HIMM

Posted on June 13, 2007 by Ubu Roi

When is a harem comedy not a harem comedy? When none of the girls are actually chasing the guy. HIMM, or He Is My Master, is an offbeat fanservice vehicle that looks sort of like a harem show (three cute girls under one roof with a guy), but the twist is that he’s a lech and pervert with a major-league meido fixation, who sees them as sex objects and playthings… and of course, they don’t agree, and are not chasing him.

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Let’s establish at the outset the fact that logic plays no part in this show. It’s pure, idiotic fantasy. If you can accept that two junior high girls would run away from home with their pet alligator, and a third girl would willingly join them to wear skimpy outfits and be live-in maids to a 14-year old super-rich orphaned pervert, then you can watch this show, blithely unconcerned about anything resembling reality. I went into it with low expectations, and the show actually met and surpassed them. The character designs are definitely attractive, but overall, art and animation is generally average to poor. A lot of scenes have no background other than primary colors splashed across the screen. The music is entirely forgettable, though not atrocious. I give the comedy a decent score (after the cliché-filled first episode), but most of the reasons are tied to a major spoiler, so I’m not saying here. I will say I got a kick out of the over-the-top Die Hard parody though.

In the early going, I had two problems; one being Mitsuki’s age of 13, and the other was whole runaway thing. I didn’t expect the latter to be explained — I naturally assumed that Izumi (older of the two at 15) was the runaway and had persuaded her little sister to tag along. Boy, was I wrong. While the explanation is just as unrealistic as the rest of the show, there is an explanation, which is more than I expected, and we even get to meet the parents of both the girls and Yoshitaka. Of course, his parents are still dead when we do meet them, and hers are weird, but each meeting gives some insights into why they are what they are. In fact, the girls’ family become recurring characters, especially their too-cute younger sister Karin. (Yes, for the loli pervs out there, she ends up in a meido outfit, albeit only briefly, thank goodness.)

Anyway, I wasn’t really comfortable with an innocent, flat-chested 13 year old as a sex object (look, even when I was 17, I considered that too young, so she ended up knocked up and marrying someone else a few years later). Well two things surprised me, one of which is a spoiler. First, the show didn’t concentrate on her as a sex object nearly as much as Izumi, and to a lesser extent, Anna. Both are still underage, but at least they’re 15, not barely-teens. The second reason is a huge spoiler, containing the plot of the series, so behind the tag it goes.

Second, Mitsuki is anything but innocent. She collects guys at the school who absolutely worship her, and she’s a master manipulator, using her innocent demeanor to lure the unwary into doing her bidding. Throughout, she’s the one really driving the action. Yoshitaka only thinks he’s in control, and that is one way in which this series exceeded my expectations. Mitsuki decides early on that Yoshitaka and Izumi would be a good match and she shamelessly manipulates both of them, even using her fan club to help bring them together. To put them on a more equal footing, she hacks the mansion’s database, steals images from Yoshitaka’s spy cameras, and uses them to turn her sister into a famous net idol, simultaneously making herself rich. Surprisingly, none of this is particularly overplayed or done in a heavy-handed manner. You can see the drift, but there’s no sudden changes by any of the characters.

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That’s not much of a plot, but it sure wasn’t what I expected. After the first episode, I assumed it was going to be all about Izumi defending Mitsuki against Yoshitaka and “his incredibly low strike zone” while he tried to make out with all three of the girls. Was I ever wrong. Izumi is definately the center of the show and major sex object, so it’s to be expected from the usual trope that she’s the violent one. The difference is she’s not incapable of showing tenderness, or even affection; she just has a wide competitive streak and really short temper. Yoshitaka brings both of them to the forefront, as prominently as, um… well you decide.

“What the hell is this?”
Um…. I think it’s called “cleavage,” and you’ve got a fair amount.
Moving on to the other major characters, the third girl is Anna, a classmate at Yoshitaka’s school, where he arranges to have Izumi and Mitsuki attend. She is terribly naive and has a secret crush on Yoshitaka, whom she thinks is sweet. Izumi has a very vivid vision of just how that could turn out, and goes to some lengths to keep the completely naive Anna from falling into the clutches of Yoshitaka. Of course it backfires when the effort has, er, unexpected results.
Pochi is the weirdest looking excuse for an alligator, and despite “tasting” of people several times, he never actually harms anyone. (I said “unconcerned with reality” didn’t I?). He likes tasting the clothes of cute girls, especially Izumi’s, and has a huge crush on her. I really think I don’t want to know what he’s doing off camera whenever he catches her…. Although antagonistic to Yoshitaka at first, they eventually have a meeting of the minds and Pochi becomes quite fond of him. Just not in the same way he’s fond of Izumi. (Thank God. I don’t think even Japanese TV is ready for yaoi bestiality. Ewwwww! I know I’m not–someone hand me the brain bleach. Ewww! Ewww!)

There’s actually several more important characters, including Izumi’s family, Yoshitaka’s cousin, the president of the Mitsuki fan club, and a rival rich girl who shows up for the last two episodes. (Of course she ended up in a meido outfit! Don’t be silly.) Although they all play roles, they’re not as important as the main 3 characters, so I’m just mentioning them in passing. They’re spice that makes the meat taste good, but Yoshitaka, the 3 girls, and Pochi (the alligator) are definitely the meat and potatoes of the show.

The writers did a pretty good job with Yoshitaka, considering that he’s a total ass, a jerk, and a pervert. He’s not a weak or wimpy male, although he probably has a few insecurities running loose, and is more than up to carrying the series. He’s basically a spoiled rich kid who has never learned to rein in his more destructive impulses, and has to feel that he’s in control at all times. His parents died in an auto accident, and now he’s free to do whatever he pleases. He pleased to fire all of his staff for nagging him, telling him what to do, and probably looking down on his cosplay talents. (He’s beyond very good, capable of turning out perfectly-fitting costumes for the girls without measuring them, except by eye.) Now he finds himself alone in a huge mansion. Lo and behold, two cute girls his age show up to apply for a job as live-in maids, and he’s in heaven. A fantasy come true! Hey, the shapely one was even undressing on his front porch when he opened the door! (Did I perhaps mention that this show has only the faintest encumbrance by reality?) His appeal is that he represents us–the guys who think that kind of stuff, but are far too civilized to act the way he does.

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No one will be surprised to read that Yoshitaka spends a lot of time getting beaten up by Izumi, and it’s usually for cause. What’s funny is that his class at school is more than willing to help — he’s anything but the BMOC. I wish they ‘d spent a bit more time at school in the series, just to see how everything played out there, but it would have gotten in the way of the rest of the series.

Despite spying on Izumi and Mitsuki with hidden cameras, and taking opportunities to see them naked, Yoshitaka has a core of decency. It’s very small, somewhat weak, and he keeps it well hidden, but it’s there. Even though he’s an ass to the end, he never actually tries to molest any of the girls. When Izumi or Mitsuki are in trouble he’ll fight to protect them, as long as it doesn’t involve fighting against Pochi. Of course, if it gives him the opportunity to see them in minimal clothing or inspires a new outfit, well hey, they’re his playthings, aren’t they? That’s as he sees it anyway–because he’s got to be the one in control. By the end of the series, it’s obvious that they’ve at least moved into the category of “very special, treasured playthings,” and Izumi’s become more important to him than he’s willing to admit.

Major series spoiler ahead!
At the end of the show, it’s obvious that Mitsuki has succeeded — Izumi and Yoshitaka are both fond of each other, although they’d still probably kill each other before admitting to it. Yoshitaka is designing Izumi’s wedding dress (with a miniskirt and bunny ears no less), Izumi is happy to be back, Mitsuki is happily manipulating both of them, and their mother, Mizuho, has actually signed guardianship of Izumi over to Yoshitaka — which wouldn’t be valid, since he’s also a minor. Anna likely knows this, and I’d bet both Mizuho and Mitsuki do, but it’s not clear if Izumi does — or cares. She won’t hesitate to deck him if he gets out of line, anyway.

In the end, I have to give this series a C. It was better than I expected, although that wasn’t hard to manage, since I expected total dreck. The reasons for the lower score have to do with the uncomfortable moments that pop up now and again, like loli Karin in a skimpy meido outfit, Pochi’s enthusiastic, uh, affection for Izumi, and the possibly subliminal message of women as property that’s embedded in the concept of this show. Damn feminists; I can’t enjoy objectifying women any more! Yeah, yeah, this show is another guilty pleasure, like DearS. So here’s some more Izumi fanservice behind the spoiler tag. NSFW!

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Lots more in the show where this came from…

Posted in Series Reviews | 5 Comments

The Real Problem…

Posted on June 12, 2007 by Ubu Roi

Over at Steven’s place, a discussion of payola in blogging turned to animé reviews, and one blogger in particular got mentioned because he’s the only one who seems to have given a positive review to the latest offering from ADV: 009-1

Yech. I watched the first episode from the link at ANN. It was silly and just not interesting. Waaaaaay too derivative of early James Bond.. In a nutshell: “Big-breasted robot girls with bad 1960’s hairdos fight the Cold War 100 years from now.” Although I did appreciate it for the opportunity to make Ropponmatsu jokes, thanks to the ol’ rocket-launcher-in-the-knee trick.

Funny thing is, when Hung did his first review, I thought to myself “Darn! Nobody sends me free copies of anything to review! Maybe they don’t like what I have to say.” Then the real reason occurred to me: “Y’know ‘Ubu,’ maybe that’s a drawback to this whole anonymous thang.”

Bah! Bah, I say!

Update: I thought Steven was a little harsh… but the truth is, I stopped reading Hung’s reviews after the first one as well. If I go into a review with low expectations and then like a show for exceeding them, I’m going to say “I went in with low expectations.” In fact, this is exactly the case with He is My Master, for which I have the review written, but haven’t added the screencaps yet.

Posted in Anime Industry, Bitching | 2 Comments

Testing

Posted on June 11, 2007 by Ubu Roi

This is a test. If this works, this post will disappear.

I have a spoiler here: show

I have a second spoiler here: The Stainless Steel Brat is a…. brat!

Now to see if it will work….

Update: Ok, I like the 2nd version better. I’m going to leave this up for a while so readers can try it out and make sure it works for them. Now I’m going to go add a table creator I found for wp. That’s the hardest part of some posts, and it’s why my formatting could often use some work… Well, that and I’m lazy.

And now the test of the table creator:

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Posted in Administrative | 8 Comments

American Anime

Posted on June 11, 2007 by Ubu Roi

ADV’s Mutineer’s Moon project (adapted from the David Weber novels) isn’t dead yet.

This is from an interview of ADV’s John Ledford, which can be read here:

ANN: Right now ADV’s picking up a lot, but, right before the market went to hell, ADV had also expanded a lot, possibly at the absolute worst time.

JL: Yes, expansion right before one of your biggest customers falls through the hole (Musicland/Suncoast).

ANN: So a couple of departments were …

JL: Hiatused.

ANN: Hiatused. Now that ADV’s really moving forward, what are we going to see from those departments? (Manga, Merchandise, ADV Pro, etc…)

JL: ADV Pro has been re-activated, so the projects it had under its wing, specifically Mutineer’s Moon, are still proceeding.

I didn’t see how it could be left in the trash bin, as it was apparently about 75-80% complete, but honestly, I expected it to end up being sold off to some other company and developed by a whole new team. I wasn’t aware ADV was “moving forward” again. I figured they were slowly strangling on their effort to run The Animé Network. (As an aside, would I be correct in assuming that ADV is the only serious importer that is not owned by or closely associated with one of the Big Five Four media companies?)

I have been waiting for years to see this series, and I hope it is really and truly on the way again. The fact that the website is still fubared does not give me great hope however. Sounds like to me they’re just stirring the ashes and calling it progress.

Update: Should have looked at the interview before asking stupid questions.

This was preceded by the Sojitz deal, where Sojitz Corporation invested in A.D. Vision. How much does Sojitz have to do with ADV’s rebound?

Sojitz is one of the big key factors. Having done the deal with Sojitz has really enabled the company to move a lot faster than we could ever have done with a non-Japanese partner. The typical American investor would not be nearly as good as having a neutral Japanese party. There were some publishing companies, some other animation studios, [and] general people that were interested in investing in ADV on the Japan side, but I felt that the trading companies were the best overall because they’re like Switzerland; they’re very neutral.

Eeeeenteresting. This definately puts a different slant on things; now they’ll have the money to do what they need to do, as well as better contacts on the Japanese side.

Update 2: VERY facinating interview. Check this out:

Do you think we’re going to actually see same day-and-date regularly, or is that just unreasonable?

I’m going to choose my words really carefully here, so don’t read too much into this and don’t misinterpret this. Because of the proliferation of online illegal file transfers and downloads and whatnot (a lot of the content broadcast in Japan is subtitled and propagated over the internet within 24 hours), license fees are dropping for the Japanese, which means production quality and production budget will be affected in the long term. Because the Japanese companies generally look to the Americas for 20 to 40 percent of their budget, if that budget is not there anymore, they can’t sustain quality and scope of production. So in order to fix or help or kind of mend the problem, some of the companies we’ve talked to are discussing releasing the Japanese version on TV with an American near simultaneous broadcast, in English, subtitled or dubbed. But only broadcast. And that’s all I’m going to say.

Posted in Anime Industry, Upcoming Releases | 9 Comments

Animé: Why I Like It (and What I Like)

Posted on June 10, 2007 by Ubu Roi

(Note: Steven’s comment about giving away endings isn’t fully correct. Major spoilers are blacked out, but he forgot he has local rules in place to override my font settings. I’ve found a spoiler tag plug-in for WP and will install that sometime soon to solve this problem. Sigh.)

Friday, I engaged in a discussion of Japanese vs. American shows, which got sidetracked into dealing with the relationship between Lodoss and Loius the Rune Soldier. (And boy was I surprised to find out they were set in the same world!)

My theory is that Lodoss and Louis represent an exercise in “the grass is greener.” Animé may have its clichés and tropes, but we haven’t spent years and years getting sick of them all like we have with American TV/Cinema. It’s different, and that helps make it seem fresh. So when the Japanese look for something that’s different to them, and start looking to our cultural tropes, it’s simultaneously fresh to them and old to us.

Re-railing the original thread/thought process and taking it a bit further: Even at it’s best (the original Shrek and Toy Story movies), the watered-down stories American film-making (and moreso, TV) tell are just recycled from show to show. It’s rare that we see the characters really challenged and forced to grow, because that means changing the “formula” and if there’s one thing American TV/movie studios are wedded to, its formula. Most American audiences seem to like not being challenged by their movies — they want to be able to peg it for what it is within the first few minutes, and then sit back to enjoy the ride. Anything that might challenge the characters and therefore the viewer’s early assumption, makes them uncomfortable. So what we end up with is a bunch of bland, formula-driven shows with elements patched together from nearly 100 years of film-making history. This is especially true when one gets to the genres of science-fiction or fantasy; it’s like the scriptwriters have used up every shred of imagination by moving the story out of the contemporary times and all that’s left is to drag out the worst dialogue, plotting, and acting imaginable. (Sometimes, we get lucky, like Princess Bride, but it’s rare.)

How common is that reuse of elements? Well, years ago, I played a pocket game (I wish I could remember the name) in which a spaceship crew had to land on an asteroid to stop the mad scientist from sending it on a collision course with Earth. They weren’t military; just an ordinary crew that happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. Every one of the characters was a stereotype, and the victory conditions were humorously satirical:

SPCA Victory: The pet dog survives.
Romantic Victory: the Handsome Pilot and Beautiful Love Interest survive.
Nerd Victory: the geeky engineer survives. (etc., etc.)

As Roger Ebert once said*, speaking of Blazing Saddles and Hollywood westerns: “If an entire genré can be satirized in a single movie, stick a fork in it, it’s dead.” (*to the best of my faulty recollection.) I don’t know if that applies to satire by games, but since the original Scary Movie didn’t kill horror movies, I guess he was wrong about that.

I find Japanese animation is a lot more willing to challenge its characters on fundamental levels and make risky changes to them. In doing so, it’s more likely to challenge the viewer and make him or her feel a bit more, and that’s one of the things that I like. I don’t necessarily want to be challenged every time I sit down, but I generally do not want to know exactly how every piece of the plot and 2/3’s of the gags are going to work out. That way lies boredom. (While we’re at it, could someone explain to me why blows to the crotch are so funny that they have to appear in almost every comedy Hollywood makes? Is it all part of the insidious plot to emasculate the American male?) That’s not to say that animé doesn’t have it’s own formulas, tropes, and recycled elements; dreck is dreck and the Japanese are just as willing to produce that too. But it also seems to produce a surprising amount of “three-star” material (or in my system, grade “B” although that has negative connotations from American cinema). Such series shouldn’t be any good, based on their premise, but turn out to have deeper elements that engage the viewer and raise the overall quality–even if there are huge problems elsewhere in the show. Examples:

Hanukyo Maid Team La Verite: Looks like a dumb fanservice vehicle, but the last 3rd is drama based around Mariel’s origin.
Martian Successor Nadesico: Starts like a silly mecha/comedy series, surprisingly dramatic and serious war story at times.
Vandread: Much like MSN, above. Most unusual harem.
DearS: Seems like a terribly clichéd fanservice show, but changes the main characters undergo make it better than it should be.
Najica Blitz Tactics: Pantsu, pantsu, pantsu! With a story about what it is to be human, and the bond between two, er, beings.

In fact, as I look back across the animé that I’ve acquired, a few common elements among my favorite shows start to become apparent. There are certain things that I like, which appear in my favorite shows, or the ones that I maintain “are better than they seem at first.”

(Edit: Warning, spoilers ahead: the worst is blacked out but exercise caution. Don’t uncover the blackout unless you want the ending to some good series spoiled.)

Continue reading →

Posted in Art and Craft, Fandom, Tropes and Such | 5 Comments

Was Melancholy Overhyped by Fans?

Posted on June 6, 2007 by Ubu Roi

This post is somewhat recycled, but I am working on something a bit more original. This is just to clear my backlog of partially-written articles and give you something to pass the time. Anyway, it beats more nothing; it’s been almost a week since my last post. Sorry, bout that, but by the time I finish a day’s work and then another few hours at home, I’m ready to chuck it all and play WOW. Damn Blizzard. Blame them.
A while back, Steven was mulling over the wild popularity of Haruhi and the whole show, and although he liked the show, he didn’t quite share the reaction of the show’s fanbase.

So I’ve had a few hours now to digest Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, and for me the biggest mystery is this: why is this series being treated as such a lightning strike by fans?

He goes on to speculate that it was in large part, the weak competition. Pixy also chiped in, adding moé and the effect of seeing episodes a week apart, rather than back to back. I agree that they definitely have their effect. (I notice that Adult Mikuru does not wear a bra, yet doesn’t suffer from sag — the future is a beautiful place!)

Another major factor is also KyoAni fanboyism. I’ve joked before that they should just trademark those orange skies.

Even if you don’t like their writing (and it is weak) their art is fantastic. (Well, it’s hard to tell with Lucky Star, but that’s the nature of the show.) But look at this shot from Kanon. The trees look real, they’re not just blobs of green covered with white; they have leaves. The snow pools in the corners where the wind should blow it, and those clouds are insanely realistic.
But art doesn’t explain Melancholy’s popularity, because, aside from drooling over Mikuru or one of the other girls, nobody makes a big deal about the pretty pictures. So why was this show so crazy popular?  Well, one reason is the performance of the seiyuu. All five of them turned in great performances, with Aya Hirano serving up a tour-de-force that makes Wendee Lee look amateurish by comparison (said comparison, in my case, admittedly being via the previews only, at this point.) Somehow she manages to make Haruhi’s self-centeredness kawaii and kowaii at the same time, usually without making her seem like a selfish bitch. Except for episode 14 (chronological)–it’s a prime example of Kyoto Animation’s writing weakness. Most of the time, the audience is gleefully wondering, “What damage is the space-time continuum going to take this time?”
But even that doesn’t explain Melancholy’s popularity. So what does?

IMHO, most folks trying to watch it now, won’t get one of the major attractions of the series, even if they watch the broadcast-order dub. They have missed out on the whole mind-screw element of the episode order. Sure you can watch it in the same order, but during the broadcast, it was a case of having to wait a whole week to figure out what was going on, only to be hit again by yet another out-of-order episode. As someone who went through it at the time, to see a studio that was willing to take (what seemed to be) such an insanely huge chance of starting with “The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina” and then follow up with a totally scrambled sequence…. well, I don’t know how to describe it other than I did at the time, which was to say that “they aren’t afraid to tweak your nose while they’re messing with your head.”

It was so crazy that it would have doomed a lesser series, and it was an incredibly fun ride trying to figure out just what the hell was going on with this show. Since the novels hadn’t been translated at that time, no one knew the full story, so from week to week, the fans in the know about the series pulled their hair out trying to guess what was going on and what the story was. In other words, I agree with Pixy, but feel it was both the order and the week’s separation between episodes.
Of course, by the end of the series, it was obvious that they had to do it or they’d have a six-episode series followed by 8 fillers. But nobody knew it at the time, so it seemed to be a really fresh, cheeky approach, that stood out all the more against the weak competition. For fans coming late to the party and knowing the joke in advance, I’m afraid it suffers in the re-telling.

It’s also why some people just don’t “get” it, and think the series is stupid.

It makes me worry though. If there is a second series (which has not been officially announced), I worry that it won’t “be as good.” Or rather, I worry that it may be just as good objectively, but fans will be expecting lightning to strike twice — but it can’t because the mystery is gone. Worse, fans may expect more than it’s humanly possible to deliver. If every sceen isn’t chock full of Mikuru moé, Haruhi mania, Kyon sarcasm, or Nagato minimalism, it will be a crashing disappointment. Which isn’t fair, because the original had it’s lame moments. Battle of the Giant in closed space? Yawner. Borrrrring. Well, actually, that’s a bad example. Aesthetically, it should have been that dull, because to make it exciting would have taken away from the point of the event which was that Kyon was in the middle of total weirdness by then–and it was just getting weirder. But that’s an argument for another time. Maybe the long discourse in the taxi on the way there is a better example of a weak point, yet it was also necessary in it’s own way.

Either way, it’s not going to stop me from picking up the series, and if there ever is a sequel, it too. I just hope the histrionics of disappointed fans are kept to a minimum. I doubt we’ll be that lucky, though…

Posted in Fandom | 9 Comments

It’s A Survival Trait?

Posted on May 31, 2007 by Ubu Roi

I noted this in the comments over at SDB’s, but wanted to add the pictures here to make the point. I’m watching Outlaw Star, which I originally saw on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim a number of years ago. I really liked it at the time, though now I’m sort of wondering why. Maybe because my animé pickings were really thin back then, I dunno. The show is very silly, but not in a parody/funny since, just silly in that it doesn’t care how unrealistic it is. Ships that close to contact range and fight with grappling arms? Be serious.

Anyway, the girl on the left below is Melfina. She’s a unique extremely humanistic android built with the combined technology of the Kei Pirates (themselves a galactic power) and Space Patrol. For whatever reason (try “because the show would have sucked without her”), she was designed for two purposes, the first (ability to pilot a small ship known as the XGP-15) being in support of the second, which was to find the macguffin on which the series conflict was hung, a.k.a. “The Galactic Leyline.”


Please note her flat-as-a-washboard chest — those suspenders are straight lines. As a bridge bunny, she’s sadly lacking.

Mother nature often uses camouflage or chameleon-like abilities to keep her creatures out of trouble. An insect might look like the twigs it is normally found on. An fish might be colored so that it’s tail appears to be its head. A lizard might be able to alter its colors to match the background. All of these things have two aspects in common: They’re designed to fool the attacker through appearance and if the attacker decides to carry through with an attack, they’re useless.

Apparently Melfina’s designers hit upon the idea of using similar camouflage to hide her abilities. No one would expect the computer pilot of an illegally-built super-ship to look like a pretty girl. However, they didn’t stop there. Instead, they decided to decided to go mother nature one better, and equip her with a chameleon-like ability that would be useful after an attack began. At least, that’s the only explanation I can think of for these pictures of Melfina in danger:




Somebody come rescue me — I’m attractive!

Well, if you can think of a better explanation…

Posted in Random Nonsense, Tropes and Such | 2 Comments