Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion (Movie) Review

"When I try to write love, it only turns into horror. Thinking about it with a clear head, feeling such deep emotions to some other person you don't even know is truly a terrifying thing. Also, I wonder if love isn't a manifestation of madness in some way." - Gen Urobuchi

I will say this outright now. This movie doesn't have a happy ending. It's not meant to have a happy ending. And oh boy, do you need to be very ready for it.

It's hard to talk about this movie without spoiling anything, or hell, even the series in general is hard to have a conversation about to somebody new to it without something being spoiled. I'm writing this assuming you have finished watching the anime, the two movies before this, or reading the manga and are now interested in watching / have watched the 3rd movie.

The series in general is best experienced fresh, which is when you have little-to-no idea of what's the outcome. As such, I suggest you close this tab and get to doing one of the three things I had mentioned if you have yet to do so. Now if you don't mind being spoiled, read on but be prepared to be left in the dark about a lot of stuff.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion, henceforth to be referred to as Rebellion for simplicity's sake, is the third and final movie in Magica Quartet's film adaptation of the original anime. The story takes place an unknown amount of time after the first two movies / the original show, and as such, spoilers for them will be imminent.

Where do I begin? I won't be talking too much about the story, seeing as again, it's very hard to talk about it without spoiling anything. So instead, I'll delve into the theme of the story.

As mentioned above, the story wasn't supposed to have a happy ending. The concept around it feels rather... religious. I couldn't help but feel that the story is some sort of a weird retelling of the Bible and the genesis of God and Lucifer. Not that it's a bad thing really.

If you're familiar with Gen Urobuchi (the main writer of the movie), then there's a very high chance that you'll know his nickname, the Urobutcher. Urobuchi is famous for his dark storylines (Fate/Zero, Saya no Uta) with very bittersweet if not downright downer endings. But oddly enough, he wasn't responsible for the twist this time. That honor goes to Akiyuki Shinbo. Oh, how he one ups the Orubutcher himself is astounding.

The Rebellion's ending is depressing, yes. The ending can be unsatisfactory for a lot, yes. But did it work in terms of the story? Yes. I won't talk about it further as I'll be spoiling the movie, but I'll say this. There's a reason this movie was submitted to the Oscars. It's wonderful and seamless storytelling from beginning to end. Now if only the judges actually watched the movie and didn't dismiss it as a "kid's film".

If there's one thing I'll always give credit to Studio Shaft for, is that they always have fantastic production values. Both the audio and visuals of the movie are fantastic and are a step above from even their best works. The visuals have to be seen to be believed.

From well-chosen background music, to the heartbreaking themes of the movie, even closing your eyes and listening to the audio itself is a treat.

And I must mention the voice acting. Oh boy, the voice acting. Everybody does their role wonderfully, but someone rose just above the rest. Chiwa Saito, the voice actress for Homura, single-handedly steals the show from beginning to end. From Homura drowning in despair, to her slow descent into insanity, to her slowly realizing that she has become a *spoiler*. She just nails it.

Speaking of Homura... my god. It's no secret, Rebellion is all about Homura. I don't believe anybody would have expected this. Hell, she probably doesn't even deserve the shit that's thrown at her constantly. But it's inevitable. Gen Urobuchi's well known for creating idealistic characters, but always manages to break them down in one way or another by the end of the story. Whether they come out better or not depends on the material. Homura's development was something that nobody expected or wanted, but it feels so obvious and inevitable that more people should have seen it coming. And yet, hardly anyone did. The movie is called Rebellion for a reason.

The other characters serve their purposes well. Nobody feels shoehorned in, and they fit the story nicely. I will admit that I wish Sakura had more screen time. Her character is way more likeable in this movie than in her previous incarnations and I would have appreciated seeing her developed more.

When all is said and done, is it a masterpiece? Yes.

Now... did I enjoy it? Eh...

The movie itself is very heart-wrenching to watch, especially more so when you've seen most, if not all of the previous incarnations of the series (I.E. the anime, the previous two movies, the manga) and have grown attached to these characters, ESPECIALLY Homura and Madoka. After a certain point in the movie however, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that this probably isn't meant to be 'enjoyed'. It's hard to explain it in words, but that's how I feel about it. I personally probably won't watch it again anytime soon.

If you have seen any of the previous incarnations of the original anime and want to get some closure for the story, then you probably won't find much of it here. The ending still implies that there'll probably be sequels for it. But for what it does, it does it right. If you treasure the bittersweet ending of the previous incarnations and do not wish to tarnish it, then I suggest you stay away from this movie because Rebellion WILL destroy that small lingering light of hope.

At this point, I just hope Madoka doesn't become a cash cow franchise. It's such a waste of great writing and work by the Magica Quartet if that happens.

Random Rant: Why Is Love Live So Good?

A story about a group of students who band together and form an idol group to garner enough interest to save their school. Sounds clichéd right? It probably is, but that’s not what makes Love Live so wonderful. On paper, it’s probably nothing new. But what makes it so great is that there is thought, effort, and emotion put into it. It isn’t half-assed, or even overdone. There is genuine care and enthusiasm that bakes the series.

All of the μ’s members are unique in their own ways (If maybe a tad archetypal), and with great writing, they feel human and genuine. Particularly Honoka, mostly because of the situation she was forced into by the end of the first season and the beginning of the new season.

The show got a lot of flak for ending the first season on such a drama bomb finale, but I am probably one of the few who thought it was fine. Especially more so now that the second season rolled with it. Having it end on such a high note would have most likely pigeonholed them into certain scenarios. Ending it like such led to the second season having a clear goal in mind.

This is what a lot of fans or watchers missed. This gives the show a sense of continuity. Honoka is obviously still having the after effects of what happened. Instead of going the easy route of being a rehash of the first season, they decided to continue the story. This is a good thing. This is good story telling and character development. It gives us a different perception of Honoka, and even makes her feel more human. Retconning or not acknowledging the ending of the first season would have been distasteful.

One thing that I feel kinda sucks regarding the new season, is that because of their new clear goal, it was also established that the 3rd years would most likely be graduating by the end of the season (Unless they drag it out for some reason). As Eri had sorta dropped in one of their conversations: “As much as I’d like for this to go on forever, it can’t.”

Everything has to come to an end. As much as I’d love for the series to go on, it eventually has to come to a stop once they’ve run out of gas. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the series stops or ends after the new season finishes. Of course I’d be sad, but it had a good run. From selling only 430 copies of their first album back in 2010, to the anime airing which blew up sales figures (36k on their 6th single), to their Endless Parade concert. At most, I can realistically imagine the franchise running for maybe a year or two more. But nothing more, nothing less unless they manage to extend its life cycle with spinoffs or another anime season (Which I doubt).

Love Live has so many heartfelt moments from start to finish. All of the 9 members get their chances in the spotlight, and with clever writing, they get to have different reactions and feelings regarding the various scenarios that happen through the episodes. This is a show that cares about and understands its characters on a level above "cute faces to sell to otaku," without ever taking itself too seriously or trying to be anything other than what it is at heart.

I have a very personal history with Love Live, so me writing this blog post would have probably come off as very biased. But these are my genuine feelings about the series. It probably wouldn't win any awards, but it feels genuine enough that it leaves an impact. I love it, and I’ll continue to support it until the day it disappears off the face of the planet. Foreshadowing of a proper review of the series soon? Maybe.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru (Anime) Review

"I hate nice girls. Just exchanging greetings with them will get them on your mind. Start texting each other, and your heart will be set a flutter. If they call you, you're done for. Enjoy staring at your logs and grinning like a fool. However, I won't get fooled again. That's what your kind calls kindness. If you're nice to me, you're nice to others. I always end up nearly forgetting that. 

Reality is cruel, so I'm sure lies are a form of kindness. Thus, I say kindness itself is also a lie. I always ended up with these expectations. And I always ended up with these misunderstandings. And before I knew it, I stopped hoping. A highly trained loner is once bitten, twice shy. As a veteran on this battlefield of life, I've gotten used to losing. That's why I always hate nice girls." – Hikigaya Hachiman

*Author’s Note: Hikki has so many good quotes that it’s hard to pick a favourite. The above however, was one of the first that really stood out.

If you thought that name is overkill, then you probably haven't been around the block a lot. Before I continue, I must mention that I was working on a Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita) review, so that I’ll finally have another video game review after so long. But recently hearing all the rave about how Nisekoi was so “good” just pissed me off and reminded me of why I got so tired of the “brainless clichéd RomCom harems with zero development even after 100+ chapters/20+ episodes” series after so long. This is the show that saved me from abandoning the harem genre altogether. It is one of my top 2013 anime shows, and arguably is in my personal top 5 anime of all time. And now I’ll tell you why.

“Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru” (or “My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU” in English, SNAFU being a military slang for: Situation Normal: All F*cked Up), was originally a light novel series written by Wataru Watari, and was eventually made into an anime during the spring of 2013. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to the above as Oregairu (its commonly used abbreviation).

Oregairu deals with a deeply cynical, highly anti-social 2nd year protagonist Hikigaya Hachiman, who believes that happiness of youth life is a lie and should just die. A guidance counselor forces him to join a “Service Club”, where he meets an equally problematic student named Yukino Yukinoshita. The club is meant to grant wishe- I mean, help people with their problems. Eventually a third student by the name of Yui Yuigahama joins the duo, and hilarity ensues as all three reshape themselves and the people they meet and help.

Judging from the summary above, if you’ve been around the anime block, it would certainly sound like a generic romantic comedy harem show with shallow characters, right? Well, that’s what I thought as well at first. But that thought was quickly disposed of as early as the 1st episode. What instead followed however, was a show with great characters and a very thorough look on their psychology and motivations. While the pacing could have been handled slightly better in one of the arcs, it’s nothing major, and I feel the story as a whole was really well executed.

The characters themselves are arguably the strongest parts of the show overall. These are what I call, great characters. A generic / common harem romcom tend to possess the following stereotypes in them: the dense as hell and generic male protagonist, the tsundere, the genki girl, the ojou-sama, the stoic silent type, the incredibly patient childhood friend, the tomboy, and maybe the occasional “dude that looks like a lady” for added hilarity.

Oregairu has about four of the above at first, but then these stereotypes are quickly thrown out the window as soon as the end of the episode they were introduced in. Or hell, occasionally even the end of the scene that they’re introduced in. Except for the “dude looks like a lady”, his role is more played for laughs while being able to bring out a different side of Hikki’s, and not in a bad way.

These characters have great chemistry between them. Some of the show’s best lines (both funny and philosophical wise), come just from their interactions alone. With great chemistry, they also managed to nail down great development. Rarely have I seen a show and thoroughly enjoyed it based on character interactions and character development alone.

But oh boy Hachiman, our main protagonist. This manipulative bastard has got to be one of the best written characters during Oregairu’s season. Hikki, despite his twisted view on life and his messed up ways of helping, truly does know more about reality than anyone else in the cast. The harsh, messed up reality that he had to live through before where he is today. His interactions with the other characters, especially Yukinoshita, are wonderfully portrayed, and are highlights of the show. Just listening to his inner monologue was very captivating. I don’t think I've ever gotten bored or wanted a scene of him just saying what he’s thinking to just hurry up and finish.

The visuals? At first honestly, I thought it was kinda weak. Like, the art is solely holding back the show from being better. Animation is nice, if a tad choppy and awkward at times. At best, it was colorful and the designs were meh. But now, I actually think it’s pretty good. It has definitely grown on me, especially more so as my days in college have transformed me.

Audio? Oh boy, Nagi is singing the OP. What more can you ask? Her angelic voice, coupled with wonderful instrumentals make for a great song. The ED definitely grew on me over time, but more so the -Yui Ballade- version that plays during episode 5. That definitely got a tear or two from me, especially as the episode closed with it after a wham line. All of the voice actors did great, but the real standout is Takuya Eguchi as Hachiman (Yeah, Hikki again). At first I was like, “That dude from Oda Nobuna? Come on, there is no way he can pull this o-” Then the first episode came and went. “That... was actually pretty well done.” Then the show ended. “Best. Actor. Hands down.”

On the whole, the show is definitely not your average generic anime show. It goes way beyond that, and becomes an entirely new beast on its own. It really disappointed me that this show didn't get as much attention, mostly because people thought the art sucked and that it was going to be yet another generic RomCom. At the same time however, I am glad that the people who did stick around and give it a shot thought it was great. Me? I got a fantastic show that broke through the roof of my expectations and a new great found respect for Takuya Eguchi for pulling off Hikki so well.

If you’re sick and tired of the “generic brainless clichéd RomCom harems with zero development even after 100+ chapters/20+ episodes” show, *cough*Nisekoi*cough*, then definitely give Oregairu a shot. If you’re looking for a show with great characters and development, then by all means try this out. One of my personal favourites of 2013, and one of my top 5 anime shows of all time.

Clannad ~After Story~ (Anime) Review

Nagisa: "Do you like this school?"

Tomoya: "..."

Nagisa: "I really, really love it. But nothing can stay unchanged."

Tomoya (internal monologue): A girl I've never seen before. The words weren't directed at me. She must be talking to someone in her heart.

Nagisa: "Fun things... happy things... They can't all possibly stay unchanged. Even so, can you keep on loving this place?"

Tomoya: "Just find them."

(Nagisa, startled, turns to face Tomoya. They look at each other for the first time.)

Tomoya: "Just find new fun and happy things. C'mon, let's get going."

Tomoya (internal monologue): We start to walk up... the long... long... uphill climb.

If you have known me personally for quite some time, then you might have heard me gush over this show like no other. I’ve sung my praises time and time again, I’ve listed it as my favorite anime of all time, and most of all? I’ve labeled it as a masterpiece. I laughed, I cried, and this was the show that had genuinely changed my perspective on life. It’s not every day that you can come across an anime that can do all three.

However, it has been three years since I last watched the show (Except for maybe a few clips here and there on the internet), but my memories of this show never wavered. Then again, it has been three years already. After all this time and especially as my personal favorite anime show of all time, I felt like I had to rewatch the show to give it my most honest review. Now, does it still hold up?

Before you continue reading, ‘Clannad ~After Story~’ is a sequel to Kyoto Animation’s anime series ‘Clannad’ which first aired back in 2007. Knowledge of the first series is highly recommended to get the most out of this show and this review, but if you cannot wait or spare your time for the first then it is totally fine.

*For simplicity’s sake after this point, I’ll refer to ‘Clannad ~After Story~’ as ‘After Story’.

After Story’s… Er… story is arguably nothing new. But it’s one of the best parts of the show overall. It’s not that the story itself is unique, and it’s not that it’s revolutionary. But rather how it was done. By all means, if you dropped the first season because it was nothing but a harem show to you, then I strongly urge you to give After Story a chance.

After Story shows the story of a life of Tomoya Okazaki as he grows up into a man. A life of love, a life of laughs, a life of pain, and ultimately, a life of hope. It’s a slice of life. A slice of the life of a man who is having struggles with his own life and the people he wants to protect when everything goes awry.

KyoAni nailed the points of what makes life the way it is. The true meaning of “life goes on”, and that time always marches on. After Story takes some time after the point first season ended, and chooses to focus on the main character and the smaller group of people who are much more important and close to him. This is what a lot of stories rarely show or represent properly: the story after the story.

Are you looking for a happy and upbeat anime from start to finish? Then this anime is not for you. KyoAni did a lot of things with After Story that’ll evoke different emotions from you. It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you happy. It’ll make you cry. And oh boy, it’ll make you cry a lot. It’ll even make you smile and cry in the same scene. Despite the depressing tonal shift in the last third of the show, KyoAni still manages to make you laugh or smile through all the tears.

If there’s one thing I really love about After Story, then it’ll be the characters themselves. This is undeniably the strongest part of After Story. When the first season had a remarkably large cast of colorful and likable characters, After Story trims down the main list of characters down to Tomoya, his wife Nagisa, her parents Akio and Sanae, and arguably Tomoya’s best friend Sunohara (who is oddly enough absent during the last third of the show). The other heroines of the first season are still present however, but their amount of screen time has been drastically reduced to give way for the people I mentioned.

After Story has some of the best character development I've seen across all media. Tomoya begins the story similar to his state during the end of the first season. A delinquent who is unsure of what to do in his life. After Story breaks him down. He is destined to go through pain and suffering in his life, no matter what he does. A fatal hero, some might call him.

What also After Story did really well for me, was that it got me to like, if not love, characters that I used to dislike or were indifferent to in the first season. Major points go to Nagisa, the girl Tomoya ultimately chose to have a relationship with at the end of the first season. She has become a much more likable character this time around, and her parents are even better here. Remember how they were the plucky comic relief characters in the first season? Here, they're Tomoya and Nagisa's major source of support through their life together (Especially in the former's case in the latter half of the show).

The stories Tomoya made with the people he connected with got me to rethink of the situations of the people I knew from day to day. With these stories in mind, they can help the watcher come to respect him. I probably won’t last through the stuff he had to go through, but I genuinely respect the fact that he kept going. Through his pain, I learned more of myself. Through the struggles of the people around him, I grew to forgive and respect the people I had once hated. 

Every episode had me on the edge of my seat. Many episodes leaving me close to tearing up, if not outright bawling my eyes out. Not a lot of shows can do this to me, but I continued to watch it. Even when I knew that each episode from then on can have a ticking time bomb somewhere in it. I continued to enjoy the show, and I continued to cry and laugh with the characters as the episodes ran. While I have watched shows before that were tear jerkers for me, these shows always somehow seemed to force the viewer in to a position where they had to cry. For After Story however, this is real and you really feel it, emotions are not forced.

I feel like I have to note this however. The OST is amazing. However, there is one piece of music which stands out, for the wrong reasons. OP is one of the best at its time (And still is to this day), and while the ED is good, it's a major mood whiplash on some episodes. 'Torch' by Lia is an upbeat and generally happy song all around. This isn't a bad thing, but the thing is, it is used in every episode of the show barring the last. Some episodes can have you close to tearing up if not you're bawling your eyes out already, then this song pops up. It kills the mood and can ruin your experience of the show. They could have at least removed the ED during those episodes, or played the other ED song they had 'Chiisana Te no Hira', also by Lia. Many consider 'Torch' unnecessary, and sadly I agree.

People might think that having a story of a fictional character influence a person’s life is crazy and/or stupid. But the thing is, Tomoya’s story moved me. It had me rethink myself and my situation time and time again. It shows how even a simple story can make a big impact with the right direction. Clannad ~After Story~ is a masterpiece and I will continue to sing my praises for this show for as long as I live.

Kyoukai No Kanata (Anime) Review

With finals out of the way, I finally got around to doing this review.

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“I told you the same goes for me. But we met each other. The world changed. Don’t be a slave to your regrets. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here for you.” - Akihito Kanbara

If there’s one thing I really hate doing, then it’s giving a show/movie/game a rating before I even finish it. In most cases, these ratings tend to drop when I finish the thing, and very rarely do they ever rise or remain the same. Sadly, Kyoukai no Kanata is one from the former. What was initially the show running for my favourite of the season turned into one of the more controversial ones when the final episode finally aired. What do I think of the show? Let’s see.

Kyoukai no Kanata (Or Beyond the Boundary in English) at its core, is an anime that focuses on two outcasts who, for the first time in their entire lives, finally experience what it means to have a true friendship.  It deals with what it’s like to be born unusually and to be shunned for that reason. This is the part of the show that originally got me to continue watching it. While it probably isn't too original by today’s standards, the way it was handled during the first few episodes was well done and managed to keep my interest going.

The visuals? Two words. FUCKING BEAUTIFUL. This show has some of the best animation that anime has to offer. From the mundane to the epic, everything looks so magnificent. KyoAni has definitely raised the bar in terms of what hand drawn animation can do in an anime show setting. The action looks so fluid and is breath taking to watch, each youmu managing to have a distinct design and animation while still managing to keep their malevolence intact. Nothing was done in CG, even the biggest of enemies or the most epic of fights are all wonderfully done with hand drawn animation (Looking at you Tokyo Ravens). If the story was what got me to start, then the art was what got me to stay.

Being a KyoAni show, the OST doesn't falter behind to the visuals. Both the OP and ED are some of my favourites of the season and each scene was partnered appropriately with a wonderful piece to accompany it.

I’ll wholeheartedly agree with what a friend of mine said regarding the show. The pacing is way too fast for its own good. This is one of those shows that I feel would have definitely been much better had the show been 24 episodes at the very least instead of only 12. While each character is given a unique personality and unique quirks that separate them from others, given the pacing they weren’t fully realized barring the two main protagonists. And even then, they weren’t developed as well as they could have been. Then again, it could have been worse. With that we got? It’s alright. Their interactions get a few laughs out of me and seeing Mirai and Akihito interact just gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside, especially when the show was nearing its end (If not tear jerking).

With my praises out of the way, let’s get into what doesn't work. First off, waaaay too many side characters. Having a cast of this size can only mean one thing when you only have 12 episodes to explore them; A) they all feel hollow when all is said and done, or B) only the main characters get any development while everyone else is cast aside. In this case, the former wins out. Most of their  casual interactions feel odd, and it doesn't help that the comedic timings tend to be improper. The dialogue usually just falls apart, especially more so when the topic switches to the male characters’ fetishes. It’s hard to take it seriously despite its darker atmosphere as it tries too hard to be of the “slice of life” genre.

Another problem with the show is that it has way too many plot holes. A good number of subplots were initiated but were never given closure or given time to be explored. Episode 10 (Which was supposedly the episode that won back the watchers) gives us a wonderful flashback regarding a certain character’s motivations and another character’s agenda. A lot of things suddenly made sense and a lot of fridge horrors and brilliances come into play. Now while this is great and all, this also meant that they were now pigeonholing themselves into a specific ending. One that would ultimately leave many divided on whether they like it or not, with me being one of them. If you've talked with me on the days of December 19th and/or 20th, then there’s a good chance you have heard my thoughts on this. I’m not going to elaborate on this to keep it spoiler free.

Overall, the show is at the very least worth a watch. There are a lot of elements done well but there are also a big number of things done badly.  What started with a lot of potential ended up a big blob of mess and confusion when the dust finally settled. Kyoukai no Kanata can definitely be summed up in two words: “How unpleasant.”