So it's been a while since I've updated this little project; not that anyone reads it, but still!
My trip to Japan was a great success; we managed to get lost in Shinjuku and Kyoto Station, and hilarity ensued. I can't wait to go back! Also, I was able to see Maaya play Eponine in the Japanese production of Les Miserables in Tokyo at the Imperial Theatre which was absolutely amazing.
In Kyoto, we saw some cool castles and the Imperial Palace, and in Tokyo we went to most of the burrows. Akihabara, Ikebukuro, and Shinjuku were definitely the coolest areas. Let me know if you want to see the pictures but I haven't sent them to you.
So now, 2009 has come to an end and along with it, the 2000-2009 decade. Seems like a popular trend is to post what your favorite shows of the last 10 years were, so I'll give it a go, here's my top 20:
20. Fate/Stay Night
19. Welcome to the NHK!
18. Noir
17. Witch Hunter Robin
16. .hack//sign
15. Black Lagoon
14. Macross Frontier
13. Claymore
12. Darker than Black
11. Cross Game
10. Code Geass R2
9. Samurai Champloo
8. RahXephon
7. Code Geass
6. Canaan
5. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
4. The Twelve Kingdoms
3. Guin Saga
2. Gundam SEED
1. Kara no Kyoukai
So, these anime on are here for various reasons, either because they made a lasting impression on me, or because they opened the way for other anime that I really enjoyed. For example; despite Fate/Stay Night's amazing CG dragon, it really got me in to TypeMoon's projects, and gave me an appreciation for their novels and writing style.
Welcome to the NHK! was, while ridiculous, hit very close to home. The show was definitely good, and perhaps I could relate to it a little too well.
Noir really opened the door to the 'girls with guns' genre for me; Madlax, El Cazedor, etc. I watched it because I was interested in guns for whatever reason, and it had some. I enjoyed the show, despite how far-fetched it was.
Witch Hunter Robin left an impression I because I really enjoyed the art-style, and although the CG backgrounds looked CG, they somehow fit in with the style of the show.
.hack//sign left a lasting impression thanks to Yuki Kajiura's amazing soundtrack, and MMORPG related storyline. This show is still one of my first recommendations for anyone looking to get into anime.
Black Lagoon I just flat out enjoyed. Pirates? Do want.
Macross Frontier: the latest installment of the franchise that really got me into anime. This show had a lot going for it in my book: beautiful animation, amazing music, veritech fighters... oh man!
Claymore: Berserk with girls? Sure!
Darker than Black was definitely the coolest super-hero type shows of the decade. Electric Chinese Batman never failed to deliver entertainment. Gemini of the Meteor wasn't as good, but I'm glad to see the franchise is still alive and continuing.
Cross Game: There's something about this show that just makes it appealing. I generally have little interest in sports anime, but I think because this show focuses more on the character's relationships, rather than the sports theme I find it more enjoyable.
Code Geass R2 is the result of something amazing (Code Geass R1), and despite the creator's understanding of where the show is headed, proceed to create an awesome show despite the trainwreck that is undoubtedly approaching. This is a second season done right. Take note, Fukuda.
Samurai Champloo is without a doubt the best period piece of the decade. I enjoyed it far more than the retelling of 7 Samurai; and its animation was some of the best I've seen for a TV series this decade.
RahXephon was everything I wanted, but didn't get out of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It also allowed me to discover the amazing singer/voice actress Maaya Sakamoto, who remains one of my favorite singers ever.
Code Geass: Death Note meets Gundam SEED. The politics I couldn't care less about, however, it made for a wild ride of a show. This is certainly one of the most entertaining shows I've seen in a very long time.
Canaan: Story by Kinoko Nasu? Voice by Maaya Sakamoto? Lots of action? Crazy bad-guys? Bad-ass good-guys? Crazy-awesome taxi driver?! DO WANT.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood; a reboot of the previous series, and off to a much better start it seems. While I haven't read any of the manga, I found that the second series was far more interesting than the original, although I did also enjoy the original. This series has yet to let me down in either versions.
The Twelve Kingdoms: The Japanese answer to A Song of Ice and Fire? Or perhaps The Twelve Kingdoms came first? When I think about this show, my only regret is that I didn't watch it sooner. I hope they pick up the story at some point as well. This is everything I've ever wanted and more from a fantasy anime. Berserk did it, but this did it even better I think.
Guin Saga; the adaptation of a massive fantasy novel series, is once again proof that the Japanese are capable of creating awesome fantasy anime. The soundtrack was composed by Nobou Uematsu as well. Awesome story? Check. Awesome characters? Check. Awesome Music? Check. Awesome Animation? You bet.
Gundam SEED. Where to begin? Oddly enough, I started watching Gundam SEED Destiny before Gundam SEED, so the show was slightly spoiled when I started watching it. GSD was currently airing, and Maaya Sakamoto was playing a major character in the show, so I figured I'd give it a watch. When I had caught up to the current episode, which I think was Ep 28 or so, I realized that I had no idea what the hell was going on. So I watched Gundam SEED, and I and very glad I did.
Gundam SEED was able to reach a group of anime fans that the franchise was never able to do in the past. They created a space-drama, which kept the show exciting and interesting when there wasn't mecha fighting going on. It served its purpose well, and made for an enjoyable story with interesting characters. In addition, the show has an amazing soundtrack and one of the best insert songs ever ("Akatsuki no Kuruma" by FictionJunction YUUKA). Gundam SEED Destiny failed to deliver the depth and exciting drama that SEED had, but it also had an awesome soundtrack.
Kara no Kyoukai. I'm fairly certain the producers that created this read my mind and decided to make an anime just for me, and this is the result. They were like, "Hey! We should make an anime written by Kinoko Nasu. We'll get Maaya Sakamoto to play the main character, and have Yuki Kajiura do the soundtrack. Oh, and to make it even more awesome, we'll have Yuki create this new group of her other awesome artists and call them Kalafina, and then we'll do a second-to-none animation job on the seven movies we're making." Yep, sounds good. In my opinion, this is without a doubt the best thing to come out of 00-09.
And that's my conclusion of 2000 to 2009. I'm feeling lazy so I'm not going to bother proof reading this, sorry!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, October 12, 2009
New fall anime
So, fall is here, and it's cold outside. Perfect time for anime watching, and there's a few new ones out this season so far that seem promising. So there's a few new offerings: A yuri-gender swap action called Kampfer; a fantasy show about swords called Sacred Blacksmith, and one about cat curses called Nyan Koi, and finally a side story of A Certain Magical Index called A Certain Scientific Railgun. Well, those are the ones I feel like writing about anyway. Otherwise, Full Metal Alchemist and Cross Game continue, and we have some new-comers to watch until Winter.
So far, nothing from this season seems to be on the same level as Guin Saga or Canaan, however, these newer shows seem a bit more lighthearted and funny, focusing more on the comedy side of things instead of the dramatic side that we saw with the Summer anime.
I'll write about A Certain Scientific Railgun first since I just finished watching Index the other day. Index seemed a little strange, all kinds of random story arcs that didn't seem to tie into eachother. So far Railgun just focuses on two of the more minor Index characters, Biribiri and her insane sister and their two friends. This show is loaded with yuri overtones, but I'm not sure how it's supposed to fit into the Index storyline. Some day I'll stop being lazy and read the Manga and figure out what's going on. So, in Academy City, almost everyone has all kinds of crazy superpowers, and Biribiri's is the ability to control electricity. Her signature move is flicking coins at people at Mach 3 (since the only weapons on earth capable of firing a projectile that fast are Rail Guns, she's earned herself that nickname. So far, however, she's only gotten into trouble because of her perverted sister that is madly in love with her for some reason. Biribiri has a thing for Kamijyo Touma (the main character in Index), however, this supposedly takes place before Index, so who knows where that will go.
Sacred Blacksmith is about a young, inexperienced and clumsy knight named Cecily, who wants disparately to become a warrior. Unfortunately for her, however, she's neither strong nor fast, and doesn't seem to have the finesse for combat. She picks a fight with an insane warrior and would have been killed if a cloaked stranger hadn't intervened and saved her. Turns out, this cloaked man is a skilled blacksmith named Luke, who fights with a thin, curved sword called a katana instead of the standard broad sword everyone else uses. Apparently, long ago there was a crazy war involving demons and monsters, and it appears that their return is rather likely. It remains to be seen if Luke helps out Cecily or not.
Kampfer is definitely one of the stranger shows I've seen. It's about a guy, Natsuru, who is chosen to be a Kampfer for some reason. He has to fight other Kampfers, and is given special powers: the ability to use fire magic. His friend is also a Kampfer, though they start off fighting one-another, and she uses guns. The only catch to being a Kampfer is that you have to be a woman. If you're not already, you'll transform into one when another enemy Kampfer approaches. It also happens that the Natsuru's love interest falls for the female version of himself, much to his chagrin. This show is bound to be full of all kinds of ridiculous nonsense.
Nyan Koi is about a boy named Junpei who angers the spiteful cat god. Because of this, he's been cursed with the ability to converse with cats. Now, to appease the cat god he must perform good deeds for the city cats and juggle his love life. If he fails to appease the cat god, he'll be turned into a cat (and subsequently die because he's allergic to them). If you like cats, this show is likely to entertain you.
Now to finish off Guin Saga and maybe pick up Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle again while I wait for more episodes. There's a few other shows that might be neat too: 11eyes, Kobato, and maybe Seitokai no Ichizon. Time will tell!
So far, nothing from this season seems to be on the same level as Guin Saga or Canaan, however, these newer shows seem a bit more lighthearted and funny, focusing more on the comedy side of things instead of the dramatic side that we saw with the Summer anime.
I'll write about A Certain Scientific Railgun first since I just finished watching Index the other day. Index seemed a little strange, all kinds of random story arcs that didn't seem to tie into eachother. So far Railgun just focuses on two of the more minor Index characters, Biribiri and her insane sister and their two friends. This show is loaded with yuri overtones, but I'm not sure how it's supposed to fit into the Index storyline. Some day I'll stop being lazy and read the Manga and figure out what's going on. So, in Academy City, almost everyone has all kinds of crazy superpowers, and Biribiri's is the ability to control electricity. Her signature move is flicking coins at people at Mach 3 (since the only weapons on earth capable of firing a projectile that fast are Rail Guns, she's earned herself that nickname. So far, however, she's only gotten into trouble because of her perverted sister that is madly in love with her for some reason. Biribiri has a thing for Kamijyo Touma (the main character in Index), however, this supposedly takes place before Index, so who knows where that will go.
Sacred Blacksmith is about a young, inexperienced and clumsy knight named Cecily, who wants disparately to become a warrior. Unfortunately for her, however, she's neither strong nor fast, and doesn't seem to have the finesse for combat. She picks a fight with an insane warrior and would have been killed if a cloaked stranger hadn't intervened and saved her. Turns out, this cloaked man is a skilled blacksmith named Luke, who fights with a thin, curved sword called a katana instead of the standard broad sword everyone else uses. Apparently, long ago there was a crazy war involving demons and monsters, and it appears that their return is rather likely. It remains to be seen if Luke helps out Cecily or not.
Kampfer is definitely one of the stranger shows I've seen. It's about a guy, Natsuru, who is chosen to be a Kampfer for some reason. He has to fight other Kampfers, and is given special powers: the ability to use fire magic. His friend is also a Kampfer, though they start off fighting one-another, and she uses guns. The only catch to being a Kampfer is that you have to be a woman. If you're not already, you'll transform into one when another enemy Kampfer approaches. It also happens that the Natsuru's love interest falls for the female version of himself, much to his chagrin. This show is bound to be full of all kinds of ridiculous nonsense.
Nyan Koi is about a boy named Junpei who angers the spiteful cat god. Because of this, he's been cursed with the ability to converse with cats. Now, to appease the cat god he must perform good deeds for the city cats and juggle his love life. If he fails to appease the cat god, he'll be turned into a cat (and subsequently die because he's allergic to them). If you like cats, this show is likely to entertain you.
Now to finish off Guin Saga and maybe pick up Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle again while I wait for more episodes. There's a few other shows that might be neat too: 11eyes, Kobato, and maybe Seitokai no Ichizon. Time will tell!
Friday, September 25, 2009
What's new?
No updates lately because I'm lazy. Anyway, Canaan and Phantom are both coming to a close, which makes me a little sad. Updates soon when they're subbed and I've had a chance to watch them. I may pick up Umineko no Koro ni while I wait for the next season's shows, but I still haven't decided. Murder mystery generally isn't my thing, and I can't say that I have any interest in the characters, but the show seems interesting enough regardless.
Cross Game and Full Metal Alchemist are still going, and it seems like Guin Saga is being subbed again, so it'll be back to that until the fall Anime starts airing. Hopefully there will be something good.
Also, looks like there's some new Kalafina music to look forward to at the end of October. If you haven't heard it, listen to Storia, it's amazing.
In any event, Aion is kind of meh, but something to do for now. Come say 'Hi' to Beldd on the Sariel server if you're playing.
Cross Game and Full Metal Alchemist are still going, and it seems like Guin Saga is being subbed again, so it'll be back to that until the fall Anime starts airing. Hopefully there will be something good.
Also, looks like there's some new Kalafina music to look forward to at the end of October. If you haven't heard it, listen to Storia, it's amazing.
In any event, Aion is kind of meh, but something to do for now. Come say 'Hi' to Beldd on the Sariel server if you're playing.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
And then...
It's been a while. Yeah, I know I'm lazy. So, what's going on then for our favorite animus this season?
Sadly, no one seems to be subbing Guin Saga anymore, so I'll have to wait for a domestic release of that it seems. Or maybe I'll quit being a dork and actually go learn Japanese. That sounds fun. Right?
On the subject of Guin Saga, the ending song single has finally been released: "Saga - This is my Road" by Kanon. What a piece of music. It's like Enya only better (because it has lyrics I can't understand which automatically makes it cool). There's an English version of the song on the CD too, which is just as good. Anyway, enough of that.
Cross Game is continuing, but Ko and Aoba still don't like each other. Well, I guess they have some more story arc for Aoba. I guess it's good that she taught Ko a new pitch, too. Because he wasn't god-like enough already!
And then, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. I haven't written about this series yet, but it's a remake that apparently is much closer to the manga than its predecessor. The original series was pretty awesome, and so far the remake has not failed to deliver. It seems that a lot of the story is the same for the first part, but there's a whole new cast of characters (and one that was actually made exclusively for Brotherhood that did not appear in either the manga or the original series). We'll see how Ed and Al do against Scar this time. So far episode 21 was just released.
Wait, so what's it about you ask? Oh yea. For those that might not know, it's about two brothers that become alchemists, like their father before them. The aforementioned father decides to leave their family when they were young, leaving Edward and Alfonse to be raised by their mother. Ed and Al begin studying their father's research and become alchemists themselves. After their mother passes away, they attempt to use alchemy to resurrect her. Their plan goes horribly wrong, and not only do they fail to bring her back to life, Al's body is destroyed, along with Ed's leg. In an effort to save his brother's existence, Ed affixes Al's soul to a suit of armor in exchange for his right arm. The story revolves around the brothers' quest to restore Al's body; which the primary focus is the Philosopher's stone.
The remake is well animated by Bones and is definitely worth watching.
And then, there's Phantom, Requiem for Phantom. I can't remember if I wrote about this or not. I think I did. Anyway, it's by Beetrain, so expect chicks with guns killing everyone. Awesome, right? So far, I think this is Beetrain's finest work, even though Yuki Kajiura (who normally scores their shows) is not providing the soundtrack. It's interesting to see Cal turn into bat-shit-crazy murderer after being separated from Reiji. Hilarity will undoubtedly ensue when those two confront one-another and have to deal with Elen/Ein. Also: God damn you Ali Project. Why are some of your songs good and others make my ears bleed?
Ok, I'm done for now. No more and then!
Sadly, no one seems to be subbing Guin Saga anymore, so I'll have to wait for a domestic release of that it seems. Or maybe I'll quit being a dork and actually go learn Japanese. That sounds fun. Right?
On the subject of Guin Saga, the ending song single has finally been released: "Saga - This is my Road" by Kanon. What a piece of music. It's like Enya only better (because it has lyrics I can't understand which automatically makes it cool). There's an English version of the song on the CD too, which is just as good. Anyway, enough of that.
Cross Game is continuing, but Ko and Aoba still don't like each other. Well, I guess they have some more story arc for Aoba. I guess it's good that she taught Ko a new pitch, too. Because he wasn't god-like enough already!
And then, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. I haven't written about this series yet, but it's a remake that apparently is much closer to the manga than its predecessor. The original series was pretty awesome, and so far the remake has not failed to deliver. It seems that a lot of the story is the same for the first part, but there's a whole new cast of characters (and one that was actually made exclusively for Brotherhood that did not appear in either the manga or the original series). We'll see how Ed and Al do against Scar this time. So far episode 21 was just released.
Wait, so what's it about you ask? Oh yea. For those that might not know, it's about two brothers that become alchemists, like their father before them. The aforementioned father decides to leave their family when they were young, leaving Edward and Alfonse to be raised by their mother. Ed and Al begin studying their father's research and become alchemists themselves. After their mother passes away, they attempt to use alchemy to resurrect her. Their plan goes horribly wrong, and not only do they fail to bring her back to life, Al's body is destroyed, along with Ed's leg. In an effort to save his brother's existence, Ed affixes Al's soul to a suit of armor in exchange for his right arm. The story revolves around the brothers' quest to restore Al's body; which the primary focus is the Philosopher's stone.
The remake is well animated by Bones and is definitely worth watching.
And then, there's Phantom, Requiem for Phantom. I can't remember if I wrote about this or not. I think I did. Anyway, it's by Beetrain, so expect chicks with guns killing everyone. Awesome, right? So far, I think this is Beetrain's finest work, even though Yuki Kajiura (who normally scores their shows) is not providing the soundtrack. It's interesting to see Cal turn into bat-shit-crazy murderer after being separated from Reiji. Hilarity will undoubtedly ensue when those two confront one-another and have to deal with Elen/Ein. Also: God damn you Ali Project. Why are some of your songs good and others make my ears bleed?
Ok, I'm done for now. No more and then!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Nope, still here! How about some commentary on old news?
So, it has been a while since I've posted my random thoughts. I figured I'd post some now, though!
Earlier this month it was announced that there would be a Fate/stay night anime movie released some time in the foreseeable future. I was hoping that some how the project would be taken over by a more competent animation studio like ufotable (Kara no Kyoukai), but unfortunately my hopes were dashed when studio DEEN was confirmed as the animation studio to continue the Fate project.
Oddly enough, I had actually enjoyed Fate/stay night the first time I watched it (when it first aired as an anime). Having never read the visual novel, I had nothing to compare it to. I already liked the character design and decided Saber was awesome long before I knew anything about the character. All I knew was that the characters had sex to recover their mana. As ridiculous as that might sound at first, it's not all that far-fetched.
According to everyone's favorite work of fiction, the bible, the Israelites were given manna by god to sustain them out in the wilderness. As everyone over the age of eight knows, sex creates life, so the two concepts are not entirely unrelated. Anyway, enough of that.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see a absurd CG dragon rather than a sex scene between Shirou and Saber. Back then, however, MirrorMoon had not even become close to finishing the translation of Fate, and all that had been translated was a demo of the prologue.
Fast forward 3 years to 2009 and Mirror Moon has finished translating Fate, and holy shit, did they change that story line. I haven't quite finished Heaven's Feel yet, however, after reading through Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, it pains me to look back on what Studio DEEN did with the Fate/stay night anime. It's almost as bad as the Tsukihime anime (which is so bad most Tsukihime fans refuse to acknowledge that it even exists, which I can't blame them for).
Regardless, one can hope that the upcoming Unlimited Blade Works movie will deliver where the Fate/stay night anime failed to do so. After all, it's about time we see Shirou turn into a fucking badass.
Of the three arcs (Fate (Saber), Unlimited Blade Works (Rin), and Heaven's Feel (Sakura)), Unlimited Blade Works would, without a doubt, make for the most entertaining story. Although I really like Saber, Rin is just as great a lead heroine, and Archer is pretty awesome too.
I would hate to have to start watching the UBW movie expecting crap, but that's all I can realistically expect from Studio DEEN, unless they are allowed to go all out on the movie instead of having to cater to general audiences for TV broadcasts.
Think positive. It is possible it can be awesome. And if it is, we might see a Heaven's Feel movie and maybe a Fate remake! Think positive!
Earlier this month it was announced that there would be a Fate/stay night anime movie released some time in the foreseeable future. I was hoping that some how the project would be taken over by a more competent animation studio like ufotable (Kara no Kyoukai), but unfortunately my hopes were dashed when studio DEEN was confirmed as the animation studio to continue the Fate project.
Oddly enough, I had actually enjoyed Fate/stay night the first time I watched it (when it first aired as an anime). Having never read the visual novel, I had nothing to compare it to. I already liked the character design and decided Saber was awesome long before I knew anything about the character. All I knew was that the characters had sex to recover their mana. As ridiculous as that might sound at first, it's not all that far-fetched.
According to everyone's favorite work of fiction, the bible, the Israelites were given manna by god to sustain them out in the wilderness. As everyone over the age of eight knows, sex creates life, so the two concepts are not entirely unrelated. Anyway, enough of that.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see a absurd CG dragon rather than a sex scene between Shirou and Saber. Back then, however, MirrorMoon had not even become close to finishing the translation of Fate, and all that had been translated was a demo of the prologue.
Fast forward 3 years to 2009 and Mirror Moon has finished translating Fate, and holy shit, did they change that story line. I haven't quite finished Heaven's Feel yet, however, after reading through Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, it pains me to look back on what Studio DEEN did with the Fate/stay night anime. It's almost as bad as the Tsukihime anime (which is so bad most Tsukihime fans refuse to acknowledge that it even exists, which I can't blame them for).
Regardless, one can hope that the upcoming Unlimited Blade Works movie will deliver where the Fate/stay night anime failed to do so. After all, it's about time we see Shirou turn into a fucking badass.
Of the three arcs (Fate (Saber), Unlimited Blade Works (Rin), and Heaven's Feel (Sakura)), Unlimited Blade Works would, without a doubt, make for the most entertaining story. Although I really like Saber, Rin is just as great a lead heroine, and Archer is pretty awesome too.
I would hate to have to start watching the UBW movie expecting crap, but that's all I can realistically expect from Studio DEEN, unless they are allowed to go all out on the movie instead of having to cater to general audiences for TV broadcasts.
Think positive. It is possible it can be awesome. And if it is, we might see a Heaven's Feel movie and maybe a Fate remake! Think positive!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Oblivion Recorder
So, through out watching the Kara no Kyoukai series, I can only wonder if God appeared before the producers at Aniplex and ufotable with Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi in hand and said, "Turn these guys' bat-shit crazy story into a badass anime, or seven."
And then it was so.
So, Kara no Kyoukai: Oblivion Recorder is out and about thanks to Taka-Jun and gg Fansubs. It was worth the wait. We get to see a little more about Mikiya's younger sister, Azaka, and how odd she is. (Though when compared to other animu, she seems pretty normal.) She and Shiki definitely have an interesting relationship. I imagine if they weren't both in love with Mikiya, they'd get along great.
Turns out Azaka can kick some ass and take names too. She's not as awesome as Shiki, obviously, however, she still knows how to blow shit up. The two antagonists aren't quite as cool as the others in the previous episodes, (dinner knives are serious business) but it's good to see Shiki every once in a while where she's not grumpy and wanting to kill everything.
I'm curious to see how the last chapter of the story ends up. I have a general idea of what happens, but it'll be good to see it all play out. Needless to say, the dude in question is freakin' crazy.
I guess I'll have to wait until the last DVD comes out, since I doubt it'll still be in theaters when I'm in Japan in November.
And then it was so.
So, Kara no Kyoukai: Oblivion Recorder is out and about thanks to Taka-Jun and gg Fansubs. It was worth the wait. We get to see a little more about Mikiya's younger sister, Azaka, and how odd she is. (Though when compared to other animu, she seems pretty normal.) She and Shiki definitely have an interesting relationship. I imagine if they weren't both in love with Mikiya, they'd get along great.
Turns out Azaka can kick some ass and take names too. She's not as awesome as Shiki, obviously, however, she still knows how to blow shit up. The two antagonists aren't quite as cool as the others in the previous episodes, (dinner knives are serious business) but it's good to see Shiki every once in a while where she's not grumpy and wanting to kill everything.
I'm curious to see how the last chapter of the story ends up. I have a general idea of what happens, but it'll be good to see it all play out. Needless to say, the dude in question is freakin' crazy.
I guess I'll have to wait until the last DVD comes out, since I doubt it'll still be in theaters when I'm in Japan in November.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Seven days and counting...
Kara no Kyoukai DVD 6 releases in 7 days. Oh the wait...
Well, in the meantime there's Cross Game. What's that you ask? An anime I was very pleasantly surprised with. It's about baseball and how it brings some friends into an unlikely relationship. I went in to it half-expecting a Suzuka rage-fest, but it turns out that Cross Game is far more interesting and the characters are a lot of fun.
Cross Game is about a boy named Ko, whose family owns a sporting goods store. Ko shares a birthday with his best friend Wakaba, the second of four sisters that are friends of Ko's family. They also run a batting-cage and coffee shop, so Ko visits them often to deliver product. Ko and Wakaba are the very best of friends, and plan to get married when they get older.
Unfortunately, Wakaba drowns while away at summer camp. Before she left for camp, however, she tells Ko and their other friends of a dream she had of all of them participating in the Koshien (a major High School Baseball Tournament in Japan). Ko doesn't think much of this, but his friends are very much inspired by Wakaba's dream.
Ko happens to be a baseball prodigy, however, he doesn't particularly care for organized sports. Ko's disinterest in baseball is a contributing factor to Aoba's (the 3rd sister) disdain for him. The two of them have a very awkward relationship.
After graduating middle school, Ko is recruited by his childhood friends to join the high school baseball team. The story revolves around Ko's team of underdogs as the 'farm' team and the "first stringer's" that the acting principle of the school has recruited to make himself famous. Another part of the story is the slow relationship building up between Ko and Aoba. Aoba has spent a long time trying to figure out what her sister saw in Ko to make her love him so much. It should be noted that Aoba absolutely loves baseball, and Ko holds her in very high regard when it comes to knowledge and ability.
The animation on the show is well done, and the characters are fun and interesting. Some of the more minor characters are a little flat or cliche, but that's to be expected. The show is at its best when it's not focusing on baseball, but when it focuses on the lives of the characters and how the interact with each other off the field.
If you've seen Code Geass, you could say that Ko is to baseball as Suzaku is to Knightmare combat (and ass-kicking in general).
Needless to say, Ko is a god among baseball players. From a suspension of disbelief standpoint, his feats are rather ridiculous. However, it's nice to have a truly badass protagonist from time to time.
Cross Game is definitely one of the better shows aired last season in Japan (though it's still ongoing).
Well, in the meantime there's Cross Game. What's that you ask? An anime I was very pleasantly surprised with. It's about baseball and how it brings some friends into an unlikely relationship. I went in to it half-expecting a Suzuka rage-fest, but it turns out that Cross Game is far more interesting and the characters are a lot of fun.
Cross Game is about a boy named Ko, whose family owns a sporting goods store. Ko shares a birthday with his best friend Wakaba, the second of four sisters that are friends of Ko's family. They also run a batting-cage and coffee shop, so Ko visits them often to deliver product. Ko and Wakaba are the very best of friends, and plan to get married when they get older.
Unfortunately, Wakaba drowns while away at summer camp. Before she left for camp, however, she tells Ko and their other friends of a dream she had of all of them participating in the Koshien (a major High School Baseball Tournament in Japan). Ko doesn't think much of this, but his friends are very much inspired by Wakaba's dream.
Ko happens to be a baseball prodigy, however, he doesn't particularly care for organized sports. Ko's disinterest in baseball is a contributing factor to Aoba's (the 3rd sister) disdain for him. The two of them have a very awkward relationship.
After graduating middle school, Ko is recruited by his childhood friends to join the high school baseball team. The story revolves around Ko's team of underdogs as the 'farm' team and the "first stringer's" that the acting principle of the school has recruited to make himself famous. Another part of the story is the slow relationship building up between Ko and Aoba. Aoba has spent a long time trying to figure out what her sister saw in Ko to make her love him so much. It should be noted that Aoba absolutely loves baseball, and Ko holds her in very high regard when it comes to knowledge and ability.
The animation on the show is well done, and the characters are fun and interesting. Some of the more minor characters are a little flat or cliche, but that's to be expected. The show is at its best when it's not focusing on baseball, but when it focuses on the lives of the characters and how the interact with each other off the field.
If you've seen Code Geass, you could say that Ko is to baseball as Suzaku is to Knightmare combat (and ass-kicking in general).
Needless to say, Ko is a god among baseball players. From a suspension of disbelief standpoint, his feats are rather ridiculous. However, it's nice to have a truly badass protagonist from time to time.
Cross Game is definitely one of the better shows aired last season in Japan (though it's still ongoing).
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