John's Viewing Journal

[John]

Continued from above.

Read the first volume of Makoto Raiku's Animal Land manga. I saw it in a local bookstore, thought it looked fun, so bought the first two volumes. It certainly stretches credibility a bit but serves as a good, engaging introduction to the story.

Watched the Bucs continue their losing streak against the Titans. Watched the Broncos beat the Chargers in overtime. Steelers vs Chiefs. Saints handily beat the Giants. Packers vs Giants. Lions self-destruct against the Saints. Chargers beat the Jaguars. Cowboys vs Giants.

Finally fully stepping into the current home video generation, I watched a Blu-ray for the first time. I had to commemorate the occasion by watching Highlander for the umpteenth time. The refresher viewing reminds me of how much I deeply love the movie: every frame and shot of it. Even seemingly mundane scenes seem warmly familiar and beloved to me, like Brenda looking up Russell Nash's birth certificate and the cops having lunch at the hotdog cart. The BD deleted scenes were a bit of a treat. Although they're very minor and relatively insignificant, I find the alternate farewell to Rachael particularly fascinating and really, really wish I knew what she and Conner said to each other. I can't read lips, and the BD has no captions for the deleted scenes. The five scenes have no original audio. Instead they're (annoyingly) set to music from Cutthroat Island (as is the disc menu). Why doesn't the BD menu actually use looping music from the actual film? Seeing the alternate Kurgen quickening and the alternate epilogue make me especially glad that the film used the cuts that it did.

Even with reasonably muted expectations, I still find myself disappointed by the 2009 Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/) motion picture. The film is acted well and shot very nicely. Granted, it's leisurely pace and slow-burn do establish an atmosphere. But I also have the impression that the film could have been equally strong with a shorter running time. I'm more disappointed to find the vaunted narrative seemingly rather weak. The vicious, secretive culture of the Vanger family gets played up but ultimately has very little impact on the resolution. The majority of the story's pivotal events and action sequences have nothing to do with the central murder mystery. Not to go too deeply into spoilers, but even the murder mystery itself turns out to be not a mystery at all. I'm also disappointed by the artificial treatment of Lisbeth's hacking skills. She's unable to manipulate her own income, but she can make a million kronor of someone else's money vanish?

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (http://www.missionimpossible.com/) is absolutely everything viewers wish for and demand from a blockbuster action picture. I give tremendous credit all around. The movie is completely absorbing due to director Brad Bird's subtle but powerful visual composition and timing sensibility. The film is completely immsersive due to its simple, fast-paced, always easy to follow screenplay that provides plenty of believable, practical twists while keeping the focus squarely on and with the heroes. The film is completely engaging due to the obvious passion of its stars and a brilliantly cast Michael Nyqvist as its completely believable antagonist.

[John]

I'm very glad to see that in Hunter x Hunter (2011) the show is willing to honor its own narrative decisions in episode 12. However, I'll admit that I only skimmed through episode 13 after realizing that it's just a recap episode.

Watched MajiKoi episode 5. The show is fun when it's an action comedy but really not when it's a harem show. Episode 6 was amusing during the sequences when it went really overboard ridiculous.

Watched Phi-Brain 6-13. The show amuses me because it's goofy yet takes itself so seriously. I'm also a bit off-balance and uncertain about why it includes such a prominent homosexual undercurrent. Although episode 13 is a bit redundant and drawn-out, I like the way it sort of acknowledges that "creating shortcuts" isn't solving the puzzle; it's cheating.

In my latest case of better-late-than-never, I watched the 1982 Cobra movie. The film deserves its position of beloved nostalgia. Cobra serves particularly well as a bridge between Lupin and Spike Spiegel. This film is stylish without reaching the level of self-parody that plagues the 2000's OVAs. However, I do have the impression that the film had big ideas on its mind and really wanted to investigate Cobra's psychology but didn't or wasn't able to successfully do so.

Watched Working second season episodes 9-13. The final episode was an especially amusing one. This series introduces unresolved plot points, so I hope that implies an eventual third series.

Finished off Ika Musume second season.

Chihayafuru episode 12 was particularly impactful and emotional. While episode 13 certainly wasn't bad, about half of it really felt a bit unnecessary.

Un-Go episodes 7-11 finally establish more continuity, but the show is still flawed by its oversight of physically impossible plot details, large leaps in narrative, and incomplete characterizations. I respect the show's attempt to make a primary character morally flawed, but the show doesn't effectively do anything with the concept. The show introduces philosophical conflict within its protagonist but never explains it nor does anything narratively with it.

The Usagi Drop omake episode 6.5 was quite beautiful and charming.

The first episode of Nihon Omoshiro Mukashi Banashi (http://akiba-koubou.com/nom/) was a bit of a disappointment because it's just not very interesting. The first episode doesn't make very much effort to spice up the traditional Momotaro legend with fresh humor, and the episode employs just barely enough animation to distinguish it from a picture book slide show.

Finished off Penguindrum episodes 18-24.

Watched Fujilog season 2 episode 22.

For reasons partially unknown, I watched Copihan episodes 2-6. They're not very good.

Animator Soubi Yamamoto's short film Kono Danshi Uchuujin to Tatakaemasu (http://www.konodan.com/) packs every visual stylistic trick in the book into its 30 minute length, yet none of it can obscure the anime's obvious amateurish visual design and limited animation. The short is very dialogue heavy, and I'm not able to understand enough of it to fairly critique the story.

The 2009 twelfth Pokemon Arceus: To the Conquering of Space-Time (http://www.pokemon-movie.jp/dvd/2009.html) movie felt a bit redundant and even dull to me. I certainly can't fathom how it became more successful than 2009's excellent Detective Conan: Raven Chaser movie.

The Lupin III Blood Seal ~Eternal Mermaid~ (http://www.ntv.co.jp/kinro/lineup/20111202/) TV Special is an unusual one. It's probably the most subdued story since Twilight Gemini, and it's certainly the most philosophical of all Lupin anime. While I wish it was just a bit more exciting than it is, I like its classic Miyazaki-esque design and charming tone.

Caught up with Persona 4 episodes 8-12. To avoid spoilers, I'll only say that episode 12 has an interesting narrative development.

Watched Tamayura ~hitotose~ episode 4

Suite Precure 35-44. Didn't Otokichi mention having a grandson early in the series? Episode 41 is a particularly memorable episode. It's especially fun; it features a new ending animation, and it particularly emphasized Hibiki really coming forward as the leader of the Precure team.

I appreciate the way the Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (http://vjump.shueisha.co.jp/push/db/) special remembers that turning super saiyajin is really something special. However, I'm disappointed that the episode is so short that it doesn't have time to develop a lengthy, substantial climactic fight scene.

Guilty Crown episodes 7-11 make me want to praise the show, but for every one thing the series does exceptionally well, it does one or more other things to leave me confused or frustrated.

Caught up a bit with Fairy Tail 98-111.

The second Ah! Megami-sama OAD was quite amusing.

I'm a bit disappointed that the race in Ginyoku no Fam episode 6 was the must dull racing sequence I've seen in anime in some time. Watched up to 11.

Continued --->

[John]

Continued from above.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear (http://symphogear.com/) has the most impactful premiere episode I’ve seen since being awestruck by the pre-credits debut of Heartcatch Precure. The episode can be accused of being artificial, stilted, and simply a bit incomprehensible, but in terms of sheer cinematic impact, its power is undeniable.

The premiere episode of Kill Me Baby (http://killmebaby.tv/) is amusing but doesn't seem exceptional in any regard.

Honestly, the first episode of Recorder to Randseru (http://www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_rikoran/) is underwhelming because it relies upon such an obvious, predictable gag.

The debut episode of Amagami SS+ (http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/amagami/) feels like it’s traded one type of slightly unpleasant for another. The premiere episode of the first series had that chauvinistic tone of a guy browsing a catalog of women to see which one he wanted most. The second series premiere focuses on a single relationship, but the relationship doesn’t seem believable at all. Ayatsuji and Tachibana are described as dating, but they don’t appear to have any degree of romance between them, and Tachibana comes across as stupidly motivated by his libido to the extent that his brain stops working.

I expected little from High School DxD (http://www.haremking.tv/) and got exactly what I anticipated. I’m reminded that an early comedy about an ecchi boy like Urusei Yatsura surrounded its protagonist with other gags, and the show had some wit. In the 90s, a show like Iketeru Futari still managed to make its protagonist likeable. The first episode of High School DxD doesn’t manage any of that. It just feels like a very pale imitation of earlier, better shows.

I enjoyed the first episode of Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/poyo/) because it's a bit cuter and brisker paced than Kuruneko.

I don't think that the first episode of Nisemonogatari (http://www.nisemonogatari-anime.com/) is bad, but it feels especially artificial and pandering. It's literally a sort of "greatest hits" condensed reintroduction to all of the characteristic components of Bakemonogatari.

The premiere episode of Area no Kishi (http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/knight/) is a bit underwhelming. Its animation quality isn't exceptional nor is the first episode especially involving or compelling.

To a degree, I appreciate the way the first episode of Moretsu Uchu Kaizoku (http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mo-retsu/) doesn't try to rush through its storytelling, but at the same time, the result is a first episode with not a lot of substance to it. The episode has a nice personality, largely because of its characters because the art design and animation are a bit sub-par by Satelite standards. While this episode didn't impress me, I didn't dislike it, either.

I wonder if the first episode of Milky Holmes 2 (http://milky-holmes-anime.com/) is the first intentionally bad anime since Cosprayers.

I’m not particularly a fan of either the visual design of Hakuouki nor the stylized action of Sengoku Basara, so it’s no surprise the hybrid of the two, Brave 10 (http://www.brave10.com/), doesn’t exactly appeal to me. I don’t think it’s bad. Rather, it’s not bad at all; it’s just not my taste. I am, though, fascinated by the way it’s as unlike the Sanada Jyuushi anime as it possibly could be in both visual design and tone.

Visually the premiere episode of Another (http://www.another-anime.jp/) is attractive, and its tone of weirdness is more satisfying than either Shiki or Okamikakushi. But narratively it’s entirely empty. All of the characters are lifeless, wooden dolls shifted around on a stage, just manipulated figures without any genuine personality of their own. The first episode offers nothing at all to engage the viewer’s empathy or even real curiosity. The episode tries to be enigmatic, but ends up being so opaque and distant that it just alienates the viewer entirely. I don’t care one whit about any of the stock characters nor in the least about the vague hints of mystery implied.

Watched the first two episodes of Natsume Shi (http://www.nasinc.co.jp/jp/natsume-anime/).

Predictably, Aquarion Evol (http://aqevol.com/) simply extrapolates and emphasizes all of the characteristics that made the original franchise popular. The result is an absurd nonsensical mish-mash of sentimentality, faux drama, goofy provocativeness, and ridiculous mecha battles. However, if memory serves, I think the art design was still a little crisper in the original anime than it is in this sequel. Fans that don’t take the show seriously and revel in its half-satirical ridiculousness are sure to enjoy this, but I had trouble enjoying the first series when it had half as much excess.

Zero no Tsukaima F (http://www.zero-tsukaima.com/) is absolutely “fans only,” as it make zero concessions for new viewers. But I’m glad that it dives directly into lighthearted fantasy story rather than, like the prior series, beginning with sappy romantic comedy.

I’m amused by how literally Ano Natsu de Matteru (http://www.ichika-ichika.com/) appears to be just a hybrid of Onegai Teacher and Tamayura.

Continued (again) --->

[John]

Continued from the above two entries.

Read the second volume of Makoto Raiku's Animal Land (http://www.randomhouse.com/book/212615/animal-land-1-by-raiku-makoto) manga, the fifth volume of Blood Alone, and Vampire Bund volumes 9, 10, and Gaiden. After a lengthy lull, I'm glad to see the pace and tension in Vampire Bund picking up again.

Read the first volume of Kingyo Used Books (http://www.sigikki.com/series/kingyousedbooks/index.shtml). I appreciate the series as an abbreviated introduction to manga history, but while the manga tries to wrap its manga references in slice-of-life relationship stories, the stories and characters don't reveal enough insight to be fully interesting or sympathetic.

Watched the Chiefs break the Packers' unbeaten streak, the Patriots beat the Broncos, the Chargers embarass the Ravens, and the 49ers beat the Steelers. Watched the Bucs lose miserably to the Panthers. Eagles beat the Cowboys. The Packers vs. Bears game was more exciting than the lopsided score suggests. Watched the Saints beat the Panthers. Based on some pathetic sense of loyalty, I watched our Bucs get whipped by the Falcons. Watched the Giants end the Cowboys' season. Texans versus Bengals wildcard game. Watched the Lions put up a valiant but ineffective fight against the Saints. Broncos pull out a victory over the Steelers.

Forearmed with my familiarity with critical reviews, I knew that I shouldn’t expect brilliance from the Luc Besson produced/Zoe Saldana action film Colombiana (http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/colombiana/). I hoped for just a mildly engaging means of passing some time. What I got was a irredeemable waste of time. Even with my low expectations, I didn’t expect the film to be quite so, well, bad. The term “bad” seems difficult to pin to a film like this that’s nicely shot and edited and has significant production values. But in the rare moments when it’s not lifeless, it’s just dumb. “Weak” may be a more apropos attribution for the film; weak because it entirely fails to engage the audience. Saldana tries her best to emote, but her character is an underwritten composite of past Besson characters, and the action packs no punch. The violence rarely ever feels either impactful or gratifying; it’s so rote that it’s sadly boring.

Moneyball (http://www.moneyball-movie.com/) largely delivers exactly what its trailers promised. The difference is that I didn't expect the film's storm before the calm to be quite as dire and dark as it gets. Brad Pitt is exceptional, entirely subverting his glamorous celebrity persona into an ordinary working joe just trying to do his job the best he can.

Shinya Tsukamoto's Akumu Tantei (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0852726/) gets mixed but seemingly generally positive reviews, and I can see why now that I've watched it. The movie is a perfect hybrid of J-horror and American style horror. The movie has the eerie, uncertain, alienated atmosphere of J-horror. Its pacing is moderated but not quite as slow as J-horror films like Ringu or Pulse. It moves similarly to Ju-On. The film also has overt, bloody horror attack sequences that feel out of character for conventional J-horror but seem particularly accessible to American viewers. The movie certainly isn't as stylistic or symbolic as Tsukamoto's more personal films. This is definitely "commercial" Tsukamoto, but with that caveat, I found the movie moderately engaging and enjoyable. At the least, it's better than Tsukamoto's more stylized and esoteric Tetsuo the Bullet Man.

I’m not sure if the Sektor & Cyrax episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy (http://www.youtube.com/show/mortalkombatlegacy) was a home video exclusive or if I just missed it on Youtube, but I caught it on BD. I also watched all of the BD supplemental segments. While the MK Legacy series wasn’t perfect, I have more respect for it now knowing that it was shot in just over two weeks on a shoestring budget. I am disappointed, however, that despite one of the bonus documentaries mentioning the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth pilot, the pilot isn’t actually included on the BD.

Stephen Spielberg’s Adventures of Tintin (http://www.us.movie.tintin.com/) movie is vintage Spielberg adventuring fun, although its best and most inventive chase comes in the dead center of the movie, and the film suffers a little bit from never feeling pulse-quickening because it never evokes a serious sense of threat. The spirit of Indiana Jones is clear in this picture, but Tintin never feels as gripping or engaging as an Indy Jones movie. I’m loathe to apply the criticism that animation is unwarranted unless it contributes something unique, but the age-old criticism does actually apply in this case. Absolutely everything in the movie looks and feels like it could and possibly even should have been filmed in live-action rather than rendered in CG. Some of the sight-gags may play better with the benefit of the unreality of animation, but those same gags could also have worked just as well in live-action if the film played to its lighthearted, comic book tone. Critics have predicted that this movie may save or doom motion capture CG motion pictures. I think that’s an irrelevant option. If the Tintin movie succeeds, it will become popular based on its story and action, not its visual appearance. While the CG doesn’t seem poor enough to sink the movie, it also contributes nothing distinctive to the movie. While the movie does make me eager to see more Tintin films, it doesn’t encourage or discourage me from wanting to see more motion captured CG animation.

I picked up a cheap copy of Eagle Rock Entertainment's Classic Albums DVD documentary on Phil Collin's first solo album, Face Value. The hour long special has practically no replay value, but if I have any complaint about it, it's that it's too short. The documentary is exceptionally revealing, featuring Collins and his accompanying musicians and even Genesis bandmates supplementing with anecdotes and revelations about the songs on the album. The docu plays samples of early demo versions of the songs and explains how the songs developed. I've loved Collin's first two solo albums since they were initially released in the early 1980s, so I'm a little disappointed that this documentary doesn't provide even more access to all of the fascinating details it has accessible.

I watched the fully uncut Human Centipede II. I’ve seen some pretty grotesque movies, and this ranks up with the most repulsive and horrific I’ve ever seen. I also appreciate it’s very sly, self-deprecating humor. It’s a sick & twisted film and knows that it’s sick & twisted, so it has fun with itself and its viewers without being so obvious as to break the tone of the film. The fully uncut version also included a few scenes that did make me wince and moan, “Oh Jesus Christ!” which it typically a sign of a film that pulls no punches whatsoever. I have to compare the film to A Serbian Film because I’ve watched the two in relative time proximity to each other. Human Centipede may actually be even more disgusting and depraved than A Serbian Film, but I can rationally respect the later more than the former because A Serbian Film clothes its depravity in artistic veneer and chic style. And, however superficially, A Serbian Film has something to say. The Human Centipede II has a more visceral, primal power. It’s literally director Tom Six’s provocation of the audience. Like a gleeful child with a turd on a stick, Six pokes at the viewer, challenging to viewer to look and even share and enjoy the filth. And I respect that honesty. The Human Centipede II is a film that sets out to shock, unsettle, and horrify. It has no grand philosophical or social agenda. It doesn’t strive to be groundbreaking or literary, only competent enough to exclude the possibility of being easily disregarded. The movie is pure, straightforward absurdist theater. It wallows in cathartic filth and urges viewers to cast off propriety and shame and simply laugh at the vile absurdity of it all. After watching A Serbian Film, I felt abused, ragged, exhausted. After watching The Human Centipede II, I felt relieved, not that the film was over, but that I was on the safe side of the screen. I appreciate this spectacle of the grotesque that Tom Six has crafted. The first two Hostel films may have their political satire, but The Human Centipede II reaches and exhausts the exploitive catharsis that “torture porn” films have struggled and failed to encapsulate. I’ll never love The Human Centipede II, but I respect it as a film that’s crafted to be so extreme, so grotesque that it achieves a Brechtian madness that can only be responded to with ironic laughter. I don’t want to give the film too much credit, but it is a sort of Divine Comedy for the post-modern age. It’s a literal decent into hell that’s so extreme, so absurd that it becomes comedy.

Director Agustí Villaronga’s 1987 shocker In A Glass Cage (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090197/) is like the evil antithesis of The Sound of Music. The film also, evidently coincidentally, appears to share striking similarity to the classic films of Dario Argento. Although only arguably a horror film, I’d call it a horror film because the situations it depicts are horrible, horrific, horrifying. One of the film’s highlight memorable scenes, Angelo’s second torment of Klaus, simply layers on so many components of extravagant immorality, pity, discomfort, and horror that it’s simply amazing to rationally process. The way the film is consistently and unrelentingly dour and cheerless is absolutely bravura.

[John]

I'm a bit disappointed to find the first episode of Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai! (http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/papakiki/) almost entirely uninteresting. Raika was the only interesting character, and she's a supporting character who doesn't get a lot of screen time.

The first episode of Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (http://www.danshinichijyo.net/) is marginally more interesting than Kimi to Boku, but unfortunately only marginally.

Phi-Brain episode 14 really wasn't very interesting.

Watched the second episode of Recorder to Randseru.

Among the 19 "new" (non-sequel) anime from the current season that I've watched so far, the first episode of Inuboku SS (http://www.inuboku.tv/) is the one I've enjoyed the most. That's not to say that the show is especially unique or original. But it does have personality, nice art design, and very nice animation in select moments. Watched the first two episodes.

I wonder what the Thermae Romae (http://thermae-anime.jp/) anime would be like with traditional full animation, but the strength of the show lies in its writing and sight gags, neither of which require elaborate animation. I see why this story is so acclaimed, as it's very witty and fun. And DLE appears to have heighten the humor with some very amusing visual gags in the first episode. The second episode didn't include the visual gags but was still enjoyable. The third and fourth episodes develop just a bit more character and begin to vary the gags a bit.

With Guilty Crown episode 12 the show finally begins to make sense, but it all still doesn't convincingly hang together. On a side note, I have to admit to being a little impressed over how frequently the show features cataclysmic, epic climaxes.

Kill Me Baby episode 2 was at least as humorous as the first episode.

Symphogear episode 2 is more conventional than the previous episode but still adequately engaging. The third episode is a mixed bag as the action scenes are nice but the animation in much of the rest of the episode is quite bad. The walking animation when Tsubasa and Shinji are in the hallway has a laughably low frame rate.

Although I'm still not very impressed by the art design and animation quality of Moeretsu Uchuu Kaizoku, I do like the second episode's focus on believable, natural relationships and reactions.

Watched the second and very amusing third episodes of Poyopoyo.

The second episode of Rinne no Lagrange is a bit slower paced and less eventful than the first, making it slightly less interesting. But while this isn't turning into any sort of revolutionary show, it is enjoyable enough to watch.

The second episode of Nisemonogatari seems to confirm my impression that the series is tremendously stylish but narratively pointless. Although the show is ostensibly supposed to be about Koyomi's sisters, it actually just seems to be suplemental fluff about Koyomi himself.

Watched Hunter x Hunter (2011) episodes 14-16.

Chihayafuru episode 14 was a particularly interesting one. Episode 15 was pretty good, too.

Ano Natsu de Matteru episode 2 is about as interesting as the first episode was.

Although not fully by intention, I ended up watching the fairly ridiculous second episode of Shin Prince of Tennis. After that I felt compelled to watch the third episode also.

I got motivated to catch up a bit with Mirai Nikki episodes 8-12. Increasingly I'm seeming how artificial the show is becoming. Lots of circumstances and events feel very unnatural and unrealistic because the characters don't act naturally or according to common sense behavior. I also find that while Yukiteru may be evolving just a tiny bit, he remains a particularly unlikeable character. On a side note, I'm bothered by the way Yuno changes clothes regularly but Yukiteru seemingly never does.

Natsume Shi episode 3 feels the most like a second season episode in a while.

After watching the Hayate no Gotoku movie (http://www.hayate-project.com/) I'm reminded of my uncertainty about why this franchise is so popular. Granted, the in-jokes are amusing, but it's not like the show is jam-packed with them. The movie really felt rather dull.

I forced myself to power through the remainder of the One Piece childhood flashback episodes while watching episodes 499-507. Just ten minutes in the "present time" storyline has more emotion than ten full episodes of the childhood flashback episodes.

Continued --->

[John]

Continued from above.

Caught the wild second half of the 49er's narrow victory over the Saints. Watched the Patriots crush the Broncos. Watched the Ravens end the Texans' season, and the Giants finish off the Packers, unexpectedly. Watched the Pats edge out the Ravens for the AFC Championship, and the Giants narrowly beat the 49ers for the NFC Championship.

The feature film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (http://www.tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.com/) is an intriguing drama. The film is only minimally suspenseful in a few short scenes; it includes practically no conventional action, and while it is a mystery, I'm not convinced that the screenplay actually fills in enough details to actually concretely establish all of its connections. The film reveals the odd irony of the secrecy and danger of international espionage mired within mundane, boring bureaucracy and routine. To its credit, the film is not just set in the 1970s, it literally seems like a film from the 1970s in both look and pace. While never boring, this is a very long and slow film that expects and requires the viewer to pay close attention and remember briefly mentioned details. As a result, it feels drastically different from typical contemporary films. The movie is well shot and impeccably acted. After all, it has to be in order to sustain viewer interest and immersion.

Watched The War of the Arrows (http://www.2011hoot.co.kr/), a film that wants to be and eventually succeeds in being a medieval sniper action movie. Like most films of its kind, it wears its nationalism a bit proudly and loudly. And like many films of its ilk, it could probably stand for a little more action and a little less drama, particularly because much of the character introduction and back-story actually adds little or nothing to the drama or narrative. But about mid-way through, when the film finally jettisons its politics in favor of a simple and focused action story, it becomes quite exciting and tense. I'm also pleased to see that while the film never revels in blood and gore, it's absolutely not reserved with either.

The third season premiere episode of Archer, guest starring Burt Reynolds, was the funniest thing I've seen in recent recollection.

I finally got around to watching Pasolini's 1975 classic Salo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073650/). The film's composition, framing, and pacing are all exquisite, and all owe to masterful direction. The narrative is every ounce as provocative as expected, and no doubt just as powerful and shocking now as it was forty years ago.

Not sure why, but for some reason I always forget how graphically gory the Underworld films are and am shockingly reminded as I watch new installments. Well, I skipped the third one because while I appreciate the mindless violence, I have no interested in the mythology of the Underworld universe, thus I don’t care about a prequel. The setting of the fourth film (http://www.entertheunderworld.com/) is founded on a rather ridiculous proposition, but once that’s accepted, the rest of the movie is on par with the first two, if not so strikingly similar that the film feels like it was rolled off an assembly line.

As I lightly feared it would be, Haywire (http://haywiremovie.com/) leans closer to being a tense, suspenseful thriller than an overt action film, but its action scenes are crisp, effective, and satisfying. I found that I don’t mind at all that the film isn’t as action intensive as it could have been because the movie has a very distinctive, engaging rhythm. Haywire isn’t as breathless and rapid-fire as the Bourne movies, nor is it as grim and brutal as Zoe Bell’s similar DTV picture Angel of Death. Haywire has its own almost jazzy, light step punctuated by bouts of quick, precise violence. Thankfully, unlike the cumbersome and frequently stupid Colombiana, Haywire is smart and snappy, feeling like a brisker and less melodramatic Hanna. Editing usually doesn’t stand out to the viewer – it shouldn’t. But the editing in Haywire is like an invisible character itself, adding charm and identity to the picture. Certainly, star Gina Carano could emote a bit more in certain scenes, but she’s perfectly adequate for the task at hand, certainly more so than Zoe Saldana in Colombiana. Ultimately, despite being quite violent, Haywire is a fun, rollicking movie that perfectly straddles the line between art house and grind house.

[John]

Natsume San episode 4 is a clear return to the bittersweet tone of first season episodes. Episode 5 comes from a different, unusual perspective that I don't think we've seen in the anime before.

Ano Natsu episode 3 is a bit of a mixed bag. Some moments were quite charming and fun, but a lot of the episode also felt redundant or simply boring. Technically most of it was good, but some moments like Tanigawa's shout were especially well animated. Episode 4 was a bit dull.

Watched Kill Me Baby episodes 3 & 4.

Rinne no Lagrange episode 3 gives me the feeling that this is the bishoujo version of Aquarion because it's so silly. I'm slightly bothered that the show seems like it's trying to imply that it's got a darker edge to it to come, but the bulk of the show reveals no hint of that tone whatsoever. Episode 4 introduces new characters but doesn't do much else.

I'm honestly still not sure if I actually like Shin Tenipri or if I just find it easy to watch, but I watched episodes 4 & 5.

As of Moeretsu Uchuu Kaizoku episode 3, I'm fascinated that this is turning into a serious, hard sci-fi story featuring anime gals. We don't get to see anime like this very often, and hard sci-fi with bishoujo even less frequently. Episode 4 continues to be fairly serious sci-fi, which also means that it's just a bit boring. While I certainly like this enough to keep watching it, it's no Stellvia.

Watched Phi-brain episodes 15 & 16. I'm glad the show has moved out of England becasue those handful of episodes were really dull, redundant, and uninteresting.

I watched Recorder to Randeseru episodes 3 & 4 because they're very short, but I'm disappointed that the show, specificially the narrative, is so uninspired and cliche.

The new opening for Guilty Crown episode 13 is particularly nice and stylish.

Even though it's really not anything unusual or exceptional, Inuboku SS is starting to feel like the best show of the new season because its third episode was very charming and heartfelt without feeling sappy. The show is simply an unadulterated pleasure to watch.

As of four episodes, Nisemonogatari is Bakemonogatari without the story, leaving just the style. This isn't a style over substance show; it's entirely style without any substance whatsoever. The style alone is worth some credit, but I'd like to see some evidence that there's some purpose to this show. The word is that it stars the fire sisters, but so far it doesn't, as the fire sisters have only been cameo characters so far.

I've never been a fan of recap episodes, but at least the short gags in Chihayafuru episode 16 were amusing. Episode 17 is a good reminder that the show is especially good when in mixes in a bit of culture.

Watched One Piece 508-512.

I'm aware that it's practically obligatory for kids to be forcibly separated from their parents in WMT and WMT-style anime, but the first episode of 1979's Nobara no Julie (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1769) takes its insistence on the trope to a laughable extreme. For absolutely no evident reason at all, a fighter plane literally appears out of the blue to drop a bomb on Julie's farmer parents who live in the mountains, miles away from any other humans, much less any battlefields. This prologue scene is so forced that it's genuinely ridiculous. The remainder of the first episode falls into fairly routine and boring character introduction drama.

Watched Poyopoyo episode 4.

Watched Hunter x Hunter (2011) episode 17.

Finished off the amusing final two episodes of Thermae Romae.

Watched the first two episodes of Gokujyo (http://gokujyo.cammot.jp/). The show is amusing but not really out of the ordinary.

Like the first episode, the second installment of Danshi Nichijo is mildly amusing, and just slightly creepy.

Watched the moderately ridiculous Fairy Tail episodes 112-114. I'm really bothered by the continuing inconsistency of the show. In Edolas, when the characters lost their magic, they just became normal humans. In the current story arc, when they lose their magic, they fall unconscious. Why the difference?

I've never been a fan of flashback episodes. In rare instances they're good, but Ginyoku no Fam's episode 12 was not one of them because I'm not fully convinced, yet, at least, that it properly coincides with the present day storyline characterizations and sitauations. Followed up with episodes 13 & 14.

The second episode of third season Archer was very amusing, but not quite as much so as last week's season premiere. Episode 3 was quite enjoyable.

Curiosity compelled me to watch The Thing (http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/thing-the-2011/) prequel. Everything you've heard about it is true. Admirably, the movie does fill in all of the John Carpenter movie back-story, although the behavior of the Thing seems a bit incongruous in the prequel, not to mention also sometimes idiotic. The problems, however, are the fact that the movie has practically no tension, suspense, or horror. Thanks to a bigger budget and contemporary special effects, viewers do get to see a whole lot more of the Thing, but due to the direction and editing, absolutely none of it is actually scary. In fact, the film's bookend use of the memorable Thing theme music almost feels blasphemous because it reminds viewers of how weak this film is compared to its predecessor. The prequel isn't really bad, per se. It's just bland and by-the-numbers. I never felt invested in the film; hell, I never even felt especially interested in the movie. Possibly due to the fact that the film is a prequel and viewers know that inevitably all of the cast has to end up either dead or incapacitated, the film itself makes practically no effort to make the characters engaging or their deaths significant. But even the action is tepid, with the film's only moments of marginal tension coming because they're literally copied from the John Carpenter movie. The film just feels like it was so concerned with hitting the right notes that it ends up having no soul or creativity of its own. In effect, it serves as concrete evidence that a Thing prequel really was never necessary in the first place.

I finally got around to watching Team America (http://www.teamamerica.com/) from beginning to end. I remain amazed that Paramount actually funded the picture, as it looks and feels more like a YouTube gag than a theatrical feature.

Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (http://www.magnetreleasing.com/timandericmovie//) is concentrated adult insanity.

Among the contemporary generation of grindhouse throwback movies, Astron-6's Father's Day (http://thefathersdaymovie.com/) may be the most successful. While Planet Terror may be the one which most epitomizes the idea that the grindhouse movie aspired to, Father's Day feels the most like a film that reaches that pinnacle while still seeming legitimately faithful to the 70's era. The film does drag a bit in some scenes, but 70's flicks have a tendency to do that. This flick also goes far beyond the vulgar, exploitation imagery and ideas that vintage grindhouse flicks - even the most grotesque Italian imports - ever did.

I finished Wes Anderson's 1998 film Rushmore (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128445/) with two impressions. The film is almost painfully hipster. I really don't mind the self-consciously witty style, but I can respect how and why it may annoy some viewers. Furthermore, the movie is simply tremendously fun to watch. The movie is just highly enjoyable. I love the way it presents psychologically twisted, obsessed characters and has them interact while never harping on or making light of their personalities. The movie is absurd but allows the viewer to recognize and interpret the absurdity without spoon-feeding.

[John]

The penultimate episodes of Suite Precure don’t have the series’ best action, although I am thrilled to see the girls use their signature moves without the proclamations and preparatory posing, but compensates by having a lot of heart. The final episodes are emotionally impactful, causing me to reflect in respect that the series ended far stronger than it began. As if the production crew got to know the characters and story during the production, viewers can see the show gradually improve and find its identity and its strengths. While Suite Precure still isn’t one of the finest Pretty Cure series, after watching the final four episodes, I can comfortably call it better than at least the two Yes! Precure series and probably better than Fresh Precure.

The debut episode of Smile Precure (http://asahi.co.jp/precure/) offers plenty to discuss. As expected, the episode contains several similarities to Yes! Precure 5 beyond the standard conceits of the Pretty Cure franchise. However, I’m pleased to see that Smile Precure quickly establishes its own tone and voice that are very different from Yes! Precure 5. While Miyuki may resemble Nozomi, Miyuki’s personality is much closer to that of Heartcatch’s Erika. Since viewers haven’t seen conventional fairies in a while, Candy seems unusual once again. I’m glad that he/she is one of the franchise’s less annoying fairies. Like Precure 5, Smile Precure’s art design is conventional but adequate. The animation quality is noticeably superior to Suite Precure. While the Suite Precure girls did a lot of standing around, Miyuki and Candy are always in motion, and their motion is more fluid than the motion typical in Suite Precure. I’m intrigued to see that Cure Happy is already stronger in her first encounter than possibly any original generation cure from any past series. (I’m excluding latecomers like Milky Rose, Cure Passion, and particularly Cure Sunshine & Cure Moonlight). Cure Happy’s transformation sequence is adequate and conventional, particularly reminiscent of Heartcatch’s transformation animation, but not one of the franchise’s best transformation sequences like that of first series and Yes! 5 Go Go. Unlike first series and Heartcatch, I wasn’t immediately taken by the premiere episode of Smile Precure. But unlike the premiere episodes of Splash Star, Yes! 5, and Fresh, I didn’t have immediate misgivings about this debut episode, either.

Roughly the mid-section of the One Piece 3D: Mugiwara Chase (http://www.jump-heroesfilm.com/)short movie feels abundantly exactly like what it is: a gimmicky event film. However, a particularly strong climax redeems the film and turns it into quite a fun time. While the score is quite odd, I do appreciate the cinematic difference between this film and all other One Piece anime. This film, possibly to benefit its theatrical 3D nature, is shot from a distant perspective rather than typically using lots of close-ups. The result is a very different look and feel to the action that gives viewers an entirely different perspective than we’re used to.

The premiere episode of the Black Rock Shooter (http://www.noitamina-brs.jp/) TV series seemingly corrects some of the weakness of the original OVA but remains a relatively forced hybrid of two entirely separate programs. The character relationships and tension introduced in the TV series is already more interesting than anything in the OVA. For better or worse, the BRS segments now also more clearly reflect the psychological conflict in the “real world.” But BRS herself doesn’t convincingly seem like the protagonist’s alter-ego, which makes the connection between the real and fantasy highly tenuous. The first episode did not tremendously impress me, but I’m willing to give the show a legitimate opportunity to win me over based on strengths, among the weaknesses, that do appear in the first episode.

When I recollect the excellent contemporary gothic ghost story films, I immediately think of The Others and The Orphanage. Now I can add The Woman in Black (http://www.womaninblack.com/) (2011) to that company. The movie is fascinating for a number of reasons. It’s a genuine British haunted house film from the master producers of the genre, Hammer Films. The movie plays out exactly like a turn-of-the-century Brit reimagining of The Ring, although the comparison may not be fair since the source novel pre-dates Koji Suzuki’s Ring novel by eight years. Protagonist Arthur Kipps is a courageous, motivated, and very rational hero, a man who knows fear but doesn’t allow it to overwhelm him, who relies upon reason but doesn’t discount the possibility of the existence of the supernatural. The characterization, again, recalls The Ring, and feels quite unlike conventional ghost stories. The movie manages to be creepy largely, although not entirely, without conventional jump-shocks, and it keeps its signs of haunting prominent and plentiful enough to be entertaining while restrained enough to feel believable. In fact, the singular scene that seems to rely especially heavily on special effects trickery actually feels exaggerated because the rest of the film is so natural and organic.

[John]

Watched InuBoku SS episode 4. Episode 5 had a wonderful unique ending animation, but I feel like part of the episode is starting to redundantly harp on a concept already well established.

Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku episode 5 continues to surprise me with how seriously and faithfully it's aiming to be a serious hard sci-fi story rather than a conventional bishoujo space opera.

One Piece 513-522. Episodes 517 & 521 were real treats to watch.

Shin TeniPri shifted from being a bit dull to being absolutely ridiculous in episode 6.

Hunter x Hunter (2011) episode 18 was also a bit ridiculous, but at least not unreasonably so.

Granted, as of episode 5 Nisemonogatari is beginning to fill in some narrative holes, but Lord this show is so boring so far.

Watched Ano Natsu episode 5. I'm still not entirely sure of my feelings about the show.

Watched Tamayura Hitotose episode 5. I do like this show, but its exceedingly slow pace make watching more than one episode in a sitting exceptionally difficult.

Caught up with Fairy Tail episode 115 & 116.

I finally finished off Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei episodes 20-22. I think it's neat that the final episode of this Flash anime series switched to traditional hand-drawn anime, but the switch actually reveals that the show is better off the way it was originally envisioned because the conventional anime character designs look a bit flat and lifeless.

The second Towa no Quon movie, like the first one but not quite to the same impressive extent, has some impressively animated action but still not much story progression. This still feels like a conventional TV series released as feature films instead of split in 25 minute TV episodes.

The short Fate/prototype anime makes no sense, but it contains more spectacular action than any of the actual "proper" Type Moon anime adaptations so far.

The 2000 Mon Colle Knight: Densetsu no Fire Dragon (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5523) short movie appears to be a prequel to the TV series. It's got the same sort of visual humor and tone as anime like Hunter Lime & Haunted Junction that Atsuko Nakajima also worked on, but it's also really just a bit boring.

The first Ultra Nyan (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=8191) short movie from 1997 isn't bad, but it's not remarkable or even especially memorable in any regard. I'm a bit surprised that the Ultraman parody aspect isn't as pronounced as I anticipated it would be.

Watched the Giants narrowly win a fairly tense Superbowl. Madonna's halftime performance was darn good.

[John]

I don't entirely want to give up on Gundam AGE, but I find it so difficult to watch because it's so dumb. I understand that the show is targeted at 8 year-olds. But it feels like it was also written by an 8 year-old. Watched episodes 9-11.

Watched Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku episode 6, the first episode that actually feels like it lives up to the series title.

Watched Poyopoyo episodes 5 & 6.

Most of Symphogear episode 5 was a bit redundant and not terribly interesting, but the amazing climax absolutely justified the wait.

The second Fullmetal Alchemist movie (http://www.hagaren-movie.net/) is a mixed bag of strengths and compromises. In terms of being simply a fantasy action movie, it's superior to the first film because it's a bit more focused, and it has more action. However, the visual design of the first movie still remains superior to this second picture. Despite some minimal efforts, the second movie lacks a lot of emotion and empathy. Viewers watch what's going on but don't ever feel affected or personally involved. Some of the film's numerous action sequences are very dynamically rendered, but they're often distractingly weakened by obvious compromises in art design to maintain the elaborate and fluid animation. In fact, the character visuals throughout the film vary in sharpness and detail, periodically looking quite poorly drawn or simply unfinished. The ultimate result is a film that's good but not great, good but not fully satisfying or enthralling.

I’m tremendously regretful to concede that I’m actually just a bit embarrassed to admit that I went to see Phantom Menace 3D (http://www.starwars.com/watch/episode-i-3d.html). I’m disappointed that I have to feel ashamed of paying to see a Star Wars movie. I should be happy and eager to see a Star Wars movie, not burdened by a feeling of commitment to support a once beloved franchise. Phantom Menace 3D is really nothing more than a cash grab because the 3D contributes nothing of value at all to the picture. Lucas may say, and may even have convinced himself, that the 3D conversion was intentionally subtle, but a striking, overt 3D conversion simply isn’t possible with the film because it was never composed with 3D in mind in the first place. The added depth adds little to the film, and I particularly noticed that the first shot of Jar Jar, when he stands in mid-screen against the forest background, looks absolutely wretched in 3D. This actually being only my third time watching the film, I find that this time around I wasn’t nearly as bothered by the Asian stereotype trade federation aliens. The Gungans, however, remain a bigger blight on the Star Wars universe than the Ewoks. The pod race announcer is atrocious. And the federation battle droids remain laughable, but not in a good way. I also now spot additional annoyances. I understand why Palpatine ordered the invasion of Naboo because he literally spells out his rationale during the middle of the film. But I don’t understand why the trade federation agrees without question when occupying a small, insignificant star seems to do nothing to serve their goal. I also can’t comprehend why a merchant guild would have its own army. I’m also flabbergasted that the film expects viewers to actually swallow Anakin winning the pod race when he’s never even finished a pod race before, starts a half lap behind everyone else, has a coupling break loose, has one engine blow out, and faces competition from a veteran champion racer. Now that the film is fresh in my mind, it’s no worse than I remember it being, but it’s still not good.

I’m gravitating toward liking Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265666/) even more than Rushmore. While Tenenbaums feels like it has some narrative lapses, particularly telling but not showing the full relationship between Margot & Eli, its humor is more subtle and refined than the highly quirky and overt Rushmore. Honestly, in part because Gene Hackman typically plays unpleasant characters, I’ve always respected but never particularly liked him as an actor. But his portrayal of patriarch Royal Tenenbaum forces me to reevaluate and at least acknowledge that his performance as the scoundrel father of a brood of psychologically introverted geniuses in this film is absolutely magnificent.

[John]

Natsume Shi episodes 6 & 7 tonally aren't exactly like the series' standard, but especially episode 6 is unusually fun.

Chihayafuru episodes 18 & 19 aren't bad at all, but the show feels like it's really slowing down lately.

Watched Symphogear episode 6.

Kill Me Baby episodes 5 & 6 reminded me that this show really isn't especially funny. At best, it's occasionally amusing. But I suppose I like the characters, which explains why I continue to watch it.

Watched Shin TeniPri episode 7.

Cure Sunny's transformation in Smile Precure episode 2 is a lot better and more dynamic than Cure Happy's. Cure Peace contributes a nice silliness to the show.

Watched the second episode of the Sekiei Ayakashi Mangatan web anime.

I appreciate that the BRS TV series' second and third episodes are dealing with heavy subject matter that doesn't often appear in anime. But I do hope that the show soon begins to provide more explanations because the threads that connect the characters and the real & dream worlds presently seem very tenuous and really stretch credibility.

More goofiness in Phi-brain episode 17-20. If the motorcycle race is to-the-death, why bother wearing helmets for protection? At the same time, while I thought the show took itself very seriously before, it's now approaching downright apocalyptic.

Hopefully I'm correctly interpreting that Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku episode 7 is starting to subtely prepare for a more dramatic story.

Watched Hunter x Hunter (2011) episodes 19 & 20.

InuBoku SS episode 6 was cute and fun.

A catchy ending theme song really isn't much consolation for wasting 45 minutes watching the mostly boring Ikkitousen Keppuu-roku OVA. This series continues to be a pointless fighting anime with almost no fighting.

Rinne no Lagrange episode 5-7 are reasonably enjoyable.

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1621641/), director Gabriele Albanesi’s 2010 effort to revive the dormant Italian giallo film genre unfortunately isn’t strong enough to achieve its goal, but that’s not to say that it’s an entirely unsuccessful picture. The narrative is sadly so simple and immediately predictable that rather than attempt to inject any classical giallo red herrings or plot twists, it just inserts a handful of gory dream sequences to keep viewers interested during the mildly atmospheric but slow first hour of the picture. Lead actor Giuseppe Soleri is effective, but by design his character lacks charisma & personality. Paolo Sassanelli is far more interesting as the mysterious and creepy Ubaldo Terzani, but the script reigns in the character when it should instead indulge. The relatively short climax features some admirable Sergio Stivaletti splatter effects, but since the climax plays out exactly as expected, it feels almost anti-climactic and obligatory after 70 minutes of build-up instead of gratifying and rewarding. Ultimately, the picture is competent but nothing more. It’s largely a paint-by-numbers thriller that climaxes in bloody murder, carried by a charismatic villain but weakened by a bland story, amateurish editing, and directing that reveals passion but limited talent. The movie is solidly mediocre; not train-wreck bad by any means, but not exceptional in any regard, either.

The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s second feature, The Whisperer in Darkness (http://www.cthulhulives.org/store/storeDetailPages/whisperer-dvd.html), is a joy for HPL fans, although the film strays just a little bit farther from its source story than does the earlier Call of Cthulhu short film. Early in its development, The Whisperer in Darkness does an outstanding job of evoking Lovecraft’s implication of cosmic horrors beyond the scope and scale of human awareness and even comprehension. The movie’s original climax, however, can be criticized for feeling a bit closer in tone to Rod Sterling than Lovecraft, but it’s also a concession necessary to create a satisfying film. Unlike the Call of Cthulhu short that had a vintage look but occasionally revealed its low budget, amateur origins, Whisperer in Darkness is consistently well acted and nicely framed and shot. In fact, the modern crispness and clarity of the film works against its effort to emulate a vintage motion picture. The film belies its low budget very well, looking and feeling very accomplished. Particularly the special effects are low-tech, but they’re supposed to look low-tech in order to create the sensation of a vintage serial movie. The film is certainly one of the best Lovecraft movies, which it should be considering its origin. And considering its technical evolution over Call of Cthulhu, it makes me eager to see what heights the HPLHS will reach with its next picture.

[John]

Watched Poyopoyo episode 7.

Gokujo episode 3 was quite funny while episode 4 was okay.

As of episode 7, Symphogear continues to get more convoluted.

Natsume Shi episode 8 was a nice episode, which surprises me a bit because I usually dislike flashback episodes.

Shin TeniPri episode 8 was utterly ridiculous.

Chihayafuru episode 20 is the best one in a while because it resurrects the emotional power of the early series episodes that has been missing from recent episodes.

As far as this particular series seems to go, Ano Natsu episodes 6-7 are a little more satisfying because they have some concrete development rather than the series' norm tentative start-and-stop.

Took in High Score episodes 2 & 3 after watching the first episode untranslated a while back.

[John]

The Gyo OVA (http://www.animebunko.com/gyo/) is magnificent. I’m now glad that it was extended and delayed because the final result feels accomplished and complete, free of compromise. The OVA is grotesque, bizarre, provocative, and affecting. It feels like a production that will make a place for itself; it’s a unique, memorable production that feels like a reference point – a production like the Nekojiru-so OVA or Angel’s Egg movie or Robot Carnival that becomes a referential work and a stand-out in the field.

I'm not trying to offend anyone, but while watching the ninth Hellsing OVA I constantly wondered to myself, "This is what fans have been so passionate about and eager to see?" Really, it's awful. Technically, the animation production itself is respectable, but the narrative is atrocious. The characters talk and talk and talk, repeating the same points ad infinitum. The narrative tries so hard to be pretentious that it would be hilarious if it wasn't just so frustrating and annoying to sit through. Hellsing has tremendous potential. The characters are interesting, but points like Anderson continuing to monologue even after his brain is literally gone are simply stupid. The plot twist that begins the climax of the episode is simply dumb. The OVAs have been getting progressively worse. The scale increases while the intelligence inversely decreases.

The Negima movie technically is an alternate ending to the story, but due to its narrative focus, it feels far more like an epilogue than an ending. The action scenes that begin the middle of the film are impressively animated and fun, and good characterizations carry the whole film, but much of the film is actually quite boring because the movie doesn't have a climax so much as it has a resolution.

As a child sci-fi and horror fan, I grew up surrounded by particular names and references, among them Blakes 7, Logan’s Run, and Kolchak. So curiosity prompted me to finally watch the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067490/) – the first TV appearance of intrepid investigative journalist and de facto occult expert Carl Kolchak. To my moderate surprise, the film is largely only horror because it revolves around a vampire. The movie is predominantly a light noir detective mystery depicting Kolchak’s investigation of a Las Vegas serial killer whom Kolchak becomes increasingly convinced is a vampire. The monster, in fact, gets very little screen time. Darren McGavin really brings Kolchak to life, playing the character as a principled but grizzled veteran reporter who makes friends as easily and immediately as enemies. The TV movie is briskly paced and while not exceptional in any regard, consistently engaging and entertaining enough to be satisfying even now, forty years later.

[John]

Watched the revised Dragon Ball SSSS Project version of Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku (http://vjump.shueisha.co.jp/push/db/). It's fun to watch Dragon Ball Z again, and this renewed version is nice because it's not filled with recycled animation the way the original incarnation was. But it's also condensed from an hour down to 30 minutes, making it feel very abbreviated and almost incomplete.

What the hell is going on with the BRS TV series? As though, since Higurashi no Naku Koro ni isn’t really Higurashi anymore, Black Rock Shooter seems to be making a play to step in to the vacancy left for a Higurashi-style psychotic girls anime drama. And like Higurashi’s supernatural elements, BRS seems to arbitrarily rewrite its setting and relationships whenever it deems necessary. For example, when did Yomi & Kagari seemingly stop being sisters? Episode 5. What the hell is this... I don't even...

Watched Natsume Shi episodes 9 & 10.

The second half of Kill Me Baby episode 7 was actully pretty funny.

Watched Nisemonogatari episodes 6-8.

Chihayafuru episode 21 was another consecutive nice one with some emotional strength to it.

Shin TeniPri episode 9 continues to be a ridiculous extended joke, but at least this episode also began to get back to actual tennis.

Ano Natsu episode 8 finally remembered that it's a sci-fi anime.

The first ToHeart 2 Dungeon Travelers OVA (http://aquaplus.jp/th2dtv/) is disappointingly bland. Doubtlessly it will be amusing to die-hard ToHeart fans, but for casual viewers the OVA does practically nothing besides transpose a typical ToHeart story into a new setting. The story makes little effort to actually do anything interesting with the fantasy setting and situation.

Watched InuBoku 8.

To see what it's like, I sampled the first episode of the 1994 Shirayuki-hime no Densetsu (http://www.tatsunoko.co.jp/works/archive/sirayukihime.html) TV series. As the Meiken Lassie TV series does also, it begins very early in the story, when Snow White is born. The series also takes care to introduce Snow White's wicked step-mother rather than beginning the story with the step-mother already present. In every other respect, though, the series conforms to expectations, being dialogue heavy and not especially stylized.

Smile Precure episode 5 is especially predictable, but not exactly bad.

Hotarubi no Mori e (http://www.hotarubi.info/) is every bit as beautiful and charming as expected. On a technical level, I notice two things in the short film which I've never seen any other anime depict before: heat rising off of paved streets during summer, and steam rising from a manhole cover. Of course they're simple details, yet still minor details usually overlooked in typical anime.

Caught up on the past three episodes of Archer.

The hockey fight comedy Goon (http://www.magnetreleasing.com/goon/) wants to be its generation's Slap Shot but falls well short. The movie is a one-trick pony that's most successful in its first 15 minutes before the novelty of its single joke wears thin. However, to its credit, the movie does manage to make its hockey fight gags and team ribbing moderately enjoyable throughout, largely be being consistently crass and cribbing jokes from other sources. But when the movie segues into its obligatory romantic interest scenes even Alison Pill's cuteness can't keep the film bouyed. My own assessment is that the film is solidly average; not bad but certainly not creative or engaging enough to rise above ordinary.

Presuming that The Innkeepers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1594562/) was partially writer/director Ti West's conscious effort to deconstruct the traditional haunted house story, I can give the film credit for some success, but it's backhanded credit because if the desire was to create a boring anti-horror film, West succeeded. The film seems to make conscious effort to recreate the suspense and mystery of traditional ghost stories but then do nothing at all with it. The film lingers on shots and objects which ultimately have no meaning. The psychic claims that the hotel is home to three spirits, yet the point is never addressed again. A reference to "a mistake" is made but never explained. The protagonist is warned not to enter the basement, and again, the point is never explained. The movie even goes out of its way to subtly undermine its own abrupt climax. Confounding audience expectation can be creative, but doing nothing but leads to a film in which nothing ever happens. The very methodically paced movie takes a generous amount of time to build the character of its two leads, but these two ordinary folks are simply so mundane that they don't justify the hour of slow-burn character development. Viewers simply get a nice looking but dull hour of two average people being bored. A ghost story does fit into the equation, but since it has no explanation, practically no climax, and no resolution, it feels like an exercise in frustrating and aggravating the audience instead of providing fun entertainment. The movie is well shot and acted; it's atmospheric; but it has no horror, no payoff, and seemingly ultimately no point other than being a haunted house movie that does the opposite of what every other haunted house movie does, resulting in an entirely pointless and tedious film. Actually, upon further consideration, I realize that the film can be interpreted as a sort of prequel. But the point still remains that if this is a prequel to a story, then it’s the uninteresting narrative that leads into the actual meat of the story. So viewers are left with only the set-up for a good story.

Apart from a few fanciful dream sequences, The Artist (http://weinsteinco.com/sites/the-artist/) is straightforward and exactly what viewers expect. The film is quite enjoyable as it’s really pure cinema, relying upon its narrative & acting to carry the story rather than dialogue or visual effects. Although the film is about cinema itself, it largely avoids being too smug, self-referential, or pretentious, instead simply paying homage to a bygone era by respectfully recreating it in all of its simplicity, with wit standing in place of narrative or cinematic sophistication. The film does take a bit of getting used to for modern viewers. Particularly lengthy silent scenes without any background music feel particularly jarring, not because they’re bad but rather because they’re so far outside of what contemporary viewers are used to. Although the film certainly isn’t mainstream nor especially popular with a wide audience, I’m glad that it was so generously recognized by the Oscars because it’s a very lovingly-crafted work of art deserving of high praise.

Nic Refn’s 1999 second film, Bleeder (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161292/), retains three of the actors from Pusher and that earlier film’s near documentary cinematic style but focuses on a slightly less violent and sensational narrative. In fact, the story and style of Bleeder evoke almost a sense of pointlessness, as though the director & actors simply got together and decided to start shooting, with only an initial impression of narrative direction in mind. The film is a slice-of-life drama focusing on one slightly psychotic man who feels that he’s losing control of his life, and the three friends or acquaintances that surround him. The characterizations all feel natural and believable. Some of the decisions the characters make are illogical or unwise, merely serving to enhance the verisimilitude. Apart from its very obvious affection for movies – particularly cult movies – Bleeder looks and feels like early Martin Scorcese, but with less to say. For a sophomore effort, the film is admirable, but apart from its technical competence, the film lacks impact because its narrative is so simple and mundane, despite including some violence.

[John]

Symphogear 8-12. Episode 9 in particular reminded me of Kurenai in the regard that this show, like Kurenai, doesn't have an especially complicated or epic story yet still feels more ambitious than its production budget really supports.

Among Kill Me Baby episodes 8-13, episode 9 actually had a few very funny moments and the zombie gag in episode 11 was especially amusing.

Chihayafuru episode 22 reinforces the narrative trend that's characterized the show lately. Chihaya is supposed to be good, but viewers lately never see it. Only seeing her make mistakes and lose repeatedly really wears down enthusiasm to watch the show. Of course, I don't expect or even want to see the show progress without conflict, but I think that the show really needs to occasionally remind viewers that Chihaya does actually deserve to be playing in the field she's in. Episode 23 was a nice character-centric episode a bit away from karuta. Episodes 24 & 25 primarily cause me to wonder in frustration how the series ends the way it does, without an ending at all.

Watched Tamayura ~hitotose~ episodes 6-9.

Watched Gokujo episodes 4-9 & 11.

Watched Shin TeniPri episodes 10-12. Particularly episode 10 made me realize that I enjoyed watching this show because it's so goofy.

Finally, Ano Natsu episode 9 was an especially nice episode, although it makes the parallel with Onegai Teacher sadly abundantly obvious. Also watched episode 10.

The Yuriseijin Naoko-san OVA (http://www.animebunko.com/naokosan/) gave me the same impression the short OAD did, that this title deserves and demands a TV series. The OVA is absurdly funny. Now where's Minori Scramble?

Watched Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku episodes 8-13.

Watched InuBoku SS 9.

Judging by the preview version of the first episode of Hiiro no Kakera (http://www.hiironokakera.tv/), I can't fault the show in any regard, but it's not the style of anime that appeals to me.

Watched Rin-Lag episodes 8 & 9. I'm disappointed that the "Wan" joke got explained, as I liked it better when it was just a bizarre character quirk.

Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku (http://hikuushi-tsuioku.com/) feels like a date movie that includes just enough action to keep guys awake. The film's two primary aerial combat scenes are exciting, but the entire rest of the film is bland and uninspired, at times descending into laughable stereotype. The combat scenes may actually be more exciting than even Sky Crawlers because they're more focused on creating an impact than on depicting realism or technical animation excellence.

None of the Pretty Cure movies are bad, but some are distinctly better than others. The Suite Precure movie (http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/movie/2011_suite_precure/) is among the weakest of the franchise, on par with the first Yes 5 movie (or actually both Yes 5 movies) and second All-Stars movie. The first half of the Suite movie is simply a TV episode. The first half of the movie has no larger sense of scale or more significant narrative than an ordinary TV episode, and no more impressive design or animation. The second half of the movie feels especially similar to the fourth act of the TV series but regrettably insists upon so slavishly adhering to the conventions of the Pretty Cure movie franchise that it lacks impact and originality and even feels like it compromises its own narrative by following convention instead of allowing the story to develop organically and naturally. Actually, this may be the weakest of all of the Pretty Cure movies because this one simply feels so uninspired and rote, even compared to the very predictable Yes 5 and Fresh movies. On a side note, I'm also bothered by the fact that Major Land appeared to consist of only perhaps 50% humans in the TV series, yet in the movie the population is 99.9% human. The inconsistency annoys me.

Pretty Cure has always been lighthearted, but it's not usually as outright funny as bits of Smile Precure episode 6 are. I somewhat appreciate that episodes 7 & 8 are, as Pretty Cure tends to do occasionally, breaking from tradition and doing things in the narrative that the series has never done before. But melee fighting has always been a signature characteristic of the Pretty Cure franchise, so this series feels like something is missing when it doesn't include hand-to-hand fighting. The first seven episodes have only included a few brief seconds of conventional fighting, and due to particular circumstances, I'm not even sure if episode 8's action scene may be considered hand-to-hand fighting. Episode 9 was moderately enjoyable but not exceptional.

The first episode of 1981's Manga Mitokomon (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=993) includes some moments of better quality animation than I expect from studio Knack. The episode is frequently goofy but pretty entertaining.

Phi-brain episode 21 continues to be rather dumb. Episode 22 is normal, and while episode 23 includes the series' routine weaknesses, I will admit that the puzzle (or rather, game) solution is quite neat. Also watched episode 24.

The 1992 Aah! Harimanada TV series is not a show that I've been long aware of despite the fact that I was already watching current Japanese broadcast anime back then. I watched and quite enjoyed the first four episodes because the show moves very quickly and keeps its focus squarely on conflict: the sumo matches, the politics of the sport, and testy relationships between characters.

Watched Hunter x Hunter (2011) episode 22-25.

Since I happen to have a fondness for bosozoku anime, I quite enjoyed the first 1991 Yokohama Meibutsu Otoko Katayama Gumi! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7340) OVA.

Continued below --->

[John]

Continued from above.

The reason why the 1995 Bounty Hunter the Hard (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3296) OVA isn't as warmly or distinctly remembered as similar OVAs like Riki-Oh, Battle Royal High School, Angel Cop, or Riding Bean isn't because it lacks action, gratuitous violence, hardboiled attitude, or masculinity but becasue it lacks sufficient amount of those characteristics and delays introducing them for too long.

I'm glad to see that the first episode of Ozuma (http://ozuma.jp/) at least has reasonable production values. The premiere episode requires some liberal suspension of disbelief, but that's probably due to the age of the source material.

BRS episodes 6 & 7 had me starting to reevaluate and solidify my impression of the series, and the impression increasingly leaned toward begrudging approval in episode 8. This is yet another 2012 anime that deserves credit at least for its ambition.

Nisemonogatari 9-11 ended with a moderately disappointing episode that spends a lengthy time building anticipation for a battle that's largely off-screen which concludes with overwraught philosophy that only works provided some massive logical concessions. It's another reminder that despite all of his acclaim, Nissioissin really relies heavily on linguistic gimmicks that sound intelligent but actually aren't upon careful examination.

I think, or at least thought, that I'd watched enough Fujiko F. Fujio anime to have a functional knowledge of what it's generally like. The 1994 Umeboshi Denka: Uchuu no Hate Kara Panparopan! movie (http://hp.ponycanyon.co.jp/pchp/cgi-bin/PCHPM.pl?TRGID=PCHP_SKH_1010&CMD=DSP&DSP_SKHBNG=201100000491&DSP_SKHKETSEQ=001) featured some unexpectedly good animation and an especially cute queen but was otherwise typical of what I expected. It's light and child friendly. I then watched the 2004 Paman: Tako de Pon! Ashi wa Pon! movie (http://www.dora-movie.com/movie_25/perman/) and was quite surprised by it. Unlike Doraemon, Esper Mami, Umeboshi Denka, and Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Paman has a bit of a cynical, more conventional, less childish undercurrent to its humor making it skew just a little bit closer in tone to anime like Crayon Shin-chan or Moretsu Ataro than Anpanman. Furthermore, the 2004 Paman movie is animated very nicely. I found that I enjoyed the movie much more than I'd expected to, and it encouraged me to also watch the first episode of the 1983 second TV series (http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/channel/contents/anime/0039/). While the '83 TV series isn't quite as contemporary in feel as the 2004 movie, it does still feel more mature than later anime like Esper Mami & Kiteretsu Daihyakka do.

Finished off Natsume Shi episodes 12 & 13.

Watched Fairy Tail 117-119.

The 1990 Onimaru OVA (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7373) has interesting character design, fairly nice action, and moments of nice animation. But ultimately it feels insubstantial and weightless because its story doesn't seem to maintain a singular focus and its ending is oddly abrupt. I enjoyed it, and I'm very glad to finally have the opportunity to watch it, but I have little trouble seeing why it's been largely forgotten. It's certainly not bad, but it's not exceptional, either.

I don't know a lot about Uchuu Kyodai (http://uchukyodai.com/), but the first episode of the anime gives me the impression that it's a perfectly fine realistic drama story for mainstream, non-otaku manga readers. It's safe and ordinary enough for mainstream consumers to enjoy it without feeling embarassed or juvenile. The anime is good in the respect that it doesn't contain any glaring flaws, but it also lacks anything special to secure my interest.

At least the first episode of Furusato Saisei Nippon no Mukashi Banashi (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/mukashibanashi/) isn't as stylishly eclectic as Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi, but it is a higher quality production and more interesting to watch than last year's Nippon Omoshiro Mukashi Banashi.

The first episode of Shiba Inuko-san (http://www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_shibainukosan/) is so short that it's difficult for me to form an opinion on it.

As expected, the double-length first episode of Accel World (http://www.accel-world.net/) has nice production values and a fairly otaku-pandering narrative that feels like paint-by-numbers light novel story. It's certainly not bad, but it relies on creating familiar situations and characters that viewers can easily associate with rather than attempting anything unusual, unconventional, or particularly creative.

I wonder what a Gon (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/gon/) anime would have been like had it been created by a Japanese studio rather than Korea's Daewon studio. Although I did get used to the first episode of the Gon anime after a while, it's not entirely Masashi Tanaka's Gon. The strength of the original manga story lay in its whimsical realism and Gon's self-absorbed personality. As soon as the anime introduced talking animals, the manga's realism was entirely banished. Compounding the harm, the animated Gon isn't self-absorbed; he's childish. The manga Gon exhibits a sense of conscious awareness. He knowingly does what he wants, regardless of whether his actions annoy his surrounding company. The anime Gon doesn't reveal any of that consciousness. He's childlike, acting and reacting on instinct rather than decision. While the original manga felt smart and creative, the animation feels very much like an Asian cousin to Dreamworks animation. It's simplified and dumbed-down, easy for children to understand and appreciate - jeez, it even includes a fart joke, unlike the subtly witty manga.

Just one episode of Naruto SD Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/lee/) was more than enough for me. The show is far more infantile than comparable children's shounen anime like Gakkyu Ou Yamazaki, Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi, and Penguin no Mondai.

Still continued below --->

[John]

And continued from the above two posts.

The first episode of Recorder to Randsell Re (http://www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_rikoran/) continues to be not especially interesting.

The first episode of Gakkatsu! (http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/gakkatsu/) is sort of cute, in a bizarre way.

Struggled to sit through the entire first episode of the painfully boring Kimi to Boku 2 (http://www.kimiboku.tv/).

Watched JCVD and the Tintin movie a second time each with friends.

The final episodes of third season Archer were quite a riot.

Critics that have a gripe with the 2008 creature feature Splinter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031280/) do have a leg to stand on. The film, at times - sadly most often when the monster is on screen - takes obvious steps to hide its limited budget. However, practical and technical weaknesses aside, the movie does far more right than it does wrong. I really have to wonder why it's not a better known film than it is, and I wonder how much responsibility the film's promotion takes. The movie is ostensibly the well-worn "monster outside/human monster inside" story that's been re-told since Night of the Living Dead; however, unlike most films of this ilk, the character development arcs in Splinter are genuinely natural and believable. More importantly, the movie is genuinely tense, suspenseful, intelligent, gruesome, and frightening. The movie is actually a very effective, smart hybrid of John Carpenter's The Thing and Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator. The problem is that the film's trailer, in order to sustain the film's surprises, doesn't let on at all that the film has such credible characteristics. The movie's trailer keeps too much hidden, resultantly creating the impression that the film is far more derivative and uninteresting than it actually is. Although not perfect, Splinter is a very good monster horror picture clearly made with a lot of love and devotion from its cast and crew, and a lot of very welcome forethought and intelligence in addition to some very interesting gore and visual horror. While I like this film much more than Mulberry Street, I'm reminded that this film and Mulberry Street are both excellent indie horrors that are done absolutely no justice by their weak, ineffective trailers.

If all of DC's original animated movies were as good as Justice League: The New Frontier (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0902272/), I'd watch far more of them. Granted, there's a whole lot of anime that's better than this 2008 film, but I've also seen a whole lot of anime that's worse. And that's substantial praise for an American cartoon. Although I'm not familiar with the original comic mini-series, the movie does feel like story elements have been excised for time, and occasionally the animation reveals some weaknesses. But the movie's art design is attractive, and most of the film is technically quite competent. The movie is also unusually intelligent, actually including timely social and political references without feeling the need to spoon-feed, and including a moderate amount of fairly graphic violence and some adult language organic to the story. This actually feels like an animated picture for teens and young adults not just because it contains bloody violence but because it's actually intelligent and not condescending, although it does get a bit jingoistic towards the end. This is a bit better than Batman: Under the Red Hood and certainly better than Ultimate Avengers; it's roughly on par with G.I. Joe Resolute, although not as exciting.

I've heard so much praise for the Cuban zombie comedy Juan of the Dead (http://www.juanofthedeadmovie.com/lang/en/), for so long, that I feared that when I finally saw the film myself, it wouldn't be able to meet my elevated expectations. So I say with relief and pleasure that the movie still lived up to expectations. The movie shares the tone of Shawn of the Dead in the best way, having a similar tone and humor to Edgar Wright's movie yet not copying the earlier film at all. Like Shawn of the Dead, the movie isn't especially heavy on graphic gore, but it has enough blood and zombie mayhem to feel like a fully satisfying zombie flick. The movie also subtly indulges with an abundance of relevant film homages including T2, Enter the Dragon, Brain Dead, Land of the Dead, and Zombie. And perhaps best of all, the film is genuinely funny. While the film's title may sound unoriginal, the movie itself is fresh, engaging, and tremendously fun for both hardcore horror fanatics and casual viewers. I'm very pleased that I had a chance to see the movie during its screening at the local Gasparilla International Film Festival.

[John]

The debut episode of Kuromajo-san ga Touru!! (http://www.shin-ei-animation.jp/kuromajyo/) feels like it moves too quickly and doesn't focus its attention where it's most needed, but the episode isn't really bad. But it's not unusually good, either.

Excepting some protagonist characterization that requires substantial suspension of disbelief, the first episode of Zetman (http://zetman.jp/) exhibits good production values and stylish (in one sequence, too-stylish) action. But the first episode doesn't establish enough narrative to really allow me to form a substantial opinion on the show.

Medaka Box (http://medakabox.jp/) seems like an ideal match for Gainax. From Blazing Transfer Student to Gurren Lagann, Gainax loves the hot-blooded teen that lives by and for personal justice. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that the first episode is better animated and more engaging than its trailers suggested. I'm pleased to see that this particular Nisio Isin story is satisfying without needing to rely on the gimmicks that typify the "Monogatari" stories.

The first episode of Shirokuma Café (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/shirokumacafe/) is moderately amusing, but I'm mildly disappointed that the episode focused on Panda when Shirokuma is a much more interesting character.

Judging by its first episode, Sengoku Collection (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/sencolle/) is the cute version of Ikkitousen. The show is pretty nice to look at, but it's so innocuous that it simply feels like filler to pass the time rather than a show to actually invest in and actively enjoy.

The debut of Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (http://fujiko.tv/) may be the most fantastic anime I've seen in several years. It far exceeds my high hopes and expectations. Highly reminiscent of a more action-oriented Kanashimi no Belladonna, it feels light-years different from any other contemporary anime, which is a refreshing breath of fresh air.

The only particularly interesting or fun part of the first episode of Kore wa Zombie of the Dead (http://kadokawa-anime.jp/zombie/) was the final two lines of dialogue, and that cliffhanger certainly isn't substantial enough to convince me to watch any more of this roundly uninteresting show.

I was curious about Sankarea (http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/sankarea/) because it was an unknown. Having watched the first episode I can say that I'm pleased that it's not quite as silly and condescending as debuts like Kore wa Zombie and ItsuTen. But it's not great either. The first episode, and the preview for the second, both appear quite bland and adequate but nothing more.

I've liked Yurumates since watching its first OAD, and I'm pleased that although short, the first episode of Yurumates 3D (http://www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_yuru/) is quite amusing.

I will admit that in the case of this season's Taka no Tsume Neo (http://xn--u9j429qiq1a.jp/), I did watch the first episode just to earn the right to say that I've watched it.

After watching the second Queen's Blade Rebellion OAD, I watched the first episode of the TV series (http://queensblade.tv/). Apart from not understanding why Ymir's hair color has changed, I find the new series pretty interesting. It introduces a lot of intriguing new narrative questions.

Conceptually Kuroko no Basuke (http://www.kurobas.com/) seems to be just a bit cool and a whole lot ridiculous, requiring a tremendous amount of suspension of disbelief. The production values are pretty good, and the opening animation sequence is very impressive.

The first episode of Upotte (http://www.upotte.jp/) is cute and fun.

The astute viewer should be able to recognize parallels in the first episode of Acchi Kocchi (http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/ackc/) to at least Lucky Star, Manabi Straight, and, more loosely, plenty of school romance anime. But this show proves that originality isn't necessary to make good anime, as the first episode was quite charming and very enjoyable.

Natsuiro Kiseki (http://www.natsuiro-kiseki.jp/) feels a bit difficult to call based on its first episode alone. While it looks nice, the girls' characterizations don't feel quite interesting enough yet to sustain the show. So I'll need to watch at least another episode to see what the series plans to do with its characters.

I want to like the Arashi no Yoru ni (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/arashinoyoruni/) CG TV series because I really like the 2005 movie. However, while the TV series does have nice color design and a soft, pleasant design, it lacks warmth. Everything looks artificial, which makes fully engaging with the action a bit difficult. Mei and especially Gav have good personalities, but they look like toys rather than animals.

I decided to skip Hunter x Hunter (2011) episode 26 after I realized that it's a recap episode.

Fate/zero episode 14 rewards viewers returning after the hiatus with plenty of action and spectacular animation.

Despite being quite action-oriented and wrapping up the story, Phi-brain episode 25 still feels anti-climactic because it doesn't address the tremendous amount of mystique and exaggeration that the series has consciously built around the story and anticipated climax. Episode 26 has a nice new opening and brings back the homosexual undercurrent that hadn't been as prominent lately.

Is this the season of odd fetish anime? First Sankarea introduced zombie moé, now the slightly odd Nazo no Kanojo X (http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/nazokano_x/) introduces moé for drool. Perhaps I'm just conservative, but the first episode creeped me out just a bit because it seems weird and just a little bit gross. But I did find myself engaged enough in the episode that I'm interested in watching more of it.

The first episode of Saki Achiga-hen episode of side-A (http://www.saki-anime.com/) is energetic but its conflicted focus fails to relly draw me in. It's not a bishoujo slice-of-life anime because it doesn't have quite enough focus on character or dialogue, yet it also doesn't singularly focus on the mahjong play.

I don't have especially high expectations for the Beyblade franchise, but the debut episode of Metal Fight Beyblade ZeroG (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/mf-beyblade-zero/) felt especially lazy. Evidently it begins roughly ten years after the previous Metal Fight series, and since it introduces a new cast of children, the episode seems to have little concern for originality or effort. It's a paint-by-nubmers rehash of the first Metal Fight episode and a clone of countless other hobby anime, adding nothing at all new or distinctive to the formula.

The debut of Jewelpet Kira Deco (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/jp-kiradeco/) adhered to my expectations, but I'd forgotten that recent series from the franchise, this one included, contain frequent examples of a very amusing absurdist humor. Seeing cute furry little animals get hit in the face is patently funny.

Judging by its first episode, Pabu and Mojies (http://www.bsfuji.tv/top/pub/paboo_mojies.html) is somewhat interesting because it's an anime for very young children that attempts to teach the English alphabet and introduce simple English words to Japanese children.

[John]

I was much more disappointed by the first episode of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (http://www.nyaruko.com/) than I expected to be. Although the production values are passable, assuming that the narrative in the prior two anime adaptations were faithful to the source novels, I'm very disappointed to see the current TV series round off the odd edges. Rather than making Nyaruko-san a cosmic god that lives with Mahiro for no particular reason, I'm appalled that she's now an alien cop with a crush on a human boy. I'm appalled that the cosmic deities of the Cthulhu mythos are now merely aliens involved in mafia-style smuggling. I'm disappointed that the bizarre non-sequiter humor of the prior two anime installments has been eliminated, leaving the current TV series so safe and conventional that it's boring. I'm disappointed that it even pulls out the fork then compromises the gag to overtly inform viewers that the show going to be a banal, innocuous version of the original concept. I haven't seen a horror comedy anime get this dumbed down since the bland, disappointing 2007 Kaibutsu Oujo TV series. Granted, the pokemon gag and the oddity of Nyaruko's crowbar are mildly amusing, but two decent disposable gags in 25 minutes isn't a very good ratio. I appreciate all of the Lovecraftian references in episode 2, but I also clearly realize now that this isn't an adaptation of the original novels; it's an original Lovecraft parody inspired by Manta Aisora's novels.

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (http://www.amnesia-tv.com/) episode one seems like it has potential but isn't substantial enough to allow for a concrete judgement. The production values are attractive and the characterizations seem interesting. But the story will also need some compelling narrative that's largely absent in the first episode.

The Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi OVA (http://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/kenichi/) is a decent disposable little distraction.

The first RuroKen Kyoto Arc OVA (http://www.kenshin-tv.com/) is interesting in a technical sense because it's an attempt to retell the story in the more subdued and dramatic tone of the original OVAs. As a result, small story details seem slightly altered and the action is a bit less exaggerated than the TV series. However, this presentation causes me to wonder, again, about the motivation behind this production because even with a longer 45 minute length, the episode still feels like it doesn't contain much substantial action, and its story development feels superficial and severely incomplete because viewers are only getting the middle of the story.

After only one episode I'm still a bit ambivilent about Jormungand (http://www.jormungand.tv/), but I'm already inclined to like it more than Black Lagoon because Black Lagoon suffers from a dire case of big hat, small cattle. Jormungand appears to be just as silly as Black Lagoon, but it feels no need for bluster and pretention because it matter-of-factly delivers substantitive action instead of just talking a big game.

Watched the second episode of Yurumates 3D. While the humor is still very fun, I think I prefer the earlier Flash anime character designs.

Nothing about the first episode of Sakamichi no Apollon (http://www.noitamina-apollon.com/) is particularly bad, although the animation is periodically a little bit noticably jerky. But nothing about the episode seems or feels especially outstanding, either. It's realistic and nostalgic, but so was last year's Showa Monogatari and, I presume, Kokuriko-zaka Kara. So nostalgic realism isn't really a distinction of excellence. I was actually surprised by how similar the episode's narrative was to the much more enjoyable first episode of Tsuritama.

The premiere episode of Tsuritama (http://www.tsuritama.com/) feels like the most fun anime I've watched in a while. The show feels like a light and refreshing cool breeze. It's pleasant without being slice-of-life realistic.

I quite enjoyed the second episode of Upotte; however, I'll concede the brain-melting iconography of a gun anthropomorphized as a human anthropomorphized as a cat.

I seen fantasy slice of life anime and bread baking anime, but prior to the first episode of Shining Hearts: Shiawase no Pan (http://shining-world.jp/heartsTV/), never an anime that combined the genres. Production I.G seems to be becoming one of the go-to studios for adaptations of fantasy video games. While the episode isn't particularly bad, I'm troubled by its obvious absence of consideration for costume design. Clearly the costumes were designed around a goal of looking cool rather than making any sense relative to the setting.

Eureka Seven AO (http://eurekaao-prj.net/) is very confusing at the start, but it feels more engrossing and engaging than the first episode of the prior series did for three reasons. Ao is a more assertive, and therefore more interesting protagonist. The inclusion of more character interaction creates more conflict and viewer attachment. And more action in the first episode makes this new series more immediately interesting than the earlier series' premiere.

In untranslated Japanese, the bulk of Cardfight Vanguard episode 66, the first episode of "Asia Circuit Hen," is pretty darn boring, as it's literally just an introduction to the rules of the card game.

I found the second episode of Gakkatsu pretty funny.

Ano Natsu de Matteru episodes 11 & 12 wrapped up the series better than I expected. While I don't think this will ultimately rank as one of the best anime of the year because this is already proving to be an especially strong year for TV anime, this was an unexpectedly well crafted show.

The Minori Scramble OVA (http://www.animebunko.com/minori/) is a refreshing reminder of what a lot of viewers love about anime. It's exaggerated, believable but unrealistic fun, and it's nicely animated and attractive looking.

The primary strength of Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku is its realistic grounding. That credibility stretches a bit thin in the end of episode 15. Watched episodes 13-15.

Nazo no Kanojo X episode 2 certainly explains why Mikoto Urabe is "mysterious," although "selfish" might actually be a slightly more accurate description.

Continued --->

[John]

Continued from above.

In order to avoid dropping spoilers, I'll only say that I enjoyed Cabin in the Woods (http://discoverthecabininthewoods.com/) immensely and suspect that the film may be even better on a second viewing.

The Raid (http://www.sonyclassics.com/theraid/), or The Raid: Redemption as Sony Pictures Classics saw fit to title the film for American release, perhaps in a failed effort to convince potential viewers that the movie has symbolic and narrative weight when the only thing its primary audience wants to see it plenty of violence, delivers plentifully in a variety of areas. First and foremost, the film unabashedly delivers the intense, swift, and graphic action that movie fans always hope for from action films. The action is desperate, brutal and unflinching, believable as the action of emotionally charged soldiers in mortal struggle. There’s no American action film that approaches this level of fierce and grim brutality because this action is honest to its situation, not beholden to a cinematic ethic of pleasing filmgoers. The heroes are just as savage as the villains, acting in instinct and emotion rather than rational morality. The villains are ruthless, and the movie shows them as they are, never cutting away or softening their cruelty. While an American re-make is already planned, I can envision an American reimagining enhancing the original film’s more dramatic narrative turns, but I can’t remotely envision its action coming anywhere close to the breathless fury of the original. Star Iko Uwais was a boy in 2009’s Merantau, but a mere two years later, he’s an engaging, emotive yet mature young leading man. Part of the credit for his character lies in the screenplay, yet much of the credit has to go to Uwais’ own acting performance that lends gravity and pathos to the movie. That pathos is particularly brought out by a narrative that’s just a little more complex than the reminiscent climax of John Woo’s Hardboiled. While the action is the movie’s raison d’etre, it delivers a slightly more heartfelt, impactful story than expected. Rather than a complaint, I simply notice that the movie is crisply divided into two parts. The early portion of the film is entirely gunplay until the movie distinctly signifies a switch to melee action. Narratively I understand the decision, yet I personally would have preferred a more even spread throughout the picture. Also more of an observation than a complaint is the recognition that the film’s extensive use of Silat suits the movie perfectly but at the same time also feels very slightly underwhelming. The hand-to-hand fighting has a wild, furious, spontaneity that feels entirely appropriate to the context. Since Silat is a martial art specifically designed to incorporate a knife, the fighting with a knife in the movie is breathtakingly efficient and brutal. However, most of the unarmed fighting feels prolonged and playing to the camera, which is great for the audience but somewhat contradictory to the scenario of the film. Silat just doesn’t quite seem to have the immediate, bone-breaking stopping power of Tony Jaa’s Muay Thai or Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kun Do. However, the elaborate movement of Muay Thai or the precision of Jeet Kun Do wouldn’t look or feel at home in the setting of The Raid. After all, using an Indonesian martial art makes the most sense for an action film set in Indonesia.

My early anxiety about the Timur Bekmambetov produced sci-fi/actioner The Darkest Hour (http://www.darkesthourmovie.com/) and my decision to wait for home video were abundantly justified. While marginally better than Skyline, the difference in quality and appeal between this film and that one is razor thin. Within seconds of its opening credits, The Darkest Hour informs viewers that the movie’s stars will be unpleasant folks that typical viewers wouldn’t want to spend time with. The movie then compounds the suffering by increasing the number of co-starring jerks. Predictably, the movie is full of logical holes, but to its dubious credit, the movie doesn’t make its logical flaws abundantly obvious because, as though rife with ADD, it spends little time on any singular concept. The movie introduces a variety of plot twists yet does absolutely nothing with any of them save the last one. The decision is head-scratching and frustrating, but ultimately perhaps for the best as the unexploited ideas are seemingly so dumb that the less said about them the better. A friend compared the movie to a Sci-Fi Channel original picture. Unfortunately, I think that comparison may be ironically too generous. Although The Darkest Hour is noticeably more professional than a Sci-Fi Original, it lacks even the goofy absurdity of a trashy Sci-Fi Original picture, leaving only a glossy looking dull and stupid mess.

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show director Gabriele Albanesi’s debut feature Last House in the Woods (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0484175/) is an awful mess that the self-aggrandizing director, judging by the “making of,” perceives as the greatest Italian horror picture since Susperia. The film is indeed a commendable homage to bad 70’s giallo, but that still makes the movie bad. One may imagine that a film that borrows liberally from The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and House By the Edge of the Park would be an exploitation orgasm, but the movie merely borrows and pastes together components without ensuring that they actually fit together and play nice. Granted, via blunt exposition during the climax, the seemingly disparate pieces do make remote sense (part of the point of giallo is that it doesn’t entirely make logical common sense), but the mere fact that the viewer is forced to sit through 80 minutes of nonsense just to get a blunt explanation is a waste of the film-goer’s time. The movie certainly has the sensuality and unsettling atmosphere of giallo, but Albanesi accomplished both better in his second film, Ubaldo Terzani. Gore is highly touted, but early in the picture it’s kept off-screen, seemingly as a budget compromise. The movie is probably interesting as an academic viewing exercise for fans of Italian horror, but as entertainment, the movie fails miserably.

[John]

Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Futur (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/prettyrhythm/dmf/)e appears to pick up directly where the first series ended. I'm pleased to see that the merger of CG and traditional 2D animation is getting more seemless, but I'm disappointed to see that particularly in the episode's beginning performance scene, CG animation is used as a shortcut when hand-drawn animation would be difficult or time consuming. I also appreciate the show's frequent inclusion of very goofy visual gag humor.

I'm still not entirely sold on Smile Precure's lack of fighting, but if the show continues to do interesting action alternatives to extended hand-to-hand fights as episode 10 did, I'll gladly accept the compromise. My first reaction to the beginning of episode 11 was, "Haven't they learned by now?" The climactic action at the end of the episode definitely makes me think that the creative staff behind the series is trying to come up with exciting, inventive ways to depict action without using the franchise's trademark brawling.

Watched the very cute Acchi Kocchi episode 2. Episode 3 was especially funny. ep. 4 also.

Watched Inu x Boku SS episode 10. A small part of me wants to reject episode 11 because so much of it consists of blunt exposition. However, it's also so heartfelt, such affecting raw emotion that it's hard not to respect and appreciate. Episode 12 includes a wonderful, touching climax that would be very sappy and sentimental were it not so imbued by the characterization that's been nurtured throughout the show leading up to this climax.

St. Seiya Omega episodes 2-4 haven't entirely thrilled me, but I suppose I'll continue watching it.

Fujiko Mine episodes 2-5 have been consistently exceptional.

The debut episode of Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (http://www.amnesia-tv.com/) is difficult to call because it has so little narrative development.

Watched the first episode of Inazuma Eleven Go: Chrono Stone (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/inazumago/).

The L85 story in Upotte episode 3 was sadly hilarious. Episode 4 is interesting, but episode 5 certainly took an unexpected turn into darker, more twisted territory.

Watched Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku episodes 16-18. Is there a big animation error in episode 18? Why is Jenny back in her formal dress after she changed out of it in the previous episode?

Even though I was tentative about it, I've ended up watching Accel World through episode 5. The show is nice looking and, I suppose, just engaging enough without being too challenging that it's an easy way to pass some time.

Eureka Seven AO episodes 2 & 3 continue to be lushly produced and rather confusing.

Finally finished off Tamayura ~hitotose~ episodes 10-12.

The Zetsubou-sensei BD special was classic.

Nazo no Kanojo X episodes 3-4 continue to strike me as the most un-romantic romance anime I can recollect.

Watched Hunter x Hunter (2011) episodes 29 & 30.

Phi-Brain episodes 27-28 are slightly annoying as they're drastically rewriting the continuity established in the first story arc.

After watching Tsuritama episodes 2 & 3, I'm a little disappointed that these episodes aren't more engaging than they are, but the show remains vibrant looking and introduces narrative hint that it will get more interesting.

Nyaruko-san episodes 4-5 distinctly remind me that I'm watching the show out of respect for its origins more than the show's innate characteristics.

Watched Fate/zero episodes 15-18. Episode 16 is an interesting one because the prior two episodes along with this episode's revelations about Kiritsugu reveal that it's not only the series' servants that are blinded by grandious personal philosophies and delusions of superiority. Episode 18 is the first episode of the series that I found particularly dull and irrelevant. Although the series revolves around Kiritsugu, he's not the protagonist, nor is he the series' most interesting character, so I don't care at all about his back story.

Jormungand episode 2 continues to satisfy with its mix of light and fun tone and intense action. Episode 3 was thoroughly ridiculous, but at least it had a lot of action. Episode 4 reaffirms why I like the show, because it's so straightforward and unabashedly violent without feeling any need apologize for or contextualize itself. Episode 5 is the obligatory back-story and slow-the-pace episode that, thankfully, still remembers to include some satisfying action.

Judging by its first episode, Hyouka (http://www.kotenbu.com/) seems like a low-key Suzumiya Haruhi. Actually, it feels a bit like a hybrid of Suzumiya Haruhi & Bungaku Shoujo, which may explain its popularity. Although the first episode is nice looking and impressively produced, it made very little emotive impact on me. After giving the show a fair chance with its second and third episodes, I find that it's still nicely produced fluff with inconsequential, underwhelming surprises. I do know the difference between slow-paced and dull, and Hyouka is the later.

Queen's Blade: Rebellion episode 2 includes an impressively animated fight, but this episode also feels uncharacteristically heavy, which drains some of the fun from the show. Also watched episode 3.

Setting aside the conceptual silliness of AKB0048 (http://akb0048.jp/), the first two episode may have minimal narrative but impress with lush art design, thoughtful concept designs, good animation quality, and interesting characters with engaging personalities.

I'm current on Game of Thrones second season.

After many years, I finally got around to watching Puppet Master (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098143/), Full Moon’s seminal 1989 horror flick. While the film really doesn’t make a tremendous amount of logical sense, I was surprised and impressed by its bursts of outré, abstract visual style. The second movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100438/), regrettably, does an admirable job of continuing the narrative but introduces much more inconsistency and contradiction and a bit more idiocy while discarding the weird personality of the first film. Puppet Master 3 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102728/) isn’t especially good, nor, like the first movie, is it uniquely inspired. But it is competent and moderately effective, unlike the underwhelming second film. Movie 4 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107899/) is quite goofy but not entirely lacking in unique charm.

At 9:30pm I was about the 23rd or so person in line for the Thursday midnight screening of The Avengers (http://marvel.com/avengers_movie/). Since the only IMAX option was 3D, I saw the film in IMAX 3D. I’m pleased to say that for the most part, the 3D actually did lend a nice level of depth to the image, although I recall twice thinking to myself that the 3D looked awful during the picture. Excluding comic book movies that, for whatever reason, don’t especially feel like comic book movies, such as the Nolan Batman films, the Blade trilogy, and The Crow, The Avengers may be the best Hollywood comic book movie yet. The flick is geeky yet not so much so, like Super 8, that it begins to alienate the audience. While, as expected, Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye come up a little short in comparison to the superheroes, the movie actually does a nice job of using that distinction to emphasize that the superheroes are actually superhuman. Captain America especially comes across as larger than life and believably superhuman far more so than he did in his own movie. This film’s Hulk is a far more satisfying heroic monster than either of his prior two feature incarnations. The movie is briskly paced, has plenty of action, does a fantastic job of smoothly integrating a soul-searching moment for each of the heroes, and has the best post-credits sequence yet (ever?) for a Marvel movie.