WINTER IS OVER. SUMMER IS HERE.

Wow, I just slept right on through the spring season, and frankly I don't regret doing so. There are very few shows that caught my interest,  and really it was only EVOL I kept up with during that time. HOWEVER I did finish out the other shows on my roster. So while there may not be pics, it did happen. Let's take a look at the shows that made it.


FREEZER BURNED: Bakuman
The only reason Bakuman is way down here, is simply because compared to the other shows this season, it didn't quite match up. Yes, it brought suspense, and yes, I cannot wait for the next season. But the animation for me is still lacking, and that might just be from the stream I watched it on. It could have fantastic animation and I would never know. Regardless, something I would have liked to see incorporated more into the second season was the way the manga was handled in the first. It's a key component of the plot, so show it to us. Make it come alive and don't just mention it or show a few frames.


IN THE FREEZER: Black★Rock Shooter

Sorry. I'm trying to punch the other personality out of you.

Black Rock Shooter, where is it that you've gone? Because it certainly wasn't where anyone expected. Whether they've seen the OVA or just the original PV, the show certainly found a way to make itself unique. Of course, one of those reasons was because it had such a strong yuuri undertone. Actually, make that a strong yuuri overtone. You really find yourself cheering for relationships to happen, and hoping for friendships to be mended as well as a deeper bond to be formed. That being said, the writing is excellent. The art style is unique as well, as it combines CG and traditional, which at times merge wonderfully. At others...well, I've mentioned it before. One of the best executed things in the show are the fight scenes, but as they draw on towards the last few episodes, they grow less enjoyable. It feels like you might be watching someone play the PSP fighting game and not the show anymore. For all it's developments as a show, though, I think it was still lacking in once place major: Plot. It really should have been a much longer series, and a little bit more structured.
+Holy Weapons Batman!
+Yuuri
+Character Design
-Yuuri
-Poorly structured plot
-Strange resolution


IN THE OVEN: Nisemonogatari
This was really a hit or miss sequel series, in terms of who enjoyed it and who loathed it. In the end, I feel that it was rather enjoyable. One of the biggest tropes it pulled for each of the main characters, however, was deciding to give them a haircut. In the end, even Senjougahara receives one. Maybe it's the summer weather, but I think the deeper meaning there is that she's largely able to finally let go of her past. She can move on, and enjoy her life as it is right now with Araragi, who had some character developments of his own. Despite feeling certain that his sisters would never understand the fact that he once was a vampire and still carries around some of the effects from it, he discovers that they have been afflicted as well, to the point that he discovers it's not Karen that's the fake, but literally Tsukihi.
Surprisingly, the relation to Bakemono didn't kick in full force until Tsukihi's arc. There wasn't much to be said about Hanagawa either, as she appeared very marginally in the series. And so while the last part thrilled me to be into the show again, a good part of it was, I'll admit, fanservice. That's why it's sitting here in third place, despite it's artwork and soundtrack.
+ Soundtrack
+Direction
+Animation
-Plot movement
-Quantity of Fanservice
-Toothbrushes

How many fans felt when the series ended.

SIMMERING IN THE POT: Aquarion EVOL
How I love thee EVOL, let me count the ways...As much as I love it, I still have to set it a place back, because it is technically bi-season (having just ended in June) and a sequel. Now that that's out of the way, let me go onto address something else that's been bothering me across the stream of fans watching it. Many are complaining that "this is the dumbest series ever" and "worst sequel ever." No. It is not. Kawamori, as a directed, likes to try and keep the viewer guessing. He likes to slap them in the face when they least expect it, and sometimes he'll even punch them right in the feels. He enjoys referencing things: not just mythology, but his own work as well. You can spot the same alphabet from Macross and protoculture floating around throughout Aquarion EVOL and Sousei. That established, sequel wise it does a fantastic job.  I was just as surprised when further character background was revealed. Fudo as Apollonius? Well, we knew he wasn't Scorpius and I knew he was the same person for 24,000 years (I annoyed the hell out of people with that during Sousei). Apollo as Pollon? I actually like that a bit more, and it fits in more with his personality. We were actually given a hint about it during the Barefoot Warrior episode in Sousei. Everything gets tied in with the first series rather nicely. Were we left with questions at the end? Yes, but a good show should do that. It should leave you both satisfied that the characters are going to be okay, and curious about what will happen next.

He's got the whole wide world, in is eye.

Like BRS, EVOL also crosses CG with traditional, but uses the CG only for the mechs that appear in it, and never the actual characters. It also has some of the most gorgeous scenery I've viewed in an anime in a long time. Overall, EVOL is a terrific sequel, and should not be viewed without watching Sousei first (it will literally spoil it for you). The music, as always from Yoko Kanno, is wonderful and only adds to scenes. Shrade's Final Melody is possibly the most emotionally evoking song I have heard in the show, because it does such an excellent job of tying together the melodies from not only EVOL, but Sousei as well.
+ Soundtrack
+ Animation
+ Fudo!
- Kawamori can be seen as a troll
- Jin
- Extended plot suddenly compressed

GOURMET MEAL: AnoNatsu
AnoNatsu took me by surprise by ending as well as it did. I really thought it would end up being a typical summer-harem anime. It was not. It resolved everything beautifully, and animation of the landscapes were wonderful. The alien love interest becomes a relationship you want the main character to have. It becomes significant, although I would have liked to see it become even more than what it did. You were left feeling alone, but then, suddenly...they pull a classic Marvel and give you more at the end of the credits. It's a subtle nod to fans that true love prevails. Everyone ends up happy, even if they aren't fully aware. It's a nice stand alone series: you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll suffer from what is commonly know as "the feels." But that's okay. It's all a part of growing up.
+Scenery
+Animation Style
+Resolution
-Soundtrack
-Crushing blow only resolved by hope
-But what about his future?


Until next time! See you, baibai!
AAO

Winter Season 2012: Midseason Review

Since the opening of the season, I've added two more shows to my viewing line up. This is mostly because I need something to watch after I've caught up for the week. It also has something to do with the fact that I've been waiting for the other for about two years. So without further ado, let's take a look at what's been going on.

Nisemonogatari
This is largely not quite what I expected from the series. The first arc, Karen Bee, took about six episodes which is two more than what the initial start of Bakemonogatari's Hitagi Crab took. At times it largely resembled a harem style show, despite the fact that it is trying to stay true to the supernatural mystery story that spawned the series. I can't say I'm complaining, because as far as I know it's following the course of the light novels. There have been hints that Araragi's sisters are getting closer to discovering his and the Bakemono protagonists supernatural stories, but aside from that it hasn't been something too super elaborate. The name comes from "fake" and "story" and this was explained in the conclusion of Karen Bee when Araragi accuses her of being nisemono, a fake. While Bakemonogatari focused on getting rid of the ghosts haunting Araragi (old relationships, anxiety at new ones, etc.), Nisemonogatari focuses largely on his sisters coming into themselves and not being afraid to show who they really are in the face of public. Karen in particular seems to be impetuous at home but serious at school. It's going to be interesting seeing how they handle Hanakawa's story again. I can't really judge it like I have other series on this blog, simply because it is a sequel and I'm too familiar with the art style and strange plot to give it a fair go.
Nisemonogatari is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

God, I hope so.

Bakuman
I don't have too much more to say regarding this series outside of what I said previously. The characters have continued to grow, and continued to get themselves into trouble. I picked up a recent issue of Shonen Jump since Bakuman is now a manga running in it, and from what I can tell the anime is completely different. I don't even recognize what manga they're currently working on, but can set it somewhere in season 1. This is one of those "book vs. movie" sort of arguments, and I'm not going to touch it. As far as I can tell, they're both equally enjoyable and have their separate merits.

Black★Rock Shooter

CG means you get really strange facial expressions sometimes.

I've been watching BRS on NicoNico Douga, which is a bit of a chore to find as the English sister site does not list any episodes. So it's all a matter of getting to it off of the original site, where it reads your region and determines the subtitle set which for me is, hey, English. I did test to see if watching on Taiwan NicoNico would give me Chinese subtitles, but it is region locked, so that would be a no.
BRS is on it's sixth episode out of eight, so it's more of an almost-the-end-but-not-quite review. Huke, who animated and composed the song the show is based off of, is in charge of character design and plot, I believe. So far it's made significantly more sense than the OV that came out summer 2010. There have been a lot of comparisons to Persona made in scrolling comments, but I'm not overtly familiar with the series. It would not entirely surprise me if it was, just carried out in a different manner. There are two sides to the story: the high school drama of the real world and the fighting post-apocalyptic one of BRS. Certain characters have a mirror in each and the fighting seems to solve some psychological problem. Many times its yandere (deadly caring, don't you dare touch another woman/man) syndrome. There are also two different art styles, as the real world is traditional animation and the alternate is a combination of CG and traditional. At times the CG is very obvious, but blends in well with the tone of show so no complaints there. The music is great, and the opening theme is performed by a vocalistener Miku Hatsune to make her sound more realistic.
Black★Rock Shooter is now streaming on NicoNico Douga.
+Animation
+Soundtrack
+Plot
-Yandere...yandere everywhere
-Wonky CG
-Possibly recycled concept


Ano Natsu de Matteru

Don't get your panties in a...oh.

When I first read the concept for this show it seemed pretty charming. A bunch of friends decide they want to film their summer vacation so that they  can watch it later on and remember. Cute, right? And then the creators said, no no no, no one wants to watch a concept as Ghibli as that. We need aliens. A cute one, and she should have a pet. And she should be a love interest. BRILLIANT. That is AnoNatsu in a nutshell. It's cute, it has love interests, and it has the distressing "I've fallen in love with an alien and she has with me, but I don't know she's an alien yet!" plot point. There are some pretty likable characters, like the the exploitative upperclassman that gets them all drunk, or the shy girl with a problem of her own. They do decide to film a movie, and in typical Haruhi fashion, all is not how you expect.
+Animation
+Subplot
+Cute creature
-Main plot
-Alien Stereotype
-Not as much drama as one might expect

Aquarion EVOL
Sadly it took Tumblr to point this out to me, but the show has a double entendre name. EVOL is meant to stand for Evolution, as in the next line of Aquarion and mech, but it's also LOVE backwards. That's pretty important for this show, as it seems love is now forbidden to all pilots. Which is an interesting thing to have, as it tightens up all the relationships everyone starts to experience. It makes it more than a harem anime at times, and more of a drama. I'm not sure if this is going to be a twelve episode or twenty-six episode series, especially since it's just aired episode eleven and the tension is still fairly high. The main villain has in fact only just made a major move that's affected all the characters. It's not as if the show spent it's time completely goofing off, but I'm not really sure it can wrap up all the plot threads in the next episode, which, if my Japanese isn't as terrible as I think it is, will be a full hour episode. Regardless, it's definitely been on of the better shows of the season.

Until Next Time!
-AAO

A Drop of Repetition [Transliterated Lyrics]

Drop of Repetition

An illusion that’s shown with too much convenience
Made of words that slowly lose their meaning
This gaping hole won’t ever be filled
“Give it back!” I cried wandering aimlessly

I don’t want it anymore I can’t be here anymore
This torn out page can’t ever be replaced
The beauty of a sharp thorn wavers slowly

Forever, and ever, I want to stay in that time
I slowly make my way to that sweet fantasy
A gentle light is making its way through the thick glass
The two breaths melt and intertwine

Deeply, deeply I fell into a sleep
I dreamt that it was there wrapped up in my arms
It is my first and my final dream
At the place that I lost

It’s because

It’s something I seriously believed in
It’s not something I wished to doubt
It felt like you were drifting away from me

However

From the very  beginning it was a lie
We weren’t even close to start with
Being happy about it, I’m such an idiot

“I love you” were the words that you had said to me
Were they anything other than the bait to reel me in?
Tucked away inside of your box full of toys
All because you’re bored with me I’m being tossed aside.

Acting made it look like you were treating me special

Looking at the real reasons you were egotistical
There are more replacements for me than I can count
And once they realize it you throw aside that doll too

I can’t go back to you, I try to push you away
But there’s just this hazy lock deep within me
A password to it negatively written across with predestiny

Inside me, is wounded, and red tears start to flow forth
Poison petals are blooming from the stems of flowers
No matter how often I pick them off there is no end
Even while I bathe in side effects of medicine

Why is it

I found myself starting to cry, wishing that this lie wouldn’t go on
What looks like me being thrown to the ground is a harsh thing that’s called
Reality

A simple drop of repetition
At being treated like something you could just toss aside
Being happy about it, I’m such an idiot

 “I love you,” were the words that you once said to me
Was it all just a way for you to tame me?
After you’ve finished having your fun playing around with me
Will you toss me away and forget I was even there?

That phrase slipped so easily off of your tongue
For you it must have been such a good tool
I can regret it as much as I would like
But there’s no way I could ever go back to that old me

“I love you” were the words that you had said to me
Were they anything other than the bait to reel me in?
At no point did you care what was  inside of me
All you really wanted was a shiny and new doll

“I love you,” were the words that you once said to me
I know that they were just words meant to be a “treat”
Even if this all to you was just one big game
For the rest of my life I will carry the consequences

An illusion that’s shown with too much convenience
Made of words that slowly lose their meaning
This gaping hole won’t ever be filled
“Give it back!” I cried wandering aimlessly
An engraved film frame, a virus of chaos
Any warmth I feel is suddenly terrifying
People in gray trying to find all my problems
I can’t take this

Acting made it look like you were treating me special
Looking at the real reasons you were egotistical
There are more replacements for me than I can count
And once they realize it you throw aside that doll too

The chilling cold came, spinning suddenly ceased
That straightened curve you burned fills with madness
Open up the dark doors and say your goodbyes

Winter Season 2012

As we move out of the warm shows from the summer and fall, and into the winter season, we move towards the season of sequels. This is a big contrast to last winter, in regards to what I'm watching, to last year. Of course, last year we also had Madoka, and its very difficult to beat that. I could say I'm interested in the new shows, like Kill Me Baby, High School DxD, AnoNatsu, or Moretsu, but they aren't truly pulling my attention. Instead I'm keeping up with sequels or continuing seasons of shows I previously enjoyed. I'll be keeping an eye on how they stack up to their original seasons, if they're just as successful or if they're falling short where the other pulled through. I've passed through three episodes (or more in the case of Bakuman), so let's see how they're hanging in there so far.

Nisemonogatari

Significantly more awkward scenes this time around.

Picking up (mostly) where Bakemonogatari left off, Nisemonogatari continues the supernatural adventures of Araragi. While some of the animation is vividly different from that of Bakemono, the effects that were beloved in both it and Madoka are still present. Just as ever present are the hints to second meanings in conversations spread out as symbols or texts in the background. The characters are just as mischievous as their predecessors, perhaps even more so. A big reason for this is because they're no longer under the yoke of supernatural pain. Instead they've embraced it and as Araragi no longer has Oshino or a certain other character around, he can't balance his vampirism, which forces more character development on his side. The first chapter, "Karen Bee" hasn't concluded yet, but so far the show promises to be just as much of a story as its predecessor. It promises to hold true to its title of "Imitation Story." Although, if you haven't seen Bakemonogatari, you're going to be left confused. It's based off a series of light novels, so it only makes sense to watch them in progression as well. 

Bakuman

This isn't so much of a sequel as a continuation, so I won't have much to say on it outside of this. A series about one persons dream to become a manga author famous enough to get an anime is a little mediocre, but through in an exponential amount of rivals and a strong love interest and it grows up quite a bit. As an author, I love it. As a fan of anime and manga, I love it even more. I can't complain about the plot or how well it sticks to the original manga story as I've never read it. For what it is, I love it. I'm constantly looking forward to the next episode. The soundtrack is subpar, and the animation a bit turn of the century, but the plot carries it well enough. As a continuation, it stacks up. There is no gap between the first season and this one, which is terrific.

 Aquarion Evol

Is it me?

Let me say this right now: I love mech anime. All kinds of mech anime. If it involves giant robots, I will almost always watch it. Aquarion is perhaps my favorite though, because of the combination of religious themes, romance, and the fact that its directed by the man behind the genre. The man who created Macross and launched Robotech as a result. With that sad, I had rather high expectations for Evol. Did they hold up? ABSOLUTELY. Yoko Kanno returns as the composer, and for the first episode I couldn't pick up on any new songs, the soundtrack being largely recycled from the original Aquarion. Which is fine, they still fit in splendidly. By the third episode, however, I was hearing new music and loving it, as it fits in perfectly with the older compositions. Unlike Nisemonogatari, you don't necessarily have to watch the first season. But does it help? A little bit. It certainly makes guessing which character is which from the older series a lot more interesting. And of course, I'm happy as long as my favorite character, my first conspiracy theory character of the show, is there. Commander (now High Commander) Fudo is still alive and kicking, making my theory entirely valid. I'll talk more of that theory some other time, but for now I look forward to seeing just who the true Apollo is. 

Until Next Time, Sousei Gattai!

AAO

SOPA Blackout

SOPA, and its sister, PIPA are bills that seek to censor the internet. Content, such as what you find here, will no longer be available.

Look forward to a future as Shinji should they pass.

AAO

Happy New Year!

A happy new year to all you readers!

What is an American Otaku? Part II

Anime otaku are pretty crazy, and if you can't tell just from the blog, its pretty obvious I am one. There are other otaku as well, and ones that are just as prominent in American society today. They are not the ones wearing the word otaku on their sleeves, and are often the ones generalizing all anime into one lump sum. They are the ones calling on the powers that be that these nerds are weeaboos and anything they say is completely invalidated. The good news is that they don't know that to the non-nerd world, they are also otaku. So today we'll take a look at another type of otaku: the gaming nerd.

Gaming Otaku: A Brief Introduction

SOCIAL STIGMA MAN!!!

Gaming in America is plentiful: there are a plethora of games coming out, even for kids as young as five. Of course, there are a variety of gaming otaku, just as there are for anime,  because there are just as many genres. The three major ones are, of course, the first-person shooter (FPS), the Japanese Role-Playing Game/Role-Playing Game (JRPG/RPG), and the Massive Multi-Online Player Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). Of course, there are those that specify their otakudom to consoles: those that solely play X-Box, Nintenerds, and those that will eat up anything on a Sony console. No matter their preference, gamers still have a stigma associated with them, in much the same way otaku do.

The FPS players largely focus their console attention on X-Box, and hold their own stereotypes. These are usually the same people who are military otaku: they have a Michael Bay complex (needs moar explosions), can tell you everything about the guns in game and out of game, and can be heard uttering BOOM! HEAD SHOT! across mikes everywhere. Obnoxious as they may be, and though the player demographics are largely pre-teens, the reverse is also true as there are older gamers that enjoy them (and enjoy shooting the real life counter parts just as much). The gamer that plays these knows everything about a series and is always after the newest one (like Call of Duty or Gears of War). So they are a type of obsessive fan, and thus an otaku, all they may not be aware of it. Getting along with them is fairly easy, and spying them at conventions is even easier (they're the ones walking around in those really nice Halo cosplays, one more reason they are a part of the otaku world). You only need to play with them, and even if you are better let them win every once in a while.

The JRPG/RPG player is even more prominent as an otaku. They're games are often direct ports from Japan, translated but never watered down. These are the gamers that play for story, and are obsessive compulsive about having a perfectly organized inventory (otherwise how else are you going to get the item you need when you need it?). They vary back and forth between Nintendo and Sony consoles, and can usually agree that neither one console or the other is better. It's all about what you want from the game, and that's usually storyline.

Then there are the MMORPG fans, responsible for killing time the world over. While graphics are nice, they are not necessarily the most important things to the game. The three biggest companies, what I would consider anyway, are Blizzard, gPotato and WeMade. Pegi3 has some good games for the Western market, but not necessarily the best. World of Warcraft is still by far the most popular, and as a result of BlizzCon possibly the nerdiest thing to hit American soil.  If there was anything that came closest to being the sense of otaku in the original sense, the fans of MMORPG's are the closest. There is a definite stigma against players of the game, and a certain obsessiveness from the players. A part of it comes from the fact that the mechanics of the game are designed for repetition for success, giving the game indefinite life. A good deal of JRPG/RPG games follow this same idea to extend gameplay, something they invented and MMORPG's profit on.

Regardless of game genre, gamers still remain otaku. Their tendencies towards obsessiveness with what they enjoy, and their culture. A great deal like to argue that their genre is the best, similar to the way in which anime otaku argue over which show is the best. It leads to competitions, but rarely violence, which is by and far a good thing.

Especially when you have situations like this.

Until Next Time!
AAO