TGP_Reviews's Xanga

Full Metal Alchemist - Anime

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:14:32 GMT

Anime Review - Full Metal Alchemist

Duration: 51 episodes
Good Points: One of the greatest I think is the battle animation. It's so clean and streamlined, all movements liquid and natural. There's a lot of skill shown. Also, the story will keep you on your toes.
Bad Points: There's a lot of filler in the first half of the series, which is tedious and annoying. Also, beware screaming children.
Conclusion: This series is one of those great ones that don't come along all the time. It seamlessly mixes humor, drama, angst, horror, everything into a cohesive bundle. The philosophy inherent alone is worth watching, so buy it, find it, just watch the thing and bear through the first half to get to the real beauty in the second.
Music: 5
Storyline: 8
Graphics/Animation: 9
Ending Score: 7

The Looking GLass Wars - Book

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:47:41 GMT

Book Review - The Looking Glass Wars
By Frank Beddor

Duration: 358 pages, part one of a trilogy
Good Points: Inventions. Dear gods, the inventions are lovely and funny. Then there's the seamless integration of new parts of Wonderland, great pulling from the original source for some very cool reimaginings...All in all, it's a creative kid's dream.
Bad Points: Some characters don't quite get what's coming to them, but there's hope for the next two books.
Conclusion: Beddor has definitely shed new life into Wonderland with this book. It'll keep you hooked from start to finish!
Score: 8

Last Order - Anime

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:42:49 GMT

Anime Review - Last Order

Duration: One Shot
Good Points: The animation is GORGEOUS. It's so smooth, fluid, lovely... And, of course, yay for seeing Zack so nicely anime-ized!!
Bad Points: If you see this without the context of FF7, there's very little meaning to the whole thing. It's just a chase and then a strange, blacked ending.
Conclusion: Final Fantasy 7 fans MUST see this. It's so pretty and there's some really cool fight scenes.
Music: 3
Storyline: 7
Graphics/Animation: 9
Ending Score: 6

The Melanchology of Haruhi Suzumiya - Anime

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:38:11 GMT

Anime Review - The Melanchology of Haruhi Suzumiya

Duration: 13 episodes
Good Points: Well...the ending theme animation is cute.
Bad Points: About 70% of the time, you don't know what the hell is going on. The storyline is ridiculous and segmented without much in the way of cohesion or even coherency.
Conclusion: Definitely not the best thing I've seen and not worth wasting much time on unless you're just in it for the girl in fetish outfits.
Music: 2
Storyline: 2
Graphics/Animation: 7
Ending Score: 4

Gankutsuou - Anime

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:28:23 GMT

Anime Review - Gankutsuou

Duration: 24 episodes
Good Points: Good GODS, the art in this series is wonderful! There are patterns everywhere and it's just beautiful. The music is also lovely as are the character designs.
Bad Points: Well, not many. The only oddity really is the whole aliens and space travel thing.
Conclusion: This is a MUST SEE. Buy it, find the sub online, bribe your friends, just get a hold of it and watch.
Music: 6
Storyline: 9
Graphics/Animation: 10
Ending Score: 8

Himawari - Anime

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:20:12 GMT

Anime Review - Himawari

Duration: 13 episodes
Good Points: There's a good diversity in character design and a nice dash of drama amid the comedy.
Bad Points: A lot of things aren't resolved at the end of the story, so the series seems unfinished.
Conclusion: It's a cute little thing but one that can be skipped for something better.
Music: 4
Storyline: 7
Graphics/Animation: 7
Ending Score: 6

One Stormy Night - Anime

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 22:04:27 GMT

Anime Review - Arashi No Yoru Ni

Duration: One Shot
Good Points: The whole thing is so heartwarming, it can rot your teeth out with sugary sweetness. There's also a good bunch of humor and a good life lesson: "All life ends." The character designs were rather lovely as well.
Bad Points: Not many. This is a children's movie (though the Japanese interpretation of that still includes blood shed) so the dialogue is pretty basic and cutesy. The music is also rather subdued and at times, you forget it's there at all.
Conclusion: Although rather Fox and the Hound-ish, this movie is great on it's own and it won't make you cry quite as badly, promise.
Music: 5
Storyline: 7
Graphics/Animation: 8
Ending Score: 7

Punch! - Manga

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:07:19 GMT

Manga Review - Punch!

By Rie Takada

Duration: 3
Good points: There's a really nice peppering of both humor, seriousness, and romance that made for a really great time. The story was well thought out, characters lovely... Even the supporting cast ended up being great fun!
Bad points: Way too short! It's a great story and I was sorry to see it end so suddenly. There were also a few loose ends, such as Elle's parents, whom we never learned anything about except that they were involved in fighting.
Conclusion: A cute, humorous romance like this is a good way to spend a few hours, but don't bother to read farther into it than it lets you.
Storyline: 9
Artwork: 7
Score: 8

Burning Brightly - Book

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:03:29 GMT

Book Review - Burning Brightly
By Mercedes Lackey

Duration: 445 pages
Good Points: The whole thing is so well written that you can easily be there right alongside the characters. You get to know them, love them, easily through the narrative. Plus, who DOESN'T like god-horses?
Bad Points: This book definitely pulls your heart in all the best and wrong ways. It will make you cry.
Conclusion: Although you know things can't end completely well, this book is definitely a great piece of storytelling. Through the ups and downs of on boy's struggles, you'll laugh and cry and in the end, you'll love completely.
Score: 9

Naruto - Anime

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:58:06 GMT

Anime Review - Naruto

Duration: 165+ Episodes (Still in Production)
Good Points: There's a lot of drama in this series, but it's evenly spaced between heartwarming lessons and great humor. The plot shifts and twists everywhere, keeping you very much entertained, and the character interactions are wonderful!
Bad Points: Mostly, Naruto has an odd habit of getting really good ending themes, then very bad ones. Also, at 165 episodes, the series can seem a bit like DBZ in that it goes on forever, but each episode is action packed to keep you coming back.
Conclusion: A show with a great flow and few bad points, Naruto is definately a fun ride, even if you don't like ninjas and navel foxes. It is liscenced, but you can still find it subbed online if you can't find it in stores.
Music: 8
Storyline: 9
Graphics/Animation: 8
Ending Score: 8