AMV of the Day: Affective Schoolgirls (Nichijou)

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Arleigh

Latest “AMV of the Day” is one that dodges any way to describe it.

“Affective Schoolgirls” is an amalgam of two very different styles of entertainment. Two styles that I’ve learned to enjoy and appreciate through the years. What this video has done is combine something akin to peanut butter and jelly. The slapstick comedy and slice of life anime series Nichijou provides the peanut butter while the song “Snüffel” by Equilibrium provides the jelly.

If one who watches this video thinks they have no idea what’s going on then they’ve come to an understanding of what Nichijou as an anime is all about. It is an anime series about chaos distilled. What better way to point this out than to pair it up with some German symphonic black metal.

Anime: Nichijou

Song: “Snüffel” by Equilibrium

Creator: seriy

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: RadioAkshun (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Arleigh

The latest “AMV of the Day” pretty much was the hit of Sakura-Con 2013 a couple weeks back.

“RadioAkshun” by AMV creator IleaiAMVs won not just Best Technical, but won both Judges’ Best in Show and Audience Best in Show. It’s a rarity that an AMV in competition wins both Best in Show. AMV judges tend to vote on whats best in competition a little differently than the general public who watches the videos more as fans and not judging them on technical, artistic and creative merit. IleaiAMVs definitely earned her wins by creating one of the best AMVs I’ve seen.

Her work on this video uses scenes and sequences from the Rebuild of Evangelion anime films (three out with a fourth still forthcoming) and edits it around the Imagine Dragons song “Radioactive” and she does an excellent job. She doesn’t rely on flashy effects to make her video interesting and unique. She just does an impeccable job in timing the beats and tempo of the song with the appropriate scenes from the anime films. She also makes sure that she doesn’t just slapdash together the best scenes from the films. IleaiAMVs makes sure that each sequence fits not just the beats and tempo of the song but the lyrics as well. Best example of all three is early in the video when the character of Shinji takes a deep breath and then his Evangelion Unit exhales just as the singer in the song does the very same thing.

Enough talk…just go watch and enjoy.

Anime: Rebuild of Evangelion

Song: “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons

Creator: IleaiAMVs

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Danger Zone (Macross Plus)

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Arleigh

So, another day of resting up after a wickedly long weekend of doing nothing but working I came across this little video that brought back memories of not just my youth during the 80’s but also fond ones of discovering one of my favorite anime of all-time.

The latest “AMV of the Day” comes courtesy of TrepidationsFall and it’s combines that 80’s blockbuster of blockbusters in Top Gun and one of the best anime of all-time in Macross Plus. The video is simply called “Danger Zone” and the use of the iconic Kenny Loggins track for the Bruckheimer fighter-jock extravaganza fits the mecha anime to a “T”.

Anime: Macross Plus

Song: “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins

Creator: TrepidationsFall

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Maid to Kill (Black Lagoon)

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Arleigh

I’m less than 2 days away from freeing my purchase of a Kimber Raptor II .45 ACP from my local gun store. I think the fact that I’m very into firearms is another reason why I have come to see Rei Horie’s Black Lagoon manga and anime very much. Sure the anime and manga have great and well-written characters. It also has some of the craziest action sequences that doesn’t involve giant robot mechas, supernatual monsters and/or magical girls. It also shows’ Horie’s appreciation of the many different firearms available.

The last “AMV of the Day” detailed the origin of the super-assassin Roberta. This latest AMV now shows just how insane she’s become the more and more she appeared in Black Lagoon. The use of Infected Mushroom’s song “Becoming Insane” was such an appropriate choice for this video.

This video also ends in a hilarious note as the series’ two psycho ladies in Roberta and Revy end up fighting each other to the point that they end up doing a Rocky moment with simultaneous knockouts.

Anime: Black Lagoon

Song: “Becoming Insane” by Infected Mushroom

Creator: FoxJones, Partsa

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: A Thousand Years (Clannad/Toradora!)

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Arleigh

I came across this AMV while browsing youtube and quite bored. I know the song comes from that Twilight thingamabob so I think this latest “AMV of the Day” will pull a tear or two from my co-founder Lisa Marie.

The latest chosen AMV is called “A Thousand Years” and it’s from YouTube user 93RokuStepperZ. It’s a simple romance-themed video that pretty much takes two of the most romantic and sappiest romance anime of the last couple years and melds it with the ballad by Christina Perri for that long-running sparkly vampire and his girlfriend series.

There’s no super bells and whistles in how the video was made. It’s just a well-edited AMV that focuses on the two couple from the two series. There’s Toyomi and Nagisa from Clannad and Clannad: After Story (BAWWWWWWWW) and then there’s Ryuuji and Taiga from Toradora.

One thing we won’t find in this AMV would be vampires, werewolves or any of that sort. Just moe anime and a tsundere shorty.

Anime: Clannad, Clannad: After Story, Toradora!

Song: “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri

Creator: 93RokuStepperZ

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Careful What You Wish (Black Lagoon)

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Arleigh

I’ve gotten to watch Black Lagoon once again and I must say that the more I watch it over and over the more I have put this anime series on my favorite list. It’s just an anime that hits all the right buttons for me. Hyper-kinetic action, loads and loads of gun play and the most diverse cast of psychotic, badass female characters ever. One of these said badass females is one Rosalita “Roberta” Cisneros who headlines the third season of the series.

“Careful What You Wish” is the latest AMV of the Day that shows this lonewolf former FARC assassin turned maid for one of Colombia’s ruling families as she goes on a warpath to avenge the killing of her master and protect his only son in the aftermath. The video was created by LasSamurai2011 and he does a great job of putting together the video to work hand in hand with Metallica’s “King of Nothing” track.

While some of the sequences look just a tad dark it still shows enough of how much a badass Roberta really is and in a series full of such character that’s an achievement in of itself. Fans of the anime know what mean and those who are interested in checking out the series should do so. It’s every action film from the 80’s multiplied to a factor of 1000.

Anime: Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail

Song: “King of Nothing” by Metallica

Creator: LastSamurai2011

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Ash vs Gary (Pokemon)

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Arleigh

For the first AMV entry for 2013 and the latest in a long series I’ve decided to go for nostalgia to dictate my choice instead of quality (though I will say the video does it’s job well in matching the song used). Anyone who grew up during the late 90’s and early 2000’s have heard, seen and/or obsessed over the Japanese pop-culture phenomenon simply called Pokemon.

I was already an adult and I was caught up in the hurricane that was Pokemon when it swept through the West in the late 1990’s. Hell, I pretty much played most of the different color editions of the game on the Game Boy and it’s subsequent handhelds. I’m even proud to say that my two favorite Pokemons were Pikachu and Togepi. But that’s a different matter altogether. Today it’s all about the AMV titled “Ash vs. Gary”.

The video uses the very fight-like song “Remember the Name” by Ft. Minor to highlight the Pokemon battle match between the two rivals. As we can see in the video the two use many different Pokemons in their collection to battle it out. Their battle lasts until they each just have one Pokemon left and it’s a sudden death match that many fans of the show fondly remembers. In one corner is Gary’s fully evolved Blastoise (which is the final evolved version of the starter Pokemon Squirtle) and in the other corner is Ash’s tempermental Charizard (the final evolved form of the starter Pokemon Charmander).

Really, there’s nothing left to say other than enjoy the video and take a glimpse into a nostalgic trip down my own memory lanes.

Anime: Pokemon

Song: “Remember the Name” by Ft. Minor feat. Styles of Beyond

Creator: Logan8703

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Just Can’t Get Enough (Bakemonogatari)

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Arleigh

In honor of site anime editor pantsukudasai56 finally getting his Bakemonogatari blu-ray set it’s more than proper to have the latest “AMV of the Day” come from that very anime series.

“Just Can’t Get Enough” is not just the title of the AMV but the name of the song used for the video. I’m not a huge fan of The Black Eyed Peas but this song seemed quite appropriate in focusing the video on the harem and romance aspect of the series. Bakemonogatari pretty much a harem series but with some heavy supernatural themes to it. The video shows some of that especially when Black Hanekawa (cat girl) appears, but mostly it sticks to the main lead in Araragi paired up with the different girls he comes across in the series.

The video’s creator, joserbuitrago1, does a very good job in syncing up the lyrics with some of the anime lip movements to make it seem characters like Araragi, Senjougahara and Hanekawa are singing the song themselves. I’ve noticed that AMV either just avoid trying to sync up the lyrics with the anime or do so to great result. This video is of the latter variety.

Anime: Bakemonogatari

Song: “Just Can’t Get Enough” by The Black Eyed Peas

Creator: joserbuitrago1

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Our Miracle (Sword Art Online)

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Arleigh

The newest “AMV of the Day” entry is one that will give site contributor and anime/manga editor pantsukudasai a smile. It’s a video for one of this year’s newest anime series in Japan and one that’s growing in popularity with each passing day.

“Our Miracle” is a video dedicated to the anime series Sword Art Online and it uses the song “Miracle” from the hard rock group Shinedown. This series has been quite a surprise in that it’s an anime about a fictitious MMORPG of the same. It’s one that I’ve only started watching but I can understand why so many people have been raving about it. It has action, romance and comedy in equal amounts and it actually has quite a story about loyalty and perseverance. Not to mention that it’s pretty dark for a series that’s a visual feast to the eyes with its animation that goes for bold and bright colors and brightly lit settings.

The video itself tries to focus on the romance between it’s two main leads in Kirito and Asuna but at the same giving equal focus on the action that should attract the shonen crowd. If I had to pick a type of AMV this one goes under it would be as an action video and it definitely makes a strong case for action fans to check out. The romance and comedy are great side bonuses for those willing to take them on.

I have to give it up to the video’s creator, FedeBankai, for making a very clean video that doesn’t go for too much excessive video effects. I do like the paneling effect that makes some of the scenes transition from motion to static images on paper. He’s made the best Sword Art Online AMV I’ve seen yet and has raised the bar for those wanting to use the same series to create their AMV around.

Anime: Sword Art Online

Song: “Miracle” by Shinedown

Creator: FedeBankai

Past AMVs of the Day

AMV of the Day: Dead End (Mirai Nikki)

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Arleigh

Time for a new “AMV of the Day” and the first one that features the recently licensed supernatural horror (w/ some romance) anime series Mirai Nikki aka Future Diary.

“Dead End” is the title of the AMV and it features the two leads of the series. There’s the loner Yuki Amano and Yuno Gasai. The latter being the pink-haired girl who seems to be quite smitten with the quieter Yuki. The video itself doesn’t spoil much about the main story in the series, but it does give a hint as to the peculiar relationship between these two people. The loner (not hikikomori-level but getting there) and the slightly unhinged yandere.

This video would’ve been perfect for the horror-themed October, but alas I had just recently found this little gem which uses the song “You Make Me Feel” by trip hop group Archive. The song itself fits in well with the scenes chosen and edited together for the video. It really highlights the soft and extreme nature of Yuki and Yuno’s relationship as the song goes from hard trip hop bass line beats to the band’s frontwoman’s ethereal-sounding vocals.

So, much props to the video’s creator, Himura Kenshin, for this well-made AMV and for creating a video that could easily act like a trailer for the series.

Anime: Mirai Nikki

Song: “You Make Me Feel” by Archive

Creator: Himura Kenshin

Past AMVs of the Day