Year In Review: N-Squared List
Just like last year, I guess some things have not changed. This could be a reference.
Leader of the Pack: Autumn 2009
The below endorsements are not exclusive; there are a handful of shows I would like to watch but haven’t gotten around to check, but these I will definitely follow. (Well, subs and time permitting…with the caveat that some shows are better with less brain cycles spent trying to figure out what was said while watching. As a side note, lol, White Album is epitome of that statement. Thanks CR!) That is on top of the show I am watching that, heh, is not eligible for this post for some reason. Like White Album.
I wouldn’t have guessed at all that A Certain Scientific Railgun was so much fun a month ago; perhaps that is why I didn’t guess at all. On the other hand I recall some people lamented that it was Index that got adapted back half a year ago, and not the stories surrounding the electrifying campus celebrity herself. At any rate, Railgun episode 3 got to a point that it reminded me of the more enjoyable/fun TV anime from the 90s, except it looks sooooooo much better. I would think anyone who followed Index from earlier this year would watch Railgun just by virtue of still being in the hobby of watching anime, but this is good enough to pull in new fans, and make people hopeful for a future that is not just darker than black.
However, that’s not writing off several other shows which might be more directly targeting certain demographics–
- Seitokai no Ichizon is the surprising hit for me. Episode 3 raises the stakes by introducing Toudou-san, and having Mamiko Noto play a major foil/antagonist, well, satisfies the kind of otaku that’ll likely get enough of the actually-funny references to keep with this frantic anime 4-koma-kind of thing. What is ultimately surprising is that not only I got enough of the jokes to enjoy each episode, but the jokes were easy enough to get for someone like me!
- Kimi ni Todoke gets a mention only because, well, there’s so much left to go and so little to go on right now. I enjoy the art style and the animation, first and foremost. And yeah, Mamiko owns me. At any rate it has not hit its stride yet.
- While I wasn’t overly fond of Mind Game, I think Trapeze will be a better experience simply because I only have to take it 22 minutes at a time. The first episode at least strikes a balance between the interesting (as in, makes me want to watch it) and the odd (as in, makes me sleepy/bored). Strictly for the art house crowd though.
- Sora no Otoshimono–you already know this. (As an aside I wrote up a little thing about the whole panties disjunction, but I’m debating about revising and posting it. Maybe you have a different take than mine: It seems like a redundant exercise, and a bad idea. I mean it’s like trying to explain a joke to tell you why it’s funny. Or why porn is…porny?)
As to sequels–
- Sunred is as you know it; I don’t think they can screw up a show like that simply by making more episodes of it.
- On the other hand, it’s not out of the woods yet, but the moe-relationship craving crowd probably will also stick with Haruka’s Secret for now. Second season jumps on what makes the first one worth following, and really cranks up the dial. It might not be what some who enjoyed the first season want to sign up for, but you win some, you lose some. Regardless Haruka scores better-than-expectation for me.
- And remember, November 11 is only 23 days away. The non-coupled episode arcs for Darker than Black 2 is something I have not gotten used to (it’s only 3 episodes in!) but so far it’s got all the charm from the last season, almost.
It seems that sequels this season are somehow better than sequels of yore; a welcomed change if it follows through.
On Meta, Your Twinkie Girlfriend, and Journey to the East
Three posts in one:
ONE: Bakemonogatari episode 9 has a notorious reference, where Nadeko’s topless body draws a gaijin 4koma. Yes, it’s a flat-out reference. However, this reference evokes the correct representation (consider in contrast to sense) in addition to its added levity in a genuinely serious moment; it links three conflicting tensions–2violent1child, lolipowers, and the lulz–like linked cogs.
I mention this to draw contrast with Seitokai no Ichizon’s style of references. There’s nothing particular about Seitokai no Ichizon’s lack of the fourth wall, beyond it being a necessity. The nature of Seizon (LOL) is a conversation. Instead of talking about a chocolate coronet, they’re talking about the popularity of Haruhi Suzumiya in name and people would watch that show just because of its name; or the differences in the various forms of mass media.
In fact, isn’t that what the first episode is about? Game versus novels versus anime versus drama CD and so on? It’s like a chat log in its delivery, but the content is coherent and the references merely draw points that would otherwise take many sentences to illustrate. And thus, the question about “a radio drama is enough” needs an answer. It’s a prerequisite, at any rate.
Of course, is that funny? Maybe not, but there’s a point beyond that. It’s just a study on all this pop cultural crap, with an otaku focus. Being funny is not the main purpose to the exercise.
TWO: Nogizaka Haruka is your Twinkie girlfriend–fluff, sweet, indulging. She is different than the more universal blank slate types (eg., Soraoto) and closer to those “ideal” ones (eg., Onee-san). The difference however comes in the focus of the relationship. It’s perhaps closer to this than either of the previous examples. I guess what I wanted to say is the difference in the appeal, and not so much in the substance. It’s like you enjoy all the interactions in the game first, then the virtual waifu second. You could enjoy Love Plus because you like Takane, and you could enjoy Sora no Otoshimono because you like Ikaros, but usually it’s because you play the game or watch the anime first, then you come to like them. So basically, I like Nogizaka Haruka (the anime) because I like how it focuses on the romance (which is the same reason why these people like it).
As a side note, the second season offers little in assurance in that regard, although it does offer some right off the bat. That is beyond my expectation already (to offer it as little praise as I can).
THREE: It’s probably a small secret, but I’m sure they don’t mind spilling the beans now that they’re about done with the trip. Three old timers decided to pay Mizuho-sensei a visit. For the uninitiated, Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins take place in a scenic town in middle-of-nowhere, Lake Kizaki in Nagano. Like all notable otaku destinations, this one has a little shrine dedicated to the fans. We are Mizuho indeed.
This is noteworthy because I think during that time (2002-2003?) the three of them were really enjoying themselves. Regardless of what happened in their real life circumstances (and I don’t really know), this…thing that they have been doing together was something everyone cherished in some way. It’s a salute to sharing a cherished memory of youth. I so wish I could have gone~
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…
Perpetual Bewilderment with Haruka Nogizaka
I am still unable to pin down what about Haruka Nogizaka and her secret that made it what it was. I think while the general consensus is relatively accurate–a comfortable romantic comedy about sensitivity, trust, and blossoming into who you are; but of little else–it doesn’t quite capture everything remarkable.
I’m feeling a bit of the same for Kannagi. The obvious thing about Kannagi is that it is very well produced, and things look…very nice. The acting is fun and the whole setup is amusing enough. It’s entertaining yet so fully dripping in cliche that it becomes comfortable rather than irritating been-done.
Perhaps that line is where Haruka’s Secret straddles. For the most part, both shows are nothing really to write home about. There are trace amounts of suspense, of slapstick comedy, and a variable amount of drama. Romance seems like a carrot-on-a-stick but both boys and girls of the era of late-night anime fandom expect it. How can we complain about romantic side plots in Hollywood blockbusters; or worse, are we bottom feeding mimicry of our mainstream shadows? Does that explain why there’s so much crap about anime on tvtropes?
But none of that is truly bad, and none of that is desirable (obviously). It’s like a good stir-fry of leftovers that somehow produces a dish that you would like to eat again once in a while? If moe-blobs are a type of flavored soft drink, then the Nogizaka brand is probably a blend of healing properties with familiar flavors. Which is why it wasn’t so hard to stomach the same taste day in and day out in a blend that isn’t so soothing. Kannagi would just be a premium brand of the same, minus some of that tenderness.
At the same time it’s easy to understand those who protest exactly those flavors. What I don’t understand is how suddenly these protesters could turn around choose the same flavors, but perhaps packaged slightly differently. Maybe that just means I don’t quite understand myself.
I’ll give up for now.
