We've already established that the Earth is best saved by Japanese schoolchildren, even if, or rather, especially if they need to pilot gigantic robots brought to Earth by another civilisation and equipped with weapons of mass destruction.
It's also clear that galactic problems are nothing in comparison with the problems people experience in their youth, such as love, friendship, school club activities, applying sunscreen on gilrs' backs...
Actually, the more girls - the better. Let's have more of them introduced in the middle of the story even if nobody saw it coming.
If singing voice actors are engaged, much attention is paid to theme songs, with the characters singing everywhere possible, including not only karaoke, but also beaches, school corridors, bus tops, and who cares where else. My personal suggenstion would be, however, not to make 3 out of 4 important songs just happy cute pop hits, so that you don't have to use the remaining one as your only option to add drama when necessary. My personal wish - start searching for decent opening and ending songs, or the art of anime music will be lost.
The final battle will easily fit one episode, with the decisive fight taking no more than 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the remaining budget. Why not turn on theme songs here again.
And at least one furry animal to accompany the story, remember.
There is something new established by 'Star Driver', though. Seems like you can be a Galactic Pretty Boy even if you're a girl. We live in the modern age, no discrimination, okay?
At least they didn't forget about the humour, that I do admit.
It's sad when an anime turns out to be completely bad and not worth one's time, but it's also sad when it had potential but didn't live up to it.
This is what happens when you try to make a shounen-harem single-season anime series out of a history textbook, even if that history is a fantasy.
The start was almost good, not least because of the funny gap between the seriousness of the main characters' undertaking and their teenage clumsiness.
It also never hurts to have the creators self-conscious of what they do, and once in a century the silly puns and comments typical for ecchi anime sound fun not because they're fun as they are but because they are so intentionally made to be perceived as your typical ecchi comments.
The epic discussion on the fates of the world, philosophical contemplations on good and evil are easily tolerated when punctuated by out-of-the-blue anime-only developments.
The ending by Arai Akino with her ethereal voice, being a nice counterbalance for the generic shounen-anime energetic song with female vocals, also contributed to the fantasy atmosphere.
I even found myself fascinated by how the development of the world is viewed by our main character, Demon King.
However, the further into the story the more the pace of the series is disrupted. It starts when the creators decide to put a whole year of the characters' lives into one episode #3. Then, in the span of 12 episodes we follow, or at least are supposed to be following, several wars and conflicts, both real and economic, developments and deaths of several major poleis, forming of alliances and church dissents, era-changing inventions such as printing and arbalests, all taking place within only several years.
I don't know if the creators meant this anime as a way to attract students not interested in history otherwise, but Maoyuu looks like a perfect ad: hey do you know there's a new version of a history course, this time with boobs and first-rate voice actors.
Maoyuu constantly doubts whether it's a fantasy shounen or a textbook. Where previously shounen characters would be admiring opponents' new techniques, Maoyuu's characters are amazed at...
And when the swaying gets too strong, there's bound to be resonance, which, in its turn it bound to increase the swaying even more. By the last episode, hardly any character gets enough time to be fully presented, new characters and directions appearing even as the last episode is approaching its 20th minute, and the series end up in a peaceful harem interaction while the world's fate stays undecided.
There are cases when I wish a book was made into an anime, but this is the first time I thought I'd be happy if Maoyuu was a proper book rather than a single-season shounen harem.
p. s. Reviving my 'how to learn Japanese' column, I highly recommend to stay away from Maoyuu if you're still in the early stages of learning the language. At least for me, Maoyuu became a source of an infinite despair because of my sheer ignorance of all the Japanese lingo pertaining to economics, politics, warfare and such.
The conclusion that little witch Chocolat from 'Sugar Sugar Rune' made after living in the human world for some time was: it seems that human boys tend to tease girls they like. Well, it's ok if they really just tease. It also can be understood when a little boy kinda hates a girl and throws balls at her without mercy. But what if a story about the Heroine and the Hero starts from true, sheer hatred?
story and characters
What a usual shoujo looks like is 'they are obviously attracted to each other but cannot confess but that's SOOO CUUUUUTE'. What RDG starts with is a girl and a boy who openly dislike each other without that usual catchy 'she's just not being honest with herself'. Not that there's no room for such feelings, but they appear much later and not just because 'he's so cool' or 'she's so tsundere'. In case of RDG we have not the typical shoujo heroine who climbs up trees like Candy from Candy-Candy, travels the world seeking for adventures like Nadja from 'Ashita no Nadja', or bravely fights monsters like Hikaru from 'Rayearth', but a shy, meek, calm girl. However, she's also not the 'Diabolik lovers' damsel-in-distress MANUKE (coward, doesn't have any nerve) type who lets others do whatever they want with her. If by any chance you're interested in my opinion, the usual shoujo heroine is an IEE, or ENFp in the MBTI, while Izumiko is her 'mirror', EII or INFj. Unlike the widespread tsundere type (ENFp or ENTp or INTp), she's honest with her feelings:
In general she's completely ok when it comes to discussing feelings and relationships and does not hesitate to make a face like this when asked whether she'd agree to be hit on:
She also has strong will. It reminds me how one socionics developer said about Melanie in 'Gone with the wind'. Such heroines are frequently weak or at least not very strong physically and know nothing about demonstrating strength to the extent they aren't able to protect themselves (extroverted sensing is the sore point)
but never hesitate when they have to show their inner strength, even if they have to say something harsh.
They don't have a problem facing a morally difficult situation or when they have to make a decision that requires using not logic (T) but ethic (F).
Izumiko also reacts very calmly when facing situations where other people would not know what to reply.
And in the end she allows herself to show her true feelings which she was so much afraid of doing.
I'm not saying I'm an expert, but our Hero, Miyuki, does look like her dual type. Here's what we have - a guy who values physical and mental strength and does not hesitate to train himself, very harsh in the beginning but eventually giving way to the Heroine's kindness seeing how she never gets angry or arrogant with him no matter what he does or says (thinking, sensing). Unlike her, he knows what to do and how to do it, and wants everything done properly - I'll enter a university and become a good member of the society, he says (plus judging). Even though in the last episode he proves to be actually loyal and refuses to take actions that may hurt people dear to him, that only proves he's bad with human relations and feelings - it took him 12 episodes to get used to having a person to care for and acknowledge his feelings. In other words, he needed a proof of feelings from someone else (NF) so that he could show his loyalty with actions (ST).
By the fact he takes the initiative and responsibility eagerly I assume he's an extrovert, and thus I have the conclusion that I wanted to reach. And it was just all very smooth how he almost hated her in the beginning but then voluntarily took her under his care.
If you're wondering whether I'm really into that guy, Yukimasa, the father of the Hero, then I'll tell you - of course I'm not serious. I'm just collecting hot guys to... to look at. Under no circumstances would I ever acknowledge violence as a method of upbringing. However, this is the reality that we must face when watching this series: in this story physical damage is considered something usual, not forgivable but acceptable.
If you feel disturbed by it, you can try to manage to pay no heed to this side of the story. Since the strange relationship between Miyuki and his father will never be explained either. Or the circumstances about Izumiko's family. Or anything else. While the feelings between Izumiko and Miyuki, and also the three Souda siblings are properly shown, the story itself, unlike what you'd expect from the description, contains even no real battles with enemies that come to capture the Heroine, and the anime does not create a smooth line of events. Rather it looks like a collection of important moments from the original novel with absolutely no attempts to fill the gaps between them. No wonder it gets low rates from people writing comprehensive reviews. There are a lot of examples when I liked an anime that people rate with 1 out of ten, but that's due to the fact I liked the genre while others didn't. This time it's not as simple, RDG is not just aimed at a narrow audience, it's also too limited in time.
graphics
The very first seconds of the first episode can give you a good idea of what's graphics like in RDG.
All landscapes and objects of nature are done in detail and look extremely realistic. Places in the urban areas are also done to look like real ones with all necessary textures and patterns.
Some objects were obviously made in 3D.
Here is one problem, however. RDG makes an attempt to look beautiful but the story is not told properly. I would probably prefer that the same amount of work be put into narration. Just to be fair I have to say, though, that the style is better than on those pictures I saw on the manga covers, and I prefer the way the characters look in the anime to the manga version.
If we take the graphics as a separate kind of art, it's beautiful and so detailed I'd even say it verges on being wasted. Such images deserve to be viewed for a longer time than it takes in RDG. If you want to check it out, just look for the menus from the DVD.
voice acting
The first time I ever heard Uchiyama was in 'Bimbougami'. Even though a comedy, thanks to the seiyuus' work the characters demonstrated a great deal of personality and deepness. Since then I wrote Uchiyama's name in the list of 'promising seiyuus'. He was the second reason for me to watch RDG, the first being the fact that it explores the world of Japanese folklore and Buddhism and Shinto religion. I was not wrong when I had high hopes for him. In case you're wondering if there's any proper romance in the anime, just watch the opening video and remember the fact it won't get any further. However, if after that you're wondering whether it's worth watching or not, I'll tell you what I thought. It's worth watching at least to hear him say these three words.
Other seiyuus were all very good, even though I don't know them. Not many seiyuus have their own unique voices - many are just representatives of a certain type. Say, Hayami Saori is the 'calm, shy girl' type, Yonezawa Madoka is a good 'active positive girl', Ishikawa Kaito and Kimura Ryouhei are 'bright and a little bit childish guys'. On one hand, it's not that I'll remember them very well after watching RDG. On the other hand, have you ever switched off the sound in an anime? Try to do so and look at the picture. It's moving but there's not enough life in it until it is animated by the seiyuu's voice, especially it's true in case of RDG because it has this kind of art which is so beautiful that it's almost lifeless.
Checking up the more famous seiyuus, Miyano Mamoru fans will have nothing to enjoy here, his Harukawa was plain. Mr Ishida was the same as always. I guess he'll never be given any other kind of a character - they are all cunning guys having ulterior motives, no matter be it for the sake of the protagonists or not. Tanaka Rie as the goddess was absolutely beautiful, at least this is how I would want her to be - self-confident, with that confidence covering all areas of her soul, arrogant, even sexy, which also is a part of her confidence. Kugimiya Rie as Wamiya, who is a boy, created a very good character, I'll give her that. Nojima Hirofumi also made his Takayanagi extremely 3D. What I'm trying to say is that thanks to such seiyuus the characters were even more realistic and credible than it could be imagined without a voice. Mr Fukuyama was voicing a character who's, like it seems to me, closer to his real age than usual, but hey, he's convincing no matter who his character is.
music
If you can distinguish between Annabel's songs, then you're a genius. I can't. All of them are the same to me. This statement includes all other singers of that kind - Yuuki Aira, Misawa Aki, Ceui etc. In other words, the opening song is extremely boring and plain. The ending song is much better, since it's by Masumi Ito (Hikaru Nanase). She also wrote the soundtrack. I'd say it's the classical type, the music is not very outstanding but it sure has its charm and every melody fits the moments it's playing at. Her songs are very unusual and though I respect her, I wouldn't listen to 'yokan' out of the anime.
A completely different thing is the insert theme song of Izumiko, 'Izumiko no mai', and 'Kakugo' - one of the most beautiful theme songs I have ever heard. That the problem lies in the composer is just too obvious because it is performed by the same Annabel, but what different fates these two songs have.
conclusion - after 4 years
How things change with time... I clearly remember being dissatisfied with the narration, namely the fact that the background is never revealed, which made watching RDG a real torture, wanting to know more and not being able to. However, after 4 years, RDG looks very different to me, and is an example of how a short story should be presented when the ending of the anime is not the ending of the story. Yes, RDG is the true way to end a season. No, no only to end a season, it should be the model of how to make a season - how to present characters, how to let them develop, how to keep everything going. Despite the vagueness and lack of enlightenment, these 12 episodes set a solid ground for further development, regardless of its existence. At least, plot holes here are not black holes, sucking any possible continuation into abyss.
Moreover, it should be no coincidence that I recalled 'The good witch of the west' and 'RDG' at the same time - both were written by the same author. Even unconsciously, I must have been remembering these two works as similar, with the same kind of fascinating, kind, tender story. Now I know for sure that if I ever want something for my soul to have a rest in, I have these two.
I didn't want to watch 'Special A' when I first heard about it. Most fans were saying it resembles 'Maid-sama'. I didn't want to see it as a replacement for my favourite shoujo anime. I refused to accept it. A year and a half after 'Maid-sama' manga ended and two years after I watched 'Maid-sama' anime for the last time, I finally understood I'm ready for 'Special A' as an original work with its own world.
story and characters
Initially, if we count similarities, they'd seem to have no end.
We do have one more prince here
who constantly makes the Heroine blush and teases her at the same time because...
And the Heroine is a strong
but slightly out of place girl.
She is a stubborn boyish heroine who does not fail to behave unlike what one would predict
Feelings is something beyond her understanding,
she's angry when she's supposed to be sad, and she's extremely resilient
She even
and has to dress as a maid
and her strength impresses even her enemies.
Even the graphic expressions of sounds and effects
and extremely weird situations shown with humour
were like those in 'Maid-sama'.
The Heroes have friends, of course, and what's surprising, the authors
decided to give them a chance to show they're not just cardboard figures
moving at the background of the main couple: every character had some
past that was overshadowing the future and some problems to deal with.
However, this is where the common points end. Just a few plot twists and general archetypes do not mean these two animes are twins. Even the main couple has a completely different mood and a completely different basis for their relationship. Speaking of which, I'd say 'Special A' is even much less serious than 'Maid-sama'.
And this is exactly what spoils the anime. Let me be clear, like they say - if you're searching for a good romance, keep searching. Despite the fact the anime has 24 whole episodes, it's not enough for the story to progress very much. Since not only the main couple is in focus, all characters have just a tiny bit of time allocated for each them, which ends up in a collection of short stories about those characters, promising to have something in the future - but that future we're not destined to see. In fact, several times the authors deceived me with a simple trick 'first we make it look like they finally settle down, but then we crush it all!' The truth is, I
did like the general concept. Or better to say, I did like how it
differs from your usual shoujo.
But in the end, since they had no time for a real explanation of things, they still had to make it finish quickly, simple and lame: rainbow-coloured, flowery, soft and cute
As if compensating for this minor disadvantage, the authors drank heavily before creating the scripts and drafts of the episodes, or maybe ate some wild berries found in swamps of Africa, I don't know, but this I know for sure: this was one of the most wonderful love comedies I have seen.
graphics
is what surprised me most in this anime. Some frames were really beautiful
but some were just average or even lower. As if different people were creating those parts.
music
Music in 'Special A' is probably the most disappointing thing. And the thing that makes it so different from 'Maid-sama'. If the latter opened a whole new world for me under the name of 'heidi.', then 'Special A' brought nothing into my life to listen to in the morning when I go to work. OPEDs sung by seiyuus are rarely good, if only the seiyuus are not vocal pros or at least have outstanding voices, or the composer doesn't create anything very special for the anime.
voicing
But seiyuus here are just good. I'd not praise anyone of them especially, but I was satisfied with their work. Fans of mr. Fukuyama in his 'dark prince' mode would be delighted, I daresay.
Oh and if you were wondering who's that voice that is emitted from that childlike face of Kei's father then it's ms. Ogata Megumi. Yes, Haruka, Shinji, Eagle and Princess Emeraude.
conclusion
In the end, if I were asked whether I regret watching 'Special A',
I'd never say yes. Because if laughing is said to prolong a human's life, then I've earned at least 5 additional years for myself.
