12 Days of Christmas 2014 #05 – Patema Inverted and Falling into the Sky

Yasuhiro Yoshiura is probably one of my favorite anime directors. He has created works such as Pale Cocoon, Time of Eve and most recently Harmonie. What makes his creations so compelling is how they have a rather distinct, almost mundane, style to sci-fi storytelling.

He explores grand concepts by utilizing smaller scenarios, which is especially seen in Time of Eve. It takes place in the future where robots and androids are commonplace, but rather than aiming big the story takes place in a small café bearing the titular name. Here, the concepts of humanity and androids are explored at ease with no right or wrong.

This is why Patema Inverted is such an interesting change from Yoshiura’s typical approach.

Makoto Shinkai – Movie Reviews and Thoughts

Originally I planned to do complete reviews for each of his four movies, but I soon realized it was futile. Makoto Shinkai’s works are rather hard to properly write about and my reviews were far too similar to each other. This is why I decided to instead sum up my thoughts in a shorter format (call them “half-reviews” if you want).

What I can say is that after having seen everything Shinkai has created, there is nothing but a bitter taste of disappointment left in my mouth. All those praises about Shinkai being the next Hayao Miyazaki cannot be further from my own experiences, especially as I feel that he is regressing as a director as time passes. Instead of evolving, he keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

The Twelve Best Anime of 2012

Unlike last year when it was hard to create a list because I felt there only were a handful of good series, it is now hard due to there being too many good ones to choose from.

I hate lists.

The Most Surprising and Disappointing Anime of 2012

Before I start listing the best and worst anime of 2012 I want to tell you about some anime that managed to either surprise or disappoint me.

12 Days of Christmas 2011 – #07 – Tsumiki no Ie

Words are not necessary. Please, just watch this if you have not. It is a short masterpiece I came in contact with this year. It has stunning visuals, beautiful music and only twelve minutes without anyone speaking. And it also has one of the most interesting yet sad stories I have seen. It even won an Oscar in the category “Best Animated Short Film” year 2009.

How do you feel about it?

12 Days of Christmas 2011 – #10 – Monogatari + Shaft = True