They Never Told Me Not To

Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit)

2009-05-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

There are arguably two kinds of epic story-telling. Code Geass is epic in its cast of nearly forty characters, countless political factions and worldly scope of events. Seirei no Moribito is the polar opposite of epic: its pacing and animation budget dictate a weight overloaded with subtext and self-awareness, like the path of an iceberg.

Production IG developed this series (based on a book series of the same name and premise,) and while it was already released last year in Adult Swim, it quickly sank. Thankfully, Seirei returns to Adult Swim this summer for the entire series. The big guns were brought out for this one, such as Kenji Kawai orchestrating a subtle score that could challenge John Williams’ resume. Kawai’s credits include the live-action Death Note movies, Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Gundam 00, Ranma ½, Skycrawlers – did I mention he’s been around? The staff member to keep an eye on is young and ambitious Kenji Kamiyama. His current project, newly released Eden of the East is…I can’t talk about that now without drooling. Let’s stick with feudal-era spear-wielders, shall we?

The panoramic eye-candy, from snow-crested mountains to rural rice paddies to treacherous forests, is rewarding in itself. Even the village episodes hold such detail you almost choke on the dust rising from the streets. Every episode looks like Miyazaki could have inked it himself; that’s how high-budgeted this project is.

The story is simple enough. Balsa, an experienced spear-wielding bodyguard, is charged to protect the second prince of a feudal empire, Chagum. The prince incubates the egg of a water spirit that could summon either rain or drought. As Balsa hides the prince from pursuers from the palace, he is instituted in the school of simple, peasant life, becoming his own man. On the way we learn the vast details of this world, a macrocosm/mélange of nearly every Asian culture, from ancient Chinese Dynasties to Shinto/Taoism fusion. It’s a pleasing aesthetic, almost achieving a visual zen in background art. These details flesh out the world, its countries, landscapes and cultures with magnificent detail, giving World of Warcraft writers a serious run for their money.

Our main character, Balsa, is unlike any protagonist I’ve ever encountered. For starters, she’s in her thirties. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Second of all, she has no sword. IS THIS ANIME?! And the series goes without flashbacks until five episodes from the end. THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE! The fight scenes (all five of them) are fluid and kinetic and framed in real-time, making them visceral, gritty and real. They are brilliantly choreographed and stunning to watch, it’s almost a letdown when they end, like eating the cherry off the sundae before the ice cream gets to melt.

Seieri’s supporting cast is diverse, though distant and dry. Shaman Torogai is old, vulgar yet wise. Her apprentice Tanda is reserved and…that’s about it. He makes herbs. The palace’s master astrologist, Shuga, spends much of the series in research, as we never quite understand every detail to the egg inside Chagum nor what to do with it. The eight assassins sent after Balsa are the most well-coordinated criminal-investigators/ninja ever. They’re like Law & Order meets Ninja Scroll. However, the mood of the series and monotonous voice directing take away a lot of the passion and interest from the characters. In any other cast, the most expressive character in Seirei would probably be cast as the tree, even in other reserved series like Ghost in the Shell.

With twenty-six episodes to develop this year-long tale, it spreads itself pretty thin in order to properly develop the world and the handful of essential characters, which can be enough for some, but a turn-off for many viewers.

The pacing of Seirei no Moribito is the most prominent element in this series, and it has to be properly addressed. Sluggish at times, comatose at others, it’s hard to watch this series one episode at a time. Many chapters revolve around a single dialog that will weigh little or no consequence, or if they do, the subtlety is so intense you lose track of what you’re watching. Sometimes the pacing simply embellishes the lavish and meticulously-detailed backgrounds, which you need in order to show off just how beautiful they are. However, there are several stretches of episodes where NOTHING happens, maybe Shuga researches or Chagum delivers a public lecture on game theory, but these episodes are a battle against your eyelids.

Pacing problems set aside, this is a simple tale beautifully animated, and when it decides to be an action series, it’s on par with the fights of Cowboy Bebop and the boss fight from Grenadier. Solid story-telling with a memorable cast. 3.5 out of 5.

Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess) Season 2

2009-04-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Shikabane: human spirits whose regrets in life cause them to return as vengeful monsters.
Shikabane Hime: young (usually hot,) undead women employed to seek and destroy shikabane.

A few months ago, I reviewed the first season of this supernatural/horror/drama/fan-service extravaganza by GAINAX with great delight. The cliff-hanger ending of episode twelve gave me plenty of motivation and desire for more.

To recap, there are monsters, and there are strike teams of monks and undead teenage girls who fight off said monsters. Ouri, an inclusive youth with a fascination with death, has been following his adoptive older brother, Keisei and his partner, Makina Hoshimura. In a critical moment of defiance and selfless sacrifice, Keisei finally lays down his life for Ouri and Makina, setting the stage for the second half of this passionate drama.

In season two, we turn our attention to the Seven Stars, a team of untouchably powerful shikabane who seek the utter destruction of the Kougon Sect and their shikabane himes. With a clear central villain and a clear conflict of interests between central characters, you would think the story has plenty of steam to keep this freight train on the move.

Then the middle of the series comes, and with it the mid-season-two-drag. We fall into the shallow grave of flashbacks, recaps and tertiary character development, but only to emerge stronger than ever.

Somehow during the transition of acquiring Ouri as her new contractor monk, Makina has developed a curse, a super-power that gives her unlimited regeneration at the cost of shortening Ouri’s life. This twist is more for dramatic effect then an actual plot point, as she continues her regular Shikabane Hime duties of monster-mashing and self-loathing. Although it does lend itself to some pretty impressive fight sequences.

Some support characters are developed for the sake of cautionary tales between Ouri and Makina, while some new characters are introduced for the sake of fan-service. Not to say that Shikabane Hime loses any of its dark, morbid charm. Most of the fights leading up to the final conflict with the Seven Stars are downright cruel to viewers. Bravo. All that was lacking was development on the Seven Stars: a majority of them are not given memorable names or even discernable powers. Come on, guys, you had 25 episodes, gimme a back story!

Eventually, the Seven Stars and Akasha, the “traitor monk,” get their acts together and start causing mayhem on a grand scale. By using their young leader, a seemingly brain-dead girl named Hokuto, the Stars wreak Left 4 Dead-style havoc on Tokyo. The potential for mass-slaughter is ignored for a handful of “I’m-gonna-follow-my-path-no-matter-what” speeches, but I can overlook them.

The series caps out at twenty-five episodes, and while the plot does not resolve entirely, the characters’ resolve is set in stone, and we leave the series with a satisfying acceptance of life over a peculiar fascination with death, and the changing of the guard, passing of the torch is complete.

A huge part of Shikabane Hime’s appeal was its convenience. Using Hulu, I was able to watch the entire series at my leisure with about a minute of commercial interruption. Besides the obvious mid-season-two-slump, Shikabaane Hime delivers and pushes its characters to develop their motivations, not just their powers, (something you might want to take note of, Bleach.) Keep up the good work FUNimation. A sinister and grimly earned 4.0 out of 5.

White Album

2009-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

You’ve probably caught on that Japanese drama is very slow, very dense, and very gradual, like the pacing of a Harold Pinter play. White Album turns its pages very delicately, inter-lacing love and politics, commitment and heartbreak, dreams of success and responsibility. This is a subtle, realistic story about holding onto what you love in a world that gives you no control.
Touya Fujii is the kind of main character who can put you to sleep (mainly because it is debatable if he ever is awake in the scenes.) He works at a café, tutors fellow students, and sleeps a lot. However, his isn’t the interesting story; his girlfriend, Yuki Morikawa is on her way to becoming a rising pop star (like Brittany.) Her career begins to put serious strain on their relationship until Touya gets a lucky break: becoming a personal assistant for the current pop sensation, Rina Ogata. Red haired and fiesty, Rina is a diva with a heart of gold and a big sister role-model to Yuki. From here, a quiet love triangle begins to take shape, vanishing and reappearing almost to its own accord, like Brittany Spears’ talent.
Rina’s manager/older brother is fixated on Yuki being the next big thing and begins sacrificing his sister’s career. It feels that Touya has literally no say in anything that happens. A lot of time is spent on the bare and empty rooms and buildings in the scenes; people are very often alone to an excruciating degree. Many scenes revolve around missing phone calls; the pop stars are stuck in the studios and only touch the outside world through their box phone (like Brittany).
Touya has many women other than Yuki who become his “goddess of the day,” a term of endearment who those who help him out, though he spends all his time helping women to various degrees. While this may seem like the set-up to a harem or dating-game anime, the female characters are too complex for such a restrictive label. Younger sister, girlfriend, mentor, all the other characters have an essential element that Touya (like Brittany) lacks: drive and passion. Well…as much drive and passion as can be allowed in such a molasses-paced series.
A narrative technique that gives this series its charm is Touya’s internal monologue, displayed as poetic subtitles across the screen; thankfully these terse verses give us insight into the complicated drama beneath the surface (like Brittany’s psychiatrist.)
Another aesthetic that externalizes Touya’s feelings are the depictions of the various women as goddesses, a pastel shading of the girl that is misleadingly soft and warm. Flowing and trapped behind a soft-focus lense, these moments add a personal quality to a very stand-offish drama.
It’s hard to pitch this series to non-anime fans (unlike Brittany,) and nearly impossible for younger people because of its maturity in tackling issues like political manipulation, fame and sex. This is a dispassionate series and whenever emotion is shown, you realize how it long it has been building up. It’s like Chekov as an anime.
White Album digresses and develops its side stories musically, flowing between Yuki’s career and her struggle to hold her relationship with Touya. Commitment is hard to keep during a career, the isolation seems maddening (like in Perfect Blue.) Soft, light, romantic, but the subtext drives you crazy. Yayoi is Yuki’s driver/assistant and takes Touya to a dam to tell him, in so many words, not to date Yuki anymore so she can focus on her career. She then offers herself to Touya dispassionately to distract him. The narrative is never clear if he does or doesn’t take the bait.
A unique story, which is a good and bad thing. I recommend White Album to older fans who want a series to share with their significant other. Sadly, the complete 26 episodes have yet to air, so we can only wait for this story to conclude happily, or at least co-hosting the VMA’s…like Christina Aguilara. Anigamers gives this series a solid 3 out of 4, beautiful art, great story and script, but pacing of a hundred-meter dash for Brittany after a night at Boston Market.

Ga-Rei-Zero

2009-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

“Will you kill someone you love because of love?” No: it’s more fun to torture them.

When you have thirteen episodes to develop a show, good writers stick to one story, great writers can multi-task. With Ga-Rei-Zero, Yomi and Kagura’s friendly sisterly rivalry turns bittersweet the intervention of Oedipus’ good buddy, Fate. The story’s road takes a clever fork as one sister’s coming-of-age is achieved at the cost of the other’s fall from grace.

When the story begins in medias res, you feel like you’ve missed something big. Characters appear and emote without context, and I found myself rewatching episodes in chronological order to feel the full impact of each major battle. A clever bookend, though it leads you in the totally wrong direction, considering the entire cast of episode one is dead by episode two. What begins as Ghost in the Shell-esch dialog with demons becomes schoolgirls with demons…without tentacles.

Basic premise: our world today is being attacked by invisible spooks, monsters, the whole nine yards. Only a handful of families possess enough spiritual energy to see and slaughter said monsters. One such team is the covert Special Tactical Squad Section One. Their newest member will soon be Kagura Tsuchimiya, though there is little a traumatized ten-year-old can do for herself, let alone the world. It is up her to uncle and adoptive cousin, Yomi, to save her from despair. They both use swords to combat the undead (and deadish) as well as inherited beasts of their own. Yomi has Ranguen (manticore on steroids), while Kagura’s father bears the family legacy of burdening his soul with the white, fluffy chain dragon of unspeakable horror, Byakurei.

The animation is magnificent, with smooth movement, flashy fights and great weather effects. Whether in a forest, underground sewer, or on the streets of Tokyo, I believe this world, which is why the 3D graphics of some of the monsters are so disappointing. Many of the monsters are stock (or unionized, it’s hard to tell with animated monsters) and the fights are disappointing one-sided, although seeing Yomi fight with a holy water-spraying iron at one point was pretty grand.

It is not all skirts and flirts, though. There are several comedic moments in the series (including a Comedy of Errors episode) that is uniquely humorous. Master Michael – I choose to say no more besides, “yes.” The humor is very well-spaced and does well to soften the next emotional impact. As Yomi descends into darkness and eventually becomes an adversary, she becomes a walking massacre in a skirt that really ends up tugging your heart. Her fights with Kagura (especially episode eleven) redefine swordplay…and arm-drills.

While Ga-Rei-Zero has intriguing domestic insurrection, the majority of the series revolves around Kagura and Yomi’s reactions to both of the series’ major events, which if you know anything about anime, usually means the passing of the torch, passing of legacy. The series is masculine in its gritty nature, but very feminine in its habit of focusing too long on Kagura crying, or lamenting, or grieving. If I had to give this anime a song, it would have to be “All The Things She Said.”

The main problem with this season is its waiting-for-a-sequel ending, which to me dismisses Yomi’s purpose as a character beyond the threshold guardian for Kagura. Do I want more? Not without Yomi. As the first two episodes indicate, Yomi becomes the bad guy. Her descent is slightly more believable than Anakin Skywalker’s, but far too easy. The nameless main villain corrupts her far too easily. Yomi was a great ally and a supportive, loving sister, which made her such a sinister villain, but to have her switch gears so easily feels like a quicker 180 than Will Smith in I Am Legend. Go ahead and watch, but tell me if you disagree with the “puppet-master” treatment of Yomi.

A cool story of sisterly love and the hardship of legacy. It is hinted with political manipulation and topped with fun monster-slaying; Ga-Rei-Zero was a nice surprise, though I can’t imagine it generating a large following.

Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess

2009-01-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

You’re pretty much aware of Funimation’s desire to bring us fresh, crispy, brand-new anime NOW. Shikabane Hime is the first in what may be a long trend of anime released online, fully subtitled, through an American company. True, you can buy high-quality subbed episodes right now through Itunes, or watch them on Youtube or Hulu, and it’s perfectly legal. But we’ll hold off on the legality for a law firm podcast.

For now we’ve got guns, demons and boobies to discuss.

Studio Gainax picked up this supernatural action series from a moderately popular manga. Shikabane Hime follows Makina Hoshimura, an undead soldier who must slaughter 108 fellow shikabane (vengeful zombie/spirits) in order to achieve Heaven. Fighting alongside her is her contract monk, Keisei Tagami, a modern man using old-school methods. The real pull of the story is through his adoptive, detached younger brother, Ouri. Ouri’s fascination with death is a moth-to-the-flame archetype that is destined to leave him burned. The situation quickly reaches the clichéd catch-22 of “we both want to protect each other, but we’ll both get killed in the process,” as Ouri includes himself in many of Makina’s missions.

Gainax flexes their muscles with the opening animation, whipping zombie arms and bullet casings like they were party-poppers at a New Year’s party. The fluid animation paired with the distorted close-up angles bears the proud badge of the studio that gave us Evangelion. Shikabane Hime tones down most of its colors to create the eerie atmosphere we’ve come to associate with modern Gothic stories. It’s dark, almost macabre coloration reminded me of Blood + without the whiny characters. It is strange how the camera holds Makina in frame: her ice-cold beauty and violent passion is quite hot. Almost all of the backgrounds and scenery are unmistakably grim, however, lacking in any major light source.

Sadly, at times the overbearingly grim tones leads to flat, professional supporting characters that do not elicit much sympathy. Even so, director Masahiko Murata tries to interject slapstick humor and innuendo comedic relief…but to no avail. If anything, the jokes are so forced and out-of-place they distract from the task at hand: shooting up zombies. Still, I’d hate to think of how dull this series would be without Keisei’s closeted otaku-tendencies.

Gainax’s staff brought out their big guns in letting Shou Aikawa handle the script. His ear for corrupted morality can be heard in the FMA movie, Rahxephon, Wrath of the Ninja, and the OVA of Vampire Princess Miyu. In short, a very experienced man with one foot firmly planted in the realm of the fantastic.

Beyond the gripping stories of people resurrecting as powerful monsters only to be mowed down, I was most invested in the political struggle of the monks’ hierarchy. Indeed, the tethering of shikabane himes (corpse princesses) to fight off monsters is a no-win situation of fighting fire with fire. And boy do they use fire. Makina’s firearms are a beautiful, bouncing pair of…Uzis. Another corpse princess fights with her fists, another with a big-ass hammer, and another with a sniper rifle. This team of living corpses perpetually argues among themselves and with their contracted monks, leading to a more fitting, subtle (though definitely black) humor.

As the story exhumes the mysteries surrounding Makina’s death and Keisei’s involvement with the Kougon Sect, it is clear that Ouri’s involvement with the himes will only pull him deeper. I will not spoil the end of the first season, but I will remind you to stay tuned to Funimation’s youtube channel, as Shikabane Hime: Kuro, or season two, is already in post-production and ready to launch here…in America. It turns out that Gainax is keeping themselves quite busy between this production and both the Gurren Lagann movies. They are clearly not going to let Studio Bones have all the fun.

Shikabane Hime is an all-around decent action piece that dictates a black-and-white arguement on using monsters to blow away other monsters. Nothing ground-breaking, but much better than your run-of-the-mill zombie film. A solid three out of five.

Gurren Lagann

2009-01-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

It’s Gainax. Of course there are going to be giant robots and bouncing boobies.

From the very beginning, Gurren Lagann is a story of reaching new heights and climbing higher. Simon (pronounced See-moan) is a measly digger, one of the countless humans living in despair beneath the Earth’s crust. Banished to never see the sky above, mankind is truly at its lowest. If it were not for his inspirational and testosterone-exuding gang-brother Kamina, Simon would be almost deprived of confidence and willpower. Change is set into motion as Simon discovers a mechanical face buried in the soil, and the tiny drill that activates it. From there, destiny spins itself out of control as Simon and Kamina aim their sights for the grand, unexplored world above their tunnel city.

Halfway through the first episode, a giant robot falls from the ceiling, as does a beautiful, rifle-wielding tom-boy named Yoko. Once Simon pilots the pint-sized Lagann to victory, Team Gurren’s journey truly begins. Upon reaching the surface, Simon and Kamina learn that mankind was driven underground out of terror of the Beastmen and their giant robots. They join up with Yoko’s village and begin living to the fullest, leading a full-out war against the Beastmen and their terrifying Spiral King.

I have waited a long time for an anime like this. I remember being a hot-blooded teenager, thrilling over Dragon Ball Z, Ronin Warriors and, yes, even Sailor Moon. When a character wanted something, they yelled louder, lights appeared from nowhere, and they achieved the impossible. It’s that moment in anime when willpower and desire are personified, and every hair on your arm stands up on end. If it weren’t for the visual barrage of colorful characters and hypnotic robot battles, Gurren Lagann’s predictability and formula would murder its potential. But it’s almost too good to dismiss as another kids show overloaded with toy company fodder.

From there, the formula is set in place. Just as good as it is bad, you cannot shake off Gurren Lagann’s almost cop-out ability to drill through every obstacle imaginable the same way every time. Whenever there is a chance of emotional development and a deep meaning, a bigger robot appears and the human’s flagship mecha, Gurren Lagann, makes an even bigger drill, penetrates the enemy robot, and pounds its way to a lightshow of victory.

Gainax’s stylistic choppy animation style that was embraced during FLCL adds a level of spunk and pep that compliments the chromatically intense visuals. Staying on the visuals, the eye-catchers are some of the…catchiest I’ve seen since Cowboy Bebop, in that they stand out with a raw and colorful style on their own. The fights are way over-the-top and can easily lead to an epileptic breakdown without proper lighting or medication on hand. Lagann’s animators use old-school cell-paint techniques, which are severely lacking these days in anime; I’m getting tired of bland and depthless 3D rendered backgrounds. And because this is a Gainax anime, no drill-to-penis innuendo is too low nor too overt; in fact very little is spared. Yoko provides the essential “Gainax-bounce” and her fiery brassiere top becomes a character on its own.

Take the fan gushing with a grain of salt: Kamina’s unlimited “fighting spirit” becomes obnoxious quicker than expected. The over-the-top ego drills on your nerves, but it all leads up to the more fascinating and challenging second part of the series. Without any spoilers, I will say this about the second season: think Watchmen, Squadron Supreme, when the righteous make the wrong choices for the right reasons.

A fantastic dub from ADV. Steve Blum goes way off-character to play Leeron, the effeminate tech-head. A-lister Kyle Hebert does a great performance as Kamina, bringing full bravado and macho suave to the all-around badass Kamina. This cast was very carefully put together, and the precision of voice director Tony Oliver paid off fantastically. For more details, check out our podcast episode that Evan recorded at New York Anime Fest – still jealous over that, Minto!

But suspension of disbelief set aside, Gurren Lagann is worth it. Without any doubt. This wasn’t the smartest anime, nor the deepest, but it never tried to be. It just tried to be a good ride with robots – and even a bitter, jaded fan like me fell head-over-heels for it.

Sky Crawlers Premiere in NYC

2008-12-13T18:24:00.001-08:00

Anime director Mamoru Oshi (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Blood the Last Vampire, Jin-Roh: the Wolf Brigade) has been off the radar for quite some time. On Friday night, December 12th, the Lincoln Center of NYC became the only place in the country to check out his newest piece, SKY CRAWLERS.

Based on a novel, Sky Crawlers is a story of perseverance and the banality of an existence centered on combat. There is a war, a struggle between two nations happening in the skies above us - but it's not our problem. Yuichi Kannami is a top fighter pilot who has just transferred to a new base. New plane, new missions, new crew to meet. And, like every other pilot there, he is a Kildred: an immortal who will never grow up. These genetically-engineered living dolls trudge through their day-to-day routines, repeating tasks and only feeling the thrill of life while fighting in the skies.

Peter Pan references set aside, this movie drags at the pace of a coma. Harold Pinter himself would admit the film's minimalistic approach is a bit too slow. Even the dog-fight scenes between the fighter planes seems to lack immediacy and drive. On top of that, Tetsuya Nishio's (Naruto, Jin-Roh) symmetric and almost flat character design gives little complexity to the film's aesthetic. The coloration is bland, holding an almost salt-worn quality, which only drives Oshi's point home about how dull a Kildred's life is. Without the aerial combat, this film could have been made live-action in the 1960's and no one would have known the difference.

On the big screen, the fighter plane sequences are dazzling. The sharpness of the 3D is so well done, it's easy to forget you're watching an anime. Every bullet shot tears across the screen, and for the first time, bullet-time met air planes: Max Payne would be pleased.

Yet, pacing set aside, Oshi has created a fascinating proposal: a world that uses a never-ending war as a means of keeping the peace. The lackluster nature of the immortal Kildreds only smooths out their passion and personal drives, keeping them willing to fight. As the story progresses, Yuichi becomes close with his mysterious captain, Kusanagi, and the two develop a strange cat-and-mouse/friendly fire relationship as they delve into the others' past secrets. All of their questions and searching lead back to their mission: to fly until shot down, until confronted by the mysterious and untouchable Teacher.

Subtext and subtlety are more important to this film than the amazing plane fights. The bare minimum script leaves small clues in an almost "Memento" style, that does not need to be pieced together in order to follow the film. What matters in the symbolism. The children cannot surpass the Teacher, the "father" figure who taunts them silently from above. The Kildred's lack of drive for life causes them to shut down their hearts, blur their memories, and live half-consciously just to stave off their immortal boredom. If only they'd take the cues from every vampire story every written: IMMORTALITY IS BORING.

This film could only be made by Mamoru Oshi: cryptic, distant and profound. Again, he has created a piece that provokes analysis and discussion rather than cosplaying fangirls.

School Days

2008-12-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

“At first, I was satisfied with looking…sitting next to her…just having lunch with her made me nervous. I wonder when it started…when I wanted to touch her, when I wanted to hold her…I ended up not being able to control myself with just that. I wanted more…more…and it turned into my selfishness.” – Makoto Itou, episode 12.

Half of me wants to recommend School Days because of the frightening bait-and-switch and treatment of high school sexual promiscuity. The other half wants to know how a series this twisted was ever pitched to a producer. Perchance it went something like this:
“Thank you for meeting with me, Mister Producer.”
“So let’s hear your idea, TNK studios.”
“Well, we wanna do a high school romance. We wanna start casual and light-hearted… then rape half the cast.”
“…go on…”
Makoto Itou has a secret crush on the beautiful, shy girl that rides the train with him every morning to school. She is Katsura Kotonoha: quiet, clean, and beautiful. One of Makoto’s classmates, the free-spirited Sekai, collaborates with him to help him get his mojo working. School Days begins with the light-heartedness of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, develops slower than Julius Caesar, and switches gears to spiral into an ending that would make Othello squirm.
Beautiful animation is paired with unusually overt dialog. The director is very careful to emphasize the character’s cell phone texting as their sole means of honest self-expression, since everyone is lying to someone else in this series just to keep Makoto and Sekai happy together. There is almost no music, but the sound of trains and ringing cell phones sets the lackluster pace of the series.
In order to make Makoto more comfortable around Katsura, Sekai puts him through special training…and that’s when things turn ecchi. Sekai literally throws herself at Makoto, saying that it’s “just practice” and not to be taken seriously. But of course she secretly loves him and longs to make Makoto hers. Now comes Makoto’s inner struggle: does he go for the girl who gets dirty with him, or for the girl he wants to get dirty with?
This is where things get complicated, and for the first half of the series, there is memorable (though sluggish) sexual tension and believability in Makoto’s infidelity toward both Sekai and Katsura. Whom does he like? Answer: both. Unfortunately, despite its poignancy on love and sex, School Days will never see the light of American television; you can thank the gratuitous sex, nudity and rape. That’s right, the “r” word – couldn’t have a show about betrayal and relationships with the “r” word.
By the story’s end, Makoto has the best year ever, having more affairs than Zeus, and less regret than a guest on Jerry Springer. I do not particularly recommend this series to experienced fans (let alone newbies); it’s just a bit too torpid. This anime is a carefully composed cautionary tale about the fruits of lust, and, though a bit exaggerated, a clear statement on the confusing physical dependence of adolescent sexual awakening.

Origin: Spirits of the Past

2008-11-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

When Funimation claims a gem from Gonzo, they put their heart and soul into doing a great job. Origin: Spirits of the Past is a great gateway anime for people waiting for the next Miyazaki flick.
The story is post-apocalyptic and easy enough to follow. Years ago, “the forest” became a dragon and attacked from its secret base: the moon! Now, the remains of mankind live in the overgrowth ruins of toppled-over cities, trying desperately to coexist with a very dominant and sentient forest. If they do not respect the forest’s authori-tah, the forest will go Swamp Thing on mankind’s ass and steal back the remaining water. Our protagonist, a young boy named Agito, discovers a girl from the past sealed in suspended animation, Toola. Together, they will learn what caused Earth’s drastic shift and discover a way to bring the forest and man together. For hardcore environmentalists, this is yet another film that caters to your self-righteous dogmas.
Origin is a bit of Princess Mononoke without the animals, a bit of Naussica without the flying, and has a walking volcano fortress. Thus, something for everyone. It follows a perfect three-act structure, though several scenes and character choices and seem unearned and rushed for the sake of preserving an hour-and-a-half runtime. The visuals are astounding, from tidal waves to the vehicle designs to the encompassing forest, which is as gentle as it is hostile. This film really captures the beauty of a skeletal sky-scraper sheathed beneath a mossy skin. The soundtrack has the heartfelt ambience you’d expect from an anime aimed at Japanese teenagers. Which is fine for me considering I still think of myself as a teenaged Japanese girl.
The American voice acting is superb, and the script matches very well with absolutely no awkward translation errors, so kudos to John Burgmeier’s work. Burgmeier also provides the voice of Shunack, the film’s very believable and sympathetic villain. Great performances also spring from the well of talents named Christopher Patton (Agito) and Carrie Savage (Toola).
Origin does well to create an original world of decay and growth, destruction and creation. It does very well as a cautionary tale about the corruption of power (both by the forest and man’s technological drive for success.) Frankly I wasn’t expecting such a well-constructed argument. The philosophy of Origin lies somewhere between Transcendentalism and Buddhist detachment from past desires; and oddly enough the difficult dramatic decision lies with both Agito and Toola. Still, in the end, forest=good, fire=bad, drop-kicking a flaming hunk of magma=badass. This was an all-around excellent visual romp that planted its seed in my heart and took root.

Basilisk

2008-11-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

“To the one I love; prepare to die.”

A time of ninjas and shoguns. The 400-year-old peace pact between the warring Iga and Kouga ninja clans has been abolished. Now, to decide the political fate of Japan, the top ten of both clans must battle to the bitter bloody end. Yes!
Tragically caught in the middle are Gennosuke and Oboro, leaders of each clan, who must bury their love and hopes of peace to carry out the bloody fate of their clans. No, not love! It’s West Side Story without the dancing. Yes! It’s Romeo and Juliet except Romeo could use Samurai Jack as dental floss! Halleluiah!
What sets Basilisk apart is its stunning production budget. Fast-moving action scenes are balanced with white-outs, magnificent landscape shots and surrealist super-powers that make Naruto’s displays of power look like a dollar-store Christmas wreath.
Basilisk, despite being a ninja show about ninja blowing apart other ninja using ninja techniques, is loaded with driven, believable and empathetic characters. By halfway through the series, when we are down to the final five on either side, trust has been betrayed, loyalties have been forsook, and slaughter is impending. Yes! Granted, the ninja powers defy logic in a way that would make Stan Lee blush, but it doesn’t worry about creating a magic system for the sake of marketing and video game copyrights. Sure, the old guy with the elf ears can stretch his arms infinitely and the paraplegic has a 12-foot sword down his throat, but so what – bloodshed!
The deaths can be just as sudden and surprising as the narrow escapes. You feel the imminent danger in every scene, and the consequences are palpable. These are awesome fights that are spaced out very well with compelling, though predictable, scenes of loyalty, fury, and startling compassion.
Funimation grabbed a hold of this series as soon as they could, though its constant soft core rape scenes and oceans of blood will keep it off Adult Swim indefinitely. I chose to watch the whole series dubbed, and it turned out far easier to follow than the subtitles. Though some characters seem mismatched, and the choppy rhythm falls short as it many dubs, it still holds together well. What hurts Basilisk is the melodramatic performance on both ends for the part of Oboro, who is sadly a flat, generic innocent girl, and there is only so much you can do with imaginative dialogue like, “I love you too much to fight you,” and “Anakin, you’re breaking my heart.” Hint, hint, George Lucas.
I didn’t expect much from Basilisk, but now I have seen its true power, and I will never underestimate Gonzo again.

Cat Soup

2008-11-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Cat Soup

Not every film needs clever dialogue or a plot…but it helps. Cat Soup, the half-hour surrealist journey and nothing short of an amazing drug trip. The story follows two adorable cats who quest to find the missing half of the older sister-cat’s soul; from there it derails. A short piece with practically no dialogue, it has won several awards across the world, including “Best Short Film” at the 6th Fantasia Film Festival and “Excellence Prize” at Japan’s Media Arts Festival. Despite its international acclaim, I was surprised at its obscurity here in the states.
Cat Soup’s artistic success became a total surprise for director Mr. Blank. To him, Cat Soup is an animated tribute to a bizarre manga called Nekojiru, which is to Hello Kitty as Bizarro is to Superman. What surprised me was the dry treatment of injury and bloodshed in this film. While the soundtrack creates the ambiance of a child’s bedtime story, there is a significant amount of mutilation. Cat Soup meets many elements right in the center: cuteness and sadism, life and death, creation and destruction. It straddles a strange line between innocence and deviance, particularly for vegetarians or animal rights groups.
Some of the chapters run a little too parallel to the Bible for comfort: the flood of Genesis, the reversal world-destruction of the Book of Revelations, the fat man in bondage from…the Gospel according to Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Being in the center of so much visual chaos, I can’t say I like or dislike Cat Soup. I wouldn’t have another spoonful without administering certain illegal stimuli, but I won’t discourage you readers from the joy of experimenting.
The jewel of this experimental movement is the imagery, loaded with enough dreamlike surrealism and symbolism to make Freud and Carl Jung soil themselves. Artist Salvador Dali was one of the aesthetic influences, and it shows, especially the sequence in the desert where the two cats hitch a ride inside a water elephant…take that as literally as you can.
Obviously, Cat Soup is not aimed at everyone, or anyone in particular. As director Tatsuo Sato (Ninja Scroll series and Shigofumi: Letters of the Departed) marks in his commentary, “just enjoy the imagery” because “you have to use your brain to watch this” odd, discolored jewel. It is funny in a detached way, cute in a creepy way, and downright confusing in every way. Cat Soup: to be eaten with a knife.

Ryoko's Case Files

2008-10-06T20:35:00.001-07:00

When Tom Jones sang “She’s a Lady,” he was singing to this lady.
Ryoko’s Case File has come and gone, and with the exception of the title character, I may not remember either event. Though light-hearted, episodic and glazed over with an aristocratic and political tone, the only lasting kick is the one provided by Miss Ryoko herself.
Ryoko Yakushiji (don’t try to say it out loud, you’ll crack your teeth) is the superintendent of JACES, Japan’s private, rentable secret police. This means she operates on her own whim without consequence. Debonair, ruthless and classy, Ryoko’s arrogance has major cougar appeal. Using her seemingly unlimited monetary resources and personal connections, Ryoko travels Japan to stir up trouble. By her side, whether he likes it or not, is her self-proclaimed bodyguard/baby-sitter/chauffer/shopping-bag-carrier Jin’ichirou Izudami. Together they solve mysteries of a vaguely sci-fi setting.
Think of it this way. Imagine X-Files, but Scully has emasculated Moulder into paying her bar tab, accompany her to pick out shoes, and occasionally shooting a giant snake. Though much of the series is narrated through Izudami’s eyes, his bland characterization provokes no empathy, and his cluelessness doesn’t help the series either. Because Izudami has no idea what is going on, neither do we; but the alternative of being inside Ryoko’s head would be a Lovecraftian descent into unspeakable horror.
The pacing lags in this episodic mystery series, and the romantic interest between Izudami and his boss is a moot point due to her overt and his inability to discover clues. The mysteries themselves lack detail, drive and creativity. Sure, it’s a giant snake or a mind-controlling tree (which are cool in themselves), but the drama falls dead in its tracks once Ryoko appears, solves the mystery, shoots it in the head, and leaves without any logical explanation.
On the plus side, some of the supporting characters help add color, but no one is capable of out-shining Ryoko. Her self-appointed rival, Yukiko Muromachi, often stands in her way (literally) to tell her to stop investigating government officials. Their rivalry sparks (literally) in an orgy (figuratively) of pranks and competition. JACES’ office staff, a collection of dismissible stereotypes, is often thrown in the middle of Ryoko’s political drama. I also enjoyed Ryoko’s ninja-level badass French maids; although, like the rest of the series, they made little sense.
Ryoko’s Case File does have some very funny moments centered on Ryoko’s impulsive, manipulative and subtly risqué behavior. If the rest of the cast could hold a candle to her attitude and fearless arrogance, this would have been a great ride leaving me waiting happily for a second season. But as it is, a weak mystery show with static characters and an imaginary plot, I remain unmotivated.

Paranoia Agent

2008-09-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

You should know the name Satoshi Kon. Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika? The Hitchcock of anime decided after his first three movies that he had more ideas to play with, so what did he do? He dumped all his unused stories into a 13-episode mini-series that does to society what a starfish does to a fiddler crab. Look it up on Wikipedia – it’s awesome! And Paranoia Agent isn’t that bad, either.

The surrealist psychological drama centers upon the mystery of Shonen Bat (‘Lil Slugger in English), a mysterious young boy terrorizing emotionally cornered citizens with a bent, golden baseball bat. Ah, little league tee-ball; those were the days. Our lead detectives have no leads and each victim leads only to more dead ends as the murky legend of Shonen Bat reaches mythic, nearly super-natural proportions. The strangest part of these attacks: the victims lose their worldly troubles; their head traumas make them happier. Not very hard for the average Japanese cram school student, let me tell you. So just when you start to fear Shonen Bat, you start to respect him…then go right back to into being terrified, like a circus clown with a flamethrower.

Kon roped-in Seishi Manakami for the script. His goal was to shift perspectives by changing the main character in each episode, giving viewers a macrocosm of Shonen Bat’s influence. Each character gives a very personal POV into their individual case, personal struggle, and eventual encounter with Shonen Bat. Some episodes can be watched on their own as their characters have little relevance to the larger story. Such episodes are magnificent fillers, but Kon’s fingerprints are all over each of them. His grasp of human emotion, psychology and story structure are frighteningly accurate, which makes the black humor in Paranoia Agent even funnier and more poignant. If you laughed at Heath Leger in The Dark Knight, you’ll get a few sick chuckles out of episode eight.

What draws me to Paranoia Agent, from the old-fashioned detective to the reserved animator to the schizophrenic tutor to the fallen golden child to the lecherous reporter, was the pathos developed with every character. Every character is a case study for the psychological pressures of modern Japan. The situations are very believable and the stress of Tokyo almost becomes its own character as students, teachers, and the elderly are all equally pressed from all sides by the struggle to match society’s expectations.

As a testament to Satoshi Kon’s micromanagement prowess as a director, every episode features a repetitive sound that sets the pace and structure for the story. Speaking of sound, the bizarre pseudo-techno, dreamlike music of Susumu Hirasawa (Paprika, Berserk, and Millennium Actress) adds another level to this visual mind-screw into a scrambled but beautiful mess, like a naked rugby game during a hurricane.

During his interview on the first DVD, Kon mentioned his fascination over a child’s ability to create a stomach ache just to avoid going to school. Thematically, avoiding responsibility is the social and emotional paralysis that summons Shonen Bat. If you watch this series and keep “accountability” in mind, you will understand every symbolic shot in this series.

Obviously not for little kids, but this masterwork deserves at least a gander from any fan of Hitchcock, Memento, or Misery. For the ridiculously low price you can find it for, it deserves a spot on your shelf. The English dub is unmatched in its execution. It is exciting, dangerous, and visually dazzling stories like this that keep me watching anime.

Podcast Review Finally Posted

2008-09-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

S'up guys,

Hope y'all are excited and bored, because Vampt Vo over at anigamers.com has released our podcast review of Ghost Hound. Take the poll to the left after you listen and let us know how we can improve for next time!

http://www.anigamers.com/2008/09/ani-gamers-podcast-005-ghost-hound.html

Otaku Mex - Anime Geekery in Albuquerque

2008-09-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Albuquerque? Seriously? People living there?

I could not contain my excitement when this con chair e-mailed me back. I not only participated in game shows, masquerades, panels, and autograph sessions, but I finally had album number 2 "What's the Hell Your Heart" recorded.

More importantly, I met some of the most humble, generous and easy-going otaku I've ever seen. All you parents and first-time con-goers, thank you for coming along and having a good time. The staff made the whole weekend mellow. The food around the Southwest is incredible and drenched in green salsa.

To Andi and Krystal and Bear and Justin and Isiah and everyone else - I have never felt a power like this before; you guys put me up with ACTUAL anime industry celebrities and made me feel like an even bigger winner than John Goodman's tapeworm.

Our other guest, Kyle Herbert, Jan Frazier, Yamila, and Steve Bennett, you guys taught me how to carry the undeserved glory with dignity and open mindedness.

With my move to NY coming up, it's gonna get hard, but fingers crossed, friends.

New York Anime Fest.
Tekkoshocon 1/2 in Pittsburgh has invited me. What am I gonna do, say no?
SITacon
Zenkaikon
and then I'll poop!

To all of you from Otaku Mex, thank you.

Gratitude and sprinkles from the cupcake,

~Yo

Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk

2008-08-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Japanese studio Gonzo introduced a breakthrough in inter-continental television when it announced that two shows this season would be released online with English subtitles the same night as they premiered on television in Japan. So apparently they got my letters….Gonzo 1, Santa 0. Tower of Druaga can be found (and bought) legally by download or watched on the site at www.crunchyroll.com for fewer than three dollars an episode. Spoiler: it’s worth it!
Revolutionary marketing set aside, I found Tower of Druaga to be a magnificent classic high fantasy setting with memorable characters, ground-breaking scenery (gotta put a penny in the pun jar again), and a masterfully told story. This twelve-episode first season now owns my heart, hugging, teasing and scratching it like a middle school relationship.
Druga centers on a land ruled by King Gilgamesh, who, ages ago, scaled the Tower of Druga, the epitome of evil, and by using every cliché in the book, saved the princess and became king. Problem was the Tower still stands. Cities live in constant threat of the monsters that poor out of it, and much of the population dedicate themselves to becoming Climbers, adventurers who seek to climb the monstrosity and claim the Blue Crystal Rod on top.
Sounds like the set-up to every video game besides Pacman, doesn’t it? It is. In fact, Druaga was made in homage to an 8-bit video game of the same name. Just like in every story, our main character is a bright-eyed, loosely drawn “I-wanna-protect-my-friends-no-matter-what” type named Jil, whose only strength is his physical resilience and unbreakable shield. After being dumped from his powerful yet cold big brother Neeba’s party, Jil gathers a rag-tag band of losers in hopes of scaling the tower and becoming a hero.
This is a world filled with classes but no leveling up, magic but no MP. In short, Druga is a world where the video game is the world. Jil is joined by a dark-haired priestess named Kayaa, her patient powerhouse partner Amrey, the boastful aristocrat mage Melt and his assistant, Coopa, who is the greatest intern of all time. Once their party is assembled, they must compete with Uruk’s national army, a guerilla army of other Climbers, Neeba’s epic gang, and a malicious wind sorcerer.
So how did the script writer for Full Metal Panic, the character designer of Burst Angel and the director of Last Exile handle such material? With the tact, charm and humor of true fans. There are dramatic episodes which are well-written and full of pathos, but the true majesty of this series comes from the comedic episodes, which not only make video game references but turn the world into a classic 8-bit parody of the original game! I recommend episode five. That is all you need to know. Do not be scared away by the ridiculous delusion that was the first episode; it’s the greatest parody of action/fantasy anime I have seen this year.
Fantasy fans are in for a treat. Cosplayers should start milking this teat before next year’s season two premieres. Anime fans will have a great series to introduce their fantasy friends into anime. Why? Because the script, specifically its humor and ability to transform old jokes rather than rely on stereo-types and repetition. I stand in awe of Coopa’s comedic timing and golem-like strength that never gets addressed seriously. The animation is so pristine, I’d almost accuse Gonzo of putting all their eggs in one basket. Shading and weather effects are gracefully added, though the occasional computer-rendered monsters (Druaga himself, ew) prove distracting.
It’s a great climb, full of danger, magic missiles, dragons, knights, wizards, wizard interns, backstabs, and meaningful demises that builds up to the single most evil cliffhanger since the first season of Code Geass. Tower of Druaga wins, finds the Master Sword and obtains epic status.

Mnemosyne - The Daughters of Mnemosyne

2008-08-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

Boobies! Bondage! Bloodshed!
And that’s just the opening credits!
I assume most of you are still reading…please ask your parents to leave the room now.

Due to the extreme graphic nature of this work of supernatural mystery, you cannot claim fandom to Mnemosyne without being labeled one of “those fans.” The kind that never leaves his basement except to post reviews of anime series like Mnemosyne. Nevertheless, every series deserves a chance to tell its story…right?

Rin Asogi’s day job as a jack-of-all-trades investigator is just a cover for her true identity. She, like a handful of other women around the world, has been touched by a time spore of the great tree Yggdrasil, the literal keeper of human memory. As a result, Rin is immortal (in both the Highlander and the Wolverine sense). Her habit of sticking her nose in criminals’ businesses makes her the target for extremely sick mercenaries. With each chapter of the six-episode mini-series, we learn another fact about her relationship to Yggdrasil and its plans for her while encountering the sadist of the day.

Due to Rin and her partner Mimi’s immortality, many years skip between episodes, going from 1990 to 2055, which was an interesting way to show Rin (and her fashion sense) as the only consistency over the years.

I like Rin. Built like Faye Valentine, iron-willed as Misato from Eva but somehow retaining her natural compassion. She assumes a very male role in order to protect her clients, but at the day’s end, she is still a woman grasping for affection. Her views on man’s fragility cause her to hold back many punches against the people trying to killer her. Though she can kick ass using an array of odd weaponry, including darts, chains and a shotgun-shell-loaded boxing glove, she gets her ass handed to her quite a bit. The ways she dies include, but are by no means limited to…

- Head trauma
- Shotgun
- Grenade
- Thrown through an airplane engine
- I-beam to the face
- Unnecessary surgery

No review of Mnemosyne would be complete without touching upon its key element: sadistic violence toward naked women. Good lord. Do not watch this anime while your parents, or people whom you wish to respect you, are in the same hemisphere.

Script-writer Hiroshi Ohnogi remained true to the original novel by sparing us no gory detail. The depravity in this series is enough to make Stephen King blush. Remember how those women become immortal? Men turn into powerful red-winged angels that dress like The Rocky Horror Picture Show meeting Hellraiser. These angels seek out immortals in order to embrace them in the throes of boundless sexual desire while literally chewing them to pieces.

Sex and violence become the same grotesque pulse that thrusts the story forward. Rin is persistently hunted by a seemingly immortal cyborg assassin who gets her pleasure from watching Rin squirm. Even worse is a fellow immortal named Apos, voiced in Japan by the same actor who does Gaara from Naruto. His boyish good looks don’t justify the pile of nude, impaled women he keeps in his gardens, hoping to one day add Rin to his collection, next to the tulips and the severed heads.

Since the nudity and violence are the aesthetic focus, the mysteries that Rin investigates are usually complicated and fluff that buy time between brutal slayings – don’t expect much from the mysteries, just be happy for the rare times that Rin is wearing pants and a shirt.

Still reading? It gets worse!

I actually like this series.

To see Rin beaten as badly as she is and still find the strength to fight back and protect her friends is downright inspiring, and I found myself choking from grief (as well as vomit) from the cliff-hangers that rock the second half of the series.

Obviously, this show is not for everyone. In fact, the people whom this graphic story is geared toward should probably register themselves at meganslaw.com. Still, I enjoy the soft ambience and electric guitar of Takayuki Negishi’s music, very reminiscent of the video game Parasite Eve. Visually, this is considerably low-budgeted, but the scene direction is superb. Shigeru Ueda (director of Blood + and Serial Experiments Lain) could have made the series extreme close-ups and talking heads, but he keeps the camera moving, focusing on Rin’s kinetic energy and honing time-passing montage sequences very well.

I will not openly encourage you to watch this show; but if you can handle the traumatic depravity of Elfen Lied and want older characters who don’t cry nearly as much, and you are mature enough to keep your hands where I can see them, seek ye the daughters of Mnemosyne.

Podcast with Anigamers

2008-08-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

For anyone interested, Vampt Vo and I will soon be posting our podcast-style review of Production I.G's Ghost Hound at www.anigamers.com.

Is this the beginning of something far larger for Uncle Yo? Only time will tell.
Post your comments, let us know what we did right, what we did wrong, and how we can cater to YOU and be the best little podcast we can be.

In quick news, a shout-out to Otaku Mex in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the New York Anime Fest. Good times will soon be had by all.

Wrath of the Ninja

2008-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wrath of the Ninja: the Yotoden Movie is one of those classic anime that is quickly sinking into obscurity. Not quite as detailed or bloody as Ninja Scroll, not as political as Rurouni Kenshin and not nearly as silly as Naruto, this movie still strikes hard at any classic anime fan’s heart like a spring-loaded dagger.
To make this review interesting, we’re going to turn this review into a drinking game. Every time I mention a cliché in this movie’s plot, I want you all to take a drink from whatever you’ve got.

The Japanese Middle Ages: Our hero is a determined and level-headed young ninja woman named Ayame, the sole survivor of her village. Before the demons could consume her, her brother (in a drawn-out and much-repeated flashback) gives her the village’s super-awesome short sword with which she may rid the world of evil and stop the evil lord Nobunaga Oda from taking over the world. Along her merry way, she gains two friends, other rogue ninja who also possess legendary weapons: a spear and a long sword. They travel, smiting evil until it comes down to Ayame and Oda (now transformed into something that would make Inuyasha’s Naraku retch) and, having screamed the loudest, blows him apart in a big bright explosion, thus bringing the ending credits to the screen.

Though it is unfair to review Wrath of the Ninja without the three-episode OAV Yotoden, WotN is still a pretty solid example of fantasy ninja before chakra was introduced. The retro blurred backgrounds, mysterious supporting characters and destiny-babble do not subtract from the charm of this classic. What can really grind your nerves about this movie is the absence of originality; this is a great anime if you want to parody existing anime.
Granted, the pacing and odd transitions in time, as well as the emotional distance of the main characters makes this a hard one to watch with friends; rather than watching the screen, you may find yourself looking at your watch instead.

Dominion Tank Police

2008-08-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

The futuristic city of Newport is an endless pile of harsh, unwelcoming buildings stewing under a perpetual dark “bacteria cloud.” Every 36 seconds, a crime is committed (beat that, Detroit.) To protect the city, the Tank Police are formed; madmen with big mouths, bigger guns, and less moral guidance than Million Knives.
Masamune Shiro, known most for his iconic work Ghost in the Shell, has spent a career imaging man’s parallel evolution with machinery and their effect on each other. For DTP, he decided to once again question the line between authentic humanity and artificial humanity, a topic that’s just a tad too deep for an anime with two strippers on the DVD’s cover.
Our four episodes center on the initiation of Leona, the first girl to transfer into the testosterone-saturated Tank Police. As she learns the way of the Newport City Tank Police, she builds her own mini-tank named Bonaparte, something resembling a Dalek from Dr. Who but with nastier treads. Her journey becomes one of initiation, acceptance, and finally a literal struggle for justice vs. pride. She’s cute, impulsive and stubborn as most girls who drive assault vehicles, but her development remains relative.
Becoming a viewer of the Tank Police is reveling in the frat house level of maturity and pride of captain “Britain” (on my translation at least) and the rest of the loosely-drawn squad. These guys regularly patrol the streets en mass, causing more destruction than the Big-O and turning enhanced interrogation into a game show complete with betting, bunny girls and throwing knives!

Oddly enough, the character whom Shiro forces the most sympathy for is the main antagonist Buaku, a small-time crook with big-time weapons. Buaku and his partners, twin gun-enthusiasts/strippers Anna and Umi, a clash between the American Gladiators and Thundercats, begin by assaulting a hospital for “perfectly healthy people” in order to steal jars of urine. No, no, you read that correctly: pee-pee. Once they fail at that, Buaku goes for a priceless painting, only to be thwarted again by the Tank Police. It is in this second arc that the story sacrifices its pacing for a deeper message on the self-imposed value of life.

Don’t get me wrong; there are many tanks. Big tanks.

Thus, there are explosions. Big explosions. No character can take center stage over Shiro’s masterful detail and imagination in his armored vehicles.

What keeps this OVA a step below Ghost in the Shell is the sluggish pacing combined with its desire to leave everything as open-ended as possible. Dominion Tank Police runs into the same problem that Full Metal Panic did in that it tries to combine a high-tech cop drama with another conflicting genre. For DTP, it was the final episode’s delve into surrealism and philosophical drivel that collapses the story into the anime cliché of flashbacks and rhetorical questions.

Still, slow scenes and loose plot set aside, Masamune Shiro’s DTP is a must-see for fans of the mecha-cop genre. Patlabor, Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell, and Armitage III fans will revel in the detail of all things mechanical. Not quite as aloof or high-brow as Ghost in the Shell, but a lot more fun to watch in a crowded room full of open-minded people.

Decade-Long; Decade-Strong

2008-08-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Again,

My panel co-host George has made a post on the Otakon Bulletin Boards to get audience feedback. We had run this panel twice: once at Connecticon and once at Otakon. Anyone who attended our panel on Saturday, we would truly appreciate constructive criticism so this panel can be even MORE informative, historically accurate, and enjoyable.

http://board.otakon.com/index.php?showtopic=15718

Thank you graciously.

Gotham Knight

2008-08-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Of all the comic book heroes in America, few are as open to interpretation as Batman. Gotham city was once described by writer Alan Moore as “stranded somewhere between 1930 and 2001 Art Deco,” and its leading crime-fighter has evolved over the years to forever hold our interest. Warner Bros. tried very hard to recreate the eclectic, spectacle-driven fan-service we remember from The Animatrix.

Story-wise, Gotham Knight is vaguely slapped together as a whole, and the story thread gets thinner and thinner as the story goes. Visually it’s like a gothic jaw-breaker, each background getting better and better. It’s a double-edged bat-a-rang choice between style and substance, and we can clearly see which one came out on top. By the end, Gotham City becomes its own ominous character, engulfing every shot and looming like the ghost of a filthy Post-Depression slum.

Six writers in America gave six directors in Japan the option to show the Dark Knight and his mysterious, dark environment from every conceivable angle, like staring at a carved diamond from every cut. The result is six heavily stylized takes on Batman that fail to tell a solid story. It is not directly anime, nor is it directly Batman: Dark Knight; it’s a hybrid that runs the risk of injuring Batman fans against anime.

Our first story, directed by Shoujirou Nishimi (of Tekkon Kinkrit), is a tribute to the animated series episode “Legends of the Dark Knight,” in which four skate-boarding Gotham teens share their stories and views of Batman as he chases down a tech-driven thug. Mecha-bat, Man-bat and vampire-Batman all come together in this mélange. The characters, with their Nishimi trade-marked shifty faces and tiny eyes, almost clash completely with the background.

Secondly there is “Cross-fire,” in which two detectives (fan boys hush) are brought to trust Batman after they are caught in the midst of a gang war cross-fire. Style-wise, Futoshi Higashide presents a world that would work beautifully for Hellboy or Hellsing, but it makes Batman a tad satanic. He walks through fire! The burning kind! That defines badass!

Thirdly the director of the .hack//Series series (Horioshi Morioka) gives us a nearly shojo-style pretty-boy of Bruce Wayne as he prepares to test a new bullet-deflection system on some thugs. For me, this was the first redeeming chapter of the story as we not only see Bruce Wayne’s side of Batman, but also the driving sympathy and unexpected compassion that defines the Dark Knight.

Part four was written by Batman: Beyond and Dark Knight writer David S Goyer. Visually, we travel with Batman into the underground hollows beneath Gotham City to fight Killer Croc and the Scarecrow. If this were expanded into the whole movie, I would be one pleased little Otaku. Batman becomes something fantastic here as his tech and classic vanishing act takes the cake and overshadows the Scarecrow’s new, Gothic Frankenstein costume. If anything, it blends horror with urban mythology into a great visual piece.

“Working Through Pain” shows Bruce Wayne training in India (that’s right, India: deal with it) through a series of flashbacks. In this part, a wounded Batman performs self-surgery on himself as he tries to navigate his way out Gotham’s deadly sewers. As a stand-alone piece, this is magnificent. The writing combined with relatively unknown director Toshiyuki Kubooka creates great film transitions and symbolism. Bravo. Pain and rejection are the guiding forces in this story, the spiritual side of Wayne’s journey in becoming Batman. Huge parallels are drawn between Bruce’s personal rejection and his lady trainer’s social rejection. For Batman to be wading through garbage and finding a pile of guns is shocking and full of pathos. It’s simple, but “Working Through Pain” is both human and compelling.
Finally, “Deadshot” is about Batman taking down a villainous assassin who (for this very anti-gun piece) is the perfect villain. Arrogant, merciless, and more pro-gun than Charlton Heston, Deadshot’s story is far too short for this fifteen minute visual masterpiece. Sadly, story-wise, it is simply Golgo 13 getting sucker-punched by Batman.

In the end, we see every side of Batman. World’s greatest detective, billionaire playboy, tech wizard, dark angel of mercy, self-driven philanthropist, and vigilante – they all come through in this piece. I fail to see this as an over-budgeted failure on Warner Bros. part, even considering the severe downplay on the Japanese directors. Show some love and appreciation, Warner Brothers! I guess you could say that too many cooks over-spiced the soup and abandoned the chance to tell one solid story. Instead we leap through time and places in Batman’s career. The voice acting is top-notch, and you’d have my permission to go full-out Itachi on me for not mentioning the great work (as always) by veteran voice-actor, Kevin Conroy. He syncs up well with the Japanese lip-action and delivers yet another spine-tingling performance as the dark knight.

The Skull Man

2008-07-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing hits the spot like a solid mystery, a gripping horror story, or an action-packed descent into darkness. The Skull Man sets the bar for modern gothic suspense without relying on the convoluted, philosophical and psychological dribble barrage of such series as Boogiepop Phantom and Serial Experiments Lain. While both great series in their place, Skull Man combines a killer storyline with solid action and gripping, linear human pathos.

Our plot is as follows: Ootomo City has more skeletons in its closet than the house in Spielberg’s Poltergeist; one of those skeletons is ready to slaughter your ass.

The main story is told through the eyes of Hayato Mikogami, an ambitious, young and fearless newspaper reporter from Tokyo. He comes to Ootomo to investigate the serial murders of a mysterious “skeleton costumed” man who only appears after midnight. Once he arrives, his bad luck accidentally partners him up with Kiriko Mamiya, a teenaged photographer with tomboyish charm to spare. Together, they uncover the links between the Skull Man, pharmaceutical companies, the resident cult, and the murderous mutants that prowl the streets during the night.

Sounds like a lot to handle for a thirteen-episode series? It is. But only by keeping the mystery and the intrigue alive does The Skull Man handle itself so skillfully. As any well laid-out mystery goes, every scene, every moment, and every murder only opens the door to the next clue. When Ootomo City approaches midnight, citizens are locked in their houses and police cars patrol the streets, turning the city into a prison. For all its details, Skull Man never loses the central mystery: the skull man’s true identity, and the reasons he terrorizes the city.

By episode two, Hayato meets Detective Shinjou, who tails him endlessly, convinced that Hayato is connected personally to the mysterious murders. Without his adopted uncle, a high-level bureaucrat watching his back, Hayato would be behind bars most of the series. With each new character they encounter, Hayato and Kiriko discover that the number of people they can trust is dwindling. Even at the halfway mark, when Kiriko’s true mission (not to mention martial arts skills) is revealed during a battle with her brother, is it clear that our characters are desperately over their heads.

Hayato has a small network of people he continuously pumps for leads (though unsuccessfully). One lead is an old childhood friend who became the town priest, who guides Hayato in his quest to seek the higher power and truth behind the Skull Man. Another is an older P.I, whose wisdom and nearly Goku-level of perfect timing seems to have stepped from the pages of noire pulp comics.

Some of the lighter moments, especially those between Kiriko and Hayato (who share great moments in their struggle for dominance in their partnership) soften the mood just before the next murder or devilish plot twist occurs. Hayato’s constant confrontations with the Skull Man drive him to obsession to discover the face beneath the mask, even facing the dangerous specter down at gunpoint. By the halfway mark, it is clear that The Skull Man frames Hayato’s embrace of his inner darkness to battle the greater darkness of Ootomo City’s hubris and political corruption.

Sounds pretty epic, don’t you think? Just imagine all that and some werewolves and a small battalion of mechanized maniacal army clowns with flame-throwers and rocket-launchers. Now we talking badass.

Religious imagery, especially those dealing with light, darkness and resurrection, recur faithfully in Skull Man. For example, the secretive Byakureikai cult (literally meaning white bell association) is grooming a key character to be their new Eve in the world they aim to create. While Ootomo City prides itself in its ever-present military-police force, the city does hold a striking Babylon parallel complete with tower. In the end, the Skull Man’s true purpose is to keep the executives of the pharmaceutical company’s power in check and dish out divine punishment to keep the citizens grounded. The Skull Man himself quotes Nietsche and MacBeth just to add to his creepy persona. Forget Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon, or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer’s Angel, the title character of this anime is relentless, haunting, and holds more “badass” in his belt buckle than Blood +’s Haji has in his whole cello case. The black leather, spring-loaded sais, German Luger and glowing red eyes are enough to haunt even the most desensitized viewer’s dreams.

Besides being a mystery, The Skull Man is also easily categorized as super-natural with elements of horror. Studio BONES (who put out Fullmetal Alchemist and Darker Than Black and, by extension, have a direct link to my heart and wallet) assembled a patchwork team of directors and writers to compose this piece. With a lot of violence and intense moments, this series would find difficulty in a younger fan base. Its maturity and complexity limit its target audience and, thus, its interest from American dubbing companies.

While The Skull Man’s pacing mirrors the DaVinci Code and results in that stereo-typical all-flash-and-zero-explanation ending that is inconclusive at best, it is still a very good mystery. Even the way its scenes are shot reveal something essential: characters over the phone, characters emerging from behind slightly ajar doors: Ootomo City can make any viewer feel like they are trapped in The Matrix. But I do offer fair warning that this is not a series with conclusive results, in fact, just stay true to the show’s tragic nature, it ends on a darkly lit here-we-go-again tone that shadows an even greater evil will soon come to pass.

For all its red herrings, dead ends and McGuffins, The Skull Man still cranks out a great story with more layers than an onion and a great balance of horror, tragic desire and hair-raising action. How it handled itself so well is the real mystery.

Paradise Kiss

2008-07-06T20:49:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer: this is a shojo. There are no ninjas or explosions; there is only fashion. E! did not get me interested in fashion: Paradise Kiss did.

Yukari Hayasaka is a bit of a stuck-up senior high school student: she studies hard to earn her B-average and is already bored with life. This comes to a crashing halt when she discovers a team of fashion school students who take her to their underground “workshop.” Suddenly Alice has been tripped into a Wonderland of lace, butterflies, polyester, silk, clovers, and the bisexuals who design and wear them.

Paradise Kiss feels like an indy project of underground art school drop-outs. It can be described as a slice-of-life, coming-of-age story with a surplus of style a forte of fashion. Its opening and closing themes, Lonely in Gorgeous and Do You Want To respectively, carry the show’s youthful and vibrant energy, blasting you with colors, caricatures and craft. Many scenes morph between super-deformed and real characters in the same shots, giving great flexibility in the series’ tone. The series also developed its own screen-wipe transitions of spinning flowers and mutated stuffed animals, which only adds to the pleasant aesthetic.

The characters are just as unique as their clothing habits. There’s Isabella, the quiet idealist who dresses like the countess from a lost romance novel. Heart-stiched-on-her-sleeve Miwako, who is basically a walking piece of cotton (and eye) candy. Arashi, the grumpy punk rocker, whose safety pin piercings are enough to make the cast of Hellraiser flinch. And finally there is George, the suave Prince Charming who leads his team the way Griffith led the Hawks from Berserk. The four form Paradise Kiss, their own line of clothing. The best clincher? George wants Yukari to model their final project.

Though reluctant at first, Yukari decides to test the waters of the world of fashion. Being given a new nickname of Caroline (or Carrie) by Miwako, she is reborn and redressed into a world she originally dismissed. In no time flat, she falls for the enigmatic playboy, George, and her dedication to the group’s project becomes inescapably personal. In an attempt to abandon the mediocrity of her life at home and school, she moves into Arashi’s apartment and seeks work as a fashion model. Through her new friends’ stretch at nepotism, Yukari’s good luck lands her at a modeling agency. But just before things get too out of hand, she moves in with George, and the two lovers become inseparable.

(This is the part where you all say “yikes!”)

The most engaging aspect of Paradise Kiss is Yukari’s challenging and complicated relationship with George, whose feelings are harder to interpret than the plot of Serial Experiments Lain. Does he really care about her decision to abandon her life for his ambitions? How will he use her after the project is done? Despite his debonair standoffishness and unreadable expressions, George holds himself with the impeccable charm and the faultless poise of James Bond and Calvin Klein combined. He’s so dangerous, you almost have to fall in love with him and hate yourself for it. Nevertheless, it is a story about young love, which is always passionate and fiery at first, but is quick to consume itself and become ash.

While the show concerns itself with fashion shoots, modeling agencies, and hair dressing, it never overwhelms Yukari’s voice and perspective of this new and flamboyant world. Her narrative voice is self-conscious and borderline arrogant: in other words, the perfect high school senior. It is easy to see people dislike Yukari for her stubbornness and naivety, but her blossoming passion for love and George redeems her. Paradise Kiss’ treatment of sex, virginity and sexual identification plays a major role in its story-telling. It rebels and boils with rampant sexuality, though more subtly rather than crudely (think Romeo and Juliet rather than Colorful.) Many of the love-making scenes are treated with the classic Japanese fashion of showing objects in the room rather than actual nudity; this technique doubles the emotional weight of each scene.

While the dialog can fall into many of the pitfalls of directly-translated manga-into-anime, but the visual experience of Paradise Kiss is crisp and deep, each shot as carefully sculpted as an assignment on Project Runway. In the end, the conflict of romanticism and love vs. real world values leans with total bias toward the romantics and idealists (this is a shojo after all.) Though its commercial success in the states makes the final chapters hard to find, even on Ebay, it is a very pleasant show. Girls, as well as boys who, like Isabella, think they’re girls, will enjoy the romantic treatment of first love.

Kurenai

2008-07-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Shinkurou Kurenai is a high school student whose afterschool job is “conflict negotiator.” But unlike Robert Smith of Big-O, rather than summon a giant robot, Shinkurou negotiates with his badass martial arts skills. And he has just received the most awkward mission of his life. Enter Murasaki Kuhouin, the spoiled, six-year-old daughter of Japan’s most secret elite family. Shinkurou’s job: protect Murasaki at all costs.

So begins our light comedic drama of opposites: the kidnapped princess and the timid, hidden beast. Shinkurou’s only choice is to keep Murasaki safe and hidden in his apartment, which is quite the culture shock for Murasaki, who grew up in the xenophobic and traditional Japanese family. With each episode, Murasaki learns the basics of regular society, friendship and freedom.

I will say that Murasaki is a loud-spoken individual and way too wise and compromising to be a realistic girl, let alone a six-year-old. She is fierce and judgmental, but holds enough childlike innocence to grow on you like a little sister.

Shinkurou may appear flat at first, but he develops wonderfully, showing his strengths as weaknesses and vice versa. He is victim to his own naivety and post-adolescence claim to invincibility. His is a story of learning to “stand on [his] own power,” to be strong without help from others. In the end, Kurenai doesn’t define strength and freedom as the inability to lose, but by the wisdom and experience to compromise.

The supporting cast is groundbreaking. Shinkurou’s boss, the stylish femme fatale Benika, will smash her car through a Japanese temple so a six-year-old stranger won’t live without freedom. Shinkurou’s broke and opinionated roommates are great, from Yamie (the black-humored and clothed cynic) to Tamaki (the carefree community college slacker.) Even the ass-kicking near-ninja Yayoi is a closet karaoke star.

What proves Kurenai’s maturity is its courage to challenge its own message, bitch-slap it, and yank it off its high horse. The world from which Murasaki is liberated is a paradox of morality and tradition. The Kuhouins are a powerful hierarchy of authentic, blue-blooded isolationists, the kind that use women as domesticated wombs. Yet with Murasaki’s kidnapping in the first episode, the very real and complicated moral system of Kurenai begins to take shape. Responsibility (both for oneself and others), freedom, and love are juggled very skillfully to create a grey world. Even the time-tested moral of “freedom is good, confinement is evil” is questioned and severely criticized in this show.

I have never seen a show like this. Although I can see it having a hard time being accepted by younger audiences and action fanatics, it possesses real depth, weakness, love and humanity. Intense martial arts combined with the dry, nothingness humor of Seinfeld. The art is beautiful and the dialog is quirky, original, and full of surprising humanity. To put a concrete genre on Kurenai would seem like a constrictive yoke. “Slice-of-life” wouldn’t work because Shinkurou beats up the yakuza. “Harem” would fit because Shinkurou is surrounded by women…except they abuse him terribly…especially Murasaki. “Realism” doesn’t even work because of that bone/horn thing in Shinkurou’s right elbow, Kurenai’s equivalent to the standard, ultimate hidden technique.

I’d like to quote Murasaki’s concluding monologue as proof of Kurenai’s poignancy:

“A cramped room, a smelly futon, noisy and strange people, a small sky in a crowded city…I got scolded for doing things I thought were natural…but I laughed a lot.”

Is true strength running away and finding yourself, or facing the adversities of home in the hopes of changing them for the better? Whether it’s the cynical humor, the occasional badass fights, or the hope for a second musical episode, Kurenai is a cut unlike any else.

The Incredible Sulk

2008-06-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

After seeing Ironman, I knew Marvel would have a hard time following it with the Incredible Hulk.

So...what did Marvel learn after five years since their last Hulk movie? Um....nothing, really.

Zak Penn, who has given us such classics like Last Action Hero, X-Men: The Last Stand, Fantastic Four, and Elektra, has churned out a promising twist that lies dead in the water. The film's exposition is rushed through during the opening credits, which plants us right in media res as soon as the film is ready to go, (bravo.) But then the rest of the movie happens. The shamelessly flat and cliched script is a greater abomination than the Hulk's final opponent. Too much of the film is steeped in silent scenes and such brilliant dialog moments as...

Betty Ross: So, you have everything?
Banner: Yes.
Betty Ross: Okay. what?
Banner: Nothing.
Better Ross: Well, goodnight.
Banner: Yeah.

Come on, man! This is an example of how "less is more" isn't sometimes. This film offers a very simple argument over man's inner nature, power vs control, man vs monster, but we expected that...from the 1970's cartoons. And why was there so much rain? Why does it rain in every scene but NOBODY gets wet?

Hardcore Hulk fans will be pleased by several tiny bits of fan service, including cameos and classic lines, not the mention the badass level of smashing. Although, I feel ashamed for even thinking this, but I wish Michael Bay had been given this project, because then we would have seen ALL of New York explode beneath the verdant behemoth's footsteps.

Hulk runs into the deep dark ditch of being so dramatic that not even the Hulk can trudge through its self-loathing. Had it not been for Tim Blake Nelson's energetic performance, I would have thought the entire cast was directed to take botox and horse-tranquilizers. I saw more motivated acting in the Paris Hilton sex tape.

I will say, the Hulk himself is wonderfully animated, giving very human qualities that seem ripped right from Peter Jackson's King Kong. If you like smashing, there's plenty of that, including the best part of the movie: Hulk versus two "sonic cannons" which stun and stagger him, paralyzing him under a wall of screaming pain. The final fight gets a thumbs up, but I still prefer the three-way between Hulk, Doc Samson and Ghost Rider from the animated series. The action is decent, the settings are lavish and lust (going from Brazil to a New England university,) but the deadpan dialog ruins any chances of sympathizing with the film.

Normally, I would say take it back and do it again, but we already gave Marvel that chance. I say cut it loose now and do to Zak Penn what Bullseye did to Elektra before he releases Captain America, the Avengers and Spyhunters!

This is Neither the Time Nor the Cyber Place

2008-06-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

After weeks of intensive juggling and long calls to tech support, I am proud to officially launch...

www.uncleyo.com

At long last, check out past shows, photo gallery, free tracks from the CD and upcoming show listings from your favorite geek-specific comedian.

And coming soon, Paypal's gonna hook y'all up with "They Never Told Me Not To," my debut CD, by making it possible to buy online.

Well, now that the easy part's done, get ready for the summer anime convention season:

AnimeNEXT June 20th-22nd at Secaucus NJ
Connecticon August 1st-3rd at Hardford Connecticut
Otakon August 8th-10th at Baltimore, Maryland

And not to worry, I'll be back to anime reviews soon as we get back from the family cruise. Expect write-ups on....
The Skull Man (2007)
Paradise Kiss (2005)
Darker Than Black (2007)
Black Lagoon (2007)

Hang tight, guys, it's gonna be a Hellsing of a ride. (puns 4ever).

Indiana Jones and the Scientologist Propaganda

2008-05-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

So, I know it's not really an anime but I have to get this off my chest.

1) Spielberg directed A.I (bad movie)
2) Spielberg and Tom Cruise work together on Minority Report (good movie)
3) Spielberg and Tom Cruise THEN did War of the Worlds together (forgettable)

4) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...how can I put this...?

NO! No, bad Spielberg, bad, that is NOT what a career of over 40 produces, that is NOT how we make movies!

So, Indiana Jones, in a story written by a four-year-old, discovers that El Dorado was actually founded by ALIENS! And the aliens give the gift of transcendental knowledge, knowledge that can put you "in the space between space," or another dimension.

Sounds a little on the Scientology side, wouldn't ya say?

So when Indy assembles the Shrine of the Silver Monkey - whoops, force of habit - I mean the crystal alien skeleton, the aliens come back and blow up their own temple, wedding Indy with long-lost girlfriend #3, and spraying down poetic justice the way a skunk sprays his victims. This film was a madlib of car chases, scenery changes and watered down one-liners. I am rejecting and sending this movie back like a poorly cooked cheeseburger with a big ball of black, springy hair on it. Try it again, Spielberg.

The Cupcake says "no."

Ghoust Hound

2008-05-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

We have come to expect big things from Production I.G, which us such young adult heavy-hitters as Ghost in the Shell and Blood +. For their 20^th anniversary project, the studio reunited the director and head writer of Serial Experiments Lain to once again blur the line between dreams and reality.

The small, rural mountain town of Suiten is loaded with secrets. Three middle school students, whom I refer to as the wise-ass (Masayuki), the badass (Makoto) and the dumb-ass (Taro), discover their commonality in their childhood traumas. Once the boys accidentally cross into the Unseen World of spirits in an attempt to uncover the past about Taro’s kidnapping, it becomes clear that their horrors are the least of their concerns. The spirits have followed them home. The result: astral projection.

The boys’ abstract forms look like malformed transparent blue-tinted Lava lamp babies, but who am I to judge?

Taro, our undisputed main character, is fifteen-years-old and dabbles in lucid dreaming. When he was a child, he and his sister were kidnapped, and only he survived. Now, by unlocking the gate of his memory through hypnotherapy, Taro uses astral projections to find his sister’s spirit. His cousin Makoto is a reserved, sharp-eyed punk who walked in on his father hanging himself. Now his ancient grandmother, a previously influential cult leader, is demanding he inherit the family legacy. Finally, Masayuki, the smirking transfer student from Tokyo, developed acrophobia once a student he tormented jumped from the roof of his school.

Eat your heart out, Shinji! You’ve got nothing on these punks.

Fans of Satoshi Kon will definitely get the most from Ghost Hound: it tosses around complex psychological terminology like a harem anime tosses panty shots. Series director Ryutaro Nakamura ambitiously blends the series’ themes of psychology and Shinto mysticism to create a coherent aesthetic. Memories and flashbacks are drowned out by both static and an underwater blurring effect for both their audio and video: you feel as though you are floating in and out of a dream you cannot control. There are also many elements of horror and suspense, so expect a ton of extreme-close-ups.

Ghost Hound blends complimentary styles including supernatural, psychology, horror, and mystery into one genre that aims to literally blow your mind apart. HOWEVER, despite all the smart-people talk, the story is chronological and easy to follow: you are never totally lost.

That said, the series has much that could have been improved. Because it deals with childhood trauma, expect a ton of flashbacks to the same scenes over and over and then over again. Script-writer Chiaki Konaka (Hellsing, Big-O, Lain) juggles many mysteries at once, and while he develops them all evenly, much of Ghost Hound’s sharp intelligence becomes a double-edge sword resulting in some pretty dull episodes. There are mountains of dense psychological theory cluttering the dialog, and the series could easily have been Freud’s PhD thesis. The intense dialog is contrasted by dream sequences and frequent trips to the Unseen World, which may look cool, but remain disappointingly bland.

By the end of the ride, you do feel as though you have grown with these boys, however. Makoto has gained a heart despite his overt hatred for his family. Masayuki has gained courage in confronting the scientist who sexually possesses both him and his father. And Taro gains the brain he so desperately needs. While Ghost Hound definitely runs on anime rules (trauma, Shinto shrine maidens, family, blaming the past for our present inadequacies) it is difficult to imagine an audience for this show. It is for young adults, and while it has great cliff-hangers, it lacks energy and pizzazz. But, just as with the human brain and our dreams, there are far deeper themes and meanings in Ghost Hound than can be fit into a simple blog-styled review.

Parallel Opposites

2008-05-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

*Disclaimer: There have been too many people with too many ideas for anything in this presentation to be original. Apologies and regards to all those unnamed students and professors who have written about this theory before me. This theory, steeped heavily in the teachings of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, is meant to deepen one's appreciation for quality story-telling, not just in anime.

Set-Up: There are many ways to read deeper and analyze a work of literature such as the Freudian approach, Jungian philosophy, or social standing. One way to study a piece is by implementing the “parallel opposite” theory to relate a character’s relations with other characters to the larger theme of a piece.

Theory: The Parallel Opposite Theory states that major characters in a literary piece serve to compliment, conflict and complete the protagonist as other parts of his/her psyche in order to develop the theme of said work. A P.O. is recognized as a character that functions in some way similar to the protagonist in skills, bloodline, manners, reputation, goals, or (to a lesser extent) appearance while also holding characteristics that contradict the protagonist’s.

2 Primary Archetypes:

I) Competitor – Those who conflict with the protagonist.

Villain – The most common archetype. In stories like these, the antagonist is somehow linked to the protagonist and stands in the high tower, plotting and awaiting his/her demise. In cases like this, Jungian philosophy is an obvious adjunct analytical tool because of its study of the yin-yang. The villain may represent the hero’s darker side or potential for evil. To conquer this potential for evil, the hero must face his/her “darker side” and destroy it. So long as it exists, it will challenge and conflict the hero; (Just as certain emotions can certainly do when we ignore or hide them.)

Ex: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader from Star Wars/ Neo and Agent Smith from The Matrix Trilogy

Fellow Student – In this case, the protagonist and the P.O. character have similar reputations and always stand in each other’s way. This often bleeds into the villain archetype. The significant difference between the two is that the Fellow Student’s absence causes a rift and small death within the protagonist. They exist as a peaceful yin-yang and benefit from the competition, but crumble once separated: to lose one’s competition is to lose a piece of one’s self.

Ex: Achilles and Hector from Homer’s The Iliad

II) Companion – Those who assist the protagonist.

Sage – The parallel opposite teaches the protagonist knowledge to complete his/her quest such as a secret trade, skill, or by imparting a key item. Often paired up with the Fellow Student archetype.

Ex: Yoda and Obiwan from Star Wars

Lover – A fairly new trend in literature, this parallel opposite is another embodiment of the yin-yang from Jungian and Chinese philosophy. Their union is often viewed as the anima or animus of the protagonist’s psyche. If a lover P.O. archetype is going to be used in a story, he/she is most likely going to be captured in the beginning, making the entire story a “sacred marriage” quest as described by Joseph Campbell.

Ex: Odysseus and Penelope of Homer’s Odyssey

Helper (Partner) – Most likely the least specific among the companion category, the helper works well to contrast the protagonist and offer readers a different view on the situation. Often the traveling aid on the quest, a helper can be comic relief, an enthusiastic rookie, an honored veteran or even an assigned partner from the office. What separates this sub-type is that the partner often indirectly presents the view of the writer against the protagonist’s views; he/she is rarely an allegorical section of the protagonist as he/she is a tool for opinion or plot.

Ex: Horatio in Hamlet, Han Solo in Star Wars, Samwise in Lord of the Rings

*Twin – Often used in conjunction with the Helper, Fellow Student and Lover archetype, the twin parallel opposite is proof that the story (or that character’s role in the story) cannot function without the other half. For example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are never separated in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, because, without the other, they lack substance enough to be real characters. When Harry Met Sally, because its plot is about the relationship between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, to film does not happen with just one half of the title. Take away one, and you destroy the piece as a whole.

* In many cases, the Twin and the Helper act as aids to the protagonist, though they may not always be major characters. Such is the case of Merry and Pippin from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic.

Use as a Plot Device: Writers may implement a parallel opposite for conflict and depth in the story. It is most effective when archetypes cross over. For example, what happens when the Sage becomes the story’s villain? Or when the Lover is a Fellow Student who refuses to let the protagonist have the last word? Confusing conflict is the key to keeping an audience geared toward a story’s development.

Example of use in To Kill a Mockingbird:

First, identify the story’s protagonist and theme: Scout and racism.

Second, we find supporting characters who move with the plot: Atticus Finch and Calpurnia.

What we can say is that, to Scout, Atticus and Calpurnia serve as the Sage archetypes that give her a full view of racism, how it affects a white family as well as a black family when Atticus takes on his famous case later in the book. Atticus and Calpurnia act as parallel opposites in their relationship, white and black, male and female, the kind of selfless union that Atticus strives for in his standing up against racism. Thus, because of her upbringing in a home without racism, Scout has to potential to rise above it.

Hatenko Yugi or The Threesome That Never Was

2008-05-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, you need to watch a bad anime just to heighten your appreciation for the FullMetal Alchemists, the Cowboy Bebops and the Ghost in the Shells that raise your expectations. This show, this Hatenko Yugi, was short enough (ten episodes) to not grind on my nerves too badly.

I give every new series 5-7 episodes to see if I am intrigued enough to continue viewing. More often than not, if a series isn’t groundbreaking, I’m watching it to find out where it’s going.

Hatenko Yugi is about a three-man party: the magician protégé Rahzel, the silent gun-slinging albino Alzeid, and…the other guy name Baroqueheat. Basically, they traverse the land, looking for odd jobs, adventuring, and helping small children cope with their time-consuming flashbacks.

The first episode had very cynical humor coupled with the pacing of base jumping: I thought it’d be good. Two of our characters are given a simple task of eliminating a maiden’s ghost from a forest path. As the ghost goes into her life story, our two characters ignore her and play in the dirt. It episode ran fast and ended in fireworks. There was no set-up: none. And by the time our main character Rahzel had “solved the mystery” we asked ourselves “what mystery?”

The world is inconsistent in the ways of a quickly plotted, poorly thought out RPG. There’s “magic,” but no system. There’s a “military,” but no nation supporting it. The only rule I can glean is that our main characters DO NOT LOSE FIGHTS. The closest thing to an antagonist is the friendly love/hate relationship between Al, Heat, and Rahzel.

Hatenko Yugi is a character-based story, meaning you are watching to see how these characters will develop. Essentially, they form a triad with subtle sexual tension of “which man will she choose” or “what the Hell is that thing on Heat’s arm.” Probably what drew me to keep watching was the polarization between Alzeid and Heat, the calm and the energetic, the gun and the “arm/sword/wackadoo” the pale and the tan. While not nearly as dichotomized as Mugen and Jin from Samurai Champloo, both men do have something of a friendly competition going, but more for K.O.’s of NPC’s than over Rahzel.

Though there are three instances of two-part episodes, the show does not require (nor merit) you to watch every episode in any particular order. When it concludes, and Rahzel is set up to make her difficult decision, the series cops out to maintain the status quo in hopes of a second season.

I feel like I’ve taken a bullet by watching the entire series. Do not be distracted by the blind-folded teddy bear or Rahzel’s illogical costume changes: if you see Hatenko Yugi being sold at a convention, ignore it and move on.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (not) Alone

2008-05-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

When I was fifteen, I spent a summer borrowing a friend’s VHS tapes of subtitled Evangelion. I was ready for the robots and the boobies, but those are just light reflecting off the tip of an iceberg that was years beyond anything in animation. To this day, I wish more people ignorant to anime could digest and discuss Eva as proof that animation goes beyond Spongebob.

With Evangelion: 1.0, we may yet have a chance. Hideaki Anno has rereleased his touchstone creation through three new hour-and-a-half-long movies which hope to condense the 26-episode series. How’d he do it? By adding visual but sacrificing story details.

At first glance, 1.0 looks like a recap movie. But Anno and his team have put a fresh coat of computer-graphic-tasting paint over his creation, adding immense 3D graphics and details to every last nut and bolt of Nerv’s HQ. Scenes with vague backgrounds have been revisited and placed in locker rooms, jazz clubs, elevator shafts, and military prep rooms, grounding viewers into paying even more attention to the dialog. Action scenes have abandoned the framing-and-flashback technique into straight-forward fights? angels now bleed, spark and then explode. With today’s computers, Anno has added very complex lighting effects, which help create a greater contrast between domestic and action scenes.

This revision of Eva is loaded with new dialogs, scenes, shots and colors which develop Shinji’s story by putting every scene, at last, into a coherent context.

That’s right, I said coherent Eva. I know, I was surprised too!

This may be the best thing to happen to Eva since Prozac. For the first time, the story is told chronologically and tersely. Anno’s reworking of the script has eliminated the space and time disorientation that kept the original cut of Eva enigmatic. Hopefully, Evangelion 1.0 will resurrect the series for a new generation of Otaku, allowing potential fans to dedicate an evening (rather than an entire semester) to watching and, more importantly, understanding Eva.

On the downside, Eva fans may not be comfortable with the hasty pacing and Anno’s choices to completely cut out fluff and humor scenes. Some of the surrealism and existentialism remains, but it does not interrupt the action or the plot. Can I get a “Hallelujah?” Story-wise, we still follow Shinij, though he remains as meek and spineless as ever. Evangelion 1.0 had one goal to establish, though: to focus on Shinji’s fear of reaching out and taking responsibility. By the end of this first installment, you feel like he has made a valiant effort.

There may yet be hope for Shinji…unless you’ve already seen Death and Rebirth.

I think Hideaki Anno has gone back, tightened up some loose ends, edited down, and put significant thought into this terse update of his masterpiece. Congratulations.

Slayers - Spells, Swords and Slapstick at its Best

2008-05-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Every fantasy anime falls into many formulaic pitfalls: spells with English names, guys with big swords and even bigger hair, and demon beast resurrections. Slayers, the mid-nineties classic anime, has long ago been recognized as the standard for fantasy/action/comedy. There are many good reasons for this.

Newer fans may be interested to learn that Slayers was announced last month to begin production of a new season, hopefully airing next year. So the excitement has actually yet to begin. Think of this review as bringing an old friend into a new light before that friend is exhumed and revamped by today's computers to remove those unsightly wrinkles and mummy bandages.

Explaining the plot to Slayers would waste more time than the filler arcs of Naruto. Simply put, Lina Inverse is the young, powerful sorceress who can claim more adversaries than Vash the Stampede. She and her badass (though thick-headed) swordsman companion, Gourry, traverse the land avoiding bandits, robbing from the rich to give to their stomachs, and blowing up everything else in between. Every thirteen episodes, an evil monster is reborn to destroy the world until Lina smashes it.

The first season, a convenient boxset sold by Funimation, can be found pretty cheaply these days, which only adds to the bargain of owning this series. Slayers, though slightly younger than Record of Lodoss War, plays through standard adventures with a barrage of zany characters that grow on you, delivering as many laughs as it does explosions. It features that old school cell-framed animation that your grandpappy remembers, which only contributes to the vintage pacing. One of my favorite situations takes place in a city populated by self-proclaimed “champions of justice.” As people charge forward to collect the bounty on Lina’s head, she and Gourry take turns keeping track of how many “champions of justice” they blow away in one blow, knocking down adversaries until Lina proves herself not to be the bad guy. Which is like selling pot to your parole officer.

What I love about the characters is how stereo-typical they can be while breaking the molds at the same time. Though morality is very clear-cut (good versus evil) anyone who proclaims themselves a force of either ultimately turns out to be false. Initially, the homunculus Zelgadas (eat your heart out Moonlight Knight) quickly shifts from villain to ally. The Red Priest Rezo is a world-renowned White Mage/Mother Theresa only until he can cure his own blindness. And best of all, Lina and Gourry never claim to be good or evil, just hungry.

I’m a sucker for old anime humor and mayhem on a medieval scale. Sometimes the pacing brings the action to a rough halt, especially when Lina explains the intricacies of the three schools of magic, but these scenes are few and far between. Slayers loves nothing more than blowing up the monster and getting to the next one. The voice acting is a very early job, one of Crispin Freeman and Lisa Ortiz’s firsts. Just for that, I’m gonna cut them a lot of slack on the mediocre production value.

Not the fantasy genre rewriter that Scrapped Princess turned out to be, but a Hellsing of a lot funnier. Grab your friends and dive into Slayers. Okay, so start at episode five, then grab your friends and dive in.

Baccano!!1

2008-05-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

After watching all thirteen-episodes of Baccaono, a question comes to mind: why has no one watched this show? The mafia of Prohibition Aged America – immortal alchemists - bank robbers – guns – sadistic and graphic torture – broads and dames – and that’s just the first episode! This testosterone-fueled ride spanning more than two (or two-hundred) years has more kinetic energy than a barrel of gasoline-soaked fireworks.

Baccano, Italian for “cacophonous noise,” follows a cast of over ten well-crafted and diverse characters across two seemingly separate stories. By the end of the opening credits, you learn how perfectly the title fits. The opening theme, Gun’s&Roses, is a rhythmic brass drive that rivals Tank! for smoothest opening theme. Fans of Guy Richie’s film Snatch will enjoy the mono-chromatic close-ups of the characters.

Did we lose the plot amidst the noise? Well, on one hand is the mystery of New York mafia playboy Dallas LAST NAME, whose sudden disappearance expedites a feud between crime bosses. On the other, the cross-continental train ride aboard the treacherous Flying Pussyfoot bubbles into a powder keg of violence as four colliding, gun-wielding parties struggle for control of the train and its passengers. There’s also an alchemist cult crossing the Atlantic during the 1700’s, but that’s just baccano…

What separates this series from every other anime experience of 2007 is its groundbreaking slaughter and rebirth of story-telling structure. Baccano jumps around time with a blur that would make Quinten Tarrantino’s head spin. But it does this between two stories! Disorienting? Yes. Rewarding? Beyond your expectations.

Tarrantino would praise Baccano for its graphic violence, barrage of badass characters, and structure that holds the same logic as a Bingo board. I do not hesitate to say that the blood-level is gratuitous and even an R rating would be generous. Therein lies the problem in establishing a fan base: even desensitized viewers today can be unnerved by Baccaono’s absurd level of violence, bloodshed and torture.

Without the violence, however, the impeccable humor (both character and situation-driven) would not shine through as brightly. You may cringe at Ladd Russo’s gleeful puppetry of his mangled comrade’s skeleton, or you may be taken by gallows laughter. Either way, the scenes move with such breakneck velocity, they skip from heavy-handed to light-hearted with a masterful grace. The darkness of the comedy plays off well with the tongue-in-cheek severity of the bloodshed.

The series struggles to find a main character and, in fact, dedicates its entire first episode to guessing who should be the central protagonist. But finding the central character in Baccano is like naming the badass in Bleach: it’s not gonna happen, but it’s fun as Hell to wonder. I cannot mention my favorite dozen characters without leaving out my second-favorite dozen, so I will sum up the bombardment of amazing personas with four words: Sweet Suzumiya, Rail Tracer.

Even with its cluttered narrative, Baccano delivers, brilliantly wrapping itself up in a finale that is chaotic, disorienting and unquestionably satisfying. Strap yourselves in, ‘cause this bumpy ride makes an offer you can’t refuse.

Shigofumi Reviewed

2008-05-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Shigofumi

Remember when you first realize anime could grapple with real world issues and deep philosophical issues while America spent its time resurrecting Tom and Jerry? Shigofumi, a bizarre little show overloaded with social commentary, was licensed by America after the third episode premiered in Japan. This unprecedentedly fast licensing led a lot of us to believe Shigofumi was going to be a cut above the rest.

Shigofumi follows a deadpan, reserved girl named Fumi and her partner/multi-tool Kanaka as they deliver shigofumis, or letters from the dead, to their desired recipients. Did your mother commit suicide and wanted to tell you it’s not your fault? Send a shigofumi. A fun twist is that, while Fumi is technically dead, everybody in the real world can see her.

Fumi’s job has her travelling a lot, leaving the show’s structure to seem disconnected and episodic. Yet as it progresses Shigofumi slowly reveals the true mystery and connections between all the characters. In fact, the show almost surpasses itself in intrigue when a character recognizes Fumi during one of her missions, revealing a fact from her past that would compel even the most taciturn viewer to stay tuned.

While Fumi’s outfit is slightly reminiscent of Boogiepop Phamton and the show features the abstract philosophies of Serial Experiments Lain, Shigofumi takes issues such as high school harassment, suicide, school shootings and child abuse and presents them in a magnificently crafted new light. It is heavy-handed, but far easier to follow and thus, much more rewarding. Even with its daring approach, the humorous episodes of Shigofumi become uniquely heart-warming and sentimental while skipping back into traumatic black humor with the grace of a falling feather.

This series is fearless in its portrayal of criminals, eccentrics, victims and bullies alike. In short, I cannot remember being this overwhelmed by the poignancy of an anime’s message in recent history. So long as you do not watch the final, thirteenth episode, you will be overwhelmed.

Furries - Furries Everywhere!

2008-04-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

All-Purpose Cultural Cat-girl Nuku-nuku, Outlaw Star, Escaflowne, Darkstalkers…

Anime fans are always ready for cat-girls; it’s just part of the territory. Recently, however, the cats have been devoured by anime’s newest popular rush: anthropomorphic foxes. It seems ever since Naruto emerged, companies have been milking this hairy teat by using more and more fox furries instead of cat-girls.

The fundamental paradox is that there isn’t much of a difference in the final product.

The Kitsune, or fox spirit, has a rich history in Japanese folklore of being wise and powerful tricksters who often fall in love with humans. For this season of anime, two new series have emerged which share the theme of “domestic furry:” Kanokon and Wagaya no Oinarisama. In both series, a girl who is secretly a fox spirit with elemental powers becomes attached to a younger boy and dedicates him/herself to the boy’s protection.

For me, these two series express the duality of a decent series, and a painful series. Kanokon is about a fox-girl whose dream is simply to have sex with a 13?-year-old boy, merge inside his body, and become a more powerful being. There was quite a bit of hate circulating when Kanokon first emerged, and it is quite well deserved. This is a flat series of fan-service, panty shots and themes that make me more uncomfortable than Elfen Lied, and that is explicit child nudity and disembowelment!

On the other hand, Wagaya no Oinarisama has become my cleanser for this season, meaning it’s my average series driven by light humor and a decent fight per episode which wipes my mind clean from the mature and intense series. In it, a venerable fox spirit, nicknamed Kuu, attaches herself to two young brothers who happen to be the target of constant demon harassment. Kuu is wise, unquestionably powerful and selfish, and ignorant of the modern world. Episode three, for example, sends Kuu wandering through and dominating the male students of a high school, which was pretty funny. Another interesting spin is that Kuu’s human form swaps genders, thus confusing all archetypes I use to judge characters. Nothing spectacular, but Wagaya non Oinarisama is a fun, easy-to-watch series that I recommend using to introduce friends into new anime.

Nevertheless, I will point out, for those of us grieving the loss of our calico cuties, the foxes are not fundamentally different from cat-girls. Either case, you have an immature, sexually charged “cute” girl who invades a passive, young boy’s life. And, if I may point out, Spice and Wolf didn’t change the character type at all because the wolf ears looked exactly the same as a cat’s.

Cat-girls, fox-girls, oh my. Y’know what I’m waiting for? Bear-girls! Why bother with cute and risqué when you can be destructive and over-bearing?

~Yo out.

Bastard! Epic-Haired Fantasy for Metal Fans

2008-04-22T10:37:00.001-07:00

When I see a 6-episode mini-series sitting alone in the pre-watched $10 bin at my local EA Games and I’ve got a free Friday night, I like to take a chance. When I brought Bastard! before my tribunal of friends at both high school and college, it was met with overwhelming approval for being one of those shows so bad, but so reluctant to take itself seriously, it’s amazing!

Bastard! is an epic big-haired, high-fantasy anime with occasional nudity and imposing sexuality, hence its mature rating. It follows the very basic plot of “evil group seeking to resurrect god of destruction” until the greater evil, the wizard Dark Schneider is released from his imprisonment within a small boy. Dark Schneider is Chaotic Neutral and has the imposing sexual drive and uncompromising ego of Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones combined. And he shoots out lightning from his hands! And gets it on with almost every female character. What’s not to love?!

During his quest to re-conquer the world (as he was about to do before his imprisonment) Dark Schneider and the young girl who released him, Yoko, set off to reunite his Four Lords of Havoc (including a ninja master and a high-level half-elf lightning sorceress). Along the way, they encounter epic-level beasts such as Beholders, minotaurs, vampire, werewolves, and the greatest slime of all time. Gary Gygax would be proud.

While not a super-deep anime (which it never claims to be), Bastard! is unparalleled in its hilarity and heavy metal references: all the spell names are heavy metal bands or at least references to a more metal time. Bastard! is the illegitimate child of the music Dragon Force and The Darkness.

It’s Slayers for boys! It’s Vampire Hunter D with a sense of humor! It’s everything horrible and amazing about early ‘90’s anime. Bastard! being just as over-the-top as anything from the fantasy genre, rolls a critical hit for cultic awesomeness!

Night Wizard Reviewed

2008-04-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Night Wizard – Series Review

~Uncle Yo

The last time Japan made an anime out of a tabletop role-playing game, they gave us Record of Lodoss War, which to this day is still my means to break friends into both anime and Dungeons and Dragons. So, naturally, I entered Night Wizard with high expectations.

Early last October Hal Film Maker Studio released the stand-alone, thirteen episode series about a team of modern day wizards (teenagers with custom weaponry) who fight to gather seven jewels of virtue and save the world from darkness: your basic action/comedy/fantasy mad lib plot. Despite following a basic formula, however, Night Wizard is clever for reversing your expectations.

We meet our basic main character, hard-fighting and hard-lucked Renji Hiiragi as he unveils his giant sword (naturally) and lays waste on an army of skeletons dressed as clowns. Renji and a small assortment of wizards use their flashy weaponry to stave off an invasion of Emulators, or monsters, from marching into our world and resurrecting their god of destruction. By the end of episode one our rules are easily established: wizards smash Emulators. In a predictable twist, our newfound friend, kind-hearted loner and supposed orphan Elis Shiho, is unveiled to be a wizard too. Her bracelet has seven open materia - whoops, I meant jewel - slots for seven jewels of virtue. Within moments, a new team of wizards featuring Elis, Renji and crossbow-wielding Shinto priestess Kureha is formed.

Every episode takes the characters to a unique location that surprised even me: places like Elis’ subconscious, ancient Babylon, the moon, and various others. For a short series of thirteen episodes, it covers a lot of ground. The comedy is standard character-based while Renji is always poised to provide slapstick and “that’s-gotta-hurt” humor. Do not expect any direct manga symbols; director Yusuke Yamamoto (Welcome to NHK) keeps a very consistent world, and quite a colorful one too. The animation is seamless, bright and even the surreal moments are eye candy.

Though the series is generic, magical-team-boss-fight-per-episode format, it does plant several issues of Machiavellian loyalty early on and pays off every loose end, a credit to series writer Ayuna Fujisaki (Aria the Animation). I did not see the ending as ridiculous, rather more of a satisfying puzzle that fit perfectly.

Thought by no means the next big thing in anime, Night Wizards is action-packed and humorous, and the toddler-level message of friendship-conquers-all is played off in a mature manner. I recommend this series to any Inuysha, Rune Soldier, or Slayers fans. This series works great among friends rather than a personal viewing. A statement about friendship, an altogether satisfying ride, Night Wizard earns a borderline four-out-of-five.