Category Archives: Anime

Bakacast Briefs – Robots! Robots! Robots!

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[IMPORTANT NOTE: If you downloaded this episode any time before October 10, 2:00 PM (PST), you got the version that has intermittent stretches of silence for the first half of the episode. This problem has been fixed and the original file was replaced.]

That’s right, folks! Welcome to the second season of Bakacast Briefs! Sorry this podcast was once again late; a combination of bad timing and technical difficulties delayed its release.

Since this is the first week of the fall season, we’ve got a lot of shows to cover, so we skip the news and Twitter questions to fit it all in a reasonable amount of time. All in all, we review:

This list (and the following week’s) will probably decrease substantially after a couple more episodes as we decide which shows to stick with and which ones to drop. That said, we hope it won’t be nearly as narrow as our coverage for the previous season.

And speaking of last season, we’d like to know what you think of Bakacast Briefs so far. What do you think are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? What aren’t we doing that we should be doing? Feel free to give us any constructive criticism you may have.

[Music used in this episode is “Illegal Soundwaves” by Apricorn.]

ANN Accidentally Leaks Episode 2 of OreImo

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Pratfall ahoy!

Late yesterday evening, this quiet little news story appeared on Anime News Network. It indicated that the second episode of OreImo had been leaked online, one day prior to its Japanese broadcast and one week before ANN was scheduled to begin streaming it. What the story doesn’t tell you, however, is that the episode was leaked by ANN itself, who uploaded it to their servers and made it publicly available by accident.

Apparently, the URL for watching the first episode of OreImo in ANN’s video player contained a “1,” denoting episode 1. Somebody got the bright idea of changing that digit to a 2, and found the second episode available for public viewing in full HD 720p quality. Within a few hours, the episode had been uploaded to various filesharing sites and even fansubbed. ANN has since removed both episodes from their servers, but the damage has been done. They are in hot water with Aniplex, and the future of their OreImo simulcast is in doubt.

Aside from the bare-bones news story linked above which conveniently omits any mention of their role in this leak, ANN has not made any sort of public statement at the time of writing. Some speculate that they will do so at their New York Anime Fest panel later today, or that they’re waiting until after the Japanese broadcast in order to minimize public relations damage. However, since this story has already propagated across 4chan and 2chan, their culpability is something of an open secret. I’ll leave the question of whether or not this constitutes a breach of journalistic integrity to Dustin, as that’s his field of expertise.

Now, I love the guys at ANN… but this represents a huge lapse of basic competency on their part. I’ve been rather disillusioned since they announced an overpriced (some would say exploitive) subscription fee of $5 per simulcast…. a simulcast that, I might add, was scheduled to air nearly a week after the Japanese broadcast. The reason Crunchyroll has cut down on piracy is because they offered a better alternative: on-demand anime released simultaneously with the Japanese broadcast. They made these shows available legally faster than any speedsubber could, at a low all-you-could-eat price that even the most cash-strapped otaku could afford. ANN’s simulcasting just didn’t have the same level of appeal, especially for an absurdly popular show like OreImo. If the speedsubbers can have the episode available two hours after the Japanese broadcast, why would anyone wait a whole week and pay $5 when they could be spending that cash on a Crunchyroll subscription instead? It seems to me like their simulcasting model was doomed from the start, and this leak is just another nail in the coffin.

I’ll wrap this up by quoting this delicously ironic comment from the ANN forums:

I’d feel sorry for you guys but my sympathy is region locked.

Review: Iron Man 1

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Talk to the hand.

If you read my introduction to Iron Man, you might have noticed that I’m kind of a big fan. Couple my love of the comic-book Tony Stark with my desperate need to see something good after the disappointment of last season, and you get some fairly high expectations that Madhouse needed to live up to. Thankfully, that’s exactly what they did, but not quite in the ways I expected.

Instead of retelling Iron Man’s origin story, the first episode introduces us to Tony Stark when he’s a well-established superhero. Stark wants to build one of his famous arc reactors in Japan, which he claims will give the country unlimited, free energy. The Japanese public, however, is skeptical. Since the arc reactor is what powers Stark’s Iron Man armor, who’s to say he’s not trying to build an absurdly powerful weapon under the guise of philanthropy? So, Stark–the stereotypical wealthy American who revels in excess and the occasional vice–is forced to figure out how to get the Japanese to like him while trying to dodge the tough questions and charm the pants off of a spunky reporter named Nanami Ota.

And then the Iron Man Dio, Stark’s prototype for a mass-production armor, somehow goes out of control and starts blasting the landscape. All in all, not the best day he’s ever had.

It is, however, a darn good episode, and I’ll explain why after the jump.

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Review: Panty & Stocking 1

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Taste the PAINbow!

“Haters gonna hate, lovers gonna love.”

That’s what everybody’s been telling me about Panty & Stocking, and I’m sick of hearing it. Do we really have judge our anime in such absolutist terms? The K-ON! fandom had the exact same problem; they labelled anybody who did not instantly agree with their unconditional worship as a hater… or worse. Well, if you hold such an extreme opinion, about K-ON!, Panty & Stocking or any other anime, I’ve got a message for you.

YOU’RE WRONG.

Reality does not exist solely in shades of black and white. Panty & Stocking is not the second coming of the messiah, nor is it an abomination spawned from the depths of hell. It’s just another anime, rife with strengths and weaknesses of all kinds. In other words, it’s exactly like every other anime ever made. Sure, there are superficial differences in art style and writing, but this show really isn’t as incredibly revolutionary as you may have been lead to believe. I neither love nor hate it, and I’m hoping this review will help to deconstruct some of the absurd mythos the fans and anti-fans have constructed.

Panty & Stocking is centered around two girls, named (surprise!) Panty and Stocking. Although ostensibly sent from Heaven to defend Daten City from ghosts, these girls are actually lowlife layabouts who ignore their duties at every opportunity. Panty is a sex-addicted slut who beds every man she can get her hands on, and Stocking spends her time feeding her rampant addiction to sugary sweets. Only the machinations of the Reverend Garterbelt, their afro-sporting mentor/taskmaster, convinces this less-than-dynamic duo to actually fulfill their duties: slaying ghosts, collecting heaven coins and protecting the innocent people of Daten City.

The first episode is split up into two eleven-minute shorts, much like the American cartoons on which it was based. The first briefly introduces the main characters, who must fight against a massive sewer-dwelling ghost made of human feces. The second revolves around a speed demon/phallic metaphor ghost who leads the girls on a high-speed chase using a variety of vehicles. Both of these monsters are defeated with the help of special weapons: Panty’s panties turn into a gun called Backless, and Stockings stockings turn into an as-yet-unnamed sword.

Read more after the jump.

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Invader Zim’s Creator Approves of Panty & Stocking

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Everybody has been comparing Gainax’s crazy new show Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt to the seminal classics of American animation, including Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Invader Zim. Well, it seems even the delightfully twisted mind behind the latter, Jhonen Vasquez, has taken notice of the show… in particular the animal sidekick Chuck, who bears a startling resemblance to Zim’s robotic sidekick GIR. Here’s what Jhonen had to say.

Well, here’s that Gainax show that took GIR out of the whorehouse he was working in and gave him a new job!  It’s nice seeing him get some work, but I gotta say it’s a bit on the simple side for my tastes, what with the fart and sh*t jokes, but the ending is pretty ridiculous, and Gainax produces some of the only Japanese animation I can stand without wishing I was the drinking type, so I’m looking forward to more.

Read more…

Looks like Gainax has hit the sweet spot with Panty & Stocking. But is all this hype really justified? I’ll examine this issue in more detail when I review the first episode. Look for it to go live sometime tomorrow.

As for Jhonen… well, he may not be the drinking type, but I bet a few episodes of Hanamaru Kindergarten would land him in the emergency room with alcohol poisoning pretty quick.

Bakacast Briefs – Pokemon Fatigue

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Yes, I know, this episode is really late. If it’s any consolation, I realize I’ve brought dishonor upon my family’s name and have already pretended to commit seppuku. It was quite dramatic and believable, I can assure you.

Anyway, we start this week’s podcast lamenting the lack of any significant innovation in the Pokemon franchise (the fan-made Pokemon chart we talk about can be found here) and getting very excited about Madhouse’s Redline. After that, we review the last episode of Highschool of the Dead (there was much rejoicing) and the second-to-last episode Occult Academy. Then, because it’s so much fun, we answer your Twitter questions. So, if you want to hear Glen and I create surrealist narratives and find out why Larry is secretly an anime philanthropist, this is the episode for you!

This week’s podcast covers:

  • Highschool of the Dead #12
  • Occult Academy #12

[Music used in this episode is “A Charming Spell” by Splashdown.]

Review: Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls 1

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Yagyuu Muneakira, Sanada Yukimura and Gotou Matabee.

At first glance, Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls has a lot going against it. It’s based on a figure series which depicts various historical samurai as busty girls. It’s being animated by ARMS, who are responsible for such shows as Queen’s Blade and Ikkitousen. AT-X will be broadcasting an uncensored version, with plenty of nudity to go around. By all accounts, this should be another brainless fanservice-fest that only the really, really hardcore otaku will enjoy.

Or is it?

The old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” is applicable here. I actually watched the first episode of Samurai Girls and enjoyed it. Why? Well, despite the conclusions some of you have drawn from my HOTD hatred, I actually like fanservice-heavy shows. I’m a healthy, heterosexual guy in his mid-twenties… why WOULDN’T I enjoy staring at nubile samurai women parading around in skimpy outfits? What I don’t appreciate is when such shows tack on a paper-thin plot into which the writers put no thought or effort. Just because a show has bouncing boobs doesn’t mean the story has to suck!

And you know what? Samurai Girls actually has a decent story. It’s set in an alternate version of the present day, where the Tokugawa Shogunate still rules over a feudal Japan. The main protagonist, Yagyuu Muneakira, is tranferring to a military academy at the base of Mount Fuji. There he accidentally meets Sanada Yukimura and Gotou Matabee, two female samurai who are opposing the ruling Shogunate. After a nasty run-in with the school’s Shogun-endorsed militant student council, Yagyuu casts his lot with the rebels, setting the stage for a feudal battle of shifting loyalties in a high-school setting.

This intriguing story is only one aspect Samurai Girl‘s enjoyability. The tasteful fanservice, gorgeous art style and memorable character designs make this show is a visual treat, and the writing is serviceable enough that you won’t be bored out of your skull waiting for the next ecchi scene. Granted, there are still some big flaws… but this show has definately piqued my interest.

Find out more after the break.

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Final Thoughts on Occult Academy

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Do you see that look on Maya’s face? That expression of disappointment and contempt, mixed with just a hint of anger? Yeah, that’s how I feel right now.

Look, I wanted to like Occult Academy, I really did. Back in the early days of the summer season, I called this show “messianic,” a gift from the heavens destined to drive back the forces of mediocrity and darkness. Here, at long last, was an anime that had a plot beyond “cute girls drinking tea,” characters with more depth and originality than tired archetypes like “twintailed tsundere,” and humor more sophisticated than “LOL BOOBIES.” In other words, this was exactly the kind of thoughtful, original show we needed to counter the ever-increasing tide of fanservice and moe garbage that’s been swamping the airwaves. Sadly, it was unable to live up to those high expectations.

Find out why after the break.

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Bakacast Briefs – Dude, Where’s My Zombie?

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Jon was feeling sick and Chris was out of town, so it’s just Glen, Larry, Jeagle and me on this episode of Bakacast Briefs. Glen and I do most of the talking during the first half, where we review Break Blade, a suprisingly zombie-free episode of HOTD and Occult Academy. Then we turn the podcast over to Larry and Jeagle so they can talk about what is basically the finale of K-ON!!. We end the show with Twitter questions and uncontrollable laughter, just like a cheesy 80s sitcom. Far out!

This episode covers:

  • Break Blade #2
  • Highschool of the Dead #11
  • Occult Academy #11
  • K-ON!! #24

A list of our Bakacast Affiliates can be found here. Be sure to check out their blogs!

[Music used in this episode is “Game Boy Rock” by Wizwars.]

Project Haruhi Fall Anime Preview, Part 2

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Send in the clones.

In case you missed it, Part 1 is here.

The second half of our anime preview focuses on what you might call our “second string” authors. Jake and Eric are both new to the site, although they do have extensive anime blogging experience. As for Chris, he’s a regular guest on the podcast, but has been too disillusioned with recent anime to do much reviewing. However, with a little coercing from my taskmaster whip, they should all be writing weekly anime reviews for the fall season. As for which shows they’ll be covering, we still haven’t worked out those details yet. However, you can get a fairly good idea of their tastes by reading their short previews below. I’ve also included a preview by a special guest, Janai of the eponymous Janaiblog. Enjoy, and be sure to leave your own thoughts in the comment section!

Note: Before reading this, it might be a good idea to check out Random Curiosity’s preview. It has descriptions and trailers for each of the shows we’ll be talking about, and is generally an excellent resource for keeping track of the new fall season anime.

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