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The Perfect Insider (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 3, 2016
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Category: Reviews

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perfect-insiderTitle: The Perfect Insider

Directors: Mamaru Kanbe

Writer: Toshiya Ono

Music: Kenji Kawai

Studio: A-1 Pictures

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release date: October 25th, 2016

Format: Blu-ray/ 11 Episodes / 275 Minutes

Genre: Drama, Suspense, Murder Mystery

Age Rating: MA

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis: 

For most people, finding a dead body on their vacation would mean the vacation is over. However, for Souhei Saikawa, a professor of architecture, and his student Moe Nishinosono, a math prodigy, it’s a different kind of challenge.

Genius programmer Shiki Magata, one of Souhei’s idols, is inexplicably murdered inside the sealed research lab she disappeared to after being found innocent of her parents’ murder. As Souhei and Moe take the first steps into a deadly new world, they must untangle the complex web of events and clues leading up to the murder. With danger creeping up around them, this may be the last mystery this pair of human anomalies attempts to solve in THE PERFECT INSIDER!

Commentary:

It has been a while since I have enjoyed a murder mystery like The Perfect Insider. From the very first episode I was hooked. I had no idea what was going on but the characters were coming at me in a strange and intriguing direction. I found the plot development rather satisfying with plenty of open question that needed to be answered and most were covered as the series progressed.

The Perfect Insider is a great and refreshing anime after see the market flooded with magical power and fan service anime. I like most of the new series but there has become a series lack of great dramas coming over to the North America. This is where The Perfect Insider stands out. It doesn’t waist your time with frivolous fan service or make our characters magically powerful, it takes a group of people and places them in the middle of a rather confusing and disturbing situation.

Overall Grade: A-

The Perfect Insider does almost everything a great dramatic anime does. It provides a tense mystery with plenty of dark under pinnings. Some of those darker elements put me off a bit, but I understand why they were there.

The animation work perfectly with the story. It is slick enough to make it easy to concentrate on the story and tosses in some well done CG (computer graphics) to provide the eye candy when needed. It help a hard enough edge and color palette that helps keep the focus on the story and the characters. Often you will have anime blast you with bright colors and overly stylized environment to hide the fact that the story is week. The Perfect Insider manages to keep you focused on the story and the character. The only weakness I saw was that there was a lacking of emotion showing in some of the characters faces when important information was discovered.

If you are looking for a strong mature drama with a great ending then you really need to check out The Perfect Insider. One word of caution, this series is not for younger viewers it does contain some rather unpleasant imagery and plot topics that are not suitable for minors.

 

Patlabor 2: The Movie (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : August 2, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Patlabor 2Title: Patlabor 2: The Movie on Blu-ray

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Studio: Production I. G.

Written By: Kazunori Ito

Orignal Release: August 7, 1993

U. S. Re-Release: July 21st, 2015

U. S. Distributor: Maiden Japan, Section 23

Format: Blu-ray / Feature Film / 107 Minutes

Genre: Police Drama, Mecha, Action, Suspense, Sci Fi

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: A+

 

Synopsis:

A rogue military jet bombs a Tokyo bridge. The city is in panic. But is it a real terrorist attack, the first stage of a coup, or the opening gambit of an even more Machiavellian plot? As the military attempts to take control and Martial Law is declared, the task of untwisting the complex web of secrets, lies, and betrayals falls to the convoluted mind of Captain Kiichi Goto.

But when the Defense Forces have been turned against each other and government itself may be suspect, who can he depend on as his ground troops in a bid to pull the country back from the brink of oblivion? The men and women of the SV2 and their mobile force of Ingram patrol robots, of course.

Commentary:

Wow! Here a anime film that stands out for where awesomeness. This 1993 production shows off everything great about having a outstanding animation crew and a superior script. I have sat through this film several time and every time I am blown away by what I see.

At first blush I thought I was watching something from 2005 or later then as the story progressed I was convinced that it must have been written by a zen master. Patlabor 2 is a stand out film in the world of phycological dramas. It takes you down several paths to have you end up standing on an Island of Sea Gulls.

Overall Grade: A+

Patlabor 2 is a tour de force of both writing and anime production. From some of the simple attention to detail to the depth of each character, Patlabor 2 takes us on a ride that will not be forgotten any time soon.

With all of the tough provoking monolog to the movement of the characters while they go about their activities. We get to see it all. I must warn you that his film was produced in 1993 and even in todays standards it is a very high quality show. This may be one of the few older shows that should be reproduced on Blu-ray because of the original production quality of the film. It is awesome to see a small licenser like Maiden Japan bring this series and film back to us. It is easy to forget the past and even forget how great it was when most of what is remembered is the simple stories that we lived with in our childhood, but it is always wonderful to get a glimpse of what was at the top of the game over 20 years ago.

If you are looking for a thoughtful drama that is less about the action and more about the complexities that go on when our society appears to have lost its way, then Patlabor 2 is the one for you. Better yet, if you are just looking for a anime film that will leave you speechless then this is the one for you.