SPOILERS FOR GUNDAM AGE EPS. 1-15

Now that the next generation of Gundam AGE has started I think Bandai has the ability to really build on what they started in the first third of the series. I know that there are still people complaining about this being baby Gundam and that accusation will never go away. In fact we did a whole article on how much of that statement is true and how much of it is the normal Gundam complaining. But I think they have a golden opportunity to add a little complexity to AGE to bring in otaku who had dismissed the show while not alienating the existing fan base. Here is my list of the top 5 things I would like to see out of the part two of Gundam AGE:

5. A Female Ace:

So far we have not had any notable female pilots in Gundam AGE besides Yurin who basically is a pilot for one episode against her will before getting the “Lalah Sune sendoff.” A good Emma Sheen or Roux Louka styled competent female pilot would probably win some fan to the series by her mere existence. Plus she could make a good romantic rival for Romary Stone.

4. A Broader Scope:

Despite the fact that there was a war going on the first leg of the story it was a fairly personal battle. It all centered around one ship and one crew with some help from some other ships near the end. I think that the second act would benefit from a great number of pieces of the Federation being involved. While that story can revolve around Diva seeing more of the other fleets would give a greater insight into how big this war has become. Gundam has always been about big wars and this series needs to start embracing the entire conflict now that we know the stakes involved.

3. Desil needs to get his comeuppance:

If you make someone as loathsome as Desil and then have them get away in the first part then the karma that hits him in the second part should be equally powerful. If he dies then his death should be grand like a Zabi family member and not something minor like the death of Jerid or Cronicle. If he lives he should have a fitting punishment like Katejina. But he can’t get be ignored, casually forgiven, or given a lazy off handed death. If you keep someone like him around you have to use hims and remove him correctly.

2. The Return of Grodek:

Grodek needs to get out of prison and make an Otcho style reappearance in the series about half way through this arc. The older fans loved Grodeck so seeing the grizzled old captain back in action would get them excited again. Throw him in a grungy old grunt suit and they may finally be happy. Plus Grodek busting heads and taking names would surely be awesome.

1. More Shades of Grey:

One of the constants of the Gundam franchise that any organization named the Federation is always a ponderous and corrupt bureaucracy more concerned with its own preservation than the safety of its people and AGE is no exception.  But the Veigans on the other hand are just bad guys. They were severely wronged by the Earth government but their reaction to this injustice puts them at a level of over the top evil. It does not help that Desil is a psychopath and Yark Dole was a fanatic. They need some Veigans to be a bit more sympathetic and nuanced or this just turns into a battle of white hats vs. black hats. Zeheart Galette is a good start but they need to flesh out the Veigans as a human enemy beyond just him. Also if they muddy up Flit and his obsession with defeating the Veigans while keeping him a likeable character that might add an unexpected depth as well. The attempt to present both sides of the conflict as neither hero or villains has been a hallmark of the series and would certainly help here.

Narutaki’s picks:

• 13 Years After Women in Refrigerators
  A collection of articles reflecting on what has happened in comics since Gail Simone’s now infamous Women in Refrigerators site. Have women characters in comics gotten anywhere since? I found the reflection on Ms. Marvel particularly amazing in just how much has happened to one character. 
  
• Do You Believe in Sherlock?
  Apparently there is a movement going on and I’m just disappointed that I haven’t seen any of this in New York City! This article breaks down what’s been happening since the end of the second season of BBC’s Sherlock, warning for spoilers. Is it a brilliant viral marketing campaign or a grassroots love for the series, we may never know.
• Visit All These Awesome Bookstores
  I know I want to! Every time I go on a trip, I’ll consult this list to see if I’ll be near any of these. Not too many in the United States unfortunately.

Hisui’s picks:

• Now This is What it’s Like When World’s Collide
  Kazuo Koike and Gen Urobuchi chatted with each other and an audience online during Kazuo Koike’s Nico Nico Character Cram School. Ko Ransom provided ANN with a summary of the chat which provided insight into the writing styles of both authors. There were also a good deal of Puella Magi Madoka Magica questions and Kazuo Koike also discussed his upcoming magical girl series. The fact that Madoka is so oddly influential nature in the anime community is still a bit odd to me but so be it.
• Mo Robos Mo Problems
  I finally caught up of episodes of the VEEF show.
  • Booby Trap: This episode says it is about Stratos 4 but its true nature reveals itself after a brief Stratos 4 review. (Because there is no way you can talk for over three hours about Stratos 4.) It is about a war as old as the battle between the Zentradi and the Supervision Army.
  • More Valkyries than Valhalla: An overview of Valkyrie toys through the years. The podcast mostly focuses on the iconic VF-1 Valkyrie but also touches on many of the other toys in the Macross Universe as well.
  • In Memory of Clan Smoke Jaguar: Battletech is the American mecha franchise. It is also an incredibly complex tactical role-playing game that has spawned a slew of multimedia spinoffs. This is Andrew’s second attempt to tackle the beast and this time he has backup.
• Type-Moon News Roundup
  • Preview of a Holy Night
  • Not Sure HOW These Two Go Together
  • The Grand Reopening
• The Cognitive Dissidence is Tearing My Brain Apart
  Come … to … Hooters … for … Valentine’s … Day … parfaits … and … Hello … Kitty.
• I Found Out This Week That Not Everyone Has Seen This
  A vital piece of your Internet education.
• I am Interested in This
  The newest 07th Expansion game is entitled Rose Guns Days and will be set in 1947. Curious to see what that will be about.

I believe!

Filed under: All Points Bulletin, Editorials Tagged: Battletech, Macross, robots, Sherlock, Type-Moon ]]> http://reversethieves.com/2012/02/05/all-points-bulletin-parfaits-in-refrigerators/feed/ 5 reversethieves narutaki hisuicon sep-pic narutaki http://reversethieves.com/2012/01/30/act-your-age/ http://reversethieves.com/2012/01/30/act-your-age/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:30:42 +0000 reversethieves http://reversethieves.com/?p=18485 ]]>

SPOILERS FOR GUNDAM AGE EPS. 1-15

Gundam AGE takes a lot of steps to try to combine the old image of Gundam with a more appealing aesthetic to children. While trying to bring kids into the Gundam fold isn’t a totally new approach for the franchise, attempting to grab both young and old audiences at the same time in the same main show can be hard to serve up. This is most difficult because of its ardent fans and long history, as opposed to working on something completely new. Gundam AGE makes great efforts of this balancing act in the first arc of its multi-generational story.

I think it is very important to note that Gundam AGE was originally supposed to be a Gundam video game by Level-5 until Bandai decided to green light the story to be a full anime series. Everything was originally written out to be for a younger video game audience with the pacing, characters, and story structure of said players in mind. I think the main disconnect between the traditional Gundam fan base and the anime is that they kept much of that same scenario in mind when they created Gundam AGE. With a younger audience turning more toward video games for their entertainment it makes sense on a certain level to try to court that audience with the same vibe of storytelling they seem to prefer. How well this is going to work has yet to be seen but there is a method to the madness. It all comes down to how well they adapt this game into an anime now that they have chosen that as their medium.

There is still quite a bit about AGE that feels like a video game. The AGE System is clearly how you were supposed to level-up your suit in the original game. The nature of the upgrades and even the method in which they are implemented seem relatively untouched from original blueprint. The enemy suits even have classes they are beaten with certain upgrades Flit unlocks by fighting enough of a certain type of enemy. A very classic video game structure of progression. Also the whole story on Fardain seems more like a video game plot than an anime plot. Flit befriending Iwark Briar and his daughter and how the crew of the Diva gets involved with the conflict between the Zalam and Euba have the pacing and story mechanics more suited for an RPG. Most people I have talked to seem to think that part of the story drags the most. I think if you were fighting while leveling up none of the section would have been as slow and unwieldy. But as a passive observer the your notice the chinks in the armor of the plot a bit more.

Something basic like the design of the characters immediately makes Gundam AGE feel younger. But as the story proceeds, those aesthetics seem to work as a grounding contrast to the story. Almost as if by creating these colorful characters they can present children with a darker story. The tropes of Gundam, like the price of war on civilians is still there but there is a bit more kiddie wish fulfilment in the earlier parts especially in terms or alliances as well. Flit acts as a an intermediary for people with long-standing feuds and inspires all those he meets. Emily even seems to forget she is a young girl or perhaps it is because of her youthful spirit that she confronts Grodek, on her own, about what she believes to be nefarious plot. The enemies that Grodek and soon all our leads are trying to defeat remain faceless, aliens for a long while which gives emotional distance but as a viewer you can read the writing on the wall. Decil is a very single-note villain who is pure evil vs. Flit the savior; black and white. Decil even cuts down his comrade Yurin without a second or remorseful thought (instead of say, having Flit accidentally do it which we be so Gundam of them). This comes off simplistic without the rest of the story being looked at. That anger that Flit has been fighting against since the beginning boils to the surface. Flit’s reaction pushes him to do attempt something he might have regretted, but he’ll never know since Grodek takes on the burden instead.

There are some parts of the first Gundam AGE that are more like the Gundam we are familiar with. It seemed to me that when Don Boyage died it was major turning point in which the story really started to put away a lot of its childish story telling. There has been deaths among both military personnel and civilians including Hendrick Bruzar but Don Boyage’s death seem to raise the stakes. The deaths seem more personal and more constant. Most importantly Grodek gets absolutely nothing for being totally right and not only discovering the truth behind the Unknown Enemy and dealing them a decisive blow that set back their plans for years. Nothing else sealed the corrupt nature of the Earth Federation Forces like sacrificing a hero for the sake of dirty politics while taking credit for his success. Also Grodek executes Yark Dole with no remorse. When we first meet Grodek he merely knocks out the some Federation officers with a stun gun. But at Ambat he murders Yark Dole so that Flit does not become a murderer.

The story grows, the consequences of war become a vital issue, and the grayness of fighting people each with a point of view and grudge is central. Bringing children in and then aging the characters up as the arcs continue might be a brilliant plan to get them interested in mature characters. One will just have to see how things play out. Onward to more Gundam AGE!

It is a hard line to toe in between appealing to old fans while trying to court new fans. Hardcore fans tend to resist change no matter how much they ask for it and nothing says changes will actually increase your audience. Gundam AGE has been an interesting experiment so far. I can’t say that it has fully succeed. The Gundam fan base just seems angry. But that is their default state. The anime fandom outside of Gundam otaku has not seemed to embrace the show as well. But the show so far has matured. I think they are moving in the right direction with slowly upping the ante and the maturity of the story. The story has a good deal of potential to keep this new-found maturity while making sure they don’t alienate their younger viewers. I wonder if this is a show that will have an audience that slowly warms to its methods or will it only be appreciated for what it is doing years from now like many of the other more experimental Gundam iterations?

Hisui’s picks:

• Just Accept that You Will Never be Ed Chavez
  The Eeeper’s choice podcast is back from its recent hiatus. Philip teams up with Ed Sizemore to look at Kingyo Used Books after shooting the breeze about the manga industry in general.
  
• Random Fact: My Brother Keeps a Raise Dead and a Swamp in His Wallet at all Times
  Chaos Theater talk about the most famous collectable card game of them all, Magic: The Gathering. So many memories, so many booster packs. What colors did you play back in the day? Heck, do you still play it today?
• If you Kickstart Me Up I’ll Never Stop
  The Manga Out Loud podcast looks at the use of Kickstarter to fund manga publishing and the community’s reaction to the Barbara project. I don’t agree with a lot that is said in the podcast but it is an interesting discussion. Ed also did an overview of the big events in manga during 2011 just before that.
• We Might not Get a U.S. Release of Turn A But We Can Take Solace in This
  If you were ever curious what Kunio Okawara designed Turn A Gundam would look like you don’t have to wonder anymore.
• This Says so Much about Gundam Fandom
  A diagram of the “winners” and “losers” involved in the romantic relationships of the various Gundam series.
• Type-Moon News Roundup
  • A well made Fate/EXTRA and EF – A Tale of Melodies mash up video
  • Some Fate/Zero Cafe exclusives 
  • Even more cafe news
  • Luna Haruna chosen to sing the ending of the 2nd season of Fate/Zero

Narutaki’s picks:

• Animation’s Annie Awards Streaming on February 4th
  This is considered Oscar night for animation!
• A Reasoned Opinion of Piracy’s Place in Comics
  Illegal downloading has come back around to be a topic again what with SOPA/PIPA on people’s minds it is no surprise. This time its American comic fans talking about the industry. David’s response takes on the accusation that piracy is the main reason comics, particularly superhero comics, have taken a dive in profits.
• ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Album Coming Out in the U.S.
  Their first ever stateside release will be a greatest hits album. They’ve contributed to plenty of anime series so expect those songs and more.
• Self-Publishing Comics Through Amazon
  Apparently it is working, and working big for one 16-year-old. Her comic was even out-selling major titles at the holidays. I haven’t gotten to read any comics yet, but her website shows of her artwork better than the interview article.
  
• Re-branding Logos for Video Game Characters
  This is actually a double re-branding since he took already established logos but used them in a creative way for a myriad of characters.
• Megaupload Closes, Toonzaki Sees Online Views Rise 20%
  There isn’t a true way to equate these two occurrences but 4kids has made the connection.

Another look at something special from Turn A Gundam:

Hisui’s picks:

• Christmas has Come Early!
  Sai-zen-sen delivered a Christmas gift I did not even know I wanted. But man it is nice. Gen Urobuchi, Kinoko Nasu, Izuki Kougyoku, Simadoriru, and Ryohgo Narita played a table top RPG for 6 nights under Makoto Sanda as the Game Master. Now they are compiling transcripts of the role-playing sessions in January. I can’t say how hyped I am for that. That is a pretty amazing writing team and as someone who can still converse and table top RPGs I have played years ago I would love to see these transcripts turned into and anime. I will probably talk more about this during the week as a little post. There is just too much to say in a little APB.
• Everything You Were Afraid to Ask about Macross Video Games and More!
  The invaluable interfering Andrew and Renato look at almost every Macross video game ever made with its merits, flaws, and how fits into Macross history. I am sure they missed some obscure WonderSwan release that some uber-nerd will complain about but it is the most complete guide you will get.
• Why Can’t Narutaki Have More Brave Police J-Decker Toys?
  Also Andrew and Arshad look at the Brave series and its curious lack of toys. While there are a good deal of merchandise for GaoGaiGar it seems the rest of the Brave series goes without.
• I’m Only Buying These to Help Japan. Really.
  The Good Smile Company is making cheerleader versions of Saber and Rin with part of the sales of each figure going to disaster relief in Japan. There is also a cute Waver figure in the fan made figure world and they plan to make a Rider figure as well.
• Archer is Bringing Sexy Back
  They also unveiled the character costumes for Fate/Extra CCC. I am ever exited to see what they do with this game. I am pleased with the … pleasantness of Caster’s new outfit. Hopefully the game itself will be just as good.
• Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened
  Shout! Factory is releasing the three series in the Transformers franchise that were only broadcast in Japan. These are “slightly”  controversial in the English-speaking Transformers fandom but I would like you to point me to the series that is not. I am curious to see how The Headmasters, Super-God Masterforce, and Victory are received now that they are in an easy to purchase from.
  

Narutaki’s picks:

• Manga Awards in France
  As you probably know, the French consume a hefty portion of the international manga market. They also get some wildly different titles from us in the U.S. These nominees for the Festival International de la Bande Dessinee will give you a good idea. And of course it once again shoves in our faces how they get Saint Young Men and we never will.
  
• Interview with Brave’s Brenda Chapman
  Brenda is the original creator of Brave and helmed the project as director but was replaced because of “creative differences.” You don’t get any better answers on that question but you do get backstory for the film. There is also a Part 1 of the interview where she talks about her time at Disney and other projects.
• Gunpla Builders World Cup in Japan
  I’m sure it will come as no surprise that the representatives for Japan in the World Cup are freakin’ ridiculous. The sets they build for the mecha are an added bonus of amazing. 
  
• Twin Earth Found!
  Well, kinda, it the planet discovered that is most like our own (so far). It is 600 light years away! There are still many unknowns about the planet like whether it is mostly rock, gas, or liquid but it is still one of those cool finds that gets you giddy with science-fiction possibilities.
  
• The X-Men is the Next Logical Step
  Brain Michael Bendis has announced he is exiting as writer for Avengers/New Avengers in the summer. I can’t imagine anyone else writing New Avengers, which he formed, probably because no one else has. This Op-Ed is about speculating that he will move over to writing X-Men which he has yet to do. I am really excited about this possibility thanks to the article and it softens the blow about New Avengers a bit. Now let’s just hope this article was predicting the future!
  
• Behind the Scenes of Arthur Christmas
  This in-depth talk with the creators went a long way in making me want to see this film. From visual technique to the life of the story, everything is touched upon. This might be my next favorite holiday film!
  

Let us not forget that Japan is still rebuilding and readjusting after earthquake:

Filed under: All Points Bulletin, Editorials Tagged: Arthur Christmas, Brave, Fate/Extra CCC, Gundam, Gunpla, New Avengers, Red Dragon, robots, The Veef Show, Transformers, Type-Moon, X-Men ]]> http://reversethieves.com/2011/12/11/all-points-bulletin-022/feed/ 1 reversethieves hisuicon narutaki sep-pic hisuicon http://reversethieves.com/2011/12/04/all-points-bulletin-seasons-beatings/ http://reversethieves.com/2011/12/04/all-points-bulletin-seasons-beatings/#comments Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:30:46 +0000 reversethieves http://reversethieves.com/?p=17491 ]]> If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.

Narutaki’s picks:

• LEGO for the Holidays
  I spent a good portion of my weekend decorating my place for Christmas. Sadly, I did not have a giant LEGO Christmas tree but now I have a goal!
• Lost Disney Film Found
  A short of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was recently discovered in a UK film archive, it was thought lost forever. The one of a kind film will go up for action later in December. It would great if it was made available online for viewing.
• Everyone Draws Tiger and Bunny
  No one can get enough of this crime-fighting duo! Manga-ka from Asuka magazine and various others have posted fan-art from the popular TV series. I would love to see an artbook collected of famous artist interpretations of Tiger and Bunny.
• Intro to CLAMP and Gackt’s Project Streamed
  Their live show collaboration MOON SAGA Yoshitsune Hiden will be on USTREAM on December 5th. There aren’t a whole lot of details about it beyond that.
• House of Five Leaves on DVD
  FINALLY! FINALLY!! And it wasn’t Funimation who finally made good on this show, but rather NIS America. This also means a very special limited release with artbook coming out in March.

Hisui’s picks:

• Robot Wars, Nothing More than Robot Wars
  Some movies are so powerful that one podcast cannot tackle them alone. Robot Was requires the combined powers of the The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and the The Veef Show. They look at a low budget live action movie with robots fighting each other. What is lack in budget it makes up for in heart. Sounds like more mecha than Michael Bay’s Transformers films. Zing!
• Alto gets to hang out with Hikaru and Basara
  The gentleman at Gundamn! also take a crack at the newest Macross Frontier movie. A good look a the merits and flaw of the movie. You can tell that they are all of team Sheryl Nome so their reaction to the end of the love triangle is predicable. They also have their normal mix of news and an extended feed back session. That is an enviable amount of feedback.
• Dave and Joel vs. Video Games. Video Games Did Not Stand a Chance.
  The fastest martial arts practitioners make a guest appearance on the ANNCast to round up the year in video games. Dark Souls, Xenoblade Chronicles, Deus Ex: Humn Revolution, Skyrim , Uncharted, and more is discussed. A nice look at the busy time in the video game season.
  
• Always be prepared with Fate/Zero
  I am mentioning that they are making a line of Fate/Zero Swiss army knives. Mostly because it is less depressing than taking about the price of the Fate/Zero box set. Also on a less depressing note is seems that Fate/Apochrypha is going to be a novel.
• Something to Smile About
  The first pictures are already available for the new Pretty Cure show Smile Precure! It looks charming and they are relevaing the 5 members of the team right off the bat. I will warn all Pretty Cure fans. The less you expect this show to be Heartcatch the happier you will be.

Again, finally a House of Five Leaves DVD release!

Hisui’s picks:

• Even seeing it be made I don’t believe the 7 foot paper craft Gundam
  It is a 7 foot tall Gundam only made of of paper. That is sort of insane. Even with crazy software to help you out putting togeather such a project it is still a colossal undertaking.
  
• Either the Perfect Union or an Unholy Fusion. Take you Pick.
  As anyone who plays on the Internet will tell you the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom can be a bit insane and rather annoying at times. But sometimes their energy can be a positive thing. It seems there is a fan project to make a Phoenix Wright style detective game using the Friendship is Magic charterers. The developer videos make it seem like it might actually be rather fun. I am curious to see how it plays out.
• It is Only Matter of Time Before We Get Neco-Arc: The Movie
  It seems that another Type-Moon April Fools post has become a reality. This time the “Room of the April Witch” story will get a CD release as voiced by Maaya Sakamoto. I assume they are making this into a real project because it was far more serious than the Type-Moon wresting league or Necoarc Evolution.
• Let hope for some of those wonderful Tohou hits
  Looking around for Umineko music to listen to I happened to stumble upon that little number. It is a mashup of the Tohou Project and opening to Ougon Musou Kyoku. Just to balance out the universe I also present this little gem. Also for all the Marisa fans.
• A look at the Noire Sci Fi Future
  Chaos Theater reviews two somewhat under-recognized neo-noir sci-fi films, Gattaca and Dark City. If you have not seen both films you might want to give them a look before the podcast as they don’t hold back with spoilers. They also talk about the phenomenon of gaming elitism via MW3.

Narutaki’s picks:

• Womanthology Preview
  The first images from Womanthology do a lot to further the anticipation for this book of comics by all female artists. There is great variety in the pieces shown everything from gritty, shadowed pages to cartoony line drawings.
• LEGO Daily Planet
  I sometimes think I’ll like anything if rendered in LEGOs. Still the Daily Planet with Superman being attacked by Brainiac is rather impressive.

Speaking of Ace Attorneys:

As a fan of the Veef Show from ColectionDX I decided to leave some audio feedback on the recent review of the 2nd Macross Frontier Movie. Apparently my question was enough to spawn its own podcast where Andrew discusses the Macross stance on canon between their various iterations of the franchise. This spawns a whole podcast on the differences between the American and Japanese sci-fi franchises and what is canonical and what is not. Of course that means Star Wars Vs. Star Trek and the complex canon wars comes up as well.

The Veef Show Episode 32 – Now That’s a Canon Film

Hisui’s picks:

• You Are Already Dead
  Fist of the Dead Star is possibly the best modification of Dead Island you will ever see. Yo wa shock.
• Where’s WALL-E
  A fun little poster. It has everyone from Bender, to Haro, to K-9. Can you name all the robots on the poster? How long did it take you to find WALL-E?
• We Have All Been There
  The dangers of work and the Internet. Anyone who has just enough time to kill can wonder where it all went.
• It Morphing Time!
  Insert-Disc is starting a podcast that is chronicling their attempt to watch every episode of the Power Rangers franchise since it was all announced that all the season would be on Netflix streaming.
• Geordie Tait’s open letter to gaming fandom
  While there are several points that I don’t agree with in his letter the wake up call about the state of misogyny in the fandom should not be ignored.

Narutaki’s picks:

• Plans for a Comic and Animation Museum in China
  The video is a virtual tour of the design. This thing is huge with room for screenings, a library, and much more. And there are mentions of theme park being around the outside? It’ll be interesting to see once construction starts.
• Marvel/DC Crossover Proposal
  Newsarama has a great idea: Marvel heroes VS. DC villains / DC heroes VS. Marvel villains. This is a series that could do on for a while if done right. Here’s hoping Marvel and DC take the idea! Also they made a Top 10 List for it. Personally, I’d be most excited about Avengers VS. Darkseid or X-Men VS. Lex Luthor!
• 2 New Gackt Projects
  Lots of Gackt news this week. First up was the announcement that he’ll be doing the new Sket Dance opening song. To finish out the week was an odd collaboration as Gackt will be working on a stage production with CLAMP called MOON SAGA Yoshitsune Hiden.
• Art for a Superman Fan
  People are coming out of the woodwork to help Mike Meyer who was a victim of theft earlier this month when a man befriended him only to steal his massive Superman collection of comics and memorabilia. It is a really sad story, but it is amazing how the community is responding and it has a happy ending as the thief was caught over the weekend.

In honor of the many episode the Insert-Disc crew are going to have to watch I wish them the best of luck with the picture from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger:

Anime 3000 presents The Speakeasy Podcast:
Drink #020: The GaoGaiGar, Learning to Love Robots

With our special guest Carl from Ogiue Maniax, we look at one of the most off-putting genres in anime. Mecha is one of the few not phonographic genres that people easily decide they despise. At the same time, it is a genre that has a fanatical base of fans that can turn away anyone who is not  predisposed to liking robot shows. This is the podcast for anyone who has tried a mecha anime and decided they do not go together. This is also for anyone who is trying to get their more skittish friends to watch robots. We present a selection of shows that have enough robots to qualify as mecha while not being too down the rabbit hole. You might not find yourself building Gundam models while watching Mazinkaiser SKL but you might also not run away any time you see Valkyrie on the screen.

(Listen)

And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

GaoGaiGar

First, separately mix each of these:
Robot
Orange Lion
Bullet Train
Drill
Stealth Bomber

Simultaneously pour the robot and Orange Lion into a large glass while shouting FUUUUSIOOOON!!!
Once the pouring is complete shout the name of your new drink: Gai! Gar!
Then wait for Final Fusion to be approved.
Once Final Fusion is approved and the Program Drive has been activated shout FINAL! FUUUSIOOOON! and pour the Drill, Bullet Train, and Stealth Bomber into the GaiGar as heroic music swells in the background. Once this is complete loudly shout to the heavens the name of your King of Drinks: GAO! GAI! GAAAAARRRR!

Hisui’s picks:

• Return of the Veef
  After a long hiatus Andrew, otherwise known as VF5SS, is back with a new episode of the Veef show. He talks about Fang of the Sun Dougram, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and the failure of Gundam in the US. Glad to see him podcasting again.
• MAHQ’s Chaos Theater looks at Batman: The Animated Series
  Who does not love Batman: The Animated Series? Dale Rausch from MAHQ is a guest as well.
• The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast & AWO talk about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
  I have seen people talking about Bronies on everything from NPR to Fox News. It takes the combined power of Greatest Movie EVER! and Anime World Order to get to the bottom of this mess.
• Otaku Generation talks about AnimeNEXT
  An alternative look at AnimeNEXT 2011. There is also Part 3 of their look at version terminology related to anime and manga. They mention me so my vanity insists I link to the podcast.

Narutaki’s picks:

• David’s Akira posts on 4thletter
  He tackles the visuals and characters in this series of posts which feature scans from the full-color version of the manga.
• Ho-Ling’s thoughts on Detective Conan
  In this series he is looking at themes and connections 10 volumes at a time.
• Defective Detective
  A hilarious short from Cartoon Brew’s Student Animation Festival.
• Trailer for Gackt in Bunraku
  His English debut!
• Burn Notice: A New Day
  A new webcomic that ties into the series bridging S4 and S5. I haven’t read it yet since I’m only on S2 but still thought it was cool and worth noting.
• 10-page excerpt from Laddertop
  This upcoming comic from Orson Scott Card and daughter looks terribly underwhelming. Also I am lame because it annoys the heck out of me that they are calling it a “manga.”

We decided to move the picture of the week here. This week we prove the power of imagination. Someone can make women from Jojo’s look cute:

There have been a lot of Gundam announcements of late, but it seems like no matter what the internet lights up with as many negative nancys as can be mustered. Perhaps the classic case of people not actually knowing what they want? If they want to do something new, if they want to broaden the audience, if they want to remake the classic, or if they want to add to the continuity, it seems nothing will satisfy the established fanbase.

It was a perfect storm of announcements recently. On June 13 Bandai announced that the newest Gundam series would be Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Almost immediately after the announcement there was an overwhelmingly negative outcry from the Gundam fan community. The show was instantly panned for being immature and nothing more than a toy and game tie in for children. It was clearly too far from the franchise’s legacy. Then on the 22nd they announced that they were also adapting the Gundam: The Origin manga as well. This lead to an equal but opposite outcry from the fan base that they were just rehashing the original series and that Gundam had nothing new left in it. I noticed quite a few outsiders on Twitter questioning what did the Gundam fanbase want as it seemed that absolutely nothing made them happy. As someone who considers himself part of the Gundam fandom it is still puzzling to me. It almost seems that no one hates Gundam more than Gundam fans. What do you have to do to make them happy? Is there anything you can give them that does not cause a hissy fit?

 The most important thing about discussing these problems with Gundam AGE is that only a handful of details and a couple of pictures have been released about the series. But that in itself is relevant. The “immaturity” angle is really only supported by the merchandising plans outside the series. The plot and characters sound interesting, as does telling the story on three timelines. Randomly, you can buy bathing suit figures of most Gundam girls, not sure I’d call that “mature.” Anyway, considering that I can only name a handful of protagonists in robot series that aren’t teenagers, or younger, I’m not sure what we are freaking out over. 13, 14, 15 seems pretty standard fare that everyone should be used to and I might point out that each character description has the qualifier “at the beginning” after their ages.

I think Bandai has realized that Otaku are not immortal mystics monks whose magical parana is kept eternally youthful due to their virginity. Therefore the current Gunpla builders who drive the Gundam franchise need to have new blood enter their ranks. Therefore marketing to a younger fanbase might be better for them over the long haul. I don’t mind them doing a kids series on occasion to reinvigorate the fan base as long as it is well executed. Nothing says that Gundam is now only going to market itself towards 10 year olds for eternity. I know people are going to counter that they can market at kids all they want but they should do so outside of the main pieces of the franchise. But I think sometimes you have to go all out if your want to really shake up a fan base. Also who says that just because a show has young protagonists it has to be either garbage or dumbed down. I thought that one of the reasons most of us got into anime was that it was a medium that could make very intelligent and challenging kids cartoons as well as cartoon for adults. Plus the mecha fandom has embraced shows with young protagonists in the past like Zambot 3, GaoGaiGar, and even Gundam 0080. Why must they be contrary now? As Adam aka SoulBroRyu said so well in a recent article for Gundamn, Victory Gundam had an extremely young cast and the youngest Gundam protagonist ever but it has a plot that was as dark as pitch. There is a good amount of potential to tell a generational tale in which we see the prolonged effects of war on a population from its bloody beginnings to its protracted conclusion. You think by now mehca fans would be able to look past initial appearances considering their love of the Brave Series. Plus when has Gundam NOT been about selling toys and related merchandise. Perhaps everyone else has been watching a different Gundam series but the one I remember is carefully designed machine to sell merchandise hand over fist. As soon as video games and card games became common place they were added to formula of what a mecha series can make money off of. There are some Gundam titles that got made more to tell a story because the franchise had grown large enough to support that style of storytelling but don’t believe for a second Tomino was not given mandates on the beloved Zeta Gundam to sell more toys to kids.

They are trying to expand the reach of the Gundam franchise. This seems like a positive if you ask me, the last thing we need is a situation that superhero comics have been going through for the last decade with no signs of stopping. If you aren’t familiar with superhero comics, their fanbase has been rapidly shrinking because of creators writing for the adult who are already fans. And don’t we hear so often people complaining that anime is pandering to otaku too much? Following the aging fanbase down the rabbit hole would be a mistake and so far they have stayed solidly in the middle. TV series with broad market appeal have been the standard because that is the way to reach new people, say it with me new fans are born from this. You can’t get that with an OVA or movie. But there is no way you could say they dismissed the long time fans with the addition of more fandom centric OVAs like Gundam Unicorn and the announcement of Gundam The Origin.

This article was original only going to talk about Gundam AGE but then the announcement of an animated Gundam: The Origin brought into picture perfect clarity the insanity of the fanbase. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin was considered an amazing adaption of the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, the original character designer of Mobile Suit Gundam, was able to retell the story he worked on to create something just as good if not better than the original. Gundam: The Origin is able to take many of the ideas that had to be scrapped from the original TV series when it was cancelled while letting Yasuhiko take advantage of the expanded story telling boundaries of manga and the wisdom on hindsight. So the ability to tell an updated version of the orignal Gundam story with modern graphics seems like something that would please the old fans while helping to bring in new fans at the same time. But all I hear is people complaining about how Bandai is merely going back to the well and they can’t create anything new.

Beyond the fact that I’m personally very excited for Gundam The Origin, I think it has the potential to bridge a gap. I’ve always said that Original Gundam is a timeless story only held back from appealing to newer fans by the dated animation (yes it is sad, but it is reality). Gundam The Origin could change that and get new fans interested in the UC timeline. Despite what some say, every iteration of Gundam is not retelling the original. Is it inspired by? Is it taking themes and pieces? Sure, of course. But it is a mistake to ignore all the differences, too. New, yet familiar, is actually a good and realistic goal.

So you can’t give the Gundam fanbase a series with an original premise because then they feel cheated that you are not giving them the Gundam they love. You can’t give them more of what they liked because they claim you are just regurgitating the same story again and again. So apparently you have to toe the line on an incredibly narrow path to give them a show that is radically new and different while giving them exactly all the things they loved in the past. While you can make a show like that it is so amazingly hard to do and you will only do so on rare occasion. If everyone could easily make something radically revolutionary but still solidly enjoyable then the entertainment industry would be a much easier field to work in. But don’t believe the lies the Gundam fans tell you as well. First off all the radical Gundam series have been universally hated when they came out. G Gundam, Turn A, and Gundam X were all panned harshly by the fandom when they first came out (heck X was cancelled) but only with many years of reflection has random realized why those were great additions to the Gundam Universe. If I was Bandai I would be gun-shy about innovating as well if that is the reaction I am going to get. Recognition 10 years down the line does not pay the bills today. At the same time if you are too close the formula they complain as well. I can’t remember how many times in the last month heard people state that  Gundam is pretty much the same story again and again. The fan base has even begun to turn against Gundam Unicorn which I would have assumed was an impossibility years ago. But they seem to now even hate anything that is an amazingly crafted part of the Universal Century. It seems nothing makes them happy.

Despite what nostalgia glasses might tell you, original Gundam was aimed at children, with toy and model kit tie-ins. It built a teen audience which included women, believe it! No matter how many times you watch Zeta Gundam, Kamile is still a teenager and acts like one. They added in transforming Gundams because they wanted to sell toys, it is true. I don’t know if Gundam AGE or Gundam The Origin is going to be great, average, or terrible but I’m going to judge it based on actually watching some of the show.

Overall I think that everything I said before is actually based on lies. The fans don’t want a new show that is amazingly innovate or a show exactly like the show they loved. Gundam fans want to dwell eternally in the feeling of the first Gundam show they truly loved. It does not matter if it was Zeta, SEED, or anything else in the franchise. They want that first feeling they fell in love with. They wish to recapture that lightening in a bottle. They want the Gundam show that will have them reborn as Gundam virgins. This is not only a self-defeating attitude for the fandom but also for their own personal enjoyment. I’m not saying that fandom has to accept any slop that is thrown on their plate. For all I know Gundam AGE might be a wretched abomination worse than the lovechild of Double Zeta and 0083. Gundam: The Origin might be a worse adaption than The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But I believe that you should give these shows a chance to prove themselves. I will give these shows a few episodes to prove what they are made of. But the fanbase has already judged for themselves based on a few scraps of information which I think points to their unhealthy attitudes toward their fandom more than anything else could have.

All the way back in my 2009 review of Gundam X I promised to explain my theories on the show with spoilers and then promptly forgot to ever do such a thing.  In the article I theorized that Gundam X was partially a critique of the certain aspects of the Universal Century of Gundam but then stated that any detailed analysis would actually be a biggest spoiler for the series possible. Since the whole purpose of the Ballads of the Earth and the Moon articles was to look at the two somewhat unappreciated Gundam series I felt like spoilers would have gone against the spirit of getting people to check out the series with an unprejudiced attitude. But I am finally going to unleash my little theory for everyone who has seen the show.

I think that one of the main points of Gundam X is that the mythology and possibilities of Newtypes in Gundam 0079 is full of hooey. Tomino presents Newtypes as a positive step forward in evolution and man’s true potential being awakened. While the Newtype’s psychic powers are mainly used for combat in the Universal Century it is often stated that their powers  let them understand people and concepts better. In fact it is due to the action of key Newtype like Amuro Ray and Char Aznable that the One Year war actually ends in one year as opposed to dragging on for years. Throughout the Universal Century it is Newtypes that are at the center of major changes for better and for worse. They are the movers and the shakers. So what is different in Gundam X?

Throughout Gundam X Jamil Neate and his crew tries protect all the Newtypes they can find while trying to discover the secret buried before the apocalypse. The grand reveal in Gundam X comes from the first Newtype D.O.M.E. when they discover him on the moon. They learn that everything they were told about Newtypes being the ultimate form of mankind and the destined architects of the future was a lie. The Earth and Space governments both knew that Newtypes were nothing more than humans with unusual beneficial mutations but needed something to rally the population around an unceasingly unpopular prolonged and bloody war. With no one to cut through the madness of the increasingly desperate and  insane leadership the war came to the apocalyptic ending that it does in Gundam X with a massive colony drop devastating both sides. And so Newtypes wound up with a sizable but largely undeserved legacy after the war.

I can’t help but think the portrayal of Newtype in Gundam X is not just an alternate timeline than the original Gundam but a critique on the idea of the show. Gundam X posits the idea that mankind can not look to evolution to solve its problems. Looking toward the idea of a scientific based savior or miracle is just as foolish as looking toward a mystical savior.  We must look to ourselves as we are today and improve our condition with hard work, sacrifice, and innovation. In the end Newtypes did not save the people of Gundam X and they will not save us. Only an honest desire to change will do that. That is the true message of Gundam X.

I mentioned last week briefly that I started watching Brave Police J-Decker which is kinda like if Tranformers was about police robots. I am up to 20 episodes thus far, almost half-way, and it is wonderful to see that is has a range. There is plenty of silliness to go around with like the fact that Deckerd (the main robot) uses a six-shooter a lot of the time, or the odd neighbors, the strange robots and their mysteries, and the many women who I’m pretty sure are in love with some of our robot heroes. Let’s not forget the names of these sentient hunks of metal like Power Joe (Kung-fu Detective) and Drill Boy (Soccer Detective) or McClane (Combat Detective) who claims to be a pacifist or the combined form Super Build Tiger! And of course the series is continually adding new robots and transformations for toys sake. But it has also had some fairly compelling episodes like the two-part story that introduces Shadowmaru (Ninja Detective) which gets a bit philosophical as we see freedom, what is means to be sentient, and sacrifice. Also you can’t not love the commissioner because he has amazing hair and responds that it “looks cool” when asked why they designed a robot in a certain manner. This show is tons of fun, sometimes engaging, has a fab opening, and is absolutely worth watching.

It came out a little too late for the spring preview but I finally got around to watching the first episode of Moshidora. It is an odd little series when you get right down to it. It is born from the idea of how do you make Peter Drucker’s Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices palatable to an audience of Japanese salarymen. The answer is obviously to center it around a schoolgirl. Minami Kawashima is the high schoolgirl in question who volunteers to take over as the manager of the baseball team in place of her sickly friend, Yuki Miyata, who has been hospitalized. After accidentally picking buying a business management book  she decides to apply the principles within towards her team. The team itself has a mixture of members with various levels of talent but they all seem to have broken spirits and various hangups. Minami herself used to play baseball but some incident in the past soured her on playing. The setup itself is a fairly standard baseball anime story of the new unsure manager has to whip the team that is a diamond in the rough into shape for Koshien. It is slightly amusing to see them cut to slide show styled title card when ever they mention certain business related key words. I am watching just because it is such an unusual blend sports and business anime. I am curious to see them play a game because I feel that is where this series will could prove its worth beyond a mere oddity.

I watched the animated short Paraphernalia by Sabrina Cotugno which is elegant and gracefully in its animation of a girl who gets an unexpected visitor dropped into her cluttered house. The lighting is also worth noting. People seemed divided on the whether the construction lines on the characters faces fazed them any, personally I found them to be a little distracting. Overall a lovely and memorable piece.

Although I have played Devil Survivor beyond that I have not played much of the wildly popular Megami Tensei series. I decided to try out Persona 3 since there was a portable version which is far more conducive to my current play style. This was the first Persona game to throw in dating sim elements which makes the number of games I have played with dating sim elements lately pretty high. You start as student who recently transferred to a new school. You were recruited due to your ability to summon demons like all the other student at the dorm. Apparently there is a secret 13th hour in which only demon summoners can remain awake during. In this time you must fight the monsters that prey on people in this hour between midnight and 12:01. During the day you investigate how the monsters are effecting the area and use those clues to fight them at night. You can also make friends and romance women to create spiritual bonds that will power up your demons. So the day is the dating sim and the special hour is the standard RPG. Other than that it sticks to the standard Megami Tensei formula. Beating monsters lets you capture demons (demons and monsters are two different things) and you can combine them to create more powerful demons giving it a very Pokemon like vibe. Everything in the game has elemental weaknesses so finding an enemies elemental alignment while guarding your own is very important. Also getting a hit with an attack that exploits an elemental weakness lets whoever used that attack go again making elemental strategy doubly important. The big bonus to playing the portable version is they added a new story line where you can also play as a female protagonist in addition to the standard male protagonist. They highly recommend you play her storyline AFTER you play the original story so I have not tested out that addition. It is a fun game that I would have probably otherwise missed had it not been on a portable system as that is how I do almost all my gaming. If nothing else I am curious to play the equally popular Persona 4.

I have been pleasantly surprised by Hanasaku Iroha as I figured things had completely changed after episode 3, but things calmed down for the most part in 4-6. Some of the comedy I feel they are trying too hard with, like the misunderstanding goes all kinds of which way in episode 5. But the bonding between the girls and the slow opening up of the Grandmother is positive. I especially enjoyed seeing the learning about the Grandmother a bit in the last episode though I found it a bit dumb that after the old kimono idea went over so well they just packed them away again it seemed.

Votoms Finder is an odd animal. Most of then Armored Trooper Votoms series is centered around the adventures of Chirico Cuvie. But with Finder instead they decided to tell a different story in the same universe much like they did with Armor Hunter Mellowlink. I think it is a sign that they have all but stripped bare the mine that is the life of Chirico Cuvie. This takes place in a very Battle Angel like world where the privileged elites live in glamorous cities on the mountains and the huddled masses live in the scrap heaps of the valleys below. You have a hard-working goofball named Aki who gets involved in a kidnapping and political struggle between some high-ranking elite politicians.  He winds up helping the kidnappers who double cross him and so he then teams up with the kidnapped girl’s bodyguard to save her and get back at the sleazy politician who set him up. Overall I had fun. The story was not that complicated but is was sufficient for a 40 minute OVA. The mecha battles were good and pretty constant which is always good in an OVA. The real question is who is this for. I know a lot of big Votoms fans are going to be PISSED. In fact this might do better with people who have never seen the original. They keep many of the things that made the original interesting but the changes they make are changes to some vital things that people loved about the original. In the original the suits were disposable and battles came down to the pilots skill not who has the best robot. While this is still true the suits were originally very utilitarian and bulky. The mecha in Finder are so much more flashy with a more Gundam influenced flair on the designs and suits that are much more acrobatic as they jump around. Also they went with the standard teenage protagonist rather than the grizzled military veteran. Aki is much more Judau Ashta than he is Char Aznable if you catch my drift. The politics are also much simpler and cleaner than the gritty worlds of the original.  I think they are hoping to make Votoms a bit more hip for a new generation but I wonder if any of the old fans will be able to accept the changes. It did seem like they might be trying to use this as a backdoor pilot as they make hints to a  greater world throughout the OVA.

I love the addition of Yuina from the rival inn.

So we did a little podcast with Patz over on Insert Disc along with Elliot from Ani-Gamers. We dive right into a high-level Star Driver discussion so even if you don’t care about spoilers, it probably all sounds like nonsense unless you’ve seen the show. Whoops! But before that you can hear us discuss streaming anime, Crunchyroll’s new news initiative, and a few other things.

Podlabor Episode 5 – Crunchy Drivers

I recently started watching the giant robot series Brave Police J-Decker from the early 90′s. It is part of the Yuusha franchise which was started by Takara who make Transformers, you can see it pretty easily in the designs. But it got me thinking about the influence of Transformers on the robot genre. Or rather it made me wonder what exactly the influence has been.

There is no denying how incredibly popular Transformers was/is in Japan. Long after the 80′s American series finished there were many other Japan-only iterations in the franchise (good or bad is not relevant, just that they kept making shows). When America made Beast Wars, Japan made even more of the series. New Transformers titles continue to be produced to this day, getting a release on both sides of the ocean. What I always loved about Transformers was the focus on sentient robots fighting their robot enemies and dealing with their robot planet. There were peripheral humans in earlier series, but they weren’t the stars of the show and the crux of conflict was between the robots. Incidentally, the reversal of this is what I hated about the live action film (that and the fight scenes sucked). Despite the huge love for Transformers in Japan, I can’t recall there being a bunch of Transformers-clone anime.

All the Yuusha series feature sentient giant robots, but humans are integral to the stories. SD Gundam features a robots-only world, but it is parody. Machine Robo is maybe the closest, that I know of. Are there other serious (and I say this with a lilt in my voice, but don’t deny that your heart cried out when Optimus Prime died in Transformers: The Movie, don’t front) series that feature sentient giant robots as the main characters dealing with their own problems? I’m honestly asking because I don’t by any means consider myself a giant robot expert. I’m trying to piece together why there isn’t and what the Transformers influence has been in anime.

(P.S. I’m very much enjoying J-Decker!)

We could complain about how Genndy Tartakovsky was shafted with Samurai Jack and Sym-Bionic Titan all day but I am not here to gripe about the executive decisions at Cartoon Network. I think we are better served by celebrating what was done right with such an excellent show like Sym-Bionic Titan. Sym-Bionic Titan is a unique blend of a Japanese giant robot show with the best of comedic the sensibilities of an American romantic sitcom. We want to show you how this gem was able to combine those two very different genres and create a greater whole that was sorely underappreciated.

There are few giant robot cartoons in America that the Japanese haven’t had a hand in. So just as readily it would be next to impossible to not be influenced by the myriad of anime series featuring hulking metal heroes (and beyond) when making one stateside. Sym-Bionic Titan plucks its influences and has fun with it. I love that Titan, the combination robot, is basically nonsense as far as mechanics goes. How do these three incredibly different and various sized robots actually make up Titan? Who cares, it is coolness! And the monsters of the week get crazier and crazier (and sometimes scary like the dream guy!) But it also has its serious-side. Playing with morality comes up when a cute little space creature is unbelievable dangerous. And the brutality of Modula is excellently handled, it’s too bad we never get to fully realize his motivations.

You could tell just from Samurai Jack that Genndy Tartakovsky was someone who has been influenced by anime and Japanese culture but never let it overwhelm his own style. That said the anime influences on the series are unmistakable. First of all the setup in general is straight out of UFO Robot Grendizer. Aliens flee from their devastated planet to Earth while being perused by the conquers who destroyed their home. Every week they try to maintain their human identities while using their robots to protect their adopted home from whatever bizarre alien beast drop in. And speaking of the robot you can also compare the Titan to the Getter Robo. They are both composed of three different looking robots, each piloted by very different pilots, that combine into a 4th robot that looks nothing like the other three. The three main characters  also fit perfectly into overall archetypes of the combining giant robot team. Anyone who has seen Beast King GoLion (aka Voltron: Defender of the Universe) will know the classic five member team make up. While the classic five member team composition started in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman it quickly became a staple of mecha genre. You have the brave leader, the moody second in command, the strong fat guy, the smart kid, and the girl. Sym-Bionic Titan replicates this with a smaller cast by having people pull double duty. Lance combines the strong but slightly anal attitude of the leader with the melancholy and rebelliousness of the second in command. Octus is a clearly an amalgam of the big bruiser and brainiac. Ilana fits the into the tomboy princess mold like a glove. It is not to say that Genndy Tartakovsky has seen all these shows or is paying homage to any specific sets of shows. The mecha genre was so prolific in the boom days that it is almost impossible to do any idea without some show in the past doing something similar at one point or another. What is clear is Tartakovsky took a great genre of anime and adapted its strengths to his style of storytelling.

The commentary on the lives of American teens is what makes Sym-Bionic Titan feel so utterly born in the U.S.A for me. Most teens across the globe go through similar experiences, but it is the details that make Sym-Bionic’s depiction absolutely American. This is no celebration of teen life, it is by all angles social commentary and satire of the high school experience. From dumb jocks to becoming an activist to being kicked out of an emo band because you’re too mainstream (best episode?), the poking at things we’ve seen, thought, and laughed at are all here. There is the necessary school dance which actually brings a bunch of smaller story threads together in true high school movie fashion. And the Scary Mary/barn party is so middle America it boggles the mind. The relationships also bring a lot of that flavor to the show. Sure, Octus the nerd gets with the popular girl, but they have problems and break-up; all the girls like Lance but he could care less; Ilana starts to like a guy but ends up pushing him towards another girl by running off on a mission. This all weaves into all three assimilating to Earth-life but the more they do, they more their absences is noted so they feel even more alien, and the more they have to lose.

And of course since this is made for an American audience the references will be references that are suited to a Western taste. In the Phantom Ninja episode Lance stops a bank robbery that is clearly poking fun  at Die Hard including a Hans Gruber look-alike using a giant laser to get into a safe. The episode Roar of the White Dragon is such an homage to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift to the point where someone made this dead on parody trailer. In Under the Three Moons Newton holds a boom box over his head while waiting outside Kimmy’s room straight out of the most famous scene from Say Anything. Escape from Galaluna also clearly has the look and feel of a Star Wars movie including story, set design, direction, and even scene transition techniques. Now I am sure that working on the Clone Wars series in 2003 influenced his style to a degree but the fact that the Star Wars vibe is kicked up to 11 on this single episode shows it was a deliberate stylistic choice. The two bands that play in the series could not be more American as well. There is a death metal band called Alien Death Hammer and the emo band that Lance joins is called the Disenfranchised. While the overall formula of  Sym-Bionic Titan takes its cues from a wide variety of super robot shows its overall flavor is distinctly catering to a Cartoon Network crowd which is a wise move all together.

There was so many great pieces to Sym-Bionic Titan and unfortunately we’ll never know all the answers, we’ll never see Ilana, Lance, and Octus make it home, and we’ll never figure out if  guy who revived Octus was Lance’s dad, we’ll never know if Lance and Ilana end up together, and what about Kimmy? It is hard to accept because Sym-Bionic Titan was great and I miss it already.

I have a few questions myself. How did Modula go from such a loyal hero to a bloodthirsty maniac (although his strange hat might have something to do with that) and does he has some greater plan beyond mere mindless conquest.  I would have also liked to have seen a bit on the founding of Galactic Guardian Group as that was clearly an episode waiting in what would have been in the second season. Also would we ever get more booty quake? Plus we will never see everyone freak out at school if and when Lance and Ilana hooked up. It is a shame that such a unique production was canceled before the end.  My secret hope is that Genndy Tartakovsky can find someone to fund a second season or at least make a movie that wraps up most of the loose ends. It is your duty to seek out this show and talk about it. If there is enough demand than things will go into motion.

Let me be up front and tell you that while Level Up does touch on the topic of video games it is not nearly as much about the games as you might first suspect. Video games come up and they are used as a metaphor but they are one of several metaphors used in the book. It is really the story of how a boy grows up with the expectations of his parents while tying to balance it against his own desires to be happy. We see Dennis Ouyang go through his life oscillating between hiding himself in video games which he loves and beings quest to becoming a gastroenterologist despite the fact that he has no interest in the job. After his farther dies and he gets kicked out of college he is visited by four little angels that act as nagging guilty consciences that demand that he fulfill his destiny of becoming a doctor. So he whips himself back into shape and is slowly but surely is on his way to satiating the angels. He makes friends and even finds love but he is constantly plagued by the fact that he is going into a career he hates. Despite the addition of the angels it is an extremely relatable story. We have all expectations place on us by the people who raised us and know how they can conflict with our attempts live our own lives. The more the exceptions placed on you the more the book will speak to you. Dennis and his friends sell the story by being delightful characters that draw you in. The art simple and has a very independent comic vibe but it is expressive while maintaining a warm feeling. Level Up is a nice one book story with a fairly important lesson for anyone who is lacking direction their life or remembers what that feeling is like.

The first chapter where we see Dennis’s failed attempt to get a Nintendo for Christmas might be the most relatable scene of the book, you wanted him to get it but knew he wouldn’t. And it is just as easy to struggle with Dennis as he weighs his father’s desires against his own changing perspective. It said it all to me when Dennis’s mother told him “Love is for people. Not work.” Each generation in each culture deals with this difference in thinking, but the Asian American experience depicted here should be very familiar, I know it mirrors my friend’s stories. But I think what was refreshing about this story is the balance it strikes in the end proving you don’t have to cast off your family completely to be who you are. Though I have to say that parents might need this lesson more than kids. Gene Luen Yang brings these lessons in with video games, humor, and great pacing. Sparse words are needed as Thien Pham perfectly conveys everything you need to know visually. A perfect collaboration.

I started watching Maria Holic Alive as I enjoyed the first season reasonably well and it is streaming on the Anime Network. Overall I feel the new season does not really drop the ball in any major respect so far. The humor is still sharp if a bit mean-spirited sheen to it but it is never malicious enough to turn me off but that just might be my love of schadenfreude speaking. The direction still has that dynamic Akiyuki Shinbo and Shaft style that people have come to expect (and Narutaki tends to avoid). The giant robot style opening to the show was an unusual but delightful choice. This new season is not going to win over anyone who already hated the series but fans of the series will be happy to come back to a new season.

 Detective Conan movie 11 Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure involved, as you might imagine, pirates or to be more specific ancient pirate booty! In this adventure Conan and crew travel to a remote island where many treasure hunts have gathered. While the finding of the treasure is actually really fun, the murder mystery and everything else that is going is fairly straightforward. And while the climactic ending is spectacular, it might be even more far-fetched than usual. Not my favorite of the movies.

I sat down and watched the last two episodes of Mazinkaiser SKL when my Internet was being wonky recently. Mazinkaiser SKL is clearly the result of turning a heavy metal album cover into an anime. The last two episodes prove that the plot is mostly unimportant and anyone who though differently was sorely mistaken. All you have to know is that Ken and Ryo have to blow things up with extreme prejudice in order to save the world. In episode 2 they actually have to break a sweat during their battles and actually begin to lose for a few seconds. But in episode 3 the Mazinkaiser SKL goes back to being completely invincible and just trounce everything thrown at it. Tsubasa Yuki actually starts being useful by applying her technical skills and even killing some minor bad guys making her character a bit more in the Jun Hono mold than the Sayaka Yumi style character she first appears to be. All that said you come to Mazinkaiser SKL to see totally awesome robot fights. If you are looking for much else you will be sorely disappointed but the show never promises such things. It delivers in spades on its promise of manly metal Go Nagai action and that is all you can ask of the show.

 Batman Year One was a real treat. Watching two men, Batman and Jim Gordon, take their first steps in trying to clean up Gotham is gripping. It was certainly a gritty look at the city which is no surprise coming from Frank Miller, but it retained its humanity probably because it the beginning so there is hope. And David Mazzucchelli’s art is so graphic and bold making it feel old and new at the same time. This makes me doubly excited to see the animated feature coming out soon.

In the spirit of solidarity between maids (and becuase it is easy to find tasteful pictures of her):

At times I feel like the only person who legitimately enjoys Toaru Majutsu no Index II outside of Japan. I know the show is a silly little shonen urban fantasy show so I go in with the appropriate expectations. I also never have a problem with the exposition or pacing but that is just my personal tolerance showing. It might also be the fact that I don’t view the show as the world’s least efficient Rail Gun delivery service or the Accelerator Show where the main character is surprisingly absent. So when these two charters are merely side characters I am never surprised they don’t show up more. My tolerance of fan-service has gotten to the point were I just accept it and move on gracefully although it is often gratuitous in Index during the down periods.  The show can goofy but I always viewed it like it was a really crazy game of Mage: The Ascension and therefore I cut it some slack in that sense. Plus I always like the idea of a secret battle between science in magic in the modern world.

Kimi ni Todoke 2nd season started out extremely frustrating but thankfully ended in a way that left me satisfied.  The first season was a leisurely show that was a delight to watch because the characters involved were lovable and usually made smart decisions. Misunderstandings occurred, as is natural in shojo anime, but they were quickly cleared up so you were never beating you head against the wall. The second season starts off with people making bone headed moves and this growing frustration over the actions of everyone involved. You can clearly tell that the original story was stalling for time to extend the run of a popular series but that does not excuse the anime from the same frustrating pace. Eventually they decided they have wasted enough time and the show went back to delivering what it did so well in the first season. Those last few episodes really hit it out of the park and let your forgive what came before. I don’t regret watching this season but that first half really could have been cut down and been much more effective.

Star Driver was a fun show for me. It distinctly had its problems but in the end I was happy with what I got. I know some people will be unhappy with the lack of explanation of how much of the world worked and the ending is like a kung fu movie where the ending comes seconds after the climax with no falling action. While I would have liked some more answers and a bit of a cool down I enjoyed the ride enough that I can forgive those flaws. I am a surprised that notable segments of the fandom turned against this show but I suppose that can be the curse of high expectations. To steal a joke from Gundamn they felt that Star Driver was the worst Revolutionary Girl Utena since Melody of Oblivion. In many ways it was Utena with mecha but in ways people did not like. I don’t think it was as good as Utena but Utena is my favorite anime so I don’t think anything is as good as Utena. They did well enough to adapt the Utena formula into something I could enjoy.

Fractale is just wasted potential. The world introduced in Fractale had so many places it could have gone or meaty concepts it could have explored. The first episode seemed like it was living up to all the promise of the hype surrounding the show before it premiered. Then the show sort of stumbled along showing amazing promise from time to time but never capitalizing on any of the great ideas it brought up. It never investigated any part of the plot deeply enough that you felt satisfied so the overall plot was inoffensive but shallow. When the end came the villains were either silly or cliche and the climax was all sound and fury, signifying nothing. Sadly my odd feeling that this would be the next Brain Powered was right on the money.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector was the boobs and robots show. I know some people found this show confusing but I thought it was dead simple for me to follow for better and for worse. While I enjoyed it I find it a hard series to recommend. The plot of the Super Robot Wars games are supposed to invoke your favorite robot shows themes and tropes in one tidy little strategy game package. But when you animate them and lose the interactive nature the inherent cheap particle board nature of the plot becomes apparent. Still  I looked forward to each episode ever week so I would eventually see the bad guys get what is coming to them and see some sweet (but sometimes cheap) robot action. You do not have to  go out of your way to watch this show but it is fun if you need a bit of a mecha fix. The again I might also just really like Excellen Browning.

Wandering Son remained consistently high class and entertaining. I found it very sad that the winter season of Noitamina was considered a failure because of what Fractale did wrong but that seems to overlook all that Wandering Son did right. It told a strong, consistent, and mature dramatic story that was not filled with otaku pandering. It tackled a sensitive and often ignored social topic in an even handed manner that could have easily fallen into the realms of melodrama or self indulgently dark storytelling. By making you feel the pain of the characters while keeping a hopeful core at its center it gave you just the right amounts of dark and light to tell a wonderful story. If you have no objection to the content there is no reason you should have ignored this wonderful little masterpiece.You should support the manga to get the whole story and promote some diversity in the market.

Bakuman did what it needed to in my opinion. It adapted the story from the manga fairly well and made you interested in Mashiro and Takagi’s struggle to become manga artist while getting some dramatized insights into the industry. Like any other Shonen Jump franchise it seem to have people who would scream bloody murder about how much they hated every episode, how it was ruining the manga, and the come back next week and do it again. I thought the pacing was hardly breakneck but I never felt they were spinning their wheels to kill time so I was never as annoyed as other people with the flow of the anime. I was impressed that I came to enjoy Eiji Nizuma who I hated at first and disliked Ko Aoki who your figured I might enjoy for reasons outside the show. I look forward to the next season unless I decide to just cut out the middle man and go straight to reading the manga.

Speaking of Bakuman it seems that Level E proves an important point mentioned about Shonen Jump manga mentioned in Bakuman. During a discussion of how Shonen Jump manga is judged they mention that manga artist tend love odd experimental manga because it is nothing like they have ever seen before but editors tend to favor solid but standard works because they could be serialized forever. Level E was the sort of manga that other manga artists would love but editors would hate. If feels very different with its unusual humor style and varied story telling but I suspect that is exactly what killed it so early in Shonen Jump. On the other hand that is what makes it an interesting 13 episode anime. In then becomes a short anthology series tied together by the Prince. As with any anthology series some of the stories are better than others. My favorite stories involved Yukitaka Tsutsui but sadly they only used him sparingly. The end was satisfying for me because the mastermind finally got played expertly which is exactly what you wanted to see throughout the series. It is an interesting curiosity to say the least and worth watching for its originality despite its inconsistency.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica was probably the show that got the most amount of positive otaku buzz during the winter season. It was an interesting examination of the darker elements that could be extracted from your standard magical girl show. The characters are very archetypical but it was mostly done so the viewer would know who the characters were quickly so when things go pear-shaped it throws you off guard. The ending was an odd mix of a deus ex machina happy ending and incredibly depressing conclusion which is about the oddest oxymoronic mixture you will get. I have a feeling that people will be debating how good the ending was for years much like a certain mecha show from Gainax. It is worth checking out just to see what it does with the genre. I was a bit worried it might go into major creepo territory like Nanoha. It did dip its toes in the skeevy end of the pool but thankfully in never stayed for any long period of time.

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MOVIES 1, 2, and 3

A promise was made and kept. We were promised more large army mecha battles where squadrons of Golems clash on the battle field as opposed to the mostly small unit tactics in the first three movies. This movie is a bookend to the third in the fact that while it has a little more plot it contains an equal amount of action broke up into a series of smaller fights. We also get a good deal more bloodshed with named characters dying on both sides. If there was any doubt that this was a war it was dispelled by this movie.

The last film ended at an odd point making watching the 4th movie in quick succession all the more crucial. We are in the middle of the films so now we are seeing the fruition of things talked about in previous movies. However, this film makes it all the more clear that this story probably won’t wrap up by the end of movie 6.

The time for little skirmishes with Zess are over and Athens is bringing out the big guns. The ruthless General Borcuse and his team had decided to kill General Baldr and crush the will of the Krisna military. Unlike the commando strikes of Zess it seems that Borcuse and his forces are doing major damage with their numbers and skill. At the same time Rygart is doing his best to train for the battles ahead now he is part of elite squad. The major problem is that one of his new teammates  is an excellent pilot but also a psychotic murderer who was only put back into service out of desperation. Does the Krisna army have any hope of winning even with the Delphine in their possession?

The perspectives are varied in this installment. We see low- to high-level military struggles, we get some personal moments for characters, and we witness the might of true war from each side. We’re also coming off an intense battle between Rygart and Zess that culminated with Zess’s fate resting in the balance. There is a lot going on in this segment of the story but it comes at you with such speed it doesn’t quite have the intensity that it should.

This movie introduces a slew of new characters including the members of Rygart’s squad and General Borcuse and his people. General Borcuse and his crew are a pretty villainous lot. I get this Grand Admiral Thrawn vibe off him where he is this utterly ruthless tacticians that is three steps ahead of anyone he fights. Also like Grand Admiral Thrawn I really dislike his character. He just seems so smarmy which I think is the desired effect but it does not make him any more enjoyable. We also get the rather psychotic Nike who looks like young girl but is actually a mature woman in stark contrast with awkwardly overdeveloped Cleo. She struck me as Lee 2.0 only less racist and more bloodthirsty with a saccharine sweet chaser. Like Lee I would not mind if she dies via self-inflicted wound. The other members of Athens military don’t get nearly as much development but hopefully some on them will be a little more charming. Rygart’s squad is mostly characters we have seen little bit of including Narvi and Loggin. The new character Girge has an expected connection to an established character. Other than that he is an odd character. He seems the male version of Nike with him aggressively attacking friend and foe alike but at other times he seems a shell-shocked bunny rabbit. There is clearly more to his story but whatever that is it goes unsaid in this movie.

We have come to know a good portion of the cast at this point, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to see their motivations a bit more. I was glad to see Rygart starting to interact more with the younger bunch in the military even if it feels a bit awkwardly executed. All of these characters are either new or haven’t had much time on-screen so they create a new piece of the puzzle. Girge is a mystery of mad energy and certainly a wild card in how he will play out. On the other side, we see more of Borcuse and Loquis but I still don’t feel like I know the why of the war on their end, but they seem like interesting guys! Despite the amazing portrayal of Rygart and Zess’s fight last time around, it seemed a bit forgotten here. I also expected Zess’s fate to remain a bit more ambiguous for a while, but no such luck. I still find the Cloe stuff to make no sense, why is she with the Queen besides to create pseudo-lesbian scenes? Many characters thrown at us, but little learned.

I would like to go off on related but slightly odd tangent. In movie 4 we continue the trend of having Sigyn run around in her bedroom wearing lingerie as her pajamas in front of Cleo. This is partially done to show the how she is slowly earning Cleo’s trust by being open in front of her and mostly for pure fan service. The thing is they show a good deal of skin but they stop short of nudity. It seems to me with the unrestricted realm of the movies they  would give you the full-monty when they have the chance but they do TV style fan service. Are they purposely aiming for the Japanese equivalent of PG-13  in the belief that it will maximize profits. I am curious if anyone knows if there is a standard film rating in Japan that studios by default aim for.

For whatever reason they decided to cram as many points as they possibly could into this movie, making it a rather disjointed mass of half-finished scenes. They switch from one moment to the next without actually finishing out the scene they were in and without transitions. Because of the bloated nature of the plot in this movie none of the scenes or characters stand out. It was all rather grandiose but the connection got lost in this film.

The biggest problem with the 4th movie is it tries to tell a lot of story while not telling a lot at the same time. This means that while it sets up the second half of story it does so in a slightly spastic manner. The best example is when Girge is introduced. The scene jumps right into Rygart being attacked by Girge with absolutely no context. After a few second we understand what is going on but the movie seemed to be in a rush to get right into the thick of the confrontation. Despite that frantic energy with the new scenario being set up, new characters being introduced, and a few characters dying, not much really happens. It is all setup. It is entertaining set up but set up none the less.  As critical as that was I still had a good time with this movie. We do get a bit of progress with Rygart and Sigyn and some of the other characters. The battles are entertaining and we are still getting a nice variety in Golems. If the country of Orlando gets involved we might even see more mecha. The real question is where is this all going. It is obvious with the manga still ongoing that they cannot wrap up this story in the next two movies. Can they end the sixth movie at a place that is satisfying or is this going to be like one of those old OVAs that basically is just a very long and elaborate advertisement to get you to read the manga. I look forward to seeing the ending but I have to say I am a little nervous that it will be leaving us on a cliff hanger that will not soon be resolved.

The last episode Gundam Unicorn left us with not so much a cliff hanger as a short pause before the crescendo that is the battle that opens up The Ghost of Laplace. While we get some conversation and character moments this episode is mostly a series of battles. Thankfully these battles are story relevant as opposed to lovely but time-wasting mecha porn filler. The battles are as engaging as they have been in the past although we don’t get much action out of Full Frontal. He mainly seems to be doing the Char the Manipulator not Char the Action Rival shtick this episode. We learn quite a bit about Marida Cruz and how she ties into previous Gundam material. We also get some mandatory Newtype nudity and trippyness as is a UC Gundam tradition. I did realize at the end of the episode that my Snarky Reductionist Theater title for the show would be Mobile Suit Gundam: National Treasure. It seems the main plot shall be Banagher Links pretending to be a calm version of Nicolas Cage as he goes around the historical sites of the Gundam universe solving puzzles that will unlock Laplace’s Box as he is chased by agents of various secret societies.  The end of this episode will seem VERY familiar to anyone who has seen a good deal of Universal Century Gundam but it continues the tradition of getting the audience excited for the next episode of Unicorn which is important in an OVA series like this.

I watched the short animation Out of Sight from Taiwan by recommendation from Twitter. It features a little girl whose bag is stolen, her dog then chases down the thief leaving the girl on her own searching the city for him. This is a brilliant piece of work incorporating all five senses in order bring the world to life. The design is stand-out while the little girl wanders the city as it comes in and out of focus. Beautiful, sweet, excellent.

Princess Tutu ends loud and strong as it should with an emotional climax as well as a full exploration of the themes of the show. The series wisely knows how to pace itself as it slowly removes the comedy elements so that the change does not come off as a sudden tonal shift. Included in this shift are some darker elements than what had come before including the revelation of a murderous secret society within the town. Princess Tutu also wisely changes the formula of the show half way through so it is not the same heart shard hunting that it was in the first half. The ending seems very quick but maybe because I was on the edge of my seat because of what had built up to it before hand. No matter how quickly it ended the show made sure to tie up all the major loose threads and have a satisfying conclusion. I really do think this is a series that everyone should who likes deconstruction and is fascinated by stories about storytelling. On top of it all I was highly amused that Drosselmeyer is the essence of who we are complaining about in a previous article. It is a show that very unique and will be mentioned as a hidden gem for years to come.

The Switch OVA like so many others assumes that you have read at least a little of the manga. This is a story that happens in the middle and even the signature “switch” doesn’t occur in these two episodes. Or rather it isn’t obvious that it happens I should say. This is fine for me, but it is worth noting to anyone unfamiliar. The case for the OVA involves a botanical center that is involved in producing a drug from Hal and Kai’s latest case. As Hal infiltrates the drug dealer’s gang, Kai begins working undercover at the gardens. As per usual Kai trusts way too much and gets in over his head. The final scenes are really tense and the story finishes open-ended.

The 8th Kara no Kyoukai movie is an epilogue that came with Blu-Ray box set. It is clearly an epilogue only for hardcore Nasu fans as it is a half an hour conversation between Mikiya and Shiki’s hidden third personality as they discuss Shiki’s powers. They mostly tie up some of the philosophical threads as well as some of the minor plot elements as well. It is well animated as they have their little conversation in the snow with some beautiful backgrounds and CG snow effects but all in all it is just a half an hour of two people chatting under a street light. There is absolutely no action and there is a whole bunch of navel gazing. I enjoyed it immensely because I am an odd human being but it quite easily could be the most mind numbing part of the series to anyone else. If you found yourself yawning during any of the explanations of magical systems and philosophy during previous movies you can easily skip this part and be none the worse for the wear. Considering that this did reasonably well they could always animate the Gospel in the Future bonus story as well but I would not hold my breath for that. If it end here I will be satisfied. They have gone above and beyond.

I rewatched the first episode of Neuro: Supernatural Detective since VIZ started streaming the series recently. It features Neuro a demon who eats mysteries. He has come to the human world because none of the demon world puzzles satisfying him anymore. In order to find great mysteries he strikes a bargain with Yako to use her as a genius child detective while trying to solve a mystery of her past. It was a nice refresher on just how insane the series is; it is truly a mash-up of crazy shonen with mystery. But don’t expect to be solving any of the cases here, they tend not to show you all the clues, but the ridiculousness of the show makes up for it.

Will this be the last time we mention Ryougi Shiki in an Ongoing Investigation? Not if I can help it!

The New York International Children’s Film Festival is one of the many things that makes me happy I live in NYC. Truth be told I’d probably see all the films if I had the means. Normally, I’d make sure to see all the anime on the list but I just couldn’t bring myself to watch Welcome to the Space Show again, sorry! So instead we opted for some more international flare.

This year our sampling of the New York International Children’s Film Festival is truly an international experience. While there was an outstanding anime in the lineup, two-thirds of our selections were from non-Japanese animated features. We took in a French film as well as one from China. While a single film is hardly a full representation of the animated output of their respective countries it is still a fun thought experiment to compare and contrast them.

Time of Eve, while not new to me, was still a high priority. Not only did I love the ONA but I wanted to support the title in the hopes of seeing more from its creators or more specifically a continuation to Time of Eve itself. It also helped that the movie has an extra 15-minutes of footage. Time of Eve explores the relationship between human and robot when the lines start to blur. Titles that tackle this subject are about realizing your own humanity and acknowledging it around you, in Time of Eve we explore it through two teens, Rikuo and Masaki. The series is just as engaging a second time around with thoughtful amounts of drama, comedy, and questions. The additions to film are learning just a bit more about a couple of characters, but both of these additions just make you wish the series would go on to tells us their stories further. Like any true movie go-er should, watch through the credits as the stills actually tell you a new story and there is a scene after as well.

We went into the Time of Eve having seen a majority of the movie and knowing it was very good. If you are curious about the ONA series you can check out our review of it or watch it yourself on Crunchyroll. The question on our minds was what was added when they turned the series into a movie. It turns out they added a few new scenes which are mainly used to stitch the 6 episodes together while providing some major insights into the characters and world of the Time of Eve. The major benefit is the Ethics Committee is always being prominently mentioned from the beginning of the movie so they don’t move to the forefront only in the last episode like in the original. The extremely mysterious Setoro also gets a good deal more fleshing out while still retaining his enigmatic nature. They also make the origins of Nagi and the cafe a bit more obvious with a completely new epilogue during the credits. The movie itself is worth a watch for original fans of the show just for those revelations alone. While the movie does make a few things clearer it does introduce some new characters and questions and in doing so is practically begging for a second season. I truly hope that this movie is able to raise the interest and capital to make more of this wonderful science fiction series.

Dreams of Jinsha is one of those films where at first I question my cynicism, but then realize that no, I haven’t lost my ability to enjoy children’s films, Dreams of Jinsha is just not good. Xiao Long has an amulet from the ancient kingdom of Jinsha. Xiao’s pet dog leads him to the kingdom one night where he meets a princess and is told of a prophecy involving the amulet and destruction of the land. That’s all well and good, but the scenes feel disconnected from one another and you never feel invested in the characters or outcome. The story is flat so things like motivation, urgency, and explanations are either nonsense or never touched upon. Even the dialogue was tedious. I am not a stickler for animation, I’m rather forgiving, but when everything else is bad you give me no choice but to look at the quality of animation being presented. Dreams of Jinsha doesn’t even succeed on this level as most of the moving shots are very cheap or off model, and they pop out against the background too much. I’m not sure why this was Oscar-shortlisted in the least.

Every moment I enjoyed in Time of Eve was karmically balanced out by moments of suffer while watching Dreams of Jinsha. I can’t point to any single glaring flaw with Dreams of Jinsha because the movie is just a long string of flaws that only gives you relief when it is finally over. If there is something to complain about with an animated feature you will find an example of that in this movie. The animation was clearly done on the cheap with Flash varying from competent to horrible but it always has a lackluster quality to it. Some of the static backgrounds were very well done but anything in motion was shoddy. The storyline was muddled. It jumped from plot point to plot point with only the bare minimum of connecting threads. I know that no one likes characters who sole purpose is to provide exposition but some explanation would have been greatly appropriated. The funny thing is there are two major exposition characters in the movie, a minister and a spirit elephant. The problem is what little information they give the audience is there to link together scenes that would utterly make no sense without them. Also the characters are so flat that Takashi Murakami would blush. They are either unappealing or boring and often do things for no adequately explained reason. At one point the general goes into the woods trying to kill an energy spirit for no reason that I could remember despite being warned that it could have grave repercussions. The pacing and direction is equally bad. I felt myself nodding off in the middle of the film when they are spinning their wheels before things start to go wrong. Also the director loved to have something happen and then jump to a reaction shot all the time. For some reason it made everything seem really artificial. I get the sense they were trying to mix the appeal of a Disney musical with epic story of a Studio Ghibli film but did not understand why either of those types of films were so good. I would hate to think that this is China’s best foot forward in the medium of animation because it is quite a misstep indeed.

A Cat in Paris graced the front of the brochure and booklet for the festival with good reason, it was delightful. Dino a cat is Zoe’s pet by day and Nico the thief’s assistant by night. Both worlds coming crashing together one evening when little Zoe follows Dino and overhears a plot against her mother by some dangerous gangsters. I’m a total sucker for thieves, and in this film Nico and Dino become the redeemed heroes as they take on rescuing Zoe. The style in the film really sells it and is able to capture personality for the characters without dialogue. This is most notable in how Nico slinks around the roof tops or how Victor stomps everywhere. A good portion of the movie is chase scenes which are thrilling as Paris sweeps by in the background. I also was impressed with the blackout scene’s solution to show us what the characters were up to despite not having light. The dub used a British cast to excellent effect allowing it to maintain its European feel. The plot is simple as are the characters, it is the execution that makes A Cat in Paris highly entertaining.

A Cat in Paris is just a plain fun kids movie. The art is very stylized in a way that made it stand out. It has a very angular look that makes the film look like animated pieces of art. It might turn some people off but I think it adds to the mood and gives it an almost storybook feel. When Nico the thief sneaks around as a cat bugler he has an extremely fluid motion almost like he was made of quicksilver. Other than Dino everyone else has their own characteristic trot but seems more weighted down by gravity. The plot sometimes relies on coincidence but it is never insulting or silly. The coincidences also make sure the story is always moving forward which is vital. There is always a good mix of action to with capers, fist fights, chase scenes, and daring rescues. You know it was French film because if it was an American film they would have mentioned that Nico was skilled in parkour at least 5 times before the end. It is a great movie to watch with your kids, younger relatives, or just for some light watching on your own.

If you can’t make it to any of the short film screenings, never fear since they usually show a short before the longer films. My favorite of them was Rubika where, as the film description says, there is “fancy gravity.” We see one poor citizen get thrown off and then it gets wild and wondrous. As you can see in the shot the designs are kind of like LEGO people, but the title of the film should give you a hint to the big reveal of what is causing the gravity changes. The two others Ormie and Don’t Go were funny in their own ways though perhaps a mite too long.

Before all the movies at the festival there is usually at least one short animated film and this year was no exception. Rubika was an innovative French short about a man whole lives a world that looks like Minecraft and finds gravity has gone berserk for him when he tries to save a woman falling sideways. His adventure falling through the city works well as a short giving it just enough time to show the nifty premise of the animation but not enough to wear out its welcome. Ormie was a CG Canadian short about a luckless pig trying to get a jar of cookies from on top of a refrigerator. It is a much more of a standard comedy cartoon with the pig’s Wile E. Coyote style attempts top get his snack. It has a Pixar feel but was not a good as a great Pixar short. But what is? Don’t Go was the last short we saw in the festival and it was from Turkey. It was mainly a live action movie with an animated character inserted in like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. There is a real black house cat who chases a CG bunny creature around his owner’s apartment. I think it was supposed to be they story of what do cats chase when it looks like they are chasing after nothing. It is an interesting little short if a bit simple.

Since I already knew Time of Eve was fantastic, the big winners for me this year are both from France, A Cat in Paris and Rubika. This is really my only chance to see these films so I have to stress how great NYICFF and the events they put on throughout the year. Another successful year and am already looking for to the 2012 festival.

I think the troubadour Meat Loaf summed up my feelings on the movies we saw at the New York International Children’s Film Festival very well. The Time of Eve was the most mature film, A Cat in Paris was the best kids movie, and Dreams of Jinsha was just an example of what not to do. Our only regret was that The Borrower Arrietty was not a part of the lineup but maybe next year our wish will be granted.  The film festival is always a wonderful sample of animation from around the world and I look forward to seeing what they get next year.

In my earlier days, I remember watching shows and not knowing if there was more, or often assuming there was more because how could you end the story there! Of course I have since come to realize this happens a lot, you get just a taste, wish for more, and never do get it. So this is a celebration of titles that we want more of being aware that it might or more than likely might not happen. This is just the beginning of a list that certainly has many more titles to come.

Riding Bean

One OVA was hardly enough. Most of the other series on our list had a good run but left us wanting more. Bean on the other hand, we barely got a taste of. Riding Bean was supposed to be a TV series that sadly never came to fruition. Bean Bandit may have repeatedly shown up in the Gunsmith Cats manga (and later Gunsmith Cats Burst) but he never appeared in the Gunsmith Cats anime which is a crying shame. He is a man’s man, tougher than nails, and instantly likable. His exciting job of shady courier allows for many and varied stories; Bean as a TV series could be a grouping of one-offs, some huge complex story, or a mixture of the two. If nothing else they could make more Gunsmith Cats and adapt the parts where Bean shows up as well.

Giant Killing

This was obviously a series that had so much more story to tell but sadly only got a season to tell it. There are still 8 volumes of material that have not been animated from the still ongoing manga of which no end is in sight. Plus the ETU is a professional soccer team so they don’t have a fixed number of years to play as with a school team. The dynamic focus from the coach to the players to the fans to the reports lends itself to continuous growth and changing perspectives. It was so nice to see an anime about a professional team filled with adults; we can use some more of that!

Ouran High School Host Club

It seems like a simple decision. Ouran High School Host Club was insanely popular in the U.S. and Japan but the anime had to be cut short because the manga was still ongoing. Since the manga has finally finished up, it is the prefect time to conclude the series while the series is still fresh in everyone’s minds. Even if it is obvious who Haruhi is going to end up with, as it is with so many romances, you still want to see it play out. Plus the series is always charming and hilarious so another season of comedy for both sexes is most welcome.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell is an evergreen property. A property that is rightfully associated with being intelligent and provocative while still having a sexy and exciting edge. As the long-running Law and Order (and its many iterations) prove, it’s easy to make a new season of a procedural police show and keep it fresh and interesting. GitS: SAC stunning cast can always incorporate new issues from Japan’s political sphere to its technological dominance and everything in between for new stories. It is a franchise that can easily continue for as long as you want while staying challenging. Director Kamiyama expressed a desire for more GitS: SAC so we need to let him know we want it!

Hataraki Man

Hataraki Man most certainly ends at a changing point, but not that doesn’t satisfying in fact it just makes you want to know where things will end up. Hiroko’s dedication as a reporter never gets old and it makes easy pickings for new stories to tell. On the more personal front, there seems to be some growing attraction between her and the photographer plus we have all the great relationships between everyone at the office. Too bad the manga has been left hanging for a while as well.

Bonus Picks

The King of Braves GaoGaiGar

Ending with Grand Glorious Gathering is like ending the original Star War Trilogy with Empire Strikes Back. The good guys have won but as great cost and most of the cast is stuck light years from home.  Clearly the need make the third part to tie up all the loose ends and give the series the colossal ending it deserves. Plus GaoGaiGar has always been one of the premiere hot-blooded mecha shows so I don’t think any fan of the super robot genre would object to the further adventures of the Gutsy Geoid Guard.

Dogs

I’m kind of hoping for a TV series more than a continuation of this prequel OVA, but that still counts! The OVA is basically a page by page adaption of the manga, however seeing all the action sequences is a huge boon. A dark future, strange genetic experiments, secret pasts, and plenty of action makes me desperate for more!

I just have to reiterate that if you like mecha and you haven’t been watching Broken Blade, shame on you! I’m pretty much anxious all the time waiting for these movies to come out. This film marks the halfway point for the series giving it an important climatic and possibly game-changing role. Even though most of this movie is combat, pieces are still being moved into place.

Broken Blade movie three is the end of the beginning. Athens is ready to escalate their campaign against Krisna and are preparing to finally deploy a majority of their forces to the war.  This movie is the last of the small-scale skirmishes before full-fledged war breaks out. After this the dynamic of the battles will be on a whole new level. Guerrilla warfare will give way to armies clashing as part of an all out war of conquest. But there has to be one last clash between the current players and that battle may pan out in ways the audience does not expect. 

This movie is basically one fight. A very good, exciting, intense fight, but basically a 35-minute fight out of the film’s total 45-minute run time. However, with a long series like this sometimes that is not only exactly what you want, but it is necessary. And wow did they make it worth every second. I was on the edge of my seat thanks to the to excellent choreography. It was able to surprise me and I even uttered an audible gasp as its peak moment. Throughout all this the movie was able to convey personality, too, making it more than just cool-looking. Plot is not lost here, we finally meet some characters that we’d only heard about, a major character’s fate is left hanging, a new plan goes into action, and of course we continue to contemplate just when the king will die.

Zess is running out of time. If he cannot capture the royal family of Krisna soon then Athens main army will be deployed in order to crush the kingdom. But Rygart has finally committed himself to the fight and this means they will surely cross path again. What will be the result of this first real life or death clash between old friends? Who will survive?

Emotions are already running high when this film begins as Rygart is still coping with the reality of killing people or at least feeling responsible for their deaths though of course I couldn’t be happier to not being seeing Lee again. But things start to click in place for him in this film, and a bit of a darkness creeps in if only for a moment. Zess and his team are still a bit of an enigma though we do see a bit more of Zess’s dealings. Cloe has a major role to play in this movie and looks to be around in the foreseeable future, if for nothing else to dispense pseudo-lesbian fan-service. Despite how lame I find her, the combat scenes were really awe-inspiring. I found the back story of the owl amusing and his scenes with Rygart are the only comic relief this time around.

The battle between Zess and Rygart has a distinctly Char vs. Amuro feel. Rygart is the reluctant pilot in the vastly superior suit with several tricks up its sleeve but still a pilot with little real combat experience. Zess is out matched technologically but has the skills of a virtuoso veteran warrior. Zess also has a team of well-trained soldiers backing him up. While his subordinates might not be as skilled as Zess they give him an even greater advantage over the solo Rygart. It is a good back and forth battle with both sides being nicely balanced. Also the Delphine is an interesting mecha in the fact that it has no permanent outer layer so it is more of a super heavy fighter in this movie after Sigyn outfits it with massive red armor. This lets them vary how Rygart fights from movie to movie (and helps them sell more model kits.) And speaking of Sigyn they seem to have remembered the male mecha fans as we get another fan service scene like we did in the first movie. They just love to strip Sigyn whenever they have an excuse. It is hardly the focus of the show but they do like to throw it in there. I’m not complaining. I am just mentioning it is there.

This movie flew by in an instant, I was completely engrossed so when those credits rolled it threw me. Though this might have also been the not polished stopping point for the film. But one thing is for sure, they have made me even more excited for the next installment. Bravo Broken Blade for continuing to be a bright spot for mecha anime!

For everyone who thought the first two movies were too much talking and setup up this was the big slam-bang conclusion to the first part of the story. But it is not all robot porn. We get some more insights into our principle players and get introduce to some new characters that will take the stage for the next part of the story. I can’t wait to see what part 4 has to offer us. Thankfully it should be out by the time this review goes up so I expect will have a review of that shortly.

I have been meaning to mention this for a while. From the first episode of Star Driver there was something shockingly familiar in the fight sequences. But it had nothing to do with past anime. To put it simply Takuto’s victory music is the main theme from Back to the Future. Or rather it reminds me of it so readily that A) it must be an homage and B) it throws me out of the show every time!

Back to the Future

Star Driver

It isn’t just the most well-known part of the song that it borrows from either, plenty of the little nuances are there as well. I still don’t know rightly how I feel about Star Driver but this musical occurrence makes me grin. I should also mention that I rarely notice music in shows, but I guess when its something that I’ve seen a million times and happens to be near the top of my all-time favorite movies lists it sticks with me!

I had never heard of Karakuri Odette, not one bit. In a lot of ways, this is what I want from the Manga Movable Feast; I like being introduced to a series, but I get recommendations all the time as I’m sure many others do, so having the push to pick it up is helpful. Karakuri Odette also provides a story that has underlying themes to mull over so it fulfills another point when I think about what I want from the MMF. The series is rather subdued but combines coming of age moments with the moral ambiguity of what exactly robots are for. The storytelling somewhat reminded me of (wonderful) Nari Kasukawa in the quiet approach to humor and relationships but Julietta Suzuki folds in a darker look at morality with it.

As we stated in our Mushishi article for the MMF a compelling method of examining humanity is looking at people through an inhuman lens. Androids fill this niche extremely well because while they look exactly like a human they are still removed from humanity by virtue of their creation. Androids can commingle with humans without creating a fuss but still allow an outsiders perspective of what makes a human a human. Androids are also useful metaphors for those who are alienated or on the fringe due to their nature. They are at first glance part of the group but they are also fundamental removed. Karakuri Odette can be seen as a romantic comedy that uses robotics to examine more than just the concept of can a human love a robot and be loved back. Karakuri Odette takes the older concepts often used in classic science fiction to explore the heart of humanity. At the same time it is a sweet story with tales of friendship and romance mixed with dash of humor. It hearkens back to the day when shojo used science fiction to tell stories while having a more modern sense of whimsy.

Karakuri Odette is a piece that helps diversify the shojo manga available in English. Odette, a robot, finds herself desiring to explore and experience the world so she asks for that chance from her creator. The Professor agrees to let her attend high school. This story fits in with its peers but also begins to explore further themes than wackiness ensues as robot girl enters high school or robot girl falls in love with human boy. Though certainly those things occur or, in the case of the later, look to be on the horizon (or maybe that is wishful thinking). Each story is a chance for Odette to learn a little more about humanity. Whether it’s new friends at school, a fellow robot, or a lost child Odette’s ferocity to be more human, perhaps even a better human, is felt.

The comes a time in every sentient android’s life where she discovers previously unknown processes running through her CPU that she has never had before. In Odette’s case she wonders what separates an artificial girl like her from normal human girls. So she convinces the scientist who made her, Professor Yoshizawa, to let her enroll in high school in order to discover what separates man from machine. At school she learns what it is to be human and what it means to be an android from people like her sickly friend Yoko Morino and the handsome rebel Asao Kurose.

Odette is a character with which an immediate connection occurs, her straight-faced reactions combined with her honest curiosity about the world strike an odd balance throughout the story. This allows her to be unintentionally humorous at times and profound at others. Odette feels like a robot to the audience, you don’t forget what she is even as her understanding broadens, but because she is mechanical she can put so much effort into learning what it is to be a human. She strives for the good characteristics of humans by helping others and pursuing friends (even when resisted). Currently Odette is free of more negative traits, though she shows the feeling of loneliness, she isn’t hurt by anger or rejection as yet. However, as we see other robots it is clear that Odette indeed has a personality and is therefore already different. How she affects those she encounters, be they human or otherwise, is where a lot of the magic in the series occurs. I am very curious to see who Odette will be at the end of this story.

There is a very simple stock character who is the inhuman that wishes to be human. They usually always a rather strange individual but are often much more human than they realize. But being a stock archetype does not mean you cannot be a great character. The puppet that wishes to be human usually shines through its inhuman quirks. Odette has a delightful deadpan that is sharp enough to mark her as weird but still warm enough that you can connect with her. The other thing that makes a this type of character shine is in what ways they are human despite their being an artificial life form. Odette always has a strong feeling of loneliness that makes her sympathetic. But at the same time you always feel she is slowly reaching out to her human acquaintances which gives her a feeling of growth that is vital. Then again I might also just have an inherent prejudice to think better of all pink-haired girls. I don’t really have much to say about Asao Kurose because he is a blond delinquent who is secretly very caring and the main romantic interest. Anything I will say about him will be rendered utterly redundant by the mere fact that he is so clearly “a Narutaki character” and therefore she can talk about him for pages. I will say that he makes a good foil for Odette as someone how knows that she is a robot at school and as a romantic interest.

There are many prominent people who fit into Odette’s ever-expanding world; Asao just happens to be the best one. Asao was an unexpected, but not unwelcome, recurring character in the cast as Odette pursued friendships with her classmates. His reputation as a delinquent actually brings a challenge to Odette because she sees him as good while everyone else believes him to be bad and warns her against him. This forces her to start navigating social waters and learning about judgment. While I think it is still up in the air with only one volume read, there are roads leading to Asao possibly developing feelings for Odette. But because I can’t truly say what Odette’s growth will be, it is all speculation, though I do feel the writing is on the wall. And so if Odette learns to love through a snarky, blond delinquent . . . well you won’t hear me complaining!

Rounding out the cast of the first book is the Professor, Yoko, and Miwako. The professor is an eccentric genius in that kindly mad scientist tradition. He views Odette both as an important experiment and as a daughter. And like any parent he finds himself driven up the wall by Odette to great comedic effect. On the school front Yoko is both Odette’s first friend and inadvertent member of a love triangle between her, Odette, and Asao. While Asao has a crush on Yoko she always has her eyes on the mostly unseen boy named Okada. Yoko has an unnamed chronic illness which leaves result in her sometimes have attacks and has as an overall weakened constitution. While she is very supportive of Odette is generally unaware of her place in the love triangle. Miwako is the mutual friend of Odette and Yoko and fills the role of side character friend. I mostly only mention her because the buns on her head make her look like Mickey Mouse.

The approach in Karakuri Odette is a good mix of light and dark where neither overtakes the other for too long a period of time. There is a bit to be learned by the reader while following Odette as she in turns grows and learns as well. The journey so far has been gratifying and serves to remind you of your humanity. I look forward very much to finishing this series.

I would really like to go back and write another article about this series when all the books are out. Although we both only read the first book for this post I did go to the library and stumbled on the 4th book. Odette has clearly made progress as a character which is always nice to see. I am curious how far they go with her when they complete the series.  I would be curious to compare and contrast how this series deal with the concept of artificial humans and their relationship to humanity as compared to other manga like Chobits and Astroboy as well as other types of fiction like Star Trek: The Next Generation and Asimov. Anyone else who has read all the books can feel free to run with this idea as I would really like to see this manga compared to a wide variety material.

Apparently the formula to the boom and bust of shows getting simulcast is much simpler than I first assumed. Since the Winter and Summer seasons are considered the lesser seasons these shows are cheaper to license so we see far more shows being picked up for simulcast as opposed to the two main broadcast seasons. Now that I know the magical equation for licensing I will reiterate out standard season preview rules. First and foremost we do not watch every show that comes out. We here at Reverse Thieves maintain our sanity and prevent burn out by skipping any show that seems absolutely retched although we on occasion take a risk and will sample something that is probably dire but might have a faint hope of being entertaining. The second is that we don’t review sequels and continuations as you usually know exactly what you were going to get from the earlier iteration. There is one very special exception to that rule this year. We will not be looking at Gosick in this guide because we are going to do episode reviews of the anime every Tuesday. This is hardly our transformation from an editorial blog to an episodic blog but we figured it would be fun to try. (Also this lays the ground work for me to episode blog the Fate/Zero anime when it comes out.)

Fractale

I’m living in the kernel of a rank-one map
From my domain, its image looks so blue,
‘Cause all I see are zeroes, it’s a cruel trap
But we’re a finite simple group of order two

- Finite Simple Group (of Order Two) by The Klein Four

As a Noitamina show, you can always go in with decent expectations. And the way the director was talking about it, there was no way to go in with anything less than high hopes. Luckily, the first episode was incredibly charming with its family show feeling. Clain’s adventure starts when seeing a beautiful girl being chased, he subsequently helps to hide her. She ends up leaving an amulet with him that contains lost technology. Everyone has already made the Ghibli comparisons but I’ll add that the beginning indeed felt like Laputa. I found myself both thrown off and intrigued by the setting, there is future technology, current world technology, and steampunk technology all set in what looks like the European countryside where small markets and normal looking cars are used. There are also priestesses. Where will this giant mishmash go is what I’m looking forward to most.

There are some pretty high expectations for this show considering how many big names are working on it and how much hype this show has gotten. So far I can’t say the show has lived up to those high hopes but I think it has the potential to do so. The world is interesting and has a very odd feeling of being super advanced but somewhat retro at the same time (with the main character collecting old technology reinforcing this idea.) The interplay between Clain and Phryne was fairly amusing although they both seem to have an odd mood swings at points. At the same time the villains distinctly have the feel of the Dorombo Gang from Yatterman. The plot still seems to be as of yet unrevealed so I am reversing judgment of how much you need to watch this but there is nothing that says you should not give this a chance. It has potential to go either way but if it succeeds it might be wonderful.

Rio – Rainbow Gate!

Cherry ice cream smile I suppose it’s very nice
With a step to your left and a flick to the right
You catch that mirror way out west
You know you’re something special and you look like you’re the best.

- Rio by Duran Duran

Rio is without a doubt the most innovative concept I have seen in several years. A complex gambling manga that uses the a different song of Duran Duran as a motif for each episode while having that razor’s edge tension of Akagi. Oh. I’m sorry that I wanted this to be. It is instead one of the dumbest gambling anime I have ever seen. I know that you can’t expect TOO much out of a show like Rio but it sadly neither was horrible enough nor fun enough to be entertaining. The little girl’s strangely sexual admiration of Rio  is never too tasteless but it also is never endearing as well. Rio despite her cool fight scene comes of as a weak-willed pushover. The gambling is boring and weird and smacks of poorly executed video game silliness. The big reveal of the bad guy’s plot is so colossally moronic it borders on awe-inspiring. Rio is really only worth watching streaming just to see how bad the first episode is and then you can happily never watch another episode again.

This show was dumb. Not really bad, just dumb; as in I’m dumber from having watched this. I’m more than a little weirded-out that the main character is actually a little girl who is being babysat by Rio; exactly why would we want to see things from her perspective? The biggest crime is the gambling is in no way exciting; just odd and boring! Plus, people’s stories are a flop. Rio is like a combo of magical girl/gambling? And on top of that, I don’t think there was enough fan-service to somehow recommend the show on that low-level. For totally random purposes I gotta say Rio doesn’t seem all that attractive, at least not to the extent of how characters are reacting to her, and it’s not as if the rest of the cast is made up of withered old grandmas; maybe it’s the terrible outfits . . .

IS (Infinite Stratos)

D, world destruction
Over and overture
N, do I need
Apostrophe T, need this torture?

Don’t don’t don’t let’s start
This is the worst part

- Don’t Let’s Start By They Might Be Giants

I would like to mention that I saw several quick reviews of this show on twitter that said the fight scene at the beginning was amazing and lushly animated and body of the show at the school was horrible. While the fact of the matter is everyone is correct about the school drama. It is a paint by numbers romp with one guy at an all girl’s school in which mildly annoying characters go through the standard harem comedy hi-jinks with robots in the background. The utterly amazing fact is that no one mentions during the mecha battles consist mainly of people in open-faced power armor that makes them look like freaky Mecha Musume. I mention this because Mecha Musume maybe silly but I see why people kind them cute. This just looks really horrific to the point of disturbing. There is a reason most mecha shows do not use this technique. I can’t remember anything that happened in the first fight in the show because I was so traumatized by the pilots looking like some unholy mechanical chimera. Also that can’t be the most effective mecha design because I would always aim for the easy to see human in the front rather that than the mechanical parts.

So now switch over to an all-girl military school with one boy show. The harem aspect of the show doesn’t really need that much comment, it is pretty standard affair, which never comes off as totally horrible but isn’t taking the genre up a level. This of course includes all the personality tropes you might expect. The mecha part of this show is what is most interesting. The first battle is really nice; it is animated well and has good visual tension. However, when I saw not robot heads but human ones, this was actually power armor, it was deeply jarring. I think it must be the scale that was making it look so freaky to me. The overarching plot is not really clear yet so there could be potential there I suppose. The cast just seems so run of the mill that I wasn’t enticed to find out.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Yeah, do you believe in magic
Yeah, believe in the magic of a young girl’s soul
Believe in the magic of rock and roll
Believe in the magic that can set you free

- Do You Believe in Magic by The Lovin’ Spoonful

This might even beat Utena and Princess Tutu for oddest magical girl visuals although I have yet to determine if that is a good thing or not. But when they do anything in the magical realm it looks like a modern art interpretation of the classic Yellow Submarine cartoon with an Akiyuki Shinbo touch. The story itself is hardly original but so far it has been well executed. In the end magical girl shows all come down to execution. They mostly follow a very similar but when you do things right you can get something remarkable like Cardcaptor Sakura or HeartCatch PreCure!. Hopefully the story will be as daring as the visuals without going into icky Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha territory. I do know I thoroughly enjoyed the Gate of Babylon filled with nothing but rifles scene. Also I am pulling for the final villains to be revealed to be the Blue Meanies. I must end this with a quick observation. I have heard people complain that the show oversimplified Ume Aoki’s characters designs. As far as I can tell the only way to simplify her character designs is to make them stick figures.

I’m always looking for a new magical girl show to knock my socks off. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting that from this show. I think it’s no secret that I’m not a Shinbo fan, or a SHAFT fan, or a Hidamari Sketch fan so the only real thing that was enticing me was the magical girl aspect. The opening scene was a great start. There was danger, prophecy, and mystery that grabbed me and it felt like the right beginning. As the story continued to lay the ground work introducing characters plus a new transfer student, Madoka hearing the call of a mysterious voice, and finally the ever popular transformation sequence, I found myself happy. The visuals are a mixed bag, sometimes stepping into macabre and surreal territory which I’m curious to see tie in somehow. I don’t know if Madoka Magica blew me away, but I’m more than willing to see what they are going to do with it.

Cardfight!! Vanguard

It’s Sometime in the Future
The Ultimate Challenge
CROSSFIRE!
( drums )
Huh
CROSSFIRE!
You’ll get caught up in the
CROSSFIRE!

- The Crossfire Commercial

Ever since I got hooked on Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, I look forward to over the top card game shows. What we have here is a show where card game playing is everywhere, even in class the teacher used cards! Young Aichi has his rare Blaster Blade card stolen by a classmate thus he must battle to get it back! I doubt people were going into this show with high expectations but it is exactly what you’d expect to see, including some basic instructions on how to play Vanguard. There aren’t any surprises in Cardfight!!’s debut episode, but it also does pretty much what it sets out to do with an air of ease.

When Akira Ito the manga artist behind Yu-Gi-Oh! R and Satoshi Nakamura the original Duel Masters technical advisor decide to team up the only logical result is Cardfight!! Vanguard. Anything else would have possibly ripped a hole in time space. You have a wimpy kid with crazy hair that gets his super care card stolen from him. You have a bully with crazy hair that loses said card to an ice-cold kid with crazy hair who is also a pro player.  It is a children’s card game show where the card game is a serious business affair that determines who lives and who dies. More importantly it is a children’s card game show designed to sell cards to children. Sadly we have not seen anything that trumps card games on motorcycles but there might be some equally ridiculous gimmick in the future. Until than anyone who has ever watched any anime based on a card game know exactly how interested they are in watching this series. I almost forgot. There is one major plus for Cardfight!! Vanguard. They have a JAM Project opening.

Haiyoru! Nyaruani: Remember My Love(craft-sensei)

Do you remember? The time when our eyes first met?
Do you remember? The time when our hands first touched?
That was the very first time I set out on the journey of love.
I love you so.

- Do You Remember Love? by Mari Iijima

That was certainly very odd. Apparently this is based on a series of light novels about a boy who lives the cute girl versions of various incomprehensible monsters of the Lovecraft Mythos. This is the logical Japanese moe conclusion from the path created by things like the plush Cthulhu. At 5 minutes (including a full length opening) these are not adaptions of the light novels but little bonuses for people who are already reading the novels. That said they use super cheap flash animation in the meat of the show and the jokes are bizarrely sexual and not that funny. With no experience to the main story all of this falls flat although I would venture to guess that even if I read the main story it would still be uninteresting. I suppose the two people on earth who like Lovecraft and moe will be thrilled that this exists but everyone else can stay away.

This show isn’t really animated, except for the opening, yet it is only a few minutes long. And I mean super not animated. I’m not sure who or what is appealing about this show. It was just a weird scenario that wasn’t very funny even though it clearly seems like a little omake series.

Bihada Ichizoku is, sadly, a show that most people never watched. I remedied my ignorance over the Christmas holiday. These 12 8-minute episodes follow the two Bihada sisters, a family that “battles for beauty,” as they become rivals for the most beautiful skin in the world. Yes, I swear that is the premise, and I also swear it is perfectly executed and hysterical. The show was created to promote skin care products. The show is a near-perfect riff on all things shojo from the 70s; from the character designs to the expressions to the desperate seriousness of it all. Sara acquires a mysterious benefactor, who leaves her a random assortment of objects such as purple sweet potatoes, and teaches her the ways of skin care in order to defeat her sister in the final battle! There is hardship, death, doomed love, and so much more; Bihada Ichizoku plays it straight and entertains amazingly well. And at this length you can shoot through the whole show in less than 2 hours!

I decided to delve back into the work of Kill em’ all Tomino with the first 15 episodes of Aura Battler Dunbine. This story does not start with much foreplay in the regular world before throwing the protagonists, Shou Zama, in the magical world of Byston Well. Byston Well is a medieval fantasy land with insect like mecha called Aura Battlers. Shou finds himself pressed into the army of Duke Drake who plans to rule the world with an elite fighting force of pilots from Earth. Apparently people from Earth have massive amounts of spiritual power in Byston Well and can power up any device they control exponentially. After a few battles Shou find himself fighting on the side of the rebels. The fact that he is keen of the red-headed Marvel Frozen who is also part of the resistance is no small part of his decision. This feels very much like a Tomino work despite its fantasy setting.  You will notice a very standard Tomino style of pacing and characterization for better and for worse. So far Shou is a solid lead with a good mixture of knowing when to be aggressive and when to be passive in his personality as opposed to other Tomino leads. Neal Given has really only gotten on my nerves so far and I am still undecided on Marvel. All the villains so far are pretty despicable and we don’t really have a gray Char like character so far. So far Garalia is the most over manipulative and the top insanely evil character but Shot Weapon looks like he is saving his full crazy for a later date. I am curious to see how the Tomino does his version of Escaflowne over a decade before Escaflowne.

Finally had a chance to watch Gundam Unicorn ep. 2 and following in the footsteps of the first installment, it didn’t disappoint. As hotly anticipated, a familiar face (or should I say mask) appears and it is unclear whether he is the real thing or not. He has the attitude, the fighting capability, and the mindset of Char. My opinion is to believe he is indeed the true Char, but I truly don’t think it will ever be revealed one way or the other (unless he decides to tell a story about how awesome Char is); it stays more exciting and interesting not knowing. Seeing him back in action was fun (gotta get me a Sinanju model kit!) and of course he shows these kids a thing or two. Another series of great battles in this episode with stunning visuals as Banagher gets more acclimated to the Unicorn. The conflict is really starting to boil so I’m looking forward to more in the, regrettably short, series.

Since they were on sale I decided to finally buy the 4 chapters that make up Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. I started with Meakashi-hen or the Eye Opening Chapter. It is a retelling of the second story if Higurashi now from Shion’s perspective where we learn what actually happened during the Cotton Drifting Chapter. So far while all the visual novels have proved to be more in-depth than the anime or manga they have spun off this is the first chapter that is hands down infinitely better. Shion is just a deeper and more engaging character in original. We spend much longer with her in the beginning of the story so she is far more sympathetic than she was in the anime.  We also get a clearer sense of the whole Shion/Mion relationship dynamic which helps with the end of the chapter. Her relationship with Satoshi is expanded upon so when things start to go wrong we get a clearer sense of how and why she slowly goes mad and that she had been in a downward spiral for some time before the whole doll incident. When when everything falls parts we empathize with Shion but still realize she is still quite evil. I also found it interesting that we got our first solid mention of Hanyuu even if the audience at the time would have missed it. Just a huge improvement on every level. I do miss the little comedy cast ensemble pieces where the characters discuss the chapter and give you hints for dissecting the mystery. They were always very amusing. Instead Ryukishi07 gives his thoughts on chapter which are insights into the story but I would have liked some crazy antics on the side as well. This was a real treat and is making me look forward to the other solution chapters.

Finished up Legend of Legendary Heroes, a show that I held out hope for but was let down. The entire show teeters on the edge of good but never makes it over the hump. The mishmash of characters and relationships swings the gamut from engaging to utterly annoying. Ryner and Feris’s interactions get better as the series progresses; though Shion remains the most dynamic character of the bunch, they drop the ball with him nearing the end. As Ryner’s past is revealed more it starts to get a bit contrived. Not only does he have a bevy of childhood friends, everyone in the show has super tragic pasts with the meanest people in the lands. Also for a guy who can copy magic, Ryner’s repertoire is sadly bland as he only uses a handful of spells the entire show. The plot has many pitfalls including a completely nonsense ending and few explanations to go along with any of it. Legend of Legendary Heroes was a fantasy show with potential that never comes through.

I knew that Mirai Nikki OVA was going to be a test for how people would react to a full length Mirai Nikki TV series but I did not expect it to be nothing more substantial than a really long trailer. It introduces you to the bare-bones plot and quickly rattles off all the key players and then teases you for a  real first episode. Despite an introduction to many key points there is never the weight or feel of a full episode. It reminds me of X: An Omen in that respect. If you are curious about the series it is worth watching but it is nothing to go out of your way to import. Your better off just waiting for the actual TV series and then watching the first episode.

Sorry, not too much Bihada Ichizoku fan-art out there, so I’m going with Gundam Unicorn!

Flawed works are sometimes the most special of all; they are chance taking stories that don’t quite have all the details worked out. When breaking new ground it is no surprise when one gets lost along the way. This can occur in many different facets from having the amount of episodes suddenly shortened due to low-ratings or lulls in the middle of the story as they try to stretch or even extraneous characters taking up too much time. But these are also stories that surprise you with their decisions and that’s a most powerful and memorable reaction.

The examples that spring to mind immediately are two of the biggest game changing mecha shows of all time, Mobile Suit Gundam and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Both shows constantly had their episodes counts changed during their production leading to major changes in the story during production which were often detrimental. They both have wildly inconsistent animation due to budgetary constraints. Gundam was plagued with odd dialog and Tomino’s peculiar characterization. The last third of Macross is usually considered the weakest and feels tacked on. Neither show is objectively flawless and can be picked apart rather easily.  But they were innovated and bold for their time. They both changed the way people look at mecha forever. The characterization and formulas of both shows would influence countless imitators, protegees, and successors.

Any game changing show really depends on the context of its release, more often than not this can be summed up by what year it came out. The title that comes to mind for me is Space Battleship Yamato, a classic, but not a flawless work. Parts can be hard to watch now, if you hadn’t seen it when it was more fresh, without the knowledge of its importance in those early anime days. But there is no denying the impact of this space opera that showed that a dramatic anime could garner a huge fanbase. The medium was different after Yamato hit the airwaves and likewise the world of anime and its fans changed much with the premiere of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Love it or hate it, think it is overrated or the best thing ever, some people would (and have) describe the anime scene as pre- and post-Eva. And just like many that came before it, watching it now and not acknowledging what the world was like when it came out can make you view it very differently. Even for myself, seeing The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzamiya after the fact gave it a different feeling.

In contrast think of the works that you think of as near flawless masterpieces. Like any piece of art they are flawed but for the most part they are solid works that get almost universal acclaim. The cherished works of Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki are often cited as shows that inspire creator to go into animation. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is awe-inspiring and beautifully crafted. But how often do you see people trying to imitate them? But how often are they considered revolutionary? How often do they change how anime in the genre that produced them? Oddly enough as amazing as these works are they rarely go on to be as influential as their ugly ducking cousins.

A perfect 10 in anime, personally I think it quite rare; even in arbitrary grading like MyAnimeList, I am pretty stingy. And just looking at it, with the exception of the original Gundam movie trilogy (which is a remake anyway) I can say that none of those shows changed the face of anime forever. There can be a difference between being a masterpiece and being revolutionary. Where would we be without the risk takers? Not even the greatest of them all, Osamu Tezuka, did everything perfect. And I don’t think any of us mind too much. Even if something is imperfect, or a flop, it can inspire other to think differently.

It comes down to the fact that a flawed work can be improved up. A masterpiece is often created in the prime of a genre. The flaws and kinks of the genre have been tested so a great director can come in and take what has come before it and make it sing. But something with almost no room for improvement might be a challenge and an inspiration to live up to  as an ideal they are sadly often creative dead ends. A flawed work on the other hand says to a creator that they can do better.  When are show makes tragic mistakes but is still inspiring and enjoyable it often gives creators a direction to work towards with a road map towards an even better creation. New frontiers are not only filled with new ideas but with new dangers and mistakes to be made. A flawed work is often the best soil for new frontiers.

I really enjoy doing this post. Yeah, everyone does one, but that is because they are fun! For good or ill I know what kind of year I’ve had when I do this post.

Best Anime of 2010 or the Junmai Daiginjo-shu of Anime

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn by Sunrise I know it seems impossible but Gundam Unicorn might actually be the one modern series that a majority of Gundam fans can get behind without their normal bickering. It incorporates the newest and flashiest technology while keeping true to the strength and spirit of the original Universal Century series. If you did not know better you would assume that Yoshiyuki Tomino played a part in the creation of this series for who seamlessly it works itself into the universe. The characters for the series harken back to the former archetypes set by its predecessors while not seeming like clones. Obviously a good deal of money and love was poured into this series because it consistently looks amazing. I look forward to learning the secrets of the Laplace Box and the RX-0.

Runner up: House of Five Leaves by Manglobe An absorbing and atmospheric character based historical drama. Based on seinen manga it is an adult work for both sexes that continues the tradition of great noitaminA anime.

Giant Killing by Studio DEEN When thinking this over, I had to ask myself what was I most anxious to watch each week? What did I want another season of (and thought it could sustain it)? I arrived at my answer pretty quickly. It was Giant Killing’s approach to characters that impressed me throughout the season. Never did the show bang you over the head with who these people were, instead we were shown through small actions, bits of conversations, and of course their approach to soccer. And best of all we got to see everyone involved when it comes to sports from the players to the fans, from the press to the managing staff. Everyone had a role but our main character was not a star or up and coming player, but rather the coach. Tatsumi makes this show and gives a new perspective for a sports anime. Perhaps Giant Killing isn’t the most thought-provoking showing of the year, but it did things just a little bit differently and it never faltered.

Runner up: Kuragehime by Brain’s Base (second mostly because I haven’t seen how it ends yet) This is a very absorbing comedy about a house full of girl geeks whose lives get turned upside down when cross-dressing Kurnosuke takes an interest in them. This is the most genuine depiction of geeky girls I’ve seen to date without being pandering. And it is also turning into a tender romance as well.

Anime Man of the Year or Manlier than Isaiah Mustafa

Toma Kamijo from Toaru Majutsu no Index Yeah. I picked Toma Kamijo. I know everyone just considers A Certain Magical Index the world’s most inefficient Railgun delivery system but I actually like the stories involving Toma and Index as well. Toma has the very unusual power of a totally defensive ability of power negation. From what I have seen characters with  defensive abilities are almost always less popular than characters with offensive powers. I think it makes him stand out from the normal shonen protagonist while keeping the fights more interesting and creative in the process. I also find the fact that he is an amnesic interesting in the fact that we knew the character before he gained amnesia so his memory loss is not a back story delaying device. Also they bring up his amnesia just enough that it is a problem for him but never letting it define him. Finally he delivers a running uppercut and flying right hook to a petite nun voiced by Rie Kugimiya. That alone should have earned him an eternal fan following.

Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!! This was a pretty easy choice. Durarara!! had its up’s and down’s, but Shizuo was consistently the highlight of the show. A bartender in Ikebukuro, complete with garb, but also the strongest fighter and one of the most feared in the city as well. When he first appears he is hurling a vending machine, and this wouldn’t be the first or last time for that, then we quickly learn he knows a bit about the nefarious Izaya and is a good friend of the headless, motorcycle riding Celty. Yeah, Ikebukuro has a lot of crazy supernatural goings on and Shizuo super-strength just might be related as well. But Shizuo doesn’t want to be violent, it has led him to heartbreak, his control is always on the verge of breaking but we get to see him finally embrace who he is and even see a bit of his journey of redemption.

Anime Woman of the Year or A Good Woman is Hard to Find

Erika Kurumi from Heartcatch PreCure! Narutaki and I certainly had a hard time picking a woman of the year for 2010. I myself had to go to a show for little girls to find someone but within that show there were a great selection of characters to choose from. I picked Erika most because she deviates a bit from my standard choices (I would normally pick Itsuki). She is certainly the most standard girly girl of the 4 Cures with dreams of becoming a world-famous designer. She is energetic, optimistic, and filled with seemingly limitless self-confidence. She is genuinely friendly and loves meeting, helping, and encouraging others. But she is not just a prefect Mary Sue. While she is totally gung-ho about things she is passionate about she tends to be a slacker in all other fields putting off anything she does not care about. While she is super personable she also tends to forget about personal boundaries and tact. She can also be petty and jealous especially when it comes to her sister who has done more than her. But like the rest of the Cures one of the main themes of the show is each of them overcoming their flaws as they grow as people as well as magical girls. She is an utterly charming character who is a great role model for any of the girls watching the show.

Nino from Arakawa Under the Bridge Nino’s weird-status, though perhaps not so weird as her neighbors, puts her on top for me. Yes, she is a woman who believes she is an alien from Venus and has decided to live in an odd commune under a bridge, but that just shows her independence! Her straight-forward and simple approach to the world makes hee way she sees things actually quite perceptive; she clears away the clutter and is even poignant at times. This is shown mostly through he relationship with Kou a guy who at first is completely bogged down by the expectations of society. One of my favorite lines to him was, “We want to know who you are not what you have.” Brilliant.

Best Long Running Manga Arc or Why You Keep Reading 20 Books into the Series

The Marineford Arc – One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Ch. 549-580) The Marineford Arc is the conclusion of the series if arc with a solo Luffy trying to save his brother from being executed. The final leg of the rescue ends with an all at war between the marines and the Whitebeard pirates and their allies. It is a nonstop series of fights between old favorites like Sir Crocodile and Smoker, some characters who had only been hinted at like Jimbei and Admiral Akainu, or new characters like Vista and Vice-Admiral Dalmatian. It ends with some unexpected deaths and a dramatic and series altering conclusion. An unforgettable arc in an unforgettable series.

The God Killer Arc – Kekkaishi by Yellow Tanabe (Ch. 170-current; English release) The current goings on of Kekkaishi are pretty heavy and involve a lot of players, both old and new, creating a wide scope. When a powerful spirit landed in Karasumori, Yoshi and Tokine were on it, but things quickly spiraled out of control and Tokine ends up destroying the God because she didn’t have a choice. However, this incident set in motion a major investigation and we soon learned that Gods were being taken out all across the land, now making Tokine the prime suspect. Everyone is affected by this and even Yoshimori’s mother may know something. It’s a family affair and much, much more as this engrossing mystery continues to build. 

Worst Thing I Watched or Just Because Twitter Likes it Doesn’t Make it Good

Angel Beats! by P.A. Works I am not one to stick to the theory that a leopard cannot change his spots. I wish to believe that it is hard for  people to change but they can surprise you if you let them. That said I also do not ignore everything I have seen in the past being irrelevant as well. So when everyone insisted that despite its origin from Jun Maeda that Angel Beats! was totally different from any of their past works and that by not watching it I was doing myself a disservice I was skeptical. But Angel Beats! show itself to be a Key show as its very heart that just had a clever new coat of paint on it. It still had the same emotionally manipulative maudlin story as its core and any action or social commentary was just window dressing to the standard Jun Maeda story I despise. Also throwing on an all girl band to cash in on the popularity K-ON! did not win it any points in my mind as well. Yes I am a monster for not liking this show and I do not care.

Yosuga no Sora by feel. It seems there is always one show a year that I watch for some unknown reason and then want to claw my eyes out afterward. Yosuga no Sora is based on an incest, harem game. Yeah, this show was not something that was in any way, shape, or form going to appeal to me. Still besides the fact that there is a lot of sexual situations and nudity, this show is utterly boring with lifeless characters. It is also the show that has reminded me they really need to get a handle on TV shows, this should have been direct to video porn.

Most Desirable Piece of Merchandise or The Best Readers Would Buy This For Us

Crocodile EX Model Portrait of Pirates Figure Sir Crocodile has been one of the best villains in One Piece so who would not want to own a figure of him? I have always found his mixture of classical pirate and mafia don and very unique stylization. Plus that big gold hook is very catchy. If anything I would love to get all the Portrait of Pirates figures I don’t have but for now that is just a dream.

King Kazuma Figma Seeing Summer Wars on the big screen was one of the highlights of the year. The moment I saw King Kazuma on screen, I knew I must have a figure of him! Luckily this year they decided to oblige.

Best Convention Guest or Best Person No One at the Convention Went to See

Yuji Mitsuya All you have to do is look back at my Otakon 2010 report to see why he was an amazing guest. Although he was mostly ignored by the attendees because he was an older voice actor it turned out he was a spectacular speaker. The amount of insight he had into the anime industry was amazing. He was willing to talk at length about anything and everything he was asked in a friendly and candid manner. If he ever comes to another anime convention you owe it to yourself to attend any panels he is at.

Kenji Kamiyama The reason why I always attend AnimeNEXT is because when they get a guest, it is usually a very good one. And since the con is medium-sized, there is much more access to them! For 2010 they had the incredible Kenji Kamiyama who directed Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex among other things. Best of all he was very talkative to both the fans in his panels and to the press during the round robin interview with him. 

Thing I Wish People Would Stop Talking About or We Should Just Rename it the K-ON! Award

K-ON! by Kyoto Animation Just when you thought that all the talk about K-ON!! would let K-ON! fade a bit from memory Bandai USA decided to throw money right out the window and pick up the first season. Now people are arguing about the dub, the songs, the packaging, and the release schedule. They are also people saying that they will only buy a Blu-ray release. But quite frankly I could care less. It is a niche show that a majority of the fans are going to find some petty insignificant reasons not to buy. So I would rather they just stop talking about K-ON! and the fans can silently push Bandai one step closer to death as opposed to doing it in the noisy fashion they are doing now.

K-ON!! by Kyoto Animation Hot on the heels of the hit first season, this year we got more of this show. As far as I could tell K-ON!! was the most moving anime ever created in the history of the medium, it changed people’s lives forever. Please, spare me. It was inescapable, and just when I thought I would be free, because this audience moves on to the next thing so fast it makes my head spin, they announced a movie. So this show will probably land in this same category next year!

Series I Unexpectedly Liked or Gravy and Biscuits with Grape Jelly

Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina As much as a might be loath to admit it I actually have really enjoyed Zettai Karen Children. It has a distinctly loli vibe in the first part and anyone who drops the series or even hate it is fully justified in their feelings. But if you can tolerate such distasteful elements then there is actually a solid story and some great humor involving some very enjoyable characters. The action scene can be quite well done and some of the psychic powers are inventive. I would never pretend that the series is deep but it is enjoyable and has a brisk pace. It also helps that the time skip has removed some but not all of the creepy factor in the manga but you have to read quite a bit to get up to it.

SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors by Sunrise All of the spin-off SD Gundam series have a pretty terrible reputation, but if they are anything like this Three Kingdoms version I would welcome them! It is totally ridiculous and played pretty straight. Very funny and very entertaining. I especially enjoy seeing Zakus as civilians.

Best Short Manga or Short Manga Have Plenty of Reasons to Smile

Tenken by Yumiko Shirai Tenken is a smart and mature story that uses the classic Japanese legend of Yamata no Orochi to tell its own story with its own message. It is a tale of urban fantasy for adults which in an unexplored segment of the US manga market. The characters are somewhat simple but compelling and there is a strong love story at the center of everything. It tells a complete story in one book making the ideal manga to pick up if you want a change of pace in your normal reading habits but don’t want to take a big risk with your pocketbook.

Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP (Dark Horse English Re-Release) This was one of the first manga I read back when TokyoPop was Mixx, it was a special time indeed. But having a new translations and new release for this beautiful fantasy series is most welcome.

Worst Character of the Year or Please Die in a Fire

Fumiaki Uchida from Occult Academy If anyone person sabotaged Occult Academy from living up to its potential in the episode it is undoubtedly “Uchida Bunmei.” Maya Kumashiro was cool main character that really hooked you into the series. But then you after the second episode you quickly realize that Bunmei and Maya share the position of main character with Bunmei getting several episodes almost entirely devoted to his escapades. His whiny and self-absorbed nature does little to endear you to his cowardly and banal antics. His courtship with Mikaze Nakagawa is creepy and awkward and leads to an ultra icky porn kiss. Also his selfish actions in the last episode do little to make up for his heroics.

Shinra Kishitani from Durarara!! Since this is a character that I had such a bad feeling about that I had to write an article about it, I figure he belongs here. I felt suspicious of him from the beginning but as things are revealed about Celty’s past, I began to loath him. The way he interacts with Celty disturbs me and I don’t feel he has her best interests at heart. Get away from this creepy, controlling jerk Celty! FREE CELTY!!

Funniest Series the Sakuya Aizawa Award

Shinryaku! Ika Musume by TV Tokyo This is Keroro Gunso with a cute girl instead of a frog and that is not a horrible thing. The show follows a simple fish out of water ineffective invader formula that works well. Every plot line is either Ika Musume learning about the surface world or enacting some silly scheme. The show is cute and sweet for the most part although Sanae Nagatsuki can be a bit questionable. The anime had an earnest heart and a pleasant if somewhat laid back approach to humor. It is a simple show that bring a smile to my face and makes me chuckle.

Arakawa Under the Bridge by SHAFT From the mind of Hikaru Nakamura the manga-ka of Saint Young Men, I could expect nothing less than oddity. A commune of weirdos who live under a bridge creates mountains of hilarious situations and the word absurd can’t be used enough when watching this show.

Favorite Mecha Anime or The Terminus typeR909 Prize

Broken Blade by Production I.G A surprisingly overlooked mecha series especially considering how much mecha fandom is hungry for new titles. An unexpected bend real robot and fantasy with good characters and signs of some real political meat to the story. Rygart Arrow is a strong protagonists who is both conflicted yet cable of making decisions and progresses when the story dictates he does so. A real treat for any mecha fan who needs a combination of story and action with a bit of love triangle for all the Macross fans.

Star Driver by Bones I had to pick this show for two reasons. One, I have no idea where it is headed, it is intriguing. Since we’re only about half way through I could end up regretting this call but we shall see. And two, I love the unique mecha designs especially that of Takuto’s which resembles a fencer.