Showing posts with label anime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anime. Show all posts

Monday, December 21, 2020

Movie Review - Lupin the 3rd: The First

Lupin the 3rd is an interesting manga and anime. It's been around for half a century and has had so many different interpretations for different age groups (everything from family friendly to mature adults only) and yet has not changed its essence or even style. And there have been so many adaptions from TV series to movies to live action movies to the most recent cgi film. The most modern and recent versions look very similar to the original. What other franchises can claim this?

Lupin the 3rd: The First is a 2019 cgi action adventure Japanese film. It is unrated, contains action and mild violence, and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Characters. The characters in this film are true to the versions we've been enjoying for the past half century, and they're still interesting.

Action. The movie had tons of action. It's really well done and all of it advances the story and is fun to watch.

Visuals. This film looks really nice. The characters look just how you would expect them to look, the scenery is well designed, and the cinematography is well done with a lot of movement and different angles to keep things interesting.

The Bad

Concept. This is another film about former Nazis looking for a superweapon to resurrect the Third Reich yada yada yada. It's a very tired concept that while well done in this film is still a tired concept.


What I Would Like To Have Seen

A more original concept.

Overall

Lupin the 3rd: The First is a 2019 cgi action adventure Japanese film. It is unrated, contains action and mild violence, and is appropriate for tweens and up. The characters are classic and are true to the versions fans have been enjoying for half a century. The movie had tons of action. It's really well done and all of it advances the story and is fun to watch. This film looks really nice. The characters look just how you would expect them to look, the scenery is well designed, and the cinematography is well done with a lot of movement and different angles to keep things interesting. The main negative is the concept. This is another film about former Nazis looking for a superweapon to resurrect the Third Reich yada yada yada. It's a very tired concept that while well done in this film is still a tired concept. I recommend this film give it 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


     

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Thursday, September 10, 2020

TV Show Review - The Great Pretender (2020 anime)


I'm a big fan of anime from the 80s and 90s (and a little before that such as Speed Racer, Astro BoySpace Battleship Yamato, and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), but anime after that does very little for me. One of the things I loved about anime was how fresh and different it was. But over the past two decades it's become so derivative: telling the same stories over and over again with the same characters in the same visual style. There have been very few exceptions to this (Tiger & Bunny comes to mind).

The Great Pretender is a 2020 14-episode conman anime on Netflix. It is rated TV-MA for language and brief nudity and is appropriate for teens and up.



The Good


The Characters. The characters are all so different and have so much character and backstory. And as an ensemble, they have chemistry. How did this become the exception and not the rule?

The Visuals. This anime takes a very different approach with very bright and colorful water colored backgrounds similar to Promare. It's a nice change and beautiful to look at.

The Pace. One of my biggest complaints with anime is their strange pace for a Western viewer. This anime is paced much more like a Western television drama or comedy.

The Stories. The writing is so strong from intricate plots to lots of twists to a healthy dose of character development.


The Bad


Maintain. The first story arc is a masterpiece. The second two are highly entertaining, but don't maintain all the twists and turns the first leads you to expect.


What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the second and third stories had maintained as many unexpected twists as the first story.


Overall

The Great Pretender is a 2020 14-episode anime on Netflix following the exploits of three con men as they bambusal shady characters. The writing is so strong from intricate plots to lots of twists to a healthy dose of character development. The characters are all so different and have so much character and backstory. And as an ensemble, they have chemistry. How did this become the exception and not the rule? This anime takes a very different approach with very bright and colorful water colored backgrounds similar to Promare. It's a nice change and beautiful to look at. One of my biggest complaints with anime is their strange pace for a Western viewer. This anime is paced much more like a Western television drama or comedy. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.


    

  

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Movie Review - Memories (1995 Anime)

I love animation that tries something new, and I love animated shorts. I also love anime from the 80s and 90s, so Memories seems like something I should love, right?

Memories is a 1995 anthology of three anime films based on short stories by Katsuhiro Otomo. It is rated PG-13 for language and adult themes and is appropriate for teens and up.

Magnetic Rose - 4/5


A salvage team in space receives and SOS and investigates and finds a satellite where a famous opera singer once lived and now appears to be haunted.

Story 3.5/5. The story is interesting but so vague it's hard to follow. Katsuhiro Otomo in an interview indicated this was what he meant to do, so it isn't a matter of the viewer just not getting it.

Animation 5/5. The visuals could not be more breathtaking. The movement couldn't have been better done. From an artistic standpoint, this is a masterpiece.

Stink Bomb - 5/5


A man working at a research institute has a cold and accidentally takes an experimental drug that has disastrous effects. This is a dark comedy.

Story 4.5/5. The story is very straightforward, moves as a great pace, and has a twist ending (that you see coming from a mile).

Animation 5/5. The visuals really well done with great animation and great movement.

Cannon Fodder 3/5

A silent short about the day in the life of a village in the middle of a war that's been going on so long it's just become part of daily life.

Story 3/5. The story is supposed to be an anti-war film, but I doubt you would get that from watching it. Again, it's just a day-in-the-life-of story that is so vague you could attach numerous meanings to it.

Animation 4/5. The visuals are interesting in an experimental way, but nothing anyone would want to copy.

Overall


Memories is a 1995 anthology of three anime films based on short stories by Katsuhiro Otomo. There is no overall theme or other connection between the three. The animation is amazing in all three, especially the first two. The stories are another matter. Katsuhiro Otomo in an interview indicated he meant the stories to be vague, and they are. The second story is very linear and strong, but the twist ending is pretty predictable. I give this anthology 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


   

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Movie Review - Metropolis (2001 film)

Back in the day, Suncoast (and it's associated stores) had a membership program. A short-lived part of this program was a monthly magazine promoting the latest media. One month they featured a movie I had never heard of and knew nothing about, but I was intrigued.

Metropolis is a 2001 Japanese science fiction anime film based on the Fritz Lang film of the same name and the manga by Osamu Tezuka, the God of Manga. It is rated PG-13 and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good


Visuals. This movie is so beautiful. Every frame is a masterpiece you could hang on your wall. It was an early experiment to mix traditionally hand-drawn characters with digital cgi backgrounds that worked better than any other attempt. The filmmakers actually went in and recolored the rendered 3D with traditional colors to give it such a natural look. And the Blu-ray really makes the visuals shine.

Music. This movie has great music that fits the unique modern/retro look and feel. It's jazzy and fun.

Characters. This movie has a lot of characters, many of them very flat and undeveloped. But the few main characters they do develop are fleshed out so well and their interactions are so natural and human. When they get it right, they really get it right.

Overall Story. Overall this film has a great story with several separate but connected plots going on that all connect and add to the message of the movie. Unfortunately, the actual telling of the story is a bit garbled.

World. This film creates a wondrous world filled with so many amazing buildings and people and conflict and intrigue. It is a lot of fun just to admire the world and explore it with the main characters.

The Bad


Story Development and Pacing. This movie has story problems with certain important plots underdeveloped and other less important ones labored over. The pacing is good in parts, too quick in others, and too slow in others.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish they had developed certain parts of the story more and ignored some of the stranger parts that felt like side trips.

Overall


Metropolis (2001 film) is a breath-taking visual feast with the perfect marriage between hand drawn animation and computer-generated backgrounds. Almost every frame is a masterpiece you could hang on your wall. The overall story is great with several separate but connected plots going on that all converge and add to the message of the movie. Unfortunately, the actual telling of the story is a bit garbled. When the character development is done right, it is masterfully done creating characters with such depth and humanity you can't help but love them. But many other important characters serve little purpose beyond being plot devices. The music is unique and fits the mood and vibe perfectly. I highly recommend this film and give it 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


   

 

Monday, March 11, 2019

Movie Review - Alita: Battle Angel

I read some anime, but Alita is one I was aware of but knew nothing about. But the trailer looked interesting enough I decided to give it a whirl.

Alita: Battle Angel
 is a 2018 cyberpunk science fiction anime action film. It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good


The Action. The action and fight scenes were really well done. They were fun, furious, and exciting.

The Characters. The characters were surprisingly strong and interesting. The point of the movie wasn't world building or action, but the interaction between characters and them facing their pasts and choices they made.

3D. Normally I don't like 3-D in movies, because it's little more than a gimmick. But in this film they made great use of 3-D using it to enhance the scope and size of the world. When characters were high up looking to the ground, I felt like I was high up. The 3-D also helped make the scenery seem larger and more enveloping.

Scenery. The scenery and environments, while not totally new and original, were really well done and felt like a world that could exist.

The Bad


Pacing. This movie was a little slow. The exciting parts weren't as exciting as I'd hope they would be.

Story/Concept. One thing I love about manga and anime is how original and fresh and different it is. This movie felt very western. Nothing in it was new or something I hadn't seen before. The movie was pretty straight forward and predictable.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the movie had been a little more original and had pushed the boundaries a little more story-wise and concept-wise.

Overall


Alita: Battle Angel is a solid film with a good, linear story, great characterizations, and nice backgrounds. The action is a lot of fun. The pace is a little slow and the movie follows the typical film formula with no real surprises or anything new or unique, something I really look forward to in anime. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


  

Monday, November 20, 2017

Movie Review: Your Name

I enjoy anime. Most of it is mediocre to boring, the good stuff is REALLY good. Anime is known for being original, experimental, and breaking new ground. It is film first, animation second. That's what I like so much about it.

Your Name is a 2016 romantic adventure anime involving time travel. It is rated PG and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good


Animation. This film is gorgeous. The visuals alone are worth watching this movie for.

Exploration of Themes.
 This film tackles very common ideas of identity, time travel, and love, but does it in such an original way that I was truly inspired by it. It' so original and fresh.

Pacing.
 This movie started off slow (like most anime), but it picked up the pace and felt like a western film early on.


The Bad


Exposition & Setup. This film began a little slow and confused. I wasn't sure what was happening. The director could have shown what time it was to better orient the viewer. Also, the characters figured out they were switching bodies pretty quickly and just accepted it. As realistic and the characters and motivations were, that part was a little far fetched. No rational person would ever think that or accept that without mountains of evidence.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the beginning had had more development, showed how the characters discovered they were switching bodies, and explored the differences of boys and girls. All of that was rushed thru.


Overall


Your Name is a fascinating, beautifully animated film that after a slow start had me at the edge of my seat. It explored relationships, identity, and time travel in ways I've never seen before. I give this movie 4.5 boxes of popcorn out of 5.

    

Monday, September 4, 2017

Movie Review: Death Note (2017 Netflix Original Film)

I enjoy reading manga and watching anime, and I get excited for every film adaption that comes along, even though I usually end up disappointed. But let's face it--they only works that would work as a direct adaption are Astro Boy and Akira. Everything else would require a lot of adapting, and die hard fans tend to get mad at such meddling. And most of the time the adapting isn't a great film on its own nor contains enough of the original to make the fans happy. Death Note is an exception. I've never seen the anime or read the manga, so I had no preconceived ideas and can judge the film on its own merits.

Death Note is a 2017 Netflix Original horror film based on the manga and anime of the same name. It tells the story of a boy who is given a journal with which he can kill anyone by writing their name in it. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and gore and is appropriate for adults.

The Good


Adaption. I'm really impressed at what an amazing job the filmmakers did to adapt this story. They took the basic elements, ideas, and themes from the manga and created a wholly American production. Watching it, you'd never know this was based on a Japanese property. It had a solid story, a cohesive plot, and developed the themes well. I can understand superfans of the original being upset at all the changes (I myself do the same with properties I love), but they were necessary to make a good film. A direct adaption wouldn't have attracted an American audience.

Pacing. Even though this is based on a Japanese comic and show, it's been completely translated into an American film and so it moves very quickly and never drags. Those who are used to the extreme decompression of anime (it takes four times as long to tell the same story) have complained that it moves too quickly, but an American audience will appreciate the pacing.

Actors. I really like the actors cast as Light, his girlfriend, his father, and the rest (with one exception). They all fit the roles well. I think the reason there has been so much backlash against them online is because of how anti-white certain parts of society are becoming--this prejudice and bias blind them to what's really going on in front of their eyes.

Ryuk. The death god could have gone really badly, but the filmmakers played it smart by hiring a great actor to voice the character and they showed him in the shadows so the cgi wasn't so distracting. He was great every time he appeared on screen, but he wasn't overused so each appearance had maximum impact.

The Bad


L.  I did not like the character of L at all. I did not like the actor they chose to portray him, nor did I like the way he was portrayed. He started out as an interesting character but quickly turned into a schizophrenic nut who was little more than a plot devise.

Music.  During two dramatic moments at the end the filmmakers inserted two old pop songs that did not fit at all and interrupted the drama. I'm not sure what they were thinking.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish it hadn't been so gory. It wasn't necessary to see the actual deaths, and the special effects used almost looked silly.

Overall


Death Note (2017 Netflix Original) is a well-crafted adaption taking the basic elements, ideas, and themes from the manga and created a wholly American production that has a solid story and clear plot. Superfans of the original will probably be upset at all the changes, but they were necessary to make a good film. A direct adaption wouldn't have been a strong movie nor attracted an American audience. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

     


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