This week CJ, The Subtitle Doctor and Josh Dunham have a discussion about Amazon‘s Anime Streaming Service, “Anime Strike.” The episode ends with a listener question on if Attack on Titan has a “Pro-military and Imperialist” message or not. If you’d like to submit a question to the show, please visit our Patreon page to learn how.

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Opening Theme: First Light by Makotot Matushita

Ending Theme: Armour Zone by Taro Kobayashi

-Anime Strike-

This week CJ, The Subtitle Doctor and Josh Dunham have a discussion about Amazon‘s Anime Streaming Service, “Anime Strike.” The episode ends with a listener question on if Attack on Titan has a “Pro-military and Imperialist” message or not.

-Excerpt-

Josh – You know why my body is 80% Anime right? It’s because I killed Tezuka.

CJ – Wow, that is impressive considering you weren’t even born when he died.

Josh – I am the Zodiac Killer.

Want to see more content like this? Consider supporting us on Patreon!

CJ and Jimmy are joined by Josh Dunham to talk about the anime film adaptation of A Silent Voice. If you’d like to submit a question to the show, please visit our Patreon page to learn how.

Download (right click and save as) iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play | Android One-Click | Twitter

Opening Theme: First Light by Makotot Matushita

Ending Theme: Goldberg Variations, BMV 988: Aria by Glenn Gould

–The Sound of Silence–

CJ and Jimmy are joined by Josh Dunham to talk about the anime film adaptation of A Silent Voice. They discuss what they love about the film and the few nitpicks they had as well. Patreon Questions this week continue the conversation about the New York Times Article from the previous episode and what we’d like to see Naoko Yamada, the director of the film, tackle next.

-Excerpt-

CJ – That first time he goes after her hearing aids and she starts bleeding from her ears.
Jimmy – Yeah?
CJ – That scene is gut wrenching.
Jimmy – There’s a lot of gut wrenching in this film.
CJ – There’s a lot of heavily intense, emotional scenes and how they depict them in this film is fantastic. Cause its not like Fist of the North Star where he rips out the hearing aid and a bucket of blood just starts gushing from out of her ear.
Josh – Wow…
Jimmy – Laughter
CJ – It’s really subtle.
Jimmy – Never thought about that before.

Want to see more content like this? Consider supporting us on Patreon!

~ Digibro

I was a recent guest on the Ani-Gamers podcast with David and Evan to chat about the totality of Kizumonogatari. We made some stops long the way, and I am super happy to have the opportunity to chat with these two awesome dudes!

Please enjoy the episode!

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Participating patrons got this podcast early! Consider supporting us on Patreon so you can too!

~ Digibro

Part 2 of Digibro’s interview on Senpai Coast to Coast! The conversation continues with talk of Akiyuki Shinbo, and the interview that was recently translated on Le Portrait de Petit Cossette. We wander into the topic of anime studios and if their identity defines the shows they work on (or if they have any identity at all). Twitter banter hold that there may soon be a followup podcast on this very topic, so make sure you subscribe for future installments!

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Opening Theme: Morioh Cho Radio from ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ by Yugo Kanno

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-Talking About Akiyuki Shinbo leads to…-

Digibro

YouTube anime personality extraordinaire, and self described “Otaku Gonzo Journalist” Digibro has been making videos since 2012. His channels, Digibro and Digibro After Dark, focuses on the analysis of and personal thoughts of anime. Recently he made the video, On the Need For A Cabal of Anime Gurus which was the cause for this interview.

Digibro | After Dark | Twitter

Participating patrons got this podcast early! Consider supporting us on Patreon so you can too!

~ Mitsuro Kubo

You are listening to Senpai Coast to Coast – the best damn anime podcast! This episode, as the title implies, I sit down to talk with Digibro and as we discuss the issues of the fandom we try and think of solutions. The honest conclusion is that better communication and collaborative efforts are better for us all – and something we should strive for. This is part 1 of 2 parts, so make sure to subscribe to catch the second part when it comes out!

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-Raising the Level of Communication-

Digibro

YouTube anime personality extraordinaire, and self described “Otaku Gonzo Journalist” Digibro has been making videos since 2012. His channels, Digibro and Digibro After Dark, focuses on the analysis of and personal thoughts of anime.Recently he made the video, On the Need For A Cabal of Anime Gurus which was the cause for this interview.

Digibro | After Dark | Twitter

~ Yoshiyuki Tomino

Too often, in a series like Gundam, amidst titans like Amuro Ray, Char Azanable, and Kamille Bidan, the better half of the cast is neglected or forgotten. Despite being some of the more interesting characters, the women of Gundam don’t seem to get the same treatment as their male counterparts. Why is that? I asked Otaku journalist Lauren Orsini for the answers!

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-Femme Fatal Ou Femme Oubliée-

Lauren Orsini

Gunpla enthusiast and master journalist, Lauren often spends her time cultivating new fans through her newsletter over at the Otaku Journalist. She is the author of the 2015 book: Cosplay: The Fantasy World of Role Play. Currently, she writes about Iron Blooded Orphans on ANN week to week. An accomplished reporter, Lauren’s name can be found on CNN, Forbes, and Kotaku, among other publications.

Otaku Journalist | Gunpla 101 | Twitter

A new podcast from Wave Motion Cannon featuring the entire cast of the site! This first episode we dive straight into the currently airing season of anime and talk about what we’ll be watching.

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Opening Theme: Kenka Joto by Kishidan

Ending Theme: Sekai wa Sore wo Ai to Yobundaze by Sambomaster

-Fall Season 2016-

As aforementioned, Flip Flappers and March comes in like a lion will not be on this episode as both are being covered week to week. Make sure to read them! As for the rest of the shows this season, we cover ClaslicaLoid, Keijo!!!!!!!!, Izetta: The Last Witch, Yuri on Ice, Drifters and much more!

Enjoy!

~ Hayao Miyazaki

Chances are you’ve seen the above cut from Naruto. In fact, I’d be more surprised if you hadn’t. But do you know the name of the animator behind that cut? Do you know what other shows that animator may have worked on? Of course you don’t have to know the who in order to enjoy what the animator intended you as the viewer to enjoy…

– but in my mind, it’s the best kind of ‘thank you’.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-The Storytelling Value of Visuals-

Kraker

Pronounced member of the sakuga community (and I say that as if it stands apart from anime fandom) writer for the Sakuga Blog, Kraker is a walking wealth of knowledge in terms of who drew what. Soft yet well spoken (as many a Brit tends to be), I learned a whole lot in the short time I had talking with him.

Oh, and as promised here’s the opening theme of Might Gaine.

Sakuga Blog | Twitter

~ Roger Ebert

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Opening Theme: Harebare Fanfare by Mimi Meme MIMI

Ending Theme: Belief by May’n

-What I talk about when I talk about Anime-

Doctor

Doctor is founder and master editor of the SSAA ‘Ass Backwards’ Anime Podcast. He and I have been doing projects together since the get-go. To quote a line from his website, ‘He was doing it before it was cool’. Doctor is a man of many talents, one of them being the Super Saiyan levels of editing he is capable of editing that mortal men and sound gods envy (I among them). Ask Doc about any show, he’s seen it – twice actually.

Twitter | SSAA Podcast | Just a Gintama Podcast | One Podcast Prevails | Ready Start Up Change | Jump on Point

I think it’s important to think about what you’re watching. Thought is the gateway to empathy, and empathy the gateway to understanding. Good art causes you to reflect on your emotions, your likes and biases, and that inflection causes the introspective subject to grow. That is not to say a show cannot be watch for fun, and Doctor and I hash that out this episode. How far is too far? When does it stop becoming fun?

~ Walt Disney

I believe that animation is the freest form of expression. It’s a topic I extrapolated on in my last article, ‘Why Anime?‘ – if you can imagine it, that it can exist on paper. And they live and move. When the best ideas flash before our eyes on-the-ones, in bright colors and impact frames, we call it sakuga.

Of course, that’s not all that sakuga is… So we talk about who makes it.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-passion meets paper-

Callum May

The Canipa Effect has been one of my favorite YouTube channels since I found it a few weeks back, and i continue to be impressed. Along with sakuga, Callum is known for his insightful analysis and pronounced critique of anime that I deeply enjoy. I can rest assured that the anime YouTube space is safe knowing he’s making videos. But don’t take my word for it.

The Canipa Effect | Twitter | Japanese Twitter

~ Carl Sagan

Even after leaving this Earth, mankind continues to fight. But it’s not gravity that weighs our souls down. Beautifully animated, that is the message of Gundam Tunderbolt. I was enthralled by the brilliant juxtaposition of jazz against the stubborn pride of two mobile suit pilots, watching their military assignment turn into their personal war. And by making the war personal, that’s all they had to lose – and that’s the message of Gundam.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-Tears and Jazz Among the Stars-

A talked about quite a bit this episode, but I really would recommend Philip Zimbardo’s TED Talk that I mentioned in the episode. Music played this episode was from both the Whiplash and Birman soundtracks, as well as Soil & “Pimp” next to Jon Coltrane.

~ Ozzy Osborn

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Opening Theme: Some Version of Bloody Tears from Castlevania

Ending Theme: Toonami Deep Space Bass

– Ticket to Ride on Titan –

David J. Majors

The founder of deltajulietmike.com,‘professional podcaster’ is only one of the hats that DJM wears to cover that bald head of his. He is the host of APOSS, or Anime Podcast of Some Sort, along with many other shows. He’s been on my show back during Mech Month, something that needs to happen more.

Twitter | Delta Juliet Mike Media | APOSS – Anime Podcast of Some Sort

With all the recent talk against Kabaneri and other shows this season, I felt this would make a good addition to the feed. I felt the actual tone of voice and free flow of emotion might help clarify where I stand when it comes to this ‘hatred’ of a Japanese cartoon. hey, but then again, I do take anime way too seriously.

When watching anime, light up the room, and leave some distance between the TV and yourself!“

~ Ginpachi Sensei

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Opening Theme: Gintama Song by Gintama the Character

Ending Theme: Gintama Song by Gintama the Character

– Neo Armstrong Jet Cyclone Armstrong Cannon –

Doctor

Host of the first Gintama podcast and founder of the SSAA (Ass Backwards Anime) Podcast. My first listener and podcasting mentor. To quote a line from his website, ‘He was doing it before it was cool’. Doctor is a man of many talents, TIGER UPPERCUT one of them being the Super Saiyan levels of editing he is capable of editing that mortal men and sound gods envy (I among them). Ask Doc about any show, he’s seen it – twice actually.

Twitter | SSAA Podcast | Just a Gintama Podcast | One Podcast Prevails | Ready Start Up Change | Jump on Point

Colton

Host of the second Gintama podcast. Ask him about any manga, he’ll talk you into reading it, and also show you where to get it – legally of course. He still hasn’t seen Yu Yu Hakusho. He looks great in shirts. He edits long podcasts. Like, really long podcasts. He still needs to see Lupin too.

Twitter | Gintama Manga Cast | One Podcast Prevails | Heavenly Kings | Manga Mavericks

So it’s been a year and some change, and even though this episode is about me and my journey through the first 50 (actually 48) episodes of Gintama, if you’re really listening, what you’re hearing is the growth of friendship between the three of us. Podcasting anime anime have lead all three of us to this moment. Think about that. Cue Gintama sentimental music.

~ Walt Disney

Pilgrimage to JEUGIA Sanjo honten for “K-On!” pic.twitter.com/nDvQ0Sh9Ux

— Michael Vito (@mjvito) February 10, 2016

We remember places. The house where you grew up, your favorite store, the playground in elementary school, the site of your first kiss; places like these. Akin to places, we remember moments; watching the fireworks on a warm Summer night, a lone winter walk with a heavy mind, blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. Moments, in their own way, are places, places in time. But when the place and the moment come together, we call it a memory. And even though we may not be there, wither ‘there’ refers to the time or place, we carry a piece of ‘there’ with us. We remember places. And sometimes, places remember us.
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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-A Holy Pilgrimage-

Michael Vito

Founder Third Place Media – Michael focuses on ethnography or the effect of transit, location, and environment on society and the people who live there. He takes these practices, and applies it to anime in his “Weekly Review of Transit, Place and Culture in Anime” column on his blog, like a fish in water. He is what I would call a photo journalist, capturing the amazing scenes of life that occur all around us. Recently, he wrote a piece on what it is like being part of the butaitanbou and sechijunrei community.

like a fish in water | Twitter | Japanese Twitter

~ Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam

For many, the 80’s were a magical time. The quote from Charles Dickens “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” comes to mind, as bubblegum pop and the fear of nuclear annihilation mixed into a cultural blender. And Megazone 23 is a product of that. The feeling that everything is perfect; the knowledge that it all must end. There was everything to gain, and there was everything to lose. For many, the 80’s were the future. But the future seemed so far off when you’re riding fast on your motorbike, the woman you love clinging tight – Sentimental Over the Shoulder.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-Megazone 23-

Khoda

Truly an anachronism from what many believe to be the ‘Golden Age’ of anime. I have always been impressed by the depth and scope of Khoda’s knowledge of anime from another time. She started 80’s Anime nearly three years ago, and since then it has become a pillar in preserving the classic aesthetic, sounds, and culture of what brought anime to America. With someone so praiseworthy, I was lucky to have her on the show!

80’s Anime | Twitter

~   Friedrich Nietzsche

The longest episode yet. There are a lot of good voices this season, and Colton stops by to explain the voices behind everyone’s favorite sextuplets along with some of the voices behind other shows this season. Did you know the voices of Jotaro Kujo, Koyomi Araragi, and Kaworu Nagisa are floating around this season? Find out who’s who.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

-#KoyasuNeedsMe-

Colton Solem

Good friend and podcast machine, Colton is a manga connoisseur and founder of the #KoyasuNeedsMe Foundation. He is the founder of the Gintama podcast Life Lessons, covering the manga, in particular the discontinued Viz release, and co-host of 5 other podcasts as well. He and I have worked together on several podcast projects, not the least of which was the One Punch Man and My Hero Academia double episode of The Manga Corner. On top of all that, he knows his seiyuu.

Gintama Manga Cast | The Manga Corner | One Podcast Prevails | Heavenly Kings | Manga Mavericks | Twitter

~ Misato Katsuragi ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’

The year is 2016. For those of you who followed along with the #EvangelionTimeline, this is the keystone, my final ‘I need you’. But more than that, this is my thank you.

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Opening Theme: Cruel Angel’s Thesis by Yoko Takahashi

Ending Theme: Good or Don’t Be by Shiro Sagisu

– The Evangelion Timeline-

Evangelion was one of the first things I ever reviewed (using the term loosely) and part of the reason I returned to podcasting. Somewhere alone the line, through the years, the show became more than a show. It wasn’t that it stepped out of the TV like Sadako from The Ring, although contrary to this, the only way I can shed this ‘curse’ is to share it. I guess you could say the A.T. Field is coming down.

I do have to admit, this is not the standard format for an episode of Senpai Coast to Coast. If you want to know what that sounds like or like what you do hear, click on the link above for the backlog of episodes. And as always, thank you for listening. Happy (belated) New Year!

~ Kazuyoshi Katayama ‘The Big O”

I’m looking forward to seeing the types of Google searches that will bring people to this page. This episode was originally intended to be part of Mech Month, however, due to a plethora of projects and time constraints of the Holiday Season I was unable to to include it – but that’s a good thing. What we have instead is a full hour of full-voiced mecha explanation, giving us the history and answering our questions about the Big O; I of course am referring to my friend, Casey. So cast in the name of God, and find if ye be guilty! It’s showtime!

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

– Big O-

Casey Mitchem

Co-Host of SOS, Space Opera Satellite, you might also know him from the horror podcast, Bloodbath and Beyond. On Twitter, he is currently running through One Piece, giving us a breakdown both from a historical perspective, as well as what inspired Oda – highly suggested for both megafans and newcomers alike. Follow him on Twitter, you may know him as MinovskyArticle, he is well deserving of your attention.

Podcasting is one of those magic tools, one that builds friendships. And after recording stopped, Casey and I had a blast – I’m thankful for that. But mecha is only one hat that Casey wears, and I already have plans to collaborate with him again. Again, I’m glad this was not part of mech month, we would have missed out on the wonderful G-Gundam conversation at the end!

*Josh searches of quotes about robots, steel, weapons, the Eiffel tower…*

“Oh, here we go.”

“Rocket punch!”

~Koji Kabuto

Some say this episode is late, but I prefer to think of it as a mid-season power up. November is Mech Month – and it was too powerful for me to contain in audio format, but at long last, we won. Enjoy the two part, steel grinding, and hot blooded episode. Let’s make this a thing every year (just not the late part) It’s an official podcast holiday!

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

– Raxephon and Deibuster-

David J. Majors

‘Professional podcaster’ is only one of the hats that DJM wears to cover that bald head of his. This man is a survivor, and a source of Mecha wisdom that all would be well to lend an ear. He is the founder of deltajulietmike.com, where you will find APOSS, or Anime Podcast of Some Sort along with many other shows. Last but not least, follow him on Twitter.

The Subtle Doctor

DISCLAIMER: Gattai Milk is still not a real website (somebody get on that). You heard from him just last show (but that was a while ago) and now he’s back from ray][out but still in the throes of parenthood. A proficient writer in his own right, you can follow him on Twitter for witty anime commentary.

But this is not the end; It is only the beginning. Soon to follow will be a full episode on The Big O (now safe for google) and maybe my theory on how Devilman is really the father of the mecha genre… but all in good time dear reader. Once again, thank you for listening.

But first let’s ask ‘why this article?’ Thankfully, the answer is simple; it’s been a full year since I started Senpai Coast to Coast. And to me, it feels like quite an achievement. I mean, sure, I have run other podcasts before this one, even had a writing gig in high school; the territory is nothing new, but the feeling of success doesn’t stem from that.  I started this blog while going through a transition in life. In all honestly, Senpai was an attempt to get back to roots, to latch on to something I knew. Just before I started podcasting again, I was on the other side of all that negativity. So to see it still standing, it doesn’t just say ‘nice podcast, boy’ – in many ways it signifies that the changes I made were the right ones.

That’s the ‘why’ behind this article – as a thank you and quiet reflection.

This post has been moved to Wave Motion Cannon.

“We’re going on a date.”

This was during lunch break on the appointed day. She abruptly said this while we were having a seemingly friendly lunch on the courtyard bench. I was so surprised that I dropped the egg omelet that I was holding in my chopsticks.

Huh? What did this woman just say?”

~Nisio Isin ‘Bakemonogatari’ via Bakatsuki

It’s bitter-sweet, seeing everything come to an end. It turns out producing the show was almost as much of an endurance sport as was recording 5 hours straight – and it was a blast for both of us every step along the way. This episode, while recorded back in October, could not have been released at a more perfect time (the Egg-Josh incident) in which I have gained a deeper understanding for Black Hanekawa. Stress is a horrible thing; in the moment, we’d do anything to rid ourselves of it. But it’s kind of funny when we look back and laugh it off – I only wish I had this perspective when recording this episode. That said, there’s still plenty left to say, so enjoy the final Monogats-cast!

You can find Part I here & Part II here – as well as The Subtle Doctor’s article here.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari by supercell

– Tsubasa Cat-

The Subtle Doctor

DISCLAIMER: Gattai Milk is not a real website (somebody get on that). However, ray][out is, and you should check it out – especially The Subtle Doctor’s analysis on Bakemonogatari. In my book, he’s a pronounced Twittarian, yet still remains on the subtle side with his ‘ramshackle blog and low follower count’ – maybe you can help him out with that. It was his initial watching of Bakemongatari that made me start rewatching Monogatari (or Monogats to some), so in a way, he can be blamed for all of this.

We do get a reaction from Araragi however, but not the one you would expect. #Monogatari ep12 pic.twitter.com/wKQZt5BgSZ

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 30, 2015

Objective proof Senjougahara is best girl.

Best flirting #Monogatari ep12 pic.twitter.com/4VMEuGa9Yr — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) October 1, 2015

There’s no reason this can’t be done in a regular film. Good lord is it pretty.

Ryo Imamura was responsable for Hanekawa’s breakdown. Notice how her shape rounds. #Monogatari ep15 pic.twitter.com/tvP6YE2MC3

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) October 4, 2015

I feel this clip speaks for itself. You’d be hard ressed to find such a powerful display of emotion in any other anime. When people say Japan doesn’t have any great character animators, I ask them to look at this show.

And just like that, its over. #Monogatari ep15 pic.twitter.com/SB4IWhL9Dm

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) October 4, 2015

Thank you for listening all the way to the end. It has been fun riding the Monogats train with you; but this is the last stop, at least for a while. Be sure to hit up the Subtle Doctor, and his blog. In the meantime, if you want more Monogats and SHAFT goodness, feel free to hit me up on Twitter, where the party never stops.

However, Kanbaru Suruga could jump.

Last year, due to a bit of socializing, I had just once seen a bit of a game she played in. She had quickly and nimbly slipped past (or rather, right through) the opposing team’s defenses and easily landed a slam dunk just like that shounen manga that had once swept across Japan. She had calmly and easily done it over and over again with the invigorating smile of a sports girl. As she did it dozens of times, she had truly seemed to be enjoying it. How many high schoolers get to see someone dunk in a girls basketball game where shooting with both hands is the norm? Even as a spectator, I had been overwhelmed. I had been unable to continue to watch the poor opposing players who had lost all motivation due to also being overwhelmed. I distinctly remember having no choice but to leave because it was so hard to watch.”

~Nisio Isin ‘Bakemonogatari’ via Bakatsuki

Here is it, the Kanbaru/Nadeko mashup, and Part II of the Bakemono-podcastari. There’s a lot that can be said, and there’s no way to fit it all in the podcast. Seeing as such, both The Subtle Doctor and I wrote various supplemental material after this was recorded. Conflict in Early Monogatari can be found on ray][out, and explores the value of conflict. And if you read the blog, you are no doubt aware of my film analysis of the First 5 Minutes of Episode 8 and the recent piece on Nadeko and the cultural emphasis the visuals played in that arc. And I said Jizo wrong at least 23 times…

You can find Part I here

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

– Suruga Monkey & Nadeko Snake-

The Subtle Doctor

DISCLAIMER: Gattai Milk is not a real website (somebody get on that). However, ray][out is, and you should check it out – especially The Subtle Doctor’s analysis on Bakemonogatari. In my book, he’s a pronounced Twittarian, yet still remains on the subtle side with his ‘ramshackle blog and low follower count’ – maybe you can help him out with that. It was his initial watching of Bakemongatari that made me start rewatching Monogatari (or Monogats to some), so in a way, he can be blamed for all of this.

Now that Araragi is the target, the ‘extras’ change shape. All limited animation with great effect. #Monogatari ep8 pic.twitter.com/3S8ZAHC0hh

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 28, 2015

Animation doesn’t have to be flashy or fast to look great. Sometimes it’s knowing how to use your limits in a fashionable way.

Shooting into the sun was first done by Kurosawa in Rashomon. This is an homage to that. #Monogatari ep9 pic.twitter.com/go8Vl2PWKK — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 29, 2015

I would really like people to start looking at anime in the same way they look at film.

This is why I love Nadeko #Monogatari ep11 pic.twitter.com/22qGS3lvcc

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 30, 2015

Nadeko7 – make it happen.

And holy crap did they clean these up for the BD #Monogatari ep11 pic.twitter.com/tmsuGe8qvr

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 30, 2015

Yeah, watching the aired version now is just suffering.

But let me clarify a few things. First and foremost, I am, and always will be, a Hitagi-ist – have been since the beginning. That being said, I do not claim Nadeko privy to the title of ‘best girl’, but she is in the top three. Second clarification, I will not be covering Monogatari Second Season, I don’t think it imperative to this article. Second Season has cast such a shadow over what was already present; what occurs later in the story does not undo what has already been done, much like a sequel does not ruin it’s original. Finally, I don’t like Hanekawa nearly as much as everyone else does. Sue me.

This post has been moved to Wave Motion Cannon.

~Nisio Isin ‘Bakemonogatari’ via Bakatsuki

I’ve been wanting to do a show on Bakemonogatari for a long time. It aired in July, 2009. I started podcasting in April of that same year. For me, it’s been a long, long time. And now I finally get to do it, in a form far more grand than I anticipated.

This is part one. And for good reason. Due to the length of the conversation The Subtle Doctor and I had, I had to split it into three parts (tentative but likely) in order to cover the show properly. As such, it’s getting the grand treatment – this show deserves it. So please enjoy what I present as my enjoyment personified in sound. Don’t stutter or bite your tongue.

And I got a chance to talk with someone who was there.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

– Hitagi Crab & Mayoi Snail-

The Subtle Doctor

DISCLAIMER: Gattai Milk is not a real website (somebody get on that). However, ray][out is, and you should check it out – especially The Subtle Doctor’s analysis on Bakemonogatari. In my book, he’s a pronounced Twittarian, yet still remains on the subtle side with his ‘ramshackle blog and low follower count’ – maybe you can help him out with that. It was his initial watching of Bakemongatari that made me start rewatching Monogatari (or Monogats to some), so in a way, he can be blamed for all of this.

I wonder if this is a vista outside of SHAFT studio or something #monogatari #Nisekoi pic.twitter.com/qmnj3yZwsU

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 13, 2015

A parallel to the more recent SHAFT show, Nisekoi. I also did an episode on that.

Visual information is limited, yet extemely informitive. Three pictures and all becomes clear. #Monogatari pic.twitter.com/nrHqYIjQzY — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 13, 2015

Shinbo is a master cinema craftsman. Please stop and read Jexihus’ article on the man’s style through his rewatch of Yu Yu Hakusho.

White/Red contrast – again, opposites in Japan #Monogatari ep2 pic.twitter.com/g4dH2Xsifa

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) September 15, 2015

Be sure to stay in touch either through Twitter or by subscribing for the following, concluding parts!

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter

I myself have plans for releasing other episodes in the near future, the continuing coverage of Anime Weekend Atlanta, as well as a coming Mech Month. Stay tuned for more updates. Also, as you may have noticed through a recent watch-through of Bakemonogatari, there will be a two part (maybe more) episode coming your way on top of it all. You are not prepared.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: So two podcasters walk into a con… oh, yeah, that’s the episode. It was Sunday, the end of an endurance run of walking, panneling, planning, watching, recording, caffeinating, and anything but sleeping. Quite frankly, it was the life, and I miss every moment of it. Coolest part of all was the chance to sit down with Doctor (Jose and Steve popped in as well) and just pass the time. Oh, and I hit record.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

– Discussion –

I met this child named @Josh_Dunham. Years in the making. pic.twitter.com/FWBJm3ZUyl

— Doctor @ NYCC cuz? (@ssaapodcast) September 25, 2015

So with nothing to do, I was watching some more cartoons as I am want to do. With an upcoming episode of Bakemonogatari with the Subtle Doctor in the works, I’ve been rewatching the series again, refreshing myself of it’s charms. I was a big fan when it first aired, (insert: before it was cool) and even more so now. But I don’t need to explain how much better my anime fandom is than yours is (sarcasm), I assume only people who’ve watched Bakemonogatari are reading this and for the few who are reading this just for my snarkyness – bless you.

Assuming you are here for either of those two things, you know that I often analyze whatever I am watching, posting it on Twitter. Assuming you know that, there’s no point in making that known. But I assume there could be a random walk-in who stumbles across this post. Assuming that person is you, read above. You’ll like what I have to say, I assume.

Assuming too much

I was posting such analysis when I came across a single shot, lasting no longer than 3 seconds, of a still single frame that focused all the thoughts and emotions of a single character. It was towards the end of the opening five minutes of episode 8, and with no clear way to express what I saw in 140 characters (not for the lack of trying), I took to my blog. Hopefully I can better explain it here, but to do so we need to cover the first five minutes of Kanbaru’s episode 8. It goes without saying, but I was make it clear: SPOILERS. Assuming you’re here for one of two reasons, who cares.

Left: Ending of episode 7 – Right: Opening of episode 8

The opening shot of this episode is a very important one; it is the establishing shot, one that contrasts greatly with where we left off last episode. Usually establishing shots are long shots of some nature, long, extreme-long, or even wide angle shots are traditionally used. But Josh, what does that even mean? Remember that time you saw a shot of the city or a room before the actual subject matter or focus of that scene? Well, that was it, the establishing shot. It tells us, the audience, exactly were we are, much like the props or background of play on stage. In fact, that’s exactly what it is, the background of the stage.

There are two major differences in these settings. At the end of episode seven, we are in a dark room, the focus being three bodies (Araragi, Oshino and Kanbaru from right to left) in a long medium shot. It’s not quite a long shot, but it’s still within the bounds of standard expectations. Darkness aside, we see the details of were we are, but we can’t see the floor, it’s not the focus. Then episode eight opens, and the focus is almost exclusively the floor; and it’s bright. It may be unconventional, but it is the establishing shot. The two things omitted in the closing shot are the focus in the opening shot. Added with prior knowledge of Kanbaru’s living area in the beginning of episode seven, and it’s a masterful establishing shot.

But where’s your proof? That’s just your personal opinion, and I still think Bakemonogatari is too abstract and is garbage. And I would agree with you in that case, (no I wouldn’t, it’s my opinion) but notice how I said “almost exclusively”? When the episode opens we get a blank cut. It has no visual info, but we do get the sound of footsteps. When we transition out of the blank cut, omitting information of the footfall the only new information is the floor. That’s why the blank cut was in there, to break from the prior setting visually. That’s why Kanbaru’s feet are pushed into the upper third of the frame. We need to know she’s walking, but it’s more important to know where she’s walking. But notice how I said ” break from visually”.

Just get to the point

It only breaks the setting visually. Thematically, we are still there, in front of Oshino as he explains the Rainy Devil, Kanbaru’s affliction. So we’re in two places at once? Exactly. The theme is still the same. Right after the establishing shot, we get a semi-repetitive shot of doors opening. Are you going to go over every single thing in those first five minutes? Probably, just bare with me. Oshino is revealing the nature, how, and why of the Monkey’s Paw, the Rainy Devil. More or less, delving back into Kanbaru’s damage, her issues. Hence the doors. As we see feet cross the floor, it’s inter spliced with scenes of doors opening. It’s an aspect to aspect transition that alerts us that we are opening the backstory of this character. This is done in a set of three for strength of narrative before finally placing Kanbaru in the center of the shot. The door is now open to talk into Kanbaru’s backstory.

Three doors open – focus Kanbaru

Then enters the voice of Araragi as narrator as we are told the tale of how Kanbaru came to this predicament. (Take note of this, it will be the crux in the shot to come.) In order to understand the present, we have to understand what happened in the past, requiring another transition. So we’re literally told we’re going back to when she was younger. And I mean literally literally, I mean, it’s put into writing, as in you have to read it. Don’t you think your writing in kinda pretentious?

11 seconds into the episode.

As Araragi narrates the story, we get splices of limited animation, or rather limited splices of animation – both really. What actual hand drawn animation is on screen is used to touch on the key points of narration, and the rest is abstract imagery to invoke very specific feelings or (in their lack of visual information) more information about the setting around Kanbaru. That is, aside from Kanbaru, nothing else is hand animated. The focus is almost exclusively her, at least in the narrative; all other aspects are reduced to subtle images of satire and aesthetic complement.

People are generic cutouts – the class reduced to a map.

Senjogahara is animated too

But there is on exception. Senjogahara. We know from the prior episode that Kanbaru is a lesbian – that she’s in love with Senjogahara. In this regard, she allies herself with Araragi, who is Senjogahara’s boyfriend. Given the narrative situation, visuals conform to this fact.

With Senjougahara being part of Kanbaru’s issue it makes sense that she would be animated. She’s an actual character, it’s not like they’d have to whip up a random character design. But up until this point, Araragi has been narrating alone, and with one cut, Hitagi’s voice is overlapped with his. It’s uncomfortable to hear two voices from different ends of the pitch spectrum at the same time – the best word is dissonant. The feeling is otherworldly. But if Senjogahara is animated, and in the narration as well, that means Araragi is animated too? Quite the opposite actually.

Araragi – The narrator

As before with the ‘extras’, Araragi is reduced, objectified, for reasons explained later in the show. We only know it’s Araragi for two reasons. The little hair thing. It’s called an ahoge, but yes. And because Araragi says it’s him. Exactly. And unlike the prior ‘extras’ these ones seem to be menacing, imbuing Kanbaru with a sense of fear. It’s all these intense emotions that build up to this one shot.

Everything is in this one shot. Everything about this shot recaps the last five minutes of what we’ve been watching. The angle, the lens, the narration, the background, the framing – Everything. The fish-eye lens warps the background, bending it around Kanbaru. The phrase ‘center of your own universe comes to mind’. The framing cuts her off, we don’t see her expression, just her head, or her head space, leaving us to assume what she might be thinking. If we saw her expression we would know what she was thinking, and would demystify the head space. In the background, all the doors are open, reminding us that we are about to pinpoint the cause of the matter – again centered around Kanbaru. But what I find most telling is the angle, looking down on her.

Through the vast amount of information is about Kanbaru, the angle coupled with the narration, is a two lane street. In that exact moment, the overlapped narration resumes, meaning that aside from the audience, Araragi and Hitagi are the only other one’s present. With Araragi being the narrator, he has to look down on what is going on. The narrator is always positioned above the film itself, in the very least distanced from it either by time or physical distance. Narratively, Araragi is distanced the moment his was objectified as an extra. But the same can not be said for Senjogahara.

Then it must be Senjogahara

Senjogahara Hitagi looks down on Kanbaru Suruga. In the story it is mentioned more than once that Hitagi rejected Kanbaru’s love/assistance with her oddity. The two can be equated. We know Senjogahara rejected Kanbaru the same way she did Araragi – by demeaning her. Either out of self-preservation, or lack of compassion,  it doesn’t matter. The fact is Hitagi is borderline hostile towards even just the mentioning of Kanbaru. This shot capitalizes on that, all while perfectly expressing the fear, anger, jealousy, and hurt that is swirling in Kanbaru. Senjogahara Hitagi looks down on Kanbaru Suruga.

Last Paragraph

The episode hasn’t even ended. Hell, the opening hasn’t even played, yet within five minutes everything is said. Bakemonogatari is a visual powerhouse. Shinbo is a mad genius. But that’s just your opinion. Did you only skip to the end? Fine – 10/10 watch this show in Crunchyroll. Like it or not, you cannot ignore that the first five minutes of an episode in the middle of a show has handled itself better than most. Taste is subjective, but that fact you’re reading an analysis of a single episode of a series that is six years old speaks for itself. Assuming you read it all.

]]> https://senpaicoasttocoast.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/the-first-five-minutes-of-bakemonogatari-ep8/feed/ 3 627 BEP8banner gumgumsaiyan bakemonogatari combine_images18 bakemonogatari bakemonogatari People are generic cutouts - the class reduced to a map. bakemonogatari bakemonogatari kanbaru Bakemonogatari senpaicoast2coast@gmailcom (Josh Dunham) https://senpaicoasttocoast.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/podcast-episode-12-the-boy-and-the-beast-life-and-love-in-motion/ https://senpaicoasttocoast.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/podcast-episode-12-the-boy-and-the-beast-life-and-love-in-motion/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2015 02:59:52 +0000 http://senpaicoasttocoast.wordpress.com/?p=621 “People easily ignore what the most important or cherished things are in their day-to-day lives. By incorporating science fiction and fantasy elements, audiences are more likely to discover what they don’t notice normally. I hope audiences can see beyond spectacular visual effects and see what’s most important value for themselves. ”

~Mamoru Hosoda (July 15th, 2013) via ANN

Sunday, September 13th – 119 minutes, The Boy and the Beast premieres outside Japan, and faces both young and old sit in anticipation. They laugh, they cry, and they cheer. A man in his late 40’s stokes his goatee, and thanks the audience for their support with a smile. He doesn’t speak their language, but they understood his message. That is the language of film. With the assistance of an interrupter, these two bodies share the same finalize the dialog with a few questions. They shake his hand afterword, the man with the goatee scribbles his name as requested. Everyone wore a smile, and some with tears.

And I got a chance to talk with someone who was there.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

– Boy and Beast at TIFF-

Bridgette Quinn

In the world of cosplay, one cosplayer stands out and above the rest. Commonly known as Best Girl, she can quote every line from Sword of the Stranger, and her opinion of art and film (animation in particular) is one I’ve grown to respect. Fellow AniTwitter member and foster mother to Amuro Ray – Bridgette tell us of her experience at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and sheds critical opinion on Hosoda’s latest work. Follower her on Twitter for more.

~Akria (1998)

This is usually the place where I would write some sort of summery for the episode, maybe describe what the topic is, or add some notes I forgot to mention in the recording. There’s nothing of that nature to put here. If I try and write something it will just come out wrong and I don’t want that. The feeling is like trying to name each and every stone and pebble that makes up the mountain. Instead we just name the mountain. This mountain is called Akira.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

 – Discussion –

Joe Peacock

What I love most about Joe Peacock’s writing are his three line novels. In three lines, he writes an entire story. Joe, let me try to summarize a passion for Akira in this manner:

When he was young, he saw a film.

Many years passed.

And he kept watching.

A book could be written about everything Mr Peacock has done; here are three. He runs a personal blog that always remains personal, personable, and honest. He is as passionate as the day is long, and not just about the Art of Akira exhibit, but with a great deal of many things, each of which deserve attention. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s a wonderful thing when you can positively affect the fandom of another. There have been times when I hear back from you, the listener, leaving kinda words of gratitude about my show. It means a lot to me. But these guests, SailorStardust and SommenRider, have done the same for me, and for that I can only thank them. Their project, the Concurrency of the End of Evangelion, is a masterpiece of fandom. We want to share that with you.

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Opening Theme: WELCOME TO THE TOKYO III JAZZ CLUB by Shirou Sagisu off “Evangelion Piano Forte”

Ending Theme: Peaceful Times by Shirou Sagisu off “2012-Music from EVANGELION  3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO”

00:03:43 – Discussion

Sailor☆Stardust

Arranged and scripted the Concurrency project by the power of the moon. SailorStardust began the project on the EvaGeek Forums Mon Dec 25, 2006 6:50PM (that’s the post date anyway). She is also an stalwart SailorMoon fan, and has an entire Twitter dedicated to it. She also is the creator of several visual novels. Follow her on Twitter for great Eva content.

SommenRider

Video editor of the project. Helps fansub Kamen Rider for OverTime. Sommen also hosts the podcast Henshinanigans (clever name by the way) where the topic of choice is tokusatsu. He is also part of the website Switch On Please. You can find him on his personal Tumblr. Follow him on Twitter for the latest updates of KamenRider subs. Oh, and here’s the ass mentioned who tried to sound smart on the internet.

You can download the latest version of the project here. I suggest you do, it is well worth your time. As for other Evangelion related content, I am running the #EvangelionTimeline, posting the events of the series as they happen date by date. Be sure to read the Understanding Evangelion pieces on this site as well (as I try to keep up) for history about the series as well as a thematic and cinematic analysis episode by episode. Best wishes and Peaceful Times! つづく

As I sit at my desk writing this, I am reminded that little more and 30 years ago to the day was the release of DAICON III at the third Nihon SF Taikai of Osaka – aka DAICON 1981. It feels surrel to me, as I plan my first visit to Anime Weekend Atlanta – the 25th anniversary of the convention. It’s a cause to celebrate. Nowadays, we post screen caps on Twitter of Animator Expo shots as they come out. The DAICON spirit is still alive, but that’s a topic for a different time.

Replication of the con badge

Looking at episode seven, the iconic Jet Alone incident, is kinda hard for me. It doesn’t further any of the themes in the show as a whole. If anything really, it’s a Metal Gear Solid spin-off with Misato as the FOXHOUD operative disarming the nuclear threat. Ok, so not quite, but it’s a parallel I had to draw. Kept you waiting, huh? But see? That’s the thing – talking about this episode is really just a side tangent, a really cool and interesting one, but it’s overall place in the story is minimal, even more so than episode four, which was not planned to be a true episode. But unlike three episodes ago, this was written to be part of the series.

I understand why this episode was written – and I think when you see why you’ll understand why it’s worth the time to talk about it. When I think of episode seven, I don’t think about Evangelion. To me, this is not an Evangelion episode, so much as it is an homage to everything that has inspired Anno – everything that Anno loves. This is really a love letter much in the same vein as DAICON was 25 years prior. I know I have urged you many times before to watch the project, but now it is imperative before I go on.

DAINCON III is chock full of too many references for me to explain. I could spend the entirety of this post on nothing but this five minutes of animation, some of this you’ll have to look into on your own, but in particular I want to highlight the  references most relevant to episode seven. Most, if not all, are tokusatsu homages. To the trained eye, they’re easily recognizable, several Toho monsters like Gamera and Godzilla alongside another Eiji Tsuburaya creation, Ultraman. A more subtle inclusion is the ship the two aliens land, being the same ship used by the Scientific Special Search Party of the original Ultraman. DAICON is littered with homages. You can see the love and inspiration these properties have provided Anno. And this episode is the same, Jet Alone, the name of the nuclear powered Eva replacement, is a direct homage to Jet Jaguar, a one-off character used in Godzilla vs Megalon.

It comes as no surprise then when I cite the museum Anno opened this Summer devoted entirely to the subject. Exhibits feature original models, artwork, and even the suits from different eras of tokusatsu, all under one roof. It’s a Japanese adult’s haven, where one can reconnect with his inner child. The same emotions that spurred the formation of GAINAX still live within Anno, all these years later. No wonder he devoted an entire episode of the series to this ideal, it is a part of him just as much as anything else.

I’ve always enjoyed movies that used miniature effects. We’re gradually losing the opportunity to make films with miniatures. Now it’s all mostly done with CG, but I think there’s a certain charm with miniatures that you can’t find in CG. Although it’s a very big hurdle to present them now, as they cost a lot of money, but we really want to break through, and create  more opportunities to use miniatures.

~Hideaki Anno  – SciFi Japan TV #02

What I feel episode seven lacks in plot development is made up in it’s direction. This is made abundantly evident in repeated scenes that lure the audience into a certain expectation, that all it normal. But then, as the standard is establish, a slight variation is added, accenting the entire scene. This episode takes place over the course of three days, (as you may have seen on my #EvangelionTimeline project on Twitter) which leads to the same breakfast scene being repeated three times. Each time, Misato enters the stage, accentuating a different aspect of her personality. Each time is different, but serves the same propose of reaffirming who Misato is; that a human is more than just the sum of their parts.

In fact, this topic is broached by Toji and Kensuke as the walk to school in another scene that we see more than once over the course of the episode. The two are in a jealous awe of Shinji’s living arrangement with such a strong, independent, and beautiful woman. Shinji argues what they cannot see, that she’s lazy, unrefined, and boarder line bossy (he hasn’t met Asuka yet), but the irony is that both parties are missing the point – that a human is more than just the sum of their parts. The point is lost when Misato shows up for school. That’s another scene we’ll see repeated later.

The day after is when Misato is called to attend the conference in Old Tokyo that will showcase the capabilities of Jet Alone. That morning she wakes up, dressed in an attire we’ve never seen her in before, or maybe it be better to say that Shinji’s has never seen her like this before. At the conference, there is a peculiar attention to the dialogue of Ritsuko, as she criticizes the safety of the nuclear power system used by Jet Alone. The crown and master of ceremonies scoff at her, belittling her concern. This was a real argument in Japanese society during the mid 90’s. At the time this episode aired, the Japanese mentality of nuclear power was starting to shift in response to several accidents and cover-ups. Protesters against this form of energy where poo-pooed and mocked, much like Ritsuko.

When everything goes awry, the burden falls to Misato and NERV to prevent a nuclear meltdown. Only by entering the password into Jet Alone’s internal computer can it be stopped. This leads to a powerful scene of just how bureaucratic the Japanese structure of society is. Each and every individual with the authorization to give Misato said password defers to another member of the circular chain of command, achieving a fait accompli. With no other choice, the dog of bureaucracy stops chasing it’s tail, and the password is given: Hope. After two social commentaries the only answer that can be given is ‘Hope’. But so subtle is the commentary.

The dire climax features has the giant trampling Old Tokyo, much like his above project with the God Warrior from Nausicaa. But iIn that dire climax, Shinji takes notice the other side of Misato that he had missed before, and the episode resolves with Jet Alone being disabled. That next morning, we return to the breakfast scene, but with a more balanced Misato. Is she perfect? No. But when Shinji realizes that’s what makes their relationship strong, and that she’s happy, it makes him happy. People are more than just the sum of their parts.

I mentioned before the lack of development episode seven has on the series as a whole, and I can’t avoid that. That places this episode in a unique place. At the end of episode six, we have reached a conclusion, almost like the story could end right there. In fact, that’s what did happen in the Rebuild films. The story doesn’t continue until we encounter Asuka in episode eight, leaving this episode with an ‘everyday’ kinda of feel. In tokusatsu fandom this is called ‘monster of the week’; the monster shows up, is defeated by the hero, then another one shows up in it’s place next week with the same goal of mindless, wanton destruction. Episode seven is a ‘monster of the week’ love-letter.

It has been announced that Toho will continue the Godzilla franchise after 11 years of hiatus. The project is to helmed by no other than Hideaki Anno. His love for animation is rivaled only by his love for tokusatsu. In Insufficient Direction, Moyoco Anno draws her husband as Kamen Rider, while Blue Blazes depicts his has a Haruo Nakajima hopeful, constantly reenacting Ultraman movements and actions, and now in his age he tries to preserve what he holds so dear, either on film or display.

The same spirit that built GAINAX, that opened a museum, started a program dedicated to nothing more than publicizing animated shorts lives on.  And this episode proves it. Statues fade to dust, memories are forgotten, and even love deteriorates over distance – but that doesn’t mean we have to let it. To remember – That is the work of man.

つづく

First, I want to give a warm welcome to Hitch for making it back to podcast land with his return titled: Hitch Explains it All. He is even more kind than I and included a Youtube version of his show. However if you would like to download it, you can do so here. It’s worth the listen. I look forward to seeing his return to full video with AMR.

The other project I was involved in was a return appearance to Colton’s Gintama Life Lessons podcast. You may recall I featured the prior episode in the feed as a bonus episode. It was awesome, wasn’t it? Well, this one is too. You can download that here.

And now the what you’ve been waiting to hear about… actually one more thing. Make sure you’re taking the fall anime survey. I want to try and track what episodes make or break a show’s viewership, episode by episode. So make sure you’re spreading the word, sharing with your friends and all around. You can take the survey here.

Oh yeah, and I’m giving away some JoJo’s. I have been thinking long and hard of how I would podcast about JoJo’s, and I came to the conclusion that we are to have a read-along. But not just any read-along, one where you can win prizes, including the entire first part of the manga, Phantom Blood. I’m serious. The first three volumes, a story contained within itself, all yours, on me. You can read more about that here. Enjoy.

A very special guest, @meowth9000, stops by to talk about a show she introduced me to, and I thank her for that. As such, I invited her on the show (the first girl!) and we booth swapped stories of super slam-dunks and inhuman abilities belonging to high-schoolers. We also came up with the best idea – combine Kuroko with JoJo’s – KuJoJo no Bizarre Basket©.

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Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

The news – three pieces

00:02:36 – NEWS

New LotGH

Dont forget to join the #LoGHgw and play bingo with us (it’s what the cool kids do)

Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax

No chance of getting Kuroko’s in America – thanks Viz

I will be doing a #JoJo‘s read along for part 1. Participate if you want to win yourself a copy. Details soon. pic.twitter.com/JMYD3CyJs3

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) August 16, 2015

Stay tuned for future details on a future census attempt for Fall Anime season 2015

00:18:02 Review

I screen capped the crap out of this show, and that’s really the best way to show you just how pretty this show is. YOU NEED TO WATCH IT!

Just as amazing the first time it hapened. #KurokoNoBasket ep24 pic.twitter.com/ewQjdZrg1h — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) May 23, 2015

But he’s only chasing ghosts #KurokoNoBasket s2ep23 pic.twitter.com/KpTC0lQjns

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) June 7, 2015

001:23:47 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 8/15

My personal pick for this week goes to AoA. My heart is stolen.

What words can be added to what has already been said? And who am I to add them? But my conscience leave me no other choice. I will not say what was wrong, or what was right – but I feel compelled to say something. I am compelled to remember.

And this is my meager offering.

I have been humbled, brought to the brink of tears and pushed over. I have been changed in the process of this project. This has been hard for me. This is my magnum opus.

I hope it will change you too.

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Quotes and speeches used in the making of this episode:

Hideaki Anno excepts from Hideaki Anno: emotional deconstructionist

Mr Yazaki from Peter Carey’s Wrong About Japan

Kinue Tomoyasu’s Hiroshima Testimonial The Voice of Hibakusha

Hideo Kojima excepts from Official Playstation 2 Magazine, 20.02.2003

Both Chris and Colton join me again, efectively making this episode C² – no, not that C.C. Sadly, we do not have videos of Coltons masterful combos in a format other than memory; you’ll just have to take our word for it, or Hitch’s at least.

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

The news… chapter 1

00:01:40 – NEWS

Was Tezuka Human?

Gundam to Bluray

New Gundam (NOT) Tomino

‘Life Sized’ Eva Unit 01

The year is 2015 A.D. #Evangelion #EvangelionTimeline pic.twitter.com/4w6N9fmn8S

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) July 9, 2015

Hikaru Utada is now a momy!

SHAFT Turns 40

Stop Motion Goku

00:16:02 Game Review

If all you do is watch the opening, you’ll understand. That song is passion incarnate. GO FIGHTING STARS!

001:23:47 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 6/25

I found the top two to be rather entertaining this week. Chumu Chumu is a nice listen, as well as Flavor of Kiss. But what I kept watching was the dance from Natsuni Kiss Shite Iidesuka, kinda fun to see; the song isn’t mad either. Not the strongest week for the Oricon, but not too shabby either.

Introducing a new form of Senpai Coast to Coast – Rocket Radio! For the very first broadcast it’s no holds no bars; I pull out all the stops +1! This is the first time I have ever done an episode on a single band. GranRodeo has done everything it seems like. They do anime themes, they have their own anime, and they sell like hotcakes.

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

The news… chapter 1

00:04:33 – NEWS

Break out your Bikinis Ladies

(No word yet if Hestia will be attending.)

Yokai Watch Coming to Disney XD

Evangelion Day is not June 22nd!

今、知ったよ。 僕が第3新東京市に行って、最初の使徒に出会って、ミサトさんの車に乗って、ひっくり返って、口の中がシャリシャリして、久しぶりに父さんに会って、血だらけの綾波に会って、エヴァに初めて乗ったのって。 「明日」だったんだ。。 #2015年6月22日 #エヴァ

— 緒方恵美@7/25&8/9Live！ (@Megumi_Ogata) June 20, 2015

Dragonball Super Trailer is out NOW

Eciirio Oda: Holder of Record & House Party Master

Brock in All His Shirtless Gory

Kazuya Tatekabe Passed Away

UltaMander

‘When Marnie Was There’ Sales Numbers

00:24:29 What is a GranRodeo?

 What is a GranRodeo? Well, I’ll let me associate Gra-P explain:

Anyway, as was mentioned, there guys are pure awesome. Between Kishow voicing some of the coolest characters in anime, and e-Zuka being the second coming of Jimmy Page. not to mention they have great taste in swimsuits.

If you’d like to know more about who Kishow has voiced you can visit his MyAnimeList profile. And just to prove to you all that e-Zuka can play anything just look at a demonstration he did. Yes, you’re supposed to be able to learn that if you watch that video enough. They’re due out for a seventh album here soon, and we keep getting teased with singles and more openings. I’m just glad these guys exist.

e-ZUKA (left) with KISHOW (right)

001:29:17 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 6/25

A lot of great hits this Summer. I was particularly happy to see Gen Hoshino come back. His last single ‘Crazy” was a lot of fun, and I’m glad to see nothing has changed with ‘Sun’. Of course GranRodeo makes it on here too, but I wanted to point out the new AKB48 video. Cute girls singing and fighting – it was rather entertaining!

I knew when I reviewed Yamato I would have to deviate from form. I had concerns with the show being so new that some would take this episode as status quo – well, it might well be at this point… That aside, this episode is much longer than normal, so consider this a double-issue, celebratory, fifth episode! I know just how special this series is to many people, and I am proud to be among them. Enjoy the episode.

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

Below are the promised show notes.

00:00:00 – NEWS

It Still Isn’t Too Late

00:04:27 Discussion

We discuss the words of the man Anno in a recent interview he supposedly made an appearance in… I guess. I read it to start us off, but here is where three distinguished gentlemen discuss their opinions of the situation.

Doctor is from the SSAA Ass Backwards Anime Podcast. He and I have been doing projects together since the get-go. To quote a line from his website, ‘He was doing it before it was cool’. Doctor is a man of many talents, one of them being the Super Saiyan levels of editing he is capable of editing that mortal men and sound gods envy (I among them). Ask Doc about any show, he’s seen it – twice actually.

Twitter | SSAA Podcast | Just a Gintama Podcast | One Podcast Prevails | Ready Start Up Change | Jump on Point

CJ Hitchcock has been a good friend back when I was getting my feet wet with audio. Our opinions didn’t always play nice (still don’t like Hellsnig Ultimate) but I think that makes our friendship stronger. Hitch and I have worked together before, and despite the changes at work, we always rose above the mess. I remember one of his first videos I watched. It was a review of Psychic Wars – And I can still recall every joke. Argue with him about comic books, like how Marvel is better than DC.

Twitter | Double Zeta Productions | YouTube

Colton comes to the party a little later than most, but fashionably so. Although we never worked together, I;m glad to have him on the show. I always prided myself on having read more manga than my friends who where mainly anime dominant, and then comes this guy with more manga under his belt than me on MyAnimeList. That’s ok, he still hasn’t seen Yu Yu Hakusho. Ask him about any manga, he’ll talk you into reading it, and also show you where to get it – legally of course.

Twitter | Gintama Manga Cast | Name of Satan | One Podcast Prevails | Heavenly Kings

‘But wait, I didn’t know Josh watched Gintama!’ is what you are about to say, well, that’s because you don’t follow me on Twitter! Well, anyway, we talk about the space invasion of cockroaches err I mean cockroach invasion from space no, no, no, The Invasion of Space Cockroaches! Yeah, that’s it…

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter

Now kids, do not listen to this episode too loud or in the dark. That being said, Nabe Shogun (Colton) runs a great show, and was kind enough to let me on for the cockroach episode. Please follow him on the Twitter, and show him lots of love. You can also find him on the Manga Corner and show him some love. (Hey you didn’t edit that part out!)

But in all seriousness, Japanese cockroaches are nothing to laugh at:

Yup, there’s that. So enjoy this wonderful show and please visit Colton’s original site. I loved being on the show. Thank you, bud.

I knew when I reviewed Yamato I would have to deviate from form. I had concerns with the show being so new that some would take this episode as status quo – well, it might well be at this point… That aside, this episode is much longer than normal, so consider this a double-issue, celebratory, fifth episode! I know just how special this series is to many people, and I am proud to be among them. Enjoy the episode. Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter Opening Theme: Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 by Isao Sasaki Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan Below are the promised show notes.

00:02:23 – NEWS

Join us in the Skies of Love

Fist of the Father’s Day Teppo Samurai Figure by Miyazaki Cyborg 009 – New Have a Cup of Vegeta Flavored Ramen City Hunter OVA Happy 55th Anno! SWATCHHH GAINAX is (not) Dead

00:17:20 Review

Off to save Iscandar.

Highlights this episode #Yamato ep24 pic.twitter.com/UpTZc1y7Tx — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) May 25, 2015

Operation Ten-Go

Loads of action this episode. Truly amazing. So much so that it delayed production. #Yamato ep22 pic.twitter.com/sFxQ77VbXp — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) May 20, 2015

I was overly impressed with the ‘drama’ of Yamato. It feels real, and teared me up in spots.

A powerful scene. Brought me to the brink of tears. A man watches his father die, with nothing he can do. #Yamato pic.twitter.com/nbEKMA2k6U — Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) May 17, 2015

01:40:15 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 4/28

We had some good tunes this week. The Oricon segment happens to be one of my favorites. Looks like Uta no Prince-sama and IdolMaster just won’t give it up! They’re starting to grow on me actually… Where was that karaoke machine? Oh, and did you like the stinger?

Week after week my enjoyment grows making this show. But it’s still in its prototype phases,  and I envision the final polished product so much more grand! That aside

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher | Ask.fm | Twitter

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

As always, here are the show notes

00:01:51 – NEWS

Happy Mothers Day 7-11

Bloodstained – Order yours TODAY!

Keypler’s World by azuresakuga

So you wanna be an animator – salary $28,000

Hayao Miyazaki and Okinawa

00:14:42 Review

Before we launch headlong into Dragonball Super, let us enter the wonderful world of Akira Toriyama.

Very little is scanlated, one it CHOBIT, another being Pola & Roid. And below you can find Escape!

Extremely pretty to read, short and sweet, why is something like this not published? pic.twitter.com/oiyjCZP2f6

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) May 13, 2015

However, let’s not forget what we came here for. One thing I failed to mention was the influence of Go Nagai’s Devilman on Toriyama. It is an easy sight when you consider his works like Cowa!, Go! Go! Ackman, and my favorite Sand Land, all have some sort of demonic/devilish main character. Although not as sexualized (though the tension is there) the violance is of a more stylized nature. Toriyama prefers more swooshing lines crossing large portions of the page, and does a masterful job of conveying motion.

Without a doubt, what changed him the most was DragonQuest. He’s never been the since ever since. I’m not sure for the better…

00:53:04 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 4/28

I took a week off, and received a ton of technical difficulties for it… I feel like the listeners are angry…

Oh, and irrefutable proof Akira Toriyama is Luffy.

With Dragon Ball Super making news and a wonderful season of anime to comment on, let’s take some time to talk about a lil’ ol’ studio named SHAFT, a man named Akiyuki Shinbo, and Nisekoi.Week after week my enjoyment grows making this show. But it’s still in its prototype phases,  and I envision the final polished product so much more grand! That aside

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher 

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

As always, here are the show notes

00:2:35 – NEWS

Konami and Silent HIlls

The Problem (and solution) With G-Reco

Sayonara Dengeki Hobby

Marnie will be here

Down over 10% – Shonen manga magazines

Drawing Subsistance

And in the Blue Corner, Weighing nothing… Gengar

DragonBall Super

00:20:09 Review

Nisekoi (torrent link)

For those who may be interested in the manga, VIZ has it available for purchase. Likewise, I mention twitter user Jexihus has some of the greatest commentary on Akiyuki Shinbo I’ve found anywhere on the internet ( and you’re more than welcome to come on the show!). Please be sure to check out his analysis:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

@Josh_Dunham http://t.co/P4GLAgSm2P and http://t.co/mw1ErR5l7F and http://t.co/GEJXL7MfL1

— Jexhius (@Jexhius) April 30, 2015

And here’s are some of my thoughts on the shows visuals.

This transitions to a Sumi-e brush pen darkened face of Chitoge ready to strike, flames arched. #Nisekoi ep14 pic.twitter.com/cBoG8O0TRv

— Josh Dunham (@Josh_Dunham) April 25, 2015

00:47:35 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 4/28

It’s 1A.M. I have work tomorrow. If I ever was going to say you owe me, now it the time. This sleep debt won’t pay itself you know…

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher 

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

Show notes for this episode:

00:01:44 – NEWS

Bakemono no Ko Trailer (Subbed)

Shotaro Ishinomori’s Version of Zelda

Columbia ReMastered Sound

Re-relicened Vampire Hunter D

Lupin III

Kakashi’s Face?!

00:11:24 Review

Gundam Buildfighter’s TRY

I forget to mention the parallel of Reji and Sekai as a sort of ‘Second coming as Zeon’ hence the reason I mentioned the Rick Dom in such detail. It serves as a sort of homage.

I’ll be sure to post pictures of the Gunpla as soon as I get them and of course when they’re finished. I’m excited! Let me know if there are any good suits to start off with, or simply fun ones to build, preferably without painting… I don’t like painting. That being said, those OVAs better set up a season three, or there will be a colony drop.

00:39:40 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 4/21

Thank you for listening! IF you’d like to shoot an email, the address is senpaicoast2coast@gmail.com

For all the Twitter people, be sure to follow me: Josh_Dunham

And don’t be shy, leave a comment, let me know what you think!

Download (right click and save as) | iTunes | Stitcher 

Opening Theme: Koi no HEAT WAVE by Granrodeo

Ending Theme: Kunimichi 127-go Sen no Shiroki Inazumi by Kishidan

And here are the show notes

00:10:17 – NEWS

JC Most Godly Edition Dragonball Volume F

Boy and Beast – Bakemono no Ko

Yu-Gi-Oh! the movie

Bakuman live action film

Grendizer Giga

When Marnie Was There English Dub Trailer

May 6th! Digimon Adventure Tri

00:34:25 Review

Death Parade (licensed by Funimation)

Great show and my pick for best of Winter season 2014/15. As mentioned, twitter user Adanush did a nice series of tweets comparing and contrasting the two. You can find it here.

Death Billiards

The Spider’s Thread

00:58:20 Oricon Top 10 for the Week of 4/14

And that’s that. There’s the beginning of something beautiful, and you where a part of it. Be sure to check back for regular updates (my Twitter is great for that) or if you want to write us a dissertation, send an email to senpaicoast2coast@gmail.com. For those with the gumption, leave a comment and share this show with everyone. I look forward to producing more content like this in the future.

Can you hear it?

This voice of mine was sucked emptily into darkness

If the world has meaning to it,

Then these kinds of feelings aren’t futile

Sorairo Days – Shoko Nakagawa

Mecha, just word alone causes over half of anime fandom to sigh. On average, the regular anime fan only remains a fan for a maximum of two years (as per Helen McCarthy). Most are of high-school age, perhaps collage, and ‘mature out’ of the fandom not long after that. So it’s no surprise when you ask the average anime fan what their favorite mehca manime anime series is, most reply with ‘Gurren Lagann‘. It finished its run on Toonami last month, the equivalent of being entered into the hall of fame. Just after Code Geass, it’s listed as the top mecha series on My Anime List, ranking 24th of the top anime. Making it a popularity contest, that score rises to be the 17th most popular anime on MAL, more popular than its predecessor, Evangelion. But the arrival of the mecha messiah didn’t spring out of nowhere…

July 1956; In the street, he roars, on the night highway, he roars, da-da-da-da-daan, the bullets come flying ba-ba-ba-ba-baan, things explode, with a whoosh he flies, it’s Tetsujin 28-gou! Young Shotaro Kaneda first appeared in the pages of Shonen Magazine nearly 60 years ago and in many ways has never left. 97 chapters, a short stay by today’s standards, and Testujin was finished. In honor of  Mitsuteru Yokoyama who passed away in 2004, all twelve collected tankobon are rereleased every ten years. When Shotaro and his giant robot companion reached the television screen, those abroad too loved them, but by the name of Gaigantor. Like Tezuka’s Astro Boy, Testujin is more than a children’s show, but a national icon, and the first giant robot. And the legend lives on.

Hiroyuki Imaishi – some might say he’s here to save anime, others turn their nose up at such lowbrow entertainment. He’s the closest thing anime has to Quentin Tarantino, for better or for worse. That aside, Gurren Lagann was Imaishi’s break-out hit. If one where to give the reader’s digest version of Gurren Lagann, it could be summed into two key phrases: ‘Row row, fight the powa‘ and ‘Believe in me who believes in you!‘ – a man’s burning soul. And it caught on.

The wonderful thing about an homage is that it’s much like an iceberg. With icebergs, only the crown can be seen by those who don’t realize its depth, but unlike an iceberg, ships may pass safely over, none the wiser. That might perfectly describe Gurren Lagann. Previous GAINAX hits, to the works of legendary animator Yoshinori Kanada, found harmonious balance in the spiral of homage, alongside a larger influence, an iceberg – Getter Robo.

CHANGE GETTER ONE, SWITCH ON!!! A youthful life blazes bright red; Getter Spark high in the sky; See the combination, it’s Getter Robo! Tetsujin might be the first giant robot, but Getter Robo was the first to showcase the now staple gattai. Getter 1: Eagle, balanced and for aerial combat, Getter 2: Jaguar, proficient in speed and ground-based combat, and finally, Getter 3: Bear, focused on strength and marine combat – three color-coded jets, depending on their order, combined to form one of these three fighting machines.

While Testujin was created as a manga first and made into an anime years later, Ken Ishikawa, the series creator, took a different approach. Launching the series and the manga simultaneously, Getter Robo was a phenomenon. You could tune in weekly to see the plans of the dastardly Dinosaur Empire foiled, as well as read the hyper violent rendition in the pages of Weekly Shonen Sunday. Also prominently different was the inclusion of Getter Rays, author’s short hand for the flaming hot pathos mecha pilots are now required to wield. So unruly and defiant where these Getter Rays that in order to bend them to one’s will (and subsequently pilot the mecha successfully) the very fabric of one’s being must be just as defiant and unruly, even if masked by a calm exterior. We haven’t heard from Getter Robo since the likes of 2004’s New Getter Robo, but rest assured, we haven’t heard the last gattai…

‘Let your drill pierce the heavens!’ Borrowing the drill motif from Getter, Kamina calls Simon to greater heights. Combining Gurren and Lagann, the two robots stolen from the surface beast-men, they obtain power beyond their own. In the second half of the series, the Dai-Gurrendan cross thresholds previously thought to never exist, leading to a battle for the very existence of the universe itself. Gurren Lagann is in may ways the ultimate incarnation of Joseph Capmbell’s Hero’s Journey. But one part of of the Hero’s Journey sticks out in particular, Refusal of the Call. At a certain point in the series, Simon refuses to carry on anymore a.k.a. whiney-mech-pilot-syndrome; some might view it as a reference to past GAINAX Evangelion, but this is not the case.

Grief, trembling grief
That is a song of parting
Even the tired bones burn away
Even the dampened flesh returns to dust

Ai Senshi – Gundam: Soldiers of Sorrow

If giant robots were as powerful as they’re made out to be, surely one can imagine their capability on the battlefield. However, in a world where conflicts are fought with mobile suits, not every pilot is a Saturday-morning paragon. But when less than perfect people make less than perfect decisions, they suffer and cause others to suffer in turn. Enter Yoshiyuki Tomino‘s Mobile Suit Gundam.

Aumo Ray was 15 when he first piloted the RX-78-2, an age akin to Koji Kabuto, Ryoma Nagare, and even Simon. After losing his home, he is quickly drafted into the military to fight against the Principality of Zeon. As he becomes a more capable pilot with the Gundam, so too is he relied upon to carry his comrades safely through battle. However, this changes in episode nine; Amuro simply refuses to pilot. This leads to the famous (infamous?) Bright slap, but otherwise is the first instance of a pilot refusing to jump inside the giant robot. Evangelion is well known for this, but in fact used the template set up by Gundam.

It’s also worth mentioning that it was Gundam that defined the real-robot genre, a line Macross, Votoms, and Patlabor would follow. Despite that monumental achievement, it is the visual cue above I want to focus on. From that first battle in Side 7, all the way up to the Giga Drill Breaker, the scene of a crouching mobile suit, explosion in the back ground, as been another staple Gundam has contributed. Harkening back to the simultaneous strikes samurai would use to end a battle, its imagery is synonymous with power and a cool sort of deadliness that only a New Type (or someone of similar caliber) can achieve.

Then there is the father of all super robots. I can go no further without mentioning it, for it is upon it shoulders lie all mecha. It alone holds the power to be a god or a devil, the black, iron castle soaring in the sky, super robot, Mazinger Z! It is the creation Go Nagai is best known for, and for good reason; it’s the first robot to have a pilot. The central concept of a man entering a giant robot was something lacking from Mazinger‘s predecessor, Testujin-28. In those early days, Shotaro would stand on the sidelines, dictating the movements of the iron giant from afar via a giant remote control, but come Mazinger and no more.

‘PILDER, ON!’ Koji Kabuto would yell, his motorcycle transforming mid jump to become a psuedo helicopter, docking atop Mazinger. From there he was the most powerful man in the world, ready to fight the evil forces of Dr. Hell (not a doctor I would let work on me). Every week, he’d melt, rust, or smash his opponents with his Rocket Punch. And likewise every week you could buy the new toy you’d just seen. Mazinger didn’t just start the 70’s boom of robot anime, it was the boom.

But perhaps an overlooked aspect is the humanization these robots where. Koji would laugh, curse and shake his fist, and the robot did the same. It was part of the cast, a character, almost like a friend. Sayaka’s Aphrodite A, a rare instance of a female robot, was the first of it’s kinda likewise. Mazinger even falls in love one episode. Man or machine, we only had one hero, in many ways the two where one. But Mazinger did not gain the power to be a god without first escaping from the devil.

In the dark who is that, who is that, who is that? There he is the Devil, Devilman, Devilman! 1972, Go Nagi was seeking to tell a truly horrifying tale, where the deeds of humans and demons where indistinguishable, where evil was good and good was evil, and the light didn’t always come from heaven. Recycling much of his previous project Mao Dante, Nagai created Devilman. Just like his previous work, Harechi Gakuen, Devilman was being shut down by PTA groups; the frustration was building in Nagai, and his mind turned towards other projects. He needed to blow off steam. Always wanting to create a story with a giant robot, Nagi was struck by the right inspiration when caught in a traffic jam. He thought of how awesome it would be to have a giant robot walk over the cars, and thus Mazinger was born. That same year, the manga titled Mazinger Z was published in Weekly Shonen Jump; the same anthology that now holds One Piece and Bleach. Were it not for the hero of justice, Devilman, there’s no telling what would could have happened.

Come back to now. A young boy goes from living underground to savior of his lovedones, friends, and the rest of mankind. All of it harkens back; the drills, the combining, the unbridled willpower, the refusal to pilot, even the explosions – it all harkens back. This does nothing to rob Gurren Lagann of it’s glory or achievement, quite the contrary, it enriches it. All this time we’ve been looking for a way to change, but the more things change, the more the stay the same.”Can you hear it? This voice of mine was sucked emptily into the darkness; If the world has meaning to it, Then these feelings aren’t futile.” The voice is that of each show’s predecessors, asking if they faded from our memory. I answer back saying:

‘Believe in me who believes in you.’

Moreover, Hideaki Anno’s current project, which is not Evangelion Final, has started up again for its second round. Of the twelve pieces last season, two where particularly interesting for Eva fans, until You come to me and evangelion: Another Impact. And you can be sure more will come. Wouldn’t be surprised if one is a preview for Final. Looking at it now, it’s almost an odd contrast when you look back. Coming from the days when GAINAX was broke, robbing Peter to pay Paul, episode six again suffers from animation blunders, mistakes, and poorer quality. But that wouldn’t stop it from being one of the most memorable episodes in an ever-on-our-minds series.

When I first started this project, I examined the first episode, and received comments stating the thought that episode one and two where meant to be viewed as a whole, almost as if they where one episode. I disagree with this notion, since the focus of episode one and two is not the cliffhanger battle (for more on that topic, see the posts). In the same breath, I argue that this idea should be retained for episodes five and six; that is, they should be viewed together as one episode.

The Evangelion structure of ‘introduce character dilemma then angel battle resolution’ is broken up; episode five is the ‘character dilemma’ with episode six respectively functioning as ‘angel battle resolution’. While episode five is Rei’s first time in the limelight, one of her defining moments is left for the latter episode. Hell, the alternate title for this episode is ‘Rei II’. We even have the ending from the episode prior open just as a reminder, it’s that imperative to this episode.The storytelling spanning these two parts is some of the most successful in the entire series – even to the point of its detriment.

Last we left off, Rei is introduced. She goes from being an ineffective Eva pilot to finding her raison d’être. Shinji gravitates toward her familiar presence, but is pushed back by her perplexing motives. But there’s little time to think about it, Ramiel, the fifth angel in the shape of a perfect octahedron, attacks. Shinji moves to intercept, but is incapacitated and brought dangerously close to death’s door. Then the episode starts.

Before we go too far, it needs to be pointed out now because I’ve failed to do so in the past. Not to sound sycophantic, but Hideaki Anno is a master of shot composition. Given the ever fluctuating animation quality that is Evangelion, it oft-times is the only thing that saves it. The above shots are really simple, comprising a handful of cels each, but the look good. This is mainly in part of the Rule of Thirds. What’s more is that each of these are static shots, the camera doesn’t move, but those few cels are manipulated in such a way that feels like they are moving in a realistic yet highly visually appealing manner. Despite its strengths, animation is quite a limited medium, and so capturing as much expression as possible is truly a remarkable feat. One minute and a half – 90 seconds – and the tension of the entire episode is established in full context.

A direct reference to the machine Super X from Future Police Urashiman, Ramiel is an interesting angel.  In a time when production was falling behind, the choice was easy; Anno quickly added a paint job and drill (because GAINAX adds drills to everything) and thus was the birth of the fifth angel. But the extent of this is really phenomenal. In the first half of Urashiman episode 47, Super X goes to destroy the HQ of the Future Police, a pyramid-shaped building that perhaps served as the basis for NERV geofront base.

But despite being no more than a floating polygon, animation errors don’t discriminate. The first frame of Ramiel we see is when it opens fire on an unprepared Shinji. The following scene leads to a beautiful shot of a hole being melted through a skyscraper, then a long shot as Unit 01 is pulled back to safety. Notice how the beam still emanates from said skyscraper. This is due to the fact that Ramiel and Tokyo-3 are actually on the same cel, that is, Ramiel was painted on to the background cel. This forced the animation team to find a workaround and resulted in the destuction of a fictional skyscraper. The other boo-boo is the direction the drill employed to reach the geofront spins.

After a quick reference to the Maser tank, a we see a really neat shot of Rei. I mentioned my feelings on this episode really being the second part of a whole, and here’s partly why. Amidst all the techno-bable and Misato’s evaluation of the situation, we take the time to cut to Rei, alone, holding Comander Ikari’s glasses – her raison d’être. What’s more is this follows only after Misato’s inquiry of Shinji’s status. We get a shot of her, the glasses in her lap, then we see through the lens itself. All the while, the conversation between Misato and the bridge bunnies continues. So what is this supposed to add? It’s meaningful enough to incorporate and show, but there’s no commentary on it; But that’s just it: show, don’t tell. We don’t need to be told what Rei is thinking, or if she’s thinking at all. In the very least, we know something is up with Rei, but those astute will understand the true situation a hundred times better than they would if simply told.

1185, the twenty-second day in March, 830 years ago, the Taira and Minamoto clans clash in martial combat forever known as the Battle of Yashima. The Taira clan, known for their superior naval prowess, had retreated to modern-day Takamatsu where they held up in a fortress previously captured in the war. With most of the ships of the Minamoto clan destroyed prior to the retreat, thought the position unconquerable, as any assault would result in a naval battle. Thus when the Minamoto arrived, the Taira fled to their ships, and in their haughty surety placed a fan atop the mast of one of their ships, claiming themselves impervious to any archer attack. Refusing to be made a fool, Nasu no Yoichi rode out into the water, and from horseback, struck the fan from the mast in one shot. In that moment, the Minamoto navy, secretly strengthened by an alley, engaged the Taira, their numbers catching them off guard and resulting in a Minamoto victory.

In under ten hours, NERV is to secretly reenforce. Gathering the electricity from every corner of Japan, and channeling it into the positron rife prototype, the fan Ramiel had placed was to be knocked down. Interestingly enough is the location of what Misato terms ‘Operation Yashima’, Mount Futago. This is effectively Unit 00’s first sortie, Rei’s first mission. We learn from episode 20 that Gendo and Yui had picked names for both genders of their then unborn child. “If it’s a boy, Shinji. If it’s a girl, Rei.” Thus the Mountain’s name is most appropriate; Futago, named after its twin peaks, means twins. And although Shinji is not as skilled as Nasu no Yoichi, with the help of Rei, he manages to make the shot. But not without her self-sacrifice.

In a way, Rei did die in the blast. Shinji, in parallel to the actions of his father, rushes to save Ayanami. We can hear the sizzle as he forces the entry plug open, calling her name ‘Ayanami! Ayanami!’. The sight of her well-being brings him to tears, and in that moment, her raison det’re changes. And like most of us when we take a new step forward in life, we ask ‘What do I do now?’. Shinji, humbly states, ‘Smile.’It’s brilliant story telling. Rei is introduced, we see her reason for living, her doubts, and then her growth in the very end. It’s a triumph, one that proved detrimental to the series as a whole.

Taken from an interview with Anno in Parano, he states:

When creating the characters for Eva – in the case of Asuka, [when I had] the lines “Anta Baka!?” and “Chance…”, I thought, ah, this is going to work. In the case of Rei, it was the line in episode six: “You won’t die. I will protect you.” And also at the end, when Rei says, “I don’t know what kind of expression I should have at a time like this,” and Shinji says, “I think you should smile,” and Rei smiles. I felt like, ah, this is going to work. At those two points, Rei’s character was created. However, when I thought about it afterwards, I cursed. I thought, in short, that if she has [already] communicated with Shinji there, then isn’t she over with? At that moment, Rei, for me, was finished, all at once.

This explains her notable absence over the next dozen or so episodes. The focus at the point finishes with Rei, and Asuka enters into Shinji’s life. It wouldn’t be until the Rebuild of Evangelion that Rei’s character would be advanced beyond these two episodes. It’s unfortunate that sub-par animation had to claim the apex of her growth. Perhaps is was in this moment that Rei became relatable. She is who she is, Yui in the flesh, Lilith in spirit.

Four years ago, the most powerful earthquake the Japan has ever seen occurred off the coast of Fukushima. Named the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, waves 130 feet high crashed up to six miles inland, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Nearly 16,000 people lost their lives to the natural disaster, and many are still affected by it today, stranded in temporary housing that is seeming less and less temporary. At the epicenter of the disaster was the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex. Damaged beyond commission, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced there would be a power shortage for the entire nation. But during all this there was a light of hope.

Banding together to conserve electricity during the peak hours of energy consumption, internet users across Japan rallied under the banner #yashimasakusen110312. From 6-7PM, lights where dimmed, dinners were delayed, and T.V.s where turned off in attempt to counteract the power shortage. It was the real life Operation Yashima.

富士市民活動センターは、地震による電力不足に微力ながら貢献するために「空調停止」「照明半減」「不在箇所の消灯」を実施しております。暗いですが通常通り開館していますので、ご利用ください #yashimasakusen110312

— みうら　だーすけ (@da_suke) March 15, 2011

19:30頃の秋葉原はとても暗い街でした。暗がりのなかで、ヘアバンド付きのLEDライトや、携帯ラジオが飛ぶように売れていました。節電で連帯している雰囲気、ヤシマ作戦の遂行されぶりを体感することができました。 #yashimasakusen110312

— 野村直之　Naoyuki Nomura　 (@nomuran) March 16, 2011

第一グループの停電回避できた模様。もしかしたら各人の節電で他のグループも回避できるかもしれない。引き続きヤシマ作戦実行。#yashimasakusen110312 #yashimasakusen http://t.co/XzHbunN

— 百合 (@yuri_nekomania) March 13, 2011

【ヤシマ作戦続行中】グリコには本当に感動した。まだ見てない人へ⇒この中で、状況を理解している企業は「グリコ」だけだ！http://t.co/fHIbtS1 世界に誇れる大阪の企業です、かっこいい。明日、グリコの商品買いに行こ。#yashimasakusen110312

— ちーちゃんはちょっと足りない (@ninocheii) March 12, 2011

But things went farther than that, going as far as to place posters, handmade or otherwise, on street corners. Signs were placed outside shops, in bookstores, the local ramen stands – and it worked. Operation Yashima, just as it was in Evangelion and in the Battle of Yashima nearly a century before it, was a success. While no single person could shoot the fan off the mast of the crisis, everyone did their part, and together they where able to teach us what to do in such a horrible situation. “I think you should smile.”

つづく

February 1984, seeds of the flowers of evil where sown. In the district of Shibyua, Tokyo, a man runs a small class of meditation and yoga out of his one bedroom apartment. He is a father to his first daughter, and husband to Ishii Tomoko; his followers call him guru. His name by birth is Chizuo Matsumoto. All but blind in one eye, he is a practitioner of Chinese medicine and spiritual healing. A few score gather under the name Aum Shinsen no Kai – the Aum Group of Gods and Hermits, promised powers beyond the scope of mortals and miracle cures. Do all Matsumoto says, and you will achieve enlightenment. This man will later be known as Shoko Asahara, leader of Aum Shinrikyo, the group responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.

Due to his limitation, Matsumoto attended a school for the blind in Kumamoto prefecture. He left his home to live on campus at the age of six, where he learned very quickly, “In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.” Young Matsumoto earned a reputation of bullying and manipulation during these years, eventually graduating in 1977 with dreams and aspirations of taking seat in the nation’s Parliament. At the age of 22, the youth sought higher education, applying for schools of renown, Tokyo University among them. Each of them denied him; in part due to his failure to pass entrance exams, and partly due to his blindness. When he married that same year and had a daughter, future prospects of education slipped out of his reach. Due to his limitation, Matsumoto turned to the traditional profession for the blind in Japanese society.

For the rest of the late 70’s, Matsumoto sold bogus herbal remedies at an outrageous markup until he was convicted for violation of lawful pharmaceutical practice in the early 80’s. The conviction resulted in the pharmacy’s bankruptcy in 1982. During this time, Matsumoto turned to the study of religion, a venture he had flirted with since the time of his marriage. By 1984 the yoga school and publishing house Aum Shinsen no Kai had regular attendees and was printing both the Vajrayana Sacca and Enjoy Happiness magazines. It all payed off one year later when the October issue of the occult magazine Twilight Zone featured a picture of the now guru levitating. Thousands flocked to the new hope. It was all to good to be true.

After the end of the US occupation in the 1950’s, Japan had to find it’s own two feet again. Come the turn of the decade, anti-war/pro-peace movements are on the rise, one of the most notable being the student protests that lasted all throughout the 60′. Prior agreements at the end of World War II had left the Japanese militarily reliant on what many felt to be the ‘big brother United States’. Weary that Japan might be dragged into the Vietnam War, students took to the streets, calling for change. The call echoed well into the 70’s, where Japanese Women’s Rights Movements and anti-nuclear sentiments found their stage.

By the 80’s, a schism began to form between the younger and older generations that can still be seen to this day. The older generation remembered the War. They had lived and experienced, perhaps even participated in the events of decades past. While maybe present, the emerging younger generation did not share the same understanding of the prior generations. The economic boom was celebrated by some as deserved deliverance for trials overcome. For others it was glutton materialism.

Then came 1987. The guru now took the name Shoko Asahara; the Aum Shinsen no Kai became known as Aum Shinrikyo – The Supreme Truth. No longer did Asahara’s disciples meet in Shinjiku, but in a compound in the foothills of Mount Fuji, purchased with money from his followers. The cult became known as a ‘religion for the elite’, recruiting students from the top universities (some of which Asahara was denied acceptance). Asahara now mixed the familiar teachings of Buddhism with those of Christianity, supplemented with cherry-picked prophecies of Nostradamus. The coming of Armageddon in particular, said to come about by nuclear war between Japan and the United States.

Membership into required that the initiate give all worldly possessions to the one true savior of mankind. Once a member of Aum Shinrikyo, you where not allowed to leave the premises. You where afforded two meals of the same bean paste, and told it would bring you into greater communion with Master Asahara. Through meditation and the words of the guru, less sleep was needed to complete your assigned chores. In return, your feelings, emotions, thoughts, and urges impeding greater spiritual understanding (termed ‘data’ within the cult) would be removed and replaced by Asahara himself, a self proclaimed Christ.

Parents of the young adults grew concerned with the absence of their children that had lasted years without word. One man tried to escape, but was unsuccessful. Captured, he was brought before Asahara, who tried to convince him to stay. Upon his refusal, he was killed by being repeatedly dunked in a tank of freezing water, inducing shock and hypothermia. A few of the other disgruntled members tried to send word to the outside world, but remained mostly unheard by officials.

Just before the 1990 Diet elections, Aum Shinrikyo was recognized by the government as a religion, placing it under the country’s lenient laws of religious freedom. It was not uncommon during the 80’s to see new religions, shinshunkyo, be birthed only to die in few years time. It was a fad, one that transcends to today. According to Inken Prohl and John Nelsonin’s Handbook of Contemporary Japanese Religions, estimated members range close to 211 million individuals while the populous of Japan is only 127 million. The claim of Japan being non-religious is actually an unrealized paradox. Thus in this tumult, although controversial, never was there a reason to suspect Aum Shinrikyo in particular.

Nightmares of WWII left memories of a time absent freedom of religion. Upon the occupation, laws where placed into effect that would deflect any future meddling from the government in any practice of faith. This is as much a curse as it is a blessing, allowing for what are effectively tax-exempt business to eke out a living in the margins of society, abuse from political parties for driving votes, and even criminal activity in the case of Aum. Trying to avoid even the appearance of evil, Japanese public security forces think twice before interfering with a religious organization. Under these circumstances, Tsutsumi Sakamoto is a hero.

A human-rights lawyer, Sakamoto legally shook Asahara and his establishment to its very core. Charges of fraudulence where brought to court regarding the mystical properties of Asahara’s blood, which was sold for consumption. Claiming to grant greater unity with and powers of Asahara, when blood tests failed to produce results, Aum Shinrikyo was fined; more importantly Asahara’s divinity was now in question. Sakamoto also worked with the parents who’s children where integrated into Aum to create family support groups. November 4th, 1989, Sakamoto, his wife, and infant son disappeared. He had been preparing a civil lawsuit case against the cult.

Asahara and other members of Aum Shinrikyo ran for Diet the February following their official recognition. Despite the amount of disciples the murderous Christ had obtained, votes fell far short of even the membership of Aum, let alone comprising a pathetic part of the total vote. The final nail was placed in his dream of supreme ruler of Japan. With his failure to ‘peaceably’ take control of the government, Asahara sought to force his Armageddon upon the world.

With close to one billion dollars in assets, Aum Shinrikyo mobilized to produce a weapon of mass destruction. Famously, connections where made in Russia as to possible purchase of nuclear material. While it may seem unbelievable today, Russian nuclear security during the Cold War was lax at best. A notebook belonging to one of Aum‘s main negotiators had phrases translated from Japanese to Russian inquiring the purchase of nuclear arms. The following page featured a list of prices.

Forty members of Aum where also sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo during the Ebola outbreak in 1992 under the guise of assisting relief efforts. What they where really after was a sample. They where unable to smuggle one back into Japan, thus ending prospects of weaponizing the virus. Although it would not have been nearly as dangerous as it was in Congo, it would surly would have struck fear into the hearts of many.

The most rapid progress toward destruction would be made in Banjawan Station in Western Australia. A sheep farm in the middle of the desert, it is here that the sarin used in the subway attack was concocted. Asahara intended this to be a permanent Aum Shinrikyo residence, due to his belief it would remain untouched from the coming Armageddon. What is known to have transpired on location comes from post incident investigations. Residue from the sarin was found on the premises, as well as numberless bodies of dead sheep. Still concerning yet is the seismic activity that to this day goes unresolved.

In May of 1993, one month after Aum‘s purchase of the farm, a large fireball was seen in the sky, as well as reported low pitched rumbling. Various reports included an accompanying shock wave that ‘knocked beer cans off the table’ several kilometers away. Australia being the third largest exporter of uranium, a mine explosion was first suspect. However, such activities are illegal after dark, and the seismic activity recorded where 170 times more powerful then the largest known explosion at that time. It was as if 2,000 tons of high explosives had gone off, roughly between one-seventh to one-eighth the size of the 15,000 ton Hiroshima. A portable, or ‘suitcase nuke‘.

Furthermore, the sheep farm also sat atop a known uranium deposit, which was later proven Aum had been mining. The intentions where there. Of the 50,000 Aum Shinrikyo followers that spanned over six different countries, two where Russian nuclear scientists. Of the prices listed in the black market diary, many where in the millions; Aum wielded no less than one billion. According to Stanislav Lunev ,the highest ranking GRU defector, the number of ‘suitcase nukes’ that went missing during the Cold War “is almost identical to the number of strategic targets upon which those bombs would be used.” If what occurred May 1993 was in fact a nuclear test, it is the first and only nuclear test not to have been carried out by a government establishment.

It was a Monday. Many where returning to work – the same routine as usual. Five trains on the three main Tokyo subway lines, the Marunouchi, Chiyoda and Hibiya are boarded. The lines are set to converge at Kasumigaseki station, the heart of Tokyo’s government district, between 8:00 and 8:10. Members of Aum Shinrikyo, on a holy mission for their savior, are armed with liquid death. The Armageddon must come. For them, this is a deeply spiritual experience. Once and for all, ‘the Master’ will see our good works as faithful servants, and redeem us!

“It came from Nazi Germany, a little dangerous chemical weapon,

Sarin Sarin –,

If you inhale the mysterious vapor, you will fall with

bloody vomit from your mouth,

Sarin–, Sarin–, Sarin–, the chemical weapon.

‘Song of Sarin, the Brave “In the peaceful night of Matsumoto City

People can be killed, even with our own hands,

The place is full of dead bodies all over,

There! Inhale Sarin, Sarin,

Prepare Sarin! Prepare Sarin! Immediately poisonous gas weapons will fill the place.

Spray! Spray! Sarin, the Brave, Sarin.

Song of Sarin, the Magician – Aum Shinrikyo

The scene in the subway that morning was a Hell no one had expected. Passengers lie unconscious on the floor in pools of bloody vomit. Men claw at their eyes, women struggle to breath, children cry in pain but they don’t know why. The sounds of dry heaving can be heard over the clatter of metal on metal. First responders rush to their aid, but they too are claimed as victims. Panic, confusion. Twelve die in the attack; 50 suffer permanent, life-altering injury, not the goal of mass destruction the cult  had wished for. It seems Shoko Asahara is not truly omnipotent…

Ten days later, the head of the National Police Agency is shot thrice by a would-be assassin. April 15th, 20,000 police in full riot gear are deployed throughout Tokyo. Shops close, many stay home from work, no one rides the subways. Rumors spread across the nation that the enlightened guru Asahara had predicted similar events. One week later, Hideo Murai, Aum‘s Science and Technology Minister, calls a press conference. He’s stabbed to death outside Aum’s headquarters by a member of the Yakuza, in front of police and cameramen, before he has the chance to say anything.  Posters adorn every street corner for the arrest of the Aum members responsible.

May 16th, Asahara is found and placed into custody. Several other, more potent, gas attacks are thwarted. A letter bomb is sent to the governor of Tokyo, exploding and destroying the hands of his secretary. Public outcry reaches a head, and Aum Shinrikyo is stripped of it’s religious privileges that October. Police raided Aum facilities, unprepared for what they found. Failed escapees imprisoned in shipping crates, entire labs devoted to producing sarin, along with blueprints for firearm manufacture, stockpiles of automatic rifles and used rocket launchers, even a Russian MI-17 military grade helicopter. Photos of Asahara plastered on every wall, his chants and sermons sounding from every tape player. Aum Shinrikyo was ready to end the world at the whim of their master.

Asahara is tried and found guilty. Given the death sentence, he sits on death row where he still is today, silent, no longer the leader of his psychopath cult. His salvation falls short, even for himself. His two sons, still children at the time, where heralded as his successors briefly before senior member Fumihiro Joyu took the helm in 1999. Without Asahara’s manipulation, the pressure of anti-Aum groups that had formed over the years broke the cult apart.The events that transpired scarred many physically, but left deeper psychological affects.

I have an abiding anger toward the Aum Shinrikyo members involved in the gas attack – both those who are under arrest and those who where involved in other ways. I have met some of the victims, many of whom continue to suffer. and I have personally seen those whose loved ones where stolen from them forever. I’ll remember that for as long as I live, and no matter what the motives or circumstances behind it, a crime like this can never be condoned.

~ Underground Haruki Murakami

Aum Shinrikyo still lives on. Renamed Aleph in 2000, the cult now preaches peace and harmony, rejecting previous atrocities committed, going as far to apologize for the May 1995 gas attacks and even setting up a compensation fund. A shadow of it’s former self, Aleph is estimated to be around 1,600 members strong. But a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Since then, a founder of an anti-Aum group in the Diet was found murdered. In July of 2000, a former KGB operative was arrested for stockpiling weapons with the intention of wreaking havoc upon Japanese cities until the release of Asahara. Aleph has denied any association with either incident. However, the same year of their re-branding, Aleph was discovered to be in possession of and seeking sensitive information on several nuclear power plants around the globe, hacking into computer systems to do so. In 2002 the CIA classified Aleph as a cyber-terrorist threat. The Japanese say we have three faces.

I stare out the window as the breeze rolls through. The day is calm. I wonder, ‘Is this what it was like?’ Later today, I’ll leave and go about my errands without second thought. I may not take the subway, maybe I’ll walk instead. A creature of habit, I find myself underground. It could have been someone just like you or me, or anyone really.

They say in Japanese we have three faces, I can agree with that. The first face, the one you show the world, is cold, affording only politeness. The second face, you show to your close friends, your family. The walls start to come down, but must still remain to avoid being hurt by the ones we love most. The third face, you never show anyone. Why? Because we do not understand it, we are burdened by it. It is the truest reflection of who you are, and we must confront it, least history repeat itself.

This post has been moved to Wave Motion Cannon.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the series get retouched. As with most anime, the production schedule can get kinda crazy, and especially did for Evangelion. So when the series was made available for home release, several episodes where touched up. Death (and the now forgotten Rebirth) had been released during that time in theaters, recapping the series for the future End of Evangelion. Hideaki Anno saw fit to take some of the new footage from Death and insert it into episodes 21-24, filling out some of the discrepancies left behind in the original airing. These have come to be known as the Director’s Cut episodes. It’s refreshing to see things in a different light.

I’ve both been dreading and anticipating this episode. This is, in many ways, the debut character-wise for Rei; known in some circles as best girl. And while I personally do not involve myself in the petty squabbles of such matters, I feel both notions to me wrong. Gendo Ikari is almost as much the focus as Rei Ayanami. I spoke about different versions and views for this very purpose; learning about others from others. The idea is touched on again later; the Shinki Ikari in Misato’s mind, the Shinji Ikarai in Asuka’s mind, the Shinji Ikari in Shinji Ikari’s mind…

“Commence activation.” We hear Gendo’s voice before we even see him, and the visual of him is iconic. He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Very sparse is Gendo seen in the series without said glasses. And each and every time we do involves traveling back to a point before the current position of the narrative; in this case 22 days ago. You may notice the lack of tint in the lenses, a bit of foreshadowing for this scene, as things will be made clear.

The activation of test Unit 00 is the one Commander Ikari refers to. We listen to the staple techno-babble, but mind only the visuals for a moment. See the reaction (or lack thereof) shots with Ikari and Unit 00. Almost without warning, the test goes awry, the yellow behemoth goes berserk. During the struggle, the entry plug is ejected, and the steely resolve of the Commander is brought down. “Rei!” he exclaims, not only revealing the pilot’s identity, but also his affection towards her. Rushing to her aid, he burns his hands, and drops his glasses. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they fall from him, and we see Gendo Ikari. Undeterred, he scalds his hands to get to Rei, “Are you alright?” Then time is spent as we watch the glasses – their lenses crack in the heat. Why? Because it’s important enough to take note. Rei is clearly the victim, but the focus, the viewpoint character, is Gendo. We now know a side to the cold-hearted father that isn’t so cold.

Shinji first catches wind of this when he sees the Commander’s exposed hands. Ritsuko accounts the events that transpired, and Shinji’s reaction of confusion and hurt curiosity matches ours. “What’s so special about her that warrants my father’s affection?” is the unvoiced question. Now the focus shifts to Rei, but not before some interruption from the peanut gallery. Knowing Anno to be a huge Ultraman fan, I can see a parallel between class clown Toji and comedic relief Ide. Perhaps this is intentional, but ‘Hey Chief’ kinda sounds like an homage to ‘Hey Cap’.

However, the peanut gallery does bestow the line of wisdom, “You’re both Eva pilots, right? You should know her better than us.” The implication hits like a ton of bricks because it applies to the situation exactly. “I’ve hardly spoken to her.” is Shinji’s response. But the same goes for Gendo as well. Shinji should know his father better than anyone, but he doesn’t because they never talk. More time is spent talking about these two then directly speaking to them. So when Shinji sees both Rei and Gendo talking, when he sees the smiles that they wear, he’s taken aback.

But everything changes when Ritsuko plays matchmaker and sends delivery-boy Shinji off with Rei’s security card. With the doorbell out of service (and no wonder too, the whole area is a dump) Shinji enters her flat. Aside from the bloody bandages from her previous injury, he notices the glasses from before on her dresser. Unsure if they’re hers, he does what any other reasonable person would do, try them on. Rei, steaming from a hot shower, catches him in the act, and best-girl moment happens.

The donning of glasses is a visual queue of Shinji’s intentions, that is, he want’s to see what makes Rei a better candidate for his father’s affection over him. This upsets her, because she’s seen Gendo’s ‘true nature’ and doesn’t want Shinji to soil it.

“Rei is someone who is aware of the fact that even if she dies, there’ll be another to replace her, so she doesn’t value her life very highly. Her presence, her existence—ostensible existence—is ephemeral. She’s a very sad girl. She only has the barest minimum of what she needs to have. She’s damaged in some way; she hurts herself. She doesn’t need friends.”

~Hideaki Anno, Let’s Die Together, Atlantic Magazine, May 2007

With Rei being someone who doesn’t life for herself, the only other people she has to live for are others, which is why she grows upset at the sight of the intruder in possession of her reason’s memento. Curious that a rainbow is present, as it seems to be a recurrence in the Rebuilds upon an angel’s death.

Remember Daicon III? I talked about it all the way back in the first Understanding Evangelion hoping you would let it burn into your brains. Well here’s the last call. So the question isn’t ‘What does the water in Rei’s room mean?’ but rather ‘What does the water in Daicon mean?’ The later has a direct answer. Toshio Okada has been cited as referring to the water as opportunity. Makes sense, since without it there’s no daikon. Transposing the meaning, how does this relate to Rei? Is she falling short of her potential in life? Maybe it’s just the simple message that opportunity sits there, untapped and unrealized.

When things awkwardly move from the flat to the workplace, all embarrassment is quickly swept away. Shinji starts asking her about herself. A nice subtlety in this scene is how he actually takes  a step towards Rei as he asks her, physically closing the gap between them before he asks if she’s concerned for her own safety as a pilot. “Arent you Commander Ikari’s son?”, she retorts. “Don’t you have faith in your father’s work?” A direct parallel from the scene with the peanut gallery.

A moment alone, and Ayanami reflects on her reasons to pilot, all revolving around the Commander. The re-activation test, now with a focus, is a success. She can continue to live so long as she’s accepted by Gendo, despite the self loathing – the reason behind Unit 00’s berserk episode. And then the angel shows up.

Be it favoritism or valid concern, only Unit 01 is deployed. Waiting above, the octahedron of death a.k.a. Ramiel, the fifth angel. With no time to react, the fifth opens fire, boiling the LCL inside the entry plug, akin to Rei. This time, where is Gendo? Cliff hanger.

It’s comical, but to some degree I find myself in Shinji’s shoes. I don’t understand how Rei has garnered so much affection. I don’t see her the way everyone else seems to see her. It’s almost as if she embodies the series itself. One Rei dies, we get another. DVD’s go out of print, we’ll get it on bluray. The series ends, the Rebuild films begin.

I guess that’s what makes her name perfect. Rei – Zero, or Spirit. A spirit, that’s all she is. The soul of Lilith given human form. When she dies the body is replaced, only the spirit remains. The alternate  interpretation of zero holds true as well. By itself, a zero is nothing, but when coupled with another number, it is a place holder, giving greater value than before. She needs to be given value to exist, wither it be by Gendo, Shinji, or even Asuka. She takes care of her raison d’etre, almost like a mother would….

つづく

Nausicaä truly is the Master’s magnum opus. It is the spine, the backbone, on which all of his other works hang. In many senses, it is his first work, though not his directorial debut (that title is held by The Castle of Cagliostro.) But at the same time, Nausicaä is not an island unto itself. The seed of thought was carried by the winds of change, brought to fertile soil…

The year is 1984. March 11th, Kaze no Tani no Naushika opens in theaters. It’s a Sunday, most people having the day off, they wander in to see the latest from Toei’s golden goose, if at all unknowingly.

Yesterday, I had a telephone call from my younger brother in Niigata. …my younger brother in Niigata was worried for me and took his whole family of four to see the movie. …just four more! [burst of laughter] And yet, and yet, I really want this film to be a hit. It’s a model of one approach to film-making. If Nausicaä becomes a hit, it might be possible for me to make serious projects from a different point of view.

~March 12, 1984

Roman Album Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Tokuma Shoten, May 1, 1984

The exhausted fourty-three-year-old director had exhausted close to one million dollars in a mere nine months of production. Half way through the project, studio Top Craft was running short on animators. In a last ditch effort, Top Craft ran an advertizement in Animage, calling any and all animators to help put out the fire. One boy answered, and became a legend. Another upstart, Mamoru Fujisawa, having just released his first album, was brought on to do the score for the film. It was Fujisawa’s first film score, but instead of the reigns to an orchestra, he was handed a Casio keyboard and told to make do. The origins of the film are almost comical; a hodgepodge of different personae assembled, accomplishing the unthinkable. But to think of the film Nausicaä as the starting point would be only a half truth.

The film was successful. Extremely so, if taken in retrospect. Studio Top Craft went bankrupt the Summer of the following year, June 15th to be exact. Miyazaki with his fellow colleagues Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki purchased and purposed the studio by the much wider known name of Ghibli. Backed by Tokuma Shoten, Miyazaki would go on to produce the breathtaking sorties he’s known for. Joe Hisaishi and Hideaki Anno too became names in the industry, each leaving their own distinct mark on the industry. All this, powered by Nausicaä‘s success.

Searching for the true beginning of Nausicaä, many point to the manga that was announced in the year’s end of 1981. The first chapter didn’t make its debut until February of ’82, two years before its film adaptation, which, upon agreement, was never supposed to happen. Miyazaki had been meeting the previously mentioned Ghibli co-founder and Tokuma Shoten editor, Toshio Suzuki, back in November of 1980 for a number of articles being written in Animage. Having seen Miyazaki’s sketchbooks, Suzuki and Miyazaki brainstormed and proposed several ideas for animated features. Tokuma Shoten shot each of them down for various reasons. Despite this, a deal for a serialized manga was struck; on condition by Miyazaki that it never be made into a film. On-again and off-again, twelve years would be spent writing the manga, while studio Ghibli took its first steps.

The manga went on hiatus no less then four times, the break usually corresponding with the release of a Ghibli film. However, the real hurdle for Miyazaki was just getting to the desk. He quickly found issue with his creation, which made him wrestle with writing it. This was the true cause of its overly extended run. With its completion in retrospect, Miyazaki commented on Nausicaä‘s difficulty.

After my work on the films ended, and I was feeling dazed and wanted to take a break, I always had the Nausicaä manga waiting for me. This is what I really hated. I would  spend about six months doing everything to avoid Nausicaä, and then, finally, because I had no other choice, eventually start working on it again. So to tell you the truth, as I mentioned earlier, it was almost as if I’d been creating films just to avoid Nausicaä.

I won’t go so far as to say that because I had something as heavy as Nausicaä to work on, I deliberately created lighter works, I do think, however, that if I hadn’t had Nausicaä to work on I probably would have been floundering about, trying to incorporate somewhat more serious elements into films. Of course, I can only say this in hindsight; at the time I didn’t feel this way, and just made such films because I thought it was the right thing to do.

Yomu, Iwanami Shoten, June 1994

Upon seeing the manga’s garnered acclaim, Tokuma Shoten eventually went back on their word. Animage begged for a 15 minutes short; the Master upped the ante to an hour direct to video release. Not to be outdone, Animage said they would sponsor a fully fledged theatrical release and after mulling it over, the Master consented.

Most peculiar in all this is how the two differ, that is, the divergence between the manga and the film. The film has a lighter tone, with a focus of how truly difficult being a pacifist is in a world where greed, wants, needs and survival exists. The message is more centered on how man must strive to get along with something as unrelatable as nature and his fellow man. It’s the hedgehog theory (perhaps where Anno learned it). While all this is present, the manga is more gritty, akin to that of Tomino’s first Gundam series. It explores the worthlessness of war, and has a more spiritual nature

Both came out in the the early 80’s, during the a ‘get green’ movement was going on in Japan. It was even championed by World Wide Fund for Nature (whose acronym is unfortunate). Thus Nausicaä tends be stamped as an ‘eco-warrior’; an over simplification and poor interpretation. When questioned about this, Miyazaki stated:

That wasn’t intended at all. I think Nausicaä just happened to be in the right place at the right time to play that role… What I mean to say is that I didn’t start out writing  and drawing Nausicaä because I specifically wanted to talk about ecosystems or the need to protect the environment. I started  out intending to set the story in the desert, but when I drew some illustrations they weren’t  very interesting, so then I came up with the idea of setting the story in a forest, and that seemed to make more sense. So I ultimately wound up with the story you know today.

Yomu, Iwanami Shoten, June 1994

The key mechanics of Nausicaä do not stem from the manga however. Incarnations of the god-man and golden fields where first applied to Shuna no Tabi or Journey of Shuna. Journey of Shuna is a short masterpiece of 140 some-odd pages and the tale one young man undergoes to save his village from starvation. Travel West to the god-man’s land, to the golden fields and return with seeds for a new harvest; it’s a story that’s found in a children’s story book. Along the way, the titular Shuna encounters aspects of humanity that are more than can be found in a children’s story book; slavery, violence, even cannibalism.

Journey of Shuna holds this odd middle ground of being ahead of it’s time, yet still a precursor and springboard for future projects. Helen McCarthy in her 500 Manga Heroes and Villains sates Shuna is very much a prototype of Nausicaä; not so, given Nausicaä had already begun publication, but he is cut from the same clothe no doubt. Many ideas Miyazaki committed to paper here would later find their way into Princess Mononoke some time later.

Journey of Shuna still is ahead of today’s standard by leaps and bounds, and rivals the works of the God of Manga himself in ingenuity if not in narrative. Esthetically it stands second to none; fewer panels (if they can be called that) of remarkable watercolors. Color for this manga isn’t added on, it is a natural part of the art, more than anything Shonen Jump can say. It isn’t cluttered with speech balloons, and that somehow makes what little it does say weigh more. Less is more, and yet, you can sense a depth in Shuna that simply can’t be found in such pure elegance.

Absent from Shuna are the miraculous forces of nature. You might even argue that nature itself is absent, as the bulk of the story takes place in a desert similar to the one mentioned in the quote prior. It’s not that creation is forgotten, more that it takes a backseat to the human interaction as Shuna takes his first steps into the world. True, it was the lack of crops’ yield that forced Shuna to take up his quest; one could argue nature is the goal, but even after the seeds from the golden fields are found, the story continues. Finding the seeds was not the resolution, the relationship of Shuna and Thea is the conclusion, part of the reason the story remains open-ended.

The story still goes back even further, to the beginnings of Miyazaki’s career. Since his boyhood, Miyazaki had it in his heart to write manga. He was a particular fan of Tezuka’s works, idolizing him for the longest time, imitating his style – a boy’s homage. At eighteen years old, he decided he needed to differentiate himself if he were to “rid himself of Tezuka’s influence”. Miyazaki did so in the most rudimentary form, putting his unworthy works to the torch. From that moment, he took upon himself a new rival, the ‘God of manga’.

So when I was finally forced to admit that my drawings actually did look like Tezuka’s, I took out the sketches I had stored in the drawer of our dresser and burned them all. I burned them and resolved to start over from scratch, and in the belief that I needed to study the basics first, I went back to practicing drawing and draftmenship. Yet it still wasn’t easy to rid myself of Tezuka’s influence.

Fusion Product’s Comic Box, May 1989

Another major influence on Miyazaki was Tetsuji Fukushima, author of Sabaku no Mao, or Devil of the Desert. Miyazaki had read Sabaku no Mao as a boy, and combined with Tezuka’s discarded influence, wrote the foundation that would one day be Nausicaä. It was his second professional manga and his first original work. Miyazaki’s firstborn brainchild. Titled Sabaku no Tami, obvious flattery to Fukushima, People of the Desert is the seed the wind carried from the fields of gold.

In 1969, Sabaku no Tami was published in the Japanese Communist Party‘s Shōnen Shōjo Shinbun, running for 26 weeks. Though a self proclaimed Maxist, Miyazaki assumed the pseudonym Akitsu Saburō to escape public ridicule the JCP and associates were prone to. But Sabaku no Tami carries a prestige that prevents it from slipping into propaganda territory, its sights set on its story. The work chastises the moral failings of mankind under duress and the ugliness of war and greed, almost to the point it stops being targeted at children.

Numerable influences were at work. Fukushima and Tezuka aside, Isao Takahata has perhaps been the single most influential person in Miyazaki’s life. The legendary animator, Yasuo Ōtsuka,  even went as far as to say without Takahata, Miyazaki would be nowhere near as socially responsible, that his films would never ascend beyond ‘comic bookish things’. The business of the Miyazaki family, producing various parts for the A6M Zero fighter in WWII, so too shaped the director’s opinion on war and those who profit from it. Perhaps another unseen influence was the Vietnam War which was in full swing at the time.

The art for Sabaku no Tami is the most Tezuka-like we will see from the Master. We see just how difficult it must have been for Miyazaki to reinvent his style. This is, by far, the roughest and dirtiest we see him… Dirty seems to demean the value; unrefined would be a better fit. Perhaps it was due to limitations of a serialized run in a newspaper, but the art feels almost as if chiseled in stone.

To draw comparison to later, more developed works would be a fruitless effort, as Sabaku no Tami is honestly an inferior work. But it’s not a competition. What was started back in 1969 is still relevant because of what it developed into. The anecdotes tightened up, ideas grew, and the story that started in Pejite was carried by the wind for 15 years… with several stops along the way. It’s nothing new to us, but as Miyazaki said, “Of course, I can only say this in hindsight …and just made such films because I thought it was the right thing to do.”

With it all laid out in front of you, it’s easy to see the change that occurred on the surface. What escapes prying eyes was just how the man had been changed. There are countless quotes I could lay on the table of how much of a burden Nausicaä was on Miyazaki’s shoulders. The man avoided writing it, then begrudgingly would return to it, and at one point, even began to feel antipathetic towards the direction the story was taking. He struggled with it, largely because he was realizing things about himself that he didn’t agree with.

I myself wasn’t in the lead in creating the story; I was just trying to keep up with it. Rather than rolling on it’s own, I should say it took on a life of it’s own. And it wouldn’t agree to go where I wanted it to go. Of course, while realizing that I wasn’t being very honest about it at all, I still felt forced to try to get the the story to go where I wanted it to, but that’s not something I recommend.

I had intended to organize my thoughts to have a better grasp of things, but in the process of writing Nausicaä I lost control; I felt like I was at a loss for words. I felt I didn’t want to express myself in words; whenever I wrote down something that I thought probably expressed my intent, it immediately turned into something else.

Yomu, Iwanami Shoten, June 1994

Perhaps most telling was the change of his world view. Miyazaki was passionate about his political beliefs. After being hired for one year at Toei Animation, Miyazaki headed a labor dispute in the company. He was only 24. But this paradigm shift did not feel like one, instead, it was as gentle as the breeze. It’s as if one day he awoke, but left his old beliefs to rest.

As I was trying to complete Nausicaä, I experienced a change in my thinking that some people might regard as a political sell-out. It’s because I clearly abandoned Marxism. You might say I had to abandon it, but it wasn’t easy to decide that Marxism was a mistake, that Marxist materialism was all wrong, that I had to look at the world in a different way. I still occasionally think it would have been easier for me to continue thinking as I had been.

I didn’t experience any dramatic, fierce internal struggle before changing my way of thinking; I was simply no longer able to deal with the various doubts that had been accumulating as I wrote. And I don’t think I abandoned Marxism because of any change in my position within society – on the contrary, I feel that it came from having written Nausicaä.

Yomu, Iwanami Shoten, June 1994

This month Miyazaki turns 74. He’s an old man growing older; some would say the wind has carried the geezer far. He bore witness as an infant to the fires of war, distinguished himself as a young man by assuming Osamu Tezuka his rival, and lead the charge as a professional when employers infringed upon his rights. He dared to start his own studio; to continue film-making when it was painful. He dared to fly, but more than that – he took us with him. The wind of change.

While it’s true he’s retired before only to come return in few years time, this time feels almost absolute. It’s not the half joking assurance “…and this time I’m quite serious…” that solidifies it. It’s not the fact that circle is now complete with The Wind Rises. Even the diffusion of studio Ghibli doesn’t do it for me. The symbolic curtain was drawn when Miyazaki gave his protegee, Hideaki Anno, the blessing for further adaptation of Nausicaä.

There is no doubt Anno would do the series justice, he has proven himself on multiple occasions aside from Evangelion. The idea of a sequel bastardizing the original is unfounded, as there is plenty more material in the manga to adapt. I’m not even worried with the notion of someone new directing Ghibli films, it could even be refreshing. Seeing more animated Nausicaä would be a treasure. So why is this the final curtain?

Nausicaä is more than Miyazaki’s magnum opus, more than just a great story; it a man’s burden. When the keys to something the Master wrestled with for a good portion of his career were handed over, the final act ended. True, Miyazaki gave other concepts and stories away, one that immediately comes to mind is Nadia, (which was also given to Anno) but never was it something of such emotional impact. Nausicaä is the key to everything Miyazaki created; truly the backbone of his body of work.

One paradox always remains true: the only thing that doesn’t change is that everything changes. That said – ‘I feel at a loss of words. I cannot express myself in words; were I to write something to express my intent, it immediately would turn into something else’. Happy Birthday, Miyazaki.

I also just back from a holiday/vacation with my family for a number of days. During said vacation, I stumbled across Starting Point 1979 ~ 1996, Hayao Miyazaki’s collection of papers and memoirs. Some of you might have seen so on Twitter. Now that I’m home, I’ve had a chance to crack it open, and read the foreword by John Lasseter, CCO of Disney and Pixar. When I see how deeply influenced by the Master Lasseter is, I wonder if the effect is similar for Anno. I believe it is. Hell, figures pointed to Anno when Miyazaki stood down, but I digress. In Starting Point 1979 ~ 1996, Lasseter is quoted as saying this:

Another thing that’s very important in filmaking… is pacing. Pacing is the timing of shot after shot after shot after shot. I’m always thinking about the movies being made in Hollywood. They all have the tendency to make things extremely fast-paced, I don’t know why this is. Maybe it’s the influence of video games, or music videos, or the result of our fast moving society in general. Whatever it is, I feel directors, editors, and studios feel compelled to hurry the action along at a breakneck speed.

There’s a term that a certain studio executive used when he sensed a movie was starting to slow down. He’d say. “I’m going for the popcorn.” He felt that unless the movie raced nonstop to its conclusion, an audience would inevitably lose interest. I totally disagree with him. Things don’t need to be faster all the time. That’s one of the ways Miyazaki-san’s films… have inspired me.

– From the interview in Ghibli, Studio Ghibli, May 2005

Though it was part of the of the original production schedule, there where plans at one point to completely do away with with this episode and have episode five take it’s place, resulting in the overall series’ length being 25 episodes rather than 26. However, upon the completion of episode five, it was felt more time would be needed to flush out Shinji’s character, and thus reassumed it’s place after episode three. Anno, presumably already working on episode six, took no direct role in directing or scripting the episode, leaving the responsibility to Tsuyoshi Kaga and Akio Satsukawa respectively.

Tsuyoshi went on to direct episode ten, Magma Diver. This is the man responsible for the groans and moans of many fans as they watch and rewatch the series for the past twenty years. It was the last thing he ever worked on, kinda hard having a death kiss on your resume. Satsukawa boasts a somewhat healthier pedigree, directing an episode of Nadia, writing the scenario for Death and Rebirth, and working on a half dozen scripts and screenplays for other Eva properties.

As with most of the series, I imagine the production for this episode was rushed, especially with the last minute decision to add it back into the queue, and it shows. The animation takes a dip, and feels like a $300 car going 80 mph down the freeway; ready to fall apart at any moment, leaving you stranded on the side of the road, cursing into the sky and asking ‘why?’ Ok, so maybe that’s a bit harsh, but the crispness present in other episodes is missing overall, noticeably so. If pictures are worth a thousand words, maybe there fall into the 900 range.

Anno gave us his interpretation when he gave us 1.11 back in 2007. Several changes where made to allow better integration with the film, most notably the conclusion. But with all of this, it feels like something’s missing. Granted the comparison is between five minutes of a film versus a 25 minute television episode; both are brilliant with what they work with, but the just the amount of seconds, ticks of the clock, can really help set a mood. That’s exactly what this episode is, a mood.

We open with a shot of the rain falling over Tokyo-III, Misato still in bed. Her alarm goes off and groggily, she gets out of bed to brush her teeth. It’s a simple thing we all do every day, literally nothing remarkable about it. So why is the time being spent to show this as the set up? Wouldn’t it be better to show Shinji sneaking out, leaving a note?

To me, one of the basic elements in defining the personality of an animated character is to show the same action performed by two separate characters. No one does the same thing in the same way – no one. By using this technique, the characters really  take on a personality of their own.

– From the interview in Ghibli, Studio Ghibli, May 2005

Again Lasseter has been paying attention to Miyazaki and hits the nail on the head. The reason this scene works is because we can relate to Misato, it’s a simple thing we all do every day, groggily getting out of bed to brush our teeth. It establishes Misato’s character without words, and we understand without having to be told. When she finds Shinji’s note (addressing her with -sama, two levels of honorific suffix against her wishes) she knows instantly what’s going on. She doesn’t have to read it.

As previously mentioned , there are some parts where the animation just falls apart. One such case is Misato’s monkey monster hand. Somewhere along the way, I got the bright idea of watching the episode without subtitles in the original Japanese. I didn’t realize until my eyes where free from the shackles of text just how generic 90’s a lot of the effects are. When added with the shortcuts and glaring animation errors, you’re in for one roller coaster ride of quality. But it works.

Despite being the main character and having the majority of the screen time, Shinji has relatively few lines.That’s the saving grace; a decompressed view of what’s happening to Shinji inside. Sometimes its better to feel than to be told, and in this case it makes the episode.The scene on the train is well crafted in this manner.

No words, save the announcer over the speaker, but we don’t need them. The track on the SDAT moves forward; people slowly phase out of existence.The SDAT moves back. Slowly, people fade back into view. Then the world goes black. But the most important factor in this scene is what happens immediately after… Nothing. Nothing stirs, it’s a static shot, a breather. We got the message, now we get to internalize it. Got it? “I’ve got to go back.” Track 26. That’s pacing.

Worth note is also the theater scene. Anno doesn’t revisit it in the Rebuild, but it does bare a striking resemblance to the live actions shots in End of Evangelion. It’s more than likely a coincidence, but a curious one at that. What the idea taken from this episode, or improved upon, maybe removed entirely? Like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world may never know.

Let’s go back to Miyazaki for a moment. No, not another Lasseter quote. As Shinji leaves the big city that is Tokyo-III, he sits and hangs his head in what is an obvious homage to My Neighbor Totoro. Remind you, Anno did not direct this episode, thus isn’t responsible for the reference, but he certainly isn’t above it as we see in his previous work, Gunbuster.

The mountain range featured is Owakundani, a fairly well known area and suicide hotspot. It’s something only those familiar with the geography of Japan would recognize. Sure there could be a sign detailing present dangers, but doing so would ruin it. Not everything needs to be blatant. Sometimes our own thoughts do the heavy lifting for the director; we meet them half way. This is such a case. Shinji wears his poker face here, no telling what he’s thinking, it’s for us to decide.

From that point on the episode slowly winds down and resolves Shinji’s disappearance. He receives a scolding from Misato but still doesn’t get it. Not until the very last second, one footstep away from the last train out of town, does it all come together. Shinji admits his faults, Misato sees him for who he truly is and the two reach an understanding. It’s a solid episode in my book, flaws aside.

I said a picture is worth a thousand words, the animation quality falls short of that in episode four. But what about the value of six? The last track of World Evangelion Jazz Night is maybe my favorite. It’s a nice rendition of Fly Me to the Moon (official name In Other Words by old Blue Eyes himself) but with spoken word in place of lyrics. The narrator details in the first-person the story of a friend warned not to overwork himself. The friend foolishly decides not to heed his council, landing himself in the hospital after a collapse. Sympathetically, the narrator then gives a solid piece of advice, ‘If something’s bugging you, walk away.’

I’ve found no proof if the story is a work of fiction or not, but at times I wonder. I ask the question. ‘was episode four a commentary on Anno as seen by his coworkers?’ In the end, was it really best for Shinji to just walk away? Again, these answers might evade us forever, but they carry significance.  All of us need a vacation sooner or later; life is full of joys and strife. But the key is to make sure our joys outweigh our strife.

つづく

Digimon was a big part of my life as a kid. I recall rushing home from school to catch the Digi-destined battle black gears and obelisks, orange monkeys (teddy bears covering their naughty bits), vampires, and even the cuthulian root of all evil. Shout out to Puppetmon. They would collect ‘crests’ that signified a value of its possessing personality, weaponize it, then save the day with a brand new digivolve option. Pure brilliance. Hosoda took a different view on the series however.

True he directed episode 21, but consider the true first film; it’s a whimsical tale, as much as the series is. It perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the series, but it wasn’t originally designed to. During production in 1998, before the film was even completed, producers at Toei saw the storyboards and requested a television series as well. Where it not for this film, we’d be without the entire Digimon metaseries. But that’s not what sets it apart from any other episode in the series.

The series takes place mostly in the ‘digital world’ (between emails traded amongst middle-aged women and last week’s naughty snappchats), focused on the collectable digimon. The first two story arcs hinge greatly on the digimon, first with the black gears, then trying to beef them up by way of the crests, until episode 21, Hosoda’s episode. It isn’t until then that Tai (or Taichi for purists) and Koromon find themselves back in Tokyo do we get a more character-driven, a character-focused, approach. Back in his home town, we see Tai interact with everyday life, making calls, checking to see how much time has lapsed in his absence. It isn’t until then does the problem reach home, that it becomes personal; we see Tai’s little sister holding a digivice at the end of the episode. With the entire digital world at risk, we take a breather, and internalize the problem. A brilliant move.

Even before I know what a Mamoru Hosoda was, episode 21 stood out to me visually, as did Bokura no Wargame. Even sandwiched in the Robotech style release, Bokura no Wargame stood out to me. Watching it in its entirety, uncompressed, it’s no wonder. The superflat style that he would latter use in subsequent projects was placed center stage, depicting the digital world in a tasteful and compelling manner. Again, a brilliant move.

Compared to the series, Bokura no Wargame followed the character focused style Hosoda established beforehand, but with more visual creative liberty. A good percentage of film tie-ins of a meta series fall into the trap of trying to out-do its source material, and all too often this translates to biting the hand that feeds. Not so here. In fact, I would go as far to say that Bokura no Wargame could be watched independently as its own feature film, because that’s how it was designed. A nice ending to series. I wish that Hosoda was involved with the approaching reboot, but this isn’t the last we’ll see of Bokura no Wargame…

A few years latter, he directed a spot for Louis Vuitton by the name of Superflat Monogram. Though not his most important work, it shows the fine tuning of the superflat style we saw in Wargame, applied in a similar whimsical manner. It is, after a fashion, Hosoda’s DAICON. Hosoda was still working for Toei at the time, and would do so for one more film. In the meantime, after Superflat Monogram we directed the opening for Shinichirō Watanabe‘s Samurai Champloo. Again, nothing that set the world on fire, but worth noting for future reference.

The last film Hosoda directed under the banner of Toei is one that slips under the radar despite being out in the open. The sixth film to the best selling manga series of all time, One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island was released back in 2005, and depending on who you talk to, was a very strong film or a forgettable one. The omnipresent long running shonen series trap of trying to out-do its source material is deftly avoided… by focusing on the film itself as a self contained entity. What happens in the film is inconsequential, just as most film tie-ins it holds no sway or baring on main story. It’s the theme that makes it stand out.

The villain of the film, the unscrupulous baron of Secret Island is the sole survivor of a tragedy in which he lost his pirate crew. Luffy and the gang show up, and the baron grows jealous of the bond shared as a crew, making it his personal mission to destroy this bond. Staying true to the character, the climax boils down to a single moment in which Luffy, powered by the same bond that is placed in jeopardy, must overcome the baron to save his friends. You already know the ending, but the theme that ‘preserving and creating bonds is an uphill battle with superb reward’ is one central to future Hosoda works.

The following year, Hosoda left Toei, finding work at Madhouse with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Taking the concept from the light novel, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a tale of childhood’s end. At some point in our lives we all wish for a redo, a second shot at something, albeit small or monumental, and as we grow up we suddenly learn to cope with the decisions made. We also learn that these decisions affect others, and too often our selfish motivations hurt others. This is most definitely the case with this cleverly weaved modern allegory. It isn’t until our protagonist, Makoto, accepts her mistakes, flaws, and weaknesses and acts on the behalf of her friends that she finds clarity.

The film was struck a chord. Despite its limited release, word of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time spread like wildfire. At one point there where people paying to see the film, standing room only! The film went on to win the award for Best Origanal Sotry in the Tokyo Anime Awards, Hosoda being awarded Best Director as well. The superflat art comes back for if only briefly, and featured character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto of Evangelion fame, a staple ever since, but what make the movie impactful was its theme.

Due to the success of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Madhouse was granted the ability to make another film, this time it could be a completely original concept. Hosoda was chosen to direct the project, and given creative freedom. During this time, Hosoda was introduced to the family of his then-fiance in the city of Ueda where Summer Wars takes place. Soon to be married, he was trusted into new relationships of a whole new family. In an interview conducted by Justin Sevakis, Hosoda mentioned this in regard to the motif:

After The Girl Who Leapt Through Time wrapped up, I got married. And it was great, but you know, being an animator I’m pretty used to my solitude. Getting married means in-laws. Suddenly I had all of these new family members, and I was really struck by how those interpersonal relationships work. It takes a lot of effort, and sometimes those new family members are hard to deal with, but you can also make a very deep connection with a total stranger. That really meant a lot to me. I never really thought about the idea of “family” being the theme of a film before, but somehow it just clicked into place.

The idea of unity is central in Summer Wars, in particular, family unity. As the networking giant OZ is slowly eaten alive from the inside, our hero, Kenji, is trying to build get along with a family that was dropped into his lap by his surprise pseudo-fiancee, Natsuki. ‘Bonds’ are broken in OZ, and because of that chaos ensues in the real world; so too with the family, as the prodigal son’s return creates an emotional maelstrom due to the unwillingness to forgive. Only when the bonds are reformed, strengthened with love, compassion and forgiveness, does the family (and the entirety of the world for added drama) pull though (in more ways than one).

Hosoda has commented:

My experience of marriage has been great. I’d been scared with stories of complexities and contracts, but they were wrong. But when I went to meet my fiancée’s relatives, people I had never met before suddenly became members of my ‘family’: that was something I found very mysterious and interesting. I wanted the film to convey some element of that experience.

Summer Wars is a combination of everything Hosoda has done since 2009, a successor visually and thematically. Now having ‘grown up’, (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) family has become the focus (Summer Wars). Yoshiyuki Sadamoto again contributes amazing superb character designs. The superflat art gives a sharp contrast between family life and the world of OZ, making the narrative easy to follow without alienating its better half. The pacing is spot on, not a single shot is wasted in the film, every frame is needed, but at no point does the film feel like skin and bones. It is a classic for the ages in all senses of the word for generations to come.

I felt a deep connection to the film in several moments, so much so that I was literally moved to tears. Even now, having seen the film multiple times, I still wish, somewhere inside, that everyone could become one human family, in our internet world of OZ or with the people thrust into our circle of influence. That’s the message of the film, and it’s a deeply human one. So much so that reclusive otaku and casual family viewers can both enjoy Summer Wars for the same reason. It’s the sign of a good film. It’s the sign of a masterpiece.

This past Christmas I traveled back home to see family, gifts in tow. I had something planned for everyone, but the one that made me most nervous was the gift I wanted to give my mother. I saw Wolf Children and was profoundly touched by it. I could think of nothing better, and no better time. My mother is not too keen on the medium, and I knew that would be a hurdle, but I felt if she could just see past that she would see the same thing I did, and it would mean something to her as it did for me.

The day finally came, and we sat down to watch it together, and it was nothing short of magical. I knew the character of Hana would be one my mother could relate to, struggling as most parents do with children that sometimes act more like heathen animals than beloved children. And as the story unfolded, any inkling of aversion was washed away. Though we where touched by different moments, maybe even for different reasons, we both understood. It was the sign of a masterpiece. Life had been captured on film.

Just as you can’t stop the snow and rain from falling, you can’t stop children from growing up, but it’s a beautiful thing that Wolf Children depicts near flawlessly; preserving and creating bonds is an uphill battle with superb reward. The superflat trick that Hosoda perfected just last film is shed, it would have cheapened the experience. The music is intricate and complex, but so facilely elegant you find yourself swept away in its jovial nature. Sadamoto’s work once again compliments everything, every character carries a light in their eyes. Whimsical enough for even a child to enjoy, mature enough for an adult to understand.

Hosoda’s newest film, Bakemono no Ko, is slated for theatrical release this Summer with his newly founded Studio Chizu and I couldn’t be more excited. So many times people look at the great anime directors and see them in their age and ask, ‘Who will replace them when they’re gone?’ This question has troubled me since Satoshi Kon’s passing, and is exasperated with Miyazaki’s most recent retirement, but when I see these films, I am assured, we’re in good hands. Mamoru Hosoda knows what he’s doing, and he hasn’t said all there is to be said.

Really, each of these films deserve their own spotlight, they are marvelous works of art. Every one of them, especially The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and forward, are so human in their struggle, and humans tend to make life complicated. But we need to remember one thing. Life is simple, beautifully simple. Life is not fair, and painfully so, but as long as we keep smiling, and honor the memories we have of each other, then the sun will always shine after the rain.

I originally paid a similar tribute back on the Animeshon Podcast

Please be sure to download and listen to the episode as it may give a better idea of my feelings on Mamoru Hosoda

Download – (right click and save as) iTunes

It’s an exciting time. Recently, I was on the SSAA Podcast, also known as the Ass-Backwards Anime Podcast, hosted by my good friend, Doctor. It felt good to flex those podcast muscles again. Audio really is the best format for what I’m trying to convey, so be sure to check that out. And as per the growing trend, I opened an Ask.fm account for all those who are too shy for Twitter. But more importantly, I started working my way through two series that greatly influenced Evangelion, Space Runaway Ideon, and Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. If you’ve watched Daicon III from last post then you’ve already seen just how.

If you plan on watching either series, go in blind. I know the knee-jerk reaction may be to plug the name into Google, but that will be your biggest regret. On top of that, I’ll be working around to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, the second work of Hideaki Anno’s professional career, where he met Hayao Miyazaki. Perhaps the biggest influence on Anno was during this time when he was taken under wing by the Master. This is detailed in the Ghibli ga Ippai Liner Notes, where Anno stated:

“When I helped out as an animator for “Nausicaa”, there’s something that Miya-san often told me. It seems to have come from a Chinese sage, but “There are three conditions for accomplishing something. Those are: Being young, Being poor, and Being unknown.” And, “No matter what, make friends.” So I was taught.”

“…when I was in a state of mental collapse after my latest work had ended, I was moved deep within my heart by an encouraging phone call I received. The words of concern proceeding from the receiver became joy on my end as, with an exultant face, my whole body was buoyed. In secret, I rejoiced in receiving some recognition for myself. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My master, the Lord Miyazaki Hayao-sama. From a (self-proclaimed) prodigal son…”

I think that perfectly sets the tone for this episode.

A wise woman once said, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” Loneliness is not solitude, but being surrounded by people unable to connect. This is expressed in the Hedgehog’s Dilemma; being driven together by the cold, but driven apart by the pain our quills inflict on each other. The entirety of the episode is devoted to this idea, so much so that nearly every aspect points to it. Shinji attends school for the first time upon his arrival in Tokyo-3, or metaphorically, is forced by the cold to huddle with others.

The opening quickly introduces us to the Hedgehog’s Dilemma and Shinji’s method of avoiding pain. This is demonstrated in the scene where Misato is hiding from the day under the covers. She and Shinji keep there distance from each other, both careful not to get too close, in this case literally. Her last request of Shinji is to take out the garbage, and he does so, just as he’s told. This results in the first of two wide shots that I absolutely love. And all we see is Shinji taking out the trash. All we see is Shinji living.

Despite sending Shinji off, when the phone rings, Misato answers Ritsuko’s call. In doing so, Misato explains that she provided Shinji with a cell phone, but no one ever calls. A slow pan over Shinji’s desk reveals he no longer carries it with him. Key symbols and chorus can be seen with pans over Ritsuko’s desk as well, and you’d do well to remember these. The production of Eva was constantly rushing to met deadline, as well as suffering budget cuts, acting as a sort of refiner’s fire. As such, if it made the cut, there’s a reason for it.

Enter Kensuke and Toji. Part of me wonders just how much of Kensuke is based of Anno.  His camcorder seems to be attached to his hand. He films everything an anything. One doesn’t have to stretch the imagination to see Kensuke in his own Ultraman film. Toji on the other hand is returning from watching over his younger sister who was injured in the last angel attack. During class, Shinji receives a ‘call’ asking if he is indeed the pilot of Unit 01.

Finally, he is called, and growing close to his classmates doesn’t seem to bad. That is until tensions boil over, and Toji has to ruin a good thing. Just when he starts to close the gap, Shinji’s hurt again, and this time, literally gets his clock cleaned. No sooner does the episode establish the ideology before Rei announces an the arrival of the 4th angel, Shamshel.

Before the battle begins, Shinji asks why bother with the angel if his father isn’t around to notice, but we already know the answer. The battle initiates, and Shinji does exactly as he was told in the very beginning, “Target in the center, pull the switch.” But when that doesn’t work, he begins to flail about pathetically. Topside with aspirations of their own Ultraman film are the escaped Kensuke and Toji, witnesses to it all. Then the cold comes. The battle places them in danger, forcing Shinji to protect them in the entry plug. The sync ratio immediately drops, and Misato orders a retreat, but to no avail. “I mustn’t run away.” Prog knife drawn, he dispatches the enemy just as Unit 01 shuts down.

In the end, Toji is given Shinji’s number in class the next day. He has half a mind to call and apologize after his brash reaction.. Toji’s hand reaches for the phone, hovering above the dial pad, we can see the thought through the expression on his face. Then we cut to the second wide shot I love so much. Slowly, he reconsiders, places the phone back on the receiver, and walks out of view. He doesn’t call, he can’t, it’s too painful.

The episode doesn’t move anywhere, the plot remains in the same spot as the start of the episode. The characters haven’t grown, (if anything, they’ve become more cemented in their ways) but we have. A glimpse of understanding has been gleamed as to who these characters are, and why they are. It’s nothing overly deep or mystical, but it’s real.

Now Miyazaki has stepped down, as he’s done before. After 2001’s Princess Mononoke, the last anime feature to use cel animation, Miyazaki said no more. Then Spirited Away came out, again, he said no more. His last film most recent work, The Wind Rises, the lead was voiced by Anno himself. No one will ever fill the Master’s shoes, but if he’s really gone this time, who will carry his legacy?

Nadia had been hell. GAINAX was in the middle of a power struggle, it’s two co-owners vying for control, creating an inner turmoil for everyone who worked there. When Nadia was pitched, it was done behind the back of half the staff, furthering the tension, not to mention placing the company in the red. It was like a bucket of cold water had been splashed on the company. Production of a full length animation series was a new experience for Anno, who was thrown onto the project last minute as director. And in the end, not even the rights to the series remained. To add insult to injury, the original concept had been Miyazaki’s. No doubt Anno took his craft, his mentor’s idea, very personal. To some extent, the same feeling remained after Evangelion.

A beautiful excerpt was reported at the Tokyo International Film Festival last October, and was posted on  ANN.

“I was frazzled, but in reality I was close to death.” He added that at that time many people helped him, but the one who really saved him was Miyazaki.

…Miyazaki called him after the Evangelion television series ended after hearing a rumor that Anno was in danger. At that time Miyazaki told Anno, “I’ve felt the same way. It’s OK to rest. Until you are able to create something again, it’s OK to rest as much as you want. Because if it’s you … both people and money will gather.” … Miyazaki’s words really put him at ease.

While talking about the fourth Evangelion film, Anno said while wiping away tears, “Even now, when I remember it, I cry. It’s really painful to remember.”

At that same festival, Toshio Suzuki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, offered nothing but kind words saying, “Anno is going to lead the animation industry for at least the next 10 years in Japan.” He even attributed the sacred role of sole apprentice to the man. That is the bond that these two share. Miyazaki called Anno in his time of struggle. The phone that doesn’t ring.

Right now Anno is running his Animator Expo project to expose 30 shorts of animation newcomers over the next couple of months. He’s reaching to those like him, wide-eyed kids with a dream. But faced with the mountains of praise that have been heaped upon him as of late, Anno has only one reply. He smiles and says there’s no pressure.

つづく

“Tezuka couldn’t make it in time for the opening, but he joined everyone for the nighttime party at the hotel. During the celebration, he heard some discussion about the opening anime and said he wanted to see it. So they scrambled around for the footage and showed it again, right there on the spot… I wasn’t there myself, but I heard that after Akai and Yagama showed Mr. Tezuka the film, he commented, “Well, there are certainly a lot of characters in the film. A lot of characters… However, there where also some that weren’t in the film.” …they hadn’t used a single one of Tezuka’s character in their film!” ~ Takeda,Yasuhiro (9 August 2005). The Notenki Memoirs: Studio Gainax & The Men Who Created Evangelion. pg 55 & 56

The proper follow up should detail their follow up project, Daicon IV, which broke every copyright law in existence, but we’ll save that for another time. I do, however want to fast forward to 1988, when GAINAX launched a six part OVA series titled GunBuster Toppu o Nerae! or GunBuster Aim for the Top! It was the directorial debut of the frog on the Science room’s dissecting table, Hideaki Anno, and also the studio’s second commercial release. Like it’s grandfather, Daicon III, it is a significant tool for us as we go through Evangelion.

” ‘Eva’ is a story that repeats. It is a story where the main character witnesses many horrors with his own eyes, but still tries to stand up again. It is a story of will; a story of moving forward, if only just a little.”

And it moves forward. Finally we see the resolution of Angel Attack. Now that we have explored the themes the angel presented, it is defeated, and we catch a hint that there is more to Unit 1 that we are being told. But right after the flashback, after all the recollection, we see Misato drying off, the bath, the reflecting, it’s done. We no longer need to stare at the ceiling. Shinji lies wide eyed and in shock, as Misato opens the door to tell him one last thing. I’m going to get a little heavy handed here with the translation, just so we can get a better rounded and more full connotation. In the Platinum subs, Misato says: “You did a very praiseworthy thing today. You should be proud of yourself.” Bids him a goodnight, and “Hang in there.” Meanwhile, according to the Literal Translation Project: “You’ve done something admirable. You can hold your head high. Good night, Shinji-kun. Cheer up.” Both start off with the same feeling, be proud/you deserve praise; more or less giving him what he wants, praise, that others take pride in him. It’s the second part that differs enough to mention. ‘You should be proud of yourself’ vs ‘You can hold your head high’, the first seems to ‘pin the blame’ on Shinji, or connotate it is Shinji’s responsibility; the latter seems to be giving him permission. The third part, though expressing the same feeling, reflects more on Misato. ‘Hang in there’ begs the question of how much she can relate to his situation, while ‘Cheer up’ gives the impression she understands. It’s almost like she knows what we know, sees what we see when she says it, Shinji is thinking, “Is this what I have to do to earn the praise of others?” To close, let’s revisit my previous statement about the religious… ‘mask’ seems to be the best word… Eva wears. This article was brought to my attention where the following quote is taken: “Japan is a country where a lot of typhoons and earthquakes strike… a country where merciless destruction happens naturally. It gives you a strong sense that God exists out there.” As well as a comment given in Animerica back in 2002 stating: “I don’t belong to any kind of organized religion, so I guess I could be considered agnostic. Japanese spiritualism holds that there is kami in everything, and that’s closer to my own beliefs.” I hold by my previous statement that the religious mask doesn’t add anything more than mystic to the series, with the exception of one place, but that is a story for another day.

つづく

The new box set of Yu Yu Hakusho for girls just came out, and quite a few people are disheartened with Viz’s botched release. Not to mention Crystal has been running for what feels like forever; it’s an exciting time for fans of the series. Sailor Moon is a show that has permeated in American fandom since before the Toonami days. Sure there had been tapes and such on US soil, but stories of back then make it seem like there where tapes of everything over here.Those tape days where really the first wave of American anime fandom.

For fans of heavy metal I offer this analogy. Back in 1968, bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath gave your dad a reason worth living and music he could be proud of. And thus was the birth of the genre of music we now call heavy metal. It lasted for little over a decade. But over time, like most musical movements, those noisy kids started to run into problems,and petered out. Then came in the younger dad generation, with what we call the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Motor Head became the new household names. Anime is much the same way.

Here in the US, a similar movement can be observed. The first ‘wave’ was brought about by Starblazers and Battle of the Planets, Speed Racer and Grendizer. The second owes its enduring presence to the likes of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Dragonball, and Sailor Moon. It’s not that anime ever stopped in between, but more that it received a second wind of sorts. But this idea isn’t exclusive to fandom, it’s present the shows themselves. My point: it all comes from somewhere.

With anime being such a small community, there is so much that ties one work to another. Take a look at our beautiful warrior for example. One of the most recognizable features in Sailor Moon are the transformations. In fact, it’s hard to have any magical girl show without an aura of heavenly light showering the character while clothes are magically replaced; it’s second only to plot armor. A more recent showing of this can be found in Gen Urobuchi’s Pella Magi Madoka Magicia, the Evangelion of magical girl shows. A strong example is 2010’s Panty & Stocking with Garderbelt of studio GANAX fame, who’s transformation sequence was pivotal for anyone who watched it, weeding out the fans from everyone else.

But what it was mocking wasn’t started in 2010, or even with Sailor Moon. The original transforming hero was invented by a man named Shotaro Ishinomori in the early 70’s with the legend, Kamen Rider. The role that Kamen Rider holds cannot be underestimated. It is literally the Velvet Underground of anime, manga, and tokusatsu, but was commercially successful. To put a spin on an oft recited quote “Everyone who watched Kamen Rider went on to start some sort of anime.” It is here the henshin warrior was born.

Only when the costume is donned does the henshin warrior obtain his powers. In Japan, clothes make the man. It’s an idea we’ve internalized, a visual cue that our hero now has the power to combat all sorts of evil and wrong-doing. However, of the many things he added in his lifetime, magical girls is something Ishinomori left more or less untouched, with the exception listed before. To make a long story short, the man that gave birth to the henshin warrior concept was not the one who married it to the magical girl genre. The title of facilitator for that holy matrimony is held by his protege, Kiyoshi Nagai, or as most know him, Go Nagai. And oh-so-many things come back to Go Nagi…

If Osamu Tezuka is the ‘God of Manga’, then it’d be only fair to assign Ishinomori ‘Prophet of Manga’, making Nagai the ‘King of Manga’. What kingdom would allow Go Nagai to reign supreme is beyond me though, certainly not one with PTA groups. Then again, he is the living King Midas, so perhaps it wouldm’t be too bad. Everything the man touches turns to gold, assuming gold is equivalent as public outcry/controversy/ebola (but somehow still maintains its value). Go Nagai is a topic that deserves discussion at length, but for now lets focus on Cutie Honey.

Enter a chilly Monday; likely overcast/rain with possible wind. The date is October 1st, 1973, the 41st issue  of Weekly Shonen Companion hit the shelves of konbini everywhere. Not two weeks later, the now named TV Asahi hosted the first broadcast of the Cutie Honey television series; 25 episodes of Toei Animation goodness. Departing from the more extreme Go Nagai-isims (profanity, violence, nudity, lesbians, and nude lesbians) this TV counterpart was intended to be a shojo series, and would take the time-slot the previous magical girl show. This idea was scrapped, Cutie Honey went on to be the first shonen magical girl show, and the time-slot was rewarded to the forgettable Miracle Girl Limit-chan. But the series made a splash, and the ripples are still felt today through its successors and newer incarnations.

If you want to descend the ladder, or take the DeLorean, back even further, you’ll find Sally the Witch (some say doubles as the first shojo anime as well), Himitsu no Akko-chan, and then the God of Manga’s Princess Knight. All are the base stones of the genre as well, each deserving of your attention. As for now, Cutie Honey is probably the easiest for fans of Sailor Moon to relate to, and thus is a great place to start. Some might say it’s too cliche, or lacks originality; and that’s why I wrote this, just to show them how very wrong they are.

Well, originally I intended to add a few more shows to this post, but if I haven’t provoked a thought or two and given you something to chew on already, go back to watching Crystal. Maybe I’ll talk about wines based off mecha series or the properties the GumGum fruit has on one’s genitalia.

The question is: ‘Do we really need yet another opinion of Evangelion on the internet?’

Hasn’t everything that will ever be discussed, nitpicked, or placed under the raving, fanboy microscope already been beaten like a dead horse? Not everything, but it is a valid point. I retort with a quote:

“We live in a box of space and time. Movies are windows in its walls. They allow us to enter other minds – not simply in the sense of identifying with the characters, although that is an important part of it, but by seeing the world as another person see it. François Truffaut said that for a director is was an inspiring sight to walk to the front of a movie theater, turn around, and look back at the faces of the audience, turned up to the light from the screen. If the film is any good, those faces reflect an out-of-body experience: The audience for a brief time is somewhere else, sometime else, concerned with the lives that are not its own. Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy, and good ones make us into better people.”
~ Ebert, Roger. The Great Movies. Introduction pg xv

Ebert goes on to mention in the introduction how he’s seen some movies “dozens of times”, implying to be that some windows are worth looking through more than once, and some we will always go back to. But let’s get one thing straight, it is impossible to completely ‘understand’ or ‘make sense’ of Evangelion. And to do so would be a tragedy. It would lose all of its magic, the thrill that keeps us coming back. Media is a very public and open thing, but what we take away from it can be personal. We only need enough (and should only want) enough to satisfy the criteria Ebert mentioned. That’s my intention in writing this, to go back and peer through the windows we all remember fondly.

One of my staples I cling too is the EvaGeeks Wiki. They have served as a good source for anything and everything Evangelion. As for my viewing preference, the ever so coveted Platinum Edition subtitles with the Japanese audio. There’s no analytical reason for this whatsoever, but I much prefer the voice of Megumi Ogata over Spike Spencer. It’s my inner weeaboo.

“Just like the cruel angel, young boy become a legend.” Good words for a show that has remained ever present for nearly two decades. And saved GAINAX.

The first images we are presented are the 3rd angel, Sachiel, and the JSDF. Iconic is the best way to describe it. This opening act does a wonderful job stating what will take place the rest of the series, as we watch multiple failed attempts in eliminating the oncoming threat. This scene, though a minor in the scope of things, does a few things that are rather important thematically.

The most obvious is the rule of three. Angels cannot be defeated by normal methods; it is a concrete fact, and this scene makes it so. One by one they sit on cue, a short line accompanying. The words they use aren’t so important, they’re all saying the same thing.This is the rule of three. A fact is stated, then stated again, then it is reenforced on last time. Look for these the next time you watch anything. It’s a strong method of storytelling, tried and true.

Sachiel has always been one of my favorite angels design-wise. I don’t know if it’s it’s shape, the colors, or it’s lumbering movment, something jst speaks to me. So when I learned of an interesting theory around the 3rd angel and the plugs suits exists, I raised an eyebrow. Character designs where done by the famous Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, (whom I am a big fan of) while Yoshitoh Asari handled the angel designs. If any coordination occurred between the two is unknown to me, cool theory though.

There is an ashtray that sits on the martially abused desk. There it sits, silent like Gendo, littered with more cigarette butts than a California highway. We’ll later see that the three adults, Ritsuko, Misato, and Kaji, all have vices; the cigarette-pincushion ashtray is one such vice. It’s meaning is still up for debate, but I will say I consider the lines that follow state the ensuing destruction the 3rd angel inflicts. One such quote is: “It’s no good! We’ll never get anywhere with the firepower we’ve got!” True; the AT field cannot be pierced. Hmmm…

This also touches on how the angels are more vehicles of character development than anything else. When a space for character growth progression is present, an angel appears, plain and simple. It’s simple story telling. But this points out the nature of Evangelion as a character driven show, more than a plot driven one. The giant robots are secondary, much like one of Anno’s inspirations, Gundam.

Another interesting tid-bit I caught is the condition of the NERV ID Shinji hands Misato. It’s depicts so prefectly the relationship between Shinji and Gendo. One can most certainly can imagine Shinji’s reaction to the single word he was afforded, “Come”. More than likely he was thrown into a fit of rage, having his father’s callous treatment invade his life once again; ripping and crumpling the page, scribbling out Gendo’s name with red ink. But yet he obeys, and goes as far as to repair the paper that, again, contains nothing but his father’s name, and one word, “Come”.

Reenforcing this idea is the expression that flashes across Shinji’s face as Misato asks to see his ID. It’s almost as if he’s nervous, like a child being caught. This reaction would be unnecessary if the paper didn’t mean anything to him, it be a routine action of ‘here you go’. But that isn’t the case, the paper is the relationship had between a son and his father.This is a motif we see appear again, Episode 14 in particular when Ritsuko enter’s the Magi; Gendo portrayed in writing.

Pay close attention to backgrounds in this series, for a lot of clues and answers to some questions are found there. As well as some nice foreshadowing, such as this.

Eventually plans to have Shinji pilot Unit 1 are brought to light, giving stage to a Misato/Shinji parallel. Previously mentioned where similarities in their father complex, but here Misato has the external reaction that expresses Shinji’s inner conflict. To pilot or not to pilot, what would Koji Kabuto do? Misato argues with Ritsuko to the point where her lines are heard while Shinji is the focal point of the shot. But Misato isn’t solely a representation of Shinji, she also stands in for Asuka later on. Meanwhile, tension mounts by the way of the rule of three.

The climax of the episode presents a lot of interesting information completely missed by the uninitiated. Rei is wheeled in (and we know this is Rei 2) in front of Unit 1. When a blast causes the light fixtures to fall directly above Shinji, Unit 1 moves on it’s own accord, obstructing their fall with it’s giant hand. Shinji is saved by Unit 1, the body of Lilith, the soul of his mother, Yui. Shinji then holds the afflicted Rei, who is the cloned body of Yui, soul of Lilith. The hand used to protect Shinji: the right. Shinji’s bloddy hand shown after holding Rei: also the right. Shinji is protected by his mother and this protects his mother in return, in a metaphorical sense. One of the many parallels we will see in the series. Hell, episode 13 is one giant parallel.

Then the classic, “I mustn’t run away.” Anno’s whole drive to creating Evangelion. He didn’t want to run away anymore.The financial stresses and burdens of productions past, Nadia in particular, had worn on the man, to the point where it was brought into fruition. More on that later. To end the episode, Unit 01 is launched, triggering a very, very rare Gendo smile.

The last note I would like to end on is the religious overtone in the show. I honestly don’t believe it holds any baring on the show (save a few instances). It does, however, add cohesion and mystique; hinting that there is something deeper being presented. Evangelion, is, after all, Hideaki Anno’s Red Book in many ways.

But that’s enough for now.

つづく