January 27, 2008
Bokurano is a manga about kids that will die trying to save the 10 billion people on the earth. This concept is nothing new, and is quite often quoted in the dialogue. It does pose some interesting questions on the darker side of the human condition.
January 21, 2008
The Cat Returns is to me the seminal work of the Ghibli stereotypical strong-female lead. The main character is usually headstrong, and at the same time insecure about the events going on around her, and though this isn’t a Miyazaki joint, it still epitomizes the strong female at all times.
January 16, 2008
In this installment I will not cover too much philosophy because I am so plum-tuckered out from helping a friend write an existential literature paper for her English class, that Sarte can shove it.
January 5, 2008
Baccano and Kant:Relating Immortals that murder haphazardly to the Godfather of German Idealism
January 1, 2008
11.Naruto Shippuuden- What other way to start a year in review list than the continuation of the first subbed anime series I followed on a weekly basis. Before you ask, I certainly did watch all those fillers. I watched them and discovered the true brilliance of Naruto. The fact that the creators can subjugate entire communities by feeding them fillers and have some of the fans still sit through them and laugh their asses off at “Money no jutsu” or “lets-create-ramen-with-a-rasengan-week”. You better believe I ate it all right up. Then the first episode of Shippuuden came out and those first 8 minutes felt like heaven. More importantly though, it felt like these characters had grown up to face the huge ordeals that would come find them in the future
10. Potemayo-Up next is a sheer kiddy-show. Thats it. The reason it was soooooo good was because it was just a kiddy-show, but it dealt with things like S&M, Homosexual secret urges(MUTAN!), and even caring for an alien with absolutely no prejudice. Potemayo doesn’t deal in brilliant strokes of drama, or even superfluous action, but it has them both. To me the show was pure adorable/crack/hilarity/Guchuko. Rarely will you hear me be so gushy about any given show(other than Mushishi), but Potemayo has earned my fandom
9.Death Note-Death Note is the reason I joined Anime-eden, because back in those days they had plenty of streaming available. This was also back when I considered Hot Topic, “The Shit”. Needless to say I was an anime fan without edge.Death Note sharpened me forever afterwards. As is my curse I genuinely despise shows that are insanely popular. So at around episode 27 I dropped the show, read the manga, and spoiled the hell out of it for my friends. Only lately did I decide to finish the show, and I was astonished at the way they raped the manga I loved so much. The last part was way too rushed.
8. Code Geass-Originally I did not want to watch this show. It was popular and talked about a lot on the forums, so I avoided it like the plague. Then the day that 24 and 25 was released Imarathoned the hell out of it. The characters were very unlikeable(except for C.C. of course), the action was cool, and the concept of Geass was neat. To me the show didn’t have a lot to going on for it. Still it was a worthwhile watch completely, and I will be watching and blogging the new season.
7. Doujin Work- I was the only one out of my friends to watch this one. Seems like the only one period, but still I was treated to some great 12 minute episodes full of moe,tsundere and every other otaku stereotype you can think of. The characters aren’t rich, theres no drama, and the style can’t be repeated. This show taught me that none of those things are always a priority as long as you’re having a fun time.
6. Seto no Hanayome- This one was another show I was pretty much forced to watch by my friend James. I’ll admit at first I thought it was sub-par at best, but as the show progressed the comedy got better, the situations got more outrageous, and the characters became way more likeable. It also had one of the best last episodes of any anime I’ve ever seen.
5. Lucky Star-Ahh Lucky Star…Moe abounds on a total fluff show. This was one of the few shows I was sublimely interested in. I’m a fanboy of this kinda stuff…I’ll admit it. The characters were perfect, except for Miyuki, especially Kagamin. The best part about this show to me, was how I could relate this show to my life exceptionally well, as far as character types go. My friends and I were each a character and we really identified with them week in and week out. I was the Kagamin, My smart friend was the Konata, and so on. Its kinda weird relating the lives of Texas high school seniors to moe anime. Also Shiraishi was tied for my favorite characters of the year, with Kamina, and Miria Harvent
4.Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei- Another one of the shows I was the only one to watch, at first at least. At around episode 3 or 4 my friends picked it up, and loved the quirky comedy, fast-paced and nonsensical characters, and the ridiculous amounts of harem elements, and the overabundant reading to be done. This was a show that warranted a second watching for every episode, but due to the slow subbing usually got a 4th watching from me every time. As far as I know The last episode should be subbed sometime very soon, and I cant wait till the next season.
3. Baccano!-What can I say about this the most confusing of shows since our number 2? Well it’s about immortals,prohibition-era mobsters, alchemists, torture, violence, love, and a crazy train, and a crazy ship where a demon is summoned to give immortal life to its passengers. It fluctuates between years/genres/lives, and it does so quite frequently. It can be a bit nauseating at first, and the story is hard to follow in the beginning. But towards the end it becomes almost a bit too see-through. The show is very violent, and not for the weak of heart. The violence makes even me squeamish, particularly the discussion of how Czeslaw was tortured by his brother right after they became immortal. Either way it was a great escape from the crap that sometimes permeated my computer.
2. Dennou Coil-
1. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
- Well the final two Denno coil, and TTGL. What makes one of these better than the other? Both made me feel incredible highs and depressing lows. Denno Coil appealed to my inner nerd/philosopher, while TTGL made me feel like a man. TTGL was incredulous, and at times ridiculous, while the actions of the DC kids were absolutely retarded. In the end I had to go with the choice that made me smile. TTGL made my heart soar with the Gurren-dan, and it crushed me when Kamina died. Then a few weeks later my heart soared even higher when Simon overcame this to kick so much ass it wasn’t remotely funny. All the shows I’ve mentioned were excellent, but TTGL was just more…more epic…moar GAR…more happiness…more misery…more nia ecchi. TTGL reminded meof how good anime can be.
Come back next time when I review Baccano and apply Kant’s theory of “innate good will” to murder and immortality!
