Blast from the Past

Continuing my bad habit of impulse-purchasing anime, a few months ago I bought myself a copy of Super Dimension Century Orguss. Never heard of it? Yeah, me neither. But the cover art just screamed Macross at me, and sure enough, the two shows shared character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto. Even better, they shared Noboru Ishiguro as director, one of the more renowned figures in sci-fi anime who also did the first Megazone 23 OVA and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Those are some solid credits right there, but what about this more obscure show?

From episode one there's a solid mashup of science fiction ideas. In the future, two major world powers are at war, and asshole pilot Kei becomes a key part of one's mission to bomb the enemy's orbital elevator. Not with just any bomb, mind you, but with a deadly Dimensional weapon that, due to a few miscalculations on everyone's part, ends up warping space and time. Kei gets flung twenty years into the future to an Earth comprised of multiple timelines; humans evolved different ways on different timelines, other creatures dominated the planet on others, and machines on still others. Now all possibilities are stuck with each other, and Kei must navigate the warring factions long enough to save the Earth from a slow death via increasing dimensional instability.

So it's basically a free-for-all where anything is plausible, but the plot turns out more grounded than you might expect. That's because the focus is only two or three races and the interactions between their members. In this sense it again recalls Macross, where humans, Zentradi, and Meltlandi found common ground and learned to coexist only after many confrontations. The ragtag crew eventually assembled aboard the Glomar and their conflicts demonstrate on a small scale how people (and robots, and dinosaur . . . psychic . . . things) can more or less live together despite their different viewpoints or backgrounds. Our love for one another makes it possible.

Sounds trite and cheesy? It is, as befits a space opera from the early 80s, but the cast gets treated with enough dignity to sell the idea. Almost everybody wants something beyond just survival, and goes through at least a few introspective scenes wherein they question what they want and what they're doing. Mimsy may be mistaken at first glance as the doe-eyed, stereotypical love interest who eventually realizes she can't live without the hero. But that would be overlooking her long-running goal of using Kei as a tool to help her race, her conflict between duty and friendship as she discovers said race's intentions, and her reservations against entering a relationship that may be fated to end quickly. Kei, for his part, puzzles out the meaning of responsibility without completely losing the free-spiritedness that made him endearing. Shaya is a mess of contradictions and insecurities under her warm, matronly personality, and even mascot or comic relief characters have their own personal conflicts and tragedies. There's plenty of cheesy interactions to be found, which maybe I unfairly write off because I have a thick skin for the stuff, but also lots of emotional meat to enjoy if you aren't totally allergic to melodrama.

Likewise, the video quality itself will either be a bonus or a turn-off depending on the viewer. Orguss is an early 80s TV show. It looks like an early 80s TV show. Quality ranges from decent to janky, with stock footage rearing its head during many a battle scene. The trade-off is that vehicles, missiles, and explosions have a hand-drawn charm that no CGI can replicate, but it's understandable if many get annoyed seeing the same three missiles blow up the same three Nikicks over and over. On a similar note, while the Haruhiko Mikimoto character designs have a beautiful retro look in key art, when budgets wear thin you'll notice eyes wandering all over faces, to say nothing of weird limb movements. The music remains consistently good, at least, never dropping below serviceable, and the opening theme is an earworm.

I can see why people would turn their noses up at this title. It looks hopelessly dated, it's got cheese coming out the ears, and the ending is the very definition of “your mileage may vary”. But Super Dimension Century Orguss is also a show with a lot of heart, one that has fun with science fiction concepts, develops its characters well, and knows how to leave you on a good cliffhanger. Praise be once again to Discotek for letting us own this lesser-known title; no other anime licensor is as dedicated to bringing back neglected chunks of history. Until a decent amount of Macross gets its own release (fingers crossed), Orguss is a worthy successor to the message that emotions conquer all.

Born to Fail

In a predictable twist, right after writing up an article that mostly insulted light novel adaptations, there appears to be a pretty good one this very season. Its name, roughly translated, is Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. That title alone would normally drive me away; it sounds like a delusional teenager's autobiography, and the generic plot description did not help matters. But enough critics called its first episode “interesting” that I checked it out, and lo and behold, that verdict holds true four episodes in.

The plot opens with a group of teenagers waking up in a fantasy world with no memories. Advised to earn their living by becoming freelance adventurers, the more dominant, outgoing kids immediately form a group, leaving the six timid, weaker ones no choice but to stick together for survival. We then follow the weaker party through their day to day lives.

So right off the bat there's this major strike against Grimgar: it's about teenagers trapped in a video game. Not that such is ever explicitly stated. But although the teens have no memories, they sometimes instinctively use modern-day words and phrases, only to sheepishly realize they have no actual idea of their meaning. They rediscover their skills and preferences bit by bit, reasoning “I probably liked X before I came here, too.” And the mechanics of learning skills and buying items functions exactly the same as virtually every RPG ever. This is shit so familiar to us by now, they don't even bother to explain it in much detail.

The details, however, happen to be where Grimgar excels. Take the combat, for example; there are plenty of fantasy series that look great but rely on smoke-and-mirror tricks when it comes to fighting. Record of Lodoss War, for example, tended to show the prelude and aftermath of a sword strike without showing the hit itself, let alone an enemy's attempt at blocking. Oop, hero guy started to charge, that means bad guy's gonna get cut. With Grimgar, every movement has meaning, with causes and effects clearly shown to us. The thief's attack went wide because the goblin's missed stab threw him off balance, which means he next needs to roll away before the goblin can strike again. Action choreography is a rare talent in the best of times, especially on a TV budget, so battles are a treat for their loving care if not for scale.

Some may not like the fact that only goblins are fought thus far, but I think it adds to Grimgar's appeal. This show is the anti-Sword Art Online in that its characters are barely good at anything, let alone the best. Their daily lives are shown in enough detail that we understand the constant struggle to put bread on the table by fighting only the lowest of the low, and realize how hard living in such a world would actually be, rather than use the setting as a simple power fantasy. It's this struggle that keeps the characters sympathetic despite them being not only borderline blank slates, but somewhat generic archetypes. We care for the typical shy girl, the nice guy, the spunky girl, the loudmouth jerk because they did nothing to deserve their harsh situation; you'd have to be kinda sadistic to want these kids to fail.

The production values are another big plus. As mentioned before, the battles are exceptionally detailed, but that care extends to simpler character movements as well. Body language is not neglected, right down to awkward fidgeting. Backgrounds consist of gorgeous watercolors, the kind of scenery you'd want to live in if, you know, you weren't working your ass off each day to keep from starving or being killed.

 

Probably the only aspect handled downright poorly is the fanservice. First off, there didn't need to be any. We care enough about everyone's wellbeing that seeing the two girls objectified feels wrong, even if boys will be boys and all that. Second, it's not done well. The loudmouth dark knight usually makes some dirty comment out of nowhere or randomly decides to peek in on a bathing session. The other guys try to stop him with a halfheartedness that would make Willy Wonka proud.

They're also clearly intrigued by his ideas, though, and the large-breasted mage girl gets one step further from overcoming her crippling fear of people. It feels like there was some box being checked off whenever such scenes happen, and they really take you out of the story.

Fortunately, this is a small problem in an otherwise standout series. While Grimgar may sound like a dozen other shows from the past few years, it works hard to successfully stand out from the herd. I suppose things could still go off the rails in a bad way, and it's unlikely we'll get a satisfying ending anytime soon if the source material stretches on for volumes upon volumes. But right now I find myself anticipating this show each week, hoping that our band of heroes will maybe catch a break this time. That's a hard feeling to draw out of a viewer, and for now it's more than enough.

Here Come the Fuzz

 Hey, all! Just a short entry today, since the subject is a short anime that only just started running.

I find myself only rarely watching the handful of bite-sized anime that inevitably airs alongside “proper” shows. Very seldom does any short live long in the collective memory, so I figure why spend the extra three to seven minutes per week when I'm watching too much already? Well, this season I'm glad I went out on a limb. The world must know of Sushi Police.

As the 2020 Olympics approach, Japanese cuisine rises in popularity worldwide, particularly sushi. But with that push in popularity comes a rash of restaurants serving subpar sushi. That's where the Sushi Police comes in. Are you using inauthentic ingredients, or experimenting with sushi to create unconventional new flavors? Enjoy watching your restaurant burn, asshole.

Most of the humor comes from the leader, Honda, and how seriously he takes his . . . very odd job. It's also funny how intolerant our “heroes” are towards people who don't mean any harm. Throw in a little slapstick violence and racial insensitivity, and you have Sushi Police in a nutshell. There's a high volume of laughs for just a three minute runtime, so dig right in while it's still fresh.

A Light Burden

With a new season upon us, it's that time once again when we decide which shows are worth following. But how to separate the good shows from the bad, armed with little more than a staff list and paragraph-long synopsis? Well, I've found myself following a tragically useful rule: don't watch what's based on a light novel.

Of course I hate myself for saying this. It's wrong to damn one genre completely for any reason; there will be both good and bad representatives at any given time. But there's such a glut of samey me-too content right now that I feel like taking a break from light novel adaptations for a while.

How did it get this way? It would be easy to blame Sword Art Online, the critically-panned series that nonetheless enjoys insane profits. But light novel adaptations have been around for years before, not only selling well but winning praise also, such as Gundam Unicorn, Spice & Wolf, and the Bakemonogatari franchise. Others may not have made bank right away, yet remain fan favorites. How many times has Baccano been given a physical release? Likewise, Durarara took a few years to get a sequel, but it's doing fine now. True, it wasn't until Sword Art Online's unexpected success that anime producers seemed to collectively say, “Let's milk the shit out of this genre”, but blaming this one show would just be unfair considering what came before.

That lazy attitude is the biggest strike against current light novel adaptations. I'd happily watch more if the shows covered a healthy variety of topics, but they don't. Seriously, try to find one where the hero isn't attending superpowered magic high school or trapped in a video game. Beyond that, you can just go down a checklist: the main character is arbitrarily weak but secretly the strongest, there's a harem of potential lovers after him, and everyone will waste countless minutes explaining how this world is actually so much more complex and works better than all those other identical fantasy settings. Seemingly zero effort is made to make the show unique in any way, which might actually be the case; I've heard rumors that making even a subpar adaptation is guaranteed to significantly boost sales of the actual novel, so maybe that's the true goal. Regardless, why should we the viewers dump our time into a story we've heard many times before?

Surprisingly, I find hope by looking at the recent history of moe anime, which has already gone through a similar cycle. Starting with acclaimed works like Azumanga Daioh, it soon devolved into a deluge of feel-good fluff. Now there's not only fewer such shows out there, they're better. I find many series by PA Works tend to tend to write their characters with complex thoughts and emotions despite them having the trademark huge eyes, no noses, and generally squishy faces of moe designs. Last year's School Live! ambitiously combined that genre with horror to produce some surprisingly heartfelt moments. Long story short: the fans stopped buying the load of samey crap thrown their way, so the creators had to put more effort in to keep selling.

Even if we are in the middle of a dry spot for creative content, I can't actually boycott light novel adaptations one hundred percent. The Bakemonogatari franchise is still great, as it has been for years before this started. And every so often something will stick out from the crowd for better (Shimoneta) or worse (Gate), so of course I have to investigate; hell, I'm following one or two such shows this season because they generated decent buzz. But in general I've become much, much more cynical towards the genre because it's given me few reasons not to. Not until we collectively act like self-entitled snobs will creators throw out that imaginary checklist and start making light novel adaptations with more care and variety. Let's face it, that day can't be too far off; who acts snobbish better than anime fans?

It's a . . . Gundam?

Gundam fans are notoriously hard to please. They want each new Gundam show to be fresh and different from the original while still feeling like a Gundam show. Pretty vague, right? Since the original Universal Century Gundam was a fairly complex story that worked on many levels, though, fans disagree over what exactly should and shouldn't be carried over to the next spin-off universe. Politics? Wacky hijinks? Complex characters? Hell, what should the robots even look like? Inevitable profits aside, it's a no-win situation for Sunrise executives. But with the currently-airing Iron-Blooded Orphans, I think they might have achieved the impossible in creating the least-Gundam Gundam show yet, but in the best way possible.

The quick-and-dirty version of this story goes something like this: humanity has migrated to space, but is still ruled by the Earth-centered government. Mars in particular wants independence, with young noblewoman Kudelia the symbolic spokesperson for that viewpoint. She attempts travel to Earth in hopes of negotiations, hiring a mercenary group for escort, but various factions see this as a threat to their interests and attack. Amid and because of the resulting chaos, the war-orphans-turned-enhanced-child-soldiers used as disposable pawns by the mercenaries rebel against their superiors. Led by Orga and Mikazuki, they then take control of the mercenary group, dubbing it Tekkadan, and attempt to navigate the ins and outs of running a dangerous business among treacherous political waters, all the while trying to get Kudelia to Earth.

Plot-wise it all sounds pretty standard, but this show makes its first risky move with its handling of the Gundam Barbados itself, a well-designed, spear-wielding mecha left over from a war in ages past.

We barely ever see it.

Yes, the franchise-leaving robot, as well as all lesser machines, has barely a handful of appearances over the first thirteen episodes. There's no impassioned monologues from anyone about how cool and important the Gundam is, what it stands for, or how they must find the heart of the Gundam. Just a casual mention of a repair or upgrade is all we hear of the machine. Rarely do we glimpse it outside the few combat scenes, which incidentally, are much better-animated and rely heavier on actual tactics than your typical Gundam show. For a franchise that depends so much on selling the idea of mecha so they can sell the actual toys of them, that takes some serious balls.

So, if it isn't even covertly about the robots, what exactly is Iron-Blooded Orphans about? In a word, family.

Sure, a simple and obvious concept, given that there are orphans here. The trope of loners without blood relatives forming a makeshift family with each other is a stale one at best, but it's actually done pretty well here through efficient use of the characters; that is, we're shown everyone's perspective on family through their background. Tekkadan leader Orga initially thinks only of his group's safety and wellbeing, and jumps to sacrifice himself for them at every opportunity, which is exactly what he did when under the thumb of the self-interested mercenaries. He learns through interactions with Naze Turbine's . . . unconventional family that this close-minded attitude could endanger his comrades, and being open to outside help and ideas will probably make them all live longer. Other characters struggle with high-born parents for whom politics may be more important than one's own kin, or with siblings who directly threaten their makeshift family's safety. All this is put forth via the characters' natural interactions rather than explanatory dialogue, another relative rarity in the Gundam universe.

Mind you, there are plenty of weaknesses to be found. All that focus on family leads not only to the aforementioned sparse fights, but also to a slow pace in general. Some characters are dead weight, doing nothing except offering a different perspective. They may have larger roles later, and the plot may gradually be building up to some grand statement about its themes, but I'll definitely feel cheated if all this waiting and character-building doesn't lead into an above-average finale. The relative lack of robots may be a minus for some, and the lack of good villains even more so; all bad guys with, one exception, are cartoonishly evil and don't last more than a few episodes. Said exception, while somewhat interesting and complex, has thus far done almost nothing and has no serious quarrel with our protagonists. It sounds crass of me, but sometimes you need a pretty boy to put on a dumb mask and start shooting things.

I still think the show is worth recommending. Sure, it's not the slam-bang action show, or complex meditation on war some of us may have hoped for. But it is a very focused show that follows a sympathetic, evolving group of characters without using action as a crutch. More impressively, it stands alone from the Gundam franchise, moreso than any spinoff I've seen to date. In my book, those two things are cause for celebration.

2015 Year in Review

2015 has come and gone, marking my first year of writing in this blog. As such, I'd like to take a look back and recap what stood out to me personally over the past twelve months.

The Good

Shirobako definitely tops my list of best show this year; even though only the second half technically aired in 2015, it included some of the most powerful moments. One Punch Man remains one of the most lavish, loving adaptations of an already-great manga, and Ore Monogatari! Still gives me warm fuzzies whenever I think of it. Prison School raised the bar for filthy, uncomfortable jokes done incredibly well, with Shimoneta trailing not too far behind. And even if they don't get quite as much mainstream attention, I always love it whenever I get another small piece of the ongoing Bakemonogatari or High School DxD franchises. This year we got both, so I'm a pretty happy camper right now.

The Bad

Gate sticks out in my mind as the most irresponsible show this year, spouting the immature message that the only consequence of invading a more primitive country is an avalanch of cute girls and victory. Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace ruined its playful, somewhat arts atmosphere with unrealistic, irritating characters and contrived mysteries and plot points. Likewise, Sailor Moon Crystal showed us how badly sacrificing the characters' personality for plot can go wrong (as well as sacrificing animation budget . . .), while Gundam: Reconguista in G just didn't know what the hell was going on. With anything.

The Stats

Not counting my introductory post or the season-in-review articles, I posted 30 times over the past year. All told, I wrote almost 30,000 words, or about a 45-page document on my OpenOffice word processor.

The Goals

Because what's a New Year's post without some resolutions? My goal most immediately relevant to this blog would be to post more often, or at least more consistently. My average number of articles dropped significantly as the year went on, with some serious gaps between them. Hopefully I can fix that with a little effort. Also, I'd like to get more followers, since my current number of readers is . . . very, very few. Maybe this can be helped with a little touching-up of the site for more user-friendliness, but I'm guessing the best route would be to check out other successful blogs. See what works and what doesn't for them. Maybe post some feedback of my own if I expect to get any myself. Finally, I want to significantly reduce my backlog (as I always say I should) and attend a local convention or two, since I didn't get the opportunity to this past year. Here's to a great 2016!

Fall 2015 Overview

This was quite a strong season overall; there were few, if any shows I'd actually call weak, and many pleasant surprises. So let's get to it, shall we?

Concrete Revolutio

I, like most other watchers, don't know exactly what to make of this show. It's quirky and convoluted to a fault, though that's arguable part of its charm. My main problem would be the show's message, or what I perceive as the show's message: there is no such thing as true justice, as even supposed evildoers have their reasons for doing things. That's way too simple a message for a show as ambitious as this, and the characters all seem like idiots for constantly failing to grasp this idea. At least it's a colorful, energetic diversion.

Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid

Having seen a number of Hiraku Kaneko-directed shows, I thought he was good only with the fanservice-related aspects of anime and nothing else. While no doubt a master at gathering well-endowed girls onscreen, their personalities tended to awaken my strangling instincts. Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid forces me to rethink my opinion of this director; these characters are actually endearing! Many have strong motivations, there's a distinct undercurrent of loss and homesickness throughout, and as a result the show is surprisingly watchable. Oh, bare nipples are still shoved in our faces at every opportunity, which will no doubt turn people off. But this is the first time I've watched a Kaneko show and honestly felt that the characters represented more than their respective cup sizes. Well done.

Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

A solid show overall, but one I do have reservations about. There'll be a write-up on this shortly, so stay tuned for that. Let me assure you right now that it is a major step forward after Gundam: Reconguista in G.

Ushio & Tora

Pretty similar to the first cour, only this one focused solidly on advancing the plot rather than monster-of-the-week adventures. So, a slight improvement, even.

Osomatsu-san

Read my article on the subject for more detail, but I'll say here that it's a great show. Probably the unexpected comedy hit of the year, considering its modest, obscure origins.

Kagewani

I'd hinted previously that I didn't like this show, but I certainly don't hate it. While certainly failing at horror, it more or less woks as a cheesy, shorter version of those Syfy channel original movies. Okay, not exactly a glowing recommendation, but there's a respectable audience for such things.

Kowabon

Unfortunately I can't give a final impression on this show because English subtitles have been almost impossible to come by. Though succeeding at actual horror unlike Kagewani, it can't boast a definitive climax like the other show. How can I say Kowabon is a truly good show if it may drop the ball at the end? Well, FI loved the seven episodes we got so far, and hope to complete it someday soon.

Attack on Titan Junior High

A fun little show if you approach it with the right attitude. Unlike some other recent comedies, this one really can't be called creative, but its single joke worked pretty well over the show's run. And of course the characters were fun to watch; I was actually surprised how well they lent themselves to comedy. Of course, newcomers to the franchise need not apply.

The Perfect Insider: Everything Becomes F

Finally, a good mystery show! One that doesn't faceplant at the end, or talk down to the audience, or put on airs of pretention to hide its bullshit! Some critics disagree with me on these points, of course,. But after the trainwreck ending of Rokka no Yuusha and the fedora-wearing middle finger of Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace, it feels great to enjoy a mystery from beginning to closing.

Owarimonogatari

I get the feeling I tend to turn a blind eye to this show's faults, given how intimate my familiarity and love for the whole franchise is. But this show had some particularly great moments, mostly involving Oikura, Shinobu, and of course Ougi (one of my favorite villains ever). Sure, I wished some parts wre as visually interesting or well-animated as previous installments. But that doesn't really dampen a good story much, one that I can't wait to see more of.

One Punch Man

Do I even need to describe how much fun this show is? Just watch it now, or you'll soon be left behind by the rest of fandom.

And that does it for the most recent season! Next one seems to have fewer shows I'm familiar with through franchises and/or creators, so we'll see how that turns out!