orozcosamuel1 Reviews

School Rumble (2004–2010)

The funniest series ever

[8/10 · 9 October 2008]

I just finished the first season and I absolutely loved it!!! Of the "slice of life" really light series this is the one I've liked the most.

I never thought I would like it this much.. At first I found animation a little different.. and found the characters, specially kenji like someone I would never like... I really didn't think it was going to be this good.... up till the first five minutes of the first chapter!! When I gave it a couple of minutes, I realized it was the funniest series I had ever seen.

Everything is so silly and many times stuff just doesn't make any sense, but believe me.. its great.. You must watch it. Also, in between the really silly stuff, there is a pretty interesting romantic story.. You get really fond of most the characters.. the girls are really really cute and Kenji is really... unlucky...

In the technical stuff the series is also good... Although animation is a bit strange, I ended up liking it a lot!! Opening and ending are great.. they tend to stick in your head... like those songs you just cant get out of your mind.. they are so cool and fun.. I guess what I liked the most is that I felt like a little kid while watching it... they make fun of the Power Rangers and a bunch of other animes... its so so so fun!!! Well.

I guess the main thing I wanted to say is that this is a top notch series.. and you should definitely watch it.

Im about to start the second term.. I hope to find it just as good.

Kanon (2006–2007)

The best " Romantic type" series I've ever seen

[9/10 · 18 September 2008]

Well, Thats about it... Its the best "romantic-type" series that I've ever seen.

Its basically the story of a high school guy named Yuichi that comes to a new town to live with his aunt and cousin. As time passes he begins to know other characters (mostly girls) (by the way...They are all so very cute)and they start to become really good friends.

As times continues to go by he discovers that he has met some of the girls before and his memories from previous vacations spent in the town start to come back. He then realizes that this previous visits weren't always nice and that some stuff where buried in his deepest memories for a reason.

Animation is superb, so are music, character development (one of the best EVER, almost every character is deeply developed and almost every personality and background is perfectly done, just amazing!!) and most importantly, the feelings. This series has an amazing ability to transmit feelings if you are not a very strong person for this kind of stuff you will probably cry, or at least feel like it a lot.

Its just one of the best animated series ever, absolutely beyond all words... I absolutely recommend it...

Clannad (2007)

despite what most people say, I found it really good

[8/10 · 18 September 2008]

Despite what most people say, I found the clannad movie really good.

The first half was rather boring (if you have seen the series) maybe if you haven't you might enjoy it. This first part is an alternative retelling of how nagisa and Tomoya meet and how they re-open the theater club. They show what I found as a darker side of Tomoya, or at least a less caring one. Also, most of the series characters play a very minor part and most of the don't even appear. This is what I found as the major flaw of the movie.. and I think its a really big flaw!!

The second part however ... well I cant really tell you much without a bit of spoilers...

-SPOILER- This second part is basically an after story of what happens when they graduate. basically Nagisa and Tomoya rent an apartment and move together. They all get jobs, nagisa gets pregnant and........ well I don't want to spoil it any more than I already did. - END OF SPOILER-

I actually found this second part really really good!! If you have seen the series you will probably enjoy it a lot... however... don't expect it to be so light hearted...Just be prepared... Well, most people say its bad. I personally enjoyed it, and recommend it to everyone who have seen clannad... even if you might find the first part less boring if you haven't.. I guarantee you will find the second part much much better If you have seen the series and are somehow attached to the characters.

Noein: To Your Other Self (2005–2006)

pretty enjoyable

[8/10 · 12 September 2008]

Well, I have to say that I actually did enjoy a lot this series.

It starts really strange, so don't worry if you don't get whats happening in the first few chapters, I actually was about to stop watching it which would have been a huge mistake. I never thought I was going to enjoy it this much. I read in a review that the first 15 chapters were the good ones and that the rest didn't matter. I personally feel the exact opposite. I thing you need to give the series a couple of chapters before you really get into it. One of the aspects I liked the most was the animation. Maybe some people don't like it because it's really odd... however this is exactly what I liked, It is completely different to the animation you normally see. Fighting scenes are really well done and character development is also good. Both the Opening and the ending are cool (specially the opening, which I also found strange.

Apart from all the technical aspects, the story is really interesting although I found some of the quantic explanations rather boring (maybe physicists like it). Anyway, I don't know if you'll find this comment useful or not.... I just wanted to tell you that I liked this series and that I think anyone who likes anime would find it pretty enjoyable.

Shakugan no Shana II (2007–2008)

Just as good as the first!!!

[9/10 · 29 August 2008]

I said in my comment on shakugan no shana that I was a little worried about watching the second one because I could find myself disappointed... this absolutely didn't happen.

I found Shakugan no Shana II just as good as the first one... I agree with Pritcher (board) in the fact that it started a bit slow, although I found that kind of cool because they focused a lot on the romantic part. However, when the action really starts it gets a 100% better... Its just so exiting. My opinion in the animation remains the same (it could be better) and the music was fine (I liked the first's one better but this one's was also very good)...

Well, I don't know what else to say... Shana is a character that you absolutely fall in love with.. I ended up loving Shana!! and that is, in my opinion, the most important part of an anime series.

If you check ANN (anime news network) you will find Shakugan no Shana to be pretty far away from the first spot on the Bayesian estimate but to me its easily on my top 10. ...SPOILER... I did however missed more of the "urusai urusai urusai"!!! and I think they should have allowed Shana to say again "Watashi, Yuji ga suki (Yuji, I love you!!)" or have Yuji say it to Shana Would have been even better.. this is the only thing I really didn't like... the rest was perfect. ...END OF SPIOLER... I really recommend it... Is one of the best animes I've seen!!! I Love SHANA!!

Death Note (2006–2007)

definitely recommended

[9/10 · 20 August 2008]

Death Note is basically the story of a not so regular high school guy (he happens to be the best student in japan) who finds a notebook with the power of killing people just by writing their names on it and having their their faces in your thoughts wile you do it. The guy starts to kill bad guys all over Japan but the story focuses on his tactics to avoid being caught and sentenced.

Death Note is definitely one of the best series I have ever watched. Its amazing how it keeps you always focused on whats happening. Its like it was on a constant climax state. Characters are really well built and animation is also really good.

I find that the most interesting part of Death Note is that actually the main character is someone that you cant love or hate. You get somewhat attached to him and you don't want him to get caught but at the same time you know he does terrible things (not the killing criminals part but the things he does to avoid being discovered)(not to mention the fact that he cares for no one, and all he does is use people to achieve what he wants) and you kind of hate him for it.

Not just the main character is interesting, but all the other characters are really cool and you get really attached to most of them.

My personal experience watching this series was basically a lot of: NOOOOO!! I Cant Believe this is Happening!! and a couple of other things I cant really mention here. Well, there is just one thing I didn't like... The second opening theme is really really bad... Maybe some of you like it and that is cool. I just don't like that kind of music.

Anyway... I really recommend this series.. it is one of those that you just cant miss. I guarantee you will enjoy it very much.

School Days (2007)

consider yourself warned, this is the heaviest series ever.

[7/10 · 12 August 2008]

Well, this review will be rather short for I don't have a lot to say about this series.

First of all, there is nothing wrong with the animation itself, it is good enough for today's standards. The story is well build and all the other technical details are also good.

However, The story starts as a regular high school comedy. Up to the third/fourth chapter everything goes well. They build you to think the story is totally different to how its going to be. In the fifth chapter, the plot thickens. I'm not really going to say how because I think I could be spoiling the series for you but if you have watched the movie Thirteen and you multiply what you felt there for a thousand you may get how I felt when I watched it.

There is other good things about this series like the fact that it is completely different than most series, characters are not cliché and most importantly it shows a social reality that everyone is aware of but nobody really thinks about. (Most guys date tons of women without carrying for their feelings).

This series scarred me for life.... This is by far the heaviest series you will ever see. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't sleep in like 3 days and some of the stuff still hunts me all day long.

I do notttt recommend you this series.. however I do encourage you to watch it (or at least try to) if you think this kind of stuff does not affect you a lot (its good to watch something different to what you usually watch).But... Consider your self warned.

Shakugan No Shana (2005–2010)

amazing!!

[9/10 · 9 August 2008]

Shakugan no shana, also called Shana of the burning eyes, is basically the story of Sakai Yuuji, a normal high school boy who discovers he is dead and that he is in fact a torch after being attacked by a monster and saved by Shana, a young girl of red hear and burning eyes who calls herself as Flame Haze.(you will be explained what a torch and flame haze is when you watch it). Shana and yuuji become.. how should I say it??.. companions/friends/lovers, and fight these monsters to save the city.

It is a really light series, no gore or anything like that. I found the openings superb but I have seen better animations and I got bored during a couple of chapters. HOWEVER, Its just so fulfilling and you feel so so so great when you watch it that it deserves a 9! There a very few series that have made me feel so happy.. I really don't know how to explain it, it has this romantic feeling(like kanon 2006) that makes you very fond of Shana. You just end up loving her.

In my opinion: one of the best pieces of animation I've seen

I really recommend this to everyone, It is very good!! In fact, it is so good that I don't know if I should watch Shakugan no Shana Second (I'm afraid I could get disappointed because it is really hard to beat the first one). Update: I finished the second one, ITS JUST AS GOOD

Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)

Huge problems, however I guarantee you will enjoy it!

[6/10 · 30 June 2008]

Well, first of all I truly enjoyed the movie. Even though it is not the best movie ever I still recommend to everyone. It is still a beautiful story which I think you would enjoy if you haven't read the book, and for those of you who have, it is very interesting to see how the director tries to capture Marquez's book in a movie.

The movie however has really big problems, the most important one, which is the main reason why I didn't think much of this movie is that it is in English. Its a huge mistake because all the language used in the book (which is beautiful) is just LOST, therefore the movie automatically looses most of its potential. Even worse than making the movie in English is making the main dialogs in English and the background dialogs in Spanish, it just doesn't make any sense. Its ridiculous. Finally, Giovanna Mezzogiorno's acting is not very good.

I have seen many comments and reviews that agree with what I just said; but as I said before, even if it isn't a really good film I still recommend it. You should see the movie, but most importantly, READ the book!!!

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

Great movie. Tops on my list

[10/10 · 30 June 2008]

Well, to put it really simple: You must watch this movie.

The story basically shows how a girl named Makoto deals with her power to leap through time. At first she concentrates on making her life "better", however, she soon finds out that every time she leaps back to change something to her advantage others could be affected.

It is a beautiful story that teaches you to embrace things the way they are, to try to make thing better but to understand that what has already happened cant and should not be changed.

As I already said, you have to see this movie, even if you are not an anime fan.

Voices of a Distant Star (2002)

really well done, just as all Shinkai's work.

[8/10 · 26 May 2008]

First of all, it is really really good.

What amazed me the most is how in such a short period of time Makoto Shinkai is able to create such a wonderful, clear, interesting and beautiful story.

This 25 minute ova tells the story of two friends who are separated because of military reasons. as the distance between them grows, it is harder for them to communicate. Just as Makoto Shinkai's other movies the story basically tries to explain how time and distance make people grow apart even when they love each other. This movie however is still in every aspect bellow 5 minutes per second. The reason I didn't like it as much as other Shinkai's movies is because animation was not very good, or maybe I just didn't like it. Never the less, its still a great movie which I recommend to everyone, (anime fan or not). Its easy to follow, very well built, and as I already said, is by far the best work I've ever seen in such a short period of time. Very very good. p.s: watch 5 minutes per second (also by the same director) is the best!!

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)

good, a bit strange, but good.

[7/10 · 25 May 2008]

Actually I would give it a 7.5 but as you know IMDb only allows hole numbers.

This movie is basically about three friends (two boys and one girl). Their feeling towards each other is pretty well constructed and easy to follow. This is important because it is the important theme of the movie.

The place, time and events in which the main theme develops is the great flaw of the movie. It is basically a separated japan at the border of war; there is a huge tower at Hokkaido that links to parallel universes and a couple of other strange things. this plot is hard to follow and actually not very interesting. Never the less, this should not prevent you from watching this movie because it is not really important for the movie. This is a very light film and I guarantee you will feel really nice after you've finished watching it (by light I mean easy with your heart, not easy to follow).

Just as 5 centimeters per second, the animation is excellent. However, if you have not seen a lot of anime or you are just not a big fan I would recommend some other movies first. From the same director, 5 centimeters per second is much much better, although, is not as light as this one.

5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

really really good, however, its just toooo sad

[9/10 · 23 May 2008]

This movie is basically three separate chapters, each of them showing different degrees of separation between two people.

throughout the movie you'll see one of the best animation scenes in history. Its superb!!, images are incredibly neat and well done. In this department I would give the movie an 11 out of ten.

first chapter is absolutely flawless, its amazing, one of the best pieces of animation I've ever seen, maybe even the best. You are captivated by the characters amazingly fast, its fantastic. another 11 out of ten.

Second chapter is also very good but.. the first chapter is so perfect that you don't think much of the second one.

last chapter is good. actually it is PERFECT, it allows the movie to make its point. in other words, it ends the way it has to. I did not give this chapter a 10 ONLY because it made me really sad ( I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying this). I thought it was going to end in a completely different way.

Anyway, I recommend this movie a lot, just the animation and the first chapter makes it worth it. If you like the ending you could probably rank it as a 9.5 or ten.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)

great rebuild

[10/10 · 10 May 2008]

Basically is the same as the first chapters of the series. I personally think that the series's main story is still better (it's longer)and the same with some of the music (not all) (the climax music is the best ever!!).

However, improvements in animation, sound, etc are incredible, just amazing. The best thing about this movie, actually, what makes this movie really really good is the climax (operation yashima). I had never seen a more exiting climax, even if you are familiar with the series (or not) you feel great. Not just this, the music and the angel used for operation yashima are amazing , I just don't have words to describe them.

I recommend this movie to every one, even if you have never seen the series. I have not much more to say except that I cant wait for the next one. oh, and that beautiful world is a really nice ending song.