well... this is Sparta Japan - the clothes design was done by BABY,THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT and ALICE and the PIRATES. what else do we get from Gainax this time? or so I wanted to ask until I realised one thing
plot and characters
this is the type of anime that offers not a life story, really, but a hint of it. I wonder if the original is different. however, if we speak of the anime, we see moving figures, but don't get to see their background. nothing is properly explained about the past, but even the present is moving so fast that we hardly manage to follow. in the end, the aftertaste is somewhat strange. I am really fascinated by the world created, by the characters, and I can see they have their own ideas, their own reasoning etc. - but I feel they are all far from me and I cannot get closer to them, however I struggle. one of the things thoroughly portrayed was, perhaps, Dalian's solitude. if not for her inner monologues about Huey coming to her world and her feelings, I would not be as interested in the story as I am. this is not the usual shoujo romance, but though being pretty simple, some scenes involving Huey and Dalian together with her another self were from time to time creating that particular disturbance in my chest that almost prevents from breathing - which is a sure sign that I am moved and the relationship is deep enough. the monologue of Dalian praying for Huey to come back was equally touching. but well, who of us, girls is not dreaming of a guy who would come to our rescue risking his life, keeping his promise not to leave us alone 'just because'?
and in the end, well, who of us, girls, never dreamed of the past? never read books about different epochs? never imagined herself as a beautiful Greek priestess, Medieval noble dame, Renaissance countess or duchess, or whatever? though the events take place after the World War I, the world of 'Dantalian no Shoka' obviously retain a great deal of the Victorian world. and the late Victorian world gradually evolving into the 20th century modern world, among others, is a special story. it combines some of the modern inventions which makes life less inconvenient than in the previous eras, and the old slow tempo, it adds a nice sweet savour to everything we see - it allows to wear nice feminine dresses, but already gives a hint on women emancipation, it makes men gentlemen, but allows more freedom in relationship, it pictures wonderful mansions with beautiful gardens around them, retro cars and telephones, large libraries with sophisticated furniture, etc., but does not deprive us of the primary conveniences. of course we like 'yankiis' from 'bousouzoku', and we like school soap operas, we like mecha and slice of life, but from time to time we, girls, need to come back to those dear dreams of our young days where everything was so ideal and promising. viewing this half-Victorian decoration as such, 'Dantalian no Shoka' is a great success
perhaps the only spoling element was the strange author's understanding
of justice. all the 'bad guys' were punished, mostly by their own
mistakes and foolishness, and the main characters could not help anyone
or save them. still this leaves an uneasy feeling in me. however, I
cannot be sure in anything because of the perfunctory nature of everything
the same mystery, on the other hand, can be viewed as a perfect
promotion of the manga and ranobe. 'I cannot see you well, I cannot hear you well,
guys!' I cry. 'you need more? you want to know them?' the authors ask
then, with a grin on their faces. 'if so, you are welcome into the world
of ranobe and manga!' - you know, this is not good. an anime based on some source can be far from it or follow it to the letter, but it should not be a
mere shell which only shows the upper part of the iceberg. this is at
least what I think
graphics
since when has Gainax become THIS great in terms of the visual aspect of their works? if there are any shortcomings in the plot, then they are more then compensated for. the beautiful scenery, the buildings which are created by using the real photos and turned into painted pictures, the small details thoroughly drawn, the perfectly symmetric faces and other parts of body, and bright vivid colours coupled with the nice design - as I said, with the help of two very, VERY outstanding brands, for those who understand - this side of anime is unexceptionable. if not for the amount of blood and violence, I could recommend this for children as a pretty fairytale
a separate thanx goes to the those who thoughts of creating episode #9
when I see such kind of graphics with a simple but warm colours, with pencil lines and everything looking so
really handmade, I am relieved about
the future of anime
however, there were some moments when instead of moving video we had to see static pictures. I wonder if 'twas the original idea or a real problem of the artists of the studio
seiyuus
the sole reason for me to download this anime was a handsome blond bishounen (well he is not precisely shounen, but still) voiced by Ono Daisuke, and I became quite determined to watch it when I knew that a cool loli would be voiced by Sawashiro Miyuki. it was particularly funny for me to recognize her signature intonations that have been so peculiar to Puchiko (again - for those who understand)
however, the others did a good job, too. most were very realistic and natural in their roles, so that I wasn't able to notice anything strange, but I was really shocked by the voice of Flamberge whose seiyuu was Kohimizu Ami-san. I did watch CGLR properly, and I don't remember Karen's voice being that interesting. well, if Koshimizu-san is capable of such tricks, then I should pay my respect to her
music
this is the next aspect which redeems for the poor plot. I have been positively fascinated by the OP theme which was created to resemble a Latin (Latin? well, I judge by the name of the creator mentioned in the opening titles) poem or something, laid on a beautiful music by the composer Tsuji You. he is also responsible for the OSTs which are beautiful example of an acoustic accompaniment which contributed to the general mood greatly. orchestra pieces, deep and overwhelming as the sea-waves, light orgel melodies, some instruments solo and many other nice tracks are waiting for me inside the OST albums. the only thing that bothered me was the fact that a lot of variations on this piece were used as instrumental backgrounds. at first I was afraid the composer was not able to create anything else, but then finally another good melodies popped up
Yucca, the singer, was also a veeeery suitable variant. this a rare thing for me - not to skip the opening of every episode. I usually do so in order to avoid getting tired of the song and be able to listen to its full version later separately. however, this time I was not able to skip it. I wanted to listen to it more and more, especially when such a nice row of visual images is present to make your eyes delighted with what they see
the only thing I cannot forgive among the insert themes is the
violin in the 10th episode. am I alone in thinking that the Japanese are
usually not very good at playing violin? they have perfect technique,
but somehow I often feel that their violins are not singing. I feel as
if they applied too much strength when playing and lacked the lightness I am used to. moreover, they even have problems with vibration. I have been always told that vibrating every single note is important, however short the note might be. the same I heard in the numerous concerts and studio recordings. still, the 'Twilight' sonata in the anime is an example of poor vibration. the same is noticeable in Kajiura's works where violin is supposed to have
a really important part but usually fails to impress me, and some other
composers. at the same time, piano etc. never bothered me. am I mistaken? well, at least in the episode about Christabel I could not enjoy violin parts. surprisingly, violin in the theme of Dalian other self world, the Labyrinth Library, was much better! why???
the greatest disappointment, however, was ED theme by maRIONnetTe. while I do acknowledge that the anime had a bit of gothic mood to it, the song and the video which was a real video with real forest, real people, etc. was TOO gothic. it was absolutely not suitable and absolutely boring. as for me, I was not happy with it at all, though the song itself and the vocal were pretty good
conclusion
the only great shortcoming of this anime is its length. it should have been longer at least twice, and reveal more secrets, and be more detailed. my God, why did I watch it now? I don't know how I will survive until August when the OAV is to be released. moreover, I could not find full English translation. meseems, I have to read raws. well, this must start somewhen and with some manga, eh?
p. s. why Dalian? her name could be spelled like Dahlian or in many other ways. does it have some sort of trick?
