Zankyou no Terror Playlist
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Name: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Release Date (in Singapore): 12 February 2015
Watched on: 24 February 2015
Summary:
Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Summary by: 20th Century Fox
Summary from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802144/plotsummary
Personal Ratings: 3.5
A movie which follows the route of irrationality. It's absurd, illogical and fun. I was really wow-ed by the creativity behind all the weapons, which follows the rules of a "gentleman", but I really thought that the action scenes could have been better.
The jokes were pretty funny and sensible, and I think they really made used of a lot of situations to come out with jokes or sarcasms.
The start of the movie threw me off guard, and kind of made things a little complicated at first. Because I thought Valentine was the good guy. But that all cleared up after awhile, so there wasn't really any huge of a deal.
At first I thought that the terrible CG* would be the fall of this show, but after watching the whole show, I actually think that the flawed CG was done on purpose. It actually did suit the movie a lot more with the more fun and joking plot line of the movie.
And because of the flawed CG, it makes some parts hard to take seriously, and so people would take it as a joke, especially for some of the pretty gory scenes (like getting cut into half or their brains exploding).
I just thought that they should have actually added a little more seriousness to certain parts of the movie, especially the part about Harry (when he died), I thought that that scene itself was pretty emotional (especially since I kind of favored him throughout the movie), so I thought that the action scene in the church could have been a lot more serious and emotional (especially the parts where he get injured).
I thought that how they film the action scenes was pretty unique, and honestly is a lot more clearer than the normal way of filming action scenes. I thought that mixing in other ways of filming the action scenes (like showing the whole scene zoomed out) would have made it a little nicer, especially because the way that they use can actually cause motion sickness (for people who are sensitive to motion sickness), if watched for long. The different perspective would have also gave it more variation.
I really liked how they actually showed Eggsy's personality from the start of the movie to the end.
I totally loved the part about the dog. But I think that the they could have showed us more of the training part together with the tests parts. And I also thought it was kinda of a shame that he didn't get to work together with Harry.
*CG - Computer Graphics
Recommended for:
Gender: Both
Age: 18 and above
Ratings: M-18
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Zankyou no Terror
Name: Terror in Resonance, Terror in Tokyo, 残響のテロル Zankyou no Terror
Status: Completed
Episode: 11
Release Date (for eng subs): Every Friday
Summary:
In an alternate version of the present, Tokyo has been decimated by a shocking terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identity of the culprit is a bizarre video uploaded to the internet. The police, baffled by this cryptic clue, are powerless to stop the paranoia spreading across the population.
While the world searches for a criminal mastermind to blame for this tragedy, two mysterious children—children who shouldn't even exist—masterfully carry out their heinous plan. Cursed to walk through this world with the names Nine and Twelve, the two combine to form "Sphinx," a clandestine entity determine to wake the people from their slumber—and pull the trigger on this world.
Summary Source: FUNimation
Summary from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/23283/Zankyou_no_Terror
Personal Ratings: 4
On a whole, I really liked this anime. Even in the midst of all those similarly dark anime for that season, I really thought that this one stands out the most due to the amount of intelligence put into it. However, I did feel that the quality of it kind of slipped away near the end of the anime. Such a pity because the starting was really great, and I expected a lot from this.
Firstly, the terror acts are really very well thought out. I really liked how they actually used modern everyday gadgets to pull off all of their terror acts. I think that this aspect really brings the viewers more into the anime because we see and use some of those items everyday, so in a way, it makes us drawn into the different ways they can actually use those gadgets (but no, don't try it at home).
Even though I thought that the details were very well thought out and portrayed, I think that they did it too systematically.
They didn't actually work the viewer's curiosity about the other characters. I'm not sure if it's cause they wanted us to concentrate more on the case about the intelligent children project, but I felt that they didn't tick off enough curiosity. (kind of like just letting the story run without inputting any other things to spice up the anime).
For the flashback parts about the facility, I thought they should have left it without any dialogue to keep it a little more abstract (since they were already using a more abstract method).
I think that they could have shown a little about the facility at the start of each episode of the anime, parts which are relevant to that episode.
I didn't really understood why they needed to enroll in a school, because in the end after the first 1 or 2 episodes, there were no other scenes about the school or their high school life. I don't know if it was intentional - like if it was to show that they really actually wanted a normal life, or that they actually researched and intentionally found out that the school was having a trip to the tokyo tower (or whatever that building was, I forgot.)
But I would definitely like to see into how they act as compared to normal school students.
I find that the ending was pretty rushed. I thought that they could have made that gradual progress about 5's true feelings, be it in a flashback form or something. Because I felt that after all the chasing after 9 and wanting to kill him, she suddenly confessed out of nowhere. Seems like a 180 degree change of feelings. I think because most of the deaths were cluttered at the end of the anime, it kind of seems like everyone died one shot.
Thought that they could have inserted certain scenes to help bring out the sadness more, especially when it comes to the dying scenes.
Firstly, the terror acts are really very well thought out. I really liked how they actually used modern everyday gadgets to pull off all of their terror acts. I think that this aspect really brings the viewers more into the anime because we see and use some of those items everyday, so in a way, it makes us drawn into the different ways they can actually use those gadgets (but no, don't try it at home).
Even though I thought that the details were very well thought out and portrayed, I think that they did it too systematically.
They didn't actually work the viewer's curiosity about the other characters. I'm not sure if it's cause they wanted us to concentrate more on the case about the intelligent children project, but I felt that they didn't tick off enough curiosity. (kind of like just letting the story run without inputting any other things to spice up the anime).
For the flashback parts about the facility, I thought they should have left it without any dialogue to keep it a little more abstract (since they were already using a more abstract method).
I think that they could have shown a little about the facility at the start of each episode of the anime, parts which are relevant to that episode.
I didn't really understood why they needed to enroll in a school, because in the end after the first 1 or 2 episodes, there were no other scenes about the school or their high school life. I don't know if it was intentional - like if it was to show that they really actually wanted a normal life, or that they actually researched and intentionally found out that the school was having a trip to the tokyo tower (or whatever that building was, I forgot.)
But I would definitely like to see into how they act as compared to normal school students.
I find that the ending was pretty rushed. I thought that they could have made that gradual progress about 5's true feelings, be it in a flashback form or something. Because I felt that after all the chasing after 9 and wanting to kill him, she suddenly confessed out of nowhere. Seems like a 180 degree change of feelings. I think because most of the deaths were cluttered at the end of the anime, it kind of seems like everyone died one shot.
Thought that they could have inserted certain scenes to help bring out the sadness more, especially when it comes to the dying scenes.
I would like to recommend that viewers do listen to the OST CD of this anime. Some of it is really good, and it really just seems to touch one's heart. It feels as if there is a whole lot of feelings packed into the songs.
Art Ratings: 4
A more realistic art to fit into the more realistic theme of the anime. Overall I really like the art style and the animation. It was all really smooth.
The character designs also really all goes well with the personality of each characters.
Though sometimes I really do feel that in certain scenes, there were one too many lines on the characters such that it does make them look a little out of shape.
Though sometimes I really do feel that in certain scenes, there were one too many lines on the characters such that it does make them look a little out of shape.
Recommended for:
Gender: Male & Female
Age: 16 and above
Monday, February 9, 2015
Death Note (Anime)
Name: Death Note デスノート
Status: Completed
Episode: 37
Release Date (for eng subs): -
Summary:
Yagami Light is a 17-year-old genius from Japan who is tired of his life, school, and the state of the world as he knows it. One day, on the way home from class, Light stumbles upon a dark notebook with "Death Note" written on the front. Intrigued by its appearance, Light reads the first few sentences, only to find out that it states that anyone whose name is written inside will die. Discarding it as a joke, Light continues his daily activities. Soon after though, his human curiosity takes the better of him and prompts Light to try the notebook, discovering the truth behind first sentence. Now, with power in his hands, Yagami Light is on a quest to change the world and become God of the New World. His path to holy status won't be easy however, as another genius, known as L, is working against Light's beliefs and Light himself. Who will win this power of Gods between humans?
Summary by: MAL Rewrite
Summary from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/1535/Death_Note/
Personal Ratings: 3
Watched the live action for this first, so I maybe comparing the two together unknowingly, but I'll try to keep this as neutral as possible.
The lies and deductions are what makes up this anime, but I thought that adding in more emotions into the show would have been better, because the whole time its about psychology, deceiving and observation of the human behavior. It can be really taxing on the brain because of all the complex explanations which has to be laid out and thought out thoroughly before the full understanding can be reached.
Thought that the pace of the whole story was too constant and lacked that emphasize on certain scenes. Some scene could have been faster to give off certain impact toward the viewers. Flashes or a higher speed for certain scene could have spiced up the mundane speed.
They could have made use of some scenes to emphasize on the emotions in which the viewers should be feeling at the moment in time. For example, when Raye actually wrote down the names of all the FBI on the death note, they should have actually showed us some scenes of them dying off, to tell the viewers how wrong Light's justice has become. Show, don't tell - by just telling us through words doesn't really bring in the weight of his actions and the emotions.
Another example would be the scene where many inspectors resigned from the case. I think that showing us the scene where they left the room would have much better because that way the viewers would feel a little frantic, because it would seem like everyone has left. However, I really liked how they actually cut down on the number of people involved in the case, because they can focus on that few people, as compared to having the show that many number of people at once. But I did think that they didn't really use that to their advantage. There maybe some episodes where they actually did some character developments on certain inspectors, but I didn't think that it was enough, because most of them were shown when they they were needed, or for a reason for them to end up causing trouble due to their characters.
They concentrated too much on the mystery on hand, so much so that it fundamentally lacked that character development I thought was needed for the viewers to understand about the characters before we can completely enjoy the fight between the 2 sides.
Could have developed some character more before killing them off - it would have made it more thrilling.
Like the thing about Naomi, I thought that they shouldn't have finished her off within 1 to 2 episodes, and only having met Light once. The drive of uncovering the Kira case due to her husband's death should have been shown more. Throughout the whole time, I didn't feel that kind of resentment within her. And since she was a former FBI agent, all the more they should have played it to their advantage to make the story a lot more interesting.
I think that for the whole show, I felt that they forgot to think about the viewer's perspective. Throughout the whole show, I felt that because the viewers know the story from the point of view from both sides, it's really hard to see things from L's point of view (especially when it comes to finding out stuff about "Kira") when we actually know everything. So sometimes viewers may forget what L knows and doesn't know about Kira. So it may actually be a lot better if they have showed it from one person's point of view.
I thought that the whole of Near's arc is very short and rushed. It kind of felt that they tried to pack as much as they can into that short number of episodes.
Throughout the whole of the arc, I thought that using Near's toys to give us a better visual and overall understanding of the whole situation.
At the ending of the show, I thought that they did a really good job in picking which scenes they want to conceal, such that it leaves the viewers very curious to see what happens, but maybe there was too many holes for the viewers to fill in.
As for the last part when Kira became a little crazy from losing to near, I thought that they could have made it a little more dramatic and crazy as compared to showing him running away the whole time.
The introduction of the 3rd Kira was really well done.
Throughout the whole of the arc, I thought that using Near's toys to give us a better visual and overall understanding of the whole situation.
At the ending of the show, I thought that they did a really good job in picking which scenes they want to conceal, such that it leaves the viewers very curious to see what happens, but maybe there was too many holes for the viewers to fill in.
As for the last part when Kira became a little crazy from losing to near, I thought that they could have made it a little more dramatic and crazy as compared to showing him running away the whole time.
The introduction of the 3rd Kira was really well done.
For L, Near and Mellow, I liked how they all have a kind of habit - Near plays with toys and stacks up things (which really shows his age, despite him being really smart. L also stacks his food up), Mellow eats chocolate (L also loves sweets in general) - that kind of resembles L, it really shows that they really look up to L a lot.
Thought that they should have gotten L to go into step-by-step explain how he come to conclusion on certain facts, I feel that it would have given the show a little more of that cool factor that they are lacking. It would also have given L more character and personality, because throughout the whole anime I thought that they didn't really flaunt over L's intelligence.
I thought that this would have been especially so in the first few episodes, where L have yet to reveal himself. This would have given the viewers that curiosity, in such a way that when he did reveal himself, it would have been more impactful.
They could have also expressed L's personality a little better; be it his sitting style, habits, and all the sweets, because it's those little things that makes him adorable.
There wasn't really a lot about L throughout the show before he died. I felt that there was a lack of character development for his character. I really prefer the movie a lot more when it comes to L. I felt that he didn't really make much progress in the whole Kira case, especially since Near didn't start off from where L left but he started from the beginning.
After L died, I really think that they should have somehow made the information, that L gathered, available to near, so that he doesn't need to start from scratch and make it seem like the first half of the show was useless.
Thought that the progress that Near made when he first started on the Kira case was a lot more rushed as compared to the L arc. Could see that Light was also a lot rash with his decisions as compared to the time with L.
After L died, I really think that they should have somehow made the information, that L gathered, available to near, so that he doesn't need to start from scratch and make it seem like the first half of the show was useless.
Thought that the progress that Near made when he first started on the Kira case was a lot more rushed as compared to the L arc. Could see that Light was also a lot rash with his decisions as compared to the time with L.
As for light, I thought that telling us more about his school life at the beginning would have enabled the viewers to measure his intelligence. Not keeping the viewers updated on his everyday life, would also mean not enabling the viewers to see how much his meaning of justice changed.
In the Near arc, I felt that Light became really cold blooded - a person with no feelings or his family, really suddenly. Thought that they should show his change of heart from the very beginning.
In the Near arc, I felt that Light became really cold blooded - a person with no feelings or his family, really suddenly. Thought that they should show his change of heart from the very beginning.
Not much family scenes ever since Light joined the investigation team. They should have input more emotions in by showing the family when Yagami died.
Art Ratings: 3
More realistic art to bring out the more dark theme and the more
Recommended for:
Gender: Both
Age: 16 and above
My Ratings: PG-13
More realistic art to bring out the more dark theme and the more
Recommended for:
Gender: Both
Age: 16 and above
My Ratings: PG-13
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