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Friday Review: Azumanga Daioh!

Posted on December 2, 2011 by ハヴネス

It’s Friday again, and that means time for an anime review, and this is one I particularly recommend, especially if you’re looking for a nice anime with lots of useful vocabulary. Granted, I recommend this anime even if you’re not learning Japanese, as it’s really fun. That anime is Azumanga Daioh!

Doing what they do best - slice of life stuff!

Plot Overview: This is a slice-of-life anime, meaning that we just following the lives of six girls throughout their three years of high school. In other words, it’s a show about nothing, Seinfeld style. There’s no intricate plot, no deep characters, or anything of the sort, yet it’s highly addicting to watch.

Basically, these three characters enter high school together (in Japan there’s only three years of it) and we watch them up until graduation. The whole thing takes place in only one season and is full of neat little situations.

Artwork: The artwork is incredibly basic, although it offers one thing I really like about it – no weird-looking characters. By that I mean everyone has either black or brown hair, and it doesn’t stick up in weird, impossible directions. The anime tries to stay within the limits of reality, as much as is possible whilst still remaining entertaining, and I welcome the change. That’s not to say those little blue-haired girls aren’t cute, but I find it distracting in anime of this style.

Animation: Again, extremely basic, and you can tell that a lot of it is recycled throughout the episodes, especially as the series draws to a close. It can be distracting, but the charm of this series is in the characters and situations, not in how amazing it looks. Granted, I feel that it could have been improved, but it doesn’t detract from the show so much as to make it unwatchable. Indeed, I watched it marathon style, and while some of the animation made me cringe a bit, it didn’t make me dislike anything.

Action: Any action present in this anime comes in the form of a sports festival or a wild daydream by one of the characters. Oh, and if you count Yukari’s driving…

Music: Okay, it’s not exactly The Vision of Escaflowne, but there’s some memorable little tunes throughout the show. The melodies are simple and do their job, but they don’t really do more than their job. The characters carry this show from start to finish, whereas nothing else plays that big of a role in it.

Character Development: There’s a bit of it here and there; about as much as can be expected from an anime of this genre. Sakaki comes slightly out of her shell, and there’s a few other things as well. Mostly these kids just grow up, which is both joyful and sorrowful.

Tone: If I had to compare this anime to anything, it would be Charlie Brown. Whilst simple, it captures us. Granted, it doesn’t have any religious or social commentary the way Charlie Brown delivers, and the adults are actually present and audible (sometimes perverted), but it retains that simplicity. It’s about a group of friends and their interactions throughout high school. There’s no dating (although they appear a bit curious about relationships), but Japanese high schoolers aren’t as big on the dating scene as Americans and other Westerns.

This anime is extremely funny, however. The situations are the kinds that anybody can find themselves in (great for sentence mining if you can find a decent transcript), but they are always a great deal of fun to watch. Don’t believe me, here’s a few clips.

Half Asleep Osaka and the Knife

OH MY GAH!

Osaka\’s Mental Workout

Pacing: This is a hard one to talk about. It’s slow, naturally, but it’s not too slow. Actually, I thought the whole thing went by pretty quickly, and was a bit sad that not more episodes were made. Oh well. There’s always the manga it’s based on.

Dubbing: I’m not a fan of it at all. I think it’s mostly due to Osaka’s southern accent, because apparently when you dub an Osakan, they should speak like they’re from the deep south. Granted, it tends to get lighter and thicker depending on the whim of the translators, or the voice actress, but it’s annoying. I much prefer the Japanese voices.

Recommended? Of course! Granted, some people will find it not to their liking, but for those of us who enjoy a good laugh and a slice-of-life theme, then this is easily one of the best anime you’ll find in this genre. The characters are all likable and relatively down-to-earth, and you’ll definitely find their antics endearing. If you’re looking for an anime that is relatively simple to follow (you know, if you’re trying to wean yourself off of subtitles), then this one gets a very high recommendation from me.

Categories: Anime | Tags: anime, Friday, review

Now Bronies Can Learn Japanese, Too!

Posted on October 25, 2011 by ハヴネス

3 Comments

Yesterday and this morning, I found myself helplessly struggling to watch a really odd Japanese movie called パコダテ人, when I got distracted by the Japanese video sharing website, Nico Nico Douga (ニコニコ動画) and typed in “My Little Pony” in English. Why did I do such an odd thing? Someone on the Reviewing the Kanji forums (review coming soon) said that the Japanese were fansubbing the show, which has now become an internet phenomenon. I got myself acquainted with the show and the memes associated with it (be careful, as it’s suprisingly addicting) and decided to check it out next time I was bored.

All I can say is that if you’re at least an intermediate learner, you should be using Nico Nico Douga, and if you’re a brony, this is a great way to indulge your love of the ponies while learning Japanese at the same time. Learning is supposed to be fun, and if it’s fun for you, then excellent!

So, how do you learn Japanese from fansubs of My Little Pony? First of all, any sentence you particularly like, you can plug into your Anki deck. You can’t copy and paste these, so it’ll be a time-consuming task. If I may make a recommendation, Rarity’s sentences (I can’t believe I’m typing these names) are particularly interesting, seeing as how the fansubbers decided to sprinkle some keigo (very formal Japanese) into her dialogue. In case you’re wondering, Applejack didn’t fare too well in the translation.

Another fun way that’s not as time-consuming is to copy and paste the comments. In Nico Nico, the comments fly across the video as it plays just at the time the comment was made. You can also see the comments in a sidebar next to the video and they can be copied and pasted. Just right click and choose コーピする to copy it.

I should note that the comments consist of a lot of slang and grammar is pretty much thrown out the window (it’s the Internet), so it might stump you for a while. At the same time, it’ll probably make you laugh a little inside as you see that the Japanese tend to follow the same memes you do, and have even invented a few of their own.

So good luck little bronies who want to learn Japanese and still watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. You’ll find there’s quite a few episodes already up, so watch to your heart’s content.

Categories: Anime, Insight, Websites | Tags: applejack, bronies, brony, dash, douga, fluttershy, Japanese, my little pony, nico, pinkie pie, rainbow, rarity, spike, twilight

Friday Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Posted on October 17, 2011 by ハヴネス

1 Comment

Yes, I know it’s Monday, but I was busy Friday working on my second part of Anki. Anyway, Today I’m reviewing The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Plot Overview: Cynical Kyon finds himself going to high school surrounded by aliens, espers, time travelers, and one very, very powerful teenage girl, Haruhi Suzumiya. I’m sure everyone has heard of this anime before, as it seems to have taken the otaku subculture by storm, thanks to it’s witty characters, excellent script, and that one dance.

Basically, Kyon meets Haruhi, an eccentric girl who wishes to meet aliens, espers, time travelers, and basically anyone who isn’t “normal” since that bores her. Dragging our poor protagonist into making an unofficial club, the SOS Brigade, of which its sole mission is to find these abnormal characters and have fun with them, she then manages to kidnap (I think Koizumi came willingly, and she apparently inherited Yuki along with the room) a few other students to complete the club. Oddly enough, each member secretly reveals themselves to Kyon to actually be the kinds of people Haruhi is interested in, and that Haruhi herself is probably the most powerful being on earth, though she doesn’t realize it, apparentlyhaving the ability to change reality to match her own worldview. If they aren’t careful, Haruhi might get really bored, and then it’s sayonara for everyone and everything in existence!

Artwork: The artwork for this show is very good. You can tell that a lot of time went into it, from the small details of the clubroom to the computers they use. The beauty of this anime is in the details, and there’s enough here to make everything look spectacular. Each moment and each mood is captured perfectly, the characters always look good, and the show always manages to stay interesting because of the artwork… even endless eight… maybe…

Animation: The animation is also top-notch. The movements are fluid and seldom ackward, managing to make each character look and feel real. At first I was worried about Haruhi, because energetic characters tend come off as overdone sometimes in animation (thinks of Ouran High School Host Club), but Haruhi’s abundant energy seems unique and natural.

On the other hand, Kyon manages to stay subdued, yet interesting, letting his body do most of his talking for him with frequent shoulder shrugs and a deadpan expression. The even more subdued Nagato is animated in a way that keeps her a mystery, yet doesn’t steal from her unique character. She’s given a few quirks, unlike other “silent girl” anime characters.

Beyond the characters, the animation always stays good, never faltering and always keeping appropriate to the tone set by each scene.

Action: To be perfectly honest, there isn’t much action in this show, seeing as how it’s more about characters and solving problems in a more interpersonal way than fighting an external conflict. However, this scene is more than enough to make up for the lack of action!

Music: This category also gets high marks from me, and I’m sure it does from a lot of other reviewers as well. The music isn’t Escaflowne, but the simple background tunes match perfectly, and the openings and endings of each season are very good. The songs are what really draw people to this anime initially, I think. At least, it’s how I found it.

Character Development: Again, very strong in this area. Granted, Koizumi and Mikuru are still a bit of a mystery, but Yuki seems to be developing a lot, as well as Kyon and Haruhi. The other, more background characters seem to get a decent amount as well. If the series continues, I’m certain that we’ll be seeing even more in this area.

Granted, Yuki started out as a blank slate of a character, so she really had nowhere to go but up, and these types of anime characters usually go way up.

Tone: This is a witty, yet light-hearted anime. It manages to be nerdy and full of obscure references that some may not get, yet it remains engaging and almost impossible to hate. At the surface, it seems like just another wacky anime, but it manages to stay exceptionally fresh, and has a large fanbase for a reason.

Pacing: The first season’s episodes were deliberately aired out of order, mixing things up considerably, and the second season had a terribly long arc known as Endless Eight. While the pacing is good (except for Endless Eight), it’s difficult to judge, seeing as how things are out of order.

Dubbing: I can’t really say anything, seeing as how I’ve never bothered to watch it. If you’re learning Japanese (and if you’re reading this blog, I assume you are), then you should really kick the dub habit.

Recommended? Most definitely! Probably more so than any other anime I’ve reviewed thus far, in fact. It’s really, really hard to dislike this show, seeing as how it has such widespread appeal. There’s always something to like in it, even when it doesn’t fit your tastes exactly. At the very least, check out the first season. I can see waiting on the second one, but the first is a must-see.

This is the box set I recommend. It’s only season 1 (season 2 hasn’t been released in America yet), and it’s the highest quality DVD I’ve come across. I didn’t like the other “complete” collection. It was just formatted wrong or something.

Categories: Anime | Tags: box set, Friday, haruhi, Melancholy, review, suzumiya

Best Places to Buy Japanese Stuff

Posted on September 28, 2011 by ハヴネス

1 Comment

Buying foreign stuff tends to be a bit difficult sometimes, but luckily it can be pretty easy to find a whole plethora of Japanese goods if you only know where to look. I’m currently working on a book called Language Learning Roadmap which basically sets about to preparing a language learner for his/her journey by debunking popular myths, helping the person to understand his/her goals and their own style of learning, and then outlining the various methods of learning a language, whether it be the academic method (either classroom or self-taught), the input method, or the output method, followed by an outline of the method I use as an example of how you can mix and match methods to create something unique for yourself.

Well, if you’re predominately an inputter (think AJATT) it can be a real pain sometimes trying to find stuff in Japanese, so I’ve created this list of various places to go shopping for Japanese items.

I’m an affiliate for some of these website, and they will be marked with a *. Remember, being an affiliate for web sites doesn’t influence which products I choose to review or influence my opinion of them; it’s just a nice way to get a little money with which to buy more products to review.

1. Amazon.com* – This is a good place to find stuff from just about anywhere in the world. The nice thing about Amazon.com is that you can read consumer reviews at the product’s page to help in your decision making, and if the list price is out of your range, you can look for one used right from the site itself instead of having to get into a bidding war on eBay.

2. eBay – On that note, let’s move on to eBay. It can either be super easy to find stuff here or really frustrating. It depends on the demand for the item and how many people are willing to part with it, basically. It’s great for DVDs and music, but it can be a little harder to find things like raw manga.

3. Play Asia* – This is a really good site for finding material in Japanese, or for just finding Japanese stuff in English if you want a break from “studying”. They have books, movies, games, etc. It’s really easy to find what you’re looking for, and it’s usually reasonably priced. If Amazon.com doesn’t have it, I link to this place, although it’s usually a bit more expensive. Play Asia is a great place to go browsing for stuff.

4. Yes Asia – This is another excellent way to find stuff in Japanese, although like Play Asia it’s a bit expensive. I suggest you look through both sites when shopping for something specific just to compare.

5. The Japan Shop – Powered by Amazon.com, this is a great little site for finding language learning materials for Japanese, including old JLPT tests.

6. JBOX/J-List – Last, but certainly not least, are the sister sites, JBOX and J-List. The only real difference between them is that JBOX doesn’t sell adult products, so if that’s what you’re looking for, enter J-List at your own risk. Basically, these sites sell all kinds of weird stuff, from Japanese snacks to magazines to figurines. It’s like a cesspool of all things from Japan.

It’s really fun to look around there, although their search feature needs a bit fine-tuning, in my opinion. Also, beware of shipping prices. All international shipping is going to seem outrageous, but it seems to be exceptionally high for a few items on these sites.

Categories: Anime, Gadgets, Games, Insight, J-Dorama, Manga, Movies, Products, Uncategorized, Websites | Tags: best, buy, Japan, Japanese, learn, places, stuff, Uncategorized

Friday Review: Trigun

Posted on May 10, 2009 by ハヴネス

2 Comments

Plot Overview: I’m afraid of giving too much away. Vash is a man who’s wanted for 6 billion dollars for the destruction of July city. Even though people say he destroyed July, no one was killed.

There’s a lot of philosophy and morals. If you like to have to really work to figure out a character’s psychology in order to learn why a character behaves the way he or she does, then this is for you! However, it doesn’t do it in a tricky way, like, say Paranoia Agent or Serial Experiments Lain. It’s an action-packed show that doesn’t rely solely on watching our protagonist invent new fighting moves to win the day.

Artwork: The artwork is okay. There’s a lot better in other anime, but that shouldn’t discourage you from watching this. The character designs are great; especially Legato’s. The only problem is that sometimes it doesn’t look as great as it could. Vash’s design is great, and it’s easy to pick him out amongst the hoard of other anime protagonists, and our two insurance ladies are pretty good as well, but some of the villains are just pathetic.

Animation: Our spoiled brain would consider the animation to be sub-par. There are some very good-looking scenes – most of them fight scenes. Still, some of the animation looks a little choppy. It’s an amazing story that unfortunately didn’t seem to animated with the quality that a lot of anime that came out surrounding it did.

Action: The thing that I found really neat about this anime is the sudden change in style around episode 12. Until then, the action is very one-sided, and you always know that Vash is going to come out on top. Everything is exaggerated and slap-stick during the fighting. However, once the show begins to pick up and Vash’s dark side becomes more visible, the action becomes much more intense and psychologically demanding. It’s a nice turn-around, and I really enjoyed the action; you could count on some in every episode, even if that episode was turned towards character development.

Music: If you’re into western tunes, then this is definitely for you. I don’t care for it too much, but there’s still some great tunes. I like the track where the flute plays softly in the background and there’s no trace of western stuff. It sounds kind of like Suikoden music, actually. Plus, “Sound Life” is a great song! It gets really long after a while, but it has a lot of meaning; at least in the Japanese version it does.

Character Development: Pretty much every character in this show has at least some development. The drunk, the outlaw, and other not-well-known character from the very first episodes at a lot of development, considering they’ll only have a part in one episode only.

Meryl and Milly lack development, which is a slight disappointment, considering they’re main characters, but we still see a glimpse into their lives.

Vash has a lot of character development, because he has so many different personalities. I can only describe Vash as being everything: Funny, kind, compassionate, downright stubborn, dark, troubled, concerned, and a lot more. Basically, he has a bunch of different personalities. We first see him as a donut-eating man who wins all his victories through sheer luck. However, we notice that, while he acts like an idiot, he really knows what he’s doing, but for some reason won’t let anyone see that. Then, we see that he’s sad for some reason. He lives in a kind of melancholy state, making up for it by acting like a loon. Of course, then there’s the dark side. When he’s mad enough, he’ll turn into a monster.

The bad guys aren’t developed a lot, so you really have to work at their psychology to figure it out. It isn’t plainly given away in flashbacks, so you have to do some thinking. In fact, after you finally work out Knives’ psychology, you’ll actually sympathize for him! Of course, it isn’t laid right in front of you’re face; you have to figure it out for yourself.

Tone: This series starts off very slap-stick-like. It has no seriousness in it at all, but then the tone will change drastically and bring you into a more dramatic and intense atmosphere. You’ll notice that it’s a lot like Rurouni Kenshin, but I think that the transition from comedy to drama is done much better in Trigun. It just works better.

Pacing: Okay, after watching the first DVD, I wanted to turn it off, but I bought the others to see if it gets better – it does, but it takes a while. Once the plot started to kick up, I couldn’t turn it off! The episodes are done just right so that you want to see what’s going to happen next; especially after the episode where we see just how Vash destroyed July City by using the Angel Arms. It will keep you hooked and you won’t guess what happens.

Dubbing: Terrible! Not only do the character voices stink, but the dialogue is really bad. I’m going to go through the characters and complain about their dubbing. I actually never watched the entire series dubbed because I was too busy yelling at the TV whenever they made a mistake, and the Cartoon Network version is even worse!

Language and Content: There’s quite a bit of swearing, especially for an anime that deals with pacifism. There’s also a few seconds of nudity and some disturbing things said. There’s also a lot of violence in it, on that note. The swearing is nothing you’ve never heard before, although some the characters who swear will take you by surprise until more is revealed about them later (can’t say more…too many spoilers).

Villains: If you really spend time working out the psychology of some of the villains, you’ll find that they actually have reasons for doing what they’re doing. I only wish that they would’ve developed some of the Gun-Ho-Guns better. Dominique the Cyclops was developed okay, and so was the guy from Diablo, but most of the others just showed up. Knives is in the lead, with a dark past and psychology much different from Vash (you may sympathize for him if you really work at it), and Legato is under him, and the Gung-Ho-Guns are under Legato’s command.

Recommended? Definitely! This anime is both funny and moving, action-packed and relaxing, and full of morals and challenging issues.

Yes, this was another one of my insanely old reviews.

I found the complete series for an actually affordable price to boot!

Categories: Anime | Tags: Friday, review, Trigun

Everybody Dance Now!

Posted on April 23, 2009 by ハヴネス

1 Comment

I decided to do something random today and post some of the dances from anime, video games, etc. Why? Because I feel like it. Don’t ask that question. Okay, if you really must know, I was going to write a semi-political critique of Japan’s crappy education system, but then I went on Youtube and felt my braincells die one by one. As such, I’ll wait until the ramen I just ate reinvigorates them!

The first video (above, obviously) is from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and the song is called “Hare Hare Yukai”. Everybody knows this one. They perform it at conventions, random public places (I’m glad I live in a small town!), and just wherever they want to. If you don’t know this dance, you probably live in a hole. Just kidding. You just haven’t seen the anime, don’t go to conventions, and don’t use Youtube.

This is the opening to the crappy game, Final Fantasy X-2. I’ve never seen it in English and I don’t really want to. Final Fantasy X was a poor game, in my opinion (mental note: review for later), and the English voice actors didn’t do much to change that when it came to the States. However, the sequel was worse! It was down right retarded. Anyway, check out the song and dance. I’ve never actually heard of anyone trying to perform it, lip-sync it, etc. but it needs some love.

Best one! The promo for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the final dance I’m posting. No Lucky Star stuff, sorry. This is by far the coolest dance ever! Unfortunately, I’m not coordinated enough to any dancing at all (I couldn’t even figure out marching band), so I can’t do this one. Enjoy it anyway.

Categories: Anime, Games, Uncategorized | Tags: dance, Final Fantasy, haruhi, suzumiya, yukai, zelda

Friday Review: Haibane Renmei

Posted on March 13, 2009 by ハヴネス

4 Comments

I was going to do GTO, but I have to rewatch it. Instead, I’m going to review Haibane Renmei, and I’m going to do it with only a small portion of the screen visible, since my laptop screen seems to have something wrong with it, maybe the ribbon cable.

This is an amazing anime, and I can’t believe how many years it took me to discover it! Being a fan of Serial Experiments Lain, you’d think that I’d have jumped right into this one. Oh well, better late than never, eh?

Plot: Again, this is another anime where it’s hard to give away much information without completely spoiling the plot. Well, here we go. A girl who appears to be in her mid-teens dreams of falling from the sky. Unfortunately, the dream ends before we can se the rest of it. Anyway, she wakes up inside of a cocoon that’s filled with water, and when it hatches, she finds herself living in a home amongst the Haibane, who appear to be humans with wings and halos. She herself is now a Haibane with no memory of her past or her name, and we follow the story through her eyes.

She learns that she is in the town of Guri and lives in Old Home, an empty boarding school set aside for Haibane. The Haibane are forced to live simple lives; they can’t have anything new, must work, but they can’t make money; they must also not get too friendly with the townsfolk, and the townsfolk aren’t supposed to involve themselves much in the Haibane’s lives. There seem to be a few exceptions and friendships between townsfolk and Haibane, but the general rule is that they are separate but equal. Well, not really, since the Haibane must be insanely humble at all times, but you get the idea. They coexist is what I’m trying to say.

Artwork: It’s simply gorgeous, yet very simple. If you’re familiar with the series Serial Experiments Lain, then you know what to expect. The characters are all drawn with a simplicity that makes them very appealing. Likewise, the scenery used and the color pallet all reflect the simple life that the Haibane are made to live. The atmosphere is a welcome one, though there’s still plenty of mystery.

Animation: I’m working through the series my second time through, and I’m surprised at how good the animation is! Very few things are repeated, and everything was done flawlessly. I thought Kuu was a little over the top, but that was a reflection of character.

This is a show where not a lot happens, particularly in the sense that characters don’t fight, or even seem to have much urgency at all. As such, there’s not a lot of really interesting things to animate, and sometimes things appear slower than they should. I’m thinking of the fireworks scene, in which I thought the animation could have been a little better, particularly since the scene was of some real significance.

However, the animators take time to make even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant actions and sequences a masterpiece, and since the story doesn’t delve much into the lives of other Haibane aside from Rakka and Reki, the animators make hints at the personalities and thoughts of the other characters by animating them perfectly. Their expressions have as much significance as their dialogue, and their dialogue can be deceiving!

Action: There’s some mild conflict, but no physical fighting at all. This isn’t Naruto, it’s a story of forgiveness, repentance, and all that good stuff. I know, Trigun did it with a lot of action, but that’s just not appropriate for this story. I’m pretty certain that Guri has the lowest crime rate in the world!

Music: Imagine a dark, watery abyss with only a vague touch of light shining through the top. There’s an audible splash and a flock of crows take flight. A girl falls through the sky, apparently unafraid and the song “Ailes Grises” begins to play. It’s a sad, haunting melody that starts the show up, and the music never fails after this. It doesn’t score the epic points that Escaflowne does, but the music is some of the best I’ve ever heard in an anime. In fact, I’m listening to the OST as I write this (in .flac format to boot!)! I’m on a track called “Wondering” which is a vocal song sung in English. I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear this one in the series, but who knows. It reminds me of “Home and the Heartland” from Riverdance.

The music tends to alternate from sad and lonely to somewhat perky, although it never really loses that melancholy feeling ot it, thus connecting all the tracks. I think it’s the only anime OST I can listen to straight through without skipping atrack, except for, of course, the multitude of Escaflowne CDs! There’s just not enough to say about the music; it definitely seems to do much more than set the mood for a particular scene.

Character Development: Admittedly, this is a tough one, since none of the Haibane can remember their pasts. They are like clean slates, and by the time the series starts, many of them have hit the point where they don’t need to develop much, particularly since it seems that there really isn’t much around to challenge them in a way that would require growth or self reflection, save for what’s required to take the Day of Flight. Thus, only two characters are ever given much time to develop, but it’s well worth the wait. They are interesting characters, and I can’t give much away without completely spoiling the plot, or at least, a clue to how the Haibane arrive. Let’s just say that there’s one instance in which everything you thought you knew will be turned upside down.

Tone: Some have described this anime as being sad, but I’d call it happy. However, each episode left me feeling melancholy, which isn’t something most shows, movies, etc. manage to do. I didn’t ever feel sad, and many times I felt happy (not in an excited way), but the melancholy would always be present. If you’re looking for a humorous show, then this isn’t it. If you’re looking for something that will warp your mind, it’s not as extreme, or confusing, as Serial Experiments Lain, but it does provide food for thought (someone on the Christian Anime Alliance forums managed to make an entire Sunday School lesson plan out of it, though it doesn’t depict a single religion or theology, according to its creator).

Episode Flow: If it weren’t for the fact that the seasons change and the characters speak of the months changing, this anime could be mistaken for an animated soap opera! It has an almost slice of life feel to it, and everything is joined together very nicely.

Dubbing: It is my impression that they tried really hard to find actors who could match the Japanese voices, and the translation isn’t too bad. I didn’t care for the line delivery, but I seldom do. All in all, it’s not too bad, and it sure surpasses a whole lot of other dubs.

Language and Content: As far as language goes, there’s some mild swearing, most of it being heard in one episode that had a lot of Kana in it. However, the dialogue is very tame. As far as content goes, the wing emergence scene in the first episode may shock some, but it’s not too bad, either, and it’s the only scene like it in the entire series.

There are some weighty themes, such as depression and suicide, that may not be suitable for younger audiences, and Rakka appears nude in the opening sequence of every episode, although you can’t see anything private.

Villains: Every good story needs a bad guy, right/ No, not really, since the only bad guy in this show is the characters’ own inner demons. No evil overlords, no homicidal maniacs, no nothing. It’s better this way.

Recommended?Without hesitation! This is an amazing anime – a masterpiece in itself – that everyone should see at some point in time. I mean, it’s got great characters, great music, and nice artwork, not to mention an intriguing story once you get into the swing of things.

Categories: Anime | Tags: Friday, Haibane, Renmei, review

Japanese the Manga Way

Posted on February 4, 2009 by ハヴネス

8 Comments

So, you think you can just go and learn basic Japanese without all those boring textbooks? You think you can just use manga? While I wouldn’t recommend this book as your sole text book provided you’re an academic-type, I do endorse it as being a great book to familiarize yourself with casual, spoken Japanese, and a good way to get basic Japanese concepts down.

I’m sure another textbook comes to your mind: Japanese in Mangaland. The big difference between this book and that book is that this one uses real manga. It takes the actual manga, and then uses it to build lessons regarding reading, grammar, and other basic skills. I’ve heard that the manga featured in the other book is actually made up, but don’t quote me on that. I also found a few small errors in the Mangaland book.

It slowly builds up on complex sentence structures, covering things most formal texts leave out, and it’s fairly easy to remember what you’ve read. My biggest disappointment with this book is that it only covers basic skills. It should really come out with more volumes, like Japanese in Mangaland does, and some workbooks as well. I’ll bet it could actually take you through all the JLPT tests if it did this.

It’s a gimmick book, but there’s real solid information in it, and the gimmick does more than hook manga fans into it. It’s not just about reading manga; it’s about learning Japanese while reading manga!

You can download a small sample of it here.

Categories: Anime, Manga, Products | Tags: Japanese, manga, review, way

Friday Review: Vampire Princess Miyu TV Series

Posted on January 18, 2009 by ハヴネス

4 Comments

Time for another Friday Review that was written on Saturday. I’ve changed the layout to make my thoughts flow a little better, and in fact, I may go back and do that will all my previous posts. Now you won’t have to read through an entire essay just to check up on a certain something. Here goes.

What happens when you try to revive this fantastic, gothic horror story at the peak of mahou shoujo anime? You get Magical Vampire Pretty Miyu! No, it’s not that bad. It’s actually pretty good, but be warned that this isn’t a true sequel to the OAV. Think of it more as an alternate universe and you’ll feel much better.

Plot Overview: Miyu’s back, and she’s still hunting those pesky Shinma. Unlike the OAV, the TV series’ focus is entirely on Miyu, with most episodes showing events through her point of view. Because of this, some alterations were necessary, but what the writers ended up doing is quite novel, or cliché, depending on your point of view.

Miyu is attending an all-girls school, joins a group of friends, and hides her identity as a vampire and the Guardian from them. When trouble arrives, she morphs into her vampire outfit (her trademark kimono) and fights evil alongside her companion, Larva. She’s also accompanied by a bizarre little Shinma named Shiina, a seemingly cute little bunny thing, until you see it’s grotesquely large eyeball, that is. Also making her debut is her rival, Reiha. She looks like a living Japanese doll, and she carries one that talks to her.

Okay, I just made it sound really bad. I’m here now to rectify this. Unlike other magical girl anime, Miyu is still not much of a heroine. She has friends, therefore she has a little more value for human life (if you’re one of her friends, that is), but she has a bad habit of rarely ever actually saving anyone. She always arrives a little too late. And, no, she doesn’t fight in public with her kimono on. Fortunately, the people in this universe are a little too smart to fall for the whole heroine-just-changed-into-skimpy-clothes-and-now-we-don’t-recognize-her trick, so she fights mostly in private. Just give it a chance, okay?

Artwork: Have you seen Magic Knight Rayearth? Same guy. While this take on Miyu’s story isn’t as stylized as the OAV, the artwork certainly doesn’t fall short of anyone’s expectations. In fact, the settings in particular are quite good. The Dark is still quite scary when we see it, but since most of the show takes place in the human world, much more work was put into making it fit Miyu’s point of view.

Something that stands out to me is the use of the night. The scenes that take place after dark make good of use of keeping Miyu’s golden eyes contrasted with the scenery.

Animation: It’s not bad, and the fight scenes are pretty good, but it’s certainly not on par with the OAV. Even with all our computer stuff to smooth things out, the show doesn’t stand out as much because so many actions are reused throughout the course of the series. Sometimes it looks a bit weird, but it’s usually rather good.

Action: By far, there’s more action in this series than in the OAV. It tends to fall into a monster-of-the-week, episodic feel, and the sealing ritual is actually a deadly fight rather than a choreographed ritual. However, the fight scenes don’t last very long, and, for the most part, Miyu’s work is finished quite quickly and without much trouble. A typical fight sequence goes like this: Miyu confronts Shinma and they start to duel. Shinma starts to get an advantage within the first few seconds of fighting (or Miyu just gets bored of dodging all of its attacks), and she summons Larva. Larva appears and quickly subdues the Shinma long enough for Miyu to conjure her flame and burn it back to the Dark, or whatever she does. There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule, but that’s basically the gist of it. The show wasn’t meant to revolve around fights, so these sequences tend to feel tacked on.

Music: Like the OAV, it’s nothing to brag about, but the opening and ending sequences are superb! A mix of traditional Japanese music, but with a dark gothic edge, gives the series a very dark feel, but unfortunately there are a number of tracks that just don’t stand out.

Character Development: Miyu, Larva, Chisato, and Reiha get quite a bit of development as the series progresses, but the rest of the characters are kind of tossed aside. And Miyu’s history is completely rewritten, so for those of you who have seen the OAV, this series still holds surprises for you.

I’m going to go out of my way to say that one thing I prefer in this TV series is the characterization of Larva. First of all, he speaks in this one, for his bond with Miyu hasn’t sealed either his voice or his face, so he can also remove his mask whenever he wills. Now, I prefer him this way because he can actually give some input when the characters are dealing with either their surroundings or Shinma. It makes it easier for us to understand Larva, and also to understand why Miyu feels such attachment to him in particular. Does it steal some of the mysetery? I suppose so, but what if offers in exchange is pretty good.

Tone: Believe it or not, this show actually sets out to feel darker than the OAV. You know what’s scary? It succeeds! Well, it succeeds in a different way. The artwork may not sends chills down your back or make the hair on your neck stand up, but the nature of which the Shinma prey upon their victims and the consequences of that are much, much darker.

Miyu and Shiina also have quite a dark sense of humor. There are a couple cracks about suicide and death, and even Chisato’s annoyingly perky personality can’t compensate for the dark mood. In fact, it will eventually help give either the greatest scare of all, or the crappiest turnout available.

Episode Flow: I mentioned before that the stories are very episodic, and that’s not an overstatement. Heck, it might even be an understatement. There are only a few instances of a story arc, so you can practically watch the episodes in any order you want! In fact, that’s what I did the first time through, and I still understood everything perfectly!

Dubbing: I didn’t watch a whole lot of the dub, but it doesn’t seem to be anything to brag about. Miyu’s English voice is very monotone, trying to go for that whole I’m-a-vampire-and-I-don’t-have-emotions kind of thing, which is sad. Miyu’s voice is rather monotone in the Japanese version, but there are still hints that she’s got a lot going on inside of her that doesn’t reach the surface. The other characters all pretty much sound like clichéd anime side characters.

Language and Content: It’s pretty much the same as the OAV, but the way the Shinma track and destroy their prey can be downright disturbing. One episode was actually pulled in Japan for a time because the Shinma mimicked an actual killer, and the episodes hardly end on a happy note.

It’s also a lot more violent. There’s quite a bit of blood in a few scenes, but nothing to make one shrink back at. It’s just a heads up that the gore factor is up a bit, but it’s still not cringe-worthy, unless you’re really sensitive to that kind of stuff, that is.

I should also note that our protagonist hardly bats an eye at death, so those of you who prefer a very honest, compassionate, and likeable main character should be warned!

Villains: There’s really not much to them, really. There’s a few surprises as the end, but I’d better not go into that. Anyway, the Shinma are all evil, the only gray areas being Reiha and her creepy little companion, Larva, and Miyu. Wait, I can think of one other exception, but she was a one-shot character. The rest kill humans indiscriminately and/or intentionally seek to kill Miyu. No real development there, since they usually only last for one episode.

Recommended? If you’re a fan of magical girl anime, yes. If you really like vampire stories, yes. If you’re a die-hard Miyu fan who can’t get enough of our favorite Guardian, yes again. However, if you’re a casual anime fan who feels that monster-of-the-week shows are contrived and pointless, then perhaps no. It’s not a bad anime, but it does feel lacking. Casual anime fans who don’t really care will certainly appreciate it, fans of Miyu will probably like it (although some fans of the OAV will probably not like it so well), and people who love a good vampire story will also enjoy it. However, that’s about it. It doesn’t require the patience of the OAV, but it also feels very episodic in exchange. You’re call. I like it, if that helps.

Categories: Anime | Tags: Miyu, review, TV, vampire

Friday Review: Vampire Princess Miyu (OAV)

Posted on December 20, 2008 by ハヴネス

2 Comments

This is a very difficult anime to judge. Billed as a horror story, the anime (made in 1988) offers a whole lot more than that, and it’s probably one of the best vampire stories I’ve ever seen, period! I don’t like vampires (I’m a werewolf fan, myself), but Miyu’s story is enduring, tragic, and invokes a sense of awe.

Himiko is a spiritualist who arrives in Kyoto in order to exorcise a girl whose parents believe to be possessed. Tied in with this odd case is a rumor of people whose bodies have been turning up completely drained of blood. While trying to solve the strange case, Himiko encounters Miyu, a vampire in the form of a young girl, probably aged thirteen or fourteen. She can survive in broad daylight, is immune to crosses and Holy Water, and even sports a reflection!

Himiko learns from Miyu that the girl in question has invited in a Shinma, a supernatural, demon-like creature, into her soul, and that it’s Miyu’s fate to hunt down every last Shinma and seal it back in the Dark from whence it came. After the inciding with the girl, Himiko becomes quite obsessed with the vampire and seems to stalk her, with the pretense of protecting the humans she preys upon, of course.

It may seem dated, but the anime’s artwork is still very beautiful. It’s a wonderful display of stylized Japanese gothic art. The character designs are flawless! Miyu, while looking quite innocent, still manages to invoke a certain creepiness. Larva, her faithful servant, is quite an interesting site. Most of what we’ll see of him is a dark cloak and creepy looking mask, but when we do see him without it, there’s a nasty tendency to draw rabid fangirls to his side.

As for Himiko, the nice thing about her is that she doesn’t look like an adorable anime heroine. Nope, she looks like a serious, professional working woman. Trust me, anything more than that would be untrue to both the character and story’s setting itself.

Speaking of the setting, the backgrounds for this anime tend to lie between average and awesome. When the characters are interacting in the normal world, the world looks very plain. There’s really nothing interesting to say about it at all; but when we get glimpses of the Dark, you can’t help but feel unnerved. The primary colors used to portray it are red and black. Seeing Miyu, with her innocent-looking kimono and large, golden eyes, standing within the Dark makes it even more unsettling. Seeing Larva there makes it look just plain creepy!

The animation for this series is quite subtle, just as it should be. Since the series doesn’t rely on gratuitous amounts of blood and gore to induce shock, instead opting for a much more subtle approach, the animation is quite subdued.

The nice thing about this anime is that the fight scenes aren’t really fight scenes. Rather, they’re nicely choreographed sealing rituals that are as frightening to behold as they are beautiful. Miyu’s movements are rather graceful, elegant, and almost like a dance. When Larva is with her, their movements almost appear as one. Watching the pair of them is probably the most amazing, yet simple, piece of animation this anime offers.

Now, the animation can get choppy at times, but that’s not very often. Considering that this was made before the wide-spread use of computers to smooth things out, these small flaws can be expected. However, they don’t plague the series, and when it counts, the animation is as smooth as anything we see today.

The only action in the series is what the story allows for. Sorry, but we’re not going to see an amazing showdown between Miyu and Himiko with Larva acting as referee. It just doesn’t work that way. Most of the episodes appear quite uneventful, the only “action” being the ritual used to seal the Shinma away, but that, as I mentioned earlier, looks more like a dance sequence than anything else.

As for the music, some people seem to really enjoy it, others not so much. Like most every other aspect of this anime, the music is quite subdued. It’s haunting, and it would be great background music to play at your house while expecting trick-or-treaters, but it’s probably not something I’d want to listen to on a regular basis. I leave it up to anime like Escaflowne for that!

Still, some of the music is quite enduring, and it does have its moments where the music really draws your attention. All in all, it’s not bad, but it’s not astounding. Or rather, to quote Animal Crossing DS, it’s “more than milk, but not quite a milkshake.”

There’s quite a bit of character development, too, but you’ll have to wait for the second half of the series. No, that’s not a long wait, considering that it’s only four episodes long. A lot is explored in those last two episodes, but that’s what we watch it for, right? To solve the big mystery that Himiko seeks to dismantle: who is Miyu? How did she become a vampire, and why does the burden of sealing Shinma fall on her and her alone? This will not disappoint!

The stories for each episode are all intertwined to create a grand masterpiece that rivals even Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. This is story-telling at its best, and it’s a shame that it lasts but a mere four episodes. I could have sat through many more if the quality wasn’t compromised!

The tone is naturally quite dark. It’s definitely not for kids, although they probably wouldn’t understand it anyway. The Shinma are cruel creatures, and Miyu herself isn’t much of a hero, either. In fact, Miyu can be almost as monstrous as the Shinma she hunts! She has very little regard for human life, and just about everything she does, she does for her own purposes, and I don’t mean that in a Lina Inverse kind of way.

Dubbing? To be perfectly honest, I’ve never heard it. Nope, not once. Instead (so this section isn’t wasted), I’ll comment on the Japanese voice acting. Miyu’s voice is downright creepy. You can’t not be scared by that creepy little giggle of hers. Larva’s voice is also quite amazing, but in some ways he sounds like almost every other bishounen anime character. I personally thought his voice needed a little more edge, but there were other Shinma with gentle voices, so it’s not like it was totally out of place. Himiko also had a great voice, but it didn’t stand out, seeing as she was supposed to be a normal character surrounded by supernatural ones.

This is more of a translation note than an actual voice acting flaw, but it sounds to me like Miyu is saying Lava, perhaps “Lover”, instead of Larva. I don’t hear the “r” sound, nor do I hear the Japanese equivalent. I haven’t looked at the katakana for it, though, so I’m not certain. If it was, indeed, meant to be said as Larva, then the actress for Miyu should pronounce it more clearly. My best bed would be that is says ”ラーバ” or ”ラバ”, which means “Raba”.

Do I recommend it? I certainly do, especially for fans of the genre! As I said, vampires don’t usually interest me, but I really got hooked to this show. It’s great for fans of horror, and also for a good drama/soap opera thing. The artwork is amazing, and the actors really seemed to give it their all. Some people might find it boring, since it’s really not about action, but if you’re patient, you’ll find a great story within.

Now, I’m going to talk about any objectional/controversial content in the show, and it will have a Christian bias, but don’t let it turn off anyone who isn’t a Christian. This is more like a parental guide in case any of you have kids and want to know what’s okay to show around them. Remember, it’s up to you to decide what you and your kids can watch, this section is just a heads-up to anything that might be considered inappropriate.

I don’t recall hearing anything that really offended my sensitive ears. There’s very little in the way of foul language, and as far as content goes, there’s nothing sexual at all. There is a small amount of smoking (Himiko is a smoker), but who hasn’t seen that on TV?

Now, it is a vampire show, complete with disturbing images that may appear demonic in nature. The Shinma, for the most part, and more complex than the demons Christians know, but it’s still hard to swallow sometimes. Even more disturbing may be the fact that Miyu isn’t really a heroine. She has little regard for human life, even those whom she hasn’t chosen to feed on, and even when her motives are made clear, they’re hardly anything to clap about. Himiko is actually the moral compass for the story. I wouldn’t shy Christians away from the show, but be warned that this content exists and some may find it disturbing.

So go check it out. I’m pretty sure you can find episodes up on youtube, just make sure you start at the beginning instead of trying to jump in at the middle. Also, remember that this is the OAV, not the TV series, which I will be reviewing next.

Categories: Anime | Tags: Miyu, OAV, princess, review, vampire

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