Sword Art Online- Such wasted potential.
In the world of Sword Art Online, a virtual reality MMORPG of the same name is released with a big surprise for players. Once t logged in they’re trapped inside the video game’s world. Die in the game and you die in real life. Sounds interesting enough, right?
Sadly, I struggled to make it even halfway through. SAO is a cacophony of good ideas skimmed over in an inconsistent manner. One moment there's an interesting abuse of game mechanics, empowered by a dark tone, and the next it's light-hearted nonsense more apropos of comedy.
If you're familiar with Log Horizon, SAO is a shallower version. There's some delicious drama to be had but it passes by so quick while being demolished by its flaws. Random ass-shots are one thing, but undermining one of the better characters is egregious. Asuna, a major supporting character, is talked about as this fierce warrior, and even shows it in fights. However when it comes to any sort of disagreement between players, she's made out to be a defenseless little girl. At one point protagonist Kiritsu has to fight Asuna's guild leader for "the right to take her."
This did release in 2012, right?
It's a shame. Whenever I started getting into Sword Art Online- like clockwork- several glaring issues would knock me down a peg or two. With all the great anime out there, I can’t advise anyone to spend even a second on Sword Art Online.
Sunday Without God- High concept, yet often flawed, there’s both a lot to enjoy and dislike about Sunday Without God. Set in a world which God has abandoned, the dead are never truly dead, society has collapsed, and 12-year-old Ai Aisten’s life is reshaped when she learns the truth about her village.
Pacing is an interesting thing. While there is an overarching plot, a cheesy one about Ai wanting to save the world, the narrative is broken down into several minor arcs. Some are great and others, well… they can be not so great. For example, the initial arc is anti-climatic, convoluted, and awkwardly leaves potential plot holes and contradictions for future episodes. On the flipside, episodes 10-12 posses an excellent tidal wave of an emotional tale of breaking a classroom’s students out of a time loop.
Artistically, it’s a mixed bag. The world design, color palette, and lighting make for some beautiful visuals. Well, at least when not being blocked by uninspired character design. Imagine the worst of stereotypical 2000’s anime characters and there you have it.
While far from the best anime of 2013, Sunday Without God is a solid addition to the lineup. It’s a conceptual powerhouse and often dripping with tear-jerking drama. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the many flaws. For 12 episodes, I managed to put up with them in hopes the story would pay-off, and sometimes it does, but there is a clear lack of advancement of the central hook. Hopefully the OVA clears this problem from the board, because despite the issues, I did enjoy Sunday Without God.
Akira- My anime fandom is something fairly new. I enjoyed Gundam as a child and attempted to watch Dragonball Z and Pokemon to little avail. So until four years ago my experiences were limited. This is me not so subtly hinting I’ve never seen Akira.
For you non-otaku, Akira is oft credited as the best anime film and the reason why the genre became so popular outside of Japan in the 80's and 90's. It’s even been credited as an influence on cinema outside the island nation with regularity. So yes, it’s pretty important.
Opening up in a refreshing manner, there’s a lack of ham-fisted exposition even modern critically acclaimed films fail to execute. With little dialogue it’s up to the viewer to pick up on all the environmental details and action. It’s the classic adage of “show don’t tell,” masterfully at work. And with a stunning level of detail in a gorgeous dystopian- cyberpunk Tokyo, it’s never too difficult.
Pacing becomes a synonym for perfection when Tetsuo loses control of who he once was due in part to his new and mysterious telekinetic powers. It not only tears apart his young biker gang, but the city of Tokyo too. Cultist and revolutionaries are ignited by “the second coming of Akira,” and the chaos fueled tension is enthralling.
When it comes to character progression, world-building, and animation I’ve seen little outclass Akira. I now understand why it has not only become a classic with anime fans but a world-wide darling of the critics.
American Hustle- You know those movies which try to be such a well written low-key story, but forget to have any tangible conflict or tension? That’s American Hustle. There’s 90% of the workings required of a compelling narrative, but one big thing is missing: a payoff. It’s not that all the loose ends aren’t tied up, there’s just no powder-keg culmination of strife. It’s as if it gets two-thirds up conflict-mountain and decides to circle around, avoiding the heart-straining exercises it takes to reach the peak. Which is a real shame, because the rest of the film is quite good.
Undeniably, the greatest strength is in the acting. Christian Bale has his particular style, but it’s completely broken. Yes, his character isn't conventionally attractive as per usual but the real beauty is in the character. Irving Rosenfeld isn’t the type of person to make you think Christian Bale, but he nails the skeevy anti-hero in surprising fashion. And it’s not just Bale, everyone from Jennifer Lawrence to Louis C.K. melds wonderfully.
Yes, comedian Louis C.K. plays a supporting role, so it wouldn’t be crazy to expect some comedic relief. And this is another area of weakness. For the most part, the laughs serve their purpose, but towards the latter half the jokes keep rolling in. Which would be fine if they were effective and didn’t undermine that whole “conflict-mountain” thing I brought up before.
They Oscar folks love American Hustle, and I’d be inclined to agree with them if a key piece of storytelling wasn’t forgone. Conflicted is not the emotion a movie should leave you with. And well, since American Hustle does exactly that, you’d be best served putting this one on the back burner for now.
Avatar: The Last Airbender- When you think anime, you more than likely think Japan, but there are other nations contributing to the genre. While Avatar: The Last Airbender is clearly an American production, the influence of the far-east is very apparent. An American anime sounds like a great idea, and it is. Mixing two cultures can be a wonderful thing.
Note: Target audiences are a real thing, but assuming they’re Berlin Wall-like dividers between who can and can’t enjoy a piece of entertainment is wrong.
I enjoyed Book One, season one, but the biggest issue could be summed up like this. A young target audience doesn't excuse bad writing. Indeed there are well written “kids” shows, which is why I find the repetitive episodes of Avatar quite irksome. Aang, Katara, and Sokka arrive at a village, do something incredibly stupid to get themselves noticed, the Fire Nation arrives, fighting ensues, and then they escape after learning some sort of morale lesson. When roughly half of the season follows the same exact formula, there’s a problem.
The similarities between Avatar: TLAB and Naruto are also distressing. Aang’s struggles with being the Avatar and the power which comes with it is almost identical to Naruto’s difficulty with being a jinchuuriki. Hell, they even call them spirits and both character run the risk of losing control of themselves as they’re inner power consumes them.
I know it seems like I’m really ragging on Avatar, but the truth is I am enjoying it. The large cast has only a single weakness, Zuko, and there’s a solid mixture of laughs and accessible progression. It’s a light-hearted journey which does a good job of not feeling outdated, despite it’s occasional lack of originality. The core trio are fun to watch, but Katara is the high point as she doesn't fit one particular character archetype. Sokka is good for a chuckle most times he opens his mouth and Zuko’s uncle is the goofy yet wise “cool uncle” you’ve always wanted.
Animation is top-notch, which should be no surprise considering Nickelodeon can throw money around like a reformed Scrooge McDuck. Appreciatively, there is a mixture of culture in both the style and subject. I wish they would be a bit more creative, but again, there’s a permeating thought that since this is Nickelodeon, it has to be overly simplistic.
While far from the country to genre bridge I was lead to believe it is, Avatar: The Last Airbender is not an all too shabby entry into the world of anime.
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