Space Battleship Yamato 2199: THE Space Opera of Our Anime Generation

Punch it Chewie!!

The year is 2199. The once blue and green planet Earth has been reduced to a radioactive desert wasteland by constant attacks by the hostile aliens from the planet Gamilus which force the remaining population underground. However, a friendly alien race from the planet Iscandar contacts the humans and gives them the blueprints to build a powerful space battleship capable of retrieving a device to clean the planet before humanity disappears. The United Nations Cosmo Navy – whose space fleets have been decimated by Gamilan forces – resurrects the long-sunken battleship Yamato and applies the alien technology to its interior, transforming it into the vessel for which the series is named: Space Battleship Yamato (Synopsis from Wikipedia)

Join me down the break to read why you should be watching a truly fantastic show in its own class, putting to shame much of the swath the anime industry usually puts out

Little Witch Academia – Japan Inheriting What Disney Left Behind

Akko ready to dominate the anime scene

Where to begin with this gem… perhaps a little history?

Currently gathering critical and commercial success around the world, this OVA was produced by the relatively new Studio Trigger as part of the AnimeMirai Project. AnimeMirai is essentially government subsidized anime with the intent of training young animators in Japan to reduce the need of outsourcing which has become all too common in the anime industry in the past two decades. As being fully funded from the government, studios have the luxury to create an anime they would not be able to otherwise because of market demand.

Studio Trigger’s OVA tells a tale of the clumsy but lovable Akko and her desire to become a mage like her role model, Shiny Chariot, after a demonstration she witnessed in her childhood.

LWA has that “oomph” you rarely see in animation today. There is truly something for everyone in this short whether kid or adult. Though this isn’t a particularly deep or complex story, Akko’s journey has such a whimsical feel and a sense of wonder to it akin to Disney movies of yore, I had an unbreakable smile the entire time I was watching this. Trigger’s attention to detail is impeccable and quite possibly the main reason they are able to pack as much character development/plot progression as they do in 26 minutes. Whether it’s Akko fearfully hiding in her seat as she worries for her hero or Sucy as she experiments gleefully with her many potions, it’s these little nuances that make this OVA soar into many people’s future top 10 lists later this year.

If you are a fan of anime, animation, or just a good story; WATCH THIS NOW! 

A 5 out of 5

It is available for free on Youtube and Crunchyroll under the name Little Witch Academia

Blogging Update #2

Hey all! Outside priorities have been taking my time away from the blog but I wanted to let readers know I have 3 posts in progress!

1. Little Witch Academia

2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199

3. Spring Season Update

They’re all being edited right now and hope to have 1 and 3 pumped out in the next couple of days with 2 done by the weekend.

Spring 2013 First Impressions

*Will update as shows premiere*

Surprise Surprise! You might not be expecting this after my post I pushed out yesterday but it made me realize I have been doing a disservice to any potential/current readers on the site. So here you go, my first impressions for shows that managed enough interest from me to check out. I’m still going to do a “One Month Update” into the season as previously stated but thought this was definitely needed.

Blogging Update

Sorry for the lack of blogs recently. I know it’s me being lazy but I just haven’t found the will to write some articles I could like Series and episodic reviews. If you guys do want to hear my thoughts on those I’m very active on Twitter and the like. I love how Twitter forces me to be succinct with my thoughts

I am watching Spring anime this year with an expected 18 series. My next post will probably be “What Spring Shows To Watch”  after 3 or so episodes into the season. A good and diverse mix of shows spanning all types of genres.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo Finale Thoughts

Well done Sakurasou Well done

Endings can drastically change an outlook on a series. It’s the show’s last chance to win you over or lose you. In Sakurasou’s case I’m happy to say the former. Over this whole series Sorata has changed immensely as the lead from his apathetic snappy persona to his developed dream driven character that he finishes with. You can’t forget about the other residents of Sakura Hall though.They each had great character progression and I enjoyed seeing them develop as people and as friends. Mashiro Shiina was the catalyst for the whole series and she was quite the engima. Her hard working demeanor forced everyone in Sakura Hall to re-evaluate what it is they really want in life. Bonus points that she was a riot to watch and was always destined to win the love triangle (Sorry Aoyama shippers OTP won out this time)

At it’s best the show was heartfelt and profound but at it’s worst it reached Korean Drama lows. Sorata learns about who he is as a person but he comes to the same self revelations multiple times which FRUSTRATED ME A LOT as a viewer. The way he gets to said revelations are nearly identical with him getting mad at Mashiro which, when looking at the series as a whole, is a disappointment. However he does change significantly which is a lot more than other similar protagonists can say.

Sakurasou had above average production values for a JC Staff show with some truly breathtaking visuals at times. My favorite is the one when Sorata is running up the metaphorical stairs chasing Mashiro. It really is disheartening that the show sold poorly when it really is one of their better shows in recent years. Definitely of a better quality than Little Busters which will keep JC Staff afloat this season.

Overall, I’m glad I stuck with the show. An 8 out of 10

Other Thoughts
– The new Kouhai seem interesting characters, guess I’ll have to read the source material to see how they turn out
– Um lol at Misaki for turning in the marriage form!? Does Jin know?
-DAYS OF DASH!! Couldn’t agree with a more fitting ending

Two Spring 2013 Shows That Aren’t On Your Radar But Should

I’m pretty open minded when it comes to shows I’m willing to check out at the beginning of every cour. This season I have 14 shows I want to at least see the first episode; (not including the Anime Mirai Shorts which any person who considers themselves anime fans should see). I expect to cut out at least half but who knows maybe I’ll keep most or even all of them.

I didn’t want to write a post of an overall Spring preview because I’m sure you have another website that does a better job than I ever could have so I decided instead to put the spotlight on some shows that aren’t getting enough attention going into the season but should.