What I watched in APRIL 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Ghost Slayers Ayakashi: Finally managed to track down a cheap copy of Part 2.  This is a quirky series, consciously starring a middle-aged protagonist and a weird cast of characters.  The dub has some really shining moments (a great and unusual performance from Crispin Freeman is a delightful highlight), the plot is episodic with an overarching story that ends tragically in some OVAs (not tragic on the level of, say, Wolf's Rain, but still a bummer), and there is some really weird stuff in here.  It mixes history with fantasy and mythology, and I like it.

b Pandora Hearts: It started in giggles and ended in tears. Even if it didn't get to end like the graphic novels will, it still managed to get that part right.  Pandora Hearts is the story of a boy named Oz, who, on the day of his ceremony to become an adult, ends up attacked by mysterious cloaked figures who say his very existence is a sin and send him to the Abyss, where he meets a girl called Alice who makes a contract with him, so they can both escape.  When they get back to the real world, 10 years have passed there, and they band together with some shady characters from an organization named Pandora to track down Alice's memories and figure out who the cloaked people were and exactly what Oz's sin is supposed to be . . .  Towards the end, it veers off pretty sharply from the ongoing manga series, but it managed a somewhat decent ending, so kudos to it.

What I watched in FEBRUARY 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b Ronin Warriors OVA: Yep, the Ronin Warriors in New York City in the 80s.  SO 80S!  The dub?  AWESOME!!!  "The pain will be unbearable.  I suggest you lose consciousness." - a villain  SO MUCH AWESOME CHEESINESS THE MIND BOGGLES.  The other set is full of wonky ethnic stereotypes and semi-hilarious mysticism.

b The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye: Two thumbs enthusiastically up.  Excellent dub!  I liked that actress' work in Piano as a secondary character, so I'm glad to see she got a leading role and really nailed it.  And there was more of a finished story there than your average based-on-a-light-novel anime adaptation.  I'll definitely be watching it again.

b Tweeny Witches: This show is a pretty great one to listen to in the background as you do other things.  Don't get me wrong; the visuals are weird and creepy and interesting and well worth watching, but the English dub is pretty fun and lets you follow the story well enough.  Arisu is a normal girl who believes in magic, and then she gets sucked into a magical world, and she turns it on its ear through the power of positive thinking.  Kind of.  It gets pretty dark sometimes, but it's ultimately hopeful.

b Xam'd: So it sort of falls apart in the end, but you almost don't care because of the trippy journey it takes to get there.  I think maybe if I watch it 2 more times, I will get it.  Maybe.  I wish it had been a 39 episode show.  I think it might have been able to be more complete in all its varied storylines and thus been a tad more coherent.  They did a decent job with Eureka7, but that one fell apart a bit in the end, as well.  They both sort of choked on their own mysterious mythology.  But were awesome just the same.  And that opening sequence for the DVDs: holy cow is that catchy despite being totally nonsense Engrish.  I listened to it every single time and still liked it.  (Some fun resources.)

What I watched in October 2012

b Angelic Layer: Sometimes you just want some goofy, shonen goodness as only CLAMP can provide.  It's a tournament show about fighting dolls and the people (mostly girls) who play with them.  Seriously.  It's about grit and determination and odd family dynamics and wiggly, wiggly I-chan.

o Baccano:I was going to sit down and watch anime instead of having it on while I did other things.  Then the first couple minutes happened.  They were not kidding about the graphic violence.  And so I found this anime better "viewed" 25% with my eyes and 75% with my ears.  Defying laws of physics everywhere all the time!  Netflix apparently doesn't have the last volume, and I don't actually care.  I don't think my stomach can take the conclusion . . .

"Mercy and Compassion are virtues only the strong can possess.  And I am strong."

b DanDoh: Dandoh's dad is a loser!  What a total jerk!  I don't care why.  Where are the adults and the monitors and stuff?!  WTH!!!!!  If there's this much cheating in golf, it's a much more interesting game than I thought. Yuka, you are my hero.  You talked to the adults and explained what happened.  How novel!  The best voice acting comes from the golf announcers.  Nice.

"That's it!  I'm not going to lose to someone who can't even count!" 

"If adults teach them everything, then the kids will never get to explore and learn things on their own."

"Your ball hasn't given up this match yet!"

"He is a man who killed his talents with his own hands."

"That is SO RIDICULOUS!!!!" - me (so many times)

b Strawberry Marshmallow: Adorable warm fuzzy goodness and some amazing English voice acting.  Mio, in particular, is endearingly 100% obnoxious.  (I'm still not very fond of Anna, but she's the only exception.)  The group dynamics are a hoot and somehow realistic while still being firmly in comedy territory.  A neat trick.  This show is a real pick-me-up and pretty much always leaves me grinning for days. 

b Viewtiful Joe:Another great pick-me-up show, Viewtiful Joe makes me happy.  Its good natured, dudical goofiness and relentlessly positive slacker hero are just the ticket when you're feeling down.  And Joe's English voice is outstanding, as are several of the other characters.  It's an all-around good time.

"There's a kind of heroism in staying behind sometimes, I figure."

"What's cool now is to pretend you're too smart for hope.  That hope is for those too frightened to face life as it really is."

What I watched in June: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Darker than Black season 1:  I do kind of wish they maybe hadn't rushed the last few episodes, and I sort of wish the bonus episode wasn't the last one I'd watched (though it is hilarious . . .).

What more do you have to take from me?
 ---
 "I made the stars fall tonight.  Lots of them . . ."  Heartbreaking when you consider the flashback about falling stars in their childhood before this all started.
 ---
Nothing but confusion awaits you if you choose both.
---
So you've chosen a third path, have you?

Some of the commentaries had their moments, too.  One of my favorites: "There are winners and losers in the naked teleportation game."

b Rurouni Kenshin, season 2: Well, the animation isn't great, and I totally forgot about the biting, but this is still some powerful stuff, even after all these years.  The internal struggle of a man trying to decide if his principles are worth clinging to if they prevent him from saving his country is compelling.

I find it is much harder to build a new era than to break one.
---
I am a wanderer.  I must begin wandering again.
---
Humans are work against the terror of violence.
---
You truly are a man who never shows any mercy.
---
That was a paper-thin margin, it was. That was . . . a thick piece of paper.

b Lucky Star: Hands down best part is the extra The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi (and the random endings).  They are utterly ridiculous . . .  And the tourists in them!  Bwaha!  And the karate kid references . . .  And, well, the show is amusing in a low-key, allusion-filled way.  Those stupid caricature store clerks: their English VAs are having an awesome amount of fun with this . . .  Bwaha!  G Gundam reference?!  (Behold, the Eastern skies are burning red!)  And Lagoon Engine!?!  If you love these reference heavy comedies, you will probably get a kick out of Lucky Star.

I feel like I've lost if people can keep up. ---
Who was that?
A telemarketer?
Didn't you see the caller ID?
I was bored.
---
If you really love Gundam, you have a duty to watch it.
---
"I'm already two years older than Amuro.  And in two years, I'll be as old as Mr. Bright."

Not that I have ever found myself comparing my age to a fictional character's . . .

What I Watched in May: Gundam 00

b Gundam 00:  So I spent quite a lot of time listening to Gundam 00 and a significant time watching the second season (Since I'd already seen the first, I just played it through and listened while cleaning, organizing, and writing.)  Watching a lot of Gundam means:

• Thinking about war, peace, reasons to fight, duty, sacrifice
• Hearing too many cheesy lines and soliloquies
•     "Since the dawn of time . . ."
•     "Is this the power of . . ."
• Feeling sad about the brokenness of the world 
• Hoping information won't be controlled and manipulated like this - being glad we have those pesky people who publish truth on the internet somehow and being very glad for journalists willing to risk life and limb to bring back the truth from dangerous places
• Having to meditate on the terrible things one can do when one believes one's cause is just and the terrible things people do to further their own desires and agendas

I remember criticism was leveled at this show because it was less emotionally accessible than some other ones, and I guess I can see that because the characters are so very closed and damaged, but I still cried plenty.  I guess you could say that any show that tries to depict multiple sides of the conflict as sympathetic is going to take more work from the viewer.  (And punish the invested viewer more.)  With Gundam Seed, there were good guys on two sides; same with Gundam Wing.

With 00, well, there are about 7 sides.  And there are evil folks on many of them and good-ish folks and confused folks and ignorant folks and other manner of folks.  Where is the moral center?  Who's in the right?  It's not really obvious, so you as the viewer have to pick who you will root for.  And at some point whoever you picked probably does something you find very difficult to forgive.

Oh, Brad Swaile, what a great job you did in this one.  And oh, Bandai.  I miss all your technical and crew extras.  The episode 25 commentary of ssn 1 is just the guys being hilarious dorks.  Other commentaries are highly informative.

"Whether we fight or not, people will die.  Now you no longer have any place to run away to."
---
"If the time comes, I'll pull the trigger.  I don't mind if you hate me."
---
"You think because you avoid pulling the trigger you can avoid the guilt?"

This Gundam incarnation is not afraid to get theological, but it doesn't take the easy route and simply blame everything on religion.  People talk about a twistedness and crookedness in the world, a brokenness.  But they look for external causes that they can fix with force.  It's a doomed quest from the beginning.

All this because I talked to them?
You're the one who took their lives through your own foolish actions.
---
I'm a weapon, a tool for killing people.  I don't deserve happiness.

It's not like she's using her newly discovered powers for good and not evil; it's more like while using them for evil, she realizes they aren't inherently evil and starts using them for good.  Or like she realizes that she has powers at all and that she can use them for good.

We're fighting for the future, not the past.
---
Why are you crying?
Because you can't.
---
Save as many people as you can.  Then you can die.

I watch and am afraid.  Is this how information is manipulated now?  I think of Syria and how few journalists are there and how little interest the outside world has in the situation.  When my science fiction looks too much like my present instead of my future, it starts to really make me feel nervous and uncomfortable.

Gundam has always been good at making me nervous and uncomfortable.  And that's why I like Gundam.

What I watched in April: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

Yes, much delayed, mostly because I couldn't figure out how to properly rhapsodize about Mawaru Penguindrum.  I still can't.  Sorry.

b First Gundam, first half: Interestingly enough, when I watch it all the way through, Amuro is not nearly as obnoxious and unsympathetic as I remembered him.  We're not exactly talking Shinji Ikari level irritant, but I remembered Amuro as being more consistently immature instead of just, you know appropriately immature with small, understandable angst explosions.  I was surprised at how realistic this feels even 30 years after it was created.  It was an odd experience to see the whole things instead of random pieces here and there. I was also kind of surprised at how family friendly the level of violence was.

b Mawaru Penguindrum: I adore this series.  It will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I suspect that those who liked other works by these creators (Utena) will find much to love here.  Heartbreaking interpersonal relationships wrapped up in stage-y sets mixed in with art film camera angles, all crammed so full of symbolism that you can't look away for even a minute.  I suspect this will never in a million years be licensed, which is sad because I want to buy it and re-watch it.  Even though I knew there was no way for everyone to get a happy ending (for a while there I wasn't sure if anyone would), and even though it has its moments of nigh incomprehensibility, I really loved it even when it was breaking my heart.  "What will be left of you after you burn yourself to ashes for her a hundred times?"  Oh, I was afraid to find out, too . . .  Great, weird music, too.  Clever as all get out.
Here's a reference to a weird real-life inspiration for part of the show.  Here's a review of the first episode.  Here's an episode-by-episode breakdown of all the symbolism.  Don't you dare read it until after you've seen the whole show.  Of course, then you will want to see it again when you can use the pause button a lot . . .

b Redline:  This was MANime at its best, laden with adrenalin, testosterone, fanservice, and, er, romance?  Things blew up, laws of physics were mocked, cars went fast, and there was even some kissing.  This one begs to be seen on a large screen in high definition probably with good-natured friends in laid-back moods accompanied by popcorn and caffeinated beverages.  There are almost no words to describe how weird this one is, and it left me feeling sort of embarrassed and elated and like I should drive very slowly to compensate . . .  Caution, this movie has "significant objectionable content" as one site says.

What I watched in April: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Arakawa Under the Bridge 2: Possibly the funniest moment yet was the "Justin Beaver" conversation.  I love how this story walks the line between these people are just insane and this is a fantasy.  It doesn't really walk it; it stomps decisively on either side of it repeatedly.  Oh, anime that can only be anime, you are entertaining.

b Blassreiter first half:  Holy cow, this CGI is terrible AND poorly integrated.  I didn't think this show was that old . . .  The first disc is terrible.  I hate the main character, and I'm glad he died.  (Yes, I still cried when it happened.)

"I would do it again and again and again if I thought it would make them stop picking on me." "Why aren't the ones who bullied Johann being punished?"  The good stuff is the drama about outsiders and bullying and the poor and the outcasts.  "Power has finally come to the just." Power corrupts.  "Nobody ever came for Johann or I when we needed help."  "I won't let anyone bully the weak anymore."

"Is that justice for the wicked?  All I see is someone suffering in pain."  "So do you really feel satisfied now?"  "There wasn't a single life it was right for you to take."  "I really hated killing them even though they bullied Johan.  At first it felt good, but then I suddenly hated it.  My hands were covered in blood.  And I couldn't help Joseph either.  I guess I am a weakling after all."  We are actually quickly running out of living cast members.  I wonder how that's going to work out for the second half . . .  The first commentary was kind of a hoot.

b Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below: Makoto Shinkai strikes again.  This was a lovely movie.  It wasn't, you know, totally coherent or emotionally complex and brilliant, but it was quite beautiful for a road trip/coming of age movie.

b Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Oh, man.  Bring your silly hats and leave your pretentious, serious Gundam notions far behind you.  This was ridiculous and awesome and did I mention ridiculous?  Men spoke with their fists (and also a lot with their mouths)!  People died so many times.  There was a Gundam with a Windmill!  There was a  huge, cheating-filled martial arts tournament!  There were twists and turns!  There was even a (naked person) romantic conclusion. (?!)  I love self-aware directors who are just having a ball and are fully aware of their own weaknesses.  The G-Giles extra is actually pretty great.  It's a simple text transcription of an interview, but it's amusing and insightful and plainly silly.  And the English voice acting was delightfully overwrought.  It wasn't quite original Knights of the Zodiac dub quality, but by the end, the voice actors had stopped trying to understand it and were just letting fly no matter how leaden or ridiculous the dialogue was.  I laughed, I cried, sometimes at the same time . . .  Good stuff to play in the background while you clean, copy down book quotes, update your budget, or write.  Shining Finger forever, dudes!

What I watched in October: Digest Version

b Argentosoma: Shakespeare!  Caliban references!  The irritation of politicians toward scientists.  :)  Tragedy!  Characters with all sorts of hidden agendas!  And an extra episode that's actually a real bonus (since it gives backstory to the only character who didn't get it during the show)!  What would have made it better: an earlier clear mention of the fact that Hattie was in a coma for many years (then I wouldn't have been as annoyed as I was by her seemingly inexplicably childish behavior).  I must have only seen the first disc before I picked this series up, and I'm kind of sorry I waited so long to watch it all.  The suspense made me fly through the series (something I could do because of the good English dub, which lets me clean and sort things while I "watch" instead of having to drop everything to watch (something that's harder to justify when I'm busy with two jobs).  It's science fiction with somewhat realistic geopolitical and scientific crap mixed in, which gives it a slightly different flavor from many other mecha-type shows.  It also has an antiheroic protagonist.  He's far from sane after a rough first episode including a massive head injury, and he needs someone to blame (even if he doesn't choose his target based on airtight logic), so he chooses the only other survivor and plots a course for revenge.  Too bad that course intersects with someone who reminds him very much of the girl he once loved.

b Arjuna: Well, this could have been really something.  In the end, I am grateful that it was made simply because the astonishing Yoko Kanno soundtrack justifies its existence.  According to the extras, this was the most expensive music for a TV series ever paid for by Bandai (equivalent to what you'd normally pay for a feature film), and, boy, does it show.  Beautiful art but some terrible CGI.  There's actually a pretty cute Brad Swaile interview extra (among other less interesting ones).  There are lots of interviews with director Shoji Kawamori, and they give you some idea of why the final product is what it is. 

b Patlabor8 and 9:  Ah, Patlabor, I just love your police procedural office comedy giant robot vehicle laid back screwball wonderfulness.  I wish there were more of it here, but I will enjoy every bit we got.

b Petshop of Horrors:  There is something about that first horrific story with the rabbits that I remember from reading the first volume of the series.  It dances happily on the border of social commentary, gleefull and vicious and smearing blood everywhere.  If we give our kids everything they want, we turn them into monsters in the real world.  There isn't any flesh-eating-rabbit-tearing-out-of-one's-innards-in-spectacular-gory-horror in the real world, thank goodness, but the lesson stands, I think.  So don't watch this with a weak stomach.

Seen Escaflowne Lately? It's About Time . . .

My background viewing this last week as I cleaned and organized and graded easy things was the classic series Escaflowne, and it was just as good this time as the last few. It's available for an unbelievable price (thanks to all the folks like me who shelled out an unbelievable amount of money during the first release), so if you don't have it, I think it's time for a purchase and a viewing.

This show just moves.  There are no filler episodes at all.  There may be filler scenes, but every episode is doing heavy lifting, so those filler scenes are usually doing several things at once, too.  If you want an action fantasy that moves, you have found it.  Politics, war, defying fate, fantasy science, plot on a rampage, Isaac Newton?!

The music is fabulous.  Yoko Kanno strikes again.  Whoa.  I have the Escaflowne chant stuck in my head, and the opening pop theme song is even worthwhile.  "Is everybody this lonely when they fall in love?" asks the first line?  So appropriate to the show, and so singable.

The voice acting (English dub) is still pretty great.  The right amounts of surliness, awkwardness, bravado, coolness, craziness, annoyance, weirdness, sadness, etc. 

• Andrew Francis was wonderfully over-the-top as Dilandau (I've never heard him be bad in any role he's had). 
• Brian Drummond was elegant as Allen. 
• Kirby Morrow was pretty much just perfect as Van. 
• Kelly Sheridan put in a great performance as Hitomi. 
• Jocelyne Loewen as Merle was the perfect shade of annoying and sympathetic. 
• Michael Dobson as Dryden was kind of heart-melting. 
• Paul Dobson put in a compellingly tragic turn as Folken. 
• Alex Doduk made Prince Chid pretty much the most adorable child ever; the way he said "Hitomi" kind of turned my brain to goo.

Club Escaflowne extras with the Japanese voice actors and staff were a weird hoot.  They don't make extras like this any more, folks.

SPOILERS.  I've had this debate with serenetempest (my sibling) about the ending: I say it was perfect, and ST hates it.  In my opinion, things had to turn out that way.  It makes sense that they did.  I give them kudos for that ending because it was hard and sad, and I'm glad they didn't take the schlockey romance way out and do some forced happy ending that left me feeling irritated because it just didn't make sense.  I still cried a lot.  Just because it had to end that way doesn't mean it it's less of a tragedy.  That's old school Romanticism!  ST still prefers a happy ending.  I make sure to have the tissues handy. END SPOILERS

I will watch this show again.  I will talk it up to new anime viewers.  I will listen to the music and love it.  If you're even a casual fan of anime and fantasy, give it a(nother) whirl.  If you've already seen it, it's probably been too long since the last time.  If you've never seen it, now is the perfect time to take a trip to Gaia.

An entertaining review

Hooray for more Gundam 00!  Here's an excerpt from a review that was really fun to read.  (Thanks, Carl!)

"Gundam 00 doesn't rectify its shortcomings in this, the final leg of its first season, so much as it steamrolls them with brute narrative force. It's still populated by a platoon of unlikeable ciphers, its emotional engagement still never engages, and its dialogue continues to stink like a wet skunk ("I am Gundam!"). And yet, by the time this set comes crashing to a close, all of that is about as relevant as cavalry in a nuclear war."

The next sentence is even funnier.  I love reading hilarious, passionate reviews.  Be sure to check it out, especially if you don't like Gundam. 

Do you think part of a reviewer's job is to make the review itself entertaining?