V Reviews - ACCA: The most brilliant world without an interesting story

Yes, anime Winter season 2017 has come to its end, so it's time to review some Winter anime now that they've completed. Last Sunday I already gave my review on Koro-Sensei Quest, now we have ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department.

Why these two first? Because the disappointments are easier to vent my frustrations into. Anyway, let's get this show on the road

V Reviews: ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.

Backstory

Mangaka Natsume Ono is born in 1977 and started off doing her regular job (never told what), while writing some fan-manga as a hobby (*cough*Boys Love doujins*cough*). This under the moniker "basso".

But after a trip to Europe in the early 2000s, she was swayed by the way how European comics are made (especially the Italian comic series Corto Maltese) and wanted to integrate that look-and-feel into her own manga.

Not too long after that trip, she quit her regular job and has been focusing on creating manga. And she's been quite successful at that. Some of her stories are short-lived, while others have become a big success. Previous hits of her were Ristorante Paradiso (2005-2009, anime in 2009), House of Five Leaves (2006-2010, anime in 2010), Futagashira (2011-today, Live Action drama running since 2015) and now also ACCA (2013-2016, anime in 2017).

Most of her manga appear in a monthly form in different monthly magazines. In the case of ACCA, this series was published in Square Enix' Monthly Big Gangan magazine (huh, didn't knew Square had its own manga magazine). And in Winter 2016-2017 Madhouse made sure to give a proper adaptation of the manga.

If you want to follow what Ms. Ono has to say, you can follow her on twitter @ono_n_info

Also, on a side-note: watch this short documentary/interview with her on the creation of ACCA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikN8WxeL3KY

And no, this is not the only YouTube video featuring her. While many mangaka are camera-shy, Natsume apparently has been filmed a few times over the past few years, even while doing her drawings. So search around, you may find a few more video's of her.

Story

The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of Dowa, which is split into 13 different states who have their own level of autonomy and somehow looks like a peace dove giving a shit.

Like literally taking a shit...

While there is a royal family that "controls" the country in a peaceful matter, it is mostly up to ACCA to uphold the actual peace. ACCA is thus nothing more than a police force of sorts. And FYI: No, ACCA is no abbreviation. It's the name of the species of bird that is the shape of the country, as well as the countries' national bird (who went extinct, sadly enough).

Our main character Jean is part of the inspection division of ACCA, occupied with inspecting all different states. Over the course of the anime, Jean visits each of these states for an inspection. And while we visit each of these states, we also get a glimpse on the daily life of Jean, his best friend Nino and Jean's sister Lotta.

They look so well together

But while Jean goes on his daily job, there's the consistent rumor that a coup d'état is going to happen and Jean is somehow involved in this. And everybody seems to be aware of this, except Jean.

We're lead on a wild goose chase where nothing is as it seems...

Characters

Lots of different characters, including the Five Chief officers of ACCA, the Inspection department itself, other ACCA members, the members of the Dowa Kingdom court and obviously also our three main characters.

	Jean Otus: Main character. Chain smoker in a country and time where cigarettes are considered a luxury product. He and his sister are orphaned at a young age, but are able to keep their lives by also maintaining a big apartment complex (though we're never actually shown if he does something about that building). He has a constant look of being uninterested in everything (though that's a recurring thing in Ono's characters), but is intelligent and very much loves peace.
	Nino: Best friend of Jean who shows himself to be a freelance reporter and photographer. But next to that, he has a lot of shadowy side-jobs which may put him on opposite sides of his friend.
	Lotta Otus: Jean's sister who loves bread, cake and motherf**king tea. She's innocent and aloof and is mostly either ignorant or just not knowledgeable of everything happening around her. And that may be for the better...

Animation

This is Studio Madhouse. They have a solid track record of animation, thus there's not much you can critique about it. The studio is able to upkeep the specific art-style of Natsume Ono and goes all the way with it. Although...

If I may nitpick a bit. There's a bit of quality loss from time to time, especially in the last episode. While it had been an artistic choice in this anime to not draw eyes when a character is thinking hard about something, or is trying to hide something... there's still a difference to a handful of characters without eyes, and a complete lack of any facial expression whatsoever. Sometimes the characters thus turn into almost unrecognizable blobs. Though again, it's really only noticeable in the final episode.

Sound

Best Soundtrack of the Winter season, without a doubt. The opening theme ("Shadow and Truth" by ONE III NOTES) is one of the better opening songs I've heard this year (though that's not saying much considering it's still April). And the entirety of the Soundtrack is jazzy and smooth. It's really chill to listen to.

So what's wrong with it?

Let's get this out of the way. ACCA has INCREDIBLE world building and character designs. For a series of only 12 episodes, this is very exceptional. Heck, even for longer running series it's exceptional for the world to be this detailed. Every single state has its own look-and-feel. Its inhabitants are its own people with its own motivations. And since Jean visits every single state, you get to experience it in some way. And it's all very well done, both with general design and its people.

Each one of these characters is so well developed, you could see them all as main characters

But... the story that takes place in this amazing environment is boring.

EVERYTHING that this story sets up to do ends with a sizzle. At the end, nothing exciting has happened. And even the few red herrings the show tries to keep in front of us, ends up being nothing too interesting. And that's a crying shame.

Throughout this series there are several plot twists that make you think: "Oh, that suddenly makes this anime more interesting". But each time you got your hopes up that the series will reveal itself to be something amazing, the plot thread ends on a low note, and Jean continues to visit another state instead, bringing some cake or bread home.

And that's all that really happens! They eat bread and cake; they go out to have a drink and visit some people in their state. Anything you assume is going to happen is of 0 importance to the rest of the story. If you have any hopes of this turning into an action series, a political thriller or even a regular drama... you're at the wrong address. Because NOTHING HAPPENS!

And while in some series I wouldn't mind that nothing really happens (see my upcoming review of Dragonmaid for that), in this setting it's really really BAD that nothing happens. Mostly because the world building is so well done, because all the characters are so well developed and because the story is so well started. Because of all this it's so sad that nothing is really done with it.

After watching the last episode I was just yelling out loud: "Can somebody take this story away from its creator and do something good with it?" Everything is there to make a good story! To either make an exciting political thriller, or a character driver drama! Just DO SOMETHING WITH IT! Don't waste it all this amazing potential with this waste of a story!

Yes, I'll admit. The "plot twist" in the last episode (not spoiling it) is something that is normally not done in anime, nor in fiction in general. And this is thus a VERY unique approach in storytelling... But it's with a good reason that nobody does this kind of twist. It's just boring to watch/experience.

Personal Enjoyment and Opinion

As you may have noticed from this "little rant", I have issues with this anime. I wanted to enjoy it. But each time I invested my time in the story, I was let down because nothing really happens in the end. And I've been let down a little too much in this story.

So I give this anime a 6/10. It's not bad, but the story is forgettable and sometimes even infuriating to watch. Too much story potential goes to waste for it to be really good or memorable.

Recommendation: Skip it. Even if you do bother watching it, you're going to forget about it a little too fast.

Until next time, V out.

And yes: Next time will be more positive again.

V Reviews - One Punch Man: One hit wonder, or something more?

Let's go back a few years. 2015 was a mediocre year for anime. Only a handful of titles were really good, with lots of the "best of" rewards going to a select few, or to second/third seasons of an ongoing anime (like JoJo), or even to anime that started airing in 2014 (Like Shirobako and Your Lie in April).

The few new titles that ended up being above average were Assassination Classroom, Food Wars, Death Parade... and obviously the phenomenon called One Punch Man.

And One Punch Man truly was thé hype anime of 2015. It only took one episode until people started loving it and started jumping on the hype train.

So let's get back to this one and review it properly.

V Reviews - One Punch Man Season 1

Backstory? The Dream of EVERY webcomic artist ever

The story of web artist turned mangaka "ONE"is truly is a Hollywood story of how a Japanese guy making web comics somehow created one of thé hypes of both 2015 and 2016 (and if Season 2 of OPM is any good, then even 2017!).

Lots of people like to draw comics and many of them publish those comics on the internet. And you can call yourself pretty good if a few thousand people are reading your stuff on a daily/weekly basis. You can call yourself amazing if you end up having a million readers or more, let alone do that for several years ongoing.

But how did a webcomic like One Punch Man slide under our radar for so long? Well, it's the same reason why so many other great comics (both on the web and on paper) slide under the internet radar: it's in the author's native language instead of English. In this case thus: Japanese.

To give an indication of how popular it got in Japan: The web comic got launched in 2009 and after the peak of its first hype (back in June 2012), the site already passed 7.9 million hits... from a limited audience that can read Japanese. It's a number that many comic creators can only dream of, even if publishing in English. And that was only the beginning.

In 2012, Eyeshield 21 mangaka Yusuke Murata was looking for a new hit after his Eyeshield manga ended and his next attempts all "misfired". Let's put it like this. He's an amazing artist, but his storytelling skills are... ehhh....

Yeah, I re-used an image. It's still relevant!

After reading the One Punch Man web-comic Yusuke contacted the web comic creator with the pen-name "ONE". They started collaborating and made a few one shots. And after they figured out they could work well together, Yusuke started creating a manga variant of the One Punch Man web comic. Same story, but with actual top-quality graphics. It got quickly published in Shueisha's Weekly Young Magazine online edition and it became an instant hit.

After that, it quickly got picked up by Viz for an English release and in 2015 it was picked up for an anime release as well. And from that point onward, more and more people were looking at the series for the first time and started falling in love with it.

So now, there's a 12-episode series, a special, a 6-episode OVA which was included on each DVD release and a second season in the making. So the hype-train is once again set on full force!

On a side-note, if you want to read the original (crude) web comic, you can visit ONE's original website: galaxyheavyblow.web.fc2.com

Story

Saitama is a jobless guy who took it upon himself to train his ass off to become a hero. And after three years of intense workout (so intense he lost ALL of his hair), he somehow obtained godlike powers.

An amazing workout routine

Saitama is suddenly able to take enemies out with One single Punch. What does he do with those powers? Nothing, really... He had hoped to become a superhero, but forgot a few of the basic steps to become a registered superhero (you know, like actually trying to register).

He does fight the monsters in his neighborhood. But since he can take them out in one punch, the fights usually bore him.

"Okay". The face of many memes

After being annoyed by a mosquito and trying to kill every single musquito he sees, he encounters and incidentally saves the Cyborg Genos.

Saitama hunting a mosquito is the most satisfying thing ever...

Genos is so impressed by Saitama's powers that he instantly wants to become his apprentice. And while Saitama is initially opposed to the idea of him being a mentor (he doesn't see himself as very special), he's convinced pretty quickly when Genos suggests he will cover the rent for their apartment.

Together they have a mission (somewhat) to turn Saitama into a registered, popular and respected hero.

The entire show has a "Monster of the week" formula in terms of storytelling, but the ongoing story of Saitama's journey to become a respected hero while being overshadowed by Genos. And boy, the dark comedy that's layered all throughout the series, make it very enjoyable to watch and keep watching.

Characters

While there are lots of minor characters in this series, the following can be counted as the main cast:

	Saitama: The hero of the story. If you need to cut this character open, you'll see pieces of Luffy (One piece), Gintoki (Gintama) and even Takashi Kamiyama (Cromartie High School). Overall an interesting character who can act very weird and lazy at one moment, jealous and greedy at other moments, but heroic when needed.
	Genos: The lone survivor of a brutal assault by a crazy cyborg. Became a full-body cyborg himself to get revenge. But when faced with Saitama's power, he decided to become his apprentice to become a better man himself. Gets (partially) destroyed a few times throughout the series, but due to him being a cyborg he's restored (and upgraded) prety easily.
	Speed-o-Sound Sonic: The Redundant redundancy ninja. Is an assassin/bodyguard for hire and the most recurring antagonist of the show. He has a fixation on killing Saitama, but is obviously unable to do so. Watching Sonic and Saitama interact is like watching the Roadrunner cartoons with the roles switched around (which is actually just as hilarious to watch).
	Mumen Rider: A parody on Kamen Rider. Is a guy with a bike who tries to save people. He somehow always shows up where Saitama is saving the day and sometimes even gets credit for the work that Saitama does. Though all in all, he's just a nice guy!
	Bang: The Martial arts master. The third ranked S-class hero and one of the first who sees through Saitama and recognizes his immense power. He wants Saitama to inherit his martial artist "school", but he obviously doesn't feel like it.

Art and Animation

You know that animation can either make or break a good anime series. But goddammit, they REALLY nailed it with this one. Studio Madhouse has taken the license for the anime (a name that is a quality label by itself).

Boom! Nailed it!

But if you hear people say One Punch Man is more of a Bones anime than a Madhouse anime, that's mostly due to Madhouse getting in contact with Bones regular "Shingo Natsume" and his book of talented (freelance) animators. Shueisha and Madhouse wanted top notch animation and absolutely wanted Shingo on this, since he has become a brand name by itself (animating/directing series like Welcome to the NHK, Ikki Tousen, Guren Lagann, Space Dandy and others).

And you see throughout the series that this has been directed by somebody who has been an animator for his entire career and can communicate very well with his fellow animators. The show flows really well and there are some animation elements visible from Guren Lagann and Welcome to the NHK).

On a side-node. If you want to know more about Shingo and his book of animators, Youtuber The Canipa effect did a two-parter focusing on the animation of One Punch Man. Go watch part one and part two here. Go give it a watch. He deserves it!

Sound

The soundtrack sounds good, but it's really the Opening song ("The Hero" by The Jam Project)that stands out!

There's only a limited number of Opening songs I'm willing to let play without pushing the "skip" button on my media player, but this is certainly one of them. A song clearly made for the show, but it's full of power and invites to sing (or yell) along.

Personal opinion and conclusion

In a year that was overall pretty mediocre, this is the one show that rose above it all and ranked in the highest position for many best-of-the-year lists (including mine). This is an amazing show I've loved watching from beginning to end without breaks and has lived up to its hype.

Is it for everyone? Probably not. This is and remains a somewhat dark comedy with superheroes and monsters. It's seinen by nature. So if you're not into hero shows, or if you're more into lighthearted and moe-type animes, you probably won't like this as much. But it's a must-see for everyone else!

My score: 9.5/10: Near perfect! Can't wait for what Season 2 brings this coming fall.

On a side-note: This review came out nearly two years too late...

Yeah, um... I have to apologize for this review. This is a review that has been sitting on my "to do list" since 2015. This has been fully written and was supposed to be published after my Fate Stay Night review and my Ghost in the Shell Arise review (which is also still in "concept mode" on this blog).

But due to season two being in the works and an upcoming review for Mob, I wanted to get this out of the way first.

So next review is Mob Psycho 100. Until then, V out.