Anime Review: Berserk (2016)

I like older anime compared to modern anime. Not that the new stuff is bad (some of it is really good), but the series and movies from the 90s and early 2000s have always stood out to me since that was what I grew up watching. I would sit down and watch Toonami after a day at school and watch series like Dragon Ball Z, Tenchi, Outlaw Star, and even stay up late and watch Trigun and Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim. You know, a time before you could stream whatever anime you want and before Crunchyroll, Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu. It was that mentality that got me curious to see 1997’s Berserk and I loved it.

However, I have decided to not talk about that for two reasons. One, I encourage you to watch it and form your own opinion without my input. Two, Bennett the Sage has already talked about it and he does a great job sharing what is good about it. Here is the Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5bXW1tfhE . Which is why I chose to talk about the sequel that came out in 2016… Almost 20 years after the original series.

Berserk didn’t gain a big following when it originally came out, but then it developed a cult following years later, so Universal and Funimation decided to team up and localize a trilogy of films to abridge the original series (don’t bother, they suck), and release a new series and continue the story where the original ended and pick up on where the manga continued (and still continues to this day).

The new series had potential to be one of the best anime for the modern era… Instead… Let me explain. Also, I am focusing on the English Dub, so this is based on season 1 and I know future seasons are in the plans to come out.

Pros- It has some of the best voice acting I have heard. The cast does a great job portraying the characters and they fit better than I could have possibly imagined. I found myself caring about the characters, like I did when reading the manga. That is the best thing about this anime. It has one of my favorite opening credit scenes in anime right now. It pumps you up for what you are about to see and gives you a brief history of past events, so you have an understanding of the weight the main character is going through. I need to talk about the main character, Guts. This is one of the manliest characters in anime history. His appearance is very masculine, and he wields a sword that is as big as he is and it’s very size makes people fear him. He is the best part about this story in every format you are able to see it in.

Cons- The animation is inconsistent. They switch between hand drawn animation and CGI, and while CGI does not bother me in anime, but when it switches between the two at random moments in time (sometimes the characters are just talking and they use CGI and some of the action is done in hand drawn animation) it can cause visual whiplash and confusion. Note this any creator of media: PICK A VISUAL STYLE AND STICK WITH IT. They also tried using the same art style as the manga and while that itself is not a bad thing, the chibi and sometimes cartoonish look of only two characters can really be distracting, because it is only the two characters that make such faces. The pacing is all over the place. They explain what doesn’t need to be explained and leave out details that should be in the story. Also, I need to mention one more thing that hurts the experience. The manga has a lot of nudity (Game of Thrones levels) and the anime decides instead of allowing the R rating to happen to make all the character look like Barbie Dolls when naked. No reproductive organs or nipples are present. I know someone may think, “That can’t be so bad.” The anime takes place in a dark and very serious world and at moments that should be emotional and engaging, all you can think is, “where are her nipples?” The manga has it, the original series was able to avoid it, but if you are going to have explicit content, MAKE IT EXPLICIT CONTENT!

Final Verdict- This was the first time I was truly disappointed in an anime. While the action scenes are fun and the characters are enjoyable in some cases (always when it comes to Guts), I can’t help but feel like all the problems are distracting from the good to stop you from truly enjoying it. So in conclusion, Watch the 1997 original, read the manga, if sex and violence don’t bother you (seriously, Game of Thrones levels of sex and violence), and ignore all modern iterations of this incredible story.

Anime Review: Those Who Hunt Elves

Comedy is a tricky thing. People have different perspectives on what is funny, the genre itself is hard to judge or rate. You may find the dialogue of Monty Python funny, but the slapstick immature. You may even enjoy the immaturity and unscripted nature of Jackass, or find it to be unfunny and juvenile. Now, imagine the struggle with Comedy Anime. Not only is it a cultural separation, but it is also harder to catch the concept of humor. What is funny in Japan is not funny in America for the most part. Anime like Love Hina and Girl’s Bravo are just not funny in English, because it doesn’t translate well. Not to say Anime can’t be funny when they come into the States. Excel Saga, Dragon Ball, and even Pokemon had great moments in Comedy that are well remembered and people still laugh at them. Which brings us to what may be one of the funniest Anime I have seen, Those Who Hunt Elves. Last time, we went to 2007 for an anime, this time we are going back to 1997; 20 years ago. This came out at a time, we got so much anime, a bunch was overlooked. This is one of the overlooked anime, and it had 2 seasons.

If you are not familiar with this, the title may confuse you. Those Who Hunt Elves is not about people who kill Elves in a fantasy world; it is about people who strip the clothes off female elves. Let me explain. The story is, a group of three people from Japan get pulled into a Fantasy world and an elf tries to use a spell to send them back, something goes wrong and the spell leaves the book and implants itself as fragments onto different female elves around the world. So, they three characters, the elf that attempted the spell in the first place, and a tank that is later possessed by the spirit of a cat (you did not read that wrong) go out into the world in search of the spell fragments and get the title, Those Who Hunt Elves, from the citizens.

I actually found this anime as a young teenager. A friend of mine had episodes 5-8 on VHS tapes in the original Japanese audio, and we both laughed at it every time we watched it, without knowing everything that was going on. Fast forward to the present day and I find it not only on a reliable streaming source, but in the English Dub. So, after over ten years of wondering if it really was as funny as I remembered, I rewatched it and was not disappointed.

Pros- The characters are all unique; we have the Elf, the Muscle Head man, the actress, and the female weapons expert. With a small cast, it is do-able and their individual relationships are also done really well. The humor translates really well and even manages to be funny in both the Japanese Audio and the English Dub. I laughed during both of them. That is a pretty rare thing, so I can recommend both forms of audio. The episode specific characters are also interesting and there is still a level of investment even when we see them in one episode. With the concept, this could have easily been an R rated, fan service show, but it is actually very tame in comparison to others. We don’t see any full nudity and even when the elves are naked, we don’t see anything provocative or sleazy. It comes off as funny; the way it was intended to be. You would also think the main characters are also not likeable due to what they do, but actually the opposite happens. They not only make it clear that they don’t enjoy it, but they do good in areas of the world when they see a dilemma. They do the right thing before rushing to strip the clothes off of elves. Sometimes an elf does it voluntarily because of how they helped out. You want to see the characters succeed and get back to Japan with how they talk about it. The ending to the first season will make you laugh out loud. The humor is well set up and works in all languages. Physical humor is well done with the concept and it has some great laugh out loud moments.

Cons- The animation has not aged it. You can tell it was made on a budget, and while it’s not as bad as others, it definitely looks like a 90s anime. Same thing with the voice acting. Since it is a low budget anime, it was localizing was done in the early days of ADV, so we got no name voice actors and people who were new to voice acting at the time. It’s not incompetent nor is it as bad as other voice acting from the 90s, but it is another element that shows it's age. While Season 1 had a funny and well done ending, season 2 feels kind of abrupt and sudden. It isn’t as well set up and it left a little to be desired. As far as I know, we did not get a 3rd season, so this was the ending we got. It was still funny, but not as fulfilling as a series finale should have been. For anyone that is looking for a fun opening or closing, you are not going to find it in this anime. They are not interesting or grab your attention as well as other do, but it is just a nitpick. If you don’t care about that, then it won’t bother you.

Final Thoughts- If you find older anime to be a bit more your taste, compared to newer anime, this is one I recommend. It is funny in all the right areas, and it handles the concept in the best way, by being more funny and less sexy. This could have been bad, but it is fun to watch and a joy from start to finish. If you are picky about English Dubs, watch it with the Japanese Audio and the subtitles on. If not, you can find joy in watching either version.

Anime Review: Romeo X Juliet

Anime is tricky. Not only does the medium have a long history, but it's own variety of genres. With all that is available (and missing out on October for personal reasons) I have decided to turn the month of November into Otaku Month. I will be looking at anime from different decades and a movie before the month is over. Now to start with an anime from the year 2007, Romeo x Juliet.

This is an interesting anime, because it isn't from a Japanese story, but is an adaptation of Shakespeare's tragety, Romeo and Juliet. Unlike other adaptations that use all the dialogue from the famous play, this anime creates it's own world and takes an original approach to the story.

Pros- It borrows elements from other of Shakespeare's plays to create something not only unique, but also familiar. It creates a world with a great flow and elements that are helpful in making this version feel fresh and original. The action and animation is well done. It feels more western than a typical anime and even the opening song is a Japanese cover of "You Raise Me Up" made famous by Josh Groban. Believe it or not, it fits well and establishes the mood of the anime. Most of the characters are well written and even William Shakespeare has a character in the series and he is more than a fun Easter egg. He is a key character and plays a big role towards the end of the series. They do make Romeo and Juliet individual characters and even show more development as a couple, while also making them older than in the original play to add a level of believability to the world. Instead of it taking place in a typical European country, the creators instead go in a different direction and create Fantasy world with dragon horses and a structure that plays a large role by the end of it all. If you have seen or read the original play in one way or another, you know how it ends, but it is done in a way that is refreshing and you feel satisfied by it. Resolves are made and nothing is ignored. Funimation provides the localization and English Dub for the anime and they go in the poetic route to feel more like one of Shakespeare's plays. It is refreshing, because it is kind of a rare thing for an anime dub to be like that.

Cons- Romeo's father is the only character that is not well done in the localization. He is a villain with a rather weak motivation for his actions and by the end, he comes off as more of a bad joke when the real threat arrives at the end of it. While the Dub is beautiful at times, it can also feel awkward at times... Like a Shakespeare play (he wasn't perfect. Accept that). Also, not every character is well cast in the dub either. Some voices are odd with some of the minor characters in a couple episodes. It's not awful, but it can be distracting.

Final Verdict- Despite the flaws it has, I do recommend it for anyone new to Anime. It has enough Western elements to feel familiar and is a great overall story. I do recommend the dub, since it fits the world better, but you can really go either way. It is a good adaptation and it had my attention for all 24 episodes. Check it out if you are a fan of Shakespeare's work, or just want a good story to enjoy.