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.