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Anime Editorials

Life imitates art: the TED Prize

In a somewhat odd series of events, the TED prize (associated with the eponymous talk-producing website, naturally) – normally $100,000 USD has increased to a total sum of $1,000,000. Moreover, the process by which the prize is awarded has changed slightly. To quote the organization’s blog post:

“But, while historically the prize has been awarded to individuals who then made a wish, this year articulating the big wish is done up front, with the idea getting heavy weight in the selection process.”

Remind you of anything? It’s is eerily close to the premise of Eden of the East.

Categories
Anime Reviews

Welcome to the Financial District

The Japanese economy is currently in the middle of a huge transformation.  A generation ago, a Japanese person could finish school and seamlessly transition into a company job.  The job might have grueling hours, but in return it offered lifetime employment at a good wage.  Japanese men sacrificed their time with their families so that they could reliably provide for their families.  Fast forward to today: production has shifted to China, Japan has endured a period of low economic growth and few jobs promising lifetime employment exist.  Young people in Japan face an uncertain future as they fight for jobs that promise temporary employment at best.  [C] Control styles itself as a show about economics that focuses on the big issues of the economic future for Japanese youth.  Whether it can address those questions successfully, even as it spends much of its time on fights between monsters, remains to be seen.
Categories
Anime Editorials

Much Ado About Blu-Ray

The holidays are long over and I bet some of you are enjoying brand new anime you received as gifts.  For me, this year meant a leap from watching anime on my tiny computer screen to watching it on a beautiful LCD TV.  Along with my new TV, I was also excited to pick up a Blu-Ray player.  I was all ready to join the 21st century of video until I forced myself to step back.   Are Blu-Rays worth the extra cost?  Are they worth buying a disc that I can’t watch on my latop?  Or should I keep buying DVDs and risk having to repurchase every series I own again in 10 years when I get tired of the poor video quality?