The Nutbladder Ranking: 2010-01
I always wanted to do some kind of ranking thing, because it’s fun to express what you feel about the stuff you like (ie., anime) in new ways, and ranking provides an overt framework to express yourself. It’s like a game where you roleplay some nutty critic. Unfortunately I also despise the trapping that any ranking system comes with. I always thought to myself (usually after feeling the want-of-rank) that I could just personify the anime or whatever in Pani Poni Dash (or for the newfags among us, Bakatest) with a short list of arbitrary stats. Kanokon could be something like “Breasts: 4, Trope subversion: 3, Licensed dub possibility: 2″ or something. For another example, Tsukihime anime could be “Existence: 0, Faithfulness to source: 2, Moon Princess: 4.”
Isn’t this fun? (Possibly NSFW pic after the jump.)
Notes From Winter ‘09-’10 Covers
I never thought it would happen, perhaps because I never actually thought about it, but in the case of Seikon no Qwaser the censorship actually ruined a scene. Granted, it’s not a huge deal, but it is not like the usual case when T&A are fogged out for the sake of lowering the amount of exposed female organs. While the point of censorship remains the same in this case, fanservice scenes often are tangential to the overall experience, even in shows where the T&A are the reason why you watch it. For example, when battle damage causes Leina to expose her underpants or breasts in Queen’s Blade I don’t really care if they fog that out. But when Leina symmetrically docks with Melona and causes the infamous acid explosion, they can’t really fog out what exactly Leina did. At least, without confusing the viewer. Or even in the example where Melona shoots those acid attacks from her chest, we need to know how that mechanic works. Cover up her breasts would effectively censor the plot. As far as the particular scene in Qwaser goes, the censoring happened during the climax of the one and only battle sequence in the pilot episode of the thing, and it had all this emotional and shock factor to it. That is down-right terrible.
That said, I have nothing particularly bad to say about a show with hype predicated on breastfeeding, and that is just yet another bullet on a list of not-bad things to say about Qwaser. The ending could be viral if people want it to be. In some ways, this is the kind of production that I had been expecting Dulalala to be.
Dulalala, of course, is better thus far. The source material is simply a whole mile ahead, so the comparison only highlights the trashiness of Qwaser. The Baccano production team is up to the task, and I already love how they were able to express much of their version of Ikebukuro through only one episode. I guess unlike So-ra-no-wo-to, they were able to build on what we already know about a real location.
I hear people are generally underwhelmed about Sora no Oto, and that’s fine. Right now it’s doing something that anime does well, so I’m content. A lot of what I hear seems to be related to people’s expectations as much as the actual show itself. Reading the credits, I wasn’t particularly excited about the series compared to what some others might have been feeling. Again, it says as much about you as it does with a show that is only 2 episodes in. [Side note: can we get a counter on number of English-language podcasts that calls it “sora no woto?”]
Hanamaru Kindergarten is a win in my book. I skipped Potemayo when the first episode or two failed to capture my attention, but it seems the addition of adults have balanced the humor equation for my liking. I am notably less excited about that aspect than WAH, considering he probably found an anime parallel to his real life ego in episode 1. Simply, I am in for the luls. That might present a small problem, partly because there are more than just the funnies in this show, but I trust the source material and production.
I wish I could say something positive about Chu-Bra, but that would be akin to saying something sexist about Bayonetta. It’s a low-hanging fruit, to use an euphemism. The interesting thing about Chu-Bra is it is difficult to criticize it beyond its cheaply-made exterior and unreal and unrealistic content. It’s just different and awkward enough that it would be hard to find a way to criticize it so early in the game. On the other hand, there is always that one positive factor, especially from a female perspective. It might just be too much for my squeamish self, but I am trying to hold on until at least when Yoko Hikasa’s character appear. Until then this show has to entertain beyond merely shock and awe in order to be a keeper.
It might be best that I keep my mouth shut about the rest of my new anime palette; there isn’t a whole lot to say anyways. Well, lastly I guess I have my hopes for Ladies x Butlers up still, as a survivor of Kanokon.
