Category Archives: Modern Visual Culture

July 22, 2007

Otakon Blogging Day 3 – Eminence Song Selection Attack Is Super Effective!

By omo

Well, to do this right let’s get some facts out there first.

1. Eminence is the premier, world-wide, anime/game orchestra in that for this purpose they have came together to perform. At least that’s how they hold themselves out to be. First in the market? In any event, despite their hokey website you can find out more about them using the usual means. Like, Eminence is actually short for Eminence Symphony Orchestra.

2. They are based in Australia. Yea, sort of far away–but the good thing is probably just that; it’s cheaper to raise a pool of international musicians in Australia than in Japan (or even in the US)? And it’s not too bad to travel to Japan or other east Asia locations for their shows, if you’re already on that side of Earth.

3. Actually what’s more notable for me is that Eminence is a high profile group that would play anime music. Game music has gotten its spotlight and is still getting more, but outside of Japan I’m out of luck with those nice, Kanno-esqe BGMs short of something like the RO2 show in Korea…or an Eminence performance.

Still, that leaves us American sods in the dust, until now anyways. We were lucky to have PLAY and the FF concert series, for whatever that’s worth. I do think the geek market is ready to support this kind of thing. So was Otakon 2007 responsive?

In short, yes.

I’ll say this, now that I’ve gotten home from Otakon: the actual playing was rather lackluster because of various reasons–atmosphere, level of expectation, fatigue, lack of practice, windy stage…and so on. But what really hits home isn’t that they’re capable of, but what they actually do! A bit of show and tell? Some preliminary videos on youtube for your sampling.

This one really got me going: Hisaishi’s Kimi wo Nosete from Castle in the Sky. Of course all of their Hisaishi pieces are home runs, even if they’re rough from having to reduce the arrangement to fit what they have. The Legend of Ashitaka is a good example, from Mononoke Hime.

Since Hitoshi Sakimoto was at the con, and they know each other and work together, Eminence played some of his hits, like LOL Odin Sphere theme. Plus bunch of his RxJ stuff.

I’m not a huge Kajiura fan, but it might work for you. They performed quite a few pieces from her. Most memorable for me was canta per me, and their rearranged version of Anna ni issho Datta no ni from Gundam Seed.

But what really did me in was Eminence’s rendition of “Beyond the Clouds” from…yep, you may have guessed it – Makoto Shinkai’s Beyond the Clouds, a Place Promised. Tenmon is really, by all means, an indie composer who works the otaku circles. To pick a song from them really means something–not only it’s a beautiful piece, but it’s the kind of thing that sets your emotions aflame, knowing where your weak spot and punch it with super professional symphonic powers!

Thankfully that wasn’t all there is to them. This crowd also knows how to have fun too.

Anyways, that’s it for Otakon 2007. For you that just means you’ll have to suffer a week or two more of me talking about it on the blog, LOL.

Oh, before I forget, a tentative play list. This is from memory and I definitely missed a few (which are noted). There were no official set list because they didn’t get it together until LAST NIGHT. Help me fill it in? You can find a thread here (some anecdotes included during the MC session. Most notable to me is how Eminence’s recording session was LOL geek when Sakimoto showed some of the footage to the orchestra ahead of time, where as a normal orchestra would sit in silence.). And here for panel stuff.

1. Tuning
2. Romeo x Juliet song (??)
3. Canta per me (Noir – Anime)
4. Not sure where this is from
5. Odin Sphere Main Theme
6. Mononoke Hime theme
7. Laputa theme (Kimi wo nosete)
8. Totoro theme
9. Ferris Wheel – Lia, composed by Sakimoto.
9. Romeo x Juliet song – They gave the title but I can’t remember, it sounded like Orgesomething.
10. Anna ni Issho Datta no ni
11. Beyond the Clouds (Tenmon, from Shinkai’s film)
12. Romeo x Juliet Song
13. Romeo x Juliet Song
14. Romeo x Juliet Song
15. Hako no niwa (Rakugaki Oukoku 2)
16. Can’t remember
17. Thanatos (Evangelion)
18. Pain?
19. Radical Dreamers.

Encore

20. Super Mario Brothers medley
21. Scars of Time (CC)

15 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts, English Language Modern Visual Fandom, Modern Visual Culture

July 22, 2007

Semi-Live Otakon Blogging Day 2 – Simplicity

By omo

It’s important to note that a lot of people who attend Otakon do not go see the AMV features and the Masquerade, the two events that generally locks in the bulk of the con attenders. I think increasingly so this is the case only because the con attending population is refining. It’s not to trash talk AMV or the Masquerade, but both of these events are facing stiffer competition for the time of all the attendees.

But more so to the point (so I can get up and get stuff done before heading into line hell for Eminence in the morning) –

1. The only panel I attended today was Mamiko Noto’s second panel, and I was 15 minutes late going to it–I estimated that I probably missed maybe 7 to 10 questions tops? Anyways, that stuff will go up with the stuff on Friday once I get home and air out my notes. The real highlight was this Konata’s Dad-esqe moment: so get this, this scruffy old guy (think of creepy old-looking otaku you run in at big cons) brought his 3, fair-looking children–girls of ages 8 to 11, give a take a few–dressed up completely in Marimite garbs. One was a really good estimate of a SD Yumi-chan. Needless to say when they showed up to the front and asked Noto-san their questions, she was going “aww” and stuff.

2. There was SKILL. My soul will fly.

3. Actually a lot of relaxation and hanging out, at cost of going to stuff that people who read blogs might be interested in. I am not sure I missed out anything though. The 4chan panel sucked this year, so it seemed; people can find out about Code Geass from elsewhere anyways (lol Baldr Force). But meh.

4. 5cm. We did get to see that, and it was good. What’s bad about it? Aside from substantive criticisms Otakon did NOT get a 35mm reel for it and we had to settle with a DVD. HUUUUUUUGE difference in quality. Definitely more on 5cm and related stuff later–it’s worth a whole post.

5. There’s … some sort of an attempted flash mob at the Bandai booth? LOL Haruhi dance. I didn’t really catch it, as by the time I got there it was gone for the most part.

And this is omo, signing off, resting to the thought that I met with Jesus today!

5 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Modern Visual Culture

July 21, 2007

Semi-Live Otakon Blogging Day 0 & 1 – My Fair Lady

By omo

This is really a crashing attempt at blogging. I got 5 hours of sleep last night and my sleep time is eating away by me typing this up. Maybe sometime in the next 12 months I’ll be able to get broadband on the go via some kind of cellular-level connection or something like that.

But anyways, just want to hit some key points that isn’t covered in the usual license announcements today. Obviously, Ouran was a big one and this year had a bigger showing of Ouran cosplayers than last year.

All the Mamiko Noto questions we posed got asked, basically. I actually pitched the “what is your favorite” question and the stupid translator dude picked up on it, even when I phrased it carefully and Noto-san didn’t even dodge it!

Actually Noto-san has been very awesome–35 questions in about 60 minutes. There was this Chinese otaku girl who was a huuuuge Marimite fan who covered those questions, and some bi-lingual otaku who pitched the juicer questions and as well as the Sola question. That’s on top of the autographing session, she actually shook my hands with two hands! ZOMG. I’ll spin this out probably tomorrow or Sunday.

There’s more to otakon — this year has the shortest wait time for reg ever, as well as a very interesting selection of cosplays (1 Kamina, 1 Simon, 1 Post ep-12 Simon! Also 1 Touhou’s Sakuya?). The weather was pretty good, compared to the past otakons.

AAA can really dance and sing but I don’t think Otakon is ready for a neophyte boy band. They were a great show but there’s only so much we can take this artifical stuff; half the people at the concert were there for AMV, anyways.

Geneon After Dark: picked the brains of the usual attendees like Jerry and for the first time Kevin Chu. He loves Manabi Straight! There is hope.

10 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Modern Visual Culture, Ouran High Host Club, Seiyuu, Idol, Pop

July 18, 2007

Convention of the まっすぐ GO!! Generation

By omo

Next time I blog I’ll be in Baltimore attending Otakon. The Baltimore Convention Center does not have free wifi despite a city-wide initiative. However, some of the surrounding areas do. In any event I will blog from the hotel room at the very minimum.

I pray that the mid-summer Baltimore weather will beat upon us no worse than that is necessary, and I can find time both to relax and to be excited about life, universe, and everything. It’s not just to celebrate anime with friends and share a good time, but in a conscious way to deepen my relationship with God in a familiar but shockingly strange environment, in preparation for the thing that have yet to come.

As the “straight ahead-Go” generation that we are, I think that anime fans are some of the best types that 21st century geekdom has to offer. In some ways this means that some external forces may take advantage of us more so and we’ll cause problems with our straightforward mannerisms, but on the flip side it also shows some degree of tenacity that the long-time fans possess. In any case, rain or shine, we will be there and entertaining our favorite guests at this anime convention. If you are going, I pray that you too will do it share this enthusiasm at this mutual geeking-out.

1 comment | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Manabi Straight, Modern Visual Culture, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei

July 16, 2007

E: The Dempa Letter

By omo

Aika

Code-E is a lot of fun. Studio Deen gives that very classic feel to a lot of the shows they produce. With this crew it almost reminded me of the typical TV anime back in the 90s with both mundane but interesting female leads and equally mundane but more traditional male ones. Sort of like You’re Under Arrest. Sort of like summer.

I am not sure what I should be expecting from Code-E, however. It has that big-budget ROD feel but at the same time it doesn’t feel that way? Maybe I’m just distracted by the OP and the brassy show of a BGM track. Unfortunately, the jury is still in session for Code-E, because this is exactly the kind of show that traditionally gets mishandled and wrangled by poor pacing. I hope they start kicking ass sooner than later. Just because it’s dempa anime doesn’t mean it has to suck, right?

Otakon draws nigh. So does the final stretch of my cramming. Aiee. But I still managed to catch up on sleep, Potemayo, and a bit of Claymore. It’s not helping that the freight train of pre-con anticipation sounds its steam horn, leaving me to brace myself with the anticipatory regret that I’ve just spent a lot of time for very little gain, and said time is really running out. Ah well, I’ll get to see this poor sod again, and many of my online acquaintances. East Side~

2 comments | posted in Code-E, Conventions and Concerts, English Language Modern Visual Fandom, Modern Visual Culture