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professor layton and the eternal diva

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

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Summary:

A telling of a great mystery involving eternal life and the lost city of Ambrosia.  Layton and Luke head to the opera where an evening’s performance turns into a game of life or death as they seek to solve the mystery surrounding the mysterious runner of the game and if there really is eternal life waiting at the end.

Review:

I will out myself on two accounts right off the bat for this review:

1) I did not expect this movie to be good at all given it’s source material. Puzzle game plus movie does not equal something good in my mind.

2) I’m a huge fan of the Professor Layton franchise and wanted to watch this movie as a result of that.

It’s original release was in December 2009 in Japan, I actually saw posters for it but didn’t make it to theaters at the time – obviously – and ended up watching it later.  It did not get an official US release but there IS an English Dub.  I’m not really a fan, not crazy about Luke’s voice in the Dub, but for those of you who prefer dub no matter what that’s an option.

The director is Masakazu Hashimoto who has actually directed some other fairly famous stuff such as Jin-Roh the Wolf Brigade and most recently Tari-Tari.

The animation was done by P.A. Works, which also did the animation for the scenes in the games.  Making it really true in style and feeling for fans of the games.  The animation is also of a decent quality with some CG thrown in.  Maybe the CG was done well, or maybe because it’s based off a game there’s an element of forgiveness to it being there but it didn’t feel obtrusive at all.

The movie also retained all the charms of the game, the puzzles, Layton’s genius, well-loved characters being a part of the cast, even numbering the puzzles the characters come across.  So for fans of the game it’s very charming in that respect but it wouldn’t be off-putting for someone who doesn’t know anything about the games.

Because of the “mystery” element the pacing is well done and there’s a little bit of guess work on the viewer’s end.  But if you’re a fan of figuring out puzzles yourself and trying to piece through a mystery as you watch they don’t really give you the time for that.

The story is simple and easy to follow, making it a relaxing watch for someone of any age.  The subject matter is engaging, possessing Layton’s charming mix of old world, mystery, meets some elements of fantasy without any of it seeming out of place.  There are some moments of action and some comedic moments.  It’s tense enough for an adult to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon, but not so complex that you couldn’t show it to your 7 year old niece.  In fact, put it on the list of anime that would be GREAT to get younger fans into anime.  It has all of the charming things that I remember liking when I was first getting into anime.  I can just see someone running around saying, “Move aside Luke! I’m Layton’s number one apprentice!”

That would potentially be the sole criticism about the movie.  It IS simple and it IS more fun than trying to say some  incredibly deep message.  But it knows what it is, plays to it, and does a good job at that.

Overall, at 99 minutes this movie is well worth watching for almost anyone.  Strongly recommended to share with younger fans – though adults can still enjoy.  And a MUST SEE for any Layton fans!

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denpa teiki na kanojou

Denpa Teki na Kanojo

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Alternate Titles:  Electromagnetic Girlfriend

 

Original Japanese Release Date: May 1st, 2009

Episode Length/Run-time: 2 OVA

Summary:
Juuzawa Juu is a typical high school delinquent.  One day he is approahed by a girl, Ochibana Ame who claims to be a “knight” of his from a past life.  Soon afterwards, a rash of serial killings begin occuring in Tokyo and after one of their classmates is murdered the two team up to try to unravel the mystery and catch the murderer.

Review:
What an interesting anime this is.  It exists essentially as a two hour movie and because it’s so engrossing, boy does it fly by quickly. The serial killings make an excellent backdrop for the anime and creates a tense atmosphere fitting of a horror thriller.

Speaking of the murders, this anime doesn’t mess around.   Between the gruesome serial killing scenes and the violent and mature content between the sstudents and throughout society, Denpa Teki na Kanojo is definately an anime intended for more mature audiences.  Most of the killers victims are either stabbed or beaten to death and then strangled with wire.  Juu’s classmate actually gets strung up in a back alley like a puppet.

The character Juuzawa Juu is a very believable and likable high school boy.  He is realistic and the actions and reactions of him and most other characters in the anime are generally realistic and give the anime as a whole the feel of having realistic setting.

In addition, because it’s an OVA, the shows art and animation are top notch.  The background detail and the fluidity of the movement is quite impressive.  It may remind you at times of a Miyazaki or Shinkai film.  Also, the character designs are very likeable. I loved the way that the characters looked in this anime.  Even the level of detail on the movement of the facial expressions are accurate and make the characters feel more human.  I wish that more shows would follow it’s eample and use the same character design style.

If I could come up with just a couple complaints about the anime it would be that there was a lot of character interaction but not enough of the “thriller” genre in the content.  By that I mean I wish a few more people had been murdered and I wanted the anime to simply be a little more gritty.  I suppose this is a minor complaint though as I was never bored watching this anime.  Also, there wasn’t much character background given.  Certain things are mentioned but all in all the character development and background history is kept to a minimum.  I don’t care if the anime is a 2 hour OVA or 100 episodes, character background should always be given attention, at least for important characters.

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