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
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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..."
Sunday, February 4, 2007
G Gundam
When I first learned the concept of G Gundam I was skeptical to say the least. Yet since I first learned of it, my interest grew, thanks in no small part to the wonders of the internet's ability to spread knowledge like wildfire and giving a means for people to shout out opinions. I was swayed enough to give G a chance. Finally, I got around to watching the whole series and not only had my expectations met, they were exceeded.
There are many scenes within G Gundam that have so much emotion behind them. Following the story from start to finish, the characters are very easy to get attached to. (And if you don't think Wong is an asshole by the end of things, something is seriously wrong with you) I don't want to spoil things, but the episodes that deal with the Battle Royale at the end of the tournament are particularly moving.
While I must admit, G is not without some flaws. Aside from main characters and a few others, Okawara Kunio's mechanical designs are basically playing cultural dress-up with the same basic Gundam design. Perhaps the worst sin against G is its English language release. In a time where I personally thought drastically altering names/context was nearing a true decline in America, the incredibly high amount of changes made was a tough pill to swallow. Bandai's only saving grace is that the subtitles for the Japanese audio on the region one DVDs are made to follow the Japanese names. I try and avoid telling people to whether or not to choose English dub or Japanese subtitle tracks as it is a matter of preference, however, because of all the name changes, I cannot help but want to tell more people to watch G subtitled.
G certainly has some glaring shortcomings, and avenues that make it different from so many other Gundam titles, that's all it is; different. I think people are too prone to overlooking the fact that G Gundam is the first time an alternate universe storyline had been made for Gundam. What made me like G was the very thing that makes many others detest its very existence, the fact that it is very different from what people have grown to define as "Gundam". Without a doubt, the genre shift from more of a war story into a fighting tale is tough to accept. Yet the shift is not so great that one should declassify G as a Gundam title. At its core, the story comes down to what every Gundam story does well, demonstarting that it's not the machines, but the people inside them that are the most important thing. G Gundam doesn't forget its roots, (as can be seen by many split-second cameos of Gundams from other more "classic" Gundam titles, and even one from the then yet-to-be-released Gundam Wing), it simply moves away from what was the norm until then. A prodigal son of Gundam.
Rating (8.5/10)
"This hand of mine is burning red! Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!"
There are many scenes within G Gundam that have so much emotion behind them. Following the story from start to finish, the characters are very easy to get attached to. (And if you don't think Wong is an asshole by the end of things, something is seriously wrong with you) I don't want to spoil things, but the episodes that deal with the Battle Royale at the end of the tournament are particularly moving.
While I must admit, G is not without some flaws. Aside from main characters and a few others, Okawara Kunio's mechanical designs are basically playing cultural dress-up with the same basic Gundam design. Perhaps the worst sin against G is its English language release. In a time where I personally thought drastically altering names/context was nearing a true decline in America, the incredibly high amount of changes made was a tough pill to swallow. Bandai's only saving grace is that the subtitles for the Japanese audio on the region one DVDs are made to follow the Japanese names. I try and avoid telling people to whether or not to choose English dub or Japanese subtitle tracks as it is a matter of preference, however, because of all the name changes, I cannot help but want to tell more people to watch G subtitled.
G certainly has some glaring shortcomings, and avenues that make it different from so many other Gundam titles, that's all it is; different. I think people are too prone to overlooking the fact that G Gundam is the first time an alternate universe storyline had been made for Gundam. What made me like G was the very thing that makes many others detest its very existence, the fact that it is very different from what people have grown to define as "Gundam". Without a doubt, the genre shift from more of a war story into a fighting tale is tough to accept. Yet the shift is not so great that one should declassify G as a Gundam title. At its core, the story comes down to what every Gundam story does well, demonstarting that it's not the machines, but the people inside them that are the most important thing. G Gundam doesn't forget its roots, (as can be seen by many split-second cameos of Gundams from other more "classic" Gundam titles, and even one from the then yet-to-be-released Gundam Wing), it simply moves away from what was the norm until then. A prodigal son of Gundam.
Rating (8.5/10)
"This hand of mine is burning red! Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!"
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Linda Linda Linda
As I decided when I began this blog, I'd try to write about more than simply anime and manga. That being the case, I now have a new film that I just came back from seeing not too long ago. One of the stops on the very limited run of the film Linda Linda Linda is the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Sq. On a whim I learned about the screening, but very quickly did my homework by reading the synopsis on the Brattle's homepage, as well as the English site for the film. Within a matter of moments I resigned myself to taking a trip down the Red Line to go see it. I was not disappointed at all.
Linda Linda Linda opens up with a shot of a random Japanese school girl filming a small documentary about the high school festival. She declares that these students will never grow up, and they will never forget themselves at this time. It's an opening that puts the rest of the film into perspective. For those of us who have lived through high school and moved past it, we already know how easily so much of it is left behind us, we want to tell the girl the harsh truth, but at the same time, know that we will either not believed, or will only crush spirits.
The film follows four high school girls who want to play a few songs in the rock festival portion of their high school's annual festival. With the loss of two members, Kyoko, Kei, and Nozomi are forced to re-organize their plans for performance and end up asking a Korean exchange student, Son, to join them as their vocalist. Hilarity ensues as the four attempt to learn to perform three songs by the group, The Blue Hearts, a group sometimes referred to as "the Japanese Ramones". (One of the best tongue-in-cheek moments of the film is a quick shot of the Ramones themselves.) Among the songs chosen is the song "Linda Linda" from which the film gets its name. Take it from me, it's a song that gets stuck in your head very easily, but you're quite glad it's there.
Some of the most amusing moments come from Son's interaction with people as she struggles to communicate. As a person who's spent time in Japan with little Japanese language ability, these scenes are particularly amusing. Son's dealing with one boy, Macky, as he struggles to profess love for her in Korean as she tries to politely decline in Japanese is one of best scenes of the film. The awkwardness of the spontaneous and somewhat inappropriate situation is made even more comical by the language barriers.
For only three days of plot, the story of Linda Linda Linda unfolds incredibly well. The pace is neither rushed, not stagnant. In some way, the declaration that these students will never grow up is true. The life ahead of them barely matters (if at all) , what is important is the right-now and the festival.
I cannot help but amused to some extent by this film in a different way. The 12th episode of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya heavily parodies, the plot from Linda Linda Linda. Seeing the source now, I have a greater appreciation for both. I need to sit down and re-watch the episode now.
For those of you in the Boston area, do yourself a favor. If you can fit it into your schedule; sometime between now and its last show at the Brattle on Jan. 18th, go see Linda Linda Linda and give yourself a good laugh.
Linda Linda Linda opens up with a shot of a random Japanese school girl filming a small documentary about the high school festival. She declares that these students will never grow up, and they will never forget themselves at this time. It's an opening that puts the rest of the film into perspective. For those of us who have lived through high school and moved past it, we already know how easily so much of it is left behind us, we want to tell the girl the harsh truth, but at the same time, know that we will either not believed, or will only crush spirits.
The film follows four high school girls who want to play a few songs in the rock festival portion of their high school's annual festival. With the loss of two members, Kyoko, Kei, and Nozomi are forced to re-organize their plans for performance and end up asking a Korean exchange student, Son, to join them as their vocalist. Hilarity ensues as the four attempt to learn to perform three songs by the group, The Blue Hearts, a group sometimes referred to as "the Japanese Ramones". (One of the best tongue-in-cheek moments of the film is a quick shot of the Ramones themselves.) Among the songs chosen is the song "Linda Linda" from which the film gets its name. Take it from me, it's a song that gets stuck in your head very easily, but you're quite glad it's there.
Some of the most amusing moments come from Son's interaction with people as she struggles to communicate. As a person who's spent time in Japan with little Japanese language ability, these scenes are particularly amusing. Son's dealing with one boy, Macky, as he struggles to profess love for her in Korean as she tries to politely decline in Japanese is one of best scenes of the film. The awkwardness of the spontaneous and somewhat inappropriate situation is made even more comical by the language barriers.
For only three days of plot, the story of Linda Linda Linda unfolds incredibly well. The pace is neither rushed, not stagnant. In some way, the declaration that these students will never grow up is true. The life ahead of them barely matters (if at all) , what is important is the right-now and the festival.
I cannot help but amused to some extent by this film in a different way. The 12th episode of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya heavily parodies, the plot from Linda Linda Linda. Seeing the source now, I have a greater appreciation for both. I need to sit down and re-watch the episode now.
For those of you in the Boston area, do yourself a favor. If you can fit it into your schedule; sometime between now and its last show at the Brattle on Jan. 18th, go see Linda Linda Linda and give yourself a good laugh.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Saikano
In my anime fandom, I try and avoid the absolute of labeling a title as one that everyone should see. (The one exception to this rule is probably Grave of the Fireflies, which posses the most uncanny type of story in that it grabs people in a way that no other movie/series I've seen prior or since can even remotely attempt to emulate.) While I work to avoid the absolute, I do have a list that I will highly recommend to others that have caught me in a very strong way. Yet it's sometimes tough to see a title that one so strongly enjoyed, get a less than impressed reaction from someone else. There is perhaps no better example of this in my experience of watching anime over the years than Saikano.
Having known of the existence of the anime since the summer of 2003, I hadn't watched a single episode, or read a single page of the manga until a spring 2006, when I finally borrowed the anime from someone. Very quickly I found out why so many people used Saikano as their trump card for sad titles. Yet the sadness never became a chore, the lives of Chise and Shuji, as well as the others that fill in the events of Saikano's story draw us closer. We want to know what happens next, we want to know how things will turn out. And even as the world is ending, we want to think of some last glimmer of hope to shine through.
Yet even if it is not glorious, radiant hope shining down, but pure unadulterated despair that comes through, Takahashi Shin makes a story that grabs us. Without trying to spoil too much, the final scene with Akemi is one of the most bittersweet I've ever seen in an anime title. It's still funny to think that something this potent started off as a dating sim.
After finishing the Saikano anime, I found myself seeking out the first volume of manga as soon as I had the cash to spare. Come Anime Boston 2006 in May, I was grabbing three volumes to keep going. The following weekend I was rushing to the mall to grab the final volumes. I consider myself relatively well exposed to a lot of different anime and manga titles, but I still remember reading Akemi's final scene in the manga, and for the first time I can remember, I had to stop reading a volume of manga, sit back, and simply say "whoa".
It is practically a cliché to declare "Oh, the manga was so much better than the anime" yet Saikano falls into this category well. Perhaps what makes things so well is Takahashi's knowledge of how to use text. There are pages vacant of any words, leaving us with nothing but a landscape or an intimate scene to take in, as well as pages that are covered with almost nothing but conversation and narration. Takahashi balances these two extremes so well, and each has its proper moment.
Saikano's tag line is "The Last Love Song on This Little Planet". Its fantastic plot make take the audience or reader away from a normal realm by adding an unusual Sci-fi element, and its core, the story is a love story about two people, barely out of their childhood, finding and understanding what true love is, even as the world around them is slowly falling to pieces.
As I said when I began this entry that I cannot say Saikano is something that everyone should read or watch. That being said, it does get my highest suggestion. The manga gets top billing, followed by the anime. (But shy away from the live action movie)
Having known of the existence of the anime since the summer of 2003, I hadn't watched a single episode, or read a single page of the manga until a spring 2006, when I finally borrowed the anime from someone. Very quickly I found out why so many people used Saikano as their trump card for sad titles. Yet the sadness never became a chore, the lives of Chise and Shuji, as well as the others that fill in the events of Saikano's story draw us closer. We want to know what happens next, we want to know how things will turn out. And even as the world is ending, we want to think of some last glimmer of hope to shine through.
Yet even if it is not glorious, radiant hope shining down, but pure unadulterated despair that comes through, Takahashi Shin makes a story that grabs us. Without trying to spoil too much, the final scene with Akemi is one of the most bittersweet I've ever seen in an anime title. It's still funny to think that something this potent started off as a dating sim.
After finishing the Saikano anime, I found myself seeking out the first volume of manga as soon as I had the cash to spare. Come Anime Boston 2006 in May, I was grabbing three volumes to keep going. The following weekend I was rushing to the mall to grab the final volumes. I consider myself relatively well exposed to a lot of different anime and manga titles, but I still remember reading Akemi's final scene in the manga, and for the first time I can remember, I had to stop reading a volume of manga, sit back, and simply say "whoa".
It is practically a cliché to declare "Oh, the manga was so much better than the anime" yet Saikano falls into this category well. Perhaps what makes things so well is Takahashi's knowledge of how to use text. There are pages vacant of any words, leaving us with nothing but a landscape or an intimate scene to take in, as well as pages that are covered with almost nothing but conversation and narration. Takahashi balances these two extremes so well, and each has its proper moment.
Saikano's tag line is "The Last Love Song on This Little Planet". Its fantastic plot make take the audience or reader away from a normal realm by adding an unusual Sci-fi element, and its core, the story is a love story about two people, barely out of their childhood, finding and understanding what true love is, even as the world around them is slowly falling to pieces.
As I said when I began this entry that I cannot say Saikano is something that everyone should read or watch. That being said, it does get my highest suggestion. The manga gets top billing, followed by the anime. (But shy away from the live action movie)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Top Ten Happy Anime
And of course, to even things out, here's my top ten Happy Anime Titles
1) My Neighbor Totoro
2) FLCL
3) Excel Saga
4) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
5) Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
6) Lupin III
7) Ranma 1/2
8) Cromartie High School
9) Keroro Gunsou
10) Azumanga Daioh
1) My Neighbor Totoro
2) FLCL
3) Excel Saga
4) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
5) Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
6) Lupin III
7) Ranma 1/2
8) Cromartie High School
9) Keroro Gunsou
10) Azumanga Daioh
Top Ten Sad Anime
Once again following a good idea from Andrew's Cinevistramascope, and listing a top ten, this time for sad Anime titles. Some familiar tiles from my overall top ten of course make an appearence or two here too. Expect a happy list sometime soon. (I hope)
1) Grave of the Fireflies
2) Saikano*
3) Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence
4) Neon Genesis Evangelion
5) Zeta Gundam
6) Jin-Roh
7) Trigun
8) X
9) My HiME
10) Mobile Suit Gundam 0080, War in the Pocket
*The Manga of Saikano is even more moving than the anime. It gets high points in my book as the first Manga story I read that brought me to the brink of tears.
1) Grave of the Fireflies
2) Saikano*
3) Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence
4) Neon Genesis Evangelion
5) Zeta Gundam
6) Jin-Roh
7) Trigun
8) X
9) My HiME
10) Mobile Suit Gundam 0080, War in the Pocket
*The Manga of Saikano is even more moving than the anime. It gets high points in my book as the first Manga story I read that brought me to the brink of tears.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)