What I watched in August: Digest Version, Part 2 of 2

b Gungrave: I think this probably qualifies as MANime.  At least until it falls apart at the end.  Actually, maybe that's part of the MANime madness?  Nah, I blame that part all on the video game.  The bits around that are pretty good, though.  Lots of violence, so it's not for the weak of stomach.  If you really want a deep and intricate plot, it's probably not the one you want to choose.  If you want a nice buddy story gone terribly, horribly wrong with lots of action and mayhem and bullets and tears and some really silly names, well, this is an excellent choice.

"Bind your opponent with invisible irons.  That's the true way to use power."
---
"Whatever made me think living was so important?"
---
"A place for people with dreams like you who can still look toward the future with hope."
---
"I love the taste of despair!"

b Hetalia: Some people (and some governments) maybe take this show/manga too seriously.  I mean, any country that actually sanctions another because of a gag comedy that makes fun of all the countries is probably . . .  (And they didn't even see the American dub which amps up the offensiveness even more with a cheerful smile and a rude gesture.)  In the commentary, they talked about their desire to offend everyone because they don't believe in singling countries out.  I would say they have achieved success at this equal-opportunity policy.  And frequently hilariousness.

"I say we hit Italy first because they can't drive and are usually drunk!"
---
"Their killer technique is profiting from the sidelines." (France)
---
"Waving this white flag is really tiring!" (Italy)
---
"I'll definitely (probably) quit it." (can't remember)

b Moribito:  Am I seriously getting misty-eyed just from hearing that tune play over the menu?  Yes, yes I am.  Because this show is THAT good.
Someday, I will cosplay Balsa.  I will need to be able to use my hands and arms enough to do some serious weight-lifting before then.  So maybe I will not ever cosplay Balsa, but I would if I had better muscle definition on my arms.  Anyway, have I mentioned that I love this show? Because I do.  It has action, drama, mystery, fantasy, a dash of romance, amazing animation, good music, a decent plot, and Tanda.  Who really needs a hug.  Just because.  I cry at the end every time.  I want to read more of the novels SOOOOOO BAAAAAAAD.  Oh, please, Viz, please.  PLEASE!

Quotes October 2012, part IV

Connie on A Devil and Her Love Song: "But I can’t get over how much I love this series! It’s really quite different from your usual shoujo manga, depressing and uplifting at the same time." 

Rachael in How to Be a Fan of Problematic Things which you should go read (R-rated language in that article, FYI):

"Liking problematic things doesn’t make you an asshole. In fact, you can like really problematic things and still be not only a good person, but a good social justice activist (TM)! After all, most texts have some problematic elements in them, because they’re produced by humans, who are well-known to be imperfect."
...
"Especially do not ever suggest that people not take media “so seriously”, or argue that it’s “just” a tv show. The narratives that we surround ourselves with can subtly, subconsciously influence how we think about ourselves and others. That’s why creating imaginary fantasy and sci fi worlds that have more equal societies can be a powerful thing for marginalised people, who mainstream media rarely acknowledges as heroes."
...
"As fans, sometimes we need to remember that the things we like don’t define our worth as people. So there’s no need to defend them from every single criticism or pretend they are perfect. Really loving something means seeing it as it really is, not as you wish it were. You can still be a good fan while acknowledging the problematic elements of the things you love. In fact, that’s the only way to be a good fan of problematic things. "

There were some bits in this article I wasn't sure I agreed with, but it sure was thought-provoking.  (Several of my friends have found themselves giving certain works another try and liking them after I explained what I liked about them, so that experience in particular rang true.)

Paul Thomas Chapman on Char's Counterattack: "One of the things that attracted me to anime in the first place was its essential foreignness, its ability to weave a narrative that operated outside of what I traditionally encountered in Western animation."

Sean Gaffney on The Earl and the Fairy: "I’m afraid that Edgar and Lydia are not helping their causes when it comes to making me not want to strangle them."

What I watched in August: Digest Version, Part 1 of 2

b Broken Blade: Oh, that opening is stuck in my head until the next time I watch the Guin Saga closer.  (Keep those amazing theme songs for dramatic fantasy/sci-fi mecha coming, folks! ; )  I liked this the second time through, too, but I was still frustrated by the dangling threads that those who read Japanese will get to see resolved in the manga, which I think is still being published.  There is certainly closure to some things, but the things I was most interested in were not among them.  Again, it was nice to see adults have most of the starring roles.  It brings some different things to the table.

b Guin Saga:  Thank goodness this isn't even close to as graphic as the novels.  Unfortunately, it's totally watered down, instead.  (I'm mostly okay with that since my stomach couldn't handle such horrific violence in a visual medium.)  Actually, it's kind of like an anime Cliff's notes.  Holy cow!  They tried to cram something like 40 volumes worth of the novels into 26 episodes.  Something had to give, and that something was details.  Those details were pretty important for character development, so the end result is you get to go further in the adventure, but you care less.  Or maybe that only applies if you read the novels and know what you're missing.  I would like some folks who enjoy fantasy to give it a try and let me know their reaction, so I can see if it holds together better for people who haven't read the novels.  Not that I'm really, really complaining because since it doesn't look like any more of the novels will see print in English, it was sort of nice to find out what happened down the road, right?  Then again, I may be lying to myself because I've never liked Cliff's Notes or abridged versions because they tend to take out all the really important words in trade for a clearer/cleaner plot.  Not that the novels need help since their plots are pretty straightforward . . . 

The dub for the first half was pretty serviceable, though I wasn't too fond of Istavan's voice for some reason I couldn't pin down even though I usually like David Matranga's work, and then . . .?!?!  WTH?!  The dub for the second half is increasingly awful.  It got selected for worst dub on Anime News Network, but I thought that was for the songs.  (Which were pretty bad in English.  Just leave 'em in Japanese, guys; it's okay.)  What bothered me more is that it's like they stopped caring!  They started adding all these ad-libs and going for comedy readings (this approach worked in Wedding Peach because it wasn't straight drama and was pretty ridiculous).  This ill-considered and executed humor served to destroy any integrity remaining in this 100% serious dramatic action fantasy.  So many of the shows Sentai releases don't have dubs, so it seems inexcusable to spend the money to produce one that's so sub-par.  Usually I don't take this kind of thing personally, but I'm a tad offended.  The next time through, I'll watch it all in Japanese, and maybe I won't have this bitter taste in my mouth.  And I will probably listen to/watch the ending theme song every time again.  : )

Quotes October 2012, part 3

est em on her work: "But I really like drawing men. When I was in junior high, high school, I loved Michelangelo, and there was a period where I copied him obsessively. I just adored the human body that he drew. I really love drawing the male body, the muscles. Simply in terms of the lines, there’s a tremendous amount that interests me. And also, the fact that you don’t have to protect yourself makes things really easy for me. With female protagonists, you really have to put in a lot for the psychological portrayal. Monologues, what the character is thinking at that time, you really need that stuff for josei manga. It’s a world where feelings need to be made clear, and drawing it is a good bit of work."

Connie on Black Butler: "As a necessary act of good faith to the crown after his last disastrous mission (where Ciel wound up roasting children alive) . . ."

Jessi on Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: "Within the first five minutes of this series, the main character steals the bras and panties of several battle-maids who have been sent to capture him. This really sets the tone for the remainder of the episode."

Katherine Dacey on A Devil and Her Love Song: "Ayu’s subsequent behavior, however, points to one of the series’ weaknesses: characters have epiphanies with whiplash-inducing frequency. (Saul would never have made it to Damascus if he fell off his donkey as many times as Maria’s classmates do.)"

JRB on not simple: "Ian is indeed very passive; the protagonist-victims in these stories usually are, since the point of the exercise is essentially to watch them suffer and and thereby experience Aristotelian “pity and terror”. (This is a type of story that has gone out of fashion in the West; nowadays we feel uncomfortable with pity and those who suffer beautifully and prefer stories where victims rise up and murder their oppressors.) Not Simple is shorter and more, well, simple than some of the more celebrated examples, but I think it ends up successful in being a feel-bad book."

Jason Thompson at JRB: "Call me someone who was an adolescent in ’90s America, but I prefer my suffering protagonists to be more aware & present in their own emo, masturbatory (self-)torment."

What I read in August: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

Is Goong cancelled?!  NOOOOOOO!!!  Yen, don't do this to me. 

b 13th Boy 12: Oh, our crazy anthropomorphic, fried-chicken loving cactus may have made the ultimate sacrifice, but that doesn't guarantee a happy ever after for the characters who remain.  The characters stayed true to themselves, so I was pleased even as I wanted to kick some of them in the head.  The happy ending was earned, and a bonus story shows that some of the other characters may be in for happy endings of their own.  Except for the cactus.  I cried about the cactus.

b Blood+ Kowloon Nights: Dark Horse, sometimes you really baffle me with the things that you publish. I mean, I'm a big fan of Hagi, and I was pretty curious about what he was doing when Saya slept, but this book didn't really add anything new to his character.  Good thing he's a pretty good character anyway.

b Dogs: Bullets and Carnage 6: No idea where I last left off this story in volume 5.  It's been a long time.  Pretty quickly, I don't care because we get some of that clear back-story for Heine, and it's about as brutal as I expected.  Wow.  Don't make deals with the devil in any of his incarnations, dude.  Bad things happen.  Now Giovanni makes more sense, too.  This series is probably still more focused on style than substance, so it's good that the style it has is enough to keep me reading despite the sword-fights, bullets, and extreme carnage that earn this bad boy its M rating.

b Gon 6: In this volume, Gon helps out some baby birds, helps an ancient elephant make it to his final resting place of choice, and climbs a mountain in a howling blizzard just because it's there, and he's a badass little dinosaur who can do anything he sets his mind to.  He does other things, and this wordless comic still amuses me to no end.  Oh, Gon, I will be sad when you are over with the next volume, but I will re-read you.

b Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries 1: This was really a lot of fun for the part of me that likes Sherlock Holmes mysteries and people bucking the class system.  He was a street urchin who rose through the ranks to become a famous lawyer and then gave it up to become her butler.  She's a woman of noble-birth with a penchant for writing mystery stories and solving real-life mysteries when she can get the chance.  They both have ways of obtaining information to help solve cases that the other lacks.  He loves her; she still sees him as an annoying childhood friend.  It's all rather gruesome (the murder mystery) and delightful (the character interactions).

b Sakura Hime3-4: More bad things happen; some things are made clearer; other things are obscured.  Character revelations are made, and they are more than a little horrifying.  It reminds me a bit of the anime Strain where by the end I was pretty sure I sided with the folks who just wanted to blow all of humanity away.  I am not totally on the side of the poor, beleaguered, butt-kicking non-humans, but I completely understand where their boss is coming from.  Good thing Sakura is made of stern shojo stuff.

b Toradora 4:  Ah, the pool bits.  Hilarious and horrifying in equal measures.  We get some insight into the minds of boys during pool classes (and their own body-conscious worries). And I did find out what vale tudo is.  You can, too, if you Google it.

b A Zoo in Winter by Jiro Taniguchi: Wow.  There is something solid and quiet and calm about his art style in this that somehow prevents any of the drama from seeming like melodrama (even when it sort of is).  They get away with lines that would induce eye-rolls because they are serious about this stuff, and they probably did talk like that, and it's all kind of fascinating.  And then it just sort of . . .stops.  It doesn't really end because that implies some sort of wrap-up of some kind.  It just stopped, and I wanted to read more.

"Maybe this place is haunted because there's something mysterious that possesses people in places of creation." 66

"Doing what you love for work.  Sounds idyllic!"
"They say you can't do this if you don't love it."

Quotes October 2012, part 2

est em on her work: "I like the drama there, so I do relationships between men. It doesn’t matter if it’s love or not. That closeness, a closeness that’s not there with women, well, I guess it’s a kind of human relationship. And I really love that part."

Connie on Dawn of the Arcana: "He’s strangely calm. Such calmness, outside of shoujo manga, would make one suspect that Loki is merely biding his time until he murders Caesar." [I am not convinced that is not what he is doing.]

Jessi Silver on Gankutsuou: "Even The Count plays this game, and in fact he seems to play it with the sort of finesse that the others can only dream about. He toes a very thin line between charming the pants off of his acquaintances and scaring the life out of them, his coolly-calculated moves hiding behind a fine-but-convincing layer of sincerity."

Katherine Dacey on Library Wars 8: "Volume eight has almost made me into a convert, as it strikes a better balance between Ray Bradburian intrigue and shojo romance, introducing a subplot with a radical anti-censorship group and a possible court martial for Kasahara. What prevents it from being a slam dunk is Kasahara’s impenetrable cluelessness . . . "

Kristie on A Drunken Dream: "The age group of the manga magazines Hagio’s comics originally appeared in is interesting not because her stories deal with suicide, parental abuse, and intense self loathing. The shock isn’t in the plot of her comics, the shock is in how terribly effective these comics are. Because here is something that sometimes people forget: Suicide, parental abuse, and intense self loathing are not “rated R” themes. CONTENT isn’t the ideas found in a piece, it is the execution of the ideas found in a piece and Moto Hagio’s execution is as precise as a surgeon."

Paul Thomas Chapman on Char's Counterattack: "Now I’m older and wiser and quite a bit more cynical, and my experience with Gundam isn’t limited to a single bootleg tape borrowed from an equally enthusiastic friend. And I can still say that, despite years of experience, Char’s Counterattack still doesn’t make a great deal of sense, but damn does it still look cool."

What I read in August: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

I find myself shocked and appalled by the fact that no one has made an FMA AMV of the Decemberists "The Shankill Butchers."  Seriously, internet?  You disappoint me.

b 20th Century Boys 21: All the threads converging slowly, deliberately, perfect endings each time (not quite cliffhanger but definitely making you want to read to find out what happens next).

b Alice in the Country of Hearts omnibus 1-3 of 3: It's true that those who didn't read to the end of this series missed out on the part that pulled many of the foreshadowing threads throughout together finally.  Dwaaaawwwww.  Finding out what you do at the end sheds a new light on things and somewhat redeems what would otherwise have been a totally frilly, silly bit of reverse-harem comedy fluff.

b Book Girl and the Wayfarer's Lamentation: I was quite surprised that this plot thread unravelled here.  There are still quite a few books left; I thought this was the main conflict.  I guess I was wrong.  I hope the real main conflict feels organic and not tacked on because I really like these books and all their broken people and literary nerdiness.

b Dawn of the Arcana 5: Things get even more muddy in this volume, as everyone figures out the dastardly plot and then tries to stop another slaughter from happening.  And Cain?  Your life story has been unpleasant, but you're not helping yourself by lending yourself to more evil, as if that will erase the wrong done to you.

b Gimmick! 9: And the finale!  More passionate declarations, more makeup art madness, and some really touching reunions.  Villains learn their lessons, mentors return from their globetrotting and make me laugh with their weird reasons for going on with special effects.  Good stuff!

"Why are you so mad?  It's our job to make people believe things that aren't true! To make them believe lies."
"But with that power comes responsibility, Kazuki.  We can never use it to deceive people."
"But millions of people believed my lie!  I was just using the power of SFX that you taught me.!"
"You still don't get it!  SFX should only be used for good!"

Do you really think your friend's death was your fault?  We just do our jobs.  What people do after seeing those images is entirely on them.  Nobody made your friend enlist.  If people are deceived by images, then they're fools.  BE proud of your abilities, Kohei Nagase!  The SFX you created fooled everyone.  You defeated reality!"
"That's not why I got into this business."

"The process of creation is basically communicating something to others."

b Kaze Hikaru 20: As with every new volume, I was totally lost at the beginning, but it very quickly didn't matter at all because this series is so fantastically awesome.  There are consequences for Kamiya's dressing up as a girl briefly a little bit ago, and in this volume, she's undercover in a dangerous way.  No one really explains it to Hijikata, and things are pretty tense until the end, which wraps up kind of hilariously . . .  I never thought I would be grateful for having watched the Shura no Toki MANime for this reason: because it made me look up Ryoma Sakamoto, I could really enjoy his bits in this shojo manga of awesome.  Thanks, MANime.

b Legal Drug 1-3: In honor of CLAMP re-starting this series, I read it again.  I see the seeds of xxxHolic here in the move towards more solid black and white and the vignettes and mysteries and mysterious store owner and awkward relationship between the two protagonists.  They better fill in the missing pieces of background in this one, is all I can say.  Reading it again just made me more curious . . .  One of my favorite quotes about this series came from my co-worker at the bookstore who took one look at the marijauan leaf logo and said, "I don't think this is actually a legal drug."

Quotes October 2012, Part I

Melinda Beasi: "I’d read a lot of shounen manga and a lot of fairly uplifting shoujo, and one of the things that nearly always happens in those series, is that characters we initially perceive as villains will turn around and become very sympathetic characters, by way of backstory or some other kind of revelation later on. The message driven home by that trope is that understanding is the key to learning to love someone, or perhaps that anyone can be granted salvation (of a sort) by way of understanding. These series are careful to always give us something to latch on to—to help us understand even the most seemingly depraved characters before the end."

Connie on the Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese: "They’re both flawed, and their flaws keep them from growing closer."

Arwen Spicer on Banana Fish: "I’ve heard him called a Mary Sue, yet I disagree–because, although he’s a bit of a superhero, he carries deep psychological scars that fit coherently with his experiences and contribute to the self-marring of his life and relationships.  He is not perfect or even a “pretty sufferer” in Mary Sue fashion.  He is a brilliant but damaged young man who will carry some form of that dysfunctionality for life.  Thus, he wins my suspension of disbelief for his magic, and he wins my sympathy."

Sean Gaffney: "Now admittedly the three series have flaws. Library Wars doesn’t have enough war for some people; Otomen continues to be a BL series with no BL; and Oresama Teacher is written by Izumi Tsubaki, who is the ‘oooooh, shiny thing!’ of Beat authors. This does not make the series less awesome."

Jessi Silver on reviewing anime first episodes: "Despite arguments to the contrary, I cannot name a series that I've seen which has a terrible opening episode and which has somehow improved itself sufficiently to crawl back into my good-graces."

TV Tropes on Zoids CC: "Zoids. The first series (Chaotic Century) in particular. The entire script is so laughably bad it's amazing that everyone keeps a straight face. (Van and Raven's exchange in episode 33 is a personal favorite example) But that's the reason it works. The whole universe speaks in narm and once you get used to it you realize that it's the language of the universe and it's a much more entertaining universe as a result. "