(L) Shinigami no Ballad

[stevency]

Originally Posted by DaFool

I'm still sticking with this show, because...

Come on, it's only 6 eps! If I can do it with Jigoku Shoujo, with a lower rate of return per investment, I can certainly do it here.

Ep 2 >> Ep 1 for the following 2 reasons:

1. Ueda Kana
2. Ueda Kana

The momo fanservice is already worth it. Yes, there is fanservice, if you haven't noticed already. It's a good series to watch in between viewings of hentai. (Then again, I also watch Mushishi in between viewings of hentai. Oh, well.)

Whether a show is feminine, masculine, or lesbian I can watch it. (As long as it's not gay). Heck, the force-fed emotions here actually render this show asexual, I can still enjoy and watch it.

So true. Having Ueda Kana added 10 to my scoreboard.
Yaoi show maybe sick, but the storyline can do better than other type of relationships, althrough my knowledge to Yaoi is very limited.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

I do have one really superficial complaint about this anime, though, and I know it's not going to go away: I hate that cat. It's totally unnecessary, and contributes nothing.

I have to disagree. I think the interplay between Daniel and Momo is one of the highlights of the show, and I look forward to seeing it develop in the few episodes we have left. Even though Daniel is Momo's familiar, and obviously thinks her worthy of mortals' respect, I like how he doesn't hesitate to voice his opinions about her sentimentality.

I also like the way his personality is developing, and I get the feeling Shimizu-san is starting to really have fun with this role. The little laugh around 11:03 in ep 2 just kills me (no pun intended).

And a final, random observation: either Momo's ID photo is some funky 3-D hologram, or it's changed between ep 1 and ep 2

[orion]

Originally Posted by Simon

And a final, random observation: either Momo's ID photo is some funky 3-D hologram, or it's changed between ep 1 and ep 2

Maybe her "Soul Count" went up to a point that she got a promotion and needed a new badge.

[Kaoru Chujo]

My opinion holds. It's pure romance, and I love it. Especially since the main seiyuu this week are Mitsuhashi Kanako and Toyonaga Toshiyuki, who were Miki and Ayumu in Zettai Shounen. Mitsuhashi-san was also Suzuka. What a wonderful smooth, husky voice. Her voice suits this role beautifully, and she played it with great skill. Loved the animation, too. And the mood. And the characters. The subtle voices helped make their natures real -- for me -- despite the brief moments they had to work with.

Spoiler for ep3:

And the staff found yet another variation to play on death. In this series, death always leads to life, it seems. I found this a touching essay on the repetition and continuation of generations through individuals. But I am easily touched, when romance is involved. It's enough to make me not care how little Momo/Daniel there was in this episode.

Oh, and as for Momo's badge: it's a magic badge. The photo changes, lol.

[NoSanninWa]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Oh, and as for Momo's badge: it's a magic badge. The photo changes, lol.

Or maybe the Shinigami Beaureau has such tight security that they update and reissue the badges every Wednesday, to ensure that their ranks are not infiltrated. So, if you steal a shinigami's badge, it will only be good for a few days at most before it self-destructs and sends your soul to hell.

I wonder who they are afraid of, such that they feel the need for such tight security...

[lavielove]

this episode really worth to watch ^_^ you guys are so fast! lol
Tomato chan is really cute and the story line suprise me abit.

Spoiler:

second warning =P

Spoiler:

I didn't relaize that kid was Deniel until the end lol .. I should show my friend who is also a game freak like his father.By the way, shinigami job is not that kind of job, isn't it? Is that a side-job or what ?

[Kawool]

Episode 3 is out

Spoiler:

Somehow i guessed momo n daniel could change their forms (due to their talk at the start of the ep)..this ep was pretty cute...

still miss hantsuki tho even if they are not related

[Pellissier]

Saw episode 3, and I loved it.

Once again, an episode which was totally different from the previous ones. The death is and remains the common theme but at the same time it's labeled as a positive element, a start point for hopes, wishes, dreams of a (eventually) better life. While simple, I think this series features some morals and it's really worth watching.

Episode 1 was totally deceiving, it likely made us (me being first, of course) to think Momo was just there as a viewer of some tragedies and then go there collecting the soul. So wrong. Or better, so different on how the show is actually focused. The positive surruondings of a death, being it of a beloved person, of a sister, of a friend, of a relative. The strenght to go ahead. Momo is an angelic presence under this point of view. As a shinigami she should be at least a bit cold and .. indifferent. Instead, she cares about the others so much, just like an angel

Also, I did find this episode rather emotional, and well paced, as for all of its elements.
First of them being, the lovely Mitsuhashi Kanako's performance. Since Suzuka (when she played the main role of Asahina), I just love her voice, and to be able to hear her again is such a pleasure to me. At the beginning here Tomato was, quite.. Suzuka herself ^^ , but then she became a really sweet and delightful character, with Kanako's voice according perfectly.

Yes, Momo and Daniel were almost non present on this episode, but still their little apparitions meant so much for the protagonist and for its future. I blamed the choice of making one shot stories, at the beginning. But if this is the way to make different one shot stories, then I heavily become addicted to it. And my last complain has to remain the shortness of the show. I can't believe that just 3 episodes has gone and we're already in the middle of the show. I already know I'll miss Shinigami no Ballad's sweets portraits and life lessons so much when they'll end. And the lovely shinigami - with a tenshi's heart - as well.

Finally, I can tell I have dropped all of my eventual remarks about Shinigami no Ballad and I'm now marking it as one the best ongoing of 2006.
I also can't compare it to Hantsuki, since their difference, but I think I wouldn't pick any of the two towards the other one. Hantsuki featured a romance between 2 characters along the whole story. Shinigami no Ballad features different romances, but it's always romance we're talking about. As a total lover of the romance genre, I label them as completely even as for general climax and total awesomeness. All of this, imho

[Maceart]

Episode 3 raised this anime's rating for me from "watchable" to "good". It proves the with the right formula and the right plot, an episode of Shinigami no Ballad can be highly enjoyable.

[ladholyman]

Episode three had a lot of "questionable" camera angles, made me feel kinda dirty.

[EmptySoul]

Originally Posted by ladholyman

Episode three had a lot of "questionable" camera angles, made me feel kinda dirty.

Yeah I noticed that too.... It kinda made me feel like... "Ugh... cant there be one anime like this without the damn fanservice?" but I guess it doesnt matter too much. I still really enjoyed the episode, it was actually the best one yet in my opinion.

[DaFool]

Episode 3 raised this anime's rating for me from "watchable" to "good". It proves the with the right formula and the right plot, an episode of Shinigami no Ballad can be highly enjoyable.

Yup, ep 3 made this series good. Best ep so far. Very meaningful little story.

Episode three had a lot of "questionable" camera angles, made me feel kinda dirty.

Lots of Tomato goodness is healthy for your heart

Actually this just proves that bossy student-council-president megane types can be just as cute and sexy.
I would say, keep those kinds of service in. Nothing feels more good in a slice-of-life fashion than sitting in a train beside a girl in a miniskirt. Really helps the miniskirt-deprived such as myself who have never encountered anyone wearing a miniskirt in real life, who live in places where everyone wears pants.

[Sorrow-K]

Just watched episode 3. It's series like this that have taught me never to dismiss an anime after the first episode.

The strength of this series is the way it puts together its absorbing short stories. Obviously the stories aren't quite as involving as Mushishi, but they're two very different series, so I think I should stop making comparisons between the two... starting.... now. I swear. Promise!

The story in this episode was very cute, and I think they did a great job at establishing the relationship between the main three characters, ie Kanta, his grandfather and (tee hee) Tomato. It wasn't overly profound, but it was an absorbing story and, most importantly, I cared what was going to happen to the characters... which is definitely a sign that it's going about things the right way. And, for a lot of it, the atmosphere was good as well.

But, I think the atmosphere is where SnB's biggest weakness is. It seems to have a nasty habit of picking some absolutely terrible background tunes for some of the scenes. For the most part there is no background music, and these scenes have great atmosphere, but when it is used it just seems to detract from the atmosphere... which leads me to believe that they should almost avoid using music altogether. Either that, or get a better music director.

Not all the music is bad though. The OP song is really starting to grow on me (even if I think the lyrics are a tad tacky.) Oh, and I can't be the only one who was reminded of Air during the beach scene.

It mightn't be as great as Mushishi is, but it's still a very cute and enjoyable episodic series.... errr... starting now!

[Secca]

Kinda started late watching this, but I finally got episode 1 downloaded yesterday. Have to say this is a good series, exactly my kind of favorites. ^^

Honestly I had doubts about this series before I downloaded it, because the title has 'Shinigami'. And Jigoku Shoujo wasn't my thing at all, it just the entire how low can our society go and how they ended up went to hell, doesn't quite entertaining at all. I stopped watching that show. Just cannot take it anymore. >_<

But I'm very glad I actually tried watching Shinigami no Ballad. One thing I like from the begining is the concept. How Death itself doesn't necessarily evil, they just part of life. And this show focused on those people who were about to die. This is their story. How they live their last moment before their life fades out. I think the most important about this show is for us the viewer and the Shinigami were to witness their story, that it would be remembered.

This is true also in real life. What would a person wished when they died. When they realized it was the end and they have to leave everything they had behind. They probably wanted at least someone to remember them and mourn them when they were gone. Even if the one who cried is a Shinigami.

Ahh I start talking too much ^^;; it just left me with alot of toughts after watching this show. ~_~

[Kaoru Chujo]

Mild and beautiful. Mood and suggestion. Yet another angle on death, if somewhat similar to the last episode's.

This episode's guest seiyuu are Sadohara Tomoko (Rieko in Zettai Shounen, plays the girl) and Shiraishi Ryouko (Shiratori in Mahoraba, plays her little brother in a voice that sometimes resembles Saitou Chiwa's). Nice job all round.

And I do like the Zettai-Shounen-ish character design, which seems both bland and expressive at the same time. It's as if you see the emotions beneath the surface of those barely mobile features.

The rather excessive music can be a problem, but I trust the director to know what effects he wants to make, and he seems to make them, with me at least. For example in the last episode, I thought the circus music was meant to make the slight conflict between the two protagonists seem less serious.

[navi432001]

I have to say how touching each episode is in this anime and as a big fan of dramatic romance anime I surely love Shinigami no Ballad.
I do wish they make more episodes later on past this series, quite frankly 6 episodes isn't enough of something great.

[NoSanninWa]

At least we don't have to worry about the ending being too rushed.

This is the sort of thing that if it does well, they can always just green light some more episodes. Even continuity is irrelevant, let alone having a conclusion.

[orion]

That's true. Being episodic is in it's best interest.

I liked episode 3. It was definitely romantic, but I miss the angst. That episode reminded me of Zettai Shonen.

[lavielove]

lol the animators are playing around with Momo's ID photo.Seems like they put up a few cg sequences after seeing the last week discussion in here(^_^||)

Spoiler:

[Kaoru Chujo]

In episode 4, when Chiaki wakes up and looks around her room, the books on the bookshelf include references to the director's Zettai Shounen and other things:
The Summer of the Youkai [the book by the journalist in Zettai Shounen]
Zettai Shounen itself, in three volumes
Night on the Galactic Railroad [mentioned in Hantsuki, which preceded this show in the same timeslot]
Harry Potter [probably; you just see "Hari..."]
The Formula for Loving a PhD [a popular novel and now movie in Japan]

And I think I even saw the picture in Momo's ID move a bit this episode.