RUROUNI KENSHIN LIVE ACTION - KYOTO INFERNO REVIEW

by kuro-hime

SUMMARY :

Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left for dead. He survived, and is now in Kyoto, plotting with his gathered warriors to overthrow the new government. Against Kaoru's wishes, Kenshin reluctantly agrees to go to Kyoto and help keep his country from falling back into civil war.
(~adapted from wikipedia~) 

REVIEW :

Honestly, I was happy to hear that there will be a sequel to the Rurouni Kenshin live action movie and I was super ecstatic when I heard it would be on the Kyoto Arc.

They even split the movie into two parts as it's impossible to put in the entire Kyoto Arc in just two hours.

Well, I rushed to the theaters the moment the movie came out. 
It was worth it.

The directing of the movie is perfect.
The cinematography is amazing.
I like how they set it in the meiji era Japan and it looks very real, with real dirt and atmosphere. It was a delight. My eyes had a hard time absorbing all the details in.

Honestly, I was worried how they would portray the villains. I was so worried that it could go wrong but the movie pleasantly surprised me.
I found their portrayals to be very accurate to the anime and manga.

As a fan, I was pleased with this movie.
However, as a reviewer, I did agree that the movie felt draggy at certain times while it moved faster at other times. Therefore, the pacing of this movie wasn't the greatest.

And one thing, this movie was surprisingly very violent. This was something that I didn't really expect. Not only that, all the humor that we are used to, is almost all gone. The only one providing comic relief is Sano and sometimes, it just feels sad that Sano character is only used as that because as fans, we know he is more than that.

The fighting scenes were once again superb and wonderful. It was so brilliant that it left me breathless.

Point is, Kyoto Inferno did a good job is setting up the premise and making us want part 2 right now.

Over all, I found Kyoto Inferno to be a very good movie.

I rate it a 8 out of 10. 

(will be reviewing "part 2 : the legend ends" really soon)

Summer 2014 First Impression : Aye or Nay

by kuro-hime

The summer anime line up is currently in full swing.

Everyone has seen some episodes and slowly, we begin to perfect our watch list this summer.

Usually, every line up has its' good shows and best shows.
And sometimes, there are awesome epic shows.

But this season is extremely wonderful because there is just so much good shows out there.
It's like the god of anime himself has descended and decided to bless us.

I haven't had a season where I watched so many shows and is enthralled by most of them.
This is rare.
Usually, it's just one or two.

But not this summer. (almost everything is good this summer)

Anyhow, let's get to the first impressions for summer 2014. (no ranking in particular)

We only watch this series for only one reason.
And that reason is NOSTALGIA.
So far, it's bringing the nostalgia and so, it's good.
Watching this is like returning to my childhood.
So it's all good.
The art is pretty alright. I find it pretty but personally, I prefer the original.
I am not a fan of the transformation 3D sequence but it's still okay.
To be honest, I hate that there is only two episodes every month because I would prefer it to have an episode per week.
But overall, AYE.

It's almost like rewatching Psycho Pass original season 1 series.
The only difference is that, it's more of a summary and there is some added extra scenes where you get to know the character's thoughts more.

If you are a hardcore fan of Psycho Pass, this will be an AYE
because watching everyone again makes you so happy and seeing extra scenes makes your scream.

But if you are not a hardcore fan, this is a NAY
because why would you want to watch this when you can watch the original. Might as well wait for season 2.

The premise of this story is actually pretty interesting.
And in the first two episodes has been pretty good.
Assassins who try to get rid of the corrupt to make a better world.
But of course, they know that killing itself is not a good act so they don't make themselves to be heroes.

Honestly, if this show was in another season with not so much good anime, this would have been a hidden gem but sadly, it came out this season with a lot of other shinier gems.

It has the typical anime comedy to ride out the darkness and the typical wacky characters in an anime. Thus, making it slightly typical and generic.
However, because of the interesting premise, it's an AYE.

I sat down to one episode of typical anime school life with typical characters doing typical things and saying typical things.
Obviously, you know where I am going with this.
It's typical.
But it's also boring.
Thus, after one episode, I decided that this is a NAY.

Ah, the awaited Kuroshitsuji continuation where it renders the complete wreck of a season 2 non-existent.
Well, it's not special or anything.
Everything that we are used to in the original Kuroshitsuji series is here.
The victorian era, the angsty Ciel and the awesome butler Sebastian.

But the interesting part is when they join the circus because it's slightly different from what we are used to.
For now, it's been hilarious and enjoyable.
Therefore, it's a pretty good series to catch.
But if you are a hardcore Kuroshitsuji fan, then, this is a MUST WATCH.

For me right now, this gets an AYE.

Gen Urobotchi doing another Mecha series. Hmm...do you run or do you watch?
Anyhow, I am basically watching this because I want to see where Gen Urobotchi goes with this.

The premise has been set up in the first two episodes and it's pretty interesting.
By the way, humanity is in a dire circumstance.

Personally, I am not a fan of the main protagonist because I find him a little indifferent and unaffected. However, in episode 3, the episode showed him in a better light so I am very curious now as to where the show will go and what the character himself will do.

Oh, did I mention the soundtrack? I love the soundtrack in this series. It just adds to the entire feel of the show. It's really good.

All in all, because of my curiousity and love for the soundtrack, this series gets an AYE from me too.

BANG.

Yes, that is how the first episode ended.

And the second episode?

Also BANG.

What about the third?

No bang but still awesome.

This series is my favourite of this season simply because we have these main characters that are terrorists. And the way they excute their terrorism is so brilliant.

Not only that, their characters are still vague and mysterious. But it looks like they had a bad past.

And we don't know their motives yet.

Thus, it's all very interesting.

The soundtrack is great here too.

And the animation, together with the directing is simply superb. 

It's like this epic psychological series. I just want to see where this all goes.

Thus, this gets an AYE.

This is a very ordinary anime of where boring ordinary introvert girl meets crazy energetic transfer student.

Very ordinary, right?

So it should be boring.

But surprisingly, it isn't.

The main female character, the shy one is very relatable.

And the crazy transfer student is just so enthusiastic that it's hard to hate her.

So even though it's a very simple and ordinary premise, it's quite interesting to watch.

And it doesn't help that it has a killer Opening song and sequence. 

Anyhow, surprisingly enough, this gets an AYE from me.

Precious Swimming Anime Boys.

What can I say?

Is there anything that should be said?

Anyhow, this is good because it makes me so happy and proud to see how much Rin has grown compared to season 1.

Hot precious perfect swimming anime boys.

There is nothing else to say.

If you are not here for the story, you are here for the fanservice.

But honestly, the story here is pretty good too. So yea. 

It also doesn't help that I look forward to season 2 since season 1 ended.

Anyhow, I cannot give this anything else except AYE.

Boy from the future who goes back to the past and becomes a lord because he looks like the lord.

Yes, the plot is not original at all.

And it doesn't help that the art is 3D-ish and so, it's not my thing at all. In fact, I don't like it at all.

But the saving grace of this series is the character itself and the voice actors.

The character itself is so hilarious and so, it's hard to hate him. So in the end, you end up liking him and laughing your ass off as he says or do the darndest things. 

The voice actors really can emote the character's action so despite the lack of emotions in the 3D art, it's made up for in the voice acting.

Over all, this series gets an AYE.

A sweet love story.

Or rather a to be love story.

Honestly, I am not sure.

But this series is so sweet that it gives me diabetes.

The two main characters interactions are so adorable that it makes me squeal in happiness.

It also doesn't help that the two main characters are likable so it's not hard to like them and root for them.

This series feels like a fluffy candyball so far. 

So if you like a sweet high school love story, here you go.

Anyhow, to me, this series gets an AYE.

This series.

The first episode left me wanting more.

There is gore in this series and this series is not for the faint hearted.

But what I love about this series is that it's about a boy who lost his previous world and is trying to adjust to his new one.

It's about a boy finding himself in a place where he is none and yet both.

It's about a boy who is confused.

It's about a boy is just trying to figure things out.

So yes, it's a little of a lame whiny ass right now but I want to see how he turns out from this internal dilemma.

There have been complains from manga readers that it left out a lot of important scenes. However, as a person who only watched the anime, I have no complains at all because I have no problem following it and I think it's pretty damn awesome.

This series is my number two favourite after Zankyou no Terror. So yea.

Ps, this series has an awesome Opening song.

Yea, since this is my number two favourite, it's obviously a AYE from me.

The first episode left me hungry for more and absolutely curious.

The second episode.....umm....not so much.

In the second episode, the pacing felt rushed. It's as if the creators wanted us to understand the main character and the guy who changed her.

But to me, it didn't really work.

It just felt rushed.

But since the premise is good, I will still catch it.

Therefore, it's an AYE.

Honestly, this wasn't even in my watch list.

But everyone seemed to be praising the shit out of this so I decided to catch it.

AND I HAVE NO REGRETS.

This series is hilarious to the point where your tummy hurt because you been laughing too hard.

And it's adorable because of the little kid, Naru.

But most of all, it's also filled with important warm life lessons.

It's a great slice of life series.

And thank god, it isn't a school one.

But the main character and the kid is really lovable.

Obviously, this gets a huge AYE.

I only watched one episode.

And I thought it was weird.

Weird clothes.

Weird hair.

Weird circumstances.

I don't get what's going on.

So quickly, I dropped the series.

I know it's a BL series but even the BL appeal wasn't enough to make me stay. Or leave. 

Yup, this series is a NAY to me.

Warning, this is a BL series.

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I can say that this series is seriously hilarious.

I mean, it's crazy funny.

And it's pretty adorable.

Right now, it's just a really enjoyable series to catch.

Therefore, this gets an AYE.

That's all from me so far.

Hope that this is useful.

And most of all, I hope you enjoy this beautiful season's line up. 

This season has one of the best line up in my opinion.

Anime Summer 2014

This is the anime summer 2014 line up list.
If you can't view it, you can click here.

Well, Spring 2014 run has ended and now, it is time for the Summer line up.

Honestly, Spring had a pretty good run.

But don't underestimate the summer line up.
It's been a while since we were so excited about the line up.
There is so much things that are so interesting.

Anyhow, what are you going to watch this Summer?

As for us, our watch list is very long for this summer. To be honest, you can consider the whole list as our watch list.

But we took the time to think hard on what we really want to watch and so, this are the anime that made it into our MEGANE REVIEW WATCH LIST. It's still a long list though.

Yes, SAILORMOON. HOW CAN WE NOT?
ALL OF THE CHILDHOOD.
So yea.

The first season was great and so, we look forward to more Psycho Pass.
Althought it's just a reedited version, we are curious to see what the reedit can show us.
Who knows, maybe, we missed things.

Because it's Persona.
We are interested as to why this series is so popular and what is so great about it.

What did I hear you say?
Assassin.
Brainwashing.
Evil Empire.
Oh, we are expecting dark fun action things out of this.
So yes, we are very interested.

This sounds like one of those slice of life heartwarming type of stories that are good for the souls. So we are very interested in how this will turn out.

Ah, Kuroshitsuji. Who isn't excited for the new season of Kuroshitsuji?
The oh so famous Kuroshitsuji.
All the gothic victorian era and tea.
We look forward to seeing an old favourite back.

The writer is Gen Urobuchi and he is a director in this one too.
Gen Urobuchi has made very good stuff and so, we are just hungry for more of his works.
And we will like to see what he will give us this time.
Plus, he is a director this time.
It'll be interesting to see what more Gen Urobuchi can do.

Survival games?
That sounds interesting.
This could turn out to be a slice of life high school thing.
Or....battle royale?
Who knows.
And that is what makes us curious.

This series looks like it has so much potential.
This looks like one of those serious series that will make you contemplate or realize the futility of life itself.
Thus, we are very interested.

This looks like a simple anime. Maybe even a little boring.
But what really got us is the unordinary world guided by fairylike creature.
It's been a while since we had a good magical or supernatural one.
Hopefully, this will be it.

Ah, FREE! Eternal Summer.
Who wouldn't want to watch the sequel to FREE!
Unless, of course, you are allergic to swimmer boys and their friendship. *winks*

An olden day Japan and wars?
WELL, SIGN US UP.

It's been a while since we watch a production I.G works.
Plus, this looks very interesting.
Another slice of life sweet romance story.
Once in a while, everyone needs a good love story.
And hopefully, this will be a good one.

Humour.
We all need to laugh.
Plus this looks like a hilarious series.
Hopefully, the humour won't be too cheap or lame.

Dark fantasy story.
Ah, those words always get us.
This looks very interesting and promising.
Hopefully, it will intrigue us.

Last but not least, a sci-fi series.
Well, who doesn't love a good sci-fi series.
We been itching for one.
So hopefully this will be good.

Well, that is all in our watch list.

Hopefully, you can decide what to watch.

But seriously, this line up is very promising.
We are really excited.

LET THE SUMMER BEGIN.

Black Butler Live Action / Kuroshitsuji Live Action

SUMMARY : 

The story is set in the year over 2020 in an Asian city where Western and Eastern cultures blend together. A young woman named Shiori Genpou now runs the Phantomhive family. However, only men are allowed to lead the family, so she disguises herself as a man name Kiyoharu. As a descendant of the noble family Phantomhive, Shiori solves difficult cases which are ordered by the queen. Sebastian watches over and protects her as her butler in exchange for her soul.

~adapted from wikia~

REVIEW by Kuro-hime  :

When I first found out that Kuroshitsuji had a live action movie, I was completely excited. 
So I rushed to read the summary and watch the trailer.
And that was when I was disappointed.

No Ciel.
No Victorian era.
And what is with Sebastian's hair.
Yes, I had a list complaints.

That was when my expectation for the movie fell to a really low level.

So I watched the movie, with low expectations.

That was why I was completely surprised by the fact that the movie kept true to the anime.

Sebastian behaved like the Sebastian we knew in the anime.
And eventhough that girl was Shiori Genpou and not Ciel, she might as well have been Ciel because she sure as hell behaved like the Ciel we knew in the anime.

I love the fact that the movie kept close to the core of the anime.

Logically, if you look at this movie, there were something things that were odd.
Those things were :
1. If it's 2020, why does it look like the Victorian Era except for some things?
2. Why are there still lame rules to succession like you have to be a boy?

This movie shows that it is adapted from an anime or manga very obviously.
Because it is obvious that the characters won't be able to do some of the things that are done in the movie. It's definitely impossible.
But the characters here could do it.

And there were some cool posing scenes.
Or just some scenes that obviously didn't make sense but it will in an anime and manga.

Being true to the original is both the movie's strength and flaw.
It depends how you interpret it.

If you want a realistic movie, then, this is not the movie.

But if you didn't take the movie so seriously, you would love this movie.

The plot was good. 
A case solving plot to show us the character's behaviours and motives.
It was well done, in my opinion.

The clothes were exquisite for Ciel and Sebastian. (It was definitely from the Victorian Era)

The music was well done, fitting the movie and what it wanted to do.

The actors and actresses did a pretty good job. The two main characters didn't overact eventhough it would be so easy too. 
I applaud both Sebastian actor and Shiori actress.
But some of the villains on the other hand, they overact a little but I understand why.

What I love about this movie is that it knows that it is an adaptation to anime and manga, so, it kept true to it.
As a fan of the kuroshitsuji anime, I like what I saw.

All in all, it was a pretty good movie.

I think it delivered the darkness and gothic well enough without pushing it too much. 
Because too much is overkill.
And too little is lacking.

I rate this a 7 out of 10. 

Maleficent.

SUMMARY :

Maleficent is a powerful fairy who lives in the Moors with other magical creatures. Humans and the Moors were neighbouring lands however, humans always wanted to conquer the the Moors.

One day, a boy named Stephan wandered into the Moors and soon, he and Maleficient became friends. And as they grow older, they fall in love.

However, one day, Stephan betrays her so that he can become King.

This caused Maleficent to become angry and hurt that when Stephan and his Queen had a child, she barged in, cursing the child.

However, as time passed, Maleficent feels guilty over the fact that she cursed this lovely child as she watches over the child while Stephan does his best to end Maleficent once and for all.

REVIEW by kuro-hime :

The main problem would be that I came into this movie with an expectation.

The expectation that this would be about a villain, prancing around being completely evil.

Just pure delicious evil.

And because of that, I must admit that the movie disappointed me.

I wanted a real villain.

Not a misunderstood person who was kind but made a bad mistake.

That's not a bad perspective but it wasn't the perspective that I wanted.

If  you name the movie Maleficent, make it, well, maleficent.

But if you take the expectation out of the equation, I would say that it was a pretty decent movie.

The plot was definitely foreseeable, simple and even a little cliche.

But it was still a pretty good plot.

The CGI in the movie was amazing. I really enjoyed it.

The cast was also amazing. I thought that Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning did a stellar job. The movie wouldn't have been so enjoyable if it didn't have them.

All in all, it was a pretty decent movie.

I give it a 5 out of 10.

REVIEW by JchelzAerides:

I confess that I was absolutely surprised from the beginning when the story unfolded. The movie wasn't bad but it wasn't as how I expected it to be from the trailers. From the way it was projected you wouldn't have expected young Maleficient to be a kind fairy. I would have expected Maleficient to be evil however I suppose that it was logical since most people aren't really born evil. Angelina Jolie did a great job portraying her.

Another thing that I was disappointed - in this case is just my personal opinion in was the lack of theme song. I really liked the spooky, evil atmosphere of the song used in the trailers but there was none of it throughout the movie. 

You could say the ending was rather expected as Frozen used the True Love Kiss similarly. It was rather hilarious seeing that the prince was floating for the majority of his part. One of the things I really liked about this movie is the humour. Lots of scenes that is reminiscence of the Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty.

Overall, its an enjoyable movie. Nothing to shout about but I wouldn't have minded watching it again since this movie is x10 better compared to say the Snow White remake starring Kristen Steward.

Ratings : 6.5 /10 

Spring 2014 First Impression : Aye or Nay

An another update from us.

Well, it must be Christmas, isn't it? 

Ho ho ho, it's not Christmas but at least, there's plenty of anime to watch this Spring Season and that's as good as Christmas.

And we are really doing our best to keep our New Year Resolutions to keep on updating and having new contents.

And so, we came up with something new which is FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 

We will be doing our best to post our first impressions of any new series in the latest season and to say our two cents worth.

This is our First Impression for the Spring 2014 Anime Season. (No ranking in particular)

BLACK BULLET 

This was the series that we were most excited about. Two episodes in and it hasn't disappoint us. In fact, we are anything but disappointed because it truly is very exciting. Yes, it does smell a bit like Shingeki no kyojin.
Wall.
Humanity at the brink of extinction.
Humanity trying to fight back.

Yes, very Shingeki no Kyojin like. Even the voice actor for the main character was the voice for the main character in Shingeki no Kyojin.

However, as much as it is really alike with Shingeki no Kyojin, there are some difference because of the cursed children and the masked man.
This series has a lot of potential and we really look forward to it.

So for now, it's an AYE.

SOUL EATER NOT!

In the first episode, this series showed promise that it would be a fun, light and perhaps even wondrous watch.

And in the second episode, it suddenly became a bland series. One of those slice of life, everyday life sort of story where it is a little boring.

A tsundere princess, an ordinary clueless girl and a really forgetful girl. How ordinary and boring.

The second episode really blew it for us. And so, this series is a NAY.

MEKAKU CITY ACTORS



After finding out that that Mekaku City Actors is the anime version of the Kagerou Project, we really excited for this series. Because of that, we had high expectations. The first episode was, well, interesting but it was expected because it's Kagerou Project. We wouldn't say the first episode was great but there were good moments and some moments hit the nail exactly.

And because of that, we still have high expectations of the series. It also doesn't help that the voice actors sound great. 

PS, they have some great voice actors in the cast such as Mamoru Miyano and anything with Mamoru Miyano is good.

So far, it is an AYE from us.

 NO GAME, NO LIFE.

Two episodes in and the series has really gotten very interesting. It seems very promising and it's absolutely hilarious.

The first episode was just alright. It introduced the series and it was interesting but nothing that shouts and makes you want to really invest yourself in the series.

But the second episode, that really changed things. It gave time to show off the two main characters and we got to see what they are made of for now. Because of that, the series was simply hilarious and interesting.

With that, this series is now an AYE from us too. 

ISSHUUKAN FRIENDS.

There is something sweet, soft and adorable about series. It gives out this fluffy feel good feelings. 

It's one of those high school slice of life where it's really nice to watch. 

It's one of those series where you get to relax as you watch it (for now, anyways. Who knows, maybe it gets darker.)

So, so far this series has been good and that's why it's an AYE. 

CAPTAIN EARTH

As usual, the terms used in any mecha anime is that it's really complicated and it doesn't make sense. But that is how mecha anime are like.

Two episodes in, so far, we like the big set up feel that this series has. It seems to be setting itself up for something huge or even epic. It reminds us alot of Gundam 00 (which we enjoyed)

Even though it's the usual high school boy who is filled with determination that pilots the mecha, there is something nice and redeeming about his character that it makes you not find him too annoying.

Like any mecha series, it's a little confusing and some things don't quite make sense but overall, it seems to be very, very promising. 

We truly look forward to this and so, this is an AYE from us too.

We wish we could watch more anime from this season but life is such that time is constraint.

We wish we could spend all our time on anime but we can't.

There is a lot of loli in this season but other than that, it's alright.

This looks like one very good and promising season.

And thank you for reading.

TWITTER~!

HELLO,

I know it's been a while since we update but well, there is an update now.

Our new year resolution was to add new contents to megane review and so, this is us fulfilling it right now.

We have just gotten a twitter account.

You can follow us @meganereview in twitter.

However, you need not go far to search for our twitter. It's right over here in our blog too.

Turn to your right,

AND VOILA,
that is our twitter account, right here in our blog.

Anyhow, the point for us to make a twitter account is so that we can tweet updates, information, reactions or even just random bits of stuff that may have no sense whatsoever.

Anyway, I hope all of you will enjoy this~~!

Other than that, we are also planning to add a first impression corner for the anime section.

I hope you look forward to all our updates.

Thank you and enjoy~~!

Spring Anime 2014

And it's that time of the year again, the new season of anime to begin.

Well, here's the Spring Anime 2014 list.

If you can't view it, click on this link.

Well, a season has passed and a new season has arrived. This very week itself marks the end of several anime.
If you are feeling rather lost on what to watch, do not worry.

We scanned the Spring Anime 2014 list and found it to be pretty good. So there'll be plenty of good anime for the Spring.
Even we look forward to it.

For this season, the anime that made into our Megane Review Watch List :
this is just our opinions. And no, we don't watch all that we put in our lists but we try to watch most of it. XD

Well, the sequel to JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE. How can we not put this in our watch list?! Personally, we haven't watched it but it certainly looks good and interesting. It's certainly in our watch list. Both the original and sequel.

Well, this looks adorable and hilarious. It looks like a good series to relax and have fun with. And it's made by Bones studio. All in all, it looks good.

Death. A ftransfer student who looks like his dead friend. Interesting and mysterious. Story wise, it's seems very captivating. But whether or not this turns out to be a boring cliche thing, that, we'll just need to watch it and see.

For some reason, this season has a lot of NEET and cardgames. But among all the anime with NEET, we chose this because it looks interesting and original. Maybe, we'll get to see something new here. Who knows.

This caught our attention the most. It looks like a fast paced action anime with dystopian future storyline. There seem to be a lot of potential in this. All in all, it's definitely our cup of tea. But whether or not, it'll deliver, we are not sure. But this is definitely our MUST WATCH.

And nothing puts the icing on the cake like a mecha anime. Out of the few mecha anime, we chose this because this seems interesting but not too over the top. It also doesn't hurt that it is done by Bones Studio. (Yes, we love Bones studio over here.)

Another NEET/game anime. Well, we found the premise here rather funny. Even the title is funny. This anime calls out to us and so, we put it in our watch list!

The concept of a person constantly losing her memory every week and her friend has to work hard to be her new friend every week sounds absolutely heart warming and yet heart wrenching. It's been a while since an anime was subtle and brilliant. We were hoping that this would be it.

Last but not least, the sequel to Mushishi. Mushishi has always been our cup of tea. Supernatural with a touch of humanity, humility and depth. It's a good anime. And so, when we found out that the sequel is out, we must definitely put it on our watch list.

Anyhow, that is our watch list. We hope that it might have helped you make your decision on what to watch.

So, what will you be watching this season?