Monthly Archive for December, 2007

Year in Review: Potemayo

26 Comments |
December 31, 2007
| Television

1. Potemayo

You were probably expecting something epic, weren’t you? That’s how things went down last year, at least. Potemayo isn’t an epic show, however. It’s a simple show. So simple, in fact, that it’s a little difficult to write about.

Yet, it seems perfectly natural that I should be writing about it right now. Of all the many wonderful shows I watched this past year, Potemayo stands out in stark relief as the show I enjoyed most. And while every other show I’ve recognized these past few weeks leading up to today brought me great enjoyment as well, none tickled me quite so much as Potemayo. Not bad for a simple show.

It could be that the timing was just right. Everyone and their brother knows by now that I’m a slice of life junkie; if it wasn’t for the fact I want to be cremated and scattered in a thunderstorm, my tombstone would say, “Here lies a slice of life junkie. Embarrassing remarks are prohibited.” And Potemayo is clearly a slice of life show in its own weird way. At the same time, to say I’ve been feeling the burn this year unlike any other would be an understatement. I’m happy for that, of course, for my life has clearly taken a turn for the better since the last time I did this Year in Review exercise, but the extra stress and the emergence of gray hair on my head has driven me to find comfort in humor. And Potemayo is clearly a humorous show.

So, I suppose it’s because Potemayo is the perfect combination of humor and slice of life that I enjoyed it as much as I did. That’s not to say, of course, that the show is all laughs and balsamic vinegar. The show has heart. Lots of it, in fact. It’s not until the final episode, really, that it hits you, but Potemayo is just as much about love, family, and friendship as it is bodily functions, pratfalls, and Brokeback Mountain jokes. It’s simultaneously juvenile and heartwarming in a way that anime and manga humor often is, and it puts the biggest damn smile on my face the more and more I think about it.

It’s also a pretty slick production. Anymore, I do most of my anime watching in the afternoon on the weekend, and shows like Potemayo are exceptionally well suited to that lazy, Sunday afternoon atmosphere. And JC Staff really knows how to make lazy, Sunday afternoon shows. The show’s simple art and light colors perfectly match its playful tone. And Kobayashi Shichiro’s backgrounds are gorgeous as always. I’m going to miss him when he’s gone.

There’s more, of course. The wonderful score, an addictive OP and ED, Kawasumi Ayako’s schoolgirl voice, the Pan Song… I could go on and on. But, for the sake of brevity, I’ll just say Potemayo is a bag of goodies and leave it at that. I think you know by now how much I love the show.

So, another year ends, and the cycle begins anew. Will there be another Potemayo that makes me happy as clams to be an anime fan? How about a Hidamari Sketch that reminds me of the many little things that make life worth living? A Hayate no Gotoku that makes me laugh myself silly? A Nodame Cantabile that makes me stop and think about my place in the world and how I got there? What about an Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA that makes people wonder if I’ve lost my mind?

Stick around, and you’ll find out.

Year in Review: Hayate no Gotoku

34 Comments |
December 29, 2007
| Television

2. Hayate no Gotoku

Yes, Hayate no Gotoku is still airing. The show seems to have fallen off most people’s radar, but it never fell off mine. Ever since it first started airing this past April, I’ve been looking forward to new episodes on a weekly basis. It’s truly the first long running series to grab me in a good while.

Of course, the show’s long broadcast run may be one reason so few people watch it. Today’s anime fans have short attention spans. And when it comes to Hayate no Gotoku, short attention spans need not apply. After all, the show is utterly pointless. I mean, completely, totally, absolutely devoid of any point whatsoever. Yet, it teases you. It promises plot and character development, only to deliver a Norio Wakamoto monologue and a Gundam joke. You never know what the show will do next, and if you think you know… well, you’re probably wrong. And Mr. Wakamoto will be sure to remind you of such.

And that’s why I love the show so damn much. It’s unpredictable in a way that teeters on the edge of absurdity. Sometimes, the show has two feet planted firmly on the ground. Other times, it’s throwing itself off the edge of the world. And it does all of this within the span of a single scene. Or within a single stretch of dialogue. Hell, I’ve even seen it manage both at the same exact time. The show is positively schizophrenic.

It also makes me feel a little nostalgic. The constant references to anime series long forgotten may have something to do with that, but I think Hayate no Gotoku differs from a lot of today’s comedy anime in that it doesn’t rely so much on wit and clever direction for laughs as it does play things straight. Yes, it’s goofy as all get out at times, but the jokes and gags are almost always instantly recognizable. And when those jokes and gags start coming in quick succession, the show can get very funny, very fast. Very few comedy anime series anymore get me laughing so hard that I’m reaching for the pause button just so I can collect myself and catch my breath. Hayate no Gotoku, however, has done so more than once.

So why doesn’t the show enjoy greater popularity? The manga was relatively well-known prior to the anime adaptation’s premiere, so it’s not as if it’s a dark horse or anything. And I would think the show’s particular brand of comedy would be right up many an anime fan’s alley. Yet, aside from those friends who watch the show as religiously as I do, I don’t know many people who kept up with it past the first ten episodes or so. It’s very odd. It’s also a real shame.

After all, the only reason Hayate no Gotoku didn’t get my top spot this year is because the coin came up heads instead of tails.

Year in Review: Sketchbook ~ Full Color’s ~

20 Comments |
December 27, 2007
| Television

3. Sketchbook ~ Full Color’s ~

It wasn’t all too long ago that I was looking forward to Winter. The frosty days, the silent and snowy nights, the warm and inviting spaces… it’s a wonderful time of year. And for seven months, it damn well better be. But when the season gets off to an especially wonderful start, it doesn’t take long before you get to yearning for scorching days, hot and muggy nights, and cool and breezy spaces. Or something in between. The fact is, after a month of snow and cold, I’m sick of freezing my ass off and wish Summer would just hurry up and get here. Then, I’ll have a reason to look forward to Winter once again.

In the mean time, I’ll just put the Sketchbook ~ Full Color’s ~ OP on repeat.

Last year, this number three spot was occupied by a show not unlike Sketchbook. In fact, the two shows are practically siblings. I should just make this the honorary “iyashikei” spot in the Year in Review and be done with it. And, just as I didn’t know what to write last year when recognizing Aria, I’m also at a loss for words with regard to Sketchbook. Both shows provoke similar feelings, but those feelings truly defy description. They’re far too ephemeral. Too ambiguous. Incomprehensible.

It’s kind of annoying. After all, I want to preach the gospel of Sketchbook to every man, woman, and child willing to listen, but the truth is, I got nothing. I don’t know how to explain Sketchbook. Sure, I can write about the quirky humor, the interesting characters, and the tidy animation. And I can write about the adorable lead, the charming stories, and the polished direction. Or I can write about the talking cats. Yes, talking cats.

But, even if I wrote about all that stuff, I don’t think I’d be able to say what I really want to say. And that is, in essence, “Go watch Sketchbook, and be happy.”

Amen.

Merry Christmas

17 Comments |
December 25, 2007
| Miscellaneous

Merry Christmas, everyone!

It took twenty-nine years, but I finally woke up to a White Christmas. Unfortunately, it’s more like a blizzard, so I fear I might not make it home today as planned.

I think I’ll go back to bed.

Year in Review: Nodame Cantabile

9 Comments |
December 23, 2007
| Television

4. Nodame Cantabile

One day in college, I decided I was going to study music. Composition, to be exact. I had been deeply involved in music since grade school and had been writing music since junior high, so it’s not like it was a snap decision. Prior to even starting college, I had considered studying music, but chose to pursue a different path in life. Fate is a funny thing, however; I still ended up enrolling at the very university I had planned on attending had I chosen to study music. It was home to one of the more highly respected music schools in the nation, too, so I took advantage of the opportunity and auditioned to join some of the performing ensembles. I wasn’t studying music formally, but there I was, performing alongside some incredibly talented people under the tutelage of some of the best teachers in the business.

Eventually, I realized I was passing much of my free time lounging around the College of Music. I was spending more time in rehearsals than in class. My circle of friends consisted entirely of music students. And, of course, I was still writing music when I had the time. In search of direction and purpose in life, I decided that I belonged in music.

And then I changed my mind.

I still don’t know why I changed my mind. Perhaps I chickened out. Perhaps common sense got the best of me. Perhaps I fell for the old, “don’t make a career out of a hobby,” line. Or perhaps I just got lazy.

It was probably a combination of all of these things. It was a difficult period, either way, and I recall in vivid detail all the poor decisions I made back then, some of which continued to haunt me for years. Perhaps passing up the opportunity to study something I truly loved was one of those poor decisions. It wasn’t too long before I stopped writing music all together. I stopped performing. I started spending my free time in my dorm room. I practically gave up on music.

My friends didn’t give up on me, though.

Eventually, I got my act together, found something I actually wanted to go to class for, and got on with life. My friends continued studying music, of course. Some of them work in the industry today and some don’t. They still encourage me at every opportunity to start writing again, and I relent; “too busy with work and life,” I say. I figure I’ll give in eventually. I haven’t lost the desire.

Nodame Cantabile was a wonderful show, you know. But damn if it didn’t remind me of how much of an idiot I am.