Amon Saga

Rating:
Summary: Good animation, ok story, beats 80's fantasy movies
Review: Amon Saga may lack the storyline of more recent anime, but the animation looks better than most of the rough spiky work that comes out of Japan (and Korea) these days. I bought this for a change of pace (not much fantasy work coming out live-action or anime these days) and it did take a couple of sittings to watch the whole movie. Amon is a quiet character (seems that he really isn't the "main" character as much as a lead to the ensembled group of heroes), and he reminded me of Elric in appearance (without the brooding fatalism). Princess Lichia was well done and the other characters fit the usual suspects role. This is not a Princess Mononoke epic, but it was more artistic than Record of Lodoss War.

Rating:
Summary: Ok... Um, It was good back then... now? Not a chance...
Review: It's best left up to reviewing with a nostalgic mind...

The Pros: This movie fits perfectly into the genre of the 80's, the HeMan, the "save the princess." There are some really interesting settings in this movie and a mystery. So i would have to say that this is the perfect representation for the family-adult anime in the 80's, falling in line with the American Genre of heros and teammates.

The movie starts out with a slightly epic feel, a large fleet moving about the sea, like they know exactly where they are going, and a King trying to gain back his daughter, the princess. A mysterious night enters the bar and orders a rather bold drink, drawing attention, getting into a fight and meeting several of the characters in the movie. An Emperor calls for new soldiers to help capture the valley of gold, his empire mounted on the shell of a huge turtle, the size of the countryside, that's one awesome turtle.

There is the clear evil in the movie, a not so sinister and devilish, but more harking upon a Grimreaper appearance and more along the lines of the Darkness from Legend, just without Tim Curry's smile and laugh, and twisted demonic voice. The princess is beautiful (by the standards of the 80's, well the early 80's) and lacks both the annoyingly ditzy, fidgety, and panicky attitude and the Xena feminist attitude. There are several comedic moments, mostly centered around the big guy, what's his name, you'll know him.

Finally the story winds down to the storybook ending with a twist, well a twist away from the storybook ending that is. I won't give it away...

Now for the conns... Ok the animation... well it might have been good then, but it's pretty annoying now... and everytime Lishia is on screen it looks like it was captured with a soft focus lens. Plus you never get to see her naked, which is in every Anime, with the exceptions to a few who still hold a great rank (Mononoke). Ok the gore... i don't know if it was a lot during the time, i didn't see many Anime during the 80's, but compared to today, no. Everything compared with today? The storyline was so predictable and the only two cool elements in the movie, The turtle and the Goldenknight, were barely even explored, not to mention the Golden's short appearance. It seemed pretty noble in the beginning, tryign to avenge his mother but it just seems so overdone. Maybe this movie was new when it wasn't overdone, but since then, the plotline this movie takes has been done over and over and over... too many times. It doesn't seem to me like this Anime was worth pulling out from the 80's.

It could have been greatly improved with one simple thing, character development. It didn't need that much gore (as mononoke proves) nore did it need nudity (again mononoke) It didn't even need to be long and of epic proportions (Ghost in the Shell proves) And everyone still loves Akira so the animation quality isn't that valuable either, but the characters... they needed to be more. You barely got to know them, even though it was one and onehalf hours long, it wasn't like you got into the mind and heart of the characters. It seemed more like the entire thing was an audition.

For instance, this Amon character is really all that is focused upon, duh, he's the main character (given the Title), but do you really get to know him? No, you merely get to know his motives, you don't even really get to know if he likes the main female character or not, is he gay? Is he straight? Is he shy or just quiet? Is he stupid or intelligent? He's a decent fighter... But one second he moves like lightning and then the next he falls for a really simple attack and gets thrown across the room. It would have been great only if the characters would have captured us.

It seemed like it could have been a Final Fantasy storyline (with a little extra added in for more playtime) But Final Fantasy really put the player/viewer into the mind of the character so that we related to them, cared for them, fell in love with them (not literally). Amon Saga skips this character part and tries to put up a valiant movie where good triumphs over evil. And god did it ever move slow until the last five minutes when it was attempted to be thrown together and tied up, bandaged and sent packing. There is mysterious characters in the movie, but we don't get to know them ever. They remain perfectly mysterious and are too eye catching for us to want them to remain that way.

I don't want to give away the plot becuase then it wuoldn't be a review now would it, but i wouldn't waste my money. Maybe if you use Blockbuster Rewards and happen to rent 5 movies and they say, "Hey you get a free rental," then you decide, "well it can't hurt, i guess i'll see what Dressi was yacking about and rent Amon Saga."

I thought that maybe it had to be good to be from 1986 and to have been resurrected to be placed on DVD. I mean, Star Wars is from the late 70's and it's good... Akira is great. The best part about it was the Manga Trailers, they showed off some great stuff and really made you want to buy the other DVD's... especially after watching Amon Saga. Rent it and you might find yourself watching Pokemon later becuase it's a step up.

Rating:
Summary: Ok... Um, It was good back then... now? Not a chance...
Review: It's best left up to reviewing with a nostalgic mind...

The Pros: This movie fits perfectly into the genre of the 80's, the HeMan, the "save the princess." There are some really interesting settings in this movie and a mystery. So i would have to say that this is the perfect representation for the family-adult anime in the 80's, falling in line with the American Genre of heros and teammates.

The movie starts out with a slightly epic feel, a large fleet moving about the sea, like they know exactly where they are going, and a King trying to gain back his daughter, the princess. A mysterious night enters the bar and orders a rather bold drink, drawing attention, getting into a fight and meeting several of the characters in the movie. An Emperor calls for new soldiers to help capture the valley of gold, his empire mounted on the shell of a huge turtle, the size of the countryside, that's one awesome turtle.

There is the clear evil in the movie, a not so sinister and devilish, but more harking upon a Grimreaper appearance and more along the lines of the Darkness from Legend, just without Tim Curry's smile and laugh, and twisted demonic voice. The princess is beautiful (by the standards of the 80's, well the early 80's) and lacks both the annoyingly ditzy, fidgety, and panicky attitude and the Xena feminist attitude. There are several comedic moments, mostly centered around the big guy, what's his name, you'll know him.

Finally the story winds down to the storybook ending with a twist, well a twist away from the storybook ending that is. I won't give it away...

Now for the conns... Ok the animation... well it might have been good then, but it's pretty annoying now... and everytime Lishia is on screen it looks like it was captured with a soft focus lens. Plus you never get to see her naked, which is in every Anime, with the exceptions to a few who still hold a great rank (Mononoke). Ok the gore... i don't know if it was a lot during the time, i didn't see many Anime during the 80's, but compared to today, no. Everything compared with today? The storyline was so predictable and the only two cool elements in the movie, The turtle and the Goldenknight, were barely even explored, not to mention the Golden's short appearance. It seemed pretty noble in the beginning, tryign to avenge his mother but it just seems so overdone. Maybe this movie was new when it wasn't overdone, but since then, the plotline this movie takes has been done over and over and over... too many times. It doesn't seem to me like this Anime was worth pulling out from the 80's.

It could have been greatly improved with one simple thing, character development. It didn't need that much gore (as mononoke proves) nore did it need nudity (again mononoke) It didn't even need to be long and of epic proportions (Ghost in the Shell proves) And everyone still loves Akira so the animation quality isn't that valuable either, but the characters... they needed to be more. You barely got to know them, even though it was one and onehalf hours long, it wasn't like you got into the mind and heart of the characters. It seemed more like the entire thing was an audition.

For instance, this Amon character is really all that is focused upon, duh, he's the main character (given the Title), but do you really get to know him? No, you merely get to know his motives, you don't even really get to know if he likes the main female character or not, is he gay? Is he straight? Is he shy or just quiet? Is he stupid or intelligent? He's a decent fighter... But one second he moves like lightning and then the next he falls for a really simple attack and gets thrown across the room. It would have been great only if the characters would have captured us.

It seemed like it could have been a Final Fantasy storyline (with a little extra added in for more playtime) But Final Fantasy really put the player/viewer into the mind of the character so that we related to them, cared for them, fell in love with them (not literally). Amon Saga skips this character part and tries to put up a valiant movie where good triumphs over evil. And god did it ever move slow until the last five minutes when it was attempted to be thrown together and tied up, bandaged and sent packing. There is mysterious characters in the movie, but we don't get to know them ever. They remain perfectly mysterious and are too eye catching for us to want them to remain that way.

I don't want to give away the plot becuase then it wuoldn't be a review now would it, but i wouldn't waste my money. Maybe if you use Blockbuster Rewards and happen to rent 5 movies and they say, "Hey you get a free rental," then you decide, "well it can't hurt, i guess i'll see what Dressi was yacking about and rent Amon Saga."

I thought that maybe it had to be good to be from 1986 and to have been resurrected to be placed on DVD. I mean, Star Wars is from the late 70's and it's good... Akira is great. The best part about it was the Manga Trailers, they showed off some great stuff and really made you want to buy the other DVD's... especially after watching Amon Saga. Rent it and you might find yourself watching Pokemon later becuase it's a step up.

Rating:
Summary: uh...how can I put this nicely?
Review: Oh my goodness!!! If you are reading this review b/c you are considering buying this movie, PLEASE stop! Save yourself!

First of all, there was practically no character development at all. Amon is the main character, and you hardly get to see into his mind, or know what he's feeling at all! The princess is even worse, along with all the other characters. There are some funny parts, but nothing impressive enough to save this one.
Okay...so all the characters are sadly one-dimensional, without depth...what could be worse? The storyline. It really lacked any real purpose or meaning. It was excruciatingly boring...captured princess...distraught father...hero comes to save her...I'd say more, but then there would be absolutely no point in watching the movie. I'm a romantic, and maybe that's why I haven't burned the DVD yet, after pulling out all my hair in frustration. But, this was actually painful to watch. The sound quality wasn't great either, along with the dubbing. I haven't watched the subbed yet, b/c I can't bring myself to watch it again. And the animation...definitely not even close to top notch...the quality reminded me of some old animes when I was a kid...like Astro Boy (not that I don't like the classic. I was a huge fan when I was 3). That unclear, unpolished, unfinished, messy kind of animation. I will say that the cover is kinda cool and that's was intrigued me...but I was quite disappointed with this movie.

I grew out of the Sailor Moon stage a while ago, but even the Sailor Moon movies were better, if you like the romance department (try Sailor Moon R: The promise of the Rose). If you're looking for something a little deeper that also pulls at some heartstrings from time to time, I recommend Princess Mononoke and the Escaflowne Movie, both of which I loved. PM has great storyline, characters, everything! And Escaflowne is all that with purely exquisite animation. Just stunning. Amon saga lacks in all aspects and there are certainly better things to spend your money on.

A rental at best, for those who are curious. But remember, curiosity killed the cat. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Rating:
Summary: uh...how can I put this nicely?
Review: Oh my goodness!!! If you are reading this review b/c you are considering buying this movie, PLEASE stop! Save yourself!

First of all, there was practically no character development at all. Amon is the main character, and you hardly get to see into his mind, or know what he's feeling at all! The princess is even worse, along with all the other characters. There are some funny parts, but nothing impressive enough to save this one.
Okay...so all the characters are sadly one-dimensional, without depth...what could be worse? The storyline. It really lacked any real purpose or meaning. It was excruciatingly boring...captured princess...distraught father...hero comes to save her...I'd say more, but then there would be absolutely no point in watching the movie. I'm a romantic, and maybe that's why I haven't burned the DVD yet, after pulling out all my hair in frustration. But, this was actually painful to watch. The sound quality wasn't great either, along with the dubbing. I haven't watched the subbed yet, b/c I can't bring myself to watch it again. And the animation...definitely not even close to top notch...the quality reminded me of some old animes when I was a kid...like Astro Boy (not that I don't like the classic. I was a huge fan when I was 3). That unclear, unpolished, unfinished, messy kind of animation. I will say that the cover is kinda cool and that's was intrigued me...but I was quite disappointed with this movie.

I grew out of the Sailor Moon stage a while ago, but even the Sailor Moon movies were better, if you like the romance department (try Sailor Moon R: The promise of the Rose). If you're looking for something a little deeper that also pulls at some heartstrings from time to time, I recommend Princess Mononoke and the Escaflowne Movie, both of which I loved. PM has great storyline, characters, everything! And Escaflowne is all that with purely exquisite animation. Just stunning. Amon saga lacks in all aspects and there are certainly better things to spend your money on.

A rental at best, for those who are curious. But remember, curiosity killed the cat. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Rating:
Summary: Dated, tame but not the worst thing out there
Review: OK.. to give credit where credit is due. 80s animation has to be judged as such. Amon Saga is like watching Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman) fun if you were there and remember it. I enjoyed Amon Saga, but wouldn't rank it with even the lowest of my favourite Animes.

It is a typical good vs. evil, save the damsel in distress, meet unlikely allies along the way adventure story. The action scenes lack the gore and intensity of more modern anime, the dialogue is simple and the language clean. An updated story and some deeper development would make a decent remake.

Rating:
Summary: Early Amano - Good, but not Grand
Review: The only thing that is problematic about Amon Saga is that it is a product of the mid-80's. Unless you are familiar with anime production in that era, it is tempting to dismiss the film because modern anime are done for an entirely different set of expectations. It's a bit like another Yoshitaka Amano product - Final Fantasy 7. Either you accept the fact that, for its time, it was a very fine animation effort and has value as a result, or you don't. Perfectionists, obviously, need not apply.

Amon Saga displays Amano's talents as a conceptual and character artist. Valhiss, an ominous emperor, who rules from a city set in the shell of a gigantic tortoise, seeks to discover the mysterious Valley of Gold, intending to use its wealth to conquer the world of Granmall. To accomplish this Valhiss has abducted Princess Lichia with the intention of trading her life for a secret map. Into the middle of this turmoil of deadly warriors and spies comes Amon, a brilliant swordsman who simply seeks revenge against Valhiss for killing Amon's mother.

Truthfully, the plot isn't exactly original. Boy meets girl, girl loves boy, losts of fighting and magic. The story is enjoyable, but not heartrending. The art, heavily influenced by Amano, is much better. This is his early, 'good guys can have white hair too' stage, and is reminiscent of Vampire Hunter D. If anything, Amon uses even less dialog than D. If you are interested in Amano, then you are going to have to own it. If you just like anime, you may prefer to hunt up a copy for rent.

Rating:
Summary: Early Amano - Good, but not Grand
Review: The only thing that is problematic about Amon Saga is that it is a product of the mid-80's. Unless you are familiar with anime production in that era, it is tempting to dismiss the film because modern anime are done for an entirely different set of expectations. It's a bit like another Yoshitaka Amano product - Final Fantasy 7. Either you accept the fact that, for its time, it was a very fine animation effort and has value as a result, or you don't. Perfectionists, obviously, need not apply.

Amon Saga displays Amano's talents as a conceptual and character artist. Valhiss, an ominous emperor, who rules from a city set in the shell of a gigantic tortoise, seeks to discover the mysterious Valley of Gold, intending to use its wealth to conquer the world of Granmall. To accomplish this Valhiss has abducted Princess Lichia with the intention of trading her life for a secret map. Into the middle of this turmoil of deadly warriors and spies comes Amon, a brilliant swordsman who simply seeks revenge against Valhiss for killing Amon's mother.

Truthfully, the plot isn't exactly original. Boy meets girl, girl loves boy, losts of fighting and magic. The story is enjoyable, but not heartrending. The art, heavily influenced by Amano, is much better. This is his early, 'good guys can have white hair too' stage, and is reminiscent of Vampire Hunter D. If anything, Amon uses even less dialog than D. If you are interested in Amano, then you are going to have to own it. If you just like anime, you may prefer to hunt up a copy for rent.

Rating:
Summary: Reconsider even renting this title.
Review: This anime, unfortunately, is very disappointing and not worth the time it takes to watch it in. I blindly bought it with the assurace of such previous Amano titles as Vampire Hunter D and Angel's Egg. But as soon as the credits started to roll I was busy thinking of ways to get my money back. This anime is everything that VHD isn't, the quintessence of trite horror anime. Just another quiet hero who is a master at the sword, however Amon, the protagonist, doesn't even seem capable of such simple criteria. He seems to require help to get out of every situation he gets himself into. Not to mention a banal "patch-plot" which tries to give the anime a point in the last five minutes of the movie. It can hardly even be played off as yet another bathos filled, campy anime with no plot and senseless action pasting the scenes together. The action scenes are just as disappointing as the anime itself with no excess blood or gore where there is plenty of opportunity and, sadly, necessity for it. Furthermore, for an anime that could use all the help it could get, there is not even an ounce of fan service which could have brought something to this bland 90 minutes. The only redeeming quality is Amano's always-inspiring character design which, while familiar, is pleasing to look at. Yet when pros and cons are juxtaposed, this anime should have stayed in the mid 80's amidst its poorly conceived brethren to possibly one day become a 8th generation fansub. At least then I could tape over it.

Rating:
Summary: Reconsider even renting this title.
Review: This anime, unfortunately, is very disappointing and not worth the time it takes to watch it in. I blindly bought it with the assurace of such previous Amano titles as Vampire Hunter D and Angel's Egg. But as soon as the credits started to roll I was busy thinking of ways to get my money back. This anime is everything that VHD isn't, the quintessence of trite horror anime. Just another quiet hero who is a master at the sword, however Amon, the protagonist, doesn't even seem capable of such simple criteria. He seems to require help to get out of every situation he gets himself into. Not to mention a banal "patch-plot" which tries to give the anime a point in the last five minutes of the movie. It can hardly even be played off as yet another bathos filled, campy anime with no plot and senseless action pasting the scenes together. The action scenes are just as disappointing as the anime itself with no excess blood or gore where there is plenty of opportunity and, sadly, necessity for it. Furthermore, for an anime that could use all the help it could get, there is not even an ounce of fan service which could have brought something to this bland 90 minutes. The only redeeming quality is Amano's always-inspiring character design which, while familiar, is pleasing to look at. Yet when pros and cons are juxtaposed, this anime should have stayed in the mid 80's amidst its poorly conceived brethren to possibly one day become a 8th generation fansub. At least then I could tape over it.