The life of the anime fan is a strange one.

While many times I’ve advocated being proud of one’s fandom and not hiding your otaku secret from the public like it’s a badge of shame (unless, of course, you are a cute Mamiko Noto-voiced girl in an average-ish romance show), the way in which one goes around doing brings a little more into question.

There is a difference between being proud and being pompous, for one, as sporting a shirt that shouts in large, gangster-shirt font, “NAGATO IS MAI WAIFU” might be a bit too much. Likewise is a shirt that pictures your favorite anime girl in your favorite state of undress; and as much as you think The Anime Is For Porn Hentai, I personally don’t like embracing such traits.

Therefore, like the suave agent I am, I prefer the slightly undercover, low-key apparel that quite often, is lacking in official merchandise. And like the cheap person I also am, I found iron-on T-shirts to be a nice way to create my own niche and style for anime-flavored clothing.

I’ve also found T-shirts tend to go well with short-sleeve dress shirts, for the impression you care at least a little about your appearance.

Now unfortunately the deep analytical discussion about otaku nature and whether we should be repressing ourselves or not, is for another time (although I feel I’ve probably covered it at least once already), so let’s move on to the objects of attention for today:

Eight T-shirts, produced at one time or another between Fanime ‘08 and now, each with its own level of stealthiness, humor, and, as you might tell, usability. Some of them were made with the intent of showing off my fanboyism of Series X, others because it sounded cool, and others because I couldn’t resist the idea.

Unsurprisingly the last category is the one I’ve been less than enthusiastic in wearing; the Clannad shirt is one born from the “heh heh, it’s like Dr. Seuss” concept, but then again, I don’t see people wearing Dr. Seuss shirts around. Maybe for a convention.

Also in this column is the second shirt on the top row, which, if you don’t get, I advise you to look closer. It’s a great idea, and frankly one that cracks me up … but the problem is that eventually I will have to explain it. And since I am not WAH (warning: vaguely NSFW) and thus little kids are not my forte, this one backs up the closet.

The ef shirt doesn’t get used much either, perhaps because it’s not cool enough to have massive referential value, or any point. Just a little image of a girl. I wondered if it looked too much like it said ‘I am depressed.’

The rest however, get good use, and I will leave the explaining to your own minds. Also, TheBigN, you can punch me in the face now.

-CCY

Who knows what it is. The manic gameplay that shoots adrenaline through your veins as quickly as the characters shoots bullets, the immense music scene from its hard-rock remixes to the drug-like addictive flash songs and everywhere in between, or just the sheer size and limitless bounds of the fandom … perhaps I’ll never know a reason until I fall out of Touhou.

But until then, in my typical analytical style, I can’t take it lying down. I’m very bad at admitting I simply like things because I do, and so it’s time to dig up the roots of, at least, my Touhou fandom and shine some light on some of the intriguing, curious, or just plain weird ends of the Touhou universe.

There’s a method to every madness, and it’s time to find mine, in this mini-series of mini-posts. And target number one …

Yukkuri are one of the strange outliers of a strange fandom, being almost intentionally ugly and deformed representations of the Touhou characters. Their name spawned from the original Japanese phrase “Yukkuri shiteitte ne!”, translated as “Take it easy!”, the catchphrase of these beings. A simple bodyless head with a simple personality, they spout equally uncomplicated phrases that directly reflect their moods, revealing a sort of childish, helpless mentality.

It’s a tribute to the massiveness of the Touhou fanon (fan-canon) that the page at the Touhou wiki for Yukkuri extends on to the length of a research paper, with extensive detail on how each Yukkuri-representation of a character has its own unique quirks, not to mention describing in detail how a Yukkuri lives, acts, and yes, reproduces.

It almost reminds me of the Churuya fad in how the fandom sort of evolves in on itself, spouting branch after branch of meme-worthy material that continues to astound a simple mind such as mind.

Perhaps this is least such because, as much as I try to look away and go “this is dumb, and ugly, and dumb”, I find myself increasingly attracted to these fluffy piles of randomness, to the point which I’ve combed Danbooru time and time again for more images and comics to view.

Suddenly I found myself at what felt to be the bottom of the situation, and felt myself to suddenly understand a lot more what the crusaders against moe were arguing against – oddly enough, despite their looks, Yukkuri are practically pure moe producing machines.

Or, perhaps, their looks are an extension of their purpose, to give a sort of retarded look to a mentally retarded being. Yukkuri, from what I’ve figured, aren’t the type to survive on their own, and are typically seen clinging on to more realistic portrayals of the Touhou characters in doujinshi.

Likewise, they are on the most part extremely naive (described as ‘able to forget anything in a matter of hours’) and simple-minded, saying what they think straightforwardly, as amusingly false as it may be. (As in, when one covers their eyes, they shout “it’s nighttime!”). Somehow it feels analogous to having a kid with Down’s Syndrome.

And oddly enough this sort of this is actually quite attracting in a way, to the point that I really feel this more than anything fulfills not only the standard definition of moe but also the fears of the moe-averse.

It’s not quite a parent’s love as you never really get to see the Yukkuri grow. They stay dumb and smiling, being adorable with their foolish actions (although maybe not with their appearances), and they never really do mature.

Rather, the standard idea of moe as ‘the urge to protect’ applies completely here. You see what you imagine as ‘these poor things’ and you can’t help but feel a bit for them inside (at least, speaking from the perspective of the Touhou characters in the doujinshi), especially when you are showered with that form of mentally challenged affection.

And likewise, these Yukkuri symbolize everything that is wrong with moe at its worst, in that they really are somewhat respectable characters (although the issue with Touhou being by and large a blank slate) reduced to a singular point which shows little to none of their actual personality, to speak none of the faulty framework of a Yukkuri, which seems more similar to an animal than a human (or is that the point?).

Perhaps this too is why they are so attractive, since they are meme-worthy and easily remembered that they stick in your head like a random guitar lick.

Who knows. Whether I should feel guilt for liking such a silly thing is up for judgment. It all depends on in what frame you view the Yukkuri. Are they an experiment gone wrong? Loving pets? An instance of the hyperextension of a fandom?

Perhaps, the Touhou universe is one of those forces too giant to be explained, inside or outside of canon. If I continue getting sucked into this vortex of fanwork, I just might find out. Until then…take it easy, eh?

-CCY
(Went through two other post drafts before deciding on finishing this article. Yeah, I have nothing else to say here.)

Apologies for a quick entry, but that just means I’ll have to leave the discussion open-ended instead of just babbling on forever. We’ll see if this incites more comment.

But, anyway, if I do manage to get this post finished in the next half-hour, it will have been roughly one year since the airing of the first episode of School Days, the infamous harem (some say anti-harem) show that was groundbreaking or shocking in so many ways. Truly it is one of the most unique shows the anime world will see – maybe not in concept, but in execution, you just have to wonder what kind of ideas were running through the producer’s heads, for better or worse.

I thought it would make an interesting topic to look back from much further down the proverbial river (hey, you make the boat jokes, not me) back at School Days, and see if it’s still everything it was cracked up to be.

When School Days first aired, it was the talk of the otakusphere. People would simply not shut up about it, myself included.

It was what seemed to be a simple show, but one that incited discussion, or at the least, rabid screaming. It’s been a long time since the harem genre has had a hero they can truly hate; truly, there have been a lot of ambivalent, meh-inducing, or just plain forgettable guys out there, but very few have had the guts to be as brashly promiscuous and two-timing as our dear Makoto Itou.

All this was rather odd to a fanbase which is used to much happier and much purer harem shows, and so there was a base-level talk of just how much Makoto (and, later, Taisuke and company) needed to die in a fire.

However, it wasn’t just that which was the source of all the chatter; School Days has had a long legacy, dating back to its visual novel roots, which were even more explicit and even more bloody. It was rather infamous for its endings, and so a lot of its veterans looked for clues in the anime version of School Days, seeing whether the train was headed for the cliff.

Perhaps the fact that School Days was a lot easier to talk about than any other show was simply due to how it incited anger and emotion in a viewer like no other show, and as we all know, the first thing to do when you’re angry is to rush to your computer and tell everyone all about it.

Although, equally, the trainwreck drama of the show may have left an equal amount of people spellbound and speculating.

We may never know – School Days was really a perfect storm of an anime. Not only did it steal the show during its airing, but some grim real-life circumstances in Japan caused the delay of its final episode, and the birth of perhaps the most lasting legacy of School Days, the ‘Nice Boat’ meme. Really, one could not have asked for a more controversial show, both inside and outside the canon.

But as fiery as it got us, as emotional as we got (for better or worse), the true test of worthiness for an anime is that of time. Would it still invoke the fiery rage in us in the second and third viewings, where we knew what would happen? Or would the feelings we felt toward the show fade, cooling over time?

Sadly I have not been able to find out quite yet. I’ve only seen School Days once, and somehow I feel that a lot of people would only be able to stomach it once. But I have a few conjectures to make.

School Days is very much a shock value anime. A lot of holes are left open, a lot of threads untied, in order to greaten the raw impact on a viewer – a strategy all not too uncommon in the dramatic-visual-novel anime, but optimized here in School Days, with twists and stakes much higher.

But the thing about shock value is that, it doesn’t last all that long. It’s kind of like the each generic massacre that sweeps the media in America. Everyone’s shocked, crying buckets, asking “how could this happen”, and bonding together. But before you know it, in a manner of weeks, we’re back to laughing at dancing dogs on the news and forgetting that that ever happened.

School Days is much the same. It’s shocking, yes. Sad, maybe. Spellbinding, for sure. But it’s not all that personal, for a lot of people. Maybe some readers have gone to schools where people get stabbed over romantic disputes. Hell, I wouldn’t dispute that a lot of guys in real-life do sleep around (although I’ve never had the experience with that crowd).

But for a large amount of viewers (especially considering the anime viewership), School Days is just shocking because it’s different from your standard escapist fare.

But as long as there is your general moe-moe anime material, School Days will be swept under the rug. The ‘Nice Boat’ meme along with time has helped to distill it down to a sort of superconcentrated point. Like most anime, it’s abstracted to a short message, or memory, but nothing sharp.

It’s also the fault of its story-weaving as well… it’s not really that intricate. “Cheat on your girlfriend and die.” Perhaps a bit exaggerated, but not all that complicated. School Days is lacking in complex motives, and, as IKnight remarked a while back, it’s not really a tragedy.

The most memorable shows are the ones that makes you think, which is why tour de forces such as ef ~ a tale of memories or Five Centimeters per Second, and their stories of gray areas, are so widely acclaimed (not just by the majority but by myself as well). They challenge your views at times, they don’t give you what you expect all the time, but they do this without throwing the drama (and thus, believability) balance all out of whack.

School Days certainly leaves you guessing, but it doesn’t leave a lot to apply to oneself. Perhaps your mileage may vary, but I really think that while it’s a noteworthy anime, it’s not a memorable one. Like I said in my original review of it, watch it once – but only once.

It’s an anime that everyone should see just for how different and how unbelievable it is, but evolution-wise it’s a dead end. There’s no sense to the bad end, to the raw hatred induced by all the main characters, and the only reason School Days got away with it was because people, to a degree, expected it. It’s a twisted form of fanservice.

It’s not an anime I would really reccomend to anybody looking into anime. It’s not a ‘classic’ like that. Really, School Days is an anime reserved for either those in the darkest state of mind, or for those who fully know what they’re getting into. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone looking for just another happy visual-novel conversion.

Rather, School Days is something that will go down into the history books, but not as a great. Rather, it’s kind of like the six-wheeled Formula One car by Tyrrell – something noteworthy and, yes, innovative … but something that we’re not going to see more of, and for good reason.

Your thoughts on School Days, one year later?

-CCY

(Well, so much for that Nodame / Haibane / Kure-nai review. We’ll get to that.

Also, new record for post time: 30 minutes. When you have a deadline to hit…

Finally, pardon for the sudden NSFW image – didn’t notice until I had already uploaded. Oh well, I doubt people will complain.)

In the midst of the working world and of real life another Rapidfire post rises from the ashes to inject a thousand-odd words of anime ranting and raving into the bloodstream of a starved anime fan.

Well, in all honesty I hope you’ve been reading elsewhere too, so you shouldn’t be starving, but in any case, I’m just starting to go off on random tangents, having already written all the content out of my head (yes, the pre-jump section comes last here) and now desperately typing random, fourth-wall referential content in an attempt to fill space.

In case you’re interested in what’s on board for today, there’s a news section announcing a new Shuffle!-like substance for the PC, a short metarant involving ads and websites, and a good long analytical-type thing about Howl’s Moving Castle – one of the popular Miyazaki films – and the power of emotional connection versus logical appeal.

Well … uh … how about that Nagato?

Shuffle! Essence+
The Shuffle! anime has always been sort of a dirty pleasure for me. As fanservice-filled and as unabashedly harem as it is, I maintain the belief that Shuffle! has a legitimately intriguing and dramatic plot behind it all; and certainly, its colorful character designs are among the best around, with nearly every character appealing on either a visual or a emotional level (or both).

Still, when I attempted to transfer my affection for the show to the visual novel it was adapted from, I was a bit underwhelmed. Each character’s story, individually, was perhaps less interesting than the way it was all wound together in the anime, and the blatant fanservice became more apparent.

Then again, I was playing using an automatic translator, which had no regard for the actual content of the lines being translated, so maybe the game lost a lot of its feel.

One thing that can’t be denied though is the surprising vastness of the Shuffle! universe, with three separate visual novels – the original, Tick! Tack!, and Really? Really!. As amusingly named as they are, I can at least vouch to the fact that YURIA sings some wicked OP songs (Remember Memories remains one of my favorite songs in both sound and lyrics) and that Navel has come up with some novel gameplay mechanics.

And apparently the universe is about to get a bit bigger with Navel’s announcement of Shuffle! Essence+ (keeping their “what the hell kind of naming is this” crown intact), a reverse port of Shuffle! On the Stage (PS2) to the PC with some extra content added.

In addition to the Mayumi and Kareha paths from the PS2 game, two all-new paths of girls named Daisy and Ruri are to be added, in addition to new dialogue and H-scenes for the previously-sanitized Mayumi / Kareha routes. More info can be found at the Animesuki thread here (thanks to them for the news).

I can only be so enthusastic for Essence given the fact that I can’t read Japanese, but if this gives any hope to the legendary Mayumi path actually getting some form of translation, I’m all for it. Mayumi and Itsuki are a great duo and they need all the attention they can get. I’m less interested in the new characters, because I think Shuffle!’s hitting a sort of a saturation point a la the Sonic series where new characters are superfluous, but this might just be because the current Shuffle! core cast is so strong.

Selling out?
With all the bluntness of Haruhi Suzumiya, I’ve been considering trying to actually wring some sort of profit out of the writing I do.

I say this expecting not to be bathing in solid gold coins anytime soon, but instead perhaps just a modest paycheck which could fuel an additional DVD (or other related merchandise) purchase every few months or so. It’s one of those things that you wake up one day and wonder, “Well, I spend on average one hour a day blogging anyway, might as well get paid for it.”

(Incidentally, that figure is quoted from when I manage to hit my every-other-day post quota, since I spend usually about 2 hours on the writing process.)

Well, to be honest, there’s actually a few things holding me back from stuffing ads into every free space of my site in the fashion some people get violated in disturbing hentai.

First off is the titular issue of this mini-post; I suppose I’ve already let some of my “fame” get to my head if I begin thinking about my readers instead of just focusing on what I’m writing, but a legitimate concern for me is whether if I put ads on my site, will I have enough readers left to make those ads worth it.

Quite simply “selling out” is a phrase that’s thrown about pretty much at anything artistically-related, whether it be music, art, or here, writing. Whether it’s a valid complaint about people losing their way to the greed for money, or just the whining of people mad that others have made their passion their life more than they ever could, I don’t know.

I should hope to someday be so lucky as to ever be able to legitimately sell out, since I don’t exactly have such a readership to be able to do so, but I do still wish to ask before I attempt anything silly: would you be offended by seeing ads on M3? I’m guessing it’ll be the usual fare I’ve seen on other anime blogs: Google Ads, and possibly banners from places like J-List or Amazon. I’m hoping what I’ll hear is “as long as they are integrated properly,” which is something I think I can achieve.

Or on the flip side, for bloggers who do actually put ads on their own sites, does it work? I’m not expecting riches here, but I’m hoping to at least cover server costs if I do use ads.

I say server costs because of a policy here at Dasaku (and a sensible one) that no ads be placed on blogs, logically given that Randall is wonderful enough (in a straight manner) to provide excellent, flexible, and most important, free hosting to everyone that asks. Although, I can’t decide whether pimping his service is a good thing (yay, positive feedback) or a bad thing (incoming begging-for-hosting rush).

But back on track, if I do decide to go ahead with Plan Get Mad Rich Get Paid (A Little) For What I Like To Do, I will probably be moving servers again to new hosting, with a few friends also looking to team up to split server fees.

Well, food for thought in any case. But how about we ramble about some anime instead?

Howl’s Moving Castle and the power of emotional connection
So this Miyazaki guy, he’s something, eh? Right up there with Evangelion and Gurren Lagann in the giant pile of “how have I managed to be a fan of anime this long without having seen this” is the enormously popular stack of films that Miyazaki has created, acclaimed enough to make their ways to American shores, and, if I recall correctly, theaters.

Perhaps it was the plain art style that never really spurred me to watch them; in a world where moe saturates anime like grease does pizza, Miyazaki’s works always look almost boring in comparison. Of course, this is more my fault than anyone else’s; but call me a shallow person, first impressions still count.

Another way to say ‘boring’ might be just ‘down-to-earth’, which is perhaps a better descriptor, but still since watching one of the Miyazaki films would involve either purchasing it or driving to the library to check it out, then shoving time out of my schedule to watch it, I was a bit tentative. At least until my friend came over one day, toting Howl’s Moving Castle and demanding to watch it.

It’s a curious work. I hesitate to give it a high score and hesitate to give it a low one, or, for that matter, a mediocre one.

This is because Howl’s Moving Castle is one of those anime with many facets, some of which shine really brightly and some of which are just plain ugly. I suppose the greatest parallel I could make is to a dramatic, roller-coaster, plot-hole-filled anime like sola or H2O. Like them, Howl’s Moving Castle is a powerful work … but perhaps not a great story.

I say this because as much as Howl’s Moving Castle was beautiful and touching, there was a point where it just sort of stopped making sense. Like my friends joked, maybe I wasn’t Japanese enough to understand it, or maybe it was meant to be open to interpreted.

But that doesn’t stop the fact that I honestly disliked how HMC confused me so much, almost seeming like the visual novel anime that many like to rag on for trying to coax tears out of viewers. For example, the ending parts, where Howl went from dead to alive and back and forth until he became a sort of Schroendinger’s Cat; the ending itself, where the two sides just give up on the war; or a lot of the backstory, which was never explained. Heck, even Sophie’s curse didn’t hold water half the time.

Perhaps I just feel cheated by a simple message; to me, Howl’s Moving Castle boiled down to “power of love saves the day”, and as warm and fuzzy and great as that message is, I’ve heard it a million times from every shoujo show ever. I frequently shouted at the TV, “That’s so, so awesome, yet so, so cheesy,” … because it was.

Whatever it is, despite Howl’s Moving Castle winning over my heart, driving me close to tears with a simple predicament, my brain remains unconvinced. I like to think rationally, but it’s times like these I wonder which organ is more important to listen to.

If you’re pondering the vague title, it’s because I’m going through a similar situation with Nodame Cantabile, with just one episode to go. Now make no mistake, Nodame is definitely a show I enjoy and hold dear to me; but I still can’t determine whether it is one of the true standout anime or not (more concretely, a 9 in my MAL book).

Logically, it’s merely very good. Nodame and Chiaki’s characters are both very empathetic, appealing to me through their mix of insanity and sanity. The comedy is frequently golden, and the show has good emotional moments too. There’s rarely a foot (or perhaps, a finger) placed wrong.

But, it’s missing some spark. It’s like the difference between a slow, prolonged burn at a low temperature, versus a high-temperature, fiery explosion. Both give off the same amount of heat in the end but one is definitely more noticeable than the other.

Nodame Cantabile is the former; a show that I’ve watched over many months, very slowly but surely. I’ve practically never failed to enjoy an episode, but neither am I ever really standing on my feet, holding my sides together, gripping my chair, or generally being far too enthusastic for 11 PM – as I have been with some of the other greats, such as Azumanga or Kaiji.

But the fact that it’s really a near-perfect show for me should be enough to, objectively, get it in the pantheon. I mean, it’s not like it is any worse than any of my ‘9′ anime. And the feeling in the stomach that grows when the end of an anime approaches, is large as ever; I definitely feel the upcoming void of Nodame Cantabile in my heart, mediated only by rejoicing at the upcoming second second.

The end result, still, is indecision, and probably a bit of complaining that there still aren’t enough tiers in the world to subjectively rank my anime, if only because I want to start tossing out numbers like 8.5, 7.7852, pi, and i.

Really, it just spurs more than anything to me, a thought about how time can affect anime so much – whether it be looking back overly fondly on old anime (alternatively, over-praising a recently concluded show), or the actual passage of time between episodes fading one’s enjoyment for a show.

-CCY

(Going back to Navel’s ‘what were they on?’ naming crown, I did see this poster at Fanime for the best-named eroge ever.)

A quick discussion on two unrelated topics here, a concept I like to call ‘halo characters’ and a rant (albeit spoiler-free) on the status of Kure-nai through episode 9.

It’s pretty much as is, so let me use this pre-jump space as a mini-shoutbox, a mini-rant within a mini-rant post. It’s like those Russian dolls.

* Does anyone have plans for Anime Expo (AX), the weekend of the 4th of July? Some friends and I are considering making it happen (albeit very unlikely) and I’m just wondering if any of you can bribe me. Or provide rooms. Come to think of it, those two might be related.

* Those who said ItaKiss were better than Special A … yeah … you’re right. The latter has been on a horrible, horribly spiral recently with just Hikari bearing the weight of the show (Kei has since collapsed, for now).

I’m hoping this is just a result of S.A. spooling up for a bit of awesome later on, but ItaKiss is definitely pushing a lot harder with more plot and more intriguing characters. I don’t even hate Naoki any more, that’s how good it is.

* 300+ MB releases of Toshokan Sensou make me a sad panda. It’s one of my most-looked forward to shows of the season, yet it’s stalled out for me on episode 4 as I struggle to look for low-size subs. I use direct download, not torrenting … maybe that is my problem. Unless the crackdown in Japan busted a Toshokan Sensou capper, or something. It’s a tough gray-area issue to argue, so I’ll stay away from that.

And now, onto the main (minor) event…

Halo Characters
It’s a topic I’ve touched on briefly before in the past, and now it’s time to give it it’s 15 paragraphs … minutes … units of fame.

Halo characters don’t wear funny suits of green armor and a helmet, nor do they sport a glowing ring above their head, but rather, I mean halo characters in a different sense.

The concept of ‘halo characters’ is derived from the idea of a ‘halo car’ in the automotive industry, a magical, super-deluxe vehicle meant to bring up the image of a brand as a whole. It doesn’t have to be a usable, daily driver car; heck, it doesn’t have to be accessible to the majority of the public. It’s just a sort of display of power, like a nuclear warhead, that brings an aura of class, performance, or maybe both to an automobile maker.

I’ve extended the same concept to anime simply because I’ve followed the same train of thought when watching some anime. Sometimes, there is a character that’s just so incredibly, incomparably awesome that they just make the show shine when they’re on screen. They can do no wrong. Typically, they evolve in a sort of fourth-wall moe sense past any logical reasoning, to the point where their character may be flawed, it may be ridiculous, but you don’t care because they’ve shown up again and made the show awesome.

This trend personally is most apparent in harem anime for me, or for shows with a wide cast in general, especially those with direct character competition. One finds one or two characters out of the crowd that are more deserving, more adorable, or more amusing than the rest, gets to rooting for them, and it simply snowballs from there.

Well, some people may be sane enough to stop at an earlier point, but personally, I have a lot of fun cheering (in my head; unfortunately I am not man enough to scream in real life due to anime just yet) when a character shows up to make some awesome happen.

Of course there are some downsides to this, such as the reality distorting that tends to happen (as I’ve noticed I can’t rationally and sensibly explain why I’m smitten with Shiori anymore), or the fact that this takes away the focus from other, equally deserving characters in the show which just happen to not be the same one as the character you are idolizing.

But on the whole I find it a lot of fun, and another way to immerse yourself in that famous (perhaps infamous) anime experience, where one forms a real bond in the show, to find yourself a halo character from at least a few shows, that break all laws of rationality and common sense. You don’t have to be a raving, banner-waving, “kyaaaaaa~” (or “kitaaaaaaaaaa~”) shouting fanperson, but if you at least crack a smile whenever you see your favorite character on, it can add a bit of entertainment to your show.

Provided that you didn’t pick a side character to idolize, whereupon you will be horribly grumpy at the lack of screentime they get.

(Incidentally, some halo characters on my side: Osaka [Azumanga], Shiori [Kanon], Nagato [Haruhi], Otoha [H2O], Mina [TokiMemo], Tsukasa [Lucky Star], Satsuki [Tsukihime])

Kure-nai and the Kuhouin Conundrum
Kure-nai is one of those shows that could probably have a made-for-TV documentary created from it – perhaps it is just my perspective on it, but it really seemed like an anime that came out of nowhere to become one of the most talked-about and enjoyed shows of the spring season.

And truly, it is a very strong show in many regards. The character interactions are always entertaining, with that delectable mix of warm, fuzzy slice-of-life and straight-up humor tuned to a razor-sharp edge.

The personalities themselves are a great mix, from the typically overapologetic (yet well-meaning) Shinkurou, to the naive noble child Murasaki, to the cold and lonely Yayoi, the mysterious Benika, the double-edged love interests and plot characters from Shinkurou’s school and the just simply comic characters living in Shinkurou’s house, all of them are at the least very amusing or entertaining to watch and at the most almost sobering in their maturity and realism.

Undoubtedly it has shone in its moments of light drama, like in the seventh episode “Women”, where some relationship drama ensues between a few of the lesser characters. It’s a quite fresh perspective of romance, without all the fuzziness and simplicity of a one-versus-one field, instead opting for the larger ocean of college students looking for love, companionship, or a bedmate. Rarely do we see this side of love without it getting over-the-top with boxcutters and bloodiness but in Kure-nai it’s treated with respect and as such it comes across as a good lesson about women, an intriguing way to see more into a character, and an amusing scene too, courtesy of Murasaki.

Where for me, though, the show goes wrong, and you’ll excuse me if this is just a serious, too-long expansion of something that the dinosaurs have already trampled underfoot, is when the sweet slice-of-life exterior of the show gives way to the bitter plot-filled, dramatic interior.

Perhaps it’s my fault for not paying attention to the plot of Kure-nai but the Kuhouin backstory shook me off from the start like a bucking bull, being horribly confusing to me with all the vague foreshadowing and evil glares, until episode nine whipped it back into line. I’m grateful to Kure-nai for catering to dense people like me – while others may feel cheated by the show stating the enemy’s motives straight off – but the characterization of the Kuhouin family grates on my nerves even more.

What I’ve been lucky to enjoy in a lot of shows that I watch is a blurriness between black and white; there’s never really been very many “epitomes of true evil” evident in my anime. Sure, there might be a jealous haremette, a vicious gamemaster, or someone out for the main character’s throat, but all these characters are eventually shown to have realistic motives and stories that still affect you in a way other than inciting hatred.

Kure-nai drops the ball in this regard – at least so far – with regard to the Kuhouin family in the depicting of their characters as loli-raping, innocent-punching, stomach-kicking no-holds-barred vicious fiends who do all this for the means of upholding the family name.

Perhaps it’s sensible; crazy cults do exist, and people do go crazy with power, but my beef with the Kuhouins is that they really clash with the rest of the show. Everyone else has a bit of a conflict, a light side and a dark side; in varying proportions, definitely, but you never get the sense that a character is wholly flat. Even the side characters, Shinkurou’s flatmates, have more than just comedy to them.

But the Kuhouin family, at least the section of it sent to Shinkurou’s apartment complex in the ninth episode, is just pure evil. It’s not so much that I dislike their character, but dislike the lack of dimension to their character, relative to everyone else.

Of course, there is still time for change, and there might be one character who is the voice of dissent, who could make the image of the Kuhouin family as a whole mixed and gray-area, but as it is now the majority of individuals in the Kuhouin family are just way off the deep end of the ‘bad guy’ pool and don’t contribute much to the story except in a purely plot-device sense.

My viewership of Kure-nai is kind of like falling in love with a bipolar person (no, not a tsundere), where you really, really like one side of the show and wish you could just take that part of it, as opposed to the other side which turns you off. It remains to be seen whether the ugly side of Kure-nai will sink it or not, but overall I still have high hopes for this show – although it may feel a bit empty next episode…

-CCY

(Oh god the IOSYS it won’t go away can’t stop singing vocal Touhou remixes … I swear, I break new barriers I placed for myself on the road to Touhoutardism every day … yet I’m still less than 1% of the most hardcore fan of it.

Also, more pictures = good?)

The feature that everyone expected to be dead – probably including myself – returns for a second edition of quick ramblings about nothing in particular.

It’s pretty much as the title says in terms of the three topics – a call to arms about the upcoming anime convention in San Jose, new enlistments in the integrated blogroll, and a rave about the strangely delicious mix of books and guns, so check it out.

Just Tell Me You’ve Got Candy
Meeting total strangers from the internet? Sign me up!

Seriously, I’ve confirmed my plans to head to Fanime 2008 all weekend, from May 23-26, so I was considering perhaps to have a little meet-up with other local area bloggers, if any others are attending (and happen to read M3. Yay, unintentional elitism!). Just drop me a comment or something if you’re interested, or if you just have any tips for a first-time Fanime attendee.

I’ve attended Anime Overdose / Anime On Display before but I’ve heard Fanime is ten times bigger, so it will definitely be something. Time to learn that art of wallet control-fu.

Now Everyone Gather In A Circle Now
Updated the ‘blogroll’ a bit – that’s the bar you see at the top and bottom that asks ‘Do you read…’ – with five new blogs that I’ve been reading on a regular basis. And by new I mean ‘probably read by everyone already but just trickled down to me’. So yeah, blog pimping like the harem overlord I am:

Baka-Raptor: Apparently my sense of popularity is a little out of whack; I didn’t know much about this blog until I stumbled across it from God Knows where, and I assumed it was under the radar, but it gets a million and one comments on every post, so it must be doing well. Still, I’m far too happy to be part of … uh … Baka-Raptor’s (any incident of me calling him otherwise in the comments is made up despite the fact that this afternote was added after the comment was made in a sort of paradoxial time paradox paradox thing) harem, as his posts have a immediately recgonizable style (when I’m not ripping it off; the recent spring season comparison posts were based off of his) and they’re really hilarious to read.

Shameful Otaku Secret!: I guess it’s not much of a secret anymore; I was under the impression otou-san’s blog was a bit unknown, but gaining in readership. And it should. It’s funny stuff, it’s where I stole the Fanservice Fight (a.k.a. “Ecchi Deathmatch” over there) concept from, and it makes episode recaps entertaining to read. Plus, the site has a great design, personally.

Omonomonoomonmomonomnomnomnomomnohno: You should probably know this one by now, even if you don’t know how to spell it. (I just remember it “O mono mono” but I think it’s pronounced differently.) Great analysis slash editorial slash deep reading stuff.

Anime wa Bakuhatsu da!: Birds of a feather flock together, or something. I like OGT’s writing, probably because it sounds all too familiar to me. It’s the kind of light analysis / editorial stuff with a touch of episode recap that I try to compose.

orz: One, is “swiss cheese porn” part of the name, and two, will I get thousands more hits for typing that? drmchsr0, or whatever we call him now, I first remembered as “that one guy who flames and swears a lot”, which sounds really common on the internet, but among passive anime bloggers, less so. But then I realized he makes some really good points beneath it all, so I filed him with Tyrenol as “guys who scare me yet I should probably listen to them most of all”, people who make points contrary to everyone else and have to scream to make it heard. But you probably know all this as he’s a pretty established name, so I’m just writing the prelude to a slash fic here … or something equally non-sequitur that hopefully will not get taken and run away with. I prefer lk x Sat-chan myself … does that count as hetero?

Additionally, I liked reading neko’s thinkbox as well for no apparent reason, but that seems to have gone a bit quiet. We managed to kick Epic Win back to life … we’ll see how this one goes.

In a Library Far, Far Away…
Haven’t gotten enough material or content to write a full post about Toshokan Sensou (a.k.a. Library War) yet, but it’s apparent enough already ,that it is great fun to watch, and quite possibly one of my favorite spring season shows.

ItaKiss is quickly rising up the ranks while Special A tries to hold on in the shoujo category, but Toshokan Sensou looks to pull ahead on a slightly different track, offering content for both genders – evidenced by how it has a manga adaptation in both shonen and shoujo magazines.

On the surface Toshokan Sensou is a bit frilly, a sort of lighthearted comedy with a dash of romance. You see this in the everyday life of Iku (Kasahara), the female protagonist, who doesn’t think twice about going into comic, chibi interludes as she struggles to get along with the people of the Library Defense Force, whether it be the the two calm, collected characters who frequently make well-targeted quips, or the two contrasting officers who seem to be in love with her (and frequently humiliate her in matters of more importance).

Toshokan Sensou is good in this regard, as it is fun to watch Kasahara doing her daily duty, and seeing the subtle relationships between her and the other members of the Task Force. It’s rather similar to what I liked in Special A, the way Dojo both protects and insults Kasahara by not letting her do a lot of the heavy lifting.

But Toshokan Sensou has a second side, one that I find intriguing as well, and that of course is the more action-based side, with a dash of war politics. I’m about as well versed in this genre as a harem lead is versed in handling five girls at once without getting his head served to him on a boat, which might be why I enjoy the simple yet tense firefights in Toshokan Sensou.

The standoff at the private library in episode 3 is an example of what I enjoy most about it; the music complemented the scene well, giving it an energetic feel at times and at other times adding to the mood when the situation was at critical moments. There were interesting things to watch for, such as seeing the different tactics of the Defense Force (non-lethal blows, focused more on – you guessed it – defense) and the Cleansing Force (win at whatever means possible – except, apparently, for bringing out a rocket launcher).

And the little things, like the way the Defense Force keeps the war in balance and in control by leaving a carton for the Cleansing Force. It’s an interesting move, because it helps both sides feel like they won, and prevents the war from escalating into a large-scale conflict with lots of casualties, something that at least one side wants to avoid. It looks like a tense peace in Japan at the moment, and they question is whether it is moving more towards or away from escalation.

Or, the other question, whether the show plans to move more towards one end of the spectrum or the other, in terms of serious versus lighthearted. It works well as a mix, but I hope it can stay strong individually if necessary.

It’s really a show that takes the term “guns and girls” to the next level … since it’s not the type of girls usually portrayed in such a show.

-CCY

(In news of the other, I watched one episode of Kure-nai and it made my head hurt. I’ll try again soon.)

A new feature that will undoubtedly die past its second post or so, Rapidfire is basically an evolution of the Track Two theory in being a bunch of short posts that wouldn’t make it on their own, collected into one post. All we need now is those crazy Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei segment titles.

By the way, I had to change the title a bit after I realized it looked like it said “KyoAni remakes Bamboo Blade,” except with commas hidden in there.

Inside, it’s pretty much what’s on the box. What shows KyoAni, our king of redundancy (and pretty animation), should remake, “first impressions” of Bamboo Blade, and a little convention talk about Fanime and the strangeness of life. Forge onward.

Eight Shows Kyoto Animation Should Remake
You know, assuming that Kyoto decides to be Kyoto and push back any actual new series or second seasons which may or may not be better than redone content. So if there’s a gun to KyoAni’s head and they’re being told “no new shows!” …

Kanon 20XX: This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s read my writing. There actually are a few things they could do with this show, like do what KimiNozo has done with an alternate path Next Season (although none of the girls quite have the same case as the 2006 winner … no … not even that one), or have some OVAs much like Toei’s Kanon Kazahana. OTL’s excellent subs of the drama CDs are helping the Kanon obsession along, I must say. …How come no one has thought of a Key crossover anime yet? (Super … Smash … Brothers … MOE-LEEEEEEEEEE! Who do I have to pay?)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Brought up in the April Fool’s post, I really see no reason in my imaginary dream world why this shouldn’t happen if KyoAni wanted to remake something. A magical girl show would be a change of pace (and after Magical Girl Kyou and Fuuko, I’m sure they want to do one), Cardcaptor Sakura is the anime world’s darling, and it’s a formula hard to go wrong with outside of melting the internet with sheer hanyaa~n adorability. I suppose the fact that it is so idolized will make it tough to live up to the high standards, but are you going to argue with more Sakura? … I thought so.

Kaiji: I just want to see either 1) Kaiji, moe-style or 2) KyoAni do something without moe (I started with AIR, I’m unsure if Full Metal Panic was different) … actually, I just want to see more Kaiji, since there’s only two episodes left.

School Days: Aside from the fact that 0verflow is going to whore this show out until the end of time – the LxH OVA was funny, Magical Kokoro fell quite flat at points – a really, really dark show like this would be more stretching of KyoAni’s bounds. So far all the works they’ve done so far have been Brighty McBrightBright in regards to mood – the Key trio have had tear-jerking moments but not really the kind of melodrama that School Days brought. Is KyoAni a bad enough dude to rescue the president animate an almost comedically soap-opera-like show like School Days, or would they cop out and end in an Everyone’s Makoto?

Aria: Still on the fence whether I really like Aria as a show or not – I think I need the right atmosphere, the lazy days of summer that worked wonderfully for Azumanga Daioh – but the chibi animations were cute, and KyoAni would give this show the best water animations, something that would make this show unbelievably good looking.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: This is in case SHAFT decides not to do a third season (Makes you wonderchalkboard gag from episode 1 about selling 30,000 DVDs for a third season was true … if so, I’ll buy one.), than I’d like to see if this show still works without the rampant insanity and art style shifts SHAFT gave it. Then again, KyoAni dabbled with that with Lucky Star … here’s their chance at making a real comedic comedy rather than a slice-of-life comedy. Also, moe-style Kiri. Yes, yes, yes.

Kare Kano: This is just because I read the first volume of the manga and was really touched (and the next few were decent as well), and became very annoyed when I found the anime is out of print (and partially sold out at RightStuf). Heard it’s a good ‘plain’ romance.

Tsukihime: The one really serious entry in this list, and one I’ve seen brought up before. I think the Tsukihime anime (you know, the one that existed) was rather good, so long as you have never played the visual novel. Ciel eating spaghetti, Akiha’s unexplained red hair, Nero going down in three minutes? It bugs me. I think KyoAni could help get rid of that latter qualification about not knowing the visual novel; the Catch-22 here is that Tsukihime’s arcs aren’t very blendable without taking creative liberties. Some saw problems with that in Clannad (read: wanted more Kyou / Tomoyo), and probably someone would have to take a hit in Tsukihime 2008/9/etc, but it would still be an improvement, if only we can get more backstory with Sacchin (ultimate BAWWWW episode, Fuuko can eat her heart out) and the maids.

Oh, and the Yellow-Haired Genki Girl Is Nice Too
I began watching Tama-chan over the weekend, after the reccomendation of scattered bloggers. Despite not ever watching a sports anime before (outside of racing anime), I found a lot to like in Tama-chan, even in the first episode.

I find Tama-chan to be funny, cute, and an intriguing watch as well, and I think I could see myself watching Tama-chan for the next 24 episodes. I’m not sure if I like the actual kendo action of Tama-chan, but the comedy and characters supporting the rest of Tama-chan so far makes it look like Tama-chan will be worth it.

Some might say that certain aspects of Tama-chan might be too pandering to the fanbase, but I don’t mind too much as I don’t mind being catered to every now and then, as I have plenty of other places to head for more stark realism in between bouts of Tama-chan.

Although, I worry that I might be obsessing a bit about some parts of Tama-chan.

Konata, Eat Your Heart Out
Fanime 2008 is May 23rd to May 26th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
My high school’s prom is May 24th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
I’m sure this is one of those real life examples of I Am Not Making This Up.

I fully expect now at least one of the following:
A) An anime junkie like me to cosplay as someone they can go to prom as (i.e. a formal outfit).
B) “Hey, who are you two cosplaying as?” “Oh, we’re just heading to prom down the hall.”
C) Clash between Naruto / Bleach / Other Mainstream Show That Can Get Made Fun Of cosplayers and rest of humanity.

On another note, any other fellow bloggers heading to Fanime? It’s my second convention (first was Anime Overdose / Animation on Display earlier this year) and I might as well have some fun with it aside from emptying my wallet for random impulse purchases.

-CCY

(I never did get to report about the AOD convention, but let me just say this: The “How To Talk To Girls” panel, which I was dragged int, is actually quite entertaining and amusing, if only because half of the questions were posed by, yup, girls asking “Well, I know this guy, and … “. It is a little pandering with the whole “You’re here because you’re better than those jerks who you think always get the girl” message they kept drilling, but it’s not one giant sob-fest between lonely guys like you would expect.)