Otakuism

Just started watching Moyashimon, based on hearing some good things about it when it first aired and wanting to watch a more laid back show. There’s not as much zany, spastic humor as I thought there would be, but it’s still very enjoyable to watch. The SD expressions are just gold. I’m not really sure where the show is heading, as three episodes in nothing much as happened, but I suppose that is the definition of a slice-of-life show. The setting and general interactions between the characters reminds me a lot of Honey & Clover, which is definitely a good thing. The microbes are very unique, and damn cute in the OP. Definitely make me learn more about biology than my biology class does.

Oh, and there’s Haruka, who’s just fuckhawt awesome. The foot fungus is a bit disgusting, though. Hope she gets that treated soon.

YOU BASTARDS!

Oh, wait the dog’s an immortal. Everything’s fine now. I’m just not sure how he became immortal, since the rules don’t make much sense (what with women becoming immortal and men becoming hedonistic angels after all).

In the future Hatsune Miku is a manipulative AI/cyborg who can control the world’s military, spy on you wherever you are, and kill you without a thought. On the plus side, you get to have sex with her, which probably makes everything even.

But even if you can have sex with her, if she kills the awesome old detective, then you know she’s a bitch. Throwing her physical body into a jet engine is the only way to get rid of her then. God, I love this show.

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Story:

Set one year before the events of the original SDF Macross, the war between the UN and Anti-UN forces has been raging for a while and tearing the planet apart. Shin Kudo is an apathetic pilot in the UN forces, who is shot down by an odd, transforming aircraft. Landing on the island of Mayan, he is saved by the priestess of the island Sara Nome. Shin meets the people of the island, including Sara’s precocious sister Mao Nome, and begins living a peaceful life with them. However, this all changes when the fighting between the UN and the Anti-UN comes close to the island. Both sides are battling to find the mysterious AFOS, or Birdman, an ancient being of power connected to the equally mysterious Protoculture. Shin must fight again to protect Sara and Mao, while also trying to figure out the mystery of the Birdman, the god of the island that will sing the Song of Destruction when the Kadun of battle comes to the island…

Impressions:

Macross Zero is a five episode OVA series that ostensibly is a prequel to the original Macross, but is really only so much a prequel cause it has Roy Fokker as a main character. The rest of the plot is purely stand alone, and probably has more connections to Macross 7 and Frontier than the original series. The three standby’s of Macross are featured here: love triangle’s, singing, and mecha dogfights. The dogfights are the most similar element to other series, and are also one of the standout elements of this OVA. Aside from Fronter, Zero has some of the best mecha battles I have ever seen in anime. The dogfights are pure savage beauty in motion, a ballet of jets and missiles. The show is worth watching just for the fighting alone.

The love triangle aspect is a bit lacking in Zero. At first it seems obvious, but the larger plot and battles going on quickly push it to the side, and by the end there’s no doubt who Shin has chosen, though his own future is ambiguous. The singing is probably the most radical element of Zero, as there’s no pop at all. Nope, not one idol in sight. Instead, singing is seen as a magical force in the show by the Mayan people, and the songs in the show reflect this, as they’re all beautiful and hauntingly melodious. The effect of the music in the show is perfect, especially in the final, apocalyptic battle. The wholly mystical element of music in the show may drive away some hardcore realistic fans, but in the context of the Zero universe it fits perfectly.

The animation for Zero is also appropriately stunning. This show had money. A realistic tone pervades the series, from the character designs to the landscapes. The views of the island are gorgeous, and especially pay attention to the scene in episode 4 when the jungle comes alive. It’s a wonderfully animated scene showing the fullness and beauty of life. The planes and other mecha are rendered in CG, very similar to Frontier with a little less polish. They work fine, though, and are integrated nicely into the rest of the animation.

Thematically, Zero is probably Shoji Kawamori at his most mystical and environmental. A strong theme of native cultures being poisoned by technology runs throughout the show, which is ironically funny for a sci-fi series. While I don’t think Kawamori is outright condemning technology, there is a strong chiding on the overuse of technology and how humanity has not evolved past warfare, which is similar to the original Macross. The theme is so pervasive I may have to do an actual post just on that. The only negative thing about Zero is that it doesn’t wrap up any of its big plot points. Now, the actual plot of the show and its characters is wrapped up nicely, but big questions - what exactly is the Birdman? what is protoculture? What did aliens do on Earth? - aren’t answered at all, but hopefully they will be in Frontier.

For those watching Frontier now, there’s already a few links between Zero and it. There’s Sara Nome and Sheryl Nome, the physical similarities between the Birdman and Vajra, and a scene in episode 3 that is exactly like the one where the Vajra reacted to Ranka’s singing. So for those just being introduced to Macross now, Zero is another fine series to check out, not only for its connections but for being a strong, wonderfully entertaining show in its own right. Really one of the best OVA’s I’ve seen, and arguably some of the best dogfights ever featured in any art form. It’s only five episodes long, so there’s no excuse for not watching this fine anime.

Is it finally time for a solo adventure of the most hot-blooded store clerk in Akihabara? Not quite. Various people report that the new Lucky Star OVA, slated for release this summer, will focus on the rivalry between Anime Tenchou and his great enemy Legendary Girl A, or Konata, which could only be called a rivalry if the Roadrunner’s constant duping of Wil E. Coyote could be called a rivalry. I don’t really care if Konata is there, as long as Anime Tenchou gets the majority of airtime and lines. Now the ideal OVA would be an Anime Tenchou vs. Minoru Shiraishi epic animated by Go Nagai, but that’s a bit of a stretch. Go Nagai has to give us the Mazinger Z remake first anyways.

Meta: comments are still broken, so anyone can go ahead and try to comment, I just can’t gurantee if it will go through or not. We’re working to fix it and hopefully everything will be fine soon.

I’ve gotten word from some people that they’ve been unable to comment, which is odd cause other’s have been able to. So please comment to see if it works or not, and if it doesn’t work please email me at lester.quinn@gmail.com and give me the details. Hopefully I can figure this out quick.

Clearly the only way for the Japanese to solve this problem is the way they solve every other problem: giant, crow-killing mecha. I’m sure the ministry of Agriculture is already on it.

There are very few shows that would start a fanservice episode with chanting to a messianic terrorist, but that’s just how Code Geass likes to do things. This was a very effective scene in showing how much Lelouch as the order wrapped around his little finger. Even the guys who know they’re being used can’t do anything to stop him. Of course, I fully expect this to lead to a “you’re no better than the Emperor” scene at some point in the future, or even better “you and I are not so different.”

You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Suzaku’s big return was very effective, especially with the nice recap between the two. Seeing the two act so sweet to each other is just sickening, but part of our enjoyment as viewers is knowing how much both want to kill each other.

God, I’ve missed Millay. Still the best side-character, bar none.

The Rollo-Lelouch relationship is getting a bit creepy, and by a bit I mean a lot. Sexually confused Rollo is the last thing this show needs. It’s also kind of weird how adeptly Lelouch can not only manipulate members of the fairer sex, but also every male around him. Just look at Diethard’s mancrush. Really makes you wonder how Lelouch learned all of this, and how thankful I am not to be in his head.

Why can’t I have teacher’s like that?! Why can’t I have clubs like that?! Why must you mock me with your fantasies Japan?!

Take me to your Pizza, Chachamaru.

I swear Kallen’s ass has gotten more screen time than several important side-characters. I’m looking at you, Diethard, Lakshata, Lloyd, Sayoko, Kaguya, Cornelia, etc.

I AM SHOCKED, SHOCKED by these developments. Well, not really, since whenever the spoilers came out everybody seemed to guess Nunally was the new governor instantly, and how flawlessly the idea would screw Lelouch appeared to make it more likely. It will be very interesting to see how Lelouch reacts to this, and next episode he’s already staging a rescue operation, which other spoilers state will end in tragedy. Personally, I want them to kill Nunally off, just so we can get uber, cold-blooded bad guy Lelouch who butchers every Britannian around him, but that may be a bit unlikely. Because CG loves its cliffhangers, we’ll all just have to wait till next week to see what happens. (Where I’ll probably be proven wrong. Again.)