Zegapain

(Originally 21 December 2006)

The more I think about Zegapain's ending, the more gratuitous the writing seems. Over the top fights, rather compressed story, introduction of new characters, and most things wrapping up too neatly in the span of an episode. That said, the writing throughout the series was pretty solid. It wasn't as epic in scale as Escaflowne, but it was mind bending in its own right. Escaflowne's ending with the wishes colliding notion was just confusing, though.

It took me a few episodes to get into the story. The Matrix-esque scenes in the second or third episode, with hidden messages and disappearing entities, was a good hook. The series was very marathon-able, even though it raised some head-scratching questions.

Kyo, the main character, screams when he fights, says a few foot in mouth things early on, and is generally forced to act the clueless (and unbelieving) person so that others can explain the series universe to us through him. Thumbs up for having a backbone and being assertive, thumbs down for talking a wee bit too much, and stepping into cocky territory.

I'm not too sure how I'd take being told that the world I live in is virtual, my life is a lie, and the world reboots at the same time every year. But then again, I've seen The Matrix (and now Zegapain), so I think I'd take it pretty well. It's therefore hard for me to sympathize Kyo's confusion, and it feels more contrived than anything.

Ryoko, on the other hand, takes it ridiculously well. I think she's easily the best character of the series, which is a hard thing for me to say given that Chikane's VA played Shizuno, who is automatically made bad-ass by Kawasumi Ayako's golden touch. But Shizuno's story didn't have nearly as much going for her as did Ryoko's.

I'm not crazy about moe, and that's all Ryoko was at first. I figured it was going to be hard to like her, and it was true for the first nine or so episodes. She was cute, but clueless and insecure, and her dialogue was irritatingly shallow. But then she discovers what Kyo discovers, and rather than sit in a corner and whine about what life means or something else, she goes and becomes this insanely great weapons system officer. On a side note, the abbreviation for weapons system officer, WSO, can be pronounced like wizzo. Maybe that's where the term wizard came from?

Forget whatever I saw (or said) nine episodes ago, this is the real Ryoko. She's still adorable and her voice is still moe, but her actions and dialogue are anything but. It's almost as if her awakening is this epiphany that causes her to age five years, and it's freaking awesome. She vaults from bottom of the barrel in character rankings to first place.

The Zegapain gunners and their wizards get the lion's share of characterization, and most of the plot revolves around them so it's only fair. It's just that Ryoko is a stand-out character, given the circumstances of her awakening, her relatively recent arrival, and her immediate skill level.

If you become a Ryoko fan, then the writers will then proceed to beat you down. The twists in the plot are pretty painful for Ryoko boosters, but they make for great watching. The OP and ED animation sequences change up semi-frequently, too, and I watched every single sequence to see if there was something new. Sometimes they'll also run different cuts and lengths of Little Goodbye as well, which is pure ownage for me at this point in time. Usually the ED track isn't introduced early unless it's the last episode, or something huge happens. It's as if every other episode something huge happens, though. I found those introductions generally appropriate, i.e. it wasn't thrown in gratuitously, and it didn't get stale but that might be bias for Little Goodbye on my part.

Music was appropriate, but only Little Goodbye caught my ear.

Animation, didn't suck. Mostly. Sunrise animated Escaflowne and they own the Gundam franchise. There's no way that they could screw up the animation for a giant fighting robot series, right?

Sup, stock footage. Perhaps Zegapain wasn't a Gundam series so its budget was a tad small. The same CG combat scenes were used in several episodes, particularly early on the series. There was at least one scene that was reused, and they just changed the skin of the Zegapain model that was fighting, but the enemies, and the fight choreography, was exactly the same. Well, maybe the sky was a different colour too. I can understand how CG reuse must be extremely tempting, but it's Sunrise. You just don't play with fire when you animate the likes of Gundam. And Escaflowne.

The main argument goes something like, the fights aren't the main focus, it's the story. Clearly emphasis is placed on scenes that are not fighting, except the end with its epic, if over the top, battle. This would make Zegapain akin to Kannazuki no Miko in that respect. If Zegapain were to be licensed, I'd seriously consider getting it and forcing it upon the few who haven't fled from me in terror. Solid writing, Kawasumi Ayako as Shizuno, Kaminagi Ryoko, Little Goodbye, are all compelling reasons to purchase the series.

(Later)

The OP has grown on me, although there aren't many appropriate occasions to listen to it. In general it's too calm. I have to not be doing anything in order to soak in the ambience.

A note about the OP and ED sequences. Both of them are character-centric, giving away nothing about the story and only hinting at relationships. While not visually appealing for those looking for more action from what should be a mecha series (which it is but only in part), the sequences fit the overall atmosphere well.

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Rocky Chack - Little Goodbye

I recently started into Zegapain, which I will get around to talking about when I've completed it. Little Goodbye is the ED theme for the bulk of the episodes. Rocky Chack seems to be pretty new — the name doesn't ring any bells, they don't voice any characters, and their discography only lists the Little Goodbye single. From the cover art, looks like one guy, one girl, and they both do vocals. It's impossible to say what their style is like, or if they've found a sound they're comfortable with. Their B-side, also an ED theme on Zegapain sounds like a throwback to the 60's with a style and sparse arrangement akin to the Beatles in their introspective period. And Hisaaki Hogari had a hand in arranging both the OP and ED, and both have a bit of the same feel so I speculate he had a significant influence.

Both the OP and ED are ethereal, very much chill out, but I'm liking Little Goodbye a lot more, because it's got a bit more edge to it, which anchors the track. The OP, which is Kimi he Mukau Hikari by Arai Akino, is very floaty. I don't dislike it, to quote Kawasumi Mai (of Kanon fame), and this is something I would listen to if I was on a balcony overlooking the city as the sun rose, but I would also listen to Little Goodbye for the same thing, and probably loop it more.

At the risk of making me out to be a fool, if I haven't already done so, Little Goodbye incorporates a vocal style that is very…sexy. Both vocalists are subdued and seductive, discreet. In the short bridge into the chorus, they are literally sighing as they drop off their phrases. Listening to the karoke version, there isn't much harmonic support from the band; the vocalists are providing most of their own harmony, and it intensifies the sparse feel. The most prominent instrument is the violin section, which introduces clipped motifs in the bridge, and a muted but arcing lines in the chorus. The male vocalist also has clipped interjections in the little interludes, intro, and outro. They're for trance-like purposes, trying to get you to zone out.

The lyrics, which I don't assign much weight when listening to music in a language I don't understand, are reflective of the feel of the track and the anime itself. The track is melancholy and wistful, especially in the chorus, but has some subdued optimism. Melancholy mixed with some element of strength is the kind of feeling that I do get when I've pulled an all-nighter and I see the sun rising through my window. It fits the scene quite nicely.

A bit of counterpoint in the chorus is a bonus, and the richness it adds enhances the mood.

(Later)

Sometimes revisiting old articles like these can be beneficial. Japanese DVD's for Zegapain have had some time to percolate through the system, and what can only be the official Little Goodbye AMV has appeared online. The AMV is very much in the vein of the series ED sequences, with focus on the characters in mostly static poses. There isn't any spolier material, so it's fine to view. Check it out:



A first-pass through the video tells me that a different edit from the single was used. At around 3:40 in that bridge, the female vocalist is supposed to murmur, The sky…the sky. Given the imagery in this passage it would have been fine to have left it in.

Intimate, atmospheric, fleeting, both video and music are representative of the bittersweet feel of wabi-sabi.

Another edit: I lied. There were no edits to the song, it was just that maybe my volume was too low or YouTube reduced the audio quality. A higher quality version can be found on Stage6. In my own small way of trying to preserve that video for as long as possible before it's likely taken down, I won't be linking to it. Just search for Zegapain.

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In a 1-3 Mood

(Originally 16 December 2006)

Honoo no Tobira is old, but I've always been late to picking up anime-related music, although perhaps that is set to change with some more dedication. As usual, this has been a result of me bumbling around YouTube looking for FictionJunction YUUKA stuff. I had come across Honoo no Tobira about the same time as Nowhere and Seiya, but it's taken a while to grow on me, and it's not because of the video (although the C/M is pretty). Whatever complements what's in my head at the moment, I'll latch on to. Instead of describing what's currently in my head, let me describe the song's appeal.

Kajiura likes those Baroque rustic harmonies and scales (modes), and they've made appearances here, and in Akatsuki no Kuruma, probably Key of the Twilight, among others. They might not even be Baroque, but something older and from folk music as opposed to the church music that dominated the era. After a while the novelty wears off, but Honoo no Tobira keeps things interesting by putting a hard emphasis on beats and one and three. The immediate effect is that it's different - the lack of any back beat drive was enough for me to feel a bit off balance. Back beat is almost taken for granted most times, because it's got quite a bit of energy. Taking it away, you can't play as fast and loose, and the music moves towards a more structured outline.

It could be akin to an Allemande: 4/4 time, heavy accent on 1 and 3, moderate tempo and very dignified. It matches well with an atmosphere that has a healthy dollop of Baroque amid the more contemporary instruments and arrangement.

The 1-3 is the biggest draw for me. There isn't the drive that is typical of most contemporary pop music, but a drive that still exists. There are no breathers like in Kouya Routen. Coupled with the little flourishes and entries, like the bit of electric guitar that leads into the chorus and the flute line in the second verse, the song just steamrolls along like clockwork. Even when everyone drops out save for the piano and Yuuka, the intensity is sharpened instead of blunted.

The piece's final bridge brings back memories of Key of the Twilight. A chorus takes over the line as caller. Even though they are softer in volume, they compensate because they are, well, a chorus. And it's hard not to notice something that speaks softly and carries a big stick. Yuuka takes the response position. Solid balancing in this section.

Debussy being fed up with traditional concepts and structures of harmonic development, quipped to a friend at a concert, "Let's go — he's beginning to develop!" I, for one, welcome our new modulating overlords. The call and response develops into hints of counterpoint. The harmony only switches to two keys quickly (I have zero perfect pitching ability, so don't actually quote me on this) before going back for a codetta, but with the form, chorus, and arrangement, it packs some power.

I don't loop it all the time as it's not something I can just sort of shove into the background. I appreciate the sophistication and dignified stance so much I just zone out and bask in it all.

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Wolf's Rain

(Originally 7 December 2006)

Semi-marathoned Wolf's Rain and its OVA. I'm not covering new ground here, but I will note that I was also disappointed by the ending of the TV series and the 4 episodes of filler spanning episodes 15 to 18.

Having seen at least screenshots of other series, the character design of Wolf's Rain strikes me as familiar. After seeing enough, every character will look the same I guess. Kiba looks like L from Death Note, Blue looks like someone from out of Cowboy Bebop, and Toboe looks like the female lead in La Corda d'Oro, which amuses me to no end, because the female lead is less of a wuss, but only marginally.

Animation - it's Bones. They animated the Cowboy Bebop movie. I have nothing more to add other than, it doesn't suck. Oh, but I didn't like the nose drawings. Some things work only in anime, and others only work in real life. People complained about the noses in Escaflowne and I shrug it off. Wolf's Rain noses are much more noticeable.

Story was above average, although there were problems with pacing. The motivations of several characters weren't revealed until towards the end. In particular, one of the villains who orchestrates some major plot points didn't make their motivations known until the final episode of the TV series, although there was a bit of a plot twist involved. With everything feeling rushed at the end, it cheapened the effect. This was preceded by a lot of standing around and doing nothing, so pacing is weak at the end.

I liked Cher (not the singer), if for nothing else than that she was fairly pretty (others may disagree) and somewhat intelligent. Her doormat of an ex-husband, Hubb, not so much. But he makes for some comedic relief when paired with wolf-hunter Quent, especially when they get drunk or take turns getting drunk. The funniest moment of the series was when they had to stop by the roadside, because one was in need of a stomach pump, and the other was experiencing the effects of alcohol decomposition medicine. Remember kids, don't drink and drive.

The 4 episode OVA was enjoyable, although it did not bring any closure. Darcia's wolf character design, with the psychotic toothy grin and heterochromia, was pretty convincing. Basically everyone dies, but the main characters get resurrected in a cosmic reboot. Everything is dandy as paradise manifests itself on the world, except Darcia's evil eye just won't die. I suppose bad guys tend to be hard to kill. When last we see the main characters, their world looks a lot like the one they started out in, partly because of Darcia, and partly because humans are just horrible people.

Some argue that they're going to have to find paradise all over again. If that's the case, the story isn't very memorable. Who wants to see a story where no progress gets made? Overall the story wasn't memorable to begin with, and the ending is ambiguous. Depending on the way you interpret it, it will leave you disappointed, or…unmoved. Wait, those sound like the same things, don't they?

I did like the way things sort of came full circle to revolve around Darcia, and the series started off strong (the writers weren't afraid to rack up a body count early on), but the pacing, the filler, the ending, Toboe being irritating, and the mostly flat lead character (Kiba) just kind of makes this forgettable. In terms of moments, because I'm a moment type of person *cough* KnM *cough*, I wasn't dumbstruck. I'm struggling to conjure a highlight reel in my mind and it consists of: the drunk comedy moment, the bad ass walrus, the opening fight, Darcia's wolf form, and some profound exchanges being Hubb and Cher. The profound exchanges aren't profound enough to stick because I've heard them articulated better. Darcia kicked some ass, but motivation was hard to relate to. About the only thing I might take away from all this is that moment of alcohol induced comedy.

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FictionJunction YUUKA

(Originally 25 November 2006)

The thought of too much good music making me jaded briefly crossed my mind, but I chalk it up to having a short attention span. The past couple of weeks has been KOTOKO and various I've related music. My latest addiction, even though the bulk of it comes almost a year late, is the rediscovery of Yuki Kajiura.

I ought to point out for those who don't know, FictionJunction is Yuki Kajiura's solo project, almost like a corporate entity unto itself. When she collaborates with other singers, their given name appears after. The vocalist in this case is Yuuka Nanri (both names in Western order btw).

Interest really got into gear a couple days ago with Garten making a post about Kouya Routen. The full version of the PV is on YouTube. After the opening flourish with traditional stringed instruments, the percussion line that kicks in reminds me of traditional western cowboy music. Everything about it has good flow, although the breather of a mid-section is not to my liking. I like the intensity kept up throughout and the contrasting section is accomplished by dropping the tempo.

Since Yuki has an evident classical composition background, it's unsurprising that Yuuka is a talented singer. She's backed up by rich choral-like voicing (another Kajiura trait), prominent rhythmic lines and strings.

I seem to have a bad habit of forming addictions via YouTube, and I wound up developing another one by following the related video links. If you're just coming off Kouya Ruten, the breakneck tempo of nowhere hits you with that much more force, and Kouya Ruten isn't even that slow. Yuki's choral style never gets old, the short vocal motifs just push the piece along, ever insistent. Around the 43 second mark, when there is a bit of call and answer, Yuuka's answer is semi-detached in sync with the fast bass drum. The call, "any time, any place" is also semi-detached. The inflections in the words are what make the most of that effect in the whole song, and serve to drive the intensity.

I've heard Akatsuki no Kuruma (Wheel of Dawn) before, although I'm not sure why I have it kicking around since I don't watch Gundam Seed or GS Destiny. I'm quite fond of the heavier latin atmosphere in the acoustic version, though. I was very impressed with the studio performance, even if it wasn't the acoustic version. One studio performance led to another, of which there are three total. I'm most impressed with Seiya (Holy Night). Yuuka had trouble with pitching of the higher notes in Akatsuki, as well as voice timbre control, and Seiya has a better feel than Futari (not on YouTube). It is getting close to Christmas and all, and Seiya has a warm, intimate feel to it.

All of these studio performances took place last year, around the time the album Destination was released, so I've clearly missed the boat. Destination is itself a decent album, but of the previously unreleased material on there, Seiya is my favourite.

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Waiting at the gates with clubs in hand

Probably along with Shizuru/Natsuki, Limone/Dominura, and Chikane/Himeko fans, I feel like I've been trolled by all of the Negima fans. Trolled. That is all.

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Freedom Project licensed?

Releasing one episode per volume doesn't seem fair.

Some current news for once!

I guess this means that Shinsen is going to drop this OVA. It appears as though the simultaneous release of DVD and HD-DVD is commanding quite the premium. I'd hope that there would be at least three episodes per volume, but maybe that's too much to ask for since the third episode was released less than a week ago.

Something from Makoto Shinkai would be deserving of a high-definition release before Freedom. Freedom's atmosphere feels dated, and a lot of the detail gets lost in the wash. Something like Byousoku 5 cm, on the other hand, never ceases to blow me away.

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