Anime Review No 40-GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class Episode 1/First Impressions

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

I have fond memories of high school, unlike most people I know of and/or of my own generation. One of the things I liked about high school was the electives outside of the standard classes taken. One of them was when I spent two semesters doing Basic Art. Now, I don't have the best art skills but I tried, and that's all that counts. I had some fun with it at the very least. 

What was the point of that? Well, it ties in nicely with this review: GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class. It was originally a Seinen yonkoma(4 panel) manga series, still running since 2004. Then, it got an Animated series in Summer 2009, directed by Hiroaki Sakurai and produced by Studio AIC, whose work I've covered in the past.  

The basic idea of GA Art Design Class is a Slice of life series involving a group of female students at a special art group at a school in Japan. 

Episode 1, titled Drawing Fun, serves as an introduction of the main characters. Kisaragi is our main character of the series. She is a meganekko (glasses girl) with brown hair. She is a bit clumsy but good natured. She is also unhealthily obsessed with cute cats. She is dealing with the first day of school, like most slice of life shows these days. 

           

Then, the Opening Song plays and I quite like it, It is very energetic and cheerful, setting up the tone of the show nicely. On a side note, the use of a fiddle/violin in the OP is a nice touch. It also shows the look of the show, which is a pastel and light color palate.  

This episode isn't one whole plot, but rather a series of short skits (in style of a 4-koma that this anime is based on). This means that this series has a lot of situational comedy, similar to Azumanga Daioh and Nichijo. I won't dwell on the details, suffice to say it is all rather funny. We are also introduced to Kisaragi's classmates, including Noda-chan (loli), Tomokane (tomboy), Namiko-san (tall and well-endowned), Miyabi (soft-spoken and stoic girl). All of them don't have much in terms of characters, but the strength of the show lies in the comedy and jokes, mostly involving art. One thing in particular is the silly Sentai parody (Irodo Rangers) they do halfway through the episode. 

But it isn't all fun and games. No, this show is semi-educational, as it touches on topics in the visual arts (painting, sculpture, drawing, textiles). For instance, this episode deals with Pictograms, Drawing, Color Theory. I get the feeling that the author of the manga has very fond of art class back in the day. It also talks about the use of technology (computers) to do art and the application of art to daily life (pictograms for recycling and trash bins). This is very good, as it shows that animation can be educational without being overbearing (cough cough PBS cough cough). The ending song is just the main cast in chibi form, doing various things over music. It's slow and plodding a bit, in contrast to the energetic and cheerful OP. 

Final thoughts? I liked this quite a lot. I remember watching this episode when the series first came on, but then quickly put it aside as I was busy watching other anime shows. Now, looking back, I can say this: This is a great first episode, establishing the cast and tone/mood (comedic) for the whole series I figure. The education portion is wonderfully done and ties in nicely to the comedy. I will add this to my list of series to review in full at some point. 

Next review is September 9th.

Laterz, 

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No 38 "Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos" Episode 1/First Impressions

Hello, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.
Ok, from now on, my reviews will be released every weekend (be Friday, Saturday, or Sunday).

Anyway, onto this weekend's review: Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (Crawling Up! Nyarko-san) It is based on light novel and web animation short series from 2009-11. An animated TV series came out April 2012, done by Studio XEBEC (responsible for the anime series like Nadesico, Zoids, Love Hina, To Love Ru). 

This show can be considered a Comedy/parody series. It is a odd/quirky tale based off of the Cthulhu Mythos, except it has cute anime girls with magical powers/abilities instead of eldritch abominations. I personally don't know not much on this Mythos, except a basic gist of it-it deals with cosmic horror and wonders. Now, I watched this on Crunchyroll, a really good website that has legitimate anime streaming. 

Episode 1: Like a Close Encounter of the Third Kind (Spielberg called, he wants his title back dude!)

It was a dark and spooky night.  A Teenage boy chased by a demon that sprouts a mouth out of his head. Fortunately, he is saved by a girl with grey hair (Nyarlathotep) in a checker pattern dress outfit who slices the demon in half. I like this cold opening-its exciting and gripping, and gets your attention right off the bat. 
Then the opening song: It's energetic, rhythmic, goofy and silly. This helps establish the mood for the show quite well. 

After the break,  it is revealed the girl in question ends up staying at the boy's home, eating breakfast. I like Nyarko-san. She is energetic, perky, cheerful, if a little over the top in terms of acting. She is a lot of fun. She is, in reality, a Crawling Chaos: typically a monster form, but she takes on the form of a cute girl for no clear reason. The boy tries to get an explanation from her, and after some prodding, she does. She has come to Earth to defend it from alien invaders/meddlers as part of some galactic agency mission. 

The teenage boy is named Yasaka Mahiro, who acts as a bit of a jerk when it comes to Nyarla. It seems he more of the straight man (comedically), whereas Nyarla is the joker. This is key to establish this in the first episode of a comedy like this. Good on you, production team.

So, Nyarla runs off taking Mahiro-kun with her to a anime store (wait, what?!). Apparently, alien gods smuggle anime, manga and games from Earth and it is a very big deal. I'd question this, but my mind hurts too much to think on it. Moving on... It seems there's a relationship between Mahiro and Nyarla, sweet love at first sight but becomes slightly awkward if you stop and think about it. 


Once done there, they go outside where Nyarla punches Mahiro in the head. What?! Well, it turns out that's the way to get to the other realm, where the alien gods reside and prey on humankind in secrecy. They
encounter another alien and Nyarla demonstrates her 'Power of Space CQC' Which is.... Drop kick the fecker in the nuts, then proceed to bash the thing’s head in. Flawless Victory!!

It then cuts to a mysterious girl before the break before the commercial break, which has avery nice eyecatch. Nyarla ends up coming with Yasaka to his school as a transfer student, as you do in these sorts of comedy series. Some of Yasaka's friends are introduced, like his male friend Yoichi and  Kurei, a girl working with the school paper. Meanwhile, Nyarko-san causes antics for Yakasa (lunch, lighting up romantic tension, being generally silly) which annoys straight man Yasaka almost to the brink. 

Another unnamed demon is spotted by the pair. Another fight sequence commences in the other realm. Nyarko summons Shanta-kun, a dragon (much like a Pokemon) to combat the demon. When that fails, she defeats the demon with a magical crow bar. Later, when he is taking a shower, Nyarko interrupts. Hijink ensues. The ending song is lighter, sweeter, slower then the opening, providing a nice contrast.


Final Thoughts? I like this show, it got me interested in this show. The comedy is spot-on, the characters engaging, and the story weird and quirky. I will add this to my list of anime I will watch then do a more comprehensive review. 


Next Weekend is You're Under Arrest OVA. See ya laterz.  

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. 28, "Hanamaru Kindergarten"

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

Well, after a fun scifi adventure that is Tenamonya Voyagers, I follow it up with….Hanamaru Kindergarten?! Wut?!

Koume, Hiiragi, and Anzu in foreground, with Tsuchida and Yamamoto in the background  

Yes, seriously. This 2010 slice of life series of 12 episodes is something not within what I normally review, which is obscure OVAs/series from the 90s. But I will try nonetheless. The director is Seiji Mizushima and produced by Studio Gainax. Gainax is better known for titles like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. Indeed, this is the company that later in 2010 put out Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (P&S w/G), one of the raunchiest anime I’ve ever seen in recent memory. Though to be fair, P&S w/G is far more memorable than this title, as I didn’t heard much of this series since it came out.

So, let’s see what’s up with this series by looking at the first episode. The first episode is actually two short stories mashed into one episode. After a short opening music sting, the first of two main characters is introduced, Tsuchida-sensei. He is a new kindergarten teacher going to his first day of work. This is a bit unusual as being a male kindergarten teacher must be a rarity even in Japan.

He meets up with Anzu, a kindergartener. She instantly becomes infatuated with Tsuchida-sensei, which is a little odd. The first part of the episode deals with the first day of school. Ah, what fond memories of that, let me tell you. It did bring some nostalgia to me. Anyway, Tsuchida ends up falling for Yamamoto-sensei, another teacher working at the same small elementary school he works at. Uh-oh, I smell a love triangle (maybe).  

Anzu also meets some new friends, as you do at first day of school. Hiiragi is a blue-haired girl who is stoic and overly serious. Koume is a brown-haired girl who is shy, timid, and reserved. Anzu is a rather cheerful little girl who is happy, talkative and makes friends easily. She is also very brave, as she goes up a tree to get Koume’s ribbon back after a wind blew it up there.

The second part deals with mainly Tsuchida-sensei. It turns out Anzu’s mom was his senpai (senior) back in high school. She was already married to the art teacher at the school. I like how casually this information is revealed, when such a thing would be a big deal here in the USA. Oh, well.

The rest of it contains scenes of domestic life of the characters introduced in the first part. Then, the next day, Anzu confesses her love to Tsuchida. He is expectedly surprised at this, even more so when Anzu’s mom gives her blessing. Oh noes….hijinks are to insure….I guess.

Final thoughts: I thought it was OK. The fact that Gainax put out a slice of life series so mundane and ordinary when they have also done series like Gurren Lagann, FLCL, Evangelion, Abenobashi is quite a surprise. They seem to be their best when they are loud and bombastic, not quiet, calm and peaceful. Granted, some of the humor is on par with their other stuff, but that’s about it.

I am not sure if I will watch this further, as it seems like every typical slice of life story. The only difference being is that it deals with kindergarteners. That’s about it. It is average, at best. If you like slice of life stories or a Gainax fan, then I recommend checking it out. If not, well then pass it up. To be fair, kids can watch this with not much trouble at all, if that's a consolation.

Laterz,

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

Anime Review No. 18, "Moretsu Pirates" Episode 1/First Impressions

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

Anyway, this week's review is over a recent anime title that has come out in Japan. It is a tale of adventure, action, etc. in space with dangers and perils unseen by many. It is called Bodacious Space Pirates!!!!

Mariko, the cute pirate lolz

Bodacious Space Pirates, or Moretsu Pirates, is a recent entry into the space opera genre, populated mostly by Macross, Gundam and a few others. The director is Tatsuo Sato, well known for being the director of Nadesico back in the 1990s. Satelight is the studio behind this, and more or less a company that has been under the radar of sorts for the past few years. The anime is based off of a novel series called Miniskirt Pirates. Now, is it as awesome as its name suggests? Let's found out.

The first episode opens with exposition with lots of rather well done visual backgrounds. The setting for this story is in the far off future, where space travel is the norm and humans live on various planets throughout the galaxy. I like this, as it allows for quick info-dump without bogging down the introductory episode too much.

Then the opening song comes up, and it is AWESOME. It is full of energy, with nice guitar rock and orchestral blend. The 'god-chorus' part is also well done. Everything looks clean and crisp. So far, so good.

We then introduced to our main heroine, Mariko Kato, as she is being monitored by two mysterious people. These are a woman with blue lips and a nice looking guy. A couple thing we learn about Mariko in this first part of the episode are:
-High School Girl
-Works at a maid cafe called the "Lamp House"
-Member of the Space Yacht club (showing she got some skill at piloting)
-Generally nice and likeable
-Lives just with her mother, Ririka

After a long day of school and work, she comes and finds out two rather suspicious people (same ones following her earlier) have come to her house and are chatting with her mom, like old friends. Well, it turns out, the two are old friends of Mariko's father, Gonzaemon Kato. For a twist, he was actually a captain of space pirate ship the Bentenmaru. Unfortunately, her father died two day prior due to food poisonings (dang -what a bummer!).

Now, there's a law in this show's world where only the descendant of a captain can inherit a space pirate ship. At first, Mariko is a bit shocked at this and a bit troubled at potentially being a pirate (criminal record notwithstanding). But, the woman with blue lips assures her that the Bentenmaru has a letter of marque which  basically means they are more space mercenaries then actual pirates. Effectively, most piracy in space is legal. She mulls over it during the night.

The next day in homeroom, Mariko meets with her classmate Mami, who also works at the maid cafe. They chit-chatted, until its announced that a replacement teacher is coming. Turns out, it is the nice guy Mariko met the other night (his name is Kane McDougal) and he comes across as a really nice genteel man. The woman with blue lips is also at the school, as a nurse. Also, her class gets a transfer student, Kurihara Chiaki ( a mysterious dark-haired meganekko) who gives Mariko a serious glance as she goes to her seat.

Later, after school, Mariko heads off to the "Lamp House" for work. However, as shoe is getting started on work, groups of guys in suits (vaguely looking like mobsters) come into the maid cafe. Chiaki-san shows up as well, and it reveals she has a thing for chocolate parfaits (lolz). Then, an assassin comes in and tries to kill Mariko. But, Chiaki-san pulls out a gun (OMG that was unexpected) and saves Mariko.
That's pretty much the first episode. The ending song is a bit more subdued then the opening song, which works well. The preview is well done, pulling the audience into checking out the new episode.

Final Words: All in all, this is a great start for this series. Granted, there is lots of potential here to be explored. The concept/story is interesting, sort of like a 'Pirates in the Caribbean' but in space. The voice acting, animation, and opening/ending songs are rather well done. Heck, even Sentai Filmworks has come out and said that they got the license for this show already. I might buy it if it comes over to the States.
So, this gets a RECOMMEND TO WATCH from me. Sometimes in July, once its finished airing, I'll give a whole series overview.

Next week is Maze the Megaburst Space OVA. Laterz ^_^