Granblue Fantasy The Animation Season 2 (Guranburū Fantajī Ji Animēshon)

Granblue Fantasy The Animation S2 (Guranburū Fantajī Ji Animēshon) 2019

Only a few episodes in and I realised that the pacing of the series was going to really stretch.

I know it’s a big story, and I certainly don’t mind a few side-quests or the delving into backstory of characters (like in the Katalina episodes) but boy I do wish this season decided to check in with the main storyline more often.

Still, it’s not awful or anything, but it didn’t grip me either.

Having said that, I was able to dip in and out of season two without feeling that I’d be lost after a long gap and that was nice, and ultimately I enjoyed these new Granblue adventures but I’d love some more main plot progression next time. (I assume there will be another series, especially with the release of Relink coming closer and I’m certain, high engagement with the franchise all around.)

This time MAPPA handled the animation instead of A-1 Pictures and there is a noticeable lift in quality – I saw this mostly around the lighting. It seemed a lot more dynamic lighting was used this time, like with the ‘Noah’ episodes or again, the Katalina arc.

Having said that, I don’t think the show will win over any doubters – the final episode felt a little flat compared to last season too, but it’s still fun and I’m enjoying the way the confrontation between Eugen and Apollo is being built.

3 Stars

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta)

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta) 1986

The first official Ghibli film, Laputa: Castle in the Sky is a steampunk adventure that will feel similar in some ways to Miyazaki’s previous epic, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, though Castle in the Sky is overall, a lighter story due to the inclusion of more comedy.

It’s one of the first things I noticed when I originally saw the film actually – the slapstick and wacky characterisation even feels cartoonish this time, as if those aspects were pitched at a younger audience perhaps, but the themes and trials the characters go through are just as serious as in other Miyazaki works.

There’s more than a few echoes of Future Boy Conan too (which shouldn’t be a surprise of course) but the steampunk elements are more grounded, if you can permit me a pun, featuring one key setting of a mining town and the underground.

Of course, the classic Miyazaki delight with the power and nature of flight still features heavily in Castle in the Sky too and the ‘older civilisation with greater tech’ trope is in full force, one I suspect I will never tire of!

There’s plenty of action like chases and fights, along with top notch animation as to be expected, and I still get a bit of a chill when the Robot first comes to life and goes on its rampage.

In fact, I think the most memorable aspect might just be the Robots and the ruins of the flying city – I reckon I was almost transformed into a kid when I first saw those scenes; the sense of wonder is so strong and I suspect, even if people don’t know the film they know what the robots look like.

It was also pretty cool to see what I still think of as the clear inspiration for both Pikachu and Eevee, in the form of the Fox Squirrels from Nausicaa making a cameo in the garden scene.

Actually, I shouldn’t forget Dola and her pirate gang, she’s one of the best Miyazaki characters around – she tends to steal pretty much all the scenes she’s in 🙂

Anyway, on the off chance that you’ve never seen this adventure there’s lots of other aspects to enjoy – for instance, if you’re watching the dub, Mark Hammil is a great villain and whichever audio track you choose you can enjoy more stirring music from Joe Hisaishi – my favourite is the theme:

(It’s actually the second song here – sorry :D)

5 Stars

Granblue Fantasy The Animation (Guranburū Fantajī Ji Animēshon)

Granblue Fantasy The Animation (Guranburū Fantajī Ji Animēshon) 2017

Granblue Fantasy is a fun (if too-short) fantasy-adventure series I reckon, but thankfully there’s another season coming, which should continue the main storyline.

It’s a bright, kinda cheerful animation that seems to really evoke the game’s characters, setting and feel – though I’m not able to do much in the way of comparison here, since while I did try to play the game, parts of it were just buried by pop-ups and flashing loot-box bullshit distractions.

I put it down fairly quickly, even though I was enjoying the story (compare to the upcoming Relink, which I’d love to play).

And maybe I enjoyed the anime adaptation because it’s a straight forward ‘underdog hero’ or ‘quest’ narrative but there’s a lot of imagination on display, a whimsical setting and some great battle sequences to go with fun characters, most with enough backstory and secrets to keep me interested.

On that note, I can’t decide if the overload of new characters appearing during the climactic episodes was kinda madcap fun or just nuts, but it’s memorable at least 😀

In terms of unresolved plot threads, I’m quite keen to see how things with Eugen’s past play out in season two and of course, I’m hoping Katalina and the rogue Rackam end up ‘together’ as it were, as I think a relationship between them could add some extra depth to the show but also introduced a few extra comedic elements too.

So I’m looking forward to the next part of the story but might finish the review by recommending that curious among you to wait for season two before starting this one – especially if you like to binge a show.

4 Stars

(Also worth watching for the ace design on Rackham’s beautiful ship!)

Steamboy (Suchīmubōi)

Katsuhiro Otomo’s next film after the monster that was Akira took ten years to produce and the staggering care and attention to detail clear in the Victorian-era settings and its marvellous machines is undeniable (along with a lot of the action sequences) but the film is not so beloved as Akira.

Steamboy (Suchīmubōi)
2004

Obviously, different genres, different times – but I also think that there’s something missing from the storytelling in Steamboy and I wasn’t able to put my finger on it until all these years later.

In a way, the film really whips main character Ray from one calamity to another at a brisk pace.

It might sound like I’m claiming that there’s no time to catch your breath at all, and that’s not my intent, but what I think I wanted as a viewer was more time for reflection from Ray. On both his situation, and in terms of his confusion in dealing with the people surrounding him.

I found myself seeking that time for character development because Steamboy explores inter-generational conflict (in an action film, which feels somewhat rare) – and I was thrilled to see that.

All the way through, poor Ray is torn between trusting his grandfather and his father – both mechanical geniuses, and both seeming to have noble goals. Of course, there the audience faces similar doubts, but for such an important conflict, I wanted more of it on the screen.

Where I wanted more from that aspect, the film gave me a lot to enjoy when it came to the visuals and the animation itself. Even with a reasonably muted palette, the detail on the setting and machines was beautiful, and the large scale of the inventions are just as striking.

Steamboy really does feel like a triumph, visually and I don’t think I can do it justice in the review of course, since the stills can only tell so much.

But if you like classic steampunk (or have always wondered about Katsuhiro’s other major works) and haven’t seen this one yet, I think it’s worth finding for sure.

4 Stars