The Kawaii Menace

Media Blasters has rescued Seirei no Moribito. Further good news: the first novel in the series that Moribito is based on is scheduled to be published in June. The series also will be shown on Cartoon Network. I look forward to apoplectic reactions from the “meat is murder” crowd when the twentieth episode airs.

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Quote of the week:

As regards Go Nagai, I’m not sure that the creator of Kekko Kamen and Cutey Honey is really the father [of anime] we want to acknowledge. He’s more like the creepy uncle who goes around wearing the trench coat.

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So far, the only upcoming series I plan to watch is Allison to Lillia. The main reason, of course, is that it is based on books by Keiichi Sigsawa, the creator of Kino no Tabi. I recently discovered that the opening and closing themes feature the Kuricorder Quartet, who, as the Kuricorder Pops Orchestra, did the music for Azumanga Daioh.

Update: Astro has posted the opening.

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A few notes on the Anime Blog Awards before I drop the subject forever:

1. As I mentioned before, Rule #10 disqualifies me from participating:

10. You do not have to nominate blogs for all the categories. However, you are required to fill in at least 9 nominations in 9 different categories in order for your nomination to be accepted.

Let’s see: I don’t read manga; I don’t obsess over particular seiyuu; I’m not interested in fan art, doujinshi or visual novels; I don’t collect figurines; my main sources of anime news are not blogs; and, for humor, satire and comics, I’m too spoiled by David Burge, Randall Munroe and their peers to have much interest in their otakusphere counterparts. That leaves at most eight categories in which I might be able to make knowledgeable nominations. Owen, in a comment on my earlier post, says

I got clarification: it’s a guideline, not an absolute rule. It was made in order to scare off those who’d vote in like 1-2 categories for 1-2 people or something. Perhaps you have like 5, 6, 7 potential nominations? That’s fine.

That implies that there are two sets of rules, the official ones posted on the site, and the real rules, which are secret. If that’s the case, then I’m really not interested in being part of this.

2. The categories are rather arbitrary. I can think of several not included that I would rather have seen than some listed, and I expect that you can, too. The worst omission: there should have been a category for “best reviews.” The single most useful service an anime blogger can do is to identify what’s worth my time and explain why. Those who are good at it deserve recognition.

3. The list of blogs nominated so far suggests that the inhabitants of this region of the otakusphere are rather parochial. The awards are popularity contests and you’re inevitably going to see the same sites over and over, but I expected a broader range of nominees. Many of the sites I find most interesting were still missing from the lists last time I checked. Surely I’m not the only one who finds the infrequent updates at AniPages Daily worth the wait. There was exactly one nomination for a mee.nu blog. There is one site in particular I have in mind whose absence from four of the listed categories is inexplicable and renders the competition meaningless (not that that particular blogger gives a damn).

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Nick has posted a collection of short works by Makoto Shinkai on his site.

Here’s a curiosity: Iblard Jikan. It’s a Studio Ghibli project based on the paintings of Naohisa Inoue of the imaginary world Iblard. There’s no story; instead, it’s thirty minutes of looking at surrealistic paintings. It’s not as dull as it sounds. The paintings are enhanced with discreet animation: rivers sparkle, waves roll up beaches, trams run on tracks, girls walk and fly. There’s no dialogue, just instrumental music (mostly bland, but a few of the pieces are listenable). If you pay attention to the backgrounds when you watch animated features, you might find Iblard Jikan worthwhile. There are more screen captures below the fold.

Those who enjoy jigsaw puzzles will want to visit this page.

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The typical shinigami, according to K-Ske Hasegawa in Ballad of a Shinigami: Momo, the Girl God of Death, Volume 1, atones for the crime of taking his own life by delivering death and collecting souls. He remembers only his suicide and one memory of his past life. His grim nature is reflected in his black color.

Momo, however, remembers nothing at all about her past life. She may carry a scythe, but she wears white, her hair is white and her complexion is like snow. She wears shiny red shoes. Only her eyes are dark. Unlike other shinigami, who conduct their tasks in a business-like manner, Momo takes an interest in the humans whom she encounters. This exasperates her servant demon, the winged cat Daniel.

(Read on …)

So now there are Anime Blog Awards. Too bad I can’t participate. According to the rules, “… you are required to fill in at least 9 nominations in 9 different categories in order for your nomination to be accepted.” Unfortunately, there aren’t nine categories of anime weblogs with which I am familiar enough to make nominations. Thanks a lot, guys. I notice also that there is no category that applies to The Kawaii Menace, no “most eccentric,” “most frivolous” or “most desultory.”

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One more peculiar search term: “maoist anime.” I can’t think of any series offhand that reflects that point of view, and I’m not particularly interested in finding one. However, if you’d like a maoist interpretation of an anime, here’s a review of Serial Experiments Lain:

A further serious flaw in “Lain:” it makes no references to reality outside of imperialist-countries. The decadence of imperialist society is not just a matter of internal ennui, violence, and f******-up gender relations: it’s also predicated on the imperialists’ oppression and exploitation of the colonies and neo-colonies. “Lain” assumes all of humynity can connect to “the wired.” In our world, less than 10% of the world’s population has internet access (619 million of 6.23 billion).(1) For that matter, countries like Afghanistan, Burma, and Liberia have less than one telephone line per 100 population, and only 28% of India’s population has access to improved sanitary facilities.(2)

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Garfield minus Garfield. (Via Eve Tushnet.)

When the world needs saving, Americans turn to superheroes: neurotic, grandstanding, steroid-abusing macho jerks. The Japanese rely on mahou shoujo: pretty girls in short skirts. Advantage: Japan. (The Japanese also call upon giant mecha, for which there is no specifically American equivalent. Advantage: America.)

Different magical girls have different specialties. School girl Momoko Hanasaki, along with her friends Yuri and Hinagiku, is a “love angel.” When agents from the demon world possess humans in attempts to destroy the happiness of those in love, Momoko transforms into “Wedding Peach” and tells the demons that she is extremely displeased. Then she exorcises them with attacks powered by her Love Wave.

I first read about Wedding Peach at T.H.E.M. Anime, where it was invariably mentioned with scorn. As I recall, the review there said it was stupid enough to cause brain damage in children. (That review has since been replaced by a more temperate, but still snide, assessment.) I figured that this was a series I could skip. However, I noticed that reviews elsewhere were more positive. The comments on this thread at Steven’s piqued my curiousity, and when I noticed that the discs were on sale for $4 each, I figured that it might be worthwhile to watch the first and see just how bad it is.

Actually, the first six episodes are quite watchable. Wedding Peach is plainly modeled closely on Sailor Moon (not that surprising, given that the character designer and one of the writers are alumni of the earlier show). However, thus far it seems to be not so much a cheap ripoff of Sailor Moon as Sailor Moon done right. Momoko is not a stupid ditz like Usagi. When she and her friends invoke their superpowers and battle the forces of evil, they’re competent. They don’t have to be rescued every episode by a mysterious yet dorky guy wearing a mask. It’s clear early on that the guy with whom Momoko regularly quarrels is destined to be her romantic interest, and it’s clear to them as well, though they won’t admit it.

It’s also ridiculous. Each of the three girls undergoes a double transformation in becoming a love angel, First she magically dons a wedding gown, which she then changes to a much-abbreviated combat dress. I’ve posted Momoko’s transformation on my video weblog. The long-term story apparently involves finding the evocatively-named “Saint Something Four.” Tongues were in cheeks when this show was made.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to watch the rest of it. It’s not exactly great art. There are any number of better shows available, and unless you have a special interest in magical girls, I don’t recommend it. It’s probably not even that good a substitute for Sailor Moon. Part of the appeal of the latter is the intricacy of the universe developed over the course of five seasons of anime, eighteen tankoubon of manga, three movies, a live-action show and a series of musicals. Wedding Peach offers only a mere 51 episodes plus four OVA episodes.

Every time I check the search phrases that lead surfers here, I learn once again that there are some really strange people in the world. Most frightening recent query: “‘president aria’ image gallery hentai.” Then there’s “keroro gunso doujinshi yaoi download.” Yaoi is distasteful enough when it involves humans. Let’s leave the frogs alone, okay?

Other search phrases from the past few weeks worth noting:

shounen comedy martial arts romance action fantasy ecchi harem schoolkids anime — Could you be more specific, please?
bleah — I agree
how to be haruhi
crunchy vs smooth peanut butter personality variables
nekomimi quartet
autistic catgirl
jack the ripper was autistic
sailor moon as a religion — it beats Scientology
transforming boys into girls — there’s a bit too much of that going on
creamed colored precalculus textbooks
are you kawaii or kowai?
kowai clothing
paranoia agent sounds like strawberry fields forever — not really, though “Maromi’s Theme” is a good lullaby for psychotics
rube goldberg clothes in basket
cyberpet adoptions japan wolves

And more variations on the usual theme:

kawaii crimson
kawaii closed roads
kawaii in chicago
kawaii badger
kawaii weather in june
kawaii horror

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Another item for the “ducks in anime” file:

Ten’s spaceship in episode 2a of Urusei Yatsura.

… with Youtube. Here’s a bit of occidental animation:

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Paya-tan

It’s time for a fresh poll. Which creature¹ from recent anime would you most like to see as a plushie? Some of the candidates might be unfamiliar to some visitors here. Paya-tan/Dark Paya (two phases of the same character) is the “crazy and cute” mascot from Dai Mahou Touge, an underappreciated series recommended to those who like their humor black. The mojos are Isako’s helpers in Denno Coil.

As far as I know, none in the poll are yet available in soft and fuzzy form, though there is a President Aria “money box.”

Dark Paya

Mojos

Beelzenef

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I lost interest in the anime Spice and Wolf, but I do like the neo-Renaissance soundtrack. Here’s “Mada Minu Machi he.”

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The most impressive magical gift of the sailor senshi is their ability to sprint while wearing high heels. It turns out that some ordinary humans also run in stiletto heels. Why, I don’t know. See also the Ukrainian army.

1. Beelzenef, strictly speaking, isn’t a creature but a hand puppet, but it has more presence than Nekozawa does. [↩]

I’ve been following the “March madness” at Derailed by Darry. It’s depressing; it demonstrates yet again that popular taste is a lousy guide to quality. In search of further bad news, I took a close look at the list of the “Top 50 best rated” animes at ANN.¹ Here it is, with my comments:

(Read on …)

1. There are two different lists of the “best,” each calculated differently, but both essentially the same. This one is the “bayesian estimate.” [↩]

Satoshi Kon and Yasutaka Tsutsui

Some good news: Andrew Driver, who translated Yasutaka Tsutsui’s Salmonella Men on Planet Porno, is currently translating Paprika. It should be out next year. I wonder if anyone is working on Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo?

In case there is anyone here who hasn’t yet seen the movie, here are the opening credits of Paprika, perhaps the best part of the show.

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N.Z. Bear has been making adjustments to the TTLB ecosystem. I discovered today that The Kawaii Menace has vaulted into the “Large Mammal” category, even though it ranks only #7,097 (or #7,111, depending on where you look) at this moment. My first, now defunct weblog ranked much higher several years ago but never got beyond “Adorable Rodent” status. This all means almost as little as Technorati “authority.”

Spice and Wolf in a nutshell.

Mickey Mouse attacks.

Douglas MacArthur as you’ve never seen him before.

Girls with guns, and tanks, and swords ….

Things I’d like to see:

Dirty Pair TV: This should have been licensed ten or twenty years ago along with the OVAs and the movies, but there isn’t even a fansub currently available for most episodes.

Yasutaka Tsutsui: Salmonella Men on Planet Porno demonstrates that he is at the very least a capable satirist, but almost none of his books have been translated into English. The recent films Paprika and Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo were based on novels by Tsutsui. In the former case, the orginal was probably better.

Divergence Eve and Misaki Chronicles: I’d like to see a remake, with the same script and cast, but without the pointless fanservice, and with better computer graphics. It’s a pity that one of the best science fiction stories in anime looks like porn.

Petitnone: This was a short CD included as a bonus with the third disc of the Japanese edition of Haibane Renmei. If one were to add some of remaining uncollected background music, such as the solo harpsichord in the third and fourth episodes, the resulting disc would be worth releasing in its own right.

Binchou-tan: One of the very few series that deserve good English dubs. This is an excellent show for small children, but most haven’t learned to read subtitles yet.

Kino no Tabi, vol. two and beyond: Evidentally there’s a licensing snafu and the rest of the books may not be released here after all (see Astro’s note on the previous post). This is criminal.

Ribon no Kishi: Besides its historical importance as the first shoujo anime and, if I remember correctly, the first anime series produced in color, the first episode is also quite lively, looks good and promises an interesting story. Yet the first episode is is all I’ve ever found.

Bandai Visual: Hurry up and go bankrupt, please, before you license anything else I want to see.

Vocaloid: Please port this to Macintosh so I can annoy people with Hatsune Miku.

Alfred J. Kwak: The first four episodes were subbed last year, but there haven’t been any more for several months now. This looks like another good show for kid and adults.

The KuriCorder Quartet: Masaki Kurihara composed and performed the music for Azumanga Daioh with his KuriCorder Pops Orchestra. He has released many other recordings in Japan, none of which are available in the west. The music he wrote for Yotsuba&! is as good as that for AD, and I’d like to hear more.

Mojos: I’m not really into plushies, but I wouldn’t mind a couple of Isako’s helpers to sit on top of the monitor. While we’re at it, let’s have a Guchuko plushie for Steven. (Densuke and Oyaji plushies are available in Japan but not here.)

Yeah, it’s been quiet around here. I haven’t seen much anime lately, and what I have watched have been mostly old favorites, such as the first disc of Haibane Renmei last night. None of the current series have caught my interest the way Denno Coil and Oh! Edo Rocket did last year. (Shigofumi might have, but it’s out of reach now.) The only one I’m following at this time is Hakaba Kitaro.

I did order the first discs of a few older series I’m curious about, which should arrive in a week or two. Once I’ve figured out how I’m going to manage all my medical bills, I’ll probably finally purchase some of the series that have long been on my list. These include Fantastic Children, Witch Hunter Robin, The Twelve Kingdoms, PlanetES and the rest of Revolutionary Girl Utena.

What I’m most looking forward to is not anime, however, but books. The first volume of The Twelve Kingdoms is very good (better than the anime, I suspect), and the second is due out later this month. The second volume of Kino no Tabi is due out anytime, though none of the sources I’ve checked have listed a publication date, grrr. There are also two more installments of Crest of the Stars available.