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Keep Your Spirits Up

Posted by Author | Anime Review, Art, Commentary, Manga Review, Rakuen | Tuesday 15 March 2011 3:45 am

We all know what’s happened in Japan over the last few days. Everything I could say has probably been said a thousand times over by now, so I won’t add my voice to the echo chamber. Instead, I come bearing some artwork for you this evening. I saw this on Nina Matsumoto’s Twitter, and immediately retweeted it myself:

@spacecoyotl – to lift their spirits, a high school teacher in Japan drew portraits of graduating students on the blackboard http://twitpic.com/49kkms

The original post came from @tarourakami just a few short hours ago, and in the time it’s taken me to write this short blurb, it’s already gained another 8000 views. Not only is the artwork damn good, but it’s the kind of thing that can just make you happy. The kids in his artwork are smiling. They’re happy, despite or perhaps in spite of adversity. That’s my message to you tonight. No matter what happens, you’ve always got to keep your spirits up.

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Magical Girl Madoka Magica 1 – An Eyeful of Potential

Posted by Author | Anime, Anime Review, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Art, Magical Girl Madoka Magica, Manga Review, Shaft, action, dance in the vampire bund, lvlln, magical girl, school, soredemo machi wa mawatteiru, supernatural | Friday 7 January 2011 3:24 am

So Shaft and Shinbo’s hightly anticipated original magical girl show has started, which means we finally get to see what all the hype was about. At the same time, this was still just the first episode, so the “wait and see” approach would be the right one to follow at this point. Still, what was shown was unique and displayed a lot of potential, leaving me excited for more.

Story-wise, nothing presented here should make anyone even raise an eyebrow. It strictly followed well established cliches and tropes of schoolgirl anime, although it did it to such a fault that I can’t help but think that it was on purpose. I was inclined to facepalm when Madoka Kaname (Aoi Yuuki) ran out of her home with the toast hanging out of her mouth but was delighted to see her quickly munch it down just seconds after exiting the premises. Was that a casual wink and nod about that particular trope and how the show was using it but also destroying it?

Then, of course, there was the attractive transfer student, Homura Akemi (Chiwa Saito, channeling Hitagi Senjougahara with a heavier, more masculine voice than her usual cutesy one) around whom everyone clusters instantly. And like any attractive transfer student, there’s something mysterious about her (see: Itsuki Koizumi), such as the fact that she appeared in Madoka’s dream during the cold open, and that she already knows who Madoka and her friend Sayaka Miki (Eri Kitamura) are, as well as the general layout of the school. Oh yeah, and it turns out she’s the bad guy, some magical girl trying to kill the ferret Kyubey (Emiri Kato) who also appeared in Madoka’s dream.

Yup, it's Aoki Ume's work, alright. Wish it was a bit wider, though...

But enough about the plot. Again, nothing special here. What really struck me about this episode was the art. First of all, the character designs obviously reek of Aoki Ume, she of Hidamari Sketch fame. Though the faces aren’t quite as wide as in that show (for shame), the soft, rounded faces and simple and solid colored hair styles reminded a lot of the characters from Hidamari Sketch. The key was in the large, widened eyes, though, with the subtle pencil strokes for shading visible during the close ups.

But, as was the case before with Shaft’s Bakemonogatari, the backdrops were what really stole the show. Shaft was clearly going for the super-clean near-future aesthetic with the designs of various locales from the episode. It started with the Kaname house (speaking of near-future, we’ve got a working mother and a stay-at-home husband in this one, a very modern nuclear family) with its hard rectangular lines, wide open spaces with huge windows. The bathroom scene with Madoka and her mother could’ve been terribly boring without all that architectural eye candy (and, of course, Shinbo’s favorite visual trick, reflections). There were some subtle touches here and there as well, such as the presence of the staircase in Madoka’s parents’ bedroom, or the changing digital picture frame behind Madoka’s mother just as she leaves for work.

Watching the banal household morning scene unfold, all I could think was, "I WANT TO LIVE IN THERE!"

The same aesthetic was pushed hard at the school as well, with all of the walls surrounding the classrooms being made of glass, and the use of digital whiteboards instead of the traditional chalkboards. Same goes for the CD shop at the mall, with its glass shelves and walls filled with square shaped windows. All in all, the super-clean near-futuristic look made for a very appealing world, one very pleasing to the eyes.

And all that served as a strong contrast to what would happen when the magical girls actually entered the picture. As the battle started in an unfinished portion of the mall, the style took a distinct shift in a more dirty, lived-and-worked-in direction. Even with the daylight peeking through the large windows, the place was oppressively dark and dirty. What really pushed that was Mami Tomoe’s (Kaori Mizuhashi – played Miyako in Hidamari Sketch) entrance, when the scenery became full-on psychedelic collage, the same type seen in some episodes of the later seasons of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei as well as parts of Bakemonogatari (it is displayed well here in the OP to the 3rd Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OVA).

We’re talking some really disturbing stuff, the stuff nightmares are made out of. Creepy chanting butterflies with clouds with handlebar mustaches. I’ve never seen a magical girl show, but I’m guessing that the art style during their transformations and fighting are a lot cleaner than what was shown here. At the same time, the contrast levels took a huge jump, painting the characters with far more stark and harsh colors, away from the soft, more pastel tones from during the everyday scenes.

You can clearly see the more saturated, stark colors filling in not just the background but also the characters.

So even though Magical Girl Madoka Magica isn’t exactly taking things to The Tatami Galaxy or Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt levels, it’s doing some very fun things with its art style. And so far, the eye candy alone intrigues me enough to be excited about seeing more. Again, the story is strictly run-of-the-mill, and the music isn’t much to write home about. The tune during Mami’s transformation scene (one that was wonderfully short and to the point, I might add) was quite nice, but the rest of it was forgettable. Yuki Kajiura‘s music has never done anything for me in the past, other than fitting in wonderfully with the dark horror theme of the Kara no Kyoukai movies. And the opening theme, usually a strong point of Shaft’s shows, might have been good if it didn’t sound exactly like Irony, the opening theme to last season’s horrendous My Little Sister Can’t be This Cute.

This was a strong first episode overall, certainly stronger than the first episodes of any of Shaft’s (new) efforts last year (Dance in the Vampire Bund, Arakawa Under the Bridge, and Yet the Town Keeps Going). Even though we’ve yet to see any of the story unfold, the distinctive and pleasing art style makes me see a lot of potential for the rest of the show.

As a bonus, even the art piece at the end was absolutely beautiful.

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Anime Boston 2010 Wrap Up

Posted by Author | Anime, Anime Review, Art, Conventions, Fanart, Hatsune Miku, Keion, Kino no Tabi, Manga Review, Merchandise, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, VOCALOID, anime boston, cosplay, haruhi, lvlln, okami, tsukihime, type-moon | Thursday 8 April 2010 2:44 am

As expected, day 2 saw more cosplayers than day 1. Day 3 had fewer, of course, and had a more relaxed, muted atmosphere as well.

Again, I’ve uploaded the photos I took onto Picasa: Day 2 and Day 3.

Maybe this will help him get over his depression

Some that I found notable:

A Bayonetta with a chainsaw she uses in one of her torture attacks.
A Lucy and a Nyuu from Elfen Lied.
The only Kino from Kino’s Travels I could find. That show’s quite obscure, so finding a cosplayer was satisfying.
Princess Tutu, who actually stood on her toes for the photo.
The only Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei cosplayer I could find, a very tall Itoshiki Nozomu doing the dance bit from the burebure opening.
A girl as Pilaf from Dragon Ball. Talk about an obscure character from an ancient show. A show I grew up with.
South Korea from Axis Powers Hetalia. There was a metric ****load of Hetalia cosplayers there, this was the only South Korea I could find. I didn’t even know South Korea was in Hetalia.
The Jenova tube (that’s right, the actual tube) from which Sephiroth escaped in Final Fantasy 7.
Windows7-tan. The best operating system out there right now, bar none. All you Mac users and Linux fanboys can suck it. (There was actually an Ubuntu booth at the dealer’s room – there’s apparently an on-going manga about Ubuntu that’s being published in Japan).
I got a Lady cosplayer to hold her pistol in her mouth, like one of the cut scenes in Devil May Cry 3. She also had an excellent Kalina Ann.
There were 2 Yokos from the My Stars music video based on Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. One as a bunnygirl, the other in the black suit with a guitar.
Izaya and Shizuo from Durarara! It’s hard to find cosplayers of shows this recent, in my experience.

Arcade Bumstead from Tsukihime, if you don't know.

There were also a lot of Vocaloid cosplayers. Like, a lot. So many you wouldn’t believe. It was awesome.

I won’t go too deep into the panels. I attended 3 more by Alex Leavitt, one about anime pilgrimages which made me more interested in going on a cycling trip than on anime. He talked about how otaku in Japan were making so-called “pilgrimages” to actual locations that their favorite anime were using as backdrops. He used a shrine that was shown for about 5 seconds in the Lucky Star opening as an example. He provided a link to a site that attempts to catalog all the anime with real-life locations and provides links to photos/comparison shots. The list on the front page of that site is 453 long. Some people even went all the way to Spain, from where Sora no Woto’s backdrop was inspired!

I stood in line for a 2 hour Touhou panel that was absolutely packed. I was hoping to learn more about the fanbase and the entire sub-industry that this one series of games has inspired, but it was more about the games and official works themselves. They spent a little too much time on just playing the game on the big screen. I did learn about a boxer who cosplayed as Touhou characters during his entrance to the ring. Here’s one such entrance and here’s him KO’ing his opponent while his posse of (female) cosplayers celebrate.

"My spoon is too big!"

I went to dinner on Saturday with founder and fans of Fakku, a site I won’t link to as it’s very very NSFW. Turns out the founder, Jacob, is a Massachusetts native, having grown up and still going to college in Worcester! Met some interesting people there, one of whom was kind enough to give me a ride back home at 2AM (Boston’s public transportation sucks, and part of the reason is that it shuts down around 1AM).

Jacob's the one with the FAKKU shirt in the middle

Other than photographing and attending panels, I spent a lot of time at the artists’ alley and the dealers’ room and spent a little too much money on the artists’ wares. At least the money’s going to support the artists directly. I bought 4 prints of Black Rock Shooter, 2 of Hatsune Miku, 1 of Hitagi (the only Bakemonogatari picture I could find there – the artist mentioned that he had the idea of painting a picture of her onto a stapler and selling it), and a couple bookmarks, including a Durarara!! one which goes nicely with the book I was already reading.

I regret nothing

Anyway, I had a good time. Spent probably about $200-$225 for everything, including food, with a grand total of 12+15+7=34 hours spent at the convention center. Definitely a much more exciting atmosphere than PAX East, with more people just looking like they were having fun. Like me. Looking forward to it next year.

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Code Geass

Posted by Author | Afterthoughts, Anime, Anime Review, Art, Black Knights, Britannia, C.C., CLAMP, Euphemia Le Britannia, Kouzuki Kallen, Kururugi Suzaku, Lelouch Lamperouge, Lulu, Manga Review, Nunnally Lamperouge, Rollo Lamperouge, Sunrise, code geass R2, kallen stadtfield, megane, picspam, pizza hut, rambling, オチなし | Friday 5 September 2008 3:51 pm

Brits vs. Black Knights. Oh, and I love this drawing style.

So I’m slow. In catching up with the more popular (not necessarily better) anime series, that is. I know. Which is why, being a slacker with no grasp of time management, I have managed to marathon the first season in, oh, three days at most? And I started on R2 today, and I’m at around episode 18. I tell you, my EYAs are shot to hell. But firstly, my homework. As for my foot drill test, I’m leaving it to luck and my ability. (On second thoughts, this applies to most of everything I do.)

But that’s besides the point. Dear Lulu has given me so much entertainment these past few days.

I love the linework. Hm, someone told me this was the way to go for more pageviews

Now I’m not one who particularly likes watching ‘politics’-based shows, or those involving devious strategists and whatnot– Gundam 00 kind of started to bore me after episode 3, while I probably just jumped on the bandwagon for Death Note but either way got bored when LADIES– but seeing as to how I’ve taken quite nicely to Code Geass despite the ridiculous voice of Fukuyama Jun as Lulu (ugh, I especially hate his Zero voice just like I hate Christian Bale’s voice when he does Batman), as well as the fact that I loved Ender’s Game a few years back, I might just consider trying them out again once I’ve got free time. IF I don’t get distracted too easily again, that would mean the December holidays, but this year my lack of time management is entirely off the charts, so I wouldn’t count on that.

Contrast. Phew, the legs are mostly hidden. But the shoulders…

I don’t happen to nitpick the plot that often since I’m not very sharp. But as for the art, you wouldn’t even call it nitpicking.. I mean CLAMP does a great job for the manga versions (except for their inability to draw anything but anorexic bishies – just look at the legs and arms), but as for the anime art, though the animation’s fluid, and mecha scenes still manage to keep my interest, characters look okay after a while since animation’s fairly consistent, I can’t say I love it. From the front, most of the faces drawn are fine (albeit always too angular), but the side profiles are the worst sometimes. Really, just look at it. Specifically the Angry/Emo/Angsty Lulu ones. The Fingers are quite horrid too.

Lulu angsts.. a lot. But 'nuff said, take a look at the fingers…

Another thing is that I can’t help but start to laugh whenever Zero does one of his speeches. It is almost never complete without exaggerated hand-movements. That voice also contributes to the reason that I am so amused by it, I believe.

Summarised thoughts on characters so far:- Kallen is rather too tsundere for me, lol. But she sure kicks ass. A real pity she’s reduced to a mere woman (=fanservice) in R2, sigh. And despite C.C.’s outright advertisement for Pizza Hut (They even rendered that crazy Cheese Fondue or whatever it’s called pizza), I rather liked her (moreso before her memory loss in R2, but anyway). As for Lulu, he’s fine without the maniacal laughter that simply must be there at least once every 5 episodes. Granted, he’s quite the genius (at least in his little 2D fictional world), and a better strategist than I will ever be, but he’s quite the siscon… Furthermore, he liked Shirley, that good-for-nothing bimbo.

If Lulu wants an org-- I mean, harem, this is it. Daw, isn't he so loved.

If Lulu wants an org– I mean, harem, this is it. Daw, isn't he loved.

That said, Rollo is still a bastard for killing her since she didn’t mean any harm to him nor to Lulu (I’ll take her word for it), and being jealous just because of his pathetic buracon. In fact his presence is quite uncalled for. Except for the oh-so-amusing Lulu x Rollo scenes and fanart. Quite disturbing how that even forms a whole fanbase (KL-chan included), but I’m not too surprised now since G00 has spawned such a fandom just based on the fujoshis (sirane included) already. Suzaku is another Syaoran clone, I believe? Suzaku is.. another very contradictory human. Euphie was a manifestation of Lulu’s secret desire for a yandere in the series. No, really. a tragedy. Nina is indeed a lesbian retard, her face when Euphemia died was like the Higurashi girls gone crazy, only a thousand times more unpleasant on the eyes. I see it has spawned several ’shopped versions of other characters on danbooru. Lloyd (especially his voice) is gay. Oh and Sayoko is the greatest ninja ever, while Li Xingke is worshippable prodigy. Too bad he is a lolicon and will die for such a sin.

Main characters for R2.. Pretty decent fanart, I might say.

…That’s all for now, not much to say about the music (bgm is mostly orchestrated :3 and ops/eds are ookay..) or plot (I told you, I’m not sharp enough). Have I told you that I love to ramble? That’s really all I am bothered to do nowadays it seems. :C It’s a bad habit but I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon. But I shall relieve you of any further pain from reading my horrible ramblings by ending soon D:

Random note, I’ve applied for JLPT Level 3 even though I’d aspired to try for Level 2 this year. :\ It’s quite irritating how Level 3 seems too easy while Level 2 seems too hard. Sigh. Speaking of languages, though, Italian is such a pretty language. A pity learning languages requires commitment/passion and time.

I realise I’ve been neglecting Tetsuwan Birdy: DECODE. ‘Tis sad.

This is Lulu. (Is -ko even needed?) CAN YOU UNSEE IT? CAN YOU?!

P.S. Geass, or rather geis, or geasa -plural- which I assume the word is based on, is pronounced gesh. Sounds horrible, don’t you think? Which is why, I suppose, they decided to coin their own word. Or maybe they just thought it would sound cool to use some rare word.

P.P.S. More picspam below:

A special request made by megane-fetishists

Lulu, pimpin' out. Pizza Hut will conquer all - Britannia, Dark Knights, bring it on

Lulu, pimping out. Britannia, Dark Knights, bring it on – Pizza Hut will conquer all

Note the two characters in the air. That said, I love the design of this costume.

Note the two (ridiculous) characters in the air. That said, I love the design of this costume.

Cheese-kun is Japan's Pizza Hut mascot

Someone told me to leave this for last

/randomise/ In conclusion, Code Geass is a really popular franchise now… It’s not bad, actually, quite action-packed most of the time, and deserves that popularity, but I think they could have toned down the fanservice. Especially the BL subtext. (Is it really even subtext anymore?!) Also, Fan-pandering and picspam is probably good for pageviews.

If you would excuse me, I have a foot drill test tomorrow. Dammit.

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Kaiba

Posted by Author | Afterthoughts, Anime, Anime Review, Art, Chroniko, Hyo Hyo, Kaba, Kaiba, Kuwashima Houko, Madhouse Studios, Manga Review, Neiro, Noto Mamiko, Paku Romi | Friday 29 August 2008 5:35 pm

Give it a try I finished the whole series (12 episodes) in just about 3 days – that’s pretty darned fast, don’t you think? And meanwhile, I haven’t even got to finishing up Manabi Straight or other 12-episode semi-recommended series. Of course, the compromise made in terms of time means my grades are pretty screwed this year. Twice over as compared to midyears. Last year was much better, trust me on that one.

Not to digress, though, I think Kaiba is really one of the rarer finds (or maybe it’s because I’ve been watching all sorts of crap or not watching at all). I think Surreal describes the setting perfectly, but it seems to go deeper than that. Oh, and the ending is Confusing, unless it’s just me. I also think Cartoon for Adults or for the more mature sort of fits Kaiba well.

Before your inner Bleatard goes SQUEE HOLLOW LOVE!!11!1one, this is Kaiba. Calm down, say hello, don't mistaken him for some other guy like Phelps either.

Before one of you Bleatards goes SQUEE HOLLOW!!11!1one, this is Kaiba. Say hello, shake hands, yep yep.

Oh and by the way, I think one other reason why I love Kaiba is that his colours remind me of Link. ORZ WTF SELF |D

In terms of graphics, the art style is very cartoony; not moe, but nowhere near realistic–realistic referring to the style which GONZO (or whatever other animation studio, since I’m not too familiar with them all) usually chooses to use nowadays, and the style which most series with above-average animation use. I got put off by the art style/ ignored it at first because of how kiddy it seemed. Despite the cartoony feel, though, I don’t really mind it now. In fact, I find it pretty interesting, and cute in other ways. The animation was very fluid, too, which is probably more of why I could accept the style and actually love it, in addition to unique and distinct character designs. The production studio is Madhouse btw. Either way the pictures’ll speak ten thousand words.

What I find especially interesting is that the unique, cartoonish art style belies quite a mature theme and overall feel, which is most felt later on in the series… For example there is quite a bit of ‘blood’ or rather green or purple or orange funky-coloured organic fluid that spews out due to conflicts :\ and there was this part pretty early on in the series to do with sex. Not presented in a very tasteful manner since that wasn’t the point, but I exceptionally found the context in this case quite disturbing. You’ll know what I mean once you watch it, it should be in the first 2 or 3 episodes..

Left: Kaba, Right: Hyo Hyo; really cute and unique characters

In terms of music, it mostly uses one main theme (except for action scenes) with quite a few/a lot of variations of it to convey a slightly different mood. Quite fittingly, may I add. Most are engrishy and serene.

As for the voice-acting… Generally quite suitable and well-done imo. Kaiba, who is the main character, is voiced by Kuwashima Houko. She is probably best known as Tomoyo in Clannad and Sango in Inuyasha. Oh, and also Michiru in Zombie-Loan, which I just kind of picked up, and now I can’t stop thinking of her as a guy when I hear her voice. Yep, here goes a ‘wtf self?!’. The second-most main character is Neiro, voiced by Noto Mamiko. The name should at least sound a little familiar.. She was Kotomi in Clannad, Ana in Ichigo Mashimaro (yet another yet-to-complete series) and Enma Ai in Jigoku Shoujo. Ring a few bells now?

Is this considered a spoiler? Anyway, Neiro on the left and Kaiba on the right.

Special mention for Paku Romi who voice-acts Popo, a secondary character though more major only later on. Her voice almost ALWAYS makes me automatically register the character as a guy first orz even though she still does female roles now and then like Kuchiha in Amatsuki. (I haven’t been catching up on the anime or manga ever since, because it’s kinda incoherent although that’s true for me too.) Anyway as I said, Popo doesn’t play too major a role in the first part of the series, but later on he gets to be a major asshole, also spelt ‘retard’ in this case.. Look out for that one. You might better know Paku Romi as Edward from FMA, Hitsugaya from Bleach, Temari from Naruto, Teresa from Claymore amongst some other popular roles. She does it pretty well imo except maybe the ever occasional screaming/shrieking parts…?

And, as a bonus if anyone’s interested in the voice of that cute girl Chroniko, Saito Chiwa most notably voiced Lavie from Last Exile, otherwise I only know her as Yuuta from Zombie-Loan. I actually wasn’t paying very much attention to her voice… And who cares about Vanilla lol

Chroniko on the left and Vanilla on the right. Vanilla is infatuated with Chroniko. Gosh.

Chroniko on the left and Vanilla on the right. I love the dog here though it's fanart

Okay enough of all this rambling though. Although, I guess you could count it as a trademark of mine 89 |D If you’re wondering about the plot, the style kind of changes slightly as more revelations take place.

I should start by introducing the premise of the entire series.. So. Kaiba’s lost his memory, and to get it back, he needs to know more about the world he’s in. The thing is, in the world the series is set in, there’s this guy called Warp, the King, who invented a system in which memories of any individual could be stored in a chip. Even if you die, as long as the chip is unharmed, if the chip is placed into another body, that individual will still live life in the same way as before, except for any major physical differences in which it would simply be more difficult to get used to life again.

At first, Kaiba’s just trying to make sense of everything he’s thrown into, gets chased, and ends up going on a little trip to different planets (yep this part reminded me of Le Petit Prince which I was forced to read in CHINESE of all blasted things) where the audience learns more about the world of Kaiba through Kaiba’s new experiences and memories. But later on as he gets to know more and more is thus revealed, the plot just thickens on a whole new level and there are more things like politics, clones, romance, rebellion etc. There are also a lot of plot twists and major revelations nearing the end, which isn’t always a good thing :\ I think I got lost at the final episode of the series, though I still enjoyed it as a whole.

Kaba, again. Fanart

In a sense, you could take it that this series is essentially simply there to answer the What Ifs if technology advanced to such a level/ major implications of a major What If question. It’s more of an interesting than impacting series, because the whole atmosphere gets too surreal in most cases to relate to, although the characters are more or less realistic (though I’m afraid Popo became a bit too much of a retard for me), though I’m not too discerning of such things.

If you just need the lowdown on everything, I would give it around 8 or 9 out of 10. You can just take it as 8.5/10 lol. I’m in a good mood, and I really love the art and music. Although, definitely not as much in the same way as I love Wall-E animation or Zelda and Xenosaga and Chrono Trigger music or say, Mx0 plot. Kaiba is simply really unique and …different to me, but this may change as I get exposed to more series :\ oh the ironies of life..

I shall end off with a Moe. Except she has a buttcrack, which rates disturbing everytime I look at it. Even though it’s really not that obvious, and even though she’s always looking so innocent, you Chroniko you.