Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Library Wars (anime) Introduction
First words
This is a nice short warmup that I wanted to start off with. It's nothing much, just a twelve episode show, but it's intriguing. It has ridicuous library superpowers, battling factions, and the love of books, which hits a soft spot with me.
Resources
Anime Boy -With VIP Subscription. Frankly, not worth it.
Zomg Anime -No subscription necessary! I reccomend this the most!
Anitube. -Personally, I haven't had much success, but you might be able to get it to work for you.
Sidereel -Not really a resource, but I plan to post backup reviews here, when I can. This might also be a good place to meet others who like the show!
Setting
Library Wars takes place in Japan in the year 2019, thirty years after the government-sponsred censorship and government-sponsored information liberation started attacking each other. Stores are often raided for banned books, yet the public is still open to acces information in the library network spanning the country. The streets re more violent, and confrontations between the two gang-lige groups increase daily, as the civilians become more and more involved. We, hoever, personally follow the story of Kasahara Iku, a new recruit who decided to join the military after she was saved from censor-nazis by a mysteriou, "prince charming" figure.
Get the eyerolling done now, because it's still good.
Characters
There's Kasahara Iku, a plucky new recruit who is drafted into the mega-elite Library Task Force, by her mean (but caring) drill instructor and superior, Lietutenant Doujou Atsushi. Although not the brightest bulb in the pack, and lacking a bit of discipline, Kasahara is athletic, motivated, and loyal enough to be the first female in the Task Force, which, by the way, is the group that does all the heavy missions and fights battles and stuff. Over books. And all this brings for ther PASHUNNN.
Plot
Okay, so the Eeeeeeeebil Media Conservative types start lobbying to censor a bunch of things to protect the future of Japanese children, and, well, the typical aggro-japanese protection routine. So the government allows this group to go around collecting books and stuff that might have corruptive information for people. The all the libraries in the country guild together, and form the Library Militia, another government-sponsored group, dedicated to human rights, freedom of speech, and the distribution of information to all people. You'd think this is just some socio-political movement, or just a new way to divide conservative and liberal, but in fact, people die over this stuff. The last thirty years were peppered with conflicts, and civilian deaths in the crossfires. People DIED. It rather makes you wonder how a government could actually pass two opposing factions, and allow it to grow to that size. What's more, both factions are military-supported! Granted, the Librarians tend to have more recruit and tran style stuff, and apparently the Media Conservatists like to rope people in wiht loands and kidnap orphans... Okay, perhaps not the alst one, but I could swear that's what that one guy said!
Should Know
Not much, really. Perhaps a bit of info on the Dewey Decimal System? A bit on govermnent factions, human rights... Oh! And the knowlege that Japan is not America. Tadaaaaaaah~ It might also be helpful to know that Japan has isolated itself off from any kind of contact before, for hundreds of years. It was the only country to stay in the medieval age until the 1800's, so I suppose the idea of filter-feeding info is a pretty common theme...
Predictions and Expectations
There will be explosions.
There will be the reconsideration of your own rights, values, and appreciation for your librarians.
There will be PASHUNNN.
Planetes fans will, no doubt, see Tanabe in Kasahara, and Hachimaki in Doujou. The premise is the same. New kid jouns group, new kid hates superior, new kid gets crush on superior, superior is cold, but warms up, but acts shy and dfeensive, makes things worse, then things start warming up, then superior gets hurt, superior turns cold, and then the new kid's twu wuv saves him and they live happily ever BLEH. It also has a similar passion of live (Kind of like slice of life, but more extraordinary) vibe to it. The government and action scenes seem reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell. Don't forget Mobile Police Patlabor, with, again, the plucky, talented newcomer, love for the gritty job, and PASHUNN. You can even tie in Read or Die's "The libraries secretly control everything" plot, and, hey, it works! And if you want the crack, just turn to Prince of Tennis (But without the asteroids and black holes and sparkles and dinosaur killing).
The possible reason for all this? They're all animated by Production IG, with the exception of RoD (then again, that was a weird series.) I like to think this story was not intended as a stand alone series, but is more of a tribute, or parody, to all of the preceeding animes. Kind of like Lucky Star to Haruhi's Melancholy.
Final Thoughts
Well, this is the end of the beginning. The series is a short twelve seasons, which is a bit sad, because it could've really benefitted from a full 26, or even 24 episode season. The pacing seems to fast and too shallow, and it's sad, because there's a great world in this story that's worth exploring. It's a story of passion, war, and love in many forms. And despite its possible faults, it gives good animation, intriguing storytelling and six hours of enjoyment. If you watch like I do, it takes about two or three days to get through and process the episodes, but it's a fun 2-3 days.
By the way, there is no english dub, you'll have to settle for subtitles. But I wuld LOVE to see Travis Willingham do Doujou. Not only does he have a nice military vibe, bit it think it'd be a bit ironif, considering Doujou's... short stature...? (Oh the isembool Rangers would have a field day! Think of the Vic and Travis banter!)
Monday, July 27, 2009
Shangri-La (Anime) Inroduction
Okay, let's chip away at the next on the list, Shangri-La, the anime!
Setting:
Many many decades into the future, Japan was devistated by a massive earthquake that killed tens of thousands. The Japanese government, unable to rebuild due to the implementation of carbon credits and carbon taxes, accepts the proposed project, Atlas. A massive tower and self-sustaining world, planned to gradually let in more refugees as it nears completion. In the meantime, Japan turns itself into a massive rainforest in an attempt to alleviate carbon emissions. he refugees group in various dwellings and ruins. Akibihara still stands as otaku Central, and the black market coverup, but most citicenz escape to the refuge camps in the jungle itself. Most of the story takes place in Duomo, come of the radical anti-Atlas group Metal Age.
Characters
The main character is 18 year old Hojo Kuniko. After her release from women's detention, she returns to her native dwelling of Duomo, and begins to take control of metal age, as the hereditary heir. There's also her guardiands, Momoko and Miko, transsexuals (Why do I always pic the series with transsexuals?) Takahito, the second in command and bodyguard to Kuniko, and her vegetable-pickeling and carbon trading tycoon Nagiko. There's also the ridiculously eccentric Ryoko, the aristocratic bitch CEO of Atlas, Lady Mikuni and Sayoko, a mysterious young girl with a condition that prevents her from seeing sunlight and her fiercely protective bodyguard. There's also Kusanagi (Major Kusanagi~~ But not my Major... T^T), a major in the Jpanese Militia. Kuniko, Mikuni, and Kusanagi all carry strange, mystical daggers. There's Karin, a young carbon tycoon who constanly makes money with the help of her serpent-like program Medusa, but never makes physical contact with anyone. But my favorite characters are the three old men in Akibihara... A moby-dick-esque admiral type, a creepy photo-stalker otaku, and a man who only speaks in onomatopoeias.
Plot
As time passes on, tensions begin to rise. The Japanese militia launches an unprompted attack on Duomo, Atlas rund furthur behind schedule, and refugee transplntation dwindles. Strange things happen inside, but it's all shrouded in mystery. The plot jumps from Kuniko's POV to Mikuni, Kusanagi, Ryoko, and Karin storylines, and they all begin to mesh together about halfway through the series. It reminds me of Terry Pratchett. As the series goes on, secrets start unravelling, and it's hinted that there's something magical and menacing about Atlas, its original purpose was not to protect the refugees as promised, and Kuniko, Kusanagi, and Mikuni, the three Digmas/AAAs have soemthing to do with it.
Should Know
I suggest knowing a bit about everything. There's fighting, ecology and biology, economics, government, business, and even a random splotch of romance. There's mysticism and coverups and a cliffhanger every episode. The emotional parts, the romance, action, and other things customary in anime need no explination, and are standard in any show. However, the show does not cover the carbon market trading, economics, and the business and government relationships, which are pivotal elements, and are actually the glaciers that move the story along. You might want to brush up on your science notes and economics textbook, because otherwise you may get lost.
Predictions
Loooove intersts~
Betrayal
A new world order
Goofy prophecies
A strange mixture of fact and fiction
Final Thoughts:
So, how do you like this new layout for the introductions? It'll make things a lot more formulaic, which means i can get through things faster and faster! And that means better reviews at better times, too.
Setting:
Many many decades into the future, Japan was devistated by a massive earthquake that killed tens of thousands. The Japanese government, unable to rebuild due to the implementation of carbon credits and carbon taxes, accepts the proposed project, Atlas. A massive tower and self-sustaining world, planned to gradually let in more refugees as it nears completion. In the meantime, Japan turns itself into a massive rainforest in an attempt to alleviate carbon emissions. he refugees group in various dwellings and ruins. Akibihara still stands as otaku Central, and the black market coverup, but most citicenz escape to the refuge camps in the jungle itself. Most of the story takes place in Duomo, come of the radical anti-Atlas group Metal Age.
Characters
The main character is 18 year old Hojo Kuniko. After her release from women's detention, she returns to her native dwelling of Duomo, and begins to take control of metal age, as the hereditary heir. There's also her guardiands, Momoko and Miko, transsexuals (Why do I always pic the series with transsexuals?) Takahito, the second in command and bodyguard to Kuniko, and her vegetable-pickeling and carbon trading tycoon Nagiko. There's also the ridiculously eccentric Ryoko, the aristocratic bitch CEO of Atlas, Lady Mikuni and Sayoko, a mysterious young girl with a condition that prevents her from seeing sunlight and her fiercely protective bodyguard. There's also Kusanagi (Major Kusanagi~~ But not my Major... T^T), a major in the Jpanese Militia. Kuniko, Mikuni, and Kusanagi all carry strange, mystical daggers. There's Karin, a young carbon tycoon who constanly makes money with the help of her serpent-like program Medusa, but never makes physical contact with anyone. But my favorite characters are the three old men in Akibihara... A moby-dick-esque admiral type, a creepy photo-stalker otaku, and a man who only speaks in onomatopoeias.
Plot
As time passes on, tensions begin to rise. The Japanese militia launches an unprompted attack on Duomo, Atlas rund furthur behind schedule, and refugee transplntation dwindles. Strange things happen inside, but it's all shrouded in mystery. The plot jumps from Kuniko's POV to Mikuni, Kusanagi, Ryoko, and Karin storylines, and they all begin to mesh together about halfway through the series. It reminds me of Terry Pratchett. As the series goes on, secrets start unravelling, and it's hinted that there's something magical and menacing about Atlas, its original purpose was not to protect the refugees as promised, and Kuniko, Kusanagi, and Mikuni, the three Digmas/AAAs have soemthing to do with it.
Should Know
I suggest knowing a bit about everything. There's fighting, ecology and biology, economics, government, business, and even a random splotch of romance. There's mysticism and coverups and a cliffhanger every episode. The emotional parts, the romance, action, and other things customary in anime need no explination, and are standard in any show. However, the show does not cover the carbon market trading, economics, and the business and government relationships, which are pivotal elements, and are actually the glaciers that move the story along. You might want to brush up on your science notes and economics textbook, because otherwise you may get lost.
Predictions
Loooove intersts~
Betrayal
A new world order
Goofy prophecies
A strange mixture of fact and fiction
Final Thoughts:
So, how do you like this new layout for the introductions? It'll make things a lot more formulaic, which means i can get through things faster and faster! And that means better reviews at better times, too.
1/2 Prince (Novel) Introduction
Uwah, at last, to be able to post again! *mini celebrates*
Well, I thought it best to knock off some introductions, so let's get it underway!
This week's topic is about 1/2 Prince, the chinese novel series which inspired the manhwa. I personally use Prince Revolution as my novel source, and Onemanga for the latest in the Manhwa. Admittedly, Onemanga is just a portal source for the manga, but there's been quite a heated debate about scanlation ownership and rights and overtranslating, and the next chapters aren't expected to come out until August or so. Besides, the manga is scripted directly from the novel series, which the team at Prince Revolution is currently translating into English! They do a wonderful, thorough, and rather speedy job, and get a chapter published about once a week. They've even gotten permission from the author herself to translate! Do they offer that for scanlations? Noooooo~~! And it really alleviates some of the guilty feelings you may get from reading scanlations that, if not illegal, tend to be seen as a tad immoral.
But that's not the point of the story!
And did I mention the nice PDF version they're coming out with? Includes some scans from the manga of the bishies, which I really, really, really, approve of. And with a bit more luck it could even buil up a good fanforum. During my term at LyokoFreak, I'll admit having a website to call your home that's not attatched to a general site, like TV.com, felt really great, and gave the place an identity. I think 1/2 Prince could certainly use that, and having it irectly linked to the site producing most of the updated content could be a strategic strongpoint. I'd like to meet some other 1/2 Prince fans!
Well, I've taken a bit too long there, so I'll just get right along to the intro.
1/2 Prince takes place in a futuristic world, where the lastest in technology is the gaming field. After the invention of sleeper computers, which connect while you sleep, MMORPGs start popping up, until only two are left standing: Life and World. The industry's arm's reach so wide, it's not uncommon to ask a random person whether they're from World or Life.
The games continue to increase in realism, from 30%, climbing to 50%, and peaking at about 88%, with each new update bringing in more users. That is, until the people who put together Life introduce a new game, Second Life, with a record-breaking 98% reality rating.
And this is about where we learn of Fen Lan/Xiao Lan. A 19 year old college student whose only skill seems to be cooking, Xiao Lan gets into an argument with her twin brother, Fen Yang Ming. He begins ranting about how female players in MMORPGS get infated stats, and how they tend to act like golddiggers to get better equipment. Xiao Lan, frustrated with his attitude, challenges his position, and picks up a copy of Second Life.
But she gets an idea, while making her character. If her brother sees her in the game as a woman, it'll only prove his point more. Her plan? Become a man! As it turns out, she is the first player ever to log on, and the moderators decide to grant her one wish. her avatar is apparenly hijacked by a raving moderator, and together, they create an elven sword-wielding beauty, with extra extra handsome stat boosts, and hunky sprinkles.
There, she's done it! Going by the appropriate name Prince. Xiao Lan is dubbed "T3h M0st S3x3h Ch4r4 3V4444444~~~~!!!!!!! BISHIBISHIBISHIBISHIBIIIIIIISHHHHHHH-- *shoot*"
...
I'm sorry, I reeeeeally had to do that. It was for my own good.
And yes, I can see some of you rolling your eyes. You're shifting towards that Mary-Sue alert button. I saw you move. And in fact, I can see you'll flinch wen you learn she's very skilled with a sword, and uses her cooking talents to slash enemies. She is outfitted with the best accessories, the best pet, and the best weapons. HA! You moved a litle more! Gitcher' hand offa that button, I'm not done!
Is she pretteh? Whai yesh. Even judging by the manhwa, she's a cutie. Wohoo. And you know who else thinks so? Everyone else. To the point of chaos, really. She teams up with eccentric teammates and stalkers, and creates an odd squad. In fact, it's called the Odd Squad. She has to pretend that her hidden moderator friend is her wife to beat off the fangirls, and even still, they have to survive fights from the more rabid ones. She gets her own stalker in the form of a male obsessing over her beauty (Ohhhh Gui~), rival teams, and all while keeping her gender a secret. She also begins to spin together the dream of creating Second Life's first legend, something that nearly all the erious players aspire to do. She also begins to get quite a feminist streak, enjoying the freedom of ding wht she wants, against gender expectations.
BEEEEEEPBEEEEPBEEEEP! You presed that Mary-Sue button, didn't you! Come on, fess up! Well, what was it? The beauty, the power, the freedom, totally envy-worthy, but seemingly shallow. Bending the world around her like gravity, and apparenly trying to do just that?
Well, yeah, technically, those are traits of a Mary-Sue.
But Xiao Lan really isn't, when you read the story. Sure, she seems to start out that way, a cardboard spunk who goes ahead on a bet, makes a sudden choice, and is throwin into a completely blank world. The point is to bend it. Her power is more coincidental than anything else, and half of the time, she rarely unerstand it. She doesn't learn any new power faster than anything else, she taps into her strong points, cooking and video games. She gains knowlege of her world slowly from more experienced players, which fleshes those characters out too. She becomes a strong fighter with ambition and will, but not necessarily smarts. It allows for development, and the fleshing out of the entire false world.
And the prettiness? Well, when i say rabid fangirls, I really mean it. Foaming, mad, and contageous, they often become the enemies and hindrances. When Xiao Lan's brother talked about gold diggers, he wasn't kidding! Jeeeeez, shallow ladiez!
That's it, lift your hand up. It's okay, she won't bite...
Anyways, recap! This series is about adventure, world building, and chasing after dreams. The action is pretty cool, and, while far fetched, seems realistic and detailed. Expect to see conflicts about pasts, real life, and competition. There are screaming, rabid fangirls, carniverous talking meatbuns, and a ridicuous play between Gui's silliness about Prince. Each character has a place. And since this series, spanning eight books, follows the formula for an Epic, get ready for a massive ending!
So, that's about it for 1/2 Prince's introduction. I'll be able to being reviews now, and I hope to catch up to PR's updates soon!
Until then, Later!
Well, I thought it best to knock off some introductions, so let's get it underway!
This week's topic is about 1/2 Prince, the chinese novel series which inspired the manhwa. I personally use Prince Revolution as my novel source, and Onemanga for the latest in the Manhwa. Admittedly, Onemanga is just a portal source for the manga, but there's been quite a heated debate about scanlation ownership and rights and overtranslating, and the next chapters aren't expected to come out until August or so. Besides, the manga is scripted directly from the novel series, which the team at Prince Revolution is currently translating into English! They do a wonderful, thorough, and rather speedy job, and get a chapter published about once a week. They've even gotten permission from the author herself to translate! Do they offer that for scanlations? Noooooo~~! And it really alleviates some of the guilty feelings you may get from reading scanlations that, if not illegal, tend to be seen as a tad immoral.
But that's not the point of the story!
And did I mention the nice PDF version they're coming out with? Includes some scans from the manga of the bishies, which I really, really, really, approve of. And with a bit more luck it could even buil up a good fanforum. During my term at LyokoFreak, I'll admit having a website to call your home that's not attatched to a general site, like TV.com, felt really great, and gave the place an identity. I think 1/2 Prince could certainly use that, and having it irectly linked to the site producing most of the updated content could be a strategic strongpoint. I'd like to meet some other 1/2 Prince fans!
Well, I've taken a bit too long there, so I'll just get right along to the intro.
1/2 Prince takes place in a futuristic world, where the lastest in technology is the gaming field. After the invention of sleeper computers, which connect while you sleep, MMORPGs start popping up, until only two are left standing: Life and World. The industry's arm's reach so wide, it's not uncommon to ask a random person whether they're from World or Life.
The games continue to increase in realism, from 30%, climbing to 50%, and peaking at about 88%, with each new update bringing in more users. That is, until the people who put together Life introduce a new game, Second Life, with a record-breaking 98% reality rating.
And this is about where we learn of Fen Lan/Xiao Lan. A 19 year old college student whose only skill seems to be cooking, Xiao Lan gets into an argument with her twin brother, Fen Yang Ming. He begins ranting about how female players in MMORPGS get infated stats, and how they tend to act like golddiggers to get better equipment. Xiao Lan, frustrated with his attitude, challenges his position, and picks up a copy of Second Life.
But she gets an idea, while making her character. If her brother sees her in the game as a woman, it'll only prove his point more. Her plan? Become a man! As it turns out, she is the first player ever to log on, and the moderators decide to grant her one wish. her avatar is apparenly hijacked by a raving moderator, and together, they create an elven sword-wielding beauty, with extra extra handsome stat boosts, and hunky sprinkles.
There, she's done it! Going by the appropriate name Prince. Xiao Lan is dubbed "T3h M0st S3x3h Ch4r4 3V4444444~~~~!!!!!!! BISHIBISHIBISHIBISHIBIIIIIIISHHHHHHH-- *shoot*"
...
I'm sorry, I reeeeeally had to do that. It was for my own good.
And yes, I can see some of you rolling your eyes. You're shifting towards that Mary-Sue alert button. I saw you move. And in fact, I can see you'll flinch wen you learn she's very skilled with a sword, and uses her cooking talents to slash enemies. She is outfitted with the best accessories, the best pet, and the best weapons. HA! You moved a litle more! Gitcher' hand offa that button, I'm not done!
Is she pretteh? Whai yesh. Even judging by the manhwa, she's a cutie. Wohoo. And you know who else thinks so? Everyone else. To the point of chaos, really. She teams up with eccentric teammates and stalkers, and creates an odd squad. In fact, it's called the Odd Squad. She has to pretend that her hidden moderator friend is her wife to beat off the fangirls, and even still, they have to survive fights from the more rabid ones. She gets her own stalker in the form of a male obsessing over her beauty (Ohhhh Gui~), rival teams, and all while keeping her gender a secret. She also begins to spin together the dream of creating Second Life's first legend, something that nearly all the erious players aspire to do. She also begins to get quite a feminist streak, enjoying the freedom of ding wht she wants, against gender expectations.
BEEEEEEPBEEEEPBEEEEP! You presed that Mary-Sue button, didn't you! Come on, fess up! Well, what was it? The beauty, the power, the freedom, totally envy-worthy, but seemingly shallow. Bending the world around her like gravity, and apparenly trying to do just that?
Well, yeah, technically, those are traits of a Mary-Sue.
But Xiao Lan really isn't, when you read the story. Sure, she seems to start out that way, a cardboard spunk who goes ahead on a bet, makes a sudden choice, and is throwin into a completely blank world. The point is to bend it. Her power is more coincidental than anything else, and half of the time, she rarely unerstand it. She doesn't learn any new power faster than anything else, she taps into her strong points, cooking and video games. She gains knowlege of her world slowly from more experienced players, which fleshes those characters out too. She becomes a strong fighter with ambition and will, but not necessarily smarts. It allows for development, and the fleshing out of the entire false world.
And the prettiness? Well, when i say rabid fangirls, I really mean it. Foaming, mad, and contageous, they often become the enemies and hindrances. When Xiao Lan's brother talked about gold diggers, he wasn't kidding! Jeeeeez, shallow ladiez!
That's it, lift your hand up. It's okay, she won't bite...
Anyways, recap! This series is about adventure, world building, and chasing after dreams. The action is pretty cool, and, while far fetched, seems realistic and detailed. Expect to see conflicts about pasts, real life, and competition. There are screaming, rabid fangirls, carniverous talking meatbuns, and a ridicuous play between Gui's silliness about Prince. Each character has a place. And since this series, spanning eight books, follows the formula for an Epic, get ready for a massive ending!
So, that's about it for 1/2 Prince's introduction. I'll be able to being reviews now, and I hope to catch up to PR's updates soon!
Until then, Later!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Prince of Tennis: Another Story (ova) 1(review)
After the introduction given, let's dive into the magical field of crack, shall we?
Episode One: Seigaku in Osaka
Synopses
After a random turn of events, the Seigaku tennis team (sans American based Ryoma) ends up in Osaka, where they meet up with Shitenhouji in their native territory, an HigaChuu on... cemetery cleaning duty?! Expect to see people flying through the air, an adorable Eiji skip, fly-smacking, touching moments with deer, hostage apples, and pillowfights. With very lacey pillows.
Oh! And octogenarians in pink frilly see-though nightgowns.
I make no guarantee for your sanity.
This one has the best clips, all condensed into one video:
Part One (RAW) :
Part 2(Raw):
Alas, there is no part 3. WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!
Animation
Why are OVAs always better than series? The shading is smoother and deeper, the colors richer with a new vibrancy, and with more liberal uses of glows. The movements are so much smoother now, and character's faces are much more effective at showing information, and are far more recognisable. The follow-through in the motions is what the original series was missing, but neeed so much. I'm a bit sad that they had to make so many OVAs (they stopped the first series right before the National's Arc) to get the right look. It's the kind of thing that the show needed to show how it was from the original manga. It looks like what I'd expect Konomi to do.
Screenplay
The shots are smooth and dynamic, but don't really focus on one person. The focus of the shots is most certianly the team. In touching moments, we're up close, and in action-packed, we have a bunch of weird angles that frame everything we need to see. We don't just get minimalist shots here it all seems like there's a couple cameramen on the court that don't show up on the camera. But there isn't really much to do in this episode, nothing of significance, so there's no real highlights.
Story
Unfortunately, the main subbers seem to have disbanded, and all I can find at the moment are raws. But trust me, this time you can just about understand what's going on, with the magical proterty that it's-crack-and-therefore-doesn't-really-matter. I'd guess it's something about a surprise trip (Oh, their parents must be soooooo stretched, what with the fancy rackets, shoes, and visiting your captain for a day in Germany) to Osaka to build morale, meet shitnhouji for a random set of joke matches, or for the lulz. Or, they were going somewhere else, and they got on the wrong plane. Personally, at the little scene with Koharu Konjiki and Yuuji Hitōji (Yes, the series' one canon couple. Yes, that's it.) I like to think that Konjiki is not noticing the Seigaku regulars are there, but that he's suddenly yelling why he was wearing the dress when he's the seme. It's just soooooo much more fun that way. It does a great job at showing characters characters, which is really what the OVA is about. I don't get the apple, though, or the random HigaChuu in their bedrom (But I do love the TE-ZU-KA scream)
Presentation
In this, there wasn't too much of a focus on sports, nor on fighting, rivalries (but there was a bit of a rivalry-fueled scene, but it took place in a bedroom with a ton of bishies and there was a pillow fight and the pillows were black an white and... frilly... But I don't think that counts. Unlike normal tradition, the serving shots weren't all about shirts rising up and awkward leg views.
Sound
A bit better than normal, but just a bit. The opening and ending are catchy, upbeat, a bit cheesy, and is something that, without, wouldn't be my PoT. The voice acting reveals a lot about personality, and they have quite a nice pool of talent, as always. But it's not that radically different from the normal series.
This OVA's purpose is to compile a couple oneshots, show the futures and pasts of some of the characters, and, I suspect, give the fans some more of what they want. It was certainly quite better in some areas than the series, but it, well, it didn't have the drive behind it. It did, however, replace it with silly humor and ridiculous things that shouldn't have made me laugh, but did. Normally, that'd make me worry, because it's so out of nowher, but it works so well into this show's long history. Not perfect, but it's above the effort I've come to expect.
Episode One: Seigaku in Osaka
Synopses
3/5
After a random turn of events, the Seigaku tennis team (sans American based Ryoma) ends up in Osaka, where they meet up with Shitenhouji in their native territory, an HigaChuu on... cemetery cleaning duty?! Expect to see people flying through the air, an adorable Eiji skip, fly-smacking, touching moments with deer, hostage apples, and pillowfights. With very lacey pillows.
Oh! And octogenarians in pink frilly see-though nightgowns.
I make no guarantee for your sanity.
This one has the best clips, all condensed into one video:
Part One (RAW) :
Part 2(Raw):
Alas, there is no part 3. WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!
Animation
5/5
Why are OVAs always better than series? The shading is smoother and deeper, the colors richer with a new vibrancy, and with more liberal uses of glows. The movements are so much smoother now, and character's faces are much more effective at showing information, and are far more recognisable. The follow-through in the motions is what the original series was missing, but neeed so much. I'm a bit sad that they had to make so many OVAs (they stopped the first series right before the National's Arc) to get the right look. It's the kind of thing that the show needed to show how it was from the original manga. It looks like what I'd expect Konomi to do.
Screenplay
4/5
The shots are smooth and dynamic, but don't really focus on one person. The focus of the shots is most certianly the team. In touching moments, we're up close, and in action-packed, we have a bunch of weird angles that frame everything we need to see. We don't just get minimalist shots here it all seems like there's a couple cameramen on the court that don't show up on the camera. But there isn't really much to do in this episode, nothing of significance, so there's no real highlights.
Story
4/5
Unfortunately, the main subbers seem to have disbanded, and all I can find at the moment are raws. But trust me, this time you can just about understand what's going on, with the magical proterty that it's-crack-and-therefore-doesn't-really-matter. I'd guess it's something about a surprise trip (Oh, their parents must be soooooo stretched, what with the fancy rackets, shoes, and visiting your captain for a day in Germany) to Osaka to build morale, meet shitnhouji for a random set of joke matches, or for the lulz. Or, they were going somewhere else, and they got on the wrong plane. Personally, at the little scene with Koharu Konjiki and Yuuji Hitōji (Yes, the series' one canon couple. Yes, that's it.) I like to think that Konjiki is not noticing the Seigaku regulars are there, but that he's suddenly yelling why he was wearing the dress when he's the seme. It's just soooooo much more fun that way. It does a great job at showing characters characters, which is really what the OVA is about. I don't get the apple, though, or the random HigaChuu in their bedrom (But I do love the TE-ZU-KA scream)
Presentation
3/5
In this, there wasn't too much of a focus on sports, nor on fighting, rivalries (but there was a bit of a rivalry-fueled scene, but it took place in a bedroom with a ton of bishies and there was a pillow fight and the pillows were black an white and... frilly... But I don't think that counts. Unlike normal tradition, the serving shots weren't all about shirts rising up and awkward leg views.
Sound
3/5
A bit better than normal, but just a bit. The opening and ending are catchy, upbeat, a bit cheesy, and is something that, without, wouldn't be my PoT. The voice acting reveals a lot about personality, and they have quite a nice pool of talent, as always. But it's not that radically different from the normal series.
Overall
4/5
This OVA's purpose is to compile a couple oneshots, show the futures and pasts of some of the characters, and, I suspect, give the fans some more of what they want. It was certainly quite better in some areas than the series, but it, well, it didn't have the drive behind it. It did, however, replace it with silly humor and ridiculous things that shouldn't have made me laugh, but did. Normally, that'd make me worry, because it's so out of nowher, but it works so well into this show's long history. Not perfect, but it's above the effort I've come to expect.
Cheating~
Okay okay okay, I know that I set deadlines for myself. I promised I'd only wok on three at a time. But this is something, well, special.
I'm talking about the latest Prince of Tennis OVA, Prince of Tennis: Another Story. Basically, it's all a bunch of stories and blurbs about some of the teams and their adventures, past and present. I'll combine both episodes into one, to save space.
I should warn anyone who is not a fan, the series has dissolved into crack. The anime was always a bit strange, and was, well, a little different from its older brother, the manga. The animation was so-so, with a lot of glaring anatomy errors, and a lot of the colors looked sun-drenched, a usual sign that the target audience is trying to appeal to the younger, uneducated crowd. This backfired, however, because I don't think anyone told these guys that light pastel colors and sweaty young boys attracts girls.
Yes, Prince of Tennis has been absolutely ravished by fangirls. Not the manga, no the manga is most definitely a Shonen, most specifically a Sports Manga. The anime has a bit of a different style than the main artist's though, which makes things a bit softer, a little more realistic, and, frankly, a lot cuter. It should be noted that the name Prince of Tennis is a translation of テニスの王子様, or Tenisu no Ōjisama. It should also also be noted that the common acronym for Prince of Tennis is not PT, as normal, but PoT. Pot. Drugs. This should tell you something riiiiiiight away.
(By the way, this is also a subject of focus at CrackPoT, an amazing sight, sadly in a bit of disrepair, but treasurable nonetheless. It has avatars, journals, better episode reviews that I could ever do [with pictures!] and a beautiful two week long analysis of my favorite fanon(canon), Golden Pair.
Pairings?! You don't mean, slash, do you?
Whai yesh I do!
Alright, quit your stating, this is where we get down to the facts.
The anime is a harem. A bishonen harem. Heaven for fangirls. Each opponent the main team faces is fully fleshed out, with each school having a distinct personality, style, and full eight man team. Quite an accomplishment, really. There's about eight or so schools, and, in addition to extras, that's about 80 characters. I think I'll let this page do the talking:
Out of over 80 characters in Prince of Tennis, there are approximately 6320 pairings.
If you take uke and seme roles into consideration, that makes around 12640. (CrackPoT Crack Pairings Generator)
Yes dearies, that many.
It's a show about boys tennis teams, and there are a grand total of six girls in the series. A couple of them are only alluded to, and mos are oneshot characters. No, wait, none of them are actually pivotal to the story, they're all side characters.
Now tell me how many of those pairings are heterosexual.
And NOW maybe you see why the series is ridiculously popular. The manga is a shonen, the anime is a shojou. Surrounded by an infinite army of hot guys, of every type, kitch, and moe out there. Everyone has their favorites. Mine are Kikumaru, Fuji, Tezuka, Oshitari, and a couple others. There is an equally sizable army of Mary-sues and Original Characters parading around on fanfiction.net.
One unique thing about the fandom, though, is the name for all these pairings. Most are doubles teams, and easily the most famous is the Golden Pair, Kikumaru Eiji and Ooishi Syuichiro. For each pairing, however, there's another cute nickname. Other ones that come to mind are Pillar Pair, Dream Pair, Platinum Pair, Silver Pair, Bronze Pair, Tango Pair, Thrill Pair, Emerald Pair, Perfect Pair, Dirty Pair, and Rhythm Pair. And that's just the canon (Let's assume canon is doubles pairs. When fans refer to these, they're usually the ones with pairings.) If you don't include the manga, games, OVAs, and, yes, even the dating sims. If you want a complete list, please direct your attention to here. Yes, this is the Fan History Wiki page. Please note the actual amount dedicated to pairings. I'm sorry, but it's like they wanted this to happen. And the subbers and scanlation teams are in on it! If you have a free moment, go seatch youtube for Prince of Tennis: Truth Behind the Genius. Please note how seamlessly everything is; you believe the dialogue.
If you ever want to see the full extent, just go to fanfiction.net, go to anime, Prince of Tennis, and set the filters to accept anything, but only display things rated M+. The number is staggering. Don't even worry about filing to romance or drama or angst, because it's all there. At last count, 1013. 733 is just romance. This category is the reason FF.net needs to implement a smut category.
The funny part is, there is only one actual homosexual pairing. in the entire series. And they're used for comic relief.
It has an unusually unique fanbase, too. There are several popular people on deviantART who are alumni of PoT fangirlism. Several writers, too. It is the only series I can find so far with a massive Dream Novel system.
If you don't know already, a dream novel is kind of like a dating sim story mixed with a bit of mad libs. The reader picks a PoT character, enters a name and any names you might want to stick your friends (or rivals) in, and you have a nice little custom story. And no, these aren't just some more perversions from Japan, a lot of these are from The US or GB. If you want to look around, I suggest TeniYume, which could translate to Dreams of Tennis. Admittedly, they swallowed up a lot of the older sites, so they'll have the most stories. Look around in links if you want more.
And now, my own confessions.
Yes, I am a fangirl. I love both the manga, in every way I can, for its shonen-riffic storyline. I love the anime for its absolute absurdity, and the way it takes itself far too seriously. And all the funny noises that happen in a tennis match. I love the animated movie, especially for this:
Yes, Tezuka killed the dinosaurs. I love the OVAs for giving it the levels of seriousness and crack, leveling it out, and giving it the quality of animation it should have had all along. I love the musicals, the plays, the dramas, the live action movies, and everything else.
Anyways, I hope someone out there can enjoy these reviews, which'll be coming soon. Note I won't do the entire series, because it's essentially all arcs, but I may do a couple general reviews and reference it from time to time. But this OVA is the best so far and I hope that people see it.
By the way, want to hear the story of Jamie, an american artist on the Prince of Tennis manga team? Follow her blog here for a really sweet blog about Tokyo life! It'd one of my favorite feeds!
I'm talking about the latest Prince of Tennis OVA, Prince of Tennis: Another Story. Basically, it's all a bunch of stories and blurbs about some of the teams and their adventures, past and present. I'll combine both episodes into one, to save space.
I should warn anyone who is not a fan, the series has dissolved into crack. The anime was always a bit strange, and was, well, a little different from its older brother, the manga. The animation was so-so, with a lot of glaring anatomy errors, and a lot of the colors looked sun-drenched, a usual sign that the target audience is trying to appeal to the younger, uneducated crowd. This backfired, however, because I don't think anyone told these guys that light pastel colors and sweaty young boys attracts girls.
Yes, Prince of Tennis has been absolutely ravished by fangirls. Not the manga, no the manga is most definitely a Shonen, most specifically a Sports Manga. The anime has a bit of a different style than the main artist's though, which makes things a bit softer, a little more realistic, and, frankly, a lot cuter. It should be noted that the name Prince of Tennis is a translation of テニスの王子様, or Tenisu no Ōjisama. It should also also be noted that the common acronym for Prince of Tennis is not PT, as normal, but PoT. Pot. Drugs. This should tell you something riiiiiiight away.
(By the way, this is also a subject of focus at CrackPoT, an amazing sight, sadly in a bit of disrepair, but treasurable nonetheless. It has avatars, journals, better episode reviews that I could ever do [with pictures!] and a beautiful two week long analysis of my favorite fanon(canon), Golden Pair.
Pairings?! You don't mean, slash, do you?
Whai yesh I do!
Alright, quit your stating, this is where we get down to the facts.
The anime is a harem. A bishonen harem. Heaven for fangirls. Each opponent the main team faces is fully fleshed out, with each school having a distinct personality, style, and full eight man team. Quite an accomplishment, really. There's about eight or so schools, and, in addition to extras, that's about 80 characters. I think I'll let this page do the talking:
Out of over 80 characters in Prince of Tennis, there are approximately 6320 pairings.
If you take uke and seme roles into consideration, that makes around 12640. (CrackPoT Crack Pairings Generator)
Yes dearies, that many.
It's a show about boys tennis teams, and there are a grand total of six girls in the series. A couple of them are only alluded to, and mos are oneshot characters. No, wait, none of them are actually pivotal to the story, they're all side characters.
Now tell me how many of those pairings are heterosexual.
And NOW maybe you see why the series is ridiculously popular. The manga is a shonen, the anime is a shojou. Surrounded by an infinite army of hot guys, of every type, kitch, and moe out there. Everyone has their favorites. Mine are Kikumaru, Fuji, Tezuka, Oshitari, and a couple others. There is an equally sizable army of Mary-sues and Original Characters parading around on fanfiction.net.
One unique thing about the fandom, though, is the name for all these pairings. Most are doubles teams, and easily the most famous is the Golden Pair, Kikumaru Eiji and Ooishi Syuichiro. For each pairing, however, there's another cute nickname. Other ones that come to mind are Pillar Pair, Dream Pair, Platinum Pair, Silver Pair, Bronze Pair, Tango Pair, Thrill Pair, Emerald Pair, Perfect Pair, Dirty Pair, and Rhythm Pair. And that's just the canon (Let's assume canon is doubles pairs. When fans refer to these, they're usually the ones with pairings.) If you don't include the manga, games, OVAs, and, yes, even the dating sims. If you want a complete list, please direct your attention to here. Yes, this is the Fan History Wiki page. Please note the actual amount dedicated to pairings. I'm sorry, but it's like they wanted this to happen. And the subbers and scanlation teams are in on it! If you have a free moment, go seatch youtube for Prince of Tennis: Truth Behind the Genius. Please note how seamlessly everything is; you believe the dialogue.
If you ever want to see the full extent, just go to fanfiction.net, go to anime, Prince of Tennis, and set the filters to accept anything, but only display things rated M+. The number is staggering. Don't even worry about filing to romance or drama or angst, because it's all there. At last count, 1013. 733 is just romance. This category is the reason FF.net needs to implement a smut category.
The funny part is, there is only one actual homosexual pairing. in the entire series. And they're used for comic relief.
It has an unusually unique fanbase, too. There are several popular people on deviantART who are alumni of PoT fangirlism. Several writers, too. It is the only series I can find so far with a massive Dream Novel system.
If you don't know already, a dream novel is kind of like a dating sim story mixed with a bit of mad libs. The reader picks a PoT character, enters a name and any names you might want to stick your friends (or rivals) in, and you have a nice little custom story. And no, these aren't just some more perversions from Japan, a lot of these are from The US or GB. If you want to look around, I suggest TeniYume, which could translate to Dreams of Tennis. Admittedly, they swallowed up a lot of the older sites, so they'll have the most stories. Look around in links if you want more.
And now, my own confessions.
Yes, I am a fangirl. I love both the manga, in every way I can, for its shonen-riffic storyline. I love the anime for its absolute absurdity, and the way it takes itself far too seriously. And all the funny noises that happen in a tennis match. I love the animated movie, especially for this:
Yes, Tezuka killed the dinosaurs. I love the OVAs for giving it the levels of seriousness and crack, leveling it out, and giving it the quality of animation it should have had all along. I love the musicals, the plays, the dramas, the live action movies, and everything else.
Anyways, I hope someone out there can enjoy these reviews, which'll be coming soon. Note I won't do the entire series, because it's essentially all arcs, but I may do a couple general reviews and reference it from time to time. But this OVA is the best so far and I hope that people see it.
By the way, want to hear the story of Jamie, an american artist on the Prince of Tennis manga team? Follow her blog here for a really sweet blog about Tokyo life! It'd one of my favorite feeds!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Archives
This is the post for keeping things together. Here you'll find a space for every entry, sorted by series. There will also be a list of other things on the site.
Anime Episode Reviews
Current:
Prince of Tennis: Another Story (OVA) (Review) (2 episodes)
Intro
1/2 Prince(novel series)(Review) (8 full books)
Intro
Book 1
Library Wars(Anime) (review) (12 episodes)
Intro
Episodes
Shangri-La(Anime)(Review) (24 episodes)
Intro
Wow, Already so long ^-^
Anyways, 1/2 Prince will be the longest so far. Library Wars will start soon, and is short in comparison to other animes. Shangri-La is in the process of being aired, so it'll finish after I complete Library Wars. after, I'll get a lineup for new subjects! Prince of Tennis is special, since I'll only be doing one OVA.
Anime Episode Reviews
Current:
Prince of Tennis: Another Story (OVA) (Review) (2 episodes)
Intro
- 1
- 2
1/2 Prince(novel series)(Review) (8 full books)
Intro
Book 1
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Library Wars(Anime) (review) (12 episodes)
Intro
Episodes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Shangri-La(Anime)(Review) (24 episodes)
Intro
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
Wow, Already so long ^-^
Anyways, 1/2 Prince will be the longest so far. Library Wars will start soon, and is short in comparison to other animes. Shangri-La is in the process of being aired, so it'll finish after I complete Library Wars. after, I'll get a lineup for new subjects! Prince of Tennis is special, since I'll only be doing one OVA.
Todo List and Suggestions
Hi there! Just though I'd place up some things to do, and to show what I'm planning for this blog! Feel free to comment, suggest, or contribute!
Organize base structure before releasing reviews - even though I reaally want to get straight to the reviews, I want to keep everything organized from the beginning. This should only take a few days, once I figure it all out.
Continue adding articles, finding sources, and keeping up -I like staying updated!
Other writers? -Since I'm setting up categories, I though that perhaps bringing in other reviewers might not be such a bad thing after all! I have some people in mind, and if needed, I'll set up a recruitment page! But first, I want to get a feel of it myself.
Advertise!- because right now, I'm talking to a virtual wall. Links from Gaia, DA, Youtube, and other sites to generate activity and watchers.
Configure RSS feeds -My most useful tool. Want to keep updated? then just click the orange button with the archie thingies!
Figure out a better color scheme- Becuase thi is too dark. Luckily, my training as an ilustrator should come in handy!
Think up images, logos, BGs, and such- Again, illustrator magic!
Come up with a better name -Because It's not AJAR, it's a blog.
Keep a mirror blog on LiveJournal - Just incase~
Fins a way to make posts wider-becaue this is hard to read. Other than that, make post summaries.
Write articles ahead of time, and keep a buffer going to systematically update -It says something out that somewhere... how does it work?!
Anways feel free to suggest improvements!
Organize base structure before releasing reviews - even though I reaally want to get straight to the reviews, I want to keep everything organized from the beginning. This should only take a few days, once I figure it all out.
Continue adding articles, finding sources, and keeping up -I like staying updated!
Other writers? -Since I'm setting up categories, I though that perhaps bringing in other reviewers might not be such a bad thing after all! I have some people in mind, and if needed, I'll set up a recruitment page! But first, I want to get a feel of it myself.
Advertise!- because right now, I'm talking to a virtual wall. Links from Gaia, DA, Youtube, and other sites to generate activity and watchers.
Configure RSS feeds -My most useful tool. Want to keep updated? then just click the orange button with the archie thingies!
Figure out a better color scheme- Becuase thi is too dark. Luckily, my training as an ilustrator should come in handy!
Think up images, logos, BGs, and such- Again, illustrator magic!
Come up with a better name -Because It's not AJAR, it's a blog.
Keep a mirror blog on LiveJournal - Just incase~
Fins a way to make posts wider-becaue this is hard to read. Other than that, make post summaries.
Write articles ahead of time, and keep a buffer going to systematically update -It says something out that somewhere... how does it work?!
Anways feel free to suggest improvements!
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