Divine Gate
[starrater]
D
Dimension W
[starrater]
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F
Alternate Titles: Dragon Ball Z Return of F
[starrater]
Death Parade
[starrater]
Danganronpa: The Animation
Plot:
Sixteen high school students are trapped in a school (well, you never actually see the sixteenth till like the last 3 episodes so sixteen technically but well, take that for what its worth). The school is an elite academy called Hope’s Peak Academy though none of the students are quite sure how they got there as the story unfolds. The school is run by a sadistic bear named Monokuma who is a robot controlled by the mastermind behind the operation. Monokuma gives the students some basic rules:
They cannot leave the school.
To graduate they must successfully commit a murder that their peers cannot decipher who is the murderer at a school trial.
Should the murderer not be found, all other students will be killed.
As the murders ensue the students work to find out who is behind Monokuma and why they are there, along with what the real secrets of the school are.
Source:
Danganronpa: The Animation is based off a PSP game of the same title. While I have never played the PSP game I can tell the anime is very truthful to its source. There are moments in the show where the effects used are almost identical to what you’d expect to find in a game.
Animation:
The overall animation is average. However, during a “punishment” or execution after a class trial there is a change in animation which I felt really pulled the viewer out of the show. I believe these cutaways are reminiscent, if not identical, to the game but for someone who has not played the game they might add more than takeaway.
Review:
Danganronpa, rightfully, gets right into the action and people are dying right away. It sounds exciting but the formula, combined with the game elements that cheapened the drama. It was also difficult to relate to the over-the-top cast. While their antics were interesting they were so crazy that it was difficult to find a grounding with almost any character.
The story progresses up to a climax that ends up coming out of nowhere. One of the frustrating things is the inability to play ‘who done it’ along with the characters. The ending is much the same, it’s so crazy at a point that it cheapens everything overall.
[starrater]
Dennou Coil
Alternate Titles:
Dennō Coil
Coil a Circle of Children
Den-noh Coil
Cyber Coil
Plot:
The line between real and augmented reality is growing thin in this not-too-distant future world. This is a result of special, augmented-reality glasses that people wear which allows them to connect to the Net, a place which now has a digital world layered over our own. Yasako is a young girl who moved into the city to live with her grandmother as a result of her father’s recent promotion. Her grandmother runs a detective club that Yasako, and her new friends, join. As they explore the many-leveled world of Daikoku city they discover secrets about the glasses that connect them to this alternate reality that may be darker than previously suspected.
Review:
First off, when I originally heard of Google Glass I thought of this anime and went – YES!! Just saying…
Dennou Coil is a weird show to watch. Because most of the main characters are children it is undoubtedly a show geared toward a younger audience. But some of the themes such as a happy ignorance/innocence over the burden of truth are more mature than you would originally expect when you sat down and started the show.
One thing that this show does well right from the start is walking fine lines like that. It’s a show about children, but does not feel like a children’s show as an adult watching it. It also walks the line of cyber-fantasy without feeling cliche or over-done.
The show is divided into two main halves, with one character exploring the world and introducing the viewer to it’s rules and the other half a “decoder” exploring things known as “illegals” – basically viruses and anomalies in the code. The two halves come together for a fantastic ending that has a great punch to it.
Overall this show is fantastic and does an exceptional job for what it’s trying to do. The areas it falls short in are some light filler and a villain that seems kind of stereotypical and a little one-note. But it remains something that is a sleeper masterpiece and worth watching.
(Listen to the show for an extended, better, full review)
[starrater]
Dog Days’
Alternate Titles: Dog Days 2
Plot:
Set after the events of the original Dog Days the main character Shinku is re-summoned to the word of Flonyard with his friend Rebecca. His cousin Nanami is also summoned to champion a competing city.
Review:
This anime is awful and pointless.
(Listen to the show for the real, better review 😀 )
[starrater]
Devil Survivor 2 the Animation
Devil Survivor 2 –
Devil Survivor 2 is a DS game that came out in the Summer of 2011.
Plotline:
The story of Devil Survivor 2 is one of destruction, survival, and rebirth. The story of a God named Polaris who is displeased with the path that humanity has been taking aims to destroy the world using a force called the Septentrione. There is however a catch. If humanity is able to weather this storm and survivor the assaults by the Septentrione, then those surviving humans may gain an audience with Polaris and have a hand in shaping the image of the new world of rebirth.
In order to survive the apocalypse, an organization called JPs and it’s leader Yamato, seek to harness the power of demons to gain power in the struggle to survive. Yamato will do anything to ensure that he survives and has a hand in reshaping the world, even if it ensures that all other humans perish.
In the midst of all this struggle, a boy named Hibiki and his friends gain power through the use of a cell phone demon summoning program (origin is a spoiler) and assist JPs in the battle. Through time we learn that Hibiki’s power is mighty and he can use it to protect his own ideals.
Positives:
The show really doesn’t have any filler and does an excellent track of sticking to its atmosphere and genre.
Found that all the characters remained consistent with their personalities throughout. Nobody did things that seemed to be a huge deviance from their established personalities.
Simple story that doesn’t get lost in convolution.
Negatives:
Another example of how SMT games don’t translate into good action anime. Nothing is interesting about the combat in the show. Watching a lion fight another demon using fireballs sounds interesting but it really doesn’t come off as anything but mediocre to watch.
Found the story to be at times boring.
Aside from the main couple characters and Yamato, the characters feel unlovable and I welcomed their deaths.
The ending feels rushed. Theres about 7 minutes between the final battles conclusion and the total end of the story. Too fast.
- Nothing about the anime really stands out. It’s average in many respects.
[starrater]
Deadman Wonderland
[starrater]
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
[starrater]