Anime & Manga (And Shit)

Chidori is starts loving Katsuhira and ends loving. Niko is just as off-the-wall even though she admits it’s just an act (and her love story just pops up even though they say it was obvious). Hisomu seems like he’s going to be a big deal as “the one who wants pain,” but he just ends up as a comic relief in the corner. I’m going to stop myself there and not point out every arcs failings, but it just felt dissatisfying.

The ending falls into the same sort of situation most 1 cour Sci-Fi series seem to fall in with me where there is 12 or 13 episodes to introduce a large concept and character,  establish status quo, establish the villain, destroy status quo, and resolve the main character’s story.

Historically (and, for reference, I think Dimension W (Winter 2015) does this as well), the series are good through the establishment of the status quo. Usually, this happens around the mid-point of the season. Then, everything after it is rushed to fit in the resolution at the end, and, at some point, the science suffers.

The Kizna keep raising the stakes without a goal in sight. Then, the goal is thrown in our face. Then, it ends. Not badly. I wasn’t upset that I had invest time in watching it, but I was left dissatisfied.

Not a must-see of this season, but, as seasons end and before seasons begin, if you are looking for something to watch that has some decent moments of drama, Kiznaiver may scratch your itch. If you want something light, watch something else. If you had to watch just one Trigger show this season, watch Space Patrol Luluco.

6/10

Now, most animes would have him be an insufferable human being that needs to learn how to deal with being so great humbly. Sakamoto avoids that cliche by making him an unapologetically perfect human being. Episodes are broken up into two or three independent vignettes. It reminds me of Western cartoons like Spongebob where there are separate title cards for the spots at the beginning and midpoint. There is some continuity across the episodes. Characters remember what Sakamoto has done in previously episodes. The pieces can be viewed independently, though, and some truly are only connected to the main point by Sakamoto.

The plot is fairly formulaic. In general, there are two types of vignettes: episodes where someone has it out for Sakamoto and episodes where people are fawning over Sakamoto, and, ultimately, by the end, those that loved him love him more and those that hated him respect him and want to be him. That may turn some people off of the show, and I can understand that. In general, though, in the moment, I have never felt that it is boring or repetitious.

In part, it all comes down to the characters. Sakamoto is fairly flat, but everyone around him has a personality that plays against Sakamoto’s straightman. Sakamoto functions as the solution to whatever the problem is. The heart of the episode lie in the people having the problem and how they react with the situation and with Sakamoto.

It shouldn’t work, but it just does phenomenally.

In an effort to cover all my bases, I’ll mention the art style. It wasn’t until I started looking at Tumblr that I realized the aesthetic value of anime. I never really paid it any mind. Regardless, Sakamoto has fairly flat color palette. The opening above sort of belies that fact, but the clip above is more indicative of the day to day look. Also, it subscribes to using less/simpler details. Faces in the background look less detailed. That’s not bad, inherently, but it is something to bare in mind. I’d find more more egregious if the quality changed, but it is fairly consistent.

There is some scuttlebutt I’ve heard that the last episode isn’t airing due to the schedule being thrown off in the second week. As I’ve heard it, that puts episode 13 as being only bundled with the Blu-ray release. As with Amagi Brilliant Park, it is just something to bare in mind when you start the series that you may run into a problem at the end. However, the semi-disjointed nature of the stories, unless something changes in the last two airing episodes, makes the lack of a conclusion less of an issue.

I’ll also plug the manga. The anime is very true to it, so a lot of it will be the same if you read it after watching or vice versa, but if you want another way to appreciate it, it is there. It is completed in the original Japanese, but I don’t think it is completed in English yet.

I know I’ve used a lot of “non-positive” words to describe this anime, but I really do love it. There are a bunch of animes this season that I am sort of caught up on, but Sakamoto is one of the few that I watch as soon as it is available to me. If you are able, give it the three episode test (I subscribe to the belief that you should watch at least the first three episodes to get a good feel for the show); I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

8/10

Honestly, this is one of the few animes I’ve watched where I don’t immediately skip the opening. Something about it just puts a smile on my face. If it looks familar, I’d point back to the first paragraph, but also mention that this is a KyoAni (Kyoto Animation) production. KyoAni has made many well-recieved animes perhaps the most ubiquitous of which on Tumblr would be Free! So, if you liked the look of Free!, this series is more or less looks the same. I would say Amagi is more traditional where Free! had some more CG-esque water effects, and the color palette is a little more muted (not much, but, I remember Free! being very saturated).

Storywise, I’d summarize it as: imagine Disneyworld was shit, and they hired a cocky high school kid to turn it around. That’s the overarching thrust of the story. Is there more to it? Yeah. The mascots are real and are displaced residents of “Maple Land” - a magical world. Most all of that takes a back seat to Kanie Seiya - aforementioned cocky high school kid - applying his knowledge to bringing more customers in to the park while dealing with the eccentric staff.

I’ll be honest. It has been awhile since I’ve watched the main series, so I’m doing a lot off memory. I came across one of the specials today and watched, and I figured I’d start off with a show that still amuses me when I reflect on my time watching it.

Amagi Brilliant Park is one of the few animes I consider rewatching. It is on Crunchyroll (minus the last episode or specials). So, find your favorite YouTuber (Dan, Phil, Jacksfilms) and use the free trials they offer (they all seem to) or deal with the commercials and give the first episode a try. If you want to watch the whole thing, be prepared to deal with the last episode being missing on Crunchyroll how ever you deal with those things.

9/10