[Manga Reviews]

Solanin

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Inio Asano, realistic fiction]

I splashed out on Solanin on recommendation and the fact that I was so impressed with Inio Asano’s more recent Nijigahara Holograph but to my surprise they’re actually pretty different. Apart from the general themes of young people’s alienation in today’s society and an examination of how relationships between friends can shape the course of their lives, Solanin is quite a departure from the mind-bending experience that was Nijigahara Holograph but ultimately it was actually the more enjoyable of the two for me.

…Holograph is a labyrinthine, somewhat supernatural piece that came off like a rewrite of Donnie Darko by David Lynch, only even better; Solanin is I guess a slice-of-life story but the impression it’s left on me makes me feel as though I’d do it a disservice by merely calling it ‘just a SoL manga’. The exquisite way in which the lives of the characters are portrayed gives me a feeling that left me speechless for some time afterwards; the truth is, when I look at these people I might as well be staring into a mirror.

[14 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

True Tears: I only have myself to blame

Posted by Martin  [Tags: realistic fiction, True Tears]

It’s a funny thing, fan hype. Others’ efforts at trying to share enthusiasm for something can be counter-productive, putting me off watching it completely (Re: Cloverfield). This isn’t the case with True Tears though: although I heard many good things about it, I must admit that it’s something I’d enjoy anyway. Granted, it’s yet another high school-based show but to be honest finding an anime series that isn’t set in a high school is often a waste of time: it’s easier just to accept that I fall outside the target audience for quite a lot of stuff around these days, and concentrate on what it does have to offer instead.

To illustrate my point of it being a refreshing change, consider this situation that’s met with realistic embarrassment as opposed to the typical kick to the face. Marvellous

Here’s the rub: I actually agree with what the blogosphere has been saying about this show. Even to my critical eye it does everything as it should, and does it wonderfully. The snag is, televised drama is not a passive experience: the viewer’s assessment of the characters and their motives is clouded by his or her own judgement and, as I found out to my dismay, is a more significant deciding factor on enjoyment than I realised. The frustration for me here is that True Tears actually does everything right…it’s just unfortunate that my own opinions have been skewed needlessly by personal experience, which irks me no end.

[11 Comments]

[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.

[8 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.

[8 Comments]

[Manga Reviews, OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Love Hina manga

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

Everyone has a title or two that, against our better taste or judgement, we can’t bring ourselves to dislike. Whether it’s that derivative parade of shiny mecha, overlong Shonen Jump cash cow or high tech girls-with-guns offering, we all have one that we hate to love. I can even name a title from each one of those example categories: I’ve followed the early episodes of Naruto and will continue to do so until the DVD release catches up with the filler arcs, Bubblegum Crisis is a classic and I can’t wait for Macross Frontier either, even if it turns out to suck; nevertheless, I’d like to think that my collection is a worthy collection of artistic and intelligent entertainment…more or less.

Back when I was only just getting into manga, shortly after my in-at-the-deep-end introduction to anime proper (another story), Tokyopop were only just beginning to get a reliable and varied stock on UK shelves; the almighty Death Note had yet to arrive on our shores in paper form and I was still finding my feet (even moreso than now!) as a fan. I also had the brain-melting grind of university with the memories of all-night study sessions, coursework deadlines and frantically legging it to the bus stop to get to the exam room on time fresh in my mind. Maybe this is a valid excuse for reading every volume of the Love Hina manga from cover to cover…read on and I’ll let you weigh up the evidence for yourself.

[12 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Genshiken series #1

Posted by Martin  [Tags: realistic fiction]

This was one of those shows I’d heard a lot about and languished on my ‘to buy’ list for ages. What with the second season on its way and my viewing leaning more to comedy and drama in recent months I thought that I might as well go ahead and pick it up. Fortunately, there’s an Economy Edition of the full series box set, which contains the whole series along with the Kujibiki Unbalance bonus episodes, but at a measly £20 (that’s around US$40 for you stateside folk). Okay, so the box is regular cardboard, but hey, when the contents are all there, who cares about that?

Before launching into my characteristically heavy analytical mode I should point out that Genshiken is first and foremost a comedy-drama: the antics of the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture are touching, true-to-life and very funny. It’s another shining example of how realistic fiction (the alternative definition of ’slice of life’ that I have grown to prefer) can portray the day-to-day events of the protagonists in a way that makes them endearing, easy to relate to and for better and for worse, human. It also made me laugh. A lot.

Just hangin’ out together

[2 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad 1-5

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Beck, realistic fiction]

“I was made to hit in America!”

In my previous post I outlined how important it is for viewers to be able to relate to the characters in anime; it’s especially important in slice of life, such as in the coming-of-age drama of Beck. I prefer the term ‘realistic fiction’ in this case because it is a thoroughly realistic show; that is to say, the adaptation could have taken the live-action route and come out looking, sounding and feeling pretty much the same. Fortunately my heroes Madhouse were in charge of this so it looks and sounds downright marvellous.

So then, the characters themselves are the main event of the story, which unfolds at a relaxed pace - they’re a varied and likeable bunch who I’d quite happily hang around and jam with anytime! The cover art sums up the personality of the central character, Yukio ‘Koyuki’ Tanaka: clutching his beloved Telecaster, he gazes out with a vacant look of bored indifference. The whole premise of the story revolves around this shy, ordinary fourteen-year-old whose life takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with charismatic rock musician Ryusuke Minami and his discovery of rock and roll; what follows in these five episodes is the introduction of the characters and their relationships. There’s already the establishment of a love triangle or two, but since Beck’s director’s chair is occupied by Osamu Kobayashi, the one behind Kimugure Orange Road, I believe the rom-com aspect is in safe hands.

Koyuki is too cool for school

[4 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.

[10 Comments]

[Editorials]

In defence of slice of life, dodgy endings and Japanese storytelling

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Over-analysis, realistic fiction]

The rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated. My laptop’s back. Broken motherboard apparently, but now normal transmission will resume.

I’ve often wondered at the ‘love it or hate it’ reactions to the Slice of Life genre in anime, which had me wondering about its place and relative merits. Ironically I got onto this train of thought by two examples that aren’t anime at all, although they both make use of Tokyo as a a backdrop: Haruki Murakami’s excellent new novel After Dark (go read it) and the Sophia Coppola movie Lost in Translation (which has a gorgeous soundtrack featuring Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine fame). These two stories exhibit some of the features of certain anime shows that I’ve noticed bring about extreme reactions from critics and fans. Some claim them to be masterpieces of real life, while others believe they are dull and lacking in storyline direction or a proper ending.

[5 Comments]