The impression of a vivid sensation

I just saw this video on British TV; it features dozens of Japanese salarymen/women, dated 1991, trying to cram as many passengers as possible into rush-hour train compartments so to get into work on time. Of course, I thought it had to be joke, but no, this is absolutely real. Can you even imagine how claustrophobic it would feel in that train? Japan is a dystopian society! No job is worth this.

Having been caught up in the euphoria of the spring season, I tried a lot of new anime, probably too much. None of it was abject, but a lot was mediocre and dull, and having since procrastinated over them for a number weeks, I’ve decided to cut my losses and dropped seven that I can no longer even bring myself to download.

Allison & Lillia and Amatsuki are prime examples of what I’m talking about above, as both were about as exciting as staring at a brick-wall for 20 minutes. The first episode of Golgo 13 may as well have been its fiftieth, because I can’t imagine its formulaic plot will end with anything but a poorly animated head-shot. ‘Serious crime drama’ Himitsu - Top Secret lost all its allure when the two male leads were introduced to each other like it was some cheesy yaoi romance, and talking about anime with homosexual subtext, Nabari no Ou didn’t fare much better, yet most frustrating of all was its incoherent (more like schizophrenic) stabs at characterisation. To be honest, I feel like I should be willing to give a bit more time to anime with the pedigree of Real Drive, but for all its big-name recognition, such a boring aesthetic style and some surprisingly high levels of fan-service put me off in a big way. That leaves just Itazura na Kiss, which was probably the one series I’m most loathe to quit and most likely to try again, but, at least for now, its generic premise, archetypal characters and repellent male lead managed to kill my enthusiasm for its latter episodes.

All that and even Toshokan Sensou is hanging by a thread, but something about it (probably just Jen’s enthusiasm) is urging me to continue.

Things just got real. 5 episodes in and I’m loving it already… Struggling to satisfy my inner fan-boy with these few words alone; expect a (hopefully coherent) post on GaoGaiGar at the weekend. It’s amazing just how much it reminds me of Gurren Lagann. So much so, even the lead character in this series (Guy) is voiced by a certain Nobuyuki Hiyama - also the voice of Viral; that’s no coincidence - as far as I can tell, GaoGaiGar is basically the precursor to Gurren Lagann. As if wasn’t obvious enough already, I’m extremely pleased to have found this show.

While the bond shared by Patches and Quilt was lovably quaint, this episode, in an allegorical sense, was hard to follow. It didn’t feel as coherent or as meaningful as the previous couple, but seemed half intent on satirising the fashion industry. It was fun, easy to watch and, for once, finished off with a hint of optimism. Of particular note is that the visuals were probably the most surreal yet, with scene after scene cutting from brilliant yellows to depressed greys and thick, scratchy outlines containing some truly odd shapes. From start to finish, it was pure imagination, so creative, and just a joy to watch. Korean Choi Eunyoung was the co-writer, storyboarder, director and animation director for this episode. Eunyoung is female too. There are so few women working within the anime industry that she merits special attention. This could be something that many of the anime fans following Kaiba might have overlooked; though Masaaki Yuasa sits as the “Chief Director” of the series, many of the episodes are being handed off to some of the brightest up-and-coming talents of the anime industry. This is why the style will often shift from one episode to the next, as each artist is given free reign to inject their own creative styles. I would even go so far as to say that this whole planet-of-the-week premise exists merely to offer up the likes of Eunyoung as much artistic freedom as possible. On a related note, the next episode will be handled by an American called Jamie Vickers. Obviously, both Eunyoung and Vickers are foreigners, a fact that not only blurs the very meaning of “Japanese animation”, but suggests that as the global popularity of anime develops, more and more talented artists from outside of Japan are working their way into the industry.

With each passing month, I find myself more and more attracted to manga. I’ve dipped in and out of some interesting scanlations over the years, but I’d never call myself a manga fan. Anime has always been my thing, as there are several aspects of it (as a medium) that are vital to my enjoyment of a good story. So, for example, I dare not even consider experiencing Berserk without Susumu Hirasawa’s accompanying score, as I doubt the characters would have worked for me as well as they did without his music; he adds so much life to the story. All those feelings are starting to change, though.

Just this morning, I received 3 new manga volumes and honestly, I feel so excited just to own them. I really want to read them. That’s how I used to feel about anime too, but for every series I’ll adore, like Berserk and Gankutsuou, there will be 10 more that I might enjoy but rarely leave me with a lasting impression. When I flick through manga, I love how it looks so unique, as if you can grasp exactly what the artist is trying to convey just by thumbing through his/her story at a natural pace. A lot of anime isn’t like that, as there is always this sense of something being compromised, be it animation quality/style or the story itself for the sake of a broader audience, running time or a tight budget. Once you acclimatize to those limitations, anime loses a lot of its charm and feels somewhat predictable. I’m not saying this because I’m falling out of love with anime, far from it, but that’s probably why I’m gravitating towards manga; it’s a freer, distilled and more creative form of story-telling.

• Track 01: Beginning of an epic adventure. Planets exploding and stars colliding.
• 03: Easy listening, I like the chorus, it’s nice.
• 04: Pumping, theatrical, energetic, awesome, voice is perfect for this kind of song, when artificial JPop sounds good, operatic pop fusion. A genuinely original, futuristic tune.
• 05: Reminds me of a classic adventure movie like Indiana Jones. Dog-fighthing air-craft wouldn’t be the same without these kind of refined, epic strings.
• 06: Triangler is alright, but the vocals are too… flawlessly cute and melodramatic.
• 08: Smooth. Rock. Melodic.
• 09: Piano; it’s lovely. A very tender, playful song, happy and melancholy.
• 10: Vividly remember this from the anime; a really beautiful song. Vocals are so sweet, and at times it’s almost accapella. Kanno at her best.
• 15: A lot of the recent songs have had a notably foreign, cultural aesthetic. This was Chinese.
• 16: Harp. Elegant theme for Alto.
• 17: More Indiana Jones; it’s very heroic, but this time has a giant monster feeling too. Totally apt for a space opera anime like Macross Frontier.
• 18: More epic space opera, thrilling Star Wars-esque stuff; Luke Skywalker about to blow up the Death Star vibe. Actually, it reminds me of those great Christopher Reeves Superman flicks too; has quiet moments of reflection before launching itself into the sun.
• 19: Lovecraft. Horrific, unforeseen, unfathomable.
• 20: Piano, thoughtful, emotionally provocative. Feels like a harsh decision has been made; living with the consequences of tragedy.
• 21: All encompassing, I get the feeling this is the genuiene theme of Macross Frontier. Same vocals as track 10, but the song is bigger this time, voice backed by orchestral sounds. Kind of like “Voices” from Macross Plus, but with a bit more studio sheen. I prefer the earlier version, if just because it’s rawer, more empathetic and fragile.
• 22: Fluffy white clouds, blue sky crawling.
• 24: Sparkling and theatrical but a little too emotionally artificial for my tastes, almost cheesy. Would be a fitting end for a soap opera.

The impetus for this post was that, lately, I’ve noticed a lot of people talking about Kaiba. Or rather, a lot more people than expected. Just looking through the Anime Nano archives, I’m really pleased to see that, in little more than two months, Kaiba has already well surpassed the total level of attention (in terms of blogging, at least) Yuasa’s previous anime, Kemonozume, collected during a period of two whole years (it aired in 2006). I think that’s great, if just because it (supposedly) suggests that today’s anime fan has slightly better taste now than in 2006. Evolution in action, I guess?

With this in mind and using the hard facts provided by fansub trackers, I did a bit of research into how Kaiba’s popularity compares to some other spring anime; my findings are listed above. I used the third episode of each series because by that point most fans know which series they want to watch. Also, the download numbers come from the first fansub group to release that specific third episode (i.e. they don’t combine the popularity of every fansub ever released for that one specific episode in the series).

Kanokon being above Kaiba bothers me, but then, porn has always been popular amongst anime fans. Still, I wish its popularity was a little bit higher. Also, I’m shocked at how little interest Toshokan Sensou has attracted, given it’s a Production I.G. series and actually quite good. If you’re watching both Kaiba and Toshokan Sensou; good on you and keep spreading the word. I mean, if you’re in a position to recommend anime, just take a moment and think about it; you can bet that 100,00 other otaku are screaming about Code Geass R2, so add your voice to that white noise if you must, but just keep in mind, every recommendation for Kaiba and Toshokan Sensou is that much more important and if we don’t speak up for them, no-one will.

Though it didn’t offer up of the kind of visual poetry I’ve come to associate with the most transcendent scenes of Kaiba, the fourth episode was just as affecting as ever. The bleak final moments, in particular, left me with a bitter taste. A lot is said about treasure. Treasure can be gold and diamonds, or a photo and a flower; a special memory. Because the boys in this episode are so emotionally introverted (selfish, basically), their understanding of other people, even family, is tainted; from their limited perspectives, their Grandpa’s treasure has to mean wealth; it can’t possibly be anything else, as this concept of being in love, or of cherishing family, is so completely alien to them. In the end, they die pathetic deaths, without a friend in the world, because, with their selfish lives, they can’t even remotely relate to others. It feels so sad, like such a waste, because no-one is born truly alone; “The world’s the same all over, big or small.” said Grandma, “What truly matters is the size of your heart.”

“Moral rights” is a fancy term (the French thought it up) that basically has to do with having your name attached to your creation (your credit!) and the right to approve or disapprove certain changes to your creation. Of course, we want you to get credit for your creation, and we want to work with you in case there are changes, but we want to do so under the terms in this pact instead of under fancy French idea. So, in order for us to adapt the Manga Pilot for different media, and to determine how we should include your credit in tough situations, you agree to give up any “moral rights” you might have.”

Those bloody “fancy French” and their lofty ideas about “moral rights”. Hang on… This wasn’t written by Dr. Evil, but Tokyopop! Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever read a more ill-conceived, smarmy paragraph, and from a multi-national manga publisher no less, that’s so clearly intent on hoodwinking aspiring comic artists. After reading the above, would you sign this agreement?

I’ve lost a good chunk of this evening to skipping through Taku Iwasaki’s soundtrack for Gurren Lagann and reliving my favourite moments. This happens from time to time. I always go back to certain scenes, like the last few minutes of episode 26, the beginning and end of 27. The recap episode too; it’s probably the best recap episode I’ve ever seen. It’s something like this that really epitomises why Gurren Lagann was so good; that it worked all its originality and soul into a formulaic plot recap is more than notable. Looking back on those moments, it really feels like Gurren Lagann had something to say. It goes beyond mere entertainment and feels genuinely important; inspiring. Its themes are whole, cohesive and optimistic, as if everything in Simon’s world happens for a reason, culminating with his poetic epilogue. Watching anime, I suppose it’s kind of rare to finish a series feeling genuinely satisfied, there are so many rushed, poorly handled endings out there, but this was just right. At its end, mixed in with our happiness for the Gurren-dan’s success, is a slight taste of melancholy, or sadness, because our heroes are getting old, dying. I think it’s kind of horrifying to see Simon like that because it really brings home that nothing is forever, and no matter who you are or what you want to be, life goes on. It’s a beautifully human thing to feel, I guess, this happiness tempered by melancholy.