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Waiting in the Summer (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 11, 2019
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Category: Reviews

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Title: Waiting in the Summer Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Directed By: Tatsuyuki Nagai

Written By: Yōsuke Kuroda

Studio: J. C. Staff

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: March 15th, 2016

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes + OVA / 325 Minutes

Genre: Harem, Slice of Life, Fan Service, Romance, Sci Fi

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis: 

When a group of friends decide to make a movie over a long summer holiday, they end up learning a little about film-making and a lot more about each other and themselves. What begins as a simple way to avoid the summer doldrums quickly turns into something much more complex, intimate, and downright revealing.

As the summer heats up, so do the maturing relationships between the young cast members, taking some new, and sometimes unexpected, turns. Get ready for a whole new look at summer romance as hidden emotions get captured and secrets meant to be kept hidden inside young hearts instead spill off the screen for your viewing pleasure in Waiting in the Summer!

Commentary:

Thank you Sentai Filmworks for going back into the vault and bringing this wonderful anime back to life. The english dub should help bring a larger audience to it. As for the dub, because I an so familiar with the original release, I didn’t find it as attractive as the 2016 release.

Waiting in the Summer is one of the sleeper anime that few people have seen. It has a rather straight forward plot and a simplistic romance structure, yet it catches your attentions and makes you really like these high school students on summer break and wish you could hang out with them and make a move too.

With this being a re-release and adding the OVA I am curious why there wasn’t a English dub. I understand that there is a large cost to doing that. I just think that a English dub would have brought another layer of fans to the series and proved to be profitable.

Overall Grade: A-

I is nice to see Waiting in the Summer re-released with the OVA and forcing me to take another look at it. One one level there is a warn innocence that flows though it and on the other hand a sad reality to some things just can’t be. With all that is going on with the film mirroring the plot line and the hidden specter of the men in black makes it hard to stop watching.

The animation is a smooth easy touch that is very typical   for anime of this type and the attention to detail done with such a soft touch that things flow together with the plot perfectly. I can’t think of any other style that would have helped tell the story any better. The only detractor I have is that it does drag a bit in the middle and leave the viewer a tad frustrated with what is going on. I still find the series strong and with the added OVA it is just that much better.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Waiting in the Summer then I think that this is the time to discover a series that is warm and friendly with layers of strange goings on. If you are in the mood for a easy going anime that has plenty of fun and oddities in it then Waiting in the Summer is for you.

A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2

Posted by :Patches On : September 15, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2

review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2

Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai

Studio: J.C. Staff

Author: Seishi Minakami

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: August 19, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Fantasy, Super Power

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: A Certain Scientific Railgun, A Certain Magical Index

Synopsis:

The Sister’s Arc continues in A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2. Since Misaka knows the entire truth about the organization that is making the sister clones, she will stop at nothing to bring it down. However, that means facing Accelerator in a fight that only one of them will walk away from.

Elsewhere in Academy City, an adorable girl named Febrie is introduced to Misaka’s circle of friends. As the girls begin to learn more about Febrie’s past, they discover that she is a victim of scientific forces in the city as well. Of course, that is something that Misaka and the girls of Judgment simply will not stand for. Will Misaka and her friends be able to help Febrie? Will Misaka be able to stop the organization that is making the sister clones? You will have to watch A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2 and find out.

Commentary:

In A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2, the Sister’s Arc finally comes to an interesting conclusion. The Sister’s Arc gives us thrilling action, emotional and powerful revelations, and portrays the story in an exciting, multi-perspective fashion. Misaka’s character development was amazing and was awesome to watch. Touma makes appearances once again and adds an interesting plot twist. I absolutely loved the Sister’s Arc because you really begin to understand Misaka more. However, I thought that the conclusion to this Arc was a little rushed and I really wish they would have taken a little more time on it.

Now for the Silent Party Arc. I like to think of the Silent Party Arc as the red-headed step-child of the Sister’s Arc. The Silent Party Arc had a very weak plot that was filled with inconsistencies and characters who acted completely out of character. Basically Misaka and her friends meet the most adorable little girl ever, Febrie, and try to find her a place to live since she does not have parents. They end up learning that she is not really human but a genetically manufactured being that is going to be used to destroy Academy City. I believe that if they would have taken more time to make the plot flow better and actually make sense that this story arc would have been interesting. I wish that the characters did not act so out of character because Misaka went through some amazing development in the Sister’s Arc but reverted back to her original character for the Silent Party Arc. That really took away from the story and also made it very hard to watch. All that being said, if you watch the Silent Party Arc with low expectations it is a cute, light arc to watch and it is only eight episodes long.

J.C. Staff did an amazing job with the animation. The scenes burst to life off the screen and drag you into the story and do not let go until the end of the disc. The voice actors did an amazing job and brought the characters to life. The opening and closing songs were okay. I did not see anything special about them but they were decent for what they were.

Overall Grade: B+

I really enjoyed A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 2 and I recommend it to anyone. I really loved the Sister’s Arc and could take or leave the Silent Party Arc. Either way, this entire series has found a way into my heart and I am okay with that.

A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 28, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1

Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai

Studio: J.C. Staff

Author: Seishi Minakami

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: July 1, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Fantasy, Super Power

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: A Certain Scientific Railgun, A Certain Magical Index

Synopsis:

Something sinister is growing in Academy City. The shadows are filled with whispers of a project to clone one of the super-powered students known as espers. High-ranking master of electricity Mikoto Misaka, or Railgun as she is known to other espers, laughs off these stories until she comes in contact with a copy of herself. The duplicates are real and are being mass-produced from Misaka’s own DNA, making each one of them a little piece of her. The Sisters, these clones, are being systematically murdered in a series of experiments designed to turn a sadistic killer into the strongest esper in history. Misaka vows to save her copies and destroy the project. However, this might be one fight she cannot win alone but she hates to ask for help. Be on the lookout for high-energy battles and intense action in this continuation of the A Certain Scientific Railgun series. Will Misaka be able to turn to her friends for help or will she be forced to fight the good fight on her own? You will have to watch A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1 and find out.

Commentary:

A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1 still takes place in academy city with the four usual characters Misaka, Kuroko, Uiharu, and Saten. However, this season focuses more on Misaka’s background story and outlines her more as a character. We are also introduced the fourth level five esper and the first level five esper making for some well animated fighting scenes. In these first twelve episodes some of the characters from the first season were not featured as much as they could have been. I am hoping that will change in Part Two.

The Sister’s story arc really caught my interest. I remember some of it from A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1 just expands on it and fills in any blanks that A Certain Magical Index left. You also see a different side of Misaka in this season. She became slightly darker, at least to me, and that added depth to her character. She really grew into her character this season and she also learns some very important life lessons. It also ties you emotionally to her and the fights that she has in A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1. Touma from A Certain Magical Index also makes an appearance in the last few episodes and I am hoping that he will be there in Part 2 because he adds that certain something to the plot. Academy City seems like a Stepford city. Rules for the general public must be followed and images for the general public must be believed. So long as the general public accepts those rules then everything will be great, however there are issues because every city has its issues. It will be interesting to see how Academy City fairs in Part 2.

J.C. Staff did an amazing job with the animation. The scenes burst to life off the screen and drag you into the story and do not let go until the end of the disc. The voice actors did an amazing job and brought the characters to life. The opening and closing songs were okay. I did not see anything special about them but they were decent for what they were. I cannot wait to see the rest of the series and I will be sitting on the edge of my seat while watching it.
Extras:

A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1 includes episode commentary, clean opening and closing animations, and Funimation trailers.

Overall Grade: A-

I really enjoyed A Certain Scientific Railgun S—Season 2 Part 1 and I cannot wait to see Part Two. I personally enjoyed this season more than the first but I recommend the entire A Certain Magical Index series and spin-offs as the storylines keep you interested. Just a word of advice for those who are reading this, do not offer up your DNA to some doctor unless you are ready for the consequences.