game

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Doga Koba

I am not a fan of slice-of-life shows.  I prefer something with a solid plot and hopefully some action.  However, I did fall in love with one of these shows in the summer season.  New Game focused on a group of cute girls working on a video game and the antics of this group were highly entertaining to watch.  I am Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

Aoba Suzukaze is a recent high school graduate that has just been hired by a local video game developer named Eagle Jump, as a part of the art department.  She is a very big fan of the game series known as Fairies Story and it turns out her superior at the company was the character designer for this video game series.  As Aoba learns the ropes, she becomes acquainted with the female employees at Eagle Jump and they get into all sorts of wacky shenanigans.

This series will inevitably get compared to Shirobako.  However, while it does go into some game design basics, it never goes into the same level of detail as Shirobako.  Problems with development are addressed, but they are not the main focus of the series.  New Game focuses solely on the characters.  From Rin’s habit of sleeping in her underwear to Hifumi’s love of her pet hedgehog, each character has their own interesting quirk that makes for a highly enjoyable comedy series.  At the basic level this is a show about cute girls just having a good time.  As a result, it is mostly comedic in nature.  Luckily, the show is great at putting the characters into situations where comedy can arise.  For instance, a lot of comedy arises at seeing the characters attend an after work drinking session.  It’s moments like these that showcase the charm of this series, which makes for a great watch.

Animation and Sound  

The animation matches the comedic nature of the series with its bright aesthetic.  Each frame of animation carries the cheery tone of the series perfectly.  The animation quality is actually really high for a slice-of-life series.  There are several moments where I was actually amazed at the animation quality.  These moments managed to surpass the typical laziness that I usually associate with this genre.  The character design is one of the strongest aspects of the series.  Each character has a striking design and multiple outfits that they wear throughout the series.  For instance, Rin usually is in jeans, but will move to a skirt in a variety of episodes.  It can get tiring seeing the same outfit over and over again and the changing wardrobe in this show was refreshing.  Based on my earlier comments, it’s quite apparent that I really enjoyed Hifumi’s character.  The animation along with her interesting character design captures her shy personality to perfection.

The sound design isn’t really anything special though.  The opening and ending songs are rather generic and the series itself does not have any memorable music either.  As for the voice acting, each member of the cast does an excellent job, but the nature of some characters is generic as well.  There’s the hyperactive one, the serious one, and the shy one.  There’s nothing bad about these performances, it’s just that there is nothing that really makes them stand out compared to the glut of shows in this genre.  The sound design is the weakest part of the series.

Final Thoughts

New Game was an absolute delight to watch.  I was highly entertained by the quirky cast of characters.  In a season with some rather heavy shows, New Game was the perfect way to just relax and have a laugh.  I give New Game my Watch rating.  It’s not a perfect show, but I can simply describe it as fun, which makes it worth a watch.  Thanks for checking this piece out and come back next week for another review.

Series Review – 91 Days

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Studio Shuka

I am an absolute sucker for a period piece.  The anime series that I have reviewed so far that deal with specific historical periods have been relatively hit or miss.  For every show as great as Baccano, there are numerous shows that end up disappointing such as Joker Game.  Thankfully, the series that I am reviewing today is in the same category as the former.  What we have here is basically the anime equivalent of a classic mob story and it works on every level.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

Set during Prohibition, the first episode opens up with a young man named Angelo witnessing the murder of his family in a mafia dispute.  Years later, he receives a mysterious letter that details the names of those that were involved in the murder, most notably the Vanetti crime family.  Angelo infiltrates the mob under a false name and begins to befriend the don’s son, Nero, all while planning his eventual revenge.  91 Days absolutely slays it in terms of a basic plot set up.

There is something intrinsically interesting about a mob story.  Despite the awful actions of the characters, the audience finds themselves rooting for the Vanetti crime family.  This is similar to Angelo’s plight.  He joins the Vanetti family for the purpose of revenge, but finds that the family actually treats him very well.  The story places an emphasis on his conflicting feelings and this grants a large deal of development to his single natured character.  As the series continues on, it becomes more difficult for Angelo to carry out these plans because of these relationships and the audience actually begins to sympathize more with Angelo’s targets.  This inner turmoil is fascinating to watch as a viewer, especially since Angelo’s machinations are very Lelouch-esque.

I couldn’t do 91 Days justice without mentioning Nero.  Nero is the son of the Vanetti family head and becomes an older brother of sorts to Angelo.  However, Nero is on the list of names in the letter.  He has such a warm and caring personality, especially when it comes to his family.  He immediately takes Angelo in and often gives him the benefit of the doubt.  Given the audience’s knowledge of Angelo’s plans, this actually quite tragic.  While Nero is not a perfect person by any means, in this mafia world, he remains one of the most honorable characters of the show.  It’s almost a tragedy to see Angelo’s plans for revenge begin to take apart the rather solid Nero.  Overall, this story is a fascinating look into the concept of revenge and what that actually means.  The Prohibition-era setting along with the mafia focus makes this one of the more interesting series in terms of plot to come out this year.

Animation and Sound

I would not say that 91 Days is an example of the pinnacle of animation.  The characters can seem stiff at points and there are instances where the quality does drop.  However, over the entire run of episodes, the quality was solid.  This is especially helped due to the aesthetic.  The Prohibition-era designs of the environment make this one of the more pleasing shows in an aesthetic sense.  It is obvious that a significant amount of detail went into designing everything from the cars to the guns used by the characters.  While the animation is not amazing, the attention to setting eclipses these animation issues fairly well.

As for the sound design, the show manages to impress.  While I was not thrilled with the opening at first, it managed to grow on me as the series continued.  It really is the perfect introduction to each episode with a very emotional song to remind the audience what exactly happened to Angelo’s family.  Likewise, the rest of the music is also great.  There is a healthy sample of jazz that fits in perfectly with the Prohibition-era setting.  The voice actors also do a commendable job.  Nero’s voice actor deserves recognition for the wide range of emotion required throughout the series.  Nero is run through the emotional gauntlet and his voice actor carries every aspect of the character perfectly.  Overall, the animation and sound design are solid.

Final Thoughts

91 Days was everything that I wanted it to be.  It was a period piece with a mafia focus that told of a harrowing tale of revenge.  It reminded me a lot of The Godfather and Goodfellas which are some of my favorite films.  The presentation perfectly captured that era in American history and the sound design was phenomenal.  I give 91 Days my Bananaowns’ stamp of approval.  It was one of the best shows of the summer season and one of the best shows of the year.  Thanks for checking out this piece and I’ll be back next week for another review.

Series Review – Mob Psycho 100

Written by Bananaowns

Images courtesy of Studio Bones

From the mind of the man behind One Punch Man, comes this equally crazy show, albeit for some different reasons.  After some initial hesitation, I would consider this show to be just as good as One Punch Man despite a different focus.  I’m Bananaowns and this is an Otaku Youth anime review.

Story and Characters

Mob Psycho 100 features the story of the immensely talented psychic named Mob.  Due to the dangerous nature of his powers, Mob lives his life by maintaining his emotions because the release of his emotions triggers his powers.  He works as an exorcist with his boss, Reigen.  Despite being a con artist with no psychic ability whatsoever, Reigen takes Mob under his wing in order to guide the young man as he grows up.  Of course, the pair manages to get themselves in a variety of wacky situations as trouble seems to be attracted to Mob.

At first glance, the story is nonsensical and overtly crazy.  Around episode three though, it becomes apparent that this show is much more serious than it initially lets on.  At the basic level, this series is a character study as Mob attempts to better himself.  This character study nature also extends to a variety of other characters in the additional arcs.  Mob is basically a loser.  He has a limited friend pool and is picked on quite a bit, despite having some amazing powers as an esper.  Mob is one of the most likable anime characters because despite his situation, he always moves forward and is genuinely a good person at all times.  For instance, one of the later story arcs involves how Mob’s family deals with his psychic powers, especially his younger brother.  Despite being popular, Mob’s brother envies Mob’s psychic powers to the point where he develops an inferiority complex about it.  At the same time, despite his brother having everything that he is working towards, Mob is simply proud and very caring toward Ritsu.

Despite the craziness, this series features a rather grounded look at the characters.  Mob is an excellent protagonist that the audience is naturally attracted to which is kind of meta considering Mob’s goal is to better himself and become popular.  It takes a bit to reach this point, but the story and the characters are very strong and make for a highly enjoyable watch.

Animation and Sound

Studio Bones mimicked ONE’s art style to perfection with this series.  The goofy style of animation is present, but it’s not bad in any way.  It’s just a simple stylistic choice that really works for this series.  In fact, this series has some impressive animation.  It’s a visual treat anytime Mob unleashes his psychic powers.  I would even say that the fight scenes are some of the best of the season even with the goofy stylized animation.  The real strength is the way that the animation captures the expressions of the characters.  Reigen is especially assisted with this manner of animation.  The characters emote so well and it leads to a lot of the more comedic moments, but surprisingly lends itself well to those serious moments that I mentioned earlier in the review.

As for the sound design, it is phenomenal.  The voice acting is perfect for this series.  Actors are able to manage the more insane scenes while also being able to perfectly capture the more serious scenes as well.  It is certainly an impressive balance between drama, action and comedy.  The voice actors flawlessly manage to deal with the almost schizophrenic nature of this series at times.

In terms of music, this series figured it out.  The opening song is a high octane display of crazy visuals accompanied by an equally insane, but catchy song.  The ending song is a more typical anime song, but it’s more subdued.  Comparing the intro and the closing song perfectly represents the dichotomy of this series.  On its face it’s just a crazy show, but the more time the audience spends with it, the more serious it gets.  As for the soundtrack itself, the music perfectly suits the series.  My favorite tracks are the almost ethereal, grungy pieces that play when Mob uses his psychic powers.  These tracks really create an unsettling feeling which perfectly captures the tone as unnatural powers are being used in these scenes.  The presentation and sound design of this show come together almost perfectly.

Final Thoughts

This show starts out a bit rough, but quickly finds its footing.  Despite the craziness, the story is actually relatively simple and focuses on a very natural topic; a young man’s desire to improve himself.  The art style is unique and impressive.  The sound design manages to be just as good as the animation as well.  I give Mob Psycho 100 my Bananaowns’ stamp of approval.  It did not get the same level of traction as One Punch Man, but it is equally deserving of a watch.  Thanks for checking this piece out and I’ll be back next week for another review.