Oda Nobuna no Yabō Review

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna
Oda Nobuna's Ambition

Synopsis:  Ordinary high-schooler Yoshiharu Sagara is sent back in time to the Warring States Period.  There he meets Nobuna Oda, not Nobunaga - Nobuna.  In this world all the famous warlords of the era are female.  Nobuna recruits Sagara, who she calls "Monkey", to help her conquer the world.



Review:  Is it okay to say a show is amazing, that others have deemed as mediocre?  That's okay right?  well even if it isn't, The Ambition of Oda Nobuna was amazing to me.  Quite often I find myself watching shows that are very easily "good" shows.  My most common grade is somewhere in the "B" bracket.  Most shows are enjoyable, but lacking in enough areas to keep them from anything great; while also having just enough to keep them from being a waste of time.  Ever so often I find a show that is fantastic in all areas.  Then other times I find a show that most would say is average with minimal flaws; but I enjoy it so much that it earns the respect of a grade slightly higher.

     When I first started watching The Ambition of Oda Nobuna I sincerely expected an enjoyable show, worthy of an average rating.  I entered with this set of mind frame and that's what I got out of the first few episodes, an average show.  Then I started to get more invested in the characters and the show in general.  By the time I was nearing the end, I couldn't stop watching it and I was on the edge of my seat.  I had to know what would happen to Nobuna, Sagara, Katsuie, Goemon, Hanbe, and the others.  There is little to nothing about the background of the characters in the show, but that does not take away from the characters themselves.  I enjoyed every character and their time on screen, even the villains were enjoyable to watch.

     Sagara is a great leading male.  What I liked most about Sagara was that the he had a backbone.  All too often we are given a male lead that is almost hard to root for, just because he is so weak kneed.  A lot of times the guy has to rely on a "pep talk" episode or two before he steps up to his role.  Not the case with Sagara.  In addition, the chemistry between Sagra and Nobuna is excellent.  I also greatly enjoyed Nobuna as a character.  She is just as strong a lead as Sagara, that they both equally share the light of "lead protagonist".  Also, The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is a harem anime.  Not in the sense of multiple love interests, but in the sense of their being multitudes of women surrounding the protagonist(s).

     The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is definitely a character driven show.  The whole reason I enjoyed it so much and became so invested was solely for the characters.  I did not become invested in the characters because of their past; but because I wanted to see what they would become.  And this is much of the premise of the story itself.  Will Nobuna become history's greatest tyrant or something more?  Will all her friends and family stay by her side, or will some betray her?  As you can see, even by those couple questions, The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is most definitely driven by the characters and backed by a decent story at the same time.  I do not want to take anything away from the story; it is based on some history after all.  It is a great story, I just think the characters took the forefront here.

     Animation for The Ambition of Oda Nobuna was perfect for the setting and the show.  It was not too artistic, nor was it too primal that it would cause you to lose interest.  The characters are colorful and of course the girls are vastly different proportions.  The backgrounds are probably where it lacked most, some scenes seem to be lacking the necessary attention to background for that scene.  While other times the backgrounds are excellent.  The final villain's animation was probably one of my favorite.  He was much more flexible and malleable compared to the rest of the show, and looked quite villainous.

     The musical score for the show was also done quite excellently.  The right tempo of music was picked for each scene.  Whether it be a villainous tone during the secret meetings, an upbeat war beat during battles, or a calm mellow tune for the more dramatic scenes.  The Opening and Ending songs were also great, I enjoyed both of those.

     Now as for my grade.  I know quite a few people may disagree with me on it.  There are a couple issues that may be brought up, for example: Sagara never changes out of his school uniform.  Any of these issues would be valid points in an argument, and I thought on all these a while.  The truth is they did not keep me from enjoying the show so immensely.  Sometimes I have to go with my instinct and that's what I did here.
(Plus it's my review anyway)

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is well written, has great characters, a good story, excellent ending, perfectly chosen animation style, and a great musical score.  I'll tell you what, give it a try and if you don't enjoy it you can contact me with as much hate as you can possibly muster.  I promise to read every last letter of it; and then I'll go watch and enjoy the show all over again for myself.

Oda Nobuna no Yabo -- A- violence, blood and gore, partial nudity

Happiness! Review

Happiness! - It's a happy and heartful school life

Synopsis:  Haruhi Kamizaka having been rescued when she was young, by a boy mage, longed to be a mage herself; so she enrolled into a special school that allows regular and magic classes. Along with her rival and best friend, Anri Hiiragi, she studied magic while she searched for the boy that saved her years ago, to give him a Valentine's chocolate.



Review:   I'm sure you read that synopsis and think to yourself, "its about a girl trying to find a mystery guy just to give him chocolate?".  I would agree with your skepticism, that that sounds like a very weak plot line.  That's the common synopsis I've seen for the show, and I think its a little mis-directing.  Thankfully Happiness! is not all about the search for a guy and the handing out of chocolates.  It does focus on Haruhi searching and giving out chocolates for a brief moment in a few episodes, then it quickly moves on with the true plot of the story.

     Happiness! follows Haruhi, a talented mage/witch, who is in the top of her class and has a love for magic.  When she was a young girl she was saved from some bullies by a young boy who used magic.  Since that day Haruhi has always had a love and respect for magic, and chose to become a mage because of that boy.  Her best friend (and supposed rival) Hiiragi is always causing trouble and letting her magic get out of control.  The magic school soon gets blown up and they have to integrate with the normal school students.  This is when they meet a guy who lets you believe he has a distaste for magic.

     The animation for Happiness! is crisp and clean, though seemingly a little out of date.  The characters are done well, while the backgrounds are simple.  The main thing is; the animation stays consistent throughout the show.  I actually have little to say about the musical score. I don't know if it was done so well that I hardly noticed it, or if I didn't notice it because there was such a lack of actual music in the show.

     Being neither a plot driven nor character driven show, I would say Happiness! is equally driven by both.  The story is simple but engaging. It's well told, doesn't lose itself along the way; and is good entertainment.  The characters are also simple, with not much depth.  The chemistry Haruhi and Yuma share, is obvious enough and the secondary cast fill their necessary roles well.

     Happiness! is only twelve episodes, but good entertainment all the way through. I never had to force myself to dredge through it, nor did I become overly bored.  Of course Happiness! is not a top tier anime, but not every anime is nor can we expect them to be.

Happiness! is a well balanced show.

     If Happiness! ever makes it our way to North America I would buy it.  For now its just streaming.

Happiness! -- B- mild violence, fanservice, partial nudity

Okami-san & Her Seven Companions Review

Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi

Synopsis:  Ryōko Ōkami is a spunky high school girl who is a member of a "fixer" club called the Otogi High School Bank. She fixes the school's problems with her partner Ringo Akai.

Review:  Okami-san follows Ryoko Okami, a classic tsundere, and Ryoshi Morino, who has a fear of being stared at (Ophthalmophobia).  Ryoshi confesses his love for Ryoko; she rejects him and tends to treat him with much disdain throughout the show.  Ryoko and her friend Ringo join a club, the Otogi High School Bank, that does favors for people in return for an I.O.U from the customers.  Most of the show revolves around the club and the jobs (favors) they do for people.  There is also the love/hate relationship between Ryoshi and Ryoko.

     Okami-san incorporates many Grimm Fairy Tales characters into the show uniquely and creatively.  The big bad wolf, little red riding hood, Hansel, Gretel, the huntsman, the three little pigs and many more.  Having a slight knowledge of some fairy tales will actually help you understand some of the hidden references.  Although you can enjoy the show either way, so no need to go do fairy tale "homework" before watching.  Okami-san is unique in that it has a narrator who joins you for every episode.  The narrator has an old granny type personality and similar comments that add some humour to the show.  The only down side to the narrator is she tends to speak over show dialogue at times, making it hard to catch what she's saying and the characters are saying.  Okami-san is also a show of self-awareness, with the characters reacting to things the narrator says and looking up at the screen.

     The animation of the show is above average, with bright and cheerful colors.  The characters are drawn well and the animation style changes for fight scenes, making the characters more flexible.  The music of the show is upbeat and peppy.  It fits the theme of the show perfectly.

      About halfway through the show they decide to bring up Ryoko's past (they only hint at it up to that point).  I thought they were going to change the overall theme of the show; only they don't.  Actually the show doesn't spend much, if any, more time on her past after that episode.  They could have used this as a catalyst and turning point.  Allowing Ryoko to become warmer and rely more on Ryoshi, and a chance for Ryoshi to get over his fear and step up as "the white knight".  Since they did not do this, I don't see why they brought up her past so vividly.  Especially considering its dark nature.

     Another thing that lowered the show's investment quality for me was bad timing.  Every time we see Ryoko and Ryoshi about to have a tender moment, either Ryoshi goes into a phobia-fit or Ryoko hits him (again).  Sometimes both things happen.  I understand interrupting a tender moment to let it kind of grow until later in the show, but that never happens.  Also a tsundere is supposed to eventually show their "warmer" side to the supporting character (Ryoshi in this instance).  It's quite obvious Ryoko has some warm feelings toward Ryoshi as the show travels on, but she still tends to treat him with much disdain.  This along with an unfinished, out-of-place dark history sets the show back a little.

     Maybe Okami-san could have developed itself better with more time?  The show's "villain" even says, "it will be more fun to tear them apart" (talking of Ryoko and Ryoshi); but we see no follow through.  Maybe a few more episodes would have given Okami-san the closure it needed; or maybe it would have just been a few more fun fluff episodes.  For what it is, it's good watching though.  The show in itself does not take much commitment or investment as a viewer.  Its a fun, enjoyable show with a few flaws.  I own it, so I will watch it again (for Ringo and Ryoko at least, they're quite cute together).

It's worth a watch, maybe stream or rent it.

Okami-san & Her Seven Companions -- B profanity, fan-service, disturbing elements

Shuffle! Review

シャッフル! Shaffuru!
Who would you choose?...




Synopsis:  Rin Tsuchimi is a typical teenager living with his childhood friend, cute Kaede, who's only goal in life is to take care of him. Everything seems to be going great for Rin, until two new transfer students join his class. Both are cute, and both are here to win his heart and marry him!  As if that wasn't enough, one is from the demon world and one from the god world.  Depending on who he chooses he could be the next king of the demons or gods!

Review: Normally I know exactly what I want to say before I'm even done watching a show.  However, I have had a very difficult time writing this review.  I've started over numerous times and scrapped many rough drafts.  I have not had problems writing because Shuffle! is a bad show, it's actually really good.  Every time I write the review for Shuffle! it sounds overall negative, so hopefully this one does not seem that way.

     Cliches.  Every anime has cliches, some do them well and some don't; and if anyone has spent a decent time watching anime you know the common cliches.  Shuffle! has its fair share of cliches and archetype characters throughout the show, but it does them pretty well.  The main characters each have their own back story and their own depth.  We don't get stuck with a large ensemble cast that are all fluff and no heart.  The show spends a few episodes with each girl; giving her back story, explaining why she loves Rin, and adding the depth to the character.

     Shuffle! is very story and character driven.  It starts as a funny romance/harem but later shifts gears to a more serious romance.  The stories behind all the characters play into the central story, giving each episode a purpose and significance.  There are a couple episodes that wander a little and seemed drawn out to me, but it picks right back up after.  One thing I noticed, the humor is well placed.  It never distracts, ruins, or draws away from a serious moment and even the funny guy is serious when the scene demands it.  Also, the humor is funny; it's not just there for gags or just to be there for the heck of it.

     There is nothing special about the animation, its pretty simple and typical to this type of show.  The soundtrack is decent, they actually use sound effects throughout in the background.  It may be hard to notice but there are some repeating sounds that seem associated with certain characters and their back story.  I really enjoyed the parts where Nerine and Lycoris sing.  The voice actress who does their voices, Haruka Nagami, has a beautiful singing voice.

     I highly recommend watching Shuffle!.  It is a show with many themes; harem, ecchi, fanservice, yandere, romance, comedy, drama, and supernatural.  It has many archetypes and cliches, but they're easily overlooked and well done.  The animation is simple, the soundtrack decent, and the story is great.  If you watch it for the story alone you will not be disappointed, I guarantee.

     

Shuffle! -- A- nudity, fanservice, adult themes, comedic violence

PS There is an alternate retelling called Shuffle! Memories, this is a retelling of the original with one extra episode (12 epsiodes total).  It was not released outside of Japan, though there are fan subs available.

Panda Kopanda Review

Panda! Go Panda! (US)
Short, Simple, Sweet....


*Dubbed Review*
Synopsis:  Mimiko's grandmother goes away for awhile, leaving little Mimiko home alone.  Shortly after her grandmother leaves, a baby panda appears in the garden along with his father, Papa Panda.  We follow Mimiko, Papa Panda, and Pandy on their adventures.

Review:  The literal translation of Panda Kopanda is "Panda, Baby Panda".  The movie is actually two movies put together in one collection; Panda, Go Panda and Rainy Day Circus.  For those who do not know, these two movies were one of Hayao Miyazaki's first works.

     When I started this movie I knew it was Miyazaki right away.  Anyone who has seen Miyazaki's work will see the resemblance in these short films.  The animation is dated, the film came out in 1972 after all, but it still holds the characteristics of Miyazaki's work.  The animation is more of TV quality so the backgrounds and the world are not as detailed.  You can tell Miyazaki was already throwing around the idea of Totoro when he made these.  Just look at Papa Panda's smile, if you don't see the resemblance go watch Totoro again.

     I watched this movie dubbed (as there was no other option) and thankfully its pretty good.  The voices match all the characters right, and Papa Panda's accent is hilarious.  I don't know who decided on his accent but it was a good choice for entertainment value alone.  So, the dub is good but the music is a little lacking.  The opening music is a catchy tune and there is some music throughout, but it's not much.

     The movie overall is very simple.  Mimiko finds Pandy and adopts him as her son, then later adopts Papa Panda as her father.  This equation doesn't quite make sense, but Miyazaki makes it work.  From there we watch the three of them in their journeys and adventures.  It is definitely more simple than Miyazaki's recent works, aimed more at children.  Don't let the simplicity deter you though!!

     There is not much more I can say.  If you've seen any of Miyazaki's work and liked it, you'll like this.  If you've seen Totoro, you will like this.  I definitely recommend seeing it, its short, simple, and worth the fun.  A great family movie and perfect for children.

Panda Kopanda -- A nothing objectionable

Eureka Seven Review

 
 Eureka Seven Psalms of Planets
An exciting journey with a timely ending...


Synopsis:  Renton Thurston is a 14-year-old boy whose life is the same every day.  He lives with his grandfather, who is a mechanic, and dreams every day of a more exciting life.  Nothing ever changes, until one day a giant mecha called an LFO (Light Finding Operation) literally comes crashing down on his house.  From that he meets a girl named, Eureka.

Review:
     Every anime has a central theme (or multiple); whether it is revenge, romance, coming-of-age, discovery, impending doom, or others.  Not very many shows attempt a central theme like Eureka Seven though; the theme of love.  Not the simplicity of falling in love, but the act of choosing to love someone.  This is the central (though underlying) theme throughout the majority of the story and not only with the two main protagonists, but the side characters as well.  There are of course other themes; the coming-of-age and the possible destruction of the world, to name a couple.

     Not only does Eureka Seven attempt an uncommon theme, it also executes it well.  We see the theme displayed through many of the characters.  Choosing to love someone and loving them no matter what they do or may not do, what they become or may become.  I like that they were risky enough to choose this theme and I'm glad that they execute it so well.  It's not too obvious, actually being somewhat subtle at times (of course after reading this you'll notice it for sure).  Normally a show trying to portray an uncommon theme like this would be lacking in some other key aspects.  Eureka Seven was able to portray the theme successfully while keeping the integrity of most everything else.

     The story is simple, though kind of confused by fillers or possibly unnecessary parts at times.  It tends to move along a little slow, while the action parts definitely take on their own pace.  I found the main protagonist, Renton, often annoying; to the point of almost quitting on the show.  This is probably a fluke thing with me and no one else will have this problem.  So, at times I had to remind myself that Renton is only fourteen years old and there is a coming-of-age story in here.  Other than that, each character had their own depth and they were mostly likeable.  Some of them were predictable at times, but they created a nice "family".  The action was done well and is fun to watch.  The show really only has one villain and he's forgettable if he's not on screen at the time.

     The animation was crisp and the characters and mechas were done very well.  The expressions were a little funky at times, but the world was absolutely gorgeous.  From desolate waste towns, to space, to the other world, and the rolling plains; everything was beautiful.  It was and is a gorgeous world.  The soundtrack was excellent, I especially enjoyed a couple of the endings and loved the last couple insert songs towards the end of the show.  I will be getting the soundtrack for sure.

     In short, it's a great show with a well executed theme and great characters.  A simple story with maybe a little too much length to it (fifty episodes); I was kind of relieved it ended when it did.  The animation is good, the music is great.  If you have not seen it I would recommend watching it.  How far up it goes on your priority list would be different for each person.  But make sure you see it at some point, it is worth the viewing.

Eureka Seven -- B+ violence (some graphic), adult themes, profanity, partial nudity