Paragon Lost will only interest diehard fans who can’t get enough of the ME universe. For everyone else, it’s an underwhelming experience. Above all, people who haven
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Continue reading Mass Effect: Paragon Lost
Watching this film, you can see the set-ups flicking past, one after the other. There are at least half a dozen such moments that feel like they’ll be important later on. But then, astonishingly, nothing comes to fruition. This doesn’t feel clever or deliberately anti-convention; it simply feels unfinished.
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Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Arrietty
Haruka is well animated, however the foxlike Teo is simply ugly, which is a bit of a problem when he shares so much of the screen time. The whole film has a tendency to get a little gaudy once we move from our world to Teo’s.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror
I wasn’t exactly craving a love triangle, but it’s a pity that her character wasn’t more fully developed. Kujo and Victorique’s relationship grows exponentially, on the other hand, though never gets tiresome.
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Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Gosick Collection 2
Gosick isn’t an action-based show by any means, but on the occasions when there are flurries of violence, the animation captures the action beautifully. The score and voice acting is perfect also.
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Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Gosick
As with a lot of anime, as we get towards the end of the story the narrative gets increasingly confusing and off-the-wall, to the extent that I could only really explain the conclusion of the series in the most general of terms.
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Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040
The Blu-ray presentation is beautiful. Freedom features some of the best matte paintings I’ve ever seen. The futuristic architecture and barren landscapes are wonderfully detailed, sometimes resembling the work of the French artist Moebius.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Freedom
The locations feel real, particularly Shizuku’s home, and the familial relations are almost documentary in nature. The voice acting is fantastic, though I’d perhaps suggest staying away from the English dub, which sounds like it was voiced by a bunch of Mouseketeers.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Whisper of the Heart
Dance of the Vampire Bund has a plethora of good ideas wrapped up in a high quality presentation. If you’re up for a narrative challenge and think you can survive the sexualisation of a pre-pubescent vampire, then it’s worth a look.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Dance in the Vampire Bund
Frustratingly, this first series leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Once we get to the final five episodes, which are really quite gripping, the plot goes into (comparative) overdrive, leading to an awe-inspiring epic final battle. The mixture of CG elements and 2D animation is superbly handled.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Strike Witches