Reading Journal: Twelve Kingdoms - The Vast Spread of the Seas

Book Overview Rating: Overall= B+

Journal

When only an eggfruit, the kirin of the En Kingdom, Rokuta, was transported to Japan for his own protection. But he was abandoned soon after birth by his surrogate parents, left to fend for himself in the mountains. It just so happened that at the same time, a young boy in the En Kingdom named Koya was also abandoned by his own parents, after which he was raised by demon beasts. Their similar circumstances aren't the only thing to bind these two boys, though. Twenty years after their abandonment, their destinies intersect, with potentially disastrous consequences for the En Kingdom. (Source: RightStuf)

Aaaaaand here we have number five in my list of stuff that I finished months ago but am only getting around to reviewing now. This time it's the third volume in the Twelve Kingdoms saga: The Vast Spread of Seas. This one I finished around January; and although I can't remember a lot of details, I do remember that it is a fantastic entry in the book series.

While the first two volumes were introductions to the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, this volume is less interested in introducing new terms and concepts than it is in fleshing out a fully-realized, well-paced story. The first two volumes mostly focused on characters arriving at the Twelve Kingdoms and needing to adapt by learning the complexities that govern the world. And while the third volume also has characters from Earth (or "Horai") entering the new world and vice versa; the story really picks up when those characters are well-adapted to the world. As a result, it can focus more on the conflicts between people and and development of the characters.

Of course, even though the book is not introducing a lot of new concepts and the focus is more on the story; it is still maintains a certain level of World development that was part of what made the first two books so great. But it's more like this book develops previously-introduced concepts by revealing new aspects to them. We learn new things about he demons, as they adopt and raise an abandoned boy. We learn about the kirin and things like how to bind their powers. Those kinds of things give the setting depth and keep the story it fresh.

As with the other books, the characters here are complex, as are their interactions with one another. However, where the first two books were more about the main characters' internal struggles or their struggles simply trying to stay alive in the world; this one is more directly about conflicts between groups of people with different ideas about how the world should be run. But even more than that, there are interpersonal conflicts between individual people within and between those groups. As a result, this story is not quite as intensely personal as the first novel, and not as peaceful as the second. Instead, it strikes a good balance and maintains a well paced and well thought-out story.

If there was one conventional character in this book, it would be the King of En. He is the kind of character that seems laid back and irresponsible, but that ends up being just a misinterpretation of his keen leadership abilities, mental prowess, and concern for his people. But just because I've seen that type of thing before, doesn't make him any less compelling of a character. Unlike other characters of that type I've seen in anime and manga, he isn't masking his true motivations with an goofy facade. That goofiness is more of a result of his general attitude toward life, and is actually consistent with his motivations. And that consistency and honesty make him a stronger and more original character.

The one thing about having read this so long ago is that I forget some of the deeper themes and ideas interwoven into the story. For this book probably more than any of the Twelve Kingdoms book so far, I thought that certain parts of the story were supposed to symbolize different things. But now I can't remember what all of that symbolism was! There has always been the themes of working for people or working with nature, but I remember thinking of specific things that scenes were supposed to represent. So I guess my point is that this book has deep meanings, but I don't know what they are, so I guess you'll just have to trust me.

So anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say that all three of the Twelve Kingdoms book have been great so far, but also each of them has been very, very different; with each having a different tone but each also building more upon the world it takes place in. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next four book have to offer.

Related Reviews

• The Twelve Kingdoms - Volume 1: Sea of Shadow
• The Twelve Kingdoms - Volume 2: Sea of Wind

Viewing Journal: Bleach - The DiamondDust Rebellion

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

Journal

A valuable artifact known as "King's Seal" is stolen by a mysterious group of people during transport in Soul Society. Hitsugaya Toushiro, the 10th division captain of Gotei 13, who is assigned to transport the seal fights the leader of the group and shortly after goes missing. After the incident, Seireitei declares Hitsugaya a traitor and orders the capture and execution of Hitsugaya. Kurosaki Ichigo refuses to believe this, and along with Matsumoto Rangiku, Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji swear to uncover the real mastermind of the stolen seal, find Hitsugaya and clear his name. Meanwhile, a rogue Hitsugaya searches for the perpetrators and uncovers a dark secret regarding a long dead shinigami. (Source: ANN)

And now number four in my series of reviews of stuff that I viewed months ago but am only getting to review now. This time it's the second Bleach movie: The DiamondDust Rebellion. This one I actually had to go back and fast-forward through because I couldn't remember much of what it was about. I suppose that in itself doesn't bode well since it means it wasn't impactful enough to be memorable; but even so, as far as Bleach content created exclusively for anime (ie, not adapted from the manga) goes, it's not bad.

Having watched around 150 episodes of the TV series, I've been exposed to countless filler episodes (ie, episodes that deviate from the story of the original manga), and contrary to popular belief, a handful of those fillers are actually pretty good. The ones that are good tend to focus on analyzing and developing a specific character. In that same way, this movie is an improvement over the first movie because it narrowly focuses on developing and expanding the background of a single character: Hitsugaya Toushiro. Focusing on an existing character instead of creating a new complicated plot line involving multiple new characters helps the the story to feel more seamlessly integrated into the series instead of being tacked on. And as a result, I didn't find myself getting distracted by trying to figure out whether or not the new material would have any impact on the original story.

I have to admit that out of all the soul reapers, Hitsugaya is probably one of my least favorite. He seems to not have much of a personality, and his Zanpakto's ice techniques seem generic and cliche. But after watching this movie -- which focuses on Hitsugaya -- I'm starting to understand what his character is all about. Basically, he is supposed to be similar to Ichigo. For one, they both want to avoid getting other people involved in their problems; and two, their harsh personalities mask their deeper issues. And as a result of seeing that relationship, I'm starting to see Hitsugaya in a whole new light. And that is why I think these character-focused stories work so well. They provide the opportunity to flesh out the character by showing deeper and more detailed aspects of their personality, and a result makes them more empathetic and understandable.

The animation for this movie was -- as, by definition, you would expect from a movie -- theatrical quality. I art was detailed and clean, and the animation was fluid. I also liked that the art was a darker and/or monochromatic than the TV show usually is, with more scenes at night or on cloudy days or in the fog or whatever. I really enjoyed it and appreciated how it set a moodier atmosphere.

So overall, I would recommend this movie to Bleach fans, and especially Hitsugaya fans. As original anime goes, this one holds its own as a strong and enjoyable story.

Related Reviews:

• Bleach (season 1)
• Bleach (season 2)
• Bleach (season 3)
• Bleach (season 4)
• Bleach (season 5)
• Bleach (season 6)
  
• Bleach: Memories of Nobody

Awesome Clips: Hellsing OAV 7 - Seras rages

*SPOILER ALERT*

From Hellsing OAV (aka. Hellsing Ultimate) episode 7. Who needs Alucard? As far as I'm concerned, this makes Seras the new star of the show... if for no other reason than her demonstration of the all-time best method for stopping someone from punching you in the face...

Viewing Journal: Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (complete)

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

Journal

Balsa the spearwoman is a wandering warrior, who takes on the task of saving lives, in atonement for a past sin. On her journey, she happens to save a prince, and is tasked with becoming his bodyguard. And he is going to need one, for his own father, the emperor, wants him dead. (Source: ANN)

And now third in my series of anime that I watched months ago is the famously under-appreciated Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. I watched this one on Adult Swim back when it had broadcast, then canceled, then restarted the series, and finally finishing it back in December 2009.

I say that this show is “famously under-appreciated” because most reviews that I have seen has praised it, but has also said that nobody is watching it. Even Adult Swim canceled its run half-way through presumably due to poor ratings. And I think it’s worthwhile trying to understand why people don’t watch it when it is so good.

I think one of the main reasons people love it in terms of both its art and its story is the same reason that people don’t watch it: its level of detail. This show has an intricate story, deep characters, and lush art; but the time it spends showing these things to the audience means that there is less action and slower pacing.

In terms of the characters, that means that they will analyze and discuss their choices before taking action. That means there are conversation about politics and culture and religion, as well as analyzing the motivations of other characters. I am guessing that a lot of viewers would have no patience for this and would prefer characters to use action to solve their problems. But for others, myself included, the detail helps to maintain the pace because you can understand the setting and the characters’ motivations better and are not constantly distracted by thinking “why did they do that?” or “why didn’t they just do this instead of that?” You get a deeper understanding of the characters and their actions, and as a result makes the story more engrossing.

Another criticism that I’ve heard about Moribito -- and other Kamiyama-directed shows -- is that the characters are dry and don’t show enough emotion. And maybe you could provide an argument supporting the latter, but I seriously contend the former. Instead of “dry” I would say that they are “restrained.” Meaning that there is emotion, but since these characters are so mentally strong, they either choose not to show it or don't show it because of the situation or because of the culture that they live in. And this makes the times when they do show that emotion all that much more earnest, believable, and significant.

The mental resilience of the characters may also put off some viewers. By that I mean that many anime shows include at least one character who is unsure of him or herself or has some vulnerability that they have to learn to overcome. The characters in Morbito have vulnerabilities as well, but it takes time for the audience to discover them. And in the meantime, all the main characters seem strong-minded and reasonable, which may make them harder to sympathize with.

Also, the emotion of the characters is more subtle than you find in much anime where characters have intensely exaggerated reactions and emotions whether they be romantic or violent. Balsa is a prime example of this subtle approach. Her main motivation appears to be to save the eight lives to make up for something that happened in her past, and the last of those lives is the prince Chagum. But she insists on not just protecting his life, but also keeping him mentally and emotionally safe. And in doing so she acts both as a gentle mother and a stern strong father-figure. When she fights, it is for a specific purpose relating to protecting someone, and not out of anger. And almost all characters in this show offer the same level of complexity and subtlety making them more interesting to watch.

One thing that may put some people off is the fact that there are not really any good guys or bad guys. There are just people with different goals and a series of different understandings of the facts that cause the conflicts in the story. But there is no real dichotomy of good and evil since all the characters are trying to act for what they think is the best for everyone. And while this makes for fantastic characterization, it makes it hard for those who want to know who exactly to root for and who to root against.

The setting of the story is also complex and believable. This is a fantasy story, but it feels more real than the usual fantasy. The closest thing I could compare it to would be Twelve Kingdoms, with that level of detail and that level to which the fantasy elements are intertwined with the world and its culture. The characters in Moribito are not surprised to when they see something magical happen – at least the magic itself is not surprising, even if the significance or impact of the magic is. In fact the word “magic” is not really an accurate term and I don’t think it’s really ever used in the show. The characters simply accept that the world is the way it is. Like we see a tree and don’t question why it’s there; the characters in Moribito accept things like spirits existing in an alternate world because it is a factual part of their history and ingrained in their culture.

On the flip-side, the setting also may put off some viewers. Moribito is a fantasy, but one that is very eastern in appearance and takes place in it’s own self-contained world without any plot-connections to our own world. So the concepts and elements are not as familiar to western audiences, and as a result, there is little to relate to.

For those who love the show – or at least for myself – the unfamiliarity of the setting and the strength of the characters are part of what makes the show so great. As the story progresses and we learn more details about the world, it becomes more engrossing. The fact that the setting is something new and that we learn new things about it as the story progresses is stimulating.

And for me the strength of the characters is more refreshing than it is off-putting. I can enjoy characters who gain confidence throughout a story, but it is also enjoyable to see strong, competent characters react to one another; and then as the story progresses, discover their vulnerabilities. It makes any changes that they go through that much more impressive.

Of course the visuals in this story are downright incredible. This was animated by Production IG, the studio behind Ghost in the Shell. And keeping in line with the story, the visuals are also detailed and realistic. But you won’t see speed lines or exaggerated action in the animation either. The character movements are very grounded in reality, but still beautiful to watch. But the animation is always in service of the story. When there was a fight scene, there was always a purpose behind it in terms of the character motivations. When there was an action scene I was more focused on why the characters were fighting more than I was getting caught up in the action of the fight itself. That’s not to say that the animation was not stellar, it’s just that – like a good soundtrack – the animation enhanced the story instead of defining it.

At any rate, I’ll wrap of this review (seeing as how this is probably the longest and most convoluted one I’ve ever written) by adding my voice to the others who have said that this show is vastly under-appreciated and deserves more recognition. It’s a smart story with strong characters and beautiful animation. And I would say that it’s probably one of the best shows I’ve seen.

Awesome Clips: Hellsing OAV 6 ending credits

Purely for the sake of awesomeness, I submit to you the ending credits of the Hellsing OAV (aka Hellsing Ultimate) episode 6. There are not really any spoilers here, so if you have not seen the whole show or previous episodes, no need to worry. The song here is Magnolia by Suilen.

Viewing Journal: L Change the World

Movie Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= D Story = D Video = C Audio = C

Journal

After writing his own name in the Death Note in order to beat Light Yagami, L now has only 28 days before he dies of a heart attack. But L can't call it quits yet. Sent by F, L receives a mathematical genius child, whom witnessed his home village destroyed by terrorists armed with a deadly virus. Now, L must battle K and her group of terrorists, as they attempt to develop an antidote to save themselves before they release the deadly virus on the world. With the help of Maki, a girl who's father killed himself stopping the terrorists, and Sugura, a FBI agent looking for the Death Note, L must not only fight the terrorists, but also against the clock, ticking down on his life. (Source: ANN)

And now for second title in my list of stuff that I watched months ago but am only getting around to reviewing now: L Change the World. This is the follow-up to the two previous Death Note live-action movies and does not correspond to anything in the manga or anime. It tells the story of master detective L who, at the end of the second movie, wrote his own name in the Death Note (which, in case you've never been exposed to Death Note before, is a notebook in which anyone who's name is written will die) in order to defeat Light Yagami. As a result he only has 28 days to live; but when L finds out about a terrorist plot to use a deadly virus to eradicate humanity, he has to dedicate those final days to saving the world.

Putting aside the connection the movie has with the Death Note franchise; even as a standalone film, this movie is trite and cliche and doesn't take advantage of its potential. Eco-terrorists intend to spread a deadly virus throughout the world -- while saving the antidote for themselves -- and the only one who can stop them is L. It sounds more like a bad James Bond film than anything from Death Note. The movie's title "L Change the World" seems to imply that L causes humanity to go through some epic transformation as his last act in the world; but nothing of the sort happens. And it could have been an epic, especially given that L had all of the genius children at the Whammy House at his disposal. But, even though some of the Whammy House children are involved, their genius isn't used to any great extent. And the whole movie is to be counting down to L's death, so it would have been great if he would have been fighting up until the minute he died, and maybe his death would somehow be the thing that defeated the villains. But instead he defeats the villains with a good couple of days to spare, which totally deflates the tension. So by the conclusion, I found myself anxious to just get to L's death already.

Even though this is a Death Note movie, it has none of the qualities that made the original story so great. I love the manga, anime, and even the first two movies' story because there are two (or sometimes more) strong, intelligent characters who would be constantly trying to out-think one another in order to get the upper hand. There is a lot of strategy involved that leads to exciting and surprising plot twists. But in this movie, even though the main villain is a genius from Whammy House, she does not do anything strategy-wise to indicate that she is any smarter than the average villain.

In fact, neither does L; and that is what really makes this movie sink. L doesn't show any of his genius world-renown detective skills here. The movie is just him chasing after people and using his physical resources to solve the crime, not his intelligence. Instead, the story tries to make up for this lack of personality by pushing his love of sweets and his hunched over posture as his sole personality traits.

Overall, it is pretty blatantly obvious that this is purely an attempt to milk a little more money out of the Death Note name, and a very lazy attempt at that. The writers did little more than take the L character, strip him of everything that made him a engaging and intelligent character, amp up his superficial traits, and then drop him in a cliche destroy-the-world plot. So don't be duped into watching this because you want to be a Death Note completist, since there is little here other than the main character's name that makes this a Death Note story, and nothing that makes it worth watching for anyone who is not familiar with the original story.

Okay, so I lied...

So I said that I wouldn't watch any new anime until I finished my backlog of reviews; but with the series coming to an end, I couldn't help but watch the penultimate episodes 62 and 63 of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on Funimation's website. And holy crap am I glad I did. Friggin' episodes actually made me cry -- like actual tears. And not just a few either.

So I guess FMA: Brotherhood has officially replaced Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex as my favorite anime of all time. Any show that can actually elicit bodily fluid (from the eyes) can't be called any less.

Review to come after I finish that frigging backlog...

[Edit] FYI.. There's a movie coming too.

Viewing Journal: Freedom (complete)

OAV Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= B+ Story = B+ Video = A+ Audio = B+

Journal

In the year 2041, mankind created their first space colony on the moon. But after a freak cataclysm devastated human civilization on Earth, the republic of the moon built a domed megalopolis known as Eden. Now in the year 2267, a boy called Takeru spends his time engaging in hover-craft races against rival street gangs, unaware that he is about to embark in the journey of unearthing Eden's origin. (Source: ANN)

So it's been like seven months since I last reviewed anything. That's not to say that I haven't been watching anime in that time, it's just that I have either had trouble trying to figure out how to review things or simply put it off -- but NO MORE! I have a backlog of six or seven shows/movies/manga/books that I want to write about, so I have vowed that I will not watch anything new until I have completed this batch of reviews. Of course, it has been a while since I actually watching these shows, so I'll have to rely on the few notes I took and my unreliable memory. As a result, the next few viewing journal entries may either be brief or vague or downright inaccurate. But at least I'll have them done, right? Anyway, here we go...

The first series on my list -- which I saw I think back in December 2009 or January 2010 -- is Freedom. This is a 6-episode OVA about a teenager named Takeru who lives a restricted life in a enclosed metropolis on the moon...that is until he finds a photo of a girl which was supposedly sent from the long-thought-uninhabitable Earth. Takeru becomes madly infatuated with this girl and dedicates himself to traveling to Earth to meet her. Of course, first he has to find a means of getting to Earth, not to mention getting past the Moon's governing council which is intent on hiding the truth about Earth from the citizenry.

I've always liked stories about teenagers challenging societies and the governments that run them. When I was younger, I liked the idea that a kid can have a huge impact on the world and do things that adults can't. These days it has more to do with a fondness for that youthful optimism where nothing is impossible. Takeru embodies that optimism coupled with tenacity and naive passion, and these qualities make him ignore both pragmatic and paranoid opposition and push him to follow his new-found dream. Overall, his passion is really what makes this anime for me.

Other than that, the sci-fi setting is also impressive. It isn't that the technology is believable so much as it is detailed and expansive. Things like the mechanical details of the motor bikes, and practical considerations like the fact that the government imposes a curfew in order to conserve energy -- all make the storyline seem more real and engrossing.

Of course, the biggest selling point for this show is the animation. It is computer animated, but more like cell-shade animation or something similar. It is still 2-D but you can tell from the fluidity of the characters and the way that they move that it is not hand-drawn. And even though the characters' movements occasionally appear unnaturally stiff, 98% of the time they move naturally and have dynamic facial expressions -- unlike most other computer-animated shows I've seen. I think part of that is due to the Katsushiro Otomo's (Akira) character designs. He does not use the traditional huge-eyed anime characters. His art style is simple, clean, and realistic in terms of character proportions. Plus, unlike a lot of other anime, his character designs don't shift in their art style for comedic or dramatic effect and their facial expressions are not as exaggerated. So since his designs are so solid and consistent, they animate well with computers -- which, by their nature, are not as spontaneous or abstract as hand-drawn animation.

The music is also pretty good. Though honestly I can't remember much of anything other than the opening song, which was done by the same singer who did "Beautiful World" from the Evangelion 1.0 movie -- Utada Hikaru.

Of course, this isn't all sunshine and roses, as there are a few things that bothered me about this show. For instance, although Takeru was a great character and I enjoyed watching youthful passion, none of the other characters were as strong and were mostly uninteresting and passionless cliches. For example, Takeru's friend Bizmarck was the whiny one in the cast and was always telling Takeru that his plans wouldn't work. I can understand his role as an antagonist to the story, but the fact that he seemed to have no personality other than to complain really grated on my nerves after a while.

Also, the story often does a great job of creating a sense of realism by bringing up practical concerns, but then throws those concerns out the window the minute they got in the way of the the story's progression. For instance, when Takeru and Bizmarch finally get to Earth, they need to find this girl that Takeru loves. And at first the story seems to recognize the fact that searching an entire planet for one person is a near impossible task for two kids on a motor bike. But almost as soon as as the characters recognize this fact, they are given a series conveniences that allow them to find her. I'm not sure if you would call that deux ex machina, but regardless it seems like a cheap way for the writers to solve a narrative snag.

Another thing that bothered me about the story which was the fact that the moon's council had told its people that the earth was uninhabitable due to a nuclear fallout from years earlier (or something -- I can't remember exactly). But of course, Takeru discovers that the Earth is alive and well once he sees it in the moon's sky. Now putting aside the fact that no one bothered to look at the earth in the sky before this; the story never tells what actually did happen to the Earth? Was there a nuclear war or not? If so, was the earth ever not inhabitable? If so, how did people survive there? Those seemed like major plot points that could have helped make the story more believable, but were never properly explained.

Of course, you can't talk about this show without mentioning the blaring Ramen Cup Noodle logos blatantly splattered in every episode. The show I think was actually created as an advertisement for Cup Noodle, so it's understandable. But the logo is so blatant and out-of-place that it seems like more like a running-gag than an advertisement. But really you only see it once or twice briefly in each episode, so it doesn't interfere with the story too much.

So anyway, that's Freedom. It's worth watching if you can pick it up cheap on Amazon or eBay. I remember when it first came out there was a huge stink about the fact that each DVD cost like $50 for one episode-per-disc. But now I think you can get the whole collection for less than that. So if you have the time, I think this one is worth watching.

Anime World Order Podcast

So I was searching around for a anime podcast to help keep me awake on my drives to and from work when I found this Anime World Order podcast.

The show is made up of three hosts -- Daryl, Gerald, and Clarissa -- who review anime, talk about news, and generally discuss all things anime and manga. All three seem to have in-depth knowledge about the subject and have some intelligent discussions while still keeping back-and-forth dialogue between them fun and often irreverent. Daryl -- who does the editing for the show -- does a good job of keeping dialogue at a steady pace and avoiding the awkward pauses that I have heard in the few other podcasts I've listened to.

In particular, I'm currently going through their "Decade in Review" series of casts. It's fun and nostalgic to listen to them review the shows from 2000 onward.

Anyway, give it a listen. You can download it on iTunes, or you can listen through their website.

Akira Bicycle

This was apparently done as a t-shirt design for a Nike charity event. "Teams across the globe take part in a le mans 24hr style race to promote the charity Red." [Source] I just think it's cool. In the unlikely event that you don't get the reference, see here.

Viewing Journal: Fullmetal Alchemist - Premium Collection

OAV Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= C+ Story = C+ Video = B- Audio = C

Journal

If you have not seen the original Fullmetal Alchemist TV series and movie, then this "Premium OAV Collection" will be worthless to you. Even if you have seen the series and movie, this is still not required viewing. This is a collection of four very short videos that are outside the regular series' continuity.

The first story is a live-action video that has Al in his suit-of-armor form, appearing around the city, and ending at Studio Bones (which animated the original series). There is nothing more to this than an Al statue being filmed in different settings with a voice-over.

The next part shows a very young Ed, Al, and Winry running around the city trying to get to a particular place. Out of all of these shorts, this one seems like it might actually be connected to the end of the movie. The ending is strange in a "I know this means something, but I don't know what" kind of way. I'll just leave it at that.

The third part shows all the characters in super-deformed form as they have just finished filming the movie. They are all hanging out drinking and goofing around. It's fun and pointless and I'm sure a lot of fans will get a kick out of.

The last part is part of a Fullmetal Alchemist "interactive experience" attraction that was available in Japan around the time the film was wrapping up. It treats you -- the audience -- as a character in the story, so the characters are constantly talking to the camera as if it were a person. According to the plot, you are a new alchemist recruit and after an expository intro, you go into battle against the homunculi and save everyone. It's the only short with any kind of action, but again is not necessarily in perfect continuity with the regular series.

So is this video worth picking up? It is a fun bit of extra animation, but it probably would not be worth the $15 to anyone other than the total FMA completist. It would have been more worthwhile if it had been included as an extra on the original series' DVDs than a standalone video.

Viewing Journal: Pumpkin Scissors (complete)

Series Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= D+ Story = D Video = C Audio = C

Journal

After a long war with the Republic of Frost, the Empire abruptly signs a cease-fire, ending the war. Three years later, the Empire is in ruins with starvation and plague. Former soldiers have become bandits. Former Anti-Tank Trooper, Randel Orlando, unexpectedly runs into and joins the Pumpkin Scissors platoon, an Imperial Army relief effort led by Alice L. Malvin to restore order to the war-torn Empire. (Source: ANN)

The first few episodes of Pumpkin Scissors seem promising. It takes place in the aftermath of a war where a small band of soldiers is trying to protect the commoners from the corruption and abuse of the upper class. The group includes a gentle-giant with a mysterious origin who turns into a ruthless killer whenever he lights is blue lantern. There is a driven noble woman who goes against her family's wishes in order to work for the common people. There are all kinds of ironic characters, relatable themes, and intriguing mysteries that should have made for a compelling series. But it ends up either not cashing in on this potential, or cashing in too much, or waiting to cash in until just before the series ends.

Let's start with the "Anti-Tank Trooper" Randel Orlando. In the beginning, this is the character that makes you sit back and say, "This is going to be such an awesome show." He's huge with a scarred face and lives under a bridge with the other homeless people. He's kind with a quiet, gentle demeanor; but when he lights up the lantern that hangs on his hip, his eyes go blank, he pulls out his gun and nothing -- not even a tank -- can stop him from taking out his target. Power, compassion, and mystery all come together with this guy. So what happened?

First of all, the show never delves into Orlando's past. We learn that there is this scientist lady who apparently made him the way he is. We also learn the reason behind why he was created -- that being to wield the large anti-tank gun that can only be affective against a tank at close range; thus the person using the gun had to have no fear of death. But we never learn the specific past of Orlando himself. Where did he originally come from? Why was he specifically chosen to be an Anti-Tank Trooper? What kind of brain washing had to take place to make that possible? And of course, I couldn't help but think that there was a greater conspiracy behind it all. For instance, why would Orlando be sent to the Pumpkin Scissors unit in the first place? There had to be a story behind that, but we never learn what it is.

The other thing about Orlando is that he lights his craziness-lantern way too much. In every single episode for most of the series, that is how the Pumpkin Scissors unit gets out of a jam. That tank coming after you? Light the lantern. Guys coming at you with guns? Light the lantern. Kitten stuck in a tree? Light the lantern. After a while it lost it's meaning and intensity because it became predictable and seemed like overkill for most of the situations.

The other character that has a lot of potential is Alice. She is just the opposite of Orlando. She is outgoing and aggressive, but lives with her well-to-do noble family. And just like Orlando, she has her own set of mysteries that never pan out. These mysteries mostly have to do with her fiance.. what's-his-name. He is all suave and easy-going, but he is obviously just using her for some scheme of his own, but we never lean what that is.

I think that overall the reason this show is such a disappointment is because I was expecting all this character development and unraveling conspiracies over a long story. But about three quarters or of the show involve stand alone episodes that do not contribute to any grander story arc. So you never get the feeling of the story progressing or the scope of the story growing. And when we do finally get a string of episodes that show potential for a larger story, the series suddenly ends and we wind up with all kinds of loose strings.

The animation does not even make the show worth watching. The first few episodes have some quality animation, but after that it ranges from average to poor.

So I can not recommend this show at all. It has a lot of poential but nothing develops to any satisfactory degree.

Viewing Journal: Bleach (episodes 121-143)

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

Journal

As quickly as the battle between the Soul Reapers and Arrancars began, it comes to an end. Having learned that Aizen and the Arrancars are planning initiate a large-scale attack on the world of the living, the Soul Society orders the Soul Reapers to begin preparing for the battle. In the meantime, Ichigo meets up with the Vizards in order to learn to control his Hollow-side, and Chad and Uryu go through their own training. To the Soul Reapers' surprise the Arrancars attack early and again leave unexpectedly, but not before convincing Orihime to come with them back to the world of the Hollows...

I've been following this series for a while now; so I thought this might be a good time to look back and see if the show is still as good as it was when it began. When I started watching Bleach, I loved it for its character development; balance of action, comedy, and drama; and the way that the characters would analyze each others' fighting styles. So how does this season compare to the first?

To start, in these episodes we do learn more about the different characters. Specifically we learn that the Soul Reapers have some kind of limit on their power when they are in the world of the living, which they then are able to remove provided they get the proper permissions. Then we have the bald Ikkaku Madarame, who reveals that he really isn't allowed to use his bankai because it's too powerful (or something like that). There isn't quite the exploration of characters' backgrounds as there has been in previous episodes, but at least there's some degree of character development.

As for the battles, they can be intense as each character reveals new fighting techniques and increases their levels of power, but there isn't as much analysis of technique and strategy as there was in earlier episodes. This is disappointing because as much as I like to see intense fighting, seeing the mental side of the battle makes them more engrossing.

Although there is still action, comedy, and drama in this show; it isn't as balanced as it was when the show started. Now an entire episode might be dedicated to either action, comedy, or drama, but you don't see all of them all together as much. I was even getting worrie because for a good while there was a lot of action but not a lot of drama. But then the whole part about Orihime getting kidnapped came up and totally got me excited about the show again.

For the filler episodes there was some good and some bad episodes. The first filler arc dealing with the brother trying to save his sister from the Arrancar was dull. But then there is a series of stand-alone episodes that ended up being the best filler yet. They are more character-focused and if you don't like the story in one, you don't have to deal with it for more that one episode. The final filler story about the rebel Arrancars surprised me because I originally through it was part of the regular storyline. The character designs and quality of the story had me convinced and it wasn't until I looked it up online that I realized it was filler.

On a final note, I'll say that Ichigo's dad does show up as his Soul Reaper self near the end of this collection of episodes. I know I said in my last review that I was wondering what ever happened to him, so I thought I'd mention that.

So overall this is a nice mix of episode of varying quality, and includes both filler and regular episodes. Even though it isn't as good as the first season, the last few episodes re-ignited my excitement for the series. Hopefully the next set of episodes can justify that excitement.

Related Posts:

• Bleach (season 1)
• Bleach (season 2)
• Bleach (season 3)
• Bleach (season 4)
• Bleach (season 5)
  
• Bleach: Memories of Nobody

Viewing Journal: Sky Crawlers

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

Journal

The story unfolds in another 'possible' modern age. The main characters are youngsters called "Kildren", who are destined to live eternally in their adolescence. The Kildren are conscious that every day could be the last, because they fight a "war as entertainment" organized and operated by adults. But as they embrace the reality they are faced with, they live their day-to-day lives to the full. (Source: ANN)

It's hard for appreciate a Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon) film the first time through. His movies are filled with weighty silence and philosophical characters and deep themes; and usually it's hard for me to understand what it's all about, especially when all I want and expect is something entertaining. Sky Crawlers is no exception to the rule. Sure, it's more accessible that some of Oshii's recent work, but that's mainly because it has some visually dynamic, intense, and innovative aerial battle sequences and the relatively smooth and detailed character animation. But when it comes to the rest of the story there is still that deep, moody character interaction. Usually it takes me a couple of viewings to fully appreciate it and pick up on the subtleties and story details I might have missed the first time around (although I'm not sure I'll get that chance).

But putting aside the thematic depth or dark mood of the movie, I think the story suffered a bit due to its lack of explanation for some key plot elements. For example, the movie the pilots talk about this unbeatable enemy pilot called "Teacher," but no further explanation of "Teacher" is provided. And then, near the end of the movie we are told that the pilots are eternally young and are created purely for the purpose of taking part in battle. But I can't help but think that there might have been greater opportunity for dramatic impact if I had known that closer to the beginning of the movie.

So in the end, this is probably among the more accessible movies that Oshii has made, and it is certainly praiseworthy for its mood-building and action sequences. But the story itself, while full of meaning (I think), suffered from either misplaced or a complete lack of plot explanation -- although, maybe that was the point.

Dead Fantasy 3

Compared to the first two this one is still a well choreographed, but far less epic girl-on-girl battle sequence. And the credits take up like a quarter of the entire movie! Still fun to watch though.

[HQ Version]

Naoki Urasawa interview

Here's a great interview with the creator of Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto -- Naoki Urasawa. He talks about his major inspirations (Osamu Tezuka and Bob Dylan). He also goes through a time when he had to stop doing 20th Century Boys due to an injury from drawing too much! I don't usually spend the time to go through lengthy interview videos like this, but I thought this one was worth it. (Although I would have been interested to hear more about his work on Pluto.)

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Reading Journal: Trigun / Trigun Maximum (complete)

Manga Overview Book Info Rating: Overall= D Story = C- Art = D

Journal

Vash the Stampede is a gunman on the run with a 60 billion double dollar bounty on his head which has made it difficult for him to go anywhere without being chased and shot at. Because of the bounty, every town he ever visit ends up being destroyed because of his pursuers, and miracliously, no one ever gets killed. Meryl and Milly are two insurance agents that have been sent to find Vash the Stampede and keep him under surveillance so no more damage is caused. Meryl, who leads the pair, can't believe that the man they have met can possibly be the legendary gunman. This spikey haired, gangly, and blonde young man is extremely friendly, a pacifist, hates blood and suicide, absolutely loves donuts, and is a dork and a crybaby...there is no way he could he be Vash the Stampede, a notorious outlaw. However, there's more to Vash than just smiles and dounuts. (Source: ANN)

I -- like a lot of anime fans out there -- loved the Trigun anime. So I started reading the original manga because I heard that it went more in depth into the story and characters. And it does. It gives more detail about the origin of Vash and Knives and gives more information about Wolfwood and the people from his group the "Eye of Michael." Plus it gives more background behind the planet that the story takes place on. But unfortunately 90% of the time I couldn't glean much information at all from the manga because the artwork was so confusing.

That's not to say that the art isn't cool, it is just messy and difficult to interpret. The character designs are incredibly cool, and individual panels during fight scenes are frantic and energetic. But there is a disconnect between the art and the story -- most notably during any kind of action (which took up a good majority of the manga). Something might happen like an explosion, but there there may be no reference in the art to show where that explosion is taking place. Or there may be a group of panels showing a fight scene or one of Vash or Knives' many odd transformation scenes, but it's hard to tell what is happening because there's no way to know how the different panels are related. You can't tell how the fight goes from point A in panel 1 to point B in panel 2. It would have been just as effective to have a page with a big scribble for all I could glean from those action scenes. And the dialogue is no help because after all this incomprehensible action takes place a character would say something like "Oh my gosh, I can't believe that happened." But I would have no idea what they were reacting to, so I was constantly thinking that I was missing vital pieces of the story. It really got frustrating and annoying at times.

In truth, if it wasn't for this manga's connection to the anime I probably would have stopped following it a long time ago. I'm positive that all kinds of cool stuff was happening during the 16 volumes (2 volumes of Trigun and 14 volumes of Trigun Maximum). But since so much of it was lost one me, my whole reason for reading the manga -- that is to get more information about the story that I'd loved so much in the anime -- was lost too.

Viewing Journal: Flag (complete)

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

Journal

In 20xx, a civil war broke out in a small country in Asia in spite of the dispatch of UN forces. But a picture taken by accident in the battle field accelerates the peace process. It is a picture of a flag which became the symbol of peace. However, just before the peace agreement is achieved, the flag is robbed by an armed extremist group in order to obstruct the truce. The UN decides to send SDC (Special Development Command) and a cameraman to record their activities. That cameraman is Shirasu Saeko - the cameraman who took the picture of the flag. Armed with the HAVWC (High Agility Versatile Weapon Carrier), Saeko documents their journey. (Source: ANN)

There's no doubt that Flag used an original concept -- at least for an anime. It tells its entire story through cameras, photographs, security videos, and news clips. But mostly it's told through the camera lens of the main character Sirasu Saeko and occasionally that of her "senior" Keiichi Akagi.

And this gimmick is pulled off with surprising believability. The camera might just be sitting on a cafeteria table or hanging around Sirasu's neck, so you might just see a hand or leg or even just the ground while a conversation goes on. This adds a good deal of realism to the story. That sense of realism is supported by the complexity of the storyline and the culture of the fictional country in which the story is taking place.

Unfortunately, a number of elements disrupt that sense of realism. First of all, the whole concept of a single flag being critical to a country's peace negotiations was hard for me to accept. But even given that, the worst flaw of the show is the fact that it throws mecha into the mix. That totally disrupted any sense of realism that that it might have been otherwise shooting for. Not that I expect total plausibility in my anime, but it just seems a waste for a show like this that is so successful at using realistic camera angles, to essentially negate that by bringing in a concept like humanoid mecha.

Although, even if it didn't have the mecha, I think the whole gimmick of using the camera to tell the story started wearing on me after three or four episodes. After that point I had gotten over the novelty of the concept and it started to get downright annoying because it seemed like it was getting in the way of the storytelling instead of enhancing it. It was frustrating because it seemed like I wasn't getting the whole story. Although I guess that was kind of the whole point, but it still doesn't do much for the series' entertainment value.

As far as the art and animation, it was pretty average. The only thing that really stands out is -- again -- the realism of the camera angels and movement and video quality. So the camera might be out of focus, or jittery while the cameraman is running, or other things like that.

The music also really sticks out in this show as enhancing that sense of realism. There isn't a lot of music here, but when there is -- from the opening to the closing credits and everything in between -- it's subtle but often packs an emotional punch and enhances that realism.

So as you can tell, the theme of this review is "realism". If the show would have taken that theme and carried it throughout the story and maybe cut down the episode count (even thirteen episodes seemed to be too much), then it could have been a phenomenal show. But despite the flaws, the extent to which the show takes "camera" concept really is impressive.

Viewing Journal: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion & R2 (complete)

Series Overview TV Broadcast Info DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= F- Story = F- Video = F+ Audio = F

Journal

The Empire of Britannia has invaded Japan using giant robot weapons called Knightmare Frames. Japan is now referred to as Area 11, and its people the 11's. A Britannian who was living in Japan at the time, Lelouch, vowed to his Japanese friend Suzaku that he'd destroy Britannia. Years later, Lelouch is in high school, but regularly skips out of school to go play chess and gamble on himself. One day, he stumbles on terrorists 11's who've stolen a military secret and is caught by a member of the Britannian task force sent after them, who is Suzaku. As the rest of the squad arrives, Suzaku is shot for disobeying orders, while the military secret, a young girl, gives Lelouch the power of Geass, which makes anyone obey any order. While Suzaku is secretly made the pilot of Britannia's brand new prototype Knightmare, Lancelot, Lelouch becomes the masked Zero to lead the rebellion to destroy Britannia once and for all. (Source: ANN)

This is the worst show I have ever seen. It is absolute crap. There is nothing good about this show, and in fact it gets worse as you go on.

Now for those of you who have never seen it, go watch the show for yourself -- despite my hatred for it (like you listen to me anyway) -- and DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW. You have been warned.

Okay, for the rest of you, forget all that. (See the end of the review if you're confused.) This show is awesome. In fact, it is one of the most entertaining and unpredictable shows I have seen in... probably ever.

Although, for the first few episodes I was not sure what to think of it. First of all, the whole story revolves around an empire called Britania taking over the world, which essentially seems to be a commentary on how Western civilization is overtaking all other cultures. So right off the bat, I was put off by what essentially seemed to be a criticism of the US. Then you are introduced to all of the characters who all seem like typical anime stereotypes in both design and personality, complete with cheesy dialogue and melodramatic relationships. Of course, you also have the giant robots -- another typical anime staple. So given all this, it's not surprising that the show did relatively poorly in the ratings when it aired on Adult Swim in the US.

But if you can get past all of that and watch more than the first couple episodes, you are in for a wild ride with twists and turns and where each episode is more epic than the last. This is one of the few shows where I genuinely did not know what was going to happen next. And I don't mean unpredictable as in "random chaos". Each twist is actually a reasonable extension of the characters' personalities and is consistent with past events within the story. I don't think I've seen a story filled with so much strategic play between characters, where each character is trying to out-think and/or out-maneuver each other and ends up bringing out a surprise trump card to eliminate the other guy's trump card in a way that makes you jump out of your seat and scream "Yeah, take that bitch!" (which I think I literally did on a number of occasions), since Death Note. But where Death Note's unpredictability ended up causing it to loose focus (although it still kicked ass), with Code Geass, what made it great at the beginning is what makes it great at the end.

Of course, saying that the story stays consistent within it's plot twists does not necessarily mean that it's realistic. In fact, this is a show that is as much about over-the-top grandiose melodrama and action as anything else. Before watching this show, I always thought that the only way to pull off melodrama to this degree was for it to be a sort of self-aware type that is a sort of parody of itself or to balance itself off with subtle genuine drama. But this show pulls the over-the-top version off with to such an uncompromising and unforgiving extreme that it's blown my theory right out of the water. I think the reason that it can pull it off is because it's the type of melodrama that never slows down the story, but in fact spurs the characters on to act and pushes the story forward. Characters' emotions are extreme, leading them to take extreme actions. They know exactly what they want to do and they don't hold back in their effort to achieve what they want regardless of trail of bodies they leave behind them.

And there are stacks of bodies left in the wake of this show. No character is safe. The violence is not horribly graphic, but there is blood a-plenty and there is little build up to when a character dies. People get shot (or whatever) when you least expect it, adding all the more to the unpredictability of the show.

And speaking of consistency, the quality of the art and animation never wavers throughout this show's two seasons -- something that just blew me away. The character designs are as dramatic as the characters themselves. And everything from the lines to the colors are crystal clear and clean. I have not seen a series look this good for this many episodes -- well, probably ever. It's certainly not ground-breaking artistry, but it's not meant to be. It's the kind of visuals that support the story perfectly.

The same with the music. I'm not going to rush out to buy the soundtrack individually, but it does it's job of supporting the emotion and action of the show itself perfectly.

So with all this perfection, does the ending of the story hold up. I say, hell yes. There were so many times where I THOUGHT the show was going to end disappointingly (because I thought there would be less episodes then there actually were) but it just kept on going until it reached its final appropriate and altogether satisfying conclusion.

And honestly, I could go on and on about the different elements in Code Geass -- like the mecha and their increasingly more powerful weaponry, or the origin of the power of Geass or the key relationship between LeLouche and Suzaku and whatever else I'm forgetting. But this show is just so chalk-full of awesomeness that I could not believe that it went on for as long as it did. Although I'm sure I'm building it up way too much for anyone that has not seen it yet. Obviously I had low expectations when I watched it so I'm sure that contributed to the level of surprise that I experienced throughout it's run. So I suppose I may have just ruined the experience for anyone who has not seen it yet. So forget everything I said, this show sucks. In fact, maybe I should put a disclaimer at the beginning as a warning to those who haven't seen it yet. And I should change my "grades" up there too. And speaking of which, here's my real ratings:

Overall= A
Story = A
Video = B+
Audio = B

Cheers.

Viewing Journal: Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA (complete)

OAV Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= C- Story = D+ Video = C Audio = C

Journal

The shooting war is over with both the Raalgon Empire and the United Planets Space Force able to declare victory. Both sides have withdrawn their massed fleets and everything should have settled down to normal. It should come as no real surprise that it hasn't. The Raalgon Empire have taken the opportunity to secretly deploy a new weapon. Learning of this the UPSF has no choice but to send the Soyokaze on a secret mission to find out what this new weapon is. The scariest part of all, though, is that Justy Ueki Tylor has a plan. (Source: ANN)

I enjoyed the Captain Tylor TV series, so I picked up the OVA series hoping that it would continue the in the wacky fun of the crew of the Soyokaze. But unfortunately this set of extra Tylor episodes failed to capture much of what I liked about he first series.

First of all, I was hoping that all 10 episodes would tell an extended story, but as it turns out the first two or so episodes are related, then most of the middle episodes focus on individual characters, then the final three or four episodes tell another complete story. Plus, most of the time the crew is not even aboard their ship, and they are seldom even together. So you don't get to see much in terms of space adventure, or the character's dynamic.

The other problem is that the story in the few related episodes never comes to satisfying resolutions. The first story arc has Captain Tylor and Azalyn meet up again and supposedly discuss a way to help the Raalgons and humans achieve peace, but we never learn what the details of those plans are. And the final episodes has the Raalgons and humans going up against a third enemy, but although we finally learn who the enemy is (sort of) we never see the enemy fought or defeated.

The middle five or so episodes are mainly about the individual characters. Some of them are better than others, but again, I enjoy watching the dynamic of the characters interacting as a group more than as individual characters, so these episodes didn't do much for me.

The animation and art are on par with the original TV series. I still enjoyed detail in the show's old-school animation which was one of main reasons that I started watching this show to begin with.

So in conclusion, I don't think this set of episodes adds anything special to the original experience of the TV series. If anything it detracts from it a little because while the TV series came to a satisfying conclusion, this OVA opens up plot threads that are never satisfactorily concluded.