Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Reprint the Final Volumes of Dunbine Petition

A rather important issue to me. No one should have to pay $100 - $400 dollars for a single DVD. The details can all be found on the petition site. Who knows if it'll work, but it can't hurt to try.

Reprint the Final Volumes of Dunbine Petition

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Evangelion Rebuild Trailer

Now that the trailer is out in a form that isn't just someone with a camera in the theater, I have this to say: Holy high quality Batman!



I'll be most curious to see what the fourth of the three movies will be like as it is reported to be an "all new ending"

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Random Musing(s) #2

Friend: Didn't you say you were going to talk about more than just anime with that blog of yours?
Nigoki: Indeed I did.

Friend: Well then, why haven't you? Maybe you could show something that you miss from being in Japan or something.

Nigoki: Ok


And that is how I arrived to where I am now. Indeed, there are things that after spending my Fall 2005 semester in Saitama, I can say I miss from Japan.

One thing that comes to mind is Vending Machines. - While their presence makes resisting temptation harder (I'm especially glad that I'm not a smoker, nor had any inclination to become while in Japan) they are particularly helpful on those humid days when you need something cool off with. On a walk that was only about 6-8minutes from the train station to my host parents' place, I would pass no less than 3 pairs of drink machines. (This doesn't include the machines on the train platform mind you) I became especially fond of many of the machines that offered cans of coffee. Available in warmed or cooled cans, and more varieties than one would ever think (Seriously it's insane) it makes getting caffeine fix, or just something to warm up/cool down with oh so much easier. The hardest part is resisting the urge at times. Most vending machines take 10 to 500 yen coins(the largest coin). Many of us Americans find it easy to forget the value in the coins with the largest coins we usually carry being a quarter, so only spending a few out of pocket doesn't feel like it's as much. Harder still is most machines take the smallest bill in Japanese currency too. You figure the American $1 bill is disposable. What about 1000 yen? At current rates that's about $8.18
But sometimes, it's worth giving into temptation. As for my favorite variety of canned coffee I'd have to agree with Suntory Boss's motto. It's the boss of them all.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Paranoia Agent

Wow.

Kon Satoshi's series Paranoia Agent is just as amazing as I hoped. I went in not knowing what to expect, and got exactly that; something that I couldn't have expected. One of the hardest things for me to do has been to get into a new anime title while it's aired on Adult Swim, I'd constantly miss episodes, or come in at mid-story and not be able to catch what's going on or gather who the characters were Paranoia Agent is one of these cases.

The series feels like a lot like a movie in the terms of how the plot moved along. It's clear that Kon is a movie maker first and foremost and that Paranoia Agent evolved out of ideas that could not be fit into films he was creating. The series might have sprouted from discarded ideas, but the work is far from trash.

As I said in my recent review of Kon's Paprika one his talents is blurring the line between the actual reality and the reality that is manifested only in someone's mind. This is very true in Paranoia Agent, in many different ways. There were times where I felt reminded of my when I first saw The Devil's Rejects, and I wasn't sure if I should be laughing hysterically or mortified at the scenes unfolding. The whole experience is a beautifully twisted tale that slowly branches out, seems to move into a disjointed set of stories, only to slowly bring it all back together at the end.

Again, Kon Satoshi knows how to leave an audience confused, bewildered, and totally lost, but at the same time, waiting anxiously to see where things will go.



Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite episodes: (A VERY close tie)
"Happy Family Planning"
"ETC"

Monday, July 2, 2007

Anime Music (Part 2: Opening Themes/sequences)

For the second part of my series of posts on different types of music in anime, I will be going through some of my favorite opening themes from anime series and films. I will try and give a little bit more background on some of my choices for this list.
Rules for Opening theme definition.
1-If it music from a series, it must be used more than once as the opening music for it to count as an opening them. (ie, titles that do not have title sequences, but jump right into things without using the same music do not have an Opening theme)
2-The theme does not need to have lyrics.

On to the opening themes!

1)
Sailor Moon - "Moonlight Densetsu"
(Dali performance)
Why I like it: Sailor Moon is what I consider to be my gateway into anime. I might have seen other titles before then, but stumbling on to Sailor Moon on TV some 12 or so years ago, I became interested. The story had more depth than I expected. While Dic made an English lyrics version of the song for the American release, the theme got me hooked, and when I finally heard the proper Japanese version, it was like hearing it for the first time all over again. This title sequence in particular catches my interest as it mixes the reality and the fantasy, and most importantly, shows one of the things I like most about the Sailor Moon story, the conflict between Usagi's destiny, and her desire to live a normal life.

2)
Captain Herlock The Endless Odyssey: Outside Legend - "The Endless Odyssey"

Why I like it: Another great vision of the Matsumoto Leiji character, Captain Herlock. This intro gives just the right feel for the epic seriousness of the titular character. It commands a respect and shows his motivation, but doesn't neglect his somewhat enigmatic nature as well.


3)
Otaku no Video - "Fight! Otaking!"

Why I like it: It's often said that we laugh the hardest when we laugh at ourselves. Gainax's two episode anime/mockumentary is a great example of this and it's opening theme is just the beginning of the hilarity.

4)
Cowboy Bebop the Movie (Knockin' on Heaven's door) - "Ask DNA"

Why I like it: It's a strangely addicting song, that gets stuck in your head unexpectedly. The sequence itself gives an interesting "passer by" perspective, bringing everything into perspective, that the characters are just a few people in a larger world.

5)
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade - "Jin-Roh Main Theme (opening version)"
[No clip available]

6)
Re: Cutie Honey - "Cutie Honey"
Why I like it: One of the best examples of not forgetting a title's roots has to be in all incarnations of Cutie Honey anime. Every new form gets a new version of the original theme performed by Maekawa Yoko (which can be found here) Kumi Koda's latest version keeps an upbeat feel to the song, and the art style really hearkens back to a the feeling of the original Nagai artwork. Even more so, it's clear that the new opening sequence is meant to be reminiscent of the original, but at the same time, give a fresh feel.

8)
Getter Robo - "Getter Robo"
Why I like it: More Nagai, it's just wonderfully classic.

9)
Gasaraki - "Message # 9"
Why I like it: Gasaraki is a series that has sort of faded and stayed rather obscure, but it's not that bad all in all if you don't mind the sometimes heavy handed cultural feel that comes up from time to time. "Message # 9" is really good choice for the opening theme as it has the right amount of haunting feel to it that matches the tone of the series. One of the more enjoyable aspects is watching the visuals change slightly for each title sequence. (An interestig simultaneous set of 16 can be found here)


10)
Naruto - "Haruka Kanata"
Why I like it: Love it, loathe it, or just not care about it, Naruto has become one of the bigger names in anime. I can't consider myself a fan, but I don't detest alot of what I've seen. One of the reasons this opening is a favorite of mine is because I was introduced to this song (as well as other music by the artist) at least a month before I found it in Anime. Asian Kung Fu Generation makes me think of Karaoke in Ikebukuro after going to see some Sumo bouts first and anime second. That's not to discount the quality of the animation sequence for the song. Just through what is shown, a great amount of detail for relationships between characters of the show gets displayed, and some of the shots are downright amazing to look at. (The spinning around the different trios is one in particular that always stands out to me)

This is just a sample, there's tons of anime titles out there, therefore, a ton of opening themes, however, these are just a few that stand out to me.

[Anime-Source] Black Lagoon Vol. 1

I was recently offered a staff writing position for Anime-Source.com through a friend who helps run things on the site.

My debut article, a review of the limited edition release of the first volume of Black Lagoon can be found here.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Random Musing(s) # 1

(These will be the places where I toss in thoughts that aren't really connected to any other pieces, but I feel are worth sharing)

A thought occurred to me today.
The English adaptation of Sailor Moon is what I consider to be my introduction to anime. I know I watched other things when I was younger, but Sailor Moon was the first time that I was watching anime, and realized that there was something more. A different art style, a deeper story. Something hooked me and I wanted to see more.

When it began airing on Boston's WLVI 56 (that's before it was even an affiliate of the WB) as part of its run in syndication, it was the summer of 1995. I was twelve. It's now 2007 and this August will mark twelve years since I started seeing anime being what one could consider a fan. I've been a fan of anime for almost half my life now. That's something deep right there.

It helped me get through the most difficult eight months of my life when my mother was ill with a brain tumor. (Although some credit must also be given to the Barenaked Ladies album, Stunt) It gave me something to hold on to when I was re-learning who I was in the months after she passed away. My love of it helped me make some of the best friends of my life, whether they're ones that have since gone separate paths from me, or hung around for the long haul. Even simpler, it's given me fun interesting conversations with people I've never seen prior or since. It got me interested in a culture that I didn't know much about, and put me on a plane to go immerse myself in it for three and a half months.

I can no longer say that anime is my only reason for my interest in Japanese culture, but for certain, it was my strongest push into things. I'd peered into it before, like a diver just before jumping off a board, I'd glanced into waters and taken a glimpse at what was visible right away, and had a few hints about what might be below the surface. But anime was what pushed me off and helped me take the plunge. And soon, I will be able to say with smile, that I've spent over half my life, watching, reading, learning about, and experiencing a medium that I found value in.