RT Secret Santa 2011: Summer Wars

Two Ghibli Shorts Screened One Night Only at Carnegie Hall

RT Secret Santa 2010: Do You Rememeber Love

Intro/Background

This is my first year participating in the Reverse Thieves Secret Santa Project, this is a cross-anime site blogging experiment that is started by the Reveres Thieves, to promote anime titles that may or may not have been seen by various bloggers participating in what appears to be a second year project for the Reverse Theives.

Each blog initially submits an application with an up to date anime series list on MAL or any other website listing agent. From that list, the blogger is given three anime choices by their secret Santa to see in a two month period. Around the holiday season, put up a review for a chosen anime series.

Initial Reasons

For my choices I was given, Banner of the Stars, Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? and Basilisk. Two science fiction and one historical series… yes two genre I barely touch, one even more so than the other. Basilisk though, I will watch on my own time, but it does reflects a time where the world is filled with themes that I am inherently not too fond of. Banner of the Star is supposedly the sequel to Crest of the Stars.. forget about it! I tried watching Crest of the Stars in college, and it left a confused yet sour taste in my mouth. So unless someone ties me to a chair.. Banner of the Stars is a complete no no.

That leaves Macross: Do you remember love? Several reasons that bumped this choice up.

1. Prior conversation with @hisuiRT
2. Macross is a classic series, that I want to watch try and sample at least to know more.
3. Music is a huge draw for me.. I heard the theme song before I saw the movie, so I finally have it in context.

Review

While I have certainly cut back on my anime watching, in favor of manga reading. This was a good break from reading. So I sat and watched Do You Remember Love… and it was a good movie to sit through, if someone wants to cover their basis to watch a title that made famous the idol singer concept, and is an anime classic for many mecha fans. It should be then a primer material for what fans should watch.

In a post-apocalyptic world where mankind is living in a space ship, they become target of two warring alien civilizations. Hikaru Ichijyo, a space fighter pilot rescues idol Lynn Minmay, and a relationship form between these two. The movie spins off with the mention of a love triangle of Hikaru with Misa, and a race to rescue mankind.

This is a movie that is apparently different, from the original tv series of Macross, and as the animation goes – the art is quite dated. Themes in the movie are also quite dated. There was more of a lesser defined role for females other than several, one being a warrior, two a female devoted to their career giving it up after marriage. I found the target of this movie obviously meant for male viewers.

So other than the fact that there are some themes, that I wasn’t as pleased with. The main thing I obviously found quite attractive to this film is the main theme song, Do You Remember Love (愛おぼえていますか). The descendants of man has forgotten how emotion can affect people, so to just keep this in mind. With suddenly hearing lyrics and the depth of the emotion this song convey, can definitely lead to tears. I have stated my opinion that I liked this song, and a later version of the song sung by the actual singer..

Hearing this song over and over again, makes me realize how much I love anime songs, it is just like listening to JAM Project, and of countless other songs on my iPod devoted to sections of music inspired by or of anime songs.

The mecha aspect thought I am still confused by, so I may not be a mecha fan from this film, but to finally place a context to this song is something that I can place some worth in.

Oh and also since this is my first exposure into the Macross series, I can obviously mention that while it was an okay one. So other than the song, and the movie plot line, I am not motivated. I am reluctant to start watching any more of Macross on the same reason why I never started in the first place. Too much time commitment, and I don’t want to end up stressing myself over it. In spite of how popular, latter seasons of this series is, I know my own bias, and that is to watch everything, so as to understand the series.

NYC’s Lower East Side Eroge Figures on Display

Before I forget and the news grow old, I figure that I would need to blog about my experiences with what I first heard AnimeVice reporting about. Eroge figures on display. One of the lucky things about New York Cities, is the galleries that dot the city. Free admission to see displayed art. I have been going to galleries for a bit now, from, and this is definitely something that would make an adult figure fan collector say wow…anime figures going fine arts in America. So the gallery is Gallery Nine 5 near Spring Street.

I went on Friday, a couple of weeks before Utada concert, and I never got the chance to go back. The display didn’t take up the entire store, half of it – but with a timed interest. This display was up to February 12 and that’s it. I found figures I might have recognized, and some others are of a submissive/dominant variety which I find myself saying wow..

All the figures depict woman in states of undress or BDSM inspired, or sexual poses. Some figures are from Queen’s Blade, Bakuretsu Hunters, Ah My Goddess, Bible Black, Gundam Seed Destiny.. plenty of these figures were definitely taken in states of undress, with added adult themed contents props, like Playboy mini-books or bar ornaments.

Since it is more polite to ask if there was a photo shoot policy, the guy said only one picture, so of course I grabbed Kero’s and my camera and snapped two pictures of what I found were neat.

These were tweets I made on that day.

animemiz: Went to Gallery Nine 5, saw figures, was able to take two pics. I like my own figures more, but seeing 3xMizuho-sensei and 2xUrd was sweet.

animemiz: Also saw Queens Blade Figures, Bible Black, maybe Bakuretsu Hunter, and maybe Gundam Seed Destiny. Another trip or 2 there is a must!

Because of the fact that Sunday the 14th was the Lunar New Year, and Valentine Day, decided to postpone this until Monday to be uploaded. But yes, this was an experience.

Kimi ni Todoke Impressions

Ahh.. well this was on a mental list of mine to check out for Fall 2009, and so far of the anime I have seen and it hasn’t disappointed me for the bit, unlike some other anime titles. I am looking forward to reading Viz’s release of this manga.

So far have seen the first two episodes, and while the artwork is slightly softer or perhaps more linear than what I am expecting. I really like the backdrops of Japanese rural towns. I do have some fears, better throw that out before I get upset that my worries did come true.

Hoping that this anime won’t be repeating its themes all the time. So far audience knows that Sawako is really scary to look at, but if she continues to have that kicked/accepting complex, it would be pretty repetitive, and turn off. She better develop a backbone, and accept the friendship before tearing or getting shy all over the place. However, this may be the metamorphism of her character from a shy caterpillar to a butterfly, so I will be watching this series with a keen eye.

The love love implications between Sawako and Kazehaya are really cute though, first love. Somehow in my mind I am brought back to the same feelings, I experienced when I watched Kare Kano back in High School. They’re similar, and not similar titles.

Hearing Sawako’s seiyuu as Mamiko Noto makes me pretty happy. I liked her in Jigoku Shoujo, but so far haven’t been able to persist with much of her series. So hearing her as Sawako is pretty sweet.

Fall coming on pretty fast..Anime/Dorama anyone?

Okay, okay – as a blogger and an semi-anime one I probably should be thinking about what am I going to watch.. but I can say that this is one of the seasons where I am going to say “Huh” – and “Oh – you’re watching that?” – “I am going to watch that when I have time…”

So that is it… going to watch anime when I have time.. would I blog about -probably. Right now thinking more about Brooklyn Book Festival, fall schedule, reviewing, and NYAF coming sooner than later.

I have been kinda skimming over Fall anime blog previews, nothing is really standing out – would catch some of the series irregardless. Kairu wrote something about this Fall season being pretty bad.. but since it is his opinion.

What anime from the previews kinda interest me? None of the sequels with the exception of Darker Than Black, but even then that might take a nosedive.

From Chartfag.wordpress.com is V1. There are the newer series, that would kinda interest me.

Armed Librarians
Kimi ni Todoke
Kobato
Yumeiro Patissiere

Doramas on the other hand.. I kinda look more forward to. Oh and on the side note, checked out some episodes from Korean Drama – My Fair Lady or Take Care of My Lady with Yoon Eun Hye from Coffee Prince and Goong.

These are the series I am thinking about:

Ohitorisama
Tokyo Dogs
My Girl
Real Clothes
Untouchable

Impressions of Saki – Episode 2

Good grief, from the eternal blush to pulling out the Goddess/Megumi card. I am still very skeptical of continuing this series, but I can’t help continue with it. This is one of those series where the protagonist will go from feeling insignificant to discovering that they love the conflict, and then try to surpass to become the best.

Typical shonen plot, that had me wanting to smack my palm to my head several times, when I watched 25 episodes of History’s Strongest Disciple, before quitting the series, on the reason that it became too much to bear. Same thing that happened with so many shonen series, that I fear this will be the same path of Saki. This episode they showed the god like strenght of playing mah jong at the best, with these god like unbelievable hands – and then they reveal a sad background for the protagonist. Still a lot of barrier for those who don’t really understand the game, so technical details will be lost for those novice to playing the game (ie. self included)

I am not really searching for that excuse to cut watching the series, since this was on a mental list of mine to watch in Spring 2009. But man what a surprise.

Episodic Reviews.. to do or not to do -that is the question?

– Melody – Realize

Okay inspiration for this entry was because of reading this entry. I have been reading enough blogs every semester to actually know the dedication that many animebloggers has, and this was one of my original reasons for starting this blog, but because of certain reasons I stopped.

One was because of some odd reasons – episodic blogging and the scope of it, messed up my Categories. Mostly it was my fault, I got too obsessed with trying to figure out order.. and that backfired on me. There’s still an open forum thread asking for support… which wasn’t resolved as I wanted. It got too much of a headache to try and figure out the answer.

Two  was because the blogging of each episode got too much of a chore, as I did those screen caps and impressions.I fell behind, and that was depressing. Blogging wasn’t fun then. Oh it can be like this, but then wouldn’t that block a lot of potential animes? Since it’s been a while, I have been going back to the older animes I never got the chance to see, and then rewatching them. Case in point -marathoning Kamichu at the moment for me.  However because I watch so many old anime on a marathon basics, keeping track, and trying to list them in MAL is one of the harder things for me to do. I look at that list occasionally and wonder hope people can keep up with updating that list.

Three was because it became too much to try and figure out what exactly is good enough to blog? Everyone is going to say oh you’re blogging the same anime series that everyone else is doing, so why bother? My solution for that now, was to go to various blogs and then comment there. It creates community that way. But I always wonder, when there was that one exact epsiode, would it help to blog about it? So reading this blog entry made me think of some more things.

It’ll probably end sooner or later, the Spring 2009 season, but I saw this and this and think of a possibility.

I am contemplate on starting again… should I or not? I do observe enough blogs and their ideas on categorizing the entries, to think about beginning it again. Otherwise there final impressions, but the bad thing now is that I will probably parrot a lot of people… so this idea is still out for the count. Will be contemplating on the matter some more.