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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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 Jan-Chan
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[series:1964#967] | ||||||
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YESH !!!! Here I thought this might have been one of those fluffy and pointless light comedy stories about a boy and his ghost... boy, was I wrong. Talk about conspiracies, dark forces and gangs of armed assassins. And then large black robots?? Great first episode... but a series just more than the first episode and that where the story seems to fall apart. It is just too much of everything (monsters, mayhem, gunplay and magic) and it not explained or tied together very well. In any event, tis still a fun watch despite the short comings. Last updated Friday, July 09 2010. Created Monday, April 06 2009. | ||||||||
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 Stretch
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[series:1964#628] | ||||||
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(Watch or Watch-) (All episodes watched): Even though it was only one sentence long, the original version of our synopsis was helpful because episode one of Asura Cryin' made very little sense at all. Natsume Tomoharu was involved in a plane crash three years ago and was severely injured. Somehow, he survived, and is now accompanied by a cute ghost, Misao. It is implied that he made some sort of supernatural bargain, probably to stay alive. A strange metal suitcase is delivered to him containing a device called an "extractor", which numerous people consider extremely valuable/dangerous, and will do anything to acquire. There are numerous factions, gunplay, magic, violence (possibly fatal for several people), and supposed "coolness", but it didn't particularly thrill me. There are a number of jokes, but I was left wondering if this was supposed to be comedy or serious action; the humor and violence seemed to cancel each other out. More importantly, give me an idea of what's going on! Who is Misao? Was she killed in that plane crash? What's an "extractor" and why was it delivered to Natsume? What was the object of the deal he made, and it's conditions? I just get the feeling that the makers of this show were confident that the coolness would enthrall viewers to the extent that they wouldn't ask too many questions, but this just seemed like the usual supernatural shtick to me and I felt distinctly disappointed at the end. On the bright side, the I've-got-a-ghost-as-a-friend premise seemed intriguing and I hoped this show would sort itself out before too long. The early scenes of episode two had me thinking that maybe I had completely misunderstood this series, and that it would be a fairly goofy sitcom sort of show rather than the serious and frightening one that it had seemed like in episode one. And then it tried to get serious again. The characters seem dull and uninteresting, and with that being the case I feel little inclination to sort out the numerous factions. Instead, the needless confusion annoys me. The plot of this show is getting more and more complex, but I don't really care; it's not holding my interest. I watched even the third episode, since I was having such a hard time making sense of this show and didn't want to quit if I still wasn't certain what it had to offer. But I was left wondering if I'd missed at least half an episode somewhere, because this seemed so disjointed that I had little idea what was going on and consequently couldn't get very excited. Perhaps because the show had seemed so confusing from the start, the details had failed to register in my mind and now the problem only gets worse. The story just gets weirder and weirder (the Pope? the Queen?), without much explanation. I did notice that the action animation was pretty good, however. Episode four (yes, I am still watching) seemed rather goofy early on, and I enjoyed it. Yet again I got the feeling that I'd missed an episode as the plot took off in an unexpected direction. And yet again I wonder just how seriously I am supposed to be taking this; it seems to wobble back and forth between drama and comedy, and can't make up it's mind which way to go. Episode seven gives an overdue explanation (sort of) of what happened with the plane crash. But I have pretty much given up trying to make sense of the long term plot and am just watching for whatever action and amusement each episode has to offer. I notice that when I miss a point in this show I don't bother to rewind and read it again. This is one of the shows which I just barely watch--perhaps while I'm eating a meal alone. And yet a second season has been authorized? In the next-to-last episode I realize that I really have no idea what is going on as a fight takes place. New characters--I think--crop up out of nowhere. But how am I supposed to become excited about this latest fight when I never understood the basics of the story? Other than Tomo and his handful of close friends, I can't say for certain who is good and who is evil. Nor do I understand all sorts of concepts, like "ex-handlers", "accursed sinners" and "flight insurance"(?). The climax of the final episode was mystifying in a tiresome way, because I didn't have the damndest idea of what was possible and what wasn't, or why things worked out the way they did. There never was a decent explanation to some of the most basic questions of the series (like what exactly is an "Asura Cryin"?). As it is, I kind of regret committing myself to this series and am glad that it is over. It was the handful of comedy episodes which I enjoyed, and having to watch two or three mediocre dramatic ones in exchange for each of those was a high price to pay. My favorite line: "What the hell? Are you the main protagonist of an anime or something?" --Higuchi Last updated Thursday, July 23 2009. Created Monday, April 06 2009. | ||||||||
