Anime #3
More anime (and other Japanese stuff) watched in 2010:
Gokingo Monogatari
I first saw a couple episodes of the anime back in college, and I'm so happy a fansub group finally completed the series. By itself, it demonstrates Ai Yazawa's unique style and slightly different take on the classic shoujo coming-of-age story. Plus, it's interesting to see the evolution from this story to Paradise Kiss and Nana. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
Paradise Kiss
After finishing Gokinjo, I had to rewatch the DVDs of Paradise Kiss. The references to Gokinjo made much more sense, although it's really not a direct sequel. The ending feels a little rushed but otherwise this is a fantastic show. However, even though I love Madhouse's animation style, I wish they had kept a little more of the unique Ai Yazawa look. I think the Nana anime is a much better compromise between the extremely stylized look of Gokinjo and the more realistic animation of ParaKiss.
Nana (live-action movie)
Well, I wasn't going to rewatch all the Nana anime, so this was the next best thing. I hadn't seen the movie before, and although they obviously had to do a lot of trimming, they did a nice job of covering the major plot elements (even some that don't get resolved in the movie). I thought it was well-cast, too. I'll watch the sequel eventually, but I admit the part of the story covered by this movie is my favorite (before it gets so dramatic and even more angst-filled).
Macross - Do you Remeber Love?
I felt it was appropriate to watch this before going to L.A. to see Chatmonchy, because it shows how music is truly the universal language. It's a testament to the high production values that this movie still holds up after 26 years. I'm planning to watch the TV series eventually.
Aishiteruze Baby
Another series that I decided to rewatch. This is one of my favorite shoujo series, and it's in the classic mold of Marmalade Boy, etc. I particularly like the contrast between Kippei's "adult" high-school relationships (not many anime series show characters making out) and Yuzuyu's kindergarten friends. My one complaint is the same one I have for a lot of shows, and it's that the anime ends before the manga, so some plotlines remain unresolved. I understand why it happens, but I wish it didn't happen so often.
Nodame Cantabile: Finale
Nodame is my favorite anime of the last decade, but I don't have a lot to say about this particular series yet. I still want to see the special episodes and the live action movies, and I'll probably rewatch the anime a few times before I form a definite opinion. I recently bought all the translated manga and am slowly working my way through that.
K-On!
I watched this because it has a musical theme, like recent favorites Nodame and Nana. However, it's really a slice-of-life show reminiscent of Lucky Star. I enjoyed it but it didn't really make a strong impression (other than maybe I should learn to play bass). I'll probably start watching the second series, though.
Inuyasha: The Final Act
Given my complaint about anime shows that end before the manga, I'm very happy that they decided to animate the conclusion of Inuyasha, even if they did have to really rush things to fit the remaining storyline into 26 episodes. It was a satisfying and even slightly surprising conclusion.
Slayers Evolution-R
I don't know why, but it seems like a lot of shows start out humorous and then get serious near the end. Slayers Revolution and Evolution-R followed this pattern, but there were still plenty of the gags and epic destruction you expect from Slayers in this series. I thought this show was a great example of the right way to bring back a classic title and offer something new while staying true to the original. Hollywood should pay attention.
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
Don't ask me why I started watching this, much less why I actually finished it. The quality was mediocre and the plot somewhat unoriginal. I'm actually surprised to see how long the manga has been running, but honestly I tend to not like most shoujo manga despite being a huge fan of most shoujo anime. Maybe this is an example where staying true to the manga is a bad thing. (The counterexample is Koko wa Greenwood, which shaped the somewhat-random manga stories into a nicely cohesive anime plotline, even while directing viewers to "read the manga" in reference to plot elements they skipped.)
Soul Eater
This was a fun show, and it's always nice to see anime with a unique look. The story's structure was actually somewhat similar to Naruto, but it had plenty of unique elements. The story seemed to evolve so that by the end it was a long way from where it began, but still maintained some common themes.
I haven't started any new marathon anime-watching sessions, so I'm just keeping up with the weekly shows on Hulu. I was happy to see that both The Tatami Galaxy and House of Five Leaves are appearing on Hulu shortly after they air in Japan. That's a great trend.
Gokingo Monogatari
I first saw a couple episodes of the anime back in college, and I'm so happy a fansub group finally completed the series. By itself, it demonstrates Ai Yazawa's unique style and slightly different take on the classic shoujo coming-of-age story. Plus, it's interesting to see the evolution from this story to Paradise Kiss and Nana. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
Paradise Kiss
After finishing Gokinjo, I had to rewatch the DVDs of Paradise Kiss. The references to Gokinjo made much more sense, although it's really not a direct sequel. The ending feels a little rushed but otherwise this is a fantastic show. However, even though I love Madhouse's animation style, I wish they had kept a little more of the unique Ai Yazawa look. I think the Nana anime is a much better compromise between the extremely stylized look of Gokinjo and the more realistic animation of ParaKiss.
Nana (live-action movie)
Well, I wasn't going to rewatch all the Nana anime, so this was the next best thing. I hadn't seen the movie before, and although they obviously had to do a lot of trimming, they did a nice job of covering the major plot elements (even some that don't get resolved in the movie). I thought it was well-cast, too. I'll watch the sequel eventually, but I admit the part of the story covered by this movie is my favorite (before it gets so dramatic and even more angst-filled).
Macross - Do you Remeber Love?
I felt it was appropriate to watch this before going to L.A. to see Chatmonchy, because it shows how music is truly the universal language. It's a testament to the high production values that this movie still holds up after 26 years. I'm planning to watch the TV series eventually.
Aishiteruze Baby
Another series that I decided to rewatch. This is one of my favorite shoujo series, and it's in the classic mold of Marmalade Boy, etc. I particularly like the contrast between Kippei's "adult" high-school relationships (not many anime series show characters making out) and Yuzuyu's kindergarten friends. My one complaint is the same one I have for a lot of shows, and it's that the anime ends before the manga, so some plotlines remain unresolved. I understand why it happens, but I wish it didn't happen so often.
Nodame Cantabile: Finale
Nodame is my favorite anime of the last decade, but I don't have a lot to say about this particular series yet. I still want to see the special episodes and the live action movies, and I'll probably rewatch the anime a few times before I form a definite opinion. I recently bought all the translated manga and am slowly working my way through that.
K-On!
I watched this because it has a musical theme, like recent favorites Nodame and Nana. However, it's really a slice-of-life show reminiscent of Lucky Star. I enjoyed it but it didn't really make a strong impression (other than maybe I should learn to play bass). I'll probably start watching the second series, though.
Inuyasha: The Final Act
Given my complaint about anime shows that end before the manga, I'm very happy that they decided to animate the conclusion of Inuyasha, even if they did have to really rush things to fit the remaining storyline into 26 episodes. It was a satisfying and even slightly surprising conclusion.
Slayers Evolution-R
I don't know why, but it seems like a lot of shows start out humorous and then get serious near the end. Slayers Revolution and Evolution-R followed this pattern, but there were still plenty of the gags and epic destruction you expect from Slayers in this series. I thought this show was a great example of the right way to bring back a classic title and offer something new while staying true to the original. Hollywood should pay attention.
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
Don't ask me why I started watching this, much less why I actually finished it. The quality was mediocre and the plot somewhat unoriginal. I'm actually surprised to see how long the manga has been running, but honestly I tend to not like most shoujo manga despite being a huge fan of most shoujo anime. Maybe this is an example where staying true to the manga is a bad thing. (The counterexample is Koko wa Greenwood, which shaped the somewhat-random manga stories into a nicely cohesive anime plotline, even while directing viewers to "read the manga" in reference to plot elements they skipped.)
Soul Eater
This was a fun show, and it's always nice to see anime with a unique look. The story's structure was actually somewhat similar to Naruto, but it had plenty of unique elements. The story seemed to evolve so that by the end it was a long way from where it began, but still maintained some common themes.
I haven't started any new marathon anime-watching sessions, so I'm just keeping up with the weekly shows on Hulu. I was happy to see that both The Tatami Galaxy and House of Five Leaves are appearing on Hulu shortly after they air in Japan. That's a great trend.
posted by David at
10:10 PM
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