I can't claim to be much of a writer, but I began Nihon Musings to give myself an outlet for anime and other Japan-related thoughts that stir in my mind at a frequency that to some might be considered unhealthy. Yet today Andrew decided to mention my small section of the internet in a post in his contribution of a meme that is going around. That being said, here are the rules of this meme.
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.
I don't follow many blogs at all, but there are a few that I try and read when I can.
1) Cinevistaramascope
Andrew's film comments and thoughts. From short thoughts in "The Trim Bin" to longer essasy with a lot of thought put into them all the way posts that are simply interesting title card from various films, the blog is a great chronicle of film. Seeing Andrew's work here is what got me interested in creating my own blog, so I owe him a lot of inspiration credit. One of the things that truly makes visiting Cinevistaramascope enjoyable is that even if I don't know nearly as much about the films being discussed, I'm not lost while going through the content. Perhaps what makes the blog even more interesting to read is that Andrew enjoys adding his own personal experiences to the contents as well, making it less robotic, and giving a small reminder that it's not a textbook or random article from a periodical, but rather a real person who just likes talking about film. Andrew and his wife Jess recently brought their daughter Luna into this world. I envy Luna a lot, she's going to be raised in a home that will bombard her with amazing films. Being able to grow up immersed is going to be an amazing childhood.
2) Gunota Headlines
Taking its title from the horrible Hong Kong bootleg version of "Gundam", Gunota Headlines is one of the best sources for new Gundam information as it comes out. RGZ and Neo-Era do an impressive job of covering not only Japanese, and American Gundam news, but plenty of other countries too, including stuff from other Asian nations. They welcome others to pass along stories to them as well (Yours truly was credited with informing them about Imagawa Yasuhiro's accepetence as a guest for Anime Boston 2007). I probably would have only learned about the Zeta Gundam films' coming to the Chicago International Film Festival along with Tomino Yoshiyuki as an after thought if not for Gunota. From DVD releases, to new model kits, Gunota's been a great source for just seeing where things are going for an anime title that is quickly approaching its 30th year.
3) BoingBoing
A self proclaimed "Directory of Wonderful things", BoingBoing gets a great amount of just random neat links of fun things to check out online. Sometimes BB will toss out some political thoughts, sometimes it's just "Hey check out this neat sculpture someone made, it's a steampunk computer monitor!"
4) Con Chowder
No, that's not a typo. That's Anime Boston's new (for 2007) blog that posted various updates, and summaries during the convention and following it. I've gotten to know the head contributer and organizer, Rick Healey, through my time at AB, and he's just a fun guy, he takes his fun personality and puts it into the blog entries, not making things too seriously, but yet at the same time, he gets the right details mentioned, and writes things in way that gives you the right feeling for what it's like to be immearesed in an anime convention.
5) Sorry, I don't have a fifth one, so I'm just going to plug Cinevistaramascope again because frankly, it really is the blog I read that gets me thinking the most. This past weekend I went to go see Paprika (more on the film later) and saw copies of El Topo for sale. Right away, my mind went to Andrew's blog. I kicked myself later for not grabbing a copy on my way out. I have yet to experience a time where I've regretted watching something suggested by Andrew. He taught me more about what to look for when I want to declare a film "good" than any film professor at MCLA ever could.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
What I need to rewatch before '08
Aside from this latest set, I haven't been doing these Nihon Musings articles as often as I'd hoped, but to those of you who take the time to read them when I do get the chance to jot down some thoughts, thanks.
With 2007 nearly half over, I've gotten some great viewing in already. (It's amazing how not having homework anymore frees up one's schedule to get more viewing time done) But with the year moving as fast as it has, I've only really had a chance to focus on new additions to the ever growing list of titles I've watched. That being the case, I've decided to make a list of titles that I feel I should set aside some time to review for myself. It's a decent if I do say so myself. I might not get through everything, but I'd like to think I'll get at least 2/3 of the list taken care of before the date rolls over into '08. Let's see what the list looks so far, I would not be surprised if there's more additions made before the year is done.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (including movies)
In 2006 a committed an act of negligence that could only be classified as a sin by in action. Since discovering it in the fall of 1999, I've watched that which I've considered my favorite anime series a minimum of once a year. In 2006, primarily due to just buckling down and getting to work with the remainder of my time at college and readying for the move into real person status, I never got around to watch Eva. While Gainax's latest mecha creation, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, has potential to take Eva's title away (a comment I do not make lightly), Eva has been a favorite for so long and after finishing it, I always feel a sense of refreshment, an affirmation if you will, that it's because of stuff like Eva that I enjoy anime so much.
X (TV series)
Thanks to recent lucky finds the goal of having all of the X DVDs from the first R1 release with their limited edition slip cases is within reach. I think I owe it to myself to affirm that the hunt was worthwhile by watching everything. It's also been a few years since I finished my first time through the series, and I know I'm more than a little rusty on the names, relationships and events.
Fushigi Yuugi
FY was my introduction into the Watase Yuu's amazing stories, it's been over four years since I watched this series, and after remembering how much Watase is able to wow me, I think FY would be good for a reviewing. This past fall I managed to get the entire series thanks to the massive Geneon titles sale by The Right Stuf, but the DVDs still sit in my rack, unwatched. I purchase anime to watch it, not let it simply look pretty on a shelf.
Gundam Wing, Gundam SEED, or Turn A Gundam.
I've recently given Zeta Gundam a great deal of attention, but all three of these titles are good for different reasons, I could stand for a refresher on any one of them. Right now I'm leaning most heavily towards Wing, especially since I see the trailers for it on another set of DVDs on a series on this list…
The Vision of Escaflowne (TV series and movie)
Mecha and shoujo seldom mixed so well. It's another title that I finally filled the missing gaps in my collection of, and once again, I'm a bit rusty. I'm also trying to track down all of Aura Battler Dunbine, which is an older mix of mecha and fantasy. If I can manage it, seeing both close together would create some interesting means for comparison. Escaflowne is the series that has kicked off my work on this list. Already I'm remembering just how quickly the story gets intense.
FLCL
Six episodes of pure awesome. In that short time frame an amazing amount of stuff is packed in. I never regret sitting down and going through this series in an afternoon or evening.
Saikano (Anime and/or Manga)
For even fuller details, see my entry on this title, suffice to say both times I went through this title, (once in anime, once in manga) it just grabbed me. It's a such a potent story and should not just be set aside and forgotten.
Mai - HiME
I've been considering writing a musings piece on this series since I first decided to start writing down the musings. I know I've forgotten a lot, so I want a refresher before I sit down to discuss things. The story is rather solid too. With the final Region 1 volume recently released, I have little excuse to not go forth and remember just how crazy the plot gets. Nothing I like more than a story that really knows how to break its characters.
With 2007 nearly half over, I've gotten some great viewing in already. (It's amazing how not having homework anymore frees up one's schedule to get more viewing time done) But with the year moving as fast as it has, I've only really had a chance to focus on new additions to the ever growing list of titles I've watched. That being the case, I've decided to make a list of titles that I feel I should set aside some time to review for myself. It's a decent if I do say so myself. I might not get through everything, but I'd like to think I'll get at least 2/3 of the list taken care of before the date rolls over into '08. Let's see what the list looks so far, I would not be surprised if there's more additions made before the year is done.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (including movies)
In 2006 a committed an act of negligence that could only be classified as a sin by in action. Since discovering it in the fall of 1999, I've watched that which I've considered my favorite anime series a minimum of once a year. In 2006, primarily due to just buckling down and getting to work with the remainder of my time at college and readying for the move into real person status, I never got around to watch Eva. While Gainax's latest mecha creation, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, has potential to take Eva's title away (a comment I do not make lightly), Eva has been a favorite for so long and after finishing it, I always feel a sense of refreshment, an affirmation if you will, that it's because of stuff like Eva that I enjoy anime so much.
X (TV series)
Thanks to recent lucky finds the goal of having all of the X DVDs from the first R1 release with their limited edition slip cases is within reach. I think I owe it to myself to affirm that the hunt was worthwhile by watching everything. It's also been a few years since I finished my first time through the series, and I know I'm more than a little rusty on the names, relationships and events.
Fushigi Yuugi
FY was my introduction into the Watase Yuu's amazing stories, it's been over four years since I watched this series, and after remembering how much Watase is able to wow me, I think FY would be good for a reviewing. This past fall I managed to get the entire series thanks to the massive Geneon titles sale by The Right Stuf, but the DVDs still sit in my rack, unwatched. I purchase anime to watch it, not let it simply look pretty on a shelf.
Gundam Wing, Gundam SEED, or Turn A Gundam.
I've recently given Zeta Gundam a great deal of attention, but all three of these titles are good for different reasons, I could stand for a refresher on any one of them. Right now I'm leaning most heavily towards Wing, especially since I see the trailers for it on another set of DVDs on a series on this list…
The Vision of Escaflowne (TV series and movie)
Mecha and shoujo seldom mixed so well. It's another title that I finally filled the missing gaps in my collection of, and once again, I'm a bit rusty. I'm also trying to track down all of Aura Battler Dunbine, which is an older mix of mecha and fantasy. If I can manage it, seeing both close together would create some interesting means for comparison. Escaflowne is the series that has kicked off my work on this list. Already I'm remembering just how quickly the story gets intense.
FLCL
Six episodes of pure awesome. In that short time frame an amazing amount of stuff is packed in. I never regret sitting down and going through this series in an afternoon or evening.
Saikano (Anime and/or Manga)
For even fuller details, see my entry on this title, suffice to say both times I went through this title, (once in anime, once in manga) it just grabbed me. It's a such a potent story and should not just be set aside and forgotten.
Mai - HiME
I've been considering writing a musings piece on this series since I first decided to start writing down the musings. I know I've forgotten a lot, so I want a refresher before I sit down to discuss things. The story is rather solid too. With the final Region 1 volume recently released, I have little excuse to not go forth and remember just how crazy the plot gets. Nothing I like more than a story that really knows how to break its characters.
Wings of Honneamise
The other night I took some time to sit down and watch Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise, a classic that I'd wanted to get a hold of for some time, and finally did. The works of the anime studio, Gainax, never seem to disappoint me, and this film is no exception.
Wings of Honneamise, creates a fictional Earth that is not too far from our own. The social, political, and technological feel for the setting create an era similar to that of the early twentieth century, near the start of the First World War, the only major difference being the beginnings of a space program, which the central focus of the plot revolves around.
We are introduced to Shirotsugh Lhadatt, a young man who is looking for his calling in life, a reason to make his days feel less than lackluster. Through his own meanderings, he has found himself in the Royal Space Force, a group of men that is closer to being a pack of bored has-beens (or perhaps even never-weres) than the beginnings of a new branch of their nation's military. All seem content with their do-nothing days of obscurity, but with the recent death of a member due to an accident in testing, Shirotsugh finds himself trying to find worth in an existence that has become meaningless.
A chance encounter with a girl, Riquinni Nonderaikom spouting religious guidance to uninterested masses brings Shirotsugh to start thinking about his role in everything around him.
The story of Wings of Honneamise unfolds at a rate that changes time and again throughout the course of the film. Sometimes events move at blinding pace, other moments seem to get drawn out, giving the audience a chance to drink things in a bit more.
The film is an incredible work and as one of Gainax's earliest creations as a studio, it shows that the group working to create it really had a grasp on what makes a good film. It is part of human nature to every so often try and remember what goal is driving us, telling us to move forward, and Honneamise captures this need for motivation in a way that is totally unique. The film's climax and ending close things in just the right manner, and leave the audience reflecting on everything that they watched transpire over the course of those two hours.
It is something of a shame that the Region 1 release of Wings of Honneamise is something that has all but vanished from existence. While the video quality compared to the Region 2 Japanese release is tough to swallow (a comparison can be seen here), the release did have dual language, and even commentary by the creators available as an audio and subtitle track. Personally, I'd like to think that Manga Entertainment realized how great the film was, and went to bring it out as soon as they could, but it was just at the beginning of the boom for Anime in America, so it fell under the radar. While their license of the film has apparently expired, I'd like to hope that another company tries to pick it up and get a more worthwhile Region 1 release. Bandai Visual, the company who is also known as Honeamise, I'm looking at you!
Edit: I guess we're moving in the right direction after all, but I'd still like to see a regular DVD release too. HD and Blu-Ray are nice, but I don't see the average anime fan being close to owning one yet. This could very well be the same problem that hurt the film the first time it got released here, it came too soon.
Wings of Honneamise, creates a fictional Earth that is not too far from our own. The social, political, and technological feel for the setting create an era similar to that of the early twentieth century, near the start of the First World War, the only major difference being the beginnings of a space program, which the central focus of the plot revolves around.
We are introduced to Shirotsugh Lhadatt, a young man who is looking for his calling in life, a reason to make his days feel less than lackluster. Through his own meanderings, he has found himself in the Royal Space Force, a group of men that is closer to being a pack of bored has-beens (or perhaps even never-weres) than the beginnings of a new branch of their nation's military. All seem content with their do-nothing days of obscurity, but with the recent death of a member due to an accident in testing, Shirotsugh finds himself trying to find worth in an existence that has become meaningless.
A chance encounter with a girl, Riquinni Nonderaikom spouting religious guidance to uninterested masses brings Shirotsugh to start thinking about his role in everything around him.
The story of Wings of Honneamise unfolds at a rate that changes time and again throughout the course of the film. Sometimes events move at blinding pace, other moments seem to get drawn out, giving the audience a chance to drink things in a bit more.
The film is an incredible work and as one of Gainax's earliest creations as a studio, it shows that the group working to create it really had a grasp on what makes a good film. It is part of human nature to every so often try and remember what goal is driving us, telling us to move forward, and Honneamise captures this need for motivation in a way that is totally unique. The film's climax and ending close things in just the right manner, and leave the audience reflecting on everything that they watched transpire over the course of those two hours.
It is something of a shame that the Region 1 release of Wings of Honneamise is something that has all but vanished from existence. While the video quality compared to the Region 2 Japanese release is tough to swallow (a comparison can be seen here), the release did have dual language, and even commentary by the creators available as an audio and subtitle track. Personally, I'd like to think that Manga Entertainment realized how great the film was, and went to bring it out as soon as they could, but it was just at the beginning of the boom for Anime in America, so it fell under the radar. While their license of the film has apparently expired, I'd like to hope that another company tries to pick it up and get a more worthwhile Region 1 release. Bandai Visual, the company who is also known as Honeamise, I'm looking at you!
Edit: I guess we're moving in the right direction after all, but I'd still like to see a regular DVD release too. HD and Blu-Ray are nice, but I don't see the average anime fan being close to owning one yet. This could very well be the same problem that hurt the film the first time it got released here, it came too soon.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Gundam Double O...HELL.... YEAH!
(From Gunota Headlines)
A very short promo appeared after today's episode of TBS/MBS' "Toward The Terra" announcing a new Gundam series. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (Double Oh) is set to air at 6pm on Oct 2007. The official site is up providing a streaming promo.
Known details are:Setting - 2307 AD ("seireki", Japanese for "anno domini")Characters - 4 Gundam Meisters, who pilot the mobile weapons.Factions - Solestal Beings (not real sure on the English name right now), a private militia group whose purpose is to eradicate wars.
...
Rumors about the series have been going around Japanese message boards for some time, especially after Sunrise registered several Gundam00 domains. The proclamation that the setting would neither be in the Universal Century of the original nor the Cosmic Era of Gundam SEED, as stated by Sunrise's Yasuo Miyakawa, seems to have been followed through with. Staff members are yet to be confirmed although the most persistent rumor is that the series will be directed by Fullmetal Alchemist's Seiji Mizushima.
This is of course, awesome news. It's interesting to see the first Gundam series actually set in AD, and not a fictional era. The classic Universal Century, while generally good, has been tapped into alot, and the Cosmic Era timeline seemed to fall apart as Gundam SEED Destiny fell further and further into favoring easy to write old characters instead of building up really good new characters, and just too much fell apart. The further Fukuda is from the Gundam name, the better, it needs time to heal and become the "real" feeling show that was what originally intended.
I regret that I've yet to watch all but two full episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist, but the prospect of Mizushina Seiji has me hopeful. If something like FMA can be as successful as it was under his direction, I will be optimistic about what he can do for the Gundam franchise.
The brief views of new mecha designs seem eye catching enough, and seem to have a hint of the Turn A Gundam's design, which looks neat. It's always neat to see something that looks so little like a Gundam, but is instantly recognizable as one. Perhaps the most notable difference is the absence of two vents in the "mouth" areas of the new designs. It's a subtle change, but adds just the right amount of difference. Perhaps the strangest thing about the new Gundams, is that there are four. I would have expected 1 or 5, as has become the norm over the years. (Aside from G, but that's a special case, and even then the Shuffle Alliance were the 5 "main" Gundams)
Finally, the character designs look good too. The Cosmic Era seemed to lack much difference in faces aside from different skin tones and hair color/style. Everyone seems to look different enough. What's the drawback about all this though? It's another thing Japan related to make me want the Fall to arrive sooner. Here's hoping for another great show.
"Rebirth begins through destruction"
A very short promo appeared after today's episode of TBS/MBS' "Toward The Terra" announcing a new Gundam series. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (Double Oh) is set to air at 6pm on Oct 2007. The official site is up providing a streaming promo.
Known details are:Setting - 2307 AD ("seireki", Japanese for "anno domini")Characters - 4 Gundam Meisters, who pilot the mobile weapons.Factions - Solestal Beings (not real sure on the English name right now), a private militia group whose purpose is to eradicate wars.
...
Rumors about the series have been going around Japanese message boards for some time, especially after Sunrise registered several Gundam00 domains. The proclamation that the setting would neither be in the Universal Century of the original nor the Cosmic Era of Gundam SEED, as stated by Sunrise's Yasuo Miyakawa, seems to have been followed through with. Staff members are yet to be confirmed although the most persistent rumor is that the series will be directed by Fullmetal Alchemist's Seiji Mizushima.
This is of course, awesome news. It's interesting to see the first Gundam series actually set in AD, and not a fictional era. The classic Universal Century, while generally good, has been tapped into alot, and the Cosmic Era timeline seemed to fall apart as Gundam SEED Destiny fell further and further into favoring easy to write old characters instead of building up really good new characters, and just too much fell apart. The further Fukuda is from the Gundam name, the better, it needs time to heal and become the "real" feeling show that was what originally intended.
I regret that I've yet to watch all but two full episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist, but the prospect of Mizushina Seiji has me hopeful. If something like FMA can be as successful as it was under his direction, I will be optimistic about what he can do for the Gundam franchise.
The brief views of new mecha designs seem eye catching enough, and seem to have a hint of the Turn A Gundam's design, which looks neat. It's always neat to see something that looks so little like a Gundam, but is instantly recognizable as one. Perhaps the most notable difference is the absence of two vents in the "mouth" areas of the new designs. It's a subtle change, but adds just the right amount of difference. Perhaps the strangest thing about the new Gundams, is that there are four. I would have expected 1 or 5, as has become the norm over the years. (Aside from G, but that's a special case, and even then the Shuffle Alliance were the 5 "main" Gundams)
Finally, the character designs look good too. The Cosmic Era seemed to lack much difference in faces aside from different skin tones and hair color/style. Everyone seems to look different enough. What's the drawback about all this though? It's another thing Japan related to make me want the Fall to arrive sooner. Here's hoping for another great show.
"Rebirth begins through destruction"
Monday, April 16, 2007
Remembering the Episodic
It's amazing how when one dives into the depths of serious amounts of anime and manga, how their perceptions of stories change. Many anime titles are contained to around 13, 26, or 50 episodes, with some exceptions. As fans dive deeper, they often can find themselves estranged to the typical western storytelling in television shows, losing interest because the overlaying story is nearly non-existent, or irrelevant. One of the popular reasons to cite for anime and manga's superiority over conventional western film, TV, and comics, is ability of their stories to actually end.
Sometimes there are exceptions, such as Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, Naruto, and Bleach*, where the plot continues at a snail's pace, or even more disheartening, filler material is produced for the anime while the manga work it is based on has a chance to buildup more story material for the anime to work off of. Yet, there are exceptions. Some of the greatest anime titles are ones in which the story has nowhere to go. Takahashi Rumiko's more recent Inuyasha may be at fault for having an overlaying story that takes forever and a day to tell because it is constantly sidetracked, yet her earlier classic, Ranma ½ is almost entirely episodic in its stories, and it does not suffer at all. A romantic sitcom, with stories only lasting a few episodes here and there, the overall plot in Ranma is pretty simple to grasp. So long as one knows the core characters, they can jump into any of the small story arcs and not be lost.
This weekend I took to watching two of the Lupin III movies, Farewell to Nostradamus, and Dead or Alive. Lupin is considered a classic manga and anime title, with over 30 years behind it. Perhaps what makes it so successful is its ability to stay strictly episodic. As long as one knows Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata, the story can be picked up rather quickly. To further bolster the episode-by-episode nature of the exploits of these characters, the relationships between these characters and their personalities are easy to pick up on rather quickly as well.
While it is important to know how to make a story go somewhere, the complaint of stories that go nowhere is sometimes misused. Titles like Ranma ½, Lupin III, and Keroro Gunso are effective because they are virtually independent entities. What's my point? Knowing how to end a story and prevent it from dragging on is extremely important, but at the same time, we must not forget that sometimes all that is needed to tell a story is a single episode.
* Do not get me wrong, I think these shows are with their merits, but their plots do tend to take longer to tell.
Last Tuesday I was able to attend a short seminar, Japanese Anime and the Global Imagination, with both Ian Condry and Susan Napier discussing things. It was a very interesting panel, and I hope to have a write up on this coming soon.
Sometimes there are exceptions, such as Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, Naruto, and Bleach*, where the plot continues at a snail's pace, or even more disheartening, filler material is produced for the anime while the manga work it is based on has a chance to buildup more story material for the anime to work off of. Yet, there are exceptions. Some of the greatest anime titles are ones in which the story has nowhere to go. Takahashi Rumiko's more recent Inuyasha may be at fault for having an overlaying story that takes forever and a day to tell because it is constantly sidetracked, yet her earlier classic, Ranma ½ is almost entirely episodic in its stories, and it does not suffer at all. A romantic sitcom, with stories only lasting a few episodes here and there, the overall plot in Ranma is pretty simple to grasp. So long as one knows the core characters, they can jump into any of the small story arcs and not be lost.
This weekend I took to watching two of the Lupin III movies, Farewell to Nostradamus, and Dead or Alive. Lupin is considered a classic manga and anime title, with over 30 years behind it. Perhaps what makes it so successful is its ability to stay strictly episodic. As long as one knows Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata, the story can be picked up rather quickly. To further bolster the episode-by-episode nature of the exploits of these characters, the relationships between these characters and their personalities are easy to pick up on rather quickly as well.
While it is important to know how to make a story go somewhere, the complaint of stories that go nowhere is sometimes misused. Titles like Ranma ½, Lupin III, and Keroro Gunso are effective because they are virtually independent entities. What's my point? Knowing how to end a story and prevent it from dragging on is extremely important, but at the same time, we must not forget that sometimes all that is needed to tell a story is a single episode.
* Do not get me wrong, I think these shows are with their merits, but their plots do tend to take longer to tell.
Last Tuesday I was able to attend a short seminar, Japanese Anime and the Global Imagination, with both Ian Condry and Susan Napier discussing things. It was a very interesting panel, and I hope to have a write up on this coming soon.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Arcadia of My Youth
In my experience, one of the indicators of good storytelling is a well done portrayal of true friends. When executed correctly, friendship in stories is creates a feeling of empathy that no other feeling comes close to matching. Perhaps it is this is due to the fact that friendship can bring out both the best and the worst attitudes in us. A true friendship will not only have the good times, but the more irritating ones as well. While they might make us laugh and glad to be where we are with them, they also can irritate us like no one else. There are countless examples in manga and anime, some of my personal favorites include Lupin, Goemon, and Jigen from the Lupin III stories, Spike and Jet from Cowboy Bebop (perhaps one of the best points in the entire series come from their final scene together) and most recently, Eikichi and Ryuji from Shonan Junai Gumi.
It is during the quest to understand and find one's own sense of self that he or she inevitably finds their true friends along the way, admiring in others what is sought for in their own self. At the core of Matsumoto Leiji's classic film Arcadia of My Youth, are these two universal themes, the bonds of friendship, and the search for one's own identity.
The film opens with the distant ancestor of Captain Harlock narrating his memoirs which depicting his attempt to fly past the most dangerous pass on earth in a small plane. Inititally admitting defeat, Phantom F. Harlock decides to attempt the deed, by greatly increasing the risk after dumping his surplus fuel, but also granting him a possibility to greatly increase the reward.
Flash forward to centuries in the future, a battered and defeated battleship, captained by the enigmatic man Harlock returns to Earth, and is forced to submit to the new rule of conquering forces. But this is merely the beginning. Harlock who has seemingly lost all that he once fought for, begins a rebirth, or perhaps his true self emerges. The film moves to show the events that move Harlock from a defeated man, to an identity of true resolve. His resolve is most prominent in his sense of honor, which manifests itself in both fierce loyalty to those he calls friends, and intense wrath anyone who would do him or his friends wrong.
This sense of honor is further brought forward later, when a leader of the power controlling Earth, the Illumidas Empire, seeks to challenge Harlock to a duel, not as members of opposing forces, but as two men. A subordinate of the leader questions this choice, and takes aim at Harlock. Upon seeking agreement from him the leader simply responds to the subordinate, "You're the one who aimed your gun. You finish this" leaving him to take responsibility for his own actions.
If there are things that particularly stand out in Arcadia of My Youth which is already an amazing film on the whole it would be the following two things. After their initial encounter, it is revealed that ancestors of Harlock and Tochiro were friends at the end of World War II, making it seem as if the two were destined to become friends, a concept that works well to show the nature of friendship. Many of us have those friends who not longer after meeting, seem to be simply feel like they were meant to be our friends.
The second would be the Matsumoto's meaning for the use of Skull and Crossbones as a symbol by which Harlock lives. It is not meant to induce fear. Rather it is a symbol of living by one's own ideals, and not simply adhering to the conventional or enforced norm. Harlock is a pirate because he chooses his own path and fights for what he feels to be just and worth contesting.
Overall Rating: 10/10
"At the end of their lives, all men look back and think that their youth was arcadia."
-Goethe
It is during the quest to understand and find one's own sense of self that he or she inevitably finds their true friends along the way, admiring in others what is sought for in their own self. At the core of Matsumoto Leiji's classic film Arcadia of My Youth, are these two universal themes, the bonds of friendship, and the search for one's own identity.
The film opens with the distant ancestor of Captain Harlock narrating his memoirs which depicting his attempt to fly past the most dangerous pass on earth in a small plane. Inititally admitting defeat, Phantom F. Harlock decides to attempt the deed, by greatly increasing the risk after dumping his surplus fuel, but also granting him a possibility to greatly increase the reward.
Flash forward to centuries in the future, a battered and defeated battleship, captained by the enigmatic man Harlock returns to Earth, and is forced to submit to the new rule of conquering forces. But this is merely the beginning. Harlock who has seemingly lost all that he once fought for, begins a rebirth, or perhaps his true self emerges. The film moves to show the events that move Harlock from a defeated man, to an identity of true resolve. His resolve is most prominent in his sense of honor, which manifests itself in both fierce loyalty to those he calls friends, and intense wrath anyone who would do him or his friends wrong.
This sense of honor is further brought forward later, when a leader of the power controlling Earth, the Illumidas Empire, seeks to challenge Harlock to a duel, not as members of opposing forces, but as two men. A subordinate of the leader questions this choice, and takes aim at Harlock. Upon seeking agreement from him the leader simply responds to the subordinate, "You're the one who aimed your gun. You finish this" leaving him to take responsibility for his own actions.
If there are things that particularly stand out in Arcadia of My Youth which is already an amazing film on the whole it would be the following two things. After their initial encounter, it is revealed that ancestors of Harlock and Tochiro were friends at the end of World War II, making it seem as if the two were destined to become friends, a concept that works well to show the nature of friendship. Many of us have those friends who not longer after meeting, seem to be simply feel like they were meant to be our friends.
The second would be the Matsumoto's meaning for the use of Skull and Crossbones as a symbol by which Harlock lives. It is not meant to induce fear. Rather it is a symbol of living by one's own ideals, and not simply adhering to the conventional or enforced norm. Harlock is a pirate because he chooses his own path and fights for what he feels to be just and worth contesting.
Overall Rating: 10/10
"At the end of their lives, all men look back and think that their youth was arcadia."
-Goethe
Monday, March 12, 2007
Ayashi no Ceres [Anime]
Watase Yuu's greatest talent in her method of storytelling is knowing how to make the proverbial shit hit the fan for her characters. Yet, the twists and turns are done in such a way that it's not simply sending the plot into melodrama, or such that we come to expect everything to go bad. The stories keep moving along.
My first exposure to Watase's work was Fusghigi Yugi, almost four full years ago. I found myself enthralled with the fantasy of the story and attached to the characters in the plot pretty quickly. I think my record was 10 straight episodes of the series in one day. Since then however, I'd only heard the names of a few of Watase's works, never actually watching them. I am glad to say that recently I fixed this error.
Thanks to a loan from a fellow Anime Boston staff member, this past week I went through Ayashi no Ceres, [Ceres, Celestial Legend]. Not long after starting the series, one question came to mind, "Why didn't anyone who knows this series insist I watch this?" Watase's mix of lighthearted comedy, shoujo romance, and intense action make Ceres a story that grabs a hold of you quickly, and doesn't let go until the very end.
The story starts off in what just seems to be some typical days of in the lives of a brother and sister pair of twins, Aya and Aki Mikage, as they reach their sixteenth birthday. Aya and Aki seem to be just normal kids, living a happy existence. All that comes to a screeching halt as Aya seems to miraculously escape a near-death experience and the pair is instructed to come to their grandfather's mansion on the day of their birthday. Things go from strange to downright mysterious as the two note all the adult relatives in their extended family are also gathering at the house as well.
Before they understand what is happening, mysterious powers awaken in Aya, and the family moves to protect Aki, and shuns Aya, even going as far to try and kill her; and that's just the beginning of the intense plot of Ceres. Past lives, searches for love, amazingly intense action, and all sorts of events continue to move the plot of the Ceres along. Little can be taken for granted in this twenty-four episode anime. All that can be expected are incredible twists and turns that showcase Watase's ability to really make her characters ordeals both vividly imaginative as well as believable. If one thing in the entire story of Ayashi no Ceres that shows Watase's storytelling talent better than her amazing twists and turns; it's her ability to bring all these twists back around at the end, giving her story proper closure.
"When the sixteen stars and moons come around, you will know where your fate would lead you. When I foresee are blood, anger, and tragedy..."
My first exposure to Watase's work was Fusghigi Yugi, almost four full years ago. I found myself enthralled with the fantasy of the story and attached to the characters in the plot pretty quickly. I think my record was 10 straight episodes of the series in one day. Since then however, I'd only heard the names of a few of Watase's works, never actually watching them. I am glad to say that recently I fixed this error.
Thanks to a loan from a fellow Anime Boston staff member, this past week I went through Ayashi no Ceres, [Ceres, Celestial Legend]. Not long after starting the series, one question came to mind, "Why didn't anyone who knows this series insist I watch this?" Watase's mix of lighthearted comedy, shoujo romance, and intense action make Ceres a story that grabs a hold of you quickly, and doesn't let go until the very end.
The story starts off in what just seems to be some typical days of in the lives of a brother and sister pair of twins, Aya and Aki Mikage, as they reach their sixteenth birthday. Aya and Aki seem to be just normal kids, living a happy existence. All that comes to a screeching halt as Aya seems to miraculously escape a near-death experience and the pair is instructed to come to their grandfather's mansion on the day of their birthday. Things go from strange to downright mysterious as the two note all the adult relatives in their extended family are also gathering at the house as well.
Before they understand what is happening, mysterious powers awaken in Aya, and the family moves to protect Aki, and shuns Aya, even going as far to try and kill her; and that's just the beginning of the intense plot of Ceres. Past lives, searches for love, amazingly intense action, and all sorts of events continue to move the plot of the Ceres along. Little can be taken for granted in this twenty-four episode anime. All that can be expected are incredible twists and turns that showcase Watase's ability to really make her characters ordeals both vividly imaginative as well as believable. If one thing in the entire story of Ayashi no Ceres that shows Watase's storytelling talent better than her amazing twists and turns; it's her ability to bring all these twists back around at the end, giving her story proper closure.
"When the sixteen stars and moons come around, you will know where your fate would lead you. When I foresee are blood, anger, and tragedy..."
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