JYB + Tokyo Ghoul= This Show: Ajin

-

Greetings fabulous peoples!  I’m back again this week with a brand new review on a show that has been on my watchlist for quite sometime.  In fact, if any of you fellow readers have read my discussion post Is CGI Ruining Anime?, you might remember this one. While I made a comment on the show’s animation style, I have stated that the show nonetheless looked interesting enough to watch.  And when I got Internet T.V. installed at my house and a subscription to Netflix, I finally got my opportunity.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s review on the CGI thriller Ajin.
Kei Nagai was once an ordinary teen until he’s hit by a truck and learns that he is an ajin, a seemingly immortal creature that can regenerate and revive itself after dying.  These beings can also create separate entities of themselves called black ghosts which can be used to fight other ajins.  They can also only be seen by other ajins.  Kei is immediately wanted by the Japanese government and goes on the run with the help of his friend Kaito.  But he soon becomes the target of a group of ajins later revealed to despise humans for the inhumane experiments the government conducts on ajins.  Kei is put in a constant struggle throughout season one to survive as an ajin and learn about his new powers all while trying to hide from the government and the ajins bent on terrorizing humans.
Like I said in the intro, I was already pretty invested in watching this show.  And overall, I was not disappointed in what I saw.  So I give Ajin a solid eight out of ten rating.  Definitely a must see!...but not because of the animation.  What I actually enjoyed the most about this show was the story.  Sure, the overall concept wasn’t anything new.  In fact, it reminded me a lot of Tokyo Ghoul; a young character unintentionally becomes a creature that, in their world, is a target of fear and hatred.  Granted, both stories are different.  Kei is definitely a less angsty character than Kaneki was thanks to how quickly his personality seems to change in the first season- take notes, Kaneki.  But what really got me excited about this series was the pace and the action.  It does exactly what a thriller is supposed to do, get your adrenaline pumping.  And it does a fantastic job at it!  Plus it also does a good job at keeping you guessing who’s good and who’s bad, only to find that both sides are terribly flawed anyway.  So yeah, it was worth my time and a Netflix subscription.
As for the downsides…*sigh*…let’s face it, you knew it was coming.  The animation really is the biggest downside to the show.  That’s not to say that it’s bad, it’s just a little different.  Maybe a little too different.  There were a lot of times where I wondered if it was really necessary to animate the entire series using mostly CGI.  There were a few moments with some hand drawn animation, and they looked really cool, but for the most part it was all CGI.  Like I said in my Is CGI Ruining Anime post, I think Japanese studios are still experimenting with CGI, so what you see in Ajin isn’t perfect.  Plus Kei being voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch in the English dub is also a pretty attractive feature to the character, too (I’m kind of a fan).But given that Polygon Pictures had a successful show with this style before with Knights of Sedonia, it’s obvious that what they’re doing is working.  But still, I say don’t focus on the animation style so much when you watch this show; the story is where it’s at.  Sure, the animation takes some getting used to, but it’s well worth the watch.
So overall, the animation maybe a little weird, but Ajin is definitely worth the time and a subscription to Netflix…but don’t get it just for that.  If you don’t want to subscribe to Netflix, however, the  AjinAnd so, that ends this week’s post!  Now I mentioned in my last post that I had another Talkative Thursday post planned for August.  Unfortunately, with a new busy work schedule and yet another semester of grad school, I don’t think I’ll have time for it.  So sadly, that will be put on hold for a while.  Otherwise, expect a new review next Sunday as always!
-Hanime on Anime
Ajin English Trailer

P.S.: Can I make a note of the total disregard Netflix has for the manga this show is based on by stating that the show is based on “a manga by Kodanasha.”  Really, Netflix?  Is that how you treat a successful manga series? But I guess as long as you can put your name on it, it’s all fine and dandy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Devilman (1972) vs. Devilman Crybaby: Which Is Better?

-
Image
Greetings, fabulous peoples!   Welcome to part three of my Devilman- themed Flashback February!   For this week’s post, I’m doing something that I hadn’t done in a pretty long time: a Vs. post!   As many of you may know, with these posts, I take two series, characters, and even manga series and see which one was better.   In this latest Vs. post, I’m taking the two Devilman shows I reviewed for Flashback February and seeing which one was a devil of a show.   And for those who’ve seen Crybaby , I know what you’re thinking, but keep quiet for now.   With that said, let’s duel it out with the original Devilman series and Devilman Crybaby ! First Up: Devilman (1972)   First up on the chopping block is the original 1972 series.   If you read my review on it earlier in the month, the premises of the show is pretty much a kaiju series.   The series ran from 1972 to 1973 for about forty episodes.   And I will admit, I did not...
Read more

Welcome to Hanime on Anime!

-
Image
Greetings all and welcome to Hanime on Anime, the blog for otakus by a fellow otaku herself!  To give you all a sum of what to expect from this sight, Hanime on Anime is a blog that does weekly posts on every Sunday on anime and anime related topics.  The posts, for now, will consist of anime reviews, but I hope to do other things like discussions on anime themes and countdowns of my bests in anime. Now, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably read the words anime a couple times already- eight times to be exact- and probably have no idea what it is.  If that’s the case then, let’s ask the question “what is anime?”  What is anime you say?  Well, fortunately for you, there is an anime guru here to answer that question. Anime, in a nutshell, is Japanese cartoons.  That is, they were originally created in Japan, released in Japanese, and possibly released in English later on, if they were popular enough.  Now like I said, this is a simple definition...
Read more

Character of the Month of April: Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya

-
Image
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think you saw this one coming.   I’m back this beautiful Sunday with this month’s Character- or Characters of the Month!   And yeah, if you read the title, I think it’s pretty obvious who was going to take it.   Cause let’s face it The End of Evangelion’s Shinji wasn’t going to take it anytime soon, especially not after the hospital scene.   But still, all kidding aside, I think this month’s picks really are worthy of the title, not just in their actions, but what they represent.   That being said, let’s talk about this month’s Characters of the Month of April, Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya from A Silent Voice . To keep things brief and less long-winded, A Silent Voice follows Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya as the two form a close friendship with each other despite the fact that the two shared a rough past.   With Nishimiya being deaf, this made her a target for bullying by Ishida as a child.   But when his b...
Read more