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April 14, 2012
I have many a faint and fond memory of Eureka Seven, but wasn't sure how to feel about news of its sequel. It ended with a quite profound sense of finality, after all. Everything that needed to be said, was, an…
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Sexuality in anime: Mine Fujiko and Faye Valentine
April 7, 2012
Like any potentially great anime, the new Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna has given us much to talk about already. It's a beautifully animated, adult series the like of which we haven't seen in TV a…
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Author Archives: dengar
Hot Topic Meets Anime in Ergo Proxy
Remember when goth, and by extension Hot Topic, reigned supreme? Ergo Proxy is basically an anime peopled by fans of Hot Topic. The setting is gritty, and the main character wears black outfits, steal tipped boots and heavy mascara. The … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Music, Reviews
Tagged Ergo Proxy, goth, Kino's Journey, Monorol, Radiohead
8 Comments
Giving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence a second chance
When I first saw Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence I left the screening unimpressed. At the time, it felt like a confusing trip through a philosophical morass. I disliked the Major’s lack of screen time as I loved her … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Reviews
Tagged ghost in the shell, mamoru oshii, patlabor, stand alone complex 2nd gig
5 Comments
Madlax aka What’s wrong with the anime industry
Young women with gun skills? Check. Mysterious organization that runs the world? Check. Quasi-religious mysticism? Check. Noir only lasted one season, but if you started watching Madlax and thought it was Noir Season 2 I wouldn’t blame you. Madlax isn’t a complete … Continue reading
Does Bandai know something Netflix doesn’t?
About a week ago I posted that 2011, for all its problems, was a stable year for anime. It turns out that stability was short lived. In an interview with Justin Sevakis and Chris Macdonald on AnimeNewsNetwork, Bandai Entertainment President … Continue reading
Anime Trends 2011: At least no one (of note) went bankrupt
All told, 2011 was a stable year in the anime business. No anime company of any worth (so 4Kids doesn’t count) went bankrupt, although over in the manga world TokyoPop bit the bullet. The tsunami and resulting nuclear incident will … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Editorials
Tagged 4Kids, crunchyroll, Durarara!!, funico, Funimation, gainax, niconico, streaming, trends, TV Tokyo
4 Comments
Lost Along the Way from Utena to Star Driver
bateszi has already ruminated on the connection between Star Driver and Utena and while I’m a bit late to the party, I wanted to add my own reflections. Right now I’m watching Utena for the first time while finishing Star Driver on … Continue reading
Posted in Anime
Tagged Revolutionary Girl Utena, shining thing, star driver, Takuya Igarashi
3 Comments
Darker than Black is the new black
Darker than Black is an enigma. The more I watch it, the less I understand how I feel about it. I wanted to write an article extolling its virtues, for example its deep characters and beautiful art. Then I went … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Editorials
Tagged Aniplex, cowboy bebop, darker than black, studio bones, witch hunter robin
2 Comments
Dear anime industry, think before you tweet
My name is Dengar and I have a problem. My problem has a name, Twitter. Ever since I joined, I’ve been addicted to getting rapid news updates. It’s particularly convenient as a way to track anime news from companies like … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Editorials
Tagged Aniplex, Funimation, McDonalds, rurouni kenshin, twitter
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36 hours wasn’t enough? Yet another Hunter x Hunter
Why base your new show, video game, or movie on an innovative new idea when you can instead re-release a 10 year old one? That is the logic behind making endless sequels. It’s the thinking that brought us Call of … Continue reading
Sorry women, distributors don’t like you
I love when the mainstream media tackles anime. Tomorrow’s New York Times’ features a story about the business opportunities in streaming anime. In its discussion of what shows work, the articles drops this great quote: “The small but avid audience … Continue reading
How many lawyers does it take to screw up an anime series?
Licensing agreements are usually kept top secret for business reasons. That is, until one company (allegedly) breaches the agreement and then goes bankrupt. At that point the court system takes over and the dirty laundry become public. That is exactly … Continue reading
Quantum is .hack as it should have been, albeit now too late
.hack//SIGN was one of the first anime shown by Cartoon Network and it left a lasting, negative impression on me: an otherwise brilliant show with a plot that went nowhere. .Hack//Quantum is the latest iteration of the series. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Editorials
Tagged .hack, .hack//Quantum, .hack//SIGN, fantasy, Phantasy Star Online, science fiction
2 Comments
Streaming is good, streaming is right, streaming works.
Digital is the future of video media. Funimation’s announcement of a new premium streaming service this weekend shows that it recognizes what it needs to do to maximize its profits. Up until now, Funimation mostly used streaming to advertise its … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Editorials
Tagged Blu-Ray, DVD, Funimation, hulu, netflix, Nico Nico, streaming
6 Comments
September 2011: What we’re watching
(dengar) Our monthly (more like quarterly or semi-annual) anime feature continues with an update on several current series we’ve reviewed previously. Read on for a return look at Steins;Gate, Tiger & Bunny and Mawaru Penguindrum. (bateszi) I hope you enjoy the … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Reviews
Tagged Mawaru Penguindrum, steins;gate, tiger & bunny, what we're watching
8 Comments
Back to School
September in the US means the end of summer vacation and the beginning of the school year. Kids spend more of their lives at school than anywhere else and I’d wager that more shows are set in schools than in … Continue reading
Room for dinosaurs
I saw Outlaw Star when it aired on Toonami back in 2001. I think I was attracted to it because it was a space based show that didn’t have Gundam in its name. What I found was an enjoyable space … Continue reading
There Will Be Blood
Blood+ landed amidst a resurgence of the vampire genre. It came two years after the conclusion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 3 days after the release of the first book in the Twilight series. It was beautifully animated and … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Reviews
Tagged blood+, Blood-C, Clamp, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Vampires
6 Comments