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Cinderella Boy
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Animation - 7.7 |
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Sound - 7.9 |
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Story - 7.2 |
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Character - 7.6 |
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Value - 7.0 |
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Enjoyment - 7.7 |
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Average - 7.5 |
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nikki |
2005-04-08 16:10:06 |
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Hilarious. There's really no point to the entire story, but it was enjoyable. I never got bored with it. It's definitely something for people that need a break from animes that induce thinking and just need something to laugh at.
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Ridian |
(2005-01-29 23:29:08) 2005-01-26 00:52:39 |
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| Average |
4.7 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| There are some things in life that are best appreciated slowly. A good meal, a powerful book, a vintage wine, all ripened by the steady savoring and the eventual appreciation. I can say without a single reservation that Cinderella Boy is not one of those things. It took me somewhere shy of three weeks to crawl through this brainchild of the man behind Lupin the 3rd, a rather sad fact considering it's a fairly digestible 13 episodes. By the time I'd finished it, I felt like I had just completed the 300th episode of some hyper-epic, except without the sense of personal pride or accomplishment. I knew exactly what my problem with Cinderella Boy was from the very beginning, and knew by the first few minutes that I wouldn't enjoy the series at all.
This really looks like a 2003 series, with crisp-looking animation quality in general; the problem is in its design. Cinderella Boy is just an ugly-looking anime without much of a doubt. The character design is uninspired (naturally Ranma looks like Lupin), animation is subpar and the few scattered fight scenes are little more than stills. Much like most of Cinderella Boy, it just doesn't grab you like it should.
One of the outstanding issues with the sound in Cinderella Boy was that sound effects CONSTANTLY did not match with their corresponding animation. Guns fired late, slaps hit their target too soon, and a whole lot of sloppy editing abounds. It really bothered me, personally; I thought we'd left problems like this behind with the early 80s. That aside, the rest of the music is unambitious. The OP was specially written for the show, and I love it; it's so horribly bad in a good sort of way. Overdramatic and chock-full of cheesy Engrish, just like I like it! Unfortunately, the ending theme is Japanese hip-hop and that in itself never works. And I HATE how that guy pronounces Eden. It drives me insane. No standouts in the voice acting department either.
In case you couldn't tell, Cinderella Boy is hardly the most ambitious of animes. That actually helps it to some extent in the story department, because it allows the anime to keep itself in check. Cinderella Boy's limitations are firm and it doesn't try to step outside of them; within its 13 episodes, it makes no attempts to develop a hyper-complex plot or grandiose cast of characters. Even then, though, Cinderella Boy's plot is really just stupid. It took me all of one episode to realize that it was a rather blatant cross between Lupin the 3rd, Ranma and Cinderella. The anime very obviously pays homage to all three of its sources (character design in general, male main character's name and female main character's name respectively) so it's not trying to be fresh or original. Unfortunately, this lack of inspiration is all too painful, and the entire anime has a 'seen-it-all-before' vibe about it. It has heart, but the fact stands that Cinderella Boy really doesn't do anything right. Most of the action in this anime consists of someone running away from something, which gets tedious...very tedious. The comedy is incredibly flat; I smiled two times throughout the entire series. Stranger yet is that the anime gets a bizarre lack of mileage out of the midnight gender-change plot convention. No guys ending up in drag, very few awkward naked scenes, and so forth. They wouldn't have been very funny regardless, but I just found it odd.
Cinderella Boy's actual story was pretty much all over the place. I incorrectly guessed two times which of the plot threads the anime would settle on before it set a path for itself, which led me to the revelation that almost all of this anime is filler. In fact, you can watch the first two and last three episodes and pretty much get the gist of the entire series right there. Everything in between those episodes is just dry, routine criminal cases that have Ranma and Rella running about and solving some played-out mystery. This filler is neither entertaining nor enriching; it's filler at its worst and most malicious, used solely to pad the series for lack of any better ideas. Then again, it's not like the main plot itself is exactly brilliant or exciting. I fell asleep for an hour during the first five minutes of the final episode at 4 PM while very much awake, and if that doesn't speak enough about my interest in Cinderella Boy I don't really know what does. To add insult to grievous, critical injury, the ending is one of the worst I've ever seen. It made the entire series feel like an even bigger waste of time.
In keeping with just about everything else to this anime, the characters are similarly uninspired and uncaptivating. Ranma, used primarily as (flat) comic relief, receives absolutely no backstory, while Rella is placed in more dramatic situations and has a rich episode-long history to her name. These characters are polar opposites, not just in personality (subdued and rational vs. rash and tempestuous) but in development as well. Ranma is very easily the poorly-developed character of the two, but Rella hardly demonstrates much growth of character either. Side characters are plagued with the same afflictions as well, with special mention going to the astonishingly annoying Aramis. Why do I feel like I'm incessantly repeating myself with this review?
Cinderella Boy gives rise to a new meaning for the word 'underwhelming'. The only thing really amazing about this anime is the amount of time that it took me to get through it; considering I can polish off a decent 13-episode series in five or six days, the pace this went at is yet another black mark against it. For all I've faulted it, and considering how much I dislike it, I can't help but admit that the anime does try really hard. It's got big shoes to fill as something of a Lupin predecessor, and of course it can't be expected to match up with it, rendering it all futile in the end.
I wonder why this hasn't been licensed yet. American Ranma/Lupin fans would be all over it...Considering I didn't much care for either of those series, I wonder if that has anything to do with my disdain for Cinderella Boy. :D
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| I just loved the oldschool feel this show had. Animation, sound and storyline, all similar to old animes such as lupin 3rd and the likes of it, and I love it. However, for a show that's meant to be a summer show and nothing more, you cant help but feeling that there is no real purpose to watching it, since the plot begins at episode 1,and (somewhat) ends at episode 13,so there's no real point to develop any characters or make a continues plot. Basically, you can watch the first episode, and the last 3 to get what happens, no real need for the episodes between them. Overall, It's a pretty fun summer anime, that you could spend you time with >.>
oh,and for those who say it's not original - BIG fucking deal. 90% of all animes are a replica of some other older stuff, so don’t be bitching about that.
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De Baer |
(2006-02-27 09:12:45) 2004-07-21 15:32:35 |
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| Average |
4.0 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| Cinderella Boy ist mal wieder ein Anime der den, spätestens seit Ranma 1/2, beliebten "Mann verwandelt sich in Frau und umgekehrt"-Plot beinhaltet. Mann muss aber gleich zu Beginn klipp und klar sagen das das die einzige Gemeinsamkeit ist die die zwei Serien inne haben (mal davon abgesehen das auch hier der Protagonist Ranma heisst). Cinderella Boy nutzt diese Tatsache gänzlich anders indem die Serie die Geschlechtsumwandlung mit einer Detektivstory, und dem lösen verschiedener Fälle mit dem sich die 2 ungleich geschlechtigen Hauptcharaktere auseinandersetzen, verbindet. Hört sich ganz nett an und nicht zuletzt das dieses Werk aus der Feder von Monkey Punch stammt der sich auch für Lupin verantwortlich zeichnet ließ auf eine unterhaltsame Serie schließen. Jedoch präsentiert sich Cindereall Boy vom Start weg komplett unspektakulär und unheimlich fad. Die Story ist zwar nicht gerade unoriginell aber der Verlauf bietet kaum Spannung und auch vermeintliche Höhepunkte konnten mir nicht mehr als ein Gähnen entlocken. Die Fälle die unsere Detektive zu lösen haben sind einfallslos und die Action schwach. Die Tatsache dass sich Ranma und Rella cinderella-like um Punkt 24 Uhr in die jeweils andere Person verwandeln ist zunächst noch ganz witzig mit an zu schauen und liefert der Serie einiges an Vorschusslorbeeren. Die werden jedoch schnell verpulvert wenn man Zeuge wird wie der Verlauf immer monotoner wird, sehr viele Episoden nach dem gleichen Schema ablaufen und die Serie mit einem mehr als öden Showdown ihr Ende findet. Fazit: Eine gänzlich unspektakuläre Serie die man nicht unbedingt gesehen haben muss und selbst Fans von Monky Punch sollten lieber bei Lupin bleiben!
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SouSou |
(2005-05-15 19:58:30) 2004-05-01 01:18:08 |
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Random downloaded anime. Even though this anime has so many bad reviews, it waan't really that bad. This is kind of like "part comedy, part detective" story. In my opinion, however, I don't think funniness mixed with detective seriousness will ever work out. In Cinderella Boy, it kind of work out, but, of course, it lost the seriousness that detective stories should have. It is a funny anime to watch, though. The story has kind of like an open ending. (Many short series has an ending like this. I wonder why.) Ramma and Rela obivously can't turn back to their original form (Two separated bodies), they still going to find the old scientist again so that they can have a chance to become normal again. It is funny that dispite how smart Ramma and Rela are, they still can't outsmart the old scientist, and loose their chance to change everything back. Alice's intention is unclear until the last 3 episodes. I think the story has a quite solid character development. The story, however, not quite perfect, because (as mentioned before), the tone of a detective story has been lost, and because of the funniness, it makes this anime to have a "Los Vegas" kind of feel into it. Although it's not perfect, it is still acceptable.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This anime is alot like
Cinderella + lupin III + some charlie's angel.
Its more to lupin III in animation. Which is not my type of animation. The sound is ok I guess. What you get from a action type anime. The story is so-so for the first part, & it gets better at the end. But really nothing here to hold my attention span. The only twist is that at midnight, ranma changes to rella, next midnight, rella changes to ranma. Most generic character design I have ever seen. The story takes place in a lawless city, crime is high. Not that worth for a collectible,s unless you are the type that likes lupin.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Okay, I enjoyed this right of the bat knowing it was Monkey Punch's latest work. And it was well done and a little different from some of his other works.. He did keep his orginal style of the old 80's style jazz man and the beautiful, seductive woman. The point of this is how Monkey Punch can involve a comedy into being a darker series down deep, as he did with his manga of Lupin III, and the movie Lupin III: Dead or Alive. He did not try to steal what had Takahashi Rumiko already created, even though in my opinion she ripped off Akira Toriyama's Dragonball series with Inu Yasha, the sence that two people now have the difuculty of living with disabilty of not living a full life. Rather than a man, going around as a woman during one day, and then his regular self the next, or vice-versa. Although Monkey Punch might have some comical twist during the series as the two change from each other, it is not intending on which Rumiko had planned to do with Ranma 1/2. Also, I would like to point out that Ranma is not a name that Rumiko came up with, it is name of a legend of a two sided person of both male and female. So, thus this anime has no tie ins with Ranma 1/2 except that evolved from the same concept. For people like the story of Lupin III, or perhaps Cowboy Bebop or some other animes with the marvelous suave character this is for you.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Yes it is Lupin meets Ranma, but it is something totally different and actually I find more enjoyable. There are 13 eps, and before watching know that it doesn't come to an end. That's the only downside. However, it is still and enjoyable ride from start to finish.
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wighty |
(2003-12-11 11:29:44) 2003-12-03 16:38:05 |
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| A fun loving adventure-detective (as oppossed to mystery-detective) show. It's good at everything but great at nothing. Good animation, good music, good stories, good fun, a little sexy, but nothing stands out as amazing.
A lot of people keep saying that Ranma changes into a woman, but he doesn't. He and the woman are two completely different people who tag-team at midnight. That said, I felt they did a pretty good job exploring some of the more interesting implications of such an arrangement.
Overall it's a fun Lupin-ish show that's good to sit back and take in without having to put much effort into it.
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Jeeto |
2003-11-02 20:22:19 |
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I don't get why people are so... angry about this. Ok, so the whole "Guy turning into a girl" concept has been used 80 billion times. But that's not really what this is about (after the first few episodes get sorted out). They're two separate people, who have to find a way to balance the fact that they have to pick up where the other one left off every time they switch. It's like, one day they're two separate partners, and now they're one whole partner.
I really like this anime so far (I'm watching ep 8 now), and although I hear the ending doesn't resolve the main conflict, I am enjoying finding out more about the pasts of Ranma and Rella. I'm also enjoying how the characters tend to have fairy tale related names - it's just too cheesy ^^. I'd like to know more about their relationship in regard to one another, but it seems they were mostly just friends. They're all such likable characters.
People need to stop bitching about how it's a Lupin and Ranma 1/2 ripoff. It's more just like vague references.
I hope there's a second season of this show.
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isokana |
(2004-11-17 20:38:32) 2003-10-28 15:45:09 |
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| Average |
6.3 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Not quite a jackpot. This is supposed a tongue-in-cheek action series but the action seems really pathetic to me. The humor makes you laugh a couple of times but that's it. The story is ok but too bad that the main problem remains unsolved.
Character design isn't too good either. Ranma is just a Lupin clone, which might make someone happy but it only irritated me. The woman (forget her name already) looks better but she isn't much of a personality either. Animation and sounds are nothing to praise about.
So watch this, if you have spare time to kill or like Lupin a lot.
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Faust |
2003-10-27 03:41:32 |
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| As many have eluded to, think Lupin combined with Ranma 1/2(not exact, but closest comparison) for the general idea of this series.
Don't go in expecting something it isn't meant to be, ignore the bare bones storyline and just have fun. I know I for one enjoyed the hell out of the series. Though it is a shame that it doesn't really get resolved in some fashion even if the story isn't the point.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Cinderella Boy is more like two seperate interweaving stories. In a sense, it has nothing to do with the gender bending comedy scene.
The two have a "connection" in more than just the body sharing sense. They believe each other to be dead after the "accident" and go on with their own lives. Lives filled with gaping memory gaps, that is. Clues are left indicating that the other is not entirely dead but as of episode 4, they are completely unaware of their special situation.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| The first anime I've ever seen influenced by the Rockford Files.
OK, this is my current favourite show. I'm a sucker for Monkey Punch stuff and the fact the second episode debuted Ranma's home/office sealed the deal. Why? It's a reference to classic detective show The Rockford Files. And once I saw that, I began to bits of Jim Rockford in Ranma.
That, and the fact they play the sex-change element decidedly different to where its been used before (Ranma, Futaba-kun, Tenshi no Komazaki (sp?)), makes it my favorite show of the latest season of anime.
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Sinai |
(2005-04-12 22:45:06) 2003-07-24 22:28:49 |
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Let's face it, genderbending is a great plot maker, and actual body switching even more so. To my knowledge it has never been used in a detective/thief story, and well, there you go, there's where this anime comes from. I'd hate to break it to some of the reviewers out there, but switching genders didn't originate from Ranma 1/2, so the constant whining about such is frivolous. The story is clearly different and in fact has a different premise altogether, and the only reason most people are associating it at all is the lead character's name, which obviously is a homage.
Anyways, the anime itself shows a good deal of promise...although there's some godawful Engrish in the intro and ending songs and I'll probably never get over the godawful aim of the various henchmen.
The promise bears out, and it's an excellent addition to Monkey Punch's resume. Very, very enjoyable.
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