April 04, 2013
Remember Kids. Saftey is Important!
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April 03, 2013
Scale!
There. That helps.
I don't know enough to be sure, but I suspect that concealed withing the overall excellence of Girls und Panzer there might have been just a tiny smidgen of political commentary regards the efficacy of Japanese public works boondoggles.
I don't know enough to be sure, but I suspect that concealed withing the overall excellence of Girls und Panzer there might have been just a tiny smidgen of political commentary regards the efficacy of Japanese public works boondoggles.
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March 29, 2013
Preview clip for the 5th Yamato 2199 Movie.
This is different from the trailer below. It's the first 9 minutes of the 5th film (which translates to episode 15-18 of the series that airs this spring).
Spoilers abound so beware.
Spoilers abound so beware.
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As they say...ZOMG Sauce
I ran into a couple of intriguing animated .gifs that have defied my attempts to find a source.
Does anyone know what they are from and if said shows are any good?
They're a bit large so they're below the fold.
more...
Does anyone know what they are from and if said shows are any good?
They're a bit large so they're below the fold.
more...
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March 28, 2013
Girls und Panzer Ends
I must confess that in spite of everything, I like Kadotani a lot. She's enthusiastic, calm under pressure and has balls of brass. She's a departure from the rest of the cast in that she was developed beyond the trope she represents.
Girls und Panzer is in a lot of ways a collection of tired old tropes and annoying recent ones. There is no new ground here. It's a sports anime with mechs aimed at a demographic that is so insecure that they can't abide male characters in their anime potentially competing for their 'waifus'. The result is that we get the galling notion that the war on boys has been carried to its logical conclusion so that males aren't allowed to compete in the sport at all.
Given this set-up and an overly large cast that seems to have been concieved by 31 die rolls compared against a moe/tsundere stock character generator, the only real question about the show would seem to be "To what depths of squalor will the panty shots descend?" But that is not the question I find myself asking. Instead I find myself grasping to figure out how this collection of mediocrities can have kicked so much ass that one can be forgiven for worrying about a trans-Pacific ass shortage.
What the HELL? How did they do that? This show is not refinement of stale tropes. This was frickking alchemy. It was lead into gold. Oh, and the answer to the unasked question above is "None". I don't think there was a panty shot in the whole show...they get points just for that alone. However, this show is about way more than propriety. Girls und Panzer manages to deal with ethics, sportsmanship and honor in a way few shows have.
The show does this without being preachy. Furthermore, despite what ought to be a completely predictable storyline, it manages to keep the viewers on the edge of their seat. The use of WW2 tanks was inspired and the battles with them were thoroughly entertaining and well thought out. Even the fairly by the numbers characters were well written to the point that one actually cared about them. These girls are smart and make up for their vastly inferior equipment by being clever and audacious.
The few problems with the show did not stem from the writing, or the directing but with a subcontractor who flamed out requiring two 'clips' episodes be inserted and the last two episodes be delayed over three months. After the spectacular surprise hit the show had been nothing could live up to the anticipation the last two episodes engendered.
Despite this handicap the two episode finale is a thoroughly satisfying rollercoaster that still manages to surprise.
I am in awe.
Girls und Panzer is in a lot of ways a collection of tired old tropes and annoying recent ones. There is no new ground here. It's a sports anime with mechs aimed at a demographic that is so insecure that they can't abide male characters in their anime potentially competing for their 'waifus'. The result is that we get the galling notion that the war on boys has been carried to its logical conclusion so that males aren't allowed to compete in the sport at all.
Given this set-up and an overly large cast that seems to have been concieved by 31 die rolls compared against a moe/tsundere stock character generator, the only real question about the show would seem to be "To what depths of squalor will the panty shots descend?" But that is not the question I find myself asking. Instead I find myself grasping to figure out how this collection of mediocrities can have kicked so much ass that one can be forgiven for worrying about a trans-Pacific ass shortage.
What the HELL? How did they do that? This show is not refinement of stale tropes. This was frickking alchemy. It was lead into gold. Oh, and the answer to the unasked question above is "None". I don't think there was a panty shot in the whole show...they get points just for that alone. However, this show is about way more than propriety. Girls und Panzer manages to deal with ethics, sportsmanship and honor in a way few shows have.
The show does this without being preachy. Furthermore, despite what ought to be a completely predictable storyline, it manages to keep the viewers on the edge of their seat. The use of WW2 tanks was inspired and the battles with them were thoroughly entertaining and well thought out. Even the fairly by the numbers characters were well written to the point that one actually cared about them. These girls are smart and make up for their vastly inferior equipment by being clever and audacious.
The few problems with the show did not stem from the writing, or the directing but with a subcontractor who flamed out requiring two 'clips' episodes be inserted and the last two episodes be delayed over three months. After the spectacular surprise hit the show had been nothing could live up to the anticipation the last two episodes engendered.
Despite this handicap the two episode finale is a thoroughly satisfying rollercoaster that still manages to surprise.
I am in awe.
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March 27, 2013
"...Through all the fire and the smoke, we will never give up hope..."
Here is the extended trailer for the 5th Yamato 2199 Movie. It's about twice as long as the one on the DVDs.
Be advised; there appears to be much spoilage therein.
Golly...Willakers!
Be advised; there appears to be much spoilage therein.
Golly...Willakers!
One of the few bright spots in the upcoming spring season is the fact that they will start broadcasting this superb show on TV. This is about a year earlier than previously announced. I'm not sure if this bodes ill for a second season. However, BR sales seem to have been pretty good.
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March 24, 2013
Somebody Needs to Fund This
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March 18, 2013
I do miss this show
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March 15, 2013
GJ Club
I'd found a couple of cute animated .gifs and tracked down their source. When I read the premise for the show it did not excite me...at all. However, a bit of digging turned up the fact that despite the cast and premise it is based on a series of light novels...and not a dating sim.
So I gave an episode a whirl.
In a certain school with very garish uniforms four girls and a boy round out the membership of the mysterious GJ Club. The clubs purpose is unclear but within the tiny club room, the five young souls drink tea, play chess, change light-bulbs and have other such harrowing adventures....
This is an odd one.
Case in point....
This here is Kirara Bernstein. She's...well she's an exchange student...from someplace. She doesn't speak Japanese confidently and is generally very quiet. She seems to be on Atkins. Kirrara is also exceedingly tall and a bit awkward. She nearly died when bitten by a black widow at age 4 and this has left her with a terrible fear of spiders. Is there anything else I'm failing to mention here?
About 2/3 of the way through episode one, Mao the rather manic club president and Nebbish McOrdinary here notice that, yes, there is indeed something odd about the girl sitting by the window.
The other club members are Shion, an elegant but slightly out of touch genius chess player and Mao's younger (and much taller) sister Megumi who is the absolute master of the club tea service. The dude is named Kyoya and serves mainly to be the butt of pranks. He prefers Josei and Shojo mamga because they tend to actually have character development.
Artwise, GJ Club has got quite detailed backgrounds with the animation itself being about average. There are occasionally some editing quirks that are fairly clever.
Although his show's cast seems to consist entirely of cliches it has a fairly offbeat feel to it in part because the pacing and humor is rather dry, though there is some slapstick as well as the oddness evidenced above. By the end of the first episode there are actual hints of personalities in some of the characters.
I'm not sure what to make of this show...
However I laughed.. and it's cute so I'll probably watch at least a few more episodes to see where it goes.
Thus far it's way better than it ought to be.
UPDATE: It occurs to me that one of the things that seems so off center is that while it is cast like a harem show it's more a cute girls doing cute things sitcom with the caveat that one of them is a guy.
So I gave an episode a whirl.
In a certain school with very garish uniforms four girls and a boy round out the membership of the mysterious GJ Club. The clubs purpose is unclear but within the tiny club room, the five young souls drink tea, play chess, change light-bulbs and have other such harrowing adventures....
Ghaaa! So...is this show set in Australia?
This is an odd one.
Case in point....
This here is Kirara Bernstein. She's...well she's an exchange student...from someplace. She doesn't speak Japanese confidently and is generally very quiet. She seems to be on Atkins. Kirrara is also exceedingly tall and a bit awkward. She nearly died when bitten by a black widow at age 4 and this has left her with a terrible fear of spiders. Is there anything else I'm failing to mention here?
About 2/3 of the way through episode one, Mao the rather manic club president and Nebbish McOrdinary here notice that, yes, there is indeed something odd about the girl sitting by the window.
...'kayy...not what I would have noticed.
Which precipitates a conversation that ranges from how there is no cut of meat on any animal that looks like that to whether or not eating it will allow them to "increase their hit points" and speculation on just how the HELL that thing Kirara's eating was prepared. The other club members are Shion, an elegant but slightly out of touch genius chess player and Mao's younger (and much taller) sister Megumi who is the absolute master of the club tea service. The dude is named Kyoya and serves mainly to be the butt of pranks. He prefers Josei and Shojo mamga because they tend to actually have character development.
Artwise, GJ Club has got quite detailed backgrounds with the animation itself being about average. There are occasionally some editing quirks that are fairly clever.
Although his show's cast seems to consist entirely of cliches it has a fairly offbeat feel to it in part because the pacing and humor is rather dry, though there is some slapstick as well as the oddness evidenced above. By the end of the first episode there are actual hints of personalities in some of the characters.
I'm not sure what to make of this show...
However I laughed.. and it's cute so I'll probably watch at least a few more episodes to see where it goes.
Thus far it's way better than it ought to be.
UPDATE: It occurs to me that one of the things that seems so off center is that while it is cast like a harem show it's more a cute girls doing cute things sitcom with the caveat that one of them is a guy.
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March 14, 2013
Media Blasters Status / Other News
Media Blasters has posted an announcement on their website clarifying their situation. The rumor that they had no business liscence hit them hard as did an injury to the owner. Several titles are no longer in their possession and at least two are owned by them but with no plans for release. It seems that they intend to sell those rights to other companies.
So they are not in fact dead, though they are limping. I find it strange that they are going all in on their hentai line with one title a month in the pipeline. I would have thought that that would have been the hardest to get sales for given current technological realities. Perhaps the licenses were very cheap.
This is true on the Meada Blasters PR page and their Facebook page.
I wish they weren't being so koi... I'll just bob about here until they let minnow something"
I don't know if this omission means anything but I allow myself a tenuous hope as their dub of Squid Girl season 1 was superb.
In other news the High School of the Dead manga is re-starting in Dragon Age on April 9th.
Crunchyroll will be streaming the missing episodes of Girls und Panzer on March 28th.
The only labels MB will continue to acquire and release in for 2013 are AnimeWorks, Tokyo Shock and Kitty. In addition there will be a focus to produce and release original productions through Fever Dreams.
So they are not in fact dead, though they are limping. I find it strange that they are going all in on their hentai line with one title a month in the pipeline. I would have thought that that would have been the hardest to get sales for given current technological realities. Perhaps the licenses were very cheap.
I noted in passing that Robert's Anime Corner Store recently covered this too, but I noticed a discrepancy between the RACS post (a few days old) and the current press release at Media Blasters. Squid Girl Season 2 is no longer on their list of "owned but not being distributed".
This is true on the Meada Blasters PR page and their Facebook page.
I wish they weren't being so koi... I'll just bob about here until they let minnow something"
In other news the High School of the Dead manga is re-starting in Dragon Age on April 9th.
Crunchyroll will be streaming the missing episodes of Girls und Panzer on March 28th.
"Panzer VORE!"
"No Saori, the word is VOR...You'll loose your broadcast license if you say vore on the air.
"I don't get it""
"That's 'cause you're a good person."
"No Saori, the word is VOR...You'll loose your broadcast license if you say vore on the air.
"I don't get it""
"That's 'cause you're a good person."
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February 26, 2013
Ghost Division
Despite the music choice this AMV is actually surprisingly faithful to Song of the Sky....and yet it is COMPLETELY misleading as to what sort of tale this thoughtful and inspiring show is.
It's also pretty awesome.
It's also pretty awesome.
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February 19, 2013
My Response
I'm massively busy and may not be online for the rest of the week. However, I note that Steven Den Beste has made an argument which, although, admittedly compelling, is nevertheless one I cannot allow to go unanswered.
Yamato 2199's Niimi Kaoru done by Toten (whose NSFW E-artbooks can be purchased here)
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February 18, 2013
Video Interlude
Also: Tsukasa LOL
This works surprisingly well.
This one actually looks to be a test, but it's a very well timed test.
Also: Tsukasa LOL
Oh lord...I guess this was inevitable...
I don't "get" Touhou, but this fan-made video is very nicely done with a superb use of rotoscoping. I understand it's several years old but I'd never encountered it till last year.
It's actually a perfectly decent video and a very impressive job by MMD standards....and yet...
That's Cristina Vee doing the vocals.
Finally here is proof that less is sometimes more. The original vocals, same basic video exact same 'choreography'(it looks to be a re-skinning of the shadow vid) but this time done with Miku Miku Dance. Here's a Chinese version of the song using a piano and a violin. It also has a clever take on the video...
...rotoscoping the rotoscoping with sand.
...rotoscoping the rotoscoping with sand.
It's actually a perfectly decent video and a very impressive job by MMD standards....and yet...
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February 03, 2013
Yes Indeedily!
more...
If Leiji Matsumoto really isn't your thing....GET OFF MY LAWN!
(These kids today....)
(These kids today....)
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08:28 PM
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January 16, 2013
Oh Wow! I did not know this!
Bunnyroll is on Cruncydrop!
...or something....
I've only seen episode one of this inspiring little show.
I actually have something to watch this season.
...or something....
I've only seen episode one of this inspiring little show.
I actually have something to watch this season.
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01:34 AM
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January 03, 2013
Because We Aim to Please:
Recently Pete Zaitcev won the "Why is the blog infested with Lamias?" 
contest and as a prize got to pick a post topic and chose to ask what my favorite manga is and why I like it better than others.
I must confess that I've been exceedingly busy and haven't read much manga at all for the last 18 or so months...with one exception. While my to-read pile has gotten quite large, I've stuck with reading Yotsuba&! all that time.
Yotsuba; the titular character of this charming book, is a precocious child who has been adopted by her father from some far away place in the developing world. To her naive eyes everything in Japan from sunflowers to doorbells is fascinating and a potential springboard to adventure...or mischief.There is no real plot, though there is a bit of continuity. The series consists of sketch comedy and is greatly assisted by Azuma Kiyohiko's outstanding comedic timing in the comic medium as well as his amazing ability to see the world with a child-like sense of wonder. This, the expressive art, memorable secondary characters and refreshing innocence make this outstanding series a rare gem. I highly recommend it to anyone.
However, EVERYONE likes Yotsuba&! (except bad people). I don't think I have ever seen a bad review. Furthermore, since I haven't been reading other manga for over a year I can't give the comparative review Pete asked for or the book deserves.
Finally, it is obvious from his request that Pete's request for a review was not at all what he really wanted, but a fallback position.
It seems that Pete is, in reality, uninterested in such refreshing innocence and actually wanted something entirely "other" but felt it was a bridge too far. Well we here at Brickmuppet Blog aim to please, so gird you loins as we cross that bridge...The Bridge Over the River Kowai.
Good people should not look below the fold, for that way lies depravity.
more...
contest and as a prize got to pick a post topic and chose to ask what my favorite manga is and why I like it better than others. I must confess that I've been exceedingly busy and haven't read much manga at all for the last 18 or so months...with one exception. While my to-read pile has gotten quite large, I've stuck with reading Yotsuba&! all that time.
Yotsuba; the titular character of this charming book, is a precocious child who has been adopted by her father from some far away place in the developing world. To her naive eyes everything in Japan from sunflowers to doorbells is fascinating and a potential springboard to adventure...or mischief.There is no real plot, though there is a bit of continuity. The series consists of sketch comedy and is greatly assisted by Azuma Kiyohiko's outstanding comedic timing in the comic medium as well as his amazing ability to see the world with a child-like sense of wonder. This, the expressive art, memorable secondary characters and refreshing innocence make this outstanding series a rare gem. I highly recommend it to anyone.
However, EVERYONE likes Yotsuba&! (except bad people). I don't think I have ever seen a bad review. Furthermore, since I haven't been reading other manga for over a year I can't give the comparative review Pete asked for or the book deserves.
Finally, it is obvious from his request that Pete's request for a review was not at all what he really wanted, but a fallback position.
It seems that Pete is, in reality, uninterested in such refreshing innocence and actually wanted something entirely "other" but felt it was a bridge too far. Well we here at Brickmuppet Blog aim to please, so gird you loins as we cross that bridge...The Bridge Over the River Kowai.
Good people should not look below the fold, for that way lies depravity.
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December 23, 2012
Miho's Dark Secret
With the series coming up on a long hiatus it's time to step back and examine the dark underbelly of Girls und Panzer.
I'm not talking about the very strong implication that fatalities in the sport are not at all unheard of.
I'm not talking about the fact that Miho was disowned due to the fact that she lost a match as a result of....not letting a teammate die.
I'm talking about the the stuffed animal gallery in Miho's apartment.
Seriously guys. What the HELL up with those bears?
Is she pre-med?
Does she beat them, pull them apart in a sadistic rage and then.....overcome with guilt, lovingly sew them back together?
What horrors have those bear eyes witnessed?
What demons reside in that girls psyche?
(Or is there a completely innocent explanation?)
Discuss...
I'm not talking about the very strong implication that fatalities in the sport are not at all unheard of.
I'm not talking about the fact that Miho was disowned due to the fact that she lost a match as a result of....not letting a teammate die.
I'm talking about the the stuffed animal gallery in Miho's apartment.
What the hell?
Seriously guys. What the HELL up with those bears?
Is she pre-med?
Does she beat them, pull them apart in a sadistic rage and then.....overcome with guilt, lovingly sew them back together?
What horrors have those bear eyes witnessed?
What demons reside in that girls psyche?
(Or is there a completely innocent explanation?)
Discuss...
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December 22, 2012
SAO Ends
When last we left our hero he was riding a bike all out... at night...in a snowstorm...trying to get to the hospital to check on his beloved.
December 15, 2012
DO SO VERY MUCH WANT!
My, my, my....this has been a good weekend for anime.
Here's the trailer for the fourth Yamato 2199 movie will hit theaters January 13th.
Starblazers fans:
Watch it.
Be sure not to blink around the 36 second mark.
Discuss.
Here's the trailer for the fourth Yamato 2199 movie will hit theaters January 13th.
Starblazers fans:
Watch it.
Be sure not to blink around the 36 second mark.
Discuss.
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07:25 PM
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Well Then
Episode 24 of Sword Art Online brings the Asuna in a Cage arc to an end of sorts....maybe.
The biggest disappointment of the episode is that Lightning Flash Asuna doesn't get to do much except put on a brave face. This is terribly unfair to the character who has really been a very well realized female lead.
The journey of Y.U.I. and Kirito to Asuna's prison was almost anticlimactic, until it wasn't.
Episode 24 of Sword Art Online brings the Asuna in a Cage arc to an end of sorts....maybe.
The biggest disappointment of the episode is that Lightning Flash Asuna doesn't get to do much except put on a brave face. This is terribly unfair to the character who has really been a very well realized female lead.
The journey of Y.U.I. and Kirito to Asuna's prison was almost anticlimactic, until it wasn't.
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