Monthly Archive for July, 2006
New Nanoha project in the works? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a third TV series, but I have a nagging feeling it’s just an OAV. Hopefully, I’m wrong.
While cleaning out some old files last night, I noticed I still had the last two episodes of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi sitting on my hard drive. After rewatching them, my feelings about the show have softened somewhat. The ending still feels a little empty, however, since, if the final episode is actually intended to be the sixth episode, all of the important things that happen within seem to have little to no lasting effect on the overall story or the characters involved. I know it’s a reset, “life goes on” ending of sorts, but it still doesn’t make much sense when you take the episode shuffling into account - especially given how careful the show was about maintaining continuity otherwise.
Call for bloggers? I’ve long figured it’s just a matter of time before we see an anime blogging panel at a major industry convention. The reason it hasn’t happened yet, I think, is because the anime blogging community is still quite young, and was a fairly decentralized place prior to the launch of Blogsuki. And, let’s face it: as great as Animenano is, it’s still only a couple of months old - and the vast majority of the blogs listed there are less than a year old. So, yeah, it’s a young community, us few old-timers notwithstanding. Next con season, perhaps?
One of my best friends plays the theremin. He also plays the Legend of Zelda. On the theremin.
Oh, and one last thing…
Dori and Gura are so totally guys.
Or, to channel some egghead, “Japan’s #1 Brand: Why I’m Not a Jaded Anime Fan.”
Yeah, I used that trick in school, too.
When I last visited High School Girls on this blog, I didn’t have much to say. In reality, I did have something to say… I just wasn’t sure how to say it. Now that I’ve finished the series, however…
I think it’s fair to classify High School Girls as an intentionally bad show. Obviously, it’s not the first of its kind in that regard. Some intentionally bad shows work. Others tank. Why some shows tank while others succeed, I don’t know. However, I think I can understand why High School Girls works (for me, at least): it toes the line. In other words, it doesn’t go out of its way to be blatantly bad, yet doesn’t try to be overly subtle about things, either. It embraces its badness without being full-on parody. I suppose you could say the show is just kind of goofy.
Of course, whether you see the good in the bad is very much a personal thing. Even I would self-consciously think, “Why am I watching this? I can’t admit to watching this. They’re all going to laugh at me.” Of course, disliking the show is one thing. Being embarrassed for actually enjoying it, however? Don’t be ridiculous, Cousin Larry! We’re anime fans, after all. We go out looking for the lowest common denominator. And then we devour it. High School Girls is a wonderful reminder that, yes, even the lowest common denominator provides life-giving sustenance.
Why?
When the show first premiered, the talk was all about the fanservice - the obvious, in your face, bordering-on-disgusting-yet-strangely-compelling-because-it’s-kinda-funny-fanservice. Anyone who stuck with the show would soon discover, however, that the fanservice wasn’t really the point. In fact, it all but vanishes a few episodes in. The first and final episodes probably contained more “true” fanservice than every other episode combined. So, what looked to be nothing more than a throw-away fanservice vehicle early on turned out to be everything but. Rather, the real draw was the dumb humor.
Early episodes were actually a bit hit-or-miss, as the dumb humor was more “dumb dumb”. That is, it was as annoying as it was funny. As the show picked up steam, however, it transformed into something surprisingly funny. “Silly dumb”, if you will. By its final act, it was classic farce comedy. I was very much surprised. For all of those who wrote off the show early on: you missed some good stuff.
Still, what makes High School Girls different from other farce comedies? It plays games with its genre, for one thing. For example, what’s a high school show without romance? Where’s the romance in High School Girls? Nowhere to be found, really. The show is framed in a fashion that focuses solely on the girls and their relationships with each other. The thing with Ayano and Shimo[ano?]tani-kun is just a gag. The girls may pine for love every now and then, but that’s all it is: pining. Even when they do have the opportunity to get close to a guy, they find a way to blow it. Or scare him away. Or make his life miserable.
Because, after all, they’re losers. Lovable losers, but losers nonetheless. In the final episode, as the girls contemplate why they’re the only members of their class present at the school’s culture festival, it’s revealed that, “the quiet girls are at some doujinshi convention (NERDS!), and the loud girls would never show their face at something like a culture festival.” That’s all fine and dandy, girls, but what does that say about you?
Losers, indeed. Each girl fits a stereotype of sorts - but not the stereotypes one would expect. And, furthermore, there’s nothing particularly “cute” about them. They’re in no way appealing. They’re outcasts - a point the “looking back” episode hammers on. And how do outcasts survive?
They stick together.
So, what does this have to do with not being a jaded anime fan? Well…
… I think you pretty much have to be a lost cause to appreciate this sort of stupidity.
Continuing from last time…
Binbou Shimai Monogatari - Geez, how maudlin can it get? The premise is well-suited to drama, but we get flowers and teddy bears and candy canes and… ugh. Nothing wrong with that, of course. It’s just that it’s a bit… much. I have a soft spot for this animation style, however (it’s a shame Toei is trying to do it on the cheap), and it’s got Maaya Sakamoto. Cheap sentimentality is good for the soul, I suppose. And it’s only ten episodes. Might as well.
Tonagura - If you remove Honey & Clover from the equation (since it’s a known quality and all), this has the potential to be my favorite show of the season. Seriously. When it comes to these high school romantic comedy fanservice vehicles, it’s perfectly normal to have low expectations. So, even though I had heard good things about Tonagura from people I trust, I was still a bit skeptical. A few minutes into the first episode, however, and I was very much on board. I’m not entirely sure how to praise the show but to say it’s “well-done”. The direction is competent (despite it being the Director’s first show!), the fanservice is plentiful, but with purpose, and the characters are plenty likable. Even the pervy male lead. And Kazuki? I’m in love!
Zero no Tsukaima - JC Staff delivers once again. Initially, I was wary of the fantasy setting, but it’s played so tongue-in-cheek that I couldn’t help but get in to it. Goofy fun all the way around, with hints of a deeper story, and a touch of fanservice. Can’t complain about that, really. And Louise’s two parts tsun tsun to one part dere dere is just the right balance I look for in her sort of character. Oh, and it helps that Saito is a jackass.
Chokotto Sister - I need a shower.
So… quite a load I’m taking on this season. Honey & Clover, NHK ni Youkoso, Binbou Shimai Monogatari, Chokotto Sister (hey, I never said I didn’t like it!), Tonagura, Zero no Tsukaima, and Bokura ga Ita (most likely). And, of course, I’m still watching plenty of shows from last season. Looking on the bright side, the vast majority of this season’s pick-ups run for 13 episodes or less, so once October rolls around, I’ll be able to hit the reset button and take a breath.
I’m not one to make a big deal out of being an anime fan in real life. Still, it’s not something I hide. I’ll speak freely of the subject if asked. And, of course, I publish this very blog under my real name. Any potential employer, ex-girlfriend, or long lost classmate could discover my not-so-secret dark secret with minimal effort. There’s no reason to be ashamed, of course. I might as well apologize for being a birdwatcher.
That said, it’s hard to fault people for thinking anime is nothing but Pokemon and porn. After all, Pokemon and porn have been anime’s public face outside of Japan for quite some time now. Those of us who are dedicated anime fans know better, of course. Still, anime is very much a niche pursuit, important to only a select few, so why blame those who don’t know for, well… not knowing?
I often wonder, however, how my anime fandom is percieved by friends who, not knowing much of anime themselves, know me well enough to realize I have little affinity for things like Pokemon and graphic tentacle porn. Are they perplexed by my choice of hobbies?
I’m just now diving into the Summer season. I’ve been preoccupied with continuing Spring shows, I suppose. Still, I’ve managed to check out a few new shows this past week…
Honey & Clover - More of the same. Of course, when it comes to Honey & Clover, who could complain about more of the same? The only thing I can complain about is the fact there’s only eleven episodes remaining.
Muteki Kanban Musume - It seems every season has a couple of wacky shows that go unnoticed by audiences outside Japan. This strikes me as one of those shows. There’s a reason these shows go unnoticed: they’re weird. And Muteki Kanban Musume is clearly weird. Is it funny? Maybe. I’ll admit to cracking up here and there while watching the first episode, but for every joke that worked, there were ten jokes that fell flat. Unfortunately, I get the feeling the first episode was a microcosm of the entire series - that is, every gag featured in those first 24 minutes will be repeated ad nauseam for the remainder of the series. Eventually, you’re left wondering why you ever laughed at it in the first place. Thanks for a fun night, Miki. There’s a cab waiting downstairs.
Tsuyokiss - I haven’t felt this conflicted about a new show in long time. A few minutes in, I almost stopped watching. That rarely happens unless something is profoundly bad. Were those first few minutes profoundly bad? You bet. Did it get better? You bet. Will I keep watching? I honestly can’t say. H-game conversions have a tendency to get off to rough starts, and I can think of several that had debuts as atrocious (if not more) as Tsuyokiss, yet still managed to recover after a few episodes. I think Tsuyokiss has a lot going for it in that regard, but I have to admit I’m spooked by the giant cast and the heavy pandering to fans of the original material. I’ll give it another episode or two, at least.
NHK ni Youkoso - Like a lot of people, I’m always a little apprehensive about new GONZO shows. It’s not that GONZO produces one stinker after another, necessarily. Rather, I’ve just had some bad experiences. Still, GONZO is a competent studio, and they’re working with some great material this time around, so… even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile? In other words, this is good. Really good. It took until about the commercial break of the first episode before I realized that, but once I did, everything sort of clicked. It kind of makes previous otaku-themed shows look especially silly.
New stuff I still need to check out: Binbou Shimai Monogatari, Zero no Tsukaima, and Chokotto Sister.
UPDATE: Oh, and add Tonagura to that list. It has a military otaku loli character, after all. I nearly forgot, but Momotato reminded me. He stays on top of these things so I don’t have to!
That sucked.
At some point overnight, Akismet went bonkers, got stuck in an infinite loop, and nuked the database. Major kudos to the support team at Dreamhost for diagnosing the problem (after pounding away at it for most of the day). There was little I could do on my end.
Unfortunately, all comments posted yesterday have died and gone to Heaven. May they rest in peace.