Posts Tagged ‘ Mystery ’

Monogatari Series: Second Season Review: Conclusions, Shifts, and Self Discovery

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Since I had watched through the rest of Monogatari last summer, it’s no wonder that I decided to pick up the (at the time) ongoing second season (which, in actuality, is more like the fourth season given the weird release nature of the other installments) when it was only a few weeks in.  Keeping up with Monogatari weekly for the first time had been quite a bizarre experience and I was quite impatient since I had gotten so used to being able to watch the previous seasons at my own pace without having to wait every week.  In spite of that setback, however, Monogatari S2 proved to be an absolutely fascinating watch that built tremendously upon the foundations of previous seasons and truly made the most out of a majority of its characters.  Monogatari S2 ultimately proved to be by far my favorite installment of the series and impressed me in a variety of ways.  While there are some complaints I have about some parts of S2, they are quite minimal in comparison to the great enjoyment and fantastic developments I received from the watch overall, and I’d say there’s no doubt in my mind that those who enjoyed previous installments of Monogatari will find something to love from this season.  Monogatari S2 remains one of my favorites of 2013 and there is but one 2013 anime that I enjoyed more (and I do plan on writing about that as well in due time).  Monogatari S2 has so many merits and it’ll be difficult for me to explain just how much love I have for this season of the series without giving spoilers, but it must be said that Monogatari S2 really is a brilliant story and, in my opinion, the epitome of the Monogatari experience as of yet. Continue reading →

2014
06/24
CATEGORY
Anime
TV
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3 comments

Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu Review: The Disappearance of Rintarou Okabe and Kurisu’s Time Travel Endeavors

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Steins;Gate is among my favorite anime, and as such, I was incredibly excited about the idea of a new movie installment, Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu.  All the more so because it was not one of the great many recap films but rather a new story, a sequel to the TV anime.  While I was worried about how such a thing could be done considering how well the TV series had concluded, I couldn’t help but anticipate the release of the movie, and I remember watching the trailer many times, excited about the great potential the movie had.  The wait lasted many months, and eventually, come winter break (which now seems so long ago), the movie was subbed and I at last had the opportunity to watch the movie I had been so excited for.  Ultimately, the movie proved to be a very worthwhile watch and a strong sequel to the series, and while it didn’t entirely live up to its full potential and could have added a bit more to contribute to the quality of the story as a whole, it was still an incredibly enjoyable experience and far from being a disappointing flop that drags down the rest of the series.  It should be mentioned that it is necessary to watch the Steins;Gate TV anime and its special episode sequel to understand much of what takes place in this movie, and S;G in general is such a fantastic series that it should be watched regardless of this movie.  While I don’t intend to give massive spoilers, it is almost impossible to describe the foundation of the movie’s story without alluding to the ending of the series and specific events leading up to it, so do keep that in mind if you plan to read the rest of my review (and if you haven’t already, go watch Steins;Gate since it’s such a fantastic story). Continue reading →

2014
06/19
CATEGORY
Anime
Anime Movie
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4 comments

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu Review: The Whims and Escapades of a High School Girl

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My school’s anime club has been watching two anime, one of which is Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, better known as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.  While we actually have yet to finish it, I went ahead and watched through the entirety of season 1 during Thanksgiving break.  Indeed, I know I am very late in watching this, but as the cliche goes, better late than never.  Haruhi’s a series that pretty much any anime fan has at least heard about, and while it definitely hit its prime popularity a while back, it’s still quite well-known today.  As I am quite fond of Kyoto Animation works for the most part, I was excited to finally watch through Haruhi after all this time.  While I wasn’t quite as blown away by it as I had expected to be, it was still quite a fun watch.  That said, more than anything it’s The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya that I’ve heard such great things about, so I’m aware that I have not yet seen all that Haruhi has to offer by any means. Continue reading →

2013
12/24
CATEGORY
Anime
TV
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7 comments

Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei – The Animation Review: High School Survival Game of Despair

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A week ago I watched the last episode of Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei – The Animation, or Danganronpa for short.  Back in my Kara no Kyoukai 1 post, I mentioned that there was another series I had watched through a good portion of, and this was that series.  Truth be told, I hadn’t intended on watching through this anytime soon (especially since I had previously been told to stick with the game), but a friend of mine insisted on my watching through it, and upon reaching the halfway point I figured there wasn’t much point in stopping my watching and decided to pull through with the anime.  Danganronpa’s the kind of series I knew I would enjoy from the beginning, although there were quite a few problems that kept me from loving it as much as I could have. Continue reading →

2013
10/05
CATEGORY
Anime
TV
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5 comments

Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases Review: Naomi Misora’s Murder Mystery Investigation

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So the last week has been quite a busy one, and as a result I haven’t been able to write about anything until now.  It’s a sad thing, because what I’m writing about here is indeed something I finished exactly a week ago, and it certainly doesn’t help that two of my ongoings (Danganronpa and Shingeki no Kyojin) just ended.  Adding on the fact that I’m getting close to finishing Chobits and Angel Beats! Track Zero and, well, there’s quite a task ahead of me.  But anywho, back to the post at hand.  I happened to have some time to start reading light novels, and it just so happened that the one I decided to read through was Death Note’s prequel, Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.  I can definitely say that it’s very different from the story that Death Note provides, but it is a great read for any fan of the series regardless and does a fine job of expanding on the cast. Continue reading →

2013
09/30
CATEGORY
Light Novel
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6 comments

Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei Review: Spirits in the Sky

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So about two weeks ago, a couple of friends came over to my house and we decided to just watch a bunch of random anime episodes (well, the friend who watched anime and I at least, my other friend didn’t really care all too much).  Most of it was just a bunch of random first episode stuff: my friend showed me the first episodes of Yuru Yuri and Watamote, while I insisted on watching the first episode of Chihayafuru because another friend has told me a great deal about how amazing the series is.  I still have a lot I’m planning to see, so I probably won’t finish up on those for some time, but I do intend to return to them in due time.  That said, there are two things that I made pretty decent progress on, the first of which would be Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei.  Well, to be honest, this was a first episode too, but considering this is a set of seven movies I figured it doesn’t count in quite the same way.  It’s something I’ve been meaning to get to for a while and the movie has its own entry on MyAnimeList, so why not?  Anyway, having finished the first movie…..I wasn’t really too sure what to think.  It’s complicated, and probably supposed to be that way, but it’s still pretty strange. Continue reading →

2013
09/15
CATEGORY
Anime
Anime Movie
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10 comments

Deadman Wonderland Review: A World of Insanity and Bloodshed

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Wow, it’s still hard to believe that a manga I’ve kept up with for quite a while is actually concluding.  I think it’s been about…..2 years?  I haven’t been reading Deadman Wonderland from the very beginning, but I did read it chapter by chapter for some time and thoroughly enjoyed it.  After a painful hiatus, I kept up with the series for the next half year until at last, it has concluded.  It’s truly a sad thing when an ongoing manga finishes.  While many ongoing anime have a set runtime, usually something like 12-13 episodes or 24-26 episodes, one can never really be sure about when a manga will end until it’s very close to the conclusion.  Now it seems that I have reached such a conclusion to one of the manga I had kept up with.  It’s truly a sad thing, but Deadman Wonderland had a great run and I truly enjoyed it during the time I read it ongoing. Continue reading →

2013
07/29
CATEGORY
Manga
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5 comments

Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward Review: A Game of Doubt, Betrayal, and Secrets

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Well I’ve been pretty busy for the last couple of weeks, and this being a long game didn’t really help either.  But at last, I’ve completed Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, and it was indeed quite a game.  A few weeks ago I’d completed the prequel 999 and was quite amazed by the story it presented.  Of course, with something like that, I was very eager to find out what Virtue’s Last Reward would have to offer, and it had even more endings than its prequel and quite a lot of story material.  Now, does it stack up to the glory that 999 established?  Well, it’s a bit complicated really. Continue reading →

2013
07/27
CATEGORY
Video Game
Visual Novel
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5 comments

Bakemonogatari Review: Apparition Issues and Dialogue

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A few days ago I finished watching Bakemonogatari, and it was quite the interesting experience.  With lots of interesting dialogue, great character dynamics, and a style truly of its own, Bakemono was very much worth it and certainly entertaining.  It’s unlike any other anime I’ve seen, and this uniqueness definitely helps it to stand out. Continue reading →

2013
07/12
CATEGORY
Anime
TV
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6 comments

Saya no Uta Review: Distorted Morality and a Horrifying Reality

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Well yesterday I finished playing through the short visual novel known as Saya no Uta, and I can definitely say it was a strange one, to say the very least.  Saya no Uta was easily one of the most disturbing, screwed up stories I have ever encountered in any medium.  Saya was up there with stories like Berserk and Higurashi in terms of insane, explicit content.  The key difference, however, is that I was very engaged with those two because of their intricate plots and wide character development.  Saya no Uta, while a good story, was much less appealing to me in the long run and lacking in a few areas. Continue reading →

2013
06/09
CATEGORY
Video Game
Visual Novel
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3 comments