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Saber Marionette J Again
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Animation - 8.1 |
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Sound - 7.9 |
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Story - 6.6 |
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Character - 7.4 |
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Value - 6.9 |
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Enjoyment - 7.1 |
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Average - 7.1 |
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Radeonic |
(2008-08-23 19:25:58) 2008-08-23 19:24:32 |
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This OVA sequel continues right where the TV series left off, with a new threat comes a new adventure. What will the marionettes do this time?
The animation is one big step forward. The drawings are much more crisper and colours much more vibrant. And this is probably one of the first anime to incorporate 3D elements into the animation. It also shows one of the first "official" cosplay in its opening theme? Which is a nice bonus. The sound continues from the same voice cast as the TV series, so as always, top quality there.
The story is quite a big letdown compare to the TV series. Instead of having an excellent story, it has turned into an actual harem anime. While the last two episodes did have some seriousness to its story, it doesn't really make much sense and provides with quite a few plot holes, especially with its maiden circuits problem. The fight is especially corny with its Terminator 2 style fighting, even the robot design is strikingly similar to the T2 villain.
The characters are similar as before, with the new member called Marine carrying the major plot to this OVA series. While she does bring in some interesting elements into the series, I don't think she has quite the right chemistry with Otaru and the rest of the saber marionettes.
This is a nice addition to the Saber Marionette universe, and a good continuation of the TV series. It is definitely not as good as the TV series though.
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petran79 |
(2007-11-30 06:46:12) 2007-02-28 10:41:34 |
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| Average |
3.0 |
| Animation |
0 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
0 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| I found this OVA overall decent and if it werent for that mediocre third episode I would have rated it higher.
It keeps the interest of the first season ongoing by adding another Marionette and including the country of New Texas, something missing in both the series. Too bad it doesnt give us more insights of that country as they did with Xian, Gartland, Japoness and Romana (this in R OVA).
The ending wasnt that good. Only thing that makes this worth watching are the characters. They reach the standards of season 1 (with the exception of ep 3). Before deciding to watch the series I feared that it would turn out like ep. 3 but fortunately this is the only exception.
If you liked the series give it a try. Or else avoid this as this is the most mediocre part of the Saber Marionette franchise.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This is one enjoyable anime, only that you must see SMJ first as it continues directly from the last episode. Another problem with this anime is that is not that linear, you actually need to see the short clips after each episode and the op, and ed as well as it gives you clues on what is happening before and after. A new character is introduced in this anime.
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Kori |
(2006-06-24 10:29:58) 2006-06-24 10:28:46 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Story:
*Warning, may contain spoilers*
The OAV series takes place where the TV show left us. The only human female, Lorelei, has been rescued and the three marionettes, Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry have returned to Otaru and so their lives continue like it has always been, minus the battle with Faust, leader of Gartland. What they didn't expect was that Faust would send his three saber dolls, Tiger, Luchs and Panther to him for an etiquette training and so he would have six marionettes under his roof, all with maiden circuits. If you've seen the TV show, you're bound to sense that there will be some trouble, although not serious. As if that wasn't enough, they meet a mysterious marionette, whom they later name Marine, who also has a maiden circuit. Who is Marine, why is she here, for what purpose was she created? Not even she knows the answer to those questions.
For six episodes, you can't expect the story to have a lot of depth, nor much character development but since this is a sequel, this isn't needed. All of that has been taken care of in the TV show. Instead, the OAV focuses more on the mysterious marionette, Marine, who is a lot more different from the other marionettes with maiden circuits than usual. Like the TV show, the OAV show speaks of friendship, loyalty, love and that you should always try your best and never give up, even when it seems hopeless.
Art:
I find the art in the OAV just a little better than the TV show. It's a bit cleaner and the colours are more vibrant.
In spite of that the OAV is about 9 years old (came out 1997), the art is still good enough to compete with many anime series made today. The characters flow naturally, from movements when fighting to the hair fluttering in the wind. In the TV show I could sometimes notice that certain scenes didn't have the same quality as it usually had. In the OAV, however, I noticed nothing of this, which, of course, is a good thing.
Character design has been changed slightly, almost unnoticeable. Most of the changes are done to the clothing; most noticeable on the saber dolls, as their battle clothes from their time working in Gartland aren't needed anymore.
Like the TV series, you can easily tell the difference between the marionettes and humans (if you don't count the fact that every female except for Lorelei is a marionette). Every marionette without a Maiden Circuit are portrayed stiff, and their eyes are drawn soulless. As for our heroines, their bodies have "edges" from where you can open and repair them if needed. In that sense, the style used in Saber Marionette J matches the concept perfectly.
Sound:
The voice actors from the TV show have been kept for the OAV. Stars like Megumi Hayashibara (Lime) and Hikaru Midorikawa (Faust) do a fantastic job portraying their characters personalities, although I have to admit that it felt a bit awkward hearing Faust speak so much in the OAV when he hardly had any lines in the TV show. I also want to take the opportunity to say that Takehito Koyasu does a wonderful job voicing the crazy Hanagata. It really can't be easy, especially when he seems to often get very calm and serious roles such as Hotohori from Fushigi Yuugi and Sir Isaac from Meine Liebe.
Comparing the voice acting between Japanese and English, the Japanese voice acting is far superior. Not only do they successfully portray the characters, but in doing so, they add personality to the characters. In the English version, the voice actors sound monotone, everyone sounding almost like the other, and that in turn makes the characters dull and uninteresting.
There are many songs found in OAV, most often as opening or ending theme. Often they're matched with how the episode has been; funky, happy or sad, and so they enhance the mood of the episode.
Presentation:
Throughout the 6 episodes, Saber Marionette J Again tries to keep up the humour in various ways, like raising the level of fan-service (the ecchiness, that is) and taking advantage of the fact that Otaru, being quite a shy guy, is living with seven girls, after all.
If you loved the first series you will most likely like this one as well, but if you thought the first series was mediocre then there's a slight chance that you will think this one is dull. The OAV is supposed to be like a bridge between the first series and J to X, but in spite of that, it can be skipped. It doesn't add to anything particular so you won't miss much, except for some minor character development of the old characters, mostly Lime.
Saber Marionette J Again is a nice addition to the series, although no necessary. It has some very great moments, and if you have seen the first series, I would warmly recommend this OAV.
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| Average |
5.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Saber Marionette J suffers greatly from being a mediocre franchise; like Tenchi Muyo and El Hazard, the first installment is as good as SMJ ever got (and it certainly was no masterpiece to begin with) and it can only go downhill from there. Saber Marionette J Again is meant to be a bridge between the first chapter and J to X; however, it’s a standalone work and unless you really, really, really want to know two insignificant plot points you can easily skip this. And I recommend doing just that because SMJ Again shamelessly wastes time in the first three episodes with brainless fan-service and completely unfunny escapades. And Lime is still terribly annoying. Even Hanagata (who I thought was amusing in the first series) grates on the nerves. On the upside, the six-episode OVA does pick up with the appearance of Marine and the anime sheds away most of the useless comedy near the end. It also has a fairly good ending. Unless you can get used to the unattractive and out-of-place Cgi and recycled J-pop and unless you really, really, really like anything involving big-breasted robots, then you should avoid this. Not recommended.
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psyte |
2005-07-26 01:45:21 |
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| True fans of Saber marionette J should apreciate this 6 episode OVA. It starts off a little slow but there is some decent character development and even a storyline. Ill admit, at first this seemed WAY different from the saber marionette J i knew, but by the 2nd episode i was hooked.
The animation was pretty amazeing in my opinion. I had no idea computer animation was that advanced back in 97 and it gets used quite a bit throught the series.
Im not sure if its just me, but the english voice actors seemed different from saber marionette J. This really threw me off in the beggining and it kind of made the first 2 episodes a little hard to swallow. sound effects were great though and the different opening/ending themes were a nice touch
The story was pretty good, although nothing was mentioned about the previous ending. This was sort of a side story that didnt have much at all to do with the first saber marionette story.
A new character gets introduced in this one, she doesnt stand out too much at all though and resembles cherry's personality alot. Lime seemed a little different too, she didnt seem to have her normal "I love you otaru!!!" personality. she was alot more care free than i rerember.
Overall, In the end i really enjoyed this Saber marionette OVA. I didnt think very highly of it in the beginning, but it really grew on me after a while (as did the first season.) I would only recomend this to fans of the first season, because I can tell this was something that was made "just for the fans". Theres alot more ecchi than normal too. Make sure you watch the first season of Saber marionette J before you watch this otherwise you wont understand anything thats going on.
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| Average |
5.0 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| I went back and saw this again... since its been a long time since i saw it....Animation quality is quite crappy....
I guess this anime is pretty cute in terms of atmosphere, again a lot of girls are trying hard in weird ways to get Mamiya Otaru's love/attention ... so that they can win faust's love... its all humor, and they dress up in weird costumes or do weird things
there isn't any seriousness at all in this one unlike the series where it got to be pretty dramatic and enjoyabe... Lime is pretty cute with her obsessions, but everyone else just seems excessive and it goes too far for humor.... that it got boring
i'd say only watch this if you enjoyed SMJ and wanted more of Lime, else, dont touch this.
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maya |
(2005-02-08 12:48:53) 2004-12-08 09:13:28 |
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| Average |
5.0 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Ah, well this was certainly not very good. It was just a continuation of Saber Marionette J. It seems like 6 new episodes. There is much less action, a little more drama, but I don't believe it is as good as SMJ.
The story is kind of boring. Definitely not aiming at being original. Just Otaru surronded by cyber women, because you have not only his three marionettes, but also Faust's three marionettes... all living together. How boring and predictable. Then... surprise...another marionette comes! YAY. For a while you have just everyday life... in a house full... of marionettes. But then, in a strike of genius, the creators of this OVA decided to include some mystery and action into the story... with poor results I might add. No, this is a clear disappointment after SMJ. Terrible.
The animation... seems worse to me. It's brighter and less... fluid? I can't really explain, it just doesn't seem right.
The sound was bearable. They even had nice background music sometimes.
The characters... were just a bit more dramatic. Well, aside of seeing Faust appear as one of the good guys, I actually had no surprises in this department. The new marionette seemed too clueless and idiot for my taste (and she just grows up suddenly in the last episodes...).
Well, don't expect much from this OVA. It's not that difficult to watch, it's just mediocre. Nothing stands out as good, except, perhaps the fact that Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry (especially Lime), seem to grow up a bit. Standard and rather silly action story and they certainly haven't made improvements in the animation.
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| Average |
5.8 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| A definite disappointment, Saber Marionette J almost reads like a fanfiction set to visuals, rather than a genuine followup. This is "thanks" to its slightly out-of-character dialogue, short, shallow plot, and totally lackluster animation (or, often, lack thereof). Though if you're a real SMJ fan, you may appreciate the opportunity for a revisit, a lot of what gave the original series its charm is gone in SMJ Again, leaving a deflated husk behind. At least they keep things a tiny bit fresh by changing the opening/ending credit animations and songs almost every episode, even if that does mean that at one point one is exposed to a genuinely horrifying bit of cosplay.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
5.8 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| Hmm.. after a suprisingly good series from Saber J, i was looking forward to this sequel, and it turned out bitter than sweet.
The main problem this series had was the shortness of it, 6 episodes doesn't fit in enough development, story and very little value at all.
Another problem also stemmed from the animation, i thought the animation was worse than the original series suprisingly, even though there were some good use of CG graphics, it all felt very tacky and i was almost dumbfounded by the change.
Character-wise, Marine is a nice little addition to the team, semi-interesting but could have been a hell of a lot more interesting if more episodes were put into it. The usual cast are there as well and nothing has changed from them
Story-wise, well definetely not as good as the original, from what i gathered it contains Marine who is made by New Texas(?) which contains 3 maiden circuits and also the power to control/absorb plasma. She is the vital instrument in saving Terra II from a disaster, however she is flawed and the New Texas guy wants to stop her (reason unknown from what i've saw). Sorry, i didn't get the story but generally, that's what happens.
Overall, 6/10
Grade, C
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I can sum this series up as, if you liked season 1 you'll probably like this as its just a continuation of it with more fan service. Don't get me wrong, they didn't turn the series into an ecchi, just back when this was made it seemed to be expected that if you made an ova for an tv series that it would have atleast one episode that took advantage of the fact that they didn't have to deal with tv censorship. Anyway I didn't think the overal story was even as close to as good as the first season, but it was still good enough to keep me interested. The animation was improved but I was fine with the original animation so that wasn't really a big deal to me. Interestingly this series did make a few permeant changes to the series that, while not imperative, would make it worth your while to see it before moving on to season 2, J to X.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| The second installment of the Saber Marionette J series, this one is actually more or less ep 26 of the first series split in 6 seperate eps. A good followup to the original series it is, and this time with a deeper focus on comedy, at least for the first half. However they do this without making the story element lacking and so it proves to be a must-see for anyone who viewed the first series.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The first couple of episodes are a bit too playful and fanservice-y for my liking but the main story here is great. Lots of character development, even for already well established characters, and it's good to see the former villians hanging out with Hotaru ^_^. Ties up some of the loose ends from SMJ nicely. If you watched SMJ, you gotta watch this.
Animation is very nice but the music and voice acting (dub) are below SMJ. There is a new dub cast that doesn't fit nearly as well as the original cast and although there are many new opening themes, none match up to the originals.
Still, definitely worth a watch.
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| A rare follow-up OVA in that it actually manages to improve on the show it was based on.
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Souju |
2003-01-22 01:15:29 |
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Offers some continued maturity with the marionettes, primarily, like the first series, Lime. Again, Cherry and Bloodberry don't get nearly as much focus as they could get, if it weren't for the whole trinity thing the series could almost work without them (this one would work just as well without Bloodberry in it)
But, this series IS about a new marionette who, like every other character, doesn't get the same development as Lime (both of them go through puberty at the exact same time [a period of, um, one episode])
I was glad that this series used Lorelei a lot and showed her depressed side.
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Omega |
2002-08-19 23:58:20 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Well getting a slight face-lift, animation wise, we have the same cast from Marionette J, plus another one. Don't you think six is enough already? Well it doesn't matter because it wasn't actually bad, what made this one a little better was the animation and the story was quite unique, and explains the whole three girls to one guy thing.
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