Month: October 2006
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Welcome to the NHK! – 16 – The Ultimate NEET
Read More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 16 – The Ultimate NEETThere was always going to be a twist behind the real world identity of Mia. “She” was too perfect, Satou loved her too much, and NHK! isn’t about Satou being in love. I certainly didn’t see it being Yamazaki though – jeez, that was cruel of him. And then there is the flash-forward to Satou’s…
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Red Garden – 3 – Theatrical heart break
Read More →: Red Garden – 3 – Theatrical heart breakEpisode 3 of Red Garden is the best yet; the viewer leaves this instalment drenched in suspense, mystery and blood, and all the while we’re slowly beginning to understand what’s happened to the girls – or rather, how they died! There are still big question marks hanging over why they were all together on *that*…
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Kemonozume – 9 – Old habits die hard
Read More →: Kemonozume – 9 – Old habits die hardStill on the run from the Kifuuken, we join the love birds Yuka and Toshihiko aimlessly wandering down vast and empty roads when they are offered a lift by an old married couple. Their journey (squeezed inside a white van) is a chance for them to reflect on their young relationship, inspired by the beautiful…
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Kemonozume – 8 – Hard violence, hard sex, hard feelings
Read More →: Kemonozume – 8 – Hard violence, hard sex, hard feelingsAt the beginning of this episode a boy student is excitedly kissing his innocent girlfriend for the first time. They hold each other in an emotional embrace, it is a pivotal moment in their lives, “Ah the day has finally come, Takako-Chan’s warm, soft, slippery thing is in my mouth…”. But the boy gets too…
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Red Garden – 2 – Expensive shirts and werewolves
Read More →: Red Garden – 2 – Expensive shirts and werewolvesI do love mysterious horror stories, especially when the viewer is as much at a loss as to what is going on as the characters themselves. The supernatural Red Garden is growing with this creeping intrigue, it’s bizarre and confusing and a lot of my interest is now centred on eventually finding answers. In some…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 14 to 15 – MMORPGs destroy lives… mmmk?
Read More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 14 to 15 – MMORPGs destroy lives… mmmk?The relentless waves of depression continue unabated with these two episodes as Satou (hardly recovered from his suicidal exploits) stupidly falls foul to the life sucking world of MMORPGs. These highly addictive and never ending online games are undoubtedly one of the major forces behind what is becoming a worldwide epidemic of hikkimori, but what…
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Mushishi – 26 – And so ends a landmark anime production
Read More →: Mushishi – 26 – And so ends a landmark anime productionAs if to confirm its audacious brilliance, central character Ginko hardly even appears in this final episode and it was still one of the highlights of the Mushishi TV series. Again bursting with its trademark melancholic tone, this was yet another natural blend of touching storytelling that mixes a retrospective and sad human drama with…
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Death Note – 2 – Hiding behind a notebook
Read More →: Death Note – 2 – Hiding behind a notebookI’m surprised by just how fast Light is losing grip on reality. In only this second episode he coldly considers killing his family if they were ever to piece together his part in the (now world famous) mass-murdering case, while later he shows no signs of regret upon murdering (using the Death Note, obviously) a…
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One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punch
Read More →: One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punchIt’s funny how we spend hours upon hours watching anime, often only for but a few short minutes of absolute pay off. I watch One Piece for these transcendental moments; don’t get me wrong, it’s a consistently fun show but every so often, it raises itself to a rare point of pure emotional resonance with…
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D.Gray-man – 2 – The end of the world is nigh
Read More →: D.Gray-man – 2 – The end of the world is nighEpisode two is our first proper introduction to the spiritual world of D.Gray-man and clear references are drawn from Christian religion (“Noah’s ark”) to better illustrate the show’s strong supernatural themes with an interesting theological substance. To believe in exorcists, ghosts and demons, the obvious truth is that one must then also believe in god.…
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Red Garden – 1 – Colourful teenage exuberance
Read More →: Red Garden – 1 – Colourful teenage exuberanceMany people couldn’t be bothered with Vision of Escaflowne because the character designs sported big noses. The almost-ignored Fantastic Children suffered from this same shallow discrimination. I dare say both of these are modern classics, and now Red Garden will face the exact same battle against a community that largely considers the likes of Kanon…
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Black Blood Brothers – 1 – Elegantly swift bishounen attacks!
Read More →: Black Blood Brothers – 1 – Elegantly swift bishounen attacks!I was quite determined to find fault with Black Blood Brothers – I took my fair share of melodramatic bishounen-horror in Night Head Genesis and eventually rejected it, so I feared more of the same from this show. Typically I was wrong. While it won’t win many end-of-season plaudits for originality, Black Blood Brothers at…
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Death Note – 1 – Wicked, manipulative and morally deranged
Read More →: Death Note – 1 – Wicked, manipulative and morally derangedDeath Note is a Shounen Jump anime, but forget the generic conventions those two words invoke. Just like Bleach, this is a story that depicts the soul reaping world of “Shinigami” but where Bleach’s version of the afterlife is jammed with pouting pretty boys and nothing else, Death Note’s vision is dark, cold and lifeless.…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 13 – In a word, depressing
Read More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 13 – In a word, depressingFor some odd reason, I was expecting Satou to be the hero of this episode, but today I doubt he will ever be a hero – just like Yamazaki says, people “like him” aren’t suited to dramatic ends. In a word, depressing. Hitomi is selfish and cruel, her reasons for coming back into Satou’s life…
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Black Lagoon – 13 – People call it spinal reflex
Read More →: Black Lagoon – 13 – People call it spinal reflexMadhouse Studios have an exceptional talent for adapting manga – BECK, Monster and now Black Lagoon, they clearly devote a lot of careful thought to developing a specific style for their works; almost inevitably, they craft absolutely unique anime. I feel safe in saying that Black Lagoon’s flair for attention grabbing will never fade, such…
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Pumpkin Scissors – 1 – Faith in humanity after all
Read More →: Pumpkin Scissors – 1 – Faith in humanity after allI’m getting worried about the fall anime season; there is too much to watch. Putting aside the immediate favourites like Death Note and Black Lagoon (these two are unmissable in my eyes) the likes of Pumpkin Scissors and D.Gray-man have proved just as fun and action packed, so where does one (desperately trying to be…
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D.Gray-man – 1 – Completely coherent and mysteriously atmospheric
Read More →: D.Gray-man – 1 – Completely coherent and mysteriously atmosphericAnyone remember Pierrot Le Fou from Cowboy Bebop? How can we forget that floating fat man, screaming with insane laughter as he tears his way through the landscape. I know D.Gray-man may not have the kung-fu style of Spike Spiegel, but “The Earl of Millennium” looks just like Pierrot Le Fou, and also happens to…
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Honey & Clover II – Wallowing in the aftermath
Read More →: Honey & Clover II – Wallowing in the aftermathIt was always going to be one of those dreaded moments when Honey & Clover finally finished up – an empty feeling, my mind swirling in miscellaneous doubt and irritating confusion. What do I watch now? I had my ups and down with this second season, perhaps borne from episode after episode of frustrating romantic…