Houkago no Pleiades

Afterschool Pleiades:  A

This is a bit of a weird 'series'.  It's about 25 minutes long, in four 'episodes'.

It is excellent.  It is about the shortest magical girl story you could possibly have.  It has everything a magical girl anime needs: a transformation sequence, a cute mascot, a mysterious pretty boy, and a normal, clumsy girl who risks everything to protect her friends and try to tell him that he's not alone.

And it's good enough that it makes me tear up a little bit at the climax.

I love it, for being a story that is able to tell itself so quickly and so elegantly.  If you've ever wanted a reminder that you are not alone in the world, that someone else has seen what you've seen, take a half hour and watch Afterschool Pleiades.

Stella Girl's Academy High School Division C³ Club

Etc etc C³ Club: C+

So this is apparently what Gainax has been up to: a show about cute girls doing cute airsoft things.  While it falls into the trap of superpowered sports skill and AIRSOFT IS SERIOUS BUSINESS in a couple places, it's ultimately a show, much like Free!, about competition and the purpose of competitive activities, with a bit about personal development and finding a place thrown in.

Also lots of cute girls.  And guns.  Seriously, if you don't at least kind of want to buy an airsoft gun after this show something is probably wrong with you.

This show falls a little bit on the side of 'boobs' in the continuum of 'genius' to 'boobs' that makes up the shows that Gainax creates, and there's not a whole lot more to say about it than that it's another sports anime that manages a discussion of a deeper topic.  It doesn't come out as clearly about it as Free! did (and the final episode, which could have done so was instead just a fan service parade), so I have a tough time calling it 'good', but it's also definitely not bad.  It's not presumptive, it's not pretending to be deeper than it is.

So if you want to watch a bunch of cute girls shooting airsoft guns at each other and maybe getting a little serious about it in places, this show's fun.  But if that sounds kind of shallow or uninteresting then you can probably skip it and not feel like you're missing out.

Medaka Box Abnormal

Medaka Box Abnormal: B

Medaka Box was always just very intelligent shonen, so it shouldn't really surprise me that the second season is basically a slightly differently organized fighting tournament arc that, in keeping with Nisio Isin's writing style, flows well and keeps the story moving much better than shonen series usually do.

I was disappointed because we didn't see much of my personal favorite character (Shiranui).

Overall it's an enjoyable watch, though a little absurd and with a plot that is fairly easy to see coming, except for the extreme weirdness of the final episode, which screams 'give us more' like nothing else and does an excellent job of setting up, or even demanding a third season.  I dunno if Gainax will come through with that, they're notorious trolls (see the last 2 minutes of Panty and Stocking).

If you liked Medaka Box and absolutely need more, the second season gives you more.  If you're hoping for closure or particularly extensive depth, you won't get it, but you'll get lots more of what the first season had.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  S

So, Evangelion was for me what Harry Potter was for a lot of kids who are slightly younger than me.  It was formative.  I saw it when I was 14, in 1998, and it was one of the first anime series I ever saw.  I was at a point in my life where I was searching for meaning, for motivation, for purpose, and I found it through the suffering and growth of another 14-year old, the boy named Shinji Ikari.

I could give a summary of Eva, or reasons to watch it, but everything I could say on those topics has already been said elsewhere on the internet.  It's too popular, too embedded in the anime-viewers' collective consciousness, even the ones who have never seen it, because of the effect it had on anime as a medium: Evangelion is almost certainly the single most influential series of all time.

For me, the thing I want to talk about is how difficult it seems to be for viewers to allow themselves to be affected by the emotional content of the story.  Eva is a series where practically all of the characters are varying degrees of unlikeable: Shinji is a passive, self-denying doormat, Rei is incapable of coherent self-expression, Asuka is an egocentric showboat, Misato is self-deceptive hypocrite, Ritsuko is a liar of outstanding proportions and Gendo is utterly lacking in compassion.  However, the power of the series comes from the viewer's ability to sympathize with these characters despite their flaws, indeed, to recognize these flaws as being human and reflected in themselves:  These people are like you, and who they are brings them pain, just like you.

I cannot count the number of times I have heard the series referred to or discussed in terms which ignore its emotional content, instead making jokes about the screen going red and Shinji screaming, dialogueless scenes, frame saving, incomprehensible philosophical pontification, or sexual subtext (or just plain text, in a few cases).  Joking about it allows the viewer to evade sympathy by treating the content as absurd or engaging in schadenfreude at the characters' expense, and that denies the emotional impact which is the core of the series' purpose.

Much like it's younger, more upbeat cousin Gurren Lagann, if Eva doesn't affect you emotionally, you're missing what the series is about.  Not everyone is interested in being affected in the violently cathartic way that Eva attempts to affect you, though, and this is probably the real reason that there are so many jokes at the series' expense: when you're watchin' anime with your friends, you don't want to have your emotional walls torn down and your mortality and purpose in life brought into question, you just want to watch the explosions and the boobs.

This is a reason why I have strongly recommended that the series be watched alone, because when viewed in a group, people are far more likely to try to appear knowledgeable, clever, or funny at the cost of sympathy and connection, without which, Eva becomes what it is most often described as: weirdly-used christian iconography peppered with sparse dialogue, technobabble and scenes of crying, screaming and giant robots fighting giant monsters (often at the same time).

But for me, and many others, that was not what Neon Genesis Evangelion was about, that was simply the context in which an empowering story about personal responsibility, identity, choice and love could occur.

Medaka Box

Medaka Box:  B

Written by Nisio Isin of Bakemonogatari and Katanagatari and animated by Gainax, there's pretty much no way I could give it a BAD rating, is there?

Medaka Box is about an invincible genius superwoman who happens to be 16, hot, and impossibly optimistic and nice.  She becomes student council president in her first year of high school with 98% of the vote.  Actually, it's about her childhood friend who looks out for her and helps her get through her life, because despite being an invincible genius superwoman, she's still also a 16 year old girl with emotions who overlooks things and fails to understand how people work sometimes.

Nisio Isin likes writing with pre-set relationships and history and letting you get to know the characters as well as they know each other.  Medaka Box also avoids any sort of traditional harem-ery and much in the way of ship tease.  The series is very episodic, with several episodes containing two short stories within them, but, true to Nisio Isin's writing, every character who we meet has a personality, goals and position in the setting.  Episodes also tend to be dialogue-heavy (though not as much as Bakemonogatari or Katanagatari), though there is a fair amount of action.

Medaka Box basically asks "What if Superman were a 16 year old girl and the student council president?" and runs with it, more or less honestly.  If that sounds like fun, check out Medaka Box.

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.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt:  N/A

Okay, I promise I won't make a habit of failing to rate shows, but this one stands out as existing outside of my letter grading system.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is a series made in late 2010 by Studio Gainax (of Evangelion and Gurren Lagann fame) which I can only begin to describe as "A x-rated love letter to Jhonen Vasquez by way of the Powerpuff Girls."

The series notably is very western in its sensibilities: its heavily episodic nature, animation style and being set in something which resembles America more than Japan.  The series also uses an inordinate amount of Engrish obscenity, in fact, obscenity, innuendo and toilet humor are the order of the day for this highly toxic 13-episode joyride through a series of themed episodes, some referential, some bizarre and some downright gross.

It is not for everyone, but if you are the sort of person with a truly depraved sense of humor who appreciates the humor for the sake of crossing lines that maybe shouldn't be crossed, such as a magical girl transformation sequence which is a pole-dancing striptease, a character who has sex almost every episode, usually loudly just offscreen and a mascot sidekick who is brutally murdered by his masters on a regular basis and spends much of his 'idle' time apparently masturbating a zipper.

PSG is genuinely funny in its dirty, going-too-far sort of way, but the fact is that it is SO much not for everyone that saying it's good or it's bad is very difficult.  I loved it, but felt the need to inflict it (not share, inflict) on my friends.  Some of my friends I knew would like it, because it's their kind of messed up.  Some of my friends I don't mention it to, because it's really not.

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.

FLCL

Well, due work being horrendous plus a couple new hobbies I've been away from Anime for a while.  Due to unfortunate circumstances that this isn't the place for, I find myself with free time again, so tonight I rewatched a series which was, when I first watched it, my favorite series of all time. It was the second series (after Neon Genesis Evangelion) to hold that title, and held it for about 7 years, until I saw Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.  So, without further ado:

FLCL:  S

FLCL is a series that often stands out to American audiences as being 'one of those weird Japanese things that doesn't make any sense.'  The reason for this is that it's a series that does not explain itself.  The introduction that I was given for it was a single sentence that adds just enough context to the raw randomness of the series to make it not only enjoyable but also deeply and brilliantly symbolic: "This is a story about growing up."

The thing that strikes me the hardest about the series is its atmosphere, a unique blend of an unusual art style and the soundtrack provided by The Pillows, all guitars, bass and drums, carrying the emotion and nostalgia of adolescence.

The series is short, six episodes in total, and thus with the exception of Naota, our protagonist, development is simple and direct, but as I've mentioned, the series is laden down with symbolism, from the very subtle to the extremely obvious, in a way which greatly rewards repeated viewings, not only do little actions mean more and little details show up, but the very characters themselves are symbols, and their relationships with each other will remind almost anyone of loves and losses they've had, and that is the true brilliance of the series.

Like all series I truly adore, I hesitate to try to explain the plot, mostly because it would involve trying to explain about an alien corporation sending robots to earth through portals created inside people's heads, and how this relates to a normal middle school student and a strange woman on a vespa with an electric bass that she  hits people in the head with.

No, really, these are the major plot points.  I won't bother trying to explain about the Space Pirate King and how the Space Police are after him and how that figures into the series.

FLCL's only flaw is the dedication it requires to really get the most out of it.  More than most series, this is one you'll want to watch twice, maybe five or six times, maybe even more, to really get what it's about.  Fortunately, it's shorter than most series, and the music alone makes it worth watching over.  Go check it out.

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise

Whug, long week, and I spent a lot of it on Hayate (the Second Season is so different from the first...) and watching an episode here and there of series I don't want to fully review.

But I've had this movie sitting in my "Unwatched" folder for a month or two now so I figured it was time to finally watch the first piece of work Studio Gainax made under the name Studio Gainax.

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise:  B

First impressions were meh.  The pacing is pretty slow, it's a grown up movie, the kind my parents would like.  It reminded me of The Right Stuff, which I saw when I was like 11 and didn't really know how to take, this is back when I wanted to be an astronaut, like all kids did, before I realized how much kinda boring work it is.

But as I kept watching it, it grew on me.  The main character, Shirotsugu, is a soldier in the eponymous Royal Space Force, which, much like our own modern space program, has fallen on hard times, unlike our space program, this one has not yet gotten off the ground, hearkening back to the days of rocketry and launch pad explosions.  As the story progresses, Shirotsugu finds religion (odd for a Japanese movie), struggles with his own identity and humanity, fights back against the apathy infesting the space force and the political intrigues surrounding the planet's first manned space mission.

It is a very mature piece, that I felt like I got right away and hit the nail on, very much about adult emotions finding one's place, not only a man's place in life, but humanity's place in the universe, and if it can hold your interest, it's a very touching story.

The animation style is jarring, compared to the beautiful people we are so used to seeing in modern anime, the characters have a rough and almost ugly look to them, but the old, plainly hand-drawn cells have an expressive quality of shading which one doesn't see often outside of Studio Ghibli's work (and if it reminds you of a Ghibli production visually, it should, most of the animators worked at Studio Ghibli before working at Gainax).

Overall, if you can get into a very human, political story, it's an excellent movie, but if you're looking for a couple hours of action-packed explosions and fan service, look elsewhere.

This Ugly Yet Beautiful World

This Ugly Yet Beautiful World:  C++

For all my defense of it, this is the best image I can find.

I really do try to avoid Nerd Rage.  It's an embarrassing phenomenon that happens when those of us obsess over things find someone else who obsess over them out of phase with our own obsession.  I say this in my defense in case anyone finds out that I was behind the rather heavy-handed edits to a couple of Tropes pages discussing This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, which I'm rewatching now.

Some backgrounds.  After I first watched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, I decided that Studio Gainax could do no wrong and that I should watch everything they've ever produced.  This led me to watch some really good series that I would have otherwise missed and some series that are really just about breasts that I would have otherwise missed.  This Ugly Yet Beautiful World is somewhere in between these two.  It's a series with a shameless amount of casual nudity, but dismissing it as a series about nothing but fan service is completely missing the point.  It's also a story about emotion, hope, struggling against fate and pain of love.

If that sounds a bit like Neon Genesis Evangelion, it should.  Now, I fucking loved Evangelion, and while I will not say that any series that is like it is equally good, but I do think that Eva and series that are actually deeply emotional are incredibly difficult to appreciate if you're unwilling to open yourself to a serious series.  I'll go ahead and add that a series that has an awful lot of fan service is less likely to be taken seriously.  However, I don't think any of these truly justify being completely dismissive of a series that actually has well-written emotional complexity.  Which is what the TVTropes page was before I took my pen to it.

Now, I don't think that This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (jeez that's getting to be a mouthful) is an absolutely stellar series.  I rate it right on the line between C+ and B.  I guess I'll be satisfied with calling it a C++ (ha ha, and now my blog will show up on a lot of the wrong searches).  I guess I just can't stand to see something not given it's fair shake in a place like TVTropes, which, humorous though it may be, is a place people go for information, not to hear things degraded like a high school classroom.

And that's enough defensive rambling from me.  My recommendation:  It's a worthwhile bittersweet romance with a slight sci-fi bent fueled by pseudo-paleontology and downright made up biology.  If you can't stand gratuitous (if justified) nudity it's probably not for you, but even if the idea of a Magical Girlfriend show doesn't appeal to you, give it a chance, it explores the trope and its ramifications rather than simply being an occurrence of it.  It's only 12 episodes, not much of a time commitment, and it's a complete story with an ending and everything, but it's a story that knows what it's really about.

"I'm thankful, for things that are ordinary and obvious."
        -Hikari