Medaka Box Abnormal: B
Medaka Box was always just very intelligent shonen, so it shouldn't really surprise me that the second season is basically a slightly differently organized fighting tournament arc that, in keeping with Nisio Isin's writing style, flows well and keeps the story moving much better than shonen series usually do.
I was disappointed because we didn't see much of my personal favorite character (Shiranui).
Overall it's an enjoyable watch, though a little absurd and with a plot that is fairly easy to see coming, except for the extreme weirdness of the final episode, which screams 'give us more' like nothing else and does an excellent job of setting up, or even demanding a third season. I dunno if Gainax will come through with that, they're notorious trolls (see the last 2 minutes of Panty and Stocking).
If you liked Medaka Box and absolutely need more, the second season gives you more. If you're hoping for closure or particularly extensive depth, you won't get it, but you'll get lots more of what the first season had.
Showing posts with label Nisio Isin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nisio Isin. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Nekomonogatari (Black)
Nekomonogatari (Black): A+
I really just want to hold down the A and + keys for this, but that would be unprofessional. Instead I will be unprofessional by squeeing wildly and bouncing up and down about how much I loved Nekomonogatari (Black).
As long-time followers know, I'm a huge fan of the writer (Niso Isin) and director (Akiyuki Shinbo) of the Monogatari series in particular and the Monogatari series in general, so it should be no surprise that I loved this as well. The reason it's Nekomonogatari (Black) is because there is, later in the series, a Nekomonogatari (White), which has not yet been made into an anime yet.
Nekomonogatari is a prequel to both Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, and unlike many prequels, builds on them intelligently and deliberately: Neko (Black) is meant to be watched AFTER Bake and Nise, and watching in in that order spreads a thick, gooey, delicious layer of fucked up over both of the chronologically succeeding series (though Bakemonogatari more than Nisemonogatari), something that retroactively makes both series much better, as it dawns on you that the characters knew all this happened, and did what they did later regardless.
In short, Neko (Black) adds tremendously to the Monogatari series as a whole, and gives me great hopes for the second season that is being released in 2013. I literally could not contain a shout of triumph when I saw that there would be more this year. If they continue to build on prior material the way Neko and Nise have, the Monogatari series as a whole may actually grow into an S rank series by virtue of brilliant writing.
If you liked the intelligent writing of Bakemonogatari and the off-color but honest sexuality and humor of Nisemonogatari, you will adore the emotional tragedy of Nekomonogatari. If girls in their underwear, older brothers sexually harassing younger sisters or coldly psychological child abuse are triggers for you, you probably shouldn't watch it, the last especially is done in a manner that shows the activity and the result, not the in-between part, and I found utterly chilling.
I really just want to hold down the A and + keys for this, but that would be unprofessional. Instead I will be unprofessional by squeeing wildly and bouncing up and down about how much I loved Nekomonogatari (Black).
As long-time followers know, I'm a huge fan of the writer (Niso Isin) and director (Akiyuki Shinbo) of the Monogatari series in particular and the Monogatari series in general, so it should be no surprise that I loved this as well. The reason it's Nekomonogatari (Black) is because there is, later in the series, a Nekomonogatari (White), which has not yet been made into an anime yet.
Nekomonogatari is a prequel to both Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, and unlike many prequels, builds on them intelligently and deliberately: Neko (Black) is meant to be watched AFTER Bake and Nise, and watching in in that order spreads a thick, gooey, delicious layer of fucked up over both of the chronologically succeeding series (though Bakemonogatari more than Nisemonogatari), something that retroactively makes both series much better, as it dawns on you that the characters knew all this happened, and did what they did later regardless.
In short, Neko (Black) adds tremendously to the Monogatari series as a whole, and gives me great hopes for the second season that is being released in 2013. I literally could not contain a shout of triumph when I saw that there would be more this year. If they continue to build on prior material the way Neko and Nise have, the Monogatari series as a whole may actually grow into an S rank series by virtue of brilliant writing.
If you liked the intelligent writing of Bakemonogatari and the off-color but honest sexuality and humor of Nisemonogatari, you will adore the emotional tragedy of Nekomonogatari. If girls in their underwear, older brothers sexually harassing younger sisters or coldly psychological child abuse are triggers for you, you probably shouldn't watch it, the last especially is done in a manner that shows the activity and the result, not the in-between part, and I found utterly chilling.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Medaka Box
Medaka Box: B
Written by Nisio Isin of Bakemonogatari and Katanagatari and animated by Gainax, there's pretty much no way I could give it a BAD rating, is there?
Medaka Box is about an invincible genius superwoman who happens to be 16, hot, and impossibly optimistic and nice. She becomes student council president in her first year of high school with 98% of the vote. Actually, it's about her childhood friend who looks out for her and helps her get through her life, because despite being an invincible genius superwoman, she's still also a 16 year old girl with emotions who overlooks things and fails to understand how people work sometimes.
Nisio Isin likes writing with pre-set relationships and history and letting you get to know the characters as well as they know each other. Medaka Box also avoids any sort of traditional harem-ery and much in the way of ship tease. The series is very episodic, with several episodes containing two short stories within them, but, true to Nisio Isin's writing, every character who we meet has a personality, goals and position in the setting. Episodes also tend to be dialogue-heavy (though not as much as Bakemonogatari or Katanagatari), though there is a fair amount of action.
Medaka Box basically asks "What if Superman were a 16 year old girl and the student council president?" and runs with it, more or less honestly. If that sounds like fun, check out Medaka Box.
Written by Nisio Isin of Bakemonogatari and Katanagatari and animated by Gainax, there's pretty much no way I could give it a BAD rating, is there?
Medaka Box is about an invincible genius superwoman who happens to be 16, hot, and impossibly optimistic and nice. She becomes student council president in her first year of high school with 98% of the vote. Actually, it's about her childhood friend who looks out for her and helps her get through her life, because despite being an invincible genius superwoman, she's still also a 16 year old girl with emotions who overlooks things and fails to understand how people work sometimes.
Nisio Isin likes writing with pre-set relationships and history and letting you get to know the characters as well as they know each other. Medaka Box also avoids any sort of traditional harem-ery and much in the way of ship tease. The series is very episodic, with several episodes containing two short stories within them, but, true to Nisio Isin's writing, every character who we meet has a personality, goals and position in the setting. Episodes also tend to be dialogue-heavy (though not as much as Bakemonogatari or Katanagatari), though there is a fair amount of action.
Medaka Box basically asks "What if Superman were a 16 year old girl and the student council president?" and runs with it, more or less honestly. If that sounds like fun, check out Medaka Box.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Katanagatari
Katanagatari: A
Katanagatari (a Japanese portmanteau, combining the word "sword" with the latter character of the word for "story") is the second anime series I've seen based off the writing of of Nisio Isin. The other is Bakemonogatari (Ghostory, another portmanteau, though it has nothing to do with Katanagatari), and both I have found to be absolutely exemplary stories in terms of characterization, pacing, crafting, and combining humor and drama.
The first thing a viewer of Katanagatari will notice is the uniquely simple and extraordinarily stylized animation style. The animation and backgrounds are exceptionally flat and cell-shaded in appearance, which gives a mythic tone appropriate to a story set in Shogunate Japan. The second interesting factor about the series is slightly more subtle: the series is provided in 12 1-hour (with commercials, realistically 50 minutes of animation) episodes, making its format extremely unusual. Originally the series was 12 chapters, one released each month, and corresponding to Togame and Shichika's travels in that month, the animated version aired three years later but used the same format: one episode per month, covering the main character's activities for that month.
The plot is easily summarized: "A strategist in the service of the Shogun named Togame convinces the swordless swordsman Yasuri Shichika to fall in love with her so that she can collect twelve legendary swords, the Perfected Deviant Blades of Shikizaki Kiki." If you noticed that there are twelve Deviant Blades and twelve episodes, give yourself a cookie: the couple obtain one sword in each episode, and indeed, each episode is named for the sword that they will deal with in that episode, usually via Shichika fighting the sword's current owner.
It sounds like a forgettable and formulaic shonen action series. It isn't. It is an emotional tale of conflict, manipulation, lies, deceit, betrayal, loyalty and fate. It is also incredibly bloody, with merely a handful of named characters surviving to the end of the story, and many of them not surviving the episode they are introduced. Despite this, their deaths are rarely brushed over or ignored, the characters discuss the fact that they are killing people and react reasonably and accordingly (or the lack of reaction is treated as a sign of insanity, in one case). It is an extremely grown-up story with an extremely juvenile premise, and so it appeals to a lot of nerds like myself.
Beautifully animated, creatively written, lovingly portrayed and heartbreakingly brutal, Katanagatari is a tale of swords: what it means to possess them, use them, and, ultimately, be them.
Katanagatari (a Japanese portmanteau, combining the word "sword" with the latter character of the word for "story") is the second anime series I've seen based off the writing of of Nisio Isin. The other is Bakemonogatari (Ghostory, another portmanteau, though it has nothing to do with Katanagatari), and both I have found to be absolutely exemplary stories in terms of characterization, pacing, crafting, and combining humor and drama.
The first thing a viewer of Katanagatari will notice is the uniquely simple and extraordinarily stylized animation style. The animation and backgrounds are exceptionally flat and cell-shaded in appearance, which gives a mythic tone appropriate to a story set in Shogunate Japan. The second interesting factor about the series is slightly more subtle: the series is provided in 12 1-hour (with commercials, realistically 50 minutes of animation) episodes, making its format extremely unusual. Originally the series was 12 chapters, one released each month, and corresponding to Togame and Shichika's travels in that month, the animated version aired three years later but used the same format: one episode per month, covering the main character's activities for that month.
The plot is easily summarized: "A strategist in the service of the Shogun named Togame convinces the swordless swordsman Yasuri Shichika to fall in love with her so that she can collect twelve legendary swords, the Perfected Deviant Blades of Shikizaki Kiki." If you noticed that there are twelve Deviant Blades and twelve episodes, give yourself a cookie: the couple obtain one sword in each episode, and indeed, each episode is named for the sword that they will deal with in that episode, usually via Shichika fighting the sword's current owner.
It sounds like a forgettable and formulaic shonen action series. It isn't. It is an emotional tale of conflict, manipulation, lies, deceit, betrayal, loyalty and fate. It is also incredibly bloody, with merely a handful of named characters surviving to the end of the story, and many of them not surviving the episode they are introduced. Despite this, their deaths are rarely brushed over or ignored, the characters discuss the fact that they are killing people and react reasonably and accordingly (or the lack of reaction is treated as a sign of insanity, in one case). It is an extremely grown-up story with an extremely juvenile premise, and so it appeals to a lot of nerds like myself.
Beautifully animated, creatively written, lovingly portrayed and heartbreakingly brutal, Katanagatari is a tale of swords: what it means to possess them, use them, and, ultimately, be them.
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