Category Archives: anime

Armored Trooper Votoms: Part 1

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This is a review of episodes 1-13 (or was that 14?) of Armored Trooper Votoms.

Armored Trooper Votoms is the story of a soldier gone AWOL named Chirico Cuvie. Chirico is the pilot of an “Armored Trooper,” essentially a giant robot used for military purposes, but without any of the flash or style of a Gundam or a Valkyrie. Having found himself an unwitting accomplice in a conspiracy to attack a friendly space station, Chirico is betrayed by his fellow soldiers, but not before discovering their most important secret: A mysterious, expressionless woman inside a capsule and the target of capture by his former allies. Barely escaping with his own life, Chirico runs into a higher-up in the military, a man named Rocchina, who believes Chirico’s accidental treason to be anything but. Chirico is tortured mercilessly, but manages to escape and ends up in a city of scoundrels and gangs not unlike the entire planet in Hokuto no Ken. That city is named Uoodo.

In Uoodo, Chirico manages to make some friends, though none of them are by any means innocent, given the nature of Uoodo. Chirico must deal with a corrupt police force while still running from the military who believes him to know more than he actually does. As Chirico tries to survive, he begins to learn the secrets of the mysterious woman he met at the space station, referred to as the “Prototype,” and the viewer is shown that the conspiracy that got Chirico running for his life in the first place runs much deeper than anybody ever suspected.

Armored Trooper Votoms, as I mentioned, has giant robots, and not fancy ones at that. The result is that, while the action is not exactly completely realistic, it has a very gritty feel to it. An Armored Trooper is not made of super alloys, it does not have any fancy weapons or serious technological edge. It is basically a tank with legs. In fact, Chirico frequently switches Armored Troopers because the previous one got wrecked beyond repair in battle, though he prefers a specific type called the Scope Dog. In one battle, his Scope Dog was taken down by heavy fire from people on foot and in cars and helicopters. They are far from invincible, and this is the basis of the combat in the show.

As for the plot, this is what is meant whenever someone says that you have to give a Sunrise mecha series chance to set up, that they generally have a 13-episode test. This entire first part, aptly entitled the “Uoodo” arc, is ALL setup for what’s to come. I can feel it, I think anyone watching can feel it, the whole point of this first part is to set up the characters and the basic setting, and to establish what is “normal” for the show so that the show can then be turned on its head. These first 13 episodes for the most part feel fairly episodic. They sometimes revolve around Chirico’s friends trying to strike it rich, or Chirico escaping from danger, or a combination of the two, but along the way hints are dropped and characterization is expanded. My only complaint is that the show has a very Tomino-esque way of introducing relationships, which is to say unrealistic and rushed in order to make a plot point. Other than that, the show is on its way to success.

I have been set up. Now it’s time for the show to begin knocking me down.

PS: One amusing aspect of Votoms I should mention is the next episode previews, which are usually serious expositions of what will happen to Chirico. Best of all is that they all end on some extremely dramatic and cryptic message of what’s to come. The one that stands out in my mind is “NEXT TIME, CHIRICO DRINKS HIS COFFEE BLACK, AND IT IS BITTER INDEED.” It kind of makes the show hard to take seriously sometimes, but that’s okay.

Ogiue Lexicon

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I realized that there may be a few terms I use when discussing Ogiue that may not be familiar to some people. So I thought I’d clear up at least one or two of them.

fude: literally meaning “paintbrush,” this is a term used to describe Ogiue’s normal hairstyle. Also frequently referred to as “fude atama” or “paintbrush head.”

getting a little warped: translated in the Del Rey English translation as “getting carried away.”

Anata no Tonari: “By Your Side.” Ogiue’s Mugi x Sen doujinshi that she sold at Comic Festival.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: Zetsubou of Socks are Really Itchy

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So with season 2 having just begun airing in Japan, it’s about as good a time as any to review Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.

Simply put, this is a good series.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is the story of a harshly pessimistic and cynical teacher, the titular “Mr. Despair,” Itoshiki Nozomu, and his student, Fuura Kafuka, who can put a genuine positive spin on anything. Their interactions with each other, the other students in the school, and their environment at large are approached in multiple layers of dangerously effective meta-humor, like getting a heart attack from Azuma Kazuma’s ultimate croissant.

Akiyuki Shinbo, the director of SZS, has a very distinct directing style which is evident in pretty much everything he does. You will find in Zetsubou Sensei a keen awareness of the anime as an anime, as an image projected from a television screen (or some other type of monitor). This applies not only to the strong use of flat colors as well as the placement of objects within each scene, but also to the characters and personalities. The characters could easily be thought of as gimmicks: Optimist, pessimist, anal-retentive, cell phone, fujoshi, hikikomori, on and on and on. I, however, believe it is better to think of them as character traits in their purest forms. Watching a character in Zetsubou Sensei is like chewing the coffee beans right in your mouth.

For me, the example that stands out most is the anal-retentive Kitsu Chiri’s perfectly symmetrical hair. It is a representative of her desire for symmetry in everything, and when shown on screen close-up, Kitsu’s hair becomes negative space and the split turns into a vivid shape on a flat plane. The split hair is quite literally symbolic.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is a show I feel I can appreciate on a very artistic level, but it also satisfies my simple desire to watch an entertaining show. I look forward to Season 2.

By the way, if I had to choose: Kafuka, Kitsu, and Fujiyoshi in that order.

The Fujoshi Files 1: Ogiue Chika

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Name: Ogiue, Chika (荻上千佳)
Aliases: Ogino Naruyuki (於木野鳴雪), Yukimian (雪見庵)
Relationship Status: Dating
Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Information:
Ogiue Chika is a member of the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, or Genshiken, at Shiiou University in Tokyo, and a former member of the Manga Society at the same university. She discovered doujinshi as early as 5th grade, and has maintained a passion for boys’ love ever since, though a traumatic event in her junior high school days created a great deal of self-loathing in her, leading to her denouncing otaku in general. One of her greatest fears was that her love of yaoi would preclude her from ever being in a romantic relationship. Thanks to the friendships she gained by being a part of Genshiken, she has gradually accepted her fujoshi side. She eventually becomes chairman of Genshiken, receiving the title from its previous owner, fellow fujoshi Ohno Kanako.

Ogiue is a talented artist who is best described as being unable to resist drawing what she wants. She has produced a number of works, most prominent among them being Anata no Tonari, a girl-oriented doujinshi involving the characters Mugio and Chihiro from Kujibiki Unbalance.

Fujoshi Level:
The greatest example of Ogiue’s fujocity is the fact that her interest in boys’ love extends out from manga and into the real world. Ogiue fantasizes about her male friends engaged in very obscene activities and has drawn many, many pages (she describes it in multiples of ten) of these images which exist in her fantasies. In fact, her boyfriend, Sasahara Kanji, himself a former chairman of Genshiken, continues to be a subject of her more explicit drawings, and their intimacy has allowed her to draw him with greater accuracy.

Kenshiro: He who is the most “Gar”

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The SaiGAR Tournament 2008 is starting up, and I’m here to argue the case of Kenshiro.

Kenshiro is the latest master of an 1800 year old martial art called “Hokuto Shinken,” or Divine Fist of the North Star. It is the most deadly and powerful martial art known to man, and it involves mastery of the body’s various pressure points to cause a variety of effects. It is a martial art so powerful that traditionally only one master is allowed at a time, while the other students are forbidden from ever using it again, either by choice or by force.

As for Hokuto Shinken itself, here are some of the things it can do.

-By hitting one set of pressure points, he can cause a person’s head to explode after the count of 3. During this time he tells his victim to think about all the terrible sins they have committed in their lives.
-He can make a person walk backwards forever.
-He can force you to point a gun at yourself.
-He can make your arm tell the truth.
-In fact he can make any part of your body explode.
-Part of Hokuto Shinken is learning from other martial arts, so if you’re a master as well, he’s probably going to pick something up from you and use it just as effectively
-He can cure blindness caused by psychological trauma

That last one isn’t very violent now is it? Ah, but that’s where the true character of Kenshiro lies.

He is the inheritor of an almost two-thousand year old assassin-based martial art, but it is not solely because of his capacity as an assassin that makes him deserving of the title of Hokuto Shinken Master, it is also because of his compassion.

Kenshiro lives in the era after 199X, a cataclysmic year where the world was destroyed by nuclear war. In the aftermath of this nuclear war, the planet has become a place where the strong oppress the weak, where violent gangs rape and pillage families and towns.

It is the end of the century.

And Kenshiro is its savior.

Kenshiro aids the downtrodden, gives hope to the innocent, and is able to sense the true intent of any individual. He is accompanied by two young children in his travels, children who represent the hope of the future. Even when faced by strong opponents, he can tell when they are truly evil and when they are simply misunderstood. Fighting a pair of twins, he is unable to continue fighting them as he can see the sadness within their faces. Indeed, these brothers fight against their will because a man has kidnapped their beloved younger brother. Kenshiro not only has ultimate strength, but ultimate empathy.

But if you are evil? If your intent truly is malicious?

Why, you’re already dead.

The Fujoshi Files

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I’ve decided to start creating entries detailing various fujoshi characters throughout anime and manga.  Each one will give some basic information on the character, as well as what is, in my opinion, their most fujoshi aspect or moment.

I bet you can’t figure out who’s going to be first.

Shugo Chara: 12 Episodes Later and Still Good

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I am quite pleased with the way Shugo Chara has progressed. It is slated for a long episode count, and so it would be easy for the show to fall into the trap of endless episodic filler, but Shugo Chara manages to make progress with every episode. Either the overall story is advanced, or we learn more about at least one character. The steps are small but steady, and I am personally am a fan of this type of pacing.

The way the show is paced, combined with the overall cute, girlish aesthetics of the show, it makes for an anime I can visit every week with no irritation or desire to see the plot move forward, so when it does happen I am pleasantly surprised.

Best anime characters of 2007

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I don’t really want to do other awards, so this is it.

Best Male Character

Simon (Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann)

In the fine tradition of Tetsurou from Galaxy Express 999, Simon begins his journey as a boy and ends it as a man, only much more literally than in the case of Tetsurou. Simon’s progress and change, as well as his ability to truly mature and consider the weight of his actions gives him the edge over even his mighty Aniki.

Best Female Character

Take a guess.

Genshiken 2: Post-Recording Thoughts from the Cast

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This is a translation of an interview at the official Genshiken site.

——————

These are comments from the main cast from post-recording for episode 12.

Please give your honest post-recording impressions on the end of this show!

Sasahara Kanji: Ohyama Takanori
When I first began to play Sasahara, the various directions Genshiken goes meant that I’d be a part of this for a long time, and thinking, “It’s over?” really makes me sad. Whenever I read the script, I feel like I’m about to cry.

Kohsaka Makoto: Saiga Mitsuki
It’s going to continue isn’t it?

Kasukabe Saki: Yukino Satsuki
At the time it felt like… “Ah!”

Madarame Harunobu: Hiyama Nobuyuki
Man, it was a blast!

Tanaka Souichirou: Seki Tomokazu
Whaaa, it’s over already? But we’re doing a 3rd one right?

Kugayama Mitsunori: Nomura Kenji
Somehow I-I’m really sad…

Ohno Kanako: Kawasumi Ayako
For this Genshiken series, I thought, “A lot of things happened, huh…”

Kuchiki Manabu: Ishida Akira
Ahh, it’s all over isn’t it. I’m glad that Sasahara managed to get a job.

Ogiue Chika: Mizuhashi Kaori
Eh? It’s over?

Angela: Kaida Yuki
Oh wow, there were so, so many things, and I mean that in a variety of ways. But… when I reflect on the mood of the project, I genuinely had a good time with a great studio.

Susanna: Goto Yuuko
I wanted to do more! Sorry, I actually just said how I really felt. But after Kujian, I really wanted to do Genshiken, so I’m happy that I was able to be in it.

Please tell us about the difficult parts of playing your character.

Sasahara Kanji: Ohyama Takanori
In [Genshiken] 2, well there’s the making of the doujinshi, his job hunt, those matters of love, so many things that it made me tremble, just having the right attitude to play such realistic parts in a lively manner.

Kohsaka Makoto: Saiga Mitsuki
I was always thinking, “I have to keep being the usual Kohsaka.”

Kasukabe Saki: Yukino Satsuki
English.

Madarame Harunobu: Hiyama Nobuyuki
I wasn’t sure when I should use Madarame’s inner voice!

Tanaka Souichirou: Seki Tomokazu
The kiss scene, and the boys’ love scene were difficult. There’s going to be a 3rd series, right?

Kugayama Mitsunori: Nomura Kenji
Well, it has to be his peculiar way of talking. It was difficult figuring out to what extent I should play it.

Ohno Kanako: Kawasumi Ayako
The English was…. (sweats) really tough.

Kuchiki Manabu: Ishida Akira
I didn’t have any samples to base such an all-out extreme character like this on, so the troublesome part was using my imagination to figure out how he would speak and act.

Ogiue Chika: Mizuhashi Kaori
The Tohoku dialect was tough…but now that I’m completely familiar with it, I have trouble speaking normally (laughs). I also had to take care not to make her too tsundere-esque. She’s a shy person after all.

Angela: Kaida Yuki
It’s obvious, but it’s the parts where I didn’t speak Japanese.
After that, it’s using certain vocabulary which I’ve never heard myself say. I thought, “Heeey, you’re a girl! Is it all right for you to say that?”

Susanna: Gotou Yuuko
She’s such an abrasive character, so I had to try hard not to shy away from her.
The difficult part was imitating the lines of anime characters. Other than that, nothing really.

There sure was a lot going on (laughs), but what do you think were the most impressive scenes in Genshiken 2?

Sasahara Kanji: Ohyama Takanori
Ogiue going to Comifest incognito, getting found out, running into Ohno and having her interest in yaoi doujinshi revealed and confirmed. Square mouth and swirly eyes, Ogiue’s panic attack had me laughing hard.

Kohsaka Makoto: Saiga Mitsuki
Whenever Kucchii appeared.

Kasukabe Saki: Yukino Satsuki
Madarame’s serious reflection at the graduation ceremony.

Madarame Harunobu: Hiyama Nobuyuki
Probably the criticism that we engendered because of “Madarame is a Total Bottom” (laughs)

Tanaka Souichirou: Seki Tomokazu
The kiss scene with Ohno. <3
Is it okay for us to be doing this when there’s a 3rd series to do?

Kugayama Mitsunori: Nomura Kenji
It has to be… Ogiue’s fantasy scene!
That BL was rather shocking!

Ohno Kanako: Kawasumi Ayako
The Ogiue’s fantasy episode was great.

Kuchiki Manabu: Ishida Akira
Ogiue going undercover for Comifest and being found out.

Ogiue Chika: Mizuhashi Kaori
-The Tanaka and Ohno become a couple episode
-The BL episode
-The reverse of the BL episode, where Ogiue became the fantasy instead (laughs). (And Ogiue’s disguise)
-A PORN GAME MAKER(Kohsaka)

Angela: Kaida Yuki
Before our appearance, I would hear about this scene and that scene, and they were truly strong scenes among a variety of strong scenes. Now after all this, I want to see all of them.

Susanna: Gotou Yuuko
The scene at Comiket where they first sell a copy of Ogiue’s book.
Those two are way too cute together.

Say something to the “Genshiken 2” characters!

Sasahara Kanji: Ohyama Takanori
Sasahara, I’m really glad you managed to find a job. Don’t give up and keep striving!
After that, keep following through on your genuine love for Ogiue!

Kohsaka Makoto: Saiga Mitsuki
Sasahara, congratulations on your job!

Kasukabe Saki: Yukino Satsuki
Madarame, find happiness!

Madarame Harunobu: Hiyama Nobuyuki
Make sure to become a productive member of society!

Tanaka Souichirou: Seki Tomokazu
Hey, guys, there’s going to a 3rd series right?

Kugayama Mitsunori: Nomura Kenji
Get a move on, Kugapii!

Ohno Kanako: Kawasumi Ayako
Sasayan, congratulations on your job! I’m really glad for you.

Kuchiki Manabu: Ishida Akira
You can only do whatever you want when you’re a student!
…Though recently I’ve seen people who’ve been ignoring that and doing it anyway.

Ogiue Chika: Mizuhashi Kaori
Everyone, you deserve a break!
All the things that happened to Sasahara this time, it was all really interesting!

Angela: Kaida Yuki
To Sue: That’s not fair! Please speak more English!

Susanna: Gotou Yuuko
Madarame, I love you!

You all had fun in post-recording, so please tell us what was most impressive about doing these episodes!

Sasahara Kanji: Ohyama Takanori
[Genshiken] 2, was pretty risque, or should I say, there were a lot of H-scenes, but for it to have become such a big topic of discussion, I’m glad we talked about it.

Kohsaka Makoto: Saiga Mitsuki
Every time we laughed, the laughter would never die down.
It’s because the writing would still always be there.

Kasukabe Saki: Yukino Satsuki
Everything about Ohyama

Madarame Harunobu: Hiyama Nobuyuki
I can’t just squeeze out one when there’s so many, but it would have to be the great atmosphere working at a fine place like this.

Tanaka Souichirou: Seki Tomokazu
Starting the kiss scene with Kawasumi. Did you figure?

Kugayama Mitsunori: Nomura Kenji
Man, there was so much that I’ve forgotten it all. Every time we’d have such entertaining conversations, though there’s also a lot of conversations I can’t tell you about…

Ohno Kanako: Kawasumi Ayako
Kuchiki’s ad-lib was really interesting every time.

Kuchiki Manabu: Ishida Akira
Finding out that there’s salt in chocolate.

Ogiue Chika: Mizuhashi Kaori
Generally speaking it was really fun being such close, intimate friends with everyone. The idle chatter was of course really fun, but nothing beats seeing everyone smiling while performing. I think this is an experience I’ll cherish.

Angela: Kaida Yuki
When Team America appeared, it was obvious that the members who spoke English and the ones who could only speak Japanese had obviously different airs about them. I’m jealous of those who got to speak Japanese. I hate them. (laughs)

Susanna: Gotou Yuuko
I thought, wow, Angela’s English is impressive.
The most impressive part is of course, the actual content of her lines.

Finally, let’s give a message to all the fans!

Sasahara Kanji: Ohyama Takanori
I truly thank you for sticking with Genshiken 2. I would be happy to be Sasahara again some day.

Kohsaka Makoto: Saiga Mitsuki
I really want to do Genshiken “3!”

Kasukabe Saki: Yukino Satsuki
Let’s do Genshiken 3!

Madarame Harunobu: Hiyama Nobuyuki
Anyway this looks like the end of the road!! …Though somehow it feels like more is going to happen so keep cheering on “Genshiken!”

Tanaka Souichirou: Seki Tomokazu
We’ll see you again in the 3rd!

Kugayama Mitsunori: Nomura Kenji
Should I say “I’m glad you enjoy it” or “I’m glad you enjoyed it?” It was all really interesting. Cheer for us!

Ohno Kanako: Kawasumi Ayako
I want to come back and do Genshiken 3. Please keep cheering for it!

Kuchiki Manabu: Ishida Akira
I’m grateful for your support in bringing Genshiken to its 2nd series. Thank you very much.

Ogiue Chika: Mizuhashi Kaori
Let’s do Genshiken 3!! (laughs) Im laughing but I’m actually serious!!

Angela: Kaida Yuki
Doing this was an incredibly precious personal experience for me. To all of you who watched Genshiken, I thought, “They’re real. There really are people who are moved by the events in this show,” and I’m glad to have been able to feel this way. …Um, I tried my best.

Susanna: Gotou Yuuko
This was a project where I sympathized with everyone and was utterly moved (laughs), and I would both laugh and cry. I’m glad that you were all able to enjoy it.

——————

Mutual Cameos

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