Archive for the English Anime Category


Yuri Anime: Simoun, Volume 2 (English)

January 19th, 2008

It’s “Hold the Presses” weekend here at Okazu! It is with much thanks that I review the second volume of Simoun today. The fantastic folks at Media Blasters got me a pre-press copy this time, so I could get a jump on this review. ^_& (That doesn’t get you out of giving me a real one, guys! )

Because this is a pre-street copy, I don’t have case, cover or the physical extras (or lack thereof) to comment on, but I’m still asking for all the cover art to be collected into a book or something for the final volume.

(February 25, 2008 Note: I received the street copy – thanks John! – and other than the pretty disk, there’s no physical extras.)

I was assured that some of my suggestions were taken into consideration for this volume. In general, I feel like the subtitling was more smooth all around, but still no romaji or kanji for the opening and ending songs. I’d *really* like to see that. It used to be the standard for DVD releases – when did that stop? No typos at all that I found. Well done! And did I mention that they keep the honorifics? They do. Write them and tell them that you prefer it that way, so they expand it to other titles.

The story of Simoun, Vol.2 is…compelling. Not good. Not interesting, or entertaining – compelling. I had to sit through the whole disk, because just watching one episode was just not enough.

The volume begins with Chor Tempest, now officially on milk runs, bearing up under the spiteful potshots from the other Chors, showing that they are still jealous of what was – and may once again be – the finest of all Chors.

Mamina arrives, with a belly full of arrogance born of desperation and Yun comes burdened with multiple layers of duty and guilt.

A peace conference brings hope, then tragedy, then hope again. And Dominura uses the time-honored tradition of shared suffering to bring out the best in her heterogeneous Chor. Traumatic events make Neviril recognize the one thing that she and Aer share.

I have a lot of notes from this volume, but the one thing I wanted to comment on is that Anubituf may well have put his finger on it, when he says that it might be better for Chor Tempest to not return to the Arcus Prima. I thought that was exceptionally insightful – and maybe even prophetic.

The final episode is so heavy with irony it seemed a bit overburdened and maybe not the best place to end the volume, but then…

The extras include a really fabulous commentary from the director and the artistic director/character designer. The director comments that he quite specifically wanted this series to avoid dramatic formula. So, the last episode’s ironies were laid down *purposefully* to be that heavy-handed. He wanted a realistic, yet contrived world, and one that had many things left unexplained. I was so pleased to learn that that had been done with a specific vision, rather than as some haphazard reflection of lack of time and/or resources. And there’s a couple of great revelations in this extra that would be spoilers, so I won’t share. Just do watch this, even if you don’t usually watch the extras.

The other extra, an interview with Parietta’s and Kaim’s VA would have been good, but kept being interrupted and cut short by the irritating “host” lollipop with eyes, a computer modulated voice and a rampant case of condescension.

Overall though, a slick and pleasant edition of *still* one of the best stories in anime. Now give me romaji/kanji lyrics and the remaining cover art and I’ll be happy. ^_^ It’s a great series.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 4

Overall – 8

Best scene? When Mamina and Yun arrive and Floe snarks that she’ll probably say something like Chor Tempest doesn’t live up to it’s reputation (translated as “is a letdown”) and the giggling when Mamina says it word for word. Very like a passel of girls, war or no. ^_^





Best Student Council Anime, Volume 6 (English)

January 8th, 2008

Best Student Council, aka Gokujou Seitokai, was never a Yuri series. It is, however, a series about love. And much love to Ted, the sponsor or today’s review! (And thanks, too, for Volume 5, which I did not review here, because there really was just nothing relevant to our interests…)

One of the things we’ve talked about on and off, here and on the Yuricon Mailing List, is the obsessive propensity for Fans of both genders to eroticize practically every relationship they see. The commonly held assumption is that this is because Fans tend not to have erotic entanglements of their own, even though that is not true. So why do we insist on seeing couples every where we look? I’ll leave the answer to the philosophers and psychologists among you. I just wanted to note that there really aren’t any couples in this anime. Just in our imagination.

Volume 6, the last of the series, is more about love than any of it’s predecessors. But the love here is the love of family, of friends, and the family you make with your friends – something that I’m sure a lot of GLBT people can relate to.

In Volume 6, we finally hit the wall we always knew was coming – Kanade is required to leave school and become the new Jinguji clan leader. This is apparently paramount to becoming Emperor, so that in order to function as leader, she needs to be locked in a box and “protected” by scads of black suits from ever leaving. Of course, the girls of the Gokujou Seitokai reject this idea. Individually, they leave the school to see Kanade, discover that they all had the same idea, and finally band together. They aren’t trying to rescue her – they just want to see her, they rationalize. Rino is, of course, the most vociferous in her wish to do so. But all the others, drawn by the common love of their leader, are glad to join her in her quest.

Because this is an incredibly silly comedy anime, need I say that their quest is successful? Probably not, but I do want to mention that in order to succeed every single loose end and tertiary character that ever appeared in the anime, reappears to help the Seitokai gain access to the Jinguji enclave. So Rein meets her father at last, and Sayuri’s rival appears randomly to help her fight, etc, etc.

Ultimately, it’s Rino who makes the difference, as her Jinguji power – the ability to transmit her voice and feelings vocally and telepathically – manifests fully. Thus dooming her to life as a member of this ridiculously elite family against her mother’s wishes. Pfft. And of course, because this series is what it is, they all get to bask in Kanade’s wonderfulness again.

The epilogue to the story is well summed up, by someone, Ayu, Rino, Puu-chan, I don’t remember. As Kanade “graduates,” then immediately installs herself as the chairman of the school, and Nanaho becomes the new Seitokaichou, and Rei and Sayuri run in screaming about an emergency, someone comments that it all looks exactly the same as before. Bwah bwah bwaaaah~ It’s meant to be funny, but I bet every viewer was vaguely relieved, because we don’t *want* anything to change. Then it wouldn’t be funny anymore.

This series showed wonderful examples of filial affection, maternal affection, family bonds, best friends to the point of being sisters, rivals who respect one another, sisterly devotion, peers who work together, adult female relationships, and respect and admiration for a beloved leader. And other than Kaori’s thing for Kanade, why do we insist that they are all couples?  Haha at us.

Ratings:
Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 2
Service – 4

Overall – 7

Two final notes. Despite all the above, I still see Nanaho and Kuon as a couple. Just wanted to say that. Secondly, I forgot to add Kanade to the list of Nabatome Hitomi characters that all hang out in the “fun idea, but actually a bad story” thing from a few days ago – so, Eriko, Nobue, Shizuma, Letti and Kanade,





Top Ten Yuri Anime of 2007

December 22nd, 2007

Writing “Top 10” lists is *always* hard for me. This year’s list was especially difficult – while there are more Yuri characters and stories in general, there’s less this year that can be identified specifically as Yuri. But I did want to get this done before I left for Japan, so here we go. :-)

Let me remind you that these choices are my opinion, and based on the series that I watched over the past year. Chances are there a zillion series you think are Yuri-er, but here are *my* choices for the year. It’s almost guaranteed that most people will disagree with me. lol

I have split the list into 5 Japanese and 5 American releases, to allow me to cheat a bit. :-) Without further ado, the Okazu Top 10 Yuri Anime of 2007! Yaaaayy!

English Language

4) Tied for 4th (no, that’s not wrong – ties eliminate the lower position) are Burst Angel and Strawberry Marshmallow:

It’s true that neither series is particularly overt in their Yuri, but it’s “obvious” to us that Meg and Jo are an item, and I and many others remain convinced that Miu is a Evil Psycho Lesbian-in-training. Burst Angel has fights, Strawberry Marshmallow has funnies, and both have characters that this lesbian thinks are “friends of Yuri.”

3) Coming in 3rd for their English-language releases are My HiME and My Otome.

The Yuri is, perhaps, laid on a bit *thicker* through the translation choices and in any case, Shizuru still has the hots for Natsuki, Aoi and Chie are still a couple, Erst wants Nina and Tomoe has her eyes on Shizuru. Among a bazillion other slashable HiMEs and Meisters.

2) In 2nd place, after long consideration, I choose you Simoun:

For still having a terrific Yuri-esque setting, complex world and for keeping me glued to my seat for the entirety of every episode. This anime series remains a must-see, not only for Yuri fans, but anyone, anywhere, who enjoys animation as an art form.

And in first place…

1) Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl:

The setup was ridiculous, the ending even more so, with forays into the utter trite, tedious and absurd. But. The story is about three girls and their love triangle and it remains about three girls and their love triangle right to the very last, very Yuri, kiss.

It’s a one-two punch for Media Blasters, with their initial Yuri anime offerings this year, so congrats to them! (Unintentional, I assure you. It didn’t even occur to me until just this second.)

Japanese Language

5) In fifth place, we have the laughably awful Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora:

This story was a complete recycling of many of the most popular fetishes from previous Kaishaku stories. Kaon and Himiko were the token Yuri couple, trapped in a dysfunctional Yuri triangle with Mika. And yet where, at the end of Kannazuki no Miko, we have no reason to believe that Himeko and Chikane will live happily every after this time, we *see* that Kaon and Himiko do. Yes, yes, it’s crap. I still say fifth place.

4) No “Top Ten” list of mine is going to go by without at least one of the Maria-sama ga Miteru OVAs on it:

Yumi waking Sachiko up in her summer house, Yumi enjoying Sachiko in her Gakuran, Touko dancing in the boy’s role to dance with Yumi, Kanako engaging in a little light stalking, Rei and Yoshino running side by side in the hakama race and Sei. You don’t see Yuri? Fine. I do. Fourth place for every second we spent grinning as Panda Yumi and Sachiko embraced for ever.

3) Moving quickly into the final three comes Blue Drop:

Partially because there was damn little to choose from this year and partially because it’s excellent, I have to include this wonderful and all-too-short series. The girls are charming, Hagino had the greatest pickup line ever in the history of the universe and the love-love was about as overt and out as we can ask for and still get it on TV.

2) Let’s give some Yuri loving to El Cazador de la Bruja:

In this final entry in the “girls with guns on the run” trilogy, Bee Train and director Mashimo set intensity and angst aside, enjoyed a few tacos and had some fun. Because Ellis loves Nadie best when her eyes are shining, El Cazador de la Bruja comes in second.

No surprise here I’m sure, when I say that my choice for the best Yuri anime of the year is:

1) Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS:

Fate, Vivio and Nanoha make a wonderful family and I simply don’t care what anyone in the entire universe argues – I know a big, pluffy bed of lesbian love when I see one.

So Kashimashi and StrikerS, best Yuri anime of the year here on Okazu!

Come back tomorrow for the best Yuri manga of 2007!

Note to those of you who are writing in about Candy Boy. It was vile. It was never even vaguely considered for the top anything. fyi)





Kurau Phantom Memory Anime, Volume 1 (English)

December 11th, 2007

I first reviewed Kurau Phantom Memory (originally titled Phantom Memory Kurau) just over three years ago – it seems like ancient history now. I remembered two things about Kurau from my original viewing – I LOVED it right up until the very end and I HATED the very end. So once again, I was forced to manage my expectations in order to be able to view the much-delayed release of Volume 1, without too much bias. BTW, Volume 1 was supplied by the lovely Ted. Thanks Ted, for making it possible to write today’s review!

Immediately, as I watched the series, I began to like Kurau all over again. She’s my kind of gal – competent, powerful, fun, and a little butchy. As we watch current, adult Kurau in her job as an “agent” for an independent “agency” – i.e., she takes on bodyguard, protection, stealth and rescue missions – the story of young Kurau and how she obtained her powers runs parallel to the current plot.

Young Kurau was a typical child who accidentally got caught in the backlash of experiments run by her father on what appeared to be a new energy source. The energy turned out to be a sentient race, the Rynax. When a Rynax inhabits Kurau’s body, her father does everything he can to continue treating this alien as his daughter. In return, the Rynasapien grows to love him as her father.

But Rynasapiens live in pairs and function poorly by themselves. “Kurau” lives every day as half of a whole, loving her father, living as a gifted human girl, but not complete. When the experiments upon Kurau push her past her limit of tolerance, and her powers cause her father to lose an arm, her father distances Kurau not only from himself, but from the organization that has made her a guinea pig.

We meet Kurau ten years later, her Rynax powers fully formed and utilized and her life as an agent well-established. But those very powers which make her a brilliant agent have made her visable to the organization and she is being tracked.

And every day of her life, Kurau is alone.

One day, her pair appears, and for the first time in this Kurau’s life, she knows completeness. Her pair takes the name Christmas and they live happily masquerading as sisters. For a short time. Because the organization, the GPO, is on their tails. When Kurau realizes that she is being watched – and more importantly that Christmas, whose powers have not yet developed, is in danger, she leaves her life behind and they take off on the run.

Special Investigator Ayaka is assigned to their case and it’s immediately apparent that she is incredibly dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done. Even if someone has to get hurt.

Right away all over again I was drawn into, not only the chase, but the whole future world, with it’s partially terra-formed cyborg-like moon. I wanted to know more about how we got there, about the science and economies and daily life of this Earth. And the people on it.

Kurau is likeable, but I realize now that I like her more for her Rynax power than her personality. (Competence is sexy, yes.) Christmas is also likeable and not at all whiny or irritating. As a pair they seem perfect for one another – one can easily see them living forever being happy about dinner together or a day in the park. The drama imposed upon them by external forces seems particularly cruel, since they are just so darn happy to be together.

Which brings me to the “Yuri.” The Rynax relationship is presented as extremely multi-faceted, almost to the point of being indecipherable in our human experience. In human society, the only relationship we have where another person completes you is love. So it’s understandable that many people see Kurau and Christmas as lovers. Kurau herself explains Christmas as her little sister, because they look so similar and again, in human experience we have a limited number of relationships in which that kind of closesess is considered appropriate. That Kurau would care about, be affectionate to, and want to protect Christmas is all acceptable if she is viewed as a sibling. The multi-faceted nature of the Rynax pair relationship is left ambiguous in Volume 1, although it will be explored in later volumes. For now, we are seeded with the idea of Kurau and Christmas as sisters. That Kurau chooses this human relationship colors my interpretation of them as a couple. Although later Rynax pairs might appear more as lovers, I choose to see Kurau and Christmas more as sisters – twins of a sort. I do not see them as lovers. There are plenty of people who do. I’m sure it’s left ambiguous on purpose. But I do weigh in on the side that says Kurau looks damn hot in a tux. ^_^

In terms of adaptation, ADV does a fine job. Nothing made me grit my teeth. I should try watching the dub, but I’m not going to. The only extra is a copy of the original cover art for the Japanese DVD, which is notable. The American DVD cover art is totally different from the original cover art – I think it’s a major improvement over the original. The original art is dark, fuzzy and hard to understand. The new art is brightly colored, dynamic and full of energy. I approve. I wish they included mini-posters or pencil boards or even a sticker with it.

As an anime, Yuri or not, I still think Kurau Phantom Memory comes out of the shoot at a fast pace, with engaging characters, a fascinating background and a great story. I watched this volume nodding like a drinky-bird, remembering all the many, many things I enjoyed about it the first time.

Ratings:

Story – 8
Character – 9
Art – 8
Music – 8
Yuri – 5
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Kurau Phantom Memory is a rare breed in anime – a strong, character-driven science fiction story with no mecha. A good watch.





Yuri Anime: Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl, Volume 3 (English)

November 15th, 2007

Today’s review was brought to you by the kindness of the good folks at Media Blasters, who also inform me that the street date for the second volume of Simoun is February 26, 2008. Something to look forward to in the depths of the winter blues. ^_^

I need to warn you all before you continue reading – today’s review is going to be chock full of GIGANTIC spoilers. I want to be able to talk about the anime without having to be clever or coy or anything else. If you have somehow managed to avoid all the spoilers for this anime and don’t want to know, read the next paragraph and then skip down to the ratings so you get my overall impression, without details. Otherwise, I’m gonna blab like an intoxicated sailor on leave. (No offense to sailors, it’s just a stereotype…for pity’s sake – you *know* what I mean!)

Kashimashi~ Girl Meets Girl, Volume 3 was a challenge. I had to remind myself over and over to not take it seriously in the least, and as that simple mantra sank in, I began to enjoy it more and more. I don’t for a second think it was *good,* but you know, it was very entertaining – and that’s pretty much why I watch anime. Entertainment that is entertaining – what is this world coming to?

Here’s the super fast recap of the plot, with links to my previous reviews:

Volume 1: An alien spaceship slams into a heartbroken and rather effeminate (but not gay…yet) boy who stands alone on a mountain. The aliens are mortified by the subsequent death of the boy, so they bring him back, but they can only do so by changing his gender. Since he was so girly, no one really seems to care much. And since she still likes girls – in fact still likes the girls he liked as a boy, she is now quite gay.

Volume 2: Both the girls, who had feelings for him as a boy now realize that they have even stronger feelings for her as a girl. Yasuna, the feminine stereotype, admits to having started liking Hazumu when he was a boy, but since she suffers from Yuri-itis and cannot see men, now that Hazumu is a girl she is free to love her wholely. Tomari, the tomboy stereotype, acknowledges that she has always loved Hazumu and despite the fact that he is now a girl, she’s prepared to love her anyway since Hazumu is still Hazumu. Maybe moreso now. We also learn that Hazumu suffers from the SPCD decideritis and cannot make a decision, to the point of it being pathological. Yasuna and Tomari agree to keep it like this between the three of them – them loving Hazumu and being friends with one another, so Hazumu can remain uncommitted and they can all relax for a little bit.

Volume 3 begins with that falling to pieces almost immediately. Shocking, I know. Instead of the group date Hazumu had planned, only she and Yasuna manage to go to the new aquarium. Tomari ends up shipping out to track-and-field camp with the team, where the other girls have a little fun teasing her gently about her relationship with Hazumu so she can be all tsundere, for thems as like that sort of thing.

Yasuna and Hazumu decide to bring Tomari’s souvenir to her directly. This takes them to the station near the training camp, where the first big crisis occurs. A conductor, trying to be nice to Yasuna terrifies her instead, so Hazumu runs over to hold her until she calms down. It is of course at that moment that Tomari sees them. And her world, which was pretty comfy ’til right about then, shatters – not because of Hazumu, but because she thinks can’t trust Yasuna anymore. I found this sort of interesting – Hazumu was essentially absolved of any culpability in this. As if she, not being able to make a decision, is also therefore completely susceptible to external manipulation. (Shoganai – it can’t be helped, being Hazumu’s basic response when anyone asks her about anything.) Which is actually quite true. Hazumu comes off here as naive, a little bit feckless and ragingly selfish, as Ayuki will point out later.

In retaliation, Tomari takes Hazumu out for a walk, takes her hair down (which Hazumu had previously said made her look more feminine and mature) and kisses her. Of course Yasuna sees this and now she feels betrayed – again, not by Hazumu, but by Tomari.

Their house of cards having quickly crumpled, things fall apart completely. Yasuna’s SPCD gets worse, so that she can no longer see anyone at all. Not even in pictures. She is alone in a world full of ghosts. Hazumu, Tomari and Yasuna, having been drawn together now are as far apart as they can be. Frustrated by Hazumu’s inability to *do* anything, even the aliens start to pack up and leave.

There is no doubt that this crisis was handled with significantly less subtlety here in the anime than in the manga. But, in keeping with my determination to not take the whole thing seriously, let’s call it a handwave and move on.

It’s at this point that Ayuki steps in. With a cold, hard dose of reality, she is the only one who blames *Hazumu* for all this. And thank goodness for that. She unerringly puts her finger on the problem with Hazumu’s nature – that in her selfishness in wanting to have her cake and eat it too, she remains passive and lets other people be hurt, rather than taking any responsibility at all.

Spurred by Ayuki’s scolding, Hazumu talks to Tomari about her decision, then finds Yasuna, who is about to leave town, and says that she wants to be together with Yasuna. Magically, her faith in humanity and Hazumu restored, Yasuna recovers.

Now, up until this watching, I have always said that this choice was the right choice for the wrong reason. I hereby completely contradict that and say it was the wrong choice for the wrong reason. Hazumu’s reason boils down to a form of extortion by Yasuna. “If I don’t go to Yasuna, she’ll be sick forever. She needs me.” And boy oh boy, plenty of women really DO use that line of reasoning to stay in dead-end relationships. “Who else will take care of him/her? S/he needs me.” (This is where I reminded myself, yet again – aliens, Erica. Talking spaceship. Church in the sky. Let it go.) Incidentally, if we are paying attention, we realize by now that it wasn’t Hazumu at all that Ayuki likes, but Tomari. I still think that originally, the mangaka was planning on it being a harem thing and decided to not go there by the time the series ended.

Which brings us to the end of Episode 12 in which Yasuna pops over to Hazumu one day with an enigmatic, “You know what?” which is then passed onto Tomari.

As I mentioned the first time I reviewed this series, I know I’m not the only person who hoped that it was a request for a threesome. I still think that they could have made it work. IF I was taking this seriously, which as you know, I am not. ^_^

Episode 13, the DVD extra episode, takes place several months after episode 12. They say 6 months, but that can’t be right. Training camps are usually during summer vacation, in August and Ep. 13 takes place at Christmas, which makes it four months later. Not that I’m taking this seriously, or anything.

We learn through flashback that what Yasuna had to say to Hazumu at the end of Ep. 12 was that she was breaking up with her. For all the right reasons. Yasuna has decided to walk on her own, as she puts it. The right decision – for the right reason. Hazumu, however, fails. Instead of walking away and learning to deal with this, she hares off and asks Tomari to be her girl. Tomari does the only sensible thing possible, she ignores Hazumu and walks away, because otherwise she’d have to slap her upside the head and say, “What the hell kind of idiot thing are you thinking?” Which also would have been in character, but also would have made Episode 13 impossible.

Unwilling to confront Hazumu about this insulting and untrustworthy request, Tomari simply freezes Hazumu out. It seems inexplicable behavior until Tomari coherently explains that how on earth was she supposed to trust Hazumu, when she was still waffling back and forth like this? Unsaid, but no less obvious – that Hazumu was willing to use Tomari as a rebound to dull the pain of a breakup. I don’t think Hazumu ever quite grasped that that was what she did. I know *I* wanted to smack her upside the head and say, “What the hell kind of idiot thing are you thinking?” but since I wasn’t taking this seriously, I didn’t. Well, maybe I muttered it a bit.

Then the stupidest thing in the world happened – the aliens came back and on Christmas Eve (which you know in Japan is for lovers, right?) they make a giant Cathedral appear in the sky where Hazumu and Tomari “get married.” This was well beyond idiotic, just like a boy being killed by a spaceship and being turned into a girl is. In other words, if we’re watching this and taking it seriously, we’re the idiot here, right? I realized at some point I was grinning like a dope. Why? I think because it was *entertaining* and I felt *entertained.* That and because I’m a big dope. :-)

People HATED Episode 13. Yasuna fans, for the obvious reasons – even though she came off as the best character in the series because of it. Tomari fans because…well, beats me, Tomari fans all seem sort of pointless angry all the time. And anyone with a lick of sense because it was *stupid.* Giant floating cathedral, sleigh ride across the sky, etc, etc. ^_^

But seriously – aliens, remember? This was NEVER supposed to be taken seriously. It was a silly plot, with a silly set-up and a silly love triangle with a silly ending.

The extras with the volume are some interviews with the seiyuu, in which they have nothing really to say, but I enjoy listening to them say it anyway. In the final interview with the three lead voice actresses, I found it very amusing that they all decided that it would have been better if Hazumu turned back into a boy, because as it ended, things might become difficult when they got older. They were all pretty concerned by this. Both Tomari’s seiyuu and I originally though that Hazumu would be returned to boy form and the story would just keep going as the love triangle. Surprise on us, huh? I can’t say I’m sad to be have been totally wrong about that.

Last thing of note – in this volume the translator has everyone in the series refers to Hazumu as “she” – except Tomari, who still is tranlated as using “he.” Since in Japanese they tended to use the genderless “aitsu,” I have to assume that was done on purpose.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 9
Service – 6 It had calmed down from the beginning, but suddenly towards the end, someone developed an obsession with Tomari’s ass.

Overall – 7

It was stupid. I liked it. That’s entertainment.