Excuses, Excuses!

I have many gaming and anime obligations, so I'm just going to be writing on this blog on a casual basis now. I'm also naturally lazy. Of course, no-one reads it, so that doesn't matter. Maybe that means I'm talking to myself...

Enough of that nonsense! I'm currently getting a rather nice anime collection now. I've recently been collecting School Rumble and Full Metal Panic The Second Raid. My current DVD collection consists of:

Akira
Ninja Scroll
Studio Ghibli Archive
Howl's Moving Castle
Princess Mononoke
Please Teacher
Cowboy Bebop
Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (vol 1-2)
Chobits
Elfen Lied
School Rumble (vol 1-4)
Hellsing (vol 1-2)
Animatrix
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1st Gig
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig
Berserk (vol 1)
Escaflowne (boxset 1/2)

It still pales in comparison to some people's collections.

The Struggle with Standpoints

Maybe it's wrong of me to pigeon hole people, but it seems that there are various groups of anime fans that have been developed in the anime community that I have only come to notice over the past few months. Some are pretty obvious. The Otaku's and Lolicons are the most vocal anime fans, and as such, have the most notorious reputation due to their quest for finding entertainment from anything that has something to do with one of their favourite shows. I have been in an environment like that before, and I still keep in contact with a select few, even though I can't stand the majority of them. You then have Old-Schoolers and Elitests. These lot also have a reputation for being rather vocal. However, they are kind of like an "Anti Moe" group, so you can tell why they don't get on with Lolicons and such. You then have the newbs and gamers. Ok, not all gamers have crap taste, but most gamers I know certainly do.

Now, you may be wondering I bothered with such a short and generalising view of the anime community. Well, I just want to know is, where do I stand?

Every week it seems like I'm fitting into one of these catergories, then changing to another. For example, during the last anime season, I was keeping up with Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS and Zero no Tsukaima ~Futatsuki no Kishi~. At some point during that time, I was watching old stuff like Devilman Lady. Not only that, but my views change. I could be enjoying an anime and still try to purposely poke holes in it or find criticism.

I know I should be fair, but am I trying too hard to be free from bias?

Playing With My Wii for a Wii Bit

I got Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, today. My first impressions are good. MP3 is pretty good. It's what I expected from a Metroid Prime game. Super Mario Galaxy is astounding. I cannot believe how good it is. Seriously. It's like I'm playing Super Mario 64 all over again.

I'll give a more in depth view of each when I've played a significant amount of both.

So Far

Time for a brief round up. Apologies for the lack of grammar. I just want to get my initial thoughts out of the way since I've finished all my spring/summer anime (apart from Hayate no Gotoku) and want to give them some thought.

CLANNAD - Seems ok so far. Nothing amazing or bad. Just seems like a Kanon clone really. Good comedy though.

Night Wizard - Watched one episode and got bored. Probably won't finish it. Terribly cliche.

D.C. II Da Capo II - Maybe it's just my high expectations after the first Da Capo, but this series hasn't come close to being as good as the first one. Again, kinda boring and cliche.

Shakugan no Shana Second - Still undecided. Seems to be on par with the previous season, which was ok by today's standards.

CLANNAD

Obligatory post due to long silence.
Warning: may contain internet humour and randomness.

Needs moar moe!

Ok, that's not true but it's been hella* funny. For comedy, it has risen above Kanon. The story seems to be slightly better too. However, I'm still undecided as to whether the characters are any better though.

*Note: No, I'm not American.**

** Note 2: I like Americans. Don't take it the wrong way.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Version

I've never actually played a Resident Evil game in my life, despite all they hype the series gets. I think it's due to the fact I've never been a fan of horror games. Seeing as Resident Evil games are generally survival horror games, I've had less reason to play them. Survival horror games, while having good action and such, never have much depth. Right, now on with the review.

I decided to go with the Wii version since I actually have only one other game for my Wii, and I wanted to see how the Wii would manage with a 3rd person shooter. As with other shooting games, movement is done by the use of the nunchuck, and everything else is done by the Wiimote. The plot is rather basic. In this game you are Leon from Resident Evil 2 and have been sent to a remote part of Spain to rescue the US President's daughter. Upon arriving at the village where it's suspected she's being held captive, Leon receives a rather rude welcoming in the form of villagers wanting to run him through with pitchforks, axes and scythes. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets. However, the real greatness lies in the atmosphere. There's just something about diseased looking villagers that's more creepy than zombies. I won't go any further into the plot because that would just create spoilers.

Most of the controls are pretty spot on. The motion sensory is put to good use through aiming, and it's handled well. There were a few odd moments where my cursor/aiming sight wouldn't move, but I think that was just the Wii having a bit of trouble keeping up with all the action that would be going on in one moment. What I didn't like was the high amount of "Wiimote waving". For some reason, developers like to put as many motion sensitive elements into Wii games as possible. With Resident Evil 4 it was used to run during cut-scenes and reload during gameplay. Um, ok? I still don't understand how that adds any extra fun. Who actually likes having to furiously move their arm in order to run? Surely it would have been better to move the Wiimote back and forth. That would actually simulate running decently. Flicking the Wiimote to reload was nothing more than a replacement for pressing a button. Having Leon limp and run slower when he was low on health was a nice touch, and it helped increase the difficulty of an otherwise easy game.

Despite how impressive the bosses looked, they were also quite easy. They weren't exactly a walk in the park, but I could defeat them after only a few tries. Graphically, the game is very nice to look at, but it really does a fantastic job with the boss fights. They are so freaking huge. I have to say that I loved the first boss. The way you have to fight is just so fun to do because it's so fresh. It actually felt like I was in a movie, which I guess is what the developers were going for with the entire game. Another great moment was when I was having to dodge the tail of a creature that tried to impale me from above and below me. While it wasn't a boss, it was definitely a highlight of the game for me.

If I was to give an honest opinion about Resident Evil 4, I'd say it was good. It definitely had some flaws that I hope get sorted out for Resident Evil 5, but those weren't enough to remove the fun from the game. I would recommend it for those who like the Resident Evil series or like 3rd person shooters.

CLANNAD and Shakugan no Shana Second: First Impressions

Finally my internet has decided to go at its regular speed so I've been able to finish downloading the first episodes of CLANNAD and Shakugan no Shana Second. I'll start off with Shakugan no Shana Second (which I'll abbreviate to SnS2 from now on), then CLANNAD.

To be honest, I was never that excited about a second season of SnS. The first season was rather boring. I felt lacked any creativity. You could say it was an anime of cliches. Anyway, this episode revolves around a dream that Yuji is having where all the events are things that have happened in his past. For quite some time he doesn't realise he's in a dream until he manages to figure out how to break the spell that's been cast upon him. When he wakes up, we find that he's in the middle of a battle with Shana against a Tomogara. I could go on about how embarassed Shana gets when Yuji asks what Shana what she said at the end of the last episode of the first season. Obviously, she said "I love you", but since Yuji is an idiot, he believes her when she tells him that she said that she had gained more respect for him. I just find it cute when tsunderes get embarassed like that and I don't really care about the guy. Basically, it looks like it'll be more of the same.

CLANNAD, however, had a good first episode. As expected, the animation and music were top notch. However just like Kanon, KyoAni are only finding their feet at the start, so the animation will improve as the series progresses. Okizaki and Nagisa meet on the way to school and meet up at various points in the episode. Okizaki seems to be a kind but cool loner, and Nagisa seems to be a quirky and mysterious girl. Sound familiar? Sure does to me. However, I'm sure I'll get a better idea of their personalities as time goes on. This episode seemed to be rather comical at points, and it's probably the hardest I've laughed in a while. While Kanon and Air benefited from a good main cast, I think CLANNAD will heavily rely on its support cast because they seemed to steal the limelight. Nagisa's parents were the highlight of the episode. At the end they slip in just a hint of tragedy just to round things off by showing Okizaki's father waking up from a drunken stupor. Even though Okizaki narrates that his father is an alcoholic, we can tell just by looking. At the very end we see Nagisa invite Okizaki somewhere, while being surrounded by a mysterious light. All in all, a good episode. Not quite up to the same standard as Kanon and Air, but I'm sure it'll still turn out great.

Aaaannnnnnd...They're Off!

The Autumn 2007 anime season has started. Typically, I can't watch the first fansubs yet because of work. Now I have another reason to hate my job. Anyway, if you happen to see anything I didn't mention in the last post, I'd be grateful if you could recommend me stuff, or tell me your thoughts on the stuff I did mention.

It looks like Static Subs have got some of the biggest ones. They're currently halfway through Hayate no Gotoku and have started Shakugan no Shana Second. Seems they'll be the "go to" fansub group for quite some time.

Autumn 2007

Autumn 2007 Anime list

So there you have it. Every T.V show, OVA and movie that's going to start airing/be released during autumn. There's not much to say about it since nothing there has been fansubbed yet. I'm sure in a few days time there will be a huge flood of fansubs though. Anyway, hopefully I'm going to watch:

Code Geass 2
Da Capo II
Prism Ark
Night Wizard
Haruhi Suzumiya 2
Shakugan no Shana: Second
CLANNAD

As you may have heard, Geneon USA may be going into liquidation. People seem to be getting a bit too panicky. It's not as if it's official, and worst case scenario, other licensors will pick up the series they had already licensed, regardless of having started production and whatnot.

Anime Music Videos

If you're an anime fan, and you use the internet, chances are you've come across one or two anime music videos (a.k.a AMVs). Like anime and music, some are purely entertainment, whereas others are made to create emotion or stand as a piece of art. Again, just like anime, there are countless AMVs that lack creativity and flair, but there are some that are simply outstanding. I don't know much about the history of AMVs. However, due to the practically infinite number of songs in the world and the large number of anime that exist, I do know that AMVs still have a lot of potential.

When browsing the Anime Music Videos website, I usually have one thing in mind, and that's to find an AMV for anime I like. Usually, I'll also try to find a song to match it, or vice-versa. As you might have already guessed, Naruto and Dragonball Z have an astonishing number of AMVs. I try not to watch DBZ videos because they're almost always bad quality. Also, one of my favourite bands, Biffy Clyro, only have one song on the AMV.org database, and it's a very poor DBZ one. Naruto fairs a little better. I've actually found a couple of decent Naruto AMVs, but I've found Naruto works better with multiple anime AMVs, rather than just being used on its own.

Then you get some that are just breathtaking. Jihaku has always stood as my favourite AMV, and I think that's unlikely to change. It's a mulitple anime AMV that uses Best of You by the Foo Fighters. Since they are my favourite band, it had already captured my interest. Another interesting thing about Jihaku is that it goes for the same style as the original music video for the song, and actually does an even better job of using the chosen style. What it does is try to inspire the viewer and tell them that even if there's pain in the world, life can still be beautiful. For me, it's quite poetic.

The AMV Hell series is probably the most popular multi anime AMV series to date. It has a rather huge reputation at AMV showings during anime conventions. I won't go into much detail because you'll probably already know how they work and such, but I will tell you this, if you value your sanity, don't watch AMV Hell 0.

Burning Up Devilman's Martian Successor Nadesico and a Rune Soldier

This Sunday I had the pleasure of watching four different anime that I probably would never have encountered if it weren't for my friend Hybridial. I met him for the first time on Sunday and we decided to go to his friend's flat and watch some anime. First of all, we watched the first volume of Burn Up Excess. Basically, it's about a group of people (mostly female of course) that are hired to act as a crime fighting/investigation team. So far it's been rather amusing. It made me giggle every so often. I'll probably pick it up at a later date.

After that we watched a Devilman OVA. It was essentially the same as Devilman Lady, except it was older, so you can imagine how aged it seems. Despite being rather gory, it made for some decent entertainment. It's not the kind of thing that I'll buy though. I may watch it again when I visit Hybridial another time.

Martian Successor Nadesico, volume 1, proved to be the highlight of the day. What I give it credit for is not the comedy (which is pretty good in its own right), but its ability to parody other mecha anime before they even aired. The most noticable parodies were of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Van Dread. From NGE, we have a whiney and annoying hero whose only useful attribute is being able to pilot his mecha well. From Van Dread, we have a girl who is constantly clinging to and , unintentionally, annoying the hell out of the hero. All I have to say is that if a hot girl started clinging to me, I sure as hell wouldn't tell her to get lost and constantly shout at her.

Lastly we moved onto Rune Soldier. It was pretty decent from what I saw. The comedy was pretty good, as expected, but something about the characters seems so typical, so I'll probably pick it up at a later date too.

Recycled Ideas

They annoy the hell out of me. I tried to suffer sola, but I couldn't handle the lameness, so I stopped at episode 10. Seriously, why are people falling for this crap again and again? When I was watching it, I felt like I was watching something I had already seen. It boggles my mind has to how people don't get sick of seeing the same thing. A dumb, spineless, kind and uninteresting guy and a quirky, intelligent, outspoken and beautiful girl, always, without fail, are the lead characters. They go through various events where the guy realises he has no qualities but the girl keeps on telling him he's kind. In the end, the guy uses a special power/makes a big decision that helps him along in his relationship with the girl. They fall in love and live happily ever after. Whoop-dee-doo!

Come on! At least give it a tragic spin at the end or give the series something that's more than a gimmick, but an actually useful plot element.

Moé strikes again!

A List? The List!

So I thought I'd give you a little insight into what kind of anime I like. When I look at the list, it seems I tend to lean towards comedy and/or action. I thought I would do a "Top 10", but that's kind of redundant and just limits my choices and makes the whole process take longer. It's in no particular order. Actually, it's almost in order. You'd think that the earlier ones that pop up in my head would be memorable for me, and thus, more loved?

Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid
Chobits
Please Teacher
Da Capo
Escaflowne
Trigun
Devilman Lady
School Rumble
School Rumble: Second Term
Cowboy Bebop
Air
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Berserk
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Kanon (2006)

Bear in mind, while most of these are genuinely good, some are, ahem, aimed at fans of Moé, such as myself. However, I won't go into the whole Moé thing. Hybridial, if you're reading this, sorry about putting Haruhi in. You'll know why I did put it in.

Forbidden Planet: A Rare Refuge

Yesterday I took a trip up to Edinburgh. There were a few things that I had in mind for what I wanted to do. Get some clothes, a pair of shoes, and maybe watch some street performers on The Royal Mile (it is The Fringe right now after all). However, my main goal was Forbidden Planet.

It's one of the few shops I feel comfortable in. Here I can browse the anime DVD collection and not feel like a nerd/otaku. I can just stand there for ages debating whether I should buy something and not feel guilty about taking up the shop's much needed space. Heck, I was really tempted to buy a Tsubasa Chronicle wall scroll that was hanging next to the t-shirts (which mainly consisted of Dragonball Z and Transformers) just because I could. Sometimes I go in just to browse. Actually, I usually just browse.

That's one of the problems I have with the Edinburgh branch. It's small. I may make it sound like the anime collection is huge, but there's always random volumes missing of anime that I have a slight interest in. There are some excellent anime not even present. My most wanted series was Escaflowne, but I was rather disappointed to find they didn't even have any volumes whatsoever. The manga collection fares a bit better, since there is more choice. However, who would want to pay £6.99 for something you can get for less than £2.00 on Amazon? Certainly not me. Also, manga in shops tend to be slightly dirtied and whatnot due to countless people skimming through them and putting them back on the shelf instead of buying them.

Despite the lack of choice, I still feel happy going there. I could go to Virgin and HMV for my anime, but why limit my choices even further? For me, until something better comes along, Forbidden Planet will always be my shop of choice for anything.

Chobits

Concept

Hideki Motosuwa is heading to Tokyo to study at a prep school so that he can get into university. He's a bit out of touch with most technology due to his time spent working on his parents' farm. Upon arriving, he finds that many people have their own Persocoms. The Persocoms are computers that have the appearance of humans and are designed to follow the owner around or provide assistance with tasks. They are so human-like that the only way to tell the difference is to look at the strangely shaped ears. Soon after finding his room, he goes out to run some errands. On his way back he comes upon the body of a girl that has been left on a pile of rubbish. He quickly realises it's just a Persocom, and (with difficulty) carries her back to his room. After a while, he figures out how to switch her on, but when she boots up, her bandages fall off and she's naked. On top of that she can only say one word, "Chii".

Main Characters
Hideki Motosuwa
Hideki is so inept when it comes to technology. His knowledge extends to using a T.V and telephone, and that's about it. Because of this, he runs into all sorts of problems when he tries to look after and teach Chii. However, he has a very honest personality and he always strives to do the right thing. This leads to some very awkward and embarassing moments for him because he is so focused on not wanting to look like a pervert, he ends up making things look worse. His willingness to help others is the aspect of his character that's given the greatest focus, and it's what helps mend broken relationships between other characters. He is, by far, the best male lead I've ever seen.

Chii
Chii is the source of a lot of Hideki's happiness. Even though she can't speak well at first, she begins to speak properly after Hideki teaches her. She also begins to carry out tasks by herself, much to Hideki's amazement. Despite her lack of common sense, she always tries her best to please Hideki and likes to keep a positive outlook and is always there for Hideki during his times of need. The attachment she has to Hideki is rather cute, but after a while, it becomes apparent it's more than just her being attached.

Opinion
Plot
Most of the series focuses around the trials Hideki goes through because of Chii and how he interacts with other people. The moments of interaction are quite a breath of fresh air because it really does seem like the characters are being natural. Watching Hideki pull through is such a great joy to watch. Despite his weirdness, you really do feel for him. The topic of non-human beings (Persocoms) having free will and emotion comes up on a regular basis and is very thought provoking. I still try to grasp the concept but I still haven't figured out how something like this is possible. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of the Persocoms having free will (Chobits) aspect, but the series leans towards how humans react to having something convenient like a Persocom to have a relationship/obsession with which is still a perfectly good thing to have a think about.

Audio
The cast is just great. Sugita Tomokazu, Seki Tomokazu, Rie Tanaka, Kikuko Inoue, to name a few, all provide a stellar performance. They all sound really relaxed and everyone is perfectly suited to their role. Special mention goes to Sugita Tomokazu. His performance as Hideki is nigh on perfect. Any emotion he uses (anger, surprise, depression, happiness,etc) is expressed brilliantly. His voice is just so soothing to hear. Rie Tanaka also puts on a great performance as Chii. Her voice is just so cute that you can't help but smile all the time when hearing it.

The soundtrack is awesome. In fact, it's so good, it's the only anime soundtrack I own. There's a lot of jazz, and some pop as well. Both styles really add to the atmosphere of each scene, and do a good job of emphasising the emotions being conveyed. The opening theme song (Let Me Be With You by Round Table) is a rather cute pop track that uses a lot of percussion, bass and keyboard. It's a great way to start each episode off, and it gives some insight into how Hideki and Chii feel about each other. The first ending theme song (Raison D'etre by Rie Tanaka) is pleasant to listen to and shows the light-hearted side of Chobits. However, at the turning point, a new song kicks in. Ningyo Hime is another song sung by Rie Tanaka. It's quite a haunting and melancholic pop track that really feels like it's pulling on your heart strings.

Animation
There has never been an anime like it. People never would have thought this was a Madhouse animation. While a decent animation studio, they aren't amazing. However, the quality of the animation in Chobits is mind blowing. Of course the art style owes a lot to the manga, but there are some elements that aren't even present in the manga. The colours are pretty to look at and nothing feels jagged or sharp; just smooth. One example of its unique style is the eyes. Every character doesn't have pupils, but the iris takes up most of the eye. However, the iris goes from light to dark, instead of being one tone of colour. It's the little things like this that set it apart.

Final Thought
It provides something for everyone. I was looking just for romance and comedy in this when I first started watching. Along the way, not only did I enjoy those primary elements, I also picked up on the character interaction, the importance of a soundtrack, how anime doesn't always follow one animation style, you can still have interesting points made about today's technology and technology of the future. Oh, and Chii the most adorable character ever. She might be even prettier than Kaname and Tessa from Full Metal Panic! I never thought I'd see that. Chobits is something you must watch, no matter what you are interested in. Go watch it right now.

Full Metal Panic!

Concept

Kaname Chidori was born with a strange ability. This ability has enabled her to solve complex mathematics and science problems. She has went her whole life being able to do this and she is not sure why. In fact, she doesn't even seem to question it and seems oblivious to it being abnormal. Unbeknownst to her, a trio of soldiers from Mithril have been assigned to protect her from terrorists that want to gain her knowledge and abilities, and use them for their own plans. One of the Mithril soldiers has been assigned to protect her as a bodyguard. That soldier is Sousuke Sagara. The problem? She is not to be told that she is being watched and protected. This proves to be rather difficult because Sousuke is a professional soldier, but is still expected to act like a normal high school student.

Main Characters
Sousuke Sagara
Sousuke is probably the show's main protaginist and deservedly so. He is a professional soldier that has yet to be matched when it comes to his ability to operate his AS (Arm Slave) and he has excellent abilities in every other area of combat. When protecting Kaname, he always ends up drawing attention to himself due to his inability to adapt to life as a Japanese high school student and this makes life really hard for Kaname. Despite a lack of common sense, he has a great sense of what his duty is and always has a polite and calm manner. He is definitely the best character.

Kaname Chidori
Kaname has a fiery and somewhat outspoken personality. She is constantly telling Sousuke to stop being reckless and never gets a moments peace. As the student council vice president, class representative and prettiest girl in Jindai High, she gets a lot of attention, and this just heightens Sousuke's paranoia. However, with the knowledge she has, it's no wonder Sousuke is paranoid. She does have a soft side to her too, and this is what enables her to form a close friendship with Sousuke. This relationship continually grows throughout the serious, and it's the best relationship that you can find in any anime.

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa
Mithril's submarine Tuatha de Danaan is run by its captain, Tessa. She rose to her position very quickly, and people find it hard to believe she is the captain, despite only being sixteen years old. However, she is very intelligent and can cope with very high pressure situations and is always able to make the right call. When she forms a friendship with both Sousuke and Kaname, she becomes Kaname's rival.

Opinion
Plot
The bulk of the series is focused on Sousuke's constant battles with a terrorist named Gauron. This is usually done with them facing off with their AS's. However, there are some filler episodes that are designed to give us a break and add a bit more comedy to the mix. Some people feel it was a bit too fragmented this way, but I prefer this way. It's good to get a break because we can't be expected to pay attention for a whole 26 episode season or remember every little detail if there aren't regular breaks. There are some great moments when it comes to action, comedy, drama and romance. Sousuke and Kaname's relationship has always been my favourite relationship.

Audio
The seiyus do a fantastic job. Seki Tomokazu is on equal with Sugita Tomokazu as my favourite seiyu. I feel he has a talent for being able to alter his voice for whatever the situation calls for. Yukino Satsuki does a great job with Kaname and she has the perfect voice to fit Kaname's personality. Its soundtrack is worthy of mentioning. The background music fits and serves its purpose well. In fact, it's actually good to listen to on its own. The opening and closing theme songs are performed by Mikuni Shimokawa, and they're near the top of my list of favourite songs. They are both just so great to hear.

Animation
At the time, the animation was pretty damn good. Some people say Gonzo messed it up but I really don't have a problem with it. Yes, it may not be as good as later seasons of Full Metal Panic!, but I still stand by it and proudly say it still a lot better than most anime. Everything has incredible detail. If you want to see what I mean, look at the jet engines the ASs use when they take off. Also, Kaname and Tessa are officially the prettiest anime girls, ever.

Final Thought
There's not much to say because everything about it is just so great. The story, relationships, comedy, romance, action, soundtrack, voice acting and character development are just marvellous. All you need to do is watch it. Trust me, it will blow you away.