Wakaranai

Megami kicks off a new month with its usual array of colourful, delightful and erotic posters. But this issue of the official otaku lifestyle magazine has a bit of a differenty flavour at it precipitated the dawn of a brand new season filled with (hopefully) fresh anime and an all-new cast of girls to whip us into a moe frenzy. Unfortunately, there’s still no sign of Nyantype v2, which Hobbylink now has scheduled for release in late July. That doesn’t seem like good news for a fledgling magazine, which is a shame because I was looking forward to digesting the offerings of both magazines. Twice as many sexy posters a month! But this month Megami pretty much satisfies me by itself. There’s somewhat of a good balance between loli and big busty girls, which will hopefully mean most people are pleased with the selection. The gigantuan tits featured in Queen’s Blade do skew the chest-size distribution somewhat, but the surprisingly loli Tayutama poster and the Megami ‘original poster’ which features some nicely drawn DFC bikini (it looks like it’s drawn by POP too..). The fact that Nodoka isn’t crammed into the foreground in the splendid moe-maid fest that is this month’s Saki poster. There are also some nice, “clean” posters to balance the ecchi levels of the Fight Ippatsu Jyuden-chan and Queen’s Blade posters; I really like the Umi Monogatari one , which simply showcases the lovely designs of the show. The CANAAN one is also quite good, even if the show doesn’t sound too promising. The bonus posters are labelled “kira-kira portraits” which, although catchy, doesn’t really help me work out what they are. It doesn’t seem like they’re the typical large-size posters. Well, whatever they are, the images are nice, and Evangelion one with the new girl, and a cute K-ON one packed with a variety of charming cosplay (although I am disappointed that Azu-nyan is sans nekomimi). All-round a very nice issue that I feel pretty compelled to buy ^^

→ [1] I love Horo as much as the next man, and I like naked Horo even more, but this is a rather boring effort - it doesn’t capture the charms of everyone’s favourite horny wolf goddess at all! And her tail looks much too big and bulky. You’d definitely get better fanservice from a screencap of the show..

→ [3] This month, Saki’s poster spot is filled with an eye-grabbing maid scene, featuring some of the better members of the cast and not just Nodoka, Saki and team - most notably the sexy and adorable cat-girl, Kana. Nekomimi and maid outfits pretty much own my soul, and when both are combined I’m pretty much obliged to fork out for the poster! It also helps that the maid costumes are really nicely designed. Even if they are oddly coloured rather than tradtional, they really suit the characters (especially Kana’s peach-orange colour). Also, the three essentially flat-chested characters present help the poster’s moe-rating, rather than pushing it into ecchi territory.

→ [4] I’ve never really got into the China-dress thing at all. Not sure why it’s interesting, but this poster isn’t too bad anyway. Featuring the always-fetching Akiha and the popular Itsuki is an automatic success, but the nopan factor makes it a very naughty poster indeed. I especially love Itsuki’s desperate embarrassment trying to cover herself. We all wish she wouldn’t!

→ [6] I freely concede that I don’t know much about Kanamemo at all, but this poster has helped spark my interest. The character designs are very much of the moe variety, there is a subtle hint of pantsu, and the girl in the background looks like a very nice loli with that cute dress. I wonder if the show will have panty-shots or any fanservice? Or is Megami just doing its usual process of perversion?

→ [10] It might not even register on the ecchi scale, but it’s a very pretty poster nonetheless. I really like both the character designs and the costumes designs of these three girls - especially the blue/green haired girl. A poster you can hang up proudly!

→ [12] Far from the best Higurashi poster I’ve seen. It could have been a lot cuter, but somehow Mion’s slutty pose at the forefront of the scene kind of ruins the adorable “girls in pyjamas” premise. Rika’s slipped pyjama pants and the slight reveal of panties is a nice perverse touch though. Ichigo-pantsu, nice!

→ [13-14] Much like the show, the Fight Ippatsu! Posters have gone for the outright sexy fanservice classification, with its two main characters captured with cute expressions and substantially undressed. It looks like there’s a bit of partial-nipple reveal going on too, encouraging people to subscribe to AT-X perhaps.

→ [16] Probably the highlight poster for loli lovers, and with the bonus moe items of animal-ears/tail. Tayutama certainly wasn’t the most original show I’ve seen, and the fanservice inside the show wasn’t even so good, but the posters have been very cute indeed. This is the best poster so far though XD. The flat-chests of the two girls are really accentuated. I especially love the arm held over her chest - so erotic! <3

→ [18] Yeah I’m disappointed by the lack of nekomimi on azu-nyan’s head. You’d think Megami would have noticed, from the flood of Azu-nyan cat-girl fanart, that there was a demand for such a poster! Well, this is still cute. Obviously not as moe as the maid cosplay poster, but the cosplay variety is always fun to see. This kind of makes me want to see a Yoko BOX equivalent for some of the K-ON characters (namely: Mio and Azu-nyan). Tsumugi makes a nice Bunny-girl and azu-nyan is at least wearing an alluring pink swimsuit (her chest is so tiny!). The other costumes are really nice as well.

 
 
And, as usual, I recommend lurking here over the coming week for the high-quality individual scans to appear. Many of them are already there.
 
 
 

My picks:

3,4,10,16,17,18,19

AMV.org Link
Creator(s):aMISKey
Title: Vito Levu
Premiered: 2009-06-17

Yep, it’s another fun/dance AMV! But it’s an entrance in the upbeat, party genre with a bit of a difference. Like all good AMVs of this type, it uses a large amount of source anime, but unlike most, it’s not just a random collection of highlight pieces of animation from different series; it has a concept and it pulls it off really well by seamlessly pulling from its constituent anime. The concept revolves around the beach - it’s basically just a vibrant composite of all the best “beach episodes” anime has to offer. Because the beach episode is such a staple, there was a lot to pick from! Because the imagery seeps in from one scene to the next from all these different sources - views of the water, sand and girls in bikinis - the AMV has a real thematic kind of consistency. Combined with the absorbing trance music, it’s genuinely mesmerising. It’s kind of funny that I’d first describe it as mesmerising and not as fanservice-laden eye candy (it is a beach AMV after all), but it really doesn’t feel like a fanservice video at all. It simply has a fun and uplifting kind of mood. It’s truly the best beach AMV ever made! It’s visually stunning, fast-paced, short and even has a few moments of humour too (I especially loved the insertion of Konata’s father as the official cameraman). I love it, and I’m going to sniff around for the track as well. Definitely going to keep an eye out for more from this creator too :)

Rating:    

Episode 11 and episode 12 of Saki have provided a timely rejuvenation of my interest in the show. While I was originally wrapped by the premise of combining strategic mahjong play and moe bishoujo characters, and enjoyed what I read of the manga, I have been gradually falling out of love with the anime since the first episode, or realising that there wasn’t any love for it in the first place. Due to some atrocious character designs, an ugly colour palette, a sub par casting of seiyuu (especially for Nodoka), and really poor characterisation for the main girls, it began to seem like another failed adaptation to GONZO’s name. The main characters are not really enjoyable to watch for me at all; Saki is boring, Nodoka ugly and dull, Taco-girl unbearable. The captain is pretty much the only character I was able to enjoy from the beginning. The annoying characters takes all the fun out of fanservice and maid cosplay. To feel moe you really have to have affections towards the characters, so the moe part of the moe-mahjong premise wasn’t there. And neither was the mahjong! The first 10 episodes consistent mainly of Saki and Nodoka blushing at each other and saying “let’s go to the nationals together!”, or Yuuki BAWWWWing over a lack of tacos. But the last few episodes have really started to pull me in.

As the focus has shifted solely from the main team of protagonists to all four of the different teams that are now vying against each other in the finals for a spot in the national tournament. The cast has been drastically expanded, and these new characters are given back-story and their own personal motivations in between the actual games. What I’ve quickly come to realise is that pretty much all of the secondary characters are far more likeable than the main ones. Only since the introduction of the sexy, feline Kana, and the flat-chested, handcuffed maid, Hajime has this series had an appreciable moe element. Those two characters, as well as the super adorable loli Koromo are so cute I can fawn over them. Their character designs are actually very good, their seiyuus are well-chosen and their personalities are unique and quirky.

The mahjong component of the show is also heating up now that we’re getting proper games being played, and between players who we are familiar with. It’s much moe exciting when you can really root for or sympathise with players other than the ones from Kiyosumi. Personally I’d love Ryuumonbochi to win the regional tournament just so they can replace Kiyosumi as the focus of the show! The game played this episode was probably the most interesting so far. Hisa’s crazy reach hell-waits were really cool. I know what it would feel like to discard into a wait like that. I didn’t really buy her reaching on an impossible wait just to intimidate the other players though - at least one other play was in tenpai, so being in reach puts her at a real disadvantage defensively because she no longer has a choice of what tiles to play. Along with that we got some really cute moments with Koromo and Hajime, and the web of yuri relationships grows yet again.

<3 This scene was just perfect. Cute and really heart-warming. It was really sweet seeing the usually tough and composed Touka melt at Hajime’s expression of affection. Plus, the animation of her reaction was really fluid and fantastic. I can really understand that flustered response though: Hajime has just the loveliest smile - it could capture anyone’s heart! Touka is the luckiest ojousama in existence though, not only does she have a great master-servant yuri situation with a cute, chained Hajime, but she even has her own yuri love triangle when you include the other jealous maid. Really, she’s in heaven. I’m looking forward to comiket in the hope that these particular girls will get a few H-doujins. Surely Hajime could be into bondage play XD!

Just because Hajime has rapidly become my favourite character in the series, I have to highlight just how charming she looks in maid costume. Even in this costume her pettanko frame is clear. The red bow, combined with the bow on her head-dress just makes it indescribably cute, almost like it was designed just for Hajime (actually it probably was). Plus, the chains and her nervousness in this scene .. MOEE~

But not to be outdone, the captain of Kazekoshi has her own love triangle of a kind. She’s evidently infatuated with Hisa, and has been ever since she compliment her eyes romantically. But adorable neko-girl, Kana is interested in her too. Actually Kana’s feelings for her captain are really funny because it’s very much a pet-master kind of love. For example, she purrs when being washed by Mihoko in an earlier episode, and her she is jealous of being hugged by her. It’s more like she wants to be petted by her than she is in love with her. Kana is such a cat that even her relationships mirror that.

And to complete the array of moe fetishes, we have Koromo, who emphatically ticks both the loli and bunny-ears boxes. I have to admit to never getting in to bunny girls much before, mostly because it usually involves daicon cosplay on a busty girl. But Koromo just has the ears and a really nice girly dress. She really makes the bunny ears work. I love how they stand up when she’s being thanked by Nodoka. Yet another character with animal characteristics, like Kouka’s ahoge wagging when she’s happy. But Koromo is actually quite a rare type of character; she’s a loli who actually acts like a loli. She’s really childish, which makes her delightful to watch. Despite her frightening Mahjong talents, she has a really pure heart exemplified by feeling distraught when the penguin was ripped, and her wanting to make a friend. I also love her stubborn catchphrase “Kodomo janai, koromo da!”. HNNNNGG, her moe power is too strong for me!

The Higurashi OVA has been really enjoyable so far, and, unlike many other OVA episodes, it manages to justify itself as a clever extension to the plot and themes of the tv anime. If for, example, it had simply been that Rika had been pointlessly launched into a new world of recurring troubles after her death, nullifying the victory against fate that she and her friends had already won, it would have been a shallow way to squeeze a bit more money out of the franchise. But fortunately, by turning the dimension loop on its head with a perfect, happy world, and forcing the decision on whether or not to stay or go squarely on Rika’s head, this extra arc represents both an interesting twist and a strong way to wrap-up the series. Because Rika was, in some ethereal way, the chief character throughout the entire series, it’s only fitting that the final dramatic resolution is for her tortured soul.

That’s exactly what this episode delivers, in a dialogue-heavy exploration of her feelings and of multi-dimensional theory. There was a lot of exposition, and not all of it entirely necessary (for example, the conversation between her and her friends in the hospital room dragged on a bit, even if the flower analogy for life and the discussion of ‘Schrödinger’s cat’ were interesting), but the episode did eventually deliver a good final sentiment for Rika’s character. While I didn’t really understand the focus on Rika’s mother, because that hadn’t been a huge focus of her character previously, Hanyuu nonetheless manages to reconnect Rika with her human life by immersing her in that paradise world and by reuniting her with her dead mother. It’s good to see Rika’s dark and troubled mind come to some kind of peace as she finds herself by remembering her mother. She has undoubtedly been the most fascinating character in the whole series.

The most disappointing aspect of this episode is that it seemed to prematurely cut short what was quickly becoming one of the deeper and more absorbing arcs. No sooner had she been given the mind-addling ultimatum of staying in this new world or killing her mother to return to her own dimension, had she returned. Her dialogue with Hanyuu about making that choice was really interesting to me, and it’s a great moral, ethical and existential quandary that most stories would struggle to come up with. I personally couldn’t comprehend beginning to make a decision like that. So I think, given how interesting that set-up was, it would have been good to see her go through with her choice. Exploit it for a bit of tension and melodrama for Christ sake, don’t just cut out the climax! It could’ve been more exciting, but the episode, like Higurashi has been overall, was highly interesting. I really love stories like Higurashi’s, ones with scope, mystery, complexity and that transcend the mundane reality.

That said, I can also appreciate the moe-factor carefully injected into it. It’s always warming to hear the cute voices saying “Hauu~”, “nii-pa” or Rena’s quirky ‘Kana, kana?”. I expect we’ll get more of that with the next few episodes. It looks like they’ll finally bow out with an encore of sorts - a mini-arc bringing together all of the extensive cast. At the very least we know they’ll be playing Mahjong next volume, which should be fun! I wonder how good Oishi is at it? Will it be the usual punishment game affair; if so, I don’t want to see Oishi cosplay XD. On the other hand some more take-homeable loli cosplay from Satoko and Rika like the first arc of Kai, would go down very well indeed. More Rika with a dummy! On that note, I kind of wish I had bought the previous special edition OVA DVD for all the yummy Rika service extras it had..

   

These two are so cute! Higurashi is one of those series with a gripping plot that was also kind enough to give us some fine lolis as well. Even when the franchise is finished, Rika and Satoko will not be forgotten.

AMV.org Link
Creator(s):Agressor
Title: Bakadance!
Premiered: 2009-06-13

It seems I just can’t resist the dance/fun genre of AMVs, and this one is especially irresistible, living up to its tagline of “rock’n'roll and bewbs, yeah!”. It’s short and sweet, with the familiar and undeniably upbeat and fun musical accompaniment of “Blind Guardian - Barbara Ann”. Even if you’re getting sick of multi-anime dance/fun videos this one is still worth watching for its great timing, scene selection, editing and the fact that it doesn’t need or use effects to be captivating. The anime used are pretty well-known, and mostly recent, but most importantly, the scene selection shows originality. You might find it hard to believe this but it didn’t include either the hare hare yukai dance or Haruhi bunny-girl rock concert! Slightly more obscure scenes are pulled together with an effortless sense of humour to bring a smile to your face and not a cringe at seeing Haruhi dance for the thousandth time. I admit some shots seem to be arbitrarily thrown in, but the perfect use of the Kanon Elvis scene and the way the K-ON scenes were used in the guitar solo more than make up for it. At only 1.46 minutes long, there’s no risk of it slowing down and overstaying its welcome either. Watch it! Aggressor is a very entertaining editor indeed (I also loved his AMV: Code Ecchi)

 
The latest chapter of A Certain Scientific Railgun has been translated and provides an action-filled conclusion to the first arc. The fruits of Uihara’s bravery in the previous chapter in dangerously getting the anti-viral music to be played throughout the city are quickly over with as the Level Upper Network is gutted and its constituents wake up from their coma states. But meanwhile, the monstrous mass of AIM that it spawned is uncololeable and it takes the level 5 power of “Railgun” Misaka to take it down. The chapter mainly deals with this battle, which includes some great artwork and also some moments of Biri-biri coolness, which are always much appreciated. The visuals of her lightning attacks looked really cool, and the design of her bulbous, malignant foe was suitably freaky. The chapter also had some interesting dialogue between Biri-biri and the devestated doctor, Harumi. Her comments linking this experiment with Misaka were both ominous and confusing. Whatever they mean they seem to have penetrated Misaka’s thoughts and will probably lead into the following arc.

Of course it can’t all be action, there was also a really affectionate and funny moment between Saten and Uihara when they are reuinited. They have really been the main characters of this arc in a way, and I found Saten’s despondency over her lack of psychic ability really heart-wrenching at times, and it certainly gave the arc most of its emotional undercurrent. Without her the Level Upper network would have been faceless and hard to find believable. But despite her wrong choices she is naturally a good, cheerful character and after she apologises to Uihara this chapter, I’m she’ll go back to her old self. Her friendship with Uihara is the deepest friendship to come out of the manga so far. While I’m sure Misaka and Kuroko’s relationship will be devoted much more development in future, so far it still seems a bit shallow to me, as much as I cheer for Kuroko’s yuri love (FIGHTO!). Uihara sneezing on Saten’s face, cutting off a heartfelt confession was pretty amusing and strangely sweet. Saten’s expression after that made me melt a little! Her character design is incredibly cute and I hope she gets more spotlight in the manga in chapters to come. And I’d like to officially submit a request for her to flip Kuroko’s skirt, partly because I’m sure Kuroko’s underwear would be really nice and partly because she’s cute when embarrassed XD. That won’t happen but the next few chapters are of a more fun, laidback nature before the next arc really gets into gear.

Proving that the anime industry still has plenty of kick left in it, and not just of the moe discipline, Manglobe is coming up with a new anime series to air in the fall season: The Sacred Blacksmith. Although this news has been floating around for a while, it’s taken me this long to stumble across it. I’m glad to see Manglobe are still alive and well. Despite being quite enjoyable and very original I somehow can’t imagine their previous series, Michiko to Hatchin being a roaring commercial success, certainly not in Japan and probably not outside of it either. But they’re back, albeit with a distinctly less original, but still potentially very entertaining fantasy anime. This is really the first big thing Manglobe has done isn’t a home-grown original - instead it’s an adaptation of a successful light novel series, described as an “alternative” fantasy. It doesn’t look all that alternative to me, and it’s certainly without the trademark grit and uniqueness that Manglobe put into Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy and Michiko to Hatchin. Some might be disappointed that they’ve joined the great adaptation wave, but I’m not going to read into it. The fact is they could well give us a polished, well-animated action-adventure anime. If the PV is anything to go by, which it usually is, then this will one sleekly made series indeed. The animation is detailed and vibrant, and there were some promising glimpses of action scenes as well. There is also a cute female cast, including an especially adorable-looking loli. Getting such a long promo this early has to be a good sign that this is a well-planned series, at the very least. Another promising attribute is that AT-X is listed as the broadcaster, meaning there could well be nudity and strong violence, which is usually a plus (admittedly, it doesn’t seem like that sort of show). The director, Masamitsu Hidaka, isn’t quite so encouraging, being the man behind such powerful anime as Pokemon and Linebarrels.