Sunday, June 9, 2013

Do not watch this ALONE AT NIGHT! (Ghost Hunt Anime Review)

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I love Ghost Hunt, have loved it and always will!

This is my second time watching the series. The first was around 5 or 6 years ago and back then, I've already decided that it's ONE OF THE MOST ENTERTAINING ANIME that I've watched in my entire life.

I don't usually watch anime series of supernatural  genre (although Supernatural is my favorite US TV show) so I only pick those which are really worth my time. Ghost Hunt along with XXXholic remain to be the shows that can give me GENUINE SCARES all the time. I love to watch these shows at night but THEY ARE TOO DAMN SCARY that I can't help but to minimize my VLC screen so the effect wont be that overwhelming..fufufufu..

I don't like gory/bloody scary shows so the tolerable suspense atmosphere of Ghost Hunt suits my taste best. The show gives you the comfortable feeling you long for when you are trying to relax, and gives you an assurance that there is still hope for the ANIME INDUSTRY. The scare, the thrill, the suspense, the rom-com, the youthful aura and the drama - ingredients for a truly enjoyable show which fortunately GHOST HUNT has.

As per the story, it is very simple. A group of supernatural experts gather around to solve supernatural mysteries. So simple yet the cases were nothing but ordinary! The stories of each mystery were delivered in the best scaaarry way possible. The sound and the music amplified the atmosphere to give you a series of pure scare fun and entertainment.

The characters were ALL likable. Naru-chan and Mai, the two main leads, I remember back then how I got crazy for these characters and until now I still feel the same. Also, Mai is one of my favorite heroines ever!!!Aside from these two, all the characters were superb and well-blended with the story. Even though their personalities and abilities were well presented, they do not outshine the cases they worked on. The stories/cases were after all the heart of the series and fortunately these were executed magnificently.

And what a lame scary show it would be if the sound and music were not that effective. Here at Ghost Hunt, you will not only be rewarded with good stories but with A SUPER GREAT MUSICAL EXPERIENCE too. The OP & ED are cool and the BGMs are simply haunting!

The BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT I can say about this show is that it only lasted for 25 episodes. This number is not enough to know the characters better and to solve the biggest mystery of this anime. Having said this, Ghost Hunt is truly an enjoyable series. SCARY+ ENTERTAINING = PURE FUN. You don't need LOGIC to understand and love this series. It just needs your creative mind for it to be appreciated. Although this is kind of an old series, it will always remain to be one of the MOST UNDERRATED SERIES OF ALL TIME. This is waaay better than new titles these days and I can't find a recent series that is a match with Ghost Hunt (recommendation anyone?). It is just sad that it wasn't that popular enough to gain a second season ( or was this the reason??). But anyway, there's still the manga if you want to continue the series, right?

Overall, this series is SUPER RECOMMENDED, especially to those who are bored and looking for some SCARES and THRILLS. Watch this right now, but I suggest to try it at night for a better viewing experience..tee hee!


Till then,

From someone who easily gets scared,
ME

^_^

Friday, June 7, 2013

Not a SPORTS ANIME (Cross Game Anime Review)

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Cross Game 


This is an entry from http://myanimelist.net/profile/docalion
 
I'll try my best not to spoil the story. This is my first review at MAL after my long anime hiatus.

Anyway, the reason why I watched this anime was because of Ookiku Furikabute, another baseball anime. Cross Game is on top of its recommendation list that is why I got curious and started to watch it. Ookiku was so great and very recommendable. It's a great example of a sports anime that is why I expected a lot from Cross Game, hoping this new one is as superb as the former. But now that I'm close to finishing it, I can say that it's totally a different anime than I expected.

If you're a hardcore sports anime fan or the kind who looks forward to seeing thrilling and exciting sports action, you might not enjoy this one. Cross Game, as for me, is 30% baseball, 70% human drama. The story includes a "past character" whose presence is all over the show, which appeared to me like the effect of Sasuke to Naruto (character and show itself). It is heavy in human drama which I think most fan girls will love. When I say human drama, that's romance for you. Well, I kind of liked it too but for a sports anime to be overshadowed by another element called romance is a bit off. Maybe because this is something new for me as I'm always used to seeing the sports and action to be the main ingredients of the show. I also feel that the two elements are kind of frustrating to watch because it's not clear to me the focus of the story. You will be presented with episodes of baseball actions then after that, a series of slice of life dramas. I mean, if you want to reach Koshien and be the best in Japan, practice, practice and practice 'till you vomit blood and not let your idle time be spent in endless bickering. Well, maybe the bickering and LQs are there because it's more human drama than sports after all. Because of that I felt that the baseball element is not so important to the show, the "who's-gonna-end-up-with" part appeared to be more essential.

As per the characters, the hero is not your underdog type of character ( Ippo, Sena, Mihashi) nor the arrogant one (Sakuragi, Ryoma and Toua). Hmmm..a very average yet the type who only comes once in a decade kind of pitcher, he is. So if you're also the type who wants to see an awesome and cool main character, don't try this one. Yes, I think he's great but not that "great" (in the fanboy kind of way). I think he doesn't have that 100% sports resolve that you normally hear from other sports heroes. I mean, he doesn't wish to be a great baseball player, his goal is not that clear. For another character there's Aoba, the next main lead, a cute girl who mentored the hero. She is part of the love train. Anyways, I like her free spirited character but I'm annoyed by the responses she gets from the male characters of the show. Hmmm.. is she really that pretty/cute? The baseball team is crazy for her. As for the rest of the cast, hmmm...they are likable in the fangirl kind of way. If you're up for the thrills, there's no SUUPEER sports player you can totally cheer for (well, as for me anyway).

Overall, Cross Game is a decent anime. I think it's still better than the popular titles these days. It's not boring but will not excite you either. Well, there are cute moments that can make you smile and the question of "who's-gonna-end-up-with" is enough for you to continue watching the series. But still, A TRUE SPORTS ANIME FAN (or even a shounen-action fan, can that include me?) will not fully enjoy this. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to try this one.


UPDATE:
After watching the LAST EPISODE, I can say that this is truly a FANGIRL SERIES. It is barely a sports anime. I enjoyed the last part, because it’s really cute. But then again, the “baseball” is really the side dish. Don’t hope for it to be the next ____ (write your fave sports anime here), or else you’ll be disappointed. Watch Cross Game as a human drama anime and not as a sports anime.



Till then,

From someone-who's-frustrated-of-the-anime,
ME ^-^

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