Animation Revelation's Animation Blog

Everybody who reads this blog should love Disney. Can you blame us? Arguably no one has done more for the animation industry than Walt, and just about everyone should have at least one project from the Mouse House that they enjoy, be it a particular movie, a Winnie the Pooh character, or if you just. really like Phineas & Ferb.

As you guys might know, I personally enjoy Disney quite a lot. The studio has left an undeniable impression on me, giving me some of my favorite movies, characters, animated series, and my biggest crush.

The more I think about it though, the more I realize how unfamiliar I have become with their theatrical shorts in recent years. I used to watch them often on VHS and Disney Channel when I could as a kid, but a bunch of random viewings aside, it’s been a while since I’ve really invested in the cartoons that made Mickey, Donald, and the gang American icons like I have Warner or MGM’s cartoons.

Since I recently got a weekly calendar which celebrates these cartoons, I think it’s about time I get to rewatching and analyzing some of these again. This will be the first time in years, if not ever, that I’ve seen some of these cartoons again, and I hope you enjoy going through my monthly commentaries as much as I enjoy doing them.

Thru the Mirror (1936)

An enjoyable Lewis Carroll-inspired sequence in which Mickey dreams about, as the title states, going through the mirror into a world of imagination. The animation is wonderful in this short, ranging from Mickey’s dancing to his card shuffle. As vibrant as anything Disney had done before or after, chances are that you’ll find a majority of the short familiar, even if this is the first time you’ve seen it in years, like it has been for me.

It’s not an outstanding cartoon, however. It’s more style over substance, a problem with a majority of Disney shorts from this era. The fluidity of the cartoon’s animation is endearing, but few laughs are found, since Mickey’s Fred Astaire-like dance sequences will probably be lost on modern audiences unaware of the great dancer.

If anything, this short is important for setting the groundwork for a couple of pieces of work featuring Mickey Mouse, including Disney’s Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse and Epic Mickey. The short is even included in the latter’s deluxe edition.

The Wise Little Hen (1934)

Based on the classic children’s story The Little Red Hen, this cartoon is mostly notable for being the first to feature Donald Duck. He and Peter Pig are asked by the Hen to help her plant and harvest her corn, but they can’t due to their “tummy aches”. In typical fashion, the lazy critters get their just desserts in the end, only this time to help them with their “aches”.

Despite it’s historical significance, this is a pretty average Silly Symphony, done in musical rhyme. Children and nostalgics will likely get a kick out of it, since it’s harmless entertainment, but older fans will probably get bored due to how basic and safe it is.

Pluto’s Judgement Day (1935)

Here’s one with Mickey’s best pal, Pluto. After chasing a cat around into mud, Mickey tells Pluto that he should be ashamed of himself, something that the pup takes to bed. After a little bit of rest, Pluto is taken by a bunch of cats to be on trial for his actions against cats.

Similar to “The Wise Little Hen”, the story is done in rhyme during the trial. The cartoon is well done, containing some vibrant animation, visual humor, and nice word play, but it’s a little disturbing for children considering it’s imagery of purgatory and Pluto’s actions. The occasional spook is good for children though, so while some parents may be against showing the cartoon to their kids, I’d personally recommend it.

On Ice (1935)

Here’s a fine gang’s all here cartoon, if not one of the best. Cartoons like these which give Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and the gang have always been among my favorites, since they give the gang a chance to shine with their varied characteristics.

In this one, Mickey helps Minnie learn how to skate in disastrous but charming results, while Goofy tries to catch fish in ice water with chewing tobacco (something that dates the cartoon- today’s Goofy cartoons couldn’t get away with that). Meanwhile, Donald puts skates on Pluto to mess with him. Three fun subplots which make for an entertaining short. Admittingtly, better ones featuring the gang have been made, and the scene with Pluto trying to get up on his legs goes overlong, but it’s still a cute short.

Boat Builders (1938)

And here’s another classic short with the gang. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy decide to build a boat together and name it the Queen Minnie. As you’d expect, hijinks ensue.

This is a great short since the three characters get a chance to build upon their chemistry with each other and their own personalities. Mickey’s welcome, carefree attitude contrasts with Donald’s irritable temper, and both of which contrast from Goofy’s loving clumsiness. It’s a simple, funny cartoon that makes for a few big laughs. Probably the highlight of the entire cartoon is Goofy’s fling with a mermaid holster for the boat. Not counting the ending, of course.

Well, there we go, five classics. Are they are entertaining as Warner’s cartoons? To me, not so much, but they’re charming, and that’s good enough. I don’t think they were made to be anything else, and I enjoy these shorts all the same.

I can’t wait to see what comes next for me.

Originally posted on Wednesday, February 2, 2011.

Ren & Stimpy and I have a complicated history. As a kid, I never really liked it. It’s hard to remember why exactly, but back in the day I would much rather watch Nicktoons like Rocko’s Modern Life or Doug than Ren & Stimpy. The show never really got along with my tastes as I much preferred a well timed joke or visual gag over toilet humor, no matter how well done it was. Well, my cohorts over at AR tried to test my patience by forcing me not only to experience this show again, but also to experience every era of it! That’s right, I’m going to be watching the highs and the lows from day one, to day… uh, zero?

Yes, it’s true, I never really had much positive to say about the work of John K. It also doesn’t help that everything he has done since leaving Ren & Stimpy has made me wretch. However, I’ve always been curious to experience what I missed back then, as the show is still talked about today and still fondly remembered (for the most part), and thanks to this feature I am able to go in with a fresh opinion on this show and to watch episodes from every era.

I was given select episodes to watch from the early episodes, the Games’ episodes, and the APC episodes. All episodes are universally considered the best of the series and the worst of the series, in order to give myself a whole experience of what the show had to offer. I will try to explain exactly what I feel does and doesn’t work with this show as I watch them in chronological order.

Now the thing with Ren & Stimpy is that it’s a visual show, which is the way its creator would have it, of course. That being said, it is hard to pinpoint what exactly it is I’m talking about without either going into great detail (and ruining whatever joke there might be) or assuming you know the material. And given the idea of this piece, I’m fairly certain anyone reading this has more experience with the show than I do, so you know what I’m referring to. Remember, this is not a review, so if you want background on this show, there’s always Wikipedia. With that out of the way, let’s move on to the show.

Something tells me I’m going to need one of these.

My first impressions after not really knowing much of the show since vague feelings of a kid of not liking it, is really more of the same. The show is not for me, as I’m the type who prefers good writing above all else, however I am able to appreciate what I see. The pilot episode Big House Blues is very unique in its style, and the opening narration that uses the dog catcher as both the storyteller as well as antagonist is a very clever idea. The infamous gross out humor is at a minimum, and relies instead on the wacky happenings of its plot. For a pilot it’s very impressive and it is easy to see why it was made into a series. It’s a damn good cartoon.

But while Big House Blues was a solid introduction, nothing prepared me for the out of this world wackiness that was Space Madness. Space Madness is just a great cartoon, as it starts out rather simply and slowly snowballs the crazy as it goes on culminating in the erasing of the entire universe. It’s very well structured and paced, with some cleverly written gags, and some really great voice performances from John K and Billy West. Moving on from that, it doesn’t get weirder than Powdered Toast Man, I mean just look at him! Not to mention the absolutely odd combination of traditional cartoon humor with 90s sensibilities really help this otherwise cliche cartoon stand out among others. That ending is just… Wow. Stimpy’s Fanclub is also an enjoyable episode, where the gross out is kept to a minimum, the jokes are clever, and the plot is funny in both how it progresses and skews off the beaten path. At it’s best, Ren & Stimpy really is a fun and enjoyable cartoon that deserves the kudos it regularly received back in the day. At it’s worst… well, I’ll get to that later. The point is that early in the show’s run, there was some fun to be had here.

It’s… good?!?

However, of all the best moments, the real highlight is Stimpy’s Invention. Well timed jokes, hilarious gags that the animation really sells, and easily the best voice work I’ve heard so far in the show. Watching Ren try out Stimpy’s weird inventions is both hysterical and intriguing in how they will fail next bringing us to the hat that makes you happy… Whether you want to be or not. Everything works here, both in presentation and in execution. They knew exactly what they wanted in a cartoon and while they achieved it before, this one feels like the staff behind the show knew exactly how to progress with the Ren & Stimpy formula and, with the right direction, this is where the show would head. The gross out and the gags are both balanced in great and unexpected moments, and the animation (the poses and expressions) and soundtrack (both in effects and music) are just bang on culminating in the classic moment people remember most about this show. Surely, after all the skill and craft shown in this episode, the show can get even better than this, right?

It doesn’t.

Not even close.

Unfortunately, it’s not all gold here as some cartoons like Black Hole fall into the camp of just being gross than actually trying to be funny. They aren’t necessarily terrible, but a clear step down from what the show has to offer at it’s best. This is the type of material I unfortunately remember from my time with the show as a kid, so it’s pretty easy to tell which direction the show would inevitably sink to. You know, naked guys and all (I hope that’s not some kind of premonition)… At least the log bit between episodes was fun. Sven Hoak is another example of stupidity happening because… Well, because it happens. There’s no real set up this time, just Ren’s cousin coming over and being an inbred idiot. Truly classic material. Sigh.

But that’s not the worst of it. Son Of Stimpy (or Stimpy’s First Fart if you like alternate titles) has got to be the single longest fart joke in the history of cartoons. The cartoon itself offers little to the viewer except alternate ways of explaining to the viewer a description of what a fart is and having Stimpy mope about missing his first ever fart.

For 20 freaking minutes.

And I mean, it doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s basically a contest of how low brow and pointless each joke can get. While I don’t mind low brow humor, there’s also nothing happening in the show to keep me engaged with it. There’s no real character interaction outside of random yelling, no sort of goal being worked towards, it’s just there. Sure, he talks to boogers who think he’s crazy, Ren yells at him as usual, and he cries… But it all happens for no real reason and is completely forced. If I’m not being given some sort of an explanation of why I should be invested in a cartoon cat crying over a fart for twenty damn minutes, then I sure as hell am not going to look for one.

Still, the real issue here is that the majority of the episodes I have seen are like this one, and not like the better episodes like Stimpy’s Invention. Random crap happens, nothing is worked towards, boring gross out gags occur, there’s a gay joke or two, episode ends, and I wonder why I’m not drinking myself into a stupor. We’re far away from quality episodes like Fire Dogs here, and into some really poorly written junk. Watching episodes like this makes me wonder how this show could possibly get worse from this point. Yet, deep down, I know it’s not that bad yet… and it scares me.

This is what an episode of this show typically offers.

For a show I haven’t seen in years, I was almost ready to eat my words at what a terrible show I thought this was. I mean, the first season is surprisingly fresh and creative, for the most part, and anyone can see why this attracted quite the audience in it’s early days. However… it begins to lose a lot of it’s luster by the second season, and becomes more or less a generic gross out gag-fest which is basically what I remember of it as a kid.

It’s actually worse for me now, because at one point this show did seem like it had promise beyond what it ultimately degenerated into. However, I’m not going to be too hard on it here since at it’s best it’s a very funny cartoon, and it’s worst it’s simply as bad as every other low brow cartoon from the era. And as much as I hated some of it… I want to save my hate for when the show truly deserves it.

So keep reading this series, because I’m not done yet, we still have two thirds of this show to go. Here’s hoping it will get better… because otherwise this is just a big waste of my time, and at this point I think I’m all out of places to hit my head into.

Up next: Fun and Games(?)…

Sorry.

Originally posted on Monday, January 31, 2011.

You know, they don’t make them like this anymore.

I’m not just referring to animated 2D movies like Cats Don’t Dance as they are made today today. Big budget 2D animated films might be a rarity today, but back in the 90s (even the late 90s) they were still quite popular. But in that the old hacky phrase was essentially the same one used to describe the film when it originally came out in 1997.

I mean this twofold, in that as a fully 2D animated major motion picture about a cat who wants to make it in Hollywood(land) circa the 1930s era of motion pictures would have been weird even during the early 90s or late 80s, nevermind 1997 which was two years after Toy Story began to change everything. The animated landscape was changing and 2D animation was on the way out (Disney apparently thought so as well, considering how uninspired their 2D output became around that time despite a few exceptions, while Pixar began its rise) in favor of 3D CG animation. So not only did the film come out in the wrong year, and with a concept based heavily in the 1930s era to an audience who didn’t really have much knowledge (and most likely, interest) of that time period, it also was stuck inside a merger between Turner Animation -this was their only film from the division- and Warner Bros. which led to it getting no support from the studio and left to die at the box office.

Normally, this would be the end of a much weaker film. It would be as forgotten as most of Don Bluth’s excruciating 90s material or mundane pap like Quest For Camelot or The Pagemaster. But, over the years, people have begun to discover the film for what it is and have started to appreciate it’s unique approach and the ideas it has. As many are discovering, Cats Don’t Dance is a great movie that deserved more than it got. It is now no longer strange to see this film discussed among enthusiasts of animation and film, as well as kids who just simply love the film.

As I pointed out before, Cats Don’t Dance is a story about a cat named Danny who comes to Hollywood to make it big. The plot is simple and straightforward, and is merely a set up for all the ideas it wants to play with. Directed by Mark Dindal (who in turn directed one of Disney’s last 2D efforts before the revival, the similarly playful Emperor’s New Groove), the animation has personality and the art direction pops. Watching this movie, you can truly feel the love for not only the 1930s’ golden age of film, but for classic 2D animation as well. Every character is animated with such personality that you can’t help but get engaged in everything they do, and with musical numbers as good as these, you can’t help but keep your eyes glued to the screen. One particular number has the characters in desaturated colors due to their depression over not having work, but Danny lifts their spirits with a highly engaging musical number which brightens the whole area up. Every musical number is filled with ideas like this so that even those who might not like them in most movies, would be hard pressed to look away when they came on here. Outside of the musical moments, there is another fantastic scene where the characters are trapped on an ark from a film set and barreling downtown on it on top of a giant flood of water. Not only is there a lot of activity going on here, but a bunch of set pieces and jokes are blasted by during this crucial moment of the film making it true highlight.

While it is a musical, Cats Don’t Dance is not really a “Disney-style” musical. The songs are more in line with 1930s era music and are usually used as plot points instead of Disney’s approach of using their music to enhance the plot and characters. The film’s soundtrack is explosive, featuring some of the most memorable musical numbers of the decade -and considering I’m speaking of the 1990s, this is no small feat. But the music isn’t all the film has going for it, the characters are all very fun and well written in their personalities, leading to some fun chemistry between them. For all intents and purposes, this feels like the type of movie a lot of studios were trying to make to compete against Disney (including Don Bluth himself), but were never able to quite do.

If there is one criticism that can really be lobbied at the film, it is that it is 70 minutes long. Yes, children animated features are typically not much longer, but in Cats Don’t Dance’s case, the extra time could be used to improve the pacing a little. The film is a bit fast, as you would imagine, and sometimes feels like it could use a bit of breathing room from the high spirited pace of the animation, music, and plot. It all just feels a little faster than it should be, and if you aren’t paying close enough attention, you might miss something important or a really great moment in the action and not even realize it. This might not seem important, but some kids who might not have the best attention span might get lost from simply missing a minute or two and lose attention fast. It’s not a deep flaw or anything, but it might be an issue for some. Tight pacing can work great for most, but sometimes pacing that’s too great can have it’s own set of flaws as well.

Otherwise, Cats Don’t Dance has a lot of spirit, a lot of inspiration, a lot of charm, and is just a joy to watch. It might not be one of the best animated films ever if you prefer the thoughtful and pondering works of Pixar, or the more traditional and straightforward approach of Disney, but on it’s own terms few films succeed quite as well as this does in creating its unique atmosphere and style. There are few animated films (especially from the 1990s) as off the wall as this one is, while still remaining accessible to mainstream audiences. If you’re looking for something a bit different from the usual animated fare out there and with its own unique approach, you can’t really do much better than Cats Don’t Dance.

Originally posted on Monday, January 24, 2011.

So it comes to this, ripping off AnimeNewsNetwork’s seasonal feature.

You know the deal. I’ll post up several episode reviews of new anime premiering this Winter. Most will suck, few will rock, and I’ll spend the day after wallowing in shame.

And remember, these are just reviews for the first episodes. While first impressions are crucial, a series shouldn’t be judged purely on that. There’s always the occasion where the show can suddenly get really good at episode six, or start to suck by the finale. With that said, read at your own risk.

Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!!

A young girl named Nao wants to make sweet, tender love with her brother Shuusuke. She is so entranced by him, that she does such things as rub his t-shirt on her face, go to sleep in his bed during the night, and strip in front of him while their mom’s in the room. So it’s only natural that she gets the eventual talk and finds out that she’s actually adopted. And since her brother’s a pervert who stimulates himself with H-games, that means she can happily play the “will they or won’t they” game for the next twelve episodes like all good-natured stepsiblings do.

As a doctor, it gives me great warmth to see such an authentic example of the lives of siblings unrelated by blood. I remember having patients muse on and on about how they have had love lives that started exactly how I pictured in this show. Indeed, the message that being a step-sister makes it okay to want to have relations with your brother is such an honest and emotionally sincere meaning that I strongly insist that all those with a step-sibling should follow this beautiful series on how to live life. Indeed, seeing such truth told in anime sparks my soul and fills me with hope that the industry can create even more gems such as this and KissXSis.

Also, fellow doctors not in my field can greatly enjoy how well proportioned these characters are by giving them inch-wide shoulders, foot-long necks, and bony limbs. Indeed, I have not seen such realistic art since the acclaimed 12 Oz. Mouse. As well as these fine surgeons, my biologist friends adore the usage of a baby penguin to cover up nudity. It is such a fine, subtle example of symbolism to see these children of the Arctic used to censor a panty shot. Oh, by all means, this series is a work of art that I predict shall be the crown jewel of the new decade.

But in all seriousness, fuck this show.

Rating: 1/10

Freezing!

The only reason why you bastards are watching this.

So on this romp, we’re getting a show featuring humans and their battle against aliens known as the Nova. And like all shows of this nature, it starts off with big-tittied girls in miniskirts slashing the blood and fabric out of each other. Somewhere in the middle of this episode, we get some character introductions and exposition, but all of that is shoved in the background while the panty fighting ensues. Also, there’s a vague hint of incest for those not satisfied with the above.

Even with that aside, this show fails at characters and plot. You barely get any idea what the hell these people are supposed to be like. The main characters, Kazuya and Bridgette, are so barely shown that they may as well be cameos. And the story itself just seems trite. Are we going to go through one of these alien invasion shows again? Without so much as even a twist to that? And combined with the random scenes of gore, I’m getting the feeling that this is actually a series adaptation of Mars of Destruction.

All in all, this is just an ass n’ tits show pretending to be some kind of Sci-Fi drama. There’s so much cleavage, I wondering if the Nova are attacking Earth for more personal reasons. And unlike the previous show, it’s taking itself way too seriously. It attempts to entice you with tragic backstories and brutal decapitations, when it’s really just offering you what real life has been hiding from you for years. Admittedly, the animation isn’t half-bad and the show could have something interesting along the way, but I’m not betting on that. So if you want to see some tits, just go google some porn instead of surging through this shit.

Rating: 2/10

Gosick

Here, we get introduced to Kazuya Kujo and the 1920s land of Sauville. Being Japanese and all, everybody at his school thinks he’s cursed and call him “the Dark Reaper”, so the closest thing to a friend he makes is an inquisitive, little girl named Dominique. But this girl is smarter than she acts, and with deducing the killer in a crime scene, she and Kazuya get plunged into a mystery involving murder and rabbits. Thus, the two must venture out to the seas and help an inspector uncover the full case.

Leave it to BONES to avoid making a steaming pile of ecchi. While the episode definitely has its flaws, it at least does a decent job introducing the characters to you. Kazuya’s personality and “fish out of water” theme remind me a lot of Mikado Ryugamine from Durarara!!, so it’ll be interesting to see how they deviate. As for Dominique, the writers need to fucking tone down her moe traits and fast. It also doesn’t help how formulaic the dynamic of the two seems to be. But what really worries me is that the use of a murder mystery, an investigator in a white suit, and a weird loli girl are making this show look like Umineko with good production values, so I strongly hope that these similarities will stay superficial.

So overall, it’s decent. I’d probably have a lower opinion of it, but the utter abhorrence of the above two shows means that anything in comparison would always look better.

Rating: 6/10

Beelzebub

A stereotypical delinquent freshman named Tatsumi Oga somehow becomes the surrogate dad to a baby. What’s sad is that the baby latches on to him the more Oga tries to get away from him. What’s sadder is that the baby is an Electric-type and randomly uses Thunderbolt on people. What’s even sadder is that it just happens to be the spawn of Satan (who apparently fucked a Raichu), and has to be taken care of or else Oga will get killed. And with that, our protagonist is off on his grand quest to prepare the Anti-Christ for the eventual destruction of Earth… Hooray?

Like the first episodes of most Shonen Jump shows, there’s nothing particularly good or bad about it. It’s more likely that you’ll have to wait a few months in order to see what this show can really be like, but for now it’s juvenile and full of things you’ve already seen in Bleach, Prince of Tennis, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Slam Dunk, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Eyeshield 21, Buso Renkin, and plenty of others. I’d say something about the art, plot, and characters, but if you’ve already watched the above shows, you’ve pretty much got your answer.

So if you want more of the same, but with babies, I guess you should watch this. For me though, this is yet another forgettable shonen series.

Rating: 5/10

Cardfight!! Vanguard

And you thought Duel Academy was stupid…

What I Watched: Cardfight!! Vanguard
What I Expected: A show about people with bad bed hair playing children’s card games.
What I Got: A show about people with bad bed hair playing children’s card games.

Opening music is pretty good though.

Rating: whatever your view on Yu-Gi-Oh! is/10

Infinite Stratos

So the wonders of technology have given us the Infinite Stratos, a type of mechanized armor that can only be used by woman for some reason or another. But suddenly, some guy named Ichika Orimura is able to use the suit and gets shoved into an academy that trains IS pilots. While there, he meets his bitch of a sister, his bitch of a childhood friend, and a bitch of a random British girl who wants to duel with him by the episode’s end. That is pretty much the entire story right there.

Imagine if Freezing! was edited to be family-friendly, and you’d get this. You would think this would be a good thing, but actually, this is the equivalent of cutting the tits off a stripper and forcing her into a trench coat. In other words, this is a fucking slog that does nothing, not even so much as fanservice, to reel you in. Instead, it just feels like bloody padding. Hell, a good chunk of this episode involves the main lead bitching to his roommate about shower scheduling. Like Beelzebub, this is one of those shows that is completely unremarkable if you’ve so much as glanced as other shows of its genre.

Rating: 3/10

Level E

Meet Yukitaka Tsutsui, an up-and-coming high school student going out on his own to further his pursuit in baseball. With a nice apartment and a next-door love interest, things seem to be going great for him… until he discovers an alien in his room. This creature—in the form of an androgynous blonde man—has no memories of his own, with the only actual possession of his being an artifact showing hints of what he truly is. And as soon as his new life begins, Tsutsui and the alien are now intertwined in a search for self-discovery as humanity slowly finds out about life in outer space.

Adapted from a Yoshihiro Togashi story, Level E is of a different breed than what its creator is usually known for (actually thought it was by the guy who made GANTZ given the similar character designs). However, it proves to be quite interesting to see him work on a different genre. The little references to other “boy meets alien” works help give it certain flair. Combined with a good opening and crisp production values, this series proves to be an interesting odd man out in a season full of style-over-substance fluff. Also, it’ll definitely be interesting to see how the relationship between the two leads develops (note that I never read the source material).

So all in all, an actually good premiere. Who’d have thought?

Rating: 8/10

Wolverine

So after the quiet run of Iron Man, Marvel and Madhouse present us the story of Logan (take a shot every time someone yells out his name) and his quest to rescue his lover Mariko from her Yakuza father. I’d probably say more, but honestly, you’re not watching this for the plot. You’re just here to see guys get ripped apart by adamantium claws.

I can probably see why there hasn’t been much sound and thunder over these shows. For anime fans, the series just shoves you right into the action while expecting you to know at least a few basics of Wolverine’s backstory. And for Marvel fans, the subdued animation and slow story pace isn’t going to sway them. In other words, newcomers won’t get into it and fanboys will probably hate it. With that said, it’s not a bad first episode. Just don’t expect much, and you’ll be fine.

Rating: 5/10

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?

Here’s Aikawa Ayumu. He’s yet another high schooler, and like all high schoolers, he sits by the window, has no parents, and narrates introspectively to himself for the entire episode. He also looks suspiciously like Keiichi Maebara, but none of that matters, for he is a zombie!

Also, he sparkles.

Oh, and he’s searching for his killer, but never mind that, because he ends up assimilating the power of some Cardcaptor reject. And by the end, he has to combine his zombie and magical girl powers in order to fight a giant lobster…

…and dear Christ, it’s as stupid as it sounds. Admittedly, some of these clichés are played for laughs. Just not very good laughs. Instead of deconstructing how overdone these tropes are, it just plays them straight while flinging pisspoor fanservice gags and crossdressing jokes at us. It also doesn’t help that none of the characters make much of a mark. Aside from Ayumu, the main cast contains some albino mute girl named Eucliwood Hellscythe and a former magical girl turned snide bitch named Haruna. That’s about as far as these characters can be described as depth goes. And as for the animation quality, it’s DEEN. What do you think? But still, there are a few vague shades of hope that might turn this into something good. It all just depends on what this show will be going for.

Rating: 3/10

Fractale

Robot Roll Call!

In a distant future controlled by a network known as Fractale, where people mostly exist outside via gigantic Fisher-Price toys, a boy named Clain discovers a girl who fell from the sky after a failed air chase. After bringing her home, she tries to open his eyes and make him realize how he’s changed from the wide-eyed child he used to be. They also evade the people who tried to pursue her. But just as they mingle, the girl disappears; leaving only a brooch that will guide Clain to his heart’s desire.

It’s nigh impossible to watch this and not be reminded of Miyazaki. Even in the first five minutes, there are scenes that are strongly reminiscent of Nausicaa, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Porco Rosso. Really, the whole episode feels like a weird homage to Ghibli films, to the point where I’m disappointed we didn’t get a Totoro cameo. But other than that, the episode doesn’t offer much. While it’s well-animated and finely paced, it has very little to truly grab you into the story. However, there are definitely a few hints to something greater. It makes you wonder why society’s changed to the point where people rarely make actual contact with each other, and what are the specifics of the Fractale system, things that will hopefully get resolved as the episodes go by. So overall, it has a bland beginning, but great potential.

Rating: 6/10

Wandering Son

This is the story about a boy named Shuichi Nitori who wants to be a girl, and a girl named Yoshino Takatsuki who wants to be a boy. However, this is not the kind of show where characters just laugh it off in time for a poorly executed fanservice gag to pop up. Instead, it promises to be something more poignant, showing the lives of middle schoolers questioning their identity and wanting to change it.

Like I mentioned earlier, the use of LGBT themes is a rather rare topic in anime. And no, Yaoi barely ever examines being gay; it only glamorizes it and offers very little to anyone outside the horny fangirl demographic. The same goes with Yuri. So for this series, I like how it avoids the theatrics and just gives us the story of how transsexuality can affect people as young as preteens. In short, it could be an interesting show. But then again, I might be wrong and it’ll devolve into an emotionally manipulative sapfest like Clannad.

Rating: 8/10

If you’re wondering why I didn’t review other shows like Rio – Rainbow Gate or Yumekui Merry, it’s because they’re the kind of shows that are just so dull I couldn’t offer any sort of critical reaction about them. With Mitsudomoe and Kimi no Todoke, they were sequels to shows I’ve never watched. And for that SHAFT show, it’s loli bait and nothing I could properly talk about.

So overall, Sturgeon’s Law is in pretty full effect. But with some obvious exceptions, I’d just suggest you look into any of these shows and see if you like them. Who knows? You might find something good to waste your time on for the next few months.

Originally posted on Friday, January 14, 2011.

Evening, all!

Now we at AR realize that some of you don’t know what exactly the Ludovico Trials are and what led to its creation. And because of these issues, here are some basic answers for those wondering what the hell is going on.

What does “Ludovico” mean?

It comes from the Ludivico Technique, a fictional drug-assisted therapy featured in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, in which the main character Alex DeLarge was subjected to utterly horrific footage of rape and murder in order to be released from prison.

Which shows are you guys doing?

As you can see from the preceding article, Foggle is handling the show Kiba. Ensatsu-Ken has been given the scorned OVA series Ninja Resurrection and Boku No Pico. SNES Chalmers is going through the deranged little show known as School Days. Avaitor is agonizing over seeing Saturday Supercade. Desensitized is currently finding out what exactly went wrong with Ren & Stimpy. And as for myself, I shall be watching Clannad.

Why are you doing this?

Boredom.

And why these shows in particular?

Foggle hates most shonen shows like Naruto and Bleach. But since those series are over 200 episodes, we decided to give him the just as bad, but more compact Kiba to watch.

Ninja Resurrection is right there alongside Genocyber and Angel Cop when it comes to abhorrent OVAs, with the most grating feature being that it was marketed as a sequel to the relatively good Ninja Scroll.

While regarded as one of the most enjoyable shows on Nickelodeon, Ren & Stimpy was also the victim of a prima donna creator who couldn’t get his work in on time. And with his friction between executives destabilizing the quality of the show, it eventually led to its downfall and resurrection as the godawful Adult Party Cartoon.

Avaitor doesn’t like it when Nintendo and Animation collide.

School Days is notable for two things. 1. NICE BOAT. And 2. Having an insufferable protagonist utterly win at life, only to fail in the most disturbingly stupid way possible. It’s highly questionable interpretation of the average teenager’s mindset, as well as schizophrenic shifts in mood, make it perfect for ripe rant bait. And with SNES Chalmers being a relative outsider to anime, we found it even better to see how the show was viewed from one who hasn’t seen any of its contemporaries.

As for Clannad, it contains moe, paper-thin characterization, angst for the sake of angst, dangos, and plotlines right out of a Nicholas Sparks book. In other words, the perfect combination to make me cry for mercy.

Are you going to feature any other shows?

Possibly. We’re still too early in to even consider it, though.

Do you guys hate Anime/Western Animation/Franco-Belgian Cinema/Etc?

No. We may hate a lot of anime, but that doesn’t mean we hate anime in general. Personally, we just find it foolish to denounce an entire nation’s worth of animation. Honestly, every country and continent has its pros and cons when it comes to cartoons… except Antarctica. Fucking penguins can’t draw for shit.

So this is basically just the Agony Booth but with cartoons?

Yeah, pretty much. Though don’t expect any in-depth recaps of each episode. That would lead to months of work and hours of rewatches that we simply don’t have the stomach to do. While it would be a bit interesting to do an 8000-word article on the mental state of Kotonoha or a 20000-word analysis on the latest Yogi Bear film, we figure that the usual 1000-word review will be just as good while saving your time and ours.

If you have any more questions, just post them below and we’ll answer them here for all you inquisitive minds.

Enjoy the madness!

Originally posted on Thursday, January 13, 2011.

This is a new series of articles that I and the rest of the crew are doing. It’s about reviewing the worst of the worst; stuff that’s already fairly terrible but that the person writing the review will hate more than the average person. So, let’s begin, shall we?

———-

Ah, yes, Kiba, a generic shounen so insufferable that even fans of generic shounen consider it boring at best and unwatchable at worst. I really don’t want to watch this.

…And I have to watch the English dub, too? Just kill me now and get it over with.

20 seconds in and this show is already trying to put me to sleep. “Can you hear my lullaby?” some bitch asks in a tone that is simultaneously ominous, comforting, obnoxious, and constipated. I suppose the lullaby continues to play for the remainder of the episode and series, because I really can’t see myself staying awake through this shit.

The opening shot kinda’ looks like the desktop icon for F.E.A.R.

*Cue badly-done cartoon scream.* Well, that woke me up. Zeus, Athena, have I not seen enough by now?! I have already braved the dark depths of Umineko and Ookami Kakushi, and yet I am still forced to trudge onward through this overflowing toilet of an anime!? Oh, what a world!

So, anyway, this series is about Zed, an unlikable juvenile delinquent who– HOLY FUCK IS THAT CHRIS PATTON AS NOA?! GODDAMN IT, KASHIM, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU!?

Ahem. “Ruffian though he may be, he does care about his mother;” yes, it’s an actual line from this series, and it pretty much sums up Zed’s character perfectly. He’s obnoxious, flatter than a grade school girl, and quite a bit more wooden than George Washington’s teeth, which weren’t actually wooden, but you get the idea. Suffice it to say, he’s completely one-dimensional and isn’t exactly the best protagonist you’ve ever seen. He does love his mom, though.

This is Zed. You’ll learn to hate him after he has a few minutes of screen-time.

The art style is similar to Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (yippee!) and the animation is slow and robotic, constantly using close-up shots and meandering pans so that the animators didn’t have to spend a couple of extra minutes making mouth flaps for the characters. With such high production values, I certainly can’t wait to see the obligatory two pointless action scenes per episode!

Zed lives in a “dystopian future” (so says RightStuf) which is pretty much the exact same thing as present-day Japan but with taller buildings and toxic air, which “only gets worse as it stagna”– GOOD LORD, IS THAT LIAM O’BRIEN AS SOME RANDOM ONE-OFF CHARACTER? WHAT. THE. HELL.

The police and school board seem to be evil adults intent on keeping the kids from being themselves and having fun. It’s like a serious version of Codename: Kids Next Door.

There’s a chase scene. It sucks.

Zed likes breaking down doors and gates in his spare time. Okay.

Turns out he breaks down doors because he wants to be free. Hey, I want to be free, too, but I don’t go around smashing windows because of it. Fucking jerk. “I just want to find some kind of purpose in my life, even if I’m not sure what that purpose is.” It’s like the writer is too busy jerking off to how “deep” his dialogue is to realize that it’s causing him to type with one hand and rehash stilted bullshit we’ve all seen time and time again in every goddamn anime.

I think Noa has a crush on Zed. Seriously.

“Being tied down, having to grin and bear it…” I’ve seen porn that conveys the exact same thing with better writing and acting – not to mention much more urgency – than this trash. Boo hoo hoo, the poor baby got in trouble for not going to school! Suck it up, you pussy.

These character designs are starting to cause me physical pain. Ugh.

“Falcon’s feathers. The falcon is the physical incarnation of the Sky God, Horos, and that makes them a symbol of freedom.” Pardon me while my mouth redeposits my lunch in my toilet.

Oh, and it’s Zed’s birthday today! Can this shit get ANY more contrived?

Apparently, yes. Noa is very ill with brittle bones and will probably die soon.

Zed’s mom is, like, 25. And Zed is, like, 15. What.

Zed loves breaking doors down, so why doesn’t he even try when he gets locked in the storage closet? What an idiot.

Then there’s a really bad fight scene straight out of Blue Dragon in which we’re introduced to another character; Roya. Will she be more interesting and likable than Zed? (Doubtful.)

Liam O’Brien (I think) comes back and turns into a demon with a skull staff and shoots a member of the school board with a magic laser. He then proceeds to fight Zed with his lightsaber. But before that can happen, first comes the shocking revelation (from a mouth that is in full view but still doesn’t move) that Zed is a Shard Caster! What’s a Shard Caster, you ask? I have absolutely no idea, but it’s probably the exact same thing as the ninjas from Naruto or whatever the fuck Ichigo is in Bleach.

But wait! Suddenly, Zed’s mom throws an exploding gumball at the demon, who was apparently “sent from Tusk,” whoever the fuck that is. She’s also a Shard Caster, apparently. She throws more gumballs at the demon and then jumps around a bunch. Yawn.

Then there’s an exceedingly lame car chase. Yawn again.

Slow-motion running. I’ve never seen this before.

An angel (or something) drags Zed through a portal. I don’t care.

Back to Roya… “Jiko, I will take that Spirit Shard, along with your corpse,” a strangely dressed man proclaims. Great, as if it wasn’t generic enough already… The evildoer then proceeds to throw a Pokeball at the ground and summon a giant monster. Absolutely riveting stuff here, folks. Zed then falls out of the sky and weird tribal music plays for some reason. “It’s so strong… It’s like the wind is calling to me.” That’s great, dude. He stares off into the distance for a few seconds. Roll credits.

Well, that was perhaps the single worst 20-minute OVA I’ve ever se– WAIT… THERE’S 50 MORE EPISODES?

–Foggle

Originally posted on Sunday, January 9, 2011.

It’s no secret that Nickelodeon isn’t exactly the most consistent when it comes to their shows’ releases. And with there being more options than ever for just exactly how one procures such series, it’s about time someone actually took the time to keep track of just exactly what series are available and how. This entry will be focusing primarily on the first 24 Nicktoons and their availability in America through 3 sources: DVDs, amazon.com / iTunes downloads (the two essentially overlap when it comes to downloadable media unless stated otherwise), and Netflix.

Within the last ten years, Nickelodeon initially began releasing their Nicktoons to DVD in simple episode compilations, collecting episodes not by chronological season order, but by a general category (ie: friendship, holiday specials, or a particular character in the series). And with exception to Nick’s current popular series Spongebob Squarepants and Avatar: The Last Airbender, the only other series to be available in their entirety on DVD were The Ren and Stimpy Show and Invader Zim, due to having separate distribution companies than other Nicktoons.

It was not until just recently (2008) that Nickelodeon began releasing season sets of their other titles. However, rather than mainstream releases, Nickelodeon has instead chosen to release some of their titles via amazon.com’s “burn on demand” program, which essentially burns the episodes onto discs as they are ordered by the customers. While this has led to some series finally becoming available in their entirety, other series considered to be more “controversial” have only received partial releases, Nickelodeon providing “Best of” releases as an excuse to exclude the undesired episodes. Furthermore, besides the severe lack of any special features in these releases, another con is that the costs for each set (containing an average of 13-20 episodes each) range from $25-$40—much more than anticipated for such lacking releases. Combined with the fact that Nickelodeon has done little to no work in hyping these releases, the company has made it virtually impossible for anyone outside the die-hard fanbase to even be aware of such releases in the first place.

Also jumping on the bandwagon of video downloads, Nickelodeon has made a small amount of their titles available through sources such as amazon.com’s video download service as well as iTunes. For the most part, releases have been the same between these downloads and the amazon.com “burn on demand” releases, the only difference being their price. Considering how the only difference between the releases is the fact that the “burn on demand” DVDs are tangible copies, it makes much more sense for consumers to purchase the cheaper downloadable alternatives.

But if that wasn’t enough, Nickelodeon has also made a majority of their Nicktoons available through the digital rental service of Netflix. Unlike the DVD and digital releases above, Netflix contains complete season releases of Nicktoons that would not have complete season releases otherwise. For example, Rugrats, available only until its second season on amazon.com is available on Netflix up until its fourth season (a full season past what most fans consider the peak of the series). While it remains unknown as to why Netflix’s releases are so vastly different from its other releases, the change is gladly appreciated.

As should be expected by now, a simple chart explaining which series has which type of release would not suffice to fully explain the nonsense that makes up Nickelodeon’s Nicktoons releases. That said, I’ve done my best to make a list of the first 24 Nicktoons, their current availability, and any minor yet excruciatingly crucial changes for each release.

·Doug (8/11/91-12/16/94; 4 seasons)
DVD: Season sets available only through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option. Season 4 is missing the episodes “Doug’s Bum Rap” and “Doug’s Babysitter” due to what can only be described as simple irresponsibility and thus has been given the release title of “Best of Season 4” rather than simply “Season 4.”
amazon/iTunes download: Seasons 1-3 readily available; episodes are also available under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections
Netflix: No episodes available.

·Rugrats (8/11/91-6/8/04; 9 seasons)
DVD: Seasons 1 and 2 available only through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option. Various specials, collections and the movies have also been released as individual DVDs.
amazon/iTunes download: Random episodes (primarily from the first 4 seasons) are available under “Best of” volumes as well as character specific (ie: “Best of Tommy,” “Best of Chuckie”) episodes and under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: Seasons 1-4 readily available

·The Ren & Stimpy Show (8/11/91-11/14/96; 5 seasons)
DVD: Seasons 1-5 plus the show’s follow-up series is available in 4 box sets. However, later releases of the sets have removed what have been considered the “banned” episodes, decreasing the episode’s complete availability significantly.
amazon/iTunes download: Due to its “controversial” episodes, the series is only available in this format in “Best of” releases.
Netflix: The first 36 episodes are available in 3 volumes, more than likely containing the edited versions of the episodes currently available on amazon/iTunes download.

·Rocko’s Modern Life (9/18/93-11/24/96; 4 seasons)
DVD: 3 “volume” releases are available, each containing 12 episodes
amazon/iTunes download: 3 “Best of” releases are available, containing the same episodes from the DVD volumes. Other episodes can be found under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: Season 1 in its entirety is readily available.

·Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (10/29/94-12/6/97; 4 seasons)
DVD: All seasons are readily available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option.
amazon/iTunes download: All seasons readily available
Netflix: Seasons 1-3 readily available.

·KaBlam! (10/7/96-1/15/2000; 4 seasons)
No episodes available in any format.

·Hey Arnold! (10/7/96-6/8/04; 5 seasons)
DVD: While Seasons 1-5 were initially available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option, as of late, season 3 has been listed as “currently unavailable.”
amazon/iTunes download: While listings on iTunes show the first 3 seasons readily available, the releases actually group together 13 episodes at a time, calling them “seasons.” With exception to the removal of the Christmas special (moved to, the second season) the listing for season 1 does have the first 13 episodes in order. The following two seasons, however, begin to release the episodes out of order, causing further inconsistencies with the “burn on demand” DVDs. Other episodes can be found under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: Netflix has followed the same numbering system as amazon/iTunes, claiming to have the first 3 seasons available (66 episodes), but actually having the first 39 episodes available split into three 13-episode sets.

·The Angry Beavers (4/19/97-11/11/01; 4 seasons)
DVD: Season 1 is available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option while seasons 2 and 3 are only available as “best of” releases.
amazon/iTunes download: Random episodes are available under “Best of” volumes as well as under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: The first 49 episodes (seasons 1-3) are available, though are collected differently, with the first 25 episodes listed under season 1 and the following 24 episodes listed under season 2.

·Oh Yeah! Cartoons (7/17/98-5/28/01; 3 seasons)

No episodes available in any format.

·CatDog (9/1/98-8/11/04; 4 seasons)
DVD: Seasons 1-3 are available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option, with Season 2 split into two separate volumes.
amazon/iTunes download: All episodes are available in season sets, with the season 4 episodes combined with the season 3 release. Other episodes can be found under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·The Wild Thornberrys (9/1/98-6/11/04; 5 seasons)
DVD: All seasons are available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option, with Season 2 split into two volumes and Season 3 split into three volumes.
amazon/iTunes download: Random episodes are available under “Best of” volumes as well as under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·Spongebob SquarePants (5/1/99-present; 7 seasons as of late)
DVD: Widely distributed season sets have been keeping up with the series run so far, with seasons 4 onwards being split into two volumes each. Special episodes as well as “Category Specific” (ie: friendship themed, holiday themed) episodes have also received individual DVD releases.
amazon/iTunes download: Complete season sets up until the latest season (7) are available alongside character specific releases.
Netflix: Seasons 1-3 available for instant viewing, with DVD releases of the later seasons also available.

·Rocket Power (8/16/99-6/18/04; 3 seasons)
DVD: Special episode “Island of the Menehune” released in 2004 is the only available part of the series in DVD format at this time. However, other special episodes have been released at that time and have gone out of print since then.
amazon/iTunes download: Random episodes are available under “Best of” volumes as well as under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·Pelswick (10/2/00-11/15/02; 2 seasons)
DVD: No episodes available.
amazon/iTunes download: While iTunes does not carry the episodes, amazon.com’s own video download service carries the complete series, split up by season.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·As Told by Ginger (10/25/00-11/19/06; 3 seasons)
DVD: Specials “Far from Home” and “Wedding Frame” are available in individual releases from 2004.
amazon/iTunes download: The complete first season was available for a time on iTunes, but as of late the only episodes from the series are available under Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·The Fairly OddParents (3/30/01-present; 7 seasons as of late)
DVD: Seasons 1, 2 and 6 Vol. 1 are available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option. Various specials and collections have also been released as individual DVDs in the early 2000s.
amazon/iTunes download: Complete season sets up until the latest season (7) are available alongside Nickelodeon’s general “Nick Rewind” collections.
Netflix: The first 40 episodes (technically seasons 1-3, but labeled as seasons 1 and 2) are available for instant viewing, with DVD releases of the later seasons also available.

·Invader Zim (3/30/01-8/19/06; 2 seasons + unaired episodes)
DVD: The complete series was released in 3 volumes with a complete collection following soon after in the early 2000s. Recently, the series has been re-released in two season sets via amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option, though lack the special features contained in the previous release.
amazon/iTunes download: Only the aired episodes are readily available, split into 3 volumes.
Netflix: Only the aired episodes are readily available, under the release title of “Volume 1.”

Action League Now!: The Series (1/1/02-12/31/02; 1 season)
No episodes available in any format.

·ChalkZone (3/22/02-11/21/09;
DVD: No episodes available.
amazon/iTunes download: Only the Christmas Special “When Santas Collide” is available through iTunes under Nickelodeon’s 2007 Holiday Collection.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (7/20/02-11/25/06; 3 seasons)
DVD: “Best of” collections for Seasons 1, 2 and 3 are available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option. Various specials and collections have also been released as individual DVDs in the early 2000s.
amazon/iTunes download: With exception to “When Pants Attack from season 1, all 3 seasons are readily available alongside a character specific Sheen release.
Netflix: Seasons 1 and 2 are available, organized in the same fashion as the amazon/iTunes releases.

·All Grown Up! (4/12/03-8/17/08; 5 seasons)
DVD: Various specials and collections have been released as individual DVDs in the early 2000s.
amazon/iTunes download: Seasons 1 and 2 (with exception to “Runaraound Susie”) are available. The Christmas Special “The Finster Who Stole Christmas” is available through iTunes under Nickelodeon’s 2006 Holiday Collection.
Netflix: Seasons 1 and 2 are available, organized in the same fashion as the amazon/iTunes releases.

·My Life as a Teenage Robot (8/1/03-5/2/09; 3 seasons)
DVD: No episodes available.
amazon/iTunes download: Season 1 is readily available. The Christmas Special “A Robot for all Seasons” is available through iTunes under Nickelodeon’s 2007 Holiday Collection.
Netflix: No episodes available.

·Danny Phantom (4/3/04-8/24/07; 3 seasons)
DVD: All seasons are available through amazon.com’s “burn on demand” option.
amazon/iTunes download: All seasons readily available.
Netflix: All seasons readily available.

·Avatar: The Last Airbender (2/21/05-7/19/08; 3 seasons)
DVD: Initially released in ordered volume releases followed up with complete season (referred to as “Books”) box sets.
amazon/iTunes download: All seasons readily available.
Netflix: All seasons readily available.

Originally posted on Saturday, January 1, 2011.

About as a vibrant as a set of used markers.

We of the Animation Revelation are a rare breed, as in we utterly despise any show adapted from the visual novels of a studio by the simple name of Key. Sure, they have pretty good animation and some decent, if diabetes-inducing, music, but we can’t just comprehend the cries of “BEST ANIME EVA!” when seeing reviews or discussions about Kanon, Air, or Clannad. While others may see them as emotionally rich shows that portray relationships in such vibrant ways, we view them as melodramatic monstrosities that have the depth of a Nicholas Sparks novel or a season of Degrassi. So when I found out that they put out a show that was about something other than relationships, I figured there might be something interesting to it. And dear god was I wrong.

For the layout, a kid named Otonashi wakes up to find himself in the middle of a high school. And soon after that, he gets stabbed by an albino girl with Protoss abilities. But the morning after, he wakes up yet again to realize that his wounds have disappeared. With no idea who he is or how he came to be here, a group of students known as the SSS Battlefront take him in and explain that he is in a purgatory of sorts. Nobody knows the details, or what is bringing them to this place, but all they know is that they must go on a campaign against God to find out. And through there, they must take down the being simply known as Angel.

Where shows like Baccano! end up being the well-grilled steak of anime, or how most shonen fulfill the role of fast food hamburgers, Angel Beats! is week-old slurry dumped all over a fungus-laden trough. There’s nothing that can grab the average viewer, with the only demographic that could possibly enjoy this being the moe fans who have been devouring Key’s work for years. What serves as a somewhat interesting premise ends up being wasted due to pandering and random drifts to tedious slice-of-life antics. Even with only having a baker’s dozen of episodes, the series can’t even keep a plot lasting for a third of that length. And once it leaves its first cycle, it proves to be impossible for it to climb back up and create a coherent story.

The greatest flaw in this show—and really, all of the shows adapted from Key games—is that the characters have nothing to define them other than their single quirk and/or tragedy. To note, there’s the ambiguously gay character who suffered from steroid abuse! Here’s the bitchy team leader that has dead brothers and sisters hanging on her mind! Here’s the guitar girl who inexplicably got a stroke because of a cranial injury from her parents! How about the other ambiguously gay kid that had to live up to the standards of his dead brother? Aren’t these interesting character descriptions to you?! But really, that is literally the amount of depth any of these characters, and that’s if their lucky. Most of the cast literally only provide one single character trait and nothing else, like the girl who thinks she’s a ninja, the guy with the axe, the tall guy, yet another ambiguously gay kid, that guy with the glasses, the kid who wants everyone to call him Christ, the guy who randomly spouts out out-of-context English phrases, and the pink-haired girl whose presence will make you want to claw at the screen. That is literally all there is to these characters. Maybe the cast would have more depth if there was more than a meager 13 episodes, but it’s more likely that there would just be more characters with even more dark, troubled, and quite stupid pasts.

And just to show exactly how stupid these pasts are, let’s look at the tragedy of one of these characters. Our example here, Yuri, who you’ll know as the girl who looks like Haruhi, lived life with upper class parents and three loving younger siblings. But one day, when her parents went out, thugs randomly broke in and tried to take whatever they could. But despite being at least semi-wealthy, the family’s place had nothing. So the burglars force Yuri to find any valuables for them, and if they don’t, they will execute her siblings one by one every 10 minutes. No matter where she went or what she scoured, there was nothing she could find to appease the thieves. Fortunately for her, the cops came in. But unfortunately, they came in at 30 minutes. And with that, Yuri suddenly decides that it’s God’s fault for this and spends the rest of her time on the show fixating on this event.

On the surface, the above might come off as heartbreaking or extremely depressing. But when looking further, fridge logic reveals itself and a tragic story ends up coming off as poorly maneuvered storytelling. From how the cops came at the most completely ironic time, to how the burglars just happen to be sociopaths, this past is calculated to create the most negative impact on the subject with the least effort used in providing layers to the matter in hand. In short, this is a grand example of laying it on thick.

The writer, Jun Maeda, seems to be under the idea that tragedy automatically creates a character, but it doesn’t. All it does is give them a vague backstory and something to angst about. A character needs to have an array of events, both good and bad, to define them. The development of a protagonist requires natural growth, not sudden fury to make it happen. And the same goes for quirks. Making a character randomly dance and act like an inverted minstrel turns them into a caricature than an actual part of the story. And that’s what a good 80% of the cast is: nothing but caricatures. The core cast could be completely limited to just Otonashi, Angel, at least any one of the SSS Battlefront to provide some mentoring for Otonashi, and the story would remain mostly unchanged.

And to further this problem is that Otonashi is the blandest of the roster. Sure, he ends up getting the most history out, with dead sister and all, but none of that adds up to depth. You remember that part of The Phantom Menace Video Review, where Mr. Plinkett asked a bunch of people how they would describe the personality of random Star Wars characters? I tried doing that with Otonashi, and the closest I could think of was that he was somewhat selfless, if misguided. But really, how many main characters don’t fit those two adjectives?

Also, the show often forgets its own premise. Very few of the characters actually seem nonplussed about the fact that they’re dead, with the façade only being cast aside once a character has to spout out their tragic backstory of the day. Whatever mission for the crew ends up dovetailing into something about baseball, or fishing, or singing, or cheating tests, or some other task that’s ends up being utterly trite, especially given how the SSS is shown multiple times to have enough arms to take over several third-world countries.

As for the music, which seems to be the main draw of the show given how shoehorned the band is, it’s… passable. There’s really nothing wrong with any of the songs. It’s just that the show is so hellbent on interspersing into the main plot. Never mind how those in purgatory probably aren’t in the right mental state to play J-pop music, yet alone acquire instruments to do so. It gets to the point where the series could be an entire episode or two shorter if they just cut out all of the band scenes.

In other words, fuck this show and all of its ilk. If you want a series about misguided teenagers trying to make their mark, go watch Misfits, Inbetweeners, Press Gang, or hell, even any of that CW shit. This is a prime example of how not to do what boils down to a teen drama, but unfortunately, most of the audience will ignore the plot holes in favor of how “catchy” the songs or how “deep” the characters are.

Rating: 2/10

Originally posted on Tuesday, December 21, 2010.

You know, Oreimo (or “Ore no Imo-to ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai” or “My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute” for you people who like stupidly long names that invoke disturbing imagery) is really easy to like or hate depending on your tastes in anime. While watching this anime, the only thing I could think of was how it could easily cross the line into either quirky awesomeness or into the usual moe awfulness. The weird part is that it’s actually both of those things. Which lead me to try and think how I was going to approach this piece without either dogging on it or cautiously praising it. I think I’ll try both this time.

I’m not going to slight it for being a moe show despite it still carrying all those usual tropes that I will not get into here (if you want that, go and read my K-On! piece), both because that’s redundant and because this show is actually at it’s best when it’s not a moe show. You see, Oreimo is a show about a cute girl named Kirino Ko-saka who likes anime at a depth defying, disturbing, mega-otaku level and simply struggles to come to terms with it with the help of her brother Kyo-suke who is just a normal guy trying to live a normal life.

And that’s pretty much it.

There’s no high concept like The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya, no pointless randomness like Lucky Star, and no meaningless and unexplored gimmick like K-On!… It’s really just a slice of life show about someone with an addiction and trying to come to terms with what it means to be an otaku and how to fit into society with the help of only her rather normal brother to help her. Now, in my opinion, this is when the show is at its most interesting- when it explores how other characters in her life deal with it when they find out this girl actually likes this weird stuff that only “pedophiles” and “NEETs” can possibly enjoy. Yes, otaku are described as both and many more in the show. Her parents’ reactions to this discovery is actually quite hilarious in how they react to it (Kyo-suke’s attempts at explaining what an otaku really is to his father is easily the best moment in the show) and can be quite disturbing when someone who doesn’t understand it at all attempts to “fix” them. It can get interesting in these moments.

Yes, this scene actually was pretty amazing.

The best part of this is that those characters (while obviously are tropes for the otaku crowd) are actually fun to watch without being full of empty headed gestures and stupid reactions to the situations in the story. One of her friends named Ruri Goko- is a gothic lolita (and is actually made fun of for dressing like an idiot, which is nice for a change in one of these shows) and actually has fun anime-related discussions with Kirino that usually devolve into an argument. One where she calls Ruri a “post-Evangelion biter” for liking the stupid nonsensical philosophy and fake depth of many anime nowadays, and she in turn mocks Kirino for liking retarded moe shows that are vapid and empty is one of the highlights. It was in this moment where I realized that the people behind this show know exactly what they’re doing. They understand full well the tropes and problems with anime nowadays and are not above calling them out on how shallow anime has gotten as a whole in recent years. For a moe show, this is beyond surprising.

Beyond the characters and story, the music is phenomenal in this show. The majority of it is well placed and performed ska music that really adds a layer of charm to the proceedings and is just fun to listen to… Unfortunately the opening and closing themes (well, when there is a closing theme) are pretty generic and forgettable, but at least they aren’t totally awful and take nothing away from what great music the show has. Sound effects are loud and punchy without sounding tired or cheap, and in a moe show, that’s quite the accomplishment considering how chintzy they usually are. The animation is pretty standard, unfortunately, but considering the budgets theese shows tend to run on, it works surprisingly well. It’s also directed in such a way to hide any flaws in the budget that might normally arise, (most moe shows don’t even try) but it’s also directed in quite a punchy manner without having those boring scenes where nothing at all happens… and when it does have a slow scene, it is purely for dramatic effect. A lot of care went into Oreimo, and it shows.

You might be thinking at this point that this is all a good thing and that Oreimo surpasses all the problems of the moe genre to become something special that transcends it’s classification… but there are problems that hold it back, and unfortunately quite hard. First thing’s first, while I said most characters are actually fun to watch such as Ruri (despite being a trope, she “plays” the trope which is actually quite amusing on its own) and the main pair’s father (who is hilarious in how much of a curmudgeon he is), the main characters are actually the biggest problem with the show. Kyo-suke is a boring dork who adds no flavor to the show and is basically just the “generic main character who the girls want for no real reason” guy, and the show hurts for it because if he were a better character, the show would hold itself together in a much more consistent way. If he even had definable personality, that alone would pull the show up from its bouts of boredom, however he just doesn’t have much to offer. But even he’s not so bad in comparison to the show’s real issue; Kirino Ko-saka herself.

What a moron.

This is the main issue with the show, and the one that really holds it back from achieving its goal; Kirino is an annoying shrew who couldn’t possibly ever be popular in real life despite how the show tries to tell you she is the most popular girl in school. She has no social skills, she has no personality besides “lash out at people for no reason”, she never sticks up for herself despite that (the way she makes her brother fight her battles is really aggravating), and yet she’s supposedly the most popular girl in school? Sorry, I just don’t buy that. Sure, in real life the popular girls are usually shallow idiots who get by on their looks, but… they also usually have some semblance of social skill mastery that leads them to BE that popular in the first place. Kirino can’t even carry a conversation without screaming pointlessly. There is no way she wouldn’t already be a social outcast, despite constantly worrying about becoming one. It kind of ruins the point of the show’s plot. In addition to how awful Kirino is as a character, EVERYTHING in this show centers around her, so EVERYTHING is dragged down by her presence. Which is really a shame, because I know there’s a good show in here, but it really does get smothered by its problems of Kirino’s awful personality and the usual moe tropes that the show can’t quite overcome.

Yes, I know I’m avoiding the elephant in the room. Judging by the title of the show and the whole brother-sister relationship, one would think it was about incest. It’s not. Yes, they play with it a bit in certain points (mostly the early episodes) which leads to some weird and tired jokes, but neither find each other attractive at all and they have the usual brother-sister relationship full of fighting and begrudgingly acknowledging them when they do each other a favor. It’s a pretty standard relationship… though I’m sure there are talented artists who would be glad to prove me wrong. Ugh. The point is, the show is more about a brother trying to help his sister through a hard time in her life. The title is (thankfully) misleading and largely inappropriate for the show, and was obviously only used to hook in the moe audience.

All in all, Oreimo was a decent watch. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I like Haruhi, but I didn’t outright hate it as much as I hate K-On!- it was merely fine. The problem is in how it fails to meet the potential it shows in certain spots; both in its attempt to really skewer and parody the two big current genres in anime (empty headed moe VS philosophical idiocy) as well as being an engaging slice of life show that deals with trying not to lose your place in society- and instead relies too much on the safe moe backdrop that too many lesser shows revel in. Oreimo did surprise me in how it wasn’t as bad as the description (and stupid title) made it seem, and how it managed to actually have a plot beyond “cute girls doing cute things” while simultaneously exploring why otaku like things like that and how they deal with it in such a suffocating society like Japan’s is. Unfortunately, it does sometimes fall victim to its problems like an awful main character and how we are supposed to empathize with the twit, as well as how it can sometimes go overboard with its moe-leanings (though obviously, your mileage may vary here), but above all it is a decent watch.

… Or maybe you feel differently.

If you’re a moe watcher, then you really should watch this and appreciate how someone is actually trying something new in this stagnant genre and attempting to twist it into itself a bit. But if you hate moe, I don’t think you’ll be able to overcome your hatred over its issues in order to see the good it’s trying to do. It’s a shame because it isn’t poorly written or executed in its basic format, but the few issues it actually has are just so overwhelming that it is sort of infuriating to watch at certain times. When Kirino is not screaming like a moron and her brother isn’t blanding up the screen, the show can be enjoyable. Despite sometimes falling into the moe-boredom trap; the writing pulls it up, the production feels like the staff actually give a damn, and the music will keep you from falling asleep, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to catch the non-moe audience.

Either way, I actually enjoyed what I saw, yet can’t really recommend it unless you either enjoy the genre or have a really open mind. It’s… a weird watch, and it’s something I’m going to have to deal with.

Originally posted on Friday, December 17, 2010.

So, uh, there’s this guy called Kou Ichinomiya, or as he’s known by the local crazies, “Ric”. One day, he almost drowns in a river only to get saved by some weird girl named Nino. Because of this, he’s indebted to her and must start a close relationship to relieve himself of said debt. And by living with her, he has to spend the rest of his life under a bridge with a bunch of people off their meds. There’s also a plot somewhere hidden in there, but you’ll have to wade through at least half the season to realize it.

Going in for the first episode, I had never previously watched a show by SHAFT, had no idea what it was even supposed to be about, and was frankly confused enough by the opening as it is. Suffice to say, this show is fucking weird. It’s the kind of weird that could stand toe-to-toe with Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Axis Powers Hetalia, or anything Gainax cooks up. Honestly, any attempt to comprehend this show in logical terms would result in tragedy and cranial trauma. Though admittedly, it does get a bit more coherent once the characters get more familiar and the plot reveals itself.

And as the inanity goes hand-in-hand with the main humor, your mileage will massively vary on whether or not the jokes stick or not. Pretty thick cultural barriers lead to most of the jokes coming off as confusing rather than funny. Many of the visual gags are quite blunt and lead to more awkward laughs than genuine ones (a guy who always wears a star on his head being one of many examples). By all means, even the most hardcore weaboo will have a hard time getting the majority of the show’s shits and giggles. That said, there are a few pieces that hit rather than miss, like how the opening randomly changes to highlight a minor character singing about how worthless her secret admirer is. Granted, it’s still just as strange as most of the other jokes, but the level of the absurdity is so high that it goes to being funny based on shear WTF-ness. But once again, your results will vary.

With the characters, Kou initially plays the straight man in everything, only to quickly unravel and show a “one is a genius, the other’s insane” dilemma regarding him and the rest of the cast. While he’s unquestionably the most intelligent of the characters, he’s also the most manic and easy to crack. On the other half, you get Nino, a strange young woman who spends most of her times fishing and believes herself to have come from Venus. She mostly ends up being an inversion of the usual “magical girlfriend” cliché, by being much more stoic and mundane compared to the usual fare such as Belldandy or Lum. Unfortunately, the series underutilizes the whole yin yang conflict and eventual accordance between the two in favor of having Kou interact with the rest of the cast, and most of them don’t really share the chemistry that he has for Nino. Everyone else is one-note and usually serves purely for gags rather than anything else. And because of this, the tolerance for the cast varies, with a man cross-dressing as a nun, nicknamed Sister, as well as the misanthropic farmer Maria being the most entertaining, while others such as the Iron Twins or Stella just being pretty annoying.

For production values, the music is pretty good. Really, the opening and ending are pretty interesting to watch and listen to, if only for the art directions and how the song of the former inexplicably tries to rhyme “Venus” and “Jesus”. The animation’s typical of most other anime, though it randomly shifts into different styles throughout the season. One gag even shifts the art to resemble Matt Groening’s.

Also, the “to be continued” spots make the habit of setting the series in live-action, naturally leading to massive uncanny valley. And at one point, you can also find a bit of rotoscoping in one of the episodes.

So in other words, this show is an acquired taste. You’ll either love it for its eccentric style, or hate it for its nonsensical ideas. Either way, you won’t be bored watching it.

Rating: 6/10

Originally posted on Saturday, December 4, 2010.