Archive for the English Anime Category


K-ON! Anime, Volume 4 (English)

December 23rd, 2011

My day started a little rough, so I thought that I more than deserved a moment to wallow in the pure fun of the K-ON! anime. Volume 4 was the perfect thing to put me in a good mood (although I think I’m a little tired of “Fuwa Fuwa Time” now…)

In Volume 4, the girls perform for the second time at the school festival, and we learn that Yui’s flakey-ness is a lifetime achievement. And we get two bonus episodes in which they spend some random winter days and perform their first show outside school.

I’ve said it before, if you don’t like K-ON!, there’s nothing I can say to change you to suddenly liking it. If you do like it, there’s nothing I can say that you haven’t already thought for yourself. “Gosh, Yui’s a flake,” “Azusa’s cute when she’s all blushy,” “Why has no one killed Ritsu yet?” “Why is Mugi not the Governor of Tokyo?”  I have no doubt that you’ve thought these things as well. Well…okay, maybe not the last thing. If you’ve thought anything about Mio and the word “waifu” you are not welcome over for lunch. Sorry, I have to draw the line somewhere, even on delusions. ^_^

Entertainment ought to be entertaining and this volume put me in a better mood than I had been in before I watched it. That’s a win in my book.

Oh, Yuri? Yui asks for a kiss when she’s reunited with Azusa, does that count? I don’t think so.

Ratings:

Art – Still  5
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 0
Service – 5

Overall – 8

Many, many thanks to Okazu Superhero Eric P. for sponsoring today’s review, and improving my mood significantly!





Revolutionary Girl Utena Anime Box Set – Volume 2, Disk 2 (English)

December 13th, 2011

Revolutionary Girl Utena, Volume 2, Disk 2.

This is where it gets really good.

Up to this point, the Black Rose arc has seemed superficially similar to the first arc. Kanae’s rage against Anthy seems overreacting, but we really don’t know much about Kanae or Anthy, and hey, we’re all creeped out by the portrayal of psychoanalysis in the form of Mikage’s Freudian elevator. And Kozue…we’ve written her off multiple times already. She’s not jealous of Anthy, just of her brother. Bro-con, ho hum.

But. Now. Shiori is here. Shiori, who sought to hurt Juri, to tarnish her shine, because she was too perfect, too shining. Oh yeah, fandom loves to hate Shiori.

But look at it from her side for a moment. Haven’t we all had a friend who is popular, talented, attractive and haven’t we all wanted, just once, to be better than them in something? Remember this particular moment of jealousy and pain. It will be back. In the meantime, we suffer as Juri tortures herself over feelings that one day won’t be so torturous. We all want desperately to be the one to tell her it’s okay.

Tsuwabuki’s episode is probably sadder than the others. Nanami is so very immature and yet, to Tsuwabuki, she is a mature, alluring adult. He’s right on that awkward cusp of maturity when at least some of the girls around him already “get” it, and there he is, flailing to figure out what “it” is. I was talking to a high school teacher just recently – we were discussing how at 14 or 15, you meet a teen and you just know, instantly, if they will ever fully mature. Some people don’t. Tsuwabuki will be 20, then 30, then 40, etc and he’ll always wonder what he’s not getting, until he convinces himself that everyone else around is just a snob, or a jerk or something. He’ll grow up attractive, have girlfriends and talk about he “doesn’t get women.” I always feel bad for Tsuwabuki.

And then we come to Wakaba. Remember Shiori’s jealousy? We don’t care about it. We don’t like her. We think she’s a petty jerk and can go to hell. Wakaba suffers from the exact same thing. But we like Wakaba. She was Utena’s first rescued princess. When we learn that her joy comes from something other than herself it’s hard, to learn that it comes from…him…is intolerable. When she stands before Utena on the dueling ground, undoubtedly we have the same stricken look on our faces as Utena does on hers. This isn’t an enemy, or some tangential person…this is Wakaba, a friend. It’s worth noting that this is the first time Anthy begs Utena to take the sword from her and this is the first time that Utena does not. She defeats Wakaba with the sword she wields…with his sword. And it is notable that Wakaba is the first of the Black Rose arc duelists to actually attack Anthy, despite their statements that they would kill the Rose Bride.

I love this duel more than any other duel in the series. Wakaba says everything we always wanted to say to that shining, perfect friend. How nice for you, we so desperately want to say, the way the world always gives a crap about you. But I’m not like that. I have to remain average and no matter what I do I will never be special. We may hate Shiori, but we can’t hate Wakaba.

And we hate that self-absorbed, moron Saionji. In the first episode he was presented as cool, popular and powerful. Now, he’s a fool, as Mikage says and we loathe him for it.

The hierarchy has changed, irreparably. Touga, supplanted by Akio, Nanami, Miki and Juri, half-heartedly holding the center, Saionji at the bottom of the pile. Where do Utena and Anthy fit on the grid? Keep watching to find out.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 9
Yuri – 6
Service – 3

Overall – 9

I will insert a note here referencing Alan Harnum’s Flesh Eaters for Shiori page, because if I don’t, both Alan and Sean Gaffney will try to explain it in the comments and you’ll be confused and probably distressed. This has got to be the oldest still-living Utena injoke on the Internet.





Revolutionary Girl Utena Anime Box Set – Volume 2, Disk 1 (English)

November 29th, 2011

The first episode of the first disk of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Volume 2, or what is commonly referred to as the Black Rose Arc, is that staple of long-running anime, the clip episode. Clip episodes became so common around the turn of the century, that in some infamous series, clip episodes were practically more common than actual story episodes.

In this case, the clip episode is welcome. Not only does it highlight each duel from the Student Council Arc, (which gives us a chance to relive the duels and their wonderful background music) but it provides an apparently objective perspective of each duel, allowing us to understand the motivation behind the duel, behind any discussion of the End of the World, a World Egg or Revolutionizing the World or other important-sounding nonsense.

The story of Nemuro Hall and the Mikage Seminar is set up, and we are quite suddenly dropped into a new, even more obscure arc than the last. Where the Student Council fights to possess Anthy, these new, derivative, duelists, seek to remove her completely from the game.

It’s not often I find myself incapable of half-watching an anime. Most of the time I watch something while simultaneously reading or writing. I wander off do a chore, come back and pick up the story wherever it’s taken me… it’s easy enough to do this if one doesn’t much care about the exposition. When Utena is on the screen, I do nothing else. There’s too much happening, too many symbols (both substantive and imaginary) and above all, there’s Anthy. This is the third or fourth I’ve watched this series and this time, I find myself watching Anthy intently. The joke is on me, because she rarely does anything. So every little nuance I perceive is me making it up in my head. ^_^

Of the many important things that happen on this disk, I consider most important the involvement of Kozue. It appears to us that her relationship with Miki and his with her are significantly dissimilar. Her Black Rose duel to me says that they are not, actually, that dissimilar at all. It’s simply that in those relationships, each holds a slightly different place in the other’s relatively similar world view. For Kozue, Miki holds the place of sibling, sempai and beloved, where for Miki, these are three separate positions. (I’ve always imagined that, post-series, it is Kozue who has the highest chance of becoming the next Rose Bride, despite it being a meaningless position by then.)

Also important is Nanami’s episode. These appear to always be the comedic relief episodes, but it’s important to remember that both Miki and Nanami are younger than Utena, and are working even harder to build a world that makes sense, with the fractured people around them. Miki appears to be the most innocent, but if we understand that innocence functions in part as a block to be carved, it’s instantly apparent that Nanami is the most innocent character in the series.

Two duels in to this arc and we still have no idea, really, what Mikage is after. However, if you’re adept at reading the signals here, you can see where at least two things are headed. Several key symbols have been introduced -the pointing fingers, the planetarium machine (which could spawn an essay all by itself) the pupa/moths (which return in the movie with a vengeance) and the elevators, both up and down, which Ikuhara uses again in Mawaru Penguindrum.

Two duels in and already the relationship between Utena and Anthy has radically altered. Anthy is something else to someone else and Utena begins to not note the obvious, in the most obvious manner. If Miki is clearly turning a blind eye to Kozue, how much more is Utena shuttering her eyes and ears?

The Black Rose Arc has always been my favorite. It is apparent to me that what Ikuhara does best is create tension. Scenes here are so fraught, so tightly wound, that we spend the episode watching wildly, waiting for the first blow. I described it recently as if, when we watch an Ikuhara production, we are standing in the middle of a ring of people with slingshots drawn, ready to shoot, not knowing where the first shot will come from, but knowing it will come. This tension makes us read into every comment, every scene, every background, whether there was something there to be read into or not. Every episode we’re standing on pins and needles, and Dios inhabiting Utena to win the duel fills us with the relief of predictability.

DVD extras are a pleasant addition for those who like production art, and the pamphlet this time is perhaps less distressing that the one that came with the first collection. Ikuhara’s episode commentary, and the discussion of the creation of Be-Papas and the anime and manga for Utena are equally full of pretension and insight. There is some discussion of the scene in which the sword is drawn from the Rose Bride’s chest and how the instructions were to make it look like a love scene, something that I think has stood the test of time. Of particular interest to me was the comment by one of the creators discussing the brief thought of redoing this anime, and realizing that it stood up so well and was so unique that there was no need. I agree completely. More than 10 years have passed since this series first aired and it still has the power to compel and enchant. Most series upon rewatching seem a little dated, maybe a little sentimental…not this one. I watch with the same creeping sense of…something… this time as I did the very first time. This series was one that I had on my personal top ten, but I presume, always, that nothing is as good as you remember it to be. This series is. Possibly even better.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 9
Yuri – 3
Service – 3

Overall – 9

Stay tuned – we’re going to have a contest to win the second Box Set from Nozomi/RightStuf shortly! ^_^





Great (Retro) Anime/Manga Gift Guide 2011 (English)

November 25th, 2011

I’m staring at my pile of to-watch and to-read anime and manga and I can’t but help notice that there are a lot of familiar titles among the mix. And, as it’s that time of year again, at which Americans decide what matching pen and pencil set to get their relatives, and otaku Americans decide what anime or manga they should buy to indoctrinate their younger family members, I had a thought.

This year, I’m specifically suggesting anime and manga that were awesome and wonderful a decade or more ago and are just as wonderful, now that they are available again. These will all make perfect family watching/reading to brainwash educate your young family members in the ways of anime and manga fandom. And, possibly create a new Okazu reader or two. ^_^

Princess Knight – This is as close to a kernel as we have in America for the concept of “shoujo manga.” And, not at all coincidentally, Sapphire is the inspiration for many of our favorite cross-dressing, sword-wielding heroines, Lady Oscar, Tenou Haruka and Tenjou Utena among them.

This manga makes a great starting point for discussion of gender roles, societal expectations, Disney as a role-model for manga and anime, and the history of manga. It also makes a terrific end point, after you’ve handed your youth of choice some of the other items on this list and they are intrigued as to where this kid of thing all started. History lessons disguised as entertainment…what will nefarious adults think of next?

Magic Knight Rayearth manga. This fetching all-in-one edition of CLAMP’s sword-and-sorcery classic manga is…really nice. Color pictures make the volume an attractive collector’s item, especially for those people who missed this the first time around. The story is, perhaps, “basic,” but as a result it makes a fantastic entree’ into role-playing, strong female characters, chicks with swords, teamwork/friendship-focused stories and other touchpoints that mean a lot to readers of Okazu. Let me be blunt, this would have been my favorite series ever at 8 years old.  Give this to the girl prince in your family, or the gamer kid and see what they make of it. I bet they love it. Then, when you’ve got them good and interested, invite them over for a marathon watching of….

Magic Knight Rayearth remastered Anime. Media Blasters did a really, really nice job.

Yes, the anime itself seems kind of kiddy-anime. That’s because it was. It was still pretty classic sword-and-sorcery stuff. Evolving armor, magic, weapons, a little light politics and romance, magical creatures, even giant robots. This is your chance to have heart-to-heart with your young relative about love and hate and violence and friendship and how many different ways humans make bad decisions.

And the remastered animation really looks good.

When you watch  Season 2, you can advance the discussions of politics a bit.

Also, I recommend start using the word “delusion” in discussion about the way we as adults, especially, talk about our world. Let them know that it’s not their imagination. ^_^

Or you can do none of that, and just enjoy the colorful animation in fine CLAMP style (personally, I always like their swirly bits,) and the D&D-ish world with Japanese influence.

About this time, you should introduce them to Code Name: Sailor V.

Bearing in mind that this may be the very girliest of all the girly things on this list, it’s still adorable and important.

Minako is not an “average girl” in the way that most magical girls are presented. She’s very athletic, she’s not too sharp and her life is centered around the kinds of things an actual 13-year old might care about – boys, pop idols, having fun with friends, playing games, reading about stuff that she’s not yet buying, but would one day like to.

As bizarre as that might seem, at 13 most girls actually do want to be more grown up, more active in their own lives, and they kind of have to wait a few years before they are allowed to be. Minako provides us a glimpse into a really typical teen girl id – fun, friends, fashion, yummy food, and an overwhelming, if somewhat limited, sense of justice. Sailor V is solid fun, with some weirdly non-moral of the story wrap-ups. The second volume of Sailor V gets a little deep and very superficial at the same time. Some of those chapters are perfect openings for discussion of body image, among other things.

Of course once your young family member has read this, hit them with the big guns….

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is not a classic by accident. This series combined elements of classic “girls” stories with elements of the most popular “boys” stories to a create a whole that resonates with readers even now. It’s not accidental that Sailor Moon was made into an anime, where Sailor V was not. The themes of friendship, teamwork, strength in numbers is one of the binding ideas of this series, just as it is in One Piece.

The supporting characters are exactly what makes this series so powerful. With such a large ensemble, each targeted to a personality archetype, there was someone for everyone to like in Sailor Moon. As the older characters are added in, it’s likely to be read by more family members than just the kid you’re giving it to.

Now that your target kid is thoroughly hooked, hand them Volume 1of the Card Captor Sakura Omnibus. I originally gave these to my 14-year old niece, but she’s in a more Doctor Who phase right now. However, my 17-year old nephew ended up liking this series enough to keep reading.

I can’t say enough about this series. There’s so *much* here. Sakura is strong, in a complete girly, down-to-earth way. You can imagine having her over for lunch and really enjoying her company. (And Tomoyo’s, because of course she’d come, too.) There’s just enough sexual politics, elementary grade version, in this book to intrigue and bewilder anyone of any age. The art is some of CLAMP’s absolute best. I consider this series to be their peak work.  For those of you with kids in your life you think are even the slightest bit bent, this series is a must-read for them.

Volume 2  continues with even more great freaky magic, and more deeply intense relationships that you just don’t normally see, all within an adventure that’s perfectly child-friendly. I’m reminded over and over why this series was so damn popular when it came out. Because it’s *excellent* on every level.

Every new character that it introduces is delightful to know, even (and often especially) when they disturb you just ever so slightly. ^_^ This series also genuinely has the best magical creatures I’ve ever seen in any fantasy series.

(As an aside, my number one and two wishes for 2012 are that the Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura anime are relicensed and re-released by a company that cares about quality. Number three and four would to complete the body of literary precedents with the licensing of Rose of Versailles, anime and manga.)

Which brings us to the final suggestion I have for this year’s Gift Guide. In this case, it’s the manga that remains out of print, and the anime which has been re-issued.

Revolutionary Girl Utena could not have been without all the previous series. It took so many of the elements established in earlier series and combined them in unique, powerful ways.

Because of the non-linear story, the surreal art, and some of the themes, it makes a great benchmark to the inside of your family member’s brains.

This 10th anniversary edition looks good, has great extras, and has stood up well against the last decade of animation. The music is still a magical cookbook of awesome.

I must comment on  the tremendous overlap of voice actors in the anime for Utena, Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura. I consider these people masters of their craft for very very good reasons.

In any case, when you are considering your family members and you think you’ve got one that could become an Okazu reader in the future, stick these under their tree and see what happens. ^_^





Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing Anime, Guest Post by Felix (English)

November 23rd, 2011

It’s Guest Post Wednesday! Today we have an exciting post, from long-time Okazu reader and commenter Felix! We’re very excited to have Felix join out Guest Reviewer community. Please extend a welcome hand and thank to Felix!

Last Exile, Fam the Silver Wing is the story of three girls, each of 15 years of age: Fam Fan Fan, sky pirate and fantastic vespa pilot, Giselle Collette, Fam’s genius navigator and closest friend (whom Fam calls “Gisey”), and the girl they meet, the young princess of the Kingdom of Turan, Millia il Velch Curettola Turan. This is the story of how Fam decides to steal a battleship from the middle of battle, save a princess, and embark on a quest to help Millia save her beloved older sister and their kingdom from the conquering Ades Federation. This story also involves a legend, how once long ago humans left a dying earth but one day returned. The legend of the Exile…

When I was first writing this review, I was thinking of doing a detailed synopsis of the first four episodes, but I decided instead tell you my reasons why you should start watching.

1) Three great female leads:

Because you are reading Okazu, I am assuming you love great female leads, like I do. In these four episodes I have come to truly love Fam, Gisey, and Millia. Outside of some of my favorite Yuri series, I don’t think I actually have been as excited to see how the leads develop, as I am with this series. In the beginning, Fam was a somewhat crazy, hotshot pilot, Gisey was really her straight man, and Millia was…a princess. My god, the amount of actual character development just in these first four episodes, I can honestly say is more then I have seen for the female leads in most series I watched. Fam may come up with “crazy” plans, but they are in fact actually based on extremely solid ideas. Actually, of all three characters, and despite what you expect, she is probably the most mature, often times the most level headed.

The main reason for their success is because Gisey is in fact a genius when it comes to battleship design and has a photographic memory. She memorized the layout of the enemy’s flagship, and was miffed that they did some remodeling. There was a scene in the lift were she quickly flipped through an updated copy a plotted their route to the bridge, which gave them the updated info they needed for their plan to succeed.

Millia, like I said, is a princess and, when we are first introduced to her, is all she is. Over the first few episodes, Millia changes from a generic self centered damsel-in-distress type princess to someone that is kind and mature. While she has realize she don’t have much power to change what has happened to her, instead of wallowing in it, she is determined to move forward, with Fam’s and Gisey’s help.

Not only are Fam, Gisey, and Millia great indivudually, I absolutely love their interactions. Fam and Gisey are basically as close are you can get, short of openly being lovers, both relying on each other. Fam often says she believes “we” can do it, referring to Gisey and herself. When Millia asked Fam why she is exposing herself to so much danger on her behalf, Fam replies it’s because she wants to see Millia smile.

2) Return of some fan favorites:

While not a direct sequel to the original Last Exile, a number of fan favorite secondary characters return. The first we are introduced to is Dio Eracles, who joined the sky pirates a number of months before. While as of episode 4 it’s not clear why he joined the pirates, it seems that his role is to bring about the meeting of Fam and Gisey with the next two returning characters – the two I am most excited about, Tatiana Wisla and Alister Agrew. In this world, Tatiana and Alister command a legendary battleship, the Silvius. Nicknamed “The Reaper,” it’s said that it first appeared two years ago, destroyed an Ades fleet, and disappeared. The first meeting between Fam, Gisey, Tatiana, and Alister is really nothing short of epic.

3) The looming threat is more direct and real to the characters:

While there are some plot elements that are similar to the first series, the tone of the series is rather different, in a good way. In the first four episodes, which cover less than 72 hours in time, it has been made abundantly clear that this series is going to going to be darker then the first series. The second episode, without giving too much away, introduces a disaster that directly and personally affects one of the female leads. People on some of the boards I frequent noted this was a “wham” episode that you would expect half or most of the way though the series.

While the first series takes place against a world that is ending, it didn’t seem to directly have a gut punching effect any of the main characters like episode two did, which basically ends with the reaction shot of a one of the leads watching her world crumble around her. Then again, this personal disaster is the catalyst for a lot of the development of Fam, Gisey, and Millia. You can describe the arc of the episodes 01 to 04 as:

Episode 01: Cool action, kind of what I expected.

Episode 02: Holy shit, they wouldn’t! Holy shit, they did! Holy shit, that is dark!

Episode 03: A wonderful bit character development and a truly emotionally moving last few minutes to allow the characters to come to terms.

Episode 04: Hell ya, this is epic, Tatiana and Alister are awesome!

In conclusion:

While I started watching originally simply because I had watched the first season, I wasn’t particularly expecting anything amazing. Right now can honestly say I haven’t been as excited to see what happens next in a series in a long time.

Ratings:

Art, Character design: 8 – Fam, Gisey, and Millia do have some moe style elements to their character design, but at the same time their design is interesting, unique, and not moe blob at all. Tatiana and Alister are cool and mature.
Art, Mechanical design: 7 – The whole world really exists for the purpose of supporting Range Murata’s unique mechanical designs. Your enjoyment might vary depending on how much you enjoy the steampunk/dieselpunk design aesthetic.

Characters: 8 – Like I said, I absolutely love Fam, Gisey, and Millia.

Story: 8 – I have loved a lot of series, but it’s been a while since I been so excited to see what comes next.

Yuri: 4.5 to 5 – It might be the fanboy in me, but honestly by episode 04 the series seems to heading towards Fam and Millia as a couple. Then again it’s already been established Gisey really is Fam’s most important person.

Service: 2 – Slight bit of fan service, mostly boiled down to Fam’s old fashion underwear we see her in a couple times and Liliana is maybe naked from the waist down the first time we see her, but we really can’t see anything. It’s actually in line with the first season.

Overall: 8

If you looking for an action orientated series with awesome female leads, Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing will fit the bill nicely.

Erica here:  Thanks again for the review! I’ve linked to Hulu, where you can watch this in English, for free, legitimately along with me. Post-watching the first few episode, I’d put the Service score much higher. The first episode fills the camera with panty shots, completely obliterating  any bonds of female friendship for me.