The Anime Blog

Many apologies for the lack of updates recently; the past few months have been busy for me. Here are some sales and coupon offers for mid-May:

Rightstuf! has a pair of sales running. First, they have extended their current Spring T-Shirt Special. The sale also includes hats, wristbands, and headbands. From now through May 14, prices on T-shirts, hats, wristbands, and headbands have been reduced by 25%. No coupons are necessary.

Their new sale is called Sail Into Summer. From now through May 18, you can take 33% off the retail prices of graphic novels and books from Tokyopop. This includes preorders. The coupon code is sailing. The sale ends May 18, 2008 at 11:59pm CDT.

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AnimeNation also has a pair of sales. Their Spring Cleaning Sale continues with select lists of apparel, books & manga, DVDs, merchandise & figures, and soundtracks on sale.

Their new sale is called the May Daze Sale. You can save up to 40% on select DVDs, apparel, books, and miscellaneous items. No end date has been listed, though the sale’s title infers that it will finish at month’s end.

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CD Japan has a sale called their Anime DVD Box Sale. Their web site claims that you can get up to 70% off of a select list of box sets. However, when I looked at their site, there were several sets listed as “out of print” and none of the remaining sets were shown to have a 70% discount. Most of the remaining sets were discounted by 10% to 20% with a few discounted by 30%, 40%, and 60%. Note that the prices are in Yen. The sale ends June 29, 2008 at 23:59 (Tokyo time, I believe).

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Best Buy is offering a printable coupon for in-store purchases. You can get 10% off of up to 3 DVDs. The restrictions are that this does not include new releases, one offer per coupon per household, good on in-stock items only (no rainchecks), no dealers, excludes stores in Puerto Rico and Canada. It is good through May 19.

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Barnes & Noble is offering a coupon for purchases made online. You can get 15% off of one item. The coupon code is Y8Y8E9R and the coupon expires on May 18.

Speed Racer - the live action adaptation of the classic anime was released this past weekend. Can the movie be any better the anime? Can the movie be any good as a stand alone film? Will anime fans be fans of Speed Racer?

plot summary

The Racer family has been building and racing custom cars for years. Racing is in their blood and a daily part of their lives. Speed Racer, the middle son of three, is a born race car driver. When he masterfully wins the race at Thunderhead, he draws the attention of Royalton Industries.

The owner of the megacorp makes Speed an offer to drive for his team. Speed refuses, and he and his family become targets of a vengeful corporation. The only way Speed can ever hope to take down the corrupt Royalton Industries is to race cross country with former rival, Racer X, in the infamous Casa Cristo, the same race which took the life of Speed’s idolized older brother Rex.

There’s more at stake than the family business, however, and Speed must discover the true reason to why he races in order to save not only his family, but racing itself.

review

Speed Racer proves Americans can not only make live action anime, they can make fantastic live action anime. But what it really takes to make it work is love. Love of anime and love for film making, two things renown anime fans, the Wachowski Brothers have in spades.

The movie was in a word, amazing. I went in with no expectations and went away with a glowing feeling of satisfaction. Everything that is anime is translated, almost verbatim, into live action. The colors, movements, action and perspectives, which are the hallmarks of this medium, are defined beautifully in a movie that has no right to be as good as it is.

Let’s face it, the original Speed Racer anime was bad. Although the anime is a “classic”, the concepts were bad, the animation was bad, the execution was bad. But this movie has taken a broke down, shoddy piece of “classic” anime and transformed it into something which is more “Anime” than the original.

Fans may be temporarily taken aback by the wash of vibrant colors that fills the screen. Yet just like watching your first anime series, what seems strange at first starts to feel comfortable, homey even. This is what real life anime should be; loud, sexy, fantastic and a little overwhelming.

The visuals aren’t just a homage to anime, though, they are anime. The beautiful people and creative character designs populating Speed Racer are what make anime so appealing and unique. But you don’t have to be an anime fan to appreciate a movie this engaging and fun. It’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement of a race, or a fight with ninjas and colorful villains. The theater audience was cheering as Speed flew down the impossible race tracks- everyone was in on the action. The pervading bubblegum feel of the movie didn’t feel childish, however, just fun. Adult fun. Fun like we imagined adulthood would be like but never was. Fun with an edge, sexy fun but not too naughty.

Speed Racer has something for everyone; bright colors and monkey mayhem for easily distracted youngsters, hot young actors and plenty of race car action for easily distracted adults, and plenty of plot and story for the serious minded movie goer.

Character Development

It was shocking how good the story was. I didn’t even think there would be any story, but Speed Racer had a human, touching plot: A family, torn apart by miscommunication and perceived betrayal, begins to heal, only to be threatened again by the same things which nearly destroyed it before.

It’s also a coming of age story. One in which Speed Racer must deal with his own inner struggles and decide which path he’ll set his future down. There was a subtle maturity to the plot which was slightly masked by the overt visuals. It still managed to shine through, however, and was more of a plot than the entire anime series had combined.

Speed Racer had good depth and was brilliantly fleshed out in well plotted flashbacks. His brother, Rex Racer was an even deeper character than Speed, and given just as much thought. The story centers much upon the brothers past and the terms upon with which they both lead their lives.

Character Design

The movie had a delightfully international cast. It was impossible to pin down where, geographically, the movie was taking place. Judging by the amazing array of nationalities, the story could be set anywhere and everywhere. And the international appeal wasn’t watered down. The various languages weren’t subtitled, which lent an exotic hint to the audio. The viewer was left wondering at an accent or a language. Where’s that guy/ gal from? It was all woven together so well, it added color and depth to the details, and details make or break a movie.

Character designs adhered to the original anime, but were given a boost. The designs looked good, not cheesy. Trixie looked fantastic, better than she should. Her short skirts and adorable bob hairstyle are offset by alluring makeup and bright lipstick. The men look a tad bishounen. There was a balance of Japanese and Western aesthetics to the appearance of the cast. They were all attractive when they were meant to be and appropriately creepy elsewhere.

Certain fight scenes have action lines, much like the original anime did. The effect pulls the movie that much closer to anime. The colors are all anime, however. In any other movie, the colors would be an instant fail, but in Speed Racer, nothing else would have worked.

Visuals

This movie gets high marks for flawless visuals. The CG was fantastic and worked well. The Wachowski brothers have honed their style down to an art and Speed Racer could well be their masterpiece. The action was heart-pounding and not distracting in the least. Visuals pull you in and put you right there in the center of the action, not just watching it.

Music

Michael Giacchino scored Speed Racer with music simultaneously orchestral and electronic. The score lent Speed racer a mature, yet fun vibe.

Acting

Emile Hirsch did a fantastic job as Speed. He came across as appropriately conflicted and innocent and balanced the emotions well. He even managed to put in some of surprised “Oh!” gasps from the anime’s English dub without making it come off as hokkey.

Christina Ricci also did a good job but she managed to annoy me with her character. Her energetic/ sexy/ cute version of Trixie was confusing and attractive, which had the combined effect of annoying me.

Matthew Fox, who portrayed Racer X, did the best job interpreting the anime version of the character. His monotonous and mysterious voice was one I remember well. Matthew Fox did a very convincing job overall as Racer X.

The rest of the cast were also good, but the main characters outstripped them all.

Conclusion

This was an anime live action adaption with a holistic approach so thorough, it touched on everything which is anime and then some. Speed Racer is what live action anime should be, and was as much fun and engaging as any anime, if not more so. There was some pandering to younger audiences in certain scenes, which was distracting and unnecessary, but not overly so.

Looking beyond the visuals, the story was anime as well, as was the storytelling. I was beyond merely entertained with this movie, I was engaged and charmed.

Rating

Speed Racer gets 4.5 outta 5 Hammies!

The teaser poster for the Live Action Dragonball Z Movie has been spotted in an unknown location:

© 2008 20th Century Fox

Now I’ve seen this poster disappear from a few sites, which seems a little suspicious…Does the studio still have faith in the film?

Photo Source: slashfilm.com (http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/04/27/dragonball-teaser-poster-updated/)

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After watching two volumes of a highly melancholy, depressing anime, I’ve come to the conclusion some things just shouldn’t be made into anime, let alone get twenty six episodes.

Some anime have a point to the melancholy drama, and get to it fairly quickly, but they don’t drag it out over every episode. I don’t want to not want to get out of bed in the morning or park the car in the garage and leave the door down with the engine on after watching an anime. Lord knows it can’t all be sunshine and roses, but there’s a point when enough is too much.

Anime concepts can be anything, from mundane (Kanon) to really mundane (Prince of Tennis) to tedious and boring (Yakitate!!) to depressing beyond words (Grave of the Fireflies). So how much is too much when it comes to a concept for anime being too boring, depressing or mundane?

While we all know the list of good ideas for anime are nigh endless, the flip side is also true- a never ending supply of baaaad ideas are forever lurking, waiting to be made into crappy anime. We’ve compiled a top ten list of ideas for anime which should never, under any circumstances, EVER be made, either because they’re too depressing or too boring:

10. Ero Knitting- Purl, purl, left stitch, oh yeah!

9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- 1, 2, 5 and 4 which plastic will cost our planet more?

8. Shopping for Flatware- The real danger was, would the store have enough for a sitting of 10?

7. Hair Cut, The Series- Dueling scissors battle for the ultimate prom night-do!

6. Pet Shelter of Horrors- Take one home today or the guilt will haunt you…forever!!!

5. Awkward Silence: I Made Out With Your Mom- How long can a man gape in surprise before the silence destroys him?

4. Tax Time- Uncle Sam knows where you live!! And you, and you, and you….

3. Paint Drying: The First Coat- As the paint dried, lives were lived.

2. Exit Poll, The Movie- Their final opinions prove nothing!

1. Hospice*

Perhaps you’ve been privy to some bad anime ideas in your lonely hours, or someone mentioned something should be made into anime and you strongly disagree. What thoughts do you have on which ideas should be avoided at all costs for the sake of anime? Do you or someone you know have a handful of bad ideas for anime you’ve been keeping to yourselves? If so this is your chance to share: What’s the worst anime concept ever?

*I highly, highly respect hospice and its caregivers. Their sacrifice makes our last days safe and comfortable, but a hospice anime? Worst. Idea. Ever.

Feel free to unburden your bad anime ideas in the comments below!

Today’s candy has the most Western name to date: Butter Ball. Everything else up to now has been distinctly Japanese, even the pizza flavored snack I’ve reviewed has the unique touch of Japanese cuisine imparted upon it. But this hard, sweet candy beats it hands down by being butter in ball form. Can’t get any better than that!

The company which makes Butter Ball, UHA, is a truly inventive Japanese candy maker. They’re the creators of Shigekix, Koakuma and a slew of other appealing and inspiring snacks and candy.

Packaging

The packaging is rather blah for UHA, which stands for “Unique Human Adventure“. They usually have some phenomenally eye-catching packaging that hits you square in the face and forces you to buy their products. This bag looks like a bag of candy I’d find down at my local grocery store. The red kanji doesn’t pop off the orange backdrop and the black English font does nothing for me. The cow in the bright green field, however is a good contrasting image. Also, points for showing the product and for having the candy individually wrapped. Overall, though, I’m kinda unimpressed with Butter Ball’s packaging. UHA, you can do better!Score: B-

Appearance

The buttery yellow hue and satin sheen are attractive but it’s disappointing the candy is more of a lozenge shape than ball shape, seeing as how it’s called “Butter Ball”. Score: A-

Texture

Butter Ball is a hard candy with a smooth texture. When it’s sucked on, it releases it’s buttery flavor with a bit of heaviness, reminiscent of actual butter. Score: A

Flavor

Wow! This is awesome! It tastes like a butter cookie, with a hint of lemon. The flavor takes me back to when we would crack open a bag of butter cookies on a hot summer afternoon after school and chow down. The lemon is what takes this flavor to the butter cookie realm and not to that of butterscotch or true butter. Butter Ball also has a touch of milkiness, the overall effect being of buttery cookies. The flavor is nice and rich, just like a well made butter cookie. All the butter cookie essence without the cookie.Score: A+

Verdict

Butter Ball is another fantastic offering from a truly unique candy company. The flavor is full and delish. My only complaint is I keep crunching down on them expecting cookie but getting hard candy.

Deus ex machina. “God out of a machine”. A device used heavily in Greek plays to resolve situations by interjecting them with a solution from the heavens. In the latest Appleseed movie, Appleseed EX Machina, based off the manga by Ghost in the Shell creator, Masamune Shirow, the term “ex machina” has a more sinister meaning.

plot summary

In the aftermath of a non-nuclear World War III, the city of Olympus shines brightly against the starkness of a decrepit world. Within Olympus’ boundaries, technology both biological and mechanical flourish, yet the city teeters on the brink of destruction from within and without. Protecting this fragile bubble of humanity and technology are the bioroids and ESWAT.

Bioroids are humanoid creatures designed in a lab to have no negative human emotions, yet possess high levels of intelligence and more. They run the government and are in places of diplomacy and power. ESWAT is a team of highly trained specialists adept at diffusing threats to the safety of Olympus and her citizens.

ESWAT is called in for an operation to take down a group of terrorists holed up in a church with a group of hostages. Two of ESWAT’s finest, Deunan Knute, and her cyborg partner/ lover, Briareos Hecatonchires, rescue the hostages, but Briareos is badly wounded in the operation.

While her lover heals, Deunan is paired up with a new partner, Tereus, one who looks a lot like Briareos did before the accident which made him a cyborg. Tereus and Deunan must work together to solve the latest outbreaks of cyborg terrorism. The incidents become more and more violent and Olympus quickly descends into chaos. But are cyborgs really to blame? Who’s pulling the strings behind these waves of mass violence and what is their purpose?

Deuna struggles to untangle her emotions toward the man who wears her lover’s face and fights to discover the true threat behind the terrorists.

Review

I thought Appleseed: EX Machina would escape unscathed by the taint of film director John Woo, the man who helmed the movie. I believed in my heart of hearts there would be no slow-mo bullet casings falling to the ground, no slow-mo doves fluttering by the camera, no slo-mo fight scenes. I was wrong, and how.

Within the first ten minutes of the movies, most of John Woo’s trademarks are thrown on the screen in a most distracting manner. Within the first twenty minutes, it becomes apparent John Woo’s style clashes massively with the anime style. Within the next thirty minutes, I declare, “Get your John Woo out of my anime!”

Not only is there an overabundance of slowly falling bullet casings, the amount of time doves are on the screen is ridiculous. A dove is even a part of the plot for chrissakes. There really was no need to rub the audience’s faces into the fact John Woo directed produced Appleseed. Fine. We get John Woo did the movie, can we get back to the story now?

But that was impossible, because while the concept for the movie was decent, the story itself wasn’t. It all felt too familiar and too rehashed, which it shouldn’t have. This was a chance to do something new with Appleseed, something daring, something that would have never worked anywhere else but here. Yet, that didn’t happen. The love story between Briareos and Deuane was a good addition, and it didn’t feel too forced. Most of the other story, however, felt too rote and recycled. At the end of the movie, for example, is a blatant ripoff from a famous American sci-fi series story arc. Incredibly blatant.

Character Development

Appleseed EX Machina didn’t have much character development. The relationship between Deunan and Briareos was given some depth and back story, but the development pretty much ended there. No explanation was given for the relationship between Hitomi and Deunan, which was pretty important in the first movie.

Appleseed EX Machina takes much for granted on the part of the viewer, as in not giving them details on people and relationships. Watching the first movie takes care of that, however. Although, that shouldn’t be necessary with some well placed commentary in the second movie.

Character Design

Masamune Shirow’s designs for technology are always tight and Appleseed is no exception. All his concepts feel as though they could become a reality in the future. The airships look much like giant fireflies, taking a page from nature, and the armor is a change of pace from the seemingly cloned mechs which infest the anime world. Shirow’s designs are inspiring to say the least, and are a reflection of a tomorrow which is highly probable.

Animation

The CG work for Appleseed was mediocre to fair. Everything seemed to have a rubbery, fake cast to it and was very noticeable. If this look was what the studio, Micott & Bassara, was aiming for, they achieved it. It wasn’t a good fit for the movie, though, and felt very cheap. All the characters looked like a figurine shop come to life, so the animation also had a slightly creepy effect.

Music

The music for Appleseed was probably the least average of the lot. It was a mix of techno, electronic, trance, and heavy rock and was a perfect fit for the movie.

Voice Acting

English voice work was also mediocre to fair. Deunan’s actress, Luci Christian was a good match for the character as was Briareos’, David Matranga. Other voice work landed in the realm of Okay.

The Japanese voice cast was decent to good but we watched the movie with the English dub.

Conclusion

Appleseed EX Machina did entertain, but it only did a mediocre job of it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this movie, but neither would I decry it as being garbage. It was an average movie; neither fantastic nor bad. I can’t fully blame John Woo for the so-so nature of Appleseed. Even if he hadn’t come on as director producer, the story probably would have remained unchanged and would have suffered from its own ills just the same. That said, it was difficult to get beyond the visuals John Woo is (in)famous for. It all adds up to a movie with a good premise being executed averagely and directed passably.

Rating

Appleseed EX Machina gets 2.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Warner Home Video
• Release Date: March 11, 2008
• Retail Price: $19.99
• Number of discs:1
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Rating:PG-13
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Closed Caption, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Later this year, Japan will host the World Cosplay Summit 2008. This will be the sixth Summit, which began in 2003. Last year’s event featured 14 teams (28 cosplayers) from 12 countries (Japan had 3 teams) with an estimated 10,000 people watching the championship. The winners were the French team with Japan B taking second and Mexico taking third.

This year’s event will feature at cosplayers from at least 13 countries. There have been seven preliminary rounds held so far which select each country’s representatives.

September 8, 2007

The German preliminary round was held as part of Connichi 2007 at the Kongress Palais Kassel in Kassel, Germany. There were three judges: one member of the WCS 2007 German team, one Connichi organizer, and one member of the cosplay community “Cosplay Heaven“. The winning team performed as characters from Sailor Moon.

• Annie Fischinger (left) as Sailor Moon
• Katharina Wehrmann (right) as Sailor Chibi Moon

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

September 23, 2007

The Thai preliminary round was held as one of the final events of Japan Week at Central World in Bangkok. There was a large panel of judges, mostly Japanese, including the Public Relations & Culture Division Chief of the Japanese Embassy, TV Aichi’s Division Chief of the Executive Office, the Deputy Manager of the JETRO Bangkok Center, the Head of the JNTO Bangkok Center, the Head of the ANA branch in Bangkok, and the Head of the Japan National Tourist Organization’s Sightseeing and PR Office. The lone non-Japanese judge was the organizer for Korea’s WCS preliminary. The person who wrote the report about this preliminary round mentioned that:

“The Japanese judges were older guys lined up on stage; it felt as if they were in the wrong place! Basically, it didn’t feel like it had an otaku atmosphere.“

However, the reporter also had a favorable reaction to their choice of the team who would represent Thailand. This team performed as characters from Xenosaga.

• Julaluk Lohanawakul (left) as T-ELOS
• Jittraporn Distaprom (right) as KOS-MOS

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

October 4, 2007

The Italian preliminary round was held at the Romics 2007 comics and animation festival. The event took place at the Camera di Commercio di Roma in Rome. Like the Thai preliminary round, there were many judges, though, this set of judges seemed to be a better fit (less business oriented).

According to the person who reported about the Italian preliminary round: “The Jury was made up of a number of personalities from the world of TV and entertainment so as to have different points of view in the final decision: a TV producer, Cosplay experts, publishers, the Italian representatives of previous editions of the WCS, a voice actor for anime.” This reporter also seemed to like the judges’ decision. The winning team performed as characters from Five Star Stories.

• Nadia Baiardi (left) as Lachesis
• Martina Arnaldi (right) as Amaterasu

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

November 3, 2007

There were two countries which had preliminary rounds on this date. The Danish preliminary round was held at J-Popcon 2007 at the Valby Kulturhus in Copenhagen. There were four judges…two were from Gainax (a director and a character designer), one was a member of Germany’s WCS 2007 team, and one was a WCS 2008 staff member from TV Aichi. They selected a team who performed as characters from Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE.

• Liuwina Haeklund (left) as Sakura
• Lisa Hvidberg (right) as Shaoran

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

The Spanish preliminary round was held at the 13th Salón del Manga (which is said to be the oldest manga and anime festival in Europe) at the Poliesportiu Centre in Barcelona. The were six judges including the Envoy from the Japanese Embassy in Madrid, the Event Coordinator of the Salón del Manga, 2 editors from comics publishing firms (Planeta DeAgostini Comics & Norma Comics), a TV producer (from Televisión de Catalunya), and a gothic fashion designer. Coincidentally, they also chose a team whose performance featured characters from Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE.

• Maria Pérez Tomás (left) as Sakura
• Nicolás Cabrerizo García (right) as Shaoran

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

December 7, 2007

The US preliminary round was held at the innaugural New York Anime Festival. The competition was at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. This marked the return of the US to the WCS after a two year hiatus. There were five judges- a photographer, a cosplayer, and three people representing the sponsors of the WCS. They chose the team who performed as characters from Magic Knight Rayearth.

• Renee Gloger (left) as Umi
• Sonnya Paz (right) as Hikaru

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

February 4, 2008

The Mexican preliminary round was held as part of the 14th Expo Manga Comic TNT GT2 event. The venue was the Mexico City World Trade Center large event hall. There were four judges: one was a member of the 2005 WCS Italian team, one was a coordinator for TNT, and there were two others. They chose a team of veteran cosplayers (9 and 6 years of experience) who performed as characters from Digimon.

• Teresa Garcia Hernandez (left) as Lady Devimon
• Ingrid Alin Naba (right) as Angemon

Use the following links to view more information about the preliminary and the team members.

More preliminaries are scheduled to round out the final list of competitors. This year, Japan will have two teams (an East team from the Tokyo preliminary and a West team from the Osaka preliminary). Other countries which will be sending teams include Korea, Brazil, China, France, and Singapore. Here is a projected itinerary for their preliminary rounds:

May 18, 2008

Japan Team 1 preliminary round

• Tokyo Dome City Cosplay Festa Tokyo Dome City, Tokyo

June 1, 2008

Korean preliminary round

• Everland Cosplay Party 2008 Everland, Yongin

July 13, 2008

Japan Team 2 preliminary round

• Cosplayers Jam@World Cosplay Summit 2008 - West Japan Grand Prix Kyocera Dome, Osaka

July 21, 2008

Brazilian preliminary round

• Event name TBA in São Paulo Dates and Locations TBA

Preliminary rounds for China, France, and Singapore

Once all the teams have been chosen, they will participate in the World Cosplay Summit 2008 in the late summer. The venue will be in Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture), Japan.

One note- early reports had indicated that Australia would be holding preliminary rounds for the 2008 WCS. However, according to the Animania Festival website, these preliminaries are for the 2009 WCS.

Images and reports of preliminary winners: WCS website (more photos from the preliminary rounds may be accessed here as well)

ANN Stories:
World Cosplay Summit 2008’s Italian Finalists Chosen
Tsubasa Team Wins Danish World Cosplay Summit Round
Spanish World Cosplay Summit Finalists Chosen
World Cosplay Summit Announces American Finalists
Mexico’s World Cosplay Summit Competitors Selected
Cosplay Event Adds Brazil, China, France, Singapore, Korea