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First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2018 First Impressions – Bakumatsu

The Bakumatsu was an era in which the souls of young men burned with anxiety for their country’s future. Takasugi Shinsaku, a soldier of fortune from Choshu, sneaks aboard a government ship with his comrade Katsura Kogorou in search of a mysterious “timepiece” with the power to manipulate time that he fears the government wishes to keep for themselves. Rather than allow such power to fall into the wrong hands, Takasugi plans to destroy the artifact, but having obtained it, the artifact is quickly stolen, forcing the pair to follow the mysterious thief to the seat of government in Kyoto. – MAL

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Game

Episode Summary: Shinsaku and Katsura are out on the night sea to obtain a treasure sought by the Tokugawa Shogunate. This treasure is said to grant its owner power over time and space, but Shinsaku wants to destroy it so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands and create a power imbalance. Though their stealth skills leave something to be desired, they do eventually abscond with the treasure. That is, they nearly make a clean getaway until a mysterious female ninja grabs the item from under their noses, using it to escape into the time stream right before the men are discovered and targeted by cannon fire. Undeterred, they make a second pass at bungling the shogunate’s plans, but after walking in on a mysterious sleeping man trapped in the basement of the enemy fortress, it feels as though something about their world has changed.

The horizon is now dominated by a strange conglomeration of threatening architecture, and Shinsaku and Katsura’s clothing has undergone a transformation as well. They quickly discover that they’re in an alternate time stream from their own, in which the Tokugawa fell and the subsequent power vacuum was filled by someone with decidedly sinister motive. Shinsaku’s first inclination is to go on the offensive, but he soon discovers that his opponents possess the power of various figures from throughout Japanese history.

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First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2018 First Impressions – Ms. Vampire Who Lives in my Neighborhood

Due to a strange incident, Akari Amano is rescued by a vampire girl named Sophie Twilight, and Akari becomes interested in her. – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Akari Amano is really into dolls, so when she catches wind of a mysterious girl who, according to legend, lives in the forest and never ages, she assumes this person must be some sort of living doll. The truth is even more amazing – the girl’s name is Sophie Twilight, and she’s actually a vampire. Sophie lives alone in her large house, and Akari takes it upon herself to keep Sophie from feeling lonely. The thing is, Sophie enjoys her loner night-owl existence, and Akari’s budding obsession is starting to get in the way.

When Akari leaves for a time, however, the difference is noticeable to Sophie. Though she appreciates the quiet, she realizes that Akari’s presence brought a fun atmosphere to her home. Without the constant chatter and questioning of her vampire lifestyle, Sophie feels as though something is missing. Akari is way ahead of the game, having decided to pack up her things (including several of her dolls) and move into Sophie’s home. Though the logistics might need some hammering-out, this could turn out to be a fun adventure for both girls.

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30 Day Anime Challenge Special Features

30 Day Anime Challenge #6 – An Anime I Want to See, But Haven’t Yet

For the past few prompts I’ve lamented the fact that I seem unable to provide straightforward answers to what I’m positive were created to be very straightforward questions. Since I’ve been using them not for their intended purpose, but more as ways to jump-start my writing again after a few days of writers’ block, once I start typing up an answer it tends to un-cork all sorts of complicated feelings about my own anime fandom and they ways in which I interact with the medium that I love. This prompt, however, feels a little less heavy; maybe it’s because asking about things that haven’t been done yet opens up a new world of possibilities for the person answering the question, rather than drumming up old, complicated feelings from the past.

As an anime fan who watches an above-average (but no longer obscene) amount of anime every season, I’ve made some peace with the fact that there are always anime series that seem to fall through the cracks. Maybe the series got mediocre initial reviews and was generally overlooked, only to reveal itself as interesting later on. Maybe it was released on an odd schedule (for example – everything on Netflix). Maybe it just appeared as an also-ran in an anime season that was already full of great things to watch. Whatever the reason, I constantly have a sense that I’m missing out on watching things that I might like, or not giving series enough of a chance to “prove themselves” before I move on to something that better suits my tastes. It’s tough to always second-guess my fandom choices and I haven’t found a good (and time-respectful way) to quash that feeling completely.

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Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2018 First Impressions – Bloom Into You

Yū has always loved shōjo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and blushes, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her, she feels nothing. Disappointed and confused, Yū enters high school still unsure how to respond. That’s when Yū sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she’s inspired to ask her for help. But then the next person to confess to Yū is Nanami herself. – ANN

Streaming: HIDIVE

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Yuu has always enjoyed the romance in the manga she reads and the music she listens to, but has never genuinely felt those same feelings in her own life. Though one of her classmates confessed his feelings towards her after they graduated from junior high, Yuu’s answer has been up in the air since then because she hasn’t felt inspired enough to respond in the manner she feels is truthful. One day Yuu is “recruited” to help the student council, and wanders the school grounds looking for their out-of-the-way office. She witnesses a boy’s confession to an upperclassman who, though she answers in the negative, lets the young man down with such grace and dignity that Yuu is incredibly impressed.

The senpai, Nanami, is herself a member of the student council. She explains to Yuu that she’s not interested in romance and plans to stay single throughout high school. The two end up working together fairly closely over the next several days, until the time comes for Yuu to speak to her potential suitor. Due to Nanami’s influence, she’s able to reject him truthfully and with kindness. But a surprising transformation seems to take place – Nanami now seems smitten with Yuu, and confesses those feelings to her. As the days go on, that momentary awkwardness seems to fade into memory, but Yuu still wonders how to address them.

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First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2018 First Impressions – Zombie Land Saga

The usual mornings. The usual music. The usual self. For seven girls, a peaceful life was all of a sudden destroyed. All at the hands of zombies, dead things that somehow remained moving. Now they step into a new world, whether they liked it or not. A “zombieworld” that represented both the best and the worst. The seven girls had only one wish: “We want to live.” – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation (Simuldub premieres Oct. 28th)

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Episode Summary: Sakura loves watching idol performances and is looking forward to submitting her application to become an idol. Unfortunately, on her way out the door to mail it in, she’s hit by a truck. She wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings during a raging thunderstorm, and is soon pursued by other frightening figures in the darkness. Sakura escapes the house and encounters a police officer, but his reaction to her appearance isn’t encouraging. When she sees her own reflection, it becomes clear; she’s in the same state as the zombie-like creatures who chased her away.

Sakura is collected by Tatsumi, a flamboyant and eccentric man who claims to be putting together an idol group. The other threatening creatures are undead women from throughout idol history, brought back to life for this very purpose. Aside from Sakura, all the others behave as typical zombies would, mindlessly shuffling throughout the room and occasionally biting one-another. Considering these unusual circumstances, Sakura believes this whole “idol” business to be complete folly. Nevertheless, Tatsumi has signed them all up for a live performance at a local death metal festival. Having never practiced any songs or routines the performance is still an unlikely success; it seems that the zombies still retain some inherent sense of rhythm, and their horrifying death screams fit right into the atmosphere. The performance also seems to have had another benefit – the mental stimulation has “awakened” most of the other girls, who are now able to function like Sakura.

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Categories
Anime Reviews Reviews

Anime Review – Revue Starlight

“Starlight” is the song and dance revue troupe loved throughout the world. Karen and Hikari make a promise with each other when they’re young that one day they’ll stand on that stage together. Time passes, and now the girls are 16 years old. Karen is very enthusiastic about the lessons she takes every day, holding her promise close to her heart. Hikari has transferred schools and is now away from Karen. But the cogs of fate turn, and the two are destined to meet again. The girls and other “Stage Girls” will compete in a mysterious audition process to gain acceptance into the revue. – ANN

Streaming: HIDIVE

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Review: This review contains plot and thematic spoilers for the anime. Heavy spoilers are indicated; the section in question can be skipped.

Do you believe in fate? That once our life is set in motion, its pre-determined pathway is truly an immovable arc of destiny? Anime is filled with stories of prophesies fulfilled and traditions unbroken; it’s a theme whose expression allows us to believe in the possibility and comfort of things greater than ourselves. There are also plenty of anime, however, that dare to suggest that we, as human beings, are more responsible for our lives than some of us may be comfortable fully accepting. I tend to like these stories better, because rather than simply implying that our poor state of being is solely the result of our own mistakes, it suggests that we might also have some power to alter the flow of the river and set ourselves on a better course, given the opportunity and support of course.

Revue Starlight is, in its simplest form, a story about a group of girls choosing not to accept an exclusionary story – a fate which does not encompass the happiness of them all. Instead, they attempt to re-write the stage-play of their existence and to reinterpret their story as one which allows room for successful fulfillment of their desires.

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Categories
Conventions Special Features

Anime Fusion 2018 – Panel Materials

Hi friends. Below are J.C.’s and my panel materials from Anime Fusion, which took place this past weekend. Feel free to take these and use them as you like, but be sure to credit J.C. and/or myself if you do. We put a lot of work into them and want to make sure people can contact us if they have any questions about the content.

Please let me know if any of the links are broken – I’ll be sure to update them.

Women in Anime

PowerPoint Presentation – Many thanks to Heroine Problem which helped to inspire some of the content and format.

Shiny New Anime

PowerPoint Presentation (large: contains clips)

Handout

Visual Storytelling

PowerPoint Presentation (large: contains clips)

Handout

Categories
Conventions Special Features

Anime Fusion 2018 – Come See Us!

Hello, friends. This news is a bit belated, but J.C. and I were invited to be Featured Speakers at this year’s Anime Fusion convention, taking place this weekend in Plymouth, Minnesota! Prepping for the convention has kept me from writing for the past couple of days, so apologies for that. We’ve been attendees and panelists at the con for the past few years, so it was cool to receive this invitation. Obviously pre-reg is closed for the convention, but they have walk-up registration and day passes; even if you’re only free one day you can stop by and say hello!

We’re holding 4 panels over the weekend:

Friday, October 19th

9:30pm Panel 1 – Anime by Numbers Trivia Game – All the answers are numbers, and anyone can play! It’s a game that values logical guessing over exact factual knowledge; teams work together to come up with their best answers. And of course there are also prizes for the winning team!

Saturday, October 20th

11:30am Panel 1- Women in Anime – Anime features girls and women in a variety of roles. What are the aspects of a great heroine? What are some ways anime could improve its portrayal of women? What are some of your favorite characters? This discussion is meant to provide some tools to think critically and recognize the strengths and weaknesses in how women are featured in anime and other media.

3:30pm Panel 2 – Shiny New Anime – Our annual run-down of some of the great anime that’s come out in the past year (since last year’s convention). It’s our goal to show great clips, feature lively discussion, and present good anime in all its variety so that every audience member has something new to go watch. There’ll be handouts to take home, too!

Sunday, October 21st

11:30am Panel 3 – Visual Storytelling – Great anime doesn’t always need subtitles. Watch and discuss some of the best uses of frame, expression, and other visual cues creators use to tell stories without dialogue.

Again, if you’re in the area I hope you’ll drop by and say hello! If you’re not in our area or aren’t able to come to the convention, I’ll be posting my panel materials here after the convention.

 

Categories
Opinion Personal

Defining Darkness at the Expense of Others

Though I assume most people who were planning to have already watched the first episode by now, I’ll warn that the first episode of Goblin Slayer – and by extension this discussion of it – includes references to sexual assault and rape, both generally and specifically.

As I mentioned in my Goblin Slayer first impressions post, I had the desire to write further about some of the extreme content that appears in the episode. This isn’t because other bloggers and reviewers haven’t been writing about it, but more because I haven’t seen my thoughts and feelings reflected in most of the reactions and I’d like to provide my perspective. A lot of what I’ve been reading in the past week has been very analytical, weighing various points in an attempt to come to some kind of logical conclusion about whether the episode’s content is warranted or appropriate. I believe that kind of disaffected point-by-point examination of scenes and images is the luxury and privilege of those whose lives are untouched by crimes of sexual aggression. I’m not trying to make enemies by saying as much, but I feel that there’s a certain survivors’ perspective on this matter that can be difficult for others to understand except from first-hand experience (or an incredibly robust sense of empathy).

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Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2018 First Impressions – Goblin Slayer

“I’m not saving the world. I just kill goblins.” Rumor has it that, in a certain guild in the middle of nowhere, there is an extraordinary man who has climbed all the way to the Silver rank just by killing goblins. At the same guild, a priestess who’s just become a new adventurer has formed her first party… and the man who ends up rescuing that party when they get into trouble is none other than the Goblin Slayer. – Crunchyroll

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: A Priestess, having just become an adult at 15, elects to become an adventurer and to serve as a healer for adventuring parties. No sooner does she join a local guild than she’s hired by a group of greenhorn adventurers on a quest to exterminate a nest of goblins. Though the popular opinion is that such a quest is too much for beginners, the enthusiastic bunch isn’t deterred. The Priestess joins them.

As they enter the goblins’ cave, it becomes apparent just how woefully under-prepared they are. The swordsman’s sword is too long for such an enclosed space, and no one has brought any healing items with them. When the Priestess and mage fall behind they’re soon surrounding by a swarm of goblins who, despite their small size, are vicious and cruel. Things quickly take a downturn and the Priestess soon finds herself alone and in a very vulnerable position. It is likely only due to insanely good luck that she is saved by the Goblin Slayer, a high-ranking member of the guild who makes quick work of the goblin horde. She then elects to join the Goblin Slayer on his quest to kill goblins.

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