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Reviews
Tenjô tenge (2004)
A Guilty Pleasure
When I first heard about the plot for this show I thought it would be a normal, nothing-too-fantastic anime, but now, it seems that I can't get enough. I thought I would check it out on the TV to see if it was any good. As I watched the opening, I started to tap my foot to the awesome opening song, "Bomb a Head" it made me want to keep watching.
As I watched, I was sucked in, it was highly addicting with all the fights. The first episode was a tad weird in some scenes, but overall it was very good. The story really picks up by the 5th episode. It has a great, captivating story that makes you want more. The story however is more of how the past affected the future, with close to 13 episodes telling the events of the past. The mystery of everyone's motives and backgrounds as well as the characters themselves really make up the show. The show only has 24 episodes but it has an OVA, which is 2 episodes and really ties up the loose ends.
The English dub is really well done. It has the voices of Wendee Lee (Faye from Cowboy Bebop) and Johnny Yong Bosch (Renton from Eureka seveN) and they do a fantastic job as their characters. Where I watch it, it is uncut, which means nothing is left out and you get everything. They also aired the two OVA episodes. Surprisingly, in Canada, the DVD sales for this show went up after the first week on TV, showing how many people enjoyed it.
I was really surprised by the show. I thought it would be a little boring, but it proved me wrong. The show has a lot of violence (blood, breaking of limbs), and mild nudity, but overall, it's a great show if you want something new to watch.
Kidô senshi Gundam Seed (2002)
Just the Basics
For some people this show is the "best Gundam series ever!", for some it's the worst. But for everyone who has a split decision, that's who I am here to talk to.
I have never seen any Gundam series before, but I have read all my history to know that the franchise started in the late 70's (about 1979). It is a very popular series, but with the same storyline throughout every show. It always starts out about some type of war.
For me this show was the show that got me into the world of anime. The storyline, (which was new to me) got me hooked, I had never heard of such an idea for an animated show. The characters had an interesting way about them, you could easily pick out who you liked, and who you didn't. The animation is good, but not outstanding. Some shots of the ship look faker than fake mountains. There is not a lot of humor, but it has its good points. Tons of memorable quotes. This is an easy show to say, I like it, I don't.
I have to say the last 10 episodes were the best, and I wish the series was more like that, but it was still enjoyable. The two recap episodes, -can get annoying after seeing them twice- are a bit uncalled for especially when you've been watching every week and know the story off by heart, but can be helpful if you missed some episodes. But there only 12 episodes apart!
For a show that started in 2002, and only had 50 episodes (which is a lot for some animes), it is still highly talked about. Seed in Canada is in high demand, people just can't get enough. When on Adult Swim, ratings weren't good for it's run. But in Canada, the uncut version skyrocketed and was the 6th most popular show on YTV,Canada. Even more shocking was that the reruns were still holding strong, proving, everybody loved Seed.
I haven't seen the sequel Gundam Seed Destiny, so I can't compare. But again it seems to be another show that has mixed reviews. And the music, is some of my favourite anime music ever, and some of the most popular!
If I were to watch it again -for the 3rd time- I would consider watching the Japanese version, to see it uncut and to get the ultimate Seed feeling. But the dubbed version is just as good, and I was fortunate to see it uncut.
This show always keeps you busy thinking what will happen next. It's exciting, emotional, thrilling, and just plain fun. It has a good message. It is my personal favourite anime. I can't say this is the best of the Gundam series, but I think it helped save the Gundam series by bringing it back into the world of anime. So check it out!