After nearly 5 years, I finally decided to muster up the wherewithal to participate in the Anime Secret Santa project by the fantastic folks over at Reverse Thieves. In turn, I was suggested Gungrave, Princess Tutu, and Tatami Galaxy. The first I had been meaning to give a second chance, whereas the latter two I failed to finish as new anime seasons cropped up seemingly out of nowhere. Being a huge fan of Masaaki Yuasa I jumped at the chance at a kick-to-the-rear to finally finish another of his works. As such, I went with The Tatami Galaxy.

The plot centers around a freshman college student, “Watashi”.. He joins a campus club in search of his “Rose-Colored Campus Life”, to chase the love of raven-haired maidens, and find fulfillment in an important time in his life. He is hindered by Ozu, a young man resembling a youkai who makes it one of his missions to ruin everyone’s love lives. As Ozu brings Watashi hiss level, Watashi becomes hated to the extent that he is thrown off a bridge on the night of the Daimonji Festival. Along the way, he crosses paths with many others with whom he could have grown closer if he had only made different, better choices. In turn, he wishes he could have joined another club, and freed himself of Ozu. “And so, as a brand-spanking new freshman university student, countless doors to the mystical treasure known as that ‘rose-colored campus life’ lay open before him. And the one Watashi chose was…”

In all honesty, The Tatami Galaxy is the first cyclical show I could enjoy. Despite resetting to the same point each episode, they each branch out in vastly different ways. Each loop exemplifies different facets of the supporting characters. This helps to weave a complex set of relationships in ways that a proper timeline could not without being boring. We are treated to a smear campaign, to caring for a love doll, and to a prank war in three separate episodes. Each one sheds new light on Jougasaki and the people around him. By focusing on different facets of Watashi’s life we get a comprehensive view of Jougasaki. This all happens without being bogged down with menial day-to-day happenings. This crafts an aversion to the stagnation we often see in cyclical shows (looking at you, Endless Eight!). At the same time, they still make the effort to tie each particular story into the overarching timeline of events. This all culminates into an amazing, cathartic finale

The art is an absolute treat to behold as a fan of Masaaki Yuasa’s personal style. His trademark fluidity and experimentation with alt art forms and color are all on display here. The art alone would make The Tatami Galaxy worth watching.

Music doesn’t play as much of a role as sound does in this show, though I cannot think of one point in which it detracted from a scene. Not the strongest point, but far from being an issue. The use of Asian Kung-Fu Generation for the OP was a fantastic choice. The filtered guitar and horns nearly overpowering the vocals gave off a feeling of uneasy contentment. It is a fantastic complement to the show. The ED, however, felt a bit out of place. It is a fantastic song exuding feelings of uneasiness and regret. Had the lyrics not fit well to the show’s emotional themes I’d have surely panned its use.

In all, The Tatami Galaxy was an absolute treat, showing off exactly why I adore Masaaki Yuasa. His attention to characters and unique way of fleshing them out helps to produce some of the most believable, albeit silly, character connections. To the end, his direction and animation style ooze from every crevice, helping to bring life to what is often a tiresome plot trope.

Once again, I threw my hat into the ring, and participated in the Reverse Thieves Secret Santa Project. It’s a great opportunity to try out something that you just never thought of. My secret santa chose for me Cat Soup, Now and Then, Here and There, and the series I ended up watching and reviewing, Kaiba. This series has been recommend to me before, however, I never took the time to sit down and watch it. Now, I regret not picking it up sooner.

Kaiba is an anime series directed by Masaaki Yuasa with animation by Madhouse. It ran for 12 episodes in the summer of 2008. In this story, memories can be stored as a form of digital information on a chip. If someone were die, their memories, and arguably their essence or soul, can live on in another body.  Memories can also be extracted from a person, whether they are willing or not. While this technology allows a person to essentially live for ever, it has destroy the society in this narrative. A class structure has formed between the “haves’’ and “have not’s”. In the sky live the rich and powerful, who buy and sell others’ bodies and memories for their own pleasure and longevity. On the surface is a dangerous world where quality bodies and real money is scarce. The only currency the poor have are their happy memories, and if their fortunate, a beautiful body that a rich person might want.

The first thing you notice about Kaiba is the animation style. It’s eccentric, colorful, and reminiscent of simpler days in animation. But don’t take that to mean that the show is poorly done. It simply reflects the imagination of it’s creators. What is more amazing is the consistency with which they maintain some of the key imagery, despite the crazy, dreamlike, and at times somewhat bizarre, style. In doing some research on this show, I found that the series understandably received an Excellence Prize for animation at the 2008 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Our protagonist is Kaiba, wakes up in a broken room. He has no memories, just a body with a hole in its’ chest, and a pendant with a picture of an unknown woman. As he awakens, Kaiba is suddenly kidnapped, taken to an underground society, and eventually escapes into space. The first seven episodes of the anime follow his journey through space as he travels from place to place, planet to planet, meeting a variety of people. Each of these encounters helps build a rich understanding of the world that Kaiba exists in, and each encounter explores the new definition of “memory” in a different way. As the viewer, you’re given of number of scenarios from which to challenge your thought processes. Your mind begins to wander as you take the themes presented and explore the possibilities.

In the final five episodes, the series moves to tie the loose end of who Kaiba is and his role in the world. Without spoiling it for those that haven’t seen it, it is an interesting ride through real and false memories. As the viewer we also find out who the mystery girl is, and her role in Kaiba’s life. While the second half continues the exploration of its themes, it focuses more on tying together the stories of the primary characters.

The sheer number of ethical questions this show raises is, for me, what makes this show great:

1. Is it be ethical to modify and manipulate, and transfer your memories ?
2. In the case of memory modification, does this fundamentally alter who a person is?
3. How can memories have value in a world where they can be modified?
4. Do memories that are made artificially have any less value than memories which were created naturally?
5. When who you are is defined more by the information on a physical chip than the form you take, What value should be placed on a physical body?
6. Which leads to a theme on gender and gender roles: if you put a male mind in a female body then is that person male or female? Does it matter?

While at its’ heart, it’s a love story, its success is in the ability it has to challenge the viewer’s perceptions. This show is thought-provoking, and while some may find the ending a bit anti-climatic, it does manage to finish well. While a re-watch may help with understanding some of the dangling plot threads, I don’t believe I would ever re-watch the series. However, I would highly recommend this series to anyone that hasn’t seen it yet. At only 12 episodes, a short weekend binge can see you right through it. Thank you to my secret santa, and Merry Christmas to all!

For a second time, Hunter x Hunter was granted an anime adaptation of a long running manga. I had never watched the earlier series, or even delved into the manga, so starting this series left me uninhibited by preconceptions. And for the better part of the last three years, I can safely say that I have been thoroughly entertained by this series. It’s a series that takes you through highs and lows. And all the time, it sticks to it’s one unifying theme.

For those unfamiliar, Hunter x Hunter follows the journey of Gon, a young boy, and his journey to find the father that left him at an early age. It’s this coming of age journey that weaves a fantastic story. Each step in the journey brings Gon one step closer to finding his father. But the journey is second to a much bigger theme: Relationships.

It’s the relationships that Gon builds as he undertakes his journey that define this series. At each step of the way, his youthful exuberance attracts people to him.  From his first steps off his home islands, to the point of him finally reaching his dad, the relationships his builds define his journey and both its trials and accomplishments. There are just too many moments where the writing and direction will tug at your emotions, drawing you into the characters.  I can honestly say that there way never a point where I considered dropping this series. While many long running shonen series have left me feeling apathetic about the next episode, this series maintained it’s hold on me.

And now it’s over. It’s 148 episodes seamlessly blended together each week, taking us on a fantastic ride. While the episode count may seem intimidating, you’ll not be disappointed with this series. On my scale of “Approval, Ambivalence, and Disapproval”, this show get’s a resounding rating of Approval. It’s one I’m glad I saw through, and I know many of you will as well.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with a long time friend of the blog, and not so quiet personality in the anime blogging community, Kevo. We had a great conversation on his new endeavor, Anime Maru, the role of satire, and how context is so important. Come listen in!

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Spring 2014 season is here, and what better way to sound off on our early impressions than with a Anime Talk podcast special. JoeAnimated and Acostoss sound off what our thoughts on what’s been released so far, and what you should be watching. Come check it out!

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Katoh Akatsuki

Welcome to the Fall edition the Anime Audiolog Audio Season Preview! The Fall season is just about to start, and we’re giving you the valuable information you need to get right into the season. We’re trying something new out this year, and we’ve even brought in a special guest. The Fall season has a the most we’ve seen in a long time, so don’t miss out. This season JoeAnimated and Acostoss are heading it up. Check out our preview below!

All descriptions are sourced from a combination of Anime News Network, Wikipedia, Baka Updates, and My Anime List. You can find the season preview charts we use at:

You can either download the show, or play it right from your browser:

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Show Index

 The Kawaii Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

Riddle Story of Devil

Kights of Sidonia

Majin Bone

Even So, The World is Beautiful

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Captain Earth

Dai – Shogun – Great Revolution

Selector Infected Wixoss

Mushishi: The Next Chapter

Irregular at Magic High School

Daimidaler the Sound Robot

Brynhildr in the Darkness

One Week Friends

Black Bullet

The Comic Artist and His Assistants

M3 Sono Kuroki Hagane

Nanana’s Buried Treasure

Kerero

Break Blade/Broken Blade

Monogatari Series: Second Season +α (Hanamonogatari)

Soul Eater NOT!

Ping Pong The Animation

Notable Afterthoughts

Blade and Soul

Description: Alka is an assassin for the Clan of the Sword. She’s on a journey to find the woman Jin Valel, who killed her master Hon. Jin is a demon-like woman who controls the Energy of Chaos and kills without feeling – not unlike how Alka has learned to kill in her work as an assassin. On her journey, Alka encounters three strange women, each great warriors in their own right, and grapples with her slain master’s wish that she leave the life of an assassin behind.

Things to Note: An anime adaptation of the Korean MMORPG, Blade and Soul.

Preview Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI1_73pprUI

Dragonar Academy

Description: Ash is a student at Ansalivan Dragon Academy, attended by children who have formed contracts with dragons. He possesses the “star mark,” the sign of a contract, but since his partner hasn’t been born yet, he seems insignificant. The awakening of the dragon he’s raising inside his body is triggered by an incident, and it emerges in the form of a young girl.

Things to Note: Light novel adaptation, but involves a generic male character getting lucky by having a beautiful girl fall into his lap. Sound familiar?

Preview Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCRak4oyA9o

This fall, those of you that regularly engaged with here on AAL may have wondered “where are these guys?” While we haven’t been completely silent, this place has been pretty much a ghost town. I think it’s safe to say that for most of us, real life got the better of us. So what was I doing? Traveling for work, living out of a hotel, and suffering the East Coast. I don’t know how you guys live out there. Much too crowded for my liking. I like my little corner of the Northwest USA.

And because of all my travels, I’ve spent the better part of the last three months all but avoiding anime. I didn’t have time to watch, and generally speaking, my interests waned for a period there. I’ve had a number of gripes about shows and fandoms over the last year, and it was a chance to step away, and gain some perspective. And honestly, I didn’t miss it a whole lot. It was a well needed break.

What did I do with my free time? Sitting in airports and on planes does leave a lot of down time, so I decided to dive in and read some fiction. Honestly, not enough people read anymore. They’re looking at a portable screen and watching a TV way too much. And I was falling into that same trap. I read what there is of A Song of Fire and Ice (aka Game of Thrones), which amounts to five long books. What an epic series of fantasy fiction. And it’s been too long since I’ve read a good fiction. For those that have just watched the TV series, you’re missing on a much better written story.

So whats next, for me as well as the blog? First up is to decide what anime to catch up on. There is still much from Fall, and a few series from Winter, that I need to see. Luckily, Winter is slow enough that it will be easy going. You can see what I was interested in here:

And plans are in the work for the blog, so February should be an interesting month. We’re planning to bring some content back, and as for me, drop some others. I don’t have the time right now to blog something episodically, so Kill la Kill will be falling by the wayside, except for some editorials here and there. But we’ll be working to fill in with some other content in the next few weeks.

As always, the comments sections are open. Feel free to give feedback as needed. And hopefully you stick around long enough to see what’s next!

It’s that time of year again. Time to look back on the year, recognize greatness, mock the ridiculous, and acknowledge what made the previous year great for fans of anime. In this special podcast, Acostoss, JoeAnimated, and Numberss take a walk down memory lane. Come check it out!

You can listen to the whole podcast below. Enjoy!

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Evangelion is unique amongst anime fans for the wide range of emotions it brings out from those that watch it. Love, hate, confusion, amazement; and maybe all of those at the same time. It’s considered a pinnacle series of the 90’s, with it’s beautiful animation, multi-threaded twisting plot, and controversial ending. If you’ve never watched the original series, I highly recommend it, regardless of what your tastes are.

It’s the ending that leaves most fans in a state of bewilderment. “What is going on?”,What did I just see?”,  are the typical reaction after watching the last two episodes. It’s this fan reaction that brought forth an expanded retelling of the ending found in the movie The End of Evangelion. Episodes 25 and 26, combined together, along with additional scenes, work to bring a small amount of closure to the fans of the series. But let’s be honest, it just continues  where it left off it in messing with our heads.

While entire diatribes can be written on the this movie, and the Evangelion ending overall, I wont be doing that. There is so much going on, that I would be forced to watching the series over as a whole just to being describing what I’m seeing here. What I can comment on is execution of this movie, and what the series means to me as a whole.

Keeping in mind the production date of this series (1997), I’m amazed at what Gainax and Production I.G. did. The animation is fantastic, with an outstanding attention to detail and smoothly animated action scenes. I’ve always been a fan of the production styles of the great shows of the late 90’s, like Cowboy Bebop, and this series is no different. Characters have the correct proportions, the eye shapes are normal, the scenery looks legitimate. The colors are much more subdued, reflecting the more somber tone of the move.

The soundtrack was superbly done as well. In the latter half of the movie, Asuka Langley is battling other Eva units in combat. The musical score in the background is the classical piece “Air”, by Johann Sebastian Bach. The grotesque and gruesome scene, punctuated by the softly playing orchestra, is a stroke of genius by the director and his staff. The soundtracks for shows and movies can be such a second thought, that you barely notice it’s there. But in great shows, your enjoyment is amplified by a beautifully paired musical work to the visual events.

Now for the big question: Did this ending change how I felt about the series as a whole? The answer is a simple No. I’m not really the philosophical type that dwells on the hidden and mysterious meaning of a show. What I do enjoy is a good mind game, and Evangelion as a whole does that for me. This movie only improves my overall enjoyment of the story as a whole, and only makes me more anxious to see the ending to the Rebuild series in (maybe) 2015. I don’t know why I put off watching this, but I’m glad that the Secret Santa initiative gave me the motivation to finally put this in the complete pile. It’s a fitting end to a completely off the wall and amazing series.

I’ve given this movie a 4.5/5 stars on Anime Planet, and an Anime Audiolog “Outstanding” rating. So go watch the series, and finish off with this movie.

It is time. Time for the ultimate battle royal for Ryuuko. The last few episodes covered the short time leading up to this moment. She’s fought her way to the top, and now she faces her first opponent, who only yesterday assisted her. But can she win by brute force alone?

Before she even goes to her match against Ira, her teacher Aikuro asks her to drop out of the fight. He knows full well that Ryuuko is so blinded by revenge in the search for answers, that she is nearly incapable of fighting intelligently. This rings even more true now that she’s facing a three-star uniform. The brute force tactics she used against the lower tier subordinates wont work against this level of competition. But of course she declines, with misplaced confidence in her own abilities.

And when the battle starts, she is completely neutralized by Ira’s Shackle Regalia/Courage Regalia uniform combination. Her attacks only power him up, and his counterattacks push her against the ropes. The fight is completely out of hand for her. She has become so used to winning on brute strength alone, that she fails to employ strategy in her attacks. Only when Senketsu revels he plan to evolve himself, does the a strategy fall into place, and she defeats him.

Once again, Ryuuko is saved, not through her own strength, but by the strategy of others. Senketsu also saved her in the earlier fight against Uzu Sanageyama, when cutting him into pieces blocked the opponents vision, allowing a win. But against her next opponent, who has been studying her every move, it’s hard to believe she can prevail this time.

This story is primed for a defeat. A resounding, character defining defeat. It’s hard to believe the good times will roll on longer. She’s become a meathead. Rational thought is escaping her, even when faced with good advice. I’d bet my money that the next episode brings the hurt, against an opponent who’s strength she knows nothing about. But the real key to this story will be what comes after, and what defeat forces her to think about, and how she changes because of it.