Greywings Anime

Every season, there’s at least one or two shows that I simply miss out on that I try to go back and watch at a later time. Usually it’s the romantic comedies, which I misinterpret to be simple harem shows after one or two episodes. Honey & Clover, Welcome to the NHK, and Toradora are good examples of this, as I spent many a weekend just blazing through the series in 3-4 hour batches. Usually, this is caused by there being too many shows airing in a given season that it’s difficult to pick out the cream of the crop before too many episodes have aired.

This season, however, there’s at least half a dozen shows that I would normally follow, but a tight work schedule has thwarted this desire. And even moreso, I’ve been unable to blog about all the shows that I am following. So, let’s just have a short recap of what I’ve been watching the past few weeks:

Umineko no Naku Koro ni 6: Yay, DEEN can actually make two decent episodes in a row. I’m also really starting to pick up on small details that the anime thinks is important to the backstory and overall mystery and it’s fun to compare notes. I’m very excited to see how they handle the rest of the Turn of the Golden Witch, and how much Meta they involve.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu 18: I have a feeling that the last 6 minutes of this episode wouldn’t have been as epic as it was had there not been 7 previous iterations of that scene. It was definitely way more dramatic than it was in the novels, but it was well executed. Now to see if we’ll get Disappearance anytime soon.

Bamboo Blade: The latest series which I passed up while it aired, and have come to really appreciate. Maybe it’s because I’m starting Kendo classes, but I found all the cheesy corny ’sports-manga’ cliches to be rather endearing. It had me tearing up near the end, and I totally fell in love with the characters. Tamaki’s otaku moments were a riot. And never has an anime series made me actually get up and start practicing and exercising after each episode.

Bakemonogatari: This is an amazing series that I have no idea how to describe. “Shinbo being Shinbo to the max” is probably a good starter, as it tells you right away if you’ll love it or hate it. The plot is right up Shinbo’s alley, with very little in the way of formal structure, but enough plot there to realize that there’s something going on beneath it all. The dialog in this show is timed perfectly, and Senjogahara is a wonderfully enigmatic character. I am a bit disappointed that there’s a summary episode only 6 in, but I do know that SHAFT always cuts things close to the deadline (e.g. Hidamari Sketch), so maybe it’s good that they’re giving themselves one extra week.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: The first thing I noted about the show was how Mira’s character was so easy to relate to. Made me realize just how emo I’ve been these days. Need to catch up on this show before it gets lost in the Queue of Doom.

Other shows that I wish I had the time to watch: Taishou Yakyuu Musume (J.C. Staff does a timepiece), Aoi Hana (J.C. Staff does yuri), GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Canaan, Kanamemo.

And I thought the Japanese anime industry was on its way down. Here’s hoping fall quarter will be less packed and allow me to catch up some of these summer shows.

Inspired by Taiga and Shiki, I’ve decided to take up Kendo. Today was the first day, and my body is screaming at me for my idiotic fanboyish whims. My friend, who just started a couple weeks ago himself, was the one who invited me to his girlfriend’s dojo. Afterwards, we had dinner at her place, and she recommended watching Bamboo Blade, which I never continued after episode one. I have a feeling it might not be 100% representative of what life in a Kendo dojo is like.

Finished Higashi no Eden, and I guess the studio really wanted to save some material for the movies, as the ending was pretty bad at tying up loose ends. Was an enjoyable show nonetheless. A bit too praising of NEETs, I thought, but it’s a good idea nonetheless.

On some random survey, I put down that I would be more than willing to relocate to Japan for work. It would be an absolute dream to be able to live and work in Japan. It is currently a goal I’ve set to complete within three years.

New GETs: K-ON Vol. 1 Blu-Ray, Kara no Kyoukai Vol. 6 LE DVD, Good Smile Company Ryougi Shiki Garan no Dou 1/7 PVC. I’m going to be needing a new shelf sometime soon.

I am eagerly anticipating Love Plus. Pre-ordered it from Play-Asia, but wished I could’ve gotten in on Amazon Japan’s under cutting of independent game retailers.

I’m probably going to have to cut back on the spending this month. As much as I appreciate the anime I watch, $50 per two episodes takes quite a toll on one’s bank account. And I want to buy some R1 releases as gifts for friends. Operation stop visiting Amazon.co.jp, staarto!

Not much to point out here, other than the deja vu getting stronger. And the hazy 3D-glasses effect at the end was rather cool, I thought. But after last week, I’m really doubtful that this is part of a buildup to the arc’s resolution. And I would say chances are good that it won’t end next week. and chances are good that I’ll still keep watching.

I still don’t understand this decision by KyoAni/Kadokawa, as it makes no sense financially. Especially when you throw in the whole ordeal over S2 DVDs. Haruhi fans have been the most die-hard and patient of fans out there. To get their hopes up and then dash them like this simply cannot be justified.

Now, I do see what they are trying to do with Yuki’s character, and I hope with the bottom of my heart that it’s in preparation for Disappearance. In fact it’s really the KyonxYuki that intrigues me the most every week. I just pray that this is actually going to go somewhere.

Next week: D-Day.

I guess this is going to be one of those rollercoaster series where I’ll hate it one week and then absolutely love it the next. This week was on the upside, as DEEN did a near perfect rendition of the final chapters of the Legend of the Golden Witch. The only complaint that I could find was the overemphasis of busts, but I could live with it. I’m guessing it’s the animator’s way of throwing in a bit of their own humour, although it is sorely out of place and is not at all necessary given the loyal following that Umineko has.

Anyways, like I said, the rendition of the final murders, the jump to Maria’s letter, and the Tea Party were all pretty much spot on. And the OH SHI- moment was one of the best I’ve seen in an anime so far.

A couple things I learned from this episode:

1. Battler has blue eyes.
2. The cousins all have distinctly colored hair (Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange).
3. Will need to play through VN Ep. I again, but don’t recall Battler actually shooting the portrait.
4. Beato’s room was depicted in white daylight, as opposed to dark night. Kinda like the negative of a film…
5. Beatrice: Mugen no Maho (Witch of Infinity, or Endless Witch)

And just to touch on the whole “VN players should stop expecting a 100% accurate adaptation” I will throw out there the claim that this episode was the best so far solely because it followed the VN to the letter. It wasn’t rushed, there were no random L5 faces or motion blurs. It simply depicted the events as described in the canon. Umineko’s biggest appeal to me was that it was not like any other VN out there, and not like any other mystery I’ve ever picked up. It had a soul and personality all to its own. The anime’s biggest flaw up until now was that it completely failed to grasp that core element that made Umineko so special, and instead settled for cheap, standard run-of-the mill animation.

With the second arc looming for next week, I can’t help but feel both very excited and very worried. Excited on the fact that DEEN has actually proven they can make a decent episode of Umineko, just in time for some of the more crucial parts of the story. But worried that they’ll just regress back to bouncing boobs and crazy Maria faces. And the worst part is, I’ll probably stick around to watch no matter which one it ends up being.

Onwards to the Turn of the Golden Witch!

When I was in Japan back in March, I got to see the Kara No Kyoukai: Gate of Seventh Heaven Remix, which was basically a short cliffs notes version of the 6 movies that had been released in theaters so far. When they got to the part for Oblivion Recording, I remember feeling very confused as to what was going on, which was compounded by the fact that I don’t know Japanese beyond a few words and phrases. What I was able to determine was that the 6th movie was distinctly different in style and mood from the other movies. So I was eagerly anticipating the release of the 6th DVD (even pre-ordered the LE version), to see just how different it was.

And it was drastically different, but it wasn’t necessarily in a bad way. There was definitely a lot less mystery (likely due to the amount of source material that was left out), and it was a lot more straightforward plot-wise. However, I really liked very refreshing take on the whole mahou-shoujo genre, with Azaka having just the right amount of fanservice scenes. I think moe would be stretching it, but it was definitely more light-hearted than the previous five movies.

However, the element of tragedy/darkness was still intact, albeit with a bit more subtlety. The whole movie, I felt very conflicted laughing at Azaka’s moe moments, and pausing at the underlying tragedy that was taking place at the school. After having read a synopsis of what was left out in the movie, I can see how the director was trying to let the audience (most of them fans) fill in the gaps and keeping the darkest items unspoken. And the gradual reveal of Azaka’s memories with Mikiya was thoughtfully executed, and it really raised my view of Mikiya and his inner strength.

I don’t really consider Oblivion Recording to be the “calm before the storm” that will be the next and final movie. I think this one stood on its own quite well. Especially the absolutely gorgeous visuals. It did make me question where such a place existed that was so green in the dead of January. But the beautiful backdrops combined with smooth animation and fairly epic special effects made Oblivion Recording a very eye-pleasing experience. And Kajiura-sama’s trademark touch created a hauntingly soothing soundtrack that really completed the other-worldly fantasy atmosphere.

Like with the previous five movies, I had to watch Oblivion Recording at least three times in order to fully appreciate all that I mentioned above about the movie. It started out feeling like the weakest in the series, but I can now easily place it as an equal amongst the others in what has become my most beloved series. I cannot wait for Murder Speculation (Part 2) to be released on DVD, but I’ll also enjoy watching the 6 released movies over and over again until then. I think ufotable should release Gate of Seventh Heaven: Remix on DVD, as it would make a nice distraction until the final movie comes out on DVD. Or they could animate the extra chapter, Recalled Out Summer, which would make me super happy (and I haven’t even read it).

And all this Rakkyo love-fest got me to track down a fairly priced eBay auction for the GSC Ryogi Shiki Kimono 1/7 PVC. Now if I can only track down a new copy of the Vol 1. LE DVD…

Congrats to the ladies of  Ho-Kago Tea Time for reaching the Oricon Weekly #1, the first fictional band to do so. Goes to show that in economic hard times such as these, there’s nothing like a little saccharine love-pop to warm the hearts (and credit cards) of depressed otaku around the world. Can’t wait to see the VH1 Behind the Music where Azusa overdoses on chocolate fudge, Ritsu gets kicked out because she’s just the drummer, Mugi and Sawa-chan sensei elope after having some spiked tea, Mio has a shimipan malfunction, and Yui commits suicide after Gee-tah breaks a string.

Or I could just wait for C76.

Man, I hope KyoAni does a Budokan tour with the K-ON VAs like they did for Haruhi. I WILL fly to Japan just to experience it.

Source, via Japanator, via ANN.

I feel like we’ve regressed here. KyoAni seems to have shattered the hope that each episode would be progressively moving towards the resolution of the arc. The only small change I noticed was that Haruhi herself seems to be showing the smallest of hints that she’s getting deja vu as well. And I guess we’re in for at least two more episodes of this. Sorry, but I would like to limit my “repeating time frames” series to just one per season.

Again, I really feel like that the resolution of this arc is really not worth the effort in animating all these episodes. It’s going to feel very anti-climatic, and only fuel the interweb fires even more. Unless KyoAni changes the ending as well, which I wouldn’t put past them at this point. But I feel that they’re just gonna end this arc normally and everyone is going to be left wondering what the heck the past 6-8 weeks was all about.

On a side note, is anyone else having difficulty in seeing how Kyon has his deja vu at the moments he does?

I honestly believe that the staff working on this show really don’t care much about the original VN. Some of the things in this show are getting borderline ridiculous, such as Maria’s L5 FACE, and George’s “mourning” over Eva. All of these scenes come off extremely silly, and really just deflate the tension and drama of those scenes. And the BGMs really feel like they’re being wasted on poor timing and just overall not syncing with what’s happening on the screen.

But I guess DEEN has realized that the legions of 07th Expansion fans will continue to watch regardless of how badly they butcher the show. It’s not even about matching the VN anymore, the anime just plain fails at presenting the story in a viewable fashion.

Ultimately, what the show needs is a muuuch slower pace. There needs to be at least some buildup if we are to feel for what is happening to these characters.

Here’s hoping that will happen by the second arc, where all that stuff started to matter. Right now, the best I can hope for is more BGMs and .WAV files to make it onto the show.

You know, I was really expecting Kyon to have an “aha!” moment right at 11:59:59, followed by an “oh shi-” as he would forget it for the next iteration. Again, I’m really not getting why KyoAni is spending the effort into animating 6+ episodes of the exact same plot. They could’ve mixed it up a little more and have 6 different directors each take a turn at the story. Or just play the exact same episode, instead of wasting resources like this. This better be a well-planned build-up to Disappearance, wherein we have a very good idea as to the progression of Yuki’s feelings during this arc.

Rumors have it that this will arc is to end the 6th time around, but I’m pretty sure they will stretch it to 8. At the least, it will be an appropriate number to end on. I’ve waited over 3 years for Disappearance, I can wait four more weeks.

This episode had its moments, and I’m digging the focus on theories and speculation. But I wish they would give Natsuhi a bit more screen time, and give her a chance to be the ‘heroine’ of this arc.

As I mentioned in the forums. I think that anyone who’s played the VN Umineko is probably too spoiled and too detail-inclined (spoiler?) in order to just sit and enjoy the anime version. And having gone through the games multiple times, it’s quite easy to get into comparison mode.  This is admittedly my first experience watching an anime after going through the source material (Pokémon doesn’t count…), and I must say it’s difficult and sometimes frustrating. I can’t imagine possibly trying to understand what was going on without having known the plot beforehand. Maybe DEEN is trying to let the viewers fill in the gaps, or get them to buy the game to find the parts which they are missing out.

However, I will say that the animation in this series could definitely stand to improve quite a bit. I really don’t see the need for the ’shaky cam’ effect, nor the faux ‘dramatic motion’ blur, which actually takes away from the drama. And Eva’s voice is still the most difficult to accept. I want my shrill crabby power-hugnry mother, not droopy-chan. At least Hocchan is doing her best at making Maria the crazy loli that she is (face notwithstanding).

In spite of all that, it’s looking like Umineko is gonna be one of the big hits of the season, at least according to the AnimeNano tags (a statistic which Omo suggests indicates very little). I just think that DEEN had a great opportunity with a big name title, and a lot of hype from the Higurashi OVAs, and is letting it slip through it’s lazy hands.