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Impressions:

Ah, I finally bothered to watch the final episodes of Innocent Venus. It’s not that I force myself to watch the series, but since so many of the new shows are more entertaining, I couldn’t find the energy to open up my media player and watch. Buuut, now that I have, I have to say that the ending was a lot better than some other finales I’ve seen. The only problem was the pacing, as the last episode was far too rushed. A lot of insight was given into the character’s past and such, but they weren’t expanded nearly enough. The producers definitely know how to animate war and destruction and I commend them for that. I liked a lot of the diverse angles and shot types used, as well as the clever use of lighting. Mechas using shunpo is pretty cool as well. Some nice commando moves were pulled off by Shiba and Renee too. I’ve seen a few so-called action anime where soldiers and officers only know how to stand, run and crouch (and maybe salute too). The ending does leave me wanting to see another episode to show the aftermath of everything. Maybe a few years in the future (or more), Sana grown up, the civilisations rebuilt, Jo’s long-awaited reunion with Sana etc.

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Popularity: 17% [?]

Impressions:

Okay, Innocent Venus is now considered ‘good’ in my books. It started off being boring, then bad, boring, crap, interesting, average, exciting, average and finally, good! (Okay, I made that up, but you get it when I’m trying to show that the series had a very rocky start). Even when the series was interesting or exciting, they were just single aspects that didn’t add up to make the overall episode good, but now it has. Not only were these two episodes full of ground-shaking, blood-gushing action, the storyline has also become so incredibly intriguing that I actually want to see the next episode right now! That’s never happened before with this series. I had always been fine finishing the episode(s), sometimes even reluctant to watch it, but now I really want to see how things will turn out. Better yet, the previous ‘good guy’, Jin, who I didn’t like because he was to fatherly, has officially become a ‘bad guy’, and the previous ass-kicking ’sidekick’, Jo, has now become the real ‘good guy’. What a fascinating turn of events…

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Impressions:

What the hell??? How can you kill off Jo? He’s such an awesome character! It’s a lie – it has to be. He has to come back, he just has to…right? Damn I have no idea what to think. Jo is meant to be a main character so he can’t just die in the middle of the series can he? Although he didn’t really serve any important purpose regarding the grander scheme of things, so killing him is reasonable. And Jin turns out to be evil? I knew he was bent on his revenge but I didn’t know he would be so merciless as to stab Jo like that. I had begun to suspect he was being secretive at the end of episode 7, though I never suspected he was such a nasty character. So who’s the protagonist now? Maybe Shiba? Or could it be that Jin will remain the hero and turn good again or something? Eh…I dunno.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Impressions:

Well I can say this series has become far more interesting than previously, though it has turned out to be one of the less popular shows of summer. Still, I am not writing summaries because I never did with this show and I’m not starting now. Please check Anime Nano or AnimeBlogger.net Antenna for summaries.

Episodes 5 and 6 reveals the answers to a lot of questions, and the latter has a helluva lot of thrilling action scenes. I must admit, the animators do know how to make a good giant mecha/military type shootout, though the bad thing was it was too dark. The night setting is always a good choice for increased exhilaration, but it just brings the overall enjoyment down when you can’t make out what’s going on. However, I always love situations where the ex-’whatever’ who betrayed the ‘whatevers’ comes back and engages combat with the ‘whatevers’. In this case, it is Jo and the Phantoms. It’s fun to see such an even match (*thinking of Gundam Seed*).

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Impressions:

If Innocent Venus had been a full 24 or 26 episode series, I would drop it right now. I really have no interest in the show and only continue to watch it in hope that some aspect might get my attention and turn out to be interesting. Mecha is a genre that I like quite a lot, but the CG in this series really ruins it. Even if the CG is good, I would prefer it not be used as it doesn’t fit in with the animation style, although Innocent Venus may be an exception as the backgrounds are quite detailed. I’d also prefer the protagonists to be teenagers, as they are usually more energetic and fun to watch. The nature displayed by Jin and Jo are extremely boring. Also, if the heroine was of similar age to the protagonists, it would allow for the opportunity for romances to develop, which is always a good thing in my views. So far, the only interesting thing may be the plot, but that’s about it. Nothing else appeals to me, and the plot alone won’t satisfy at all. When I watch an Anime just to see if something interesting happens, I don’t pay too much attention and the information usuallty does not get absorbed too well. That’s okay though, as I am following plenty others and the autumn season is going to start soon anyway (some early this month).

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Impressions:

This show is proving to be quite popular due to the number blogs about this series. Of course, that’s only an assumption. I personally prefer lighter, more comedic Anime with characters I can relate to more. The post-apocalyptic setting of Innocent Venus is pretty engaging and the unveiling storyline, I think, will prove to be interesting. However, I don’t like the characters at all. That Gora guy is so annoying! What’s he got to do with anything anyway? Oh, right … the pirates. Jin is too nice and soft. Jo is pretty cool but too quite. In the end, it’s only Sana and Gora fighting over pointless things. The other parties in the story prove to be much more interesting. At least there’s some good dialogue with them. The next episode’s battle should prove to be fun. I hope it actually lasts a decent while. And I also hope the CG is better. Between shows with CG and those without, I’d prefer the ones without. But right now, the CG is not what’s putting me off; it’s all the stuff I’ve just complained about.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

イノセント・ヴィーナス

Release: 7/2006
Episodes: 12
Genre: Mecha, Science-Fiction, Action
OP: “Noble Roar” by Yousei Teikoku
ED: “Brand New Reason” by FLEET

Impressions:

Firstly, I am not going to write the summary for this episode as I don’t think I’ll be summarising every episode (plus I am too lazy and don’t have much time). There are plenty of good blogs about Innocent Venus. Try searching Anime Blogger or Anime Nano. Anyways, Innocent Venus had a pretty good first episode, with loads of good action scenes. It’s meant to be mecha but so far it doesn’t feel like one. This is probably because most mecha will have shots of the pilots inside the mecha, controlling it. I like mecha, though I’d prefer this show stick with using guns and artillery than turn into some cheap Gundam rip off. The animation quality is very high, but the style of drawing that was used for the characters did not appeal to me, though I’m sure I can get used to it. So far, the action is the major thing that will keep me watching for now. I also like the music a lot. Whether I follow this series or not will depend on the stroyline, which hopefully will be revealed more during the next few episodes. A complicated, slightly bleak plot would suit this series best and would be the most interesting. So if you’re reading this and saying, “Well, should I try it or not?” I say definitely try it. Even if you don’t like mecha, as there’s loads of action. If you don’t like action, hopefully the sci-fi side will appeal to you. If you don’t like mecha, action or sci-fi, watch it anyway (yes, my logic is very logical).

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Popularity: 15% [?]