[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Hidamari Sketch season 1: iyashicomedy

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Akayuki Shinbo, Hidamari Sketch, iyashikei]

It’s been a healthy period of catch-up for me in getting through the first season of Hidamari Sketch in the last few weeks. It’s one of those shows I like to dip into frequently rather than marathon several episodes in one go; I found myself sitting down last thing in the evening to watch an episode in the same way that I did with Aria (which I will post about soonish, promise). As a matter of fact there are a few similarities between the two, mostly in regards to the iyashikei side of things. There are a few parallels with Lucky Star too I suppose, but while it’s easy to draw comparisons I’m reluctant to rely too heavily on this approach when trying to convey how much Hidamari Sketch rules in its own quirky, offbeat way.

May I present to you Exhibit A: Yoshinoya-sensei, the coolest teacher this side of GTO

The main reason why I didn’t cotton on to HS for so long is that I was put off by the superficial impression that it’s yet another saccharine load of moe rubbish (in other words, don’t take the appearance of the above pic out of context). What interests me here is that the original 4-koma manga was published in Manga Time Kirara Carat, a seinen magazine: this puts the likes of me squarely in the target demographic but it could alternatively be pandering to the fanboys. There is the issue of whether the series has more going for it than a bunch of saucer-eyed moeblobs who serve as mere otakubait, as opposed to being genuinely worthy of praise as a show with substance; maybe it’s just me but I really think it does because this is a delightful piece of easygoing entertainment that I’ve had to invent another loanword for: iyashicomedy.

[6 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 4: how it brought me back from despair

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Akayuki Shinbo, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei]

An observation I made during ef was that, in some ways, SHAFT are the new Gainax; after the mindblowing levels of win in Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s fourth episode, that feeling is beginning to feel all the stronger. The budget is visibly higher than that of the first series of course, but it was the structure and cleverness that made this one of the most enjoyable episodes in a long, long time…it threatened disappointment, but showed innovation and brilliance; an experience akin to watching those classic Gainax landmarks.

…as well as a lot of other things

The third episode didn’t bode well for me though - the first half was perhaps intentionally slow and uneventful (reminiscent of the notorious last episode of Haruhi in some ways), with zillions of references but the in-jokes just served to alienate me. I love the new op them by the way - it has the typical male/female seiyuu duet vocals that we heard on the first season’s theme but the backing music that accompanies the rumba could have been lifted off Diru’s last album. Extreme indeed. The second half was more in the typical SZS vein, but it still felt like it was trying to capture the spirit of the first season by tapping into contemporary Japan’s most topical despairs and stretching the theme to comedic effect; I felt like that tiresome burden of duty had been extended to poor old Shinbo and co. too. Then episode #4 happened.

[3 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette: sad girls in wine glasses

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Akayuki Shinbo, arthouse]

I’ve become an avid admirer of Akayuki Shinbo’s work in recent months for his ability to make entertainment artistic. This train of thought led me back to that old ABC project in regards to the deepness/entertainment debate in that it made me realise why my answer was unsatisfactory: I was asking the wrong question in the first place. I shouldn’t have tried judging a medium such as animation as ‘deep’ in that sense because that might wrongly imply that it is somehow less valid if it were otherwise; it can however be worthwhile art and/or entertainment. Doing both well, without one interfering with the effectiveness of the other, is difficult; in terms of where Le Portrait de Petit Cossette sits in the spectrum, I think it’s right out there at the Arthouse end.

I was expecting a feature that combines the classic horror aspects of Edgar Allan Poe with the romantic prettiness often associated with CLAMP - it isn’t directly influenced by either as far as I’m aware but it is definitely a Poe-esque tale with really pretty CLAMP-style visuals so this expectation was at least fulfilled. The method Le Portrait de Petit Cossette uses in storytelling involves a gloomy premise, a fairly cryptic narrative and some quite brutal scenes of bloodshed into the bargain. While I can proclaim this to be utterly spectacular as a work of art, its entertainment value is therefore more questionable.

[4 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei #1

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Akayuki Shinbo, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei]

How in Heaven’s name did this slip under my radar? Even after the favourable intro I read over at Epic Win the other day, I was surprised at how I ‘got’ this very twisted and offbeat show. Some animated comedy makes me inwardly chuckle, others make me snicker outwardly but this was the first time in A LONG time that I was creased-up, laughing out loud and almost falling off my chair at any TV show, animated or otherwise. Sayonara Zesubou-sensei isn’t funny. It’s bloody hilarious.

This is a comedy show. No, really.

[6 Comments]