-
Don't forget the side characters
/
Read More →: Don't forget the side charactersIn alot of ways, what keeps a longer manga engaging isn’t its main characters, but the side characters. Though our initial emotional investments as readers are in the main characters, the supporting cast and their links with those main characters are what keeps the story fresh.
-
Because you need a little violence in your life: Dr. Mohiro Kitoh's fabulous depression
/
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.
-
Does Bandai know something Netflix doesn't?
/
Read More →: Does Bandai know something Netflix doesn't?About a week ago I posted that 2011, for all its problems, was a stable year for anime. It turns out that stability was short lived. In an interview with Justin Sevakis and Chris Macdonald on AnimeNewsNetwork, Bandai Entertainment President and CEO Ken Iyadomi announced Bandai’s decision to stop licensing and releasing shows. Some bloggers (including…
-
Anime Trends 2011: At least no one (of note) went bankrupt
/
Read More →: Anime Trends 2011: At least no one (of note) went bankruptAll told, 2011 was a stable year in the anime business. No anime company of any worth (so 4Kids doesn’t count) went bankrupt, although over in the manga world TokyoPop bit the bullet. The tsunami and resulting nuclear incident will unfortunately overshadow anything else that happened with anime this year. While there were no dramatic…
-
Lost Along the Way from Utena to Star Driver
/
/ AnimeRead More →: Lost Along the Way from Utena to Star Driverbateszi has already ruminated on the connection between Star Driver and Utena and while I’m a bit late to the party, I wanted to add my own reflections. Right now I’m watching Utena for the first time while finishing Star Driver on Crunchyroll. Fortuitously, I just finished Episode 4 of Utena a few hours after watching Episode…
-
Darker than Black is the new black
/
Read More →: Darker than Black is the new blackDarker than Black is an enigma. The more I watch it, the less I understand how I feel about it. I wanted to write an article extolling its virtues, for example its deep characters and beautiful art. Then I went back and re-watched season 1 and did a double take, was this the same show…
-
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.
-
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…
-
Dear anime industry, think before you tweet
/
Read More →: Dear anime industry, think before you tweetMy name is Dengar and I have a problem. My problem has a name, Twitter. Ever since I joined, I’ve been addicted to getting rapid news updates. It’s particularly convenient as a way to track anime news from companies like Funimation, Aniplex and Viz. Most of the tweets from the companies are acceptable, if not…
-
An anatomy of a gaze
/
Read More →: An anatomy of a gazeThough I suppose anatomy of a pose might be a better title for this post. I’m in love with by this image of Himari. Rather, boushi-san, or hat-san, as Shouma calls Himari’s possessed form. This image, seen in Mawaru Penguindrum’s second opening, Shounen yo, Ware ni Kaere, has been captivating me for some weeks now.
-
36 hours wasn't enough? Yet another Hunter x Hunter
Read More →: 36 hours wasn't enough? Yet another Hunter x HunterWhy base your new show, video game, or movie on an innovative new idea when you can instead re-release a 10 year old one? That is the logic behind making endless sequels. It’s the thinking that brought us Call of Duty 8, Super Mario 10 and now a reboot of Hunter x Hunter. The original…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Sorry women, distributors don't like you
/
Read More →: Sorry women, distributors don't like youI love when the mainstream media tackles anime. Tomorrow’s New York Times’ features a story about the business opportunities in streaming anime. In its discussion of what shows work, the articles drops this great quote: “The small but avid audience is made up of mostly male viewers aged 18 to 34. Distributors said comedies, sports…
-
How many lawyers does it take to screw up an anime series?
/
Read More →: How many lawyers does it take to screw up an anime series?Licensing agreements are usually kept top secret for business reasons. That is, until one company (allegedly) breaches the agreement and then goes bankrupt. At that point the court system takes over and the dirty laundry become public. That is exactly what happened when 4Kids got Yu-Gi-Oh! from TV Tokyo. The upshot of the fighting is…
-
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…
-
Quantum is .hack as it should have been, albeit now too late
/
Read More →: Quantum is .hack as it should have been, albeit now too late.hack//SIGN was one of the first anime shown by Cartoon Network and it left a lasting, negative impression on me: an otherwise brilliant show with a plot that went nowhere. .Hack//Quantum is the latest iteration of the series. It is .hack//SIGN as it should have been. It’s not a remake, just a three episode version…
-
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.
-
Streaming is good, streaming is right, streaming works.
/
Read More →: Streaming is good, streaming is right, streaming works.Digital is the future of video media. Funimation’s announcement of a new premium streaming service this weekend shows that it recognizes what it needs to do to maximize its profits. Up until now, Funimation mostly used streaming to advertise its physical disc releases. I think this announcement reveals the company’s true online strategy, to use…
-
This place of dreams and ghosts
/
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…
-
September 2011: What we're watching
Read More →: September 2011: What we're watching(dengar) Our monthly (more like quarterly or semi-annual) anime feature continues with an update on several current series we’ve reviewed previously. Read on for a return look at Steins;Gate, Tiger & Bunny and Mawaru Penguindrum. (bateszi) I hope you enjoy the lovely colours I’ve used to mark our names this time! …What was that you mumbled…
-
Back to School
/
Read More →: Back to SchoolSeptember in the US means the end of summer vacation and the beginning of the school year. Kids spend more of their lives at school than anywhere else and I’d wager that more shows are set in schools than in any other setting. Even though school based shows have the same setting, some of them…
-
A cloud prairie
/
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…
-
Dedicated to all pioneers: sticky anime
/
Read More →: Dedicated to all pioneers: sticky animeAt the risk of taking anime too seriously, a part of the reason my fandom has endured for as many years as it has is the idea of “stickiness”. And yes, feel free to leave your perverted jokes in the comments (jerks.)
-
No. 6 and homoeroticism in anime
/
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…
-
Room for dinosaurs
Read More →: Room for dinosaursI saw Outlaw Star when it aired on Toonami back in 2001. I think I was attracted to it because it was a space based show that didn’t have Gundam in its name. What I found was an enjoyable space western that didn’t take itself too seriously. And once you accept that it’s not as…
-
There Will Be Blood
Read More →: There Will Be BloodBlood+ landed amidst a resurgence of the vampire genre. It came two years after the conclusion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 3 days after the release of the first book in the Twilight series. It was beautifully animated and had a decent storyline, even if the pacing crawled at times. Today, almost 5 years…
-
Changing the flow of time
/
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.
-
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.
-
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…
-
Bargain Bin Anime
/
Read More →: Bargain Bin AnimeMy love of anime means I spend a great deal of time watching it and a great deal of money buying it. But the price of anime can make buying it new difficult. My budget wouldn’t last long if I bought discs with 5 episodes for $30. Happily, the industry model shifted to a wallet…
-
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.
-
Allison's Journey
/
Read More →: Allison's JourneyAllison & Lillia: Generation 1 had potential. The show was set in a fictional Germanic country and was based on the light novels of a noted author. The two main characters, Allison and Will, explore a pastoral world with WW1 era propeller planes. Their country is in a constant state of conflict with a neighboring country, but…
-
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,…
-
June 2011: What we're watching
Read More →: June 2011: What we're watchingbateszi: The hope is that this post will be the first in a new monthly feature. I say ‘new’ as if we’re bursting with regular features here, but no, this is more like our first attempt to do anything that isn’t a one-off blog post. Awkward introductions aside, then, welcome to the rare sight of…
-
Eaten by giants!!
Read More →: Eaten by giants!!I started reading Shingeki no Kyojin because ‘giants attacking mankind’s last city’ sounded really cool.
-
Welcome to the Financial District
Read More →: Welcome to the Financial DistrictThe Japanese economy is currently in the middle of a huge transformation. A generation ago, a Japanese person could finish school and seamlessly transition into a company job. The job might have grueling hours, but in return it offered lifetime employment at a good wage. Japanese men sacrificed their time with their families so that…
-
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.
-
Puella Magi Madoka Abstract Subversion Nyanyan Death
Read More →: Puella Magi Madoka Abstract Subversion Nyanyan DeathJust be brave, everyone, but especially you, Japan.
-
This isn't how I imagined it; Hanasaku Iroha
Read More →: This isn't how I imagined it; Hanasaku IrohaTeenage girls are a tricky thing to do well in anime. Anime about (and often aimed at) teenage girls is a continually saturated market, making it hard to improve upon. That said, I liked Hanasaku Iroha. In particular, the portrayal of Ohana was intriguing.
-
Yankee-kun to Megane-chan and the world of shounen manga apprentices
Read More →: Yankee-kun to Megane-chan and the world of shounen manga apprenticesI’ve always found the idea of an apprentice palatable. The idea of learning directly from a ‘master’ on real-world projects is, to me, a better way of doing things. Over my years in university I can’t count how many lazy students (including the lazy student in the mirror) I’ve met who slack off simply because…
-
Anime after Madoka
/
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…
-
Much Ado About Blu-Ray
/
Read More →: Much Ado About Blu-RayThe holidays are long over and I bet some of you are enjoying brand new anime you received as gifts. For me, this year meant a leap from watching anime on my tiny computer screen to watching it on a beautiful LCD TV. Along with my new TV, I was also excited to pick up…
-
Still a Sigure Virgin?
/
/ 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.…
-
Winter Impressions Part II
/
Read More →: Winter Impressions Part IISlowly but surely I am getting around to previewing the rest of this season’s shows. For this post I tried to preview some series that people seemed excited about in the comments to my first winter impressions post. That entry is available here.