Madoka Magica Notes + Gallery

This episode didn’t really sell me on the show, but it hasn’t really deterred me either. I remain on the fence when it comes to the art and animation approaches, and am still waiting for the story to genuinely hook me in.

⚫ So the death this episode was the big shock twist that I heard everyone talking about throughout the day. I wasn’t spoiled on anything specific (not even that anyone died) but I had a general expectation that something dramatic was going to go down this week. That might go towards explaining why I saw Mami’s death coming well before her final moments. As a result, her death scene didn’t have much of an impact on me.

⚫ I’m also not very saddened by Mami’s death because I think it’s fairly obvious she’ll come back. Madoka has a wish she doesn’t know how to spend and the whole episode was essentially devoted to setting these two up as an inseparable witch-fighting duo. Then again, this is Gen Urobochi we’re talking about (the writer), so he may well surprise me (please, please do!)

⚫ That brings me to my next point, Gen Urobochi seems to be in a difficult place as a storyteller. Because he’s become known for gruesome and shocking plots, people expect him to write like that. But when he does write like that, it falls into the trap of being predictable. I kind of hope he can steer this anime in a different direction to what people are hoping for (demanding, even).

⚫ The ED has finally appeared! It’s a nice moody sequence, and a solo animation work by Hirofumi Suzuki.

⚫ My hat goes off to Ashino Yoshiharu‘s storyboards. I have great respect for this man for being the director of the wonderful Mahou Shoujotai Alice, and he’s storyboarded all 3 episodes so far. As awash as his episodes are with SHAFT influences from the directors, they still have an engaging and interesting feel to them.

⚫ There wasn’t much in the way of notable animation this week, but I did enjoy the action scene because the witch was done with traditional animation and wasn’t nearly as retarded as the previous ones have been!

 

Ratings

---

MOE: ⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
ERO: ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
GAR: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪
LOL: ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪

---

 

That’s a HOSPITAL!??

Aww, so he’s in love!

This was a cool shot. Kudos to Ashino Yoshiharu.

Such a cute part, but with a menacing undercurrent.

Role reversal. heh.

Another sinister conversation with Homura~

Panchira-pervert perspective.

Rescue kaishi!

Nice colour work here.

We won’t do bad things to you! Promise!

Yuri vives for a moment there. Either way, a cute and sincere character beat.

Awesome musket choreography again. Also – the cake is a lie.

Before Death

After Death

Freezing – Quick Impression

Freezing was a bit of an unknown for me going into this season. I’d seen the PV, which kick-started a mild anticipation, but beyond that I hadn’t really looked into it, either in terms of the staff involved or the original material. I basically just pinned it as the AT-X battle-ecchi anime of the season.
 

Ratings

---

MOE: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
ERO: ⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
GAR: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
LOL: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪

---

 

I like.

This first episode sort of proved me right, but sort of proved me wrong. On the one hand, it definitely fits the battle-ecchi description, but on the other, it’s not really a typical Ikkitousen alternative. Along with the panty-shots and occasional tits, there is a surprising amount of violence! These girls aren’t just hitting each other to remove clothing, they’re doing some serious damage, and the action sequences have a genuine sense of tension to them. This is largely thanks to the cinematic production approach. Kind of like Highschool of the Dead did, Freezing uses excellent post-production effects and camera-work to bring energy to the sequences, rather than relying only on good animation (although there are a couple of moments of good animation too!). The inspiration for Freezing’s approach almost could be traced back to the Bourne movies (but toned down), with the relatively fast editing and shaky camera! Of course, I could just be thinking that because of the spy-thriller-esque BGM, which keeps the heartbeat going as the girls brutally clash with one another.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka 01 Review

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is the first in a new wave of promising, original TV-anime, and for a lot of fans from various sectors of the otaku fanbase, one of the most exciting. This anime was getting a lot of attention well before it started airing or even before the first promotional video was released, and it was attention well-deserved. You only have to look at the three big creative names involved in this anime to see why. You’ve got the prolific and enduringly popular Akiyuki Shinbou of studio SHAFT as director, the fascinating writer, Gen Urobuchi of Nitro+, who has given us game titles such as Fate/Zero and the gory Saya no Uta, and the venerated Ume Aoiki’s (Hidamari Sketch) doing character designs.
 

Ratings

---

MOE: ⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
ERO: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪
GAR: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪
LOL: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪

---

 

Madoka cuteness. It's real.

These three creative forces were united by famous producer, Iwakami Atsuhiro (Bakemonogatari, Kara no Kyoukai) with the goal of making an original magical girl anime. Akiyuki’s Shinbou already has one under his belt in this genre (Nanoha), but this is his first original anime with studio SHAFT, and the inclusion of Gen Urobuchi’s story and scripts as well as Ume Aoiki’s designs had everyone wondering just what kind of magical girl anime this would turn out to be. While Akiyuyki Shinbou is involved at the creative level, Yukihiro Miyamoto is doing the groundwork as ‘series director’, who will probably bring a resilient schedule to the table (his work was effective on Arakawa and Maria Holic). Meanwhile, another famous name appears, this time under the composer credit: Yuki Kajiura (.Hack//Sign, Noir, Kara no Kyoukai). Make no mistake, this is an anime of interesting pedigree, and has the potential to be significant.

Mahou Sensei Negima!: Another World Special OVA: Magical Girl Yue

Yue's finishing blow - a totally badass sequence.

Ratings

---

MOE: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
ERO: ⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
GAR: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
LOL: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪

---

 

‘Magical Girl Yue’ is the episode title of this latest entry in the Negima ‘Another World’ OVA series, which has been faithfully animating the manga story from the beginning of the magical world arc. It’s a special episode, not just because it’s awesome, but because it covers the content that the last OVA skipped – Yue’s amnesia school-life side-story! I suppose the theory was that there was enough good stuff in Yue’s story to take it out and make a whole new OVA. It was a good theory! Unlike the others, it’s solely dedicated to Yue and the new friends she makes at the magical academy she winds up in. Her memory loss (secretly caused by her friend-to-be, Collette) means she stays at the school while she tries to work out who she is and what to do. When she hears discussions about the second coming of Nagi Springfield entering the international fighting tournament something stirs within her and she becomes determined to get to that tournament, even if it means winning a challenging free-for-all broom-race with a strip-tease twist! Although I’m currently behind in the manga (working on that!), I am a big Negima fan. of course, I disliked the earlier TV-anime renditions, but these new OVAs are hitting much closer to the mark by staying true to the original work. This OVA was particularly appealing because I have a soft-spot for Yue (she’s possibly my favorite girl after Setsuna), and the magical-girl-esque school plot is naturally interesting. I definitely wasn’t disappointed! This OVA had a really fun and colourful blend of humour, fanservice, action and badassery.

To Aru Majutsu no Index episode 9

How did this become such an intimate situation!?

Ratings

---

MOE: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
ERO: ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
GAR: ⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
LOL: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪

---

 

The inter-school sports carnival frivolities have taken a back seat to this arc’s storyline, which makes for an episode that’s heavier on the action and soft on the fanservice (in fact there’s virtually none). This follows the fundamental arc structure that Index has always lived by: 1-2 episodes of messing around and ecchi occurrences, followed by 1-2 episodes of getting down to business for some fighting and drama. The difference now is that getting down to business involves leaping into battle or giving chase, instead of a wave of expository dialogue (plus the ecchi moments are a lot more potent!). So, while this isn’t nearly as engaging a story as the previous Misaka/Kuroko-based arc, it has a pretty good pacing which didn’t give me the opportunity to be bored. Kami-yan (It’s catchy, come on!), Steyr and Tsuchimikado make a pretty fun team, and Kami-yan’s Imagine Breaker ability was put to really good, stopping a continual bombardment of attacks! The animation supported the action sequences very well, and the direction gave some good layouts and angles. Daisuke Tokutsuchi was credited with storyboard and direction, and I think he did a great job. Even if it was a plot-heavy episode, it still found the time to be amusing with gags like Tsuchimikado “Kami-yan dive” and the return of the blushing, flustered Misaka! This arc has done a good job at establishing the romantic dynamic between Touma and Biri-biri, and their physical encounter this week had some chemistry. I love that Misaka, in a haze of embarassment, thought Touma was trying to kiss her and submitted so easily! It was a solid episode overall!

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls 1-2 (BD)

Ratings

---

MOE: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
ERO: ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪
GAR: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
LOL: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪

---

 

I’ve been holding out on watching this anime for only one reason: the version aired on TV was censored, even on the glorious station, AT-X. It’s not so much that I’m inherently opposed to this kind of censorship (if it helps sell more DVDs/BDs, then I don’t think we have the right to be angry over it), but just a feeling of, ‘why not just wait and get the show in all its spectacle’? Well I waited, and the spectacle is all I’d hoped – an almost constant stream of eye-candy, both in terms of the nipple-inclusive nudity and the sexy art style and animation. First, the fanservice! If you’re a fan of nipples in anime (and why wouldn’t you be?) then this is definitely an anime to check out – the toplessness rate is very high and the drawings are unabashedly sexy. I also like the fact that there’s a rage of breasts sizes included, unlike other erotic anime. We’ve got a Kugumiya Rie voiced loli character with a fetching flat chest, and a large cast of buxom girls to make her feel insensitive. But it’s not just the nudity, the fanservice also encompasses some nice costume fetishism as well. We’ve already seen a number of moe outfits show up: bloomers, maid outfit, schoolgirl clothes. The way these typical anime wears are fused with feudal Japanese clothing styles create costumes that are somehow cool, sexy and cute at the same time! Then there’s erotic themes like Hanzou’s sexual infatuation with her (also female) master, and the arousing way Juubee calls Yagyuu ‘oniichan’.

I’m not typically a fan of anime that lean too heavily on the erotic tones and don’t bother trying to squeeze in any other assets. Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls may be heavy on the fanservice, but it’s not overdone to the point where the characters are dulled to mindless/retarded ecchi drones, and it’s all rendered with a unique and polished ‘look’. That ‘look’ is defined by bold outer lines on the ‘cels’. grainy, stylised backgrounds and thematic blotches of ink that splatter the screen in action moments. That might sound a bit wanky, but when you experience each of these design choices together it works surprisingly well, and instantly sets it apart from other anime in this category. The actual animation quality is quite high – the action sequences are well-executed and quite exciting to watch. Tsutomu Miyazawa is the chief animation director, and does a good job. The art director, Junichi Higashi, has done pretty much everything, good or bad, so I don’t know how much of the unique look to attribute to his input. The director, KOBUN, on the other hand, is a bit of a mystery. KOBUN is an alias, under which no other works have been done. Their true identity is unconfirmed, but after doing some searching, the general consensus among Japanese fans is that KOBUN is Kobun Shizuno, which seems believable. KOBUN has made an impressive entrance into the realm of TV-anime direction and I hope to see more of his works.

The characters don’t stray too far from their gimmicks/cliches, but they’re still fun to watch. I don’t think anyone expected deep, realistic characters from this show, and frankly, an ecchi anime with characters who aren’t annoying as fuck already qualifies it for ‘rare gem’ status. The male lead is unintrusive without being pathetic, and the girls are both cute and strong-spirited. Kugimiya Rie’s character, Sanada Yukimura is especially fun as the proud and feisty loli, Tokugawa Sen (played by Kotobuki Minako) is a self-important girl with a soft dere core beneath her stubborn outer shell, and Hattori Hanzou is amusing as the easily-flustered maid with an almost slave-like relationship with her superior. Then there’s the bipolar lead character, Yagyuu Juubee, who has a deadly and barbaric warrior side and an endearing, naive maiden side. It reminds me of Elfen Lied in that respect. As you might have noticed, the girls are named after historical samurai figures, however there’s no real historical value to this anime. So far, Samurai Girls has been solid fun and deliciously ecchi!
 

FUCKIN SAVED

Don’t worry ladies, that IS a banana in my pocket.

She’s sensitive about her flat-chest.

Pro-tip: don’t do a grandiose introduction in P.E gear!

Bit of a Ninja scroll moment!

Battle maid! Roberta?

Bra & panties locked on

Kugimiya Rie = ero.

I have failed you mistress!

She’s a high-level maid to enjoy this!

Spread legs mean it’s punishment time.

itadakimasu!

Oh, the ero!

Strangely arousing

Does the sock taste good? Such a pervert!

Nice ass shot

Bondage strike!

Jubee in the void.

The girl who fell from the sky calls him “oniichan”. Where do I get one?

First Kiss!

The face of a master samurai

This fight was pretty sweet.

The swords are coming out. Prepare to die.

Pft, not even 9000 power? Yeah, this show has power levels.

How could you kill this harmless…naked girl?

A true samurai, unafraid of death

Oh shi- I said something cute.

Don’t just strip!

These two fight almost like they’re sisters!

Even a mute can be cute!

Cuddling up to her “oniichan”

Take it all off!! For research purposes I swear!

What do the reactions say about her ero level!?

Ass shot #2

How cute~ But covering yourself won’t do any good in this kind of anime!

#1 on the list of anime cliches that need to happen more in real life

He’s getting a good look *nods approvingly*

Dat symbol

A great stitch of the uncensored ED

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st

 

The last couple of days have marked another step forward in the march of the booming Nanoha franchise: the long-awaited release of the 1st movie DVD! I’m reminded again at just how remarkable the Nanoha series really is, it has to be one of the greatest success stories for a side-character ever! No one could of predicted that Nanoha would go from her roots as a minor character in a mediocre H-game and OVA series (Triangle Hearts) to being the face of a new era of the mahou genre, and one of the strongest character brands around today (just look at her and Fate’s saimoe records!). Instead of letting her fade into oblivion, it was director Akiyuki Shinbo and the animation studio Seven Arcs who pulled her out of obscurity by transforming her into a magical girl for an original TV-anime: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha. The series was a success and was notable for its new take on the genre: it strayed from the humble themes of mahou shoujo and gave it an epic, science-fiction warfare bent, as well as portraying an overarching, tragic story. While other series also fit this description, Nanoha is possibly the best example of Mahou Shoujo series with an older male demographic. The first season pitched to the lolicon crowd with fanservice scenes, but this was soon overshadowed by its intense story and exciting action sequences. The fandom grew by the time the second season, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s, came along, and then jumped even further with the third season, Strikers. Many fans latched on at this point, but for me, the core appeal of Nanoha lies in the powerful emotional story of the first season, as well as the Nanoha/Fate dynamic! That’s why I was really happy to hear this movie announced, which would cover the first season! And, having just watched it, I can say that, as a big fan of the first season, I wasn’t at all disappointed!

BIRTH (classic 1984 OVA) & Yoshinori Kanada

BIRTH is an sci-fi, action-adventure Original Video Animation, among the first of its kind, released in 1984. It is notable even now because it showcases some stellar animation from the last generation of animators, and is one of the most recogniseable achievements of the famous Yoshinori Kanada. I became inspired to watch this OVA after seeing a documentary on Kanada which gave me a profound appreciation of his contributions to anime. Sadly, it wasn’t really a success at the time, with critics pointing to its difficult to understand story.

The story centres around the conflict between two types of lifeforms on the fictional planet of Aqualoid: the organics and the inorganics (machines). The inorganics have transformed the planet into a barren wasteland and seem destined to ultimately destroy the universe’s organics life. The hero, Nam, finds a sword, which is actually ‘SHADE’ a mysterious weapon which has the power to fight the organics. The sword is sort after by the organics on the planet, which puts Nam and his friends, including Rasa, the heroine, and Bao, an greedy and eccentric treasure hunter, in battle with their robotic enemies.

It might sound fairly straight-forward, but you won’t pick much of that up by simply watching, and the end is enough to befuddle even the most seasoned abstract thinker. The story isn’t very engaging, and the characters are given little chance to break out of their shell, which would install and aura of dullness were it not for the excellent animation. Although it was directed by Shinya Sadamitsu (who takes responsibility for the way it turned out), it is in many ways a work of Yoshinori Kanada, one of the most influential and beloved animators in anime’s history.

Yoshinori Kanada was born in 1952 and sadly, died at age 57 of a myocardial infarction in 2009. As a boy, he was touched by Hayao Miyazaki’s key animation in the 1969 movie, Sora Tobu Yureisen (who he ended up working with at Ghibli on the film, Nausicaa), and was inspired to become an animator. During his long and prominent career he never directed anything. Instead, he made a name for himself by the freedom of his animation – he was known for deviating significantly from storyboards and putting his own spin on his cuts. His successes opened up the anime industry (particularly in the sphere of TV-anime) to the idea of allowing key animators to impress their own particular style into their work. It is this individual freedom that is a major distinction between much Western animation and Japanese animation, and, I believe is why anime remains such a fascinating and vibrant medium. His freedom allowed him to pioneer a range of distinctive styles and techniques that challenged and invigorated anime. He was known for his cool, exaggerated action poses, inventive perspectives, varying the key-frame rate to exemplify a lot of motion without using too many drawings, impressive explosion/fire and lighting in his drawings, and a range of other approaches. All of these things describe ‘Kanada-style animation’, which is still kept alive today by admiring animators such as Hiroyuki Imaishi. Imaishi’s popular anime, Gurren Lagann was largely a passionate homage to Kanada’s works and style. Yoshinori Kanada’s influence is unquestionable, and his challenging and creative spirit lives on in new generations of animators! His list of works is large, but Birth is one of his most famous projects.

Director, Shinya Sadamitsu (Left) and Yoshinori Kanada (Right) working on BIRTH. Kanada is wearing his trademark sunglasses, which he wore even when drawing, at least until he worked for Hayao Miyazaki on Nausica!

Yoshinori Kanada was credited with character designs for Birth (most notably, the character design of Rasa, the lead female, who is reportedly based on his wife), and animation director (as well as being one of the main animators, of course). Birth is well known for being among the first OVAs (Original Video Animations), that is, animation works released straight to home video. As such, it sets a high standard! While the plot is somewhat lacking and it often feels quite dry, Birth is first and foremost an action anime. With a few interesting science-fiction ideas dotted throughout, Birth can basically be described as one long chase scene. But the various legs of this chase scene are rendered utterly stunning by the jaw-dropping animation, which is at times outlandish, often humorous, and always impressive! This OVA instantly struck me as the kind of project fueled by the desire of a group of animators to challenge themselves and have fun. The camera perspective usually has a life of its own, constantly twirling and panning to generate some exciting sequences that show off some very difficult animation. During these parts, the rocky backdrop of the planet becomes a part of the animation, to breathtaking effect. Different scenes handled by different animators seem to have their own signature, but they are united by a crazy sense of choreography (and Kanada’s animation direction!). Whether it’s a jeep driving along a vertical cliff-face or Nam navigating the debris of a collapsing highway on a motorbike, there’s an edge of comical awe to the chase scenes. I’ve written more on the animation further down.

Design drawings by Kanada.

If you’re not a fan of animation (you should be!), then this OVA admittedly doesn’t have a whole lot more going for it. The plot does feel very thin and vague (although it isn’t really confusing, as some claim), and the characters don’t have much time to express themselves as more than caricatures between the endless scrambling for survival. There’s no real drama, and if there is an overarching theme to Birth it is difficult to grasp. Although I admit to finding the final moments quite profound, thanks to some haunting imagery and sound. Birth does have a good sense of humour, both in its visuals and its dialogue, and there’s a touch of smirk-worthy innuendo. And the action scenes are unequivocally a lot of fun. I discovered this OVA out of a newfound appreciation of Yoshinori Kanada, but I found that Birth had plenty going for it, even if you don’t care about the creative side of it. It’s a solid action-adventure bolstered by its fun approach.

The bishoujo lead, Rasa is reportedly based on Kanada's wife, and they were just married at the time.

The animation was largely handled by Kanada and a small list of ‘main animators’. As it received an English release, the animation credits are listed on Anime News Network here (but, as usual, don’t assume the staff credits for these people to be at all complete). You might notice Hideaki Anno’s name in there. Although he wasn’t a main animator, it’s still cool to know he was involved in a Kanada project at this stage (he would have been 24 at the time!). Kanada is the animation director, which means he was responsible for correcting other animator’s drawings to keep them on-model (particularly for Rasa, I bet!). Some examples of the key animation are given below. I didn’t clip these scenes because they’re my favourite pieces of animation featured (they’re not), but the animators behind them have been confirmed.

 
Yoshinori Kanada (金田　伊功):

He also contributed several other key scenes.

 
Tamura Hideki (田村　英樹):

 
Kouzuma Shinsaku (上妻　晋作):

Also did the chase scene in the underground city.

 

The thing that really struck me after watching Birth was that the visceral qualities of animation haven’t fundamentally changed over the years. Of course, this is well before the use of ‘digital animation’ (as opposed to filming physical cels) and painting, which have dramatically changed the playing field. But by 1984 the techniques and talent that made good animation then are not far away from those that make good animation now. And Birth is dripping with it! This is a great example of the power of the OVA, which would become the format of choice for anime for the next 2 decades, and also a genuinely impressive example of animation in the 80s. Yoshinori Kanada’s influences are striking and, despite its shortcomings, this OVA stands as a testament to his abilities.

Star Driver Episode 8

When I'm through with you, you'll be a galactic cripple!

Ratings

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MOE: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪
ERO: ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪
GAR: ⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
LOL: ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪

---

 

I’ve officially given up trying to understand Star Driver! Clearly, the writers and I are on two different wavelengths. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it (there’s other limiting factors that could do that). I’m still hanging on to Star Driver because, against the odds, I manage to enjoy it week by week. Some of the characterisation is too weird to appreciate, but I do like some of them. On top of the impromptu departure of our favourite cage-girl, this week revolves around the mounting tension between Sugata and Takuto. I find the Takuto-Sugata-Wako relationship dynamic to be one of the best elements of the show, so I was right there this episode! Sugata and Takuto’s testosterone-fueled clash is eventually projected into full-scale mecha combat, when the pink-haired loli misguidedly attempts to put Sugata in a mecha and wield him like a puppet. Sugata, being the magnificent bastard that he is, takes control of the situation himself and he and Takuto go at it until they’ve got it out of their system!

To Aru Majutsu no Index Episode 7

Deepfriends (but not the kind of deep Kuroneko often wants)

Ratings

---

MOE: ◾◾◽◽◽
ERO: ◾◽◽◽◽
GAR: ◾◾◾◽◽
LOL: ◾◽◽◽◽

---

 

This was a powerful and exciting conclusion to what has been a thrilling arc from start to finish, and that’s something I don’t get to say about Index very often! But this second season has been on a roll so far. The previous arc was one of the anime’s strongest, but this arc took it even further! Despite the fact that it’s only two episodes, I actually would call this the strongest arc to come out of Index so far. The 2 episode time-limit made this a fast-paced, action-packed ride, but that didn’t detract from its strong story and intense characterisation. Being a science-side story, it was bound to be more interesting, but the fact that it built on from the Imouto arc of last season meant that the brief plot had a lot more weight. The characters all have a tangible backstory when it comes to the Tree Diagram and the experiments with Accelerator, especially Misaka! But, although it included Accelerator, Last Order, the Imouto-tachi, as well as a fascinating new character, it was interesting that this arc was mainly about Kuroko! Compared with the Railgun manga, she’s been criminally underdeveloped in the anime series, so this episode finally explores her brave, selfless, and righteous side! She’s not JUST a pervert. But she sure does have to suffer for her character development doesn’t she? I don’t think any Index character has been as beaten and maimed as Kuroko was in the last two episodes. For a 14 year-old she has a remarkable tolerance for pain!