Archive for the Yuri Anime Category


Yuri Anime: Strawberry Panic, Volume 2 (English)

June 16th, 2008

I’m sitting on my beloved sofa, watching Strawberry Panic, Volume 2 and two things occur to me. One, it feels like this a very, very old series, one that I haven’t watched in a million years, and two, every time the story tries to be serious – or heaven forfend, menacing – it’s a total laugh riot.

Then a third thing occurred to me as I watched it, which needs a bit of a lead-in.

Sometime in the past few months, I was in discussion with the president of another manga company and we got on the topic of companies and their flexibility re: acknowledging mistakes and fan sentiment. The other President confidently told me that “fans don’t like it when you change things mid-series” to which I replied quickly that, speaking as a fan, if you did it wrong the first time, then yes, yes we do like it. It means you listened to what we had to say and responded. For instance, Right Stuf is making a very good effort to not only listen to fans’ concerns about the Yamayurikai members titles, but to be responsive and let people know that they have been heard. They clearly had a subtitle track all ready to go, but are creating a second one. They didn’t have to do that. We could have watched the first track, bitched that the anime companies *still* don’t get us, and moved on.

Which brings me to Strawberry Panic. When I reviewed Volume 1, I expressed some major misgivings about both the quality control and the translation of the series. I forwarded my review to Media Blasters. (As I have said many times, I think the folks at MB are wonderful. I’m not *trying* to be a nag. I’m trying to help…but I kind of wondered if they appreciated it or not. You know, like, “thanks for constantly pointing out our inadequacies Erica, you dumb so-and-so!” ^_^) I also wondered if the reason that MB’s work was sometimes so sloppy was because no one really ever cared about them. Like the kid in class whose parents don’t really care if he’s got clean clothes or not. Well *I* care about MB’s work, especially when it applies to my beloved Yuri, so I feel like I’m making sure MB combs their hair and puts on clean underwear before they send out a DVD. lol

All of this a roundabout way to say that Strawberry Panic Volume 2 is the BEST work I’ve ever seen from Media Blasters. The translation is nearly seamless, there are no typos and best of all, they listened to my complaints and are no longer translating “oneesama” as “Big Sister.” NOW it sounds okay. “Shizuma-oneesama” “Chiyo-chan” “Hikari-san” etc, etc.

Thank you to everyone at Media Blasters for listening. And thank you for sending me this disk for review! Now…can I ask you for *one* more thing? LOL Can we also have the opening and ending themes in romaji too? It can be at the same time as in English, or alternated, one English, one Japanese. Either way is fine. Thanks. ^_^

Now, on to the series. This volume basically covers three main issues, with some side stories thrown in. One – Hikari and Amane like each other. Two, Shizuma and Nagisa realize that they have actual feelings for one another. And third – and most important – Kaname and Momomi are barking mad.

This third point was really the best part of the anime. Kaname’s plan to thwart Amane from pursuing the Etoile title (which she has repeatedly said that she doesn’t want) is nothing short of brilliant – she’ll force Hikari to love her instead, so she doesn’t think about Amane. Which might actually work, if she wasn’t such a ham-handed creep. Well, you know what they say – if subtlety and charm takes too long, just rape her. That’ll work.

…

What’s worse, Kaname is totally tedious about it. There she is, holding Hikari down and instead of actually doing anything, she’s going on and on about how, after Hikari has her as a lover she’ll never look at Amane again. Yes, she continues, she an amazing lover. Yup, really and truly. No one’s better… Have I mentioned how good she is? She did – like five times. Without so much as even vaguely attempting to do anything. Kaname, Kaname, you’re a crappy rapist.

Also amusing was the episode that blatantly ripped off Marimite’s “Rainy Blue,” cleverly titled “Hydrangea.” If you take the ane/imouto argument tension out of Rainy Blue, and turn the focus on the lost umbrella, so that it no longer represents the loss of everything important in Yumi’s life, but instead is merely a lost umbrella, that sort of is what “Hydrangea” was about. With alot of “shared umbrella of love” fantasies thrown in. (The wife says, “For all you umbrella fetishists out htere – this is the episode you’ve been waiting for!”) My favorite moment is where Shizuma thinks that her umbrella is too big for two people, because she and Nagisa don’t have to huddle underneath it.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 6
Yuri – 7
Service- 7
Umbrellas – 10

Technically, this volume was a pleasure to watch. A good translation can’t make a bad series better, but it can keep a mediocre series mediocre. Content-wise, this series is still a bowl of derivative anime crack; a cheap shot that makes for a few moments of fun.





Yuri Anime: Simoun, Volume 3 (English)

May 23rd, 2008

You know those moments?

When you’re watching a really good anime and all of a sudden you think, “Crichey, this anime is stellar.”

Volume 3 of Simoun is when an excellent series becomes stellar.

I took 4 pages of notes about things I wanted to mention, but I realized that if I mention any of them, I will simply be spoiling things. So I really can’t talk about what happens in Volume 3, except to say that *everything* changes in this volume. Episode 13 is particularly key, there are so many details; so many little, extremely subtle touches that it would be impossible to notice them all, but when taken together make a piece of anime that is absolutely stunning.

Now I remember why I said this was the best series of the year – because it was! What fantastic writing, what brilliant characters, what a delicately crafted and well-handled plot.

Let me digress – plot, in anime is often treated as a nag. If it gets any attention at all, it’s whipped and beaten until the poor thing is lifeless. Not here – the plot in Simoun is treated like the thoroughbred it is. Handled by skilled trainers and given the finest feed, what we get in Volume 3 is nothing less than anime its best. (And just in case you think I’m overthinking this, wait until you listen to the staff commentary on the extras – it will prove to you that I am not at all exagerrating in the slightest. So there, nyah.)

But, here’s the thing that I really want to say about this volume. Media Blasters did a fabulous job on this volume. Not a typo, not even an awkward moment of translation. This was the best work I’ve ever seen from MB – it was up to the standards of the anime itself. What a genuine pleasure to be able to simply enjoy the excellent translation without worrying about technical details. Thank you, thank you Media Blasters! Great work.

And, while I’m thanking them – thanks to them too, for adding me into the credits under “Special Thanks To”. I have to admit, it made me go a little blushy, but considering that all I do is rag on you guys, I can’t imagine what you’re thanking *me* for. LOL

The extras were interesting once again. I already mentioned the fascinating Staff Interview, but also included was an interview with Yukana (Dominura) and Noto Mamiko (Rimone) – and unlike the other cast interviews, they were totally relaxed and comfortable talking to each other. ^_^ But – why are we still getting snotty asides from the lollipop and not being allowed to just hear them talk? Beats me.

Anyway, did I mention that this volume was stellar? It was. Every second of watching the first two volumes is made completely worthwhile when you watch Volume 3.

Ratings:

Art – 7 (I’m being a little kind here, it’s so variable)
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Yuri – 7
Service – 6, but they make them pay for it, by reminding the viewers that Wapourif is really male. Hah.

Overall – 9

Stellar. Stupendous. Spectacular. Splendid. Superb. Superior. Stunning. “S” is for Simoun.





Yuri Anime: Noir, Volume 7 (English)

May 14th, 2008

What a really fabulous series Noir is. It’s been years – practically lifetimes in fandom years – since I first watched this series as it came out on Japanese TV. I enjoyed it just as much, maybe even a little more, this time as I did lo those many years ago when I first set eyes on Kirika and Mirielle.

In Volume 7 of Noir, everything comes to a head. Kirika has left Mirielle behind and given herself over to the dark side of the Force. She’s entered the alternative universe of Altena’s Manor and, to Chloe’s genuine joy and delight, has dedicated herself to being Noir.

Chloe really blossoms in this volume and it still creeps me out.  ^_^

When Mirielle arrives, the sense that she’s come to free Kirika from a spell is not as strong as the sense that she’s arrived to allow Kirika to free herself. And then the battle become two on one and there’s no question, really, who the true Noir is. It’s the “End of the Matter” as the volume title states.

In the final episodes, as Mirielle takes on the members of Altena’s household, hearing Shinohara Emi as one of them was like a little easter egg for me.

There’s a lot of wonderful moments in the final volume of Noir, most of which would be spoilers, so I don’t want to point them out. If you have never watched Noir to completion, do – there’s gold in them there hills. If you have and can’t remember Altena’s final scene, then watch it again. It confirms what I have been saying since the beginning – she was a refugee from a completely different anime series. ^_^

We were treated to a bump up in Yuri for the final episodes, with Chloe fawning over Kirika, but for me, not being a huge Chloe fan, it was Mirielle’s decisions that spoke volumes about her feelings for Kirika.

The final production notes read more like a discussion guide than anything else. They propose questions for us, the audience, to answer, and end them all with “What was Noir to you?” I’ll tell you what it was to me – a story of love and redemption, a story of action and violence, a story of growth and diminishing, a story of two women whose lives change are irrevocably changed when they meet after many years. And the beginning of a fantastic triptych of girls with guns on the run.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Character – 9
Story – 8
Yuri – 6
Service – 4 Hawt ritual bathing action

Overall – 9

Still want to do a Noir, Madlax, El Cazador marathon. If they are each good by themselves, how much better will they be when we run them together until our eyes bleed? Everything’s better in excess! ^_^





Yuri Anime: Mnemosyne 3

May 2nd, 2008

Just got back from the Brooklyn Museum of Art, where I spent some time in the Utagawa prints and the Murakami art exhibits and honestly – they were both fabulous. I got a load of good notes for my Ghost in the Shell: Innocence lecture on June 14th there, which I am now calling “Surrealism, Sexaroids and Innocence: Art Influencing Anime, Anime Influencing Art.” If you can get to the museum and see the art exhibits, do. They are really wonderful. And I hope to see you on the 14th – the lecture and movie are free with a museum entry (suggested donation, so it’s up to you, but the Murakami is a ticketed exhibit, which costs $10. Totally worth it too.)

One thing I found fascinating was that in the Murakami exhibit, other than mentioning briefly that manga is comics and anime is animation, and despite repeated references to both manga and anime, if you do not know what either of these are, there was basically no attempt at explaining it to you. They tell you that Murakami’s Superflat style is strongly anime and manga influenced and that’s about it. Which I really liked.

Since we *do* know what anime is here, I thought I’d take a moment to catch up today on what is still the contender for “best anime of 2008′ in my opinion, Mnemosyne OAV Episode 3 .

This episode brought us – and Rin – closer to dealing with Apos, reanimated a previous enemy we thought was dead (but never saw the body, so…duh on us) and we got to spend a little more time in the heads of Mimi and Kouki.

The episode starts well into the future; Kouki has married Yuuko from the previous episode and they have a child who looks just like his dad. Mimi and Rin have not changed, as usual. But when Rin is called away on a dangerous mission, this time it’s Mimi who lays it out on the line to gain information that allows Kouki to find, and ultimately save her. Not one to allow others to pay his debts, Kouki steps up and makes the ultimate sacrifice for Rin’s safety, by using the Time Spore left by Yuuko’s brother, to become an angel and save Rin from destruction.

It was a very complex episode, with ties to experimentation during and after the war (“the war,” i.e., WWII) and the death of many people under cover of testing. And it was poignant, as both Mimi and Kouki find themseleves in bad situations because of their love for Rin.

It was also the extra super violent we’ve come to expect and love in Mnemosyne. BDSM fans must adore Apos as their god.

Which brings me to Apos. Not only is he an obviously evil bastard, (with Nagi from Mai HiME‘s voice) he’s also obviously the crux of the story. I expect we’ll get one more tease episode, then the last two will be the fight with him. Do I expect us all to live happily ever after? Uh, no. No I don’t.

Yuri is the usual. Mimi trying to feed vodka to Rin from her mouth – and winning at least a little this time, and later, Mimi using her body to pay for information that they need, in a way that is pretty skanky, but the informant sort of seems okay at the end so we can tell ourselves that it’s not a problem. Really.

In the meantime, Mnemosyne is fabulous, there’s plenty of explotative Yuri for the Ls out there and some genuine love between Rin and Mimi for the rest of us.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 8
Service – 7

Overall – 9

Despite your belief that watching Mimi have lesbian sex doesn’t count as loli because she’s really older than she looks, I know that in reality, you’re all getting off on the fact that she *looks* younger than she is. Please feel free to sew this Red “L” on your clothes. :-)





Yuri Anime: Kaleido Star, Volume 1 (English)

April 30th, 2008

Today’s review is brought to you by the word “Ganbaru.” Commonly translated in anime or manga as “do your best” or in the form “gambarimasu” usually with an energetic “Let’s go!” it means nothing of the sort. It means to persevere against unreasonable odds, to bear up under unbearable pressure. It means to persist, to hold out – to keep on going no matter what.

And when one watches Kaleido Star, one is treated to a tale about a young woman who isn’t just succeeding, she isn’t just working hard to get stronger, no, in this anime, we watch Naegino Sora overcoming riduculous, demented odds, absurd pressure and insane demands to live her dream. Kaleido Star is the very essence of “ganbaru.” With lots of pretty colors and impossible shinyness.

If you are interested in the evolution of my opinion about this series, feel free to click on the Kaleido Star category on the right sidebar. Originally, I wasn’t wowed, then as the characters (and Yuri) grew, my affection for the series did as well. But, I find myself often torn between tears of outrage and frustration and being moved by joy when I watch Sora and her friends. This series makes me so angry I want to scream, and then a second later, I’m sobbing over a beautiful visual effect. Drives me crazy – and I bloody well can’t watch it when anyone else is around.

In Volume 1, Naegino Sora, a Japanese girl with skills in acrobatics, arrives at Cape Mery to join the Kaleido Stage, a very Cirque de Soleil-type show. Through the most annoying possible set of circumstances, she’s late to the audition, and has to jump through any number of hoops (no pun intended) to get even a modicum of respect.

ADV. I know it’s too late but Cape “Mery,” not “Mary. It’s visible in signs and we can read. “Owner” not “Boss” – they are saying “owner” and we are not deaf. And “Carlos.” Where on earth are you getting “Kalos” from? Every other character has a normal name – Sora, Layla, Sarah, Ken. You couldn’t figure out Carlos? … I’m available for consultation if you need help with this kind of thing.

I tried watching this volume with a different perspective than usual. From Layla’s point of view, it *is* unreasonable to show up late and expect to be given a chance. And it *does* seem suspicious that Sora’s given an opportunity to get on stage when no one else who showed up on time was – so the girls talking behind her back right in front of her makes sense. Sora’s not being bullied, and all people do do that kind of snarking. Nonetheless, when she’s given a week to learn a technique that probably took Layla *months* to master, you can’t help but grit your teeth in annoyance.

But, as I said, this show is about bearing up under unbearable pressure. Sora’s dedication and determination quickly make allies of two of the snarky girls, Anna and Mia.

Which segues nicely into the Yuri. In Volume 1 – Anna and Mia for the win. I had forgotten how boyish Anna is, and how Mia is always looking at her with big heart eyes, and how plain *together* they are. What was I thinking the first time I watched it? Yuri goggles on low, they are still so a couple.

At the moment, Layla barely acknowledges Sora’s existence, but this will change and I will be there to watch it – again. ^_^

But. Truly. What makes this anime worth watching is the utter crazy beauty and brilliance of the tricks on the Kaleido Stage. Sure, most of them are physically impossible – because I don’t care *how* high you jump on a trampoline or swing on a trapeze, people do not hang in midair, suspended, for five seconds.  It doesn’t matter – that’s why this series works so well as an anime, because they can do impossible things and make them seem possible. And that, in a nutshell, is what Kaleido Star is about. Honestly, the person who is designing the tricks is a genius.

Today’s review was made possible by Ted the Awesome. So, while both the picture and the title above are linked to the first DVD volume, I actually received this disk as part of the thinpak box set. As a result, I would like to include Ted’s own words about why to chose the thinpak over individual volumes, because he says it so well.

1. Price! Volume One is listed at $29.98(!) and the following volumes are at the $26.99 range. When I checked out the complete set dubbed “The Amazing Collection”, it was priced at $44.99. That’s cheaper then two volumes of the show!!!!!!

2. Availability! I looked at your list and saw Volume Two was not available. I tried earlier in your list history to get you an item in the same circumstances, but it wouldn’t allow me to send you an item that an individual was selling. So it was either Volume One and Three or the complete series.

3. Space! Thin Packs are my absolute favorite cases for DVDs and I’m shocked and horrified that they haven’t become a standard. Some would say that the side banner is harder to see, but I have no problems with it what so ever. Some will say that they don’t hold inserts, but they can! And since you collect quite a lot of these DVDs, why not take advantage?

4. Complete! Did I mention that it’s complete so you don’t have to wait for every volume to come in?

Of course, for every advantage this set has, there are also a slew of disadvantages. Most of them are all ADV’s fault…

1. Covers – The Cover artwork will certainly be fewer due to packaging spaces and probably a lot less cool looking.

2. Extras – ADV had a good idea (at the time) to have those who collected the volumes of an anime series to keep the extra content while those who wanted the complete series sets just got the series and no extras at all. I still have incredibly mixed feelings about this, because some of the bonus features in Excel Saga are absolutely outstanding and educational that the complete series sets totally lacks! I don’t want to give this series to my friends without those extras!

3. Support – With the savings in price, there also goes a lot of support for the show. It’s probably tough for a studio to charge a lot less for the complete series for the price of less then two volumes combined. I just hope this support is enough, because I want to support the things we like!

That pretty much covers everything I might have had to say about it anyway. lol Thanks Ted, for both the support and the review!

Ratings:

Art – 8, with occasional lapses to 5
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4

Overall – 8

Although it is just a teeny thing, I find it really, I don’t know – charming, I guess – that Mia is Dutch and her emails are in something that looks Dutch enough to me (although I imagine that the folks I know from the Netherlands probably cringe and die when they see them. ^_^) But still, an attempt was made.