The End... for now

Unfortunately I have to postpone the blog due to my new job and the time constraints it is putting on me. Though hopefully this isn't forever as I did enjoy writing this blog (and having an excuse for watching anime).

Vacation

I am out of town this week on vacation so no new update.

Bounen no Xam'd

 

Introduction:  I am going to be honest here, I 100% decided to watch this series because of the word Xam'd in the title.

Plot Overview: Takehara Akiyuki is a high-school student on the small island of Senten, which lies near the border of the Southern Continent and the Northern Continent which are at war with each other. One day while boarding the bus for school he helps sneak on a mysterious looking girl. Just as they arrive at the school the bus explodes, apparently a suicide attempt by the strange girl. After checking to make sure he and his friends are okay he rushes back onto the bus to find out what happened to the strange girl only to find her mortally wounded. Smiling when she see's Akiyuki she activates a strange device that was implanted into Akiyuki during the explosion transforming him into a strange creature called a Xam'd, a creature the girl holds as sacred.

Review: Bounen no Xam'd is probably the most infuriating anime I've ever watched for one reason and one reason alone, it doesn't explain what is going on at any time until a couple episodes later. You watch an episode and they start talking about things that they expect you to know before they are explained to you which just sort of wears you down after a while. And even then a lot of the stuff they do explain isn't explained that well or is explained in "I don't see it, but I'll take word for it" type way. Add to that it tries to cram in way too many major character, extremely awkward pacing, and some strange choices in character development and you get an anime that probably needs to be twice as long if they wanted it to come to the viewers at an understandable pace. Despite these faults though the concept is great, the art is vibrant and adds a lot of character, and the world building is very well done, so that's something.

Conclusion: It has it's flaws but if you are willing to rewatch some episodes after having some things explained to you Xam'd is a decent anime that has an interesting yet poorly executed concept.

Guardman's Grade: C+

Categories: Action, War, Drama, Tragedy, Fantasy

No New Post This Monday

Because I am buried in work...

Busou Renkin

Introduction: Um... so... yeah... I got nothing. Enjoy.

Plot Overview: Kazuki Muto is your average Highschool student who happens to die while trying to save a girl from a monster. Well that is what he think happens anyways as he finds himself waking up in his school's dorm. Later the girl he saved, Tokiko Tsumura comes in to tell him that he actually did die, but she brought him back to life by using a strange medallion, the Kakugane, and placing it inside him as a replacement for his heart. The Kakugane is an alchemic device and when activated by the Kakugane's user is the only device capable of defeating Homunculi. And so begins Kazuki's adventure of fighting Homunculi and those that create them.

Review: Busou Renkin isn't deep, isn't thought provoking, and for the most part is entirely power driven where you are more interested in seeing what cool power X has more than the story itself. Now that that is out of the way I'll be the first to say that while my first sentence might seem damning of the series, it really isn't. Busou Renkin has it's moments and actually has some very entertaining and original characters like Papillon, who is the one wearing the tights and butterfly mask in the picture above (and before you think otherwise that is pretty much all he wears throughout the entire series). But this series after a while begins to rely more and more on showing cool powers and fights in the place for good story telling.

Conclusion: If you like Bleach you will most likely like Busou Renkin. Both have the same feel and same sort of story telling, along with the emphasis on powers over plot.

Guardman's Grade: C

Categories: Shounen, Action, Comedy, Supernatural

Kurosagi

Introduction: Growing up I loved watching police procedurals and crime dramas/comedies such as Diagnosis: Murder and older shows such as Quincy M.E. So when I found out that Kurosagi was done in a similar vein as a police procedural I knew I had to pick it up.

Plot Overview: Kurosaki, the main character, is a Kurosagi (Black Swindler) that only targets Shirosagi (White Swindlers), swindlers who swindle others out of their money. Not much else is known about Kurosaki initially other then his motivation for targeting Shirosagi is born out of revenge for something that happened to him in his past.

Review: Kurosagi is a procedural at it's heart and as such focuses more on the cases and how Kurosaki is going to swindle the Shirosagi out of their money much more than character development. In fact there are only three consistent characters in the manga with the rest either being villains/victims of the week or showing up every blue moon or so. But this is fine for what Kurosagi wants to do which is present a fraud and how it is done and then show how Kurosaki swindles the swindler.

Conclusion: Kurosagi is great for those who like police procedurals as it's take on the genre is both fresh and entertaining. But if police procedurals aren't your cup of tea then you are better off looking for a different manga to read.

Guardman's Grade: B+

Categories: Drama, Procedural, Mystery

Peace Maker Kurogane

Introduction: I actually found this series completely by accident. I was walking through the mall by my house when I noticed that the Suncoast in it was going out of business and they had a big bin full of movies and series that were drastically reduced in price. So I was like what the hell and started going through the bin until I spotted this series, drawn by the protagonist's bright red hair and the sky blue of the Shinsengumi uniform. Getting it for only a few dollars I wasn't expecting much, but I ended up getting a great and underrated series.

Plot Overview: Peace Maker Kurogane revolves around Ichimura Testunosuke (Testu), a 15 year old boy who wishes to join the Shinsengumi to get revenge on the people who murdered his parents. But due to his small, child like appearance and energetic personality almost nobody at the Shinsengumi takes him seriously and he is relegated to being the page of the demonic sub-commander Hijikata. And so begins the story of Testu's attempts to gain the strength he desires in the backdrop of the coming revolution between Shogunate and anti-Shogunate forces.

Review: Despite being a Japanese historical anime, it's not really that. The historical aspects of it are quite toned down and was obviously made in such a way where prior knowledge of the history and events surrounding the anime are not prerequisites to enjoy it. Instead the historical setting is used as back drop for an intriguing tale that focuses on what one is willing to give up to achieve their goals and whether it is really worth it. In line with that the character development is top notch as you see both characters like Testu who are struggling with the choices they've yet to make and characters like Hijikata who instead struggle with the choices he has already made and the consequences of those choices. But despite the great character development the show suffers from a plot that was intended to facilitate more the character development then make a great story. So because of this the plot can slow down at some points and take twists that don't really make sense other then from a character development standpoint.

Conclusion: Peace Maker Kurogane is an enjoyable historical and character driven anime that has a nice balance of drama, action, and comedy whose only real flaw is a weak plot.

Guardman's Grade: B

Categories: Tragedy, Action, Comedy, Drama, Historical, Samurai