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

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

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Introduction: If I had one word to describe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica it would be dark. If I had more words then I would be writing a review... oh, wait I do. Woot!

Plot Overview: Madoka and her friend Sayaka are approached by a strange creature named Kyubey who offers to grant any wish they desire in exchange for becoming magical girls with tremendous power to fight creatures called witches which are responsible for unexplained murders and suicides. However before they can decide a magical girl, named Homura, who was hunting Kyubey approaches them and tries to dissuade them from taking Kyubey up on his offer as she tells them they will only experience suffering and despair because of it. It is now up to Madoka and Sayaka to decide if they have a wish powerful enough to risk becoming magical girls for it.

Review: Despite it's initial cute animation and happy school girl characters this is anything but a feel good anime. The story is dark and disturbing as it paints a picture where our dreams and desires are the source of all suffering and pain in this world as the cost we must pay to achieve them is often more than we can pay. Combine this with girls who only want to do what is right and you get a story that makes you question what you are giving up to have your dreams come true. The animators don't help any with the off and disturbing feeling as they give the witches and the places they reside in a different and thoroughly unique look that sharply contrasts with the anime style in which the regular world and main characters are drawn in. But saying all that this is truly a work of art where the story telling, voice acting, and animation come together perfectly to make a very enjoyable and unique anime.

Conclusion: This anime is not for everyone due to the darker and somewhat depressing plot. But for those of you who don't mind watching something that will make you disturbed then I strongly recommend watching Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.

Guardman's Grade: A

Categories: Tragedy, Drama, Supernatural, Magical Girls

Gin no Saji

Introduction: Sometimes you stumble onto little gems not because you are looking for them, but by pure happenstance. I began reading Gin no Saji aka "Silver Spoon" not because I was interested in reading a farming manga, but because Arakawa Hiromu is one of my favorite mangaka, and after Fullmetal Alchemist I am willing to give anything she creates a chance no matter how uninteresting the initial concept might sound to me. And personally I am glad I did.

Plot Overview: Hachiken Yugo is a student from Sapporo who enrolls in an agricultural high school after failing to get into his high schools of choice on the mistaken belief that the easier course load will give him more time to prepare for college. Unfortunately for him he is woefully unprepared for not only the hard labor that comes from being in an agricultural high school but from the moral and ethical problems that one must face in the ever challenging world of farming where you literally hold the fate of other living creatures in your hands. This combined with his ever helpful nature leads to him having to confront not only himself, but his beliefs and what he wants for the future.

Review: Despite my initial assumption that this would be another school, coming to age, shounen manga only set in an agricultural background instead of the usual setting, I was quickly proven wrong when the coming to age part proved to have little to do with maturity, but instead was about shaping one's ethics and morals. Combined with the fact that instead of fanciful elements providing the moral choice, we are given the very real life examples of killing animals you are attached to for food or ethical debates on engineering produce and livestock. But despite the sheer weight of the coming to age elements, this manga is anything but depressing. It is full of hope, life, and even quite a bit of comedy that only Arakawa Hiromu can pull off.

Conclusion: Due to the subject matter and the fact that the problems faced are very much ground in real life this manga isn't for everybody, but for those that are either looking for a good coming of age manga to follow or are fans of Fullmetal Alchemist I strongly recommend reading Gin no Saji.

Guardman's Grade: A-

Categories:  Shounen, Slice of Life, School Life, Coming of Age, Comedy, Drama