Friday, November 29, 2013

Anime Reviews Part 1

Somewhere, sometime, someone out there made an extremely segregated and bias comment about the watching and partaking in the enjoyment of Anime, strictly Japanese Animation. They correlate it with being a nerd, being asian, being a social outcast, someone who probably watches hentai, someone who has few friends, and most of all something for children. What I have listed above may or may not adhere to you, or anyone you know who likes anime particularly, but these are often the preconceptions and assumptions one makes when I tell them something I did over say perhaps winter holidays or the summer. They look at me and laugh, smirk and paint me as a child who likes to watch cartoons. I'm here to dispel these assumptions, not in anyway trying to prove that one equals one and that I'm correct, but in my opinion show how these ideas and prejudice towards anime watchers should be taken with a grain of salt.



Anime is animation - such as it is cartoon as it here in North America. However, in Japan, anime is taken seriously as a media artform - just like how shows here have gathered much fame and popularity (Breaking Bad, Dexter, GoT, Suits, Walking Dead etc), animation in Japan is popular in the same sort of sense. I had my communications course final project as opening up store in the Eaton Center that was strictly Japanese culture, coming with statistics about their market, and how seriously they take it there. If you label anime as something for children, asians, geeks and is the pure reason you will not ever want to watch it you are being extremely ethnocentric and simple minded. Life is about expanding beyond your current bubble of knowledge, and enjoying things that you might not have thought to enjoy. For example, I recently got into trying different types of coffee makers in the world, having steeping (through a french press), pressure (through a moka press), and gravity (through vietnamese/french filters). This showed me that there are so many things that could benefit you, if only we allow it to come to us - that includes ordering a drip filter straight from Saigon, Vietnam. To be simple minded, is to ignore evolution in one's life. To paint anime as childish is ignorant. To perceive rap as black people music is racist. To open ourselves and broaden horizons is seeking knowledge, life, and evolution.

Evangelion Rei Ayanami Bandage Version Revoltech Figure

FRALEIN REVOLTECH, is the name given to a new dimension of Revoltech created and sculpted by the brilliant Enoki Tomohide, using an innovative and newly developed joint/body system known as "E.L.F." This new concept (E.L.F.) allows the figure to demonstrate a large variety of realistic poses unlike any other PVC action figure. "Rei Ayanami [Bandage Version]" is a fictional character and one of the three primary protagonists from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, its accompanying manga, and the films Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. She is the First Child (First Children in the Japanese version) and pilot of Unit 00. "Fra lein Revoltech Rei Ayanami [Bandage Version]" is 6" tall and comes equipped with interchangeable accessories/parts (such as 1 lance of longinus, 1 optional head, 3 optional hands and 1 display base).



* Rei Ayanami is all wound up for you! Badly beaten for your collection!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Pacific Rim

I'm fine with the same only different. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, an early 19th century playwright, poet, and Whig Member of the British House of Commons, archly said of a fellow politician,



The gentleman has said much that is good, and much that is original; but that which was original was not good, and that which was good was not original.

My Top Ten AMVs

I've wanted to do an anime music video (AMV) list for a while now, but I was a little iffy on the logistics. I pretty much exited the wider anime community in 2008, so I'm not aware of what's been going on in the community lately. Still, I've been an AMV fan for years and I have a ton of recommendations. So I figure, what the heck. My picks might have some mileage on them, but they'll still be a good place to start.



All links below lead to pages. I'm not lnking to the videos directly because AMVs tend to be fairly ephemeral things that can disappear form the usual sharing sites without warning, leaving a trail of broken links in their wake. This archive site at least has all the necessary identifying information to help you track them down elsewhere.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Kotobukiya Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance: Mari Illustrious Makinami Plug Suit Style

A Kotobukiya Japanese import. Neon Genesis Evangelion continues to be one of the most enduring anime franchises in history, with some of the most beloved characters of all time. In the newest lineup of Ani*Statues comes the "Problem Child" and pilot of the Provisional Evangelion Unit-05 MARI ILLUSTRIOUS MAKINAMI -PLUG SUIT STYLE-. Joining the previous two Plug Suit Style girls Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley, the cute and self-confident Mari relaxes after battle. Standing in her highly detailed green and white plug suit (complete with chest and hip attachments and three tentacle-like tubes extending from her right forearm), the girl poses with a subtle feminine twist as she cocks her head and holds her unique helmet slung over her shoulder. A blue hair band decorates her long hair, and beneath her bangs Mari gives you a cute smile. You can even display the pilot with or without her bright red eyeglasses. Sculpted by Yuzo, Mari stands 10" (1/7 scale) on a blasted georama base. Display her on her own or alongside her plug suit sisters.



* A Kotobukiya Japanese import

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Yaoi and Yuri Couples I Support

Never really read it but it's hilarious when I found it. How shameless it is!



Now I won't discuss it, even at a small length. For now the discussion is on the back-seat of the post until further notice, I just want pictures (that I find to be cute not really representative and no, I am not choosing pictures based on 'smexiness') and description. Now and then, this post will be updated as I remember the couples I ship.

So You Want to Watch Anime? Part 1

People often ask me what they should watch if they want to get into anime or have watched only a couple of shows. Obviously, it pays to ask people what genres they like, as anime is just another sub-medium of television and TV, movie and book preferences are all valid. Some of the shows listed here are often noted to be aimed at people who are very knowledgeable about anime, but they are on the list because they stand on their own, and none of us are rookie media consumers.



This list is designed in part to present you with a variety of genres, so you could watch these shows in order to have a better place to start from when looking for additional material - based on what you like and don't like. Future posts will cover movies, and some more shows based on genres and themes. All posts will be organized .

Animate! The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 20: Anime

What better way to promote and shine a light on anime than to present to you anime animated.

Can you think of a better way to taste the possibilities?


Anime Isn't Special

When people asked before "Why do you watch anime?" - I never really had an answer, I watch anime because I like the way it looks and it has enough stories I enjoy. I also watch western television and don't think one form is better than the other. I also read a lot of books, and I love reading books, and you'll be hard pressed to convince me most anime beats most books I read (though the reverse is slightly tilted in books' favour). I always noted it at strange that I do watch all this anime, but it's just TV, and I happen to watch it to a large degree instead of western television, but I'm not sure there's any deep reason for it.



Hachiman from OreGairu telling us how special he is, a notion the show spares no sympathy towards.

Ergo Proxy Theme

So I've been relatively immersed in kaiju and anime since roughly July alternating between the two.Yes, the arrival of PACIFIC RIM (2013) naturally sent me reeling off in that direction.Since then there's been no looking back. Though I have made time for other avenues simply to take a break.I recently viewed Mark Romanek's NEVER LET ME GO (2010) and Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN (2006), both exceptional, on the recommendations of fellow readers/writers.I'm pleased I took a chance on those two powerful sci-fi, human dramas.They may require a bit of patience but these thoughtful films are both ever so rewarding. On the anime front, I've been jumping into some old school anime, GATCHAMAN, but also checked out the next two entries in ERGO PROXY (2006) featuring the goth sexy Re-l Mayer. One of my only complaints with the new anime productions is the same complaint I sometimes have for today's live action science fiction.It's computers.The CGI effects in today's cinema is sometimes underwhelming.It's just too damn perfect and polished for its own good and simply can't compare to the gritty practical effects of yesterday.

The same goes for the world of anime.While it's certainly more economical and computers do wonderful things for the visionary, the look of the production is often too clean, sharp and sterile.This complaint is minor and comes from an old school fan of the hand drawn variety.It's simply hard to let go of some those deep, dark line drawings that graced everything from GATCHAMAN to NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and in between.That warmth of artistry is absent, but that's the sad reality of today's 2D digital cel animation and 3D computer animation and modelling.Nevertheless, I embrace both and I'm more than happy to give new and old a chance.ERGO PROXY is one of those new ones that lured me into its fold.


Neon Genesis Evangelion and the Hero Named Shinji

Two years ago I watched one of the most well known anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. I didn't like it. It was weird. Strangely though, one of my favorite aspects of the show was Shinji Ikari. The kid who couldn't do anything. Mocked in anime circles world wide, this kid was the only thing that grounded me to the original series.



Shinji is not your typical hero. He is definitely not the typical sh nen style hero. He is known as a coward. He is known for his complete indecisiveness and lack of motivation. He is not a hero by most peoples perspectives. However, I think he is much more like a real life hero, than a fictional and romanticized one. I do not believe Shinji is a coward, he is a compassionate hero.

Dat Character Development

Hey everybody! Hope you had a good Halloween (for those of you that celebrate it), and for those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you'll give it the breathing room it deserves before the Holiday Rush. I know I will: I vow not to watch a single holiday movie until at least after Thanksgiving (a rule I didn't follow last year and ended up watching them all in November, leaving me nothing in December). That and now that Halloween's done I can move on from my marathon of Tim Burton films and the like and go back to catching up on more anime, since the hunger for it's still alive and kicking (though I may need to set aside a block of time to rewatch Hunger Games before Catching Fire comes out WOOT!). But on the subject of anime, despite the fact that I've got a ton of other blog post drafts in my line up, I had to bring this topic up almost immediately as I've been giving it a lot of thought, especially while I'm continually working at the editorial process of my novel.



In terms of storytelling, the medium of anime has a lot going for it, since a lot of shows that are considered to be anime (whether you consider shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, and RWBY to be a part of that is a whole 'nother kettle o' fish) not only come up with some of the coolest and most creative premises (right up there with BBC's Sherlock and The Walking Dead*), with a long history of taking its viewers on flights of fancy from epic space mech-battles to quirky romances with kitsune (fox-demons) and everything in between, but they ALSO, when done well, open some of the most delightful avenues for character development, since most animes (with the exception of OVAs) tend to consist of a series of episodes that can be anywhere from thirteen to fifty episodes long (or longer if we're talking the ongoing march of Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece).

Ergo Proxy Ep3: Mazecity & Ep4: Futu-Risk

Since seeing PACIFIC RIM (2013) in July, I've turned a good deal of my spare time to kaiju and anime. It has certainly infiltrated my infrequent posting and it's been fun to get back to it.I suspect that pattern will continue in the run up to Christmas.Can you believe it's almost Christmas? It seems like yesterday I just saw PACIFIC RIM. Can we enjoy Thanksgiving first?



We continue with the story of ERGO PROXY (2006).To catch up, here is the summary from the actual DVD of the first volume of four episodes.

Six Anime That Have Closure in One Season or Less

I have a big peeve for anime series that end too early, especially if the series is only one season.At the same time, I have to give props to a series that can end a story in one season.Nothing is worse than being left hanging.



FLCL 6 episodes

Evangelion Rei Ayanami Bandage Version Revoltech Figure

FRALEIN REVOLTECH, is the name given to a new dimension of Revoltech created and sculpted by the brilliant Enoki Tomohide, using an innovative and newly developed joint/body system known as "E.L.F." This new concept (E.L.F.) allows the figure to demonstrate a large variety of realistic poses unlike any other PVC action figure. "Rei Ayanami [Bandage Version]" is a fictional character and one of the three primary protagonists from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, its accompanying manga, and the films Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. She is the First Child (First Children in the Japanese version) and pilot of Unit 00. "Fra lein Revoltech Rei Ayanami [Bandage Version]" is 6" tall and comes equipped with interchangeable accessories/parts (such as 1 lance of longinus, 1 optional head, 3 optional hands and 1 display base).



* Rei Ayanami is all wound up for you! Badly beaten for your collection!

Jaeger Bombs

PACIFIC RIM

Pacific Rim is flashy.It's bright.It's colorful and has a lot of big bangs and explosions.It also has piles of clich s, stock characters, and for me, an almost cynical view of its audience.I watched Pacific Rim and was disappointed: I think it could have tried something more original, created its own world.However, Guillermo Del Toro opted to use things we've seen before, throw it all together and voila: a potential franchise.


Tenchi Muyo: War on Geminar

Forget everything you know about the TENCHI MUYO universe! Well, almost everything. TENCHI MUYO: WAR ON GEMINAR ditches everything relating to Tenchi and his gang of interstellar beauties in favor of a whole new cast of colorful characters and personalities. Up until now, I thought myself done with the TENCHI series and was hesitant to start what I thought to be another retelling of Tenchi's adventures with Washu, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, and the rest. After watching WAR ON GEMINAR, I found my interest reinvigorated and by the end of the thirteen episode show, I found myself wanting more.



WAR ON GEMINAR is another spin off of the TENCHI series set after the very first OVA series, TENCHI MUYO: RYO-OHKI. Tenchi's half brother, Kenshi Masaki, is taken from Earth by a group rebellious thugs who have aspirations of capturing the throne of Geminar away from the newly crowned Empress Lashara. Armed with NEON GENESIS EVANGELION-style robots called Mechanoids, Kenshi is forced to assault Lashara's city ship and assassinate the young girl. Though formidable in combat, Kenshi flees, only to be confronted with execution by his evil masters. Displaying remarkable martial arts skills, Kenshi escapes his captors and falls under the employ of Lashara and her lovely entourage as they reach the Holy Land, a predominantly female academy where the royal elite are trained in Mechanoid combat.

15 Anime series that have touched my heart

I was tagged by a good friend mine in Facebook about 15 anime titles that have touched my heart.Well, I can't say that some of them did touch my heart in ways that could move mountains and split the deepest seas, but, they are there for the sheer fact of nostalgia and fond memories I had while watching them.And like the rest of my otaku friends, it's just literally hard to put just 15 when there are a lot to include in this list.

So without further ado, here are my top 15 in no particular order. (on top of my head...after the rules of course...)

THE RULES: DON'T TAKE TOO LONG TO THINK ABOUT IT. FIFTEEN ANIME YOU'VE SEEN THAT WILL ALWAYS STICK WITH YOU. LIST THE FIRST FIFTEEN YOU CAN RECALL IN NO MORE THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Evangelion defies common stereotypes.

Evangelion is an anime which defies common stereotypes and conventions to take the viewer on a ride to the depths of the human psyche and the limits of sanity. It is a roller coaster trip through the psychological disorders and subconscious self loathing deep within the mind of director Anno Hideaki.



Unfortunately, while Evangelion has excellent characters and an amazing story, it suffers from critical flaws which can be directly linked to budget concerns in the late stages of production along with an absolutely wretched ending. Nonetheless, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the series that would revolutionize and redefine anime for the next 10 years.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most popular anime in recent history.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most popular anime in recent history. The combination of innovative mecha designs, a compelling story, and heart-pumping action has enthralled many anime fans.



However, along with its immense popularity comes a boatload of hype. Anyway, I'll try to cut through some of the hype and provide a fair review.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a different kind of anime.

Many futuristic mecha-based anime survive on the creative and awe inspiring design of their mecha; however, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a different kind of anime. While the mecha are certainly original and cool looking, Eva does not rely on aesthetics alone.



What separates Eva from 95% of other mecha anime is its excellent story. Using the concept of god is not an entirely new ideayetEva takes religious symbolism and philosophy to new levels or depths, depending on your perspective.