Shameful Otaku Secret!

I was never a big fan of the shounen fight-a-week genre. In fact, I haven’t really seen that much. I wasn’t even really into Dragonball. I guess I did watch a lot of Inuyasha on TV.

Does Pokemon count?

Regardless, I think I could probably write a script for one. Let’s give it a shot. I don’t really know the script format, though, so we’ll call this the novelization.

And now, OTOU-SAN VS. NEEDLESS, episode 1. Read it after the JUUUUUUUMP!
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There’s an awful lot of great stuff you could say about Casshern Sins if you were one of those people who watched it. And surely you’re out there… right? It’s atmospheric, it’s well-animated by Madhouse, the action is hot, and the show is sexy and kind of… “adult” in the way that Masaaki Yuasa’s Kaiba (also by Madhouse) was earlier this year. But one thing that sets it apart from the rest of a quality season is its odd backward chronology that uncovers the plot in reverse. Spoilers may follow.

The timeline’s very interesting because:

1. We know the beginning
2. We (roughly) know the end.
3. Somewhere along the line, shit gets fragmented.

The unique situation here is that the fragmentation, for us, happens first. We’re presented with cosmic WTF from minute one. After that comes the 1970s series Neo-Human Casshern, in which C-man, Luna, and Friender fight the Braiking Boss and his fiendish plan to take over the world with robots.

We, as viewers, especially those with knowledge of the original series (whether that knowledge comes from an actual viewing of the series, the live action movie, or just, uh… Wikipedia), have a unique advantage over Casshern. Thankfully, the mystery fragmentation element — the death of Luna — keeps us from knowing too much and keeps the truth at bay.

That truth is fundamental to the series. Not just because (glory be to the anime gods of cliché) we’re dealing with some amnesia and discovery of the past, but also because that Truth is the sole means by which we’ll find true Hope.

Some robots find false hope in the idea that devouring Casshern will give them immortality. That’s probably the result of long Chinese Whispers rooted in the knowledge that Casshern was the bringer of their destruction. Other robots, ironically, find hope in the rumor that Luna can restore them. Does their misplaced hope come from the fact that Luna provided hope to humanity, way back in the day — and robots now are the only things that pass for humanity in the world?

Either way, true hope comes in small doses, but it’s becoming more and more prevalent through the episodes. Episode 8’s Sheryl Janis let robots feel hope with her song. Episode 9 especially gave us not only our first true dose of color in a mostly monochromatic animation, but also the obvious picture of the flowers blooming among the ruin.

So what’s next for Casshern? Is Luna still alive for real, or is this all just more false hope? Can Casshern even atone for his “sins,” or is he done with life, living in a robotic Hell that tortures him with visions of his past? And are any of our readers actually watching this nifty-keen show?

Torawhat?

So here’s what I’ve seen so far, and what I’m thinking.

Casshern SINS.

I was going to bust out the live action flick but I looked at the runtime — almost 2 ½ hours — and remembered it’s long and boring. The visual techniques used in it are good for novelty, but the novelty wears off quick. The first episode of the remake of the remake of the anime, however, is pretty neat.

What did I like? The action was great, the atmosphere of the futuristic sci-fi wasteland is just plain cool, and of course it’s made by Madhouse so it looks great.

Potential problems? The director is mostly known for DBZ, and the futuristic timeline puts our hero firmly in the amnesia seat, and I fucking hate anime-nesia.

Clannad After Story.

Sigh.

What did I like? Animation was good, the humor was in place, the story was a light-hearted introduction built around a very transparent “get all the characters back together” device. Baseball. It looked gross on my TV at SD size.

Potential problems? SPORTS. I felt a little gypped that I watched 22 minutes of baseball.

Kurogane No Linebarrel/Linebarrels of Iron.

After BLASSREITER and Tower of Druaga, I thought Gonzo deserved more of a chance than the average anime blogger gives them. Yeah, BLASSREITER still had a bit of that “we’re for adults, get it?” feel, and it fit well in Gonzo’s business plan: “I have 40 bucks and a computer, let’s relive the 90s!” But it was pretty cool, and some of us would actually like to see more 90s-style anime. Crunchyroll and Gonzo are at it again with this mech series in which a bullied kid gets the power to pilot a mech and hang out with bitches.

What did I like? I was mostly interested in the next episode preview, which hinted at Kouichi’s potential to become a real bastard and use his newfound power for revenge, even if he calls it “justice.” The CG mechs were less overtly “computery” than BLASSREITER’s amalgams, but not quite as neat as Burst Angel’s 3D cartoon look. I see Goro Taniguchi’s name as “creative producer” in the credits, so it pleases me to know that not only did he not quit, he may be lending his powers of insanity to this production. Some of the voice talent is good, including Yuuichi Nakamura, Mamiko Noto as soft-spoken Emi (Raptor scale +1), and the Fruity Menace himself, Jun Fukuyama.

Potential problems? The truckloads of clichés we were delivered in the opening episode really filled up my warehouse of give-a-shit. It’s where Taniguchi and the director (Masamitsu Hidaka of… Pokémon fame…) go from here that will prove make-or-break. Gonzo’s normally interesting and appealing character and mecha designs were nowhere to be seen; I really didn’t enjoy looking at these characters at all. Oh yeah, the big twist of the first episode? Spoil this: Lead character’s already dead. Holy shit, it’s revolutionary! Also, more anime-nesia. Fuck.

Toradora!

Speaking of Shana, I had no intent to watch the newest installment of Rie Kugumiya, Wrathful Loli. But JC Staff, for all their faults, know how to make a series look pretty good, and I’ve already heard quite a few good things going around.

What did I like? Any romance series whose synopsis can start with anything other than “A normal high school boy…” has taken a decent first step. I liked Ryuuichi right off the bat, with his angry eyes and misunderstood personality (Cool & Spicy PLUS). Taiga is already as charming and fun on the whole as Shana was at her most cute. Animation is great, and oddly sometimes it actually resembles one of Gonzo’s better moments.

Potential problems? You can see where the plot is going already — as the two leads help each other with their separate rabu problems, inevitably a romance will start between them. They will of course never touch, never kiss, walk around embarrassed all the time, and possibly be involved in the occasional Nude Misunderstanding. And it will probably just plain suck.

Anybody else watched these? Have anything to add? I can’t wait to try Tytania and Shikabane Hime, provided they get some subtitles.