Author: eternal

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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Analysis

The Truth Beneath The Surface: Clannad, Key, and the Romantic Fairy Tale

In the beginning, my Clannad pictures only involved Nagisa. Then, it was Nagisa and Tomoya. Now…well, you do the math.

It was a year and a half ago that the Clannad anime began airing, introducing to English speaking fans the latest of Key’s creations in a setting that struck everyone as “sad girls in spring.” No doubt expecting something along the lines of Kanon or AIR, we hopped on the bandwagon and followed Tomoya’s adventures as he encountered a certain hesitant dango-loving girl that was having a little trouble climbing up the hill.

That was a long, long time ago.

Much has been said about the story’s conclusion, and I honestly believe that the blogosphere’s thoughts (compiled skillfully by lelangir) have covered just about every topic I can think of. Yes, I’m late to the party, but I also cannot let an ending like this slide by without saying anything. Therefore, I’ll skim past the things you know already, like how the story is about family and how the reset end feels like a cheap shot against the viewers: if you want a detailed account of the development of Tomoya’s character or a justification for the plot twist, read some of the material that’s already been written (or just check out my last post on the appeal of the show).

Hence, this post is about my take on Clannad, and the reason why my own disappointment is nothing that stands against an excellent story.

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Fandom

Anime is Deep, Right? …Right?

If there’s one thing readers and writers alike quickly discover about the blogosphere, it’s that in a sea of casual reviewers and episodic summarizers, there are always a few people that feel the need to stand up and proclaim that anime is more than just ecchi and robots. For better or worse, this vocal minority – ranging in age, background, and upbringing, yet united under a single glorified goal – tends to force itself into the spotlight and steal the show using big words and plentiful paragraphs, fighting to the death for its belief that Japanese cartoons are not just Japanese cartoons.

But are they right? Are we right? Is the blogosphere truly fighting for a noble cause, to learn and to educate and to learn once more, or are we all simply delusional? We already know that anime isn’t creative, and TJ Han is always the voice of reason in the sphere, so what if this was all an elaborate lie? What if we’re all living in a dream world in which we’re the kings and queens of the universe, oblivious to the jeers of society?

Or worse yet, what if this is all part of The Internet‘s plan to seize control of the blogosphere using lolikitean cryptology?

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Fandom

Moé and the Land of Escapism: The Reality Factor

It’s very, very hard to get a good picture of Rika.

It all began while I was rewatching Honey and Clover. It’s a beautiful show, really, and I can guarantee that I’ll post on it at some point, but the painfully real relationships of the cast aren’t the focus of this post. Instead, I’m going to talk about a thought that crossed my mind with relation to one of the characters: Rika Harada.

What does this have to do with moe, you ask? You’ve probably already started drawing conclusions in your head, but I’ll spell it out for you – just as long as you click on that enticingly blue read more link below.

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Merchandise

Artbook Review: Nanairo Ice

Out of all of Japan’s excellent bishoujo artists, Naru Nanao would have to be my favourite. I can’t quite put my finger on why, nor can I use any over-the-top artistic jargon to justify that statement, but in layman’s terms, her character designs are absolutely delicious. Seeing as she worked for companies like minori and Circus and designed some of the more famous eroge characters such as Miyako Miyamura (ef) and Nemu Asakura (Da Capo), I highly doubt that I’m the only one who feels this way about her work.

And if you’re willing to pay up to the overpriced import stores, you can see first-hand why she has earned her place as a personal favourite.

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Memories of Eternity