Ani-Gamers

Con Report: Zenkaikon 2012

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Due to rising popularity and corresponding attendance levels, Zenkaikon has never been lucky in terms of venue. That is until last year, when there was even space enough to account for future growth. Unfortunately, the hotel decided to put in a casino and thereby displaced Zenkaikon. All things considered (all things being the last-minute rush to find a new venue and all the prep work involved thereafter), the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center served as a lovely temporary home for this con, especially on the short notice in which it was procured. There was definitely enough space to accommodate the 2,743 attendees without feeling packed, and the single-level, open layout negated cramped hall navigation. And while attendance was down slightly from last year, enthusiasm was not.

As the good so often comes with the bad, I’ll be the first to acknowledge the sound issue. As the Main Stage was located in a hangar-like room shared by the Gaming "Room” (a partitioned corner), Autograph Area, Photo Booth, and Demos areas, it was pretty much guaranteed that whatever was being featured was being heard throughout for better and worse. In terms of the better, the lack of walls meant you could take in multiple events simultaneously ... a con-goer’s dream! Unfortunately, this arrangement also meant that regardless of what was going on, con goers were experiencing it all. This wouldn’t have been all bad, actually. Imagine playing in the Halo Reach or Modern Warfare tournaments to the sound of the taiko performance! That would have been awesome, but the taiko was actually scheduled opposite the Dance Central tournament to pose a rhythm vs. rhythm battle. Still, most gaming/main stage pairings seemed to work, with raves supplying energetic background music for retro gaming and sports tournaments, while other main stage events — masquerade, comedy, weaponry demos — were relatively unobtrusive.

Panels were strong this year, with presenting talent such as Geek Nights, Uncle Yo, and Charles Dunbar as well as myriad fans tackling some genuinely interesting topics. The location of the panel rooms, relative to the rest of the con, made them both easy to find and accessible. The only problem was the location of the panel rooms in relation to each other: back to back ... with only a flimsy divider betwixt them. Depending on the presenter’s lung power and adeptness for mic volume adjustment, the rooms were often fighting for the attention of their respective audiences.

Aside from the aforementioned issue of sound bleed, the gaming corner looked cozy. It was stuffed with a good variety of systems and featured a few large screen monitors for select systems and games. Whenever I peeked my head in, I never saw an empty chair (or at least one that didn’t fill quickly after being vacated), and yet the area never seemed overly crowded. Tournaments were scheduled every two hours, and other games were constantly in play.

The Dealer's Room/Artist's Alley, which was perfectly sized and well organized, was even able to accommodate the ever-annoying mid-aisle cosplay shoot without much disturbance to flow from vendor to vendor. Artists seemed a little under-represented, but all the consumable usuals seemed present (with only a notable shortage of figures). I ended up getting an excellent vintage kimono from Yokodana Kimono, a few Portal 2 buttons with which to adorn my bag in honor of the con’s theme, and a few other gifts for friends who couldn’t be there.

There was some great cosplay during the two-day con (which ran on both days to a lovely 1:30 AM in a very sleepy town), though I saw very few costumes that coincided with Zenkaikon’s Retro Sci-Fi theme. Madokas were omnipresent, but my favorite, for what will be an obvious reason if you’ve seen the show, is the one who attended with her friend who came as Medusa, the witch from Soul Eater. My other favourite bit of cosplay was this wonderful Count from Gankutsuou!

Friends made this con. The programming, purchasing, and learning were great, but hanging at the bar and talking over a meal or drinks, lounging the off-time away in a hotel room tradin’ memes, and after-parties discussing everything that had soaked in during the experience was priceless. Zenkaikon’s website mentions a 3-day event next year, and shortly after this con ended, some guests for 2013 were already announced! As confirmed via email and video, Zenkaikon will be moving once again, a little further west, to the Lancaster County Convention Center, which looks to be very spacious. Will it be worth the trip? Come and find out! Here’s looking forward to next year; I hope you can make it.

Click here for more coverage of Zenkaikon 2012.

Con Report: Zenkaikon 2012 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 22, 2012 at 4:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Zenkaikon 2012: The Panels

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 -0400

Interspersed with being social, panels ruled my time at Zenkaikon 2012. Let me run ya through:

Saving Time and Money for Anime

Relaying cautionary tales with comedic hindsight, Uncle Yo shared his wisdom on how to make the best out of any con pilgrimage. Pointers were given on everything from pre-registration, travel, and accommodations to proactive healthcare, events planning, and venue navigation. Uncle Yo covered all bases, giving the pros and cons of each as well as ways to make the latter more bearable. While most tips seemed like common sense (at least to a regular con attendee), there were still some surprise, forehead-slap epiphanies: eat offsite to avoid crowds and venue prices, bring your own controllers/dice for gaming rooms, bulk up on vitamin C, and bring power strips to hotels if sharing a room with multiple people. Each insight was delivered either via anecdote or followed by a short comedic rant, making the entire panel a delight to attend.

A Look at Women in Anime

This marks the second time a panel dedicated to the impact of women on the anime scene has been cancelled via no-show panelists (the first being last year’s Otakon). I left disappointed, as this panel promised to explore the evolution of style and personalities. It would have been a great lead-in to...

Mahō Shōjo Evolution!

Having been introduced to the magical girl (mahō shōjo) genre via Sailor Moon and having seen very few series in the genre thereafter, I relished the opportunity to gain insight into what once was, what I’ve missed, and how those shows have transformed. Given my absolute lack of knowledge on the matter, I have no choice but to say the panelists did a great job of explaining the significant influences of specific series, from Mahō Tsukai Sally (the first magical girl translation) to Puella Magi Madoka Magica (the deconstructionist’s wet dream), despite some seeming phobia of the mics in front of them. While examining the defining aspects of turning point series, the panelists also noted the shared themes and carried-over facets of different culminations. I came out of this panel with a huge to-watch list and a greater appreciation for a genre I previously disregarded as flippant.

Dead Like Us: Shinigami, Death Lore, and Japanese Media

I’ve seen this panel at least 3 times and always enjoy it for a few reasons. Unless you’ve a photographic memory (or a tape/digital recorder and a good deal of time for playback), there’s just so too much information to sponge up one time around. Even if you attend subsequent cons with this same panel, its content is likely to have something new — information, stories, images, or all – as content keeps evolving via Charles Dunbar’s insatiable perfectionism and enthusiasm for the topic. It’s this same enthusiasm that drives the lure of his presentation, which has a volume equal to its breadth. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it every time: if you see any of these panels on a con schedule, make the time to see it. You will not be disappointed.

60 Years of Anime Openings: Style & Symbolism

OP/ED panels can be hit or miss, if for nothing else than predictability, despite their theme. This panel was no different in regards to showing choice examples, but it did have two very specific allures: the fact that it was put together by Charles Dunbar, and the title’s post-colon content. To the first point, it was interesting to see how Dunbar, who usually delivers a depth of well-researched insight via an accelerated monologue and exemplary slides, would go about exploring and interlinking content without a constant narrative. So how’d he do it? He let the images do the talking while serving as a proper moderator by offering up brief introductions to the sections of the presentation and the occasional, brief, transitional shout-out, joke, or story. But two hours of two-minute videos can also take its toll, so why did it feel like this panel was over before I noticed? Aside from the flawless flow between OP selections, the momentum of the panel was driven through the OP selections themselves, pure and simple, which were grouped into several categories. The diversity of themes and brevity of befitting examples drew in and kept a sizable crowd.

Kyo Daiko Taiko Drummers

If you’ve never seen taiko, treat yourself. The presence of Kyo Daiko, a Philadelphia-based taiko ensemble, at Zenkaikon 2012 was a treat. In the midst of pop culture, tradition resounds within the soul like a drum in a convention center. Cheap (rim) shot, I know, but it’s true. The way those who perform taiko embody the motion behind the music is absolutely amazing. Check it out for yourself.

Uncle Yo’s Stand-Up Comedy

Center stage in Main Events (Hall A), Uncle Yo drew an adoring crowd that filled every available fold out chair. Fitting, seeing as Zenkaikon is where this otaku-centric comedian got his official start.

How Ponies & Dudebro Can Take Over the Internet

I was too busy catching my breath from Uncle Yo’s jokes to catch the beginning of this Geek Nights panel, but I did catch the latter half. My Little Pony as viral force-with-which-to-be-reckoned was in full focus as the presenters noted how the show has been used as the jumping board for numerous mash-ups with other shows that have yet to share any other similarity. This led to a talking point concerning fandom, where what fans do with their love is measured with more weight than the degree of appreciation shown towards the pedestalled. In other words, what a fan makes determines the greatness of love vs. how much adoration one shows a series, which merely implies passive appreciation. Check out Geek Nights’ YouTube channel for previous presentations/lectures. Hopefully they’ll put this one up as well.

History of Sharp Pointy Things

For the entirety of what should’ve been more appropriately titled “History of Sharp Pointy Thing,” Samurai Dan & Jillian mostly bantered about aspects of their marriage and roles therein. Honestly, it was like watching a bad sitcom with promise of actual mutilation if either was not as skilled as the other (overall a great analogy for marriage in retrospect). The “thing” in question was a samurai’s sword, and Dan did do a decent job of a light walkthrough of its historical use and rudimentary techniques (ooh, blocking). Show highlights comprised an “unrehearsed” duel between hubby and wife (wife wins, go figure) and a combination cut-down of a rug on a pole. I got the sense that Samurai Dan and Jillian both knew their stuff, but the act was more focused on banal jokes than swordsmanship, which made the experience as long and drawn out as an actual marriage.

Motivational Anime

Another panel by Geek Nights, Motivational Anime focused on manga and anime series that followed a particular formula for gripping curiosity and ultimately cultivating (for better or worse) adoration and emulation. Shows cited included, but were not limited to, Initial D, Drops of God, and Hajime no Ippo, all of which feature a reluctant hero, heady terminology, and emotionally evocative music/art while also minimizing consequences or issues attached to that which is glorified. Sum total of this panel seemed to be several examples of anime and manga, backed by videos and slides, that exemplified a shōnen formula applied to real-world subjects and hobbies. Not only were the examples decisive and formula made clear, but everything was just so tasty to watch! ... which was more or less the point. Catch this panel if you can next con!

Yaoi Feud

Family Feud centered around yaoi tropes. The host was tired and made it known, which kind of brought down the atmosphere a little more than the stale and predictable jokes, despite much effort. Best line of the night was something heard between rounds: “Only daddy can steal MY fries.” Yeah. That.

Click here for more coverage of Zenkaikon 2012.

Zenkaikon 2012: The Panels was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 22, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Snapshot: Dramatis Personae

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 -0400

The evocation of the overly dramatic — personifications of taste, an omnipresent and oppressive sense of urgency, the soul's weight from a worldly wager — is what embodies this manga centered around wine. It is this characteristic that serves Drops of God Volume 2 in three ways: as page-turner, commentary, and comic relief. The picture to the right is one I use to exemplify this manga to anyone who'll tolerate my overenthusiastic ramblings about it. Taken by itself, the image comprises two panels featuring an exuberant examination of wine in a glass (right) and the reaction of awe by a witness to said act (left).

Taken by itself, the image of Kanzaki Shizuku contemplating the color of the wine embodies the dramatic. It’s a simple and benign act made into an action shot. A huge splash of white showcases the glass of wine by erasing everything around it, save Shizuku's hand. The line formed by the accentuation of the glass and Shizuku’s hand continues through his arm and links the reader's eye to a strong white line a little further downward. Thus the reader's line of sight is redirected to the raised glass, implying swift motion. The reaction shot in the following image compounds on the effect of this action. The angle and position of Shizuku's bent arm points to the next panel of an astounded Watanuki Suzuka, who looks on in slack-jawed amazement (note the superfluous "!" surrounded by naught but white in a word bubble). All this implied action and disproportionate accentuation lends to the manga's sweet, humorous irony. Drinking wine, after all, is never that exciting to watch. However, Drops of God is illustrated as to infuse action where there is none, thereby creating a compelling read out of an everyday act as simple as observation.

Snapshot: Dramatis Personae was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 21, 2012 at 4:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Zenkaikon 2012: The Pictures

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:27:23 -0400

Some pictures of Zenkaikon 2012's cosplay, panelists, congoers, and venue. Enjoy!

Click here for more coverage of Zenkaikon 2012.

Zenkaikon 2012: The Pictures was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 21, 2012 at 10:27 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Reminder: Lain and Allison & Lillia articles in Otaku USA

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Sun, 20 May 2012 17:00:00 -0400

Hey, just a quick reminder that I've got two more articles in Otaku USA Magazine this month: a review of Allison & Lillia and a feature article on Serial Experiments Lain (one of my favorite series of all time!). Caleb Dunaway also has the cover feature on Steins;Gate, Erin Finnegan took a look at The Book of Bantorra, and Daryl Surat wrote up the Dragon Age anime. The issue is set to hit stores on May 22, so go check it out!

Reminder: Lain and Allison & Lillia articles in Otaku USA was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 20, 2012 at 5:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Impressions: Mysterious Girlfriend X Episodes 2-5

evanm@anigamers.com (Multiple Authors) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:53:22 -0400

If you haven’t read Phillip’s impressions of the first episode of Mysterious Girlfriend X, go ahead and do so now. We’ll wait. Done? Good. I’m kind of impressed you came back for more, actually. The general consensus on this series seems to be one of outright intolerance built of repulsion or disgust, so I’m glad you’re keeping an open mind ... it’ll come in handy. I have an odd draw to this series, specifically when it comes to just how unflinchingly distasteful the show's premise is, with much, shall we say, admiration for how it takes lip contact out of kissing to make literal the American idiom of “swapping spit” and how that eliminated middleman lends to such a grandiose level of viewer discomfort. That unease is what drew me in. Why is this concept so powerfully repugnant? Well, we’ve got four episodes to run ya through, so strap yourself in and make note of the sick bag in the seat in front of you; this show ain’t for the squeamish.

– Ink

Episode 2: Mysterious Bond

Ink: Even after a month of going out, Tsubaki and Urabe have not done anything physical aside from their daily unidirectional saliva-dosing ritual. This episode is all about Tsubaki attempting to break that rut. Since even holding hands seems irrelevant to Urabe, Tsubaki seeks advice by questioning his friend, Ueno, and consequently ends up asking Urabe about her hobbies. In answer, she produces scissors from on her person and demonstrates a unique skill. This does not lead to any physical intimacy. Urabe does, however, end up inadvertently flashing her underwear in front of Tsubaki and later sanctions the appropriateness of said glimpse. In the following days, a spontaneous hug from Tsubaki draws a furious reaction from Urabe, Tsubaki confronts Urabe about not acting like a couple, and Urabe proves her feelings by putting Tsubaki through an intimate test of trust. Tsubaki’s passing performance is rewarded with confirmation of his bond to Urabe via her specially conjured, emotionally conductive drool. Later, Urabe swipes a finger of drool from Tsubaki’s mouth and steals a dream he was withholding from her, revealing spit as a two-way river that conveys emotion and images — exact images, unfortunately for Tsubaki — between both parties.

Phillip: This episode is interesting for me because of the frustration Tsubaki feels at going so slow with Urabe. It reminds me of The Longest Time in that Tsubaki is prepared to “wait” after he passes the aforementioned trust test. That is an interesting scene to view from an outsider's perspective. And wherever this relationship goes, we at least know that Urabe places a lot of trust in him and Tsubaki isn't the type to abuse that trust. The dream Tsubaki “shares” with Urabe also demonstrate the great sorting house that is the mind. Tsubaki can’t articulate his feeling that the relationship seems to be going nowhere, but through the metaphoric connection with the drool Urabe understands Tsubaki better and puts his mind at rest.

Episode 3: Mysterious Test Tube

Phillip: Tsubaki witnesses his friend Ueno kissing Oka, a girl in their class. This triggers a reaction in Tsubaki: he too wants to kiss his girlfriend. I mean, it’s only natural. But Urabe’s reply is to give Tsubaki a test tube with her saliva in it. He goes home, tastes it and then has a dream where he decides after Urabe sneaks a kiss from him that they should wait until they are emotionally connected. Is this Urabe subconsciously trying to show Tsubaki her way of thinking? It would be interesting and would lend credence to the idea that Urabe is the one dictating the pace of the relationship. But while Tsubaki is worrying about kisses and such, Urabe has to decide whether or not she should accept Ogata’s request to go out with him. In this we see what I can only imagine is a reference to periods, with Urabe telling Tsubaki that she wanted to wait a day to answer Ogata since she could have an “abnormal reaction.” If there were no reaction from Ogata, he would not and could not ever connect with Urabe. This goes back to Tsubaki’s dream reference to emotionally connecting. I don’t want to step into an area I know little about, but it seems to state that girls only go out with guys they know are compatible with them (Urabe and Tsubaki), while guys go out with girls they think will be compatible with them (Ogata and Urabe). Weird dreams are nowhere to be seen in this episode, but it’s relatable to see Tsubaki worry about not being “worthy” enough to date Urabe. But in the end, like most blokes who stay true to their girl, he really doesn’t have anything to worry about.

Ink: I’ll wholeheartedly agree about how natural the need to compare one’s own romantic “progress” to that of your close friends. This naturalness is also represented in the bashful way Ueno and Oka keep themselves a secret. Tsubaki and Urabe are keeping the same secret, but there’s a little less of a bashful sense of it than there is one of unknowing tinged with that inescapable sense of shame that comes from outgrowing one’s youth and desiring what one once thought of as disgusting. Isn’t that what this series is all about, trying to make the unfamiliar and disgusting somewhat appealing? With this episode, especially via the titular mysterious test tube and its mixed tidings as first kiss and passive-aggressive admonishment of the same, the series does an excellent job of getting into the bewildered mindset of a newly sexually awakened youth (in this case, one that longs for a simple kiss against time which seems an eternity).

Episode 4: Mysterious Girl Meets Girl

Ink: This episode reminds me of Marie Howe’s, “Practicing.” Oka decides to befriend Urabe via the lure of home cooking (handfed nonetheless) after casually coming upon hers and Tsubaki’s afterschool spit swapping ritual. The pair of females unwittingly (at first) hold an experiment in the privacy of a dark, deserted nurse’s office via a shared bottle of soda. Urabe doesn’t entertain the notion that her own drool can affect another girl, so sharing a drink with Oka doesn’t pose any cause for caution. The consequences, however, reveal a deeper connection between the two girls that manifests in two ways: Urabe develops a taste for Oka’s cooking, mentioning at one point that her “body rhythm changed,” and it is revealed that not only can Urabe’s spit transfer emotions and mental images but physical wounds as well (skinned knee from a track accident and self-inflicted cut on her hand). Though both girls have boyfriends, they’re very interested in the bond itself and experimenting with it. The magic realism, already offered via transfer of emotions, thoughts, and dreams, gets a welcome physical manifestation, but this whole episode seems an excuse to fettishize the drool exchange by exploiting such themes as lesbianism, cutting, and cosplay (gym clothes).

Phillip: There’s an element of voyeurism to Oka observing Tsubaki and Urabe and not saying anything. I’m not saying that it doesn’t contain themes as mentioned above, but for me the most interesting angle is that Oka could blab to the whole school about Urabe and Tsubaki, but she doesn’t. She wants to keep Urabe’s “uniqueness” to herself. Why does she want to talk with Urabe alone? She says it was because she didn’t want to cause trouble for Tsubaki by approaching him but still, she completely focuses on Urabe. And in the nurse’s office, she drinks cider, an alcoholic drink traditionally, which would lower her inhibitions. What the hell is that scene about? Personally, the mix of two girls, booze and secrets makes it more confessional in nature than anything else, in my mind. Urabe needs Oka to be more human as it were, and Oka with her weird voyeur tendencies needs Urabe to be normal. If you can believe that.

Episode 5: Mysterious First Date

Phillip: After seeing Urabe in her swimsuit in school, Tsubaki decides to invite Urabe to the beach because on a unconscious level he wants to see her on his own in a swimsuit. But like most guys in a relationship, he gets more than he bargained for when, after waiting weeks for the chance to see her, they go to the beach with her sporting a tan after spending time with her family (who curiously we don’t meet or see) and him wanting to see what her whole body looks like. Now most other shows would have him wanting a peek at her undressing, but they don’t do that. Instead we see her untying her bikini skirt to reveal her wearing bikini ends and a tan line where her panty scissors should be. Also, I can’t help but feel the shows producers and writers are trying to show Tsubaki is a good kid, because early on in the episode, the guys are practising goals in school with the teacher but deliberately kicking the ball over the hedge so they can peek at the girls practising swimming. Tsubaki is the one to try and check out Urabe but when he sees her through the hedge he slips and doesn’t kick the ball. Is that Tsubaki self-sabotaging his “shot” at Urabe? It stands to reason, in his mind at least, he doesn’t need to do that because his relationship with Urabe is his and his alone. And before you ask, Ueno sneaks a peek at Oka, so it’s not about Tsubaki having a girlfriend that he doesn’t do it.

Ink: The approach used to introduce the poolside peeping at the beginning was impressively subtle for such a brazen show; winks and smiles, no-one in gym being able to properly kick a soccer ball/football, and the earnestly delivered compliments (instead of jeers) for such, all let viewers know something is not what it appears to be. Unlike Phillip, I’d argue that the only thing sabotaging Tsubaki’s shot at Urabe here is his respect for her, which is genuinely nice to see. Tsubaki’s embarrassment at spying Urabe through the trees, when they lock eyes for a moment, throws Tsubaki off, causing him to miss the ball. I’d like to think his botched peep was a combination of that unspoken warning from Urabe and an inner voice that realized the truth behind her glance. Aside from a couple really well-written and timed jokes towards its end, I think the episode falls apart from there. Don’t let Philip mislead you. Although Tsubaki indeed does not try to catch Urabe undressing, he does swim underwater to watch her body very closely ... only to be saved by a horribly flimsy excuse and an overly accommodating Urabe. Or is that a very forward hint?

Mysterious Girlfriend X is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Impressions: Mysterious Girlfriend X Episodes 2-5 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 16, 2012 at 7:53 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Review: Domu – A Child's Dream – Otomo's Psychic Showdown

evank@anigamers.com (Evan Krell) — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:30:00 -0400

Domu: A Child's Dream is a single volume manga whose original run in Young Magazine finished only months before the beginning of its author (Katsuhiro Otomo)'s more famous contribution to the same magazine: Akira. It's a very interesting read that uses many of the themes and visual stylings that would be dramatically expanded upon in Akira. On its own, Domu is a highly enjoyable speculative romp focusing on dark atmosphere and action sequences of cinematic execution.

In what is assumed to be contemporary Tokyo, the Tsutsumi Housing Complex has experienced a series of unexplained deaths over the last three years. Responsible for the string of death is an old man, called “Old Cho” by his neighbors, with a child-like mind and strong extrasensory powers. His motives are that of a child — he sees something he wants, and takes it at the expense of the life of the owner. This may seem a spoiler, but despite the mystery tone of the narrative's first half, it is clear to the audience who is responsible very early on. The first half deals with the investigation of one of Old Cho's recent victims, switching between different members of the team encountering befuddling clues and strange events. Tensions deepen as a policeman and the head detective become the next victims. Simultaneously, another story unfolds as a young girl, Etsuko, who also has unexplained powers, becomes aware of the old man's actions. The situation escalates as “Old Cho” reacts defensively to the threat of another being with similar powers. Midway, the story shifts from the slower paced mystery to a frenetic sequence of events, leading to a violent telepathic showdown between Cho and Etsuko.

The investigation angle is played throughout, but ultimately adds little to the narrative. It is intended as a way to explore the mystery of the unexplained deaths, helping the audience piece together facts over time, but it would have been more effective if the audience weren't already aware of the culprit's identity. Furthermore, the activities that prompt the climactic confrontation and eventual resolution are entirely independent of the investigators. Etsuko recognizes Old Cho's powers without any prompting from the investigation, as she just happens to notice his silent manipulations while playing in the park one day. It would have been more sensible to focus on developing Etsuko and exploring the mind of Cho, downplaying the investigative element.

As for Etsuko, the audience never really gets to learn much about her, making her more plot device than person. Where the graphic novel truly succeeds, however, is in the latter half, the battle between Cho and Etsuko. The pacing rapidly accelerates, and becomes an unrelenting feast of manga action as the two wreak havoc in their attempt to destroy the other. This confrontation is one of the better action sequences in manga, without any of the messy linework or problematic pacing that often hurt the flow of such scenes. The final pages are absolutely brilliant with an eerily low-key finale that highlights the theme of the mysterious mind of children.

This hyper, telekinetic thriller defines Domu, and leaves little room for anything else — Otomo's tale doesn't use the story as a platform to tackle issues with any significant depth. That said, he does utilize some interesting concepts throughout, but as setting and not commentary. For example, link between a child's mind and psychic powers is the central theme of the story, but Otomo didn't really explore this until his work in Akira. Still, setting is an important facet of a story, and used effectively in Domu to develop the atmosphere of his work. Inspired by Otomo's own experience moving to Tokyo, the apartment complex in Domu evokes the feelings of congested urban life. In an interview with Yomiura, Otomo commented on the people living in a recently developed public housing complex, saying that they "never seemed to adapt to this sort of crowd urban living, but they found themselves trapped in that world." That feeling comes across very well in Domu, and serves as an effective backdrop for the story.

Domu is very much in the tradition of science fiction short stories, such as those found in “zines” like Amazing Stories and Analogue Science Fiction. This style of SF generally de-emphasizes characterization in order to focus on ideas. In the case of Domu, this is the battle between two extrasensory “children.” My attraction to Domu most likely comes from to my fondness for this mode of classic science fiction. Otomo weaves a clever narrative comprised of Old Cho, the subtle noir-esque atmosphere surrounding the apartment complex, and the captivating energy of the explosively violent climax. One strength of the lack of relatable characters is that there isn't really much impact when they are killed; this may sound like a bad thing, but I appreciate that I can enjoy the story for what it is without being weighed down by emotionally manipulative drama. My only significant complaint is that I wish the investigative aspect were better weaved into the overall narrative.

As expected of Otomo, the artwork is incredible. The character designs stand out against manga's tendency toward over-the-top designs; Otomo's story is populated by everyday Tokyo residents who are appropriately plain, but readily distinguishable from each other. I find it amusing that, simply by resembling ordinary people Otomo's designs seem out of the ordinary in manga. Outside of character design, the visuals are extremely capable at presenting the feel of the story. During the slower-paced beginning, the level of detail is adequate and realistic in a way that doesn't really push the reader forward or force the reader to slow down and carefully examine the scenery. Many of the more dramatic scenes take place at night, when Otomo utilizes high black and white contrast to maintain a consistently foreboding atmosphere. Many panels in these night scenes feature well-formed lit apartments that create geometric visual interest and highlight the urban claustrophobia. As the pacing increases during the battle, the artwork elevates to a cinematic feel with further gorgeous night scenes and thought-out aesthetic composition that adds a certain stark beauty to the rampant urban destruction.

The entirety of the manga is highly readable, with a level of visual clarity that allows the reader to easily follow the story without ever getting dragged down. Panels instantly fixate the reader's eye on the key detail, and even the scenes of destruction are structured in a way that the reader doesn't get lost in speed lines and rubble. Otomo often uses sharp contrast and minimal shapes to create panels that are instantly comprehensible for an energetic reading of the plot, but are designed with enough artistic merit to reward a slower re-reading. According to Frederick L. Schodt in his classic text Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, manga is a medium meant to be digested quickly. While there are many titles that seem to disagree with this assertion, if this is accepted as an ideal for the medium, then Domu is a demonstration of Otomo's mastery of the “language” of manga — balancing clear readability with high-quality aesthetic design.

Dark Horse's 2001 release is long out of print, but you can find an inexpensive copy online. Ebay currently has copies up for the startling prices of upwards of $45 and one Amazon listing shows even higher. However, I discovered that Domu is listed on Amazon twice, with the second featuring much better prices — as low as $1.65 for a copy described as “dirty” and another for $13.99 that claims to have been kept in a protective sleeve, “since day 1.” Domu is completely worth picking up for fans of Otomo and dark speculative fiction who enjoy works outside of hard sci-fi. Many anime fans demand high characterization to be a focal theme to enjoy a piece of writing, but Domu absolutely excels at what it is trying to be — a strong example of short story comic writing that is able to capture a compelling atmosphere and engaging action in a tremendously fun way.

Medium: Manga (1 volume)
Author: Katsuhiro Otomo
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Mystery
Publisher: Kodansha (JP), Dark Horse (US)
Serialized in: Young Magazine (JP)
Demographic: Seinen
Release Date: 1982 (JP), 1995 (US)
Age Rating: Not Rated (we'd say about 16+, though)

[Highly Recommended]

This review is based on a retail copy purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Domu – A Child's Dream – Otomo's Psychic Showdown was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 14, 2012 at 9:30 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Drunken Otaku: Great Drinker – Conker the Squirrel

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:09:45 -0400

Name: Conker “The Squirrel”
Game: Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Systems: N64, Xbox (with 360 port)
Usual: Beer (Britishally pronounced, bee-ya)
Favourite Dive: The Cock and Plucker
Type of Drunk: The Lightweight, The Dupe, The Hero

His story: In a tale to which any drinker can relate, Conker’s just a kind-hearted squirrel trying to get back to the comforts of home and girlfriend after having a few too many rounds of beer with the guys at the local pub. As hard as it is to tell left from right in such a state, it’s equally tough to tell the right way from the wrong. As one not inclined to luck, Conker chooses then stumbles along a path that ultimately never crosses his doorstep, but one that ultimately makes him a hero.

Like an ant can lift, Conker can drink 10 times his weight in beer. Unlike an ant, Conker will soon be staggering about and puking every few paces after he downs that final glass or chugs the keg dry. Though to be fair, I’ve never seen a post-work ant (lies). So why tolerate this lightweight? Well, once Conker’s starts imbibing, he’s not gonna stop. In the immediate, this is a good thing. Conker can be convinced to buy rounds when it’s not his turn, and he is an animated conversationalist, with a wry sense of humour to boot. Even when things go sloppy and Mr. The Squirrel opens up his shorts to relieve his bladder from all that beer (despite the presence of company or lack thereof), Conker can keep his drinkin’ buddies safe from fire imps and rock monsters by turning all that ingested yellow liquid into ... pressurized yellow liquid. So why welcome him back to your table? Didn’t I just mention he can save you from fire imps ... with his pee?! The squirrel spites his liver ... for you, and you don’t appreciate him? Sheesh.

Well, consider this: all that drinking costs. To replenish that cash (and with it, memories and time) of which he's been duped, Conker will need to earn some dough. Being menaced by an operatic mountain of poo? All conker needs is a gas mask and his trusty B button. Have a dinosaur that needs to be hatched? Sacrificed? Either way, Conker needs the cash just enough to get it done. Vampire bat needs feeding? Conker’s in the know! Hornets made off with your bee hive (yet) again? Conker’s willing to infiltrate THEIR hive to get it back for you! Nazi teddy bears want to be Nazi teddy bears? %@*& that ^#$&! Conker'll show ‘em what-for! So use him. Abuse him. So long as he has a weakness for beer and a need for cash, Conker will be the one living adventure after adventure, racking up stories to slur while wearing the crown at the bar of great drinkers.

Drunken Otaku: Great Drinker – Conker the Squirrel was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 10, 2012 at 11:09 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Zenkaikon, ho!

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:40:11 -0400

Another year marks another change of locale for Zenkaikon, eastern PA's rapidly growing anime con. While this will be Zenkaikon's sixth celebraton of anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture, it will be the con's first time at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. I've been attending Zenkaikon since 2009 (check out some posts about those pilgrimages here) and am looking forward to a con that seems to improve with every iteration. This year will feature the return of brand-new Ani-Gamers guest contributor and anthropologist extraordinaire Charles Dunbar, as well as former Ani-Gamer and otaku comedian Uncle Yo. Zenkaikon 2012's full schedule for Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 can be found here (PDF), and my very tentative schedule follows the break. As usual, conflicts of interest are usually resolved spontaneously. Follow @animatedink on Twitter if you want my up-to-the-minute whereabouts, and if you see me, come on up and say hi!

Friday

When	What	Where
3:30 – 4:30 pm	Saving Time and Money for Anime	Live 2
4:45 – 5:45 pm	A Look at Women in Anime	Live 2
6:30 – 7:30 pm	Cosplay Dating Game	Hall A
7:30 – 8:30 pm	Japanese Language and Culture	Meeting Room 5
8:30 – 9:30 pm	Platform One Concert	Hall A
9:00 – 10:00 pm	Maho Shojo Evolution!	Live 2
10:30 – 11:30 pm	Dead Like Us: Shinigami, Death...	Live 2
12:00 – 1:00 am	Most Heinous Monster & Villains	Live 2

Saturday

When	What	Where
10:15 – 11:15 am	60 Years of Anime Openings...	Live 1
10:45 – 11:45 pm	Traditional Inking	Meeting Room 5
2:00 – 3:00 pm	Kyo Daiko Taiko Drummers	Hall A
3:00 – 4:00 pm	Uncle Yo’s Stand Up	Hall A
4:00 – 5:00 pm	History of Sharp Pointy Things	Hall A
4:15 – 5:15 pm	Sprits, Wheels, and Borrowed Gods	Live 1
4:45 – 6:15 pm	Aaah! Video Game Cartoons	Live 2
5:30 – 6:30 pm	Motivational Anime	Live 1
6:30 – 8:00 pm	Ninja Weapons of Death	Live 2
9:00 – 10 :00 pm	Asterplace Concert	Hall A
11:45 pm – 12:45 am	Yaoi Feud	Live 2

Zenkaikon, ho! was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 8, 2012 at 9:40 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Vote for Us in the Aniblog Tourney! (For Real This Time)

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:15:29 -0400

VOTE FOR ANI-GAMERS HERE!

Well, our grand entrance into the 2012 Aniblog Tourney didn't quite go as planned, in large part because I was busy dealing with real-world things as our poll launched. (We hosted manga artist Rica Takashima for an event at my university, and I was in charge of organizing the whole thing!) Now that things have settled down, however, I'd like to remind everybody to head on over to the poll and vote for Ani-Gamers! As of this writing, we're losing to Beneath the Tangles by a pretty wide margin.

More importantly, however, there hasn't been a lot of discussion or feedback yet. Though I find the competitive aspect of the Aniblog Tourney a little inappropriate — it tends to select for features that I think are not so important, like site design — getting feedback about our blog and others is really useful. So please, leave us some feedback either here or on the comments for the poll itself. Even if we lose, I'd like to know what people think could be better about Ani-Gamers.

Vote for Us in the Aniblog Tourney! (For Real This Time) was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 3, 2012 at 9:15 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Aniblog Tourney 2012: The Battle Begins! [EDIT 1]

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:00 -0400

EDIT 1: The links for some of our posts were broken, but they should be all fixed now. Thanks to our opponent, Charles, for pointing that out!

At long last, Round 2 of the 2012 Aniblog Tourney has begun. We're up this Wednesday, May 2 against Christian-themed anime blog Beneath the Tangles, and we want to remind everybody (both new and regular readers) to vote for us. Why? Well, there are hundreds of posts from over four years of Ani-Gamers blogging to convince you of that, but I'll try to sum up all the awesome in this one.

For those of you who need a straightforward explanation of what we do here, Ani-Gamers is a collaborative anime, manga, and video game blog. We focus mostly on critical commentary in the form of reviews, feature articles, columns, and podcasts, and we've got two main tenets: Quality and Variety.

Quality represents our dedication to sharp, honest, and entertaining commentary not only on anime, manga, and video games, but the fandoms that surround them. It also represents our strict revision process that screens all articles before they reach the eyes of readers like you.

Variety represents the range of bloggers and podcasters who make up our team of contributors. We've featured writing from an otaku comedian, a poet, a cultural anthropologist, and a few professional gaming writers. We leverage this diverse team to provide a wide variety of voices and post topics.

Unfortunately, this means our focus tends to shift depending on which writers are actively contributing, so I've made exploring the site easier for you by compiling a list of 15 of our best blog posts and podcasts. Through these posts you'll be able to get a taste for the wide range of topics we cover and the unique perspectives of our contributors.

So why vote for us? Well, we've been plugging away at this blogging business for longer than a lot of other blogs in the Tourney, and we think we've honed a pretty fun, insightful way of looking at anime, manga, and games. If you agree, then head on over to the Tourney poll tomorrow! We expect a BLOODBATH OF DEMOCRACY when we check the poll again on Friday — preferably one in which we come out victorious.

Finally, regardless of which way your vote swings, I'd like to take a leaf out of Bradley C. Meek's book (have you heard him on our podcast?) and ask for as much feedback as you can give about Ani-Gamers. Is our content working for you? How's our layout? What do we do best? What could we be doing better? Don't worry about being mean — I welcome any chance to find out what our audience (or potential audience) is looking to get out of this site. So please feel free to leave a comment on this post once you've taken a look around. And most of all: Enjoy your stay!

Aniblog Tourney 2012: The Battle Begins! [EDIT 1] was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on May 1, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Snapshot: Long-Fought, Hard-Won

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:00:00 -0400

Losing sucks.

That's probably why so many modern video games are so easy — people just don't like to lose. Losing, however, is an integral part of the learning experience in Advance Wars, the turn-based strategy series that started on the Gameboy Advance and has since moved over to the DS. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin on the DS follows a ragtag group of soldiers in a post-apocalyptic world as they fight back raiders and other nasty enemies. Between the thematically dark main missions (which are uncharacteristic for the Advance Wars series) the player can also tackle "Trial Missions," which are much more difficult and usually feature specific gimmicks in the arrangement of the terrain and/or units.

One such mission, T35 or "Center River," uses the Fog of War mechanic, which obscures enemies a certain distance away from the player, thus making it difficult to react to the opponent's moves. Like, really difficult.

Case in point: I deployed some footsoldiers, captured a few cities, and set up a tank or two. BOOM, out of nowhere the enemy started bombarding me with rockets and artillery shells from ... somewhere in the Fog of War. Then giant "war tanks" (the most powerful land units in the game) emerged from the fog, barrelling down upon my base and supporting the infantry units that would eventually overtake my headquarters.

Every permutation of moves I tried, every strategy, met with defeat. The most frustrating times were the ones when I felt like I was about to win, only to be struck down by a surprise volley of long-range rockets and anti-tank attacks that drove me back to my base! I simply turned the game off in anger quite a few times.

I searched online for ways to beat the mission, to drive into the heart of the blue team's side of the river and take their HQ. Forum posts provided some nice tips, but my lack of Advance Wars experience made it difficult to fully implement a lot of their strategies. The parade of failures continued.

One more time. One more time. I sent troops across the river and tried to take the island in the center. I set up rockets in major cities. I pushed across the southern bridge with a tank. After dozens of attempts these sorts of things had become second nature. The enemy came at me on the island, and then I made the one important change to my strategy: I sent some decoy troops along the northern bridge, as someone had suggested in a forum post. Instantly the CPU redirected its troops to fight in the north, and my campaign to take the island in earnest had begun.

After over an hour of plugging away at this slow fight, producing units constantly to keep up with the enemy's barrage of attacks, I finally made it across the southern bridge. By redirecting the blue team back and forth with false threats of capturing cities, I managed to sneak an infantry unit into the headquarters and capture it once and for all. A week of frustration and anger and failure ended in glorious victory, and I was reminded of why I dedicated so much of my time to something so frustrating.

Winning is awesome.

Snapshots is a monthly column here at Ani-Gamers in which one of our writers describes and analyzes a particular moment from a piece of media. To read previous entries, click here.

Snapshot: Long-Fought, Hard-Won was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 28, 2012 at 2:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Review: Shin Megami Tensei – Devil Survivor 2 (DS) – Free Will and Armageddon Revisited

charles@studyofanime.com (Charles Dunbar) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:00:00 -0400

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today we've got a guest review from the "Anime Anthropologist" himself, Charles Dunbar. Enjoy!

What would you do if one day the world ended? You're standing there on a subway platform, chatting with your friends, when suddenly everything goes horribly, inexplicably wrong. Demons leap from your cell phone, trains derail, and your formerly safe world is turned upside down, the illusion of peace and tranquility irrevocably shattered. Would you fight? Or would you allow the monsters to take your life and end your story right there?

This is, of course, purely hypothetical. It also is the plot behind Devil Survivor 2, the latest game in the Shin Megami Tensei Series. But aside from being the plot of an immersive game environment, it's also a question worth asking yourself. Which is one of the ways the MegaTen series distinguishes itself from others of its kind: by posing a serious question then giving the player a chance to see how their decisions pan out.

Decision and consequence are something of a rarity in the gaming sphere: while Fable attempts to craft the entire game around free will, Skyrim posts bounties, and Knights of the Old Republic has alternate endings, more often than not the game world is such a far cry from the real one that the message gets lost, or the impact of such decisions are meaningless in the grand scheme. Not so with MegaTen: the world is the player’s own (within reason) and the decisions often mean the difference between survival and death in the face of devastating odds. While not open-ended, the games do allow the player to make important decisions that really do affect how the game ends.

Devil Survivor thrusts the player into the middle of the action. While combat is a central part of the experience, so is choosing your path while the days play out. It’s not a totally fixed narrative, but rather a massive catalog of interwoven threads that lead the player deeper and deeper into a world on the brink of destruction: demons make pacts with humans for power, the government’s “defenders” attempt to maintain order through questionable means, and a mysterious stranger judges humanity’s worth through technology and philosophy, all while a massive celestial entity plots the downfall of the world should it be proven unworthy. It’s not enough to just survive, no — you need to persevere and thrive against these maneuvering powers, often with little to no information beyond hunches and limited gleams of knowledge.

Insignificant humanity? Deals with the otherworld? The base nature of mankind? All-encompassing destruction on the whims of a galactic entity? Consequences to one's actions? Is this even the plot of a game, or some unpublished H.P. Lovecraft novel? When was the last time I even asked myself this question? It can be maddening at times, especially when the player might want to “do the right thing,” only to be confronted with several paths that hold both appeal and dread. In other words, it feels like life, and sometimes making the wrong decision stings a little.

Of course the game gives you weapons: demons, and lots of them. Well, not all of them are pure demons. Many are gods and other mythological figures, but they fill important roles in the upcoming conflict — make pacts to gain their services, use them in battle, and fuse them with other demons to make even more powerful creatures. In the Persona series, these entities serve as an extension of the character’s willpower and psyche. In Devil Survivor, these entities serve the player, but only if he can control and understand them (insert Pokémon reference here). They are limited only by the player’s ambition, and are as powerful as his cunning allows. This level of customization and implementation is rarely seen in games these days, especially portable titles. Mastery of the fusion system is necessary to ensure success — otherwise the player’s party members will die frequently in the middle of the brutally taxing battles.

Case in point: after seven days of struggle against the might of the stars, your goal is upon you. The last of the Seven that have dogged your heels stands ready, and your allies have managed to gain a slight advantage against his ability to banish your demons. You move forward into battle ... and die. Repeatedly. Grinding barely helps. Rearranging skills and magic does little as well. Devil Survivor 2 forces the player to confront the situation from all sides and explore the many roads that lead to victory. Or, in the case of this monster, one road — fraught with devastation and loss. It’s a testament to the power of the game that even in the face of such frustration, a player will keep going until the deed is done.

The 40 hours or so of Devil Survivor 2 are some of the most challenging I have ever experienced. I often second guessed not only my choices in battle, but also the course of the plot. Do I ally myself with the government, with the rebels, or with myself? How will my choices impact where the story ends up (one of the endings is downright nightmarish if you choose the wrong “side”)? Should I fuse away a valued, proven ally in favor of something else, or do I spend all my hard-earned money re-summoning old demons? Mistakes, while easy to make, are extremely hard to rectify, and foresight becomes extremely important in the end. But all told, Devil Survivor 2 is a worthy challenge to attempt, and even more satisfying to overcome.

Medium: Portable Video Game
Genre: RPG
Director: Shinjiro Takata
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Date: Feb. 28, 2012 (NA)
ESRB Rating: Teen

[Highly Recommended]

This review is based on a retail copy purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Shin Megami Tensei – Devil Survivor 2 (DS) – Free Will and Armageddon Revisited was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 27, 2012 at 4:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

The Trap Door: 10% Nitro, 90% Crazy – You're Under Arrest! Season 1

phillipo@anigamers.com (Phillip) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:44:03 -0400

AnimEigo are a curious video label. In their heyday, they were the undisputed kings of popular anime, releasing fan favorites as well as niche titles. That’s why their catalog includes mega-blockbusters like Bubblegum Crisis and Urusei Yatsura as well as Dagger of Kamui and Maddox 01. Today, they’ve pretty much given up on anime with their failed release of Yawara: A Fashionable Judo Girl (which I was looking forward to), and now release Hello Kitty along with tons of '60s- and '70s-era samurai films (hey, you’ve gotta make that paper somehow, right?). But in their prime they released two titles adapted from the works of Kōsuke Fujishima: Ah! My Goddess (AMG) and You’re Under Arrest (YUA). AMG is a massive title in and of itself, but today we’re going to talk about YUA, specifically AnimEigo’s entries in the franchise.

The series follows the (mis)adventures of Sergeants Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto who work at the traffic division of the district police station in (fictional) Bokuto, (real) Sumida Ward in Tokyo. Natsumi has just transferred to the station, and after a series of initial mishaps she and Miyuki become partners and fast friends. Add to this the somewhat stoic station Chief (whose real name spells out the Japanese word for chief), grizzled detective Tokuno, ace motorcycle cop Ken Nakajima, worrywart and station snoop Yoriko, mysterious girl Aoi Futaba, crazy traffic violators, newly acquired family members, nutty bombers and costumed, mustachioed superheroes and this is a fluffy show where not a lot actually happens. I think the appeal of the series comes from the fact that in real life, the traffic division of a modern metropolitan police department would never be this exciting. Miyuki is a no-frills straight-lace officer (though she can bend the rules on occasion) who has Natsumi, with her gung-ho attitude, superhuman strength and unlimited appetite, as her foil. They really do complement each other well. But these girls are still crazy as anything, I suppose. If it’s not Miyuki hitting the nitro boost on her heavily modified Honda Today then it’s Natsumi sticking her feet out of the car to act as an artificial brake. I’m going to talk in a bit about other aspects of the series but I have to stress that the core relationship between the girls defines the series in more ways than just their roles as partners. They go through the usual pulls and draws that friends go through and they survive the worst that life throws at them. It’s nice to see maturity beneath the fluff.

Another interesting thing, for me at least, is to view YUA through the microscope of Japan coming through its economic bubble. The first season came out in 1996-97, the second in 2001 and the latest one was shown in 2007-08, so we see Japan go through prosperity and a waning economy. Bokuto Station isn’t real but we see how technology and society change as crime and punishment morph through a decade. For most of Season One’s run of 52 episodes, the station mostly deals with speeders and drunken idiots, but occasionally things get sophisticated when a high-speed train chase has Natsumi leaping from one train to another, when Natsumi ends up in Edo-era Japan after getting a bump on the noggin, or when three cops use police-marked cars and motorbikes to injure members of the public while letting Bokuto station take the heat. Tonally speaking, Fujishima’s manga is slightly different from Junji Nishimura and Kazuhiro Furuhashi’s vision for the anime. The manga has action elements but has more slapstick parts to it. So with this many episodes and only seven volumes of the manga ever written, the show's producers have done an excellent job salvaging a show out of a limited amount of material.

The most interesting aspect of this series is the development of the characters and their relationships. From the outset, it’s blatantly obvious that Nakajima, nicknamed the "White Hawk of Bokuto" because of his success chasing down criminals, likes Miyuki, but the big dolt is so boneheaded and Miyuki is so timid that theirs is a slow-burning relationship. However, whenever one is in danger, the other leaps in action to help or avenge them. It’s pretty much a done deal, barring something major, that they’ll end up together.

Natsumi, on the other hand, has a more straightforward relationship with special lieutenant Shōji Tokairin. Tokairin and Natsumi take forever to get together with him only being introduced in the 34th episode of the season. Theirs is a more organic relationship with their abnormal strength, massive appetites, and tendency to throw themselves into danger. I’m happy to spoil things for you and say that as of the second season, they are still together despite the fact that both of them are constantly being reassigned to different places. They have fun, but they are, just like Nakajima and Miyuki, there for each other.

The third character I mentioned who goes through a change, character-wise, is Aoi. Aoi, who joins the station after the series starts, is anatomically a man but who acts, dresses and feels like a woman. Initially the girls at the station want Aoi to get changed in the men’s locker room, something Aoi doesn’t want to do, but over time as she reveals more of her personality they happily accept her as one of the girls. Aoi has a question hanging over her as to whether she likes guys or girls and the station engages in gossip as to the answer. But we get a slight answer in one episode where Aoi has to give a reply to an admirer. It’s not a conclusive answer but it’s interesting that the show’s producers run as much with Aoi’s backstory as they do.

Speaking in animation terms, the first four episodes in the season are actually OVAs so the quality is quite high. Going into the double digits on the episode count, the style and quality do fluctuate somewhat, as if there were another studio handling the animation on some weeks, but it's nothing terribly egregious. One interesting note: the dub for this series is quite good and AnimEigo did an amazing job matching their English VAs to the Japanese cast. I was very impressed.

This is the first title in the Trap Door column that is most assuredly out of print. AnimEigo announced late last year that at the end of January 2012, YUA would go out of print. At the moment, it’s relatively easy to buy copies from Amazon, Rightstuf, and AnimEigo themselves but I had difficulty in obtaining a copy of volume 11 even on eBay (I got it in the end). The reason I’m saying this is that You’re Under Arrest: Season One is a series worth investigating and possibly saving from the Trap Door. It’s fluff, sure, but at least it’s competent and a curious window into the culture in Japan in the mid 1990s.

Last thing: I’ve already selected my next title for the column, but I would like your help selecting the one after that. Is there a title that you think should not escape the trap door and is better left forgotten? Email me at phillipo [AT] anigamers.com or send me a tweet to @eeeperschoice with your suggestions. Only rules are that it can’t be too expensive to acquire and it had to be in print and licensed in North America or the UK at some point.

Every month in "The Trap Door," Phillip O'Connor tackles one forgotten anime title to find out whether it deserves to be rediscovered by the anime community. Click here to check out previous posts in the column.

The Trap Door: 10% Nitro, 90% Crazy – You're Under Arrest! Season 1 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 25, 2012 at 9:44 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Review: Another – Death Is Not Kind

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0400

It’s probably safe to say that there has been a point in everyone’s life where they felt invisible, like the people around them on the street, in the club, or in the classroom literally didn’t know they existed. What if that were actually the case? Wouldn’t that be maddening? What if they were intentionally pretending not to notice? Wouldn’t that be a conspiracy? What if it that cold shoulder was a matter of life and death? Wouldn’t that be Another?

Based on a novel by Yukito Ayatsuji, Another focuses on Yomiyama North Junior High ninth grade’s class 3. Kōichi Sakakibara, the male lead, transfers in from Tokyo, but even before he can step inside the school, he suffers a collapsed lung that puts him in the local hospital. A seemingly well-meaning bunch of representatives from class 3 visit Kōichi, but there’s something in the air that makes the gathering feel more like an investigation than a welcoming committee. For the first half of this 12-episode series, Kōichi tries to ascertain the reason behind his classmates’ enigmatic avoidance of certain subjects and specific people. The remaining episodes feature Kōichi trying to figure out a way to stop the rash of mysterious deaths plaguing class 3 without becoming one of the victims himself.

From its onset, Another frames its female lead, Mei Misaki, a student with an eye patch who lives above a creepy doll museum/shop, as an ambiguous entity. She appears and disappears at will and without warning, and no-one seems to see her ... except Kōichi. Mei could be a ghost or the walking spirit of a hollow doll or just another ninth grade student. The series is written and directed frustratingly well in that regard, so well that I almost threw something at my computer screen when the series decided to show its cards in episode five. Thereafter, the lack of ambiguity is certainly disappointing, but luckily the series has a lot more to offer to maintain viewership. Let’s start with the bloodlust.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a string of deaths at Yomi North. None of the initial incidents are malicious. Instead, each is set off in a manner reminiscent of Final Destination. Some deaths are masterfully foreshadowed, and some serve as ambient sucker-punches. Regardless, the series spares no effort and pulls no punches in delivering a mix of off- and on-screen misfortune in beautifully choreographed, horrific detail, making the tragedies, for the most part, 100% believable. But gore can get tiresome when put into heavy rotation, especially when the causes are random accidents. There needs to be motive, and here’s where Another’s linear plot turns from disappointing to exhilarating. Something is found. Information is revealed to a select few. But once the information is leaked, Another’s epic climax, comprising acts both emotionally twisted and disturbingly violent, carries interest through to the bitter end. As gruesome as the death scenes are, Another’s real power lies in its imagery ... and I’m not just talking about the superfluously interjected shots of creepy dolls.

The portrayal of empty moments via scenery would make a Romantic weep. For instance: a door methodically sliding opening to expose the hollow guts of an elevator that's just arrived to the vacant hallways of the basement floor, on which the only room that has bodies in it is the morgue. The art is all about isolation and diminishing the presence of the individual, or in some cases humanity itself, to make it feel stranded and helpless. To his effect, the scenery is rendered such that it usually dwarfs the characters. Lush landscapes and detailed backgrounds (oh my god the textures!) are deliberate in setting this mood. Water-stained walls, paint-stripped wood with scrapes and obvious wear, and rusted metal surfaces create a realistic world that’s lost the attention of its inhabitants and fallen into decay. And while the persistence of setting may be overwhelming, it is none-the-less striking when considering its relation to the story. In fact, backgrounds are so wonderfully rendered that the characters feel superimposed by comparison. Often I found myself sighing whenever characters would return as the main visual focus (often when involved in close discussion).

The character designs feel a little too clean or bright compared to their surroundings, almost as if they have not interacted with the darkness at all or are completely repelled by it. Each student is very distinguishable, which is a feat considering how many average-looking students are in class 3, although most are 2-D and forgettable (which is forgivable given their cannon fodder nature). One of the more distinguishable secondary characters, Izumi Akazawa, seems to be drawn to ooze tsundere, but her role is written such that her appearance is surprisingly the only 2-D thing about her character. Mei’s character, however, is a rather big disappointment. Her personality can seem painted on at random, changing from pensive or sullen to mischievous to almost flirtatious without actually fitting the scene. Of course this jarring effect does make the character seem a little more out of sync with her classmates, which sometimes lends to the overall ambient effect of the series.

Short and maliciously sweet at 12 episodes, Another is worth the time investment. Pacing helps. Despite lingering shots of scenery, appetites are either satiated or left wanting more at each episode’s end. On the whole, this is a very satisfying bit of horror that, even when its mystery element is 99% exposed early on, has a lot to offer viewers by way of visual storytelling, Romantic images, luscious art, gratifying gore, and the always fun decent into madness. Another is not without its faults, but they are rendered almost forgivable due to its popcorn-horror nature.

Medium: TV Anime (12 episodes)
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Studio: P.A. Works
Distributor: Kadokawa Pictures Inc.
Release Date: Jan. 9, 2012 (JP), Jan. 10, 2012 (US)
Age Rating: 17+ (violence, profanity)

[Recommended]

This review is based on a premium Crunchyroll stream on the reviewer's personal account.

Review: Another – Death Is Not Kind was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 23, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Spring 2012 Anime Impressions Part 2

evanm@anigamers.com (Multiple Authors) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:43:28 -0400

We're back with more Spring 2012 Anime Impressions! This time David catches up with Fate/Zero Season 2 and Ink tackles the ghostly shenanigans of Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. This will be our final first-episode Impressions post this season, but we're proud to announce that we will be venturing into what you might call "pseudo-episodic" blogging.

What that means is that our writers will be writing up larger groups of episodes (like, say, episodes 1-4 of a series), tackling the whole group in order to provide more in-depth discussion and critique than a typical episodic post. This is new ground for us, so we hope you'll stick around and comment on these posts as they go up. Enjoy!

Fate/Zero Season 2

Studio: ufotable
Director: Ei Aoki
Now Streaming on Crunchyroll

Airing during the most packed anime season in recent memory after every other show has had time to impress, the first episode of Fate/Zero Part II needed to be near perfect, or else I might've stopped watching altogether. After 13 weeks of build-up and another 13 or so weeks of delay, with an extra week on top to avoid watching in 360p, forgive me if I’ve lost my patience with this show.

Unsurprisingly, F/Z Part II episode 1 is not perfect, but it's as direct a follow-up as one could have hoped for. As if the Winter season never happened, viewers are dropped right back where Part I teasingly ended on. This episode's glorious aerial combat sequence alone features more spectacle than any scene in Part I. ufotable continue to raise the standards of TV anime with stunning lighting and great camerawork in each scene, making most shows this season look impoverished.

If the first episode is anything to go by, Part II aims to please a restless crowd disappointed by the non-existent body count of Part I. Time is running short, both in the F/Z universe and in the show’s episode count, leaving little excuse for characters to sit around and talk for episodes at a time. At the cost of all the characterization and philosophy from Gen Urobuchi’s original F/Z light novel, the story will at least begin to move now, if only out of simple necessity. I’m not convinced that F/Z will be my most anticipated weekly release, especially as it's the sole Crunchyroll delaycast among the six other shows I’m watching, but there are still 12 more opportunities to make the wait worth it.

— David

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

Studio: Silver Link
Director: Shin Ounuma
Now Streaming on Crunchyroll

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia) centers on activities of the paranormal investigations club at Seikyoy Private Academy. Rumors about paranormal activity haunt this school, and the club members — Kanoe, Niiya, Kanoe, and Okonogi — task themselves with investigating the more substantial reports they receive. The twist is that not all of the club’s members are, shall we say, on the class attendance list.

I was wary of this show based on its premise, which sounded like something akin to a mash-up of Sket Dance, Ghost Hunt, and Another. To my surprise, however, the humorous first moments of the show defused my standoffishness. The first half introduces Okonogi, who is so obsessed with trying to sort out which mysteries to investigate that she remains completely oblivious to the attention-seeking antics of a local poltergeist. This ghost turns out to be the club’s omnipresent president, who can be seen by all the members except Okonogi and is responsible for at least some of the recent paranormal events reported by students.

Playful humor is the key here. But as much as the first 10 minutes are strikingly tongue-in-cheek, the rest of the show is 98% mired in the usual adolescent anxiety yuks. The remaining 2% is comprised of scenes where the club president does things just to make Okonogi freak out (which alone are charming and make the first episode worth the view). Not what I was expecting, and pleasantly so, this show has at least hooked me in for a few more episodes to see where it wants to go and how it’s going to take its audience there.

— Ink

Spring 2012 Anime Impressions Part 2 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 21, 2012 at 12:43 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Anime Boston 2012: Ito Kanako Concert and Panel

davide@anigamers.com (David Estrella) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0400

Living on the East Coast, I'm envious of the number of quality guests that arrive exclusively on the West Coast. I've experienced a personal victory this once, thanks to Anime Boston, in seeing Ito Kanako in the United States for the first time.

An artist like Ito Kanako is rare in America. In Japan, she has built a solid career over the last ten years singing themes for Nitro+ visual novels (VNs). As prolific as she is there, the visual novel medium hasn't exactly broken through in the West beyond a small, fanatic niche. Likewise, Nitro+'s games have hardly received any proper publishing here (although JAST USA hopes to change that whenever they feel like releasing Saya no Uta). Honestly, the success of the Steins;Gate anime adaptation has done more for Nitro+'s presence in America than their actual games. Thus, the timing for Ito's appearance couldn't be better. Ito as an artist is reaching out to a distant audience and Nitro+ is seeking to expand their presence in the US.

Concert

Ito's concert was scheduled on Friday just before Haruko Momoi's concert. I was under the impression that Ito would headline, considering the broader appeal of her music, but it's no use questioning the convention's decision now. I placed all of my hopes of being able to attend in my press badge after seeing the city block-length line for the show, and luckily I ended up being led in first to one of the best front row seats in the auditorium. This hour alone was enough reason to make the trip to Boston, and I did not come out disappointed in the slightest. Even without her full backing band, Ito came out and commanded the stage on her own the moment "Hacking to the Gate" dropped. The Steins;Gate anime opening earned her the biggest reaction from the crowd. No one builds a career on the success of a single song, however, so the momentum from this one would have to pull Ito through the rest of her set list. I half-expected her to simply run through all of her S;G songs, but that was actually the only one she sang that night.

Half the concert was a learning experience, since I'm mostly unfamiliar with Nitro+'s collection of untranslated games. The accompanying video on the screen behind her set the tone for each song of the performance and demonstrated the wide selection of Nitro+ games. Ito claimed (in charmingly prepared English) that she sings lots of sad songs, yet the concert was anything but a complete downer. She kept up the pace after her energetic opener with "Kinkakuji" from Axanael. Ito did get around to playing a truly sad song during her acoustic section for "Shoes of Glass" from Saya no Uta, one of the few Nitro+ games with a fan translation available. Saya no Uta was my introduction to both Ito Kanako and Nitro+, so arriving in Boston years later and hearing her solo guitar performance of "Shoes of Glass" was the highlight of the entire con for me.

Ito played a few more songs, including "STILL" from Boys Love visual novel Togainu no Chi, and debuted "Lost Control", the opening song for the upcoming Guilty Crown visual novel. She closed the concert with an acoustic rendition of an original song titled "Niji ga deru made," from her latest album, spark! After sweetly asking the audience if she could play one of her own songs, Ito revealed that she wrote the song for everyone affected by last year's natural disaster in Japan. Despite making her name singing for eroge, Ito has a true passion for music regardless of the source. Admittedly, Ito brightens up a bit more when playing her own music. In fact, she was very excited when I had her sign a copy of spark! during the autograph session the day after the concert. Ito still had a lot of spirit left over at the end of her set, but unfortunately she was only booked for a single, all-too-short hour.

Guest Panel

Ito's Q&A panel the day after the concert was one of the most loosely presented guest panels I've attended. The audience was simply given the microphone from the start. There weren't many of us in the room beyond perhaps 80 Ito fans, so we kept a steady flow of questions coming in. I would argue close to half the questions were worth asking and the rest were either lost in translation or just not all that intelligent. Questions about her feelings on Nitro+'s eroge titles were met with a stiffness that she must have rehearsed over the last decade. It's understandable, since no one should really expect someone as joyful as Ito to play visual novels or watch late-night anime, but it didn't stop people from asking on the off-chance she would reveal a hidden otaku side. To Ito's credit, she tried to give a good answer, though it couldn't carry through her giggles and embarassment about blanking on the catalog of Nitro+ games. A man rushed in with the actual Nitro+ catalog for Ito and her translator. We soon found out that this was the president of Nitro+, Takaki Digitarou Kosaka, which naturally caused a stir among the crowd of Nitro+ fans.

It says a lot about us that we mostly kept our focus on Ito for the rest of the Q&A after receiving that information. Ito's responses lacked the kind of depth to really satiate me, considering the distance we've both travelled to arrive at the convention, but my expectations might be better suited towards a surly animation industry veteran rather than a female vocalist at the height of her career. Ito gave her backstory: how she sang from a young age, playing in a cover band before being introduced to Nitro+ through a musician friend working there. Most if not all of her Nitro+ repertoire is written by someone else during the game's development, which explains why the lyrics are often rife with spoilers.

I didn't know Ito could play the guitar before the concert, so when I asked her about the unique live arrangement of "Shoes of Glass," she explained that some songs are rearranged for her to play alone. When I followed up with a question about about her animated gestures and dancing during her performances, she grew mildly flustered, telling everyone that she doesn't think about anything when she is on stage. Ito thinks she is a "weird person" and hopes to stop moving around so much when she performs. She also recognized the challenge of having most of her material in games unreleased in America, so she was impressed by the reaction from the concert. She has performed before in arena-sized concerts but prefers smaller venues in order to be closer to the fans. Because of her experience with covers of American songs, she developed a clear accent in English, though singing properly in French was purely an excercise in memorization. Ito also commented on how Japanese artists take inspiration mostly from Western music, but she takes inspiration from late '80s Japanese pop band Rebecca, particularly career of the band's early lead singer Nokko.

The most interesting response came from a question about Robotics;Notes, 5pb/Nitro+'s next visual novel. Ito couldn't confirm directly if she would be involved in the music for the game, but her comically mumbled response is as good a confirmation as any. At the end of the panel, Ito slipped out through the side with her entourage waving goodbye while the crowd was distracted with a full preview of the new opening for the S;G Playstation 3 port. The president of Nitro+, who had been sitting at the opposite side of the exit, was not quite as skillful in evading the swarm of fans requesting autographs and photos. He took the attention in stride and didn't seem bothered at the impromptu interaction with fans.

While not as packed with Japanese industry guests as any of the conventions on the West Coast, Anime Boston came through solely with the inclusion of Ito Kanako. Even without that level of name recognition required of many Japanese musical guests to reach these shores, Ito is the most interesting guest I've seen. Now that a VN theme performer has reached top-billing at an American anime convention, it will be very interesting to see Nitro+'s next move in the West. If Anime Boston's next guest can match the bar set by Ito, I will be sure to return next year.

Click here for more coverage of Anime Boston 2012.

Anime Boston 2012: Ito Kanako Concert and Panel was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 16, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Spring 2012 Anime Impressions Part 1

evanm@anigamers.com (Multiple Authors) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0400

The 2012 Spring anime season is in full swing, and we've got some impressions of the latest series. Wondering whether you should examine the effect of zero-gravity on the power of brotherly love in Space Brothers? Thinking of checking out the saliva-tasting romantic shenanigans of Mysterious Girlfriend X? Or maybe you want to dance along to some swingin' jazz music in Kids on the Slope. Well, Phillip and Evan are here to run down some of this season's hottest shows JUST FOR YOU.

Space Brothers

Studio: Hoods Entertainment
Director: Ayumu Watanabe
Now Streaming on Crunchyroll

Mutta and Hibito Nanba are close brothers. One night, as children, they witness a UFO in the night sky as it streaks toward the moon. At that moment, they both promise to get to the moon. But 19 years later, while Hibito is on a fast track to being the first Japanese person on the moon, Mutta’s life has hit an impasse. That is until his younger brother helps him remember the promise he made to himself, all those years ago.

How to describe Space Brothers? How’s this: I never bothered with the thematically similar Moonlight Mile, so when Space Brothers was announced, I wasn’t too interested. But, much to my surprise, it’s a pretty good series. Hibito is the kind of person I’d like to be: determined, energetic and fun. However, Mutta is the person I’ll probably end up being: down on his luck, unmotivated, and a killjoy. But there’s hope for Mutta. Being fired from his job means that his promise that he and Hibito made to become astronauts has suddenly become a real goal for him to strive towards, however impossible the task is. This first episode has the beginnings of a good story of the greatest of adventures happening to the most ordinary of blokes, and the deadpan humor nicely complements the serious bits. The animation isn’t particularly impressive, but at least it’s competent. I like the leads and I’m looking forward to watching them grow over the course of the series.

Hey I just realized how to describe the series! Moonlight Mile is an anime set in space for people who liked Apollo 13 as kids. Space Brothers is an anime set in space for people who liked SpaceCamp as kids. So there!

— Phillip

Mysterious Girlfriend X

Studio: Hoods Entertainment
Director: Ayumu Watanabe
Now Streaming on Crunchyroll

(EDITOR'S NOTE: That's not a typo. Watanabe and Hoods Entertainment are producing both Space Brothers AND Mysterious Girlfriend X.)

You knew we were going to have to talk about this show eventually. Akira Tsubaki is a typical teenager. He meets a weird girl, Mikoto Urabe, who transfers to his school. One day he finds her asleep at the end of school classes at her desk. After she leaves, he sticks his finger into the pile of drool she left behind on her desk and puts it in his mouth. He gets sick afterwards and she visits him at home to explain that he’s suffering from love-sickness and only her drool will cure him. So he and she become boyfriend and girlfriend.

There, I said it.

Mysterious Girlfriend X is a weird series, from its circus organ score to the insane nature of Akira and Mikoto’s relationship. I mean, she tells him that a little voice told her he would be her first sex partner! There’s a glacial pace to the first episode. Nothing happens with any kind of speed (other than the fundamental ways that Akira’s life changes once Mikoto comes into it). Akira's dream sequences are well animated and they are excellent next to the relative normality to his real life. Plus the character designs are quirky. Unlike some reviews that bash the fanbase for liking something like this, I prefer to simply marvel that something like this exists. We’re usually treated to Japanese school kids having nice, safe relationships, and this is definitely different. It’s both repellent and fascinating and I’m compelled in a strange way to see how this all falls into place. Just don’t ask me to talk about it in anything but relative terms.

— Phillip

Kids on the Slope

Studio: Tezuka Productions, Mappa
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Now Streaming on Crunchyroll

In 1998, director Shinichiro Watanabe created one of anime's enduring classics, the jazz-infused space western series Cowboy Bebop, and in 2004 he came back for more genre-bending antics with Samurai Champloo, a hip-hop samurai adventure. Now Watanabe returns to the director's chair for yet another musical number, but this time it's a little different. Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon), based on a josei (women's) manga by Yuuki Kodama, isn't exactly a slice-of-life to the tune of jazz music — it's a slice-of-life about jazz music.

Kaoru has been moving from school to school for his whole life, and after years of meeting new people and getting rejected by local cliques, he's developed an acute case of what appears to be social anxiety. Despite a less-than-warm welcome from his classmates, however, within the first few hours of school Kaoru finds himself in the company of not only the pretty class representative Ritsuko, but the intimidating delinquent Sentaro. Kaoru plays classical piano and Sentaro plays jazz drums, so while their decidedly Boys Love-friendly personalities clash left and right, they're clearly destined to play some sweet jazz music together, thanks in part to some prodding from Ritsuko.

Watanabe's deft touch is already on full display in Kids on the Slope, with excellent pacing, beautiful, slightly shaky camera work, and some expertly placed musical cues. Nobuteru Yuki's character designs retain their angular charm without his conspicious noses, and the animators at Tezuka Productions make great use of soft, watercolor-esque shading to give the show a distinct painterly quality. Realistic, heartwarming, and funny (in an "awww, awkward teenagers" sort of way), Kids on the Slope should be at the top of your list of must-watch shows this season.

— Evan

Spring 2012 Anime Impressions Part 1 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 14, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

The Return of the Aniblog Tourney

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:36:59 -0400

Remember the Aniblog Tourney? A (mostly) friendly competition between anime blogs back in the spring of 2010, the tournament pitted the websites against each other in popularity polls to determine which was the ULTIMATE JAPANESE CARTOON BLOG. After participating and getting as far as Round 2 in the last tournament, we have been invited back for the 2012 games, which feature over 100 blogs!

We're really happy to be a part of this again. While the popularity contest format might not be the most appropriate for evaluating the wide range of anime blogs out there, the Aniblog Tourney is still a fun way to find new blogs, reach new readers, and get some constructive criticism about Ani-Gamers.

The tournament proper starts on April 15, but until then you can pore over the huge bracket graphic over at the official site. Presumably due to our win in Round 1 last year, we were automatically advanced into the second round this year, so our poll will be up on May 2. Till then, keep your eyes on Ani-Gamers for more awesome anime, manga, and video game posts!

The Return of the Aniblog Tourney was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 12, 2012 at 10:36 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Poetic Propaganda: Reading Between the Cards of Chihayafuru

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:45:31 -0400

I’ll preface this article with three concessions: anime is not, for the most part, tailored to audiences outside of Japan; karuta is still popular in Japan, at least according to those responsible for its standing Wikipedia entry; and the Chihayafuru manga has won its fair share of popularity contests as well as awards. That said, it’s pretty easy to imagine Chihayafuru as propaganda targeting Japanese citizens, specifically those obsessed with anime and manga, who represent what I imagine is a growing disappointment to national pride in the eyes of elder Japanese. The dense, meditative poems of the island nation were once a source of pride and strong enough to arrest and sustain the attentions of the pre-Internet global community. However, the new instant-gratification Japanese generations (as well as the patience-deprived simulcast generations of the West) laud over-scripted, bang-the-point-over-your-head-with-a-pan cartoons.

Indeed, the economy-pumping vigor of domestic interest and the growth of anime popularity worldwide form a double-edged sword for Japan. There’s a stigma associated with animation that labels it a child’s medium in the West (despite myriad age- and sex-appropriate subjects), yet even the most regrettably childish series afford artists an avenue by which to express themselves while also drawing foreign attention towards at least some portion of Japanese life and culture. Anime, with its 24-minute episodes and movie-length features, seems to be the ideal artistic medium for representing Japan to itself and to the world. So much so that it’s hard to imagine poetry appealing to the masses in this age where time literally equals money. Poetry takes time, thought, and sometimes a range of insights (historical, political, personal, regional) in order to fully comprehend its bearers’ beauty. How then to rectify this gap of expression and misappropriated focus? Integration. Enter Chihayafuru.

Based on the manga by Yuki Suetsugu, Chihayafuru centers around a group of friends who are, by varying degrees and focus, interested in competitive karuta — a card game unique to Japan. Karuta is essentially a timed Concentration match, except that the players’ cards are all exposed and there are no “turns.” Players are tasked with being the first to touch the card (torifuda) with the phrase that completes the card being read (yomifuda) by a designated, third-party tanka reciter. The competitive aspect lends to intense action, while the subject of the game, Hyakunin Isshu (The 100 Poets), lends to a sense of national history and pride. There is an innate conflict in these two aspects, and as the josei (women's) anime it is, Chihayafuru represents such turmoil via one of its characters, Kanade Oe, in relation to the game itself as well as others’ attitude towards it.

Kanade's fortitude represents ancient custom trying to find a place in the lives of the current generation.

Specifically, Kanade’s point of contention is that the nature of competitive karuta does not allow any time to actually enjoy the poems. Players often have to spring for a card based on the first audible syllable. This conflict, like much in Chihayafuru, has no direct resolution, but the series uses its themes to great effect. Instead of attempting to mend the contention between gameplay and subject, Kanade takes consolatory pleasure in other aspects of the game, such as traditional garb (hakama) worn by contestants. This is not as flippant as it sounds. Kande has been brought up by her parents, who own a store dedicated to such traditional clothing. Also, Kanade delights in edifying her teammates (mainly the protagonist, Chihaya) by elaborating on the meaning of some of the verse on the cards they’re so haphazardly slapping across regulation tatami mats. Kanade, new to competitive karuta, is not the fastest on the draw, so becoming the Queen, or best female player (as is usually the goal of any female karuta player), is rather unlikely. Upon realizing why she continues to be a part of her karuta team, to become an official yomifuda reciter, Kanade discovers that she must become a queen. By the end of season one, Kanade has a long way to go. Her fortitude, however, represents ancient custom trying to find a place in the lives of the current generation. Kanade loves the poems so much that she wants to read them (or at least as much of them allowed per volley) in a sport that attracts the young! We can see the opposite attitude in the anime’s main character, Chihaya Ayase.

In the world of karuta, Chihaya Ayase is all ear and reflex — something that can actually bring about faults (otetsuki) during matches due to similar-sounding syllables. Chihaya represents the current generation of impulse and immediacy ... action without thought. This is made clear in several karuta matches where Chihaya loses because of her own limitations. The brilliance of the story, and I believe the intended moral as well, is how Chihaya, determined to become queen at all costs, takes in lessons from opponents and teammates alike. Every bout, whether participating or observing, is an opportunity for learning something new. Often, strength is associated with “personalizing” a particular card — a “sweet card,” if you will. Most often, it is the meaning of the lines of verse that make them “speak” to a player. Such internalization speaks more to poetry than to competition, yet still helps players get the upper hand during matches. This is epitomized in one of the last episodes of the first season, where the current queen, grown heavy from a lengthy chocolate binge, overcomes her speed handicap with the accuracy and determination derived from her personal connection to the poems.

Chihayafuru is nostalgic Japan exclaiming, “wake up and internalize your history!”

The effort and personal growth shown in all the characters are what drive this series. The action, mainly the way the matches are portrayed, and a subtly threaded love triangle keep the pace lively and tender (respectively). However, it is the individual evolutions spurred on by internalizing the poetic content of karuta, whether for memorization in hopes of a faster strike or personal relevance to add passion behind the same, that makes traditional content (poetry) relevant to a new generation (anime viewers). The message, as flatly stated by Kanade in episode six, is that “You can feel the seasons and modesty in a way that can’t be found in modern poetry!” This is nostalgic Japan exclaiming, “wake up and internalize your history” via a modern art form that currently holds the attention of more and more people on a domestic as well as international level.

Chihayafuru is streaming right now on Crunchyroll.

Poetic Propaganda: Reading Between the Cards of Chihayafuru was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 11, 2012 at 6:45 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Anime Boston 2012: FUNimation Simulcasts Lupin III, Jormungand, Is This a Zombie? S2

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:21:40 -0400

At their industry panel today at Anime Boston 2012, FUNimation Entertainment announced that they have acquired the streaming rights for Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Jormungand, and Is This a Zombie? Of the Dead (the second season of Is This a Zombie?). The near-ubiquitous anime distributor also acquired the home video rights for Future Diary.

FUNimation's Lupin III license comes on the heels of widespread fan disappointment over its unlicensed status. Lupin III is a franchise with a lot of name recognition, but fans worried that the new series' racy content could scare away North American distributors. I'm really happy to see the series, which features character designs by Redline director Takeshi Koike, get official English distribution, in part because our site policies don't let us write about it until it gets licensed. And boy oh boy, are we excited to write about it!

Thanks to Scott Green of AICN Anime for his timely tweets about the announcements, as both David and I were not at the FUNimation panel when the announcements were made.

Click here for more coverage of Anime Boston 2012.

Anime Boston 2012: FUNimation Simulcasts Lupin III, Jormungand, Is This a Zombie? S2 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 7, 2012 at 6:21 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Anime Boston 2012: Sentai Licenses Kids on the Slope, Clarifies Release Dates

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:13:36 -0400

At their Anime Boston 2012 industry panel, Sentai Filmworks (the licensing arm of the post-ADV network of companies that includes Section23 Films) announced a number of new releases on DVD and Blu-ray.

The company began by announcing that their releases for The World God Only Knows season 2, Koihime, No. 6, and This Boy Can Fight Aliens will all hit stores in August 2012. All releases will be on DVD, and No. 6 and This Boy Can Fight Aliens will also be on Blu-ray.

They also reassured fans that the dub for the Persona 4 anime would maintain the English actors from the game.

As for simulcasting, Sentai also picked up Shinichiro Watanabe's Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon) and the romantic comedy Mysterious Girlfriend X (Nazo no Kanojo). Kids on the Slope's first episode premieres on April 12. Mysterious Girlfriend X premieres on April 8.

In the question and answer session, they also mentioned that High School of the Dead is their highest selling title, since "nothing beats boobs and zombies."

Click here for more coverage of Anime Boston 2012.

Anime Boston 2012: Sentai Licenses Kids on the Slope, Clarifies Release Dates was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 7, 2012 at 3:13 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Anime Boston 2012: Vertical Acquires Paradise Kiss, Limit

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:50:25 -0400

Manga and book publisher Vertical, Inc., known for their classic manga from the likes of Osamu Tezuka and Keiko Takemiya as well as their quirky seinen (men's manga) titles like Lychee Light Club and Twin Spica, announced two unexpected new licenses tonight at their Anime Boston 2012 industry panel.

Marketing Director Ed Chavez announced that Ai Yazawa's 1999 shoujo (girls' manga) manga Paradise Kiss and Keiko Suenobu's 2009 series Limit (also shoujo) would join the publisher's small shoujo line-up, which currently consists only of Tezuka's fantasy adventure Princess Knight.

Paradise Kiss follows a teenage girl's interest in the world of fashion, while Limit focuses on high school bullying. The first volume of both titles will hit stores as paperbacks in September 2012. Paradise Kiss volume 1 will cost $16.95 and Limit's first book will cost $10.95.

I'm really happy to see Vertical branching out to more shoujo and josei manga, though neither of the new titles is anything I'm particularly excited for. Their classic and seinen catalog is one of the best in the industry, but they have always been very male-centric. It'll be really interesting to see their keen sense of quality and style turned toward a whole different demographic of fans. Hopefully they'll provide a good catalyst for me to finally get into more modern shoujo manga!

Click here for more coverage of Anime Boston 2012.

Anime Boston 2012: Vertical Acquires Paradise Kiss, Limit was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 6, 2012 at 5:50 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Drunken Otaku: What It Takes to Be King – Fate/Zero Episode 11

ink@anigamers.com (Ink) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:00:00 -0400

Funny story: three Heroic Spirits — Alexander the Great, King Arthur, and Gilgamesh — sit down for some wine in a garden for a drinking contest to determine the fate of the world. No, seriously. In episode 11 of Fate/Zero, wine comes from a barrel via some local merchant, glasses take the form of a singular wooden ladle shared betwixt participants, and the right to rule is measured in how well you can get your point across before you hit the ground dizzy. Readers might already know Rider as a Great Drinker, and since it's his wine, he goes first.

So who wins this great moment in drinking? Let’s watch, with captions a la moi:

My liver will conquer you all.

You do not drink wine that way...

...but I will humor you.

You've been served!

And why do I have to drink it from a wooden ladle?

And I made it and some fitting goblets out of thin air. Beat that, Jesus. I didn't even need water!

Every month, Ani-Gamers blogger Ink tackles an anime, manga, or video game through the theme of alcohol in our column "Drunken Otaku." Look out for "Beer Googles" (reviews), "Great Drinkers" (character profiles), and "Great Moments in Drinking" (more or less). To read previous entries, click here.

Drunken Otaku: What It Takes to Be King – Fate/Zero Episode 11 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 6, 2012 at 5:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

We're Shipping Up to Boston!

evanm@anigamers.com (Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:47:07 -0400

We're heading back to Boston yet again for one of the largest anime conventions in the US, Anime Boston! I'll be there for sure, thanks to another awesome official trip subsidized by my university's anime and sci-fi club, the Rensselaer Science Fiction Association. David Estrella, former New Kid on the Block (Phillip has now ousted him), will be there as well, covering the concert and a number of other events.

We would have loved to cover PAX East as well (it's occurring at the same time in the same city), but the logistics just didn't work out this year. Sorry!

Remember, if you'd like us to report in on any panels or guests, just drop a comment right here and we'll do our best to honor your requests. If you'd like to see the events I'm planning on attending, just head below the break to see my tentative schedule.

Friday

Analyzing Anime 101 (10am, Panel 202)
I am woman! The Evolution of Female Characters in Anime (10am, Panel 208)
The Legend of Zelda or: How I Learned to Tolerate OOT's Fandom (10am, Panel A)
Building Mecha Model Kits: A Total Beginner's Guide (11:45am, Panel 208)
Romance Anime: Affecting the hearts of us all (2pm, Panel 306)
Vertical 2012 (5pm, Panel 202)
The Meiji Era: A Japanese Industrial Revolution (6:45pm, Panel 107)
LGBT Manga and Anime (9pm, Panel 309)
Introduction to Japanese Fairy Tales (9:30pm, Panel 206)
Unusual Manga Genres (18+, 10:30pm, Panel 202)
Totally Subversive Toons (18+, 11:15pm, Panel 208)

Saturday

Anime Happiness (10am, Panel 206)
Sentai Filmworks (2:30pm, Panel A)
FUNimation Industry Panel (4pm, Panel A)
Tokusatsu: Heroes and Monsters of Japanese Television (6pm, Panel A)
Seinen Up: Manly Manga...for Manly Men and the Manga-Reading Women that Love Them (6:45pm, Panel 306)
Anime Hell (9:30pm, Panel 306)

Sunday

Judaism and Anime (10am, Panel 309)
We Con, Therefore We Are: A Critical Look at the Modern Congoer (12:45pm, Panel 206)
Anime Forever! Movie Screening (1:30pm, Panel 302/304)*

* I'd like to point out this event in particular. Stephen is a friend of mine who has been diligently putting together this documentary for years now, and I'm really excited to see it completed. I saw a number of versions of the film as Stephen worked on it, and it's a really honest, heartfelt portrait of the modern American anime fan. If you can get to this event, please do!

We're Shipping Up to Boston! was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on April 2, 2012 at 9:47 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.

Ani-Gamers

Con Report: Zenkaikon 2012

Zenkaikon 2012: The Panels

Snapshot: Dramatis Personae

Zenkaikon 2012: The Pictures

Reminder: Lain and Allison & Lillia articles in Otaku USA

Impressions: Mysterious Girlfriend X Episodes 2-5

Episode 2: Mysterious Bond

Episode 3: Mysterious Test Tube

Episode 4: Mysterious Girl Meets Girl

Episode 5: Mysterious First Date

Review: Domu – A Child's Dream – Otomo's Psychic Showdown

Drunken Otaku: Great Drinker – Conker the Squirrel

Zenkaikon, ho!

Friday

Saturday

Vote for Us in the Aniblog Tourney! (For Real This Time)

Aniblog Tourney 2012: The Battle Begins! [EDIT 1]

Anime

Manga

Video Games

Podcasts

Snapshot: Long-Fought, Hard-Won

Review: Shin Megami Tensei – Devil Survivor 2 (DS) – Free Will and Armageddon Revisited

The Trap Door: 10% Nitro, 90% Crazy – You're Under Arrest! Season 1

Review: Another – Death Is Not Kind

Spring 2012 Anime Impressions Part 2

Fate/Zero Season 2

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

Anime Boston 2012: Ito Kanako Concert and Panel

Concert

Guest Panel

Spring 2012 Anime Impressions Part 1

Space Brothers

Mysterious Girlfriend X

Kids on the Slope

The Return of the Aniblog Tourney

Poetic Propaganda: Reading Between the Cards of Chihayafuru

Anime Boston 2012: FUNimation Simulcasts Lupin III, Jormungand, Is This a Zombie? S2

Anime Boston 2012: Sentai Licenses Kids on the Slope, Clarifies Release Dates

Anime Boston 2012: Vertical Acquires Paradise Kiss, Limit

Drunken Otaku: What It Takes to Be King – Fate/Zero Episode 11

We're Shipping Up to Boston!

Friday

Saturday

Sunday