October 2009 Archives

All right, here's the list and pertinent links to the AMVs from both the official AMV show, things that were shown throughout the night that I have access too, and whatever else I had in the folder that may or may not have been shown (I honestly can't remember everything). Some of these may be repeats from previous posts.

Main Show
Watchmanga by Ultimatetransfan
A multi-source video set to the Watchmen Trailer. I can usually take or leave trailers, but I found this one to be particularly well-done and it uses some sources that go together very well with the audio.
The Box of Sorrows by Bea$t
It combines footage from the Hellraiser movies and the Silent Hill 4: The Room video game to come up with something exceedingly creepy in addition to its technical accomplishment. It was difficult to see in the auditorium due to the stupid side-lights, but should be easier to see on a computer monitor.
Michiko Hurricane by Alternababe
An amusing portrait of Michiko from Michiko to Hatchin being badass. As a friend commented to me, there are very few videos with this anime as a source and it's surprising that a good one like this even exists. Very action-oriented and entertaining. Slight spoilers for the end of the series (but if you don't know what you're looking for you might miss it anyway).
Vehemence by VeeBee
A Bakemonogatari AMV, since we were watching it last night. The author manages to make the already beautiful footage look even better. The video focuses a lot on Senjougahara and lends her sort of a mysterious air.
To Serve Man by godix
A video set to "A Little Priest" from Sweeny Todd. A comedic video about eating people. The author doesn't seem to happy with it, but I thought it was very amusing and it used some good source choices.
Era by Tana-sama
Mononoke AMVs do exist! Even a couple of decent ones, as I found out recently. This one provides a good overview of the series, and highlights some of its unique visuals.
(This Is) MADNESS! by Creed_FR, Arcos
An up-tempo Soul-Eater AMV which manages to feature a shounen anime and not be complete garbage. Shown since we were watching the first episode of the show.
The Last HOPE by Pipian
Probably the only Dennou Coil AMV I've ever seen that hasn't been junk, and there are very few to begin with. It captures the spooky feeling certain parts of the show have, and serves as a nice trailer to boot.
Warrant on Murder by Archivist
A video that features stunning imagery from the Kara no Kyoukai series of films, the video screamed "Halloween" the moment that I first watched it. It's definitely eye-candy, and makes me interested in watching the movies (I have them sitting around, I just haven't gotten around to it yet).

Extras
De:Light by Aggressor
An action video that uses Shikabane Hime as a source. What I saw of the show was pretty so-so, but this is a very technically-sound production with a lot of intense visuals.
Belzenef's Awakening by Little Atari
A very cute mock-trailer for Ouran Host Club that utilizes the dub track well. Very silly but lots of fun.
Frozen Ayakashi Beach by y00_black
Short but intense vid using Ayakashi Japanese Horror and Mononoke. Still marvelling that vids using these sources exist and don't suck.
Curtain Call by Rider4Z, Stryyder
One of the few Death Note AMVs that I've been able to tolerate (having the anime set to a Queen song definitely helps). It plays up the theatricality of the series well.
Paradoxical Sleep by Paul Kievets
Definitely one of the most unsettling AMVs that I've ever seen in my life. It uses Spirited Away as its source and plays up the aspects of it that are truly frightening. Might give you nightmares.
Stop Killing Yourself by Hareoic
Truly funny AMV that combines Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei with Monty Python. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!"

Bonus:
Short Film: Kigeki (Comedy)
A short film by Studio 4degreesC about a lone swordsman who provides his services for a very unusual price. People seemed to really like this one, so here it is.
That's about it! I hope people had fun and that they enjoy these fun AMVs.

More neat AMVs for your perusal.

Spin On, Simon by machina21
I'm not really a big fan of Gurren-Lagann, but I loved this video. Perhaps because it's one of the few that presents a clear character profile, progresses a story, and uses music that I like (Peter Gabriel!) rather than just stuffing a bunch of manic scenes into a blender. Very enjoyable and ambitious.

Hush by etherealqueen.
A game music video that manages to be very watchable in spite of the fact that the PS1 graphics are extremely dated, something which I consider to be a major accomplishment.

Focal Perspective by LantisEscudo.
Call me soft, but I was really crying by the end of this video, if only because it features Carl Sagan talking about how important our world is to us. I bet you might be moved a bit also. Scientific reality can be very potent in its own way.

Man, now I have to go and cry ;_;

Going through my AMV backlog, I'm finding that I'm afraid to rec a lot of the AMVs that I enjoy because I know others who make/enjoy AMVs and live-action vids and are probably pickier than I am. Oh well, I shouldn't be ashamed of what I like. At least I wouldn't lead anyone astray into some Linkin Park/DBZ emo-fest ;)

Modern Major Clusterf**k by Side Swipe.
Cute comedy video done to the song "Modern Major General" starring Roy Mustang from FMA. Nothing major to talk about, just an imperfect but very fun AMV.

Only Bob by Infinity Squared.
A curious video from the POV of a robot. Footage from tons of shows. Some original CG animation . The creator obviously put a lot of work in here.

Remember Me by Prodigi.
A sentimental video done to what is maybe not the most unique short in the Genius Party anthology, but one of the most relatable, I think. It's the story of two high school kids playing hooky and spending some time together like they did in the old days, before one of them moves away.

So this was meant to be posted some days ago, but I came down with an illness and then my cat got really sick, so blog stuff fell to the wayside. Even though a lot of these shows have already started their broadcasts, I put a lot of work into cropping images so I'm posting this anyway ;)

***

Like just about any other anime blog out there, I decided to do a Fall Preview of the shows that are about to burst forth onto the scene. These previews aren't meant to be full-on judgments of these series - something which seems like it has a bad or unoriginal premise, or which has character designs that I might not really like, might end up to be a perfectly enjoyable series. Likewise, something that I anticipate to be interesting might turn out to be a miserable failure. Also, some of these series might not even end up getting fansubbed or otherwise released in English. But it's fun to get at least a little excited about series to come, especially since Fall is one of the big seasons and there are a lot of choices out there. Anyway, these are in Alphabetical order, based on info from Anime News Network:

11 Eyes

Official Site (Japanese): 11 Eyes

Story: Ordinary high school boy gets transported to an alternate world called "Red Night," and must fight dark spirits and black knights in order to return to his own world.

Thoughts: Looks like another bland eroge adaptation that probably won't interest me. Unappealing character designs abound including dumb, impractical school uniforms. My prediction is that it'll fade into the background like most of these series do.

Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu

Official Site (Japanese): Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu

Story: Three sisters enjoy cosplaying different animals. One day they get their hands (paws?) on a magical compact that allows them to transform into real animals.

Thoughts: The cute, it buuurnssss ussss! Seriously, this looks like fluff, pure and simple. Might have the side effect of rotting one's teeth. Apparently this is also being billed as a comedy, so I wonder just how funny it could be, or what type of humor it'll have (I'm guessing 4-koma-style gags, but who knows?).

Aoi Bungaku

Official Site (Japanese): Aoi Bungaku

Story: A series consisting of six short arcs based on various volumes of Japanese literature. The character designs for the various stories are provided by high-profile manga artists, including Tite Kubo (Bleach) and Takeshi Obata (Death Note).

Thoughts: The idea behind this intrigued me right away after hearing of it. The quality of the end result will obviously depend on the quality of the story adaptations - no high-profile artist could rescue something ill-suited for TV animation, but I'm optimistic that this will be something interesting to watch.

Asura Cryin' 2

Story: A high school boy is haunted by the ghost of his childhood friend. His life gets flipped/turned upside down when he gets a suitcase from his brother and there's a robot in it.

Thoughts: A sequel to a show that didn't interest me in the slightest, which is, unfortunately, how it seems to work most of the time. I can't imagine this continuation would be sufficiently different that it would be any more interesting than season 1. Will be broadcast on Crunchyroll for those of you enjoy your anime being of the streamed variety.

Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini

PV: Video will load on its own

Story: Takes place following the original series, where Hei and Yin travel to Russia and meet a mysterious girl names Suo.

Thoughts: The original series was something that most people I knew really enjoyed, but I was never that interested (never mind the fact that I stopped downloading it after it got licensed and everyone else I know kept watching it all the way through, so now I'd be watching it on my own if I decided to). It also doesn't look like the type of thing that one could jump into cold, but I'll see. If this seems promising I might go back and pick up the DVDs for season 1.

Fairy Tail

Website (Japanese): Fairy Tail

Story: The story of a girl who wants to be a mage and the boy she meets who happens to be one.

Thoughts: Apparently this is the next big shounen thing, which means it'll be about 50/50 whether I can stomach it at first, with my tolerance level going downhill the longer the show is drawn-out (I still haven't managed anything longer than 52 episodes, if that tells you anything). What might save it are the characters. If the hero is a d-bag, obnoxious shounen protagonist, then I'll be running for the hills really fast.

Gokyoudai Monogatari

Website (Japanese): Gokyoudai Monogatari

Story: The story of a twin sister and brother who have heartwarming encounters with the people they meet in Tokyo's lower-class neighborhoods.

Thoughts: Despite the girl's creepy forehead, this could be an interesting show depending on the quality of the humor and the stories. Don't know if anyone will sub this one, though (maybe Crunchyroll will grab it like they did Mainichi Kaasan?)

Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume Countdown

Story: I can't find info for this season, but Crunchyroll has the original and it's about an evil organization whose plans are continually foiled at the last minute by Deluxe Fighter, a meddling hero.

Thoughts: Sounds like a crappy version of Astro Fighter Sunred.

Inuyasha: The Final Act

Official Site (Japanese): Inuyasha Kanketsu-hen

Story: The tale finally comes to a close as the end of the Inuyasha manga is at last animated.

Thoughts: Did I mention that I don't dig long series? That especially goes for stuff like this, which shamelessly repeats itself and doesn't go anywhere meaningful. It'll be nice to see the story put to rest, but from what I've heard of the manga ending, not a whole lot is resolved anyway. I can't imagine that I'll be watching more than an ep of this. Viz media will be broadcasting the series on Hulu and their Shounen Sunday website soon after the Japanese broadcast.

Kaidan Restaurant

Official Site (Japanese): Kaidan Restaurant

Story: Classmates experience bizarre encounters, and tell ghost stories. Based on a series of books.

Thoughts: I can't say how creepy it'll end up being, but it looks like kind of a cute little ghost story anthology series. Might be fun for Halloween, of course, someone would have to be lined up to fansub it first -_-

Kampfer

PV: Click button to play

Story: A normal high school student is suddenly forced to become a Kampfer, someone who fights other Kampfers with guns, swords or magic, and who must have the body of a girl to utilize their powers.

Thoughts: So the main character is a trap, nice. The show looks completely goofy, by the way. It's series like this that make people lament the lack of quality in Japanese animation (I don't, personally, but it's difficult to look past such dumb premises sometimes).

Kiddy Girl-and

Official Site (Japanese): Kiddy Girl-and

Story: 50 years after the end of a conflict that decided the fate of the universe, it's again threatened and only two young girls, Ascoeur and Q-feuille, can defend it.

Thoughts:... and? And what? Seriously, what a dumb name for a sequel. In any case, this sequel was announced like two or three years ago and no one knew if it was actually coming out or if it had been canceled. I don't think I would have noticed if it had been canceled. Seems like a magical-girl premise with some sci-fi, but not a very interesting blend of either.

Kimi ni Todoke

Official Site (Japanese): Kimi ni Todoke

Story: Kuronuma Sawako often gets called "Sadako" because people find her odd and scary. She meets a guy named Kazehaya who becomes friends with her in spite of (or because of ) this.

Thoughts: Your average shoujo premise, though I've heard really good things about the manga and the adaptation is being animated by Production I.G. which means I'll probably be watching this.

Kobato

PV: At Youtube

Story: Kobato is a sweet girl, but naive about the world around her. She carries a bottle that she fills with the suffering in people's hearts so that she can go to the place she desires.

Thoughts: I'm extremely wary of anything CLAMP nowadays, especially since they forgot how to properly draw human anatomy (not that anime is especially accurate, but their style of bodily distortion has become highly unappealing). This looks like it could be cute, however.

Kotatsu Neko

Story: A series of five-minute shorts about a group of cats who live below a kotatsu (a table draped with a blanked with a heater underneath).

Thoughts: I seem to be kind of a sucker for these silly cat shows, so this might have some appeal to me if it gets subbed.

Kuuchuu Buranko

Official Site (Japanese): Kuuchuu Buranko

Story: Irabu Ichiro is a strange psychiatrist who puzzles his patients with his bizarre behavior.

Thoughts: This was originally an instant watch for me, since it brings back a lot of the Mononoke staff, it's a Noitamina show and it's an unusual-looking series. I've heard that there are live-action segments with an actress dressed up as the nurse character, and I'm not so sure about that. I'm still hoping that this features some good stories and I'm sure my worries are unfounded, but I don't know why that unusual choice was made.

Letter Bee

Official Site (Japanese): Letter Bee

Story: Gauche is a government employee who delivers any letter to its destination. He inspires a young boy to follow in his footsteps. Five years later, Lag is a letter bee, but now Gauche has gone missing.

Thoughts: This is the other big shounen series this season, but this one looks leaps and bounds more interesting to me than Fairy Tail. The only thing that might be a problem is the age of the protagonist. It's difficult to tell if he'll be more of the sweet kid type or a little shounen piece of crap. Crunchyroll has already snatched up this series.

Miracle Train - Ouedo sen e Youkosou

Official Site (Japanese): Miracle Train

Story: Stops on the Japanese Ouedo subway line are personified as young attractive men.

Thoughts: Man moe? No thanks. This series would have to be really good for me to watch much of it, but I have the distinct feeling that it's just a bunch of eye-candy.

Natsu no Arashi! Akinai-chu

Website (Japanese): Natsu no Arashi 2

Story: The second season of the show revolving around a young boy and his interaction with time travelers at his relative's cafe.

Thoughts: I seriously didn't like what I saw of season 1 of this show (which was two or three episodes) and in saying so managed to piss some people off (oh noes, a disagreement on the INTERNETS). This season doesn't look to be any better, it's major flaw being that the little d-bag protagonist is still present. Remove him and the show would be much easier for me to sit through.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purezza

Official Site (Japanese): Nogizaka Haruka 2

Story: More adventures with the popular girl who's a closeted otaku and the man who loves her.

Thoughts: I thought that the premise of season 1 was dumb and that hasn't changed here.

Nyan Koi

PV: Nyan Koi

Story: A guy who's allergic to cats has a crush on a girl who loves them. An unfortunate accident leaves the boy able to understand what cats are saying.

Thoughts: This show could go either way, I suppose. The premise is funny enough if not exactly cutting-edge. It'll depend on the characters and the comic timing.

Queen's Blade: Gyokuza no Tsugumono

PV: At Youtube

Story: The continuation of Queen's Blade season 1, where the characters actually fight in the Queen's Blade tournament.

Thoughts: Ugh. You probably know that I suffered through the first season of this series, mostly out of morbid curiosity. Then I got to the end and they didn't even get to the tournament. Not that I'm interested in seeing how things play out this season; I'm done.

The Sacred Blacksmith

PV: At Youtube

Story: Cecily is on a mission to find a blacksmith who can repair her father's sword. She meets a young man who can harness the Devil's Power - magic which has been banned since a great war. This is the beginning of her adventure.

Thoughts: Though the Manglobe studio's involvement promises some nice animation, the subject matter looks a little bit uninteresting to me. Standard fantasy stuff. Also the female characters are looking a bit too cutesy for my tastes.

Sasameki Koto

Website (Japanese): Sasameki Koto

Story: Murasame Sumika is popular but she harbors a secret - she's in love with her female classmate. And the feeling is mutual, though Kazama Ushio, the object of her affection, is nervous about confessing.

Thoughts: I've heard people say that this is a worthy successor to this Summer's yuri series Aoi Hana. Prove it. The premise seems way more goofy and juvenile to me, compared to Aoi Hana which had young characters but which didn't aim low.

Seitokai no Ichizon

PV: Seitokai no Ichizon

Story: The student council at Hekiyo is chosen entirely by popularity vote, and only members may enter the sacred sanctuary of the council meeting room. Their daily meetings seem to devolve into conversations about their daily lives.

Thoughts: Wow, talk about a boring premise. I don't want to sound like an ass (some may say that's too late) but there's a limit to how "slice-of-life" my slice-of-life anime should be, and this goes over the line. I'm not against fully character-driven series, but this doesn't strike me as interesting in the least. Perhaps the final product will turn out to be more than just a string of conversations, who knows.

Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Ryouran Sangokushi Engi

Shin Koihime Musou

Story: The moe-licious re-imagining of Romance of the Three Kingdoms receives another anime incarnation that is supposedly more accurate to the game on which it's based.

Thoughts: Didn't like the first series because it was all about the boobies (there was a bath scene in the first episode - not a good sign for my enjoyment) and I honestly don't know what could be very different about this incarnation.

Sora no Otoshimono

PV: At Youtube

Story: A boy has strange dreams about a girl asking for help. Suddenly one day, a girl falls from the sky who happens to be an angel.

Thoughts: An angel with giant titties, of course. I'm not gonna pass my final judgment from one piece of artwork, but when the promo art has a crappy little male character getting tits in the face, you know there's probably something wrong.

Tamagotchi

Website (in Japanese): Tamagotchi

Story: The daily lives of the Tamagotchi are laid bare in this series.

Thoughts: Sorry, it's silly to try and make a series like this sound serious. Sounds like a kids show and I doubt anyone will bother to sub it.

Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra

PV: Select the first option on the left hand menu

Story: The souls of the dead are kept in books in the Bantorra Library, where anyone can read about the past. The library is guarded by armed librarians.

Thoughts: I've heard people make story comparisons to Library War because of the armed librarians, but it sounds like this series involves more magic and fantasy elements. I've been curious about it. Crunchyroll has this one.

Tentai Senshi Sunred Season 2

Website (Japanese): Sunred

Story: More quirky comedy involving the jaded superhero Sunred and his persistent adversaries, Florsheim.

Thoughts: I loved the first season, and if the second is able to maintain a similar pacing and comedy style, then I think this will be great as well. Looking forward to it.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

Website (Japanese): Railgun

Story: A story that takes place in Academy City, a location where most of the occupants are students, and starring a character from the To Aru Majutsu no Index.

Thoughts: I thought that To Aru Majutsu no Index was grossly overhyped; the first episode lost me when the main female character's clothing literally exploded from her body. I don't know if this will interest me any more, but it sounds like a completely different story so it's possible that it might be enjoyable (or at least different enough to distinguish itself).

Winter Sonata

PV: Winter Sonata

Story: An anime based on the super-popular Korean Drama from several years ago, starring the original male lead reprising his role.

Thoughts: I'm sort of torn on this one. I enjoy romance stories, but I understand that Korean drama is somewhat more melodramatic than I might have the stomach for. I'm definitely curious about the choice to use the Korean actor for the male lead. Does he speak Japanese? I guess it remains to be seen (or I could just go look it up, but I'm lazy).

Yumeiro Patissiere

Website (Japanese): Yumeiro Patissiere

Story: Overly-cute clumsy shoujo wants to become a pastry chef. She enrolls in culinary school and meets a spirit of sweets.

Thoughts: Too cute and the heroine seems vapid and uninteresting.

I guess that's it. Now to start with the reviewing!

Some more AMV recs for you today.

Naked Fairytale by FunStorm.
It's an Eden of the East video that looks at the relationship between the two main characters. I'm not quite sure exactly what I like about this video beyond the fact that it involves one of my favorite anime of the year, but it captures the epic feeling parts of the show have while also focusing on the main characters.

Big Blue by JCD.
Purely an eye-candy piece as far as I'm concerned, since I'm not familiar with the source material (Blue Submarine Number 6 - is it a good OVA or is it just really pretty? Someone out there must know). I think that it accomplished something in that it made me curious about seeking out the DVD release of the show.

Love Disconnected by NightMistress85.
A sad romance video set to the anime NANA. I really loved this AMV, even having not read the manga or watched much of the anime (I know, shame on me). It's really good at portraying a particular emotion. The lip-sync at points is a little uncalled for, but I consider that a minor complaint.
Stay tuned for more recs in the future!