2013 Year in Review

I didn’t get back into reviewing anime until October of 2013, so I wasn’t able to watch too much that was new.  Part of it was due to watching series’ I had missed in the intervening 4 years since I stopped reviewing, part of it was due to despair in what was available…here’s a look at what I touched and my thoughts on them.

Attack on Titan.  This story deals with an alternate Earth were the inhabitants live within a massive walled city.  For a hundred years they have lived that way, in order to keep a race of cannibal giants from destroying them.  When a previously unseen giant, taller and stronger than the outer wall, breaks through and allows the hordes to flood into the city, humanities fate is in question.  After the death of his mother and the destruction of the section he lived in, Eren Jaeger has decided once and for all to fight to eradicate the giants.

    I have only made it through the first few episodes of this anime and really don’t find much interest in it.  It is the HOT anime of the year, both in Japan and elsewhere, but I find the story boring and uneventful.  The basics of the series have been done and done to death in the shonen action genre.  While it’s not like some epic shonen series as Naruto or DBZ, it does remind me quite a bit of Full Metal Alchemist, but as a pale attempt at being as creative.  A really interesting thing with this series is the original creator of Gundam calling it out as a pile of poorly planned rubbish.  I’m sure I’ll watch a few more episodes but I don’t foresee myself falling in love with it for any reason.

Beyond the Boundary.  This shonen super natural action series that deals with select humans who have the ability to see and interact with spiritual beings.  They take it upon themselves to dispatch these beings in order to protect humanity and the balance of nature.  Akihito Kanbara is half human and half spirit, giving him near immortality.  Classmate Mirai Kuriyama is the lone member of a cursed family of spirit warriors and at first uses Akihito as target practice but he soon convinces her to become involved in the spirit warrior community in their town.  Mirai’s troubled past soon starts to catch up with her though.

    Shonen spiritual fighting show, I have never really been interested in these over the years.  I gave this one about 6 episodes before I decided it reminded me too much of Bleach.  Honestly though, the series is only 12 episodes so maybe I should just finish it.  But I still don’t think I will enjoy it very much.

I Couldn’t Become a Hero, so I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job.  Fanservice for fanservice sake disguised as a slice of life fantasy comedy.  Raul Chaser is a sword for hire, but when the demon lord is killed, work dries up.  So he gets a job selling appliances at a store.  Things go normally for him until the daughter of the slain demon king starts working there too.

    Honestly, I shut it off after 5 minutes.  Fuck this show, fuck everything is represents with the way anime has been for a decade now.  Fuck the akitaku.  I’m done!!!

Kill la Kill.  Stylized fantasy action series from the minds behind Gurren Lagann.  Ryuko Matoi is searching for the person responsible for killing her father, to do so she will challenge anyone involved in the power base of the world’s school systems.

    I only watched the first episode and realized that I have no interest in this series and this may be also why I have never watched beyond episode two of Gurren Lagann.  I’m just not interested in its style.  But I recognize the uniqueness and quality in this series and don’t fault anyone for enjoying it.  It’s just not my cup of tea.  So, if you loved Gurren Lagann or Panty & Stockings with Garterbelt you will probably enjoy this one as well.

Kimi no Iru Machi.  Typical romantic high school drama.  Haruto Kirishima moves to Tokyo to reconnect with his long distance girlfriend, only to find one of his new friends is her current boyfriend and his love for her may only be one sided.

    The anime for this long spanning manga is a story arc that takes place about half way through the series.  Honestly though, they do a half decent job of filling in the back story of the previous 90 issues before the arc takes place, which begs one to wonder if the manga had really been too long to begin with.  It’s a basic and a-typical high school male geared romance.  Idiotic personal problems between kids who can’t express their true feeling/intentions and ridiculous circumstances to make things even stickier.  The best part of this 13 episode series was the last 3 minutes of the 12th episode, and then it went really downhill with the final episode.  Really not worth that much of your time, as it spans about 40 issues of the manga which is almost 260 issues deep by the end of 2013.  Watching it also made me get back into the manga to refresh my memory of the previous story and find out what takes place afterwards…unfortunately the rest of the story is just as boring and pointless and with all the time I have invested with it I have to see it to its boring end.   Honestly, steer clear…re-watch Love Hina or Fruits Basket.

 

Mangirl! Comedic slice of life look at the lives of editors of a manga magazine.  This an anime adaption of a 4 panel comic about 4 women who start up the real manga magazine the comic appears in, in attempts to make it big in the manga world.

    Coming in at about an hour run time this quirky and quick paced comedy is fun and gives you a peek into the world of running a manga magazine.  Definitely worth the time.  It would be fun to read the manga.

 

My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my High School Romance.  Slice of life, fanservice absurdist comedy about a guy cursed to live his life like a dating sim.  Kanada Amakusa tries to be a normal high school student but he is cursed with having to select things from random multiple choice questions, most of which make him out to be one of the schools top weirdo’s.  When a cute and clueless girl falls from the sky she brings with her a chance from Kanada to rid himself of the curse.

    This series was ok…as long as I kept telling myself it was a jab at fanservice harem video games.  Sometimes it was hard to keep telling myself that and other times it was quite enjoyable.  The series’ weakest point is that fact it really doesn’t end…it just stops after 10 episodes.  It’s based on a series of semi popular light novels, so who knows if there will be more, or whether I actually care if there is more.  Fans of typical dating sim based eroge will like it, especially for the gratuitous fanservice.  The comedy isn’t bad; it’s a bit absurdist and reminded me of a toned down Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan.

 

Samurai Flamenco.  A realistic slice of life comedy/drama about an idealistic young man who tries to be something he can’t be.  Masayoshi Hazama accidentally became a male model even though his life’s ambition is to be a super hero, like the characters in the action shows he grew up on.  With the earning he gets from being in magazines and the loose work schedule, he decides to start fighting crime in his city as the super hero, Samurai Flamenco, even if there aren't any super villains to stand up against.

    I initially really enjoyed this show, it was steeped in reality and didn’t shy away from the dangers one faces when attempting to be a vigilante.  Then seven episodes into the series it completely flips and enters into the world of fantasy and fiction when all sorts of mutants show up to challenge him…it was incredibly disappointing, especially since the 6^th episode was the best to that point.  I really regretted the course this show took, watched 2 more episodes just to make sure it wasn’t some sort of delusion and then gave up on it.  Bad move…bad move.

 

Servant x Service.  A slice of life comedy that deals with the daily oddball lives of workers in a local Ward office.  Lucy (shortened) Yamagami has entered the world of public service in order to find out who allowed her parents to give her a ridiculously long and foolish first name.

    Who thought the day to day routine of public service employees could be so fun?  Well, it does help that you toss in some unique and quirky personalities, semi unrealistic circumstances and typical light comedy standards.  The series started off slow and was annoying with too much attention paid to the main characters large bust.  Though half way through it turns into a light hearted romantic comedy and puts the boobs on the side lines.  I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything to write home about.  The most memorable thing is the opening song, which is actually really fun.

 

Watamote.  Slice of life, off beat, comedy about being a social outcast.  Tomoko Kuroki is a social recluse, more interested in games and manga, along with a dark/gothic personality and disposition.  However as she begins her high school life she wants to be able to open up to people and live like a normal high school girl.  

    In a few ways this reminded me of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (The Wallflower).  In other ways it didn’t.  The series didn’t seem entirely focused though and drifted from episode to episode without any clear goal or progression.  The series isn’t bad; it just didn’t seem very together is all.  Perhaps if I watch all of it that may clear up, but honestly, the determined ending of Tomoko being able to come out of her shell and be a socialite seems a bit disappointing.  The series is meh at best, but better than most of what’s current…take it for what it is, a distraction.

 

Yuyushiki.  Slice of life comedy about 3 absurd high school girls.  Yukari, Yui and Yuzuko are odd ball and carefree students at an all girls' high school, coasting through life enjoying their youth with no cares beyond the size of their busts.

    Following in the well trodden pathway of Azumanga Daioh, Minami-ke, Ichigo Mashimaro, Hidamari Sketch, Lucky Star, etc, etc, this series is only meh in the quality scale.  Nothing to write home about or get into too much, but it fills in the void left by the lack of truly quality titles these days.  With only 13 episodes it doesn’t take too much time to get through and the subject matter and joke material don’t require much in the way of concentration.  You can just kind of float through this series while doing other stuff at the same time.  Worth the watch if you don’t have much else to do and want to laugh a bit.  There were large portions of some episodes were I didn’t really do more than smirk though…I’ve seen pretty much all the gags before so it didn’t move me much.

 

Conclusion.  The anime landscape really still kind of sucks.  I did gravitate pretty heavily towards the slice of life comedies but my tastes have been slowly moving in that direction.   I keep my hopes out for a really engaging and inventive series to come out…there are a few that fall into horror/dark drama that are slated for the beginning of 2014…but honestly, there isn’t much that I have seen that gets me excited beyond the reboot of Keroro Gunsou.  So, honestly the best thing to come out of the year that I have watched was the hour-ish long Mangirl!  That’s kind of sad…

Yuyushiki

Yuyushiki is a 12 episode slice of life comedy series that aired in Japan in the middle of 2013.  The series is based on the comedic 4-panel (yon-komi) manga of the same name.

    Yukari Hinata, Yui Ichii and Yuzuko Nonohara are best friends and classmates in an all girls high school.  They decided to take over the club room for the member-less Data Processing Club and start up their own loosely guided club in its place.  The series follows the girls through about a year and a half as they randomly research things on the internet, try to out do each other in word games and lovingly harass peers and teachers alike.

    This series was OK, there's been much better from the goofy yon-komi genre, like Azumanga Daioh.  This is just another series of unrelated odd ball antics following the mundane lives of high school girls.  The two things that stand out with this series is the prevalence of word games and semi lesbian humor.  The girls are obsessed with breasts and who has the biggest pair.  They also love going off on syllabic tangents, trying to see how off topic they can force their conversations.  In many ways the series seemed like an homage to classic Kansai humor.  Yui plays the straight man to Yukari and Yuzuko's idiot characters.  I kept expecting every punch line to end with nanda ya nen!!

    The series is meh, there have been better in this genre over the years.  But, given the lack of really enjoyable titles in all facets of anime, it was a welcomed distraction.  While not original or 'roflol' funny if you enjoyed Azuanga Daioh, Minami-ke or Hidamari Sketch  you would probably enjoy this series too.

    It is currently available on Crunchyroll.  The manga, which I feel would be the better format, is not available in English commercially yet.

Mokuyobi Post - Urutsukidoji: The Legend of the Overfiend

Urotsukidoji is undoubtedly the godfather of naughty tentacle hentai and was released as a feature length OVA in 1987.  The OVA is based on the manga of the same name which is not as extreme as the anime.

    The story deals with Tatsuo Nagumo, a perverted high school student who is obssesed with classmate Akemi Ito.  After a series of demonic rapes a man named Amano tells Nagumo that he comes from a parallel plane of man beasts and is searching for the legendary Chojin who will reunite the human world, the beast world and the demon world to bring about an age of peace.  Amano is positive that Nagumo is the Chojin and will help him to realize his destiny, while protecting him from the hoards of demons that are trying to kill him.

    This is pretty much the start of tentacle rape in anime.  It is also one of the well known hentai titles in the world...for notorious reasons.  There is an excellent book that came out in the late 90s called The Erotic Anime Movie Guide that has a detailed history of the evolution of hentai and how the naughty tentacle genre cam into existence.  I highly recommend reading this book for an amazing insight into not just hentai but interesting cultural indiscretions that still exist to some extent in Japan today.  I honestly do not recommend Urotsukidoji though.  Historically it has an important place in the history and development of anime, but it is really nothing more than an exercise in exhibitionism and sadism.  The animation is typical subpar 80s style and the English dub is absolutely horrendous.  Yet when it comes to the trials of fandom to teenage otaku this was the Holy Grail at one time, may even still remain one in this day and age.

   The original OVA was followed by 5 more installments that continue the story of the manga.  The have been a few variants of the movie released in North America in various edits.  Apparently a somewhat censored version is currently available on Blu-Ray licensed by Kitty Media, which if you are unfamilliar with, is the foremost distributor of hentai in North America and a subdivision of Media Blasters.

    Bonus fact: scenes from this and the second OVA have found their way into songs by both White Zombie and Atari Teenage Riot...I'm sure a few others as well.

Mangirl!

Mangirl! is a 13 episode comedic look at the life of manga editors.  The series is based on the manga of the same name, and each 3 minute episode aired in Japan in the beginning of 2013

    Mangirl!, the combination of Manga and Girl, follows 4 hapless women who have decided to start up a monthly manga magazine.  Hana Sasayama is the clueless and spunky editor-in-chief.   Aki Torii, assistant editor-in-chief, is the level headed one with experience as a successful dojinshi artist.  Tsugumi Haraki, ravenous snack lover and Ringo Nishijima, ditzy realist, are both editors.  The four of them go through trials and tribulations in starting the magazine, meeting the deadlines and following through with the magazines success.

    This is a fun, short and enjoyable series that gives a comedic snap shot of the life of those that work in the manga industry.  While not totally realistic it does touch upon some interesting aspects in the field, some of which I have experience in with my years in the publishing industry and could relate with.  The anime and manga appear to actually be loosely autobiographical, as the magazine they create is a real magazine of which the real manga appears in.  The final episode of the anime also brings it full circle by suggesting the creation of the anime series.  The animation is ok, the character design is typical anime style with odd hair colors and moe features.  Given that the manga is of the yonkomi genre would help to explain why I liked it and why it reminded me in more than one way of Azumanga Daioh.  The best way to sum up the feel of the series would be to say it is Minami-ke if done about manga editors.  So, if you liked Azumanga Daioh, Minami-ke or Ichigo Mashimaro this is a great series to take up about an hour of your time.

    The anime is currently available in North America streaming on Crunchyroll and will probably never see a release on disc.

Mokuyobi Post - Maris the Super Gal

Maris the Supergal is a one shot sci-fi comedy romp by Rumiko Takahashi.  The OAV is based on the manga of the same name and was released in 1986.

    Maris is a young alien girl who lives a miserable and unfulfilling life.  Her home planet was destroyed when she was young, her father is a drunk and her mother spends too much on useless junk.  The biggest pain is her species' tremendous strength.  Maris and everyone else from her planet must wear restraints to keep their super human strength in check.  Maris works for the galactic police with her partner Murphy, a nine tailed fox type creature who can transform himself at will.  Maris, obsessed with riches, is forever in debt due to her useless parents and the trouble she causes during missions.  When the son of a filthy rich family is kidnapped for ransom Maris sees this as an opportunity to change her fate.

    This is a pretty funny anime and you can see Maris as a template for Ranma 's female form as well as A-Ko from Project A-Ko  Yet, with pretty much everything from the 80s this OVA is pretty dated and has done poorly over the test of time.  Originally released in North America by Viz as part of the Rumik World collection this title is still little known.  I'm not sure if this title has been released on DVD or Blu-Ray, but if you can find a copy of the VHS or something else pick it up and check it out.  It's a fun little romp and an interesting look at Takahashi's catalog.

My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy

My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy is a 10 episode ecchi harem romance satire.  The anime is based on a series of light novels by the same name, also known as Nokome, and aired in Japan in the fall of 2013.

    My Mental Choices… deals with reject high school student Kanade Amakusa who has been plagued for the past year with a unique problem.  Randomly he will be presented with a set of things to chose, all internally located.  He must decide what item from the list he will immediately do or suffer excruciating pain.  The choices usually involve him subjecting his self to extremely embarrassing situations.  This random and bizarre behavior has made him one of the most abhorred members of the student body.  In one episode he ends up choosing a girl falling from the sky, enter Chocolat.  Chocolat is a messenger from some god who has been sent to assist Kanade with succeeding in a serious of missions he begins receiving.  Upon successful completion of all of the missions he will be free of his Absolute Choice curse.

    This is a bizarre and somewhat annoying series.  I kept trying to look at it as a slight on fan service and harem titles.  In some ways it is, in other ways it is not.  The character designs are atypical of eroge and fan service anime.  There are plenty of gratuitous panty, cleavage, and other fan service shots and segments.  This was pretty annoying, but the wit and oddity of the show somewhat countered them.  The humor reminded me of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge and Toki Meki Memorial ~ Only Love.  The animation is sub-par for today’s standards and the voice acting is over the top.  The story really does not conclude with the 10 episode arc but a number of questions are stealthily revealed in the last two.  It makes sense that there isn’t a conclusion as the series is still being created.  Who knows, perhaps in the future there will be another installment of the anime.  If there is I will probably watch it, but I have no intention of reading the novels of the manga, this title just adds to the pile of less than enthusiastic series in 2013.

    The series is available in North America on Crunchyroll and an 11^th episode is slated to be released with the next volume of the light novel in 2014.

Say I Love You

Say 'I Love You' is a romantic slice of life drama that aired on TV in Japan in 2012 for 13 episodes.  The series is based on the manga of the same name.

    Mei Tachibana is a loner.  She keeps to her self, has no friends and doesn't like other people due to the meanness of school life.  Yamato Kurosawa is the most popular and sought after boy in school.  When he meets Mei for the first time he immediately becomes interested in her and forces her to take his cell number.  After she has no choice but to call Yamato for help dealing with a stalker Yamato kisses her, unofficially announcing his intentions to date her.  As the idea of the most popular boy in school being interested in her sinks in Mei must understand her own feelings and examine the way she feels about trusting other people.  On top of all that, most of the girls who wish for his attention have a hard time believing and understanding why Yamato would choose a plain and solitary girl.

    This is actually a pretty good drama.  Much of the story deals with the issues of peer pressure and self awareness that everyone goes through as teenagers.   IT doesn't paint a happy picture but instead shows how cruel and petty kids are toward one another and the problems that can arise from careless interactions.  While mostly a drama there are a handful of goofy sequences to break the thick mood. 

    There are a few small items that bugged me with the show.  The main one was Yamato's personality...his was the least realistic, eternally optimistic and patient.  It got rather tedious at times.  Another thing that was annoying was the character designs when it came to their eyes...throw back to the 90s big eye style...were they occupy half of the face.  The last episode was actually unneeded and can really be ignored.  Its more like an omake than anything else.  All in all though this was a good series that was rooted pretty firmly in the real world.  I may have really enjoyed it if the ending would have been tragic, but you can't always get what you want right?  I still was waiting for someone in the show to at least attempt to kill themselves, which happens semi frequently in Japan.  Either way, the show is worth the time if you like dramatic love stories steeped in real life issues.  They also appear to have churro in Japan now...

    The series is only currently available in North America via Crunchyroll.

Mokuyobi Post - Dragon Half

Dragon Half is a two part fantasy comedy OVA that came out in 1993 and is based on the manga of the same name.

    Mink is half dragon and half human, her father was a famous dragonslayer who fell in love with her mother, a dragon.  She goes to school and is friends with an elf, Lufa, and a dwarf, Pia.  in an attempt to court her idol, singer/dragon slayer Dick Saucer, Mink is determined to fing the People Potion that will turn her into a full human. She must overcome a jealous classmate, a braindead mercenary and an arena of bad guys in her attempts at a normal life.

    This was the first title that really introduced me to the concept of super deformed.  It is also one the first that almost killed me with laughter.  This is an insanely funny OVA and one of the only fantasy genre titles I really like.  This thing is from the early 90s, so the animation and production is very dated.  but if you can find a copy pick it up, its well worth your time.  There are tons of references to video game and manga thoughout.  If you are a fan of goofy tongue in cheek comedies this is a must. While originally released by ADV in North America it is slated for a rerelease in 2014 by  Discotek Media.

Mokuyobi Posts - Throw Back Thursday

In the spirit of Throwback Thursday, begining with Dec. 12, 2013, there will be a post each week talking about an anime from the mists of time.  These posts will be title 'Mokuyobi Post' and will be sure to bring back some memories if not fill in some history in the medium.  Enjoy!!

Moyashimon Returns

Moyashimon Returns is the 11 episode slice of life comedy follow up to the 2007 series, Moyashimon.  The second series aired in Japan during the Summer of 2012 and is based off of the manga Moyashimon.

    Moyashimon follows Tadayasu Sawaki and a small cast of misfits enrolled at the Tokyo Agricultural University in a specialized fermentation program under Professor Itsuki.  Tadayasu was encouraged to attend the college and apply under Itsuki by his grandfather, who is friends with the Professor.  Tadayasu has a peculiar ability to see microbes with the naked eye and to some extent interact with them.  To him the microbes look like cartoon shapes and have distinct personalities.  In the second series we see the members of Itsukis group working hard to produce a variety of soy based fermented food products.  As their plans commence a linchpin of the group, Itsuki’s assistant Haruka Hasegawa, disappears.  They must figure out where she disappeared too and how to get her back to make the group complete again.

    I was really happy to see Moyashimon get a second series.  This was a fun and light hearted show.  Unlike the original series, Returns does have an underlying central plot throughout, that of Hasegawa’s sudden disappearance from the school and the search to bring her back.  This plot sits in the background until the second half, with the first half being more focused on the group preparing for the upcoming Harvest Festival.  Also with this series, at least in the first half, we see a greater emphasis on trying to explain the process of making the soy based products the group begins fermenting.  I learned a bit I hadn’t know about how to produce sake and soy sauce, it was quite educational.  Aside from the central plot line though, there really is no difference between this and the original series; it’s just more adventures of this loveable group of misfits.  After the credits of each episode they have small vignettes featuring the microbes.  If memory serves correct they did this with the original series as well.  The microbes are my favorite part of the show so it’s a great bonus.  In the final one they also strongly suggest the idea of a future series as well, which would be more than welcome.

    This is a fun, easy going story with likeable characters.  The animation is nothing worth writing about, some of the character designs are weird and interesting but the heart is in the right place, classic anime comedy at its best.  It’s nice to see there is still a place for something like this in the world.

    As far as I am aware both series’ have never been released on disc in North America, but both are available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

Survive Style 5+

Survive Style 5+ actually has nothing to do with anything otaku, but it is Japanese and an incredibly entertaining movie.

    This full length feature film was in theaters in Japan in 2004 and is incredibly hard to classify.  The movie is five separate stories that end up interacting with each other over its course.  The first story deals with a man who kills his wife, only to have her return from the dead to kick his ass.  He keeps killing her and she keeps coming back.  The second story deals with a woman who works as a commercial developer whose eccentric ad ideas don't please her clients.  She is married to a cocky magician whom she loathes, so much so, she hires an assassin to kill him.  The third story deals with said assassin, a thuggish Brit with a panache for existentialism.  The assassin is played by none other than Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels & Snatch).  Along with his unwound translator/agent they ruffle the feathers of everyone they come across with their brashness.  The fourth story deals with three petty crooks who seem to be more like stoners that only break into peoples houses when they have the munchies.  The fifth story deals with a nuclear Japanese family that runs into trouble when the father is permanently hypnotized to think he's a chicken by the ad execs magician husband.

    This film is funny, off the wall and unlike anything you have ever seen.  It is incredibly well shot and the detail put into it is unbelievable.  Aside from the fact it takes place in Japan, was filmed in Japan and is mostly in Japanese you would swear it was American.  From an American style suburb to the rusted out station wagon the man in the first story drives to one of the burglars love of the NFL team the Packers.  At times the movie feels like Pulp Fiction or Snatch or even A Fish Called Wanda.    The director has an amazing sense for symbolism.  I try to avoid the word stylish...but this film really is pretty damn stylish.  The movie does seem to lose its luster in the second half, with most of the really fun scenes taking place in the first hour.  The end turns to an introspective tone and just ends.  There is no epic revelation or massive climax.  The stories close; the brief chapters we are allowed to view and its done, no fanfare, just a point to stop telling the stories and go about with something else.

    Part of the quality of the movie is in the actors themselves, all of which are memorable and standout.  My favorites would be the assassins interpreter and the man trying to kill his wife.  There are long moments in the film were there is no dialog but the choreography and the actors fully immersed in their characters rolls make these segments some of the best.

   All in all this is an excellent film.  It is clever,entertaining and beautiful.  I would argue this as being one of the best pieces of cinema to come out of Japan ever...it is unlike anything else.

    The movie though is a bit hard to come by.  It was never released in North America and subtitled copies are hard to come by.  If you can find it, pick it up and enjoy.

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day - TV Series

Anohana is an original 11 episode dramatic slice of life romance that aired in Japan on TV in 2011.

    The story deals with five high school students who have grown distant since elementary school following the tragic death of a sixth member of their group 10 years previously.  Jinta, the leader of the group, is now a hikikomori who has cut off contact with everyone aside from his widower father.  Naruko, who was only able to get into a low quality school, has started to hang out with delinquent girls from class.  Tsuruko and Yukiatsu were both able to get into a prestigious high school, but are each driven to success and remain distant in all other respects.  Poppo has given up school to work part time and travel the world.  During the summer Jinta all of a sudden starts to see the dead friend, Menma.  Menma drowned accidentally following an incident that instigated the break up of the group.  Each member went their own ways after her death and have had to deal with the tragedy alone.  The ghost of Menma, while aware of her death and ghost status, takes her opportunity to relive the past she remembered and wants all of her friends to fulfill a forgotten promise that requires everyone to get together.  Jinta must figure out how to convince everyone that he is really seeing their dead friend and if the distances between them can really be gaped in order to send their lost friend to the afterlife.

    This wasn't a bad series, its saving grace is the length.  I was pleased with its maturity and the only character that brought any kind of goofiness was Menma.  Menma's personality and her dialog are actually quite grating.  The character design also looks like something you would find in some game.  The anime though was an original story that has since been translated to a variety of mediums.  The concept and the story is nothing new, but the way the plot unfolds and the way the characters interact with each other are what keep you watching through out.  Even though the series is short it feels like it would have been better suited as a movie.  It seemed to take quite a while to get going, but the last few episodes flowed well.  In that respect they did release a movie in 2013 that is an alternate telling.  In all ways this series really does fell like it should have been a video game first.  The end of the series is pretty depressing and dramatic so make sure you have some tissues at hand.  If you enjoyed Boys Be... or Kimi ga Nozomu Eien you should watch this show.

    The TV series has been licensed and released in North America and is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2

Back in 2006 a weird little series came out called The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya that was based on a number of light novels by the same name. The series became a huge success in otaku circles, spawning a plethora of YouTube related antics and plenty of cosplay. In 2007 the people responsible for the series began hinting and outright referencing a second season of the series. It wasn’t until this spring (2008), as they began to replay the original series that new episodes were released, playing in between original episodes.
 

    Here is a little bit of background on the series before I get into the second season..

    Haruhi Suzumiya is a bored first year high school student. She is bored because normal things in life do not interest her. The thing she strives for, that drives her forward is to meet aliens, people from the future and ESPers. Unwittingly a clueless classmate, Kyon, gets dragged into her schemes as she chooses him to be a member of her soon to be created after school club...the SOS Brigade, whose sole purpose is to find aliens, time travelers and ESPers. With no compulsion to truly resist, Kyon is dragged into her world head first. Soon enough three more members are recruited to the club, Yuki Nagato (the last remaining member of the literature club whose room Haruhi overtakes), Mikuru Asahina (shy, soft-spoken and voluptuous target of Haruhi’s cosplay fantasies) and Itsuki Koizumi (carefree, always amused, mildly gay transfer student). As the troop has to endure Haruhi’s oddball and sometimes spontaneous antics Kyon is approached individually by the other Brigade members who confess to him in secrecy that they are each a representative of the three supernatural types Haruhi quests for. They all inform him that they were sent to observe Haruhi and to keep their true identities secret. Haruhi, for unknown reasons, has the unconscious ability to control reality. They urge Kyon, who is the only normal member of the group, to do whatever is necessary to maintain Haruhi’s interest and relative good nature…they don’t want her getting bored or pissed off for fear she might recreate everything to better suit her needs. In other words, Haruhi Suzumiya is god and Kyon is being used by three super natural powers to keep her in check.

    Season two starts off after the real end of the original season, the summer of their first year of high school. The SOS Brigade is content with following their fearless chiefs orders, with the concern of Haruhi becoming bored and throwing a cosmic tantrum at stake.

    Haruhi is one of the more original anime to be released in a long time. It basks in its eccentricity and antics. The first season was aired out of sequential order with the first episode being the SOS Brigade viewing a video they made for the cultural festival. Yet with season 2 they have outdone themselves in eccentricity and sheer drive to break not only convention but the viewers. I understand the ideals behind their tactic (soon to be explained) and believe that it is also done as a test to the legion of fans that have sprung up around the franchise. I also have respect for the way they were testing the network/producers/advertisers, etc.

    The first episode was a nice intro back into the oddity of the series. It deals with Asahina having to take Kyon 3 years in the past for an important event.  They get stuck in time and end up calling on Nagato to get them back to the present. The second episode was more fan service fluff, which I guess is kind of expected as the series is a huge hit with the Akitaku (more on that later). Haruhi concocts a 2 week long wish list of things to do before school starts; the stereotypical Japanese student summer vacation event list. They go to a Bon festival where they catch goldfish, eat takoyaki and light off fireworks. They get part time jobs, they go swimming at the public pool, they catch bugs; they go through a test of courage, etc, etc. At the end of the two weeks they have the entire list checked off, much to the Brigade members delight and when Haruhi asks if there is anything else no one responds. She wraps it up, gives everyone the last day off and tells them to be at the club room on the first day of school.

    The third episode was more fan service fluff, which I guess is kind of expected as the series is a huge hit with the Akitaku (more on that later). Haruhi concocts a 2 week long wish list of things to do before school starts; the stereotypical Japanese student summer vacation event list. They go to a Bon festival where they catch goldfish, eat takoyaki and light off fireworks. They get part time jobs, they go swimming at the public pool, they catch bugs; they go through a test of courage, etc, etc. At the end of the two weeks they have the entire list checked off, much to the Brigade members delight and when Haruhi asks if there is anything else no one responds. She wraps it up, gives everyone the last day off and tells them to be at the club room on the first day of school. At some point…in either episode 3 or 4 (it all started to blur together) Kyon and the others realize that something is wrong and they are stuck in a time loop involving the last two weeks of summer vacation. They talk with Nagato and find out they have repeated the loop 15,498 times. Nagato, being what she is, has experienced and remembered every single loop, while the rest of the Brigade has had their memories reset. Each time has slight differences but the basic things keep repeating.

    The fourth episode was more fan service fluff, which I guess is kind of expected as the series is a huge hit with the Akitaku (more on that later). Haruhi concocts a 2 week long wish list of things to do before school starts; the stereotypical Japanese student summer vacation event list. They buy yukata’s and go to a Bon festival where they catch goldfish, eat takoyaki and light off fireworks. They get part time jobs, they go swimming at the public pool, thye catch bugs; they go through a test of courage, etc, etc. At the end of the two weeks they have the entire list checked off, much to the Brigade members delight and when Haruhi asks if there is anything else no one responds. She wraps it up, gives everyone the last day off and tells them to be at the club room on the first day of school. At some point…Kyon and the others realize that something is wrong and they are stuck in a time loop involving the last two weeks of summer vacation. When they talk with Nagato they find out they have repeated the loop 15,499 times. Nagato, being what she is, has experienced and remembered every single loop, while the rest of the Brigade has had their memories reset. Each time has slight differences but the basic things keep repeating.

    The fifth episode was more fan service fluff, which I guess is kind of expected as the series is a huge hit with the Akitaku (more on that later). Haruhi concocts a 2 week long wish list of things to do before school starts; the stereotypical Japanese student summer vacation event list. They buy yukata’s and go to a Bon festival where they catch goldfish, eat takoyaki and light off fireworks. They get part time jobs, they go swimming at the public pool, they catch bugs in order to see who would win the right to be Brigade chief for the day; they go through a test of courage, etc, etc. At the end of the two weeks they have the entire list checked off, much to the Brigade members delight and when Haruhi asks if there is anything else no one responds. She wraps it up, gives everyone the last day off and tells them to be at the club room on the first day of school. At some point…Kyon and the others realize that something is wrong and they are stuck in a time loop involving the last two weeks of summer vacation. When they talk with Nagato and find out they have repeated the loop 15,528 (or so) times. Nagato, being what she is, has experienced and remembered every single loop, while the rest of the Brigade has had their memories reset. Each time has slight differences but the basic things keep repeating. They realize that there is something that Suzumiya is not content about with the two weeks of summer excitement, but are unable to figure it out.

    The sixth episode was more fan service fluff, which I guess is kind of expected as the series is a huge hit with the Akitaku (more on that later). Haruhi concocts a 2 week long wish list of things to do before school starts; the stereotypical Japanese student summer vacation event list. They buy yukata’s and go to a Bon festival where they catch goldfish, eat takoyaki and light off fireworks. They get part time jobs, they go swimming at the public pool, they catch bugs in order to see who would win the right to be Brigade chief for the day, they go through a test of courage, etc, etc…

    As you can see, if this were any other series they would probably not be able to get away with this. The episodes are different too, while the events and the dialogue are the same, the clothing and scenes are different. It’s like a weird otaku costume fetish fantasy…lets see how many times we can reenact Haruhi and the other girls in different bikini’s and yukata. Yet at the same time it also goes to solidify the series uniqueness, while trying…eventually they break through the loop.  I fear what the sequence of events for this loop was like in the light novels.

    The final story arc deals with the process the Brigade went through in order to create the movie for the cultural festival, which was the first aired episode in the first series.  In this arc we get to see some pretty explicit yet subtle ways that Haruhi changes reality and the lengths that everyone else goes to in order to cover these abnormalities up.

    Now the thing that has somewhat confounded me is the fact that this series is such a huge hit with the Akitaku…even though it doesn’t really pander to them and their likes. In ways it does, but the intent behind those devices is unknown to me and probably intentional for some ulterior reason…perhaps to help boost the shows popularity. I do know the light novels were pretty popular before the anime was created, but that is more then likely due to the inventiveness of the story. While the series is not overtly otaku fodder, it has defiantly cashed in on the fan base, licensing the prerequisite merchandise and spinoffs that are common in the traditional Akitaku series. There are a plethora of figures, CD’s, video games, radio dramas and plenty of limited edition buys to scoop up that hard earned dork money. So while the series cashes in on the sheep, I’m going to sit back and enjoy its intelligence. One of these days, now that they are being released in America, I’ll check out the light novels and who knows…maybe pick up a Haruhi figurine.

    If you liked the original series, you will like the new one. Don’t watch this one without seeing the first stuff…you won’t be able to make it through episode 4 at most. Too bad it was only 14 episodes.  There is a full length movie though...so this may actually put closure on the series as well as some ONA and bonus episode material I need to view to see if any answers are taken care of and/or to just enjoy this insanity some more.

    As with the original series this second season was licensed in North America and is available on DVD/Blu-ray and streaming via Crunchroll.

Michiko & Hatchin

Michiko & Hatchin is a stylized adventure series set in a fictional Brazil.   This 22 episode series aired in Japan between 2008 and 2009. 

    Michiko Malandro is a brazen criminal who has busted out of the toughest prison in order to find her long lost boyfriend, Hiroshi Morenos, who was supposed to have been dead.  Along the way she picks up Hiroshi's orphaned daughter, Hana "Hatchin" Morenos, thinking the girl can help her with the quest.  As they hastily make their way from one end of the country to the other, searching for members of the gang Hiroshi had run, they attract the attention of police and criminal groups alike.  Michiko, dim witted and unbreakable, goes to any length to gain information about Hiroshi's fate and location.  Hatchin, who was fostered by a preachers family had lived an oppressive existence until her unlikely savior Michiko kidnapped her.  The only thing linking Hatchin to Satoshi is a unique birthmark but it doesn't stop Michiko from considering her Hiroshi's daughter.  Now they have to survive and remain free long enough to find the answers both are searching for.

    This is an incredibly fun series, filled with memorable characters and entertaining, fast paced, action sequences with moments of fantasy.  It reminded me heavily of Cowboy Bebop with a little bit of FLCL thrown in for good measure.  I really don't have any complaints with this series.  It ended well, if the finale was a bit rushed and there wasn't too much in the way of filler plot.  It was just all around an enjoyable show.  A nice beacon in the ever increasing world if anime garbage.  Normally I would be griping about unneeded cleavage shots and overly buxom characters...and Michiko is pretty curvy and wears some pretty skimpy clothing.  Yet, in this case, that is her character, it's her normal mode of operation.  She's a crazed sex kitten who doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks about her.  She likes to dress sexy and doesn't care about anyone's reaction to her looks.  This is completely different from the normal fan service in a lot of titles which show occasional flashes of boob or panties to entice the viewers in what sometimes could be an overly boring story line.

    The series has been licensed and released in North America by FUNimation, is available on DVD/Blu-ray and streaming on Hulu.  Check it out, you will have a good time watching it!