Anime #4
Catching up... hope I didn't forget anything:
Jyu Oh Sei
I feel compelled to watch anything that airs on Noitamina, and I had bypassed this title until now. It was good sci-fi, but wasn't anything groundbreaking. Still, it's a quality show.
Ouran High School Host Club
I think I first watched this a few years ago, and I wanted to go back and watch it again. Actually, I didn't like it that much the first time around, probably because I didn't know where it was going. It's not traditional shoujo, but it's also not full of weirdness like Shoujo Kakumei Utena. This time I didn't have to worry about trying to figure it out so I was able to just enjoy it. It's a really fun and funny series, and it plays with some anime stereotypes and conventions while still remaining a typical romantic comedy. Recommended.
House of Five Leaves
Another Noitamina series, this from the previous season. I had read some negative comments, probably because there is very little action for a "samurai" anime. Shows that take forever to initiate the plot annoy me too, but this show is different. It's basically a character study, so the mood is more important than any action scenes. I thought it was really well done. That said, it's probably not something I would watch repeatedly.
Fullmetal Alchemist
I was a big fan of the first Fullmetal anime, despite some logical inconsistencies because they ran out of manga and had to start making up the plot as they went. I even liked the dub, so much so that when I bought the movie on DVD I watched the dub rather than sub. That said, I can see why they decided to remake the anime (called Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in the US) to follow the manga storyline. This was a fantastic show that has everything you expect from a big-budget shounen anime: cool characters, a compelling plot (saving the world, of course), exciting action scenes, and funny moments. I watched this on Hulu but I'll probably pick up the DVDs eventually and watch it again.
Kiki's Delivery Service
This was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw (many year ago), and until Spirited Away it was also my favorite. It's still a close second. I hadn't watched it in a while so I pulled out the DVD. It's such a great movie, and the ending gets me every time. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.
Moyashimon
Yet another Noitamina series, which is currently being remade as a live-action series also on Noitamina. I decided to rewatch the anime, and I felt like I did when I watched it the first time. It's a well-done show, and I love shows about unusual topics, but it's just too short. The manga is still running, so maybe they'll revisit the anime at some point.
xxxHolic (season 1)
CLAMP shows can be hit-or-miss, but this one is a hit. It's been a while since I saw an occult anime that I really enjoyed, but this one is very solid. Even the things that could be annoying, like the high-strung main character, are handled in an endearing way. I really need to track down some more of the anime. For that matter, I need to check out the Tsubasa Chronicle anime too.
Boku Otaryman
This show is kinda like my life, except that if I really believed that, I would be too depressed to get out of bed.
Summer Wars
This was a fantastic movie. Some people are saying the director Hosoda is the next Miyazaki. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I'll definitely keep an eye on him. It's so nice to see a movie with an original story, and although the plot may not have been the most realistic, it was great entertainment.
Hatarakiman
Another show I pulled out and decided to watch again. After I first watched the anime a couple years ago, I saw there was also a live-action drama, and it become one of my favorite Japanese dramas (not that I've seen that many). Because the story is based in reality it's a natural fit for a drama. However, watching the anime again made me appreciate its merits as well. The pro and con to the anime is that it's short. Both the anime and drama have 11 episodes, but the drama episodes are twice as long. The anime can't cover nearly as much of the plot or provide as much depth the the characters, but I find the drama tends to bog down at certain spots while the anime plot always stays snappy. The anime also manages to have a nice story arc for the series even with the limited time available. None of the drama episodes have the type of inventive storytelling of the last two anime episodes. Plus the anime's opening and ending songs are great, and the use of Sambomaster for incidental music is also entertaining.
I've also watched some Japanese live-action movies this year, like Lock and Roll Forever (laughably bad, but I'm a fan of OreSkaBand), Kamikaze Girls (at least my fifth viewing; I love it), the first Nodame movie, and I think a couple of others. However, the highlight has probably been Golden Slumber, which was introduced to me by a friend recently. It has kind of a Hitchcock "wrong man" vibe. Initially I wasn't sure where it was going, but it turned out to be a very nicely done movie. If you don't mind subtitles, definitely check it out.
Jyu Oh Sei
I feel compelled to watch anything that airs on Noitamina, and I had bypassed this title until now. It was good sci-fi, but wasn't anything groundbreaking. Still, it's a quality show.
Ouran High School Host Club
I think I first watched this a few years ago, and I wanted to go back and watch it again. Actually, I didn't like it that much the first time around, probably because I didn't know where it was going. It's not traditional shoujo, but it's also not full of weirdness like Shoujo Kakumei Utena. This time I didn't have to worry about trying to figure it out so I was able to just enjoy it. It's a really fun and funny series, and it plays with some anime stereotypes and conventions while still remaining a typical romantic comedy. Recommended.
House of Five Leaves
Another Noitamina series, this from the previous season. I had read some negative comments, probably because there is very little action for a "samurai" anime. Shows that take forever to initiate the plot annoy me too, but this show is different. It's basically a character study, so the mood is more important than any action scenes. I thought it was really well done. That said, it's probably not something I would watch repeatedly.
Fullmetal Alchemist
I was a big fan of the first Fullmetal anime, despite some logical inconsistencies because they ran out of manga and had to start making up the plot as they went. I even liked the dub, so much so that when I bought the movie on DVD I watched the dub rather than sub. That said, I can see why they decided to remake the anime (called Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in the US) to follow the manga storyline. This was a fantastic show that has everything you expect from a big-budget shounen anime: cool characters, a compelling plot (saving the world, of course), exciting action scenes, and funny moments. I watched this on Hulu but I'll probably pick up the DVDs eventually and watch it again.
Kiki's Delivery Service
This was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw (many year ago), and until Spirited Away it was also my favorite. It's still a close second. I hadn't watched it in a while so I pulled out the DVD. It's such a great movie, and the ending gets me every time. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.
Moyashimon
Yet another Noitamina series, which is currently being remade as a live-action series also on Noitamina. I decided to rewatch the anime, and I felt like I did when I watched it the first time. It's a well-done show, and I love shows about unusual topics, but it's just too short. The manga is still running, so maybe they'll revisit the anime at some point.
xxxHolic (season 1)
CLAMP shows can be hit-or-miss, but this one is a hit. It's been a while since I saw an occult anime that I really enjoyed, but this one is very solid. Even the things that could be annoying, like the high-strung main character, are handled in an endearing way. I really need to track down some more of the anime. For that matter, I need to check out the Tsubasa Chronicle anime too.
Boku Otaryman
This show is kinda like my life, except that if I really believed that, I would be too depressed to get out of bed.
Summer Wars
This was a fantastic movie. Some people are saying the director Hosoda is the next Miyazaki. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I'll definitely keep an eye on him. It's so nice to see a movie with an original story, and although the plot may not have been the most realistic, it was great entertainment.
Hatarakiman
Another show I pulled out and decided to watch again. After I first watched the anime a couple years ago, I saw there was also a live-action drama, and it become one of my favorite Japanese dramas (not that I've seen that many). Because the story is based in reality it's a natural fit for a drama. However, watching the anime again made me appreciate its merits as well. The pro and con to the anime is that it's short. Both the anime and drama have 11 episodes, but the drama episodes are twice as long. The anime can't cover nearly as much of the plot or provide as much depth the the characters, but I find the drama tends to bog down at certain spots while the anime plot always stays snappy. The anime also manages to have a nice story arc for the series even with the limited time available. None of the drama episodes have the type of inventive storytelling of the last two anime episodes. Plus the anime's opening and ending songs are great, and the use of Sambomaster for incidental music is also entertaining.
I've also watched some Japanese live-action movies this year, like Lock and Roll Forever (laughably bad, but I'm a fan of OreSkaBand), Kamikaze Girls (at least my fifth viewing; I love it), the first Nodame movie, and I think a couple of others. However, the highlight has probably been Golden Slumber, which was introduced to me by a friend recently. It has kind of a Hitchcock "wrong man" vibe. Initially I wasn't sure where it was going, but it turned out to be a very nicely done movie. If you don't mind subtitles, definitely check it out.
posted by David at
11:38 PM
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