Wakaranai

 

Darker than Black season 2 plows ahead with another stellar episode, again leaving its competition behind in the dust. Although there are anime I haven’t seen, so I can’t say this definitively, there’s little doubt in my mind that this series is the pinnacle of the season, with its fast pace, depth of character, thrilling action sequences and polished production values. And for once I’m not alone in my pick for the season: 2ch recently ranked it as the most entertaining show of the fall lineup! I think the show’s success can be attributed to the fact that it finds a really great position somewhere between being pretentious and overly deep and being too shallow; it is both easily accessible and emotionally captivating. I feel really sorry for those with this misfortune to no have already seen the original DtB. Even though I complained about that series a lot it was sure worth it just for this follow-up season.

The last two episodes have dealt with some really confronting and fascinating themes as Hei continues to emphasise the anti in his new anti-hero role by perpetuating a tyrannical and absusive relationship with his young charge, the sympathetic and multi-faceted, Suou. His physical abuse of Suou was a shocking change of tone for the series. Even though the series never lost its ability to entertain, it gained a much more emotional spin that really gave my heart a good tugging. It’s not as though the violence directed at Suou was particularly graphic or serious, but rather than the physical distress of being kicked and slapped, it was the crushing of Suou’s once sprightly and innocent spirit that made for such distressing and riveting viewing. When she told Hei to hurry up and hit her to get it over and done with, my heart was just broken!

Suou’s character has now reached a point where she has not only been pulled into a life of grey morality, but is also at odds with herself. As she is dragged deeper and deeper into the world of contractors, of killing and solitude, her struggle between her lingering human emotionality and the cold indifference that seeks to possesses her as a contractor is intensifying. Suou’s character is a perplexing and gripping juxtaposition of a young girl with a strong, loving heart and soulless killing machine. I find it impossible not to sympathise with her and root for her as she tries to find herself in this harsh new existence. I think she’s probably one of my favorite character of the last few years.

Hei himself hasn’t reacted well to having to share the limelight with another star. By that I mean he has become grossly unlikeable as the alcoholic, abusive and uncaring hobo. He’s not just a shadow of his former self, but a true wreck of a man, whose competence in battle is just about his only asset as a hero. Another way of looking at it though is that he has become a hell of a lot more interesting. He always bored me as the stoic and unassailable protagonist in the first season, and in this season he is a guy that you just love to hate. And, despite his selfish and unkind attitude towards Suou, he now has a sense of intrigue, clearly caught in a pall of loss over Yin. Most importantly, even though he has a withered demeanor and twisted spirit, I still get the feeling that he is redeemable, and that it’s going to be an impressive moment when his sense of heroism is finally roused. Then again, this series has shown that it’s not totally predictable so far, so maybe things won’t turn out as nicely as that!

With all the moral dilemma and confusion going around, the only thing unequivocally good about this series is the excellent production qualities! Yasushi Ishii has created the best soundtrack I’ve heard for an anime in a long time. It’s unique, creative and textural music that works flawlessly with the series. The animation is slick, again providing an awesome action sequence, and the directing is sharp is effective, helping strengthen the show’s dramatic impact.

✔I think someone on the production team REALLY likes Misaki because every scene she’s in she looks incredibly cool. There must be a whole team of animators dedicated to making her look as suave and stylish as possible for her every appearance. The trench coat she had on this episode probably can’t be topped though. Lookin’g good, Misaki.

✔ What’s this? Gun maintenance? Weapons fans must be delighted. Ignoring the fact that she can spawn the anti-tank rifle and a handful of ammunition out of thing air, it’s rare to find an anime that puts this much thought into portraying guns.

✘ I’m still not really sure what the actual plot for this series is, and this is probably its only major flaw. Sure, there’s plenty of intrigue and important-sounding exchanges of dialogue between mysterious characters, but I’m not really sure what it’s getting at yet. But hey, I never really worked out what the first season was about – at least this series has enough thrills and drama to keep me from worrying about the story.

✘ The rest of the characters (except for Nika who is now thankfully deceased) are all complex and interesting, but for some reason Mao went in the other direction. Maybe he’s just getting into character for the new, cuter animal he’s inhabiting, but he’s been reduced to a pretty lame character who hangs around to make lame attempts at humurous comments.

 

Continue reading Darker than Black 05

In some ways it’s good to be a yuri fanboy right now. Exemplified by shows like Saki, Strike Witches and Railgun it seems almost all the popular shows to have surface dover the last year are coated in a thick residue of yuri subtext. It’s hard to find a series nowadays that doesn’t deal with yuri themes or connotations in some way. With all the overtones being thrown around, combined with the increasing selection of anime that, following in the large footprints of Strawberry Panic and Kannaduki no Miko, are overtly marketed as yuri series, featuring unsubtle and unapologetic relationships between girls. It’s like the entire anime industry has suddenly come out of the closet collectively. But, as a long time yuri enthusiast, I think this has become over-saturation and over-simplification of what was once a sub-sub-genre of anime. Being a yuri fanboy used to be a frontier lifestyle. To get to that rare gem of yuri would entail much sifting, searching and usually a bit of imagination. I’m starting to crave that less obvious era once more, when yuri romance was a thing of hidden beauty, epitomised by symbolism, subtlety and romanticism rather than upfront fanboy appeal. Almost ironically, the innocence of yuri that used to make my heart waver has been stripped away as it loses its place as ‘forbidden romance’ in a modern society and an anime industry increasingly marked by fanboy fetishism rather than genuine emotionality.

So where does Sasameki Koto fit into all of this? Well, interestingly, I don’t think it fits at all. Despite being a series that essentially opens with the line “Why can’t girls love each other?”, it’s certainly no Strawberry Panic. It’s in no way trying to hide the fact that it’s a yuri series, but at the same time it’s not making a blatant fanboy appeal; the girls aren’t all super-cute moe fantasies and it’s not caught up in some implausible alternate universe without men (ala Strawberry Panic). And there is no fanservice to be found. I can’t say it feels like a realistic portrayal of lesbianism (and frankly, who wants that?), but it is grounded in reality and hence manages to evoke emotion. Episode 1 misleadingly got the show off to a shaky start in terms of characterisation, but since then the characters have become relatively believable and easy to sympathise with.

This is most true of the main character, the ordinary-looking and slightly masculine Sumika, whose yuri crush on her cute best friend and flagrantly lesbian, Kazama, is crushingly nonreciprocal. The dynamic between these two is the core of the show, and the fact that it is so unusual and fraught with angst gives the show a strong emotional pull over more straight-forward yuri of this type, like Aoi Hana. Sumika’s trouble stems from the fact that her love interest happens to be infatuated with cute and pretty girls, a catergory from which she is explicitly excluded. So despite Sumika being in a good position to confess in terms of the fact that Kazama is interested in girls, she is doomed to the role of jealous and frustrated onlooker as Kazama chases beautiful girls. The secrecy of her crush doesn’t derive angst from the morality or strangeness of her attraction but rather from her fear of being rejected. In that sense you could almost say that its strengths are its romantic storytelling ability, regardless of the yuri aspect. Take out the yuri twist and you’d probably still have a gripping story.

In being an atypical yuri series and not following the usual path of the S-class relationship, and not really chasing a theme uniquely found in the yuri genre, it doesn’t really feel like a yuri series, despite the fact that it clearly deals with girl-girl relationships. I have to say, I prefer yuri series that derive angst or excitement from the “forbidden love” aspect. Being set in a co-ed school rather than the standard all-girl’s-school setting does mean that occasionally allow the show to give the sense that the yuri predispositions isn’t entirely normal, but there’s certainly no antagonism. The only truly straight girl with any kind of role is completely unperturbed by Kazama’s interest, which is nice and all, but I guess I just don’t swallow the lack of prejudice found at this school. This series would have you believe Japanese high schools are havens of political correctness and acceptance while series like Shigofumi portray them as rampant with bullying. But this lack of true believability is forgivable because it isn’t what the show is really about, I just think it’s easy to get fired up and root for a pairing when they face external adversity.

In this case the struggle that defines this relationship is very much internal. Which, as I said before, is quite affecting as a romance story, but feels like it could have been to applied to any couple. While I consistently sympathise for Sumika, the main problem with the series is that it’s set up such that you can’t help but hate the object of her desires, Kazama. Kazama’s obsession with good-looking girls just feels unforgivably shallow coming from the perspective of the audience who knows how hurtful it is to the more sincerely in love, Sumika. The more I feel sorry for Sumika, the more I become frustrated with Kazama, which makes the show fun to watch but which doesn’t really make for a great pairing. I certainly don’t care for Kazama/Sumika, I just want to see Sumika happy. I think this is a flaw in the show, because I’m sure they could have made Kazama more likeable while still playing the obliviously dismissive card. Maybe that would have had the spark to set alight my yuri fanboy side.

As it is though, this is a strangely compelling tale of love, even if it skims over its girl-love angle a little too cleanly and simplistically. If you’re looking for a romance with a dash of angst and a bit of an unusual twist (yuri AND crossdressing), then this could well be worth watching. I’m enjoying the series in that respect, but wanted to try and articulate where it belongs in the exponentially growing mosaic of yuri anime. As yuri creeps into more and more anime, it becomes more important for its fanboys to remember where it came from and what its appeal really is.

AMV.org Link
Creator(s):Hagaren Studios
Title: This Is Halloween
Premiered: 2009-10-31

This one’s coming in a bit late from me, losing its relevance every day past Halloween. But even it’s past the use-by-date of festive spirit, this AMV is still a great watch! As is usually the case with Soul Eater AMVs, I was skeptical at first. Could an appropriately wacky and horror-themed video really be mustered up from the shounen escapades of Soul Eater? Thanks to some fantastic scene selection, clever editing, and weeks worth of blood sweat and tears from its creator, the answer to that question is a resounding yes! I actually had no idea Soul Eater had this amount of freakish and gory sights, but this AMV managed to paint the show as a twisted horror and I now struggle to think of any anime that could make a better fun Halloween video like this. The song is a rocked-up version of that song from The Nightmare Before Christmas, which I still find cringe-worthy in its cheesiness. But this AMV is so good there’s just no room for complaint!

;_; Owing to exams, I have to employ self-discipline and refrain from making any blog posts for the next 4 days. After then, I’ll be churning them out more fiercely then ever before! Don’t forget me!!

Can’t wait to see Railgun and Darker than Black! And wasn’t the new Negima chapter just epic? Poor Arika!

 

‘The flock of panties have returned!’ sums up this bizarre but frivolously fun episode of Sora no Otoshimono. They’re back by popular demand! Well, maybe not, but I have to say I didn’t expect them to make a comeback after their teary departure only a few episodes ago. When peace-loving Tomoki opens his window to take in the tranquil morning, he is soon mobbed by the returning panties. And that pretty much sets the tone for the remainder of the episode; much like their departure their arrival heralds an episode overloaded with underwear and pantsu-related humour. Only this time they stretched the ridiculousness to a new peak of absurdity - including exploding panties, and porn magazine defence pantsu-robot. As a self-prescribed pantsu-fanatic I am always delighted with the prospect of such an episode. Unfortunately, I was let down in a couple of ways. The main problem was that, despite being drenched in epic quantities of panties, there was very little in the way of girls wearing any. You know, actual fanservice, like panty-shots and girls undressing. Somehow pantsu strategically distributed around a house just isn’t as exciting. There was enough hotness for the episode to pass, but for an episode with a premise like this in a show that relishes its ecchi status, I expect a little more.

The other problem I had was a shortcoming in the humour department. I can’t really put my finger on why I found the previous pantsu-saturation episode more entertaining (and titillating) than this one, but it lacked that usual oomph that Sora no Otoshimono had. The jokes kind of fell flat. The episode was still fun from a fanboy perspective, but it didn’t have that Seto no Hanayome-esque edge of riotousness. By the time Tomoki was fighting his way through the projectile-pantsu onslaught of his own robot creation I was leaning more towards cringing rather than laughing. I think my issue with the episode boils down to it just being a bit too silly without having the sharp humour or self-ridicule to pull it off right. On the upside, the production on the show remains consistently great, and it was still pretty enjoyable even if it wasn’t as funny or fapworthy as it could’ve been. As a bonus, the long-awaited Nymph finally made her entrance (although it was a fleeting cameo in the epilogue).

✘ I felt they kind of undermined their own plot, thing though it is, by having Icarus spend the day with Mitsuki while her master, Tomoki, was delegated the punishing task of fighting his way out of his explosive house. It calls into question whether her loyalty to her master is conditional or by her own choice. Anyway, I thought she was connected to Tomoki by her chain (even though it’s invisible), so he surely could summon her and use her powers to get out of the situation. Unless I missed something it just seems like a bit of a lazy way to write this little sidestory. I mean, they don’t have all that much of a plot, it couldn’t be too hard to stick to what they’ve established..

♡ The best fanservice moment came when Mitsuki took Icarus underwear shopping. The underwear she picked out for Iacrus really WAS super-cute and fitted her angel status perfectly. The wings on the bra and panties are lovely!. I thought that scene was cut a bit too short (extension saved for DVD releases perhaps). I wanted a good look at Iacrus wearing them! Well, that might come later in the series. Mitsuki is good at picking underwear for others, she should refine her own choices a bit. Her striped panties this episode were and improvement, especially the pink-striped ones (sadly now-deceased ;_;). Lucky Tomoki got a mouthful of them..

♡ Mitsuki ended up in a nopan predicament yet again! Poor girl ^^ We don’t get any good flashes, sadly. For those who’ve seen how GAINAX played the nopan episode of Abenobashi for maximum eyecandy should agree.

✔ Finally! Nymph! And her role is kind of interesting. She might mix things up even more than I thought. I wonder if she will be an addition to Tomoki’s pet angel collection, or perhaps she has a different master? I’m intrigued. And the scene where she appeared definitely had an air of mystery to it.

✔ Have to admit I loved the boner gag at the end. Something had to ruin his hero status. Poor Tomoki got a crushing Mitsuki-chop. His body is just being honest!

✔ I really appreciate the fact that each episode has its own ED relevant to the episode. It’s something anime should do more often as it’s a last bit of fun to finish the episode off with instead of the same old song. Also, I have to say Tomoki has an enviable dirty magazine collection.

 

Everybody loves fanart .. when it’s good. Fortunately, for anime fans there are hordes of Japanese fans out there with the talented and dedication to bring us some great art of our favourite characters, pairings and persuasions. The relatively new online service Pixiv has been a really great resource for artists to share their creations and for fans to enjoy them, but not all western fans have the patience to navigate the Japanese and create an account there or the time to sift through it. With these posts I’ll attempt to post my picks for all the anime/manga I’m interested in weekly. Hopefully someone might find this useful or enjoyable!

Note: Gathering these images I’m of coursed bias towards my favourite characters and moe persuasions, but if anyone would like me to keep a look out for a specific character, pairing or theme (if it’s for one of the things I’m watching), just ask!

Continue reading Fanart Digest #4

Joy Division Ate My Baby

AMV.org Link
Creator(s):Copycat_Revolver
Title: Joy Division Ate My Baby
Premiered: 2009-10-17

Here’s an AMV I’ve been meaning to post for a while now. I was hesitant to post it because I could not find it on youtube and hoped that it would be uploaded sometime soon. It just doesn’t feel right posting about an AMV without the AMV itself! Fortunately, amvnews.ru uploaded a video of it on their site.

The AMV itself is a rare treat for the semi-successful anime series Eureka 7. It’s funny how much that show grows on you the longer it is since you’ve seen it. Despite its flaws it was one of the most memorable anime series of the last 5 years, with its unique post-modern punk attitude, and its unrivalled trance/techno soundtrack. This AMV taps into that punk-esque bent of the show with a really fun song from brit-indie/pop group The Wombats. From that band’s general mediocrity this one single shines out, an infectious and strangely moving song. The interesting lyrics portray a kind of nihilistic catharsis that Copycat_Revolver has very effectively fit Eureka 7 into. The anime really suits the song as it often has a similar clash of emotions - despair and elation.

It’s actually an entry in a Master’s competition (AWA) which makes it all the more impressive (it’s the first Master’s entry I’ve found that I’ve considered worth posting). Copycat revolver is one of my favourite editors, and here he shows an adeptness to edit with limited resources. There are a few problems with the AMV (or rather, areas where it could be improved), but that’s what I’d expect from a Master’s entry. Mainly, the climax of the AMV is kind of lacking - it would have been great to have it really speed up and go out with a bang like the song itself. It’s a shame that this AMV didn’t get more time, because the great song/anime combo deserves something epic! I think it’s really interesting to note that there isn’t even a glimpse of a mecha in the entire video! It just shows there was a lot more to Eureka 7 than sky-surfing mechs!