Back in the (Animal) Alley

So after a not so mysterious disappearance (had relatives to visit *gasps* so much for being a hikikomori... Then again for all you know I could've just popped back through that trapdoor I came from...) I'm back to leave a teeny if not inconsequential mark on the already bloated blogosphere. Huzzah...

Advertising for Gurren Lagann?

Though my anime viewing has taken a nosedive for the past few days, but I've been generally GIVING IT ALL I'VE GOT (well, not really, got distracted by the pile of manga lying about where I was. Read about 3 volumes of Full Metal Panic Sigma and all I can say is... makes me want to finish watching FMP- if the backlog was significantly less currently) in keeping up with the general ho-hum in the blogosphere.

Well, I may say general but really I've just been to Derailed to check out on the March Madness Championship :P Jason has posted a whole lot regarding why GAINAX Gurren Lagann is perhaps more deserving the vote as opposed to Kyoto Animation Haruhi and for the most part I agree since both series have been a source of much enjoyment so it's tough to choose between them. Without being as wordy as Jason, I'll just state right off that my vote's for the Gurren-Dan just because I'd rather not see another Haruhi banner on a blog right now :P That and the rather undemocratic sentimentality of supporting the underdog (God Knows if Haruhi-ism will ever die -_-")

And on the continuing subject of popularity contests, there's them The Anime Blog Awards. Here's some discussion on how the people behind it probably do mean well despite the restrictions to just anime bloggers in the nominations (and possibly the later voting) making it all seem rather *gasps* elitist... Well whatever the reasons and motivations, it's another bandwagon I don't see any harm in jumping on. I've just registered to nominate, though there's a chance it won't even happen since technically, Tondemo-Nothing's been around before Feb 1st, but my 'first' post only came about on that date itself... Well whatever the case, even if I don't pass the eligibility thing, it'll just be another thing of interest to observe *shrugs*

Well, enough of all that, got some episodes to catch up to right now. (The 'much anticipated' finale of CLANNAD VS two new subbed episodes of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei? Thank the anonymous people of Anonymous! Why can't voting in them popularity contests be this easy? =P)

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ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWER and whatnot

VOTE FOR
TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN
TO BE THE ONLY NON-KYOANI SERIES LEFT IN
MARCH MADNESS AT DERAILED BY DARRY!!!

(Tried to find something other than the 300 trailer video, but all I got were disturbing ones like this and this (the Yoko/Nia version was even less complete). Wanted to put up the Simon Host Club one really, but again it's an incomplete vid =/ )

That is all. (Two March Madness posts in a row? This blog is in need of content, stat! As quickly dated it's becoming, expect an OoFuri post after this =P)
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2007 Flashback: The Rundown

Run, Mihashi, run...

It's already 3 months into 2008... And I'm still stuck writing posts about yesteryear (This is what happens when you restart your blog at an odd time of the year -_-"). Perhaps not the best time to publish this, but what the heck, this list has been sitting in a word file for much too long.


The 16 anime that made my year in 2007 (no real significance to the number, just so happen 16 of them I considered above average by my technically loose standards. And no series continued from 2006 or continuing into 2008 either, it's a purely 2007 list), in ranked order (good to great to best) :

The Good:
16. Dennou Coil (spoiler: RIP Densuke T_T)
15. Nodame Cantabile (Mukyaa~!)
14. Lucky☆Star (L-O-V-E Lovely~Tsukasa!)
13. Claymore (The Idiot's Guide to Self Mutilation)
12. Seto no Hanayome (Masa-san!!!)
11. Lovely Complex (All Hanshin-Kyojin BANZAI!)
10. Darker than Black (BONES)

The Great:
9. Sketchbook ~full color'S~ (Slow down world...)
8. Hidamari Sketch (Sorry ef and Bamboo Blade, the Miya of the year is here)
7. Moyashimon (The "You Absolutely HAVE to check this one out for yourself" show of the year)
6. Minami-ke (KANA IS BOSS)
5. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (~Burebureburebure~)
4. Potemayo (Honi, honi!)

Top 3:
3. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
2. ef ~a tale of memories~
1. Seirei no Moribito

Ranking done by the more serious, rational, and supposedly objective side of me that's supposed to judge the overall aspects of the show (Story, characters, presentation, blah blah blah) though obviously influenced by the whimsical, instinct-following, impressionable me (an indication of how much I felt the show impacted myself as a viewer, whether it tickled me silly or made me go "HOLY SHI- THAT WAS AWESOME , now I just have to sit down and let the other side of me think why...").

Of course anyone who's read this blog lately will probably notice the omission of one particular title, which at the time of this list's conception (a few months ago, mind you) was done on purpose since I wasn't done watching the series in question... But in the back of my mind there was no doubting its place on the list - the question is where? If serious, rational and objective had more of a say, this series would probably rank 4th pushing the current #9 to #4 a position back (and Gurren Lagann would have to switch places with ef). But based on my sheer enjoyment of this series and how it really changed the perception I had of its genre, I'm giving the 2007 top honour of personal favourite anime on Tondemo Nothing! to...

0) issa-sa's personal fave of 2007: Ookiku Furikabutte

Which neatly rounds up the Top 10 standouts series (#s 9 to 0) on my list with OoFuri coming out tops. *applause* A similar situation arose the year before that: Mushishi was easily the best overall 'serious' anime of 2006 (this time, it's Seirei) and Haruhi to me was best in just about every other respect (and was no doubt the iconic series of its year -whether you liked it or not- much like Gurren Lagann), but my personal favourite Ouran High School Host Club won me out anyhow. Call it personal bias or 'bad taste'/'good taste' or whatever, but what can I say, my blog my pick =P When you have strong shows colliding at the top, I'm the kind who'll pick the one that just feels right, and there's no denying that Ookiku Furikabutte is that series for 2007. Even back when I was only halfway through the series starved for subs, OoFuri had already impacted me so positively that I just knew it was the year's Ouran for me. I'd like to say more about the show now that I've officially completed watching it, but that'll be another post for another day.

It's also interesting to note what others ranked as their best show of the year: Specifically, Jason chose Gurren Lagann, Kurogane went with Seirei, Jeff Lawson pulled pleasant surprise by crowning Potemayo ^^ while the guys at Epic Win championed the best of the best: Mushishi! (Okay their real choice I wasn't as excited about). Besides these that come to mind, there was quite the Minami-ke love as well if I remember correctly.

I won't be debating why one series is better than another (or explaining why I didn't include/watch/finish watching series XXX not on the list) since this post is quickly becoming dated material. As a whole, I think 2007 offered myself many surprises in terms of series I liked (and utterly disliked) and though there were less hard-hitting sure-hit shows than 2006 and more average fodder running around (which even if I completed watching, did not make the top 16) there was generally enough to impress me at any given time during the year. So here's hoping for as good/a better showing of shows this year.

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More March Madness

Sad boy in snow... (Would be more relevant if I voted for Kanon...)

Okay good news, bad news time. The good: first voting results for March Madness over at DbD are out, with my personal favourite anime of 2006 in the lead!! The bad? My personal favourite of 2007 isn't even in... *sighs*


Honestly, I'm terribly disappointed Ookiku Furikabutte wasn't even included in Jason's Smythe Sports Division (The hockey -?- references are obviously lost on me) despite his positive review of the show some time back. Oh well, at least he mentions it favourably against Major which has been around longer (4 freakin' seasons? At least give OoFuri one more in the future then...) and has a larger fanbase, so if he really had to just choose one baseball series... *still sighs*

On a positive note, it's great to see Mushishi and Black Lagoon going on to the next round at least along with Ouran and the shoo-ins like Death Note, Haruhi, Fumoffu and FMA. Sad to say Muteki Kanban Musume is very likely out of the running (it only got like, 3% of the vote in the comedy division. Where is the emo-ramen love??) but at least we'll see the Minami sisters and the Azumanga gang as well.

The second part of March Madness round 1 covers the Sports, Giant Mecha, Harem and err... "Uncategorized(?)" series. My votes this round:

• Sports (Smythe Division): Have I mentioned how much I'd rather see Ookiku Furikabutte here rather than School Rumble and OtoBoku (which even Jason admits are there just to fill the gap...)? It's like appearing to support your favourite sporting team... Only they're not playing so you're left cheering for Tenma and Co's ridiculous basketball game to end all basketball games (SR being the only series in the list I've watched to the end). Okay, okay I'll stop ranting for OoFuri now. Incidentally, the two 'filler' series are leading in this division currently by a huge margin, which is an obvious indication of show popularity versus how much the show actually lives up to its categorization (and how few of DbD's readers actually enjoy true sports animes, I suppose).
  

• Giant Mecha (Norris Division): Easy pick, Gurren Lagann wins for making the impossible possible: letting me enjoy a giant robot show as a giant robot show - and not as a catastrophic trainwreck of cheesy goodness (if there was a category for that, Code Geass it would be =P)
  

• Harem (Patrick Division): Currently being lead by the two Key/Kyoto powerhouses. If I had to choose from the two my vote has to go to Kanon (2006)... But seeing as ef is in the list is there, the SHAFT bias came to play. (Though technically being less of a harem anime than even Rozen Maiden is...)
  

• ??? (Atlantic Division): Planetes (which I'm still pronouncing wrongly as "Planets") imho, was the best series I watched last year... which wasn't from last year, lol. Jason never finishing it probably meant he never got past the episodic slice of life (in space!!) episodes which took up a good part of the series, but the show thoroughly impressed me with its very believable take on how us humans are probably going to screw up (literally) life in space one day... Since there's no clear category here, there really is no reason against me voting for "Pla-ne-tes" (My main rant with the Atlantic Division would be since Mononoke's not even ranked highly on Anidb or ANN, Jason could've slotted OtoBoku here instead to give OoFuri a chance... okay, now I'll really stop)
  

Looking at the polls currently, there looks to be no surprises in seeing Gurren Lagann and (LOL) School Rumble next round. Now that I think about it, TTGL may just be the show to topple Haruhi... Voting stops 11PST on March 7th. Signing out for now.

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2007 Flashback: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

I was meaning to use a less generic TTGL picture for this post... Ah well

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (TTGL or Gurren Lagann from now on) is one series of the odd crop in 2007 I wasn't fully expecting to enjoy. After all, the mecha genre isn't something I arbitrarily subscribe to and I wasn't particularly jumping for joy at the plethora of robot orgy shows that premiered around the same time as TTGL did (In the end I followed only Bokurano and Gurren Lagann. Gigantic Formula's 1st episode - UN endorses mecha war to decide who rules the world? WTF? - was too unintentionally hilarious). Secondly, GAINAX, the same studio that unleashed on us the emo-fest that was Evangelion was at the helm, causing me to relegate Gurenn Lagann under "Approach With Caution"... If there's one thing to learn from Eva and KareKano, it's that you can trust GAINAX to produce a good show for at least half of the series... before they run out of budget and screw off the rest of the show (Worse still was This Ugly and Worthless Waste of Time, otherwise known as KonoMini).


But before this all starts sounding like some snobbish studio-bashing post, I'll just state right now that whatever faults I felt were exhibited in those previously mentioned series, GAINAX have more than redeemed themselves (especially in regards to Evangelion) with Gurren Lagann, a series I now find to be iconic of 2007 for all the right reasons (With legions of fans willing to change the image of a country to spread the love, hah). To put it crudely, TTGL is full of epic gar, and win. To be a bit more verbose, I'll say that beneath its 'cartooney' (oddly, enough, a term I rarely associate with anime) exterior, over the top mecha battles, typical GAINAX symbolisms and existential psycho-babble (which, amusingly enough, the show's characters themselves scoff at for being too complicatedto bother with), lies a well conceived and executed evolutionary story with surprising depth.

But most importantly, it's one hell of a fun show to watch. =D

What else needs to be said other than that?

Despite my initial misgivings and what seemed like a rocky start for the show (episode 4 didn't help, but the very first gattai scene between Gurren+Lagann leaving me in stitches did XD), what impressed me eventually was TTGL's brilliantly worked plot progression. What started out as the story of Simon, Kamina and crew thrashing the whimsical looking Ganmen with their own stolen Ganmen (Gurren and Lagann) in their quest to 'pierce the heavens!' quickly develops, or more appropriately, evolves into something else, and by the end you get 4 separate stages that serve as a stepladder (or in the context of the show a spiral) towards a truly epic conclusion.

The main plot-line, when fully revealed by the end may not be the most original of the day, but the progression from stage to stage, each one upping the ante on the epic-ness scale from the previous one, manages to construct a solid straightforward story, carried by a strong cast of characters and outrageously enjoyable action. Also impressive is the daring but effective use of its plot devices which, if were used cheaply merely as shock factor, would've easily turned the story sour. But every new twist the scriptwriters layered down had its signs, and they quickly reveal themselves to be integral to the entire evolution of the plot (so that whether or not they shock the viewer is secondary) and how they affect the characters and the plot progression is clear for all to see.

There's a major spoiler lurking within this picture...

Spoiler paragraph: Truth be told, I only truly knew I was going to enjoy this series once I spoilt for myself that Kamina was going to have an early demise. From the start Kamina and everything he stood for proved to be the driving force for the series - to my chagrin, since his loud-mouthed, in your face GAR mannerisms was just not for me (but for his legions of fans out there, manly tears are still cried till this day...). Which was why when he was taken out of the story, I was going "YES!" in my head... But it did not take me long to realize that it wasn't merely a bold move by the scriptwriters, it was one that was planned ahead, but more importantly, it was necessary to the story and the further development of the cast - eventually pushing Simon to the forefront and forcing him to break out of his Shinji-esque shell once and for all (admittedly, Nia's sudden introduction in the story is of almost equal significance in this process). There was no wastage in Kamina's demise really, he was given the exit he deserved and desired, and even after his tremendous spirit permeates the rest of the show, a torch carried on proudly by the entire Gurren Brigade. In fact, it was only after his death that I could actually appreciate everything Kamina stood for - that devil-may-care unrelenting rebelliousness against an oppressive authority, and how sometimes blind belief can take you further than you can ever imagine!

Many other things working for TTGL : a rousing soundtrack (ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAA); great characterization (with a cast as bloated as Nanoha StrikerS, only not as cumbersome and with the correct amount of development); SPIRAL POWER (making the impossible, possible!); how the self-contained premise of the series manages to make even the craziest over the top battles (Spoilers: Spiderman mech? Galaxies as shurikens???) and otherwise downright cheesy one-liners (WHO THE F@*K DO YOU THINK I AM??? / BELIEVE IN ME WHO BELIEVES IN YOU!!!) seem not only acceptable, but just plain RIGHT; the heaven-piercing levels of GAR which most definitely trumps the insipid righteousness of crummy shounen shows several times over (Those two signature one-liners alone wipe the floor with the dated shounen eye-rollers: "I want to be stronger(!!!)" / "I have something to PROTECT(!!!)"); and finally, how Gurren Lagann is both the successor and antithesis of Evangelion (Simon >>>> Ikari Shinji).

And for all that I give Kudos to GAINAX for turning out one of 2007's best shows. =)

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