Amagi Brilliant Park Review

Yet another fall anime review is here with Amagi Brilliant Park.

Amagi Brilliant Park

After being forced to visit an amusement park, Amagi Brilliant Park, by the mysterious Isuzu Sento, Kanie, a former child star and perfectionist, is asked to become the manager and save the park, which will be closed if the park does not reach a certain number of visitors in three months. He is also told that the park is run by the refugees of the magical realm of Maple Land, who live on the happiness of others, so without the park, they will likely die.

Amagi Brilliant Park is a fun anime with an original concept. Even though reaching a certain amount of visitors and one other element revealed later in the series are constant themes throughout, many of the episodes are episodic with each one being about either Kanie's schemes to get more visitors or something related to the park, which often produces great comedic situations.

In terms of comedy, it is most definitely funny with most of the humor relying on slapstick. However, unlike other comedy anime, like Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Amagi Brilliant Park does not seem to focus primarily on the comedy. This is not a bad thing per se, but if you are expecting something like Gekkan or D-Frag, then Amagi Brilliant Park is not it. With that said, the series is still very entertaining and amusing.

As for the characters, Kanie is driven to make the park reach its goal, and while not a deep character, he is fun and not particularly archetypal. Isuzu Sento is the female lead that waves around her magic musket, and even though a romance between her and Kanie is hinted at in the series, it does not go very far, unfortunately. Amagi Brilliant Park’s supporting cast is full of colorful (in more ways than one) and wacky supporting characters that produce a lot of the humor. 

As expected, Kyoto Animation's work on the series is beautiful! Finally, we get to see what KyotAni's character designs in Free would look like for female characters, and the results are stunning. With that said, this is also the first time KyotAni has had true fanservice, and while it is not a major issue, it is still there. However, the rest of the animation from the background art to fluidity is truly top notch.

On a side note, for some reason, the final episode plays out more like an OVA that is disconnected from the main narrative with the second to last episode being the true finale, so do not expect a real finale while watching the series.

Overall, Amagi Brilliant Park is a fun and entertaining anime with an original concept. While it might not accomplish anything spectacular and the conclusion might be a tad disappointing, the stunning art style and slapstick comedy made it more than worth my time.

Watch if you like: KyotoAni, Amusement parks, Fantasy, Full Metal Panic,

*7.6/10*

For another opinion, check out Sleepy Otaku's review of it over on Otakuverse by clicking here!

More Fall Anime Reviews:
Fall Anime Review: Part 1
Fall Anime Review: Part 2
Fall Anime Review: Part 3

The Fruit of Grisaia
In Search of the Lost Future
Terra Formars
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Yona of the Dawn
Yuki Yuna is a Hero

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Fall Anime Review: Yona of the Dawn

My review of the various fall anime continue yet again with a mid-season review of Yona of the Dawn.

Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn)

Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn) was one of my earlier favorites from the beginning of the fall season, and halfway through its run, it has not disappointed!

After the Kingdom of Kouka is overthrown, Yona, the last remaining heir to the kingdom, escapes with childhood friend and general, Hak, who is devoted to protecting Princess Yona. To take back the kingdom, Yona and Hak set out on a quest to assemble the legendary dragon warriors.

After the first few episodes of the series provided ample exposition and backstory, the series shifts focus on the main plot point driving the story: the quest to unite the dragon warriors. 

Generally, historical/fantasy epics is one of my favorite genres, and if is unfortunately lacking in quality anime, so finally watching a series that uses the epic quest format, without being a shounen, is just fantastic!

One aspect that stands out is the pacing. Akatsuki no Yona's pacing might seem slow to some, but to me, the slow methodical pacing provides the story and characters ample time to develop, and it series never feels rushed, which is a rarity today. Another aspect that stands out is the tone. Being based on a shoujo manga, Akatsuki no Yona contains some of the tropes and designs from the genre, yet it never feels like it is excluding any audience. It has the cute and funny moments, but it will also have the serious and dramatic ones, and then a brief action sequence to mix things up. Even though it might not excel at any one thing, the overall blend of the various tones and content allows the series to appeal to a wide audience, as well as tell an engaging story. However, as expected, the reverse-harem element is present with each of the male characters showing a degree of affection towards Yona, but the interactions often provide good comedy and never hinder the overall story. 

My only minor issue with the series is that the humor can undermine some of the more serious moments at times during the early episodes; however, the humor blends more organically in recent episodes. 

Being voiced by my favorite voice actress, Chiwa Saitō, Yona is a very fun and likable character. Unlike most royalty characters that are thrown out of their life of luxury and bliss, Yona does not instantly turn into a mankilling bad*ss, which is refreshing. Thus far, she is still weak and does not refuse help from others, but rather she is progressing in a believable manner. As for the other characters, Hak is a perfect example of the "overly protective knight" done right. So far, each of the dragons that have been introduced have an interesting backstory, with the Blue Dragon's arc being particularly exceptional with several effective dramatic and emotional moments.

Studio Pierrot, the studio behind Tokyo Ghoul, Korra season 2, and Baby Steps, gives the series surprisingly high quality animation for a shoujo anime. The background art is top notch and the fluidity of the animation is above average. Also, the bishounen character designs are executed surprisingly well considering how most other historical shoujo anime feature painfully dull and annoying designs. 

14 episodes into its 24 episode run, Akatsuki no Yona is one of the standout anime of the season thanks to its wide variety of content, engaging story, and fun characters.

Watch if you like: Fantasy, Adventure, Shoujo, Historical, 

*8.3/10*

More Fall Anime Reviews:
Fall Anime Review: Part 1
Fall Anime Review: Part 2
The Fruit of Grisaia
In Search of the Lost Future
Terra Formars
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Yuki Yuna is a Hero

Are you interested in this series? Please comment below and let me know.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.