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Rickoon

  • Seattle, WA
  • Joined Sep 10, 2009
  • 37 / M
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Lucky Star

Apr 19, 2011

Chocolate Cones and Lasagna Even after my unlucky dabbling in other hyped up anime series I decided to give another heavily lauded series a chance. As one might guess, my expectations for Lucky Star lacked the core, boy-like excitement I found myself overtaken by when starting other shows that received vast praise: Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, Ouran High School Host Club, Kino's Journey, The Meloncholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. My final verdict on all these shows--and others not listed--proved much lower than the general consensus. This fact continued to nag me as I hesitantly partook of the first episode. Though... See full review

8/10 story
8/10 animation
8/10 sound
8/10 characters
8/10 overall

Resident Evil: Degeneration

Feb 13, 2011

Resident Evil: Degeneration caught my eye immediately because of a familiarity with the series, but until recently I didn't have the time to view it. Though I'm not the biggest fanboy of the Resident Evil videogame series I can honestly confess that I've completed multiple play-throughs of both the fourth and fifth installments; also, I've had opportunities to catch up on the story from other games via friends, the internet, etc. With this solid RE background I came began the movie with a veritable amount of hype but sensible expections. A lot of the hype came from the stunning visuals. At times... See full review

7/10 story
9/10 animation
7/10 sound
5/10 characters
7/10 overall

Kino's Journey

Apr 14, 2010

After careful deliberation my next anime series to view landed upon Kino's Journey. Once again wooed by the endearing recommendations and extremely high review scores manufactured by passionate viewers I found myself starting a series that wasn't what I'd expected in a plethora of ways. The animation retains a charming style and arbitrary grace that never hinders the shows progress or intent, as far as I saw it, while retaining originality. It isn't typical movie quality, but it is impressive by series standards. For me, the sound worked at times and not at others. A few tunes captured the... See full review

2/10 story
8/10 animation
6/10 sound
4/10 characters
5/10 overall

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Special Edition

Mar 16, 2010

I enjoyed the Gundam Wing series, but noticed the many flaws that plagued it: plot holes, awkward pacing, strange inconsistencies, mediocre animation etc. Endless Waltz, orignially an OVA, follows directly after the series and came as a surprise in many ways.The story works as an additional arc to the orignal story and provdes an interesting spin on the conluding events of the series. Though riddled with clumsy flashbacks the plot progresses steadily while providing important information--some of which makes up for plot holes in the original series. When I first saw the movie near its initial release I was... See full review

8/10 story
8/10 animation
8/10 sound
8/10 characters
8/10 overall

Xam'd: Lost Memories

Mar 16, 2010

After seeing multple reviewer's very high scores for X'amd:Lost Memories I decided to give the show a chance. Though I don't usually choose to absorb any fiction based on reviews alone I found the genre tags and recommendation-pairings appealing as well. The story starts out with a great hook augmented by tactful ambiguity. Sadly, after the first episode the thick ambiguity remains, which helps in artistic interpretation, but heavily damages face-value narrative craft. Towards the end of the series I didn't know what world the characters inhabited, or even any historical context. Because of this the story... See full review

6.5/10 story
8.5/10 animation
7/10 sound
7/10 characters
7/10 overall

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Oct 26, 2009

A Closed Space The tailwind created from the hype of this show finally pushed me to watch it. Knowing that hype can destroy a series I took my time, even though it's short. Many treasures awaited me within each episode, but I found a lot more than previously advertised.  The plot moves without jarring the viewer, but feels half realized after the show's sudden conclusion. The fasinating basis slowly begins to erode as the plot progresses. In the beginning a seperation between reality, fantasy, and a third re-made reality poses great potential but falls flat because of neglect; all of the potential... See full review

6/10 story
8.5/10 animation
8/10 sound
7.5/10 characters
7.5/10 overall

The Vision of Escaflowne

Oct 20, 2009

I encountered the fantasy genre fairly late considering how often I'd steeped myself in fiction during my young life. Escaflowne appeared as the first fantasy anime to flash onto my television.  It forged a powerful introduction: quick-moving action, blatant tension, and giant mechs I'd never seen on typical Saturday-Morning cartoons. Two emotive impressions I recieved from my early encounter are anticiption and disappointment: the prior from conclusion of one episode and the latter from the show's cancellation. With these two feelings I returned to Escaflowne years later. The story remains altogether... See full review

6/10 story
6/10 animation
8.5/10 sound
7/10 characters
6.5/10 overall

Hunter x Hunter

Oct 16, 2009

Hunting for Hunters I started HunterxHunter years ago but never had an opportunity to finish until recently. The plot, even years ago, didn't strike me as avant-garde, but brought enough to the shounen table to garner my interest; a story about a boy going on a quest to find an absent father doesn't appear internally striking, but where the story falls short strong characters assist to bridge the gap. The four main characters deliver a variety of angles that almost any viewer can appreciate: The simple-minded hero, lonely assasin, vengeful 'nice guy', and a less-than-mature adult. Not only does the main... See full review

6.5/10 story
6.5/10 animation
7.5/10 sound
8/10 characters
7/10 overall

Outlaw Star

Oct 11, 2009

No. 4 Shell Though Outlaw Star was overshadowed by great animes of its time--Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, etc.-- there's still a lot to the series that potentially makes a worthwhile watch. Though a little disjointed and episodic the main plot line remains interesting. The story feels a little too familiar at times but always keeps the pot mixed enough to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom. Most of the characters follow an anime archetype of some sort but manage to flesh out into more than just an empty shell. Each character has an interesting enough story but the aspect that strengthens them the... See full review

7/10 story
8/10 animation
8.5/10 sound
8/10 characters
8/10 overall

Yu Yu Hakusho

Oct 9, 2009

I Didn't Want to Spirit Gun Myself Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't break the mould for shounen anime but certainly holds it's own as an interesting and entertaining series. The general story sadly follows the footsteps of DBZ whereas each arc revolves around "an even stronger guy" than previously introduced. The idea behind the "Spirit World" and the protagonist's job as "Spirit Detective" feels healthy though not groundbreaking in comparison to other series. The hardest thing about YuYu Hakusho is dedicating over a hundred episodes worth of time to complete it when numerous... See full review

6/10 story
7/10 animation
7/10 sound
8/10 characters
7/10 overall

Tales of the Abyss

Oct 6, 2009

Abyssmal Load Times: Plot PrimerI couldn't pass up the chance to see an anime based on one of my favorite games of all time even if other game animes fell short in the past. Also, I realize that's it's almost impossible to not make this review a compare and contrast model having seen the anime and played the game. All the original plot and characters are present and provide much of the same experience as given in game; the only difference being the length of mediums. Watching the anime is like reading flash ficiton while playing the game remains akin to reading a novel. This change wouldn't pose a problem... See full review

6.5/10 story
8/10 animation
6/10 sound
7/10 characters
6.5/10 overall

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2

Oct 5, 2009

Though I didn't personally enjoy Code Geass R2 I can sympathize with those interested in what's offered. There are enough characters that anyone could find one to connect with and cheer for. Sadly, the numerous characters all fight for supremacy and much of character development is lost in the melee. The story like the characters feels covoluted when look at as a whole though there are many masterful narrative devices incorporated in varying amounts; one example being the tactful and intriguing finale. Overall, I would recommend the show to quick-and-flashy fans as well as emo kids. The only reason I... See full review

6/10 story
8/10 animation
7/10 sound
5/10 characters
6/10 overall