Posts in Figure 17 Category
January 30, 2005The blog celebrates its first anniversary in a few days so I'll be highlighting some of the shows I enjoyed blogging in the past year over the next week. Hope y'all enjoy it!
"If this first episode is any indication of how the rest of the series will be, I'm going to really like this show!"
Matthew, on Figure 17 episode 1, February 5th, 2004
Figure 17 is the first show I blogged pretty much in its entirety last year. I have no idea why I didn't watch it earlier (that goes for a lot of things) since it is one of the best shows I've ever seen, period. Actually, it is the only show that I've gone out and purchased the DVDs on hearing good reviews alone. Thank goodness it worked out, ne?
For those who watched Rozen Maiden, Tsubasa will be a familiar character, as she's very much like Jun in being shy, not having all that many friends, and lacking confidence in herself. But something to change that always has to happen in anime ;) In Tsubasa's case, an encounter with an alien who's fighting these extremely nasty creatures called Maguar leads to some rather unexpected things... In this case, Tsubasa gets an identical twin called Hikaru, but she's not so identical, being much more outgoing than Tsubasa... For more details read my entry on episode 1.
There are some really great action scenes and the sci-fi aspect of the show is excuted well, but what's really important in Figure 17 is Tsubasa and Hikaru's relationship and watching Tsubasa grow. As was the case with Jun in Rozen Maiden I was really able to connect with Tsubasa and not merely symphathize and feel sorry for her, but empathize with her since I was much the same way when I was her age. Yajima Akiko's excellent performance as Tsubasa, portraying her emotions in a very realistic way that I could identify with, made that even moreso. But my gosh, I didn't have to deal with what poor Tsubasa had to deal with... I really wanted to hurt someone on the staff after that happened. This show will make you cry, I can guarantee you that ;)
Figure 17 is different than your traditional show in a few ways. Number one, episodes are 45 minutes long instead of the standard 25. That is a bit long and you would think things would be drawn out, but there was only one episode where I wasn't pulled in for the entire 45 minutes. At the eyecatch most times I was surprised we were already halfway though. Number two... and Stripey, if you think waiting a week between episodes of AIR is unbearable, think about what everybody watching Figure 17 on AT-X had to go through. One episode per month... ONE episode per month! I would have died if I had to wait a month between episodes! Especially later on in the show... Technically speaking now, the quality of the animation by OLM is pretty high up there (though not to stratospheric AIR standards), being pretty much OVA quality in lovely 16:9 aspect for all of the 13 episodes it runs. Opening and ending songs by the Alfee are also enjoyable, as well as in-show music..
Speaking about Media Blasters' DVD release... I have some issues, mostly with translation. The translation is inconsistant from DVD packaging to subtitles, the opening/endings are translated incorrectly in a few places, and subtitles aren't as accurate as I'd like them to be in a few places. But don't let that dissuade you from watching it. Aside from that, transfer quality is wonderful and some ncie extras are thrown in as well.
If anybody out there hasn't watched Figure 17, I highly, highly recommend you check it out. You won't be disappointed. It's rather unfortunate this show came in under the radar of most fans out there.. There's a DVD box with all of the DVDs out, so pick it up (for only $63 at RightStuf, much less than I spent since I bought each DVD individually) if you can ;)
Well, it's a bit late (since I was out with friends all day today), but let's get on with a wrap-up and review of Figure 17.
I somehow managed to keep myself together the last episode (but don't ask me how). There's lots of good action in this episode as the final Maguar are found and destroyed. And after that.. well, stuff happens and we wrap up the story. Not in the happiest way, but still with a somewhat uplifting feeling.
Well, what I can say? I really enjoyed Figure 17 from start to finish as I've blogged. The once a month, 45 minute format wasn't really something that had never been attempted before, but the director and the rest managed to pull it off really well. All the episodes didn't really feel much longer than the usual 25 minute shows since I was so engrossed in what was happening.
The sci-fi feel to the show worked well even though it wasn't really the focus. The various action scenes involving Figure 17 and DD and Oldeena were, for the most part, done pretty well. And the Maguar... yuck! What absolutely revolting creatures. They made a pretty good enemy for Figure 17 and the rest to take care of. I guess the parts of the show where Tsubasa and Hikaru combined to make Figure kinda gives it a somewhat mahou shoujo-ish feel with the transformation and all. But it's really hard to give this show a solid genre label since it's got a bit of everything for everyone, which I suppose had to be done in order to get a big audience to tune in once a month to watch it.
But the real highlight of this show for me was the relationship between Tsubasa and Hikaru. Watching Tsubasa overcome some of her shyness and become a bit more outgoing with Hikaru's help was wonderful (perhaps in part because I myself was quite a shy child, so I could empathize more than a bit). I really came to care for both of them as the show went along. Though the tone of the show got a bit sad at times, overall it managed to keep coming back to a more optimistic tone even in the last episode, showing how Tsubasa had grown through all the things she went through. And as I've said before, Tsubasa's voice actor really did an excellent, excellent job in showing all of Tsubasa's emotions, making it very believable performance. Well done :)
Well, I guess y'all have a good idea of what I'm gonna give this show now, ne? This show's not for everyone, but those of y'all that like a bit of strong character development with your sci-fi action will be pleased :) I really don't have any criticisms of this show I can think of. Maybe it moves a bit slowly for some people, and maybe the action isn't best when compared to other shows. But, I can't do anything besides recommend this very highly. Figure 17 is one of those shows that remind me why I watch anime.
I will definitely buy the rest of the DVDs as they are released (if I have the money. And if I don't, I'll get them as soon as I do!). For everyone out there that's interested in the show it is available on eMule to download. Try a couple of episodes and see if you like it :) And if you do like it, please consider buying the DVDs to support and thank Media Blasters for bringing such a wonderful show to us here (though the translation on the DVDs could use a bit of work.. grrr!).
Individual Ratings
Animation: A. Essentially OVA quality. Great job by OLM!
Story/Characters: A+
Music: A. Excellent. Music matches mood very well. Opening and ending songs by The Alfee are also very good.
Final Rating: A+. Easily. Right up there with Cardcaptor Sakura as one of the best shows I've ever watched, period. I can't believe I didn't watch this earlier!
Other Fun Stats
Began Watching: February 5th, 2004
Finished Watching: February 29th, 2004 (that's 13 times faster than people in Japan would have watched it when it was on TV!)
I Should have finished watching the show: Probably in July when the last DVD will be released here, I think (I know the next to last will be released in May). Ooops... I couldn't keep myself from finding out what would happen, though!
Favorite Episode: oooh... let me think... if I had to choose... I'd say episode 7, "Can You Say Goodbye?". I loved the whole play put on by Tsubasa and Hikaru's class... I'd also say that episode 9 was really good, even though it didn't end as I would have liked (as I blogged earlier).
Number of corrections I had to make to the opening song translation on the DVD: 3 lines were translated completely wrong. A compound verb in one line was halfway translated. Some of the others are a bit more picky... But it's definitely more than I should have had to correct :) The fansubbers did get some of it wrong, too, but their translation was still better than the DVD's.
Number of times I was about to cry during the show: Too many to count. Bring your Kleenex if you're the type that cries easily.
Number of times I thought, "Wow, Tsubasa sure does act a lot like I did back when I was that age...": Once again, too many to count. Just shows you how well they did that aspect of her character.
Well, that's all for Figure 17. I'm going to watch it again (probably with friends) soon. Y'all please watch it too! You'll probably like it :)
A few more Figure 17 episodes I've watched over the past few days to comment on here. Following what happened at the end of 9, 10 was a pretty depressing episode up until the last few minutes when the mood lightened up a bit. But... the last couple of episodes have once again gotten a bit depressing and there's even more a sense of crisis now with the things that are happening. Looks like we're in for a big finale next episode.
I took a bit more notice of the directing in these episodes and they did really well. The shots where both Hikaru and Tsubasa are in them are very effective. An important shot in episode 11 was used later to good effect in 12 to really show the relationship between the girls. The widescreen format was a good choice for setting up all of these shots. I also like how the title of each episode is a question that has to be answered. Works very well in setting the main idea that the director wanted to get across in each episode. And, the next episode previews are the best I've seen. Really get you interested in what's going to happen next episode. And the preview for 13 was really, really, well done. No voiceover from the narrator or anything; just images along with a musical track that's been used often.
I'm absolutely going to lose it next episode, probably. I really care for both Tsubasa and Hikaru now (thanks to the great job done by the director) so watching it'll prolly be a bit tough if things go as I expect. Just thinking about it is a bit saddening. But.. hopefully we'll get a somewhat uplifting resolution. I'll be back tomorrow with the last episode (it's still downoading in eMule) and a review of the entire show.
Current Rating: An easy A+. One of the best shows I've watched.
Hehe... I kinda went on ahead and downloaded the next two episodes of Figure 17 while I had eMule running, too. michatta ;) Not gonna worry about a summary for these episodes 'cause we're well into the show now and saying much of anything would kinda spoil the whole thing for y'all, ne? Well, what can I say? It keeps on getting better and better. The mystery behind the Maguar is getting a bit deeper and well... my thoughts about something were correct.... but.... but.... Let's just say the ending of episode 9 had me a bit.... well.... surprised, yes... and actually a bit angry, too. As I was watching I said some things and kinda beat on my desk a bit 'cause I knew what was gonna happen.. But I really can't say anything about it 'cause it would spoil things. Gomen ;) Well, I'll have the actual DVD of these two episodes end of next month so I'll be back then with info on the DVD extras and such, I guess.
Current Rating: Solid A+, easily. Just 4 more episodes to go!
Back again with another set of reviews for Figure 17. I'm kinda having a hard time remembering the details because I was absolutely taken in by these two episodes, so I apologize :)
Episode 6 - Mamoritai mono wa imasu ka? (Is There Something You Want to Protect?)
Tsubasa and Hikaru are back in school now, and their class has decided to do a play for the upcoming festival. Sho-kun suggests that since there are twins in the class they should do a play with them in the lead roles. The class votes and decides to do that, with Sho writing the play. But, Tsubasa doesn't want to do play a lead role. It takes a bit of convincing from her teacher and Hikaru-chan to finally get her to have the confidence to do it.
Of course, the Maguar return in this episode. Oldeena and DD find the 6th and final Maguar, which is also the strongest because it has received the data that the other Maguar sent when they were killed. Out of all the episodes so far, this one has the most action. Even Figure 17 has some trouble with this Maguar, but they finally kill it.
Episode 7 - Sayonara wa iemasu ka? (Can You Say Goodbye?)
Man, this episode was a bit tough to get through in places. Just about felt like crying a few times. They really, really turned up the drama for this one.
In Tsubasa and Hikaru's class, we return to the play from the previous episode. Sho has finished the script for "The Twin Princessess" and the teacher has decided on the roles that everyone in the class will play. Watching the teacher announce the roles was pretty fun :).... but...
As you could probably tell from the title of this episode, somebody has to say goodbye. With all of the Maguar destroyed, Oldeena and DD have to return to their home planet.... And that means Hikaru, too... DD takes Hikaru out to tell her that she'll have to leave Tsubasa in a few days. Of course, Hikaru absolutely doesn't want that to happen and protests. It also turns out that DD is going to have to erase the memories of everyone they've come in contact with. Which means Tsubasa, too (I was ready to cry at this point).. But, Hikaru convinces DD to stay a bit longer so that she can be in the play with Tsubasa.
The class begins to practice the play now. The teacher telling Tsubasa that she needed to talk louder reminded me of how I was back when I was that age. Teachers (and friends) told me that all the time, too, and still do :) Now, the play itself is a story about the strong bond between twin princessess, and an evil wizard that wants to break that bond. Does that sound like a play with dual meanings or what? Yup, that often-used device is used again here to very good effect. Hikaru has trouble getting through some of the lines, one time breaking down in tears, because it reminds her of how Tsubasa and she will soon have to say goodbye. Tsubasa knows something is wrong, but Hikaru keeps saying everything's fine and says to not worry about it.
The investigative reporter that appeared in previous episodes is back again to investigate reports of strange events and stumbles upon some evidence of the Maguar at a place where DD and the rest fought one. He brings back a sample of it to a friend of his to analyze. And then... well, the story isn't over quite yet :)
Well, this set of episodes was absolutely great. I was glued to my computer screen for the entire time wondering what would happen once again. Episode 7 was rather tough to watch at times with all the talk of Hikaru leaving and everything. I'm pretty sure if that actually does happen I'll totally break down and cry ^_^;; But, we're only halfway through this show, so there's plenty more to happen. I am definitely going to preorder the next DVD which will be released end of March. There's no way I can miss seeing what happens.
Current Rating: A+. I bumped it up a notch since it's still good and getting better :)
However.... I do have one complaint, and I bet y'all know what it is. There are still some translation issues (sigh...). The opening is still wrong. And I listened a bit more closely for these two episodes and noticed some less accurate translations than I would have expected, and some more lines incompletely translated.
This post has been interrupted. Have to go pick up the computer since it's fixed! Itte kimasu!
Tsuzuku...
9:48PM: Okay, computer is all fixed up now. As I was saying....
The translation isn't exact, but I'm probably being a bit nitpicky. Overall, it's fine :) As for the extras this time, we get an 8-item art gallery, a recap of the first few episodes, and some promos. Not as much as last time, but better than the 1st DVD.
The 2nd Figure 17 DVD got here today, so here are my impressions of the 4th & 5th episode. And dang it, why didn't they correct the mistakes in the opening song translation? I might have to send a not-so-nice e-mail if it isn't fixed next DVD ;)
Episode 4 - Habataku kokoro wo motte imasu ka? (Do You Have A Heart that Soars?)
Hover your mouse over the images for my comments!
Lots of screencaps this time, ne? The show is 45 minutes long, you know ;) Anyways, in this episode school is letting out for the summer holidays and Tsubasa and Hikaru are with their class to camp out behind the school for a night... Wish I could've done stuff like that when I was in 4th grade... During the camping trip they do all kinds of fun things: making curry, watching fireworks, and snooping around the school at night when they're supposed to be asleep :)
On DD's side, his backup has arrived in the form of Oldeena, another officer, who seems to have a bit of an attitude. She wants the Maguar taken of her way, and doesn't want DD to have Tsubasa and Hikaru come along to help as Figure 17. It seems the Maguar have evolved very quickly in Earth's environment and have become more powerful than they've ever been before. Soon, DD finds the next Maguar, so he and Oldeena go off to take care of it.
But, the main thing that happens in this episode is that Tsubasa begins to open up a little bit more than before. She actually talks a bit more to her friends and also to a classmate, Sho-kun. At first, when she and Sho-kun are both getting the rice ready for the curry (yummy!), she doesn't really talk, only responding with "uh-huh"'s and such, not making for a very lively conversation (sounds a lot like me when I was that age). After that, Sho suggests that they take a look around the empty school, so they go to the music room and Sho plays a bit on the piano (A lot of anime characters can play piano!). He then asks Tsubasa if she's ever had a dream where she's flying (she says no). But near the end of the episode (after her and Hikaru have gotten rid of the Maguar as Figure 17) she sees Sho-kun and actually speaks up (yay Tusbasa!) to tell him that she had a dream that she was flying. To which Sho-kun responds with a smile and Tsubasa smiles, too. Hee, hee, hee, I think I know where this is going if you know what I mean :) We shall see if I'm correct.
I really have to praise Tsubasa's voice actor, Akiko Yajima, for her excellent performance so far. Acting a shy character is pretty tough, I would think, but she makes it come through very well. And believe you me, I know shy since I was pretty much like Tsubasa-chan when I was that age. All around, this was another excellent episode that kept my attention for the entire 45 minutes.
Episode 5 - Taisetsu na hito wa imasu ka? (Do You Have Someone Important to You?)
This episode focused more on another character on the farm where Tsubasa and Hikaru live, Sakura. She's your usual rebellious 8th-grader and refuses to help out and just wants to play around all the time. She really wants to go to a concert in Sapporo but her mother won't let her so they have a fight. Her mother then gets sick, so Sakura has to help out and cover all of her mother's duties at the farm. She does so very reluctantly and complains most of the time.
Tsubasa and Hikaru aren't really the main characters in this episode, so we mostly see them helping out around the farm with the cows and having fun, which is, actually, pretty fun to watch :) They also see Sakura's troubles and want to help out a bit and mostly just hope that she'll do better. In the end, Sakura does come around and realize that she's made a mistake and apologizes to her mother, and decides not to go to the concert anyways.
Figure 17 only shows up for a bit in this episode since Oldeena and DD were able to take care of the Maguar themselves this time with their upgraded weapons, which is a bit of a disappointment.. After that, Tsubasa and Hikaru go to see one of the cows give birth, and now they're in charge of the baby calf. And that's the end of this episode. I was kinda tired when I watched this episode so I almost dozed off about halfway through it (I should prolly watch it again). This was probably the slowest-moving episode of the bunch so far, but it was still pretty good. The next episode looks a bit more interesting. I'll have that one for y'all in the next day or two when the DVD gets here :)
This DVD had a nice extra with interviews with the staff of the show and a bit about how it was made, and how the director tried to make something different with an hour-long anime that only ran once a month. It was pretty interesting. And the promo commercial was pretty funny in a way. "Real SF Battle Action!" (SF = "science fiction").. Eeeeeehhh, not really. Yes, the action sequences are nice when they happen, but most of the time of each episode is devoted to character-building. And that blend has succeeded quite well so far :)
Revised Figure 17 video is up (better quality & higher resolution, too). By the way, here's The Alfee's website, if you want to learn a bit more about them... I had no idea they were all almost fifty years old ;)
Just finished watching the other two episodes on the DVD. And I definitely like this show now. I ordered the 2nd DVD (poof! there goes another $30). Anyways...
In these two episodes we learn a bit more about Hikaru, Tsubasa's twin formed after the Ribers (a living metal used to fight others and also to protect oneself) left Tsubasa after the fight with the Maguar in the first episode. The Ribers are supposed to return to their container after being used, but for some reason, they made Hikaru, who is exactly Tsubasa's twin and who has all of Tsubasa's memories. Now, even though they're twins, Hikaru is a totally different person than Tsubasa, totally different. She's a lot more outgoing and absolutely full of energy. And now she's living with Tsubasa and going to school with Tsubasa. It's definitely more exciting with her around. Tsubasa had that "Why did this have to happen to me?" look a lot during the 2nd episode because Hikaru was dragging her around all over the place and she wasn't used to being around someone with that much energy, I suppose. Of course, DD and Hikaru can't be found out by anyone so DD uses his powers to create a "mental block", making Tsubasa's father and everyone else think that Hikaru is actually Tsubasa's twin sister who came from her aunt's, and DD is now a freelance photographer taking pictures of Hokkaido. The 3rd episode focused on a basketball-ish game called Port Ball that the girls' class plays in PE. Tsubasa doesn't have that much confidence in her abilities and lets a girl on the other team they're practicing with push her around without fighting back. Hikaru will have none of it and tries to make Tsubasa have a bit more confidence in herself. By the end of the 3rd episode, Tsubasa has begun to come out of her shell just a bit, and it looks like that will continue in the next episode.
Of course, in both episodes the Maguar cause trouble. They seem to have adapted very quickly to Earth and have taken on different, stronger forms than before in both episodes. So, yes, the show has that bit of an episodic "fight of the week" feel whenever Tsubasa and Hikaru come together to make Figure 17 and fight, but it's a good "episodic". A big portion of each 45-minute episode is devoted to character development, so it's not just the same ol' thing over and over so it stays interesting (both episodes held my attention completely like the 1st). It reminds me of how Cardcaptor Sakura, and that's a good thing :)
So I'm looking forward to the next two episodes I'll be getting in a few days. Of course, I'll be back with impressions of those when they get here :) And I think I'll post the opening in a bit.
Current Rating: A (trend - up!)
Figure 17 DVD 1 finally got here today so I've watched the first 45 minute episode. (Warning: May contain spoilers. Read at your own risk!)
If this first episode is any indication of how the rest of the series will be, I'm going to really like this show! Our main character is Tsubasa, a 10 year old, pretty shy girl who has moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido with her father after her mother died. They moved there because Tsubasa's father has always wanted to be a baker, so he got a job at a bakery they had visited on vacation before. Tsubasa doesn't really seem to like her new life there.. School seems to be pretty rough for her: the boy who's supposed to help out with classroom chores doesn't help, another girl says that Tsubasa won't talk because she doesn't want to talk since she's from Tokyo, and her father misses Parents' Day because he was busy at work. After school, at night she sees a UFO crash near her house. Her dog runs after it and Tsubasa decides to have a look. Where she meets the alien who pilots the ship and his cargo, which is a rather nasty lifeform called a Maguar. Big mouth with tons of sharp teeth, spikes that protrude from it, and one big bulbous eye. Yuck :P The alien uses some kind of odd substance to make himself more powerful, changing into a different form, but he isn't able to kill the Maguar. Tsubasa is chased inside the ship by the Maguar, where she comes into contact with some of that substance, changing into what I'm assuming is Figure 17, a powerful bio-mechanical being. Tsubasa doesn't have a clue what's going on and Figure 17 moves on its own without her input as she's more of an observer. The voice inside says that it's "Another Tsubasa", and asks for Tsubasa's help to defeat the Maguar, which they eventually do. But what happens afterwards is odd... there's another Tsubasa!
I'm really impressed by this 1st episode. Tsubasa is a character I can identify with (I was shy when I was that age, too), and the way she's presented doesn't elicit the usual, "C'mon, say something!" response that's usually the case with shy characters in anime. The episode kept my interest for the entire 45 minutes, which is quite an accomplishment. I was surprised it had already been halfway through the show when the eyecatch showed (it's that animation that plays before/after a commerical break in the middle of a show). The animation is wonderful so far in widescreen 16:9, and the music is pretty good too. The opening sequence and song is great, showing both Tsubasa and the other Tsubasa, Hikaru in various situations. (I might post it a bit later on the video page). Anyways, I'm going to watch the other 2 episodes now to see what happens!
Current Rating: A
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