Saturday, December 28, 2013

The Winter 2014 Anime Season Streaming List

Just Like I Did For The Fall Season, I'm Doing A Winter 2014 Anime Season Streaming List, Since There Seems To Be More Streaming Places Available And Such, And Now Companies Are Announcing Dates And Stuff. Also Included On This List Are Continuing Fall Anime Season Titles. If You Learn Of Any Titles That Are Streaming Anywhere In Your Area, Feel Free To Let Me Know. Otherwise, The List Will Be Updated/fixed As January Goes On.



TABLE OF CONTENTSSTREAMING SHOWS

Thursday, December 26, 2013

12 Days of Meditations #2: Why Can't Most People Stand Old Anime?

One of the most challenging things I must handle as an anime fan is when people ask me to recommend them anime. I take recommendations seriously, because I want others to enjoy what they watch-if they get a dud and hate it, I would hold myself liable. My knowledge as an anime fan isn't just for myself; it's also for the service of other anime fans. It's challenging because anime is so vast and wide that one can't just hope to throw out a couple of shows and expect them to be well-received.



So what I do is ask the person to narrow down their preferences. They give out a genre or two, or mention a specific show they like and would like to watch more of.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is one of those anime that you've probably heard of if you hang around anime fans at all or are one yourself. When the anime started running in 2007 the name was everywhere. Mainly due to a large and vocal fanbase. To this day it still has a significant presence in anime fandom. Some call it Gainax's crowning achievement, others say it's an over-rated pile of rubbish. Of course, Gainax's other best known works are Evangelion and Panty & Stocking, so being their crowning achievement wouldn't be much of an accomplishment. In any case, let's take a look at TTGL and see which side is closer to being right.



The story is really simple. Humans have been driven underground. In the underground Jiha village, two young men, Kamina and Simon, decide to breakthrough to the surface. But before they can manage the ceiling collapses, letting sunlight in and bringing with it a giant mecha and a young redhead named Yoko. The three defeat the mecha using a machine Simon found while digging and make their way to the surface. Simon and Kamina learn that humans on the surface have been struggling against beastmen and their giant robots known as Ganmen. They decide to take the fight to the beastmen and create a surface where humans can live in peace. From there you get a pretty standard action story. About the only element that stands out is the underlying theme of overcoming the past, while simultaneously carrying it within you. That's the most interesting part of the story. Unfortunately, the ending is pretty weak. A lot of what happens is also heavily exaggerated, often to the point of ludicrous. Which would be fine, except that they try to pull off several serious scenes. Naturally, they don't mesh well with the overall aesthetic and end up invariably falling short. This is also one of those series that doesn't understand evolution, but uses it as a plot point anyway.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

So You Want to Watch Anime? Part 1

People often ask me what they should watch if they want to get into anime or have watched only a couple of shows. Obviously, it pays to ask people what genres they like, as anime is just another sub-medium of television and TV, movie and book preferences are all valid. Some of the shows listed here are often noted to be aimed at people who are very knowledgeable about anime, but they are on the list because they stand on their own, and none of us are rookie media consumers.



This list is designed in part to present you with a variety of genres, so you could watch these shows in order to have a better place to start from when looking for additional material - based on what you like and don't like. Future posts will cover movies, and some more shows based on genres and themes. All posts will be organized .

Robotics;Notes

Robotics;Notes is an anime from Production I.G, you may know them from their work with Ghost in the Shell and the Blood franchise. It's based on a visual novel game by 5pb, the same group that was responsible for Steins;Gate and a list of other games you've probably never heard of. Since their stuff doesn't usually leave Japan. That all sounds pretty promising to me. Let's take a look at the anime and see how long that lasts.



The story follows a young man named Kai and his friend Akiho, who comprise the robotics club of Tanegashima High School. But all isn't going well. They have no funding with which to finish their giant robot and the principal wants to shut them down. To further complicate matters, Kai stumbles upon a mysterious program called the Kimijima report. To its credit, Robotics;Notes does have some interesting ideas, its technology is futuristic but most of it does come across as plausible, and its main plot thread does have some good moments. However, the ending is weak and it's very slowly paced. It isn't until the 16th episode that the major plot threads start paying off. Up until that point it's all build up and the concepts they're working with really aren't interesting enough to merit that much build up. Consequently, a lot of the early episodes just drag. The major romance sub-plot also falls rather flat. They give you some idea that the characters might possibly care for each other beyond friendship throughout the anime, but they never give you a reason to care. Which resulted in me not being able to find a damn to give when they had their obligatory pairing up scene towards the end. In fact, the anime would have been stronger without that sub-plot. What there is of it is just cliched and they could've done everything exactly the same with the characters in question just being good friends.

Sword Art Online

Greetings guys, gals, and pals,



Remember that time I told you I wouldn't be doing reviews for a while? Well, I lied. Sorry. vv

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Petshop of Horrors

Welcome, my friends, to the end of horror anime month. Petshop of Horrors is a four episode horror anthology OVA from Madhouse entertainment based on a ten volume Manga by Akino Matsuri. The manga has recently continued with a second series that's currently eight volumes in and still going, but that came after the OVA so I doubt very much that any of the elements or plot lines introduced within it are going to come up. Let's take a look at the OVA and see what mysteries this little shop contains.



Since the series is an anthology without an underlying narrative, lets look at the setup. There's a pet shop in a Chintown within the United States run by a man known as Count D. He sells regular pets as well as exotic ones to certain, deserving, customers. All of these pets come with a three condition contract. If any of these conditions are broken, then the shop assumes no responsibility for the consequences. In the meantime, a homicide detective named Leon is looking into Count D since so many unsolved deaths seem to involve customers of his shop. The stories in this are interesting. They have really good atmosphere, build up and legitimately creepy moments as well. They aren't scary, but they're the closest to horror I've come across all month.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Pop Gypsy Hall of Fame: Villains #1

Hello my peoples.Gypsy Blair here with another fine update.Today, we'll be focusing on the first entry into THE POP GYPSY HALL OF FAMEFamefame .



"Your echo effect sucks."

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Great Anime

I realized yesterday that its been a while since I've seen really good anime.Kamisama no inai nichiyoubi was pretty good, but it wasn't epic the way I had hoped.Shingeki no kyoujin is.But the problem is, as good as the plot may be, I discovered the manga first, and so I knew what was going to happen the whole season.The animation and framing is enjoyable though.Last year katanagatari, anohana were the best ones I saw that I can remember off the top of my head.But a lot of what I watch isnt that memorable.Watching new anime as it comes out is directly exploring, which is good.I watch the raws for those, so I get japanese practice out of it regardless.But there are 25~ series at least, every season.Some of them are continuations, but the rest are new.Ive watched and dumped quite a few this month already.As time passes, it gets easier to tell which ones were good and which ones weren't worth watching.To a point.Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann scored a 7.8 on one sight, but I thought it was a 9.There are anime that fill certain slots in an otaku's life.My generation had the sailor moon thing, now its precure, maybe?.hack is now SAO.You watch one, and any after it seem the same, because you saw that one first.This is usually where ratings and my impressions dont match up. That 3 episode rule, sometimes its good, but I believe that in the first episode, you can get a feel for the whole thing.Madoka Magica doesnt go all dark until the third episode, but in the first one someones trying to kill off the mascot, and the feeling is already there.Samurai Champloo, 1 episode was enough.Some, the first episode is the best one.Ga Rei Zero had an awesome first one.The series was pretty good, but the beginning tops the whole season.I wish I didnt know what was going to happen when I watched it though.Thats the other thing.I have a sort of neurosis about which way I experience a series, because once you know the plot, theres no going back.Watch a crappy anime, and when you switch to the manga it makes it harder to read sometimes.Though, if you insist on watching the junk one, do it first.Like, dragon ball legends, that live action, probably isnt as bad if you dont know what dragon ball is.
Full Post

Zola's Initial Thoughts on Fall 2013 Animes!

Hiyo! It's been a bit busy with midterms and all that (psh all Pokemon!) But as I said on the podcast 2 weeks ago, I'll be doing a small writeup on the shows that I started. Before I begin, some of these animes I only watched ONE episode of. As such, I might not be the best judge and should it actually get better (or potentially worse?), I'll make a note of it in a future post. Also, I won't be going over the "sequel" animes just because I feel that if you're curious about it, you probably watched the previous seasons. Also, I feel like I harp on the same idea too much when it comes to these. Therefore, no talk on Kuroko no Basuke, Hajime no Ippo, Little Busters (WATCH IT!), etcNow then let's begin!



btw, picture is of Hanazawa Kana's new role in Tokyo Ravens at Nastume. Kawaii deshou!? HAHAHAHA

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann review

Heyo everyone, Amp here bringing you another review



So if you have read the title i assume you know which anime I'm reviewing yeah TTGL (Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann) is one of those shows that only come round once in a while. Many feels were shed in that anime and many brave otaku ventured into the world of TTGL .

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Autumn 2013

This week: newfound respect and appreciation for Nadeko in MONOGATARI SERIES SECOND SEASON, comparisons of KILL LA KILL to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking, the mismanaged emotional aspects of COPPELION, and questioning how the profession of modeling impacts the themes of heroes and justice in SAMURAI FLAMENCO.



Best episode of the week: KYOUSOGIGA (TV)

Monday, October 14, 2013

Have You Killed Your Kill Today?

So what are you doing right now, friends? Doing the dishes? Waiting for the pizza guy to deliver a hot box of cheesy shame? Jackin' it? You're probably jackin' it. Not that I care, or anything, I'm just saying...



WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, FUCKING STOP THAT!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

The Incomplete Yet Objective But Somewhat Inaccurate Impressions of Late 2013 Anime

(Editor Note Thing: GASP! Updatedude actually wrote a post.)



Here's a secret. I don't watch anime. Not for years. Oh, I catch an episode or OVA here and there, and I'velegally acquired a bunch of them, but for the most part I just skim them and can't work up the will to actually watch anything. It's all Americartoons for me lately.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Introduction

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Mischa but I use the pseudonym Ktulu007. I'm a Deutsch writer and I also do anime reviews. I've been doing these online for a couple years. Initially, I wasn't planning on bringing this aspect of my online life to WordPress. However, I changed my mind. Let me start by saying that, right now, I don't plan on bringing any of my old reviews to WordPress. There are simply too many. That being said, I do take requests for anime that you may want to see me review and if one of the anime I've already reviewed comes up I will bring that particular review over, although I may elect to make some minor changes. Like putting it into the regular format should it be an older review.



There are a few conditions I observe for review requests.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Autumn 2013

This post reviews: KYOUKAI NO KANATA, COPPELION, KILL LA KILL, NAGI NO ASUKARA, and STRIKE THE BLOOD.



You can also add KYOUSOGIGA in this post as a keeper but, since it was simply a repeat of the original OVA, I really have nothing new to add.Except that Kyousogiga is still awesome in just about every way.I am a slight bit disappointed that it wasn't a new episode but I can't fault them by wanting to start from the beginning again for this new TV anime.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Quick Thoughts-Kill la Kill

I'm excited for the Fall season this year. There is the potential for some great shows. At the forefront is Kill la Kill. And after watching this first episode, I was not disappointed.



Kill la Kill is the first full series developed by Studio Trigger. If you don't know already, Trigger was founded by former Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi and Masahiko Ohtsuka two years ago in August 2011. They roared into the forefront of the anime scene with their original net animation Infero Cop, and their wildly popular short film Little Witch Academia. If the name Hiroyuki Imaishi seems familiar, its because he won an individual award for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. And it's his influence that is blatantly apparent in this first episode. And I love it.

Autumn 2013

October marks the beginning of the final anime season of 2013.The Autumn anime season is typically a heavy one, marking the beginning of many new shows and the return of a number of favorites that were lucky or popular enough to be brought back.And Autumn 2013 is no exception, seeing as the line-up for this season has numerous amounts of potentially good or great anime to choose from.And as is the case with every season, these next few weeks are crucial to deciding which shows are worth keeping and which ones can be forgotten.And as with every anime season preview prior, I'll take a quick but largely complete overview of all the shows airing this season while also including my thoughts and plans for each show.So onward, to the Autumn 2013 Anime Season Preview!



Starting off with the returning anime for Autumn 2013, a dozen anime will resume, beginning each franchise again with a continuation, sequel, spin-off or some other type of series revival.Of course, this doesn't even mention all the OVAs and movies coming out this season too, which continue to expand and grow at an amazing rate.Nevertheless, the line-up for TV anime returning this season are: FREEZING VIBRATION, HAJIME NO IPPO 3, INFINITE STRATOS S2, KAKUMEIKI VALVRAVE 2, KUROKO NO BASKET S2, KYOUSUGIGA TV, LITTLE BUSTERS!: REFRAIN, MAGI: THE KINGDOM OF MAGIC, PHI BRAIN S3, POKEMON XY, TEEKYUU S3, WHITE ALBUM 2, and YOZAKURA QUARTET: HANA NO UTA.Of course, I'm unfamiliar with a number of these franchises, so if you've seen them and plan on continuing to watch them, I have nothing of value here.And if you're watching to watch them without any prior knowledge, I recommend you look elsewhere since other sources would be much more valuable and experienced than what you'd find here.However, about half of these anime I am familiar with and have plans to continue this season.So with that, here is my outlook on the sequels I plan on following this season:

Friday, October 4, 2013

The Fall Anime Season is Here (Part 3)!

Title: Kill la Kill

Release Date: Oct 3, 2013

Studio: Trigger

Who the Hell do you Think I Am?!?; Impressions of Kill la Kill

Let's talk about Kill la Kill, one of the most anticipated anime of the year. Does it measure up to expectations?



WENDEEGO: To sum up: this is Gurren Lagann with the brakes off. Now if you haven't seen the episode, boot up Crunchyroll or Daisuki or Hulu or whatever and watch this episode immediately. I can't guarantee that you'll like it but this is something that deserves to be seen before you know anything about it.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Anime Review: Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

A long time ago, a young upstart animator named Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Toho to create a television series. Being a fan of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he came up with an outline for a show called Around the World Under the Sea. The idea was that a pair of orphaned children got caught up in a conflict against a great evil and a rebel submarine crew. The idea was shelved and never developed, but Miyazaki would later take the concept and tweak it somewhat to make Castle in the Sky.



Jump to a few years later, where a new, flourishing animation studio called Gainax, known for having created the Daicon III and IV sci-fi promos, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and Aim for the Top! Gunbuster (and later would make such hits as Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), was approached by Toho to make a TV show for Japan's public broadcaster, NHK. While digging around, the studio members found Miyazaki's concept and were captivated by it. Handing it off to Gunbuster director Hideaki Anno, they developed the series into one of the most popular anime of the early 90s, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.

Best Anime Series of 2007

After a few posts on AKB48, here it is back on an anime topic. Many people on the netsphere considers 2007 to be one of the best, if not the best years of anime. They certainly contain some of the most well-known animes, both widely and within specific anime community (Death Note, Gurren Lagann, Lucky Star, Nodame Cantabile among them). Therefore, this is the year that I am particularly interested in seeing which anime series comes out on top.Note that similar to other analyses I did recently, I am considering an anime to be of a particular year based on when it finished, thus Code Geass, Death note and Nana (all released in late 2006) are considered as 2007 anime in my book.



Without further ado:10. DENNOU COIL ()

The Anime Music Tournament 2013 Bracket Osaka

Like the post from the Naota bracket, I post here with of brackets completed, and the close to finishing. As were nearing the end of the first round, hopefully things will become a little easier to work on. As for now, here's some more interesting pieces to listen to.



BOR1P1

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Music Monday: Those Anime Music Composers

A week ago, my brother handed me a piece of paper, only accompanied by a meaningful look: on it, there was a list of songs he (I presumed) wanted downloaded. (Why a seventeen-year-old boy makes her sister do that for him is easy to answer - he's beyond lazy.)



It was mostly soundtracks, from anime, which made me realize how much I love some of those soundtracks. Usually serious anime have music much better composed than a simple cartoon. Usually, they have CDs published, one for an average of 25 episodes. I watch lots of series and well, and it's completely different, as those tend to have 'proper songs' by lesser or more well known bands as background music, and a few characteristic, but not too creative tunes. Anime music is usually over-the-top and really epic, more similar with film soundtracks than the music from various television shows.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Nippon's Trident: A Monkey Wrench In The Anime Writer's Toolbox

NOTE: After noticing that the 3 components of Nippon's Trident formed a Venn diagram, I realized that Nippon's Trident could actually be applied to sequels and continuing story arcs in general. So the name Nippon's Trident doesn't quite fit anymore. Later I'll come up with a better one. For now, keep in mind that while I only exemplify Anime here, you should try applying it to stories of all mediums.



Videogames are unique in that they are part of both the technology and entertainment industries. Because of this, games generally share aspects from mediums in both industries. So every once in a while, it's worth examining how the techniques of other mediums crop up in games. So let's look at anime and manga for a moment. Many Japanese games use a manga art style (like anime) and many others will borrow anime's tropes, making Japanese videogames relation to anime and manga immediately apparent. Note I am not what one would call a "fan" of those mediums. I don't actively seek anime to watch or manga to read, nor do I keep up with current series. However, I have absolutely zero qualms against the mediums themselves and will watch shows at others' recommendation (usually after doing some kind of research on what I'm getting myself into). Some of these series, however, make my skin crawl. Namely the ones which seem to be competing for the coveted Longest Story Ever Written Award.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

OPENING PARAGRAPHHOW ARE TWO ROCK CD COVERS GENRE REPRESENTED AND HOW IT IS REPRESENTED IN VARIOUS WAYS?

Throughout rock bands of the century all of the cd covers genre is represented with different connotations like historic events on the artwork for example the rock band Led zeppelin did an album cover with a black and white image of the burning Hindenburg airship crashing. The image refers to the origin of the band's name itself as well and referring to the historic event it shows aspects of their genre by the audience seeing catastrophes and the zeppelin blowing up these are commonly related to hard rock or heavy metal. In other rock bands album covers there is bold iconic images such as in the band Pink floyd they have used a triangular prism dispersing light into all the colors of the rainbow this relates to the songs in the album of the "Dark side of the moon" for reasons such as all of the songs from "Breathe" to "Brain damage" show stages in the human life cycle and the problems and issues which occur throughout it, the style of the artwork indicates a hint to the audience of the genre which is progressive rock. The two rock bands cd covers I will be analyzing are one by Iron maiden this is "The number of the beast" album cover and the band called Area 11 with there "All the lights in the sky "album I will show how each of their genre are represented in different ways and how these ways differ from each other's style and meaning behind the artwork covers and the songs titles. For example "the number of the beast "album is represented as to show the idea of hell from an inspiration of a 1960's comic book this was of a villain dangling someone on some strings like a puppet as replicated in the artwork it is of Eddie controlling Satan like a puppet while Satan is also controlling a smaller Eddie this design highlights some meaning of evil in a chain of Eddie and Satan controlling each other and this concept is relative to its genre being hard rock as they tend to show images similar to this. When looking at the Area 11 "all the lights in the sky" artwork however this was designed based on a popular anime called 'Tengen toppa gurren lagann' this is noticeable at the start of the opening song where the scene in very familiar to the artwork of the album this is presented to the audience and from this they may get the meanings that all of their songs are about popular anime's. In the art work it shows a girl anime styled facing towards the sky into space from the planet this character and the place she is standing upon is darken this may be a technique to make it stand out above all the co lours on the artwork. Some connotations that prove its genres being a hybrid is the fact it is futurist, set in space and the colors are very vivid this hints the genre of electronic rock lastly the connotations to hint it being gaijin rock are the focus that the artwork is set in a scene from a anime which is part of Japanese culture also the character on the front is a Japanese styled anime character again referring to Japanese culture.
Full Post

Monday, September 16, 2013

THE GENRE OF MY CHOSEN TEXTS ARE: Firstly starting with Area 11 there focus in the genres are electronic rock and gaijin rock this is a hybrid type of band.Whereas Iron maiden has a genre covering the hard rock category or heavy metal.



THECODES AND CONVECTION'S TO THE GENRES THAT ARE FOUND IN BOTH ALBUMS OF THE BANDS ARE: To begin with Iron maidens "number of the beast"shows a vivid image of Eddie which has been the bands iconic figure shown in all of the albums produced.Because the band is heavy metal and hard rock the main image is very intense and has a lot of colours contrasting with each other to set the scene in a location where the world is ending by lighting in the sky,world burning and Satan controlling a smaller Eddie to do his work.Iron maiden tend to use Eddie to represent them instead of placing themselves on the cover like pop artists may do and they use realism of religious beliefs and historical events and recreate them to form a illustration of what happens.The artists name of iron maiden comes from the iron maiden torture device this is shown in bold red with a white outlining this stands out amidst the background of the album and gives a connotation of it being in the heavy metal genre.The album name is "the number of the beast" this is shown in a sort of blood writing with a red font because it is a heavy metal genre the font is intended to be shown like this to the audience scrawled on the left hand side of the album.When looking at the songs included in the album you notice they are all similar to the title of the album and its genre in many ways for example all the songs from "invaders" to "run to the hills"they all have a same sort of theme and within them they including historic events and religious issues the names given to each song sound action packed and by this you can tell that the bands genre will be heavy metal.When looking at the other album i chose this was "all the lights in the sky" by Area 11 this has some codes and convection's included. To start of with this cover shows a girl anime styled facing towards the sky into space from a planet this character and the place she is standing upon is darkened for effect there is colourful lights in the sky which make the cover stand out more and relate it to the albums title of "all the lights in the sky".Because of its genre being both electronic rock and gaijin rock there are some codes and convection's on the artwork with it being electronic rock the scene is futurist, set in space and the colours are very vivid and contrast well to catch the audiences eye, the connotations that hint it being gaijin rock is that the artwork is set in a scene from a anime "'Tengen toppa gurren lagann"which is part of Japanese culture also the character on the front is a Japanese styled anime character again referring to Japanese culture although the music itself is in English.The name of Area 11 comes from a reference to the anime "Code geass"this straightforwardly hints a connotation to its gaijin rock genre however when viewing the font style on the front of the cover it is done in a way which makes it appear futuristic it is also very bold in white with light shining out of it hinting towards the electronic rock genre.The albums name "All the lights in the sky"relates to one of the songs and the cover of the album linking it with the setting showing colourful lights pitched in the sky overhead of the anime styled character this is done in the same furistist format that the band name was done in however it is not emmiting light to not ruin how much the name stands out this is showing the genre of electronic rock.When looking at the songs included in the album there is a pattern included throughout them when listerning to "Shi no barado" to the song "Euphemia" you realise that they have a theme and throughout the songs they talk about iconic events within series of animes this again relates to the genre of gaijin rock.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Hm, I thought I published this on the weekends but apparantly I saved it as a draft. I might have had something more to write about but then it's already damn long and I can't think of anything that I was going to add. I would have remembered it if it were important anyway; so here goes:



TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN

Sunday, September 8, 2013

30-Day Anime Challenge, Day 27

When I first read this category, I thought to myself, "This has to be a Kamina scene." And sure enough, that opinion hasn't changed. But which one? There are so many to choose from. So I picked the most epic one, the one that was the most meaningful to the series. You know which one it is.



KAMINA'S GIGA DRILL BREAKER & DEATH (TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN)

Stubbs' Top 10 Favourite Anime

You can all read the title. I don't need to make a big introduction to this. Just know that this is only my top 10 personal favourites, not the top 10 best of all time. This is just my opinion. That said, here we go!



10) Gosick:

Am I an Anime Hipster?

And is there even such a thing as an "anime hipster"?



I have a very open (and sometimes vocal) distaste for the mainstream. To some that automatically labels me a hipster (which has become a running gag among my peers). I'm the guy who'd you be walking with through a theater, see a poster for the super popular Something-Something 3, and when you ask me if I wanna watch it I'd go out of my way to say "Nah. It's too mainstream". The same thing with books (especially since "Young Adult" has been in some sort of audience boom as of late). It's not as bad with music though, thankfully, since there is a genre for popular music.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Free! Episodes 8 and 9: The Good, the Bad, and the Medley

I was so angry about the cliffhanger in episode 8 that I took the week off, but this works out since now I can talk about the relay while knowing the outcome. Haruka is devastated by his loss to Rin and, being someone who's been swimming all his life for what is mostly the love of the water, is very confused. What Haruka does not know is that his mental distress is just a symptom of his mind becoming genre savvy.



See, in all sports anime, the absolute most important thing is teamwork. People will push themselves beyond boundaries they thought they had for the sake of making their team victorious. In Chihayafuru, this happens in a metaphysical sense, with characters like Sumire finding herself working hard for the team despite originally being apathetic, as well as a physical sense, with Chihaya continuing to playing with an injured hand. In Girls und Panzer, Miho joins the Panzerfahren team for her friends' sake and ends up finding a family in them that helps her grow to love the very sport she started out avoiding.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Romance: The Power of Excess in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

[Sigh.] Yeah Note: Another attempt at more-accessible diction/organization.



I spent Monday and Tuesday watching Blu-ray rips of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (the set was , to ). What made my experience so magical was the fact that I could watch the series at both the macro and the micro levels--and enjoy the series more thoroughly, at a level of thoroughness that very few anime titles ever seem to merit. Few series make you want to go through something again and again, the whole way through. As such, I'm a huge fan of spastically and repetitively re-watching 10 or 20-second snippets of a given series.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

30-Day Anime Challenge, Day 19

So when I saw this topic I got a little excited. Tons of anime have really epic scenes, how can I pick just one? With that in mind, to narrow down the list, I tried to define "epic". I came up with a few criteria:



1. It must be of paramount importance to the story. I'm not talking about some random epic things that a character has done, it has to mean something.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

30-Day Anime Challenge, Day 11

Now Mecha is an interesting genre. Not only because the concept of fighting humanoid robots is cool, but also because that's never ALL that the show is. Mecha can be so much more. From really sad, to intellectually stimulating, to incredibly ridiculous. My favourite mecha anime definitely falls into the last category. I think you all know what it is.



TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN

Sunday, August 25, 2013

2007, Part 1: Seven for Seven: Three Robot Tales

Owen writes copy for a living, and has been known to occasionally extend that ability to anime, although it's a while since he did so. When he's not attempting to finish his backlog of games on , he can be usually found on , trying to break language 140 characters at a time.Everyone knows how this list ends. It's the beginning, however, that makes the most of what it really is: an unbridled look at nostalgia barely six years old. That's kindergarten age! How do you tell Nostalgia that they have to get out of the house, put on a uniform, and play nice with the others? One week at a time, I think.



For this year, I decided to focus on seven original, made-for-anime works. No adaptations, please; we try to keep the riff-raff out. The emphasis on "made for anime" here was a no-brainer; the problem with adaptations, inevitably, lies in how the original's vision has to be molded to fit into the target medium, and in this case anime. In this the premise of an adaptation is usually flawed; the arcs in a manga are either ignored or overtly drawn out, the sparse text of a light novel becomes a plodding 25-minute exercise in animated dramas, and the less said about visual novel adaptations, the better.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Animation Talk: Anime Recommendation 3

Yes, another list of anime that I can recommend for some reason or another. Not all of these might suit your tastes, but in my description I will give my reasons why you should watch these and if those aren't enough for you, then it might not be for you (although it doesn't hurt to check out the first episode at least).



1. Beelzebub (60 episodes)

Friday, August 23, 2013

Dreams Come True: Reliving My Childhood through Little Witch Academia

It probably goes without saying that as you grow older, your tastes change, and even perhaps mature. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds myself increasingly cynical of modern media, be it film, anime, video games, or one of the many other forms of entertainment available today. Believe it or not, when I was in high school, I recall myself boastfully telling a friend that there wasn't a single anime I'd seen that I didn't like. Let me assure you, I've watched some anime that I wouldn't think twice about going back to now! These days, however, I find myself in the complete opposite position - while I still like anime, it's much more difficult to find titles I enjoy, and there are only a handful of series that I would wholeheartedly recommend to friends without hesitation.



I'm not really interested in talking about why it gets harder to enjoy certain things as you age, because that's a whole other topic in and of itself. Instead, I'd like to highlight a title that instantly brought me back to that feeling I had when I first saw Sailor Moon transform on Cartoon Network many years ago: Little Witch Academia.

The Anime Music Tournament 2013 Bracket Charlotte

Very late with this one, as the have already closed, though I was a little busy with other things, namely having a good time at Otakon 2013. That being said, let's get into the swing of things again.



BCR1P1

GenCon 2013 Photos, Part 3 of 6: Still More Costume Contest (Last Call)

Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover: GENCON GENCON GENCON GENCON GENCON. My wife and I average four conventions a year, and GenCon consistently has the broadest, most impressive assortment of cosplayers and handicrafts of them all. Sure, we could leave this work up to the professionals with better cameras but why?



In we listed all the Costume Contest winners. In we celebrated several other entrants, all game-themed. This time around is the last of the contest photos, what we have left that's as close to usable as possible. We would've taken more and better photos if circumstances had permitted. Traditionally we've been able to do so after the contest ends, when many of the contestants usually hang around the ballroom and/or the adjacent staging room for a while. Unfortunately this year's contest ran much longer than usual. By the time the house lights came up and all the prizes had been claimed, the majority of the cosplayers had long since fled the vicinity for parts unknown.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Up until now, I'd avoided this series. Initially, it seemed like something that I wouldn't like to watch, for no reason in particular. Recently, though, a certain reviewer came up with a review of this series, and I, lacking any series to watch, decided to give it a shot. As such, I'd like to start off this review by stating that Gurren Lagann is an amazing anime. It offered three of the most important things I look for in an anime -- emotion, action and raw entertainment. If you haven't seen it already, I suggest you watch it immediately after reading this review.



Gurren Lagann is a story told on a grand scale, large to the extent that it's nearly unfathomable. For years, humanity has been hounded underground by the Spiral King, oppressed underneath the surface of the Earth by monstrous Gunmen, which are essentially mecha, piloted by the cruel Beastman race. Simon, a digger in one of the underground villages, finds one of the Gunmen buried deep underground. With the help of Kamina, his friend and inspiration, and the company of Yoko, a girl with a rifle, Simon is forced to help free the human race from the iron hand of the Spiral King, armed only with Gurren Lagann, the Gunmen produced by combining his and Kamina's mecha. That's only half of the plot, until the series undergoes a time skip after the aforementioned king's defeat. In the end, though, the story that's told is worthy of being considered an epic, spanning decades over the course of twenty seven episodes. As the characters progress in both their attempts to overthrow their enemies and their lives, new cast members are introduced and taken away. All in all, this leaves for a captivating plotline that I can't describe very efficiently. The best way to understand the grandness of Gurren Lagann's story is to watch the show yourself, which I highly recommend you do.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Life update

1. Focus retreat - SO MUCH FUN 10/10 but I don't want to do the activities ever again! Highlight would be staying in the mud for 2 hours which was GOD DAMN FREEZING. I was one of the people who were standing on the rear end of people and I could see almost everyone just shaking to death ahaha.



Another good one was the going over the bridge and I was scared triple time because 1. I'm scared of heights 2. I didn't want to fall in icy water 3. Pretty much no clothes left 4. Kohei fell in already so there is much possibility of me falling 5. The plank so short in width 6. The plank SHAKES NOOOO 7. Justin 2big4me. So yeah the mental pressure was driving me crazy. When we were just about to swap position I thought I felt a time of near eternity holycrap. But I just clung on Justin and it was over in no time. I think I screamed out in happiness afterwards lul.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Giant robots! Giant Robots! Giant robots! Did we mention GIANT FUCKING ROBOTS?! Living their lives under the ground- like all humans, Kamina and Simon find something that is gonna change their world just as their home is violently intruded by something from the outside world. The two meet new friends and have epic battles beyond limits.



Episodes: 27

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Wallpaper Of The Week: Yoko Littner "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann"

One of the main character from the super mecha genre anime series "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann".

Yoko is a girl from Jeeha's neighboring village Littner, who had been chasing the Gunmen which entered Jeeha village. She wields an extensive range of firearms which include a long range sniper rifle (which she uses most frequently) modeled after the Barrett M82 and hand guns (which can be assumed is used for midrange or close combat) and has previous experience fighting Gunmen. Although she is of the same age group as Simon, she is mature and one of the most rational of the group.
Full Post

Anime Recommendation #10: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

ALTERNATIVE TITLESEnglish: Gurren LagannSynonyms: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, Making Break-Through Gurren Lagann, Heavenly Breakthrough Gurren Lagann, TTGLJapanese:

INFORMATIONEpisodes: 27Aired: Apr 1, 2007 to Sep 30, 2007Producers: Gainax, Aniplex, Konami, Half H.P Studio, Bandai, Bandai EntertainmentL, Aniplex of AmericaLGenres: Action, Comedy, Mecha, Sci-FiDuration: 24 min. per episodeRating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

SYNOPSISIn a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Your Brief History Of Giant Robots

Adi Tantimedh writes;



So GUILLERMO DEL TORO's PACIFIC RIM opened last weekend and there are some people who think it's a rip-off of TRANSFORMERS.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Genshiken Nidaime 01: Then and Now, There and Here

This will be my first full official episodic cover of an anime series in over 2 years and I think no series is more appropriate and more deserving than this one right here. For a very long time Genshiken has been a series that is very close to my heart, those who know me very well will testify to the fact that this show occupy's the very top spot in y heart for favourite series right alongside Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (and that's saying something). I started reading the Genshiken manga back in High School and at once I felt a strong connection with the character of Sasahara; I saw a great deal of my younger self in him, all of the desire to find a place to express feelings that I wasn't entirely sure would be accepted or tolerated by others and yet unwilling all the same to truly let myself go even if I did find such a place. The story of the initial part of Genshiken is the story of Sasahara's growth and in it's own way it was the story of mine as well. Though I never found a rag-tag group of quirky otaku misfits like he did, I learned to accept the truth and beauty of being who I was at all times no matter the circumstances through the adventures of their special little club. Much like with TTGL, Genshiken shaped the course of my life in ways great and small and is very much a part of who I am today.



That however, was then and this is now. Nowadays, though I still follow the Manga and everything Kio Shimoku has put out since then, I have a lot more on my plate and life calls for a slowing down of the heavy investment of time and energy into the things we once thought were so important to us so that we can take care of the responsibilities of "adult" life. I have grown up since the first time I started following this series and amazingly, thankfully, so have the members of the Genshiken as well.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Anime North, and a group gathering at Hooters :)

Missed last weekends events, so this one will be a huge post



Anime North is essentially a large convention where fans of Anime, Japanese style animation, gather to meet, dress up as their favourite characters from these Tv series.

What is this... Favorite Anime? REVISITED

Back in October 2011, . At the time, I had a somewhat limited watch history and, to be honest, I hadn't quite thought some of them through. I figure it's about time I fix that. This time around I'm going to do it by genre instead of just naming a bunch of the same genre and copping out on the others. Variety is the spice of life, you know?



THE REQUIREMENTS: According to my friends, I have some very high standards when it comes to animated shows, and I can't really dispute that. I do have high standards for shows because I've seen so many incredible shows and can't tolerate anything less. Most of these will meet every requirement, but some might not. Some are non-negotiable, like a decent story and likable characters, while others, like animation and music, are important but won't completely ruin an anime if they aren't superb. "Graphics aren't everything" we gamers like to say...

Why Every Anime is Set in High School

Anyone that has watched enough anime outside the shounen and fantasy genres notices that every other show seems take place in a high school. They feature characters that are high school students, or are based on a certain kind of after school clubin a high school.While fanservice potential no doubt contributes to the reason this is such a prolific setting, I believe the perfusionthink it stems from cultural norms.



There's a Japanese proverb, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down", which I'm sure feels right at home in the rigid, protocol-filled Japanese society. Japanese people are expected to conform to societal expectations and behavior by the time they enter the professional world. While they are in the education system learning about science, history, and the 50 billion kanji they need to know to be literate, they still have some freedom to act like fun-loving teenagers instead of like robots responsible, conforming adults. Due to the less strict environment and the fact that schools are a powerhouse of social interaction, characters are much more likely to express their personalities. No doubt this is where many of the archetypes that come up in every main character's class come from.

Names You Should Know: Hiroyuki Imaishi

This is part of a new series I've wanted to do about some of the less-well known names in anime. I'm not sure how it is in other countries, but there isn't much familiarity with the anime industry in America. Sure, any self-respecting convention-goer may be able to rattle off a whole string of names, but the average American would be hard-pressed to name one...and that one name would probably be Hayao Miyazaki (thanks, ). Fortunately, just as there is more than one great director running around Hollywood, there are plenty more great anime directors in the Land of the Rising Sun. Here's one:



Hiroyuki Imaishi. This name probably means nothing to you now, but you've definitely heard of him. He got his start doing key animation on projects like Diebuster, Kare Kano, and FLCL (he directed the), but his big break came when he made his debut as series director for one of the greatest mecha of all time: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. The show went on to win the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival () and developed a devoted fan base.

Gurren Lagann's Yoko

Yoko Littner is one of the primary characters from the anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Yoko is a girl from Jeeha's neighboring village Littner, who had been chasing the Gunmen which entered Jeeha village. She wields an extensive range of firearms which include a long range sniper rifle (which she uses most frequently) modeled after the Barrett M82 and hand guns (which can be assumed is used for midrange or close combat) and has previous experience fighting Gunmen. Although she is of the same age group as Simon, she is mature and one of the most rational of the group. Let's see few cute and pretty cosplays of Yoko Littner below here.
Full Post

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Gurren Lagann's Yoko

Yoko Littner is one of the primary characters from the anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Yoko is a girl from Jeeha's neighboring village Littner, who had been chasing the Gunmen which entered Jeeha village. She wields an extensive range of firearms which include a long range sniper rifle (which she uses most frequently) modeled after the Barrett M82 and hand guns (which can be assumed is used for midrange or close combat) and has previous experience fighting Gunmen. Although she is of the same age group as Simon, she is mature and one of the most rational of the group. Let's see few cute and pretty cosplays of Yoko Littner below here.
Full Post

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Anime North, and a group gathering at Hooters :)

Missed last weekends events, so this one will be a huge post



Anime North is essentially a large convention where fans of Anime, Japanese style animation, gather to meet, dress up as their favourite characters from these Tv series.

Your Daily digest for pipe naruto

Changes are afoot at Blogtrottr!



By popular request, we're bringing in paid plans with some cool new features (and more on the way). You can read all about it in our .

Names You Should Know: Hiroyuki Imaishi

This is part of a new series I've wanted to do about some of the less-well known names in anime. I'm not sure how it is in other countries, but there isn't much familiarity with the anime industry in America. Sure, any self-respecting convention-goer may be able to rattle off a whole string of names, but the average American would be hard-pressed to name one...and that one name would probably be Hayao Miyazaki (thanks, ). Fortunately, just as there is more than one great director running around Hollywood, there are plenty more great anime directors in the Land of the Rising Sun. Here's one:



Hiroyuki Imaishi. This name probably means nothing to you now, but you've definitely heard of him. He got his start doing key animation on projects like Diebuster, Kare Kano, and FLCL (he directed the), but his big break came when he made his debut as series director for one of the greatest mecha of all time: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. The show went on to win the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival () and developed a devoted fan base.

I want to see itachi lay the smack down on sasuke again sasuke: you may believe that my ninja way is

FAQ Members List Calendar Welcome to the Naruto Forums. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before thetford australia you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection thetford australia below. thetford australia

Which Edo Uchiha Would You Rather Sasuke Confront?

Chibason View Public Profile Find More Posts by Chibason

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Un spin-off pour Gurren Lagann

Il s'agit de Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - Otoko Ippiki-hen. Au dessin on retrouvera Masaki Nonoya, ...

Gurren Lagann Drama CD Set in Modern School Inspires Manga

Gainax 's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann television premiered in Japan in 2007. Aniplex USA is releasing the Japanese Blu-ray Disc box set in the United States and Canada on Wednesday. The box set includes three previously released drama CDs ...

Gurren Lagann

Tengen toppa Guren Ragan o Gurren Lagann o qui da noi Sfondamento dei cieli: Gurren Lagann nasce come un anime shonen di genere mecha/action/sci-fi creato dallo studio GAINAX e co-prodotto da Konami e Aniplex. La serie รจ composta da 27 episodi: ...