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[FLAG]
Raising standard(s). In anime.
As the old saying goes, a picture can speak a thousand words, so when a young rookie photographer Saeko Shirasu, takes the picture that defines the conflict in the fictional country Uddiyana, she quickly becomes famous. The picture she takes depicts a makeshift Flag raised over the city which captures a silhouette of a woman praying. The Flag instantly becomes a symbol of peace and hope for the future in the troubled country. But just as a truce is signed to stop the rampant insurgency that erupted, the Flag is stolen by extremists . Threatening to derail the peace process and snuff out any chance of an end to the fighting in the troubled country. For propaganda purposes, Shirasu is asked by the UN forces to follow and document SDC, a special taskforce utilizing new Mecha technology, deployed to find and retrieve the symbolic flag.
The story begins just after Shirasu finishes her tour with SDC and meets up with her mentor and friend Keiichi Akagi. She hands him a disk containing all the raw footage and pictures she took whilst she was away with SDC for safe keeping as she quickly leaves for a flight. Akagi decides to process the footage and get some closure on events that took place on 2 different fronts during the conflict. Whilst Shirasu documented SDC actions, Akagi followed the brutal fighting in the city revealing 2 very different sides to the conflict. On one, the brave efforts and heroism of SDC, the other the Dirty and ugly nature of modern warfare that sees only innocents taking the brunt of the UNs wrath.
Apart from being an anime based on war and conflict, FLAG portrays a story about Shirasu's personal journey to understanding what she wants to be in life, what pictures she wants to take and show the world. At the same time, Akagi reveals the motivations or reasoning for his work and what impact he has on the local populace as he takes pictures from an outsiders point of view. It also offers a critical view on the current UN's existing structure and its failings along with recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which leaves a horrible sting at the end of the story.
TBH I didn't know much about this Anime and only came across it by luck. No one has reviewed it or talked about it. The anime is incredibly difficult to find thanks to its name.
But I'm sure glad that I did.
The series is of a top quality. The art work is good making effective use of both traditional and computerised means to complete the work. The style is quite appealing as leans more towards realism rather than traditional anime. The story is pretty well thought out especially how they go into much detail in understanding how the mechs (Or HAVWCs) work and the work needed to operate them in a modern war.
The dubb, is spot on and can't be faulted, the voices suitable for each character and they do a fine job getting the dialogue right. Credit must be given to the musical talent to accompany the series. The closing song "Lights" by Eri Nobuchika especially is superb.
The best part about FLAG is how it Intelligently presents the story through the perspective of a camera lens capturing raw footage and slowly being pieced together as Akagi processes it. Footage is spliced from different sources and random or impulsive photos thrown in for good measure. It's quite refreshing to watch FLAG because of its different approach to story narration and subject matter of war, capturing the atmosphere perfectly and adds a human touch to proceedings. At the same time, It adds a flair of plausibility and realism. Something that's vital in any good story not completely based on real facts. It's just as well really, upon reflection, the deliberately slow pacing to the story may have made FLAG quite boring and tedious. Especially if Aniplex studios opted for a more traditional method of portraying the story like a staged set piece.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed FLAG and it's one of the better anime I've seen this year or at the very least one of the more memorable ones. The exquisite storytelling that makes the story compelling and captivating, the beautiful artwork, the excellent dub and musical score; It simply provides a complete package that screams excellence. It's been one of the few anime in recent months that's made me genuinely say wow and I haven't done that for a long while. Although I would suspect that FLAG won't be to everyone's tastes, I would still recommend people to at least have a look at it.
7/10 (Objectively) 8.5/10 personally.
It's taken me some time to find it, you can watch FLAG here:
Linky 1
Link 2/
Raising standard(s). In anime.
As the old saying goes, a picture can speak a thousand words, so when a young rookie photographer Saeko Shirasu, takes the picture that defines the conflict in the fictional country Uddiyana, she quickly becomes famous. The picture she takes depicts a makeshift Flag raised over the city which captures a silhouette of a woman praying. The Flag instantly becomes a symbol of peace and hope for the future in the troubled country. But just as a truce is signed to stop the rampant insurgency that erupted, the Flag is stolen by extremists . Threatening to derail the peace process and snuff out any chance of an end to the fighting in the troubled country. For propaganda purposes, Shirasu is asked by the UN forces to follow and document SDC, a special taskforce utilizing new Mecha technology, deployed to find and retrieve the symbolic flag.
The story begins just after Shirasu finishes her tour with SDC and meets up with her mentor and friend Keiichi Akagi. She hands him a disk containing all the raw footage and pictures she took whilst she was away with SDC for safe keeping as she quickly leaves for a flight. Akagi decides to process the footage and get some closure on events that took place on 2 different fronts during the conflict. Whilst Shirasu documented SDC actions, Akagi followed the brutal fighting in the city revealing 2 very different sides to the conflict. On one, the brave efforts and heroism of SDC, the other the Dirty and ugly nature of modern warfare that sees only innocents taking the brunt of the UNs wrath.
Apart from being an anime based on war and conflict, FLAG portrays a story about Shirasu's personal journey to understanding what she wants to be in life, what pictures she wants to take and show the world. At the same time, Akagi reveals the motivations or reasoning for his work and what impact he has on the local populace as he takes pictures from an outsiders point of view. It also offers a critical view on the current UN's existing structure and its failings along with recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which leaves a horrible sting at the end of the story.
TBH I didn't know much about this Anime and only came across it by luck. No one has reviewed it or talked about it. The anime is incredibly difficult to find thanks to its name.
But I'm sure glad that I did.
The series is of a top quality. The art work is good making effective use of both traditional and computerised means to complete the work. The style is quite appealing as leans more towards realism rather than traditional anime. The story is pretty well thought out especially how they go into much detail in understanding how the mechs (Or HAVWCs) work and the work needed to operate them in a modern war.
The dubb, is spot on and can't be faulted, the voices suitable for each character and they do a fine job getting the dialogue right. Credit must be given to the musical talent to accompany the series. The closing song "Lights" by Eri Nobuchika especially is superb.
The best part about FLAG is how it Intelligently presents the story through the perspective of a camera lens capturing raw footage and slowly being pieced together as Akagi processes it. Footage is spliced from different sources and random or impulsive photos thrown in for good measure. It's quite refreshing to watch FLAG because of its different approach to story narration and subject matter of war, capturing the atmosphere perfectly and adds a human touch to proceedings. At the same time, It adds a flair of plausibility and realism. Something that's vital in any good story not completely based on real facts. It's just as well really, upon reflection, the deliberately slow pacing to the story may have made FLAG quite boring and tedious. Especially if Aniplex studios opted for a more traditional method of portraying the story like a staged set piece.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed FLAG and it's one of the better anime I've seen this year or at the very least one of the more memorable ones. The exquisite storytelling that makes the story compelling and captivating, the beautiful artwork, the excellent dub and musical score; It simply provides a complete package that screams excellence. It's been one of the few anime in recent months that's made me genuinely say wow and I haven't done that for a long while. Although I would suspect that FLAG won't be to everyone's tastes, I would still recommend people to at least have a look at it.
7/10 (Objectively) 8.5/10 personally.
It's taken me some time to find it, you can watch FLAG here:
Linky 1
Link 2/
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[FLAG]
Raising standard(s). In anime.
As the old saying goes, a picture can speak a thousand words, so when a young rookie photographer Saeko Shirasu, takes the picture that defines the conflict in the fictional country Uddiyana, she quickly becomes famous. The picture she takes depicts a makeshift Flag raised over the city which captures a silhouette of a woman praying. The Flag instantly becomes a symbol of peace and hope for the future in the troubled country. But just as a truce is signed to stop the rampant insurgency that erupted, the Flag is stolen by extremists . Threatening to derail the peace process and snuff out any chance of an end to the fighting in the troubled country. For propaganda purposes, Shirasu is asked by the UN forces to follow and document SDC, a special taskforce utilizing new Mecha technology, deployed to find and retrieve the symbolic flag.
The story begins just after Shirasu finishes her tour with SDC and meets up with her mentor and friend Keiichi Akagi. She hands him a disk containing all the raw footage and pictures she took whilst she was away with SDC for safe keeping as she quickly leaves for a flight. Akagi decides to process the footage and get some closure on events that took place on 2 different fronts during the conflict. Whilst Shirasu documented SDC actions, Akagi followed the brutal fighting in the city revealing 2 very different sides to the conflict. On one, the brave efforts and heroism of SDC, the other the Dirty and ugly nature of modern warfare that sees only innocents taking the brunt of the UNs wrath.
Apart from being an anime based on war and conflict, FLAG portrays a story about Shirasu's personal journey to understanding what she wants to be in life, what pictures she wants to take and show the world. At the same time, Akagi reveals the motivations or reasoning for his work and what impact he has on the local populace as he takes pictures from an outsiders point of view. It also offers a critical view on the current UN's existing structure and its failings along with recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which leaves a horrible sting at the end of the story.
TBH I didn't know much about this Anime and only came across it by luck. No one has reviewed it or talked about it. The anime is incredibly difficult to find thanks to its name.
But I'm sure glad that I did.
The series is of a top quality. The art work is good making effective use of both traditional and computerised means to complete the work. The style is quite appealing as leans more towards realism rather than traditional anime. The story is pretty well thought out especially how they go into much detail in understanding how the mechs (Or HAVWCs) work and the work needed to operate them in a modern war.
The dubb, is spot on and can't be faulted, the voices suitable for each character and they do a fine job getting the dialogue right. Credit must be given to the musical talent to accompany the series. The closing song "Lights" by Eri Nobuchika especially is superb.
The best part about FLAG is how it Intelligently presents the story through the perspective of a camera lens capturing raw footage and slowly being pieced together as Akagi processes it. Footage is spliced from different sources and random or impulsive photos thrown in for good measure. It's quite refreshing to watch FLAG because of its different approach to story narration and subject matter of war, capturing the atmosphere perfectly and adds a human touch to proceedings. At the same time, It adds a flair of plausibility and realism. Something that's vital in any good story not completely based on real facts. It's just as well really, upon reflection, the deliberately slow pacing to the story may have made FLAG quite boring and tedious. Especially if Aniplex studios opted for a more traditional method of portraying the story like a staged set piece.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed FLAG and it's one of the better anime I've seen this year or at the very least one of the more memorable ones. The exquisite storytelling that makes the story compelling and captivating, the beautiful artwork, the excellent dub and musical score; It simply provides a complete package that screams excellence. It's been one of the few anime in recent months that's made me genuinely say wow and I haven't done that for a long while. Although I would suspect that FLAG won't be to everyone's tastes, I would still recommend people to at least have a look at it.
7/10 (Objectively) 8.5/10 personally.
It's taken me some time to find it, you can watch FLAG here:
Linky 1
Link 2/
Raising standard(s). In anime.
As the old saying goes, a picture can speak a thousand words, so when a young rookie photographer Saeko Shirasu, takes the picture that defines the conflict in the fictional country Uddiyana, she quickly becomes famous. The picture she takes depicts a makeshift Flag raised over the city which captures a silhouette of a woman praying. The Flag instantly becomes a symbol of peace and hope for the future in the troubled country. But just as a truce is signed to stop the rampant insurgency that erupted, the Flag is stolen by extremists . Threatening to derail the peace process and snuff out any chance of an end to the fighting in the troubled country. For propaganda purposes, Shirasu is asked by the UN forces to follow and document SDC, a special taskforce utilizing new Mecha technology, deployed to find and retrieve the symbolic flag.
The story begins just after Shirasu finishes her tour with SDC and meets up with her mentor and friend Keiichi Akagi. She hands him a disk containing all the raw footage and pictures she took whilst she was away with SDC for safe keeping as she quickly leaves for a flight. Akagi decides to process the footage and get some closure on events that took place on 2 different fronts during the conflict. Whilst Shirasu documented SDC actions, Akagi followed the brutal fighting in the city revealing 2 very different sides to the conflict. On one, the brave efforts and heroism of SDC, the other the Dirty and ugly nature of modern warfare that sees only innocents taking the brunt of the UNs wrath.
Apart from being an anime based on war and conflict, FLAG portrays a story about Shirasu's personal journey to understanding what she wants to be in life, what pictures she wants to take and show the world. At the same time, Akagi reveals the motivations or reasoning for his work and what impact he has on the local populace as he takes pictures from an outsiders point of view. It also offers a critical view on the current UN's existing structure and its failings along with recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which leaves a horrible sting at the end of the story.
TBH I didn't know much about this Anime and only came across it by luck. No one has reviewed it or talked about it. The anime is incredibly difficult to find thanks to its name.
But I'm sure glad that I did.
The series is of a top quality. The art work is good making effective use of both traditional and computerised means to complete the work. The style is quite appealing as leans more towards realism rather than traditional anime. The story is pretty well thought out especially how they go into much detail in understanding how the mechs (Or HAVWCs) work and the work needed to operate them in a modern war.
The dubb, is spot on and can't be faulted, the voices suitable for each character and they do a fine job getting the dialogue right. Credit must be given to the musical talent to accompany the series. The closing song "Lights" by Eri Nobuchika especially is superb.
The best part about FLAG is how it Intelligently presents the story through the perspective of a camera lens capturing raw footage and slowly being pieced together as Akagi processes it. Footage is spliced from different sources and random or impulsive photos thrown in for good measure. It's quite refreshing to watch FLAG because of its different approach to story narration and subject matter of war, capturing the atmosphere perfectly and adds a human touch to proceedings. At the same time, It adds a flair of plausibility and realism. Something that's vital in any good story not completely based on real facts. It's just as well really, upon reflection, the deliberately slow pacing to the story may have made FLAG quite boring and tedious. Especially if Aniplex studios opted for a more traditional method of portraying the story like a staged set piece.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed FLAG and it's one of the better anime I've seen this year or at the very least one of the more memorable ones. The exquisite storytelling that makes the story compelling and captivating, the beautiful artwork, the excellent dub and musical score; It simply provides a complete package that screams excellence. It's been one of the few anime in recent months that's made me genuinely say wow and I haven't done that for a long while. Although I would suspect that FLAG won't be to everyone's tastes, I would still recommend people to at least have a look at it.
7/10 (Objectively) 8.5/10 personally.
It's taken me some time to find it, you can watch FLAG here:
Linky 1
Link 2/