Winter 2007 Anime Season: Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora

January 15th, 2007

As I mentioned last week in my review, the second volume of the Kannazuki no Miko anime, makes a nice lead-in to a brand new anime this winter 2007 season.

Well…let me rephrase that. A new anime series.

I’m being a tad precious about the way I put it, because in reality, there is *nothing* new about Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora (“Kyoshiro and the Eternal Sky,” if I’m not misreading the kanji.) This is the Kaishaku equivalent of Tsubasa Chronicle, a revisiting and reshaping of already-been- there characters, ideas and concepts.

The main story will follow Kuu (whose name in Japanese means “empty,” but is written with the same character as “sky”) and her adventures as she’s thrust in just about the same exact kind of story as Himeko was in KnM. That is, all of a sudden two things invade her boring little world – a boy who looks just like the prince she’s been seeking since childhood arrives and molests her, and secondly, giant robots attack her. Kuu is just as passive and as much a non-entity as Himeko, so her reactions are along the lines of “Huh? What’s happening? I’m confused.” The prince look-alike, Kyoshiro, is a new transfer to the school and clearly has a lot of information about what’s going on that he has yet to share.

Additionally, in the first episode we meet Kozue, who is pretty much exactly the same character as Himeko’s best friend in KnM, only slightly butchier, and Oogami Souma has morphed into Oogami Jin – which is basically the same heavy-duty name, only different. Instead of being a rival for Kuu, Oogami leads this year’s meme du année, which is to say, an uber-cool knightly order of froods. The voice actors and actresses for all the KnM clones are the same as they were in the original.

We retain the same fetishy kind of bad-guy thing that happened in KnM, as well – our first attacker is the stereotypical annoying catgirl, nyan.

In episode two, we meet this series’ reincarnations of Chikane and Himeko, named Kaon and Himiko. Chikane/Kaon remains competent, cool and intelligent. She explains to both Kuu and the audience, that she (and the catgirl, and Kyoshiro’s familiar Setsuna, and a host of other characters to come including one voiced by my own beloved Ogata Megumi) are “Absolute Angels” and they fight…erm, for some reason. We are also given a nod to another Kaishaku story, Koutetsu Tenshi Kurumi, known here as Steel Angel Kurumi. The Absolute Angels are the so-far ultimate expression of the same technology that created the Steel Angels. And just as useful, as far as I can tell. Unfortunately for us or Kuu, Kaon and Himiko this time are on the side of BAD – in this case, the evil mistress of the evil school for evil girls, who is already on my personal list of Evil Psychotic Lesbians.

All this leads to the two things that make Episode 2 worth watching. Kaon, as an Angel, needs to draw energy (mana) from a human in order to survive. Himiko and Kaon are obviously actually in love, but in order to protect Himiko from the repercussions, Kaon refuses her mana, until Himiko insists and kisses Kaon. It’s a very shiny kiss. I mean that literally. With sparkles and stuff. Kaon heals, but with Himiko in her arms, can’t effectively fight Setsuna, Kyoshiro’s Absolute Angel, as she re-kidnaps Kuu. Once again, we see Chikane/Kaon suffer from unhappy fate, as evil Headmistress Mika blames Himiko and takes her off for person punishment. Insert salacious, knowing laughter here.

The second worthwhile thing is something Kuu thinks, as Himiko and Kaon kiss. She thinks that she’s never seen anything like this in real life, but she’s seen books like this on Kozue’s shelf. That made me laugh out loud, it really did. In case we’re all deaf, dumb and blind, Kuu goes on a bit about how beautiful secret love between women is, and all that. Got it, we got it. Thanks for beating us with the Y uri stick – we might not notice otherwise.

Okay, so Kaon and Himiko are a small side story, and in order to find out what happens to them, we’re going to have to put up with Kuu and Kyoshiro. But hey, Ogata Megumi as yet another Angel is da bomb and it’ll be a short anime like KnM was, so I’m down with it.

It’s crap, my friends. But we’ll watch it and we’ll like it. Like cod-liver oil anime. And we’ll say it was good for us, too.

Ratings:(What were my ratings for KnM? Everything’s the same, only different.)

Art – 7
Story – 5
Characters – 6
Yuri – 8
Service – 4 (bra/panties, excessive bathing, some light molestation)

Overall – 7

If Kaon and Himiko have a chance, and MO is cool as Waltesia, then we might get as high as an 8.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 13 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl, Volume 1 (English)

January 12th, 2007

I came to a conclusion today about yuri stories being “good” or “bad.” I was listening to the third Strawberry Panic Drama CD and I realized that, if Chikaru were a guy, most people would find him creepy and – in that particular scene – disgusting. And it dawned on me that that sort of defines what makes a story “good” or “bad”. If for instance, Chikane from Kannazuki no Miko had been a male character, would anyone *ever* attempt a rationalization of his behavior, much less openly declare it to be sexy? I think not.

So, going forward, when I comment that a series is “not good” you can take that to mean that, among other things, I think that if the characters were a hetero, rather than lesbian, couple the story would be boring, trite and/or vile. It’s a simpler criteria than trying to explain good writing all the time.

Ironically, none of that really applies to today’s review, as the character starts off as a boy. ^_^ I reviewed Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl, Volume 1 in Japanese back in May 2005. Because the story has not changed at all, I will not be re-reviewing the story itself. If you are not sure whether you want to read the story, by all means, please visit that first review. I rated the Volume an overall 7, if that helps.

What I do want to talk about today is the quality of the transition into English of this story. Which is, let me be honest, very, very good.

If you are a regular reader of Okazu, you know that I am constantly disappointed in English adaptations of manga and anime that remove honorifics and cultural references.

Based on that alone, it’s fair to say that this volume of Kashimashi may well be the single best adaptation of a manga into English that I have ever seen.

Every honorific – even the silly ones…especially the silly ones – are preserved. Notes are added that make sense of the puns and cultural relics, and the reading audience is assumed to have several functioning brain cells. It was the proverbial breath of fresh air to me, let me tell you. Overall, this may well be one of the best translation/adaptations I’ve ever seen. It was a seamless reading experience for this reader of the original version – my highest compliment for a translation.

The print quality is good, and although it did not bother me in any way, you should know that the sound effects are left completely untranslated. As I’ve mentioned many times, I don’t read s/fx, indeed I hardly notice them for myself (although I pay attention for review purposes.)

The story remains yuri, although with that edge of marginalization that exists in so many current Dengeki yuri series. It retains the service, the goofball plot complications, the sad wretch of a pervtastic father, and the “I’m a girl now, so I have to do abc…” and of course the aliens, that make it hard to judge this book harshly, since it’s so obviously ridiculous.

Still not my favorite example of “Yuri”, Kashimashi (which, btw, also means a loud or rambunctious sound) makes a decent enough entry into the Yuri market – and an exceptional showing for Seven Seas. Keep up the work, guys – and get some GOOD Yuri titles, please! Ask me, and I’ll be glad to offer some suggestions.

Ratings for the story:

Art – 8
Characters – 7
Story – 5
Yuri- 9

Overall – 7

Ratings for the adaptation:

Translation: 9
Print Quality: 8 (not at all easy to do…)

Overall: 9

I’ve never read a manga in English that I didn’t personally publish that felt more like reading the Japanese original. Kudos to Seven Seas.

Posted in English Manga, Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Yuri Drama CD; Strawberry Panic, Lyric 2 "Spica Volume"

January 12th, 2007

Much like the goings on from the first Strawberry Panic Drama CD, the second Strawberry Panic DCD, primarily follows the characters from one of the schools, in this case, the girls of St. Spica. Like the first volume, this takes place sometime during the first half of the series. You can tell because Kaname and Momomi are still evil, but not yet ridiculous. More or less.

(Please imagine me rolling my eyes throughout this entire review…it’ll save time in the long run.)

The annual physical exam is coming and quite inexplicably Hikari decides she’s gotten a little fat. Yaya determines to help her by enforcing an unrealistic exercise schedule, while Tsubomi insists on “helping” by creating meals with insufficient calories to sustain her. Of course, Hikari is doing this all because in some way that I don’t understand, it will make Amane happy. Or insane with lust, I really don’t know.

Evil Psycho Lesbians Kaname and Momomi show up as Hikari and Yaya jog, only to confuse everyone with their bizarre blather about the physical exams and Hikari’s body. When the others leave them, confused, Kaname and Momomi reassure one another that this plan will work to defeat Hikari, and therefore Amane, and that it’s going to be loads of fun for them both.

After training, Tsubomi and Yaya compete to massage a weary Hikari, complete with quasi-sexual moaning and near orgasmic paroxysms by Yaya and Tsubomi. This is followed by Hikari breathily discussing her body with Amane, under the guise of interest in Starbright’s, Amane’s horse’s, health.

We spend some moments establishing a running gag (and I mean that word in several ways) about Nagisa wolfing food down, not caring that the ominous exam is coming. While she stuffs her face, Shizuma’s only comment is that she’s darn cute when she does that – a comment met with confusion on the part of Miyuki.

Apparently at Astoria, the girls themselves take their own measurements and record their own health. There is excitement as various students apply to be able to do the exams – and especially for that ever-important and yet so pointlessly servicey “three size” position. (The “three size”s are of course, bust-waist-hips, and I remain steadfast in the belief that there is not one really decent reason why that has to be included in any school exam. I have no doubt that it’s a pervy guy thing and yes, it offends me.)

Yaya and Tsubomi apply to take the three sizes position in order to see Hikari naked.

(…okay, pervy girl thing too. But no less offensive.)

The winner is…!

On the day of the exam, we learn that Chikaru’s harem, Lemon, Kizuna and Kagome (who sounds even more on valium than ever before) got the prize positions. Kagome relies on her stuffed bear Percival to take down the details, to everyone’s distress.

At the thought that Amane is about to shed her clothes, an overworked, underfed Hikari faints. (Shocker, I know.) She wakes to find herself in the infirmary, with a very distressed Amane at her side. So Hikari gets what she wanted in the first place, Amane touching her.

The moral of the story is, of course, that behaving like a prat gets the girl. Or that starving yourself is the right thing to do. Or something.

Yaya and Tsubomi argue over whose fault it is, each trying to take responsibility over the other. Hikari rightfully blames herself, but for entirely the wrong reasons.

Meanwhile, Nagisa shrieks in a manner more irritating than ever before – why didn’t anyone *tell* her about the exam? Ah ha ha ha.

Amane swears to be there for Hikari – to help her, to carry her if need be. Cue romantic music and the endless repetition of the words “Amane-sempai” by Hikari.

Nagisa stuffs her face in anguish over the weight she’s gained. Shizuma, to Miyuki’s consternation, only comments, “cute!” “Cute?” Miyuki boggles.

Meanwhile Chikaru and her harem and Nagisa and some other folks are doing a midnight tea. Chikaru announces a Astoria “Sexy Queen” contest based on the three size results. Kagome mentions that Percival is going to get undressed, and Lemon wonders what the naked teddy bear could possibly remove? His skin? Tamao suggests, to which Lemon begs Kagome to not undress Percival, PLEASE. Chikaru pronounces herself the winner of the “Sexy Queen” contest. Everyone sweatdrops.

In the bathroom, Kaname and Momomi plot anew, but as Kaname talks about Hikari, Momomi grows worried and asks if Kaname isn’t maybe starting to like the girl. You only give your love to one person, right? Momomi asks. And truthfully, yet omniously to those of us who have seen the entire series, Kaname replies – I give my love to only one person.

Still arguing over whose fault it is, Yaya and Tsubomi tell Hikari to stay out of this, so Hikari says she’s off to take a shower. Shower? Yaya and Tsubomi join her and take great liberties with her body. More servicey means and groans. The end.

The cast credits sound like everyone HATED this script. ^_^ Everyone’s like, “So-and-so role, my name, this was fun, thank you.” The “get me the hell out of here” was understood.

The last track is a preview of the final volume, which in it’s horrible way seems kind of fun. Look forward to scrunchy-making embarrassing conversations with Chikaru and her harem. ^_^

Ratings:

Story – 3
Characters – 4
Yuri – 8
Service – 9

Overall – 5

It’s trite, it’s predictable and unfunny, but there are some genuinely amusing bits, Kaname and Momomi are hysterically freakish. It’s trash, no question, but it makes an entertaining and diverting way to practice your Japanese listening skills. ^_^

Posted in Drama CDs & Audiobooks, Strawberry Panic | 10 Comments »


Mai Otome Zwei OAV Anime

January 10th, 2007

As we begin I never did an overview of the Autumn 2006 Anime season because, frankly, there was (and is) damn little yuri to be found anywhere. The few series that have anything are mostly minor characters in minor roles.

There was, of course, the Maria-sama ga Miteru OAV, Kohitsuji no Kyuuka, which I have reviewed previously. And there are a few series I’ll be covering in the upcoming days, as well. And also of note to fans was another continuing anime going direct to DVD, Mai Otome Zwei.

Like most other OAVs, Zwei is pretty much for the established fanbase. There’s no introduction, no set-up – you’re just thrown into the story, such as it is.

(Let me back up for a sec, because I know I get new readers all the time. If you have no idea what fanbase I’m talking about, you’ll want to take a moment to read my comments on Mai HiME .)

If you are already familiar with Mai Otome, then slipping into the OAV will present little difficulty. It picks up a year after the TV series ends. Like most action stories, it begins with a short vignette that sets our protagonist up as a powerful superheroine. It then follows that up with a quick change of place and tone, to show that she’s also still a young girl and comedic relief… a technique used in many, many James Bond movies, without the “girl” part. ^_^

The plot, which is the predictable “fight an unknown opponent who/which is massively more powerful than us good guys” has some good elements. That is, right off the bat the opponent removes the most powerful forces we have (almost in order of power, in fact) so that by the end of the first episode our resources are significantly weaker than we should be able to expect. The problem here is that this plot complication is incredibly overplayed in anime, so while it’s well done – it’s also kind of “uh-huh.” It’s not like we’d really expect that the new mysterious enemy would be easy to handle…where’s the drama/angst/power-ups/new transformation in *that*?

Secondly, the relationships. As I mentioned, this OAV is strictly for the previous fanbase. All relationships are assumed. You simply need to know before you start who everyone is, and all the in-jokes of their relationships and personalities. Which works fine for me. In fact, I saw that as a strength, that no time was wasted restablishing prior relationships, except through interactions that read as quite natural. So, if you don’t know the couples, you wouldn’t see anything that even remotely resembled Yuri (with one notable exception, also pointed out by Zyl.) If you *do* know the history, it’s easy to see Shizuru’s and Natsuki’s interaction as that of a long-term couple.

The notable exception is a single line voiced by the eccentric Professor, a former Schwarz rebel now working with Garderobe. As she puts it in her eccentric mix of Japanese and English “[Shizuru]’s definitely getting a pretty girl now” – followed by a typical jealous/denial reaction from Natsuki and accompanying titters from the gathered cast and crew. The teasing feels like a group of old friends having a little fun at their friend’s expense…which is exactly what it is supposed to feel like.

The fact that the relationships are understood makes the OAV feel more comfortable and less strident than the Otome TV series. The weakness here is that if you were a first-time viewer, you wouldn’t be getting any of the in-jokes.

All that having been said, if I had not already watched both Mai HiMe and Mai Otome, I probably wouldn’t have given the time of day to this OAV. Because in and of itself, it has no depth. It is a fanfic of a fanfic. Mai HiME created the characters, personalities, powers and backstories. Mai Otome played with those in an alt-universe setting, altering some of the relationships, adding others. (Moving Tate away from Mai and sticking mopey Nina with him, for instance. Changing Chie and Aoi from a fanon couple to a canon couple, that kind of thing.) This OAV doesn’t have time (or to be fair, the need) to do anything else other than write a new battle story with the same pieces as before.

But it’s hardly over. Like the Marimite OAVs Zwei will be released piecemeal over a series of months. I believe the total is 4 episodes, so who knows what they may add in terms of character development. My guess is that we’ll get to see Nina’s new relationship with Serge/Tate, but probably not much more.

Whether the plot will hold up, or turn into another Sunrise reset is also a matter of some speculation. Check back after Episode 4. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 4 (inappropriately worn thong bathing suits, unnecessary jutting breasts w/nipples during transformation)

Overall – 6

As the first installment of an Otome fanfic, Zwei is a decent enough way to kill an hour. ^_^

Posted in Mai Hime, Mai Otome | 5 Comments »


Yuri Anime: Kannazuki no Miko, Volume 2

January 9th, 2007

I was torn today. Do I review some of the backlogged stuff I have to review, or review new stuff I have to review, or finally get around to a roundup of the anime season this winter?

After agonizing over it for a while (like twenty minutes on and off throughout the day) I’ve decided to get something old out of the way, because I’m sick of looking it on my list. :-) And because it makes a nice lead-in to a new anime.

So, here I am, at last reviewing the second volume of the Kannazuki no Miko anime. It practically seems like ancient history at this point, a thought which is funnier to me than it ought to be, but I’m going to chalk it up to the fact that my body thinks it’s 4AM right now. ^_^

So, in Volume 2 of Kannazuki no Miko, we are treated to the back histories of the two who are competing for Himeko’s love: Souma and Chikane. We learn, mostly through flashbacks, of Souma’s tragic and difficult past; and why the Orochi’s first neck, Tsubasa, has issues about Souma particularly. Chikane’s past and personality are fleshed out a bit through the admittedly biased eyes of her adoring maid Otoha. In both cases, we are meant to admire the strength and kindness of the character. Which works.

What each story also reveals is the true nature of the Orochi – obsession turned to mania, obsessions that use flawed logic to further the plot. And here is where the story simply is not good. I know no one cares. But I really watched this volume carefully to try and pinpoint the things that make this such a train wreck of a story. It had to be in *this* volume and no other, because the anime is so short.

Here is the first flawed logic that leads up to an inexplicable decision. Tsubasa: “I killed our abusive father to protect you, my brother. I then let you be taken from me to give you a chance at a happy life, while I resigned myself to a life of hardship. Now that I have the power of the Orochi, I want you to give up your happy life that I strived for, in order to be evil with me…or failing that I will kill you, or force you to kill me. If you kill me, you will still be taken over by the evil blood within us.”

I will grant that KnM is A) a fantasy; B) a short anime; C) crap, but even so, this simply makes no sense. And that is not even taking into consideration that no one we defeat stays defeated (or that the end of the story will negate any power the threat of “Orochi” has.)

That’s just the one story. The other is this: Sister Miyako forces Chikane to see her own feelings for Himeko for what they actually are – physical attraction, desire. It is sensible to me, having been in a similar situation, to see Chikane leap through hoops to deny this. It is also sensible that she will not just accept her feelings. It’s damned hard when you have no models or mores that make it “okay.” (One of the many reasons I live my life in the open and why being out is genuinely so important here in the real world. If Chikane had a pair of happy, openly gay aunts or cousins or something, then she’d have no cause to angst over her feelings half as much.)

I can make it work that Orochi infiltrates Chikane’s brain through this crack. I can do that, because I’m an imaginative, creative person. If I had written the story, I would have done that visibly, so the viewers could actually see it happening. Instead, we suddenly go from a Chikane who desires Himeko but denies it, to a Chikane apparently mad with Orochi and obsession. Sure – we can make it work. But I resent being asked to do so. You wrote the damn story – you make it work.

Here’s my understanding of Chikane’s logic: I desire you, but that’s disgusting. Therefore I am disgusting. Therefore I am evil. Therefore I am Orochi, since Orochi is the embodiment of evil and perversion of all that is good and light, i.e. you. I have remembered our true history, and can see that you do not. Under the pretext of trying to bring back your memory, I will do something horrible to you so that you will hate me (and the Orochi I claim to be part of) and will want to defeat it (and me) thus saving yourself. If I save you in that way, the ends justify the means, and I condemn myself to the eternal punishment I deserve anyway for being so vile.

If you follow that, you are probably certifiable. Or 15.

When Chikane’s resolve to be punished fails, her logic, which is already flawed, gets more complex and inexplicable, but I’ll save that for next volume.

So, in my attempt to understand Volume 2 as a real story, I come up with these two conclusions: 1) Obsessions are bad and 2) Obsessed people make bad decisions.

Now, if you ignore the fact that much of the story makes no sense, it’s a pretty good volume. LOL Lots of giant robot fighting, bickering among the female Orochi which is marginally amusing, and lots of Himeko service. We pretty much get to see Himeko in every possible kind of dishabille, for both good and ill. Souma takes the lead in the “Get Himeko” contest, but if it weren’t for Chikane’s insanity, she might have pulled even. Instead, she forces the issue in the infamous lesbian rape scene, making yet another bad rap for us Yurizoku.

More interesting to me was the scene involving Sister Miyako’s mental rape of Chikane, using a mirror image of Himeko. It’s pretty much the key moment in Chikane’s snapping. I liked the mindfuck going on – and Sister Miyako, who doesn’t look like any nun, anywhere, ever, was worth it. ^_^;

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 5 (Let’s face it, without the lesbian element, hardly anyone would have watched this)
Characters – 6
Yuri – A very nasty 7
Service – 7

Overall – 6

Remember evil Chikane. You’ll be meeting her again soon.

Posted in Kannazuki no Miko, Yuri Anime | 15 Comments »