Name: Stretch
Email: stretch2424@yahoo.com
Url: What's a URL? I'm not too Computer-Savvy.
Reviews: 480
Posts: 475
My (tentative) favorite anime of the Spring 2008 season:
Drama: Golgo 13 (TV)--A love-in-or-hate-it sort of show, but I love it and have been waiting a long time to see this classic get a TV series of it's own.
Comedy: Zettai Karen Children--Contrary to what you might expect, a witty and clever show about ten-year-old psychic crimefighters (and what happens when they're not on duty).
Why do I like anime? As our friend Naota put it in FLCL, "nothing exciting happens here" ("here" being TV in the US nowadays). I'm frustrated by concepts like "political correctness" which have the effect of turning out a steaming load of patronizing, uninteresting drek that passes as entertainment. In contrast, I had no idea that the vibrant, uninhibited world of anime existed until I stumbled upon Cartoon Network's Saturday night Adult Swim while channel-surfing (unless you count watching "Speed Racer" as a kid, that is). My fascination with anime has gotten to the point where about the only American-made TV I still watch is "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report". When it comes to anime, I'm a hard person to disappoint--I think almost anything is worth a watch, and I have only assigned a handful of "Avoid" ratings, so you might want to take my reviews with a grain of salt. What I'm looking for is mainly comedy--often "action-comedy", but almost always comedy of some sort (once in a while I watch something serious). Perhaps critic Kevin Gilvear phrased it best--he was referring to a single series, but his insights could be applied to anime comedy in general:
"Oh the perversity. Let it not be said that the Japanese don't know how to put together the most politically incorrect and taboo filled shows in the world... a fine example of breaking certain boundaries, crossing lines and kicking sand in the face of the media - and it's oh so hilarious... if you’re into anime then you have to take it on the chin and just accept it for what it is..."
Some critics bemoan the naughty elements of anime which keep it from "going mainstream" in America; personally, I think that removing these would be an absolute catastrophe, which would demolish it's uniqueness and vibrancy. The best thing about anime is that it isn't American, it's from a completely different culture. Being as frustrated with the state of affairs in this country as I am, an opportunity to immerse myself in the fascinating media of another country is a blessing.
I'm not too comfortable with assigning numbers to plot, music, animation, etc, since by and large after watching something new I just ask myself "did I like it?" How hard did I laugh? What was unusual? etc. When I first logged on, I was disappointed to find that Mikomi/Community Anime Review didn't have reviews for some of my favorite series, so I tried to remedy that situation by writing them myself! At last count I've seen at least one episode of around 300 different series. I think this (and also reading a lot of other people's reviews) gives me a better perspective to recognize what's good and what's not so good--instead of just declaring practically every new series I see to be my new must-have favorite. I probably ought to do some re-editing of my older reviews... I think watching a show twice doesn't just double, but somehow quadruples the accuracy of one's review--but there's always the temptation to watch something new...
I'd like to express my thanks to fellow Mikomi members for the help I've been offered with all sorts of topics, ranging from renting DVDs by mail, to recording anime music, to fixing computer problems, to downloading fansubs, to saving screen images, etc, etc. I routinely do things nowadays which seemed like fantastic fairy tales not too long ago. It's all the more surprising considering how little I knew about computers, the internet and DVDs when I first became interested in anime. "What's the deal with these newfangled DVDs?" I used to ask myself. "I think VHS tapes are perfectly satisfactory!" My insatiable quest for my "anime fix" seems to have gone through a number of stages:
1. I'm limited to whatever is shown on Adult Swim--Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho, Outlaw Star, Tenchi Muyo, etc. Despite the limited choices, I cannot wait to get home from work on Saturday nights for three hours of anime paradise.
2. I find used VHS tapes can be bought at a not too faraway hobby shop. I feel an odd nostalgia for searching through rows of tapes which I know nothing about, and basing my choices on what the jackets had to say, and the minutes each tape would run. Shows like Bubblegum Crisis, Key The Metal Idol, and Irresponsible Captain Tylor come to mind.
3. I learn about shopping online at Amazon.com, E-bay, and other websites. With the benefit of hindsight, I realize that the first few years of this decade were a most fortunate time to become involved in anime. As DVDs supplanted VHS tapes, the once obscenely expensive tapes could be gotten for a fraction of their original price--I bought a number of them for 99 cents (plus a dollar postage) each!
4. I'm informed by a fellow Mikomi reviewer that the titles which are still quite expensive can be rented via the internet as well! More than once I've rented shows which I liked so much that I bought my own copies.
5. Again, a fellow Mikomi reviewer tips me off to the wonderous world of BitTorrent fansub downloading. Whereas once I made a habit of watching at least one rerun for every new episode, lest I run out of the fresh material too quickly, now I'm virtually drowning in anime (I'm not complaining, though).
As of March 2008 I've reached a state in which the bulk of my TV time is spent watching incomplete series that are currently running in Japan. I also rent a few series via mail. And then there are old favorites of mine which I'm rewatching--Kaibutsu Oujo, Mai Otome, and Lucky Star at present. Finally, there are series which I decided I didn't want to watch rightaway, but instead would download and save for later. At present I'm watching Dennou Coil in this category.
I've made a habit of keeping a log of the shows I watch each day. Since I like to watch just a single episode of each series per day, it helps keep track of which one I need next. Also, I sometimes strive to watch as many different shows as possible in a single "anime marathon"--fourteen is my current record--and this enables me to keep track.
Subs vs Dubs: My initial impression was that surely dubs would be preferable, since I couldn't fully enjoy the animation if my eyes are going to be tied up speed-reading subtitles. However, I gradually realized it wasn't so simple. There's another factor in play, a potentially dark, nefarious phenomena called "localization". In short, when anime is localized, the translators take liberties to make it easier for westerners to understand. That's not necessarily bad, a certain amount of localization (translation, for instance) is needed. The problem comes when the people working on the R1 release decide that they can improve the script by diluting or deleting exotic cultural references which would surely leave English-speaking viewers scratching their heads anyway. But I think the tidbits of knowledge I gain about Japanese culture are half the fun of anime (and we westerners aren't all that dim after all). My impression is that the anime which is most tempting to localize is that which is set in the present day--perhaps because neither the past (Japanese history) nor the future (science fiction) can be directly matched to any western experience. I think fansubs tend to do a much better job of avoiding excessive localization (and providing intriguing notes to explain just what's going on).
After giving the topic some thought, here are some favorites of mine(subject to change). I could only narrow it down to six, and I'll probably think of a favorite which I forgot tommorrow:
1. PaniPoni Dash!--a crazy show chock-full of anime in-jokes, with different forms of comedy on multiple levels; it has been described as "Azumanga Daioh meets Excel Saga". Currently my all-time favorite anime without doubt.
2. Orguss 02--my favorite mecha show, with neat characters, plentiful action, an intriguing, mysterious plot, and a pleasing conclusion.
3. Mahou Tsukai Tai!--a brilliant, virtually flawless OVA series, with well balanced comedy, mystery, and best of all, originality. The TV series sequel isn't nearly as good, though.
4. City Hunter and it's recent reincarnation, Angel Heart--the chemistry between main characters Ryo and Kaori in the original is frequently hilarious, while Angel Heart takes the action element more seriously and delivers a well-rounded action/adventure series.
5. Sexy Commando Gaiden Sugoiyo!! Masaru-san--this show is crazy! Seldom does any series make me laugh as hard as this one does. Of course, it's always possible that i'm crazy too...
6. Mahoromatic and it's sequel Mahoromatic: Motto Utsukushii Mono--Likeable characters, a strange but believable plot (with a clever twist at the end) and fanservice too! I've rewatched it several times.
7. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu--The world just might be a figment of the imagination of your strange female high school classmate? A highly original show, and Kyon's deadpan sarcastic wit is killer.
Some shows which didn't quite make the cut: Tenchi Muyo, Ninja Scroll, Azumanga Daioh, Honey and Clover, Kodomo no Omocha, Steel Angel Kurumi, G-on Riders, Tetsuwan Birdy, and Macross Plus.
Oh yeah, I got the nickname "Stretch" because I'm 6'6" tall.
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| Title | Rating | Synopsis | |
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| .hack | Rent | See .hack//SIGN | |
 .hack//SIGN |
Rent |
It's the near future, and there is only one video game, called "The World." In the virtual reality of "The World", all sorts of people play. However, once a character named Tsukasa is unable to log out, and weird events start happening, "The World" starts to seem much more mysterious than anyone ever thought. |
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| 1 | |||
| 1982 Otaku no Video | Rent | See Otaku No Video | |
| 1985 Otaku no Video | Rent | See Otaku No Video | |
| 2 | |||
| 2x2 (equals) Shinobuden | Rent | See Ninin ga Shinobuden | |
| 2X2 (equals)The Legend of Shinobu, | Rent | See Ninin ga Shinobuden | |
| 3 | |||
 3x3 Eyes |
Buy |
A three-eyed immortal girl of an ancient race, Pai, seeks to become human and while on her quest gets involved with a special boy named Yakumo, who happens to die due to some of her magic. Pai decides to save him and brings him back to life by turning him into a 'WU',(a type of unkillable zombie protector). And together they start an adventure to search for a way to gain/regain their humanity. |
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| 8 | |||
 801 T.T.S. Airbats |
Buy |
The all-female 801 Tactical Training Squadron is thrown into turmoil when aircraft maintenance technician Takuya Isurugi arrives. Hilarity ensues. |
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 801 T.T.S. Airbats 2nd Strike |
Rent |
Japan's 801 all-female squadron faces off against the USAF Thunderbird aerobatics team and the ghost of a WWII Kamakaze pilot. |
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| A | |||
| A Child's Time | Rent | See Kodomo no Jikan | |
| A Child's Time (OVA) | Watch | See Kodomo no Jikan (OVA) | |
| A Kite | Rent | See Kite | |
| A Penguin`s Troubles | See Penguin no Mondai | ||
 A.D. Police |
Watch |
Relentless technological development has resulted in the creation of Boomers, artificially intelligent androids with the potential to free mankind from physical labor. But anything that can be used can also be misused... |
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| A.D. Police Files | Watch | See A.D. Police | |
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