January 29, 2003
Cartoon Network and Anime
Cartoon Network just announced Giant Robot Week. They'll be showing two or three episodes of each of the following shows: Nadesico, Evangelion, Dai-Guard, and Robotech. Hopefully this will become a regular features. I think shows like Dai-Guard could do quite well on Toonami.
I'm still quite curious about how they are going to pull off Evangelion. Though the first two episodes don't have a lot of stuff they might need to cut. The later ones would have to be cut up quite a bit I'd think. Still, this is a good first step.
January 28, 2003
January 25, 2003
Gregory's Top 10 of 2002
I said I was going to do this a while ago, but it took me a little bit to fully get around to it. Here are my top 10 shows for 2002. I wasn't sure what to do about shows that started towards the end of 2002, but are still going. I think for the most part I'll consider those for 2003 (since they haven't ended yet).
What was my criterea? It wasn't anything fancy. For the most part it was what I enjoyed. What I looked forward to seeing the next episode of. What surprised me. The number 10 entry is split because I enjoyed both shows equally. It was a tough one, because that spot either was going to go to that or Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai.
Pleasant Surprise
There are some good shows that run for 13-26 episodes and maybe a movie, and then they're done, no matter how successful or good they were (Evangelion, Escaflowne). There are other shows (like Gundam) that blossom into extended chronologies, launching spinoffs that, even if sometimes are rather subpar (coughWingcough), generally retain some quality. Then there are other shows that spawn successive generations, only like a genetic experiment gone terribly wrong each generation is weaker and suckier than the ones that came before, leading into a terrible downard spiral (witness two of Pioneer's cash-cows, Tenchi and El-Hazard).
So imagine my surprise when I found the new Tenchi show to be actually GOOD. And, as far as I can see, the oceans have yet to turn to blood. Freaky.
Well, I say "the" new Tenchi, although there's also a continuation of the original OVA I haven't seen (and don't think it's being fansubbed, or if it is, a casual search didn't turn up the right files). The one I've seen is Tenchi GXP, or Galaxy Police. No, I don't know what the X in the middle stands for, but I'm pretty sure it's not "X-treme," so that's some tension let out right there.
Now, the basic plot summary: the unluckiest boy in the world, Seina, gets... wait, first I should define "unluckiest" better. Trouble doesn't just go looking for him, it has his location marked with a big X (possibly the one from the title) and is sending bomber runs and is already planning the infantry invasion. If bad luck was money, he wouldn't just have enough to buy the whole galaxy, he'd have enough to start taking over the ones next door. People who know him well don't bother to plan for the worst, because they know he'll manage to top whatever they can possibly imagine. For Seina, Merely biking a mile or two to his best friend's house is long enough for several painful encounters, including trucks, a broken bicycle, a really painful ride down a forested hill, and a spaceship landing in the pond next to his sempai's house, Tenchi Masaki.
Which is about where his luck gets... if not better, at least different. Seina is given a way to enroll to become a Galaxy Police officer by a policewoman with an operative style reminicent of Mihoshi (although not quite THAT stupid, she just talks a lot and jumps to conclusions and has a hard time listening. She's not a complete moron, just halfway there). Suddenly, the whole universe opens up for our hero, as he gets the opportunity to break down supposedly failsafe systems across the galaxy merely by attempting to use them.
So, Seina gets to head into space to assemble his very own harem, although it seems like they're mostly hanging out with him out of pity at times. Despite that, the show manages to do a lot of things pretty well. First off, it ditches all the original Tenchi characters except for a brief cameo mention here or there (my favorite so far is "Washu's Tiny Hole"). It's about time, really, since as much as I love the crew, they're a bit stale at this point (65 episodes and three movies do that to you, especially when so many episodes are of rather questionable quality). Another good thing is that there's an actual plot progression, although it's not terribly fast, at least it isn't just a whole bunch of episodes with them trapped in a small house. Beyond that, probably the best part of the show is that, despite the physical-comedy nature of a lot of the jokes (revolving around Seina's eternal bad luck and various things hurting him), hillarity still somehow manages to ensue. I blame the director, Nabeshin of Excel Saga fame (for the 1% of you not onto the joke yet, his real name is WataNABE SHINichi. I think you can figure out the rest on your own).
So, in short: if you liked the hyper-crack stylings of Excel Saga (and that would probably be most of you), this is like a slightly less hyper version of that set in a surprisingly faithful interpretation of the Tenchi universe (actually, it has a firmer grasp than many previous Tenchi products have had). It's not going to make you ponder great questions of human morality, but it will probably make you laugh. At the very least, it can set up countless nerdy debates about which girl is the best. (My favorite so far is Mitoto. Not as a girlfriend (oh god no), I just think she's the coolest character.)
I've noticed that I tend to go for long periods of time with no posts, then come back with a several page essay. Quality over quantity, that's my motto! Anyway, next time maybe I'll talk about some of the news shows they're starting. Of course, to do that I'll need to download a few more of them, but hey, that's what an otaku's life is all about.
January 23, 2003
.hack
So I said I'd write something about the new .hack series called .hack//Legend of the Bracelet of Dusk (aka .hack//DUSK). I have to admit I was highly skeptical about this at first. As I've mentioned here before .hack//SIGN didn't do much for me. I saw a great opportunity to tell an interesting story and I just think they did a really poor job of it. Nice character designs, a nice soundtrack, and good production just won't save a poor story. I'd even avoided the OVA based on my feelings about the show.
So, when .hack//DUSK came along I wasn't sure what to do. In the end I decided to download the first episode and see what I thought. First off. It's cute. Like kinda super deformed cute. Secondly, it just has a better feel. I'm not sure if I can explain it exactly, but the first show seemed to be missing something, and the second show has it. They jump you right into the story, giving you just enough of an explanation of what 'The World' is to set things up. So far I've seen the first two episodes and the show is just plain fun. I'm pretty interested in seeing where they go with it so for now I'll keep watching.
Of course now I'm going to have to go back and check out the OVA also.
too much, dangnabbit
anime that i want, that is ^^
but then again, glutton for punishment that i am, it's not enough.
i want more, dangnabbit XD
with terrific new series premiering in japan or finishing up,
and con season just starting in the USofA, my wallet trembles
in pitiable fear of the abuse it's going to take this year.
shoot, it's only january and a huge long-ass running series i
want has been announced as liscenced.
One Piece rocks. love it. can't wait to start getting it :D
of course, at over 100+ episodes, i quiver to see how FUNi
shall release it. so long as i get it in subbed uncut japanese,
i be happy :3
did i mention it's only january. how many more cons do i
have to go before con season is over O_o
but i say, bring it on. gimme more!more!more! cause i can
take it. if i can't get it right away, i will get it before the liscence
expires, i can gauruntee that.
and not only liscenced anime, but the slowly growing number
of limited box sets and special editions is growing too. delicious :3
r2s is a whole 'nother issue alltogether }:D especially english
subbed and/or progressive dvds.
~reads MegaTokyo~
aww... kawaii mushy moment =^^=
ahem, but i diverge. the point of this rant being... i dun know,
did i have one ~piku~ amidst all the awesome new anime being
produced and liscenced and still waiting to be liscenced,
i can also think of a number of older classic anime i would
kill (literally, at least) for. age matters not when it comes to
the anime i love ^_^
i'd *sparkle* for Rose of Versailles, any classic Matsumoto,
Future Boy Conan, and quite a few others. and i so gotta have
my Wedding Peach crack on r1 XD
that being said, i get my Hellsing vol. 4 with ltd. ed. figure
on tuesday. aw yeah :D mine!mine!mine!mine!
look and/or touch and die >.>
January 21, 2003
mahou tsukai ni taisetsu na koto
I have to agree with Izumi here on this show. I just watched the 2nd episode and I love it. It's so sweet. It's one of those shows that kind of gives you warm fuzzies.
So it looks like of the new season we have three hits. This, Wolf's Rain, and .hack//DUSK (I'll write a bit more about that later).
Kuromichan 2!
Looks like sequel to nice independent anime by akitarou daichi is coming out soon!
Check the Yumeta website for details.
I love the first one to death. I can watch it over and over and over and over...
January 19, 2003
use magic in a meaningful way
mahou tsukai ni taisetsu na koto kicks ai yori aoshi's butt.
another ending theme by Indigo! I might end up liking this band or something.
If only magic use was truly an everyday thing...
January 18, 2003
Onegai Teacher
It looks like the details on Onegai Teacher are slowly coming out. According to animeondvd.com we're looking at a June release date with a special edition looking something like this:
Limited Edition (SRP: $54.98) Only 15,000 to be made and a Standard Edition (SRP: $29.98).
Limited Edition:
Hot For Teacher! v.1 Collector's DVD Box
Original CD Soundtrack
mini-manga from Comics One
Please Teacher! Postcard Set
Working on some additional thingies
Pochy anyone? hmmm.......
I'm psyched about this release. This is another show that should be part of my top ten list for 2002. I really should work that up this weekend.
Anime Eyes?
Found over on my LJ friend's page. Here's some fun anime inspired song lyrics. I feel like I should end this post with something like ^_^.
Old is New Again
I just noticed that All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku is coming out on DVD finally. This is another one of those guilty pleasure shows for me. Not necessarily a deep story, but just good ol fashioned fun. I mean how can one not like the story of a boy and his cat and a heavy weapons manufacturer. Anime on DVD even already has a review of the DVD online.
(and it's also a Hayashibara Megumi show ^_^)
January 17, 2003
Live Action Madness
I just watched the first episode of the live action You're Under Arrest. It's pretty silly, but does seem to mostly get the feel of the show (though I think they've added in some characters and taken out some others). I've got one other episode to watch, so we'll see how that goes.
January 16, 2003
More Reviews
Anime News Network has an article reviewing the new shows that just started airing. I pretty much agree with a lot of what they say about the shows. This looks to be a pretty weak set with the exception of Wolf's Rain, though Stratos 4 looks like it might be decent.
January 15, 2003
Weird anime conversation
This morning I was hanging out on one of the muds I frequent and someone mentioned anime and another person responded that anime was mostly very violent things and lots of sexual content. They said they were a big anime fan and that is what most shows were. I hadn't run into someone who was so unwilling to admit they might be wrong about that in a while. Even when mentioning a list of all the shows that just started airing and showing that there was only one show in there that might come close to this person's definition of 'very violent'. He insisted that I must be incorrect and that he was right. It was frustrating.
I thought anime was starting to get away from this stereotype.
Not quite triumphant return
And once again, I'm back. This time I had some nasty computer trouble, including a reformatted hard drive and internet problems and such. Thankfully, I didn't really lose anything this time. Word of advice people: when tech support asks you to delete key system files, remember that they just might not know what the hell they're doing.
Also, I'm not going to whine about my wisdom teeth coming out. Sure, my mouth hurts and I can't really talk or eat anything but soup, but no complaining here! Nope, not a word. I'll just let out some bile about a series that I wasn't thrilled with.
I've used my vacation well, and finally finished Ai Yori Aoshi. Despite having the whole series for a long time, it's taken a while because, for me at least, this series was really a rollercoaster ride. First it would be great... then I couldn't stand it... then it was okay... then it was mediocre... then it looked like it was getting better... then it fell into the gutter again... and so on and so on. Mostly it bounced back and forth between being a cool show and being a cynical cash-in on fanboys desperate to pretend they're loved by a horde of pretty girls (ie, everything that makes a harem show bad).
On the one hand, it had some really good elements. The thing with Kaoru running away from his tyrannical zaibatsu family was cool, and I wish they'd developed it instead of just tossing it out there and mostly ignoring it. Tina had moments where she was an interesting character, and watching Miyabi's ice gradually crack was always a bit entertaining. Except...
Half the characters had no real development aside from having a badly explained crush on Kaoru. Sasami with a dye job and tan (oh, sorry, I mean Chika) seemed to only be included in order to attract scary pedophile fanboys, and the clumsy girl who desperately wants to be a maid (why would anyone want to be that) does the same for anyone with the maid-fetish that seems to be currently sweeping Japan. And Tina has to go around grabbing other girls breasts WHY exactly? (that was a rhetorical question) Plus, the show steals charaters and plots shamelessly from other well-known shows. One of the most prominent is the photo club Kaoru is involved in, which was ripped off Ah! My Goddess's motorbike club so completely they didn't even bother to change one of the sempai's character designs.
And that's not even counting the whole "women should be happy to stay home and clean and cook and wear kimonos" theme that runs rampant in the show. I mean, I'm not exactly a rabid feminist, but half the time Aoi opened her mouth I had a burning desire to shake her and scream "Show some backbone! Wear some pants! Hire someone else to cook and clean! Go somewhere and have fun! Do, I dunno, whatever women do to get liberated." Although she admittedly gets a little better by the last few episodes, going so far as to dare to speak when not spoken to (I'm exagerating, but not by much).
At least it ended on a pretty high note. Kaoru got something that almost resembled character development and Aoi managed to stand up to her parents. Of course, the rest of his harem stayed exactly as they were, forever pining after the Karou so fanboys can mentally take his place and make out with whichever girl they like most (personally, I like Tina. Sure, she's a mildly violent lush and is used mostly for fanservice, but she's the only girl there who shows a backbone and is over 16).
Next time, I promise to rant about a show I actually like. Interestingly enough, before I watched this I thought I'd like it but it turned out I only tolerated it. The next rant will be about a show I thought would turn out mediocre and I ended up loving it.
moon princess
there is some anime by pioneer through rondo robe that keeps popping up in mention on the net, Tsuki-Hime.
It is based off a Hentai PC game but since Pioneer is putting it out, the hentai stuff will most likely be removed, similar to how Kanon was produced.
From what I can gather it has fighting action, cool characters, and intrigue. Anybody know more? Looks pretty exciting.
Um, yay, maybe
It seems that toon network will start showing .hack/SNORE^H^H^H^H^HSIGN starting on Feb 1st. Interesting news. When does the first DVD come out again? This is a show I think people need to see some of before buying. The first tv series was IMHO just not well done from a story standpoint. The animation was nice, the soundtrack was beautiful, but it just really bored me to death. It really should have stayed a 13 episode series instead of being extended. Maybe I'll be able to sit through all of it in english.
January 14, 2003
old home haibanes
you can sign up as a seller without a credit card...you just have go through a verification process
Lupin III
Lupin III just started airing on Toon Network tonight. Whee. This show is fun. I love the whole cheesy 70s-ness of it all.
January 12, 2003
Red Tint News
Anime News Network has some bits from an interview with someone who I guess may be the producer of the R2 Spirited Away DVD talking about the red tint. I don't know enough about TVs and stuff to know if this is just BS or real. But it does sound like the US version is being produced a little differently. So there's hope (even though I already have the R2 release).
Haibane Renmei (first impressions)
Wow.
I think I need to go watch the whole thing over again now. Damn. This show has definitely placed itself into the number one spot for 2002. I'm not sure the order below that, but this definitely tops my list.
I'll post more when I have a chance to think about it more. Between watching Adaptation and this my brain is full.
January 10, 2003
More on Manga
Lawrence Lessig has an article in Red Herring about dojinshi. It's pretty interesting from the legal standpoint. One question I have since I don't know everything about the subject. Is all dojinshi based on other things? I'm thinking of things like Haibane Renmei. Is that an exception to the rule?
More signs that 2003 will be the year of anime/manga
Yesterday, NPR had a story on Japan's Comic Book Export. It was mostly about the english language Shonen Jump, but also talks a bit about the anime culture in the US as well. While it was a kind of interesting little story bit, it felt too focused on Shonen Jump. A more interesting article would have also covered Raijin Comics, which I am finding that I'm enjoying a little bit more overall (though I am also enjoying the second issue of Jump).
January 09, 2003
Cool anime moment
I've been watching the TechTV bboard for their Anime Unleashed show. And while there is a bit more noise than signal there, it's been interesting watching people's reactions to Crest of the Stars. Everyone started out after two days going "God this show is so boring." Then, within the last few days the posts have been changing to more "wow, this show is actually pretty cool." It's neat watching more people 'get it'.
Wolf's Rain
I just got done watching the first episode of Wolf's Rain. Damn. The last bit of this episode just gave me goosebumps, and I'm not quite sure why. I have the feeling this show will be really good.
As with so many shows there isn't much to go on at first. The animation is beautiful. I'd say on par with GitS:SAC. Bones is quickly becomming one of my favorite studios, I've loved everything they've done so far. Once again we have Yoko Kanno doing the soundtrack. The opening song is soso. Maybe it will grow on me, but it didn't do much for me first time round. The ending is nicer IMHO, a really pretty song.
Story, there isn't much so far, and I don't want to spoil things too much for people right away. The fansubs were just released tonight and I think I want to wait for an episode or two before I comment. This feels like a more serious show though, which is nice because it can take the place of Witch Hunter Robin. I'll end with a picture and the text of what AnimeNfo.com says about the show:
The wolf Tsume [claw], hiding his true form, lived as a human. Hanging out in the city and leading a band of young delinquents, he lived by stealing food from aristocrats. But another wolf, Kiba [fang], appears before him, causing his wild blood to boil. Kiba cannot forgive Tsume for allying himself with humans, and the two have a duel, putting their pride on the line. However, the battle was interrupted, and Kiba is shot by the tenacious wolf hunter, Quent. And he is taken captive by the police station run by the aristocrats...
(Oh, and here's another review of it too.)
Sometimes I love the net so much
I just looked online and noticed that Wolf's Rain and Stratos 4 have just started to be subbed. And I've already got Wolf's Rain. Now I gotta start looking into whatever the new shows are this season.
January 07, 2003
That little thing on the left
I added something a little new to the page. This site is now a member of TechTV's anime network. I just thought it would be kinda cool and maybe generate a little traffic. To folks coming from over there. Drop a line and say hi!
(Now I just want Dual! to start showing...)
January 06, 2003
and so i have determined...
...that Witch Hunter Robin now owns a portion of my soul,
as does Haibane Renmei and SaiKano.
gyah. i might as well just get a tattoo that says "Property of Japan".
of course, unlike the flight attendent 2nds in armitage, i won't have
"do not touch" tattooed on my butt ^_-
yes, i rewatched, finally, in japanese thankthegoddess, the Armitage OVA.
love it, even more so :D
now i gotta watch the movie again. a great piece of motherly love.
and yes, greg-chan, Haibane is 13 episodes.
good thing thursday is payday. rent week is always oh-so-painful >.<
*sighs* of course, after payday i can go to the comic store again.
to add to my debt, and everyone else's, Animaxis i back up and running.
they only came back up yesterday some time, so give their site about
a week i would say to get fully updated.
http://www.animaxis.com/en/index.asp
January 05, 2003
Witch Hunter Robin (complete)
Wow. What an interesting voyage this show has been. I'm so glad I have to tape the last six episodes for k-chan because I really feel that I need to watch them over again. I think I liked it a lot, despite it not quite being the ending I expected. I'll try and be careful not to spoiler anything for folks that haven't seen it.
This show surprised me a lot from the beginning. When I first heard the title I figured it was going to be some kind of magical girl show. Even the title has that magical girl ring to it. Well, seconds into the first episode I knew that preconception was wrong. The whole show ended up being a bit like that. At first it was looking fairly episodic, then around the 12th or 13th episode an overall storyline really started coming into focus. On a second viewing there were lots of hints about it being dropped prior to that, I was just too dense to catch them the first time.
Which brings me to the end of the show. For some reason I'd expected a slightly more whiz bang kinda ending. And while there was a bit of action and tension the ending was fairly understated. There was a lot of mass dumping of information that really did kind of sum up everything. There were also some interesting twists that I hadn't seen coming at all in the last few episodes (as well as a few that I had predicted and felt proud of).
I really do hope this show gets picked up. This is one I want to see on DVD badly. I have a feeling it will (and sound) look beautiful. (now we just need to get the last two episodes of Haibane Renmei (assuming that it is 13 eps)).
January 04, 2003
tsunami channel
Hi there,
Anybody read Tsunami Channel?
I did over the holiday. I like it a lot. It seems to come out pretty consistently and without a lot of whining like some OTHER web comic I know. The comments are cool too.
January 03, 2003
New Shows
With the beginning of the year it looks like a couple of new shows might be interesting. Two sites to help see what's on Anime-Fansub's AnimeDaisuki (Not to be confused with the original Anime Daisuki site). In looking around for more details on some of the shows coming out, I also found Itsumo Anime's list of shows for winter 2003. Hopefully this won't slow up any of the current fansubs I'm watching (especially Robin and Haibane Renmei, both due to be finished up any time now).
January 02, 2003
Naruto Again
I just got through episode 13 of Naruto and I am really enjoying this show. I'd seen a bit of it in the Shonen Jump preview issue, but it just didn't quite do anything for me. Based on that I hadn't really been that interested in downloading this show. It's got two things that appeal to me: ninjas and a sense of humor.
Naruto is the story of a young ninja. At the very beginning he hasn't passed the test to be a ninja, and as the show goes on he becomes a full fledged (though entry level) ninja. The show follows the adventures of him and two other new ninjas. The show easily slips from bits of humor to fairly serious fight scenes, reminding me a little of shows like Kenshin. And though we're only at episode 13, I get the feeling that this is going to be one of those long running shows.
All the characters in this show are really fun. From Naruto, to the two other members of his team, to their current instructor. The show is also quite creative. Ninjas all have techniques they learn. There's one to shape change. There's one to swap your body with an inanimate object (someone goes to stab you and after doing so they discover they stabbed a log). And the cool part is seeing the characters learn to use these together to outsmart the bad guys they run into (though at times it makes your head spin a little).
If you're looking for something fun to watch with lots of action, I definitely recommend this show (for the 2nd time I think :)). Also, this is one of the stories that will be showing up in Shonen Jump with issue 2, though I've already heard depressing things about the translation. (Bleh.)
January 01, 2003
well then
someone has to make a post for the new year.
so, without further ado,
^_^ Happy New Year, minna-san ^_^
may 2003 bring me more debt which, of course, means lots
more anime dvd, cd, manga, plushy, figures debt.
and of course, accomplish the near-impossible, pay off most of
my credit card.
it's all about the fangirl otaku g00dness ^^
acquiring new used transportation will be nice too.
what's everyone's new years resolutions, if any?