The Summer of Anime

[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

Mintehz had cornered the perp in the warehouse and awaited the order from the Captain to finally apprehend Puella Magi Madoka Magica, ending its spree of double eight points.

We’re showing a lot of heart here!

[summerofanime]

Double Points FINAL ANIME: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Until 9/16)

I’ve always tried to end the Summer of Anime with double points that have really resonated with me in some way. Our first Summer of Anime saw me pick BECK: Mongolia Chop Squad, my favorite anime and one that reminds me so much of my own youth. We followed this with AnoHana, a sad story that so encapsulates summer and last year we ended with Wings of Honnemaise, a wonderful movie I adore with its own glaring flaws to wrestle with. But this year, I get to wrap things up with what I’m sure most anime fans will know as an instant classic: Puella Magic Madoka Magica. I actually came to hear of Madoka from a friend of mine while both of us were going through rough patches in our lives and our bond deepened as I watched the series and became more enamored with its artful style and intelligently told story of love, loss, grief, hope and all the prism of emotions in between. Its a series that means a lot to me because it crystallizes a part of my life when I was experiencing so much of the things I saw on screen, trying to find out which direction my life would finally drift down. Thankfully my life is a lot better now, but I can’t help but be wistful for it now.

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are two rather typical middle schoolk girls who come into contact with a mysterious being known as Kyubei, Kyubei offers them an amazing chance: to have one wish granted and become magical girls who fight witches. Though both hesitate, they are soon taken under the wing of experienced magical girl Mami, and scorned by the mysterious Homura Akemi for their desire to play along with Kyubei. All seems to lead to the roads of magic, but tragedy brings the larger world they have stepped into to the forefront.

I do not know what mad world we live in that has allowed anime to become so freaking gorgeous in the last decade but I am all for it. I don’t even have a really good frame of reference for describing Madoka visually, kind of like its a mix of Gankutsuo and the works of Kyoto Anime, this surreal dream world of shifting patterns and cartoonish designs mixed with moe tomfoolery. Whatever you want to describe it as, it is an absolute treat to look at. I always gravitate towards the scene where SPOILER ALERT Sayaka first becomes a magical girl and abttles her first witch for its brilliant use of shadow and light but there are so many more, with seemingly hand cut puppet images flashing about and bright contrasting colors flashing about. And somehow this all manages to tie together with a rather complex story thats rich with emotion, making it all the more powerful as you see it unfold. This is a series with a lot of heart and creative depth and I love it.

Beyond the spoiler alert above I don’t really have any desire to talk about the story of Madoka because of how important it is to see from a fresh perspective. Characters aren’t who we think they are and who we sympathize with and how changes throughout the series. Needles to say it brought me very close to tears by the end and how much you put into it can be doubled back when watched. Till the end of Summer of Anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica is worth a double eight points and can be found here.

- The Curator

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[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

The Chosen One bellowed into the distance, calling his bannermen to him, ready to launch their charge upon the unsuspecting Case of Hana and Alice and its double two points.

No need to dance around the issue!

[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

Minbtehz watched the world shift around them, unveiling new rips in time and space, any moment leading to them falling into an abyss of the Case of Hana and Alice and its double 2 points.

They’re proving to be a quick study!

[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

Dashing through the crowd, Mintehz made their way towards the gate knowing that while When Marnie was There security could slow them down for a point, it couldn’t stop them.

Weaving past them by only a hair, Mintehz could see their destination directly ahead, their last chance to bid a fond Shelter farewell before the one point plane departed.

Flopping down their bag, Anthem of the Heart saw Mintehz approaching and with tears in their eyes declared their love with a kiss as a crowd of one point cheered them on.

It certainly brings a tear to the eye.

[summerofanime]

Double Points Anime Week 13: The Case of Hana & Alice (8/24-8/30)

This is it, my last double points pick for the year. Which is kind of sad, but also kind of happy because I love this movie and am pretty excited to talk about it! (Also, I’m starting Uni very soon so I probably wouldn’t have the time to make a post over the next couple weeks anyway). 

This movie honestly took me completely by surprise. I had pretty much zero expectations going in, and I was still surprised. And once I got used to the slightly odd animation style, I was absolutely in love.

It’s... kind of hard to say exactly what the Case of Hana & Alice is about. Basically, Tetsuko Arisugawa, or “Alice”, has just moved house with her Mother and is transferring to a new school. At this new school she hears a rumour of a murder which took place one year earlier, in her classroom. The rumour says that “Judas was murdered by four other Judas,” and it’s looking like the only person who might have more insight into what happened is Hana, the strange girl who lives opposite Alice in what is known as the “Flower House”, which everyone seems to be afraid of.

Alice sneaks into the Flower House to meet Hana and hopefully ask her about the murder, and the two of them end up on an adventure to find out the truth behind the Judas case.

The things is, when you read a description of it, it makes it sound like it’s possibly quite dark. But that isn’t the case at all. It almost feels more like a slice-of-life or a comedy than a murder mystery movie, and the story is really simple and sweet and very enjoyable to watch. But the best thing about the movie isn’t the story, it’s the characters. Each character feels so real, the way they walk and talk and act just makes them feel so alive. They almost don’t seem like characters at all, but like actual teenagers.

One thing I will say about it, the animation style takes a little while to get used to. It’s very different from the typical anime style, and the characters are drawn very flat and basic compared to the detailed and beautiful backgrounds. But once you’ve had a few minutes to get used to it it’s actually really charming. I believe they used some rotoscoping in the movie which usually I don’t like, but it seems to work in this case because the characters feel so alive. It would almost seem weird for them to move like flat anime characters normally do. 

If the animation style is putting you off watching this movie, please push through it for just a few minutes!! It’s so worth it, the movie is so good and it gives me all kinds of happy feelings. 

This week, the Case of Hana & Alice is worth a double 2 points and can be found here!

-The Deity of Anime

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[summerofanime]

Double Points Anime Week 12: Future Diary (8/17-8/23)

I’m sure we can all call quite a few anime tropes to our heads. You know, the endemic stuff that seems to crop up in so many works and even permeates out a bit into larger popular culture. Whather its the weird obsession with panties or power levels or tsunderes, or what have you, we run across these sorts of things all the time. But Future Diary is its own font of anime tropes, most notably one that seems to find its root or at least its popularity within its text: the yandere. The yandere is similar to the tsundere, loving the main character but instead of passing this off as disdain, instead is a violent, psychotic mess who will do anything to protect their love. I remember this cropping up in Higurashi at times and perhaps even School Days but Future DIary’s Yuno has become such a shining example of the trope that I marvel at the fascination it has wrought. What is it about someone who is willing to literally love someone to death that has drawn so much interest and seen itself become a stronger trope as time went along? Aside from Future Diary being very very good, I don’t have a strong answer but Yuno’s legacy lives on.

High school student Yuki Amano is a boy with his head in the clouds, spending all his time writing things on his cell phone and talking with his imaginary friend Deus, the God of Time and Space. But Deus, to Yuki’s chagrin, is quite real and bored of his existence as a God has chosen to host a special game, pitting twelve people against one another with only their cell phones’ particular prophetic powers to guide them into killing the other players. However, another player, Yuno Gasai has a deeply vested interest in Yuki and begins to stalk him as the game explosively erupts around them. Yuki’s diary of future events is his only lead out as danger closes in around him.

I’ve also been surprised how prevalent survival games have become in anime, with seemingly dozens cropping up all around the same time. But Future Diary remains far and away my favorite, having the right combination of dire psychological horror and odd whimsy to it. While the stakes are always raised so high for the characters, the ease at which the events unfold leads to a lot of comedy, unintentional and otherwise, making it feel more natural that someone as hapless as Yuki could continue on. While I discussed Yuno above, she is a big reason why the anime is so memorable, both pulling Yuki along and finding a humanizing element to make the decisions made in it make more sense. Right around the time this contest started for the first time, I saw Future Diary and was so enamored with it because it feels like the most perfect sense of tension, rising and falling, characters weaving in and out, life and death on the line and the game so clear and yet so unpredictable. We may be biased to think a protagonist will win by dint of them being our viewpoint, but so many of the twists and turns were more than I expected.

My absolute favorite contestant though is the Twelfth who I found so amusing as a weird, superhero like character who is clearly insane but not really wrong in thinking about having a moral high ground, as none of the characters are really in the right. That’s the hallmark of a good series I think, making us think more deeply about whether someone really is as good as they say and the shades of gray run deep in Future Diary. This week, Future Diary and its two seasons are worth a double sixteen points and can be found here.

- The Curator

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[summerofanime]

Double Points Anime Week 11: Hanasaku Iroha (8/10-8/17)

This year I went through the catalog of studio P.A. Works after realizing how much I loved SHIROBAKO.  I expected I would like Hanasaku Iroha just by looking at the key art.  Little did I know just how much I would end up loving it.

Ohana Matsumae is an energetic and wild teenager residing in Tokyo with her carefree single mother. Abruptly, her mother decides to run away with her new boyfriend from debt collectors, forcing the young girl to fend for herself—as per her mother's "rely only on yourself" philosophy—in rural Japan, where her cold grandmother runs a small inn. Driven to adapt to the tranquil lifestyle of the countryside, Ohana experiences and deals with the challenges of working as a maid, as well as meeting and making friends with enthralling people at her new school and the inn.

While the underlying story may not appear to be the flashiest of concepts, I cannot stress how much I unconsciously became drawn into it. And while Ohana is introduced as the main character, a rather large cast of characters all seem to get just about the same amount of screen time as her. Each character goes through successes and failures in attempts to improve themselves. Hanasaku Iroha is definitely a character-driven show and by realizing the dreams and desires of each one, this anime creates a truly colorful atmosphere.

Genre-wise, Hanasaku Iroha is quite the interesting combination, combining Comedy and Drama in a Slice of Life setting. Many anime have attempted similar groupings, however Hanasaku Iroha seems to stand out among the rest in the balance it achieves between the genres. There are times when you'll want to laugh and there are times when you'll tear up, and this show manages to create these moments in perfect harmony.

Hanasaku Iroha’s  26 episodes are worth a double 16 points this week, and can be found here.

-The Arbiter

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[summerofanime]

Double Points Anime Week 10: Poco’s Udon World (8/3-8/9)

There’s a specific type of anime out there that, for some reason, I absolutely can’t get enough of. Basically, they all go something like this: An adult man is making his way through life, doing his best, and all of a sudden there is some kind of change. And as a result of this change, the man suddenly finds himself with a child in his life that he takes some sort of responsibility in looking after. Or maybe he already has the kid, and the change just causes him to start putting in a lot more time into looking after the kid. Either way, the man has a lot of learning to do when it comes to taking care of the child, and thus begins a cute, sweet, slice-of-life story.

This the exact formula that shows like Barakamon, Usagi Drop, and Sweetness & Lightning all follow, and Poco’s Udon World is no different. So if you like any of those anime I’m sure you’ll enjoy this just as much.

After the death of his father, 30 year old Souta Tawara takes time out from his busy life as a web designer in Tokyo to visit his hometown in the countryside, where he grew up. More specifically, we goes to his father’s closed down Udon restaurant. Upon entering, Souta finds a young child asleep inside an iron pot - shoeless, hungry and covered in dirt. He goes to take the lost child to the police, but on his way there he discovers that the young one is actually a shape-shifting tanuki child!

Poco’s Udon World is one of those anime which are perfect to watch after a long and stressful day. It’s fun, heartwarming and very easy to watch. It doesn’t have much of a deep story, but each episode feels very cosy and just makes you happy. The happy moments leave you with a warm feeling, and the sad moments have just the right amount of emotion to tug on your heart strings without leaving you a wreck. Unless, of course, you’re like me and any amount of sadness has you in tears clutching onto the nearest teddy.

The anime is largely set in the countryside, which automatically gives it a special place in my heart as someone who grew up in a very small village in the middle of nowhere. And the depiction of the countryside in this show is really accurate and kind of gives me feelings of nostalgia honestly. The setting has so much life and atmosphere which could have easily been left out, but really adds to the feel of the show.

Also I’m completely obsessed with the opening song, so there’s that.

Poco’s Udon World is so full of joy and cuteness it’s hard not to fall for its charm. Even if you don’t normally go for this kinda show, give it a try anyway! I mean, how can you not love that face?

Poco’s Udon World’s 12 episodes are worth a double eight points this week, and can be found here.

-The Deity of Anime

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[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

The Mechromancer sta nervously on the other side of the desk, thumbing his own proposals. As the Nisekoi bank manager returned with a smile on his face, they at last new they would be approved for their double twenty-four points loan, and the owner of a proud new business.

This gives you the pick of the litter!

[summerofanime]

Double Points Anime Week 9: Denpa Teki na Kanojo (7/28-8/3)

It’s oddly funny that we’re following one harem anime with another, though with a tone so different it could make your head spin. I cut my teeth on harem anime for years and years, having Love Hina be the first manga collection I completed and watching the Tenchi Muyo series far past when my enjoyment of such things should have waned. But for as formulaic as the plots of these animes tend to get, Denpa Teki na Kanojo (or the Electromagnetic Girlfriend, if you’re nasty) is more of a mystery than anything else with the females drawn to our protagonist Juu largely being damaged in some way and needing his help to either sort out their problems or otherwise reveal the darkness within them that is attacking others. In aid of this, our heroine Ame Ochibana is different from most lead females, starting off as the seeming trope of a girl willing to do anything for her man of choice, but slowly evolving to the natural compliment of Juu. Rather than simply be an extension of him, Ame is all the things Juu cannot be, able to solve and elucidate what alludes him while finding comfort in Juu’s ability to still posses a strong heart in the face of the horrors happening around him. I was genuinely rooting for the pair by the end of it, but there’s a problem with this which I’ll get to in just a bit...

Juu Juuzawa is a high school student who just wants to be left alone. However, after a series of brutal murders begin striking the area he encounters Ame Ochibana, a strange girl who sees him as a prince and wishes to never leave his side. When a classmate is struck down by the killer Juu must put aside his apprehension of Ame to help find the culprit. However, the solution to the problem might be closer than he thinks.

I said there was a problem with Denpa and there certainly is: the OVA is only two episodes long and with the light novel series its based on unfinished, it seems unlikely we’ll ever see more. That’s a shame because I find it such a strong showing with its two forty-five minute episodes, seeming to seamlessly blend a slice of life love story with a dark grisly plot. I’m kind of reminded of the infamous School Days to some effect, as the seemingly trope filled early stages give way to a much darker feel as it goes on, but while School Days plays this for shock without ya know... ever actually getting good, Denpa is involving, slowly unwinding a mystery involving likable characters that we want to see solved. The dark stuff around it is ephemera to a larger cultural problem that the protagonists are not equipped to deal with except at the personal level, meaning they can solve the crime but not its larger cause. Juu and Ame become very interesting as the series wears on, their personalities showing more and more and in the best possible way, their bond is used to move the plot along rather than be kept separate. It all works rather well and I’m sure you’ll be disappointed at the lack of more episodes just like me.

Just on a side note: I find it funny how everyone in the series considers Juu such a tough guy but all we ever see is him getting his ass kicked. I know the yankee stereotype is used to distance Juu from the general populace so it becomes more itneresting when people seek him out, but its such an oddly jarring thing. This week Denpa Teki na Kanojo is worth a double four points and can be found here.

- The Curator

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[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

Realizing their mistake, the Mechromancer dashed after the attendant at the airport, determined to return the Food Wars suitcase and make their trip twelve points special.

Don’t be such a drip!

[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

The cold chill bit at Zatario’s nose as he surveyed the frozen tundra, knowing he had to push onto the Angel Beats pole, mushing along his team of four points.

It’s all quite the balancing act.

[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

The Chosen One burst through the door,realizing the agents had a bead on his movement. He had to stay ahead of them or else he would wind up in Seven Deadly Sins and be locked up for at  least eight points years.

It’s quite the handful isn’t it?

[summerofanime]

Double Points Anime Week 8: Nisekoi: False Love (7/20-7/27)

The male-lead harem is probably one of the anime genres I dislike the most.  The lead is boring, there is a ton of pointless fanservice, and none of the girls are actually good. I understand that I am not the target demographic for these shows and fine, but I feel like on a basic level, most shows in this genre just aren’t objectively good shows.

And then came Nisekoi.

Raku Ichijou, a first-year student at Bonyari High School, is the sole heir to an intimidating yakuza family. Ten years ago, Raku made a promise to his childhood friend. Now, all he has to go on is a pendant with a lock, which can only be unlocked with the key which the girl took with her when they parted. Now, years later, Raku has grown into a typical teenager, and all he wants is to remain as uninvolved in his yakuza background as possible while spending his school days alongside his middle school crush Kosaki Onodera. However, when the American Bee Hive Gang invades his family's turf, Raku's idyllic romantic dreams are sent for a toss as he is dragged into a frustrating conflict: Raku is to pretend that he is in a romantic relationship with Chitoge Kirisaki, the beautiful daughter of the Bee Hive's chief, so as to reduce the friction between the two groups. Unfortunately, reality could not be farther from this whopping lie—Raku and Chitoge fall in hate at first sight, as the girl is convinced he is a pathetic pushover, and in Raku's eyes, Chitoge is about as attractive as a savage gorilla.

Nisekoi follows the daily antics of this mismatched couple who have been forced to get along for the sake of maintaining the city's peace. With many more girls popping up his life, all involved with Raku's past somehow, his search for the girl who holds his heart and his promise leads him in more unexpected directions than he expects.

Nisekoi to me is a genuinely funny romantic comedy anime that just so happens to also be a male-lead harem.  Raku is still a bit of a self-insert but the added plot elements of the locket and the fact that he has to fake a relationship bring more to the table.  Fanservice is not in your face at all times.  There are even a lot of nice romance scenes that are reminiscent of the shoujo shows I usually watch.

Yes Nisekoi does keep the same old shit as previous shows.  Nothing really gets accomplished by the end of the show.  You end up with more questions than answers regarding the locket and more potential girls.  But because the ride was an enjoyable mix of male-lead harem and shoujo romance I didn’t care.  

Chitoge is best girl and my yakuza princess forever and if anyone wants to buy me this kickass figure then I’d be much appreciative.

All three seasons of Nisekoi: False Love are worth a double 24 points this week and can be found here.

- The Arbiter

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[summerofanime]

Points Alert!

Funneling the last of the Doukyusei ale into the beer bong, the Mechromancer drank it down in two double point furious gulps to the applause of the fraternity.

That really tackles the issue doesn’t it?

[summerofanime]

Name: Zatario

Favorite Anime: Dragon Ball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin

Reason for Entering: To compete against other anime fans

Bio: Zatario toiled amongst the darkened depths of the mines, hoping to pull up the precious ores for their masters and provide a little succor in their bleak existence. As they dug and dug further into the heart of the mountain the way became more treacherous, until at least their ringing pickaxes brought down the tunnel behind them. Stranded in the mountains depths, it did not take long for lawlessness to become their scourge, with Zatario and few others digging more to escape the chance of cannibalism. But through their furious retreat of digging they cracked into something: an old ruin, in the heart of which sat a mysterious gem. Seizing it, Zatario was filled with a power and rage they had never felt before, fighting back their would be cannibals and emerging under its new poer. Possesed of the crystal, Zatario enters into the land of anime a slave no more, but something far far more dangerous.

Succesfully Completed:

Angel Beats - 4 points

Points to Date: 4