Nothing particularly formal about this review. I’m gonna dig right in. Spoilers possible. Continue reading “Day One: Annihilation (MotM 2018)”
Tag: OMG
Early Impressions: Mahoujin Guruguru (2017)
Six episodes in, it rekindled my appreciation for occasionally lowbrow parody anime.
Sometime in the lost years of my innate weebness, I would watch an anime by the name of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo every week on Cartoon Network’s “Toonami” block. Initially, I found the show immensely entertaining, though as it went on I became more interested in “serious” anime, such as Naruto. Hehe. Mahoujin Guruguru reminds me quite a bit of Bobobo, though while the latter’s absurdity overtakes everything else, Guruguru has the awareness to remain both serious and non-serious, with priority being given to whatever feels necessary. The first episode was nearly perfect; introducing things light-heartedly while also establishing the inborn bond between the two lead characters, the only thing that made it better was the satire of classic JRPG scenarios. Needless to explain further, satire is something I can get behind in series.
Normally I would complain that a series mixes serious and non-serious vibes too earnestly for one to be able to take the serious moments seriously. One only need to reread that previous sentence to realize how serious I am about it. Within satire, however, it’s easier to justify, as the viewer is under the impression that a lot of it shouldn’t be taken seriously anyway. Nichijou isn’t technically a satire, so when it tried to develop its characters (in the little time it chose to), it only worked minimally due to the outright bizarre scenarios hogging all of the attention. This also applies somewhat to Guruguru, as it is prone to making serious plot developments within non-serious situations, which makes it lose a little of its magic. Yet, it’s the fact that it tries to deepen the relationship between the two leads and their desire for adventure and fun on a semi-consistent basis that makes it so fun to watch.
Is the series funny? Not usually. Guruguru has actually managed to make me chuckle twice, which for those who have read my blog long-term know is an accomplishment in and of itself. Occasionally lowbrow humor, much like one would find in a kids’ show (potty humor, especially), is accompanied by anime standards, like the Straight Man set-up and random zaniness pushed to extremes. I actually find my favorite parts to be when the male lead is taken by his lust and constantly halts everything serious so that he can gaze upon the female body with the most grim of expressions. I’ve always been fond of the “seriousness” behind the male’s desire for sexual intimacy in anime. The most I could say is that the series is consistently humorous.
Another consistency is within its design, which is so vibrantly varied (though less so later on, sadly…) that one can’t help but appreciate what it’s parodying. Simple, chibi-ish designs that every so often spur into random changes in aesthetics to emphasize humor. Pixel-animation is also used quite often, which speaks to me on a personal level. Pixel animation is best animation. In-anime text boxes will also spring up randomly, further emphasizing the parody aspect, which altogether makes for a dazzling display of heart within its goofiness. It doesn’t hurt when the general aesthetic for the show is clean and bold, making every character and creature poignantly placed in the world around them. And within the satire genre, it allows animators to get creative with the presentation… while also justifying their need for shortcuts on occasion.
Should there be one core issue to the series, it’s that despite its consistency everywhere else, the only thing it’s not consistent at is delivery. It’s first episode was magical, and I was ready to crown it MVP of the season right then and there. Since then, it’s floundered a tad, flip-flopping between good and decent so long as the type of humor changes and its serious aspects begin to overpower the satirical nature. At one point, near the halfway mark of episode five (I believe), I was actually somewhat bored, as it was ankle-deep in a muck of seriousness that I didn’t think fit the show. It’s at its best when it uses that seriousness as a back-up option, rather than employ it at the first sign of trouble.
I have high expectations for this series knowing that it’s a two-cour adventure. Quite a lot can happen in that span, and for the time being, it’s used its time wisely enough for me to aptly recommend it. Unfortunately, the manner of decreasing charm is starting to rear itself, so perhaps the heaps of praise is but a precursor to serious criticism. Time will tell. Until then, I will marathon this adventure between light hero and dark mage until it kills me. Pleasurably.
Day Thirty-One: Kara no Kyoukai 8 + 9 (MotM 2017)
The March of the Movies will end with a purr, as my motivation to continue forth with essentially the same thing day after day has worn me out completely. My thoughts on these two films will be short (one much shorter than the other).
KnK 8: Shuushou
Everything I despised about the long, overcomplicated explanations in a few of the films prior is essentially all that’s here. Some warm moments interlaced doesn’t save it from being literally Shiki’s face with mouth movements for minutes straight talking some psychological nonsense about what is and what isn’t the make-up of a human being. I grew bored within minutes and still they went on for some twenty-five hours, or so it seemed. It didn’t serve much point to anything overall, so I more just felt I wasted a half hour sitting through it. Production values, once again, are what save it from being completely skippable. Also helped with serving some sort of closure, that is until the next movie beat it even in that category.
Final Score: 3/10
KnK 9: Mirai Fukuin
Emotionally-charged with good balance of character interaction/charm and psychoanalytical jargon? Say it ain’t so! The films prior either did one (way more often) or the other (basically never). It serves almost like a reboot of the series, but with the foundations and development of the characters already established, one can simply enjoy the characters for who they are and how they interact with new characters. Said new characters are pretty standard, but do enough to make the movie a tad more easy-going.
One huge contrast with this film is the general lack of tragic, hostile topics and developments. They still exist to some extent, but not nearly the level of darkness that would, say, open with a rape scene, or end with cannibalism. I, as someone who tolerated the darkness to the point where I almost found it overly edgy, welcome this with open arms. Finally, some variety to the film that helps it stand out, though admittedly makes it a sort of black sheep. It doesn’t have that same “feeling” to it as the others, prioritizing more with the characters than the story, along with harboring the closure that many fans are likely clamoring to see. It’s split up into two parts: one part that shows the events roughly two years after Movie 7, which takes up most of the runtime, and a second part that transports the characters far into the future and is essentially there for closure. People who have clicked the “Spoiler” tab on MAL’s synopsis for the film know what I mean by this.
Initially, I had forgotten that the film was split into two parts, which was why the end of the first part surprised me when it ended earlier than the total runtime. I was wondering what they could possibly show for another half hour, but then I remembered the half hour I wasted to get to that point. Turns out, it’s rather sweet, and almost nothing like anything the series would’ve published under its name. These two parts vary in importance and feature a large difference in cast members, but both serve to compliment one another to some capacity, whether through recurring characters or, as I’ve said again and again, closure.
In a way, this film is basically filler, something to wrap up the series in a way that a majority of people would appreciate. I feel they go overboard ever so slightly, but I’m also picky and overly cynical. The piece is an enjoyable one based on its key differences from what the film series established for its identity beforehand. It’s rather standard in terms of plot, its execution, and character quirks, but it does more with it, instead of letting things fester in nothingness for half the film before getting things done. However, this film has probably the easiest main antagonist Shiki has ever faced. Not a lot of tension, only good vibes and pseudo-drama.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s good because it finally changed itself and did everything else adequately enough to hold itself up. And the end was cute.
Final Score: 6.5/10
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Thank you all for sticking with me this month. I’m going to take a well deserved rest for a little bit, then I’ll be back as if I never left. Until then!
Day Thirty: Kara no Kyoukai 7: Satsujin Kousatsu (Kou) (MotM 2017)
(Disclaimer: All images were found via Google.)
It’s only appropriate that the latest film in the franchise that I genuinely enjoy comes as a direct follow-up to another film I genuinely enjoyed. Not insinuating these films aren’t direct sequels to one another (though some aren’t), but Part 7 is a sort of continuation of Part 2, hence the “(Zen)” and “(Kou)” within the names. Part 7 is also technically the last film in the series, with the two upcoming films serving as side stories, though still within the realm of importance. One can tell with the sense of finality to the film’s ending scenes that it’s all come full circle. If only it included everyone.
As if it’s expected by this point, production value is a major positive for Part 7. Animation is spectacularly glossed over each scene and the character’s expressions. Choice of instrumentation in the background does very well for the most emotionally charged situations, all accumulating with Shiki’s fight within herself, something that’s been hinted at for many films. It did to some extent with the last movie, but seeing as I was more immersed with the story this time around, the final fight, while not amusingly gory or loaded with an epic appeal, amassed a flurry of emotions within me. Among the first times within the film series where I acknowledged the beauty of a specific scene or situation.
Something of a debate between fans of the series is the difference in quality between this film and Part 5. The latter has the advantage of sheer spectacle and psychological creativity and intrigue. Characters are more plot pieces than individuals and the bizarre framing of perspectives makes for a very intriguing two hours. Part 7, on the contrary, appeals more to the humanity of its characters and the morality of the situation. It treats the characters as though they manipulate the plot, making their issues and conflict feel more personal and within their control. It also makes the characters feel more alive within their environment, something that Part 5 hardly did. It revealed necessary and interesting info about them, but it never allowed them to simply exude their charisma.
It is this switch in priorities that make the divide between these two parts intriguing, with one focusing on a more apathetic, psychological front, while the other appeals to the emotions and the well-being of the characters. The reasoning involved makes the difference in quality quite appropriate: viewers are likely to find Part 5 more entertaining and technically sound, and Part 7 more affectionately humane. One is likely to find Part 5 the better film, but Part 7 the more likable film. For me, it’s no different. I acknowledge that Part 5 is probably a better film, but I enjoyed Part 7 far more, especially during the second half. What becomes the central issue is how much of Part 7’s more forced arbitrariness one can tolerate.
Realism isn’t exactly one of the series’s major focuses, but here one could make the case that it’s trying really hard to be both subtle and direct. Bloodshed is also one of the series’s more prevalent identifiers—the amount one survives this time around is a little worrying. Stenches of plot armor fill the scenes to a high degree. Some characters don’t seem to be of any importance, despite their roles in prior films. And for the last time, the male lead’s uppity attitude is still fairly annoying. There’s not a gray fiber within him, it is only good and bad, moral and amoral. God forbid one kills out of self defense. Even so, with that stipulation in place, the final scenes offer an intriguing take on what the characters truly stand for, and how they cope with it moving forward.
Emotionally gratifying as it may be, this is not of its entire body. The second half is splendid in its build-up and highlighting of the characters’ dimensions, along with some signature uncomfortable moods. Prior to it, the film is just build-up of the same degree as films past. People talk, listen, gather information, do some things here and there in a slow, but gradual pace to a tormenting end. A plague to most of the films in some capacity, slow starts are something that make the films a little tiring to marathon day after day.
Is it the best? Or the second-best? It could be one or the other, depending on one’s preferences and priorities of technical splendor vs. emotional value. I enjoyed Part 7 a lot more than Part 5 when all was said and done, but again, Part 5 had a lot more going for it to make it a longer-lasting experience. I really appreciate that by series’s end (kind of), the characters are the ones receiving the brunt of the importance, rather than trying to fulfill more of the depressing story it adores to overexaggerate. Still, it would’ve been helpful to have the narrative serve far more closure to those outside of the two leads and within the universe that seems still so very unstable. Also, if I may be frank, the ending is just a wee too “Happily ever after” for something like this.
Final Score: 7.5/10
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Day Twenty-Nine: Kara no Kyoukai 6: Boukyaku Rokuon (MotM 2017)
This won’t be long.
Everything I’ve criticized the first film of doing is multiplied here in Part 6, except without the veil of ignorance set upon the audience. Here, they manage to make the plot and the characters even more simplistic than they already were in movies past. Better yet, Part 6 stars the male lead’s younger “sister,” who is in love with him. Because anime. But she’s adopted, so it doesn’t matter. Because anime. Her characterization includes being in love with her brother, and getting embarrassed when someone blurts out that they know that she’s in love with her brother. Aside from this, she exudes a sort of naivety that suits her age well. She is also in love with her brother. Getting tired of me saying that? Film wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it, either.
Plot structure is the exact same as Parts 1 and 3; introduce characters, introduce conflict, let it fester as they try to figure shit out, and final, flashy fight to end with either a sappy resolution or bleak foreshadowing. What makes it even better is the antagonist of this film is so… uninteresting and unimportant that she may as well not even exist. And the reasoning behind her antagonizing is… well, just as uninteresting and unimportant. The entirety of this film felt like a cast-off OVA, as nothing truly felt important to the bigger spectrum and characters only occupied the screen for the sake of doing so. Barely any development (of characters one would care about), hardly any stakes, and missing a lot of that intrigue that, even if the film was somewhat off-kilter, managed to reside in the backdrop to some extent.
The only saving point for the film is animation and sound implementation. It still looks great, with a lot of imaginative spectacles that make the magic feel as though it means anything. It boosts entertainment as well as a keen eye for aestheticism, something that the series in a whole knows how to manipulate. Still, it doesn’t hold a candle to Part 5. I also enjoyed listening to the film, as the choice of music helped make the mood of pseudo-seriousness feel splendid to pay attention to. The fight scene between the male lead’s sister and the antagonist is a high point, being the best part of the film, both from a dedication to spirited choreography and animation and because it has little competition.
It’s the worst of the films thus far, though that doesn’t surprise me based on user ratings on MAL. I didn’t think it would be that bad, and to some extent, it isn’t. However, when adding into account that the film is almost a carbon copy of two other movies prior to it with less likable characters (or more likable characters taking a backseat) and a less serious plot, it’s almost a spit in the face. Production value saves it from being a nearly worthless endeavor—thank God it had at least that.
Final Score: 3.5/10
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Day Twenty-Eight: Kara no Kyoukai 5: Mujun Rasen (MotM 2017)
What if I told you… that this was the best of the bunch? What if I told you that this film is not only the best in the series thus far, but the best it will ever be? The quality equivalent of the Mona Lisa, The Godfather, Tom Brady; the best of its time and the objective masterpiece that exceeds all others. What if I told you that it not only deserves a perfect 10/10 rating, but exceeds that into a realm never once even conceived, something within the range of 10/-10 or 101/010. What if I told you that the film doesn’t deserve any of this?
Creating a sense of self is important for any and all works, something that distinguishes it from the masses and gives it a flavor that can be enjoyed not just by anybody, but nobody. Kara no Kyoukai 5 has a repertoire of dazzling phenomenons that give it a desirable emptiness that helps establish a line of structure within the madness. Think to a series such as Steins;Gate or The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, series that take advantage of hasty logical prompts through use of time travel and alternate realities. Think to what these series accomplish with their winding stories, constantly looping within themselves to create absurd resolutions and harrowing character experiences. Part 5 has a defensive mechanism to use this as a crutch.
It’s high time the films within this series take advantage of the situation and reveal what’s important and worth watching about their cast of faces. Not only is there above average development for key characters, it even manages to make new characters tolerable. The third member of the main group whom I left unnamed in past reviews (Sorry), Aozaki, becomes vital to the explanation of the confusion that takes place, and masterfully gives her a lot of credibility on top of her absurdity. The world that Kara no Kyoukai creates and leads up to ’till this point becomes far more clear than in past presentations, giving firm realization to the audience that they have been watching for a reason.
What a confusing story. One that takes up so much time and tries to overcomplicate itself for the sake of appearing well-developed and deeply insightful. Plenty of development around the characters and the story are presented in a fulfilling way, almost as if the director decided to unleash their creative monsters. Previous films lacked effort in presentation, whether through story, character interaction, or action. Blending this all makes a frivolous monotony present that tarnishes the films’ ability to remain entertaining. Part 5 makes up for this tremendously with erratic camera movements, abrupt scene transitions, and a controlled chaos that usually works in the film’s favor from an artistic viewpoint. In layman’s terms, the film puts a lot more effort into making itself feel enthusiastic for what it’s doing compared to its previous line-up.
Darkness and gore always play an unnecessary factor in this series thus far, as little about this changes here. Constant reminders of despairing details haunt the characters and their dilemmas, giving emphasis on the humanity of the cast and, pray tell, THE POWER OF EMOTIONS!!! Imagery has a wonderful way of distorting one’s expectations, especially when concerning the fragility of people, whether physically or emotionally. Many times I prayed that characters were down and out for good, only to become mocked as they revert back to a comfortable state. One thing that can be said is the film doesn’t know what to tell you and it adores it.
Another step up is the art and animation direction. No, really. The amount of dark detail shown makes for an engrossing experience on top of an already ecstatic style of presentation. Scenes are given more importance through manner of specific details—whether through words or certain objects, and are animated in a crazy slideshow similar to that of the Monogatari series. Fluidity improves, gore is more obscene, spectacles are more intriguing, and abject magic gives meaningful allure. One could very well pass off the tale and the characters just to sit in awe of the twists and turns of the impressive detail.
It is the best of its kind. Not that that matters. It has style, precision, and a controlled mess that somehow becomes engaging enough to follow through with, better established by the developments shown in previous films. With the foundations in place, Part 5 becomes more important to the establishing of characters and the chaotic muscles of the symbolic, psychological plotline. Through the lens of the big picture, it may not prove very important, as it’s simply an isolated incident with more promised in the end. However, what it does show is an impressive amount of detail the series has been hesitant to reveal in pictures past. Characters feel sparsely real, with a story that tries very, very hard to be evoking of a multitude of emotions, effort that doesn’t go unnoticed. A wild ride at its core, though perhaps not one that many of a more experienced palette will find very fulfilling.
Final Score: 7.5/10
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Day Twenty-Seven: Kara no Kyoukai 3 + 4 (MotM 2017)
(I know the pictures are inconsistent.)
KnK 3: Tsuukaku Zanryuu
The film teleports back to “present time,” where the premise is very similar to that of the first film. The only true difference between the two is that, after the second film, the viewer now has further insight on the relationship between (some) of the characters and their situations. Also, this film is a lot grittier than the first, as along with murder, we also have rape. Indeed, the film opens with a rape scene. You have been warned.
Does this darker tone mean anything to the grander scheme of things? Yes and no. It helps cement the issues that revolve around this film’s main target, a girl who cannot feel, while also being there just for the sake of making the girl pitiable. I enjoyed the way that they incorporated the darker actions through the perspective of both the detached victim and the attacker. A flavor is added to the secondary characters through simple conversations, looking back on their actions and how they describe it to the major characters. This is probably what the film does best, as intrigue is really all this series has to its name thus far.
Apart from this, I could almost copy/paste exactly what I said about the first film here, because they’re incredibly similar. Opens with the introduction of conflict, featuring characters important to the film. Has the major characters converse with one another about random things in their little hideout. Bad things happen due to the aforementioned characters important to the specific film. Major characters catch wind of it and investigate. More is revealed about the important character’s past and lifestyle, cluing in on what could be wrong with them. End it with a flashy action scene, then end it with some foreshadowing of more to come or some sappy resolution. Barely a difference, barely more that I can say that hasn’t already been said.
Enjoyment was a tad higher with this one as I found the antagonist girl interesting, though she’s hardly enough to carry the film. It still feels as though the film has better things to show later on, frustratingly stuck within the introductory phases that disallow it to reveal too much early on. If, per chance, the film did a better job of making the major characters feel more like they controlled the (horribly slow and rather dull) story, instead of the other way around, I’d be more inclined to care about what was going on. Truth be told, it’s somewhat hard to watch these films seeing as they tend to blend in with one another to some extent.
Final Score: 5.5/10
KnK 4: Garan no Dou
Here, the audience is given a continuation of Part 2, as odd numbers seem to be present time, while even numbers are reserved for flashbacks. It details the events that transpire semi-directly after the events of Part 2, with some leeway in time dedicated to one character being in a coma. The third member of the group of major characters (shown above) is introduced as the scenes show what she means to the male and female lead outside of… an employer, I suppose.
To make matters direct, Part 4 isn’t as well-paced or as dramatically emotional as Part 2, but has a lot more going for it than either Parts 1 or 3. Conversations within this film are a combination of Part 2 and Parts 1 and 3, with some focusing on the situation at hand and a dizzyingly depressing mood all throughout, along with some further character development for Shiki. Male lead is fairly absent this time around, though still shows himself as someone for Shiki to rely on (Again, the unreal determination of this guy). The third character doesn’t reveal much more about herself as much as her expertise, which while gratifying, doesn’t hold the same weight to making her feel at all relatable or likably charismatic.
A lot of the time spent in Part 4 has Shiki sitting in a bed realizing her newfound power and trying to cope with it. Essentially it comes down to her facing a horrifying new reality on her own accord, providing core strength to her character and will. She’s said to have developed this herself, but I’d like to think it’s the commitment of the two other major characters that kept her spirit and resolve to live alive. There’s a lot of talking, not necessarily new for the series, but a stark increase here as there is very little distraction from reality and humanity. Some pretty scenes of symbolic nature appear, but they’re pretty standard. Again, this film ends with some flashy action scenes, which are almost a requirement for these films to have at this point. I’m starting to lose the will to live myself.
Animation and art take a step in the right direction, as the attention to detail make it a tad more intriguing to pay attention to. Characters have a little more bravado to their forms, as Shiki’s new ability sees to it that they don’t remain normal through her perception. Her new ability also gives leeway to making more intrinsically sadistic imagery present, which better enhances the dark atmosphere’s inescapable coating. It does more for the special features to these characters that the audience gets to experience them firsthand with the characters, something the odd-numbered films lack in hindsight.
Word around the community is that I’m in for a treat tomorrow, as Part 5 is typically referred to as the best of the film franchise’s bunch. I’m looking forward to it, as aside from Part 2, nothing from this series shows me that it deserves the praise and popularity it’s garnered over the years. Part 4, after Part 2, was a bit of a disappointment, but not anything that I would actively dissuade people from watching. It’s a decent film on its own and one of the better films thus far. Still, if only I could escape this unrelenting urge to dig my way out of a blackened prison cell.
Final Score: 6/10
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Day Twenty-Six: Kara no Kyoukai 1 + 2 (MotM 2017)
I could put the entire names within the title of this post, but that would take up far too much space, so I’ll simply distinguish these by their number order. I decided to take the time to watch two of these at a time, as the length of most of the films are so short that I’d hardly count them as films. Some are much longer, while some only hover around forty-five minutes. These next coming days will either feature one of two of these films, leading all the way to the end of the month.
KnK 1: Fukan Fuukei
In introduces the audience to a world not quite like our own. The characters are already established and the relations are already in place. It’s a rather confusing entry to the film series that takes the route of showing what’s to come rather than giving the facts right away. This leads to it effectively being reliant on its miscellaneous features to succeed, which in this case would be things such as atmosphere, animation and art, and basic character interaction. To some degree, it succeeds in these ways, but not without any reason to give it any insight.
A lot of things don’t really make sense, and many of the events have the sympathetic value of seeing a random kid get a ‘D’ on their latest homework assignment. That’s not to say the film doesn’t try to make them sound interesting, but the way it chooses to begin, it couldn’t possibly manage to make everything interesting while also creating a serious and dramatic tone, which limits character personality most often. I only recall a single point where the characters have anything that can be considered a “cute” discourse. It feels heavily important to take all of it in, just not for the sake of this film in particular.
Maybe later on the film will make more sense. On its own, there’s simply little reason to watch it, aside from it being the first in the series. From its other points, action scenes (the few there are) are decent, with a lot of fluid motion put forth to make cinematic actions feel grand. Outside of this, the art and animation is standard, while sloppy in some spots. There isn’t much else to say, other than that what is there isn’t completely outside the radar of interest. Things are foreshadowed and a lot of intellectual mumbo jumbo is brought to light for the sake of symbolic hootenanny. Anyone should know that I adore symbolic hootenanny.
Final Score: 5/10
KnK 2: Satsujin Kousatsu (Zen)
And now we have some interesting story!
Two of the characters from the first film return in more prominent roles, providing some much needed insight on their character dynamic. Develop them it does, as the female lead in particular, Shiki, becomes far more dangerous than what she seems in the first film.
Before anything though, this male lead is absolutely insane. He sees this girl, alone in the middle of a dreary night, then falls in love with her. Over the course of the film, he finds out she’s capable of horrid, atrocious things, yet never feels the need to abandon her or believe in her goodness. This obviously pays off, as shown in the first film, which takes place three years after this one, but still. This guy is horribly persistent, even for a male lead.
Even so, Shiki makes this film all the more intriguing, with her strange distinction and haunting pastime. The focus of her and the male lead’s growing relationship makes for an endearing endeavor, even if the background holds a bloody secret. It’s the kind of build-up one would typically enjoy from a typical high school romance, except the loner involved isn’t a loner by means of “feeling outcast.” There’s some serious psychological contamination involved that makes the events feel bigger than normal, but somewhat in the way that feels too serious to be believable—not such that fantasy has to be, but within the range that it should be.
Character interaction alone makes this film a fascinating trinket, even with the somewhat despondent effort to make it feel grounded. There’s a lot of insightful idiosyncrasies involved that make it feel as though they try too hard to have it be grand on a scale that only the writers expect it to surpass. I suppose the need to always have something dark looming in the background gives it a sharp edge, but must they always make it feel so pseudo-intellectual through mind hacks and witty statements? These are teenagers here. Keep it simple, silly.
Art, animation, and atmosphere are better this time around as well, with a particular scene with the male lead running away from Shiki highlighting a boost in animation detail. Lots of dark (in brightness) scenes with eerie glows, and a sheen to common aspects that give it a spooky feel, which helps the horrifying tone of half of this film. Movements don’t feel as blocky this time around. Characters have a greater allure of color to their faces and attires, only to be outshined by the constant attention to background and time of day.
It’s still within those introductory stages—thankfully it seems good things are to come with a decent backstory like this one. If it can prove that it can make characters feel real and interesting, and not only one or the other, the already intriguing overarching story could really flourish. Animation is already something of a guaranteed hit at this point, the future looks bright(ly sinister) for the coming days.
Final Score: 6.5/10
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Day One: The King’s Speech (March of the Movies 2017)
Sometimes a film does whatever it can to not bore an audience. Sometimes a film does the bare minimum to keep the audience entertained. The King’s Speech is a wonderful example of the latter, pleasantly meandering across the plateau of trite amusement and merriment. It is not a film that embellishes the facts with absurd characters, flashy theatrics, or a myriad of quirky one-liners or running gags. It sticks to the art of realism and letting the audience pick apart what’s true or false within the words coming out of the actors’ mouths. There’s a magnificent attention to the tone of each scene, reflected upon the mannerisms of the characters—requiring further preciseness to each minute movement. Not one dedicated to those who look for immediate and spectacular gratification, The King’s Speech is a triumph of careful, meticulous planning and shaping, bit by repetitive bit.
Hence the first real flaw of the movie: it does not grab. It does not grope, secure, fasten, or clench the viewer by the face and slam it to the nearest concrete wall. Very rarely does the atmosphere of a scene wander from unnerving cringe or bittersweet sorrow. Even so, there’s a complacency that remains even with the most abrupt of outbursts, whether positive or negative, that makes it all feel diluted. Not to delude the reader into believing the film doesn’t change its tone, as each scene has a number of deeper things playing in the background, popping their heads at just the right moment. Happiness, sadness, uneasiness, tragedy, comedy, irony, triumph; all present at some point or another. What makes it so troubling is the lack of impact one could have as the movie goes forward. Perhaps a character doesn’t stand out or one misses the point of an action or sequence—without these things working altogether, one could find the experience irrevocably underwhelming.
Perhaps one could sense some manner of elitism embodying the film. A sort of snobby approach to telling a story that doesn’t seek to enthrall its audience with frivolous extremities. The act of looking deeper, putting forth the need to dig and to analyze while one watches to see the full effect of a movie’s worth as a story or value of entertainment. A movie that spites the explosions and sappy monologues of stereotypical Hollywood by suppressing itself to the point where it openly mocks the standard. While appealing to some, there’s definitely some point of a limited demographic when recommending The King’s Speech, something that cannot be saved by any form of story, acting, or musical accompaniment. As much credit as one can give, there will always be a distinction this film carries that makes it more (or less, depending on the person) than just another movie.
No hyperbole, the acting within the film is nothing short of spectacular. With all the pressure of executing at the highest level to match the tone of the film, ironically embodying one of the key themes of the film, Firth, Carter, and Rush do a fantastic job with their roles. Firth in particular plays with the stutter and stammer of the soon-to-be King to riotous heights, allowing the deeper meanings to play with the words and behavior of his character. The intrigue of the character goes as far as the relation the audience can have with Firth’s appearance. The number of times where he seems close to tears over his insecurity with his stutter, along with the defensive mechanisms shown through his stubbornness and inability to open up to people makes him an overwhelmingly compelling character study. He sells it beautifully, not holding back a single ounce of raw emotional constipation. Firth himself carries the movie further than it could possibly imagine.
Carter and Rush do well with what they have, but don’t have many opportunities to lead a scene. Carter has a nice spunk to her character that makes her feel more than just a side supporter, despite being exactly her role. Perhaps she could’ve had more of a purpose, though what that could be, not many know. Rush is a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of charisma to his whimsical character. There’s an emphasis on his character being the voice of reason as well as a doting therapist. He has a good relationship with his friends, family, and patients, along with being relatively secure about his position, despite his desire for bigger and more artistic endeavors. To a fault, there’s a sense of him being too perfect, with a number of scenes revolving around him being bigger than that of Firth’s broken character, always controlling the conversation and providing insight in charming anecdotes and experiments. The one situation where he oversteps his bounds, he realizes it upon some thought and immediately faults himself, making him both aware of his own humanity as well as already adding to his beacon of light persona. Rush does enough to make the character likable and witty, but the character itself feels too much along the lines of Fairy Godmother to praise the movie for never embellishing its nonfiction cast.
Along with storytelling, another aspect of The King’s Speech that helps garner some impact is the placement of the camera. Oftentimes, the angle of a shot will show a character not in the middle of a shot, but veering off to the left or right, especially in situations they’re uncomfortable in. It shows a slight attention to the isolation of the characters and their emotional instability, constantly sliding, little by little, away from the center of attention and control. Most of this applies to Firth’s character, though others often have some interesting still-shots. The camera also tends to make the background out of focus, showing only the people in detail, and most often alone. Things that scare or irritate the characters also appear further or bigger than they actually are, magnifying the events that are to unfold or the inner battle these people face confronting them. Little things like this make the events feel bigger than simple shots would make them seem.
There also existed some emphasis on musical score, spiced along with scenes where the mood was heavily compressed. Silly scenes of montages were accompanied by piano medleys that give off a feeling of mirth (and in one case, ironic discomfort). Major scenes that challenge the characters were met with complete silence, mostly, along with serious conversations between two people. The final scene had an uplifting, orchestral build-up of sound that led to a “triumph” of sorts. The emphasis of singing was brought up to confront the fear of speaking and to let go of the burdens one faces in relation to their inner struggles. Music was the factor that got “Bertie” to see his potential in the first place. There’s a factor of music and the way it plays with one’s expectations that does well enough to factor into the depth of the story, adding to an already enjoyably swift experience. It’s a rare occasion when the music ends up being just as important to a film not focused on the genre of music as the characters and narrative it follows.
Beneath all that The King’s Speech has to offer is but a simple moral message, one that is commonly found in children’s stories as opposed to rated-R films dedicated to re-enacting history. A theory that all life matters, and that the basic human necessity of love and acceptance is not to be underestimated. Despite what monumental task it takes to absorb all that lies underneath, the result is but a fundamental simplicity, something that many other films and TV shows attempt to balance a number of other ways. Sometimes it doesn’t need to be emotionally pungent or constantly reminding of its core themes. Sometimes, it just needs to give it the proper care one would expect people to give others on a mutual basis.
It only feels appropriate that this film has garnered so many awards in the past for its achievements. It is not without flaws, but with them a fantastic piece of quality and entertainment through effort and love of the triumphant human spirit. There’s snippets of wonderment available for most movie-goers, while crafting the bulk of the story in a smooth and easy-to-follow manner that makes it accessible to most. Those with keen eyes are sure to find what makes The King’s Speech more than just a nice movie, with a number of different things that make the film feel theatrically important to the medium as well as insightful to those with stony hearts. Best, perhaps not, but certainly one of the better pictures in the last decade.
Final Score: 8.5/10
The rating for all other films can be found on my IMDb account.
For more, check out the March of the Movies Archive!
Patience Is a Virtue, Except When It Comes to Ongoing Scanlations
I will be busy within the next ten days, so posts may be a tad infrequent/shorter than normal. I’ll be back off my feet come Christmas time.
For those unaware, I like to partake in manga whenever anime feels too loaded to sit through. Manga, I feel, is an easier hobby to partake in due to the reader determining their own pace, while anime runs on its own, expecting you to keep its pace. Not to mention, reading a single chapter of any manga will inevitably be much faster than a single episode of a standard anime. As a critic, it’s nice to be able to consume things at a pace I’m comfortable with, which allows me to think without having to worry about constantly remaining vigilant for more information. There’s a catch, however, to the slow and steady approach to scanlating manga over streaming anime: consistency is not guaranteed.
Look above at the picture of Sekitou Elergy via MangaHere and the rate of its scanlation. It’s a surprise the fiftieth chapter is even there at all, as the series seems to be all but abandoned by this point, despite its ongoing status. With no official English release for the books that I can find, I’m left to sit and wait, hoping that someday something will come of it. Though I’m pessimistic, there’s always that slight chance that someone will pick it up. It’s all a matter of popularity and feedback, so it seems Sekitou Elergy isn’t as popular as I feel it deserves credit for.
More than lamenting upon lost series, however, is the prospect of reading a manga through to the end with infrequent updates. I can’t count the number of times where I’ve read a manga when it’s more than halfway scanlated, come to the end of the scanlation, then have to wait anywhere from a few months to a few years to finally see its ending come in English form. Aside from the frustration of waiting extended and unpredictable periods of time, it also becomes harder to retain everything about the series worth noting.
A memory of something significant or similar can only stretch so far within the subconscious, depending on its importance to the person. When it comes to manga that one has been reading for years, reading a new chapter may as well be reading the first chapter, as while the characters and settings may ring familiar, the impact of their actions and intrigue have all but been lost. This is especially so for manga that are updated with new chapters once every month or so. Manga like Haji-Otsu, which I’ve already reviewed, and Tonari no Kashiwagi-san, which I plan to review, become harder to analyze in their entirety when all you recall clearly is the last fourth of the manga’s bulk. Being patient with scanlations shows a definitive interest and commitment to following through with something, but it can also prove to be an internal storm of questioning how much you can emphasize when deciding on a particular score. This problem escalates when the manga is fairly uninspired.
The quick fix to this would be to only read manga with consistent updates. Take Noblesse for example. An update every week, more or less. Not all manga get this kind of treatment, unfortunately, as a large number of less popular titles get pushed to the backseat to make room for what brings in the crowds. There may be some intriguing, relatively unknown manga with an interesting premise that is hardly being worked on, because Shounen Jump’s latest shiny scrap piece is hogging all the more efficient scanlators. If you happen to enjoy the more publicized works of popular mangakas, then you’re in a safe spot. For those like me who enjoy venturing out into the world unknown, you better pray that someone else is just as dedicated to it. Or you could learn Japanese.
Another solution to this is to only read completed manga. But I know how hard that can be. Some stories just feel too filled to the brim with potential that we can’t help but start them early on. Even I was hesitant to start Sekitou Elergy knowing it had been updated once in the last four years, but I don’t regret reading it in the slightest. Of course, now I have this lingering longness reminiscent of a princess in a secluded castle… One could also simply buy the English-translated versions via bookstores and what-not, but that usually entails that the series was finished scanlating regardless—that or it’s just that popular.
Exceptions will always arise, as so with almost every correlating string of events. The point of this post wasn’t to have the reader take my ratings for manga with a grain of salt, but to provide a sort of justification for why it may seem harder for me to accurately describe in detail the rights and the wrongs of a particular story. I have a number of upcoming manga reviews that deal with this elongated wait of upcoming scanlations, and going back for new updates almost feels like stepping into a new world entirely, which is entirely off-putting. I could always re-read them from the beginning, but Nana to Kaoru has somewhere near 150 chapters. Re-reading that from the beginning is something I will spend an eternity on. An eternity, I could say, that feels the same as waiting for a manga to finish.
The Visualist's Veranda 