Past due viewings and musings

April (and a few days into May) was spent working on a self-imposed backlog of DVDs that I had borrowed from my roommate. The vast majority of them were things that I just never got around to watching before, partially because I never owned them, but thanks to a second library of anime DVDs in the apartment, there’s a lot more to see.

With a stack of 30 discs (plus one added later) I set to work, averaging about a disc a day. On queue in this list were (in no particular order)

- The third and fourth seasons of Ranma ½: While there were a few scattered episodes I’d seen, but for all intents and purposes, the seasons as wholes were new content. Ranma was one of my earliest anime titles, and as far as I can remember, the first non-televised series that I was recommended to me by a friend. There’s a very really sense of wanting to see the entire series at some point. With only two seasons and one feature length movie left, the goal is in sight, and I still laugh along with the episodes.

- Noir: It seems like ages ago that I first saw a fan made music video to Dido’s "Huntress" in a convention’s contest and was intrigued by it. While I wasn’t wowed but the series it wasn’t a bad ride. I was just left expecting a bit more bite at times.

- Dai-Guard: A mecha series that falls under the radar a lot, partially because it’s not groundbreaking or part of a well known franchise. All the same, it’s great series. Filled with a good deal more comedy than the average mecha fair, I found myself grinning a lot. Making fun of the over the top nature of some mecha shows, the Japanese work ethic, and the absurd levels that bureaucracy can create for itself. Two related themes within Dai-Guard that stood out to me. The first was a strong display of how people who have radically different personalities can still be good friends when under the banner of the same goals. (Most notable here are Shirota and Akagi.) The second is the nature of some people to help out despite unusual circumstances. In times when Dai-Guard is unusable, many of the characters associated with it find themselves drawn to taking actions to help and protect people. The opener for the series is really catchy to boot. I should also note that this is the first series directed by Mizushima Seiji that I’ve actually completed (I still need to finish Full Metal Alchemist and Gundam 00) however, with a record looking this good, I’m going to start looking for what others of his works are out there.

- Godannar: The second mecha show I put into the “to watch” stack. Two thirteen episode seasons that were filled with hot-blooded fight scenes, manly men, well endowed women, gave eye candy for everyone. The first eleven episodes left me feeling unattached to the story and really only enjoying the some of the more comedic parts of the show such as nods to previous anime classics, both mecha as well as others from different genres. However, the final story arc of the first season finally hooked me and my interest was definitely a lot higher in the second season. Characters seemed to gain a good deal more depth and the overarching plot finally began to shape itself into something less amorphous. In the final stretches of the show, one phrase stood out to me. On the subject of giant robots, one characters describes them as "the power of a god with the soul of a mortal". A fitting description that reminds me of what I use as my explanation for my love of the mecha genre; "it's not always about the gigantic war machines, but the people in control of them"

- Project A-Ko: A hilarious sci-fi comedy film that is often labeled as a classic, A-Ko is definitely worth sitting down to watch, even if half the time one has to scratch their head and process what he or she is witnessing. On my list of things to track down and watch now are the next installments, despite C-Ko being quite possibly the most annoying character ever conceived.

In the realm of new stuff, I’ve been following Macross Frontier eagerly. While the Macross franchise has never been toward the front of my mecha anime fortes (ask me to name more than three of the fighters from across the entire franchise and I’m in trouble) I still enjoy what I watch. Frontier has definitely stepped up and caught my attention. Like the first (and I hope second) half of Gundam 00 there are a lot of good elements that remind fans of the previous parts of the franchise why they enjoy what they’ve watched so much, but at the same time there are many elements that keep it fresh, interesting, and lead us to something new.

On tap to view soon:

- The last three DVDs of Full Metal Alchemist (top priority)

- Something by Kurosawa, (not sure what yet, but I think I’m in the mood to sit down and watch Dreams again)

- Lupin the III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini (if a promised late birthday present ever gets ordered)