AnimeNation Anime News Blog

I usually don’t like to show off, but grant me an occasional exception. After nearly 21 years, yesterday, with the assistance of a friend in Japan, I completed my collection of Cream Lemon, Shin Cream Lemon, and Cream Lemon: Ami Sorekara hardcover film comics. I bought the first one way back on September 25, 1989. I’ve been picking up additional ones as I could find them ever since. They’re not all first editions – in fact, most of the 16 volume first series are second editions. And not all of them have their obi, but especially considering that I’m an American collector, I’m still pretty darn proud of this collection, regardless.

The collection includes 16 volumes in the first series, 8 volumes in the second series, and 4 Ami Sorekara volumes. The photo includes three additional hardcover film comics: Cream Lemon Special: Dark, Tabidachi – Ami Shuushou and Lemon Angel.

Below the fold is my entire collection of Cream Lemon anime books (with the exception of the Ami Sorekara movie program, which I seem to have misplaced).

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A friend of mine presently living in Japan sent me this e-mail.

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One thing leads to another. If Predators primarily see with thermal vision, they’d be screwed during a zombie outbreak. Zombies are always the last to get picked when choosing teams because even though they always win in the end, they have no sense of humor.

Sorry folks. We just learned that the link to submit “Ask John” e-mail was broken. It’s fixed now. I suppose that explains why I’ve received so few new messages lately. I thought you just didn’t like me anymore.

I happened to come across and watch Madhouse’s 30 minute A-Girl OVA originally released on September 24, 1993. Despite being an early 90′s release, this production is firmly rooted in the whimsical and creative expressionist style of the 1980s. The adaptation of Fusako Kuramochi’s two volume shoujo romance manga from 1984 is most immediately unique because it contains no spoken dialogue. Similar to the later and slightly better known Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety episode 16, the entire A-Girl OVA takes the form of a silent movie with sound effects, background music and several nice vocal pop songs, and the minimal necessary dialogue presented as text on screen.
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Our podcast mistress & resident fujoshi, Daphne, bought a new car recently. She’s started to customize it to suit her tastes. Take note of the license plates.

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I wonder if we’re slowly entering a new era of dialogue heavy anime. In recent years Kurenai, Mouryou no Hako, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, Bakemonogatari, Katanagatari, and now Yojuhan Shinwa Taikei have been particularly dialogue heavy, relying on dialogue, monologue, and literally language itself to provide the onus of the shows. At the same time, enui anime including World of Golden Eggs, Little Village People, Peeping Life, and Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume have burst onto the anime scene and flourished on the strength of dialogue and conversation rather than animation quality or action. The moé trend shows no sign of evaporating, but it does feel like its steamroller momentum is slowing. I don’t believe anime has ever before moved through a period characterized by especially wordy shows, so witty, intriguing talking heads series may provide a new novelty for otaku viewers. The number of anime productions adapted from light novels seems to be greater now than at any time in the past. And, as Bakemonogatari has amply proven, heavily rhetorical shows with limited (read: inexpensive) animation are still capable of becoming tremendously successful and profitable hits. So we can expect to see Japanese producers encourage the production of more anime that are inexpensive to animate yet still have tremendous audience and profit potential.

I certainly don’t expect to see anime of the future dominated by shows that prioritize rapid and ceaseless banter. In fact, I, for one, don’t want that to occur. I like seeing animated breathtaking action, captivating romance, and outrageous slapstick comedy. However, I’m not opposed to a minority trend of anime that replace action with conversation. I don’t know if the number of such shows that have already appeared constitute a loose collection of similarly styled productions or the beginning ripples of an approaching larger wave, but the mere fact that I can pose the question itself intrigues me.

I’m a bit of a luddite, primarily by circumstance rather than choice. I don’t own a cel phone, iPod, or Zune. I still watch an analog TV. I don’t own a BD player. And my desktop computer is now so old that it won’t adequately play video in resolution higher than 480p. I don’t need certain technological upgrades; others I go without because I can’t afford to upgrade. Remaining an anime fan with outdated technology, these days, is getting increasingly difficult and frustrating. So I found an ideal affordable solution. After discounts and a mail-in rebate, I’ll have paid about $80 for the ASUS O!Play HD Media player, a seemingly perfect solution to bridge the gap between my access to anime and my ability to play it.

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Lately I’ve had Oda Kazumasa’s “Sono Mama no Kimi ga Suki” on heavy rotation. Some of you may recognize this as the theme song from Toei’s 1992 anime film Hashire Melos!.

American readers are, by now, familiar with manga and, naturally, familiar with the personal essay. But a combination of the two is something unusual and unfamiliar. New York and Japan based One Peace Books hopes to change that situation by introducing American readers to the popular contemporary Japanese “manga format essay” with Shiho Torii’s book So I Need to Lose 15 Pounds. The “manga essay” format that’s gaining popularity in Japan isn’t strictly educational manga like Shotaro Ishinomori’s Japan, Inc.: Introduction to Japanese Economics that first saw release in America in 1988. Nor is it exactly like the conventional narrative manga that American readers are most used to. The difference, however, is subtle.

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When I read discussions comparing voice acting in anime I occasionally encounter a statement to the effect, “The English voice sounds better than the Japanese voice.” I’d like to make a clarification about that perspective. Or, more specifically, a statement about a certain interpretation of that expression because the observation itself is a bit vague in its phrasing. It’s fine and reasonable to critique a voice acting performance, but the voice actor selection for the original language dialogue is less subject to second guessing.

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Lately I just can’t get enough of Stereopony’s new single, “Tsukiakari no Michishirube,” the opening theme for the current Darker Than Black: Ryusei no Gemini TV anime.

During my years as an anime fan certain titles and images have stuck in my head – many of them from my earliest days as an anime fan. I’ve been curious about these shows seemingly forever, possibly because they looked interesting, or just because their titles sounded cool. Over the years, a combination of luck, perseverance, and sometimes simple cold cash have enabled me to selectively satisfy my curiosity. I’m grateful to have been able to cross anime including Fan Fan Pharmacy, Takamaru, Tetsujin 28 FX, Hiatari Ryoko, Yadamon, Fighbird, Appfleland Monogatari, Warau Salesman, Watt Poe to Bokura no Ohanashi, Wonder Beat Scramble, Hidari no O’Clock!!, and Rayca off my list. There are a small handful of other anime that I’ve long been curious about which I do have access to, but haven’t gotten around to watching yet, including Jura Tripper, Eien no Filena, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami So, and Yagami-kun no Katei no Jijou. Then there are a handful of obscure anime that I’ve wanted to watch for many years but never had access to. I have no idea if these shows are good, nor whether I’ll like them. In fact, I expect at least one of them to be pretty bad. But I’d still love to see these particular anime first hand, just to satiate my curiosity. They include:

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