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Editorial: Fanservice does not always make a anime series awesome… but sometimes makes it worse.

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After recently writing an editorial about Miyazaki Hayao about most anime made these days are unorginal and uninspiring… it’s because most anime are focusing too much on fanservice and less on the content to excite the audience.

The main reason I approve most anime series from Kyoto Animation and Miyazaki’s films is that… you guess it… they have minimal amount of fanservice. The problem today is fanservice is everywhere…type 1 mainly focusing on non-sexual fanservice (which I’m not against) and type 2 fanservice which involves with sexual in nature which is very common… like nudity, panty shots, etc which is COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY and does not add to the story or make the series any better… I don’t mind if a anime have some fanservice, but when it gets too excessive like Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo, Gonzo’s version of Full Metal Panic or something alot worse like Queen’s Blade for example… this is where I find it unorginal and also annoying… While most people won’t care in the world about fanservice or some actually liking it… I for one find it completely unnecessary nor it make the series any better with it.

The problem with modern anime today is that too many are focusing on excessive, type 2 fanservice which adds no quality to the story or make it inspiring or a masterpiece. This is the main reason why most fanservicey anime series tend to fail in quality because it’s overused and every animation studio besides Kyoto Animation far I know does it. You may ask youself, how come Kyoto Animation’s adaption of Full Metal Panic is better than Gonzo’s version of Full Metal Panic… it’s because Kyoto Animation focused on the actual material which resulted in good results while Gonzo added too much fanservice which caused the quality to fall. I’m not against series because it have too many fanservice, but the type 2 fanservice is causing the drop in quality of the story and better improved if studios stop relying too much on type 2 fanservice and actually focus on the story and make it original and/or inspiring.

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Editorial: Is Modern Anime really that bad? Miyazaki thinks so… but I disagree strongly.

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In the recent years, I have seen some great modern anime with great animation, story line, high production values, and etc… yet the backwards man, Miyazaki, the well acclaimed animator of Ghibli who is known for My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away saying that modern anime is no good… He is a sign of a purist and elitist and can’t accept that the way of anime is done since 2000 is done differently.

Anime before then were hand drawn and animation quality wasn’t as great until technology evolved which allows animators to produce higher quality productions which resulted in masterpieces… The ones I have seen recently and deemed as masterpieces is Clannad (both seasons) and Kanon 2006 remake. Most people will agree that some of the modern anime are masterpieces. However, Miyazaki is living in the past and believes that modern anime is bad… in the statement he said:

I can’t stand modern movies. The images are too weird and eccentric for me

In his statement, he believes that modern animation done by computer is too strange and unreal… Sure, modern anime have alot more eyecandy which appeals to the viewers… However, I disagree with his statement because it’s a sense he believes that his productions are better and that anything but his works his bad.

Young people are surrounded by virtual things. They lack real experience or life and lose their imagination. Animators can only draw from their own experience of pain and shock and emotions.

Again, his statement is untrue to a certain extent in a sense because some anime which are more in tuned in real life experience like some of the Seinen drama-genre anime I have seen have shown real life experiences that could happen in real life.

Another thing, is that he views all modern anime as “unoriginal and uninspiring,” and agree to a certain extent except that not all modern anime would fall into that… since it’s a matter of opinion.

There is always going to be a bunch of bad, unoriginal or uninspiring anime in every genre regardless… Another factor is that people’s opinions on a show is depending on the person’s tastes as mentioned before… so one person can say X show sucks while the other person thinks X show is good. So, I mostly disagree with this statement at the same time agree with some of his points of shows being unoriginal and uninspiring, but not applies to some since this is a matter of opinion.

The main problem with Miyazaki is that he cannot accept modern anime what it is… It doesn’t mean that any of his works is horrible or that I’m heavy criticizing about since he did made good movies, but in the world of technology and with the most of the population using or know how to use technology (which he also don’t like), he is making people lose respect of him because he refuses to accept the fact that modern anime like we know it is here to stay…

Source: alafista.com

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Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san… Worst comedy anime seen so far from Kyoani?

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Mikuru is criminally cute.
There are a few people who seems to disapprove of K-ON!, but I think Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san is the worst show done so far besides Munto seen from Kyoto Animation. Don’t get me wrong, I like Suzumiya Haruhi Season 1 and I also think they did a good job accurately adapting more of the light novel in Season 2, but Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san was extremely disappointing because of the poor animation, production values not usually seen by Kyoto Animation compared to other adaptions and rehashed comedy, done over again… alot more than just one episode of K-ON! I was disappointed about recently.

I may be a little harsh on it because it’s material is based on 4koma which is also the same for Lucky Star and K-ON!, but I was disappointed to the fact that each episode is actually very similar in nature which made the originality go down the drain. The poor animation and art style doesn’t help either because Haruhi (normal series) had alot better art and animation style which compare to the likes of Kyoto Animation’s Key adaptions… I know this is supposed to be a parody of Suzumiya Haruhi… but I expect them to have better animation style and have more originality instead of having every episode of Nagato abusing Achakura every time and Churuya-san wanting “smoked cheese” in every episode which drove me to put it on hold and eventually dropping the whole series all together.

Although Haruhi-chan is pretty mediocre (a step down from Lucky Star, atleast a 7/10), Churuya-san is alot worse from the two….

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Kannagi – Episode 5 Impressions

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Kannagi-ep5-scr1
Kannagi Episode 5 is just amazing… No one knew that Nagi is a good cook from the look of the food although the food doesn’t taste right for some apparent reason. Also, Nagi also have a fanclub with alot of popularity… which is very funny for some reason… and that incident makes her a student.

Although Zange-chan is trying to win the love in Jin’s harem… it seems that Nagi also have the liking for him too. Overall, I thought Episode 5 is amazing and deserves a 9.2/10.
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Kanon Complete Series Boxset Unboxing – First Impressions

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kanon-ep1-scr18
It’s the “girls in the snow ani…” Oh Shi—-
Since the ADV meltdown occurred, it became increasingly difficult to obtain 6 DVDs of Kanon just as mentioned in the unboxing of the Air Boxset until ADV transfered it’s licences to Funianimation…

Here is the unboxing pics:
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K-ON! Episode 10 Impressions

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K-ON-Ep10-scr1
Azusa-chan ironicly having fun instead of practicing.

Since I’m two days late on the post, I won’t be doing a typical summary post and reaction… I’m just going to post my thoughts about this episode. The episode was alright and we learned more about Azusa’s “dere side” of Azusa’s personality, Episode 10 is a rehash of Episode 4 all over again with 20% more new content and differences from Episode 4. Yes, Mugi made the sandcastle again and Mio scared of barnacles… but what disappoints me the most is the lack of originality to Episode 4. What they should of done is make it a bit different and more interesting…. like have them actually practice more..

I pretty much agree with this author who pointed out the same thing to a certain degree…. Although I sorta enjoyed the episode, I was a bit disappointed to the above reason… they can do better than that… Yet”s hope the last three episodes don’t disappoint me towards the end of the season.

Verdict

8.3/10

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Minagi and Kotomi: Two characters separated at birth

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moe 8084 sample
While I was watching Air, something kept bothering me about Minagi Tohno. Kotomi is very similar to Minagi in many ways except the story line which is similar to Mai’s. Although there are differences in appearance with Kotomi and Minagi, their personalities are very similar with minor differences.
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Some things and Sister’s Macbook Pro

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moe 27027 sample
Last few days, I have been very busy… but tomorrow, I will try to do a post on Kannagi Episode 4 and also a editorial post on Kotomi and Minagi comparison… because these girls are vastly similar for some reason… and I keep thinking about Kotomi when I watch Air for some odd reason.

Also, last Friday, my parents picked up a new Unibody Macbook Pro for my sister for college from the Apple Store since they had a back to school promotion(same laptop I am using, but with different specs)… so now she went to the dark side like I did a few years ago when I got fustrated with my Dell desktop. Now she doesn’t have to bug me about not being able to play her Licensed Anime DVDs on her computer. Hopefully, she will enjoy it just like I always do and I will be assisting her with the transition.

Welcome to the family!
Welcome to the family!

If you want to know what model, it’s the 2.66 GHz model.

Lastly, I’m departing to Wisconsin on June 26, 2009 and won’t be back until July 7, 2009. Hopefully it will not delay any new content that is coming up (Haruhi Season 2 Episodes and the Clannad AS Kyou OVA)

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Shiori Misaka – Why she is my most favorite Kanon Character.

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shiori2

Shiori Misaka is probably the most unappreciated character in Kanon considering how many people like the other girls: Ayu, Nayuki, Makoto, Mai. Shiori that I felt after watching her arc made me appreciate her more because she is the most “down to earth” girl compared to the others in Yuuichi’s harem (although technically Kanon is not really a stereotypical harem anime.) The main reason why I also like Misuzu and Nagisa is they are vastly similar to Shiori because of their tragic endings and also they don’t have friends until the male lead comes.

There is many things I like about her… her rather cute appearance, her love for ice cream and hate for spicy foods, and her rememberable catchphrase “I don’t like people who say such things!” when Yuuichi says rude things about her. Beside from the point, her story is a rather tragic one and after watching it made me appreciate her more because what would happen if you were sick and your sister/brother forgot about you because they are afraid of you dying when they get too close to you. Yeah, that would stink a lot, but people need stay strong and have a purpose to live and helping others will… That what Yuuichi, as a jerk he his sometimes, helps to make Shiori happy and remend the relationship with her older sister.

If you like Misuzu and Nagisa, I see less of a reason not to like Shiori after watching her arc… unless you into more moe types, Shiori remains to be my most favorite Kanon character.

Attribution infomation

Fanart used in this post is made by moonknives. original source

Read moreShiori Misaka – Why she is my most favorite Kanon Character.
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Editorial: Is Twitter end all to all of Anime Blogging?

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twitter
Sorry for the bad editing… but it serves the point.

Twitter is a popular microblogging website that people write 140 characters on what they are doing or share something on the internet… Recently, more people in the anime blogopshere are getting Twitter accounts and we also created one too… (just click the Twitter icon on the top right hand corner to view our timeline) and it’s popular in Japan. Recently, something is bothering me because I saw a headline that blogging is dead because of the popularity of Twitter and social networks… but does that apply in the Animeblogosphere… the answer is not really… for several reasons:

Posting reaction posts and news takes too many characters

Blogging about anime requires alot of characters, and simply summing it up with 140 characters won’t cut it… Also, Twitter doesn’t allow you to post any pictures of any kind, although you can share a link to it… but what if you want to post something interesting about it… You can’t do that with Twitter!

Twitter is too limiting

Yes, Twitter have it’s limitations, but it’s more limiting that you cannot categorize your updates by anime series or tag them… nor you can format your posts or have people comment on them. You cannot even embed a MAD or someone playing anime music on the piano due to the lack of HTML input.

Although Twitter won’t replace Anime Blogging by a longshot, there are advantages:

  • Updates are instant: You can instantly share your blog posts to everyone and people might catch attention to it and read it.
  • Share interesting infomation: If you find interesting blog posts, you can share it to others by posting the link in your update.
  • Can potentially replace RSS and Anime Blog aggregators: Since updates on Twitter is instant, there is less of a need to use RSS and Anime Blog aggregators since you can follow the author of the anime blog and receive instant updates. There will be less of a need to use AnimeBlogger Antenna (which won’t index my blog posts) and AnimeNano to receive updates for blogs you subscribe to.

What is your take about anime blogging and Twitter? Do you think that Twitter will make anime blogging obsolete or help promote anime blog posts through Twitter?

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Some lose ends… Poll 3 Results and Site Statistics

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moe 45789 sample
Since it’s been a month, I decided to do some housecleaning and finally give the results to poll 3 which involves Female Leads from Air, Clannad and Kanon.

Site Statistics

Since April 22, 2009, I have been tracking the blog traffic and in one month, the website received over 2000 visitors and 3641 hits… which isn’t bad for a blog that is a few months old… Not to mention, we have over 9 people who are following us on Twitter.

If you are interested in the full report, this report can be read here. (Requires Adobe Reader)

Poll 3 Results

Last 2 weeks, I posted a poll asking readers what Key lead heroine they like the most? Here are the results:
results-for-poll-3
It seems that Nagisa is the most favorite and following that is Misuzu. The least popular female lead seems to be Ayu… Some people might find Ayu a bit annoying because she say Uguu~ so many times and also considering how Clannad ended a few months ago, no wonder… Even though I like all three leads, I seem to like Misuzu the most because she is the cutest/most moe as stated in several posts ago.

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Splash Page taken over by Haruhiism

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Oh noes! Haruhi-ists took over my splash page for my Blog!
Oh noes! Haruhi-ists took over my splash page for my Blog!

You might be wondering, why are you copying some websites who replaced their whole website with a SOS-dan logo? If I didn’t, Michiru would butt taunt me. Seriously…

Maybe not for that reason, but I wanted to commemorate that Kadokawa didn’t troll us again and the first episode of Haruhi Season 2 have finally aired as promise… Does that mean I will drop all the series I’m currently watching… Absolutely not… but I will be covering Haruhi Season 2, but no long synopsis since other bigger anime blogs are doing that already..

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Editorial: Is Anime really for kids? Not really…

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This is the most debated topic in the Animeblogosphere and Anime forums alike, is Anime really for kids because it’s implied that cartoons are for kids? Not really, but shows like Pokemon, Naruto, Dragonball Z and others make it seems like that. However, most anime are not meant for children, but teenagers or even adults.

The difference between a typical cartoon and Anime is that Anime focuses more on culture, art and often have deeper plots than a typical cartoon. Also, Anime ranges more in genres like action, romance, drama, slice of life, etc than a typical cartoon that usually focuses on comedy. Most cartoons are stereotyped as for children because a great deal are made are for children and most wouldn’t enjoy it because of it (with some exceptions). Although there are some Anime series that are targeted to children, a vast majority isn’t. These are shows that usually have intense violence with murder scenes (for example: Death Note, Higurashi, Elfen Lied, etc), which no parent would show this to a child (unless you have bad parents).

Another problem is that some shows are not understandable by young children. These are usually a drama/romance show that focuses on deeper feelings of people and different situations that a 13 year old or higher will understand more. It’s pretty much like making a 8 year old child watch a drama show like Kanon and expect them to understand it… Most likely the 8 year old would get bored and won’t appreciate it opposed to a 16 year old who watches it and will most likely appreciate it more. The child who won’t appreciate it is because the child haven’t mature enough in life and would likely enjoy something like Naruto…

Depending on the show, most shows are not suitable for children, but does it mean that Anime is not really for children? In some cases, no… as mentioned before, there are Anime that are geared towards children

What is your take on this? Do you really think that Anime is really for children or not?

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