Otakon 2011: Japan's Apocalyptic Imagination Panel Report

“Japan's Apocalyptic Imagination in Anime, Manga and Art,” a panel at Otakon 2011, featured essayist and Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, who offered examples of apocalyptic imagery in Japanese art and pop culture, put them into historical and cultural perspectives, and analyzed them. While the focus of his examples was definitely anime films, Kelts went as far back as Katsushika Hokusai's famous woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa (pictured right) to show how apocalyptic imagery is nothing new to the island nation’s creative focus.

The Great Wave..., published between 1830 and 1833, depicts a large wave immediately threatening boats off the shore of Kanagawa Prefecture. While almost 50% of the frame is taken up by the wave, its ominous nature can actually be attributed to how tiny Mt. Fuji, a symbol of Japanese pride and culture, is by comparison. Another threatening aspect noted by Kelts is the crest of the wave, which seems lined with "clawing fingers." Hokusai, according to Kelts, has often been referred to as a precursor or gateway to modern manga. And with that smooth transition, together with the statement that anime and manga have always been at least in part a response to catastrophes (which I’ll explain a little further down), the discussion shifted to the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka.

Kelts specifically noted Astro Boy, which emerged after World War II, and pointed out how the story uses radiation as an aspect of creation rather than destruction. This "boy born of radiation" shows a faith in the same technology (or along the lines thereof) that delivered such a crushing blow to life not even a decade earlier. Along the same lines, Kelts offered up a similar method of thinking regarding the resurrection of the Japanese battleship Yamato, which was the pride of the country’s naval fleet as one of its most technologically advanced WWII warships. After its defeat, the Yamato came back to life via fiction as a technologically superior spaceship ("Take THAT, America!"). In addition to Kelts also mentioned the birth of mecha as means to fight the disillusionment with current technology. In all instances, destructive new technology didn’t bring about fear in art but rather promise as well as hope that what has been survived can be learned from and built upon to become stronger.

Next Kelts focused on two anime film directors, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and their specific works. Perhaps to take advantage of Ponyo’s immediacy, Kelts pointed to this Miyazaki film as a shining example of the portrayal of natural disasters and Japanese natives’ reactions to them. Kelts focused specifically on the scene where personified waves of a storm are reaching up and over the road with cars, which are trying to escape. Kelts said that this portrayal is not a malicious one but rather a dangerous fact of life. He said that the eyes in the waves had a sort of aimless, "staring into space" aspect that relayed the same sense of natural innocence as another one of Miyazaki’s creations, Totoro.

Kelts pointed out one scene in particular from My Neighbor Totoro built on a couple of images meant to evoke memories of the Japanese people who went through WWII. In this particular scene, characters in mismatched clothes watch as a man drives off into the countryside in a jalopy. According to Kelts, this scene was one that took place in many homes during WWII as those types of cars were simply what were available and clothing supplies were scarce. In all, Kelts concluded that since Miyazaki’s family was one of relative privilege and could afford to escape the paths of destruction, that personal history is what colors his work.

This contrasts Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies, which is tied to the notion of not being able to escape and having to deal with the event as well as its aftereffects. Most of the movie, after all, centers around trying to define and etch out an existence after an American firebombing raid consumes life as the children had known it. Kelts said the differing vantages between directors makes sense given the fact that Takahata’s family was of lesser means and could not afford to escape.

After a few more specific examples of the panel, an audience member asked if there was a difference in how man-made and natural disasters are depicted. Kelts postulated that manmade disasters serve as an analogy to the evil that resides within all of us. He noted that even historical apocalyptic depictions spare specific countries any finger pointing. Instead the focus of most anime that deals with man-made apocalyptic scenarios open with disasters instead of trying to prevent them (as with the majority of Western media). This further demonstrates the themes of coping with and overcoming ourselves. Natural disasters, said Kelts, are portrayed as indirect, non-intentional ... just a part of life that’s meant to be dealt with and overcome. A rather pertinent question from the audience — as to if there has ever been any backlash to the depiction of such tragedies — reaped a rather funny, rather thoughtful response from Kelts, who said that there have been none to his knowledge but that the popularity of moé might just be that ... another means of escape from economic or climate-based disasters or both.

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Review: Hoshi o Ou Kodomo – Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below (Sub)

Medium: Anime Film
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Studio: CoMix Wave, Inc.
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Distributor: Media Factory (JP)
Release Dates: May 7, 2011 (JP), July 30, 2011 (US)
Age Rating: Not Rated (contains gun and sword fights, but minimal bloody violence)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Makoto Shinkai is the Green Day of anime.

I used to make this half-joking comparison between the newcomer anime director and '90s punk revival band since both of them make "the same great song over and over." But little did I know that Shinkai's newest film would fulfill the other part of the Green Day prophecy: the moment they stop making the same song, everybody gets angry that they stopped.

Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (localized as the comically verbose subtitle, "Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below") is just that moment — Shinkai's American Idiot if you will. It is a distinct break from his typical teen angst stories and a foray into magical action-adventure. The transition isn't too smooth, either for viewers or the director himself, but Children — the fourth film in Shinkai's catalog — is still a beautiful work, and one that hopefully heralds a new period in his career.

12-year-old Asuna is living alone with her workaholic mother following her father's untimely death, but despite a healthy school life she spends most of her time up on the nearby mountain, listening to whatever radio signals she can pick out on her crude ham radio. However, a dangerous run-in with a giant monster in the woods results in a friendship with a mysterious boy named Shun. Thus begins Asuna's adventure into the ruined underground world of Agartha.

You might already be sensing a bit of an influence here, and no, you're not mistaken. Makoto Shinkai has openly expressed his admiration for the works of Studio Ghilbi, particularly Laputa (Castle in the Sky), which made a big impression on him when he saw it as a boy. And while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Shinkai — almost certainly accidentally — leaves the realm of homage and heads straight into the no-man's land of full-on copying. Oh look, there's the Forest King from Princess Mononoke, the cave shelter from Grave of the Fireflies, the fox-squirrel from Nausicaa, the architectural style of Castle in the Sky!

Shinkai's touch is definitely there, and one need only pay attention to the director's masterful use of watercolor-esque lighting and color to understand that this is not straight-up imitation, but I still feel like there's a little bit too much Miyazaki and not enough Shinkai in the film. His trademark brooding, silent moments are still there, but they are interspersed with action scenes and fast-paced plot developments.

And boy oh boy, those action scenes! I was sure surprised to find that a director whose last outing was characterized by long stretches of waiting silently on a train can create such lightning-fast, exciting action sequences. The film's moments of gunfire and hand-to-hand combat have a sort of whipping speed and kineticism that I've seen only in some of the best action anime directors (and of course, Mr. Miyazaki). Shinkai claims his team studied both Ghilbi movies and the Rurouni Kenshin anime in order to figure out how to animate the scenes.

Children hits all the emotional points that you might expect from the director of Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and 5 Centimeters Per Second, but one too many deus ex machinas and a few too many different set pieces bog down the pacing to what feels like a crawl. Shinkai has got to learn to edit if he's going to attempt another movie in this vein.

But let's make this clear: I would love for Shinkai to try another movie like this. It's a distinct break from his previous work, and while it's more of a so-so Ghilbi film than a great Shinkai film, it is enough of a proof of concept to hook me for the rest of his work. As long as he learns from his mistakes and doesn't get stuck in the rut of re-making this exact movie over and over, this director could really go places. He's got emotional expression down better than basically anybody else in the business, and now has proven his mettle in the realm of action scenes. A little bit more editorial oversight will probably do wonders for honing his style.

Is he still the Green Day of anime? Yeah, probably. Is he "the next Miyazaki?" That still remains to be seen, but Children is certainly a fine down payment towards the title.

[Recommended]

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This review is based on the Otakon 2011 premiere screening. The reviewer was given a complimentary press pass for the convention.

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Otakon 2011: Touhou Panel Report

Let me be blunt: I am a massive fan of the Touhou series of vertical-scrolling shoot-em-up games, and all the fan-works that surround it. It would take an entire another article to explain the sheer breadth of the phenomenon — for a primer/overview check out the piece I wrote for Evan Krell’s “Ancient Technology is Always Superior“ Magazine.

Being a giant fan I jumped at the chance to attend a panel that explored the series, and as the program guide pegged the panel as being “accessible no matter what your familiarity with Touhou”, I dragged my friend Gerry along with me to see how the panel would be for someone who knew next-to-nothing about the franchise. So how did we fare, the utter newbie and the jaded fan?

First, a logistical item: The panel was originally scheduled for 9AM Friday, but when Friday rolled around the panel vanished from the Otakon Guidebook app and moved to 2:30PM Sunday due to panelist availability. It’s great that staff were able to move the panel instead of canceling it outright, although this led to the new, smaller panel room being packed out.

The panel was headed up by five separate hosts, and was sadly a victim of the “too many cooks spoil the broth” adage as the panelists would often stumble during transitions from one part of the panel to another, asking each other what came next in the program. A lack of tight forward planning was made apparent around 20 minutes into the panel when an impromptu Q&A was called with the inviting phrase “Just ask something, to fill time”.

The actual content presented in the panel was well chosen, if marred by one instance of bad judgment. This included both the original Touhou games and some of the more famous fan-made games that use the series as a basis, all of which worked flawlessly on the projector screens. Seeing an average player, a rank newbie, and then a frighteningly skilled player each play one of the games in turn was a good idea and entertaining for everyone in the room. Commentary on the games shown while in progress was insightful, but demanded some familiarity with the franchise to understand. More basic background information on the games and aspects of fandom would have been helpful to make the subject more approachable for total newbies. In particular a greater mention of the Touhou music scene would have been very welcome, as this was relegated to a few offhand mentions.

The one instance of critically bad judgment came halfway through when one of the panelists showed an example of the many fan made doujins the series has spawned. This particular example was called “Miss Yukari, Please put on some clothes!” and was primarily about a small subset of characters getting buck naked and having mundane adventures while strategically placed word bubbles and sound effects covered their naughty bits. Frankly, this was a terrible choice of material to present and soured me on the panel. If you have to yell “It’s safe for work!” at a bemused crowd then something has gone very wrong.

The Q&A session at the end of the panel was surprisingly insightful — half of the questions asked were memes that were quickly dispatched by the panelists and the other half were very pertinent comments such as how to legally purchase Touhou goods, and the best starting point if you are interested in playing the games themselves.

At the end of the day, the panel was a success as it did persuade my friend Gerry to try out one of the games in the series. One thing that could be improved in future instances of the panel would be to provide a more comprehensive initial introduction to introduce the franchise and its self-contained world to people. Another aspect that would certainly help would be a stronger connecting narrative to guide the viewer from one item to another.

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Review: Silent Hill – Homecoming (360)

Genre: Survival horror
Designers: Jason Allen (Lead Designer), Jeremy Lee (Producer)
Developer: Double Helix Games
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PS3, Windows, Xbox 360
Release Dates: Sep. 30, 2008 (US/CA), Feb. 27, 2009 (EU), May 12, 2009 (AU)
ESRB Rating: M for Mature

Silent Hill: Homecoming proves that a game series can still remain scary and true to itself while changing elements that define it. Homecoming follows a man named Alex Shepherd whose family was one of the four founding families of Shepherd’s Glen, a town located across Toluca Lake from Silent Hill. Waking from a dream in which he sees his younger brother running away while exploring a hellish hospital, Alex returns to Shepherd’s Glen in order to find his missing brother. Things are worse than he first imagined, though, as his mother is catatonic, his mentally abusive father has abandoned the family, and a childhood friend reports that more people go missing every day. As he continues chasing after his brother, talking to several of the city’s prominent leaders in the process, he travels through Shepherd’s Glen and Silent Hill, discovering the truth to Josh’s disappearance and the secret history of his family’s heritage.

The storyline itself is very interesting, and the symbolism involved is rather profound. Taking its enemies into the darker corners of Alex’s past, the creators at Konami have once again hinted towards the truth through bosses, enemies, and sceneries, mixing symbolism with the background to the game. Enemies, which range from nurses to underwater lurkers to creatures which walk on needles, are all scary but rather easy to kill given the right weapon. It takes very little practice to master the game’s combat system, yet fighting on the whole is somewhat clunky. Alex receives a variety of weapons throughout the game, and it is explained that he can handle most without training due to his background in the military. Therefore, Alex easily wields weapons such as knives, pipes, and even guns, but the game does a somewhat poor job of making combat as seamless as possible. Guns tend to lag when fired, and enemies will freeze for split seconds when shot. It is much more efficient and satisfying to play the game without guns at all, but when the time calls for some heavy firepower, players will be met with a bit of lag.

The sights and sounds in Homecoming are highly impressive. The graphics appear to be taken out of an old photoshoot, as there is always a bit of fading in the details of scenery and characters, particularly in the hellish versions of Silent Hill and Shepherd’s Glen. Rather than taking away from the experience, this touch makes the events that are happening truly seem otherworldly. Overall, graphics are very bleak and gray while nightmarish and dark in the hell counterparts, making for a beautifully disturbing game. Lighting is once again a crucial factor, as enemies are attracted to Alex’s flashlight as well as light from objects such as televisions. However, on default mode, the game is almost too dark, to the point that players will have to turn the brightness level up just to see what they are doing. It is nice when things are dark and scary, but there is a point when players just have to be aware of their surroundings. The sounds of the game are just as good as the graphics, and voice acting is also well done. The only flaw is that dialogue is spoken very softly, making it difficult for players to hear at times. Subtitles help immensely, but surprisingly subtitles oftentimes do not align with what characters are saying. A word or two is off or the timing is wrong, making it difficult to follow along if players are relying solely on subtitles (which they should not have to do). However, the soundtrack to the game is phenomenal, and Akira Yamaoka has once again made magic with gruesome sounds and terrifying noises.

The game features a lot of exploration, and maps are, as they are in all Silent Hill games, extremely helpful. Traveling in the game can get pretty tedious, though, as players will backtrack through multiple areas numerous times in order to gain new items, talk to different people, or simply retrace their steps. Save points are scattered haphazardly around the worlds of Silent Hill and Shepherd’s Glen as well, making it hard to gauge when the next save point will be. Some save points come within five minutes of each other; others may take up to an hour to find. Furthermore, Homecoming’s puzzles can be a bit tiresome, including several tablet puzzles where players need to move pieces on a board in just the right way to proceed. These are frustrating, in that when a player gets stuck, they must exit and return in order to reset the puzzle, if it resets at all. With the lack of save points in certain areas, this can make for some disgruntled players. There are plenty of hidden items to find during Alex’s travels, including photos taken of the various Shepherd’s Glen citizens, drawings left behind by Josh to be used as clues, and powerful weapons. Obtaining these items can be tricky at times, but the rewards are relatively good. Not only are there achievements to be unlocked, but they add a layer to the overarching story that makes it worthwhile to explore. With so many items to find, the inventory system is laid out somewhat nicely, yet it stops overall gameplay and can be tricky to maneuver when in the middle of combat, as players must choose from a wheel what items they wish to use.

Silent Hill: Homecoming has its flaws, but compared to the entire game, they’re actually relatively minor. The game itself is a great, in-depth story that is both horrific and inspiring. With five available endings for players, along with many unlockable items including outfits and weapons, there are plenty of reasons to replay this game. Achievements are relatively easy to get, as it only takes two or three playthroughs to unlock them all, but with such a good storyline, players will want to play it to relive the experience instead of just obtaining points.

[Highly Recommended]

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This review is based on a retail copy of the Xbox 360 version, purchased by the reviewer.

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CPAC 2011: Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls as Visual Culture

Dolls. Is anything in real life creepier? Forget about the associated gender bias for one moment (“dolls” vs. “action figures”) and think: if you saw a random stranger talking to, animating the movements of, and interacting on a seemingly bidirectional level with any other inanimate object – a lamp, a tinfoil helmet, a severed lock of a former lover’s hair, you’d think that person insane. Yet as toys, dolls grant their owners a certain degree of amnesty from such critique so long as they fall within a certain culturally agreed upon age range and exhibit gender identity appropriateness in their choice of playthings. Even doll owners who defy those socially embedded norms are not immediately deemed insane. Why then are Ball-Jointed Dolls (BJDs) and their owners so ostracized? At the Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls as Visual Culture panel at Castle Point Anime Convention (CPAC) 2011, panelist "Tempest Strife" explained efforts required by the hobby, how those foster owner attachment to the dolls, and how physical aspects of the dolls as well as traits of their owners are exploited by the media in order to shape public opinion.

Tempest started off by setting BJDs apart from their plastic counterparts by noting how the latter is comprised of mass-manufactured, static, non-polished, semi-posable figurines: pre-made molds around which owners’ minds must build a plausible reality or personality. On the other hand, BJDs are hand-crafted and fully customizable and allow owners to make the dolls in their own image. This “doll as avatar” idea even comes across in one of the manufacturer’s (Volks) mantras of building “another yourself.” This is no understatement. BJDs can be customized to the buyer’s desire with regards to skin tone, eyes, appendages, body type, and hair in addition to the myriad outfits and accessories available to adorn the laboriously conceived mini-me. Ms. Strife also pointed out that the amount of time and number of decisions that went into the conception of each BJD added to the sense of anticipation and attachment experienced between the completion of an order and its arrival. If this wait is likened to the months parents nervously spend waiting for their own baby to be born, it is possible to see the kind of attachment BJD owners form with their other themselves.

Concerning the levels of attachment betwixt owners of regular dolls vs. BJDs, depth of feeling is further differentiated by semantics of acquisition. Whereas regular dolls are “bought,” BJDs are “brought home.” This may seem an inconsequential difference, but what follows is definitely not. It is common for BJD owners to record, via video and photographs, box openings and celebrate such arrivals as births. These “photo welcomings” aren’t the only media-based evidence used to accuse BJD owners of obsession. Pride taken by owners in their BJD customization efforts, the giving of form to secret dreams in an aesthetic representative of the owner’s own style, can only be fully realized when appreciated by others. So those involved with the hobby often attend public meets and publish their collections on the Internet in presentations that range from photo shoots to photo stories. This form of presentation is not original. Hans Bellmer, a German artist, used life-sized pubescent dolls as the subjects for his photographs, which were published in surrealist journals and arguably started the tradition of doll-based photo stories. However, one quick look at Bellmer’sWikipedia page will explain the ringing of modern society’s prude alarm.

While most of us in the USA are uncomfortable with public (and even private) nakedness, there exists a major difference when it is seen in what is perceived as a child’s hobby vs. art and an anatomically correct vs. neutered state. This nervousness is what sparks the playground-style teasing seen in Western media coverage of BJDs. Not a single news story fails to mention the presence of genitalia on BJDs, which stands in stark contrast to neutered dolls such as Barbie and G.I. Joe. Other common elements in newscasts used to persecute BJDs include removing the doll’s wig to make it seem sickly or less recognizably human; focusing on the cost per doll, which can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars; and even automating the doll’s movements, such as spinning its head or raising/lowering an appendage, to make it look possessed or unnatural. Over-exaggerated examples of BJDs are not the only focus of finger-pointing newscasters. Tempest pointed out that Western broadcasts specifically target the nervous, the fidgety, the socially awkward for on-camera shock value and the ratings that come with it (or at least to keep the news anchors entertained). This is complemented further by the portrayal of BJD owners as obsessive, which is reinforced when the fact that it is rare to find a BJD owner who only has one doll is combined with the aforementioned statements about cost and emotional attachment. BJD owners are not only interviewed in the USA (of course), however, but their treatment and the story focus tends to vary greatly.

In Japanese media, for example, news stories shows both sexes treating dolls as children. What the West perceives as an obsession translates to almost parental pride. There is a certain air of honor concerning the degree of caretaking required for BJDs, and the bestowing of names, personalities, and back stories is seen as a creative act rather than psychotic. One additional difference is in the focus on obsession, which is seen as a great joy derived from the size of the collection as opposed to a fixation on customization.

According to Tempest, dolls are seen by many as creepy to begin with, because the figures can seem so uncannily human and yet are static ... almost corpse-like. It could be said then that the juxtaposition of these concepts elicits a knee-jerk emotional reaction to the innate fear of death. Ms. Strife did an excellent job of exploring and explaining aspects of the dolls and their owners that Western society generally finds creepy. She also was quite adept at pointing out the cultural bias at work in the Western media and mindset that ostracizes BJDs and those that dare to love them. I say and wholly mean the latter because the panelist, whether knowingly or subconsciously, kept stroking her BJD’s hair or caressing its arm whenever she walked near it, and that sort of affection for an inanimate object (at least to me) is just plain creepy.

* Individual doll pictures are of Tempest Strife's BJD, which she was kind enough to share with the panel audience. Group photos were taken at AnimeNEXT 2011.

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Announcing "Otaku Bingo": Otakon 2011 Edition

We love Otakon here at Ani-Gamers. For the past few years we've been eagerly heading down to Charm City to meet up with fellow bloggers, speak with awesome guests, and take in the stunning variety of fan panels on display at the convention. But this year (July 29-31) is going to be EVEN BETTER.

In addition to Ink and I (who have been attending the con for a few years now), our very own — and very British — Elliot Page will be coming to the States to attend and cover the convention. And if that's not exciting enough, we're running "Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing" on Friday at 6 PM, with all three Ani-Gamers bloggers talking about what it means to be both a fan and a critic, and how those two viewing styles interact. Trust us, this is going to be a great panel; we've gotten some really insightful audience participation at previous versions of it.

Now that I've spoiled the surprise in the title but led you on for two paragraphs of typical pre-con hype, I'd like to announce our little con game for Otakon 2011: "Otaku Bingo." How does it work? Well, you print off one of these fancy little cards and mark each square whenever you see that event occur somewhere at the con. We generally included funny, often groan-worthy moments of fandom silliness, so we hope it'll give you a chuckle or two. If you get five in a row, send your Bingo card to me and we just might publish it on the site (as long as we don't see any evidence that you lied about the squares that you got, but really guys, please be honest).

At the very least, Ink, Elliot, and I will be playing Otaku Bingo amongst ourselves during the con (with a punishment for the loser to be determined by the other two players), but we'd love to get our readers, listeners, and fellow bloggers involved. So feel free to print out a card or find us during the con to get one from us. Of course, if you have ideas for more squares for us to use next time, definitely let us know. Have fun, and see you at Otakon!

DOWNLOADS:

• Bingo Card (PDF)
• Bingo Card (JPG)

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Ani-Gamers Podcast #036 - Experts of Fan Controversy

Featuring: Alex Leavitt, Chris Beveridge, Ed Chavez, Jennifer Fu, Clarissa Graffeo, and Ada Palmer

Yes, yes, I promised a review of Spice & Wolf for this episode, but Alex Leavitt has forced my hand by politely requesting this long-overdue recording. That's right, get ready for ANGRY ARGUMENTS, because this is Experts of Fan Controversy (Anime Boston 2011), in which anime fandom "experts" face off on major issues of the day, including piracy and translation accuracy! OK, let's be honest here: there isn't actually much controversy or anger in this panel, but it certainly has lots of very useful insights into the workings of the anime industry and fandom. Plus it's got points. And who doesn't love points?

Show notes and links are coming soon, and cross your fingers for that Spice & Wolf episode next time!

DIRECT DOWNLOAD - RSS Feed - iTunes - Send us Feedback! - More episodes


(Runtime: 1 hour, 22 minutes)

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Con Report: AnimeNEXT 2011 (EDIT: now with more pictures!)

The 2011 installment of AnimeNEXT took place June 10–12 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ and, like previous generations, did not disappoint. Just over 30 minutes from my front door, there’s a familiar air about the con, and the NJ funk isn’t 100% of it. I recognize more people here than I do at any other con, even smaller ones like CPAC, lending to the sense of a wedding where extended family come and mingle more for the reception than the main event.

This was all too noticeable in the presentation of and attendance for the featured guests from Production I.G:: storyboarder and episode director/producer Koudai Kakimoto (pictured left) and animator Satoru Nakamura (center). Neither appeared in the main program guide, and Nakamura alone was brought to people’s attention via a separate Additions & Corrections flyer shared with voice actor Greg Ayres and webcomic artist Dave Lister. Still, the convention did a great job in getting guests of such quality, even if it was for an attendance of 20-some people in the Main Events area.

Organized by Universal Animation, this was the most streamlined incarnation of the fan-run convention I had experienced as con-goer and press. Rights and allowances were immediately explained, schedules were clear, and, despite being crowded, attendance levels did not hinder room or building changes. One drawback of tight scheduling, however, was the lack of grace period between panels. This lack of time meant consecutive panels sharing the same room either had to stop early to pack up, let the incoming panelist set-up during the end of the established panel, or cause the next panel in the same room to start late. The latter was the most frequent, and all three variants lent to an abbreviated experience for panel attendees. As observed with many a panel, there also seemed to be technical equipment acquisition problems and connection difficulties concerning A/V equipment that further delayed eagerly awaited presentations and discussions.

Such delays were minor, however, when you consider the variety of quality panels there was to choose from throughout all three days. Some of my favorites, in no particular order, included the Reverse Thieves’ Best Manga You Never Read (TOKYOPOP Edition), Evan’s Satoshi Kon Tribute, Charles Dunbar’s Kowai: Ghosts, Yokai and Fear in Japan, Japanese Theater, and Suminagashi: Floating Ink. The only drawback to the panels in general was the room assignments. Workshop and panel rooms meant to hold small to medium audiences were at least on a couple of instances (Totally Subversive Toons, These are a Few of My Favorite Scenes) given to panels that typically draw large crowds, leading to long lines comprised of a larger ratio of disappointed than grateful attendees.

The Dealers Room had what seemed to be a good variety of product, some at decent prices, and Artists Alley, as thoroughly covered by Narutaki of the Reverse Thieves, offered up some surprisingly fresh and original wares. Sadly, I never made it to the building where the games were being hosted as I spent most of the three-day convention panel-hopping. To my surprise, the only chance I would have gotten was Saturday, generally the busiest panel day of any con which felt very relaxed schedule-wise. The Reverse Thieves, Evan, and I even found time to sit down to record a mini-podcast (lost forever due to the fickle whim of iTechnology). So in place of that group reflection, I’d have to say AnimeNEXT 2011 was a darned fun time filled with good panels and good people at a great location. There are still kinks to be worked out concerning panel planning in terms of room size vs. demand, but overall the convention is one I will happily return to given its current quality and future potential.

EDIT: Check out Evan's photos from the convention in the Flickr slideshow below! Ink's are available right here.

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AnimeNEXT 2011: CliffsNotes to Fear in Japan

If his regular presentations are to be considered epic poems, then Kowai, Yokai and the Culture of Fear in Japan, is a focused exercise in extended metaphor. Like his other panels examining one particular work (Neon Genesis Evangelion), one particular director (Hayao Miyazaki), or one particular field of study (“fanthropology”) – each taking into account several defining elements and giving supporting examples thereof, Charles Dunbar uses researched cultural perceptions and superstitions across several eras to define an overarching theme of fear regarding the reasons behind the things that go bump in the mind of the Japanese people.


With projector as campfire, Dunbar explains that the sheer age of Japanese culture means that every subsequent generation since the first has had a hand in building upon and inventing new ways to scare themselves and those who survive them. This leads to a culture with a dense history of superstition, specifically one with a ubiquitous focus on the fear of reprisal and retribution. Dunbar, equipped with his PowerPoint Pokédex, explains several types of ghosts along the way, examining nomenclature, common traits, and reasons for existence, and then accentuates select examples by reading aloud from actual tales.

The breadth of types of apparitions (and examples thereof) included in the presentation is impressive, but specific tie-ins to anime are minimal compared to Dunbar’s other panels. Luckily, anime viewers need only take in all the information this panel is offering and then apply it to whatever it is they are watching to appreciate the inherent anthropological aspect. Dunbar does, however, rather ingeniously link Japan’s fear culture with anime, explaining how the latter helps people cope with the former ... or as he so poetically put it, "as if the Japanese build Gundams to fight the monsters." Personally, I would have liked to have seen more insight like that but directed towards what spawned changes in specific fears and the resulting embodiments thereof between eras.

It speaks to Dunbar’s sense of presentation that this panel does not feel like an instructor orally reciting an encyclopedia entry. His intense interest in the subject matter and humorous delivery combine to produce an entertaining and informative initiation into the shadows that haunt the Japanese mindset. This was a great panel, and it was only the initial version. There was even extra time for more theories, stories, and examples, so like most Dunbar panels there are bound to be edits, revisions, and additions to look forward to in future versions. Look for it and request it for your favorite con!

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Click here for more of our AnimeNEXT 2011 coverage

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Review: Tales of Vesperia (360)

Genres: Adventure, Role-playing game
Designers: Kiyoshi Nagai and Eiji Kikuchi (General Directors), Takashi Hasegawa (Project Leader)
Developer: Namco Tales Studio
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Dates: Aug. 7, 2008 (X360 JP), Aug. 26, 2008 (NA), Jun. 26, 2009 (EU), Sep. 17, 2009 (PS3 JP)
ESRB Rating: T for Teen

Tales of Vesperia is an impressive, original JRPG that follows a sarcastic yet compassionate 21-year-old named Yuri Lowell. The game begins with players watching Imperial Guards fighting rabid animals, followed by the beginnings of a secret plot in the Imperial capital Zaphias. The opening then turns to the Lower Quarter, a poor section of Zaphias whose inhabitants are tormented by the Imperial Guards, where an aque blastia (magical machine to create clean drinking water) has been stolen and is causing chaos. Yuri attempts to retrieve it only to be captured by one of the Commanders of the Imperial Knights, the leading organization that protects the Empire, and he is thrown into jail. Through making his escape, he runs into a noble named Estellise who is trying to run away for her own personal reasons. A very naïve and sensitive girl, Estellise becomes very crucial to the storyline, as the story progresses to become a power struggle over the blastia technology between the Empire, the Guilds, and all who inhabit the planet.

The plot is very original and highly in-depth. The main protagonists stray away from general archetypes, and the voice acting adds a layer of realism and depth to their characters. Special dialogue options triggered with the Select button reveal small discussions between certain characters which brings to life their daily thoughts and feelings. While this may seem a bit useless at first, it does add a new dimension to the plot, revealing the character’s thoughts and feelings in a way without overloading players with cut scenes. These dialogues are shown through boxes revealing the characters involved, and the presentation may appear a little out-dated to some players. Many of their actions reflect the hard decisions between right and wrong, values over necessity, and the storyline forces players to reflect on their own morals, asking themselves what they would have done in such a scenario. There are just as many scenes of laughter as there are of remorse and sadness, and Namco Bandai does a god job of keeping it from becoming childish and cliché while still driving a point home. In the end, unlike most RPGs where the group simply goes their own way to save an unsuspecting population, the protagonists work together with world leaders in order to accomplish a common goal. For such an unrealistic plot, the game’s realistic problems faced, both with individuals and in society, grab players in an astounding way.

Like any JRPG, the game is not just about the main plot; side quests are a must, and in a game that spans 60+ hours, there are certainly some side quests to be accomplished. There are a good number of things to do, such as puzzles, extra exploration, and special monsters to defeat, but the game does very little to present such events. The side quests offer a good amount of extra items, money, and, surprisingly enough, plot, meaning that parts of the main storyline are solved by looking for a side quest players would never have known about. With so many extra cut scenes and information available, it would have been nice if such events were given a bit more advertisement. Instead, they are hidden away and must be followed in a specific order, creating confusion and a bit of frustration for players.

The sights and sounds of the game are very well done. The graphics are very bright, and while Namco Bandai strays away from making the game look realistic, the looks of the game are very sharp and clean. Environments are nicely done, and the music played in each area evokes a certain ethos that contributes to the environment. With four large continents and many smaller areas to explore, the variety of music and atmosphere is refreshing.

Tales of Vesperia utilizes a very efficient system of combat. You initiate battles by running into stationary enemies and are transported to a circular area of combat, where you can use 3-D movement to jump, run, and attack enemies. You can choose to set the battle system to manual, where you control everything, semi-automatic, in which the computer sometimes determines attacks or motions, or automatic, where the computer fights the battles for you. Added to this are a large number of attacks, spells, and items available during combat, which includes moves called ‘Artes’ that utilize Technical Points, or TP. The camera is a bit annoying sometimes during battle, particularly when using 3-D movement, but overall it follows the characters well. At the end of each battle the game lists several properties of the fight, including experience, money, and Grade earned. Some of these properties do not make sense until much later in the game, particularly Grade, which is used at the end of each run to purchase abilities to be used in the next playthrough.

A very large part of the game is synthesizing materials, and Namco Bandai made the system both fun and innovative for players. Each character can be equipped with specific weapons and armor, and by visiting stores around the world, players can enhance older weapons or create entirely new ones, allowing characters to learn new abilities. Accessories to outfits can also be synthesized, which adds a bit of humor to cut scenes. One in particular gives Yuri Lowell a large moustache and old-school pipe, which is hilarious to see when he is arguing with the Commander of the Imperial Knights. Added to this are Titles characters can earn, which sometimes changes a character’s attire, and players can make some pretty interesting outfits. Synthesizing occurs throughout the game, and while it may seem overwhelming at first, the fundamentals are easy to understand, and players quickly learn how to master the system.

All in all, the game is a classic JRPG that features unique content to keep players interested. Despite its length, the game stays fresh the entire way through, and the plot offers enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most die-hard RPG fan. Multiple run-throughs for such a long game may seem tedious, but the rewards are great, and it takes more than one run to truly appreciate the plot of Tales of Vesperia.

[Highly Recommended]

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This review is based on a retail copy of the Xbox 360 version, purchased by the reviewer.

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Revenge of the iPad Video Game Review Round-Up

Have an iPad? Want to play games on it? Don't want to throw your money around the app store like a madman in search of a decent purchase? You've come to the right place, my good friend! Pull up a chair and I'll give you some more rapid-fire reviews of iPad games!

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iPowa

($0.99 – US App Store link – UK link)

iPowa was released with zero fanfare onto the App Store, and I picked it up day one on a whim. It’s an endearing little puzzle game where you flick a tiny penguin around the screen to collect stars, using bubbles that act as launch pads and various randomly placed power ups to keep from falling off the bottom of the screen and ending the game. There is no overacting structure or plot line, just a fun little time waster with a global scoreboard and infinite replayability due to its randomly generated levels. iPowa has given me hours of enjoyment playing it on the bus, and the low price even includes an iPhone port in case you own one of those as well.

[Recommended]

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War of Eustrath

($5.99 – US App Store link – UK link)

War of Eustrath is a turn-based strategy RPG which very closely follows the mold of Super Robot Wars and Fire Emblem. You control a small number of very powerful but specialized mechs and get thrown into pitched battles against hordes of other mechs as ... you do something or other. I have to admit that while the world is well realized, the plotline is instantly forgettable and I often found myself skipping past the character conversations between battles. This is not entirely the fault of the plot itself — in fact it is quite interesting — but it is horribly copyedited and reads like a Google-Translated version of the original script. Putting this aside, the combat itself is very enjoyable and well balanced except for a few brutal encounters that you will have to throw yourself at over and over again to get past. There is a robust leveling and customization system, as well as multiple plot paths and endings that depend on your choices and how well you play. A rather pricey offering, this game is still well worth a look if you are a fan of strategy games. You may want to wait for an update if you can’t stomach Engrish, though.

NOTE: Since this review was originally written a major patch has been released that corrects many of the problems with the script. The story is still inconsequential, but at least now it is in legible English!

[Recommended]

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Dominion HD

($4.99 – US App Store link – UK link)

Remember the first iPad game article, where I reviewed Strategery, a game much like Risk but not quite? Well, Dominion is a straight-up clone of the modern rule set of Risk with a cleaned up visual aesthetic. If you have ever played the wonderful nuke-em-up game Defcon you will recognize the clean, faintly glowing look instantly. The AI is a bit dense and so the single-player mode is best used as an extended tutorial beyond the basic one provided, or as an exhibition mode to view the different maps provided. Multiplayer is where the meat of the game lies, especially at the time of writing as the game has a dedicated player base viewable via the game browser. There is one glaring oversight however — if, on the first time you start the app, you turn off Push notifications, you are unable to enable them later on. Due to this I now have an abysmal online record as I have no idea when I am supposed to take turns in the games I have signed up to. One upside is that the game is updated frequently with new maps and other goodies, something that looks likely to continue in the future, even if the additions are nothing earth-shattering.

[Passable]

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Warpgate HD

($7.99 – US App Store link – UK link)

This is going to date me, but this game is an awful lot like the old spacefaring game Elite. You are given a spaceship, dumped into an open map, and it's up to you to trade, shoot and mine yourself to the top of a dog-eat-dog galaxy. Sadly, Warpgate does not quite live up to the comparison, as the whole thing feels disappointingly sterile. Even in hostile areas where the locals want your head on a space-pike, things feel very empty and inconsequential. The tutorial plot chain drags out endlessly, both by screen after screen of empty dialog and by the clunky menus and interface. Combat feels almost random and it is hard to intuit if you are succeeding or not, or even if strategy would help more than simple button mashing. All of this is a shame as behind all these clunky elements is a well-constructed core with an interesting universe to explore. Sadly it is slathered in a thick layer of gloop that makes the game unpleasant to play, even excepting the frequent crashes. I would still recommend trying the Lite version if space exploration is your cup of tea, after all inscrutable interfaces are almost a point of pride for the genre at this point. In all seriousness, you may find yourself in love with it and able to overlook the flaws in favor of the depth of experience on offer here.

[Bad]

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Tweet Defense HD

($7.99 – US App Store link – UK link)

I must admit that I am rather fed up with tower defense games, and unless they do something exciting I tend to tire of them quickly. Tweet Defense’s gimmick is that it links to your Twitter account and changes gameplay variables based upon the status of your account. In particular there is a "booster" function where you get a large buff for following a particular account each day. An important thing to note here is that one of the driving forces behind the game is a marketing firm and so this particular game mechanic feels rather invasive and unsettling. But never mind all this, how does the game play?

Well, poorly. First off, the game is bloody ugly. The general design is not very pleasing to the eye and without a spark of originality. The game plays out at a painfully slow pace and it is worth noting that it is a great deal harder if you eschew the Twitter account linking, making this slightly unsavory feature a must to actually play the game. I was honestly hoping for a more inventive use of the Twitter association, such as having enemies or towers procedurally generated by incoming tweets.

I only downloaded this game because it was free for a day, and even for free it feels like a waste of time. The original price of $8 sounds like daylight robbery. Avoid.

[Terrible]

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Uzu

($1.99 – US App Store link – UK link)

This is a bit of a cheat, really. Uzu is not a game, but an experience. It calls itself a "kinetic multi-touch particle simulator" and that's exactly what it is. You tap the screen with one or more fingers and a sea of multicolor particles whirl around the screen in various patterns and motions much like an interactive music visualizer. The effect is amazingly entertaining, and heightened by listening to good music at the same time. I have lost an hour of my life so far playing with the app while utterly enraptured by it. Plus, it's a dollar. I've paid much more than that before for less entertainment, like when I saw Transformers 2 in the cinema. Get this now, and amaze your friends with it.

[Highly Recommended]

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We Rule

(Free – US App Store link – UK link)

I have a theory as to why this game exists. It goes like this: Developers NGMoco took one look at Farmville and the other Facebook free-to-play micro-transaction games and said, "hey we should get in on that too!" The result is a rather daft-looking clone which is more abrupt at demanding you pay money for features and blackmailing your friends into signing up as well, cutting short the tutorial into what could have been an interesting fantasy kingdom sim. The game has an irritating tendency to crash, and this coupled with an utter lack of charm and the horrendous loading times meant that I found it hard to be bothered with playing after my second session was abruptly ended. If you must play a time-sink game, you would be better off playing a more established and well-known example.

[Terrible]

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Review: Summer Wars (Hyb)

Medium: Anime Film
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction
Publishers: Kadokawa Group (JPN), FUNimation (NA)
Release Dates: 2009 (JP), 2011 (US)
Age Rating: PG (MPAA: action violence, some suggestion content, language, mild thematic material, and incidental smoking)

With every new season, the saturation of anime series continues to expand. If your tastes are fairly broad, there is plenty to keep yourself occupied with from currently running shows and a backlog spanning several decades. For theatrical films, however, the market is significantly thinner. If you don't count films based off of an anime series — original plots or condensed story arcs — the choices are rather limited. The big names are Ghibli, Otomo, Oshii, Kon, and Shinkai. Tragically, Satoshi Kon has passed away which will leave a noticeable void in Japan's animated film output. Otomo's last works include the disappointing Steamboy and oddball live action Mushi-shi adaptation. Shinkai is hard at work on a film that seems to be a (welcome) departure from his usual fare. Miyazaki and Takahata aren't getting any younger, and man cannot live on Ghibli alone. Thankfully, 2006 saw the release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time as the feature length debut of Mamoru Hosoda. He went on to direct Summer Wars in 2009, establishing himself as a key industry director.

Kenji Koiso, a high school student and mathematics enthusiast, is recruited by a girl at his school to help her out with some job. Despite his current part-time work with the infrastructure of virtual-reality super-network OZ, he decides to help her out without asking details. He helps carry her things as they travel to the traditional Japanese family mansion to celebrate her grandmother's 90th birthday. The girl, Natsuki Shinohara, asks Kenji to play along as she announces him as her fiance to her grandma. He now finds himself in the awkward position of being a pseudo-newcomer to this tight-nit and very large family descended from a warrior clan. During his first night there, he receives an email with a large string of characters that he is asked to decrypt by an unknown entity. Being almost Japan's representative for the Math Olympics, he wastes no time in pulling out some paper to work out the problem, which takes him all night. What he did not realize is that he was being asked to break the security that would breach the main OZ server, and in the morning he finds that his account is being used by the hacker to cause chaos in OZ. With most major government and official institutions being dependent on OZ, the hacker is able to cause damage not only online, but in physical space by taking over the person's privileges. For example, by obtaining the account of the president it would be possible to launch a nuclear missile.

Kenji discovers that one of the family members, Kazuma Ikezawa, is the infamous OZ gaming champion King Kazma. The pair find themselves in a battle against a dangerous artificial intelligence being tested by the US Army within OZ. Meanwhile family drama arises as the problems online are connected to the family in ways they did not expect.

Beyond the themes of online action, what lies at the heart of Summer Wars is a thoughtful portrayal of family life. The members of Natsuki's massive family all believe Kenji to be her fiancé, and welcome him to the family in different ways. Hosoda relates his own experiences from when he suddenly became a member of a family due to marriage through Kenji's awkwardness at being accepted into their close group. Indeed, the closest thing to a human villain in the story is the one family member who drifted away from the rest and went to America. The two major aspects to the story — family life and Internet action — seamlessly intertwine, and neither is pushed into the background or feel tacked on to the other. Summer Wars is ambitious in the broadness of its scope, but this natural connection is what really makes the story stand out. If anything, it is much more realistic. In Summer Wars, world-changing events are caused from computers sitting in the middle of a traditional Japanese mansion, not an underground hacker cave with fifty monitors and a nonsensical cooling unit. The heroes are awkward mathematicians, well-connected grandmas, and working class dads with years of video game experience, as opposed to trenchcoat-wearing dudes with BitTorent and bad attitudes. (See: every movie about hackers ever to compare)

One of the most common complaints made toward Summer Wars is criticism of its technical inaccuracy. The story revolves around an incredibly advanced Internet structure, called OZ, that can be connected to through all types of devices and thus has became an extremely integral part of business, culture, and communication. Users create avatars and are able to interact over OZ in various ways: chatting, shopping, business, learning, etc. Additionally, languages are instantly translated to allow communication with anyone. Even the least technically minded viewer can see that it is an unrealistic view of the Internet. This leads to many lumping it together with WarGames and Hackers with their over the top, glamorized distortion of real technological advancements. However, this is completely missing the point of the story. Summer Wars may not be realistic in its details, but that is not the point. It is an exaggerated stylization of computer communications and should be treated as such. Like much good science fiction, it is able to make very relevant points that concern real world technology in a highly fictionalized setting.

A major theme of Summer Wars is communication. OZ's primary function, like the internet, it to connect people and services from all over. The film demonstrated both the dangers of over-reliance on digital networking, as well as celebrating the positive aspects of everyone being able to work together towards a goal. The theme goes beyond modern technology; the grandma was able to use contacts from a lifetime to make phone calls and encourage family members and important decision makers to take action during the crisis. Throughout the movie, communication is key in solving problems — online and off.

One aspect that many viewers should be able to relate to is the contrast between the characters taking initiative and using their computers to fight the AI, and the other relatives who can't understand why they are wasting their time with “video games” during this time. For Kazuma, Kenji, and the dads who pooled their resources together, nothing is as important as stopping that threat inside OZ. They realize, especially after what just took place in their own lives, that what goes on in the wires does affect what goes on the “real world”. It isn't until tragedy is -literally- looming over their heads that the non-techie relatives finally realize the gravity of the situation.

Hosoda touches on plenty of scenarios throughout the movie that could have been pulled straight from Slashdot. Compromised users were being assured that the security was impenetrable even after the hacking took place. Online accounts held enough power that stealing their account granted the hacker the user's government privileges. A dangerous artificial intelligence program was developed which questioned the responsibility of the developer who didn't actually implement it himself. A hacker was causing problems through an account that had been taken over, leading to the arrest of the innocent true owner of the avatar. While the movie itself may be an implausible action movie with pseudo-technological workings, the points it makes are often grounded in reality. The actual computer use is done in a way that can be approachable to the average person, but the technically inclined viewer should be able to appreciate its themes with a deeper understanding. Instead of seeing it as dumbed down or inaccurate, I adored the stylization of the Internet and artistic interpretation of technical concepts through Superflat imagery. The last thing I would have wanted is if it became an Nmap documentary.

Summer Wars has very impressive production values with smooth, detailed animation and a high degree of artistic merit. Two distinct art styles are used to easily distinguish the real world and OZ: The real life characters are designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, whose work contains the same appeal and quality that he is known for, and I've noticed since The Girl Who Leapt Through Time that his style has become even more distinct and refined. The background artwork is composed of beautiful countryside scenery and convincing realistic settings. The visuals are extremely detailed, which provides a noticeable contrast to the Superflat style used in OZ. This style, mostly associated with the work of Haruki Murakami, is frequently used in Hosoda's work and has been become a trademark of his style. Even his work with Digimon incorporated a very similar (if less ambitious) Superflat world for the Digimon to fight in. Summer Wars takes it to a new level, with a fantastic stylized world with bright, flat colours against a largely pure white canvas. I've always been a big fan of the Superflat style, and Summer Wars delivered a truly spectacular example of the craft.

Hosoda has obviously been holding onto this premise for a while — after all, his work with Digimon uses almost the same plot. In Digimon: Our War Game, a virus-type Digimon is infecting all of technology through the Internet and causing chaos by manipulating everything it can. Some of the first season's cast meet up to stop the threat by sitting at their computers and working with their Digimon partners who are battling inside a Superflat-style online world. The conclusion practically mirrors that of Summer Wars with the virus launching a nuclear missile (the possibility of this was even alluded to in Summer Wars, I'm assuming as a reference). In the end, people around the world send emails in support of the Digimon. There are so many emails that Izzy/Izumi forwards them to the virus who is then slowed down (DDoS?) enough for them to finish it off. It is good to see that Hosoda was eventually able to fully flesh out the concept with the experience he has gained since then.

I absolutely love this film. It follows a fairly typical action blockbuster formula, but with a level of craftsmanship, intelligence, and social satire that elevates it above the expectations of the genre. I have no doubt that there will be criticism of its typical action film influences, but it really does Summer Wars a disservice to lump it with the mindless action film crowd. If anything, it takes the elements that makes such films so entertaining, but loses the pedestrian brainlessness associated with them. Instead, it presents a thoughtful, realistic, and charming portrayal of family life in addition to the cyber-warfare action plot. Summer Wars is a film that embraces a video gaming, highly connected culture and equally the importance of everyday family life. It is a near-perfect representation of the joys of living in the information age, presented in a wildly unique and enjoyable package.

[Highly Recommended]

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This review is based on a retail Blu-ray disc purchased by the reviewer.

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Ani-Gamers Podcast #035 – Trying To Keep This Short (Lies)

Hosts: Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto, Bradley C. Meek, Ink
Topics: Reading E-mails, What'cha Been Doing?

Been fighting back withdrawal symptoms due to the lack of Ani-Gamers Podcasts of late? Well we're back to help you out, now that my crazy semester is finally over. Will we continue to put out episodes in any timely fashion? We sure hope so! Anyway, this episode features Ink as a co-host once again, but it also features Bradley C. Meek, who's been trying to get on this podcast for months. (We were happy to have him, but I had to find time to record!)

Next episode, Bradley, Ink, and I will be discussing the Spice & Wolf anime. That should be up within the next week or two.

Check out show notes and links after the break.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD - RSS Feed - iTunes - Send us Feedback! - More episodes


(Runtime: 1 hour, 17 minutes)

[00:00] Welcome back to the podcast, everyone!

[00:12] Opening Song: "Anime" by Soulja Boy

[00:30] Introductions!

[01:03] We read an e-mail from Nick Korn (from Oleetku Studios) regarding Ani-Gamers Podcast #032 – The Art of Active Viewing (ANext2010).

[10:23] Bradley has been playing Portal 2 (which Evan hasn't been playing, so we don't spoil it), Heroes of Newearth, Minecraft, Heroes of Might & Magic, Half-Life 2, and more.

[11:55] Bradley is playing the Diablo clone Din's Curse.

[17:23] Evan's been reading Otaku: Japan's Database Animals by Hiroki Azuma.

[27:47] Ink is planning on reading Getting Wet: Adventures in the Japanese Bath by Eric Talmadge (recommended by Kathryn Hemmann).

[29:18] Ink is also playing Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

[36:27] Evan passes the ball to Bradley, who has been watching the Spring 2011 anime season. Ink's been watching some of the shows as well, while Evan isn't watching any of them. SAD FACE.

[37:57] Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai (Tatsuyuki Nagai, A-1 Pictures)

[42:07] Blue Exorcist (Tensai Okamura, A-1 Pictures)

[44:25] [C] The Money and Soul of Possibility Control (Kenji Nakamura, Tatsunoko Production)

[47:10] Deadman Wonderland (Koichi Hatsumi, Manglobe)

[52:14] Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Akiyuki Shinbo, SHAFT)

[54:59] Hanasaku Iroha (Masahiro Ando, P.A. Works)

[59:39] Dog Days (Keizou Kusakawa, Seven Arcs)

[1:02:17] Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera (Yoshitomo Yonetani, Brains Base)

[1:04:38] Kaiji Season 2 (Yuzo Sato, Madhouse)

[1:05:27] Nichijou (Tatsuya Ishihara, Kyoto Animation)

[1:09:54] Tiger & Bunny (Keiichi Satou, Sunrise)

[1:12:39] Toriko (Akifumi Zako, Toei)

[1:14:11] And after an exhausting rundown of the Spring 2011 anime season, we're done! Check out everybody's Twitters (Ani-Gamers, Evan, Bradley, and Ink), review us on iTunes, send us an e-mail, and leave us comments! All that good stuff.

[1:16:25] Ending Song: "Anime" by Soulja Boy

[1:16:45] Garfield Minus Garfield.

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