Anime Review No. 98 (Maria Holic)

Maria Holic (Winter 2009) and Maria Holic Alive (Spring 2011)

Studio-Shaft

Directors-Akiyuki Shinbou (with Yukihiro Miyamoto and Tomokazu Tokoro)

Writers: Masahiro Yokotani and Miku Ooshima

Well, here we are, something that I am sure most people would not expect me to cover. I was not entirely sure that I would get around to covering this show, but circumstances brought it back to my attention and so here it is. This is Maria Holic.

Maria Holic the anime is based off a manga series written by Minari Endo between 2006 and 2014. It is about Kanako Miyamae, a new transfer student to a private all-girls school. She is secretly a closeted lesbian hoping to find her first true love and a bit of a misandrist, well more in that respect due to her condition where she breaks out in hives when men touch her. She gains a new roommate in Mariya Shidou a nice and gentle ojou-sama but turns out to be a male sadist who is forced to crossdress due to the wishes of his dead grandmother who was also a former headmistress of the school. Thus Kanako is blackmailed into keeping Mariya’s secret. In the process she ends up in a series of unfortunate but comical misadventures at school.

What I like about Maria Holic is how twisted the whole thing is. The whole breadth of creative decisions for this story are made in the opposite way that they would normally trend. Be it Kanako who is basically a girl with a male pervert mindset, Mariya the sadist disguised as the nice and kind ojou-sama and her maid Matsurika who turns out to be a deadpan snarker. The rest of the supporting cast are like that and all fit a basic stereotype (tomboy, megane babe, genki girl, etc) and then taking them to a rather unexpected places.

This is quite fitting as Maria Holic is a rather black comedy at its core. The humor is prevalently dark and its funny mainly due to that. Granted there are some laugh out loud hard moments, but most of the time the comedy is met with a nice dry chuckle from yours truly..There is the semblance of a story/plot but Maria Holic relies a lot on gags and sketch comedy segments. What story is there is an interesting parody. This is very related to my previous review, OtoBoku. Whereas that was a gentle soothing parody, Maria Holic is a bitterly tinged parody and a satire of not only yuri but school slice of life and otokonoko sub-genres as well. Of course, at times it openly embraces the conventions it is joking about. The second season is more of the same, except it seems to double down on everything from the first season and it is even more strange and ridiculous.

Maria Holic S2 clip

The animation production certainly helps this out in spades. If you can’t tell from the first episode alone, this is a pure Studio Shaft/Shinbou directed show. All his trademarks are here and in spades, and it is oddly fitting for such a surreal and dark satire show. This includes the various off-point references, use of text in scene, head tilt, art shift (this show has 3 main art styles). The 2 non-consecutive seasons came out during what I consider the peak of Studio Shaft/Shinbou productions (same era as the Zetsubou Sensei, Hidamari and Arakawa series). There are the seeds of other Shaft productions lashed in the people involved in the production of this series: Yukihiro Miyamoto, future co-director for Madoka and ED for Season 1 done by the future production designer for Madoka and the OP was done by the guy who helmed the Bakemonogatari series. The main thing to take away is that it suits the story and characters, supplementing it as opposed to recent Studio Shaft productions where those same tricks are employed only the story and characters aren’t as engaging-cough cough Monogatari, Sasami-san, Meh-kaku cough cough, but moving on.
S1 OP S2 OP2
S1 ED             S2 ED

Now, onto the english dub, which is a treat especially for those of us waiting for it. The series had its 2 seasons released by Sentai Filmworks (S1 in 2010, S2 in 2012) but sub-only bare-bones releases. But then in late 2013, they announced that they were doing dub re-releases of some of the shows they had done sub-only treatment earlier. I was a bit concerned but then the dub cast came out and I did a sigh of relief. I bought both seasons with the dub in early 2014 and it was worth it. Thankfully Christopher Ayres helms the dub and as usual he doesn’t disappoint. He assembles a great cast with some of his regulars sure but he topped it out with 2 great if not perfect casting choices: Jessica Calvello and Monica Rial. I feel that Jessica Calvello’s career doing more dubs again has its origin point with this dub. She is in true comedic form asa Kanako and I have to say this is her funniest performance since Excel Saga and I can’t imagine anyone else in that role now. Of course she is complemented by Monica Rial who plays Mariya and its the surprise in the dub, always fantastic. The rest of the cast is very spot-on if littered with Ayres’ regulars (Carli Mosier, Brittney Karbowski, Meg McDonald, Shannon Emerick, etc). Another honorable mention has to go to George Manley who does the narration (old ADV fans might know him as the narrator for the ADV redub of Gatchaman a decade prior). The dub script, written by Clint Bickham (who plays a minor role in S2), is nicely done adding in some stuff to punch the already comedic material. Overall a great dub that is highly recommended by yours truly.

Overall, Maria Holic is an interesting high concept comedy show that excels in being fun and entertaining. Granted the flavor of comedy might not suit everyone’s taste but that’s ok. I like it quite a lot and its certainly up there on my list of funniest anime I have ever seen.

So that closes out March 2015 aka Guilty Pleasures Month 2.0. Will I do another series of review like this? Hmm maybe next year, but it will be under a different title for sure. April 2015 marks the release of my 99th and 100th reviews. I am keeping the subject of those 2 reviews a secret but in due time you will all find out. Review No. 99 due out on April 12th.

Til next time dear readers…..

Anime Review No. 74-Ef a tale of melodies

"I am dead to the world's tumult,
And I rest in a quiet realm!
I live alone in my heaven,
In my love and in my song!"

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, Gustav Mahler Ruckert Lieder, 1901

Ef: a tale of melodies

Fall 2008 TV Series

Studio Shaft, Director-Shin Oonuma, Writer: Katsuhito Takayama

You, know its an interesting tale of how I got this series. Well, last summer, I went to a local anime convention for a day. While there, I saw a few vendors selling some anime and took a look. One that caught my eye was Ef: a tale of memories on sale by a significant bargain. Also, I saw Ef: a tale of melodies as well, right next to it. At first I picked up the first season, then later that day I decided 'what the heck?' and pick up the second season as well. For that, I am entirely grateful as the second season is exceptional.

First off, I shall talk about the setting a bit. There are two towns named Otowa: one in Japan, one in Austraila. One was afflicted by an earthquake, we are not shown only through brief flashes. Essentially, there are twin cities on opposite sides of the globe: same climates and time zones but different seasons naturally. I only bring this up as it seems a bit confusing in the context of the story, hence why you should re-watch this show at least once. Though, to be fair, I do like the little touches they add into the setting for the sake of world building.

Anyway, the story with Season 2 is rather similar in structure to Season 1, with the multi-tier story lines following different characters. However, whereas Season 1 took place entirely in the relative present, Season 2 takes place in both the relative present and past. Story A involves Yuu Himura (the weary priest) and Yuuko Amamiya (the mysterious nun) and the relationship and life they shared back in high school. They both knew each other, though at first both were hesistant. But, due to situations, Yuu becomes becomes a protector for Yuuko. There is also a love triangle of sorts between Yuu, Yuuko and Nagi Hirono, making it similar to Hiro's story in Season 1 but certainly a bit more complex. For one thing, there is an antagonist, an obstacle to their relationship, which happens to be Amamiya-sensei, the school's art teacher and Yuuko's adoptive brother/adult figure. It turns out he isn't such an upstanding guy, as one episode midway through certainly demonstrates. Granted, Yuu is no saint either and that leads into something that I quite like about this series: it has a very grey but human sense of characters. There exist no heroes or villains, just human characters living out to the best of their abilities. Anyway, Yuu and Yuuko do fall in love yet tragedy strikes again and that's what shapes Yuu in the present. Granted, the Ef series is fraught with emotional and pyschological drama, even angst at moments, but it doesn't wallow in. It knows the pit, doesn't spend any time more then necessary in digging down the pit, but rather seeks a way out of the pit.

Story B, meanwhile, focuses on Shuichi Kuze and Mizuki Hayama in the present. Kuze is a friend of Renji's and Yuu's, a world known violinist though a bit of a playboy/womanizer. Mizuki is a friend of Kei Shindou and cousin of Renji and is your typical perky and happy high school girl. This story is striking similar to Renji's from Season 1 but gender-flipped in that the girl meets a guy with a tragic secret and wonders on whether to help or not. Except, things are not so clear. Kuze is basically a lost cause, he views life as a calculated risk, one that he is not willing to continue with. Yeah, I got to say Kuze is really the only character I can actually relate to in any fashion. Luckily, with support of his friends Nagi Hirono and Yuu along with Mizuki, Kuze seeks to live life to the fullest even if it will be short-lived. I must say it is very life-affirming and positive, even in the midst of the darkness that life sometimes run into.

This in turns leads to another strong theme that runs in the show; the notion of unconditional love as being the most brutal and honest form of love there is. It is certainly not 'Love conquers all' mentality akin to many romance stories but more along the lines of 'Love helps us out when in despair or trouble.' Where it be Yuu loving and accepting Yuuko for who she is or Kuze realizing it helps to have a loved one there to hold and comfort you at your worst hour, that is what this series basically boils down to.

Sidestory elements include the characters from Season 1 as they come back on occasion. It shows how the characters from Season 1 have grown and gone about their lives. A masterstroke, in my opinion, was to have the Shindou sisters reunited, which was a heartwarming moment of 'DAWW'. In the end, its Yuuko that ties everyone in the series together, a beacon of hope to all of humanity. The final episode is one of the best I have seen, with it all's right with the world mood and ends on scene so tremendous that it defies commentary but so full of emotions it brought me literally to tears.

Much like the first season, the dialogue is rather lyrical and poetic. Animation is scenery and atmosphere, pervading the series all out. At times it verges on the line between the stock standard and the experimental. For instance, use of sepia-toned film stock to the animation for the flashbacks is a nice touch. A single melody by solo violin dominates the BGM for this series: a sad late romantic style solo, reflecting the show in tone and mood, to say nothing else about the rest of the music which is just as good as in the first season, if not better. Finally, the opening songs for both seasons are both excellent and a rare example of engrish done right.

Lastly, the English dub is utterly fantastic, even more so this season. Granted, this season the main cast has mostly veteran voice talent behind the mic (David Matranga, Illich Guardiolla, Allison Keith, Hillary Haag, etc) delivering some truly excellent performances. Even the newer talent (like Carli Mosier and Josh Grelle) manage to stay their own with the veterans. Josh Grelle, voicing Amamiya-sensei, does an excellent job and should be taken notice as the guy got some impressive range.

Overall, the Ef series is a fantastic entry in terms of visual novel adaptations, certainly better then some of the Key adaptations. I also consider a masterpiece of romantic drama, when it comes to anime anyway, with interesting and strong characters alongside a nuanced, multilayer story. A solid effort in nearly every section of production, be it animation, sound design, voice acting, etc.

So, what's up next on the platter for me? Well, its an anime movie, certainly one involving roses, lesbians and a mind-screwing finale where love does indeed conquer all......

'Til next time readers.....

Anime Review No. 73 Ef a tale of memories

"We have all forgot more than we remember."

Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

Ef: a tale of memories

Fall 2007 TV Series

Studio Shaft, Director: Shin Oonuma, Writer-Katsuhito Takayama

Well, it's February again and that means time for looking at romance-oriented shows. Way back in 2012, I took a look at several shows with the primary focus being relationships (Oh My Goddess, Legend of the Labyrinth, My Dear Marie). Last year, I took a look at Kare Kano, an ultimately great show containing both romantic comedy and drama and yet somewhat underrated. But, is there a 21^st century equivalent in anime when it comes to romantic comedy and drama? And what if this show was handed to the great experimentalists at Studio Shaft, under guidance by their grand guru of postmodernism? Well, I believe that I found that: The Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two series. For this and the next review, I will be covering both seasons of this series. First, off Ef: a tale of memories, which begs the question: What's this show about?

Well, that's a bit of a tough task. See, this is one of the first shows that I have looked at with multiple storylines/narratives. At a basic level, it is about the lives and relationships surrounding a group of high school students and young people in a town called Otowa. But, instead of dividing the series' run of 12 episodes in half focusing on one story at a time, it focuses each episode as a somewhat even split of focus of the stories. I think this works well as the show makes you pay attention to what is doing.

The first season has 2 stories, intersecting into each other and weaving in and out. Story A concerns the love triangle between Hiro and the two girls who love him: Miyako and Kei Shindou. Hiro is a manga artist who, one Christmas, runs into Miyako, a perky and care-free girl but with a hidden fear and the two start a relationship. However, he has to deal with Kei, the female childhood friend/tomboy who is a bit jealous and unwilling to move on. In addition he must overcome his own indecision regarding his life, you know as most teenagers do and can attest to.

Now, I want to like this, but Story A is rather weak, though it has a great payoff so it is certainly worth it. It is a little awkward at times, mainly due to it wavering between nice high school slice of life and romantic melodrama moments. Plus, it doesn't help that Miyako is roughly unrelatable and annoying at moments, though I want to relate to her sad back story. It culminates in the second half of episode 7, which has to go down as one of most harrowing and ultimately depressing moment I have seen in an anime, the closest I get to feeling sorry for Miyako's plight. Add to that the animation becomes so stark that the bleakness of the sequence is magnified tenfold emotionally. Of course, Kei and Hiro aren't exactly saints either; Kei is stubborn and obsessive to the point of being a bitch, and Hiro is so indecisive that I wanted to yell out 'Oh come on guy do something. Pick an option and stick with it!' at certain points. Maybe that's because I find myself still like Hiro, or at least once was me. Luckily, it ends on a happy ending for all, even Kei who hooks up with Hiro's friend Kyosuke which I find a nice touch. Love triangle stories typically end with the couple met and the other jilted and alone, so Ef gets some kudos in that department.

Story B, meanwhile, is by far better to Story A. It concerns Renji, a young man who meets Chihiro Shindou, a young, shy and meek girl with an eye patch (which turned into a thing, who knows why). But, she holds a hidden sadness due to a particular condition. Both of them are aspiring novelists and with that seek to write a novel together. In the process, the relationship develop despite the hardships and obstacles. Of course, the novel ends up being a subtle autobiographical piece about Chihiro. I feel for Chihiro and Renji as it is very heartwarming and saddening at the same time. Chihiro is essentially the link between the two stories, with a childhood incident as the pivot point; No further spoilers on that. Suffice to say, a happy ending is afforded to them because they struggle. There is also some neat commentary on the nature and process of storytelling thrown in for good measure.

A side-story involving Kyosuke, Hiro's school chum and member in the Photography/Film Club. It is mildly interesting, but only because it is tied slightly to Story A and in ways mirrors that story. Kyosuke deals with indecision, and interacts with Hiro and Kei in different respects.

There are some supporting characters: The weary priest and the mysterious nun (more on them in next series), Mizuki (Kei's female friend more on her later) and the rather frank Shuichi Kuze (family friend to Renji more on him later) and Renji's mom. I said more on them later as they form the main cast of Season 2, so details on that to be discussed in that review. I will say that the mysterious nun in Story A and the Priest in Story B have rather similar mentor roles to the main cast and it is hinted at that the two know/knew each other. Again, more on that later.

Theme of memory prevades the show, be it Chihiro and the retention of memory or Miyako and her slipping out from Hiro's memory. Other themes include regret and loss and how one moves on from it, in both the healthly and not so healthly methods.

The animation is top-notch Studio Shaft work here. Shin Oonuma directed this, but with Akiyuki Shinbo as supervisor, his trademarks are all over the place. Be it use of text on screen, abstract backgrounds, or the studio's personalized head tilt, it works on an experimental level in places to compensate for the low budget, but its look gorgeous nonetheless. Presentation and content are congruent is what I am saying. In fact, Artsy and symbol-heavy is the best word to describe the animation. At moments, it seems akin to a more polished version of Gainax's Kare Kano adaptation from the late '90s. For example, Chihiro's chains preventing her from leaving her state of being along with the second half of episode 7 with the way Miyako's desperation is presented. Music is very good and suitable to the mood, filled with lots of soft strings and piano music, much of it ambient yet tinged with melancholy and sadness.

Now onto the English dub, which is a selling point that Sentai Filmworks added to the DVD set. And good thing too, as it is the easily the most definitive dub from Sentai Filmworks. Chris Ayres directed and wrote this and it is packed to the brim with talented voice talent. For this season at least, voice actors/actresses such as Greg Ayres, Clint Bickham, Luci Christian, Monical Rial and Brittney Karbowski are in it and all are doing what have to be the best performances they have done ever. As stated before in my reviews for Bodacious Space Pirates and Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, I like Chris Ayres as ADR Director; he's one of my favorites working today for anime dubs. Chris Ayres brings two essential things when it comes to english dubs: pitch-perfect casting combined with strong vocal performances and writing. This show, along Bodacious Space Pirates, helped me to watch more Sentai Filmworks releases.

Overall, the first season of the Ef series is good, but miss the mark at points at being great. Granted, its got a decent story and characters, fitted within an excellent visual presentation with a very good English dub. But, it is with the second season that it starts to get great maybe even a masterpiece. Thus, that will be the subject of my next review: Ef, a tale of melodies.


Til next time, dear readers.

Anime Review No. 65-Madoka Magica

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Well, it is here at long last. A review that I have long awaited for since I began just over 2 years ago, starting with that long-forgotten OVA. I view this blog as a historical catalogue of sorts, highlighting both the good, bad and in-between that I have covered, spanning from a few from the 80s right up to the present time, or at least close enough. Now, from time to time I have taken a look at some of my personal favorite anime series (my version of a Top 10 List). But here, I am talking about a show that in many ways is a magnum opus of not just the magical girl genre, but anime as a whole. That show is Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Note: some rather subtle spoilers but nothing too revealing, except to those who have seen the series

The lens of the magnum opus

Magnum opus equals great work roughly from the Latin. Another applicable word  would be masterpiece, where all components of a work/piece function so well as a whole. For the purpose of this review I shall examine three aspects of the production: the animation studio, series director and main writer.

Studio: Shaft

One phrase can best describe Madoka Magica: Visual wonder. There is use of nearly every production trick in the book similar to what Gainax less then a year previously with Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, though digital cel animation is the mainstay. Each episode has gorgeous backgrounds, giving the production a rather seasoned creative flair. In addition, the use of gags and references are utilized with a greater purpose then just 'oh let's do random crap' like what Shaft did with early Shinbou directed works (Moon Phase and Pani Poni Dash for instance). Finally, the character design is similar to Hidamari Sketch and works in spite of itself: very moe, but works as a neat contrast to often dark and surreal nature of the show sometimes.

Director: Akiyuki Shinbou

This is Shinbou at the apogee in terms of his directing career in my opinion, especially considering he has been with Studio Shaft since 2004 as their chief director. I have covered quite a number of other shows he did back in the 90s (Detatoko Princess, Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Tenamonya Voyagers) and it is interesting to see how much difference there is between those past works and this. Besides, this is not the first time Shinbou has done work on a magical girl series: Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA (1995-6: done storyboard work on the first OVA and directing the second OVA) and Magical Lyrical Nanoha (2004, but Season 1 only) so he certainly knows what he is doing. Madoka Magica is replete with his tricks including but not limited to: Head tilts, wide range/palate of color and light, cinematic look and feel in battle scenes, atmospheric (dark and surreal at times), surreal imagery (the witch realms).

Writer: Gen Urobuchi

Otherwise as The Urobutcher (heh), I quite like his writing for the series, of which he did all of it, something that happens on occasion in most anime series. Strong writing exists both in the story, characters and setting. The story has a rather organic progression; nothing seems too incidential or un-needed. In fact, the handling multiple threaded story line within the span of 12 episodes is an incredible feat that frankly not too many shows quite get nowadays. The story can be broken down to the following structure-Main narrative : Episodes 1-9; Backstory: Episode 10; Finale: Episodes 11-12.

The backstory is particularly interesting in itself, if only to make Homura's story arc that more compelling. In fact, the story is equally about Homura as it is about Madoka; though that fact doesn't diminish the portions concerning the other magical girls (Kyoko, Sayaka and Mami). The story is akin to walking in a tunnel that gets darker and darker the farther you get along until finally a brightly shining light illuminates you upon exiting, in fact that's a very apt metaphor for this series. There are so much revelations and twists timed just right and make sense within the context of the plot, again something that a lot of modern anime don't really do or they fail at it in some way. Full of wham and surprise moments, the story isn't really so much dark, its mature (it treats the viewer as a mature and active participant of the story and it treats its audience like adults). It deals with issues of grief, loss, suffering but also balances it out with hope, love and power of friendship overcoming all obstacles. Pieces of dialogue that can take on multiple meaning upon rewatching (especially episode 1, which is more interesting to watch again than watch at first).

Only real questionable is the whole entropy stuff thrown in as some form of justification for Kyubey's actions, but it only plays a minor part for the ending only, so it can just be construed as manipulation on Kyubey's part. There does exist a hinting at a larger story: Kyubey's race and their effect on the history and destiny of mankind; Madoka as the embodiment of the eternal struggle of good against evil as examples to be sure. Though, essentially, the central message amounts to this: Hope and Unconditional Love can conquer all suffering and despair. Granted, there are other messages like self-sacrifice should not be in vain, miracles can and do happen, etc but the central message is lent more credibility in the story overall.


Characters: Some of the strongest I have seen in anime, let alone the mahou shoujo genre with the main cast going through the most emotional rollcoaster in recent times for anime. If you have seen the show, you know what I mean. But more than that, these are really deep characters, where their greatest strengths are often their undoings: Be it Mami's devotion, Sayaka's selflessness, Kyoko's righteousness or even Homura's unconditional and unwavering love. The shades of grey morality is in work fully in this piece; though are clear characters that are good and evil but most of them straddle along the grey line of morality. They struggle and suffer through a lot over the course of the show. Finally, Kyubey is a great example of taking a standard trope of the genre (pet mascot) and twisting it into something new and interesting though by the end you will hate its guts a lot trust me.


Setting: This show has a clearly established universe where the rules of magic it has set up are followed to the letter. It also has the right approach to world building: set up enough that the viewer can follow along yet leave in just enough speculation for the viewer to ponder about. In addition, there is some nice use of motifs and cues (wishes, the Soul Gem, Madoka's ribbons) that at first seem innocuous but at some point become vital to the story and take on different shades of meaning.

Overall, a very complete package of a series.

Historiography
The term, used mainly in historical studies, means roughly "The writing of history". This is the part where I go into my personal history with the Madoka Magica series. I first came across this show while at university, where I was a member of the anime club. It was the spring semester of 2011, and I was in the process of finishing up there. Now, the first meeting for the anime club for every semester was a vote tape, and this little show called Madoka Magica ended up on the vote tape, in part due to it being a Studio Shaft production, and most of the club were fans of that studio at the time.

Now, prior to watching Madoka, I hadn't really watched much magical girl shows, aside from the stray episodes of Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. This show blew me away right from the get-go. I was amazed at how fresh and new this series was, in comparison to the stuff I was watching at the time. Each episode had me on the edge of my seat, especially after episode 3.

But, after I watched episode 10, the Tohoku Earthquake hit Japan. The anime club did set aside some money to send over there but the question remain: Will Madoka be finished before end of term? Word soon that studio Shaft had been running late on production for the final two episodes, so maybe there was hope.

Luckily, the episodes came out and we watched them on the final meeting for that semester. Thank god for that extra time as the last two episodes are quite the best series finale in anime I have ever seen. I was literally in tears by end of the finale, it is that excellent.

So, when news came that Aniplex was bringing the show to the States in 2012, I was pumped. Then I heard that it was a staggered release with 3 separate volumes, 4 episodes each, Bummer. Oh, and each volume would cost an arm each, Double Bummer. So I decided to wait and see if the price went down or if somebody would send it to me as a gift.

Finally this summer, I broke down and bought all three volumes via RightStuf (good discount there too). This was in part due to watching SF Debris's reviews on the entire show, episode by episode. I recommend everyone who has seen the show watch this guy's reviews, as they are the best in covering this masterpiece.

Now, some other comments:

I like how the original Japanese voice cast is very archetypal, ie playing to type most of the time and it is probably one of the better casts for Japanese in an anime. Which leads me to contrast with the English Dub, which is rather 'rote'.  Alex von David is perhaps the most pedestrian director for English dubs ever, both here and in SAO. Granted, some of the English V.A.s do very well with the material, the fact is that its unambitious in terms of the voice direction in parts. This is essentially a great show that has a decent dub. Didn't help that Aniplex, the company that brought the series last year, put up what has to be the most reverse hype trailer ever: Madoka Magica US Trailer. I mean, seriously, what the flying fudge?! Anyway, both language tracks get a recommendation from me for sure.

The music is also fantastic. Yuki Kajiura is the composer for Madoka, as well as some other fine anime like Noir, .hack//Sign, and Sora no Woto (well the opening only). Her music is very good at being there to underpin the drama of the piece very aptly. I would love to get the OST for this anime.

　
And so, I end the review with this: A Thought, for the epilogue. What if Madoka Magica serves as an 'origin story' for the entire magical girl genre? Ponder that, dear readers....

See you next time

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 53-Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko

"Let's Get This Party Started!"

Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko

1996-97 OVA, 6 episodes

Studios: JC Staff, Kadowa Shoten and Starchild

Based on novels by Shoji Takashi

Ok, now we are talking. Unlike last time's review of Debutante Detective Corps, this will be more substantive. Made within the next year and a half of that, comes Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko. Along with Tenamonya Voyagers (1999), this OVA also display some aspects of Akiyuki Shinbo''s style, which will be discussed further. Also, spoilers.

OVA I (March-June 1996)

Episode 1: Get Ready!

Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko tells the story of Yamamoto Yohko and her friends who get transported to the future via power of time-travel technology developed by chief engineer Lawson, to work for the Terra fleet. In this future, wars are not so much battles but more like video games (no one dies due to ejector warps and one afflicts damage much in the same way in paintball).

Team Terra consists of:

Yamamoto Yohko: reckless, very capable, headstrong, determined, confident but not cocky

Ayano: quiet, demure girl

Momoji: country bumpkin tomboy

Madoka: Lil Miss Priss with huge forehead

They engaged in competition against Team NESS Red Snappers, led by Miss Rouge and her 3 sisters, all whom are named after words based on the word 'red': Erutron (quiet dark haired girl), Lubrum (punk girl) and Lote (blond ditz). Yamamoto Yohko gets her own specialized ship TA 29, top of line spacecraft for the combat matches. She also gets egged on by tough words of Miss Rouge of the Red Snappers team, as well as her own built-in confidence in herself.

Their Opening game is taking place at the Star Prominence, which has uranium deposits. It is sort of like a drag race in space, where they run a course around the star, ending on a fuel station. However, Red Snappers are bunch of dirty players, willing to do anything to win. All this complemented by a 90s J-rock soundtrack. Team Terra seems to be in trouble, bu then Yohko flies in just in time to save her teammates from danger.

But once they get to the star, a problem occurs in that the team must orbit around the star but not too close or get caught in the star's gravity. I do have to say that there are some really stunning background visuals like solar flares and star field. Just as Yohko is planning to get to the finish, Lote (the blond ditz of the Red Snappers) destroys the goal post, which leads to some instability in the star. With little hesitance, Yohko handles the risk and finish the race on time, thereby winning the competition. End on an upbeat J-pop song, moving onto the next episode!

Episode 2: Nine Ball at Steam Rising Hot Springs

It starts off very 'meta' with a commercial of the Red Snappers promoting a holiday planet, getting a vacation deal in exchange. Yohko and Team Terra also gets a reward for all their current wins, going to the same holiday planet. When they get there, the whole planet is a hot spring called Funky Bubble for some reason that escapes me now. Now while that might seem cool, it is very impractical. The science fiction here seems plausible even if it is ridiculous beyond belief. The actual holiday planet looks like Japanese hotspring town from well any anime, pick one. With some notable exceptions, such as strip shows, arcades and a Banana and Crocodile Garden, where one can watch bananas moving and eat crocodiles like bananas. Meanwhile, the Red Snappers are enjoying arcade games and karaoke bar.

In midst of this, Lawson is trying and failing at the crane game, getting ownership rights to a planetary system. Predictably, this leads to conflict with the Red Snappers, who also want the planetary system. Rouge and Yohko engage in a crane game and a ping pong match. When word gets to the hotel executive gets word of this, he gets a brilliantly bizarre idea.

The two teams get worked into doing "Space Nine Ball", which is basically billiards in space; ships as sticks and planets as balls. Once again, this is an example of ridiculous but plausible science fiction, that's awesome. Yohko and Miss Rouge engage on an one-on-one match, which Yohko would have won had it not been for the Red Snappers' interference. Sweet Victory once again, though Lawson however didn't get the golden ball for RP 71, oh bummer for you. Next!

Episode 3: Memories of Roses

While the first two episodes have fun and exciting space adventure, the third episode takes on a more serious/dramatic tone. This episode also centers around Miss Rouge and the Red Snappers

They arrive at a space graveyard, where there is a science vessel where their mother was doing genetic experiments on roses. The ship has a micro-black hole radiator within its engine, as it was from a past era. Despite the serious tone, there are comedy moments come from Lote, the blonde ditz of the group, whose humor is very silly and relies sometimes on poorly translated wordplay (oh old 90s dubs).

However the ship is re-activated; uh-oh. Fortunately, Yohko and Team Terra are called to intercept it as the ship is direct course for Earth (an accidental Earthshock?). Meanwhile, a mystery occurs on the ship: disappearance of the roses, accidental merging with another ship, odd energy signals. Of course, the Red Snappers aren't aware of what's doing on outside, so dramatic irony will be stretched beyond belief.

Once there, Yohko and her team are stopped by the ship's defense system. The battles, like most of the OVA, are very well done, not cutting too many corners on animation. However, there is a big shock: The ship will blow up or as Lawson puts it: "There will be a very big boom." This could lead to the possible extinction of the Earth, oh noes. Luckily, the two groups finally get in touch with each other. After some initial misunderstanding and Rouge's reluctance to leave, Yohko once again saves the day with her special weapon ya-woo! A visually poignant ending as Yohko rescues the Red Snappers and the ship explode, leaving space with a nice tasteful stain of red.

OVA II (August-December 1997)

The Opening Song seems very like the ending song for Tenamonya Voyagers, leaving one with the impression that this is a Space Western, which this certainly isn't. Anyway, onto the second OVA, which does pick up after the events of OVA I. Suffice to say, anyone who watches this should both OVAs. Now, onto the episodes!

Episode 4: Summer Challenger

So, Yohko and her friends are back in the present, about to enjoy their summer vacation. Then engage in typical summer activities: Water Park, Eating Ice Cream, Basketball Match, Photo Booth, Toy Store, etc. But someone is watching Yohko from afar, causing some near accidents which Yohko avoids through sheer power of insight.

In the future, NESS and Terra fleets are dealing with an issue. Mr Fuligar, commander of the NESS fleet is introduced and Miss Rouge has a crush on him. It turns out someone has gone rogue and stolen a LS ship and teleported to the past using Lawson's teleport system. One would think that these organizations would have more security than just a singular guard, if that was the case.

Next day, Yohko is woken up by the mysterious stalker. Except there's an issue: a spaceship has appeared in the sky over the Earth. The mysterious stalker reveals herself to be Sylvie Dread. She challenges Yohko to a duel in orbit. If not, Sylvie plans to smash Tokyo to a pancake, as expected of villains like this.

As Yohko prepares for he duel, Lawson gives Yohko some exposition information. Sylvie Dread is a former pilot of Terra who is kind of a bitch, with some personality problems. Yohko replaced her as pilot for the TA 29, naturally that left Sylvie very jealous and angry. Good thing he delivered Yohko and her friends' ships into the present time period, though at different locations.

Yohko goes alone to fight Sylvie in the duel, as that's the honorable though probably based on her gaming experience. Fight is very gripping and exciting, all things considered. It comes down to the wire at one moment, it's so tense. However, the fight ends as Mr. Fuligar intervenes and captures Sylvie. It's at this point that Mr. Fuligar gets some character, as a strong, noble commander who admires Yohko's abilities as a enemy pilot. Cue end credits.

Episode 5: Nightmare of Legends

Yohko, Momoji, Ayano and Madoka along with Lote (dumb Red Snapper) get stuck on a planet

where the inhabitants (monk trio) treated as goddesses until they are taken as sacrifices to revive their ancient sleeping god, Pushuke. It is more or less like a Haunted House/Mystery Adventure, with the end of it being proper sci-fi again. This episode I like as it is the closest to anything in terms of modern Shinbo. Features like odd color/lighting schemes, unsettling and surreal atmosphere and weird camera angles/perspective pervade this episode. There is also a sub-plot involving the two fleets searching for them, while the NESS fleet recruiting Sylvie Dread to their side. This leads into the final episode.

Episode 6: Cinderella of the Cherry Blossom Moonlight

Sylvie Dread prepares for a rematch against Yohko once more. But there is a party with Cherry Blossoms cohosted by Terra and NESS to be had and only one team member can go to the party. For team NESS, Miss Rouge is glaming it up for the party as she plans to capture Mr Fuligar's heart. For team Terra, Yohko herself ends up going to the party, with the other girls acting as security They arrive at the Cherry Blossom Ring which I have to say is a very nice visual treat.

The party begins in earnest. Lawson dances with Admiral Rion (hot tanned beauty commander) while Rouge is seeking out Mr Fuligar. Yohko shows up in a blonde wig and nice dress, captivating Mr Fuligar on the spot. This party part is an echo of Cinderella of sorts. Yohko and Mr Fuligar dance together, much to Rouge's frustration.

However, Sylvie Dread breaks through security in order to crash the party it seems. At this point she is just one psychotic bitch. So, Yohko and Sylvie engage in a rematch. One thing I've noticed while watching this is how trope-aware (games and scifi tropes) this show is, and this final fight is no exception. It is an awesome fight, well done in action and intensity. However, it ends in a stalemate as Yohko views it no longer as a game, therefore not fun. Sylvie leaves promising to return again at some point. The OVA ends on an open note to say the least.

This OVA, along with Tenamonya Voyagers, I can wholeheartedly recommend. Akiyuki Shinbo makes these fun and enjoyable, and at the end of the day having some entertainment value is enough for me when it comes to anime. Yamamoto Yohko is a very good piece of comical scifi 90s OVA in its own right. Granted, a TV series for this was made but it has not made it state-side, doubt it ever will. But the OVA is sufficient for those interested.

Next review will be out on March 30^th See y'all then!

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 52-Debutante Detective Corps

"Bombshells and Fluff"

Debutante Detective Corps

1996 OVA, 30 minutes

Production: Toho/Head Room/Marcus

Genres: Comedy, Mystery

Well, my next two reviews are covering some other OVAs directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. For those of you not in the know, Akiyuki Shinbo is my personal favorite director for anime TV series. Since joining Studio Shaft in 2004, he has helmed quite a lot of shows that I like, such as Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Negima!? (remake not a second season), Pani Poni Dash, Arakawa Under the Bridge, and Madoka Magica. Whether or not you like their shows, one thing you can't fault them is not being entertaining. Shinbo, through use of visual and textual references and slapstick comedy, along with the ability to deconstruct/reinvent common genres (like Madoka as reinvented Mahou Shoujo), makes most of their stuff very fun to watch.

Though, before 2004, Shinbo had a rather patchy career directing OVAs from various other studios. I have covered some of them here: The Galaxy Fraulien Yuna OVAs and Detatako Princess OVA back in 2011, and Tenamonya Voyagers last year. Those have their moments of inspired genius, but they suffer a bit from not being like Shinbou's later works. Not surprising as he hadn't yet to develop his own style yet, thus making the OVAs he did work on rather generic and not unlike other shows of the time. This fact is apparent with today's show of review, "Debutante Detective Corps", a DVD I picked at last November's Atlanta Anime Day for about 5$.

"Debuntate Detective Corps" is a 30 minute OVA from 1996, the same year that the second Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA came out. It tells the the adventures of five rich and well-endowed high school girls as they contend with an escaped convict who plans to kidnap them. I won't go into too much details on the characters, as they are woefully one-note: Each girl has a special talent, be it computer hacking or master of disguise powers. That's all on the plot and characters. Wow, this review will be fairly short. Yeah, this is a pilot for a TV series that never came to be.

Well, I can still elaborate on the animation and direction a bit. Animation is well standard for the mid-90s; it probably looked good then, today it is merely passable. The direction by Shinbou is a bit wacky, like how over the top the entrances of each girl is or how ridiculous the story goes. Though, I think that stuff was added in by Shinbo himself, as without them its just a stock standard action piece with hot girls and explosions.

Lastly, the dub by ADV Films (who seriously released this 30 min. OVA with the tagline "You Can't Fight Fashion") is not very good. If I scrunched my ears up I'd swear the cast of "Totally Spies" was voicing the characters. Heh, wow am I old. Nevertheless, it is funny but too short to be  enjoyable through extensive re-watching.

So, I can't really recommend this, if only barely to fans of Akiyuki Shinbo. There just not a whole lot to talk about with this one. However, my next review will be more extensive.

Laters, The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 27, “Tenamonya Voyagers” (April Fool’s Day Special Review)

Hello, I’m the Eclectic Dude I review it for the lols.

Well, Happy April Fool’s Day everyone! This special day calls for a special review, because why the heck not. I know the perfect thing to review-Tenamonya Voyagers!!!!!

DVD Cover with the main characters (L-R: Wakana, Ayako, and  Space Trash Paraila) with Inspector Yokoyama near top

Never heard of it? I don’t blame you. Tenamonya Voyagers, a Sci-Fi 1999 OVA done by Studio Pierrot is in that category of ‘rare, obscure” in anime. It also has the distinction for being one of the early titles of anime released exclusively on DVD back in the late 90s/early 00s. But being one of the first, does that make it good?

The story behind Tenamonya Voyagers involves the adventures of 3 young women in space, at some point far in the future. Two of them are humans-Ayako, a new teacher and Wakana, a student athlete. Both ended up at a school on a far off planet of Meldonia, Ayako having a teacher job and Wakana getting there via an athletic scholarship.  However, once they get to Meldonia, the school got shutted down (valid since it took them light years to get there). Anyway, without much to do, the two decides to return back to Earth, despite their limited resources to do so.

Fortunately, a solution comes from above, literally. A giant mecha falls onto the planet, demolishing the school. Out of it comes Paraila, a mysterious young girl who seems more than she appears. Together, they are determined to get back to Earth, the home in a vast universe so to speak. But, it turns out Paraila is a former boss of the Space Mafia who is hoping to get back to Earth for her own selfish reasons. Turns out, some past space treaty left Earth as ‘neutral territory’ wherein any criminal that lands there has ALL their criminal charges wiped clean. In addition to be pursuing by the Mafia, the Space Police have someone on her trail as well-an obsessive policewoman from Hiroshima, Yokoyama.

Sounds pretty good, eh? Well, unfortunately, not only it is rare/obscure it is also unfinished. Only 4 episodes got made. Yeah, spoiler alert, they don’t make it back to Earth and the final episode ends on a cliffhanger. However, unlike Legend of the Last Labyrinth, which suffered from cutbacks it seems, this title suffered from probably low sales. A sad fact of life for OVA collectors, in that a lot of them were released by video every few weeks or months and the continuation of many titles depended on sales of the videos. If sales were good, then OVAs got more episodes and vice versa.

Which is a shame, as Tenamonya Voyagers is a very good OVA. The animation is quite excellent, for its time. Upon first watching it, I did a double take when the fact that this was made back in 1999. It looks good enough to be something made from the early to mid 00s. Characters are extremely expressive and back grounds are well done in every scene of the 4 episodes.

The direction is also something of note as well. Akiyuki Shinbou directed this OVA, yes the same guy who was involved in Galaxy Fraulien Yuna OVAs and Detatoko Princess (both I have reviewed previously). Here, in my opinion, is the best OVA/series he did pre-Studio Shaft. His trademarks are on full display here, be it use of texts on screen, interesting camera angles and wacky/tippy lighting and color effects. He gives it some pacing and quality that one should view the OVA as all 4 episodes at once, as it feels like a movie at times.

The story and characters are well a mixed bag.  It is essential a ‘girls on the run in space’ story, but with a few unique twists thrown in for good measure. The writing is filled with lots of humor, both sophomoric and more subtle. The characters are overall fun and enjoyable to watch. Ayako is a distressed young teacher who is in way over her head at times, but gives enough laughs at times so the audience is totally annoyed at her. Wakana and Paraila basically serves as bouncing boards off each other, Wakana wondering why go through the hassle of going to Earth with a known criminal and Paraila just not giving a crud about what anyone thinks or says. And Yokoyama, the policewoman on the trail of Paraila is basically a crazy badass who probably joined the police just so she could capture/kill people, making her a passable antagonist.

OP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkL-5_eGV0s

Finally, the music is also worthy of note. In particular, the opening, which it is basically a marching band tune set to well weird imagery. The rest of the soundtrack is very much like the OVA-space epic and all that. Granted, they do recycle some soundtrack parts a few times but thankfully it’s not too annoyingly overused.

Not that to say it’s all good. The story is rather unfinished and this fact is no more evident than in the fourth and last episode, where the production team just threw their arms up in the air and said “Feck the plot, we’ll just do something ridiculously awesome”, apparently. Now, there has to be the best way to end an OVA that probably had no chance: Just end on a note of ridiculously awesomeness. Check it out for yourself, I am not spoiling here.

This gets a good recommendation, if you are a sci-fi fan or like parody series as well. It is not that hard to find it, as Amazon.com has it for dirt cheap. It is well worth it, as Tenamonya Voyagers is a joke; a huge, entertaining joke, to be fair, but a joke nonetheless

‘Til next time ^_^  

Anime Review No. 17-Detatoko Princess (1997-98)

Hello, I'm the EclecticDude and I review it for the lolz.
(Sorry was a bit busy the other day)

Anyway, this being the last review I am doing this year, I thought of covering a Christmas special or a Christmas-themed episode from an anime series. However, I came to this conclusion-most of these are pretty crappy. So, instead, I'm doing an obscure entry of one of my favorite genres in anime: Detatoko Princess, a wacky fantasy OVA from the late '90s. Oh, joy to the flippin' world.

This lovely little piece comes to us from the folks at JC Staff, who seemed to do a lot of OVAs in the 1990s, this being one of them. This was also directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, the same guy who directed the 2nd Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA (see my review on that back in October). This is also based off of a manga that was out around the time the OVA came out. Unfortunately, it has never made it stateside (and I doubt it will).

Anyway, the plot involves Princess Lapis of SorcerLand and her adventures with her band of friends. She's blonde, ditzy and has a pudding fixation (yes really xD). Her friends include tiny flowergirl Nandre, immortal fighter Kohaku and Jii, Lapis' teacher mage. Their adventures involve running into Lady Topaz, Wicked Witch of the North who has a legion of pretty little girls in pokeballs (She got a thing for them). They also fight off a giant konnyaku golem and finally a trio of sickly fitness brothers. Yeah, it is rather insane.

First off, the positives. For one thing, it is nicely animated, which is a common feature of most OVAs. Also, kudos to the director. Akiyuki Shinbo, as I noted in my GFY Returns OVA, likes doing two approaches to his anime: either dark and disturbing or funny, wacky parody/comedy. Here, he does the wacky, silly parody/comedy shtick. It works for the most time as I was laughing through the whole thing.

Now, my two pet peeves. First, it applies to the phrase "Characters instead of caricatures". There are not really any characters as there are caricatures, exaggeration of common Fantasy RPG characters. Granted, the characters are rather quirky and eccentric (especially Lady Topaz,. a female OTT villain whose got a thing for little girls-only in anime xD). Secondly, the length (again). It is only 3 episodes long, and leaves me wanting more. There is even a sequel hook at the end of the credits of the third and last episode, so odds are they were planning to do more, but didn't. Oh well.  

Final Score is 6/10. It is just above average in terms of story, animation and direction. But it lacks character development and length to sustain a lot of audience attention. However, I would recommend it to fans of fantasy anime at the least. It's a fun little sit and a good way to burn off an afternoon. Of course, if u want something similar, I can recommend "Thos Who Hunt Elves" or "Rune Soldier Louie" for much longer series that are fantasy comedy series.

So, yeah, my last review of the year. I will return with reviews starting weekend of January 7th. I'm sure that will be more to come for this review series.

Until then, laterz-EclecticDude

Anime Review No. 10-Galaxy Fraulein Yuna (1996-97 OVA)

Hello, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz (Seriously, that's my catchphrase?)
 

This week's review is over the second (and final OVA) of Galaxy Fraulein Yuna. For more details, check out my review from last week. Both OVAs were done by the same company, but directed by two different people. In the case, of the second OVA, it is directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, known nowadays for directing Studio Shaft productions like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Madoka. He likes making anime that is either dark and edgy or lots of humor and parody. This OVA is mostly the former, with a bit of the latter.

Now, the second OVA has alternative titles, like its predecessor. There's Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Returns, GFY: The Abyssal Fairy, and GFY: Fairy of the Deep Darkness. Funny thing is that the first title makes the most sense. There are no fairies in this OVA, they are girl robots who are evil. Not sure, but I still find the other two titles funny yet inaccurate.

Basic plot of GFY Returns is thus: it takes place some time after the first OVA, around Christmas/New Years Eve. Yuna is chilling, having the good life, when the mysterious "Apparition Sisters", who are actually a trio of  girl androids who got banished for doing something evil (they never explain) and now they are back for vengeance. Yuna befriends Ayako, the youngest one, who comes across as rather misunderstood. However, the other two (Genmu and Kyoka) are really evil so all heck breaks loose. Yuna tries her best to make them her friends, but ultimately fails.

And that's all I am telling about the plot, seriously watch it yourself to find out more.
What I will be talking about the good and the bad, with comparison/contrast to the first OVA.
First, the Opening. It is more dark and edgy, with some rather dark and surreal imagery. Quite different from the jpop standard song for the first OVA. Secondly, the story is rather dark and mature for a magical girl story. It has a bit more violence and fight scenes (which are all well done) then its predecessor. Then again, Akiyuki Shinbo later went on to do Nanoha (2004) and Madoka (2011), both being magical girl series with dark and edgy elements in it. Third, the animation is well the same as the first OVA. Though, the way it is shot makes the second OVA seems like a movie, whereas the first OVA feels like the pilot to a series that never was made.
Now, the bad, which is only one bad thing. First, the insert songs. Yes, there are two insert songs, one at the beginning and one at the end.  Now, in japanese, they are ok. But, ADV Films decided to have their dub actors sing them. It sounds terrible. It is clear they did a straight translation, as it comes across as wooden and stiff. Also, they could've cutted the two songs out and the OVA would suffer nothing from it.

Final Score is 8.5/10. A great story, with good characters in a well-animated (for the time) OVA. Akiyuki Shinbo in the early years of his anime directing career, shows lots of potential. I regard him as my favorite director for anime series (Miyazaki being my favorite anime film director).

Overall Score for the two OVAs is 8/10. Galaxy Fraulein Yuna is a very good series of OVAs, with good characters and animation. I recommend both OVAs, as the only way to get them is to buy it as an one-disc  DVD. Though, it is a good idea to read up about the series before watching it, as you will a bit confusing. But, a good OVA series nonetheless. Such a shame that there isn't more, but oh well.

Next week, -massive sigh-, the review I've been dreading : Spectral Force. OH JOY /sarc.

Laterz, The Eclectic Dude