AMV of the Day: Evangelion 2.22 [Lights]

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Arleigh

The last three or four days and with many more to go, site co-founder Lisa Marie has been reviewing many films the depicts high school as seen by it’s many filmmakers down the years. While this particular major series of reviews is the creation of Lisa Marie and one she’s determined and enthusiastic in completing I thought I might drop by the proceedings and pop my head in quickly.

I don’t have a high school-themed review, but I do have the latest “AMV of the Day” that loosely follows the theme of high school. This time around the AMV is about a group of high school students in a futuristic Japan who also happens to be pilots of giant mechas (piloted robots) called Evangelions. Yes, I know it’s a very loose and barely there tie-in to Lisa Marie’s “Back to School” series, but who wouldn’t want to be a high school student and also be the pilot of giant Evangelions while wearing some fashionable plug suits. I mean the Evangelion anime is not just about mecha fighting monstrous angelic beings, but also has all the angst and growing pains of being a high school age teen.

The video’s creator, LuftPyrite, does a great job of marrying scenes from Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance with the Accent8 Remix of Ellie Goulding’s very popular and recognizable song “Lights”. While the video itself does end very abruptly it still doesn’t diminish just how good this video is from start to abrupt finish.

Anime: Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

Song: Lights (Accentu8 Remix) by Ellie Goulding

Creator: LuftPyrite

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Snowball Genocide (Various)

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Arleigh

I’m just hours away from watching an advanced screening of Guardians of the Galaxy on IMAX in San Francisco. What does this have to do with the latest “AMV of the Day” you may be asking?

Well, the answer to that is really nothing. Nothing except that both this AMV, “Snowball Genocide”, is just as fun to sit back and watch as I’m sure James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be. It helps that “Snowball Genocide” won not just the Best Fun/Upbeat category but also Best Concept video during Anime Boston 2014’s AMV contest this past March.

Anime: A Channel, Acchi Kocchi, Azumanga Daioh, Heaven’s Lost Property Forte, Hiyokoi, Kanon (TV – 2006), Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Minami-Ke Tadaima, Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu!, Shugo Chara!! Doki, Upotte!! (ONA), Zoku Natsume Yūjin-Chō

Song: “Royal Taste (Jan Waterman Remix)” by Montee & Junky Sound

Creator: KisanziVNS

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Iwatobi Weather Service (Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club & Attack On Titan)

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Arleigh

This latest “AMV of the Day” was entered in this month’s AMV Contest at Anime Expo 2014. It’s definitely one of the more unique looking videos I’ve profiled for this series.

For one thing “Iwatobi Weather Service” by NekoKitkat25hug is a fanservice video. In the past, when I posted an AMV that was all about and celebrating fanservice it was usually focused on the female characters. I don’t think I ever picked one where it was the other way around. I must admit that I’ve never watched many anime that was a reverse of the typical harem-type story. The closest reverse harem anime I’ve watched would be Ouran highschool Host Club. That one didn’t even concentrate on the fanservice trope, but more on the romantic-comedy angle. With this video’s use of the swimming anime Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club it definitely focuses on fanservice.

Not my type of fanservice but I must admit that it’s quite the hilarious video (I’m sure appealing to those who have enjoyed this anime). The video also was helped by the use of The Weather Girls’ classic song, “It’s Raining Men”, which takes on a darkly humorous twist in the final minute when it’s literally raining men.

Anime: Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club and Attack On Titan

Song: “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls

Creator: NekoKitkat25hug

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Otaku Paradise

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Arleigh

It’s the 4th of July Weekend and one of the things I’ve gotten used to these past couple years is that it means Anime Expo has come around once more. While I don’t have the anime convention experience as pantsukudasai56 it is still a event that I’ve gotten used to attending once a year when possible.

The latest “AMV of the Day” arrives just in time for the largest North American anime convention held every 4th of July weekend in Los Angeles. Not to say that the other anime conventions around the country are nothing to sneeze at, but Anime Expo is a whole different animal that every otaku in North America needs to experience at least once in their life. It’s a video that comes courtesy by the very talented video editor who goes by the handle of BecauseImBored1.

A video that combines scenes from anime and real-life footage of cosplayers and anime con-goers into one timely video that celebrates the positive nature of the word “otaku”. It’s a word that has a negative reputation in Japan, but one that’s seen as a celebration of anime and Japanese pop-culture fandom worldwide. It’s a label taken on proudly.

“Otaku Paradise” has such a huge number of anime referenced yet barely scratches the surface of what “otaku” watches and follows year in and year out. I love the fact that the video intersperses these anime scenes with real-life people in cosplay of those very same anime characters. Not everyone cosplays, but every otaku appreciates and admires those who do. Yet, cosplayers and non-cosplayer otaku both have one thing in common and that is their acceptance of the label of “otaku”.

One thing this video made me do while I watched it for the first time and the many times since was put such a huge, happy smile on my face. It’s small consolation for having to miss this weekend’s Anime Expo 2014.

Anime: Another, Attack On Titan, Baccano!, Baka And Test – Summon The Beasts, Bakuman, Black Lagoon, CANAAN, Clannad, Code Geass – Lelouch Of The Rebellion, D.Gray-Man, DragonBall Z, Durarara!!, Fate/Stay Night, Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Genshiken, Genshiken Nidaime, Haikyuu, Hellsing Ultimate, Howl’s Moving Castle, Idolmaster, K, K-ON!, Kampfer, Kanon, Kara No Kyoukai – The Garden Of Sinners, Kill La Kill, Kuroko’s Basketball, Kyoukai No Kanata, Kyousougiga, Little Witch Academia, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Lucky Star, Macross Frontier MUSIC CLIP Collection – Nyankuri, Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya, MM!, Munto, My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute, My Neighbor Totoro, Naruto, Ookami-San To Shichinin No Nakama-Tachi, Ore No Kanojo To Osananajimi Ga Shuraba Sugiru, Ouran High School Host Club, Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt, Persona 4: The Animation, Pokemon : White, Pokémon: Movie 2, Pokemon 2000, The Power Of One, Princess Jellyfish, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Romeo × Juliet, Sailor Moon, Sakura Trick, School Rumble, School Rumble 2, Shugo Chara!, Soul Eater, Soul Eater Not, Summer Wars, Super Smash Bros, Sword Art Online, Tales Of Xillia, Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, Toradora!, Trigun, Uta No Prince Sama, Welcome To The NHK, Yu Yu Hakusho

Song: “Raging Fire” by Phillip Phillips

Creator: BecauseImBored1

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: The Breath of Spring (Bakemonogatari)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Arleigh

Harem anime tend to be very popular with fans of anime and manga. One such series that has become a huge favorite with anime fans has been the Monogatari anime series. It’s from this that we get the latest “AMV of the Day”.

“The Breath of Spring” by VovanKoperativ uses the first installment in this series, Bakemonogatari, to help highlight why this series is an great example of a harem anime. The video take the song “Opportunity Nox” by Roxette and shows the series protagonist, Koyomi Araragi, in different situations with the many girls of Bakemonogatari. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Hitagi Senjougahara, Suruga Kanbaru or Tsubasa Hanekawa, our male lead will become enamored with all of them at some point during the series. While he inevitably will pick just one girl in the end it doesn’t stop him from becoming the perv that fans have grown to love.

Fellow site and anime contributor pantsukudasai will agree that this is also one of his favorite anime series of recent times though will mostly likely say that this particular video is lacking in Mayoi.

Anime: Bakemonogatari

Song: “Opportunity Nox” by Roxette

Creator: VovanKoperativ

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Spiral Ascension (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Arleigh

I still have a couple more winning AMV’s from this past Anime Boston 2014, but for now I think the latest entry to the “AMV of the Day” comes courtesy of Sakura-Con 2014. It’s another AMV using the time tested 30 Second To Mars song, “This Is War”.

For some reason this song remains a steadfast favorite amongst people who make anime music videos and it’s not hard to see why. It’s got a nice tempo and beat that goes well with many shounen anime. This time around it’s used for the video that won “Best Action” in this year’s Sakura-Con AMV contest. The creator of the video is one TheMFJuggernaut. With the popularity of the anime series Kill la Kill it’s always great to see people continue to take interest in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which was animated by Gainax animators who would later form the animation studio Trigger. The animation studio which gives Kill la Kill it’s look that reminded many people of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

One fun thing about this video is how it shows how over-the-top the series got when it came to it’s mecha design. They didn’t know the meaning off “too big”.

Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Song: “This Is War” by 30 Second To Mars

Creator: TheMFJuggernaut

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Strangers Like Us (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet)

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Arleigh

It’s been a month since Anime Boston 2014 and I’ve decided to put up the third AMV to win one of the categories from the con.

This particular AMV won the Romance category and for once it uses an anime that I’m not familiar with, but after watching the video I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out once the blu-ray comes out sometime this year.

The AMV in question is “Strangers Like Us” by davenfonet who uses the Phil Collins song of the same title and the mecha series Gargantia on the Verdorous Planet. The video itself doesn’t go for the usual ballad-like tone, but instead goes for a much more fun romance vibe that doesn’t seem to win many Romance category contests. This time this type of romance AMV wins and the fact that it makes me want to watch the series after never having heard of it til Anime Boston means the creator succeeded.

Anime: Gargantia on the Verdorous Planet

Song: “Strangers Like Us” by Phil Collins

Creator: davenfonet

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: The Gore Never Bothered Me Anyway (Elfen Lied)

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Arleigh

The latest “AMV of the Day” doesn’t come courtesy of this past spring’s Anime Boston, but it caught my eye since it was the latest creation from one of my favorite AMV creators: IleiaAMVs.

“RadioAkshun” was her very popular and excellent AMV from last year’s anime con season and her latest offering for this weekend’s Sakura-Con 2014 may just be another hit.

This latest anime music video from IleiaAMVs combines one of the more mature-oriented anime one can get into without venturing into the truly extreme anime with one of the most popular songs of the past year with “Let It Go” from Frozen. One wouldn’t think that Elfen Lied and Frozen would go together like peanut butter and jelly but in this one instance they’re perfect together.

Anime: Elfen Lied

Song: “Let It Go” from Frozen (feat. Idina Menzel)

Creator: IleiaAMVs

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Valor (Kill la Kill)

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Arleigh

The second AMV winner to come out of last weekend’s Anime Boston 2014 was for Best Action.

“Valor” by MycathatesyouAMV pretty much a montage of the hyper-fast battle scenes from the current anime of the moment, Kill la Kill. The editor uses Celldweller’s “Tough Guy” track and just goes with the tempo and speed of the song to focus on the insane action this anime series has become quite well-known for.

Definitely a better Best Action winner than last year’s Anime Boston action winner.

Anime: Kill la Kill

Song: “Tough Guy (Tim Ismag Remix)” Celldweller

Creator: MycathatesyouAMV

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Time Falls Away

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Arleigh

This year’s Anime Boston actually had quite the line-up of AMV winners. Most of the time a con may have a couple of great winners, some good ones and the rest the usual meh. This wasn’t the case with Anime Boston 2014.

The latest AMV of the Day comes courtesy of AMV editor AdventLostKaichou who entered the anime music video “Time Falls Away” which promptly won in two categories: Judges’ Choice and Best Drama. Winning in one category is celebration enough, but winning in another means this particular video struck a chord with the judges and audience alike.

I haven’t seen the anime used for the video. It’s an 11-episode series from 2009 titled Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and after watching this video I’m more than likely going to hunt this series down and watch it in one marathon sitting.

Anime: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Song: “Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas

Creator: AdventLostKaichou