review – Page 3 – bluemist anime blog

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Blah. Find good and hi-res screenshots elsewhere. This CG movie is so fast I always never capture the good parts. Then again, don’t just find the screenshots, watch the movie itself. To see is to believe, this is one of the coolest-looking computer-animated movies ever.

Wait, where’s the story?

Advent Children takes place two years after the events of the Final Fantasy VII game for the Playstation. Actually, I forgot the details of that game already, it was released way back 1997. That time FF7 was actually the main reason why I wanted a Playstation. It was one of the best games of all time, and arguably the most popular of the Final Fantasy series of RPG games (which seems to be already 12 of them by now). Oof, I don’t even need to reintroduce that since most probably everyone knows about the game already, including you. So okay, back to Advent Children.

Two years after FF7, it seems that the world still is a desolate place. Among the problems is a new incurable disease called Geostigma. Our heroes take a bit of breather, but now is active again because of some new threats. A group of enemies want to find Mother (Jenova), and it is up to Cloud to stop them before another bad thing like Sephiroth happens.

Well, look at the paragraph. That basically sums up the plot. It almost seems like an entire filler episode that merely closes some plot holes in the original game story. I tend to think that Advent Children is a movie to serve hungry fans, and I know they will succeed wildly, very wildly.

The main point here is the visuals. This may be a notch lower in quality as compared to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, but it compensates with style. Coolness is the name of the game. Many characters here were even computerized to look like jpop or jrock artists! And looking at them moving with impossible moves during the action sequences, this bends reality even more than any other Final Fantasy. They jump dozens of stories up, fight during high-speed motorcycle chases, battle a crazily big Bahamut, and even do stuff better than the Matrix guys would ever imagine. If anime were a CG movie, this is it. Everything is stunningly cool and beautiful.

Fans of Final Fantasy music will be given lots of love, because most of the background music are rehashes and remixes of existing Final Fantasy music. It’s like you’re playing the game all over again. Even an easter egg too, as one of the characters has a FF victory theme ringtone in his cellphone! I personally like the Advent version of Sephiroth’s theme, remixed to a slight rock style, and it blends very well with the amazing action scene.

But as I said, the story seems shallow. Other than ironing out some FF7 plot wrinkles, this does nothing else except introduce a new enemy, which gets defeated at the end of the movie anyway. It’s like your typical filler Naruto arc, it ends oh so quickly. I can even imagine a new FF7 plot starting X years later featuring the same characters and a new enemy, etc. As I said, this is service for the fans. Look at Square Enix now, promoting this movie along with their new FF7 sidestory games. Back in my game playing days I won’t believe that a Final Fantasy would have some sequels and sidestories. I guess the games industry had it bad lately, relying on sequels and stuff like that to make pretty profits. This is the same with this movie, milking the classic FF7.

Well then again, nothing too wrong about that. When the fans get what they want, they should be happy. I think many will be happy with this movie. Since there aren’t too many CG movies yet, this ranks among the very best of them. Despite the lack of plot, I enjoyed this movie very much. In movies like this, criticizing the story is a minor nitpick. It’s best to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the high energy CG action.

Enjoy Tifa, Yuffie and Aeris eye candy too. They’re now millions of polygons sexier than their blocky PS1 version counterparts. Isn’t that consolation enough?

Comic Party

Welcome to the world of doujinshi.

Comic Party is yet another anime based on a bishoujo game. This anime centers on a guy named Kazuki and his quest to be a doujinshi artist. Doujinshi is basically fan comics, where you do your own comics, be it original or based on a popular manga or anime series. The anime presents a basic introduction of the subject matter in hand. Doujinshi authors draw their works, go to printing services to print multiple copies, and then sell them by going to various doujinshi or anime-related conventions and events. As expected from a bishoujo title, there are lots of girls with extremely varying attitudes, traits, and hair color. But unlike most bishoujo game to anime conversions, Comic Party doesn’t focus on the girls alone. There is actually a story about the male doujinshi artist and his exploits. And this is not harem either, so those looking for romantic comedies and stuff like that won’t find it here, although a love triangle (of sorts) is actually established near the end.

The anime sports decent art and animation. It also has a soundtrack just right enough for the scenes. Technically this is a fairly average anime, although I was quite disappointed considering the animation studio ([Aquaplus->leaf-aquaplus]) also did [To Heart->], which is more visually appealing in my opinion. But the story makes it appealing nonetheless. While To Heart presented the episodic approach, focusing on a girl per episode, Comic Party more or less did the same, but included a story continuity. The girls are quite interesting, even one of them doesn’t like doujinshi and otakudom the male lead has. This adds flavor to the story and makes it more dynamic and funny.

Because of my inherent love for spoofs and spinoffs, Comic Party appeals to me in a lot of ways. It references a lot of anime, manga, and game related stuff, some of which I wouldn’t understand because of my limited knowledge of this fandom. Mostly, the anime features To Heart spoofs, including cameos from the anime, and even doujinshi based on To Heart (talk about referencing a reference). You also see cosplay here, and so many references were based on that, including Steel Angel Kurumi and Wedding Peach cosplay. I even saw a Happy Lesson poster in one of the episodes. It took me second looks just to realize some of them though. For example, there were references from Shizuku and White Album, games which were also made by Leaf. Also, some of the dialogue of Taishi (Kazuki’s annoying male friend, a staple in many bishoujo games) includes references from Gundam, among others, which I don’t know too much. In any case, the little things really surprise me and give me a chuckle everytime.

Comic Party is perfect for a bit lighthearted take on otaku stuff like doujinshi and cosplay. It is much more recommended because it has a sequel named [Comic Party Revolution->], which improves on the original Comic Party anime in many ways. Watch this first though, so that the experience of the sequel makes the series very exciting to watch as a whole.

This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature

Kakyuusei 2

No pics. It doesn’t deserve pics.

I don’t know what to think of this. Maybe someone hasn’t learned their lessons from ONE, that 4-episode OVA that inserted a clueless mystery story into a bishoujo game to anime conversion. Kakyuusei 2 is somewhat like ONE. It has so many mysteries that non-gamers wouldn’t understand. But unlike ONE, whose game would try to explain the events in the anime, Kakyuusei 2 is reportedly an entire original scenario that is different from the game! First off, this is not a sequel to, say, Kakyuusei 1. You don’t need to play the Kakyuusei 1 game, nor watch the Kakyuusei 1 animes (some are H). Furthermore, it doesn’t even follow the original game storyline. It just has the same characters, then adding new ones.

So, what makes this anime so controversial? As I said, this anime is confusing. One of the characters seems to be some sort of ‘mystery man’. He overlooks almost anything that happens with the girls. What’s weirder is that he can travel through time! And he has this glittering eye, that attracts ALL the girl characters in Kakyuusei 2! Who the heck is he? He’s not even the main male character, but he seems to be. The actual main character is a typical boring male lead in bishoujo animes. But enough about him. The mystery man drives all my confusion in the entire series. I’ve looked through anime forums and I see many people are confused as well. They try to deduce and make sense of everything but to no avail, they have already moved on to other anime.

I watched episode 1-4… and then stopped watching. That’s how bad it is, considering I rarely drop anime series. Even without the mystery, the bishoujo anime stuff isn’t even interesting. While the girls are cute, there’s too many of them (11) to make me even care about one. It doesn’t entertain, it isn’t interesting, and it’s very confusing. What a shame, really. I bet there were a LOT of Kakyuusei fans all over the world, this being part of the most important games of the bishoujo industry. Elf, before making the hugely popular Kakyuusei game series, did Dokyusei. It was not only huge, Dokyusei was the pioneer of the ren’ai game genre. That’s how big it is (positively)… as big (negatively) as my disappointment over Kakyuusei 2.

This is history in the making. Possibly the worst bishoujo game to anime conversion I have ever seen. Sorry to say.

This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature

Futakoi Alternative

[Futakoi->] was ok, but it seemed that the fans were not quite impressed with the first series. After all, Futakoi is a huge franchise of Dengeki G’s, composed of magazine features, albums, merchandise, and games. Having loved the CG illustrations of Futakoi, they seem to be disappointed with the bland look of the first series. Now, Futakoi Alternative, the second anime series based on the franchise, aims to make disappointed fans believe in the power of the anime medium again. Are they successful?

Futakoi Alternative started off EXPLOSIVE! True to the concept of Alternative, the 6 twins of Futakoi now hold a powerful arsenal of military apparel in the opening sequence. How about that? These are moe~ girls with guns and firepower! Episode 1 was equally powerful, as it pits now featured twins Souju and Sara with this guy named Rentarou in a whole lot of action-packed mess. Really, it was a fast-paced, kick-aaa episode, with high-class animation quality no less. For fans, it is a dream come true already. But the greatness never stops there. While not as action-packed as the first and last few episodes, the middle episodes feature yet another Alternative, dramedy.

The episodes fully describe these three characters, from the main viewpoint of Rentarou. The main theme of this series is “the three of us”, in which Rentarou, Sara and Souju face trials of everyday life as being the three of them, together. Sometimes funny, sometimes filled with sadness, they continually try to survive their everydays. The character development of these three are SO detailed, you might think Gainax helped ufotable in making this anime. Also, Futakoi Alternative seems to hit on anything anime culture had in store, including its [own->futagozuka] and some popular [anime->squid-no-jutsu]. Even Onsokumaru (some yellow ball character in ufotable’s 2×2 Shinobuden) is there in cameos. And as I mentioned, the numerous [Gainax->ufotable-and-gainax] references that seem too good to be true (even a Human Instrumentality Project parody was part of the plot).

This anime also has an incredibly interesting slew of new characters aside from our Futakoi girls. The whole town is filled with interesting people. The craziest policeman in an anime, as well as a generic fat sidekick, then a baker girl, a biker sidekick of Rentarou, a seemingly yakuza leader with a metal arm, and his gang of thugs really colorize this weird but peaceful town of Nikotama. Even a polar bear appears sometimes, and of course the main enemy which is the squid. Wait, are we missing the twins yet? [Kira/Yura->gothloli] and [Lulu/Lala->futagozuka] are the twins with secondary focus in this anime, while Kaoruko/Sumireko, Ai/Mai, and Ui/Koi were seen only in a few. While they have short appearances, theirs are quite meaningful in a variety of levels.

As episodes unfold, “the three of them” are starting to break up because something big is going to happen after Sara and Souju’s 16th birthday. This results in high levels of drama, where the three try to define what really is their relationship to each other. Rentarou, being the immature poor guy who only lived in the shadows of his legendary father, struggling through the everydays with the twins, is often in this monologue. This in effect develops him greatly as a character. This kind of character development is so detailed it’s rare, more so considering he is a male character. Normally we loathe all those dorky male leads in bishoujo animes right? Well well well, this time there’s something to like in this particular one at least.

Having action, comedy and drama in one package requires lots of creative styles, and Futakoi Alternative did not disappoint. From the consistent animation, each variety of [music->musical-surprise], and creative direction. Futakoi Alternative reeks of quality. Never thought something so “alternative” could be so good, and considering the cross-genre boundaries broken by this anime, I’ll be excited to think that anime shows may be getting more innovative these days. We need more anime like this.

This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature

Mahou Sensei Negima

Mahou Sensei Negima!

I first heard about Mahou Sensei Negima because of my Love Hina hype back in my early anime days. Back then, Love Hina was one of my favorites, and so having this Ken Akamatsu guy doing another new manga serialization is quite a treat.

31 girls? Whoa! 31 girls! When I heard about Negima having 31 girls, I was thinking the guy is really crazy. I mean, are 7+ girls, Love Hina-style not enough? Furthermore, in the midst of the Harry Potter movie craze, main character Negi is being hyped as a HP-ish magician, hmm… a shounen series eh? And so, put extreme harem and shounen together, I didn’t think it was going to be good at all. I forcefully read the first chapter, and I was not impressed at first. Anyway since it was a new serialization at that time, I figure I skip this first, and get back to it when more volumes or chapters are available.

I ate my words that time. Upon announcement of the anime, I went back to reading the manga… and I was so hooked! I went totally ballistic, it is a great manga series! Words can’t express the happiness I had at that time, eating 50+ chapters (up to the Kyoto arc) all in one go, collecting wallpapers, music, etc. I expected the anime to be the main dish. Watching the two initial introduction videos, I was literally stunned! Familiar seiyuu, masterful animation, and staying true to its manga roots, I was thinking Negima anime is bound to be a success, maybe more so than the huge (but in the end crappy) anime that was Love Hina.

Alas, a disappointment.

The TV series was shrouded in horrible stock market animation levels. One episode may not look like another, and inconsistent [character->negima-sakuga-tracker-asuna-version] [art->negima-sakuga-tracker-yue-version] annoyed me to the core. Moreover, the colors of their hair, it’s like basic and neon. I was asking “WHY” all over the internet. Why did XEBEC, the same company who did the excellent introduction videos, change the look of the TV anime? Why is each episode radically different from others? Why did they arrange and mix up events from the manga?

On the flip side however, the strength of the manga content still shines through. I anticipate watching the latest Negima episode every week, more so than similar current anime series. As I said, the Negima manga RULES, and even though the fanservice is toned to nothingness, the rest of the story and events stayed true. My hopes of having better animation came to fruition little by little, as the latter half of the series had some great animation moments, and the upcoming DVD releases will feature remastered versions of the horrible episodes.

The latter half, however (again), became ridiculed with speculation. Fillers, and extreme story rearrangements are abound, but nevertheless it is still as good as it gets. One highlight is the ghost girl Sayo episode, one of the best episodes in the anime. But, here we go to the Kyoto arc, a massive 20+ chapter spectacle in the manga, now reduced to 2 episodes. How about that? From an outsider viewpoint (someone who hasn’t read the Kyoto arc), it was an excellent, action-packed 2 episodes. For fans, it is a disservice.

The alternative story leading to the anime’s ending is a given, knowing that the manga still isn’t finished. While it is quite a SHOCKER, it isn’t too strong to make a good conclusion. Seeing that, I guess the varying animation quality levels, coupled with multiple staff changes including staff and directors really hurt the entire series’ coherence. It’s a shame really, considering that the rest of the Negima franchise is doing so well. I was astounded at the huge number of singles and drama cds related to Negima, and even some of them sell well enough to rank in the Oricon music sales charts. I guess the PS2 and GBA games are doing well too, but I haven’t played them too much because I can’t understand the gameplay. The PS2 game was quite nice though. I should mention all the great seiyuu devoting time and effort for all their voice work in those multiple mediums. And of course, the manga has a huge following because of its awesome quality, both in drawing and story. Ken Akamatsu is quite smart.

Anyway, I can talk legions more text specifying all the different emotions that this series (manga, anime, music, games) had brought to me, but I have to stop at some point. (I thank myself by the way for not reacting on EACH of the 31 girls) In any case, Mahou Sensei Negima the anime is still a worthy watch, despite the flaws. But be sure to check out the manga too. Besides, where else can you get more than 31 beautiful girls, and a great shounen-style story progression, all in one package? Look no further.

Continue reading Mahou Sensei Negima

D.C. ~Da Capo~

Back in its time, Da Capo was one of those animes that probably instigated the new wave, a sudden outburst of the popularity of bishoujo games being converted into anime. The game was made by a company named [Circus->], and I can only imagine how big the Da Capo franchise is to them. With already 7 games (maybe more) composed of rehashes, fandisks, after stories and console versions, Da Capo is huge on the games front. Not to mention all those singles, drama cds, and manga serializations. Da Capo is as big as any [Dengeki G’s->] series such as [Futakoi->].

The anime is equally big. This is the very first bishoujo game based anime series that ever had a full season run of 26 episodes. And with 26 more on the way on its second season this summer 2005, it will very well be the biggest bishoujo game based anime franchise in history. Well that’s saying much, but how does it fair really?

Da Capo is not too bad, but it had its share of little faults here and there. For the first 7 episodes, the main episode is actually short in length, in favor of having a music video of a girl’s seiyuu after each episode. Those music videos were average, some horrible, but nonetheless a part of the Da Capo fandom. I have no complaints here, some seiyuu were [popular->horie-yui] and cute anyway. Many other episodes have a side story part focusing on a character or number of characters, which eats up the main episode’s time as well. While some of those side stories are interesting, others are just annoying. The recurrent figure in these side stories is a certain mysterious cat guy, but it never adds any coherence to the side stories nor does it add up to the main Da Capo story at all. Furthermore, there are two recap episodes in this anime. So much for 26 episodes you think?

Well, the latter half is where this series shines. The tone slowly changes from filler-comedy to pure classic drama involving the magic of the sakura tree. The characters in Da Capo actually live in a town where a mysterious power exists within the cherry blossoms. Because of this, our characters actually have some sort of magical affinity as a result. For example, one of the girls can actually read people’s minds, while another girl is actually a cat transformed in human form. These unique but weird traits haunt them somehow throughout this series, and is where the dramatic parts explode into. I tell you, the drama here is powerful, and that is definitely a treat.

And my favorite girl? Mako! She rocks!

Of course, getting the good stuff like this requires you to go through 15 or so episodes of comedic and mindless filler, but the result will not leave you disappointed. Try out Da Capo. You may be disappointed with some parts, but in general I hope you will like it eventually. Besides, the second season is up for you to anticipate as well.

This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature

Comic Party Revolution

After [To Heart->], bishoujo game company [Leaf/Aquaplus->leaf-aquaplus] made [Comic Party->]. It was a moderate success, and for good reason. It is about a generally positive outlook on the realities of Japanese otaku culture, through a bishoujo game, and the main focus of course is doujinshi.

As some of you know, doujinshi is basically “fan comics” made by fans for fans. They are usually of the ero nature, and is visibly seen whenever there are anime and comic conventions. They also usually parody or purposely base their material on existing popular anime, manga, or game series. The Comic Party game and anime series highlights a group of individuals who are into these kinds of stuff, as well as give a viewpoint on how outsiders think about them.

The first Comic Party anime was a simple story about this guy named Kazuki and his entry into the world of doujinshi. Part of it is because he likes drawing, the other part is because of his friend Taishi’s plans for world domination. The bishoujos of the game are featured somehow, but the anime is mostly Kazuki’s viewpoint and story. Dunno if this had gone well with Comic Party fans, although I liked it quite a bit.

Now, can you believe that Comic Party Revolution was originally a 2-episode OVA? For some reason (maybe sales went well, or maybe fans crave for more), Comic Party Revolution had gone extended to 3 episodes… and then 4… and then now an entire 13-episode TV series run! Isn’t that amazing? Whether fan approval or sales made Aquaplus deliver a half-season worth of Comic Party, it’s all good for me! Why?

First, the animation is great! All the girls look beautiful and are consistently animated. Very, very unlike the horrible variety of [To Heart ~Forget my Memories~->to-heart-remember-my-memories]. Also, because of its doujinshi nature, there are bound to be parodies and spoofs right? Comic Party Revolution has LOTS of them! Everything from basic doujinshi and cosplaying to even entire episodes devoted to parodying numerous anime, manga, games, and other Japanese culture stuff! Wanna see a [Cardcaptor Sakura->cardmaster-peach] parody? Wanna see To Heart 2’s [Konomi Yuzuhara->konomi-cameo] before the anime comes? How about an entire episode dedicated to baseball and [tennis->princess-of-tennis] TV parodies? Want a direct reference to Gundam [SEED->seed-mode] again? Or maybe delve into [action->metal-gear-aya] and horror? Everything gets [mixed up->cardmaster-peach-vs-princess-of-tennis]! What’s more, each character gets her own time to shine! There are entire sequences or episodes dedicated to an specific character, so fans of each girl would definitely be delighted. Comic Party Revolution may not be too story based as opposed to the first series, but it’s definitely a “very entertaining show”. That’s what matters most.

This anime has one of the most stylish opening sequences I have seen from this genre. Also, the OP/ED songs are so great I have been anticipating them since over two years ago! (it only did get released during the 2005 TV series). The music may be forgettable but it complements each scene just right.

If you crave for a funnier, more colorful and slightly more positive version of [Genshiken->], Comic Party Revolution is the anime for you. Don’t forget to get the original Comic Party anime too, and try to play the game if you can. I can say that this is my personal favorite out of all the current series ending this season. Everything in this series has gone just right, I’m really, really satisfied with what Aquaplus has done this time (a better To Heart and more Comic Party please!!!). Oh, did I see a “To Be Continued?” sign at the end? I HOPE SO! I hope you watch and enjoy it, too.

This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature

Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~

Great characters and even greater supporting characters grace this beautifully animated, well paced, and funny series involving a group of people in the Narutaki apartments.

Nope, don’t mistake it for another of those apartment harem shows where the guy gets to hit on all his neighbor girls. Don’t mistake it either for that similarly named average anime of 2003 called Maburaho. Mahoraba is, simply put, nice. You got a slice-of-life comedy starring our usual dorky male lead (but with a bit of backbone at least) named Shiratori. He’s moving to an apartment near the city because he’s taking his art class there. And so he goes to Narutaki-sou, a seemingly classic provincial inn, very different from the rest of the concrete metro jungle. The inn itself is like a self-contained park, with lush greens and nice atmosphere.

While it seems like heaven to live in, the people who live there make Shiratori’s everydays a living hell. A megane drunkard, a camera touting freak, an incompetent mother and hardworking daughter, and an old puppeteer round up the rowdy comedic crew. They give Shiratori trouble in many ways, including the seemingly routine beer and slumber party every night. The only saving grace is Narutaki’s apartment manager, Kozue, the main girl in this series. She’s kind, sweet, and extremely cute. Kozue-chan has some addiction to umeboshi (pickled plum) as well. Shiratori and Kozue serve as the main pair of the series. Unfortunately, Shiratori still has trouble, because Kozue-chan has some sort of multiple personality sickness! Everytime she gets surprised, he transforms into either one of 4 alternate personalities. A rowdy punk gal, a cute kid, a cosplay addict, and a quiet magician. After some time though, she transforms back to normal kind Kozue-chan. Aside from the already excellent main cast, the supporting cast shines. They are as interesting as the main ones, and maybe even more, if only they had adequate screentime. One particular character, a voodoo freak girl, gives me a laugh every time, especially when she does the “curse me more” bits.

The animation is perfect for its theme, and the music is great too. The pace is really slice-of-life, with the necessary comedic parts and some occassional drama. The story is rather coherent, although some may want more when it comes to the ending (but don’t we all). The anime producers did some of its creative freedom especially near the end, because its original manga series is ongoing, but it never feels forced. All in all Mahoraba is a very recommended watch if you want some kind of warm, fuzzy, and funny heartful days feeling in your anime.

Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru

Koi Kaze not enough? Enjoy the dangerous world of incest with Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru.

Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru is a one-shot OVA based on a shoujo manga of the same title. It tells the story of a taboo incestual relationship of brother Yori and sister Iku. Yori is the first to break down. He starts to keep secrets and ignore Iku, and yet sometimes he’s being too overprotective of her, even fighting someone in class who made her embarrased. Iku wonders why she’s being mistreated lately. One night, Yori confesses to Iku, and of course rejection is abound, because it is indeed weird. Yori even realizes it himself, that this is wrong, but he can’t stop his feelings towards his sister. He does a lot of things to make himself go the right path somehow, by planning to go to a faraway college to stay away from Iku, and even trying to have a normal relationship with another girlfriend. By this time, Iku herself is starting to waver her own feelings. She starts to become jealous of Yori and his girlfriend, and so she also developed feelings towards her brother.

Treading into dangerous territory eh? These are the kinds of stories that are very interesting to me because a person like me could barely understand the emotional pains of having this feeling. This is the kind of storytelling that makes the [onii-chan complex->w-wish] seem light-hearted. Deep inside, the pain of an impossible relationship exists within the lovers involved. Yup, Yori and Iku, despite their extreme intimacy, continually remind themselves that this is wrong. Towards the end, they still try to find ways to move on and forget their impossible love somehow (through separation), and yet we still see a tease, because somehow it’s very hard to let go.

There are scenes of intimacy in this anime, but nothing too graphic. The animation and color tone reminds me of Marimite, the atmosphere similar to fellow incest-themed anime Koi Kaze. This is well-animated and well-paced, staying true to many scenes in early volumes of the manga. Of course, other events are omitted. In the manga Yori and Iku are extremely intimate, they express it almost anywhere. I wonder when they’ll be caught…

Anyway, I recommend you watch this with an open mind. In the real world people may be guilty of this, but while society abhors this, do not be discriminative. Love is really more complicated than we think.

Update: It’s going to be a live-action movie! Boku wa Imouto Ni Koi Wo Suru the movie will be starred by Jun Matsumoto (of Gokusen/Hana Yori Dango fame) and one hawt babe Nana Eikura, a magazine model. Nice, I hope to catch it soon.

To Heart ~Remember my Memories~

I love the [To Heart->] anime. I love that anime so much, that I really wished nothing will get wrong about the new series which is called To Heart ~Remember my Memories~.

Alas, I was wrong.

Being an anime-only fan of To Heart, I can already expect that I may not deserve to say bad things about To Heart ~Remember my Memories~ (hereby named as To Heart R for clarity), clearly because I haven’t even played the entire game nor understood it fully. For the bishoujo game players, To Heart R is a big treat. They get to see the new stories that happen after the original game. To Heart R is not a direct sequel of To Heart, and because of this, I am trying hard to separate them.

Technically, it’s an absolute shame. The art and animation levels are more of a stock market from the first 2/3 of this series. Sometimes good, sometimes horrible. I know that the producers of this anime are trying to make an accurate art rendition of To Heart using the original game’s character designs, and that’s fine with me. However, the massive and radical differences of the designs between each episode really make me sick. The same character in ep. 1 may not ever look the same in other episodes. Thankfully, the latter part of the series have gotten it right, which makes you wonder why they didn’t do it that way from the first time through. Yup, even before Mahou Sensei Negima, anime like To Heart R is already suffering from varying sakuga levels.

The story is, for me, something up for debate. On one hand, it was nice that they had a full forward story approach, as opposed to the filler-ish nature of the first series. On the other hand, one can argue that the series has been too focused on Multi. Multi’s plotlines run deep through every single episode of To Heart R, in that you may think they are really leaving Akari behind, despite her being the main girl. For fans of the iconic HMX-12 robot, To Heart R is a dream come true. For non-fans of Multi, To Heart R became too unfair to the other characters.

The biggest complaint I had with To Heart R is of one character itself, and that’s Hiroyuki. This is really the biggest disappointment that made me want to ask if his attitude is really that way in the original game. To Heart R’s Hiroyuki is the most insensitive, indecisive, and inconsistent bishoujo male lead I’ve ever seen. It’s an extreme reverse to To Heart’s Hiroyuki, the bored but kind male lead. There is a reason for the girls to love Hiroyuki of the original To Heart, because he is really kind and helpful to all of them. To Heart R’s Hiroyuki, yea sure he’s kind too, but I really can’t see it that way. For one, his “cruelty level” to a person is proportional to how close the person is to him. It means that he is somewhat mean to Masashi and Shiho, and to the worst extent, he is really mean to Akari. He is also hot-headed, and shouts a lot, especially when things don’t go his way. He is impolite to the elders he talks to throughout this series.

I really wonder how the To Heart R Hiroyuki made 3 girls in love with him. Yes folks, 3 people confessed to him in this series, as opposed to 0 in the first. And I really hate how he handled their broken hearts. We all know Akari is the main girl, and Hiroyuki is destined to be with Akari. But those 2 other poor girls got the no answer while Hiroyuki is still confused about his priorities, and Akari is being jealous. Therefore, the 2 busted girls didn’t have the chance to to make themselves worthy of Hiroyuki’s affection at all.

I want to say something good this time about To Heart R. Well, the OP and ED are really good. The OP reminds me of classic bishoujo game music, while the ED is a new rendition of a popular To Heart song. There are also multiple cameos of characters from the new bishoujo game To Heart 2, which I liked very much. The voice cast is almost the same as the first series, which is one of the best ingredient of this anime. Back in 1999, many of those seiyuu are already relatively popular. In 2004, the same seiyuu cast made To Heart R one of the most spectacular lineup of voice talents in recent history. I never thought I could see [Yui Horie->horie-yui] and Ayako Kawasumi together in an anime again.

I really want to say many more things about To Heart R, but you may be bored about this absolutely biased rant. Sorry that I am biased towards the original To Heart anime, but that’s my true and honest opinion. To Heart R is actually an ok anime, but because of so many reasons, I can’t find myself to liking it.

This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature