The Knight's Darkest Before the Dawn

February hit my area with a vengeance. Just snow every day, everywhere you look. Luckily I'd heard the forecast, and set aside a series to watch just in case I got frozen in my home for days on end. It's been on the edge of my radar for awhile now, and the recent favorable write-up in Otaku USA pushed me to finally give it a shot. The series' name is Knights of Sidonia, and you should all watch it. Like right now.

Though it aired way back in early 2014, I never gave it much thought because of the plot description: all humanity lives on a single spaceship, is being attacked by mysterious monsters, and one boy must pilot a robot to save everyone. Pass! It wasn't until much later that I learned the original manga author was Tsutomu Nihei. Then I started paying more attention.

I'd read his cyberpunk classic Blame! some time before, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Though the plot's incoherence and characters' relative lack of emotion still turns me off a little, these flaws contributed to the incredibly rich, bleak atmosphere. Forget those weaksauce “sci-fi” shows that thrown in a few laser guns and lightsabers, then called it a day; Nihei takes scientific concepts to their logical extremes, and isn't afraid to put his audience in a totally alien setting (read: no high schools). I watched hoping for something like this once again, and I wasn't disappointed.

We get to see a population that's evolved beyond needing three meals a day, even beyond having just two main genders. We get to see a city-ship that actually has to take propulsion into account, that literally cannot pick up fighters left behind in space because it's too big to do a 180. We get to see what happens to that ship's civilians when it's forced to make a hard turn. And we aren't even subjected to droning technobabble explaining what is going on every single second; a few sentences at most gives us a general idea, then the scene plays out naturally to show us the consequences. What a concept!

Given the extraordinary attention to setting, one would expect the characters and their emotions to be sacrificed. That isn't the case here, although they certainly aren't the series' selling point. The characters resemble the comfortable stereotypes we've seen before, especially in mecha anime: the aloof rival, the shy love interest(s), the mysterious commander, etc. The protagonist is a likable enough fish out of water, desperately trying to understand and protect this strange world, and a few others reveal interesting depths as well. The high-strung drama of combat is handled much better than the occasionally forced romantic ones, but I'd be lying if I said there weren't some touching parts in there.

Animation is what you'd expect for a mostly CG show. That is, mecha action and environment are both excellent in a way traditional methods would struggle to imitate these days, at least on a TV budget. Facial expressions suffer greatly as a result, though, especially when anyone has to cry or blush. This will probably be a turn-off for some, but it didn't bother me much, in the end. Nihei's characters have never been particularly emotive from what I've seen, so this is both a step up from Blame! and an accurate depiction of his style, to my eyes.

I really, really wish I had checked this out sooner, because it feels different from almost everything else out there. These twelve episodes are well worth your time, especially since there's a new season coming soon. Watch it now and let me know what you think! Already seen it? Tell me about your experience in the comments!

I See Dem Rollin', I Hatin'

One of the shows I'm currently watching is The Rolling Girls, the new production from Wit Studio by director Kotomi Deai (season 2 of Silver Spoon). Though the episodes themselves are far from painful to watch, the series as a whole leaves something to be desired even after three episodes. And after weeks of thinking way too much about a cartoon (as usual), I think I've pinpointed what it is.

If you read the Anime News Network season previews, you'll remember this show being compared to FLCL, Kill la Kill, and (most appropriately, I think) Kyousogiga. That's why I decided to watch Rolling Girls, even though the reviewers cautioned it was trying too hard to imitate these shows. I optimistically dismissed these criticisms, because fantasy action is still fantasy action, right? Who cares what influenced what how much as long as we get to see some crazy animation? And for the record, the action scenes are quite fun to watch with vibrant colors and an energy that grabs you right off the bat. But I couldn't help thinking of its previously-mentioned brethren, and how hollow this was starting to feel in comparison.

Was it the world-building? Kill la Kill was beyond skilled in how it gave you everything you needed to know in the first five minutes: a fascist school rules over its students with an iron fist and super-powered uniforms, and a transfer student is going to rock the system, presumably in the most over-the-top way possible. Rolling Girls by comparison is much less concerned with why the crazy fights are exploding onscreen, and at first I felt an ill-defined world was hampering my enjoyment. But really, once we figure out the action stems from a gang war between different regions under different superheroes (Bests), this explanation alone doesn't hold up; “fantasy world gang war” is all the setting you need. Kyousogiga's magical wonderland where anything could happen was a much vaguer setup by comparison, and don't get me started on Yuri Kuma Arashi's vagueness. Never change, Ikuhara.

Did the characters just suck? Closer, but not quite. Of the many introduced thus far, few are outright irritating (by my standards). I'm actually rooting for some of the Rest to take down the Best, who are mostly assholes that don't deserve their powers. It does carry the distinct stench of being gimmicky, which is a word I hate to use. Every animated character had their designers thinking, “how can I make this creation appeal to the widest audience possible?”, after all. But seriously, count the cast members who aren't cute girls. Riding on that train of thought, I smacked right into the answer, the big problem plaguing countless “cute girl” anime: there are no stakes here.

The violence has no consequences. When Best clash, not only do they suffer no fatalities, but neither do innocent bystanders. Though one Rest shrieks, “I'd die if I fought a Best!”, they are regularly blown hundreds of feet into the air by shockwaves. A group of Rest is used as hostages on a roller coaster of death, and though all are eventually flung violently from it long before the threatened crash, they all survive. “Oh, we've gotten really good at falling from great heights!” Even if one Best theoretically defeats another and takes their territory, trading your current asshole leader for a different one isn't the most dire consequence ever.

Those who watched Kyousogiga are no doubt rushing to correct me by now. “But people in Kyousogiga literally couldn't die! And all collateral damage repaired itself by magic! How can you harp on one show when this other had the same problems?” Because Rolling Girls also has virtually no emotional stakes.

Though the world of Kyousogiga was notoriously consequence-free, its three rulers radiated a sense of loss, of longing in their appearances. Separated from their parents before truly ready for it, they're clearly come across as unsupervised children locked in the world's best toy store for eternity; inwardly unhappy and unable to resolve their own issues alone. The four “rolling girls”? The main character goes on her quest to help a childhood friend, which is frankly a cheap and overused motivation in my book. One girl wants to gather these mysterious stones because they “look pretty”. Nice. The other two are along for the ride.

In the words of Boromir, “If we fail, what then?” Well, Best will continue to be assholes, which they have every indication of being if the girls succeed. The gas mask girl's implied issues with her mother will go tearfully unresolved unless, you know, they decide to talk their problems out. Some shady guy appears to also be collecting those magic stones, but we know nothing about him; he'll probably end up being the last boss no matter what anyone does. Oh, wait, the girls will all have to return to their comfortable daily lives if they fail to gather all those weird stones! Now that's scary!

I wanted to like this show, partially because I've liked nothing made by Wit Studio that isn't Attack on Titan, but this just isn't doing it for me. I'll keep watching since this show may yet pleasantly surprise me, but that won't likely happen unless events get significantly weightier, which doesn't appear to be on Rolling Girls's agenda. Though a disappointment, we've all seen bigger ones.

What are your thoughts on The Rolling Girls? I'd love to hear your opinions, especially if you disagreed with me. Do you see other major flaws I didn't mention? Post 'em!

My Mediocre Miracle

I decided to track down the film Mai Mai Miracle due to a brief thumbs-up bestowed upon it by an Anime World Order podcast I recently downloaded. Director Sunao Katabuchi not only has a relatively-anticipated movie in the works (In This Corner of the World), but also directed Black Lagoon, a series that has hovered towards the top of my pile of shame for years now. After viewing Mai Mai Miracle, I'm certainly looking forward to this guy's next work...but also hoping he cleans up a few things in the process.

MMM's greatest strength by far is its impeccable sense of time and place. Postwar Japan has seldom been more fully-realized, from subtle touches like the presence of American soldiers in the port district, to more overt ones like an ice vendor, or the uneasiness shown towards Kiiko, the affluent girl whose family embraces Western culture. The flashbacks to ancient times show the same care; every villager in the crowd scenes seems to have a specific reason for being there at that hour. It also does a fair enough job with the characters, although it is mostly just children goofing off.

That said, MMM does feel much more like a trifle than a truly unforgettable, immersive experience. I'd say this is because some of the themes don't really shine through like they should. We get by the end that we should hold onto our innocence, optimism, and childlike wonder in spite of the adult world's inevitable approach, but the main conflict that sets this up frankly isn't pulled off very well. It comes right out of nowhere, is a heck of a lot darker than the kiddie dickings-around that preceded it, and kicks a relatively flat side character into the limelight where he clearly doesn't belong. Furthermore, the aforementioned character of Kiiko really doesn't get developed as she should; while she comes out of her shell as the movie progresses, she has no role whatsoever in the climax, thanks to the presumed plot-jacking performed by less interesting characters. And while I'm harping about elements without a point, the concurrent plot we see in flashbacks to ancient times is blunt as all hell.

I liked this flick, but a classic for the ages this is not. The setting is always much richer, more vibrant, and more interesting than what is happening to the characters. The kids themselves are amusing enough to watch, sure, but it is just kids dicking around in the 50s until things decide to get a bit too real at the end. A clearer conflict throughout the runtime would have done wonders for this anime, although maybe that's just me bucking against the “slice-of-life” feel that Katabuchi clearly has a thing for.

If nothing else, I'm expecting In This Corner of the World to feel more authentic than almost any other period piece ever. Oh, and I feel a little more shameful for never having watched Black Lagoon. Let me know in the comments about what I've been missing, or if you have any thoughts on Katabuchi's directorial style. I'd also love to hear about any other works you think have a particularly rich setting; it's one element I think is absolutely crucial to producing a film/show that isn't forgotten.

Dirty Pairathon II: I've Got a Dirty Pair for You

As promised in a previous review, I finished watching the Dirty Pair OVA series which I'd blind-bought alongside the Dirty Pair feature films. In a ten-episode marathon, no less, as if anyone would care that I held that over from my first Dirty Pair viewing. Also consistent: the fact that this, too, was a very good purchase.

While no single episode reached the lofty bar set by Project Eden, the set taken as a whole is even truer to the franchise's concept because of its variety. These girls are meant to be faced with a different obstacle every week, so ten great installments ultimately does more for the duo than one fantastic movie. And make no mistake; these are great episodes with no real bad apple in the bunch. If I was forced to nitpick, maybe the one with the mute girl isn't as strong due to some slightly forced sentimentality and obvious villain, or maybe the one with the prison assault, which had characters suffering from moderate plot-induced stupidity.

But I didn't just enjoy these OVAs as I expected to. I was downright impressed with how much was crammed into twenty-some minute episodes, both story-wise and action-wise. My favorite one would have to be the Halloween-themed one, where Kei and Yuri must take down a Terminator-like killer robot, and end up foiling no less than four attempted robberies along the way, to say nothing of the smuggling bust in the opening minutes, before ending in one hell of a fun climax. They even manage to convey the silent robot's quite likable personality! Without a single line of dialogue, it gives you the impression that this machine would be a fun dude to hang out with if it weren't, you know, programmed to eventually kill everybody. Many of the other plots we have seen before, but are spiced up enough that they feel fresh, like the terrorist group seizing a military super-weapon (but they're kids!) or the bust of a crooked casino (the casino shoots asteroids! There's a pissed-off kung fu master involved!). And despite the relatively high onscreen body count and offscreen...uh, de-populations...the series forgoes a nihilistic feel in favor of surprisingly moral messages. A lot of damage could have been avoided if people had raised their kids with a sense of responsibility, let go of their grudges, or avoided drugs and gambling; I wasn't expecting to find this kind of subtext here, but it was a nice touch to a show that could easily be all guns and explosions because that's the way the world is, man.

What with the lack of an overarching story, there's not exactly much to gush about at length or dissect in detail. These are just incredibly solid episodes, from the pleasant musical score to the fluid, dynamic, occasionally goofy action, to those classic designs that just put you in a decade long past. Even those episodes I singled out as weaker aren't bad episodes; NO episode that involves flying surfboards or a fight over a green acid pit can be bad. It's impossible. I'd highly recommend this set for anyone who is looking for a great futuristic/retro sci-fi action show. And speaking of the future, I'm looking forward to one in which I have the money and free time to check out the original TV series...

Now that I've been successfully converted to a Dirty Pair fan, are there any other sci-fi action pieces you feel are overlooked? We all know how some really good stuff can slip through the cracks; let everyone know about them in the comments!

A Few Lupins Too Many

Fans of Lupin III need to be prepared for a lot of crap. Any franchise that's been going on for so damn long will have its share of garbage entries due to the ever-increasing number of creative minds involved, as well as changing attitudes towards the franchise's core concepts. I'm speaking of garbage, of course, because I recently watched Lupin III: Green vs Red, and it was bad. But bad in ways interesting enough that I'd like to try and dissect it a little.

The plot isn't that of a Lupin story, not in the sense we're all used to. The main character is not Lupin III, but some random, down-and-out loser called Yasuo who takes more or less stumbles into Lupin's trademark green jacket and thieving ways. He is one among literally hundreds of Lupin look-alikes, all sharing the criminal's appearance but displaying different personalities. Eventually he decides to steal the mysterious treasure “Ice Cube” (not the rapper, sadly) to prove he's better than a certain red-jacket Lupin, who acts like an asshole but is by far the most competent. Ice Cube is later revealed to be a fake, and the two main Lupins eventually have a showdown.

So, to begin with, we have no reason to care for Yasuo. He's not funny, or endearing, or interesting except in the most basic of ways, that maybe-I-can-find-the-strength-within-myself-to-become-something-greater way. His “evolution” is further hampered by the fact that it's shown out of order. We keep cutting to scenes seemingly at random of Yasuo first donning the green jacket, of Yasuo dicking around as an unmotivated loser, of Yasuo learning to pick pockets, of Yasuo fantasizing out of the blue about Fujiko Mine. Maybe it was just me, but I had a difficult time piecing together what happened when outside of the overarching conflict between Yasuo and Red Lupin, which critically hampered my ability to emphasize with Yasuo. Oh, look, he's depressed here! Is this a flashback to his old, aimless life, or is he out of the Lupin gear and discouraged by his recent loss to Red Lupin? Spoiler alert, none of the other Lupins are any more engaging than this.

Also, the supporting cast didn't do a very good job providing support. We all know what's going to happen: Jigen makes tricky shots after waxing poetic about his Magnum, Goemon cuts stuff, and Fujiko acts sexy and mysterious. All the required scenes are included, and they aren't half bad. But when Jigen and Goemon team up with Red Lupin just because “he's the most fun to work with” and Fujiko aids Yasuo so he can help with a heist, it's clearly out of narrative obligation more than anything. The only one with an actual role to play in this piece is, surprisingly, Zenigata.

Our job an audience, apparently, is to be mystified as to “who is the real Lupin?”, as Zenigata constantly reminds us. But the message the film beats us over the head over is that Lupin is an idea, a state of mind, a spirit of rebelliousness or determination to carve out one's own destiny. The discovery of Ice Cube's false nature reveals that which Lupin is real doesn't matter so long as others see any Lupin as real.

This message is bullshit as presented in the film for two reasons. First, I-know-Lupin-better-than-anyone Zenigata declares all Lupins other than Yasuo and Red Asshole Lupin to be fake, without giving any reason. Of these two remaining, wildly different Lupins, Zenigata cannot tell which one may be real (Really, writers? Really?). Why is that? What exactly makes those other hundreds of Lupins not Lupin? If nothing else, they're every bit as rebellious as the “idea of Lupin” would imply. Second, if the message is all about rebelliousness and making your own destiny, why do all the Lupins choose to dress and, to an extent, act the same? Hell, they even drive the same cars! And the masses are clearly not just latching onto a well-known symbol like he's the goddamn Batman; most members of the Lupin horde appear to genuinely believe they alone are the real one. Why the unexplained lack of originality?

It's really too bad, because this film certainly had potential. They say that Mamoru Oshii was going to make a Lupin film where Lupin never appears, where he has stolen the movie itself. It feels like Green vs. Red wanted to make that challenging kind of movie, to explore that core concept of what Lupin is, but was unsure of how. I'm certainly a fan of the animation, which changes styles several times but remains dynamic throughout. Sure, it does make the controversial choice of animating the non-Lupin characters in a much more drab, realistic style that drags the movie down in places. However, the designs are still quite detailed, and they interact with the more cartoony icons more fluidly than I expected. Also, they would have lent weight to the film's navel-gazing aspect if that aspect hadn't been so clumsy. In the end, I think this is that special kind of bad movie that does deserve at least one viewing, especially to fans of the franchise who complain how formulaic Lupin can be.

Anything you agree or disagree with? I'm no expert on this stuff, so feel free to poke holes in my analysis. Any Lupin movies or specials you feel are overlooked? Let us all know about them in the comments!

Dirty Pairathon

Did you see the December sale they had on Rightstuf.com? Holy crap, that was amazing, and I probably splurged on more anime than I should have. Among my greedy purchases was a triple feature of Dirty Pair movies, which I caved in on because I'd seen and enjoyed Project Eden, though the other two were unfamiliar to me. Since they were short, I went through them all in rapid-fire succession, and here are my brief thoughts.

The first feature, Affair of Nolandia, was...interesting. Interesting in that weird 80s OVA way, where dumping a load of ridiculous sci-fi cliches onto a budget that clearly can't support them results in something that isn't good, but more memorable than it has any right to be. The story is quite simple: Kei and Yuri must locate a girl who's apparently psychic, and a journey through a mysterious forest with plenty of esper-related hijinks takes up the first half. The second half is dedicated mostly to fights and chases as the real bad guys show their hand.

Two things stuck with me after viewing this. First, the animation was quite poor, with many repeated sequences throughout. It was also pretty unimaginative. For instance, the strange forest Kei and Yuri venture through is supposed to be this unreal place teeming with bizarre life. What do these strange creatures look like, you ask? Rats, mostly, with a few jellyfish floating through the air. Oh, and some unicorns, which look like someone stuck a horn onto an off-color horse. Only once did the art seem exceptionally detailed, during a close-up shot of a cyborg that lasted a second at most. Someone on staff must've really wasted to draw a robot.

Second, the ending. What the hell? Without spoiling things, let's just say things get incredibly dark out of left field. I've seen some cruel endings, and plenty of endings using black humor, but not one that gets simply brushed aside by such an incredibly stupid line out of Yuri. This is what you're going to take away from the experience, and leave us with?

Despite being average to below-average material for the time, I had fun with this. Average doesn't really describe Project Eden, though. Try glorious. Gloriously 80s, gloriously cheesy, and gloriously action-packed. There is so much effort put into making the design look cool, into the insert songs, into the opening and ending sequences that it's a little mind-boggling; I never heard the franchise was a big enough hit to attract this loving care. There is virtually nothing to complain about with this movie, except that it might be a little sexist.

The offender, proud thief Carson D. Carson, actually has remarkably good chemistry with Kei and Yuri; all three are that familiar combination of skilled professional and roguish screw-up. Whenever they talk, it seems like they're on the same level. But Carson is frequently either saving the duo or putting one over on them, while Kei quickly falls in love with him (maybe it's his near-constant lack of a shirt?). They just don't feel like equals, when they should. In addition, he gets at least half of the dramatic and badass scenes towards the end. True, those scenes are still badass, but it seems odd to place such emphasis on a one-off character in a film about the Dirty Pair.

Of course, this isn't enough to really detract from the experience. Hell, if anything it adds to the cheesy goodness. Anyone who seeks out quality animation or just wants to see girls with big hair chase a cackling mad scientist will get a kick out of this one.

Moving on to Flight 005 Conspiracy didn't exactly feel like a letdown by comparison, but it felt safe. Much too safe. The premise departs from the crazy sci-fi stuff to take a straight-up conspiracy-thriller angle, much like you'd see from Hollywood. The standard plot is the biggest weakness in my opinion, as nothing much here sticks in the memory. The bad guys are all your standard undercover government agent types. We're zipped from location to location, but none of them pops like the secret laboratory or even the forest of the first two features. Worse, at least for me, were the numerous exposition scenes when we're told which organization did what and why. My tiny brain is allergic to government politics, and tends to rebel when there's no Patlabor 2-level atmosphere drawing me in.

This does not have such a level of atmosphere; few things do. One bright spot is the bar scene, which has a hilariously over-the-top moment I didn't expect. Wish I had more to say about this one, especially considering how much better-made than Affair of Nolandia it is. But Flight 005 Conspiracy felt only competent, and not much else.

Frankly, while I wouldn't have bought two of the features on their own, Project Eden alone is more than worth the price I paid. And even if the two thirds of the total package weren't nearly as entertaining, they at least helped familiarize me with a franchise I wasn't immersed in before.

But the fun doesn't stop here! I also purchased the Dirty Pair OVA series during the same sale, and you'll hear my thoughts on that in the future.

What are your thoughts on these features, or the franchise in general? Anything similar you'd recommend? I chose not to but the also-cheap Dirty Pair Flash; did I make a mistake, or dodge a bullet?

My Youth in A Ship With a Freaking Skull and Crossbones on the Front

I just watched Arcadia of My Youth the other day, and for the most part, I was pretty impressed. Or rather, it had some very impressive moments and sequences that stood out in a story that took its sweet, sweet time. A lot happened throughout its two-hour runtime, of course; when you have to arrive on Earth, find allies there, escape from Earth, go to another planet, go back to Earth, escape again, and fight an alien space fleet, the minutes are going to get eaten up even without developing your sizable cast. But, you see how events are kind of repeating themselves? Also, things come to a screeching halt every time a named character's body is onscreen so everyone can take their time shedding manly tears; is it really necessary?

Both story and animation were hit-and-miss, but those hits were home runs. While some scenes definitely wore out their welcome, like the aforementioned dead body scenes, others such as the launching of the Arcadia and its journey through the Prominence benefited from the slower pace. Fans of the far faster, busier space combat of Macross and its ilk will probably gripe at the final battle's sluggishness, but then it was intended to be grandiose, not a high-flying circus. Even if we're bombarded with some repeated animation and improbable body movements at times, that shot of Arcadia emerging through its enemy's wreckage is to die for.

The characters were interesting enough, despite my never having watched any Harlock property before, and relatively few Matsumoto works in general. Tochiro was easily the most interesting throughout, with Harlock also having his moments in the first half before sliding into the silent, broody role he's famous for. The Tokargans' tragic plight lent a welcome weight to the proceedings, but unfortunately the women did little besides look beautiful and/or badass. Taken together, this is your typical easy-to-root-for ragtag group of misfits common to such sci-fi settings (Guardians of the Galaxy immediately springs to mind), but don't fix it if it ain't broke. Music was about what I expected for this sort of jaunt; bombastic enough without being too memorable.

The thing is, pretty much all my criticisms against this film can be dismissed due to its own romanticism. Who cares if the women are useless, the men overemotional when they aren't brooding silently, or if it takes too long to get from point A to point B? Not the makers of this. They wanted to make a movie where noble men do noble things, where not even the shittiest future could kill chivalry, and they succeeded. Those who scoff at romantics should probably stay far away, but I'd call this two hours well-spent.

So, what are your thoughts on this movie? On Leiji Matsumoto or Captain Harlock in general? Anything you'd recommend I watch after this? Sound off in the comments!