PenguinDust (Level 13)

No excuses this week to open things up.  Instead I want to talk about one of my favorite mannerisms unique to anime; the noblewoman’s laugh.  This is the arrogant shrill cackle that female characters inflict upon the ears of those they view as beneath them.  I believe it might be the feminine equivalent of the mad scientist’s maniacal laughter.  For some reason, hearing this grating sound makes me happy.  Perhaps I am exposing some hidden affinity for masochism, but I love it when the lady-in-question places one hand slightly over her mouth, tosses her head back and lets it roar.   The position of the hand adds a touch of refinement to the outrageous bravado and reaffirms her as a woman of culture.  “OH-AHa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa!”  Is there a sweeter sound ever heard?  I think not!  
    

Mitsudomoe (Seasons 1 & 2) 

Do you remember that episode of Three’s Company where Mr. Roper eavesdropped and overheard Jack and Chrissy talking?  He unwittingly misinterpreted their conversation and believed that they were chatting about something really dirty, when it was actually something innocent and mundane.  Yes, yes, I know…”Wasn’t that all of them?”  The point I am trying to make is that the misunderstandings led to hilarious pandemonium; each side reacting and responding, completely ignorant to the other’s true purpose.  That comedic structure lives on in the zany and outlandish anime, Mitsudomoe.  It’s possibly my favorite anime of 2010.  I have enjoyed quite a few smart and funny shows this past year, but this one excelled beyond being just that.  I altered my current viewing habits for it.  Normally, I wait at least a year before re-watching a series, but I’ve seen Mitsudomoe three times already and I know that won’t be the last.  It’s just so enjoyable and irreverent and ridiculous that I can’t help myself from wanting to experience the mayhem over and over again.  

Mitsudomoe is primarily about the three Marui sisters and their lives at school and home.  The girls are referred to as “eldest”, “middle”, and “youngest” but they’re triplets, so that only refers to the order in which they popped from their mother’s womb.  They attend the same classroom, 6-3 at their elementary school under the tutelage of novice teacher, Satoshi Yabe who they along with their classmates call “Yabecchi”.  He entered into their lives full of hope; resolute to meet the challenge of guiding his young students to become good citizens of Japan, but his positive demeanor was abruptly crushed once he experienced the troublesome trio first hand. The three have a knack for causing and exacerbating chaos, although with no malicious intent.  They are not mischievous girls, at least no more than any child their age, but they have very dominant personalities and that invites others to follow or challenge their individuality.  They’re popular and well liked even among their classroom rivals; however because they always seem to be at the center of turmoil they have gained a certain reputation among the school’s faculty.  I suspect Yabecchi is considered “fresh meat for the lions” by his fellow colleagues.  At home, the girls are cared for by their father, Soujirou.  His character design is different from all the others.  It’s very sketchy and emphasizes how suspicious other adults view him.  He is repeatedly arrested by the police believing him to be a pedophile or some other criminal type.  In truth he’s a very good father who is protective and loving to the three even when they are the cause of his incarceration.  

I can’t say which my favorite is since they are all very different and equally appealing.  Mitsuba is the oldest and the most antagonistic of the siblings.  She is very much the “Ojou” (Princess) type personality, but not in the regal and cultured way.  She is overbearing, demanding, and belittles those around her.  Like the Queen of Hearts she seeks adoration through domination and subjugation. Her greatest desire is for others to use the most respectful honorifics when speaking to her.  Her inflated ego often puts her at odds with fellow classmate, Miku Sugisaki, a wealthy girl with an equally imperial personality.  Despite their rivalry or perhaps because of it, the two are friends.  They spend a lot of time together, and when they aren’t arguing and insulting each other, there are brief acts of kindness.  It’s likely that they see the other as the only one equal to their own resplendence. 

Mitsuba’s true foil doesn’t come from Miku, but rather the middle sister, Futaba.  Like a bull in a china shop, she is impossibly strong and unintentionally destructive.  The humorous excuse, “I guess I don’t know my own strength” applies to her; she punches holes through walls, tosses classmates around like rag dolls, and routinely knocks Mitsuba unconscious and bloody.  She can burst a soccer ball with the force of her kick.  Her Herculean athleticism is matched by an enthusiastic and positive personality.  She is practically always cheerful and honestly perplexed when others are troubled.  She enjoys helping although her innocence and simplemindedness usually results in further embarrassment for the aided person.  She has a very close relationship with her father, and spends most of her time with male classmates, Shinya Satou and Yuudai Chiba.  Futaba’s most unique trait is her passion for bosoms.  She is obsessed with boobs, big and bouncy.  Her considerable artistic talents are often used to render the nude female figure in uncompromising detail.  This fetishism along with her physical prowess makes her popular with the boys. 

The final member of the trio is youngest sister, Hitoha. Dark-haired and distant, she resembles any of the evil ghost children seen in Japanese horror movies like Ringu (1998) and Ju-on: The Grudge (2003).  She is soft spoken and keeps mostly to herself preferring to read quietly alone, but her eerie façade masks a warm, shy girl yearning to engage others.  Like Futaba she has an interest in eroticism; however she prefers the written word over images.  The books she is seen reading are suggested to be shockingly lewd.  Anyone attempting to obtain one of her light-novels has the open pages smothered into their face leaving them paralyzed by sexual bliss.   Most, however, are deterred by the soul sucking vortex of her displeasured aura beforehand.  This chilling barrier enables her solitude but also inhibits her interaction with other children.  Many of the other kids bound between liking her and being actively frightened of her.  The one exception, much to her distress, is Sakiko Matsuoka, an occult fanatic who is convinced that Hitoha is a paranormal sensitive exorcist constantly in battle with unseen demonic forces.  In addition to her literary interests, Hitoha harbors a secret passion for a Power Rangers-like TVshow called Gachi-Rangers.  It’s a subject she aches to share, but the imagined ridicule obstructs her every attempt.  She is at her most vulnerable when concerned with animals.  She takes care of the class hamster and later adopts a pet for the family.    


In one essay I read online about Mitsudomoe, the author related the three Marui siblings to the Hecate sisters of Greek myth who are often depicted as maiden, mother and crone.   In this instance, innocent Futaba is the maiden, bossy Mitsuba as the mother and gloomy Hitoha as the crone.  I can see the comparison, although I prefer to see them more as examples of the three dominant female archetypes in modern anime; tsundere, yandere and kuudere.  I perceive Mitsuba as the tsundere, or hostile on the outside, warm on the inside.  Futaba then becomes the yandere meaning loving on the outside but exhibiting a violent and destructive nature.  While she doesn’t have the harmful mental instability commonly associated with the personality-type, she is oblivious to her own power and that naïveté is equally threatening.  Finally, Hitoha exemplifies the kuudere type which is cold and somber on the surface but loving beneath a grave exterior.   Both analogies apply and one may have given birth to the other.  Good stories and good characters are timeless.  Either way, creator Norio Sakurai obviously put some thought into their design.  

  
The first season of Mitsudomoe is comprised of twelve episodes and the second, Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu, follows through with an additional eight.  I believe the forth coming Blu-ray releases of both volumes will include an additional episode bringing the series final total to twenty-two.  The shows themselves are independent comic slice-of-life stories usually two to four per episode.  While there is no overall story arc, there is a momentum to the series meaning incidents from early shows are sometimes referred to later on.  Each little tale has impact on the cast and that creates a connection between the audience and the characters.  What’s more, there are multiple facets to each character’s personality including the subordinate cast members which makes them interesting and surprising.  One of my favorite examples is Shinya, Futaba’s friend.  Early on, he’s seen as a real cool guy who all the girls adore but about a third of the way through he’s labeled a pervert and has to deal with that misconception for the rest of the series.  It’s hilarious to watch him struggle with the stigma. I really can’t say enough about this treasured delight other than to urge fans of comedic anime to seek it out and watch it.  It’s very funny.   

Megane na Kanojo 

Anyone experienced in the world of anime is familiar with the term “moé”.  In the beginning it meant having an acute interest in a specific element, but over time its definition was expanded and corrupted to primarily mean young, cute anime girls.  Megane na Kanojo takes a page from both descriptions and tells the stories of four bespectacled girls and their encounters with romance.  These heroines are all cute and they all wear glasses.  That last detail is the focus of these short stories with an eyeglass shop serving as the common locale between the four tales.  I believe I’ve confessed a couple of my predilections in past blogs; a weakness for girls in glasses is certainly among them.  Having declared that, you’ll understand my attraction to this concise series.  It’s got comedy, it’s got romance, and it’s got meganekko (glasses fetishism).

This is a very short series running under an hour total, but worth the time spent.  There’s nothing too deep here, but the stories are enjoyable enough and their abridged length is actually a positive.  How often do we fall for an anime only to have its potential squandered as we find disappointment?  These four 14 minute narratives provide a brief glimpse into the lives of their heroines and then close leaving the rest to our imaginations. 

My favorite of the four was the first with the second close behind.  The former is about a boy who joins an after school club because there’s a cute girl in it.  Well, the first time he sees her she isn’t wearing glasses and it’s that moment that his heart compels him to join.  Afterwards, she puts on her glasses much to his dismay since he hates glasses.  What’s done is done however and so he stays in the club and instead tries to get the girl to remove her glasses again.  The ending of the vignette is what I found both amusing and familiar.  I wear glasses myself (I refuse contacts or whacked laser surgery), so I could relate to some of scenes in the show.  The next episode reminded me of Rise from the Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 video game.  In this story, the protagonist is an idol who’s on vacation from her modeling and performing duties.  She spends some of her days just relaxing in a café reading books.  So that she’s not pestered by fans, she disguises her appearance with a floppy hat and some glasses.  One day, a waiter who works there asks her out.  He’s completely duped by her charade, and so she accepts believing it might be fun to have a normal date with a normal boy as a normal, obscure girl.  The story is very sweet and it too has a bright conclusion.  The following third and forth episodes are fine but not as well constructed as the former two.  The third actually feels more like a segment from a much larger show such as Strawberry 100%.  

All-in-all, I’d recommend the four for anyone looking for a short and sweet anthology with affection for cute girls in glasses. 

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanaho 

With the surprising popularity of Puella Magi Madoka Magica this season I thought I’d go back and look at one of the earlier hits in the “magic girl” genre.  I admit I have little experience is the group beyond the most basic.  I’ve seen four of the five Sailor Moon shows, a substantial number of the Cardcaptor Sakura episodes, and a sampling from various other titles.  If I was going to broaden my definition of the category, I could include the many harem and romances that feature magic girlfriends, but I can’t accept lumping Steel Angel Kurumi in with Magic Knight Rayearth.  In my mind, the archetype has a few key features including transformations, wands and/or pendants, and a purity of heart.  Granted the last element may not always apply depending on the depth of the story, but for all the ones I’ve seen it’s essential.  Magical Girl Lyrical Nanaho is a perfect example of the genre as I see it.  The heroine has an unwavering faith in her mission and in her friends.  Like the best protagonists from this school, she is deeply sympathetic to the suffering of both her allies and enemies with concepts like revenge and hate being completely foreign.  Instead, she draws her strength from the unconditional love within her.  
 

Nanaho and Fate...Fight!

Nanaho Takamachi is an average elementary school girl living with her parents and two older siblings in fictional Uminari City, Japan.  The day after experiencing a nightmare full of sorcerers and dark creatures, she meets a talking ferret named Yuuno who spoke to her in her dream.  He informs her that he is on a mission to recover twenty-one ancient jewels which fell into this dimension from his.  He’s actually a mage and junior archeologist back home.  He discovered the “jewel seeds” there and feels responsible for their current missing whereabouts.  The magic within the gems is quite potent and when gathered together can be very destructive.   Nanaho agrees to help him collect the stones.  To aid her in their battle against each seed’s manifested material form; she is given a wand named Raising Heart.  She exhibits a strong magical talent in their first engagement impressing Yuuno with her power.  Over the course of a week, the two successfully recover a number of stones and her aptitude with Raising Heart improves following each encounter; however the two soon discover that they are not alone in their quest for the jewel seeds.  A dispassionate girl equal in age to Nanaho is also after the stones; Fate Testarossa.  With her familiar, Arf at her side, she proves herself to be better at winning the gems away from Nanaho and Yuuno.  

The first half of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanaho reminded me a lot of Cardcaptor Sakura, but with the introduction of Fate Testarossa, the two became markedly different.  I’m convinced that Fate’s character could not exist in Sakura’s reality.  Sakura functions in a world of pristine innocence and, like the opening of Pandora’s Box, acknowledging her tragedy would invite all other sorts of sins to manifest.  But with great care, the producers behind Magical Nanaho reshaped their world to include such peril and the twisted psychology created from it.  The story element added a rawness to show that I found refreshing.  It also better defined Nanaho’s commitment to Fate who she described as the pretty girl with sad eyes.  There were a couple of very disturbing scenes, but they never felt cheap or exploitive.  Nanaho could have easily become another vacillating pacifist like so many other Gundam pilots before her had the urgency of Fate’s plight been absent. 

This turned out to be a much better series than I had envisioned originally.  It was important to stick with it though since it takes a while to get past the conventional concepts normally seen in Magical Girl anime.  I know that there are two successive series, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanaho A’s and MGLN StrikeS plus a movie.  From what I gather, the final series takes place ten years after the events from this show, so I am curious to see how the characters evolve during that time.  For now, I’d recommend this show to someone looking for a satisfying light-adventure anime especially for this genre. 

Parting words and Martial Hearts

That brings this blog to a close again.  I had planned to write something about Strawberry 100%, too but that will have to wait until next time.  I’m not too sure what I want to say about it though.  I’ve already abandoned any thought towards a written reflection of Zettai Shougeki: Platonic Heart.  Well, I’ll say I didn’t think too much of it, particularly the end.  If the producers are going to close their show like that then they need to make certain the characters are entertaining enough to overcome the laughable incongruities in the conclusion.  I am a big fan of the Thin Man movies from the 1930’s and 40’s. In that franchise of films, it was the principle characters of Nick and Nora Charles that captivated me.  The mystery of “Who did it” could easily be solved by singling out the most unlikely of suspects.  Platonic Heart takes that route, but without any of the charm innate to those old movies.  There is an uncompelling amount of nudity in the short series, too.  Trust me; it’s not enough to warrant the time investment.  Definitely, skip this one.  

Well, I guess now that wraps things up.  Here’s a cool Godzilla vs Gamera movie I found on the web.  It’s the best of the fan-made mash-ups I’ve seen on the subject.  Ah, when two titans clash you know it’s going to be fun.  Why can’t a real movie be made?  Japan seems to be more flexible than Hollywood when it comes to crossovers, so I still have my hopes.  
  

Excuses, excuses, excuses… That’s normally how I open these blogs.  Each time I sit down to write, I’m disappointed by my own lack of steady resolve.  My desires fall short of my reality; another example of life in progress.  And, if I am being perfectly honest, at this point these apologies are an easy literary crutch.  I usually struggle to find someway to open these pieces and it’s easy to complain.  Columnists have been doing it for decades.  Of course I make it my own by adding a touch of self-flagellation.  In my own defense, I was sidetracked this past week by an unyielding obsession with the Nintendo DS titled, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.  Over the last few years I’ve grown very fond of the franchise and prefer it to Final Fantasy.  I know it’s repetitive, but the familiarity is part of the appeal.  I’m not too interested in learning new control and combat systems with each incarnation, so consistency has greater value to me than innovation.  To an extent, that outlook is reflected in my anime preferences, too.  Comedies, especially harems tend be very emulative.  Curiously, Dragon Quest made an appearance in the first show I’ll look at this week:

B Gata H Kei (Type: B, Style: H)

The Spring 2011 anime season from Japan promises to bring a show named Lotte no Omocha!.  It’s described as the story of a 10 year old succubus who must consume a particular substance secreted by males in order to maintain her youth and beauty.  On the surface of it, it seems to be a series that will make a significant number of people uncomfortable.  I mention it because a year ago, the description of B Gata H Kei appeared to be similarly unsettling.  “Yamada is a 15 year old virgin who wishes to have 100 sex partners.”  Seikon no Qwaser has taught me to presume any level of deviance in anime, so being manga-illiterate, I rely on my past experiences and the synopses published online when formulating my expectations.  B Gata H Kei’s premise was fundamentally as conveyed; however instead of a tawdry, provocative tale of impersonal sexual adventure; it was a sweet often riotously funny romance about two high schoolers discovering first love.  At least two-thirds of the shows had me laughing out loud at the clumsy antics and improvised theories the cast created to fit their ignorance of love and sex.  When I wasn’t chuckling at the absurdity, I was touched by the sincerity of their desires. Yamada’s outlandish mission evolved into a genuine expression of affection overcoming the unavoidable hurdles of fear, jealously, confusion and anxiety.  She wanted sex but found love.

As mentioned, B Gata H Kei’s heroine is named Yamada.  She is bright, beautiful and popular.  She is adored by all the boys and regarded as the school’s “idol”, but still sees imperfections in herself.  In order to correct her inadequacies, she resolves to acquire one hundred different sex partners.  Why she arrived at that solution is in itself troubling and illustrates the deep sense of inferiority she masks overtly with a dominant autocratic façade.  To her classmates and friends, she is confident and resolute, but in the solitude of her room she allows herself to be fractured.   

 

It’s been said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so Yamada planned to lose her virginity as quickly as possible.  Now, the choice of her suitor had to meet one particular condition.  He had to be a virgin otherwise his experience would increase her sense of inadequacy.  She imagined the faceless candidate mocking her innocence.  Rather than have that torment realized, he being a virgin would place the two on even ground.  While shopping for guides on sex and seduction at a bookstore, she meets Takashi Kosuda, an innocuous, fair-looking boy who, much to her surprise sits next to her in class.  She sees him as a disposable donor for her goals, and believes coaxing him to her bed an effortless task.  Of course, it quickly becomes apparent that she has no idea what’s she’s doing.  Yamada is as inexperienced in matters of the heart as any normal teenager and all her misconceptions are revealed with each misdeed and mixed signal she sends.  Many of her schemes are poorly calculated and end with her fleeing the situation embarrassed and perplexed by the jumble of unfamiliar emotions churning within her. 
 
  
Kosuda is no better prepared for what unfolds.  Early on he is surprised by her interest and repeatedly questions if he’s imagining her intentions.  He feels unworthy of her attention since she is the campus queen.  In all fairness, she does little to ease his doubt since she doesn’t know what to make of their relationship either.  Her “love’m and leave’m” plan is befuddled by their blossoming affections.  He persists though and struggles through her inconsistencies as the attraction between them evolves into something more heartfelt.  Kosuda’s kindness and unexpected courage revises her image of him.  While it upsets her designs, it crafts him into someone she wants to be with.  The attachment she develops creates new problems as potential rivals are introduced; one being Kosuda’s childhood friend and another being a wealthy and equally beautiful challenger to Yamada’s popularity.  

Over the course of its twelve episode run, B Gata H Kei consistently surprised and delighted me.  The relationship between the two leads reminded me strongly of another favorite of mine, Toradora; however due to a stronger emphasis on humor and the limited length, it scraps the melancholic turn that series offered in its latter half.  This was a good decision because it left me optimistic and content with its final episode.  However, while I am pleased with its ending, I think there is room for a second season.  There were a few plot points left open that could be addressed with another run.  Whether or not, we see a continuation takes nothing from the absolute enjoyment I had with this show.  It was very funny and sentimental in the light but engaging way.  I strongly recommend it to fans of romantic comedies.  Incidentally, the title’s “B” refers to Yamada’s breast cup size and the “H” defines her personality type.  I believe the “H” is short for “hentai’ meaning she’s focused on sex.   All the female characters’ cup sizes are highlighted in the opening credits.  Two are “F” cups!

D.Gray-Man - Part 1 

D.Gray-Man was one of those shows I’d heard people mention in forums and online magazines for the past few years.  It gained a moderate fan base, although not to the degree of other similar titles.  Parity can be a double edged sword it seems.  The show is very accessible, but also too indistinct from concurrent shonen shows like Bleach and Naruto Shippuuden.  The upside is if you’re a fan of either of those, chances are you’ll enjoy D.Gray-Man, too.  Then again, some shonen fans can be fiercely allied to a single franchise and become defensive when others are compared, so who’s to say really?  Either way, it reminded me of those two and I consumed 51 episodes without much effort.  That’s a positive in my book.  If you’re in the mood for a lengthy paranormal action serial, this is one of the better available.  

The story revolves around teenage protagonist, Allen Walker and his experiences as a novice exorcist.  These aren’t the somber black-clad priests depicted by Hollywood battling pea soup spewing schoolgirls.  In this 19th century alternate reality, exorcists are specialists gifted with the ability to host and utilize fragments of a mysterious and powerful element called “innocence”. Millennia ago, a supernatural weapon was created to oppose a sinister and ethereal evil that sought mankind’s destruction.  The celestial battle forestalled humanity’s extinction but conjointly shattered the innocence weapon and littered its shards across the planet.  In the time of this story, the Black Order gathers the slivers and protects them from those demonic forces.  Each fragment can be bound to a single person and when the two are joined, they have the capacity to destroy demons.  These are the exorcists.  
 
Allen’s “innocence” is a parasitic type meaning it’s part of his body; his left arm to be precise. The series suggests (to this point) that he was born with it which is unusual as most fragments are fitted to their hosts later on.  In addition to his proficiency as an exorcist, he’s also been cursed with the ability to identify demons that hide among humans in their guise.  Demons themselves are born from the sorrows of grieving people who unwittingly form a contract with the Millennium Earl, the ancient malevolence foiled ages earlier by the innocence.  The soul of a grief stricken’s deceased loved one is chained to a construct created by the Earl and becomes a tool of destruction controlled by him. In most cases, the shackled demon kills the saddened human and assumes their identity within society.  This is how they hide among the population and conceal their murder.  Because he can see the tethered souls empowering a demon, Allen has also discerned that destroying a demon frees the soul.  It’s this knowledge that strengthens his commitment as an exorcist.  

At the Dark Order’s headquarters, Allen is teamed primarily with exorcist Lenalee Lee.  The twin-tail styled, vivacious girl has been with the Order since childhood and considers all its members her extended family.  Her actual older brother, Koumi Lee is the Order’s supervisor of operations.  Lenalee’s power is the “dark boots”, an innocence fragment that provides enhanced movement and damaging kicks.  She seems to serve as a potential love interest in the story, but like a lot of shonen, any romance is only hinted at through flushed faces and brief moments of embarrassment. One of the positives of her focus is her development as a character within the series.  She’s probably the most defined personality short of Allen himself.  There’s a very humorous episode named "Lenalee's Love" (ep. 18) that spotlights her relationship with her brother.  Perhaps because of the nature of shonen storytelling, or maybe just in this particular example, I feel she’s still seems hollow.  There are only 103 episodes of this series and considering I’m half way through, I doubt the production will have the time to properly flesh her out past the “pretty girl hero” template.  There is a second female exorcist who I liked more than Lenalee, but I’m fairly certain her continued involvement in the story will be secondary.  Tick-tock-sigh.    

There are two other exorcists that Allen is occasionally teamed with.  The first is an irritable and insensitive swordsman named Yu Kanda. For reasons yet to be revealed he’s committed to the expedient completion of each mission assigned to him.  He informs Allen early on that he will abandon him if his wellbeing interferes with mission.  His gruff exterior is eventually revealed to be not quite so callous, but the circumstances that formed that detached disposition remain a mystery.  The only hint is a fragile flower sealed within an hourglass. I know more about his past and the reasons behind his temperament will be explained soon enough, but more could have been done during the first half of the series to make him more interesting.  As he stands currently in my eyes, he’s just the “angry dude”.  The second sometimes-teammate is Lavi.  He’s a little different than a normal exorcist in that he’s also a bookman.  They’re an ancillary guild within the Dark Order whose purpose it is to chronicle the hidden history of mankind.  They’re the librarians of the world recording the actions of the Order, the Millennium Earl and other mysteries absent from accepted texts.  He’s jovial and a bit of a smartass.  I like him well enough, but again there isn’t too much to him.  He’s the “buddy” type for the group whose presence lightens the mood of most situations.  Unlike the others, I’m not disappointed by his trivial development.  And, like the alternate female presence in D.Gray-Man, there’s another guy who I’ve enjoyed more than Lavi that could have filled his archetype.

It’s hard for me to say I am disappointed in the series, since it’s been so easy to watch.  Never once did I have to force myself further into the show, but on the same token, there feels like there was a lot a waste in the production.  I wonder if the producers had planned for a greater story lasting hundreds of episodes like Bleach or Naruto, because the progress has been very slow so far.  I don’t know anything about the manga, but I suspect there may be some filler included in the first half.  If not, then I believe the studio should have been more aggressive in their editing.  I believe the show would have benefited from a tighter script.  That would have also provided more time for deeper characterization.  Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is another similar series but one that makes the best use of its time and crafts a compelling story rich with multifaceted individuals.  D.Gray-Man underachieves in its potential.  But, let me reiterate, I like the show.  I just want to like it more than I currently do.      
 

Rio – Rainbow Gate - Part 1

I really enjoy reading the variety of blogs published here on Anime Vice.  Most are informative, some are thought provoking, and a few are just humorous.  One recently posted, zombiepie’s Drunk Blog inspired me to write something myself on the featured topic, Rio – Rainbow Gate!.  His effort prompted me to talk about the one show this season that I am watching regularly.  When it comes to anime, I have very little patience and a pretty short memory.  So, I rarely follow a new show until it’s finished or at least until its season is complete.  I placed Star Driver on hold when I realized it was going to go past 12 or 13 episodes.  I haven’t touched Toaru Majutsu no Index II for the same reason even though I really liked the first series.  Occasionally, I’ll delve into a series when I know that each episode is self-contained and for the most part, independent of the next or previous story.  Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt and Mitsudomoe are shows I dabbled in when they were originally airing.  Even in those cases, though I went back and looked at them all from first to last when their original run was done.  I appreciated them more when their entirety was all freshly experienced. 
 
Rio-Rainbow Gate is the rare exception to my standard practices.  Very soon after the show started to air, the early impressions started to appear online and all of them were bad.  Here on AV, the few people who took a chance on it said it was the worst thing they’d seen in a while.  Out of curiosity I checked out its background.  The character, Rio Rollins (a.k.a. Koutaro) is a Tecmo creation for their Super Blackjack series of video games.  She most recently made an appearance in the Dead or Alive Paradise game for the PSP.  I admit I find the character attractive, but I’ve got a weakness for redheads.  Busty ones are even better.   So armed with this knowledge and a proclivity for fan service, I delved into the show.  

Now, I must clarify that unlike several others who posted their reactions to the show, I watched the first and second episode back-to-back.  Because of this, I didn’t hate it and actually, I might even say I enjoyed my introduction to the character, Rio.  She’s kind of a cheerful doormat.  If this was a hentai she would be a willing slave.  That premise would vastly improve the show, but since Tecmo is uptight when it comes to properly exploiting their characters (titillation short of eroticism), I think that direction will be relegated to the doujinshi community*.  Anyway, she’s apparently this casino “idol” who radiates good luck for gamblers.  Just her being on the game floor can change the fortunes of players.  And, if management realized this, you’d think they’d bar her from the casinos just as they ban card counters.  However, like Gerry Cooney shaking hands at the entrance to the Luxor, she’s also an attraction for visitors.  Travelers believe that her presence brings good luck, so they come to the casino, waiting around for hours, gambling away the time, hoping she’ll appear.  Casinos know that the player has to win every now and then to keep them coming back despite losing.  Rio is hope in high heels.  On top of her usefulness as a living attraction, she’s also a willing sex symbol who accepts her boss’s sexual harassment as just an element of her job.  Rio is all about making others happy, so if that involves exposing her body in public, she’s more than willing to (partially) strip if it brightens their life.

I wish I could say that the show gets better after episode one to validate my enjoyment for the show.  While the second episode is indeed better than the snooze-fest that comprised the first; the third, forth and fifth (haven’t seen #6 yet) are about as entertaining as the opening show.  In the second show, the producers set up this interesting tournament idea involving prized playing cards and Takeshi’s Castle-like games played between card holders.  There were also a few “wardrobe malfunctions” and some semi-nudity covered by a swirling card suit light show censoring all the good bits.  The odd “physical challenges” that comprise the game played for the special cards is what invigorated the series for me.  Sadly, the potential exhibited in the second show is omitted from the third and marginalized in the 4th and 5th.  Creativity is abandoned for some boring story about Rio’s childhood friend, Rina.  There is also the introduction of an annoying apprentice dealer named Anya Helsing.  She’s a blond, ditzy, clumsy, naïve bimbette who’s more likely to dump a tray of drinks on a player than deal them a proper hand.  

I don’t think it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.  So far, it can best be described as “empty calories”.  I chose to watch this series because I knew it would require no commitment on my part.  Like a bag of pork-rinds, I can consume the show without having to muster any attachment to the characters or plot.  Good shows draw you in and make you care about the cast.  Mediocre shows can still provide something that lures a viewer back.  The most I can say about Rio is that its utter lack of appeal is its best attribute.  I plan to keep at it because I’m curious to see how my opinion changes over the course of its run.  Will I think it better than it is by the end?  Or will it exacerbate me to such a degree that I irrationally despise it like Girls Bravo?  The journey is half the adventure. 
 

And, so with that I bring this long overdue blog to a close.  I’m not going to speculate what the next one will be about, but I do hope it will come sooner than later.  I’m also hoping to complain about something other than my own failing next time.  Actually, I’d like to explore girls who cackle in anime but that term (“cackle”) doesn’t feel right.  I’ll give it some more thought between now and next time.   Here’s another video to watch if you want.  It's the promotional video for Lotte no Omocho! mentioned above.  It doesn't really look all that salacious. 
     

* I ran across an interesting piece of news.  When Rio is released on Blu-Ray later this year, the final disc volume will include and extra episode.  It’s only my own conjecture, but this might be the “not safe to primetime” episode similar to the ones that close Ah, My Buddha’s first and second season. 

Looking back at my last blog, I decided to play this one more by ear.  I’m not exactly sure how long it will be or what I’ll cover and since I have a problem following through with the plans made in these opening paragraphs, all I can promise is that some anime will be discussed.  On a side note, I want to thank several other forum members for their recent reviews of the new Winter 2011 season ( EquitasInvictus, metalsnakezero, InfiniteGeass).  As I say time and time again, I tend to wait until a show has run to completion before tuning it up.  I’m just impatient and the prospect of having to wait an entire week to see what happens next is madness.  I do enjoy seeing what others are thinking, though so the write-ups have been fun to read.  Kudos!
 

Mobile Fighter G Gundam

As I mentioned in my last posting, I took a look at Mobile Fighter G Gundam this past week. Since I started jotting down my impressions of whatever anime I happen to be watching, I’ve written about Gundam Seed Destiny and Mobile Suit Gundam (’79).   Before that, I checked out both Gundam Seed and Gundam Wing.  Back when the Cartoon Network was still proactively airing anime, I also saw Gundam 0080.  I am a fan of the franchise and all the fundamental clichés essential to every Gundam story.  Arrogant guy with a mask? Check.  Earth versus its space colonies? Check.  Belligerent children piloting humanoid death machines? Check.  Pretentious hand-wringing over the nature of battle and war? Check.  Awkward romantic melodrama?  Check.  It’s these requisite elements that shape Gundam and differentiate it from other similar giant robot series.  However, Mobile Fighter G Gundam feels the least like a Gundam than any other Gundam I’ve seen so far.  Even though all the rudimentary symbols are present to some degree, it’s incompatible with the distinctive tone of all other things Gundam.  That isn’t to say it isn’t one outrageous E-ticket of a ride, though.

At its core, G Gundam is a tournament anime.  In the far future, Earth has been ravaged by war and the excesses of human greed.  It is a wretched wasteland sparsely populated by outcasts unable to secure a better existence among the space based colonies.  In spite of being forced from its barely habitable homeland, humanity remains a violent species even among the stars.  As an alternative to intercolonial conflict, the free floating neo-nations of Earth initiate a competition to be held every four years.  They call it The Gundam Fight and the victorious nation secures the right to rule over all others for the interim.  The battleground is Earth itself.  

The protagonist of the series is Domon Kasshu, the Japanese representative to the fight.  He pilots the Shining Gundam, one of the very few traditionally iconic robots in the series.  Herein lays one of the more distinguishing facets of G Gundam that separates it from the rest of the franchise.  Its mech design is noticeably irreverent.  Given that each nation sends a Gundam to the battle, for some reason the construction of each war machine also reflects their cultural identity.  Some of these frames have more in common parade floats than weapons of war.  The Gundam from Mexico has a sombrero and cactus for hands!  The Norwegian Gundam is a Viking longship with integrated Viking.  The Spanish Gundam is a bull’s head complete with nose ring.  And, the Danish Gundam is a fish, or more precisely, it looks like a guy wearing a fish costume.  I half expected him to hand out flyers advertising the Southern Winds seafood shack.  The one that doesn’t seem to quite fit is the Swedish Gundam who wears a sailor girl school uniform, but then again, it is piloted by cute girl, Allenby Beardsley.  The insanity doesn’t stop there though.  The colonies themselves are very whimsically envisioned with Neo-Mexico (again) being shaped like a gigantic sombrero, Neo-America as an orbiting five-point star with detachable Statue of Liberty super-gun, and Neo-France dangling a flamboyant striped bow beneath it.  By comparison, the Japanese colony appears absolutely mundane as a duplicate of its earthbound counterpart.  This series is ridiculously farcical in every manner possible.

The battles between robots don’t follow the familiar ranged gunplay seen in other Mobile Suit shows.  Whereas quick aerial engagements containing dozens of free flying missiles and over sized cannons that can decimate multiple enemy units in a single shot might be the norm in conventional Gundam encounters, that is not the case here.  The action in G Gundam is up close and with their fists. They exhibit all the gritty carnage of a street brawl.  Similar to Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Z and various other tournament fighters, there is a substantial amount of “kung-fu magic” on display, as well.  Martial arts training and secret techniques have greater emphasis than technological advancements.  Domon’s special move is the “shining finger” attack which also explains his appeal to the opposite sex.  Utilizing his ever growing skill sets, he seeks to defeat the evil Devil Gundam.  A monstrous turtle-like Gundam that can self repair, replicate drones, and enslave humans with a bio-mechanical virus.  It’s commanded by his traitorous brother Kyoji who Domon blames for the death of their mother and the imprisonment of their father.

Joining him on his journey is Rain Mikamura who services the Shining Gundam as the team’s field mechanic and Domon as the series love interest.  Her father was the chief engineer behind the Japanese Gundam’s construction and he was a friend of Domon and Kyoji’s father who built the Ultimate Gundam, the original name of the Devil Gundam.  Since she knew the Kasshu family all her life, she was asked to accompany Domon on his mission.  As the series continues, the two are aided by four other Gundam Fight competitors; Chibodee Crocket of Neo-America, George de Sand of Neo-France, Sai Saici of Neo-China, and Argo Gulskii of Neo-Russia.  Not to sound too nationalistic, but Chibodee was my personal favorite of the quartet because he traveled with a harem of what can best be described as “gundam queens”.  Actually, all the featured Gundam pilots have potential romance candidates. Nastasha Zabigov, the whip toting commander of the Neo-Russia team is especially hot.  As Sailor Moon-like sappy as it sounds, the final affirmation of Mobile Fighter G Gundam is essentially “Love Conquers All”.  That simple truism isn’t a bad thing either since there are a lot of other conflicting messages promoted over the course of the story.  

This isn’t my favorite Gundam series, but I did thoroughly enjoy its campy and indulgent approach to the genre.  To fully appreciate it, I believe you need to discard any preconceptions you might have about the Gundam franchise and even giant robot shows in general.  Much of it discards logic and reason for hyper-testosterone fueled action and manliness.  “Martial artists express their emotions with their fists!”  Space magic, a mastery of mystic kung-fu and the invincible purity of true love replace all the complicated politics and unique technologies of other Gundam shows.  But, it’s also about as much fun as you can have with a giant robot show this side of Gurren Lagann.  I wouldn’t recommend it as an introduction to the Gundam franchise, but for the initiated, I’d say it’s well worth the time spent.  
 

Green Green

This show is inadequate.  Stronger terms such as tedious, valueless and vulgar might also apply, although I am hesitant to thoroughly denounce it.  I mean, it’s awful but not entirely so.  I was able to unearth a few enjoyable moments from it, but I had to accept its litany of failings in order to do so.  Most of the time, I sat watching waiting for something entertaining to happen.  Rarely were my ambitions for it realized.  What’s more, I had to embrace its most distasteful aspects and celebrate its iniquitousness.  Now, time and time again, I advocate the more immodest particulars of anime.  Gratuitous fan service, exploitative figure design, and exaggerated bounce are my staples; however there were elements in this series that left even me uncomfortable.  I believe it’s the reckless and contemptuous attitude the show supports that soured me.  Instead of laughing, I often found myself cringing at the more outrageous escapades performed by its secondary cast members.  Given their behaviors and static thinking, any one or all three male support characters are likely to have a teenage girl tied up in their basement at some point in their future.  There is a fine line between burlesque and criminality.  I became so embittered and alienated by the trio that the moments I liked were ones where they were being abused and defiled.  It seems to have been conscious decision by the producers, albeit a bungled one because they failed to shape them as empathetic losers.  Instead they’re intensely repugnant and potentially dangerous.  Once I accepted that and ceased hoping for any redeeming characteristics, I was able to enjoy the series.  If there was an underdeveloped sadistic trace buried within my personality, Green Green forced it to the surface and fattened it on their humiliations.

The story is barely worth mentioning especially since it would have been better had the main plot been entirely removed.  In the woodlands of Japan’s countryside, an all-boys academy is set to merge with an all-girls school the following year.  In preparation for the change, a test group of female students are invited to live at the boy’s campus during the summer for one month.  Yuusuke Takasaki, the protagonist, is a student at Kanenone Gakuen and the least egregious of the male cast members.  He is friends with a trio of reprobates, Bacchi-Gū, Ichiban-Boshi and Tenjin.  Like any teenager, these three are obsessed with girls and sex, but they have absolutely no constraint when it comes to them.  They are fearless in their campaigns to see the arriving females naked and to sleep with them.  The three break into the girl’s dormitory at night, molest them in their sleep, spy into their bath house, and forcibly strip them of their clothes.  Admittedly, the latter was the accidental result of an ill conceived scheme, but they consciously chose to continue even when it was obvious their actions had crossed the line.  And, yet they aren’t bad guys.  They’re just pathetic, lonely, awkward teenage boys who repeatedly choose the wrong path toward winning the girls affections.  I applaud the producers’ boldness in crafting characters unlike the run-of-the-mill blushing introverts seen too often in this genre; however if they’d displayed just a little compassion for the women, I would have felt some sympathy for their plight.  Of course, they are just secondary characters and not the featured hero which is why I wish the producers had eliminated the main storyline and focused on finding the humor in their indelicate desires.  Yuusuke is at best, boring and at his worst, exacerbating.  


When the bus load of girls arrives at the isolated academy, one girl pops from the vehicle’s exit into the arms of Yuusuke.  Midori Chitose, a bubbly young schoolgirl professes her love for him even though the two have never met.  She contends that the two are soul mates and now that they’ve been reunited, they’ll be together forever.  The sincerity of her conviction unnerves him prompting him to avoid her.  Following an act of chivalry, a second girl, Futaba Kutsuki takes notice of him. She doesn’t approve of the co-ed test run and intensely dislikes his three depraved friends.  Initially, she believes that he’s as sinful as the trio, but after he rescues her from the dark of the forest, she finds herself falling for him.  The love triangle continues along a predictable, fated end.  I’d even go as far as to say I found the conclusion uniquely demoralizing.  On one hand, I admire the departure, but at the same time it left me feeling like the whole ordeal was hollow.   

Green Green runs for twelve episodes proper with an adjoining thirteenth considerably stronger in content than the previous dozen.  It is a peculiar addition because it contains several graphically sexual encounters whereas the earlier shows are limited to moderate nudity.  The intercourse sequences are handled delicately and don’t feel as tawdry as the average hentai, but there is a fellatio scene that should have been discarded since it doesn’t add anything to the story.  There’s a mosaic censor over the act anyway.  The surprising thing about it is if you plan to see Green Green, I really believe the explicit thirteenth episode needs to be seen as well.  As odd as it sounds, it makes the main story better and does more to make you care about the young lovers than any of the shallow passions fabricated over the original twelve.  

In the end, I can’t recommend this harem series to even fans like myself.  The minor nuggets of potential are ignored in favor of a mediocre boring plot line.  To make Green Green worth watching, it would have had to be a different show.  In preparing for this post, I found that like similar past disappointments I've discussed, the source material for this show is an erotic PC virtual novel.  My previous complaints concerning shows inspired from Japanese ero-games are appeased in the final unattached thirteenth OVA, but it’s too little, too late.  I reassert my past position that celibate versions of these stories should not be made.  Fortunately, after a partial viewing of Yosuga no Sora I am pleased to see that better results can be achieved with careful sensitivity.  More on that show in the future.

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

I’m not going to go into too much detail regarding this series as it’s been a well discussed topic in the Anime Vice forums since it began airing in October 2010.  For those still in the dark, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is an anime whose artistic style is strongly influenced by Western cartoons specifically the works of Genndy Tartakovsky ( Samurai Jack), Rob Renzetti ( My Life as a Teenage Robot) and Craig McCracken ( The Powerpuff Girls).  The show takes the familiar safety of that mainstream design and twists it into a very deviant parody suitable for adults only.  The humor is course, callow, obscene, and foul.  If you can imagine a bodily function or intimate act, it’s corrupted, exploited and spewed out like a rainbow of clown semen.  It’s also one of the funniest shows I’ve seen on TV in a long time; second only to FX’s Archer.  

The basics are as punishment for their unacceptable behavior above; Heaven expels two troublesome angels to Earth to deal with an influx of aggressive ghosts appearing in Daten City (USA?).  The blond, Panty is a rude, vain, cocky, sex addict.  The gothic Lolita brunette, Stocking is selfish, bitter, petulant and callous with a sweet tooth.  The two work under the direction of afro-empowered preacher-man, Garterbelt and are accompanied occasionally on missions by would-be ghostbuster, Briefs and a hyper frenetic, zipper clad, dog-like critter called Chuck.  Each episode is divided into two or three separate stories usually concluding with the offending ghost literally being blown up into small chunks.  

When I first read the previews for this show last summer, I wasn’t sure what to make of it.  My initial impression was that Japanese anime studios following the lead of Japanese game studios were reshaping their product to appeal to a Western audience.  The setting and character design as well as the isolated and insular story structure seemed ripped from American TV.  Most the anime I’d seen featured long story arcs and episodes that flowed consecutively from one to the next.  Panty & Stocking seemed more at home on The Cartoon Network than Japanese television.  Then I saw it and realized how myopic I’d been.  It was audacious, experimental, and modernistic. The narrative collected all the individual anecdotes into a larger saga climaxing with intense action and emotion.  Maybe a little too much sentiment in the final two episodes as the series worked best when it was being irreverent and profane; however that concern was abated before the end.  In conclusion, I loved it and eagerly await the previewed second season.  I know it won’t appeal to everyone.  Anime purists will look at the art and scoff, the humor is straight from the gutter, and the scandalous demeanor of its heroines could easily estrange some; however for the adventurous, I solidly recommend Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.  It’s some funny shit.    
 
And, so here we are again at the end of another long-winded blog of mine “told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”  Ah well, I am curious to know if you think they’re getting too long or if I should just not worry about it and write as much or little as I want.  Anyway, here’s another video I found on YouTube.