Xam’d Lost Memories 7

Xam’d is not a particularly easy show to understand. Right from the get go we’ve been dropped into a world chock full of bizarre creatures, warring factions and a ton of terminology which is only explained little by little. It’s a lot like being handed puzzle pieces one by one and having to put them together without seeing the picture on the box first. 

It’s to Xam’d’s credit that I don’t find this to be a frustrating experience. If anything, every episode I am more intrigued to figure out what’s going on. I had this same feeling watching Dennou Coil which had even more mysteries and series specific jargon. Although my one complaint about Dennou Coil is that when it did explain things it did it in big, dialogue-heavy chunks that gave out too much information all at once. This could very well happen in Xam’d but for now the scriptwriters have generally conformed to the basic “show don’t tell” rule. I appreciate that they think we’re smart enough to figure out what’s going on without having to be spoon-fed.

Macross Frontier 20

This episode represents everything I love and hate about Macross Frontier.

5 Reasons to Look Forward to the Fall Season

1. Tytania

 

Yakk! Deculture! Tytania’s staff list makes me wet myself.

Xam’d Lost Memories 6

Augh! I hate cliffhangers. 

This was a good episode for no real reason I can put my finger on except that even when nothing mind blowing was happening I was still completely glued to the screen. I guess that’s good storytelling.

Xam’d Lost Memories 5

Join me Nakiami. With your power and my balloon animal we shall be unstoppable.

Gurren Lagann Figure, Stop Me Before It’s Too Late

I’ve never understood why people buy figures. Why spend a lot of money on something you can’t read, watch, or otherwise use in any way? I guess it’s like buying a piece of art except collecting half-naked anime girls is infinitely more embarrassing than hanging a painting in your house. Seriously, what do people do when they have someone over? I’m ashamed enough as is by my manga, DVD and poster collection.

Nevertheless, I have been swayed to the dark side and am now consumed by an all powerful and irrational urge to throw my money away over a chunk of plastic.

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure Vol 1 Review

 

“Do you know how to learn the ways of the world? There’s only one way. Go on an adventure!”

I’ll Slice You With My Hat

I finally started reading Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure and it is awesome. More on that later. In the meantime, deadly fashion.

What Is This Feeling?

I was watching the Aria OVA the other day and it occurred to me that Aria really should be incredibly cheesy and the fact that it’s not is pretty remarkable. (If you’re reading this and thinking “but Aria is cheesy” then meet me behind the bleachers after school’s out and we’ll settle this the old fashioned way).

In Aria every episode is about how wonderful Neo-Venezia and everyone living there is but the OVA takes it a step further by focusing on Akari and Alicia’s very close relationship. The climax of the episode involves them holding hands while climbing the Campanile (on a side note, I’ve been to Venice and I didn’t know I could’ve climbed it. Damn). 

In a lesser show this moment would’ve been unbearably corny but instead it really was moving. 

What makes Aria so good is that it slowly sucks the viewer into the show and gets them to see the world of Neo-Venezia through Akari’s eyes. So when she gets emotional over a wind chime it doesn’t seem stupid or unbelievable, it seems natural. That’s no easy feat and I’ve really got to hand it to the creators for pulling it off so well.

I’ve used far too many words by now to point out something most of us already knew: Aria is able to get even a cynical viewer to fully accept, at least for a half hour, that embarrassing remarks really are allowed.

Gurren Lagann High School Manga – Oh, Gainax

For those of us wondering when Gainax was going to get serious about milking Gurren Lagann for all it’s worth, never fear! They’re already on the ball. 

Gurren Gakuen-Hen (Gurren School Edition) will begin serializing In the next issue of Monthly Comp Ace. The mangaka is Kabao Kikkawa and it’s based on a story by A-ji Zaitsu. Kikkawa mainly does hentai and ecchi so I guess that means lots of Yoko and Nia panty shots. 

I want to say that this news infuriates me and makes me want to send Anno – I mean, Gainax – death threats but that would be an enormous lie. If this is half as funny as the Otoko Ippiki Drama CD, which was also a Gurren Lagann high school alternate universe, I’m all in. 

It makes me wonder, though. Gainax co-founder Hiroyuki Yamaga has already said that he wants to work on Gurren Lagann for the next ten years. But if they’re already getting Campus Lagann out of the way, what’s next? Gurren Lagann Wild Wild West? Gurren Lagann: A Victorian Romance? Under the Sea Gender-swappin’ Lagann?

The sad thing is, no matter what they churn out it’s too late for me. I’m a sucker who will kick reason to the curb and buy anything as long as it has Gurren Lagann on it. Because that’s what being a fan with a blazing heart and unyielding bad judgement is all about!