Monthly Archive for February, 2007

Getting There is Half the Fun…

13 Comments |
February 28, 2007
| Film

Even though the first chapter of Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second was released online a week or so ago, I only watched it for the first time last night. I was worried the online release would be of poor video quality, and since incredible visuals are what Makoto Shinkai does best, I was reluctant to watch it, knowing a higher quality DVD release would be coming sooner rather than later. But, given how much I’ve been anticipating the film’s release, I should’ve realized that resistance was futile.

And I’m glad I went ahead and watched it, because the online release looks spectacular for what it is. But, that’s not really all that important. What of the episode itself?

Amazing. Truly amazing.

As much adoration as I have for Makoto Shinkai as a Director, I’ve always found his previous works lacking in one way or another. There are things he obviously does extremely well, but at the same time, you could always tell he was still “learning”, so to speak. And, while watching his growth and evolution as a Director has been a fascinating and eye-opening experience in its own right, I’ve always looked forward to that inevitable day when Shinkai would finally get everything “right” and leave me absolutely speechless.

Admittedly, I think he did it by appealing to my inner train otaku. I don’t recall ever riding the Tohoku Line very far, but it doesn’t really matter. All JR East lines look the same. The signs look the same. The platforms look the same. The trains have the same atmosphere, regardless of model. And, just as Takaki stood near the door for nearly his entire trip, refusing to sit despite the empty car, I saw myself doing the same. I never liked to sit, either. And, sometimes, if I had the time, I’d travel a long distance on a local train, even if it meant arriving at my destination an hour later. For some reason, all of the little stops made me feel like I was going somewhere new and unknown - even if it was somewhere I’d been many times before.

Damn nostalgia.

There’s more to come, too. Of all the locations for the second chapter to take place, why did it have to be Kagoshima? It’s as if Shinkai’s trying to get me to drop everything, buy a plane ticket, and go visit some old friends…

That Had To Hurt…

23 Comments |
February 23, 2007
| Television

I don’t want to spoil the latest episode of Kanon for anyone, so I’m going to be intentionally vague here…

I thought the way the episode’s final scene was constructed was nothing short of amazing, given how it deals with multiple time frames. Think about it: the scene seamlessly moves from Yuuichi and Nayuki in class, to Yuuichi’s childhood flashback, to Yuuichi and Nayuki being called out of class, to, well… you know. You might say, “Well, that’s nothing special, really,” but I thought it was remarkably well done and designed in such a way to give the scene as much impact as possible. I mean, as if the flashback sequence itself wasn’t heartbreaking enough…

But, at the same time, the scene’s climax bugs me. Or, to be more specific, the moments leading to the scene’s climax. It’s as if the Director gave us entirely too much opportunity to mull over what was about to transpire by loitering on that distant shot for such an artificially long time. But, I already knew what was coming, and I suspect the same could be said for a lot of people watching the show. So, perhaps it was all for the sake of keeping the Kanon veterans on the edge of their seats.

For those of you new to Kanon, however… what did you think? Were you genuinely surprised? Did the pacing of the scene seem awkward in any way? Or were you too shocked to care?

Mebae Drive

18 Comments |
February 22, 2007
| Music

The Hidamari Sketch ED has a spectacular hook. I’m in love.

Wrapped In The Scene of Summer

12 Comments |
February 22, 2007
| Miscellaneous

In case you didn’t know, Daylight Saving Time will begin a month earlier than usual this year here in the States. It’s probably only a matter of time before the concept is legislated out of existence entirely. Ever since I was a child, I looked forward to the artificial changing of the clocks. I suppose it’s because I grew up at such a southern latitude that Summer always overstayed its welcome. The calender may have said Autumn, but the trees were always still green come the end of October.

And I hated Summer with a passion. I hated the heat. I hated being out of school. I rarely looked forward to my birthday, since that week always seemed to be the hottest and longest of the season. Even now, I don’t give the day much thought. But when the clocks changed and the sun set earlier, I knew Summer was over. It’s how I came to mark the change of season.

Now, however, I live somewhere entirely different. Winter isn’t exactly harsh here, but it comes early and stays late. In some ways, Summer never really comes to pass. And while I’m not entirely sure I’m ready for Winter to “end”, I suppose I look forward to the day I pull the clock down from the wall and spin the hour hand forward. And I’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Just a thought as I rewatch Air for the first time.

Less Fanservice, Please

12 Comments |
February 19, 2007
| Eye Candy

You know, I absolutely adore this image. It’s the perfect desktop.

I really wish there were more Japanese magazines and mooks that solely published images like this one. Megami is fine and all, but the T&A gets old after awhile. I suppose Newtype and Animage typically publish “clean” artwork, but they have a habit of covering it with ridiculous amounts of text. What I wouldn’t give to get my hands on the originals.

I guess I’ll have to hop a flight to Kyoto and go dumpster diving for hard drives. If I remember correctly, those go out on the third Tuesday in August in years when the Emperor’s age is a prime number (assuming above average snowfall). Or was that old tennis shoes?

AMV Week: Worlds Apart (Catholic Schoolgirls in Trouble)

14 Comments |
February 15, 2007
| Eye Candy, Otaku

When I first cooked up the idea of “AMV Week”, I really did intend to finish in a week’s time. Six videos in six days. On the seventh day, I rest. Easy enough, right?

Yeah, right.

Anyway, even though it took half a year, I’m happy to present the final video in this series…

Worlds Apart (Catholic Schoolgirls in Trouble) (43 MB XviD AVI)

Honestly, there’s no point in sharing the full story behind this video. In short, it’s little more than a simple joke video that developed a life all its own the longer I worked on it. Someone once described it as follows…

There is simply not enough action in Marimite for the Journey song to fit in well, and it’s not funny enough to be an effective gag video - especially as long as it is. There’s just not enough humor for it to really pay off, and it simply ends up looking more like an overwrought drama video than the parody it is supposed to be.

I’ll take that as a compliment.

Oh, and since I’m on the subject of Maria-sama ga Miteru, I want to say that the new OAV series has me falling in love with the show all over again.

Happy Valentine’s Day?

12 Comments |
February 14, 2007
| Otaku

Sorry, girls… could we do this later? I’m kinda busy at the moment.