It's been a while huh? Let's do a review

Well I have nothing better to do while I wait for my dad to get off of work, so I figured I could review something. Hmmmm. How about a series? Haven't done that in a while.

Yeah why the hell not? This is Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

Free! begins with four boys- Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin- who have a history of being together in a swimming team in elementary school. They won a big tournament, but parted ways. Now in high school, Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa reunite and meet Rin after he was away for years in Australia in a swimming school. Sparks fly as Rin has grown this obsession to beat Haruka in a race after a small scuffle years earlier.

Hoping to go back to competitive swimming, Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and another boy named Rei work together to start up a swimming club at their school and make it a success against Rin when he joins his school's swimming team.

Yeah about as simple as it gets and it's a bit silly, but at the same time very enjoyable to watch. And that's because these characters are dynamic and have great chemistry with each other, even with the side characters like Rin's little sister, Gou. They learn from one another to get better, put up with each other through their arguments and at the end of the day are still great friends.

There's a lot of comedy but also a nice dash of drama. Yeah by the time you hit episode five it gets pretty fucking intense and eventually do you see a lot of emotions the guys are going through having to struggle with the past. I won't lie some of the dialogue is pretty cheesy but there's still genuine emotion being put into it that I don't really care if the content is silly. And like any sports anime, there's a nice dose of swimming.

While we're at it, the animation is pretty damn impressive. This anime was produced by Kyoto Animation which is well known for work with Lucky Star, K-On!, Clannad, etc. Obviously the characters do have similar styles to such animes and the swimming sequences are just eye candy. Actually watch those scenes and compare to say Olympic swimmers; it's on the dot accurate. Even the designs of the male swimmers are anatomically correct to that of Olympic swimmers, so it's not like they just created muscular guys for fanservice though there are moments of pure fanservice which are pretty hilarious.

So if you're looking for a short series to watch, a lot of comedy and eye candy and some crazy, fun characters, check out Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

And thus Studio Ghibli was found

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, while technically not a Ghibli film, is often regarded as one and helped with the studio's founding after its success. And for Hayao Miyazaki's second film, it's a masterpiece. Truly a spectacular film that everyone should see before dying.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, human civilization was nearly wiped out by a war known as the Seven Days of Fire which gave birth to the Toxic Jungle. The Toxic Jungle is constantly growing with a massive forest of giant mutant insects where everything is lethal to humans with its poisonous plants. There are scattered kingdoms throughout the world which face danger every day by the growing Toxic Jungle.

Our story begins in a settlement known as The Valley of the Wind. The people have been able to survive for centuries without too many conflicts with the Toxic Jungle. But now their troubles have just begun when aircraft from Tolmekia crashed into the Valley. Aboard the Tolmekian aircraft is the embryo of a bioweapon of the Seven Days of Fire, Giant Warrior. They discover the next morning via invasion by Tolmekian troops led by Princess Kushana and Officer Kurotowa that they plan to use the Giant Warrior to destroy the Toxic Jungle and become a massive power in the world. Now it's up to the Valley's princess, Nausicaa, to keep the Tolmekians from going crazy and saving not only her people, but the Toxic Jungle as well, a place where Nausicaa searches for solutions for her people to survive and ways to understand the creatures that live in the forest.

I'll get one of the first things that's great about this film out of the way: the animation. Yeah I say that a lot for Ghibli's movies but it's still part of what makes it a good movie. And the images created are just massive. Giant insects, giant aircraft, and it's all so greatly detailed and beautiful and very uniquely designed like nothing I've ever seen before.

Princess Nausicaa is my definition of the best female lead in any Ghibli movie. She's kind, adventurous, eager to learn about new things and explore places no one's ever discovered, and always tries to find a way for everyone to live peacefully and happy, but will occasionally resort to violence when necessary and is willing to throw herself in the face of danger to fight for what she believes in. She's just a interesting free-spirited character to follow and see what she'll do next to stop inevitable war.

Another great thing I really respect this movie for is the message. When I first saw it for the first time in years, I thought it would be as simple as "Don't destroy the environment or each other" or "Keep the peace and avoid war" or some stuff like that. But it's really more than some simple environmental peace-loving message. It's about the connection between humans and nature. Without giving too many spoilers away, there is a reason why the Toxic Jungle exists and why Nausicaa is going to such extremes to save a very hazardous place. Humans can't live without nature. We need it to survive, but also not wipe it out of existence. Even when we create such poisonous environments that will kill us, we need to maintain a connection and understand those environments to learn how to survive.

Great message, great characters, great story, great animation. What more could you want? Go see it.

Wait.. What?

If you want to sum up how confused you'll be when you watch the movie Porco Rosso. Not that there is anything bad with this movie, it's still a damn good Ghibli film. It's just some story elements don't make any sense and are never clarified. Well let's talk about the movie.

Set after the First World War in the Adriatic Sea, we follow an Italian ex-fighter ace who became a bounty hunter, catching seaplane pirates. Originally went by Marco Paggot, a mysterious curse has transformed him into anthropomorphic pig which of course, no one seems to question. He's better known throughout the Adriatic Sea as Porco Rosso (Italian for Crimson Pig). He spends his life living in hiding and frequenting Hotel Adriano when the seaplane pirates gang together to try to kill him. One thing leads to another and Porco finds himself having to return to Italy, where he's a wanted man (or in this case pig) for deserting the air force, to get his plane fixed and get the pirates off his tail once and for all.

It's an interesting and rather different story. It's one of the very rare Ghibli films based on history and the animation looks like it could be set in the real world. You can see that research went into it to create its set up and there's a lot of detail with aviation when the engineers are fixing Porco's plane. They display every detail that goes into these planes and it's just fascinating. The characters are also fun and unique and get out quite a bit of comedy. Porco's just a guy who does his own thing not really caring what others think, even if he's risking his life with the fascist police. And Hayao Miyazaki once again portrays a memorable female character, the Italian engineer, Fio. She's a very talented engineer at only 17 years old and has a lot of spunk and will take a stand against people who threaten Porco. I just love how female characters are portrayed in these movies and are so unique and independent. I don't think there's any point in bringing up the animation: it's brilliant. The colors pop. And there are some really beautiful flying scenes.

But as I said before, I do have a couple of downsides with this movie. Particularly Porco's "curse". In the beginning, it's stated that he was cursed but he never really explains how it happened until the last third and even then, it still doesn't really make any sense and it feels really rushed. It's like how Howl is "cursed" in Howl's Moving Castle, the curse itself is never really explained in its entirety, and in this film, it's never broken or is even that big of a focus.

And without giving too much away, the ending is one of those endings where it's like, "Wow, that's it?" It's an hour and a half but it does feel really short. I mean there's enough story as is, but with how it ends, you're just left wanting more. It was a bit of a disappointment.

But as is, it's still a good movie. I enjoyed the comedy, drama, action, and animation that went into this movie and I'm sure I'll be seeing it again someday.

Cats, Cats and More Cats

So while I'm neglecting to finish outlining my essay, I decided to watch The Cat Returns, this month's March movie for the anime/manga club. This is one of the Studio Ghibli films that deserves more recognition cause it really is good. And no, I unfortunately have not seen Whispers of the Heart but I would love to if I got a copy.

This film is a story of a girl named Haru, a shy and clumsy high school student. Her normal life takes a turn when one day, she saves a cat from being hit by a truck; a talking cat for that matter. That same evening, a ton of cats visit her front door and express their thanks for saving not just any cat but the prince of the Cat Kingdom. But everything turns for the worst when the cats send her gifts of catnip, mice and even the prince's hand in marriage. Their constant harassment makes her consult the "Cat Bureau", led by a cat figurine brought to life named Baron, to get help.

And well that's as about as much as I can give of the plot without spoiling. This is one of the shortest Studio Ghibli films at 75 minutes. Overall, it's just plain cute (not meant in a bad way). If you're a cat person you're gonna love the visuals they present with all these cats and it can be very hilarious. Speaking of, a lot of what makes The Cat Returns a good movie is the comedy presented. There's just so much hilarious dialogue and the situations the characters are put in. You'll get quite a few good laughs out of this movie.

And I rather enjoyed the English voice acting too. The cast includes big stars like Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle and Tim Curry. Dubbing's not an easy job but they make it work in providing so much emotion and over the top reactions to make these characters interesting and stand out.

The animation: You all know it. It's Studio Ghibli. Everyone knows that whatever they produce, it's going to look fantastic with the worlds they create with beautiful imagery and some occasional very creepy facial reactions (mostly the Cat King voiced by Tim Curry).

Overall, it's just a good movie full of fun entertainment for everyone of every age to enjoy.

All's Well that Ends Well

A few weeks ago I borrowed some anime from a friend just for something quick to watch. So today I finally finished it, and I absolutely loved it. This 12 episode series is known as Okami-san and her Seven Companions.

This romantic comedy features a tomboy named Ryoko Okami. She works as a member of a "trading" club known as Otogi High School Bank. Here, Ryoko and the other members fixes problems for students in exchange for returning the favor later. Now Ryoko seems to have a bit of a load on her hands when classmate Ryoshi Morino is recruited to the Otogi Bank after a failed love confession to Ryoko. And the majority of the series other than some rather silly requests being fulfilled by the Otogi Bank is Ryoshi trying to become stronger for Ryoko and be able to protect her while fierce, wolf-like Ryoko appears to be getting a crush on the shy boy while trying to hide the hurt girl "wearing a wolf's clothing".

As far as romantic comedies go, it's got your basic mixture of the two genres. A lot of fluffy and cutesy stuff with the tsundere girl still trying to be tough and not really show directly that she has feelings for the guy with really great comic relief. There's even a narrator that makes way for occasional fourth wall jokes and a lot of the comments she makes are pretty hilariously delivered.

Though surprisingly I did see some genuine drama in this that's almost a tear-jerker. When you find out about Ryoko's past and the pain she went through and the current struggle she's going through to stay strong, it's really heartbreaking. I seriously wanted to cry. And I like this about Ryoko and girls in general like her; she can be tough and fight her own battles but can still be vulnerable at times. She has a strong sense of independence but can still rely on others to help her in times of need and doesn't always have to mask her feelings. I like characters like that who don't always have to be pitch-perfect and have flaws; that makes them more realistic.

And speaking of characters, the rest of the cast is great too. Everyone is memorable with their unique personalities and quirks and have their own back stories to give them character. Of course I do love Ryoshi with how he changes throughout the series wanting to be strong for the girl he loves. It really makes him such a sweetie.

The animation is really nice with that shoujo sense of giant expressive eyes and bright colors. My favorite aspect of the animation style in this anime was the fighting scenes. It's pure eye candy to see the characters move at such a fast pace in these battles and gah! I just love it.

And last but not least, the story and morals it teaches are great. There are subtle allusions to multiple fairy tales in the episodes and I think it's creative in developing these characters.

Check out Okami-san if you're looking for something cute and funny to watch.

Okay so I may be cheating..

But I'm gonna review Avatar. Not the blue aliens Avatar. I mean Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I know it's probably cheating since it is technically an American-made cartoon, but I consider it an anime not solely for animation style, but of the great essence it has that makes it an anime: a flowing story, tremendous creativity, energy from great voice actors, great subtle messages, and overall, in my opinion, the best show that Nickelodeon has ever released on television ever.

In the world of Avatar, there exist four nations where it is capable to bend elements. These nations and elements are the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads. Benders have the ability to bend one of these elements except for the Avatar. The Avatar has the ability to bend all for elements, but he or she also has the responsibility of spiritual connection to the world to maintain peace and balance. All of that is disrupted when the power-hungry Fire Nation decided to lead an attack against the rest of the nations to gain world power. While the Avatar is meant to prevent such wars from happening, he mysteriously vanished when the world needed him most.

A hundred years passed and it appears victory for world conquering for the Fire Nation is inevitable. Our story begins with two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe named Sokka and Katara who discover the new Avatar trapped in an iceberg with his pet flying bison. This Avatar is a 12-year-old airbender named Aang, who's been trapped in the ice for a hundred years and without any knowledge of a war happening and the fact that since an airbender was next to become Avatar, his people were all killed by the Fire Nation. Together, this trio takes off to the Northern Water Tribe to begin Aang's journey to master all four elements and save the world from its imbalance, while facing threats of capture from the Fire Nations especially by the exiled prince, Zuko, who is seeking to regain honor from his father.

Everything about this series is just brilliant. The characters, the stories, the philosophies of the spiritual side of being the Avatar and the physical side with the different types of martial arts used in the different bending styles. Compared to some of the odd TV shows coming out at the time for kids in the mid-2000s, this was like a piece of art.

Every single character on this show no matter their significance, if any at all, is unique and memorable. I probably could go on forever with Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, the list just goes on.

Something I kinda do appreciate about the series is that it has continuity and no matter how seemingly pointless an episode may be, it does serve purpose to a series whether it's character development or we see the same place or characters again in a later episode.

What else can I say about this series? It's just fantastic, the live-action movie adaptation sucks, and I'll do a separate review on Legend of Korra

She's a What Kind of Mental?!

If you're looking for an anime with the oddest set up possible that somehow turns out as a great series full of action and entertainment, then Samurai Champloo is for you. How odd are we talking about compared to all the weird shit I've seen through my years of watching anime? Try mixing the Edo period with hip hop references and styles. No joke, that's literally the set up of the anime. One would think this would be the worst possible thing to be made by the Japanese, but thank God that impression is one hundred percent wrong. Well let's get on with the story.

It all begins in a tea shop where clumsy waitress Fuu is harassed by a band of samurai. She is saved by a mysterious vagabond known as Mugen, yet it escalates into a huge fight between him and a ronin known as Jin in a fight to see who's the better swordsman. Their combat leads to the restaurant catching on fire and burning down, taking the life of the village prefect's son. They are arrested and sentenced to be executed, but with the help of Fuu, both Mugen and Jin manage to escape death. Fuu is also able to get the two to set aside their fighting and accompany her on a journey to find "the samurai who smells of sunflowers".

The whole series is this trio traveling through Japan, meeting interesting people and saving them from the corruption of lords, Christian persecution and foreign prejudice.

A small warning that this is a pretty mature anime. Contains blood, violence, swearing and sexual references. Just in case this isn't your cup of tea then you have been warned.

Despite how weird and silly the hip hop references are placed and displayed, none of it is entirely forced in your face and a lot of the time, it's just funny to watch how awkward some of these situations are made. There's one episode where they're playing baseball against Americans and it truly is hilarious and one of the best episodes of the series.

The culture seen from the Edo period is really interesting and you do get some history as to what Japan was like in that time. And of course, our three main characters are fun and interesting people you want to follow on their travels through Japan (even though I think Fuu is annoying as all hell).

A perfect anime full of adventure, action and comedy for historical junkies.