"dasaku" via Randall in Google Reader

Anime Power Rankings: Spring 2012 Week 8

2012-05-28T03:26:41Z

Rank	Anime (First Place Votes)	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon (7)	Tezuka Productions	7	2
2	Fate/Zero (6)	ufotable	21	–
3	Tsuritama (2)	A-1 Pictures	7	2
4	Hyouka (1)	Kyoto Animation	5	1
5	Natsuiro Kiseki (1)	Sunrise	8	19

On The Cusp: Jormungand, Uchuu Kyoudai, Lupin the Third, Mouretsu Uchuu Kaizoku, Eureka Seven AO

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

It seems we are back to the old trend of the Big Three of Spring 2012. Sakamichi no Apollon regains its throne at the top spot. Fate/Zero and then Tsuritama take their respective seats in second and third place respectively. While I still have some dissatisfaction of Sakamichi no Apollon overall, I cannot deny that this episode was quite enjoyable. The last ten minutes of the show certainly lived up to the hype that surrounds this show.

Sometimes it feels like I’m voting for the Miami Heat (Apollon) and the San Antonio Spurs (Lupin) despite the fact that would be the matchup I would not want to see in real life. Those were the two standout episodes for the week, but at least it wasn’t a clash of evil versus boredom.

EmperorJ (Lower Mid-Table)

Finishing the its first arc, Hyouka manages to secure the fourth spot. Personally, this show is definitely starting to grow on me. While the visuals are certainly impressive, The mysteries are the most appealing part of the show for me. I quite enjoy the deduction segments as the protagonists slowly piece together the mystery. I have a soft spot for the mystery/detective genre, but the solid execution definitely convinced me to continue watching this show.

I had a really bad impression of Hyouka when it first aired, but now, I think I can see why KyoAni decided to adapt it. The mysteries don’t feel unrealistically convoluted, while still being fairly intriguing. Like what they did with Nichijou, KyoAni also decided to be creative with their animation for Hyouka, giving the show a much-welcomed surreal feel.

fkeroge (Ambivalence, or is it Ambiguity?)

Surprisingly, Natsuiro Kiseki makes the Top 5. We’ve seen this show occasionally appear on the cusp, but this is the first week it finally makes it. While it appears to be a generic slice-of-life show, this anime is more enjoyable than you may originally think. While the animation quality has dipped in recent episodes, the story itself carries the show. The drama is building up, as the show becomes more focused on Saki’s eventual departure.

Tsuritama’s been my #1 pick every week this season until now, but as excellent as Tsuritama episode 7 was, Sencolle knocked it out of the park with episode 8. Cleverest episode of anything I’ve seen this season, from Nobunaga and Hideyoshi’s chemistry to the wonderful absurdist imagery. There was even what seemed like a lighthearted dig at Ikuhara, one of the episode’s funniest scenes. Not too surprising, since this episode had the same scriptwriter and main staff as the Michael Moore episode.

8C (girl cartoons)

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2012-05-27T22:41:03Z

Fate/School Life Chapter 6

2012-05-26T17:58:25Z

Tales of Graces F is awesome, and Richard is the most fabulous of fabulous men.

…Of course he can’t compare to Malik, that is, but few can.

BUT, ENOUGH ABOUT THAT- BEHOLD, THANKS ONCE MORE TO RAGNAR, I HAVE YET ANOTHER FATE/SCHOOL LIFE CHAPTER.

ENJOY!

Friday Anime Podcast 10: Return of Toonami

2012-05-26T00:16:13Z

This week we have two returning guests: Lerxst (Anime Afterlife Podcast) and Inushinde (Shinde Iie Anime Blog).

This episode is mostly about Toonami. We discuss the current state of [Adult Swim] and the possible future of the timeslot. In addition, we reminisce about the good old days of our experience with Toonami. Eventually, this evolves into us chatting about our origin stories and how we got into anime.

As always, please leave feedback and thoughts. If you are interested in being a guest on the show, let us know.

Download

00:17 Introductions
00:35   Return of Toonami
04:36   Our Toonami Experience
09:37   What If There Was an Daily Afternoon Block?
13:05 What Should [Adult Swim] Air?
21:22 Ratings, Ratings, Ratings …
24:30 Our History with Anime

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2012-05-24T23:51:19Z

Figurines: Yui Takamura Gekka ver. and Good Smile Company’s Mami Tomoe

2012-05-21T13:25:32Z

Those are my newest purchases. While I have gotten my Yui Takamura fine and dandy, Mami Tomoe took much longer since the Chronopost delivery boy slacked off and did not bother to check whatever someone was home or not.

Without further talk, here are the pics:

I had to delete some pics since they have come out blurry

Now Mami

I think that Yui Takamura version is far superior to the lingerie version. Perhaps it is the head. Still, the kimono version have come out as far more sensual. Which you show that suggestive erotism can be far superior.

As for Mami. Well, Good Smile Company’s job is to be praised, the S position is perfect for showing all of Mami’s assets, this may explain why I think it is the best of all four Madoka figurines released by GSC.

I am glad to have ordered them.

Anime Power Rankings: Spring 2012 Week 7

2012-05-21T02:42:17Z

Rank	Anime (First Place Votes)	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Tsuritama (11)	A-1 Pictures	6	2
2	Fate/Zero (5)	ufotable	20	–
3	Sakamichi no Apollon (4)	Tezuka Productions	6	2
4	Uchuu Kyoudai (4)	A-1 Pictures	7	1
5	Eureka Seven AO (2)	Bones	6	7
5	Hyouka (3)	Kyoto Animation	4	6

On the cusp: Jormungand, Shirokuma Cafe, Lupin the Third, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san.

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

Last week had quite the uneventful rankings, but this week’s definitely changes things up a bit. While the Top 3 shows remain the same, Tsuritama takes the top spot with a large margin.

Tsuritama is strange beast. A plot is finally starting to form and connect all the loose dots that have been scattered around so far, and most people will probably be happy about that. Yet, strangely, I’m not. That’s not a complaint by any means, I’d just actually rather have the dots left completely disconnected so I can continue watching the guys fish and goof around. I’m actually worried about a plot taking this away. Hell, even shows like Baccano have a character-driven plot to keep things moving. But nope, I just want to see the Tsuritama guys hang out, and not because I find them “SO KAWAII UGUU”. It doesn’t make the show better nor worse, just different.
Riyoga (Riyoga’s Ramblings)

Like every week so far, Fate/Zero still sits comfortably in second place. This is the first week Sakamichi no Apollon does not claim the top spot. Honestly, I enjoy Kids on a Slope, but the lack of relationship developments lately has been dragging the show downhill in my opinion. Perhaps I’m impatient.

Just could not forgive F/Z for having two flashback episodes in a row; one that was good, and one that wasn’t so good, and then giving us an episode where nearly nothing happened until the end of the episode. Sakamichi’s a good enough show but it’s turned into a boring love triangle. I’m not really having fun watching it as much as before. So I voted this week in terms what shows I have the most fun watching.

Taka (My Sword is Unbelievably Dull)

In addition, we have an unusual tie this week as Hyouka and Eureka Seven AO both claim the fifth place spot. Personally, I am quite pleased to see Hyouka break into the Top 5 at least once.

Hyouka dropped for me this week because of apprehension. I still like how it approaches mysteries, but I worry about how the show will progress with the “main” mystery seemingly so far along in its progress. Yes, it’s still unsolved, but it seems like one or two more clues and the whole thing is solved. I question how the show will decide to continue for the full 21 episodes.
Marth Aurion (Marth’s Anime Blog)

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia played with the idea of Herd mentality in a horror story context, and man, it was delivered in such a powerful manner. It is interesting to see how it is not necessary the horror stories, or the spiritual roam, that horrifying, but the humans that are affected by such stories are. Kinda ironic that in the end, that the person that hated horror stories were helped by a horror story figure
FNZNA (Fnzna Side Dish)

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san: the Varying Function of Settings in Comedy and Lovecraft

2012-05-19T06:20:08Z

This post is my response to a writing prompt from my colleague 2DTeleidoscope. “Strange brains ferment sex like pickles“. “We’re leveling up tonight. Fridge Fiction Friday: Fiction Harder,” he exclaims. Well, being the non-conformist that I am, I decided to see if I could write it into an editorial post. Enjoy, folks!

The anime community is quite divided on Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, but I was genuinely entertained by the first handful of episodes. Everyone talks about how the show’s characters pop out so much, but we all know how funny Nyaruko is. Today, I want to talk about the setting of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, and how it forms an interesting contrast to its more ominous source material.

Fiction is appealing to us as a species because it represents a divergence from what we experience as reality. Anime is full of characters with colorful hair, strange clothes, and peculiar personalities set in worlds familiar yet dissimilar to ours. Settings deeply affect the impact that a work of fiction has, and Lovecraft and Aisora both effectively control the setting of their respective stories. From looking at two works from the same mythos, we can observe that settings tend to be more similar or realistic in horror, and more fantastic or imaginative in comedy.

The idea of a familiar yet strange setting is a very familiar aesthetic in Lovecraft’s writing. His predominant theme was that of cosmic horror, that the universe was populated with indifferent monsters and creatures far beyond the understanding of mere humans. By placing his stories in familiar, sometimes downright generic settings, Lovecraft elevated the effectiveness of his horror by placing it closer to the audience or allowing his readers to imagine the story more clearly.

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san is more focused on being funny than being scary at all, so it’s set in a much goofier place: modern day Japan! Rather, modern day anime Japan. Everyone seems sublimely nonchalant about the existence of aliens, the supernatural, or attractive young girls being attached to Mashiro. In the spirit of sending Lovecraft tumbling in his grave, R’lyeh is an amusement park as well. But that’s not surprising, because Haiyore! Nyaruko-san is a comedy, and contrary to Lovecraftian works that bring the audience closer to fear, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san allows its audience to escape from their reality and have a laugh. That’s the dichotomy I want to highlight: the idea that horror brings you closer, but comedy sends you away.

But does it always? After all, there are plenty of really funny anime set in ostensibly realistic environments — Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou comes to mind. Now we enter the realm of observational humor. After all, the world is a truly odd place; I would say that real life can be weirder than the settings of fiction. It’s nothing that you should find strange – brains ferment, sex (like pickles) gets tiring after a while, and there is Braille on drive-through bank ATMs. The world doesn’t make sense at times. Why would we ever need cerebral alcohol? Are we biologically anything more than sex and reproduction machines? And why would blind people be using drive-through ATMs? So why do we seek escape from the real world and dive into the imaginary world of fiction? Maybe sometimes we fail to see how silly and entertaining our world can be, and the charm of our own very real surroundings are lost on us. Lovecraft bounces an image of our own world right back at us and throws in unnerving horrors and monsters while Haiyore! Nyaruko-san grants us release and for 22 sweet minutes invites us into its silly universe of yuri fanservice and Macross Frontier parodies. Whatever it is, we humans crave some kind of break from the usual, some kind of experience that takes us somewhere unfamiliar. It just depends on where you want to look.

kevo’s Favorite Anime Composers #10: Oshima Michiru

2012-05-17T17:50:15Z

Last week on Joe’s Anime Talk, a listener asked what my favorite anime soundtrack was. This got me thinking recently about my love and appreciation for anime soundtracks. I began listening to movie soundtracks when I was in high school, with my favorites including Hans Zimmer and James Horner. Naturally, I began to have an affinity for the background music in anime.

This is an article series from last year that I’ve neglected to keep up with. Rather than suddenly resume the countdown, I decided to start over and go through all ten of my top 10 favorite anime composers in the next few months. Besides making some changes to my list, I have also updated the audio and rewritten large sections. Enjoy!

Oshima Michiru is decently well known in the realm of videogame music, composing scores for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Ico. She’s done a bit of anime music, her work for Full Metal Alchemist and BECK standing out notably. To me, Sora no Woto is the soundtrack that best exemplifies Oshima’s work.

Sora no Woto is a 13 episode slice of lifer set in a fictionalized pre-modern Europe. The scenery is beautiful, but Oshima’s score really brings much of the flavor out of the show.

Apres la pluie le beau temps

Brass is a thematic element of the show (playing a central role of the plot as well), and it appears in the soundtrack in various ways, from loud and bombastic to soft and melodious. “Apres la pluie le beau temps” has that classic, reminiscent feel.

Destinee

I really like the contrast in this track — the dramatic buildup leads to a gentler melody and develops as the song progresses. The song sounds rather similar to John Williams’ “Across the Stars” from Star Wars Episode II, though the theme is quite different. As underwhelming as I found Sora no Woto to be, the soundtrack really saves the anime from utter mediocrity. It served to accentuate the conflict in the series far beyond the quality of the exposition. I found myself being tricked into empathy with a particularly well placed score, and there’s no better example than with “Servante de Feu”

Servante de Feu

If you happen to have the anime lying around, take a look at episode 10, about 11:25 into the show. Without the music, I would call the scene rather clumsy. There’s a significant amount of character development, but it’s done in the form of Rio just talking to Kanata. Oshima Michiru’s soundtrack is the glue that makes the scene work. An instrument arrange of “Servante de Feu” drives the scene, which is composed of short animation or stills of Rio and Kanata walking through town juxtaposed with dialogue. The music has such an overbearing presence here that it easily frames the scene’s emotion — connecting Rio’s emotional monologue with the placid visuals. This beautifully kerned scene perfectly showcases Sora no Woto‘s beautiful soundtrack.

“Servante de Feu” harkens something that’s grand but in constant motion. Matthieu Ladouce’s vocals are stunning and and fit the arrange perfectly, hitting high notes with a mixture of grace and sorrow. Overall, there’s this great emotional aura that emanates from the track. The brave souls who sacrificed themselves for the land they so loved, the “servants of fire”, if you will. It adds a great amount of scope to Sora no Woto, an anime that really is more than meets the eye.

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2012-05-17T21:18:30Z

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2012-05-17T21:25:24Z

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2012-05-16T22:35:23Z

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2012-05-16T20:31:59Z

Anime Power Rankings: Spring 2012 Week 6

2012-05-14T02:32:38Z

Rank	Anime	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon	Tezuka Productions	5	–
2	Fate/Zero 2	ufotable	19	–
3	Tsuritama	A-1 Pictures	5	–
4	Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna	TMS Entertainment	6	–
5	Uchuu Kyoudai	A-1 Pictures	6	1

On the cusp: Shirokuma Cafe, Jormungand, Natsuiro Kiseki, Sankarea, Nazo no Kanojo X

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

This week has been one of high and lows. Shows that usually made it on my list have dropped off while a couple that haven’t had much time on there get some time to shine. Lupin and Zombie were the two most entertaining shows I watched this past week and I’m glad to see them keeping me consistently glued to the screen. This Spring is really the strongest season in recent memory due to the fact that I look forward to the majority of all the shows I’m watching each week.

Lerxst (Anime Afterlife Podcast)

We’ve had the same top 4 for three weeks running, quite a change of pace from the seemingly chaotic rise of quality shows earlier this season. It seems that everything has calmed down now and viewers are getting into more of a “groove”. Though Sakamichi no Apollon has been virtually unopposed this season, it’s not invincible; some criticism has surfaced in recent episodes.

Though production values are high, Apollon still boils down to this: an anime about teen romance and angst. Not really a bad thing per se, but for an anime that uses jazz as a hook, they seldom use it to spice up the story. The parts of the anime that I was really enjoying were the times that they actually play music – but then I realized that I could get the same experience by watching old YouTube videos of Bill Evans or similar people.

fkeroge (Ambivalence, or is it Ambiguity?)

Fate/Zero continues to explore Kiritsugu’s character this week. It’s nice getting some back story, but I earnestly hope we get back to the Holy Grail War in the next episode. For some reason, I felt that Kiritsugu’s air of mystique was one of this defining characteristics — I get the character, so exploring his past doesn’t have too much effect on the story proper.

The recent episodes revolving around Kiritsugu’s backstory is done outstandingly. If you combine both episodes you get a Kara no Kyoukai feel which is dark, and gritty story. Kiritsugu is a pretty screwed up man and his ideologies will surely destroy him by the end of the series.

ahelo (Traveler on Revenge)

Tsuritama is shaping up to be one of those rare shows that give me that warm fuzzy feeling – this week’s episode was just so charming, even though very little actually happened. It was just so heartwarming to watch Yuki get over his social anxieties and embrace something he loves. Tsuritama is just a joy to watch.

Caraniel (Caraniel’s Ramblings)

Uchuu Kyoudai makes its return to the Anime Power Rankings after a week hiatus. I really believe the best of this show is still to come, however frustrated some people may be with the pacing.

This week’s Uchuu Kyoudai was truly inspiring. With Mutta facing the ’reality’ that he will not get to round 3 because of the JAXA knowing of his act of headbutting his former boss, and thinking of how unlucky he is. Unknown to him, one of the JAXA judges have known him since Mutta was small and have known of his passion to space exploration, goes out of his way to convince that Mutta is in fact a suitable candidate for becoming an astronaut. This contrast of Mutta’s assumption of failure and the JAXA judge’s determination to make Mutta an astronaut was very inspiring, of how someone might help you when you least expect it.

FNZNA (FNZNA’s Side Dish)

Friday Anime Podcast 9: Pirates, Terribad, and Life

2012-05-12T04:55:51Z

Hey everyone. First of all, thanks for supporting us in the Aniblog Tourney. We successfully advanced to the next round with a comfortable vote share of 70%. I appreciate the support from my wonderful readers and I hope to continue this relationship in the future.

This week, Shinmaru comes on our show. Shinmaru writes for Unmei Kaihen, a blog that’s around the same age as Desu ex Machina. Unmei Kaihen is one of the first anime blogs I ever followed, and I got to meet Shinmaru at Anime Expo last year! I can promise that he is a really nice guy to talk to. We briefly talk about Mouretsu Space Pirates, a show I’ve long forgotten about, before discussing our mutual love for terrible anime. So without further ado, I present this week’s FAPcast.

I won't say who is who, because I don't think anyone would be happy as the girl off to the side.

Download

Index:

00:34 - What direction is Space Pirates headed?

05:36 - Blogging Anime

08:37 - Intro to “Terribad”: Garzey’s Wing and Mars of Destruction

13:01 – Favorite “Terribad” Anime: Kenya Boy, Skelter Heaven, Panzer Dragoon

17:18 – Violence Jack 2

20:04 - Why do you watch terrible anime?

21:20 - “Terrible” anime that aren’t that bad: California Crisis, Doggy Poo

23:17 - Balancing anime through life changes

~5 year Anniversary~: Life the Universe and Anime

2012-05-11T02:14:11Z

On May 10, 2007, I officially became a member of the Dasaku group of blogs. And while as of late, I haven’t posted as much as I would like (1 post in 5 months? Gonna have to rectify that…), I … Continue reading →

Acchi Kocchi C13

2012-05-09T07:52:46Z

Military is suffering.

If only.

Aside from that: HERE

The Fabulous Fudou Zen

2012-05-08T01:07:04Z

Aquarion Evol is a mindless mash of stunningly entertaining characters. However, one memorable cast member that takes it to the next level is Fudou Zen, the high commander of Neo-DEAVA. Fudou is the embodiment of Aquarion Evol as an anime — he’s enigmatic, overly dramatic, and spews the most wonderful monologues of utter bullshit philosophy that could only be topped if Carl Sagan lived to be a senile old man. He is hard evidence that the writers of Aquarion Evol know exactly what they are doing and that the entire anime is one big joke, with mecha. Take the most recent episode, for example. Here’s this huge character conflict and serious drama going on — Mix has been kidnapped, Andy is furious, and every single character has a pensive, depressed look on their face. All of the sudden, we smash cut to Fudou all alone in the wilderness with this great line…

Aquarion Evol would not be the same anime without this master of wordsmanship.

THAT'S NOT EVEN TRUE

Fudou Zen IS Aquarion Evol. As each episode dispenses of its veneer of tension and spirals into silliness, Fudou is invariably there to provide color commentary. As the characters summon a milk hotspring to fight the enemy in a blizzard, Fudou is talking about why bananas are the king of all fruit (and making banana puns on the side). As the characters strip naked while fighting to dodge missiles, Fudou is commenting on how people are all born naked. He says everything with such pathos and confidence that you just go with the flow. Donuts are the embodiment of the spirit of the universe? Sounds fine to me!

And let us not forget the sheer amount of swagger Fudou carries himself with. No matter what’s going on, he never seems phased or surprised. He’s either shuffling cards or making more metaphors. It’s like he knows exactly what’s going to happen and he’s just so energetic about it. His personality matches the personality of the anime: unabashedly straightforward and sincere, without any pretense of staidness. So while he may be a supporting character, it is with him that the amusement of Aquarion Evol rise and falls, for he is the heart and soul of this anime. As the main cast flounder around and panic as they are met with unexpected challenges, Fudou is the rock that drives the plot forward. Never change, Aquarion.

SO DEEP

Anime Power Rankings: Spring 2012 Week 5

2012-05-07T02:52:02Z

Rank	Anime (no. of first place votes)	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon (18)	Tezuka Productions	4	–
2	Fate/Zero 2 (8)	ufotable	18	–
3	Tsuritama (4)	A-1 Pictures	4	–
4	Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (3)	TMS Entertainment	5	–
5	Jormungand (1)	White Fox	4	1

On the cusp: Uchuu Kyoudai (1), Hyouka, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Eureka Seven AO, Natsuiro Kiseki

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

Sakamichi no Apollon has been so consistently great- managing to be fun but, at the same time, devoting plenty of its attention to exploring more serious topics, such as unrequited love and how to deal with racial prejudice in a realistic yet, sympathetic way- I’m almost wishing it’d trip up, just so that it can stop showing all the other shows up week after week!

Ty-chama (Watashi wa bucho!)

While Sakamichi no Apollon continues to be awesome, this week’s Fate/Zero was a little strange to me. I felt like because I dropped Kore wa Zombie Desuka? the anime gods decreed that I must follow 2 zombie anime a season and thus changed this show into a zombie anime. And don’t tell me that they are technically vampires, you get my point. Nevertheless, we get a good dose of Kiritsugu’s backstory, which is nice because while I find his character quite intriguing, I don’t know much about him.

Gone is the constant conflict that is seen in the 4th Holy Grail War, but this week (and at least next week’s also) Fate/Zero dives into the Kiritsugu past to give a better idea of how he is what he is in the War. First we were seen this peaceful isolated town where young Kiritsugu and his dad has moved to for a while, with a local, Shirley, hanging out with them. Knowing that this is Fate Zero and the novel is written by Gen Urobuchi, I know that something wrong will happen soon, and when it actually, it wasn’t all too surprising. All these, ironically, made the peaceful town look fake to me, or maybe even felt forced upon us, so that we can accept that Kiritsugu was once ’normal’. Though I think about it, it might have been written/directed that way, maybe to make us feel of how normal can be…uncommon, to paint how distant that Kiritsugu have become from his ‘normal’ life. O ya, it is good to hear words that are often heard in Tsukihime used in the Fate universe, and to see someone from Kara no Kyoukai appear. If last episode was a connection to Fate/Stay Night, this episode connects Fate/Zero to the rest of the Nasu universe.

FNZNA (FNZNA Side Dish)

Let’s talk about some shows that have been hanging just off the top five this week. First is Natsuiro Kiseki, a show that I’m enjoying a lot. It’s been at 10th place for the last two weeks, and I assume lots of anibloggers are put off by its generic premise. After all, how many “4 girls do random stuff” anime can you name off the top of your head? Still, the superb character design and balanced writing combines into a splendid jewel of a slice-of-life anime. I recommend my colleague Akira’s post on Natsuiro Kiseki for some more elaboration on what makes this show so great.

With the slew of 4-girl high school girl anime out there, I’m impressed that Natsuiro Kiseki has been able to jump so far up my list in the past couple of weeks. I do commend the anime itself on its playful blend of magical realism and lovable characters, though I do think its rise has a good deal to do with some of my previous preferred shows’ mediocre performances–namely Uchuu Kyoudai, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, and Shirokuma Cafe. While Natsuiro Kiseki has improved with each week, they have plateaued with their predictability and now tired humor.

Marina (Anime B&B)

Hyouka is another show that’s been on people’s radars. 11 people voted for it this week, good enough for finishing tied for 6th. Missing out on the power rankings by a single point, I imagine that Kyoto Animation’s offering this season will inevitably be featured in the near future. The show is unquestionably pretty, as the KyoAni’s crop tend to be, but how does it do in the other departments?

It looks like Hyouka is unpopular among APR voters, which is just how the world spins I suppose. Either way, this second episode continues to fascinate me. The way the show takes something relatively mundane and elevates it to something as entrancing. The animation, visual elements and how they’re matched and timed to the dialogue is simply stunning. If it can consistently fascinate me, it’ll be my favourite of the season, no question.

Numbers and Space

Finally, Marow has an announcement concerning Eureka Seven AO, which finished 9th this week.

Guys, this is about Eureka Seven: New Order, the episode that aired before AO started. If you have finished the original or are watching AO (shame on you if you skipped the original), watch this.

It’s NOT a recap, but a whole new episode with fully new dialogue. The episode use video material from the original series, sure, but it’s done in a very… cool way, it blends in well, can’t say I’ve seen anything like it.

But the most important thing is the dialogue. Not only is it so perfectly executed and becomes one with the series FANTASTIC music that I become totally charmed, but it also gives a whole new perspective on the story of Eureka Seven.

The episode is very fragmentary and choppy, jumping all over the place. But we here learn that something happened after the original series, we get some clues. Or was it after the original? Perhaps this was an alternative version or ending?

I don’t know.

Please watch the episode.

Just do it.

Thank you.

(with only dialogue and music, this episode pulled off the magic to make me teary. Trust me, it’s great)

Marow (Anime Viking)

Short Parody: Yosuke’s Confession

2012-04-21T21:05:31Z

Yosuke’s Courage is finally up to the level where he can initiate a confession.

(“Could it be? Surely not!”)

“I’m HARD GAY for you!”

“…and I can’t help feeling you must feel the same way too!”

“You have so many good qualities…”

“…that I just can’t help liking you!”

“I knew I had to confess today!”

“I couldn’t let things go on, with my feelings buried beneath the surface!”

“…will you have HARD GAY with me?”

“…take me now!”

“Man, that was intense!”

“But we can’t have a proper relationship unless I do you as well!”

“If you don’t want to be in a relationship with me, all I’ll have left is Hyper Self Pleasure!”

“Come on then, give me HARD GAY!”

“Wow, you’re good at this, Yosuke!”

Another happy relationship begins.

Who can resist that invitation?

Adachi learns the intimate details of Pleasure.