Category Archives: Introspectives

December 20, 2010

Year in Review: Films

By omo
2010 is the year of films. I suspect 2011 to be not as bad, but probably on par, with 2010.
  • A rag tag gang of military men, nurse, spies, scientist, token kid and a Japanese joshikousei forms the gang of protagonists in the SF survival flick King of Thorn.
  • Join Shinko and Kiiko in their childhood fantasy of a rural Japan, with magic that takes you back even further, 1000 years ago, in this Ghibli-esqe tale of friends, growing up, and coping with the rapidly changing world in Mai Mai Miracle.
  • It’s Alice in Wonderland, except it’s the littlest penguin otaku known to man and a goblin named Chaley. This time the cute little girl has to save Chaley’s friends from the bully in the mysterious world, to fulfill the prophecy in Yona Yona Penguin.
  • High schooler Haruka falls into a similar rabbit hole and finds herself in the island of forgotten trash, and saves its population from exploitation in the story of Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror.
  • It’s called Redline because it’s fast as hell.
  • The Celestial Beings reveal their origin in the return of Gundam 00 in the Gundam 00: The Movie.
  • Tow Ubukata’s masterpiece, now in part one of three animated feature films: Mardock Scramble: The First Compression. Megumi Hayashibara returns as the protagonist in this adaptation of the namesake award-winning novel about all that 80s cyberpunk goodness.
  • Vash trashes up the badlands again in Trigun: Badland Rumble. The whole cast is back!
  • Does seeing Saber sick and heavy while wearing a pretty little dress get you excited? Then get to the theaters for Fate/stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, the animated adaptation of the most exciting and inspirational saga in the Fate/stay Night storyline. Spoilers: let there be dolphins.
  • Join Alto, Ranka and Sheryl in the first (and soon second!) part of the theatrical retelling of Macross Frontier: The False Songstress.
  • The world without Haruhi is one that is calm, peaceful, and full of collarbones. Find out why in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
  • Learn to make friends with the friendliest little girl by seeing her in action in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: the Movie. See Nanoha and her magical ferret Yuuno make their first friend, complete with full body transformation scenes and over nine thousand in power levels. Learn the reason why fans call her the White Devil.
  • It’s called Strong World because the critters are hella strong! See Luffy and the Straw Hats in their latest high-budget bind as they rescue their navigator in a pinch in One Piece: Strong World!
  • She may eat books, but she is the nicest girl you know. Find out how this mysterious being saves a girl from her self-destructive ways in Bungaku Shoujo: the Movie, the theatrical animation adaptation from the same-titled light novel series.
  • Catch the exciting finale to the Noblesse Game in the two-part theatrical continuation of Eden of the East: The King of Eden and Paradise Lost.
  • Do you enjoy the Time of Eve? If you do, definitely check out Nagi’s coffee house now in its theatrical rendition, with over 12 minutes of new animation in The Time of Eve the Movie.

Damn, that’s a lot of movies. And damn, I’ve seen too many of them.

Leave a comment | posted in Introspectives, Modern Visual Culture

December 18, 2010

Year in Review: The Funnies

By omo

Over yonder at the blog-in-data-recover, I’ve written a list of the amusing stuff that happened this year. I guess I could have added the bouncing boobs from High School of the Dead on the list because it’s one of those Grenadier moments. You know? Except it only looks amusing and really doesn’t do anything. I don’t think breasts are good absorber of recoil, and whats-his-face Komuro should have gotten beaten over the head by Miyamoto for giving her purple boobs. That’s just the beginning, and the one anime probably everyone watched (outside of JUMP crap).

This year is an amazing year for comedies in anime. While we never had an outstanding title this year on par with FMP: Fumoffu, there were scores of great shows that will make you laugh out loud. At least it made me. Then again I laugh a lot.

The one I want to highlight is Seikon no Qwaser. It’s like Yosuga no Sora but without the pretense of seriousness. Plus, it’s got none of the “boning your twin sister while your girlfriend (soon-to-be-ex) stands and watch, along with ero-minded Iichou-san” big ball of fire mess; or rather, how do you top that? On the other hand, I thought the “keeps on going” thing works better with Nao being boned and Sora watching, but that’s just how she is. Qwaser just has unslightly people being unslightly, mostly doing all kind of weird stuff that defies imagination. I mean in some sense, the whole walking-on-the-sex-scene bit was not unexpected. It’s gawking, but it isn’t out of mind. Stuff like boob hypnosis is.

It brings up this notion that you can bridge the gap between awful and comedy. It’s kind of like how Fist of the North Star is enjoyable, but it’s also enjoyable. You get what I mean? There are too many shows making that gap this year it is starting to bleed into proper comedies.

But with offerings like Seitokai Yakuidomo, I can’t really blame them.

To wrap this point up, I’m just going to say that 2010 is an abnormal year in anime comedies in that I’ve seen more moments in anime this year that made me laugh than probably 2009 and 2008 combined. Maybe it speaks as much to how bad 2009 and 2008 was in terms of comedies, but really, if you are not laughing this year, you are not watching the same anime I’m watching.

The sad thing is there really wasn’t just one show that stood out besides the Qwaser, which is remarkable for other qualities besides that it’s hilariously over the top. That it’s terribly hilariously over the top.

Leave a comment | posted in Introspectives, Modern Visual Culture, Seikon no Qwaser, Seitokai Yakuindomo, Yosuga no Sora