Jigoku Shoujo

A few months ago, I kind of got desperate for a new anime to watch. I felt like I had watched every anime that had caught my eye and even a few anime that hadn't. But instead of giving into peer pressure to watch Attack on Titan, someone recommended an anime called Hell Girl, or Jigoku Shoujo. Now while I was skepticalon watching this,I decided to take a look at this anime.

The premise for the anime is simple:at midnight a website opens up called Hell Link. On this website, you can enter the name of the person you want to take revenge against, and Enma Ai,otherwise known as Jigoku Shoujo, will send them down to hell at the price that when you die, you will go to hell your self. Before Jigoku Shoujo sends the people to hell, she tortures them in the most bizarre ways possible, such as showing them their worst nightmares.

At the beginning of the anime, the anime comes of as very episodic, as in one problem, one episode and almost zero continuity. However, as the series goes on, you get introduced to a couple of characters named Shibata Hajime, a reporter who wants to investigate the mystery of these mysterious deaths, and his daughter, Shibata Tsugumi, a seven year old girl who has a mysterious connection with Enma Ai and can see who she comes to that wants revenge. These characters to me add a bit continuity to the series, because, because honestly, if had kept up its episodic pace, I think I would not have enjoyed the anime as much as I did. Also along the way, Enma Ai has her own companions: Wanyuudou, a mysterious old man that becomes the doll that has the red string, Hone Onna, the mysterious woman who accompanies Enma Ai and Ichimoku Ren,a young man who has one eye covered. 

Overall, I got a kick out of this anime,mostly because I feel the pain of wanting to take revenge on a person. However, it is interesting to note while Jogoku Shoujo hands them a doll with a red string, she does not untie the string her self; she allows the person wanting revenge to untie it to enter into the contract that will send both of them to hell. I like this idea because it allows the person to rethink the decision to enact revenge.

The art stylefor this anime is dark like the theme,but it is still well drawn. The characters' expressions are sometimes a bit over done,but other than that, I was fine with the animation. Also, I do like the fact that you could tell the main cast apart, but otherwise,it felt like the characters from the episodic episodes started looking the same after a bit.

Overall, I liked this anime due to its dark air and mystery. However, it had a nice solid end, but also left some strings untied, which should be tied up in season two I hope. 

Sherlock Holmes-A Game of Shadows

When one says mysteries and detectives, one name usually comes to mind, and that name is Sherlock Holmes. He has wit, skill, and that just right stroke of luck. He has bizarre methods, some of which you may not think would work, but they also seem to pull through regardless. Watson, his side kick and the fellow doctor doesn't have that same streak of luck, though he is a vital part to the movie. In the second Sherlock Holmes movie, Sherlock has to battle the mysterious person who was pulling the strings in the first movie, and defeating this person, and even though his methods are a bit bizzarre, I have to admit, he really is the best detective the world has ever seen.

The movie starts off like the first one, in a mess of random events that seem to never correlate, though they do provide some laughs. After the death of Irene Adler, the possible love interest of Holmes, Sherlock looks into who did it, and he finds that his adversary this time is Professor Moriarty. Through the movie, Sherlock Holmes is probably faced with his greatest mystery yet, and while solving the mystery, he has to stop an international crisis from arising.

First off, in some ways, this is a direct sequel to the first movie. Some jokes, and even the bad guy, are brought over from the first movie. Although it may be advertised as something such as a Bond movie, it really is not. The first movie will explain a lot to you, and it is a good watch in my personal opinion

I will admit, I especially liked the comedic bits, because Sherlock is never serious. He is like Captain Jack Sparrow when it comes to his methods of going through with some stuff. Also, some of the stuff he does may not make sense at first, though you might have just have to roll with it, because everything will make sense by the end of the movie. Even though his plans may not make sense at first, you just have to trust that everything will make sense by the end, just like any good mystery movie.

Also, the weapons aspect of it was very good. Although I am no gun nut, I went with a friend who was and he could explain some of the weapons. At one point, the bad guy was shooting at Watson with a sniper rifles, though Watson quickly finds the Howitzer, which is basically a canon, and fires it at the sniper. The sniper's last words, sadly, were "This isn't fair." Now, for some reason that made me laugh, along with Sherlock's attempts to use a semi-auto gun.

This movie is the perfect combination of mystery, action, and even a bit of comedy, and in my opinion, well worth the movie tickets. They say that sequels are never as good as the originals, but in the case of this movie, I digress: it is on par, and somewhat better than the first. So, if you're in the mood for a mystery, and semi-action film, then go see Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, now playing in a theater near you!

Un-Go-The Tales of the Defeated Detective

In a world ravages by war and terrorism, and the crimes that may arise from such destruction, only one duo can solve them. One man, one boy, out to solve all the crimes, using wit, flair, and perhaps a bit of supernatural abilities. Yuuki Shinjuurou, and his mysterious partner, Inga, are out to solve all the msyteries that arise, and perhaps learn a little about the world around them in the mean time.

Un-Go is a n anime original anime produce by Bones, as you may know, also produced anime such as Gosick and Darker than Black. As usual, my interest perked when I found out that who it was animated by, and thought that perhaps that this would be a good one, though I was a bit hesitant at first, due to mystery anime not being in my particular favorite genre. Little did I know, I made the right choice in picking up this anime.

At first, the anime is episodic in nature, in the means that it is one mystery for each episode. Yuuki Shinjuurou is a detective, though no ones knows about him due to the fact Kaishou Rinroku has been taking all the credit. His mysterious partner, Inga, can force the truth out of anyone for one question, and they cannot lie when they answer her. Together, they solve the mysteries, piece by piece, though the pieces do add up eventually.

For me, this anime was enjoyable in characters department. Inga and Kazamori are by far the most interesting of the cast. Kazamori is a Robot Artifial Intelligence, or R.A.I for short. These two are the most crucial part in helping Shinjuurou solve his cases. Inga can force the truth out of anyone, and whether or not they want to tell the truth, they will tell her the truth. At other times, when she isn't in the "final" form of "Give me the truth," she takes the form of a child, though whether or not it is a boy or girl we are not sure, though I'm betting its a tomboyish girl. Kazamori can hack into any computer systems and can send data over any electronic device. It usually takes one out of two forms: a small stitched up doll that travels around in Shunjuurou's pocket or a loli girl, because all anime has to have fanservice somewhere.



The story is alright, though at the beginning, everything did not flow together that well. But if you think you can skip episodes, you are actually quite wrong, because all the episodes add a bit of character depth to the cast, as well characters to the already extensive cast. Each episode has twists and turns that you would not expect, keeping on me on edge about what was going to happen next. Although episodic in nature, all the points do flow together eventually.

The art UN-GO is fluid, though I will admit it is a bit odd in a way I cannot explain. Shinjuurou's hair is one thing that is kind odd to me, for being in sharp, unnatural edges, and even in a mullet like style. The place where they really excelled in the art was the child form of Inga, basically wanting to make me give her a hug. Her hat thing, where she usually keeps her hands, is also adorable, and also made me wonder for a brief period of that was attached to her hands. Kazamori's loli form is very, well, loli-ish and probably will appeal to those loli fans out there.

Overall, this is a good detective story, and must watch for all mystery fans. At every twist and turn, this anime will grip your attention with it clever plot. Also, a must watch for any Bones fans, and just the general anime audience.