Spring 2011 Season Preview

Alright, so we’re pretty much on the eve of the start of the Spring 2011 season, which means it’s time for our previews. Below, you’ll read what each of the 4 of us think of the many many shows that are coming up. It seems that noitaminA is creating great anticipation again with its financial thriller [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control, and the much hyped urban fantasy/scifi thriller Steins;Gate has caught our attention. We fork in our interests quite a bit from there, which is expected given the huge number of shows next season, but studio Shaft’s works seem to be on all our radars, a sign of the respect it’s earned over the past 2 years.

Star Driver 23 – Group Psychology

So in the end, Sugata eventually did make his move for power as the show had been hinting at for some time. Still, before leaving, he made quite the grand exit with Wako before switching sides and joining the Glittering Crux. I thought this episode tried really hard to emphasize, via Takuto’s conversation with the RA and her trio, that Sugata wasn’t only leaving Wako, but the trio as a whole. That makes Sugata’s actions in Zero Time a little difficult to understand, as it seems he had already made up his mind to join the Crux early on in the episode.

Because showing a King of the Peacocks screen cap would be too easy

Magical Girl Madoka Magica – The Story So Far

So Magical Girl Madoka Magica has been delayed indefinitely (a Shaft show being delayed near its finish? Say it ain’t so!), or at least until some time in April. But no hard dates as of yet. Which I guess gives us some extra time to step back and reflect upon the ride it has provided us so far.

Supercell’s Perfect Day is Darn Near Perfect

So the the anime-based music video for Perfect Day the top track to their latest album Today is a Beautiful Day was released a few weeks ago, and it’s pretty phenomenal. Telling the story of two girl friends who somehow grew apart, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another anime work based on a Supercell song. And it simply puts Black Rock Shooter to shame.

FLCL 6 – FLCLimax, 10 Years Later

And it all came to an end. 10 years ago today, on March 16, 2001, the grand finale, and the longest episode of FLCL, FLCLimax (originally Furi Kura) was released on DVD. It brought forth the 3rd amazing episode in a row and also provided a worthy finish to this great series, one that left me speechless and sad that it was over. But it didn’t leave me wanting more. Rather, it made me happy that the work was so complete, so well constructed from start to finish.

This is the last post in a series of posts I’ve made celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of each of the episodes of FLCL. As for all the posts before this, I did not rewatch the episode before writing this and instead chose to write based on my memories. The last time I watched the series was in the summer of 2009. You can read the previous posts here: (1 & 2: Fooly Cooly and Firestarter) (3: Marquis de Carabas) (4: Full Swing) (5: Brittle Bullet).

Keep Your Spirits Up

We all know what’s happened in Japan over the last few days.  Everything I could say has probably been said a thousand times over by now, so I won’t add my voice to the echo chamber.  Instead, I come bearing some artwork for you this evening.  I saw this on Nina Matsumoto’s Twitter, and immediately retweeted it myself:

@spacecoyotl – to lift their spirits, a high school teacher in Japan drew portraits of graduating students on the blackboard http://twitpic.com/49kkms

The original post came from @tarourakami just a few short hours ago, and in the time it’s taken me to write this short blurb, it’s already gained another 8000 views.  Not only is the artwork damn good, but it’s the kind of thing that can just make you happy.  The kids in his artwork are smiling.  They’re happy, despite or perhaps in spite of adversity.  That’s my message to you tonight.  No matter what happens, you’ve always got to keep your spirits up.

Magical Girl Madoka Magica 10 – Magical Girl Homura Magica

The reveals are coming hard and fast now, and the one in this episode somehow managed to top everything else so far. It was a move that many had predicted from the start, and a perhaps disappointingly convenient tool for explaining Homura’s story up to now. Still, the episode was filled with solid action and moving stand alone scenes and did its job of teaching us Homura’s story and letting us feel for her.

Spring Season Seiyuu

Beneath the cut is 1000 words about the seiyuu – mostly female, because I don’t follow male seiyuu as much, and also because I didn’t want to write more than 1000 words – who will be lending their voices to the spring season’s new crop of characters in its new crop of anime. I’ve also included a list of all the female seiyuu who will appear in spring, and what shows they’ll be appearing in. All images in this post are from koebooru. Have fun! Edit 10/3: Added Jewelpet Sunshine cast. Edit 13/3: Added Honto ni atta! Reibai-sensei cast, more Sket Dance and A Channel cast members. Emiri Katou (Kyubey) now has three roles, on par with agency-mate Kana Asumi, who she’s pictured with in this post. Another role for Ai Kayano (and a good deal more in the near future) signal she’s really on the rise after debuting just last year. And A Channel adds some familiar voices from Saki, the director’s previous work.

Kana Hanazawa

The Norse Dream Eater

Mistilteinn, Treesea’s other name.  If you’ve spent a lot of time watching anime or playing video games, you’ve probably seen the name appear in a few places.  For example, in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, it’s one of Hayate Yagami’s attacks.  Of course, if you know anything about etymology, you know this word didn’t originate in Japan, or even in our modern English.  You can trace the word back to Old Norse, where it meant mistletoe.  Of course, back then mistletoe didn’t have the connotation it has today.  Rather than being part of a Yuletide tradition, it was a god slayer.  Gather around, children, because I’ve got a story to tell.

Well... she certainly looks the part.

Star Driver 22 – What’s his Boat?

The play was certainly an interesting way to add some clarity to past events. Sarina’s veiled questioning of Takuto and his answers were certainly interesting enough, and I do get the feeling that he will back up his claims to protect Wako. Still, there is one thing that really seems out of place to me.  Assuming that Takuto is the one who will eventually embrace Wako, that would make Sugata the one who had Wako, but lost her due to his dependence on the boat’s power. But for whatever reason I don’t get the feeling that real world Sugata has given in to the boat’s power yet, because I don’t know what his “boat” could possibly be.