Update - 1,000 views!

     I am very happy to announce that our blog has hit the 1,000 view benchmark! It may seem like a little thing, but it is a great encouragement to us that you all are reading (and watching) what we put out. Thank you so much! I hope we can double our view count soon, and eventually reach higher benchmarks!

     Speaking of watching, I just posted our video review for The Heroic Legend of Arlsan! To read the review go here. To watch it go here.

     I will try to update the YouTube channel once every two weeks. Life is busy, and we have responsibilities outside of this blog, so it is easy to lose track of time and forget to post. With that in mind, I would like to apologize for any slow updates. With any luck next week we will post our first movie review. Stay tuned for a review of Joseph: King of Dreams!

TV Series Review: Young Justice

Title: Young Justice

Genre: Superhero, Action, Adventure, Sci-fi, DC Comics

Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

General Set-Up: It has been many years since the Justice League was founded, and new heroes are rising up to replace the old--but not just yet. The League has run into a dilemma, a group of heroes that are more than just mere sidekicks, but not yet ready for the responsibility to be full-fledged members of the Justice League. The solution that the Justice League has come up with is to make a team of these heroes and teach them the values of the Justice League. But most importantly, it will test these heroes to see if they are really ready to defend the world.

Characters: This show has many characters, and the cast continually grows as the show progresses. The first three protagonists met are Robin, (Batman’s apprentice) Speedy, (Green Arrow’s apprentice) and Kid Flash (Flash’s apprentice). These three heroes make up the first team of the Young Justice League (just called ‘the team’). Every protagonist is well written, each with their own personalities, quirks, and aspirations. There is not a single character that I did not like, or even a single poorly written character. However, the show is based on the assumption that you know the backstories of many of its characters. While not as popular character’s backstories are explained, (such as Aqua Lad, Miss Martian, Superboy, etc.) many are not (Kid Flash, Speedy, Robin, etc.).

    The one major grievance I have with some of the protagonist in the show, is that the show ended before many of them got any development. While all the main heroes in the first and second seasons were well fleshed out, the show simply ran out of time to develop some characters. A few times the show introduced a character (on the assumption that there was going to be a second season) but never got back to that character. (Yes, I’m talking about you Kal’el!)

    As for the villains, well, they work as villains. Both well-known and lesser-known villains made an appearance in Young Justice. While for the most part they played the typical villain role (get the crud beat out of you and pretty much never be seen again) a surprising number of the cast repeatedly tried their luck against our heroes. While the ‘larger plan’ is never fully revealed due to the third season being canceled, the villains and organizations that make an appearance are very interesting and entertaining.   

Plot: As far as superhero shows go, this is one of the most balanced plots. It balances between the drama and struggles of being on a team and the villains well. It deals with themes such as responsibility, respect, teamwork, morality, and identity. And that is just the beginning. Much less repetitive than its predecessor Justice League (2003), Young Justice has a larger plot woven throughout its episodes. But the background plot does not feel forced and neither do the smaller arcs within the series.

    What I’m trying to say is this: It has a deep, well balanced plot that will keep any fan of superheroes interested. It doesn’t matter if you liked the prequels or not--this is a whole new way of looking at the Justice League. Young Justice focuses on the inner struggles of characters, explores the difficulties of working on a team, and chronicles the team's struggle to keep the earth safe.

Ending:  The show ends abruptly with no third season. It is very obvious that there was meant to be a third season. While the ending of the show answers many of the questions, many more are still unanswered. The villain’s full plan is not fully revealed, nor do many of the character’s ongoing inner battles reach their conclusion. While the ending is not satisfactory, I still highly recommend checking the show out. In addition, I have heard a rumor that Netflix might purchase the rights and make a third season. But that is, after all, only a rumor at this point.

Sound:The voice actors did an amazing job. Everyone’s voice seemed to just fit. It is one of the few shows that I can honestly say every voice actor was in the role made for them. None of the protagonist's voices felt too over-the-top, too childish, or too old. In almost every show that I have watched, there is at least one voice that just feels out of place in the English. In Fullmetal Alchemist it was Alphonse, in Ouran it was Honey. I could go on, but I think that you get the point. Every character--even the villains--had good voice acting with a variety of voices and speech mannerisms.

But one thing that really bugged me was a character later on in the series; a girl named Sam from Japan. Now, I’ve been to Japan and know some Japanese. I know how a native speaker of Japanese sounds and how a non-native speaker of Japanese sounds. The voice actor chosen to voice Sam was anything but a native speaker of Japanese. I could hear an accent from somewhere in the deep south through the poorly written Japanese. And only one word was said in Japanese (for the most part): Sumimasen. This means “I am sorry,” and that phrase was grossly misused in the second season of Young Justice. But on the  other hand, there are thousands of Japanese dubs in anime that fail at English that bad or worse.   

Animation: The animation was very similar to the style of the two prequels, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, but also added in styles used in the popular series Teen Titans. Combining these two styles (plus a good budget never hurt) the visuals are amazing. In particular the body proportions are more realistic in Young Justice than in Justice League or Teen Titans. The animation is more serious than that in Teen Titans, never using the chibi style, but less rigid or “traditional” as the animation used Justice League. I felt that it fit the story well--plus semi-realistic body proportions and no fan service!

    I was very impressed with the designs of the costumes used in the show. While some were the traditional costumes, such as Superman and Batman, most of the other costumes had a modern feel to them. DC, like Marvel, doesn’t have the best track record making female costumes that are *ahem* practical. However, Young Justice did a fantastic job of doing that. The costumes are not low cut, and because of that seem to radiate readiness for battle and a tone of seriousness instead of just trying to get views.

Things to watch out for: The show is violent (it is a superhero show after all) but does not have any gore.

Other Media: It has two prequels, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and one sequel, Legion of Superheroes. While none of these are “direct sequels/prequels” of Young Justice,  they follow the DC comic timeline loosely. If you like Young Justice, you will like Legion of Superheroes because they share many of the same elements. In a way, Legion of Superheroes (which came out first) became the blueprint for what Teen Titans and Young Justice could be, breaking away from the superhero stereotypes found in Justice League.  

Where to watch it: Young Justice is currently streaming on Netflix.

Recommendations: Justice League and Justice League Unlimited

Legion of Superheroes

Teen Titans

Anime Review: Your Lie in April

Note: To read my first impression of this anime go here.

Anime: Your Lie in April (or Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Genres: Shoujo, drama, comedy, heart-rending goodness

General Setup: Arima Kousei is 14 years old when he meets the girl that will change his life. Not to worry, Your Lie in April is not the cliche romance comedy show we have come to expect from the shoujo genre. It is so much more. As a child Kousei was a prodigy at the piano. His mother not only taught him how to play, but she also placed all of her own hopes and dreams on his shoulders. The weight proved to be too much. After his mother’s death Kousei had a mental breakdown in the middle of a concert. He could no longer hear himself play the piano. Fast forward a couple years to the future: Kousei has quit the piano and is in his third year of middle school. His life is colorless and he sees the world in a monotone. However, that is soon to change. One Saturday morning in April Kousei meets Kaori Miyazono, a violinist with a unique playing style and an obvious joy in life. She drags Kousei and some of their mutual friends to see her perform for a musical competition. The next day, even though she knows Kousei no longer plays the piano, Kaori asks him to be her accompanist for the rest of the competition. The story follows Kousei as he learns more about Kaori and tries to overcome his psychological fears.

Characters: While Kousei has become more withdrawn since quitting piano he is not totally devoid of character. He tends to keep to himself, but still interacts with his friends. His struggle with his past is what defines the show. Kaori is a bright and bubbly girl with multiple layers. She is eccentric and has a bit of a temper. Kousei’s friends Watari and Tsubaki also play a huge role in the story, especially Tsubaki who is Kousei’s neighbor. They have been friends since childhood and have many shared escapades. Tsubaki plays baseball and is somewhat of a tom-boy. Watari is also a jock and is the captain of the soccer team. He is the guy every girl in school has a crush on. Even though he is popular Watari does not exclude Kousei, who is less outspoken and has different interests. Overall the characters really pop and have dynamic character arcs. Also, they are more mature than most high school anime characters.

Plot: The plot is simple, yet at the same time complicated, with hidden nuances. If you watch the series I would recommend re-watching the first few episodes after you finish (if anything you’ll get closure, but you can also appreciate the beginning much more). Also, it can get pretty intense - I never knew classical music could be so dramatic!

Ending: Is it happy? Yes. Is it sad? Yes. Will you cry? Yes. Is it beautiful? Absolutely!

Things to Watch For: I honestly can’t think of anything.

Humor: There is plenty of humor present in this show. Some of it comes in slapstick form (like when Kousei gets hit in the head with a baseball). Some of it comes from the character’s exaggerated reactions (like when Kousei drops to the ground spurting blood from said baseball).

Sights and Sounds: My first thought when I started watching the show: The animation is gorgeous! It is full of detail and color. If you love classical music you will love this show! The score for this anime is influenced by classical instruments such as the piano and violin. I particularly liked the first opening song and was disappointed when it was replaced at the halfway point.

Other Media: Your Lie in April is the anime adaptation of a manga of the same name. There is also a spin-off manga called Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Coda  that tells a story from the character’s childhood. It will be released in book format (tankobon) August 17, 2016. A live-action film is scheduled to come out in Japan this September.

Fillers: There are no fillers in this anime.

Length: Your Lie in April is 22 episodes long, which is the perfect length for its story arc. It is long enough to tell the whole story, but not so long that it is drawn out.

Where to Watch: You can watch Your Lie in April on Crunchyroll, as well as Hulu and Netflix.

Update: New Video Upload!

     First off: Happy Labor Day! I hope you are enjoying your day off!

     I hope to be adding a new video review to the YouTube channel at least every two weeks. The blog should have a review once a week. Or so. We all know life gets in the way sometimes, but we will try our best to meet this goal.

     Anyway, the review for today is Free! (both seasons). Please check it out! Here are some fun facts about this review:
- This was the third review we filmed.
- We filmed it at the beginning of summer (you can tell) but I wanted to post it now instead of waiting another year for the stars to align.
- I'm wearing swim goggles.

     That's all for now folks! See you next week!

P.S. I was trying to update the blog, but I somehow messed up the time-space continuum and made a couple posts disappear from the blog. Not to worry, in the following days I will be uploading them so that they can return to their rightful places in society. I hope this has not been an inconvenience. Thank you for your patience!