 |
Happy Spring everyone and hope you've all been enjoying the beginning of the Spring 2013 season! The biggest news of all, which some of you may already know, is that Crunchyroll will be streaming the heavily-anticipated show of the season, Attack on Titan! Be sure to catch it every Sunday at noon Pacific Time on Crunchyroll at www.crunchyroll.com/titan! Also, for the latest updates, news, and special announcements, don't forget to follow us on all of our social media outlets! |
|
Written by lugiamania
Alright guys, if you haven't yet heard of the biggest series to hit anime airwaves this season, do yourself a favor and click on this link RIGHT NOW and watch Attack on Titan!! Then come back and read this review.
 To start off, Attack on Titan is already based off of an award-winning manga of the same name, created by Hajime Isayama. The plot is set in a world where humanity has been hunted to the brink of extinction by giants, called "titans", and the surviving population remains within a territory guarded by three massive walls. Humanity has remained safe for the past 100 years, but of course the titans manage to invade, and now humanity is once again fighting for its very survival.
I have to say, for a series labelled as "shounen", Attack on Titan really feels more like a seinen series to me, from the serious atmosphere to the more realistic art style. It's certainly not an action/adventure in the sense of a series like Bleach or Naruto; the fear and terror of the threat of the titans is extremely palpable, and the show does a very good job of reminding you that these titans are much bigger, stronger, and will most likely devour you upon first glance. That is not to say that this series is not action-packed--far from it in fact, the series starts off with a bang, with the wall being breached within the first episode, and all of the ensuing chaos and violence. In fact, Attack on Titan does not skimp on the gore and blood that the titans wreak upon humanity. The action is fast-paced and well-choreographed, especially when you see the soldiers bravely trying to take one down. (Just take a gander at the opening)
 With animations by the famed Production I.G., the visuals are indeed smooth and gorgeous. The darker, muted palette lends itself extremely well to the tone of the series, and actually provides a very interesting contrast to Production I.G.'s other show this season, the brightly-colored sci-fi Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. I really liked how the animation style was more realistic, from character designs to the facial features. There's none of that wide-eyed moe or crazy-colored hair so often associated with anime.
Music and voice-acting are all top notch, as to be expected from a title with this much anticipation behind it. Yuuki Kaji pulls off the angry brat of younger Eren with ease, and I'm excited to hear how he plays the older version. Kaji also voices the main character in this season's HENNEKO – The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat -, Yoto Yokodera, and Q-vier in Valvrave the Liberator should you want to hear more of his work. The talented Marina Inoue is Eren's childhood friend, the delicate Armin, and surprisingly, newcomer Yui Ishikawa does a commendable job as Mikasa, the straight-laced and serious Mikasa.
 Above all, Attack on Titan is one of the most refreshing and exciting anime I've seen in a while, and while the concept of fighting giant beings much more powerful than ourselves is not necessarily new, the way Attack on Tian pulls it off and manages to execute it flawlessly. While there are definitely some more grotesque and terrifying moments, don't let that keep you from missing out on what will arguably be one of the best anime of the season!
Written by Guest Writer celebistar
 'Am I watching an anime, or is this a live-action?' That was one of the first thoughts that came to mind as the first episode of "Flowers of Evil" (Aku no Hana) started out, the anime adaptation of the manga "Aku no Hana" by Shuzo Oshimi. Before I get into any other details about the story and characters, the first thing that everyone is bound to notice is its distinct style; director Hiroshi Nagahama and studio Zexcs have very deliberately chosen to animate using rotoscoping, which is an animation style where live-action actors are recorded and then traced over, to present the stark minimalism that is Flowers of Evil. In contrast, the backgrounds are beautifully drawn and detailed, which stands to foil the blank, eerily-human-yet-not movements and images of the actual characters themselves. Whether you think it's a cop-out or an unique artistic choice, there is no doubt that this style alone will set Flowers of Evil apart from all the other titles this season. Because live actors were used to create the motions, all the characters look and act extremely realistically, which gives the feeling that you're watching a live-action drama rather than a traditional anime. Still, I found it to be very refreshing, and the realism helps add to the tension-filled atmosphere.
The story, likewise, starts off rather innocuously and slowly, with our main character Takao just going through the motions of everyday life. We find out that he's pretty much like most guys--hanging out with friends, crushing on the top girl in his class--except that he's also a bookworm, with a preference for literary works by famed French writer Charles Baudelaire, specifically "Les fleurs du mal" (The Flowers of Evil). Of course, given this series' title and feature of the book itself, you can bet that there will be plot points and themes central to those found in the actual book itself, particularly those unsettling moments where Takao finds himself having less-than-pure thoughts towards his crush, Nanako Saeki. Instead of having those thoughts spelled out, the anime instead represents them using a rather abstract imagery of a thorny flower with a single eye opening, and the various thorns and vines growing larger as Takao's thoughts become more intense. Things get even weirder when Takao unwillingly gets caught up with another classmate of his, the loner Sawa Nakamura, who blackmails him into having a "contract" with him after she catches him stealing Saeki's gym uniform.
 The visuals alone will probably be enough to give most viewers the chills, but the creepy, unsettling atmosphere is also largely helped by the sound work. Voice acting, like the animation, is incredibly realistic, and all the characters speak in very everyday tones, no exaggerated shouting or bombastic speech to be found here. Music is kept to an absolute minimum; in fact, about 80% of each episode has no background music, only when the "flowers" make their appearance, or when a situation is reaching its climax, does the minimal orchestra ooze into the background. It's hardly noticeable unless you're specifically listening for it, and by then you're already drawn into the scene. Speaking of music, the opening and endings are not your standard fare, especially the ending, which sounds like a demonic-possessed-baby-monster-flower-thing chanting some sort of curse. Or something to that effect.
"Flowers of Evil" the anime is one of those series that's sure to draw both positive and negative commentary; if you're a fan of the original manga, you may not appreciate the artistic liberties taken with the design and pacing, but I (having not read the series yet) greatly enjoyed the spooky atmosphere and deliberate use of rotoscoping. So many anime these days are all slick, rainbow-colored moe blah, so it's great to see some series are still willing to break that mold and intentionally raise the ire of their viewers. While the pacing is definitely on the slow side, this isn't a series that is meant to rush you in; it will ever so slowly build up the tension, until you think you just can't take it anymore, before letting you go. Whether you've known about the series beforehand, or just want to try something drastically different, I highly recommend giving "Flowers of Evil" at least a shot. You might just surprise yourself by your decision at the end of episode one.
|
|
 |
