Anime Review: Hero-Mask!

Hey there guys, Endblade here once again with another post! This time, we will be looking at the recent release by Netflix's Originals, Hero-Mask with the help of Studio Pierrot, the studio which brought you Naruto, Bleach and Tokyo Ghoul! Some heavyweights in anime series' right there produced by Pierrot, but how does the newly released Hero-Mask stack up against its' illustrious predecessors?

Poster for Hero:Mask, taken from MyAnimeList

First Impressions:

I'm a total sucker for crime/psychological/thriller anime, one of my favourites being Psycho:Pass. So when I happened to chance upon the latest anime by Studio Pierrot, Hero:Mask, my natural instinctive reaction was to immediately drop everything I was doing and watch the first episode of this new anime. And boy, was I totally hyped! Slight spoilers, but the first episode of Hero:Mask opens with a murder (like all good crime shows), and features Psycho:Pass' Kogami Shinya clone, James Blood. Except that what weirded me out was that this is apparently set in some European country, my guess would be the UK. Hearing them speak Japanese but having the setting of the anime being in what is supposed to be a predominately English-speaking country baffled me a little. But of course, this isn't the first time animes have had us suspend our disbelief, so I got used to the English signage and general background after a while, a minor gripe I might say.

But the context and setting behind Hero:Mask got me hooked, so let's see if my thoughts about this anime change after watching the series!

After watching the entire series (SPOILERS AHEAD):

Disappointing to say the least. This anime series had so much potential, from the realistic background setting and experienced animation studio, surely they could have pushed the envelope so much harder and farther than they actually did. Studio Pierrot stuck to a vanilla, sci-fi thriller which aside from some awkwardly thrown in plot twists towards the end (I'm looking at you episode 15) and some thrilling chases through the city, had none too many redeeming qualities to make this show watchable.

James Blood: ironically wearing a blood-coloured jacket

The main character James Blood didn't really have much character development, he was just portrayed as a plot-armor protected typical anime hero who happens to be the best detective in the police force and can fight like a MMA professional. I would say he seems to not have many deficiencies aside from his rash personality, which in turn doesn't really make him endearing to watchers in any way due to the lack of humanization. He seems more like a machine imbued with some altruistic sense of justice to fight crime, a one dimensional Batman would be a good analogy.

Harry Creighton: Good cop turned bad?

His good-friend-turned-enemy-turned-good-friend Harry Creighton is a confusing mess of an antagonist turned ally, his motives seem to be hinted at (his future wife Eve seems to be in critical condition hence he became Anakin Skywalker and turned to the dark side to save her), but then again it isn't explicitly confirmed. He then ditches his rich employer Steven Martland for some crazy researcher just because he said something to the effect of 'follow me'. Incredulous and appalling.

Sarah Sinclair, while sporting an interesting-sounding name, stops at just that. The show's attempts to introduce a heroine alongside James Blood falls flat as she seems to as a prosecutor, convert into a crime-fighting detective. Whatever happened to being Ace Attorney, her actual job? The attempt to link everything on a whiteboard (like all other cliche crime dramas/animes) is a little too cliche to be the lynchpin that holds the entire plot together. While her quest for vengeance for her recently deceased mentor is realistic and understandable to some extent, the levels of obsession and uncanny precision by which she puts everything together seems a little forced, like the producers had to cram the entire story into the second half of the anime because they didn't plan it out properly. What could have been a gripping heroine was left half-baked, although arguably much better than our titular MC, James Blood.

Moreover, there were quite a few unresolved plot points, it was disturbing to say the least that they left some these plot points hanging. Maybe they intend to push another season next year? Hopefully they address these points, because the world-building in Hero:Mask is unsatisfactory and skimps on many details. If it does end only on one season, then this might be one of the worst anime series' that I've watched.

A piece of origami? Or sci-fi Mask? Who can even tell?

The whole idea of the Masks didn't really do much for me, I mean they didn't explain the mechanics behind how the Masks worked, or even things like who was the Professor and what idea did he plant in his students' minds to drive such crazy and unethical research? There could have been more done to explain these concepts, and even delve into the arguments behind the ethical ramifications of scientific experimentation. These plot points are so crucial to the story, and yet they were only mentioned but not addressed, which was a pity.

The funny part was the last episode, when the plot twist happened where Steven Martland is revealed to not be Steven Martland? Then comes a serving of cold revenge in an explosion in the sky. A little abrupt, but at least that part of the anime was quite amusing to say the least. Plus the final scene in the anime seems to set up a second season, which I hope will do volumes better than this season, but I'm not expecting much.

Of course, me even watching this series to the end (I did fast-forward certain points because it was simply too boring) does speak volumes about the quality of the anime, which is decent. Not mind-blowing or intensely gripping, but I guess enough for you to want to watch the next episode. Not binge-watch worthy, but I guess a good time filler. I had high expectations of this anime going in, but in trying to be the next Psycho-Pass it got caught up in an unrealistic sci-fi scenario that it spent many episodes attempting to explain and unravel rather than being the solid crime thriller it could have been.

OVERALL

The pluses:

- Promising premise

- Realistic setting, pretty good art direction and background

- First few episodes were decent, the mystery and thriller aspects were showcased well

The minuses:

- Shallow, one-dimensional characters fulfilling certain anime tropes/stereotypes

- Plot devolved into a mess towards the second half of the anime

- Unsatisfying ending

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall ranking (out of all the anime ranked here): 66/101 (updated 2020)

Updates 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!

Anime Review: Ballroom e Youkoso - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Hey there guys, Endblade here. Today we're going to be looking at another anime series which has recently ended - Ballroom e Youkoso, translated to Welcome to the Ballroom. Honest opinions here, I didn't start watching the anime when it first aired in for the Summer 2017 anime season back in July.

First Impressions:
The main reason why I chose to not watch Ballroom e Youkoso when it first aired was because I never really found dancing/music anime interesting. I didn't watch acclaimed shows like K-On or sporting shows like Yuri on Ice, so when Ballroom e Youkoso first aired, I felt that it was a show that didn't require my attention. I thought that it looked too effeminate and bordered on uninteresting. I mean, ballroom dancing? How interesting could it get? With all that in mind, I guess the most pertinent question would be: How did you even come to watch Ballroom (for ease of reference, I'll just be referring to Ballroom e Youkoso as Ballroom from now onwards) in the first place then?

Simply put, I was looking for decent anime to watch, given that the current few seasons didn't really have any anime series' which caught my eye. So I surfed myanimelist, and found Ballroom e Youkoso. Little did I know I was about to watch one of the most touching, emotional and inspiring anime to grace the anime world.

I can safely say that my preconceived notions of Ballroom e Youkoso and narrow mindset that I brought coming into this show were utterly wrong, and I have learnt to be more open-minded when it comes to anime. Well, we all live and learn. But what made me change my mind?

From left to right: Gaju, Hyodo, Shizuku and Tatara

After watching the anime series (SPOILERS AHEAD):
Some episodes are full of action in the form of dance competitions, while others are quieter and more idyllic, dealing with main character Fujita Tatara's growth as a dancer. The first few episodes build on our MC's desire to become a pro ballroom dancer, to 'beat' talented dancer and 'rival' Kiyoharu Hyodo. From Tatara's first clumsy box-step, to his first dance on a pro stage standing in for Hyodo with his Hyodo's dance partner and Tatara's schoolmate crush Hanaoka Shizuku, it begins a journey which spans over a few months to a year. While the amount of failures and effort put in by our MC to overcome said failures is commendable, what I found a little jarring was that he was able to eclipse some dancers who have been training since they were toddlers, and at least be on par with them in most cases. This might have been for the sake of pushing the story further, but it sacrifices somewhat on realism to achieve story progression, which may not be a huge issue since it of course is an anime, which requires one to suspend his or her disbelief to go with the plot.

While it might seem that Tatara has quite a bit of plot armor due to him being the MC, we do see some difference in skill between him and his rivals/friends, classy yet precise Hyodo and fiery Akagi Gaju. This gap seems to haunt him constantly, a thorn in his side as the plot thickens. However, what Tatara seems to have is unbridled passion for the sport, which helps develop his partners and rivals by helping in some cases to reignite their own passion for the sport, or to find new perspectives on how to improve as dancers. The anime addresses issues that creep up in real life, like how to deal with failure, loss of passion for a certain job or hobby and contains small little nuggets of wisdom for the everyday watcher.

Tatara and Mako

Tatara and Chinatsu

Tatara's partners Akagi Mako and later permanent partner Hiyama Chinatsu both undergo their own 'transformation' with Tatara, from discovering how to shine in their dance as 'follower' in the Lead and Follow routine of ballroom dancing, to transitioning from a born 'lead' in Chinatsu's case to become a stellar 'follower'. The dynamics of the relationships between our MC and his partners reflect somewhat of the different personalities, and this anime aims to show a variety of different dancers, with different approaches to how they dance and their individual 'style'. This provides a small glimpse of what it might be in real-world dancing, with clash of personalities and differences arising between partners, as well as how to resolve such differences.






Ballroom e Youkoso employs four main styles: the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Quickstep, each different in showcasing the elegance, passion, tempo and technical ability of the dancers, and I can't help but be amazed at how real dancers have to master all four styles, and even more than those four aforementioned dance styles. While of course the dances may feel a little fast and steps a little exaggerated at certain times, the effort to show the subtle nuances of dancing have to be applauded albeit a little over the top.

Another small detail which I particularly liked and helped make the setting more realistic was the use of real-life locations as inspirations for competition venues in Ballroom, lending credibility and even perpetuating this myth that "it might have actually happened". This is true with Your Lie in April, where some locations like the hall where Kaori and Kousei played in was based on a real hall in Japan (see this link for comparisons), further pushing the idea that such experiences may be more true to life and grounded in reality than we think it is.

OVERALL
Ballroom e Youkoso is a gripping and emotional animation with amazing animations which help to showcase the different tempos of different ballroom dancing styles and while the movements can be a little exaggerated at times, it helps to bring across the intensity of the dance style, while capturing the various spectrum of emotions put into a single dance. It is a ode to all professional dancers in whatever fields they may choose to go into, the difficulties they face technically in mastering certain steps and movements. It also showcases the struggle between raw talent and hard work, plus a mix of both. Through this anime, I could catch a glimpse of what people who constantly strive towards excellence expect from themselves, as well as how dedicated they may be in their craft. While it may not be 100% realistic, this is an anime and to strive to hit a balance between the right amount of action and excitement while not making it too unbelievable was just right in Ballroom e Youkoso. I mean, I actually felt for the guy (Tatara) and was genuinely happy for him when he did find his groove. Not many animes manage to connect their viewers with the characters, and Ballroom e Youkoso does that fairly well.

Rating: 8.25/10

Overall ranking (among all anime I've watched so far): 23/101

Updates 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!

The year so far...Anime 2018

Hey there guys, Endblade here! It's been a long while since my last few flurry of posts and content, but here's hoping I'll be able to churn out quite a few posts on anime, my thoughts and review on some of the anime series' I've watched so far in 2018, and my general thoughts on the direction of anime.

Before I begin, just a short update on my real life, I've been busy with school (in University now) and I haven't been religiously following the anime scene, nor have I followed many anime in the Summer and Fall 2018 seasons. But much of the reason behind my absence can be attributed to my waning affection for anime in general, I've been binging on UK crime series' like Luther and Korean dramas like Stranger and Life. So I haven't had much spare time to fill with anime, hence the hiatus.

But I have been trying to catch up on old anime series' which I have not watched like Tokyo Ghoul, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures and the like. Also, I have recently finished the Netflix anime series Hero=Mask or Hero:Mask (not sure which is the right naming convention), and I will be posting my review and thoughts on that series shortly! I might start on Goblin Slayer, as I have heard quite a few good things about it but whether I finish it or not is another matter entirely.

If you don't already know by now, I'm the type of person who prefers crime/thriller or slice of life/school anime. Maybe I'm just a vanilla person, but those genres seem to appeal to me the most, hence I usually prioritize watching and reviewing those titles, and might be slightly biased towards those types of anime.

Anyway, this is the end of my short update, do look out for my Hero:Mask review and thoughts, which will be posting up here quite soon!

Until Next Time,

Endblade

Updated 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!