Year in Review: She’s Going the Distance, a Great Feat of Strength
Going to mention a list of 12 lists of 12 items each. So a nested list. All 144 items. Annotated for the most part. Don’t ask me why I use these pronouns the way I do…
Year in Review: The Immortal Kurenai
There is a particular joy in working on multiple posts simultaneously. There is also a perversion in reveling in the fact that working ahead of schedule I can actually choose which post to go ahead first. At the same time it’s a cheerful dilemma in choosing. Only if I am guided by such simple pleasures at work.
One thing I sort of left out in my last Year in Review post is the nature of such things. I am in no way marking 12 moments (although that could be a fun exercise…ufufufufufu) of 2008. I’m just writing about things–places, people, ideas. Although one at a time. It’s a vehicle for introspection, and at the same time the proof that you’ve done your homework.
Introspection, in summary, yields different results as the thing changes, but you always ask the same question: Why.
And you do the same for the anime you like.
Like why didn’t Red Garden work.
But if upon the corpse of a mediocre almost-failure can bloom a field of roses, I can deal with the same butterflies that are reanimated yet again. (Or is it the very awesome Red Garden OAV? Which is now in stores?!)
Is this why we have totally irrelevant but totally awesome filler episode(s) involving spontaneous singing?
I have little left to say about this matter. I suppose I can name drop Miyuki Sawashiro (again) and say her performance was terrible? Well, it was better than terrible. It’s so remarkably odd? But I think it just made this year more memorable under that imaginary file folder of my Sawashiro memories, in my mind.
For the uninitiated, Red Garden was made the same way as Kurenai–same core creative team (sans the source material, naturally), plus the unusual voice recording process where the voice acting is recorded before the animation process. It created a very different flow in the show; it’s more like an old fashion radio drama or stage improv than the typical line-by-line recording we see in animated films, games and even many anime.
The problem or failure (harsh word) of Red Garden is that the genre is this modern-day, “hey we’re hip New York teenagers” Gothic horror piece. When the acting is loose like that, it takes the pacing out of the story’s hand and into the actor’s. In the end the product is more annoying, filled with crying whines and intense vocals rather than calculated monsters and tricks jumping out at you. The voice actors gave their best but it just wasn’t fitting outside the casual moments of the story and when Kate wasn’t emo-ing in the throes of angst.
On the flip side, it works great for a situational-comedy by day, action-packed-drama by night sort of story. Mainly because people don’t talk a whole lot when it’s action packed. And Kurenai has some decent action scenes to boot.
Kurenai 10
Writing about Aria is like … writing about watching paint dry, so it’s taking its sweet time. It’s coming.
Meanwhile, Kurenai 10 sums up really what makes the series worth watching–drama through layered expressions of varying degrees of subtlety. To be fair, the drama in episode 10 is well within genre and stereotype confines; there’s nothing new about it. When a man gets beat and loses the thing he wanted to protect, he could move on and admit his inability or he could hopelessly try again. But when everyone in your harem except the “older mentor” character realizes you will be a better man for trying, it’s time to take a clue. And hey, even Benika thought well of Shinkuro. At any rate, we are watching Kurenai for the character drama to begin with, amirite? Let us not be concerned for trifle plot details.
What makes episode 10 so good was how everyone manages to express what they feel with relatively few words. A lot of what was expressed was unsaid, but expressed through reactions and free flowing emotions, the way people talked and how it sounded.
What got me was the very last scene when Shinkuro was saying his farewell to Tamaki and Yamie. He tried to keep it pro by shaking their hands but the tickle-hugs were just a lot more meaningful. The voice acting worked well as they are freed from the confines of frame-by-frame animation. After all, they’re tussling.
Probably for the third time of the series up to this point, the background music kicked in at a very good place. Ken Muramatsu is credited for the music for the show, and the shamisen stuff is definitely something you can see right at his home page. Well, this time it was piano, but still.
The expressive stuff in Kurenai 10 isn’t perfect and it is rough at parts. What helped to carry things through was Shinkuro’s simple adherence to the principles he is living by, and we didn’t get much in terms of introspection. And it isn’t necessary; he just needed to laze around, to clean the house, and to call up a couple school friends to get that point across. It’s hard to run away when you live a spartan and disciplined life. It’s impossible to run away when you’re surrounded by nosy girls who are looking after your welfare.
And that’s how this kind of plot and dramatic elements should be played out.
The Basics of Basics - Mid-Season Update
I’ve been busy lately; and during this time I appreciate my anime viewing habits all the more.
In some ways, as adults, anime is a luxury that few can afford in excess–and it’s not so much a cost issue but a time and effort issue. Thanks to things like fansubbing and lawless digital distribution a person like me can afford both the technical complexity (like, not have to deal with DRM) and easy access to a large library of works. With the help of my anime-watching brethren, bloggers, and like-minded internet peeps, I can even fine-tune my selection with helps of all kinds of review websites, blogs, and old fashion word-of-mouth.
And because my anime watching is limited I treasure the few shows I get to watch even more. It’s lovely how scarcity makes you look at something in a different light.
I wish I also had the time to share all my insights, but why blog when I don’t even have the time to watch the show I like? It’s a puzzling dilemma.
Still, it’s important to sing praise where it’s due, so to get on with it:
Macross Frontier - Amusingly, despite its imperfections, it delivers. Maybe the magic behind Macross is that it is a fairly silly and flawed, but entertaining adventure with drool-worthy toys to sell and the generic aspiration of an (American) idol. And it just happens that idol entertainment is really in these days. Anyways, not complaining about how I love it when a plan comes together. Few franchises that span generations are so unashamed and so blatant. From the get-go we are asked which one to kiss!
Kurenai - Those who have traversed through the magical land of New York City of Red Garden can attest to how you take your weaknesses and forge them into new strengths in Kurenai. Granted we’re no longer talking about walking dead people but some kind of strange and mystical feudal Japan lineage problem, but its unique production style and sharing of artistic designs invariably link the two shows together. It’s even MORE like Gilmore Girls than ever before, which isn’t a bad thing per se. It just makes it no easier to stomach than Red Garden.
Kaiba - There’s just as much intrigue with this show as with Kurenai. The difference is that there’s only one-tenth of the dialog and one-half the laughs. It also reminds me I really should buy those Tweeny Witches DVDs. I have to say that I like this more though.
Tower of Druaga - How many people have actually played the original game? I have faint memories of it, but why would anyone evoke random 80s video game names with their shows? Leaving the novel release format aside, the show is a very hearty, non-serious adventure that should charm most viewers. And it is all about charm. For what it is worth I did buy the season pass for the show from Bost TV, even if somehow my home internet connection have problems with that site.
Code Geass R2 - Mai Hime of 2008. Now with more slutbiri.
Soul Eater - I can care less about shounen adventures but I really like stylish visuals and killer animation. Soul Eater delivers this in spades. In fact, it even knows that people don’t really care about shounen adventures.
Toshokan Sensou - If Tokyotosho goes to war, will you pick up your rifle? I jest, but between the great voice acting and the heart warming, but crappy excuse for character drama, I have unconsciously pushed this title on the top of the to-watch pile.
And I have a large to-watch pile. But a smaller pile of praises. So I’ll stop here.
Miyuki Sawashiro’s Desirable Pigeonhole
Just looking up some basic information on Sawashiro surprised me. For starters, she was born in 1985, so she’s just 23 this year.
And already she is so prolific…albeit mostly in otaku-ish productions. Typecasted in the Oujo-sama type roles, she is definitely one of the go-to girl when you hear one of these characters.
What made me took note, however, is her Library Wars performance. That was definitely, by far, her best oujo-sama voice ever. And I mean, wow, that was her? Hawt.
I think my first extensive experience with her acting was back in her Broccoli days with Galaxy Angel and Di Gi Charat. Back then she did seem pretty much just like yet-another-high-strung-typecasted person. Today Sawashiro is in a bunch of different kind of roles, and surprisingly she’s doing fine even in a challenging role like Shinkuro from Kurenai. But I think her oujo-sama voice has definitely grown to differentiate itself too.
I guess you are forced to improve yourself when the subtlety of a Reika Houjo voice is merely the same nasal pitch laid a bit thickly to signify a hint of selfish immaturity? Versus a much lighter voice of Mint Blancmanche to reflect her age and attitude? Or a deeper voice to signify a touch of wisdom behind Shinku? I can only guess. I have no idea what Hagino Senkouji was doing–she was the younger pair acting for the older character? Weirdness.
Does it strike you interesting that Claire from Red Garden was by the same voice? I have to say she sounded more manly than Shinkuro >_> Or Kotarou from Pita-Ten. I think that was her best boy-role ever.
She needs to do more voices like this, I think, just to break things loose a bit more.
But if she can land more roles where she can sound like Asako Shibasaki, that is desirable IMO. Talk about a sexy librarian type!
