AMV of the Day: I Heart Tsundere

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Arleigh

This past weekend saw fellow site writer pantsukudasai56 attending this year’s Anime Boston 2012 convention. While I was unable to attend (I’ll be at Anime Expo 2012 this summer…hooray!) he was still able to give me some of the festivities during the expo. One thing he did mention was that the class of AMV’s during the expo wasn’t anything to write home about. This was a shame since one of the things I like about anime conventions are the creative videos AMV people come up with to put up during the conventions AMV contests.

While trying to find which AMVs did win the contest at this year’s Anime Boston I came across a couple that weren’t put into contention, but I thought one of them was a great AMV nonetheless. That video becomes the latest entry in the “AMV of the Day” column.

The anime music video in question is called “I Heart Tsundere” and it’s by tehninjarox who also made one of the best Puella Magi Madoka Magica AMV’s last year with “Mahou Shoujo Requiem”. This latest amv from tehninjarox takes on the theme of the well-beloved anime/manga personality class of tsundere (def. is a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time.). The video even uses what I could only think of as the perfect song to describe a tsundere: Katy Perry’s song “Hot and Cold”.

Scenes from many anime series were used to make up this video and all of them show great instances of what a tsundere character does to earn such a title and the hell they put their potential love interest through. The one recent anime with a character who perfectly exemplifies a tsundere character opens up the video and that’s Taiga from Toradora! and the target of her “affections” in Ryuji. One doesn’t have to even like Katy Perry to see just how this video is all about fun the tsundere way.

Here’s hoping that tehninjarox decides to create an AMV sequel video but of the polar opposite of the tsundere: the dreaded and must avoid at all cost yandere.

Anime: Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, Toradora, Mayo Chiki, C3, Evangelion 2.22, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ore no Imouto, A Certain Scientific Railgun, A Certain Magical Index, MM!, The World God Only Knows, Zero No Tsukaima.

Song: “Hot and Cold” by Katy Perry

Creator: tehninjarox

Why Pikachu Still Defines Cute Overload

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Arleigh

Who doesn’t know who Pikachu is?

I’d say that not many people don’t know who this cute, little yellow furball is. From the time he stormed the American shores through the first Pokemon series up to it’s most current version. Then there’s the yearly Pokemon DS titles from Nintendo. If there’s one thing which many fans of that franchise agree on it’s that Pikachu is the one character everyone recognizes.

But Pikachu has branched out from just those anime series and DS games he has dominated for over a decade. He has made his way into viral YouTube videos which has remained known only to anime and manga fans but has slowly gained traction with non-fans as well. Below are just some of the viral video memes starring the one and only Pikachu in all his Cute Glory.

Pika Pika Yukai

The original version minus Pikachu

Pikachu Dango Daikozoku

Original Daiko Daikozoku

Pikachu Does the Caramelldansen

AMV of the Day: Something Fishy (Bumblebee Tuna AMV)

Posted on January 9, 2011 by pantsukudasai56

I’ll readily admit, I’m not a huge fan of AMVs. Don’t get me wrong, when they’re good, they’re really fun and entertaining to watch. The thing is, 99% of AMVs suck. Seriously, most of them are just a mashup of some fan’s favorite scenes from an anime put to a song they like that really don’t fit together. But, the ones that are good, tend to be really good. You can tell when someone takes the time and the effort to put together something that they can be proud of.

This AMV is one of those good ones. There hasn’t been anyone yet that I’ve shown this to that hasn’t gotten hopelessly hooked on it. It’s the perfect blend of a high energy song, clips that make sense with the words of the song, and really good editing. It was made by JaddziaDax, but I’m not certain where it premiered at. All I do know is that it is impossible to watch this and not wind up singing along on the subsequent playthroughs. And there will be subsequent playthroughs. The first time I watched it, I immediately had to play it again, and again, and before I knew it I was on my fifth consecutive viewing. Now that’s a sign of a good AMV! So, feel free to watch this, but just be forewarned, you might not be able to look at a can of Bumblebee Tuna without thinking of this AMV again.

Anime You Should Be Watching: Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Arleigh

GAKUEN UTOPIA MANABI STRAIGHT!

Anime has been a particular form of entertainment that I have been watching and enjoying for over twenty years, but my exposure to them were kept at older series and OVA’s (Original Video Animation) that were licensed by American companies for U.S. public consumption. I’m talking about series like Voltron and Robotech plus even older ones like Starblazers, Captain Harlock and G-Force. It wasn’t until four-five years ago that I really got into anime that wasn’t made age-appropriate for U.S. public viewing.

I was literally hoarding as much anime series both new and old on dvd and adding them to my collection. It didn’t matter if the series or OVAs were mecha, horror, action, romance, comedy and-or slice-of-life, if someone recommended it to me then I would go out, find it, buy it and then watch it. With my past experiences on mecha, space opera and action anime I thought I would pick up where I left off and gravitate towards similar kinds of anime. To my surprise I actually didn’t like them as much as I thought I would. The sort of anime that I began to really enjoy and want more of were the slice-of-life dramas and comedies like Azumanga Daioh, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star and Kanon. While they didn’t have the non-stop kinetic action of series like Code Geass and the umpteenth version of Gundam and Macross, they more than made up for it with some witty and hilarious writing.

My favorite anime falls in the slice-of-life genre. I am talking about Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! from animation studio Ufotable. The series takes place in a future Tokyo where the birth-rate has slowed and there’s less and less children attending schools. Within this basic premise we have the character of Manami Amamiya who transfers into the all-girl Seioh Private High School where her vibrant and infectious personality quickly makes her one of the popular girls. She gains a small close-knit of friends from the shy and clumsy Mika Inamori, the athletic tomboy in Mutsuki Uehara, the smart, but emotionally withdrawn Mei Etoh and the eccentric Momoha Odori. Manami (or Manabi as she likes to be called) becomes the impetus for all the adventures these girls go through together as they forge a lasting friendship through good times and bad times.

One doesn’t have to be a girl to enjoy this series. Guys who like it do so because of how it reminds them of their own time in high school with their own buddies and how those bonds of friendships seems to last forever. While some have not the memories of those times will always be fond ones for both men and women who reminisce about them while watching this series. It also has some of the cutest animation with a catchy intro song. The girls’ school anthem is one that just has to be listened to.