Anime News Network reports that Eureka Seven has been greenlit for a new movie to come out whenever.
This is, of course, very very good news. There’s no real word on what the story’s going to be like or about, but I have complete faith in BONES.
This is perfect timing too, as I finally received my last Eureka Seven DVD, and as a result also finished reading Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl.
Review of that pending.
GONZO has thrown down the gauntlets and has enlisted the help of real live fansubber(s) to distribute its anime to the English-literate world with near-synchronized-with-Japanese-television releases of its new show, Tower of Druaga. As such, there are two important things to talk about: the possible benefits and consequences of this new distribution method, and the content of the show itself.
While GONZO would not exactly be my first choice as the pioneer company (such as Geneon), I applaud GONZO for doing this, though I think they should excise Crunchy Roll like a nasty boil. It’s not the kind of site that I think any animation studio should be associated with, and it may come back to bite them in the ass. As for the actual distribution method of Official Subs on Youtube and Other Places, I feel that even if I personally do not buy the show, I have been exposed to the series enough to begin making a decision, and that is very important to me as a consumer and as a fan. The other thing is that I really have no motivation to pursue higher quality fansubs when I am being provided episodes, translated, straight from the studio much faster than any speedsubber can manage. I don’t know how much of a loss GONZO is taking on this, but if their goal was to beat out the fansubbers, they’ve done so rather effectively. On top of that, the subs are actually quite good, and do not suffer at all from our fears of Engrish.
The actual show is surprisingly entertaining, as nothing in the show seems to quite make sense a la Haruhi Episode 1. While I suspect there’s going to be some shenanigans regarding what’s fantasy and what’s reality, the real highlight of this first episode is how terribly contrived the main character Gil’s idea of an epic tale is. It points out the main flaw in a lot of this sort of entertainment, as well as the fact that D&D games do not translate well to actually compelling stories because everyone will want their limelight in a D&D game, while in a story there should only be one protagonist at a time. It makes me wonder if GONZO is somehow also poking fun at itself and its reputation for plots which fall apart due to contradictions and hasty decisions.
The official Genshiken anime website has announced that they’re releasing the Genshiken OVAs (which introduced Ogiue to the anime) as a stand-alone box separate from the anime series Kujibiki <3 Unbalance for which they were originally OVAs. This is for the Japanese market. Whether or not America plans to release a stand-alone as well is unknown.
The R2 DVD Box will cost ￥6300 for 3 episodes, or approximately $62.00. It will come with an 8-page booklet, among other goods.
They are also re-releasing the 1st Genshiken series in a similar release.
Both will go on sale June 25th, 2008.
While looking in the bookstore the other day, I saw that the English version of Mousou Shoujo Otakukei (otherwise known in the US as “Fujoshi Rumi”) had its second volume out.
Then I noticed that the Japanese release of Mousou Shoujo Otaku-kei is only up to Volume 3, though obviously the story has progressed further at this point in the actual Comic High.
I wonder then, just how often is this happening nowadays? How often is the English release of a manga only 1-2 volumes off from the Japanese release? It seems like a really weird position to be in, though in many ways beneficial.
This also brings up another question: How many manga these days are being licensed within only 1-2 years of the original Japanese release? Doesn’t it seem a little too soon? Not to knock Mousou Shoujo, but it never seemed like the HOTTEST NEW THING straight from Japan, though I have to admit that it’s gotten better.
This also makes me wonder if part of the reason manga does well where anime DVDs don’t is that, in some cases, the releases aren’t that far off so people don’t miss out on too much?
Actually, it’s probably because you can immediately look at a manga in the store to gauge whether or not it’s worth buying on a per volume basis, while DVDs have no such luxury, as even netflix has to be an active decision rather than just “browsing for anime.”
That is to say, I have developed a new pet peeve: Seeing manga and anime translations which try to make the dialogue more Japanese-sounding.
I don’t remember exactly where I saw it, but I recall seeing an English-released manga which translated one girls scream as “Kyaaaaa!” This is common, of course, except for one problem: She didn’t say “Kyaaaaa!” in the original Japanese text.
I don’t mind honorifics in translations or anything like that, but when you go out of your way to add things which weren’t even there then it is a step too far.
The first half of Gundam 00 has concluded, and in the show’s desire to stand on its own two feet despite its Gundam name it embodies the spirit and messages behind the original Mobile Suit Gundam far more than any other alternate universe Gundam series. Every Gundam series involves war (or at least a substitute for war on an Earth surrounded by energy ropes), and every series shows how fighting affects various people, but none since the original Gundam and Zeta Gundam have put the emphasis on how it affects everyone. More importantly, it’s easy to care about how war affects everyone on both personal and universal levels, and this is really a testament to how effective Gundam 00 has been.
When I first saw Gundam 00, I was a little worried about it. It had all the right pieces, but it would be so, so very easy to play them wrong, to create the ugliest chess match in existence. But it didn’t. Gundam 00 has defied the odds, and it manages this by wielding the most powerful but most easily abused and corrupted piece of all: Death.
Watching the final episode and seeing roughly half of Celestial Being die in a battle they could not win, it was a bit of a shock. For one thing, with Nena Trinity still out there it would be natural to assume that something would come in and save the day. Turns out, nothing did, except for the power and resolve of the pilots and crew. This applies to not just Celestial Being but also the side of the allied nations as well. Looking even further back, with the death of Louise’s parents, the death of Graham Acre’s friends and co-pilots, and even the death of Lockon Stratos and so many others, death has immediate and long-lasting impacts on both the viewer and the characters. In other words, in Gundam 00 death is significant. Compare this to SEED, Wing, X, or even 08th MS Team, and the approach to death is drastically different. The deaths are not telegraphed from episodes away, nor are they quick changes to the plot in order to get a cheap pop or to try and produce drama. The characters are already dramatic, which is why their deaths inherently produce drama, not the other way around.
Gundam 00 is at its halfway point, and though I know better to jump the gun (I said that there was no way Gundam SEED Destiny could fail prior to it airing), I dare to call Gundam 00 the second best alternate universe series after Turn-A Gundam. I like SEED characters more, and I like pretty much all of Gundam, but 00 planned and executed so superbly, from its plot to its characters to even its mecha and fight scenes, that there’s no denying that it has just been a Good Series.
Surprising to me was how well the main pilots turned out, despite the risk of being generic angsty bishounen. The Gundam Meisters can be easily misconstrued as generic, but peeling back the layers shows a great deal of depth and personality. Setsuna F. Seiei is most surprising of all, as I like him as the protagonist quite a bit. He’s not an innocent kid who happened upon a Gundam, he’s a boy who grew up with war. He killed his own parents as part of a religious crusade. But despite being drenched in the blood of warfare of his own volition, of being a person who only knows how to fight and destroy, Setsuna is the most emotional of all. He is a blind boy desperately trying to find his way through the world with his own two hands because they are the only things he has ever truly known.
Unlike so many series in the Gundam franchise, Gundam 00 does not concern itself with homages or references or trying to maintain Continuity like it’s more important than the message itself. And that message? War affects everyone.
The fact that Gundam 00 is willing to kill and maim its comic relief says it all. Seeing Patrick Colasour (peace be with him) (edit: almost) dying in a violent flash of white, I can think of nothing closer to the excitement of watching a Gundam series. I expect everyone to die, and I expect no one to die, and this has left me in the best kind of suspense I could hope for.
I remember the first time I saw Raoh, with that huge stallion between his legs. I was in awe. This would begin a long journey where I found and understood myself.
A lot of Raoh’s appeal can be summed up in the battle where he stabs through his foot and Toki’s foot at the same time. I doubt anyone would argue with me when I call it the greatest foot kebab scene in anime and manga history. Raoh is willing to sacrifice his own foot, his most cherished companion since infancy, just to teach his younger brother a loving lesson (though Raoh forgets to mention at the time that Toki is his brother. Oh, Raoh, you’re so aloof).
Raoh, receive the fist that contains all of my love.
The Japanese anime industry is gearing up to take down the multi-headed vicious death beast of death that is internet fansubbing.
I’ve spoken before on how I personally feel towards fansubs and my status as an anime fan, and I just have to wonder how much the anime industry expects to save by stopping fansubs and demonizing them.
Legality aside, fansubbing is basically free advertisement for a show, and despite my general optimism towards shows I must say that not every show is a keeper or is going to be one that people at large will want to archive for generations. I’m not sure what they’re trying to accomplish, as it seems awfully near-sighted, but I can just picture myself (and most likely others) simply not buying a show AT ALL because I never had the chance to fall in love with it.
Over the past 12 months or so, I can probably count on two hands the number of manga titles I’ve bought in English: 3 volumes of To Terra, Sexy Voice and Robo, and hell I forget the rest, but the point is that I’ve read far many more manga and I didn’t even do it with scanlations. I utilized the dastardly method of Reading Them In the Bookstore. And these aren’t even throwaway titles but legitimately good ones. Why? Because 1) these things tend to be incomplete prior to reading them and 2) I do not have limitless pockets. Why did I buy To Terra without sampling it? Because I’ve been wanting to read it since I found out about it Manga! Manga! and since I downloaded a Japanese raw of the Toward the Terra movie from WinMX freshman year of college.
New shows won’t have that luxury.
Purely experimental shows would not fly with the anime-viewing audience, so where Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei succeeds is that it has a strong cast of characters to enchant and charm the audience into compliance.
One might say that Kafuka and friends comprise a Trojan Horse.
I’ll let the people running it explain it in their own words.
“Given the exponential growth of the anime blogosphere, the number of quality blogs with insightful opinions and perspectives are ever increasing. Yet a majority of the blogs out there remain isolated, lacking a sense of community and meaningful interaction. The Anime Blog Awards was created in order to bridge that gap by recognising worthy bloggers and their achievements in various fields.”
It’s an interesting idea, and though I’m not sure if I will participate in it, do not by any means let that keep you from voting. This sort of audience participation is what I think this community thrives on, provided it doesn’t become too political.
So if you are a blogger who blogs about blogs anime, then let it be known which blogs you think represent us the best.
It starts April 1st, so get nominating.
OGIUE MANIAX 