Animelo 2008 BRD Day 1, Bullet Style
- Introducing a new measure of length of a DVD - moments of bliss. I realized Animelo 2009 day 1 on Blu-Ray is like, FIVE AND A HALF HOURS. That’s like, a 12-episode TV series. GUH. But it is good–much of it kept my fanboy heart aflutter, GAR, or otherwise amused. So it’s too long, but there’s enough of a good thing–these moments of bliss–that it’s good to have a lot of. So while it’s FREAKING LONG CAT, it’s mostly good stuff.
- Best single song and dance has to go to Karen Girl’s. Not only they are young, cute (in the way little girls are), but they are very pro and they performed like pros. Helps also they have a catchy song. But I think they did a good job channeling a basic form of moe that should touch any viewer.
- The second best group song is probably Nowhere, the “yamani” song from MADLAX. Totally unexpected in a way.
- And that leads to the overall best performer that day - Minori Chihara. She’s not my favorite but she lived it up and ate it all like a happy person in her element. A fish in water, and enjoying every moment of it.
- And that reminds me to tell you to definitely see the behind-the-scene clip when she cooks up the “Yamani Girls” concept with Aa and yozuca*. I lol’d. It’s lols. Yozuca* was like LULWUT.
- Although there are a lot of other fun backstage moments, GRANRODEO is involved in a couple of those…like hitting on the girls?
- Best looking guy at the show is probably Akashi from BLESS4 IMO, although AAA is stacked with good lookers.
- Speaking of that, Yuri probably was the best looking girl there…I don’t know how she does it with that 90s style. I guess it just works.
- But Yukari Tamura was definitely the cutest. She was smiling the whole time. And she really put on a game face as you can tell in the behind the scenes clip.
- And definitely take advantage of the multiple-angle feature. I know I will the second time around.
- This Animelo has a lot of winging. The encore song for 2007 Animelo theme? SOOO winged. You can see for sure in the behind the scene clip.
- Best Makkun Song is obviously Rinbu. And I can totally ignore Minorin with the alt-angle feature (like all of you who ignores Makkun with likewise, I am sure). What’s up with Minorin’s green drab anyways?
- The best costume probably was Nana’s slutbiri outfit. It just looks right on her and looks right with the songs she chose. But what’s up with Pray and having a giant group of guitar people crowding her in? I think they failed at doing it right. King Records needs to send them to Mexico or something.
- I think the best team-up song was Koi se yo Onnanoko. Nana and Yukarin nailed that one. Moeee. And I can see why people would want to see her live show. Not sure I’m converted yet or not though.
- Second-best group and dance is a tie between AAA and BLESS4, although AAA has a distinct advantage of having 3 more talented dancer-singers. What’s up with that though? AKINO was the only BLESS4 who sang in the encore, blah, but all 7 of AAA had some kind of 1-word moments.
- As to things they can improve on, I think the first thing is — come up with a better theme song. Yells … is lacking. Especially if you’re going to sing it twice.
- I don’t know why people get pissy with Arika Takarano’s goofs in Eternal Blaze, but I bet Nana was like lolwut, and the alternate angle captures that.
- Motsu can rap, and so can the AAA guys (and probably all of BLESS4), so if they took care of the bridge part of Yells…it would actually sound much better than the random shoutfest that was.
- You can tell Makkun was burning up in the behind-the-scene clip when Yoko Ishida was concerned about it. It was definitely unfortunate, for all, about Makkun’s condition.
- Worst costume is probably CooRie tied with Minami Kuribayashi. Not too hot about Arika’s first outfit either but her headpiece saved the day. Or Minorin’s green outfit, for that matter.
- Again, 5 and a half hour for the whole thing. Way too long IMO.
- … and on 2 BRD? TWO? Erf.
- And I think the previous years were more bang-per-minute than day 1 of 2008, anyways. I realize this may vary from person to person.
- Random stuff…Yozuca*’s cape thing is kind of neat. Weird, but neat.
- Makkun so totally taken over the Kageyama role for day 1. LOL.
- Coorie is adorable in a strange way. It’s a good contrast with all the other performers there. Kind of like how Suara took it down a notch.
- Seeing Nana do Yukarin’s huddle is LOL.
- Is it me or Yukarin is like the polar opposite of ALI PROJECT, in terms of their musical images?
Damn. I need 5 more hours to finish Day 2. Sigh.
Gundam 00 - A New State of War
Just to continue on this post, as there’s no time is better than the present to talk about Gundam 00 right when it is wrapping up.
I find Gundam 00, fundamentally, a very refreshing show because it is a good change in direction from the traditional look at Gundam. By that I don’t mean it had a break from tradition–quite the contrary I think it’s well within the bounds of your average UC-style Gundam with some AC bits mixed in–but there’s a good feeling about its modernization. Of course, it’s not really a UC Gundam series, but that’s why the changes that we saw fit so much better. It’s tempting to look at Gundam’s rich history and draw from that to talk about Gundam 00, but I think that would be missing the point. I’m sure it will not be a futile exercise, but maybe for another time.
The mentality in 00 struck me, as said, modern. Specifically, it is a post 9/11 mentality. When the Twin DriveTower came down on that fateful day, I was about an hour away. Since then, I was (and still am) surrounded by people who has witnessed its tragic visuals in the first person. It struck me as silly as to why it didn’t occur to me so much earlier to think about Gundam 00 in those terms–not so much how Americans see the post-9-11 world, but how the Japanese see it.
Gundam 00’s idea about conflict has drastically shifted, even when its core idea, the stripped down theme that is easy to digest for the audience, hasn’t changed much. However, during the Cold War, the notion of global war was a relatively simple, black-and-white construction (as much as you’d teach grade schoolers, anyways). After the Cold War, things were less so. But after 9/11, as Hiruken Emperor says it best, our enemies are no longer here or there, a thing to be grappled or zapped. Did it couple with Japan’s lost decade, ending in early 2000? Perhaps. I believe that is its real namesake; this decade is why Gundam 00 exists.
To Japan, as I’ll paraphrase from I heard from some Japanese academic, 9/11 and the American response was a global change in the way international politics and power moved and shook; a change in the dynamics of the world. Perhaps more than 8 years later people have more or less gotten back to normal, but I think the mark it has left on the mind of an entire generation of people–not just Americans, but all who are connected to America through today’s increasingly globalized economy and culture.
This generation of teenagers and 20-somethings are people who have no recollection of the tension of the Cold War, of the scars of Vietnam and the conflicts that broke out all over the world as a result. Perhaps 00 is just trying to teach us the price of peace we enjoy today, in its own way, as repackaged for a post-9-11 world.
Gadget Geek Supports Toradora!
I don’t really give a damn about cheeky romance, “one more time” [cue Daft Punk], or the usual inner struggles as manifested through intercharacter drama that wrapped up like a satisfying trashy romance novel. Toradora is based on light novels, right?
I do care about the display of current-gen kids and their interactive behaviors as brought about through improved access to each other, and to technology that improves their Quality of Life. I know, in America, major carriers, armed with big bucks, push their version of a tomorrow where MMS (multimedia messaging) can transform your relationship with the people you care. Does it? Maybe. Perhaps it did for Taiga because, you know.
But would some other method work just as well? Maybe not for a naive little girl who isn’t too great at verbal communication. It’s probably some kind of cathartic moment for me to see it portrayed in pop media, mixed in there with an emotionally satisfying ending to a love story. However at the same time it makes me question the authenticity of the message…
…that is until I realized big brothas aren’t agile enough to create something like this. That car cases, literal product placements and other simple name droppings are still going to be the primary means of in-show advertising. Even CC’s craving for larger-than-life pie is as clear cut as a box of Rocky. Or Packo. Or Pochy. Something like Taiga’s silliness can only be the creation of someone who’s equally silly. It’s not srsbzns.
What is serious is something like Platonic Chain. I guess that’s the catch, right? When you want to show off a new reality built on some next-gen perspective on how to live, it’ll come off like a science fiction. This is not the case with Toradora, so it caught me off-guard.
But this really makes a huge case for phones with high-megapixel cameras with good sensors. I mean, seriously, this is not possible in America given far, far majority of the phones people have (99.9%, probably more) will never be able to capture an image that shows anything but a sheet of darkness, if there’s some lonesome star upon an urban sky. Let alone seeing it on another phone (QVGA screen? LULZ). Tokyo is one of the brightest places on earth as viewed from space, after all. And it might be because it’s aglow with awesome cell phones I wish I could have.
Needless to say, I’m really glad that I can find one final, positive note, to end this fun but ultimately pedestrian journey through adolescence. Yeaaaaa go Toradora! :woot:
GUHROOGAMESH!
I, like many internet trolls, /b/tards, and other people who enjoy a good laugh on the internet, tend to know something is worth mocking when I see it.
And especially when Chicks on Anime and I agree, you know it’s definitely a solid estimation.
[Click on Chicks on Anime to see them briefly describe the background info on the ad, as well see links to it on youtube.]
However my take on that Sakura-con ad was more non-confrontational. If I made a fuzz about Americans goofing up Japanese cultural concepts every time, I’d be pink and living on Sesame Street. Let’s just laugh and move on with life, right?
Until this:
So the Sakura-con ad is making its way for how ludicrous it is, on the web. A site like AnimeVice probably picked up on the parody (you can also find the creator’s LJ linked there) and since people who know people read sites like that, the parody stuff made its way and now the ad is removed from youtube. Just click on the AnimeVice link, and click on the video to see what I mean.
Of course, it’s not like you can erase stuff off the internet. You can find it on Nicovideo (among other places), as this video has garnered some attention even over there. If you are not one of those l33t kiddies and have no Nicovideo account, you can download the video directly here (lol megaupload). Anyways, I recommend you to view the video however you can, as you can make your own judgment as to the moral and ethical value of what has happened.
The takedown message on Youtube claims credit to Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association, which is the corporate identity behind Sakura-con.
In other words, Sakura-con just took down a youtube parody video making fun of its questionable ad.
This, friends and enemies, is really bad form. I might be extra-sensitive to free speech/copyright issues compared to the average anime person on the internet, but you just don’t pull down parody videos of your commercials. That’s not something anyone with a real brain does. Because any publicity is good publicity, and this is free to boot. It’s not even like looking at a gift horse’s mouth. It’s like shooting a gift horse in the mouth. This is just low. So low, that if I am going to Sakura-con (wasn’t going to anyways), I would have canceled my plans. Yes, that’s an extreme reaction, and probably emotional one that will change over time, but you don’t mess with free speech. Not like this. It’s wrong and stupid all because somebody can’t take a joke?
The inner /b/tard in me wishes this was a joke–that Sakura-con took that video down to garner negative attention from fools like myself. Well I hope this is really the case! Com’on, Sakura-con, a statement from someone related would go a long way to diffuse this stupidity.
[Disclaimer: The comments found in this post is purely informational to the general public, is not to be construed as legal advice. I make no claim to its accuracy (or even if the content within this post is even serious!) so you, dear readers, are 100% on your own in trusting the words I speak and making any decisions upon it.]
Lastly–the meme itself. It’s gold. I laughed. 7.8.
On Liking Crappy Anime
I’m one of those weirdos who makes a conscious break between what I like and what I recognize as quality.
Take, for example, Linebarrels of Iron. This particular show looks and feels like an average giant robot show, and for the most part it fits that genre stereotype to a tee. It’s full of play–fanservice for the genre fans, if you will–on the common genre concepts. Death flags; “people die when they are killed”; brofists of all kinds; giant robots; giant robots of all sizes; giant robots that goes into space; compromising situation involving locker rooms, baths, beaches, rooms with beds in it; a primary school and primary school students; beamspam; guns; robot on robot action; robot on man action; man on robot action; tentacles (naturally); over 9000; bros of all kinds; betrayals; reunions; remembering from the past; slowly-revealing conspiracies; smart computers; spaceship headquarters; the word “justice”; bad jokes; screaming attacks; limited-time attacks; attacks that are tied to the pilot’s health; family members on opposite sides; different mecha upgrades; just as keikaku; bridge bunnies; winners and losers; “I want moar powah”; tsundere; oblivious male protagonist; taking one for the team; … I can go on for a while longer.
But like most modern otaku-targeting anime, what makes a show tick, in my mind, is how these common tropes are executed and arranged.
Sadly, when we go into this framework, automatically we’re talking about a show that panders and targets the otaku segment. People looking for the next epic thing should flag up and buzz off. However it’s also important to recognize this is the intent, from a fundamental perspective, of the show. I don’t expect Xam’d-level quality from Linebarrels, obviously, it’s unreasonable.
Nonetheless, Linebarrels offers something new and unique and it’d be a sin to not recognize or talk about them if you work within its framework. For one, it evokes the Japanese game show trope in the context of the undead. And it doesn’t involve zombies (although it does involve nudity). It’s also full of unexpected (in a tongue-in-cheek way) reversals that are just credible enough that you can buy into its ultimate cheeseball, captain-planet-esqe finale. While these are not new in the genre alone, their uses definitely were. It’s like a fake train wreck.
It’s like the Code Geass formula but done with integrity and none of the seriousness it takes with itself. Not that it’s a bad thing; those things worked with Geass, and I don’t think they would with Linebarrels.
And in a way this is the problem Omisyth detailed in a comment in an earlier post. If I looked deep enough I can find something worthwhile in a lot of mediocre fare out there. Silver linings, right? It’s just a question of the mode or modes of consumption I take on when I watch something. It’s no longer about standards–there’s no reason to talk about standards in this kind of context; keep it personal. For example, if your teacher refuses to grade your paper because it’s below his standard for enjoyable paper-grading and he only grades papers that deserve A+’s, how would you feel? How is it educational or productive? It’s not pro, bro.
Of course, we are not teachers of commercial animation and these anime are not submitted like coursework, but why are we grading them? I suppose it’s fun, but it isn’t without consequences. We can talk about the shows that didn’t make it from our personalized context, but what makes those discussions interesting is the clashing of our personalized contexts with a familiar thing your readers know because they’ve watched the same show you have, even when they may or may not know your tastes in anime.
So when it comes to the people who slam Linebarrels, it’s good to see it happen when they talk about it from an internal perspective. Because it’s a silly lol-Gonzo anime, there is little risk of retribution from others when you do slam it, and people slam it freely.
Only if this is the case for every show out there.
As for me, I thought Linebarrels was fun when it lasted. Like a grain of wheat, it will shed its excesses and die in the sea of past memories. What remains are the seeds of its unique and memorable elements, soon to spurs forth fruits of fandom and strange memes and more jokes about nudity, 4chan, and the otaku fandom dialog.
I didn’t even list most of the things I liked about the show. It’s that STRONG.
