Influence or Coincidence

Recently I did a review for Ergo Proxy. Upon searching the web for box art I came across this:

Being the Evanescence fan that I am, I found the similarities between Amy Lee on the cover of Fallen and Re-l very interesting. I have no idea if the character designers had Amy Lee in mind or if they even know who she is, but with many American influences as I have stated in my review such as American band Radiohead for the ending theme song, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch. What is your take on it?

For those who don't know Ergo Proxy premiered in Japan on February 25, 2006 and Fallen was released on March 4, 2003.

Ergo Proxy Anime Review

In a world where people and androids are born and made for a purpose to be an active and useful member of society, what happens when that purpose is taken away?

Ergo Proxy is a darker set, science fiction anime with a color pallet to match. It has Gothic and cyberpunk influences as well as an apocalyptic theme. At times I feel like I'm not watching an Anime at all. The characters have English names, most if not all the writing is in English and while their eyes are larger compared to their nose and mouths, they are not the traditional wide, round eyes that have become synonymous with anime. Even the title song is in English, with an ending theme by American rock band Radiohead.

English influences aside, Ergo Proxy has a great story without any current nationalities involved. In a post apocalyptic world where robots serve their human masters and God like creatures called Proxies are hidden from the every day citizens in Romdo, Re-l (pronounced Rielle) is an investigator looking into recent murders with her AutoReiv (android) Iggy when she encounters a monster. This sets things into motion for Re-l, which she can no longer take back the knowledge that she has gained. Another main character in the series is Vincent Law who is an immigrant to Romdo and has lost his memories. When he meets up with Re-l they both embark on a journey to discover the answers that they are both looking for.

Because of the dark tones and feel, many if not all of the characters in this anime are struggling with some sort of inner turmoil. Many themes are set on finding the true meaning of oneself, even in a society that has people born for a purpose. Many questions are brought up, but few answers are given as they are questions which one must look within themselves to answer. Many people can relate to the characters in this way as we are all searching for our own raison d'être (reason for being).

Throughout the anime we see a lot of mute colors with little exceptions when a city is said to be lively and thriving. In one instant  Vincent is taken to a man's tower, who has saved him from a burning city. It overlooks the city that the man governs. The city is bright and thriving with lots of light colors, but as we discover that is not the case. With a flick of a switch the city is shown for what it really is: dark and crumbling with no one left. The colors play a key role in the feel of this anime, which I find important to point out.

Overall I find this anime to have important themes about one's raison d'être. But it is also entertaining with a sense of mystery and a variety of action scenes. Each character takes you on their own journey not focusing to heavily on one to give you a full sense of this world as all the pieces of their lives come together representing human kind. Mystery lovers will enjoy Ergo Proxy as it has much to discover.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles Anime Review

Magical powers, the ability to travel to new dimensions, a small fuzzy rabbit-like creature and an unspoken love that transcends them all. All that and more comes packaged in this 52 episode anime series.

Tsubasa is a heart warming tale about two friends, Sakura and Syaoran, who have been together since childhood on the verge of sharing their true feelings for each other when something mysterious happens. Sakura's memories are spread out through dimensions and without them she will die. Syaoran steps up and makes a deal with Yūko, also known as the Dimensional Witch among other things, to allow him and fellow travels to make the jump from one dimension to the next with the help of Mokona, a cute, rabbit-like creature with 108 special talents including dimensional travel. However for their wish of dimensional travel to be granted they must give up what is most important to them. In Syaoran's case he must give up all the memories Sakura has of him. So no matter how many memories she regains she will never remember Syaoran.

The story is filled with sorrow and laughter, which balance each other quite nicely. Sakura's loss memories play the largest role in the teams troubles, but the determination and strength they carry with them helps them over come each hardship they encounter in each new world. Add in a couple comic relief characters and you have yourself a story that touches your heart as well as your funny bone.  However the story doesm't end here and leaves you with their quest incomplete, which has you yearning for more. Where this can normally be a bad thing, they do not disappoint with a movie and a few OVAs to keep you busy for a long time.

The art style for Tsubasa is done in the usual style with great detail and beautiful scenery. With dimensional travel possible there are many different places for the characters to travel to, so the worlds and backgrounds are always changing, keeping it fresh and a pleasure for the eyes. The one thing I did notice though was that after watching this you will certainly want to watch the movie and OVAs to continue on with the story. However after watching Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom I noticed a bit of different styles as well as costume changes which took me out of the world a bit. The artwork in the movie is still nothing to stick your nose up at it, but it would have been nice to keep the same style.

While the visuals draw your eyes into all new worlds of magic and mystery, the music orchestrate the true feelings and natures of the place. Some of it is very peaceful, while other pieces show the true malice of a character. All of it fits very nicely together giving you the feeling of the epic adventure that was bestowed upon the characters.

I highly recommend Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles. It has a great story and characters you can really become attached to. As the main characters bonds forms between themselves you feel as though a bond between them and yourself are also forming. You grow with the characters and their relationships. They generally become characters you care about. Plus there is so much story here with hours of entertainment. The story doesn't get old and has you craving more, which they kindly deliver.

Death Note Anime Review

Death Note is pretty big among the Anime community. If you are a fan of anime, chances are that you've heard of it or even watched it. Death Note started out as a manga, then jumped into an anime series and has had three Japanese live action movies made after it. In 2011 North America will get a remake of the live action movies. The Japanese versions were separated into two films with a third film following one of the main characters on a side story. The Japanese films already condensed a a 108 chapter Manga and a 37 episode Anime into two films. I will be interested to how the American remake will fit so much content into one movie.

But what is all this hype about? For those who don't know the story, Death Note follows a bright high school student named Light Yagami who stumbles upon this magical note book that when a name is written down on it's pages while thinking of the individual they will die. This Death Note was dropped into the human world by a Shinigami, or god of death, named Ryuk who was looking to spice up his never ending life. He follows Light around as Light kills criminals with the Death Note to make a better world and dispense his kind of justice. However too many criminals are dying and it gathers the attention of many authorities including the Japanese police force and a mysterious independent crime investigator known only as L. L teams up with the Japanese police to find out the identity of this unknown killer dubbed by the public as Kira.

There is a reason why this anime is so popular, it really is that good. There is no gimmicks and fanservice here, just a good story that is smart and sets a moral dilemma. It's the basic good versus evil motif, but there are times when you are afflicted in deciding if Light is truly evil. Since the story follows light from beginning to end you get to really know his character.  In the beginning it seems his actions come from a good place, that he is just a bit misguided, but the power corrupts him as he spirals out of control. Though in the end I could not stop routing for him. This does not mean that you are not routing for L either. L is also a very lovable character and I found myself routing for both sides. Very little do you see that happen as too much emphasis is shown to just one side of the story having the opposite side demonized. Both characters have their shining moments, while at other times you can't believe what they are about to do next. And I think that is what makes the story so enjoyable as well as making real, believable characters as no one is ultimately good or evil.

As for the technical aspects of this anime, I think that the visual and audio are amazing.  The English voice acting was done very well, since I've pointed in the past that some anime fans can't stand most of the English Dubs. The style of it gives a very dark feeling for the most part since this is not a light hearted story. The themes and tone are very dark and serious most of the time so this anime might not be for everyone.  However the visuals and content aren't as dark and gritty as say When They Cry or Hellsing.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone. Even trying to get Video Animer's other writer to check it out since he seems put off by the hype. If that is a concern of yours, it shouldn't be. This is one anime that I can say I have a hard time finding something I don't like about it.

A Merge of Interests

As of today this will no longer be a blog for video games and like stories. I'm throwing Anime into the mix. Not much similarities there unless this was a Japanese Blogging Site, but it's not. I'm just merging two of my interests together.

I have been a fan of Anime for some time now, but recently gotten into the scene and culture around it. Also with the extra cash from working and no longer being in school has really helped me beef out my collection. I'm no where near Otaku status, but my interests in it has definitely strengthened.

So let me get right into it. The first discussion on my mind is a very popular one in the Anime community: Dubs versus Subs. Which is better? For those who don't know a Dub is the voice acting. Where an anime is done in Japan, all the voice acting is in Japanese, so to do an English Dub is to get English speaking voice actors. A sub is with the original voice acting and subtitles. This has recently come up on the NISA boards after they have decided to dive into the Anime buisness picking up 4 titles: Persona: Trinity Soul, Toradora, Pandora Hearts and Our Home’s Fox Deity. Since this is a new venture for them they don't have the cash right off to do English Dubs.

Personally I prefer dubs, but I also like having the original voice acting as an option. Why do I prefer dubs? Well here's my reasoning. The top most reason is my eyesight. I understand this isn't an issue for a lot of people out there, but reading all those subs really starts to hurt my eyes and can create headaches. I have bad vision as it is and its really tiresome to read all those subtitles.

Another thing is that all that reading really distracts you from the action. When i could be listening with my ears and watching the show, it ends up as me reading with a lot of pretty colors flashing by.

It's also nice to hear it in a language I can understand. That way I can listen to the meaning of the words more so then I can hearing it in another language. A lot of people might dispute this fact by saying that the English voice acting is usually done poorly, but I have not found that to be the case.

Now I'm not saying that if one day I learn Japanese and can understand it well enough to listen and comprehend what is going on, that I won't watch it in it's original form. I am no way discrediting original voice acting.

With that said, I will be doing a new review soon. If anyone still reads this, what would you guys like to see a review on? This can be game related as well.