Oh thank you so much people at Nozomi entertainment! Not only have you managed to get the rights to the Utena series you’ve also managed to give me something great to write about!(I’ve been lacking inspiration.) Okay for those who don’t know, I am in love with this show. It was my cousin who introduced me to it so it also has some personal stuff behind but that’s not important. Also Chiaki will love this news(If she hasn’t heard about it already ^_^;) I have been waiting for these bad boys to come out for a while. It’s great that people can now own a show that uses symbolism the right way, odd yet loveable characters with questionable eccentricities and best of all. Lesbians!
Cue the final movement in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony(Ode to Joy for those who don’t know.)
Also more awesome news, the movie comes with the final DVD set! And it has bonus features! This is for a 90s show that isn’t Bebop or Evangelion as well! Oh this year is looking so much better 🙂 Next thing you know someone will announce that they’ve licensed the first Lupin III series…
Is it just me or is the whole DVD business getting more badass? I’ll let you be the judge. Sorry for the fanboy post but can you blame me? Also I was trying to hold back. Yeah this isn’t one of my better posts(Even though I should be writing tons more on this.) but still if you liked reading then rate it whatever you want. Right now, I gotta go save up some money.
Good morning, noon, and night AAA! So first of all let’s begin with my regular rants. Running five 800s at a pace of three minutes per in 80 degree weather… thank god I’m a masochist. Moving on now that the summer season is wrapping up I bring you the list of the Fall anime, OVAs, and movies we can expect, along with the anime that I am looking forward to the most, so here we go! Disclaimer, these are the views of an overly tired, slightly insane, perverted, high school student. Have fun :)!
First will start with sequels that I’m watching. I enjoyed the first season of Shinraku! Ika Musume and so I will be tuning into the sequel Shinraku!? Ika Musume. However another sequel that I am planning on watching I feel like I might drop. Working!! Was an interesting and kind of cute anime, but never did I expect a sequel… well I expected wrong. Working’!! will be continuing the exact same story and I am not sure how it will pan out, for my viewing pleasure I cross my fingers. Shakugana no Shana III finale yay! The second season kinda killed my soul but I have to finish it… And finally Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam, an original story set in the Last Exile universe with all new characters, definitely looking forward to this one.
There is only one prequel this season and that would be Fate/Zero. Truth be told I hated Fate/ Stay Night, absolutely hated it. Yet I will be fair and give Fate/Zero a chance to improve the position of its predecessor/future.
Now Hunter x Hunter, a remake from the beginning of series, holds a special place in my heart. Hunter x Hunter was the first manga and anime I ever indulged myself in. Therefore this remake is really important to me that it is done well, and so I will be following it very closely.
And finally those anime out there that you are stumbling into blind. Tamayura ~hitsose~ looks like a wonderful slice of life which will hopefully have some nice artwork as it is centered around a girl who loves photography but also has a father who just died. Pastel looks from Usagi Drop and Hourou Musukou would look amazing. Persona 4 the Animation is based of the game of the same name, and while I have never played the game the premise sounds interesting, my only fear is that it will be overdone action scenes or skimp on plot as it is based off of a videogame. UN-GO a mystery solving anime with a story based off the works of a post-World War II Japanese novelist and essayist sounds like it could be interesting and different mystery anime. Finally, two more I am shaky about. Mirai Nikki sounds interesting… but also sounds very basic shouneny, so we will watch carefully. Another one that falls into that trashy Shouneny category would be Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle which sounds like it “could” be interesting depending on where they go.
So that is my watch list until someone recommends new anime or the ones I chose are horrible. So now lets take a look at the trash I will avoid forever.
Maken- Ki!… just looking as the cover there are balloons in shirts (oh wait, those are breasts) and black sexy underwear, and I idiot boy. Harem anime trash die forever. Now I’m not hating on harem, after all visual novels turned into anime can be amazing (Clannad, Kanon, Air, Ef- A tale of Memories) but can also be trash. I will I guess sample these harem visual novels simply because they are what opened me up and changed my anime experience (more in Winter on that when I celebrate the 5h anniversary of watching Ef). Yet the two anime based off of visual novels look like trash. Just trash. There are also many light novel works that I would rather die than watch such as C3 or Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon. And finally those damn franchise anime like Cross Fight B-Dama, based off a marble shooting toy… please don’t make these anime, for the sake of those outsiders who see them and think us fans are freaks. I mean we already are freaks but make them think we are even freakier.
One more note, I have heard rumor of a Lupin the III anime remake and also of a Black Rock Shooter anime coming out this season. If these are true I will be drooling in anticipation.
Well that is my raving and ranting, can’t wait for the next season!
Alrighty, addicts. I’ve been saying I’d do a review of FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and by golly you’re going to get one! However, I feel that such a unique series that has, at this point, officially hooked me, a regular review is not in the equation. Instead, I would like to give you my honest opinions of the most prominent characters, whether they be good or bad. Let’s drop all the reviewer pretenses, addicts, and let our opinions shine though! (And when I say “we” I mean me. My apologies in advance for any offensive statements I may make.)
Edward Elric
Ed is hilarious. I’m a bit of a Vic Mignogna fan, but this really solidified my opinion of his voice acting. Ed has everything a good anime hero ought to have: brashness, energy, determination, and let’s not forget, that he’s a little insecure. There’s kind of a funny story about my first impression of him; when a close friend of mine was first telling me about the series, I was nodding and smiling but in my head all I was thinking was, Short? A unique arm? Main character? Is this the main character of FMA or Allen Walker?
Yes, I am probably the only fool in this world who has seen D Gray Man before FMA. Forgive me, I am not worthy of being a true anime addict.
In any case, Ed’s character captures my imagination, and his own journey with no return, to always look forward no matter what, is an inspiration to me and I hope, a few others. (Please do not burn down your house, though.)
Alphonse Elric
I must disagree with the opinions of a certain AAA host and declare that I absolutely love Al. The juxtaposition of a younger brother who is the voice of reason, not to mention an 14-year old in a 7-foot suit of armor…what’s not to love? His original voice is probably better than his dub, but overall he is incredibly heartwarming. I enjoy watching him whenever he’s up to his little-kid antics, or accidentally showing up his older brother, and especially when he takes a stand against all the evil that surrounds him and Ed. His warm tendencies towards Mei and Xiao-Mei are very cute to watch, and I love the gags when people hide inside of his armor.
Winry Rockbell
I hate Winry. I hate her slutty clothes, I hate that fact that she shows up so often because Ed is such a klutz with his automail, and I hate her voice in Japanese and the dub. Also, when I was reading the manga, her eyes are WAAAAY too close together. I don’t even think I felt bad about what happened to her parents…just…she’s not pleasant to watch. Her GRANDMA Pinako is more interesting than her!
Roy Mustang
Is it just me, or can Roy never be in enough episodes? The only thing I dislike about him is that he does a lot of the killing/defeating/hard work, which is hilarious given he tries to avoid it. Also, the fact that Riza’s always there right beside him pisses me off (okay, two things, but that last one’s not really his fault).
Don’t get me wrong, I love Riza, she’s probably my favorite female character (I also like Olivier, she’s a boatload of fun. More on the Armstrongs later), she’s pretty, has a decent character and I love how she’s taking care of Hayate, but honestly, she’d be more badass if she weren’t so whipped by Roy. Okay, I suppose I’m being a little biased here because I do happen to ship Roy x Ed, but really now! Women shouldn’t act like this, ever!
Just a general note about relationships between the heroes and heroines: do they really have to be so annoying? Unlike most of the anime, the way it handles the so-called “relationships” between not just Roy and Riza, but Ed and Winry (or Al and Winry for that matter, or even Mei and Al) is incredibly cliche and not an entertaining aspect. At all. I really don’t enjoy watching anybody “in love” in the series except…
Jean Havoc
Probably one of the few comic-relief characters, but Havoc isn’t completely exempt from the drama. As such, he serves as a happy medium between the serious and filler episodes. I like the fact that he’s kind of a pervert, because it makes for plenty of hilarious gags throughout. Personally, I prefer his dubbed voice, it sounds a little more personable.
Ling Yao
Another great character. I like his duality, as it really comes into play later…*nudge nudge* For some reason, the Xing characters are more impressive to me. Kimblee’s another awesome fellow. I love his suit.
In any case, back to Ling. I like how he learns a valuable lesson, and his goofy demeanor and offhanded insults towards Ed are really fun to watch. Big fan of the “eat tons of food, put it on Ed’s tab” scheme. I’ll have to try it myself sometime.
Well, addicts, I think I’ve kept you waiting for a blog from me long enough, so I’ll stop right here, but expect more later on this week! Ja ne!!~
Sup guys! Are you guys ready for tonight’s, or if you read this years in the future (hello future people (reference if any of you know it)) the first of many Century anniversary episode of the AAAPodcast? The answer is of course yes, and if you don’t agree… why are you even here?
Today’s comic reference comes from Folium over at the AAA Forum! Dude, you are the best and I will be contacting you later about some project I thought of. Ohhh the suspense is just killing you, I know! How? Because, I’m right behind you. Boo.
Remember to Watch the 100th Episode over at the AAAPodcast UstreamTONIGHT at 8:00PM EST!
Also, drop me a page for the next comic on the forum, as a comment below, or by e-mail at ZDA@bigstring.com! I need more funny pages guys! If you like this, people comment and drop a star review!
Hello AAA Podcast, sorry to have been away but odd times here. I am back, and I am devouring Anime at a ravenous pace. I do believe that the hosts have succeeded in making my anime addiction worse!!!!!! Ok, so there is only one podcast that can claim the title – Best Anime Podcast Ever, and that is of course this podcast with its wonderful hosts and members. This being said, there are other podcasts I listen to and of the ones that I respect – a lot of buzz has gone on about Manyuu Hikenchou. To explain where I am going with this, I have to discuss a particular genre of anime and film for that matter and book for that matter that I enjoy. Did I say video game for that matter? You see, I suffer from Samurai Motte Oppai syndrome. Let’s take a trip back to a time far far away. Probably one of my first indications that I had developed this ailment would have been when I saw Conan the Barbarian or possibly Excalibur (FOOL!). I am laughing at this moment as you are thinking about the anime but I am talking about the movies. I am laughing at this moment because you are thinking of the new movies yet I am thinking of the original Conan with Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones as well as John Boorman’s classic Excalibur (F-O-O-L!) with Nigel Terry and Helen Mirren.
It was at this point that movies started following comic books and providing the ultimate representation of the female warrior. Yes, the Amazonian Warrior Princess!!!!! (Angelic Choir Singing Erupts) While most of you are quite used to this concept – until then, women were usually rescued. They certainly didn’t wear armor and brandish broadswords to hack guy’s faces and other irritating parts off. Ok – there was Joan of Arc long before but do we really know anything about her chest?
Around this same time, Canada released what I will always feel is the closest thing North America has ever done to anime – Heavy Metal in 1981. Even though this movie had a very american story line, the artwork was anime in style and what came out of this film? The almighty jaw dropping Taarna. So, in a span of a couple of years we had: Valeria – the sword wielding amazonian goddess who stole Conan’s heart. We had Igrayne and the classic medieval armor scene when Uther tricks her (if you have seen this movie, you KNOW what scene I am talking about). Finally, we had the 90% naked Taarna who survives all odds to behead the barbarians after she is raped by all of them.
This was an amazing time for female characters and the syndrome was born. Think of other female characters who have spawned due to this syndrome – Xena for sure (although I prefer Gabrielle – who need I say it was an Amazonian Princess). How about Sparrow from Forbidden Kingdom? Zen from Chocolate or “Fury” (You should watch this if you haven’t). Yu Shu Lien from Crouching Tiger. The OMG hot Miho from Sin City. The totally desirable Selene from Underworld. Heck, even Mulan and Elizabeth Swann from the Disney’s movies. The list goes on and on and on and of course Anime and video games are filled with these types of characters. They are the lifeblood for anime watchers who suffer from Samurai Motte Oppai Syndrome.
Wow – I have been rambling, as I tend to do and I warned you in my first podcast that I would. What was I talking about? Oh yes, warriors with swords and breasts!!!! I was hearing all of the chatter about Manyuu Hickenchou and I thought to myself – “COOL!!!!!!!!! Huh Huh Huh Huh – they said its a show about boobs – Huh Huh Huh Huh”. It’s like all of the people got together in a room and said, “you know, we skirt around this issue a lot, um can’t we just state the obvious?” Wow, what a concept!!!!!! Really, what’s the big deal? How is this any different from an anime most feel guilty watching Rurou no Senshi or the more well know title Queen’s Blade? Yes, I must say that while I don’t plan to own it, Queen’s Blade was an entertaining romp through the anime world. In the first episode, I was subjected to more wrong ideas than should ever be indulged and the main villain of the episode, dare I say it, used her breasts as weapons to try and kill the beloved heroin Leina. My eyes burned, I wanted to turn away but alas I couldn’t! Heck, there were boobs and swords – what was I supposed to do????? “Nosh – its cool, we accept that you are a perv. We shall pity you and place you over there to watch out of the corner of our eye while we continue with our discussions.”
Well, now that I have 10 episodes behind me, I cannot believe what I am going to say. Manyuu Hikenchou makes Queen’s Blade look like Princess Mononoke! Ok, maybe that’s a little over the top but wow! At least Queen’s Blade had a plot! It had drama, it had Leina wanting to follow her own path and find her on way! In Manyuu, Chifusa is not unlike Leina in that she doesn’t agree with her family’s direction and she wants to change things. She is tragic in that she doesn’t want her huge boobs and hates it when they grow larger! This story could go places. Unfortunately, the story is about boobs – no really – that’s it. Taking them away and gaining them back. Grabbing them, swaying them, everything involving the chest of a female warrior. How could my syndrome betray me in such a cruel way? I find it a very very bitter pill to jam into my retina!
In closing, I have to say that in this case new is not better. If you suffer from Samurai Motte Oppai syndrome – first, you are not alone. Second, there are plenty of wonderful anime titles that can help you with your ailment. Heck, give Queen’s Blade a try – the ending is worth the wait. And if you crave something of more substance than Manyuu Hikenchou – there are always more wholesome titles such as Ikki Tousen or Master of Martial Hearts.
The Aflac Duck has been a popular figure in TV commercials in Japan for almost a decade. The duck has been used in commercials to promote a variety of insurance policies sold by the U.S. company, which derives the bulk of its revenue from Japan.
In the latest commercail, Sho Sakurai and Aoi Miyazaki play the organ, while a cat plays the tambourine, and the Aflac duck sings “Maneki-neko duck.”
In the aftermath of the March 11 disaster, Aflac Japan suspended television advertising featuring the mascot duck, but he’s now back on the air, because the guy who does the aflacs ducks voice made a comment on twitter after the quake, “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, “They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.” which is the most horrible and insensitive thing you could possibly say after a disaster like that, it makes me dislike the duck here even more. Although these are some of the most cutsie commercials I have ever seen and here is a the commercial and another one like where you can see for your self they’re better than the ones he
Also sorry its taken so long with my first post I have been setting up a new restaurant and it sucks up all of my time, I will soon be bringing you more blog posts I just wanted to put something up cause I had not yet.
Hey all, today I’m going to write something that I hope will cut through all the fanboy nonsense on both sides of the video game fandom surrounding the 3DS and Nintendo. I’ll probably get called a Sony hater(fanboy?) depending on your perspective, or maybe a member of the Nintendo Defense Force, whatever that is. What I’m a member of is the Truth and Fact Defense Force, and you can call me Admiral Animosity. So let us descend into the matter at hand and explore the subject content.
OK our story starts in February of this year as the 3DS was about to be released in Japan, and I was debating about whether to buy one or not. I had my DS lite since 2007, so it made sense to buy the next generation system instead of one the other DS models. Now if I was someone with a DSi or DSiXL then I don’t think I would have bought one before the price drop. The when I looked over the features of the system, the 3D without wearing glasses, dual cameras, on board software, and much better internet over the DS, it seemed a reasonable price to a person with a an old DS system.
Now its time for some straight talk, I borrowed the bus from Chris from Gundamn, if you listen to that show you might get that joke. Let’s talk about the things Nintendo did wrong with the 3DS launch. The most glaring one of them being the insanely high price set at 249.99. If you look at every other handheld systems Nintendo every released- from Gameboy to DSiXL- not one has come within at least 80 dollars of the 3DS launch price. WTF Nintendo!!! Add to that the reports I came across about the estimated production cost of the 3DS which is set at 101 U.S.$ for the raw materials for each unit, add in other costs such labour, marketing, packaging, and R&D, and I would think the cost would not be north of 150 dollars per unit. Yet they were trying to sell it for over 100 dollars more than cost. Sure it has sold millions, but they are only so many fanboys out there who blindly buy anything the company puts out. This dried up after a bit and this gives the reason for the price drop. The next thing of note is the launch titles, which are mostly third party crap and there was not one from any of the mainline Nintendo franchises, with the possible exception of Pilot Wings but that’s a bit of a stretch. Its ironic as soon as a Zelda game rolls out on the 3DS it becomes the second bestselling game so far for the system, selling over a million copies since June 16. That’s the power of beloved decades old franchises and why they should that be included in all hardware launches. This last one is kind of questionable and please tell me if you think I’m being unfair, but releasing a new system not long after you have released a new version of your current system, which is much cheaper than the brand new system, is not the smartest of business strategists.
To contract the negative things, let’s look at the things that were done right. Dropping the price was the best thing that Nintendo could have done, as the 169.99 price is more in line with the historical pricing of the past Nintendo handhelds, and in a cash scrapped world its better for the average consumers to afford. Bringing Netflixs on to the 3DS was a smart and innovative move as it makes it the first handheld with this capability. The on-board software is far and beyond what the DS had in its various forms. The addition of a dedicated virtual console for the 3DS is also attractive if your looking for a trip done nostalgia lane.
Finally, let dispel some crazy claims by Nintendo trolls and other fanboys. I have seen a number of claims, for instance that somehow the 3DS is like the Virtual Boy(if you don’t know what that is it was an attempt by Nintendo in 1995 to create a 3D system, it had a black stand which mounted a red device you put your eyes up to and that displayed the 3D graphics and the input was a controller that was some what similar to the future Gamecube controller). Now it only ever sold 770,000 units and after multiple price drops it was taken off the market after less than a year, so a by the sales comparison is completely ridiculous. Supposedly the Virtual Boy was not to be released in the form it came to market in and the creator had planned to refine the design, and this was because The higher ups at Nintendo wanted to focus all the resources of the company into the N64, so one wonders what could have been if the system had been given the resources that was earmarked for it. The other major claim that has been shouted from the forums by haters is that somehow because the 3DS hasn’t sold up to Nintendo lofty exceptions( The company wanted to sell 16 million within a year), and needed a price edit so early on that this somewhat means the end of the company itself. HAHAHA!!!!!!!! Pause, Laugh, Breathe,…..OK sorry I was just laughing out loud at that total nonsense. Nintendo is worth something like 85 billion dollars, its the third most valuable listed company in Japan, and its the majority owner of the Seattle Mariners MLB team(I know that team sucks, but still an MLB franchise). Also there is the fact Nintendo will be the first company out with its 8th generation console, the Wii U and from reports its like combining the Wii with the PS3 or XBOX 360, in other words power graphics with innovative game play. Also the Wii U is also reported to be “significantly” more powerful than PS3 or the XBOX 360. Yes, the the company’s revenue is down by a lot over last year, however this can attributable to the fact the Wii is near the end of its life cycle(the Wii U is suppose to launch in 2012 sometime) and most people who are going to buy one have done so already. The 3DS hasn’t been selling as well as they and hoped, but looking at the new sales figures it seems things are on the upswing for the system. Its also rumored the system will getting a redesign similar to the DS lite. So relax fanboys and haters alike, the sky is not falling on Nintendo, it fact I say the future looks bright.
If you want to see a gallery of two of the hottest Japanese girls ever, known as the hardware girls paste this link, I put one in the feature image:
you will need to then go to this site and download some files that allow Windows to view .mpo files and install them and view away on your 3DS or PC: http://www.munsil.com/MPO_registry.html
Before you give your abs a workout because of how silly and long the title post is, I’d just like you to continue reading this article that explains and discusses the phenomenon of otaku culture that is the “Tsundere.” Thats right its all twintails, fiery hair colors and eternal scowls today.
So what is a Tsundere, where and when did it originate? The very first Tsundere that I came across was Naru Narusegawa from the Harem anime Love Hina. Love Hina aired in the year 2000 just about the time when the term “moe” started to get thrown around more often on the internet. Tsundere is somewhat a sub category of moe, some would argue Tsundere is an essential part and possibly is what exploded the moe boom.
For any readers out there not aware with what the term Tsundere means, Wikipedia (the online being that has all the answers) defines it as ” A character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms Tsun Tsun meaning to turn away in disgust, and Dere Dere meaning to become ‘lovey dovey.” Some popular examples would be Taiga Aisaka from Toradora! and Rin Tohsaka from Fate/Stay Night, there have been some variations of the character type in recent times like the overly Indifferent Kirino or Kagami from Lucky Star that doesn’t express her lovey dovey side to any male character in particular. I will let Minoru Shiraishi explain it to us in this video..
It’s hard to ignore this character type in modern anime because they are present in a lot of series. I would point to the success of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya which aired in 2006 as the catalyst to the already growing trope. Ironically, The Haruhi Suzumiya light novel reads as a clever parody of the moe culture and how it has taken over the anime industry in recent years. Watching the anime though gives a somewhat different experience. By being a parody of a Tsundere Haruhi in turn ends up being one herself, definitely not your typical tsundere but she becomes one none the less. An example of this would be when Haruhi explains what moe is and why it is important.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ux0fQPkNdMY In this scene Haruhi is making fun of the other anime that always implement the ‘token moe characters’ into their shows, but by doing this the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Show itself implements its very own token moe character. It’s easy to dislike Haruhi as a character, but isn’t that the point of being a Tsundere? They withdraw an emotion from the viewer be it negative or otherwise making the experience memorable thus leading you to watch even more of the said show. It’s a tactic that works and it is why it will continue to be used.
It is also important to note that while this character type may seem over-used and extremely cliché, they can all be unique and complex in their own right. Take Asuka Langley Sohryu for example, she is pretty much the template for the modern day tsundere. Going too much into detial about the character of Asuka will turn this post into a why I love Evangelion article so to sum it nicely I will show you this video.
Warning: May Contain Slight Spoilers…… (why havent you seen this show yet for shame?)
One of the more interesting things I noticed was that most anime fans that had seen Evangelion only recently often compared Asuka to ‘similar characters’ of recent shows. while you can argue and say, Kirino is just Tusundere for the sake of being Tsundere its hard to unjustify why Asuka behaves the way she does and just to emphasize just how popular her character or character type is just take a look at how many figures of her are still selling.
Another example of a unique and somewhat complex Tsundere character would be Makise Kurisu from last seasons Steins;Gate. Her character is also a clever parody of what a tsundere would be if she were real, the cast of the show are constantly calling her one and while it may seem like it’s just been implemented for laughs it turns out making her a rather unique and refreshing tsundere.
I honestly think Tsunderes’ will continue to be a staple in modern anime, when they are done right they turn out to be complex and relatable characters because they are quite honestly flawed. They aren’t as 1 dimensional as the ditzy character that’s clumsy for being dumbs sake or the characters that are silent and serve no purpose to the overall plot or characters growth or development .(just for the record Yui Hirasawa is NOT in this category she is much more complex than that)
Speaking of bad, there are a lot of things that can get quite annoying when it comes to tsunderes’ for one thing the older versions tended to be more violent than the current ones. The punching the guy sky high can be a little bit funny the first two times but it really gets annoying and can get quite tedious pretty fast.
On the Flipside the very same trope can be used strategically well if actually makes sense for the character to behave this way, take Taiga Aisaka for example.
Another awful cliché that most Tsunderes bring to anime is their type cast Seiyuu/ Voice Actor list. Now don’t get me wrong I like Ayana Taketatsu and Rie Kugumiya just as much as the next guy but hearing the same voice actors do the same type of voices for the same type of characters can really get on your nerves, its extremely repetitive and your brain immediately categorises the said characters in a box that they will never break the boundaries from.
As I mentioned earlier the tsundere character type often has a checklist of characteristics that it often adheres to just so when the Otaku take one glance at a still frame they can easily be pinpointed. For Example, Twintails, Usually Loli, Crazy hair color..compared to the rest of the cast, violent, Hyper Active, outspoken etc etc. Its the checklist mentality that has driven the creativity of anime creators to a standstill and until we can get more variations of character types we will forever be stuck with the same tried and trusted characters for years to come.
I have really come to like tsunderes and appreciate them even more, especially when they are done right, I hope they don’t continue to take over the anime scene but I don’t want them to completely die out either, they are a core part of what makes anime a unique medium and are arguably what some people may refer to as ‘strong female characters.’ Try finding a bunch of those in western media.
Random things happen in a seemingly “normal” school setting through a series of vignettes.
Review:
A quote from Jim Rome comes to mind about this anime, “I get it, it’s just not funny.”
The whole premise of Nichijou relies on the random nature of its absurdities. Don’t look for any kind of plot or development here, you won’t find it. One moment they’ll be in class, the next they pull out an AK47 and start shooting. People are depicted randomly with cat ears, there is a robot, and odd tangents that serve as little than extended “jokes” run rampant. Like having a whole 30 seconds devoted to finding a gun in a book, then moving on and never mentioning it again. And I get it that some of these are representational of relationships with people, emotions, or the nature of the person. That it is supposed to be a humorous representation. But, that being said, just because I get it I didn’t get any amusement out of it.
All the jokes fell so flat I was extraordinarily bored through the whole show. I did find it better than shows like A-Channel, simply because the cast was broader and flushed out better with more amusing relationships and personalities. But it was only slightly better and nowhere near the level of shows like Azumanga Daioh which really illustrate how to do this genre and do it well. And sure, I get it, humor is subjective, but just for fun I looked around the web and the sea of “blah” opinions of the show says a lot.
One praise I can give it is that for its random spells the creators do a good job of shifting the art style, character designs, and music in a way that fits the antics but still seems to go with the overall theme of the show. I liked the regular style of the show a lot too, I will admit. It’s animated with a surprising amount of detail in a deceptively simple pastel style.
Overall, I think anime in this random genre people should just give up. It’s way too easy to fall flat. Sure there were some amusing moments but out of 12 hours of content I’d sure hope there would be, statically speaking. It’d be a talent to be almost that awful. I feel this anime would’ve been much better suited as just 12 episodes, or, even better, an OVA. Pack the good ones in with the awesome animation and leave it at that.
