I forgot to mention....

...that Del Ray released Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei V.1: The Power of Negative Thinking on February 24th. You can get it from the usual retailers, and I highly, highly recommend this a purchase for any forward thinking manga or graphic novel fan. Joyce Aurino and Del Ray have done an excellent job of translating and adapting this Japanese Pop-Culture-centric series for western readers; the print version is a definite improvement over the fan-scans I’ve come across. Feel free to check out my gushing review from last June if the mood strikes you....

Manga/Anime Review - Princess Resurrection

What up anidorks? I’ve decided to spare you from the usual comedy series and instead take a look at supernatural action series Princess Resurrection.

In thanks for his attempt to save her from a fatal accident, Hime – daughter of the King of Monsters – has granted middle schooler Hiro the gift of eternal life, but on two conditions: First, Hiro must partake of Hime’s blood every few days lest he dies; and secondly, Hiro must remain her servant/bodyguard for eternity as payment. It’s apparent that Hime needs all the help she can get, as her numerous brothers and sisters are intent on killing her and each other to achieve the royal throne. Hime's cohorts - half-breed werewolf Liza, opportunistic vampire Reiki, and Hime’s robot servant Flandre - all have the power to fight of the rival siblings and vengeful monsters out for Hime’s blood, but what can young Hiro do to help protect the life of his new master?

Supernatural-based anime and manga has seen a renaissance as of late, and PR is a solid offering in this genre. Series creator Yasunori Mitsunaga deviates from the popular “vengeful spirits” theme common in contemporary anime and manga*, and instead draws on the “classic horror” of 1950’s drive-ins (ala vampires, werewolves, zombies, and creatures from the Black Lagoon…can the Blob be far behind?) to power this series. Although I do enjoy the more subtle and elegant vibe of traditional Japanese horror, the blood-and-guts, monster-on-monster action of PR is definitely appealing for those of us who grew up on Boris Karloff and not Lufcadio Hearn. Hiro’s persistent need for Hime’s blood adds a nice bit of nasty (and a subtle erotic undertone) to this relatively straight-forward and action based shonen manga series.

That having been said, those of you who are able to view the anime series via ADV or the Anime Network will notice how the series has been “cleaned up”, for lack of a better word – rather than sup on Hime’s blood, Hiro instead gets the gift of Hime’s “Life Flame” (yeesh). It’s a shame that this integral plot element was modified in such a way, but that’s show biz I guess. Along with the overall lower level of gore, I find that the anime also removes a fair amount of gothic creepiness that Mitsunaga was able to impart via his artwork.

Still, the anime is a pleasant enough diversion (particularly after dark!) and the manga series deserves a read from horror and action-lovers alike.

*xxxHolic and Mushi-shi, for example.

Anime Review: Toradora

The “psycho eyes” that high school sophomore Ryuuji inherited from his dead gangster dad have terrified his classmates into believing he’s a violent juvenile delinquent – although in actuality he’s just a kind, mild-mannered, and somewhat lonely young fellow. When he finds out that his crush Minorin, the friendly yet airheaded captain of the girl’s softball team, will be in the same class as him, Ryuuji is overjoyed; that is, until he runs afoul of Minorin’s best friend – Aisaka Taiga (aka the “Palmtop Tiger”), whose small size and delicate, doll-like appearance belie her foul temper and capacity for ultra-violence. Barely surviving the encounter, Ryuuji finds a love letter in his bookbag. It’s addressed not to him but Kitamura, Ryuuji’s studious best friend - and it’s from none other than Taiga herself, who seems to have placed it in Ryuuji’s bag by accident.

Bemused by the situation, Ryuuji returns home, only to be awoken at swordpoint by a crazed Taiga, who’s determined to kill Ryuuji for finding out her secret crush. In order to dissuade the pint-sized psychopath from her intended act of murder, Ryuuji vows to help Taiga win Kitamura’s affections; and in thanks, Taiga half-heartedly vows to help Ryuji win Minorin’s love. Their alliance now sealed, Ryuuji and Taiga are soon secretly meeting up during school to plan their “twin-love attack”, but their frequent planning sessions are misconstrued by their classmates as lover’s trysts. Naturally, this rumor makes its way to both Kitamura and Minorin, who become increasingly reluctant to return Ryuuji and Taiga’s ham-fisted flirtations. The arrival of big-city girl Ami, Kitamura’s childhood friend, adds another stumbling block: Ami’s prissy attitude embarrasses Kitamura and infuriates Taiga – but it becomes slowly apparent that Taiga’s rage may less to do with Ami’s big-city airs and more to do with her teasing flirtation with a clearly uncomfortable Ryuuji.

Before long, Taiga has become increasingly reliant on Ryuuji to look after her welfare, a situation that Ryuuji originally views with annoyance, but does little to reverse; she is a truly a “poor little rich girl”, funded by wealthy parents that don’t particularly seem to care for her. Ryuuji, on the other hand, lives in somewhat depressed circumstances – i.e., a rundown apartment shared with his deformed pet canary and boozy bar hostess of a mother who immediately takes a shine to both Taiga’s brassy attitude and increasingly frequent appearances at dinnertime.

Circumstances seem to be drawing Ryuuji and Taiga closer and closer together…but can they allow themselves fall in love with one another?

***

Toradora has it’s origins as a series of light novels*, and it retains a level of literary complexity that one doesn’t often find in “high school hijinks/love comedy” manga and anime. This, of course, work greatly to its credit; yet – as fine as this series is – I have to admit that I often struggle to understand the interactions between Ryuuji and Taiga. Their mutual affection is certainly implied, but there seems to be so little proof; their behavior toward one another is either so combative or hesitant that’s unclear what their real feelings are. During the episodes, I catch myself wondering aloud “Is he really in love with her? Is she in love with him? I don’t get it.” Perhaps the very real Japanese/American cultural gulf is to blame for my confusion, or maybe it’s just my masculine lack of emotional acumen. Still, the fact that Toradora’s emotional nuances are difficult to figure out absolutely wins Toradora my favor; I wish more series would demand even a mild level of challenging interaction from their viewers/readers.

Longtime readers of otakupubliclibrary know that I enjoy/willingly suffer through many a “love comedy”, and it’s my humble opinion that Toradora is probably one of the best and most honest depiction of teen romance currently playing on otaku computer screens – it depicts the frailty of first love without being weepy or wimpy in slightest. Furthermore, this series wins my plaudits because of the fact it’s easy for readers/viewers to visualize both a happy and an unhappy ending to this series; as much as I can see Ryuuji and Taiga together in the end, part of me realizes (and at times, genuinely prefers the fact) that it’s more realistic to see Ryuuji and Taiga both ending up lonely and heartbroken at the series’ conclusion.

I’m aware that a lot of YA librarians wrestle with the problem of using manga as teen literature; Toradora would probably please the “teen issues/problems” crowd that seems to dominate the dialog over teen lit….were it actually being published in the USA. Currently, there are no plans by any North American/European company to release English-Language versions of the original novel, manga, anime, or “visual novel” that have been proved so popular in Japan…shameful, If you ask me.

That having been said, if you simply must flout international copyright law, one can find fan-subbed Toradora episodes available for downloads on several questionable websites; likewise, the clever otaku may find links to a fan-translated version of the light novels through Toradora’s Wikipedia entry. You didn’t hear it from me, kids….

*a uniquely Japanese term for teen-oriented novels with manga-style illustrations; basically, not too different from the stuff you’d see in the Young Adult section in your local Public Library, except with themes more common to anime and manga and/or to the lives of Japanese teens.

NY Comic Con 2009

Yes indeed, it’s that time of year again - New York Comic Con '09.

My buddy Christian from the QBPL invited me to present the “Otaku Collection Development: Taking Your Collection to the Next Level” panel with him on Professional Day, Friday Feb 6th. Christian covered vintage works: darker Tezuka (MW, Ode to Kirihito), J-Horror (Drifting Classroom), and hack-and-slash Samurai stuff (Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood). I covered accessible but under-the-radar modern manga (ala Yakitate Japan, xxxHolic, and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), as well as modern fringe stuff (ala Welcome to the NHK and Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei).

Personally, I thought we did dang good, although a blogger flamed us as being sexist because we didn’t talk about shojo. Ouch. In our defense, we were sandwiched between two shojo-centered panels, and we felt like more shojo on our part would have been overkill (although some people obviously don’t agree). Besides, you have to admit that something about two burly 30-something guys with huge red beards talking about comics geared to 14 year old Japanese girls comes off a little....well, creepy. Eh, whatever.

In any event, the Con itself was ok, but way more crowded than I remembered from last year; I suppose folks are in need of escapist entertainment more than even. I ran into an old manga-loving coworker, which was awesome; she had been “relived” of her job rather unfairly (at least in my opinion), so I was happy to hear that she was doing well at her new gig. Unsurprisingly, I went bat-poop crazy in the retailer section and picked up about 20 manga; the volumes were only about $4 each because I bought in bulk, so I grabbed a random selection of stuff I’d been either meaning to read, or just looked appealing…

-Comic Party #1 and #3 (Doujinshi artist-themed slapstick comedy; way weirder than the anime it spawned.)

-Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days #1 (NGE re-imagined as a school comedy/drama…an interesting idea, that’s for sure.)

-Ai Yori Aoishi #2, 6, and 8 (cloyingly sweet Love/Harem comedy. What can I say? I just can’t keep my hands off this crap.)

-Lupin III #9 (Classic seinen heist high jinks)

-Martian Successor Nadesico #1 – 4 (lighthearted space opera; the dated art and “flipped” format make it hard to get into, but I dig the series.)

-Cyborg 009 #8 (old school action/intrigue stuff with big Tezuka visual influence.)

-Samurai Executioner #3 (1970’s hack and slash Samurai action)

-Onegai Twins (dopey Harem comedy that, of course, I can’t resist)

-Iron Wok Jan #12, 14, and 23 (Chinese cooking showdown; way more dark and intense than you would imagine a cooking showdown series to be…)

-Those Who Hunt Elves #7 (action/comedy/fantasy/adventure about a man, two women, and a tank trapped in the land of elves. Raunchy plot elements but far more goofy than echi)

I also picked up ADV’s Martian Successor Nadesico box set; dated as it is in terms of it’s sci-fi theme and animation, I liked the bit that I was able to get through Netflix so I didn’t mind coughing up for copies of my own.

All in all, a dang good time – and not nearly as stinky/creepy as the NY Anime Fest!

***

Otherwise, things are pretty chill here at the biblioteca publica dé Otaku. Aside from watching the excellent Toradora and the offbeat Akikan (teen boy’s soda can transforms into a beautiful girl who must battle other soda-can/girls for “can supremacy”), I’m taking a real shine to Paranoia Agent, a supremely creepy psychological/crime thriller about the manhunt for a baseball bat-wielding boy on rollerblades; expect a review of one of these series (or Comic Party) before long.

Anime Feature Revies: Dagger of Kamui

Generally I don’t review older anime in this blog, although not from any particular dislike of the older art form; it’s just that most of the older material (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Yu Yu Hakusho, what have you) has had so much written about it by western writers (fans and otherwise) that I don’t feel my voice can really add much to the conversation. That having been said, I’m going to deviate a little today and take a look at Dagger of Kamui, a full-length feature from 1985.

Wrongly accused of the heinous murders of his adoptive sister and mother, Jiro flees from angry villagers with only an ornate dagger in his possession. As he makes his escape, he crosses paths with Tenkai, a Buddhist priest (and secret agent of the Shogun) who convinces Jiro to enact revenge on his family’s killer. Trapped by Tenkai’s confederates, the sword-wielding man is quickly slain by Jiro, who is then taken under Tenkai’s wing and trained in the ways of ninjitsu. Once his training is complete, Tenkai sends the boy on a mission to recover a lost treasure…but after encountering his biological mother deep in the northern province of Ezo (modern day Hokkaido), Jiro finds out that he’s nothing but a pawn in Tenkai’s master plan to take over Japan – and that the man he had slain in revenge was none other than his own father. When he realizes that his bejeweled dagger is the key to the treasure’s location, Jiro sets off to recover the prize before Tenkai and his henchmen can.

I have to admit that nostalgia plays a part in it’s selection…like Ah My Goddess, Dagger of Kamui is somewhat of a favorite from my early, college years explorations in anime and manga. For someone just getting into the art form, the film’s complex and foreboding storyline, stylized fight sequences, and occasional flashes of hallucinogenic art gave me a taste of what anime (and animation in general) was able to achieve when it strayed from clichés.

So how does it still hold up after all these years? Like most older anime, yes and no. Although there are some creatively rendered villains, the character designs are fairly typical for the mid-80s (i.e. prominent eyebrows and sideburns) and admittedly date the film somewhat. Also, the picture quality is pretty murky – the animation would do well to be cleaned up, but a lesser-known work like this will probably never get it. That having been said, the druggy interludes and stylish fight scenes I remember are still hold up (in terms of visual impact) even after all this time; in this age of rapid-fire, fraction-of-a-second shots, the somber and languorous animation is a pleasant surprise.

Much like the animation, the plot is pretty hit-and-miss itself; the first half of the film (set in the wilderness of Northern Japan) succeeds in being superbly dark and intriguing, but
the action’s shift to 1860s “Old West” America came across as somewhat half-baked. Although I have to give the filmmakers credit for their attempt to blend Japanese and American history, the depiction of the American West is dull and clichéd. The action picks up again in the last half hour (when Jiro returns to Japan), but the momentum of the film is irrevocably lost, and the story’s complexity just becomes convoluted.

Still, there is much to recommend in Dagger of Kamui; the plot’s references to Ainu lore, ninja legends, western colonialism, and the collapse of the Japanese feudal system are intriguing and not the usual stuff of anime (ninja legends excluded, of course). Despite it’s occasional murkyness, the animation itself is a fine example of what pre-digital anime was capable of – many current anime features would do well to have as much imagination.

Flawed as it is at times, Dagger of Kamai deserves a larger audience.

Anime Review: Moyashimon

As a Christmas present to my readers (all three of them), I’m reviewing and recommending my end-of-year favorite anime, Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture….





College freshman Tadayasu Sawaki has a secret: ever since he was a child, he has been able to see microbes (tiny microorganisms like bacteria, algae, protozoa, and fungi) without the use of a microscope. Furthermore, they appear to him not as weird single-cell organisms, but as cartoonish little creatures the size of a pencil eraser. When he arrives at a large agricultural university on the outskirts of Tokyo along with his buddy Kei, Sawaki’s unique abilities quickly amaze two of the university’s staff: kindly old microbiologist Dr. Istuki, a friend with Sawaki’s grandfather who’s been looking forward to meeting the exceptional young man for years, and the brash grad student Ms Hasagawa, who in her amazement forces the reluctant Sawaki to identify tray after tray of microbes for her. When Istuki and Hasagawa ask Sawaki to be their research assistant, Sawaki is soon dealing with a whole bunch of bacteria-related incidents and predicaments – from illegal sake-brewing to aphrodisiacs to (ugh) fermented seal carcasses.

It goes without saying that this is probably one of the oddest premises for a series I’ve come across in a long time; it was originally described to me as “college student can see microbes without a microscope, hijinks ensue”, and that matched my first impression of the series. But as I watched, I became impressed with Mayoshimon’s scope and its sheer cleverness; it’s less about adorable little microbes and much more about science, giving viewers both laughs and an easy-to-swallow lesson in basic biology. That’s not to say that Mayoshimon is something you’re gonna want to show in 8th Science class – there’s a few flashes of adult humor, and the genuine offbeat subject matter is hardly gonna attract Naruto or Kare Kano fans. Still, unlike other idiosyncratic series (ala Welcome to the NHK or Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), there’s little dark humor to be found; Mayoshimon instead relies on relaxed humor, realistic interactions between characters, and a convivial slice-of-life feel to temper it’s outlandishness.

For those who can get around its unlikely premise, Mayoshimon is a real pleasure; Random House publishing imprint Del Ray agrees, because they’ll be releasing the manga for North American audiences in 2009.

11 Mini Anime Reviews

What up anidorks? Unfortunately, real life continues to get in the way of me being able to post on a regular basis. I was able to post more often when I had downtime at work, but lately my job has been crazy (more work, less staff) so I don’t really have time write 500+ words about butler anime. Likewise, when I’m at home I’m usually interacting with real, non-animated people that don’t speak Japanese (i.e. my girlfriend).

That having been said, I still find time to watch a fair amount of comedy anime – particularly now that I’ve figured out how to burn my downloaded episodes onto DVD (thanks to Laura S. and her recommendation of Roxio). And what’s on ‘em, dare you ask?

• Shuffle (Took a long time to download….and not as good as I remembered. Rout faux-sensitive harem comedy even a devoted harem comedy dork can miss.)
  
• School Days (Keen love triangle/comedy/slice-of-life/horror series ruined by its preposterous amount of panty shots; sweet baby Jesus, enough with the upskirts! From what I gather, the sensitive treatment of first love and heartbreak soon turns to slasher horror, so I’m interested to see this series progress.)
  
• They Are My Noble Masters (Slightly raunchy butler comedy. It was originally an eroge game, so you can guess how it goes. Once you can get past its inherent hentai elements it turns out to be an amusing series.)


• Hayate the Combat Butler (Wholesome butler comedy. I didn’t really care for it, but it’s clear that the series is geared to a younger crowd; because of that, I may try to show this in my Anime Club.)
  
• Zebu Sayonara Zebutsuo Sensei (Alternate version of Sayonara Zebutsuo Sensei…it’s, well, ok. Not perceivably different than the regular series, but maybe I need to watch more.)
  
• Rosario Vampire (Average horror comedy: normal guy gets stuck at a high school for monsters – some fearsome, some sexy. I had considered reviewing this series at one point, but it proved to be rather formulaic after a few viewings)
  
• Master Magician Negi (Another Ken Akumatsu harem comedy. I may do a review of this in the future, if only to review all of his series. This one ups the harem quotient by having one guy and 30 women, so the obvious outlandishness of the formula has got me intrigued.)


• Mahoraba Heartfelt Days (pleasantly innocent “wacky apartment building”-style comedy series along the lines of Maison Ikkokou. Nothing amazing, but it’s sweet, low-stress vibe is appealing. Like Negi, I may review this in the future when I’ve completed the series.)
  
• Tonagara (zany and ecchi comedy…teenage girl finds out her childhood crush is now a gross oversexed dork, i.e. your typical teenage boy. The “will they or won’t they?” tone is funny at first but the humor doesn’t hold up.)


• Moyashimon (Bizarre microbe science comedy, and remarkably good. I plan to review this one soon.)
  
• Toradora (My current favorite, this newer series – still being shown in Japan – is based on a series of light novels I’ve started reading as well. 2 high school classmates discover they have crushes on each other’s best friends, but their vow to help each other out has unintended consequences. Like Moyashimon, this one is going to be reviewed before long)

One of the joys I’ve found with watching a variety of individual episodes of different series at once is that I can avoid the burnout that I get watching the same series from beginning to end. Likewise, many series are better in small, occasional doses as opposed to heaping helpings. The one downside is that instead of having 1 or 2 awful J-Pop themes songs stuck in your heard, you have 4 or 5. Lord.



Anyway, I just put in an order for Persona 4, a new PS2 JRPG with an anime/dating-sim twist. I’ve been hoping to include reviews of anime-themed games here at Otaku Public Library, so perhaps this will be the first one. We’ll see. A few weeks back, I tried playing Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked but the gameplay was poor and the plot was incomprehensible….so no review of that. I’m actually debating the purchase of either an Xbox 360 or a PS3, a decision which is hinging on the number of anime-themed games available for the specific systems: the Xbox 360 has Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, whereas the PS3 has the appealing Valkyria Chronicles, and both have Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. Still, with so few games available for either system, it’s looking like I’m just going to wait for them to either come down in price or release more anime-themed games; in the meantime, I think I’m just gonna grab a $150 Nintendo DS so I can play Bleach: Blade of Fate…