Hige vs. Otaku

Ghost Hound Ep. 1 Review

I'd like to know how Shirow was involved with Ghost Hound. It has all the existential weirdness of his usual output (sans wanky technophilia, thank god), but then that can be more aptly attributed to the strong Serial Experiments Lain presence in its production team. Is it merely an adaptation of his 1987 work or was he more proactively involved? Hopefully his mark will become more apparent as the show goes on, as I like Shirow when his ideas are filtered through other (better) storytellers. Production I.G. have proven more than capable at making all his good characteristics shine while side-lining the tiresome indulgences. . . ignoring the second Ghost in the Shell film, obviously.

Needless to say, this is a Lain kind of show. Right down to the frumpy character design (no body shapes to speak of, and lots of baggy jumpers). Though, in Ghost Hound's defence, it doesn't immediately alienate in the same uncomfortable way Lain did. The presentation, animation and music, have the same eery, sinister quality to them, but Ghost Hound has a generally warmer vibe to it. But then, equally in Lain's defence, that show wanted to alienate the viewer and make you innately aware of the fabricated reality its events took place in (but that doesn't necessarily mean I enjoyed the experience). Still, Ghost Hound doesn't look to be out to make the same point and I think the problems Lain caused for some people won't be as apparent with Ghost Hound.

Production I.G. have done themselves justice with the clean, attractive visuals (as well as the beautifully integrated CG, of course). I was concerned about the character design from seeing promo images prior to watching, but having now seen them in motion my minor worries are abated in I.G.'s effortless way. They don't look to be making the same 'look at our massive willies' point as they may've been with the two GitS: SAC series , but the quality of Ghost Hound's visuals is self-evident and this is the kind of consistency all TV anime should aspire to. Subtly gorgeous. 

Character and storywise, lots is brimming under the surface with the tragic death of Tarou's sister and the traumatic circumstances surrounding it being centre to all the underlying tension and mystery. Ghost Hound makes no effort to explain itself with this first episode and the atmosphere it fosters is absolutely fantastic. The characters themselves offer little justification either, with Tarou being the typical inoffensive protagonist; Matoko and Masayuki possessing various extremes of front, and everyone else exuding masses of reticence and suspicion. Personally, I love this kind of approach. It may well be my icy Britishness rearing its aloof, withdrawn head, but I'm more inclined to say it's my admiration of purposeful withholding of information and the intellectual stimulus it provides. Specifically, the scene where Tarou is eating with his mother and father, and makes the mistake of mentioning his dead sister's intention of inheriting his father's sake business, was fantastically tense and suggestive. One of the few commendable elements of Lain was its ability to insinuate so much with minimal dialogue and inspired direction, and Ryutaru Nakamaru employs similar expertise with Ghost Hound to great effect.

Ghost Hound, then, provides all the solace I was hoping for. This season, in brutal retrospect, is completely piss-poor with its offerings, and Ghost Hound's high-riding quality makes this all the more apparent. I'll still keep up with the few I've decided to monitor for potential awesome, but Ghost Hound will likely be the key anime stimulation for the next few months. I should probably watch Moyashimon, too, huh.

The Anime Review #4

Blue Drop Ep. 2

I'm relieved the school aspect is still the most prevailing in Blue Drop. Not to say I'm worried about the sci-fi trappings lurking, well, beneath the surface, but it's really the experiences Mari has at her new school that interest me the most. Hagino is also fascinating by being at once incredibly charismatic; though, equally, we wish Mari would just punch her in the face. She's obviously key in forthcoming plot developments, but I hope she'll retain all the enigmatic mystery I'm loving her for at the moment. The troublesome yuri inclinations grew a little stronger this episode, too, but I remain cautiously optimistic that Blue Drop will develop into something special and not some silly faux-lesbian melodrama. I just find myself drawn to its melancholy approach and get all sorts of warm fuzzies from watching. It may well be the gorgeous music clouding my senses, but what's the point of a soundtrack if not to set the tone and subtly direct emotions?

Rental Magica Ep. 2

A pretty dramatic shift in pace this episode. Rather than seeming to cram in as much as humanly possible (as with episode one) it took a more staid approach that suited the dominating history lesson well. I'm glad we're learning more about the main cast this early on; Darker than Black, as Karura maintained, left its protagonist development far too late, and suffered a strange, bitter-sweet renaissance of affection in me as it concluded. Hopefully Rental Magica will bank on its fairly amiable cast members as soon as possible, making way for the inevitable episodic approach that we can see from a mile off. I enjoyed this character exposition driven episode. Apart from the fairly stark continuity issue (could've sworn Adilisia was introduced to Iba last episode, as well as already being in his class at school . . .) Rental Magica is proving to be reliably entertaining.

Gundam 00 Ep. 2

Eh, stupid mecha fun. Gundam 00 is acting as the guinea pig in the experiment of how long I can stick with a show that I watch purely for the action. Not to say I'm adverse to, like, some plot and characterisation emerging, but so far I'm satisfied with the whole 'cool robots blowing shit up' ideology Gundam has been towing for a while now. There's something wholesomely anime about watching Gundam. It might be nostalgic attachments of simpler times, or merely how Gundam flaunts shamelessly what other anime try to hide; either way, I'm judging it as disposable fun at the moment. I'll reserve any brutalising assessment for when it actually attempts to do something worth criticising.

Suteki Tantei Labyrinth Ep. 2

Disappointing. Not only did the production values take a surprising dip this episode, with everything looking rather stationary and fuzzy, but the storytelling also lost a lot of its intrigue and charm by simply being dull. As a result, most of the irritating aforementioned tropes became harder to ignore. I'm not writing Suteki Tantei Labyrinth off entirely just yet . . . only it's definitely on probation from this point onward. I'm fairly doubtful it will go the way I want it to, but anime has proven time and again that hasty dismissals can be foolish. What was probably more foolish was hoping for three decent shows this season. Roll on Ghost Hound, for the love of god PLEASE.

Hige vs. The Autumn Season, Part Three

This is about as close as you get for me power-blogging. A brief perusal of animesuki alerted me to how far behind I am and if this feature is going to mean anything I have to pick up the pace. Any dips in writing quality aren't my fault; blame the punctual fansubbers and their ferocious work ethic. Who knew providing the Internet with ethically ambiguous free shit was such a motivation? Lor' bless their hearts.

Hige vs. The Autumn Season, Part Two

Rental Magica

First I have to compliment the pace of this episode. Rarely is anything in anime this brisk in its first episode and I'm praying it will keep it up throughout the run, as it could be the difference between me watching and dropping. The premise of magicians for hire seems quite unique and having each character specialise within a certain mythology of magic (Shinto, Celtic etc) was a nice touch in adding variety. The ensemble cast were all likable in an everyman sort of way, but I get the feeling the real interest will come from the clients that visit from episode to episode. The episodic nature of Rental Magica is also quite refreshing after the amount of shows with decompressed plots I've been watching lately. Its fairly shiny production values just make it that bit easier to like.

Likelihood of watching episode two: Yep, assuming there's more absurd humour than cheesy sentimentality. And rocket powered brooms.

Mokke
The Mushishi comparisons Mokke seems to be getting are a little off to me. Mokke does have that similar air of the supernatural about it, and maybe similar ideas in coupling innocence with darker unknowns, but the first episode of Mokke was nowhere near as enchanting as Mushishi's first. I'm not saying Mokke is without charm; it just lacked the same absorbing ethereal beauty of its (to be fair, completely masterful) contemporary. The mediocre production values didn't help much, nor did its refusal to lay much groundwork, and I felt no interest to keep watching by the end.

Likelihood of watching episode two: None.

Shana II

I should disclaim that this is my first experience of Shana, not having seen any of the first series or the film before viewing, and obviously this taints my opinion with the brush of uninformed ignorance. Still, quite a pretty show ain't it? The character design didn't float any of my snooty boats, but it had the kind of shiny finish that my inner-magpie finds hard to resist. Story-wise it seemingly banked on the whole headfuck dream reality Evangelion so expertly perfected all those years ago, and I'm sure it meant a lot more to Shana fans than it did to me. It made it incredibly difficult to gage my opinion of it, in fact, because everything we saw wasn't how things usually are. On Owen's advice (and general common sense) I've got the first series downloaded and waiting for a marathon, which should hopefully improve my experience of the second series. Though if that turns out to be shit then I shan't even bother. Justified, brutalising judgement is a beautiful thing. <3

Likelihood of watching episode two: Moderate, depending on how Shana First tickles my fancy.

Next time: Myself:Yourself, ef - a tale of memories, Suteki Tantei Labyrinth and Night Wizard

Hige vs. The Autumn Season, Part One

As much as I support the right to choose, and the lack of judgement toward those choices, I am a right snooty bastard when it comes to anime. I can't list specifics of what I prefer because the shows that catch my fancy are usually massively different from one to the next, but there definitely seems to be an undercurrent of prejudice when choosing what to watch at the start of a new season. The amount of times I've flippantly dismissed a show based on its art style, or its overt moe inclinations, is embarrassingly high. I'm more in-tune with what I don't like than what I do, and the amount of shows that have past me by as a result is troubling.

So, to combat this, I've decided to watch the first episode of everything released over the past week or so. I'm praying for more 'nice surprises' than 'abhorrent nightmares', but either way my hate for the more offensive aspects of anime will feel better educated by the end of it. But who knows, my horizons might be broadened in new and exciting ways. Bring on Clannad, MFers.

Cheerio, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

The other day I was air-drumming so vigorously that I punched myself in the face. In the moments of retrospect (as one does when one punches oneself in the face), I decided that the whole event was an analogy for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

You have the extended moment of frenzy, when you’re so hyperactive that you forget about appendages and their proximity to your mouth and just go completely balls out rocking the fuck out. Then you have the moment of euphoria when you’re so lost in the moment that all you can attend to are the incoherent visions and emotions overwhelming your mind. And then your fist connects with your face and, in a similarly traumatic fashion, reality comes crashing back.

I'll let you apply the specifics to Gurren Lagann's break-neck, unpredictable pace and allow the concluding violence to be attributed to any one of the show's abrupt stops (or simply that it's now over).

Ultimately, however, Gurren Lagann has been some of the most fun, purely entertaining times I've had watching an anime. The occasionally smack in the chops is more than worth it when everything else has allowed us countless opportunities for rock-star wish fulfilment.

Bugger the ridiculous Faux-Science™ that sullied its conclusion. Bugger the endless transformations and gratuitous mecha porn pandering. Bugger its shallowness and preference of fun over depth. For every point of criticism there's ten reasons why Gurren Lagann succeeded with honours.

With this show GAINAX have once again proved themselves to be the most capable, enthralling, stylish anime studio around. I disagree that they've recaptured something supposedly lost with Gurren Lagann. Rather, they've finally honed the technique of mass appeal while retaining everything that makes them credible and inspires endless amounts of affection.

And I feel no shame in being victim to their finely tuned manipulations. Like swinging too high in the playground, or rocking out just that little too far, or eating the whole tub of ice-cream in one go: Gurren Lagann is pure indulgence without any real guilt afterwards. And therein lies its mastery and reason for being completely fantastic. The sting of its absence will be felt all the more going into another lacklustre autumn season, but who knows: maybe we'll get another surprise dark horse like this. Although somehow I doubt it if GAINAX aren't behind the wheel.