My neighbour Totoro

And here comes one of the most famous anime movies made by Studio Ghilbi. My neighbour totoro!

I seriously cannot understand how Hayao Miyazaki can make something so utterly enjoyable for people of all ages. The feelings that i experienced from watching this movies was absurd. I enjoyed the innocence and childish antics of Mei and Satsuki. The movie also made me laugh in some parts, because looking at the children of today, they seem so vastly different compared to the ones in this movie.Honestly, i could watch this movie over and over without getting tired of it. It is cute, funny and heartwarming.

What i liked about My neighbour Totoro was the easy transition between a light hearted moment to a more somber one. Satsuki displays a maturity beyond her years, something that was not lost on me when the scene played out. It takes a very realistic approach to much darker themes like death, and i am surprised how well it is done despite it being a 'kid's' film.

One thing everyone who watch my neighbour Totoro will remember is how sweet it was. It shows a time in our lives where we were curious about everything and sought to discover things we did not know. It runs for only one hour, but the movie i would say, was successful in forever imprinting it in my memory. Those who watch this can see why Hayao Miyazaki is so popular and famous. My neighbour Totoro has something which many movies lack. And that is, heart.

RWBY - Season 1

Okay, so this is a series i've been waiting to start on since it came out. Of course, being the horrible procrastinator i am, i decided to pursue this series when my major examinations are less than a week away. To tell you the truth, i did shy away from this series at first, simply because i heard the words 'American' and 'Anime' in one sentence. I will admit i'm one of those people who consider 'anime' anime only when it's made by Japanese people.

From Wikipedia.org

I would say that RWBY still needs a shit ton of work. It has the potential to evolve into something spectacular, but as of now, i would say that it is pretty okay. But one thing's for sure, is that RWBY is unique.

PLOT - 6.5/10

I would say the story is mediocre at best. Although it is interesting, it is also pretty cliche and predictable. The formula of 'Heroes going on a journey to save humanity' has been so overused that i'm actually quite surprised that RWBY didn't fall flat on its face. This show/anime is indeed enjoyable and was better than what i was expected. But by the time Season 1 was over, i felt that nothing big was accomplished. It spent majority of it's time fleshing out the characters and sorting out the dynamics between the various characters.

CHARACTERS - 7/10

RWBY has an interesting cast of different characters with their own unique quirks, back stories and weapons. However, the characters still feel very cliched and one dimensional. Anime fans will watch this and know what i'm talking about. Alot of them feel like cutout boards of various anime stereotypes such as the tsundere, the ditzy but powerful one, the calm and collected one with a mysterious past, the seemingly promiscuous and flirtatious one and even the useless but lovable character. They still need a lot of character development in order for the not-really-fans to form emotional attachments with the characters.

But one thing is for sure, is that the characters all look very pretty. Waifu material if you will.

ANIMATION: 7/10

Let me just say now, that i am definitely not a fan of 3D animation. I utterly detest anime which try (and fail) to integrate 3D with 2D animation. Or even worse, when they create an anime fully using 3D animation. Cough-Unbreakable robot doll-Cough.

I was pleasantly surprised however, when i watched RWBY. Although there are some instances where the animation feels blocky or chunky, it looks pretty damn good most of the time. The action scenes are glorious and i often find myself replaying those parts over and over. The trailer is a good example of this. I recommend watching the season 1 first and then watching the trailers. I promise it would be a much better experience.

The character designs are pretty good too. The weapons are fantastic and very, very creative. Who knew a scythe could also be a high velocity sniper rifle?

SOUNDTRACK: 10/10

I am 100% in love with RWBY's soundtracks. I recommend watching the series before listening to them, for a bigger emotional impact. Their individual character songs are perfectly suited for their characters. I cannot tell you how many times i replayed 'Red like roses' and 'From the shadows'. Goldstar material, these soundtracks are.

The opening song is nothing to scoff at too. 'This will be the day' seriously gave me an eargasm. 'I may fall' is very touching too, i admit. I have to give credit to RWBY for having such an amazing soundtrack. The voice needs some work, but it is mostly so-so. Not really on par with usual animes but the dialogue is hilarious. This show has comedy down to a T.

Oh, and i just discovered that there is going to be a Japanese dub version. Those who prefer japanese to English would be better off watching that one.

RECOMMENDATION: Would i watch this again? Yes, of course. I recommend this to those who are looking for a short but entertaining series. I suggest those who are looking for complex plots and characters to ultimately stay away.

Mushibugyou

So we all know Shingeki no kyojin. What about Mushibugyou?

The spring animeline up consists of many underrated anime series because they were all overshadowed by Shingeki. Mushibugyou was literally hiding right under their noses.

When i first started watching this, i expected it to be a hit and miss. After all the entire story was going to be set in ancient edo....with characters battling giant insects. I was pretty sure it would be those ridiculous stories with over the top characters shouting out fancy names for their awesome fighting styles. To my amazement, it was all that.....and more.

One thing that really caught my attention was how unexpected the story was. There are two story arcs. The first few episodes were dedicated to introducing the characters, showing how they and the main character's friendship would bloom. You know the usual stuff. Jinbei himself reminded me of a typical shonen character, but surprisingly, he was thankfully imbued with good comedic sense and just a little bit of pervertedness that made mushibugyou interesting and funny.

After all that layman stuff was over, the show started to pick up speed, and got the ball rolling. From there it was a non-stop pleasant experience for me. Samurai anime's are usually overdone so i threw away my common sense and enjoyed the show even more. Another thing about that stood with mushibugyou is their characters. Each one was given a distinct personality and to make things better, their voice actors did an amazing job portraying them.

However, their fight scenes were a little to dramatic for me. Some of their attacks were little too over the top and only several fights were especially good. But if you overlook all the flaws, i can say that Mushibugyou would be close to perfect. It really exceeded my expectations. I am looking forward to rewatching it again soon.

Plot: Great and better than i initially expected. 8/10

Characters: The main characters had an impact on the plot on a very personal level and their past were explored intimately, something that really made the show better. 9/10

Animation: Pretty good.But the character designs threw me off a little, they were abit too comical for my tastes. (Mugai and Kotori hairstyles.)  7/10

Soundtracks: A little repetitive but all openings and endings were pretty amazing. 7/10

Overall: Takes a long while to get to the real plot but you will be rewarded. 3.5/5

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu

Nowadays, light novel adaptations are becoming increasingly common. This is good, because light novels usually have a deeper story and characters (eg. Kemono Souja Erin, Yahari ore no seishun, Guin Saga). However! This poses some problems because the anime itself may not be able to finish the entire story, and one such product is this; Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsuu.

This series is absolutely amazing, however the abrupt ending only serves to agitate us, and leaves us wanting for more. It is more painful if the anime has been freaking awesome, only to get cut off at the 24th episode or so. Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu is good. But the ending, to put it bluntly, sucks eggs.

Ryner Lute, Ferris Eris and Sion Astal are the main characters in this adventure anime and present to us a wonderful story filled with deep characters and solid pacing. As the series progresses, you can see that these characters begin to show their vulnerable sides, and how they manage to grow into better people. The majority of the show is spent introducing us to other characters and their interactions but once that is over...BAM! The story erupts into a roller coaster ride filled with betrayal, fights and mayhem. That is where the real action starts.

The animation is pretty good, the character's movements are quite natural and the fights are well done and executed fluidly. The backgrounds are eye-popping and more than often catches your eye. Although there are times where the animation teeters of the line of good into bad but it manages to get back on its feet again.
The plot itself is good (it is from a light novel after all) but the ending is disappointing.

Overall, this anime is pretty good and watchable, IF you can endure the abrupt ending. The show is sometimes pretty dark, and there is a good amount of gore and fights for shonen lovers, but there is also subtle traces of romance. I was sometimes thrown off by how fast the atmosphere changes from light and fluffy to dark and tense. I wouldn't really recommend it to any story buffs because of the ending.

Plot: Average as any adventure anime goes.7/10

Characters: Large plethora of different characters but manages to give them good depth. 9/10

Animation: Great but becomes bad towards the final episodes.  8/10

Recommendation: 2.5/5

Kino No Tabi : The beautiful world

Wow. Just wow.

I wish this show had more than 13 episodes. It was so magical and practically sucked me into the show the moment it started. Kino travels the world on her talking motorrad named Hermes and visits different countries with their own set of problems. She doesn't interfere with their problems, however she does it sometimes out of compassion. Kino stays in each country for only three days, and continues on her journey afterwards.

I think that this series has a nice and slow pace, a good episodic series. Kino No Tabi (Kino's journey) is actually a study of humans, with kino showing us their stories in the place of an outsider. It is a very emotional piece, each episode can be vastly different; some on greed. Others on sorrow, stupidity and ego, just to name a few. Each country she visits has their own set of rules implemented by their leaders who think that they are doing the right thing. 

Ultimately, this show makes us wonder about life and its meaning but the ending's openness allows our minds to run wild with imagination. There is no solid plot, you could say. But its charm is precisely that. Each episode is independent and doesn't force too much information onto you; just enough to understand what is happening and to enjoy it. That's right, Kino No Tabi's charm is its simplicity. 

The animation is not bad, but not good either. I would say that its outstanding story balances the good and the bad in this anime. There are many lessons to be learned from this show; some are subtle while others glare painfully at you. In the first episode, this quote can be used to describe what we are in for while watching this show.

"The world is not beautiful. Therefore it is."

This one line can mean many things, however it is up to interpret it how you want it to. The characters in this show are not deeply developed however they are rather charming in their own way. Kino herself is not the focus of the show, but thankfully a little bit of her past is revealed before the anime becomes to confusing.

This philosophical anime is a great experience for me, and definitely one of a kind. I can say that i throughly enjoyed it. The last episode was pretty sad though. I was really, really sad. Maybe that's a good thing.

Plot: Fantastic. Finally a full score. 10/10

Characters: They were great but very mysterious in many ways; especially Kino.  8/10

Animation: Like i said. It is not good or bad, but pleasant enough for you to enjoy. 6/10

Recommendation: Your anime life is not complete if you never watched this. 5/5