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News Report Archive - August 2010 |  |
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News Report Archive - August 2010 | |
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There are times when I'm not sure if a review is really appropriate. There are anime I saw maybe 15-20 years ago that I could review solely on my good memories of them...but that isn't very fair, is it? Because nostalgia always colors the lens. But what happens when you can't remember a show you saw three weeks ago? That's the case with Elf Princess Rane, a comedy that was supposed to be funnier than what it was -- and one that, save for a few scenes, seems to be have been wiped from my memory completely. In this case, I think a review is fair simply because if a show is that mediocre as to be gone from the banks of my brain in that short of time, it says something about its quality. Glad I have a few notes around...
I tried to get into Final Fantasy, I really did. But for some reason, computer role-playing games just never have worked for me. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate a bit of good humor about them, which I found in Guru Guru: The Movie. A brief film -- less than 30 minutes -- it gets us right into a world of silly chibi heroes and dastardly dragons. While not inspired, it is quite a fun way to waste half an hour.
Maybe it's because it's because I'm nearing my 20-year reunion, but shows about high school life just don't have much appeal to me. When NIS America sent me a copy of Toradora alongside Persona -trinity soul-, I naturally opted into the latter first. Who knew that it would be a pile of stink and Toradora would be the worthwhile show? With a surprising lack of gimmicks, Toradora is enjoyable without being overly sentimental, even if it is vaguely predictible...and the lead gal is annoying as all get-out.
As I learned with my somewhat recent tour through the Space Battleship Yamato films, not everything that's older or part of a classic series is wonderful. As I make my way through the Urusei Yatsura movies I've missed, I'm finding it's true in this case as well. The third movie in the series, Remember My Love, is entertaining enough for fans, but it's missing the madcap comedy and has only a handful of the puns and wit that made the series one of the most beloved (and copied) in the anime canon. That doesn't mean it's bad, but it does mean that fans of the typical insanity the franchise is known for may be disappointed.
It's been a long time since anybody asked me, "What would you recommend to someone who loves Ninja Scroll?" That film has faded from memory in many anime circles, probably because there are very few modern shows even close to it. Today's pick from 2000, Puppet Princess, comes pretty darn close. And you know what? I like it better. It's a bizarre mix of action, comedy, and the grotesque. It's only 40 minutes long. And for that time, I was thoroughly entertained. Who knew how much I'd miss ninjas?