[Anime Reviews]
29 Apr 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost Hound]
I’ll admit up-front that I loved Ghost Hound right from the outset, even during those tentative episodes when it wasn’t clear whether there was method in the madness (SE: Lain) or whether it was a monumental misfire in which Konaka and Nakamura lost sight of their goal of entertaining the audience (Malice@Doll). As it turns out, Ghost Hound takes only some of what made Lain great but fortunately makes up for this by succeeding in areas in which its seminal predecessor didn’t; I don’t think it’s as ground-breaking or profound but on the other hand it was considerably more accessible and easier to digest so I can still declare it a fantastic show.
Taking material from Masamune Shirow and placing it into the hands of the creative team behind Lain and Kino’s Journey was an exciting prospect, I must admit. Any premise that dealt with out-of-body experiences, parallel worlds or any form of sci-fi meshing with the supernatural is well within their zone of experience after all, and with I.G.’s involvement it certainly had potential. Fortunately it ended up being pretty consistent throughout, with only one or two minor derailments as opposed to serious missteps that all too often blight the more ambitious series.
Read the rest of this entry »
[6 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
22 Mar 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost Hound]
An inevitable recurring thought that occurs with me while watching Ghost Hound is that of “is this show being odd for oddness’ sake or does it actually mean something?” I suppose this is going back to Hige’s astute observations regarding what makes a ‘pretentious’ anime but the truth is that even if it is just providing an outlet for its creators’ thoughts on their respective bookshelves or Production I.G.’s CG art department working on their overtime, I don’t consider that to be necessarily disastrous. Some shows are taking you on an express route to a certain destination while others are a guided tour through the writers’ minds; I’m actually quite content with Ghost Hound’s opportunity of a trip with the Nakamura and Konaka Sightseeing Company™. Not that this prevents me making all manner of wild guesses and speculations though, nor does it stop things feeling a bit frustrating when the narrative is going off at (admittedly fun) tangents.
One detail is the snippet regarding the description of who I’m assuming is Masayuki’s father being described as Dr Frankenstein: iirc, Shelley’s famous character created something that brought about personal ruin and ultimately led to his downfall and untimely demise. Add this analogy to the typed dialogue by the green-haired(?!) scientist at the beginning of ep #14, and you end up with a bizarre and fascinating sci-fi subplot that seems to portray a project that’s toying with life itself and possibly playing God.
Read the rest of this entry »
[2 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
19 Feb 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost Hound]
My somewhat odd approach to viewing headscratcher stuff means that I probably won’t have a coherent enough review to do the storyline side of things justice until I’ve seen the whole lot through to the end more than once: I usually wind up too lazy to do much more than soak up the atmospherics and make the vaguest speculation the first time around. The thing is, I’m equally enamoured with the eerie visuals and the soundtrack - which pays more and more of a resemblence to a collaboration between a taiko band and Trent Reznor - as I am fascinated with the meaning behind the goings-on in the town. Hell, when a dead body is found floating in the lake, there’s more emphasis on the reactions of select members of the populace than his identity or the police investigation that must have resulted…at least the corpse wasn’t found at the water’s edge wrapped in plastic, I guess.*
Ghost Hound continues to be adamant in playing its cards close to its chest in regards to what’s going on; as the series title possibly suggests there are still a few OBE scenes but I was never convinced that the show is principally about three friends who enter the Unseen World and do cool things. The idea of Unseen entities being visible on the plane of reality is being reinforced and little details such as the yellow Tachikoma-like creature occasionally remind us that this is still a Shirow-inspired piece, but this show still has Nakamura’s and Konaka’s fingerprints over every frame; and I’m loving every minute.
Read the rest of this entry »
[4 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
11 Jan 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost Hound]
It is often said that we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the bottom of our planet’s oceans; the same could be said about the inside of our heads. I mean no disrespect to neurologists and psychologists but, moreso than any other area of medicine (and many other areas of science too), the precise workings of the human mind are largely unmapped territory. While it makes for a lot of science that’s composed of speculation, it also gives plenty of source material for speculative fiction to get its teeth into an play around with the possibilities. In my previous review of Ghost Hound I was a little sceptical of the show’s scientific credentials; I suspected that if the technobabble wasn’t present in Shirow’s original scenario, Nakamura and Konaka drew it from the source material they’d held onto after earlier projects. Whatever its origins, I was hoping it would bring some hard science into the piece that served to achieve more than merely sound clever. As of episode #7, it really does seem to go out of its way to prove that it knows what it’s talking about.
Head trip!
Read the rest of this entry »
[No Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
12 Dec 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost Hound]
Production I.G.’s anniversary piece Ghost Hound is proving to be an enjoyable experience, if something of an acquired taste. One thing that counts in its favour is that the storyline is actually doing something now, as opposed to being a succession of cool looking sequences that remind us of the studio’s enviable CG department. The three lads intended to do a bit of exploring at the abandoned hospital but wound up on an exploration trip of an altogether more interesting nature; the one thing that counts against it is the appearance of those damn monkey butts.
This show is not unlike one of my favourite poisons: like the legendary pint of the black stuff it’s cool, dark, substantial and ultimately a pleasant alternative to its rivals. On the downside excessive quantities can make your head spin…
Read the rest of this entry »
[6 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
21 Nov 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost Hound]
This is a show that continues to stretch my poor brain into cramp-inducing contortions - it just ain’t natural! I’m beginning to seriously warm to the op theme now - partly because it reminds me of Ms Kanno’s jazz-tinged efforts, but also because it’s catchy enough in a Chandler-esque film noir kind of way to draw you in but tells you precious little about the show itself. Is it an action show? A thriller? A mystery piece? All or none of the above? The theme tune offers no clue but is a great piece on its own (Lain’s op theme had a similar effect on me, coincidentally).
This is definitely a series that offers up its secrets on its own terms though. Episode 2 recounts the events surrounding the kidnapping of Taro and his sister, albeit in a format that suggests that this was merely the version of events everyone was led to believe. Some aspects don’t add up…while others are so neatly explained that I suspect the truth to be stranger and less obvious. It’s all interspersed with those marvellous head trip sequences, which are to me the most convincing portrayals of a dreamlike state outside of Paprika. Actually, Ghost Hound shares another similarity with Kon’s work: it has a very David Lynch-esque feel, this time with the serene rural town setting, the creepy inhabitants and the protagonist’s habit of committing his thoughts to tape recorder being very reminiscent of the classic Twin Peaks.
Masayuki: one weird guy
Read the rest of this entry »
[2 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
24 Oct 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Ghost Hound]
As outlined in my mission statement for the season, this was right up there in my shortlist. The staff roll-call was the clincher, of course - I loved Kino’s Journey and SE: Lain is one of my all time faves too (I really need to re-review that sometime). The output from these guys is what makes me feel separate from the majority of fellow fans - I absolutely love the unconventional approaches they take to storytelling and artwork and really dig the premise “you’ll scratch your head until it bleeds!”, even though many viewers can’t stand that sort of thing.
Read the rest of this entry »
[7 Comments]
[Anime Reviews]
05 Oct 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: ef -a Tale of Memories, Ghost Hound]
I’m not going to do a full preview because I don’t have my finger as on the pulse as so many others have. There’s not a great deal of new stuff that’s caught my eye anyway, but here’s the shortlist (i.e. it’s a list that’s very short) of what you can expect me to start blogging fansub-wise over the coming weeks as and when they’re available subbed in the usual places.
ef-A Tale of Memories
The premise doesn’t tell one hell of a lot apart from the fact that it is going to be at the very least a romance - in between the bits of hiragana on its official site I could make out ‘a fairy tale of the two’, which makes me hopeful it won’t be a harem show or something, since it’s supposed to be inspired by a game of some sort *shudders at the thought of an eroge adaptation*. It certainly has a ‘wistful’ kind of look to it, but might just turn into a regular high school romantic drama. It does look pretty though.
All things considered there’s nothing that really demands I watch it, apart from the music. It’s Tenmon’s first project that isn’t attached to Makoto Shinkai but since his movies are enhanced so much by the soundtracks, I’ll be giving this a look on that reason alone. Early impressions are those of piano and violin melodies that feel comforting and familiar: pure Tenmon, pure gorgeousness. Even if the show isn’t up to much I’ll just get the OST instead.
Ghost Hound
For some reason, it sounds like the title of an episode of Scoby Doo. No idea of the premise beyond what other blogs are telling me but the staff list made me sit up right away: it’s directed by Ryutaro Nakamura, the screenplay’s by Chiaki J Konaka and the original manga was by a certain Masamune Shirow. That suggests to me that it’s going to resemble the likes of Lain, GitS and Kino’s Journey, which to me is an almost impossibly exciting prospect. Just so you know why my hopes are high for this one. In addition, the promo pic here looks pretty stylish and unusual, which is promising. With any luck it’ll be Konaka’s apology for that pretentious borderline-hentai mess that was Malice@Doll.
Instead of online worlds and the like that make the likes of Lain and GitS, it’s more concerned with parallel universes that are more in the fantasy genre than the sci-fi one, which could prove to be a refreshing change. This could be the season’s token headscratcher with some nice plot twists and whatnot, possibly with some angst from the ‘tragic pasts’ bit concerning the characters. I can see it being a fave among other members of the blogosphere too if all goes well. Who the heck cares about a naff name now?
Mokke
This is done by Madhouse so I can’t not look into it! According to other bloggers it’s reminiscent of Mushishi and Dennou Coil; while I wouldn’t dare expect it to match either, I still can’t help but be optimistic. It’s supposed to be some sort of supernatural drama but also the OST is by the same songwriter as Ergo Proxy and the character designs look nice (I’ve only chosen a background pic this time around though).
It is (or was) serialised in Afternoon, which makes me hopeful it’s some more mature seinen fare; at the same time the setup of two sisters should make for good drama that’s a departure from the more usual romance-based variety. More pretty artwork too!
Later stuffs
Things that are in the pipeline but not immediately up-and-coming.
Eve No Jikan
A.K.A. The Time of Eve, this is the next movie from Studio Rikka and the talent behind Pale Cocoon - anyone who can read the text is welcome to visit the official site and find out about the release date. Whoever this Yasuhiro Yoshiura guy is, he seems to be one of the new crop of indie animators who’ve followed Shinkai’s climb into the industry. I’m looking forward to how it turns out.
Macross Frontier
“Hmm…one of my favourite OST composers is working on this…I’ll look into it.” Yeah, there seems to be something of a recurring theme here, doesn’t there? Still, Yoko Kanno’s stuff never disappoints. Plus there’s the undeniably awesome prospect of MOAR MACROSS. Somehow the idea of the music of Plus and the CG shininess of Zero sounds too good to be true, but who knows? It’s allegedly the 25th Anniversary work, which is soonish. I hope.
Genshiken 2
At the time of writing the first season box set is sitting on my ‘to watch’ shelf. If I enjoy it I’ll check this out too since it’s likely to be good for a laugh. There seems to be a lot of interest from other bloggers on this too.
Gunslinger Girl Season 2
Unless I get eaten by a bear or the world explodes, I’ll be watching this. That is all.
[3 Comments]
