Fall 2010 - Rest of the Best

Sumimasen! Sumimasen!

(We're sorry! We're sorry!)

We can't do it. AniMaybe cannot review everything.

There's no way that one person can watch ALL of the shows from the fall anime season. It's impossible. You find someone who can watch hundreds of hours of anime over a three-month span, and I'll show you a skeleton of a person who is trying to claw his way through the walls from either too much anime or too little sunlight. Moderation for all, and until AniMaybe manages to get a second reviewer, you won't see me going through hell and brimstone to get this all done.

What we can do is review what we could watch. The next few entries in this blog will be a review of the shows we were able to catch, along with those shows we just couldn't continue to watch, no matter how much tape you put over our eyelids to keep them open.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto

Synopsis: "Southern Cross Island" off the shores of Japan is not frequented by many visitors, so the arrival of a new student, Takuto Tsunashi, makes a serious splash, especially when he is discovered washed up on its shores by two high-school students. While Takuto instantly becomes friends with Wako and her proposed fiancee Sugata, the friendly environment between himself and the rest of the student body is only a mirage.

The island itself houses many secrets. The organization known as the "Glittering Star Crusade" is investigating the legendary mysteries of the "Cybody" machines and attempting to destroy the maidens of the island that keep the Cybodies from escaping a neutral war ground known as "Zero Time". With their destruction, the Cybodies can be piloted in real time and space, but the arrival of Takuto signals the fated conflict with the "Galactic Pretty-Boy", as he has his own Cybody that he can pilot to battle the "Crusade".

Thoughts: Dare I say it, possibly the most interesting mecha show since Giant Robo? Star Driver is a fantastic new approach to mecha that deserved to be animated. Not only are the machines inventive in their design, but they are inventive in their operation and battle simulation. The characters are colorful in their school setting, yet vicious and vain when turned against each other. Takuto has just enough youthful energy and suspicious background to make him an excellent main character, and his association with Sugata and Wako could make for an interesting relationship.

Why wasn't it reviewed?: Simply put, outside of its premiere at New York Anime Fest in October, there just hasn't been enough exposure. Funimation, Crunchyroll, and ANN have all stepped away from streaming the show. Considering that Aniplex has ventured to release their own materials on DVD, they could be sitting on this series for an non-streamed release, but it's a shame that we haven't seen more of this online. The tease in NYAF, however, does make me hopeful we'll see Star Driver in some form in the US.

Arakawa Under the Bridge*2

Synopsis: Once again, Kô Ichinomiya is wrapped up in the absurd community utopia on the shores of the Arakawa River through his proclaimed relationship with "Nino-san", a blonde Venusian who approaches life through a childlike perception. Straight-laced Kô finds himself suddenly faced with a variety of oddballs, including a star-faced guitarist in love with Nino, a war-scarred male "nun", and a kappa in charge of the community who denies he's wearing a costume (despite the zipper).

While Kô's situation in the first season of the show forced him to butt heads against his demanding father, the second season switches the focus onto Nino's nature as an alien. While the cast of the bizarre increases, Nino is told of her imminent return to Venus. Kô finds this to be an opportunity to get to know Nino more, while of course, the cast of characters sees this as a free trip to Venus.

Thoughts: Once again, Arakawa jabs and needles its viewers with small absurdities before it drops the punch line on them like an ACME anvil. However, we may be seeing the extent of its ability to rib people with surrealism; the new characters don't grab enough attention with their quirks, and the existing supporting cast has their own background held in check. This is definitely good for the Kô/Nino dynamic, in order to build their relationship, but I can't see this series going further than a second season.

Why wasn't it reviewed?: Again, most of it is due to the lack of exposure, but the show doesn't really step away from what made it so good in the first season. That's not to say that director Akiyuki Shinbo and animation studio Shaft have revised the formula that made the first season so great, but considering the show really has not improved or devolved, there's just no need to review it. Seriously, it's still the same and still good, perhaps to the point that a revision of the show's title was unnecessary.

Psychic Detective Yakumo

Synopsis: Yakumo Saitô is a college student that doesn't appear to have much interest in college at all, hiding all day in the Film Studies room. Although he clearly doesn't have much direction, he still draws rumors from the student body, leading to a visit from Haruka Ozawa. Haruka has heard about Yakumo's extraordinary ability to use his red eye to see the souls of the dead bound to victims. Considering her friends have been either killed or hospitalized after they all trespassed into an abandoned school, she needs answers from someone who can interact with the supernatural.

This then leads Yakumo and Haruka onto an awkward partnership—Haruka wants to make Yakumo more of a social creature, perhaps even one more helpful towards criminal investigation, but Yakumo appears to have too much past baggage to comply. The rest of the series involves Yakumo's apathetic involvement in cases, all while a man with two red eyes follows in the shadows...

Thoughts: Psychic Detective Yakumo was originally a novel and a live-action television series before it was animated, so there are very realistic parts to the animation and story, sometimes to the point of drowsiness. There is certainly a minimalist approach towards the show, but considering the detective-show competition, Yakumo looks pretty decent in comparison to Tantei Opera Milky Holmes. It's interesting to see where things will go with the antagonist lurking in the shadows, and I'd watch this a bit more...

Why wasn't it reviewed?: ...if access was easier, and the show had just a bit more impact. I won't go as far to call the series "bland", but Yakumo's personality clashes with the program. His relationship with Haruka almost feels forced, a positive female with a negative male, but there still seems to be direction with the show. I'd watch some more of it if Psychic Detective Yakumo was made available as an alternative to some of the online shows out there.

Letter Bee REVERSE

Synopsis: Lag Seeing is a "Letter Bee", a postal carrier who risks his life to deliver messages to and from the people of AmberGround, a cold and dark society that must operate on the warmth of an artificial sun. His job is a dangerous one, considering that the giant spirit insects called "Gaichû" that fly about the land want his letters for the "hearts" that reside inside them. Along with his "dingo" partner Niche, Lag fights to be as brave as Gauche, the Letter Bee Lag had met when he was a child and who had rescued him from the Gaichû.

However, the first season ended in a cliffhanger, as Lag was actually betrayed by Gauche himself, the latter stealing away the letters Lag was to deliver. Apparently, there is an organization called the "Reverse" that wishes to stop the Letter Bees from making their rounds, and Gauche's amnesia has left him vulnerable to their manipulations. Lag's new mission is to stop the Reverse and rescue Gauche in the process.

Thoughts: Letter Bee REVERSE is a very imaginative anime, no doubt. At times, the show is so imaginative that it becomes a little cumbersome to its own story and requires a solid mind to follow the trails. Now that a counter-organization has surfaced to oppose the Letter Bees, there is a lot more urgency towards a conclusion and a motivation for Lag to become a better employee.

Why wasn't this reviewed?: It will be reviewed at some point, but the series needs a thorough review from Square 1, not Square 26. There's just too much in terms of previous episodes, and since Crunchyroll is content to call Letter Bee REVERSE a continuation of Letter Bee, so shall I be content to start it at the very beginning.

Next time: We're sorry for not reviewing the half-decent shows!

Fall 2010 - Hyakka Ryôran Samurai Girls

I'm not exactly sure what to think when I'm faced with the rehashing of history. I've been told to respect my elders and learn from the successes and mistakes we've made in the past as a country. This includes honoring our forefathers with reverence when it comes to their sacrifices for the sake of nationalism, but it also means being able to laugh when it comes to satire of those figures. I don't mind comedy that pokes fun at war, politics, and history—ask me about Bob Newhart's phone call between Abe Lincoln and his press agent.

However, there seems to be some fine lines being drawn regarding the re-imaging of historical figures in Japan. We've already seen what happens when the parody goes a bit too far into situational comedy (Tono to Isshô). We've also seen recent forays into portraying Chinese historical figures as females (Koihime Musô, Ikkitôsen), sending the storyline careening into a less-violent and decidedly feminine direction. Battles were still waged, but they usually involved some stage of dizziness and undress.

Hyakka Ryôran Samurai Girls, the lone Fall 2010 series that The Anime Network has obtained for online viewing, steps away from Chinese history and opts for yet another interpretation of Feudal-era Japan. Instead of taking the viewer into the past to retell the story, however, the timeline is allowed to unwind without the upheaval of the Tokugawa shogunate. Rather, Japan has become "Dai-Nippon", a unified and isolated country that trains its samurai warriors in an academy at the base of Mt. Fuji.

The newest arrival, Muneakira Yagyû, called to the academy to attend its classes with his childhood friend Sen, is suddenly thrown into an unstable situation when he moves into his dojo. His confrontation with the underdeveloped Yukimura Sanada and her bodyguard unravels an underlying plot by Toyotomi forces to take down the Tokugawa lineage, but it also draws Muneakira to their side when Sen's own forces mistake him for the enemy.

The confrontation with Sen's maid-servants turns out to be a major event, although not as much from the sword-clashing itself. In mid-battle, a naked girl falls from the heavens into Muneakira's arms before kissing him. The girl, who calls herself Jûbei Yagyû, ends up displaying the swordsmanship of a "Master Samurai" and overwhelms the others, only to pass out, later unable to remember how she transformed.

Much like any other harem anime, Muneakira's confidants are all female derivatives of historic figures, and each seek to capture his lips in order to turn into a Master Samurai. The modern setting allows for anime stereotypes—for example, Jûbei is a bubbleheaded ditz, Hanzo Hattori is a meganekko ninja in maid's clothing, and even the legendary Musketeer Charles d'Artanian makes an appearance as a foreign blonde swordswoman. As clues fall into place, the group realizes more and more the real motivations of the Tokugawa government, with Muneakira as the general for the opposing forces.

When you consider past efforts, yes, Jûbei has been female before (reanimated through the "lovely eyepatch" in Jûbei-chan), but that story was strictly parody. On the other hand, in much the same way that Sakura Wars took on the enemy by assembling a female resistance around a male protagonist, Hyakka Ryôran ends up trying to mix comedy with romance and drama. The story is there, but the comedy occasionally drags its level down towards that of a Tenchi Muyô—the show is bound to be remembered for its sexual situations and trips to the beach rather than its swordfighting.

Despite its heavy emphasis on titillation, Hyakka Ryôran does have its saving grace, mostly through its art style alone. Each scene is drawn with the thick ebony stroke of a calligrapher's pen, giving the show a feeling of something more cultural than mere eye candy. There is no escaping the sexual energy of this show, whether intentional or comic, but the art itself provides a unique sort of self-censure—while shows like Sora no Otoshimono and To Love-Ru have depended on cumbersome rays of sunlight, Hyakka Ryôran spatters ink on its nudity to hide the naughty bits with a bit more modesty.

There is no denying that the show is meant to thrill its viewers with the tried-and-true formula of the harem comedy, but the attempt by animation studio ARMS at developing a worthy story with imaginative artistic devices actually overrides the sex jokes and makes Hyakka Ryôran more watchable. It is still ridiculous to imagine the tough sneer of Jûbei coupled with the flash of panties and a vapid giggle, but we're still rewarded with a show that has an overall objective for its main characters, and the artwork allows the eyes to focus on both the action and its background.

In short, there are boobies and butts in Hyakka Ryôran, no doubt, but there are also plenty of other things to look at, you pervs.

Fall 2010 - Fortune Arterial

Belated birthday wishes go out to Vampire of the Coast, the silent movie that spawned a genre that has been haunting theaters for a little over a century. It is all thanks to its release in 1909 that we got the likes of Dracula, Rasputin, and Edward Cullen romancing female victims into submission for...

Actually, hold the phone there, chief. The first "vampire movie" was Nosferatu in 1922, followed by Dracula in 1931. The earliest "vampire" movies were actually misnomers, as they involved the Kipling definition of the term, referring to "femme-fatale" characters as "vamps". Perhaps that slight misunderstanding of the definition was much more pronounced in Japan, as the manga and television series Vampire, a story developed by Osamu Tezuka himself, was actually about werewolves and other humans that change into animals.

That's not to say that Japan hasn't been able to provide their interpretation of the creature from European folklore—the first Japanese vampire film Onna Kyûketsuki ("Vampire of Women") was released in 1959, seven years before Vampire. However, the concept just hasn't seemed to catch on completely in Japan—as Daryl Surat pointed on the Otaku USA website, vampires in anime "(mostly) bite and suck". We've already seen a handful of vampire-based anime shows in the past year alone (Bakemonogatari, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Shiki), and these haven't been half-bad, so it has given some hope towards Japan finally getting the point about vampires.

The submission from software company August and animation studio Zexcs, Fortune Arterial: Red Promise, is surprisingly not the only vampire-themed show that originated from a visual novel this year (Hakuôki). The show, currently running on Crunchyroll, centers its story around the final move of Kohei Hasekura, a fifth-year student at Shuchikan Academy who once lived in the area as a child. His arrival reunites him with childhood friends Haruna and Kanade, but Kohei has garnered the most attention from the student council and its charismatic president Iori.

Like most visual novel games and shows, Kohei ends up befriending plenty of females, ranging from the sweet and innocent Shiro to the cold and quiet Kureha, all while trying to live his high-school days to the fullest. However, his friendship with the popular Erika is one of the most tenuous in the show—while he has been able to work well with Erika when it comes to council activities, he's shocked to discover that she and Iori are a variety of vampires who have survived dozens of classes.

And...that's about it. Vampires in the classroom? No big whoop.

Sure, there is some conflict in Erika as she worries she cannot repress her urges for blood and some initial fright when Kohei watches Iori dine on some maiden's neck, but Fortune Arterial lacks the panic that ought to come from a vampire story. Instead, we get filler that has no place in advancing the story, and there's no emergency from the initial discovery. Kohei is all smiles as he becomes a B.M.O.C. by helping plan the sports festival and swimming meets, but there is so much nichijô ("every-day") to this show that it makes it appear mundane.

Despite the lack of concrete direction, this show can be saved by a twist, especially with Iori and the student council pulling the strings so easily in the background. The show is good as an adaption of a visual novel—the vivid color in the characters is there, the stable personalities are there, even the possibility of everything collapsing on itself is there. However, as a story about vampires, it seems that there just aren't enough...vampires.

Does Fortune Arterial want to be a dark drama? Does it want to be a lighthearted comedy? Considering the show involves aspects of both, it's trying too hard to be both. The comedy does not get funny enough, and the drama is neither emotional nor emo. Fortune Arterial needs to target its audience and give that majority what they want to see; sitting on the fence will just lead up to disappointment.

I won't go so far as to say Fortune Arterial is unwatchable. There is potential for a good story under the average script, but if it continues to fiddle with stories that have little to do with vampires, I'll find myself agreeing with Daryl in the end that vampire shows suck.