Menu

aaapodcast

byousoku 5cm

Byousoku 5cm

/ , , , , / , , , , , / 0 Comments

Alternate Titles: Byōsoku 5 Centimeter – a chain of short stories about their distance, 5cm per Second, 5 centimeters per second

Original Japanese Release Date: 2007

Episode Length/Run-time: 62 Minutes

Summary:

Three short stories wrapped up into one film follow the life of Takaki Toono from adolescence to manhood.  In each his childhood love Akkane manifests in a different form as their relationship changes with age.

Review:

This film was created by Makoto Shinkai.  One of the most influential and visionary directors (yeah, I said it) of our time.  So, with a name that can do no wrong, and has yet to create anything less than astounding where does Byousoku sit?

One of the things Shinkai is known for is his animation.  Form his distinct, slightly realistic character design to how the light hits everything from puddles of water to blades of grass his perspective is flawless.  His perspective on the world is nothing short of visually stunning.  The colors are vivid and create an amazing setting for a real life story.

Another thing Shinkai also works with often is an overarching theme throughout his films.  Like Voices of a Distant Star looks at time, Byousoku looks at distance.  How there is a difference between physical distance and the distance between two people’s hearts.  The fact that two people can be emotionally close no matter how far they are, or how far apart people can be emotionally even if they’re physically close with each other.

This is a story that anyone who has ever loved can relate to.  As a slice of life there’s not much more to describe and the best thing I can say about this film is simply: Watch it.  By not doing so you are doing yourself a disservice as an anime fan.  Very rarely can something evoke so much emotion from places you didn’t even realize your heart could hurt.

[starrater]

gurren lagann

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

/ , , , , , / , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Alternate Titles: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Gurren Lagann, TTGL

Original Japanese Release Date: 2007

Episode Length/Run-time: 27 Episodes

Summary:

The world is oppressed by monsters ruled over by the Spiral King, Lordgenome.  Humans are forced to live underground and any found disobeying will be killed.  One day the meek Simon the digger comes across a drill key and a Gunman mecha while expanding his home city further below.  With this and the gun-ho bravery of his friend and older brother figure Kamina they venture to the surface to defeat the spiral king.  But they soon learn there’s more to the Spiral power that both the king and Simon harness and how it plays into the fate of humanity.

Review:

This anime is a fan favorite by a huge portion of the anime community.  It’s hard to argue against the fact that it has become a near instant classic simply for the fandom which it has earned.

Gurren Lagann is a rare breed.  The anime is the original source of the story.  All light novels, mangas, games, and movies came after.  A good way to describe the series is mecha for the masses.  While it is a mech series with REALLY over the top robots (we’re talking movers of worlds here) it’s not so steeped in sci-fi that the average viewer can’t relate to it.

The series is divided into three main arcs.  The first arc, where most of the main cast is introduced focuses on defeating the Spiral King.  You meet the busty Yoko, the fabulous Leon, and the vicious enemy yet friend Viral.  This arc focuses more on evolving the characters and having the viewer fall in love with them over progressing the main plot.

The second arc is where the real story begins to fall into play.  (This is spoiler free, so I won’t tell you what happens to the Spiral King, you’ll just have to watch for yourself).  You begin to learn there are more forces at work than previously suspected and the final piece of the main cast joins the crew, Nia, daughter of the Spiral King.

Then, IT happens.  I won’t ruin what IT is, those of you who have watched the series already know.  But it is one of the most heart-breaking tear-jerking moments in anime.  Congrats though, you’re only about halfway done.

The final arc has a time-skip into the future.  The characters are older and they face an evolved threat.

This anime is great at that 14 episode halfway point (with the whole IT) thing.  The only criticism of the second half/final arc is that it gets a little too over the top.  One thing keeps outdoing the next until you literally have mechs the size of planets.  It’s not an awful setup, and there are much worse over the top anime out there.  But for a serious viewer it can detract just slightly.  The positive side is that its, for the most part, right at the end.  So you’re likely so engrossed that you can forgive this aspect.

This anime is a fantastic watch for just about any anime fan because it tickles the palette in all the right places.  Full of action, sexy men and women, relationships, fighting, sci-fi, a touch of fantasy, great characters and more there’s little wonder of why it’s so well loved.  Form a critical standpoint it does stray a bit, knocking it down from a five, but that hardly ruins the experience for the average viewer.

[starrater]

Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu

Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu

/ , , , / , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Alternate Titles: None

Original Japanese Release Date: 2011

Episode Length/Run-time: 8 Episodes

Summary:

The continued antics of the Marui Triplets.  Futaba is the tomboyish one, Hitoha is the quiet pervert, and Mitsuba the self-proclaimed princess employ their antics and wreak havoc in a comical manner on everything around them.

Review:

The second season of Mitsudomoe follows much the way of the first season.  Each episode is broken into two, generally three, vignettes that follow a slice of life of the Marui triplets.  While there is a lose overall story of their day to day lives and the passing of time represented by seasons and events there is no overarching plot with a set beginning, middle, climax, resolution, and end.

In this way though, Mitsudomoe is one of the most fantastic pick up and go shows you can find.  Each episode goes from garnering a sincere chuckle to side-splitting hilarity.  While I expected the antics to get tired and boring, after all there’s only so many jokes about a girl being a perv (right?), they never got to that point.  Somehow the writers continued to find ways to make the content new and fresh while still being funny.  No small feat, I assure you.

The animation or music is nothing to swoon over, but that’s clearly not the point of this series.  Pouring money into a high animation budget would’ve likely detracted from the home-grown silly that the slightly cartoonish style produces.

You can completely watch this season without seeing the first.  But why would you want to?  Sure it’s not chronological but you may as well start a good thing from the beginning.  However, if you do decide to pick this one up in the middle the only thing you may not understand (and the only thing I didn’t really like) is the first episode.  The first episode is a mock TV show referenced throughout the series called the Gachi Rangers (much like the power rangers).  This episode seemed less funny and out of place, but it hardly detracted from the overall quality of the show.

On a humor scale, this anime easily gets a 5/5.

However, I try to score like a critic, and since it doesn’t really have a plot it’s bumped down to a 3/5 on an overall scale.  Bur seriously, if you like funny you do not want to miss this one.

[starrater]

cat soup

Cat Soup

/ , , / , , , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Alternate Titles: Nekojiru-so

Original Japanese Release Date: 2001

Episode Length/Run-time: 34 Minutes

Summary:

A cat is trying to save his elder sister from death.  When he does her soul is ripped into two.  He returns half her soul to her but it is not enough to bring her back all the way and she becomes a shell of her former self.  He then embarks on a journey to return his sister to her former self.

Review:

I’m just going to say it on this one.  Cat Soup is one of those anime that no one has any clue what’s going on.  But, because it is presented in a surreal, whimsical, and many times lovely in that odd psychological way people suddenly seem to think it is deep and rich with story and purpose.  Because it presents itself as an intellectual soiree into some deep and engaging subject matter or commentary the educated minds that watch it feel as though they are missing something (I’m sure) so to cover and not appear stupid they praise its value and its deep presentation.

Really, Cat Soup is 30 minutes of “huh?”  Pretty in many ways, but still “huh?”   Random scenes are thrown in there to evoke feeling such as the atomic bomb blowing up, a pig eating itself, prisoners of war being shot.  But it’s thrown together in such a haphazard way that it leaves the viewer being more confused than evoked.  I get that they’re going through a dreamscape, but nothing other than the fact that it’s a dreamscape really seems to have anything to do with the protagonist or his sister.

What I can, however, praise it for is that it did have a beginning, middle, and end.  For 30 minutes, this is pretty good.  Even if the presentation came off very animation student project trying out different things for their final requirements it did have the bones of something over being nothing other than those random scenes.  The anime also lacks dialogue, which is also impressive to convey a story under such circumstances.

It was directed by Tatsuo Sato, who really hasn’t done much other than being the series director of Ninja Scroll, which could explain a lot now that I think about it…

Overall, this series isn’t a total waste of your life given that it’s only 30 minutes.  But I likely wouldn’t buy it from a bargain bin.

[starrater]

barefoot gen

Barefoot Gen

/ , , , , , / , , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Alternate Titles: Hidashi no Gen

Original Japanese Release Date: 1983

Episode Length/Run-time: 83 minutes

Summary:

Gen lives with his mother, father, and little brother in Hiroshima 1945 =.  It has been 3 years since the conflict with the U.S. began and the trials of the war have begun to take their toll on the country of Japan.  Despite the scarcity of food and other necessities they work to make their lives happy and the best they can.  However on the 6th of August 1945 everything changes with the dropping of the first atomic bomb in human history.  Gen’s fight for survival begins in the tattered remains of what once was his normalcy.

Review:

Barefoot Gen began as a 10 volume manga running from 1983-1984.  It was later produced into a feature film in 1983 with a sequel in 1986.  There have also been a number of novels and live action movies and TV series paired with the series.

I think what makes this movie so impacting is it’s creator: Nakazawa.  Nakazawa is a survivor of the atomic bombing himself and produced this manga to tell his story and the story of all those who lost their lives and who had to live through the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.  Knowing this the anime becomes all the more impacting.  However, also knowing this you have to understand that the anime is being told from the experiences of a survivor who made it through but this is going to add a spin to his story.

The story doesn’t really begin until the bombing.  While it starts the day before this acts as a set-up for everything which is to come.  When the bombing happens gen is separated from his family and what ensues is a grotesque and historically accurate series of images.  People’s flesh melt off, their eyes boil and pool from their eyes, their clothing burns away in an instant.  Those that do survive are left as wandering corpses desperately thirsty for water and aid.  The scenery changes in an instant to a hellish landscape where everything is destroyed.  Gen navigates through this back to his family only to see his house ablaze.  Only his mother escapes and they watch in horror as his little brother and father burn to death before their eyes.  They attempt to sleep, but cannot rest, haunted by the screams of the injured throughout the city.

Gen’s mother, pregnant, gives birth to a baby girl prematurely.  Since no midwife or doctor can be found Gen must attempt to aid in the delivery of the baby.  The baby is delivered and now Gen must look after himself and his mother and newborn sister as the patriarch of the family.

This movie is one heartbreak after another.  Just when things seem to be going good they crush you again.  The overall hopelessness hangs over the viewer and character like a dense haze that cannot be lifted.  What likely makes it even more unbearable is the fact that it is historically accurate on many levels.

That is not to say though the movie is perfect.  Sometimes it does seem sensationalized.  This anime is never uttered because of the fact that it just doesn’t stand up in production to other WWII anime such as grave of the fireflies and took significantly longer to see a DVD release.  The music is lacking and the animation shows its age clearly.

That being said the content and commentary alone is enough to put it on anyone’s must-watch list.  The overall message, despite the sorrow, is one of the perseverance and strength of the human spirit.  Leaving the viewer on a hopeful note compared to other films and works.  This sometimes is criticized for seeming unrealistic but in my opinion it is a powerful message to a good movie.

[starrater]

kimi ni todoke 2

Kimi Ni Todoke 2

/ , , , , / , , , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Alternate Titles: Reaching Out to You

Original Japanese Release Date: 2011

Episode Length/Run-time: 12

Summary:

Kimi ni Todoke 2 is a continuation of the original Kimi ni Todoke series.  It follows Sawako, meaning “happy child” who is nicknamed “Sadako” from the ring due to her extreme lack of social ability and a number of misunderstandings.  Her two friends, Chizu and Yano, after bringing her out and helping her become accepted by the class in the first season see to it to help the delicate and budding romance between her and the most popular boy in class Kazehaya.  However, will Sawako be able to overcome her insecurities and will the interference of others like the lovely Kurumi or the playboy Kento get in the way?

Review:

May I please take a moment to express, as a girl, how much I LOVE this series.  It’s now 36 episodes long in total, counting both the first and second seasons, but the second season is a convenient 12 episodes.  Anything longer than that would’ve been excessive and have gotten into the way.  The series is produced and completed by the same people as the first with Studio Production I.G. at the helm it follows the 13 book manga that started in 2005 and is still ongoing.  There is also a light novel series which started in 2007.

Now I feel I must preface this review by saying that some of it will be spoilers from the first season just because it is a direct continuation, so if you’re planning on watching the show I leave you with a strong recommendation and telling you to stop here.

So in the first season it was well established that Sawako and Kazehaya had feelings for each other.  They were both generally in love but both too quiet about it to make it obvious.  Or, when one of them did say something it was misunderstood by the other.  Sawako being the main culprit.  This season opens with Valentines day, and the painful experience of Sawako not being able to give chocolates to Kazehaya because they meant far too much.  Thanks Kurumi, yes, she’s back.

The series goes on and Sawako continues to become more accepted by the school on the whole, to the point that she even has another suitor.  But instead of dragging out twisted love triangles to the point of disgust the series takes a realistic approach (I feel) to how the characters interact with each other.  Kazehaya is not pleased of course in the situation and acts how a normal boy would.  Sawako does continue to eff things up though which is borderline annoying.  But as more people in the show begin to see what’s going on between them their assistance helps Sawako and Kazehaya realize the misunderstanding s that have been happening between them.

Is it too late at that point to salvage their budding love?  I’m not going to tell you! Watch the series.  But what I will say from start to finish, first OR second season this series won’t let you down.  The 12 episode length is perfect for the second season, and I almost think they could’ve condensed the whole show down to 24.  The shorter length really forces them to focus on the core of what’s going on and that alone makes it a nose above the first season.  Plus, how they wrap everything up with a neat little bow and just enough to make the fans happy on top of that was a nice touch.

This show really is worth your while if you’re a fan of the slice-of-life comedic romance.  Highly recommended and worth the investment of your time.

[starrater]

desert punk

Desert Punk

/ , , , , / , , , , / 0 Comments

 

Alternate Titles: Sunabozu

Original Japanese Release Date: 2004

Episode Length/Run-time: 24

Summary:

Desert Punk takes place in a distant future where the entire world has been turned into a wasteland due to some unnatural catastrophic event.  Mankind has barely survived on and lives surrounding water holes.  The primary ones of these are known as “Oasis” and are owned by the government which is a mysterious and powerful organization generally at odds with the citizens they oversee.  In the Great Kanto Desert, the now wasteland Japan, there is a man called “Desert Punk.”  A mercenary who will take on, and complete, any job, no matter how crazy or how difficult.  Desert Punk follows the events surrounding Kanta, the man behind the “Demon of the Desert.”

Review:

Desert Punk is a “man’s man” type of anime.  It has just about everything a man likes, explosions, guns, and giant tatas… Without much other thought put into it.  Now don’t get me wrong, I did find it…. Amusing.  But that was about it.

Each episode of Desert Punk was much like the last.  Episode start, Kanta gets a job, somehow this job involves Junko Asagiri the T&A of the show.  The job lasts one episode, maybe two, and then Kanta finishes the job in a near ridiculous way possible.  The anime attempts to string together some key events with regards to water, a shady government, and a few reoccurring villains but don’t be fooled.  Once you’ve seen the first episode you’ve seen them all.  The closest thing to a plot is Kosuna who is Kanta’s self-proclaimed and later accepted apprentice.  She has some kind of growth throughout the series but is otherwise a generally annoying nuisance to all characters, and the viewer.

This is a studio Gonzo anime, released back in 2004, so it’s relatively new-looking.  Nothing too fancy but definitely has that shiny new anime look to it.  Funimation licensed it in America and did all the dubbing.  I actually watched it dubbed and the dubbing was pretty good.  It likely was nowhere near the original dub considering they used phrasing like: “why is my husband such a tool?” which really enhanced the series to be completely honest.  It wasn’t very good to begin with so to have well-done wording really enhanced things.

The best thing I think I can say about the show is about Kanta.  He is the most perverted, generally scummy, not a good person at all.  Most people in anime who start out bad have a nougat of good in them.  Or they evolve as a person throughout the series.  This DOES NOT happen with Kanta.  He starts out as a money-hungry do anything for the tatas perv and ends that way.  His lack of growth, all things considered, is charming for the anime because it means the show is not trying to turn itself into a piece with plot and meaning after having absolutely nothing for the whole show.

Overall, it’s not a god awful watch, but it’s nothing enjoyable.  There are some anime who generally possess more plot in their filler than this show has in its whole 24 episodes.  But if you’re in for some mindless humor, there are worse options… and likely better ones too…

[starrater]