It seems that every anime season in Japan brings with it moans of pain from the American fans.  "There's nothing good," goes the refrain.  "This is the worst season ever."  Inevitably, though, there's at least one or two shows that people discover to be pretty darn good, and many of the rest end up being at least watchable (even in the best of times there's unwatchable shows, too).  It's a twisted circle of life, but it's one that anime bloggers and readers seem comfortable with, on the whole.

But I noticed something odd heading into the Summer 2009: a surprising dearth of "the sky is falling" posts!  There seemed to be a little bit of something for everyone this time around, and a new season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, to boot! 

We're about four weeks into the season, and the long-anticipated Haruhi 2 is widely considered a bust (though not by me, I'm diggin' it), but the rest of the shows are showing a remarkable level of quality.  Instead of "thin slicing" the season, though, I'm just going to cover the programs that have made the cut for me.

So, without further ado, let's answer the burning question "What's Wonderduck Watching?"


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Posted by: Wonderduck at 11:44 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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(Over at Chizumatic, Steven has put up a post regarding the continuing saga of the second season of Haruhi Suzumiya.  For those who don't know, the past four episodes have taken place in a time-loop, replaying the same two week timeframe.  Kyoto Animation has reanimated each episode so everything is visually different, and while the dialogue is mostly the same, it isn't completely.

And there's been a huge uproar by various people over how annoying this is.  I've been steaming about this uproar for a couple of weeks now; Steven's post just pushed me over the edge.  This was going to be a comment over there, but I decided to make it a post here instead.)

There isn't anything clever about this. It just shows utter contempt for the fans.

I completely and totally disagree.  I think it's experimental, very inventive, and quite fascinating to watch.  Trying to see how they're going to make it different this time, how much closer they're coming to breaking the loop (don't let anybody tell you different, Kyon & Co. are coming closer)... it's been quite entertaining to me.  Certainly better than Generic Harem Comedy & The Sword of Power, iteration #83.

I just don't get why people are complaining... you wanted Haruhi 2: The Wrath of Kyon, now it's here.  There was no way it could possibly live up to the expectations of those people who thought everything else should be put on hold until KyoAni made it.  Now that it's running, and it's not all Unicorns farting rainbows, it's immediately marked down as the worst thing EVAR.

I call bullhocky on that.  Is it as good as the first season?  No, no it isn't.  Is it offensive and contemptable?  No, no it isn't.  Would I like to see "Endless 8" end?  Yes, I would, but saying that KyoAni is disrespecting the fans because it hasn't ended is ridiculous.  So you don't like the plot loop.  Fine; I wasn't fond of the length of the Makoto arc in Kanon 2006, either, but that doesn't make it crap, or "poor judgement," or whatever.

Perhaps I'm the iconoclast here, because I'm enjoying the show.  So be it.  Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last. 

UPDATE: Yes, this is how much KyoAni disrespects the fans.  The setup is that the SOS Brigade visits a Bon Festival, and Yuki decides to buy a mask.  Here's what the scene looks like in the first episode of "Endless 8":

In the second episode, this is how the scene appears:

Third time around:

...and fourth:

Yes, in all four episodes, she's buying a mask.  But every time, KyoAni has given us a different look and feel to the scene.  The masks are different, Yuki's kimono is different, the camera angle is different, and while you can't tell from these shots, her body language is different.  Which, considering that in the storyline, she remembers every detail of every loop (over 15000, which works out to nearly 600 years), makes perfect sense. 

Every single episode is presented like this; everything is the same, but completely different.  If that's a lack of imagination from KyoAni and contempt for the viewer, then I'll take their contempt every single day of the week.  It's still better than most of the crap out there right now.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 08:18 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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About a month ago, I wrote a post entitled "Anytime, Nozomi", wondering when the third of the ARIA series was coming out, and hoping that Arietta, the OVA, would be included when it finally was released.

Today at AnimeExpo, Nozomi came through for us.

ARIA the Origination and the OVA, "Arietta", have been licensed and is "Coming Soon in 2010."

That's a while away, but at least we know it's coming... and it's a happy day!

Of course, the best part is that we'll finally get the finest episode of anime ever on DVD.  I can't wait!

...and neither can Alice!

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Throughout the history of anime in the United States, there's been a tendency for some shows to be... well, not censored exactly, but toned down or outright changed a bit for the English dub.  From Sailor Moon removing the yuri aspects of Sailor Uranus, Pokemon losing a lot of its more mature aspects, and of course the horrific bastardization of Card Captor Sakura that was Cardcaptors, American dubs have done some truly lousy jobs of translation, either intentionally or not.

However, since I've pretty much only ever watched my anime subtitled, I've managed to miss out on those changes entirely.  Until tonight.

Tonight, The Librarian came over for dinner and anime.  She brought with her a show she was thinking about showing to her library's anime club, a show I had only heard about, never seen: Kodomo no Omocha, better known here as Kodocha.

And dear god, what a frenetic and flat-out exhausting show it is.  Funny, but in a "did I just see what I think I saw" sort of way, as opposed to a "ha-ha" way.  However, and here's where the whole bowderlization thing comes around, the library anime club doesn't watch subs, only dubs.  We were going to watch to see if it was suitable for 11-to-17 year olds.

The subs are not suitable for younger adults, that's for sure.  The main character, Sana, a sixth-grader, calls her agent her "boyfriend and pimp."  Sana is a tv star, and the studio's hairstylist is pretty stereotypically gay, and has a thing for the agent.  It has moments of flat-out hilarity that is completely inappropriate. 

And we kept pausing the show, backing up, and watching it again with the English dub... and we were amazed at the changes Funimation made in the dub!  Gone is the "pimp" line altogether, replaced by something less "offensive".  The hairdresser no longer shows any sign of being gay (except for a slight lisp), and instead of drooling over the agent, he simply expresses shocked disapproval of Sana calling him her boyfriend.  There are other changes as well that simply take a lot of the edge off the humor.

To be honest, I'm not sure I liked Kodocha.  It's funny, but it's also on crack.  Sana obviously manufactures and takes speed.  Her mother is a famous author with a chipmunk in her hair.  It goes on and on.  Unfortunately, when the show does slow down, it loses a lot of its humor.  We only watched the first four episodes out of 102, so perhaps they get the balance right later on.  I have to admit to being somewhat disappointed with the show... it had such hype behind it in 2006, even being nominated for "best comedy" in the American Anime Awards.

Still... eh.  

Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:36 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Someone over at the Katawa Shoujo Dev Blog boards had fun with this:

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:57 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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"Hey, look!  I just caught a baby octopus-thing!  I bet my twin sisters (who aren't related by blood to me at all!) will think it's cute!"

"Awww, onii-chan (who isn't related to us by blood at all!), I bet the baby octopus-thing's parent will be sad."

"Oh no!  A giant octopus-thing, and it's not sad, it's angry!  Whatever will us identical twins starring in an anime do?"

Wonderduck: "You have got to be kidding me.  Don't do it, anime, I'm warning you!"

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Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:29 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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So earlier today I exchanged e-mails with Bob from the Anime Corner Store.  Y'know, that's one of the great things about being a customer of theirs... you can send the owner an e-mail, he'll actually respond, and it won't be a canned reply but an actual letter.  Pretty cool, that.

But I digress.  I asked him if he'd heard anything about a release date for ARIA the Origination, which I expected around this time if Nozomi stayed with their pattern for the first three boxes of the series.  He hadn't heard a peep, but expected it eventually.  I just looked at their release schedule, and it's not even listed in the "In The Not Too Distant Future" column.

So consider this a formal plea, Nozomi: please let us know?  We're all waiting...  and if you can throw in the OVA, "Arietta", too, that'd be great.  ARIA in widescreen (not to mention being produced with an actual budget) is worth pretty much anything you want us to pay.

Pretty please?  Don't make Akari cry.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 12:25 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Hisao gets a note asking him to be in a field behind the school at 4pm.  Upon arriving there, he is joined by the girl of his dreams.  As she begins to confess her feelings, his heart begins to beat faster.  Finally, the words he's always hoped to hear!  Faster still his heart beats, as she prepares to confess her love. 

And then he has a heart attack.

Oh.  Hm.

When he awakens, he's in the hospital, where he stays for an unstated, but long, period of time.  He's diagnosed with arrythmia, a potentially fatal cardiac problem, and a lifetime of medication just to stay alive.

...and just like that, I was hooked.  4 Leaf Studios, the amateur producers of Katawa Shoujo, may as well have been looking into my medical history.  Superventricular Tachycardia, the problem I have, is one of many types of cardiac arrythmias.  Completely by accident, 4 Leaf made Hisao become real, and he immediately became the perfect "player insert" for me.

Over time, Hisao's friends and schoolmates stop coming to visit.  To her credit, his dream girl is the last to stop dropping by (turns out they really didn't have that much to talk about anyway... ces't la vie).  Eventually, however, the time comes when he is able to be released from the hospital... but there's a snag.  The doctors and his parents agree that he can't go back to his old school, and he is to be transferred to a special school: Yamaku High School for Disabled Children. 

And with that, Katawa Shoujo truly begins.


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Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:29 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 I can't get over the fact that you died.
(Points.....laughs hysterically)
Of course the fact that the fatal error was interaction with the creepy misogynist with 2-D complex and similar examples of shallowness would seem to speak well of the creators.

I'm really surprised at how well the characters are realized. This really is genuinely impressive, even more so when one is reminded that this is a fan production.

Also: Danny Choo has noticed.

..and it's on You Tube

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at May 30, 2009 08:57 AM (V5zw/)

2 Well, truth in advertising at least. "Katawa shoujo" means "Crippled girls".

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at May 30, 2009 11:34 AM (+rSRq)

3 Urp...I got my tabs crossed that's not Danny Choo I linked to.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at May 30, 2009 03:00 PM (V5zw/)

4 I can't get over the fact that you died.

For what it's worth, I found the bad end on my second play-through, when I made the opposite choices from my first play-through.

So I got it right the first time.

Posted by: Wonderduck at May 30, 2009 03:06 PM (hlGBx)

5

I'm just wondering why the inclusion of adult scenes was so disappointing to you.

If the scenes aren't forced and actually develop the characters further, I see no issue in them. 

Posted by: Someone dumb at August 12, 2010 06:12 AM (/mi77)

6 Which is something we won't find out until the full version comes out

Still, having followed KS for months (I got linked to here through their forums), I have every bit of faith that the end result will be more than fine.

Posted by: Leotrak at August 15, 2010 06:30 AM (4N7p8)

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So after a period of about six weeks where I watched practically no anime whatsoever, I marathoned the 10-year old series Bubblegum Crisis 2040, watching the 26 episodes in three nights.  Suddenly, I found myself wanting to watch anime again... it's a miracle!

"Well, sure, Wonderduck. That's great, but a decade-old show?  What are you watching this season?"

Five shows, actually.


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Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:24 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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There is only one line that I dare repeat from this:

"You came here expecting to find a madman, but instead, you found a GOD!"

Hitler had become a Super Saiyan.

...and if that isn't great enough for you, just go here to read the whole thing.



*yes, sarcasm is intended.  The greatest fanfic ever is actually this.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 08:41 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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As they say, all good things must come to an end.  Fortunately, all bad things come to an end as well... in this case, the Ikkitousen Great Guardians OVA series.  Unable to out-ecchi the previous Dragon Destiny series of OVAs, the animators went the silly and icky route last time... can they redeem themselves with one final flurry of fantastic fanservice?

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:08 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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It's been a long while since The Librarian and I have gathered at Pond Central for dinner and some anime.  Over the past few months, life has just gotten in the way.  Oh, we've gotten together every now and again for dinner, but the legendary Anime Night looked to be a thing of the past.

Until tonight.  Tonight saw the return of the tradition.  Dinner from Panda Express, a long bit of conversation and laffs, then four episodes of some series.  But what series?  It's been so long since the last Anime Night, we decided to start something new.

"They're all insane."

That was the comment uttered by The Librarian after the first episode of our new show.  And what show was it?

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:28 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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I've been shamefully lax in praising a particular screenshot-based comic that I've been following.  Over at Moe Check!, DKellis has taken the third Nanoha series, "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS", and given it the DM of the Rings treatment.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, DMotR takes the Lord of the Rings trilogy and... well, looks at it as if it was a D&D campaign.  Each major character is being run by a person around a gaming table... and it hits every D&D nerve you could possibly have.

DKellis has done the same with StrikerS, creating Nanoha GamerS.  If you like the Nanohaverse, you owe it to yourself to read it now.  It's very, very funny, and yet strangely true to the series at the same time.

...except for the whole "Nanoha as psychotic killing machine" part.

No, wait... that IS true to the series, isn't it?

Anyway, I've taken the liberty of stealing one part of one entry as a teaser for anybody who might be thinking about reading:

Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:44 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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It's so wrong, but so, so right.  I want a jar.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:18 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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-Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya, ep03

Yes, Yuki's got a police-style light on her head.  Yes, it works.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 12:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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^{Boy, ain't that the sad and sorry truth...}

Let us all face the disappointing fact that ADV as we knew it is long, long gone and probably never coming back.  The above disclaimer, from the first DVD of Clannad Collection 1 (ep01-12), just confirmed it for me.  Even though they supposedly have the license for the show, ADV's logo or name is nowhere to be seen.  Now they're just the "distributors", which is probably a lot like being the Second Assistant to the Key Grip on a movie set: you're involved, but nobody is going to notice your name in the credits... not even your family.

That's a pity, because we've really been spoiled by ADV's productions in the past.  Tons of bonus material, high-quality subtitling, decent dubs, lovely packaging... all could be found on your average ADV release, and none of it is present in Clannad Collection 1. 

Understand that I'm a big fan of Clannad, and my past comments on the show (loads of humor, very good story, likeable characters, in some ways better than Kanon '06, yadda yadda yadda) still apply.  Instead of lavishing praise on the show, this "review" is going to savage the actual DVD release.

Let's start with the format: 12 episodes.  That's common for a half-season show, or the first half of a full-season production, yes.  Consider, if you will, Nozomi's recent release of the first half of ARIA the Natural.  12 episodes on four discs (plus another DVD full of extras) in a nice slipcase.  In comparison, ADV/Sentai Filmworks gave Clannad the cheapo treatment: 12 episodes on TWO discs, and the only extras are clean versions of the OP and ED.

As you can imagine, stuffing that many episodes onto a disc has an effect on video quality.  It's not bad, quite watchable.  But in comparison to Kanon '06, by the same production company, there's a visible degradation in the picture... at least to my eyes. 

Which brings me to my second gripe: subtitling.  I know I'm spoiled by fansub groups like SS-Eclipse and the lamented a.f.k., but the subs are miserable in this version of Clannad.  No, not the translation; that reads perfectly well (and I don't know enough Japanese to be able to point out that sort of error anyway).  No, I'm talking about something as simple Quality Control.  For example:


In what professional company would that sort of thing be considered okay?  I've watched the first five episodes, and there's at least one "error of omission" in each.  I've also seen an "affect/effect"-style mistake as well (though not using those particular words; I couldn't find the error as I was taking screenshots for this post).  That's slightly more understandable, but still unacceptable in a professional release.

The next complaint was mentioned by commenter Andy earlier, but not for the same reason that he gave.  This release is subtitle-only, meaning that there's no English voice dubbing.  That's fine; it's a perfectly understandable cost-saving move, and since I rarely listen to the English dub (and only if I'm reviewing a series), I don't miss it.  The problem I have is with the DVD itself: at least on the first disc, subtitles are not automatically enabled!  I've confirmed this on two different players.  Even worse, there's no way to enable them via the menu page... I had to turn them on via the remote (for the TV) or the control panel (for the computer).

The final complaint I have is minor, but telling.  There is no way to jump to episode chapters on a standard DVD player.  For example, let's say you want to watch the second half of the second episode.  To do that, you have to start episode two, then hit the skip button until you get to that chapter.

Taken in all, this release comes off as amateurish.  I've made my own DVDs that seem more polished than this.  I know ADV is cash-strapped, and I should be happy that Clannad has seen the light of day at all, but come on, this is ridiculous. 

Some might consider these to be minor complaints.  Well, perhaps, but keep them in mind when you're looking to spend your money on the show.  I'm not going to say "don't buy it."  If you like slice-of-life shows, it's fantastic.  Even those who don't care for such productions (like half of the Duck U. Anime Club) grudgingly admit that it's good. 

But ADV's production standards have slipped so far from the days of Azumanga Daioh (translator notes and designer sketches in a seperate booklet for each disc) or Bubblegum Crisis 2040 (their "Essential Anime" budget line put the 24-episode series on six dvds, included all the bonus material, and had reversable covers), it's almost sickening.  If these production values are what we're going to be seeing from them for now on, well, I'm going to have a hard time giving them my money in the future.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:14 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I just received the first half of Clannad from Bob's place.  I have a few thoughts that I'm going to have to get off my chest, but it's gonna have to wait until Saturday...  it'll be worth the wait, though, believe me.

Oh yes... yes, it will be worth the wait.  It won't be my usual Clannad love, trust me on that one.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:42 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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As hard as it is to imagine, these Great Guardians OVAs have actually created a small amount of storyline amongst the ridiculous fanservice.  No, I'm not talking about the "sexy cosplay" theme, but episodes three and four had the lingerie battle between Kan-u Unchou and Kakouen Myousai, that ended with the S&M assault on Koukin.  Storyline?  In my Ikkitousen?  It's more likely than you think!

But what does all that have to do with this OVA?  And who's our lucky contestant this time around?

^{...KC Royals two.}

Wait... that figure behind the titles... is it?  Can it be?

^{Why did my nose just start bleeding?}

It IS!  Ryomou Shimei, last seen rescuing Koukin at the end of OVA 4... and it appears that she's out for revenge.

As always, everything beyond this point should be considered extremely Not Safe For Work, but I'll warn you again, just to be sure.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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In the last OVA, we had a legendary lingerie duel between Kan-u Unchou and Kakouen Myousai that ended with...

...to the wailing of otaku everywhere.

Well, next time is here.  Next time is now.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 11:51 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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-Rhapsody Rabbit, 1948.

Even more blatant than a lot of today's examples, come to think of it...

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