Captain Earth

Captain Earth (キャプテン アース) is an original mecha action series by Enokido Yoji.  The 25 episode  series originally aired in Japan between April and September of 2014.

   Manatsu Daichi is a troubled high school student who struggles with the expectations set upon him and runs away from his foster fathers home.  He returns to Tanegashima island where he met two strange children years earlier, in hopes to see then again.  His deceased father was an astronaut who worked at the launch facility on the island.  One day while Daichi was by himself he wandered into a restricted area and met a mysterious boy named Teppei.  They sneaked into the facility where they met a girl enclosed in liquid.  The girl, Hana, reacts to Daichi's presence.  Now Daichi seeks Teppei and the mystery girl again, searching to calm his unease and uncertainty.  He finds both and discovers that a secret organization is stationed on the island whose sole purpose is to defend Earth from alien agressers who are trying to destroy all human life.  Hana had bestowed a power to Daichi that allows him to pilot the mecha, Earth Engine, and fight against the aliens.  The three once again reunite and join forces with a spunky hacker girl, becoming Earths best and last defense for total human extinction.  Things don't seem as they really are as the group discovers the sinister forces moving in the back ground that don't particularly want the aliens plan stopped.

    The only reason I continued to watch this show to the very end was due to the interesting story, otherwise it was a pretty miserable show.  I could care less for the characters and their success or failure.  The enemies were ridiculous and the mech designs were either Gundam rip offs or horrible.  What kept me coming back each week was the intrigue, I wanted to find out what was up with all the factions behind the scenes and what their motivation was.  That's all...and it was pretty horrible in the end.  It could have been done significantly better and more mature.  The whole 'libido' thing was just plain idiotic.  The artwork was slick and modern and some of the character designs were nice.  This show could have been so much better though, if it was darker and had more original mech designs.  There was a lot of potential wasted I think, but that would be to cater to my tastes and I know I'm a bit in the minority.

    The series was simulcast via Crucnhyroll with no word on it seeing a disc release in North America.  A video game spin off is slated for 2015.

Aldnoah.Zero

Aldnoah.Zero (アルドノア・ゼロ) is an original sci-fi mecha series created by Urobuchi Gen.  The series's first season aired over the summer of 2014 in Japan.

    During the American missions to the Moon in the 1970's a gateway to Mars was discovered.  Soon humans started migrating to the red planet where they discovered other alien technology.  The people who emigrated decided to claim the technology and Mars for themselves and separated from Terrans by calling their new 'empire' Vers.  In 1999 during a minor conflict the gate was destroyed, taking a sizable portion of the Moon with it.  The Vers citizens who remained stranded on Earth moved into orbital castles built out of the debris from the explosion.  Relationships between both Terran's and Versian's strained and in 2014 a Vers Princess decide to visit Earth on a goodwill mission to help ease tensions.  The mission ends in failure as the princess is assassinated and the lords in their orbital castles declare war on Earth.  An unlucky group of Japanese high school students end up stumbling upon the living Princess in their escape from the assault on their home.  They discover who she is and work to get to safety and inform both worlds that she still lives in a bid to stop the useless killing and destruction.

    This is one of my favorite titles from the Summer season and made me take a good hard look at the styles of mecha anime and how they possibly evolved (I'll elaborate sometime in the future on that).  The animation is typical for today's standards and I liked the simple and soft style for the character designs.  They reminded me of designs from the late 90's when the acute angled heads were going out of fashion.  The mech designs...I really liked the utilitarian designs for the Earth mechs and was only mildly annoyed by the regal Vers mechs.  What I was more impressed by was the interesting weapons deployed by the Vers mechs.  The story was liner and not filled with much in the way of twists and surprises, but it was enjoyable.  I like the concepts for the backdrop more than the episode plots though.  It wan't bad, but sometimes the tenacity and planning deployed by the main character, who's stoicism can annoy some, was a bit of a stretch.  Regardless it was a well done show and I eagerly await it's return in January 2015, especially with the cliff hanger or sorts at the end.

    It was simulcast via Crunchyroll and there is no word on a disc release in North America.

A Quick Look at the Fall 2014 Anime Season

 The 2014 Fall season seems to be full of mildly interesting anime.  Here’s a look at what I have my eyes set on with the bare minimal information available.

Terraformars – A sci-fi tale about cockroaches spreading an infection from Mars and the efforts to combat it.  The animation looks kind of shitty, but I’m a sucker for sci-fi...so we will see.

Yuki Yuna wa Yusha de Aru - From the PV it looks like an all girl’s school aged comedy slice of life story, meh art, definitely moe.  But you never know what could be another Minami-ke.

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso – School/music based romance, could be a combination of Nodame Cantabile and Kids on the Slope.

Donten ni Warau – Fantasy historical drama about a family who pilot the boats that take prisoners to Meiji era's version of Alcatraz.

Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai – Innocuous idiot girl high school romance that looks to possibly contain some super natural elements.

Danna ga Nani o Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken –Slice of life story about a normal woman and the troubles she runs into being married to a hikikomori otaku.

Gundam: Reconguista in G – New Gundam series dealing with an early slice of the Gundam time line revolving around the construction and operation of an orbital elevator.      

             

Denkigai no Honya-san – A slice of life comedy about the moe characters who work in an Akihabara book store and their odd customers.  Looks like an otaku bent version of Service X Servant.

Amagi Brilliant Park – A guy gets duped into helping to save a mostly abandoned amusement park that serves as some sort of kingdom or playground for a group of fairies.  Looks quite moe.

Ushinawareta Mirai o Motomete – A possibly harem romance that looks text book galge moe.

Magic Kaito 1412 – Years after his father’s death a kid follows in his footsteps and enters the world of stage magic to find out if he was murdered.

World Trigger – A rift opened up to an alternate dimension and the creatures that came through couldn’t be defeated...until a specialized group of fighters show up.  A number of years later a humanish person comes through the rift for the first time and things start to change.

Okami Shojo to Kuro Oji – Girl falls for guy only to find out he’s a jerk and he decides to use her feelings for him to make her his dog.  Could be a misogynistic version of Toradora...and probably annoying.

Sora no Method – Moe slice of life that looks to be about transfer student and her gaining a small group of close female friends.  Actually looks somewhat dull.

Gugure! Kokkuri-san - Foolish girl summons a low level spirit.  The spirit decides to stick around and haunt her anyways in order to help her straighten out her life.

Shingeki no Bahamut Genesis – A fantasy series that has peaking my interest.  The story revolves around a group of people trying to prevent the seal imprisoning an ancient evil from being broken.  The animation alone looks nice enough to make me want to watch it.  It’s nothing fancy or flashy but I really dig its style.

Orenchi no Furo Jijo – If the gag doesn’t get stale this slice of life comedy about a lone high school student who suddenly has to deal with a merman living in his bathtub could be pretty fun.

Inou Battle wa Nichijo-kei no Naka de – Months after the members of the literature club all gain super powers absolutely nothing special has happened to them.  They thought at some point they would have to face super villains to save the world...but instead they continue through their mundane lives.  This could go a number of ways and some of them might be worth watching.

Ai Tenchi Muyo – I believe this is the first new Tenchi TV series since Shin Tenchi way back in 1999.  Not sure what timeline this series will follow...but shit...it’s Tenchi.

Shirobako -With Mangirl we had a story about women in the manga industry, now with Shirabako we have a story about women looking to make it big in the anime industry...

Psycho pass 2 – The continuation of the cyberpunk action series Psycho Pass of which I have still not watched...should probably do that.

Sanzoku no Musume Ronia – This looks like a very Ghibli inspired fantasy coming of age story, may be petty good...time will tell.  It's on NHK, so I have some hope in its quality.

Surprising number of titles that are mildly interesting, I wasn't paying too much attention to the lead up to the beginning of the season though.  Gundam and Tenchi are top on my list of anticipated titles.  Danna ga Nani and Shirobako look to be promising too.  In the next few weeks I will figure out what stays and what gets dumped to my pile of shame.  It's been an interesting year so far.

Sabagebu!

Sabagebu! (さばげぶっ!) is a 12 episode comedy based on the manga of the same name by Matsumoto Hidekichi.  The anime adaptation aired in Japan over the summer of 2014.

    Sonokawa Momoka encounters a deranged air soft toting weirdo on her way to her new school, only to find out it’s an upperclassman that is beloved by the student body.  The student, Ootori Miou, heiress to a powerful family is the president of the Survival Game Club (Sabagebu) and sets her eye on recruiting the reluctant Sonokawa.  Forced into the club through coercion, Momokawa shows an aptitude for target shooting and begins to warm up to the clubs odd ball members.  Together they act out outrageous war game scenarios, enjoying the spring time of youth!

    This is an offbeat comedy that is half fan service and half satire.  The majority of the fan service is directed at people obsessed with guns and war games, which I have little issue with.  The antics in the show get a bit out of hand at times, but all in all its good and simple fun.  The episodes are split into smaller vignettes that are usually unrelated.  In many ways the flow, humor and delivery of the anime reminded me of Keroro Gunsou, which isn't a bad thing.  Unlike Keroro, Sabagebu ended a little too soon.  A full 26 or so episode season would not have been unwelcome, but beyond that would have been pushing it.  There really is no overall plot for the series.  The characters go through a number of ridiculous adventures and the final episode ties everything together in fantastically cheesy fashion.

    Not the best out there, but above average and enjoyable.  If you like stupid comedies with an undertone of intelligence this one should fit nicely in your collection.

    The series simulcast on Crunchyroll but beyond that there is no word on any sort of disc release in North America.  The manga as well is not currently commercially available in North America.

Not resting, just quiet!

Figured it would be prudent to stop in and say I am not gone but have not had much to write on as I try to keep up with all the current shows.  Starting this week I will begin reviewing the Summer and Spring shows that are wrapping up their run ahead of the all important Fall seasons beginning.  That also signals the pending first look at everything that intrigues me for the Fall Season...already up to bat, Gundam Reconguista in G and the return of the second season of Mushi-shi.

    Mokuyobi  Post Thursday is taking a break while I build up some back log of reviews of older anime as well.

Summer Season Update

It’s past the halfway point for the summer season, time to do a quick overview of the shows currently being viewed.

Ald.Noah Zero: In 1969 a gateway to Mars was discovered on the moon.  The humans who emigrated to Mars discovered more alien technology and considered themselves heirs and lords or the planet.  Going under the name of the Vars Empire their contempt for Terran humans is well known.  Fifteen years after an accident that destroyed half of the moon along with the gateway a young Vars princess travels to Earth on a goodwill mission.  Unfortunately she is assassinated leading to the Vars nobles who live in orbit around Earth to declare war.  A group of students in Japan are caught up in the defensive as Vars mechs continue to descend around them.  They have to use their compulsory military training beyond its limits to survive long enough and get to safety.

    Even with its annoying character designs this is a really enjoyable series.  Interesting world building and excellent mecha combat.  This show along with Argevollen has made me contemplate the styles I enjoy when it comes to mech anime.  Regardless, this is a fun series that I look forward to finishing, even with the annoying Victorian characters designs of the Vars nobles.

Argevollen: Taking place on a fictional world as two nations battle each other for territorial control.  The story focuses on a small expedition mech force that ends up rescuing and acquiring a new and untested mech design.  The mechs pilot is a rookie soldier whose main goal is to learn why his sister died years earlier in her military service.  As he and his squad become more entangled in the workings of the current conflict they start to realize they are pawns in a game of political deception.

    This is the second mech series for me this season and it is also incredibly enjoyable and quite different from Aldnoah.Zero.  This is a straight forward military anime that I greatly welcome.  It reminds me a little of Pumpkin Scissors in its intrigue and politics.  It has also been dividing the mecha fan base though...

Barakamon: Professional calligrapher Handa Seishu moves to a remote fishing village in order to focus on his work following a disastrous rejection of a display piece.  The simple and friendly locals do their best to make him feel at home but their quirks and customs rubs him the wrong way.  His time on the island serves as both a centering of his profession and a blunting of his criticism towards others.

    A fun slice of life comedy I have been waiting for since 2013.  It reminds me ofYotsuba&! with the little girl who glom's onto Handa.  As the story progresses he continues to become familiar with the residents of the town and takes away life lessons from them.  The series isn't sappy though.  It's filled with quick comedy and some word play.  Ultimately it's an enjoyable show with a clear direction and conclusion.

Glasslip: Fukami Toko and her friends are enjoying their last summer as children in their quiet seas side town.  That peace and happiness starts to crumble when a transfer student arrives and causes discord between the friends.  he has come, seeking Toko, as both of them have the ability to glimpse fragments of the future.  He wants to help her and work with her so they both can understand what the visions mean.

  This is an interesting and dry romantic drama.  The conclusion of the series is still a mystery but its fun to see the dysfunction grow between the group as they let their petty jealousies come to the surface.  The clairvoyance thing is interesting but it hasn't materialized to much as of yet.  Secretly I'm hoping it will more go the way of Toki o Kakero Shojo and the transfer kid is from the future!!  But I doubt that will be the case.

Nobunaga Concerto: Slacker high school student, Saburo, suddenly finds himself in the Warring States period of Japan, (mid 1500's).  The first person he comes across is a young Oda Nobunaga, one of the future unifiers of the nation.  The young warrior convinces Saburo to take his place as they look identical.  He wants to do this in order to rest from his duties to become healthier.  Saburo eagerly agrees not really having anything else to do.  Impersonating a 16th century noble isn't as easy as he would expect.  The only thing keeping everyone from executing him due to his bizarre antics is their respect for their liege.  Saburo begins to fit into the role of Nobunaga and with the help of his history text book works to make sure history stay on course.

    There have been a number of anime recently with Nobunaga in their titles.  This is would probably be the best as its part history lesson and part fish out of water antics.  It’s a wonder he isn't executed for witch craft at times as he references his book, uses English words and other general modern quirks that befuddle those around him.  There are two problems with this one though; the character animation is sloppy motion capture CG and Saburo's general personality is a bit hollow.  he just floats along blissfully ignorant of what his situation really is; only believing that the course of history will follow its path.  Also...he got really good at riding a horse, like immediately...what the hell...  Still a fun show.

Tokyo ESP: People begin developing psychic powers.  A group of them band together with ambitions to become the leaders of the world through terror and subjugation.  Other psychics decide to work to stop the oppression of normal humans. 

   This is half super natural action series and half slice of life comedy...at least based on the first few episodes.  I like part and am bored by the other part.  The animation is really slick though but it’s a tired and played out story.  In this one there is a mysterious savior, the White Girl, who unwittingly fights for justice and peace.  She ends up grouping together with other people to help protect normal humans from being exploited and ends up becoming a sort of figure of hope.

Zenkyou no Terror: Two young men enact a plan to terrorize Tokyo for unknown reasons.  After stealing radioactive material from a reactor facility and bombing half of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building they begin a deadly game of cat and mouse with the police.

    This is the second new series by Watanabe Shinichiro (the other being Space Dandy) and it is nothing like his typical style.  This is a straight forward drama closely resembling cops vs. bad guy Hollywood movies.  It’s a fun ride so far and even though I don't expect anything ground breaking I enjoy seeing this other side to Watanabe's writing.

Tokyo Ghoul: In an alternate version of the world flesh eating creatures coincide with normal humans, hidden in the shadows and passing off as normal people in the day.  College student, Ken Kaneki, finds himself thrust into the world of the ghouls when a doctor performs a radical transplant to save his life after he is attacked by one.  Now he must come to terms with being a part of both worlds.

    I am still unsure if I will continue to watch this, I haven't caught up with it yet, but the few episodes I have watched really have not grabbed me.  I also fear the inevitable direction the story will go based on the series imprint on the interwebs.  There is some significant cosplay associated with this title and it looks like it’s going to end up being a horror shonen battle series, which I have little interest in.  This one may get dropped sooner than later.

Ao Haru Ride: This is a slice of life comedy romance about a girl who lost her boyfriend when he moved.  When he comes back 3 years later they have both changed and she tries to reclaim what was lost and/or fall in love with the new man before her. 

    This is a sweet and enjoyable that goes back and forth between moments of comedy and moments of drama.  The only complaint I really have with it is the characters designs.  I am not a fan of the 90's shojo style.  This doesn't bring anything new but it isn't bad either.

Maido! Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku: Crazed antics of a misfit family and their associates.  This one still has not been picked up by anyone and is not being subbed so I can only follow some of what is going on.  This is a spinoff of an Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku anime from the late 90's and is also derived from a popular gag manga.  All I can say is this is the best looking anime adaptation of a gag manga I have ever seen and the parts I can understand make me cackle.  This is a blast and I eagerly away each weeks' short episode!
 

Himegoto: An androgynous high school student is saved from debt collectors by the notorious student council.  The punishment for his help is to be their cross dressing slave until the end of his time at school.

 

    This is a ridiculous and perverted anime short series.  There is nothing of value in it and it plays on worn out fan service tropes.  Yet, I think it’s an amazing piece of protest to the current trends in anime.  Each episode is loaded with panty shots and precarious panty revealing situations...but every single one is of the male lead and his younger brother while in gag.  I don't know the authors original intent, but aside from a stupid comedy, I see this as a thumb in the eye to the rampant and unneeded fan service in anime these days.

Sabagebu: Sonokawa Momoka is forced to join the Survival game Club at school y the clubs president and school idol.  At first reluctant to participate she soon gets into the groove with the odd ball members as they run through fantastical gun toting romps of fantasy and speculation.

    The best way I can describe this series is if Keroro Gunsou was about semi-lesbian war game otaku.  It doesn’t take its self seriously, with the 4th wall constantly being broken down and all sorts of gags and absurdities.  It picks fun of otaku, modern anime tropes while at the same time worshiping them.  Not the best of the year but still worth spending 20 minutes a week with.  Some episodes are hit or miss though.

Re:_Hamatora:  This follow up to the original Hamatora series from the beginning of 2014 picks up 6 months afterwards and deals with the fallout from the events of the first series.  While at first hesitant with the original episodes, this one was more than welcomed to return!

    Still full of ready for cosplay characters with impossible names, the drama and comedy syncs together well as the members of the Hamatora detective agency try to figure out what’s going to happen with them and others who have their special Limit powers.

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun: Chiyo Sakura has a crush on her classmate Nozaki-kun.  A misunderstanding leads her to become his newest manga assistant instead of her boyfriend.  She's now part of a small team of classmates helping the stoic and oblivious Nozaki make his popular shojo romance series.

    This would be one of my favorite shows from this season.  It’s funny and paced similar to School Rumble.  A much welcomed slice of life comedy.  There is no real central plot or course of direction and I hope it goes for more than 13 episodes.  The characters are fun and I get good laughs with each new episode.

Shin Strange+:  The return of this short gag anime which initially aired in the beginning of 2014 follows the misfits of the Mikuni Detective Agency.  With no coherent plot or general direction of any sort of story you just sit back and take in the insanity.

    At just a few minutes a pop, this is a fun and odd gag series.  Worth the time if you have a taste for pointless butt jokes and gender bending oddities.

Dropped Shows:

    DRAMAtical Murder

    Shonen Hollywood

    Hanayamata

Toradora

Toradora (トラドラ) is a 25 episode romantic comedy based on the light novel series of the same name.  The series is written by Takemiya Yuyuko and illustrated by Yasu.  The anime originally aired on TV in Japan in 2008.

    Takasu Ryuji has the face only his mother could love.  His deceased father was purportedly a low ranking yakuza and Ryuji unfortunately looks like one himself.  He lives with his aloof hostess mother in a ramshackle house stuck next to a high end apartment building.  Looks deceive personality though as Ryuji is dedicated and responsible.  He's a clean freak to the point of it being a fetish.  Unfortunately his looks precede his personality and everyone in school avoids him as if he were a delinquent.  His second year of high school leads to him getting mixed up with one of the schools true delinquents, the Palmtop Tiger, Aisaka Taiga.  After an eventful run in with her they end up being assigned the same class.  In a mix up at the end of the day Taiga slips a confession note into Ryuji's bag instead of the class rep, who she has a crush on.  Ryuji finds it later that night.  Initially thinking it was a challenge letter from her, he discovers the truth when he reads it.  When Taiga finds out she breaks into his house to attack him and retrieve the embarrassing evidence only to succumb to hunger.  Being the softie he is Ryuji cooks a midnight snack for his pathetic assailant.  Taiga strikes a deal with him to keep her secret.  She knows Ryuji has a crush on her best friend Kushieda Minori and they pair agree to help the other achieve their unrequited love.  In order to keep his secret he agrees to become Taiga's man servant.  This ends up meaning more work than he anticipated as Taiga lives by herself in the apartment next to his house.

    I was really glad I picked this series back up.  When it was originally airing I watched the first few episodes but it didn't grab me enough to keep from being pulled away by other things.  Through the first 7 or so episodes it still wasn't grabbing me too much; nothing seemed to make it special.  It was good but nothing that good.  Around the half way point that all changed as all of the characters ceased to be one dimensional gags.  Initially it doesn't seem to have much traction or forward progression beyond the inevitable conclusion.  The five main characters have their set, easily identifiable personalities.  The stoic and dependable straight man, Ryuji.  Fiery hotheaded, Taiga.  Oblivious weird Kushieda.  The voice of reason and compassion in the class rep Kitamura Yusaku. And the self loathing and spoiled Kawashima Ami.  But something changes as the characters and the viewers get to know the deeper personalities of these characters, especially the three secondary members of the group.  You begin to learn about their fears, ambitions and dreams and you start to realize that everyone is tied up in a complicated mess of emotions and desires.  In the beginning the series is light and comical but near the end there are long drawn out segments of moderate drama.  It’s actually a bit of an emotional roller coaster and is probably one of the more mature and realistic high school romances in anime.

    What made me want to go back to the show was an anime from early 2014 based on another light novel series by the same author, Golden Time.  I really enjoyed the dimension and emotional range in Golden Time and was pleased to see the same thing in Toradora.  I will have to see if there is anything else by the same author, but I don't think there is.  Either way this is an enjoyable romance.  For the first time I’m a while I was pretty disappointed to say goodbye to a shows characters.  I would love to see more but I don't think there will be any more.  Along with the light novels there was also a manga adaptation but I don’t think either has expanded the story beyond the point where the anime ends...but I may be wrong.  This is a great show for someone looking for a more mature romance that is still light and fun.  Something not as heavy as Kare Kano but still driven by character depth more than story alone.

    The series is available via disc and streaming in North America.  The manga is as well but like almost everything else the light novels are not.  I wonder when we will start to see a greater influx of light novels...

 

Mokuyobi Post - Mermaid Forest

Mermaid Forest (人魚の森) is a super natural thriller by Rumiko Takihashi.  This OAV is part of her darker one shot titles and were branded as Rumik World in the United States.  It was originally released in Japan in 1991 and is based on part of the Mermaid Saga manga.

    Legend has it that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid you will become immortal.  Twin sisters Sawa and Towa live in a remote estate during the Showa era.  Towa is sick and near death her sister gives her mermaids blood in a bid to heal her illness but it doesn't go as planned.  Yuta, who at this point has been alive for 500 years after eating mermaid flesh, ends up at the sisters estate in modern times.  Yuta has been searching for another mermaid in a bid to undo the curse of immortality.  He discovers the families long and dark secret.

    In the 90's for those of us who were initially exposed to the humorously perverted comedies that Takahashi is legendary for the darker Rumik World titles were a bit sobering.  The story is dark and sinister.  I never actually got any more into the Mermaid Saga story beyond this initial OAV and going back to it now and doing a bit more research I think I should actually get into it more.  Hell, until researching for this post I never knew it was also spun off into a 13 episode TV series.  I think it's time to either pick up the manga and/or watch the TV series and finally get around to watching Mermaid Scar.  I'm a fan of Takahashi's.  Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 hold special places in my early fandom, but honestly I think her titles that were wrapped into the Rumik World series are the best.  While her romantic/action comedies tend to drag on it seems her shorter works were able to focus on quality story telling and interesting plot lines.

    The OAV was released pretty early in North America by Viz, but appears to have never gotten beyond the VHS copy...not sure why it appears to have never been released on DVD...

Side Note: I re-watched parts of this recently to brush up on it and noticed that Viz mistranslated the newspaper in the very beginning.  They have it marked down as PM Okuda dying, but when i did some research and looked at the kanji it was really supposed to be PM Okada who was supposedly murdered by rebel soldiers in a failed coup, only to be found alive a few weeks later.