The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

So I watched this movie with high expectations from all the people who loved it. I'm going to say that I was severely disappointed and expected a lot more from it.

The story is about a 17-year-old high school girl who discovers her ability to leap through time. The movie basically follows how this affects her life, how she chooses to use her ability, and what happens when she makes some big mistakes.

I assumed that there would be some really interesting concepts with her ability to 'time leap'. I was mistaken, since half the movie is about how she jumped time to get better grades, redo a moment when she might have embarrassed herself, and making sure she gets the last pudding. While I was expecting at least a little frivolity (who wouldn't?) I didn't expect this to make-up the majority of the movie.

I was also disappointed with the ending. There were some twists to the plot that I felt came out of nowhere. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that the ending was pretty predictable and wasn't explained very well. The entire ability to 'time leap' was completely shrugged off as something that young girls can do sometimes. I found that to be a very lame plot fail.

On the up side the animation in this movie was lovely. Most of the movements were very fluid, things you could see happening in reality. The voices were all done really well, too. My only complaint in that regard was that some scenes would run a little too long that it seemed awkward. For example -- There's a scene where Makoto (main girl) was running and was short of breath. The scene spanned for quite awhile and it became that her gasps seemed off, or fake. That could have been easily fixed if they cut that sequence down a bit. At least, that's what I think.

There wasn't anything overly-special about the characters. You could watch almost any high school based anime and find the same characters, so there wasn't anything that stood out too much in that regard. Same with the character development. It was there, but it was average and predictable.

I can't think of too much to say about the movie, to be honest. The whole thing was JUST average. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't wonderful either. If you like the slice of life, shojo genres then you would probably like this movie. Just don't expect anything ground-breaking.

In fact, I found myself getting bored at some parts. This is something I won't ever rewatch.

So overall I'd rate it a 6/10. It's okay, but it left a lot to be desired.

Baccano!

Okay, so I'm finally doing my post on Baccano! Here we go!

Baccano! has a little bit of everything. There's alchemists, demons, immortals, thieves, assassins, the mafia, and there are about 20 main characters. The story mainly centers on two out of the ordinary thieves, and the affect that they've had on the other character's lives. Throughout the entire show there are 3 stories being told that are only a year or two apart from each other. What makes Baccano! even more interesting is that it's based in the 1930's. That alone adds a lot of character to the show setting it aside from other anime. The actual plot to the show is just how all these characters were/are connected to each other. Whether the relationship was good, bad, or ugly there was some form of connection between almost every character.

The show is a lot of fun. The characters all stand on their own. No cookie cutter syndrome going on. However, the downfall of Baccano! is that the way the story is told can be extremely confusing. Not only is it jumping time frames randomly, but the story is being told almost backward. The first episode is actually the end of the adventures. It's a very interesting way of telling a story, and I enjoyed it, but half the time I felt really lost. Really, if you want to understand the story completely you're going to have to watch it a second time.

That's my only complaint on this series. Other than being confused throughout the whole thing everything else was top notch.

I really want to talk a bit about the humor. I found it astounding how funny this series was. There were some downright horrendous moments. You could feel sick with disgust, and then a few scenes later you're crying from laughter. Isaac, and Miria (the two idiot thieves) add so much to the show with their crazy antics. Or Ladd (an assassin), who adds a morbid sense of hilarity to the show that you know you shouldn't be laughing at, but you just can't help yourself. I am so very impressed with the variety in the characters of this show, I can't even express it in words. I would tell someone to watch this JUST for the diversity in the characters.

The music was superb. There was a lot of swing, but there was also the dorky little tunes for those silly moments, and it all just fit the show perfectly. It helped make the setting even more, and that's important. You'll find yourself humming some of the songs after you finish because they're just so catchy.

Oh, and a must mention is the opening. The opening to Baccano! is the best anime opening I have ever seen. You get a feel for every characters personality, and there are A LOT of characters. You actually feel like you know what you're getting into. You can SEE the thought that went into it. The music, what the characters are doing, the art. It's all so great that you must watch it. YOU MUST--

Overall, I think this is a really great series. In truth, I absolutely adored it. I found myself not being able to wait to watch the next episode. The animation was lovely, the music was great, the plot was interesting, and the characters were just amazing.

And a shout-out to the voice acting. It was all very well cast. There wasn't one character that's voice didn't match the character they were recording for.

The only people I wouldn't recommend this show to are gore haters. I, myself, am not a gore fan, and this was about as much as I could take. So if you're super squeamish about these kinds of things -- this is not for you. Also, if you're easily offended, then no. Don't watch it. Come back when you gain a sense of humor. There are some things people might find offensive.

So all in all, I'll give it a 8/10. Even though for my personal taste I'd give it a 10, because I loved it so much.

Maids? What is this??

Okay, so on the 7th this month it was officially one year since I started this blog. Yay! It doesn't really feel like a year, but I'm proud of myself for keeping this going for as long as I did. Here's hoping for another year of mindboggling rambles from me!

Even though I haven't been updating as much as I used to. =(

Finished Baccano! (OVA's and all) today with my friend. Will post about it later. Absolutely loved it. Just want to bake over what I watched, and what I want to say about it.

So I mentioned last entry that I was starting Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama, thankfully it's only 40 chapters in so far, and I'm all caught up. I actually like it a lot more than I thought I would. I've come to notice that it's very rare for Shojo to come out of it's cliche' over-used plot shell (and Maid-Sama is no different) but there's something very charming about the story. I'm not sure if it's because the characters are so likable, or the fact that she introduces some of the over-used plot-lines in interesting ways. Yes, Usui is a tad too perfect, but I actually like him a lot, and I like how boisterous Misaki can be. I like the fact that she can be downright mean. Most of the time they make the main female either extremely ditsy and unintentionally troublesome, or something of the sort. Misaki is tough, and being tough she has a reputation that she doesn't mind having. I don't know. There is just something very refreshing about her character, even if there is the usual "I'M OBLIVIOUS TO HIS FEELINGS" thing going on. (Which can get old, Special A, I'm looking at YOU. xD)

So I'm looking forward to reading the chapters coming up, and watching the anime adaption that is coming out in the future.

Oh, and I now know the official airing date of Kimi Ni Todoke! YAY! October 6th~! I'm really excited. Even stranger, if I remember correctly, October 6th was the airing date of Vampire Knight Guilty last year! Too bad Kimi Ni Todoke won't be a show that needs much speculation or I'd do a post for each episode. =( Who knows? Maybe I'll find a series soon enough.

Still playing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. It's so cuuuute! The little animations are just as adorable as the last games. Apparently there is also going to be a Professor Layton movie! EEEK!

Criminal Minds is the shit. Seriously. If you like crime shows and have yet to watch it then you should go watch it. Right now. Get going, shoo!

All the guys are extremely attractive.

I'm just saying.

I can't think up much more to say. I feel like replaying Tales of Symphonia again. Or the Ace Attorney games.

Not sure how I'm going to spend this weekend. Maybe playing Professor Layton, and Boom Blox.

I can't wait for Ace Attorney: Investigations. I want it NOW.

Oh, and my friend and I are coming up with ideas for a shared blog thing. That's all I'm going to say for now. We have all these ideas, and it's really exciting. I hope it all goes as planned!

Till next time~!