Brigadoon

[KiraRin]

Sorry Einy, no comedy in this one either. But to cheer you up, say Brigadooooooooon in a Scottish accent :D

Story 8/10
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have epic sci-fi tales told at night by the wordsmith Arthur C Clarke, and out-of-this-world lullabies crooned by eccentric Ziggy Stardust. This gave me a taste, which rapidly developed into love, for the fantastical that still hasn’t left me as I rapidly approach thirty. Whilst browsing Anime-Planet for another rendezvous with the weird, a lone recommendation between Narutaru and the obscure Brigadoon Marin to Melan caught my eye. Going into the show blind with no reviews to read and no friends to comment on this older title, I took a step into the unknown only to discover the inexplicably underrated.

Starting out with an overtly childish and juvenile tone, the story initially spends time introducing the title worthy, Marin. The young girl is given a heartbreaking family history and taken out of her comfort zone, only to be plunged into a science fiction nightmare. Keeping the viewer guessing what will happen next, the writers maintain a constant barrage of deeply depressing twists throughout. Each time you think life can’t get much worse for poor Marin, her life is flipped on its head and cruelly beaten into submission. The thirteen-year-old girl has not only blossoming maturity to deal with, but also social issues and philosophical concerns. Brigadoon’s diversity is its strength, and this quickly becomes apparent as this child-like character undergoes some jaw-dropping experiences.

Jumping between Earth and Brigadoon, the plot successfully weaves an intriguing back-story for Marin and explains why both Melan Blue and the rest of the alien world would want this ordinary young girl. Playfully keeping the viewer on their toes, the cute cat-looking side characters remain a mystery throughout much of the show and frustratingly imply they know the whole story. In the meantime, the show quickly shifts into monster-of-the-week mode, as the heroic pair confronts new adversaries to fight off. With never a dull moment, Marin continues to evolve as she is thrust into more unfortunate situations and her life goes from bad to worse.

Littered with scenes of graphic violence, certain portions may not be suitable for all viewers. Attempting to redress this balance and appeal to a wider audience, there are certain moments where brutal savagery is bizarrely replaced with slapstick and a cream pie battle ensues. However, young teens will certainly find appeal in the alien warrior, Melan. His flashy fighting style is reminiscent of a shounen anime series and this frequently punctuates the dark and psychological undertones of Brigadoon. Dabbling in both this, and other genres such as political war and comedy, the constantly changing face of the show is well suited to an episodic approach. Each twist and nuance, no matter how small, becomes a plot-device that blends together into a fearless climax that shows a total disregard for traditional happy endings.

Animation 7/10
Falling into the tricky transitional period of the millenium, Brigadoon shuns any garish CG effects and instead sticks to simplistic drawings. With an initial off-putting feeling, Marin’s saucer-eyed charm missed the mark with me and I disliked the cartoonish feel of the show. However, perseverance definitely paid off and a dull palette of greys and browns reflecting an insipid life of 1960’s Japan are soon complimented by gleaming gold’s and blazing blue’s of planet Brigadoon’s scenery. Even though the visuals are nothing special, there is a surprising agility to the characters during the fight scenes that flow easily and are a pleasure to watch.

Sound 7/10
Reminiscent of both Fantastic Children and the Hack series, Brigadoon successfully uses a simple vocal harmony to highlight the other-worldly feel of the show as the alien planet interferes with ours. The soundtrack, although unmemorable, defintiely adds to the diverse and ever-changing genres throughout and blends well with the story's circumstances. Dragging down the overall score of this section, the English voice acting was atrocious. With the cartoonish voices echoing the childish animation style, I cannot recommend the original (and excellent) Japanese seiyuu’s performance highly enough.

Characters 9/10
Of Brigadoon’s gripping storyline, one of the most outstanding features is the complexity of a developing relationship between Melan and Marin. Potential romance between a thirteen-year-old girl and a twenty-something humanoid is wrong on many levels, but their feelings go well beyond this. Starting as best friends, they move through a father-daughter bond, but their eventual reliance on each other is designed to tug on the viewers' heartstrings, and it does it with an unmistakable temerity. There is a constant reminder of Melan's instinct to protect Marin and the effect this has on the young girl, as she starts to question her true feelings for the alien warrior.

Causing a great emotional response in viewers, the supporting cast give more reasons to like and cheer on the unfortunate heroine. Minor psychological bullying from classroom adversaries evolves into attempted homicide as both the plot-line and Marin mature throughout the twenty-six episodes. To even the good-guy/bad-guy balance, the lovable make-shift family from the tenement add to the overall craziness with their "anything goes" attitude. Although the only believable tenant is Marin’s grandmother, the comical neighbours come into their own as they reflect the writers’ twisted visions.

Overall 8.5/10
Still unsure as to the target audience of Brigadoon, I finally settled on the show being a success and able to breach the generation gap, as it offers something for everyone. With a mix of childish looks and vocal overacting, there is a certain ambiance that may put off the majority of serious anime watchers. However, looking deeper will reward the steadfast with a complex tale of love, war and journey through puberty. I hope that this review reaches at least a few viewers out there and inspires them to sample the delights on offer, as this is a show definitely deserving of cult status.

H.

[ThePatches]

First off, I totally said "Brigadoooooon" in my best Scotch accent. It cheered me up. Second, getting an 8.5 out of you has shot this show to the top of my viewing list. You're pretty unforgiving, and the tone of this review reflects how much you liked this show...

Third: Vivisection

Originally Posted by KiraWin

Story 8/10
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have epic sci-fi tales told at night by the wordsmith Arthur C Clarke, and out-of-this-world lullabies crooned by eccentric Ziggy Stardust. This gave me a taste, which rapidly developed into love, for the fantastical that still hasn’t left me as I rapidly approach thirty. Whilst browsing Anime-Planet for another rendezvous with the weird, a lone recommendation between Narutaru and the obscure Brigadoon caught my eye. Going into the show blind with no reviews to read and no friends to comment on this older title, I took a step into the unknown only to discover the inexplicably underrated.

Starting out with an overtly childish and juvenile tone, the story initially spends time introducing the title worthy <-- Don't quite understand what you mean here. , Marin. The young girl is given a heartbreaking family history and taken out of her comfort zone, only to be plunged into a science fiction nightmare. Keeping the viewer guessing what will happen next, the writers maintain a constant barrage of deeply depressing twists throughout. Each time you think life can’t get much worse for poor Marin, her life is flipped on its head and cruelly beaten into submission. The thirteen-year-old girl has not only blossoming maturity to deal with, but also social issues and philosophical concerns. Brigadoon’s diversity is its strength, and this quickly becomes apparent as the child-like character <-- I assume you mean lead? A little ambiguous. undergoes some jaw-dropping experiences.

Jumping between Earth and Brigadoon, the plot successfully weaves an intriguing back-story for Marin and explains why both Melan Blue and the rest of the alien world want this ordinary young girl. The majority of this is done through the cute cat-looking side characters, who remain a mystery throughout much of the show but frustratingly imply they know the whole story as they give snippets of information. During this ongoing revelation, Brigadoon becomes a monster-of-the-week show, introducing new adversaries for the heroic pair to fight off. With never a dull moment, Marin continues to evolve as she is thrust into more unfortunate situations and her life goes from bad to worse.

Littered with scenes of graphic violence, there are certain portions that may not be suitable for all viewers. Attempting to redress this balance and appeal to a wider audience, there are certain moments where the brutal savagery is bizarrely replaced with slapstick and a cream pie battle ensues. <-- Watch the repetition. It can creep in, even when you vary your sentence structure. However, young teens will certainly find appeal in the alien warrior, Melan. His flashy fight performances are more reminiscent of a shounen anime series and frequently punctuate the dark and psychological undertones of Brigadoon. Dabbling in both this, and other genres such as political war and comedy, the constantly changing face of the show is well suited to an episodic approach. Each twist and nuance, no matter how small, becomes a plot-device that blends together into a fearless climax that shows a total disregard for traditional happy endings.


Animation 7/10
Falling into the tricky transitional period of simplistic drawings from the 90’s to the garish CG effects of the early 2000’s, Brigadoon’s artwork sticks to the former and applies remains simplistic overall. With an off-putting feeling at first, Marin’s saucer-eyed charm initially missed the mark with me and I disliked the cartoonish feel of the show. However, perseverance definitely paid off here and the dull palette of greys and browns reflecting an insipid life of 1960’s Japan are soon complimented by gleaming gold’s and blazing blue’s of planet Brigadoon’s scenery. Even though the visuals are nothing special, there is a surprising agility to the characters during the fight scenes that flow easily and are a pleasure to watch.

Sound 7/10
Reminiscent of both Fantastic Children and the Hack series, Brigadoon successfully uses a simple vocal harmony to highlight the other-worldly feel of the show. The soundtrack is very enjoyable overall, and definitely adds impact to the diverse and ever-changing genres used throughout. Although it is not memorable outside of the show, a quick recap watch reminded me how enjoyable and well blended it feels. Dragging down the overall score of this section, the English voice acting was atrocious. With the cartoonish voices echoing the childish animation style, I cannot recommend the original (and excellently performed) Japanese seiyuu’s performance highly enough. <-- More repetition

Characters 9/10
Of Brigadoon’s gripping storyline, one of the most outstanding features is the complexity of a developing relationship between Melan and Marin. Potential romance between a thirteen-year-old girl and a twenty-something humanoid is wrong on many levels, but their feelings go well beyond this; starting as best friends, they move through a father-daughter bond, but their eventual reliance on each other is designed to tug on the viewers heartstrings, and it does this with an unmistakable temerity. <-- ??? I thought temerity ~ timidity. Am I wrong?

The supporting cast are written to cause a great emotional response in viewers, giving more reasons to like and cheer on the unfortunate heroine. Minor psychological bullying from classroom adversaries evolves into attempted homicide from a psychologically disturbed mother as both the plot-line and Marin mature. To even the good-guy/bad-guy balance, the make-shift family from the tenement add to the overall craziness, but do so with successful likability. Although the only believable tenant is Marin’s grandmother, the comical neighbours come into their own as they are turned into subjects of the writers’ twisted visions.

Overall 8.5/10
Still unsure as to the target audience of Brigadoon, I finally settled on the show being a success and able to breach the generation gap, offering something for everyone. <-- A little run-on. I would change the end to, "...generation gap, as it offers something for everyone." With a mix of childish looks and vocal overacting, there is a certain ambiance that may put off the majority of serious anime watchers. However, looking deeper will reward the adventurous <-- maybe "steadfast" works better here? with a complex tale of love, war and blossoming maturity. <-- you've used this phrase already. I'd look for another way to say it. I hope that this review reaches at least a few viewers out there and inspires them to sample the delights on offer, as this is a show definitely deserving of cult status.

Watch your use of passive. I think your non-hatred, humorless review had you a little conservative with your diction. Close reading revealed a frequent use of, "Something IS something, [second clause]". I think you should try to invert some of those sentences and get more focus onto the stronger verbs in the their second halves.

This series is undoubtedly complex, your review makes that much clear. Consequently, some of your sentences try to communicate too much content and nuance at once. It might be hard to hold back the spoilers, but I think you need to hold the reader's hand a little during the plot and character sections, so that you don't confuse him (or her).

The tone is great. This is definitely on the watch list, and a little work'll make this review shine.

P.S. Sorry if this came off as overly critical. It's just because I luvre your reviews so much.

[KiraRin]

Thanks for that Patchy, I've made the relevant edits with a couple of points to note:

The show is actually called Brigadoon: Marin to Melan, which is why Marin is title worthy (I was just too lazy to type it out before Rock edits the links and names).

Temerity means audacity - I wanted to get across that the show is very pushy at getting across certain messages.

I really hope you do watch this show Patch, as it really is an undiscovered beauty - and there are now a few others on the site who have watched and enjoyed it. I just hope it doesn't get your expectations up too much and it becomes dire because of that >.<

The next review is guaranteed comedy >:D

H.

[ChillWinterheart]

Each twist and nuance, no matter how small, becomes a plot-device that blends together into a fearless climax that shows a total disregard for traditional happy endings.

This makes me think you meant that the show didn't have a happy ending.... but it did O_O at any rate.... I love the review =D hope to get more people to watch the series, because "underrated" is putting it mildly..... try "unknown". T_T

[KiraRin]

I don't think the show is a happy ending in the traditional sense. After everything that Marin goes through, it doesn't have the usually Hollywood twist of people being brought back to life.

H.

[babyeinstein12]

Story 8/10
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have epic sci-fi tales told at night by the wordsmith Arthur C Clarke, and out-of-this-world lullabies crooned by eccentric Ziggy Stardust. This gave me a taste, which rapidly developed into a? love, for the fantastical that still hasn’t left me as I rapidly approach thirty. Whilst browsing Anime-Planet for another rendezvous with the weird, a lone recommendation between Narutaru and the obscure Brigadoon: Marin to Melan [the colon in the title made me double take this sentence; perhaps italicize the title? Also, "a lone recommendation between" might confuse some; maybe you could just say "a recommendation for Brigadoon...caught my eye"]caught my eye. Going into the show blind with no reviews to read and no friends to comment on this older title, I took a step into the unknown only to discover the inexplicably underrated. <"the inexplicably underrated" sounds kind of strange. Perhaps, "only to discover what it truly means for something to be underrated"?? This is only a suggestion; and you could probably think of something better. My brain is in a doze.

Starting out with an overtly childish and juvenile tone, the story initially spends time introducing the title worthy [titular character?], Marin. The young girl is given a heartbreaking family history and taken out of her comfort zone, only to be plunged into a science fiction nightmare. Keeping the viewer guessing what will happen next, the writers maintain a constant barrage of deeply depressing twists throughout. Each time you think life can’t get much worse for poor Marin, her life is flipped on its head and cruelly beaten into submission. The thirteen-year-old girl has not only blossoming maturity to deal with, but also social issues and philosophical concerns. Brigadoon’s diversity is its strength, and this quickly becomes apparent as this child-like character undergoes some jaw-dropping experiences.

Jumping between Earth and Brigadoon, the plot successfully weaves an intriguing back-story for Marin and explains why both Melan Blue and the rest of the alien world [would] want this ordinary young girl. The majority of this is done through the cute cat-looking side characters, who remain a mystery throughout much of the show but frustratingly imply they know the whole story as they give snippets of information <unnecessary IMO. I'm wondering if this previous sentence should be taken out. It sounds a little awkward. Maybe you could try wording it differently, especially the first clause. During this ongoing revelation, Brigadoon becomes a monster-of-the-week show Hmm... I'm not liking this sentence either. I would suggest something like, "In the meantime, the show quickly shifts into monster-of-the-week mode, as the heroic pair confronts new adversaries to fight off", introducing new adversaries for the heroic pair to fight off. With never a dull moment, Marin continues to evolve as she is thrust into more unfortunate situations and her life goes from bad to worse.

Littered with scenes of graphic violence, certain portions that <take out "that" may not be suitable for all viewers. Attempting to redress this balance and appeal to a wider audience, there are certain moments where the take out "the" brutal savagery is bizarrely replaced with slapstick and a cream pie battle ensues. However, young teens will certainly find appeal in the alien warrior, Melan. His flashy fight performances fighting style is?are more reminiscent of a shounen anime series and frequently punctuate the dark and psychological undertones of Brigadoon. Dabbling in both this, and other genres such as political war and comedy, the constantly changing face of the show is well suited to an episodic approach. Each twist and nuance, no matter how small, becomes a plot-device that blends together into a fearless climax that shows a total disregard for traditional happy endings.

Animation 7/10
Falling into the tricky transitional period of simplistic drawings from the 90’s to the garish CG effects of the early 2000’s, Brigadoon’s artwork sticks to the former [Erm I think you just contradicted yourself. If it's a "grey area" anime, you shouldn't say that it "sticks" to the former style]and applies remains simplistic overall <???. With an off-putting feeling at first, Marin’s saucer-eyed charm initially missed the mark with me and I disliked the cartoonish feel of the show. However, perseverance definitely paid off here and the dull palette of greys and browns reflecting an insipid life of 1960’s Japan are soon complimented by gleaming gold’s and blazing blue’s of planet Brigadoon’s scenery. Even though the visuals are nothing special, there is a surprising agility to the characters during the fight scenes that flow easily and are a pleasure to watch. This paragraph needs some fixing of tenses, and passive voice shows a little too much in the second half.

Sound 7/10
Reminiscent of both Fantastic Children and the Hack series, Brigadoon successfully uses a simple vocal harmony to highlight the other-worldly feel of the show its otherworldly feel?. The soundtrack is very enjoyable overall, and definitely adds impact to the diverse and ever-changing genres used throughout. Although it is not memorable outside of the show, a quick recap watch reminded me how enjoyable and well blended it feels. "The soundtrack, though unmemorable, defintiely adds to the diverse and ever-changing genres throughout and blends well with the story's circumstances."Dragging down the overall score of this section, the English voice acting was atrocious. With the cartoonish voices echoing the childish animation style, I cannot recommend the original (and excellent) Japanese seiyuu’s performance highly enough. Perhaps not enough sentence variety. I saw here a lot of sentences beginning with a subordinate clause.

Characters 9/10
Of Brigadoon’s gripping storyline, one of the most outstanding features is the complexity of a developing relationship between Melan and Marin. Potential romance between a thirteen-year-old girl and a twenty-something humanoid is wrong on many levels, but their feelings go well beyond this; starting as best friends, they move through a father-daughter bond, but their eventual reliance on each other is designed to tug on the viewers apostrophe heartstrings, and it does this itwith an unmistakable temerity. Temerity? How so?

The supporting cast are written to cause a great emotional response in viewers, giving more reasons to like and cheer on the unfortunate heroine. <Watch passive voice in this sentenceMinor psychological bullying from classroom adversaries evolves into attempted homicide from a disturbed mother as both the plot-line and Marin mature <I don't see how the two ideas of this previous sentence connect. Are you saying that the psychological bullying turns into homicide AT THE SAME TIME as the plot and Marin mature, or does the bullying etc. LEAD TO maturation of the plot/Marin?. To even the good-guy/bad-guy balance, the make-shift family from the tenement add to the overall craziness, but do so with successful likability. Not completely sure what this sentence means. Clarify please.Although the only believable tenant is Marin’s grandmother, the comical neighbours come into their own as they are turned into subjects "reflect" sounds better than "turned into subjects"of the writers’ twisted visions.

Overall 8.5/10
Still unsure as to the target audience of Brigadoon, I finally settled on the show being a success and able to breach the generation gap, as it offers something for everyone. With a mix of childish looks and vocal overacting, there is a certain ambiance that may put off the majority of serious anime watchers. However, looking deeper will reward the steadfast with a complex tale of love, war and journey through puberty. I hope that this review reaches at least a few viewers out there and inspires them to sample the delights on offer, as this is a show definitely deserving of cult status.




Very different review from you, Kira. It really does look interesting - maybe like a loose anime version of Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

[ChillWinterheart]

For people who are interested in watching the series, I wholeheartedly agree with KiraRin's note that it's better to watch the sub version, if only to hear Melan's voice. Don't give the english dub version a chance. It will give you cancer.

[KiraRin]

Thanks for that Einy, I've made a few of the ammendments apart from:

I had italicised the title, it gets lost in the quote I guess >.<

I don't know what is confusing about mentioning Narutaru, I want to use that as the example to help sum up the tone of the show and maybe other people have seen it and will watch Brigadoooon.

I liked inexplicably underrated - I can't explain why only 150 people have watched it, and why those that have didn't give it a higher score ;P

Marin is certainly not titular. She's 13! I mentioned this with Patches though - she is mentioned in the shows title, so I wanted to reiterate this.



I really think you should watch it though. It's a good, if not a little dark, show :)

H.

[sothis]

ill give a more thorough read later but a question, is the response about typical hollywood not being brought back to life as big of a spoiler as im hoping its not? D:

[KiraRin]

Originally Posted by sothis

ill give a more thorough read later but a question, is the response about typical hollywood not being brought back to life as big of a spoiler as im hoping its not? D:

Well, for the amount of death and destruction in the show, I'm going to say no :p

H.