Take My Money, Robert!

Posted on October 7, 2007 by Ubu Roi

Well, I could have just titled it “Order In” but only boring people would name a blog post something that dull. Desho? Desho? 🙂

Heh. Ok, so I’ve just abused my plastic again, sending an order to RACS. It was high time to catch up on some obligation buys, so into the bin goes Melancholy #3 (LE), The Third #1 and #2, Shana #6, Pumpkin Scissors #1. I decided to go back and revisit Witchblade, although I had dropped it early in the series and wasn’t feeling highly obligated. For some reason, it just stuck in my mind. (Ok, the breasts stuck in my mind, dammit. Mission accomplished, I guess, since I’m buying it.) I grabbed vol #1, LE with box, and I guess I’ll pick up the rest of the series later on. Finally, I also picked up Dirty Pair TV, which I’ve never actually seen (other than 2 episodes that Pixy subbed.) Most of my other obligation buys haven’t been released yet.

I considered Black Lagoon, but I’m kind of leery, since word is it slumped late. Not that I’ll get to see “late,” short of fansubs, since Geneon’s collapse caused the 2nd series to be canceled for now. If anyone’s familiar with the first season, let me know what you think in the comments. I’m getting a kind of Sgt-Major Mellisa Mao vibe from Revy, which wouldn’t be bad. Not at all….

Hm.. Hawt (or not) women who kick ass. I’m beginning to see a pattern here. Honoka, Shana, the Dirty Pair, Masane, and maybe Revy…

Posted in Commerce | 6 Comments

Dragonaut: The Resonance

Posted on October 6, 2007 by Ubu Roi

From ANN:

Plot Summary: In order to avoid Earth’s impending destruction from an asteroid, the International Solarsystem Development Agency (ISDA) works on the “D-Project”, and creates the “Dragonaut” after finding a dragon egg under the ocean. However, they soon find out that the asteroid is not their only threat, as powerful dragon-like creatures appear on Earth. After witnessing a murder by one of the creatures, Jin Kamishina gets involved in the mysteries of the dragons and becomes the chosen pilot of the Dragonaut. Helping him on his journey is Toa, a mysterious girl who saves him from falling to his death after the creature attacks him. As they get deeper into the mysteries of the dragons, they encounter new friends and enemies, and also begin to develop a closer relationship.

With a description like that, you can draw one quick conclusion: Dragonaut is derivative. While I pointed to Fafnir as its inspiration, upon watching it a second time, I’m actually getting more of a Stratos 4 vibe from the setting, thanks to the asteroids. Granted, it lacks four cute girls serving food and flying interceptor craft, but it does have bridgebunnies!


Ryoko, Megumi, and Saki

Also, while I commented in the preview that the character designs remind me of CLAMP, the truth is, the character designer is Makoto Uno, who also did Gravion, Gravion Zwei, Witchblade, and a few other “busty” shows. His work here also seems awfully derivative, so it should fit right in. Click on the names below to see comparisons with their counterparts from other series.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fansub Review, Fansubs, Snap Reviews | 1 Comment

New Season, Preliminary Comments.

Posted on October 6, 2007 by Ubu Roi

Well, I’m working this weekend so it’s problematic as to whether I’ll have a full post, but I’ve watched Clannad and Dragonaut so far.

Clannad: KyoAni’s art still amazes. The girls are all strange. I’m thinking this one isn’t going to be so hot. This was the “intro all the girls” episode, and the end indicates things are about to get slightly weird, a little earlier than happened in Kanon. I’ve never been able to make heads or tails out of various plot descriptions for this show, and it’s shaping up to be a mess. I’m seeing elements of Ikkitousen (sans panties), Melancholy, and Kanon, especially the latter. It’s another Visual Art’s game adaptation, so go figure..

Dragonaut: What the hell? The characters look like they escaped from Hayate no Gotaku, Divergence Eve, and Code Geass, with a story concept inspired by Fafnir. Saenzen Nagi (with butler, no less!) is here, along with (a bustier) Hinagiku, many (but not all) of the women have (and need) those anti-grav brassieres, and since when did Villetta become an Eleven and get breast augmentation? Like the spike heels, but not in the ear, baby. If CLAMP did the designs, I missed it in the credits, but it sure looks like their work. The guys are as skinny as Hayate–or built like Hulk Hogan. I’m not getting anywhere near a Divergence Eve-level vibe from this; too many fetishes showing up, and it doesn’t grab my attention the way DE quickly did. I’m thinking it might fool me and be above average, but I’d put money on “entertaining trash” for now. What the hell, it worked for Code Geass.

I also caught the Shana movie, and I definitely need to make a post on it. The plot wasn’t an exact repeat of the series, and the showdown with Friagné was far more epic. There was only a touch of the school angst (just about perfect), but the way the good guys win really shatters the continuity of the main (i.e.:series) story. Overall though, I’d say the movie came close to being was what the series should have been. Not surprising, as it did come from what was inarguably the best of the story arcs. Friagne was creepy in the series, but in the movie, after a ho-hum start, he gets downright scary. It’s really too bad that the best villain of the entire series was the first. I may just stop here, so the series will end on a high note (but I probably won’t). From what I’ve heard of the second series’ first episode, they really jacked with it to keep the love pentagram going. Yuuiji develops a bit of amnesia and can’t remember walking into the flame with Shana or what she said to him. Argh.

Posted in Fansub Review, Fansubs, Snap Reviews | 4 Comments

But Then, Who Is?

Posted on October 5, 2007 by Ubu Roi

“The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam,” ministry official Tsutomu Shimomura said.

Well, of course not. But is the Japanese Self-Defense Force the responsible agency, or the Tokyo Police Cataclysm Division?

TOKYO — A Japanese bureaucrat has been reprimanded for shirking his duties to make hundreds of Wikipedia contributions about toy robots, officials said Friday.

The agriculture ministry said the bureaucrat, whose name was not released, contributed 260 times to the Japanese-language Wikipedia entry on Gundam, a popular, long-running animated series about giant robots that has spun off intricate toys popular among children and adults who belong to the so-called “otaku culture” of fascination with comic books, animation and robots.

The agriculture ministry verbally reprimanded five other bureaucrats who contributed to entries on movies, typographical mistakes in billboard signs and local politics. The six employees together made 408 entries on the popular Internet encyclopedia from ministry computers since 2003.

The ministry did not object to employees making limited contributions on World Trade Organization and free trade agreements.

Heh, now that’s funny. What kind of idiots…..

(Looks at the pile of work on desk…)

Oh. Shit. Gottagoseeyalater….

Posted in Random Nonsense | Leave a comment

Ratings and Such

Posted on September 28, 2007 by Ubu Roi

The Astronomicon recently linked to my overlong scoring system write up from several months ago, which reminds me that I never completed it and started ranking animé. One reason is that I realized quickly that the +/- portion of the scoring wasn’t going to work. I was going to have to give each series separate scores for objective and subjective rating, and the +/- would then be incorporated into each as a modifier to the base score. And various real-life distractions kind of dragged me away from it anyway.

I was already working on a full series review for Kanon, which has recently been licensed in R1. I wrote about the first third of it last night, and then got lazy tonight. What with this reminder, I think I’m going to hold it off a few days while I try to whip the 2nd part of the review system into shape.

Yeah, yeah, sure. I’m real good at planning to organize, somewhat less good at executing it. We’ll see.

Posted in Administrative | 3 Comments

Bottom Feeding

Posted on September 25, 2007 by Ubu Roi

Steven’s been cheering Media Blasters on for some of their recent licenses, calling them “bottom feeders,” yet complimenting them on bringing over animé that others might not bother with.

Media Blasters has actually given us a lot of things I wouldn’t expect anyone else to license: Ramen Fighter Miki, for instance. And High School Girls.

And they definitely get big points for Grenadier. So, Media Blasters, even though I tease you, I’m glad you’re in the business. Keep bringing us the offbeat, the things no one else will touch!

I do not think that term means what you think it means.

ADV Films has confirmed its release schedule for several initial volumes of new series, two collections, and a one-shot film. Magikano Volume 1 and a US$19.99 double-pack, which brings together the classic 1993 comedy Dragon Half and the Excel Saga spinoff Puni Puni Poemy, are scheduled for December 4.

Now THAT is bottom feeding! (Classic? In a 1973 AMC Gremlin sort of way, maybe….)

Posted in Anime Industry, Random Nonsense, Upcoming Releases | 2 Comments

FMP Fumoffu

Posted on September 20, 2007 by Ubu Roi

Well that was a surprise, but it shouldn’t have been. I lasted one and a half episodes — I just can’t watch any more of it.

With the exception of a couple of the worst moments, I have enjoyed this series for the most part. It’s had a mix of comedy and drama, though the comedy is usually based on Sagara doing something stupid. Well, I just realized that the comedy doesn’t work by itself. The problem is me. I have NEVER been comfortable with humor based on someone making a fool out of themselves; in fact, I’m acutely uncomfortable with it. And what do we have here, but nonstop Screwup Sagara blowing things up, shooting innocent objects, firing guns into the air, blowing up shoe lockers, threatening teachers and food vendors at gunpoint… I can only take so much of that. In the first and third series, I could be guaranteed that something dramatic would happen quickly, changing the focus of the tension.

Not in Fumoffu, since it’s a compilation of all the “humor” stories. Maybe if they’d brought in Kurtz, Mao, and Tessa a little quicker for some other hijinks. I know they show up later, but I just can’t handle any more pain waiting. Bah. Too bad, I was looking forward to some laughs, but these were too painful.

Posted in DVD Reviews, Random Nonsense, Snap Reviews | 8 Comments