Monthly Archive for January, 2008Page 2 of 3

What’s Clannad Cooking?

17 Comments |
January 20, 2008
| Television

The other white meat, apparently…

If there’s one thing that concerns me about Clannad going forward, it’s the fact that I enjoy the “normal” moments of the show so much that the “things are gonna get weird now” moments give me indigestion. I think I’d be perfectly happy to watch Tomoya and friends sit around and do their dango daikazoku act for the remainder of the series. But, “things are gonna get weird now” is the hallmark of every scenario in every Key game ever made, so I better make right with it and fast.

Looking on the bright side, Fuuko’s story was so simple and matter of fact that it never quite veered off into bizarro land. Which is kind of funny, of course, if you consider the particulars of her character. I’ll admit to waiting for a plot twist that never came. And, looking ahead, both Kyou and Tomoyo strike me as such normal characters that I can’t see either of their stories getting particularly wacky before all is said and done. Then again, assuming that Kyou’s story is defined by her relationship with her sister, who, at this point, is still a bit of a wild card, I suppose I should be prepared for anything. The same goes for Tomoyo.

Unfortunately, Kotomi’s story is shaping up to be standard Key fare (note that, since I’m following the 16:9 broadcast of the show, I’m still currently in the middle of this arc). I also have this gnawing feeling her story will turn out to be the weakest of the entire show. This, despite the fact she’s such a wonderful character. She’s hot moe infused with essence of sweet moe with a side helping of refined moe served on a dish made of moe mined in the moe mines of ancient Moetopia.

Kotomi’s eccentricity is not a problem in need of a solution. It is to be cherished.

And Nagisa? Well, I only hope all the character development she’s experienced so far isn’t thrown to the curb once her arc begins. She’s really come quite far in a very short stretch of time, and I’d hate to see that go to waste. Of course, given that she’s the original game’s “main” heroine and the likelihood that she’s connected to the dream world we’ve been seeing little snippets of, I’m assuming the non-stop tickets to bizarro land are already bought and paid for.

But, hey, if there’s one thing Kyoto Animation has abundant experience with by now, it’s Key adaptations. I’m sure it’ll be a comfortable trip.

Happy Endings

19 Comments |
January 17, 2008
| Television

It was fitting that I rewatched Kita e - Diamond Dust Drops this week, living in a frozen wasteland and all. When I woke up this morning, my outdoor thermometer was registering -8 degrees F. For those of you living in the civilized world, that’s -22 degrees C. I saw something when I stepped outside, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t diamond dust. I think it was my eyeballs freezing.

Anyway, while watching the final episode last night, I was reminded of how valuable epilogues are in tying together even the most disjointed of shows. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Diamond Dust Drops, the series tells the stories of six different women, unrelated except for the fact they all live in Hokkaido. The only common element tying their stories together, really, is the subject of diamond dust. Well, that and Squid Boy.

In the final episode, however, each heroine descends on the city of Sapporo on the same snowy winter day, only to see a rare display of diamond dust together in the show’s final minutes. All things considered, it’s kind of a corny ending. But it’s a good ending, and it gives the show a sense of purpose that would have otherwise been missing had there been no epilogue at all.

Which brings to mind a conversation I had the same evening with Wonderduck on the subject of Uta Kata. He couldn’t make it through the first episode of the show, and asked, “What am I missing?” I didn’t have a good answer, to be honest. And I pointed to my final comments on the series as evidence that I didn’t have a good answer back when it first aired, either.

But that was before the show’s final OAV episode was released. Even though the television broadcast did an acceptable job wrapping up the show’s story, it wasn’t until I watched the “where are they now” OAV that I felt like I truly understood what that story was all about. It wasn’t a matter of the OAV resolving hanging plot points, however. It was a matter of closure. And with that closure, the skies cleared, the sun shone through, and I was able to see the show for what it was, laid bare and out in the open. All it took was one extra episode.

Unfortunately, many shows never make room for “one extra episode”. Or they relegate the contents of one extra episode to two minutes in the background as the final credits roll. I understand the economics of anime on television, of course; there are only so many episodes to work with. But I wish more production committees would put as much time and effort into closing out a show as they do launching it. Give epilogues their due.

Of course, there’s something to be said for prologues, too. I know I labeled Sola as absolutely forgettable and all, but the special prologue episode on the show’s final DVD volume made me reconsider. Perhaps I should just wish for more DVD only episodes after the fact.

And a week in Tahiti.

I Supported the Industry!

32 Comments |
January 16, 2008
| Dry Goods

While doing some end of the year financials last night, I stumbled across an interesting number. In 2007, I spent a total of $1,086.73 USD on anime DVDs. At first, the number seemed awfully high, but upon closer examination, I found it only accounted for about 3% of my total spending for the year. That’s exactly what I had budgeted.

For what it’s worth, 93% of that was spent on shows I first watched fansubbed. Damn fansubbers are costing me money.

January Review

18 Comments |
January 13, 2008
| Television

I’ve been so busy with other things that I haven’t taken the time to talk about the ongoing shows from this past Autumn season, so here goes. I should note that this season turned out to be a lot stronger than I ever expected. In fact, I really do think it was the strongest season of 2007. Expect to see a few of these titles in the next Year in Review…

Kimikiss Pure Rouge - After falling behind more episodes than I care to admit, I caught up with the show a few days before Christmas, only to fall in love with it all over again. With the character introductions out of the way, the drama on the increase, and potential love triangles popping up, the show has turned into quite the gripping soap opera. Of course, like most soap operas, it borders on being corny at times, but the creative staff are doing an excellent job keeping the show grounded. I wish more “teen romance” anime would follow this formula.

Mokke - Without a doubt, the most underrated show currently airing. However, I accept that this sort of show is very much an acquired taste, so I can’t see its lack of popularity as a bad thing. It’s to be expected. Anyway, as far as shows that deal in Shinto mythology are concerned, Mokke is especially fascinating. It’s often as educational as it is entertaining. And it continues to improve with each episode.

Shugo Chara - I’m watching this show in stops and starts, it seems, but it’s not because I don’t care. Rather, I just seem to enjoy it more in concentrated batches than on a weekly basis. That way, I can break out my Hinamori Amu fan club shirt (with matching hat), bake some cookies, cue up the theme song, and make a day of it. Shugo Chara Sunday, if you will. And we shall never speak of this again.

Clannad - You know, I’m tempted to call this Key’s magnum opus, but until I see the rest of the scenarios (Nagisa’s, in particular), I should probably abstain. That said, as much as I love Kanon, you can really tell how green behind the ears Jun Maeda and company were when it was written. And, as much I love Air, you can see how they tried too hard to top their previous work. Clannad, on the other hand, is something entirely different. Fuuko’s arc alone was as touching and engaging as those of the main heroines in both Kanon and Air. Talk about setting the bar high right from the start.

You’re Under Arrest - Full Throttle - The third season got off to a rough start, I’ll admit, but the show has since gotten back into that disposable sitcom groove that’s always made You’re Under Arrest good for a rainy day. It’s nothing new, but I don’t mind. I do wonder, however, how they’ll try splitting up Natsumi and Miyuki this time around. I mean, it happens every freakin’ season.

Bamboo Blade - This is the biggest surprise of the Autumn season, and I’m glad I gave it a fair chance. That’s not to say the show got off to a bad start; the flying teacher in the first episode was enough to get me on board. But, at first glance, it didn’t seem like the sort of show that would interest me. Talk about a close call.

Digital Love

14 Comments |
January 11, 2008
| Television

Like a lot of people, I found the first episode of True Tears exceptional, but exceptional first episodes are a dime a dozen anymore, so I won’t proclaim my everlasting love for the show just yet. I’d really like to, though.

I will, however, say a little something about the animation. If you care to know how beautiful the show is, you’re best off watching the first episode for yourself, but I do at least want to make note of the background art. Or, to be more specific, the rich use of CG in the background art. Back when CG was the “next big thing,” I used to hate seeing it pop up in traditionally animated shows. It just looked so horrible and out of place much of the time, and even on those rare occasions when it was carefully integrated into the show, I found it unsightly.

Animation techniques continued to mature, of course, and with the advent of digitally animated shows, so did CG techniques. It’s only been in the past couple of years, however, that I’ve finally warmed to its use in the shows I watch. What happened? The studios figured out what they were doing, that’s what. Why now? I don’t know. Perhaps they just needed ten years to perfect their techniques or something.

And the CG work in True Tears is damn near perfect. It gives so much life to the background art. And it melds with the traditional animation so effectively that I no longer notice it’s CG once I get over my initial, “hey, this looks kinda different,” sensation.

Nicely played, P.A. Works.