Category: Reviews

https://16bitsensation-al.com

It’s almost like it’s a return back home.

There are times when the nostalgia factor is very strong, especially in a struggling genre such as visual novels, bishoujo games, and yes, eroge (erotic games). It is a timeless joke to say you are playing these games “for the plot”, but the influences of visual novels as a cultural genre cannot be undermined. Millions of people from inside and outside Japan have laughed and cried to the stories of many sad girls (and sometimes boys too), whether it be sad girls in snow, summer, or any kind of weather. Admit it, some of these stories and characters are riveting, emotional, and unforgettable. And so 16bit Sensation – Another Layer attempts to push that button of nostalgia, bringing classic golden-era visual novel references to a more modern audience. But of course, when nostalgia is only half the plot, you still need to fill in the rest of the story.

Our main heroine, Konoha, is a struggling video game illustrator who loves the bishoujo game genre. One day she finds very pristine copies of bishoujo games sold by some old granny, and finds out that somehow these set of games have the magical power to transport her to the past! And so she embarks on multiple journeys to when these games were released, and somehow using her knowledge of the bishoujo game genre, attempt to make her own creations that were way ahead of its time. And as with many back-to-the-past kind of stories, her effect on the overall timeline of the bishoujo game history is groundbreaking. But will she really want it to change that way?

As you can see, the time travel element will certainly trigger the nostalgia of any bishoujo game fan of almost every age. Kanon, Dokyusei, Comic Party. Mere mentions of these titles certainly trigger my nostalgia. Admittedly, even though I have not really played many of those games, anime versions do exist, and overall the fandom of the genre is very ripe for consumption even if you don’t have the time for hundreds of hours of visual novel reading. Add to that the side characters who are voiced by ToHeart and Fate/stay Night veterans, and really every bit of nostalgia toward VNs are here for you. This anime is so wholesome, that even if you know some of these games lean on the R18/adult side, it is really not the focus. Also, this anime features a game developer focus as well. Although VNs are relatively smaller scale video game development projects, you can definitely feel how intricate and dedicated those kinds of people are. Everything from the game engine, illustrations, how to design stories, music, are labors of love.

Unfortunately, this anime went way too far in the plot-twist theme and has a weaker second-half than expected. So, as Konoha and her past-game developer friends release more successful games, the more the timeline breaks, and the present/future has been changed. Akihabara has lost its games culture, AI is king of gamedev, there are wildly-westernized bishoujo games, moe~ got replaced by cuu~… It is a very dystopian timeline that Konoha and team inadvertently caused. This part of the anime is not engaging enough, and the nostalgia got reduced. I got honestly tuned out at this point.

All in all, 16bit Sensation – Another Layer is a definite watch for at least the first half of the nostalgia trip. Cherish those memories, because you’ll want to finish off the second half quicker than expected. I will still thank this anime for bringing bishoujo games back to the modern limelight, and it is really worth the effort to do so.

Saki

This is a wonderful development. Three years ago, I totally enjoyed the tension and shounen feel of a board game-based anime of which I still don’t know how to play even to this day. That anime was [Saki->], and with its ridiculously large but effective girl cast, a light touch of yuri, and with the exciting presentation of impossible mahjong, it was a surprisingly good watch for me. I thought I’d never ever see a sequel because of the animation studio dropping off the production during its run, and that the anime then has totally caught up to the manga. Little did I know, the manga continued to be so popular, that its author actually sidetracked the series into another sidestory, a separate manga series! And now we have Saki Achiga-hen: Episode of Side A. Quite a mouthful of a title, but it is a sidestory that provides another view of the impending Nationals team tournament. It may not have the same insane mahjong intensity that the original series had, but it retains the same world and the same knack of adding more and more wonderful characters, which is more than good enough for me.
Continue reading Saki Achiga-hen: Episode of Side A

Natsuiro Kiseki

When I say slice-of-life in anime, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is completely grounded in reality. In fact, I found that most of the so-called slice-of-life series out there features at least a bit of unrealistic aspect within them, whether it be talking animals, magical elements or alien settings. While the fantastic parts aren’t the focus of those other examples, here in Natsuiro Kiseki, the magic is front-and-center. We are transported into a world where mysterious rocks can actually make wishes come true. It did initially throw me off somewhat because of the odd premise in an otherwise normal world – I didn’t like what I saw at first. But because of the wonderful characters, coupled with surprisingly excellent performances from the voice actors, Natsuiro Kiseki’s world is somewhere I can totally immerse my slice-of-life enjoyments into.
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Hourou Musuko

Because I’m male, I am able to tolerate transsexuality of the female kind, but definitely not of my own gender. I don’t think I can stomach male femininity (read: traps) if it were the main theme of an anime, moreso in any other kind of entertainment medium. As a result, I was initially wary of Hourou Musuko because of my misguided thoughts of it being an anime with “gayness”. I was indeed hugely misguided. Beneath that veil of crossdressing weirdness, it actually has a heartwarming coming of age story about kids merely trying to grow up and explore their sexuality. And it is absolutely wonderful.
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Macross Frontier

I don’t normally watch mecha anime, it’s definitely not my genre. I apologize ahead for having no screens of mechas in action, because I don’t see the point. I do understand the fandom of fictional robot technology and how in the real world people are into plastic models and other mecha collection stuff, but somehow I can’t seem to be that audience. Music, on the other hand, in whatever shape or form it may be expressed, is important and appealing to me. Music drives my soul to various emotions. Everytime an anime appears to have great songs and background music, I would point that out front and center even though I am hard-pressed to describe it in words sometimes in my blog. Rest assured though, whenever I coin the music as having a ‘sense of wonder’ or being ‘amazing’, it is an integral part of my enjoyment of an anime. And what an example I have right now here: Macross Frontier. My least favored genre in anime, but with some of the best music I have ever heard in an anime.

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To Aru Majutsu no Index

Too short, too much. That would be my initial impression of this series. Well I do have to commend the light novel author for trying to convey a world where supernatural powers exist, and either through religion or science, humans can take advantage of such power. Although I am unable to read them, I have a certain feeling that the anime based on those light novels didn’t give the concept enough justice, but at least it tried. To Aru Majutsu no Index is an anime has surprisingly great animation and presentation, but a bit hampered by trying to rush stories too fast with its limited time on air.
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