And so, I bid farewell to one of my beloved pet shows from the Winter 2014 season, Witchcraft Works, a show that gets better the less seriously you take it. Although Witchcraft Works wasn’t the best show of the season, it was probably the most fun. And I’m partial to fun. Fun things have good re-watch value. And they make me happy.
On the strength of the fun factor and the ridiculously lovely art from J.C. Staff, I am pleased to award Witchcraft Works with a rating of 7/10, to be found comparatively ranked over at the Ongoing Rankings Page.
In lieu of a traditional review, I have opted to take a different approach for Noragami. It really is fascinating to see the overlap between different religious traditions. Noragami, with its (mostly) Shinto-based characters, displays a wide overlap with Catholic teaching on the nature of sin. It is a fascinating and hopeful experience to be able to bring two different traditions together and find, for once, the similarities, rather than the differences.
Disclaimer: Before I begin this discussion, I want to first guard against the criticisms that may come from undertaking an interdisciplinary approach to this topic. Any analogies that are made within this article are first and foremost that: analogies. When I discuss Yato as a Christological figure, I am not forgetting that he is a Shinto god of calamity, whose existence is directly resultant from the evil wishes of humans. The analogy is not perfect. I recognize this. But in fact there is no perfect analogy between God and anything extant on earth. My concern here is to distill parallels where they can be found, not to draw the perfect metaphor for the Catholic concept of God using this anime.
Tokyo Ravens is the second show to finish up for me this season, after a couple shows I thought were ending earlier wound up having another week (I’m not complaining). Following the magical adventures of Harutora Tsuchimikado adapted from Kōhei Azano’s light novel series, Tokyo Ravens was a solid genre entry into the shounen fantasy pantheon. Not exceptional except for a few episodes, but solid nonetheless. It’s a 6/10 for me, definitely a good rating for a show like this, and the comparative ranking is up on the Ongoing Rankings Page.
Kotoura-san is a cute anime with a killer first episode that keeps the rest of the show moving and interesting as it goes on.
Kotoura-san got a 6/10 for me, as it is a show that is held back a bit by its flaws, but definitely has more good things going for it than bad things pushing it down. Ranking here.
I must say, I am quite grateful to Log Horizon for plowing through the break between seasons, as doing so meant that it got done before the majority of the other shows from this Winter 2014 season. Being able to knock out at least one review before the end of season rush, even just one, is a huge help. So, thanks to NHK for keeping Log Horizon going. You’ve made my job easier.
Log Horizon had the misfortune to be broadcast just a few seasons after the preeminent MMORPG-based show of the decade, Sword Art Online, (and that’s a fact, whether you like it or not). For me, they were different enough to not really bear any true comparisons, but I would say that Sword Art Online is the superior of the two, for all its flaws. Log Horizon gets a 6/10 from me, and its comparative ranking can be found at the Ongoing Rankings Page.
As might be expected, considering my recent review of Bakemonogatari, the next review down the pipe is of Bakemonogatari‘s sequel, Nisemonogatari.
Sadly, I found Nisemonogatari to be inferior to Bakemonogatariin a number of ways, as well as more troubling in terms of the fanservice and sexual content of the show. For that reason, I have decided on a 6/10 rating for Nisemonogatari, and you can see exactly where it stacks up against other shows on the Ongoing Anime Rankings Page.
Let’s just put it this way: after I finished Bakemonogatari (by finished I mean watched all 15 episodes in one day), everything on my currently simulcasting list looked like utter crap & I didn’t want to watch any of it (sorry, Nobunagun and Wizard Barristers). Put another way, I now understand why a lot of people swear by the Monogatari series, because Bakemonogatari was an incredible experience, one I truly feel blessed to have been able to have.
I ended up giving Bakemonogatari an 8/10, but to be honest, I’m not incredibly happy with that rating. There may need to be some revisions in my rankings as I continue with the Monogatari series (Nisemonogatari is up next).
Like my favorite anime, Blast of Tempest, for which you’ll notice I’ve never written a review, Bakemonogatari is difficult to review because it has the “it” factor in spades. It’s not a show that you watch from a distance; it grabs you and pulls you in. I will do my best to break it down into tangible pieces as I work through this review, but forgive me if I occasionally break down into incoherent babble. But before that, I present you with the gorgeous first opening of the show: “Staple Stable,” sung by the voice of Hitagi Sanjougahara, Chiwa Saito.
Structurally, Bakemonogatari is set up in five distinct arcs, all held together by the main character, Koyomi Araragi, who has recently been turned into a vampire, then restored (9/10 of the way, at least) to being a human. Each arc focuses on the aid he gives five different girls as they deal with supernatural problems of their own, each derived from a different part of Japanese mythology and folklore. Sadly, I am quite ignorant of the myths to which the show refers (as I suspect most are), but happily no prior knowledge is necessary to enjoy the show.
Bakemonogatari rings in as the third show that I have seen from the anime studio SHAFT (the previous two being Madoka Magica and the currently broadcasting Nisekoi), and these three shows are definitely all from the same studio. SHAFT’s distinctive style and director Akiyuki Shinbo’s violent direction combine with the story and characters to create a visual production that is unlike anything I’ve seen before, differing even from the previous SHAFT shows I have seen. Characterized by dramatic poses, imposing facial expressions, sharp cuts and bold color pallets, the animation is pretty much inseparable from the story. They are one and the same. I can’t really adequately describe them, so have a few screenshots instead
Sonically, the highlights among the four OPs are the already linked “Staple Stable” and Hana Kanazawa’s “Renai Circulation,” as well as supercell’s ED, “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari.” The soundtrack didn’t really catch my ear most of the time, but there were also a number of time when it grabbed me like a monkey hand and plunged me even deeper into the show. The fact that these occurred occasionally (usually at critical moments of the story) just proves how good the music is.
The tone and atmosphere of Bakemonogatari, derived from the music, direction and animation, are splendid, evocative and unique to the show. That’s all that can be said.
Now that I’ve more or less covered the presentation, I want to talk about the part of the show that I care about the most: the characters. They are the heart and the true stars of the show, along with their voice actors, all of whom are excellent, at the very worst.
While Kanbaru, Hanekawa, Nadeko and Hachikuji are all wonderful characters in their own right, and excellent and welcomed members of the cast, the real stars are Araragi and the transcendent Hitagi Senjougahara. Dangerous, mysterious, beautiful and riveting, Hitagi falls for Araragi soon after he saves her and they become a canon couple in episode 5. Hitagi, sadly, is pulled out of focus for the remainder of the show, with the important exception of episode 12, which was my favorite episode of the entire 15-episode series, and her permanent influence on the rest of the show. Much like Aika Fuwa from Blast of Tempest, Hitagi is a force in the show, even when she’s not on screen.
To really give the characters of Bakemonogatari the analysis they deserve is beyond the scope of this review. They are just so competently able to speak for themselves over the course of the show that the best I can really say is to just watch it and see them for yourself. There are numerous scenes which consist of just the characters standing in one place and talking, and it speaks to the depth of the characters and the strength of the writing that these moment are just as, if not more, gripping as the action.
Despite all its strengths, there were two definite issues that I had with Bakemonogatari. If you have been reading my reviews at all, you can probably guess what the first one is. Yup, fanservice. Now, that’s not to say that all the fanservice in Bakemonogatari was fanservice that I despised. For example, the fanservice that arose in the second episode at Hitagi’s house came across to me, if not as tasteful, at least as appropriate and even necessary to the character. Sadly, I cannot say the same of all the fanservice moments in the show, and some of the worse ones did detract a bit from my enjoyment of the show. My second issue was one that was somewhat appeased as the show wore on, but even by the end of Bakemonogatari, there were still some moments of comedy that just seemed out of place in the overall tense and dark tone of the show. There are also a couple of really out of place moments involving younger female characters, and all I can really say about them is that it is a huge shame that they are in there, because they are exploitative and inappropriate for a show that shines in so many other ways.
With that being said, it’s to the credit of everything else in the show that I still feel that Bakemonogatari deserves its high rating. I’m in the business of finding shows that are worthwhile to watch, and even the morally bankrupt scenes, my distaste for the fanservice in Bakemonogatari and the occasional awkwardness of the humor were not enough to knock this show anywhere below an 8/10.
RECOMMENDATION:
You just have to watch Bakemonogatari. That’s all there is to it. The show is a work of art: gorgeously animated, sonically lush and expertly written. Despite the obvious differences, it does remind me of Blast of Tempest, which is high praise indeed. Bakemonogatari is a unique experience, and if you like anime or art at all, you owe it to yourself to watch this incredible series. I’m out of words. I can’t praise this anime enough. Just beware of the sexual content that crops up here and there.
Reasons to Watch:
Unbelievably gorgeous artwork, a beautiful soundtrack and exceptional voice acting.
Characters of substance and depth.
Excellent writing.
Quality from top to bottom.
It’s an experience in and of itself. Even after over 1000 words, I still feel that I have failed to truly capture what it is like to watch Bakemonogatari.
Because I told you to, and I know what I’m talking about (at least this time).
While I’ve only been watching simulcasted anime for three seasons, the Winter 2014 season is probably the weakest I’ve seen. This is mostly due to a number of very inconsistent shows. I’ve seen batches of shows that were consistently excellent or consistently mediocre or consistently bad, but Winter 2014 has brought many shows that just can’t make up their mind if they want to be good, bad or just run-of-the-mill. It’s a frustrating phenomenon, which makes those shows that are consistently good much more valuable to us viewers. So, which shows are falling more on the good side than on the bad? Read on to find out. Here’s a hint:
Hello, hello, I’m back again with another cheery anime review, the oddball middle school comedy Love Lab. Allow me to sum it up in a picture:
And that’s the crazy, clean fun that represents Love Lab. See see where it ended up in my rankings, click here. Love Lab gets a 7/10 from me, missing out on a higher rating because it is fairly shallow (although not in a bad way). However, the comedy is excellent and the themes are wholesome, ensuring that Love Lab deserves to be in the company of big hitters like Attack on Titan. Continue reading →
Perhaps no series has ever grown on me in such a short amount of time as Black★Rock Shooter did. A sadly, but appropriately short series of just 8 episodes, Black★Rock Shooter evolved from a simple illustration created back in 2007, which then inspired a song by ryo of Supercell, which then lead to a 50-minute OVA, which then lead to an expansion of the character into numerous other media, including video games, manga and the subject of this review: anime.
At the time of this writing, I still had not fully settled on a ranking for Black★Rock Shooter. I really liked, maybe even loved the series. After a lot of deliberation, I have decided to give Black★Rock Shooter a 9/10 and a place in my personal top 10 anime. The ranking can be found, as always, on the Ongoing Rankings Page.
Mage in a Barrel 