Tuesday, January 31, 2012

ANIME-GUARDIANS.COM

Hello everyone. This is Elijah Lee, Editor-in-Chief at The Anime Guardians. I want to let everyone know about the site's recent domain name change. We can now be found at anime-guardians.com, which is a lot simpler to remember than our former theanimeguardians.blogspot.com. Our site is still accessible through the old address as well. Since we are currently transitioning to our new site, the new domain name may be inaccessible for a few days. As always, thanks for reading, and hopefully our recent change will allow us to better advertise ourselves. The review for Ga-Rei: Zero is still in the works. Get ready!

- Elijah Lee
Editor-in-Chief at The Anime Guardians
anime.guardians03@gmail.com

Saturday, January 28, 2012

RIDEBACK: An In-Depth Review

4 stars out of 5.

The first impression one might have when hearing about Rideback might be, " Oh, everyone's riding on a Segway® ." A Rideback is not an absurdly intricate machine like Gundams are, nor are they as insane as the racing machines in IGPX. A Rideback is a humanoid motor vehicle, with wheels for feet and freely moving arms. It can either stand tall on its legs, or change to Spread Legs Form, where its wheels shift to the front and back of the vehicle, much like a motorcycle. The concept is simple enough to seem possible in the near future, and this simplicity is what makes Rideback an enjoyable show to watch. The vehicles serve their functions as cool tools, but what these vehicles mean to our protagonists grants them their significance.

Rin Ogata, our protagonist.


     Story

     Several years ago an unnamed nation (perhaps America) held enormous political power, greatly due to its massive ICBM base in Arizona. Before the nation became too greedy, a rebel group known as the GGP (Global Government Plan) managed to attack the base and used attack vehicles known as Ridebacks to crush the ICBM threat. With its trump card gone, the nation slowly found its position in world politics replaced by the GGP, an organization bent on exacting its ruthless military influence over the globe...

Rin Ogata's raison d'etre was to become a ballet dancer, as graceful and renowned as her mother was before she died. A devastating stage accident, coupled with the recent death of her parents, compels Rin to abandon her childhood dream, and she finds herself without a purpose worth striving for. Soon after, Rin moves on with her life and enters college. One rainy afternoon she wanders into the campus Rideback Club for shelter; she is mistaken as being an interested potential member. After some convincing she mounts Fuego, a specially modified commercial Rideback. She proceeds to drive but quickly realizes she has no idea how to control the vehicle, or so she thinks. Rin barely survives the wild ride, but finds herself drawn to riding Fuego again. There's an unusual freedom that riding comes with, a freedom that she also experienced when she was a dancer. Rin's previous lifestyle, surprisingly, granted her skills necessary to gracefully handle the humanoid Ridebacks with ease. Her finesse does not go unnoticed, and she catches the attention of both the GGP and the BMA, a terrorist organization attempting to dethrone the military dictatorship. Suddenly Rin's life is in jeopardy...



Rideback is a short series at twelve episodes long. The first three episodes are devoted to introducing our characters and allowing Rin to develop her skill on a Rideback. After this, the series quickly delves into the larger threat that the GGP poses to Japan, as it forces the nation into martial law in order to better deal with the BMA. The plot is well-executed for the most part, however not much is said of exactly what occurs during the War of Arizona that resulted in the GGP's initial rise to power. The vendetta between the two factions greatly stems from events that occurred in Arizona. Understanding this is key; the GGP seems to anticipate and even allow BMA attacks in order to gain support for using more extreme counter-terrorism tactics. It's as if these factions are engaged in a dance of their own. Rather than devote great chunks of time on explaining the War of Arizona, the show focuses on the effects the recent battles have on Rin and her family and friends. In some ways this is for the best; the show never becomes an overly masculine treatise on complex killer robots.



     Characters

     Rin is a nineteen year old who has suffered through much heartache during her early years. Dancing was her life, her "light" - a term also used in Canaan to signify hope, motivation, and in an extreme interpretation,  a raison d'etre. Once dancing was no longer an option, Fuego provided her with an emotional outlet and an opportunity to once again strive for attention on the world's stage. Rin Ogata is a satisfactory protagonist with inner turmoil; it's difficult, however, to separate Rin from the supporting cast, which inhibits her ability to carry the narrative on her own with a powerful on-screen presence. Her motivations soon become tied to her concern for the well-being of her loved ones, elevating their significance in the story. But it is hard to note anyone as being a particularly stand-out character. Okakura, founder of the Rideback Club at Rin's school, is probably the most intriguing personality. His rough and often impatient attitude,  paired with his mysterious history with the GGP's War of Arizona, make him consistently enjoyable to watch on-screen. He eventually decides to protect Rin as she is targeted by the GGP, and so Okakura grows more intriguing with each episode.

Rin and Okakura.
              


     Animation

     The animation is a bit complex to break down. Overall the presentation of the show is very nice. Colors are never overwhelmingly bright and fluorescent, and shadows and light fall nicely upon objects. The animation is consistent and without variations in style that often occur during the course of a longer series. The character designs are atypical, to say the least. Faces are slightly elongated, eyes are small and are unusually spaced apart, and simple red lines are often on a character's cheeks, likely signifying blushing. Anime faces are generally unrealistic, but Rideback's approach is unique even for anime standards. Okakura's face is another story entirely; his eyes are simple black dots and his nose is almost a rectangle that juts out of his face. He is the only character with this design and his simple style brings to mind comics like The Adventures of Tintin and Annie.

The Ridebacks are animated using 3D computer graphics. When it comes to including 3D in animation, there has to be a lot of work done in order to ensure that it does not look out of place. Production I.G. usually does a good job at this, for example, and pioneered the technique in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. In the case of Rideback, which was produced by Madhouse, the decision to use 3D wasn't a terrible choice. The show does a decent job of mitigating the shock of mixing digital cel animation and 3D models. Could Madhouse have done a better job? Probably, but the 3D hopefully shouldn't distract the viewer too much.




     A Well-Oiled Machine

     At the end of the day Rideback is a decent show. Decent is probably the best way to put it; the show doesn't aim to be particularly groundbreaking or awe-inspiring. It's hard to imagine that anyone will call Rideback their absolute favorite anime. It's a show that many might not ever get the opportunity to see, and that's because it doesn't scream for attention like the more popular anime shows do. Rideback humbly tells a tale about people whose lives are affected by realistic technology used for both benevolent and sinister purposes. Any strengths and the flaws the series has come together smoothly to provide us with a good show, and that is not something one often comes across.



* Rideback is available for free viewing at Hulu.com.

- Elijah Lee

Monday, January 23, 2012

MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT

5 stars out of 5



Based on a series of novels, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is a fantastic tale told in a manner similar to Miyazaki stories, where the spirit world and our mortal world intertwine. Prince Chagum, second son of New Yogo's ruling family, has been possessed by a water spirit that threatens to cause a future drought throughout the land. His father, the Mikado, has secretly ordered the death of his son in order to preserve the image and integrity of the ruling family. During one of these assassination attempts Prince Chagum is thrown into a river. Balsa, a spear-wielding bodyguard for hire, happens upon the accident and rescues Chagum from drowning. As a reward, the queen invites Balsa to the royal palace for the night. It is here where the queen hires Balsa for an impossible task: protect the prince for the rest of his life.

Balsa fights off a Mikado assassin.
                                                   

The story is thankfully straight-forward and simple, and yet there are several plot twists, none of which absurdly defy Moribito's internal logic . Because Prince Chagum is supposed to be dead, he and Balsa must find a way to dodge his would-be assassins. The first six episodes maintain a constant level of tension as they make their escape, which is by no means done without casualty. Despite all the initial action, Moribito is a rather tame show on the surface, occupied with a solid mix of personal drama and a save-the-world agenda, as Balsa investigates the reasons as to why the water spirit has chosen Chagum. The show's patient pace is typical to epic Japanese works that focus on older periods, such as Hiroshi Inagaki's The Samurai Trilogy. One is compelled to watch characters develop and adapt to everyday struggles. An even more direct reason for the show's pacing is its director, Kenji Kamiyama, whose works include the Ghost in the Shell television incarnations and the more recent Eden of the East. Moribito doesn't have the technological complexities of Kamiyama's other shows, but this is replaced by the interactions between the spirit world and the mortal world.


Balsa and Chagum are the focus of our tale. Kamiyama presents Balsa as a tough as nails woman with a no-nonsense attitude, much like Motoko Kusanagi of the Ghost in the Shell series. When a job needs to be done, shes does exactly what needs doing. She also has a trusted network of friends who tend to her needs: Toya and Saya run errands for her because she rescued them from slave traders, and Tanta, a childhood friend, treats her frequent injuries. Tanta's teacher, Lady Torogai, can communicate with the spirit world. None of these characters steal the spotlight from Balsa, however. While her motivations are unusually benevolent, this is because she grew up in a situation very similar to Chagum's, fleeing from the authorities for most of her youth. Her unwavering dedication and motherly compassion were traits instilled by her own guardian Jiguro, who was also a spear-wielder. Balsa's occupation as a bodyguard suggests that she will do a lot of fighting in the show, but this isn't the case. While it's a little disappointing, fighting isn't the aim of the show. Of the battles we do see, Balsa kicks ass every time.

Chagum is a clever child. He isn't whiny and he understands why he's on the run with Balsa. Naturally he's ignorant when it comes to living in the city or country. His interactions with Balsa help to forge him into a strong young man used to hardship. When he forgets his place, boy, does Balsa set him straight! But I'll keep the specifics of that episode a secret. Chagum is an easy character to like. While he is too young and impotent to drive the story without Balsa, the water spirit within him is indeed the impetus for his journey. And as a bonus, we're allowed to see Chagum develop as a person.


The animation is superb. Mountainous landscape and lush grasslands are draw in in painstaking detail. Colors are vibrant. Figures in the background are almost always in constant motion, unlike most shows where figures are fixed like room furniture. When Chagum and Balsa are in the city, the setting feels alive. After my recent theatrical viewing of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, I can easily say that Moribito's animation is of cinematic quality. Character features aren't drastically changed from one episode to another. Production I.G. does a consistently good job of animating with the highest quality standards. This is something that must be seen in order to fully comprehend.


As far as voice acting is concerned, no one is at all out of place. Balsa's voice is stern and rough, but fitting a female warrior who doesn't put up with nonsense. Chagum is voiced by Mona Marshall, who also voiced Izzy of the original Digimon Adventure television series. Of the show's theme songs, many of them are variants of each other. Since I lack the words and knowledge to describe music, I'll make a few links to the OST. Here is one of the battle themes, "Balsa Hashiru". I like the mix of primal, old-world and almost tribal sounds mixed with string instruments, especially for something as archaic and graceful as close-quarters armed combat. "Omoi Haruka," another theme, is far more peaceful but not entirely dissimilar from the previous theme.


Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is not the kind of series one stumbles upon too often. Kenji Kamiyama has proven himself a very capable director who masterfully translated a Japanese novel into something worth watching. The show is noticeably different from other anime based upon manga and various OVA incarnations. Viewers are never expected to have prior knowledge of the Moribito's source material, and this makes the narrative solid as it is fully explained. At it's core, Guardian of the Spirit succeeds at telling a very human story about a warrior who does not want to kill, and a child who does not wish to suffer the fate bestowed upon him. How they deal with this makes Moribito special. Coupled with superb animation and thrilling music, this anime turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. It sat in my Netflix instant queue for several months before I bothered to watch it. I'm grateful for taking the time to do so. I wouldn't dare call the show "perfect"; such a word is only good for stirring controversy. But I'll let the 5 star rating speak for itself...


                                                                           
* I watched Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit on Netflix. It is also available on Hulu.com.

- Elijah Lee

Friday, January 20, 2012

A Few Thoughts on THE SACRED STAR OF MILOS

3.5 stars out of 5.

Yesterday I was relieved to learn that my jury duty case had been ended out of court, so the other jurors and myself were no longer needed. Since jury duty no longer occupied what would otherwise be free time, today I went to Manhattan to see the limited screening of Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos. I have to thank the Funimation website for listing where the film would be shown; for anyone who's interested, the film will continue to show in the Cinema Village theatre in Manhattan for the rest of this week. For everyone else, here is a list of current screenings nationwide.



I've never been a huge fan of Fullmetal Alchemist, a fact that would baffle most anime fans. I've seen enough episodes of both the original series and Brotherhood to understand what the story is. I've also seen Conqueror of Shambala. I don't have a concrete reason for disliking the franchise; at the most, I can say that it has an oppressive cloud of sadness over it, or that's how I feel. It's not much of an explanation, I know. But despite my indifference for the franchise, the film was okay.

The film is set within the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood storyline, so it's not a movie sequel to the series. The film addresses a rather complex, centuries old conflict between the countries of Creta, Milos, and even Amestris where much of the FMA story takes place. Edward and Alphonse Elric pursue an alchemist fugitive named Ashley to Table City, a territory in Creta. This is where Ashley hopes to find his long-lost sister Julia. She lives among the destitute populace of Milos Valley, a small settlement of former Miloans that live in a valley below Table City. Creta had taken over Milos centuries ago in order to find the Sanguine Star, which would supposedly grant immortality and unlimited power. Of course, the Sanguine Star is known in other parts of the world as a Philosopher's Stone, the precious item that allows for transmutation while seemingly ignoring alchemy's Law of Equivalent Exchange. Julia is part of the Miloan resistance and they will soon attack Creta and take their land back using the power of the Sanguine Star, which requires a large amount of human lives in order to make...

                                                                  Sleeping Ed.

I really liked Edward and Alphonse in this film. They're consistently complex characters with distinct personalities. At some point Ed and Al are in Table City researching the Sanguine Stone. They are led to a church, and Ed instantly groans as he is reminded of bad church experiences in the television series. It was a funny inside joke for those who knew of his early encounter with the church of Leto, and his overall disdain for the helpless and fatalistic attitude many religious followers in the series have. In general, Ed does the fighting and Al takes care of others, and that's the way it usually is in the series. Winry is the same person she usually is, always concerned but only useful in that she is the only person who can take care of Edward's auto-mail arm and leg. There are many other old and new faces in the film. It's very familiar and nostalgic.

                                                     The mysterious leader of Creta.

The film quality was lovely on an HD projector, but that might be particular to whichever theater is screening. The animation was good, not fantastic. The characters were simplified and without too much detail, similar to what I observed in Birdy the Mighty: Decode. And speaking of Decode, the fight scenes in this film were also animated in a loose but fluid manner. Ashley had two transmutation circle designs that Ed and Al were unfamiliar with, and these allowed him to perform some amazing feats. He shot lightning out of his hands like a Star Wars Sith lord and made snow like Frozone from Pixar's The Incredibles. Alchemy battles are intense and enjoyable.

While I'm not crazy about all things Fullmetal Alchemist, this was a decent film. I suppose you can think of it as a really long episode. One doesn't need be too familiar with the series to watch the film, just enough to understand alchemy basics and creatures like chimeras. It wasn't spectacular nor was it trying to be. Fans should be thoroughly pleased, although I found the story to be a little too complicated. There's more than a couple plot twists that had me scratching my head, but these are acceptable and shouldn't make or break the film for anyone. I'll admit, I haven't seen the Brotherhood series in its entirety. I'll be sure to let you guys know what I think of it when I do.


- Elijah Lee

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Musings of the Editor-in-Chief


Hello ladies and gentlemen. This is Elijah Lee, creator of The Anime Guardians. It's been awhile since I've reported on the status of our blog, so I feel obliged to let readers know how things have been going and what to expect in the coming weeks.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A Few Thoughts on MURDER PRINCESS

2 stars out of 5.

After watching the existentialist/sci-fi/psychological horror epic that is Ergo Proxy, I seriously needed something like an anime vacation. It was a good show, but not easy to watch. I figured that Murder Princess, a six episode OVA produced by Marvelous Entertainment and Bee Train, would give my brain a rest. With a title like Murder Princess, how could anything go wrong?




The story begins with Princess Alita fleeing her castle as it is raided in a bloody coup d'etat, committed by an evil scientist who looks like Street Fighter's Guile but with an even worse haircut. As Alita escapes through the forest she is attacked by a colossal demon. Alita bumps into a female bounty hunter, Falis, who rescues her from the monster, but not before they fall off a cliff and nearly die. As they fall, their souls mystically switch bodies and so Falis is in Alita's body and vice versa. Alita asks Falis and her fellow bounty hunters to defeat the mad scientist and protect the kindgom, and in exchange Alita will become Falis' slave. Falis beats the scientist and his minions in a matter of seconds, but she's still trapped in Alita's body and so must play the role of princess and defend the kingdom until she is restored to her own body.


Here at The Anime Guardians I try and highlight positive aspects of an anime before I address problems. In this instance, there was a lot of potential. The animation for Murder Princess is pretty good. I don't say that out of any preference for a style of animation, such as characters with big eyes or chibi. Character designs were at least interesting, consistently drawn and well shaded. The music was also very good. The opening song is a catchy rap-rock song that reminds me of what Linkin Park used to do. The musical themes in each episode functioned well according to their respective scenes, and the rock music for action scenes was suitable.

                                                                            Falis' fellow bounty hunters.

Unfortunately most of the show's potential was squandered; I wasn't crazy about this show's story at all. It included many elements the typical fantasy epic might have, such as an evil witch who wants to access an ancient power, and a warrior with a troubled past who fights for justice despite her ambiguous morals. These were addressed with almost no amount of depth whatsoever. It is revealed during the final two episodes the evil scientist worked for an ancient witch who was after an energy called Taoria. Taoria magically grants its users the power to do whatever the hell they want, exactly like a genie would. The witch desires to obliterate mankind so that we may be free from an endless cycle of destruction and misery. It was an absurdly random and pladitudinous plot. There's a few other issues with the show, but there isn't much point in writing a list of grievances.


Well... that's all I've got to say. This has been surprisingly brief, just like this show. But brevity isn't the issue; FLCL is also six episodes long but manages to outperform Murder Princess by a long shot. This show lacked a sense of direction, and when it found one it was too late. I suppose I got exactly what I wanted: something to give my brain a rest. As always I encourage everyone to watch for themselves. My words are not law and my ratings are inherently subjective. To each his own.

                                                           Falis as Princess Alita.

* Murder Princess is available for free viewing at Hulu.com. Surprisingly my Netflix loads a lot slower than Hulu, which makes me feel like I'm wasting my money...

- Elijah Lee

Friday, January 13, 2012

ERGO PROXY: An In-Depth Review

3.5 stars out of 5.

Ergo Proxy is as famous as it is infamous. Reviews on the show range from shouts of ecstatic praise to fever pitch cries of hatred. The show is both brilliant and pretentious, reveling in its ability to defy cursory analysis and comprehension. The director himself admits of the show's production that, “There was almost too much freedom...” The search for freedom is also the narrative crux of the entire series. Our characters seek freedom from repressed memories; freedom from heartache; freedom from the domed cities that isolate man from the world; freedom from an old way of life that has outlived its usefulness, and the freedom to understand their raison d'etre, their reason for existence. Upon going into Ergo Proxy, you will be surprised with what you find; coming out, you will question if you understood what was found.

                                                                      Re-l Mayer, our female protagonist.


     Story

     A monster known as a Proxy has escaped from a secret facility within the domed city of Romdo...

Re-l Mayer is the grand-daughter of the Regent, leader of Romdo. She works for the Intelligence Bureau, investigating the recent outbreak of the Cogito Virus, which imbues autoreivs (sophisticated automatons) with free-will; some of these autoreivs choose to violently attack humans. Re-l visits an Autoreiv Disposal worker, Vincent, to obtain the projected escape route of a recently apprehended autoreiv. The route takes her to a supposedly abandoned building. In addition to finding infected autoreivs there, she stumbles upon the corpses of several citizens, murdered by a Proxy that attacks Re-l from the shadows. Re-l is unharmed, but awe struck. When she is later attacked in her home by the previous Proxy and a second monster, the authorities feign ignorance and she is deemed mentally unstable, unable to continue with her work.

Vincent has also found himself on the run from the Proxy initially after Re-l. He is seen fleeing from it in a crowded mall, and although he escapes, many are killed. The head of the Security Bureau happens to witness this, and begins pursuing Vincent. But when Re-l learns that Vincent and the monster are connected, she seeks him out as well in order to clear her insanity charges. With the help of an infected autoreiv named Pino, Vincent finds a way to escape the city and enter the poisonous outside world. It is outside where he hopes to discover his connection to the monster, and Re-l must follow if she wishes to uncover the government secrets behind the Proxies.

A surprise attack by a Proxy.


The series can be divided into several acts with their own respective moods, as if it were a stage play. The first act prepares one for an unusual science-fiction/horror fantasy, and it's interesting to watch Re-l and Vincent being drawn into a mystery that promises to relate the escapee Proxy and the infected autoreivs to the future welfare of the dome. Of course, during the second act these issues take a back seat to the greater issue at hand: who is Vincent Law? How does he relate to the Proxies? By the second episode it is suggested that he might be a Proxy himself. His soul-search consists of roaming the desolate planet, encountering a few people and running into Proxy that attempt to help Vincent recover his memory. Ergo Proxy is not at all an action packed, fast-paced show, and this becomes evident in the second act, a fact that often works towards the show's detriment for a less patient viewer. For those viewers who do stick around, the series grows into an eclectic mix of Aeon Flux confusion and Twilight Zone mystery as Vincent and Re-l try and discover the truth about the Proxy. We do not always know what's real (note that "Re-l" and "Real" are nearly identical), but such mind-bending moments are always intriguing to watch. The fog that veils the answers to the story's many questions is only lifted during the very last act, and even then, the conclusion of Ergo Proxy almost comes out of left field.



      Dynamic Trio

      The strength of Ergo Proxy's three central characters relies upon their interactions with each other. Re-l Mayer's frightful encounter with the two Proxies that invaded her home is the catalyst for our story. Aside from the attractive Gothic look, Re-l Mayer isn't given too much substance. Her raison d'etre is to seek the truth about the Proxies, but little else is offered of her life before the event. She is demanding and self-absorbed, and needs Vincent to help discover the Proxy mystery at all costs so that her undying curiosity may be quelled. Her initial indifference towards him and later acceptance is what gives her character life.


Vincent is a complete wuss, but he is also amicable. He is in love with Re-l and is easily bullied by her absurd demands. The confusion about his past make up most of his significance to the story, and his interactions with various Proxies allow for the more surreal episodes. Pino, a benevolent Cogito infected autoreiv, adds much needed comic relief and child-like innocence to an otherwise very serious anime. While Re-l is often used to push the plot forward, Vincent and Pino create occasions for the show to expand on its creative potential. Vincent and Pino's familiarity with each other are refreshing detours from Re-l's sterile attitude. But again, the chemistry between these three is what gives them their worth; not one of them is diverse enough to carry the show on their own.



     Animation

     Ergo Proxy is not a show to be taken lightly. The show's slow pace and elusive narrative can quickly dissuade less patient viewers. Thankfully, a saving grace for Ergo Proxy is it's animation, which is nothing short of stellar. 2D digital cel animation and special effects are seamlessly blended, a feat rarely accomplished without making the digital 3D effects conspicuously out of place. The oppressively dark palette of grays, blacks and browns, in addition to its character designs, are reminiscent of Witch Hunter Robin; Ergo Proxy and Witch Hunter Robin were both directed by Shukoku Murase. The aesthetic is very fitting for Ergo Proxy's post-apocalyptic landscape where almost nothing lives. Inside the city of Romdo, by contrast, the false projection of daylight and clear skies is blindingly bright. It is a perfect cover-up for the fact that Romdo's idyllic existence will soon end.

The only issue with the animation one might have is the inconsistency in Re-l's face. Understandably, there are many animators involved in a series, but her face is often strikingly beautiful or awfully odd. Vincent also undergoes a strange facial change, but for consistent reasons; when he is well groomed and his hair is combed, his eyes remain shut like Brock from Pokemon. In his more disheveled, and often more confident state, his eyes miraculously open.

                                                       Vincent Law and Ergo Proxy.


     The Heart of the Matter

     If this review seems at all harsher than my other reviews, then that is because Ergo Proxy takes itself very seriously, and I strongly believe that a review should rise to the same caliber as the show it is discussing. I choose to review anime in terms of artistic merit, a complicated ordeal in itself because of the inevitably of subjective analysis, due to the absence of standards that define “quality art.” As far as that concerns this blog, in comparing anime I would not bother to place FLCL and Canaan and Birdy the Mighty on the same playing field because they are anime of different breeds. Ergo Proxy's level of philosophical, intellectual and textual depth, along with a penchant for lengthy dialogue, have placed it on a tier close to Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion. Such powerhouse franchises have convinced the world of anime's potential to tell immensely rich and complex stories. Ergo Proxy needed to come prepared for such comparisons. In all honesty, it did an okay job, but it's beautiful animation, philosophical implications and rich textuality are marred by a story which needed to make itself more prevalent.

It is during episode fifteen, “Who Wants to be in Jeopardy”, where much of the confusion about Ergo's narrative is explained. Vincent is a contestant on a game show that either ends in his winning, which precipitates the death of the show's host, or vice versa. It is an interesting alternative to a long winded expository episode. The answers to the game show's many questions allow the viewer to piece together a simple understanding of Ergo's universe. Those who dislike spoilers should skip the next paragraph, but I believe that one should read it and then watch the show, so that any judgments I have written thus far can be deemed fair or unfair:


In the second half of the 21st century a promising form of alternative fuel source, Methane Hydrate, was discovered. But this accumulated Methane Hydrate exploded and wiped out 85% of life on Earth. The remaining humans began several projects in order to avoid complete extinction; a colony space shuttle called the Boomerang Star was constructed in order for man to travel to other planets. Not all humans could fit on-board, so some were stranded on Earth. Mankind also started Project Proxy in order to restore the human population on Earth. Three hundred Proxies were created for this purpose. The Proxies somehow created the domed cities and engineered a tank-breeding system to create more humans. Proxies would no longer be necessary once the human population was restored to acceptable numbers. The “Pulse of the Awakening” would conclude the Proxy Project. The Cogito virus was also engineered by man as part of “The Boomerang Project”; it can be safely assumed that the surviving humans aboard the Boomerang Star designed the death of the Proxies and the rampant autoreivs for a time when Earth was once again hospitable. The Boomerang Star would then return to Earth.



This is a lot of information to take in at once. I have watched the show twice now, and then watched this very episode a third time so that the previous explanation would be accurate. While the choice of a game show format was clever, its fast-pace makes it an unwise method for disseminating pertinent information. As a result, there are plenty of online explanations as to what exactly went on during Ergo Proxy; all one has to do is Google, “Ergo Proxy explanation”. The last three episodes of the series simply add to the confusion, for we are introduced to what appears to be a Re-l clone made using the cells of a dead proxy, and then Vincent's history is revealed to him through the use of a deus ex machina, a literary device typically frowned upon for resolving an otherwise frustrating conflict. Such deliberate use of an outdated literary device can be considered both witty and pretentious; Vincent, upon seeing who the deus ex machina is, grows even more confused and is plunged into the ultimate depths of his existentialist despair. As the viewing audience, we share his monumental confusion.

Ergo Proxy is certainly a one-of-a-kind show. If there is anything I consistently wish to see in a show, it is ambition, and this show delivers that in every episode. I would challenge viewers to carefully consider Ergo Proxy's own raison d'etre in relation to the greater realm of anime at large. What is it trying to convey to its viewers, if anything at all?



* Unlike most of the shows I've reviewed, I happen to own Ergo Proxy on DVD, and I do not know of any online streaming sources. It is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

- Elijah Lee

Monday, January 9, 2012

A Few Thoughts on BIRDY THE MIGHTY OVA (1996)

3 out of 5 stars.

Last night I had the fortune of finding the original Birdy the Mighty OVA (1996), produced by Madhouse and Bandai. Since I had recently reviewed the Birdy the Mighty: Decode series, I thought that watching the anime adaptation of the source manga material might answer a few questions I had about the Decode series, produced over a decade later. This isn't going to be a formal review like I typically write for The Anime Guardians. This is just casual writing, blogging in its truest form.

Tsutomu and Birdy.

There are four episodes total, each about a half hour in length. Soon after starting the first episode, I suddenly realized how bizzare the original idea for this franchise really is. Why would an intergalactic police officer ever share a body with an innocent bystander she accidentally murdered? It was an idea I took for granted at first without processing just how funny it was. What kind of police protocol bothers with such a nonsensical policy? Whatever happened to authorities offering condolences in order to avoid a lawsuit? Birdy's superior, Officer Megius, addresses the issue of shared bodies with a casual attitude, as if to say, "Yeah, I'm sorry Birdy, but this happens all the time to us Federation police. Get used to it." But if one is able to accept the premise of the show and move on, then there isn't much else to complain about. A boy and space girl in the same body makes for a good comedy, indeed.


In the first episode Tsutomu and Birdy meet and she accidentally kills him; almost as punishment, his consciousness is placed in her body and they occupy the same form. There's the expected scenes where they have to adjust to living in the same body, including an awkward moment when Tsutomu's father walks into the bathroom to have "naked communication" with his troubled son, who is bathing. When his father walks in, Birdy is the persona in the tub. The father, surprised, simply says, "Excuse me," as he exits the room. Birdy replies, "Not at all." Anime certainly gives the impression that wierd things happen in Japan all the time.

Anyway, Birdy is on the hunt for Christella Revi, against whom she holds a grudge for killing Violin, Birdy's caretaker. Revi, the mysterious mastermind behind the events in Decode, has hired a human scientist to engineer psi-powered beings. The OVA concerns itself with Revi's attempts to eliminate Birdy with various automaton soldiers, including a certain Undine who belonged to Shyamalan in the Decode series. Between these really good action scenes, Tsutomu avoids his family to prevent them from discovering Birdy, and a romance blooms between him and Hayamiya, a childhood best friend who was in Decode but certainly never became a love interest. Tsutomu's other classmates are more perverted than they ever were in the television series, looking at either smut magazines or watching porn most of the time.


The only complaint I have about the OVA would be the dubbing. I never really cared for subtitles because they distract from the on-screen action I was meant to look at. But there are anime fans who prefer the original Japanese with English subtitles, and after watching this I understand why. The first episode I watched was fortunately subtitled, and the Japanese voices were pretty good. The other three episodes were English dubbed, and terribly so. Tsutomu's name became Stomu (pronounced 'STOW - MOO'), and his whiny voice grated against my eardrums. Revi's main henchman Gomez sounded like a worn-out smoker about to hack up his sole remaining lung. Hayamiya sounded so shy and reserved that she would have been better off keeping quiet. The best voice actor in this OVA was Ted Lewis, who voiced the evil scientist. I instantly recognized him as the same actor who voiced Giovanni in the original Pokemon movie.

Although having never seen the OVA before last night, watching Birdy the Mighty was a nostalgic experience for me. The old-school cel animation, the clothing and hairstyles people wore, even the music were all indicators of a uniquely 1990's style of cartooning. The music was certainly fun to listen to, a strange fusion of guitar and synth noise and salsa. I get goosebumps listening to the battle theme. To all of those who grew up on Power Rangers, Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing, this OVA should bring back some fond memories. Here is the link to the first ten minutes of the first OVA episode. For those who would persevere in finding the rest of the OVA links, you will not be disappointed.




Oh, before I go, here's a candid pic of Birdy in the shower when Tsutomu's dad walks in. Apparently there are a lot of these pictures on Google. To all you ecchi fans out there, enjoy!

- Elijah Lee

Thursday, January 5, 2012

BIRDY THE MIGHTY: DECODE (SEASON TWO) - An In-Depth Review

A well deserved 4.5 stars out of 5.

A name carries a lot of weight. The proper name to this second season is in fact Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02 and not Birdy the Mighty: Decode, Season Two, as if to suggest that this is a newer model, a better version than the last. That is exactly what Decode 02 is. If the first season did a decent job of introducing us to the Birdy the Mighty universe at large, Decode 02 zooms in on the personal affairs of our female protagonist Birdy and creates a visual vignette where memories are as vicarious for the viewer as they are for the show's characters. Decode 02 pushed the series to a TV-MA rating, in contrast to the first season's TV-14 rating, but does so because every act of violence aids in expressing the ruthlessness of the villains and the agony felt by our central characters. This season is an entirely different animal from its predecessor.

                                                                Some of Decode 02's many cast members.

     Story

     Nataru, an old friend of Birdy's, has been hiding on Earth for fourteen years with his father; they fled their home planet after an Altan terrorist group bombed the Central Tower government building, elevating an already present hatred for Altans to an all-time high. But life on Earth was lovely; humans look like Altans, so there was no fear of discrimination. When the Ryunka attack occurred, Nataru was dining with a close friend. While Nataru managed to survive the blast, everyone else around him, including his friend, dissolved into crystalline dust.

Birdy, meanwhile, has been recently assigned to a special mission. It seems that the group responsible for sending the Ryunka to Earth with Geega has escaped their prison transport ship and fled for Earth themselves. Birdy must apprehend these escapees and return them to the Federation Police. At this point she isn't aware of Nataru's presence on Earth; even worse is the fact that Nataru's father has been blackmailed into aiding the escapees, lest his history with the terrorist group that bombed the Central Tower be exposed.

Once Nataru catches wind of his father's aiding the escapees, he is confused and enraged. But Nataru has recently discovered that he's a special class of Altan, bred for combat as Birdy was. This was why he survived the Ryunka blast, and with such new found power, he has but one goal on his mind: to avenge those that were lost...

                                                                      Evidence of the Ryunka's power.

The first season ends with Tsutomu and Birdy eliminating the Ryunka threat and saving the planet from extinction. The second season has no such cataclysm in store for us. Instead, we are shown the after-effects of the tragedy, from the view of the many homeless refugees and our central cast. It's an interesting alternative to what could have been another save-the-world scenario, which isn't a bad model in any way but would have certainly been expected . The writers surely realized that a science-fiction fantasy shouldn't be exempt from real-world consequences. When cataclysms occur people are scarred, some more than others. Cities don't revert to pre-tragedy status overnight, and some cities take forever to recover. The decision to show people going on with their lives in spite of hardships is a very mature and humble one on the part of the writers, vaguely harkening back to an old Italian Neo-Realist film tradition.


     Characters

     Its not easy having two protagonists occupy the same body. The first season was clearly about Tsutomu's life being interrupted by Birdy's need to find the Ryunka. He found it difficult to cope with her insensitivity to his needs; his feelings were justified considering she ripped his original body to shreds and had to let him borrow hers. Decode 02 reverses this entirely and makes Tsutomu almost obsolete. He is reduced to an annoying voice inside of Birdy's head who constantly reminds the viewing audience of things we already know, such as, "You're in love with Nataru, aren't you, Birdy?" or, "I think Nataru might have something to do with the murder of the escapees." In general, Tsutomu was a pretty normal teenager, and such 'ordinary-ness' is why he couldn't be of much use in a story that wasn't about him at all. He did have his moments, of course, but they existed only when Birdy was in distress and Tsutomu's sole role was to restore her centrality.

Birdy, on the other hand, proves to be more complex than the first season suggested. For much of Decode 02 she is haunted by the Central Tower incident because that is when she lost her caretaker, an android named Violin. Birdy remembers Violin as a child remembers a loving mother, but we are told that her memories are contrived and that Violin couldn't have been too nurturing because of the simple fact that she was not designed that way. But isn't that how memory truly works? We believe what we want to believe. As Birdy remembers the Central Tower incident, she asks Tsutomu if it is foolish to believe Violet gave her life to protect her that day. As a viewer, it is hard to disagree with that notion.

                                                                                 Nataru and Birdy.

As far as central characters go, Nataru was handled pretty well. His motivations are clear and multi-faceted. The escapees, who are technically the villains in this story, are instead Nataru's victims as he brutally murders them one by one. He is surely an improvement from last season's Shyamalan, who developed the absurd notion that because he was the sole survivor of a terrorist bombing, his mission was to cleanse the Earth of those who were not part of a predestined elite fit for survival. Nataru is less ambitious. His best friend is dead because the escapees stole the Ryunka and sent it to Earth. The Federation (the government of his home world) hesitated to stop the Ryunka, curious as to how its destructive potential truly worked. This same Federation engineered the Ixiorans, a race of Altans bred specially for combat; both he and Birdy are Ixiorans, and ideally they are raised to be Federation Police special forces. Eventually, the escapees assume that Nataru's father is leaking information about them to the murderer and they kill him. Nataru, at the end of the day, has every reason to be upset. How Birdy interacts with Nataru as a result of his actions becomes the definitive conflict for the second half of this season.

Tsutomu's classmates continue to be the comic relief for this show. They spend most of their time fulfilling Hayamiya's desire to report on the effects of the Ryunka trajedy on the Roppongi refugees. We are also introduced to Shoko, the younger sister of Nataru's deceased best friend. She lost the use of her legs at some point and Nataru cares for her as she recovers in the hospital. She has quite the crush on Nataru, and burns with jealousy whenever Nataru is with Shion Arita, Birdy's public persona. Shoko runs away from the hospital one episode, and every time Shion/Birdy tries to bring her back, Shoko outlandishly screams, " Help, she's kidnapping me!" And Irma and Cappella, who help Birdy manage her work schedule with her police duties, are able to dominate scenes without Birdy's help. One comes to dearly appreciate the show's supporting characters.


     Animation and Sound

     The animation is similar to last season. It grows looser in style when there are prolonged fight scenes. In this season's case, the fight animation is reduced to only what is conceptually necessary; details become merely blurs and resemble some form of extreme rotoscoping. The same Kazuto Nakazawa style is extremely prevalent in Birdy's memories of when she lost Violin, and in the final fight sequence between the remaining escapee, Nataru and Birdy. Faces are drawn in violent and bold lines, expressing a psychological agony comparable to Edvard Munch's The Scream. As Birdy is forced to confront Nataru, their fight becomes a blend of rectangular squares that brings to mind Mondrian's Broadway Boogie-Woogie, mixed with the color scheme of Picasso's Guernica. It's truly a wonder to behold.

The OST to both seasons of Birdy the Mighty: Decode is absolutely beautiful. Many of the songs consist of classical string and piano instruments, particularly when there are sentimental and tragic scenes. While the first season played many upbeat tunes, including the jazzy main theme for Birdy that seemed perfect for telling the tale of an intergalactic cop, the second season was mostly somber and dramatic. I've included a link to one of my favorite themes here.

There are times when it seems like the same track is being re-used for scenes with similar moods. This would be the only disappointment with the songs as they are used within the episodes. Otherwise, the OST on its own is solid.


                                              Tsutomu uncomfortably poses as Shion while Birdy is comatose.

     To Be Continued?

      It should be said that reviewing a show is never an entirely objective process. I really enjoyed Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02. With that being said, there are a few unanswered questions at the end of the show, some of which are more easily forgiven than others.

At some point the escapees confront Birdy with a weapon that appears to dissolve objects into nothingness. A shot barely grazes her, but she soon becomes comatose. Either as a result of the shot or due to inevitability, Tsutomu and Birdy have begun to fuse minds, a process that would eventually result in the loss of Birdy's persona altogether. Somehow Tsutomu must vicariously experience Birdy's memories and objectify them as knowledge in order to return Birdy to consciousness. While the potential for mind-fusion was a serious threat during the first season, it never carried the same weight in the second season. The ambiguity as to what triggered the progression of mind-fusion in the first place seems like, at its best, an excuse for Tsutomu to reveal Birdy's past to the audience. Her history is beautifully depicted, but there could have been sounder reasoning as to why it was shown.


The question of who the true threats are is still an issue in this season. It's easy to see that Christella Revi, a rogue Altan scientist, and her lackey Gomez are pulling invisible strings that control all of the show's villains. It's a shame that she never comes to the fore in this anime. Reducing her to some secret mastermind reminds the viewer that Birdy the Mighty was originally a manga; it's as if reading the manga is a prerequisite for understanding the show. Creating a third season, or perhaps a film that explains what she's trying to do with the Ryunka, would bring closure to any unanswered questions. For now, she remains the mysterious architect of the Central Tower incident and the Ryunka experiment.

As stated earlier in this review, Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02 is a visual vignette revolving around Birdy and Nataru. The story is intimate and gut-wrenchingly sad. Watching Violin being crushed brings to mind images of the suicidal gynoids in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and the violent android killings in The Animatrix's "The Second Renaissance;" Birdy's animation is equally as stunning. Its an anime like this one that really inspires me to keep searching for good shows, shows with a good mix of brevity and ambition. Decode 02 lacks for neither one, and proves that such a formula always has spectacular results. I hope a third installment isn't too much to ask for.



* I watched Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02 for free at Hulu.com. It is also available for purchase at Amazon.com. Birdy was animated by A-1 Pictures and produced by Aniplex.

- Elijah Lee

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Musings of the Editor-in-Chief


Hello world, this is Elijah Lee, currrently the mastermind behind The Anime Guardians. I hope everyone is having a great start to their new year. Fortunately, I'm currently on vacation from college until the end of January, allowing me to spend much of my time on making blog material. As will usually be the case, I'm just writing to let you guys know how the blog is operating. I don't plan on making these "Musings of the Editor-In-Chief" too personal; emailing me with any inquiries or concerns should suffice for the more curious readers out there.