I’m Not Sure What to Expect From a K-ON!!! Film

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Editorial Comment

The final K-ON!! episode announced that a film will be produced. I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am somewhat disappointed. Do we really need this?

KyoAni has done it again: they gave us a repetitive and boring second season that didn’t live up to the first, just like Haruhi, and then tried to win back our favor with a film announcement. Bah! Why waste our time and money with a subpar TV anime season when KyoAni can give us better material on the big screen? MERCHANDISE is the answer. It’s all for one and one-thousand yen for a Mio doll.

Is this the future of anime? Do the studios care about nothing but merchandise and ticket sales? Substance, story and plotline don’t matter anymore? I certainly hope not… but given what I’ve seen lately, it’s hard to be optimistic.

I’ve said on the podcast that K-ON! had all the material to do a third season, provided it focused on the light music club and its new members. Will this film be about Yui and company, or the new band under Azusa’s tutelage? Will the girls finally realize their dream of playing at Budokan, or just sit around drinking tea? If this just winds up being more of the same pointless filler we got for much of the second season, they just shouldn’t bother making this film at all.

Here’s to the K-ON!!! movie. I hope you live up to the hype.

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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What You Should Know About Iron Man

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With the first episode of Madhouse’s Iron Man on the horizon, some of you might be wondering, “What’s the big deal?” And I understand. Comics–with their high issue counts, many crossovers, and daunting pool of titles–can be tough to get into. I was once like you until I took the plunge. But now I’ve been buying comics every week for two years, and have acquired much knowledge of their characters. I pass this on to you, dear reader, so you may understand my excitement. Because, to be frank, Tony Stark is awesome.

Consider this a newbie’s guide to the life of Iron Man: everything you need to know (and more) before you watch Madhouse’s anime adaptation.

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Otaku Debate: Finding an Anime Girlfriend

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Last week’s debate indicated a fairly split opinion on the quality of the summer anime season. 59% of you said it was either average or horrible, whereas 31% liked it. 12% didn’t even bother watching any shows from this season at all. Based on these results, it think it’s safe to say the summer season received a somewhat negative reception from our readers.

As many of you have already seen, my room is decked out in all manner of otaku merchandise. Upon seeing those photos, one of my friends remarked, “Now that’s the kind of room guaranteed to repel girls. If she doesn’t turn tail and run after seeing that, she’s a keeper!”

That got me thinking. Are girls really turned off by such overt displays of nerdiness, as my friend claimed? The dream of any otaku (or any nerd, for that matter) is to find a significant other who shares their interests. I’m sure we’ve all fantasized about that perfect girl or guy who’s both cute and into K-ON!. The question is, can we turn that fantasy into reality? Is it really viable to meet an anime girlfriend or boyfriend? What would be the best method for finding otaku romance? Or are we all doomed to spend our lives alone, crying ourselves to sleep every night while hugging our catgirl body pillows? That, dear readers, is what this week’s debate is about. Cast your vote in the poll below, and share your thoughts in the comment section!

[poll id=”18″]

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.]