I’ve been pretty open about my love for anime and, of late, my love for the incredibly funny and irrelevant anime series Nichijou.
This is a series where it runs on it’s own logic that may not makes sense to us, but definitely adds to the hilarious scenes, moments and overall tone of the show. This particular scene is from episode 16 and has Yukko visiting the new coffee shop to try the place out. Ok, nothing funny about it so far, but this is no ordinary coffee shop but one that serves all those fancy espresso type drinks.
So, this scene just ends up even more hilarious when one thinks of their very first time entering a Starbucks or an espresso cafe having no idea how to order those fancy drinks. For most people not in their 20’s coffee was either black or with cream and served small, medium or large. We didn’t know what that “Tall” meant small or that “Grande” meant medium and don’t even get me started on “Venti”.
This scene just brought back memories of seeing people new to such coffee houses trying to order their coffee and acting as if they know what they’re doing when everyone around them, especially the barista, knows they have no clue what’s going on.
As anyone that knows me knows, I have a massive backlog of videos that I bought but have yet to watch. Hence the incredibly uncreative name for this column! Seriously, I sat and thought on it, and that was the best I could do. Deal with it. So anyways, as I have about 850 discs that I have purchased but never watched, I thought it would be best if I sat down and watched them and gave my thoughts on them here. They’ll all be anime, but this is different from the Anime You Should Be Watching column I infrequently wrote before. With that column, I was cherry picking the titles that were the best of their particular genre. Here, there’s going to be a lot of average shows, because there are a lot of average shows produced in Japan. In fact, just because I bought it doesn’t mean it’s any good. It’s entirely possible that I bought a steaming pile of shit. If that’s the case, well, if I sat through it and watched it, then you’ll have to suffer through my review of it. Lucky you! Thankfully, I like to think that for the most part, I have pretty decent taste, so the worst that you’ll have to put up with is a resounding MEH from me.
So, without further ado, let’s start this new column!
I really wish that I had started out with an instant classic, but that’s just not the case. As I said before, they can’t all be winners kid, and this one is certainly not what I’d put in my stable of timeless classics. When Sgt. Frog first was announced for license here in the US, there was a huge swelling of support. The way people were acting, you’d have thought that the second coming of Cowboy Bebop was upon us. Then the company that originally licensed it, ADV Films, went bankrupt, and that was that. Until FUNimation swooped in and picked this up. I hadn’t watched any of the fansubs of this, and I was strictly going off of word of mouth when I bought it. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case it doesn’t. The sad thing is that I bought every release that FUNi made before I ever watched the first one. That’s the drawback to having the backlog that I do. I’m only now watching stuff I bought 3 years ago. C’est la vie.
This particular release follows pretty much all the others. A lot of Gundam humor and veiled references to other similar shows. That’s great if you’re a fan of Gundam. I’m not. Hence my mileage on this particular show is highly limited. I do love the yandere type of girl, so Nishizawa, while not a strict yandere, does amuse me with her going from all dere dere to conniving psychopath. But that’s largely negated because Fuyuki is a clueless idiot. So here we’re mainly going through the winter months. This means the typical things like Christmas parties and New Year celebrations. I really wish I could say that this brought something new to the genre, but it really doesn’t. Everything we see here we’ve seen many a time before, and more importantly, we’ve seen it done better. I don’t care about things being repeated. When you’ve seen as much anime as I have, you’re not going to see a ton of genuinely new content. But a lot of anime can take these well worn tropes and still make them interesting. This one doesn’t. Frankly, I have no idea how this managed to go for 358 episodes. I’ve watched through 51 and frankly that’s enough for me. Unfortunately I still have another collection of this to get through, although I should be happy that FUNimation didn’t pick up any more than that, and since it’s been over a year since they licensed any of it, I think it’s safe to assume that no more will find its way over here.
For something that had so much buzz going in to it, I must say that this has been a massive disappointment. I don’t often let public opinion influence what I buy, and this gives a good reason why I shouldn’t. The public at large doesn’t know good anime, and they certainly don’t know what I’d like. I may not always pick out a winner, but I certainly can do a lot better than Sgt. Frog.
I think it’s not a secret that the anime series (and now the three films) Puella Magi Madoka Magica is one of my favorite anime. It’s not just me who has a major fondness for this anime. Site anime editor pantsukudasai56 also shares my passion for this series. Over a couple years ago I profiled several AMVs featuring this series. One of them was Chiikaboom’s Devil’s Game.
That very same editor decided to go back and re-edit the AMV using scenes from the series and the three films and what we get is a vast improvement over a video that was already a classic in the AMV scene. The animation from the films are much more crisp and the detail shows from the increased budget.
This “Devil’s Game 2.0” has now become one of my top AMVs ever and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Anime:Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie 1: Beginnings, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie 2: Eternal, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie 3: Rebellion
Yes, I agree with the philosophy of one Issei Hyodo of the anime series High School DxD. This is just one of over 200+ anime titles which were picked to comprise the 5-minute running time of the latest “AMV of the Day”.
“Animegraphy 2013” by qyll pretty much takes every anime title that is currently showing in the year 2013 and puts selected scenes into the video. This is quite a feat considering that some anime titles appear more than just once and for more than a second. I like how the video shows an early form of anime with 1963’s Astro Boy as a sharp contrast to how anime looks like now 50 years later.
Anime sure has grown since these last 50 years.
Anime:A Certain Scientific Railgun S, Accel World EX, Ace Of Diamond, Ai Mai Mi Aiura, AKB0048: Next Stage, Aku No Hana Amnesia, Ano Hi Mita Hana No Namae Wo Bokutachi Wa Mada Shiranai. Movie, Arata Kangatari, Arpeggio Of Blue Steel, Arve Rezzle: Kikaijikake No Yosetachi, Astro Boy, Shingeki no Kyojin, Aura: Maryuuinkouga Saigo No Tatakai (Movie), Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman, Berserk The Golden Age Ac Lll – Descent BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Blood Lad Blue Exorcist (Movie), Boku Wa Tomodachi Ga Sukunai Next, Brother’s Conflict Buki Yo Saraba (Movie), Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker-Hen, Chihayafuru 2, Chitose Get You!!, Chokotan! Code:Breaker, Coppelion, Corpse Party: Tortured Souls – Bougyakusareta Tamashii No Jukyou, Cuticle Tantei Inaba, D.C.III ~ Da Capo III ~, Dakara Boku Wa H Ga Dekinai, Danganronpa The Animation, Dansai Burni No Crime Edge, Dareka No Manazashi Date A Live, DD Hokuto No Ken (2013), Death Billiards, Devil Survivor 2 The Animation, Diabolik Lovers, Dokidoki! Precure, Dragonball Z Battle Of The Gods Ebiten: Kouritsu Ebisugawa Koukou Tenmonbu, Encouragement Of Climb, Fairy Tail, Fantasista Doll, Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma☆Illya Free! Freezing Vibration, Futari Wa Milky Holmes, Galilei Donna, Gambo (Movie), Kotonoha no Niwa, Gargantia On The Verdurous Planet, Gatchaman Crowds Genei Wo Kakeru Taiyou Genshiken Nidaime, Ghost In The Shell: Arise (Movie), Gifuu Doudou!!: Kanetsugu To Keiji, Gingitsune, Gintama Girls Und Panzer Specials Gj-Bu Golden Time, Gundam Build Fighters, Haitai Nanafa 2nd Season, Haiyore! Nyaruko-San W, Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting! – Rising, Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun, Hal (Movie) Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home (Movie), Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku: Kinetograph, Hayate No Gotoku! Cuties, Henneko: Hentai Prince And The Stony Cat, Hidamari Sketch: Sae Hiro Sotsugyou-Hen, High School DxD New, Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kaku: Outbreak, Houseki No Kuni, Hunter X Hunter (2011), Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Bride, Hyperdimension Neptunia Inazuma Eleven Go Vs Danball Senki W (Movie), Inazuma Eleven Go: Chrono Stone, Infinite Stratos 2, Inu To Hasami Wa Tsukaiyou Ishida To Asakura, Jewelpet Happiness, Kakumeiki Valvrave Kamisama Kiss, Kamisama No Inai NIchiyoubi Kara No Kyoukai – The Garden Of Sinners (Movie), Karneval Kick Heart, Kill La Kill Kimi No Iru Machi, Kindaichi Shounen No Jikenbo: Kuromajutsu Satsujin Jiken-Hen, Kingdom 2nd Season, Kiniro Mosaic Kira Kira 5th Anniversary Live Anime: Kick Start Generation, Kiss×Sis, Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku, Koitabi: True Tours Nanto, Kono Naka Ni Hitori Imouto Ga Iru!: Ani Imouto Koibito, Kotoura-San, Kuroko’s Basketball 2, Kyoukai No Kanata Kyousougiga (2013), Little Busters! Refrain, Little Witch Academia, Log Horizon Love Lab Love Live! School Idol Project Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions (Movie), Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Depth Of Field – Ai To Nikushimi Gekijou Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Kirameki No… Slapstick Noel Magi: The Kingdom Of Magic, Majestic Prince Maji De Otaku Na English! Ribbon-Chan: Eigo De Tatakau Mahou Shoujo, Makai Ouji: Devils And Realist, Mangirl!, Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, Meganebu!, Minami-Ke Tadaima, Mirai Nikki Redial, Miss Monochrome The Animation, Miyakawa-Ke No Kuufuku, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory Of Eden (Movie) Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Mondaiji-Tachi Ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu Yo?, Monogatari Series: Second Season Mushibugyo My Little Monster, My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute, My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Nagi No Asu Kara, Namiuchigiwa No Muromi-San Naruto Shippūden, Nekomonogatari (Black), Non Non Biyori, One Piece OreShura, Otona Joshi No Anime Time, Outbreak Company, Patema Inverted (Movie), Persona 3 The Movie, Phi-Brain: Puzzle Of God (2013), Photo Kano Pokemon: Origins Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live, Puchimas!: Petit IDOLM@STER, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part III: Rebellion, Recorder To Randoseru Mi☆, Red Data Girl Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS, Rozen Maiden (2013), Ryo, Saint Young Men, Saki: Achiga-Hen – Episode Of Side-A Specials, Samurai Flamenco, Sasami-San@Ganbaranai, Say “I Love You”, Seitokai Yakuindomo, Senhime Zesshou Symphogear G, Senran Kagura, Senyuu, Servant X Service Silver Spoon Sket Dance (OVA) Space Brothers, Sparrow’s Hotel, Star Driver The Movie, Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki No Déjà Vu , Stella Jogakuin Koutou-Ka C³-Bu Strike The Blood, Super Seishun Brothers, Tamako Market Tamayura: More Aggressive, Tanken Driland: 1000-Nen No Mahou, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes: Alternative (OVA), Teekyuu 2, Tesagure! Bukatsu-Mono, The Devil Is A Part-Timer Toaru Majutsu No Index: Endymion No Kiseki Tokyo Ravens, Uchouten Kazoku Unbreakable Machine-Doll, Uta No☆Prince-Sama Maji Love 2000%, Vanquished Queens (OVA), Vassalord (OVA), Vividred Operation, Walkure Romanze, Wanna Be The Strongest In The World, WATAMOTE ~ No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, White Album 2, Wind Rises, World God Only Knows III, Yami Shibai, Yondemasu Yo Azazel-San. Z, Yonhyakunijuu Renpai Girl (OVA), Yowamushi Pedal, Yozakura Quartet: Hana No Uta, Yuusha Ni Narenakatta Ore Wa Shibushibu Shuushoku Wo Ketsui Shimashita Yuyushiki, Zettai Bouei Leviathan, Zettai Karen Children
Song:“Love Lost” by the Temper Trap and “If You Wanna” by The Vaccines”
Just going to be brief with the description of the latest “AMV of the Day”. The latest pick was the winner of Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) 2012.
“See Who I Am” is the title of the video and also the title of the song used by the video’s creator (Speedy180). This particular song is a favorite of mine from symphonic metal band Within Temptation and also used in one of the very first AMV’s I watched (Alchanum) and one which got me into the scene to begin with. The video itself is an anime mix of so many anime titles that I could only recognize some of the one’s that I’ve actually seen. I’m sure there are many more I missed.
It’s a well-done video that uses Sheryl Nome of Macross Frontier singing to sub in for Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel. It’s a very dramatic song and the anime visuals picked and they’re put together more than matches the emotional content of the song.
Anime:Guilty Crown, Macross Frontier, Fairy Tail, Fate/Stay Night, Fafner in the Azure, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Bleach and many others…
Some turmoil of the personal kind of late, but that won’t stop me from sharing a new AMV that has caught my eye. The latest “AMV of the Day” comes courtesy of one TheLastSamurai2011 who seems to realy enjoy making a particular type of video.
This particular AMV creator loves the anime series Black Lagoon and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s an anime series that’s pretty much great not just because of all the crazy gunplay and hand-to-hand combat action, but for the fact that it’s most badass characters are pretty much all women. These ladies are not your typical cutesy “magical girl” types that’s popular with many anime fans. No, Black Lagoon has ladies that range from psychotic, sociopathic, unstoppable killing machines to just plain old badass.
This AMV focuses on the tragic backstory of one of the series’ most intriguing characters. Roberta could only be described as a lone wolf killer. Her violent past and the tragic loss of her original family was only tempered by being taken in by a soldier who molds her to become the protector of his son. Things happen as they’re wont to happen in violent tales. Roberta’s psychotic side soon becomes unleashed on those who has destroyed her adopted second family and she’ll carve of blood trail to find those responsible.
This video does a great job in telling part of her story.
So, another month of all things horror and dark has passed. Time to detox from that month by putting up a new AMV that’s all about fun and extreme action.
The latest “AMV of the Day” is simply called “Ride or Die” and I must say that it’s probably one of the best anime music video’s I’ve ever seen. I have to say that it’s on par with another AMV profiled earlier this summer with “RadioAkshun” in terms of editing and syncing up the lyrics of the chosen music with scenes from the anime.
The anime itself is breathtaking to watch and I’ll be profiling it soon. Redline works almost perfectly with the theme song from this past summer’s Fast & Furious 6. One rarely finds AMVs that uses hip-hop songs to great effect but this video’s producer and creator, Kyssifur, choosing 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa’s “We Own It” was quite a genius move.
Ok, less talking and back to watching this video on loop. It’s just that much fun and awesome.
Anime:Redline
Song:“We Own It (Fast & Furious)” by 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa
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
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.
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.
Through the Shattered Lens 