Anime Reviews
Click to viewUpon starting this series, I was intrigued by the premise. Thriller genre involving Time Travel? Worth a check out. *glances at cast list**see Miyano Mamoru* Yep, definitely worth a look at.
The first episode left me a little baffled and wondering just how weird this series would get. I mean, we are introduced Okabe Rintaru (Okarin) "Houin Kyouma" (Mamo) who is a self-proclaimed Mad Scientist that has many experiments with ridiculous names and thinks there's a conspiracy with "the agency" is after his inventions. He seemingly reports to someone via his cellphone (it's all a hilarious facade). Not to mention, he has a laugh that revivals Light Yagami. Even his KEIKAKU DOORI (same VA, go fig). He's highly neurotic.
With each episode it gets more interesting and we are introduced to more characters with their own set of quirks. Yay misfits of the world. We have Mayuri who is the token adorable girl that speaks in third person. Who is an otaku and works at a maid bar. Daru is also an otaku, but also a genius mad hacker. Clearly these three make for a wonderful bumbling trio. Then we get more 'lab members' and we get Kurisu (CHRISUTINA~) brainiac that had been studying abroad in America and has creds on time travel. Moeka "shining finger", mystery girl who nearly only communicates via text. Rukako The Trap, aka, insanely pretty moe boy that acts like a girl. And Suzuha, the time traveling part-timer soldier. With these nutty characters, this series didn't stay boring for long... but then left me wondering just where this was going to go. Silly time travel adventures, ftw??
Oh no. It got real about episode 9. And didn't stop until the end.
While time travel is nothing new, I loved how this series explored the consequences and one's journey into correcting it and the hardships that follow. While the story is okay all on its own, it's the characters that drove this series. You can have an amazing plot, but I don't care about it unless I care about the characters that are living in it. I love the dynamic relationship between Okarin and Kurisu and the hilarious banter that it entails. Mayuri is adorable. And Daru is just fun. Suzuha is a BAMF. I could go off on Moeka, but SPOILERS and HATERY.
It's really hard to blog about my thoughts without spoiling anything cause it gets to a point that when I talk about it with others I have to clamp my mouth shut. The suspense left me staring at my screen screaming weekly. I love the balance between humor and drama. There's only a few series I can think of that do this well.
Overall, I LOVED this series. I gave it a 10 on MAL as it really is a masterpiece and didn't leave me disappointed. Most video game anime adaptions are craptastic, but Studio White Fox handled the Steins;Gate game to perfection. Even though I haven't played it... This series is by far well deserving of the series of 2011. The bar is set high in my mind when it comes to upcoming titles.
I look forward to purchasing this when FUNimation releases it. However, I will be EXTREMELY picky on the cast. No one can top Mamo's stellar performance on this series. There's a few roles of his that the English counterpart does nice work, but... Okarin... I can't even think of who to cast. Maybe Crispin Freeman...
One of the best parts of this series? Mamo-Engrish.
There are not enough people that give this series a chance. They get turned off that it is categorized as Mecha when it HARDLY is. The only thing mecha about it is their hero costumes!! And because of this, it is the underrated series of the year, as well as my favorite. While I love S;G, I ADORE T&B.
When I looked at RandomC.net's season preview, T&B was on my Definitely Watching list. Sunrise original series? I'm SO there. Loved it from the get-go.
T&B reminds me of a cartoon you would wake up to watch on Saturday mornings (although for me it was available for download on Sunday mornings :)). Good 'ol Super Hero FUN! I love how the cast of characters is so diverse. With anime you expect for everyone to be teens and younger with a few sparse adults... not with this one.
You have a group of individuals that have powers, called NEXTs, and they use their abilities to fight crime in the futuristic 70's. These heroes solve cases and save lives so they can wear sponsor logos or acquire "hero points." Their activities are documented on the popular program "Hero TV," which picks the "King of Heroes" in a yearly ranking. Sounds silly, right? Well, it is silly, but AMAZING.
Our main protagonist, ladies and gentlemen.
Words can't express my adoration for Kotetsu. Single father, dedicated to being a hero, incredibly goofy, father figure to the other heroes. He MADE this series. He gets teamed up with Barnaby and he's not really happy about it, but over time a beautiful partnership/bromance is born.
Again, I can't say the things I want to without spoiling anything. It's refreshing to see a really good anime that isn't based off of anything so then you don't have fandom half divided on what's canon and what's not so you enjoy it equally. It's visually stunning. Hilarious. Touching.
I need T&B icons...
LION KING 3D TONIGHT~