![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Just so you know my nose isn't always stuck in a book. (Odd choice of words ... since it smells funny in here. I may have to leave my window open before I go to bed. D:)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
I felt like I said something about this before, but I couldn't find if I did on a quick search of my journal, so here I go.
I liked this anime, despite all of the positive hype it received. (Hah!) I really think the concept, which slowly revealed itself over time by episodes, was really well done. I'm not so sold on the deliberately mixed-up episodes, but it did leave the series with a much stronger "ending" than it would have had normally, so it's not so bad.
I also really, really like the characters, and like them even more when I think about them. Haruhi is pushy and obnoxious, but not to an over-the-top-oh-harem-anime-how-generic-you-are way. She manages to remain captivating and sometimes even sympathetic (like when she gets the teenager's angsty realization about how normal she is) despite all the thoughtless and sometimes outright mean stuff she does.
Kyon, our narrator, was a good character to follow. Not a wussy, prepubescent loser but not Dickweedy McMisogynist either. (Although he had his "moments", but he does actually have the tact to keep them in his head -- even though we get to hear them.) The way he deals with the growing weirdness around him was pretty realistic and skeptical, which is rare in anime. And it made him a great straight man for the comedy, too.
As for the Weird Trio, Yuki I liked pretty well, even if I don't think she's a true book-lover (woe). The scene with the video game fight was one of my favorites with her. And with Official Designated Fanservice Mikuru. Speaking of Mikuru, the cast did kind of annoy me at how often they let her be Haruhi's victim, but overall I liked her and found her funny and we know she kind of moves beyond it in the future. Itsuki was just kind of there to round out the trio and I didn't really feel one way or another about him.
Oh, I did mention I liked the last scenes, right? Well, I really did. Actually, one character said something to another character that I thought was really, genuinely sexy. Maybe you can guess what it is. Doesn't matter so much.
This review is pretty useless, looking at it. And I feel bad about that because one thing I really hate is when someone recommends something to me but won't give me a really good idea about what it's about (and that gets even worse when it's something expensive like an anime series). The thing is, I think this anime is really good when you don't know anything about it, and slowly get taken into this bizarre world along with Kyon.
But if you must be spoiled ..
wait for it ...
Okay, basically the plot of the anime is Haruhi, the main character, is a bright, multi-talented high schooler who wants life to be more like fiction, and meet people who aren't "ordinary humans." Nobody catches her eye until Kyon, whose the first person to really see the sort of antics she does. While not giving him the un-ordinary human status, she enlists him in creating a club to "solve mysteries." Slowly, three members appear, each with special-but-limited powers ... however, they believe Haruhi created them for wishing them to exist, so they only appear to Kyon for fear that Haruhi will wish them out of existence. The rest of the anime consists of Kyon being bulleted between their supernatural weirdness and Haruhi's unique-but-still-normal weirdness. It's honestly great stuff.
Ouran Host Club (Half Review)
You know, I didn't realize that I was watching two shows starring a "Haruhi" until eight episodes in. Weird, eh? Anyway, this is only a half-review because my fansubs only went up to 17 and now the series is licensed and not released yet. Oh well.
I thought I really wouldn't like this anime because EVERYONE loved it so much. Also, they seemed to like it for INVISBL BUTTSEX and I was like, "Ugh. Pass. Give me real buttsex and then come talk to me." (Maybe I am unnecessarily prejudiced and should just believe the hype when people say an anime is good! [takes a look at Naruto] Um ... nah.)
But ... this anime was actually REALLY FUN. And the characters, despite being parodies of stock characters, are REALLY FUN. Well, most of the time. Messages about not beating up rapists are no fun at all. Also pretending to threaten raping someone to make a point IS ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING FUN AT ALL AND FUCK YOU, JAPAN, FOR THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT AND ...
[ahem]
But I like it. It's ... genuinely funny. I keep saying that, but I'm just amazed this ridiculous show makes me laugh so much.
I like all the characters, too. Absolute favorite character is the twins (and yes, I can see that they do have slightly different personalities and voices but they still act as one). Hikaru and Kaoru are kind of like the Weasley Twins from Harry Potter except actually funny and sexy. (Oh, someone is pissed at me now.) I don't know. I just love them. I love how they make elaborate jokes for something petty. I love how they speak at the same time. I love how much fun they seem to be having all the time. (Well, except when Haruhi's old friends show up.) They're great!
Second favorite character after that is probably Tamaki. He's weird, though, because he looks SO MUCH like Yuki from Gravitation and the two characters could not be less alike. (Actually, he's more like Shuichi and ... OH MY GOD! WE FOUND THEIR BABY!) I enjoy him, though, as much as he makes an ass of himself, especially when it comes to Haruhi. I hope in the end he manages to like Haruhi for herself and not for some image he has in his head. It's to the point I'm rooting for the twins to get her even though I know they won't.
Honey-sempai I really, really thought was creepy ... and still kind of do. But he's made me laugh enough that he eventually warmed me over to the point where I like him. My favorite scene with him was during the twin fight when his bunny goes flying through the air and he sails through the barrage of stuff to go get it. Takashi I'm not as impressed with he ... doesn't really have much of a personality. Seems nice, though.
Despite Kyoya doing the most FUCKING BASTARD thing in the anime, I can't quite hate him either. Which is cool, because he's one of those fuckers that thrive on people's hatred because it makes him feel badass so liking him would probably be an insult to the character. Matter-of-fact pwnage makes me laugh, though. So Kyoya does not make me want to throw him off a bridge at this time.
Oh, and Renge-kun is lots of fun. So is the Lobellia Academy. I can't tell if they're deliberately parodying Marimite or if it's just a coincidence, but I dig it.
As for Haruhi, I think she was the perfect choice for a main character. Her sarcasm and level-headedness play as a nice contrast and meta-commentary ("Sheesh, look at the type of people I'm surrounded with ...") on the sea of fangirls around her. But she's also friendly and genuinely insightful enough that when the host club starts getting crushes on her that it feels possible and not "Main Character Mary Sue-ness." I think so, anyway. There's probably hardcore Ouran Fans who don't for some insane reason.
By the way, I've been really dense lately. It actually took me a few scenes to get why her Dad being a cross-dresser was so appropriate. I was just so shocked that the show was treating a girl-dressed-as-a-guy character as, well ... a guy. (Are you taking notes, Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru a.k.a. "We remember our main character isn't a chick! No, really ... we said so! ... Even if we do draw him with boobs ...")
Gunslinger Girl
I know I'm going to totally let![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
47nite down, but ... I can't find much to say about this anime. It started out badly. (Half of second episode is a flashback WTF?) But it got decent. However I found myself strangely uncompelled by this anime. Actually, the only time I really got into it was with the Elsa story. (Which apparently was an anime addition, oy.) The Angelica story. And part of the Claes story.
However, I don't know. I couldn't really get past the notion that we were basically watching little girls getting exploited and people getting away with it. Which made the sort of "Love is important" theme of the Henrietta/Jose vs. Elsa/Lauro story REALLY STRANGE. The girls were also so conditioned that it seemed to make all of them less compelling as characters, with the exception of perhaps Triela. (Her speech about the selfishness of adults really got to me.)
The fact that most of the individual intrigues were more confusing than compelling didn't help, either. I liked the artist, though.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
I felt like I said something about this before, but I couldn't find if I did on a quick search of my journal, so here I go.
I liked this anime, despite all of the positive hype it received. (Hah!) I really think the concept, which slowly revealed itself over time by episodes, was really well done. I'm not so sold on the deliberately mixed-up episodes, but it did leave the series with a much stronger "ending" than it would have had normally, so it's not so bad.
I also really, really like the characters, and like them even more when I think about them. Haruhi is pushy and obnoxious, but not to an over-the-top-oh-harem-anime-how-generic-you-are way. She manages to remain captivating and sometimes even sympathetic (like when she gets the teenager's angsty realization about how normal she is) despite all the thoughtless and sometimes outright mean stuff she does.
Kyon, our narrator, was a good character to follow. Not a wussy, prepubescent loser but not Dickweedy McMisogynist either. (Although he had his "moments", but he does actually have the tact to keep them in his head -- even though we get to hear them.) The way he deals with the growing weirdness around him was pretty realistic and skeptical, which is rare in anime. And it made him a great straight man for the comedy, too.
As for the Weird Trio, Yuki I liked pretty well, even if I don't think she's a true book-lover (woe). The scene with the video game fight was one of my favorites with her. And with Official Designated Fanservice Mikuru. Speaking of Mikuru, the cast did kind of annoy me at how often they let her be Haruhi's victim, but overall I liked her and found her funny and we know she kind of moves beyond it in the future. Itsuki was just kind of there to round out the trio and I didn't really feel one way or another about him.
Oh, I did mention I liked the last scenes, right? Well, I really did. Actually, one character said something to another character that I thought was really, genuinely sexy. Maybe you can guess what it is. Doesn't matter so much.
This review is pretty useless, looking at it. And I feel bad about that because one thing I really hate is when someone recommends something to me but won't give me a really good idea about what it's about (and that gets even worse when it's something expensive like an anime series). The thing is, I think this anime is really good when you don't know anything about it, and slowly get taken into this bizarre world along with Kyon.
But if you must be spoiled ..
wait for it ...
Okay, basically the plot of the anime is Haruhi, the main character, is a bright, multi-talented high schooler who wants life to be more like fiction, and meet people who aren't "ordinary humans." Nobody catches her eye until Kyon, whose the first person to really see the sort of antics she does. While not giving him the un-ordinary human status, she enlists him in creating a club to "solve mysteries." Slowly, three members appear, each with special-but-limited powers ... however, they believe Haruhi created them for wishing them to exist, so they only appear to Kyon for fear that Haruhi will wish them out of existence. The rest of the anime consists of Kyon being bulleted between their supernatural weirdness and Haruhi's unique-but-still-normal weirdness. It's honestly great stuff.
Ouran Host Club (Half Review)
You know, I didn't realize that I was watching two shows starring a "Haruhi" until eight episodes in. Weird, eh? Anyway, this is only a half-review because my fansubs only went up to 17 and now the series is licensed and not released yet. Oh well.
I thought I really wouldn't like this anime because EVERYONE loved it so much. Also, they seemed to like it for INVISBL BUTTSEX and I was like, "Ugh. Pass. Give me real buttsex and then come talk to me." (Maybe I am unnecessarily prejudiced and should just believe the hype when people say an anime is good! [takes a look at Naruto] Um ... nah.)
But ... this anime was actually REALLY FUN. And the characters, despite being parodies of stock characters, are REALLY FUN. Well, most of the time. Messages about not beating up rapists are no fun at all. Also pretending to threaten raping someone to make a point IS ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING FUN AT ALL AND FUCK YOU, JAPAN, FOR THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT AND ...
[ahem]
But I like it. It's ... genuinely funny. I keep saying that, but I'm just amazed this ridiculous show makes me laugh so much.
I like all the characters, too. Absolute favorite character is the twins (and yes, I can see that they do have slightly different personalities and voices but they still act as one). Hikaru and Kaoru are kind of like the Weasley Twins from Harry Potter except actually funny and sexy. (Oh, someone is pissed at me now.) I don't know. I just love them. I love how they make elaborate jokes for something petty. I love how they speak at the same time. I love how much fun they seem to be having all the time. (Well, except when Haruhi's old friends show up.) They're great!
Second favorite character after that is probably Tamaki. He's weird, though, because he looks SO MUCH like Yuki from Gravitation and the two characters could not be less alike. (Actually, he's more like Shuichi and ... OH MY GOD! WE FOUND THEIR BABY!) I enjoy him, though, as much as he makes an ass of himself, especially when it comes to Haruhi. I hope in the end he manages to like Haruhi for herself and not for some image he has in his head. It's to the point I'm rooting for the twins to get her even though I know they won't.
Honey-sempai I really, really thought was creepy ... and still kind of do. But he's made me laugh enough that he eventually warmed me over to the point where I like him. My favorite scene with him was during the twin fight when his bunny goes flying through the air and he sails through the barrage of stuff to go get it. Takashi I'm not as impressed with he ... doesn't really have much of a personality. Seems nice, though.
Despite Kyoya doing the most FUCKING BASTARD thing in the anime, I can't quite hate him either. Which is cool, because he's one of those fuckers that thrive on people's hatred because it makes him feel badass so liking him would probably be an insult to the character. Matter-of-fact pwnage makes me laugh, though. So Kyoya does not make me want to throw him off a bridge at this time.
Oh, and Renge-kun is lots of fun. So is the Lobellia Academy. I can't tell if they're deliberately parodying Marimite or if it's just a coincidence, but I dig it.
As for Haruhi, I think she was the perfect choice for a main character. Her sarcasm and level-headedness play as a nice contrast and meta-commentary ("Sheesh, look at the type of people I'm surrounded with ...") on the sea of fangirls around her. But she's also friendly and genuinely insightful enough that when the host club starts getting crushes on her that it feels possible and not "Main Character Mary Sue-ness." I think so, anyway. There's probably hardcore Ouran Fans who don't for some insane reason.
By the way, I've been really dense lately. It actually took me a few scenes to get why her Dad being a cross-dresser was so appropriate. I was just so shocked that the show was treating a girl-dressed-as-a-guy character as, well ... a guy. (Are you taking notes, Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru a.k.a. "We remember our main character isn't a chick! No, really ... we said so! ... Even if we do draw him with boobs ...")
Gunslinger Girl
I know I'm going to totally let
47nite down, but ... I can't find much to say about this anime. It started out badly. (Half of second episode is a flashback WTF?) But it got decent. However I found myself strangely uncompelled by this anime. Actually, the only time I really got into it was with the Elsa story. (Which apparently was an anime addition, oy.) The Angelica story. And part of the Claes story.However, I don't know. I couldn't really get past the notion that we were basically watching little girls getting exploited and people getting away with it. Which made the sort of "Love is important" theme of the Henrietta/Jose vs. Elsa/Lauro story REALLY STRANGE. The girls were also so conditioned that it seemed to make all of them less compelling as characters, with the exception of perhaps Triela. (Her speech about the selfishness of adults really got to me.)
The fact that most of the individual intrigues were more confusing than compelling didn't help, either. I liked the artist, though.
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
From:
no subject
From:
no subject
From:
no subject
The season one animation is pretty, but unsubstantial.
It's the (9 volumes & counting) manga that made me a true fan (overarching plot, long-term villains who pose a real threat, and a wealth of backstory). Maybe at later time, huh...? ^^;;
From:
no subject