Charlotte
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C
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!
Alternate Titles: Binan Kōkō Chikyū Bōei-bu Love!
This show was made for Sailor Moon fans.
Wait, what did I just say?
No seriously, it was… And I’m going to prove it to you.
The show starts off with a magical pink wombat falling from space and telling five pretty boys that they are going to be magical warriors for love. As they’re learning what this means an anti-love monster appears, a monster that you quickly learn was created by an equally ridiculously clad opposing group.
The five boys then go through magical transformation sequences, that’ll have you laughing instantly as they kiss their magic bracelets and proudly proclaim “love making!” to become the Earth Defense Club. Ensue spinning, rainbows, hearts, and a magical transformation sequence that’s actually better than the recent Sailor Moon reboot. Within the first few episodes those who have a special place in their heart for the nostalgia of magical girls will be squealing and roaring with laughter.
That’s because Cute High Earth Defense Club Love knows exactly the type of show it is and at the same time has some great things to say about the genre. What “The Daily Show” is to news programming “Cute High Earth Defense Club Love” is to the magical girl genre. It takes everything you’re familiar with and turns it on its head. It embraces the ridiculous and makes a point to laugh at almost every trope.
Even the characters make it a point to frequently break the fourth wall and give a wink at the audience in the first four to six episodes. They comment on how silly their costumes are, how ridiculous their moves are, and how things just work because “hey we’re magical now, we guess.”
The episodes themselves follow a familiar format. The characters you know and love are met with an internal problem, a random monster appears spawned by another person with a problem whose heart is closed to love, the boys transform, say their lines, use their magical powers, and then save the day. The “bad guys” lament on how they were foiled yet again – those dastardly Defense Club boys! – and live onto the next episode.
When I watched the first episode of this show I was loosing my shit, for lack of a better term, right off the bat. This show feels like a bunch of guys – or girls? – got together, had a couple drinks and said, “woah, woah, what if-WHAT IF-we made a show with MAGICAL BOYS?!” and you get to feel like you’re at that table with them imagining all the crazy hyjinks that you could come up with for such a concept.
The characters are appropriately tropes, rather than “characters.” There’s basically no backstory to speak of and no development. But it makes the “pick up and go” aspect of the story much easier as a result. You have Yumoto the really eager rape cuddler (that got a little creepy). There’s En, the “cool guy” type. Atsushi, the “glasses wearing” type. Io, the smart entrepreneur who’s always focused on the bottom line. And finally Ryuu, the cheerful sporty bishonen.
Equally their opponents are bishonen.
In fact, there’s a complete lack of girls in this whole show. The ONE beach episode that there was ended up being shades of boys love as the characters ended up at a possibly gay muscle beach. For a show that feels like it was made by women, for women, it’s worth noting that the director was a man! The director, Shinji Takamatsu, has directed everything from Gintama, to School Rumble, to the 1996 After War Gundam X. The chief character designer and animator was a woman, but that’s the most notable female on the staff.
The problem with Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! is the fact that it’s an idea that you get about five episodes in and then nothing changes. It’s the same thing magical girl/monster of the week shows suffer from, formula issues. That repetition clearly works for some, but it can begin to feel dragging and LOVE! is no exception.
After the novelty of the concept wears off and you see the boys in a few various settings, from being turned into kids, to the beach episode, to the obligatory “the club could be disbanded” episode, you know how everything’s going to play out and that shiny glossy charm of “OMG IT’S MAGICAL BOYS” wears off.
For me, this came around episode 7, which, when I consider that, is actually pretty good. So, I give it some credit. The show sets a course, tells you what you’re in for, and then continues the course until the last episode and a half when they wrap it up with a fun little twist that’s appropriately dumb.
And, I think that’s a fair way to wrap up the review: “Appropriately Dumb.”
This show has its laugh, it’s fun moments, and it’s completely transparent with the viewer. I give it novelty and amusement points, but deduct the usual points for all lack of substance. It’s not stunning looking and the music is average and show-appropriate. But, it was far more amusing in what it was doing than just a random romp we’ve seen 100 times. It was a random romp we’ve seen 100 times done in a completely new way.
As I said, it’s the perfect show for Sailor Moon fans because it’ll evoke nostalgia for Sailor Moon in a crazy fun and novel way that makes you admit to how ridiculous all the magical girl series really are. This is the perfect show for guys and girls, for different reasons, and I think it’s a great “party” anime. When you have a bunch of friends over and you can watch an episode, laugh at how ridiculous it is, have fun, but then play cards against humanity as it plays in the background. It feels like something I would’ve watched in college.
It’s an easy 3.5 magical boy transformation sequences. Nothing amazing, but above average for the amusement factor. This is a show I recommend at least the first episode of for the sheer ridiculousness of it. If you like that, you’ll like the rest.
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Captain Earth
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Copellion
Plot:
Three girls are part of a special rescue team in the now contaminated Tokyo. Following a large scientific accident of a catastrophic nature the whole city is now completely inhabitable. Copellion is a group of genetically engineered girls who do not need hasmat suits to navigate through the ruins of the city to find remaining survivors.
Animation:
Copellion has an interesting style and flair to it when it comes to Animation. It also varies a lot from scene to scene. Some sequences are gorgeous with full color and attention to detail. Others barely appear to be colored. The whole of the anime has a tonal effect over it that sometimes fits well, but gets a little old. I started out thinking it was nice, but then it began to wear.
Review:
Copellion watches as a PSA for anti-nuclear energy/use. Each of the girls’ adventures is its own self-contained story with some anti-nuclear message. They range from losing one’s hometown, man’s greed destroying the world, the prior generation leaving a mess for the new generation, finding new sources of energy and their limitations… and so on. The message becomes very clear only a few episodes in and gets a little exhausting because it makes things feel a little preachy and the story cheapened by pushing the message so hard.
The other thing that makes the story cheap is simply poor storytelling throughout multiple parts. Naturally, without things happening to characters there wouldn’t be a story. Yes, some of this must be coincidence. But, it ends up feeling forced throughout Copellion. The storytelling is loosely strung together.
Another problem the anime faces is the lack of a major overarching plot. You end up hoping for something about how the world got into the predicament it’s in. But, it ends up being very simple. The plight of the survivors feels cheap and the dilemma the girls face regarding their own humanity is equally thin.
This anime also works very hard to make you care, a lot. There’s a great deal of moments right off the bat where they try to really make you connect to the characters and their hardship but that too seems forced. Perhaps it is a weakness in their presentation of the characters or my personal resonance with them.
Also, there’s a lingering question throughout the whole thing – why are they in school uniforms? I get it, they’re part of a military school, but, I mean, are the sort skirts really necessary? I’d think a military school would be like ‘you’re going into a battleground of sorts’ here’s a pair of pants.
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Chihayafuru 2
Plot:
Directly following the events of the first season we re-join with the protagonist Ayase Chihaya and her budding karuta club. To keep the club Chihaya must recruit a certain number of members. After successfully doing so she pushes the club to win Japan’s team karuta tournament while continuing to peruse her dream of becoming the Karuta queen.
Staff/Production:
I won’t go into this too much. Being a sequel all the important staff members and production studio was kept consistent between the series. However, perhaps one important change worth noting is that the series composition went from two people to one new person. Some of the pacing in this series seemed a bit off from the pacing of the previous season and this could be due to the change in control there. The current series composition was done by someone who is new to the industry, with only one other credit to his name.
Worth noting is that while there are obvious cost-cutting measures on the animation – internal dialogue, long tense pauses while listening for karuta cards, and a generally not fast-paced action show – the music is great. Often times it will feature full strings, or even an orchestra to create the perfect moment. It is noticeable without being obtrusive and adds a lot. The only criticism I can say is that because a lot of time, and money, went into the songs they have there isn’t a huge variety.
I recommend the Main Theme – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ne7oNIMJyA&list=PLbaPMFthaxm1_FjZMr4OZKiBj4tlFRxHk
Review:
I love this anime. Because I love this anime it is admittedly very, very, difficult to do this objectively and give it a fair score… but I will do my best.
I think though, the love I have for it, says something (good I hope) about the show even through whatever flaws it may have. I consumed this show ravenously and begged for more. The characters are heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. The show starts out and I was a little nervous that half the show would be spent on new member for the club recruitment as each new member was seeming to get their own episode. But, thankfully, this was not the case and the arc only lasted about the first 1/4th and we got back to what we really care about – karuta.
This show is a character-driven show to begin with, but this series is especially so. Much more does the show focus on how each of the characters is growing as a person through karuta as the show focuses on the karuta itself. Personally, I really enjoyed this. I liked seeing the back-story to characters on the karuta team that we’d never really seen before and as a result of this heightened level of involvement. One notable one is Kanade Ōe. In the first season she was little more to me than the “kimono new girl.” But in season 2 she wins over the viewers hearts with her insightful nature and wisdom beyond her years. Not to mention, I think Taichi x Chihaya fans will love her to a particular degree given her helpful pushes for their relationship.
Speaking of, that’s another thing they progress more this season, the romance. This series I would say is a character-based drama via karuta, than a series explicitly about the “sport.” With the self-awareness mentioned earlier we see the love triangle develop between Taichi, Chihaya and Arata. While I won’t spoil it, Chihaya begins to evolve from the completely clueless girl we met last season to having some awareness of romantic feelings. The romance is like a slow-moving boulder. Once it gains momentum it’ll crash into your heart at the end of the series.
The biggest criticism I can say for the show, as previously touched on, and most people out there I think agree is the pace. While I kept like I was always hanging on for more and begging for the next moment I truly have fallen in love with all the characters which helps this. If you do not love these characters I could see how this season could drag, a lot. Because they spend a lot of time not doing much. By the end of the season they’ve only played in two tournaments, and one weekend tournament took the better part of the second half.
But even this I didn’t mind, as they accomplished a goal with it, and the series ended up somewhere – I feel – far beyond where it started.
Speaking of the ending, it is definitely another “to be continued” so if you’re in too deep like me you’re going to be begging for more. I am going to assume it will be getting another season, as there is already an OVA coming out soon. But, if it doesn’t this show is completely left unfinished.
In the end, I will give it 4 out of 5 spinning top karuta players. Because in my opinion it was at least as good as the first season, but in different ways.
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[C] The Money of the Soul and the Possibility of Control
Alternate Titles: [C], Control
Original Japanese Release Date: 2011
Episode Length/Run-time: 11 Episodes
Summary:
Japan’s economy is struggling, however unbeknown to most the public it’s been kept afloat with money from a mysterious other plane of existence known as the financial district. Kimimaro, an economics major in college who struggles to make ends meet is approached to be an Entrepreneur for the financial district, offering his future as collateral for a large sum of money. Now, he must figure out what he’s fighting for, or if he has any place in the struggle at all.
Review:
[C], or Control, is a great anime that really suffers from one thing – it’s just not long enough. I know, I know, in an anime world where we are constantly criticizing anime for going too slowly, or doing too little, in a minefield of filler and pointlessness Control remains the exception.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Control is a Tasunoko Production and an original story by Noboru Takagi. Meaning yes, amazingly this is a fresh, original story, with no light novel or manga behind it. Takagi has done series compositions for Baccano and Durarara, though both were based off light novels.
Control wastes no time, in the first episode you are introduced to the Financial District, a mysterious plane of existence controlled by the even more unknown Mitas Bank. However, the existence of this bank is unknown to people who are not entrepreneurs or Entre for short.
Outside the financial district, Japan has hit hard times, in a rough economy and rising national debt scraping together a living is something less and less people are finding themselves able to do. So when Masakaki, the banker and “Willy-Wonka meets the Mad Hatter” ring leader of the Financial District, approaches someone, at random, to be an Entre most are hard-pressed to say no. But of course, there are very few freebies. In exchange for the chance to make money in the financial district as well as a hefty sum of money to start out with you cash in your “future.” Now there is a purposeful ambiguousness at the start of the series of what “future” actually means. In the beginning you see a man committing suicide because he went bankrupt in the financial district (causing him to lose his “future”) so you think “future” means years on life. Later on a man loses his children as a result of bankruptcy and everyone who had memory of them. So “future” clearly translates very differently depending on the person’s circumstance.
The Financial District functions like a large, metaphorical, stock market. Two Entres enter into what’s known as deals by leveraging their assets against each other in a timed battle. What ensues is basically a pokemon battle with money, each attack above basic ones cost money, when you are hit you lose money. You win a deal by ending with the higher total. The higher the margin of victory the greater the effect the battle has on the real world. This is also how Entres can go bankrupt in the Financial district. Non-involved Entres can watch the Deal and bet on the outcome. Therefore, money flows through the financial district, crossing hands, and enters the real world through the Entres.
Now, getting to our main character Kimimaro. He’s an economics student at a local university, though you wouldn’t believe it with how clueless he is when it comes to money matters. His cluelessness does serve as a purpose for explaining the financial district though, so it helps the viewer. He is parent-less and hard working. Determined to make his own living his entry into the Financial district is hesitant at best. But as the story unfolds he realizes he has more significant ties to the district than he thought, as his father was a previous Entre who went bankrupt. He’s an uncertain character and doesn’t know where he stands in the Financial District until he meets Mikuni.
Mikuni is like the ringleader of the financial district. The most powerful person he amassed a huge amount of wealth which he invests into Japan to keep the economy afloat by investing in Japanese companies and buying up unbought bonds from the government. In the Financial District he runs a guild designed to minimize the effects of the financial district upon the real world. Stressing they win only by the smallest margin possible.
The series takes a sharp turn and the pace increases as the Singapore financial district collapses, taking the country of Singapore with it. This solidifies the integration of the financial district with the real world and it sends a shockwave known as C across the financial districts of the world. Mikuni takes matters into his own hands to try to save Japan at present and Kimimaro is forced to choose his side.
C, if you can’t tell, is a very deep and involved anime for only 11 episodes. They introduce great characters that you wish could have more development but such things are sacrificed to the length of the series. There are a lot of themes in this that many anime triple its length don’t even see. Such as present versus future, what people will do for money, and how money plays a role into people’s lives. I see a lot of people criticizing the show’s execution, but I think differently. There was a lot of terminology that as a business student I really appreciated. Just looking at the assets each Entre was handled like a small company. And sure, there was a lot of metaphor and it wasn’t a picture-perfect example of real business it still was great to see in an anime representation.
Two other criticisms I see of the show are awkward CG, and yes, there is awkward CG but it’s not nearly as bad as some I’ve seen. And the use of bad “Engrish.” Yes, the “Engrish” wasn’t really necessary but it was used for characters who wouldn’t speak Japanese.
Overall, what really dragged the show down was not having enough time to flush things out and explain them for viewers who may not catch on as quickly to the clever use of business terms and principles. The ending was conclusive and satisfactory, though I did not personally like it. This anime comes in at a solid 4. While I simply adored watching it the lack of time and what it forced the series to do really brought it down from masterpiece level to simply excellent. This is one I strongly recommend to any anime fan or business student out there.
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Code:Breaker
Alternative Title: コードブレイカ― (Japanese)
Summary:
Sakurakouji Sakura has a new student join her class, a boy that she saw not a day earlier burning people alive from a bus window! Determined to find out his secret and keep him from hurting others she makes it her mission to follow him. In doing so, she learns he is part of a secret organization called “Code:Breakers” a group of people with supernatural powers that does the government’s dirty work of killing criminals.
Review:
Code:Breaker is a show that tries to be more than it is and in the end that hurts the overall experience of the show.
From the beginning it begins to plant seeds for deeper meanings of good and evil, right and wrong, and a utilitarian overview of society. However, the anime does little to focus and really comment on these things, rather introducing new characters and having stupid comic relief moments at the wrong times. Example, taking a girl and a puppy into a battle field… why?
The anime also continues to introduce plot points that are never fully explained up to the end of the show, such as implying Sakurakouji has a deeper skill and importance to her but never fully fleshing that out. Also introducing government motives and ultimatums. The show is based off of a still ongoing manga that currently has 23 volumes so the source material is massive. No second season has officially announced at this point but this show greatly needs it to close itself. The ending felt more like a “to be continued” opening more questions and introducing potential new villains than a actual conclusion.
The superficial “deeper” meanings aside this show has fantastic action if you’re into the supernatural super powers side of fighting. The best thing to do is approach this show as a shonen fighting show and know the ending will leave you hanging. Despite appearances it has no touch of harem or romance to it which helps keep it focused purely on the action. I’d recommend this show for people who are a fan of that genre with a touch of darkness, but know it’s faults and short-comings upfront and be warned.
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Cool Devices
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Cream Lemon: Pop Chaser
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Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
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