Some notable Animated Music Videos of 2016- part 1

by SuperMario, posted in World Animation

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Welcome to the special edition of World Animation where this time I will dig into the doomed child of animation market: the animated music videos. If you have never really give much thoughts about those animated music videos, you’re not alone. It’s the section that hardly get discussed both in the anime fanbase and in the cartoon market, and my guess is that apart from a niche audience who follow music video and the professionals: animators and the bands alike, no one hardly know anything about it.

Animated music videos of course have a totally different approach to animation compare to short films or series, in which not only you have to make the video compelling on its own, but the animation has to support and elevate the song. That mean, you can’t pull off something like this (in which the song is clearly about being there for someone you love, even if she is “beauty queen of only 18”, but the video was about the love affair between the guy and his girlfriend’s mom. Yuck. AND IT WAS A FREAKING HIT). But here’s where it gets interesting: Animated music videos usually carry a strong artistic expressions than other media. The whole process of animating a music video (at least for indie scene) is that the band sends the director/ animator their song and some ideas on the concept of what they want in the video, then they basically leave the rest to the director. That process results in the creators have their full artistic control most of the time, thus the outcome usually one of the more striking piece of animation than the rest of animation medium.

In fact, while compiling this list, I came to a rather surprising realization: I had no setlist as a point of reference at all. There were some sites that recommend some animated videos, but the videos were all over the place; and there was no “best of list” or whatever; as a result I had to come up with the most traditional way: watching all the videos I could get my hands on to do this list. Yup, it means watching 40+ of those videos until all of them just blended and melted in my brains. But I have to say, except from the time consuming and the fatigue it caused me, it was actually a very rewarding process. Then the list I was compiling just kept getting bigger the more I watched, to the point I had made a line somewhere (otherwise I would recommend everything).

So ladies and gents, here are my 15 favorite videos out of last year from multiple music genres, with multiple animated techniques where I will address about their core concept, the style of animation they use, and how they are stand out from the rest. Really, if you have 20 minutes of break, why don’t you listen to some cool music and watch some stunning animation and gain some insights about them in the process? It’s just an episode worth of time anyways, and many of the videos just clock in at 1 minute. So watch them guys and comment which videos you like the best, or even if you like to see this kind of content every now and then; I’m fully aware this is an anime blog so it’s your call. Enjoy!

 

Porter Robinson & Madeon “Shelter” by A-1 Pictures

“I knew I wanted to do an anime, animated produced video in Japan. I wrote the story that happened to connect pretty brilliantly to the lyrics of Shelter. To me the Shelter video is also a story of familial love mixed with some of my own fantasies and sensibilities… There’s a significance that can be derived—passing yourself onto a new generation.” – Porter Robinson

Many of you sure have heard about this one. An original anime music isn’t something new, but for a American DJ artist who specifically requested his song to be anime-style, you know you’re in something special. As a matter of fact, the staffs of A1-Pictures had noted that the most special aspect of the production was to witness the enthusiasm of Porter Robinson about the project. For the records, I have watched Porter Robinson other videos and yup, this guy knows how to tell a good visual storytelling. Moreover, for a medium that focus prominently on mood-building and work mainly as a visual companion for the song, it’s a treat to see some video that actually attempt to tell a complete story (as you will see below, most of the time they don’t bother to try); but Shelter also pulled off an emotional ride, with awe inspiring world building and impressive animation to boost (A1 Pictures did an excellent job). This is clearly a passion project and passion project is always a winner in my heart.

 

Radiohead “Burn the Witch” by Chris Hopewell

“The band wanted the video to raise awareness about Europe’s refugee crisis and the “blaming of different people… the blaming of Muslims and the negativity” currently engulfing European politics”- Virpi Kettu (the video animator)

Paying homage to The Wicked Man in terms of plot and the 1960s British children’s TV programme Camberwick Green in term of its visual, the video’s stop motions character designs and settings are seemingly the most simple and brightest video out there, but the music and the subject matter make it a very unsettling atmosphere (the band purposely want the video to be lighter to what they play to “wake people up”). The topic at hand is about burning the witch after all. Radiohead is no stranger when it comes to building a paranoia mood, and this video helps raising that comfortableness to a new level. Like in Lynch movies, there’s always a sense of something hideous, decay, something really wrong right underneath the normal happy rural life. The video serves as a response against authoritarianism, some even go so far to say it as an attack against Trump’s right-wing policies. And with that paranoia mood they evoked, I believe the song pretty much nailed it.

Continue reading “Some notable Animated Music Videos of 2016- part 1” →

Scum’s Wish – 10 [Fragile and Empty]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Scum's Wish

This week the main spotlight is heading back to our beloved Akane and two of her relationships preys, Mugi and Narumi. Although I really like the way the show addresses each of those tainted relationships until finally we’d get to the bare bone of Mugi and Hanabi’s core relationship, this episode for me is just so-so in the way they handle the situations regarding Akame. It’s a bit of a shame because Akame is the most interesting character to talk about. This week, she takes us back to her first sexual experience and notifies us how she becomes the way she is now. But guess what? All of these details we already know about her. She’s enjoying sexual desires from men and jealousy from girls are nothing new. Even the visual trick the shows use concerning Akame doesn’t really give much sense. I can understand when Hanabi (or even Moca) faces off her younger self because she has lose the innocent part of herself in a process by her dark thoughts, but with Akame, she’s basically the same person as her younger self. She’s born that way so for what purpose of putting the two versions face to face in that labyrinth of roses entail? I do think this visual trick has turned into a gimmick this time.

But still, even in her flashback, she realizes that she keeps pushing on that way because it’s the only way she know how. You can’t fault a scorpion for stinging others, it’s just in its nature. She receives all the love from men and give nothing back, doesn’t love anyone but herself. But both Mugi and Narumi end up being the kind of relationships that she never encounter before, thus might be unequipped to deal with. With Mugi, he knows about her true self but he’s the only one to want to really go beyond sex and push forward his love. As of now, Mugi is controlled totally by Akame, even when replying her he has to think first to not upset Akame because he scares that he’d be hated by Akame. And although Akame clearly doesn’t love Mugi, his genuine actions still surprise her because from I understand, nobody have ever approached her that way. Others, they want sex, they have it, end of story. Mugi, he wants to engage in more serious relationship despite knowing he is no match for her. It’s nice to see a bit of development from Mugi, instead of running away like he used to, he actually tries to pursuit his crush for once.

Furthermore, because she’s always at the top of her seducing game, she can never get the reason why Narumi doesn’t feel attracted sexually to her. They had sex on their first date, but afterwards they date like normal couples without love hotel involved and that frustrated Akame (normally in real life when a guy does that it means that he is insecure about his sex performance, but well we’re talking about Saint Four-Eyes sensei here) . She feels like she’s pursuing him and doesn’t let him go; which maybe that’s right after all. Someone like her, who bathed herself into the lust of men and the hatred of girls, need someone who clearly in the other side of her world as Narumi. Someone loves her for her inside, not for her body. Well, that’s a theoretical talk anyways because I still pretty much in doubt if Narumi really loves Akame from the inside or not. First, he’s clearly knows nothing about her, and just learn about her bitchy side like seconds before still holding on to her. Second, the show really doesn’t help us at all to show what the heck this guy is thinking inside his head except that he falls in love with Akame for her long hair that reminded him of his mother in a first place. Meaning that he might fall for her for some goddamn unreal affection. Lastly, he talks like, 3 lines when he grabs her back and those are vague and pretentious as it gets and somehow Akane falls for it. Well, I think his role is good this week but overall he’s still very weak as a character. In fact, the show doesn’t write male characters really well, except for Mugi all the others are really under-written and serve as an obvious plot exposition: just look at that guy Takuya this week. Saying all the stupid, obvious details in a bitchy voice with a lousy attitude while standing with other girl, then running away like a 6 year-old kid? Excuse me but only terrible writing has that kind of laughable characters.

And for a show that consistently pull off many raw emotions week after week, this week is surprisingly light in heart-wrenching moments. My reaction to this episode is rather lukewarm. The show is still pretty solid and progresses strongly so far, but I’m a bit afraid that after we get this far, the end result just can’t pack the emotional punch it has built up for an entire season.

Little Witch Academia – 10[Bee Commotion]

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Little Witch Academia

I remember seeing a remark someone made that Little Witch Academia would lose half it’s fanbase when the realize that they don’t like Saturday morning cartoons all that much. While most likely said in jest, I find there is a certain degree of truth in that statement. I did enjoy this episode of Little Witch Academia more than the previous two episodes but there is an underlying frustration I am feeling that I find all too familiar. Before finding anime I used to watch a lot of cartoons and I do remember this feeling of wanting the show to give more. To dive into deeper subject matter, to capitalise on characters development or to push forward with romantic relationships. However cartoons rarely gave me that and I remembered feeling aggravated when things returned to zero. The OVA’s gave me a small taste of nostalgia for old Saturday Morning cartoons and the series has delivered in regards to keeping that same magic. However ten episodes into this series and I find myself wanting something more than just that. There are some developments and attempts at world building but they are few and often in the background to today’s hijinks. I admit that perhaps the problem is the wait in between episodes as I watch it weekly. If I was binge watching through the episodes I don’t think I would have the same reservations. The point is that if Little Witch Academia continued with this episodic hijinks for the remainder of it’s runtime, would I be satisfied with the result? In all honestly, No. I would not. The show is currently fun but I do wish to see it develop into something more substantial.

But on to the episode and this week we have a love bee going around making everyone fall in love at the drop of a hat. Trigger certainly is using this to poke fun as for one brief moment DianaXAkko was actually feasible. This episode seems to be pushing for a romantic relationship between Akko and the politicion’s son, Andrew. Some have misgivings about this though I would argue that they are not quite there yet. They certainly do seem to be interesting in one another and both Akko and Andrew do tend to seek each other out. Though I don’t think they have reached the level of love and it’s more fascination at this point. Andrew is enthralled with Akko’s drive to shoot for her dreams when he is locked into the position his father has decided for him. Akko on the other hand looks to have formed a friendship with him after going to the fountain of polaris and is rather determined to prove to him that magic isn’t useless and unnecessary. This seems more along the lines of friendship rather than romance, though there certainly is potential for it to develop into one. Right now I would rule it out after Akko seemed suitably horrified when Andrew started confessing to her after getting stung by the bee. If she had more serious feelings for him I would think her reaction would be a little different. I did find it nice that even after the bees effects worn off, Andrew’s friend Frank still remained interested in Lotte. I don’t really like the idea of pairing up every character in the series but after seeing Lotte get disappointed when the effects worn off it was nice for someone to reaffirm that she does have charm. Plus this would mean he would stop hopelessly chasing after Diana..

Plenty of references this week too, though I think Trigger may be going a little overboard with them. This week saw references to classic shoujo with everyone getting shoujo eyes after being stung by the bee(Pretty funny though.), Cinderella got reference with the signature Bibbity Bobbity boo spell getting parodied and they even threw in a reference to George Orwell’s 1984 of all things with Daicon IV Bunny suit making a brief appearance. We pretty much confirmed that Andrew’s dad will be playing an antagonist role and from how he speaks of witches it seems like this is more personal than just magic being considered useless. Seeing as Andrew’s mother has not been brought up that makes me suspect that his father got together with a witch and she ran off, leaving him bitter about the experience. There is a witch in the opening who is shown briefly in the reflection of the water that could be related and whom I suspect of being a future antagonist. Otherwise it’s nice to see Akko performing magic without messing up as she casts a transformation spell on a squirrel that works perfectly. Thus her claim in front of the fountain feels more than just empty talk as Akko takes small strides towards her dream.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu – 23

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

The extended epilogue continues as Yakumo returns home after the theatre burns down. Some are signifying the burning down of the theatre as the death of Rakugo while others are speaking of it as a new beginning. After all Rakugo can be performed anywhere as long as someone is willing to listen. The members of the theatre seem well aware that Yakumo was the one to start the fire but considering that the theatre was due for renovation regardless and that they owe Yakumo for keeping the place in business, are willing to write it off as an unfortunate accident. Konatsu tells Yotaro that she is pregnant when has me almost as happy as he is. Though I think I missed the point where Yotaro and Konatsu got more romantically intimate. I certainly saw them getting more cosy with each other but I guess I am just annoyed that I didn’t get to see the big kiss moment between the two of them. It’s silly, I know but one thing that bugs me to no end about Clannad is that not once in the two seasons of the shows runtime are Tomoya and Nagisa shown kissing. A kiss almost seems like a final confirmation of a relationship in fiction and to not have it is somewhat unsatisfying.

With the way this episode was conducted I was beginning to think that Rakugo was only going to have a ten episode run as everything in this episode screamed final. Yotaro in a strange twist of fate looks to be carrying on Yakumo’s legacy instead of promoting the writers new works and from the sound of things Yotaro instead wants him to write Rakugo that Konatsu could perform. With Konatsu asking Yakumo to let her be his apprentice it looks like she will be the one to bring change to Rakugo. The final moments with Konatsu finally forgiving Yakumo for what happened to her parents and thanking him for raising her was truly a beautiful moment. In a way Yotaro is to thanked for this as he broke down her walls so well that she can finally be honest with him.

Then when all this fluffy emotion which could just as well serve as a great final episode to cap off the series, we once again see Yakumo’s death being insinuated. Look, it’s the third time already. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, then go to hell. After having this happen two times already I just won’t accept it until Yakumo is in that coffin. It wouldn’t be all that bad for him to die here when all his grievances have been resolved and Konatsu has reconciled with him. It’s somewhat cruel for Konatsu after he agreed to take her on as an apprentice but if they pull a bait and switch with Yakumo’s death yet again then I will really start getting annoyed. For it seems whenever this show is ready to end we once again foreshadow Yakumo’s death to extend it. Look at this episode, shows over. There is literally nothing left to resolve. Unless we are doing some sort of flash forward I don’t really see the point in continuing. We have two more episodes left and there is nothing to fill them with. This is of course a great show but there comes a time when all things must end. Dragging out the final closing of the curtains only degrades the performance.

Saga of Tanya the Evil – 09[Preparations for Advance]

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Saga of Tanya the Evil

A calm before the storm episode as the war with the Republic draws close to its climax. It’s nice to see the episode start off with Tanya trying to rationalize her actions in the previous episode. What may not be apparent from the anime is that Viktoriya has a tendency of coming up with reasons that make Tanya’s actions seem like tough love as opposed to being efficient and ruthless. In that regard, I recommend watching the Youjo Senki shorts as they do a better job fleshing out the cast overall. Here, we have Viktoriya rationalizing to Grantz that Tanya was the one taking all responsibility for the mission while in actuality, Tanya made her subordinates do the dirty work to ensure her hands were as clean as possible but even she seems in doubt. It does remind me of the question asked during war college on who the responsibility lies in regards to war crimes. Based on that the responsibility would rest with the one who gave the order, she shifts the blame onto her superiors despite drafting up the very same policy that would justify killing noncombatants in a occupied urban environment.

I found it rather macabre for Wickya and Grantz to share in a laugh when a soldier was in agonizing pain only a few feet away but after-credits scene comes along and reveals that soldier was suffering from food poisoning by eating a rotten potato. It a bit of dark humour as food supplies were often low and potatoes can be dangerously poisonous as they belong to the same family of plants as the deadly Nightshade. Basically, when a potato starts sprouting it will have elevated levels of Solanine and this stuff can destroy you even with small amounts. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, burning of the throat, cardiac dysrhythmia, nightmares, headache and dizziness. It goes without saying that someone ingest enough of this poison, they are going to have a bad time and die. The recent Youjo Senki short even goes into detail with this very same matter. Honestly it’s rather shocking to know that a foodstuff I have been eating my whole life could potentially kill me in the wrong circumstances.

It is rather nice to see Tanya having trouble for once. Members of her battalion are dying, the return of the mad scientist has her being blasted into the enemy headquarters and the defeat of the republic can likely only mean the world war escalating into a greater conflict. There was one moment this episode which had me rather confused. During a war scene it showed a cut to black when Tanya was hit with artillery. This suggested that the ever so invincible Tanya was finally injured on the front lines. However when Tanya is shown later she doesn’t have a single scratch on her and thing continue as usual. I would have liked to see her a little worse for wear as she’s nearing overpowered status. Otherwise the final parts of the episode suitably make the launch of the V1 rockets epic as Tanya once again curses X for throwing her into this situation. Considering how this battle is being built up, I think we will be seeing the return of Anson Sue and possibly the first person to give Tanya a real hard time.

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. – 10 [Starfall in a City Without a Sky]

by SuperMario, posted in ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept., Currently Watching:

So suddenly, the King gets serious health issues huh? I’m sure Qualms has something to do with it too. But now I do feel the storm’s coming right in front of me (no, not that sandstorm), as many important events keep piling up: the last audition of Jean in Furawau (flower) district, which “happened” to be the homebase of Lilium, our current biggest threats. Now I can see that Lilium is a sneaky guy, using home advantage to pursue Jean to lead the coup. His whole ground for starting the coup is for the unity and order of the kingdom, but this episode slips it up that he might not think that way at all. He wants his district Furawau, and his family in charge of course, getting the power, possibly become a new capital city. Well, with the glimpse on what we see from the district, they are wealthy, like a Dubai city with skyscraper and mosque-like buildings; so they’re more than capable of becoming one. Things fall according his plan as well, except for the two obvious obstacles:

First, it’s Grossular. As we see throughout the episode, Lilium clearly controls and manipulates Grossular from behind, but I never once think Grossular is that stupid. He must knows what going on behind Lilium’s head, and if it wasn’t Lilium taking advantages of Grossular’s weakness like I assumed last week, Grossular would never fall into his scheme for just “unifying the nation”. I believe this guy still has something up his sleeves, but for some reasons he’s still waiting for Jean to make a move first. He’s pretty much in a stand-by mode for now. Muave, likewise, pretty much stands by his side because she trusts him (and to be frank, maintaining orders for the kingdom, plus her favorite Jean might take the throne are too good to refuse). They might play as an assistant role for Jean later on whenever he decides on which road he takes, only that…

…Jean still hasn’t make a goddamn move except for carrying his audits like usual. The later districts have been really opened about his royal blood and their opinions/ the cigarettes as well. Lithium might come from a wealthy district, but the last district that Jean visited in his current round, Pranetta (Planet) is the totally opposite and for my money this is one of the most interesting district that we have witnessed. The district is dirt poor, swallowed by a vast desert and holed themselves under the ground. The district remains with an extremely limited resource, without the sunlight for daily necessity and only have TV as the one entertainment source, an extreme opposite to casino-filled Yakkara last week (and I did notice based on the Dowa Kingdom map, Yakkara is located within Pranetta, interesting). But the residents there have a dream of mining, of one day finding something invaluable and they keep following the dream and being happy despite their harsh environment. They don’t care much about the coming coup, because they know it doesn’t make much different for them whoever take the throne (no wonder with that attitude, Jean feels himself really comfortable here). They simply don’t have anything to keep, or anything to even offer. That little scene between Jean and the branch chief, where the old man asks Jean’s cigar for a smoke, but then offers him the cigar back as an upvote really sums up the spirit of residents of Pranetta. Cigarettes are even something so luxury that out of their reach, but he trusts Jean (not the coup) to make a rightful decision.

And that is precisely why that perfect scheme of Lilium is going to be broken apart. Putting Jean as a mediator, a person who represents both ACCA and the rightful heir is a smart move. But by giving him time to explore every single districts, Jean gets to see the kingdom in multiple perspectives, from the riches to the poors, from the allies to the extremists, from what works and what fails and thus he no longer has the same outlooks with the men in power here, moreover he holds the key (his royal blood) to make it different, now it’s just the timing. For instance, Lilium would never get the appeal of Pranetta district. It might not be the class between ACCA and the royal, but the fight between the rich and the poor here.

And it’s freaking time now. The plot will get busy next week, now that the first princess second-attempts to murder Jean and Lotta, the King is dying; Jean visiting his final audit; the centennial ceremony is approaching and Nino still wanders somewhere, I know we will have a busy week with heaps of fun next week. Speaking of Nino, Lotta sure really fonds of him and the sequence when they’re talking about Nino and their “secret” feel so warm. But damn Nino, you missed your chance of becoming a prince Charming. Rejecting a princess even when she proposed to you? No wonder why he’s spirited away now.

ps: I’m tempted to spend some time to pick out the uniforms of each district, now that we encounter every single one of them. The show really knows how to scratch my itch. Diversity rules!

2017 Spring Anime Season Preview

by AidanAK47, posted in Seasonal Previews

It always amazes me how fast this things come up. Doesn’t feel like all that long ago I was writing up a preview for the winter season. Time forever remains my eternal enemy as I never seem to have enough of it. It certainly would be great to have a hyperbolic time chamber or borrow Homura’s shield so I can get through my Steam backlog. Sure I may age prematurely three or four years but I can’t say it wouldn’t be worth it.

The winter season looking back was quite great, possible the best I have seen in a long time. So naturally the Spring Season is looking inferior in comparison. I admit I don’t have much here I am really passionate about. There is potential in a couple of shows here and a few sequels I say people are looking forward to. One of those sequels not being Berserk’s next season because I am certain Berserk fans are already crying tears of blood and rage at the further bastardization of the franchise. Of course we won’t really know what we got till we get it but let’s see if I make deciding what to watch a little easier for you.

As usual I have looked up every source I can find, be it Manga, Light novel or Game and checked the staff for each show to get a better idea for what we are in for. The poll below will be used to see what you most want to see blogged with the top spot pretty much guaranteed to be covered.

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What will you be watching this summer?
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Once again thanks to Mario for gathering the images, writing with a few previews and helping with the layout. You save me quite a lot of tedium. Thanks to Helghast as well as acting as editor for this piece.

 

The sequels/prequels I don’t care about

BERSERK 2

Boku no Hero Academia 2

Kyoukai no RINNE 3

Idol Time PriPara

Natsume Yuujinchou Roku

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata 2

Star Mu 2

Shingeki no Bahamut: VIRGIN SOUL

Yu☆Gi☆Oh! VRAINS

Warau Salesman NEW

 

Series I don’t look forward to

CLOCKWORK PLANET

Studio: Xebec

Director: Tsuyoshi Nagasawa

Script/Series composer: Kenji Sugihara

Source: Light Novel

Naoto’s a high school dropout and brilliant amateur tinkerer. He lives in a world that has been so over-exploited that the entire surface has become one vast machine. When a box crashes into his home containing a female automaton, it’s a harbinger of change that will rock the entire globe, and give Naoto his chance to be a hero.

 

This is one of the things I dislike about Light novels. They can have excellent ideas which are ultimately hampered because the writer just doesn’t have the talent or is pushed to make them into a typical light novel formula. In this case I find the world and basic premise to be quite interesting. Namely a planet filled with clockwork gears which no one understands how it functions anymore and the protagonists acting as terrorists fighting against a corrupt society. But it just has a lot of the tropes that hamper a lot of light novel adaptions like harems, fanservice, shoved in school settings…first arc may have some thinking it’s different but it falls in line with typical fair after that. As far as the old bargain bin light novel adaptions goes, this is one of the better ones. Though with Xebec at the helm the fanservice is likely going to get a boost. It’s bad enough that the main lead female character’s name is Rueez Yourslave. Yes, Your Slave. You stay classy Japan. Animation in the trailer looks a bit cheap as well so I say keep your expectations low and you might enjoy this.
Continue reading “2017 Spring Anime Season Preview” →

3-gatsu no Lion – 21 [When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom – Small Murmur]

by SuperMario, posted in 3-gatsu no Lion, Currently Watching:

I have a serious recall on the first episode while watching this episode. Like that premiere, this episode is divided sharply into two half, one focuses on Rei with his shogi life, the other pays attention to three sisters and Rei; and also like that premiere, each half is compelling on its own and brings out the feels that make the whole episode so rewarding. I could go so far to say that this episode IS the warmest episode of 3-gatsu we have encountered yet, to the point that this episode’s warm-heartedness might be the best way to end this season (but then again, we still have 1 more episode). Almost every character has a happy, joyful times. Well, they pretty much deserve to have a rose-color moments once in awhile, especially after weeks after weeks of depressions from Rei and then Shimada.

Coming back to Shimada’s hometown for a shogi festival, which many fun events like Human Shogi or 100 Move events, Shimada can’t help but feeling that he let people in his town down. He expects the old folks would cheer him up, tell him it’s alright despite him losing straight matches, and that make him feel even more guilty. What he doesn’t expect is that the old people in the town don’t even really mind about that title match. They love him and support him in different ways, not by the mere win – loss that Shimada always pushes himself to. The last part when the old men tell him to not rush forward make him realize that he has been pushing himself a little too much. The support from his hometown is always meant to give him strength, not as a pressure that he needs to achieve. It’s great if he can succeed on the road he choose, but either way they will always love him all the same, because simply he means much more to them than the shogi master title. And it’s so warming to hear the extend he goes to provide his old folks a community that they can share time together, playing shogi, eating food and getting daily necessities back home.

Seeing Shimada have a moment of relaxation and smiling with his folks are rewarding on its own, but Rei again is pretty in sync with the place as well. “I felt connected to it”, this might be one of those rare times that Rei really feels like he belong to somewhere, and it’s great to see him passionately talk about Shimada in front of the reporter. Although threatened by the “unexpected” rain, the Shogi festival turns out to be a lot of fun. Harunobu fits this festival so well and you can really see the pride of all people emerge themselves to this events. Every Human Shogi player has their face high up, every person in the 100 Move event waits excitingly, yet patiently to play with the professionals. This might be strictly my own preference but this kind of events I prefer much better than the professional shogi tournaments. This is the kind of events where fun is FUNdamental, where everyone just need to enjoy themselves to the fullest and worry about nothing else.

And I’m glad the Kawamoto sisters are back. I missed them so much to the point that I wouldn’t really mind if the entire second half just focus on them and their own little cute problems, be it their struggle over the new sweet creation, or their bigger struggle of staying away from sweet cake; but then it ties with Rei in the end so well that it brings the most heartfelt moments in this already-solid episode. In this episode, they recalled the sisters’ mom again with such achingly fond memory, and that tender moment really tugs my heartstring. The comedy in the second half mostly works well, Momo again steals the scene and Hina still shines with her directness persona, and I swear if they selling that Puffy Daruma I will be the first in line to try it. In the end, I get out of this episode feeling wholly satisfied and warm, something that I never expect the show could achieve so flawlessly. Now if only the last episode could give me that satisfaction. And a conclusive ending point (with the next chapter named “The New Semester” though, I do have my worry).

Scum’s Wish – 09 [Butterfly Swimmer]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Scum's Wish

Wah, a clean cut breakup of a messy relationship, somethings I didn’t expect Scum’s Wish could ever address, let alone pulled it off. At this point, the show starts to untie its knots, one at a time (actually this episode does that with 2 relationships. Killing 2 birds in one stone as they say). Following the rejection last week from her crush Narumi, and that Mugi never showed up to the meeting place like he promised (is there any feeling that worse than being rejected? Hell yeah, it’s the feeling of being cheated on), so it’s very natural of Hanabi to escape from her terrible emotional state for a little trip with Ecchan alone, except they AREN’T alone. Ecchan’s cousin Atsuya shows up out of nowhere to keep an eye on Ecchan, which of course pissed Ecchan off. She wants to take this opportunity to make Hanabi her and her alone.

The most interesting aspect of this relationship is the yuri sex how both of them feeling guilty about using the other party for their own benefits, which in a way they’re both right. Ecchan loves Hanabi but understands deep down that the girl doesn’t love her back, so she uses every means necessary to grasp as much as she could. Hanabi, on the other hand, feels that she’s using her best friend to escape from her own pains, using someone’s love and attention for her gains. Both of them know it won’t end well. Both of them don’t want it to end though because they still need each other. Their first days on the trip, especially their night spent together and the next day’s shopping together, are their relationship in its most flourish. We could see all the brightest aspects of their bonding: honestly clinging to each other without being afraid of others, sharing physical intimacy together (which, on a serious note I think it’s important for every love relationship), and most of all having fun together (Hanabi even noticed it’s one of the rare times she sees Ecchan enjoying herself).

But all *good* things come to an end, naturally. Atsuya is the man of reason both for Ecchan and for Hanabi (no, still think his role is way too forceful). He questions Hanabi on what she truly feels about Ecchan, in which she hesitates to answer. That is the core issues of why this relationship will never work out: Hanabi still sees Ecchan as a dear friend, and Ecchan clearly doesn’t want to be back as friend again with her. There’s a line you mustn’t cross as friends because once you did, it’s extremely hard to revert back and it’s all pain in the process. Ecchan now ascertains that Hanabi would never love her back, so she decides to make one hell of a decision: to cut Hanabi loose by herself. The show handles their biggest emotional standoff with steady execution, splitting it up into two emotionally-heavy back-to-back sequences: Ecchan letting Hanabi go in a house and they letting their emotions all out in the rain. Hanabi tells her exactly how she feels (which is important, the cast of Scum’s Wish have a great sense of self-awareness but never be able to say it aloud) and wish that they could become friends again, be it as long as it takes. That’s hardly ideal for Ecchan, but she settles for it because it’s the most optimistic outcome they could ever reached.

While I did say that Scum’s Wish handled those two sequences quite emotionally honest and effectively, judging those sequences as a whole, it doesn’t work out well. The abrupted transition between two scenes is jarring, and because they don’t carry the same pace (quiet from the first to outburst from the second), it takes you right out of the scene. Moreover, from what I understand about those characters and the messy situations they’re currently in, the end of this relationship still seems very easy for me. Yup, they know they’re in a destructive relationship already, but with this kind of relationship, it would take a huge catalyst in order to break them off. This trip just isn’t big enough to actually change their current status, and as I said earlier Atsuya is very awkward in this whole situation, making not only Hanabi and Ecchan, but us feeling awkward as well. Ecchan told him she might try trusting him, but remember he’s also an one-side dreamy lover who just wish to obtain the love that he can’t possibly have? I honestly don’t know how to feel about this guy and I have my doubts that the creator knows exactly how to feel about him either.

Lastly, Moca surprisingly steals her scene in a little time she got this episode. Putting off her princess persona that she had always carried, we see Moca literally woofing down the bread (and her expression is awesome) and be much more expressive and honest than her past self. She meets Hanabi again but this time, it’s Moca who brushes the other girl off and walks confidently ahead. After all, she’s the least involved in this mess, hence she’s the quickest to actually learn her lesson and move on. Moca, unlike Atsuya, is a well-written character for this show. Now, as Hanabi’s love thread is over, it’s time for us to move on to the other love affair next week, starting with the teacher home visit – without the parents of course, what show do you think we get in for?

Zaregoto Series OVA – 04 [Day 4 (2) The 0.14 Tragedy]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, OVAs and Movies:, Zaregoto Series

Zaregoto is back to its intriguing premise. This episode brings out many of the show’s best strengths. While still follow the investigation, it shifts its main focus on the characters, especially fleshing out again the relationship between Il-chan and Tomoe (to be more exact, what Il-chan thinks about his relationship with Tomoe), and the visual presentations are in overall impressive across the board. Overall this episode is a clear step up from its previous episode.

Let first start with the locked room mystery. In this episode the majority of our cast have already figured out that bit, many of them intend to hide that they know to keep the situation things from escalating. The mystery turns out to be quite simple, in that the murderer made a river of paints AFTER the earthquake, which leave all guests and host and servants a possible suspects. One other interesting development is that Akane and Kanami had met before 6 months ago. And then Akane bring up the topic of letting someone kill yourself, which make me wonder if this Kanami case is the same. So far, there is actually no motive from the cast (and by the look of it I don’t think any of them have any real motive whatsoever, maybe except for Sasaki), so what if this is some plan carried by Nanami and the killer to kill her, but for exactly what reasons? Is it because of Sasaki? Then, why capturing the head?

A good chunk of time was dedicated to explore Il-chan and Tomoe intrigued chemistry, and I believe this is where the show shines the best. One constant theme that NisiOisin keep addressing throughout his writing career is the conflicts by the main lead between two opposing thoughts of “better left alone” and “rely on others’ support”. His protagonists are always a lone-wolf, with the belief that they have to deal with their own issues in order to grow, and having friends will carry an unnecessary burden that weighed them down (a statement in which Koyomi Araragi clearly expressed in his Monogatari series). In this case though, il -chan takes care of Tomoe not out of love or kindness, but with destruction in mind. He wants her to choose him and him alone, the feeling that he’s actually special to someone. For now it’s hard to say if it’s pure dark intention from our main lead to the blue-hair girl, as we still don’t know about their relationship previously and even what Tomoe truly thinks about Il-chan but man, I’m digging this kind of ambiguous relationship.

And for me another highlight of this episode was the surreal settings right in front of Akame’s room. Shaft sure takes a lot of liberty here with its dark background, the only lights were the colorful reflection of window’s glass, and red butterflies hovering around. While I enjoy most of the conversion between our MC with Akame, and with Maki the fortune teller (she clearly knows more than what she spilled here, and her enjoyment out of tormenting Il-chan is priceless), but sadly the other genius, Yayoi the cook is really plain and ordinary right now. I would love it if the show can flesh out her more in next episode. And finally, oops, apparently our main leads don’t know about Ilia’s curse before heading to this island, so expect them to get it in the next events as well. As of now, although the show is getting better, I suspect that the monthly release really killed off the vibe it has and it’s hard to get excited for something that you have to wait too long (and then delay, really Shaft??) you just better forget it all together. For people still hanging around with it like myself, well, at least those posts will be your companions. For others, I strongly suggest you to wait for all of this come out and then watch them all at once. Will be a much more engaging experience.

And I still think the issue with the painting is his watch.