You might remember a gent I have mentioned a few times. A certain... Answerman. You might also remember my excitement at submitting a rant to his weekly column on www.animenewsnetwork.com. Some fine discourse there I thought, well why not give it a try? So I did, and immediately after Answerman read my email and trashed it (admittedly), he added a fifth rule to the submission rules which until that point had only numbered four...
5. If you send me something that's already been published on your blog or on another site, I'm just going to delete it. Likewise, requests that I link to your blog or another site if I print your rant will also result in your email being sent straight to the trash.
While it is true that my rant on the vile downloading ass-weasels of our beloved anime shows was actually posted here first, the above rule did not exist before I had submitted my rant. THEREFORE, my glorious rant should have been exempt, but of course we do not live in a perfect world. That's not to mention that I can take credit(technically) for the above rule, which will be posted in every Answerman column from now until whenever. Yet somehow I feel, unfulfilled? Am I missing my spiritual connection to the universe? Or could it be that someone had decided to preclude my work on the basis of a previously non-existent rule that was created specifically to disqualify it from consideration? Naw, couldn't be. Those of you who are my loyal readers, from Singapore and elsewhere, know that I would never ever take exception to something like that. We all know that Answerman had a perfectly rational reason for it, and that it only seems he's being totally unreasonable. I can't believe that I am even posting about it. What a gag. I am clearly overreacting. Have a nice day.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Answerman, THIRD STRIKE!
As all can see, Maguro is getting pretty good with the Microsoft Paint program. You can still see part of Howl's collar, but it's yellow so who cares. The image above is blunt, but effective I hope. This is as good a time as any to say that everyone's favorite angry space-elf has become my new masthead. Only the tragically warped Edmond Dantes can encompass my... warpedness? I'm not sure. Anyway as soon as I learn to tame blogger in the right way, you should be seeing more of Edmond around here.
Now the point of this post is that my Bittorrent rant has been retooled and cleaned up for the weekly Answerman column. The first time I submitted it my rant was full of cuss words, but now it is perfect. Without a doubt you should be seeing it featured on the Answerman column this week or next week.
As for reviewing stuff, we are in the middle of Kyo Kara Maoh and 2nd Gig. So no fresh meat there. What I really need is real stinker, a putrid lump of doo that I can eviscerate here on the altar of the interwub. Got something lurking in your collection that needs the special treatment? Contact me through my profile and we'll set something up. I'll even give you credit. Then you too can become an internet star in Singapore!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
GANKUTSUOU
Nothing warms ol' Maguro's heart-cockles like a revenge story. A good revenge story is one of the most complete forms of narrative available in human mentality. Another thing I like is a story that is self-contained, uncluttered and well constructed. Of course, good construction really depends largely on the two former traits, but you get my meaning. Anime that ends in confusing halfassed-nonsense, (see FMA below) are a blight upon the world. No worries here though, since were dealing with the grand-daddy of all revenge stories, "The Count of Monte Cristo", you can just taste the quality from a mile away. And after seeing it all I can say that this show is an un-mitigated triumph.
Starting with the imagery, Gankutsuou reminds me of Requiem from the Darkness since there is a similar disregard for convention here. Simply put it's absolutely unique. This future world of the immaculate Parisian aristocracy is stunningly rendered, making every frame look like some part of a larger painting. The negative space in many of the cast member's costumes are taken up with 2d textures that while jiggling around in their coat sleeves or pant legs, seem totally natural. This part of the design could have been a major eyesore, but instead it's fun to watch the patterns change along with the characters intentions and fortunes. In a way they really tell part of the story. The bright beauty is meant to contrast the darkness of the Count himself, and in the end the darkness hiding under Parisian society at large. Again like Requiem, the imagery becomes a metaphor for the story itself. It just makes you wonder why there is so much blandness in anime to start with. These people can draw anything they want to, right? Or is someone forcing them to create junk like Please Twins? For the sake of my sanity, let's just say it's the latter.
Now I can't claim to have read Dumas' original text, so I'm not sure what liberties were taken with the story outside of spaceships and the occasional robot duel. What I can surmise is that were I to read it I'd probably love that too. The story in Gankutsuou is so obviously not industry style in manufacture that it trumps the visuals as the most important part of the experience. At times it really doesn't feel like anime, but more like a miniseries or a drama on PBS. That's not to say that the events are whitewashed or handled off screen, Gankutsuou lets the viewer right into the madness and decadence of the era. The main character, Albert, is naive yet still likable somehow. The supporting roles are well done, showing us the fire and folly of youth in equal parts. Of course the Count is as delicious to watch as he is to listen to. His magnetism is conveyed perfectly, as without that trait his revenge would not be possible. One of the other things I noticed is that the Count's identity and his intentions are never really hidden from the viewer, but it does not detract from the enjoyment. We are allowed to see the Count's plans unfold from a multitude of omniscient viewpoints, allowing us to condemn or sympathize as we see fit. Yet, no matter whom we abide there are others that are simply despicable, and it will be a very satisfying tale for anyone who likes to see the wicked get their due.
In the technical department... it's a Geneon disc, what do you think I'm going to say? Ok I'll say it anyway. The quality is A+ as always. That's not even to mention that these guys can really pick em'. Sure they have some money releases, but their catalog is a level above of the rest of the pack. That's just how it is. Sonically the english dub was very good, the Count's deep tones alternating from smooth to bestial without missing a beat. The intro is one of the most intriguing bits in anime at the present time. Honestly, it was hard to take at first but listen to it a few times. It's sarcastic moan grew on me. As for negatives? Ummmmm. Did I mention this anime was really good? I guess you could say there's a detractor for people who have already absorbed the story of the Man in the Iron Mask in one way or another... but is it really? No, I guess it's not. The quality of the work here is so great that it's seriously difficult to find issue with Gankutsuou. For an Anime Snob I guess that is a real problem.
This basically is the kind of anime I've been praying for in my heart of hearts. It takes the medium forward in a mature and thoughtful direction even as it looks backward to Dumas' literature. Standing wholly outside of the anime mainstream, Gankutsuou is a beacon, and an amazing gauntlet thrown at the feet of the industry. We can't possibly imagine that there is anyone brave enough to pick up that challenge, but that is why we are all the more obligated to appreciate it now for what it is.
My Suggestion: There's no boxset in the future for this one, kids. Buy it today.
Starting with the imagery, Gankutsuou reminds me of Requiem from the Darkness since there is a similar disregard for convention here. Simply put it's absolutely unique. This future world of the immaculate Parisian aristocracy is stunningly rendered, making every frame look like some part of a larger painting. The negative space in many of the cast member's costumes are taken up with 2d textures that while jiggling around in their coat sleeves or pant legs, seem totally natural. This part of the design could have been a major eyesore, but instead it's fun to watch the patterns change along with the characters intentions and fortunes. In a way they really tell part of the story. The bright beauty is meant to contrast the darkness of the Count himself, and in the end the darkness hiding under Parisian society at large. Again like Requiem, the imagery becomes a metaphor for the story itself. It just makes you wonder why there is so much blandness in anime to start with. These people can draw anything they want to, right? Or is someone forcing them to create junk like Please Twins? For the sake of my sanity, let's just say it's the latter.
Now I can't claim to have read Dumas' original text, so I'm not sure what liberties were taken with the story outside of spaceships and the occasional robot duel. What I can surmise is that were I to read it I'd probably love that too. The story in Gankutsuou is so obviously not industry style in manufacture that it trumps the visuals as the most important part of the experience. At times it really doesn't feel like anime, but more like a miniseries or a drama on PBS. That's not to say that the events are whitewashed or handled off screen, Gankutsuou lets the viewer right into the madness and decadence of the era. The main character, Albert, is naive yet still likable somehow. The supporting roles are well done, showing us the fire and folly of youth in equal parts. Of course the Count is as delicious to watch as he is to listen to. His magnetism is conveyed perfectly, as without that trait his revenge would not be possible. One of the other things I noticed is that the Count's identity and his intentions are never really hidden from the viewer, but it does not detract from the enjoyment. We are allowed to see the Count's plans unfold from a multitude of omniscient viewpoints, allowing us to condemn or sympathize as we see fit. Yet, no matter whom we abide there are others that are simply despicable, and it will be a very satisfying tale for anyone who likes to see the wicked get their due.
In the technical department... it's a Geneon disc, what do you think I'm going to say? Ok I'll say it anyway. The quality is A+ as always. That's not even to mention that these guys can really pick em'. Sure they have some money releases, but their catalog is a level above of the rest of the pack. That's just how it is. Sonically the english dub was very good, the Count's deep tones alternating from smooth to bestial without missing a beat. The intro is one of the most intriguing bits in anime at the present time. Honestly, it was hard to take at first but listen to it a few times. It's sarcastic moan grew on me. As for negatives? Ummmmm. Did I mention this anime was really good? I guess you could say there's a detractor for people who have already absorbed the story of the Man in the Iron Mask in one way or another... but is it really? No, I guess it's not. The quality of the work here is so great that it's seriously difficult to find issue with Gankutsuou. For an Anime Snob I guess that is a real problem.
This basically is the kind of anime I've been praying for in my heart of hearts. It takes the medium forward in a mature and thoughtful direction even as it looks backward to Dumas' literature. Standing wholly outside of the anime mainstream, Gankutsuou is a beacon, and an amazing gauntlet thrown at the feet of the industry. We can't possibly imagine that there is anyone brave enough to pick up that challenge, but that is why we are all the more obligated to appreciate it now for what it is.
My Suggestion: There's no boxset in the future for this one, kids. Buy it today.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Merry Christmas!
The Anti-Claus reading from a list of good children (he's upset- look at his EYES)So another year gone. Wow, and it only feels like I've been blogging for four months. Crazy. Yeah so somehow my last Christmas Message to the Nation didn't seem as merry as I wanted it to be. I have uncovered that I was actually possessed by the Anti-Claus (pictured above) last year which rendered this humble Anime Snob into an Anime Jerk, and they have their own web-site thank goodness! At any rate I would like that thank all my loyal readers whom I can all now locate globally thanks to the magic of Google Analytics. Let me have a look at that now (it's my first time, I'm kinda excited!)...
Ahem. Well. There aren't as many... *sigh* of you as I had imagined... Sometimes the truth hurts, especially when the truth is spelled out in about 26 graphs and charts with Defined Funnel Navigation and CPC vs. Organic Conversion numbers in black and white. All this data, which I fear isn't worth the electricity used to generate it, points to a very real, yet inconvenient truth. Anime Snobs hasn't lit the internet aflame yet but there are bright spots relatively speaking.
Singapore, a fine country if I say so myself, wins this years Greatest Snobfan Award. They earned this honor by navigating to this page a total of two separate times, from two separate ip addresses (webmasters die for that kind of stuff), and viewed Anime Snobs for a grand total of 17 seconds before navigating away. And what a 17 seconds it was, enough to beat the rest of you miserable ingrates. Yes it was.
So way to go Singapore! Congrats on your award, and on your awesome secondary school system which I hear is one of the best in the region.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
FULL METAL ALCHEMIST
Let me tell you a story. A story of two brothers who missed their mommy something fierce. So they both decided to become magic users to conjure themselves their mommy back from the dead. Once they both knew how to cast Melf's Acid Arrow they summoned an inhuman horror called a homunculus and joined the army. There they bloodied themselves terribly and did lots of questionable things all for the sake of the state. Intrigues abounded as they became enmeshed in political struggles between the military and the commons while hunting down the philosopher's stone and then climbing a corner with the legs spread wide apart, one against each face, with the feet relying on friction or very small holds.
Now how's that for an ending? Not very good was it? That ending came from a "random article" search on Wikipedia, and for all I know that's what the geniuses behind Full Metal Alchemist did too. It smacks of such murderously bad endings as those that are found in shows like Gasaraki and Neia Under Seven. For reference, those were really bad endings. Like those other two mistakes of animation, the ending here trivializes everything that came before it. Granted, it wasn't as bad but it's not far off. FMA allows itself enough time to stack up the bullshit so it doesn't fall over immediately, but in the end it does. In my opinion, I can't even really give a total assessment of this show because it's just broken. Broken like someone followed it into an alleyway and done did something damn wrong to it. I'll admit I don't know what the anime-manga relationship here is, whether this ending was bolted on for the anime and the original manga series actually make sense and continues to this day, or if the anime came first, but I can only review what I have before me. How one can even hope to be fair to this show after sitting through 51 episodes for that ending I'm not sure, but I can only try.
I have been searching for the diamonds in the ruins of that ridiculous finale and I have come up with some. I don't want to be totally negative, I'm just extremely disappointed. All that aside, FMA is a very entertaining anime. This operates on a few different levels. First for sure is the action sequences are well done and well paced. Battles of all kinds are interspersed throughout the show and they are imaginative and well animated. The alchemy effects allow for a lot of cool moments, as well as providing a framework for all the strangeness that happens in the show. Alchemy thrives on a few basic principles that everyone will have remembered verbatim by ep. 51.
The second leg of this entertaining quality is that the meat of the story is very realistic. In fact the events seem to strangely mirror those occurring in our own world, and the military politic and the actions of the series villains always seem to make sense. The motivations are the classics; revenge, redemption, megalomania and greed. They intertwine so expertly that the eps seem to go by very quickly as the Elric Brothers uncover one terrible truth after another. I loved it in this phase, where the children of pure intent are repeatedly sullied by their quest. They end up being pawns in most instances but the story treats us well in regards to the point of view so we're nearly as much in the dark as they are and rooting for the twerps the whole time.
Thirdly, FMA has a way of injecting lots of humor and humanity into it's characters. You really care about them and what happens to them. Even the throwaway ones, like Winry, can express important points and draw the viewer further into the story. There's lots of emotion from these people too and most of the time it doesn't seem forced or contrived. I would even venture to say that the emotional aspect of FMA is one of it's strongest suits. Most of the time in anime you're really just hoping that the characters emotional reactions just make some basic sense let alone creating a bond with the viewer, so this is a major feat. Of course they seem whiny at times but hey, this is anime. If the characters didn't whine what would they do for dialogue? (oooo!, was that unfair? yeah probably)
Technically, the show is very solid. English and Japanese tracks both serviceable. The Funimation discs feature great picture and sound, not to mention four or five episodes of Mr. Stain on Junk Alley. If I do have a compaint about the disks, it's the horrible un-skippable ads on every disk opening. For the record most normal people don't care about Broly's comings and goings.
In summation I would like to point out that Darryl Hunt is the Bassist for Folk-Punk Band The Pogues. he *CYBERDOG* joined in 1985 after Cait O'Riordan left the band to marry ElvNachiappan (Nassar) is estranged from his twin brother. He himself has two twin sons (Prashanth). The naive, NRI father wants his offspring to marry only *ALTERNATE WORLD MALARKEY* twin girls due to the circumstances which caused him to separate from his own brother. Through a series of completely implausible events, onemagnesium To deal with the inherit vibration problems *HITLER* of a 90 degree V6, a balancer shaft was installed in the
Now how's that for an ending? Not very good was it? That ending came from a "random article" search on Wikipedia, and for all I know that's what the geniuses behind Full Metal Alchemist did too. It smacks of such murderously bad endings as those that are found in shows like Gasaraki and Neia Under Seven. For reference, those were really bad endings. Like those other two mistakes of animation, the ending here trivializes everything that came before it. Granted, it wasn't as bad but it's not far off. FMA allows itself enough time to stack up the bullshit so it doesn't fall over immediately, but in the end it does. In my opinion, I can't even really give a total assessment of this show because it's just broken. Broken like someone followed it into an alleyway and done did something damn wrong to it. I'll admit I don't know what the anime-manga relationship here is, whether this ending was bolted on for the anime and the original manga series actually make sense and continues to this day, or if the anime came first, but I can only review what I have before me. How one can even hope to be fair to this show after sitting through 51 episodes for that ending I'm not sure, but I can only try.
I have been searching for the diamonds in the ruins of that ridiculous finale and I have come up with some. I don't want to be totally negative, I'm just extremely disappointed. All that aside, FMA is a very entertaining anime. This operates on a few different levels. First for sure is the action sequences are well done and well paced. Battles of all kinds are interspersed throughout the show and they are imaginative and well animated. The alchemy effects allow for a lot of cool moments, as well as providing a framework for all the strangeness that happens in the show. Alchemy thrives on a few basic principles that everyone will have remembered verbatim by ep. 51.
The second leg of this entertaining quality is that the meat of the story is very realistic. In fact the events seem to strangely mirror those occurring in our own world, and the military politic and the actions of the series villains always seem to make sense. The motivations are the classics; revenge, redemption, megalomania and greed. They intertwine so expertly that the eps seem to go by very quickly as the Elric Brothers uncover one terrible truth after another. I loved it in this phase, where the children of pure intent are repeatedly sullied by their quest. They end up being pawns in most instances but the story treats us well in regards to the point of view so we're nearly as much in the dark as they are and rooting for the twerps the whole time.
Thirdly, FMA has a way of injecting lots of humor and humanity into it's characters. You really care about them and what happens to them. Even the throwaway ones, like Winry, can express important points and draw the viewer further into the story. There's lots of emotion from these people too and most of the time it doesn't seem forced or contrived. I would even venture to say that the emotional aspect of FMA is one of it's strongest suits. Most of the time in anime you're really just hoping that the characters emotional reactions just make some basic sense let alone creating a bond with the viewer, so this is a major feat. Of course they seem whiny at times but hey, this is anime. If the characters didn't whine what would they do for dialogue? (oooo!, was that unfair? yeah probably)
Technically, the show is very solid. English and Japanese tracks both serviceable. The Funimation discs feature great picture and sound, not to mention four or five episodes of Mr. Stain on Junk Alley. If I do have a compaint about the disks, it's the horrible un-skippable ads on every disk opening. For the record most normal people don't care about Broly's comings and goings.
In summation I would like to point out that Darryl Hunt is the Bassist for Folk-Punk Band The Pogues. he *CYBERDOG* joined in 1985 after Cait O'Riordan left the band to marry ElvNachiappan (Nassar) is estranged from his twin brother. He himself has two twin sons (Prashanth). The naive, NRI father wants his offspring to marry only *ALTERNATE WORLD MALARKEY* twin girls due to the circumstances which caused him to separate from his own brother. Through a series of completely implausible events, onemagnesium To deal with the inherit vibration problems *HITLER* of a 90 degree V6, a balancer shaft was installed in the
PORTRAIT OF PAPA ELRIC
(stolen from my new nemesis, Answerman)
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Full Metal Angry
Hey all, and hello to you from the snobosphere. No review this week. I just finished FMA cause it took them two frikkin years to release all the disks... and I just can't write I am so full of dissapointment. In short, the ending is a seriously wet noodle. A classic example of how an ending can sometimes poison an otherwise really good show. It's not terrible, it's just been done before. Also I am very busy celebrating my super wife's awesome birthday. She's 29, thanks for asking. She's going to flip when she sees all the awesome loot I got for her. Heh heh. At any rate Happy Birthday to you, babe! I'll see the rest of you next week. Maybe.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Playstation 3 News!
IN A CLOSED MEMO, KEN KUTARAGI OF SCEJ STATES THAT THE RECENT US MORTGAGE REFINANCING BOOM WILL PROPEL PS3 SALES THROUGH THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Answerman News!
Well it looks like my intimidatingly awesome talents have cursed me once more. After reading my superb rant, this 'answerman' (if that is even his real name), decided to go with a wet noodle about some moof's distaste for fan service and what not. I can understand not wanting to be out shined by an amateur, but somewhere in my soul I feel a twinge of anger at this understandable yet avoidable injustice. Did Answerman squelch the shining star of Maguro's ascending internet fame, or did I just forget to read the rules and edit my rant for swearing? I'm thinking it's the intimidating talent/star squelching thing. Yes, of course. You'll be hearing more as the story develops...
Thursday, November 30, 2006
PRETEAR
I have got to admit that I have some unresolved feelings about this show. I've been struggling with how to categorize this one for a few days but I can't seem to settle on anything concrete, that is except for a general feeling of angst... or discordance. I can say what I didn't like about it, but I can't just trash it. I really wanted to but there's something there to like. I just can't figure what it is.
Lets just get this out of the way first, crusty ol' Maguro is a fan of the, oh how you say, 'magical girls'. Sakura and the Sailor of Moon are some of my favs. Pretear tries to break out of the old molds and while it carries along some great ideas I can't help but feel like it's going against some unwritten laws. This may have to do with something they call "preeting", but I'll hash that out later. Now lets concentrate on the really terrible things about the show, the parts that I do understand my feelings on.
The first two or so eps are some of the worst set-up I have ever seen in anime. A mismatched gaggle of pretty boys (Leefe Knights) make the task of being the magical girl in this series sound tortuously boring. I stand with the heroine on this one as she decides against it at first, I would too I think. They all group around her and basically say, "You have to help us beat the monsters!" and "You are the only one who can!" You just can't walk up to a magical girl to be and blurt everything out like that. They were practically ganging up on her when these important moments are usually handled just 'talking animal' to 'magical girl'. It sounds ridiculous, because it is, and this animal talks, what is going on here?? That is how it is done. In Pretear this roving band of male leads just waylays her with the truth. Her initial rejection isn't nearly as believable especially when she turns right around and joins the scooby gang the next minute! The reluctance just isn't there in the beginning. The way I see it the discovery of her powers and purpose are the whole point of shows like this and they totally screwed it up. I was ready to stop after the first ep, but out of duty to you, my readers, I went on.
Secondly the magical girl does not truly control her own power. To use her powers she must 'preet' with one of the knights. What is this 'preeting' you ask? Well I can tell you that kids in Texas can't learn about it in health class. In the biggest state of the union they have a 'abstinence' curriculum, and preeting is only for lawfully married couples. Ok seriously, they really just hold hands and the knight turns into a battle dress or some such that allows her to shoot her lasers. It's... just the process... her expressions are... not very wholesome. Lets not even mention the fact that some of the knights are like, five or younger.
You just have to see it I think. Maybe I'm just crazy. You decide!
Thirdly Pretear really wants us to care about their characters, major emotions are tossed about with little regard to the sanctity of the unflappable magical girl archetype. Well most magical girls are hardly unflappable, they whine and doubt themselves sometimes. The problem here is that in Pretear our magical heroine has a full blown Shinji Ikari meltdown, complete with the screaming and the sobbing and on and on. WAY to much there. Not very fun to watch. A few of the knights end up tangled in this hurt-feelings and unrequited love soap opera emo thing and you just don't care about any of them. Seriously.
It bears mentioning that Pretear is a 13 ep OVA so they are short on time, ok that makes sense. Also it wasn't the creator's intention to do just another magical girl show, fine I can see that too. It's just so backward! I am constantly finding myself preaching things like the 'creator's intent' and 'genre bending' on this site but I somehow feel that Pretear isn't enough like other magical girl shows. Perhaps this is because all of the usual suspects are present; transformation sequences, special attacks, monsters and saving the world themes, while it turns everything else on it's ear. If you're going to try to make the post-sakura magical girl anime, then do it. Leave convention behind and do something else, don't tease us with this Moon Kingdom imagery and ruin it all. It's a bait and switch, people! Bait and switch!
Now, what did I like? The bald guy is really funny. As a matter of fact lots of the comedic moments are really funny. One of the knights wears a pair of bed-pans on his shoulders. That's pretty funny too. The toddler knight is sort of cute, and he actually cries when he realistically should because honestly a toddler should not be fighting extra-dimensional monsters, or preeting for that matter. For pete's sake, where are their PARENTS?!?!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Answerman and the Rant
That is a great name for a post. It really is. I want to write a book just so I can see that on a dust jacket. Anyway, I've submitted my infamous Bittorrent and Anime rant to the anime news network's Answerman column. They feature a rant on there each week, so I decided to serve up the real bile for em'. My anger on the subject has subsided since a year ago, but my stance hasn't changed. Perhaps I am getting old, or just tired. I am up way too late to be posting, but I just had this idea. I will keep my extensive readership updated as the story progresses. Oh yeah and Answerman? Don't forget to promote Anime Snobs!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
DIRTY PAIR OVA
Now we're dipping into some serious classics. Coming straight at you from the year 198X... or 1986 if you want to be exact, the Dirty Pair OVA hails from an era when there was no Anime Network, Otakon or even Streamline Pictures. In the states if one wanted to see such marvels it was off to the Star Trek convention with a pocket full of cash. Funsubbers also did not exist, just a cabal of forward thinking opportunists who knew that people would pay dearly for the chance to see these shows. And in 1989 I paid way too much money for a poor quality VHS pirate copy of Dirty Pair: Project Eden, which probably was the first anime I ever bought. Of course there was NO other way to obtain this stuff, and I was young so I am obviously exonerated of any wrong doing, right? In addition to that awesome movie I was also treated to an additional three hours of promo reels and the notorious DAICON IV opening animation. This fan produced short was created by the people who were soon to become the core members of Gainax, and I'm sure that it was this four minute experience that cursed me forever with the anime habit. (RAMBLE ALARM!!!) Ok... the point is that the OVA and Project Eden share the same pedigree, so I was excited to see what else they had done with the story.
The series is smartly designed, even if the main characters seem to get easily distracted. It has a real sci-fi polish that most titles now a days simply don't care to exhibit. The world of the Dirty Pair is a cyberpunk in space motif, where governments and corporations clash routinely with the unknown and each other. Overall the stories maintain a plausibility and realism that is fun to see against the bouncy fun-loving Kei and Yuri, the series main characters. In reference to the aptly named Dirty Pair, it is so nice the see some women in anime who are not either prudish, crazy, traumatized or lusting after little boys. They're a couple of young, carefree characters that women seldom get to be in modern sci-fi anime. In fact in a couple of instances it becomes a kind of James Bond story with two female secret agents. Very cool.
All that being said, the stories can be predictable with a few exceptions. The situations contain a lot of cool ideas and sci-fi riffs but you usually know who the bad guys are and what the ending will look like. This could be a function of the title's age, but my guess is that cerebral storytelling wasn't the point of this one. While we are on the negatives let me say the english dub is a waste of time, terrible and bad. In fact comparing the two tracks, the japanese audio sounds like it has higher fidelity, and this is a title from '86! Another strike against ADV is that the transfer is littered with artifacts in the negative space and some really terrible after-images. Someone over there should have guessed this would have been a problem for a show that is centered in outer space. Add some really unimaginative menus to the mix and you have a rather lack luster effort given to the queens of the two-girls-in-space genre. It's not like there could be anyone over at ADV that doesn't have some nostalgia for the Lovely Angels... so what gives??
If you forget the crud layered on to it by ADV, I think the title has aged quite gracefully. The animation is very tight, top of the line for that era in fact, and the japanese voice work is very good and adds all the humor the show requires. Ship and environmental designs carry that mark of realism I talked about earlier and remain cool looking. Expect a lot gun-play and explosions and you wont be disappointed with this one. It's one of those 'girls with guns' things you can't help but like, though as my wife mentioned, it probably helps to be male when you're watching this. In it's defense blatant fan service does not enter into the picture here, not once. So there.
My suggestion: A real classic, something to keep your Sailor Moon and Project A-Ko discs company. Buy it.
The series is smartly designed, even if the main characters seem to get easily distracted. It has a real sci-fi polish that most titles now a days simply don't care to exhibit. The world of the Dirty Pair is a cyberpunk in space motif, where governments and corporations clash routinely with the unknown and each other. Overall the stories maintain a plausibility and realism that is fun to see against the bouncy fun-loving Kei and Yuri, the series main characters. In reference to the aptly named Dirty Pair, it is so nice the see some women in anime who are not either prudish, crazy, traumatized or lusting after little boys. They're a couple of young, carefree characters that women seldom get to be in modern sci-fi anime. In fact in a couple of instances it becomes a kind of James Bond story with two female secret agents. Very cool.
All that being said, the stories can be predictable with a few exceptions. The situations contain a lot of cool ideas and sci-fi riffs but you usually know who the bad guys are and what the ending will look like. This could be a function of the title's age, but my guess is that cerebral storytelling wasn't the point of this one. While we are on the negatives let me say the english dub is a waste of time, terrible and bad. In fact comparing the two tracks, the japanese audio sounds like it has higher fidelity, and this is a title from '86! Another strike against ADV is that the transfer is littered with artifacts in the negative space and some really terrible after-images. Someone over there should have guessed this would have been a problem for a show that is centered in outer space. Add some really unimaginative menus to the mix and you have a rather lack luster effort given to the queens of the two-girls-in-space genre. It's not like there could be anyone over at ADV that doesn't have some nostalgia for the Lovely Angels... so what gives??
If you forget the crud layered on to it by ADV, I think the title has aged quite gracefully. The animation is very tight, top of the line for that era in fact, and the japanese voice work is very good and adds all the humor the show requires. Ship and environmental designs carry that mark of realism I talked about earlier and remain cool looking. Expect a lot gun-play and explosions and you wont be disappointed with this one. It's one of those 'girls with guns' things you can't help but like, though as my wife mentioned, it probably helps to be male when you're watching this. In it's defense blatant fan service does not enter into the picture here, not once. So there.
My suggestion: A real classic, something to keep your Sailor Moon and Project A-Ko discs company. Buy it.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Second Life news!
SECOND LIFE PIONEERS IN VIRTUAL REALITY ONCE AGAIN WITH 'GREY GOO', THE FIRST EVER CYBER-VENEREAL DISEASE, NOBODY SURPRISED
Friday, November 17, 2006
A small programming note
One thing I don't think I've mentioned officially on the record is that Anime Snobs only reviews entire series. Not disk 1, or disk 5... THE WHOLE THING. We do it that way for two reasons. The first is that you can get 26 eps of a show released one to two years ago for 35 or 40 bucks these days in some cases, and where this is not possible prices have been slashed drastically across the board. The industry doesn't want to back off their usual $24.99 list, but you can buy those discs for between 12 and 18 dollars in most cases.
The second reason is that I find disc by disc reviews a little... I dunno, like getting your ipod shipped to you in 100 pounds of packing peanuts. You know what you want but it's covered in crap that doesn't help you. Take Anime on DVD for example (who else is there?), the commentary there is pretty good and what I like most is how complete it all is, so I tend to travel there on occasion. When I want to know if a show is good, I click on the last disc review of the series and read the last paragraph. That's it. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone either. Just consider Anime Snobs reviews as that last paragraph with more information and better jokes.
We care about your time, and the time it takes to read things. For some reading is a serious chore, and up until this point were watching anime that honestly is just no good because bloated disc by disc reviews had taken away the light of commentary from their eyes. With my new condensed anime summations they have discovered timeless classics like Sadamitsu the Destroyer, and others. Now that you are totally behind my ARSOME format, click my google ads. I need the money.
-maguro
The second reason is that I find disc by disc reviews a little... I dunno, like getting your ipod shipped to you in 100 pounds of packing peanuts. You know what you want but it's covered in crap that doesn't help you. Take Anime on DVD for example (who else is there?), the commentary there is pretty good and what I like most is how complete it all is, so I tend to travel there on occasion. When I want to know if a show is good, I click on the last disc review of the series and read the last paragraph. That's it. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone either. Just consider Anime Snobs reviews as that last paragraph with more information and better jokes.
We care about your time, and the time it takes to read things. For some reading is a serious chore, and up until this point were watching anime that honestly is just no good because bloated disc by disc reviews had taken away the light of commentary from their eyes. With my new condensed anime summations they have discovered timeless classics like Sadamitsu the Destroyer, and others. Now that you are totally behind my ARSOME format, click my google ads. I need the money.
-maguro
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Blogger Beta and Firefox
I really don't want to admit this, but this blog looks better in IE than it does in Firefox. So if you want the 'full effect' you had better hope you have an IE install somewhere on your old 10 gig hard drive. It seems like FF simply has the wrong ideas about font size. I know it's a beta, but this is rubbing me the wrong way. Here's hoping that the Google techno-priests can hammer this one out and at least make them render the same way. I know that Microsoft pisses you off, but I just can't stand the Firefox display of this "ahead of it's time" anime blog. This naturally is all part of Bill's plan for ridding the world of fun. I can see it now...
Bill Gates, the man who has everything but...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
REQUIEM FROM THE DARKNESS
Oh man. Oh man oh man. I loved this show. I mean like, really loved it. Watching it every moment was like seeing some new awesome thing taking shape. Strictly speaking, this is not anime. No no no, it's something better.
Now how do I follow that up?, you might ask. Well I will tell you probably certain parts of my mental geography have me pre-disposed to really loving this anime. Let's count them, shall we? 1. Just about anything out of ordinary in the genre sets my heart aflutter. 2. I love horror stories, you can thank my awesome wife for that. 3. The antihero character type, this anime is full of em and honestly I can't get enough. 4. The central character in the story is a writer, something I have no hope but to identify with. So there it is, as you will soon see I was powerless to it's allure.
There is no point in avoiding the main push of this title, and that is the visuals. They are stunning. Not realistic, not beautiful, no super fluid animation here, or intense detail... What we are witness to here is a work of the utmost DESIGN. The design of the visuals is Requiem's highest achievement, not the animation. I will type it again. The design of the visuals is Requiem's highest achievement, not the animation. And that is within a title with numerous achievements. I guess it's what industry people might call "art direction". The creators put mood and style above all other concerns, and what we have as a result is a barely recognizable landscape which mirrors the dark minds of the series' antagonists.
The world of Requiem is dark and warped, literally no straight lines can be found. It is full of mists and forests and dangerous chasms, not to mention the terrible specters (monsters? spirits? who knows?) that the main characters are hunting. The beautiful and the profane often occupy the same space (or the same character!), and nothing can really be trusted to be simply what it looks like. Another thing I want to mention is the unity of the artwork. It really seems to have all come from the same artistic mind with every scene realized in the same messed up reality as the first one was. It has it's own rules and conventions that you pick up on as time goes along, these visual clues become more and more important to the story which makes them fun to find and follow.
So now we know that visually we are dealing with the most impressive release in the last four or so years, what about the rest of this thing? The stories are full of real tragedy and horror, human tales twisted by the supernatural. In this world legend and reality are truly one, each epsode being taken from ghost stories and then bent around some really foul characters. It contains the kind of unflinching plot that had it join Berserk (tho not concurrently) in japanese TV's infamous 2:45am air slot if that's any indication. Add this to the fact that Requiem can scare you like a real horror movie does, and it also delivers those cherished "I can't friggin believe I am seeing this..." moments where you are just totally shocked. Think, "Silence of the Lambs"...
The dub tracks are especially good, the english Mataichi is superlative, as is Nagamimi. Definitely hit up the english first on Requiem, reading the text on a subtitle track is going to ruin the visual experience pretty handily so listen to the Japanese second, if it all. Remember, it's not like you're watching some 'Please Teacher' bullshit where the japanese track only serves to help you feel like less of a tool while watching it. It is also worth mentioning that in a title with so much darkness and negative space, Geneon did an awesome job keeping the transfer clean and crisp. Of course in my opinion Pioneer/Geneon is the class of the entire US business, so no surprise there.
At any rate, you will never find a more unique specimen than Requiem from the Darkness. The characters are awesome, the stories are brutal and bloody, and I guarantee you won't forget it like how you forgot the way "X" ended. Can you remember the end of "X"?? No you can't. That won't happen here, trust me.
My suggestion: Here is my original draft for this review, "In Requiem, a horse bites a man's head off. Buy it."
Now how do I follow that up?, you might ask. Well I will tell you probably certain parts of my mental geography have me pre-disposed to really loving this anime. Let's count them, shall we? 1. Just about anything out of ordinary in the genre sets my heart aflutter. 2. I love horror stories, you can thank my awesome wife for that. 3. The antihero character type, this anime is full of em and honestly I can't get enough. 4. The central character in the story is a writer, something I have no hope but to identify with. So there it is, as you will soon see I was powerless to it's allure.
There is no point in avoiding the main push of this title, and that is the visuals. They are stunning. Not realistic, not beautiful, no super fluid animation here, or intense detail... What we are witness to here is a work of the utmost DESIGN. The design of the visuals is Requiem's highest achievement, not the animation. I will type it again. The design of the visuals is Requiem's highest achievement, not the animation. And that is within a title with numerous achievements. I guess it's what industry people might call "art direction". The creators put mood and style above all other concerns, and what we have as a result is a barely recognizable landscape which mirrors the dark minds of the series' antagonists.
The world of Requiem is dark and warped, literally no straight lines can be found. It is full of mists and forests and dangerous chasms, not to mention the terrible specters (monsters? spirits? who knows?) that the main characters are hunting. The beautiful and the profane often occupy the same space (or the same character!), and nothing can really be trusted to be simply what it looks like. Another thing I want to mention is the unity of the artwork. It really seems to have all come from the same artistic mind with every scene realized in the same messed up reality as the first one was. It has it's own rules and conventions that you pick up on as time goes along, these visual clues become more and more important to the story which makes them fun to find and follow.
So now we know that visually we are dealing with the most impressive release in the last four or so years, what about the rest of this thing? The stories are full of real tragedy and horror, human tales twisted by the supernatural. In this world legend and reality are truly one, each epsode being taken from ghost stories and then bent around some really foul characters. It contains the kind of unflinching plot that had it join Berserk (tho not concurrently) in japanese TV's infamous 2:45am air slot if that's any indication. Add this to the fact that Requiem can scare you like a real horror movie does, and it also delivers those cherished "I can't friggin believe I am seeing this..." moments where you are just totally shocked. Think, "Silence of the Lambs"...
The dub tracks are especially good, the english Mataichi is superlative, as is Nagamimi. Definitely hit up the english first on Requiem, reading the text on a subtitle track is going to ruin the visual experience pretty handily so listen to the Japanese second, if it all. Remember, it's not like you're watching some 'Please Teacher' bullshit where the japanese track only serves to help you feel like less of a tool while watching it. It is also worth mentioning that in a title with so much darkness and negative space, Geneon did an awesome job keeping the transfer clean and crisp. Of course in my opinion Pioneer/Geneon is the class of the entire US business, so no surprise there.
At any rate, you will never find a more unique specimen than Requiem from the Darkness. The characters are awesome, the stories are brutal and bloody, and I guarantee you won't forget it like how you forgot the way "X" ended. Can you remember the end of "X"?? No you can't. That won't happen here, trust me.
My suggestion: Here is my original draft for this review, "In Requiem, a horse bites a man's head off. Buy it."
Friday, November 10, 2006
Playstation 2 news!
MAGURO'S PLAYSTATION 2 DIES AT 5 YEARS OF AGE, MAGURO GRIEF-STRICKEN, HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO RETURN TO BLOGGING
HEAT GUY J
Hello again everyone. Maguro back with another anime that you'd better like, or else... german santa claus will cease to be surprised while reading your mail. (see below) I actually have a few titles I want to write about but HGJ is fresh in my mind so I won't have to make anything up.
Cyberpunk titles have traditionally provided some good storytelling but not always to most optimistic of futures. Heat Guy bucks this trend, as well as a few others. For one, our heartless automaton is not a diminutive high school girl, and our heartless automaton isn't actually heartless. J is an awesome dude, the kind of guy you'd want looking after the people you cared about. Actually the whole title is filled with a visual warmth and well meaning folks. Of course, there are some really terrible people about, but J and his human partner Daisuke usually beat the living hell out of them by the end of the episode with a few exceptions.
At the center of the story is a mob/revenge plot that you might have heard before, but the story really tries hard to stay away from cliche moments. There are a few things that you can see coming, but it really doesn't detract from the whole. And another thing you can really appreciate is the expert pacing in the storyline. The bones of the plot really start showing in eps. 8-9, earlier than in most shows. They never seem to rush through anything and every character and plot seems to get tied up nicely in the end.
I didn't always appreciate the character design, as the main characters seem to be suffering from 'Escaflownase', but most of the time it was very good. The English dub is serviceable, if not great. The best among the cast is easily J, who's deep rumble conveys a fatherly tone. I couldn't detect a victor in the english vs. japanese dub battle in this title. My one major complaint is that the episodes depend heavily on certain metaphors, which are reinforced a little too much for my liking. Clearly the creators knew that mashing up cyberpunk with a mob/noir plot was going to yield new avenues for the story, but perhaps western audiences are more schooled in these genres making the clues a bit overbearing.
And lastly I want to rail against the comparisons to Cowboy Bebop that were made in a lot of the media coverage and back-of-the-box quotes. Seriously, this is a different show altogether. Yes, Daisuke has some of Spike in his swagger, actually the police detective Ken Edmundo gets a little too, but that is really where the comparisons have to end. I understand trying to sell the show, and boy did they try, but Cowboy Bebop deserves better than to be dragged out in such a lame comparison.
If you know Ghost in the Shell, you should probably consider Heat Guy J it's maternal brother series. Shirow creates a world that is confusing and dangerous, where what we become out of our love of technology actually allows the human race to rise to the challenge of the future. In Heat Guy J, the technological beings themselves that arise from that progress are able to not only save us, but in a way display a caring for us that other people cannot. The message in both stories is that mankind can create a world that is sustainable and understandable, and that our creations will be good, because we are good. These ideas are therapeutic to a human race that lived through the horrors of potential (so far) nuclear war, and has the knowledge that science and human evil can combine to devastating effect. In a future where we are challenged in such a way again, I hope that beings like J are around to give us a hand.
My suggestion: Probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed it immensely. Buy this if you like androids and guys who have problems with their parents.
Cyberpunk titles have traditionally provided some good storytelling but not always to most optimistic of futures. Heat Guy bucks this trend, as well as a few others. For one, our heartless automaton is not a diminutive high school girl, and our heartless automaton isn't actually heartless. J is an awesome dude, the kind of guy you'd want looking after the people you cared about. Actually the whole title is filled with a visual warmth and well meaning folks. Of course, there are some really terrible people about, but J and his human partner Daisuke usually beat the living hell out of them by the end of the episode with a few exceptions.
At the center of the story is a mob/revenge plot that you might have heard before, but the story really tries hard to stay away from cliche moments. There are a few things that you can see coming, but it really doesn't detract from the whole. And another thing you can really appreciate is the expert pacing in the storyline. The bones of the plot really start showing in eps. 8-9, earlier than in most shows. They never seem to rush through anything and every character and plot seems to get tied up nicely in the end.
I didn't always appreciate the character design, as the main characters seem to be suffering from 'Escaflownase', but most of the time it was very good. The English dub is serviceable, if not great. The best among the cast is easily J, who's deep rumble conveys a fatherly tone. I couldn't detect a victor in the english vs. japanese dub battle in this title. My one major complaint is that the episodes depend heavily on certain metaphors, which are reinforced a little too much for my liking. Clearly the creators knew that mashing up cyberpunk with a mob/noir plot was going to yield new avenues for the story, but perhaps western audiences are more schooled in these genres making the clues a bit overbearing.
And lastly I want to rail against the comparisons to Cowboy Bebop that were made in a lot of the media coverage and back-of-the-box quotes. Seriously, this is a different show altogether. Yes, Daisuke has some of Spike in his swagger, actually the police detective Ken Edmundo gets a little too, but that is really where the comparisons have to end. I understand trying to sell the show, and boy did they try, but Cowboy Bebop deserves better than to be dragged out in such a lame comparison.
If you know Ghost in the Shell, you should probably consider Heat Guy J it's maternal brother series. Shirow creates a world that is confusing and dangerous, where what we become out of our love of technology actually allows the human race to rise to the challenge of the future. In Heat Guy J, the technological beings themselves that arise from that progress are able to not only save us, but in a way display a caring for us that other people cannot. The message in both stories is that mankind can create a world that is sustainable and understandable, and that our creations will be good, because we are good. These ideas are therapeutic to a human race that lived through the horrors of potential (so far) nuclear war, and has the knowledge that science and human evil can combine to devastating effect. In a future where we are challenged in such a way again, I hope that beings like J are around to give us a hand.
My suggestion: Probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed it immensely. Buy this if you like androids and guys who have problems with their parents.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Merron Crismak!
You know what? I thought I'd take some time out of my eight month hiatus to post to all my loyal readers in this season of holiday merry happy bells to say, what's important right now is that families gather close around the chestnuts and have cheer of magic snowmen under mistletoe glowing bright how lovely are your little drumming reindeer and partridge's pear trees have a happy new year you jerks. I didn't mean to say jerks, here, let me edit that. Oh damn, my delete button is busted. Seriously I harbor no ill will toward any of you, and whatever kind of pagan flesh rite you follow I hope that it is a good one this year. I really do.
What I really want to talk about is that this is not one of those... "Oh... I'm so sorry I haven't posted in such a loooooong time! Gozimoshita!" sort of things. Anyone with a grasp of linear time can tell that I haven't posted in a long while so I really don't need to tell you that, at least I hope I don't. And FURTHERMORE, I provide the semi-bi-occasional un-spellchecked publication "Anime Snobs" free of charge to everyone in frickin' world. As this is the case, why should I feel bad about not posting for four months? Why should I apologize to you?? How dare you presume to harbor obligations of me, the mighty Maguro? My name means "tuna" in a foreign language. Do you even know what that is?? Do you??? Answer the Maguro! Do it NOW!!!
Seasons Greetings!
maguro
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
SABER MARIONETTE J TO X
Ugh. And ugh again. First let me say that I am a fan of the "J" series, I liked it. It was fun, cute and junk. But this title is as much as a disappointment to fans of SMJ as it should be to everyone in the world at large. It essentially takes what was good about the first series and makes bad luvin' on it with a rusty razor. Also J to X has the dubious distinction of being one of only two shows that I just could not finish watching. The other was the amazing lip flapping adventure slide-show called ".Hack". I have to give J to X credit for animating their characters in an adequate fashion, but it still doesn't save this forced march of an anime.
The entire time it seemed like the show had been handed to someone with very little knowledge of the source material and who had just been ripped away from their pet production of "Angsty Middle School Robot Pilots ZWEI" and forced to work on this. The show is flat, unfunny and boring for almost every second it graces your DVD player. After the five discs I saw whatever passed for a "plot" consisted of the bad guys giggling in the shadows and the main characters depressed and desperate for reasons outside of the machinations of their supposed enemies. The conflict in the anime never really takes place at any point. The cover art on the last three discs almost screams... "Please buy the rest of the show! Please! I mean, just look at the impossibly gravity defying head-sized boobs on these saber dolls! Look at them and buy the disc!" Here's a big fuk u to that. Plus, they somehow even ruined Hanagata, my favorite tights wearing frooty man. That was the worst crime of all.
My suggestion: I was reading a fellow blogger's comments on the whole BT/Kaaza thing, and he mentioned that some people believe that downloading anime is great publicity for the title in question. If that's true don't steal this one, all those anime execs might get the wrong idea and make something worse.
The entire time it seemed like the show had been handed to someone with very little knowledge of the source material and who had just been ripped away from their pet production of "Angsty Middle School Robot Pilots ZWEI" and forced to work on this. The show is flat, unfunny and boring for almost every second it graces your DVD player. After the five discs I saw whatever passed for a "plot" consisted of the bad guys giggling in the shadows and the main characters depressed and desperate for reasons outside of the machinations of their supposed enemies. The conflict in the anime never really takes place at any point. The cover art on the last three discs almost screams... "Please buy the rest of the show! Please! I mean, just look at the impossibly gravity defying head-sized boobs on these saber dolls! Look at them and buy the disc!" Here's a big fuk u to that. Plus, they somehow even ruined Hanagata, my favorite tights wearing frooty man. That was the worst crime of all.
My suggestion: I was reading a fellow blogger's comments on the whole BT/Kaaza thing, and he mentioned that some people believe that downloading anime is great publicity for the title in question. If that's true don't steal this one, all those anime execs might get the wrong idea and make something worse.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
X-Box news!
A Microsoft presentation at the 2005 Electronics Entertainment Expo reveals that the new X-Box 360 (pictured on the right) will be so large that the X-Box Live Gold Pack will come with a giant bald guy to carry it around for you. Regular sized bald guy (also pictured) sold separately.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
BitTorrent and anime
As promised, here is what every fan should know about BitTorrent and anime. Those of you who download fan-subbed anime and watch it are stealing. Plain and simple. Anime is something worth paying for. And for those unfamiliar with the concept, when I say ‘pay’ I mean with MONEY. It’s that stuff that you get when you work. Of all the things you choose to do with your time you spend part or significantly more of it watching these Japanese cartoons. You like the art, or the stories, or just the funny words that the people say. In any case you enjoy anime. When you watch this stuff and decide to take a pass on paying for it, you are hurting the genre. Let’s recap now. You like anime, and you are hurting it. Every time you talk about some show you downloaded and really like, and guy next to you says… “Hey I’ve never heard of that one, did you torrent that?” And you say “Yeah.”, you’ve essentially taken that thing that you like so much and wiped your butt on it. The dude next to you now figures, “Hey, why don’t I just go find that thing with BitTorrent and wipe my butt on it too? It must be ok if this person here is doing it. Thanks for the idea!” Naturally this leads to more and more butt-wiping. The act itself is brazenly ignorant and deserves censure wherever anime fans see it.
Now some people like to tell me, “But I keep a lookout for when ADV or whoever buys the rights to the anime I am downloading. I always delete my stuff when that happens.” Ok, this idea only has merit if Japan was some kind of utopia where no one had to work, but here’s a update for all you “conscientious downloaders”. They have MONEY in Japan too! Can you believe it?!? People work hard for the anime that gets produced and when they do, they deserve just compensation as well! AMAZING! Your downloads and subsequent refusals to buy causes the value for each subsequent rights-acquisition to drop. The longer it goes on the worse it gets. So incredibly, your bullshit excuses don’t protect you from being a jackass, or protect the firsthand producers of anime in Asia from your larceny.
Now as for the demographics of the offenders. A good part of these downloaders are children and high school students. They either don’t have the money or easy access to retail outlets, and they download anime. They do it for lots of reasons, but in general it’s because children aren’t most thoughtful of persons. They are still hashing out their personal morality and most likely enjoy the idea that they are getting away with something. We have all known the personal satisfaction of feeling like we’ve outwitted someone, even people we’ve never seen a half a world away. It’s the lazy assed absentee parents of these kids who are really to blame for this part of the problem. They can’t be bothered to understand what their kids are doing on the internet, leaving their progeny open to less than moral acts and not to mention the less than moral acts of others.
The people I really have a problem with are you grown adult downloaders. Holding down jobs, having a life and stealing anime. They could pay for it… but then they couldn’t watch as much anime, OR they couldn’t see the newest shows airing in Japan, OR for jeezus christ they would have to get off their fat asses and go to the store. Why use the muscles in your legs when you can keep scarfing Cheetos and breaking wind while getting your anime? Why put in any energy into the economies of the world when you can be a venomous leech, slobbering behind your keyboard, waiting for mommy to cook dinner for you? Yes, why? Why? WHY??
Honestly, telling us that there just isn’t enough anime in America and this terrible lack of product has driven you to download the newest titles from Japan is total bullshit. There are thousands of titles in America now, not to mention that a good selection are on TV and on-demand video services. The notion that downloading is ok if you’re not going to be able to watch everything you want to if you had to pay for it because of whatever financial difficulty is probably the saddest sack of crap I have ever heard. “You know I wish I were making 300% more money than I am now, so that makes it ok to steal just to make sure that I get everything that I feel entitled to, right? I should have it, cause I am a real fan.” That makes just about as much sense as the last 4 episodes of Betterman. Hey I have an idea, why don’t you go steal your food so you can buy some DVDs.
There’s a lot of angst in there but I am pissed. People who buy their anime are essentially paying for the downloader’s hobby. Good fans pay for the product, but the downloader gets it for free. I wish there was a way that anime conventions could tell who bought their discs and who filched their stuff so we could leave the losers to their family cookouts or NASCAR races on FOX for con weekend. This of course is impossible, so I just want to ask all of you BitTorrent, WinMX etc. users who are downloading anime to comment to this post about how grateful you all are to have had your anime hobby signed and paid for by all the idiots dumb enough to give their hard earned cash for it. Please do so, because everyone who works in the publishing industry in the states, every producer, writer, key animator, artist and composer in Japan, every Korean animator and colorist, and every single person who has ever bought, sold, or retailed anime deserves a big fat thanks, and an apology from you god-damnit. You have cheapened EVERYTHING they have done for the thing you claim to love.
-maguro
P.S: www.deepdiscountdvd.com, www.dvdpricesearch.com
Now some people like to tell me, “But I keep a lookout for when ADV or whoever buys the rights to the anime I am downloading. I always delete my stuff when that happens.” Ok, this idea only has merit if Japan was some kind of utopia where no one had to work, but here’s a update for all you “conscientious downloaders”. They have MONEY in Japan too! Can you believe it?!? People work hard for the anime that gets produced and when they do, they deserve just compensation as well! AMAZING! Your downloads and subsequent refusals to buy causes the value for each subsequent rights-acquisition to drop. The longer it goes on the worse it gets. So incredibly, your bullshit excuses don’t protect you from being a jackass, or protect the firsthand producers of anime in Asia from your larceny.
Now as for the demographics of the offenders. A good part of these downloaders are children and high school students. They either don’t have the money or easy access to retail outlets, and they download anime. They do it for lots of reasons, but in general it’s because children aren’t most thoughtful of persons. They are still hashing out their personal morality and most likely enjoy the idea that they are getting away with something. We have all known the personal satisfaction of feeling like we’ve outwitted someone, even people we’ve never seen a half a world away. It’s the lazy assed absentee parents of these kids who are really to blame for this part of the problem. They can’t be bothered to understand what their kids are doing on the internet, leaving their progeny open to less than moral acts and not to mention the less than moral acts of others.
The people I really have a problem with are you grown adult downloaders. Holding down jobs, having a life and stealing anime. They could pay for it… but then they couldn’t watch as much anime, OR they couldn’t see the newest shows airing in Japan, OR for jeezus christ they would have to get off their fat asses and go to the store. Why use the muscles in your legs when you can keep scarfing Cheetos and breaking wind while getting your anime? Why put in any energy into the economies of the world when you can be a venomous leech, slobbering behind your keyboard, waiting for mommy to cook dinner for you? Yes, why? Why? WHY??
Honestly, telling us that there just isn’t enough anime in America and this terrible lack of product has driven you to download the newest titles from Japan is total bullshit. There are thousands of titles in America now, not to mention that a good selection are on TV and on-demand video services. The notion that downloading is ok if you’re not going to be able to watch everything you want to if you had to pay for it because of whatever financial difficulty is probably the saddest sack of crap I have ever heard. “You know I wish I were making 300% more money than I am now, so that makes it ok to steal just to make sure that I get everything that I feel entitled to, right? I should have it, cause I am a real fan.” That makes just about as much sense as the last 4 episodes of Betterman. Hey I have an idea, why don’t you go steal your food so you can buy some DVDs.
There’s a lot of angst in there but I am pissed. People who buy their anime are essentially paying for the downloader’s hobby. Good fans pay for the product, but the downloader gets it for free. I wish there was a way that anime conventions could tell who bought their discs and who filched their stuff so we could leave the losers to their family cookouts or NASCAR races on FOX for con weekend. This of course is impossible, so I just want to ask all of you BitTorrent, WinMX etc. users who are downloading anime to comment to this post about how grateful you all are to have had your anime hobby signed and paid for by all the idiots dumb enough to give their hard earned cash for it. Please do so, because everyone who works in the publishing industry in the states, every producer, writer, key animator, artist and composer in Japan, every Korean animator and colorist, and every single person who has ever bought, sold, or retailed anime deserves a big fat thanks, and an apology from you god-damnit. You have cheapened EVERYTHING they have done for the thing you claim to love.
-maguro
P.S: www.deepdiscountdvd.com, www.dvdpricesearch.com
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
THE CODEX
This is the anime universe as seen by Anime Snobs, arranged conveniently for easy reference. I will be adding some titles not actually mentioned in the blog for reference at each level. As time goes on it will become more and more full, showing you in greater and greater detail that I am a jerk. -Maguro
THE ABSOLUTE BEST ANIME
Paranoia Agent
THE ROLLS OF ANIME HONOR
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Cowboy Bebop
Paranoia Agent
THE ROLLS OF ANIME HONOR
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Cowboy Bebop
Requiem from the Darkness
Berzerk
Key:The Metal Idol
Escaflowne
Last Exile
Twelve Kingdoms
GOOD ANIME
Sadamitsu the Destroyer
Hellsing
Berzerk
Key:The Metal Idol
Escaflowne
Last Exile
Twelve Kingdoms
GOOD ANIME
Sadamitsu the Destroyer
Hellsing
Heat Guy J
Blackjack
CENTER ASILE ANIME (LOVE IT OR HATE IT STUFF)
Gasaraki
Haunted Junction
TITLES THAT SOME MAY LIKE (GENRE FANS, WEIRDOS)
Scorcerer Hunters
Gravion
UMMM... FORGET THESE
Kiddy Grade
RG Veda
Blackjack
CENTER ASILE ANIME (LOVE IT OR HATE IT STUFF)
Gasaraki
Haunted Junction
TITLES THAT SOME MAY LIKE (GENRE FANS, WEIRDOS)
Scorcerer Hunters
Gravion
UMMM... FORGET THESE
Kiddy Grade
RG Veda
Saber Marionette J to X
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm Gonna Be An Angel!
Gunparade March
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm Gonna Be An Angel!
Gunparade March
Monday, August 29, 2005
SADAMITSU THE DESTROYER
A fine specimen. Sadamitsu the Destroyer is an out of the ordinary tale of alien invasion centered around a really loud guy who just wants to fight stuff. Missing will be the usual melodrama (for the most part), and the child robot pilots. It DOES have a cast of highschool students, which is still somehow unavoidable, but they only spend a small part of the show actually in the school. The whole 'school' problem is mitigated quite well by the hot kick-ass school nurse Sadamitsu has, and who also gets mixed up in many of the events of the story. In a nutshell, she's Kino Makoto if she grew up to be an ornery high school nurse with terrible luck.
Anyhow the main character is very likeable and his crew of friends all pitch in for the backbone of this very funny action/comedy. The bad guys are actually space "criminals" (an interesting idea itself), being chased through the universe by the other main character who is eventually nick-named "Junk" by Sadamitsu. He's a kind of android who is left only his head by the end of the first episode. Sadamitsu wears this like a helmet and therefore gains super powers. Why that is isn't ever really explained in detail, as is most of the reasons the plot forms the way it does but it's one of the reasons to like this anime. Much like it's main character it doesn't sweat the small stuff and concentrates on having fun and kicking butt.
At ten eps it's kind of short even for the OVA form, but it's hard to see what else would be needed to tell the story. The graphics are tight and the dub is a decent piece of work. Overall it's funny and full of action, has an awesome mariachi flavored intro tune, plus it includes a world-ending-weapon-who-I-also-want-to-ask-out-on-a-date kinda love interest so Saikano fans should rejoice. Right now you can get the whole run in a neat 3 disc box, so there's not much else you could ask for.
My suggestion: Buy this one for sure. A great way to kill an afternoon.
Anyhow the main character is very likeable and his crew of friends all pitch in for the backbone of this very funny action/comedy. The bad guys are actually space "criminals" (an interesting idea itself), being chased through the universe by the other main character who is eventually nick-named "Junk" by Sadamitsu. He's a kind of android who is left only his head by the end of the first episode. Sadamitsu wears this like a helmet and therefore gains super powers. Why that is isn't ever really explained in detail, as is most of the reasons the plot forms the way it does but it's one of the reasons to like this anime. Much like it's main character it doesn't sweat the small stuff and concentrates on having fun and kicking butt.
At ten eps it's kind of short even for the OVA form, but it's hard to see what else would be needed to tell the story. The graphics are tight and the dub is a decent piece of work. Overall it's funny and full of action, has an awesome mariachi flavored intro tune, plus it includes a world-ending-weapon-who-I-also-want-to-ask-out-on-a-date kinda love interest so Saikano fans should rejoice. Right now you can get the whole run in a neat 3 disc box, so there's not much else you could ask for.
My suggestion: Buy this one for sure. A great way to kill an afternoon.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
RG VEDA
Now a few words about the CLAMP group's first ever anime production. I tend to gravitate toward the various works of Clamp so first I will accentuate the positive. RG Veda is the Clamp group's first ever anime production! How amazing! Yes, it is really most notable for this reason. Before I go on I want to say that it IS worth owning for hardcore Clamp fans, for the rest of you, well...
I don't wanna rip this one up but it is seriously lacking in lots of areas. You can tell that the budding members of the well known quartet tried very hard, with some of the scenes looking very nice and others looking half assed and bland. There were obviously others putting in their energies here, and it is interesting to see the usual clamp designs crashing up against some things that they didn't create, but you get over it quick. Even the main cast has a member that really seems totally out of place and ends up as a kind of forgotten limb, doing barely anything at all for the entire 90 minute run. I can usually forgive things like; the 1991 era low fidelity graphics, poor design and even questionable cast members, but what hurts the most about RG Veda is the plot.
It's wandering, disjointed and a near afterthought to the rest of the work. You never really feel like any of what does happen matters. They are here, then there, then there is a fight, and then it's over and nothing is resolved. Not a single thing. We do learn that the mightiest swordsman in the land can be felled by a bunch of pink butterflies, and that nipple tassels on white plate mail armor is the worst fashion mistake in anime history, but other than this you are left at the end with a kind of "And then they went somewhere else..." sorta thing.
What you get with RG Veda is a triumph of design over substance, good intentions over good planning. It is supposed be related to some bhuddist/taoist legend (and not by the way to the book that is was named after, the Rig Veda, a holy book in the Muslim religion) but I can't derive any over arching meaning from it. Whatever fragments of the legend they decided to use for RG Veda I don't think they were taken from the same contiguous parable. At any rate Clamp's first effort is really a first effort. Enjoy it for the novelty of it.
-maguro
I don't wanna rip this one up but it is seriously lacking in lots of areas. You can tell that the budding members of the well known quartet tried very hard, with some of the scenes looking very nice and others looking half assed and bland. There were obviously others putting in their energies here, and it is interesting to see the usual clamp designs crashing up against some things that they didn't create, but you get over it quick. Even the main cast has a member that really seems totally out of place and ends up as a kind of forgotten limb, doing barely anything at all for the entire 90 minute run. I can usually forgive things like; the 1991 era low fidelity graphics, poor design and even questionable cast members, but what hurts the most about RG Veda is the plot.
It's wandering, disjointed and a near afterthought to the rest of the work. You never really feel like any of what does happen matters. They are here, then there, then there is a fight, and then it's over and nothing is resolved. Not a single thing. We do learn that the mightiest swordsman in the land can be felled by a bunch of pink butterflies, and that nipple tassels on white plate mail armor is the worst fashion mistake in anime history, but other than this you are left at the end with a kind of "And then they went somewhere else..." sorta thing.
What you get with RG Veda is a triumph of design over substance, good intentions over good planning. It is supposed be related to some bhuddist/taoist legend (and not by the way to the book that is was named after, the Rig Veda, a holy book in the Muslim religion) but I can't derive any over arching meaning from it. Whatever fragments of the legend they decided to use for RG Veda I don't think they were taken from the same contiguous parable. At any rate Clamp's first effort is really a first effort. Enjoy it for the novelty of it.
-maguro
Science news!
Shuttle scientists conclude after extensive experiments that in reality "Goku" could not kick any more ass if he were in a zero gravity environment. Nation’s fifth graders stunned.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
HELLSING
How much fun is this anime? I’ll tell you. Hellsing is a naughtily visceral vampire romp with many unique qualities. Way beyond just an action anime, you’ll find some very compelling characters and designs in this one. Every episode seems to have one really memorable image or scene, and the whole production is cut with an attitude totally foreign to popular anime’s virgin head space. Very tasty.
Leaping full stride out of the usual vampire canon’s visuals the head leech in charge, named Alucard, comes to the fight dressed in bright red. Also clashing with the normal modern vampire lore he isn’t a withdrawn, silent knight bent on self-loathing. Alucard is a 100% monster that walks, talks and wears really cool clothes. Not to mention his habit of turning cute ‘police girls’ into his pets. Proud of his noble status as an elder vampire and possessing a font scary powers lovecraftian in nature there is only one being that he will ever bend to.
Integra Wingates Hellsing has a mystically absolute hold over him. She is also one of my favorite anime ladies of all time. This hard as nails heiress to the secret british vampire hunting family/organization known only by her surname is driven by only one desire. In her own words… “Destroy all our obstacles immediately! Smash them! Crush them! Search and destroy! Search and destroy!” For me, it was love at first sight. Her quest to protect the queen and her subjects from the night freaks brings some real heavies down upon her blonde head. Not the least among these are the Vatican assassins and armies of gray zombies that we get to see tangling with her undead protector. To the last these fights are cool, brutal and imaginative. Moreover, it is really fun just to watch the Hellsing Organization’s enemies one by one come to the dread realization that they chose the wrong vampire to cross pistols with.
Other than those two there are more well thought out, funny and believable characters on both sides of the good guy bad guy split. One of the things that I really like about the series is that you end up disliking the human antagonists even more than the supernatural ones as the line between man and monster gets tested repeatedly. Also I want to mention that this is one of those, “you must watch the english DUB, no matter what” sort of shows for two very good reasons. One, the show is located in Britain. The Britons speak english most of the time and the team of voice actors used for Hellsing set the mood perfectly with their british accents. Two, Crispin frickin’ Freeman as Alucard the Vampire. OMG, this guy takes the part and steals it away without a doubt. 500% percent awesome job from Crispin. Honestly, one the best dub jobs I have ever heard.
Due to the quality of the product, Hellsing seems amazingly short. If the thirteen eps in the series feel like only the tip of the iceberg there are good reasons for it. A great deal of the plotlines that get started in the first 6-9 eps never get a proper conclusion. Add to that that the creator/artist of the original Hellsing manga(a work that is in some ways very superior to the anime) withdrew his involvement when he saw that the project was deviating from his original design. I’ve heard some say that the full-length production was actually cut short at 13 eps because of Kohta Hirano’s departure. Watching what was actually produced makes you regret the shortness of Hellsing even more. All that being said, it’s still a terrific anime. Something very interesting and very fun to watch. A creature well worth space on your rack of dvds.
My suggestion: Buy and watch the anime first. Then get the manga and read it. Then comment on this post telling me how happy you are that I told you about it. Go ahead. I’m waiting…
-maguro
Leaping full stride out of the usual vampire canon’s visuals the head leech in charge, named Alucard, comes to the fight dressed in bright red. Also clashing with the normal modern vampire lore he isn’t a withdrawn, silent knight bent on self-loathing. Alucard is a 100% monster that walks, talks and wears really cool clothes. Not to mention his habit of turning cute ‘police girls’ into his pets. Proud of his noble status as an elder vampire and possessing a font scary powers lovecraftian in nature there is only one being that he will ever bend to.
Integra Wingates Hellsing has a mystically absolute hold over him. She is also one of my favorite anime ladies of all time. This hard as nails heiress to the secret british vampire hunting family/organization known only by her surname is driven by only one desire. In her own words… “Destroy all our obstacles immediately! Smash them! Crush them! Search and destroy! Search and destroy!” For me, it was love at first sight. Her quest to protect the queen and her subjects from the night freaks brings some real heavies down upon her blonde head. Not the least among these are the Vatican assassins and armies of gray zombies that we get to see tangling with her undead protector. To the last these fights are cool, brutal and imaginative. Moreover, it is really fun just to watch the Hellsing Organization’s enemies one by one come to the dread realization that they chose the wrong vampire to cross pistols with.
Other than those two there are more well thought out, funny and believable characters on both sides of the good guy bad guy split. One of the things that I really like about the series is that you end up disliking the human antagonists even more than the supernatural ones as the line between man and monster gets tested repeatedly. Also I want to mention that this is one of those, “you must watch the english DUB, no matter what” sort of shows for two very good reasons. One, the show is located in Britain. The Britons speak english most of the time and the team of voice actors used for Hellsing set the mood perfectly with their british accents. Two, Crispin frickin’ Freeman as Alucard the Vampire. OMG, this guy takes the part and steals it away without a doubt. 500% percent awesome job from Crispin. Honestly, one the best dub jobs I have ever heard.
Due to the quality of the product, Hellsing seems amazingly short. If the thirteen eps in the series feel like only the tip of the iceberg there are good reasons for it. A great deal of the plotlines that get started in the first 6-9 eps never get a proper conclusion. Add to that that the creator/artist of the original Hellsing manga(a work that is in some ways very superior to the anime) withdrew his involvement when he saw that the project was deviating from his original design. I’ve heard some say that the full-length production was actually cut short at 13 eps because of Kohta Hirano’s departure. Watching what was actually produced makes you regret the shortness of Hellsing even more. All that being said, it’s still a terrific anime. Something very interesting and very fun to watch. A creature well worth space on your rack of dvds.
My suggestion: Buy and watch the anime first. Then get the manga and read it. Then comment on this post telling me how happy you are that I told you about it. Go ahead. I’m waiting…
-maguro
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
You heard it here FIRST!
Rafael Palmeiro flatly denies test results showing significant traces of "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend" in his home entertainment system.
KIDDY GRADE
Wow. A real deep blow to the "two cute girls in space" genre. Also joyless, flat and contrived in a way seldom seen on dvds with color inserts on the outside. And is it just me or is it true that the art seems to have been penned by folks who cut their teeth on PC games with names like; "I'm Gonna Serve You 4" and "Battle Raper: HYPER REALACTION". I mean, the characters just look spooky. Avoid this one and buy Dirty Pair: Project Eden.
-maguro
-maguro
Monday, August 01, 2005
Shameless promotion
Well, promoting a weblog is a bigger undertaking that I thought. Seeing as I have 0 comments total my performance so far is probably below the average. SO I check out some of the blog search pages and get the idea that I should write a post about John Bolton. John Bolton that ambassador guy, with the hair. He's worth blogging about apparently. Hmmm. John Bolton John Bolton. Then I thought "Hey! A post about Leo Prieto!" That guy! Certainly noteworthy that Leo Prieto. I'd say. But what he did I can't tell you. Now Boy George... there's a guy I know. He's from the 80's and wears makeup. Yes he does. And Boy George, had... a hat. A little one as I remember. AMAZING!
Then I thought I should talk about some more political topics like, Hans Island. The number one island to find Hans. Another notable person, after all he has his own island. Hans Island! He named it after himself because that is what I would do. Other topics in this vein that I was pondering were; Iraq, Iran, Bush, war, Rice, WMD, and Ethanol. Yes, all of these I pondered. In that order. Amazingly it is the same order as their order of popularity in the current political blog listings! I am actually the Mindtaker.
But in deference to the #1 rated blog search currently in the world, and to the ostensibly non-biological son of Yahweh, I am going to just write "Jesus" a whole bunch of times. Lookin' for god? Well then, you must want to read MY weblog citizen! Anime Snobs, which recently had a post about Jesus. It went like this...
Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus
I am so crafty, and vain I guess.
-maguro
EDIT: Man. It's not working the way I thought it would. You can't even start to find me with a "jesus" search, but I am the number one "Shameless promotion" blog right now. So I'm sorta jazzed about that, I guess.
Then I thought I should talk about some more political topics like, Hans Island. The number one island to find Hans. Another notable person, after all he has his own island. Hans Island! He named it after himself because that is what I would do. Other topics in this vein that I was pondering were; Iraq, Iran, Bush, war, Rice, WMD, and Ethanol. Yes, all of these I pondered. In that order. Amazingly it is the same order as their order of popularity in the current political blog listings! I am actually the Mindtaker.
But in deference to the #1 rated blog search currently in the world, and to the ostensibly non-biological son of Yahweh, I am going to just write "Jesus" a whole bunch of times. Lookin' for god? Well then, you must want to read MY weblog citizen! Anime Snobs, which recently had a post about Jesus. It went like this...
Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus
I am so crafty, and vain I guess.
-maguro
EDIT: Man. It's not working the way I thought it would. You can't even start to find me with a "jesus" search, but I am the number one "Shameless promotion" blog right now. So I'm sorta jazzed about that, I guess.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
This was not unforseen...
Well, crap. There's another "Anime Snobs" out there apparently. But let me diffuse any sense of dread and or urgency you may be feeling by airing only ONE of the author's observations about the creator of a long running series latest incarnation , Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki.
"Kajishima Maskai is certainly a mastermind."
Situation green! No problem here. Continue as normal.
"Kajishima Maskai is certainly a mastermind."
Situation green! No problem here. Continue as normal.
PARANOIA AGENT
To waste as little of your time as possible, lets start at the top shall we? Satoshi Kon’s “Paranoia Agent” is the best anime that I have ever seen. It now stands at the top of my ‘short list’ with other notables like Revolutionary Girl Utena, Cowboy Bebop, Last Exile, Berzerk and Escaflowne. There are many reasons why PA is a sort of Magna Carta for a new brand of storytelling in animation, but what is most important about it is that it’s primary focus is people. People like you and me, with jobs, frustrations, dreams and faults are drawn into a series of events that clearly draws the line between humanity and it’s collective consciousness. Let it suffice to say that they aren’t going to get along very well.
At the start it’s easy for a fan of my stripe to fall in love with PA. Anime’s annoying conventions are totally missing. No magical girls, buxom assassins, space invaders, robots, harems or wacky hi-jinks. Graphically as well the tried and boring anime conventions are missing. PA maintains a highly realistic style even when depicting seriously fantastic situations. Everything is rendered with an attention to detail that brings you to Japan and leaves you to be stunned by the events unfolding there. And with all those fine points what is actually important about this realistic treatment is that it serves the viewer in bringing the emotional consequences of the character’s choices to life. At many points we can point at the screen and realize that we have been in those places ourselves. Leaving anime conventions behind and creating some real persons to live out these events, Satoshi Kon makes PA personally relevant. It reminds me a little of Big O in that regard, but succeeds by orders of magnitude more.
PA is told in a series of short stories woven together by the notorious Shonen Bat and his ardent pursuers, a pair of police detectives who are in way over their heads. Their antagonism takes a break in disc three but comes back in full force in the ending eps with the victor clearly decided, another great surprise for anime viewers sick of every cerebral anime ending in some kind of irrational non-sequitur. Of course none of the principal characters survives the show in a recognizable form, all persons involved changing in drastic ways one way or another. Every person involved in the plot either profits or withers according to their actions.
I’m not going to talk a lot about the technical aspects of the shows I write about, but in this instance I want to highlight the voice work for PA. The English dub is a sterling effort and English speakers should really hear this one first. The fact is that I am sure that the stable of voice actors involved were pushed to perform in many ways by the AMAZING Japanese voice work on the show. Especially in the instance of Detective Ikari the quality of the talent and the voice direction is a serious achievement. Of course both sets of actors are aided by the fact that PA usually lacks the twitching/blinking face-holes that many animators consider mouths, but it is still a joy to hear either way.
There are a few niggling problems, though. Sometimes the changes from ep to ep are quite drastic, entire rafts of characters abandoned for another. The main chars always return, but it can be disorienting. Also some of the content can be disturbing to the casual anime fan. Kon’s characters express a wide range of faults and compulsions and sometimes the ugliness is shockingly blunt. I can count this among my favorite aspects of the show, but I can see how others may shy away from it.
Studying the show after the fact gives us the impression that we’ve seen the first hard science fiction story in anime since shows like Lain and Key. It’s a story about normal people confronting forces they have no way to understand let alone combat until they are enlightened in some fashion, until Shonen Bat is somehow brought to heel. The trip is dark, emotional, violent and wholly satisfying. It reminds me of a Scorcese film, the kind of experience you survive rather than idley view from a distance. You’re there, and when it’s over you stay there. The story was rattling around in my head for days after I finished it. You end up rooting with all your might for totally un-fantastic persons against an evil that we all possess in some way. People go crazy, realities are warped, and dreams are reduced to rubble, but fakers can become saviors and everyone kinda gets the idea that they weren’t as powerless as they thought they were. It’s a great message if you ask me.
My suggestion: Buy it, love it and tell your friends. I’ll tell you this, the industry is preparing another 26 ep jaunt where gender roles are set on their ear at the hot springs and the festival grounds and no one knows where the madcap hilarity will end!!! Do you really want to be responsible for that, even in part? Buy Paranoia Agent and do something good for us all. Really.
-maguro
At the start it’s easy for a fan of my stripe to fall in love with PA. Anime’s annoying conventions are totally missing. No magical girls, buxom assassins, space invaders, robots, harems or wacky hi-jinks. Graphically as well the tried and boring anime conventions are missing. PA maintains a highly realistic style even when depicting seriously fantastic situations. Everything is rendered with an attention to detail that brings you to Japan and leaves you to be stunned by the events unfolding there. And with all those fine points what is actually important about this realistic treatment is that it serves the viewer in bringing the emotional consequences of the character’s choices to life. At many points we can point at the screen and realize that we have been in those places ourselves. Leaving anime conventions behind and creating some real persons to live out these events, Satoshi Kon makes PA personally relevant. It reminds me a little of Big O in that regard, but succeeds by orders of magnitude more.
PA is told in a series of short stories woven together by the notorious Shonen Bat and his ardent pursuers, a pair of police detectives who are in way over their heads. Their antagonism takes a break in disc three but comes back in full force in the ending eps with the victor clearly decided, another great surprise for anime viewers sick of every cerebral anime ending in some kind of irrational non-sequitur. Of course none of the principal characters survives the show in a recognizable form, all persons involved changing in drastic ways one way or another. Every person involved in the plot either profits or withers according to their actions.
I’m not going to talk a lot about the technical aspects of the shows I write about, but in this instance I want to highlight the voice work for PA. The English dub is a sterling effort and English speakers should really hear this one first. The fact is that I am sure that the stable of voice actors involved were pushed to perform in many ways by the AMAZING Japanese voice work on the show. Especially in the instance of Detective Ikari the quality of the talent and the voice direction is a serious achievement. Of course both sets of actors are aided by the fact that PA usually lacks the twitching/blinking face-holes that many animators consider mouths, but it is still a joy to hear either way.
There are a few niggling problems, though. Sometimes the changes from ep to ep are quite drastic, entire rafts of characters abandoned for another. The main chars always return, but it can be disorienting. Also some of the content can be disturbing to the casual anime fan. Kon’s characters express a wide range of faults and compulsions and sometimes the ugliness is shockingly blunt. I can count this among my favorite aspects of the show, but I can see how others may shy away from it.
Studying the show after the fact gives us the impression that we’ve seen the first hard science fiction story in anime since shows like Lain and Key. It’s a story about normal people confronting forces they have no way to understand let alone combat until they are enlightened in some fashion, until Shonen Bat is somehow brought to heel. The trip is dark, emotional, violent and wholly satisfying. It reminds me of a Scorcese film, the kind of experience you survive rather than idley view from a distance. You’re there, and when it’s over you stay there. The story was rattling around in my head for days after I finished it. You end up rooting with all your might for totally un-fantastic persons against an evil that we all possess in some way. People go crazy, realities are warped, and dreams are reduced to rubble, but fakers can become saviors and everyone kinda gets the idea that they weren’t as powerless as they thought they were. It’s a great message if you ask me.
My suggestion: Buy it, love it and tell your friends. I’ll tell you this, the industry is preparing another 26 ep jaunt where gender roles are set on their ear at the hot springs and the festival grounds and no one knows where the madcap hilarity will end!!! Do you really want to be responsible for that, even in part? Buy Paranoia Agent and do something good for us all. Really.
-maguro
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