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Legend of Black Heaven
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Animation - 7.4 |
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Sound - 8.7 |
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Story - 6.8 |
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Character - 8.0 |
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Value - 7.7 |
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Enjoyment - 8.4 |
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Average - 7.8 |
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Summoner |
(2008-06-11 12:50:02) 2008-06-11 12:37:31 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Legend of Black Heaven is a brilliant anime about passion and dreams, and it proves that old age is no excuse to abandon your soul. While it's hard to determine the target audience of this show, I believe, that people in their late thirties would not only appreciate Black Heaven, but also might get inspired by it. Quite a rare feat in anime world.
While the plot of this show might not make 100% sense all the time and it certainly has many parts which lack polish, it still has enough originality and sheer passion to make it stand above many other anime I have watched. What makes Black Heaven even better is its brilliant characters, while from the first glance the protagonist seems to be anything but cool, you soon, not only notice a great depth in his personality, but lean to respect him fast afterwards. Since he is already in his late thirties, rather than developing new personality traits, he simply remembers what it means to be young, to have dreams and passion. Must say, that Black Heaven has one of the best main leads of short medium (13 episodes) anime shows I have ever seen.
If you want to see something original, like rock or are interested in all that dreams, passion, friendship and so on stuff - by no means give this show a shot. It's damn good.
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| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| If you describe this anime to someone, it actually sounds pretty good; aged rock guitarist helps save the earth from alien destruction with the power of music - sounds cool, eh?! When you actually sit down and watch it, it fast becomes very boring, but at the same time strangely addictive and you just have to keep watching to find out how it ends!
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Coldsun |
(2004-12-12 23:34:44) 2004-12-12 23:18:21 |
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| At first glance, Black Heaven has little going for it in terms of appeal. First, you have a protagonist in his late thirties, enduring life as a salary man so that he may support his family. Choosing this role resulted in him giving up his dream to play the guitar with his band.
Second you have the absurd premise that a man playing his guitar can power a weapon that can save the universe. The characters and circumstances which make up the show have little appeal to anyone under twenty-five while the story is too childish for anyone over the age of 13.
However this is only at first glance. If you love rock guitar and stick around this show really has something in store for you. The show is also unique because such a character, as well as his middle-aged phlight, are rarely portrayed in most forms of storytelling.
Initially the story focuses on former guitarist Gabriel Tanaka as he tries to balance the passion of his youth with his responsibility as a family man. The war and his task serves more as background noise until the latter part of the show. Eventually it builds on this as he realizes the burden he shoulders. As it becomes too much for him, he tries to reform the band of his youth. From here the story adds another dimension of real emotion and interest. The show only runs 13 episodes which allows a quick pace and prevents the show from lapsing into prolonged agony.
I am making the story here sound serious but it is far from it. To story requires you to turn a blind eye to a great deal of science and logic. However the humor laced into this story also makes this an easier pill to swallow. If you are not uptight and have the ability to suspend disbelief a great deal, you will enjoy this. It also helps if you are a guitarist or appreciate the form of music.
While the unique characters and humor make the story acceptable, it is the music which really drives it. The opening for the show is a really excellent piece of 80s style rock. It also serves as the main theme for the show. If there is any flaw to the music in this show, its that same theme is overused. Its played at least once an episode and the music form changes as the show progresses. The music really climaxes well with the story progression in episode 9 making for an awesome sequence. I would have scored the music in this show a 10 if the theme were not so redundant. However it is such a fine piece of music that you really don't mind. At least I didn't.
In the end its only an average anime really. I am not surprised so few have seen it or enjoyed it. I happen to play/love guitar and also sympathize with the main character (even at 23) so I happened to enjoy this show. I guess I'm just a special case.
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Freddy C |
(2004-07-09 15:09:25) 2004-07-09 15:07:02 |
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| “This could have so easily got a perfect 10, so easily, but it sadly was a fair way off� is what I thought of saying half way through the last episode. But what a change, this still could have so easily have been a perfect 10, but it was great the way it was.
The reason it didn’t get a perfect 10 was because in fact, the story wasn’t what I expected and therefore not as good as I expected (in this case, the statement proves true). It’s not about the rock and roll life style, the young and cool rockers, but instead was of the “afterlife� of being a rock and roll band member. Also what I didn’t expect was the strong sci-fi element of this anime.
The reason I wanted it to be about young rockers was that the opening sequence was just so good. You’d know what I mean hen you see it.
The animation was brilliant, it includes CG which were well incorporated. The characters were a little lame to be honest. The main character was okay, he was the cool one out of the dull ones because he had a good personality. On the other hand, Layla, WOW! She has just reserved a place in my top 20 anime females. One good character. This maybe that I am a male and she was very foxy, but she had a very nice, caring and gentle personality. And on this category I was going to reward an 8, but after a bit of thinking, I knew that was just not fair, other characters, a lot of which I hated actually.
There were the odd catchphrase sentences which did spoil it a bit. But with the music, that didn’t really matter. On this topic, the main track is one of the best piece of rock music I have ever heard, so hyper and gets you dancing. But it was used quite a lot during the anime over and over again which spoilt it a bit again. Having said that, there were other excellent track in this anime too. I was going to give it a nine because it didn’t use the music very creatively, but during the last episode, it made me remember just how good the tracks were…
I really enjoyed this, but I just couldn’t pull away from the fact that despite this being such a good anime, it could, as I have said before, have so easily been so good.
Oh and the end!!! Very well done. Gave what most audience was expecting lol ;)
Oh one more thing, the final end OMG!!! What a TEASE!!!
ADDITION: just to say that there were a few moments of comedy and a good amount of them were actually really funny which i didn't expect.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I love rock music, I really do, and this anime has the best rock music that I've heard in a long time.
You are limited to the band playing one song for most of the series, but at least its the best. It also happens to be the opening theme, so expect to hear it about 30 times throughout the 13 episodes.
After the Sound, comedy is the next biggest factor in this anime's enjoyment, and it has enough to make you laugh at least a couple times each episode. Some portions of the plot aren't too well defined, but they only add to the humor.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Quite an average anime, I find it boring in the beginning and middle, but the last parts make it worth it.
Good points:
-characterization
-portrayal of real-life aspects
-spoiler: last part when his wife shows up in the outfit
-the 3 hilarious alien chicks
There are quite a few plot-holes though. There was never any explanation on the good and bad aliens. We never even get to see what the bad aliens look like. In the part when they try to clone Watanabe, it doesn't make sense.
Were they monitoring earth all along? How do they know about Watanabe???
Won't it be easier to abduct Oji or another rock group?
Playing music in space makes no sense too. Sounds can't be heard in space, so why do they use amplifiers?
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Rirath |
(2004-06-04 18:11:13) 2004-06-04 18:10:42 |
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Ouji Tanaka is a middle aged salary man living day by day. He has a wife who looks down on his hobbies, and a young son. But once he was known as Gabriel Tanaka, lead guitarist for the smash hit band Black Heaven. Ouji spends his days trying to fight his average life and falling into the routine.
On the day his wife finally throws out his favorite, greatest, and last guitar his life hits an all time low. It's also on this day he finds his salvation in a mysterious beautiful woman. She begs of him to play once again, promising that many people are counting on his sound.
Black Heaven can pretty much be summed up with that I expected the unexpected, and got exactly that. The anime isn't really a classic, nor is it edge of your seat exciting or deep, but it's still a very well put together story start to finish. Many guys will be able to relate to Ouji, he's a very likable lead character and not too far from reality.
What really makes this show for me isn't so much the story, but mainly the music. The rock scenes are just too cool, and really hit the spot. They made the anime something worth remembering for me. It's all blended very well with the story and the art fully supports the hard rock theme.
Likable characters and a strong, relatable story make this one well worth your time. Ouji's wife can be a bit of a shrew at times, but to be fair Ouji can be a bit of a deadbeat as well, and both are well aware of their flaws. Like the series Planet ES, it's just a nice down to earth story with no clear cut right and wrong, set in an sci-fi setting. If you like such stories and rock music, this is the show for you. "Hard rock save the space!"
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This anime has got an anti-hero and good music, it's just too bad that it's only one track Oji plays all the time.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Black Heaven is strangely enjoyable for a show that has so many flat out average aspects. Personality is what best describes the strength of Black Heaven. Not so much in the characters, but in the show itself. There is something so delightful in watching that it's easy to fall in love with.
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Dusky |
2003-08-03 17:05:40 |
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| It was boring until about ep 4 or 5. The rest became very enjoyable especially after the old band members gathered and played together again. This show is more of Oji's character development, so don't expect much of a storyline or rock 'n' roll. And I ESPECIALLY like the last ep when Oji played the new song. Gotta love the song! ^^
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irhie |
2003-07-04 11:26:39 |
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I really liked this anime. The premise of rock and roll saving the universe is, of course, neither original nor exceptionally plausible; in fact it stands quite firmly on the other side of the ridiculous line, but that is not what this show is about.
If you are a slightly older otaku who has finished school but has not found your particular dream goal in life, you will definitely be able to relate to this anime.
Oji and the other members of Black Heaven give up their moderately successful musical career to get 'real jobs'. Lost in the world of the 'hapless salary man', Oji struggles with his current circumstances and his regrets until he is called upon to save the world. What he really saves is himself.
This is not a grand space adventure. It's the story of an ordinary guy with an ordinary life who learns how to wake himself up again.
A real gem.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| It's difficult to quantify why this series is enjoyable when neither the animation nor the music nor the plot is all that great. I guess this being more of a character study than anything else, the only thing really important is whether or not you really understand the main character. His past, his present, his attitude towards his old band members, his relationship with his wife and son, and how he feels about playing his guitar to save the planet are all dealt with in depth. All in all, a fun ride.
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weasl |
2003-05-16 21:20:04 |
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Black Heaven is one of the more offbeat anime titles to make it stateside. The story revolves around Oji a "hapless" salary man and former lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Black Heaven. It just so happens that the sound from Oji's guitar is needed to fuel an alien super weapon that will save the universe. The strange (and what makes it so enjoyable) thing about Black Heaven is the fact that it focuses more on Oji's relationship with his family through this time then the whole save the universe deal. The comedy is pulled off well, and Oji's awakening is a refreshing look back at the past and how to embrace the present. Sadly Black Heaven didn't get the budget it deserved and suffers low cel counts throughout. That aside this is an excellent title for the older anime crowd.
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3line |
2003-01-25 22:45:22 |
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Hard Rock Saves Space!! Ok, ok, I'll admit that the premise is a bit ridiculous....Ok, ok, more than "a bit" ridiculous. However, to me, this show was not about the passable plot or the above-average music. No, to me this was an expression of the social disillusionment of Japanese citizens who came of age in the 80s and had to make the transition into the 90s.
Show business has always been about the rich and famous, and anime is no exception. From the Japan presented in anime and manga, we'd think that Japanese people lived in traditional-style homes nicely secluded within mountain forests. The reality of it is a land strapped for space, with motels that rent out sleeping tubes instead of actual beds and rooms. Thus, in Black Heaven, we see Oji and his family live in an extremely cramped corporate apartment. Space is so limited that Oji's wife has resorted to trashing her husband's guitars one by one to make room for their growing son.
Oji himself is a salary man that used to be a rock legend in the 80s. In the 80s, much of the youth was caught up in a sense of exuberance, expressed though elements such as music. Then came the economic stangnation that hit Japan hard. Former free spirits like Oji were forced to find boring corporate jobs and live a life of monotony. Throughout the show, we see the dichotomy of the art of Oji's former life and the materialism of his present condition. For example, there's the scene in which Oji's son plays with an autographed Michael Schneckner LP as if it is a prop from a cheesy TV show. The entire anime is basically the realization of Oji's dream to taste his youth once again, if only for a moment.
The music from this show is enjoyable hard rock, even though they do play the same solo over and over again. Personally, I'd have much rather preferred something in the vein of Trey Azagthoth's crushing atonal shred, but one can't quibble when it comes to anime music. The music in this show was definitely above average in any case. Black Heaven is not an anime for everyone, but give it a chance. You may end up liking it immensely, as I did.
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| Average |
4.2 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
1 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| HAHA! OK, whoever gave this a high score is either a guitar player or has really bad taste. This show is about a man who is suffering from a mid-life crisis and plays guitar on a spaceship to save the world from aliens. Now, how stupid is that? He also plays the same song over and over and over .....
I'm a guitar player and I did enjoy the music but believe me, the animation sucks, the comedy is stupid, and the plot is absoltely retarded. The only good things about this series is the music and the Box art. I'd recommend this series to people who get kicks out of watching crappy shows to make fun of. So, basically I wouldn't recommed it.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| A good rock music based anime. I enjoyed it. The story is good but has a little bit of monster of a day taste as the enemies the band defeat keep coming but always improve. Also how come Black Heaven was a hot band with only one song? It quickly gets boring as they play it in every episode. Some might find the idea of using music as a weapon somewhat disturbing or stupid (just like in macross 7), but if you are ready to accept it you will enjoy this show. Also the animation is very attractive.
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Heavy metal rules! One of my fave anime! I'm a metalhead for a long long time so I highly appreciate this anime. It's worth watching and re-watching. Great story their (ok, a little clitche but the enjoyable caracters and the majestic hard&heavy sountrack made it worth a 10 on fun factor). You'll like see Gabrive Tanaka and Black heaven fight for the sake of Earth with the mighty power of Heavy metal! Even if the serie is mainly an excellent comedy, with very memorable moments (The tribute to Led Zep movie on first episode or the real death of The keyboardist ...), their is some very sader and frighting moments (The death of the Micheal Schinker LP, crush by a truck ... !!!!!!!). So if you want to spend a nice moment and like metal watch Kacho Oji!!!!!
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| A very different and ambitious attempt at a show that unfortunately becomes a bit formulaic by the end. Still, well worth watching, especially if you like rock music.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Though the core story is a bit strange, everything else about this show is excellent. The fun factor alone makes watching this show worth it. Many people under twenty may not understand it, but this is an intensely heart-felt show about its characters and not some distant intergalactic war. Black Heaven is a cult gem that you should watch if you have ever given up on a dream or just wanna feel the same kind of crazed-fan rush you got watching Macross or Otaku no Video. The soundtrack on this one doesn't hurt either giving it a unique feel that no other show could copy.
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| This series was among the most boring I have seen recently. I guess with a plot about guitar playing in space being used as an uber-weaon, it's only common sense that it's not going to be all that intellectually stimulating, but this thing was downright boring most of the time. Not reccomended for those with a short attention span or other (and thus, likely better) things to do. Not bad animation though, it was good looking.
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