My Favorite Anime of 2014

With the year coming to a close I decided to make a post on my personal favorite anime of 2014. This year was actually a pretty good year for anime and I've had a lot of fun watching so many shows. This list is based on my own personal opinions and enjoyment. I'm not saying that these anime are the best of the best of 2014 per say. So I apologize if you're Sword Art Online 2 or No Game No Life doesn't make it on here. Cause they won't be. Anyways the list as follows:

10.) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
     

 I'm completely biased with this pick as I've been reading the Jojo manga since my early high school days. I can't get enough of the manliness and awesome characters that Hirohiko Araki has so expertly created. And I know I'm not the only one who shares these feelings as Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has been a cultural icon in the otaku world in Japan for quite a while now. These sentiments I feel are also beginning to rise up here in America as more and more people are being exposed to the series via David Production Inc.'s fantastic, recent anime adaptations of the first three parts of the Jojo manga. Stardust Crusaders is the third part of the Jojo series and will always be my personal favorite arc. The currently finished first part of Stardust Crusaders spanned 24 episodes and will continue with part 2 in January. As such viewers were only given a taste of what this amazing arc of Jojo has to offer. I think the appeal of this particular anime lies in two things. The first: the premise revolving around an entire bloodline's (the Joestars) struggles to fight evil over centuries. The second being just how completely absurd and insane the show really is! Nevertheless, I feel Stardust Crusaders (especially with the introduction of Stands) is most certainly the most entertaining of the Jojo arcs currently animated by David Productions. 

9.) Mushihi Zoku Shou

     

Mushishi Zoku Shou is another anime I can't help but feel compelled to place on this list if only for the fact that Mushishi (the first season) is one of my personal favorite anime of all time. That being said, the 2nd season of Mushihi (Zoku Shou) is a brilliant follow up to an already fantastic show. Mushihi is a show that I struggle to legitimately recommend to people as it is not your typical show. It's extremely episodic in nature (allowing viewers to comfortably watch episodes out of order) and follows a single recurring protagonist, Ginko. To sum up the plot as best as possible: Mushishi follows the story of Ginko a traveling mushi master that seeks to utilize his knowledge of mushi to help anyone and everyone he can whom are affected by these creatures. Mushi are essentially the microorganisms in this world that are the closest things to the root of all life that have adverse effects on people (mostly accidentally and not purposely). It's a very slow paced show that succeeds in capturing and emphasizing real people's problems, emotions, and reactions in situations when they come in direct contact with certain mushi. It's the kind of show that you can sit down and watch to relax at the end of of a long day. It's a show that's rather difficult to marathon but I definitely feel deserves a watch if only for the unique and calm atmosphere that was so brilliantly created. It's also worth mentioning that the lovely and talented English singer/song-writer Lucy Rose performs quite possibly the most beautiful opening theme of all of 2014 for this show. Not a Japanese artist but a British one! I'll leave it here for anyone interested. 

8.) Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

     

Shigatsu is a show that has not yet completed at the time of this list. Yet, only 11 episodes in to this show and it has already had a profound effect on me. Shigatsu tells the story of a boy named Arima Kousei who prior the beginning of the show was a mechanically perfect piano protege. Kousei would practice intensely to master piano under the strict and cruel discipline of his disabled mother whom has transferred her dreams of becoming a master pianist to her son. We find out that she died a few years prior to the series around the time that Kousei has quit playing piano all together, as he has been unable to quite literally hear the notes he is playing. It isn't until Kousei meets a girl named Kaori Miyazono, a fantastic violinist, that he begins to become inspired to play piano again and erase all the trauma that his dying mother left for him, almost like a curse that has tormented his life. This show spouts some of, if not the most beautiful animation of any anime this year. It is breathtakingly stunning how beautiful this show really looks. It's also complimented well with some of the best music direction I've seen all year. The classical soundtrack starring my favorite composer Frederick Chopin has been equal parts beautiful and entertaining. The last thing I will mention is that the show fantastically depicts what it is like to be under stress while participating in music competitions. I myself am a pianist and was forced to participate in many piano competitions in my youth. I have not been able to relate in this way to any show I've ever seen until now. Cheers Shigatsu! Here's to hoping for another brilliant 11 episodes. 

7.) Sidonia no Kishi 

     

Translated to "Knights of Sidonia," Sidonia tells a sci-fi story in a  futuristic/post-apocalyptic setting where mankind has been forced to leave the Earth. A thousand years prior to the show, the mysterious alien race known as the Gauna have destroyed the solar system as we know it. This has forced mankind to live on enormous "seed ships" (such as the Sidonia) that has allowed for mankind to continue to survive and develop. However, mankind must still fight for their survival as the Gauna still remain a constant threat. Mankind has fortunately created a response for the Gauna threat in the form of giant mechs know as "Gardes." The fate of all of Sidonia lies in the hands of the talented and brave pilots of the Sidonia and the mysterious protagonist: Tanikaze, Nagate. 

Sidonia is the first anime I've ever watched that is completely in CGI that I've both enjoyed and been able to tolerate. Usually CGI art styles in anime bother me and distract me so much that I can't get into the show at hand. However, Sidonia has proved me wrong for the first time that it is possible to do CGI justice. Beyond this, I was thoroughly invested in the first season of this fantastic show. It was the best mech anime of 2014 in my opinion and it cleverly weaves in unique aspects of sci-fi to keep viewers interested. The invention of a third gender amongst human begins, humans learning to photosynthesize to survive, and the realism behind giant cannon shells flying at a slow pace in space are all cool and nifty aspects that showcases just a bit of what the show has to offer. I highly recommend a viewing of the show and look forward to it's second season coming in 2015. 

6.) Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis

     

Where to begin with this fantastic and fun show. First off, it's worth mentioning that this show is an adaptation of a semi-successful mobile phone card game called Rage of Bahamut. Studio MAPPA did an amazing job taking a loose concept of the world of the card game and creating a world that feels fun and memorable. Mind you this was a really high risk, high quality project for the company that was formed from a cast of people that broke off from legendary anime production company Madhouse. Anyways, Bahamut's first 4 episodes spouts what honestly was the best action anime of 2014 for all intensive purposes. The amount of attention to detail, fluidity, choreography and personality in the fight scenes alone were spectacular. It sore above everything that I had seen this year and really shows off its high quality from the very get go. Throw in some amazing animation that is gorgeous to look at it and your in for a real treat. 

The story goes a little thing like this: Favaro (whom by the way, gets my unofficial favorite anime character of 2014 award) is a bounty hunter/thief with a heart of gold that is buried under layers of filth. I have to say that Favaro's character design is very interesting as it doesn't subscribe to your typical "make the protagonist look and feel badass" motif. No, instead we are presented with a loud mouthed every day man who spouts a glorious red-haird afro. What I'm getting it at here is that he's a goofy looking character and it's awesome! There's a lot of heart behind his character and it takes an entire watch though of the show to seem him develop. Anyways my love for Favaro aside, the other main characters include: Favaro's best friend Kaisar who also has a ridiculous hair style and has a pseudo-competitive/revenge centered relationship with Favaro, the quirky half demon  Lady Amira who wishes for Favaro to take her to find her mother in another city, and Rita (a literal zombie girl). This colorful cast of characters must traverse many obstacles in a world filled with angels, gods, demons, and the menacing Bahamut, the great, evil dragon who's very existence can bring about the end of the world. 

-Shingeki no Bahamut: Geneis was the greatest surprise in anime of 2014 I can't recommend this underrated series enough! 

5.) Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu / Parasyte: the Maxim

     

Another great series by studio Madhouse, Parasyte is an adaptation of an old seinin, horror/sci-fi manga from 1989. Parasyte tells the story of planet Earth getting invaded by extraterrestrial beings known as parastytes that crawl into people's heads and take over their brains. Protagonist, Shinichi Izumi is a rare case that is the result of a parasyte failing to crawl into his head and has instead infused itself to him by literally becoming his right hand. Thus, Shinichi is in the rare position of being able to see things from both a human's and a parasyte's perspective. He befriends his new alien friend calling it "Migi" (meaning hand in Japanese) and learning more and more about the parasyte invasion. Most of the parasytes are mindless feeding machines that look to eat every human in sight. While others are trying to coexist with human beings and take in higher social roles amonsgt human society. The main hook of the series is getting to see how Shinici develops as a character as a result of having a prasyte infused with his body. He also may be the only person who is capable of stopping the world from falling prey to these horrible alien creatures. The show is vastly entertaining and has some very excellent pacing. Cheers Madhouse for a brilliant adaptation so far. 

4.) Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Bladworks

     

I can go on for hours about the brilliance that is the Fate Stay Night series. Being how lazy I am, I've never actually played and gone trough the brilliant visual novel that is the source material of all the Fate anime series. Thus, my only real experience with the Fate universe was watching the original anime adaptation and the recent Fate Zero series. That being said, with the different alternative routes of the visual novel, the flop that was the original Fate Stay Night anime done by studio Geneon Universal Entertainment, and the recent success of the anime adaptation of Fate Zero by studio Ufotable; Ufotable is back to bring a high quality/high budget adaptation of Fate Stay Night, the unlimited bladeworks route. To sum things up quickly, Unlimited Bladeworks is a route dedicated to showing the events of the Holy grail war with Rin Tohsaka and Archer at the helm of protagonists. One thing I appreciate about the show is the apparent attention to quality and content. The first episode is an hour long and the final episode of the series, once the second season picks up again in April, is confirmed to be an hour long finale. There was even an episode in which the opening was not shown and the entire 22 minutes was dedicated to straight content. I can assure you that some of the greatest action sequences and high budget animation was masterfully utilized in this show. But if any of this hasn't sold you I'll leave you with this: Fate Stay Night is essentially a show with fantastic character development infused with a story about a battle royale between "heroic spirits"whom are essentially famous figures throughout history and mythology. It's an amazing series that I highly recommend and Unlimited Bladeworks shows off a promising future that Ufotable can bring to this series.

3.) Barakamon

I was blown away with how amazing and likable this show really was. I went into this show with the knowledge that the premise had something to do with a calligrapher who punches an old man at a art gala and is forced to move away to the country. But what I got was something even more. Where Barakamon seems to shine is in its ability to use comedy to deliver an emotionally resonant narrative which, while at times kind of cheesy and certainly not horribly original, is nonetheless highly effective. The show stars struggling twenty three year old Handa Seishuu, who is a calligrapher who is indeed forced to move to the country after a horrible incident occurs. He takes this time in the country to learn more about himself and really find some form of inspiration to propel his art to the next level. The character that really shines throughout this series and helps Handa to develop is the young, rambunctious Naru, who provides most of the show's comedy and energy. She really comes to adore Handa as a true friend  and drives a heart warming narrative apparent in the show of establishing a sense of family and community being in a new home amongst strangers for Handa. This is slice of life done right and the comedy utilized only makes the experience all the more enjoyable. One thing I thought was really cool about this show was the utilization of a different dialect of Japanese that is essentially the equivalent of an old, southern dialect (as the show takes place in the country) and the fact that they used reallchildren to voice the child characters of the show (as opposed to defaulting to famous adult voice actors). Barakamon is a heart-warming and lovable show that really surprised me this year. 

2.) Ping Pong: The Animation

     

     

I never thought in a million years that one of my favorite anime that I would be talking about this year was a show involving Ping Pong..... but it's true ladies and gentlemen! This show is a masterpiece.

Director Masaaki Yuasa has made a name for himself over the past decade as perhaps the most consistently experimental and interesting anime director alive. Shows like Tatami Galaxy (one of my personal favorite anime of all time), Kaiba, and Kemonozume boast not only striking artwork and highly expressive animation, but also solidly written original scripts and concepts - a combination which has garnered the director nearly unmatched critical acclaim among animation fans. Ping Pong is Yuasa's first direct adaptation , but lives up to his legacy as perfectly as anything else he's been responsible for. Ping pong is a show that uses the sport as a medium to convey a coming of age story of four very different characters. While each of their stories are very much connected, it is their development and struggles in the stressful world of competitive ping pong that propels this story to a level of greatness akin to a masterpiece. This show also boasts the best soundtrack/music of 2014 by far of any show to come out this year. It's not your average sports anime and I feel many will put this one off if only for the unorthodox art style. But I tell you this... watch Ping Pong. It is a masterpiece that must not be missed! 

1.) Zankyou no Terror

   

Shinicihro Watanabe's latest show about terrorism is a stunning masterpiece. I've already written extensively on this show in my last post so scroll down my blog to the post before this one if you're interested in my critical analysis of the series. This show has had the strongest impression on me this year and I feel is a show that begs to be seen and discussed. 

Honorable Mentions of 2014:

-Aldnoah Zero

-Space Dandy

-Haikyuu!!

-Garo: Honoo no Kokuin

Thank you for reading my list and I hope you enjoyed it. Here's to hoping 2015 showcases even better anime!!!

-Nights Off

Link to my MAL: http://myanimelist.net/profile/NightsOff27

A Look at Zankyou no Terror

Even now as I'm currently writing this review....I'm shaking from all the emotions I felt from watching this show. Zankyou no Terror was (in my opinion) a masterpiece. It is an anime that has easily earned a spot on my personal top 10 anime of all time list and is definitely a show I will be talking about for a long time to come. This show has been one of the best anime to have come out in recent years. It has been a long time that I've liked practically everything in a show. That being said, apparently many people in the anime community seem to have some problems with this show. I want to break down all my thoughts on the show in different sections and address some of these issues that viewers seems to have. As such, if you haven't seen the show go watch all of its brilliance in it's entirety before reading this review. Many spoilers ahead:

Story:

Zankyou no Terror is a show that was driven brilliantly by a simplistic story that still allowed viewers to think. Directed by master Shinichiro Watanbe himself, (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, etc.) the series presented the story of two adolescent boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve. The two make up the duo known as Sphinx who are terrorists who were experimented on and trained as children. Right off the bat, the series' subject matter is a pretty solid hook. An anime about terrorism!?!? You don't see that every day! Let alone young terrorists...
The show ultimately becomes a story about Nine and Twelve placing bombs all throughout Tokyo and leaving riddles for the police force in order to figure out the locations of said bombs. It's all one big game, convoluted with mystery and clever implementations of genuine character development. 

One thing that I found very interesting about the show was the fact that Nine and Twelve successfully executed these bombings without killing a single person. This is an amazing feat that I think ultimately lent itself to allowing the audience to feel sympathy for our protagonists by the end of the series. The entire show was a conflict of morals as to whether or not we actually were able to get behind (and at the same time like) what our protagonists were doing or not. We don't know their motives until the very end, and this sense of suspense trying to figure out what I felt about Nine and Twelve was something I personally had not felt watching an anime in a  long time. The show's writing, in my opinion, was  a good example of good exposition in a "show not tell" format. Many anime shows subscribe to babying its audiences and telling you directly what is going on. Now while this standard, when utilized, doesn't speak of a show's quality by any means, any divergence from such is appreciated and well received. Zankyou allows for a much more enjoyable watching experience by showing you what is going on through expert direction and scenes such as the police debriefing conferences that allow for much more solid exposition. Viewers as a result, are deeply engaged in a plot that feels equal parts natural and believable. 

Characters: 

I felt the characters of the show were brilliant in many regards but let's look at a few individually. 

Nine

Nine is the more serious and stoic of the duo of Sphinx. He's constantly reminding Twelve to act appropriate, take their mission seriously, and to not get attached to anyone. Nine is a character whom above all else wants to see Sphinx's mission complete. At the same time, throughout the series we get to see how he suffers from post-traumatic stress. He has horrible nightmares and constant recollections of how he escaped the Rising Peace Academy with Twelve. These flashbacks also seem to constantly depict powerful flames, but this may have been an artistic choice to highlight his trauma. We also later find out that Nine along with two other children from the Athena Project (the horrible project that was behind children experimentation) were the subjects of really powerful drugs. These drugs cause the consumer to feel horrible side effects (such as Nine constantly feeling the world spinning and his come-and-go headaches) and ultimately die early (something viewers get to see in the show's final episode). With the fact that these drugs kill its consumers off early, we come to realize that Nine was constantly working on very short time with Twelve in order to see their mission complete. This fact alone adds a deep layer to Nine's characters, explaining his stress and full-fledged dedication to Sphinx's mission; not willing to diverge from such nor adopt a carefree attitude unlike his counterpart. 

Twelve

Twelve is very childish and light-hearted compared to his counterpart Nine. Also hailing from the horrible Athena Project, (that experimented on children with savant syndrome [look it up] in order to make super soldiers/agents to be utilized as weapons who could out-think/out maneuver anyone) he escaped the Academy early on with his friend Nine. Nine and Twelve share a very close relationship as they have been together for a long time. That being said, I thought it was very interesting that someone who went trough the same mental agony of the Athena project like Nine ended up so lively and light-hearted. Twelve is a character who is infatuated with the idea of companionship and being needed by another individual. So much so, that he is even willing to betray Nine later on in the show in order to pursue his feelings for Lisa and ultimately save her during episode 8. Being locked away for years from the world in the Academy, he was never really allowed to form close bonds with others beyond Twelve and presumably some of the other children in the program whom all died. Thus, he can't help but feel very curious and lovingly towards Lisa whom the duo meet early on and claim as their accomplice (as she witnesses them bombing a building). I definitely feel his character is set up in a way that audiences can like and empathize with him as he truly wishes to feel needed by another individual and loved.

Lisa

Many reviews I've read think Lisa is one of the weakest characters of the show. From the very beginning, she is set up in a way that audiences are supposed to sympathize with her. She's constantly being bullied at school, she seems to be quite anemic, (as she's quite pale, throws up a lot, feints a lot, and is portrayed as overall physically weak) and she lives with a very deranged, over-controlling mother who even results to domestic violence in order to control her child's actions. We really can't help but feel bad for her from the very get go. Yet... "she retains these characteristics throughout the show and really doesn't even end up being of any use to the protagonists. The show essentially marks her as useless and keep her there." These are the opinions of many viewers of this show...However, I will say this about her character: despite how "lame" she is made out to be, she fulfills the purpose of what the show is trying to achieve. She is just a normal, every-day girl who plays sidekick to very gifted and talented young men who are TERRORISTS!!!! I think people these days constantly want that strong female character in their shows that is extremely fleshed out and vitally crucial to the plot. I like those characters a lot too but in the case of this show however, we don't need that... Lisa perfectly served the role of a weak character who is a mess and needs saving. And that's perfectly fine as I feel it ultimately lends to a normal person's reactions and potential role should they find themselves in a crazy situation like that of the show. Lisa's life was complete and utter shit before Nine and Twelve gave her attention and gave her life some meaning (even if it seemed evil at first). Twelve (along with helping Nine fulfill the ultimate goal of Sphinx) is looking for someone who can depend on him. He wants to feel needed by another person and ultimately tells Lisa this while commenting on how he was glad he met her. In being the way she is, Twelve felt he had to protect and take care of Lisa as he does throughout the show. Thus, Lisa essentially helped Twelve to feel more like a bloody human being! If there was one thing I can agree with that was rather disappointing about her character, it would have to be never truly finding out about her mother and the true nature of their relationship. However, this plot hole is something I'm willing to let go as Watanabe probably wished for Lisa's mother to ultimately serve as a a means to an end for Lisa's overall development, albeit minor. 
-Is Lisa a good, well-written character? In the grander schemes of things..probably not. 
-Is Lisa a bad character in this show? Hell no. She's just a normal girl who happens to come from layers of horrible self esteem and an abusive home life. She play a pivotal role in allowing for Twelve's development as well as ultimately keeping the memories of our protagonists alive. 

Five

Now this is a character that is an interesting one to talk about. I have read a bunch of reviews on Zankyou that all feel the show was great but fails to reach master level because of Five's presence alone. Many people felt her story bits ultimately died down the series and was effectively unnecessary. I really don't understand this and actually view her as a very important character that drove an entire portion of the show in  a good way. Five is one of the last living survivors of the Athena project that is assisting the American government (who get involved in the Tokyo Sphinx case) to stop and catch Nine and Twelve. Here's why I think she's important and not a terrible character that brought down the entire show: 

-First of all, she was necessary to showing what the result of the experimentation on the children did when they finally "succeeded." They thought they'd be able to create genius savants that would be superhuman tools for the government, and what they got was a socially distorted person whose condition only led her to obsess over defeating Nine at something because he always beat her at games in the Academy. Everything else in the Academy was made to be a chore without joy, even eating, so I imagine competition and playing games was one of the only things she knew how to derive any joy from when she left. Unfortunately, she also had experienced so much trauma and was so mentally corrupted by the whole process they'd done to her that she also developed an obsession with getting revenge on Nine and Twelve for abandoning her when they escaped the facility.

-Second of all, she pulled that whole stunt with the ferris wheel making Twelve betray Nine so that Nine would have to feel her pain of being betrayed and alone!!! Seriously though, that ferris wheel scene as Five is watching Twelve struggle to free Lisa was intense stuff! Anyways, there are some very valuable and huge historical contexts subtly referenced in this show. Read about Unit 731 on Wikipedia. I think this show was meant to reference that, among other things. Just like with Unit 731 in WWII, when the US discovered the horrifying truth of what Japan had been doing with human experimentation, they opted not to prosecute them in front of the world and make the information public so they could TAKE the results of the research and keep them confidential for their own military use. In this show, the US discovered corruption, decided they'd rather take Five than expose the Athena plan to the world, and they got more than they bargained for in that. This show depicts American foreign policy fairly accurately. No matter how you look at it, Five is one of the children from the establishment, and the sole "success" of the research. That she seems to represent evil makes her all the more easy to sympathize with in my opinion.  

-You have to remember that Savant syndrome (combined with trauma and drug experimentation) can lead to incredible distortion in the way a person thinks and socializes and what they perceive is acceptable. I think Five's wickedness was entirely meant to be perceived as a result of the experimentation. She doesn't realize what she is doing is wrong, perhaps until the very end when she doesn't go through with finishing off Nine, which makes her a victim more than a villain, in my opinion. 

-Yo

-Lastly, a lot of her actions served to escalate the detectives' awareness and involvement in the case that ultimately helped Nine and Twelve's goal come to fruition. They may not have succeeded entirely on their own. We can never really know because that is not how the story went. Five was a great character that I felt by no means brought down this anime at all and instead brought something very unique and fantastic to the show.  

Shibazaki:

Shibazaki is probably my favorite character in this entire show. He's a top notch police officer/detective working for the metropolitan police department who 15 years prior to the show, originally belonged to the 1st Division of the police force (the best of the best). However, during a case in which a secretary fell to his death and was ultimately labeled as an accident, Shibazaki insisted on looking for the "real truth" as he truly believed the death was connected to a larger conspiracy. Because of how far Shibazaki went, he was eventually kicked out of the first division and forced to forget about the case (but he never really did). Fast forward to the events of the show and Shibazaki is essentially your quintessential, hot shot detective character. He has a strong sense of justice and is the man who ultimately discovers the mysteries behind Nine and Twelve during the Sphinx case. Shibazaki was the only detective who was able to solve all of Sphinx's riddles and was able to stop some of the bombs from going off in Tokyo. Reliving his past in doing everything it took to seek out justice and figuring out what Sphinx was really trying  to accomplish (so much to the point that he even begins to realize they may not be the real bad guys) was really interesting. There's a line by Shibazaki in episode 10 where he states, "I know him (Nine) better than all of you," that really served as a fine example of some of the emotion that was behind his character and how he was slowly unraveling it all. Shibazaki was necessary to piece the case together and was the only one who was capable of figuring it all out. Another detail I liked about his character, albeit minor, was how he had personal ties to wanting to stop the atomic bomb at the end of the series. We find out early on that Shibazaki is the son of a second generation of Hiroshima survivors. Thus, he had personal ties having already seen the affects on his family from an atomic bomb to stop at nothing to try and prevent it from all happening again at the end of the show. 

Artwork:

10/10...... The artwork and visuals of Zankyou no Terror are gorgeous and stunning. It is done in a very unique, hand drawn style that helps to flesh out every ounce of detail in every scene. Being a show that was an interesting length of 11 episodes, the show's budget was apparent throughout and really showed off beautiful visuals. Even if you didn't like the show's story, I think the visuals and music are two things that are hard to criticize. Speaking of music.....

Music:

100/10. The soundtrack of this show was composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno (you know... the lady behind the fantastic cowboy bebop soundtrack)! This soundtrack is in my opinion, one of the greatest anime soundtracks to come out in recent years. There is not a single track on this album that isn't fantastic in it's own right. The composition is on a master level in this soundtrack. I can speak for hours about how brilliant the musical direction in this show was...but I'll try and keep it brief. 

-I believe that good music in anime by all means is not paramount in order to create a great show. However, when it is present, it is most certainly appreciated. But when it's present in a great story....it only serves to make the experience even more brilliant. 

-Shinichiro Watanabe is known to incorporate unique and great music in all of his shows. He feels that his shows need good music involved in order to deliver the stories he wishes to tell. And by all means he already has a great track record with this so why stop now? (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, etc.)

My Thoughts on the Ending:

If you are still with me up to this point I truly thank you as I know this has been kind of long. Anyways, I'd like to wrap this all up with my thoughts on the ending of the show. For some reason, I keep reading reviews that all talk smack about the conclusion of this show. They find it anticlimactic, stupid, and a weak conclusion for everything the show was trying to set up. Once again, I truly do not understand these statements as I thought the ending was beyond brilliant and very satisfying. So let's take a couple things into consideration: 

- In my opinion, it was a very satisfying way to conclude the show, albeit sad. We knew Nine and Twelve were going to die. After all, at the end of the day, they were still terrorists. The death scenes were powerful too as Twelve is literally shot down by the Americans and Nine dies from the side effects of the drugs but  not before handing off the rest of their mission to Shibazaki (to expose everything in court) saying, "Don't forget we lived."It's the theme of how they died for their mission that I think will resonate with fans of this show. Nine and Twelve did everything they did so that someone could figure out that they were trying to expose what had happened to them in the past and what really occurred with the Athena Plan. They had to lure an "Oedipus" (Shibazaki) to go and find out what really happened in the settlement that experimented on children and that ultimately Sphinx was trying to get arrested but not without exposing the Athena Plan's secrets. Nine and Twelve had to display what they were capable of in order to prove to the government that they really were part of the horrific experimentation that occurred. And yet, they did not kill a single person throughout their entire campaign. Instead they brought Japan back to the stone age by launching an EMP that wiped out all electronic devices in Japan. 

-Many viewers found the whole wiping out all the electricity in Japan part kind of lame and anticlimactic. However, I saw this as more of Nine and Twelve wanting to make all of Japan feel exactly the way they did when they were still in the Academy: alone and cut off from the world in the dark. They wanted Japan to feel just a small fragment of what it was like and expose the corruption that took place. 

-Another thing that's rather small but I feel is worth mentioning that made this conclusion effective was the voice acting in this episode. My friend Robert Volante recently spoke to me about how he appreciates it when a rather emotionless character in an anime (Nine) suddenly shows a moment of intense emotion and exposure (Nine crying when Twelve gets shot). Twelve's death scene serves as a good example of this and truly was powerful. Nine's voice actor was successful in delivering pure, raw emotion. 

-Also, can I just say that the scene right before the death scene where Nine, Twelve, and Lisa are playing with a ball and just being kids for once was amazing!!! It was a nice refresher and it was great to see them all just be bloody children for once! 

-Lastly, we find out at the end that the word "Von" (a word that is seen in the beginning of the series on two separate occasions involving Sphinx) is the Icelandic word for "Hope." What an amazing theme that really tied together what Nine and Tweleve were trying to accomplish the entire time. Hope: that they could kill nobody in the process. Hope: that there story would be heard. Hope: that Shibazaki would end up coming through for them. Hope: that someone out there could really need them and make them feel human. Hope: that the truth will be exposed.... Ladies and gentleman... it is within my firm belief that Zankyou no Terror is truly a masterpiece of an anime. One that I highly recommend watching it to the highest degree. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.

-Nights Off

Anime Film Review: You are Umasou "The Land Before Time Done Right"

You are Umasou or Omae Umasou da na is a Japanse anime film directed by Masaya Fujimori (the same director of many Doreamon films, some of the Inuyasha films and even the first Pokemon film). If I were to describe the film briefly I would say it is the beautiful love child of America's "Land Before Time" film series and Yumi Unita's "Usagi Drop." This movie is a great film and I highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in its plot, those who love dinosaurs, or any casual anime or film viewer. Let me break down this film as to why it's so great. I intend to talk about key points of the plot so be aware: minor spoiler alert. That being said, let's bite right into it. 

The first thing I'd like to point out about this film is that it was intended for a children audience. Bearing that in mind, it's almost laughable to think that this film really is directed towards kids with its deeper meaning and mild violent themes throughout the film. Anyways, let's talk a bit about the plot.

The protagonist of the film is a young tyrannosaurus rex named Heart who is raised by a Maiasaura who stumbles across an egg floating down a river one day. Heart grows up with his brother Light (also a Maiasaura/ a plant eater) and their mother eating berries and leaves in order to prevent Heart from becoming a meat eater. 

Heart and Light's mother definitely deserves the bloody "Mother of the Year Award," as it is implied in the first portion of the film that the mom is exiled by the Maiasaura herd she was originally a part of for deciding to love and raise a "Big Jaw." She allows herself to be an outcast and shunned by her fellow Maiasura in order to live a peaceful existence, loving a child who is not even her own. While Heart's Mother truly loves him despite being a meat eater and tries her best to raise him as a plant eater, Heart's life takes a big 180 when he witnesses a triceratops being eaten by a pack of T-rexes. It is here that he realizes the true nature of what he really is and decides to run away from his brother and mother (in fear that he may eat them some day) while raising himself and eating meat. 

The film then does a time skip a few years into the future when Heart is now older and has "trained his body to become strong, especially his weak hands." Heart grows up to be the strongest predator he can and fully embraces what it means to be at the top of the food chain. 

However, after living a few years as an alpha predator, Heart's life takes another major turn when he comes across an egg that hatches into a baby ankylosaurus that believes Heart to be his father. After deciding not to eat the baby, Heart falls to the cute baby boy's charm and names him Umasou (the Japanese word for delicious). I have to say, the interaction between Heart and Umasou is pretty damn brilliant. It's extremely believable and heartfelt when you witness Heart's awkward dialogue with his "new son" as he clearly has no idea how to raise a child or how to be a father. That being said, some of the most touching moments occur at this point of the film in how Heart struggles to ultimately decide if a meat eater such as himself should really raise a plant eater just as his mother once tried. It's really heart wrenching stuff and you'll find yourself rooting for Heart as the film progresses. 

This film is a lovable gem that not only is entertaining (no seriously, it's not just an emotional ride it also has really cool fight scenes. Heart knows Kung-fu and it's awesome!) but bears a deeper message that audiences can really relate to. The film's portrayal of different species of dinosaur raising other dinosaurs really hits home with those who have been adopted and may feel like they too were out of place in some way growing up. The film also seems to bear the message that no matter what the color of our skin is or what racial background we may come from, love can always be found amongst people of every walk of life. This is heavily seen in the romantic dialogue between Heart and his female friend Pero Pero who is an Elasmosaurus who lives in the sea. It's great stuff and really goes to show the amount of love and thought that went into the creation of this story in which our characters albeit dinosaurs, are actually really relatable. 

The last point I'd like to make about this film is the music. In many cases of American animated films created for children (such as the Land Before Time film series), the creators tend to feel the need to saturate their films with really lame tunes throughout the film. That's fine and dandy and all as kids do love catchy songs, but sometimes it tends to get annoying. It's really lame when you are presenting your viewer with a story and you're slowly building up your plot only for it to be randomly interrupted with your characters suddenly bursting out into song about the situation at hand. We understand the character's feeling and circumstances, you don''t have to have them sing about it to emphasize the point. Exhibit A here is a good example of what I'm talking about... Now that I got that out of my system.... Umasou does not annoy it's viewers with this style of music implementation. There are really only two major songs that play in the film and they are sung by hired artists and not sung by the film's characters. These songs are also not annoying in the slightest and serve as nice backgrounds to show progressions of time in the film. Good job Japan!

Conclusion: I give this film a 8.5/10 and highly recommend it to everyone. The film bears a timeless and deep message of love while spouting excellent writing, great pacing, and a heart-warming story. The hand-drawn art style also stands out as really nice visuals for viewers to enjoy. Despite the film being directed towards children, it is truly a treat that holds something for any viewer (regardless of age).

-Nights Off