So we’re up to ~episode six in most series, which is the halfway point for the Fall season (though not necessarily the halfway point for each show). I figured I’d check in and talk about where I am with each show these days.

• Bamboo Blade: Miya-Miya owns the ass of every female character this season, hands down. Then again, it’s not like she’s up against a lot of competition. Status: Watching regularly.
• Blue Drop: The pacing is sooo slow, it took until episode three or four for anything to actually happen. But the promise of lesbians keeps me going. Status: Watching regularly.
• Clannad: I maintain that this show would be so much better if they would just ditch Nagisa entirely. Beyond that, I’m liking it better than I expected to. I do still wish that anyone looked somewhat close to how old they actually are / sound…but eh. Status: Watching regularly.
• Dragonaut: The Resonance: I can’t explain why I keep watching this show. I’m not really fond of the art style, the plot is pretty mediocre…and yet, I keep watching. I blame the boobies. Status: Watching regularly.
• Genshiken 2: Ogiue’s Sasahara x Madarama FTW. That is all. Status: Watching regularly.
• Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun: GOOO REIKA! GO GO GO! Mayu’s cute, but boring. Status: Watching regularly.
• Jyuushin Enbu: Story-wise it’s gotten better, but the art and animation are still incredibly mediocre compared to FMA, and the characters aren’t as cool either. Status: Watching every so-often.
• Kaiji: I’m interested in seeing where this goes, but running out of space on my anime plate for watching it. Status: Dropped for watching later.
• Kidou Senshi Gundam 00: Major improvements in terms of developing characters, but I think I still like the ending theme better than anything else about the show. Status: Watching regularly.
• KimiKiss: I like this show, and I think it’s because it’s a dating sim but not one that focuses on one guy and a dozen girls, but rather a group of friends (male and female) and their love lives. Status: Watching regularly.
• Kodomo no Jikan: Epic yet uncomfortable win. But I’ve ranted about this show being undervalued as mere pedo fodder enough, so suffice to say Status: Watching regularly.
• Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro: I would totally be watching this show IF ANYONE WOULD FREAKIN’ SUB IT. I’ve actually already seen people cosplay from the manga, and yet no one will sub the anime? Am I missing something? Status: Watching…if it ever comes out.
• Minamike: I like the show a lot, but almost all the comedy comes from either crazy middle sister Kana, or crazy Kana-like characters (Chiaki and Haruka each have a classmate with a similar dynamic). And Kana is never given the opportunity to have any redeeming features. Hmph. Status: Watching regularly.
• Moyashimon: This one’s a little behind, but I like it…though the agriculture 101 bits can be a little dull, the rest of the batshit insane stuff makes up for it. Status: Watching regularly.
• Night Wizard: I’m getting a little tired of Eris being the sweet, cheerful, flock-of-birds attracting Mary Sue, and annoyed at Renji being the show’s whipping boy with, like Minamike’s Kana, no real opportunity to redeem himself. Status: Considering dropping.
• Prism Ark: …One episode was really enough. Status: Dropped.
• Rental Magika: It got so boring in episode three I just couldn’t continue. Status: Dropped.
• Shinrei Kari / Ghost Hound: I still have some issues with the art style, but the pacing has picked itself up nicely and I’m curious to see where it’s going. Status: Watching regularly.
• Shion no Oh: Mmm, delicious trap, must eat. Status: Watching regularly.
• Shugo Chara! Mmm, delicious magical girl, must eat. This is probably one of the more solid shows of the season, IMO, though it’s obvious not for everyone. Status: Watching regularly.
• Suteki Tantei Labyrinth: Looks cute, but pretty dull– I’m more interested in the dolls than in anything to do with the main character. Status: Dropped.

Posted by gia in Commentary, Fall '07 Series • Comments (8)

So I’ve had a few people come to me (or comment, or whatever) to say that Hiromu Arakawa isn’t really the creator of Jyushin Enbu. “She’s only the character designer,” some say, or only the artist.

There IS an English-language fansite out there which talks about Arakawa’s non-FMA works, one of which includes a doujinshi called Shishi Jyushin Enbu. Although very different from the Jyushin Enbu published in 2006 (and now being developed into an anime), it is this doujinshi that eventually became the series we’re now seeing.

The site notes that the original doujinshi was created “as an accompaniment to Zhang Feilung’s novel of the same name.” I remember hearing that Zhang Feilung is probably a pen name, but can’t really find any information on it. Anime News Network gives the name differently (they spell it Jin-Zhou Huan), and they also note that if you rearrange the kanji it reads the same as Golden Week, so it seems pretty clear that Zhang Feilung is either a Japanese person or a Chinese person who knows Japanese. (I can’t help but wonder if it’s Arakawa’s herself– she’s always been into Chinese stuff.)

That site does not mention Zhang Feilung in the paragraph about the new Jyushin Enbu manga. And allow me to share another item: the Amazon.co.jp listing for the manga. There is only ONE creator listed for the manga, which is 荒川弘, Hiromu Arakawa– again, no mention of Zhang Feilung or anyone else.　Zhang Feilung is listed on the cover (in very small print under Arakawa’s), but only as the person who created the original text– not as someone actively involved in this iteration.

Some people cite the Hero Tales official website’s staff page, which lists Arakawa as the character designer, as proof that she is ONLY the character designer. However, even when an anime is based on a manga or game, there is generally someone in charge of adapting the manga’s characters into anime characters– the character designer. I’m inclined to interpret this factoid as meaning that Arakawa herself performed this particular duty. But it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s the ONLY thing she’s done.

So, given all of the above, I’m inclined to call Hiromu Arakawa the creator of Jyushin Enbu. Here, have an analogy: if Arakawa decided to create a manga loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, would we call her only the artist of the story? No, because she’d be doing the actual scripting and adapting herself, not to mention probably changing all sorts of things (oh, Japan). So, there’s my little essay on why it is perfectly fair to credit Jyushin Enbu to Arakawa.

Posted by gia in Misc • Comments (2)

Time to get back on track, don’t you think?

• Title: Jyushin Enbu - Hero Tales
• Studio: Flag
• Genre: Shounen/Action

Ratings (out of 5):

• Story: ♥♥♥

• Animation: ♥♥♥
• Characters: ♥♥♥
• OP/ED Themes: ♥♥♥
• Overall: ♥♥♥ (You’re okay, but…you’re just not FMA.)
  

Thoughts:
Jyushin Enbu -Hero Tales- features a strong, stubborn, and impetuous young man with a close relationship to his younger sibling and a mysterious power. Which may remind you of Fullmetal Alchemist, no surprise considering that Jyushin Enbu was created by FMA’s manga-ka, Hiromu Arakawa. (I know a few of you are inclind to argue on this point. Bear with me; shortly after this entry I’ll have another regarding this. I promsie I have good reason for taking this stance.)

Anyway, the show opens up with the aforementioned young man– Taitou –watching his village get trounced by an army led by a man named Keirou, who may or may not look an awful lot like FMA’s Fuhrer. Taitou gets the crap beaten out of him when he falls into a river off a cliff or something. He is nursed back to health by his non-blood-related sister (*cough*) Laila, and they are then attacked by a creepy and slightly perverted dude who was commanded by Keirou.

Overall, it looks like it could be an interesting shounen series, but if you were hoping for something as outstanding as Fullmetal Alchemist, you’ll be disappointed, at least so far. Everything is solid, but just a level below FMA– the characters don’t quite grip you, the dialogue isn’t as fun, and the story so far is pretty standard fare.

But don’t let the fact that it’s not FMA bar you from it entirely, because it’s still a perfectly decent show so far– just one with the misfortune of sitting in the shadow of a really awesome older sibling.

Posted by gia in Commentary, Fall '07 Series • Comments (3)

Hokay, let’s see…

A trailer for the anime movie Kara no Kyoukai, based on the light novels by a pre-TYPE-MON Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi, is due in theaters on December 1st. A trailer is also available, click here for the ASX file.

And while we’re on upcoming anime, Ookami to Koushinryou has opened up its official site at spicy-wolf.com. The slogan in the upper-right corner is “Merchant meats spicy wolf.” Bad Engrish, or spicy innuendo? You tell me.

Posted by gia in Anime, JP News, News • Comments (1)