Please have a good whatever you may celebrate or just enjoy your day.
Here’s my favorite (not anime related) Christmas song.
Enjoy and peace to you and yours!
Uncategorized
This Season’s Let Down
Utawarerumono: The False Faces
Based off a visual novel for the Playstation platforms, Utawarerumono is the biggest disappointment for me this season. Sure, I dropped a few others (Comet Lucifer, Attack on Titan: Junior High, and Mr Osomatsu) due to a lack of interest, but for some reason I had higher hopes for Utawarerumono.
I think I had placed my expectations higher for mostly 2 reasons. One, I thought (based off the first couple of episodes) that the world it was set in looked interesting. It has a kind of mixing of Chinese and Japanese aesthetic in a fantasy setting which I found appealing. Two, the animation was really pretty good. Some beautiful scenes are featured, especially in the OP.
And the show keeps good animation throughout. The story however is another matter.
The pacing of the story is slow. It starts with potential and kind of fizzles out. You get an idea that something interesting may be happening in the background, but this doesn’t get fleshed out. Instead we get:
Fan service. Animal-eared and tailed girls acting pointlessly “cutesy” and multiple bathing scenes. You also have the main character ending each sentence she utters with: “I think”. It is annoying. I can forgive some fan service here and there if the story is good and going somewhere, but this just feels like it is exploiting it for it’s own sake.
Now maybe if I had watched the other associated anime or played the visual novel I would appreciate this show more, but I didn’t and I don’t.
Attention Parents: Overall the show doesn’t have a lot wrong with it, but there is nudity and some ecchi situations that may not be appropriate for younger viewers.
Go ahead and give it a try. Just because it wasn’t my thing doesn’t mean it won’t be yours.
Until next time. Happy viewing!
Could This Prevent Cancer?
Source: Could This Prevent Cancer?
Pork Bowl and Chicken Anuses
Silver Spoon
I just finished Silver Spoon and found it to be a really well done, thoughtful anime.
The show follows the daily life of Yuugo Hachiken as a student at Ooezo Agricultural High School in Hokkaido. Yuugo is the fish out of water character. He grew up in Sapporo with no previous farm experience, but after not doing well on his high school entrance exams chose Ooezo Agricultural High School as a way to distance himself from his self perceived failure and from the disapproval of his father.
The show is an entertaining, fish out of water, slice of life, school anime. Watching Hachiken deal with a new life is fun and entertaining, as he experiences things his peers take for granted (as most of them are from farming families).
Early on in the show, is Hachiken’s revelation that eggs come out a chicken’s anus during his practicum time working in a hen house. This is a mental hurdle as he had never thought about his food (like most of us don’t). He gets past it, and also realizes he level of freshness of the egg he is getting at school is something great that he’d never experienced before.
This is not the only hurdle he has to overcome. He also names a pig that was the runt of the litter and takes the pig’s care as a special project. His classmates (and teachers) warn him against this kind of attachment to an animal that will be slaughtered once it is big enough to go to market.
Hachiken doesn’t listen and cares for the pig anyway. Later, when the pig has to go to market Hachiken is saddened, but uses money he had earned helping at a friend’s farm to purchase the pig’s meat and makes bacon out of it. His perspective on the pig he raised (he named it Pork Bowl)also has an effect on his friends and how they think about what is normal for them. In the end, he shares the meat with everyone (including sending some bacon to his parents).
Like most fish out of water styles of shows, Silver Spoon is largely about the main protagonist’s journey of self discovery and this show delivers just that in a satisfying manner.
The animation is good, story enjoyable, and the are characters fun and generally likable. It is well worth a watch.
Attention Parents: This is a good show for kids. No cursing, no fan service, and not violent. Where it might be questionable for really young children is the realistic depictions of farming. There is poop. There is some blood. But overall I think the benefits are greater as it may give some kids to thinking a little more about where their food comes from and how it is raised. Sure this is just a show, but it does touch on these issues to a degree. In fact, I’ll probably make my younger son start watching it next weekend (I’m sure he won’t object).
And did you know that Edward Elric made a cameo in Silver Spoon?
Just kidding! Gotta love Deviant Art though….
*all images in this post are not the property of the blog*
The Man That Started It All…
You Too Can Learn to Stand Like a Rock Singer!
Follow my new blog for fun and profit (not really).
Romantic Teen Angst
Kimi Ni Todoke (From Me to You)
I finally got around to watching Kimi ni todoke recently. It has been a well liked series by both of my boys and I can see why it’s a very well done show (albeit a bit “angst-y” as my older son puts it).
Based on the ongoing manga, it follows Sawako Kuronuma. Sawako is a socially awkward high school student who was dubbed “Sadako” for her resemblance to the main character in the Japanese horror film “The Ring” (because of this people falsely attribute supernatural abilities to her). Sawako is socially isolated and has no friends. This changes as one of the more popular boys (and someone Sawako admires),Kazehaya, starts talking to her at school. And through the year Sawko starts to gain new friendships (something she’s never had) and her feelings for Kazehaya deepens.
This show is strongest in it’s characters. Sawako is a hilariously awkward character. She takes everything thing people say seriously and to heart. While this can be viewed as a good trait to have, it can also prove problematic for her (misunderstandings abound). And her facial expressions are priceless.
Sawako develops two good friendships with her classmates: Ayane Yano and Chizuru Yoshida. These two are great. They are who’d you would want in your corner. They are loyal and great friends to Sawako, supporting her and helping her grow.
Kazehaya and the rest of the supporting characters are wonderfully written and enjoyable to watch. It is the care in which in the relationships between the characters are treated that makes this a fun show to watch (although it does get a bit “angst-y” as my son said).
Attention Parents: The show is largely harmless. There is no fan service, cursing, or violence. A younger viewer may not be interested in the teen drama interactions, but for a teen or tween viewer it’s a good watch.
I thoroughly enjoyed this show (although at times you wanted to yell at Sawako and Kazehaya for being so angst ridden about each other). The art is Shoujo style and good for the subject. The characters and their relationships is where the show shines as I said earlier. And the music is not bad either.
Happy viewing!
“Kamelot concert? Yes, please!”
While not about anime, it is something I nerd out about: Music.
The boys and I are off to Milwaukee Saturday to see heavy metal bands: Kamelot and Dragonforce. While Dragonforce are okay, I love Kamelot. I have been hoping to see them for several years and missed them several times when they’ve come through my way.
So here is some Kamelot.
Enjoy if you like!
From their newest album: Haven
From their album: Silverthorn
With their old singer Roy Khan, my favorite song by Kamelot: Memento Mori
Looking forward to the show!
Hope you like the songs!
A Year In….
The other day I received a notice from WordPress that it was my 1 year anniversary blogging. One year in…It’s been an interesting experience and I’ve learned a few things.
I originally started this blog for a couple of reasons. I was looking for a place to share my thoughts on anime as it related to myself: a 40 something dad of two anime fans. I was also looking for some community. My blogging came at a time of losing a few things. I was realizing that I was heading for a divorce and the martial arts school that had been a big part of my life for the past 8 years was closing. I needed a new space or outlet for myself.
I have learned a few things in this past year:
1) I am not a natural writer. I do okay, but being mildly disorganized and strapped for time doesn’t help. When I plan things out I do a better blog post.
2) It is hard for me to find time to blog. I have my boys on the weekend when I’m off of work. My older son tends to take over my computer on the weekend, so I have to be sure to make the time.
3) There are many good writers out there in the blogging community. I have read some very good, insightful, well written blog posts and that makes me want to do better.
4) There is a really nice, supportive blogging community out there and I consider myself better to have made their/ your acquaintance.
I would like to thank the following people:
Denny Sinnoh : Denny was the first to welcome me to the blogging community.
Miharusshi : An early supporter and someone who shares my love of Nagi Yanagi.
The Otaku Judge : Another blogger I can count on for a comment. Thank you for the support.
Arria Cross : Another supportive blogger.
Renxkyoko : A recent supportive blogger. I appreciate the feedback.
Thank you all for the support! Also thanks to all other readers, commenters and supporters. I thank you all!
The top 20 anime/manga series Japanese fans would like to show to their kids
From Rocket news. I thought it was appropriate to reblog this. I have watched a fair number of the shows on this list and others my sons watch on their own. Clannad number 1!
dadwatchesanime 