Author: bateszi
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A distant light: Hyouka
Read More →: A distant light: HyoukaSomewhere between its Autumn lights and shifting leaves, there’s a warmth in Hyouka. Warm is a good way of describing the series, emotional is another. Not emotional in a melodramatic sense, but rather, one feels a liveliness coursing through every table leg and dusty bookshelf in the series. It has the sense of a story…
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Anime still has it: Space Brothers
Read More →: Anime still has it: Space BrothersFor a while there, I stopped believing that the anime industry was capable of crafting shows like Space Brothers (Uchū Kyōdai.) When I seriously started getting into anime, there were series like Planetes, Gankutsuou, Monster and Mushishi all being released in and around the same time. These were series not influenced by other anime and…
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Virtual/Reality: Sword Art Online
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Read More →: Virtual/Reality: Sword Art Online“There is no doubt that this is a virtual world, that everything we see and touch is an imitation created from data. But to us, our hearts do exist within this reality. If that’s true, then everything we’re experiencing here should also be true.” Asuna, Sword Art Online I’ve never played an MMO, but I’ve…
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Taiyo Matsumoto’s new manga, Sunny: melancholy and wonderful
Read More →: Taiyo Matsumoto’s new manga, Sunny: melancholy and wonderfulI’ve long been a fan of Taiyo Matsumoto, a guy who for years has ranked amongst my favourite mangaka. Hopefully you’ll know him as the author of Tekkonkinkreet (Black & White,) or GoGo Monster, or perhaps even Ping Pong? If not, you really should, because he’s a genius.
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Liking Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse? See also…
Read More →: Liking Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse? See also…Earth’s invaded, humanity’s out-matched and Japan’s moe legions are our first line of defence. Would you feel confident?
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The girl who became a zombie
Read More →: The girl who became a zombieI’m utterly torn by Sankarea. It has beautiful art direction and some fascinating ideas, but it’s also about as exploitative as anime gets. There’s just so much to like about it though, starting with the girl who became a zombie. Of course, to become a zombie, one must first die. Sanka commits suicide because her…
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Out of print: First world problems
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Read More →: Out of print: First world problemsLast night I started learning French. Why? Because I want to read manga. This all started earlier in the year, when I noticed how a lot of English-translated anime and manga were going out of print. And when stuff goes out of print, it either gets expensive (often ridiculously so) or just totally disappears. I…
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God mercifully sent an angel to this pathetic, powerless girl
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Read More →: God mercifully sent an angel to this pathetic, powerless girlThere are actually three main characters in Berserk. Guts and Griffith are two, but the other is Casca, the fiercely loyal female commander of the Band of the Hawk.
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A life as a martyr to his dream
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Read More →: A life as a martyr to his dreamEpisode 10 of Berserk is amongst the finest episodes of anime I’ve ever seen. From the moment Guts kills the boy Adonis, we’re forced to re-evaluate the righteousness of Griffith’s conquest and whether it’s worth its price in blood. “But there is one other thing more precious to a man beyond all else. Something one…
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Birdland
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Read More →: BirdlandAlthough I’ve been writing this anime blog for a long time now, over 6 years, in fact, I’m still not sure of the kind of blogger I am. I’m not disciplined enough to write every few days, nor do I enjoy deep analysis of anime. I don’t even really enjoy discussing it to any great…
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A journey into Fate/stay night begins
Read More →: A journey into Fate/stay night beginsUntil Fate/Zero appeared, I’d never planned on watching Fate/stay night. At the time of its airing back in 2006, it’d always seemed a tad too pandering for my tastes. I knew nothing about it and was happy to keep it that way, but then, last year, I tried watching Fate/Zero and realised that I wanted…
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A missed opportunity: Jormungand
Read More →: A missed opportunity: JormungandI really wanted to like Jormungand. It’s a series about illegal arms dealers and child soldiers, which is not exactly typical fare for anime and sounds interesting. Comparisons to 2006’s fantastic Black Lagoon abound, then, but after 3 episodes, I’m giving up. I realised I had to stop half-way through episode 3, when child soldier…
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Being swept away
Read More →: Being swept awayI have many a faint and fond memory of Eureka Seven, but wasn’t sure how to feel about news of its sequel. It ended with a quite profound sense of finality, after all. Everything that needed to be said, was, and underscored with probably the finest insert song ever used in anime, too. I’m using…
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Sexuality in anime: Mine Fujiko and Faye Valentine
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Read More →: Sexuality in anime: Mine Fujiko and Faye ValentineLike any potentially great anime, the new Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna has given us much to talk about already. It’s a beautifully animated, adult series the like of which we haven’t seen in TV anime for a while.
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The state of Noitamina and Thermae Romae
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Read More →: The state of Noitamina and Thermae RomaeIt’s fair to say that, critically, 2011 was a poor year for Noitamina and (with Guilty Crown in tow) is currently at its lowest ebb. It’s now suffering from an identity crisis, no longer the bastion of josei anime it once was. Chihayafuru is a good example of what’s meant by that; a series that…
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Returning, being a superficial anime fan and Rinne no Lagrange
Read More →: Returning, being a superficial anime fan and Rinne no LagrangeIt’s been a while since my last post. Around a month, in fact. Through-out February, I took something of a break from anime. I’ve been keeping up with One Piece, but that’s about it. This wasn’t a planned thing, either. I just stopped watching anime. Winter hasn’t helped, either. Although a notoriously poor time for…
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Shadow of the Colossus
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Read More →: Shadow of the ColossusUnless you count my yearly flings with Football Manager, I’ve never been much of a gamer. Even still, I bought myself a Playstation 3 in December. Stepping into today’s world of consoles is intimidating at first. I’d been divorced from the culture for nearly a decade and knowing how deeply some are into it, it’s…
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Because you need a little violence in your life: Dr. Mohiro Kitoh's fabulous depression
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Read More →: Because you need a little violence in your life: Dr. Mohiro Kitoh's fabulous depressionOne thing we may deduce about author Mohiro Kitoh from Bokurano and Narutaru is that he probably had a few bad experiences growing up. It’s otherwise very difficult to understand why his stories about children are quite so fucked-up. Case in post, Narutaru, of which I just finished watching the anime adaptation.
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An odyssey in Haruhi Suzumiya
Read More →: An odyssey in Haruhi SuzumiyaI sat through all of Endless Eight, or rather, I nearly did. I fully intended to, which is the important thing.
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On Wolf's Rain
Read More →: On Wolf's RainI first watched Wolf’s Rain in 2003, just as I was beginning to ramp up my interest in anime. I remember a few things about it: being absolutely traumatised by its ending and being spell-bound by Yoko Kanno’s music. Following on from the similarly fondly remembered RahXephon, it made a fan of Studio Bones out…
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We offer up our heart's blood: Courage and spirit in Shingeki no Kyojin
Read More →: We offer up our heart's blood: Courage and spirit in Shingeki no KyojinSince writing my first post on the manga series Shingeki no Kyojin (the official English title is apparently Attack on Titan,) it’s been licensed for an English-language release by Kodansha USA, whilst a Japanese live-action movie has also been announced for 2013. With the inevitably small film-budget it’ll receive, I’m not convinced it’ll look good…
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The eyes of a wolf: Ben-To's awesome
Read More →: The eyes of a wolf: Ben-To's awesomeThere’s a few different tactics one can employ when approaching a new season of anime. You can either jump straight in during the first week or wait a while longer for the dust to settle; neither choice is perfect, but for this season at least, I decided to wait for 3 episodes to be released…
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Blood-C: one long descent into chaos
Read More →: Blood-C: one long descent into chaosSeries like Blood-C catch my eye. At some point during its airing, I got the impression it was bad: the weekly reviews at Sea Slugs and Moe Sucks say as much and more, but since finishing, I’ve also read takes at chaostangent and S01E01 that say the opposite. Having now seen it for myself over…
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A family in One Piece
Read More →: A family in One PieceWhitebeard was always a big, strong guy, then he ate the Earthquake fruit and became feared the world over. He could’ve turned the planet upside-down, but didn’t. He was a cool guy, and watching him lead his men in such an era-shifting arc of One Piece was brilliant.
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This place of dreams and ghosts
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Read More →: This place of dreams and ghostsIt was around this time last year that I started watching Aria. I loved the first series, but stalled at some point during the second (Aria the Animation.) This week, though, I came back to it. It felt new to me all over again, that sense of peace so typical of how I’ve felt about…
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A cloud prairie
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Read More →: A cloud prairieI’ve fallen behind on anime recently. I’m not sure if that’s down to a lack of interest in what I’m watching or if I’m just not in the mood for anime at the moment, but I’m feeling quite ambivalent about it all. In Celeste’s latest post, she shares the idea of “sticky anime,” positing that…
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No. 6 and homoeroticism in anime
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Read More →: No. 6 and homoeroticism in animeIt’d be hard to watch No. 6 and not notice how homoerotic it is. I’ve now seen up to episode 5 and it’s notable how blunt it’s becoming in suggesting that Shion and Nezumi are in love. This is not a yaoi series though, it’s not a sexual or pornographic thing, I’m not sure it’s…
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Changing the flow of time
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Read More →: Changing the flow of timeTime travel always seemed like a cool concept to me. I could go back in time, make some money and live an easy life. That’s just an immature way of looking at things, though. When I imagine going back, I’m not thinking about the people around me. I’m being selfish, just thinking about material things.
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Reflections on terrorism in Code Geass
Read More →: Reflections on terrorism in Code GeassReflecting on the struggle of Region 11 through eyes not tethered to the real world.
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Trains, classrooms and crazy girls: Mawaru Penguindrum episode 2
Read More →: Trains, classrooms and crazy girls: Mawaru Penguindrum episode 2Japan’s train system fascinates many, but I’m not as taken by the vehicles themselves as by the sheer amount of people shoved into each carriage, to the point where one can hardly breathe. Aside from finding it weird that people would willingly submit themselves to such claustrophobic conditions, it’s also a fertile breeding ground for…
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I couldn't help myself: Mawaru Penguindrum and a feast for the eyes
Read More →: I couldn't help myself: Mawaru Penguindrum and a feast for the eyesIt’s time to be an anime fan again.
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Adieu, my beloved Oscar: The Rose of Versailles anime review
Read More →: Adieu, my beloved Oscar: The Rose of Versailles anime reviewWatching anime is like connecting the dots of a picture; one leads to another, forever changing the picture’s shape. Some dots are out on their own, but others are connected to everything else, making the overall picture that much clearer in my eyes. One obvious example here is Mobile Suit Gundam, the first real-robot anime,…
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Eaten by giants!!
Read More →: Eaten by giants!!I started reading Shingeki no Kyojin because ‘giants attacking mankind’s last city’ sounded really cool.
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Middle-aged men drinking tea
Read More →: Middle-aged men drinking teaAs any right thinking English gentlemen will tell you, tea is what our great British Empire was built upon and, well, most of what I knew about Hyouge Mono before it aired was that it somehow involved tea.
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Puella Magi Madoka Abstract Subversion Nyanyan Death
Read More →: Puella Magi Madoka Abstract Subversion Nyanyan DeathJust be brave, everyone, but especially you, Japan.
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Anime after Madoka
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Read More →: Anime after MadokaLike most everyone else, I’ve enjoyed watching Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. I haven’t seen many other series directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, but I’m well aware he’s earned a reputation for weirdness. Even still, I’m sometimes taken aback by how abstract and artsy Madoka can get, and yet, in contrast to fellow auteurs like Masaaki Yuasa…
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Still a Sigure Virgin?
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/ MusicRead More →: Still a Sigure Virgin?Ling Tosite Sigure (凛として時雨) just seemed to creep up on me in January. Now one of my favourite bands, they are, I’m convinced, Japan’s best rock group since Supercar. Their music is fast-paced and aggressive; songs that may sound like a wall of noise at first, but that make sense (melodically) on subsequent loops through.…
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The sunset of Astro Fighter Sunred
Read More →: The sunset of Astro Fighter SunredEven whilst it was airing, Astro Fighter Sunred seemed like a pretty obscure series. Indeed, I often felt like I was one of the few people watching it. It’s a hard sell, I guess, because it’s not only a visibly low budget production, but also a parody of Japan’s sentai genre. Apparently people don’t watch…
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After Life, Angel Beats! and anime blogging
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Read More →: After Life, Angel Beats! and anime bloggingIf the anime blogosphere is a living purgatory, then the bloggers are the helpers, themselves stuck, but willing to point others in the right direction. As we see our friends come and go, sometimes it feels like there’s only a few of us left, but seeing people change is fulfilling in itself, and there’s always…
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Watching people destroy their happiness in NANA
Read More →: Watching people destroy their happiness in NANAOne of the saddest things about NANA is that its creator Ai Yazawa (who has been fighting against an unspecified illness since 2009) hasn’t been able to finish it. NANA is a story of dreams and ambition, and the characters have struggled too hard and for too long to be left hanging. I hope Yazawa…
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Feel like being scared?
Read More →: Feel like being scared?I’ve been going through a lull in blogging lately. Although I’ve been trying hard (and succeeding, surprisingly!) to keep up with a certain trio of currently airing series, I’ve also been feeling quite passive, too. Even still, the desire to trudge on with this whole writing thing has never left me, so, thank you if…
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Panty & Stocking with my broken heart
Read More →: Panty & Stocking with my broken heartThe above image is from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, but one would forgive you if you had to double take; the second half of episode 5 feels like it’s from a completely different series. Not only has the art style completely shifted, so, indeed, has the tone. Gone, for the most part, is the…
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Can anime do horror?
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Read More →: Can anime do horror?Truly good horror anime is hard to find. Anime tends to use many elements of horror, but it rarely adds up to something that’s scary.
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Is it more painful to wait? Or to keep someone waiting?
Read More →: Is it more painful to wait? Or to keep someone waiting?Writing, even anime blogging, can be hard. We all have ideas about what makes good writing and that’s why, sometimes, I have trouble doing it for this blog. I want to write posts that are, in their own ways, perfect. I know that’s an unrealistic goal, but I try anyway, and this whole process gradually…
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The heavens are angered
Read More →: The heavens are angeredThe Twelve Kingdoms feels very much like a shoujo anime, but it’s more akin to Utena and Toward the Terra than Escaflowne, and by that what I mean to say is, while there are no melodramatic love triangles here, The Twelve Kingdoms is all about exploring and externalising the feelings of its characters; that’s girly…
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Beauty prevails
Read More →: Beauty prevailsAmidst such despair, beauty prevails. Be it in the soft, ever falling of snow, the golden lanterns casting shadows against the concrete walls, or the way the moonlight defies the night. There is a sense of life to be felt; a real, honest human touch, that’s warming to the heart.
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Childhood's end: Naruto and Pain
Read More →: Childhood's end: Naruto and PainTo compare Naruto now to the naive kid he was when this series began tells us of how much he’s grown since. He’s now the person he always dreamed of becoming, and it’s a joy to behold.
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Farewell Satoshi Kon
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Read More →: Farewell Satoshi KonIt’s difficult to express the disappointment I felt when I learnt of Satoshi Kon‘s passing last week. Since then, many heart-felt tributes have been published and half-way through writing this, I started wondering whether it was worth posting at all. Alas, what is blogging if not personal? I liked his films and, at the risk…
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This is the Naruto I remember
Read More →: This is the Naruto I rememberThere were times when I considered dropping Naruto.