Anime Geography: Ferris wheel in the sky, keep on turning

While the hot springs and the beach are more well-known destinations for anime filler episodes, the amusement park is one of the harem / romance genre's best kept secrets; at least, by 'best kept' I mean you don't see a lot of other shows at theme parks (next on Kaiji: Restricted Whack-a-Mole).

However, despite being built around fun, amusement, cheap montages, and general lightheartedness, theme parks in anime are actually quite intriguing places to be; for some reason, they always show up at Plot O' Clock (i.e. late) in the storyline. In fact, sometimes entire stories take place there (note that I have not actually played Ever17 yet).

Part of this can be attested to an entertaining, occasionally ironic contrast between a jovial, carefree atmosphere and a deeper conflict or drama between characters. Said tension is usually romantic, especially since amusement parks seem to be the Place to Go on dates in anime.

And the ace in the hole for said amusement park dates is the Ferris wheel. Quite possible the slowest moving vehicle since Aria (not an insult!), the Ferris wheel is a nice, relaxing ride for little children, sightseers, and if Completely Realistic Fiction is anything to go by, people who are long overdue for a confession.

Simply put the Ferris wheel offers the best - and worst - aspects of the genre shows, in that it's an easy way to build romantic tension between characters by shutting them in a sealed environment with no escape, and that it's equally easy to break said tension at the most critical moment when the ride ends.

And so seeing the amusement park trope used again and again in shows is something that brings a sort of hushed anticipation to me, in that while a few incredibly interesting things have happened, there have been equal amounts of predictable, cop-out tripe of the "failed confession version #494" variety.

Perhaps this whole post is representative of the Amusement Park Episode concept; I hope for it to raise a few eyebrows and crack a few smiles, but in the end it's still mostly filler. That said, let's commence plot advancement and take a look at some of the reasons I think the Ferris wheel is one of the more noteworthy places to be...

(Featuring spoiler-related stuff regards Cardcaptor Sakura, Shuffle, Myself;Yourself, and DNAngel - yes, that manga - so move cautiously)

Cardcaptor Sakura (Movie 2: The Sealed Card)
Once again everyone's most loved magical girl show comes to the rescue, as the series's final moments featured not one but two Ferris wheel moments.

This time it was Sakura's turn to play the role of the incredibly nervous romantic person - although not before a heart-wrenchingly-adorable blush over Tomoyo's typically unsubtle role of matchmaker ("I'll ride with Meilin, Sakura, you go with Syaoran"). In this regard Sakura does everything you've ever seen before, except cute, by spending just enough time stammering so that when she works up enough resolve to confess, plot intervenes.

But the real reason I bring up this movie is for one of its most adrenaline-inducing scenes near the end, where the quickly-dwindling group fights through the deserted theme park (one of my favorite settings: the strangely desolate place). Syaoran takes lead stage in a rocking battle as he battles the sealed card on top of the Ferris wheel, leaping from carriage to carriage in something that feels in place in a Bond movie.

Perhaps Sakura-colored-glasses kicking in again, but it's really a memorable scene, if only because we don't get enough guitar-backed manly fight scenes in magical girl anime (I still listen to that tune today), as well as the fact that it's the penultimate battle leading up to Sakura's emotional final confrontation.

Not to mention, the fact that neither time did we actually go the full way around the Ferris wheel.

Shakugan no Shana II 07
This one you've seen before and will see again, in all likelihood, but you've got to give a hand to Ike for trying and failing in a completely different manner.

Ike, the side character who wants a piece of the main relationship pie, turned out to be a meticulously planning character who set up the group's Day Out with Hecate Konoe with the full intentions of getting his relationship story with Yoshida into gear with a confession on the Ferris wheel.

Predictably, it all fell to pieces long before then and Ike was just beginning to put things back together when his master plan was failed not by shyness, but by motion sickness, for once.

In the end, like a lot of the early Shana II "plot" it's something we've seen before, yet is still unexpected for one reason or the other. Certainly I've got a new level of sympathy for Ike, if only because of his intriguing Overly Planning Glasses Guy side.

DNAngel (manga) Volume 11
Somehow Ferris wheels never seem to go well. Risa, finally on a dream date with Dark (or is that the other way around? It's been a while), manages to get kidnapped by some new all-encompassing villain character.

You thought Ferris wheels were safe? You've never been on one in anime.

Myself; Yourself 09
One of the things that inspired this post, naturally, and another double-part Ferris wheel adventure.

While it may have been a bit strange how the show made the quick transition from Sad Nanaka Plot Time to...uh...Animenger and the amusement park segment, it proved as always that Myself;Yourself has the power to make quite ordinary things come together quite well.

And in that regard while we had the typical pairings of lead couple in one car and the rest in the other, we still got an interesting focus on both of them, and both rides defied, at least, the bare-bones cliches of the amusement park.

Nanaka and Sana definitely have had some underlying issues between them for almost the entire show, and their ride together managed to advance their plot in a relatively non-tacky, workable way. Nanaka played her part with the apology we were waiting an episode for, while Sana proved to be a rather classy guy with his subtle but very appropriate almost-a-confession line of "we'll always be together from now on."

Meanwhile in the other car(s) we got some great camera work as Shuri's guard began to drop right in front of Asami's eyes (while Aoi and Hinako are busy playing sadly irrelevant side characters). The closed space, so to speak, that was afforded to the Wakatsuki twins really allowed their family plot to show more hints at upcoming development (especially with the facade Shuri puts up for her friends), and hopefully will allow for Asami's plot to be tied into all this as well. Cheers all around.

Shuffle! 18
One of the most predictable rides turns out to be one of the most awe-inspiring ones, if only because of the circumstances surrounding this one.

Like many others, the entire theme park episode was a Set-Up Date for the purposes of putting together the main couple. And like many other rides, the Ferris wheel was meant as a confession vehicle. And like many other shows, the plan falls to pieces.

But very rarely have we seen the plan be physically smashed to pieces by the girl on the other side. After seeing Rin fail at saying what even to her is are obvious (enhanced by a subtle map reading "Confess to her at the Ferris wheel!") words, despite her best encouragment, Asa tears him and his very-poorly-disguised friends a new one as she shows the world that yeah, there are some characters out there who aren't content with episode upon episode of stammering and blushing.

It's really a powerful scene, especially since it's one that's completely unexpected. Shuffle!, to me, is a great example of a harem/VN show that isn't afraid to do things differently; it blended plot and fanservice, it pioneered, before all this boat stuff, the epic character conflict and the yandere, and it wasn't afraid to throw some relationship twists as well. And this episode is just one that proves it, showcasing Asa's unique personality and strong backbone.

Five examples of, at least, mildly innovative implementations of one of anime's fallback locations, one that a lot of shows couldn't do wrong without, if at least for a little bit of impetus to the story. What of the possibilities?

Kanon: Sad girls in theme parks; watch insurance companies go broke as the main cast of girls collects millions off of claims of crippling injuries, terminal illness, and spontaneous metamorphoses into foxes on a day where nothing in the theme park works in the way it should.

School Days: Two paths here - 1) Makoto's adventure to do it with girls on as many rides as possible, or 2) The rest of the cast's adventure to bloody as many rides as possible.

The Theme Park of Haruhi Suzumiya: Which is most amusing - Kyon and tsundere Haruhi in Ferris-wheel-space, Mikuru on the tea cups, Ryoko in the haunted house, just about anything involving Nagato, or Itsuki and Kyon in the tunnel of love? There are infinite possibilities...

Lucky Star: "Hey, Tsukasa. Which end of the roller coaster do you ride?"

Tsukihime: Wait, this one actually happened.

Or did it, Tsukihime fans?

-CCY
(THE ANIME IS A LIE)

Well, it got better: First Episode Syndrome

Crank up that meta machine once again...

Something that I've always found kind of strange in anime fandom is the popularity of the phrase "Well, I didn't like the first episode, but I'll give it a few more shots."

As one who says too many good things about anime, it's not that it worries me that people are torturing themselves with anime they simply don't like - yet, one might potentially say, but rather...

Why can't they just make first episodes good for once?

Because the industry is crashing and burning, that's why.

Of course, the factor may not lie with the episodes themselves - since it would be illogical for a studio to put out a subpar-quality episode when it counts the most to reining in viewers - but with us, the audience.

Because we might just not care that much.

Why is it that first episodes never click? You probably think you know the answer - and you might just be right! It's not a hard topic, but there are quite a few valid explanations, and as always no stone of the anime metagame will remain unturned.

But what can you do about it, if you're tired of apologizing after shows, wondering why life never gets better - at least until a few hours of watching down the line?

Can we really do anything at all?

At least in my experience, there are some ways to be pleasantly surprised by new shows for once...

(Oh, and regarding the strike-through'd links, those are some of the articles that I felt stood out on the latest Oh God Anime is Dying debate; and as sarcastic as that sounds, it's not an issue to be ignored. At this point there is not left for me to say that has not been done elsewhere, so please give these people your attention.)

First off, that part about first episodes being produced with top-notch quality might be a bit of a lie. Certainly it's going to be one of the better-looking episodes in the series - especially for low-budget studios with marked decrease in quality as time passes - but in terms of content, the first episode, or even the first few episodes, can be less than overwhelming.

This is because, simple, you have to walk before you run, especially in fiction.

While a few shows have managed to pull of in medias res openings well, it's something that can very easily lead to confusion and a feeling of disjuncture with the show, and so most shows start in the normal place: the beginning. And the beginning is typically a boring place to be, yet one that's necessary.

It'd be great to begin with some of the more exciting parts of the series - to skip straight to School Days's boat-fest, Wangan Midnight's car races, or Shana's action/slap fights. But really, Getting to the Point in anime isn't what it's cracked up to be. It's the lead up to the climax that really makes things.

We need to get to know the characters, get to build-up the plot, get to have time to get settled and have our seatbelts buckled before the ride starts. While it's certainly emotional and in a regard awe-inspiring to see a character emotionally break down (or physically break down another character) it just won't have the same impact if there is no connection, no sympathy with the character.

And this leads to the above point that it's partially the viewer's fault - starting a new show is the two-dimensional equivalent of transferring to a new school (something not uncommon in the show itself). You don't know the people, the environment, or the scenario. It takes a lot of adjusting.

It's hard to get along with people when you don't know them, and it's hard to really like an anime that you don't know. Perhaps love at first sight comes easier for some people, but for most of us it's more sensible to be wary of all new shows, given the large amount of content out there and the limited amount of time available to watch it all.

The phrase 'win one's trust' comes to mind. An interesting plot twist here, a moe character there, each person has their weakness - not to shine a negative light on said spot - and if an anime can click with a person then it's going to be smooth sailing from there on out. Until then, however, there's that lag as the gears of anime try to match up with the viewer.

It's kind of a moot point then to try to actively like a show off the bat, as unless the animation studio is daring and tries to put something surprising in the first episode (and not just the stereotypical Plot Twist No One Saw Coming...except the viewer), there's not much to be truly interested in in the first episode aside from slight promises for the future.

So, why not try the opposite?

The shows that have surprised me the most have been the ones that I didn't see coming; the ones that I chose to watch based solely on recommendation.

Hype is a dangerous thing, in that building oneself up for a show can lead to some serious letdowns: look at the nearly-decimated fandom of Shana II, for example. Even if a show turns out to be good, setting high standards for it leaves a bar that's tough to top. You end up getting that sense of disillusionment, of "yeah, it was good, but it could've been better" or "is that all?".

It's a feeling that's equally possible at the end of a show than at a beginning, but getting caught in a show's web (in an enjoyable way) is more important early in an anime's life than in the later stage. But, not so early to build unrealistic hopes about the show before it's even started, mind you.

Anyways, I prefer to fly into a show blind. It's even better if I hate the idea. Just like every anti-villain out there, I put up a hard exterior to a show to hide a soft interior. Hating a show from the start only leads to more enjoyment once your misconceptions are shattered.

And if it really does turn out to be junk, hey! You were right.

I mean, take for example, Kaiji. The characters are ugly, the noses could punch holes in the wall and there's not a single drop of moe in the blend.

Such a shame that it turned out to be an engaging, thrilling mind-game show full of twists and overall gar then, no?

Perhaps it's because it goes hand-in-hand with my "oh what the heck, I'll give it a shot" attitude, but going into a show with no expectations really does wonders for making a show be a lot more entertaining.

It's like watching a show which you've already seen or spoiled: as much as you can anticipate the good scenes and interesting parts, the experience almost never matches up to when you see it for the first time. Seeing something with no preset mindset allows the show to fill in the blank slate as it wants rather than trampling over your current outline for the show.

So try 'tsun-ing' (sorry, I make the Japanese language cry) towards a show sometimes; attempt to hate it, so that you can love it that much more.

Because, somehow, even if the first episode doesn't strike any chords, as it always seems to do, there always seems to be something good in the middle or at the end.

-CCY
(And if you don't get the title joke, go slap yourself with a wet trout.)

Breaking a Few Eggs: Shugo Chara 1-3

Shugo Chara is a "pure" magical girl show that's receiving a lot of praise across the English anime blogging community, which either means that most bloggers are eight-year-old girls, that they're still embracing their inner child, or that this show has more merit than a first glance would show.

So I gave Shugo Chara a try and I ended up waking up in a gutter the next morning with half my teeth missing. It was just that sugary.

Granted there were a lot of appealing aspects that looked like they could be turned into something good, but the rest of the show was so drowned in Bishie Catguys, LOL Fangirls, and Hay Guys English is Cool abuse, that I didn't see them being able to overcome the flaws.

Remember, coming from a guy who liked Cardcaptor Sakura and Nanatsuiro Drops.

Naturally, however, since (with very few exceptions) first episodes never click with me I forged on with Shugo Chara into the second and third episodes and found things improved - or at least changed - to an extent.

And my quick judgment would be that Shugo Chara is a passable show that's worth trying, especially if you - and even if you don't - have the fortitude to stand more pink than a barrel full of Kirbies.


"What do you want with my eggs?"


Well, first off, one begins to wonder what exactly the target audience is; sometimes Shugo Chara goes into lapses of Moetan, at least to dirty-minded members-of-teh-interwebs like me. It's certainly strange, considering that a large part of the cast, and the audience, are probably elementary schoolers, but I suppose that these moments are innocent seeming and played straight enough (on the relative scale of anime) to be ignored.

And the story that these moments bring is welcome, actually; Ikuto, despite being fangirl bait - complete with a cat-ears transformation~nya - looks to be a good type of "antagonist". While some shows like this paint it very black-and-white (i.e. Me Good, You Bad), a large number of them have refreshingly human anti-villians.

Y'know how it is: they're not evil, just misunderstood. They just want to be loved. And while on paper it sounds tacky it's not something I wholly dislike; having two sides to every story is something that can really add depth to an anime.

As such Ikuto's pent-up romantic tension combined with his casual and cool demeanor doesn't make him too horrible a character, but rather one I'd like to see more of, even if he does go around licking eggs.

Amu, the incredible pink heroine, is very much the same way, and I have a feeling seeing the parallels being drawn between characters in Shugo Chara will be one of its strongest aspects. Amu is your typical young girl conflicted between her true personality and the face she wants to put on for the world; being romantic, friendly, or arguably anything short of Eriko Futami is something that she "doesn't" want to be.

Naturally of course she has these inner urges to be romantic, and friendly, and everything, but since her classmates seem so attracted to her "cool and spicy" personality there's not much she can do.

This is where the "Guardian Chara" come in, incredibly chibi figments of her imaginary, not limited by (imaginary) social constraints self. They each fit in with a different personality - or a different trait or something (there's cooking, drawing, and athletics). They have the power to change Amu's personality on a whim, which results in much moments where Amu will suddenly become a different person and say something completely shocking (we got a confession in the first episode, oh yes we did~) before turning back straight into tsundere mode.

Tsundere mode Amu isn't too grating either, due to the fact that she is not completely baited by random pictures and info of her loved one. Overall Amu's character, as tacky and cliched as it probably sounds, is still one that a lot of people could relate with - any shy person who's ever wanted to stand out, any stand-out person who just wants to fly under the radar, anyone who wants to be someone they're not but can't, will find a lot to like in Shugo Chara.

The downside of this all, however, is that being a show aimed at ten-year-old girls with a message like the above, Shugo Chara isn't very subtle and almost seems like it's beating you over the head with the "just be yourself!" attitude.

I mentioned it in a comment once, in that while Cardcaptor Sakura projects more of a feel-good, warm mood that happens to maybe have an underlying meaning ("zettai daijoubu!"), Shugo Chara has this moralistic feel to it. This might be because we have little chibi things squeaking out the show's message, or maybe it's because of the whole theme of 'eggs' and 'X eggs' and 'never give up in your dreams' that rubbed me the wrong way.

After the third episode this issue doesn't seem as bad as originally percieved, but I still feel that it has a little work to do in that department.

Some other aspects give off a strange feel as well, like the school fangirl power of "Amu can do no wrong! Teeheehee!", but maybe that's just because I am limited by said social constraints of "pink is Not Manly, thus it is bad."

So maybe that just means critics like me should need this show the most.

I fully plan to continue with Shugo Chara but perhaps with a bit more subdued enjoyment than those singing the praises for this show. This show could swing one way or the other at the moment, it remains to be seen whether it will remain interesting for those looking for something different and mature in a magical girl anime.

And by that, I don't mean all the dirty egg jokes.
-CCY
(No, not getting the OP stuck in my head. Ever. Nuh-uh. I won't accept it. Not going to hop step jump~ Gaaaaah!)

Being on the Frontlines of Anime

The 2007 fall season of anime is something that has been discussed and, naturally, will continue to be discussed for quite a while. In fact, that's exactly the rather broad topic for another post rush by the Anime Blogging Collective (every word is a separate link, so please click and enjoy accordingly); the autumn 2007 season.

Now having already debated to the end of a story arc and back what shows merit attention this season (undoubtedly the answer, if you ask the right person, is all of them), it's time to look behind the scenes as always in classic meta-fashion.

Being relatively new to the anime scene (having laid low until about March or April of this year), being on the cutting edge of anime is something that I'm experiencing for the first time.

While in the past I could survive solely on old shows of great merit (and sometimes of great length), or on shows of the season past, having finally caught up with most of the shows of the past I depend to a large degree now on the latest releases from the fall season, with only two or three 'retro' or 'rewatch' shows completing the list.

It's certainly a different ballgame to be watching anime 'live' per se, rather that catching up with seasons past. In a sort of meta way, the experience one derives from both is rather different.


Variety is probably one of the leading reasons that staying on the bleeding edge is different. When watching shows from long (or just a few months) ago one can specialize to a large degree in one show. A few days of downloading and whole series can be at your fingertips.

As such, I spent at least one month almost solely watching Da Capo, a harem series that spans 52 episodes over two seasons (and continues to add to the total). With a viewing schedule that averages one to two episodes a night, if something grabs my attention I begin to almost live and breathe a single series for weeks on end.

And for apologetics, since 'seeing if it gets better' is as valid a reason as 'it's a good show' to watch things, that's not uncommon.

Conversely, if you watch shows week-by-week, it's virtually impossible to marathon it. Maybe if you get into a season late you can speedrun the first quarter or half to get up to date but eventually you reach a point where there simply is nothing left to watch.

This does a number of things, first the forementioned increasing of diversity of anime watching. If you're structured like me and watch at least one episode every night, that's 7 different shows to balance, maybe more, instead of seven episodes of one show.

As such I am 'forced' in a sense to find new shows to replace the ones that I drop or put on hold; I say it in quotes because it's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm a very horrible bandwagoner and when someone else says something good about a show it usually jumps to the download list within days, even if it happens to be something I consider in less-than-great taste or aimed at girls half my age.

Having nearly ten shows (a number many people will scoff at) to watch comes with other predictable pros and cons. If there happens to be a show that doesn't click, it can quickly be forgotten the next day with a new show, or, in extreme cases, replaced altogether. There's enough Different Stuff to keep one awake from day-to-day.

On the flip side, having a different show every day hurts. I don't claim to have the brightest memory and so juggling shows, especially those with less-than-rapid release, can lead to a few dropped balls here and there. Japanese names don't mesh as easily with a white mind, and the frequent amount of plot twists that get thrown in need to be kept track of as well.

Usually this confusion only lasts for a few episodes while I try link names with the character roles / stereotypes; one can reason that this is why many anime color-code their character's hair if only because when they start naming them after flowers with huge, even stranger names (cough) it gets even messier.

This isn't a completely detrimental factor, since as said it can be overcome with time, but it has caused a few casualties this season, like ef, a great show with a little too much SHAFT and ren'ai plot for me to hang on to along with 9 other shows.

Undoubtedly trying to keep up with so many shows allows for a little more competition between them as they fight for attention. One can be more critical of a show if there is something waiting in line to replace it, just like working in real life.

For people like me who are very bad at saying bad things about shows this isn't always the case, but for those with more shows and less time it's a great microcosm of natural selection. The most I ever do, at least, is put off a dissapointing show until the downtime of a later season (winter does seem rather barren...), but this has advantages in itself.

Staying with the current times of anime certainly seems to expose one to a lot more shows than is normally possible, as as much as (that's a messy phrase if I've ever seen one) any one blogger can extoll the virtue of shows from years past there is much more attention given to the new shows in pretty much every case.

Too many older shows are victim to the passage of time - both in fading into obscurity and being a bit too fondly recollected - and so the best way to find new shows to watch, is to watch new shows.

One of the other major changes that watching shows weekly does to you is tension. Simply put, there's a lot of waiting involved.

A lot of waiting.

7 days never seemed so long, and when subbing groups stall it's even harder on you at times. And even when most fansub groups get into a decent schedule where you know what day to expect the release, you've still got that gap in-between raw release and sub release to plug your ears and sing while avoiding all the spoilers from Japanese-literate bloggers.

For people like me who fervently try to remain unspoiled this results in a lot of careful tiptoeing around blogposts, something that's really tough when you really want to read the latest entry by a blogger, but realize you'd have to wait 5 days before it would be safe.

Granted, the same problem exists with old shows but in a different way; while you may not be as actively at risk for spoilers as with the recent crop, more often old show spoilers show up when you least expect it, where bloggers reference interesting happenings of shows past as a sort of in-joke. Anyone who's used the words 'Nice Boat' in the last few months or so - and let me tell you, that's everybody - knows what I mean. Although that reference is a bit less blatant as other ones such as Aeris Dying. (The only one I could reference that everybody already knows.)

But on topic, with week-by-week shows there is a lot more drama build-up involved, personally; perhaps that is the fault of my first 'live' show being School Days of all things, but having to wait a whole week for The Exciting Conclusion really does something.

One would think that the show would fade a bit when idling for seven days but rather if an anime can pull off a good cliffhanger, or at least leave some open storylines, it makes it even stronger. This is due to the largely speculative nature of a lot of bloggers, or people in general, who like to make predictions and pretend that they are right for at least a week.

Myself;Yourself is a good example of this, as despite being a show that largely choreographs its actions, it keeps me interested every week by telling me just enough to give me an idea of where it's going, but not enough to actually connect the dots. For example, Sana's ever-present watch seems obvious enough with the impending plot revelations it would have, but just exactly how it ties into the plot and how it'll affect things really fuels the show, and gives people a lot of things to say about it.

Not to mention, the fact that sometimes, things don't always turn out as expected, something that's infamous from the "Oh, I'm just a normal high school student (that can see lines of death/that's actually in a coma/that can read people's minds/that can emit EM waves/etc)" genre of visual novel adaptations.

To choose watching shows entire series at a time or episode-by-episode with a bunch of other shows would be a tough choice, and arguably one that doesn't necessarily need making.

Being one that argues the middle line seemingly every time, it should be no shock that I alternate frequently between marathoning shows and picking from a smorgasboard. While frequently it's a mix of romance and harem stuff, sometimes I'll take some time on the slow side of the fansub week to catch up on my latest manly fix of Kaiji and Wangan Midnight. And when things pick up it's back to, as it appears, the revolving door of tsunderes (Nanaka, Kyou, Shana, Ami, you count 'em).

But I would reccomend to anyone who's not familiar with the cutting edge of week-by-week anime releases - which, among the highly active anime blogging network, should be very few of you - to give looking into some new shows a shot. It really does wonders for expanding diversity.

-CCY

(diversity pictured)

Thanksfest 2007

A day early but tommorow's off-schedule so the Thanksgiving post is today; it's a bit of a break from the normal Shiori fanboying metaposts in order to give profuse thanks and a bit of recognition to everyone who makes being an anime fan possible.

And that's a lot of people.

I suppose I should start with the fansub groups, the most critical to 'illiterates' like me who can't speak nor write Japanese. Without them we'd have to settle for using the tried-and-true "Mystery Science Theater" method combined with the raws. And as funny as it may be (try it with a Chinese drama sometime) it's not much for actual understanding.

And so, hats off to you, translators.

To a.f.k., the popular group that, despite living up to their name scarily often now, continues to bring us high-quality translations of high-quality anime. I know that their brand name, so to speak, has drawn me to such entertaining slice-of-lives as Lucky Star and Zetsubou Sensei.

To m.3.3.w fansubs, for subbing an equally interesting variety of harem anime with lightning speed and top-notch quality for speedsubs.

To (the) Triad, for subbing all the manly shows that people claim to be 'too pointy' for them. No moe != no fun.

To HG-F, for picking up the slack in subbing Wangan Midnight, and allowing us car-show fanatics to get our vroom on.

To SS-Eclipse, for being just as high-quality as any of the groups out there and twice as willing to sub shows in 4:3 definition (aka yay Clannad fix) and shows that get horribly melon-panned, deserved or not.

To C1, for staying dedicated and subbing Tokimeki Memorial all the way to the end. They go to show that just because subs are slow doesn't mean that they are dead.

To all the anonymous subbers out there for swooping in in the dead of the night and finishing translation for lesser-known or dead series that otherwise might fade into the mist.

A shout-out to nyoro~n fansubs as well; as much criticism as they've taken (valid or not), they deserve a hand for shaping up and continuing on subbing instead of folding under fire like a house of cards.

And of course all the other groups that I can't mention because they sub a different genre of show.

No English Type-Moon fan could go without noting the great efforts put forth by mirror moon and Revolve Translations as well. Collectively these two have translated already nearly everything there is to see in the official Tsukihime universe (from Tsukihime to Kagetsu Tohya to even the Plus-Disc), and I think work is being done on Fate/Stay Night and Melty Blood as we speak. Where would we be today in a world that does not know sad Sacchin or moe Hisui?

And for the Key fans who can't just be satisfied with KyoAni productions, I'd like to thank the people who translated ONE, the first Key-style novel from some of their members, as well as Non-Directional Translations in advance for presumably releasing Kanon before I die. I'll be watching warmly for that. (Yeah, they did a Touhou game too, not to mention the name reference)

Then in the anime blogging universe, there's Maestro for providing a great dedicated, free hosting service - not to mention, an antenna for blogs all over the world - for budding anime bloggers everywhere.

Naturally, the original animators themselves (no studio in particular, either), and the local companies in America who officially bring things stateside are deserving of thanks as well, since they make it all possible for people like us.

Speaking of, ready to get tacky? Each one of you deserves a bit of kudos for keeping the faith up in some way. Whether it be writing or reading a blog, the fan community is always one of the driving factors behind any passion, and the anime one is always one that's very spirited.

Yeah, people don't get along at times, and yeah, sometimes it hurts to read some of the less coherent opinions, but there still are a lot of very interesting bloggers out there, whether it be one who can deliver a strong argumentative essay or one who can write a side-splitting post.

Don't ever forget that Your Voice Counts; just because no one comments on your posts, just because you're not mentioned in every blogroll, doesn't mean that your opinion doesn't matter. It'd be wrong to be deluded the other way either, to think that you have the right to strike it big, the right to be heard by everyone, but rather it's a simple fact that, while you may not get out to a wide range of people, someone out there is probably reading your work. And with the 'ripple in a pond' effect that the blogging community often has, all it takes is time and a little dedication.

And while I'm riding the wave of Shugo Chara-level "you can"-ism, thanks for all the readers of this blog (at least I hope it's a few and not just one person refreshing 100 times) for amusing yourself with the rants and writing practice of an anime fanboy.

So yeah, be thankful for something this weekend; we know you're already thankful for your family, for your job, for your friends, for your great country (political debate about administration notwithstanding) and for everything life has given you; it's the things that seem less 'deserving of thanks' at times that need the most recgonition.

And so if there was one slightly biased message I'd convey with this post, aside from the above, it'd be: give your thanks with your wallet too this holiday season. For some, anime isn't just a
free passion.

Merry Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good dinner. (Wait...)

-CCY

A highly scientific discussion about breasts

To mitigate the massive flood of viewers pounding on that 'read more' button, though, let me stress that today's post is, as always, completely and almost depressingly work-safe and wall-of-text-y.

Fanservice is one of those issues in anime that is nearly completely polarizing; the middle ground is very barren, with most people lying in the "I'd hit it" or the "Get it away from me" camps.

Perhaps because the issue is shoved down our throats so much that it's one of those things that's impossible to ignore, especially with sexuality being at the forefront of endless American discussions.

The training of most people to be averse to anything resembling human flesh leads to much beating of dead horses, at times, with 'concerned parents' and nameless grey-haired lawyers jumping on half-a-second long flashes of nudity on TV and poorly rendered sexual acts hidden away on some game disc. But on the internet, with the ability to be anonymous, the split between the two groups, in favor and opposition of fanservice, is quite more evenly split.

At this point it would be easy to take one position as a high ground and condemn such blatant fanservice as mind-warping and demeaning to women and generally fire and brimstone stuff. And as much of that belief that I share, it's still in a sense wrong to lock out and stereotype completely those who perhaps are a bit looser in belief and a bit more enjoying of the female form.

Certainly there could be arguments formed for fanservice, valid ones. Not everyone who enjoys a bit of fanservice is a lifeless nerd hidden in a basement somewhere. For some it could be another form a physical comedy; something simple, easily digestible, and relaxing. Or the counterargument by being so uptight about the matter, naysayers of fanservice or sexuality in general are making the matter worse. Even that focusing on one kind of fanservice is unfair; while 'boing boing' fanservice is the most common type, remember the definition of the word fanservice: there could be straight moe fanservice, in-joke fanservice, technological (mecha / car) fanservice, and so on.

Still, it's likely clear by now that I plan to argue the 'clean' side in saying 'keep the fanservice down, please', and I hope to prove some valid points instead of just coming across as an uptight skin-fearing person.

One thing that's the most grating to me about fanservice as it is today is, as it was mentioned above, the 'in-your-face' aspects of it. When an anime decides to add some boing boing to the mix, it's never in a subtle manner. Maybe if we didn't always have to do a full body pan in slow motion, maybe if we didn't have those 'comical sound effects', maybe if we didn't use a low angle shot whenever someone falls down, fanservice would be more tolerable.

But the way fanservice conducts itself is pretty much the antithesis of subtle; it's an elephant that trumpets itself whenever it's in the room. It's essentially equivalent to why some malign Key shows as having "cry now" moments, except here instead of crying you're supposed to get horny, or whatever.

This same aspect begins to kill the believability of the show a bit as well. Now anime has never been a realistic kind of fiction, but I enjoy a show that I can connect to much more than something random. And usually along with fanservice comes blatant breaches of belief; the breaking of the law of gravity (or inertia, or momentum), or the twenty ways to get in a compromising position, which usually snowballs to ridiculous female personalities (in that fanservice characteristic and sane characters are mutually exclusive) and implausible setups.

Perhaps a lot of this is due to the traits that most shows that have fanservice share rather than the actual shots themself. But it boils down to the point that, like the debate, fanservice shows are all or nothing; either they go out and grab fans straight by the crotch, or they turn up their nose at the matter.

Even Shuffle!, a show I've lauded for being something overly fanservicey yet decidedly watchable, was very distinct in saying "OK, this part is plot, and this part is panties. Deal." (The Kaede arc almost blurred the distinction, to be fair.)

To continue the argument chain reaction, this may be such because, as mentioned, the two crowds of fanservice fans and foes aren't on very good terms, and going in half-hearted into the fanservice deal would greatly damage an anime. The whole "You got fanservice in my story; you got story in my fanservice" deal, and all.

But, to make a big grand conclusion of all it, isn't fanservice half-hearted as a whole? To speak logically, it's really one giant tease; nudity, but not quite, intercourse, but not really. Anything that's likely to get aired on television - that is, probably less than R-15 - isn't going to be incredibly risque, the kind of things that fanservice appreciators would enjoy. Fanservice is the short-term, baser equivalent of Code-E every anime you've ever liked that got cut off abruptly at the end with no conclusion.

There may be an argument for 'not going all the way' that's valid, but I don't see it; the fact is that with fanservice getting the focus that it does in anime, it seems almost silly for it to be toned down; it won't stop the people who are against it from complaining, at any rate.

I personally think fanservice would work best as a background element, or at least with less full-screen-flashes and sound effects. Something that would make it more natural is what I'm aiming for; perhaps a delivery similar to the Lucky Star brand parody type of fanservice, something subtle where you don't have to get it or really accept it for the show to move on. Maybe then everyone can live in happy unison.

-CCY
(Kurukuru!)

On the Straight and Narrow: Wangan Midnight 2-5

Wangan Midnight is a car racing anime, and as such will probably elicit groans from the 'distinguished' anime-viewing crowd.

While seeing things go really fast tend to be something that is appealing to a lot of guys, the inherent ridiculousness of shows like Initial D, where cars are never pointed the same direction as the road and where people cruise around in 1st until they dramatically shift into 6th and blow people off the road (note: probably a dramatization), turns off a lot of people who perhaps would like real racing over some variant of the shonen-variety Underdog Hero Wins Again (except with cars).

And as much as I'm setting Wangan Midnight up to be something incredibly and completely different that blows people away, I won't lie in saying that if you don't like car shows, you are not going to like Wangan Midnight.

It still features an old 80's vaguely-sporty-car blowing away things with twice the horsepower, it still features ugly animation and awesome CG, and it still contains quite a few Racing Show cliches.

But it's a show of a largely different breed than Initial D, taking to the streets rather than the mountain passes, and it's in a way a show that could be considered a little more high-brow than Initial D. In that regard it's been a pleasing diversion from the usual mix of harem, romance and comedy, and I'm proud to report that I can still watch Manly (i.e. sports/action) Shows without having my head implode.

Wangan Midnight is something that's gotten next-to-no coverage outside of Moe Moe Rabu and the thread on AnimeSuki, so for the uninitiated, WM is a show about some guy Akio Asakura and his drives with a scrapped Fairlady Z he found in a junkyard. Additional 'rivals' that have been introduced include Tatsuya Shima, the calculating doctor who drives a Porcshe, Reina Akikawa, a model who's smitten with cars and her GT-R, and her photographer who's a classy guy driving, of all things, a Ferrari Testarossa.

Other token characters show up such as the Losers Who Lose, Akio's Friend, Akio's Other Friend, Akio's Teacher Who Has A Strange Interest in Him His Car, and a few likely important mechanics such as Jun Kitami, a legendary and infamous "tuner from hell". There are probably more to come, given the numerous amount of rivals in the popular Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune arcade game (like the hilarious Gatchan) as well.

What's surprising about these characters and the feel of the show in general, is that while Akio is undoubtedly the male lead of sorts, the show doesn't have that "him (and a few friends) vs. the world" feel to it that Initial D had.

Rather, instead of revolving around Akio specifically, the story at this point seems to revolve more around the legend of the "Devil Z" he picked up. Akio happens to be the one that owns and drives it, but we spend as much time following Reina in her quest for knowledge about it, or listening to the backstory of the sister of the previous owner of the Z (who incidentally, has the voice of Matsuri of sola. The sister, not the Z.) or of Kitami, the previous tuner.

The largely disconnected world of Wangan street racing where people are mostly on their own in a quest for the Devil Z takes a bit of the focus away from solely Akio and prevents a wholly unrealistic feel of the anime. It's much more interesting learning about the mysterious backstory of a mystical, almost sentient machine rather than finding out just how the clever driver of the 80's Box beat the world this time.

Which, to be honest, doesn't happen a lot. Another refreshing thing about Wangan Midnight is the actual races themself.

First off is the fact that frequently more than two drivers square off in a race - Tatsuya and Reina are always seeking out the Z, and there are a few no-name hotshots who want a piece of the pie with any of them as well. The challenge of racing with three people are a lot higher, and allows for more exciting action.

As thus, the actual dynamics of the races themselves are quite different. While Initial D is largely planned racing on sparsely populated mountain roads, Wangan Midnight has spontaneous races that occur on the highway, a place always fraught with trucks and slow cars.

While the racing may seem boring and very straight-line-ish, it's similar to the much-maligned NASCAR in that there's a lot more to it than it seems. Yes, it's a lot of going very fast without a lot of turning, but there's a lot of skill involved here as well.

Instead of throwing the car around corners with precision, it's weaving through traffic while staying in control, or pushing the car without breaking it, or maybe just looking for the right time and place to pass. And so while it looks simple to do, there's a lot more thinking going on than just standing on the gas pedal and going fast.

This is evidenced in the fact that the drivers in WM aren't half as 'perfect' as they are in ID. Perhaps that latter statement is a stretch, but the fact is that even the most skilled drivers are prone to messing up big at times - not to mention the skill level of the amateurs and the wannabes.

As such Wangan Midnight has a good feel of being 'on the edge', as cars wobble a lot at high speeds when changing lanes, and it's not unheard of to see a wreck happen. In fact, pretty much everyone has smashed up or damaged their car in some way so far. Akio's planted the Devil Z in a barrier at least twice, Reina's spun two different cars, the classy photographer broke a belt in his car (which also led to a genius scene where he went up to two lovebirds in a car and asked for the girl's panties, which are apparently a good replacement for belts), and two nobodies in a GT-R got in a heavy wreck and nearly took out Akio and his teacher.

And while everyone's been able to walk away so far, the atmosphere of danger where anything can happen certainly seems possible in Wangan Midnight, and gives a level of realism to the characters. Car control is not something they've mastered (given the amount of times someone's broke hard to avoid a truck, swerved, and spun out) and I wouldn't expect them to.

Racing elements aside, Wangan Midnight's music lends a good amount to the atmosphere as well. While I was initially dissapointed by the fact that it wasn't the arcade game's excellent trance soundtrack, I found that the non-intrusive music worked just as well as the blasting Eurobeat of Initial D in getting that tense, high-energy mood down.

My major beef with Wangan Midnight would probably be that, like a lot of shonen anime out there, it suffers from a lack in animation quality. I'm not sure what it is - maybe it's all the money spent in car CG, but Wangan Midnight has that animation feel like it's a show from the 90s or 80s. The harem / visual novel shows I've watched have tended to at least be decent in quality, but for some reason most of the 'guy' shows I pick up are a bit behind the curve. Kaiji may just be a bizarre art style, but sports shows for some reason just aren't with the times.

Makes you wonder what a KyoAni racing show would be like (Lucky Star parody notwithstanding). Yeah, I went there.

It is still at its core a racing show, and as such may be a bit simplistic at times, but the mysterious backstory of the Devil Z and the people surrounding it keeps my interest as Wangan Midnight shapes up to be a refreshing rush of adrenaline injected into a diet of moe.

-CCY

MegaTokyo Wars

Let loose the 500 pound gorillas.

In case you've been in a coma for the last seven years, the name of the game today is Megatokyo, a stunningly popular webcomic that's been published in manga form both stateside and, very soon, abroad in Japan as well.

It's pretty much the only example I can think of reverse importation in the anime/manga genre, where a foreign-made product based on an originally Japanese concept manages to make its way back overseas, (Not to be confused with foreign releases of Japanese products getting reverse imported) and for that Megatokyo and its creator Fred Gallagher deserve at least a few accolades for creating such a smash hit, at least in the American manga scene.

But Megatokyo has also recieved probably as much criticism as praise, and from the feel of things seems like a popular target for more 'discerning' anime/manga people to bash. Like the recent hate-fest for Shana II this comes from many groups, whether it be the newcomer who doesn't understand the hype, or the longtime fan who feels the show has jumped the shark. The reasons are varied, from the largely derived-from-anime-culture feel of the comic and the slow pace to the wish-fulfillment factor and the tangled storyline. No doubt readers are already lining up at their keyboards to complain that I have not mentioned co-creator Rodney Caston in the last paragraph.

Perhaps some of these complaints are valid, perhaps some are just the usual 'it's cool to hate popular things', and perhaps some are from people who aren't exactly the target audience of Megatokyo (i.e. the less geekily informed). But likewise, one can picture the amount of exclamation marks, 'kawaii's, and ^_^ emoticons that equally uninformed fanpeoples have thrown on top of the Megatokyo hype pile.

Like most things, Megatokyo has some excellent aspects and some painful aspects to it, and undoubtedly the million dollar question is which one outweighs the other, but I think if I were to boil it down to one succinct, controversial statement, it would be this:

Megatokyo should not be a webcomic.

Those who can read between the lines can already tell where this is going, and that is not to blast Megatokyo into the depths of hell but rather to contemplate whether it would be better suited for a different medium.

Quite simply Megatokyo is already different from the vast majority of webcomics out there, or at least it has become in its 'second era', and to keep it in it's current form is just clunky. It may be tacky to say that it's restricting its true potential, but somehow I feel I would enjoy Megatokyo more as a solely manga release.

Most webcomics are pretty simple, based mostly on geek in-jokes or simple humor. And that's fine; there have been plenty of enjoyable and successful comics in that regard. Megatokyo, however, stands apart as one of the few that tries to weave a coherent plot with continuity and character development. (The only other one I can think of is Order of the Stick, and that's closer to the tabletop gaming than the anime side of things.)

It's an admirable thing to do as I love a good story almost as much as I love wisecracks about Mario Theft Halo IV but somehow I'm left feeling that it doesn't work on a day-to-day basis, or at least not with a story with a scope like Megatokyo's.

Now I, like many others who will argue on this topic, will claim to be 'a longtime fan of Megatokyo', and I do make an effort to read the comics within a day of release, but still...I don't really get it.

If you told me to summarize what would happen recently, I'd have a very tough time of it. Yes, Piro is busy alternating between angsty and GAR, Largo is busy alternating between geeky, Erika, and GAR, Kimiko wants to get in on the GAR fest as well, while Yuki is busy being a Magical Japanese Schoolgirl and Ping is busy Ping SMASHing things, but the intricacies of the plot are something that's completely and utterly lost on me.

Megatokyo by any standards is a story that qualifies as 'huge', with an amazing amount of characters that make periodid appearances in addition to the main cast. And given the plot style of 'do stuff now, explain later' combined with a couple hundred alternate plot lines, it's hard to follow Megatokyo for what I feel it's truly meant to be: a dramatic work.

It's nice and all reading the comic every day and laughing at the one-liners that frequently show up at the end, but somehow I feel like I should be actually able to understand the plot without having to resort to a scorecard, and having it released in volume format, large chunks at a time, would be more digestible.

This is especially so given the what can only be called 'loose' time schedule of Megatokyo, which frequently misses deadlines, skips days, and posts up random fanart. It's not something that really pains me to the extent that it may others, given that these non-canon comics can still be amusing, but it makes following the main plot just that little bit more confusing.

Maybe block release schedule would be a little too loosely defined for someone as off-schedule as Fred (the old tax return adage of "everything's done on the last night anyway, no matter when it is"), but I enjoy getting things, and that's just not something that Megatokyo is doing a spectacular job at.

Perhaps this is also a fault of the grand scale of Megatokyo. With a heavy emphasis on both action, romance, and the corresponding emotional baggage (plus a dash of geek reference), MT is like a wet dream of Japanese culture at times with the amount of otaku cliches that it uses and abuses. I say 'abuses' because MT isn't just a straight-up control-C/control-V mixture of Kanon, ninja shows, and whatnot. It does enjoy bending the cliches, and it keeps the material fresh enough that it's not the main issue here. (Either that, or I still lap this stuff up.)

It's just that, well, MT tries to do so much, and at the glacial pace at which it moves at times, it's just hard to stick with it. As mentioned above, there are so many plotlines and open threads to follow upon that one has to wonder whether this is brilliant writing / foreshadowing, or just the comic's equivalent of MT's infamous "i'll get to these when I feel like it" pages.

Because after a while trying to juggle all the characters, their crushes, and their magical powers, one has to pray that things are either going to get unified or resolved soon, or else the universe might collapse under the collective weight of all the theories out there.

Megatokyo has opened a lot of interesting elements for sure, but I just wonder if most of us will be alive to see them concluded.

Touching on one of the perhaps more hotly-discussed parts of Megatokyo, the content itself: yes, it's wish fulfillment. But what isn't?

The harem show with one guy and many girls. The action show with giant robots and explosions. The sports show with the little underdog that could. The fanservice show with breasts, breasts, and breasts. They all pander, if not just a little bit, to a different demographic. That's really part of why people watch anime, or view any form of fiction, by definition - to be entertained. Some work on a baser level than others, and some are more subtle, but in the end, we want to see something that interests us.

And for Megatokyo, the slightly fantastical elements, of action, of romance, of magic, are the draw. Yeah, it's a bit blunt at times with mad schoolgirl crushes on foreign guys and chance 'oh look you fell in love with a wildly popular girl who happens to like you' meetings, but remember: Piro is not the whole show. Part of the flip side of being such a huge universe is that there's plenty of storylines, plenty of characters to choose from in Megatokyo, and odds are is that one of them, in either action or story, will be interesting.

Yes, it seems a bit sadistic to say "well, focus on the characters you like and ignore the ones you don't," but in such a tale produced by one "amateur" artist, you can't expect perfection. Megatokyo instead pulls off "very good" a lot at times. Melodrama is left and right, true, and sometimes the "let's blow up Tokyo" elements can even top Clamp's best tower-destroying efforts, but there are quite a few intense scenes that can convey some strong emotions of the characters. The mindgames between the characters, major and minor, are quite interesting at times as Megatokyo does a good job of creating dramatic tension while mixing elements of reality and fantasy.

Although, sometimes I wish said mindgames didn't involve so much raw attitude of the "I'm not listening to you at all so stop messing with my head and tell me where the girl/money/goods are already."

It's likely I am overdramatizing MT's story a bit as quite a bit of it flips between 'gee well I have a stupid crush a girl but I'm really too shy to realize that she likes me too' and 'rar I am macho and impulsive and stupid and will destroy things in the name of love', but if you put a lesser focus on the silly romantic elements (not to be confused with the 'good' romance elements) that makes Megatokyo so popular with the teenage male crowd and take a look at the bigger picture, MT isn't horrible.

It's not entirely memorable in the long term as a lot of the story doesn't stick due to it's raw complexity, but if Megatokyo were taken on its own, in manga form at the bookstore, without all the bias that being an English publication based largely on Japanese material garners, it wouldn't get so hated upon.

Part of the issue is that it's cast largely in that webcomic mold of 'must be funny', and so the drama of it isn't recieved nor works quite as well in its online, once/twice/thrice-a-week form.

The other part is because Megatokyo has undergone such a radical change since the beginning of the series, having originally fit into the 'funny' mold in it's four-panel days before slowly morphing into something completely different. There will be the retro fans who will always see Megatokyo in its old form as something meant for quick laughs, and for them the new style will never work.

So, Megatokyo. Something that may quickly be becoming a whispered name in anime circles as sort of a taboo, low-level read that symbolizes all that is to be hated in overly Japanified anime fans in America. But, really, although I can't call it a shining piece of writing, it's something that I imagine should be enjoyed by more, if only sporadically as some sort of bulk release.

But perhaps I'm viewing things through the rose-colored glasses of anime fandom already...

-CCY

Gaze Into the Crystal Ball... (no, not the one with the stars on it)

It's a bit late to sum up all the anime currently airing for the fall 2007 season, especially considering the fact that I've already written a post evaluating a large amount of them.

So instead it's time for more fluff as I share some biased opinions, some crackpot theories, and maybe even a few valid comments, about what we should expect from some of these shows as they pass their halfway (or quarter) mark. Feel free to share your own as well.

Inspired by the recently released Myself;Yourself (PS2) OP, which in typical fashion dropped plenty of almost-hints about how the teacher is actually important, and that angry Nanaka is angry (and jealous), among other things. Also, that whoever this KAORI singer is (that did the anime OP as well), that she is very awesome.

Place your bets after the jump.

Myself;Yourself
Let's lead off with said title, everyone's favorite Engrish pronoun nightmare, which has proven to be an interesting visual novel (pre-)adaptation that, while light-hearted, has dropped a lot of hints that it's about to be hit by the drama train very shortly. This has prompted some to call this the next School Days, which, although a bit of a stretch, could come scarily close in some regards...
1:1 Nanaka wins. She's the chosen one hands-down, which is obvious in the show and in the promos. The question is how we'll get there; she's proven to be rather warm to Sana after an initial cold spell, but with impending plot coming, things might change.
2:1 Grandma Kaji figures largely into Nanaka's / Asami's plot. Having gotten a few good minutes of 'crazy time' back in episode 5, it's shown that she is very mentally unstable, and could have something to do with the gone-missing bird of the nursing home. There was a good theory going around that she might try to drag Nanaka into her world as well, giving Sana a chance to shine. Asami, who helps at the home a lot, probably will have her story here. With M;Y being 1 cour, they have to hurry.
4:1 Backstory elements to keep an eye on: Nanaka's a likely orphan (lives with uncle) due to her parent's house burning and killing them (flashback of fire). Either of these may be related to the fact that Sana probably tried to cut himself (watch, fear of blood), which may have something to do with what Shuu shouted at Sana in the first episode. Complex. It's something that Aoi / the twins seem to know of, given that they spontaneously go quiet at times.
5:1 Something with clocks. Seriously, the opening is riddled with them. There has to be some theme of 'time' here but I can't figure out how it adds up, as there don't seem to be any astral projections in this bunch...
250:1 Asami wins.
750:1 Aoi wins.
1500:1 Hinako wins. Isn't it sad, non-Nanaka fans? Asami's too much of a 'chance meeting', Aoi's too friendly (and energetic, and racked, and awesome), and Hinako's the token loli. I would give similarly high odds to Shuu ending up with anyone, given that he's not a siscon and that Hinako's slanting toward Sana now. Luckily, this show seems to be more about the ride than the conclusion.

KimiKiss Pure Rouge
Another popular ren'ai conversion, KimiKiss has come under a lot of fire for coming across as more of a show aimed at girls than guys. Still, for fans of romance in general, there has been a lot to like with the triple storylines, each following one of the main character's search for love in high school.
2:1 Kouichi gets with shy girl. C'mon. They're way love-love towards each other in that scared, shy way that only gutless high schoolers could pull off. Still, given that most of us went through that phase at one point or another so it's a coupling that likely will recieve a lot of fan support. This one's probably the couple that's the most locked of the main three.
4:1 Mao ends up with Kai. This one's a bit more of a surprise; we have a childhood friend coming back for a reason other than to hook up with the main guy? No way! But at this point a Mao and Kouichi coupling is an outside bet, although highly in the realm of possible. But they're developing the whole "get Kai out of his cold exterior" thing too far for that to be likely.
6:1 We get some relationship cross-fire. With this many important characters and relationships one would think that there would be some conflict between characters over personal property (people), but two of the three main characters seem pretty much on one track. If there's any conflict, it'll probably be imaginary.
10:1 Kazuki ends up by himself. Kazuki, as the secondary male (although the balance of power is pretty equal), is a bit of question mark and has less of a shot than anyone else, and the fact that he's got the most action early doesn't help his cause. Another 'cold exterior' pairing (with genius girl) would just be redundant, he doesn't seem to have much towards the soccer girl, and so, since he's not a siscon (new catchphrase? sure.), that leaves...nobody. They can't all be winners, kid.
40:1 Mad yuri loving between the frog girls.
500:1 That I ever can manage to watch the OP fully. I saw it once and can't stand the song, for some reason. Lazy animation (visual novel style, with a bunch of stills that move) turns me off as well.

Shakugan no Shana II
One of the most-(melon)-panned shows of the new season, Shana II had a lot to live up to in terms of interesting action/romance hybrids, and failed to deliver on most of it, being a drama-fest that turned many people off. Still, I maintain faith that eventually, this show will improve. Will it be too late for the fanbase?
1:1 Ike loses in the Yoshida battle.
1:1 Yoshida loses in the Yuuji battle.
1:1 Konoe loses in the Not-Being-Hecate battle.
1:1 Shana wins in action battles, of which there will hopefully be more.
1:1 Joint wins in the Oh-God-Shana-II-OP-is-hot battle.
3:1 Yuuji wins in the Shana battle. Like M;Y, Shana isn't exactly meant to be a stumper on what characters will take who home, but the only thing that might stop a full-on relationship from forming between Yuuji and Shana by the end of this show is an open-ended conclusion. This is considering 1) the reset at the beginning of episode one, 2) the fact that the light novels haven't gone that far between the two, and 3) needs more Yoshida fight~!
5:1 Ike drama gets pulled off well. Despite the flop of the jealousy-fest over Konoe (who I presume is dormant Hecate or something), Ike has been proven to be a level-headed character and I have faith it'll be interesting to see how he handles the Yoshida situation; especially considering that he's got to know that she's going after Yuuji.
15:1 People will consider Shana II a 'good' show by the end of the series. A bet that's quickly becoming unprofitable, but I continue to fly the banner of 'it's just a really slow start', despite being one of the newer people to the Shana bandwagon.
20:1 Wilhemina overtakes the Hisui & Kohaku tag-team in the 'most awesome maids' column, or at least passes Yoriko. (No, you have not stumbled upon AoMM.) A bit of a uphill feat, but she's actually a pretty nice side character in a show where the side characters (Margery, side students, etc) have proven to be relatively appealing and, well, sane.
500:1 Odds that whoever the mature green-haired girl seducing Yuuji in the OP will NOT cause drama amongst Shana, Yoshida, and maybe Konoe...again.

Da Capo II
Actually, I still haven't watched this past 3, but given blog reactions:
15:1 Koko. Yoshiyuki. All the way, Chris Berman, etc.; with all the shouts of "hurry up and move on already" that grow louder with each passing episode, I continue to hope that she can hold on in an epic upset for the perennial loser team in harem shows. I know I love me some underdog.
10000:1 Nanaka win. Isn't it sad, Shirakawas?

Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji
An anime different from any other this season in that it features exactly zero females and zero moe. Instead, it's about a gambler down on his luck and some excellent mindgames that have led some (me) to call this the under-the-radar show of the season. Unfortunately, the blogging presence of the show reflects similar levels of under-radar-ness.
2:1 Kaiji wins in the end and escapes with his debt relatively cleared. What do you think this is, Evangelion? (Note: I've never actually seen Eva.)
4:1 Furuhata and Andou backstab Kaiji...again. They've been shown to be very cowardly in the past, and I think with the impending reshuffle, they'll turn tail once they get the chance. I wonder what the scheme behind the reshuffle is, I know Asshole Man has something up his sleeve, but can't determine what.
7:1 Kaiji and co. are forced to buy stars and go further in debt to go to the next round. They may score one or two more stars, but I doubt that they'll be way in the green (gold). Kaiji seems the type of show where the main character digs himself an even deeper hole so they can climb even further back up.
10:1 The last 20 minutes of game 1 will take at least 2 episodes. The first few hours of the game went pretty quick but now it might be time for some Anime Time Compression as Kaiji and co. beg for games or stars. While it may seem that I don't have a lot to say, it's mainly because either 1) I'm confused beyond belief (in a good way) or 2) the action has been relatively choreographed. It's a good mixture of both.

Minami-ke
The one slice-of-life show that's struck it big this season; it features three typically amusing slice-of-life character archetypes (the mature one, the crazy one, and the sarcastic one) that are close enough to reality to be believable, yet far enough away to be funny.
5:1 Minami-ke continues to be a solid, funny show. There's been instances in the past where previously brilliant shows fell a little flat near the end, like Zetsubou Sensei. The mild fanservice set off little alarms of the latter; random hikikomori/teacher yuri may be hot for some, but for me it's distracting. Hopefully Minami-ke will keep away from Haruka's breasts. (Although if Kana can make some funny out of it...)
15:1 Any of the two or three guys romantically involved with the three sisters gets anywhere with them. Slice-of-lives have been infamous for shutting down suitors or even locking guys out entirely, but I hope that Minami-ke will continue to break the norm (considering it even has these aspects) and let one or two of them get their foot in the door.
20:1 Sensei and Ninooooooomiyaaaaa-kuuuuuuunnnn get a Good End. Here's how to do a good repeating gag - the video game adaption was gold.

Clannad
KyoAni's show turns out to be heavy hitter of the season as always, as another Key adaptation leaves many in despair (and amazement) again.
1:1 Nagisa appears to be designated 'ending girl', although why I always mention this and then say "oh, it's not that that counts" is beyond me.
4:3 Dead horse, sorry.
3:1 Fuuko is really Ayu in disguise. I mean, seriously. There's an interesting aspect brought up at the end of episode 6, and I suppose 'sucking-drink-through-nose' is a new moe mode we haven't seen, but she's just not clicking (see previous rant).
4:1 Chance for Kotomi to pull herself out of the same hole. I'm worried about her character, as we haven't seen enough interesting 'intelligent girls' (someone get Kotomi her pair of designated 'smart girl megane', alternatively) in anime recently. I'm all for the smart time, and I only hope that Kotomi doesn't end up being as socially braindead as she first came across as.
4:1 Tomoya's father plays a key role later, perhaps in Nagisa's plot. Yeah, the whole "omg I haet you dad" thing was a bit melodramatic, but real family interaction (beyond the usual "parents are awesome, make funny jam, etc" deal) is another thing that files under the "sorely lacking" column...and in anime too! Kidding, kidding. Seeing more development between the male Okazaki's, and maybe of Nagisa's parents as well, would be nice.
6:1 Dream world is related to Nagisa or possible stillborn sister of Nagisa (wild stab). Where'd it go recently? We've sure been focusing on Fuuko's plot a lot lately. This supernatural aspect is one of the more unrealistic parts of Clannad, yet one I want to learn more about.
10:1 Tomoyo hit counter tops 10,000 by the end of the series. It's been two whole episodes without the hit counter. Seeing Sunohara get beat up is one of the best parts of the show. (OK, seeing what he does to get beat up is the good part.) Tomoyo's plot as a whole is still curious - we have her wanting to be accepted as a girl and not a running gag. She has potential.
15:1 Bad Stuff happens to one of the Furukawa parents. I got a minor spoiler that one of the characters is going to bite it, and since then the paranoia meter has been off the charts. I apologize if this is a spoiler to you as well, but it's the kind of spoiler that makes the show more interesting, I believe, since there are no details. Back on topic, it seems that perhaps there needs to be something to test Nagisa's family relations as well. I'm not sure if Fuuko qualifies under this category or not, so I'm just expecting something tragic to happen to one of the main characters. It IS Key after all.
50:1 Twin maids Ryou and Kyou make a dent into the 'most appealing maids' column (Last maid reference, I swear, officer.). Funnily enough that cafe scene in episode 6 really smacked of Tsukasa / Kagami instead of Hisui / Kohaku. I still maintain right to hail Ryou as the next Shiori and Tsukasa hybrid of awesome. She makes a good foil to Tomoya's jokes, at least.
200:1 We figure out why Kyou has a pig and why it says 'Puhi' instead of 'Oink' or something resembling it.
300:1 Mother Furukawa defeats TokiMemo's Bread Lady in a battle to the death of hilarious characters in anime who sells bread. Sorry, but the fact that you can get military-grade weaponry from the latter will seal the loss for the rice-cracker-bread alliance.
Google:1 SUNOHARA ENDING for the lulz.

-CCY

Screw lame dubs, here's the real heart of the cards

Although, somehow I feel that I am tarnishing the reputation of Cardcaptor Sakura just be alluding to it in the same sentence as a obscurely-ruled, spiky-haired, localization-mauled card game show.

Or at least, I cannot as fondly recall my two years spent watching Americanized Yu-Gi-Oh, which has a comparative lack of hanyaa~n.

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of those strange enigmas of a show, in that unlike Haruhi, Azumanga, Kanon, or any other show widely considered by many people to be 'good', it lacks the haters, the anti-crowd that troll on a show simply because it's popular, or because it's unrealistic, flat, 2D, overly moe, unfunny, or whatever.

Doubly strange when you consider that in the scheme of things, Cardcaptor Sakura is a 'low-level' show, in that many American anime fans can recgonize and go into obsessive mode over just like any hyperactive love interest worth their salt. As with most Clamp titles, it's as good a brand name at times as any of the shonen shows like Naruto or Bleach, or maybe even other romance-style supernaturals like D.N.Angel. Pretty much, if you can find it in a public library, it's probably a 'low-level' show.

Yet, disregarding the fact that many 'low-level' shows can be good (as if this would prove otherwise), Cardcaptor Sakura lacks that kind of internet scorn given upon 'common' shows. It's not looked down upon in that haughty internet way, with nobody scoffing and going "why watch that when you could watch x?"

Cardcaptor Sakura truly is nearly a shining pillar of untouchableness, one show that is nearly universally acclaimed. It really is amazing.

Step aside, miss Suzumiya. This is the kind of reverence which at least I and some other people look with upon our goddess Sakura Kinomoto, and today I'm going to try to explore a bit into this years-old show and see just what makes it a classic.

To be honest, I haven't watched an episode of Cardcaptor Sakura in about a year now, which is probably what is driving my sense of nostalgia for this show. It's a similar yearning as one would have for a significant other of times past, except in my case I can just reach up on the shelf and grab a DVD.

(Incidentally, CCS going out of R1 print leaves me and my cheap region-free boxset in despair.)

It's funny. Rewatches, when you're a relatively new anime fan, seem almost silly when there remains to be so much new stuff out there, and even the other shows I idolize like Kanon I've only watched two times through.

Yet the Cardcaptor Sakura boxset lasted me in my earlier years for three or four watches - granted, there was no other anime at the time, but the fact that it never got old seems astounding nowadays, where shows go in and out the revolving door of obsession with startling speed.

The fact that a show arguably aimed at people half my age would be so captivating for so long, and for such a wide variety of anime fans, really is something.

Maybe I'm waxing poetic a bit too much, but Cardcaptor Sakura is a show that's deeper than it lets on; it's not just one for the preteens, but also for more distinguished romance fans as well.

It's no mindgame thriller, and it's not very unpredictable, but CCS stands out perhaps from other magical girl romances in that it doesn't shy away from what some of us, at least on the American side, would consider 'bad' relationships.

It has the teacher/student relationship (two of them, arguably), the same-sex relationship (definitely two), almost a sort of arranged marriage (hey, when you get engaged to your cousin in the single-digit years?), and more. CCS is a very 'pure love' show in that it almost says that it's not the circumstances that matter, it's not the type of person that matters, the only thing important is that the two love each other.

The romance comes from all walks of life as well. There's the improbable love (Terada-sensei), the unrequited love (Meilin), the passive love (Tomoyo), the fatherly, maybe childish love (Sakura for Yukito), the protective love (Touya), and so on.

While the main relationship perhaps is a little simple, in that 'blushing up a storm' fashion, there are so many other, perhaps more implicit, things to see as well. There are some great moments of raw emotion in the show, like Meilin's recgonition of her defeat (episode 60), or Sakura getting shot down and Syaoran comforting her in the park (episode 65).

It's just such a heartwarming show as well. Like most pure magical girl shows (Nanatsuiro Drops was an good recent example), CCS has that power just to give you a ridiculous smile on your face, just because of the way that things turn out.

The interactions between the characters range from amusing to aww-inducing (pretty much anything with the parent Kinomotos is a lock), the whole motto of 'everything's going to be all right' is so bright and radiant that combined with Sakura's (and, to an extent, a lot of the rest of the cast's) upbeat attitude that it's the kind of show that will rot your teeth and melt your heart, and you won't care.

The main storyline isn't horribly shocking, being, yes, a magical girl show of the classic 'monster (card) of the week' fashion, but there are some nice twists and moments in there. The Yue fight was brilliantly executed, if only because it did that science-fiction 'alternate universe' timeline where Sakura was defeated. The Sakura Card arc was strong, with Eriol's excellent shiny-glasses manipulation powers of Sakura and Syaoran, and the focus on converting the cards, which, more than anything, was a facade for the emotional development of Sakura into a strong-willed character.

If there's one big complaint I have about the story, ignoring any highly probable irregularities like Syaoran speaking perfect Japanese, it's that it's very typical romance in that the confession is saved until the very end.

The very end.

Like, last line of the series ever end, on Sakura's part.

It's not completely bad; the buildup to it really does wonders for transforming a simple line into something that makes you thrust your hands in the air like a football fan, but sometimes one wishes that shows like these could deal with the time after the confession as well; the relationship between a new couple is something that's just as entertaining to watch.

(Again, Nanatsuiro Drops for proof. Advertising has no shame.)

Most of the rest of the relationships get 'conclusion' in building up towards the main relationship of Syaoran and Sakura; it was one of the things nicely done in the manga, how pretty much the last chapter or two showed all the couples (Chiharu/Yamazaki, Rika/Terada, Eriol/Kaho, and...well...Tomoyo.) happily together, urging Sakura on with her own relationship struggle. Again, a great buildup, only to end in 'OK, we like each other, all's good with the world.'

Speaking on the manga as a whole, my memory of it is even fuzzier, but I hold the belief that the anime is better on three bases: 1) more of Sakura to love (70 episodes > 12 volumes), 2) I've always enjoyed animation more than stills (since I tend to power through manga too fast), and 3) Meilin. As annoying of a character she can be at times, she has some real moments and really grows on you like any other osananajimi fated to lose. Although she has some questionable entrance/exits (the trouble of inserting an extra character), what's in-between is worth it.

Perhaps one of the more interesting theories for the success of Cardcaptor Sakura comes from it having a natural enemy in the form of its highly-ostracized English dub, Cardcaptors. Since Cardcaptors the dub is unquestionably Bad, the Japanese version is incredibly Good in comparison. This is not to call into question the actual quality of CCS, but rather to say that perhaps its image has been enhanced even more.

Cardcaptor Sakura overall is an anime that I feel is more than what it seems on the surface. The characters do have more to them (i.e. while Tomoyo can be classified as The Stalker Friend, she has some much more appealing and arguably deep characteristics to her) than it originally seems, the romance is more than a straight one-relationship fight, and the emotional maturing of the characters really is something to be seen.

I don't think there are very many people out there, at least considering the audience, who have not seen Cardcaptor Sakura or at least heard of it, and there are probably even less that would condemn it, but Cardcaptor Sakura is really a show that seems like the entry gate to anime fandom; if you haven't seen it, you're missing out on the magic.

And that's not just trying to make a pun.
-CCY

Sakura: Yukito-san, hey, Yukito-san!
Sakura: Are there any Clow Cards left?
Yukito: You captured them all already, didn't you?
Sakura: Hanyaa~n