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"Creativity"

Shaman King Review

Episode 1: 5/5

Episode 2: 5/5

Episode 3: 4/5

Episode 4: 4/5

Episode 5: 4/5

Episode 6: 4/5

Episode 7: 4/5

Episode 8: 3/5

Episode 9: 4/5

Episode 10: 3/5

Episode 11: 3/5

Episode 12: 3/5

Episode 13: 4/5

Episode 14: 5/5

Episode 15: 3/5

Episode 16: 3/5

Episode 17: 4/5

Episode 18: 4/5

Episode 19: 3/5

Episode 20: 4/5

Episode 21: 3/5

Episode 22: 3/5

Episode 23: 3/5

Episode 24: 4/5

Episode 25: 3/5

Episode 26: 3/5

Episode 27: 4/5

Episode 28: (N/A)

Episode 29: 5/5

Episode 30: 4/5

Episode 31: 4/5

Episode 32: 4/5

Episode 33: 5/5

Episode 34: 4/5

Episode 35: 4/5

Episode 36: 4/5

Episode 37: 4/5

Episode 38: 3/5

Episode 39: 3/5

Episode 40: 4/5

Episode 41: 4/5

Episode 42: 5/5

Episode 43: 3/5

Episode 44: 3/5

Episode 45: 4/5

Episode 46: 5/5

Episode 47: 4/5

Episode 48: 3/5

Episode 49: 3/5

Episode 50: 4/5

Episode 51: 4/5

Episode 52: 3/5

Episode 53: 5/5

Episode 54: 4/5

Episode 55: 4/5

Episode 56: 5/5

Episode 57: 5/5

Episode 58: 5/5

Episode 59: 5/5

Episode 60: 5/5

Episode 61: 5/5

Episode 62: 5/5

Episode 63: 5/5

Episode 64: 4/5

Shaman King is a sixty-four episode Shonen anime about Yoh Asakura and his dream to become, what else, Shaman King. It is based off its manga, and the anime and manga do have some differences, so if you are looking for a perfect adaptation, this might not be the one. And on the subject of things alternating from he source material, I watched the dub, and considering it was a 4kids dub, a lot of people don’t like this version. I got voice actors like Sean Schemmel as Rio, so that’s enough for me to like the dub. And if you are wondering what a Shaman is, a Shaman is a person who is a bridge between the spirit and human world. The spirits who haven’t traveled on stay behind on Earth, and there are more than just past away lives, there are man different types of spirits. A spirit can take the body of a Shaman, and the two can fight together. At first I thought it was a great idea. A Shaman and spirit fighting together, that’s a really cool take on fighting. Four minds in one battle? Shamans and spirits could have cross rivalries, the story could really be affected by the action. A person’s weapon could walk off cause you pissed it off. But no, the spirits although characters are single sided and more or less just an idea behind their weapon. By the end their spirits are turning into giant forms that are all transformers like, have their spirits in their weapons, having double weapons although one spirit, it just becomes more like Shonen anime, and not to say the fights are wonderful and fun to watch, but they aren’t what they could have been, or quite what I was expecting. Now, let’s get more into it. First the story. The story follows Yoh, and like other Shonen he really is the star of the show, and entering a big epic despite being not much from the beginning. There is a big tournament, and it’s the Shaman Tournament. The winner will becoming Shaman King and be able to merge with the king of spirits, and be able to change the world for better or worse. Along the way there are some cool turns, but it’s not as in your face. The characters for a long time are just trying to get somewhere, and although that’s probably the most boring time of the series, I like the fact they can take some time away just for a fun little adventure. And even with strict deadlines, a feeling of "hey, our odds suck,” and a million other obstacles, it really never feels so doomsday and destructive. It’s actually kind of relaxing in a way. But the thing, or person I should say, that really takes the story ahead, is Zeke. Zeke is one of those villains that really does everything in his power, and he easily is one of the best characters. He is the best character that will make it an easy going anime, as well as make a ultimate villain that only a deus ex machina can defeat. Story overall, I like that it doesn’t try and be the ultimate epic of epicness of epic proportions. It’s more simple, and becomes likeable, but a little less loveable. Is it predictable? Yes. Is it playing safe? Yes. Is it anything new? No. Is it still good? Absolutely. Typical Shonen action anime? Yeah, that’s a fair statement. As for characters, I love them. Anna and Yoh although I’m an anime novice, it’s better than most romances. And I hate calling it a romance, ‘cause it really sets itself apart. Yoh and Anna from day one are engaged. It’s like a married couple, and it’s fun to watch. (Maybe not always) And they actually do care, although the anime doesn’t show it as much. Anna and Yoh are opposites, and it’s ironic that one of more young romances has the more adult theme. Anna is a complete bitch, and got under my skin during the early episodes, but it calms down, thank God. Aside from that, Yoh is also a great character. At first he has this lax kick back attitude, and he retains it through the show, and can still be a work horse. He just knows when to handle his shit, and I like that. It’s something that you can relate to, and he can contrast with really anyone. He has good moments with everyone from this movie, and I want to see him interact with so many character types. Other characters such as Len, Rio, Trey, Morty, Jun, they’re all great characters I loved. There are some other characters I had different relationships with. Trey, Joco, Lyserg, and a group of sort of Team Rocket like characters exist. Trey was sort of bland for having such a big role, and he mostly is just complaining, and is a little all over the place. Joco is mostly just a running gag, and introduced so much later in the series it’s hard to root for him. Lyserg I hated for the longest time, but that’s part of it. He ultimately becomes better than these other ones, but he still just got under my skin so much during those episodes. And the girl group is just kind of there, and don’t hold really any point. At least this isn’t one group of girls that is just a giant blob of fan service, so one of these groups exist, but it’s not that good either way. And so the side characters don’t really compare to the better ones. They are all really diverse, and make a good team. But there is so many, and most of them don’t matter. As for animation, it does the job, and is pretty good looking. That’s all there. For music, the 4kids opening is dope, you can give them that. And the sound is good, so thumb’s up there. Now, how is it overall? I mean, I really do love the series, it was really likeable. And when it was getting intense in the last couple of episodes, that was watching something really special. It’s funny, it’s enjoyable, and it’s something I can just have simple dumb fun with. If I want to laugh at Rio just talking then let me. If I just want to see Zeke be a bad ass, just let me. It’s a wonderful anime, and I’m easily impressed, and I doubt many series will be less than nine, but that just shows how awesome anime is. Just show a wonderful sixty-four episode adventure featuring a kid trying to become Shaman King, and you get, well, Shaman King.

Shaman King gets a 4/5