Month: April 2009

Editorial

Nostalgia Blinds…but it also Heals

Shh! This is supposed to be relevant!

Believe it or not, I’m not here to beat this dead horse, nor am I interested in whatever dorama was stirred up long before I knew that the anime blogosphere existed. Incidentally, I read that post when I first discovered aniblogs, which was before I knew wildarmsheero – I enjoyed it devoid of its original meaning.

But I digress. To summarize, DarkMirage wrote something about the bias that many fans have toward older series, and the fact that nostalgia can blind. It used to bother me when I was still in elementary school, innocently enjoying my Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker when the so-called vets would harp endlessly on Link to the Past. It also bothered me when I first started watching older anime, and I wondered how some of the Ghibli classics like Nausicaa could ever be better than modern anime films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

In other words, I agreed with the sentiment without having put it in words, I agreed with it when I first read that post around a year ago, and I still agree with it today. But it’s also important to remember that nostalgia isn’t necessarily harmful.

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Commentary

On Power Levels and Mary Sues

It’s a Saki post in disguise!

If there’s one thing we know about anime, it’s that everything seems more exciting in 2D. The beginning of a school year doesn’t mean less free time and more math homework, it means encountering a mysterious transfer student under an eternally blossoming sakura tree! Being a maid isn’t about doing tedious housework that no one wants to do, it’s about serving your master and tending to his psychological needs! (Or in some cases, protecting your master through whatever bizarre means necessary.)

Likewise, in the world of anime, mahjong is not just mahjong. It’s epic mahjong. In fact, it’s epic Crazy Loli Yuri Mahjong. But is this trend to lean towards the over dramatic a good thing? How does the use of extreme exaggerations affect the viewer, especially when the line is crossed by a mile?

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Analysis

Politics, Religion, and Paradise – Speculations on Eden of the East

I’ll admit: there will always be genres that I like more than others, regardless of objective quality. If it isn’t already obvious, I’m the kind of person that likes to dissolve into 13 episodes of rabu-rabu or moe-moe, and if not, I can only hope that the show will be funny enough to entertain me.

But of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and I think Eden of the East fits that bill for this season. Even aside from the unique premise and above average portrayal of America in terms of realism, it didn’t take long at all for the show to captivate me. It should come as no surprise, seeing as it’s an original story from the director of the Ghost in the Shell TV series, but the first two episodes really have exceeded my expectations.

However, the fact remains that there is precious little to say after only a few weeks, so I decided to try something familiar: taking a closer look at the opening and ending sequences and seeing what little treasures I could find.

And believe me, there’s much more than meets the eye.

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Review

Of Hydrangeas And Ashes: Socrates in Love

It’s funny how often the greatest stories are about the simplest of things. Love, after all, is nothing new to the human race. It’s been around since the beginning the time, for as long as we’ve been able to think and feel; whether eating freshly roasted meat in a cave in some unknown corner of the planet, or drinking aged wine and dining atop the CN Tower, there are some aspects of the human mind that have never changed, and never will.

So, why is it that stories like this continue to crop up? Could it be, perhaps, that even after thousands of years, there are some things about ourselves that we don’t know? Some things that still challenge us to look into our lives, into our hearts – things that elude us even to this day?

Socrates in Love is a simple story, but I believe – in my humble, oh-so-subjective opinion – that that is what makes it beautiful. Without the use of symbolism or allegory, rich vocabulary or vivid imagery, it captures the hearts of its readers – because it takes a simple, unoriginal concept, and portrays it in a blindingly blunt light that leaves the reader both dazzled and broken.

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Commentary

K-ON: How To Make A Simple Thing Good

K-ON: it’s the show everyone is talking about. While not directed by Tatsuya Ishihara of KeyAni fame, the fact that it’s being produced by Kyoto Animation is enough reason for the fans to go figuratively wild, and when you add the distinct moe character designs and the simple yet appealing slice-of-life premise and setting, it should come as no surprise that K-ON is one of the most fervently discussed – if not praised – shows of the current season.

However, while naysayers do exist (and the minority always has its way of making its voice heard), I’ve fallen for this show after a mere two episodes. Certainly, the series isn’t technically good by any means, and I can’t think of anything truly original that it’s accomplishing – but therein lies the answer. Why do I like K-ON? Because it’s simple, and without doing much of anything, these first two episodes have already provided me with far more entertainment than I dared ask for.

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Community

Thoughts on Darker than Black 01-06: A Matter of Presentation

As you might have noticed around the blogosphere, a few of us – prompted by Owen, of course – have decided to begin watching/rewatching Darker than Black, which aired about two years ago. The episodic/editorial crossover going on at CAT should satisfy your needs for an in-depth look at the show’s development and themes, and as the posts continue to spring up from the rest of us, I’m sure you’ll be seeing more than enough ways to look at the same thing.

Therefore, as I started to rewatch the series – quickly discovering that I forgot quite a bit of it – I realized that there was something far simpler that I could be writing about. Yes, it’s technically irrelevant, and it won’t get you any closer to understanding the symbolism and narrative techniques implemented by the director, but it’s something worth taking note of anyway.

Because, six episodes in, there’s already something quite simple that has caught my eye, and it’s making an already good story look all the more appealing. Quite simply, it’s a matter of presentation.

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Memories of Eternity