Tag: romance
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Don't forget the side characters
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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.
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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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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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Seeing the forest through the trees with Sailor Moon
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Read More →: Seeing the forest through the trees with Sailor MoonIf you haven’t done yourself the favour of reading the original Sailor Moon manga, I suggest you drop whatever stigmas or preconceptions you have of the series and find yourself a copy. Naturally, it suffers from the cliches it helped to establish: baddies-of-the-moment, elaborately named attacks, and a penchant for all the bad parts of…
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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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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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“Next time, let me see a Matsuri Special.”
Read More →: “Next time, let me see a Matsuri Special.”Something about the transience of adolescence never fails to inspire. More often than not we wake up, 20, fully grown, and confused as to how we got there. For this reason, mangaka like Kamio Youko are a particularly rare breed. Time and time again, she manages to lushly recreate both the frame of mind and…
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People with cold hands have warm hearts (Air Doll review)
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Read More →: People with cold hands have warm hearts (Air Doll review)Two years is a long time. Just two years ago, I’d seen very few Japanese live-action films, only to eventually realise that my interest in anime was linked to a broader fascination with the whole spectrum of Japanese art; what I get from anime, I hear in Japanese music and see in Japanese film, too.…
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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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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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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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Why I'm enjoying Toradora
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Why I'm enjoying ToradoraAll that should matter is empathy, and I get that from Toradora.
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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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I'll ruin you because I love you
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/ ReviewsRead More →: I'll ruin you because I love youEpisode four of Casshern Sins; an animated, beautiful contradiction. Perfectly flawed, just the way I like it.
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Love will tear us apart
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Love will tear us apartTrue Tears. I liked it. A lot.
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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…
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Turn off your mind, unwind and see how high the cloudy sky. Xam'd, naturally.
Read More →: Turn off your mind, unwind and see how high the cloudy sky. Xam'd, naturally.Should I say Xam’d: Lost Memories is good? It’s better than good, and I know it’s not enough to say just that, but I have to be careful. Because I’m about ready to explode. Yes, there’s too much to say. This is what anime is capable of; it’s why I’m writing an anime blog. Ironically,…
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Another step Toward the Terra, circa 1980; old or not, it's still great
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Another step Toward the Terra, circa 1980; old or not, it's still greatBe it 1980 or 2008, To Terra…. is just a wonderful story, a timeless one, even, that I can always watch or read and be completely lost in imagination.
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"If I told you that I came from the future, would you laugh?" Review of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
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/ ReviewsRead More →: "If I told you that I came from the future, would you laugh?" Review of The Girl Who Leapt Through TimeIf a good movie is hard to come by, surely a good anime movie is like one in a million; what a relief then, because for now, my long search is over – The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is that one in a million. Dubbed in some quarters as the anti-Ghibli, it offers a…
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Kemonozume – 8 – Hard violence, hard sex, hard feelings
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/ ReviewsRead 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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Mushishi – 25 – Even without eyeballs, tears run
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 25 – Even without eyeballs, tears runAlthough it would be harsh to say Mushishi had been in the doldrums of late, I must admit that the episodes succeeding number 20 have often flattered to deceive. It still looks as gob-smackingly beautiful as ever, but feels like more of a remote beauty, something I can admire but hardly love. I’m rejoicing then…
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Kemonozume – 1 – Delicious gut-munching innovation
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Kemonozume – 1 – Delicious gut-munching innovationThe moment I clapped eyes on its highly evocative promo art, I knew I’d love Kemonozume. It just looks so damn cool, completely in another league to the typical “doll face” anime style; here characters look and move like real people, the fluidity of movement and facial expression oddly fascinating. Forget following the narrative- simply…
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Noein – And so we reach the end
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Noein – And so we reach the endI feel like I’ve been watching Noein for years now and writing this entry is daunting. Complex multi dimensional time travel, heart breaking tragedy and gut wrenching friendships. Here is a series bursting with ideas and without breaking into an essay length review, it’s hard to do justice to the sheer narrative majesty of Noein.…
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Mushishi – 24 – Bound for Bonfire Field
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 24 – Bound for Bonfire FieldAnother episode that was only average in comparison with Mushishi’s previously sky-is-the-limit standards, “Bound for Bonfire Field” showcased one of the more deadly mushi Ginko has come across but failed to deliver the profound human empathy I’ve come to expect of this magical series. The main problem is this episode’s frustrating central figure; a female…
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Mushishi – 23 – The Sound of Rust
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 23 – The Sound of RustIn a village where humans are literally rusting away and being physically covered in (ever worsening) scabby brown marks, only this one girl (Shigure) appears to be immune from the disease. The bitter villagers blame Shigure for their ill-health, curse her existence and treat her as an outcast, and for her part, racked with the…
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Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal – Jaded no more
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal – Jaded no moreI was suffering from anime burnout earlier this evening and rather than try to watch something new (and inevitably hate it with this jaded perspective), I decided I’d dip back into my ever-growing DVD collection, pull out a classic I knew I’d love and rediscover my passion for anime. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal is…
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Mushishi – 22 – The essence of individuality
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 22 – The essence of individualityBy following the mysterious legend of the Uminaoshi, Ginko finds himself on a secluded island. Here it is said that when people die, if they so wish it, they can be born again; in a certain part of the sea, where the light shines even at night, the Uminaoshi mushi lives. What in essence defines…
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Densha Otoko TV – If Looks Could Kill
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Read More →: Densha Otoko TV – If Looks Could KillTsuyoshi Yamada is an otaku… a lonely otaku. He throws away his free time watching anime and surfing the net, dreaming of one day falling in love, but alas, he is merely an awkward, shy bloke who lives in his bedroom with nothing but dolls and figurines for company. One non-specific day, riding the train…
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NANA – 3 – Broken Social Scene
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/ ReviewsRead More →: NANA – 3 – Broken Social SceneNana K is living an easy life as a student until her three closest friends decide that they are going to go to study art in Tokyo. It would be harsh to say Nana is untalented, but she isn’t good enough for university yet; and so she faces a future without her friends, on her…
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NANA – 2 – Make up the breakdown
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/ ReviewsRead More →: NANA – 2 – Make up the breakdownAn episode I enjoyed much more than the first, NANA episode 2 is a much needed dramatic and character-driven piece. I remarked after the first episode that Nana K is a ditz, implying that basically she is a superficial person with her head in clouds, in love with the idea of being in love. With…
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NANA – 1 – Sisters are doing it for themselves
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/ ReviewsRead More →: NANA – 1 – Sisters are doing it for themselvesSetting the scene Nana has plans to move to Tokyo and live near her boyfriend. On the train journey there, she bumps into another woman called Nana; who also happens to be 20 and is planning to live in Tokyo too. Their fashions and personalities strike such a strong contrast, like night and day; Nana…
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Yokohama Shopping Trip – 2
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Yokohama Shopping Trip – 2Despite clearly being the better of the original two Yokohama Shopping Trip OVAs, episode two serves up an unsettling mood of desolation and loneliness. During a five minute period in which Alpha simply brews a cup of coffee, there is no music, no dialogue, only the sounds of a creeky old house to keep her…
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Yokohama Shopping Trip – 1
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Yokohama Shopping Trip – 1My fascination with the weird, coupled with an obtuse interest in searching out the obscure has led me down the path of downloading the kind of anime people forgot about many moons ago- and so here I am to introduce you to Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou; talked up a wandering traveller anime in the spirit of…
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Mushishi – 20
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 20Looking back on Mushishi, I suspect that this episode (episode 20) will rank as one of my favourites. Every episode has had that unique air of mystisism; a beautiful sense of magic that I have come to love, but still, rarely have a felt so attached to the characters as I did in this episode.…
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Mushishi – 19
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 19Despite displaying none of the euphoric highs and gut wrenching lows of previous episodes, Mushishi 19 was an uplifting way to while away 23 minutes. The concept here is really quite profound- consider that without someone to love you, you disappear. Fuki, the lead character of this story, gets “infected” by a Mushi that will…
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Mushishi – 18
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 18This episode is imediately notable for a distinct change of direction. Mushishi usually begins with Ginko wandering about beautiful landscapes, finding his next job and meeting new people, here the first 13 minutes are told as a flashback, in which tragedy inevitably occurs. The latter half of the episode is all about finding true emotional…
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Mushishi – 17
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 17Again dealing with the pain felt at the loss of a loved one, episode 17 at least concludes with a ray of hope after 20-odd minutes of forecasted gloom. I’m not saying it’s bad that Mushishi sometimes portrays hopeless situations, it’s just nice when someone’s dreams are fulfilled and we leave the show in an…
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Mushishi – 16
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 16There is no skirting around the fact that episode 16 of Mushishi is a thoroughly depressing affair. Every day a woman loses fragments of her memory, whether it be the definition of a sneeze or the identity of her sister, it’s a mysterious problem that only someone like Ginko can solve. There are some things…
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Mushishi – 15
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 15Having suffered through some heavy tragedy in the last few episodes of Mushishi, it was nice to see the show returning to it’s well established style of surreal, metaphorical story telling this time around. Here we meet a chirpy young boy who like Ginko can not only see Mushi but takes an active interest in…
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Mushishi – 14
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 14It seems almost ridiculous to say, but every episode of Mushishi I see is my new favourite episode. Number 14 is an outstanding piece of story telling, possibly the most heart breaking yet and still, an ultimately uplifting and optimistic masterpiece. Shades of green fill the screen as Ginko stumbles about a forrest. He bumps…
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Mushishi – 13
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 13As the is the norm for Mushishi, I left episode 13 with a mixture of emotion and intrigue. The two lead characters for this week are obviously in love but one of histories worst traditions, that of arranged marriages, again causes the kind of intense termoil that can only result in tragedy. These kinds of…