Amagi Brilliant Park Review

"If you want to make people dream, you have to start by believing in that dream yourself"

Once every season, Kyoto Animation shows up and grabs the immediate attention of the entire otaku populous after announcing whatever they've been up to the past few months. Being one of the biggest and most successful animation companies in Japan, people tend to automatically just chalk down whatever they license and eagerly await it, expecting something great. But does KyoAni succeed with their latest addition, Amagi Brilliant Park? Can they truly amount to more than just their wonderfully crafted artwork?

Amagi Brilliant Park (Or Amaburi for short) follows Kanie Seiya, a narcissistic and self-centered (Wait. Kanie...Kanye...I see what you did there, KyoAni) high school student and former child-star, as he is recruited as the new manager for a failing theme park. However, this theme park is currently owned and operated by a group of people that come from the magical world of "Maple Land". The women are beautiful and the males all look like mascots for college football teams, which is personally my ideal picture of a magic kingdom.

Even though the story seems a little odd, it does quickly become alluring when you find out the princess of Maple Land and former manager of the park has a sickness that prevents her from aging and resets her memory once every year. And so Kanye West Seiya must bring in a total of 500,000 visitors in a six month period in order for the Maple Landers to keep the park. If he does not succeed, Princess Frailty will lose her magic powers contained within the park and ultimately die a tragic death.

Amagi Brilliant Park has its ups and downs (LIKE A ROLLER COASTER. HA) but it isn't by any means bad. I found myself looking forward to it every week, just as I normally do with Kyoto Animation's stuff. But this time I didn't have to fully invest myself in the story like I had to do with sthows like Hyouka, which worked on solving mysteries and building up relationships. So, lets delve deeper as I once again break this show apart, piece by piece, to better illustrate how I feel about it.

Music: 7/10

Just like every other normal person in the world, I love clapping. The opening song to Amagi Brilliant Park utilizes clapping. Twice. That's cool, I like that. And since Kyoto Animation created the opening, the clapping looks sweet. But I digress. The anime sounds just like you'd expect a show about a theme park to sound. The music is lively and cheerful, and at the same time it delivers hope. And with Amaburi's story, that is absolutely vital. Background music isn't repetitious at all and plays an essential part in making each scene seem full. But because the music wasn't outstanding and didn't play a part in changing the way people viewed the show, it wasn't perfect and definitely could have been improved upon.

Characters: 9/10

As far as characters go, Amaburi has a solid line-up. Kanie is quite different from the dense male leads you'll often find in anime today, and the rest of the cast is pretty solid as well. Sento Isuzu (Whose name I just found out comes from 50 Cent) does a great job in supporting Kanie's character throughout the duration of the show. And all of the mascot-men are there with extremely strong personalities to provide sufficient comic relief for the theme park. The thing is, even though the characters were very original and unique all across the board, the majority of them were ONLY there to serve as that comic relief I mentioned. It's great to be funny, but if that's your only personality trait in real life, you're probably going to have a hard time and you aren't a perfect character. I would have liked to see some more development in anyone apart from the leads, but it just didn't happen.

Art: 10/10

This was probably a given as soon as Kyoto Animation's name was put under the title, but Amagi Brilliant Park delivers some of the best artwork this year. Character designs were outrageous and easily memorable, and the theme park as a whole, even when it was decaying, was a sight for sore eyes. It's refreshing to see KyoAni constantly improving and not just taking advantage of their position in the industry and settling down in a "safe spot". They are constantly pushing themselves to create something better, and it has been succeeding. As a reference point, please direct your attention to the Ferris wheel above. Isn't that the best damn Ferris wheel you've ever seen in an anime? You're damn right it is. Amaburi has zero issues when it comes to appearance, and that is vital in keeping the audience's interest locked in.

Story: 6/10 

What's disappointing about the story line of this show is that they throw in a lot of information that seems like it's important, but is never mentioned again. The viewers never find out what exactly happened to cause Kanie's fallout of the entertainment industry. Sento's affections never get let out and ultimately become meaningless when you look at the bigger picture. And then Kanie goes off on this rant about how he is terrified of heights and wants to hide it from everyone but it plays no part in determining how you look at the story. And then there was the whole thing with how Kanie somehow ran into the princess when he was a child and now felt like he was destined to save her life. It just started to seem forced, like the writers wanted there to be a story when in all actuality the show was just there to be fun. The idea was good, but countless attempts to make it deeper than it should have been really ruined its legitimacy.

Amagi Brilliant Park is a solid show, but it could have been much better. You'll find that the driving force in bringing you back to the next episode falls completely on the characters and artwork. It's definitely enjoyable, but one of the weaker shows KyoAni has brought forth in recent years, which may be a direct result of them setting the bar too high for themselves. Watch this if you are either an avid fan of the studio or just looking to have a few laughs and wind down. There are better options out there, but Amaburi will suffice if you don't want to look for them.

Overall score: 7.5/10

Ore Twintails Ni Narimasu (Gonna Be The Twin-Tails!) Review

"Put our dreams and wishes into these twintails"

Have you ever loved someone or something so much that it literally consumed you? Has that love swallowed you whole, allowing little to no breathing and forcing you into the darkest depths of your heart's inner-workings as you grasp for air and fight to regain control of your life? Or have you accepted that and started the trek toward a downward spiral in which everyone you know questions your fixations and starts to lose hope for you?

Souji Mitsuka is obsessed with twintails, a hairstyle only possible and acceptable within the world of anime. And even though this hairstyle is undeniably the greatest there is, there is a line that must be drawn. Because when a group of humanoid animal creatures invade your world with affinities of their own, your fetishes will not save humanity. Unless you are Souji Mitsuka. He loves twintails so much that he is given the power to transform his affection into a physical manifestation and annihilate monsters in order to save the world.

Still reading? Cool. I should also mention that this power transforms him into a girl -- and a cute one at that. And even though the entire thing is overly-spontaneous and silly, it really isn't all that bad. It's something you can just throw yourself into and have a good time with, which isn't all that easy anymore.

Now, I know that we've already come so far over the past couple paragraphs, but we need to go deeper in order to figure out just what this show is. So I'm going to break it up into a few key components in order to further this review.

Music: 8/10

I think this might be the first time I've reviewed a show where the music outshines the rest of the aspects. Gonna Be The Twin-Tails! brings you in-your-face and extremely catchy rock music for both the opening and closing of the show, being somewhat reminiscent of how the Power Rangers was many years ago. It's both a good and bad sign when you are waiting the entire episode for the ending song to play. And with lyrics like, "Put our dreams and wishes into these twintails," you really can't go wrong. However, despite how awesome the music is, it does quickly get repetitive having to hear the same songs every time a new fight breaks out (Which is at least once every episode). It does a great job and really pumps you up, but it honestly just gets boring after a while. Except for the ending song. I will listen to that all goddamn day.

Characters: 5/10

As far as the characters go, there isn't really much to be invested in. Each one is slightly interesting and completely different from the others, but there really isn't much to them when you break them apart. It's a harem, so each girl has a thing for Souji, but only one of them really has a reason to (That being the childhood friend and best-girl, Tsube). It's nice having three characters able to transform into different versions of themselves as soon as they yell "Tail-on!" but considering they are almost identical to the way they are when they aren't transformed, there just really isn't much of a point to it apart from gaining superpowers. The characters definitely had potential, but didn't develop as the story progressed. They were all just too static and not interesting enough to be considered good.

Art: 6/10

Character design is well-done and relatively intriguing in Gonna Be The Twil-Tails! But boring landscapes and art that grows weaker as the series moves on really depreciates the overall quality. It was clearly evident that the studio was either running out of money or just getting lazy in the later episodes. But consistent design of the humanoid monsters (Or guildies as they are called in the show) stay pretty decent overall. Fight scenes are disguised by flashing lights and magic pillars, so focus is taken away from what's on screen and is instead directed toward background music or the lame dialogue the characters have to yell at that point. The color schemes are solid and appear interesting at first glance, but quickly become dull and boring, just like the characters do.

Story: 6/10

I'm going to be direct here and say that story isn't all that important in comedic anime. Gonna Be The Twin-Tails! relies on its script to succeed -- and the script is actually pretty good. But the story feels like there is something missing. It works like this: Tailred and friends take on a lizard-man or insect-man, completely destroy it, and then move onto the next one. It's just recycled action over and over again. The series attempts to get more interesting with the introduction of Dark Grasper, a human that is idolized by and in control of the Guildies, but she is just another boring character essentially trying via reverse-psychology to get Souji's mentor to love her. It's not something you can't find anywhere else, but it is fairly decent and watchable.

I've always liked uniqueness in visual media -- creativity is what I look for more than anything else when I review something. But there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. Gonna Be The Twin-Tails! approaches entertainment from a non-serious standpoint, and so it can't be graded the same way a serious anime is. It is watchable, but it isn't by any means great or groundbreaking. Approach this anime the same way that you would approach a stand-up comedy routine. If you go in with high-hopes, you will come out disappointed. But if you go in expecting it to just be okay, you might wind up enjoying yourself.

Overall score: 6/10

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV) - First Cours Review

"I am the bone of my sword -- steel is my body and fire is my blood."

If you have so much as set a single foot into the anime community since 2006, you have most likely heard of the Fate series by now. And even though its first anime adaptation (Modeled after the TypeMoon visual novel) propelled it down a critically ignored hill of decency, the series has come a very long way.

Following the success of Fate/Zero, the prequel and first story in the Fate universe, studio ufotable announced that it was going to reinvent the original TV series. However, this time it would follow the route of Rin Tohsaka as opposed to the Saber version of the story. Needless to say, ufotable once again paints a beautiful image of exactly how the story of Fate should be depicted, while at the same time, adding new bits and pieces to renew the interest that readers of the visual novel once held in regards to the series.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works follows both the aforementioned Rin Tohsaka (Smoking hot super-mage) as well as Shirou Emiya (Redheaded not-so-super mage guy). The two are tossed into a battle that occurs once every few centuries, in which seven mages each summon a "Servant" of a particular class in order to help them attain the legendary Holy Grail. However, the grail can not be obtained until only one mage is left alive.

Unlimited Blade Works does an outstanding job blending action with the dark undertones of mortality, as well as friendship, betrayal, and the struggle of growing up and making the right decisions. Bloodshed paves the way to a new beginning (Or end) for each person fighting for the grail. Your attention will be fixed to the screen for literally every second of your time spent with this installment of Fate. Each episode's ending is overflowing with suspense, essentially beckoning you to spend more time with the show. In order to better describe what's in store for you, allow me to break this show up into a few key components.

Music: 10/10

As always, ufotable brings you an onslaught of up and coming J-Pop/Rock artists, while bringing back the ones viewers loved from Fate/Zero (LiSA/Kalafina). And shall you make it to the final episode, a special surprise is in store for those who watched the first anime or played the VN. Never in my life have I had as many chills as I did hearing Disillusion come on as this first part of this story came to a close. It was like being hit by a literally tangible wave of nostalgia. And on top of the music, the original voice cast from the 2006 production returns once again. But this time, they are stronger and more emotional than ever. No complaints from me this time.

Characters: 10/10

I've always had a soft spot for the characters in the Fate universe. In fact, Rin is constantly fighting for the number one spot as my favorite character in all of anime every time she speaks. Each mage has a motive and ideals that keep them going as they put their life on the line for the entire duration of the show. Each servant is based on a historical icon (Fiction and non-fiction) that even history lovers would enjoy. They each bring to the table a so-called "Noble Phantasm," accentuating a certain aspect of their past -- something that made them into icons. Even the characters you will wind up disliking are complex in their own ways. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the cast of the Fate series is the best cast in all of anime. And for that reason, they attain the highest possible score from me in this category.

Art: 10/10

ufotable is quickly becoming known for their beautiful artwork. People all over message-boards and forums in the anime community have even been talking and gossiping about their budgeting for a while now, considering they consistently deliver some of the best art to date. Fight scenes are easy to follow, but at the same time a spectacle composed of vivid color and speed rivaling that of a Boeing 747. Character design in spot-on and landscapes are a huge improvement from the prior production of Fate/Stay Night, as well as looking nearly identical to its prequel, Fate/Zero. Each image is not only captivating, but refreshing in knowing that there is a studio out there who is able to deliver beauty on such a consistent level. Once again, no complaints from me.

Story: 10/10

TypeMoon has no qualms with telling dark stories. In fact, they love it. They build up each character almost perfectly and give them all their own time to stand in the spotlight. Character development is omnipresent and viewers go into each episode with open jaws and clenched fists, hoping their favorite master will come out on top. The Unlimited Blade Works route, which in my opinion is the weakest of the three different arcs, even comes out as mesmerizing. The story simply can't go wrong -- it just needed a studio who would be able to make everything else just as remarkable. It doesn't suffer from the same sporadic pacing issues that the 2006 Fate suffered from. ufotable picked a route and they stuck to it, adding many new flavors and new reasons to watch the series along the way.

There's always a shining star every anime season to emerge on top of its rivals. For Fall 2014, that show is Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. It closes the season with a bang and is already climbing the charts on various sites for "Highest rated show". It most likely won't wind up at the very top, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was executed perfectly and deserves the score I am about to give it.

Unlimited Blade Works picks back up for its second cours in April 2015. I'm looking forward to it more than you can imagine. You should be too.

Overall score: 10/10