Anime Review No 33, Nodame Cantabile Episode 1/First Impressions

Hi, I’m the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.

Music is quite exquisite is it not? I am quite a fan of music, ever since I was little. I did Kindermusic and youth choir back in the days. In middle school, I played viola for the string orchestra. It was also in middle school that I dabbled in musical composition, even entering and winning a contest once. However, once high school came around I lost interest in playing any sort of instrument. I did play keyboard for one semester, but none after that. I do still write music to this day, though not as frequent as I used to.

Nodame at piano and Chiaki at violin

There’s a point to this, as this week I’m looking at the first episode of Nodame Cantabile. It was suggested to a friend of mine as this person mentioned that I’d like it since it’s about classical music. I decided to watch the first episode and see if it was any good. Well, it is quite good.

Done by JC Staff and directed by Ken’ichi Kasai back in 2007, Nodame Cantabile tells the story of the relationships and daily lives of two college musicians. It’s a rather mature and sensible (read realistic) slice-of-life series from the outset. The Opening is quite nice as well, with some interesting visuals (floating music staves and piano keys).

The first of this duo is Chiaki, a guy with quite a talent for music (piano and violin notwithstanding) but personality wise he’s a bit strict, abrasive, etc. However, he would prefer to conduct music rather than play music. After getting his butt kicked out of the master class, he stumbles a bit with wondering to do. One day, he bumps into Nodame, the titular character playing the piano. Nodame is a bit of a foil to Chiaki; she is actually better at piano than Chiaki (when he helps her out) but has the personal skills of a shut-in. The two get paired together and in the process Nodame falls in love with Chiaki. That’s pretty much the gist of the first episode.

So, yeah the main draw for this series for me has to be the music aspect. Lot of the soundtrack is well-known pieces by classical composers (Beethoven and Mozart) and another pieces featured in the episode. I hope that other composers’ music is featured (like Mahler, Stravinsky, Wagner, etc.) but for the moment I can’t complain too much. It is somewhat original in terms of doing a slice of life series that deal with college musicians, something that doesn’t come up often in anime (aside from BECK and K-On!).

The art style reflects this strongly. It has similarities to Genshiken, in that it is very realistic and doesn’t go off-model wacky a whole lot. The colors are limited but used effectively.  The voice-acting, at least in the English dub, is also much like Genshiken in that it’s very workman-like and listenable. Though, most of the cast make it sound like a Naruto/VIZ reunion (Chiaki and Nadome are voiced by Doug Erholtz and Kate Higgins respectively).

I am still watching this series (up to the fourth episode at this point) so I am not sure on how great this show might become. I shall see. But I am hooked enough to find out though. I plan on doing an actual review of the whole series later in the year.

If you’re a fan of classical music, then check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

‘Til next week

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 25, "Genshiken" Episode 1/First Impressions

Hi, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.

Well, to start off, let me make something perfectly clear. I hear from the various groups of anime fans I've been in that many of them profess to be "Otaku" and be proud of it. However, it is not a term of endearment. It roughly translates to meaning someone who is obsessed with something, in other words, geeks and nerds. What I am trying to say is that no respectable fan of anime would or should call themselves 'Otaku', in my opinion. I prefer to use the term 'anime fan' or 'anime enthusiast'.


Now, with that out of the way, this weekend's review is over Genshiken episode 1. This 2004 TV Series was directed by Takashi Ikehata and produced by Palm Studio and Genco, the series follows a club of anime enthusiasts and their adventures in college. Episode 1 was broadcasted on October 10 2004, which prompted 2 full 13-episode series after this. It is based off of a manga series that ran from 2002 to 2006, with a sequel series running from December 2010. AnimeWorks/Media Blasters licensed and distributed this title. So, what is in the first episode that helped to lift this series? Let's find out.

Episode 1-Study of the Modern Visually-Oriented Culture 
The episode opens quite oddly, as it is showing a scene from an entirely different series (opening scene, Opening song) which leads to some initial confusion. However, it is just TV viewing of Kujibiki Unbalance (the show within the show) from the POV of Sasahara,  the main character of the series. He is a freshman student at Suioh University (made-up i assume) and is seeking clubs to join. He comes across as a 'greenhorn' when it comes to anime. He comes across one group called 'Genshiken' or The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.

At the same time, we are also introduced to Kohsaka and Saki, the first 'couple' in the series. I say 'couple' because it is terribly one-sided, on Saki's side that is. Saki is a snarky, abrasive, yet normal college girl. Kohsaka, on the other hand, is a hard-core 'otaku' so to speak. But, of course, they are childhood friends, so a relationship between the two can't be ruled out.

Anyway, Sasahara decides to join Genshiken. He goes to their club room, off in a secluded building on campus. Now, I like this part, as it reminds of my times going to anime club back at university. The anime club would meet up at one of more older and secluded buildings on the campus. The scenes where Sasahara  is in the club room, and watching anime with the other club members, with the other members offering commentary on the episode, is a very nice touch. Sarahara also meets up with Kohsaka, who is also a freshman. Kudos to the creators for it.

Well, all of a sudden, the club members start to leave, one by one. Before long, Sasahara is left all by himself. So, being curious, he starts to wander around the club room. He notices all the consoles, shelves and shelves of manga and figurines. His mind wanders, however, to why the erotic stuff is, which is in a closed cabinet in the room. He then gets caught peeking into this by the other members, who then coerces him into joining the club. After some more stuff, Sasahara settles in with his new group of friends.

So, what are my thoughts? Well, I have to say it is an average start. Not too great, but not terrible. A pretty standard introduction to a show that is essentially about the culture it is a product of, a la "Otaku No Video".  Of course, they are a bit more subtle in terms of the references in this than in "Otaku no Video". It also has a postmodern feel with the inclusion of Kuji-Un, which adds in some 'meta' humor quite well done. The English dub voice acting is much like the show, dry and dull while still being decent (i.e. listenable). Only one of note, for me, is Carol Jacobanis as Saki, who does probably a bit more effort than need be, but yeah having one character who is loud and lively in a cast of rather dull and dry geeks isn't too bad of a thing.

But one thing I get out of the episode is how it portrayed: rather average and ordinary. Which isn't a bad thing, I must say. I get the feeling that the show will be rather average. Not sure if I will do a full review of the series, since I don't have the full series yet.

So, why bring up Genshiken? Well, it is a good lead into the review I will be doing the rest of the month: Kujibiki Unbalance. Yes, that show within a show became its own series in Fall of 2006, done by a different director and studio. The reason why Kuji-Un was used by the Genshiken series was due to copyright issues. See, using clips from an actual show would cost money, which is a legitimate concern to be fair.

So, the next three weeks will be over the 12 episode series. Four episodes per part, with me doing some analysis and commentary as best as I can given the written format. That and the review in 3 parts will be released on Saturdays for this month.

Laterz,
Eclectic Dude

Review-Otaku no Video

Hello there ^_^
I've been busy the past week since my first post. Anyway, today I'll talk about Otaku no Video. I watched a few times within the past week.


Otaku no Video (Fan Video-straight translation) is a two part OVA made in 1991 by Gainax. Gainax is the studio behind such classical series like Evangelion, Kare Kano, Gurren Lagann and more recently Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. The series they've made for this year 2011, Dantalian no Shoka, looks to be another great entry into their canon. Also, it has been 20 years since it came so yay i guess.

Now, the license and distribution in the States was done by AnimEigo, a company more known for their distribution of Japanese cult films and the like. From the dvd case, I deduce that the VHS came out in 1993, while the DVD release was in 2001 (Not too surprising). The DVD package is very well done. Here's what the DVD cover looks like:

It is pretty self explanatory, I must say. Yes, it has the typical anime girl who is ummm....well endowed to say the least. I like it. The DVD is very nice as well, even containing the company's address and phone number (and website URL, which still works btw).

The Plot:
Rather straightforward, compared to some of the other series Gainax would go to do. It concerns Kubo, a young college dude who gets thrusted into the world of anime and manga, and the impact he sought to bring upon the world. Now, this is interesting, considering the founders of Gainax are essentially former fanboys lol. The animated story goes through Kubo's life from 1982 to a speculative future. He starts off as a 'city boy', a preppie of sorts who plays tennis and has a girlfriend. However, by chance, he meets Tanaka, a former friend from high school. Tanaka is well your typical general anime fanboy (chubby, glasses wearing, too knowing on anime, etc.). I see myself a bit like Tanaka, though I will admit i saw a bit of myself in Kubo (i.e. me back in 2003, as I was just getting into anime).
Well, soon, Kubo becomes engrossed into the otaku culture. Now, some people might think Otaku just seems to apply people who are into anime, but it actually applies to geeks in general. Anyway, Kubo learns of the different aspects of anime culture (animation, SF knowledge, illustration, character development, military otaku, etc). Of course, as one of the otaku warns, "Once you enter, you may not want to leave". Indeed, as his behavior changes (gains a bit of weight, becoming unshaven, obsessing over anime, etc.) Finally, he becomes so 'in' to it that his girlfriend breaks up with him. So, in a fit of frustration, he and Tanaka decides to do something with their anime hobby, to become the greatest Otaku, the Otaking !!!

I won't spoil it further, suffice to say it is very good. Now, Otaku no Video has a mix of animated segments (Kubo's story) with live action sequences. These are a series of interviews with various types of Otaku. They range from the general aspects of anime culture to more specific types (former cosplayer somewhat ashamed of what he did, a gun otaku who is antiwar, garage kit model maker, cel thief). They are all done very well, though a minor quip I have is with the censored screen for the faces of the interviewees (works only slightly). One segment in particular I laughed at was one involving an American who was living in Japan, to get immersed in the Anime culture. He is clearly speaking in English, yet there's a Japanese narrator with subtitles anyway. Go figures.

Final Rating/Recommendation: 7/10. Otaku no Video does enough to get by, but manages to be neither bad or impressive. The plot is relatively straightforward, though by the last 1/4 it does get a bit ridiculous (just watch, you'll see). There are some minor quips. First, it is only available in a subtitled form (no english dub). So, if you are stickler of dubs, then sorry about that. Still, it is good enough without one. In fact, given the reference-heavy content, a dub wouldn't do it justice IMHO.
Which brings me to my next quip, the references. Well, it being from 1991, it contains lots of old school (70s and 80s) anime references. Now, for people who don't like too many references might have a hard time watching it. Good thing on the AnimEigo website, they have liner notes for that, so yay ^^ (link to that-http://www.animeigo.com/liner/anime/otaku-no-video)
Lastly the animation is a minor quip. Now, it being Gainax, it is very good (in comparison to series that came out around that time I'm sure). Though, it is more like a pristine fossil. It holds up, though it definitely shows its age.
Now, I would definitely recommend this title. It is a good starting point someone who wants to get into Anime, apart from Miyazaki films. Of course, there is a more contemporary series that is similar to this-Genshiken, which I would also recommend.

Now, done with my first review. Wow, it seemed to be quite a ramble. I'll make a point of being more coherent with my reviews.
Well, what to review next?
,.....................
I'll tell you next time I post or Ill post a teaser ^_^ Keep it a surprise lol

Laterz