Forum - View topicREVIEW: Nabari no Ou DVD
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8503 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I hadn't so much heard of this series until I saw a trailer for it on one of the discs in the DBZ Dragon Box, and it appeared to me like it was going to be one of those shows with a premise that ended up having little to do with the actual plot.
I'm surprised I didn't even hear anything about it beforehand, since Rie Kugimiya tends to get a lot of attention for anything she does. I personally can't stand her as anything but Alphonse Elric. A well-written review, by the way, Hope. I liked the way you described the visuals. I think you'll make a good addition to the ANN reviewers. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Yep, I agree with penguintruth in that it was a well-written review. Hope, I didn't think you'd be so kind to the show, and I was expecting something with a "C". But like I said, it is a well-written review, and you do justify your rating.
I hope to see more of you, Hope. Hah. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16967 |
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The show is fun but the constant "I don't care" attitude with Miharu and his just walking away is the running gag. After a while to me it just got old. Now the show is a fun and entertaining watch but really just falls short from being REALLY good. I agree with Hope that the relationships, especially Miharu and Yoite, and how they are devloped are one of the best parts about the series. They're also one of it's downfalls I think as the show to me often felt like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Some more serious or a sliced of life show, a ninja show with action, or a comedy. I suppose if you don't worry about it then it's not a big deal but I often spent my time wondering what type of show exactly I was watching. Off topic topic though a big huzzah to Hope for her first review (first I've noticed anyways so I hope I'm not wrong/blind).
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Mad_Scientist
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 3013 |
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Congrats on your first review!
I hadn't really heard of this series much before now, but I'm definitely interested in it now after reading the review: it sounds like it could be quite enjoyable. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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This is a really excellent review. Very well written and with a great level of detail and explanation. Great work Hope. I'm looking forward to reading your future work.
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TheTheory
 Posts: 1029 Location: Central PA |
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Wow, this review puts word to everything I've thought about Nabari, but never actually knew I was thinking (or, when I did think it, with much more grace than I'd be able to type).
Well, except perhaps calling it slice-of-life. Don't think I agree with that at all. However, once I re-watch the series (I only saw through episode 17 or so on the fansub circuit) I'll be in better position to try and figure out what the heck genre Nabari really is. Oh--regarding Yoite. While I was less than thrilled with the Japanese voice actor for him, I'm not sure that his character is supposed to fracture "with emotion ... as if he could fall over dead at the end of every sentence" the way the English dub presents him (apparently). Yoite is (at least during the majority of the first set... I forget exactly where his character starts changing) dead to emotion, dead to the world. He no longer cares about anything. And when a character's voice is fracturing with emotion one gets the idea that he cares a lot. There are two things I really appreciated about Nabari from what I saw. One was that none of the sides of this ninja clan spat were any better or worse than the other. No side wanted Miharu to be noble--they all wanted him so that they could have the upper hand. Miharu (and his apathy) seems to recognize this and instead puts his allegiance with a person. After all, he doesn't care about these ninja clans whom he'd never heard of prior to the events of the first episode. But with Yoite he forms a bond of understanding and thus, while he's being dragged hither and fro by assorted ninjas who care more about his locked up power than himself, Miharu has the singleminded goal of helping Yoite. This keeps him from being completely apathetic and unrelatable. |
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here-and-faraway
 Posts: 1529 Location: Sunny California |
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I haven't seen the series yet, but I really enjoyed your review. I'd love to see more from you.
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neocloud9
 Posts: 1178 Location: Atlanta, GA |
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Hello and welcome, Hope!
I remember being kinda unimpressed with the Nabari manga, but it sounds like the English dub really brings a lot to the anime version. I may have to give this one a look-see... |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24205 |
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A very auspicious debut, Hope. I haven't seen the series myself yet, so I can't vector your impressions with my own, but based on what you have written it wouldn't surprise me if I feel the same way. The review managed the tricky job of seeming at once both comprehensive, yet economical - there was no extraneous detail or "padding" as far as I'm concerned. Job well done.
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asimpson2006
 Posts: 3151 Location: USA |
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It was good to see your first review so soon Hope. I haven't seen this series either like some of the others who have posted, but I might have some interest in rent this now.
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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Though this must sound like a broken record by now, that was a good debut and I'm glad to see more of Hope's work.
I knew absolutely nothing about this series, but the review works as a good introduction to the subject and is certainly well written. It does seem, however, that a lot still depends on whatever the second half of the show decides to do with these characters and their relationships. I'm afraid there's not much else for me to say at the moment. |
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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Wow, this is a great review! You hit all the highs and lows and what made them that way, and did it in a rational fashion. Go you! Even if I didn't agree with everything you said, this is an outstanding discussion of the DVD. I hope you do many more reviews here, because I can tell from reading this whether or not I want to buy the DVD.
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DerekTheRed
 Posts: 3544 Location: ::Points to hand:: |
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Wow, this is a much warmer forum reception than I expected. I figured the forum would be filled with haters who thought they should have gotten the job over her (or perhaps zac has been deleting all of those posts). It'll be nice having another reviewer whose tastes line up well enough with mine. I mean I like the guy, but I can't always just take Key's word for everything.
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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While I rather disliked the 3-4 episodes I saw of Nabari no Ou, I can't really argue at all with your points. I think liking or disliking the series depends on just how annoying you find the apathy of the main character. For me, it was far too annoying to keep watching.
Although, I would like to hear these supposed reasons he was so apathetic, despite the whole powerful demon thing inside him and all. Also, the not-so-subtle shounen-ai vibes from the main character, the teacher dude, and Yoite were admittedly a turnoff for me, and yet I didn't even see any mention of that in the review. Were such vibes not apparent to you Hope, or do you feel that it wasn't really that important to mention? |
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JacobC
ANN Past Staff
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Oh, sure, he's still a cold fish sociably, and they like to make it clear that he's a "what if" Miharu as well. He's still a total ice prince and dead to the world, but in the Japanese he just sounds monotone (and like he's trying to sound "bishi.") Joel MacDonald's Yoite sounds genuinely screwed up, and the "fracturing with emotion" part is not empathy to the world but what sounds like extreme pain all the time. We're told Yoite is being eaten from the inside out in the Japanese, but we can really hear it in the English version.
From what I can tell, the demon (fairy) doesn't have anything to do with it. He's that way to begin with and it just bothers people that the presence of this AMAYZING POWAH inside him changes nothing. As far as the shonen-ai elements, I mentioned in passing that Miharu flirts with several characters, and it is gender and age notwithstanding. However, it's played for laughs, so no, it's not a key element worth mentioning. The less flirtatious relationship he has with Yoite that still looks that way isn't suspicious enough until the second half, which I have yet to finish, so if it develops into anything more canon, I'll certainly mention it then. ...Thanks for the kind regards, guys! 
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