Hisui’s picks:

• Less Than Zero
  Andrew proves himself to be to be a true die hard Macross fan as he defends the often infamous Macross Zero. That is hardly the popular opinion in the Macross fandom. Will we ever see a podcast trying to defend Macross II? Only time will tell. Also on the comedy front.
  
• Hayate Update!
  Kenjirou Hata recently mentioned that his hiatus is not due to illness or exhaustion. I was a bit worried about him so I am glad to see he is doing well. Hata also recently mentioned that Hayate the Combat Butler is about 60% complete. It is always a mixture of happiness and sadness when something you love is over. You are sad to see the title end but you look forward to seeing what they do next.
• Like a Zombie Wizard Who Also Knows Kung-fu They are Back!
  After a long hiatus the Ani-Gamers are back. They have a review of the Lychee Light Club and look at the Floating Ink panel and Anime Next 2011. Glad to see those guys back in the game and producing content.
• I Was Made in England
  Another resurrection comes in the form on a revival of the UK Anime Network podcast. At first they discuss what they have been watching and what is new on the site. Then they discuss the fall of Bandai Entertainment and Beez Entertainment.
• Enter the Rave Master
  The Fast Karate Gentlemen look at the Lensman anime. They of course bring the standard Fast Karate random train of though to the review. But that is always what makes it so wonderful. 
• What People Say They Want, What People Think They Want, and What They Actually Want
  The common cry amount anime fans is that they should make more anime with a mass market appeal. But the question is does anyone really know what that is and would they really want it. Carl tries to warn people that they should be careful what they wish for.

Narutaki’s picks:

• Just How Big IS One Piece?
  This info-graphic puts it in simple terms.
  
• Long-lost Animated Version of The Hobbit
  We all love the animated version of The Hobbit from the 1970′s (and if you don’t, I don’t care about you). But an insane story emerged just recently about the first ever version that was made in 1966 but was never public. It was done in just one month and was pretty much a shady cash grab. If you’ve watched TV cartoons from the 60′s, the style should look immediately familiar to you.
• Kickstarter Campaign Reaches Goal in Just 2 Days for Tezuka’s Barbara
  DMP’s fundraising to re-release Swallowing the Earth worked so well they are trying it again with another Tezuka work, Barbara. In just two days the $6500 goal was reached, that is an incredible turn around! Perhaps this will be the future of niche manga releases in the U.S.
  
• DC Comics Getting a New Logo?
  This logo makes me sad, it is really nothing special or iconic in any way.
  

The one true pairing involving Hinagiku:

Our first editorial of the year is unfortunately a bit of a downer. As we all got into our Monday, Bandai announced they will cease releasing new DVD/BDs and manga which means any licenses that haven’t seen a pre-order are off the table. More than that personal loss for all of us, we are losing a big name and competitor in the U.S. industry. Bandai will continue to promote titles to other companies, after all they are still a Japanese company with big series on the other side of the ocean. Which makes it all the more sad that they couldn’t make it work here any longer.

Way back in May of 2010 there was a major warning sign that this day would come to pass on the ANNCast. Eric Sherman, the CEO of Bang Zoom! Entertainment stated that Bandai Entertainment was not doing that well and was banking on the success of their upcoming sales on Haruhi and a secret title to stay in business. I assume that other title was K-ON! as I doubt Bandai’s great white hope was The Girl Who Leapt Through Space. It seemed like despite that dire prediction and some delayed release schedules Bandai was holding on in America. But today we learned that dire prediction sadly came to its grisly conclusion. I know that will lead some people to say that the we should not be shocked because the handwriting was on the wall for a good time now. But when you have a sick relative who suddenly passes away it does not making their passing any easier. A part of you always hopes that they will get better even when you know their conditional is terminal. We might have know in our hearts that Bandai might not be with us for much longer but we wanted to believe that they would pull through. When ever a loved one passes on it is a good moment for reflection on what they left behind.

I always thought of Bandai as a dual niche company picking very otaku shows like Lucky Star and K-ON! but also fueling mecha fans desires on the other end. These days there isn’t a whole ton of mecha anime being made and an even a smaller portion of that sees a U.S. release. Bandai was the biggest distributor of robot shows from Gundam to Star Driver. And while other companies have picked up titles here and there (Evangelion, TTGL movies, Broken Blade), Bandai produces many of people’s favorites in Japan making the leap to stateside that much easier. It goes without saying that any older mecha titles have a .05% of ever being released not that Bandai was doing much of that themselves. Still, the fate of Gundam especially weighs heavy on all our minds.

The biggest hole left with Bandai leaving the market is the lack of a dedicated Gundam licensor. The conventional wisdom was that Bandai would release any iteration of Gundam they could at some point. It was never a matter of if more than when. Now that they are gone all bets are off. Gundam Unicorn will probably finish out its run in the US as the Japanese side of Bandai seems to have too much invested in it to stop now. And even Unicorn are somewhat in question. But everything else is not looking so good. Turn A Gundam was officially canceled and I doubt there is anyone rushing out to pick it up. Victory, Double Zeta, and Gundam X theoretically could be picked up by someone else but they generally seem like untouchable titles due to their age alone. Gundam AGE is in a weird place. On one hand it is the latest and greatest title and it has a connection to the popular Level-5 studio. On the other hand mecha is never super popular outside of a handful of titles and the current fandom seems to dismiss the show as Baby Gundam for Babies. One wonders if Funimation or Section23 Films would even want to touch such a title with a ten foot pole. This is really painful to me because Trun A Gundam is my favorite Gundam series and it seemed to gave gotten so close to being released only to vanish at the last second. There is an especially salty taste to the news because of that. I also assume that the second subtitled box set of Gundam 0079 is close enough to completion to still come out but it quickly might become a collectors item.

With Bandai taking a backseat to anime in America, I don’t know who is the best hope we have for mecha titles now. With one less company in the mix, taking risks seem like a bad move for the moment. And funnily enough, despite some thoroughly odd licenses for NISA and Sentai Filmworks, they still aren’t licensing robot series with the exception of Broken Blade. This is kind of frightening, as though the assumption is mecha sells worse than anything besides sports shows. Then again these companies might have felt Bandai was filling that role but now with their departure they can take on more robot series. Perhaps good sales of BB (fingers crossed!) will help lift that possibility as well. I’m not sure if this will cause more or less opportunities on the digital front. This creates a less likely scenario for certain shows to have physical releases which may prompt them to try for internet distribution.  Maybe the writing was on the wall when VIZ started simulcasting Tiger & Bunny. Which is still not licensed for physical release.

I am also rather saddened because this means that my precious Hayate DVDs are probably nothing more than a pipe dream now. I never bought the first round of DVDs as they were rather expensive singles. I had always assumed they would put out in a more affordable box set. Now that is pretty much impossible. That also means that no one is likely to pick up season 2, 3, or the movie. Hayate is just far too long a niche comedy while not having nearly enough fan-service to be picked up by anyone else. This along with the manga slowdown seems to prove the series in just cursed in the U.S. Also all of their manga has been canceled. While the manga division has mostly just been a very fancy extras division for their anime line they did have some great titles. I liked their release of Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens and will be sad to see that disappear so alongside some other decent manga titles.

They clearly thought they could make a go of it, announcing shows this summer at Otakon, but they have been staying under the radar for a while now. Plus without a real online presence, they are easy to overlook. Still, Bandai was a large part in the industry for a very long time making it hard to see them go. Major questions remain about other shows that are only half done, etc. and those answers will probably only come slowly. Perhaps they don’t even know the answers themselves yet. But less competition in the market place is never good for fans.

There are still several questions we will not know for a minimum of several months. What titles will be rescued from their catalog? I am sure someone will shell out for Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex down the line but everything else is far less likely to get picked up by anyone else. Also since Bandai is still releasing what they have for awhile I am sure those titles will take years to be freed up at minimum. Maybe someone close go after Gosick but that seems even less likely. If I had any money I would get Gundam 0079 on DVD and Star Driver on BluRay right now while they are still in stock. They are the two titles I would want the most and have the greatest chance of going out of print and therefore being insanely expensive down the line. In fact I realy can’t see any big positives to this whole affair. While they were never the quickest company to release a series and they made their share of mistakes over the years but I  enjoyed their products. I will be sad to see them go. I can’t see anyone filling their shoes in the near future.

UN-GO is one of the few shows of the season I have finished up. It is a very odd mystery show kind of in the vein of Demon Detective Neuro where the answers come from both deduction and supernatural means making them rather impossible beyond just guessing. It also has a bizarre sense of humor, too. The cases keep getting stranger as the show goes on bringing future technology like AIs into the mix as well further complicating any and all cases. The detective team of Shinjuro and Inga and later Kazamori combine with the tag along Rie make for an eclectic mix of talents and personalities. Shinjuro is a good lead detective that I came to really like, he has the observation skills but does use Inga a bit too much though the reasoning for that is more obvious later on. I like the last two cases a lot but truly they are more about experiencing the atmosphere. In fact, I am incredibly interested in the world surrounding these things like the seemingly militaristic Japan, there is a lot of world to explore but sadly there isn’t much time to do so before the end. Sadly there probably won’t be anymore either with the exception of the 0 episode (which I think will give us Shinjiro’s backstory) since only incredibly popular Noitamina shows get sequels. UN-GO is based on a novel but again sadly I won’t be able to read it either.

I finished UN-GO and I still don’t have a firm grasp on if I liked it or not. I will say that I do not regret watching it. It was unusual enough that it made the experience worthwhile. Sort of like the latest BBC Sherlock the series takes the post WWII mysteries of Ango Sakaguchi and puts them in a future setting. This odd juxtaposition gives the show a unique vibe of old and new. At the same time as I mentioned in my last look at the show it is also a clear example of why Knox wrote his rules of mysteries in the first place. Inga’s powers always make the mysteries feel unusual and sometimes the solutions feel unearned. The episode with the movie set was undoubtedly the most surreal episodes of the series. At times the show felt a bit strange but these episodes take that feeling to an entirely new level. The last three episodes distinctly feel like the end of a season but not the end of a story. There is the movie I have yet to see but that is just a prequel. I have to wonder if they hoped that this would do well enough to get a second season or did they just not want to put a cap on Ango Sakaguchi’s stories even if it is a heavily modified version of those stories. I can’t say everyone will like this show. It can be a very easy show to dislike. But it is worth checking out just to see if you like it as there is little else out there like UN-GO.

I went to see Ocean Waves at the Ghibli Retrospective here in NYC. Seeing these films on the big screen is something special, but this had the added bonus of being one of the lesser seen movies and one of the few I’ve never seen myself. It is more in line with the slow character stories of Whisper of the Heart and Only Yesterday than the adventurous fare we are more used to seeing from Ghibli. We follow the fairly easygoing Taku who gets wrapped up in the life of new transfer student Rikako after lending her some money. Rikako is self-centered and reeling from family from drama pushing Taku to exasperation at her flippant attitude with him and others. Believe me you’ll want to give her a good smack at some point, but luckily even that gets taken care of. What is best about the path of these characters is that it doesn’t really follow a romanticized ideal or go in any set direction realizing the wide possibilities and mistakes of youth. While it does have a neat ending, you still feel like acceptance is the big part as opposed to changing a person.

The fact that I easily finished Shinryaku!? Ika Musume this season is a testament to how easy it is to watch. Due to me marathoning Mass Effect and been busy with work and other projects I fell behind on several shows I had been watching. But I watched Squid Girl every week because it is so light and charming that I could effortlessly watch an episode a week without breaking a sweat. It is much the same as the first season. The jokes don’t change too much. This means that Squid Girl, Eiko, and Chizuru dynamic stays strong but that Sanae sort of remains a one trick pony that can be somewhat bland. I never found her super annoying but I easily could see how you could find her grating after a while. Unlike the last season they don’t really try to go out with a finale. The last episode is more of the same for better or for worse. If they made a third season I would watch it as the episodes as they go down smoothly but if it ends here I would hardly feel cheated. I would like to know the story of the Octopus Girl but I am hardly dying to know what her deal is.

I started back up on watching Ashita no Nadja with episodes 5-6. I am now not so sure that the phantom thief and the noble knight are the same person! We learn quite a bit more about Nadja’s mother in these episodes as she leaves England and heads of France. The diary talks of an artist in Paris so she beings looking for him in hopes of more answers. I was a little annoyed that somehow Nadja hadn’t asked any of the troupe if the could read the entries until this episode, but it is worth overlooking. It continues to be a fun fantasy adventure.

Today I got a horrible bit of news. Apparently starting next year the manga of Hayate the Combat Butler is going on a two month break. I look forward to a new chapter of Hayate every week so this is a depressing bit of news. But considering the life of a weekly manga-ka an occasional rest from time to time is surely a much-needed balm to an otherwise overworked soul. I am sure it is one of the few ways a manga author is able to travel and just relax when they are not in-between series. I look forward to seeing what Kenjiro Hata does when he comes back hopefully a bit rested and renewed.

Best Anime of 2011
(Can Anything Top Utena?)

Fate/Zero by ufotable I don’t think anyone who has been to the site more than twice is super surprised this is here. It has Saber in a suit. It won automatically. Everything else unnecessary but appreciated. I know some people can’t stand the show because it can often have characters explains their motivation, plans, and magical systems in loving detail but that I love about the series. But at the same time when the fights go down they are pretty amazing. Even just that short confrontation between Berserker and Archer will put some hair on your chest. The animation can look OVA quality at points and is usually a visual feast even when it is simple conversation. I know I am pretty prejudiced towards loving the show but Fate/Zero expertly crafted and deserving of the position.

Runner up: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai by A-1 Pictures There was just something about AnoHana that was gripping. Once I found out that Menma was a ghost I was compelled to discover what had happened that drove these seemingly inseparable friends apart. This could be seen as the anime version of the Big Chill. It was a great mix of comedy and drama that always focused on the characters more than the supernatural conceit.  The ending had some minor flaws but I think it came to an excellent emotional climax.

 Mawaru Penguindrum by Brain’s Base Ikuhara directs anime so infrequently, that alone is reason enough to celebrate. But he has gone further by creating another intriguing, mysterious, and surreal show in tune with his masterpiece Revolutionary Girl Utena. As we explore fate, life and death, sacrifice, society, and human connections it is all done with streamlined style and brilliant design. Penguindrum is a visual treat as much as it is mind-bending. The show never feels concrete and as you go on you feel less and less sure what to believe, it makes for one heck of a journey. The way Ikuhara has constructed the story of Penguindrum makes paying attention to the details key in watching; each episode is intimately connected to everything that has come before it. This also makes the prospects of a marathon rewatch very enticing.

Runner up: Tiger & Bunny by Bandai This was a close second for creating an anime about superheroes that Japan and the rest of us embraced happily. The combination of reality television, down on his luck hero Wild Tiger, and a lively cast and relationships gave it an extra kick while it played its hero tropes to the hilt.

Anime Man of the Year
(Can Anyone be Cooler then Spike Spiegel?)

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi from Tiger & Bunny As Narutaki mentioned Tiger and Bunny was one of the most entertaining shows of the season. At the same time it was the main character that really sold so many people on what otherwise seems like a very silly sounding anime. Wild Tiger is an anomaly in the often youth oriented medium by virtue of being an older character who has a daughter. He is a wonderful mixture of serious and lighthearted. Kotetsu is the classic white knight superhero while at the same time he is also a complete goofball. But when the chips are down he is always reliable and it does not feel like the writers are cheating to let him win. He is just a fun character that is easy to root for.

Daikichi from Bunny Drop Daikichi distinguishes himself in the very first episode, this is a guy you feel for and root for because he has a good heart even if he doesn’t always know what he is doing. As he quickly find himself over his head he is honest about it but also truly find in himself the desire to help give Rin the best life he can. His situations as surrogate father are very simple and normal but his relationship with Rin is what is inspiring thanks to plenty of humor. I realize now writing this that both Hisui and I picked single dads who are good intentioned idiots.

Anime Woman of the Year
(The Part where Hisui Picks Someone other than Saber so it is Slightly Interesting)

Chiharu Harukaze from Hayate no Gotoku! Chiharu Harukaze might seem like an unusual choice but I think she wonderful character. At first she seems a rather bland character. Aika Kasumi and her appear a few times in the first season of Hayate anime but they don’t get many speaking roles.  She seems like a straight-laced almost boring glasses girl. As the series goes on we learn that she moonlights as a maid and is actually a rather hardcore otaku. She is not as extreme as Nagi but she easily keeps up with her friend. I like her friendship Nagi as they play off each other well. If nothing else she is a great female otaku character that I think actual female anime fans can relate to. She has really grown on me as a character as she brings a nice feeling to the series.

 Survival Strategy (aka Princess of the Crystal) from Mawaru Penguindrum From her jaunty cap, to her catchphrase “survival strategy,” to her transformation sequence, to her theme song, to her telling everyone they will amount to nothing this lady is on a mission though she is as cryptic as they come. If nothing else, she makes one heck of a first impression. I, like most others I think, started calling her Survival Strategy since her name remained elusive. She drives the major portions of the plot including finding that mysterious object the “Penguindrum” and she has an even more important place as things unfold. A mascot of the show as much as the penguins, Survival Strategy is utterly unforgettable.

Best Retro Manga Release
(Everything Old is New Again)

Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka I might have some problems with Tezuka’s storytelling in Princess Knight but overall it a triumph for this manga to be released in English. While it was not the first shojo manga its impact on shaping the genre in undeniable. It has long been this often referenced but hardly seen piece of manga history. It’s influence on The Rose of Versailles and Revolutionary Girl Utena is invariably brought up when those shows are discussed. It also made cross dressing and gender politic an inseparable part of girls comics in Japan. It is great to see this series in an easily accessible format for an English audience. It is a boon to scholars and historians of manga as well as anyone just interested in the origins of manga.

Sailor Moon / Codename: Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi Sailor Moon was my first experience with manga, having started watching anime the couple years prior. Those TokyoPop editions still sit pretty in my collection, but there isn’t a fan around that hasn’t hoped with all their being for a new translation and release to see the light of day. Even though it was a long time coming, Kondansha picked a good time to bring it back out for English readers following the new editions in Japanese with new art and color pages. If that wasn’t exciting enough, along side came the much coveted Sailor V for the first time in English. These are beautiful books with plenty of nostalgia that makes you excited for more releases from Kodansha.  

Worst Thing I Watched
(Can Anything be Worse than Akikan!?)

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere by Sunirse By the fact that I have Type-Moon and Toaru Majutsu no Index shows winning awards on this list shows that I have a fairly high tolerance for long stretches of exposition in my entertainment. But Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere actually broke me of all people. The confusing back story of this universe is vomited up constantly by the narrator but none of it sticks. It does not help that none of the back story  makes any sense. The fact that the characters range from goofy, to loathsome, to just plain racist adds insult to injury. The main character is Ataru Moroboshi with everything removed that makes Ataru fun. Even the guy with the Dig-dug hat could not save this series. There were a few painfully boring series this year but Horizon takes the cake by making a fantastical premise completely banal.

Yuruyuri by Dogakobo There are always a few shows that end up on our new season watch list that we are more than likely going to hate, but we give them a chance. So that explains why I even watched this show in the first place, it was a bad plan. Not only is it a boring premise of girls in a club that does nothing, but there is the added editions of horrible personalities, loli fan-service, sibling obsession, and that was just the first episode.

Favorite Opening
(The Best Way to Start an Episode)

Mawaru-Penguindrum Opening 2: “Boys, Come Back to Me” Mawaru Penguindrum is visually stunning series an its opening is no exception. It is just a gorgeously designed opening that is simple but memorable. Both openings are filled with spoilers but they are represented in a way that only makes sense after the series is over. That alone is a testament to the planning that went into the show. At the same time it works as his lively superflat opening that introduces the show and gets you ready for the unique Penguindrum experience. I mostly picked the second opening as the song as it seemed a bit peppier to me. The second opening also builds on the symbology of the first opening which is a nice touch.

Gosick Opening 1: “Destin Histoire” This juxtaposition of a modern song with Mucha-inspired illustration is a straight up winner. The way the animation moves makes it look as if a storybook has come alive. On top of that the flatness of the art gives it a theatrical feel. The opening as hints at things to come so it is fun to look back on it and pick out all the little things.

Favorite Ending
(The Perfect Ending to an Episode)

AnoHana Ending 1: “Secret Base ~The Thing you Gave Me~ (10 years after Ver.)” Endings tend to be the lesser sibling to their big budget older sibling, the opening. The animation is invariably cheaper and sometimes you can almost feel the lack of effort. But the ending of AnoHana perfectly captures the mood of series in a way that few endings do. The song has a mixture of melancholy and joy just like the show and the visuals perfectly accompany this mood while remaining sweet and vibrant. The song’s catchy nature tops off everything perfectly.

Bunny Drop Ending 1: “High High High” Childhood drawings and imagination come to life with this soft pop song. Bright and colorful, naive renderings of dreamscapes and rabbits engulf Rin as she explores. The melody is perfect after an episode full of sweet and melancholy lessons and realizations.

Thing I Wish People Would Stop Talking About
(The Topic that Makes You Instantly Close Twitter)

Ben-to by David Production Ben-to is a small horse that does one maneuver competently but nothing else (aka known as a one trick pony). The problem is I don’t even think it does that one trick is done all that well. But for some reason it seemed to be a show that even some rather cynical anime fans looked forward to each week. I know that certain people can be starved for original ideas in their anime but you must have some meat on that idea for me to be interested. The odd little cult around his show really perplexes me. So when people would tear down other shows to build this one up it was just bizarre and sort of insulting to the shows I liked.

How much everyone would change Gundam AGE Few series get as much flack as anything in this long running franchise. Not only that, everyone also has to play backseat director/producer/writer/etc. on every little thing. But God forbid they stop watching the show, no that would just be stupid.

Series I Unexpectedly Liked
(Cheddar Cheese and Apple Pie)

Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth by Satelight Moe is such a strange animal. While I do not instinctually hate anything with moe in it I have grown wary whenever I see a show with moe character designs. Yune’s small frame and hyper cute design did make me arch my eyebrow at this show. The slice of life feel of the story did not help. Thankfully Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth rises about your first impressions. It is a delightful historical piece that has a relaxed feeling while still having enough story and character growth to feel rewarding. It is a mellow show that is vibrant enough to hold my attention. It also avoid being creepy which also could have easily tainted the whole experience. An extremely pleasant surprise.

Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 1000% by A-1 Pictures This title seemed like a doomed prospect before I watched it, in fact checking out the first episode was just supposed to be a lark and yet it was ridiculously entertaining. Heavy emphasis on ridiculous. Norio Wakamoto voices the headmaster of the idol training school and even sings a little in the first episode, yeah that’s what kind of ridiculous I’m talking about. The romances all center around a girl with the creepiest eyes ever and each one plays out like over the top soap opera storylines. Who knew a reverse harem dating sim could be this much fun.

Best Manga News
(Not the Licensing of Yankee-kun to Megane-chan but Still Pretty Good)

Vertical Saves Shonan Junai-gumi and Picks Up GTO: Shonan 14 Days Who does not love GTO? Only demons and fools. Sadly while Shonan Junai-gumi is filled with hot-blooded yankee action it never got the love in the U.S. that its sequel did. So when Tokyopop went out of business it seemed like we would never see the end of the tale of Onizuka and Danma. Thankfully Vertical swooped in and saved the series. On top of that they also picked up the latest adventures of GTO as well. If the series does well enough they has hinted that they might go back and license rescue anything else TokyoPop translated of Tohru Fujisawa’s works dealing with the great teacher. That would even be more remarkable so you should go out there and buy all the Onizuka you can from Vertical.

Manga Companies Jump Into the Digital Distribution There had been toes dipped in the water previous to 2011, but this year saw a boom of activity that will hopefully set a great pace for what’s to come. This advance is necessary and as titles start to speed up the prospect of coming closer and closer to the release of Japanese books becomes not so impossible a dream.

Best Anime News
(Not the Licensing of Legend of the Galactic Heroes but Still Pretty Good)

A Certain Magical Index Film Green-Lit I know that the U.S. fandom seems to at best have a love/hate relationship with A Certain Magical Index (as in they love to hate it) but I genuinely like the series. If there was any sort of light novel market in the U.S. I would just follow this series via the original books. But unless you are a mega popular franchise like Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist it seems like you can’t give away most light novels in English. So the only way for me to continue in the strange world of magic and science in Academy City is when they adapt Touma’s adventures in an anime. I am glad to see that they are continuing to adapt the series and hope that the film can help create a third season. I want to see that World War III Arc.

Redline Getting Theatrical U.S. Release Maybe this doesn’t quite make up for waiting for this film since 2009, but it certainly softens the blow. If you’ve seen this movie, and loved it, you know it will look amazing on the big screen; a total immersive experience. It also gives the opportunity that other random people who aren’t anime fans will see Redline and realize its fantastic-ness. And since it is getting a theatrical release, Oscar nomination would be a possibility in 2012.

Funniest Series
(Funny in a Good Way, not a M.D. Geist Way)

Carnival Phantasm by Lerche I will fully admit that Carnival Phantasm is hardly for everyone. It demands a near encyclopedia knowledge of the Type-Moon universe but at the same time the good nature to see the characters involved made out to be very silly. As a fan of Type-Moon and Eri Takenashi this series was a match made in heaven. Some of the jokes are a bit over done but they move quickly enough from joke to joke that I never minded too much. When Taiga makes a reference to the Japanese opening of the 90′s X-men cartoon I knew no other series could go in this spot.

Fireball Charming by Disney This is the prequel to just plain ole Fireball with the same humor but a little less sleek character design for Drossel. She still sports expressive hair and never fully understands the things she learns. Despite being a wierdsville fest of puns and misunderstandings, you can see parts of the story proving it takes place before.

If anyone is a long-term visitor to the blog they will remember way back in the day when the blog started we used to put top 5 lists on the bottom of each post. In fact the collected page of top 5 list was the most popular section of the blog for the first year of site’s history. As I was riding the train home from Manhattan yesterday I had a thought. Why not bring back ye olde top 5 lists as occasional mini-posts. People love them because they are easily digestible and they are not that hard to do. Win win. So of course I bring them back in the most predictable way possible.

This year has been a great year for Type-Moon fans. Fate/Zero on TV, Carnival Phantasm being awesome, wonderful figures being released, Fate/Extra being released in English, and so much more. I decided to take my favorite 5 moments from this year’s Type-Moon bonanza. For better or for worse they are not just pictures like this.

5. Kayura Tsurugino dresses up like Saber in the Hayate movie

The newly introduced Kayura Tsurugino is a consummate cosplayer in Hayate the Combat Butler. So in the movie she whips out several different costumes including Iron Mask from Mobile Suit Gundam F91 and Haruhi Suzumiya. But the most important outfit she has is her Saber cosplay. It was simply delightful to watch her get into hijinks at the closed space amusement park dress liked the King of Knights. Sadly when things get really bad we discover that her Excalibur is merely cardboard. Thankfully the Pink One with Masamune was there to save the day. That whole sequence  made an already delightful movie even better.

4. Fate/Apocrypha is reborn

It seemed like all was lost. Fate/Apocrypha was originally supposed to be an online game set in the Fate Universe. There were a whole slew of Servants and Masters written up by various authors and artists for the game but then it was canceled and it seems like all that work would merely be a footnote mentioned in artbooks. But the 7th Type-Moon Ace announced that Fate/Apocrypha would be reworked in a novel. Yuichiro Higashide was tapped to write the novel. He did write Bullet Butlers so I am cautiously optimistic as I have mostly heard good things about that visual novel. If nothing else it will just be good to see William Shakespeare the Caster brought to life.

3. The moment you realize exactly who Archer is in Fate/Extra

Fate/Extra is set in an alternate universe where the Holy Grail War takes place inside an alien supercomputer on the moon. So when you see a red Saber who is nothing like the traditional King of Knights, Sakura as a school nurse, and Rin being a terrorist it seems like everything you know is wrong. But then a certain Sarcastro in a red coat makes references to a Holy Grail War that also centered around a school and a similar but different Rin you suddenly realize that this Archer is the same Archer from the main Fate/Stay Night series. It is like seeing an old friend from home unexpectedly in the middle of a foreign country.

2. Rider unleashes Ionioi Hetairoi

Rider and Waver have undoubtedly become the break out duo in Fate/Zero with their Odd Couple dynamic. But the moment that most probably solidified Rider as a pure badarse was during episode 11. Rider, Saber, and Gilgamesh find themselves surround by a small army of Assassins. What seems like what will be a long battle royal quickly turns into a momentary slaughter when Rider unveils his ultimate Nobel Phantasm, the Ionioi Hetairoi. It turns out that Rider can summon all the soldiers that fought with him as minor Heroic Spirits. His men quickly make mincemeat of the Assassins earning him a place in the heart of many a Type-Moon fan.

1. Saber the Waitress

Carnival Phantasm has had so many wonderful moments this year. Kohaku being Kohaku, the many deaths of Lancer, and anything involving the Tiger Dojo were all wonderful moments. But the best moments all come from the 8th episode where Saber decides to work part-time at the Ahnenerbe. It is both a loving tribute to Saber and anyone who has had to do any sort of waiting tables. What starts of as a good sketch becomes sublime when Saber has finally had enough. You too will want to shout, “ALTER! ALTER! ALTER!”

I had been waiting to watch Hayate the Combat Butler! Heaven is a Place on Earth since it was announced last year. So when it finally come with the latest volume of the manga I was thrilled to watch it. The movie much like the rest of Hayate is a pleasant and warm helping of comfort food. Heaven is a Place on Earth is a nice little story set right after Natsu-comi and the arrival of Kayura Tsurugino but before the beginning of the next semester. It perfectly captures the feeling of being out in the country during summer vacation. The story focuses on the Hayate/Nagi relationship so I am of course totally behind it. But there is a Hinagiku bath scene so all the fans of the pink student council president will be satisfied. The best part of the movie is it feels like a nice minor arc in the manga. While it is a bit surreal at points it feels like it was taken from the source. Too often these little spin-off movies miss any of that spark that make you love the manga but this one captures that je ne sais quoi perfectly. The oddest thing about the movie is it came out BEFORE Kayura was introduced in the manga but the movie makes no real attempt to introduce her. It goes along like she has always been a part of the cast. At this point it is clear who she is but I am sure there were many a Hayate fan trying to figure out who this strange new girl was. Kayura cosplays as Saber in the movie so she is 1000% OK with me though. I will also say that I cannot deny the appeal of Maria with twin tails in a summer dress. This movie is probably not going to win over anyone who is not already a Hayate fan. They don’t make an effort to introduce you to the plot other than showing some newly animated clips from the first episode during the opening song. Oh Ruka does not take part in the main plot but she sings a song and says a few lines of dialog during the movie’s opening. So if she appears in the 3rd season she now officially has a voice actress. I am now just waiting to watch it again when they release the extended cut on the Blu-Ray.

I went to see Arthur Christmas mostly thanks to an article about its production which also alerted me to the fact that Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame) made the film with Sony. It really was everything it should have been: a delightful Christmas adventure with plenty of humor and holiday magic plus top-notch animation. It is the story of the one present Santa forgets to deliver on Christmas Eve which causes endless trouble for everyone. Arthur, youngest son of Santa, along with Grand-Santa take up the mission. Arthur isn’t the successor to the Santa mantle. Oh, he has plenty of enthusiasm but he is also absent-minded, clumsy, and afraid of just about everything; still he has a true heart that inspires everyone in true movie fashion. It even gets a little meta at points as Arthur realizes that Santa isn’t a person, it doesn’t matter who delivers the present, Santa is an idea and a feeling. One of the highlights to the animation production is just how Santa does deliveries which is very high-tech nowadays as they attempt to explain the ways in which it is all accomplished using military precision, thousands of highly trained elves, GPS, and a “sleigh” that functions much more as a space ship with the ability to camouflage itself in many ways. But the olden ways must be dusted off and put to use to fix the gift mistake. It has that classic bridging of multiple generations as a key element along with the realization that we each have a place in the world. While the story has some bumps, I didn’t understand how worrying helped Arthur get to the sleigh or why wrapping the burglar alarm did anything at all, it was a holiday film that left me in good spirits!

If it seems I have dropped off the grid recently it was because I have been playing Mass Effect 2. As everyone who has played the game has said Mass Effect 2 is just a clear improvement over the first game. The first game was incredibly awesome but the second game expands and tweaks so much about the first game. It was not that the first game was horribly flawed. It was just that they improved or smartly streamlined on almost every idea from the first game. They improved the combat, skill trees, and inventory system. There were a few less random missions but they went out of their way to give most of the random mission a unique feel via a combination of original maps and/or unusual mission parameters. Too often in the first game the story for the side missions were unique in story but the maps had a very cookie cutter feel. They layout of the hidden bases or spaceships felt the same unless there were main plot related missions. The layout and style of all the missions usually felt every distinct in Mass Effect 2. I never has a serious problem with the inventory in the first game but the upgrade system is just streamlined in such a satisfying way. The powers are also equally tightened to feel like you get to the core of what you wanted without losing anything vital. The story with the suicide mission feels  epic and fun. It is also just so fulfilling to see the choices you made in the first game pay dividends in this game and now that your choices in both games will have both major and minor impacts on the third game.  It is really everything you would want a sequel to be. I can’t pay to see the end of the trilogy in March. I will only be watching my roommate play through it but that will be good enough. (Plus you get all those nifty completion bonuses  when you are the second person playing the game.)

Kekkaishi 29 is the falling action from the major battle in 28 which makes it more of a transitional book in terms of forward motion, but we are flooded with information and characters. There is still much speculation within the pages about what the supreme leader’s final intentions are and how he is carrying them out. Still you get the feeling that Masamori is finally on the right track though I don’t trust everyone that is close to him. And while we do get better explanations about Karasumori the book continues to leave us in a bit of suspense. Yoshimori’s frame of mind swings wildly as he tries to control his new power and feel responsible for something greater. He gets back to cake baking with a lot of faked vigor hoping to negate his fears. The only thing rather unfortunate is that of late Tokine has really taken a major backseat to the proceedings. I don’t think it will stay that way as we make our way into the final arc, but it is a little frustrating.

As I was covering the Haruhi movie so I did not get to see the first Mardock Scramble movie at the NYAF. But for everyone who did not have a chance to watch the movie then you can watch it now on Hulu. I will say for the amount of nudity and violence I was flabbergasted that they did not require me to log in for an age check. I had to log in to watch Spice and Wolf and that ridiculously tame compared to this. On that note this is really a 80s OVA that just happened to come out in 2010. It has all the gritty ultra violence, dark introspection, and nudity that you remember from those old OVAs. They also do the old 80s-tastic by lightly touching on some philosophy but making sure not to go in too deep because there are action scenes to be had.  The Bandersnatch Company alone feels like a group that should have been in Ninja Scroll. Welldone sums it up succinctly. I would explain but his introduction is something you have to see for yourself. Since I saw it on Hulu is was dub only. The dub was decent but some of the Bandersnatch Company comes of as far more silly than creepy because their dub actors were a bit too hammy. Also I know that oeufcoque is just french for a soft-boiled egg but  it really leads to some odd accidental innuendo in the dialog. This is a great little throwback series that really caters to a type of anime fan that does not get as much attention anymore. The movie ends on a big cliffhanger that just dares you not to watch the next one and knows that you won’t be able to refuse.

Batman was one of my favorite relaunches from the New 52 and the second issue only enhances that feeling. We beginning again with Bruce explaining a piece of Gotham, this time the architecture of a tower and it places in the city before he is thrown out of it. There is some good action in these pages, and you get the feeling this version of Batman rather enjoys himself and the theatrics. This book also continues to feel like the detective portion of Bats that balances things as he goes over an autopsy and gets answers that he already knew from Dick. The page layouts sing! The art is spectacular of course, but it also has well placed breaths in the action as well as places with simple text on blank background that sent a little tingle through me. Bruce is cocky in this book but it feels like he is on the edge of having things pulled out from under him.

And the winner of the Win Nagi Sanzenin’s Money contest is John Kim who got them all right. I will send off their prize on Monday! The contest had 4 entries all together. There were 2 fully correct answer sheets but 1 was out of the US and was graciously entering just for fun. One entry got them all right except for number 10 that was a real stumper. With that one it helps to know Kenjiro Hata is a huge Nobuyuki Fukumoto fan. And the last entry could not identify Saber Lion. I shed a tear for that poor soul. I was amazed that everyone easily got number 4 but I guess everyone who entered was bringing their A game. Still It was very cool that we even 4 entries on such a hard contest and that our readers were high level otaku enough to do so well. I am curious. Would anyone want another contest this hard again?

For everyone else here is the answer sheet for the contest with links to the figures in question:

1. Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10146761

2. Mayuri Shiina from Steins;Gate http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10146015

3. Cirno from the Touhou Project http://ani-culture.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Last-Loot-6.jpg

4. Suruga Kanbaru from Bakemonogatari http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3074/Suruga+Kanbaru.html

5. Tsubasa Hanekawa from Bakemonogatari http://www.amazon.com/Bakemonogatari-Tsubasa-Hanekawa-Scale-Figure/dp/B004VCXLMM

6. Sayaka Miki from Puella Magi Madoka Magica http://www.figure-anime.com/images/stories/gallery/toys/figma-miki-sayaka-maxfactory-01.jpg

7. Saber Lion from Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper http://www.papatoy.com/117-large/good-smile-nendoroid-saber-lion-figure-no50.jpg

8. Shinobu Oshino from Bakemonogatari http://otakufuel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/large_20296_shinobu_oshino.jpg

9. Ruri Goko aka Kuroneko from My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute http://www.gundammodelkits.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Oreno-Imouto-18-Kuroneko-Figure-01.jpg

10. Kaiji Ito from Ultimate Survivor Kaiji http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10145596

In honor of the 7th anniversary of Hayate the Combat Butler we have decided to run a little contest. On the cover of Hayate chapter 343 there are ten anime figures. Can you name the ten anime characters represented on the picture? We circled and numbered the figures you have to identify. If you can name them all you have a chance to win the prize package below. In case no one gets all ten the prize will go to person who has the most correct answers. In case of a tie there will be a random drawing between the tied contestants. Just email us at reversethieves [at] gmail [dot] com with your name, address, and the ten characters in order with the subject “Win Nagi Sanzenin’s Money” before November, 11 2011. The winner will be announced on November, 12 2011. Have fun, good luck, and let us all wish Kenjiro Hata continued success!

*U.S. residents only please. Sorry our abroad buddies we just can’t afford it.

Also the prizes:

I along with thousands of others rejoiced to hear that Sailor Moon would finally be rereleased in English and thankfully with a new translation to match. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, there are also lovely color pages! Rereading something with such nostalgia for so many of us can be precarious sometimes because there is always the possibility of being let down. Sailor Moon is not that type of title if you are going in with the knowledge that this is a title meant for little girls; a mighty entertaining fantasy adventure that hits all the right notes for little girls. The strength of friendship is central to the series and it really takes hold of that right away. Equal is the intrigue (totally transparent to the audience) of Tuxedo Mask. The pace is happily brisk as Usagi whisks through villains and gains new guardians. The dialogue is rather stiff at times but not sure whether to attribute that problem with translation or not. The art of course shines and doesn’t feel aged though you can see Ms. Takeuchi getting better as the story goes which is only natural. Sailor Moon is a legendary title that changed a genre so that also means that it isn’t a perfect piece. But not being perfect doesn’t prevent it from being point of delight full of naive fantasy. It is great experiencing it all over again.

Well, if Natutaki is talking about the mother of fighting magical girls shows I might as well talk about one of its most modern grandchildren. I have been enjoying Suite Precure even if I have not mentioned it since episode 12. But since episode 35 is the accumulation of a lot of reveals I think it is worth talking about again. In that time the show has had the birth of Cure Beat,  a major power-up, the many reveals around Cure Muse, and of course the unmasking of the true villain of the series. The birth of Cure Beat was in itself pretty cool but as Narutaki mentioned the transformation from Siren to Ellen was sort of lame. It is like after she officially became a Cure some one switched her from evil to good like she was Krusty doll. The reveal of Cure Muse was better of it does require some Superman/Clark Kent and Batman/Bruce Wayne levels of ignorance. Also the reveal of Mephisto not being the big villain was pretty important as he would have made far to weak a foil especially as compared to previous masterminds. Overall I am still enjoying Suite Precure but 35 episodes in it is clear it will never be as strong as Heartcatch. But I am OK with that.

The other sequel I’m watching this season is World’s Greatest First Love (eps. 1-3). I really found the first season funny and sweet and of course unrealistically romantic. Season two is still those things, but the plot is spinning its wheels. I can at least say Takano is not content to stay in place but he can get nowhere when Onodera pretty much refuses to acknowledge his seriousness, even when he is completely straightforward about it. I’m hoping some subsequent episodes feature the bookseller and editor who haven’t had that much time to develop.

So after all the S.W.A.T. reviews I have decided to keep watching Gundam RAGE! … I mean AGE. Once again Gundam fandom turns on a dime whenever it receives the tiniest bit of information. Therefore the was huge backlash when fandom saw the first episode of AGE as they cried it conformed all their worst fears about the series being for kids. Then in episode two they all suddenly loved AGE because the AGE system was rather impressive. I don’t know their reaction after episode 3 and quite frankly I don’t think I care. I don’t understand why veteran mecha fans don’t ever remember that it takes 10 episodes for any 50 episode Sunrise show to even begin to show its true colors. When new fans make that mistake it is understandable.  When old fans to make the same mistake it makes you wonder if they have any sort of ability to learn from the past. This means they won’t have a real opinion on the series for at least 5 years. Until then they will have 30 more changes of heart. AGE is definitely shooting for a bit of a younger crowd but I still think there is a lot to like and I look forward to see where they go with this. I will say that as much as Emily Amonde seems like the AGE version of Sayla Mass it seems that Yurin L’Ciel is the AGE version of Tifa Adill complete with Tifa’s psychic powers. I like Flit Asuno and I am curious to see what legacy his passes on to later generations in the show.

Finally had the chance to watch more Young Justice (eps. 10-12). So whose crap idea was it that they add in everyone suddenly attending Gotham Academy? At least they don’t spend too much time there. The plots of these maintained the complexity of previous episodes and also add a bunch of villainy faces to the cast. There is also some movement on the Ms. Martian / Superboy front but it felt pushed. Still, it is nice to not have everyone is a holding pattern. Episode 12 solidified Artemis as part of the team and also got me to like her a bit.

Wow! It has been seven years since the Hayate no Gotaku! manga has started. I have to say that time sure flies when you’re having fun. I am glad that chapters 337 – 342 have returned to the normal routine of silly adventures. The doujinshi arc was fun but I was glad to get back into the silliness after all the drama of the Nagi’s manga. The fact that 337 had the cover it did not hurt matters at all. I have to say that I am still loving Hayate after seven years. The fact that it still brings a smile to my face is proof enough. I enjoyed the fact that to celebrate the seventh anniversary they had an extra section with Ruka’s Fly Dolphin doujinshi. I must mention that Chiharu has really grown on me lately. She is not knocking Nagi or Maria out of my top spots but she has  won me over even if she is a late addition to the cast. I find her friendship with Nagi very refreshing and sweet. That said we need more Maria. There is never a chapter that cannot be improved with more Maria. Other than that I am really looking forward to the new Hayate movie and season 3 of the anime. Stay out debt Kenjiro Hata and keep making the manga I love.

Detective Conan movie 9: Strategy Above the Depths takes place on a luxury cruise line, but thanks to today’s technology they aren’t totally cut off from the outside world as the usual police are flown in to investigate. I found this aspect to be slightly disappointing actually, but they want to get in all those favorite faces. There is a lot going on on this ship including conspiracy, murder, and bombs. Since these movies are known for spectacle, these bombs go off creating havoc just as the killer is confronted. While this time around the audience knows the culprit from the beginning, there are still some twists as Conan tries to uncover the clues and motive. Knowing the answer beforehand allows you to follow Conan’s logic, but it takes some of the fun out of trying to deduce the perpetrator. And when most of the people are safely off the ship, an intense show down begins as Conan and Kogoro look for Ran on the fast sinking vessel. This Conan movie lands in the middle for me, not super great fun but certainly not a lame film either.

I got Hayate the Combat Butler volume 15 for my birthday but I never did talk about it. It is nice to go back to a long string of silly stories considering all the drama with Ruka Suirenji and doujin and how serious it has been recently in the manga. We get two really great Nagi chapters with her wandering around the mansion at night and her building RC cars. They are great little stories and the RC storyline has one of my favorite lines of all time, “An Otaku who lacks love and care is just a nerd.” Good Nagi and Hayate moments throughout. This volume also has two Fumi Hibino chapters. I usually think her chapters are funny but she is easily my least favorite Hayate character. It also ends with the beginning of a Hinagiku story which I am sure will make many people happy. But speaking of making people happy there is a Maria story and a little Maria fan service as well. Great volume all in all.

In Kekkaishi vols. 25-26, not only does the conspiracy of the Shadow Organization start to become more clear, it seems to be setting up the final arc of the series. It is obvious now that not only is someone in the group destroying deities, that someone looks to be the head. Of course, with so many people involved as well as recent disappearances and murders, one can’t really take anything at face value. But possibly the most interesting development of all is Yoshimori bonding with Karasumori, as if he can feel and speak to it. Things are just getting more complicated by the volume what with so many conflicting people and information, plus we are seeing more of the elusive Masamori and his plans.

I recently finished the first 6 books of Jojo’s Part 6: Stone Ocean. Hirohiko Araki decides to in yet another unexpected direction by setting part 6 inside a women’s prison. Jolyne Kujo is the first female protagonist of the series and the neglected daughter of part 3′s Jotaro Kujo. She is a punk girl set up for murder in a prison filled with stand users who are being controlled by someone with dastardly plans for the Joestar family. She is an entertaining heroine and a good female character in the Jojo’s tradition. This part is set in Florida so I am surprised the AWO crew has not gotten around to discussing it so can remark on how obviously 100% accurate everything in the series is. I must say that Foo Fighters is one of the strangest characters in a series renowned for strange characters. I won’t ruin it. You just have to meet Foo Fighters for yourself. I am curious to see where this goes as the main antagonist has finally been revealed. A great addition to the series.  If you are not sold then I have a simple pitch: The opening scene of this arc is a discussion of female masturbation. Please at least read the rest of the article before you going search for Stone Ocean.

I finally read Spider-Man: One More Day and, possibly because of all the buzz and craziness it generated when it first came out, I didn’t really find myself on either side of the fence. The dire circumstances of Aunt May slowly dying really unhinges Peter. And in classic fashion, making a deal with the devil has more fine print than anyone imagines. The ending is sad, but kind of fairytale like, at least to me who believes no matter what Mary Jane and Peter will come together again, someday. I don’t really care for Joe Quesada as an artist, he tends to use a lot of line work on people’s faces which makes everyone look very old (even children).

I finished Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with episodes 8-26. I was glad to see the strong start lead into a great middle and a satisfying conclusion. By hook and by crook Captain America, the Black Panther, and Hawkeye join the Avengers. I find it interesting that Iron Man is the leader when Captain America really seems the commander type. But as they said Cap knows how to be a good solider as much as a good leader. Thankfully all the new Avengers add their own little spin to the crew which I enjoy. The best part of the series is that all the individual story lines flow in and out of each other. While every arc is very distinct there are minor pieces that are setting themselves up or winding down from other arcs in the series.  The last arc does well to tie everything together that has come before as we see that everything has been building up to this. My only real complaint is that the Wasp is so clearly the token woman and the weakest member of the team. She has her moments to shine but she still suffers from weak girl syndrome. A shame really but a clear sign of the attitude towards women that is still in American super hero comics. But that is a minor complaint that will not stop me from watching season 2 in October. Despite all the weirdness going on with American comics recently a show like this shows you there is still an amazing core for stories at the heart of the genre.

GEN Magazine is a new online offering from small publisher GEN Manga Entertainment, Inc.. The first issue features four very different stories from sumo and boxing to oddball comedy to fantasy and finally to horror. The first Wolf was a bit hard to decipher at first, I thought perhaps it was a crime series but by the end it had a dramatic sports feeling. I’m curious how the budding friendship between Shota and Naoto will affect their separate threads. Also on the curious drama end was KAMEN where a masked warrior wakes up to find himself in a war-torn countryside. This story has a familiar, kind of like Guin Saga, feeling. But as with most fantasy stories, one chapter is not enough to get a feel for the world and mythos it is building yet. The drama is finished out with Souls where a mysterious woman confronts a girl’s mother about her past grievances. There wasn’t enough time to build the tension and emotion in the story so the resolution doesn’t produce a great reaction. My reactions were spot on for VS Aliens though with its absurd humor. Kitaro is minding his own business in school when Aya approaches him saying she believes another girl, Sana, is actually an alien. What sold me was Sana’s reaction to the whole thing, I chuckled quite a lot. The art in this anthology stands out because each series is dramatically different from each other but all leaning to the more raw end. While odd at times and indie, it never comes off as pretentious. I enjoyed three out of four stories so I call this a successful first issue!

I want to be clear what it means when GEN Magazine says it is an indie manga collection. For better or for worse this is not the AX Alternative Manga magazine. These are not radically experimental manga that break with the formula and structure of traditional manga. This is your more standard forms of manga from a small publisher that you would not normally think of alongside names like Shueisha and Kodansha. These are standard story types with artists you most probably have never heard of. But this is not a bad thing. Every manga anthology tends to have a different feel. If you had three baseball manga you can pick out which one is from Shonen Sunday, Shonen Jump, and Afternoon just by their style. So even something like the boxing manga in this anthology may have manga tropes you have seen in more mainstream titles but it also has a unique vibe. Like Narutaki said the titles contained within feel a little more raw than you may be used to. You can tell the artists don’t have many (if any) assistants due to smaller budgets so the backgrounds are very infrequent and some of the art looks less polished than you would see in bigger magazines. On the other hand, the titles also seem freer structure and less merchandise controlled than selections from the big boys. The two titles that stuck out for me were VS Aliens and Souls. I just had to say that VS Aliens in my opinion feels very influenced by Haruhi without being a carbon copy. Not exactly sure where it is going but I am curious. I also did not like Souls but I freely admit that horror is my least favorite genre so very few horror manga tickle my fancy. Wolf and KAMEN were enjoyable but I would need a few more chapters before I could give any sort of definitive opinion on them. Wolf reminded me of Ashita no Joe while KAMEN struck my as a fantasy version of Parasyte. Reading GEN left like reading original concept doujinshi with the benefit of the structure and reliability of a professional magazine. It is a magazine for people who want something outside of the mainstream without going into avant-garde pretentiousness.

In Kekkaishi’s 24th volume, we start to see the emergence of Karasumori’s true nature and Yoshimori’s link increases as well. He takes further steps with his kekkai training when his grandfather tasks him with destroying the “no thought box.” Yoshimori is also determined to understand Soji despite his suspicions about him and against Sen’s advice. We know that he has a master in the Shadow Organization which furthers proves how much in-fighting is going on. Still Soji is a great warrior and I’m curious about him, besides we know it won’t be clear-cut.

I decided to finally sit down and watch the first episode of the Taiwanese Hayate Live Action series after Magical Emi said it was not as bad as I thought it might be. I will admit that the first episode was fairly close in spirit to the manga. The premise is pretty much exactly the same. You have a hard working boy who loses his job thanks to his parents and finds  left him with a huge debt to the underworld. He tries to pay it off his debt by kidnapping a cute young debutant but instead ends up saving her and becoming her butler. They use a lot of the same jokes but they add some new ones like when the thugs are initially shaking down the hero their conversation goes a little differently including a little knife fight. That said there are some major differences. All the characters have Chinese names. Also the actors in the version I watched seemed to be speaking one dialect of Chinese but are dubbed in another. All I know is whoever the dub actress for Maria needs to learn to deliver lines better as her delivery was flatter than a pancake. Also they introduced Athena in the first episode which was rather unexpected. I am surprised they did not try to throw in the Giku as well. The thing is I sense major chances on the way I noticed the opening had far more handsome male characters than female characters which I suppose is a concession for live action. Also I am sure they are going to focus more on the romance than the comedy being a live action adaption. My favorite parts of the manga are always when they go to the comedy as opposed to the drama so it makes me far less interested in watching more. So far it is not as off the mark as some other live action adaptations I have seen but I don’t think it will win over a new converts to the idea.

Finished up Ano Hana this past week. While they didn’t answer some of the more practical questions, it was really an emotional journey. I felt the resolution in the last episode was rushed and could have used just one more installment to really ground it. Because of this I found the last piece to be a bit much and only memorable for all the screaming and sobbing. Despite that, I found the rest of the series nicely done and heartfelt.

I finally sat down and finished the original season of Pretty Cure after starting it all the way back in Ongoing Investigation #4. Pretty Cure is an interesting show in retrospect. It is curious to see how innovative it was at the time yet how it stuck to the general formula of the fighting magical girl show so strongly that no one would every think it was anything but a fighting magical girl show. The fact that Daisuke Nishio directed the fight scenes like a shonen fighting show would influence the franchise forever. I could do a whole article on how the original Pretty Cure effected the franchise but I think I would want to see everything in the body of work that is Precure first. I enjoyed the series but for all its innovations is still a magical girl show and you have to like the formulas involved to enjoy the show. If you only watch one episode of the series make sure it is episode 42. The budget on the episode was clearly higher than the normal episode and the fights are lovingly animated. Also no matter how annoying you find Mipple and Mepple after the half way mark they introduce Pollun and he takes the cake. He trumps them by putting bratty kid antics on top of being a hyper-saccharine mascot character. He does not destroy the show but he hardly helps it. I will say that I was really shocked that the series end with a victory but an overall bittersweet if not outright depressing ending. They already had Max Heart waiting in the wings but if they had ended the series there it would have been slightly shocking.

Filed under: Anime, Manga, Ongoing Investigations Tagged: Ano Hana, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, Futari wa Pretty Cure, GEN magazine, Hayate no Gotaku!, Hayate the Combat Butler, Kekkaishi, Pretty Cure ]]> http://reversethieves.com/2011/07/08/ongoing-investigations-case-130/feed/ 1 reversethieves narutaki hisuicon sep-manga narutaki sep-anime hisuicon sep-anime narutaki sep-manga hisuicon http://reversethieves.com/2011/06/10/chiharu-harukaze-and-the-straight-talk-express/ http://reversethieves.com/2011/06/10/chiharu-harukaze-and-the-straight-talk-express/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:30:41 +0000 reversethieves http://reversethieves.com/?p=13908 ]]>

I recently mentioned how much I have enjoyed the comedy in Hayate the Combat Butler but Kenjiro Hata occasionally decides to drop some hardcore truth on us as well. In chapter 319 we learn the truth about the doujinshi market. Only 5% of doujinshi sell over a thousand copies, about half sell less than 50 copies, and 70% lose money on their efforts. In one page it shatters the idea that people are casually making themselves famous or making a casual living through doujinshi. When you sit back and think about it the reality of the situation is quite obvious but sometimes you need it laid out in plain black and white. It is easy to see CLAMP and Type-Moon create a career out of their amateur work and assume this happens more often than not. You always hear stories about doujinshi artists who turn down professional work because of  the insane hours and might conjecture they are making a living doing their independent projects. I guess I always assumed the success rate was higher even if that was a very naive notion.

On the other hand I am curious how different this is from trying to make a living off of doing an independent or web comic. I am sure there are a great number of people who try their hands making a living off of their creative talents but only a select few that ever become anywhere near successful. I just wonder if a career via doujinshi has any higher or lower success rate versus other forms of independent comic art.

Hayate the Combat Butler is hardly an obscure series but I wanted to bring it up for two reasons. The first is that as far as a I can tell Hayate, much like many other Shonen Sunday titles is hardly doing gangbusters in the English-speaking world. Viz has already slowed down the release schedule on the series. While I don’t think it will be canceled anytime soon I would like to see its schedule speed up rather than slowed down further.  The other reason is the is the lull between the end of the second season and the movie. Manga seems to generate less conversation when there is no anime running at the same time. So I have decided to hopefully get some conversation going before the movie comes out.

Hayate Ayasaki has the worst parents in the world. One day he comes home to discover they have saddled him with a 156,804,000 yen debt. Through odd circumstances he winds up in the employ of the insanely rich Nagi Sanzenin as her butler. Nagi has  fallen in love with him but sadly Hayate is blissfully unaware of this fact. At first Hayate had to protect Nagi from people who would try to steal her fortune. Recently Nagi renounced her inheritance and is running an apartment complex with the little money she has left. So Hayate tries must keep the apartment complex afloat while dealing with the strange residents within and their equally troublesome friends.

People often ask me why I like Hayate the Combat Butler so much. My answer is that it is refreshing. Whenever I read the newest chapter of the manga I just feel my worries fade away. Kenjiro Hata has a gentle writing style that is both soothing and invigorating. The series is consistently funny and mixes high level otaku humor with your more standard comedy elements. There is also a mixture of romance, action, and drama in the story but every chapter is sure to have some laughs to balance it all out. The other major appeal is that the characters are very endearing to me. While I wrote a whole article on why Nagi is such a great character I could write similar articles on the rest of the cast.  I think since our review of the anime I have realized that the otaku level for the series might be a little too high for some but I think any decently experienced anime fan will find something to enjoy in Hayate.

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This post has been brewing for a while, and is by no means a complete listing. But before it got totally out of hand, we had to think of which characters could really use their own stories beyond the fact that we just like them a hell of a lot. This is mere sampling of some of the great side characters that we’re pretty sure could hold their own in a series. Eventhough the title of this post mentions L, he already has a spin-off albeit a bad one, so we’ve come up with a list of other great spin-off options! Oh, yeah, 1/3 of our picks are still detectives though!

Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Zelgadis Greywords
Slayers

The Slayers anime could have been named Lina Inverse starring in Lina Inverse’s Magic Kommandos considering how much the supporting cast spent in the background (quite a contrast to the original novels) especially during the final battles. However, that doesn’t mean you could forget any of them! The two with the strongest dynamic among themselves were easily Amelia and Zelgadis. After seeing them in the latest Slayers anime this was only more confirmed. They contrast either other with near polar-opposite personalities but can come together for a cause with a bit of romantic tension on the side. Zelgadis needs to find a cure for his condition and Amelia’s love of justice creates an easy way to hook them to whatever plot line you whip up. Also while being powerful fighters and magicians they are not the invincible powerhouses that Lina is therefore you can give them adventures of a smaller scope rather than the fate of all existence and not feel like they are overpowered for the task.

Heiji Hattori
Detective Conan

If anything it might seem like Heiji Hattori is almost cheating. He is the Great Detective of the West while Shinichi Kudo is the Great Detective of the East. But they aren’t total mirror images of each other, similar romantic situations notwithstanding. Heiji has a more upbeat, fun-loving attitude giving his mystery-solving a different flavor. While Heiji does not currently have an overarching meta plot like Shinichi has with the Black Organization, he could easily be given some greater mystery to piece together. For example, since he is quite famous as a genius teenage detective his fame could easily attract him a Professor Moriarty like arch-villain to so spice things up. And since we already know the abilities of Gosho Aoyama to tell a good mystery, it seems like a safe bet.

Ozma Lee
Macross Frontier

No matter where your allegiance was in the Ranka/Sheryl War there was one character everyone could get behind, at least we hope, and that was Ozma Lee. He is a new Roy Focker without being pineapple-saladed. Ozma is the prime character for a more adult like Macross Plus-style spin-off that deals with a more mature storyline. Heck, many a fan like Macross Plus best of all despite it being a bit off the beaten path of the original. It would also let them develop the relationship between him and Cathy Glass which was one of the best parts of the TV series. Plus him being a Fire Bomber fan could easily lead some Macross 7 cross-over. So really what we are saying is that we want an aging-rocker Basara and Ozma team-up.

Cotton
Oblivion Island

So Oblivion Island, not sure a great flick, but one character stood out for both cuteness and resourcefulness, the plucky stuffed-lamb Cotton who kinda looks like a rabbit with his hat on. The design is on the more creepy side, especially those button eyes, but Cotton proves to be the best companion one could ask for. And he pretty much saves the day. The world create in Oblivion Island could make for a ton of adventures and no one would be better suited to explore it than Cotton.

Wataru Tachibana and Saki Kijima
Hayate the Combat Butler

Kenjiro Hata has stated that if he ever did a spin-off from Hayate it would be centered around Wataru and Saki so we just want to voice what a wonderful idea we think that is. This is a parody and comedy series but has enough appreciation for the things it is poking fun at. First of all Wataru’s shameful otaku nature is both a comedy goldmine and is sure to be relevant to modern fandom. Plus he has all the trappings of Nagi like school life and weird relationships to deal with. Saki on the other hand provides a bit of otaku pandering while staying on the pleasant side of entertaining. The video store is a great place to start plot lines and bring characters together like a nerdy Cheers. Plus you can always work in Hayate character cameos then add regulars at the store for a backbone to a new cast.

Aru Akise
Future Diary

Aru Akise could, and should, easily be the star of his own detective manga. Who can not get behind a man whose dream it is to be the world’s greatest detective? And since he isn’t yet the greatest you can build tons of growth. He has displayed an amazing amount of intelligence and was able to go toe to toe with enemies using his wits alone. He is sort of like L, but with social skills, having a Sherlockian ability to draw conclusion from the smallest details and a connect the dots. Aru could play off an assistant or not, either would entertain the audience while solving cases. Also having a positive and strong homosexual character in the protagonist position that isn’t a yaoi manga would be a nice change of pace.

Hisui’s Bonus picks:

Allenby Beardsley
Mobile Suit G Gundam

Don’t you hate it when of the coolest characters is introduced late in the series so they never get as much screen time as they deserve? Sadly Allenby was not introduced until halfway through the series. But her charming spunky tomboy personality won me over. Plus you can be hard pressed to remember too many capable female and powerful Gundam pilots who don’t die horribly. Her adventures in the Future Century world could be fun with a great combination of comedy, action, drama, and romance. She is powerful to stand on her own as a heroine but likable enough to draw other characters to her for momentous tasks. Plus I always just want more Allenby.

Touko Aozaki
Garden of Sinners

Despite being at least mentioned in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night, and being a supporting character in Kara no Kyoukai it seems that Touko Aozaki has never gotten her own time in the spot light. The woman runs a supernatural detective agency so she is automatically cool. Since Touko is not an overpowered god like Shiki it would require her to do more investigate work and use bit more finesse like a Japanese version of the The Dresden Files. Maybe we can finally see what caused the falling out between her and her sister.

The case in question is episode 30 of Hayate the Combat Butler: “The Beautiful Rich Great Young Detective Lady Saw It! The Case of the Murdered Female Teacher Amidst Clouds of Steam”

Hayate the Combat Butler is a character based comedy series but they love to parody and poke fun at a wide variety of topics at the same time. Given the popularity of detective anime, and detective series in general in Japan, it is no wonder that Hayate and Nagi encounter a mystery while visiting the hot springs. This intentionally cliché scenario leads to a  fourth wall breaking look at the mystery genre with tongue firmly in cheek.

The prime show that is referenced in the episode is Detective Conan. Since Detective Conan runs in Shonen Sunday along side the Hayate manga so they often tip their hat to their brother comic. The fact that Conan is also the most iconic detective anime is no minor factor as well. They often have Nagi dressed as Conan throughout the episode with his signature glasses although she acts more like Kogoro Mori than Conan Edogawa. In the end we see Hayate drugged in a chair with Nagi hiding behind him impersonating his voice with a bow tie as in the classic Conan formula.  We also see references to the phantom thief Kaitou Kid and the Conan’s hint segment. But the examination of the genre goes beyond just a parody of the adventures of Shinichi Kudo. When Nagi initially examining the body we have a series of reference to classic Sherlock Holmes mystery the Adventure of the Speckled Band. At the same time the red text transitions are a nod to the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni murder mystery game series. And nothing wins Narutaki’s heart like a nod to Sherlock Hound.

The episode also look at the universal tropes of the murder mystery genre. There is a montage of classic hot spring mystery cliches which is a set unto itself including the obligatory fan service of girls bathing shots, a gourmet meal scene, a ping-pong match, and an interrogation at the bar. We also get the classic dying message with an unexpected Dick Cheney joke. They also pull the standard trick that the dying message actually has two layers one of which is easily seen but sends people on a wild goose chase and the correct interpretation which the detective notices. There is also the video tape made just before the murder that gives the detective another type of dying message. We also get the old chestnut of placing a recorder underneath table to play the victim’s scream to throw off the time and/or location of death. But the granddaddy of all tropes in the final denouement that takes place on a rocky cliff with the ocean raging in the background.

This was an undoubtedly an enjoyable little anime adventure that did not appear in the manga although there is a chapter that is a silly Conan/Hayate crossover. This episode was a loving tribute to murder mysteries that praises the genre while taking it down a few pegs at the same. I think this tribute to all thing mystery related makes an excellent episode to start of the No Case Too Small segment of the blog.

Above are two panels from the early chapters of Katte ni Kaizo. He has a standard layout of panels but is not afraid to deviate from the norm. On the lower left had corner of the first page we see the increasingly smaller and smaller panels that spiral inward in a style that Kumeta likes to use especially when he gets to frenzied points in the plot. Everyone’s hair style is bold and distinct but can be drawn with no shading or line work and often is. On first page we get two reaction shots with black backgrounds that Kumeta uses for bold reaction shots but on the second page we see how he does more sedate reactions. The first page also shows us Kumeta’s love of charts, lists, and diagrams in the background for comedy scenes and rants.

With Hata’s Heroes of the Sea Lifesavers one of this earliest solo works where we get to see the beginning of his transition to his own style while still seeing traces of his influences. All of the backgrounds, especially the beach side restaurant and it’s foliage, look very much like the backgrounds one would see in Katte ni Kaizo. The hair is more detailed than Kumeta’s but it still retains some of Kumeta’s stylization. The reaction shots are similar but you never have the drastic all black backgrounds that Kumeta likes to use for extreme reactions. Also Hata seems to always have some bit of background scenery in panels whereas Kumeta will often not draw a background at all. His paneling is very standard Shonen Sunday paneling as opposed to the more unconventional paneling of his mentor.

Above is about the best comparison you can ask for. The cover on the right is the original cover for Heroes of the Sea Lifesavers and the cover on the left is the newly drawn cover for the reprint that was released along with Hayate volume 25. Hata’s coloring and shading have changed with the difference in technology over the years.  His hair is much less like Kumeta’s and now has a greater amount of line work and shading. The male characters seem taller and a bit more svelte. We can also see a distinct change in overall character design especially in the eyes.

With this page from a recent chapter of Hayate we see the full transformation. One of Hayate’s old classmates named Souya has the same name and character design as the main character from Heroes of the Sea Lifesavers but is clearly drawn in Hata’s modern style. The backgrounds, hair styles, eyes, and foliage are now much more inline with Hata’s style. There has been a slow but gradual shift towards Hata having his own style while still retaining traces of his mentor’s.

Kumeta himself has changed in the meantime as well. His work on Zetsubou-Sensei has become extremely stylized compared to his work on Katte ni Kaizo. The hair is now almost always one uniform shape with the absolute minimum of coloring and line work. Backgrounds are mostly nonexistent and extremely minimalist. The use of charts, lists, and diagrams as well as they very unique paneling has only increased. He has taken everything that made him unique back in his Katte ni Kaizo days and intensified it stylistically.

I’m not sure whose art style I prefer but both styles suite the subject matter of their comics well. It does make me wonder how much art style effect story and vice versa. I will conclude by stating that I hardly consider myself an expert on sequential art especially as compared to several of the people I regularly read. So one of the main purposes of this article is to throw this skeleton of a concept up and see what readers with a greater understanding of manga artistry can extract from it.

If there is one thing the internet has enough of, it is hate. Hate for shows, hate for people, and plenty of hate for characters. Unfortunately, we will be spreading such ire today. What would our former post be without its companion piece? However, I would like to point out this post isn’t about bad characters or poorly written development, it is about characters we dislike for inherent flaws in their personalities. I would even argue, if I can passionately oppose a character that means they are actually written rather fully. Once again we are trying to explore what, if anything, it means to dislike a character with such fervor. This, much differently from the previous post, can get a bit hairy and quite intense at times. But we will do our best to be respectful. Maybe.

I really hate fake strong female characters. They are female characters that the writers try to pass off as strong but are really just weak. Cecily Cambell from The Sacred Blacksmith is a prime example. We are supposed to believe that she is a strong swordswoman that can defend her self. But she mostly goes around being useless. This annoys me more that the standard token chick because at least you don’t have high expectations out of them. Another great example is Clarice from Claymore. Also belligerent women than are actually weak but the writers mistake being confrontational with strong. The fact that they kept portraying Sheryl Nome as a strong woman when she is clearly just fronting to hide her deep insecurities. The fact that people rally behind her as some sort of symbol of feminine strength really ticks me off. Also the fact that show never acknowledges any of Sheryl’s behaviors as anything but a virtue. This is in contrast to Ami Kawashima from Toradora whose same actions are seen as the weakness and defense mechanisms that they are. The other character that stood out to me as being horrible was Takumi Nishijo from Chaos;Head. He had to be one of the most unlikable protagonists I have ever seen. People usually complain about harem leads being generic and unsympathetic. Takumi has all the traits that make harem leads so hated and then either exaggerates those traits or has even worse traits on top of that. He is selfish, petty, lecherous, misanthropic, and just a disgusting human being. At least I felt some amount of sympathy for Tatsuhiro Sato from Welcome to the NHK. I have not one iota of good will towards Takumi and could not drag myself through a show with him as the lead.

I can be a harsh critic when it comes to character flaws, so where to draw the line was a little more difficult because once again this isn’t just about annoying characters, it is about characters that sort of epitomize traits that I dislike above all else. First up is a woman whose death I called for as each episode she further gathered my dislike, oh Flay Allster (from Gundam SEED), how I will always recall your attempts (and successes) at being a racist solipsist who uses her femininity in the worst ways with hatred. One must draw the line at trying to get nice guys killed. Squarely in the middle is Sakujun (from The Story of Saiunkoku) who has something not quite right about him from the moment you lay eyes on him. Sakujun acts in such a roundabout way that he takes advantage of good people so much so he borders, no, he is mentally abusive. He portrays the ultimate ends of using guilt and obligation to get what you want. And to round things out is Misa (from Death Note) whose ridiculous obsession with Kira makes her a gothic doormat. Her inability to see the things right in front of her is phenomenal and intensely frustrating as is her attempt to see anything Light does as love.

The oddity for me is Hinagiku Katsura from Hayate the Combat Butler. I normally adore characters like her. She has pink hair, she uses a sword, she is proud and confidante but kind and supportive and she loves someone from afar. But for some reason I really don’t like her as much as the rest of the cast. Unlike say Narutaki who actively hates Sanji I just don’t really like Hinagiku. I can’t put my finger on what exactly I dislike about her that stops me from liking her the way everyone else worships her. I do on the other hand get all worked up about her fandom that insists that the manga should be about her and that she is the best character ever. It is like everyone would rather be reading Hinagiku the Combat Student Council President. I myself like the lead characters as they are.

A character I have trouble understanding my dislike (this may be too tame of a word) for is Sanji (from One Piece). By all normal circumstances, he should rank rather high for me but it never happened. Sanji’s got a laid back style, he cooks, and he is a good fighter but something about his love sickness really doesn’t jive with me. And I also think this particular case has also boggled the minds of many of my close friends.

The challenge is the same as before. Take what we have given you and try and make an analysis of our character from the characters we hate. Also feel free to write in the characters you hate and what you think it means about you. I did find it a little harder to choose characters I hated than Narutaki. I think we both have affection for charters as deep as the other one. I think we also both like a wide variety of characters. The biggest challenge was for use to narrow out lists down to 3 characters. But for some reason I have a harder time hating characters.

I feel like just writing this helped me learn a bit about myself!

A good deal of us put a lot of love into the characters that we like and there is no denying that sometimes it can go over the top. But that is neither here nor there in this case. There are grand ideas abound! Specifically, I am constantly wondering just how much the characters people like actually say about them. And I move in wide circles from thinking it is the window to someone’s soul to convincing myself it means absolutely nothing, and then back again. It would be egregious not to mention that I am thinking about the personalities of characters rather than looks. Frankly, looks tell me nothing about anyone, sure I may be able to pick out another character they enjoy on the surface but it doesn’t delve very deep.  Now who a character is, there there might just be something to be learned about someone. To further matters along in a fun way, we will be giving you a glimpse at some of the characters that are near and dear to us. Happy analyzing!

The first character type I tend to like is the strong but kind women like Kyoko from Maison Ikkoku. I like female characters that don’t take gruff are supportive at the same time. They may practice tough love at times but they are always looking out for the people they care for. They also tend to be a bit devious when needed but not maliciously so. Other examples would include Maria from Hayate the Combat Butler and Forte from Galaxy Angel. The second type of character I tend to like is spunky tomboys like Allenby from Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Fiery go getters that are as good as the guys if not better. They are not just boys in girl suits however. They should have a strong feminine aspect to them but they are just not fragile flowers that need to be protected. Paula Cis is another great example from After War Gundam X, as is Mion from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and certain green-eyed monsters also fall into this category as well. Girls who use swords or guns are super extra bonus points. I also tend to like goofy and relaxed male characters that will fight for those they care about like Hayate from Hayate the Combat Butler. They are characters that are laid back and gentle but can be fierce when needed to be. They also tend to be the types that never give up on their dreams no matter what happens. Justy Ueki Tylor from The Irresponsible Captain Tylor and Loran from Turn A Gundam are other great examples.

Where to begin (and who to pick) was a little more of challenge in some cases because this isn’t just about my favorite characters, it is about characters that sort of epitomize traits that draw me in. Now, you might be saying to yourself, “Hey, now wait a minute, I see a tall, blond first thing.” However, while you are right that Tamaki (from Ouran High School Host Club) does indeed fall into a looks category that I hold in high regard, it is everything else about him that puts him on this list. I have waxed poetic about Tamaki before so I will try to keep it focused here. Above all else Tamaki is a positive and optimistic spirit who the more you learn about the more you realize has an attitude not born by having an easy life but rather from a conscious decision to not let circumstances define him. He is not embittered by life, he wants life to be lively and fun and he makes it so, he wants people to be happy and so helps them be just that. Shining darkly in the middle is Arashi (from X/1999) who has remained a fixture in my fandom for many, many years. Since everything about her is wonderful, it is hard to pinpoint the best piece. But I suppose I would say she is committed to her duty and fiercely powerful but she has a woman’s heart. It’s very beautiful the way love sort of worms its way into her heart and changes her. If you know anything about X, then you know it is full to the brim with cruel fate and Arashi’s (though still in limbo in the manga) is no exception but she faces it with wisdom beyond her years. And sitting gruffly on the end is Manji (from Blade of the Immortal). What is most powerful about his character is the things he has done are not honorable but he did them because he thought he should. He is a man who knows regret but he doesn’t apologize. Manji is a killer and he makes no bones about, nor does he ever pretend he is a good guy, but even so he is seeking a bit of redemption without really expecting to get it. There are certainly other types of characters I like, but not necessarily with as much depth.

An atypical character that I like is Mihoshi Kuramitsu from Tenchi Muyo!. She tends to be way more ditzy and fragile then I like my women. She is sort of the stereotypical dumb blonde. She is hardly take charge or any sort of powerhouse except for being extremely lucky. But for some reason I really think she is a fun character. I feel like I have to like her for some reason deeper than her character design. Am I just shallow but refuse to admit it or is there some deeper significance to why I like her? I personally think she goes against my standard character preferences but maybe I am just missing something.

A character I have trouble understanding my affection for is Allelujah (from Gundam 00). He is shy, reserved, and soft-spoken but he is also technically psychotic. He has a traumatic past and really has rollercoaster ride of hashing it out. And still none of these traits really seem to scream, “this is Narutaki’s type of character!” As with Hisui, I feel like there is some reason beyond the shallow that I like him, but I just can’t pinpoint it.

Normally on Reverse Thieves we tend to talk among ourselves and then share with you our conclusion. This time we are going to let the readers do the talking. What do you think the characters we like say about Narutaki and I? Do you think that our character choices say anything at all about us? We would love to see what you think. Also feel free to write what types of characters you like and get us and your fellow readers to try out some pop psychology. Also we will try this again next week with the flip side: What do characters we hate say about us?

I feel like just writing this helped me learn a bit about myself!

Nagi Sanzenin is a 13-year-old orphaned heiress to a multi-billion dollar estate. This has made her the target of frequent kidnapping plots and assassination attempts. Because she is so often the target of ne’er-do-wells she has grownup strangely and has become reclusive to the point of being a hikikomori also making her a major cynic. She has also grown into quite the otaku. In fact, she has several rooms in her mansion filled with nothing but doujinshi and several others devoted to every video game system. She is scholar and aficionado of anime and manga of all stripes and she even draws/writes her own bizarre “ultra high level” manga called End of the Century Legend: Magical Destroy. Nagi can be stubborn, spoiled, lazy, and quite naive about how the actual world works outside her own bubble. However, she is also strikingly sharp, fiercely loyal, and adamantly determined.

I will admit that one of the main reasons I like Nagi is I feel a very strong kinship to her. I see many of my strengths in Nagi as well as many of my weaknesses. We are both hardcore otaku. We are both types who want to be friendly outgoing people but find our inherent mistrust of others always keeping us back. We can both be very sullen and withdrawn;  sarcastic and cynical; and selfish and self-absorbed. And we both can be very lazy when it comes to things we are not a fans of, skipping chores and drudgery but throwing ourselves completely into the things we loves. Is that not the hallmark of the otaku? On the positive side we are both quite intelligent people. Both of us go above and beyond for the people we love. I see much of myself in Nagi and it makes me sympathize with her.

On the other hand, there are many traits that Nagi has that I respect because I don’t have them. Nagi might get discouraged or frustrated or angry but she never gives up. There is no such things as impossible in Nagi’s dictionary; there are only things she does not want to do and things she cannot currently do but no goal or task is too great. Nagi also always speaks her mind no matter what others might think. She is never unnecessarily unkind but she never lets anyone push her around. Most of all Nagi is a character who always tries to change and tries to grow. She doesn’t always succeed but she never stops putting one foot in front of the other. She even gets a job just to earn money to buy Hayate a proper present, not because she couldn’t afford one but because she realizes the importance of a gift that was earned and not just purchased. For someone who can be selfish and self-absorbed she is very generous and selfless to those she cares for.

I want to point out that Nagi is not tsundere. A tsundere acts untrue to their feelings. A tsundere will pretend to hate the person they truly love. Nagi will shout from the mountain tops that she loves Hayate. She is never untrue about her feelings for Hayate. Though she is not able to fully expresses her feelings in front of Hayate, she doesn’t pretend to not like him. She is just inexperienced with love. Because she lacks emotional experience she often has a hard time expressing what she feels but when it really matters she has shown that she can say what needs to be said.

It is often said that we hate in others that which we hate most in ourselves. I think a majority of the hate towards Nagi comes from people to whom Nagi’s flaws strike too close to home. She has the obsessive nature of the otaku. She has the antisocial nature of the otaku. She has the selfish nature of the otaku. Perhaps they reject her because she exposes the things about them otaku that they themselves they hate the most. Being a true otaku is ironically hated by true otaku the most. I find Nagi to be fascinating because she has these flaws I think they are the same flaws that turn many people away. I feel what Nagi haters want is characters with the cute flaws or the interview question flaws. Cute flaws are minor quirks that while flaws make the character more endearing. In real life being clumsy is really annoying but in anime it is a cute quirk that makes a character lovable. You know what interview question flaws are. They are the type of flaws you list when someone asks you what your greatest flaw is on a job interview. They are merits that have a slightly dark side to them but they are still merits. I think these people want characters that are better then themselves. Characters that do not have the reader’s flaws. Characters that can live out our dreams. They are accessible to the reader but can do more than the reader. Their stories are both exciting and cathartic. But they also usually have little room for growth.

I myself enjoy characters like that but I also like characters that have room to grow and let themselves grow. Not everyone has to be Golgo 13 and Kenshiro. Narutaki wrote a whole article about that. I like how Nagi starts off as a extremely flawed but lovable character. I enjoy her precisely because we see her grow and change as the series progresses. Don’t get me wrong this is Hayate the Combat Butler we are talking about. This is hardly a complex character study or deep heartfelt drama. It is a silly otaku comedy were characters have over the top personalities to maximum comedic effect. That being said that does not mean characters are not free to change and grow. I feel that the Nagi we meet when Hayate begins is different than the Nagi that we see in the current comic. I think she will be a slightly different Nagi and the end of the series as long as the series gets to have a proper ending. It is the room for growth and this realized growth that makes me root for her the most. You don’t have to be part of the Nagi fan club but I hope I have convinced some people to stop being haters. If you let Nagi grow you will most probably see your affection for her grow as well.

Picked up Key to the Kingdom a while back but just started reading it. So far books one and two have impressed me, it is a wonderfully put together shojo fantasy. We start with Asta, the youngest prince, who has no desire to rule nor to hold a sword. So when the country’s rule lies in the hands of whoever can find the “key to the kingdom” it seems he will be free of such troubles. However, fate has other things in store as Badd, a retainer, drags him into looking for clues to its whereabouts. When a Dragon Man appears on their path it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. A diverse cast emerges along the road as Asta resists but gets caught up in the complexity of the country’s history. There are many things going in this story including action, politics, mystery, and love. I was surprised that the series is only six years old because the art certainly has a late-80′s or mid-90′s feel to it. A great start to the series, highly recommended!

I bought the hard cover of the Haruhi light novel so I figured I would throw in my 2 cents on the book. Reading though it left me with one major feeling: Wow! Kyoto Animation did a really good job at perfectly adapting the novel. If you have watched the TV series you have read the first book. Unfortunately this means there is not much to gain by reading the novel. It was fun and I enjoyed it but if you are looking forward to some deeper insight into the franchise you’re out of luck. I was hoping to get more out of Kyon‘s monologues but they too were perfectly adapted. I certainly see why they jumbled up the episode order for the original TV broadcast. It gave the fans of the original novels a new take on what would have been otherwise a straightforward adaption. So if you like collecting every piece of the Haruhi franchise, it is a well done book, but if you are looking for a new piece, it adds nothing that you have not already seen. I am personally curious how well it does among non-anime fans as a piece of teen literature from Little Brown Books.

Started watching Glass Mask (2005 version) since it is on Crunchyroll. I’ve seen three episodes so far and I gotta say, for the life of me I don’t understand why so many people are the biggest jerks in the world to this girl! Sure Maya is kinda weird and always wandering off into her own little world, but she is generally a hard-working, nice person. As she starts to move towards her goal with a passion for acting, she encounters many obstacles. However she catches the eye of an eccentric retired actress who sees her potential. The animation is very good and the style is the hybrid 70′s and new that we have seen lately (To Terra uses it for example). I am definitely going to continue on and I recommend diving right in to everyone else.

Out of curiosity I decided to check out the Hayate The Combat Butler Character Cover Album. I am really glad I did because it was pretty awesome. All the song choices are little in jokes to fans of the manga so they are utterly appropriate. A exemplary pair of examples are the first and third songs on the album. When Nagi (Rie Kugimiya) is having a karaoke battle with Nishizawa (Mikako Takahashi) she sings a Megumi Hayashibara song. So of course the first song is Nagi singing the Megumi Hayashibara single, Niji iro no Sneaker. The third song is Hinagiku (Shizuka Itou) singing Cruel Angel Thesis just like she did at the school festival in the manga. Special props have to go to Wataru (Marina Inoue) and Saki’s (Saki Nakajima) version of STEP. STEP is the opening to Mashin Hero Wataru, I thought that was clever. I liked all the songs although I wish I was high enough level otaku to catch all the references. Maria’s (Rie Tanaka) song was by far my favorite song on the album. Kanashimi yo Konnichiwa is one of my favorite anime opening songs. Having Rie Tanaka sing it just sends it to the realm of the gods. I am not sure that everyone else will get that same synergy that I did from the song. Tama and Klaus did not get character songs. How odd.

Read the first of the two book series The Lapis Lazuli Crown. The story revolves around Miel whose family is known for their magical abilities and which she isn’t very apt at. She is, for some reason, very strong though and is rather a klutz about it. One day after one of her accidents of strength, she meets Radi. Radi is a laid back and quirky guy who takes a shine to her and encourages her to pursue her magical abilities. Oh, it is mentioned that Radi looks kind of like the prince of the kingdom. I know you will all be shocked to learn that, of course, he is the prince. Thus begins their somewhat silly love story. Miel is strong-willed but kind of an idiot, however in the last chapter she is able to stand on her own giving hope that she will not need to be constantly rescued. The artwork was very cute and the manga-ka worked for Arina Tanemura so the potential seems there. I liked that Radi is upfront about his feelings for Miel (though she constantly seems to think he is lying, which got annoying) and Miel has made it clear she wants to get to the palace with her magic for Radi. However, the flow of the story doesn’t feel right. It tries to cram too many things and characters into such a short series. Why insert school into the story starting in the third chapter? The bonus story is about a girl and a phantom thief. This story was a little better with its flow. Unfortunately, this work comes off as just okay. Though with only one other book in the mix, it might be worth seeing if Natsuna Kawase can change my mind.

Because sometimes I throw Narutaki a bone as long as our tastes agree, this is the pic of the week:

My theme this week is OVAs. I guess I will cheat by starting with the Haruhi ONAs. There are two Haruhi ONA series, Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and Nyoron Churuya-san. I generally find the Haruhi-chan shorts amusing. The episodes remind me of the type of humor you would see in a comedy doujishi. Nothing in the series has had me on the floor laughing but so far all the episodes have brought a smile to my face. I find it interesting that they made Yuki a total visual novel otaku in this series. While it is funny, it makes me wonder if there is any basis for this in the novels. Speaking of Yuki the mini Ryoko Asakura that is staying at her apartment brings up the odd Japanese fascination with making miniature version of characters for omake. A great trivia question would be who was the first character to be portrayed in this fashion. Nyoron Churuya-san on the other hand is just bizarre. It is best summed up as Everyone Hates Churuya-san. It is  the story of a cheese-loving, super-deformed Tsuruya going around and being ignored or abused by everyone in these extremely non-sequitur sequences. It has very dry humor which I usually like, but not this time. Their ideal release would be as DVD extras on a boxset of the second series of Haruhi.

I read the 3-story graphic novel collection The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim. The theme for each story revolves around perceived realities. These “realities” for all of our protagonists provide some sort of pleasure or escape but ultimately propel them forward in their actual lives by the end. Each piece has a different art style seemingly just to keep things fresh and interesting (one has an indie comic feel, one looks like a children’s comic book, and one is very whimsical). All of them use some type of humor to move the point along. The first piece is called Duncan’s Kingdom which is a sort of tongue-in-cheek fantasy world. Duncan is a knight who is about to get everything he wants but is plagued by a nagging memory. This one was charming from the beginning and Duncan’s zealous nature makes for some good laughs. The second story, and the title of the book, is about the greedy Gran’pa Greenbax (who is a frog by the way) and his constant scheming to becoming more wealthy. His latest venture revolves around a “smile” that can be seen in the sky. This story took too long to get its legs and flounders in its bizarre world for the most part. I definitely feel this was the least successful piece. Last is Urgent Request where we follow lonely sales assistant Janet after she replys to one of those spam e-mails trying to con people out of money. Janet comes off as typical at first and you wonder if she is just plain stupid. However, as we see her more she becomes while maybe not relatable atleast likable and funny. I liked that by the end all our characters know the truth of their situations, can admit they went about things wrong, and then resolve to change.

In the grand tradition of OVAs the Hayate no Gotoku! OVA is a beach episode. So they give all the Hinagiku fans a topless Hinagiku scene. Still overall it was not the Hinagiku show costarring other characters no one cares about like I had feared. It mostly involves a bitter flat chested ghost taking over Nagi’s body and trying to wreak havoc. It was hardly the funniest Hayate episode but I enjoyed it none the less. So far I do not like J.C. Staff version of Hayate as much as SynergySP’s version but the goodness of the original manga still shines through. I was slightly worried about the show becoming Hayate No Gotoku: Zero no Tsukaima edition but that does not seem to be the case. Other than that it is mostly an excuse to throw all the characters from the manga into one episode including some characters that never appeared in the TV series. Fun for fans of the series but nothing to win over first time viewers.

Mixed Vegetables’s third book is much more in tune with its first. It is like the second book took a little detour. This volume mostly centers around Ashitaba getting up the never to tell her dad she wants to be a sushi chef after Hyuga’s dad offers to train her at his shop. It was great meeting Hyuga’s dad who is funny and laid back. Also the other apprentice in the shop and Hyuga’s mom are great additions. Since the feelings between these two sort of ran off course previously a lot of movement is felt in this book. There are a couple of revelations that while good, were a little less than fresh unlike the first book in the series. Still, I am enjoying it and hope to continue on this journey with these two aspiring chefs.

I got around to watching the first of the Higurashi no Naku Koroni Rei OVAs. The first installment is just one heck of a bizarre comedy episode. I liked it but it was distinctly made for fans of the first two seasons because it had spoilers and in-jokes galore. It centers around magical swimming trunks. Keiichi Maebara gets said trunks that supposedly make you irresistible to women if worn for three hours. Keiichi is unaware that due to an error the trunks will actually make him into an unrelenting narcissist. So the girls all have to band together to remove his pants at the pool. He is joined by other men who also want the magical powers of the swim trunks. Yes the plot is absurdly stupid as it sounds. But it is silly fun. The super obvious jokes about Rumiko Chie being a nod to Ciel from Tsukihime made me laugh at loud. Plus anything that gets Mion Sonozaki in a tasteful bathing suit is all right by me.

I was a guest on another podcast but this time it was me alone unlike when I was on the Ani-Gamers podcast. This time I was a guest on the 3rd episode of the Anime 3000 Panel. It was an all manga episode with Sean and JD Banks from Anime3000.com and Deb Aoki from About.com. We talked about Rin-Ne, the difference in popularity of manga in the U.S. and Japan, and the effect of American comics being giving a manga twist. We then ended the episode with manga recommendations. I once again wound up talking about Future Diary which is funny because it keeps coming up in conversation. Stu Levy should be paying me. It was really fun and everyone on the panel was intelligent and well spoken. I hope to be on again soon.

This is the pic of the week because people should remember HAYATE is the main character of HAYATE no Gotoku:

Hayate no Gotoku is an otaku comedy for the whole family.

YAY! We are really excited about the next season of Hayate (especially since we weren’t sure it was going to get one). So we thought we would try to get as many people watching it as we could before it starts up again!

This is the story of the most unlucky boy in the world. Hayate Ayasaki has only ever known a life of hard work and sorrow. One day, he comes home to find that his parents have borrowed 156,804,000 yen from the Yakuza and that they have left him the responsibility of paying off this debt. Hayate decides to ransom a girl to get the money and the girl he first stumbles upon is Nagi Sanzenin. Due to an odd miscommunication that shall set the tone for the whole series, Hayate’s declaration that he is going to kidnap Nagi comes off as a love confession. And of course Nagi falls completely in love with him in that instant but it is a love built on a misunderstanding.

Poor Hayate never had a chance as his last pay check was given to his good for nothing parental units who promptly used it to gamble. But Hayate is innately good and even when he really, really tries to be bad he just ends up screwing it up. But I guess that is why he gets all the ladies.

After Hayate saves Nagi several times instead of kidnapping her, he asks Nagi to find him a job. Nagi can immediately think of only one position for Hayate. Under her; as her combat butler (yes, that innuendo was intentional). And so through some shenanigans Nagi agrees to pay off Hayate’s debt and in return he will pay off the debt to her as her butler. The main problem as Maria, who is Nagi’s maid, quite succinctly put it is: there is a humongous bomb waiting to go off between Nagi and Hayate. Nagi believes that Hayate is head over heals in love with her and does everything for her due to their love. Hayate is eternally grateful to the woman who saved his life but is unaware of any feelings she has for him. Maria is quite aware that this is a problem waiting to happen so she does everything is her power to make sure this does not blow up in everyone’s face.

This is a recipe for pure comedy. The show is miscommunication after miscommunication between these two, then throw in: a beautiful maid who Hayate is crazy about; an odd old butler and a talking tiger; a jerky grandfather; Nagi’s “fiance” who is the owner of a video store; a wacky bunch of friends of Nagi; wackier students and teachers at her and Hayate’s school; gobs of girls in love with Hayate; a huge estate; unlimited amounts of money; robots; doujinishi; a crap load of otaku jokes; and a butler battling tournament. Oh but there is some randomness that resembles an actual plot thrown in also. You see, Nagi’s grandfather has promised his fortune to anyone who can do two things. One: Make Nagi cry. Two: Make Nagi apologize. So this adds money hungry ridiculous villains sometimes.

The author of Hayate, Kenjiro Hata, is a rather interesting mangaka. He once was the assistant of Koji Kumeta who currently writes Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei. Like many modern mangaka he is as big an otaku as his readers. Apparently he is also very active on the internet, posting on his own blog and conversing with fans on 2channel. Also according to Tsunami Channel he started the manga in massive debt and was dependent on sales of the manga. I also really empathized with Kenjiro Hata when he said he started to cry in a family restaurant during the first year of writing Hayate as he thought it was going to be canceled.

Hayate is the story of a truth that grows out of a lie. Or that is what Narutaki and I like to believe. I think the things that will draw most people into this series is the two main characters. All too often you will have shows in which the main characters are super bland or annoying but the side characters are where it is at. I would be surprised if anyone who regularly reads this blog did not at least like one of the main characters. Hayate is handsome, strong, honest, amiable, charming, and a little bit goofy. Nagi is a spunky otaku girl with a sharp mind and a sweet side buried under a very blunt nature. Hayate and Nagi are great characters but they are even better characters together. They have an easy comedic interplay between them and they are also a cute couple even though they might not realize what is going on between them. It is all to easy to make characters who constantly misunderstand each other extremely annoying but Hayate and Nagi stay charming and make you honestly root for them.

Some people mistakenly call Nagi tsundere. This is absolutely not true, Nagi expounds on why Hayate is so great. And she does think he already knows she loves him as much as he loves her. So while she does get embarrassed or yell at him, it really stems from her anti-social behavior more than anything else. I’ll never forget an episode where Nagi is trying to think of a way to get Hayate out of the house for a few hours. Nagi simply lies to him yelling “I’m tired of seeing your face!” Hayate was visibly hurt. He is quite naive but sometimes I think he is actually amazingly shrewd. To put it another way, Hayate is a playa. For a guy who doesn’t have any romantic feelings for anyone, except Maria, he sure does get around. However, I too am in love with Hayate so what can I really say? I am the first to admit that while I love this show because it is funny, I am really attached to the growing relationship between Nagi and Hayate. A lot.

The hidden workhorse that keeps the series and the characters moving forward is Maria the maid. Maria is Hayate and Nagi’s greatest supporter. She troubleshoots many a disaster and often times work her hardest to keep Hayate and Nagi together and maybe even make them realize what the other one is feeling. The running gag is that everyone thinks that Maria is much older than her actually age of 17 but it’s mostly because she is the mature character in the series who has to reign things in when they get out of control. I will also admit for some reason I really like that little curly bang that hangs down from Maria’s face. It is impossibly cute.

Maria is very important, I can’t imagine anyone actually making it a week without her. Even when they try to send her on vacation it just doesn’t work. Speaking of characters that are just great, how about I talk about Wataru? Dying to hear about him I know. Wataru is Nagi’s “fiance” and no matter how much they fight, they are actually very good friends. I see him and Nagi as having similar personalities. He is spikey but very sweet deep down, he is also small and adorable. He, Nagi, Sakuya (Nagi’s cousin), and Isumi (the only person that would willingly read Nagi’s ramblings) have all known each other a long time and their friendship is very fun. He also has this funny rivalry/friendship with Hayate. His family used to be wealthy but now their only asset is a video store which Wataru works at. Nagi is constantly renting things from him. Wataru is a super otaku of special effects (tokusatsu) and thanks to his moment of self-loathing we got the title for this article.

The one thing I really don’t understand about Hayate is why does Hinagiku has the fan following she does. I like Hinagiku. Narutaki likes Hinagiku. But neither of us is running out to buy Hinagiku love pillows for our Hinagiku decorated rooms where we write in our blogs about Hinagiku in which we state how Hinagiku should be the star of the manga. It seems like at times Narutaki and I are in the minority. I recently bought a Hayate art book and Hinagiku’s face was the largest face on the cover. Any Hayate merchandise is sure to either have Hinagiku on it or have a Hinagiku version. When the second season was announced on Anime News Network there there people cheering left and right for more Hinagiku. It still makes no sense to me. What magical appeal does this girl have that I am missing?

I often want to write on messageboards: Hey, you guys know this story is about HAYATE, right? I really do think people don’t know. But we are letting that secret be known here! Hina is cool, I loved that time she dressed as Utena, but I certainly don’t need the Hina side story.

There are some differences between the anime and manga versions of Hayate. The overall story is very fast and loose so the anime changes when certain things happen and when certain characters are introduced. Of course they rush to give us Hinagiku as quickly as possible even thought she is not introduced until the manga until book four. They also tweak certain characters personalities. No one is massively different but I feel that Hayate is a little more mean-spirited in the manga and Maria manipulates events a little more openly.

Despite the cute exterior and mundane non-otaku friendly veneer of Hayate, it is an insightful and hardcore otaku comedy. There is a constant barrage of anime and manga references. Look at the Anime News Network Trivia section for Hayate to see what I am talking about. Almost all the titles are anime references. My personal favorites are “A Power That Won’t Revolutionize the World” and “Many Kids Must Be in Trouble Since Train_Man Showed Their Parents What Comiket Is All About.” Nagi’s house has statues of Detective Conan and Inu-Yasha. I think the pinnacle of the otaku love is the manga Nagi writes called Magical Girl Destroy. Nagi’s comic is a bizarre mixture of Card Captor Sakura and Fist of the North Star. It is apparently incomprehensible to anyone but Nagi and Isumi. When the main character who looks like Kenshiro in drag shouts out “Sega Saturn Black!” for no identifiable reason you know you have comedy gold. The thing is that most of the otaku references are in the background and they never rely on them. If you took out every otaku reference I fell the show would still be hysterically.

With Hayate there is just twice as much to love. You can love it as an otaku but also as a normal ole person. I mean, heck, even though I identify with the word otaku I only get 20% of the otaku-oriented jokes in Hayate. That isn’t the thing that makes me want to watch the show. It is the characters, the comedic timing, the randomness, and interactions. While clearly not a gripping and suspenseful show, it is hard not to get addicted to it.

UPDATE: Hayate is now licensed by Bandai!

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The Harold and Maude Award or Favorite Classic Manga Release:
To Terra
It is so rare to get older, 70′s titles. But I feel it is even rarer to find old shojo titles,
hopefully this will be changing in the next few years. It was nice find a serious, sci-fi story that had a solid story and characters. While looking at real world issues, it doesn’t losing any of its charm coming from the fantastical elements.

Ode To Kirihito
“Ode to Kirihito is moving, tender and engrossing. Also very, very odd.”
—Neil Gaiman, author of The Sandman and Anansi Boys
If Neil Gaiman likes it, it has to be good. At 832 pages for $25 you definitely get your money’s worth with this classic Tezuka work. One of Tezuka’s more mature works, it follows the story of a doctor who contracts a disease that makes him more bestial than human. It then becomes his quest to restore his humanity and at the same time is a examination of what makes someone human.

Burn this Book or Worst Thing I Read:
Rurouni Kenshin: Voyage to the Moon
I think I was a bit spoiled because the first translated light novel I read was Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow, and it was well done. This one was either translated horribly or just not good to begin with, unfortunately I will never know. The characters seem odd in prose form; the movements were very stilted and awkward; the fight scenes were boring and matter-of-fact. There seemed to be zero that reminded me of the greatness of the manga series.

Pretty Face
“Rando struggles to be a good “big sister” to Rina as fate conspires to put him in one disastrous situation after another. When pants start coming off, and half-naked women start crawling all over him for the thinnest of reasons, Rando must use all his karate wiles to avoid being exposed as a complete weirdo. Meanwhile, will the mad Dr. Manabe succeed in his plan to remove the last remnants of Rando’s manhood…or will Rando remove Dr. Manabe’s brains with his fist? It’s 7.5 inches of manga heaven!”
-Ad copy for Pretty Face Book 2

I admit I have not read this per-say but all the ad copy for it makes it seem so very bad. It’s like the most messed up shonen romance show premise I have heard in a while. Even Boku to Kanojo no XXX and Midori Days seem sort of cute compared to Pretty Face. Maybe it’s really good but everything about it makes me not want to give it a chance.

Hot, Wet Nobu or Best News of the Year:
Death Note Movies
Death Note movies have been licensed and the third movie (all about L) is coming out in Japan! They may even get a big screen release here in the states. Really loved these two films and am anxious to watch them again and own them for myself! Also can’t wait for the new movie, surely only made because they realized too late that everyone really loved L in the series and not Light. Yay for L fan service!

ImaginAsia getting into Anime
ImaginAsia really seems to understand how to pick up and distribute older and/or niche series and actually make a profit. If anime companies are going to continue to license older series and distribute them on DVD, they just might have to do it how ImaginAsia has been doing it.

DearS Season 2 or Worst News of the Year:
Geneon closes down
Bye, bye Geneon. I for one am very sad to see you go. Especially in mid-release of some good shows! They did a quality job and picked up some beautiful, but not super marketable shows.

Okiku Furikabutte made into anime
I guess it would be too easy for me to pick Geneon’s death as well; so I’m going with Okiku Furikabutte being made into an anime. What I have seen of this show makes it seem like moe for girls. It is nothing but shota yaoi doujinshi fodder and a side order of actual baseball manga. The main character is a useless crybaby and everything seems to be designed to be eaten up by horrible Fujoshi.

Just Shut You Mouth Already or Things I Wish People Would Stop Talking About:
Nymphet Controversy
Kodomo no Jikan! It is a horrible thing but seriously what else is there to say about it that hasn’t been said yet? Could there be a week gone by where this topic isn’t broach yet again.

Why fan-subbers are saints and heroes
I know that part of the industry’s problems come from their inability and refusal to adapt to the fact that the internet changes everything; but that does not make every fan-subbing group a bunch of faultless white hats and untouchable heroes. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Fan-subbers can be cool and do a service to the American anime community but that does not forgive the bad groups that don’t follow the rules of proper fan-sub etiquette. It also does not mean that fan-subs are only good and that they don’t sometimes hurt American fans on certain levels.

Peanutbutter and Relish Sandwich or Show I Unexpectedly Liked:
Hayate the Combat Butler
Hayate no Gotoku! It just sounded kind of “eh.” But after a friend of mine described the first episode to me, I was laughing out loud, and I had to see it for myself. It’s so wacky and ridiculous that it infectiously makes you laugh. So, while it isn’t some earth scattering series that will change your life, you can bet you will have a lot of fun watching it.

Kekkaishi
I expected Kekkaishi to be a generic shonen fighting show. But I think it takes the tried and true shonen formula, then tweaks it enough to make it something that stands out from the pack. Kekkaishi’s focus on the romance while not making it overbearing is refreshing. Also every episode seems to add to the world and plot without seeming like a stall for time. Then the fact that the female character is not just a damsel in distress or eye candy. Added to them not pulling punches and killing characters. All this and more makes it a very unusual and refreshing show. Too bad no one cares.

Can You Stop Playing That Please or Favorite Opening:
“Sha la la -Ayakashi NIGHT” by Saeka Uura
This is a tough one. I really love the song in the Gundam 00opening (it is L’arc-en-Ciel afterall) and also loved the catchy tunes from Lovely Complex. But overall awesome? Guess that would have to the Kekkaishi opening. It was one of the first things that got me curious about the show, so it was good enough to draw me in. The song is really fun and since I have sought out the artist to hear more of her stuff.

“Brand New World” by D-51 (One Piece opening 6)
The opening to kick off the Ennis Lobby section of the Water 7 Arc is an upbeat and fun opening for One Piece. I think the opening really gets you pumped while really encompassing the spirit and flavor of the series. I’m just warning you that the opening is sort of filled with spoilers so if you have not finished Water 7 you might want to hold off on watching the opening.

Wowza! or Hottest Character:
The Men of Saiunkoku
The majority of the male cast from Saiunkoku. Unless they are an old guy, there isn’t a bad face to be seen in the court! And even the old guys were good looking when they were younger. Not only is this series full of historical type drama and romance it also boasts lots of eye candy!

Revy from Black Lagoon
Damn! Revy would probably kill you as soon as you look at her, but who cares? She is HOT. She is a very competent mercenary and the way she handles herself just makes me think that she is a goddess drenched in a gown of blood. She is also built like a brickhouse and that never hurts. In a time of moe, she is the antithesis of helpless and under-aged; she is a breath of fresh air. Or more like a breath of smoky spent shells and cigarettes.

All Those Sacrificed Goats Were Worth Something or Best License Announcement:
NANA TV
NANA TV series. PERIOD. Awesome story, awesome characters, awesome music. My only really complaint about the series is it doesn’t finish the story since it is an ongoing manga. But it was a delight seeing my favorite characters moving and to hear the music. Any music series is obviously made better by having an anime counterpart.

Honey and Clover
Even though I have mixed feelings about the ending of Honey and Clover, it is an excellent josei manga and a well done anime. We get so little josei in the U.S. that any of it is welcome. Very well done josei is even better. I really want this show to have a vocal fan-base because the more diversity there is in the U.S. market the better it is for fans in general. Hagu is love.

The Micky Rooney of Manga or Best Short Manga:
Penguin Revolution
I actually wish more series were in the 5 to 7 book range. I am always anxious for a storyteller to tell their story, in a complete fashion, but then to move on to the next great story! I want to say Penguin Revolution, but it hasn’t finished in the U.S. yet and I haven’t read the last 3 books (out of its 7). But I really like the story thus far, combining hilarious capers with a bit of mysticism and romance. Her other series Land of the Blindfolded, also released in the U.S., was along these lines but the mysticism was more prominent.

Wanted!
Wanted! is a collection of short stories by Eiichiro Oda. These were written before he started One Piece. There are 5 different stories including the second version of Romance Dawn that was the prototype for One Piece. It’s an interesting look into how his style and storytelling has developed. You can also see that Oda takes certain aspects and characters from his earlier works that later incorporates them into One Piece.

Sometimes Shipping From Japan is Worth It or Favorite Piece of Merchandise:
Bandai’s Athrun Zala 1/8 figure
My brand-new Athrun Zala 1/8 figure. It is all mine! MINE! The loveliness of his face made only better by his perfect pose. Okay, maybe I’m bias.

Max Factories’ Fate/Zero 1/8 Saber
It’s Saber. She is wearing a Suit. She has an awesome sword. If you don’t like that then I’m not sure we can be friends.

Here is My Room Key or Favorite Convention Guest:
Tomokazu Seki
Tomokazu Seki who was at Otakon was so great! He did so many voices and gladly did special parts from the series for the audience. He was super kind and gracious. I almost injured myself getting his autograph and after I go it he even said something that I requested! He was all around an awesome dude who also happens to always be voicing characters I love.

Katsushi Ota
If nothing else, it’s a sure sign that we are one step closer to getting Kinoko Nasu as a guest at a U.S. anime convention. He seemed a likable guy and to be an interesting, well articulated guest. The fact that he gave me two book of DDD just because I was was a big fan was really gracious. And that he took my picture and promised to pass it on to Nasu made my day. I really hope Faust does well here in the U.S.

Mr. John Holmes Award or Best Packaging:
Beck Box Set
It would have to be BECK. The box for the DVDs looks like a mini-amp! It has some weight to it and the top of the amp opens to put the DVDs in. I just love it. It also came with stickers and all the DVDs come with guitar picks. How fun and appropriate. I don’t buy boxes much anymore unless they have some unique feature and this definitely has that.

Saiunkoku’s box set case
It’s a classy little box for a very classy show. It is shaped like a jewelry box and it has a ornate red ribbon on the front. I like how it folds open and has the fan-like disk sleeves. It also just looks very nice on a self or a desk. I’m not sure I would buy a box like this for every series I pick up, but it seems very right for this series. It’s a shame that Saiunkoku is in limbo right now. If anyone else picks up the series, I would probably still put them in this box.

Spewing Milk Out of my Nose or Funniest Manga:
Nosatsu Junkie
Nosatsu Junkie is definitely a shojo romance but it is surpassed by its hilarity. Between the dual personalities of Umi, our male lead, and the serial killer expression that our main character makes whenever she tries to smile and look cute, it is a laugh a minute.

Nodame Cantabile
Nodame is such a fun character that she could be in any manga and just make it funnier. Combine her with Chiaki and it makes comedy gold. They play off each other very well. The best part of Nodame is the characters are real enough that you feel that they could be actual people you could meet. I guess in part that comes from Nodame actually being based on a real person. I’m sure that Narutaki will agree with this assessment almost as if it seemed that parts of Nodame were based on parts of his life.

I know there haven’t been many articles this month. But with the end of the semester, holidays, and whatnot it just wasn’t possible. Next year will be a whole other story! Look forward to it.