bingerama

Got around to finishing this last night. After the semi-boring evil corporation arc, it all went by pretty fast. I don’t think it ever got back to being as good as it was in the first 17/18 episodes, but the ending was pretty satisfactory, even if I wasn’t completely happy with it.

The bads - I think they may have overdone things a teensy bit, in terms of Light’s psychopathic tendencies, L’s weirdness, and the stunning accuracy with which they (almost) always predicted the enemy’s next move. Some parts were a little bit too convenient; I gave up trying to follow the whole notebook swapping who could see what business after a while. And some things about the ending didn’t sit quite right with me, even though I think there was very little else they could have done, except maybe end the story 10 episodes early similar to what the movie did. And I haaaaaaate the 2nd OP. Gawd. I hate swearing for the sake of swearing. I hate lyrics that don’t make sense. I hate death metal. Can’t say it didn’t go with the anime in general, but urghhhh.

Now that’s out of the way, there were a lot a lot of things I liked. For one, despite the nitpicking observed above, I thought the main characters were excellently done. The interaction between them was probably my favourite part of the series. The tension created by the story telling was arguably the best I’ve seen so far. I was actually pretty nervous at some points, thanks to the way the action sequences were put together. Unlike many other shows that attempt to have complex plotlines, it managed to tie things up coherently without losing its way. It succeeded in using a supernatural concept as a platform for intense drama and psychological warfare without over-relying on it as a crutch to escape explaining the finer points of the plot.

Most importantly, I like that the story was so intelligent without being pretentious. It didn’t try to explore moral issues or inspire any philosophical debates, it didn’t try to be deeply meaningful and profound. Which is good, because most anime that try suffer most ignominious failures. While there are occasional references to the fact that Kira’s world may not be such a bad idea, it is used more as a plot device rather than belaboured as some new and interesting concept. In the end it’s not even about inherent rights and wrongs anymore, it is about winning and losing, which I far prefer to having the characters hide behind some pompous sense of justice.

I quote Wiki, re: the author and artist who created the manga - ‘The two reiterated that the “deep philosophical themes” such as debates about whether Light is good or evil, “life and death,” and the “merits of our Internet society” differed from the intention to entertain’. Ding ding ding! Finally someone gets it right. Forget the ideological discussions - all they wanted to do was tell a good story, and they did a hell of a job with that.

Now for spoilers!

(more…)

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6764

Excuse the profusion of pictures, but this was just a screenshot taker’s paradise. So many freezing of scenes upon drawing out of cool weapons amidst lots of kaleidoscopic laser light. How could one resist?

This is my current Anime of the Moment. The story is straight forward enough and none too unique to be honest, but it is decently done. I didn’t really like some of the arcs, but the crappier ones were over in 2 episodes or so and the longer arcs were actually pretty good. The fillers were also ok, at least they weren’t absolutely excruciating to watch, which is all I ask for.

Since this is one of those currently-ongoing-no-end-in-sight shows, I can’t help but draw comparisons to Bleach, Naruto and One Piece. I’m well aware that each of those have their own merits and maybe I’m enjoying D.Gray-Man more out of novelty than anything, but seriously I don’t know why it is so much less popular than its counterparts. (And before I get hammered to death by One Piece fans I can only say that if after 46 episodes I still find it mediocre and only vaguely watchable, I don’t see why anyone should stick around to the parts where it actually gets good…Which I will eventually, just not while I have something better to do =p)

If nothing else, the characters are hands down a billion times more likeable than anything I’ve seen so far in the other 3 anime put together. For one, I’m a big fan of Allen Walker. Admittedly a large part is due to the fact that he reminds me a lot of Ed Elric, but he is a likeable character in his own right, and isn’t as painfully one dimensional as many other main characters. I like that Lenalee is a competent female lead - not too useless, not too cute, not too in your frickin face. And she has nice legs (you have to admit that it is aesthetically pleasing).

The OP is quite nice, albeit a bit emo. It’s done by Abingdon Boys School (pretentious name yes/no), who also did the Darker Than Black OP, which explains why the same emo-ness pervades.

I hear that it gets pretty boring in the 20s until you hit episode 40ish, so we’ll see if my opinion changes. Maybe I’m just not at the point yet where the anime catches up to the manga and everything goes to shit. But it’s ok, if I got through 155 episodes of Naruto and the entire bloody Usopp arc, I’m sure I can handle this.