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Featured Review
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Beauty Pop
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Summary
In Kiri's school there are 3 boys who carry out transformations on random pretty girls; Narumi Shougo, the hairstylist, Minami Kei, the nail artist and Ochiai Kazuhiko who balances the overall look. They are adored by the girls because they...
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The Jaded Network (TJN) is Jay's monster hobby site of anime, manga, and Japanese language & culture.
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WARNING!! Keep an eye out for spoilers! These are thorough reviews so...tread carefully.
Please review the Terms and Conditions before proceeding.
- Rating:
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- Review
- Characters
- Story Details
The Review
First Impression
As I saw the Samurai X movies after the initial TV anime series, I had some expectations for the OVAs. Not all those expectations were met.
First thing I noticed was these movies started at either way before the anime series, in the middle, or way way after Kenshin got older. The first part was always a curiosity, as they always hinted at his past during the anime series. The second part was kind of a recap, with nothing really new to offer. The third part was a huge disappointment as it totally degraded the complex characters so carefully constructed in the anime series...but perhaps it's the Japanese way of the samurai? Like the short life of the cherry blossom.The Artwork
Beautiful artwork. However, the artwork in Trust&Betrayal and Reflection are very different from The Motion Picture and the Anime Series Rurouni Kenshin. It's a different kind of style that seems to be geared more towards a more mature audience (no, I don't mean porn).
Overall Impression
1. Trust and Betrayal
This was a superb film--if you don't care much for a bit of gore. There was one thing that upset me though, and that was the art. Rather than the Rurouni Kenshin TV Series art I fell in love with earlier, the OVAs/OAVs series were completely different. In my personal opinion, the quality definitely went down. The story, however, was every bit as good as it was in Rurouni Kenshin, except this time it's the dark side of it. There is a lot of deep interpretation skill needed to enjoy this movie fully.
2. The Motion Picture
Horrible. The voice-overs were bad--Kenshin, a MALE, done by a LADY. I have nothing against females, I AM a female, but that combination just didn't work. It was a complete repeat of a typical TV Series episode--why call it an OVA/OAV then? The art was differet from the TV Series AND from the other OVAs/OAVs--sort of like the TV Series except a bit off proportion around the eyes.
3. Reflection
I was really disappointed with this one. Until this point, Kenshin has been shown as a strong character. Here, he is shown as grandpa. Not only that, but he is a terrible father, abandons his family completely, and doesn't even remember his friends. The old group is separated and our main character seems suddenly very self-centered. If you have enjoyed the story and haven't seen Reflection yet, DON'T.Breaking It Down
The Pros - Beautiful artwork - a unique style that was well executed
- Beautiful storyline in Trust&Betrayal
- Interesting way of telling the story in images rather that words - there wasn't a lot of talking in this movie series
The Cons - Though the artwork is beautiful, it is horribly inconsistent
- Voice-overs are not compatible with the characters
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