School Daze – The Comedies (Part 3)

Right, time to haul out the mop and dust this blog off again (er… well, you know what I mean). I know I’ve been an absent landlord lately, but luckily, I have been building up a list of things to write about, even though 2009 hasn’t been the best year for new series. Still, hopefully those who read me (hi, Mum!) are still around. To make up for lost time, this is probably going to be a long post.

So with that said, let me venture forth back into semi-familiar territory – the classroom. Or should that be the clubroom?

The Best Ghibli Movies… Ghibli Never Made.

Everybody is waiting (hopefully!) with baited breath for Ghibli’s new Miyazki-directed release, “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.” Whilst we do, I thought I’d have a squizz at the archives and pull out two films that have all the look, feel and beauty of Ghibli releases, yet aren’t.

I’d quite happily say that both could easily find a place amongst any Ghibli fan’s collection, however, or for that matter even fans of well-produced, slice-of-life animation. So let’s have a look at a couple of offerings that maybe… just maybe… had Miyazaki-san thinking, “I wish I’d thought of that…”

War Stories – Part 1

History, as they say, is written by the winners. You can probably extend that to read “Films are produced by the winners” – especially where World War 2 is concerned. There are certainly precious few out there that show the war from the point of view of the Axis forces – “Das Boot” and “Tachi No Yamato” are two excellent examples that come to mind.

Leave it up to the world of anime to present us with some excellent examples of the War, as seen through Japanese eyes. In keeping with the rules of good story telling, they don’t tell the story from we-were-right-and-they-we-wrong perspective, but more in a matter-of-fact-this-is-what-happened way. They don’t thrust a point of view on you (I think most people already have their own anyway – personally, I believe whoever ordered incendiary bombs to be dropped on cities consisting mostly of wooden buildings deserves his own special place in hell), but rather tells the story simply, yet brilliantly.

So, let’s look at some Japanese war stories. Oh, maybe a word of warning before you continue – some of the screenshots are a bit graphic. I don’t apologise for that – war is not pretty, nor is it romantic – especially for those on the receiving end.

Anime off the Beaten Track

Phew! Been a while since I’ve managed to post here – life sort of got in the way. I’m actually jealous of those people who have the time and ability to blog everyday. Still, hopefully my avid reader(s) who’ve been patient (sorry, Mum!), will understand that it’s quality, not quantity that counts (er… hopefully this fills one of the criteria) and they should realize by now that I’m not going to blather on about currently running series (well, maybe occasionally… Kaiba is one that’s due a ramble, so I’ll mention that now, before I’m called a lyin’ filth again) – there’s enough bloggers out there doing that as I speak.

So, what’s on the menu this time round? Well, I thought I’d have a look at some of the more unusual productions I’ve managed to pick up during my trawls through animedom. They’re strange, somewhat rare – having escaped the attentions of the legions of fanboys and -girls out there, and generally very, very good. They also seem to straddle several genres, or none at all, which is probably another reason why they’ve flown under the radar – Western reviewers do like to compartmentalise their anime so.

I’d also like to think that one day, if I’m ever asked “Why do you still watch anime?” I can reply in all honesty, “Because of these…”

The Updated (Almost) One-Sentence Spring Anime Reviews

Allison & Lillia- Director of Mokke meets writer of Kino no Tabi via Madhouse. War/romance type series with a 30’s feel. Took an episode or two to get going, but this will be one of this season’s hits. – Watching.

School Daze – The Gamez

There’s been game-based anime (such as Fate/Stay Night, Devil May Cry and even *shudder* Pokemon) floating around for quite a few years now, in what seems to be a bit of a reversal to Western media, where games and such are normally a spin-off from a successful film or TV series.

However, in the last couple of seasons in particular, a plethora of these have hit the screens – especially those based on what are called “visual novels”. I’m not going to go into the reasons why, a friend has already pondered that point quite eloquently here. Visual novels are – to use the simplest description – stories you read on your PC screen, with occasional graphics and a storyline that can follow various paths, depending on how the player responds to various questions. Although there are exceptions to the norm, like the popular (and gory) “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni” murder/mystery series, the majority of those being animated lately are based on what is known as dating sims – where a boy, or boys, meets lots of girls and invariably ends up in the sack with one (or more) of them.

School Daze – The Comedies (Part 2)

Well, recess was a bit longer than anticipated, but I feel bad about keeping my avid reader(s) in suspense (sorry, Mum!), plus it seems I also have a whole bunch of homework to catch up on, seeing as the winter season is finally winding down and there’s a couple of completed series I still want to ramble on about, so I guess I’d better get my a into g and finish this part of School Daze.

Still, I think there’s time to sneak a ciggy behind the bike shed, before next period starts…

School Daze – The Comedies (Part 1)

I suppose that given that 99% of anime is supposed to be watched by teenagers, it’s only fitting that there’s an awful lot of anime that’s based in and around schools. Some of it’s good, some of it’s terrible and there are a few that have become what might be described as well-loved classics – both in Japan and the rest of the anime-watching world – especially those that aren’t afraid to break the mold. Whereas most high school-based series tend to revolve around one or more of the kids having supreme fighting or magical skills (ho-hum), there are a few that aren’t afraid to either poke fun at the genre, or society in general, or even take a deeper look at what it means to be a teenager and the challenges that come with it. It’s these series (well, those that it’s been my pleasure – and occasional misfortune – to watch) that I’m going to blather on about in this post.

Meet the Dead Girls

Phew! Ok, spleen has been vented (quite cathartic this whole blogging thing) and normal service can be resumed.

Thought I’d wander through my archives (fancy word for shelf) again and have a look at three series that have a vaguely common thread running through them, although they do tell vastly different stories. It’s time to meet… the Dead Girls.

Impressions: Appleseed Ex Machina

Typical. Not 2 posts ago I said something along the lines of “one day I’ll blather on about artwork, but not now” and here I find myself about to ‘review’ (although that is probably too lofty a word to use) something that is going to require me to blather on about artwork.

Does that make me a lying filth? Probably, so let me move on to the topic under discussion instead…