NaNoWriMo

I didn't win NaNoWriMo this year. A lot can happen in November. Thanksgiving, for one. I hope everyone had a happy Holiday! Traveling--and getting hit with power outages due to a storm--cut down on my writing quite a bit. But that's alright. I got plenty written, and editing is just as important as writing.


But even if you "lose" NaNo, you win. Even if all you managed was to write 500 words to begin a story, something is better than nothing, and the knowledge that you can get words down on paper is a powerful motivator. As a kid, I would write out small stories by hand, a million story beginnings that by now are faded and nigh illegible. But that rush, that excitement, that accompanies beginning a story is something I'll never forget.

Anime Reviews: Neo Angelique Abyss

Neo Angelique Abyss spans two series: Neo Angelique Abyss and Neo Angelique Abyss: Second Age. The series is based off of the Angelique games for women, none of which I have played.

The plot is fairly simple-the world is under threat by a bunch of creatures called Thanatos, which can teleport into an area and destroy it. There are people called Purifiers who are the only ones capable of destroying these Thanatos, and the main character is the only female purifier. This makes her the “Queen's Egg,” with the potential to rid the world of Thanatos forever. The anime follows her journey as she learns of her powers and finally assumes her role as protector of the world.

To start, a very important aspect of the this anime is the presence of the other members of the Thanatos slaying band, all of which are attractive men. Yes, this a reverse harem, which means the only female character of any real consequence is Angelique, and all the men in the show either want to protect her or admire her. This could be a huge turn off for some, but while the harem aspects are definitely present, it's not as big of a problem as it could be. It is believable that people would be motivated to protect someone who would eventually save the world, and thus in that sense the harem itself is believable. There are no declarations of love, only a desire to protect until she fulfills her mission. It is only at the end that the characters want to protect her for her, and not for the world.

Despite the harem qualities of the show, the characters are well developed. The members of the harem each have an episode dedicated to them, so that they aren't simple pretty faces and have actual reasons for their personality traits (although unfortunately, most of their development is through backstory, and they change very little throughout the show). Supporting characters do develop throughout the show, such as Jet, the robot who eventually develops free will, and most villains end up seeing the error of their ways.

The progression of the plot was very well done, and the side plots were interesting and fed into the main plot very well. A huge plus of this show is that no scene is wasted-every thing you see develops something.  The ending is believable in the context of the world and the way the story progressed. The pacing of this show was generally good, such that I never felt like giving up. On the flipside, I never quite felt the same need to marathon it as I sometimes do for other shows.

Unfortunately, there were some inconsistencies with the world building. I couldn't quite get a handle on what time period this was supposed to take place in. At first glance it's set in a medieval time period, and then we see the Artifact Federation, who have an understanding of technology beyond even that of the 20th century (like the aforementioned robot with free will). There is a religious order governed by a respected “Head,” but there is also a militaristic arm of an unseen government that carries out executions. This is not a huge problem for me, but for people who fixate on detail it could be.

This anime doesn't have much way in the depth, but when all is said and done, this show sets out to entertain it's audience, and in that vein it succeeds. It has a little bit of everything I like in anime-attractive males, robots (robots and cyborgs fascinate me), fantasy elements and science fiction elements, and perfect pacing. There is death and a bit of darkness, but the good guys always win in the end and very little that's bad can stand in the way of Angelique. This is not a show that redefines it's genre or it's medium, but it entertains well. For those looking for a light hearted fluff of an anime, I would recommend this.

Neo Angelique Abyss gets a 6 out of 10. It's light and it's fun, with nothing really offensive about it but nothing mind blowing either. Take away 2 points if you don't like bishonen, though.