Monthly Archives: June 2009

Super Robot Wars NEO for the Wii ~Real Robots are for Suckers~

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Weekly Famitsu has announced a new Super Robot Wars for the Nintendo Wii, and boy is the cast something. I don’t care who you are, there’s no way you could have possibly guessed this list. It is craziness incarnate.

Series new to SRW in bold.

Mazinger Z
Great Mazinger
Juushin Liger
New Getter Robo
Sengoku Majin Goshogun
NG Knight Lamune & 40
Ginga Senpuu (Galaxy Gale) Braiger
Zettai Muteki Raijinoh
Genki Bakuhatsu Ganbaruger
Nekketsu Saikyou Gosaurer
Kanzen Shouri Daiteioh
Shippuu! Iron Leaguer
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Lord of Lords Ryu Knight

THIS LINEUP IS BONKERS!

Also, as you can see, there’s a bunch of super robots, and then a bunch of robots which may or may not qualify as real robots. This isn’t the land of sissy whiny boys, my friends!

For those unfamiliar, Raijinoh, Ganbaruger, Gosaurer, and Daiteioh are from the same “series” called the Eldran series, similar to how Exkaiser, Might Gaine, Gaogaigar, etc. are the “Brave” series.

It’ll be 3D instead of the normal 2D sprites, which some say is a death sentence for SRW games, but you know what? I LIKED SRWGC. And really, I will take 3D graphics because they gave us this psychocrazy series lineup.

What I find most hilarious of all is that on the Anime 3000 Giant Robot podcast that I participated in, I had a brief discussion with Mike Dent from R5 Central about whether or not Juushin Liger was a giant robot. I was like, “Naaaaahhhhh…!” and Mike Dent said that it was possibly a Powered Armor or a Bio Armor, but I think we agreed that we couldn’t really call it a giant robot per se.

WELL I GUESS YOU PROVED ME WRONG BANPRESTO/BANDAI/NAMCO.

What I’m looking forward to is Great Mazinger channeling a Thunder Break through Liger and creating-

Nah, too easy.

I’m also wondering if I’ve accidentally stumbled onto some terrible power where my offhanded comments actually affect the SRW series…

Catch Me Talking About Giant Robots on the Anime 3000 Podcast

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I was a guest on the Anime 3000 podcast on a topic very near and dear to my heart: giant, monster-punching, war-fighting robots.

I was on there along with Gerald from Anime World Order, John-Paul from Fight Bait, and Mike Dent from R5 Central.

Sadly, due to personal obligations I was not around for the whole podcast, and came in starting at the section about Nagai and Ishikawa. If you want to hear me talk you can skip to that part of the podcast, but I highly recommend that you DO NOT, as the discussions concerning Imagawa and Tomino are also important.

Looking back at my picks for recommend giant robot anime for beginners, I realize my list has many flaws, such as Shows that are Too Long, Old-Looking Animation, and No Super Robots. I’m not sure how I would solve any of these though, so you’re stuck with what I gave you.

Download is available here.

The Joys of Afternoon and Kuroda Iou

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Recently I found out that Kuroda Iou, creator of Sexy Voice and Robo as well as one of my favorite manga artists, has a new series entitled Atarashii Asa (New Morning) in one of my favorite magazines, Monthly Afternoon. Afternoon was home to Genshiken, and is where Kio Shimoku’s current series about a teenage mom Jigopuri, as well as Mysterious Girlfriend X, are running. Suffice it to say, at this point I am almost, almost tempted to consistently buy Monthly Afternoon even though I understand how much the costs tend to add up after a while.

This got me thinking about why I like Kuroda’s artwork, as it’s a wild style unlike most other artists in the anime and manga industries. If you look at my previous Sexy Voice and Robo review, you can get a good idea of what his drawings entail. He’s detailed but not meticulously so, and his brush usage leans away from the “cleaner” style that is so popular with so many people. Often times his drawings and panels aren’t completely coherent, but I feel like these “mistakes” are part of what make his style so unique. I call them mistakes only in the sense that in the end he did not decide to redraw something so that the thickness of the lines made a little more sense or the proportions of a character’s fingers were more realistic, but ultimately it was a decision, and it’s these decisions of which I am fond.

I’ve mentioned before that his style is pretty much what I wish I had, and it really has to do with conveying a sense of energy that goes beyond “accuracy.” Accuracy has its place in that world, but it is not at the forefront, much to the dismay of people who scrutinize single frames from Naruto episodes. While I don’t think my own style will ever be JUST LIKE his, it’s good to know that he’s still in Japan producing works that hopefully will get brought over to America at some point.

Oh and I found out Jigopuri’s first volume should be out, but that’s it’s not listed on Kinokuniya’s website. Maybe it takes a while for new series to get over there.

Imagawa and the Pile of Money in Eternity Island – A Dilemma in Anime Direction

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Imagawa Yasuhiro does not have very many works tied to his name in a directorial capacity, but mention the ones that he has worked on and you will tend to get very positive reactions from some very loyal fans. His most prestigious work is probably the Giant Robo: The Animation OVA series, an intense labor of love that took many years and many more delays to complete, while his most famous work in America is probably Mobile Fighter G Gundam. And in my personal opinion, he is an astounding director. Possibly more than any other director, he has the ability to take the endless dreams of childhood and translate them into something mature and complex while still remaining faithful to those childhood notions. So why does he get so little work?

We have his latest work, Shin Mazinger. You look at this series, and see a lot of areas that seem to suffer budget-wise. The opening consists entirely of reused footage. Scenes are repeated over and over, and a lot of shortcuts are used. However, the show is still amazing, and still coming out without too many hitches. Sub suggested to me that Imagawa is so much of a perfectionist that the more money you give him, the more likely your anime will never see the light of day because he’ll be too busy making his animators re-do everything to get that one moment just right. As mentioned above, he took practically forever to finish Giant Robo OVA, but he was also kicked off of Shin Getter Robo Armageddon for taking too long. But with Shin Mazinger, where his spending power is limited, Imagawa is forced to make decisions and the result is something that is both Great and On Time.

Imagawa is thus the kind of director to whom you could give 25 cents and he would make the most astounding animation ever that will challenge your very ways of thinking. Imagawa would take those 25 cents, create GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE LEGENDARY EAGLE, and when the show reveals that WASHINGTON AND THE EAGLE WERE THE SAME FIGURE ALL ALONG (like two sides of the same coin one might say!!), you will notice that your ass is no longer in your chair.

Money is to Imagawa as Time is to Tomino Yoshiyuki and No Editors is to Kawamori Shouji.

The Silent Ogiue

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Every so often I have to check that my fondness for Ogiue has not simply become a formality, that she is my obsession just because I say she is. It’s also the case where without new material, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain such a fandom unless one goes deep into, say, writing fanfiction, which I have no intentions of doing in regards to Ogiue.

And so I thought of the many reasons why I’m so into Ogiue, and I realized that there are a few things I’ve never talked about despite the fact that, well, I’ve talked so much about her. One in particular stood out, quite appropriately I might add, and that is the strength of Ogiue’s silence.

I’ve previously talked about how Ogiue’s words are always weighted with all of her inner conflict and that it came through very strongly especially when she tries to be succinct. This is taken to its logical extreme when Ogiue says nothing; she really, really exhibits her tension whenever she leaves her mouth closed. This effect is mostly achieved by her facial expressions, including the one we see so frequently coming from her, this kind of surly restraint.

It’s effective because you know she wants to say something, but is actively avoiding it. And even as she gets more comfortable with Genshiken and Sasahara, this never goes away completely.

Further True Karaoke Tips

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Actually, it’s just one tip but it’s a big one.

By “True Karaoke” I am referring to the singing of anime songs, preferrably the manlier the better, but keep in mind a lot of shoujo-esque songs can be pretty manly.

No matter your level of Japanese fluency, no matter if you have the songs memorized or you read them off the screen or if you have to print out a sheet with the romaji, the following tip is going to be very important to your karaoke endeavors.

ALL ANIME SERIES ARE LISTED UNDER THEIR FULL JAPANESE TITLES.

The reason I am pointing this out is that I and others I know have had trouble with this, looking for a song without remembering what the full title is and thus having a very hard time pinpointing it.

It’s not “Evangelion” under E, it’s “Shinseiki Evangelion” under “Shi.”

It’s not “Voltes V” under “Bo,” it’s “Choudenji Machine Voltes V” under “Chi.”

Akagi Mahjong Densetsu Akagi, Votoms Soukou Kihei Votoms, Utena Shoujo Kakumei Utena.

It’s something easy to forget, even if you’ve watched every episode of a series and you’re a really huge fan, so keep this in mind next time you’re with friends and feel like tearing the roof down with your impassioned version of the Otokojuku opening.

And remember, that’s “Sakigake! Otokojuku.”

The Deception of Hirasawa Ui

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This is Hirasawa Ui. She is the younger sister of the Light Music Club’s lead guitarist Hirasawa Yui. She is also a TRICK designed to pull in otaku and leave them with more than they anticipated!

Yes Ui is a little sister, and in that sense many fans may be drawn in by her “little sister” appeal. However, that imouto moe is only on the surface, and what lies underneath is a beast from yesteryear, ready to reclaim the throne of fandom, away from the tsundere, away from the “Onii-chan!” spouting imouto, away from the maids, away from the tsundere imouto maids.

Hirasawa Ui is actually a 1980s Childhood Friend Shounen Heroine in the guise of a little sister. She bears few similarites to Kyon’s sister from Haruhi or Cardcaptor Sakura, while her personality is closer to that of Yuria from Hokuto no Ken or Minami from Touch! Closer to her is Mikan from ToLoveRu but Mikan still leans closer to the imouto moe side. Capable, smart, responsible, and always in a position to help those close to her, Ui is the start of a secret plan to bring back the 80s Shounen Heroine, or at the very least the To Heart’s Akari-style childhood friend (as opposed to the To Heart 2 Konomi-style childhood friend).

“Oh!” you might say, “But she’s not the most popular character!” But that’s where they get you. Because she’s not in the main cast, because she’s not at the forefront of her show, she can slowly build up momentum. She is the first of many. She is avantgarde.

Now that you know the truth, you have two choices: embrace it or fight it. Just know that Hirasawa Ui will be there to serve you tea and make sure you’re comfortable.

Correction to AnimeNEXT 2009 Panel Information

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It turns out that due to a mistake on the side of AnimeNEXT that my panel proposal was never submitted and so my panel did not go through and my previous information is somewhat incorrect. The anime blogging panel you will see was the one proposed by Omo. The good news is that I will be taking part in this panel along side Omo, Super Rats, and Moy in what is sure to be a fun and informative panel.

Again, that’s Sunday June 14th at AnimeNEXT from 2-3pm.

And I will still be doing the “I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen This!” panel alongside the Reverse Thieves on Saturday June 13th from 9am-10am. I highly recommend you wake up for this one, especially if you’re itching for titles to expand your interests.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.omonomono.com%2F&ei=kJAmSsuEJpXFtgex5YzbBg&usg=AFQjCNEo2LqA0pF_iKQ7sq2Qa165MbXe4g&sig2=yZwFb9QgV106sbeCowMNBw

Another Vertical Vednesday Descending From the Heavens

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Once again, Ed Chavez, owner of the MangaCast and new marketing director of Vertical Press wants to discuss manga with YOU, yes YOU tomorrow, June 3rd from 6:30pm to 8pm at Kinokuniya on 6th ave and 41st Street in Manhattan.

For this Vertical Vednesday, Ed will be discussing Shoujo’s often-overlooked cousin, Josei. For those of you who don’t know, Josei is manga targeted at OLDER women instead of young girls. There may also be some discussion of the Guin Saga series of books. If you’ve never heard Ed Chavez talk about manga, I highly recommend that you go because you will inevitably learn something from him.

Saki’s Comment and Ogiue’s Transformed Wardrobe

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At the beginning of Volume 5 of Genshiken, Saki comments on Ogiue’s clothing, telling her that if she wore clothing that fit better Ogiue would look much cuter. While we know that at the end of the chapter Ogiue made one failed attempt to revise her wardrobe, what we can see in later chapters is that Ogiue did indeed take Saki’s advice to heart. It’s something not immediately noticeable, but her clothes do start to fit better and become a little more feminine (though still boyish most of the time), especially after she starts to date Sasahara. This ultimately culminates into the outfit that Ogiue wears to Sasahara’s graduation, one of the few times we ever see her in a skirt (the first time is at dinner celebrating with everyone on a doujinshi well-sold).

Some visuals: