24 Jul 2010 19:44:20
NOTICE: This review is based on watching the raw. While I know enough Japanese to understand the basic gist of what's going on, I'll update this review upon seeing the subbed version. Also, there are some spoilers in the later portion of the review. However, I'll clearly mark when the spoilers begin and end, for those who want to avoid them.
Well, with the newest issue of Hobby Japan hitting shelves in Akiba, and the B*RS DVD bundled with it, it was only a matter of time before it got leaked. I managed to watch the raw version of it today. If people want, I can provide them with the raw - it ain't piracy if they're giving out for free. X3
Anyway, I have to say, what the hell did I just watch!? I'm rather disappointed, to say the least. The trailers, for the most part, emphasized 50 minutes of badass-loli-combat, with some occasional civilian-mode scenes (kinda like a gothic-lolita version of Sengoku Basara). What we got, however, is this:
Don't get me wrong, a slice-of-life component is fine. However, they took it WAY too far. It basically consists of 10-30 seconds of combat, followed by an abrupt, out-of-the-blue switch to 5-10 minutes of slice-of-life, and the cycle goes on. Overall, I estimate that the actual Black*Rock Shooter got about 5-8 minutes of screentime in her own OVA. Even then, though, those battle scenes are a little disappointing. Visually, they're beautiful, and really fun to watch, but there's zero voice-acting whatsoever. The scenery is rather pretty, though, in both the SOL and fighting scenes.
The plot basically goes like this: Matou Kuroi is an exuberant and hyperactive young girl going into her first year of high school. While there, she takes a liking to her mature classmate Yomi. Cue half an hour of slice-of-life antics, with the occasional 20-second B*RS fight scene randomly thrown in. However, in their second year, Matou also befriends another girl named Yuu. This is where things get... maybe "interesting" isn't the right word...
HERE BE SPOILERS
After another 10 minutes of SOL-friendship-montages interspersed with VERY brief fight scenes, we realize that Yomi has slowly been growing more distant from Matou.
Right in the middle of what seems to be the climatic fight scene, we cut to Yuu and Matou being questioned by police officers if they know anything about Yomi's mysterious disappearance. That night, Matou seems to be randomly biking to a hill out of despair, and she finds a blue glowy thing. She touches it, and...
OH JESUS CHRIST THE MOTHERSHIP IS COMING
She turns into Black*Rock Shooter as she's absorbed by the light. It cuts again to the climatic battle, where Dead Master has had her scythe destroyed by B*RS. No biggie, though, because she does this:
And traps B*RS in her tentacle-chains. After 30 seconds of struggling, our heroine breaks free, and approaches Dead Master ominously. Then, Dead Master, rather than unleashing some sort of awesome attack, begins taking a few steps backwards...
...And stumbles off a ledge. Really? You were such an ominous-looking, cool villain, and you can't even predict the location of a ledge in your own castle? Regardless, Black*Rock Shooter catches Dead Master, who attempts to squirm her way free from B*RS's deadly loli-hug. She then screams, and starts shedding murky-green powder from her body, which forms the shape of Dead Master as it falls off the ledge. Cut to Black*Rock Shooter hugging an unconscious Yomi, who's wearing Dead Master's clothes. B*RS carries Yomi to safety as the castle falls apart for no given reason, and then it cuts to Yomi, Matou, and Yuu entering their third year.
SPOILERS END HERE.
And before you ask, the song that helped make Black*Rock Shooter so famous doesn't appear in the OVA at all. Black*Gold Saw and Strength make brief appearances, but serve no real purpose (B*GS is a generic mook, and Strentgh just stands on a cliff Piccolo-style for all of 6 seconds).
So, let's summarize things.
THE GOOD:
-Very pretty scenery in both the slice-of-life portions and the other-world portions.
-Fight scenes are a blast to watch while they last.
-Some neat character designs, but most of them get barely any screentime.
THE BAD:
-Very misleading trailers, merchandising, etc. - this is a slice-of-life show with 5-8 minutes of combat, not an action show.
-Slice-of-life character designs are extremely generic - schoolgirls A, B, and C. Whoop-de-doo.
-No voice acting in the other-world portions. The only sound in the fight scenes is swords clashing and generic metal.
-Complete wasted potential with most of the characters.
-Underwhelming climax.
OVERALL:
Unless you really, really want to see what all the hype is about or love the character designs, don't bother. Just wait for someone to make a collage of the fight scenes - that way, you'll save the 40 minutes wasted on the slice-of-life portion. Even then, don't go into the slice-of-life portions expecting something comedic, like Azumanga Daioh or even K-On - there's little-to-no comedy, even in the slice-of-life portions. Overall, Black*Rock Shooter fails as both the dynamic, stylized action show it markets itself as and as the heartwarming slice-of-life show the actual OVA attempts to be.
This was my face as I watched this.
Well, with the newest issue of Hobby Japan hitting shelves in Akiba, and the B*RS DVD bundled with it, it was only a matter of time before it got leaked. I managed to watch the raw version of it today. If people want, I can provide them with the raw - it ain't piracy if they're giving out for free. X3
Anyway, I have to say, what the hell did I just watch!? I'm rather disappointed, to say the least. The trailers, for the most part, emphasized 50 minutes of badass-loli-combat, with some occasional civilian-mode scenes (kinda like a gothic-lolita version of Sengoku Basara). What we got, however, is this:
Don't get me wrong, a slice-of-life component is fine. However, they took it WAY too far. It basically consists of 10-30 seconds of combat, followed by an abrupt, out-of-the-blue switch to 5-10 minutes of slice-of-life, and the cycle goes on. Overall, I estimate that the actual Black*Rock Shooter got about 5-8 minutes of screentime in her own OVA. Even then, though, those battle scenes are a little disappointing. Visually, they're beautiful, and really fun to watch, but there's zero voice-acting whatsoever. The scenery is rather pretty, though, in both the SOL and fighting scenes.
The plot basically goes like this: Matou Kuroi is an exuberant and hyperactive young girl going into her first year of high school. While there, she takes a liking to her mature classmate Yomi. Cue half an hour of slice-of-life antics, with the occasional 20-second B*RS fight scene randomly thrown in. However, in their second year, Matou also befriends another girl named Yuu. This is where things get... maybe "interesting" isn't the right word...
HERE BE SPOILERS
After another 10 minutes of SOL-friendship-montages interspersed with VERY brief fight scenes, we realize that Yomi has slowly been growing more distant from Matou.
Right in the middle of what seems to be the climatic fight scene, we cut to Yuu and Matou being questioned by police officers if they know anything about Yomi's mysterious disappearance. That night, Matou seems to be randomly biking to a hill out of despair, and she finds a blue glowy thing. She touches it, and...
OH JESUS CHRIST THE MOTHERSHIP IS COMING
She turns into Black*Rock Shooter as she's absorbed by the light. It cuts again to the climatic battle, where Dead Master has had her scythe destroyed by B*RS. No biggie, though, because she does this:
And traps B*RS in her tentacle-chains. After 30 seconds of struggling, our heroine breaks free, and approaches Dead Master ominously. Then, Dead Master, rather than unleashing some sort of awesome attack, begins taking a few steps backwards...
...And stumbles off a ledge. Really? You were such an ominous-looking, cool villain, and you can't even predict the location of a ledge in your own castle? Regardless, Black*Rock Shooter catches Dead Master, who attempts to squirm her way free from B*RS's deadly loli-hug. She then screams, and starts shedding murky-green powder from her body, which forms the shape of Dead Master as it falls off the ledge. Cut to Black*Rock Shooter hugging an unconscious Yomi, who's wearing Dead Master's clothes. B*RS carries Yomi to safety as the castle falls apart for no given reason, and then it cuts to Yomi, Matou, and Yuu entering their third year.
SPOILERS END HERE.
And before you ask, the song that helped make Black*Rock Shooter so famous doesn't appear in the OVA at all. Black*Gold Saw and Strength make brief appearances, but serve no real purpose (B*GS is a generic mook, and Strentgh just stands on a cliff Piccolo-style for all of 6 seconds).
So, let's summarize things.
THE GOOD:
-Very pretty scenery in both the slice-of-life portions and the other-world portions.
-Fight scenes are a blast to watch while they last.
-Some neat character designs, but most of them get barely any screentime.
THE BAD:
-Very misleading trailers, merchandising, etc. - this is a slice-of-life show with 5-8 minutes of combat, not an action show.
-Slice-of-life character designs are extremely generic - schoolgirls A, B, and C. Whoop-de-doo.
-No voice acting in the other-world portions. The only sound in the fight scenes is swords clashing and generic metal.
-Complete wasted potential with most of the characters.
-Underwhelming climax.
OVERALL:
Unless you really, really want to see what all the hype is about or love the character designs, don't bother. Just wait for someone to make a collage of the fight scenes - that way, you'll save the 40 minutes wasted on the slice-of-life portion. Even then, don't go into the slice-of-life portions expecting something comedic, like Azumanga Daioh or even K-On - there's little-to-no comedy, even in the slice-of-life portions. Overall, Black*Rock Shooter fails as both the dynamic, stylized action show it markets itself as and as the heartwarming slice-of-life show the actual OVA attempts to be.
This was my face as I watched this.
