Gosh have I really not updated since Nichijou? That was like a week ago.
I wanted to talk about the four anime demographics, because I've been getting out of my normal demographic lately and talking about the others will save me some time when I get around to reviewing Princess Jellyfish and Maria-sama ga Miteru.
The four demographics are based on gender and age. Naturally, there are plenty of people outside the standard demographics who like shows from demographics, but the terms have underlying connotations beyond simply who they're aimed at.
The best known demographic, indeed, what most westerners think of when they think of anime, is shōnen, anime and manga aimed at boys high school age and younger, epitomized by Naruto, Bleach and Dragonball Z. However, the genre is not solely composed of fighting series, there are a large number of manga and anime about sports, as well as a number of series that seem mature enough to fall into the next category, such as Death Note, Gurren Lagann and Evangelion: shōnen is not distinguished by immaturity, but rather by the intended appeal.
Not as well known in the west but for the shining example of Sailor Moon is anime intended for girls of high school age and younger, termed shōjo in Japanese. These stories tend to focus on relationships, love and drama, with all manner of variations on the theme, though again, the definition is based on who the series is marketed towards rather than who might otherwise enjoy it. Of the series I've reviewed, only Lovely Complex qualifies as shōjo.
The third category is the one that I watch the most of, anime for adult men, seinen. This category contains almost all 'harem' and 'fan service' series (not that shōnen doesn't have fan service, but it tends to be less common), though these series will often have deeper explorations of emotions. Seinen series tend to have a large percentage of female characters on the cast compared to shōnen series, and much higher sex appeal than shōjo, though other than these, it's often easy to mistake seinen for shōjo or shōnen based purely on concept.
The final category is almost unknown in the west, and is small even in Japan: josei, anime intended for adult women. It often strongly resembles shōjo but viewed through a less rose-colored lens: the relationships and interactions explored by this tend to be more realistic and mature. I can't say too much more about it because I know so very little about stories of this type, given their relative rarity.
Recently, I've been watching Gintama (a shōnen series), Princess Jellyfish (a josei series), and Maria-sama ga Miteru (a shōjo series), as well as Nisemonogatari (seinen) as it airs in Japan. I'll update you on all of them sometime this week.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Nichijou
Nichijou: C+
It's said that our everyday lives are nothing less than a string of miracles.
Nichijou ("Everyday life" or "Normal life") is a slice of life series that I have a difficult time describing in any way other than "Azumanga Daioh by way of Gurren Lagann." To be clearer, Azumanga Daioh is a series about Schoolgirls being schoolgirls. Gurren Lagann is best known for hot-blooded-ness and taking things to new levels of absurdity. Nichijou is a series about schoolgirls taking things to new levels of hot-blooded absurdity.
As I've said before it's really hard to talk about what a Slice of Life series is about, so instead I'll just list out of context things that occur or exist in Nichijou:
An 8-year-old scientist.
An extremely polite, well-mannered boy who rides to school on a goat.
Extraordinarily long gags.
A kendo practitioner who gives people shogi pieces for no adequately explained reason.
A manga called "Helvetica Standard."
A girl so tsundere that her only method of response to the boy she has a crush on is with heavy weapons.
The sport of Go-Soccer.
A boy who visits mediums and priests trying to disprove the supernatural.
A talking cat.
Nichijou revels in its own absurdity, and manages to be very funny and quite heartwarming in places. In a lot of other places, the gags will result in "What?!" rather than laughter, and while I don't have anything against that sort of humor, when it's the greater part of the punchline, it gets a bit tired. Note, however, that I watched the series alone; I suspect it would hold up better under a group audience.
If you're looking for truly absurd screwball comedy, Nichijou delivers. If you're looking for... anything else at all, I'd stay away.
It's said that our everyday lives are nothing less than a string of miracles.
Nichijou ("Everyday life" or "Normal life") is a slice of life series that I have a difficult time describing in any way other than "Azumanga Daioh by way of Gurren Lagann." To be clearer, Azumanga Daioh is a series about Schoolgirls being schoolgirls. Gurren Lagann is best known for hot-blooded-ness and taking things to new levels of absurdity. Nichijou is a series about schoolgirls taking things to new levels of hot-blooded absurdity.
As I've said before it's really hard to talk about what a Slice of Life series is about, so instead I'll just list out of context things that occur or exist in Nichijou:
An 8-year-old scientist.
An extremely polite, well-mannered boy who rides to school on a goat.
Extraordinarily long gags.
A kendo practitioner who gives people shogi pieces for no adequately explained reason.
A manga called "Helvetica Standard."
A girl so tsundere that her only method of response to the boy she has a crush on is with heavy weapons.
The sport of Go-Soccer.
A boy who visits mediums and priests trying to disprove the supernatural.
A talking cat.
Nichijou revels in its own absurdity, and manages to be very funny and quite heartwarming in places. In a lot of other places, the gags will result in "What?!" rather than laughter, and while I don't have anything against that sort of humor, when it's the greater part of the punchline, it gets a bit tired. Note, however, that I watched the series alone; I suspect it would hold up better under a group audience.
If you're looking for truly absurd screwball comedy, Nichijou delivers. If you're looking for... anything else at all, I'd stay away.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Baka to Tesuto to Shokanjuu
Baka to Tesuto to Shokanjuu: C+
This series rounds out what is, in my mind now, a trio of series that I've reviewed that, in my mind are all a little too similar for me to be entirely comfortable with: Baka to Tesuto to Shokanjuu (which translates loosely to "Idiots, Tests and Summoned Monsters," but is conveniently abbreviated "Bakatest"), Infinite Stratos and Kore wa Zombie desu ka.
Bakatest revolves around a school with a unique method of teaching: students are classed according to their academic ability from A to F, with correspondingly good (or poor) facilities. Our hero is, naturally, in the F class, the bottom of the barrel, the idiots of the idiots, who in this particular instance are joined by one girl who fainted during the Entrance Exam. Naturally, our hero stands up for the girl against the brutality of the system, and even more so when it turns out that she's an A-class level genius, so the school's other unique attribute: a video-game-esque 'battle system' based on the students grades in which they can defeat other classes in 'battles' between their summoned creatures in order to conquer the superior facilities. Naturally, the series is also contains a love triangle between our fainting genius, the hero and his violently Tsundere childhood friend. Overall, it manages to be clever, funny and occasionally heartwarming.
But. BUT.
It's formulaic to the point of cut-and-pasting, an accusation I should have leveled more harshly at the other two series I mentioned. I'm going to start referring to the genre of 'High School Fantasy' derogatorialy for a minute, because it's becoming painfully prevalent and really could stand to sharpen up. A proper High School Fantasy establishes something interesting about the setting (Say, the school's got summoned monsters), gives us a male protagonist and maybe his posse, and then throws women at him which he, for whatever reason, is hesitant to get involved with (in this case because he is an intergalactic moron), and completely ignores all the interesting social, philosophical and psychological questions that the interesting nature of the setting brings up in favor of swimsuits, jiggling and schadenfreude.
SOME people would say that cute girls and people suffering humorously is enough. And they're not entirely wrong, these series do not tend to be bad. They do tend to be predictable and shallow, wasting potential on cookie-cutter plots rather than challenging us to ask questions, empathize or even care.
Bakatest is a fun little romp with some lovable idiots. If you want to visit their strange high school with its strange rules and stranger students, you'll laugh and have a good time. But, it's a truly textbook High School Fantasy, with all the baggage that entails.
This series rounds out what is, in my mind now, a trio of series that I've reviewed that, in my mind are all a little too similar for me to be entirely comfortable with: Baka to Tesuto to Shokanjuu (which translates loosely to "Idiots, Tests and Summoned Monsters," but is conveniently abbreviated "Bakatest"), Infinite Stratos and Kore wa Zombie desu ka.
Bakatest revolves around a school with a unique method of teaching: students are classed according to their academic ability from A to F, with correspondingly good (or poor) facilities. Our hero is, naturally, in the F class, the bottom of the barrel, the idiots of the idiots, who in this particular instance are joined by one girl who fainted during the Entrance Exam. Naturally, our hero stands up for the girl against the brutality of the system, and even more so when it turns out that she's an A-class level genius, so the school's other unique attribute: a video-game-esque 'battle system' based on the students grades in which they can defeat other classes in 'battles' between their summoned creatures in order to conquer the superior facilities. Naturally, the series is also contains a love triangle between our fainting genius, the hero and his violently Tsundere childhood friend. Overall, it manages to be clever, funny and occasionally heartwarming.
But. BUT.
It's formulaic to the point of cut-and-pasting, an accusation I should have leveled more harshly at the other two series I mentioned. I'm going to start referring to the genre of 'High School Fantasy' derogatorialy for a minute, because it's becoming painfully prevalent and really could stand to sharpen up. A proper High School Fantasy establishes something interesting about the setting (Say, the school's got summoned monsters), gives us a male protagonist and maybe his posse, and then throws women at him which he, for whatever reason, is hesitant to get involved with (in this case because he is an intergalactic moron), and completely ignores all the interesting social, philosophical and psychological questions that the interesting nature of the setting brings up in favor of swimsuits, jiggling and schadenfreude.
SOME people would say that cute girls and people suffering humorously is enough. And they're not entirely wrong, these series do not tend to be bad. They do tend to be predictable and shallow, wasting potential on cookie-cutter plots rather than challenging us to ask questions, empathize or even care.
Bakatest is a fun little romp with some lovable idiots. If you want to visit their strange high school with its strange rules and stranger students, you'll laugh and have a good time. But, it's a truly textbook High School Fantasy, with all the baggage that entails.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Potemayo
Potemayo: B+
So, I mentioned in my FLCL review that it wasn't just weird a Japanese thing that don't make any sense.
Potemayo is.
Sunao is a young man in middle school (he's about 13 or 14) who finds a strangely adorable creature in his refrigerator, which he names Potemayo (a portmanteau of 'Potato' and 'Mayonnaise'), on account of what he was going to the fridge for when he found her. Not long after, another creature like Potemayo comes out of his fridge, which, through a series of circumstances involving Potemayo chasing a bird and a number of Sunao's classmates chasing Potemayo, is named Guchuko.
Adorable hilarity ensues. There's really not much more to describe.
Potemayo is a audacious comedy, but it would be misleading to say that most of the humor comes from the possibly alien creatures, in many episodes they are more or less set-dressing and we're really here to watch the insanity that is the characters in Sunao's class (and, indeed, Sunao himself, who is uncannily stoic).
Indeed, it's a difficult series to criticize. It's funny, it's short and the few serious moments it takes manage to work remarkably well. I only give it a B+ rather than an A because, well, it IS a weird Japanese series, and it's a little bit inaccessible to western audiences purely because we'll be inclined to assume we're not getting something, or that this is just because it's Japanese, rather than that the series is just reveling in its own absurdity, and the absurdity of the relatively believable people it portrays.
If you're looking for series that won't go taxing your sanity or will treat the idea of alien creatures arriving on earth with anything like gravity or realism, this is not the show for you. But if you can handle some light and fluffy, incredibly adorable and occasionally extremely sharp comedy that is laughing at itself as much as you should be laughing at it, check out Potemayo.
So, I mentioned in my FLCL review that it wasn't just weird a Japanese thing that don't make any sense.
Potemayo is.
Sunao is a young man in middle school (he's about 13 or 14) who finds a strangely adorable creature in his refrigerator, which he names Potemayo (a portmanteau of 'Potato' and 'Mayonnaise'), on account of what he was going to the fridge for when he found her. Not long after, another creature like Potemayo comes out of his fridge, which, through a series of circumstances involving Potemayo chasing a bird and a number of Sunao's classmates chasing Potemayo, is named Guchuko.
Adorable hilarity ensues. There's really not much more to describe.
Potemayo is a audacious comedy, but it would be misleading to say that most of the humor comes from the possibly alien creatures, in many episodes they are more or less set-dressing and we're really here to watch the insanity that is the characters in Sunao's class (and, indeed, Sunao himself, who is uncannily stoic).
Indeed, it's a difficult series to criticize. It's funny, it's short and the few serious moments it takes manage to work remarkably well. I only give it a B+ rather than an A because, well, it IS a weird Japanese series, and it's a little bit inaccessible to western audiences purely because we'll be inclined to assume we're not getting something, or that this is just because it's Japanese, rather than that the series is just reveling in its own absurdity, and the absurdity of the relatively believable people it portrays.
If you're looking for series that won't go taxing your sanity or will treat the idea of alien creatures arriving on earth with anything like gravity or realism, this is not the show for you. But if you can handle some light and fluffy, incredibly adorable and occasionally extremely sharp comedy that is laughing at itself as much as you should be laughing at it, check out Potemayo.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Hidamari Sketch (Including x365 and ☆☆☆)
Hidamari Sketch: B
I began rewatching Hidamari Sketch after being reminded of its existence by a visual reference while watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei with a friend of mine. It has the questionable honor of being the tamest show that I've seen Akiyuki Shinbo direct, though it's also proof that his bizarre, dreamlike style translates well into the playful, calm joy of the Slice of Life series.
Hidamari Sketch revolves around four (later six) residents of a small apartment complex directly across the street from a high school renowned for its Art program. The apartment complex is renowned for housing the 'weirdos' in the art program, though for the most part the girls (it's a slice of life show, of course they're all girls) are believable individuals with believable eccentricities and relationships.
Beyond that there's not much to say about the plot, like K-On!, it's a slice of life show. It's about these girls just living their lives. For the most part, Hidamari Sketch takes a road similar to Lucky Star's in being relatively serene aside from the characters themselves being spazzy.
Hidamari is different from other Slice of Life shows both for Akiyuki Shinbo's amazing creative direction and for being completely non-chronological in its episode order, even between seasons. The series picks up in the middle of the year as though we've always known these girls and by the end of the first episode you kind of feel like you have. The "How they got here" episode that comes later on explains early interactions but by then it's all falling into place, and while the specifics are sources of amusement you'll already know everyone well enough that it won't be much of an introduction. Occasionally the other half of a story that we heard some of will be shown, but the show doesn't have a lot of mystery to it, so if you weren't paying a great deal of attention you won't feel like you missed something.
The laid-back-ness of the series is also my greatest criticism of it, it's a very light and fluffy series, there's not a lot of substance, like most Slice of Life. It hasn't got a lot of anything, really. Fan service is tasteful when it appears and mostly absent, humor is adorable but forgettable and there's a distinct lack of schadenfreude, the entire series is soft and unassuming despite its wholesomeness, and that's what prevents it from getting an A rating.
For the sake of alleviating confusion, the three seasons are, in order, "Hidamari Sketch," "Hidamari Sketch x365," and "Hidamari Sketch ☆☆☆," which is pronounced "Hidamari Sketch Hoshimittsu", Hoshimittsu meaning "Three stars."
If you want something cute, fluffy and inoffensive to watch, Hidamari Sketch is a lovely and giggle-worthy show. If you're looking for action, philosophy or fan service, this isn't for you.
I began rewatching Hidamari Sketch after being reminded of its existence by a visual reference while watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei with a friend of mine. It has the questionable honor of being the tamest show that I've seen Akiyuki Shinbo direct, though it's also proof that his bizarre, dreamlike style translates well into the playful, calm joy of the Slice of Life series.
Hidamari Sketch revolves around four (later six) residents of a small apartment complex directly across the street from a high school renowned for its Art program. The apartment complex is renowned for housing the 'weirdos' in the art program, though for the most part the girls (it's a slice of life show, of course they're all girls) are believable individuals with believable eccentricities and relationships.
Beyond that there's not much to say about the plot, like K-On!, it's a slice of life show. It's about these girls just living their lives. For the most part, Hidamari Sketch takes a road similar to Lucky Star's in being relatively serene aside from the characters themselves being spazzy.
Hidamari is different from other Slice of Life shows both for Akiyuki Shinbo's amazing creative direction and for being completely non-chronological in its episode order, even between seasons. The series picks up in the middle of the year as though we've always known these girls and by the end of the first episode you kind of feel like you have. The "How they got here" episode that comes later on explains early interactions but by then it's all falling into place, and while the specifics are sources of amusement you'll already know everyone well enough that it won't be much of an introduction. Occasionally the other half of a story that we heard some of will be shown, but the show doesn't have a lot of mystery to it, so if you weren't paying a great deal of attention you won't feel like you missed something.
The laid-back-ness of the series is also my greatest criticism of it, it's a very light and fluffy series, there's not a lot of substance, like most Slice of Life. It hasn't got a lot of anything, really. Fan service is tasteful when it appears and mostly absent, humor is adorable but forgettable and there's a distinct lack of schadenfreude, the entire series is soft and unassuming despite its wholesomeness, and that's what prevents it from getting an A rating.
For the sake of alleviating confusion, the three seasons are, in order, "Hidamari Sketch," "Hidamari Sketch x365," and "Hidamari Sketch ☆☆☆," which is pronounced "Hidamari Sketch Hoshimittsu", Hoshimittsu meaning "Three stars."
If you want something cute, fluffy and inoffensive to watch, Hidamari Sketch is a lovely and giggle-worthy show. If you're looking for action, philosophy or fan service, this isn't for you.
Shinnen Omedetou Gozaimasu!
That's Happy New Year for those of you too lazy to look it up on Jisho.org.
So, as one of my resolutions, I'm going to be updating this blog at least weekly for the next year.
I'm presently rewatching the entirety of Hidamari Sketch, so I'll probably have a review of that soon, but for now I thought I'd make a Top 5 of some kind. But I didn't want to restrict myself, so this is the Top 5 series that I thought of while writing a Top 5 Series You Should Watch in 2012:
#5) Murder Princess: It's so rare to find a series that is as quite as thoroughly full of awesome things as Murder Princess. Badass girls with swords? Check. Tiny girl androids with rocket fists? Check. A rather small shinigami wearing a leather jacket with a badass motorcycle? Check. Plenty of J-Rock to keep things energetic? Check. It's also only 6 episodes, and it doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not, like deep, thoughtful or slow-paced.
#4) Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt: The less said about this series, the more you will enjoy it. Just, whenever you ask yourself, "Wait, really?" Imagine me there, grinning and saying, "Yes, really." Also, don't watch it with your parents. Or... anyone who is offended by cluster F-bombs. In English. Even though it's in Japanese. Or is easily offended in general, really.
#3) Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: Did 2011 leave you in despair? Would watching an extremely pessimistic teacher discussing the ills of modern Japan with his neurotic class of high school girls cheer you up? Spoiler alert: Yes, it will. It will also leave you giggling and quite certain that the Japanese are crazy.
#2) Katanagatari: You know what you like? You like love stories. You know what you like? You like martial arts. You know what you like? You like ninja with crazy ninja powers. You know what you like? You like intelligently developed villains. You know what you like? Tastefully stylized art. You know what you like? You like Katanagatari. You just don't know it yet.
#1) Puella Magi Madoka Magica: I didn't keep up with a lot of the late-season releases in 2011 (or much of any releases in after about July 2011), but I have heard nothing which would make me think that Madoka was anything less than the most impressive piece of animation that the year produced. Do yourself a favor and watch it. And then, you may want to hire yourself a psychiatrist.
So, as one of my resolutions, I'm going to be updating this blog at least weekly for the next year.
I'm presently rewatching the entirety of Hidamari Sketch, so I'll probably have a review of that soon, but for now I thought I'd make a Top 5 of some kind. But I didn't want to restrict myself, so this is the Top 5 series that I thought of while writing a Top 5 Series You Should Watch in 2012:
#5) Murder Princess: It's so rare to find a series that is as quite as thoroughly full of awesome things as Murder Princess. Badass girls with swords? Check. Tiny girl androids with rocket fists? Check. A rather small shinigami wearing a leather jacket with a badass motorcycle? Check. Plenty of J-Rock to keep things energetic? Check. It's also only 6 episodes, and it doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not, like deep, thoughtful or slow-paced.
#4) Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt: The less said about this series, the more you will enjoy it. Just, whenever you ask yourself, "Wait, really?" Imagine me there, grinning and saying, "Yes, really." Also, don't watch it with your parents. Or... anyone who is offended by cluster F-bombs. In English. Even though it's in Japanese. Or is easily offended in general, really.
#3) Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: Did 2011 leave you in despair? Would watching an extremely pessimistic teacher discussing the ills of modern Japan with his neurotic class of high school girls cheer you up? Spoiler alert: Yes, it will. It will also leave you giggling and quite certain that the Japanese are crazy.
#2) Katanagatari: You know what you like? You like love stories. You know what you like? You like martial arts. You know what you like? You like ninja with crazy ninja powers. You know what you like? You like intelligently developed villains. You know what you like? Tastefully stylized art. You know what you like? You like Katanagatari. You just don't know it yet.
#1) Puella Magi Madoka Magica: I didn't keep up with a lot of the late-season releases in 2011 (or much of any releases in after about July 2011), but I have heard nothing which would make me think that Madoka was anything less than the most impressive piece of animation that the year produced. Do yourself a favor and watch it. And then, you may want to hire yourself a psychiatrist.
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