Dari: Merry Christmas, everyone, or if you’re not Christian, Merry X-Mas… or should I say Merry Commercialmas… no… must stop my self… *Stops himself from ranting about the commercialism of Christmas*

Dari: Ok, here I am, writing the last Under-hyped anime in the Winter Countdown, and also the oldest, with the 1st release of it coming out  in June 1990 (it‘s actually a few months older then me…), while the next oldest anime in this list, Princess Tutu, Came out 12 years later in August, 2002 (though Ric would have gotten 2nd oldest Anime if he had gone with the OVA of Black jack, that came out in 1993, instead of the 2004 TV series), but enough of this competitiveness, and onto the Anime.

Dari: The Anime I’ll be talking/ranting about is Cyber City Oedo 888, or Cyber City for short. It’s three Episodes; “Time Bomb“, “The Decoy“, and “The Vampire”; were released from the 21st of June, 1990, to the 4th of October, 1991 (or at least according to MAL it was), and was Directed by Kawajiri Yoshiaki, who also directed Ninja Scroll and Vampire D: Bloodlust, along with some other anime.

Dari: This was actually the 1st anime that I bought, though at the time it wasn’t even on my to-watch list, I happened across it when I was in Labrador city three years ago, where I saw it in a store (I can’t remember which one) for $5 , so I bought it, and the end result is that I’m telling you about it.

Plot:

It is the year  2808, crime is so bad that the Cyber Police decide to offer some Criminals the chance to reduce their sentence by working as Cyber Police Officers. The Three Criminals given this offer are Sengoku, Benten, and Goggles, who each have sentences in the hundreds of years (that’s what happens when there is no maximum sentence and you abolish the death sentence). As you can expect, the Police are not going to trust these criminals to do police work, so explosive collars are attached to their necks (just like Battle Royale… except Cyber City is older then BR… anyone that can tell me the origin of the exploding collar gets my thanks). If attempt to remove the collar, or if they do not complete their mission on time, generally 24 hours, it will explode. Each episode has them working on a different case, and the story doesn’t develop much from episode to episode… in other words, it is very episodic…

Art:

Well, what can I say, it was made back in 1990, you can’t expect art like in some of the modern anime greats, like the Kara no Kyoukai movies (no, I will never shut up about KnK, I wasn’t sure if it qualified as under-hyped though, seeing as how popular Type-moon is and all, that‘s why I went with Cyber City) but it does the job, and could be worse. The style is typical of 90’s Cyberpunk, and I guess it grows on you if you watch enough cyberpunk.

Comedy:

Ok, the three episodes are not pure blood fests, and there is some comidiec relief, mainly coming from the robotic aid to the 3 main characters, who takes everything they say literally.

Screen-shot with comments:

(I did try to resist, but couldn’t…)

ah yes, nothing cures a hangover like an explosion in the neck area.

it’s A.D. 2808, and they’re still driving cars…

I’ve actually noticed a slight obsession with Australia in anime, and other modes of Japanese fiction as well…

How do you outsmart a zombie hooked up to a supercomputer in the year 2808? walk in a straight line.

the guy’s been dead for about 15 years, but he still bleeds…

… that’s going to hurt…

Also contains Decapitation.

and metal claws through throats.

and Vampires are still around…

Big cyber cat that shoots Lasers from it’s mouth… so cute, I want one.

Post Epilogue

Well, That’s all that I have to talk about Cyber City, I hope this post has kindled some interest in the OVA, and I swear I did try to minimize the number of screen-shots so it didn’t become about 90 % screen shot. Till next Time, farewell.

Tea: Oh my goodness it has been forever since I blogged but fear not! I haven’t forgotten about this awesome Winter Count Down of Underhyped Anime! My weapon of choice is the Gonzo series Last Exile. Like Marrissa I have no choice on the format and what not so I am just going to fangirl over this series as well because it deserves a lot of fangirling =3

PLOT~~~

The story focuses on two childhood friends, Lavi and Claus, who fly around their fathers van-ship which is a mix of a 1940s fighter planes with a modern twist. They fly around delivering letters and enter races to win money. One day a van-ship crashes during one  of the races and Lavi and Claus go to help. They are left with an important parcel which throws them into a world of war and leads them onto the “unsinkable ship” named the Silvana. …Yeah, I am not the best at summaries

WHAT DREW ME IN~ I remember watching the Anime show on Techtv…back when it was called Techtv and they were running a marathon late at night, what first struck me was the superb animation and pretty solid voice acting. I also found the designs for the planes to be super cool; I am quite the plane junkie especially older ones mainly set in World War Two. Also, the characters seemed interesting enough, especially Alex Rowe the captain of the Silvana …who in English is voiced by Crispin Freeman which is always an automatic win for me! =3

MUSIC~~

I think the only person who would really know how much I loved this series soundtrack would be Katt, haha. The opening song along with the animation really tugged at my heart for some reason. It was such a haunting melody that I would listen to it on repeat for days. The inserted songs and instrumentals are always wonderful. The scores are diverse and each piece fits well, molding together one solid soundtrack. I actually dusted off my copy and listened to it just to get me into the psyche to blog this wonderful under appreciated series.

OTHER REASONS I COULDN’T FIT INTO A CATEGORY~

The series has planes! And pretty boys! It is a recipe for win~ But in all seriousness the animation quality, the character development, though, some get more then others and the overall story mold into one category of squeals and amazement. The little romantic scenes, work kind of well into the series as well…which makes me crave more fanfics, teehee~I love Alex Rowe whom I find should defiantly have more development but him sitting there looking angsty and indifferent is enough for me to drool over *marry me* Each episode drew me in and it had a nice light heartened beginning, sad moments and overall a good feel anime which causes me to watch it over and over again.

ENDING NOTE

Personally, Last Exile is one of those classic animes that have slipped under the radar and have mostly gone unnoticed. Which is sad since I don’t get to read as much fanfiction and cosplaying is minimal BUT at the same time, it is one of those that I can say holds dear to my heart and not many other people can say that…making me special =P  I know enough people who have seen it to not make it a fail but it isn’t one of those super popular animes…at least not here in North America. So, if you are able to squeeze some underhyped anime time, Last Exile is an excellent choice that I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with.

Also…Merry Christmas and other happy holidays to those that don’t celebrate Christmas <3 Next in line is Dari for his underhyped anime on Christmas.

Marissa: OMG!!! It’s been sooo long since I’ve blogged anything for HSA! GOMEN~! But have no fear~ I’m back now and better than ever with my underhyped anime of choice… NODAME CANTABILE!!! To be honest, I have NO IDEA what to type for my post… or what format… or anything like that. BUT I do know that I’ll try to tone down my FANGIRLING~~~~~~~~ For the sake of everyone here… okay??? *_________*

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Angel: Of the few series I have watched while on the HSA! team, I have enjoyed Pandora Hearts the most and I believe that it should receive more love and attention!

Yes, Tales of Abyss sucks except for Guy. <3

On a serious note… Stalin likes bananas… I am so glad I passed my exams and I am on holiday break… Yep. OMG I AM BANANA.

What else is going on in my mind besides random garbage? Har har, I actually have a delicate criteria for determining my favorite anime. First, the series must obviously have fantasy/mystery/action/comedy elements. Then, the series must be dark in some way, as in a character has a mysterious or conflicted past and events go wrong, among other tragedies. Next, I do not want to see said character becoming upset over the hardships, but learn and mature from them, ultimately developing into a strong and consistent character. Thus, the image above is misleading; this is no sugary bishie romance, but a fairy tale with rich yet dark twists, comical moments, and well-rounded characters!

In other words, how to cook anime to perfection: dark storytelling, memorable characters, and brilliant soundtrack.

Overview

Premiere

One of most highly anticipated series for Spring 2009, Pandora Hearts primarily attracted attention from the preview’s clean animation (and background music). However, as soon as the first episode aired, fans became irked as the animation studio, XEBEC, instead used a dull 90s art style. Furthermore, the episode initiated with some slice-of-life scenes, somewhat forced comedy (e.g. Oz’s teasing of Gil, plus the latter’s unexplained fear of cats), and dropped mysteries (e.g. Oz being attacked by a strange girl accompanied by talking dolls and flames) with little significance nor development until later. Thus, some fans who would rather waste their brain cells watching harems and ecchi became bored and dropped PH after 1-3 episodes.

In other words, the first episode does not do justice in revealing how awesome Pandora Hearts is!

As long as you can get through episode 3, your life is smooth sailing from there. PH starts off slow but picks up fast as the plot unfolds and intrigues your mind. For instance, I found myself speculating in my sleep as to who killed Alice, which is a feat I have not repeated since Code Geass, my all time favorite series.

As with every good series, the first few episodes depict the context (situation and characters) to establish some level of stability TO SOON CRACK AND COLLAPSE :’D so please, do not expect to be spoon-fed every clue and answer. PH invokes you to think and speculate, not watch so aimlessly like Naruto… Some old battle, just another face; nooooooo. PH constantly develops the plot by becoming increasingly dark, especially during the Cheshire Arc (episode 10, I believe) when many mysteries are linked simultaneously, almost orgasmic, woot. Maybe I should back up if you are not catching on…?

Synopsis

The heir to Duke Vessalius, Oz Vessalius, is living a luxurious life at age 15 and is attending his coming-of-age ceremony. Despite maturing into a noble role, Oz prefers to play with his little sister, Ada, and his best friend and faithful servant, Gilbert. While playing, they discover a hidden underground grave and find a pocket watch, which Oz keeps. Later, the ceremony begins, but is soon disrupted by dark robed “death gods,” who sentence Oz for his sins into the Abyss, a deep cryptic chamber in an alternate dimension where prisoners are sent. Upon arrival in the Abyss, Oz encounters strange monsters called Chains, in particular, a Chain disguised as a human girl called Alice. In order to escape from the Abyss by using Alice’s power to transform into B-Rabbit (the strongest Chain), they establish a Contract, only to return to reality 10 years after the coming-of-age event. Their connection arouses suspicion within a special organization, Pandora, albeit the common goal is to uncover the truth about Alice’s past, the Abyss, and the Tragedy of Sablier.

Characters

Designs, Development, and Deliciousness

While I will not advocate that the characters are flawless, each PH character grows onto me as their personalities are defined. My favorite characters are Alice and Break, although I can squeeze in Oz and Gil too. <33333

Alice is a brunette and is a lovely tsundere (respect!), so I am instantly inclined to love her antics. Alice loves meat, claims Oz as her personal man-servant, and honestly does not care what others think about her as she does as she pleases. As a tsundere, in one scene, Alice is spacing out and Oz asks if she is okay, which angers her as he left her alone for most of the episode, causing her to kick Oz down a flight of stairs. Another example of her adorable personality is during the arm wrestling match, where the guys could not win by sheer force (Gil surrenders, Oz persuades) but Alice do so, plus progressively changing her aura from mellow, to sassy, to full RAAAAAGE. Once she wins, she gleefully hops around, causing Oz to slightly blush. How ferocious yet sweet! <3 In contrast, Alice almost softens up near the end of the series as she becomes more aware of her relationship with Oz. For example, they lean on each other back-to-back in front of a fireplace and eventually, Alice becomes jealous when Oz is elsewhere. Despite these changes, her stubbornness shines throughout as she continues to be headstrong in battles, to the point of trying to ignore commands. Underneath, Alice’s past is explained, which is quite tragic as she is not only connected to mysteries, but is closer to them than you can imagine. I am trying to refrain from spoilers; must move on before I spill everything like a gossip girl!!

Break is the gray haired guy (most characters with gray hair are not that old, but I wonder about Break…!) but more importantly, he is hella funny! There is not an instant when I am angry nor self inflicting face palms with Break. From disappearing in cupboards to rolling on tables, carrying a talking doll to delivering sly comments to disturb the main cast, Break is always smiling and kidding. Under that lighthearted exterior, Break has a wicked side, seen especially during the Cheshire Arc and later action scenes as despite bleeding, Break kicks more ass. Then, (I would like to refrain from spoiling, but here is a hint) Break’s past is developed as to why Break works for Pandora to use the power of the Abyss to change the past, which appears cynical on paper but proves otherwise.

Oz, fair haired (SHOTA! -shot-), and Gil, the dark haired, go hand-in-hand in their development, although I say that Oz changes drastically. Oz is quite a cool character, as despite having his birthday party ruined, is apparently betrayed by his friend, is sent to a foreign dimension for the sin of his existence, and is attacked by Chains, he calmly eats cookies and jokes around with Alice… Perhaps this is not cool in your eyes (perhaps disturbing, mmm), but the reasoning behind Oz’s dissociative (and yandere in the manga, where Oz cuts up a rabbit or later makes comments about him being better off dead to tease Gil) personality is explained later on in a rather depressing light: parent issues. T__T Well, Gil is consistent, although his level up from clumsy servant to a badass gun toting bodyguard is instant win for me. Basically, Gil transformed from a gender confusing (Ric and I debated on Gil’s gender after watching episode 1, haha) to one sexy character… Mmm… Jack is another sexy one, but I am trying to get my mind of the gutter, oops.

Plot

Onto the Main Appetizer, Shall We?

Ah, plot; how I despise writing about you! To keep things simple, I will say that PH starts off slow by introducing the aforementioned level of stability (peaceful empire, friends, family), all the more to emphasize the CRUSHING OF HOPES AND DREAMS (school has rotted my brain) when things go horribly wrong, bwahaah!… Ok, nothing major happens like bloody massacres, much to my chagrin. >:C However, the plot becomes increasingly dark as one, no two, perhaps ALL of the major characters become involved in a tragedy.

Well, I cannot reveal much, as episodes 1-3 establish the context, episode 4-5 depicts the gang’s first few battles to find pieces of Alice’s memories, and episode 6 presents the first enemy struggle plus a wicked cliffhanger of Oz pointing a gun to himself (tense, not emo). Then, the plot is genuinely picked up around episode 7, which reveals some clues of Alice’s memories and connections to the Vessalius family, specifically Jack Vessalius. Mmm, it is all about that mysterious blond bishie (distracted :Q). So yes, instead of mindlessly fighting enemies to find the computer room memory shards, the cast actively addresses the main source of question, the Abyss. Basically, active > passive, children.

In contrast, PH can become confusing at times (e.g. when you finally start to grasp the truth behind Oz and Jack, Alice and…) but the events execute well (although the ending could have been inconclusive to allow a second season). Just digest PH, and if you cannot, pick up or download the manga because I know that you are not doing anything important otherwise. ^____^ If I can marathon, you sure can, as my attention span is limited; although my mind is stimulated by well defined characters and twisting plot, it can be subtly captivated by the little cherries to the ice cream known as aesthetics.

Aesthetics

Animation

Okay, I have heard of many complaints about PH’s “dirty” animation — I have high standards, and I did not have a problem watching this. In fact, I believe that the desaturated and retro look is an appropriate mood for this series, as opposed to a bright/clean/colorful animation style. This is a dark series as in a journey through hell and back, not a a journey across a rainbow, so it is essential to have unsaturated colors to complement the sullen mood. So yeah, thanks for turning an eff up into a fix up, XEBEC.

Music

Pandora Hearts has STELLAR music; such raw talent makes my spine chill. Even if you do not watch this series, I highly recommended that you listen to samples of Yuki Kajiura’s music. I am having some difficulty identifying a specific genre, but her work is definitely not pure pop/rock/rap/metal, among other distractions, haha. Her work reminds me of some elegant and classical instrumental piece (piano and violin influences) with Gothic elements (ominous chants), which is always wonderful to relax too. Literally, I am at peace when I listen to her music at 2 AM in the morning.

To listen for yourself, simply search for “pandoraheartsnetwork” on Youtube for a nice list of the OST. From that, my favorite tracks would be the opening, #01 Pandora Hearts, and the pocket watch’s tune, #26 Melody(Lacie). The opening speaks for itself and you will not regret spending 90 seconds of your life listening to it; as for Melody, I have a penchant for jewelry box music (I used to play a similar tune so I would fall asleep). I would list so many more, but I feel biased enough.

I would discuss dialogue too, but my knowledge of Japanese voice actors is so limited. Shame, I even forgot Lelouch’s VA. ;; Overall, I enjoyed the voices, as Japanese VA’s rarely disappoint me. The main starlet would be Cheshire’s VA as he really fits his character, a twisted and rejected pet cat, haha.

Bon appetit!

Overall, as I have addressed and praised in my reviews (I wonder if many read them…), Pandora Hearts has a remarkable tale and characters to share. Give Pandora Hearts a chance, like I have before I once considered dropping it around episode 4, and it should become an instant favorite.

Next up on the calendar is my amazing friend, Ric. Do look forward to his article and corny jokes. (b’-')b

Until next time, my lovelies.

TAAN: I doubt many people have heard of Noein. I wouldn’t have known about it if my brother didn’t tell me, and he heard about it from some guy suggesting anime which are amazing yet no one’s heard of. Well, that may be moot now, since apparently the Syfy channel airs it, and the dub is as good as the sub (according to unreliable sources), but who cares. Of course, I’m not here to say it’s amazing, I’m here to prove it. Hopefully.

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Katt: If someone judged which anime series were popular solely based on how  much attention they get here at HSA!, there is no way that they’d think that Kemono no Souja Erin was underhyped thanks to the ridiculous amounts of praise I give it. Truth is, aside from a couple of other blogs that regard the series highly, I’m the only one out in the anime blog-verse who has been sticking by this series and singing its praises every step of the way.

What I’m getting at is that, when Minnie announced that our winter countdown would be our favourite underhyped anime series–what else could I possibly choose to rant on? Sit tight, blogees, because another installment of “Katt promoting Kemono no Souja Erin” is coming up! And this time it is more than an episode or a single character or a scene; this time, it’s the whole show.

Introduction to the Series

First of all, an introduction to the series is in order. I want to immediately disregard the standard synopsis for this series because–much like how Minnie felt that the synopses of Bokura Ga Ita didn’t do it justice–I feel that the summary you regularly find of this series is…bland, simple:

“A fantasy series written by Uehashi Nahoko (Seirei no Moribito) about a young woman who is drawn into a war between kingdoms. She has the ability to command certain animals as if she was playing a musical instrument.” (from MyAnimeList)

…Yeah. Far too bland and simple for a series so fascinating and complex. Not to mention inaccurate. Let me rewrite it to give you all a proper introduction to this anime:

Erin is raised in a tohda-rearing (dragon-like creatures) village on the military territory of the country. Through a series of events and fueled by her fascination with beasts, Erin grows up in the country’s royal territory and aims to become a veterinarian for beastlords (huge bird/wolf animals). Her unique way of raising the beastlords draws unwanted attention, and turns her simple goal of harmony into a tool of war, forcing her to become involved in the country’s internal conflict.

–Hard to sum up such a complicated series in a few lines, but there’s my attempt. Interested yet? Well, let’s keep going.

Background Info

Kemono no Souja Erin is based on the fantasy novel series, Kemono no Souja (The Beast Player), by Nahoko Uehashi. The series originally consisted of two novels, which the anime is based on; however, while the anime was airing this year, two more novels were released to wrap up the series. Unfortunately none of these novels are available in translation in English yet so I can’t compare the two, but it seems that many people who have read the novels have a great love for the anime as well.

The 50-episode long anime series that I adore so very much began airing in the Winter 2009 season. There wasn’t all too much attention drawn to this series when it started airing–it actually took a while for the subbers to get going, and then subbing stopped altogether a ways in and was eventually picked up again; as of now, Crunchyroll has the rights to subbing (much to my dismay). There are two episodes left before Kemono no Souja Erin ends so I might be jumping the gun a little by pushing this series as an overall amazing work, but honestly, even if the final episodes are horrible, this anime has already proven itself as worthy to me. Now I just need to justify why that is.

Deterring factors? Let’s get those out of the way.

There are a few things about Kemono no Souja Erin that deter people from watching it. Before I get into my reasoning as to why this series is amazing, I’m gonna make sure to eliminate these excuses not to watch it. That’s right. You will thus have no excuses not to watch it.

A lot of people have this thing where they will watch three or four episodes of a series and then judge whether it’s worth watching from there. I’ll admit that I do this, too, but it isn’t a fair judgment at all when it comes to a 50-episode long anime like Kemono no Souja Erin. On that note, I will tell everyone something important about this anime now: watch up until episode 7 and then judge whether or not it’s worth watching more of. Prior to that episode the series takes its sweet time going anywhere, comes off as a little simplistic sometimes–really, it’s anything but. Don’t give up before episode 7; the wait is worth it!

And then there is the unfortunate label of “children’s anime”. It’s an automatic turn-off for a lot of people because, well, after a certain age no one really wants to consider themselves a ‘child’ (and yet we still watch Disney movies with no shame at all…). Kemono no Souja Erin is not your typical kids’ series; in fact, it deserving that title is quite debateable. During Erin’s childhood years it might be more appealing to a younger audience, but as Erin matures, the series’ nature does as well. The plotline becomes more complicated, larger moral issues are raised, and the violence becomes very real instead of hidden behind abstractions. Yes, we still have a narrator clarifying events and flashbacks to remind us of things that happened not too long ago, but the tone of this series is undeniably something that appeals to a mature audience just as much as–if not more than–it appeals to a younger one. In fact, most of the fans I’ve seen around are at least in their 20s! I like how one reviewer on MAL referred to it: “all-ages”. An accurate label for Kemono no Souja Erin.

What’s to Love

Where can I even begin? Obviously everyone has very individual tastes when it comes to anime and so no anime can be for everyone, but, well, Kemono no Souja Erin can be for a lot of people. With elements of fantasy, political intrigues, a solid coming-of-age story, and relationships of all different kinds, there’s bound to be something of interest to you, dear reader. You don’t have to be completely enthralled with everything–just loving one element of this expansive story is enough to keep a person engaged.

 Character Relationships

To get my point across a little bit, I’m going to look at one of the elements that keeps me so emerged in this series: the relationships. While the story does sometimes diverge into other characters, the main focus is on Erin. This is so different from a lot of other fantasy series out there that have more of an RPG feel, where you meet a huge cast of characters and have to split time between them all; instead, in Kemono no Souja Erin we get to know Erin’s character first and foremost and come to understand other characters more clearly through her interactions with them. Each relationship she has with other characters is unique and shows a different side of Erin, so let’s look at a few of these different bonds…

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Soyon and Erin: mother-daughter– The first relationship that you really get to see in the series, and it’s sensible since Erin is only 10 years old when the series begins; of course her greatest attachment will be to her mother. Erin’s bond with her mother really brings out the curiosity typical in any kid, but that is especially abundant in Erin, and Soyon manages to feed that curiosity by sharing her knowledge of nature and the tohdas with Erin. The absence of a father figure brings these two even closer together such that imagining one existing without the other is upsetting to even think of.

John and Erin: adoptive parent/mentor– Tossed out into the larger world, Erin is left in the care of John quite early on in the series. He goes out of his way to help Erin through tough times, always managing to make her laugh and pull her out from emptiness. In time, he becomes her official caretaker and teacher and continues to develop Erin’s interest in nature as she grows into a teenager. While she doesn’t call John ‘Dad’, it is evident that through time and his constant caring, he becomes such to her.

Lilan and Erin: animal and human– An ambiguous relationship, as I’ve found whenever I try to express my thoughts on it in my entries. Everyone has a different idea of what kind of bond Erin and Lilan, the beastlord, have. Some would call it a very powerful friendship, others see Erin merely as Lilan’s caretaker, and then there’s me who likens it to the strong connection some people have with their pets. Until Nanoko Uehashi posts on one of my entries clarifying how this relationship is meant to be interpreted, I’d say that it is left to individuals to decide what the nature of Erin and Lilan’s love is.

Yuyan and Erin: best friends– Erin makes her first real female friend when she is 14 years old, which obviously comes as a quite a change for someone who has, for the most part, spent her life with adults and animals. Yuyan shows Erin how friends can be there during hard times and happy times, midnight chats and ‘girl talk’. While their relationship isn’t as fleshed out as some others, their years as roommates at school show another dimension of Erin’s character (and while I don’t mention Tomura in this post, he is another good example of a friendship Erin has).

Ial and Erin: budding romance– This thought may seem a little weird when you first meet Ial, but trust me, it works! This relationship does not take the spotlight in this series by any means, though it is there and merits moments of ‘aww’ when it’s occasionally placed at the forefront. The fact that the ‘romance’ in this series isn’t emphasized all that much and, when it is, is focused on these two characters coming to terms with their concerns and little spoken-of pasts shows what is most important in Erin’s life–and in Kemono no Souja Erin as a whole.

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 In addition to the plethora of relationship types seen in this series, the story as a whole is notable for its originality. I often say that this series is a breath of fresh air when all of the anime being released fits into some stereotype or another: standardized characters, predictable events, excessive humour or violence or romance… I won’t say that Kemono no Souja Erin is completely void of these things, but they appear in moderation. For the most part, the characters are unique and endearing; the major events tend to take you by surprise, things going bad or good when you expect them to go the other way; there are moments that make you laugh or cringe or swoon, and they are always included strategically so that you can make the most of them rather than become desensitized to their impact.

The artwork in this series is another original aspect of it. While it might not be on the highest caliber, it stands out without a doubt. The characters designs are easily identifiable, especially for the main cast. The backgrounds are all unique and beautiful, especially those depicting nature. And then the most distinct aspect of the art: the stylized images used to show history, animalistic violence, and at times characters’ haziness of mind. They are like an upgrade on ancient art, taking an older style with added details and tons of popping colours. It’s an added touch of originality to an already-matchless anime. The nature backgrounds that I mentioned are really stunning in two ways: visually, of course, and symbolically. The symbolism isn’t subtle at all; it’s always placed starkly next to the relationship or conflict that it is meant to reflect. In the first episode, for example, we repeatedly see a mother and baby bird whose actions reflect those of Soyon and Erin, and then a weasel appears at the same time as a tohda does in the storyline. It gets its point across bluntly, but manages to fit the mood of the series perfectly and reminds us of the importance of nature in Erin’s life.

And then what is probably the series’ strongest factor for me: the emotion that it manages to evoke. Through events that we can associate with from experiences in our lives and even those that are completely fantastical, Kemono no Souja Erin has the uncanny ability to manipulate the viewers’ emotions. Tragic moments really hit hard, unexpected twists can make your heart stop, and moments where everything works out are just so serene. Everything is just so well thought out that it is all the more effective. The background music in this series adds to effectiveness as well, notably in the calm scenes. There isn’t a huge amount of diversity in the music, but after so many episodes, hearing the same songs becomes a sort of comfort, especially the vocal inserts (Aoi Hoshi and Lalalila Lalila). The anime’s OP is also heard as a few different versions, coming up at dramatic moments and having a great effect. Sometimes the music influences the tone of a scenes, and at other times the scenes themselves are so powerful that a person’s reaction to the music can change. Whichever way that it goes, the emotions that Kemono no Souja Erin brings out in most of its viewers are incredible and, along with the other notable attributes I’ve mentioned, serve to make this an unforgettable series.

Don’t take my word for it…

Even if Kemono no Souja Erin is grossly underhyped, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anyone else out there giving it praise. If that were the case, well, then I wouldn’t be able to blame anyone for ignoring my constant pushing of this series because you’d think that I was just some crazy rambling lady with poor taste–but because it isn’t the case, you all have no excuse!

For instance, Kitsune is always emphasizing his fondness for this series at his blog, as is psgels at the Star-Crossed Anime Blog. While these are the only two consistent reviewers that I’ve seen around, that isn’t to say that other people out there in the internet haven’t taken notice of Kemono no Souja Erin’s greatness. Yumeka has an entry of the same nature of this one, promoting Kemono no Souja Erin as an underhyped and underrated series. Then there’s steelbound who shows that once you get to episode 7, love for this series blossoms, and Shinmaru wrote a great post on the much-debated “children’s anime” label. Even a writer at animenewsnetwork gives the series good regard for its first half–and to think that it only gets better from there! Just look at the variety in these bloggers who have all found enjoyment in this single series; it really has appeal to so many different kinds of people.

Wrapping things up:

If you have read up until this point, I’d like to think that you’re interested enough in what I’m saying about Kemono no Souja Erin to give the series a shot. I really can’t do it justice in a blog entry. It’s something that you need to experience first hand to understand why this series deserves much much muuuuch more love and attention than it gets. It doesn’t matter what stage of your life that you’re in; you’ll certainly find something to move you in this series. To watch Erin grow up, endure hardships, make life decisions and friendships and mistakes…these are things that we all experience brought to a fantasy stage, distanced from reality but still so easy to connect to. Ah, I sense some rambling starting up again. I’d better cut myself off and give my concluding thoughts in short:

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

That should make my point loud and clear.

I hope that everyone is enjoying our winter list of underhyped series so far. With the diverse tastes of all of the writers here, there is sure to be something to appeal to anyone. …of course, you really needn’t go any further because Kemono no Souja Erin is all that you need. In all seriousness, tomorrow is day #4 of our winter countdown, and it will be brought to you by our favourite harem leader Steve. <3 Will there be lolis involved in his favourite underhyped series? I’ll be disappointed if there aren’t!

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Minnie: Hello everyone! This is Minnie or Dictator or Leader of HSA for the second day of the Winter Countdown of Underhyped Anime! Yesterday, if you guys haven’t read our founder Garrick’s entry on ~ef~ a tale of melodies, please read it here because well, it’s really good. Haha. Anyways, I am here with my own personal pick for what I believe is a very underhyped anime that needs more attention from the anime community. Why is that some shows that I rate 4-7 on MAL get so much love and fans while other worthier shows get the opposite treatment? It’s just so unfair! I’m so glad we have this countdown to give these anime the spotlight they deserve!

For those who know me or follow me for a long time, you know that I’m usually the romance/drama/comedy blogger of HSA. At least, I try to pick those anime to blog. I especially love to see and blog shoujo, just to see if they break away from the shoujo formula or is such a masterpiece that I don’t care if they do. One of the biggest breakthrough is of course the Skip Beat anime that is so shounen that makes me laugh. But anyways, the reason why I’m searching is because I want to see if there are any romance anime that is as realistic and heartwarming as Bokura Ga Ita. Yes, you heard me correctly. Bokura Ga Ita is the underhyped anime I will be talking about for the rest of this post! Why? I’ll put it in simple words:

Bokura Ga Ita is the first (for me) as well as one of the few shoujo anime that depicts love realistically.

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