Today I post to ease the agony of ordinary unemployed life.
So I've still got a bunch of series sitting in my Unfinished folder, but none of them are reaching out and grabbing me right now.
I've been watching and rewatching the Touhou M-1 Grand Prix series, which is a series of manzai comedy sketches performed by the cast of the Touhou Project games. Manzai is a particularly odd and unfamiliar form of comedy to most Americans, and the M-1 series is additionally extremely referential to the Touhou Project, so it's very much a niche market, though if you're into these things, it's pretty hilarious. That said, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person I know who has a thorough enough grasp of Japanese and Touhou to fully appreciate them, so if you stumble on this and look them up and like them, fergodsake tell me so I don't feel like such a freak.
Other than that, I'm mostly watching Haiyore! Nyruko-san and Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? Of The Dead, both of which are in the process of airing.
Nyaruko-san is best described as the least dignified of all possible stories that could ever be told about the Cthulhu mythos.
KoreZombie OTD is pretty much exactly like original edition KoreZombie, though with even less shame (if that was possible) and no real justification for the creation of absurd and fan servicey situations.
I'm enjoying both of them, but neither of them is good. It's a guilty sort of enjoyment.
I'm also waiting for Dog Days season 2 to start, but that's not til July. I should probably look more carefully at what aired in Q1, some of it might be good.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Natsu no Arashi!
Natsu no Arashi!: A/B+
It gets two ratings, one for each season: Season 1 is an A, Season 2 is a B+.
Natsu no Arashi is a series directed by Akiyuki Shinbo which means I'm already mandated to think it's amazing, but when I first heard the title (which translates to "Summer Storm!") I was unimpressed, and was further unimpressed by the series' concept pitch: Outspoken, nerdy 13-year-old Yasaka Hajime meets a gorgeous 16 year old Arashiyama Sayoko ('Arashi'), who turns out to be a ghost, and falls into very boisterous, childish love with her, after which she begins drawing on his life energy to sustain herself. The ghost girl has a number of friends from her time alive who died around the same time that she did who gather around the small cafe where Arashi and Hajime work over the summer, as well as several living employees and regular customers who get up to amusing antics.
The series has Shinbo's traditional excellent cinematography and adroit use of angles and visual suggestion, and makes clever references to other anime and overall is a silly light-hearted comedy.
Then Arashi reveals that she can use Hajime to go back in time, and we find out that Arashi died during the bombing of Yokohama in World War 2, as did the other three ghost girls, and much of the first season has a quiet undertone about the difference in attitudes of people of the war era compared to modern times. Like most Japanese war stories, the war is a very personal experience, and used as a backdrop, it never plays a major part in the plot, but is unmistakable in its flavoring of the story, and for that, I find its use to be both appropriate and fascinating.
The second season loses some of that, and so is simply a delightful slice-of-life comedy with romantic elements, but is still enjoyable and worth your time.
It gets two ratings, one for each season: Season 1 is an A, Season 2 is a B+.
Natsu no Arashi is a series directed by Akiyuki Shinbo which means I'm already mandated to think it's amazing, but when I first heard the title (which translates to "Summer Storm!") I was unimpressed, and was further unimpressed by the series' concept pitch: Outspoken, nerdy 13-year-old Yasaka Hajime meets a gorgeous 16 year old Arashiyama Sayoko ('Arashi'), who turns out to be a ghost, and falls into very boisterous, childish love with her, after which she begins drawing on his life energy to sustain herself. The ghost girl has a number of friends from her time alive who died around the same time that she did who gather around the small cafe where Arashi and Hajime work over the summer, as well as several living employees and regular customers who get up to amusing antics.
The series has Shinbo's traditional excellent cinematography and adroit use of angles and visual suggestion, and makes clever references to other anime and overall is a silly light-hearted comedy.
Then Arashi reveals that she can use Hajime to go back in time, and we find out that Arashi died during the bombing of Yokohama in World War 2, as did the other three ghost girls, and much of the first season has a quiet undertone about the difference in attitudes of people of the war era compared to modern times. Like most Japanese war stories, the war is a very personal experience, and used as a backdrop, it never plays a major part in the plot, but is unmistakable in its flavoring of the story, and for that, I find its use to be both appropriate and fascinating.
The second season loses some of that, and so is simply a delightful slice-of-life comedy with romantic elements, but is still enjoyable and worth your time.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Mononoke
Mononoke: B+
Not Princess Mononoke, simply Mononoke. The Mononoke is the same word, though, referring to a spirit or demon.
Mononoke is an exercise in surreal, deeply personal storytelling. The mononoke which the Medicine Seller encounters and defeats are all bound to the world not out of simple malice or villainy, but due to the horrors of things done by humans to one another.
Mononoke is another horror anime, but openly supernatural and dramatically stylized, resulting in an extremely exotic, archaic feel which fits the stories well. It is deeply rooted in Japanese mythology and spirituality, but with the liner notes provided by most subtitling groups sense can be made of it.
Mononoke does not go through the trouble of explaining itself: part of the horror is the familiarity of the mysterious and not entirely benevolent protagonist. Endings are very open, explanation into what comes after is not forthcoming.
It's the kind of series that appeals to a particular kind of audience, who will adore it. If you want to immerse yourself in Japanese ghost stories, watch Mononoke.
Not Princess Mononoke, simply Mononoke. The Mononoke is the same word, though, referring to a spirit or demon.
Mononoke is an exercise in surreal, deeply personal storytelling. The mononoke which the Medicine Seller encounters and defeats are all bound to the world not out of simple malice or villainy, but due to the horrors of things done by humans to one another.
Mononoke is another horror anime, but openly supernatural and dramatically stylized, resulting in an extremely exotic, archaic feel which fits the stories well. It is deeply rooted in Japanese mythology and spirituality, but with the liner notes provided by most subtitling groups sense can be made of it.
Mononoke does not go through the trouble of explaining itself: part of the horror is the familiarity of the mysterious and not entirely benevolent protagonist. Endings are very open, explanation into what comes after is not forthcoming.
It's the kind of series that appeals to a particular kind of audience, who will adore it. If you want to immerse yourself in Japanese ghost stories, watch Mononoke.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Melody of Oblivion
Melody of Oblivion: N/A
Hoo, boy. This series is really something. One of these days I'll go back and review Revolutionary Girl Utena so I can finally have my opinions about Melody of Oblivion (Bokyaku no Senritsu, in Japanese), Star Driver and Utena all down in the same place, which is relevant, because they're all very similar series.
I want to give Melody of Oblivion a B and a C, and I kind of want to give it an A as well. I really can't manage to pick between these three, so it gets an NA. It gets a C because it's freaking bizarre and if you're not paying much attention to it and trying to reconstruct some kind of pattern out of the symbolism it will just drive you crazy. It gets a B because it's fun to watch and conceptually very interesting. It gets an A because the symbolism of it is fascinating and the story is ultimately good.
I'll spare you a short version of the plot, because you can just read my Star Driver 5-13 review (here). Melody of Oblivion, even more so than Utena and Star Driver, has strong sexual overtones (which become rather hilariously no-longer-tones in the later parts of the series), and viewing it as an exercise in symbolic innuendo results in an intelligent story very much about some difficult-to-approach subjects.
This is also the series where I mention that there are dudes who are also motorcycles and also unicorns. So it goes both ways.
Definitely a series for those of you who like weird stuff, I do consider Melody of Oblivion the weakest of the three series, but that is due more to Star Driver and Utena's excellence than Melody's lack.
Hoo, boy. This series is really something. One of these days I'll go back and review Revolutionary Girl Utena so I can finally have my opinions about Melody of Oblivion (Bokyaku no Senritsu, in Japanese), Star Driver and Utena all down in the same place, which is relevant, because they're all very similar series.
I want to give Melody of Oblivion a B and a C, and I kind of want to give it an A as well. I really can't manage to pick between these three, so it gets an NA. It gets a C because it's freaking bizarre and if you're not paying much attention to it and trying to reconstruct some kind of pattern out of the symbolism it will just drive you crazy. It gets a B because it's fun to watch and conceptually very interesting. It gets an A because the symbolism of it is fascinating and the story is ultimately good.
I'll spare you a short version of the plot, because you can just read my Star Driver 5-13 review (here). Melody of Oblivion, even more so than Utena and Star Driver, has strong sexual overtones (which become rather hilariously no-longer-tones in the later parts of the series), and viewing it as an exercise in symbolic innuendo results in an intelligent story very much about some difficult-to-approach subjects.
This is also the series where I mention that there are dudes who are also motorcycles and also unicorns. So it goes both ways.
Definitely a series for those of you who like weird stuff, I do consider Melody of Oblivion the weakest of the three series, but that is due more to Star Driver and Utena's excellence than Melody's lack.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Black Rock Shooter
Black Rock Shooter: A
I've gotta admit I'm really surprised to be giving a series which began as a song on NicoNicoDouga which I didn't care for much an A rank. Indeed, the very concept of the show doesn't sound particularly amazing: there is a secret, parallel and possibly imaginary world where avatars of girls from the real world do battle in order to relieve the suffering of their real-world counterparts.
And yet, the series (8 episodes) manages to take this concept and quite thoroughly explore the morality of this (Is it right to give your suffering to someone else? Is it right to suffer in place of someone else? What are the consequences of doing this for both the one whose suffering is taken away and the one who suffers instead?) and apply it both to relationships in the real world and the overall situation the series creates. Due to the focus on pain and its cyclical nature (it's kind of Buddhist like that) it's a very emotional story, but it manages to do this without being totally depressing by having uplifting moments regularly.
If you're interested in a series that combines elegantly written school drama with stunningly dynamic duels between girls with superpowers on bizarre symbolic landscapes, your eyes will melt with joy at Black Rock Shooter. If you need male characters in your series in order to appreciate them, or can't handle severe emotional damage being inflicted on characters who don't deserve it, you probably won't enjoy BRS.
As a final note, Black Rock Shooter was an OVA (hour-long) before it was an 8-episode anime. I saw that first, and it wasn't bad, but only rated about a C+, maybe a B. It establishes two of the central characters of the later series and tells a simpler version of the story surrounding them.
I've gotta admit I'm really surprised to be giving a series which began as a song on NicoNicoDouga which I didn't care for much an A rank. Indeed, the very concept of the show doesn't sound particularly amazing: there is a secret, parallel and possibly imaginary world where avatars of girls from the real world do battle in order to relieve the suffering of their real-world counterparts.
And yet, the series (8 episodes) manages to take this concept and quite thoroughly explore the morality of this (Is it right to give your suffering to someone else? Is it right to suffer in place of someone else? What are the consequences of doing this for both the one whose suffering is taken away and the one who suffers instead?) and apply it both to relationships in the real world and the overall situation the series creates. Due to the focus on pain and its cyclical nature (it's kind of Buddhist like that) it's a very emotional story, but it manages to do this without being totally depressing by having uplifting moments regularly.
If you're interested in a series that combines elegantly written school drama with stunningly dynamic duels between girls with superpowers on bizarre symbolic landscapes, your eyes will melt with joy at Black Rock Shooter. If you need male characters in your series in order to appreciate them, or can't handle severe emotional damage being inflicted on characters who don't deserve it, you probably won't enjoy BRS.
As a final note, Black Rock Shooter was an OVA (hour-long) before it was an 8-episode anime. I saw that first, and it wasn't bad, but only rated about a C+, maybe a B. It establishes two of the central characters of the later series and tells a simpler version of the story surrounding them.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Mystic Archive of Dantalian
The Mystic Archive of Dantalian: B++
After I saw Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, I decided that Studio Gainax could do no wrong and resolved to watch everything they have ever produced. This led me to watching some works of true brilliance (Gunbuster, Diebuster), some things which were truly bizzare (Melody of Oblivion, Oruchuban Ebichu, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt), and a remarkable number of series which were about breasts, despite ostensibly having plots (Mahoromatic, He Is My Master). I hadn't looked over what Gainax had done in over a year, and so I was pleased to find that they had completed a series in 2011 titled "The Mystic Archive of Dantalian," or "Dantalian no Shoka," in Japanese. So I downloaded it and watched it.
It did not take long to realize that it was going to fall closer to the 'true brilliance' category than any other, but I was delighted by both the immersive victorianesque atmosphere of the series and by the sense of myth and wonder the story brings. Neil Gaiman, who I consider the master of the modern Fairy Tale, would probably like this series.
The eponymous Mystic Archive is a library of magical books, which do not truly belong in the world. The protagonist, Hugh Anthony Disward, or 'Huey,' who had been a pilot in WWI (the story takes place in the early 1920s), inherits his grandfather's mansion, title and responsibility to a girl named Dalian who looks after these magic books, which cause dramatic and often tragic changes to the world they are released into.
It is not a story of deep passions or incredible depths, but it is lovely, clever and well-paced series with a strong sense of fantasy that I would recommend to anyone interested in such a fairy tale.
After I saw Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, I decided that Studio Gainax could do no wrong and resolved to watch everything they have ever produced. This led me to watching some works of true brilliance (Gunbuster, Diebuster), some things which were truly bizzare (Melody of Oblivion, Oruchuban Ebichu, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt), and a remarkable number of series which were about breasts, despite ostensibly having plots (Mahoromatic, He Is My Master). I hadn't looked over what Gainax had done in over a year, and so I was pleased to find that they had completed a series in 2011 titled "The Mystic Archive of Dantalian," or "Dantalian no Shoka," in Japanese. So I downloaded it and watched it.
It did not take long to realize that it was going to fall closer to the 'true brilliance' category than any other, but I was delighted by both the immersive victorianesque atmosphere of the series and by the sense of myth and wonder the story brings. Neil Gaiman, who I consider the master of the modern Fairy Tale, would probably like this series.
The eponymous Mystic Archive is a library of magical books, which do not truly belong in the world. The protagonist, Hugh Anthony Disward, or 'Huey,' who had been a pilot in WWI (the story takes place in the early 1920s), inherits his grandfather's mansion, title and responsibility to a girl named Dalian who looks after these magic books, which cause dramatic and often tragic changes to the world they are released into.
It is not a story of deep passions or incredible depths, but it is lovely, clever and well-paced series with a strong sense of fantasy that I would recommend to anyone interested in such a fairy tale.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Sacred Seven
Sacred Seven: B+
I found out about Sacred Seven because I saw it on the Shini-subs blog while I was waiting for Nisemonogatari to be available, and while the screencaps they used to title the images were full of ninja maids, I was kind of curious (maybe because of the ninja maids). So I downloaded it and watched the opening and was like 'huh, that looks like it could be okay.'
A couple months later I actually got around to watching it, and the first episode I was like 'Huh, this could be neat, they had a couple neat mythology references, I'd be happy if that kept up. Other than that, they're gonna fight some Darkstones every week and there'll be some romance and mostly it'll just be kinda okay.'
Well, I wasn't entirely wrong in my analysis, but what surprised me was how well-orchestrated what I was right about was. The romance doesn't feel forced and doesn't overwhelm the main story, the drama is reasonable (if a little horrific) and while the villain does prove to be fairly predictable in his goals he isn't really given the chance to pontificate on it, so it doesn't have time to get old.
It wasn't a show that could have ever been an A for me, but for what it is, it's very good. Sacred Seven is a show about getting a badass magic battlesuit and fighting evil statues. If you can get into that, you'll have a lot of fun with it, but don't ask too much of it, or it'll start to let you down.
I found out about Sacred Seven because I saw it on the Shini-subs blog while I was waiting for Nisemonogatari to be available, and while the screencaps they used to title the images were full of ninja maids, I was kind of curious (maybe because of the ninja maids). So I downloaded it and watched the opening and was like 'huh, that looks like it could be okay.'
A couple months later I actually got around to watching it, and the first episode I was like 'Huh, this could be neat, they had a couple neat mythology references, I'd be happy if that kept up. Other than that, they're gonna fight some Darkstones every week and there'll be some romance and mostly it'll just be kinda okay.'
Well, I wasn't entirely wrong in my analysis, but what surprised me was how well-orchestrated what I was right about was. The romance doesn't feel forced and doesn't overwhelm the main story, the drama is reasonable (if a little horrific) and while the villain does prove to be fairly predictable in his goals he isn't really given the chance to pontificate on it, so it doesn't have time to get old.
It wasn't a show that could have ever been an A for me, but for what it is, it's very good. Sacred Seven is a show about getting a badass magic battlesuit and fighting evil statues. If you can get into that, you'll have a lot of fun with it, but don't ask too much of it, or it'll start to let you down.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
RahXephon
RahXephon: B
"A story taking place in a world that has already been devastated in the past by poorly understood monstrous forces which appear alien but possess qualities which link them to human religion, in which a teenage boy meets a flirtatious woman and a mysterious girl, and shortly thereafter finds himself piloting a monstrous humanoid robot that only he can pilot to fight these monstrous enemies. The boy finds himself living with the members of the secret organization to fight the monstrous enemies, which includes the flirtatious woman and a red-headed girl who is strongly in denial about her feelings for the boy. The cast also includes a quiet, ill girl who may or may not be involved in an illicit relationship with someone in a position of authority and a female scientist who has feelings for that same authority figure. The boy must conquer his own doubts and demons, and he will also learn about those which surround the other members of the secret organization. In the end, the boy must choose to destroy or rebuild the world with the divine power he now possesses, which is the final result of an ancient mystical conspiracy."
If this sounds familiar, it's probably because you've seen or heard about Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is why it's surprising that that's not what I'm talking about. This is a series called RahXephon, which came about several years after Evangelion.
Now, as much as I would feel totally in my rights to say that RahXephon is ripping Eva right the heck off, I won't say that, because while it may not be precisely original, that doesn't prevent it from being good.
Both series explore similar themes of self, redefinition, apocalypse, divinity, love, hate, loss and finding a place. I personally liked Eva more but I saw Eva at the tender age of fourteen and was very deeply affected by it, so I have a tough time admitting that anything is better than Evangelion. It also makes it very difficult for me to talk about RahXephon on its own merits, because the similarities are so strong.
I enjoyed it. It has less of what might be accused of being 'dithering,' RahXephon moves more quickly and feels less episodic even in the early stages, which might appeal to some more. It also explains its weirdness even less than Evangelion does, which might annoy some people even more, and I found RahXephon to be less elegant in its design.
Overall, if you're interested in a semi-surreal series about supernatural giant robots and all of the secret organization politics, self-loathing and emotional trauma that entails with a strong South/Central American mythology (as seen through the lens of Japan) bent, you'll probably enjoy RahXephon.
"A story taking place in a world that has already been devastated in the past by poorly understood monstrous forces which appear alien but possess qualities which link them to human religion, in which a teenage boy meets a flirtatious woman and a mysterious girl, and shortly thereafter finds himself piloting a monstrous humanoid robot that only he can pilot to fight these monstrous enemies. The boy finds himself living with the members of the secret organization to fight the monstrous enemies, which includes the flirtatious woman and a red-headed girl who is strongly in denial about her feelings for the boy. The cast also includes a quiet, ill girl who may or may not be involved in an illicit relationship with someone in a position of authority and a female scientist who has feelings for that same authority figure. The boy must conquer his own doubts and demons, and he will also learn about those which surround the other members of the secret organization. In the end, the boy must choose to destroy or rebuild the world with the divine power he now possesses, which is the final result of an ancient mystical conspiracy."
If this sounds familiar, it's probably because you've seen or heard about Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is why it's surprising that that's not what I'm talking about. This is a series called RahXephon, which came about several years after Evangelion.
Now, as much as I would feel totally in my rights to say that RahXephon is ripping Eva right the heck off, I won't say that, because while it may not be precisely original, that doesn't prevent it from being good.
Both series explore similar themes of self, redefinition, apocalypse, divinity, love, hate, loss and finding a place. I personally liked Eva more but I saw Eva at the tender age of fourteen and was very deeply affected by it, so I have a tough time admitting that anything is better than Evangelion. It also makes it very difficult for me to talk about RahXephon on its own merits, because the similarities are so strong.
I enjoyed it. It has less of what might be accused of being 'dithering,' RahXephon moves more quickly and feels less episodic even in the early stages, which might appeal to some more. It also explains its weirdness even less than Evangelion does, which might annoy some people even more, and I found RahXephon to be less elegant in its design.
Overall, if you're interested in a semi-surreal series about supernatural giant robots and all of the secret organization politics, self-loathing and emotional trauma that entails with a strong South/Central American mythology (as seen through the lens of Japan) bent, you'll probably enjoy RahXephon.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Ika Musume Season 2
It really is more of the same with a bit more fan service.
In this particular case, I don't think that's a bad thing, it didn't need anything more, it can just be Ika-chan embarrassing herself and wondering what the heck is wrong with humanity.
If you liked Season 1, you'll like Season 2, simple as that.
In this particular case, I don't think that's a bad thing, it didn't need anything more, it can just be Ika-chan embarrassing herself and wondering what the heck is wrong with humanity.
If you liked Season 1, you'll like Season 2, simple as that.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Tiding You Over
So, I'm currently watching Ika Musume Season 2, and I just rewatched Dog Days.
Both of 'em are pretty good. Dog Days, still good. Apparently there's a second season airing starting in July. I'm psyched.
Ika Musume 2 is more fan servicey (which is to say, still about 1/8th as fan servicey as Dog Days), but still generally entertaining. The reason I haven't finished it yet is that the power supply in my computer is dying and I need to replace it, but this month is a bit tight on cash for me. So I need to make ends meet a bit more so than usual.
I'll get to it later this week, though, probably.
Both of 'em are pretty good. Dog Days, still good. Apparently there's a second season airing starting in July. I'm psyched.
Ika Musume 2 is more fan servicey (which is to say, still about 1/8th as fan servicey as Dog Days), but still generally entertaining. The reason I haven't finished it yet is that the power supply in my computer is dying and I need to replace it, but this month is a bit tight on cash for me. So I need to make ends meet a bit more so than usual.
I'll get to it later this week, though, probably.
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