Okay, commentor HC asked for more AMV suggestions, but this time 'single-source', or using just one anime. Go ahead, twist my arm... *OW!* Geez, you take me so seriously sometimes...

This list isn't organized by preference, just alphabetically, by the way, but they're all amongst what I would call my 'favorites'. Some are technological marvels, some could have been made with two VCRs... but they all resonate with me as 'awfully darn good.'

We start... below the fold! more...

Posted by: Wonderduck at 06:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Over at Pixy's, there's been a discussion about AMVs recently. Now, for those who aren't complete otaku (and I mean that in the nicest way... after all, I'M an otaku), AMV is an acronym for "Anime Music Video." I've found them a great gateway drug for anime; the first meeting of a semester for the Duck U. Anime Club is always AMV Night. We usually schedule that first meeting to be in the commons area of the Student Union, too, so people who'd never even THINK about coming to an Anime Club meeting will be exposed. Pretty pictures + good music = PROFIT!

Anyway, since I've got nigh on 450 AMVs on my computer, and have seen probably four times that many, I'd like to think I've seen some really good ones (and some really bad ones). Below the fold, take a gander at some of my favorites! All links lead to the AMV.org webpage for the video... free to download, if you're a member (and it's free to join)! more...

Posted by: Wonderduck at 06:49 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I can't resist...

2 or more people seriously contending for the affections of one (1 point for each serious contender): 2, Asuka and Rei.
...who trickle in (1): 1, Asuka doesn't appear until a quarter of the series is over.
...who aren't human (1 for each): 1, Rei is part-Angel.
...who have special powers (1 for each): 1, what ELSE would you call what happens to Rei in End of Evangelion?
Dorky hero (1): 1, Yep.
...who has a unique power (1): 0, driving an EVA not unique.
Klutzy heroine (1): 0.
...who has a unique power (1): 0.
Love expressed as violence (1): 1... not Love Hina levels, but...
Obvious choice (1): 1. Asuka.
Women with exaggerated figures (1): 0.
Jiggle (1): 1, Misato.
Panty flashes (1): 1, though Rei isn't really wearing them at the time...
Ecchi (1): 0.
Joshikousei (1): 1, uh-huh!
Meido-san (1): 0
Accidental exposure (1): 1, yep!
Accidental groping (1): 1, also yep!
Swimsuits at the beach (1): 0, nuh-uh.
Bathing and yukatas in a bathhouse (1): 1, yeppers.
Kimonos at a summer festival or cultural festival (1): 0.
Girl's locker room (1): 0, not the way you mean, no.
Cosplay (1): 0, no-o-o.
Romances among secondary characters (1): 1, Misato/Kaji.
Meganekko (1): 1, Ritsuko Akagi
Annoying relatives (1): 1, Gendo, the Angels...
Meddlers (friends or family) (1): 1, Gendo.
No romantic resolution at the end (1): 1. Nothing.

There you have it... with 19 points, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a wacky romantic comedy!!!

Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:04 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 I don't remember any bathhouse. On the other hand, there is a locker room scene where we get to watch Rei changing clothes.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at May 21, 2006 09:17 AM (+rSRq)

2 Well, I counted the hot springs scene in the Magma Diver episode at the bathhouse.

This whole POST is a stretch, so why not?

Posted by: Wonderduck at May 21, 2006 09:31 AM (wZLWV)

3 Heheheh... I almost wrote SDB to ask him to run the numbers on this as a lark.

I'd give Shinji a point for unique power, on the basis that he's the only one who can activate "Yui SMASH" mode, even if he doesn't have any real control over it. Asuka doesn't get that ability until 5 minutes too late.

Swimsuits at the beach: does the indoor pool count (thermodynamics)?

Girl's locker room: Yes, Ep. 9. Somehow Kensuke managed to get some shots of the girls' locker room while they are changing, it's shown in the pictures that they're selling of Asuka.

You could pump up the score even more by throwing in Mana... thank you for not doing that, though.

Posted by: Big D at May 21, 2006 02:14 PM (8EZDw)

4 Mana, she's from the "Girl of Steel" game, right? I've not seen that, though I know it exists.

You're right about the photos, but I'm not sure they meet the strict criteria that SDB put down... I had forgotten about them, I'll admit.

Heh... "YUI SMASH" mode. :-)

Posted by: Wonderduck at May 21, 2006 04:46 PM (y6n8O)

5 Yes, she is. It's not much of a game; mostly just a short story with a handful of puzzles and only one real branching decision point (that only controls the ending). It's been fanslated, as it will almost certainly never see the light of day over here.

Mana is loved by a small following and loathed by just about everybody else. She's portrayed as being "perfect and kind" to Shinji, while lying to him about everything about herself. Mostly she works as a foil to infuriate Asuka with her attempts to get close to Shinji.

Posted by: Big D at May 22, 2006 01:55 AM (8EZDw)

6 From what I remember, she's supposed to be an agent for SEELE, designed to spy on assassinate/whatever Shinji... whether or not that's true, I can't say.

Posted by: Wonderduck at May 22, 2006 05:19 AM (+rGmJ)

7 Nope [spoilers]

She "works" for a military organization similar to the JSSDF. She and a few other teenagers were basically kidnapped and pressed into service to pilot giant robots. Said military organization believes that after the Angels are all destroyed, man will go back to fighting man and they want to be ready for the wars (yeah, they're in for a surprise).

She's in Tokyo-3 specifically to spy on the kids and learn how Evas work, but she and her friends want to escape. She spends most of the game trying to get close to Shinji while Asuka fumes visibly in the background. Through a bunch of plot points that make little or no sense once you think about them, Mana is captured by the JSSDF and used as bait to lure out the last of her friends who has escaped with a robot. NERV sits by and watches, until the shooting starts, and then deploys Evas to take down everybody. Shinji winds up fighting the robot to save Mana, but after a chase, disembarks to discover that the pilot is Mana's friend (possibly boyfriend). Then, a JSSDF bomber appears overhead, and Asuka drags him into her entry plug before it nukes the place.

Nothing remains of the robot other than a puddle of slag. Mana is apparently dead, although Shinji entertains some hope that they had some sort of escape capsule.

Here you get to choose the ending. You can have Mana show back up and tease Shinji, or Shinji hunt down Mana with Kaji's help. Either one ends with Mana's promise to come back later. Or, you can ignore her altogether and just choose Asuka; it's not exactly an open romance, but Shinji would have to be even blinder than in canon to miss her feelings.

Posted by: Big D at May 22, 2006 06:00 AM (8EZDw)

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Steven made up a points-chart for romantic comedies in anime. I pretty much agree with it, though maybe he should have included "has annoying animal mascot" on his list. Anywho, just for giggles, I decided to run Love Hina through the wringer, figuring it'd come out on top by a long sight.

Nope, just 20 points. (editor's note: originally, this read 22. I have no idea where I got that result from, unless I give Love Hina Again more credit than it deserves...)

And yes, Steven, I know you didn't do it because you dislike the show.

(Update: Steven's actual points list, and Love Hina's points after the jump) more...

Posted by: Wonderduck at 05:33 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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If you've read just about any anime blog recently, you've seen someone writing about this show called "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya."

Apart from the odd title, what is it that makes this show stand out from the rest, that makes it the breakout series of the year, even though it's still running over in Japan, and the last episode won't air for another month or so? What's making people hit bittorrent in quantities that would make your head spin (I saw 3000+ seeders the day episode 7 was released to the world via AFK fansubs)?

HER. She's odd. VERY odd. As in "there's something not quite right about her" odd, but you can't figure out what it is. But you want to find out, very, very badly.

And it's worth the trouble. The show is very well done. I've not been able to watch all seven available episodes yet, what with the goings-on at the Duck U. Bookstore, but what I HAVE seen confirms that.

Oddly, I've noticed that the shows I've liked the most (Azumanga Daioh, Noir) are the ones that I've had problems with at the beginning. I read the reviews of Azumanga Daioh, watched the first two episodes, and said "what's the big deal?" It took me a month or so to start watching it again, and then I got it.

Same thing with Haruhi. Episode 1 (which is actually episode zero, or episode pi, or something like that) BLOWS... unless you watch it all the way through. Then you realize JUST how good it really was. Trust me: watch it, even though you might want to drive pencils into your eyes. It'll be all right.

I'm being vague here, I know. It's kind of hard to talk about the show without dealing spoilers left and right. It's safe to say that she's only interested in aliens, espers, time travellers and sliders. Woe betide you if you aren't one of the above and you try to talk to her... and god help us all if you ARE one of them.

Try the show. Just... watch. There's not much more that I can say. Become a convert to Haruhism.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 05:32 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I've finished watching Narue, and while I still stand by my earlier statement ("It's fluff, but entertaining fluff"), it had some suprisingly deep moments in there.

Amongst other serious topics, the show covers:

* Time dilation as one approaches the speed of light
* Political terrorism
* Divorce, remarrying, and the effect it has on the children
* The death of a parent
* "Latchkey Kid Syndrome"
* Mixed marriage
* Cosplay

...but understand! At no time does it whack you upside the head with serious moralizing or preaching. Instead, Narue works these topics (and more) into the plotlines almost without notice, and you enjoy it the whole time. There is almost no angst to speak of, and other than episode 6 ("The Mind-Controlling Robot Episode"), no instances of "mistaken situation leading to lover's spat".

The artwork is crisp, clean, bright, and remarkably consistant from episode to episode. I noticed only one moment where character appearance wandered from the baseline (in the final episode, natch).

My complaints are few. A promising character, Kazuo (our hero)'s sister, disappears after the one episode she was in. Too much time is spent with the trio of harpies, a/k/a Narue's classmates, before they disappear as well. The dub is particularly grating, even moreso than normal.

My main feeling about the show is that it is innocent. Even the fanservice (and yep, there is some) is innocent. The characters are HAPPY! Sure, there are some glum times (particularly the subplot about the 'latchkey kid'), but even they aren't all that bad. The series ends on a slightly dark note, but that's dispelled by the final few minutes.

If you're into angst, things exploding, violence, mecha or things of that ilk, avoid this show like the plague. However, if you're into a really good show that actually will make you smile (something that's perishingly rare in anime these days), this one is for you.

Innocent. Happy. FUN. I give this one four stars out of five, and a hearty recommendation, particularly because it's inexpensive!

(Update 5/19/06: Welcome Chizumatic readers!)

Posted by: Wonderduck at 04:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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