Mokono Modoki is Totally Thrilled~!
Preamble:
Hello everyone!
So, many of you I know through friending memes, and so I tend to mention that I do anime reviews. Mostly just for fun, and because I find it a good way to consolidate my feelings on a particular series or whatever. Obviously I tend to do it once I'm done a series, unless said series is ridiculously long/doesn't end. There isn't any particular rhyme or reason to what I watch or when I watch it, other than I have a backlog and tend to plod through a series at a rate of (ideally) an episode a day (which is always subject to change due to real life and other more important things) and what looks interesting and fun.
Lately I've been contemplating my style of reviewing, and have been working on finding one that works for me, because I don't want the review to just be my opinion, but to open the series up to a) others who have watched it and thus provide the option for discussion, and b) those who haven't seen it and what to know what's going down or looking for something and want to know what's good. I've been watching a lot of JesuOtaku's anime reviews and I really like them, so I'm going to try to emulate her style of review since I think it takes a good approach. But obviously in text form since I don't have the time for elaborate videos.
So what that out of the way, it's review time!
Syaoran is a young archeologist who is studying ruins in the Kingdom of Clow, and also a childhood friend of the princess, Sakura. He returns home one day and is greeted by Sakura, and the two spend time together. Sakura wants to tell Syaoran something, but has to leave before she can. That night, the ruins that Syaoran is studying start to glow, and Sakura is drawn to them. She goes into the ruins, with Syaoran following and he witnesses as Sakura's looses her feathers of memory, that are scattered throughout various worlds. Syaoran is then sent with Sakura's comatose body to the Dimension Witch, Yuuko. Joined by Kurogane, a ninja who has been sent away from his homeworld and desires to return and Fay D. Flowright, a magician who is running away from his home world, Syaoran begins a quest to recover Sakura's feathers, and return her memory to her. All the while they are watched by a mysterious man who seems to be aware of their every move.
If that synopsis made no sense welcome to Tsubasa. The series is a bit of a headache.
If CLAMP ever wanted a master work, I think Tsubasa would be it. The series is big, and not just in the sense that it's plot is headache-inducing, but also in terms of its worlds. Syaoran and his friends must travel through various worlds to find the feathers, and each world is populated by people from past CLAMP series. Effectively, CLAMP has taken all their characters from their many past series and made AU upon AU upon AU so that the series becomes this massive crossover, which makes for a really neat concept. The series also runs parallel to another series, xXxHoLiC, and the two crossover at various points in the series.
Overall, I liked Tsubasa. It's a different sort of CLAMP series, since in the past they have largely been associated with magical girls and shojo manga, but this had a more shonen feel which made it a bit more action oriented. The anime was a smooth series, following the manga ( from what I remember) but deviating at a few points with some instances of filler. The characters and story were, for the most part interesting, and it was an easy series to watch.
If I have any issue with the characters, it's actually with the leads, Syaoran and Sakura. I found that they were kind of bland, at least in comparison to their Cardcaptor Sakura counterparts (that I loved). Sakura, I suppose, has some reason for this since at the beginning she has lost all of her memories and as a result is pretty much a blank slate. It doesn't really improve until the second half of the series, when she starts to be more active as a character, but still, not to the extent of someone like Syaoran. Syaoran also seems a bit bland to me, since he is so focused on Sakura and getting her feathers back. I know that there is more to him from my sporadic encounters with the manga, but the series really takes that away. It's teased at but never really gets a chance to develop. Fay and Kurogane stick out more in my mind since they are very active and since both are unique to the Tsubasa universe, it hard to say what can be expected from them. They have other interests besides the feathers and I kind of wish that their stories had gotten more screentime.
The anime for this series is really well done, and I think the art style suits it. I've heard the Tsubasa artwork criticized for creating "noodle people " since everyone is rather tall and skinny, but in an anime where there are a lot of fight sceens, you want a body that can move smoothly, I think and so it works for me. The music for the show is fantastic, with good background music and catchy insert songs. My only complaint is that the insert songs are used a little too frequently, and in moments in which they aren't always necessary. I watched it subbed, and really enjoyed the voices that they chose for the characters since I felt they all fit. I had a brief exposure to the dub through the movie, and wasn't too fond of some of the voices (notably Mokona), but since I didn't watch the whole series I'll reserve my judgement.
The series completes itself without a real ending, which is rather disappointing and one of the things I consider a cop-out in anime. It's kind of frustrating to work through 52 episodes only to find out that you have to read the manga to find out how it really ends. There are still 2 OVAs that I have yet to watch which I believe finish off the series, but still. It's a bit annoying.
(To borrow from JesuOtaku): Tsubasa is available on DVD from Funimation, and the original manga (28 volumes in length) from Del Rey.
Overall, Tsubasa is a decent series, and worth watching if you are a CLAMP fan or are looking for some world-hopping fantasy anime. I happily give it a 3/5.
So, I hope that that went well, and was easy to read/didn't sound too preachy/enjoyable. Questions/comments/criticisms (of a constructive nature) or if you just want to discuss something are also welcome. Next time will probably feature Legend of the Galactic Heroes. A very long time from now. It's 110 episodes.
Hello everyone!
So, many of you I know through friending memes, and so I tend to mention that I do anime reviews. Mostly just for fun, and because I find it a good way to consolidate my feelings on a particular series or whatever. Obviously I tend to do it once I'm done a series, unless said series is ridiculously long/doesn't end. There isn't any particular rhyme or reason to what I watch or when I watch it, other than I have a backlog and tend to plod through a series at a rate of (ideally) an episode a day (which is always subject to change due to real life and other more important things) and what looks interesting and fun.
Lately I've been contemplating my style of reviewing, and have been working on finding one that works for me, because I don't want the review to just be my opinion, but to open the series up to a) others who have watched it and thus provide the option for discussion, and b) those who haven't seen it and what to know what's going down or looking for something and want to know what's good. I've been watching a lot of JesuOtaku's anime reviews and I really like them, so I'm going to try to emulate her style of review since I think it takes a good approach. But obviously in text form since I don't have the time for elaborate videos.
So what that out of the way, it's review time!
Syaoran is a young archeologist who is studying ruins in the Kingdom of Clow, and also a childhood friend of the princess, Sakura. He returns home one day and is greeted by Sakura, and the two spend time together. Sakura wants to tell Syaoran something, but has to leave before she can. That night, the ruins that Syaoran is studying start to glow, and Sakura is drawn to them. She goes into the ruins, with Syaoran following and he witnesses as Sakura's looses her feathers of memory, that are scattered throughout various worlds. Syaoran is then sent with Sakura's comatose body to the Dimension Witch, Yuuko. Joined by Kurogane, a ninja who has been sent away from his homeworld and desires to return and Fay D. Flowright, a magician who is running away from his home world, Syaoran begins a quest to recover Sakura's feathers, and return her memory to her. All the while they are watched by a mysterious man who seems to be aware of their every move.
If that synopsis made no sense welcome to Tsubasa. The series is a bit of a headache.
If CLAMP ever wanted a master work, I think Tsubasa would be it. The series is big, and not just in the sense that it's plot is headache-inducing, but also in terms of its worlds. Syaoran and his friends must travel through various worlds to find the feathers, and each world is populated by people from past CLAMP series. Effectively, CLAMP has taken all their characters from their many past series and made AU upon AU upon AU so that the series becomes this massive crossover, which makes for a really neat concept. The series also runs parallel to another series, xXxHoLiC, and the two crossover at various points in the series.
Overall, I liked Tsubasa. It's a different sort of CLAMP series, since in the past they have largely been associated with magical girls and shojo manga, but this had a more shonen feel which made it a bit more action oriented. The anime was a smooth series, following the manga ( from what I remember) but deviating at a few points with some instances of filler. The characters and story were, for the most part interesting, and it was an easy series to watch.
If I have any issue with the characters, it's actually with the leads, Syaoran and Sakura. I found that they were kind of bland, at least in comparison to their Cardcaptor Sakura counterparts (that I loved). Sakura, I suppose, has some reason for this since at the beginning she has lost all of her memories and as a result is pretty much a blank slate. It doesn't really improve until the second half of the series, when she starts to be more active as a character, but still, not to the extent of someone like Syaoran. Syaoran also seems a bit bland to me, since he is so focused on Sakura and getting her feathers back. I know that there is more to him from my sporadic encounters with the manga, but the series really takes that away. It's teased at but never really gets a chance to develop. Fay and Kurogane stick out more in my mind since they are very active and since both are unique to the Tsubasa universe, it hard to say what can be expected from them. They have other interests besides the feathers and I kind of wish that their stories had gotten more screentime.
The anime for this series is really well done, and I think the art style suits it. I've heard the Tsubasa artwork criticized for creating "noodle people " since everyone is rather tall and skinny, but in an anime where there are a lot of fight sceens, you want a body that can move smoothly, I think and so it works for me. The music for the show is fantastic, with good background music and catchy insert songs. My only complaint is that the insert songs are used a little too frequently, and in moments in which they aren't always necessary. I watched it subbed, and really enjoyed the voices that they chose for the characters since I felt they all fit. I had a brief exposure to the dub through the movie, and wasn't too fond of some of the voices (notably Mokona), but since I didn't watch the whole series I'll reserve my judgement.
The series completes itself without a real ending, which is rather disappointing and one of the things I consider a cop-out in anime. It's kind of frustrating to work through 52 episodes only to find out that you have to read the manga to find out how it really ends. There are still 2 OVAs that I have yet to watch which I believe finish off the series, but still. It's a bit annoying.
(To borrow from JesuOtaku): Tsubasa is available on DVD from Funimation, and the original manga (28 volumes in length) from Del Rey.
Overall, Tsubasa is a decent series, and worth watching if you are a CLAMP fan or are looking for some world-hopping fantasy anime. I happily give it a 3/5.
So, I hope that that went well, and was easy to read/didn't sound too preachy/enjoyable. Questions/comments/criticisms (of a constructive nature) or if you just want to discuss something are also welcome. Next time will probably feature Legend of the Galactic Heroes. A very long time from now. It's 110 episodes.