Today the spotlight falls on CoMix Wave’s recent Japanese Blu-ray release of the 2007 animated film 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Although the film was first issued on Blu-ray back in 2008, this new so-called “Global Edition” – while still manufactured and sold in Japan by a Japanese label – features both English subtitles and an English dub (in addition to the original Japanese soundtrack), as well as subtitles in nine other languages, making it a version worth considering for overseas anime enthusiasts.

It’s been more than four years since the film was first released, and in that time scores of reviews have been written about it. With this in mind, I’ve decided against expending pixels on adding yet another opinion piece to their number. The main objective of this post will be to lay out bare information and some of my own thoughts about the physical product itself, in order to help those already familiar with the film decide whether this particular release is worth investing in. For those seeking information about the film itself, I’ve provided links to selected reviews and related references at the end of the post (note that these will almost certainly contain spoilers).

RELEASE DATE, AVAILABILITY AND COST

The Global Edition was officially released on 18 November 2011. It’s readily available through Amazon.co.jp and other online import retailers, as well as on the ground in Japan itself (I grabbed my own copy during a trip to Tokyo earlier this week). Discounts vary by retailer, but barring deep cuts the sticker should come up to around the list price of 6,825 yen.

PACKAGING AND PHYSICAL EXTRAS

The Global Edition comes in a standard plastic Blu-ray disc case, although the colour is hardly standard: a rich, deep pink (instead of the normal blue) that nicely complements the hue of the cherry blossoms featured on the cover illustration. The jacket is a regular single-sided affair with a (partially) bilingual descriptive back cover.

Inserted behind the front of the case is a small booklet, 8 pages in length (including both covers). The text is entirely in English except for director Shinkai Makoto’s introductory message, which is set out in the original Japanese followed by an English translation. The booklet’s other contents include partial synopses of all three chapters of the film, brief notes about the cast and music, and short biographies of key members of the production staff.

CONTENTS

In addition to the 63-minute main feature, the Global Edition’s single Blu-ray disc contains an interview with Shinkai Makoto and two of the director’s early films: Hoshi no Koe (2002, 25 minutes) and Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko (1999, 5 minutes).The main feature is presented in HD widescreen video (1920:1080p). Audio setup options consist of Japanese 4.0ch Surround and English 2.0ch Stereo. Subtitle options include Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Arabic.

All three extra features are in SD and feature Japanese 2.0 Stereo audio with optional Japanese and English subtitles, plus an additional English soundtrack for Hoshi no Koe.

A brief word regarding one of the extras. With its somewhat dated picture quality and 4:3 aspect ratio – not to mention the brevity of the work – Hoshi no Koe probably wouldn’t merit a stand-alone Blu-ray release. Nonetheless, I consider it a watershed in Shinkai’s career and I’m very pleased to find it paired together with Byōsoku 5 Centimeter in a single disc. Less than half an hour long, this short piece left a lasting impact on me when I first saw it some years ago, thanks to its engaging story and absolutely gorgeous visuals. From that time on I was convinced that Shinkai was a chap to watch – and true enough, here I am, still eagerly following his work and snapping up his creations as they come along.

REMARKS

5 Centimeters Per Second has seen several international releases, but until now none – to my knowledge – has featured a full HD version. (Japanese fans have had access to a domestic Blu-ray version for years.) Although still technically a Japanese release, priced in yen and normally available only through Japanese channels, the Global Edition’s inclusion of English subs for both main and special features (plus an English dub for the main feature) and subtitles in nine other foreign languages all mark this one out as a release geared towards satisfying overseas demand. With the earlier domestic Blu-ray release retailing for somewhat less (and, if one irate Amazon.co.jp commenter is correct, featuring better HD audio), there isn’t much of an incentive for a fluent Japanese speaker to snap up this version, except perhaps for the extra features.

Significantly, even the in-video menus are rendered in English – noteworthy given that other Japanese Blu-rays with English subs that I’ve seen still have their options laid out only or mostly in Japanese (not particularly helpful for those who can’t read in that language). All things considered, this release does appear to be genuinely user-friendly as far as Anglophone consumers are concerned, and the (rather steep) list price notwithstanding, I’d consider it a serious and sensible import option for those chasing after an HD release of this acclaimed Shinkai production.

Regarding the English subtitles: they are very well done, and for the most part hew closely to the original Japanese script, but there are nonetheless a few awkward constructions and errors scattered throughout. Tighter editorial control – or perhaps a beta screening with native English speakers involved, with corrections to follow – might have helped weed out these infelicities. Still, the end product is perfectly watchable and one needn’t fear being saddled with a Backstroke of the West fiasco.

Regrettably, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the nine other foreign subtitle sets as I am fluent in none of those languages. (On this point I gladly defer to those who are, and invite them to post a comment on what they think of the other language options.) My hope is that these were professionally translated and edited out of a genuine desire to meet the needs of those who require them, and not merely regurgitated out of an automatic translator for the sake of superficially enhancing the “international” theme of this release.

TO CAP THINGS OFF…
THE GOOD: English subtitles AND menus (very helpful for Anglophone viewers). Inclusion of earlier films – particularly Hoshi no Koe – a real plus, even if only in SD quality. Good HD picture quality. Region free.
THE BAD: Rather expensive. Purchasers may need to import from Japan, which will jack up costs even more (shipping and customs duties for a start). No physical extras to help justify the cost, apart from the standard info booklet. English subtitles could be better. Audio quality decent but doesn’t seem quite up to HD standards.
THE UGLY: None. Nothing that I’d call a dealbreaker, at any rate.
OVERALL: Not perfect, but a decent release for overseas (more specifically Anglophone) viewers looking to add an HD copy of this film to their collection.

LINKS
NB: The reviews listed below were based on earlier DVD releases of this film, so the technical aspects are generally not relevant to the Blu-ray release reviewed here. They were selected mainly for the opinions expressed by their authors about the film itself, rather than about the physical product available to them at the time. Beware of spoilers.
- Basic information on Wikipedia
- Product listing on Amazon Japan
- Review by Chris Beveridge on Mania.com
- Review by Theron Martin on Anime News Network
- Review by Bamboo Dong on Anime News Network
- Review by Ronnie Scheib on Variety

Anyway I’ve got a ton of stuff to talk about and dissect when I’ve got the time, hopefully before the end of May the way things are going for me… lolol and all that. A giant Madoka analysis should be the first order of business. After that I’ll discuss the Spring season in earnest when I eventually catch up on those. It would help if I wasn’t more than a month behind on all the current stuff, but slow and steady is the way to go rather than marathoning a bunch of stuff and getting burned out. After tackling those two topics it’s all up in the air. Here’s one final note before I leave.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

“Just become a magical blogger!”

Anyway. So far I’ve watched C, Hidan no Aria, Hanasaku Iroha, Nichijou, Steins;Gate, and Denpa Onna.

In the order I’ve watched them:

Hanasaku Iroha – Ohana is family. Ohana is also quite adorable and spunky. Great coming-of-age type show so far, and one of the ones I’m looking forwards to each week. I mean, this show has got a lot of heart. and I mean a LOT. It’s hard not to get pulled in by that sort of thing!

Steins;Gate – It’s been a bit more intriguing than the manga so far, but in any case it’s obviously a high-budget show. Looking forwards to the new episodes too.

Nichijou – So I downloaded Episode 1 and the OVA to have a look, and wow, that was the most concentrated form of Whacko and Random I have ever seen in 24-minute episodes of anything. Pretty cool, though ultimately very fillery and pointless. …I don’t think I can bring myself to watch any more.

Denpa Onna – As I heard someone say: Have you seen a sea anemone nab a swimming fish? I sure have not, but the way Erio ate that half of a pizza while still wrapped in a futon is probably a close approximation. That being said, she’s hands down the best character of the season and I will continue to watch this series solely for her hijinks. For goodness sakes, she makes GlaDOS seem sane. (Also, that aunt was 39 years old? BULL-.)

C – That was pretty interesting, although I’m still a bit wary on how the Persona style money battles will be. I guess the battle that took place this episode is a safe approximation, though that really didn’t show much. Also, it has Willy Wonka. That’s the sign of a winner right there folks!

Hidan no Aria – Wow, that show was obnoxious. I mean, I liked Infinite Stratos a bit at the beginning, but… This show didn’t even try. May or may not drop depending on what else I have on my plate, but that first episode was terribad. Actually, it was hilariously so (Guy enters suave bullet-time personality mode when aroused? Really?). Also, obligatory Rie Kugimaya loli. lolol. I might try Lotte instead.

And for anyone wondering about the title, it’s Erio humming the E.T. theme, as can be heard here.

Star Driver has been the epitome of stupidly fantabulous sparkliness, and true to form, the final episode was a giant amalgamation of rainbow sparkly shiny fantabulousness. There was so much shiny rainbow laser beam spam epic fabulous in the episode. But now that it’s over, indeed, our future Sundays will seem to be a shade closer to Monochrome than ever before, lacking the overflowing nauseaucity of theaterical pomp that once graced our screens without fail… Mostly.

Farewell, Star Driver, you silly silly lovable thing.  You will be missed, and our Sundays will be much less fabulous.

And now, as a special, here’s Noirsword’s list of Things I’ll Miss Most from Star Driver, as stated by the Man himself:
1. The Catchphrases. (Kiraboshii~! – Meu)
2. Takuto pulling new powerups out of his ass on a weekly basis.
3. The ridiculously elaborate costumes, most of all the weird screw nipples of the two psuedo lesbian chicks. My favorite costumes were actually Marino and school girl wife’s.
4. Members of Kiraboshi can’t seem to recognize each other out of costume until they confirm the handsign. Ummm… Who else in the school has green hair, purple hair, pink hair, and is a nurse that is clearly older than the rest of the group. Really, all the members of Kiraboshi have the brightest hair imaginable.
5. The “secret battles” in Zero Time are the worst kept secret in the school.

Speaking of anime that ended recently, Fractale was totally a social commentary on the degradation of society with the advent of the moe waifu demographic, looking at the perverse obsession that particular aspect of society has with prepubuscent girls in the public arena. YOU SLY DOG YAMAKAN.

And with that, Meu out.

…

o＜>∀・)＼綺羅星☆!!／

Global Shinkai Day 2011 will be held on the 12th of March.

Crunchyroll are spearheading preparations with their brand-new DVD release of Shinkai’s most recent film, 5 Centimetres Per Second. The site is also running a competition in which one talented fan can win an autographed poster featuring Shinkai’s upcoming project Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (check this page for details on how to enter).

In addition to Crunchyroll, I’m keeping a watchful eye on the Shinkai fan forum Cherry Blossoms Falling for more information as the event approaches.

Note: For broader coverage, this post has also been published on my personal blog. Mark your calendars and spread the word, comrades.

Today the spotlight falls on Funimation’s recent U.S. Blu-ray release of the 2009 anime film Summer Wars.

RELEASE DATE, AVAILABILITY AND COST

The U.S. Blu-ray release of Summer Wars hit store shelves on 15 February 2011. It’s now available via most of the major online anime retailers (Anime News Network has a handy list here), with prices starting from US$19.99.

PACKAGING

My copy of Summer Wars arrived in an ordinary plastic Blu-ray case, with no outer sleeve/slipcase. (All discs were meant to ship with a decorative sleeve, but production delays meant that some customers – myself included – received their copies without one; more details on Anime News Network here.) It’s a pretty bare-bones release consisting of just one Blu-ray disc; there are no physical extras to speak of. The cover art – featuring Natsuki and her family – is the same as that used in the standard Japanese Blu-ray release.

Images of the disc case and jacket (front and back).

The inside of the case, showing the Blu-ray disc and the art printed on the inner side of the jacket.

CONTENTS

The 115-minute main feature is accompanied by about 40 minutes of extra content, consisting of:
- Interviews with 5 members of the Japanese cast, in Japanese with English subtitles.
- An interview with director Hosoda Mamoru, in Japanese with English subtitles.
- Teaser trailers.
- Teaser TV spot.
- Original trailer.
- TV spots.
- Trailers for upcoming Funimation releases.

Audio setup options consist of Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD Japanese 5.1 soundtracks. There is one set of subtitles (English) that can be turned on or off.

INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY

Summer Wars begins by taking you through a quick walk-through of OZ, the online virtual universe around which much of the film’s plot revolves. To call it Facebook on steroids would be a gross understatement: it’s more like what Second Life would be if it had the power of Microsoft, the ambitions of Google, and the inescapable reach of McDonald’s (and even that sounds like a decidedly inadequate description). In this world, the tentacles of OZ have acquired a pervasive grip on nearly every sphere of life, from social networking and shopping to finance and government services. Whether you’re looking to chat with people from across the globe (made possible by a built-in universal translator) or file your income tax returns, OZ provides the infrastructure you need to get things done.

Kenji is an ordinary high-school student, etc. etc. – a stock character in many ways, but I digress. In brief, he’s a mathematically gifted but socially inept lad who works for OZ as a low-low-low-level administrator. Plying his part-time trade in a cramped computer room at school with friend and fellow OZ underling Sakuma, the day seems just like any other when . . .

. . . fanfare please . . .

. . . their uber-popular high-school senpai Natsuki bursts into the room and offers them a part-time job. One of them anyway. In the end, Kenji is picked and rushes off to Ueda (in Nagano Prefecture) together with Natsuki for her great-grandmother’s upcoming 90th birthday bash. The nature of the job disclosed right in the most awkward of moments – I shall leave you to discover that for yourself – young Kenji is introduced to Natsuki’s legion of rambunctious relatives, a huge family descended of Sengoku-era warlords who struck it rich during the Meiji Restoration but have since descended into genteel poverty (whilst retaining their sprawling, castle-like estate). In firm command of the Jinnouchi clan’s affairs is their formidable matriarch, Great-Grandmum Sakae, a woman with the poise of an empress and the mind of a warrior.

That night, Kenji is roused from bed by an email containing a long string of numbers and the subject heading “Solve Me”. Never mind that it comes from an unknown sender – Kenji’s mathematical curiosity overpowers any misgivings and he rises to the challenge. Working out a solution in the course of the night, he emails the cracked code back to the source and retires to bed.

The next day, all heck breaks loose.

The morning news reports are ablaze with the story that someone has broken through OZ’s supposedly impervious security system. Using Kenji’s avatar, the unknown party starts by taking over other user accounts and wreaking havoc on the virtual plane. Soon it triggers catastrophic real-world problems by tampering with everything from traffic lights and GPS navigation to train schedules and emergency help lines. The hapless Kenji becomes the prime suspect, but with the help of Sakuma and Natsuki’s OZ-savvy cousin Kazuma, he fires the first return shots in what eventually becomes a war to take back the Internet – and save the world.

REVIEW

It’s been a while – a very long while – since I enjoyed a film as much as I did this one. Thinking of my anime favourites from the last five years or so, I don’t remember according any of them the honour of being rewatched in their entirety so soon after seeing them the first time. (Replaying pivotal scenes, yes; viewing them end-to-end a second time, no.) I’ve seen Summer Wars twice now, omitting nothing save for a few seconds of end credits, and even then I’m still thinking of giving it another go tomorrow.

On the one hand, perfection is not something it can lay claim to. The story isn’t overly complex but may be convoluted enough to bar children from enjoying the experience (not that the film was meant for them though). It generally fits the mould of a family-friendly film but I wouldn’t promote it as such: mostly squeaky-clean, there are nonetheless a few brief suggestive moments that prevent me from recommending it for a younger audience. There are times when it descends into needless melodrama – parts of the climactic hanafuda battle, for one. And the film does seem rather slow in places, mainly in the first half.

On the other hand, it gets so many things right that any flaws seem almost imperceptible. (I had to think long and hard to complete the brief, obligatory con-side paragraph above.)

Let’s start with the visuals. Animation studio Madhouse are known for top-rate work – director Hosoda Mamoru’s previous film Toki o Kakeru Shoujo comes to mind – and their well-established prowess explodes on screen for Summer Wars. The virtual world of OZ, rich in colour and sharp-edged complexity, is built mostly out of flashy computer-aided animation, with the softer and cleaner tones of the real world rendered in a more traditional hand-drawn style. The characters’ movements are very fluid, from the main fight/chase scenes to simple hand gestures; full attention is lavished on even something as peripheral as a child tipping over when a bus rounds a corner. And then there are the innumerable, seemingly inconsequential details that contribute little to the story but add so much to the atmosphere – the station signs, the architectural details of the Jinnouchi mansion, the aged tile-work in the family bath.

Character designs for the real-world side are flat and simple, without sacrificing naturalness – very similar to the overall style Hosoda employed in TokiKake. The virtual world of OZ required another set of designs, in this case for the characters’ online avatars. Just as one would expect in reality, each avatar is a reflection of its owner, whether in terms of their personality or occupation or interests and so on. Some are impressively slick and original, evidently put together with great care; others look as if their owners couldn’t be bothered to go much further than the website’s default options.

The story is wonderfully engaging, striking a good balance between light humour and solid action (with a few key moments of nearly-tear-jerking drama thrown in for good measure). Much of the humour rides on the family dynamics within the Jinnouchi clan, which has a profusion of ages, career paths and personalities as varied as any real-life extended household (together with interactions and clashes to match). Overprotective second cousins? Grandfathers who proudly recount tales of past military glories? Kids who leave destruction in their wake? You name it, they’ve probably got it. The House of Jinnouchi is more of a tossed salad than a melting pot, and the film benefits greatly from this fact.

One character in particular stands out, and all the more because she isn’t a central figure. (Come to think of it, in a manner of speaking she is a central figure, indeed the central figure.) Great-Grandmum Sakae is more than the Jinnouchi family’s ramrod-straight matron: she is a leader through and through, one who in a different day and age might have given the Tokugawas a sound thwacking. She is the first to call the film’s central conflict a “war”, and like any good commander doesn’t give in to panic and speculation. Her family’s wealth depleted long ago, Great-Grandmum Sakae nonetheless has something more powerful at her beck and call: a social network of her own. Politicians, government officials, business leaders, ordinary men on the ground – a vast web of contacts in all rungs of society built up over the course of her long lifetime. As the first effects of the OZ break-in spread out to sow chaos in the real world, she rallies the troops all over Japan using nothing more than an old rotary-dial phone and her contact book (a scene that ranks among the highest points in the entire film). She admits that she doesn’t completely understand what’s going on – the Internet doesn’t figure much in her world after all – but she calmly appreciates the scale of the danger, puts a name to it (“It’s like a war”) and gets the job done. All throughout the film, all the way to the end, it is Great-Grandmum Sakae’s banner that the family unites under to defend all they know and love from the threat that faces them.

It’s certainly possible to force out the usual commentary on modern man’s technological dependence and whatnot, though a closer inspection doesn’t support this as the central theme. I’d lean more towards identifying family and one’s social network (not in Facebook terms but in a broader sociological context) as lying nearer to the heart of the film. We’ve already spoken of Great-Grandmum Sakae’s taking command of homeland defence in the war’s early stages, using her vast network of relatives and acquaintances. Later on, we have various members of the family pitching in to set the stage for the final battle, contributing everything from a fishing boat to a university-grade supercomputer. And then there’s the central figure of Kenji, a stranger, to some even an interloper, an outsider who gets roped into the Jinnouchi network (along with Sakuma) and does his part to see them through to victory. The tag line emblazoned on the back of the Blu-ray case – “ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR NETWORK!” – may not have made much sense at the start, but after watching the film I am now struck by how appropriate it is.

In one of the interviews included on the disc, Hosoda-sensei himself traces the genesis of the film to his own post-TokiKake marriage. After his wedding, his wife’s family – up to that point little more than strangers to him – were suddenly his family as well. The theme is chosen, the seed is planted, and a few years later we are reaping the exceptionally sweet fruit.

How Gonzo manages to stay afloat all these years after the bankruptcy fiasco and losing their money bovine that was Strike Witches is beyond me, but  as a fan of Last Exile, it’s very hard for me to ignore this new announcement. In other words, it’s also gonna be their first series-long foray into stereoscopic 3D. I guess that’s alright if they’re just gonna use different cameras, but hopefully this won’t compromise the rest of the quality. Despite its numerous flaws, Last Exile remains one of Gonzo’s very best, and the new anime better damn well live up to those standards (If not outright surpass them). That being said, I’m not really a fan of 3D unless they remove the need for glasses, since the ones currently in use in cinemas aren’t that incredible and feel gimmicky. They’re kinda disorienting and the gain you get is nearly negligible even in 3D animation movies by Disney (I’m looking at you, Tron Legacy). Of course, I haven’t watched Avatar in 3D (I missed that boat, unfortunately), so what do I know.

Concept art sketches by Murata after the jump. Credit due to their respective owners, etc ad infinum.

This guy looks suspiciously like Dio. If he doesn’t have white hair and pointy ears, I’ll eat a hat. Maybe.

Some kinda brattish androgynous kid person thing.

A princess-like Alvis person. Maybe.

Random folks.

February 3rd marks the official beginning of the Year of the Bunny Girl Rabbit in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. We the staff (which is mostly just me actually) wish all the best to everyone out there. Don’t blow off your fingers with illegal firecrackers now, you hear? Now if you’ll excuse me, I must spend some time with the bunny girls for a bit…

Image by Kanna Asuke

20. Horo (Spice and Wolf)

Seiyuu: Ami Koshimizu

Kicking off this Top 20 list is Horo, the self-proclaimed Wise Wolf, from Spice and Wolf. I usually don’t go for the animal girls due to furry implications, but I’ll make an exception for Horo. She’s a smart, feisty firecracker with a vulnerable side, and being able to transform into an ferocious giant Wolf God helps in a pinch. One minute she’s a cute girl minding her own business, then the next she’s a giant monster ready to kick your ass! That’s actually not too far off from real girls except for the wolf transformation bit. But I digress… She also gets props for making an anime centered around feudal economics interesting. lolwut?

19. Stocking (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt)

Seiyuu: Mariya Ise

Stocking’s place on this list is an oddity as she’s the antithesis of anime girls I tend to like. Crude, rude and just plain gross, Stocking is a gothy fallen angel obsessed with all things sweet while hardly being sweet herself. What’s her appeal then? It’s her flagship trademark for which she’s named, the almighty thigh-high stockings! A-plus level Stockings! A-plus level Zettai Ryouiki! C-minus level Personality! That is Stocking in a nutshell.

18. Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Seiyuu: Megumi Hayashibara

Rei is here mostly for posterity’s sake, because this list needs at least one classic character on it. That’s not to say I dislike her or anything, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. When I first watched NGE more than a decade ago (damn) I took an immediate liking to the enigmatic girl with blue hair. Of course this was before watching the entire show and finding out how messed up it and all the characters were, but that’s a different matter.

To the unobserved fan, Rei lacks personality and is boring, but quiet characters express themselves with body language and actions, both of which speak louder than words. Once you learn to observe their actions, quiet girls have plenty to say without ever saying a word. Trends change and certain characters will have their fifteen minutes of fame. While Rei’s place on this list may seem fairly low, she’ll always have a guaranteed spot here since she’s a timeless character.

There’s also the Giant Naked Rei thing too. Think about that the next time you’re fapping.

17. Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad)

Seiyuu: Mai Nakahara

There’s a lot of unjust Nagisa hate among the Clannad fandom, mostly because she’s the main heroine in place of more “interesting” characters like Tomoyo and Kyou. Bah to them, because Nagisa’s plenty interesting without having to be a Mary Sue (Tomoyo) or tsundere (Kyou).

It’s odd for the Nagisa haters to hate on Nagisa but still like Clannad, because Nagisa is the focal point of the overarching story whether you like it or not. She’s just too damn cute with that catchy Dango song too.

16. Natsuki Kuga (Mai-HiME)

Seiyuu: Saeko Chiba

Girls with guns will be a recurring theme on this list, and Natsuki’s an oldie but a goodie. She may have fallen from the lofty heights of the Top 10, but at least she’s still around right? Natsuki plays the role of beautiful yet aloof badass perfectly even though it’s quite to the contrary of her real personality. Watch the series for the details as there would be sizable plot spoilers, and I don’t feel like writing it all either. There’s much more to her than the motorcycle riding babe with the skintight suit and twin pistols, but that first impression is how I breast best remember her.

15. Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi (Lucky Star)

Seiyuu: Emiri Kato, Kaori Fukuhara

Is it cheating to put two girls in the same spot and unofficially make this a Top 21 list? I listed Kagami alone on my previous list, and while she’s all well and good on her own, it doesn’t feel right to list her without Tsukasa as well. Their personalities really come out most when they’re with each other. You can make a case for the Kagami-Konata pair, but the appeal there is based more on contrast whereas Kagami-Tsukasa dynamic is complimentary. The two sisters both have their own separate appeal with Kagami as the level-headed sister and Tsukasa as the ditz, but their chemistry together is what makes the pairing special.

14. Yui Hirasawa (K-ON!)

Seiyuu: Aki Toyosaki

Is it a double standard to list Kagami-Tsukasa and not Yui-Ui together? Perhaps a bit. My reasoning is Ui just isn’t that interesting. Yui works well solo and with everyone else in the show including Ui. In Lucky Star, Tsukasa can work solo and has good chemistry with the rest of her respective cast as well. Ui on her own is just sort of… There. Ui is just so blank slate that the K-ON fandom pretty much took it upon themselves to give her a secret yandere personality to make up for the deficit, like so.

Now after going off on that tangent it’s time to talk about Yui. She’s awesome moeblob sauce. I guess that’s it. Hooray tangents!

13. Akiha Tohno (Tsukihime)

Seiyuu: Shizuka Itou (anime), Hitomi (Melty Blood)

Elegant, modest and refined, Akiha is a true ojousama without being a snob like the archetype is typically known. She’s also a bit of a brocon… … … Okay fine. She’s a HUGE closet brocon, but it’s part of her charm and there’s a good reason for it. No spoilers here folks, so go play the Tsukihime VN or read the manga.

Actually now that I really think of it, Akiha’s place on this list is suspect since she’s more prominent in games than anime. Tsukihime did get a sole anime, but all things considered, it was a badly butchered mess. On its own it wasn’t too bad I guess, but the Tsukihime VN deserved so much better. It’s no wonder the Tsukihime anime is generally viewed with disdain by the Type-Moon fanbase. If the anime had one good point though, it was the absolutely stellar soundtrack. The music is worth listening to on its own for the sake of just being good.

I got distracted again didn’t I? Well despite how poor the Tsukihime anime was handled, Akiha is still technically an anime character and gets a spot.

12. Shana (Shakugan no Shana)

Seiyuu: Rie Kugimiya

It seems fitting to list my two girls with black-to-red hair back to back, even if they are completely different on every fundamental level. You can say Shana is a textbook Type A Tsundere with extra emphasis on the tsun. When you conjure thoughts of Shana (hopefully not too dirty), the first thing that comes to mind is her famous Urusai x3 catchphrase. So what makes her special? Mostly the Rie Kugimiya factor. If it was any other seiyuu I’d probably pass on Shana, but Kugimiya is the spark that makes Shana memorable. It’s unusual that I don’t really care for Kugimiya’s other tsundere roles though…

11. Ein (Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom)

Seiyuu: Ayahi Takagaki

Anyone that knows me well knows I have a thing for girls with guns. It’s just a classic winning combination like peanut butter and jam. The amnesiac Ein might be as stoic as they come, but who needs to talk when you can let your gun do all the talking for you? She’s a killer combination of deadly and cute. Like I say with all quiet characters, Ein does most of her talking with actions, and what she does isn’t nice.

For the record, she’s not actually a maid. There weren’t many good source pictures to draw from, so I ended up going with this one.

Well, Winter 2011 was a bit of a wasteland. There’s some quirky stuff to be had, but nothing I’d be able to call spectacular. Where’s stuff like Baccano! and Durarara!! when you need them? (Speaking of DRRR!!, episode 25 should be out in a month.) Anyway, here are my general impressions from the first (maybe couple) episodes.

Also included is one of (If not my) favourite Opening of the season.

Impressions after the jump:

Gosick

So far (Or at least in the running for) my favourite of the season, with possibly my favourite OP sequence. Of course, I also happen to be a Professor Layton fan, and the setting in this anime is almost identical in many aspects (And I don’t mean the streets are populated with jackasses who ask you to solve their puzzles, well, there’s that Greevil I guess…), and that may be why I love it. Transitioning the ED with the ending of the episode was a nice touch, and the song wasn’t bad either.

Fractale

Having read four scanlated chapters of the manga from Gangan, I was a bit disappointed to see the anime following the first two chapters almost identically. The animation was also a bit of a letdown, as the airship movements were jittery as heck. Still, the overworld does show potential, so let’s see where this one goes. For one of my most anticipated anime this season, my expectations have dulled a bit, especially after seeing that the concept art was a lot better (And for goodness sakes, WHY THE HAIR COLOUR SWAP). Nevertheless, I’ll probably follow this all the way through. At the very least, I’ll definitely be looking into the artbook for this one due to that. I also like the OP song quite a bit. The ED appears to be an Engrish rendition of an existing english poem, which was interesting.

Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka?

Wierd deconstruction anime that manages to be inappropriately bizzaire and gloriously stupid. I heartily recommend a gander, but even I don’t know if I will continue. Additionally: What happen, Studio DEEN? Your animation is actually good and consistent for once. Are you trolling us or something?! OP is decent/good, but the ED was too playful and ended up being downright trite.

Infinite Stratos

Harem anime with mechs. Generic as all heck but for some reason is within my tolerances, though I suspect that’s mainly for the awesome mech battles. I don’t know why I tolerate the rest of the anime as much as I do though. Also holding on for future team mech battle goodness.  Well it’s just 11 episodes, so what the heck. Then again, most anime this season are 11-12 episodes… Not much good I can comment about the OP or ED, so let’s skip that bit. Though it was amusing to see another girl get added to the ED in the second episode… I see what you’re doing there, I.S….

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

So I went into this solely because I heard the music was good. Verdict? The Yuki Kajiura music here is way, way, way, way better than it has any business being for an anime like this, and it wasn’t actually that bad. That’s how good the music was. Surreal battle scenes, but it feels a bit more like a gimmick than anything else. Likely not following, but the OST will definitely be get’d. Not a fan of the OP myself, though, and the ED was actually nonexistent.

Here’s a sample.

Yumekai Merry

Not sure what to say yet at this point, but it’s one of the more atmospheric anime I’ve seen, at least in the dreamscape portions. Merry and the protagonist aren’t too interesting, but Merry’s insistence on trying to return to the dream realm and the overall hints of mystery at least makes it a decent setting. The beginning of the OP reminds me of Megaman-era synth, too… Well, it’s got some nice animation, but silly character transition intros too, and that makes part of it painful to watch. ED’s interesting, I guess, but not a huge fan of the song and/or watching it repeatedly.

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And those are my impressions. I might look into Level E later to see if the hype is right.

On another note, I also watched Summer Wars, and wow, the folks who said the plot is basically Digimon: Our War Game are right. It’s a lot prettier and longer though, but still. Oh yeah, same director… Would that mean he’s ripping himself off, or just being repetitive?

Meu Out~