Haibane.info

Category: Anime

  • not that there’s anything wrong with that

    Riffing off Crusader’s post decrying excessive ecchi, Steven ruminates on fan service and puritanism:

    Seriously: I have to wonder whether some of this publicly expressed revulsion is externalized revulsion at the realization that deep down, a part of them is liking what they’re seeing. Many of the most militant Puritans, historical or modern, condemn temptation in others because they feel tempted themselves and refuse to admit it.

    I have no doubt that some of the publically expressed revulsion towards fan service may be a closet temptation reflex, but it should be noted that some is not. In my case, looking at animated naked women doesn’t do that much for me. Plus, having two daughters also colors my views. I simply avoid fanservice-laden titles, and don’t really concern myself whether there is too much or not. I’ve got a watchlist a mile long and it’s managed to stay almost entirely fanservice-free. It’s not hard.

    As Steven points out, the market caters to what people want, of course. But since there’s a lot of anime out there that is worth watching and which isn’t full of ecchi, one must conclude that this too is what (some) people want. I’ll probably never watch Najica Blitz Tactics, but that’s ok since it gives me time to try out Moyashimon and Glass Fleet. And if someday the fanservice quotient in anime becomes too high, then there’s plenty else to keep me occupied. I’ve still got to eventually work my way through Farscape, Red Dwarf, etc. I haven’t felt any angst about 2007 being a bad or good year for anime because on the whole I can’t consume it nearly fast enough to matter. As time goes on the backlog will only grow. If anything, applying a no-fanservice filter to my anime has really made anime a manageable hobby!

  • Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms

    I had a chance to visit Hiroshima when I visited Japan a few years back, but ultimately chickened out and went to Tokyo. I’ve regretted it since. This may be why I find myself drawn to this title by Fumiyo Kouno, which is really a story in three parts. Town of Evening Calm follows Minami, a young Hiroshima girl in 1955, whereas Country of Cherry Blossoms follows (descendant?) Nanami in 1997 and 2004. What the work tries to do is describe how the bombing Hiroshima left imprints on daily life, without trying to “understand” the entirety of it. As the review at AICN puts it,

    What Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms does is allow one to process the bombing. They are two different subjects and two different artists, but like how Don DeLillo’s Falling Man offered a vantage point for comprehending the effects of immediately experiencing 9/11 and how those reactions weathered over the years, Kouno offers sets of eyes through which the effects of Hiroshima can be viewed. If you read John Hersey’s Hiroshima or watch a documentary, there’s a danger of the horror of the bomb registering as history. It becomes a historical abstract or a political abstract, something to provoke debate in a social studies class.

    Paradoxically, Kouno gets closer by moving away from the event. It doesn’t degrade the sadness, anger or confusion, but by setting the stories at least a decade out, Kouno allows a reader to grapple with the repercussions without the perspective being dwarfed by the entirety of the scope.

    I think it’s safe to assume that we as Americans are still too “close” to 9-11 to have the same kind of perspective yet on the longer-term repercussions (speaking personally, not politically). So in a sense I also am drawn to this because I think it has personal relevance to me as an American. I’m not trying to put a moral equivalence between Hiroshima and 9-11 but simply recognize that both were traumatic experiences for their respective nations, irrespective of everything else. Will my children see 9-11 as just another historical event? I hope not, even though in another sense I hope so.

  • Red Princess Blues: The Book of Violence

    Another intriguing catch from AICN-Anime:

    The Book of Violence is an animated short, between six and seven minutes sans credits that serves as a prologue to Alex Ferrari’s upcoming feature film Red Princess Blues. The film is set to star Paula Garces, whose voice drives this animated project.

    Though there is a stated intention to pay homage to the great Japanese anime films of the past, an immediate impression suggests more North American initiatives, such as the Maxx, the animated Spawn, and the Do the Evolution music video. It has a rain soaked weight of dark, American comics and the surreal sense of noir gloom found in their animated adaptations.

    In the anime vocabulary, the closest comparison would be early digital aged late night fare, like Serial Experiments Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, and even to some extent Black Heaven. Book of Violence’s effects aren’t quite as raw as those early titles, but is has a similar, claustrophobic stillness in its 3d objects, and the short itself has that late night anime tension.

    They’ve put the trailer for the short online, so we can get a feel for the animation and style:

    Dunno what to think, but an interested enough to keep an eye out for it. If done right, it could have that Lair-esque atmosphere, Noir-esque violence, and a plot that actually moves forward and makes sense.

  • Glass Fleet

    AICN-Anime has another spotlight on a series that draws my interest:

    Glass Fleet

    Glass Fleet definitely isn’t a “steam punk space opera”, but that aggregate label suggests the general idea at work in the series. It opens with a well-heeled space-noble sipping tea in a monumental library as he philosophizes. From his wonderings at the number of lives lost to the capriciousness of the universe, the anime cuts to the decisive battle that set the stage for its central conflict. Squadron after squadron of battle ships form 100 vessel grids in front of a floating mountain range. Though the exteriors of these ships aren’t that far from the typical, metallic idea of a space ship, inside they are full of manual workings and Babbage style computer systems. Men in 18th century military regalia meet in marble chambers to make their final plans. Then, the opposing lines of ships begin to pass through each other, firing mid-20th century style turrets.

    When the battle ends, Vetti Lunard Sforza de Roselait has been declared Holy Emperor and a new oligarchy has replaced the defeated assembly of noble families. In response to the corruption of Vetti’s regime, Michel Volban de Cabelle raises up a People’s Army to revolt. Initially, this opposition is little more than a nuisance. The People’s Army is far outmatched by Vetti and his fleets. However, Michel becomes swept up with the motley crew of the titular (literally glass) ship, the captain of which is Cleo of the Wind, a pirate and claimed descendant of the exiled royal family, with intentions of supplanting the strongest party around.

    As the review notes, this invites comparisons with other series – Last Exile coming immediately to mind. Not least of which being the fact that the anime, in the reviewer’s estimation, is possessed of deep flaws, for trying too hard to be visually striking rather than exploring the genuinely innovative plot ideas and elements more fully. The praise however is enough to get me to give it a shot, at some point anyway.

  • a good router day

    I’ve been rocking almost 300 kb/sec on utorrent since last night. It’s insane, and a bit giddy. I slurped down all of the a. f. k. fansub of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei in less than an hour (though the a.f.k. version only goes to episode 10. I grabbed episoe 11 from “Anonymous.” if someone has a better suggestion, let me know.)

    I might as well grab Denno Coil too, on the basis of Don’s emphatic recommendation. (I see a sub by Ureshii which looks promising). I admit to being intrigued by Pete’s comment as well, even though he couldn’t bring himself to finish it. I’ve written on depressing anime before, and I’m not sanguine about the emotional investment involved, but I won’t ever forget what a great ride Haibane Renmei was and if a series can get me even half as high then I don’t mind hitting the ground later on. It’s worth it, in my calculus.

    Sadly, I can’t find any torrents for Moyashimon out there (any pointers, anyone?). Maybe I’ll look for Petite Princess Yucie, too, though I do have quite a to-watch list building up already.

  • Ranma

    It was horrible. I suffered through the entire first episode, and even gave the OAV five minutes. What’s wrong with it? The overall style reminded me of cheesy Bollywood flicks from the 70s. There’s way too much gratuitous nudity of underage girls played for laughs (and the same gag, mind you, not even a new one). Not a single character has any meaningfully distinctive personality, apart from the lead girl who is described as “sweet, but violent” and hates boys. I already know how the series will end. The Chinese were drawn with the most atrocious stereotype of pursed lips and wide eyes that I’ve ever seen. I could go on, but I’m done.

  • Read or Die

    I finished R.O.D., after watching the OVA first and then plowing through the TV series. Overall, it was a really entertaining little romp, with some genuinely unique ideas. And the series as a whole had an artistic streak that emerged from time to time, resulting in many iconic visuals.

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    More screenshots below the fold, and some mildly spoileresque observations.

    (more…)

  • my anime watchlist

    AICN has a synopsis of the plot of the anime “Death Note” that makes it sound really quite intriguing:

    The titular Death Note is a note pad of a shinigami (death god, comparable to the notion of a grim reaper), which allows its owner to dictate the time and cause of death for the victim whose name is inscribed on one of its pages. This is a very rule based process, starting with the clause that if no cause is specified within 40 seconds, the victim will die of a heart attack, and getting more complex from there.

    Bored by the listlessness of his people, the shinigami Ryuk decides to amuse himself by dropping a Death Note into the human world. There, it is picked up by ace student Light Yagami. To Ryuk’s amusement, Light proves unphased by the power to kill, the revelation that shinigami exist, or that using the Death Note ensures that a human will neither travel to heaven or hell upon death. After using the book to kill, the only repercussion incurred is that the user’s name will be written in the book by its original shinigami owner upon the user’s death.

    When it comes to shock, Light is revealed to have iron fortitude. After the ability to kill on a whim is dropped into his lap, he proves able to compose himself and push forward with his agenda.

    The certainty with which he embraces that power makes Light an intriguing character.

    The description of Light as a character both arrogant and idealistic make for a very righteous archetype, like a paladin convincing himself of the greater good and a ends-justify-means crusade. I am reminded of the Kingpriest from Dragonlance Chronicles as well. At any rate, I’ll see if I can find the torrents for this one.

    I am also determined to watch Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – though from what I read at Astro’s, its unclear if the fansubbers will finish subbing season 1. I’m also fascinated by the premise of Moyashimon, which has the visual appeal of a science lab on LSD. My friend Jon also dropped by Marshfield on his way home to Appleton from the Twin Cities, and brought Read or Die (the pilot as well as the full season), Ranma, Ergo Proxy, FateStayNight, Gankutsuou, Noir, and Samurai7. That’s a feast of anime that should keep me and my baby daughter fed through the holiday season (I typically watch anime while bottle-feeding her; we both just zone out and do our respective thing). Suggestions as to which I should tackle first are welcome (and requested).

    I also have to get off my arse and write something about The Girl who Leapt, Twelve Kingdoms, and (waaaay overdue) Someday’s Dreamers. However, of late I’ve been distracted by something decidedly non-anime: Heroes. More on that later 🙂

  • fixing Exile

    I finished Last Exile, and everything that everyone else already said was absolutely spot-on and hence doesn’t need to be resaid. I’m going to take a slightly different tack.

    It occurs to me I can pinpoint the exact point where Last Exile went astray: (more…)

  • an airborne landscape

    I’m almost halfway through the series. I recall Shamus has blogged about Last Exile a while back and found the ending disappointing. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Still, I’m in now, and committed to see what happens.

    One of the things I have really enjoyed about the series thus far, which Shamus and others have also mentioned, is how cool the aerial combat scenes are. In fact, it goes beyond that – Last Exile combines Podracing (a la Star Wars Episode One), 3D dogfighting (a la Star Wars X-Wings vs Ties) and capital ship combat (a la Star Trek II).

    I mentioned in my last post that the world made little sense thus far, but given the events in the last episode I just watched, I think I can make some speculations. Below the fold, of course… (more…)