Synopsis: As the 19th Century draws to a close, Oscar Claudel, the retired owner of a sign making shop in the Galerie Du Roy in Paris, has left the shop in the hands of his grandson Claude and has used this opportunity to travel and sightsee around the world. His most recent journey took him to Japan and he returns to Paris with a young Japanese girl named Yune, who has come to Paris to work and learn about French culture, much to Claude’s consternation.

The Highlights
Setting: Paris is rendered with an amazing amount of loving detail.
Themes: Uses its characters and setting to make some very thought-provoking comments about French society.
Side characters: Some are very engaging and enigmatic.
Lead characters: Not as interesting; Yune is too innocent, and Claude gets rather angsty.
Pacing: Good in the middle, but the beginning is slow and the end is disappointing.

Mood is critically important in iyakashei anime. Characters aren’t too far behind. Setting and aesthetics also matter, but plot isn’t nearly as significant a factor. All of these together contribute to the genre’s limited appeal. Ikoku Meiro no Croisee is a historical iyakashei anime set in 19th Century Paris that explores the issue of culture clash. The story follows Yune, a young Japanese girl in France as she adjusts to, and is accepted by, her French hosts in a time when both countries went through massive changes. While the show has some pertinent messages about both countries’ cultures and a few instances of thematic elegance, it’s let down by a lack of oomph, particularly near the very beginning and very end.

The depiction of Paris is simply wonderful. The city’s rich architectural and stylistic history isn’t just respected; it’s placed on a pedestal. There’s a sense of awe of French design evident within the amount of detail Ikoku Meiro’s animators employ in their rendition of the city: the structured arches, curly ironworks, spherical streetlights, worn cobbles and bright tiles give Ikoku Meiro’s setting a feel that’s both authentic and revered. There is a touch of idealization in the way Ikoku Meiro sees the city, but the anime doesn’t ignore the consequences of 19th Century Paris’s obsession with beauty and modernity. It’s when the story takes a step back to look at some of the problems faced by the very richest and very poorest of Parisian society that Ikoku Meiro makes its most profound statements.

Some of these statements, particularly during the middle episodes, are made with an admirable thematic elegance. One episode uses stray cats as a metaphor for the freedom (or lack thereof) of those bound to the upper class while another episode about a projector show is littered with moments of characters seeing things that aren’t actually there. One of the most interesting characters is Camille, the oldest daughter in the well-off Blanche family who, inwardly, struggles with the expectations and limitations of her class. The manifestation of her jealousy, both towards her whimsical, and less restrained younger sister, Alice, and Yune is subtle, and makes for a fascinating insight into her character.

However, the impact of Ikoku Meiro’s commentary on Parisian society is muted at times because we see it from Yune’s utterly innocent point of view. While she’s often charmingly adorable, this works as a double edged sword, and she doesn’t come off as a strong lead character. Yune occasionally fails to appreciate the full extent of the events around her, which isn’t helped by her intense focus on Claude. Honestly, the angsty Claude just isn’t that interesting a character. Much of the conflict between him and Yune is due to his inability to open up, which gets frustrating after a while.

It takes three or four episodes before Ikoku Meiro moves away from some of the more superficial contrasts between French and Japanese culture and starts tackling the more interesting aspects that run deeper in both societies. With that said, I’m happy to forgive a slow start, since that’s pretty much an intrinsic property of the iyashikei genre. However, after an impressive mid-section, the last two episodes were a bit of a letdown. Once the side characters exit stage right, it becomes clear that the two leads, Yune and Claude, are far from the strongest and most engaging characters this show had.

The Rating: 7

Reviewed by: Sorrow-kun

Synopsis: Yachi Haruaki is an ordinary high school student with an extraordinary ability: he is virtually immune to all kinds of curses, and this enables him to remove them from anything both living and non-living. He regularly receives random artifacts from his explorer father, and the latest package is a heavy and mysterious black cube. Yachi soon realizes that the cube is actually the alternate form of Fear Kubrick, an impudent girl who claims to be a living torture device responsible for killing many people since ancient times.

The Highlights
Fear Kubrick: Carbon copy of a Kugimiya-tsundere; dubious extreme behaviors.
Artistic value: High; comparable with other visually engrossing shows like ef: a tale of memories.
Content value: Low; comparable with other fanservice-laced shows like Baka to Test no Shokanju.
Premise: Jarring mix of grim stories, gruesome fights and tiresome boob physics.
Sheer pretense: Gross.

I’ll get straight to the point: C³ is terribly pretentious. It’s an anime hypocrite that looks impressive on the outside, but is actually pedestrian on the inside. It’s a pure waste, especially when it does have some grim and potentially riveting aspects in the story, especially with the use of cryptic and unconventional visuals to narrate certain parts of the story. However, it instead chooses to focus more on Fear being childish or Konoha showcasing her self-bouncing tits, which are not only distracting but they also seal my opinion on what this show wants to be.

Indeed, the visuals are perhaps the one (and only) thing that’s remotely ambitious about C³. Aesthetically, it’s on the same caliber as Gankutsuou, especially in terms of the approach to colors and textures. It comes as no surprise when the director is Oonuma Shin, who previously did ef - a tale of memories and Baka Test. He appears to be aiming for something different by combining major elements of the former and latter together, but what he gets is a result that can be defined as “artistic pretense”. If there is a befitting word to describe the result, it would be “bizarre”.

As for the characters, female lead Fear is one of the biggest issues of C³. She’s supposed to be a collection of torture devices that has grisly taken away numerous lives throughout history, and yet she comes off as a typical spoilt brat. Questions on why she’s like that in the first place are left unanswered, and what viewers get are scenes where Fear behaves maniacally for one moment and then breaks out in an immature fit in the next, which makes it cringeworthy. Never mind how Haruaki exactly gets rid of the curses of those around him; trying to understand Fear’s split personality and the irrational actions of the other characters are enough to make one’s head spin. And if it doesn’t get any worse, almost every female character belongs to a certain archetype: Konoha is the childhood friend, Sovereignty is the klutzy maid, Alice is the oujo-sama, and Kirika is the kuudere.

One doesn’t need to think hard to decipher what C³ is: a cheap and run-of-the-mill gift enveloped in artistically designed wrapping paper. Its clunky and disjointed narrative renders each episode difficult to follow, the story is littered with plot holes and most of all, it has one of the most derpy and laugh-out-loud climaxes I’ve ever seen. The show is simply one big mess, and the only thing the audience might take away as consolation are the Shinbo-like visuals. While watching the series, I had to wonder what Oonuma envisioned in his mind when he directed it: was he earnestly trying to make something avant-garde which ended up being misguided, or was he just going for the conventional but superficially beautiful? Nobody knows but him, but this is one production which doesn’t deserve a second season at all, even though it apparently has one in the pipeline.

The Rating: 3

Reviewed by: AC

Synopsis: The nation of Milos has been annexed by Amestris and its people are forced into a desolate valley as a buffer zone between the two great countries Amestris and Creta. In order to win their independence, the citizens of Milos have fought long and hard in search of incredible alchemic powers told in their legends. Things seem hopeless until an Amestris state alchemist, Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse Elric arrives on the border in search of a fugitive alchemist.

The Highlights
Pacing: Quick, concise and compact.
Story: Well structured with some interesting twists throughout.
Cameos: Literally everyone from the old cast except Ed and Al didn’t need to be here.
Animation: While the animation flows well, the movie simply doesn’t look all that good.

Congratulations Fullmetal Alchemist! You’ve just joined the ranks of Naruto, One Piece and Dragonball Z with your very own shounen action filler movie. Now if you make Bones a lot of money, we can all expect to see the Elric brothers explore the other reaches of their world searching for new forms of alchemy, helping the oppressed locals and making new friends year after year after year.

All backhand remarks aside, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos is a competent though unimpressive summer action flick aimed at fans of the series. As this is a filler movie, the events that occur in the film have no real impact on the franchise characters, and the setting is generic enough that it could have taken place in either the anime original or the manga/Brotherhood universe. Normally the distinct character designs could be used as a tell as to which version of the show is being used, but The Sacred Star of Milos uses its own unique designs and approaches the visuals in a completely different way than either of the two television shows.

The first thing that becomes apparent in the film is that the visuals simply aren’t movie quality. The animation flows nicely but characters are often off model and any humans in the midground or background are drawn with noticeably low amounts of detail. Considering that Bones produces some of the best looking television shows in existence, they either used a B-team I didn’t know about or they made a stylistic choice probably as a result of a limited, OVA level budget.

The story is a relentless roller-coaster full of twists and turns that never fails to grab the audience’s attention. The plot constantly ploughs forward, and with the exception of cameo appearances of some old faces, no scene is wasted. Since the story mirrors many of the events already in both of the television shows, there is nothing particularly compelling or interesting the narrative has to say but what it does say is worth reiteration.

Much like the core theme of Naruto is tragic childhoods creating tragic characters in need of saving and Dragonball Z’s core theme is (probably) killing people, Fullmetal Alchemist’s core theme is finding the strength to stand on one’s own two legs in the face of a hostile and unfair world. In this case, the hostilities come from Amestris, the Nazi Germany of the Fullmetal Alchemist world. Their annexation of the nation of Milos and the systematic destruction of its people is starting to lead me to believe that the Ishvalan massacre is less of an aberration and more business as usual. It’s a rather bleak topic for a shounen action movie but its part of what gives the franchise its sharp edge.

If you’re a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist and want to spend two more hours with the Elric brothers, The Sacred Star of Milos is a run through of some of the franchise’s key themes and ideas presented like a summer action movie. It isn’t the most impressive movie adaptation around, but its relentless pacing will insure you won’t be bored for even a second.

The Rating: 6

Reviewed by: Shadowmage

Synopsis: The adventures of Ika Musume continue as the titular cephalopod keeps up her invasion of the land and remains baffled and intrigued by human culture and customs.

The Highlights
Characters: Still mined well for comedy.
Situations: More funny scenarios are explored beyond the basic fish out of water skits.
Ending: Continues the annoying tradition of comedies becoming “Serious Business”.

The second season is do-or-die time for most anime comedies. Will they develop their characters and situations and become funnier? Or will they stagnate and become stale and boring? Although Squid Girl’s second season does not bring anything new to the table, I feel confident in saying that it does just enough to keep its humor and charm fresh.

Characters are the bread and butter of most comedies. If writers do not have strongly-defined characters, or if they don’t know their characters well enough, then the comedy will flounder. The characters in Squid Girl are not different from many characters in anime comedies in that they mainly one joke: Sanae is obsessed with Squid Girl, Chizuru rules her world with an iron fist, the Three Stooges are goofy scientists, etc. However, they continue to work in season 2 because the writing has confidence in the characters and plays them off each other in funny ways.

I can think of two skits this season had me laughing hard. The first features Sanae declaring herself Ika Musume’s bodyguard and subsequently wrestling with her new job to protect Ika Musume at all hours and with her own desire to go after Ika Musume herself. The second is a simple game of House in which a little girl pulls in wandering characters to act out a convoluted soap opera. These skits work because the writers not only understand what makes the characters tick, but they also know how to make the characters interact in ways that keep the humor fresh and fun.

That’s Squid Girl at its best. The show’s characters don’t have much depth to them, but they are sharpened enough that they have clear points of view that are played well for comedic effect. What also helps is that Squid Girl remains well versed in character balance. Every character gets exactly the amount of time he or she needs. When watching the show, I never thought I was seeing too much Sanae or not enough Goro or whatever. Getting a good balance in ensemble comedy is tougher than it seems, so the series should be commended on that.

If there’s one place I must ding Squid Girl’s second season, it’s the ending. The final episode is largely made up of limp drama that saps all the humor from the series. I love these characters as part of a comedy, but they’re not strong enough to be tools for effective drama. The need to end on a dramatic, heartwarming note is a problem that continues to plague anime comedies. There’s nothing wrong with delivering laughs throughout.

Even with that disappointing finish, however, Squid Girl’s second season is nonetheless well worth watching if you’re in the mood for light comedy. Maybe the show would become stale if a third season were to happen (and I think it likely that there will be another season), but for now, at least, any Squid Girl invasion is fine by me.

The Rating: 7

Reviewed by: Shinmaru

Synopsis: Sawatari Fu has spent her school years in Yokosuka but the town of Takehara by the Seto Inland Sea is a special place for her, as she used to live there with her late father. It has taken her some time to get over her father’s death, but Fu decides now is the time to move back to the place of her memories and to reignite her passion for photography which was passed down to her from her father while he was alive.

The Highlights
Pace: Iyashikei slow, meaning extremely relaxed.
Characters: Generally charming, but some are occasionally grating.
Life lessons: Lacks the universality of those from ARIA, or the profoundness of those from Honey and Clover.
Music: The insert songs mark the emotional high points.
Appeal: Limited to iyashikei fans.

The groundwork for the iyashikei genre has been in place for years, and while some of its titles such as Natsume Yuujinchou and Hidamari Sketch are quite popular, it’s still very much a niche in anime. ARIA persists as one of the most celebrated entries into the genre for good reason, and its director, Satou Junichi has returned for Tamayura: Hitotose, the follow-up of the recent Tamayura OVA. Mood was one of the most important contributions Satou made to ARIA, so it’s no surprise that a similarly relaxed mood permeates Tamayura. However, while there are a lot of similarities shared between Tamayura and ARIA, it simply isn’t anywhere as good.

That’s not to say Tamayura isn’t a decent show of its own accord. It’s gentle, charming and delightful at times, and occasionally shows a very quick witted sense of humour. It’s also as concerned and loving of its characters as a doting father is of his own daughters. The issue is that it has no qualms about ambling towards its best moments, and not all of them are as remarkable as it likes to think. People who aren’t into iyashikei and aren’t familiar with its lackadaisical tendencies will have mentally switched off by the time Tamayura gets around to sharing its message, and those who are into the genre will probably find those messages, on average, a tad underwhelming. ARIA at its best was life-affirming, but Tamayura can only settle for “heartfelt” instead.

Another issue is with its characters. The things Tamayura’s cast struggle with are distinctly teenage. Fu deals with the realization that her role model is as human as anyone else, Kaoru can’t find a path in life, while Maon’s life is occupied with too many things, and she’s still to find a set direction. These are the types of issues that, after a certain amount of growing up, most people will have generally come to terms with. In contrast, ARIA’s life lessons tend to be relevant no matter how old one might be, capturing a time of flux in its characters’ lives that most can’t help but sympathize with. Also, some of Tamayura’s characters aren’t always likable; the antics of Norie, Komachi and Dougou start to wear thin after a while.

The music, particularly the insert songs, is very good and sets the right tone for the anime, but the animation is merely adequate, only achieving what it needs to and not much more. Tamayura isn’t an anime with broad appeal, and it’s much less likely to convert people into fans of the iyashikei genre than the much more accessible ARIA, or the better executed Hidamari Sketch or Sketchbook ~Full Color’s~. Existing fans of iyashikei shouldn’t hold back from watching this, but any recommendation for Tamayura should be aimed squarely at them. It’s a sweet and earnest show, but also a little awkward. Better, more memorable examples of slice-of-life anime can easily be found.

The Rating: 6

Reviewed by: Sorrow-kun