Viewing Journal: Yugo the Negotiator (complete)

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

Journal

This is a hard title to categorize. You can't really call it an action title, because there is very little action in it. And you can't really call it a drama because there it's not really about relationships. It's not a mystery, and I don't even think I'd call it a thriller.

The closest thing I could come up with is that it is a smart, character-driven political suspense story, and it's a damn good one at that. The story revolves around Yugo Beppu who is a negotiator (as you may have guessed). This means that he represents his clients in talks with another party and tries to make deals in order to get something (usually a kidnapped person) that the client wants.

Now I know that doesn't exactly sound like the most exciting plot, but Yugo is a negotiator like Indiana Jones is an archiologist. So his negotiations often end up involving exotic locations, violent war mongerers, and excruciating torture.

The thing that really makes this show stick out above the rest is the fact that you'll never see Yugo try to fight his way out of a tight spot. Instead, he uses two things to get himself out of trouble: his smarts and his communication skills (well that and an uncanny ability to resist torture). It's a strange thing to watch because I've just been conditioned to expect fists to fly when characters get in certain situations. But the fact that Yugo doesn't makes the show that much more involving because I started to think "well, if he's not going to fight, then how is he going to get out of this mess." And thus it pulled me in.

The thirteen episodes in the series cover two unrelated story arcs: the first takes place in Pakistan and the second in Russia. I wasn't quite as impressed with the Pakistan one because it seemed to focus more on how tough Yugo was than how smart he was. But the Russia arc was was smarter and more complicated and I think had stronger characters. So I loved that one, and if there ended up being more Yugo like the Russia arc, I'd definitely buy it.

Another cool thing is how realistically the show tried to portray situations. Not just the historical or scientific references, but the visuals too. Like when Yugo's wrists have been bound or tortured, the bruises are still there days later! The show's interpretation of the Russian and Islamic cultures were also a surprise. It was more balanced than you'd ever see in a movie made in the US.

The unfortunate thing is that, since this show doesn't seem to fall into any one category, I don't think it has much of a shot of doing well in the US. The reason being that if a show doesn't fall into a certain category then people won't know if it's their "kind of show" or not. Of course there's also the fact that it's not it's not the action-oriented storyline that makes a lot of anime popular here in the US. The only thing I can say is that if you like smart anime, then this one is for you.

Satoshi Kon more popular than Ben Afflek at Venice

From Anime News Service:

Goo Movie pointed out something interesting regarding the attendance numbers of Paprika at Venice. American actor Ben Afflek's latest film Hollywood Land screened in the same theater on August 31st. Despite the star himself being in attendance, tickets were sold only filling 700 seats. Satoshi Kon's screening on the 2nd drew 1060 people filling it to overcapacity. Tickets sold in out in less than an hour.

As an aside Hochi Shimbun has more on the director's 5 minute standing ovation. Ringing applause, bravos and shouts of joy filled the theater for 5 minutes or more. During this time Satoshi Kon says he recalled faces of his staff, many sitting in front of a computer in a dark room for 2 years during the production. He said he was there as his staff's representative. Feeling excited and rattled he said he also wish his staff could hear the applause for 2 years time.

Viewing Journal: IGPX - season 2

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

Journal

The second season of IGPX has wrapped up on cartoon network, and while there are some improvements over the fist season, it's really just more of the same.

I did like the addition of team "White Snow" to the IGPX roster. I loved the character designs of the team members and their giddy-but-cold personalities really stuck out from the rest of the teams.

The story delved into the history of some of the characters as well. You learn a little more about Andrei the coach and the relationship between Takeshi and Liz finally starts to develop. And Luka, probably the best character in the cast, finally gets a chance to really shine.

But despite these improvements, there really isn't a lot that makes this second season a lot better than the first. The races still look the same and Satomi still seems to lack any stratagy short of "do your best" or "work as a team" which may work nice as general themes, but don't do much to make the races/battles any more exciting.

The animation was good, but -- again -- there really wasn't much of anything that we hadn't seen numerous times before in the first season. The acception to this was at the end of the show when team Satomi races team White Snow. The animation studio Production IG finally shows what they can do in those last two episodes and I was plenty happy to see it.

At the start of the first season I thought this show had a lot of potential. There was an original concept with cool mechs and was supported by a great animaiton studio. But the show didn't really add anything else new through it's 26-episode run. And the lack any real racing strategy or character depth only added to the disappointment. And although the ending seemed to make up for much of this, overall it just ended up seeming ... average.

Viewing Journal: Fafner (complete)

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

Journal

Fafner was a giant robot show, and just like many shows in that genre it had giant robots (called Fafners) with teenage pilots fighting alien invaders (called Festum) with mysterious origins.

The problem that I had with the show was that a lot of the time I just wasn't sure what was going on. I couldn't distinguish between the elements of the plot that were being kept intentionally ambiguous/mysterious and the elements that I didn't understand simply because I was being dense.

The thing that made it more frustrating was that I was paying so much attention to trying to figure out what was supposed to be going on that it took my attention off of the real focus of the show: the drama. It's like I knew that characters were getting all emotional, but I didn't understand why they were getting emotional. In other words, I couldn't empathize because I didn't understand the source of their suffering (or whatever).

Maybe if I would have just kind of laid back and not worried about things like where the Fafners came from or what Soshi's roll in piloting the Fafners was or what this "Mir" thing was supposed to be or what exactly a "core" was supposed to be or what the message that the Festum kept repeating was supposed to mean, and instead of thinking about all of that just concentrated on the character interaction and general melodrama then maybe I would have enjoyed it a little better. But who knows? Eh. :shrug:

Regardless, by the end of the show, many of those confusing plot points were cleared up so I was finally able to enjoy it a little more. I do think the ending was a good dramatic climax, but still wasn't totally satisfying since there were still a lot of pieces that I didn't understand. I know that there is a prequel OVA out in Japan, so maybe that would help explain some plot points, but I'll just have to wait and see if that's ever released in the US.

The animation in the show was okay, but I can't really can't say that I was impressed with the job that Xebec did on either the character, mech, or alien designs nor the general action scenes. There just wasn't much of anything that stuck out. Again, perhaps the animation in the OVA will be an improvement especially since I just noticed that Production IG is involved with the production. (Maybe I won't wait until it's licensed... ...)

The only thing that I can say that I really did enjoy unconditionally was the music, which seemed almost too good for the show. Sometimes it even seemed like it was even was carrying the drama. Then there were the great music for the opening and ending credits which was performed by Angela, who is one of my favorite J-pop groups at the moment.

So in summary, I'd say if you are expecting mystery or action on the level of Evangelion or RahXephon, you will be disappointed to the point of confusion. But if you are looking for plenty of melodrama and are able to ignore the ambiguous plot elements, then go ahead and give it a try.

Gunbuster / Diebuster movie trailer!

Hot damn! I loved Gunbuster (aka, Aim for the Top) and I'm loving Diebuster and now Gainax is coming out with two movie versions of the OVA. The YouTube trailer is below, but you can find a better quality trailer hosted by Gainax.

Trailers of the Week

• Hellsing Ultimate Episode 2 (Source: Anime News Network)
• Laws of Eternity (Source: Anime Nation)
• Atagoal wa Neko no Mori (Source: Anime Nation)
• Freedom (Source: Anime Nation)
• Pumpkin Scissors (Source: Anime Nation)
• Code Geass (Source: Anime Nation)

Ghost in the Shell video game intro

A blast from the past... The intro from old Ghost in the Shell Playstation game (which I still have of course). Motoko looks so cool here. Also, you can now tell where this cosplayer from Otakon got her costume design from.

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society trailer

Here's the trailer for the latest Ghost in the Shell anime. You ever notice how just about every iteration of this story, Motoko at some point falls casually off a ledge? It's here too... ;P

Otakon!

I got to go to my first big anime convention this year: Otakon in Baltimore, MD. I went with my wife (who is not an anime fan, but is always supportive), my brother, nephew and neice. All in all it was really exhausting but I loved every minute of it!


Front gathering space where a lot of the cosplaying took place.

I said this is my first "big" convention, but I have been to the smaller Youmacon here in Detroit. The one thing I noticed in comparing the two is that Youmacon had a lot more unlicensed fansubbed titles showing while Otakon had titles that were either already released or licensed but not-yet released. I assume that's bcuase Youmacon is lower-profile so they can get away with more (not that I'm complaining).


Naruto cosplayers.

But Otakon had a much bigger dealer room -- MUCH bigger. I ended up getting a Samurai Champloo t-shirt, a Shoji Kawamori mech design book, the Death Note art book, three CDs (the Innocence and Madlax soundtracks, and the new Pillows album), one DVD (the latest Tenjho Tenge), and two manga (Hellsing 4 and Trigun 9). There was also this Ghost in the Shell keychain that I wanted to get that had the Laughing Man symbol on it, but the shop that had it sold out (though I did end up ordering it online later -- I'm such a geek).


Sure it's not anime, but this Marv from Sin City cosplayer was just too cool to pass up.

So what anime did I actually see there, you might ask? Well, I saw the premiere of the Hellsing OVA (review), which kicked all kinds of ass. I also saw the premiere of the Fullmetal Alchemist movie (review), which kicked just as much ass. Then I saw the Densha Otoko movie (review) which was good but not quite the ass-kick level as the other two.


Cloud from Final Fantasy VII cosplayer.

Other than that, I saw a couple of episodes of Baki the Grappler, which was a strait-out nothing-but-fighting anime series. Not exactly high on story, but it had the analysis-of-fighting-strategy element that I always seem to like.


Fullmetal Alchemist cosplayers.

I also saw the first 4 episodes of Basilisk. Acutally I missed half of the first episode, but my brother -- who had gotten there early -- filled me in. I'm not sure what I was expecting with this series, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had good story, characters, and animation. So I'm definitely planning on collecting the DVDs when it's released August 8.


Resident Evil cosplayers.

Then there was A Tree of Palme, which was long and boring. The animation was good, and I'm sure there was a point somewhere in the story, but it really just made me sleepy.


Not sure who these guys are supposed to be, but their costumes are cool anyway.

I also saw the Dragonball Z 13 movie, for no other reason than the I wanted to be sure I had a seat for the FMA movie which was showing next in the same room. I'm not a DBZ fan at all, but I still got a kick out of the movie which was kind of goofy but fun.


No Face from Spirited Away cosplayer.

The only thing that I was disappointed at not having seen was the premiere of the Blood + TV series. But since Hellsing Ultimate was showing at the same time, I didn't get a chances to see it. Crap.


Mechazawa and Gorilla from Cromartie High School cosplayers. The poor kid wearing the Mechazawa costume had to peek over the top to be able to see anything. I think the Gorilla was the kid's dad.

As far as panels goes, I saw the one with Hellsing manga creator Kouta Hirano. It was really cool to see him and he seemed like a great guy, but the audience just kept asking all these really stupid, and sometimes even insulting questions. One girl basically asked "Do you realize how messed up you are?" I guess I could have asked a question myself, but I couldn't think of anything. Other than that there was a panel with the FMA english voice actors and ADR director after they showed the movie. The questions there weren't much more insightful than the ones at the Hirano panel. I also breifly saw the Ghibli panel (which was just fans discussing the show) but I left after they started talking about the number of panty-shots in My Neighbor Totoro. -_-;


Kouta Hirano, creator of the Hellsing manga.

Of course, over and above anything else there were the cosplayers. Miles and miles of cosplayers! Some were awesome, others were just disturbing (like a butt-naked guy with only cardboard blue dot covering his privates...?). There were of course a lot of Naruto characters with headbands every which way you looked. There were also a lot of people playing a character carrying a huge key that I didn't recognize but who my nephew said was supposed to be someone from Kingdom Hearts. I also heard that there was a Light and Ryuk from Death Note, but I didn't see them! :( But I did see a Motoko and Laughing Man while waiting for the Hellsing Ultimate screening. They were probably my favorite cosplayers there. Finally I saw a Doc Ido from Battle Angel Alita, and I had to have my wife pose with him for a picture because I always tell her that she looks like Alita. :)


Motoko and Laughing Man from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex cosplayers.

At the end of the day Sunday, we headed home. I was exhausted by the end of the convention, but it was totally worth every minute and am looking forward to going back next year!

Viewing Journal: Fullmetal Alchemist movie

Movie Overview DVD Info (available September 25) Rating: Overall= A Story = A Video = A Audio = B+

Journal

Wow! What a great ending to the series. Honestly, I think that any fan of the Fullmetal Alchemist TV series will be overcome with histerical joy at seeing how things end up in this movie -- or maybe I shouldn't build it up so much (especially given my complaints in my previous review), but whatever. ^_^;

This movie is the conclusion to the 54-episode TV series that was aired on Adult Swim. It's a very satisfying and climactic ending too, and I luckily got a chance to see its premier at Otakon a week ago. I think maybe my reaction to the movie was somewhat affected by seeing it with a massive crowd of FMA fans because as each character made their appearance on screen, everyone in the theatre let out a huge cheer. It was really fun watching it that way.

The movie itself takes place two years after the last TV episode, so if you haven't watched the series, you'll probably be confused as to what is going on. But if you have seen the series, this is, I think, exactly how you wanted the series to end: greate story with intense drama and some fun comedy and where every major character gets at least some screen time. Scar fans might be disappointed since he only gets a brief cameo near the end, but everyone else should get a kick out of it. Armstrong fans will love it since he is in rare form ( :) ); and Gluttony comes back in an especially kick-ass scene. I know some people think the ending was predictable, but I liked it and personally didn't expect it to end exactly that way.

The animation was great -- smooth, fluid, and a lot of action. I saw Bones, Gainax, and Production IG in the end credits which are my three favorite animation studios. I don't know how much each studio participated or what role they played, but those names alone should give you a general idea of how high-quality the animation was.

The music was great and gave the drama and action an extra boost. There were also a couple of new songs for the opening and ending from L'Arc-en-Ciel.

So what else can I say? If you are an FMA fan then watch it when it's released on DVD. And if you get a chance to see it in a theatre, take advantage of it because with the awesome animation and sound, getting the full cinematic experience is priceless. If you haven't seen the series yet, then go watch it on Adult Swim (if it's still showing) or buy the DVDs. It's definitely worth it.

Viewing Journal: Hellsing Ultimate (DVD 1)

OVA Overview DVD Info (available December 5) Rating: Overall= A Story = B+ Video = A Audio = A

Journal

Now this is what I was hoping for when I watched the original Hellsing TV series: lots of action, cool characters with intense personalities, high quality animation, and just an all out fun and exciting and dark storyline. The TV series disappointed about half-way through, but this new re-telling of the story stayed truer to the original manga and so it had a more consistent feel and was much much better than its anime predissesor.

I got a chance to catch the premiere of this new OVA at Otakon this year. The showing ended up being so packed that they had to have a second screening. I got into the second showing and it was well worth the wait, especially since it was not as packed as the first so there was much more breathing room. They showed the first DVD which is a 50 minute OVA that introduces Alucard nad the Hellsing organization as well as the super-cool and super-psycho Catholic priest Alexander (who didn't get anywhere close to enough air time in the TV series).

I heard a fan complain at the Otakon Hellsing panel that the soundtrack to the OVA didn't have the rock guitar sound that the TV series had. The director said that he wanted this new anime to focus more on the drama; plus he didn't want to just re-do exactly what he did for the TV series. And I am thankful for that because the music was more of the classic chants and dark themes and it was definitely more effective and dramatic and I think made for better action scenes too.

All said, this is a great start and please God please let the rest of the releases keep up this pace because if they do I will just eat it up.

Viewing Journal: Densha Otoko (live action movie)

Movie Overview DVD Info (available January 2007) Rating: Overall= B+ Story = B+ Video = B Audio = B

Journal

At this year's Otakon I got a cance to see the live action Densha Otoko movie. It was really good, actually much better than the TV series. I think that this movie was aimed at general audiences while the TV series was more for anime fans; the main reason being that there were a lot less anime and general pop culture references. Also the acting in the movie was a lot better. It was more realistic; while the TV series was more of an over the top comedy, the movie was more of a realistic drama. Another difference was the number of chat members. While there were like 15 or more in the series, there were only about 5 in the movie.

I don't want to just compare this movie to the TV series though because the movie really stands alone. The acting was believable, the characters were likeable, and the general story was effectively dramatic and heart-rending because it was something where you can really cheer for the main character. I really think that if this movie made it ot the US theatres (and was sufficiently marketed) that it would do pretty well. Anybody could see this movie and relate to the characters and enjoy the story (though maybe there would have to be a short intro describing exactly what an otaku is).

So overall I definitely recommend this to all audiences. I really hope it does get a chance to see some play in theatres prior to Viz releasing it on DVD in January because it's worthy of general audience attention.

Reading Journal: Rurouni Kenshin (complete)

Manga Overview Book Info Rating: Overall= B+ Story = B+ Art = B+ Translation = B+

Journal

If you've seen the Rurouni Kenshin anime (at lest up through the Kyoto story arc) then you know that it's an all around good story with likable and intriguing characters set in historical Japan. The original manga version, which I just wrapped up a little while ago with volume 28, is just as great as the anime with all the elements that made the story great; and though the story is much the same, it's different enough and just damn good enough to be worth a look for any true Kenshin fan.

The Rouroni Kenshin's story has, I think, three things has going of it: a historical setting, likable characters, and great fighting strategy.

The setting of the story is Japan's Meiji era -- a time that has no use for samurai and where swords ahve been banned. The entire series revolves around each characters' reaction to this new time and to the sacrifices that had been made in order to reach it. Some want revenge for some past aggression, some want to regain lost honor, some are trying to take advantage of the of the new era in order go gain money and/or power. And then there's the hero of the story Kenshin, who is just trying to make peace with it all and make reparations for his violent past. By placing the story in a real historical era with real historical figures, it gives the story some credibility and makes you wonder just how possible it all is ... no matter how fantastic some scenes or characters might be.

The second thing the story has goingn for it is the characters. Each character's personality and style is unique and interesting. This is the kind of story that you read because you want to know what happens to the characters next, not necessarily because you want to know how the plot gets resolved. And I think that kind of driving force lends itself most to creating loyal readers.

The third thing that the story had going for it was the great fighting strategy and analysis. Sure, this wasn't the most realistic fighting in the world, but that's not what mattered to me. What I loved was how Kenshin beat his enemy by analyzing his enemy's fighting style and then taking advantage of the holes in the technique, which was complicated even further by his vow not to kill. I love that kind of analysis because it really lets you get in the character's head and makes the fighting more satisfying since you understand more of what is going on. Plus it makes every fight scene interesting and original because it's not just "this guy beat that guy because he's stronger". Since each fighter has a different technique, Kenshin has to come up with a new strategy each time.

The story was complimented perfectly by the clean and polished art. It made the fight scenes more intense because you could always follow exactly what the fighters were doing, but it still kept a fast pace. That's something that not a lot of manga artists can pull off.

The series ending was satisfying. The final battle helped Kenshin to resolve his past, and the follow up gives you a glimps into how each character ends up. It's been a long journey throughout this series, but this ending was a good send off.

So needless to say, this was a good, entertaining, and fun manga series and I definitely recomment it to anyone.

Bleach DVD and broadcast dates

For all you Bleach fans out there, the first volume of the DVD will be released by Viz on November 29. And the first episode will air on Adult Swim on September 9 at 11:30pm.

Source: AnimeNation [1, 2]

Viewing Journal: SaiKano - Another Love Song

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

Journal

Although I didn't really like the original SaiKano series much, I decided to try out this OVA series anyway just to see if it added anything new or interesting. But as it turned out, I wasn't much crazy about this one either.

The show did have a few good points. For one thing, you got to see some things that were only hinted at in the TV series. For instance, you get some brief information about how Chise was created, and you also got to see more of her fighting in the war. Also, the OVA series thankfully cuts back on the number of blushing characters, which was a chronic issue for most everyone in the TV series.

But although the OVA seemed to improve on the TV series in some aspects, overall it didn't added anything to either the story or the characters' development. Instead, it focused mostly around Chise's obsolete predecessor -- Mizuki who was the prototype "ultimate weapon" and had outlived her military usefulness.

The story drew a parallel between the Chise and Mizuki who were both trying to overcome their instinct for destruction in order to find true love. But I had the same problem with both series: that being the discrepancy between Chise and Mizuki's super destructive capabilities versus their weak personalities. To me that discrepancy seemed to be more annoying than dramatic. Although, I'm sure there are shows out there that have made this kind of conflict work before, but SaiKano doesn't just didn't do it for me.

Viewing Journal: Whisper of the Heart

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

Journal

I have been interested in seeing Whisper of the Heart every since I saw it's sequel -- The Cat Returns -- a few months ago. I'm not sure why Disney decided to release the "sequel" on DVD prior the "original" but it's just as well since you don't have to see one in order to understand what is going on in the other.

In Whisper, an imaginitive girl named Shizuku Tsukishima is trying to find her place in life. In the process she ends up writing a book about a magical cat called The Baron -- a character that she based on a statuette she saw in an antique shop. The Cat Returns movie takes the character of the Baron and develops him into his own story. So while Whisper is about real people doing relatively plausible things, Cat Returns is more of a fantasy tale.

Of the two movies, I liked Whisper better because even though it was set in the "real world" it always felt as thought at it would transition into the realm of fantasy at any moment. There were subtle hints throughout the movie that suggest a magical element, like the fact that the cat named "Moon" (a real one this time) was riding on the train and seemed to be leading Tsukishima somewhere; or the subtle shift in lighting of the Baron statue's eyes which gave the impression that it was alive. Maintaining that balance of imagination and reality was what really makes this movie stand out.

The animation in Whisper was on par with Ghibli's typical high-quality work. It was simple, subtle and enjoyable to watch. The one thing that seperates Ghibli animation from other studios is Ghibli's attention to detail in their portrayal of the character's actions. There are little habits that a character will do that most anyone can recognize and relate to. Like when Tsukishima is stressed out over writing her story, you see her knee bopping up in down in a kind of nervous habit. It's subtle but unexpected, and it's the kind of thing that creates an instant connection between the viewer and the movie.

The music compliments the movie well. Part of Tsukishima's story involves her attempt to translate the song "Take Me Home, Courntry Roads" into Japanese, so that song gets plenty of playtime. It's a good song and was an effective way to interconnect different scenes.

Overall, I thought the movie was great. The conclusion of the story was not especially climactic but was definitely satisfying as the characters acknowledge their feelings for one another.

I would suggest this for kids and adults alike -- and I don't mean that in the Disney-sense where it just means that safe for both kids and adults. This is a movie that is mature enough for adults to genuinely relate to and empathise with, while still displaying a sense of wonder that kids can relate to and enjoy as well.

Viewing Journal: Densha Otoko (live action TV)

Series Overview (Not yet licensed in US) Bittorrent Download Rating: Overall= B+ Story = B Video = B+ Audio = B+

Journal

I should probably start out by providing a summary of this show and the real-life story it is based on, but in all honesty, I really don't want to. The main reasons being that (1) I stink at writing show summaries and (2) it's just boring. So if you are not yet familiar with the story and history of this series I strongly suggest reading about it in Wikipedia. Despite the fact that I don't want to write about it, it really is pretty interesting.

So that all being said; on to the review...

Densha Otoko ("Train Man") is a very enjoyable and entertaining "feel good" drama. It's a story of a man overcoming his own personal limitations in order to find love, and I think that's something most anyone can get behind.

In addition to the "personal triumph" piece; the story includes other inspirational themes like the importance of honesty, accepting the flaws/quirks in others, maturity, and most of all the importance of support and friendship. That last piece -- social support -- is what really gives the show it's dramatic impact.

The main character -- Yamada, aka "Densha Otoko" -- is trying to land this babe -- Aoyama, aka "Hermes" -- but he is way too much of an introverted otaku geek to approach her. So he uses an internet chat community for single men (although oddly there are plenty of women and couples in this "single men's" chat thread) as a means of social support and through it he gains enough confidence and courage to talk to her. Yamada is basically a stammering buffoon (which I'll complain more about later) but the members of the chat board give him constant support and encouragement.

I really thought that the show did a great job of portraying the chat scenes. There were maybe 15 regular chat board members -- each with their own distinct personalities and eccentricities. Since no two characters were alike, you are almost guarenteed to find a favorite. I personally liked the guy in the Tigers jersey and also the guy who did the ASCII art. But -- even more than Yamada's quest for love -- the "feel good" part of the show really comes from the chat members wanting more than anything else to see "Densha" succeed. And many of them take Densha's quest as inspiration to conquer personal challenges in their own lives. When so many other shows focus on conflict as their central driving force, it was really refreshing to see one focus on encouragement like this.

Even though I really enjoyed watching most of these characters, the one character that I was not always especially impressed with was Yamada/Densha himself. The first thing that I had a hard time with was the extreme to which the actor went to portray Yamada's tense personality. I mean, at times the guy looked like his face was going to explode! It was downright painful to watch. The other thing that bothered me was that through most of the show Yamada seemed like such a wuss that it was hard to cheer for him. I mean, the guy collapses just from standing in the rain? Come on! And then there was his uncanny ability to turn any conversation into a self-depricating rant. At times I just wanted to say "Hey, Densha, it's not always about you, you know."(Though, the show is all about him, so I suppose it's just as well.)

Despite all that though, the show does do an overall good job of telling the story and being entertaining. One thing that that I found especially fun were all the pop-culture references. For instance, there were all kinds of anime-related toys scattered throughout Yamada's room; especially from Gundam, Sgt. Kerero, and Evangelion. Then there was the show's opening which was an animated homage to the Daicon IV video. There were also other non-anime references that US viewers can pick up on including Who Wants to be a Millionaire ("Final Answer!"), Pretty Woman, a Japanses version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and a pretty funny use of the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars.

All in all, despite a few frustrating moments along the way, the show was an effective empathetic drama. The end was satisfying since Yamada does finally grow and mature and each character gets a chance to have a final word with the very last chat session. I was really happy to see how it all turned out, and the last scene (in episode 11) left me with a smile on my face.

So in the end I would recommend this show; especially to anime fans but really probably anyone who is able to accept a little over-acting. Just stick with it and you'll see how "feel good" it really is.

And just because I have them handy, here are a few more fun facts for your enjoyment:

• There was an extra episode called "Another Ending" that goes over what the different characters were doing in the background while the Densha story was going on. It ranged from interesting to downright creepy including one character doing an especially disturbing imitation of a sea turtle laying eggs. (Ugh. Don't ask.)
• Although the TV series hasn't been license for US release, the movie version of the story will be released in the US in January 2007.
• The parody anime that was shown in the show's opening animation and throughout the story itself, is being made into an OVA series which will be animated by GONZO.
• A somewhat famous "archtypal otaku" named Toru Honda critisized the Densha Otoku story; saying that instead of trying to change, otoku should embrace their lifestyle because otoku life is in fact superior to regular life.
• Here's an English translation of the original chat posts that the show is based on.
• As an experiment, a show call Trivia Seed wanted to see how many otoku would actually rescue a girl in trouble like Densha Otoko did in the TV series. As it turned out an impressive 69 out of 100 did! You see it for yourself at the following Youtube links: Part 1, Part 2
• Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that I really loved that ending theme.

Man, was this a really long review or is it just me?

Viewing Journal: Yukikaze (complete)

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

Journal

This is going to be another sorry excuse for a review because it's been so long since I saw the first episodes of this show; and I have way to much backlog to watch to be able to go back and re-watch the whole thing over. (That and the fact that the Densha Otoko review just sucked the life out of me.)

Of course, the reason it's been so long is because it's been such a long stretch inbetween the release of each DVD. The first DVD was originally released way back in February of 2004; while the second didn't come out until December of last year; and the last one just came out this month.

Obviously GONZO really took its time producing this series, but to its credit all that hard work really seemed to pay off in the animation quality which is gorgeous. From the setting to the action scenes to the character designs, you can tell that the animators wanted to get this one perfect.

The story is pretty good, but it was kind of hard to understand just what the heck was going on. According the the director and voice actor interviews that were on the last DVD, the anime is based on a novel. And it was a challenge to condense the content of the novel into a five episode anime. But according to the director, it will probably take multiple views to really grasp all the intricacies that are imbedded within the show. I think that would be worth doing, if I had the time but ... maybe later.

One thing that I was especially disappointed in was the fact that the DVD didn't include the Mave-chan parody anime which was reportedly going to be on the last DVD. God knows I don't want to have to wait another couple of years to see that one come out. ;P

Kill Bill anime prequels planned?

From Anime News Network:

Quentin Tarantino says he wants to make two anime Kill Bill prequels: an origin film about Bill and his mentors, and an original tale with The Bride.

Paprika trailer and US release date

Oh baby! Check this out. It's the latest work from Satoshi Kon called Paprika. Remember Perfect Blue? Tokyo Godfathers? Paranoia Agent? No? Well watch this trailer anyway and be amazed by the crazy, weird, generally twisted coolness that the man is capable of.

And listen to (read) this! Paprika is going to be released in the US before its Japanese release. Why? I have no idea. But it'll be out on American DVD October 31. It's not going to be in theatres in Japan until some time next year.

Source: AnimeNation [1, 2]

UPDATE: As it turns out, according to ikimashou.net the release date was a screw up. In reality there is no US DVD release date yet for this title other than a general 2007. Doh!

The movie will have a sneak preview at the Venice Film Festival which runs August 30-September 9.

Source: Anime News Network

Afro Samurai trailer

I've been hearing about this anime called Afro Samurai for years. It originally started out as a manga, and then somehow Gonzo and Samuel L. Jackson got interested in turning it into an anime and live action movie.

The anime is finally coming to frutation this fall on Spike TV. Here's the trailer. The character designs look kind of cool. It seems almost like a more violent version of Samurai Champloo.

Source: AnimeNation

Toonami Jetstream live early

From Anime News Network:

Toonami Jetstream is now online, serving free full length episodes of Naruto, Hikaru no Go, and the North American premieres of MÄR and The Prince of Tennis. The service officially launches Monday.

Satoshi Kon's Paprika site opens

Twitch points out the new site for Satoshi Kon's (Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers and Paranoia Agent) next project is online here.

Source: Ain't It Cool News

Death Note movie review

Bloody Disgusting has a relatively positive, spoiler-free review of the Death Note movie. The reviewer's conclusion:

Overall the film is a refreshing change from the usual Asian Horror out there today but it’s pace is quite slow and it’s action is minimal so it may seem a bit bland to those not fans of the Manga. However, it is definitely worth checking out. I, for one am waiting to see what they will be doing with the sequels so I can enjoy this first installment even more.

The review is coming off of a horror movie fan site, so I guess you have to factor that into it. I've seen other sites bash the movie, but it's mainly the acting/directing they're disappointed with instead of the story itself. And from the trailers I've seen, I can believe it. But if the storyline is as close to the original manga as this review seems to imply, then I'm still really looking forward to checking it out when it comes to the US.

New anime by Voices of a Distant Star director

Check out the high definition download. It's gorgeous.

From AnimeNation:

The official homepage for director Makoto Shinkai's next anime project, Byousoku 5 Centimeter, is now open. The new anime will be a love story illustrated as a trilogy of theatrical features. The site features a 45 second long Windows Media trailer available as a director approved high definition 24.3mb direct download, and for streaming online viewing in low, medium, and high resolution. The movie is scheduled for Japanese release next year.

The original Death Note?

Watashi to Tokyo has an interesting article comparing the recently concluded (in Japan anyways) Death Note manga to a 30-year old manga by Shigeru Mizuki:

The title is "Amazing Notebook." One guy found a notebook, he knew it was an amazing notebook that he could use to kill someone by writing his name. He and his mistress killed those who stand in thier's way, He killed his mistress too because she demanded that he kill more and more. However he regreted what he did. Then he wrote his name with his repentant tears to kill his past and to make things over. After that, he did not use the notebook anymore. However one day his wife found his notebook, and she thew it into the fire as garbage. Becaues of fire, his name was burned out and he died.

Sounds suspiscious to me, especially considering that no one really knows who Tsugumi Ohba -- the author of Death Note -- really is anyway. Not that Ohba is actually Mizuki, but maybe there's a relation..? Or am I reading way too much into this?

Viewing Journal: Gunbuster: Aim for the Top! (complete)

Series Overview VHS Info Rating: Overall= A- Story = A Video = A- Audio = C+

[Note: Manga Entertainment released a subtitle-only VHS version of this series a while ago, but recently allowed their license to expire. The good news is that Bandai Visual has just anounced that they have picked up the license and should be releasing it in the US soon.]

Journal

I loved this show. I know that it's just a giant robot show about fighting aliens and there's a lot of fan service, but I frigging loved it.

This is one of Gainax's signiture series, and I can see why. It just appeals to everything otaku in me. And it's exactly the kind of sci-fi story that Gainax does so well: great characters, mysterious enemies, action on a massive scale, a healthy does of fan service, and lots of hard scientific details mixed in with the story's fictional brand of science (check out the "Science Lesson" extras to see what I mean).

The pacing of the show was great. It's amazing the amount of build up that can be generated among just 6 episodes. And then the ending was about as climactic as you can get while still being perfectly satisfying. The only confusing thing was the fact that the entire final episode was in black-and-white. I have no idea why they did this other than maybe buget issues. Ultimately though, that didn't detracted at all from my enjoyment of the show.

I just loved it. I admit it: I'm an otaku fanboy and I loved this show.

Thank you and good night.

Viewing Journal: Honey and Clover - season 1 (complete)

Series Overview (Not yet licensed in US) Bittorrent Download Rating: Overall= B Story = B- Video = B Audio = B+

Journal

To be perfectly honest, I really wasn't all that crazy about this show. In fact, I thought it was pretty boring. It was a character driven show -- which is not a bad thing -- but it was almost too character driven. It was just a bunch of romantic relationships -- which again is not necessarily not a bad thing -- but other than that there wasn't much else driving the show.

Sure the characters were fun to watch, but there didn't really seem to be a single set of characters or relationship to focus on. Sure there was Takemoto's journey of self-discovery, but even that didn't seem much like it was playing a huge part until near the end. All in all, I think it's that lack of a focus or some driving factor that did it in for me.

Now having said all that I have to take a step back and firmly state that regardless of the critisizm above, this is not a bad show. It was just not my kind of show.

The reason that I say it is not bad is actually specifically because of the things I just bashed (figure that one out if you can). I'm talking about the fact that this show was about real people and thus did not have any "magical" or "otherworldly" elements to it. Sure the characters had their own quirks and extremities that made them interesting but nothing that defied the laws of reality. (My personal favorite character had to be Morita, who was like the Kramer (of Seinfeld-fame) of the group. He was probably the one element that kept me interested in the show, and when he had a breif haitus near the show's half-way point, he was sorely missed.)

Even though the story and characters were realistic, that didn't stop the show from using the animation medium to its full potential. The characters emotions were shown by with visual abstractions and sight gags, and that's exactly the kind of thing that I think makes this kind of story rise above the rest.

It shows exactly what seperates animation from live action. Animation grants the ability to show emotions visually and if it is done right, this can be extremely effective. And since this was a strait drama, there were no "magical" visuals to destract from the dramatic visuals -- which is something I don't think I've seen done so effectively since His and Hers Circumstances.

That's also why I don't think the live action movie version of this series could possibly be nearly as good as the animated version. Because by its very nature the live action medium looses that ability to visually represent emotions. Instead you are relying purely on the the actor's abilities. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing in general (I seem to be saying that a lot in this review), it's just that it elicits a different reaction from the audience.

So, even though I didn't necessarily like the show myself and I probably won't bother watching the second season (which is airing now in Japan), I still would recommend watching it if for no other reason than to experience what anime is capable of.

Square Watermelon

I heard about these from my Japanese teacher but had never actually seen one before. The idea behind these square watermelons is that they fit on refridgerator shelves more easily. Although they are supposed taste just like a regular watermelon, their practicality is deminished by the fact that they are more expensive. So it's more like something you'd give as a gift as opposed to something to get with your weekly groceries.

Source: Danny Choo

Bloody Glasses

Just a cool pic.

Source: TFS Magnum

Hellsing OVA trailer and US release date

From AnimeNation [1, 2]:

The official Hellsing OVA homepage now hosts a new 1:15 Windows Media trailer for the second episode, which is scheduled for Japanese release on August 25th.

The first domestic DVD of "Hellsing Ultimate," the Hellsing OVA series, will see American release on December 5th.

Powerpuff Z trailer

The US cartoon that was inspired by anime has now become an actual anime. Watch the Powerpuff Girls Z trailer below.

Source: Egotistical Whining

Mainichi Daily News translates manga online

From AnimeNation:

A never-seen-before approach to manga made its debut on the Mainichi Daily News on Monday, July 3, 2006. Manglish takes some of Japan's hottest young manga talents -- showcased in the Mainichi's MangaTown site -- and places their creations on the MDN in their original Japanese format. But, by simply dragging a cursor over the top of the manga, it's also possible to read them in English. MangaTown is one of Japan's most successful online manga sites and attracts some of the nation's best up-and-coming artists. Manglish will be updated daily on weekdays, one page at a time.

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society Info

From AnimeNation:

Bandai Visual has announced that the 105 minute long Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society movie will premier on the SKYPerfecTV! satellite television network on September 1st then go on sale on Japanese DVD on November 24th at a retail price of 10,290 yen.

The Solid State Society OVA features theatrical quality animation produced at a cost of 360 million yen (roughly 3.14 million dollars).

Also:

At this past weekend's Anime Expo, Bandai Entertainment announced its acquisition of distribution rights to the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Laughing Man and Individual Eleven compilation OVA movies and the upcoming Solid State Society OVA movie...

Death Note 13th Volume

The Death Note manga just recently ended its run in Japan, but it looks like there's going to be one final extra entry. (Think the total number of volumes -- 13 -- was planned?) From ComiPress:

- http://www.shueisha.co.jp/s-book/death13/com/
- http://www.shueisha.co.jp/s-book/death13_toku/com/index.html

Thought Death Note ended? Behold the 13th volume of Death Note, an official analysis manual - The last “piece” that will help readers discover all the mysteries of Death Note. ...

Includes:

1. True Name Card -L-
A special card that tells you L’s real name. Features an original illustration by Takeshi Obata.

2. One Shot “Death Note”
A prototype one shot that was released in Shounen Jump prior to Death Note’s serialization. It also includes a 4 koma manga that isn’t included in the usual Jump Comics.

3. Death Note Reversible Cover
Front side contains Takeshi Obata ’s original art, back side contains Death Note!

4. Super long interview of Obata and Ohba
The truth of Death Note disclosed by the mangaka and the author! It also includes commentary on all the subtitles and other secret stories behind character settings.

5. People, Incidents, … Investigation on All of the Mysteries of the Story
Profiling of the main characters. Explaination of the Kira incidents according to the story’s timeline!

6. Other Data
A list of L’s sweets/snacks. Not related to the story, but important for Death Note!

Since Death Note is currently on volume 6 in the US, it may be a while before we see this final installment over here.

Viewing Journal: Planetes (complete)

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

Journal

This was just an all out good series. The sci-fi setting was totally realistic. The characters were totally believable and likable and had complex personalities. The technological details added depth and substance. This is the kind of realistic anime that you show a non-anime fan to prove that, even if they may not be able to appreciate the medium, they have to admit that the stories can have real substance and even rise above the best of their live-action counterparts.

It can seem slow at the beginning, but every episode ends with a bang in my opinion. And though the plot just seems to be episodic character-driven drama at first, later episodes reveal that there the story is taking a real direction after all.

The ending is natural and satisfying. This is just an all-around great show. Watch it!

Viewing Journal: Hellsing (complete)

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

Journal

I generally don't like vampire shows all that much -- whether they be live action or animated. I think it has something to do with the fact that most stories in that genre try to make the violence moody if not romantic, and that just doesn't work for me.

But Hellsing seemed like it would be different. And for the first half of the show, it was different. The violence was action-oriented and while the characters got excited by the violence, it was more like adrenaline-pumping euphoria as opposed some kind of moody romance. Plus, the characters were either just plain nuts (Alexandar), or they had the perpetual confident/cocky smile that made them seem so cool (Alucard).

But then a couple things ruined the show. First off, it got way too moody. Secondly, it dumped one of the best characters -- Alexandar -- for some stupid new villian named Incognito. And thirdly, it never even wrapped up the major driving plot. It just left it hanging.

I know there are plenty of fans of this show out there, and I would have been one of them if the second half kept pace with the first half. But in the end it disappointed.

Reading Journal: Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics

Book Info Rating: Overall= A-

Journal

Whether your into anime or manga, read this book. If you are into manga it will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the history and progression of the medium from it's earliest roots in ancient Japan and how American comics were a major influence (you heard right, and it's all come full circle). Sure it's a little dated (he doesn't think manga will ever become popular in the US -- never imagining that American readers would be more than happy to conform to the right-to-left reading style), but most of the info in there is as relevant today as it ever was because it's historical fact.

If you are an anime fan read it because manga is where anime got its start. So if you are reading the history of manga, you really are reading the history of anime too.

Just read it. Trust me. '^_^

Reading Journal: Dreamland Japan

Book Info Rating: Overall= A

Journal

This is not so much a re-writing of Manga! Manga! as it is an addendum. You won't find anything in repeated here that is already in Manga! Manga!. You can read it by itself if you want, but I think you'd need to read both books to really get the full experience and become fully informed.

There's even an entire section talking about the debate over Disney's Lion King ripping off Tezuka's Jungle Emperor Leo. How great is that?

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.