Monthly Archive for December, 2006Page 2 of 3

Year in Review: Canvas 2

11 Comments |
December 24, 2006
| Television

7. Canvas 2

I like bishoujo game adaptations, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Why? Because the average bishoujo game adaptation is just a slice-of-life show stocked with pretty girls. As you probably already know, I like slice-of-life. And I suppose I like pretty girls.

However, bishoujo game adaptations - both good and bad - are some of the most forgettable of shows. If you asked me to list all of the bishoujo game adaptations I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in my years as an anime fan, the list would be long. But if you then asked me to list those bishoujo game adaptations that count amongst my all-time favorites, I’d be lost. I like ‘em, but I don’t like ‘em that much.

So, what’s so special about Canvas 2, you might ask? I don’t know, to be honest. I’ve been struggling with that question for some time now. Perhaps it’s special because it’s a bishoujo game adaptation that doesn’t necessarily feel like a bishoujo game adaptation? I know I’m the one trying to sing the praises of the show here, but as to why I feel the way I do about it, your guess is as good as mine. I suppose you could just read what I’ve written about the show in the past and figure it out for yourself. I’m sure the answer is in there somewhere.

It is good stuff, however. And I think that, if more bishoujo game adaptations followed the lead of Canvas, I’d value them a lot more than I do now. It’s a good role model.

Perhaps that’s it?

Year in Review: Honey & Clover 2

7 Comments |
December 23, 2006
| Television

8. Honey & Clover 2

If you had a time machine and could travel back a year, you’d be able to catch the 2005 Year in Review in this very same space. Yes, I know the blog didn’t even exist at that time. Use your imagination. You’ve already conjured up a time machine, after all.

But, anyway, if you went back a year and took a look at how I ranked my favorite shows of 2005, I’m almost certain you’d find Honey & Clover at the top of the list. So, it’s with reluctance that I rank the show’s second season near the bottom of this year’s list. As I wrote in the introduction for this year’s review, however, with so many amazing shows airing in Japan over the past twelve months, the difference between fourth and eighth place is not so great.

Of course, the second season of Honey & Clover is, essentially, one episode of recap and eleven episodes of conclusion - a (practically) seamless continuation of the first season, delayed by nine months of snow and cherry blossoms. There were some small changes, however. A shift in art style. A more serious tone. Oh, and a noticeable lack of dancing hot dogs.

It’s because the second season is almost entirely conclusion, however, that it’s as exhausting as it is enjoyable. For all of its serious drama, Honey & Clover is a breezy show. Even the name sounds breezy (”Honey & Clover”, ahh… refreshing!”). Yet, the second season is decidedly somber in tone much of the time. How could Honey & Clover be so damn depressing?

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. After all, Honey & Clover is, for all basic purposes, a coming of age story. A bumpy ride is to be expected. Those of us who have experienced similar trials and tribulations in life can identify, I think. That’s the power of Honey & Clover. It speaks to our generation. Like Mayama, we’ll one day succeed. Like Ayu, we’ll one day fail. Like Morita, we’ll struggle at times. Like Hagu, we’ll stand at the edge of the abyss. And like Takemoto, we’re always moving forward.

But where are we headed?

Year in Review: Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

12 Comments |
December 22, 2006
| Television

9. Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

Is it possible for a person to fall in love with a fictional, two-dimensional anime character? Obviously, it’s a question most “normal” people would have a difficult time wrapping their head around, not to mention answering. But for an anime fan, I suspect the answer would be something akin to, “Is the Pope Catholic?”

That’s not to say all anime fans want a Asahina Mikuru of their own (indeed, some of you sick bastards would prefer, say, a Suzumiya Haruhi), but I think it’s normal for anime fans to fancy characters who exhibit the same personality traits they seek in real life partners. I wouldn’t mind an Izumi Noa of my own, for example.

But, to see a reflection of one’s true desires in a character and to “fall in love” with a character are two entirely different things. Not everyone goes the extra mile. I know I don’t.

Well, not all that often, at least.

Akiba Rika, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I know you’re dying, but that just makes me want to protect and care for you. I know you’re a tsundere, but I dig tsunderes. I know you’re selfish, but I realize that’s just how you show affection. I know you’re pragmatic, but deep down, you’re clearly a romantic. Underneath your tough outer shell, hardened by situation and circumstance, may lie the “real” Akiba Rika, but I love you just as much for the Akiba Rika you show the world as I do for the Akiba Rika you keep to yourself. You’re an incredible person from head to toe.

And, clearly, I should spend more time doing nanpa at the hospital.

For me, Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora is all about Akiba Rika - it’s difficult to see anything else - but I submit that the show’s charms are plenty. For many, it’s all about Tanizaki Akiko. For others, it’s all about Ezaki Yuichi. For some, it may be all about Natsume Goro. Or Tsukasa in a Zebra mask. They’re the world that swirls around Rika. They’re the people who care for her… the people who love her in their own, special way.

Everyone loves Akiba Rika. Perhaps you do, too?

Year in Review: NANA

6 Comments |
December 21, 2006
| Television

10. NANA

A couple nights ago, as I laid sprawled out on the couch watching a particularly emotional episode of Bokura ga Ita, my roommate made the comment that he couldn’t “understand” shoujo. “But I think I understand the appeal,” he added. “Soap operas are addictive.”

Indeed.

But, you know, just as soap operas are a dime a dozen, so are shoujo series. Thumb through a shoujo anthology at the newsstand, and you’ll see the same thing repeated again and again: the same premise, the same characters, the same art style, the same roses and flourish and mush and… oh dear, I hope the Family Mart next door stocks testosterone in a bottle. But, occasionally, a shoujo series comes along that, for whatever reason, shines brighter than all the rest. And, if the author is lucky, lucrative publishing deals, movie deals, merchandising deals, and a swarm of salivating fangirls (with deep pockets) will follow.

Oh, and an anime adaptation is fine, too.

So, if the NANA anime is well-received, it should come as no surprise. After all, it’s just the latest in a long series of successes for a popular and profitable franchise. But, just because something is a commercial success doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “perfect”, and it’s indeed true that the NANA anime has its flaws. Some of these flaws are a reflection of the original material, of course. The narrative IS uneven at times, no matter how you slice it and serve it. Hachi IS a pain in the ass for the first third of the story. And there’s no way in hell they can afford that giant apartment.

But, as anime adaptations of long running shoujo series go, NANA is remarkably well paced. The story is always moving forward without pause or apprehension. Stuff happens. Lots of stuff. Compare this to your average shoujo series, which can somehow stretch a confession of love into an entire season. The serial nature of shoujo can be both a blessing and a curse… the long and winding road is enchanting, that’s for sure, but after nine hours of driving, you’ll be thinking, “Enough with the fucking curves already!” Shoujo is either terminally addictive or terminally frustrating. Or, in the case of, say, Marmalade Boy, it’s both.

NANA, though? Nine months on, and I still have two hands on the steering wheel, the sunroof open, the radio blaring, and the pedal to the metal. Sharp curve ahead? Bring it on.

Year in Review: Introduction

8 Comments |
December 20, 2006
| Television

Unlike a lot of anime fans, I’ve never been particularly interested in “ranking” shows (or characters, or studios, or seiyuu, or… well, you get the picture), especially if it means pitting one show against another. I think it’s a personality quirk. I may be a geek, but I’ve never much enjoyed working with numbers and data. Or, rather, I don’t enjoy the number crunching itself. And when it comes to art - and, let’s face it, anime, commodity or not, is art - my impression of a piece or work is mostly a product of intuition. If it’s beautiful, I’ll notice. It’s all I need to know.

But, you know, I can’t help but want to share my impressions with others, and since rankings are a practical method of organizing and presenting said impressions, I’m willing to yield if the time and place is right. So, seeing as it’s the end of the year, and seeing as other anime bloggers are no doubt cooking up lists of their own, I’ll be devoting the remainder of the month to looking back at my ten favorite shows of 2006.

In other words, a Year in Review… with rankings.

As you probably know, it’s been an incredible year for anime (I think so, at least), with quality shows out the wazoo. If I were to list all of the year’s shows that left me feeling especially warm and fuzzy, there’d be more than ten entires. No doubt about it. So, narrowing the field to ten “finalists” was awfully difficult. Ranking them, even moreso. Thus, take these rankings lightly… the difference between fourth and eighth place isn’t so great.

Oh, and I’d like to apologize to all of the Lovely Idol fans out there in advance. Alas, it didn’t quite make the cut. A shame, I know.

Merry Christmas

9 Comments |
December 18, 2006
| Industry, News

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi has been licensed for North American release by… someone.

Can’t Trust the Police…

6 Comments |
December 14, 2006
| Music

You know what? The opening synth line in the You’re Under Arrest Second Season OP is TOTALLY a rip-off of the horn line in Phil Collin’s “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven.”

Just thought I’d mention that.

(I tried to work a Sting joke into this, but alas…)