If you’re planning to corrupt youthful acquaintances with anime this Christmas, you might want to check out the current weekly specials at RightStuf. Among the drivel and trash are such things as the complete sets of Bottle Fairy and Mao-chan, each for $15, both suitable for all ages (but keep them away from jackass anime critics). For school-age and older, there’s Petite Princess Yucie for $26. The outstanding bargain is the complete collection of Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit for $20. Moribito was the third-best show of the banner year 2007¹ and I can recommend it unreservedly for all grade-school age and older. The protagonist, Balsa, was my choice for the outstanding anime babe of all time.

1. Second-best was Oh! Edo Rocket, due out soon from Funimation. The best was Dennou Coil, which remains unlicensed. [↩]

Steven declared that he couldn’t stop laughing after the second episode of Asobi ni Iku Yo (spoilers), so I checked it out. There’s more fan service than I like, and it’s a bit too off-color to generally recommend, but otherwise it’s been fun. It looks like the story is will be pleasantly convoluted, with nearly every character representing various competing secret organizations, and I’m certainly not going to object if one of the central characters is a sweet, playful and competent catgirl.

If the series gets stupid or devolves into mere fanservice, I’ll drop it. However, this is one of the very few recent shows that have caught my interest, and I have hopes that the crew can maintain a high level of complicated absurdity through the remaining eleven episodes.

How much sense Asobi ni Iku Yo ultimately makes might depend on the translators. Compare these two versions of a moment in the second episode. Eris, the adolescent fantasy alien catgirl, is speaking to her human captor, who has the scent of dog on him.

Ayako & SubDESU:

Ayako & SubDESU

Team Zebraman:

Team Zebraman

Update: Here’s the clip in question. Would someone who understands Japanese please explain what exactly Eris says?

The previews for the third episode suggest that the Ayako/SubDESU version is more accurate. Note the entity in the lower right corner of this screen capture:

A thought: so far, no weapon has presented any real threat to Eris. What would happen if an enemy were to roll a ball of yarn in front of her at a critical moment?

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Steven also enjoyed Battle Programmer SHIRASE. Unfortunately, scarywater.net is defunct, and many older torrents are no longer available. Grr.

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Want a catgirl of your own? Visit the catgirl generator:

This brave catgirl has slitted, red eyes. She has neck-length, luxurious, curly, brown hair worn in an impractacal style. Her skin is pale, and she has brown fur with orange patches on her ears and tail. She has a voluptuous build. Her ears are alert. Her fashion preferences are best described as “as little as possible.” When she talks, she tends to use a lot of big words – and know exactly what they mean. (sic)

You can find many more generators here and here. (Does the world really need a “Bishotron“?)

The first half of Osamu Tezuka’s Legend of the Forest is a history of animation. It begins with static sketches of a forest, with squirrels, birds, trees with faces, and a brute with a chainsaw. After a glimpse of a zoetrope, the detailed drawings are succeeded by very primitive animation. Gradually, the art becomes more sophisticated, wth homages to Winsor McCay and Walt Disney. At about the half-way point the film goes from black-and-white to color, and soon thereafter it completes its evolution to Tezuka-style art and animation.

Unfortunately, the man-versus-nature story is not as interesting as the art history. Tezuka has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I’m not going to bother summarizing it — you can glean the essentials from the screen captures below. The soundtrack is Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony. It was not an ideal choice; sometimes it works with the animation, sometimes against it (and I’m not much of a Tchaikovsky fan anyway). Legend of the Forest is from 1987, 25 years after Tales of the Street Corner, but the earlier film was more deft in its account of militarization.

Heavy-handed though Legend of the Forest is, it is still worth seeing for the art. However, the pieces on The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu that I am likely to rewatch are the satirical and whimsical cartoons, such as “Memory,” “The Genesis” and “Jumping.” The 6:22 of the last are sufficient reason to recommend the DVD to anyone interested in the history of anime.

More on Tezuka here.

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So those who download fansubs don’t buy DVDs?

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Here are a few of the pictures I shot earlier today at Anime Festival Wichita.

Update: I’ve uploaded 478 pictures from the weekend here.

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Miyazaki meets Groening.

Schrödinger’s Kitty.

“Nothing says ‘My Country, Long May She Wave’ more clearly than wrapping the American flag around the shapely hips and intimate parts of an Amazonian Princess, preferably with the American eagle grasping yet caressing her firm, large, shapely organs of matriarchy.”

“Well, Then, Maybe Now Is the Time“

(Via Art and Adventure.)

… Japanese handbell choir-style.

It would have been nice if they’d worn sailor suits, but you can’t have everything.

(Via Terry Teachout and the Rat.)

It looks like Light Yagami is the best villain in the history of anime, at least for this week, with Gendo Ikari as a distant runner-up. So, let’s get started on the next poll. Which do you think is the best anime opening? Which exhibits the most creative combination of good music and imagery and is appropriate to its series? Here are some possiblities:

Azumanga Daioh
Baccano!
Cowboy Bebop
Haibane Renmei
Lucky Star
Noir
Paranoia Agent
Ramen Fighter Miki
Serial Experiments Lain

What else? Post your nominations in the comments, if possible with YouTube links.

Here’s a list of “20 Must-See Movies to Share with Your Kids.” There are some significant omissions. (And some questionable inclusions: e.g., the entire Disney 2D animation catalogue? Even in their glory days there were plenty of klunkers. And I’m sorry, Julie Andrews might have sung nicely, but even as a youngster I resented what Walt Disney did to Mary Poppins.)

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I see that there is going to be more To Love-Ru anime. Why?

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In case I have any readers here in Wichita: next week I plan to spend some time at Anime Festival Wichita. Look for a large, hairy non-cosplayer behind a camera.

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Iceland has been in the news a lot recently. It’s worth noting that Japan also has more than its share of entertaining geology. Sakurajima, for instance, has been putting on quite a show for decades.

This is an exciting time for geologists, by the way. African is splitting in two, and there will soon (i.e., in about 10 million years) be a new ocean where the rift zone is now. (Via Darwin.)

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I’m pleased that Funimation has rescued the ABe animes. Serial Experiments Lain is essential viewing for anyone with the slightest interest in cyberpunk, and everyone should see Haibane Renmei at least once during his lifetime. (Texhnolyze has been sitting on my shelf unwatched for over a year now. I’ll get around to it eventually.)

I’m also pleased to learn that I will finally be able to see the rest of Revolutionary Girl Utena. I just spent several minutes trying to think of any anime as strange as the first arc of Utena. Let’s see …. There’s Cat Soup, though that kinda, sorta makes sense; maybe Angel’s Egg; Mind Game; perhaps Yuasa’s other works — and that’s about it.

Exceedingly miscellaneous links and videos.

Via Jonathan T., Jonathan C. on “adapting” anime for western viewers.

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From kowai to kawaii: the Queen of Night’s aria, sung by Hatsune Miku:

Update: This aria (but not this particular “performance”) has been voted one of the top ten arias of all time. (Via Steven R.)

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Mono no aware: Steven Greydanus on the trailer for Tales of Earthsea:

Here is a mainstream Japanese animated film with a trailer that has an evocative, haunting power that eludes virtually the whole of American animation—and that’s just the trailer. And it’s not just American animation either, but pretty much the whole Hollywood machine. What was the last Hollywood box-office blockbuster that made you think of beauty, loss, longing and mystery? (Yes, other than The Lord of the Rings.)

Whether this particular film turns out to be good or not, it’s part of a cinematic culture that aims at, and sometimes achieves, something that isn’t even on the radar in Hollywood. This trailer reminds me of how I felt during the first five minutes of Howl’s Moving Castle, even though the film ultimately turned out to be a disappointment: Just the promise of the first five minutes, even a promise unfulfilled, was worth more than some American animation studios have delivered in whole films if not their entire outputs.

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American mecha: spiders for now, but eventually they’ll get to Gundams and EVAs (via the Borderline Sociopath):

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The Lelouch Lamperouge Picture Show: Is there such a thing as “anime camp”?

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I suppose it’s not that surprising that there is a large fanfiction community devoted to Ranma 1/2-Sailor Moon crossovers. Still, I did not expect to find a Sailor Ranko webcomic.

I’ve got plenty of projects to work on, so let’s waste some time with animated movies. Blame Cap’n Flynn (alias “Kashi”) for this one.

X what you’ve seen
O what you saw some but not all of
Bold what you particularly liked
Strike-through what you hated

Update: Joining in are Jonathan Tappan and Cullen M.M. Waters. And Maureen the Suburban Banshee.
Update II: And apparently also someone at deviantart.com, but because of the way links work there, I can’t find out who.

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Update: here are the 400 or so best shots in a slide show. The music is Danny Gatton’s “Cruisin’ Deuces.”

I finally finished going through my Costume-Con pictures. The full gallery is here; there are 984 pictures in 3 albums. Selected photos are below the fold.

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In alphabetical lists of anime, “Hello Kitty” falls between “Hell Girl” and “Hellsing.” It’s no coincidence.

Via Charles G. Hill, who notes, “… we should not mock the Japanese for Anpanman, unless we’re willing to take the responsibility for the Hamburglar.”

I’m home from Costume-Con 28 with over 1500 pictures to review and edit. Like this one:

Update: I’ve uploaded the first batch of pictures here.

Update 2: I’ve uploaded more. All the Costume-Con galleries will be here.

See it.

Who’s the best villain in anime? Cast your vote in the poll to the right.

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The most annoying character in anime is, inevitably, Shinji Ikari, with 28% of the vote in the previous poll. Voters were also seriously irritated by ChibiUsa, 15%; Happosai, 14%; C-ko, 10%; Kimura, 8%; and Tomo Takino, 6%. Nanami, Pain, Jinnai, NB, Basera Neki, Naga, Gauron and Kazuhara each received fewer than ten votes of the 179 cast.