Breaking the Boundary

Title: Kaleido Star
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Rating: 9.5/10

Summary: Sora, a young girl from Japan, comes to America in search of her dream. She wants, with all her heart, to be a member of the famous Kaleido Stage, a combination of musicals, acrobatics and magical effects. With the help of her friends, she struggles to make this dream come true.

Review: Kaleido Star is currently my favorite anime and really deserving of it. The plot sounds like a very typical anime, probably giving most people low expectations. After watching the first two episodes I was hooked, and I couldn’t believe how epic it turned out. The moral of friendship, love, and motivation couldn’t have been done better. The anime’s comedy left you with a smile on your face hours after finishing an episode; and tears in your eyes during the harsh moments of failure. The balance between the two different genres mixed better than yin and yang. It was as though the producers took a little from Column A, a little from Column B to create a mesh of unspeakable beauty. I was in awe at the magnificent art style, coloring, and motions of the anime characters. The art was no less than amazing for this anime, and I couldn’t have been happier with it. Any other style wouldn’t fit the theme. The best part was how versatile the art could be. The characters didn’t feel unnatural during simple scenes like having a conversation; and the crisp, clean lines went hand-in-hand during tournaments with fast pace movements and tricky spins. The best part about it was that the anime wasn’t linear. Although overall the anime does have a more upbeat than dark atmosphere, that isn’t to say everything just works out. Audiences watch as the main characters work countless hours to perfect a routine, skipping meals, sleep, and even overcoming injuries. After watching the struggles viewers can only hope the main event goes smoothly, but you can’t always bet money it. Kaleido Star shows the darker side to competitive sports, like mental (and sometimes physical) harassment. Something that only strengthens the attachment to the characters. The back story for nearly every character is explained in great detail, but not the long boring flashbacks most animes do. The past doesn’t always stay in the past, in fact most of the characters had to face their problems head on to resolve anything. The series is split into two seasons, both of which ended in an appropriate manner. The first season leaves you craving for more, and the second leaves you pumped and ready to work toward your own goals. The soundtrack is very upbeat and admittedly a bit kid-ish. I don’t want to say that it was bad because it did fit the anime, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.  I didn’t go looking for the soundtrack like I have for other animes such as FLCL, but didn’t mind listening to the opening/ending either. Kaleido Star is drop-dead gorgeous and I suggest it to anyone.

Final statements: I have nothing but praises for this anime, and it is well deserving of the rating given. I believe that anyone who enjoys watching a long series that deals a lot with character development this is the best pick. Even for entertainment value don’t pass this anime up. MUST SEE!

Title: Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Magic
Rating: 8.8/10

Summary: An art student named Jin Mikuriya carves a statue from the wood of the Kannagi tree only to have the statue come to life in the form of a goddess, who has now taken over the statue. He and “Nagi” work together to destroy the impurities that are gathering in the town.

Review: This anime is perfect if you are looking for a good life with a stable amount of story. Kannagi had me laughing out loud every episode, keeping fresh new humor instead of the same repetitive comedy most series stick with. The variety in comedy was only complimented by the interesting storyline of goddesses trying to understand a little more about themselves. I loved this series and only wished that it were longer, or have an announced season two. The relationship established between Jin and Nagi felt perfectly done, stirring a little drama with Jin and his childhood friend Tsugumi Aoba. The character development was surprisingly well done considering how short the series was and didn’t feel rushed at all. The series does very well in bringing story and support characters into play. This anime probably had the perfect mixture of comedy, romance, and drama. The reason I haven’t given this anime a perfect score really was due to the simplistic art style and anti-climactic ending. Although I felt satisfied, I felt that there could have been much more. The producers left viewers with a, “that can’t be it”, feeling. Kannagi has high potential for a second season that wouldn’t be any less interesting than the first. If not a second season, the first could have been extended.

Final statements: This was a very well done anime and probably one of my top. I would suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good comedy. Although the art was lacking, the series really made up for it in story. High priority watch.

Title: Air Gear
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sports
Rating: 8/10

Summary: Minami “Ikki” Itsuki, is a student and a delinquent. Also known as the “Unbeatable Babyface,” Ikki is the leader of the youth gang by the name of “East Side Gunz.” Upon his return home after being humiliated by a street gang of Storm Riders called the Skull Saders Ikki discovers a secret hidden from him by his benefactors, the Noyamano sisters. The sisters belong to a group of Storm Riders who go by the team name of Sleeping Forest. Ikki eventually settles his grudge with the Skull Saders, but in the process he receives more than the simple satisfaction of revenge. Determined to experience the sensation of “flight” for as long as he can, our headstrong protagonist is quickly sucked into the mysterious, yet irresistible world of Air Treck.

Review: Air Gear is a pretty unique anime, first I have seen that revolves around blading (or ‘trecking’ in the anime). The first thing that came to mind though was Jet Set Radio Future for the Xbox; having magnetic, future-like roller blades and gangs roaming the cities competing in skate races and fights felt very familiar. But enough about that, let’s get back to the anime. Air Gear is based of its manga counter-part (which is still ongoing) like most other animes. I have read and watched both versions, and overall I prefer to the anime. Why? Well for multiple reasons, one are the competitions. The anime  did a great job with the art style that brought the fights too a whole new level. Anime usually does better action scenes for obvious reasons, but Air Gear made it seem like the manga didn’t even try. The fast pace skating really gave me a jaw-dropping feeling, and I couldn’t praise the artist more. The anime also kept the series interesting. The manga was a bit of a bore, and probably because of the small tweaks made. For example, in the manga Ikki’s sisters gave him a pair of Air Treks to help him win the battle against Skull Saders. Kind of boring compared to the anime where he learns about his sister’s secret of being apart of an AT gang and steals the Treks for himself in anger. The soundtrack was brilliant, having an appropriate up-beat, hardcore sound. The opening theme was worth listening to and watching. The characters equally likable. Each had their personal reasons for picking up a pair of Air Treks, and each had their own special ability. I found it fun to meet new characters and learn about their unique skills. The best part was is their skills were based heavily on their personalities and physical structure. I did have a couple problems with this series, mainly the ending. Understanding that the anime couldn’t do much for continuation due to being based on a manga the ending still felt very anti-climactic and hurt the series as a whole. Also the humor was so-so, and I didn’t really laugh despite the genre selection. The main character also isn’t anything special, and you probably wont feel very attached.

Final statements: I would pick up this anime for the music and action alone. They did a great job with the battle scenes and story, but be prepared for a rather boring ending. Like I said the manga is still going if you feel like you need more Air Gear, but don’t expect anything close to as epic. Preferred watch.

Title: Nodame Cantabile
Genre: Musical, Romance, Comedy
Rating: 8.4/10

Summary: Megumi Noda, or “Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a preschool teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies. Shinichi Chiaki is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy (namely Prague), he is trapped in Japan because of his childhood phobia of airplanes and the ocean. They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame’s unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Along the way, they meet some crazy people (like Masumi, Mine, and Stresemann) and make lasting friendships.

Review: This review combines season one (Nodame Cantabile) and season two (Nodame Cantabile: Paris) just as a heads up. Nodame Cantabile is probably one my favorite romance comedies because it has a good balance between drama and comedy. The character development is steady and continues over the two seasons, which for some may feel like a long haul. After watching the first season I couldn’t wait to jump into the second because the directors did a great job giving you a satisfying “ending” while still having the audience beg for more. Nodame, the main character of the anime is very likable with her crazy antics, cute outbursts, and strong will to progress further into her musical career. Chiaki, the lead male role, at first didn’t seem like that great of a guy. As the anime progressed the two characters are such opposite personalities but still managed to help one another. I found this to be the most amazing thing about Nodame Cantabile. I really enjoyed seeing how two completely different musicians can create equally beautiful music. Even the support characters actually did something to progress the story. I couldn’t believe the number of personalities there were, and how many characters the designer created that remained in the anime for a long period of time. The picture above shows almost all the characters that make multiple appearances, how often do you see that? Nodame Cantabile: Paris takes place in Paris (duh), yet people from season one still make guest appearances. Best part is they actually have closure instead of leaving viewers wondering “What ever happened to [insert character name here]?”. Personally I found the second season better than the first because they didn’t spend multiple episodes trying to introduce a new character’s personality. The quicker pace really did make the music scenes a lot more bearable. Also, the second season focused more on romance than music. There were a few downsides to this anime. For example, if you don’t like classical music then fast forward through half of it. The music scenes tend to get very dry, but are obviously important because it is what the whole anime is revolved around. I’m a fan of classical music, but I still drifted off from time-to-time when it would just flash scenes of the performer and the reaction of the audience members. The art style was also kind of strange. The characters and coloring are really simple, but when they show an orchestra playing it obviously computerized. They did a great job trying to give detailed arm and finger motions but it didn’t look natural. The soundtrack is great if you classical music like I said, but if not then it probably be a complete bore.

Final statements: I said earlier that this is one of my favorite romance comedies so I would suggest anyone to check it out. The beginning may seem boring (as it did for me) but keep watching I’m sure you will enjoy it. It isn’t for everyone because of the classical music theme, but the romance comedy portion is done very well. Preferred watch.



Title: Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Psychological
Rating (season 1): 8/10
Rating (season 2): 5/10

Summary: On the first day of high school a beautiful girl named Haruhi Suzumiya introduces herself as having “no interest in ordinary humans”. She asks for any aliens, time travelers, sliders or espers to join her. Watching her weird behaviour is Kyon who sits in front of Haruhi and is the only person who talks to her. When Kyon comments about Haruhi’s joining every club in school and then quitting he unwittingly gives Haruhi an idea to start her own after school club. Thereafter Kyon and several others find themselves dragged, literally, into the Save our world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi’s Brigade (the S.O.S. Brigade for short).

Review: You have probably noticed that I generally write a single review for a multiple season anime, but this one really does deserve to be split. The first season doesn’t deserved to be dragged down due to the not-so-lovely second season. Let’s start with the soundtrack and art style which were both pleasing to the eye and ears. Songs like “God Knows” and “Lost My Music” were actually sung by the voice actress Aya Hirano bringing a refreshing new sound to anime. The artist took into account the details of mouth movement and sweat drops during the concert scene in the first season. A lot of recent animes have been doing the same thing, but this one really stood out to me. The scenes that the artist actually took the time to sketch every little muscle motion brought out a great side to this anime. Moving onto the storyline of the first season I would give it a pretty good rating. The story was more about trying to find out the secrets of Haruhi Suzumiya and distinguishing the difference between reality and fiction. The first season ended on a pretty good note considering they knew a second season was coming along. The season left viewers with interest because it didn’t answer all the questions, but enough to satisfy. The first season also brought rich comedy with play on words, awkward moments, and cute scenes.
The second season is when the anime really started to go down hill. Although the characters didn’t change much, and it still stuck on the comedy genre I got so bored with the anime I really contemplated dropping it all together. Many of you probably have heard of the Endless Eight. The endless eight will make you feel like the producers got very lazy, and probably stopped caring about the anime. Although I would like to give the director the benefit of the doubt and say that it is a unique art sense. The problem is that unique is not always a good thing. I would have tolerated the “Endless Three” maybe even four, thinking that it brought out a great sense of anime, but eight just killed me. After the Endless Eight the anime didn’t get much better. It felt like filler episodes with no hard storyline. It was fine at first, but the comedy remained the same which got tiresome after a while. The second season really didn’t live up to my expectations given from the first season.

Final statements: Short review, but I believe I got my point across. I suggest sticking with the first season and skipping the second completely. You may feel tempted to keep watching but trust me it isn’t worth it. Low priority watch.

Happy Valentines Day!