posted January 22, 2024 04:16 PM            

That obviously means I prefer anime today (even if I can still enjoy old school Disney), but that is showing some depressing signs for its future now as well.

posted February 29, 2024 10:53 AM            

I made reviews of some of fav. series from the last decade or so and they certainly are an eye-catcher (more so than Disney nowadays... Man, that company took a major creative blow now didn't it.)

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Violet Evergarden:

Ah KyoAi Studio... Is there any anime that you have done that has ever been subpar?

Once again living up to their status as the studio that can do no wrong, KyoAi has outdone themselves with this year's release of Violet Evergarden. In terms of art and style, it just can't be beat. The atmosphere, the ambience, the tone, and the mood captured by the art style emphasizes the focus on the body language of the characters; Which is VERY important when you have a protagonist like Violet.

Not much for words, Violet's stoic and calm demeanour masks a person who is very lost. Being a soldier pretty much all her life (I use the term loosely since the Army didn't even considered human but rather a tool to be used,) limits Violet's capacity of interaction with other people down to just status reports. After the war and after the loss of her forearms, Violet's introduction to the civilian world has been difficult as it usually is for quite a few Military Veterans. For someone who has been raised from a very young age in a strict codified environment like the Army and hasn't been allowed to explore aspects of civilian life, Violet's emotional understanding of everyday situations and her interactions with everyone around her is dismal at best.

It doesn't helps that her Superior Officer Gilbert Bougainvillea; The only person that treat her like a human being isn't with her anymore (SPOILER: Sadly enough, there are more than obvious hints that he had died.) So it fell to to Claudia Hodgins; An officer in the Army and a friend to Gilbert Bougainvillea to have her work under his Postal Company and give her a place back in the civilian world. Here begins Violet's Journey of self exploration through her work as an Auto Memories Doll (Someone who Ghost Writes Letters on behalf of those who can't due to illiteracy related issues or just don't have the time to do so.)

The anime adheres to an episodic model with each arc exploring a different client that Violet will be dealing with and how she grows as a person while working for the said client. The anime does an amazing job highlighting just how much of a struggle some war veterans have to go through in order to adjust to civilian life. It certainly touched me on a personal level given my background and I empathize with Violet's struggles as a character.

All in all, a must watch for anime fans and casual watchers alike!

Kimetsu No Yaiba:

I rarely divulge into Battle Shounen shows these days given their lackluster presentation of characters, plot and overall content (*cough* Naruto *cough.*) However, once in a blue moon, a show comes along that breaks the mold and presents characters in a battle shounen setting so interesting, conflicted, kind yet firm and strong that you can't help but wait in anticipation for the next episode of the show to see how their journey progresses. Kimetsu no Yaiba has been this year's Shounen hit; So much so that the latest episode was one of the most talked about topics on twitter. It also should be noted that the Author happens to be female and the show was animated by the legendary studio Ufotable (the same guys who did the Fate Stay Night series.) The setting is interesting (set in Taisho Era Japan,) the Characters are compelling yet wholesome; Particularly the brother sister relationship between Nezuko and Tanjirou, the animation is just godly (no surprise there given that its being animated by Ufotable,) and the soundtrack is just unbelievably awesome (again, no surprise given that the composer happens to be the oh so talented Yuki Kajiura.)

Vinland Saga:

There are times when you come across a Manga that is so compelling with its story, so engrossing with the dept of its characters and just plain beautiful with its artwork that you as a reader can't help but wish that it would be adopted into an anime series... Yet dread that there isn't an animation studio out there brave enough to take on the challenge of bringing the beauty of such a complex piece of work to the big screen. Well Studio Wit (the creators of Attack on Titan) not only matched the requirements, but exceeded them. Vinland Saga is a Manga for adults; Plain and simple. Its gory, its violent and is morally grey to the core. Hailed as a companion to Mangas like Vagabond and Berserk, Vinland Saga could very well be what a person gets when he places the basic plot of Gangs of New York in a Viking based setting. Its seriously worth getting into.

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