Category: Anime
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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.
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One Piece, or when the anime is better than the manga
Read More →: One Piece, or when the anime is better than the mangaBefore I start, a preamble: One Piece is a great anime. Ever since our little agreement a month back I’ve been tackling the series, from 229 onwards at a pace of about 3 or so episodes a day. Unlike the other One Piece addict around here, however, I must admit the plot and characters aren’t…
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Opinions on current anime
Read More →: Opinions on current animeAlthough the vast majority of my recent scribblings concern mostly older series, I am (and have been) keeping up with some newer anime, too. Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu is a name that suggests parody, but this new fantasy series is surprisingly serious, with magic, monsters and adventure. 4 episodes in, it’s difficult to see…
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How the Cowboy Bebop ending explains the meaning of “You’re gonna carry that weight”
Read More →: How the Cowboy Bebop ending explains the meaning of “You’re gonna carry that weight”What is the Cowboy Bebop ending trying to say? It feels like such a waste! Spike doesn’t have to face Vicious, he could just stay with Faye and Jet, leave Mars and fly away, but he doesn’t. No matter how many times it’s replayed, there will always be that choice hanging over Spike in the…
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The candy-colored afterlife
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/ AnimeRead More →: The candy-colored afterlifeOccult Academy, you’ve made a fan out of me.
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The future of "anime" is bright
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Read More →: The future of "anime" is brightLet’s take this Dai Sato discussion for another spin, shall we? The above image is from the film My Beautiful Girl Mari. It was released in 2001, and is being distributed in the US by ADV films. Moreover, you can stream it for free courtesy of the Anime News Network. It centers around a dream…
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The future of anime (is bleak?)
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Read More →: The future of anime (is bleak?)Will the people inspired to create the anime of tomorrow want to create another K-ON? Or another Cowboy Bebop?
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Naruto & child soldiers / The thrilling tragedy of Kakashi Gaiden
Read More →: Naruto & child soldiers / The thrilling tragedy of Kakashi GaidenDoes Masashi Kishimoto think about how children are depicted in Naruto? Ninja are tools of war, after all, and Konoha trains its children to become ninja; isn’t that wrong? On a base, moral level? Of course, Naruto is intended as entertainment and, as such, there’s a certain amount of distance one feels between it and…
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Low-brow good times [Occult Academy first impressions]
Read More →: Low-brow good times [Occult Academy first impressions]If there’s one thing I’ve learned about anime over the past year, it’s that these Anime no Chikara projects start out strong, only to have me lose interest after four episodes. When faced with the latest offering in the project, Occult Academy, I was determined not to be sucked in. I would watch it, but…
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Get back to watching One Piece
Read More →: Get back to watching One PieceOne Piece. Oh, man. Where do I start.
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Play it safe. Stay inside. Watch anime.
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Read More →: Play it safe. Stay inside. Watch anime.After tackling time travel in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Mamoru Hosoda returns in Summer Wars to the more provincial and realistic world of the Internet. Luckily the Internet here is not the boring, text heavy internet of our time, but a more garish and interesting Internet of a not-too-distant future. Pastel colored avatars, corporate headquarters…
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In which I contemplate One Piece (and nothing less than the meaning of life)
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Read More →: In which I contemplate One Piece (and nothing less than the meaning of life)One Piece begins with the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. His death was intended to symbolize the power of the World Government, but had the opposite effect instead, conceiving the Golden Age of Pirates! One Piece is full of mythology. What happened in the Void Century, anyway? What about the meaning behind…
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The curious case of Kannagi
Read More →: The curious case of KannagiWatching anime for a long time (I’m talking years, really,) one can fall into certain patterns of viewing. I’ve grown accustomed to knowing what I like, and what I don’t, and picking the anime I watch according to my own tastes. There’s nothing wrong with this, it fundamentally makes sense, but it also leads one…
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Why didn’t you shoot? I meant to. – Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
Read More →: Why didn’t you shoot? I meant to. – Jin-Roh: The Wolf BrigadeThe thing is like a wolf. The thing is a wolf. Thus, it is a thing to be banished. I’ve been an anime fan for a long time. At 22, the portion of my life in which I’ve been a fan is already half of that; and the period of time in which I’d been…
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Horrible fun / Exhuming Ga-Rei -Zero-
Read More →: Horrible fun / Exhuming Ga-Rei -Zero-If just because there’s something exciting about proving yourself wrong every now and then, I’m trying to watch a bunch of recent series that I’ve snubbed or otherwise ignored in past. This all started when, on a whim, I began watching the kendo anime Bamboo Blade and felt stupid for ignoring it for so long.…
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Shoujo fantasy Gurren Lagann: Sense of Wonder by Akemi Hayashi
Read More →: Shoujo fantasy Gurren Lagann: Sense of Wonder by Akemi HayashiReality is rarely as poetic, but then, a dream is not supposed to be real.
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Japanese apology? Maybe next year…
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/ AnimeRead More →: Japanese apology? Maybe next year…Senkou no Night Raid is at a glance a show with great potential, beginning with its unique setting: Shanghai, 1931. Japanese occupied China showcases the height of Japan’s imperialist power and ambition. However, the show cries out for an in-depth commentary on Japan as an imperialist power. Such a narrative would provide a window into…
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Anime directors, please don't change your depressing endings. I love them.
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Read More →: Anime directors, please don't change your depressing endings. I love them.Quite frankly, good intentions or not, I’m sick of being lied to. That’s why I loved the original conclusion to Zeta Gundam. It felt like someone had finally snapped and decided to tell the truth, and at first, I was shocked, but, also, inspired to consider what it was trying to say, which brings me…
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The secret life of the otaku
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Read More →: The secret life of the otakuAs I grow up, I don’t want to lose the things that were important to me as a kid. But I also want to address my shortcomings, have relationships, get a job, and (eventually) be an adult. I may not accomplish everything I want, but I won’t let the fear of failure deter me from…
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Walking Away
Read More →: Walking AwaySomething has always bothered me about the ending of Samurai Champloo. It was an ending that haunted me for nearly a year after finishing the series, its memory resurfacing every time I thought about it. Midicronica’s “San Francisco” was in many ways a fitting ending for an anime which drew so heavily from hip-hop and…
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Gren's eternal smile
Read More →: Gren's eternal smileIf I had to condense my love for anime into one single moment, I’d choose the scene when `Space Lion` begins playing in the 13th episode of Cowboy Bebop (Jupiter Jazz.) It is one of the first times I can remember feeling a pang of bitter-sweetness whilst watching anime: the sadness of Gren’s passing tempered…
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The Transience of Anime
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Read More →: The Transience of AnimeI often analyze myself in terms of what I’m watching and why I’m more attracted to certain anime over others. I find it easy to forget just how niche a lot of what I’m watching really is, only to then realise I don’t know what’s popular any more, or understand why, or even care. I’m…
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Fast dialogue is fast for a reason
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Read More →: Fast dialogue is fast for a reasonI’m a follower of people in the anime industry, but mostly, it’s just the (good) directors I like to keep tabs on. I delve into their works and the more I find, the more I trust in those same people to deliver yet more good anime. Hayao Miyazaki is a popular example, and Masaaki Yuasa…
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Why you should care about The Tatami Galaxy
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Read More →: Why you should care about The Tatami GalaxyI’m totally hyped about seeing the first episode of The Tatami Galaxy (Yojohan Shinwa Taikei). It finally aired this evening in the beloved noitaminA block and is already streaming on Funimation‘s video site, but… I’m region blocked! It’s been a while since I’ve been excited enough about a series to feel as frustrated as this,…
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Ugly anime is not bad anime
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Read More →: Ugly anime is not bad animePretentious has long since become a word within fandom used by a person to express aghast that another could ever truly enjoy something that he/she doesn’t. It’s no longer a matter of taste, but of pretention, we’re all merely deluding ourselves by enjoying such ugly, complicated and confusing stories.
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Sora no Woto: apocalypse moé
Read More →: Sora no Woto: apocalypse moéI’m not an admirer of the moé aesthetic, so my initial response to Sora no Woto was one of indifference; just more moé, I thought; not interested. That’s always my default reaction to a series like this, but the thing is, life’s not that simple. Genre is a superficial excuse; no single story is the…
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The weight of time in anime and manga
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Read More →: The weight of time in anime and mangaI consume a lot of anime in a purely superficial way; I watch it and enjoy it, but then forget about it. My favourites are those that burrow deeply into the subconscious, with certain moments and images able to rise back into mind at any given time; often, years after I’ve seen them, but why?…
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Azure paler than the sky
Read More →: Azure paler than the skyRevolutionary Girl Utena is one of the most inscrutable anime I’ve seen. It’s like half of me is struggling to keep up with what I’m seeing, while the other, at some base level, just instinctively feels it and understands. I suppose you could call this confusion. Or schizophrenia. Whatever. Episode 29 is my favourite of…
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See You Chinese Electric Batman
Read More →: See You Chinese Electric BatmanIt’s interesting how Darker than Black never explained what has ‘sealed’ the Earth’s sky, caused Hell and Heaven’s Gate to appear and triggered the world’s first generation of contractors; and quite frankly, if it turns out to be aliens from the Moon, I’d rather not know, but my point is, ambiguity is exciting, and yet…
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Injections of fun / Trapeze and episodic anime
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Read More →: Injections of fun / Trapeze and episodic animeAt the moment, I’m probably more satisfied with the anime I’m following than I have been for a long time. Whenever a new season begins there’s always the temptation to try to see as much as possible, particularly as an anime blogger with the self-inflicted responsibility to talk about this stuff ad nauseum, but for…
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Trying to get back into anime movies / Sword of the Stranger
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Read More →: Trying to get back into anime movies / Sword of the StrangerWriting this now is probably a bit old hat, but I finally got around to watching Sword of the Stranger at the weekend! Why the delay? I’ve developed a strained relationship with anime movies; having become so used to watching anime in the 20-min TV format, the mere suggestion of watching anything even slightly longer…
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Timelessness and anime / Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
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Read More →: Timelessness and anime / Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGIn the four weeks since this blog was last updated, I’ve seen at least 80 episodes of anime! Not bad, eh? But to write anything of decent length, more than ever, I need to feel like what I’m writing about is really worth your time. That isn’t to say everything airing right now is poor,…
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When all that's left is dust
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Read More →: When all that's left is dustWhen I think about Boogiepop Phantom, I’m also reminded of other recent Madhouse anime, like Shigurui and Casshern Sins. Each has a strange aesthetic; seductive yet tinged by an under-lying sense of sadness and desolation. It would be easy to categorise them as dark and depressing, but they are more complex than that. It’s not…
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Naruto Shippuuden episode 82 is a masterpiece
Read More →: Naruto Shippuuden episode 82 is a masterpieceAfter all these years, I still love watching Naruto. I’ll place it on hiatus every now and then, but it still is, and always will be, one of my biggest favourites. This past weekend marked the end of my latest break from Shippuuden, but already, here I am again; writing away. I couldn’t let this…
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Bee Train's bullet ballet Phantom is really good
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/ AnimeRead More →: Bee Train's bullet ballet Phantom is really goodBee Train doesn’t exactly have the best of reputations, be it their bias for girls with guns or their notoriously poor production values, fact is their work polarises opinion and attracts its fair share of detractors. I’ve seen neither Noir nor Madlax, was horrified by the low budget vibe I got from Blade of the…
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The quietness of Cross Game
Read More →: The quietness of Cross GameWhen writing about Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I noted that I think it’s great because it has moments of exciting, fluid animation. I realise that’s a fairly superficial thing to say, but I think it’s true, too, and now, as if to immediately contradict myself, I’m going to write about Cross Game. This doesn’t have great…
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Cross Game and Touch, and feminism in Japan
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Read More →: Cross Game and Touch, and feminism in JapanI wasn’t aware Mitsuru Adachi (mangaka) even existed until the spring season of this very year, but all that changed after I’d seen the first two episodes of Cross Game. I realised I’d missed out on a lot of great anime of his and, to fill the gap in-between episodes of Cross Game, I started…
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The scent of flames: Armored Trooper Votoms
Read More →: The scent of flames: Armored Trooper VotomsTo be honest, I doubt there is much I can say that will convince you to take a look at Armored Trooper Votoms. It’s an old series, with a heavy emphasis on war. Chirico is no Kamina. The characters are gritty and unrefined. When it can be hard to sit through just the 1 episode,…
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Slice of life
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Read More →: Slice of lifeI know it has been a long time since I published anything, but I hope you haven’t given up on me just yet. There is warmth in these embers still, I can feel it. I just need stoke them up is all, with a bit of hard work and guts.
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For your consideration, Blue Comet SPT Layzner
Read More →: For your consideration, Blue Comet SPT LayznerMecha anime has always been a bit hit or miss for me. I’ll often find that I’m not as attracted to the mecha as I am to the science fiction stories they inhabit. That is to say, I enjoy a lot of good mecha anime because I enjoy a lot of good science fiction. I…
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Soul and style: Toradora and Michiko e Hatchin
Read More →: Soul and style: Toradora and Michiko e HatchinIt’s the eve of the latest spring season, but I’m still playing catch up with a lot of last year’s finest. Last week it was Xam’d, and this week it’s Michiko e Hatchin and Toradora. I’m only too aware that the anime community is driven by an insatiable desire for ‘newness’, and I’m really excited…
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Free skies, and endless land
Read More →: Free skies, and endless landThe problem with writing an anime blog for any length of time is that I’m prone to repeating myself. I’ve had this ache to write about something, anything, over the last month or so, but there are only so many times I can say “this is good, that is bad” without feeling as though I’m…
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[One Piece] Through hard times, and fun times… Yohohoho…
Read More →: [One Piece] Through hard times, and fun times… Yohohoho…Some anime are dark and depressing, others are romantic and heart-wrenching. One Piece is a story of friendship, chasing dreams, and smiling; honestly, it is a joy to behold, to listen as Brook plays his favourite song; the music has a feeling of nostalgia. The Straw-Hats’ celebrations are always moments of sublime happiness, which is…
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Casshern Sins: You looked as if you were dancing
Read More →: Casshern Sins: You looked as if you were dancingIt’s hard to explain how I feel about Casshern Sins. It’s way beyond anything else I’ve seen this year. More than just another good anime series, more than just entertainment, I find it is engaging, evocative and inspiring, perched somewhere in-between the surreal, fable-like quality of Kino’s Journey and the philosophical melancholy of Mushishi. After…
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Autumn ’08 impressions: week 1
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Read More →: Autumn ’08 impressions: week 1This past weekend was spent watching anime, lots and lots of anime, and below you can read my findings. Having come perilously close to losing my sanity at several points over the last few days, the scariest thing is that there is still so much I’m waiting to see, not least of all the majority…
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A tribute to Soul Eater 18
Read More →: A tribute to Soul Eater 18It’s been a long time since my last foray into Soul Eater. Too long, really. And it’s easy to forget just how fun it is, how exciting, how damn awesome. I mean, there are certain things that will always stick out, launch it above other series, and these two episodes were no different. Consider the…
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A romantic interpretation of Kaiba
Read More →: A romantic interpretation of KaibaI was always going to like Kaiba. Even before it started airing, I had, somewhat dangerously, convinced myself that it would be good. After all, with someone like Masaaki Yuasa directing, I had to expect it would special and well, some five months later, here we are again, I just finished Kaiba this weekend. Lets…