10 Dec 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Eve no Jikan, Yasuhiro Yoshiura]
I find myself watching each new episode of Eve no Jikan multiple times, letting myself become immersed in its world and absorbing as many of the plot points and details as I can. For most series, when there’s a batch of episodes on one DVD disc or when a new episode is available to view on a weekly basis, it’s as though it cheapens the experience in comparison with the way I watch this show. I think I take too much anime for granted in a way but here there are fifteen short minutes then that’s it for another couple of months; even leaving its other merits out of the equation I can’t help but try to squeeze the last drop of entertainment value out of each outing and savour every second.
I’m not posting this pic to crack an “Are those real?” gag: notice the CODE:LIFE book. Then crack an “Are those real?” gag
The story takes a less eventful course in this episode, most scenes taking place in the Time of Eve café. This time it’s all about the Koji and Rina of this episodes title: that romantic couple who often keep themselves to themselves in a secluded corner. In the two previous episodes I was looking forward to seeing how EnJ portrays romantic relationships like this in a worldview that makes human and android indistinguishable; needless to say it once again doesn’t disappoint. Spoilers after the jump folks.
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Reading stats: 1207 words & 5 images; estimated reading time 4:50 mins
[3 Comments]
03 Dec 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Kurozuka]
I know I’ve used the ‘diamond fashioned from broken glass’ analogy before (it was for ef-a Tale of Memories I believe) but it applies equally to Kurozuka. The word in the blogosphere is that the original manga is a bit trashy so if this is indeed the case the creative team behind the anime adaptation must have had their work cut out in taking the story from paper to screen without it sucking in the process. I haven’t read the manga yet but by the looks of things they’ve succeeded: plenty of potential has already been squeezed out of a simple premise so it turns out that a straightforward tale of vampires, corporate conspiracies and a romance that spans the centuries is proving to be quite something.
That is not to say that Kurozuka doesn’t go overboard with the violence on occasion - I’m in agreement with Coburn that it’s gratuitous to the point of being sadistic at times and doesn’t need to be as graphic to get its point across - but I suspect that this is what made up the meat of the source material. Style over substance is another favourite term that gets pinned to shows like this but when it’s one of the more high-budget Madhouse pieces the style alone is enough to make it worth your time. And it has vampires in it.
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Reading stats: 835 words & 3 images; estimated reading time 3:20 mins
[6 Comments]
28 Nov 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Allison to Lillia, Rants]
It’s with no small amount of relief that I’ve completed the epic disappointment that was Allison to Lillia. I feel as though the characters are now put out of their misery: when they are so lively and engaging it feels like an act of cruelty to even watch them go through such an embarrassment of a storyline. Another way of looking at is is that when I eventually reach the end of Code Geass I can sit back with the final episode, safe in the knowledge that I’ve already experienced true trainwreck television. In a very literal sense.
“Oh rly?” “Yes, rly.” “No way!”
Since I haven’t after all actually finished Geass the term ‘trainwreck’ is little more than an over-used buzzword; at this point though I can still understand the feeling of disappointment the R2 haters among you must have felt. On the plus side it means I’m more likely to enjoy Lelouch’s final outing since, with the final two arcs of Lillia taken into account, it probably can’t be any worse than what I subjected myself to this week. How did such a promising show go so wrong?
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Reading stats: 964 words & 3 images; estimated reading time 3:51 mins
[5 Comments]
25 Nov 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Tytania]
At the time of writing I’m only four episodes into Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which isn’t far at all considering the sheer length of the series as a whole. I’ve promised myself that I’ll take it back off my on-hold list when I’m finished with Tytania though because this is providing a sort-of practice run in the particular brand of space opera and its SRS BSNS approach to storytelling. This is indeed galactic warfare as serious business, although I’m finding Tytania to be a little less straight-faced than its older cousin.
For starters the character who I’m guessing is the hero of the piece is a bit of a comedic one. Unlike the members of the Tytania clan he isn’t a stuffy po-faced aristocrat in a ridiculous outfit: when he was going into battle he preferred bubblegum over wine or Manly Tea and was willing to try an unconventional tactic that not even Ariabart could ignore. This seems to be a story of a young upstart bringing down the biggest military power in the galaxy simply through independent thinking, which makes it hilarious - in the sense of irony rather than that of LOL slapstick. Luke Skywalker has nothing on this guy.
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Reading stats: 828 words & 3 images; estimated reading time 3:19 mins
[5 Comments]
23 Nov 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Xam'd: Lost Memories]
The broadcast hiatus held back my appraisal of the series as far as ep 13 but after getting that far I was all settled for one of my usual ‘halfway thoughts’ type of posts. Except episode 14 gave the same effect as the book you can’t put down; the shocking events towards the end also gave a strong feeling of one chapter closing and another opening, so that’s where I stand right now. Akiyuki’s journey seems to have drawn him in full circle, back to Senten and back to his family and friends - it seems to be that Akiyuki is on a journey to find his place in his world, with the will of the hiruko acting as a catalyst for that in a literal and metaphorical sense (in that it is probably seeking a meaning to its existence too).
This is either a new type of lava lamp therapy or an important plot point that will crop up later on. My money is on the latter
I’m detecting a theme explored before in Eureka Seven here: namely the idea that war changes lives as well as ends them and draws out allegiances, prejudices and hidden feelings that would never have come to light otherwise. I guess that for the heroes like Akiyuki who protect who and what is important to them, a conflict brings out the best in them. Similarly, for the likes of Furuichi it can bring out the worst of them instead. Of course, the importance of family is a pervading theme of Xam’d but interestingly it was its companion theme, that of friendship, that was portrayed so powerfully at this point of the story as well.
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Reading stats: 1054 words & 4 images; estimated reading time 4:13 mins
[5 Comments]
19 Nov 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: community, First Impressions and Retrospectives]
Yep, you have Lolikit to blame for this post. Like, totally. It was an interesting exercise in watching something outside of my own comfort zone, at least - after all, ‘Canadian ghost figure skating animu’ is a bit outside my usual viewing, as is any sort of TV entertainment centred around sports. Of course, the concept behind Ginban Kaleidoscope isn’t just about ice skating: it’s about the ghost of a Canadian stunt pilot who possesses the body of an ice skater. Yeah.
I’m not sure why but Tazusa looks so cute in this pose
To be fair the premise is possibly the most left-field and odd that I’ve had the fortune to come across so far, which makes it both interesting and potentially offputting. Would I have watched it as it aired, knowing how the story starts? I’ll admit that I probably wouldn’t have. Which is a bit of a shame because once I got past the initial “You what?!” reaction at the initial setup, it was quite a lot of fun. Admittedly there are one or two things that drag it down from the heights of greatness, but in terms of light-hearted disposable entertainment I was genuinely pleasantly surprised. Not bad for a semi-serious exchange of smart-ass comments on IRC, I think you’ll agree.
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Reading stats: 989 words & 4 images; estimated reading time 3:57 mins
[12 Comments]
08 Nov 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Huerrgh!, One Outs]
And so I finally get to the end of my Autumn 2008 to-watch list. I must admit that I’m following a lot more new shows than I was during the summer (as in, three times as more), which is a bit daunting to be honest. On the plus side I have two whole weeks off work to keep up with things and many of the currently airing series are only twelve or thirteen eps long anyway.
To balance out the feminine frilly skirts and black lace trimmings of my last preview post, the final batch have a badass gar slant. So here they are: Casshern Sins, Michiko to Hatchin and One Outs. And to my Stateside readers, this week of Epic Election Win has earned you guys an enormous shout of congratulations. Nice Vote indeed.
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Reading stats: 1124 words & 6 images; estimated reading time 4:30 mins
[10 Comments]
28 Oct 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Kuroshitsuji, Kurozuka, Mouryou no Hako]
My autumn viewing schedule is finally beginning to take shape now I’ve had the chance to watch the first two episodes for some of the last of the shows that interested me. I don’t think of these three as the least worthy by any means but circumstances have pushed my initial reviews further along, with only three more after these to go; it also happens that the most gothic anime shows of the season are collected in one post. So then, enjoy the dark atmospherics (and irrelevant EGL pics included just because they look stylish), perfect for the run-up to Halloween: Mouryou no Hako, Kuroshitsuji and Kurozuka.
Even though I suspect the series could never look as pretty and moody as this, it still makes me want to watch Rozen Maiden. This post isn’t about RM at all, by the way.
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Reading stats: 1264 words & 9 images; estimated reading time 5:03 mins
[7 Comments]
22 Oct 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: ef -a Tale of Melodies, First Impressions and Retrospectives, Tytania]
I wouldn’t wish illness on anyone but several days off work has allowed me to recharge my batteries a bit (despite living off canned soup and green tea for four days straight) and has done wonders for tackling my backlog. My two-episode rule still stands, which is a bit of a limitation: the subbers pull out all the stops to get the opening eps out but take more time over the second ones because most people make their minds up after the first week.
I’ve been off-colour lately but Hidamari Sketch always makes things brighter
Since animu is infinitely more interesting than hearing about my immune and digestive systems going into temporary EPIC FAIL I give you ef-a Tale of Melodies, Tytania and Chaos;Head.
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Reading stats: 1054 words & 7 images; estimated reading time 4:13 mins
[14 Comments]
17 Oct 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Clannad, First Impressions and Retrospectives, Shikabane Hime]
I know I’m so late to the First Impressions party that I’m stuck at the back of the queue for the bar, but I try to draw my conclusions after watching more than one episode. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go on one outing alone; after all, you don’t commit yourself after the first date, do you? The thing is, opening episodes aren’t always representative of the story as a whole so I’m doing a bit more reading around and previewing before getting my watchlist updated proper. First up is Clannad: after story, Shikabane Hime: Aka and Yozakura Quartet.
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Reading stats: 1106 words & 6 images; estimated reading time 4:25 mins
[14 Comments]
