Monday, October 14, 2013

First Impression Kinda Thing #1: Coppelion

Well, I finally had some time to spare so I decided to start doing some early first impression reviews of the new fall season. I don't usually watch to much seasonal anime, but I decided to give some of the new ones a try. I felt like it would be easier to squeeze out more content by having some shorter reviews. Anyways, today's review (first impression/ whatever) will be for the mysterious anime Coppelion.


Synopsis:

In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion so search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?

Plot:

I admit that I did just copy this synopsis from myanimelist.net. But honestly, if I didn't read this synopsis I wouldn't have even known what had happened. The show mentions a catastrophe but isn't really specific. This leads to the first problem of the show: It doesn't explain much. (If I haven't mentioned if already, these opinions are all based on watching only the first episode and even though a new episode may be out this week, I haven't watched it yet.) The episode begins with the three girls, Aoi, Ibara, and Taeko, walking down a broken and deserted road. They seem to be the only ones around and the city seems to be in ruin. The girls end up saving a man in a "hazmat" (radioactive protection gear), with the man mentioning that the girls "aren't wearing suits". We learn now that Coppelion, are genetically modified humans -puppets- for humans to use. Otherwise the episode doesn't deliver too much else in terms of info. The plot is very open right now, and I have absolutely no idea where it is going next. So, although the first episode is only "okay" plot-wise, the mystery and suspense, not to mention the cliffhanger at the end, are enough for me to continue to watch the series. There is a manga for the show, but I don't intend on reading it, and I don't intend on reading any manga for the anime I review. Or at least nothing from my reviews will be based manga that I read.
Moving on, I feel like this series has a whole lot of potential. The mystery/unknown aspect of the show is on a very grand scale. We really don't know too much about the show; I mean like 15-20% of the show is just the girls walking around complaining about how tired they are. Anyways the direction in which the plot and story move will be really important for the show. I felt like the first episode was only a safe pass and the show may have already lost some viewership. In order to gain back some of the viewership, the show will have to improve its ability to inform the audience of the general plot, but still introduce more mysteries. The problem was that everything was a mystery and nothing was really explained. The show has an interesting concept with the genetically modified humans and the nuclear catastrophe, but it's not something we haven't seen before. I'm hoping for the best, because I really want to enjoy this series. Anyways, hopefully the Gohands (the production studio) will deliver.

Overall: An only "okay" start clouded in mystery, that has a ton of potential.
Score: 6-8/10



Sound:

There honestly isn't much to talk about  here. There was barely any music and what there was was mostly sound effects. Anyways, there were no holes in the voice acting and that's about it.

Overall: Nothing to talk about.
Score: ?


Animation:

I've never really heard of the studio, Gohands, but looking at a list of their works , I'd say they should do okay. Actually I really haven't a clue of any of their previous anime, but art in the first episode is pretty decent. To start off with we have some nice detailed and  beautiful looking backgrounds and scenaries. They are all very colourful and really help to demonstrate just how far the industry has come. Now the character animation is a bit different. The animation of the characters is much different than that of the actual scenery. It's as if the characters are more cartoony and jump off the proverbial page. They stand out with some bolder coulouring and each of them has a distinct black outline around them. I don't know where they are going with this, but I feel like it will benefit in the long, if the show can achieve the potential that I think it has. The show seems to be very character-driven, and if they end up making a good plot and story to back it up, it will surely be a success. The difference in animation will hence help us to notice the characters and their potential hardships ahead.

Overall: Good animation, with potential big payoffs if the series pans out with a nice story and plot.
Score: 7-9/10

Characters:

The two secondary girls, Aoi and Taeko, aren't anything too special, yet. There isn't really much shown except that Aoi is the more energetic type while Taeko is your standard shy anime girl that wears glasses. It should also be noted that Teako is the first to be revealed to have been tampered with genetically.  For some reason she has an unusual  attraction and love for animals, which explained by her genetics having been altered. Anyways, the only real important character to note is "leader" girl, Ibara. She is a very weird character to say the least. She is unpredictable and it's hard to really define any traits for her. Her portrayal as a character is really unexplainable. One minute she is a strong leader, the next she is happy-go-lucky, next she'll be a relaxed and laid back; I just don't know who she is. She is almost certainly the main protagonist of this venture, yet she seems already to be so.... random. Hopefully the creators fix this problem in the future, and either define her personality or try to explain this phenomenon (maybe its in her genetics???) Anyways, she is definitely the wonkiest of the characters and should serve to be an interesting in the future.

Overall: A somewhat interesting cast, with a weird and unpredictable main protagonist.
Score: 6-7.5



Enjoyment:

What can I say... It was kinda enjoyable. The feel and the atmosphere of the show was really good. If it is geared more towards a mystery/suspense and character heavy genre, then I feel it is doing well. The shading and mood/atmosphere really help put these factors into place. It was an introduction to what I hope will be a great show, maybe even one of the best this season.

Overall: It does well for a mystery/supsense and Seinen series.
Score: 7-9

Conclusion:

This is definitely a show that will require some commitment. I think that enjoying this show will require the viewer full attention and the reward in the end may or may not be good. I have already set myself on watching it, but if you aren't committed to watch the whole thing, then I suggest not watching it. The best solution would be to check out a few episodes to see if you like it or not, then proceed as necessary. What I also suggest is that if you don't plan on watching this, then wait until the season is over and read up on some reviews for the show, because I think that this show could be a big hit.
Anyways, the

BOTTOM LINE:

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The show has huge potential and I'm looking forward to seeing how the creators shape this anime.



As always hope you guys enjoyed, and Follow, Comment, Thumbs Up, and CYA!

In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.9
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.99
In 2016, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defense forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/9479/Coppelion#UKCBKXc4fqkqmxrx.9

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