April 16, 2008

Nine Years with Maaya Sakamoto

By omo

It’s weird, but today I thought about Maaya Sakamoto.

Her debut in Escaflowne was back in 1996, a journey of 12 years. I took notice of her pretty soon after that and was following her pretty much since then. Whoops?

But what was especially memorable to me was the song she released along with Platinum on the single, named simply “24.” If you recall Platinum was a bit of a hit and it rode the CCS wave during its hottest hour. That was 1999. I thought 24 was a cute song in a clumsy “lol engrish” way and the general idea behind the song was encouraging. I guess that was a time in my life where I had a lot of personal struggles, so it stuck.

Sort of like how every time I listen to Break of Dawn I think of Everquest, because I’d be listening to it hours on end on EQ binges. (…often when the dawn breaks…) Sigh.

Perhaps it is just that I listen to her music quite often, it’s gotten to a point where I’ve started to associate her songs to random memories I’ve had. It isn’t like I particularly like her songs, even if they are pretty soothing. It just sticks?

Still, what’s amusing is the continuing development of Sakamoto as a musician over the past decade or so since her first solo album. It’s hard to say for me, as I did not really keep a detailed tab on her career. And there was always the Yoko Kanno factor to consider. But others have, and that’s all we need.

But man, recalling seeing some early day videos of Sakamoto when she was barely out of high school, compared to her more recent sighting in musicals and in American con appearances… she’s doing well.

So why “24″? I thought it was a clever dual-use of the number both as a time notation and as an age limit. You can think of it in terms of the societal norms of women in Japan, but I think of it more generally–as a generation of young adults looking for direction in a rapidly changing world. Maybe you can interpret it differently. But that’s what is so great about it.

 

5 comments | posted in Seiyuu, Idol, Pop

April 13, 2008

It’s About Bitterness, or Yes, Gundams Don’t Kill People, Tomino Does.

By omo

Looks like I got called out? I appreciate it, actually. People looking for Gundam ranting shouldn’t be expecting it in the rest of this nonsense I’m writing. Fair warning.

But I don’t really have too much to say on this topic. I mean, companies don’t make anime, people do. Companies just make it possible. After all, a company is just a label for a type of organization, and you need a certain level of organization to accomplish a big task like making an animated TV show or full-length feature film.

But what he says here is pretty much one way to explain why that is, and it’s a good way to look at it. (Well, bitterness is a terrible motivation to withhold information if you ask me).

First thing first: if you worked at any corporate outfit (as in, far most non-mom-and-pop operations) you will sign a nondisclosure agreement. Nondisclosure agreements generally all say the same thing–that you can’t say “secret” stuff about work! What’s “secret?” For example, time-sensitive information that has value (either because fans crave (as in, you can sell it) or because withholding it gives you an economic advantage (as in, if you tell, you lose out)). Obviously that is the first and the foremost reason why anime industry people don’t give out juicy details. This little note is something people take for granted but I think some of the younger anime fans online probably wouldn’t know how pervasive this is. It’s an old-man knowledge.

Second: Anime is really marketed as a consumptive good. And for that matter, it’s disposable and almost fungible. Who made what is not exactly something marketed save for people who’ve made a name for themselves, and so naturally the viewers aren’t peppered with this information.

This is particularly true when it comes to the more grunt-y jobs like in-betweening, marketing, and producing shows. In light of that it’s sort of easy to keep tabs on directors, art directors, designers, actors, composers, and even the SFX guy. (I mean heck, that’s actually important and it’s so rare to see anyone talk about the studio/people that does sound effects for anime.)

Let alone animators.

But, yes, people make anime. The business stuff is interesting and all and it’s amusing to look at how Lawson is sort of two-faced on Bandai Visual, but that gets into TL;DR territory for me. Bottom line is, as long as people make rational decisions based on both their long term and short term needs and potentials, both fans and companies stand to profit.

And bitterness is not a rational motivation.

I guess here’s a hat off to every single fansubber and commercial distributor who bothered to translate credits, because, believe it or not, it does make a difference.

 

Leave a comment | posted in Modern Visual Culture

April 9, 2008

Kallen Eleven

By omo

I know why Kallen in episode one of Code Geass R2 was mad cool.

LOL WAH. And November 11 !=? Kallen Eleven

I was never much of a Kallen fan back in Code Geass season 1 days, probably because the show didn’t take her seriously until later on. Perhaps I didn’t take her seriously (as a result, or just because). She always seemed like a silly girl yet she is quite dead serious about her goals and her feelings. Hardly a paragon of competence, Kallen is the contrast to that “JUST AS PLANNED” hook some Code Geass viewers dig about the show, so her popularity is spotty as well.

But why the bunny girl outfit? Well for starters CLAMP can design very sensual, attractive characters. Priming their MID-AGER LAZERS to “lol shounen anime” the results are somewhat annoying if boobs are not your thing. But at the same time CLAMP excels at clothing design, so the combination of a bunny girl outfit, which is a fairly spartan uniform if you think about it, and a CLAMP character in a shounen anime, is just jarring.

All the more that’s why there’s already like, 5 pages of this crunk on danbooru?
Season 2 Design docs!

Well, if I was Kero-chan I would’ve definitely checked:

1. The neck piece. It looks fairly generic but even the shape of the neck cuff is fairly distinctive

2. The adornment on the waist. It helps that we’ve got two other bunny girl models to contrast poor Kallen’s costume, both with slight differences in terms of their … loadout. It adds a bit of character to something so generic, and anchors the various lines going on that you see on a bunny girl outfit. If her boobs aren’t doing that for you anyways.

3. The ears. The ears are one of the most important part of the outfit, and in Kallen’s case it doesn’t sit drooping as it would in most other instances of such an outfit. Of course, she was bouncing around quite a bit.

4. And yeah. Gainax Bounce anyone?

The first episode of Code Geass R2 is almost a tongue-in-cheek self-reference crossed with pop-anime-cultural reference. At least, it is if you look at it that way–with all things Kallen, and with the parallel in respect to the first episode of Code Geass season 1.

The real objection I have is that, ultimately, Kallen in the first episode is just a distraction. It’s a distraction so maybe the viewers forget where we are plot-wise. And maybe that’s a good suggestion, since we’re kind of missing all of that in the pilot episode. Let’s rejoice in the return of one of our favorites from last year, and its ensemble cast. Let’s rejoice in boobs and bunnies. Let’s rejoice in hot school teacher jumping on her student. Let’s rejoice, just as some have planned.

 

Leave a comment | posted in Code Geass, Modern Visual Culture

April 7, 2008

Never Running Out of Things to Say

By omo

Some people are very detail oriented, directed, motivated, focused and ultimately, verbose.

I can’t quite say that about Makoto Shinkai, but that is how he came across when I spent the good half hour reading the wall-of-text interview on the 5cm DVD (R1 release, thx ADV!). He doesn’t ramble–in fact it seemed like it was well-planned, almost as if he has had time to think up answers to the open-ended questions these interviews tend to make them answer.

What was impressive was seeing the same degree of attentiveness to detail to his works. And it’s not so much in the animation but in the degree of control he exercised over the work that made it seem like he knows what he is doing–what exactly he wanted to say to his viewers, and how he wanted it done.

I won’t parrot what he said in there, but I will say there was even a lolcat moment.

Even though it was well planned, it seemed that he did not have anything to read back from, so the speech was natural (and at parts, edited for brevity) when he hits the various points to answer a question. The question he gets asked all the time (such as “are you telling us a story from your own life?”) he answers rather concisely; but some of the more descriptive questions surrounding 5cm’s production gets much more fleshed out.

And how he transitioned from what lifts him up from his daily grind as an office guy to a way of life; a hobby turns into a full time job. It’s probably worthy of being told in a film all by itself.

In a nutshell, while some advertisers may jump quickly and claim Shinkai’s successorship as the next Miyazaki, I see him as someone who has simply mastered storytelling in this one particular style. Perhaps today’s media industry lacks people who knows how to tell stories, especially in this style, but it will be up to him to combine his talents, dedication, and finding the story that he wants to speak to us about. That’ll be the defining prereq of his true masterpiece.

Still, I have a hard time running out of things to say about 5cm. Sure, it really spoke to me, and many others, but much like Satoshi Kon’s works (and he’s another very detail-oriented person) there’s just a jam-packed amount of stuff in the film. Not only it takes a long time to unpack all that’s in the film, Shinkai has made it fun to do so. In light of the new Spring 2008 offerings, I am still mostly ambivalent about that in light of what has transpired in an year-old film that ran just a tad over an hour.

In one of those soul-searching moments, a stroll in the valley of introspection and self-reflection, things like 5cm is exactly what props me up and reaffirms that there’s something worth being a fan for in this business.

And 5cm says it so simply. Concisely.

5cmmoon

 

Leave a comment | posted in Byousoku 5CM, Modern Visual Culture

April 5, 2008

Retail Therapy Is Terrible…

By omo

…but you do it anyways.

But what needs to be purchased out to be purchased, and that includes:

5 Centimeters per second, Hi-Def, BRD or HDDVD.

Beyond the Clouds on BRD or HDDVD.

That new Tenmon CD, or ef anime OST 2.

And this wonderful soundtrack.

Some bits of disclosure: I am test driving CD Japan’s affiliate program. It’s really not a big deal because I use their services on a semi-regular basis anyways, and I really don’t expect to gain (or lose) anything through it. Which is to say, those links are for your information and it doesn’t really matter if you want to be a part of the whole thing. FWIW I bought a couple of those items from Amazon because it was still cheaper :) However they do let you make commission on your own sales, so I should be clicking on my own links!

But I do want to pimp the Romeo x Juliet soundtrack, which came out a month ago. With so much crap going on it got left out. Let’s just say Eminence Symphony Orchestra sounds way great, too, in a recording, as well in a live show.

Hopefully I can review both in due time.

Leave a comment | posted in Modern Visual Culture