Mistakes of Youth: The Blog (Powered by EXCELLENCE!)

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Just some dickish commentary between me and Alex on Ian Condry’s SOUL OF ANIME lecture which wasn’t all that interesting, but you can listen to it here.

There was no part 2.

Guests

• Alex Leavitt

Songs

• Opening Song– “Kyuuryoubi-san” by Omokage Lucky Hole
• Ending Song– “The Joker” by Brasil ’66

I only post my doodles when they’re of anime directors.

Shinbo looks too dashing and almost looks like my dad circa 10 years ago. I tried to draw Sadamoto at the end, but I forgot what he looked like.

It’s been tough for a Gundam fan lately. Unless you are particularly fond of the alternate universe offerings that have more or less defined Gundam for the past ten years, there’s been nothing much us devotees to the original series can really sink our teeth into and appreciate beyond some manga in GundamAce that I can’t read, and some neat model kits I don’t have time to build. Oh, maybe we can sink our teeth into Ring of Gundam. Or at least try.

But you know, we have nothing to worry about now. Gundam Unicorn is here. And it’s tasty.

I don’t even understand what’s going on beyond the basics so far! Big Japanese words go straight over my head. But that doesn’t matter. The punch that this first episode packs obliterates any language barrier one may have. This shit is a spectacle. I am not afraid to say that it is in fact what Gundam fans have for ages been longing for.

Let’s be honest UC fans–ever since First we’ve had to live with compromise. First Gundam is dated, but we can appreciate its raw spirit despite its sometimes poor production. Zeta Gundam is great, but it takes some time to get on its feet. Even when it comes to big-budget affairs like Char’s Counterattack or 0083, we kind of let the story side of those works slide a bit since they look so damn pretty. No one can agree on 08th MS Team. I guess 0080 is good, but I haven’t seen it in so long that I don’t even get the hamburger joke people always make. What I’m getting at is that this first episode of Unicorn can be enjoyed completely without compromise. The animation is slick, the plot is engaging, and the characters so far seem great.

Gundam Unicorn is clearly a reply to years of fan prayer. The First Gundam movies are amazing–there’s no question about that–but in the end it is a cartoon made to (initially) sell simplistic toys to children, and this simplicity is reflected in the look of the animation. However, because of First’s very realistic approach to war, it established this mindset in UC fans everywhere that the UC universe concerned itself with real, gritty war, even if it doesn’t really look like it. It’s serious stuff. It has gravity to it. Even if Char does pilot a bright pink Zaku. Excuse me, red.

As I mentioned before, previous big-budget Gundam series which have tried desperately to answer the cries of fans gave it the good ol’ college try–came out pretty great–but no one can agree on which one is good. I’m really jumping the gun here, but I have a feeling Unicorn will be universally embraced.

This first episode is a perfect mix of classic and modern. There are some traditional Gundam tropes sprinkled throughout, as well as some typically ridiculous scenes that can only really happen in a Gundam series. But they’re pulled off with high levels of class. Alongside these scenes  is a developing plot that I already find engaging, despite not fully understanding it. This too is of course handled with the same amount of class. The whole episode in general has a very serious streak, and evokes an epic tone skilfully.

As I alluded to before, the animation is more or less phenomenal. There is some dodgy 3D work at times, but for the most part this is film-caliber stuff. Characters make pronounced and full movements, the camera isn’t afraid to move around, and the world is convincingly alive and breathing. Mobile suit battles aren’t simple exchanges of beam spam. This is a show in which 30 seconds are spent on a Zaku making a suicide run at an enemy suit while the various pieces of its frame slowly come apart due to being nearly destroyed moments earlier. This is a show in which fights have actual choreography. Suits move around, dodge, and fire with intention. Nothing looks stiff. Background music that fits like a glove doesn’t really hurt things, either.

The character designs are a breath of fresh air. Yasuhiko Yoshikazu is one of my most favourite artists of all time, and seeing his designs come to life by way of anime designer Takahashi Kumiko fills me wholly with joy. Specifically the girls. Maybe I just like poofy hair or something, but these girls are hot. Well, Gundam girls always have been, but in a time when anime has more or less perfected the art of making girls look really cute, the girls in Unicorn shine bright. There’s this scene where one of the main girls, Audrey, eats a hotdog. She blushes at the end. It’s pretty moe.

Well, that ended on a perverted note! Anyway, all I’m saying is that Gundam Unicorn is what a lot of us have been waiting for. If further episodes can somehow find a way to top this one, we’ll be looking at the greatest Gundam show ever made.

Original Post

I find that amongst some anime fans, there are those that think like computers. For instance, when an adaptation of a popular manga takes one step away from the original story, fans label it a failure because the outcome doesn’t fall within their narrow set of expectations. Perhaps if they were to realize that these changes actually make the story better, they would simply break down.

That said, this comic is primarily about the initial reaction to the first and second episodes of the show which were overwhelmingly negative (for a variety of reasons, not just inaccuracy) but that seems to have cooled down now. To be honest, I’m actually still not sure how some of the added plot elements work together–such as the new girl, and Akira’s loss of memory. I think his loss of memory is addressed in episode 7, but I’ve only seen it raw thus far so I can’t be certain. There’s also some other issues with the show that I want to address, but not now. It’s good, but I think that more so than any SHAFT show in recent years–even Bakemonogatari–this show probably needs to be watched on home video.

Oh, there’s some new podcasts about Comiket. They’re kind of bad, but if anything I hope they help bring you into that moment that was Comiket 76.

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At Comiket Day 3 Nippon Banzai levels get shot into overdrive and manifest in completely bias incoherent ramblings in line. At Comiket Day 4, fatigue levels get shot into overdrive and manifest in simple incoherent ramblings. But it’s like that guy said, it’s all about catching that moment, that instant in our lives.

And you can listen to it, if you want!

We did end up meeting Kono Azure. Missed Ryu Moto, though.

Guests

• Chris (Hen Da Ne)
• Anonymous

Songs

• Opening Song– “Yume no Naka E” by Inoue Yousui
• Ending Song– “Ending Chorus: Beginning of the Universe” by Hattori Takayuki

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Once upon a time, there was a Comic Market. Unlike the previous 75 Comic Markets before it, this one was a little different: I was in attendance.

This is the first half of a two-part series that covers my adventures–as well as the adventures of those with me–at Comic Market 76.

Guests

• Mouse
• Chris (Hen Da Ne)

Songs

• Opening Song– “My Pace Daiou” by Manzo
• Ending Song– “I’m Feeling You” by Capsule

Hanamaru Youchien is done in 6 weeks? Say it ain’t so!

Short of doing a full-on review (I may want to save that for when the show is over) I would like to highlight some of the things that make Hanamaru Youchien awesome.

This first one is actually kind of depressing. This show hits me where it really hurts: in Tsuchida, the main character. Now these main guys are always meant to be relatable losers, but very few of them hit as close to home as Tsuchida does. I imagine he’s designed to fit this weird subset of people that are just like me. I’ve taught children before, am nearly just out of college, and am eternally girlfriendless. Well those last two are constants across the genre, but the first one really drives it all home. While I haven’t had a young girl fall for me (which is for the better, I should imagine) I do relate to treating boys you’re teaching as your buddies when you share the same interests.

On that same vein, the show balances realism and the lack thereof in its setting quite well. The kids in Hanamaru are wonderful simply because act like real kids. They’re loud, energetic, inquisitive, and get upset for no reason. And even though it falls back on a set of established archetypes for each character, they’re all executed with lots of spirit. In fact, part of the reason why the show is so pleasant is exactly because it falls back on familiar archetypes for not just the main characters, but for everyone in class. Familiarity is comforting to most people, but at the same time things with lots of familiarity can come off as cheap and by-the-numbers. What makes Hanamaru good is how it injects that aforementioned spirit into the formula with inspired writing, voice acting and animation.

A lot of this spirit is carried in the show’s main heroines, though. Anzu is characterized by her never-ending enthusiasm and energy. Koume is shy, timid, and unsure of herself. Hiiragi is more laid back, and enjoys drawing upon her vast knowledge to help both Anzu and Koume when they need it, and also uses these situations an excuse to wear cute outfits. What really helps bring Anzu to life is how much spunk there is each cut of animation featuring her. Every time she shoots out her arms, wiggles  her legs, runs around, or climbs up something, there’s an extra bit of spark in it. The vocal talents of Shindou Kei complements Anzu’s physical energy with an unrestrained performance rich in soul. Koume’s movements also go well her timid nature. She runs slower than the others, and often fidgets. While  MAKO doesn’t sound 100% convincing all the time (I think the issue lies in forcing her voice higher than it already is) she communicates Koume’s uneasiness quite well. Everything Hiiragi does is calculated, from her actions to her speech. Her movements have distinct purpose, while Takagaki Ayahi reinforces Hii’s cool, calm and collected demeanor. But the cute part is when she tries to keep it all together while being embarrassed.

Beyond the convincing portrayal of the main characters, the show is generally very technically proficient. Apparently Gainax has all of their best talent on this show, and while I’m too lazy confirm that, the show speaks loud enough for itself. Across the six episodes of Hanamaru that have aired thus far, I am finding it difficult to recall a single bit of awkward animation. Everything is smooth, clean, and full. One thing that struck me particularly in episode six was the water animation in the pool. My memory is a little fuzzy, but near as I can remember the water in the pool was always moving. And it wasn’t some cheap CG-effect either–it was completely animated by hand at all times. Attention to little details like that prove that Gainax is really giving it their all. Nevermind the fact that each episode has its own fully animated ending sequence. This show certainly moves better than the rather sloppily animated Shikabane Hime, that’s for sure.

I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface of the enthusiasm I have for this show, but I’m coming up on 700 words so I’ll cut things off here. Bottom line is: Watch Hanamaru Youchien! You’ll be glad you did!

Original Post

This is one of those comics that got worse and worse as I continued drawing it. The sketches looked fine, but as I continued on things just become more dire. The end product isn’t too bad, but I’m not happy with it. But that’s the usual story, isn’t it?

I actually really hope we do get some Dullahan porn out of Durarararararara!!, but considering the overwhelming amount of images featuring Anri with a penis in between her giant tits, I highly doubt we’ll see Selty getting fucked in all of her headless glory. I hope someone does it, though. And I hope they do it seriously. Like, not as a joke.

Anyway, until next week.