Author Archives: Jon

About Jon

Jon is a Japanese culture enthusiast, professional pervert and roleplaying fanatic who appreciates flexible gender identities. He enjoys science fiction, Gunpla, classical music and Red Stripe.

Dusty and Glen Guest Star on Otaku In Review

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When I heard that Otaku in Review’s Scott Spaziani was reviewing Otome Youkai Zakuro, I asked him if he’d like to debate the show’s merits with Project Haruhi’s resident experts Glen and Dustin. Their opinion of the show has been rather mixed, as you Bakacast listeners know. They think that it started off strong, but descended into mediocrity around the halfway point. Scott holds pretty much the exact opposite opinion. The resultant debate makes for fascinating listening.

This podcast also covers Infinite Stratos, the recent Nintendo 3DS announcements, the FUNimation simulcast scandal, Star Fox and… John Titor? What the frak? Anyhoo, we’ll have Scott guest starring on the next episode of Bakacast, so look forward to it!

Fanservice Beyond Anime: Battlestar Galactica

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Header image by particle9

One of the more common stereotypes about anime is that it’s filled with perverted fanservice. Of course, shows like Samurai Girls and Rio Rainbow Gate partially support this stereotype, but I don’t get why it’s such a big deal. I mean, modern American culture is just as hyper-sexualized as Japanese culture. Perhaps our tastes are different: for example, Americans tend to frown on lolicon and incest, whereas Japan seems to have an aversion towards the “butch women” fantasy. But, at the end of the day, the entertainment mediums of live-action TV and anime are more alike than most of us realize. For example, there’s an American show that was utterly trashed by gratuitous fanservice. It’s called Battlestar Galactica.

I’m not referring to the cheesy 1978 pulpfest starring Richard Hatch. To be frank, that incarnation of BSG never had many redeeming qualities to begin with. No, I’m talking about Ronald D. Moore’s infamous 2003 reboot. I was initially very optimistic about this show, despite my dislike of Moore’s work on Deep Space Nine. What intrigued me was Moore’s manifesto for the show: he wanted to make it a pioneer of “naturalistic science fiction.” It was a bold concept… sci-fi based on the practical instead of the fantastic. BSG was intended to be a hyperrealistic, down-to-earth show featuring hard science and believable characters. No archetypes, no technobabble, and above all no deus-ex-machina. It sounded like the sci-fi show we had all been waiting for.

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First Impressions – Madoka Magica

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My exposure to the work of Shinbo Akiyuki has been admittedly limited. I’m familiar with his comical work like Pani Poni Dash! and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, but have mostly glossed over his more serious stuff. Of his recent shows, I’ve only seen Dance In the Vampire Bund, which I have extremely mixed feelings about. Although I like Shinbo’s unique directorial style, I felt he went overboard in Bund, to the point that his surrealist camerawork and constant dramatic eye zooms actually disrupted the narrative. Because of that, I was a bit apprehensive going into Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Fortunately, it seems like Shinbo has learned his lesson, and is playing to his strengths while eschewing his vices. Thanks to awesomely avant-garde visuals, solid directing and a compelling story that establishes its characters flawlessly, Madoka may be the best new show of the winter season.

Pink-haired schoolgirl Madoka Kaname has been having strange dreams lately, featuring a mysterious magical girl fighting in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. She doesn’t let this dampen her spirits though, and lives a comfortable life with her stay-at-home dad, successful businesswoman mom and baby brother. However, her life is turned upside-down when the girl from her dreams, Homura Akemi, transfers into her school and gives her a cryptic warning to stay out of magical affairs. Upon hearing a psychic cry for help from the familiar Kyube, Madoka is drawn into a new world of witches and mysterious powers.

More after the break.

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Hokago no Pleiades Trailer Released

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The trailer for the new Gainax-Subaru magical girl astronomy anime has been posted on YouTube.

Apparently, it’s going to premier on February 1st as a “High-DEF YouTube Exclusive.”

So, does this ONA have the cajones to go up against Shaft’s magical girl offering, Madoka Magica? I’m not so sure. Shaft’s show has grimdark master Shinbo behind it, whereas Gainax’s feels like MagiPoka mixed with K-ON!. And with a blatant corporate sponsership thrown into the mix, I’m betting Hokago will be another lackluster offering from the studio that brought us such turds as He Is My Master and Hanamaru Kindergarten.

Hey, not every Gainax show can be a genre-busting masterpiece. Just grit your teeth and wait for PSG season two.

Weekly Anime Review: Fall Season Wrapup

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Well, this season of anime was certainly a pleasant surprise. After the lackluster summer season, everyone at Project Haruhi felt that our prospects for the fall weren’t all that great. Fortunately, a few standout series managed to rise above the typical  fare and keep us entertained. Foremost among them was Squid Girl, which we all agree was the best show of the season. Sadly, that’s pretty much the ONLY thing we agreed on.

While recording our weekly reviews on Bakacast, a number of disagreements sprung up. Dusty and Glen are huge fans of Star Driver, whereas I found it too boring to watch past four episodes. Alternatively, I’ve been quite the Panty & Stocking apologist, but Glen and Dusty find it marginally entertaining at best. And we all enjoyed hating on OreImo, one of the most reviled shows of the season… except for Glen, who actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Even our opinions of Iron Man tended to vary.

For the purposes of these reviews, I’ve tried to assign each show to the person who enjoyed it the most. The exceptions are Samurai Girls, which NOBODY liked, and Iron Man, which Dusty gets because he’s our resident comic book nerd. Hopefully, that will make these reviews more than just one unending stream of negativity. No promises, though.

Our in-depth reviews are below the break. Beware the sacrilege! Oh, and the spoilers too.

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12 Days of Anime #1: Best Anime Scene of the Year

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*For the full effect, read the following text aloud in the manner of a melodramatic old-time radio announcer.*

DANGER! The mighty electromaster MIKOTO MISAKA is being menaced by Telestina’s gargantuan robot! This high-speed freeway battle is not looking good for our young heroine! The fearsome war machine is impervious to all of Mikoto’s attacks, including her mighty railgun, and its deadly ROCKET FISTS are destroying everything in sight! With only seconds left before total annihilation, can Mikoto find a way to defeat this horrible menace and save the day?

12 Days of Anime #2: Fighting Evil by Moonlight

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Sailor Moon is one of those quintessential anime that everybody has heard of, but almost nobody has actually seen. Old timers have vague memories of watching it on Toonami, and they’re plenty of Sailor Senshi fanart to be found, but only a few of us young’uns have bothered to sit down and learn what all the fuss was about. Well, as part of my rediscovery of retro anime, I decided to take the plunge. I was expecting something silly like Power Rangers, with a shallow story and a monster every week.

Funny thing is, Sailor Moon has a way of both fulfilling and subverting your expectations.

All the super sentai tropes are there, with great quantity and little deviation. Luna and Artemis, faced with a threat from the evil Dark Kingdom, recruit teenagers with attitude to form a team of color-coded warriors. These girls battle a neverending onslaught of weekly monsters using their stock-footage transformation scenes and elemental attacks, eventually challenging and defeating the ruler of the Dark Kingdom herself. In a nutshell, this is the show that defined the magical-girl tropes, for better or worse. It’s the pioneer, the trailblazer, the legendary matriarch whose influence is still felt today.

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