While the art’s origins are debatable, “suminagashi” is the oldest known form of paper marbling — decorating paper by laying it atop a shallow bed of water laced with inks and can be traced as far back as 12th century Japan.  As explained to me by the aforementioned panelist, the process of letting paper absorb the patterns of ink was used by monks to help extend the lifetime of handwritten scrolls so they would not need to be as frequently copied due to threat of deterioration.  Reading up more on the matter, suminagashi emerged as an art form that involved gently blowing, fanning, or using a single human hair on the ink to create intricate patterns and spread worldwide in myriad fashion and form.

Most of the people at the workshop did not seem to be taking as much care with their projects (of course this was only an hour workshop). Instead, they randomly added ink spots here and there in their shallow pans of water and used a small paintbrush to make large strokes and patterns like so much modern art. Even though this produced naught but colorful Rorschach tests and tie-dyed shirts for paper dolls, the results were always quite fetching. Watching the process of con-goers-turned-painters trying to bring their own visions of patterns to life made me, after reading about the skills employed in eras gone by, nostalgic for the image of the lone artisan matching wits against the will of water, the ink's surface tension, and his or her own skilled hand.

Suminagashi seems an enviable art of patience and skill equally open to abstract painter and hobbyist. If you'd like to try your own hand at suminagashi, there's a detailed how-to here, and of course the Wikipedia page has tons more info than I've relayed here. Just wanted to wet your appetite!

If you're heading to the con for the weekend, make sure to attend "Satoshi Kon Tribute: Truth from Fiction" (Workshop 2) on Saturday at 11 AM and "Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing" (Panel 4) on Saturday at noon. Yep, they're back to back — two straight hours of more IN YOUR FACE ANI-GAMERS ACTION than ever before. Oh, and Hisui from the Reverse Thieves will be joining Ink and me for Fandom & Criticism. If you need to brush up on your discussion points, why not listen to Ani-Gamers Podcast #032, which is a recording of last year's panel?

Our buddy DJ Ranma S from Anime Jam Session will also be running "Anime Incorrect," an 18+ panel based loosely on Bill Maher's late night show "Politically Incorrect" that will bring together four or five different members of the anime community — including yours truly and the aforementioned Mr. VonSchilling — to talk about topics of his choosing. Sounds fun to me! That's 10 PM Friday night, so you'll have to skip out on the second half of the must-see 18+ Anime Dating Game.

That's about it. We don't have our schedules prepared yet, but we might add them to this post later. Before then, however, feel free to let us know what you want us to cover in the comments section! Any questions you want us to ask the guests or staff?

The video game room (an area I usually neglect due to all my press work) was massive, leading to amusing wide spaces between the different play areas (see this post's image). I managed to sneak in a game of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, as I've never gotten a chance to play it, though I got handily beaten by a guy who had just started playing today!

Then it was off to Sam Kusek, Ken Haley, and Mike Ferreira's "From East to West: the Superheroes of Japan & America." Like Sam's previous panel ("Super-Flat"), it was very fast-paced, to-the-point, and well researched, and the three hosts bounced off each other well. Plus, I learned a lot about the history and influences of Japanese tokusatsu (special effects) shows, as well as some classic American comics like Superman and Captain America, all of which are topics I am woefully uneducated on.

Afterward I checked out the Dealer's Room again, this time with Sam and his buddies. After vacillating over the purchase of some old-school imported Japanese magazines at the Comicopia booth, I ended up buying a $2 Japanese children's book "Heidi, Girl of the Alps," featuring anime-style art but apparently having nothing to do with the Isao Takahata anime TV series of the same name. Naturally, this was from the same dealer (Mugen Toys) who sold me the Kosaku Shima books the day before! Then Sam, his friends, and I grabbed some great Asian food at a nearby Teriyaki restaurant, and I headed back to the hotel to catch our bus back to RPI.

My experience at Anime Boston was honestly one of the better ones I've ever had at a con, despite a few frustrating setbacks along the way. The wide range of panels and panelists opened up some great avenues of discussion, and I was able to cram in a wide breadth of events (panels and otherwise) in my time at the con. I'll write more about my specific high and low points in my upcoming con report, but let's just say that my long-awaited reunion with the city of Boston and its resident anime con was a very positive one.

Click here for more of our Anime Boston 2011 coverage

I stopped in for a bit at Anime World Order's Gerald and Clarissa's "Tezuka 101," which was an appropriately introductory panel that followed much of the information provided in Helen McCarthy's excellent The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga. There wasn't really anything for an amateur Tezuka scholar like myself to learn, but it was quite in-depth for people new to the artist.

"It's a Rumic World," a presumably informative panel about Rumiko Takahashi, was basically just a fan-gushing session, not too appropriate for people trying to learn about the prolific manga artist. Soon after, I checked out "The State of the Industry," which featured ONLY Adam and Rojas from FUNimation. In fact, the Anime Boston-designated moderator never showed up, so Gia Manry (of Anime News Network) served as moderator for what ended up being a pregame FUNimation panel, albeit with more industry insight and less blatant marketing. (I recorded the whole thing, and may post it up.)

One of the highlights of my day was "Remembering Satoshi Kon," Daryl Surat's panel about the late director, which I served as co-panelist on. We packed the room, and after some tripping over each other's feet, we developed a pretty good rapport.

Sam Kusek and Eric Shorey ran a fantastic panel called "'What is Super-Flat': Where Anime fits in Post-Modern Culture," which was a very academic look at post-modernism with nods to Japanese artists like Murakami and anime like Paranoia Agent. I'm considering doing a write-up of the panel, as it brought up a lot of interesting ideas.

Gerald Rathkolb's "The Sane Fan's Guide to Mecha Anime" was a pretty thorough yet basic introduction to mecha, though he occasionally lapsed into more in-depth stuff before reeling it back. Proving his point that mecha fans can be totally obnoxious, some guys in Legend of the Galactic Heroes costumes ran into the room and screamed "Sig Zeon!" (a reference to original Gundam).

After grabbing a quick dinner, I headed over to the absurd clipshow that is Anime Hell, hosted by Mike Toole, Daryl Surat, and Mike Horne. It featured a lot of Daryl's clips from his Genericon presentation of "The Panel of Doom," so I had already seen a lot of it, and Daryl's laptop had a bunch of technical problems, but it was still a hilarious night.

And during a quick trip to the dealer's room, I managed to find some Kodansha Bilingual Comics Editions of volumes 1, 2, and 3 of business manga Section Chief Kosaku Shima, which I bought for $2 each at the Mugen Toys booth! Quite a find, apparently, though I didn't realize just how rare they were when I bought them.

Click here for more of our Anime Boston 2011 coverage

"Fanthropologies," a panel run by the indomitable Charles Dunbar and featuring Alex Leavitt and Jennifer Fu as guests, was ostensibly about the study of fandom, both in terms of anime and other media, but it quickly turned into a much more broad discussion about copyright and fan ethics. I'm considering writing a full post on it, as a lot of the ideas that they brought up were really very enlightening.

Right after that, I had to rush to my Greg Ayres interview, only to be held up by a string of staff confusions and rescheduling that resulted in at least 45 minutes of idle time. Nevertheless, once the valiant Press Relations guy Jamison got Greg into the room with me, we had a great interview, talking over his views on the current state of fansubs and the industry.

After a trip to the oddly empty Dealer's Room with Anime World Order's Daryl Surat, I headed to Experts of Fan Controversy, which looked like it was going to be a fiery debate between some of the smartest minds in the industry, moderated by panelist extraordinaire Alex Leavitt. Instead it ended up being a totally respectful, insightful discussion between the panelists (which included AnimeOnDVD's Chris Beveridge, Vertical's Ed Chavez, MIT's Jennifer Fuu, Anime World Order's Clarissa Graffeo, and Tezuka In English's Ada Palmer), punctuated by some funny moments and Alex's wacky scoring system. I recorded the panel in its entirety, so you might hear that in podcast form very soon.

Then... not much, con-wise. We had a sort of "State of the Manga Industry" dinner that ended up being more of an informal night at a local Indian restaurant, and I was denied entry (again) to Daryl's "Anime's Craziest Deaths" panel since it was already jam-packed. (I'll save my full-length misgivings about this situation for the con report.)

Finally, I ended up just bouncing around to a couple of video rooms, settling on Golgo 13 TV, where I met two teenage girls who were loving the show. I recommended they check out the 1983 movie, the OAV, and the manga (and pointed out that most of them are available in the Dealer's Room at the con). It was one of the stand-out moments of my day — they seemed so excited, filled with the kind of exploratory attitude that we need more of as a fandom. Plus, who would've thought that teenage girls would be enjoying Golgo 13 that much? The show is for Japanese salarymen!

Click here for more of our Anime Boston 2011 coverage

EDIT 1: Modified my list a little after realizing that I missed a few panels.

	: "Hmm, I want to watch both Eden of the East and Baccano! - what to do?"
	: "Hey, Hey Elliot!"
	: "What's that?"
	: "Hey there!"
	: "What the?"
	: "Hey there, Elliot, we think you should watch Baccano!. That would be for the best."
	: "Why?"
	: "Well, look how happy we are! Don't you want to find out why we are happy, and be happy yourself?"
	: "I guess..."
	: "Do it!"
	: "Agh! Okay, okay."
	: "Excellent....."

It went something like that. What I present here is more something of a trip report than a full review.

Now onto the show itself. Having watched the main 13 episode series, I have come to regard Baccano! as a series of victories and small wonders, furnishing the viewer with a massively entertaining show that manages to satisfy without outstaying its welcome or stretching too far.

I will admit that until sitting down and watching it I have avoided all discussion or reviews of Baccano! (Including the Ani-Gamers review) as whenever someone has mentioned the show they have taken pains to point out that almost anything is a spoiler when it comes to the shows twisting plotline. I even avoided reading the synopsis on the back of the DVD set before watching. (I’m glad I didn’t — whoever wrote the one on the Manga UK DVD set appears to have been drunk.)

To outline the show: set primarily in the early 1930s, Baccano! follows the exploits of a wide range of characters in both Manhattan and the transcontinental express train "The Flying Pussyfoot" as they all go about their personal business. The narrative jumps between different time periods and different characters with such frequency that the show's creators saw fit to make much of the first episode a primer for what is to follow. For most of this episode, Norio Wakamoto (with full R-rolling in effect) and his assistant prepare the viewer by discussing in a broad sense the different time periods, settings and characters that you are going to spend the following 12 episodes with, as well as showing the viewer some juicy snippets of what is to come.

This initially flummoxing first episode nearly turned me off of the show. It felt like a warning, telling me "Hey, if you aren't down with what’s going on now maybe you should just give up and put this back on your shelf. Oh, here is a quick cut of a young boy getting shot in the head. Bet you're interested now, eh?" Then, at the end of the episode something awesome happens (that I won't spoil) and I was hooked.

To cut to the chase, the plotting works marvelously. The highest praise I can lavish on Baccano! is that even with all the switching of character, time period and setting, the entire plotline comes together into a coherent whole that is massively satisfying, like watching a good detective story. The timing and placement of character and time zone transitions feels meticulously thought out and perfectly judged to maintain viewer interest without causing confusion or irritation. When transitioning between different time periods the show will throw up a black static image with the year that the following events take place in - the genius of these cuts are that they act as welcome breathing spaces in the action, heightening tension. The presentation reminds me an awful lot of the Guy Ritchie film Snatch (2000), which also uses multiple viewpoints to weave together a coherent and thrilling tale. I was worried towards the end that Baccano! would contract a fatal case of "Dumb Anime Ending" syndrome, but I was proven completely and wonderfully wrong. The ending was not bombastic or laden with sudden twists, but was immensely satisfying and ties the disparate plotlines up wonderfully.

The characters themselves also do a lot of the lifting when it comes to drawing you into the story, in part because there are so damn many of them but also because they are genuinely interesting. One particular character is called Jacuzzi Splot, and when I first saw him, i hated his guts. He had a dumb tattoo, a whiny voice, and a melancholy outlook on life. His one redeeming feature was that listening to Japanese voice actors try and pronounce "Jacuzzi" was endlessly amusing. But after a few appearances I began to root for the guy as his development on screen was so engaging and interesting to watch. This happens a lot with the characters — you might not like them, but you come to understand them through their actions. I can honestly say that Baccano! is one of the few shows that have had me rooting for a mass murderer. Multiple mass murderers, in fact.

Not only are the characters interesting because of their actions, but they also look great. Everyone is stylishly drawn and with a great deal of care, something that really helps out not only in learning names but also in deciphering expressions and intentions of the cast and helping you connect with them. This ability to empathize with the characters really pulls you in, and I feel is best outlined by two of its best characters, Isaac and Miria. I love these two, so very much. Isaac and Miria are a pair of loud, boisterous, idiotic and immensely lucky thieves and the fact that they feel like believable characters while acting in such an absurd manner for their entire time on screen is a credit to the series. They are used just the right amount — too little and they would become a throwaway gimmick, too much and they would take over the show and ruin the magic.

I mentioned that the characters were stylish before. In fact the whole series is damn stylish. Every character, backdrop and action has style in spades. What makes this work is that the style is completely cohesive and well thought out to work as a single whole experience: no sudden SHAFT-style insanity, no winks at the camera, no snickering to itself behind the stage curtains. Every element presented on screen has a purpose and it was put there to contribute directly towards viewer enjoyment, drawing you into a coherent world that has a tangible feeling of authenticity to it.

To sum up my thoughts on Baccano!, after the end of the 13th episode in my third non-stop viewing session, I stood up to retrieve the DVD from the disc tray and thought to myself: "Wow. That was really enjoyable. I wish more things were made this well." I only regret I waited until I had to be pushed by Santa to actually sit down and watch it!

[Highly Recommended]

This review is based on the Manga UK DVD box set, purchased by the reviewer.

In the future, human society has been forced underground by environmental destruction. Archeologists have now dedicated themselves to archiving and researching photos and other documentation from the surfacebound past. Photographs of a green, living earth captivate the protagonist of the story, while everyone else is questioning the necessity of the historical discovery and feel as if it is better if humanity doesn’t know what it was once like. Despite his female friend encouraging him to abandon his work, the protagonist discovers an old music video that compels him to seek the truth about the human race’s previous life.

My issues with the plot are largely irrelevant since the entire OAV is a technical demonstration, but as a vessel for displaying Yoshiura and the studio’s animation talent it succeeds quite well. The animation is gorgeously detailed with intriguing cinematography. The aesthetic is built around, well, technology looking cool, and as such it features lots of detailed shots of wires, pulsing light towers, computer desktop screens, and related. Naturally, it is impossible not to make the obvious Serial Experiments Lain (1998) comparison with its technical, cyber-cool focus. Interesting camera angles and panning may serve as animation shortcuts at times, but are effective stylistic choices at others. Aside from the amateurish character designs, Pale Cocoon is a strong demonstration of atmospheric, technological animation.

It is easy to compare it to Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star (2002), as both are these are short works that showcase the director's budding talent. However, since Pale Cocoon is a studio production, it features better quality animation that Shinkai's home made effort, but there is a similar spirit between the two. In fact, both manage to pull off a "Macross" by using cheesy pop music to reinforce a climactic scene. Voices of a Distant Star, however, executes a very effective character drama built around strong SF themes, whereas Pale Cocoon’s plot comes off as mere structure to show off pretty graphics.

If not for the Secret Santa recommendation, I would not have even bothered to review Pale Cocoon. I see it as a piece of experimental filming, used as practice for the director's “real” debut. Reviewing it seems equal to browsing through an accomplished director's early archives and giving criticism on their practice projects. I can understand commenting on it when it was first released, but now it should be left alone and treated only as historical documentation. Where Pale Cocoon succeeds is in whetting the appetite for future projects from the director.

Despite its flaws, Pale Cocoon has attracted a surprising amount of enthusiastic viewers. With its short length and ease of access through Crunchyroll streaming, it requires no significant commitment. I believe that it also represents anime fandom's interest in good science fiction anime, and people watch it in hopes of filling a void. Thankfully, Yoshiura went on to release Time of Eve (2008) that uses even better animation with similar elements and overall vibe. Time of Eve is a strong science fiction series that has the appeal that Pale Cocoon only hints at. I would recommend skipping out on Pale Cocoon, and diving straight into Time of Eve. Pale Cocoon could then viewed as a piece of historical interest to fans interested in the director's developing ideas.

[Bad]

This review is based on the Crunchyroll stream of the series, provided by Studio Rikka.

The show begins in a vaguely steampunk era in which giant airships have become the primary tool of war. Our heroes are two young pilots who make their living as couriers on the wings of their small fighter plane-esque craft called a "vanship." Claus Valca is a quiet, kindly pilot with a penchant for finishing everything he starts, while Lavie is his hot-headed, impetuous, and intelligent navigator. As the guy piloting the vanship, Claus is naturally the hero GONZO chooses to focus on, while Lavie serves simultaneously as his childhood friend, romantic interest, and moral compass.

These two couriers are living a simple life in the shadows of their legendary fathers (couriers who flew together until their untimely deaths) when they find themselves tasked with transporting a young girl named Alvis to the "Kill 'Em All" Silvana, a notorious mercenary airship thought to suck the souls out of anyone who comes aboard. After narrowly escaping attacks from the Guild, a shadowy organization that exerts subtle control over all the world's militaries and governments, the two vanship operators end up joining the Silvana's not-so-scary crew in a mysterious mission to strike the very heart of the Guild.

On paper, Last Exile seems like an exhilarating modern military tale, set in the skies of a unique world bound by strange rules — and it almost is, too. Unfortunately, GONZO's execution is painfully uneven, to the point that I often wondered if the writers knew where they were going when they created the original concept. The story is roughly split into three acts: 1) introduction of major cast and factions, 2) the Silvana wanders around doing things and battling some people, and 3) final confrontation with the Guild. As you might be able to guess, the second act features no central narrative or even an attempt at a formula (which would have made it much easier to follow). Instead the characters just meet a few unrelated challenges and overcome them, all the while developing ever so slightly as both individual characters and as a team.

Unfortunately, that individual development often leads to dead ends, as with two of the show's seemingly important romantic threads that simply die out before the introduction of the third act. The overall development of the cast, however, is one of the Last Exile's defining characteristics. The sense of cohesion between the Silvana's crew might not be apparent at first, but the motley crew of pilots, mechanics, and bridge personnel really start to feel like one big team by the end of the series. The most apt comparison that comes to my mind is original Gundam (1979), though Last Exile certainly doesn't pull it off quite that well.

Despite the compelling sense of overall camaraderie, some of the individual characters can get truly grating after 26 episodes. Let's start with Claus: his personality is so meek and boring that he is effectively the same as any of the cookie-cutter protagonists in harem anime. Underscoring this unfortunate truth is his harem of girls, including Lavie, Alvis, the cold-hearted pilot Tatiana, and even the strong-willed Vice Captain Sophia. To make matters worse, Tatiana turns into a mushy little lovestruck schoolgirl when Claus so much as lends her his jacket, and Sophia's romantic encounter comes from so far in left field that you'll likely be throwing things at your screen in frustration. To be honest, by episode 15 I was convinced that Last Exile was a harem show in disguise.

Meanwhile, there are a few characters who really shine despite their disappointing company. Alex Row, the stoic captain of the Silvana, rocks all kinds of socks with his grumpy demeanor and tortured past, but cracks begin to show in his emotional armor as we learn more about his history and see him lose control near the end of the show. Dio (no, not that one) and Lucciola, two runaways from the Guild who join up with the Silvana, and Mullin Shetland, a musketeer-turned-mechanic, provide an interesting counterpoint to the rest of the crew as outsiders coping with the stress of turning away from their previous loyalties. On the bad guy's side, the sinister Guild leader Maestro Delphine comes off as a poisonously sweet version of Gundam's Haman Karn.

But as far as I'm concerned, the real star of Last Exile is Lavie Head, Claus's energetic navigator. Originally she seems like nothing more than an obligatory bossy love interest, but by episode 8 or so it is clear that her personality reaches depths far beyond those of her lame childhood friend. Even when she decides that she doesn't want to be Claus's navigator as long as he is flying in combat (a brave and unexpected decision that throws a fascinating wrench in the works), she remains one of the most well-developed members of the crew. Lavie feels with a magnitude that nobody else in the show does, careening between nurturing love for Alvis, passionate concern for Claus, and unexpected bravery in the face of danger. Through it all, she manages to be both completely admirable and believably flawed, a feat that I'm frankly surprised GONZO managed to pull off so well.

While Japanese voice actor Chiwa Saito's performance as Lavie certainly gets the job done, Kari Wahlgren truly makes the role her own. Especially compared to Johnny Yong Bosch's typically overwrought Claus, Wahlgren's Lavie is always believable, no matter where she is on the emotional spectrum. In terms of the rest of the English cast, despite some clunky deliveries they mostly stack up well, especially thanks to spot-on Japanese-to-English voice matching by Bang Zoom.

Nearly all of the technology in the show (intricately researched and designed by character designer Range Murata and Gankutsuou's Mahiro Maeda) is animated using GONZO's notorious CG style, which only rarely blends with the two-dimensional character animation used throughout. Movement is also irritatingly choppy during the fight scenes, undercutting the clear quality of the original concepts. The skilled 2-D animators who realized Murata and Maeda's beautiful character and costume designs likely could have transformed most of the storyboards for the battle scenes into thrilling dogfights, but as it stands the 3-D fights are merely passable (though GONZO gets points for including ZERO Gundam-style monologues or pilot-to-pilot arguments during fights).

While I don't usually comment on such things, Last Exile's sound design is actually one of its greatest strengths. The sound effects used to represent the creaking and turning of machinery and the movements of the wind are far more visceral (and frequent) than the effects used in most other anime. This, combined with Maeda and Murata's unique and complex designs for clothing and machinery, makes for a lot of fascinating world-building potential. Unfortunately, spotty explanations of the factions and technologies often make it difficult to understand who is fighting whom and for what reasons. By the time the series reaches its exciting finale, it might still take a Wikipedia visit or two to understand just what was going on in the skies of Claus and Lavie's world.

Last Exile, like many GONZO series before it, is a valuable lesson in wasted potential. It's clear that the concept designers put a lot of work into the series during pre-production, and the animators' love for their material shines through in rare moments that belie Last Exile's most glaring flaw, which is that it doesn't really say or do very much with its own material. In the end, the exquisite presentation, the attempts at world-building, and the moments of genuine humanity come together to produce a work that is nothing more than the sum of its parts. We are left with a vaporous story about people in airships who fight each other.

[Passable]

This review is based on the Hulu streams (both dub and sub) of the series, provided by FUNimation.

While the overall presentation of said story is awash with harem elements, the main conflict of the story, pacifism in the midst of battle, is aptly personified via the assignment of Saber to Shirō. Furthermore, implications are deepened via the introduction of Shirō's inability, caused by his lack of study in magic, to make Saber properly materialize. Thus Emiya and Saber, respectively as magus and servant, portray two incomplete parts that leverage each other to form a whole in the hopes of competently fighting against multiple pairs of complementary wholes. This setup is rife for conflicts, and the execution does right by exploring the main theme of action vs. inaction. However, the weaving of romantic tension turns too many scenes into boring and (for the most part) inconsequential harem tropes.

That's not to say that romantic tension doesn't serve some purpose. Rather, the execution of its repeated influence only weakens the story. I'd maintain there are two instances of romantic tension aptly serving the story: that of Emiya's falling for Saber and Rin's unexplainable interest in Emiya. While the latter only serves as a reason why a fellow magus would not kill, and instead might even protect, a competitor, Emiya's falling for Saber further lends credence to why he constantly puts his life on the line for what he views as his responsibility. Really, there's an essay waiting to be written on Emiya and Saber, and that fact alone makes the anime a worthwhile watch, but other aspects deserved to be touched upon as well. Art in Fate/Stay Night is standard fare but of above average quality (budget). Really, its only fault would be the showcasing of CG alchemic circles, the animation of which seems a little too out of place. Fight scenes are well orchestrated and, for the most part, fully animated, and the overall ambience is set rather perfectly. Deep hues of night, the only time during which combat is permitted, are foreboding and bloodthirsty, while days offer a palate more complimentary to the harem walls and the associated tension break. Character designs are also quite Romantic, especially concerning the servants' attire/armor.

Writing is a tad overly dramatic, except, surprisingly, for the harem aspects. Instead, I found myself actually liking how statements by the majority of the female characters never (or rarely) said anything directly. In retrospect, I also greatly enjoyed the underlying and understated theme of regret that manifests not only within the warriors throughout the series but which also resonates as the drive behind the warriors – each a mythical figure of ancient origin.

If you have time to kill, there are far worse anime to help you pull the trigger. It's pretty, the pacing of the main plot is quick, and general subtext is nothing that requires much thought. There is even decent potential as fodder for analysis, which is surprising given the series' origin as an “eroge” (erotic game). What I can only guess to be a successful anime translation (best to ask Elliot Page) manages to eliminate all hentai aspects, save the annoyingly omnipresent harem elements (beware the first half of the date episode!!!), and deliver an enjoyable watch akin to a more grown-up Zatch Bell (2003).

[Recommended]

This review is based on rental copies obtained via the reviewer's personal Netflix account.

As always, I was quite pleased with the panel lineup, as it included a number of popular panelists as well as brand-new presenters. A lot of the new panels that I saw (History of Mecha, Cosplay Comedian Joe) were pretty disappointing, but I'm always glad to see new faces presenting their stuff. In terms of known commodities, I attended the Sunday morning panel "Otaku: Perceptions and Misconceptions," run by the girls from the IchiP dance troupe. In my con report last year I remarked that they ran a startlingly interesting and thoughtful discussion during the first iteration of the panel, and this year they built on their previous success. Crowd control was much better than last year, though the panelists' discussion meandered a little more than I liked. Nevertheless, I enjoyed their open conversation about the "otaku" lifestyle and the stereotypes associated with it.

I checked out a number of panels run by convention veterans Walter Amos, Rob Fenelon, and Brian Price, who presented a compilation of odd video clips from Walter and Rob (These Are a Few of My Favorite Scenes), a bad anime clipshow from Brian (Bad Anime Bad!!) and a presentation on French animation from Walter and Rob (It Came From France!!), among other panels. I attended the first two, both of which always manage to entertain me with stuff I've never seen before, but I ran into a bit of a problem in going to It Came From France!! Namely, I had been avoiding lines with my press pass throughout the convention, but when Narutaki of the Reverse Thieves, Brad Rice of Japanator, and I tried to get into Walter and Rob's panel, the staffer said that we would have to wait on line. Naturally, we hadn't grabbed a spot on the line, since press usually don't have to do that, so we just ... didn't go. I heard some complaints from staff later that members of the press had been "abusing their privileges," so in the future, I would highly suggest that AnimeNEXT write out what those privileges ARE (and what privileges we don't have) instead of complaining that the press are doing things that they're allowed to do at every other convention.

Meanwhile, I ran two panels of my own, which generally went over smoothly. Convention staffers were very helpful in making sure I had all of the equipment I needed, and did their best to keep crowds under control while waiting for panels to begin. My first panel was the Friday afternoon "Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing," which featured Ink, Uncle Yo, and me in a roundtable discussion of critical thought and its application to anime fans and critics. We did our best to engage the audience, and actually ended up getting quite a few very interesting responses from the crowd. On Saturday, I stuck it alone for "The Changing Faces of Anime." To my delight, there was actually a sizable line of attendees waiting to see the panel, in which I described the history of anime character designs, pointing out important artists and paradigm shifts. The crowd had a lot of great questions at the end, and they seemed to really enjoy it!

At times, I felt like the Garden State Exhibit Center, Doubletree Hotel, and other areas, despite reportedly being much larger than the space provided by the Meadowlands Expo Center and nearby hotels, was actually smaller that the convention's previous location. However, it might just be because of the attendance, which must be growing at an alarming rate if NEXT is already feeling cramped in its second year of the new location. A handful of the six panel rooms were tragically tiny, allowing for something like 30 attendees, and only one of the rooms was actually a large-scale panel room for particularly popular events. In fact, with such a wealth of great panels and panelists at AnimeNEXT, one of my top suggestions to the staff is to get bigger panel rooms. I would think that the last thing they want to do is drive away these presenters who provide such a great backbone to the convention.

Overall, I certainly enjoyed my time at AnimeNEXT this year. The convention seems to still be settling into its new location, which should hopefully be remedied for next year when they've figured out better ways to optimize their space. Regardless, I was very glad to see a Guest of Honor at AnimeNEXT 2010, which shows without a doubt that AnimeNEXT is still going strong and hasn't completely faded into the background as the little brother of the New York Anime Festival.

For more AnimeNEXT 2010 coverage, click here!

Ani-Gamers: Mamoru Oshii was your mentor. As the director of Stand-Alone Complex, what was it like to create such a large-scale follow-up to the Ghost in the Shell film, which is arguably Oshii's most important work?

Kenji Kamiyama: People ask [me] that question a lot, and everyone asks me if I got a huge pressure, but I actually really enjoyed it, and it wasn't stressful at all. It was like making my own style from Oshii's work.

AG: I can't help but notice a lot of American culture reflected in your works. Do you have any favorite American movies or directors?

KK: Star Wars. [The] first American guy's name I remembered was George Lucas. [Also] Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott (but he's British), [and] James Cameron. I liked Avatar too.

AG: Your works feature characters who are older and deal with a lot more mature issues. Do you think anime featuring these types of characters will gain popularity and help bring more mature viewers to this kind of medium?

KK: Yeah, I think so. I like to make a character something just like you, but also put some hope or something I [want] to be, so you can [feel] a longing [for] the character.

For more AnimeNEXT 2010 coverage, click here!

These are Ink's plans. He won't be at the con Friday or Saturday evenings, so he's recommended some panels that he won't be able to attend. This is denoted by "REC."

FRIDAY
[2:00 PM – 3:00 PM] Inside Lives of Congoing Otaku
[3:00 PM – 4:00 PM] Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing (panelist)
[4:00 PM – 5:00 PM] Kimono: Alure, Fashion & History
[5:30 PM – 6:30 PM] History of Mecha (REC - not attending)
[6:30 PM – 7:30 PM] Anime/Manga Influence on the US (REC - not attending)

SATURDAY
[11:00 AM – 12:00 PM] Otaku Through the Generations
[1:00 PM – 2:00 PM] Funimation Industry
[2:00 PM – 4:00 PM] The State of the Anime Industry and You (Ayres)
[5:30 PM – 7:00 PM] Modern Mythology: Mythic Elements in Anime & Video Games (REC)
[8:00 PM – 10:00 PM] Bad Anime, Bad!! (REC - not attending)

SUNDAY [2:00 PM – 3:30 PM] Psychology of Anime II
[1:00 PM – 2:30 PM] Anime Jeopardy

Now I, unlike Ink, can't seem to choose what I want to go to, so here's a list of pretty much everything I'm interested in (including things with overlapping times). I probably won't go to even half of these panels, but I've underlined the ones that I'm 99% sure I'm going to, put "REC" next to particularly good ones, and "maybe" next to ones that I'm not sure I'm going to. Hopefully that helps!

FRIDAY
[3:00 PM – 4:00 PM] Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing (panelist)
[4:00 PM – 5:00 PM] Kimono: Alure, Fashion & History (maybe)
[5:30 PM – 6:30 PM] History of Mecha (maybe)
[6:30 PM – 7:30 PM] Super Mario Super Panel (REC - maybe)
[6:30 PM – 7:30 PM] Anime/Manga Influence on the US (maybe)
[10:00 PM – 12:00 AM] These Are A Few Of My Favorite Scenes

SATURDAY
[10:30 AM – 11:30 AM] Gundam: What Makes It Great (maybe)
[12:00 PM – 1:00 PM] Religion in NG Evangelion
[1:00 PM – 2:00 PM] Funimation Industry
[2:00 PM – 4:00 PM] The State of the Anime Industry and You (Ayres)
[3:00 PM – 5:00 PM] C.R.A.Z.Y.O.T.A.K.U. (REC - probably won't be there)
[4:00 PM – 5:30 PM] IT CAME FROM FRANCE!! (REC)
[5:00 PM – 6:00 PM] Kenji Kamiyama (if we don't get an interview)
[5:00 PM – 6:00 PM] American Animation (maybe)
[7:00 PM – 8:00 PM] The Changing Faces of Anime (panelist)
[8:00 PM – 10:00 PM] Bad Anime, Bad!! (REC)
[10:00 PM – 12:00 AM] As The Otaku Grows (18+)

SUNDAY
[10:00 AM – 11:00 AM] Otaku: Perceptions and Misconceptions (REC)
[11:00 AM – 12:00 PM] Whose Line is it Anime (maybe)
[11:00 AM – 12:00 PM] Standup by Cosplay Comedian Joe (I just have to witness this!)
[1:00 PM – 2:30 PM] Anime Jeopardy (maybe)
[2:00 PM – 3:00 PM] Uncle Yo

Meanwhile, if you're not going to be at AnimeNEXT this weekend, just keep track of our AnimeNEXT 2010 label for all of our coverage.

What is important? The sweet robot-on-robot action of course! The scenes in between the fights often consist of low-framerate animation or static images, but when the girls get into their hardsuits (created by influential '80s character designer Kenichi Sonoda*), the metal shines, the lasers fly, and the AD Police helicopters start exploding.

What I keep trying to figure out is why I love this show so damn much, even though it's just so damn bad. Even in the later episodes, when the animation takes a significant turn for the better, the episodic plots retain their maddening predictability. One of the Knight Sabers meets and befriends another woman who happens to be tied into some sort of evil Genom plot. Then someone hires them for a job and their new friend is brought into the fray. Rinse and repeat.

There's something special about Bubblegum Crisis, though. If nothing else, the Knight Sabers themselves are memorable, with Priss the hotheaded motorcyclist and indie rock musician, Sylia the lingerie shop owner and leader of the Sabers, Linna the boy-obsessed gymnast, and Nene the incompetent AD Police officer and hacker. Their expressive, distinctive character designs by Kenichi Sonoda (Gunsmith Cats, Riding Bean) bring the four to life, and their clashing personalities make for some genuinely funny moments of conflict between the girls. And then there are the robot fights. Nearly every one is filled with classic action-movie "Oh Snap!" moments, as robots (and people) are ground under motorcycle wheels, blasted with machine gun fire, and punched with EXPLODING PUNCHES. Priss even uses a rocket-powered kick in episode 6!

Of course, since each episode is its own self-contained story, directed, animated, and written by a partially new staff every time, the show frequently see-saws in terms of quality. Nevertheless, the two episodes that really stood out to me are episodes 6 ("Red Eyes") and 8 ("Scoop Chase"). The former, directed by Masami Ōbari (Gravion), features a sexoroid, a guy with control over an orbital laser, and the previously mentioned rocket-kick. The latter, directed by Hiroaki Gohda (Ah! My Goddess), is what I like to call "Nene's Aquaman episode," since it's clearly tailor-made to create a situation where Nene can contribute in a meaningful way to the Knight Sabers for once. Despite clearly being made for her, the episode still fleshes out her personality in a way that no other episode does, making Nene (to my great surprise) the most well-developed character in the show!

As far as I'm concerned, this is a show that, for all rights and purposes, nobody should like. It is simple-minded, trashy late-'80s pulp entertainment, created as a way to cash in on the cyberpunk boom that directly followed Blade Runner, but somehow, some way, I was — completely un-ironically — entertained by it.

So we're back to the big question: why do I love Bubblegum Crisis so much? After putting quite a lot of thought into it, I realized that the answer is really quite simple: It's fun. No symbolism, no emotion, no deeper meaning. Just good old-fashioned robot-smashing fun.

[Recommended]

* According to the information I have available to me, Kenichi Sonoda seems to be responsible for the initial hardsuit designs, despite not having a "Mecha Design" credit for the series. (Thanks, Daryl Surat!)

So how about the conflict? What drives these characters to do what they do, and keeps the viewer interested enough to move from episode to episode? Well, nothing! The first few episodes feature Nagi and Jin trying to capture and destroy "impurities," evil spirits (or something like that) in the shape of black insects. What are the impurities and why does Nagi need to destroy them? It's not really explained, but the show sure does make a big deal about these things at the beginning.

Later the show focuses on Nagi and Zange trying to outdo each other at being teenage idols. The reason for that conflict is weak as well, with the only explanation being that the two need to gain followers to increase their powers as goddesses. Curiously, though, their "powers" never seem to manifest into anything remotely useful. This arc in particular highlights the show's obsession with the otaku subculture, especially its uncomfortable tendency to pander to its audience at every single turn with teen idols, magical girls, and maid cafés.

The middle of Kannagi forgets about BOTH of these conflicts and lapses into pure comedy, with a few episodes about Nagi locking herself in a closet, a karaoke trip, and other silliness. Here the show really shines, as it takes its very simple, one-dimensional cast and uses their comedic strengths – much like 2006's enjoyable The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – to pull off some surprisingly funny scenes.

Finally, it all comes back to a dramatic trio of episodes at the end that seems like a half-hearted attempt to transform the characters of the previous ten episodes into real human beings that the audience should care about. However, when Kannagi's excuse for character introduction is a girl listing off the archetypes that each character fits into, it's only natural that an attempt at real development meets with some massive cognitive dissonance. A few moments in the final episode or two might provoke some real emotion, but mostly you will just want to punch Jin for turning into Shinji Ikari at the last moment.

The biggest central conflict that Kannagi has going for it is the romantic relationship developing between Jin and Nagi, but it falls flat in this as well. Unlike Haruhi Suzumiya (also directed by Yutaka Yamamoto), which had a similarly subdued romantic conflict between a deadpan guy and an impatient, immature girl, Kannagi doesn't have a romantic payoff (the kiss scene in Haruhi). Admittedly this is because Kannagi is based on a manga that has not finished, and the show was intended to have a second season, so it is hard to fault the folks at A-1 Pictures for the weakness in the narrative. However, it undoubtedly weakens the first (and only) season as a stand-alone show.

With all of this negative talk, you might think that I hated everything about Kannagi, but that is certainly not the case. The animation, for one, is beautiful, and it is clear that animating the character's movements – Nagi's in particular – got a lot of focus from the team. The show might not look as beautiful as Haruhi, which was particularly noticeable for its stellar animation, but it's one of the closest things you can find out there in terms of both animation and art direction.

Oddly enough, the background music at the beginning is impressive, using a lot of interesting electronic instrumentation rarely found in anime background music, but later episodes cut back on the use of Satoru Kousaki's fascinating, emotive music in favor of uninspired instrumental versions of the opening and ending themes.

Despite its technical high points, when it comes down to it Kannagi is a waste of time. The show features characters defined only by the archetypes they fit into, but instead of consistently using this potential weakness to the show's comedic benefit, Kurata spends an inordinate amount of time on poorly executed drama and an unsatisfying romantic plot. Still, the most pressing issue that I have with Kannagi is that it simply has nothing to say. At the end of the experience, I was left with only a feeling of, "well yes, that happened." A goddess moved in with a boy, they did some silly stuff that sometimes made me laugh, and they both sort of like each other. Behind all of the big-eyed teenage girls and the half-baked attempts at romantic comedy, Kannagi has no substance, and that is ultimately its greatest failure.

weak.

Luckily, it looks like Section23 is off on the right foot, with fall releases already planned for Blue Drop, Polyphonica, Special A, Tears to Tiara, and You're Under Arrest Season 2. With ADV's significantly shrunken catalog, I'm happy to see that Section23 has been left with something to release while Aesir (hopefully) works on acquiring new licenses from Japan.

But Section23, Aesir, and the other pieces of this puzzle still face some looming, long-term problems: namely that the split between licensing and distribution that has occurred thanks to the nature of ADV's breakdown is the kind of thing that is bound to backfire years down the line if anything ever comes up between Aesir (licensing) and Section23 (distribution). The last thing we want is Evangelion or some other big former ADV show to be caught in a licensing black hole for the next couple of decades.

Now I definitely don't mean to discourage the efforts of Section23, who could turn out to be a great anime distribution company – to be honest, I wish them nothing but the best! I only fear that their existence represents not a new force in the anime industry, but a headless ADV zombie, an entity that exists only as a last-ditch effort to save what is left of a broken company. As this zombie lumbers on, we can only hope that all of the pieces of what was once A.D. Vision can work together to bring themselves back from the brink. We cannot afford the cost of them slowly decomposing as ADV did, holding onto stagnant licenses and sapping the optimism from a market already steeped with pessimism.

And since we’re talking video games, it seemed relevant to mention controls and camera systems (points of view). Any camera angle will make the gamer relate to the onscreen character, but as pointed out in the discussion, camera angles such as first- and third-person can have quite different effects. First makes the gamer the character. Your senses are tuned into theirs for the duration of the play, making you the one navigating the danger – having to believe in what you’re seeing in order to advance through level upon maddening level. With third-person, there can be a sense of disconnectedness or vertigo which may make it seem a little safer but, in actuality, results in an over-the-shoulder view that adds to the creepy experience via exclusion – not being able to see behind you.

That brings us to another element of the genre, the unexpected. Whether a survival horror game is based on/in this world (Silent Hill, Eternal Darkness, Left 4 Dead) or some other dimension/world/reality (DOOM, Dead Space), when the things that go bump in the night suddenly jump out into your path and become realized, it reaps a fright. This can be accomplished in many ways – jumpy/jerky movements, sudden light changes, things randomly falling down – and is most notably reinforced by the soundtrack.

While panel and guest favorite in this field was Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill), it must also be noted that whoever was responsible for the soundtrack to the Fatal Frame games must also be given honorable mention. The former is a master of dark, lamenting, foreboding themes that add a Romantic (scenery as representative of emotional state) element to the game, while the latter relies almost entirely upon ambience and lack of sound to convey the creepiness by forcing a sense of isolation and abandonment upon the gamer. Put into context, this differs greatly from typical American horror, where audio swells build anticipation, because Japanese horror slides the audio in subtly to cause surprise.

But a surprise is just a cheap thrill if the gamer doesn’t have a psychological attachment to the character. Thus the panel also focused on the difference between this genre’s characters’ stories and other games. As noted in such games as The Suffering, Eternal Sonata, and Scratches, the use of flashbacks, story line distortions, and issues of perception trick the player into a sense of increased attention due to vested interest. This investment lends well to another element of the genre, the nature of fighting.

When playing survival horror, one generally assumes the role of a character who is often ill-adept to handle the situation or, at the very least, finds himself/herself having to cope with an extraordinary situation. Thus the psychological element of the game makes the gamer not only fight to stay alive but also to find out how a story came about, if he/she is guilty or innocent, if normalcy can ever be returned. And this is all done by getting involved in the character’s psychological trauma through battles both internal and external.