Aoi Hana the Animation II

Note: this post assumes knowledge of the Aoi Hana manga. [1]

This morning, while unable to sleep, the word "idyllic" came to me as my thoughts touched on Aoi Hana. Despite my railing against remakes, the Aoi Hana anime [2] has made a fan at me in 45 minutes. During my last post, I wrote about the light and the colors. Here are some samples, taken from Crunchyroll, of a scene with dappled light and the glare of a lamp beneath a curtain.

Dapples of light on the protagonist: Akira Okudaira.

Glow during the night.

Scenes from ordinary life are transformed into moving art. So far, the direction is nothing short of inspired. This is in contrast to jaded anime that take the otherworldly and make it utterly mundane.

The voice acting matches the characters well. I didn't like Akira's nasal voice too much during episode one, but it transitions well from the past to the present. It also matches her genki-ness. She also managed to pull off the emotional scene when Akira comforts Fumi.

Left - manga, Right - anime

This scene also serves as a good reference point between the manga and anime style. While much of the character designs are the same, there are differences. Akira's face is longer in the anime, making her look older. Her hand is also slimmer and her fingers are smaller. This makes her look more feminine rather than boyish. Typically males have a larger hand to body ratio. Kojita, the character designer of Someday's Dreamers, also used larger hands to emphasized a boyish energy and naivete. This is clearly shown in the picture culled from his website [3].

Note the hand size, which is prominent in this portrait of a tomboy.

Also, Shimura's usually leaves out the background. This economy boosts the impact of the character's closeness in this scene.

The two frames also show the two interpretations. The anime emphasizes Akira's facial expression, while the manga takes a more subtle approach. Note that Akira's hand sinks into Fumi's side with greater pressure, while her brows are unfurrowed, expressing more puzzlement than in the animated version.

This image also shows that both versions have a lot to recommend, and I look forward to their releases on this side of the Pacific.

= = =

[1] The early volumes of Shimura's work were scanlated by Kotonoha & Lillilicious. Lillilcious has been the sole scanlator lately. In another note, Lillilcious also fansubbed Maria-sama, which was the inspiration for this blog's name.
[2] Available thanks to Crunchyroll and thank you, thank you, thank you!
[3] Kojita site: http://www.tuchinoko.com/

Aoi Hana the Animation

I've seen episode 1 via crunchyroll, and it's a beauty. The character designs are a bit more grown up and detailed than most of Shimura's frames, but they manage to convey the characters and their atmospheres. The color palette combines liveliness, soft shades, and incredibly detailed lighting (like the dapples on Akira's skirt) to lend itself to the subtle layers of character growth and emotion that is the author's staple.

The animation style feels like a favorable recombination of Shinkai's background & the raging melodrama "Bokura ga Ita". I'm a fan. Onto episode 2!

I've been in an otaku-cave. Oofuri has been out in the US and I've only recently noticed. Also Kannagi has just been released. I'm just catching up with Clannad. I think that the lack of space has been slowing down my anime collection. Also, the unwatched series have piled up. Being an otaku can be demanding.

Ranma the Trouble-maker

After a long, long time, I finally got a season of the Ranma DVDs. They were $25 per season through Right Stuf. The episodes were just as funny as I remember. Just about the time, they introduced Shampoo, the series dropped most of its pretense of continuity and serious and began it's descent into slap-stick harem-dom. It's been a walk down memory lane, and it was as good as ever.

This morning, I wanted to burn a music CD for my commute, when the boxset took a flying front flip and crashed right into my open CD-R drive. I've had that drive for 4 years and haven't had trouble with it. Now it's dead. The caddy won't close. However, the DVD ROM (read only) opens and closes again, though now it won't read anything. Down from 1.5 drives to zero. Sigh. Ranma, what a trouble-maker.

I'm not too upset, though since it was time for an upgrade to a DVD-R drive. Also, I've got Yawara, the series that beat Ranma to its knees when they both first aired in Japan. It's the blood-bout, now across the Pacific!

More Vocabulary

More words to catch the eye & ear:

"abandominiums" = abandoned construction that is used by squatters. Portmanteau of "abandon" + condominium

Sporfe = spoon + fork + knife. Trade name = Splayd. Found on the Ragbag.

Also found on Ragbag:
fanon (sci-fi/fantasy fans): facts about the characters or worlds of a particular t.v. show, book, movie, etc. that are not part of the source material but originate in fan fiction (contrast with canon).

Addition 07-18-09:
Tertullian Heresy - the heretical belief that one of the joys of Heaven is watching the torment of those fallen to Hell.

Cel Fogey

With the advent of digital, I thought of a term for anime fans who cut their yellowed, Dew stained teeth before the internet became big and 3rd generation VHS cassettes were the order of the day: Cel Fogeys. The fogey-ism starts with "back in my day". And back in those days, anime was drawn on cells.

Epic, but accessible: a fogey rants

It's kind of like great taste, less filling. I've had a new copy of Escaflowne for a few months now (Vol 1 & 2 got microwaved from my collector's set), but I haven't watched them. I watched my old fan subs and my first DVD collection about six or seven times all together and certain scenes and episodes several times over, so its so firmly embedded in my memory that my eyes gloss over the screen and my mind wanders.

Still, the idea of the Earth in the sky as the Mystic Moon, empires clashing, magi-tech, an ancient civilization, and Sir Isaac Newton, makes for a true epic. Even with the breadth and scope, the entry point (Hitomi Kanzaki) and the flow of the story makes it accessible to the average viewer. Yet the accessibility did not translate into simplicity or shallowness, there was plenty of layers, mysteries, and character development to engage the audience.

Gaia was big enough to immerse the audience, but did not drown it.

Despite my limited exposure and criticisms of the franchise, Final Fantasy unabashedly offers both of these elements. However, they seem to be a prisoner of their own success. I accuse Square-Enix of crossing the fine line from storyboarding to formula. Here's a checklist:

• A conflict between magic & technology
• A race against time
• A female character of unusual power needs your support
• Girly men abound
  

Gainsay me if you will, if you can.

I believe that few anime in recent years have had the ambition to create a work of the scope of Escaflowne, fewer yet have suceeded in it.

The most popular series in recent years have been manga transplants: Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, and Inu Yasha. Let's not talk about the endless Inu Yasha, I don't consider it to be a story telling success. Bleach lost its characters in the multitude of battles. Death Note was intense in a different way. Naruto is a competition manga, which is an extension of the sports genre and is an illegitimate child of the murdered DBZ. While various serious works have tried to double down on the obfuscation that marked Evangelion. Even successful inheritors to Eva are markedly different from the sweeping adventure of Escaflowne.

That is not to say that there haven't been successful works. Ghost in the Shell, Haruhi, Gankutsou, & Mushi-shi readily come to mind. Yet these are not in the same vein. Dark cyberpunk, otaku madness, psychedelic remake, Twilight Zone avec les bugs are very different.

Though the tones were far different, 12 Kingdoms is a transfer story into another world. Last Exile hung a whole new world in the balance (in a race against time, of course). While I haven't watched much of it, the world of Full Metal Alchemist seems to be complete. So, there are a few big adventures spread over the years, but sometimes I sit at my computer and wonder when will the next Mystic Moon wax in the sky.

I feel like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth. Square doesn't do it right, because it's become too much of the same. Yet this fogey complains that there isn't enough out there like the, now, venerable Escaflowne. But the gist of my argument is that the grand adventures seem to be missing, yet there must be enough new to make the trip worthwhile. Also heart is not an option. Without soul, there is no vigor, we might as well be watching Mahoromatic or Diamond Daydreams.

So I ask the anime makers: When will my Mystic Moon rise again?

Haruhi Season 2: Really Endless Eight

The arc Endless Eight will probably end in episode 5, but not before confounding (what I imagine) are most fans' expectations of a convenient end to the endless loop. Instead, there have been at least three iterations of the loop shown. For a show that began with episode 0, leapt through its own timeline, and then ninja ambushed the fans with the second season, there looping of the endless eight, should not be a surprise, yet it still surprised me.

Though the repeats jerks my chain with each rewind, I'm glad that Kyoto Ani isn't resting on their laurels. Sieg Kyon!

Update: Just watched 5, refusing to bow to rules or popularity pressure, Kyoto Ani continues Endless Eights for another week. I wonder if a mix up like season one would have worked better, but they strive to defy expectation.

Update 2: Episode 6 continues to loop the Endless Eights. Keep 'em guessing and stressing! I suppose that there's a good reason why there isn't a preview at the end of each episode. Keep 'em coming Kyoto Ani!

Update 3: I just watched the breaking of the loop at Episode 9. I was late to the game, but it was still a relief to see it end.

Glass Mask 2005 up to episode 45

I remember reluctantly watching the first episode of Glass Mask 2005. I was wondering just how good a twenty-odd year manga story line could be. Maya-who?

Now I'm fully hooked wondering what the end of the 2005 series will bring. Will episode 51 bring a resolution to the Crimson Goddess competition? What about Hayami and Maya? Obsessive otaku want to know.

The fanboy factor is high and I'm looking forward to the last few episodes.

Alpine Rose: Old School Lovin'

My latest Ivy Scans assignment is Vol 2, Chapter 1 of Akaishi Michiyo's Alpine Rose. It's the story of a poor young lovers set in Switzerland on the eve of World War II. The girl Jeudi was found by Lundi in a field when they were children. Lundi [1] had also lost his parents and was being raised by his Aunt and Uncle. At the earliest time possible, the Aunt and Uncle packed away Jeudi to work in a nearby town [2].

She was happy with her work for a time, but her old boss passes away and is replaced by a tyrant who tries to violate her. Jeudi flees to her only sanctuary, which is with Lundi. Lundi's aunt and uncle try to make her go back, but he stand up for her. While this mess looms over them, they accidentally the two get tangled up with a philandering noble, and then then adventure really get started.

From the start, Jeudi & Lundi are fond of each other with the uncomplicated ease of children. The night of Jeudi's arrival, they curl together in the same blanket. She is not content to sleep in the bed if he must sleep on the floor.

At the start: Close, but not quite lovers.
AKA Friends WITHOUT Benefits

The stakes rise once the Count Gourmont enters the picture, and Jeudi and Lundi rise to the occasion. Lundi incurs the wrath of Gourmont by protecting Jeudi's pet cockatoo, then Jeudi confronts Gourmont after the Count strikes Lundi. And so it goes. They have nothing but each other, and they hold on with everything they have. Their pure feelings transition from childhood fondess to the first declarations of romance.

Jeudi does not fear to stand up for her man!

This manga was published in the early to mid '80s. What were remarkable were

1. the lack of angst
2. the external conflict
3. the strength of both Lundi & Jeudi in the face of this conflict.

Karekano was the first shojo work that I got into. In the first half of the anime, most of the conflict is internal and, boy, is there ever a streak of angst that runs on after the couple gets together. Souichirou Arima is plagued with powerful doubts, and Yukino is little better.

Most modern day shojo (as I've complained about before) focuses on or degenerates (Lovely Complex) into focusing on the feelings itself. While love is important in this earlier work, it is one aspect of the story, not the encompassing theme that it's become. The later works seem to have not only romance, but a morbid fascination with meta-romance: ruminations about the feelings of love, the effects of romance, what it's like being in love, etc.

Akaishi wrote "Alpine Rose" when she was in her twenties. Her parents lived through the reconstruction. However, Karekano is two generations distant from that time of deprivation, which is safely relegated to black and white images and stories from the senile side. The internal conflict may speak more clearly to the current generations, but I have my doubts that this is positive development.

The internal conflicts also mean that the mind is sliced and diced as each emotion is dissected. This calls for shades of gray, which can become a pall if there is too much angst. In Alpine Rose, the attacks from without are met with grit and clarity by both Lundi and Jeudi. It is telling that
in this portrait, both of them are clad in armor:

No need for damsel in distress.

While I enjoyed Karekano [3], the clear strength of Jeudi & Lundi have become the exception. And the old has become new again.

[1] I have trouble remembering that Lundi is the guy. I associate the moon with a woman, so it's counter-intuitive for me.
[2] This was translated as "shop" or "beverage shop". The frame says "Schloss", which is German for castle. It could be a bar or beer hall or tavern.
[3] Especially Yukino's moral damage.

Quick thoughts

My recent trip to Canada with my bro djtrainwreckx is still churning through my mind. There was a lot to see and much to think about. Then I got back to work. There was a lot less to see and a whole lot to stew about, but nothing all that healthy to linger on. I felt like Gundam Wing 01 going to town on a bunch of Leos from Monday to Wednesday.

Here are two quick secondary thoughts:

1. I finally understand Maya Sakamoto's song Twenty-four from "Hotchpotch". The first time, I didn't focus too hard on this track, because Maya was still muddling from middle Engrish to English. She's good now, but was rougher back then. Not that I can say too much, her English is about 10 to the 7th times better than my Nihon-not-go.

Anyway, the "twenty-four" simply refers to the same midnight in the second line.

See what happened to the girl
'Round the midnight
When she lost a crystal shoe
I don't need to spell on me
Or bell to tell me
You'd better go, you'd better say good-bye...

Too bad she gave it all away
When the magic's gone astray, hey hey
I'd never let it be
Whatever may come to me
When it turns to be twenty-four

I think that "twenty-four" may also refer to turning twenty-four years old in a youth obsessed culture, but a first-order analysis points toward the twenty-fourth hour that caps off a calendar day. Quebec goes by a 24 hour clock, so the pieces fit on the Monday after the trip.

2. After hanging out with a laid-back, awesome Polish woman, that brings up the number of fun Polish woman up to 2 out of three. I may be developing an unenlightened fetish here.