When this show first entered the anime realm, it showed itself to be a retro-styled fairy tale of wonder and myth, following the ascendance of young country girl Firiel to the Royal Court. Two episodes later, and it felt like we had entered a cheesy, melodramatic pantomime, both laughable and darkly alluring. Three episodes beyond [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

I’m really not sure what to say about this. It was certainly an enjoyable watch, but at the same time it was somewhat lacking in intensity. The climax towards the end, well, wasn’t all that climactic to me. Even though the show did have a single overarching storyline to it, much of the time [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

This is it?! That’s the ending?! How lame can you get?! How stupid can you get?! This is really disappointing indeed. This show is not a comedy and yet we get comical scenes in the darkest of hours!! Did the director and producers lose their minds or something?! I was hoping this show would have a decent ending so that I can include it in my 2006 spring season top shows’ list but alas, all that went down the drain now. This show is and will always be a second class show. Oh well. At least Adale shined all the way to the end. She definitely was the real star of the show as far as I’m concerned and is one of the finest anime characters of all time. She even deserves her own show. Feriel and Roux were also quite good but definitely not as good or as interesting as Adale. I’ll end this post with two nice pictures I’ve found which I hope will console other people who found the ending as disappointing as I have.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

This series also came out, along with the huge wave of new series at the beginning of the spring-2006-season. It’s a fantasy-series, embedded with lots of politics, drama and romance. With its 13 episodes, it’s a short series. Maybe a bit too short. This series has two point at which it excels with some incredible [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

I love fast-paced endings. They’re so much better than the anime which leave only one question to be solved in the final episode. I guess we can now see the fruits of the enormously fast pacing of Good Witch of the West. Okay, it did leave some questions behind, and the ending itself was rather [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Haha! This is where the fun really begins! One of the advantages of the enormous pacing of this show is the fact that it now has time to develop an amazing ending. And so far, things have been moving in an awesome direction. Firiel and Roux have made up, so their whining also has stopped, [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

I haven’t seen a torrent for this anywhere, yet it’s been out for 3 days so… if anyone’s interested in this CD here’s a transcoded APE->mp3-cbr@192kbit archive. Enjoy. Hikaru Nanase - Nishi no Yoki Majo Astraea Testament OST [192kbit]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Okay, screw the flaws of Good Witch of the West. The only one worth mentioning is the strange sound Firiel’s footsteps make in the middle of the desert. It’s just like she was in a ballroom. ^^ Well now, the plot during this episode was excellent once more, and it set a very nice base for [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

As per usual, this episode of Good Witch suffered due to the series’ major flaw – the lack of episodes and how they contrast with the abundance of ideas the series tries to juggle. More concepts are added to the plot here, thickening the storyline, and yet will we ever see a satisfying conclusion to [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

I’ve been watching Nishi no Yoki Majo (Good Witch of the West) for the past month and managed to reach episode 10 so far. Only three episodes left. For some reason, I had the urge to write a post about my favourite character in the show; Adale Roland. Now, I don’t exactly hold aristocrats in high regard but Adale is a rare exception. That young girl has a very strong personality and is definitely a person to be reckoned with. At the same time, she is very caring towards her friends. There is something about the way she behaves that just fascinates me. The girl has got class and she definitely knows how and when to play her cards. A truly admirable character. I think Adale is far more important than both Feriel and Roux (the heroes of the show) and I definitely find her more interesting than both of them. That’s not to say that I hate Feriel and Roux. On the contrary, their relationship is probably the main driving force of the story but both of them lack the edge that Adale has. Chiwa Saito’s performance as Adale’s voice actress was definitely something. That was the best role I’ve seen her play so far. As for the show itself, well… I don’t really know what to say about it. While I like anime stories that take place in a European setting, I usually prefer those settings to resemble Europe during the 18th, 19th and 20th century. Medieval Europe is not really to my taste and Nishi no Yoki Majo is set in a medieval setting (albeit a fantasy one). The main thing that is preventing me from fully enjoying this show, however, is the mystery. This show is really confusing and the confusion increases with every episode. I’m all for mystery in anime but they should at least try to unravel some of the mysteries gradually with every episode. I’m at episode 10 now and I still can’t understand everything that is going on! Either I’m a bloody idiot or something is wrong with the story. The art quality fluctuates but is generally very pleasant to look at (apart form the stupid bishounen characters like Eusis and Count Chrisbard). The opening is very nice and well done. The ending isn’t anything special but you do get to see Feriel and Roux when they were little children which is nice (^_^). One more thing. What is with the bunny ears Adale is wearing in episode 7?!! Did they really have that kind of thing in medieval Europe?!! Well, that is all I have to say about Adale and this show. I hope you enjoyed my ranting and I hope we get a meaningful ending by the last episode of the show.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)