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The double dog days of august–I mean, this is the second news letter this month, maybe I regressed back to normal blogging for a bit.
Omonomono Newsletter, 2021-08-23
To be honest, COVID is still on the top of the list in Anime Land right now, and not like this please. I hope things are well with the rest of you though. Certainly whatever this current state of the world is, has more lasting power than the Konosuba mobile game (KonoFan), which I tried for about a day and gave up.
These Past Weeks
The enemies from this show is “Jaffy”? LOL. But yes, Makkun riffs an old one.
Before I forget, the Olympics did end after my last news post. So cheers to Team Japan for winning a gold medal in Baseball, because that one counts a lot. And when it comes to baseball collabs, there’s anime to go with that. And they ended the Olympics with this anime stuff too. Not that it is surprising right now–nothing can quite top the Taiwanese gold medalist in Archery doing Archer’s chant.
Meanwhile in Japan, SOE continues. A lot of seiyuu reported getting COVID this month, so I’ll go fast here. I wish them a speedy full recovery.
Chisa Sugunuma (Mamimi); All of SideM 6th Hokkaido minus one; Kento Hama; Rina Hidaka (many roles); Chiharu Sawashiro (Brother of Miyuki); KENN (IDOLiSH7);
Rest in peace, Sonny Chiba. You were an icon for both sides of the Pacific.
With the disease unspecified, but get well soon too Minami-chan.
In Evangelion news, yeah I finally watched it. It was fine; good even. I’m just glad it is over, and sufficiently cathartic and artistically nutritious. Meanwhile the TV series blu-ray release is sold out, until they announce the regular edition.
They’re remastering the DAICON III opening video? Why?
Say what you will about Japanese vtubers, but bringing people like this back from the brink of time is a fine play in my book: Natsuko Kuwatani is on youtube as her SisPri character is both blessing and curse.
The last CUE event, they announced the anime properly. On that note, when that edgy seiyuu unit that has legs and you are hoping will be produced well puts out a music video that is faux early 90s Japan, and you’re “too old to appreciate” this coming back…
I forgot about this, but it’s just a compilation film right?
Huh, there’s a walking tour for the Yokohama Gundam.
Sentai licensed the new Illya film and will screen it. Maybe the screening for this will have more people than the Shirobako movie screening I went to a couple weeks back.
Is the new Aniplex project about horse racing?
There’s a PS4 demo of Starlit Seasons already. Watch Wakkasama play with BaneP.
Sad, dreary anime based on sad, dreary manga to end with final season part 2, next January.
IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Day Korean version is shutting down. (Update: also the Taiwan/HK version)
[Updated 8/23: I left out some more links, but also to add more.]
COVIL IL: Yuko Sanpei (Many, also SideM cluster), Wakana Maruoka (Rinze), Makoto Nonomura (more an actor), Shinichiro Miki (many).
Evangelion streaming record smashed.
Star Wars: Vision is a thing. I really should sub to D+ at some point, it is actually compelling now!
Miyazaki doc. It’s on the usual places too.
On the Mind
I still can’t believe Muray just put the whole full Pinky Hook video on Youtube for free for oversea viewers. Muri. Muri. Because if you buy it…you get a DVD, and this is 1080 on YT (not great but way better than DVD).
Nomura is cute, her baby is cute, the way she puts her baby in a melon outfit is…lmao. Helps to take my mind off of the COVID stuff hitting SideM, whose event was already delayed before all the news hit. Japan’s vax rate is going up but the spread is serious now. Meanwhile, you can also take your mind off it with these wafers.
It’s kind of news, but Reina Ueda has a new album and I’ve been listening to this out of all the ones I got recently. I think it’s very on brand, but it is a bit less charming than the one she put out last year. Maybe it’s just less healing and somewhat more straight on art. Clearly I have not listened to it enough (well, it only came out last week).
This is kind of on my mind. You can watch that link until 8/25. But Rhodanthe* is still a thing…not for much longer.
Is that new Hololive tuber Sana a normal, sane nerd? Cheers.
Anime-wise, I’ve been steadfast but have dropped a couple. Caught up on the Duke of Death & Black Maid anime, which is cute but it’s got “made for Netflix” written all over it, but it’s on FUNi. On that note I’m totally frozen on my other Netflix shows like Bestars…just too heavy for casual viewing on a weekday.
And yes, Shirobako the movie is the kind of movie we need in this era of COVID. I guess the problem was that it’s a bit too spot on and didn’t really extend the story from a character’s point of view to anywhere satisfying.
Events
I’m putting this bit of COVID-related thing here, but truth is NYC will be full on mandating this autumn. ANYC will just follow the local protocol when the time comes, which probably will involve a vaccination mandate and the associated nonsense. If NYCC can deal with scalpers by unique identifier, vaccination info is nbd. On that note, looks like Otakon came and went without major COVID clustering, and for the most part things went well with folks adhering to the masking rules, despite the lack of distancing that was expected.
Sentai at Home v2 is full on archived now, with chapter markers! GJ.
Japan has been a tad slow on the event side, given August was the Olympics and the Paraolympics is going to start shortly. COVID doesn’t make it easy either.
For upcoming–
It’s already Anisama weekend…and Horses 3rd. I’ll probably watch this live given that Anisama will not get a live stream… Too bad, because this year’s Anisama is really IM@S-heavy lol. Plus the usual folks that I enjoy there, of course. Not to mention the fiasco with seating.
Macross Delta 1st live restream (global?)
Personal Note
Evangelion on Amazon Prime took up a lot of my time this month. I watched 2 seasons of the Expanse, a bunch of episodes of not-Top Gear, and even that CG cartoon Harlock (2013) movie (which is only remarkable because how it reminds me of FF).
I watched the Field of Dreams from start to finish for the first time. I miss this kind of Hollywood films, as narrative structures. Since I watched so much baseball this year, this seems fitting with that Field of Dreams game MLB put on.
Long Reads
The IM@S CG 10th interviews are worth a look. Maimai’s was great. Karin. Pe. Shikikun. Chiyo. Mina. Nappi. Sorasora. Assamu.
Read more about animators in Japan and how it sucks.
Something unrelated, but cool.
Seiyuu and guns and Chinese vidya.
Last year’s CEDEC talk on Priconne dev is now public. Good stuff.
This short anime…(eng sub available)
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