Posted by : Egeria 
Posted on : 2006-05-06  
Story
*******
The Children of Befort are a mysterious group of white haired children who are born time and again into ordinary families in Europe over the centuries. It is said that these seven children are born by the devil.
In the year 2012, over a century after the death of the Children of Befort, a young boy named Thoma lives a carefree life in the Southeastern Archipelago. Things change for Thoma, however, when he meets a girl on his island who constantly draws a mysterious picture resembling a floating island. A drawing that brings the reincarnates of the Children of Befort to her side.
Sights
*******
The graphics was definitely not one of the finer aspects of this series. The characters were really rather plain and few details were put into the cast. The colors were mostly very pale.
Sounds
*******
The music is somewhat tribal, I would say. The opening song is okay but nothing that you could listen to over and over. The ending song, however, is one to keep, especially after watching the whole series. It was really touching when this song was sung during the series.
Opinion
*******
I think this series had an interesting storyline, which made up for the visual presentation. The show really crawls at the beginning. I felt that the story was good up until the last episode when things took a very unexpected turn and totally branched from the hero saves maiden and lives happily ever after type of storyline. The introduction of that character at the end really dropped this series off the low end for me. Outside of this though the originality of the storyline is really refreshing. My favorite characters were Agi and Soreto. The two of them are really devoted to their mission even when the people that hold them back are the ones they love. Even though I didn't like the ending too much, this series was definitely a worthwhile watch. If nothing else, the storyline is some pretty good stuff.
Posted by : Deathful_Hinagiku
Posted on : 2005-10-22 
Fantastic Children is quite possibility one of my favorite anime ever.
I'm giving it such a great calification because it's different. Characters and opening may appear somewhat boring and/or childlish, I must admit it: character design is not that great, maybe that's why it is not very popular, but even if the style is plain, their characters and stories are so nicely developed that the viewer watches no mattering the appearance.
I don't know why some people say the animation is dull. I mean, don't you think it's still a great job to have something "handmade" than those sometimes bad-looking mecha robots?, anyway, that's not my point. I think the animation is simple but nice-looking, believe me... there are so many other duller anime out there.
Yes, it's true: the strong point of Fantastic Children is the story. It's a different story, simple in drawing, but darker and deeper than many other series I've seen, and all becomes better when the story goes on and on, mystery and science fiction embrassed with a touch of spiritual religion, dark pasts and philosophy.
This might sound boring and someones you might prefer watching something more "common", you know, big tits on girls, destructions, and all those things that "represent" anime, but I do believe, that no matter the desings, music or studio, an anime can be great depending of the story.
I encourage you to give it a try if you are bored of common plots with common developments and endings. The first 4 episodes may be somewhat boring, but believe me, that's truly only the start of a great story with a greater end.
Posted by : Soichiro-kunn
Posted on : 2005-09-26
Foreword:
Fantastic Children was a let down in the end. It started out great and went downhill in the later half. I stayed with the series just to complete the story, as I was curious to know what happen in the end.
Story/Plot:
I would classify Fantastic Children as a drama/romance story. There are a few plot twists but overall nothing shocking, somehow I saw them coming. The story is decent; however the writers answered all questions half way through the series and lost its mysterious appeal.
Characters:
The characters were one-dimensional. We grow with them throughout the series but I was left feeling nothing towards them even with the knowledge of their background. Not much attention was given to character development as I felt the director wanted to emphasis more on the story plot.
Art/Music:
Music for the series is good, nothing memorable but it accompanied the series well. The OP and ED were catchy slow ballads, which get to you after a few episodes.
Conclusion:
Fantastic Children has a good momentum going on at the beginning but lost all of it in the middle. The beginning of the show was oozing with mystery and everywhere you turn questions arises. But the appeal disappeared the moment answers were answered. Overall, watch Fantastic Children only when you have nothing else better to watch.
Posted by : junmonkey
Posted on : 2005-08-24
Most of the time, I usually don't enjoy Anime with children running about, having had a few time wasting experiences with certain titles. Shamen King was one of them.
Having picked up on a couple of rave reviews given to Fantastic Children, and out of sheer boredom, I decided to give it a try. Frankly, I'm glad I did.
At first look, the animation might turn some people off, with the art a little far from the conventional looking anime. The character design reminded me a little of Full Metal Alchemist. However, the production design is lavish, with the background set amist beautiful settings. It starts off a little slow, but immediately giving the viewers a sense that a greater mystery is about to unravel. If you can get past the first 3 episodes, more likely than not, you will be sure to be hooked, episode after episode.
The storyline is beautifully crafted, directed by someone with an excellent sense for narrative story telling. I've watched many animes in my life time, more than a hundred series, and this one ranks among my top 10. if you can, do give it a try.
Posted by : PolyGuru
Posted on : 2005-05-30
Initially when I first started watching the anime, I disliked a number of things; well actually I disliked almost everything but hung on to it due to the promise of a good story.
I did not like how they choose to draw the characters, with those big noses and adults that looked like children themselves just taller and bigger. I did not like the color scheme they used. I did not like the dark grey overtones used to portray the dangerous and mysterious in one second and in the next I was faced with bright and sunny colors used to embrace adventure and fun. I found the color scheme and sudden change of it to be disorientating! I did not like the opening and ending theme. I did not like the main characters Helga (who hardly spoke in the beginning) and Thoma (who did not know when to keep quiet)!
Hence with so many dislikes why am I giving Fantastic Children such a high rating? Well to give you the shortest possible answer in a word, it would be because of the story. Yes, the story is fantastic. The first half of the series is slow but it sets the foundation for the story and it builds up the characters astoundingly well. The second half of the series is where the story unfolds beautifully. The pacing is top notch and when you think you have everything figured out; they throw a curve ball at you that leaves you awe struck.
Once the story held me captive, things that I did not like faded into the background as I got used to it or it simply did not matter anymore in the brilliance of the unfolding story and in the continuation of that story, characters that I disliked I begin to care and feel affection for. Such was the power of its story.
Simply put it is fantastic.
Posted by : tokens
Posted on : 2005-05-05
The title of the show is very misleading, as it gives the impression of an anime for kids. This is not the case though. This is not exactly a main-stream that action fans would like. However if you like animes with deep plots and excellent story-telling, this is for you.
Fantastic Children starts slow and is very confusing initially. However all this is for the better as it lays out the background of the characters and manages to hold the attention of the viewer to continue with the next episode. Each character has their own pains and dark pasts that is revealed in bits and pieces. As the story is revealed towards the end, the story just becomes better and better.
Although animated in 2004, the animation uses cel-animation and has a lot of pastel colors. This results in rather pale coloring and not as one might expect from a recent anime.
The use of music is excellent in the anime. Background music compliments the scenes nicely and cannot be faulted. The opening and ending is again not main-stream, but is still very good.
A parting shot, this anime was pre-licensed, which might had been an indication of the quality of it.
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