Midori

[KiraRin]

Midori


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Story 1/10
With a love for the sick and twisted, Midori holds the tempting promise of a tale built entirely from the perplexing macabre of manga artist, Maruo Suehiro’s, crazed mind. The allure from comments of the show being the most depraved and vile animation to surface from Japan piqued my curiosity with their forbidden promise.

Opening in a dark and depressing rundown suburb, a young girl called Midori sells flowers to raise money to feed herself and her sick mother. Pursued by the owner of a travelling circus, she is offered a better life in which she will be cared for and able to live comfortably. Events take a swift downturn, and the true guro nature of the creator's freakish nightmare is revealed; the psychological devastation of Midori within the freak show will have a varied reaction, depending on how tolerant the viewer is to cruelty. Leaving no subject taboo, Midori depicts graphic rape, violence and sexual fetish that will appeal to an extremely small minority of the anime community. Much of this horrendous spectacle will remain with you for a long time – the eyeball licking scene has become infamous for this exact reason.

With the initial disturbing events out of the way, Midori reveals a vaguely interesting plot with an unlikely love story at its heart. The young heroine finds herself drawn towards the newest member of the circus – a midget wizard named Wonder Masanitsu who can contort himself through the neck of a bottle; with a mysterious past and dangerous magical power, the dwarf is intriguing but shows a softer side to Midori. The introduction of this new character causes some interesting jealousy to propagate throughout the rest of the troupe, especially when he proclaims Midori as his own. A twisted relationship blossoms – almost to the point of being creepy, with the implied age difference being significant – and the two start to plan a contented future together.

Sick and twisted does not breed happiness, and so the show concludes with a visually perplexing montage of symbolic tragedy. I can’t pretend to understand the ending, or the rest of the show for that matter; Maruo’s gruesome creation weaves together a confused assortment of old reel films, postcards and explicit sexual violence. Only the most astute and devoted viewer will fully appreciate Midori – taking it at face value will causing analogies to be missed and much of the directors intentions to be lost. As cleverly obscure this show is, I found the repugnant imagery to be too distracting, leaving me feeling unsettled and a sick to the stomach.

Animation 8/10
Described by some as a kami shibai or paper play, the traditional Japanese influences are apparent throughout the show, especially in the characterisation. Mixing together different styles and creative ideas from the original manga works, the entire movie was created singlehandedly by one man over five years – a feat which deserves recognition. The contrast of bold colours and delicately detailed artwork is genuinely stunning, probably to a fault, as the horrific contorted forms of victims of the circus take on a life of their own.

Sound 3/10
The unusual soundtrack of the show is very fitting with an atmospheric feeling of a carnival Wurlitzer serenading the freakish performers. Although structurally simplistic, it is not memorable and does not suit the unusual artwork. Suffering from poor recording quality, the voice acting has some very apparent flaws; sounding hollow and tinny, it has a reverberating echo that attests to the limited budget. The amateur cast struggle to bring alive the characters, adding to the sense of “wrongness” to the overall audio.

Characters 5/10
Midori is weak and helpless; used for pleasure by others and having her dreams trampled to satisfy the jealousy of her lover, you never see any development or backbone as she is subjected to ritual humiliation. The fear of abandonment keeps her tied to the circus, and with no future or happiness on the horizon, she clings to the next best thing – a menagerie of freakish human beings, but the closest thing to a family she has. From the snake-like contortionist, to the gender bending gymnast, they are all depraved individuals who thrive on the suffering of others.

By far, the most intriguing individual is Masanitsu, the dwarf. I still have mixed feelings about this character – on the one hand, he uses cruelty to keep Midori by his side, but at the same time he shows her love and grants her peculiar but blissful visions. Using his dark magic to control people, he bestows love on those he believes worthy and causes sickening nightmares for those he doesn’t. The supporting cast's vicious and despicable treatment of Midori leaves a bitter taste in the mouth – the explicit and vulgar acts come as second nature, but will probably alienate the viewer from the peculiar onscreen happenings.

Overall 2/10
Regardless of stunning artwork and fascinating characters, I still found myself walking away from this show with nothing but the graphic violence and tormented visions. Maybe I “didn’t get it”, but a show that relies on degrading sexual deeds and outlandish carnage to gain reputation did not deserve concentration and focus to unravel the knotted plot. Outstanding for many reasons (some of them not good), Midori could have been a lot more, but the frequency and intensity of abhorrent scenes will not sit well with the majority of anime lovers.

I have a horrible feeling that this will cause people to watch this attrocity...

Off to bed now though, so enjoy ;P

H.

[VivisQueen]

The biggest flaws here are change of tenses and passive voice. You normally have present tense in the review, so the past tense in your first line and Overall section are jarring.

Just a few lines that I think could be changed to active voice for the better:

the true guro nature of this bizarre masterpiece is revealed <--- also, did you mean 'gory nature'?

there is graphic depiction of rape, violence <--- could be 'Midori depicts rape, violence...'

Midori is portrayed as a weak and helpless character <--- why not just 'Midori is weak and helpless'?



OTHER MINOR ISSUES:

devastation of Midori within the freak show will have a varied reaction depending on the tolerance to cruelty by the viewer <--- did you mean 'will have an effect'? Also 'depending on the level of tolerance of the viewer' OR 'depending on the tolerance level of the viewer' OR THE LONG VERSION 'depending on how tolerant the viewer is to cruelty'. Nobody is ever tolerant 'by' something

Although musically simplistic, it is not memorable and does not suit the unusual artwork <--- 'musically simplistic' sounds odd since you're already describing music. Do you mean 'structurally simplistic' or 'simple in composition' or the like? Also that 'Although' isn't fitting since you're not offering an alternative view in the following clause. Maybe 'Because it's musically simplistic...' or 'As well as being musically simplistic...'?

The entire Sound section has that repetitive structure. Because of this, this happened. Considering this, this is the case. Doing this, my friend did that.

on one hand, he uses cruelty to keep Midori by his side <--- on THE one hand

and grants peculiar, but blissful visions to her <--- 'and grants her peculiar but blissful visions' NOTE: no comma

Unfortunately, much of the characterisation within the show leaves a bitter taste in the mouth due to the vicious and despicable treatment of Midori <--- could be smoothed out and have wordage cut as 'Unfortunately, the vicious and despicable treatment of Midori leaves a bitter taste in the mouth' OR MORE SPECIFICALLY 'the supporting cast's vicious and despicable treatment of Midori leaves a bitter taste in the mouth'

Regardless of stunning artwork, and fascinating characters <--- remove that comma in the middle

Change all instances of past tense in Overall section to present tense. Will read more consistent that way.

[therik]

Originally Posted by VivisQueen

did you mean 'gory nature'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ero-guro

Biggest issue I had with this review is that some of your comments when talking about the show seem to contradict your rating. In story, you say "this bizarre masterpiece", in Overall you comment that it is "Outstanding for so many reasons" and then give it 2/10 overall. Outstanding masterpieces don't get 2 out of 10.

I understand you're trying to get across Midori's technical accomplishments at the same time as your complete distaste for it, but I think less of the former and more of the latter would make your review more coherent as a whole (and probably add in a lot more bite). You really need to get across quite how comprehensively the negatives overwhelmed the positives.

Once you've had a look at Vivi's changes I might see if there's some grammar left to nitpick, but that's my main point for now.

[ThePatches]

Originally Posted by therik

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ero-guro

Biggest issue I had with this review is that some of your comments when talking about the show seem to contradict your rating. In story, you say "this bizarre masterpiece", in Overall you comment that it is "Outstanding for so many reasons" and then give it 2/10 overall. Outstanding masterpieces don't get 2 out of 10.

I understand you're trying to get across Midori's technical accomplishments at the same time as your complete distaste for it, but I think less of the former and more of the latter would make your review more coherent as a whole (and probably add in a lot more bite). You really need to get across quite how comprehensively the negatives overwhelmed the positives.

Once you've had a look at Vivi's changes I might see if there's some grammar left to nitpick, but that's my main point for now.

I have to agree with therik's first comment, but not necessarily his second. You can't call something a masterpiece and then score it low. However, I think I understand where you're coming from. My suggestion? Believe in yourself.

I think you call this work a masterpiece because you're convinced there's some actual deep content in the show that eluded you and therefore can't bring yourself to declare that it failed... And then you do. Stick up for your viewpoint. From where I sit, it sounded like this anime set out to achieve something and then collapsed under the weight of its disturbing visuals and unrealized characters. If that's the case, give it a 2/10 out of conviction. Add a little language that indicates that Midori dropped the ball and then stand firm. Sure, someone might come along and claim that this show was brilliant, but until he makes you understand it and you change your opinion, stick to the one you've got.

P.S. I know, I know, I have to put something up in response. I'm going to go watch Penguin Musume Heart again (RIGHT NOW) and start my work on the review for it. Keep your shirt on... Or not. You're in to ecchi.

[KiraRin]

Originally Posted by VivisQueen

Words of wisdom :D

Thanks for that Vivi. I made the mistake of writing it over a few, completely separate sittings and not proof reading properly. Lesson learned >.>

Should I keep the word "guro", or is it a little too obscure for the general populace? I don't want to be responsible for people googling the word

Therik and Patches - I'm going to keep the word "masterpiece" in there for a few reasons. I do believe it is a personal masterpiece from both the original manga artist and the poor sod who hand drew every single cell in the movie. I honestly believe that there is a lot of impressive imagery and symbolism, most of which I probably didn't appreciate. Would referring to it as a "personal masterpiece" convey these feelings?

Patches hit the nail on the head

From where I sit, it sounded like this anime set out to achieve something and then collapsed under the weight of its disturbing visuals and unrealized characters.

I'll make a few edits with this in mind :)

Perhaps I should stick to ecchi, they're much more fun to write

H.

[Rince]

Hm I dont know what to say except I have not yet seen this, and it sounds gross.

all though i think i must agree with vivisqueen , a 2 in score and a masterpiece might not fit in. also its a 2 compeared to what?

oh btw i first thought this was Midori no hibi haha, so starting reading the review shocked me haha.

Perhaps I should stick to ecchi, they're much more fun to write

oh really? cool

[VivisQueen]

Originally Posted by KiraRin

Thanks for that Vivi. I made the mistake of writing it over a few, completely separate sittings and not proof reading properly. Lesson learned >.>

Should I keep the word "guro", or is it a little too obscure for the general populace? I don't want to be responsible for people googling the word

Therik and Patches - I'm going to keep the word "masterpiece" in there for a few reasons. I do believe it is a personal masterpiece from both the original manga artist and the poor sod who hand drew every single cell in the movie. I honestly believe that there is a lot of impressive imagery and symbolism, most of which I probably didn't appreciate. Would referring to it as a "personal masterpiece" convey these feelings?

Patches hit the nail on the head


I'll make a few edits with this in mind :)

Perhaps I should stick to ecchi, they're much more fun to write

H.

Actually rather than using vague jargon like 'personal masterpiece, be specific about which aspect you're calling a masterpiece. That way people can actually tell what you're talking about. I recommend actually using your own explanatory description:

I do believe it is a personal masterpiece from both the original manga artist and the poor sod who hand drew every single cell in the movie. I honestly believe that there is a lot of impressive imagery and symbolism, most of which I probably didn't appreciate.

Or, in short, just say you think 'in terms of animation, it's a masterpiece' but then make clear the rest of it is not.

You really cannot rate something a 2/10 and call it a masterpiece. That's a glaring contradiction.

[KiraRin]

I've taken onboard everyones advice, anything else that could be improved, or is it time to get my first dreadful review up?

H.

[sothis]

kira, i think this one is solid - post it up! not as many 'the's' in here and i think the bits mentioned in BAV/the other one will work themselves out with practice, so this one imo is good to go. :)

ps: if valondar ever comes back he'll surely have lots to say, as i think he ended up loving this one XD