Viewing Journal: A Wind Named Amnesia

Movie Overview DVD Info Rating: Overall= B- Story = B- Video = C Audio = C

Journal

This is another one I watched this one quite a while ago, so take this with a grain of salt.

This show was pretty different. It took place in in the U.S. after a "wind" blew through the world erasing everyone's memory, thus reverting them back to their most basic instincts. A man named Wataru however, is able to recover some sense of civility with the help of a series of people who were somehow able to withstand the amnesia wind's efects. So he travels the country in order to find out just what the heck is going on.

I'm not sure why this took place in the U.S. Maybe that's supposed to mean something thematically. Or maybe it's just some kind of plot device. Who knows?

The show seemed kind of random at times, and almost felt like something that used to be a TV or OVA series that was strung together into a movie. It was just Wataru going from place to place and finding out how crappy people can be when they loose the civility that had been conditioned in them from birth.

The ending doesn't really explain a lot. It just kind of ends Wataru's adventures and that's it.

You can definitely tell that the animation is from the 80's. Take that for what you will.

Still though, I think it's worth watching just for its originality if nothing else. If you enjoy vintage 80's anime then go pick it up. If not... I don't know... go read a book or something.

Viewing Journal: Sakura Wars OVA

OVA Overview DVD Info Rating: Overall= C Story = C Video = C Audio = C

Journal

I watched this one a while ago, so take that for what you will.

This show was just overall average. Average animation, story, music, everything.

It was based on a video game and there's some other animated TV series or something that preceeds it so maybe you have to watch those to appreciate it. But.. yeah.. it's average.

Gonzo Movie Clips Online

From Anime News Network:

DVD Rama has posted two scenes from Gonzo's first feature film, Gin-iro no Kami no Agito. They are available here and here.

Train Man movie to premeire in September

I've actually downloaded the TV series version of the story, and it's next on my list to watch (after I finish Honey & Clover).

What's the deal with companies only release the movie version of stuff and not the original TV series (like with GTO live action)? I'm sure it's because of the cost but even so, if you just look at the popularity of these series over here you know that fans would just eat this stuff up.

Anway... from ICv2:

Viz Media has announced that it will release the live action Train Man: Densha Otoko movie on DVD in January of 2007 via Viz Pictures, a new Viz Media sister company. The film, which is based on a real incident in which a shy otaku intervened to help a girl who was being harassed by a drunk on a train, was a huge hit in Japan where it spawned no fewer than four manga adaptations, a TV series and this hit movie. Train Man is a computer age fairytale in which the shy protagonist describes his halting attempts at romance on an Internet chat room and receives advice and encouragement from his online buddies.

And from Anime News Network:

Train Man will premiere in September in New York and "major cities," followed by a DVD release in January. Viz will also volume 1 of the Train Man manga this October.

Inside the CLAMP studio

It's an interview with CLAMP and a tour of their studio. I don't know what the heck they are saying, but it's cool to see them at work.



Source: Anime News Network

Gunbuster movies

From AnimeNation:

Gainax has announced plans to release theatrical movie versions of Gunbuster: Aim For The Top, and Aim For The Top 2 this fall. Each of the feature films will be 90 minutes long, meaning that they'll both be heavily condensed from their original running time. The original 1988 Aim For The Top cast will reportedly re-rerecord a new dialogue track for the Aim For The Top movie.

Viewing Journal: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig (complete)

Series Overview TV Broadcast Info DVD Info Rating: Overall= A Video = A Audio = A Story = A

Journal

This show kicks ass. I love it. I just love it. I don't know what else to say. It's the second season of Ghost in the Shell and it's even better than the first.

First of all, there's the story. It's just as involving and well-though-out as the first season, but there are a few things in 2nd Gig that I think are major improvements. For instance, the storyline -- while still full of twist, turns, and technical intricacies -- is a lot easier to follow. This is partly due to the fact that there's no need to re-introduce all the main characters. Instead, it fleshes out their history which gives their personalites a little more depth. There are also two new characters who really drive the story: Kuze and Gouda. Both of them have strong personalities and each is driven by their convictions (no matter how twisted), making it easy to follow them as they move the story along.

The show also expands on some history that was only touched upon in the first season -- mainly in terms of the world wars and the refugee population. It adds a tremendous amount of depth and believability to the show by putting events on a global scale.

I also liked the format of this season better than the first. It still has the stand alone episodes alongside episodes that follow a conintuing story. But this time the stand alone episodes are shown as part of the main story (as opposed to existing in a sort of self-contained bubble like in season one), so you can see where they fit in the timeline. Plus, it solves the frustration that I had with the first season since even the stand alone episodes add some small nugget of information to the bigger picture.

The ending of this series is a little more climactic than in the first season. It was satisfying and wraps things up nicely. The only thing that maybe I had an issue with was that for some reason the very end seemed kind of rushed. But that's a minor nitpick.

The animation was awesome...again. One thing I expecially loved were the scenes where Section 9 was traveling through cyberspace -- the visual details just blew me away. And I got a kick out of how the Tachikomas act as assistants to the team while in cyberspace (probably because it reminded me of the Decots from the second volume of Shirow's manga).

Then there's Yoko Kanno's music which of course is phenominal... Duh.

Other than that, it's just another typical super-awesome-crazy-cool installment of Ghost in the Shell. What more can I say?

Teknoman Nostalgia

I just got done watching an episode of Teknoman on the latest Newtype DVD and there was just something very refreshing about it, though it took me a while to put my finger on exactly what it was.

At first I thought it had something to do with the fact that I've seen the show somewhere before. I know I saw it broadcast on TV, but I can't remember what channel it was. I do know that it was a good number of years ago, maybe on the Sci-Fi channel or something. I was surprised to see it on the DVD because I'd totally forgotten about it until now. But after I'd been watching the show for a while I realized that it wasn't the familiarity that was so refreshing after all.

The show was a traditional (by US standards anyway) superhero vs. super villian storyline, and that's what made it so refreshing. After years of watching anime that blur the lines between good and evil by making flawed heros and sympathetic villians, it was a nostalgic shock to see something where the good guys were righteous and the bad guys were uncompromisingly evil with little grey area inbetween. I can kind of now understand why some people prefer US comics and animation over Japanese, since that polarization of good and evil can be attractive compared to the vagueries of other things. And it's comforting when you know who exactly to root for and against and good is good and bad is bad and no matter how superhuman-powerful the bad guys may be you can always feel safe in the knowlege that they will get a butt-whupping by the end of the show.

Viewing Journal: Burst Angel (complete)

Series Overview DVD Info Rating: Overall= C Story = C Video = B- Audio = C

Journal

I was only interested in watching Burst Angel for one reason: the character designs. I think I first caught a glimpse of them in Newtype magazine and I just thought they looked so incredible that I had to watch it. Of course, I know as well as anyone that visuals alone can't carry an anime, and at some point the story has to be at least half-way decent. Regardless though, while the story was admittedly not particularly wonderful, the designs apparently were intriguing enough to hold my interest through much of the show.

The anime actually mixes a lot of different genres together including giant robots, cowboy western, "girls-with-guns", and mutant monsters. At times this can work, but the problem with this particular show is that it throws everything at you all at the same time and doesn't have a satisfyingly cohesive design. And since it doesn't pin down any single focus, it winds up feeling a bit disjointed. Plus, since each genre appears in relatively equal quantities, the elements that you dislike might counteract the ones that you do like. For instance, I liked the "girls-with-guns" aspect, but when it was paired with the monster/horror elements, it really turned me off to both aspects.

I wasn't all that crazy about the characters in the show either. They seemed to start out with a lot of potential, but as the show progressed they just fell flat. For instance, when Meg first showed up on screen it seemed like she would be a strong character, but ultimately she ended up being the biggest wuss in the show. And when Jo fist showed up she seemed like she would be the silent-but-deadly type who only speaks when she has something significant to say. But as it turns out, she was almost as much of a blabbermouth as everyone else, and when she did talk most of her dialogue didn't have anymore significance than anyone else. Pretty disappointing.

Gonzo's job with the animation was good at times, but the quality wasn't consistent. The music also didn't really stick out in any significant way... either on its own or as a part of the show.

At the end of the show, it was like all of a sudden there's a build up and an explosion and then that's it. It wasn't a particularly satisfying climax -- not necessarily because it doesn't tie up loose ends, but because the continuing story wasn't all that interesting to begin with so there was no anticipation to satisfy anyway.

All in all Burst Angel is a mix-and-match of different genres that don't really meld well together. If there was more focus given to specific elements it might have had more appeal, but since everything was thrown at you at the same time, nothing about the show stuck out as particularly acceptional. You're enjoyment of the series will probably depend on how much you like any one of its specific elements. I liked the character designs, so that kept me going for the most part. You, however, may not be quite so shallow.

Viewing Journal: Madlax (complete)

Series Overview DVD Info Rating: Overall= A- Video = B+ Audio = A Story = B+

Journal

Anyone who has seen Noir, will find a lot of similiarities with this show. The main connection being that there are two girls who can't remember their pasts but who are somehow connected. I personally liked Madlax a lot more. One of the reasons is that in Noir, the girls meet right in the first episode. But in Madlax they don't meet until well into the series, but since you always know that they are going to meet eventually, you (or at least I) was constantly wondering when it was going to happen. And that was part of what kept my interest.

Other than that, I think the story in Madlax has two thing going for it: pacing and mood. It achieves this successfully by carefully feeding the audience little pieces of the puzzle each episode, so that each piece adds to the mystery and expands the scope of the story. It's not until near the end that you gradually start to see how everything fits together. By following this pattern, the show keeps the audience wanting to know more and thus makes them want to keep watching because they know that with every episode they are going to learn at least a little more. It's that balance of revelation and mystery that creates the successful blend of pacing and mood.

The characters in the story were great too. You could really feel for them because almost everyone was trying to unravel some potentially unpleasant secret about their past. And with cool names like "Madlax" and "Monday Friday" how could you not love them?

Bee Train (which as I understand it is an offshoot of Production IG) did a great job with this. They also did the animation for Noir and .Hack, but I think this one outshined them all. Again it created just the right mood and was a consistently high quality.

Yuki Kajiura provided an emotionally powerful soundtrack. Her talents are right up there with Yoko Kanno as far as I'm concerned (though I think Kajiura is less versatile than Kanno), and this is her best yet.

The ending of the show was satisfying, climactic, and explained all the key plot elements. What I really liked was that it did not wait to wrap everything up until the last episode. Again this is due to the great pacing of the show. All the key elements were wrapped up over the last 6 or so episodes, thus leaving some breathing room in the last episode to flesh out a proper resolution. There was only thing that I was confused about (it had to do with why a certain character died) , but that may just be my own lack of attention more than a flaw in the story itself.

In summary, I think this is a great series for anyone who really wants some worthwhile entertainment. Just watch it.

Viewing Journal: Casshern

Movie Overview DVD Info Rating: Overall= B Story = C+ Video = A- Audio = C+

Journal

Way back in around 1995 or '96 I happened to catch the Casshan: Robot Hunter anime on the Sci-Fi Channel Anime Week marathon. That, along with the other movies that were shown that week, were the catalysts that piqued my interest and eventual obsession with Japanese animation.

So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that they were making a live action version of that anime called Casshern. And as a fan of the anime, I have to say that all in all, I was not disappointed in this movie.

The first thing that I have to mention about Casshern are the visuals. They were awesome. They were beautiful and effective and just plain cool to behold. And unlike a lot of special effects movies, I thought that the visuals in Casshern actually complimented the story nicely and even enhanced the drama.

The story was pretty strait forward. There's a war that has recently ended but that has resulted in the earth being covered in nuclear radiation, leading to widespread disease. A scientist named Dr. Azuma is trying to come up with a cure for this global sickness in the hopes that he will be able to save his dying wife. The experiments end up being sponsored by his country's military and ultimately lead to the creation of these super humans called Neo-Sapiens. After the military tries and nearly succeeds in slaughtering them all, the Neo-Sapiens vow vengence upon all humanity. The only one who can stand up to them is Azuma's son, Tetsuya, who has also been recently resurrected as a Neo-Sapien but one-ups the others by sporting power-armor developed by Azuma's associate.

As goofy as that description may sound, I actually thought the story was pretty good. Sure it had enough holes and unexplained occurances to make your head spin, but somehow I was willing to forgive it all. For example, after having the majority of their newly generated species eradicated, the remaining Neo-Sapiens stumble upon an abandoned factory that is all set to mass produce battle robots. And with nary but a flip of the switch the factory starts pumping the robots out by the legions, and thus are used in the fight against humanity. Of course it's never explained where the heck this factory came from (perhaps it was abandoned in haste during the war for some reason), but really who cares? I think the robots were just supposed to be a sort of homage to the original anime. Not to mention the fact that they were a conviniet device for leading into some super kick ass fight scenes.

Ultimately I think it really just comes down to the fact that the the visuals were cool and the characters were cool and to hell if the story leaves much of the explaining to the audience's imagination. Some people would even say that's a good thing. Like me damn it! :D

The ending also wasn't too bad in my opinion. It was really drawn out, but even so I never felt bored as the climax played out. Most of the major plot elements were explained and wrapped up in an original and satisfying way. And although the explanation for the end isn't spoon-fed to the audience, with a little brain power anyone could figure it out.

One thing I did notice with this movie (and a lot of other Japanese films -- both live action and animated) is that there isn't any "resolution". In other words it goes through the climax, but doesn't provide an afterward to allow the audience to wind down before the end credits. It's just climax, then cut.

All in all though, I did enjoy watching this movie. I'd recommend it only to those who like cool visuals and who are not easily flustered by lack of explanations. It's just cool. That's all there is to it.

Viewing Journal: Fullmetal Alchemist (complete)

Series Overview TV Broadcast Info DVD Info Rating: Overall= B+ Story = A- Video = B+ Audio = B

Journal

Way before I first saw Fullmetal Alchemist, I had heard about it through online forums and magazines. From what I read, the show sounded like it was going to be an instant classic; so needless to say, when I got a chance to watch it on Adult Swim, my expectations were set pretty high. I watched the first few episodes and although I really enjoyed it, I wouldn't have put it on my list of all-time greats.

The animation, and music worked well for the show. If there's one thing that I can say about Studio Bones, it's that they always seem to make consistently high quality animation that compliments a story without being distracting. The music was the same way.

So because the story had such high-quality visuals and music, and because it had such an original plot and colorful characters, I gradually got more and more into it.

Then in the fall of last year, I went to the Youmacon anime convention where I got to see a panel discussion with Vic Mignogna, who does the voice of Ed Elric in FMA. During the panel, he sang the praises for the show, and went on and on about how the ending was just so unbelievably shockining and oh my God we were just going to be blown away. So once again my expectations shot sky high, and I eagerly anticipated the series' climax and conclusion.

Well, the show did get better, and I actually was surprised by some of the twists it took. But once again, my expectations put somewhat of a damper on the whole experience. (Not that this is Vic's fault, I'm just saying...)

The last couple episodes included a good climactic showdown between all the key players, but it ended on a cliffhanger with a lot of questions left unanswered. As it turns out, the story is actually going to conclude in the FMA movie. So I gues I'll just have to wait to see what really happens to the Elic brothers when that is released on DVD (and potentially in theatres?) in September.

So regardless of all of my overblown expectations, I really did love FMA and look forward to seeing how the movie wraps things up. It was a solid show and I would definitely recommend to any anime fan.

Viewing Journal: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (season 1 complete)

Series Overview TV Broadcast Info DVD Info Rating: Overall= A Video = A Audio = A Story = A

Journal

I love Ghost in the Shell. There's just something about the whole idea behind it that I think has so much potential. The idea that every part of you can be replaced with cybernetic prosthesis -- while not exactly original -- is cool enough. But add to that the fact that even your brain can be cyberized and linked directly to the internet brings up all kinds of opportunity for cool storylines, from the technical (ie, brain hacking), to the philosophical (ie, what remains to identify you as human?).

The original manga was written/drawn by Masamune Shirow, who also acted as a consultant on this first season of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series. And if you've ever read the manga you'll notice his influence right from the first episode by the intricately complex plot and engenious use of contrived-but-plausible technological concepts. Those are two things that I just love about any anime because it forces me to think in order to keep up with what is going on, but at the same time is interesting and cool enough to make me want to do that extra mental processing. To me, that just makes the show that much more engaging.

Though, to be perfectly honest, there were points where I was a little lost in the web of political positioning, conspiricies, and character motivations that made up the show. But even at those points, the show never stopped being entertaining due in no small part to Production IG's awesome-as-always animation quality. That coupled with Yoko Kanno's creative and emotional soundtrack gave the show a whole other layer of quality.

The end of the show did seem kind of unexpectantly anticlimactic in a way, but at the same time it was not disappointing and was very enjoyable and satisfying. But anyone expecting a all-out cybernetic brawl will probably be very surprised by how it all turns out.

The only thing that did bug me about the show was the way the episodes were structured. There were "complex" episodes, which involved an overarching storying, and then there were "stand alone" episodes which took place totally removed from the larger story and from each other. Although the episodes themselves were great, you could never tell when you were going to get back to the complex episodes. At first it seemed that there would be a regular pattern (like three standalone, then two complex), but at times you would have long stretches of one or the other. I just wished it was more prectible. But that's really only a relatively minor point and I could even see understand some arguments for doing it the way they did. Regardless it's a small price to pay when everything else is so great.

Overall, I'd recommend the series to anyone, whether or not you are into animation. The intricate plots alone I think are enough to capture people's attention. But the animation and music together with the awesome story -- to me -- make it anime's perfect storm.

Viewing Journal: Le Portrait de Petite Cossette

OAV Overview DVD Info Rating: Overall= D Story = F Video = C Audio = B

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This anime is a perfect example of a show with too much mood. I was struggling to get through the entire DVD (which is only 3 episodes) because to me (1) it was just so boring and (2) it tries too hard to shove it's dark, deep, depressing tone down your throat.

The story revolves around this boy who was supposedly in love with this little girl named Cossette who was in this painting which was painted by this artist who was also madly in love with her and had something to do with her untimely death. Then there were devils and blood and crucifixions up the yin-yang until I just couldn't stand it anymore.

The only saving grace was the music. Yuki Kajiura provided an excellent score which -- when it was there -- helped to somehow balance out the heavy-handed tone and make some scenes tolerable. If you are really interested though, I'd suggest that you just buy the soundtrack and avoid the DVD.

So as you can probably tell, this show isn't high on my list of recommendations. Even so, my guess is that if you are a fan of gothic Edgar-Allen-Poe-type stories, then you may enjoy it. It's not that I don't like that kind of thing myself; it's just that -- as with anything -- when it's so forced, it tends to get annoying.