[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Yokohama Shopping Trip)

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei]

The point when I finally watched this was the result of two things: firstly, my love for its spiritual younger sibling Aria (my follow-up post for which is still unwritten; I might just wait until I’ve imported that DVD box set) and secondly Eve no Jikan reminded me of the wonders of a slice-of-life sci-fi setting populated by cute androids serving ceffeinated beverages. If that’s the future of our planet, count me in.

Sit back and chill~

I really do think that Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is the spiritual sibling of Aria; not that I think one has deliberately and shamelessly stolen ideas from the other or anything (to prevent any argument, the YKK manga was first published around 1995 while Aqua came out in 2001 or so). I do believe though that if you loved Aria I’m sure you’d get something out of YKK too: the picturesque setting, subtle messages about the humdrum and trivial and a sense of wonderment of the world around you (plus a sweet and subtle but undeniable shoujo-ai aspect) are hallmarks of both.

[17 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Reflections on Aria the Animation, part #1: make a wish, build a world

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Aria, iyashikei]

I love iyashikei anime. It gives a fantastic warm fuzzy feeling inside and is the perfect way to unwind after a long day at the office, in my case with a mug of green tea in one hand and a half-finished box of Jaffa Cakes in the other. Rather than work my brain to a frazzle with complex plotting, trying to keep up with frenetic action or making an effort to stave off the boredom brought on by seeing the same damned tropes and clichés recycled ad infinitum, iyashikei slows it all down and gives me time to reflect and be entertained in a completely different way.

If you could create a paradise from the ground up…

Aria does this better than most but I can’t fully outline its gentle, understated brilliance in the space of one post so be warned that more of this is to follow in the coming days. It’s a very character-driven show but the setting is a significant part I think of what makes it so special. I’m a firm believer in atmosphere when delivering the message that a story like this is trying to convey to the viewer: Aria’s setting is a prime example of how the atmospherics or ‘vibe’ contribute to the show as a whole. So yeah, the characters are fantastic but they deserve a post of their own so bear with me on this one.

[10 Comments]

[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]

Chi’s Sweet Home first impressions: now that’s what I call a lolcat

Posted by Martin  [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, iyashikei]

It’s fair to say that I’m a cat person. Cats make great companions because they are intelligent, affectionate, relatively independent and show some degree of loyalty; like dogs or other humans I suppose, but with less mess. In fact one of the only downsides of where I’m living now is the ‘no pets’ policy because I think the presence of a furry, overfed feline curled up in a corner somewhere really makes a house a home. Not to mention of course that any creature that can sleep 23 hours out of 24 and still find the barefaced cheek to yawn afterwards obviously knows something we don’t…

Got milk?

Cat-themed anime therefore holds a special appeal for me and carries with it a feeling of serenity, relaxation and, more often than not, good-natured comedic cuteness. Chi’s Sweet Home has plenty of this feelgood comedic cuteness - it’s a whimsical and inoffensive island of iyashikei relaxation with a healthy dose of kawaii for good measure as it follows the adventures of a grey kitten who is separated from its mother and is rescued by young Youhei and his family. I’m fully aware that childlike fare such as CSH seems like something of a niche interest or ‘just for kids’ but as Sasa pointed out the other day there’s plenty of call for iyashikei in the seinen demographic too; especially when the rat-race of today’s world is becoming increasingly hectic. After spending around 50% of my journey home from work today in standing traffic for instance, this is just what I needed.

[1 Comment]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Tokyo Marble Chocolate: real love

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei, realistic fiction]

I’ll admit that I haven’t watched a great deal of romance anime, which is a bit strange considering the genre contains some of the most enjoyable additions to my collection. Tokyo Marble Chocolate is one of those productions that only seems to come along once a year or so, just when I’m starting to think nobody makes stuff like that any more. In 2007 it was Byousoku 5cm; the year before it was His and Her Circumstances; and the year before that it was Millennium Actress. Coincidentally, Tokyo Marble Chocolate is also the most touching, funny and profound observation of present-day relationships this side of Kare Kano…yes, it’s that good.

Viewers of UK TV may remember an old advert for Sheridan’s coffee liqueur that takes the form of two separate ads that show a date at a restaurant from the male and female points of view. Both parts were broadcast in the same commercial breaks but what I recall most clearly was the way in which the same sequence of events was recounted: the man and woman had very different perspectives on the evening, which was amusing but insightful at the same time. Tokyo Marble Chocolate takes a similar approach to telling the story of Yuudai and Chizuru, two young would-be lovers who are trying to do things right for once and put their disappointing romantic track records behind them. It also features a mad mini-donkey, which ought to be the additional reason aside from the marvellous title to declare this to be a whimsical piece of genius.

[7 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei, realistic fiction]

I won’t hazard a guess as to how long this was sitting unwatched - suffice to say it was too long. The nostalgic, iyashikei vibe of the movie is just the sort of thing I’ve grown to love in recent months so maybe it’s no surprise that I fell for this little gem hook, line and sinker. Many films that use time travel as a plot device end up with a fractured narrative that’s so hard to follow that the other messages are clouded or lost altogether; The Girl Who Leapt Through Time on the other hand prevents it becoming too much of a dominant force in the plot progression by setting its sights firmly on telling a story of friendship and teen romance with the slightly sci-fi twist…and what a story it is.

Tomboyish Makoto Konno is a decidedly typical teenager with an typical routine and a typical lack of concern or decisiveness concerning her future…until she discovers that she has acquired the ability to jump back in time to revisit past events. Initially she uses this for selfish and trivial ends, such as repeating a test she flunked or eating a snack before her kid sister swipes it, but when she begins to use this to influence the lives of others Makoto realises that not even time travel can offer escape from life’s problems and responsibilities.

[7 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Mokke 2 and 3

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei, Mokke]

I feel like I’m fighting for the underdog here. Even halfway through the season, Mokke has received comparatively little attention from the blogosphere while I’m finding it disappointing that so few of us have noticed its subtle charms. Maybe it’s because its charms are so subtle, it’s slipped quietly under the radar without any fuss. I feel a bit responsible in calling it Mushishi-lite, although that was intended as a compliment on Mokke’s part; there are similarities thematically between the two (aside from the Afternoon serialisations of the original manga series) and both give me a similar vibe. While Mushishi was dark, powerfully profound and deeply atmospheric, Mokke however is a much lighter and more harmless take on the idea of certain people attracting and/or being able to see spiritual beings and portraying how they affect the lives of humans.

[3 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Byousoku 5cm (5cm Per Second)

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei, Makoto Shinkai, realistic fiction]

“…I can survive, I can endure/And I don’t even think about her/Most of the time…”

Yep, I’ve finally brought my scattered thoughts together as promised. It’s going to be a long one, people, and a few links/trackbacks. Sorry about that. ^_^ I’ve already given my first impressions on part 1 but my feelings of the piece as whole have changed a lot since seeing it in its entirety and thinking over it at length. It’s the kind of movie you can think at length over, and also get a lot of benefit from a repeat viewing or two.

Chapter 1: Oukashou

This could be a stand-alone feature since its storyline and conclusion encapsulate a set of ideas, a time and a frame of mind so perfectly. I won’t reiterate the visual quality at length here since it’s consistent throughout all three links of the ‘chain’; besides, it’s stating the obvious anyway. Perhaps due to Shinkai’s already-established talent for sweeping cityscapes and sunsets, I was actually most impressed with the details - textures, objects and movements that you only notice in everyday life when you’re either bored out of your mind or utterly fascinated by something. I actually enjoy travelling by train and at the time of writing I live near a railway station; I find the sound to be soothing rather than annoying and the idea that a train journey offers time to reflect isn’t lost on me. It isn’t lost on Shikai either it seems, as he ably portrays the tension and impatience that is familiar to anyone who has embarked on a journey in which the destination and time of arrival are of great importance to them.

The concepts of shame, regret and so on are set up in this episode which presents us with what is (to me at least) a familiar sensation of nostalgia but at the same time a feeling of having irretrievably lost something precious and dwelling on the could-have-beens and “I should have…”s. I’ll address this issue later but some of the feelings here echo my own experiences: naming no names (the person in question will probably never read this, but still), I didn’t just understand but felt the uncertainty for the future, the sensation of losing oneself in a moment of peace and ‘togetherness’ and the regret of having found a soulmate who I may never see again.

[7 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Haibane Renmei and me

Posted by Martin  [Tags: iyashikei, realistic fiction, Self-indulgent nostalgia, Yoshitoshi ABe]

I’m trying a little experiment with this post. This won’t be my usual reviewing - outlining what’s good and what’s bad, basing the degree of how recommendable it is on that and so on. I want to add a bit of me-ness into this one even if the quality suffers - not just saying what I think about this series based on the usual criteria, but giving a more in-depth explanation as to why it’s so special. I’m adding a lot more lyric quotes too…just to see if I can do it.

I won’t dwell on the beauty of Kou Otani’s soundtrack here, nor talk too much at length about the otherworldly artistic style of the show, as much as they lend a lot to the its unique atmosphere. Interestingly though Yoshitoshi ABe was the screenplay writer as well as being behind the overall concept: unlike Texhnolyze and Lain, his input was thematic as well as artistic. Looking at how powerful Haibane Renmei’s messages are, I feel this to be significant: it really feels like he’s drawing inspiration from personal experience which gives the show much greater authenticity, although individual impressions will probably differ slightly from viewer to viewer.

[8 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

My Neighbour Totoro

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, iyashikei]

It’s something I usually find really, really, difficult. Sometimes though you have to leave all your cynicism, your preconceptions and all your hang-ups to one side to appreciate a movie. My Neighbour Totoro, possibly the most eloquent piece of innocent escapism I’ve ever seen, is a case in point.

[1 Comment]