Horror AMV of the Day: Yurei

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Arleigh

We have another new AMV of the Day for the current horror month and this time around it’s a sort of mixtape of some of the more recent horror anime.

“Yurei” pretty much takes two of the most recent horror anime in Another and Mirai Nikki and combines it with one that’s more supernatural romance than horror in Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, but still shares the previous two titles’ dark fantasy roots. The song itself is one of the musical compositions created for another horror anime, Jigoku Shoujo aka Hell Girl, by Japanese composer Takanashi Yasuharu. So, this video is pretty much horror on horror and while it’s not the full on bloodbath (though one must watch both Another and Mirai Nikki to see just how off that statement truly is) one would associate with horror nowadays it’s still quite an appropriate video for this month’s theme.

Anime: Another, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, Mirai Nikki

Song: “Jigoku Nagashi” by Takanashi Yasuharu

Creator: ThePooh

Past AMVs of the Day

Horror AMV of the Day: Bloody Ayase (Oreimo)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Arleigh

Here we are once again with the wonderful month of October. This means the place gets an extra dosage of horror in everything we can think of. For my first horror-themed post I shall go with the latest “AMV of the Day” and this time it’s an aptly titled video: “Bloody Ayase”.

This particular AMV takes the cute, romantic comedy series, Oreimo, and subverts it by way of clever editing, song choice and some additions like blood splatters to turn it into an obsessed crush. This video actually does a great job in showing the anime personality type called yandere. It’s the obsessed and mentally unhinged lover or ex-lover who doesn’t want to let go and will kill anyone, even the target of their affection, if it means keeping them away from others.

The only thing this video doesn’t have is a pot of boiling water with a rabbit inside.

Anime: Oreimo

Song: “E.T.” by Katy Perry

Creator: Cheeseharry

Past AMVs of the Day

Nitro+ Mascot Super Sonico Gets Own Anime Series

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Arleigh

Super Sonico.

Two words that literally will elicit either two reactions from fans of all things Japanese pop culture. One reaction would be a groan and a shaking of the head that a mascot for a Japanese software company will get her own anime series. For these individuals it’s bad enough that she’s flooded the collectibles’ market with everything Super Sonico from vinyl figures (even one that’s 1/2 scale), posters, keychains, bedspreads, pillow cases and uncounted more things made to separate an otaku from their cash.

The other reaction would be on the other side of the spectrum. A reaction of unrestrained glee. Super Sonico has almost become not just the mascot for Nitro+ but for the current trend in Japanese pop culture that goes by the label of moe. So, Super Sonico finally having her very own anime series was just the logical progression for a character that’s already on everything else sold in Japan and overseas.

From the press release from Nitro+…

“The staff of the Japanese software maker Nitroplusconfirmed on Saturday that a television anime adaptation of its Super Sonico mascot has been green-lit. Nitroplus already opened a website for SoniAni -Super Sonico the Animation-, which was first announced at the Nitro Super Sonic 2013 event earlier in the day.

Super Sonico is the mascot girl of the “Nitro Super Sonic” events held by Nitroplus. In her back story, she is already a photoshoot model, game character, and a musician, even as she studies as a college student. She is also part of a three-piece girl band named “Daiichi Uchū Sokudo” (Fastest Speed in Space) as the vocalist and guitarist.

The character already inspired her own line of games, and figures including a giant 1/2-scale statue. Super Sonico is also appearing in Namco Bandai Games‘ Super Heroine Chronicle for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita systems and even in a promotion for THQ’s Saints Row: The Third game.”

The question that should be going through the minds of fans until it’s announced would be which anime studio will do the animation and when the series will have a premiere date.

Source: Anime News Network

AMV of the Day: The End of My World (Clannad/Clannad After Story)

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Arleigh

The latest “AMV of the Day” comes from the creative mind of one xDieguitoAMV.

“The End of My World” takes select scenes from the anime series Clannad and Clannad: After Story and combines it with the ambient stylings of the band The American Dollar. It chronicles the life of the Tomoya Okazaki through his experiences in both series. It’s told through his point of view as he meets Nagisa Furukawa who would have such a huge impact on his life. The video actually reverse the order by which he sees his life since meeting Nagisa. How she’s changed his outlook on life even if it meant that the happiness he has with her gets balanced out by heartache.

Anyone who has seen this anime knows how the two seasons were polar opposites from each other when it came to their tone and characters. All I can say that I’ve heard anecdotes that even badass, hardened, cynical men who club baby seals for sport have broken down crying like little babies once they’ve seen the series’ After Story. This video will probably relapse them back to that bawling state.

Anime: Clannad, Clannad: After Story

Song: “Twelve Days Awake” by The American Dollar

Creator: xDieguitoAMV

Past AMVs of the Day

Bayonetta Game to Get Anime Film

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Arleigh

“Let’s dance boys!” — Bayonetta

One of the most entertaining and fun games of this current generation of consoles that I’ve ever played came out in the Spring of 2010. The game I speak of is the hack-and-slash title Bayonetta from Platinum Games. It’s a game that was born from the hyper-kinetic action game series Devil May Cry. In fact, the game’s designer was also the designer for the Devil May Cry series and it shows in this heroine-led title.

As I had mentioned on a very early review of the title, Bayonetta is quite the over-the-top game with unique-looking visuals and imagery that combined Judeo-Christian art designs with the anime-inspired aesthetics that has been the design staple of the Devil May Cry series.

I was actually surprised that the game didn’t get an anime series right away to complement it the way some Japanese games tend to get when they become popular. Yet, despite waiting over three years to get one fans of the game will finally have their wish.

Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is an anime series due out this November from studio house GONZO. It looks to be an adaptation of the game’s storyline and will have Fuminori Kizaki of Afro Samurai fame in the director’s chair. The art design of the series will lean heavily on the game’s original character designs by Mari Shimazaki which should be good news to Bayonetta fans everywhere.

The trailer for the anime already hints at using the fan service moments from the game that made the title so popular but at the same time so controversial within some of the gaming community. The anime will be shown in a limited release in Japan this November with no word yet on whether it will make it over to the West in one type of release or another. I bet on it becoming a video release down the line.

Source: Anime News Network

Trailer: The Wind Rises (Official)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Arleigh

The Wind Rises aka Kaze Tachinu is the latest anime offering from Studio Ghibli and will be getting an Oscar-qualifying run later this year. It’s the latest from acclaimed Japanese director Miyazaki Hayao (My Friend Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) and, most likely, his final work as he’s announced that he’s retiring.

The film is a fictionalized account of one Jiro Horikoshi. It’s a decades-long retelling of Jiro’s early life as a boy through his post-war life. Those who know their history will recognize the name of Jiro Horikoshi as one of the engineers responsible for the development of the legendary WWII fighter most commonly-known by the name given to it by the Allies during the war, The Zero.

While all of Miyazaki’s films have always have had the mature element in addition to the whimsical nature of the story he’s telling in his anime it look like The Wind Rises may just be Miyazaki’s most mature offering to date.

The Wind Rises has been making the film festival rounds of late and hopefully gets limited release dates announced before year’s end.

AMV of the Day: Life Is Fantastic (Nichijou)

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Arleigh

Here we have another “AMV of the Day” installment starring those cast of characters from the anime series Nichijou.

The previous AMV showed that the series Nichijou can pretty much fit any type of music. Want to make a video of the series using a heavy metal song? Not a problem. Classical music? Doable and perfect, really. Now we have a classic of Hollywood film score being used to make a Nichijou video and despite the video not really making any sense whatsoever it does fall in line with the series’ and it’s irreverent and over-the-top nature.

The moment I watched “Life Is Fantastic” by Iren S.S. I couldn’t stop whistling to the video and it took me a shake of a lamb’s tail before I figured out that the song used was from The Sting. The video itself is a prime example of how one can sync up the images in the video with specific musical cues to make it come off spectacular. Special effects are not the only tools that makes an AMV great to watch. Sometimes an editor with a keen eye for visuals and an ear for music can combine the two skills to make a near-perfect AMV.

Now, I must return to whistling this tune that I can’t get out of my head.

Anime: Nichijou

Song: “Easy Winners” by Scott Joplin and Marvin Hamlisch

Creator: Iren S.S.

Past AMVs of the Day

Scenes I Love: Nichijou

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Arleigh

Have I mentioned just how much I love the anime series Nichijou? If I haven’t then this latest “Scenes I Love” should provide a fine example why this anime series has pretty much captured my otaku-heart and has now made it into my top 10 best things I’ve ever enjoyed watching.

It’s well-known amongst fans of anime that Nichijou is just so random an anime series. While it might confuse the uninitiated for the most part everyone who watches anime just rolls with it. I love this particular scene involving two of the show’s leads in Mio and Yuuko because of just how it escalates so quickly from a misunderstanding into a full-blown mutual assured destructions conflict in so very little time.

This scene illustrates how the series takes very normal and common situations that happens in every high school kids life and just ramps it up past 11. I know that I’ve had arguments and fights about something so innocuous as getting the wrong lunch. Yet, despite the over-the-top nature of the scene and how hilarious each lead takes their argument to the nth-degree it ends in a way that makes one feel good about things.

Amazing, indeed.

Artist Profile: Yoshitaka Amano

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Arleigh

Yoshitaka Amano, born 1952 in Shizuka, Japan, is one of Japan’s most-renowned artists and illustrators. He also began his career as a character designer for early anime shows like Speed Racer, Gatchaman and Tekkaman. He would continue to build on his portfolio of unique character designs for anime, video game franchises and Japanese pop culture art.

Amano-san has pointed out Western artists such as comic book artist Neal Adams as an inspiration in his own style which when combined with his knowledge and appreciation of the classic Japanese hard woodblock printing known as Ukiyo-e would lead to one of the most unique character styles in mainstream pop-culture.

Yet, Amano-san will forever be known for and continues to be popular for his work in helping design the characters for the the video game rpg franchise known the world over as Final Fantasy.

AMV of the Day: Event (Nichijou)

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Arleigh

The past year or so I’ve been enamored and addicted to an anime series which came out in 2011. This anime is Nichijou and it’s one of the funniest, most confusing and irrelevant piece of entertainment I’ve ever seen. So, it’s only natural that the latest “AMV of the Day” comes from Nichijou.

The AMV is simply called “Event” and it goes a different route when it comes to the song used. It’s creator, JustRukia, doesn’t use techno, rock or pop songs as the foundation for the video, but instead goes for a more classical base. One wouldn’t think that Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld” aka the Can-Can song would fit in well with this irreverent anime, but it so does.

This is the third AMV I’ve posted that uses Nichijou and I don’t think it will be the last. The previous two were just as funny with “Safety Dance” being the first and “Affective Schoolgirls” the one before this one. This latest just continues the tradition of well-done and hilarious Nichijou AMV’s.