I know I’m late to the bus here, as far as P4 anime news is concerned, but I can’t wait to see this animated. Beyond the fact that it was a fantastic game with a great involving story (which I wrote about before), it’s looking like a solid cast and crew is forming for it.

No surprises as far as cast is concerned, at least so far, Daisuke Namikawa, Ami Koshimizu, Yui Horie and Shotaro Morikubo have been confirmed to return to reprise their game voices as Protagonist (I don’t remember him saying anything in the game, but apparently Namikawa was the guy who remained silent), Yukiko, Chie and Yosuke. My guess is that Tomakazu Seki, Romi Paku, Kugimiya and Kappei Yamaguchi will also be in the show to be Kanji, Rise, Naoto and Teddie. All in all, it’s an all star voice cast.

But more exciting is Seiji Kishi will be directing the show. Also known as the guy who directed probably my favorite anime comedy of all time, Seto no Hanayome, as well as Tentai Senshi Sunred and Angel Beats – both solid shows as well. Kishi paces shows fairly well and has a great comedic knack which should help maintain P4′s relatively lighthearted atmosphere. So P4 should be in much better hands than say… the previous Persona: Trinity Soul anime. Additionally, AIC ASTA will be producing the show. Sure AIC is known for turning everything into an ecchi-fest, but ASTA has also done Tentai Senshi Sunred and their stuff has always looked really good – especially Sora no Otoshimono.

No dates yet – as far as I know – but P4 just rose to the top of my “must see” watchlist.

Monster was one of those high rated shows I’d put off because of its length. But after 17 days, I’ve finally finished all 74 episodes. It’s a seminal accomplishment for me, being the longest anime series I’ve ever watched (not counting the 2 seasons of Hayate no Gotoku and the 10,000+ episodes of Endless Eight).

From this point on spoilers will abound.

Monster is a curious beast. It’s very atmospheric, nuanced and proceeds at a very deliberate pace. It’s not like Death Note where every episode might get your pulse racing. In fact, I could count the "oh shit!" or "yes!" moments on two or three fingers. The memories that pop out being, Tenma saving Reichwine from Roberto, and Runge reversing the chokehold to stick a gun in Roberto’s mouth. You could call Monster the Aria of psychological/mystery/thrillers. Because it’s slow and there are typical flashes of memories and hints that repeat throughout, each step of the mystery was pretty easy to figure out. It’s as if the show wants you to figure it out. But beyond each revelation is a new revelation waiting in the wings, so it never leaves you wanting for more mystery.

It also goes to tremendous lengths fleshing out its characters. Even minor background guys that you typically wouldn’t think twice of, receive a surprising amount of depth. Multiple episodes will be spent shining the spotlight on supporting characters like Reichwein, Gillen or Suk, and you won’t see or hear a peep from Tenma. It’s a brave strategy, but generally it’s for the best, because you develop a real bond for most of the characters.

But strangely, for a show that does such a good job detailing its characters, there’s really no one character that you can really, really get attached to. A lot of this is because most of the characters lack that flair of charisma that a Yagami Light, a Lelouch, or a Haruhi have. Instead you get multidimensional characters you might endear one moment, and want to put a fist through their face the next moment. It’s a rare character who’s completely likeable. On the flip side, it’s a rare character who’s completely dislikeable. Or in effect, these are very much "normal" people.

• Tenma is unyielding good. But he doesn’t try in the slightest to be likeable, and his hesitancy to pull the trigger when necessary is frustrating and ultimately leads to massive destruction
• Eva is pretty much, an all around crappy human being, but you waver in between understanding her, pitying her and hating her
• Anna is likeable and is perhaps the most empathetic character. But her increasing mental erraticness as they get closer to tracking down Johann almost renders her useless in the final 1/3 of the season
• Runge is creepy, not a great human being, but his relentless devotion to his work is admirable, though his stubbornness is equally frustrating
• Grimmer is the closest you get to being completely likeable, but behind his smiling face is an abused victim with no true emotions
• Roberto is the closest you get to being completely dislikeable. The reveal of him being Grimmer’s old friend didn’t endear him to me in the slightest. By far the most slimiest character of the show
• And Johann is a ghost. An urban myth. The embodiment of the monster with a name, but no one to know it.

Johann is the closest you get to a character who might be larger than life, but his charisma is told through stories and through the deeds of others. As viewers, we get little to no firsthand experience of his supernatural charisma abilities. So in this sense, it’s just as well that the show often takes the spotlight off Tenma, because characters like Runge, Grimmer and Anna are actually more interesting characters. And characters that you might be more likely to glom onto.

Of all the characters, perhaps its Tenma who’s the most frustrating. On one hand it’s remarkable how devoted he is to tracking down Johann and "ending it all." He dodges the law, he gets caught, he breaks out of prison. But in the end, Tenma is still Tenma. He doesn’t change. He can’t kill anyone. He doesn’t have it in him. We know it. Everyone around him knows it. The only one who doesn’t know it is him. And sadly, my major criticism of the show’s ending is that he’s robbed of the chance to figure it out on his own. When he has the opportunity to kill Johann, Tenma freezes. And we are robbed of Tenma and Johann’s tete-a-tete with fate, morality and humanity, when a random other character intervenes to shoot Johann in the head. We got to see what Anna would do. She wouldn’t shoot. She chose forgiveness. But what would Tenma have done? Would he have given into Johann’s calculations like Brad Pitt gives into Kevin Space in Seven? Or would Tenma have shown Johann that it’s possible to rise above the Monster within us? Once Johann is shot in the head, it’s a forgone conclusion that Tenma would save Johann again. The resolution to the real battle – that we waited 70+ episodes for – we were robbed of.

Who is the Monster? The sick abusers at Kinderheim 511? Franz Bonaparte for his Red Rose Mansion experiments? Johann for being a stone cold killer? The twins’ mother for sacrificing her daughter? Tenma, for reviving the monster? Anna, for not forgiving the monster? Everyone? No one? And in the end, who wins and who loses? Everyone? No one? Johann carves his path of destruction, but it doesn’t result in his death. But he receives forgiveness and a new life. Tenma finally tracks down Johann, and eventually clears his name, but at tremendous cost, failing to save almost everyone that Johann intended to kill. Anna recovers her memories and clears her brother’s guilt, but at heavy cost of many lives of people she loved. There’s just no black and white, and just when you think you might have someone figured out, a new piece of information makes you reconsider what you thought.

Monster is a great show. But my disconnection with the characters makes it hard for me to say I loved it. But I would recommend it wholeheartedly, especially if you enjoy stories where everything is the color gray and characters have depth and ambiguity vs. being instantly classifiable as heroes and villains.

(This post is spoiler free.)

I’ve heard so many good things about Haibane Renmei that I’ve been angling to watch it for a while now. I didn’t know much about it though, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. But it was indeed as great as I’ve heard.

Haibane Renmei is a tough show to classify. The show has a very slow-paced, slice-of-life feel to it. But its dramatic moments are extremely powerful. The best comparison that comes to mind is Aria (in a similar, but totally different sort of way). They both touch upon similar feelings, but come at it from completely different angles. Whereas Aria’s bright and ever optimistic nature helped me to appreciate the joy in all the little things in life, the subdued, grungy world of Haibane Renmei showed the preciousness of each moment through the fleetingness of existence. It’s both saddening and uplifting at the same time. Somewhat similar to the experience of throwing a goodbye party for a good friend. You enjoy the good times of that moment, but with a tinge of sadness knowing that you won’t see them again. All the while, you realize life will continue to move on.

I was less compelled by the imagery and symbolism as I was by the relationships and the very personal struggles of both Rakka and Reki. Not that the symbolism wasn’t interesting, but I was just stunned by how very real the relationships felt – the highs and the lows. I couldn’t help but be bemused at the somber thought of how people have such a penchant for self-destruction. From those that know they need to ask for help and refuse to ask for it, to those that reject the very helping hand they’ve been praying and wishing so much for. The emotions in this show are raw and honest. When the show picks up, your heart will pound in response to the developments and out of concern for the characters. And although there weren’t any traditional cliffhangers per se, there were several episodes where I said #%$%!!! and watched the next episode, because I had to know what happened.

I wish they would have explained a little more about the Togas, their background and function, and the role of the Haibane Renmei. I would’ve also loved to have learned a little bit more about how the Haibane and the town of Glie came about. But that mystery is part of the charm, and adds to the unsettling atmosphere. It’s hard to predict where the story will go, because so much about the world and its characters is unknown.

I wonder how much I’d want to rewatch Haibane Renmei in the future, because while it’s somewhat uplifting, it is still a sad show (although if you’re watching for the symbolism, you could probably watch it endlessly). But if you haven’t watched it yet, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It takes a little bit of patience, but it’s shows like this that make me believe in the power of anime as a unique and powerful storytelling medium.

I don’t usually do full out reviews, because I don’t think I’m particularly good at writing them, but I wanted to say something about Ponyo, so what the hell. I didn’t actually watch the Disney dub, but watched a fansub version instead. All the talk about the Disney release reminded me that this movie’s been out in Japan since last year. At some point I do want to check out the Disney dub, because Disney’s Ghibli adaptations are the rare movies where I think the voice dubs are really well done. In fact, I still haven’t seen Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle with the original Japanese voice cast. Anyway onto the review.

The story:

Ponyo is a simple love story at it’s heart. And I say "love" in its purest sense, because it’s not quite familial love, but it’s not quite romantic love as well. The relationship between the two kids is unique and full of life. If Sosuke is a bit disturbed by Ponyo’s fish roots, or her tendency to look like a chicken when she’s drawing upon her magical powers, he doesn’t let on at all. Conversely, Ponyo’s love is pure dedication as she literally transforms from a fish into a human and travels across the oceans to get back to Sosuke. The love story is cute, sweet and free from all the typical angsty drama.

Unfortunately, there’s also a more supernatural and dramatic element to the story which is woefully underdeveloped. There’s no backstory to why Ponyo’s father cast aside his humanity to retreat to the seas. There’s also no backstory on what Ponyo’s mother is and what she does. But more egregiously, we’re told at the end that Sosuke’s true love for Ponyo saved the world from annihilation. Why or what that annihilation was is a complete mystery. I think it had to do with the moon getting too close to Earth, but I have no clue, and it’s a curious missing piece from the story.

The Animation:

It’s beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. Maybe not as steampunk detailed like Howl’s Moving Castle, or as bizarre and otherworldly as Spirited Away, but the attention to detail is amazing. You’ll notice an interesting detail, or a flourish of movement in every scene. It’s mind-boggling to me that all this was done without CGI. The character designs are interesting, but typical Miyazaki. But I did like Ponyo in goldfish form actually. She was just so adorably cute.

The Sound:

If the story was somewhat lacking, the animation and sound more than make up for it. The opening sequence reminded me of Fantasia, with the orchestral background and the myriad of sea creatures on screen. From there, it’s just orchestral bliss throughout. It feels like there’s never a moment where there’s not at least a woodwind or a violin playing quietly in the background. You definitely notice it every step of the way, but not because it’s distracting, but because of how good it sounds, and how it always seems to complement the mood so fittingly. I didn’t recognize any of the voice actors, but the VA work is solid, and I especially liked Ponyo’s seiyuu, especially when she’s saying "I want ham!"

The Characters:

Ponyo is a movie for kids, so there’s not a whole lot of character development. Ponyo is a headstrong, high-energy, heart on her sleeve goldfish. Sosuke is the naive but bright-eyed and good natured kid. Risa is the strong backbone of her family and community. While Ponyo’s parents balance out the eccentricity scale. They are what they are, and they don’t change too much during the movie. But the chemistry between all the characters feels so natural, that the characters don’t feel like cardboard cutouts, and instead everything feels natural – even when you’re literally a fish out of water.

Final Thoughts:

It’s not really fair to compare Ponyo to the movies I mentioned above, because they’re intended for different audiences. Ponyo is a much more straightforward, "what you see is what you get" story. And like I mentioned, even some of the deeper stuff under the surface isn’t developed enough to bother thinking too deeply about. But if you level-set your expectations and you watch it for what it is – a kids story about love – I think it’d be hard to deny the feel-good, cuteness of the movie.

I gave Ponyo an 8 on MAL, but on a 100 point scale, I’d probably bump it a couple points higher to about an 82.

Apologies to ghostlightning for ripping off the title, but it felt like the most appropriate choice of words. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Hopefully my post does the name some justice.

Real life had been bringing me down. All around my I see people affected with "pussyfooting" disease. Decisions that should take a day, instead take a month – and for no reason but to fret over frivolous and insignificant details. Work that could be done in 5 days, instead takes 5 weeks for no good reason. And all I can do is get bogged down in the mire. It’s in moments like these where I want to yell "FUZAKENNA! Who the hell do you think I am?" and then blast all the inertia to smithereens with gattai power.

But lacking the cajones to do something like that (and probably having too much good sense as well), I decided to do the next best thing. Rewatch Gurren Lagann. And vicariously experience "going beyond the impossible and kicking reason to the curb!"

Here are some of my thoughts as I rewatched the first half of the show.

Needless to say, there’s plenty of SPOILERS from episode 1-15, so proceed at your own risk.

Episode 1: Love at first sight

Amidst all the anime I’ve seen, two introductory scenes stick out in my mind.

One is the first scenes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’s, when Kyon is walking up the hill talking about believing in espers and aliens when he was younger. I could relate to this completely. It was as if he was describing me. And it was in this brief, quiet moment that I connected with TMoHS, and knew Haruhi was going to be something special.

The other moment, as you can guess, came from Gurren Lagann, when Simon talks about his job and reason for digging. I don’t exactly know why this particular scene is so affecting for me, because unlike the scene in Haruhi, it seems much less personal. Maybe it’s the simple, but unique animation. Maybe it’s because of the sparse piano in the background. Maybe it’s because it’s such a contrast to almost every other scene in Gurren Lagann. Or maybe it’s because of the sound of Simon’s voice – which harkens of both hope and hopelessness. It’s a shounen archetype – to take an average guy and turn him into a superpower – but despite the strange scenario, there was something about this scene that just felt very real and very relatable. To feel like you’re doing something menial, but to do it, not for the man, and not for the pig-mole steaks, but because you have a special reason of your own. And when I saw this, I felt the same thing I did when I was listening to Kyon talk – this anime was going to be something special.

Episode 8: Death of a legend

Has any character ever made such a huge impact in such a short period of time? Kamina’s MAL favorites-to-episodes ratio handily beats out even Haruhi and L Lawliet. It took 8 episodes to become a hero, and one moment of silence to become a legend. My only regret is that this episode didn’t end in complete silence.

Two years after the fact, I’m not going to say anything new about Kamina’s death that hasn’t been said already, but I think killing him – and keeping him dead – was probably the 2nd boldest decision that Gainax made with this show.

It’s worth noting that for all of the "making the impossible, possible" moments in Gurren Lagann, coming back from the dead is the one thing in which the impossible remained impossible. I think that’s one of the more understated reasons for why Gurren Lagann was so powerful, and why even though it seemed like the heroes had a neverending level of power-ups available to them, each battle was a tense, heart-racing affair.

"The dead do not suffer the living to pass." If you die, you stay dead. What a simple, but powerful concept.

Episode 11: Birth of a legend

There were a bunch of things I realized I missed the first time I watched Gurren Lagann. But it boggles my mind that I didn’t give the following scene the justice it deserved on my first watch through.

Kamina had some fantastic lines. It seemed like every word out of his mouth was tailor made for the GAR hall of fame, but I think the greatest line in Gurren Lagann – and possibly ever – was uttered by Simon. I’ve watched this scene, in which he faces off against Guame, delivering the coming-of-age speech for the ages, about 40 times. And each time I watch it, I get the same goosebumps and a tear in my eye.

I don’t know if I have the words to give the speech justice. When Simon talks about accepting Kamina’s death, but vowing to continue with him in his heart – that was crazy moving. But then Tetsuya Kakihara takes it another level by delivering the most perfect lines with the most perfect mix of coolness, GARness, and emotion ever – "Digging a hole to pierce the heavens. Even in a grave, I can drill on. And if I can breakthrough, it’s my victory." And then brings it full circle by using Kamina’s line "Who the hell do you think I am." is just… incredible. The setting is perfect, the delivery is perfect, the insert song is perfect. Am I just saying it’s perfect, because I lack the ability to describe it more appropriately? Yeah, probably. But I’m just simply astounded at how great, how powerful this one scene is, how it boils up all that Simon’s been holding back, and lets it loose so brilliantly.

Nia, hontouni daisuke!

I loved Nia before – but my love is now completely off the charts after rewatching the first half – and it’s not just because I love the design of her eyes, her colorful outfit, her cute voice and her unfailing optimism. She may have served as a replacement for Kamina of sorts, helping Simon grow and become the man that he becomes. But she proved herself to be more than just a handy shounen plot device. I think she loses some respect because she has that moe thing going, and I guess because she lacks Yoko’s curves, revealing outfit and big gun. But I think Nia has proven herself to be one of the best female characters ever. Case in point:

• When she finds out that the crew considers her to be the enemy and that she may be hated. She doesn’t worry or get down on herself, she doesn’t whine about the unfairness of her situation. She recognizes their views and vows to take steps of her own to understand more about them.
• When Adiane attacks the Dai Gurren, and Kittan is berating Simon, it’s Nia who takes the initiative and challenges Adiane, defending the plight of the people she just met (and who’ve deemed her the enemy). She stands for what she believes is right and questions Adiane’s willingness to following the Helix King’s orders blindly.
• When she learns that her father has abandoned her and ordered for her to be killed, she doesn’t mope and fall into depression, instead she challenges him and his generals, and fights for herself, as well as the people who now support her.
• When the Dai Gurren’s allies are hopelessly dying by flying into the Helix Tornado, and the comm systems are down, she thinks and reacts quickly, projecting herself and her words out to the group.
• When she and Simon finally confront the Helix King, and they realize talking won’t fix the problem, she doesn’t hesitate to fight against him. There’s no hand-wringing, no pussyfooting, she makes a decision and acts upon it.
• And finally, when her father falls to his death, I was incredibly impressed by the resolve on her face and her choice of words "Sayonara, I will face towards tomorrow." No regrets, no wallowing. Acceptance of the inevitable, the unchangeable. And the strength to move on. That is true greatness of character. That is true GAR.
• Oh, and she’s a wonderful cook.

Her endless optimism may be a stereotypical trait, but she’s proven to be much more than just a girl with a cute design and a bright outlook on life. Rather, she’s one of strongest characters I can ever recall seeing.

Those fricking magnificent eyecatches

I want every one of those magnificent eyecatches as paintings on my walls. Every one of them is just busting at the seams with bad-ass style.

And while I’m at it, the scenes below weren’t in eyecatch format, but I would want to hang them on my wall regardless. Seriously, if someone has the skillz to paint something these on like a 36×24 canvas, I would totally buy it. May I create a house of GAR and inspiration.

Episode 16: The most necessary recap episode ever

I’m not a fan of recap episodes. I usually just skip over them. But if there was one show that really deserved it, it’s Gurren Lagann. Partly because you really need a breather after everything that had happened, and partly because a recap is actually helpful to get the story altogether in our heads. It also serves as a natural break for what I think was the boldest decision Gainax made with Gurren Lagann – to not end the show on a triumphant note and to tell the story of what happens after the hero "wins."

To be continued…