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NIGHT HEAD GENESIS
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Animation - 6.4 |
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Sound - 6.2 |
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Story - 5.0 |
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Character - 4.6 |
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Value - 4.4 |
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Enjoyment - 4.2 |
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Average - 5.1 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| When I first approached Night Head Genesis as a potential series to watch, I came into it with the heaviest sense of skepticism and almost nailed the coffin shut on any chance of coming into it, only to be completely blindsided by what ended up as a decent watch, at worst considerably average in the progression of a series within its respective genre. For its respective year, I thought it ranked a bit above the standard fare found in peer anime series.
The premise lends similarities to peer supernatural/psychological series in an episodic format. One might even be reminded of the American series Supernatural, about brothers who embark on a journey while battling against the odd, yet dangerous creatures, spirits and scenarios that threaten humanity, all while having an ultimate part to play in a much deeper plot. Other series similarities would lend into the supernatural/psychological underpinnings of series like Boogiepop Phantom and Mokke.
Night Head Genesis, however, tells a different story within a similar coat, based on a 1992 Japanese live action series, and the feel of the series does seem like live-action converted to an animated format. Brothers Naoto and Naoya were sent away at a young age from their home, cast away for their rather unique abilities. Naoto possesses a psychokinetic ability, moving and destroying objects at whim or in the flame of aggravation, while Naoya possesses a psychic ability. Branded as outcasts, they are kept within a barrier and hone their powers in a laboratory until 15 years later, when they find themselves able to escape it and embark on a journey to find their parents as well as the truth behind their respective memories.
I could name what prevented this series from ranking among being a favorite for me, and it was mainly the lack of having an easily likable set of main characters and some very loose plot strings that aren't quite tied by series end. The quality of the stories also factored into this, since some stories were so engaging they urged me to keep going forward, while others tended to drag its feet and leave a more average impression.
I will progress into further detail about the series technical aspects, but in brief: Animation standards seem dated for its respective time, but are actually so consistent and fitting to its overall mood, it's difficult to take too much from it. The music (save for the 1st ending theme, which I wasn't particularly taken by) was very good - haunting, lush and engaging though admittingly shows a bit of age and I wonder if it was composed in the same scheme as the original LA series. Story was variable in quality, some episodes were stellar in presentation, while others weren't of the best measure, yet the overall series maintained a linearity that could be enjoyed by a viewer who likes progressively paced supernatural series. Characterization left much to be desired on some levels, but wasn't so lacking that there weren't measurable moments of good development, especially for the two protagonists. I felt close to the brothers, but I didn't feel the series made the conflicts they faced as dimension as they could have been on all levels.
I feel the series is at least worth watching once for measurable value, and gradually, not in one big dose. I disagree with many who say this is a poor series, because its intended audience focuses on those who love progressive, albeit episodic supernatural mystery series, with a bit of languidly paced suspense and dark humor. It's also intended for those who don't mind a familiar premise with differential elements to distinguish it. Despite its working cliches, it does a fine job of developing its respective story. If only it had developed the characters just a bit deeper, especially the villains, this could have been an excellent series.
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Avalanche |
(2007-05-29 21:05:26) 2007-05-29 21:04:18 |
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| Average |
3.0 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
2 |
| Value |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
| This review is dedicated to the eight and a half hours of torture endured by me. This torture was called Night Head Genesis.
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| Average |
5.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| A mixed up anime, so much so in fact, it took me a while to figure out a respectable score for it.
Ok, i keep this short because NHG is a hard one for me to review, mainly because i know that alot of people won't be looking into this anime in a hurry, or that people who have already watched it recommend it to other anime fans.
NHG is a mix bag, its very slow-paced nature becomes its necessary weakpoint, in the sense that NHD doesn't want to become an action show but instead a thriller cum detective show. The story or plot is the draw for this show and again, its very mixed in terms of quality. In some stories, they actually grab you because it deals something with the two brothers, Naoto and Naoya. While others, had very little to do with them and they managed to squeeze some relevance between it and the protagonists. The plot is good, its certainly interesting , but presenting it poorly with no real conclusive feelings at all makes this show lose some marks.
Really, don't expect a rollercoaster ride with this, its not outstanding in the sense of action or pacing. However, it certainly is different with nice little bits of interesting set-pieces here and there that will slightly entertain some viewers. You have to really grit your teeth to go through this one if you're expecting a dynamic cast with a consistent story and plot.
Overall: 7/10
Grade: B-
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KYON |
(2007-03-16 08:56:12) 2007-03-16 08:54:06 |
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| Average |
5.0 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| i dont want to say much about this anime because it does not deserve much talk. the story is confusing and loses all of its great potential already in the beginning. the best episodes are 23+24 which really got me involved but the rest is simply average quality. the animation is the worst i have seen for many years. the movements are wooden, the colouring is awful and the voices are simply annoying. after a while i hated them for the stupid dialogues. when someone says: i have seen your brother!!! the other answers: you have seen my brother??? yes, he was in tokyo!!! in tokyo???? damn why do they always repeat stuff. perhaps to kill time. then the 2 brothers who always scream the name of each other when in trouble. niisan and naoya. you have probably never heard the same word so often since kage bunshin no jutsu in naruto. niisan,niisan,niisan. i alreadywanted to buy a new car.
overall 5 points in average describes how disppointed i was in night head genesis. they can not keep up with my high expectations. the characters are the 2 brothers who are abandoned by their parents because of their strange powers. now they grow up in a laboratory where they learn how to use their powers properly. naoya the little brother has the power to see the what might happen in the future and what happened in the past when touching a person. his niisan has a destructive power that is fearful to others.
they never really develop the characers and they stay the same and i dont even know why they do things. i thought they want to live a normal life but instead they get into a conspiracy about the destruction of the whle world. i dont quite know what they tried to say with this anime. perhaps it is a critic because people dont think much. they only live their life without even trying to make it a better place to live. but that is pretty poor and the storyline never really gets you interested in the idea.
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Saya77 |
(2007-01-22 15:33:29) 2006-09-11 11:58:28 |
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| Average |
4.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
| This review is based on the first 24 episodes (as much as I have found fansubbed so far).
With its' rather titillating title, and its' mysterious and uninformative description (both on this site and others) I was hesitant to watch this series.
The series is just as mysterious and wierd as the description suggests: the brothers seem to be encountering various gruesome and evil situations due to something called "minus energy", a mysterious thing which is bringing evil to the world.
However, the storyis a bit repetitive over the first few episodes, and the series gets a bit boring after while. The series' slow pace detracts from my enjoyment, and the confusing and surreal nature of the story itself just isn't very interesting so far. There was a pretty convoluted plot during the late-teen/early 20 episodes which just finished and I have to say it wasn't too bad but it hasn't redeemed the series for me yet. As of now I have no idea where the story is headed.
The animation is solid; character models are well done, and the special effects for Naoya's "flashbacks" and Naota's "mind-power" are interesting. However, both of these special effects get old real fast.
The soundtrack, including the opening and ending songs, is terrific. The soundtrack really emphasizes the mysterious and surreal aspects of the series, especially the "X-File-esque" opening song. However, I think Naota screams "NAOYA!" about 5 million times per episode, and it is getting very annoying. Isn't there another way for him to show concern for his brother?
As for the characters, Naota is the typical over-protective brother with anger problems and a tendency to blow things up when he is mad (which is often). Naoya is weak emotionally and relies entirely on the support of his brother; everytime he sees a person's memories he screams and freaks out. Besides these two, there arn't any solid or established characters so far, though there are a few who have appeared in one or two episodes. Lack of supporting characters has really hurt this series so far; only the mysterious girl in space is semi-interesting. The villians arn't very villianous, most are pretty pathetic and uninteresting, only the main villian-woman is even semi-interesting, and we never even really find out her motives.
Be prepared to hear "Naoya!" and "Niiasan!" every five seconds in this anime; maybe it won't bother you, but for me I really started to get annoyed by the complete lack of originality in dialogue: it seems that Naota and Naoya can't express their surprise/concern/anger in any way other than shouting their brother's name.
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