The Fortune

title-2813171

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:25:00 +0200

Ok, I realise that I haven't written anything in ages. Let's just say I've hit a slump of laziness when it comes to reviewing. I am also considering relocating this blog yet again. I'll move the previous articles over there if I get it set up. The options for things like customisation on this site aren't very good for those that use it for free, and I'm not going to use it often enough to warrant paying for my own space. I did try Blogspot for a while but had some login issues when it was in the Beta stage, but I'll give it another try.

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Well Then

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:00:07 +0200

It seems people didn't respond well to my last article. I admit it wasn't well thought out. I probably should have explained myself better and wrote more. However, they seem to think I'm making big sweeping statements and that I'm a "pseudointellectual". I said what I said because I just didn't find many redeeming qualitites that were beyond superficial. I was offered to review three of the anime I mentioned, and the person would give a rebuttal of each point I make. To me that seems rather pointless. Why would I make an article just for someone to pick apart? It's a waste of time for both parties. The whole point of this blog is to be a collection of my thoughts. It's not supposed to be something amazing that will really get people thinking or act as a sponge for bad mannered people. I'm quite happy to listen to constructive criticism that isn't designed to be intentionally rude. And besides, this isn't a blog I'm serious about, so if you don't like what I say, don't take it too seriously.

In Other News
I'm off work from Monday to Thursday, so I'm hoping to have the review of Please Teacher and Devilman Lady done. If not, I'll at least have the Please Teacher review up. I'm thinking about getting the manga Gunsmith Cats. According to a friend of mine that I met on webcomic forum, it's a manga that probably influenced a lot of Quentin Tarantino's work. I trust his judgement, since he was right about Devilman Lady.

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The Moé Factor

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:19:55 +0200

Moé (pronounced mo-EH) is a Japanese slang word originally referring to fetish for or sexual attraction to female characters in video games or anime and manga. For example, meganekko-moe, "glasses-girl moé", describes a person who is attracted to fictional girls with glasses.

I love moé. During my time as an anime fan I've been able to decide for myself what I like to see in an anime girl. All anime fans have at least a few things that they consider to be moé. Heck, even non-anime fans would develop some sort of attachment to moé. Even if they deny it, somewhere deep in their mind, they'll look at an animated girl every once in a while and think "Man, she's actually pretty hot". It plays a very important part in anime, and is the biggest driving force in anime today. Let's face it, moé sells. Like I said, I love it, but when moé detracts from the central theme of an anime, and people try to sprinkle it with pseudointellectual nonsense, I get annoyed.

Caught In The Act
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is the biggest culprit. Yes, that's right. I'm going to break it down into what it really is. Actually, it doesn't need much breaking down because anyone with a brain should see it for what it is. Don't get me wrong. I liked the series, but it was purely on a superficial level. It has its moments when it comes to comedy, the girls are cute and Kyon is a good character, but let's be realistic here. What else does it have to offer? A compelling story? Nope. There's not much of story to begin with, nevermind a compelling one. Haruhi tries to start a new club in her school, the members she recruits consist of an alien, a time traveller, an Esper and the main character, Kyon. They have these little adventures that basically serve no purpose other than to force you into watching the next episode. Except you're not getting the next episode. You're getting the second last episode, and then the third episode. Add this haphazard way of airing episodes to the incoherent ramblings of Yuki, Mikuru and Itsuki, and you'll see what I mean by the pseudointellectual mindset people get into when they watch it. Let's not forget the lack of character development, or the lack of interesting characters besides Kyon.

What About The Others?
Lucky Star, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, Zero no Tsukaima, Fate/Stay Night, Mahoromatic, DearS and Elfen Lied are just a drop in The Ocean of Moé. They're all good shows for what they are; fun and moé. However, people need to stop pretending they're something they're not. They are not clever. They are not great stories. The characters are not well developed or interesting. You may think I'm being harsh, but I'm willing to bet a lot of the creators of these types of shows think the same way. They know what the anime community wants, and they provide it. It's common sense and a good business sense.

There's Still Hope
As always, I'm of the opinion Full Metal Panic paves the way for everything that's good in anime. It is the standard that I set every other anime against. So far, only one anime has practically set the same standard, and that's Chobits. And you know what? They still have moé elements, but they do it right by providing enough fan-service, but still keep the viewer's mind preoccupied by more important things in the story. I don't want to put people off of watching purely moé anime, but I would be a lot happier if more people started to actually watch some anime as a legitimate form of art and entertainment, rather than just quick fix for entertainment or lust. Basically, just think about what you're watching and ask yourself, "Am I really enjoying this, or am I just wanting to enjoy this because of my moé preferences?".

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Anime UK News

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:30:21 +0200

I have been added to the Anime UK News Blogs RSS Feed. I know you can't see it, but I'm smiling. While this blog was originally intended for my own personal use to gather my thoughts, it will be quite nice if I get at least a few readers.

Here's the link if you wish to view the site for the blogs.

Enjoy.

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Intermission

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:09:48 +0200

Stuff To Do
It's been a while since I've updated and writing reviews can be a chore when you're not up for it, or you accidentally close the Firefox tab you're writing the review in. >_>

I'm in the middle of writing a review on Please Teacher, and I just finished watching Devilman Lady (The Devil Lady if you want to use the western name) so I'll have a review of that done at some point soon. As for gaming, I'm making my way through Red Steel on the Wii. I'm almost halfway through, but I won't give an opinion until I'm finished. The first 4 volumes of the Chobits manga came recently, so I got those read rather quickly, and when I've read the rest I'll do a review. Man, there's so many reviews to do. ^_^;

Other Stuff
Like many others, I am beginning to question the current state of anime. I'm not going to say it's going downhill, because there are still fine pieces of anime being created after the 1990's. The problem is that it feels like the industry has reached saturation point, or something along those lines. While most of my favourites aired during 2000 and beyond, I feel that the 1990's was the Golden Age of anime. I have only been an anime fan for almost 2 years but when I look at anime like Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Devilman Lady and Escaflowne, I just get a feeling that I should have been an anime fan from an earlier age. If that happened, I could be a very different anime fan from what I am today. Like many of today's anime fans, my tastes grew from the internet instead of my desire to find genuinely good pieces of art and entertainment, and not just entertainment/moe.

However, since I am the kind of person that likes to watch stuff that is easy on the mind, I don't hold a pessimistic view of the current state of anime. I know of some possibly upcoming series that have potential, so things can't get any worse. If anything, they can only get better.

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Chobits

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:58:37 +0200

Concept

Hideki Motosuwa is heading to Tokyo to study at a prep school so that he can get into university. He's a bit out of touch with most technology due to his time spent working on his parents' farm. Upon arriving, he finds that many people have their own Persocoms. The Persocoms are computers that have the appearance of humans and are designed to follow the owner around or provide assistance with tasks. They are so human-like that the only way to tell the difference is to look at the strangely shaped ears. Soon after finding his room, he goes out to run some errands. On his way back he comes upon the body of a girl that has been left on a pile of rubbish. He quickly realises it's just a Persocom, and (with difficulty) carries her back to his room. After a while, he figures out how to switch her on, but when she boots up, her bandages fall off and she's naked. On top of that she can only say one word, "Chii".

Main Characters
Hideki Motosuwa
Hideki is so inept when it comes to technology. His knowledge extends to using a T.V and telephone, and that's about it. Because of this, he runs into all sorts of problems when he tries to look after and teach Chii. However, he has a very honest personality and he always strives to do the right thing. This leads to some very awkward and embarassing moments for him because he is so focused on not wanting to look like a pervert, he ends up making things look worse. His willingness to help others is the aspect of his character that's given the greatest focus, and it's what helps mend broken relationships between other characters. He is, by far, the best male lead I've ever seen.

Chii
Chii is the source of a lot of Hideki's happiness. Even though she can't speak well at first, she begins to speak properly after Hideki teaches her. She also begins to carry out tasks by herself, much to Hideki's amazement. Despite her lack of common sense, she always tries her best to please Hideki and likes to keep a positive outlook and is always there for Hideki during his times of need. The attachment she has to Hideki is rather cute, but after a while, it becomes apparent it's more than just her being attached.

Opinion
Plot
Most of the series focuses around the trials Hideki goes through because of Chii and how he interacts with other people. The moments of interaction are quite a breath of fresh air because it really does seem like the characters are being natural. Watching Hideki pull through is such a great joy to watch. Despite his weirdness, you really do feel for him. The topic of non-human beings (Persocoms) having free will and emotion comes up on a regular basis and is very thought provoking. I still try to grasp the concept but I still haven't figured out how something like this is possible. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of the Persocoms having free will (Chobits) aspect, but the series leans towards how humans react to having something convenient like a Persocom to have a relationship/obsession with which is still a perfectly good thing to have a think about.

Audio
The cast is just great. Sugita Tomokazu, Seki Tomokazu, Rie Tanaka, Kikuko Inoue, to name a few, all provide a stellar performance. They all sound really relaxed and everyone is perfectly suited to their role. Special mention goes to Sugita Tomokazu. His performance as Hideki is nigh on perfect. Any emotion he uses (anger, surprise, depression, happiness,etc) is expressed brilliantly. His voice is just so soothing to hear. Rie Tanaka also puts on a great performance as Chii. Her voice is just so cute that you can't help but smile all the time when hearing it.

The soundtrack is awesome. In fact, it's so good, it's the only anime soundtrack I own. There's a lot of jazz, and some pop as well. Both styles really add to the atmosphere of each scene, and do a good job of emphasising the emotions being conveyed. The opening theme song (Let Me Be With You by Round Table) is a rather cute pop track that uses a lot of percussion, bass and keyboard. It's a great way to start each episode off, and it gives some insight into how Hideki and Chii feel about each other. The first ending theme song (Raison D'etre by Rie Tanaka) is pleasant to listen to and shows the light-hearted side of Chobits. However, at the turning point, a new song kicks in. Ningyo Hime is another song sung by Rie Tanaka. It's quite a haunting and melancholic pop track that really feels like it's pulling on your heart strings.

Animation
There has never been an anime like it. People never would have thought this was a Madhouse animation. While a decent animation studio, they aren't amazing. However, the quality of the animation in Chobits is mind blowing. Of course the art style owes a lot to the manga, but there are some elements that aren't even present in the manga. The colours are pretty to look at and nothing feels jagged or sharp; just smooth. One example of its unique style is the eyes. Every character doesn't have pupils, but the iris takes up most of the eye. However, the iris goes from light to dark, instead of being one tone of colour. It's the little things like this that set it apart.

Final Thought
It provides something for everyone. I was looking just for romance and comedy in this when I first started watching. Along the way, not only did I enjoy those primary elements, I also picked up on the character interaction, the importance of a soundtrack, how anime doesn't always follow one animation style, you can still have interesting points made about today's technology and technology of the future. Oh, and Chii the most adorable character ever. She might be even prettier than Kaname and Tessa from Full Metal Panic! I never thought I'd see that. Chobits is something you must watch, no matter what you are interested in. Go watch it right now.

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Full Metal Panic!

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:11:43 +0200

I decided to start off with something that I can give exceedingly high praise to. Full Metal Panic! just so happens to be my favourite anime and I have never done a review of it.

Concept
Kaname Chidori was born with a strange ability. This ability has enabled her to solve complex mathematics and science problems. She has went her whole life being able to do this and she is not sure why. In fact, she doesn't even seem to question it and seems oblivious to it being abnormal. Unbeknownst to her, a trio of soldiers from Mithril have been assigned to protect her from terrorists that want to gain her knowledge and abilities, and use them for their own plans. One of the Mithril soldiers has been assigned to protect her as a bodyguard. That soldier is Sousuke Sagara. The problem? She is not to be told that she is being watched and protected. This proves to be rather difficult because Sousuke is a professional soldier, but is still expected to act like a normal high school student.

Main Characters
Sousuke Sagara
Sousuke is probably the show's main protaginist and deservedly so. He is a professional soldier that has yet to be matched when it comes to his ability to operate his AS (Arm Slave) and he has excellent abilities in every other area of combat. When protecting Kaname, he always ends up drawing attention to himself due to his inability to adapt to life as a Japanese high school student and this makes life really hard for Kaname. Despite a lack of common sense, he has a great sense of what his duty is and always has a polite and calm manner. He is definitely the best character.

Kaname Chidori
Kaname has a fiery and somewhat outspoken personality. She is constantly telling Sousuke to stop being reckless and never gets a moments peace. As the student council vice president, class representative and prettiest girl in Jindai High, she gets a lot of attention, and this just heightens Sousuke's paranoia. However, with the knowledge she has, it's no wonder Sousuke is paranoid. She does have a soft side to her too, and this is what enables her to form a close friendship with Sousuke. This relationship continually grows throughout the serious, and it's the best relationship that you can find in any anime.

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa
Mithril's submarine Tuatha de Danaan is run by its captain, Tessa. She rose to her position very quickly, and people find it hard to believe she is the captain, despite only being sixteen years old. However, she is very intelligent and can cope with very high pressure situations and is always able to make the right call. When she forms a friendship with both Sousuke and Kaname, she becomes Kaname's rival.

Opinion
Plot
The bulk of the series is focused on Sousuke's constant battles with a terrorist named Gauron. This is usually done with them facing off with their AS's. However, there are some filler episodes that are designed to give us a break and add a bit more comedy to the mix. Some people feel it was a bit too fragmented this way, but I prefer this way. It's good to get a break because we can't be expected to pay attention for a whole 26 episode season or remember every little detail if there aren't regular breaks. There are some great moments when it comes to action, comedy, drama and romance. Sousuke and Kaname's relationship has always been my favourite relationship.

Audio
The seiyus do a fantastic job. Seki Tomokazu is on equal with Sugita Tomokazu as my favourite seiyu. I feel he has a talent for being able to alter his voice for whatever the situation calls for. Yukino Satsuki does a great job with Kaname and she has the perfect voice to fit Kaname's personality.

The soundtrack is worthy of mentioning. The background music fits and serves its purpose well. In fact, it's actually good to listen to on its own. The opening and closing theme songs are performed by Mikuni Shimokawa, and they're near the top of my list of favourite songs. They are both just so great to hear.

Animation
At the time, the animation was pretty damn good. Some people say Gonzo messed it up but I really don't have a problem with it. Yes, it may not be as good as later seasons of Full Metal Panic!, but I still stand by it and proudly say it still a lot better than most anime. Everything has incredible detail. If you want to see what I mean, look at the jet engines the ASs use when they take off. Also, Kaname and Tessa are officially the prettiest anime girls, ever.

Final Thought
There's not much to say because everything about it is just so great. The story, relationships, comedy, romance, action, soundtrack, voice acting and character development are just marvellous. All you need to do is watch it. Trust me, it will blow you away.

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