Month: October 2015

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works – Sunny Day Extra

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hisui_icon_4040 Minor miracles do occur every day. Legend of the Galactic Heroes, The Rose of Versailles, and Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure are all licensed for an English language release. Smile PreCure! is going to be on Netflix. (It is going to be called Glitter Force but I am talking about minor miracles. Smile PreCure! being licensed without significant changes would be in the category of major miracles.) I even got Artoria Pendragon and Attila on two accounts in Fate/Grand Order. (I don’t have a Tamamo no Mae but once again … MINOR miracles.) So it should not be completely shocking that the second Unlimited Blade Works has a Sunny Day OVA but it was hardly guaranteed to be on there either. Also it would have hardly been blindsiding if it were on the box set but then not subbed. I would not put it past Aniplex. I’m looking at you Einzbern Consultation Room. So another minor Type-Moon miracle occurred. But despite the odds the OVA was there and subtitled.

You can argue until your blue in the face if the changes Ufotable has made in adapting Unlimited Blade Works were a good idea. There are hundred page threads consisting of nothing but complaints about certain segments of the original visual novel being left out, comments that some of the new scenes are questionable additions, detailed screen caps showing times when there were animation mistakes, and pacing debates as varied as the color palette on a Full Ultra HD TV. But what you can’t say is that Ufotable did not go out of their way to try to make fans as happy as they could with this version of the story. When the animation is firing on all cylinders it is OVA quality, the story tries its best to stay as faithful as it can while adapting the narrative to a different medium, and there is a palpable respect for the original and its fandom in the end product. You can argue how well that was accomplished (I think it was very successful with a few minor and easily forgivable hiccups) but I think this Sunny Day extra is a real proof that Ufotable is going out of their way to give you the most authentic reproduction of playing the visual novel (or at least the Réalta Nua version) you can get in an anime from.

This is a short little OVA that basically sums up the Good Ending of Unlimited Blade Works as opposed to the Brilliant Years ending from the anime proper. While it is not the expanded story that the 25th episode of the TV series was for the original ending it is an acknowledgement that there was another valid ending. Because of that (and because of my preference for this ending) I would be remiss of me not to do a quick review of this unnecessary but greatly appreciated bit of fan service.
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New York Comic Con 2015: Anime and Manga

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hisui_icon_4040 The saddest parts of Japanese guests in America is when a skilled director, animator, or artist sits in front of a half filled room of mostly press, podcasters, and bloggers despite the fact that their extensive resumes that would wow most of the attendees if they were aware of who they could be listening to. That is no longer an absolute given as some conventions like AnimeNEXT have figured out how to sell certain high-profile guests in a way that can fill a medium and even larger sized panel room. But all of that paled in comparison to the crowd that showed up to see Masashi Kishimoto.

The mere fact that Mr. Kishimoto was able to fill a hall that seats about 3,000 people is proof positive that he is one of the handful of guests who could draw such a crowd. It showed two things very clearly. The first is that Naruto is still really popular in America. The second is that New York Comic Con is the sort of event that can draw a manga guest that prominent despite not being an anime convention.

But the anime and manga content did not end with just Mr. Kishimoto. There was actually a good deal things to do related to Japanese entertainment all weekend.

narutaki_icon_4040 A few years ago, it seemed like anime and manga being part of New York Comic Con was slowly evaporating. But now, it has its own place both on the guest roster and the show floor.

The amazing talent that VIZ is consistently bringing over to interact with English-speaking fans is beyond impressive at this point. It is anybody’s guess what they’ll do next! Continue reading →

Cowboy Bebop Rewatch Podcast Session #10: Ganymede Elegy

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As Cowboy Bebop has become this evergreen ambassador of anime, we decided to go back and re-watch the show now that is has gotten a beautiful Blu-ray box set. Every week we will share our memories and then re-evaluate these stories with 16 years of experience and distance. Which episodes are just as we remember, which have major flaws, and which have aged like a fine wine. At the same time, we will also look back on the music, cultural references, and holistic connections contained within each episode. Plus, we will judge if there in an appropriate amount of Ein.

Does Cowboy Bebop hold up as a classic or was its reputation all a dream? Let’s rewatch Cowboy Bebop together and find out!

Session #10