xlangworth - 2014-08-06 10:09:51

misael87 - 2014-06-23 06:12:58

Nanana's Buried Treasure is a type of adventure anime that seems to mix together several different genres together to make a kind of unique package

On the surface the story is about how Juugo moves into a dorm where Nanana lives. However, she is a ghost who is searching for her killer. She has hidden the treasure she has gathered in her life time around the city and Juugo is tracking them down to help her achieve her goal. However, fairly early on there is a major twist in the anime that does take time to get used to, but ultimately raises the stakes.

However, the story does not go very far in the 11 episodes the show has. The ending does not even fall on a spot where there is some closure and the pacing is off balanced due to the number of reveals the show commits to. The anime is very fast paced overall and a lot of the transitions seem a bit jarring. Even so, it does remain interesting throughout.

The characters are somewhat of a mixed bag. Juugo, for a male protagonist, is actually pretty well rounded. He clearly likes girls, but is actually focused on his goals. Also, while he is quick to protect people, he is not against venting his annoyances. He's pretty realistic personality wise as far as anime goes. But he also has no real major strengths either besides being somewhat refreshing.

Nanana, the title character, has some interesting past but none of it is explored during the show. She gets no development and it's even questionable to call her a main character as her involvement overall is fairly limited. She is likable enough, but again, not very special. However, then we get to Tensai, the true hero of the anime. She claims to be a master detective and while this seems like a bogus claim at first, she actually makes good on her claim. She's most likely among the smartest and most cunning of the cast and it contrasts pretty well with the rest of the cast.

There are of course a lot of side characters. A couple of them get some backstory and development, but nothing very major at all. A lot of the characters really seem to be moving from point A to B to get to a treasure using various means.

One of the most exciting parts of the anime are the treasure rooms. They are huge puzzles the characters must solve to get to the treasure, and they all can be deadly. It's very much akin to Phi-Brain, but the animation and characters make it more enjoyable. When they get to one it's almost like the anime telling you this is going to be pretty awesome

From an animation standard it has it's own flare to say the least. However, a lot of the characters just seem to blend into each other after a while. The only ones with really distinctive styles are Nanana and Tensai, and the latter is more due to her outfit than anything else. However, that is not to say the animation is bad... it's actually quite solid. The sound is kind of weird for the anime overall, I mean the OP and ED are both solid and imo fit the show a lot better than some of the IN tracks.

Nanana might have hidden a true ending away somewhere but it's not to be found in eleven episodes. I know this is a broken record but this anime honestly did the best it could with such limited time. However, making it all come together was an unsolvable puzzle.

treva57 - 2014-06-20 07:20:42

*Some Minor Spoilers Follow*I want you to picture this.Imagine Indiana Jones as a spunky purple-haired girl. Now imagine she spent her school days hunting and collecting mysterious artifacts that grant special powers. Now imagine that she formed a school club of other foolhardy adventurers. Now imagine she was murdered one day and become a NEET ghost haunting a local apartment until years later a seemingly average young man moves in and is forced into recovering said artifacts and finding out who killed this girl.Congratulations, you now understand this weird premise. I'm not saying it couldn't have worked at all, there's potential there but just the way it's presented makes it sound kind of out there. Based on a still on-going light novel series (which means no solid conclusion, let's get that out of the way), A1 Pictures brings us a very pretty looking yet ultimately mediocre anime for the Noitamina line-up. Which kind of baffles me since the premise alone is rather otaku-oriented and Noitamina typically airs shows that cater to more mainstream Japanese tastes, but whatever. The plot is all over the map here. We have two long-standing end goals, and a lot of just... stuff that gets in the way. There's lots of characters with various ties and alliances who are also hunting these relics, there's a fair amount of backstory and backstabbing but... it's all so poorly set-up and explained that it just kind of leaves you absent-mindedly nodding in silence.When the show starts monologing, that's when just gets hard to follow. This show moves at its own weird pace and doesn't feel the need to conform to your perceived notions of narrative and exposition, bro. By the end of the show, I couldn't keep up with certain plotlines so I just kind of stopped trying.Barring maybe two characters, most of them are just stock fodder who contribute very little. The protagonist, Juugo is bland as all hell at first but he does kind of come into his own by the end. He's still rather bland, but it turns out he was a different flavor of bland all along! And the second tastes better than the first.Tensai is about the only character I would describe as being "solid". An ambitious young detective who absolutely steals the show. What she lacks in backstory, she makes up for in sheer on-screen presence and awesomeness. She solves the vast majority of the puzzles in the show and is usually the one to get the club out of whatever jam they're in. (Sometimes Juugo blows through it with brute-force, which can also be fun). She quickly forms a heated, yet friendly, rivalry with Juugo and often works both with and against him in solving the mysteries surrounding the magical relics.Being voiced by the impeccable Kana Asumi doesn't hurt her case either.The actual title character, Nanana on the other hand... is just kind of stupid. She doesn't do much of anything. She's bound to Juugo's apartment so her influence is minimal at best and to make it worse, she actively withholds information from him for no reason other than "eh, it's more interesting that way". It might fit the character's personality, but it still comes across as a writer's convenient excuse.I just don't like her. I don't like her design (her bedsheet dress makes her chest look surprisingly saggy...), I don't like her voice, and ultimately she just sits around doing nothing but beat the crap out of her roommate when he forgets to buy her pudding. Gee, imagine what that would be like if the genders were reversed? People would be accusing the show of promoting domestic abuse or some shit.In the words of The Boondocks, "BITCH THIS CHICKEN IS COLD!". That's all I say on that double standard.So basically only two of the characters are really likable, the plot is a mess that goes nowhere, the villain is one-dimensional and the conflict is resolved with a goddamn bluff of all things. And the post-credits scene in the last episode just confuses me... Is it revealing another season? Is it telling me to buy the light novels? Is it telling me to go fuck myself? IS IT TIME FOR RON PAUL 2012!?! I have no idea.I can't really complain about the animation as it is pretty good. Getting a Noitamina timeslot must have done wonders for the show's budget. It gets a little worse towards the end, but it still holds up pretty well. Visually impressive, even the CGI.The music gets an average score because for every awesome exciting track, there's an equally boring one. By my reckoning, half the OST is composed of casual elevator music that wouldn't sound out of place in a Dead Rising menu screen. Not the best job done musically, but it gets the job done. The seiyuu do a good job with the material given, especially Kana Asumi.Ultimately, there were a few good ideas thrown in the mix, but this is just another incomplete light novel adaptation that goes nowhere. It isn't the worst time in the world, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're spectacularly bored. Rewatch Value: No (Based on a Yes/Maybe/No scale)