Well, there were going to be two blurbs today, then I realized that Cealdian hasn't updated since October* so it's going into the "needs to be updated more often" post later this month. Sooo yeah, just a few more days folks and I should have bigger posts!
Conventional Wisdom
A journal comic except it's only about one thing, this guy's (Blitzkrieg) adventures at anime cons. I found these comics since he goes to my local con and usually posts a link on the forums afterwards (so I'll vouch all the posts about Animazement for the past few years being completely true). He's got a couple years worth of comics now (I think he goes to four or five cons a year) and anyone whose been to any sort of anime/comic convention can probably sympathize with and laugh at at the same time. My only complaint is that recently he's started putting in all these filler strips (ie, stuff between cons) with random mascots and I just don't like it as much. I'd much rather have a page saying when the next con is instead of all these odd filler characters, but that's just me.
You know, I think he does a second comic as well, probably even have it bookmarked somewhere, but since Convention Wisdom only updates a few times a year I can see that schedule actually working. And yes, it's finally spring break for me so I'm hoping to build up my buffer again (only the promise of reviewing shojo anime is going to keep me going through all that Lord Byron, I can tell now this isn't gonna be fun....) so, even if April gets crazy, which I strongly suspect it will, I have a plan for it and fingers crossed that my reviewing won't slow down!
*Y'all remember what I said yesterday about art students doing comics and then getting eaten by their work? I think that's what happened here, plus I think the creator decided to do another comic at the same time which is just crazy. I only know of a few people who do more than one comic at a time and one or both of those comics is usually a collaborationd so they DON'T go insane.
Showing posts with label otaku oriented. Show all posts
Showing posts with label otaku oriented. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Anime Review: Animation Runner Kuromi
First heard about this mini series (it's a set of two OVAs) sometime last summer when Anime News Network announced that they had actually licenesed the series and would be streaming it at a later date. So, since I like to support ANN by watching stuff on their video player (even if it isn't my favorite player, the screen is a little small), I checked out the first OVA over the winter break and was surprised at how much I liked it and watched the second one as well, just wish the DVDs for them weren't so expensive*. Ah, and this is a review of both OVAs, since the second one is a direct sequel I didn't see the need for a separate post.
Animation Runner Kuromi
Summary: After being inspired by a tv show (specifically, a squence in a tv show) years ago, Mikiko "Kuromi" Oguro ends up working at the same studio as an animation runner (someone who makes sure that all the key animators are working on schedule and collects all their work to be sent to in-betweeners). Unfortunately, the head of production becomes ill after she meets him and he makes her the new head and she has to rally all the animators and deal with their insecurities if they want to make the deadline for the show!
The Good: This was not only informative about how an anime is produced (to a degree anyway, I've read a few things about the subject before and this show still taught me a few things and this is supposed to be a parody) and managed to be funny. It's easy to sympathize with Kuromi and you can't help but cheer on the rest of the team as they race towards the deadline (did I mention they have only a week to draw the entire episode? I started having flashbacks to end of the year projects in my high school art class).
The Bad: While I did like the second OVA and it did work as a sequel, it was a bit superfluous. The story was wrapped up well in one and having a second installment with an actual villain felt like the (real) animation company was milking a franchise. Also, I didn't like the conflict in the second OVA as much, in the first we had a man vs the world (the animators vs the deadline) conflict but here we have man vs man (the animators vs the new production guy they, and the viewer, don't like). The story felt a little weaker for it and I just didn't enjoy the second OVA as much. No it wasn't a bad story, I just ended up not liking it quite as much because of the change in conflict.
The Art: Fairly basic art and animation (which I found ironic yet suiting considering that the series is about bossing animators around) but it worked. I was bemused at how the art got extra cartoony at parts (like when Kuromi got annoyed at the animators) since that just seemed right for this show, like the show was constantly breaking the fourth wall by being an animated series about animation. It certainly wouldn't have worked as well as a manga or as a live action movie so, while the art is basic, I have no problems with it.
The Music: I didn't notice that much music in this actually. Sound effects yes (which is oddly appropriate) and there was a song they used in the ending credits but it was a slow song that I didn't pay much attention to. So, if the rest of the review hasn't made it clear already, people watching this need to be in for the story and heart of it, not for super cool art and such.
Hmm, am I the only one who thinks that one of the characters here (second row far right) looks a lot like Jones from Gunnerkrigg Court? Totally different personalities but I couldn't help but think it, it's an amusing coincidence at least. And again, this is streaming over on Anime News Network (I don't know what the region restrictions are, it's for everyone in North America at least) so go check it out!
*And by that I mean, each 40 minute OVA has it's own DVD and the first one goes for about $10 and the second for $15. $25 would be a steal for 13 episodes or I might buy a 4 episode DVD for that but not for just two, sorry!
Animation Runner Kuromi
The Good: This was not only informative about how an anime is produced (to a degree anyway, I've read a few things about the subject before and this show still taught me a few things and this is supposed to be a parody) and managed to be funny. It's easy to sympathize with Kuromi and you can't help but cheer on the rest of the team as they race towards the deadline (did I mention they have only a week to draw the entire episode? I started having flashbacks to end of the year projects in my high school art class).
The Bad: While I did like the second OVA and it did work as a sequel, it was a bit superfluous. The story was wrapped up well in one and having a second installment with an actual villain felt like the (real) animation company was milking a franchise. Also, I didn't like the conflict in the second OVA as much, in the first we had a man vs the world (the animators vs the deadline) conflict but here we have man vs man (the animators vs the new production guy they, and the viewer, don't like). The story felt a little weaker for it and I just didn't enjoy the second OVA as much. No it wasn't a bad story, I just ended up not liking it quite as much because of the change in conflict.
The Art: Fairly basic art and animation (which I found ironic yet suiting considering that the series is about bossing animators around) but it worked. I was bemused at how the art got extra cartoony at parts (like when Kuromi got annoyed at the animators) since that just seemed right for this show, like the show was constantly breaking the fourth wall by being an animated series about animation. It certainly wouldn't have worked as well as a manga or as a live action movie so, while the art is basic, I have no problems with it.
The Music: I didn't notice that much music in this actually. Sound effects yes (which is oddly appropriate) and there was a song they used in the ending credits but it was a slow song that I didn't pay much attention to. So, if the rest of the review hasn't made it clear already, people watching this need to be in for the story and heart of it, not for super cool art and such.
Hmm, am I the only one who thinks that one of the characters here (second row far right) looks a lot like Jones from Gunnerkrigg Court? Totally different personalities but I couldn't help but think it, it's an amusing coincidence at least. And again, this is streaming over on Anime News Network (I don't know what the region restrictions are, it's for everyone in North America at least) so go check it out!
*And by that I mean, each 40 minute OVA has it's own DVD and the first one goes for about $10 and the second for $15. $25 would be a steal for 13 episodes or I might buy a 4 episode DVD for that but not for just two, sorry!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Anime Review: Oreimo
Initially I had no intention of checking out this title (just look at the title!) but I heard a couple of good things about it and ANN was streaming it so I gave it a shot. Right after I tried it the second episode got leaked and they had to remove both this and Togainu no Chi for about a month. But they did get the shows back up so I tried them both and continued with Oreimo for the whole run*.
Oreimo (Ore no Imouto ga Konnai Kawaii Wake ga Nai or My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute)
Summary: Kyosuke is a rather normal high school guy but his little sister Kirino is something else. She's in middle school and a popular and atheletic student who also has a modeling job on the side. She also loves eroge games, especially the ones that involve brothers doing naughty things to their little sisters which understandably freaks Kyosuke out. But she blackmails him into helping her out and Kyosuke is a decent guy so he ends up getting more an more involved in his sister's life.
The Good: To start off with, it's not nearly as incest oriented as the title would lead you to believe. In fact, although their are enough implications to spawn a thousand doujinshi, there is no incest and Kyosuke seems quite uninterested in it. The first few episodes, the ones that focus more on Kirino making friends with Kuroneko and Saorin, were pretty funny and the scenes with people meeting up in real life for the first time were pretty similar to the meet-ups I had in the US.
The Bad: I'm not sure what happened but after the first few episodes I just felt like the story got less interesting. The story did focus more on Kyosuke at this point and, since I came for otaku related hijinks, I found those episodes a bit dull. Also, Kirino is pretty unlikeable since she's one of the brattiest and most self centered characters I've ever seen who doesn't change (also creepy considering the games she likes**). She is kinda nice to Kyosuke in the last episode, which I suppose was supposed to show how she's grown over the course of the series, but that episode felt so out of the blue and out of character it didn't work (plus, since this was the "good ending" it will probably be retconned for the "true ending" episodes coming out this spring, I predict incest).
The Art: Fairly generic, somewhat moe, art which, while cutesy, didn't draw me in. Each opening sequence was a bit different (showing which characters that episode would focus on) but I didn't pay attention to the opening after the first episode (and wouldn't have even known if a blog I was following pointed it out). One thing that did make me laugh was all the parodies of eroge/anime eroge that Kirino had, the designers went all out and had tons of references there that weren't super obscure. This might be less of an art thing and more of a good thing but it was still amusing in the end.
The Music: Like the art there's nothing too special here. Nothing bad but nothing that really stood out to me either. I did laugh when someone pointed out that the magical girl show (within the show) was using the same voice actress as Nanoha for it (which explains why the show appeals to a perverted girl like Kirino)
Like I said earlier, Oreimo also suffered simulcast problems and, since ANN was able to get new episodes back up in a month, that's how long I give Funimation to try and talk sense into the Japanese right holders about Fractale. Not as confident (since Oreimo was a leak, Fractale's problem is that the internet exists) but I'll still give them a month. Also, about those upcoming DVD only episodes for Oreimo (the ones with the "true ending"), unless ANN streams them I probably won't watch them and even then I'm not so sure. I'm not actually that interested in the ending and if there's a second season (and based on the DVD sales that sounds like a good possibility, plus their are still more light novels to adapt) I probably won't watch it either. Oh well, hope that ANN gets some simulcasts that are more to my taste next season!
*I did drop Togainu after two episodes however, I felt like I was playing a game except without the button mashing opportunities between each cut scene (and yes I know this was based on a game that probably didn't have button mashing in it at all, clearly not my kind of franchise).
**Which yes, still creep me out when a guy plays them but there's something extra creepy about a little sister playing games where the protagonist's goal is to hook up with as many of his little sisters as possible. I'm also in the camp that this is what happens when your kids don't have siblings, creepy things happen.
Oreimo (Ore no Imouto ga Konnai Kawaii Wake ga Nai or My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute)
Summary: Kyosuke is a rather normal high school guy but his little sister Kirino is something else. She's in middle school and a popular and atheletic student who also has a modeling job on the side. She also loves eroge games, especially the ones that involve brothers doing naughty things to their little sisters which understandably freaks Kyosuke out. But she blackmails him into helping her out and Kyosuke is a decent guy so he ends up getting more an more involved in his sister's life.
The Good: To start off with, it's not nearly as incest oriented as the title would lead you to believe. In fact, although their are enough implications to spawn a thousand doujinshi, there is no incest and Kyosuke seems quite uninterested in it. The first few episodes, the ones that focus more on Kirino making friends with Kuroneko and Saorin, were pretty funny and the scenes with people meeting up in real life for the first time were pretty similar to the meet-ups I had in the US.
The Bad: I'm not sure what happened but after the first few episodes I just felt like the story got less interesting. The story did focus more on Kyosuke at this point and, since I came for otaku related hijinks, I found those episodes a bit dull. Also, Kirino is pretty unlikeable since she's one of the brattiest and most self centered characters I've ever seen who doesn't change (also creepy considering the games she likes**). She is kinda nice to Kyosuke in the last episode, which I suppose was supposed to show how she's grown over the course of the series, but that episode felt so out of the blue and out of character it didn't work (plus, since this was the "good ending" it will probably be retconned for the "true ending" episodes coming out this spring, I predict incest).
The Art: Fairly generic, somewhat moe, art which, while cutesy, didn't draw me in. Each opening sequence was a bit different (showing which characters that episode would focus on) but I didn't pay attention to the opening after the first episode (and wouldn't have even known if a blog I was following pointed it out). One thing that did make me laugh was all the parodies of eroge/anime eroge that Kirino had, the designers went all out and had tons of references there that weren't super obscure. This might be less of an art thing and more of a good thing but it was still amusing in the end.
The Music: Like the art there's nothing too special here. Nothing bad but nothing that really stood out to me either. I did laugh when someone pointed out that the magical girl show (within the show) was using the same voice actress as Nanoha for it (which explains why the show appeals to a perverted girl like Kirino)
Like I said earlier, Oreimo also suffered simulcast problems and, since ANN was able to get new episodes back up in a month, that's how long I give Funimation to try and talk sense into the Japanese right holders about Fractale. Not as confident (since Oreimo was a leak, Fractale's problem is that the internet exists) but I'll still give them a month. Also, about those upcoming DVD only episodes for Oreimo (the ones with the "true ending"), unless ANN streams them I probably won't watch them and even then I'm not so sure. I'm not actually that interested in the ending and if there's a second season (and based on the DVD sales that sounds like a good possibility, plus their are still more light novels to adapt) I probably won't watch it either. Oh well, hope that ANN gets some simulcasts that are more to my taste next season!
*I did drop Togainu after two episodes however, I felt like I was playing a game except without the button mashing opportunities between each cut scene (and yes I know this was based on a game that probably didn't have button mashing in it at all, clearly not my kind of franchise).
**Which yes, still creep me out when a guy plays them but there's something extra creepy about a little sister playing games where the protagonist's goal is to hook up with as many of his little sisters as possible. I'm also in the camp that this is what happens when your kids don't have siblings, creepy things happen.
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