とある科学の超電磁砲

Artist: こうこ

Its a been a while since I’ve posted one of my Pixiv Picks posts. Between spending 6 weeks in Japan and then starting work a week or so after words I haven’t really had all that much time. Heck I haven’t even watched anime for about 2 weeks and am behind on pretty much everything…that is other than one show. That show being one of my favorites, Railgun S2.

I’ll be frank, I love pretty much everything from the Index/Railgun universe (minus Index herself). I was reading the LN’s for a while, and I am currently reading the Railgun manga. For those that were following me before Idolmaster aired, you would know my previous avatar’s were of Last Order x Accelerator, and then Misaka. A fun fact about me is that my love for seiyuu Satou Rina stems from her role as Misaka. Misaka is one of my all time favorite anime/manga characters. And with that, please enjoy some Pixiv Picks.

Artist: いのいち

Artist: DSマイルくん

Artist: 刃天

Artist: 松竜

Artist: ひろ

Artist: フカヒレ

Artist: 小強

Artist: nauribon

Artist: 暗猫

Artist: tkan

Artist: サト

Artist: 茶みらい

Artist: 陽

We’re more than a third of the way through the summer season. Most shows have hit their stride, for better or worse. By this point, I’ve filtered through the shows I feel are worth watching, and am down to a core set of shows. And surprisingly, my plate is pretty full this summer. So, what had me thinking this week?

After week 3 or 4, I eliminate the shows that just aren’t doing it for me. And this season is no different from others. Blood Lad just didn’t impress. The comedy was terrible, and the plot so thin you could blow a hole right through it. Watamote was another victim. I had some background with the manga, and knew what to expect, and the anime did nothing to make me want to pick it back up again. Love Lab is another victim. Yuri slapstick just isn’t my thing.  Last, Danganronpa is out as well. It was like watching the cut scenes from a DS game (both graphics and substance), and I just couldn’t stay interested. I know I promised another blogger to give it a try, but I just couldn’t stick with it.

Sunday’s are a great way to start my anime watching week for two reasons: Uchouten Kazoku and Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi. And both for different reasons. This week’s Uchouten Kazoku really put the family and their life into perspective. They are simply dysfunctional. Without their patriarch, they lack an identity. And watching this story go day by day through their lives, while enjoyable and funny, always has a somber tone floating in the background. It makes for an enjoyable drama, and P.A. Works should be applauded for not screwing this one up. And this weeks episode with the family and their floating tea house is well worth watching. After a great three episode opening to Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi, the show moves into it’s main story. While there are still some holes in the plot, the world is well animated, and mixes in religious references. Two gravediggers going into a city primarily occupied by the dead? Probably not going to end very well. But in a “chosen land for the dead”, we’ll finally see just how good this show is.

When it comes to harem romantic comedies, I typically walk away. But, TWGOK does such a great job, that I can’t help but watch. It’s good that this story is an anime, because trying to ‘capture’ that many girls and once would lead a normal guy bloody and half dead in a back alley dumpster. Keima is trying his hardest, and he finally succeeds in empowering two more of the Goddesses. I always chuckle with Diana takes over Tenri, and get’s right into Keima’s personal space. The contrast of those two personalities is always amusing.

With nothing enjoyable on Tuesday’s, and no Free! on Wednesday, a packed Thursday was just the thing to break out of a two-day anime slump. And my favorite show, Majestic Prince, is just the thing to brighten my day. Watching Kei stressing over Izuru each week makes me feel sorry for her. Being completely dense to her feelings, while a standard anime operating procedure, for once makes me hope for the underdog. And for the love of god, will someone finally confirm if Ange is a guy or girl? This androgynous stuff is for the birds.

Who doesn’t love a good pizza? Apparently, there isn’t a soul at Yezo. And this week fins Yugo on a quest to make pizza. And, as he finds out, going to an agriculture school means that eveything he needs is right at his fingertips. Watching Yugo slowly adapt and fit in to his new surroundings brings me the same enjoyment as when I watch Uchouten Kazoku. I’m not much for “slice-of-life” style shows. But watching Yugo progress each week through toil and trial has been enjoyable thus far.

Sadly, Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-Bu took a step back this week. Not only were the battles pretty half ass, it was a thinly veiled attempt at having a beach episode, without really being one. I have to remind myself that this is a remade Gainax, and that I shouldn’t expect much. But there are better ways to operate this show, and their just not doing it. Rozen Maiden is another one that I’m regretting keeping with. I just don’t find it enjoyable. And the new girl this week does nothing to help. Anime characters with a “death is beauty” grate on my nerves for whatever reason. Combine that with a little insolent doll that slaps around a grown man, and I’m pretty damn bored.

Symphogear continues to be on my watch list. But this show is straining my interests. I’m not feeling any originality from this season. It’s always a problem with a second season of any show. There is so much naivety from the characters to almost be unbelievable. You would hope that, with a influx of new villains the show would progress, but it feels so stagnant. At least the end of this episode shows promise, as a little bit of reality finally sets in.

Friday brings us to our popular sci-fi shows in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S and GATCHAMAN Crowds. Sadly, the Sister’s Arc is over. And this week’s episode is a filler going into what is probably the last arc for this series. And, this episode reminds my of why, without action, Railgun ends up being another bunch of worthless yuri punch lines. Hopefully the next arc, which looks like an anime original, keeps out of the gutter and brings back what’s best about Railgun, Misaka.This week’s GATCHAMAN Crowds, at least for me, finally set the stage out before us. We gain incite our enemy, find out what the Crowds are, and see rifts in our Gatchaman team. Each week this show moves us along quckly. Almost too quickly. We don’t get a lot of time to dwell on all the little things this show throws our way. So many things seem important, but know what is can be overwhelming. I can’t wait for each week’s episode to come out.

And Saturday ends our week. While there is a full lineup of shows, it’s not until the end of the day that the two shows that interest me come out: Genshiken Nidaime and Shingeki no Kyojin (Note: depending on how you want to look at it, it’s technically Sunday, but on Japan’s Saturday TV listing This goes for Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi as well). Genshiken at Comiket with an American tag along is pretty funny. The engrish is comical at times, and makes the situations even better. Poor XXX, he just get’s himself caught between a rock and hard place more often than not. Shingeki no Kyojin brought us an action packed show this week. After so much buildup at times, you wonder when the payout will be. No worries this week, as we’re introduced to a new Titan, and the battle is only just beginning. Knowing what comes in the manga makes me excited for what’s next, and the potential for enjoyable watching. Hopefully, they wont screw it up.

So that’s it. Not a long list this week, but still plenty watched. So what have you stuck what? What’s got you excited to see through to the end?

We brought in the big guns this week with special guest 2DTea. We work through some news, and 2DTea get’s personal with some viewer questions. Come check it out!

PROGRAMMING NOTE: We had some issues with the broadcast, so the audio is choppy. Unbearably choppy. Sorry for the inconvenience! 

You can listen to the whole podcast, or just use the handy table below to find what interests you. Enjoy!

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In this new podcast, I’ll be exploring different facets of aniculture in bite-sized chunks of opinion and insight. Be sure to check back each week for a new installment of AniMinutes!

Identity, and How We Perceive Ourselves Through the Frame of Anime

Cooking, enjoying anime, holding a steady job; is there anything he cannot do?

In this episode, I explore just what it is about contemporary anime characters that makes us so attached to them, and how this was not the case a couple decades ago.

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Download this week’s episode, and check out this week’s music by ankokushinma.

Can you believe it’s been over a year since this show started? Time has sure flown by. But, change is needed. This episode will be the last for awhile. A hiatus is in order to regroup, refresh, and reinvent. I’ve appreciated all the support from you guys. Don’t worry, we’ll be back this Fall better than ever. But until then, feel free to listen to our old posts, or check out the YouTube site. And, if you’re interested in joining on with the blog, and being a part of the new  podcast on a regular basis, go ahead and use our handy form. Thanks again everyone!

You can listen to the whole podcast, or just use the handy table below to find what interests you. Enjoy!

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I’ll stand up and say, during the first few episodes of Gatchaman, I didn’t like Hajime. I thought here to be airheaded, and a little unbalanced. Over energetic, out of control, and almost disrespectful of the where she was at. But as this story has progressed, a method in her madness has emerged, and she’s become the one thing that just might not only save the Gatchaman, but her world as well. When we’re first introduced to Hajime, we find a loud, outgoing young high school girl. Her demeanor comes up in an almost carefree, airhead manner. It seems as though she walks through life without a care or worry. Her notebooks are the most important thing in life, and she has a different one for each task. All  thought was “how on earth is she supposed to become a ‘Super Hero’”. This first impression honestly left a sour taste in my mouth.

But as the story progresses, we start to see a different side to her. First and foremost, is her ability to unite those around her. Her kind nature seems to unite her classmates to her cause in a moment of alarm. Without hesitation, and with the aid of GALAX, she rallies a force to her cause, and in the process, protects them all. It’s this leadership through camaraderie that rises to the surface that begins to show just who she is.

And this leadership extends beyond her school. Through her scrapbooking club, she converses and unites people far above her age and status. The heads of the Police and Fire give her a level of respect not often afforded to someone her age. In my own dealings with Public Safety groups, experience and knowledge brings respect and leadership. Hajime earns their ear through conversation and friendship. She even presses and questions them on why they don’t communicate better. Their willingness to engage with her in meaningful dialog is impressive. Not an easy task to accomplish with a set of hardened veterans.

But it’s her inquisitive nature that ultimately sets her apart from the traditional nature. In western comics, such as Batman, superheroes are driven through a sense of justice or revenge. With Hajime, you get sense that she truly, deeply, just wants to help people. She is unafraid and acts unabashedly in this goal. Episode after episode, she constantly questions the Gatchaman method. She questions why the Gatchaman don’t work together. She wonders why the Gatchaman don’t show themselves publicly. She is exposing the weaknesses in the Gatchaman strategy. And by all appearances, she acts not because she wants glory, but because of what can be accomplished when people believe there is someone who is there to selfless in their charity and efforts.

All of these elements come together in her transformation to her Gatchaman persona. Her weapon is a series of varying sized scissors. But, unlike her comrades, her power doesn’t destroy. Her scissors ‘cut’ loose those captured by the mess, freeing them from their captivity, while leaving the mess unharmed, and subdued. This compromise fits her persona perfectly. A solution that harms no one, yet accomplish the task set forth by the Gatchaman creed. And post separation, she shows this drive to communicate, and find a common ground with the Mess. She remains true to her convictions at every step, despite whatever norm they attempt to force her into.

The cliffhanger in episode 5 is the culmination of a series of events in prior episodes. It is Hajime in true form, acting on instinct, with the best intentions of those around her in mind. Her selflessness leads her straight into the thick of things, without a worry for her own well-being. While I did not take her seriously to begin with, I have found that her purpose and role as a catalyst for change is perfect. And it will be the one thing that sets this show apart from the standard hero-centric fare.

Be sure to check out these other great posts:
AniMinutes Episode 1 by Acostoss
Wanna Be Your Superhero: An Exploration of Artists and Heroic Desire in Anime by AJtheFourth

Sabas here, welcome to the brand new Weekend Reading! Every two weeks or so I’ll be bringing you a selection of interesting anime news and blog posts worth your reading. I hope you enjoy!

Anime News

Funimation does some license rescues. Any of them catch your interest? I’m happy to see a reprint of Banner of the Stars.

Character + Hobby Shop, Amiami has started up their own blog and they write about this year’s Comiket.

Little Witch Academia goes up for pre-order.

Are you excited about Kill la Kill? Check out the trailer.

Space Dandy was announced at Otakon.

Aikatsu second season announced. Having marathoned the series this past week, I am incredibly excited about a second season.

Selected Reading

Producers Shinn, Basu, and Landro attend the 8th Anniversary of iDOLM@STER.

Aftersh0k posts his review of Platina Jazz’s new album, Anime Standards Vol. 4.

Omo interviews the people behind Oreimo.

Metanorn’s Boss Lady, Kyokai, writes about her experience at SMASH (Sydney Manga and Anime Show).

Omo writes up his experience at Yoko Kanno’s Piano Me @ Otakon 20. Anime Diet’s The Paper also writes about the event.

Omo’s writes his wrap-up of Otakon. kevo writes his experience over at Desu ex Machina.

If you haven’t been reading ajtheofourth’s posts about Gatchaman Crowds, why haven’t you?  Here, she takes a look at the character of Rui.

Recommendation Time

The pick for this week is Tonari no Seki-kun. During class, Yokoi can’t be helped but be distracted by Seki-kun, the classmate sitting next to her. He’s always doing something at his desk. Setting up his eraser’s like dominoes, an elaborate game of Shogi, or buffing up his desk to a mirror-like shine. Naturally, this distracts Yokoi from what is going on in class. It’s funny and enjoyable, so please check it out! An anime adaptation has been announced and I can’t wait to check it out when it airs.

Feedback: Love to hear your feedback. Drop me a line on Twitter and let me know what you think! If you have any posts you think are worth mentioning, forward them along to me.

神のみぞ知るセカイ

Artist: ピロ水

For those that know me and Azeriraz, you know that we love Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai, aka The Word God Only Knows. At the very least, enough to name our manga podcast after it. For those that don’t know of KamiNomi…well then shame on you, stop reading this post and go read the manga!

While I’ve sadly fallen behind on this seasons anime outside a very small handful that includes; Gatchman, Servant x Service, and Railgun, I have been managing to keep with a good portion of my manga reading. And while the current arc hasn’t been quite living up to the bar that the Goddes Arc set, (not that anything can top that) it has been interesting enough to keep me coming back each week to see what happens next. And so without further ado, please enjoy my pixiv picks for KamiNomi (PS Haqua is best girl).

Artist: アキ

Artist: Kasami

Artist: カントク

Arist: サレコウベ

Artist: キグナス

Artist: b@じきゅうじそく

Artist: れい@2日目 セ-16a

Artist: 伍長＠ティア欠席

Artist: にょこ

Artist: 梧桐

Bonus Hanakana:

ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!!

It’s here! Akamatsu’s new manga is here! A year and a half after Negima’s demise I finally get to see his new work. All is well in the world. I’m gonna dot down some observations on the first chapter.

First page starts right off with Eva and makes it clear UQ Holder is a sequel set in the same world. But she’s talking about more personal stuff, not on the epic scale Negima ended in. It looks like she’s going to play an even bigger role in this series.

There’re a lot of swords on the splash page. The pactio in Negima gave Akamatsu a lot of oddly shaped peripherals to work with, but UQ Holder reveals a more classic approach to battle so far. Of course, it could change later in the course. Even Eva wields a short sword. The largest weapon I can remember her wielding is a fan.

As for characters we see from left to right:

• Some scientist looking dude. Probably related to Hakase, maybe to Chao? Wears a power suit(?)
• Setsuna 2.0. This one’s already my favourite.
• This guy sports Nagi/Negi’s hairstyle. Blood-related? His eyes look different though.
• Tsukuyomi 2.0… maybe. I can’t tell if that’s a yandere look, or a childhood friend look (hoping for the former).
• The only glasses character of importance so far. Dual wielder to boot.
• Hammer wielding girl. Wears a Mahora uniform.
• …male version of Yukihime?
• Our main character. Pretty typical for a main character in this chapter.
• Tanned guy, reminds me of Tatsumiya. Also wields a sword though.
• Fate? Reminds me more of Filius Zect though.
• Yukihime, but really Evangeline Anastasia Katherine McDowell in disguise. One of my favourite characters.
• Some blonde guy. That coat’s way too flashy. Also reminds me of Zect.

This page is a total tease, since nothing is actually definitive. The Japanese じいちゃん can mean both grandpa or casually addressing an old guy. Negi doesn’t even need to be dead (no body, not dead), though he probably is since he’d overshadow Touta. It does mean Touta and Negi know each other though. Some flashback potential.

Also keep in mind that around the end, Negima introduced multiple dimensions. So Akamatsu may or may not retcon some things. Yeah, multiple dimensions suck.

This part shows a really sweet side of Eva (one might dare to say: moe). It’s only a bit interesting given how the chapter started out with Eva’s little monologue. Later on, she’ll talk about her selfishness and whatnot. A good insight into her character.

A bit on the bracelet. I’m guessing it’s somewhat similar to what Negi applies to himself in the second volume, the underground library arc. It’s hard for me to believe that a mere bracelet can really nullify all magic, so I’m guessing a big part of it is that the user willingly puts it on. Negi used an explicit incantation however. I’m not really sure how far Akamatsu is going to take the details on magic in UQ Holder. You could already tell in the later stages of Negima that it really took a backseat compared to earlier volumes. A shame, since it was a big part of my enjoyment. More than just Harry Potter “sounds kinda like Latin” spells, everything had actual roots in culture found in our world. I hope Akamatsu takes a lot of research breaks again.

No words can describe how happy I am Akamatsu is starting a new manga, even happier that it’s set in the same world as Negima. Negima’s ending left me with a bitter taste, but here’s a chance for redemption, right?

Right, well, I wonder about that. UQ Holder also has to prove itself as its own manga. Just like how Negima started out as a harem comedy and ended up as a harem comedy DBZ-style battle manga. I guess the theme of immortality/invincibility will come up a lot. I wonder if Akamatsu will ever attempt to tie up the loose threads from Negima. Personally, although I love Negima with all my heart, I hope to mention it as few as possible. However it will turn out, the only way to find out is to read on.

(by the by, I remember something about rereading Negima, but you know how it goes: real life happened – I’ll get around to it)

You should really follow Canonrap’s Negima (and now UQ Holder I guess) blog for more interesting stuff, especially on the Japanese being used.

Obligatory joke/trollsubs

Fansubs, How They Came to Be and How They Hold a Unique Spot in the World of Television

In this episode, part one of a two part series, I explore the history of fansubbing from the late 70′s to mid 90′s. In the series, we’ll be exploring how it is influenced by the anime market, and how it influences both the market and expectations of the viewers. We’ll also take a look at the unique place fansubs sit in the media world, concerning legality and copyrights.

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There are 3 digits in the post title because I’m hoping UQ Holder will break at least 100 chapters.

Although there’s only one character physically introduced in this chapter, there’s one explicitly drawn and another referred to in an offhand comment. Yuuki Shinobu, although probably a girl, her gender is not explicitly mentioned. Up for a trick somewhere down the road? I hope it’s a guy, just because.

“Senpai… no, aniki… no. onii-chan!”

Translation side note. Translation is hard, let me start with that. “Sir” is about as close to “senpai” as you can get in this context. “Boss” is the usual translation for “aniki”. “Onii-chan” is a tougher case. I can’t think of a suitable English idiom in this context (“big boss bro” is definitely not it, but what is?). Then again, I would be lazy and just keep it as onii-chan. This is just a small subtle difference to keep in mind. I don’t really want to turn this into a translation discussion. The real reason though I bring this up is that I just want to get that onii-chan loving going on (♥Dave). End translation side note.

The other character, some guy Shinobu knows, actually has a character design, so we’ll probably see him back in one form or another. The last character is one of Touta’s friends and apparently a genius mechanic. I think he might be referring to either one of the four friends you always see together or the android/power suit guy we saw in the first chapter’s splash page.

References to characters are likely intentional

There’s some stuff about dreams, dreams that are completely unrelated to battle of any kind, Touta even outright denying the need to become stronger. We’ll see where this series is going.

As always, you should read Canonrap’s observations as well.

Akamatsu, please, all these traps…

Since we’re down to 19 pages, it looks like Akamatsu is settling into that weekly grind. Not a lot is going to happen each chapter so I probably won’t be writing a post for every chapter. The same holds for the third chapter, so instead I’ll comment a bit on genders. Oh boy. I remember falling into this pit of crocodiles before.

In chapter 2 we see Shinobu. It is generally assumed Shinobu is a girl (girly name, girly physique). Now, it’s a lot easier in Japanese to speak with gender neutral terms, but to go through lengths to stay gender neutral is still a suspicious flag.

In chapter 3 we have Kuroumaru. Contrasted with the previous chapter, gender identity is a big deal here. Kuroumaru explicitly calls himself a male, gets mad when he’s suspected of being a female. Now, there’s little we can do but to accept his word on this. Since it’s Weekly Shonen, we’ll never get to see the D. I do like to think that, just like with Sunrise deaths, anything is possible until we see a penis.

Shipping note. Kuroumaru is basically Setsuna 2.0. Touta may be related to Konoe and thus to Konoka. ToutaxKurou is definitely my running ship at the moment. Ah but KurouxTouta might be good too. End shipping note.

So what do you think? Boy? Girl? Futa? Demonoid? Android? Remember, anything is possible until we see a penis. Let your imagination run loose.

With the summer season of anime at its near peak, I suppose it’s finally time for me to come out of my cave and write up some articles. This season of anime has been particularly lackluster for a mecha / adventure lover such as myself, but overall, I can say it has turned out better than I first expected. There are a few hidden gems this season that, as the season has progressed, have turned into shining stars. For now though, let’s jump straight into one of my favorite shows of the season: Gatchaman Crowds. As a quick note, I have tried to keep spoilers to a minimum, but proceed at your own risk.

Gatchaman Crowds started off the season with what I consider to be a rather rocky start. Rather than giving us a real introduction too many of the characters within the show, Gatchaman instead decided to throw the viewer directly into the mix with main character. While this aspect of the show does fall in line with the main characters attitude of taking the world as it comes, it does leave a lot of questions for the viewer. Who are the Gatchaman really? Why are they there? Have they always been there? These are a few questions that the show pushes to the side and allows the viewer to discover later on about halfway through the season. As this is not the main focus of the show, it is not a very large problem, but it does create a sense of confusion as one tries to piece together the layout of the Gatchaman. Even some aspects of the show that appear within the first episode are never mentioned again, including the Gatchaman helpers and the other aliens who come to Earth.

Seriously, where in the world did these guys go.

Even though the show does appear to have this vague setting issue, it becomes a rather moot point by the third or fourth episode. Rather than focusing on what makes the Gatchaman work, the show shifts directly to its true plot or main focus. Introducing the mysterious characters of Rui-Rui and X, the show slowly builds up to the current conflict taking place between the Gatchaman and Berg-Katze. This epic conflict that the show has been building up to is one of, in my opinion, one of the most anticipated events of the season. Where other shows typically focus on a few smaller conflicts, the writers of Gatchaman have done an amazing job of using numerous small events to build up to the point it is at now.

Looking not only at the pacing of the show early on, but also at the main character, one can see an apparent rocky start. Having a main character such as the one within Gatchaman Crowds is a very big risk for any story. From the very beginning, Hajime appears to be this ditz of a girl who has what many have taken to call “brain problems.” While she does appear to be this stupid and silly girl for the first few episodes, we quickly discover that there is actually a lot more taking place within her mind than many would expect. Hajime’s character quickly moves away from the stupid girl to the thought provoking hero of the story. Where every other character within the show appears to have no idea what is going on, she seems to always have a plan or idea of what is going on no matter what the situation, and even if she doesn’t her sincerity and simplicity carry the show over almost every other aspect.

If you didn’t pick up on it, I love her.

Not only are the characters and plot of Gatchaman well developed, but the animation of Gatchaman is both unique and creative. With a plethora of colors splashed across the screen at all times, Gatchaman is a breathtaking example of excellent animation. Where other shows maintain a very simple and structured animation, Gatchaman breaks out of this shell and creates an animation that is very unique to itself and keeps the viewer constantly interested. The MESS which appear early in the show are so uniquely colored that I personally had trouble keeping my eyes off of them when they appeared.

Don’t try to tell me that’s not beautiful.

Gatchaman Crowds is one of the strongest shows of the season. Having not only a well done plot, but also excellent animation and character development, there is never a dull moment while watching it. The characters are constantly changing and growing, becoming more and more relatable as the series progresses. Where some shows can only be watched one episode at a time before they become a chore or annoying, Gatchaman, can be viewed straight through without any hindrance. While this season of anime may have not been as strong as I would have liked, just having Gatchaman Crowds makes it an excellent one in my books .

ファイアーエムブレム覚醒

Artist: JOU

For those unfamiliar with the Fire Emblem franchise, it is a series of SRPG’s (Strategy Role Playing Game) that has existed since the NES days in Japan. Sadly the world never saw an international release until the 7th game in the series, “Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken” for the Game Boy Advance, which was localized as just, “Fire Emblem”. As one of the first games I owned for the GBA, I quickly fell in love with it, and today it’s tied as one of my favorite GBA games ever along with Golden Sun. One of the key aspects of the Fire Emblem games is the ability to pair off unit with one another and initiate “support conversations”, in which the units have a short conversation. In previous games the support conversation merely added slight stat boosts when the units where next to each other. But in Fire Emblem Awakening, having units of opposite gender reach S rank support they will get married, and later on in the game their children will join your team. In other words, Fire Emblem Awakening could also be called, “Shipping Simulator 2013″, and therefore this game was basically made just for me. Please enjoy my Pixiv Picks for Fire Emblem Awakening.

Artist: しろおり

Artist: 蟻味

Artist: 蟻味

Artist: TORRO

Artist: 鹿乃子@ついったー

Artist: うま

Artist: きって

Artist: まんなか

Artist: 米米

Artist: シジマ

Artist: きんのたま▼5th

Artist: はのかげ

In my quest to find a shonen show that isn’t terrible, I took a gander at Tokyo Ravens. Another of this season’s light novel adaptations, it seemed like it might fit the bill. And surprisingly, it wasn’t all that terrible.

Japan has been thrown into chaos by onmyouji, which is something akin to a magician. Tokyo Ravens follows Harutora Tsuchimikado, who  was born into a prestigious Onmyoji family, but he can’t see “spirit energy”. Therefore, he’s been enjoying a lazy life with his friends at an Onmyo branch school. One day, his childhood friend Tsuchimikado Natsume, heir to the head family, suddenly appears, to take him up on a promise he made long ago to become her familiar. And his peaceful, lazy life is thrown into chaos.

All and all, not a bad first episode. Unlike Arpeggio, this show had a nice balance of flashback and present story elements intermixed. The flashbacks added context, without trampling on the story. Granted, things aren’t all that deep yet, but at least we know where things stand. And, who knows what will happen with the odd love triangle between a pair of cousins and a childhood friend? Animation-wise, it’s nothing special. It’s your standard shonen styling, with a little CG mixed in for some flash. Hopefully, with whatever budget they have, they wont skimp on the action scenes. Because, as it looks, that might be all this show has by season’s end.

Is it worth checking out? If you enjoy shonen fantasy action, sure. But it looks like the show will be hard pressed to reach any deeper levels that what we’ve seen in the first episode.

Samurai Flamenco, why must you taunt us so? All the mystery, all the suspense in the weeks leading up to this. A sense of excitement fluttered around your name.  And within minutes of starting the episode, you immediately make me go “What the hell?”.

I know, I know. The director is the same guy that did Baccano! and Durarara! He has a way with twisting and interconnecting plots, much like a Guy Ritchie movie. I like that. So, I’m going to cut some slack here, because this first episode fell a bit flat.

It really wasn’t that bad. First off, it was well animated. Unlike some other shows, there wasn’t any sloppy CG. Granted, that’s not saying much consider quite a few of the shows this season have made a mess of the CG they’ve used. This show keeps it simple, and for that I’m appreciative.

And I’m all in on the setting. This isn’t a high school harem romantic comedy cliché. We have adult characters, with real jobs, and (somewhat) real problems. I would kill to have more anime with this kind of backdrop. I understand that high schools have a cultural significance in Japan. But, in my humble opinion, there could be a few more shows with characters and settings with an +18 age group.

Where things fell short was dialogue. I didn’t laugh. I know that some of the conversations and situations were supposed to make me laugh, but I didn’t find it funny. I actually felt sorry for the Goto Hidenoro, that get’s sucked into this stranger’s delusional lifestyle. Maybe that was the point, but I definitely get the feeling I was supposed to be laughing at different points in the show.

I have this gut feeling that Flamenco is holding out; that there’s a great goal coming (simply based on the OP/ED). This show is definitely not an immediate drop for me. But with the limited episode count for Noitamina, the pace is going to have to pick up if it’s going to make an impact. But, I’m definitely going to see this one through to the end. I’m thinking I’ll miss out if I don’t.

In this review, we dive into the world of chuunibyou syndrome with an audio movie review of Aura: Koga Maryuin’s Last War.

The Facts:

Studio: AIC A.S.T.A.

Released: Apr 13, 2013

Length: 1 hr. 23 min.

Rating: R for mild nudity

Pros:

Cons:

• Mild Nudity
• Doesn’t properly address bullying

Reviews:

JoeAnimated

Mr. Flawfinder

As always, you can stream the podcast here, or download it using the link below.

Download The Podcast Post

So, I came into this show knowing next to nothing. The preview was done by Sabas and CrazyDave, so I missed out on doing some of the basic who/what research. I like to feel that this left me a clean slate for setting out into the unknowns of a new Noitamina series. And as I watched this episode, I found myself going through a range of thoughts before it was over.

The first 2 minutes of this show had me excited. Mysterious mechas drop out of flying ship, attacking a natural gas mine, destroying everything, and escaping untouched. Hell yeah, nothing beast a little bit of mayhem and destruction. And from there, as it dives deeper into the story, we get attempted kidnappings, high speed chases and a mysterious organization bent on stealing a treasure from the past.

In all seriousness, this was a pretty good first episode. It did well in all the major areas: animation, plot, and characters. The animation has some well done CG. The setting and hinted mysterious storyline left me wanting to see where things were going. And the eclectic cast of characters: a wannabe lawyer, a love-struck high schooler, and a genius middle schooler,  should (hopefully) lead to some very interesting conversations and interactions. I’m left genuinely excited after this first episode.

Combat, mechas, mysterious, a family at odds, and a crazy villain and his thuggish organization. This show merges them all, and in a way that leaves us interested for more. Without giving away too much of the show, I definitely recommend you check this out.

After that first episode, this series warranted some extra attention. Despite some concerns on my part, I dove right into this next episode with much anticipation. While the episodes was still good, it still presents a set of concerns that will be hard to overlook.

Quick recap. Ryuko stumbles out after her last battle, passes out, and is rescued by Mako and her family. She suffered from a large amount of blood loss after her uniform, Senketsu, almost sucks her dry. Meanwhile, the tennis club makes plans to use of a tournament to further Honnouji’s plans, which are to takeover of the world. The next day, Ryuko comes across the tennis club captain, Omiko Hakodate, who starts to give her a good beating when Senketsu fails to activate. She escapes into the drains, and is found by her teacher, Aikuro Mikisugi, who explains Senketsu requires her blood to operate, providing her with a glove to help her spill blood. Ryuko then goes to face Omiko which results in a tennis match between the two. Ryuko gets off to a rough start and finds herself at 0-40, but soon manages to fight back with her scissor blade and defeat Omiko’s two star Uniform, winning the match on technicality. Afterwards, student council president Satsuki herself appears before Ryuko to challenge her to a fight, wielding a blade that can cut through Senketsu, forcing Ryuko to escape and bide her time.

This episode finally lays out Satsuki’s plans: to take over the world. She makes reference that the student uniforms are derivatives of the army and navy. And, as such, these uniforms will be used in combat, to forward the Human Conquest and Liberation project. With her monologue in this episode, combined with her Nineteen Eighty-Four doublethink reference in the previous episodes, goes to emphasize a very fascist and totalitarian regime. Much akin to the rise of fascism in Europe, we see a strong personality taking charge, with those she usurps doing nothing to stem evil ambitions. She nurtures a few, in order to spread fear a subjection. It makes her to be a pretty dark villain.

What I find fascinating is the ‘sacrifices’ that Ryuko has to perform in order to gain the strength to fight this establishment.To activate, and maintain, the power provided by her uniform, she has to give an offering of blood. You could say that his offering is and incremental step in sacrificing her life, which is the path that this inevitably leads too. As we see in this episode, the longer she fights the more blood she has to offer. An the method that she offers her blood is interesting as well. The special glove she gets slits her wrist. It gives a very gruesome symbolism that using Senketsu is akin to suicide. Again, some very dark imagery.

The second sacrifice is of her modesty and dignity. While her enemy uses uniforms that are both functional, and covering, her uniform exposes everything to bear. Her enemies ogle her in a very sexual manner, which you would thing would impact her on an emotional level. it’s a level of fan service that I find a bit unsettling. While this is normal in shows like Queen’s Blade and Freezing (shows I tend to avoid), I find it to be almost out of place in this show. She’s the only character who’s uniform is that revealing.

While I’m really enjoying this show, my hope is that some of these more’ ‘interesting’ plot and animation elements come with a purpose. As a viewer, we’ve only been subjected to 72 hours of in-world time, so there’s still much we don’t know. It’s going to be an interesting trip as we work our way through these villains and into the final showdown.

So in my last post, I somewhat lamented how the lack of wearing clothes, stylized or not, was at the forefront of the show. It felt up to this point that it was over done and without a higher purpose. But that changes in this episode, in a fairly dramatic fashion. While I can’t tackle this subject with any philosophical dialogue, I highly recommend you read AJtheFourth’s latest KLK post. Her comparisons of Japan’s culture of shame and modesty to this show and Go Nagai is an enlightening read.

Embracing ones’ shame is an interesting concept. It’s one our female leads have to address to order to gain the power that each desires. Shame is a consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. As long as they feel shame, the cultural rules that influence it, they can never reach their full strength. They have to shed a piece of their cultural morality (in this case, their clothes), in order to move on and gain power. 

To be shameless means to be senseless, uncouth, and impudent. It’s a very marked state of being out of control, out of touch, and exceedingly self-absorbed. Shamelessness typically lives in people who don’t have any relational skills. Shamelessness defines our student council president almost perfectly, which is why she could unlock the full power of her uniform Junketsu from the beginning, while Ryuko could not. But as all good heroes and heroines do, she conquers her internal self consciousness, and embraces being shameless as well.

Now that she’s conquered her shame, what’s next? The gauntlet has been thrown, and Ryuko must battle here way to the top to get the answers she seeks. But what other challenges is she going to face along the way?