Oh dear, Kyoshiro to Tora no Sora licensed by ADV

No good can come of this. Really. Is there some mecha show annual license quota that has to be filled? I hope they're not banking on support from KnM purchasers.

Continue Entry......

Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora - complete

(Originally 28 March 2007)

I'm going on Ayako subs on this one, which are…maybe not the greatest (an understatement), but they have first mover advantage. Maybe I'll reconsider my lack of opinion if I get Static-Subs or WinD subs, but that's only if I feel inclined to take another run at this series.

I don't despise KyoSora, not on any kind of scale approaching Saikano, but a root cause of detachment in both was on account of their lead(s). Saikano had a loser for a male lead and a crybaby for a female lead, and all the good characters were secondary cast and thus cannon fodder. KyoSora has a cry-bigot for a female lead, and some attempt at a callous persona for a male lead. Good characters were not developed to their full potential. If the characters aren't compelling it's hard to earn that trust necessary to suspend disbelief. Following that, the lack of backstory, poor dialogue (which also strongly contributes to character), and irrelevant events, not only become less forgivable, they become irritating.

The other gripe was there weren't any powerful moments. There were decent moments towards the end (i.e. the last episode), but they were the result of either knowing the story of Chikane and Himeko from KnM, or the fact that I find non-casual goodbyes (even really long drawn out ones) generally touching. Love confessions over the course of the series were trite. The Kaon x Himiko confession scene against the same kind of gold background in KnM had zero effect on me. The dialogue just wasn't there, and neither was there any build up. All it was was an event, which is to say, an unmemorable scene among a sea of other unmemorable scenes.

I retract my earlier statement about moments. There were also decent moments elsewhere, except they just happened to involve either Kaon and/or Himiko. Did those particular moments have any real impact on the story? Not really, since there wasn't much of a story to begin with.

I'm done with the criticisms. In the character department, Kaon/Chikane wins, again. I suppose that means Himiko wins by association, but I was embarrassed at having to bear witness to her having to play a magical cello. It brings back not-too-distant memories of La Corda d'Oro, which is totally eclipsed by Nodame Cantabile. Mika was relatively compelling compared to everyone else only because she had the most contrasting flashbacks, or maybe even just the most flashbacks. Having a quarter of a backstory, even if only hinted at in scenes, is better than having zero backstory summed up in two lines of dialogue.

The OP is acceptable, light and energetic, with a vocalist who isn't overly cute. I'm fond of the ED, with its forthright lyrics (as far as Ayako's translation goes) and arcing melody. It's a strong ballad, and very loopable. I didn't give much attention to the OST, but the violin piece used throughout the series wasn't nearly as strong as Chikane's theme from KnM, and that violin piece is the only memorable bit.

I considered saving the last episode for no reason other than to hear Kaon speak in Chikane's voice, but for now, off it goes. I can tolerate YouTube if I need a fix.

Edit: Out of morbid curiosity, I did dig up the last Kaon/Himiko scene on YouTube. At first I thought Kaon's dress in the portrait might have been Chikane's dress at the end of KnM. It was not to be, but would have been awesome.

Continue Entry......

No one likes a cry-bigot

(Originally 4 March 2007)

Hearing anyone cry is hard on my ears, and reactions range from awkward silence to cringe-inducing irritation. Nothing pushes buttons more than hearing screaming babies, losers complaining about getting pwnt on TFC, the horde of emo kids lining the halls of my old high school at lunch time when I visited during reading week, and dumb anime characters.

Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora experienced a high point of irony when Kuu, the totally useless character who seems to enjoy wallowing in said uselessness by creating pools of tears to drown in, loses the one comfort she seemed to have: even though she was useless, she was at least a useless human. Anyone paying even the slightest attention to the story (as opposed to just watching for Chikane/Himeko, who clearly need more screen time) could have seen what was coming since episode one.

If you had any faith in humans (or anime characters?) then you might not have expected the reaction, but it makes perfect sense. I don't like it one bit, because there are tons of people with similar mindsets, that being the asshat mentality, and you should all by now what I think of asshats.

Here's the setup: Kuu is depressed (or emo). She's not good at anything, zero effort being a pretty plausible cause. Anyway, throughout the first half of the series she props herself up by pitying the Absolute Angels, because they are weapons, and since she's human she is by default better than them even though she can't (or doesn't try to) do anything, let alone blow up buildings.

Kuu is incapable of doing anything, so she props up her self-esteem by pitying those below her, and they are below her for no other reason except she's human and they are not. I suppose it's a notch better than wanting kill those below you but not by much. I despise those kinds of people, because they walk around all cocky and condescending, be it because they belong to some religion and you don't, or they went to some private school and you didn't, or they're rich and you're not, or they're poor (and thugging it, yo!) and you're not, whatever. Neither of these things are bad on their own, but when these become reasons for claiming some sense of existential superiority, then a serious smacking is warranted.

You could be smarter, you could be more cordial (you probably will be by default compared to such company), you could be more athletic, more musically inclined, more motivated, it doesn't matter, because their deity is better than yours (or they have a deity to your atheism), or their school has a better reputation than yours, or you just happen to be a cheater at TFC (because they said so), and therefore they will always be superior to you (even though they suck at sniper…and life).

Maybe it bothers me because I have an inferiority complex. Usually you can't actually take a swing at anyone lest it land you in jail and then they laugh at you more, so you just ignore it, and they sit smugly and inflate their own egos. Short of gagging them, banning them, or killing them, they will never shut up no matter how much you try to humble them, because they can never be humbled when God is on their side or something stupid like that. It's fortunate they live in this time, as opposed to the past, when such fervour would be rewarded by a position in the front lines, and they'd like it.

Just to drive home the point one last time, here's an extreme analogy. Joe Six-pack's a loser, dropped out of school because he was just too damn lazy. In effect, he's pretty worthless, lives in the basement of your parents' home, and can't be bothered to even write a resume, let alone apply for jobs. He sucks at life and may or may not know it, but it doesn't matter because at least he's not Chinese. Or Jewish. Or Black. Or handicapped. But he might just be retarded. I digress.

Kuu begins to bawl her eyes out, screaming that she doesn't want to be this. No name, no description, because, you see, to be an Absolute Angel is to be some abhorrent thing that defies qualification. One would think that this would be gratifying to watch, seeing her emotional prop kicked out from under her. It would be have been, if the irony was demonstrated in any other way. Instead, she drowns herself in more self-pity, which continues into the next episode.

Depressive paralysis is about the closest thing to suicide as you can get without actually trying to kill yourself. It's hard to see someone actively trying to not live, be it through self-pity or otherwise. At some point the hands just get thrown up, and I say fine, go hang yourself, just stop wasting my time by attention-whoring yourself out, because you just know that those people don't really do anything with help, or advice, or support. You can give it to them, but it will never change them because all of those things have the one thing that they do crave: attention. I stop caring and actively encourage self-destruction. Maybe that's just the biologically competitive side kicking in at the potential for resources (space, air, reduction of noise pollution) to be freed up.

Continue Entry......

Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora - the first third

I might as well have titled this post, "Why I keep hurting myself."

(Originally 29 January 2007)

So I've seen the fourth episode of the twelve episode series, and I have to admit to myself at this point that I'm really only watching it for Chikane and Himeko. I mean to say, Kaon and Himiko. I do feel a bit shallow, but not too badly since it seems a lot of people are just watching it for those two as well.

I like the OP and ED, although I've yet to hear the full length version of the ED track. Both don't really match well to the show, since there aren't any weighty themes (or themes being given any weight/screentime) thus far, but they do hold up pretty well on their own.

I'm in a sentimental mood at the moment, so I'm eschewing the faster and upbeat OP for the moderate-tempo ballad that is the ED. And I'm all for declarations of love and longing in a strong chorus line.

But on to the series itself. Basically there's not much happening, which is not that good a sign. Yes, KnM only picked things up in a serious way starting around the halfway marker, and the same thing might happen. This does not mean that this lack of development is a good thing, though, and lessons should have been learned from KnM. If the animators (hell, or the manga team from which the series is based on) could have evened out the pace a bit more, it would have been a vast improvement. It's disappointing that thus far they've reserved all episodes for moments of randomness and heavy-handed explanations in the form of idiot lectures.

I see some people thoroughly enjoying the randomness as unintentional comedy and blatant fan service. I don't really notice the randomness until it's pointed out, but I do recognize when time is being wasted. Fan service, I don't really care for, particularly when it's Kuu, and yes this character grates on my soul.

There is not much of a plot to speak of, the most powerful moment thus far being Kaon getting "tempered" much like a blacksmith strikes a sword on top of an anvil. So here's a run down of some characters.

Kyoshiro — the series' namesake. As of episode four he's established himself as a tool, or an asshat, or both. Nothing out of the ordinary with his motivations since it's the typical avenge a loved one who may or may not be dead because of some giant explosion. He's an asshat, though, because he's initially set up to be the nice guy hero, and then that's arbitrarily turned on its head and now he might be some anti-hero, although at this point it's hard to tell if we should even root for him. I'm going to go out on a limb and say no, because you can't be an anti-hero and a hero at the same time.

Setsuna — Kyoshiro's tool. Literally does all the bitch work. Somewhat stiff and robotic. Causes Kuu much teenage angst. Seems at a slight disadvantage when fighting Tarurotte.

Tarurotte — Magical neko (cat). 'nuff said. Oh, and is Sojiro's tool, but you wouldn't know it by the way she beats him down in episode 3.

Sojiro — Kyoshiro's brother. Not a tool, yet. Also not a main character, yet.

Jin — Souma clone, talks less, therefore thumbs up from me. Although why he has teal hair (and blue-ish eyes) and doesn't talk more and do stuff is beyond me. The blue ones are always the trouble-makers.

Kozue — has like two lines, then gets hit by a car. Oops, wrong series, but the effect is about the same.

Himiko — Himeko clone, talks less, emos less, therefore thumbs up from me. If she develops a backbone later on in the series, two thumbs way up. It's only fair. I mean, Chikane has always carried the team, and a sense of confidence would be a nice continuation from the ending of KnM.

Kaon — Chikane clone, not focus of series, therefore thumbs down! I like her dark blue eyes (they're closer to her hair shade), in contrast to those who prefer the lighter marine ones in KnM. I don't have a preference, and upon closer inspection the differences aren't that great. Inconsistent character design/animation in KnM is mostly responsible for the differences. Currently waiting for her to snap again and kick everyone's ass, because c'mon, it's Chikane, and Chikane is no one's tool. Speaking of which...

Mika — apparently Kyoshiro's sister? This hasn't been borne out in the series yet, but I read it on Wikipedia/the internet, so it must be true. Time for a family feud, huh? It seems everyone has their own tool (until Chikane flips out and kills things with real ultimate power), and they're all related. In my view she's the most interesting character because she actually does stuff, and lets her actions speak as opposed to rambling on and on. Possessive, radiates the eeevill, a straight-up no-nonsense (or shades of grey) villain.

Kuu — save the worst for last! I read the claim that she's an awesome character, but wouldn't work at all in real life. I agree with the latter, but maybe since I like a bit of realism so I can buy in to a series, I fail to understand how she can be an awesome character. Maybe it's because I want to slap her around so badly that it rips me away from the suspension of disbelief (and there's a lot required). Even her character design is beginning to get on my nerves. It crossed my mind somewhere during episode four that her face is a very irritating cross between moe and emo. There might be some merit in accomplishing such a feat, such as best rage-inducing figure.

Some complain that Himeko was spineless, but Kuu puts Shinji Ikari to shame. I was hoping for a bit of trope subversion in a scene where Kuu stands over a possibly dying (but it's a shoujo series, no one ever dies! Or something) tool Kyoshiro, crying out his name over and over again. That sounded dirty, but it's not. I half-expected Kyoshiro to wake up and smack her upside the head, and scream, Get me a (censored) medic! Alas, it did not happen. How disappointing. Shell-shocked people might experience bouts of paralysis, but if there are any people who stand around calling out someone's name hoping they'll wake up, they ought to be smacked silly for being totally incompetent. Or being a Kuu.

When she's not being extremely emo (she needs a boxcutter. A box of them, ho ho ho), she's narrating to her imaginary friend (although signs point to this friend being dead) in the form of a letter. Writing imaginary letters on sites can be pretty funny, and even more amusing if they're sent and a reply comes back, but it requires a minimal amount of effort to write a good letter. Writing a letter detailing your emo thoughts and activities does not make for a good letter. It makes for a pretty terrible, fast forward moment, though. Like I said, it seems quite a few people are enjoying the unintentional hilarity in it all. I find it pretty pathetic, and I've seen enough pathetic people (i.e. Shinji) that it's as if they're filler. Time wasting not only has filler moments, but filler characters. The irony is that Kuu's name translates into empty or shell. There are situations where time-wasting is acceptable, usually if it goes unnoticed because the writers are marginally clever about it. Active time-wasting deserves some kind of penalty, like in sports.

Probably the worst that could happen is if Kuu fails to grow a freaking spine, and gets entrusted with a giant phase-shifting robot, since it's pretty much guaranteed she has that power. Anime would then bear witness to the creation of a female Shinji, no Shinji trascended, like a version negative 2.0, and then a trainwreck of epic proportions. Who wouldn't want to watch an emo girl with a giant robot getting beaten down by Chikane Kaon?

Continue Entry......

KnM and related fluff images

(Originally 28 January 2007)

Why this artist has a domain suffix for India is beyond me. Click the image for the full resolution. The image is in reference to a scene in episode 2 of Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora, where Himeko's incarnation (named Himiko. Original eh?) kisses Chikane's incarnation (Kaon, a play the pronunciation of her kanji name) to restore her energy. And they're definitely lovers. Right. We'll see how that plays out. Right now it's the only reason I'm watching it. The main character's personality grates on my very soul.

Side note: Fervent Idiot owns.

There is some official art for the Kannazuki no Miko anime. I don't think I've ever seen this one, though, although it's very clearly anime inspired if nothing else. The manga character designs have way too much hair.

Continue Entry......

I'm not worthy

(Originally 13 January 2007)

orz

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2484/1168646289235sm4.jpg

Yanked from http://www.shoujoai.com/forum/topic_show.pl?tid=37213;pg=7

Continue Entry......