Category: Anime

ADV, Amish Otaku, Anime, Gonzo

Red Garden: Gantz Dresses Down

 
 

Powerful women, or women in power, have long been a taboo fetish in mildly repressive societies—particularly societies where women are traditionally viewed as meek or timid. Considering the Yamato Nadesico (the ideal Japanese woman) fits this description to a T, it shouldn’t be a surprise that anime starring or revolving around girls who, implicitly or explicitly, challenge gender norms are so popular.

Such anime, however, generally falls into one of two categories: the service-driven, and the story-driven. Although both challenge gendered constructions of power, the service-driven show gives the impression that the main reason for female preeminence is to provide plenty of opportunity for fanservice. The story-driven shows tend not to challenge the gender power structure as much, but also create more believable circumstances for an inversion of gender norms (without turning their female cast into purely sexual objects). Continue reading “Red Garden: Gantz Dresses Down”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, Geneon

Paradise Kiss: A Look into the World of Fashion

 
 

Paradise Kiss is one of the many examples of the quick turnaround time between the original Japanese airing of an anime and its US release, which has become common for the anime industry of late. Originally airing in October 2005, Paradise Kiss—or ParaKiss, as it is frequently shortened to—is a comedic look at the fashion industry in Japan from the perspective of four fashion school students who form the label from which this anime takes its name.

None of those students are the point-of-view character for the show, however, with that part being taken by Yukari Hayasaka, a student from a high-ranking high school, who is preparing for her college exams. Yukari, who is very beautiful yet very unfriendly, is approached by the members of ParaKiss, who want to use her as the model for the clothing they design. While ambivalent at first, Yukari is drawn into the lives of those four designers, which are much different than her own. Continue reading “Paradise Kiss: A Look into the World of Fashion”

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Amish Otaku, Anime

Bartender:. . . Take a Shot!

 
 

So the premise sounds like somebody got tired of all those “anime-watching drinking games” that people came up with, and decided to make a show that’s actually designed to work with them.

Or a liquor company funded the project.

Or both.

Presented in a series of vignettes, Bartender follows the various people who end up coming to a very esoteric bar in an urban district of Japan famous for its clubs and bars. It’s hidden away in a dark alley and has only a single proprietor/bartender. Continue reading “Bartender:. . . Take a Shot!”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, Features, Villain's Exposition

Villian’s Exposition: Blue Seed and Arjuna

Does anybody still remember the huge environmentalist craze of the late ’80s and early ’90s? The 50 Simple Things books? Captain Planet? Ahh, those were the days, weren’t they, when all we needed to do to make the world a better place was to use canvas bags at the supermarket, cut the plastic rings from our 6-packs and sort your recycling properly.

Now, of course, there are such matters as more fuel-efficient cars, realistic solar power plans and all sorts of other issues designed to combat climate change on a grand scale. Continue reading “Villian’s Exposition: Blue Seed and Arjuna”

Andrew Yager
ADV, Amish Otaku, Anime

Utawarerumono: Wait, Excuse Me, He’s Not the Father . . .

 
 

Just in case you’re wondering, it’s Ooh-tah-wah-ray-roo-mo-no. Utawarerumono. Like many of the words in this show, it’s something you’ll have to learn a bit about via outside sources, thanks in no small part to our friends at ADV films.

But I get ahead of myself. For those of you who watched this show on fansub, you’ll know that it has an interesting plot that develops gradually, with characters ranging from unique to tediously archetypical. It’s got attractive, if at times generic, art and the character designs are actually fairly interesting.
For those of you who didn’t… Well, the art is the same, at least. The plot is largely unchanged as well. However, the ADV subtitlers have (in the first volume) managed to severely damage any credibility they may have built up over the years (or at least, this subtitling team has). Continue reading “Utawarerumono: Wait, Excuse Me, He’s Not the Father . . .”

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ADV, Amish Otaku, Anime

Le Chevalier D’Eon: Extravagant and Overrated

 
 

I was given the chance to watch the first episode of Le Chevalier D’Eon before its US release. A 24-episode series based on Tow Ubukata’s historical fantasy novel of the same title, D’Eon was produced by Production I.G., licensed by ADV Films, and previously serialized as a manga.

Unfortunately, unless you like Louis XV, Versailles, and France in general, D’Eon seems bound to disappoint. Aside from the Japanese fascination with all things French (which is inexplicable to me), the first episode has too much voice-over and too little everything else. The title character, D’Eon, is a French noble who joins the king’s secret police after his sister is killed. Her body was filled with mercury so that it wouldn’t decompose, which forced the (Catholic) Church to deny her a proper burial—which, in turn, forced her spirit to wander and periodically overtake D’Eon’s body for her own vengeance. If you don’t understand all that, it’s all right—I don’t really get it either. Continue reading “Le Chevalier D’Eon: Extravagant and Overrated”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, Geneon

Fate/Stay Night: Another Way to Look at Things

It’s a story you’ve seen countless times before: Five powerful individuals are called together to battle for a magical object that will grant them incredible power. With such a “creative” plot, and promises of action, magic and a forgettable protagonist, the overall prognosis for Fate/Stay Night would seem rather dim.

And, to be fair, if you absolutely detest fighting anime, it will probably remain so. If there’s more than one episode that doesn’t include at least one fairly major battle between two or more of the magicians and their “servants” (summoned spirits that take the form of heroes and villains from various mythologie), I can’t recall it. Continue reading “Fate/Stay Night: Another Way to Look at Things”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, Bandai

Code Geass: Rue Britannia

 
 

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Revolution is the first series in quite a while that has left me at the edge of my seat after every episode. Indeed, it’s gotten to the point where I eagerly await every new installment, and curse the fact that the show only airs once a week in Japan.

But let’s start at the beginning. The Empire of Britannia, a nation dominated by a social Darwinist philosophy—complete with an aristocracy and imperial family—has conquered a third of the world, stripping fallen nations of their identities and replacing them with district numbers. The most recent addition to the empire is Sector 11, formerly known as Japan. Continue reading “Code Geass: Rue Britannia”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, FUNimation, Gonzo

Basilisk: To My Beloved: Please Die

 
 

This anime is so hot it can’t be shown on standard cable. Based on the 1958 novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yumada, Basilisk is the latest from Studio Gonzo and it shines like little else before it.

The action in Basilisk is reminiscent of Ninja Scroll, but the story is unlike anything else out there. Gennosuke is next in line for leadership of the Kouga ninja clan. Oboro is next in line for the Iga ninja. The two clans are the bitterest of enemies—with a feud going back over 400 years—yet Gennosuke and Oboro are all but betrothed. Peace is about to come to the long-feuding clans. Continue reading “Basilisk: To My Beloved: Please Die”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, FUNimation

Afro Samurai: The Hunt for Number One

 
 

The hottest anime on American TV right now is undoubtedly Afro Samurai. The entire show is based on an action figure seen by Eric Calderon and created by Takashi Okazaki. Though the story of Afro Samurai spans just his life, Okazaki’s original idea spanned a timeline of 1,000 years!

As a boy Afro watched his father killed by Justice, voiced by Ron Perlman, for the right to be called the number one fighter in the world. Left with only his father’s severed head, young Afro is left in the wilderness. He is eventually taken in by a sword-master, where he learns the way of the samurai. Continue reading “Afro Samurai: The Hunt for Number One”

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