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Zenryaku,
It's been a few months, so it's time for another Anime Apolyton.
A number of good releases have been continued, of course. Most importantly, Hare+Guu finally has a couple discs out. Definitely the best release so far this year for anyone who likes off-the-wall comedy.
The other major release recently was the latest wave of Ghibli films. Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Whisper of the Heart. The last being my favorite from this wave, although it was one of the very small number of Ghibli films not directed by Miyazaki or Takahata.
A number of complete collections, of course, from Crest of the Stars to older series like Saber Marionette J and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Odd title out is probably Prefectural Earth Defense Force. This is pretty much a sentai spoof, but it's an older title that's had something of a cult following for a long time. Some pretty good comedy, unfortunately ADV's distribution of the title isn't that great. There's only a couple places to get it right now.
Just out is a rerelease of Patlabor the Movie. The biggest draw here is the limited edition version, which includes a couple books. One is a set of storyboards for the film, and another includes all sorts of criticism and commentary on the film, including interviews with Mamoru Oshii and Kazunori Ito (director and screenwriter). There'll be a similiar rerelease done for the second Patlabor movie in July.
The biggest, for me, up-coming title is Kamichu, the story of a middle school girl who suddenly discovers that she's a goddess, but doesn't know what she's the goddess of. I was surprised to hear that this one got licensed, but quite pleased as I was about ready to buy the R2s.
Coming out next month is Animation Runner Kuromi-chan 2. This series is a comic inside look into the production of anime, and a good watch for anyone interested in the medium.
On the Japanese side, a new season has started up. This includes the second season of Ah My Goddess, which will hopefully at least include the Fourth Goddess story arc. They skipped over this one in the first season, but since Peorth features prominitely in the new opening, hopefully she'll get some screen time this run.
The other second season to watch is Aria the Natural. Unfortunately, still no word from ADV on whether or not (or when) they'll bother continuing to release the manga of this.
Of new shows, the stand-out so far is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (big spoilers at the link). This one is set in a high school. On the first day of school, as the students are introducing themselves in class, Haruhi stands up to announce that she's not interested in normal humans, but if you're an alien, a time-traveller, or an esper, to come to her. And she's completely serious about it. The first episode is rather unusual, in that's it's an amatuer film put together by the club Haruhi starts, complete with plot holes, bad acting, off-key singing, and cheap special effects. Nevertheless, it was a great hook, and the show is very enjoyable. Another series based on a book I can hope will eventually get translated.
A couple other shows have some potential, but aren't as stand-out. One is Yume Tsukai (Dream Users). I've read some of the manga to this, which is part of why I think it's got potential, but the anime so far risks turning into a monster-of-the-week series, which would be a pity. In this one a team of "dream users" combat the dreams that have become powerful enough to leak into waking life. It has some very amusing characters, from the little girl who tries to be way more grown up than she is, to the guy with the heavy lolita complex who wears an aquarium for a hat.
The other is Ouran High School Host Club. In this one a poor student on scholarship to an exclusive high school full of ultra-rich kids. After accidentally breaking an expensive vase, Haruhi is drafted into the Host Club to attract new customers until the debt is payed off. Only the Host Club is all-male, and they at first don't realize that Haruhi is female.
One I have yet to see any of, but very much want to, is Magical Girl Club, another outing in the Tenchi-spinoff Pretty Sammy series. Tenchi spinoffs often change the storyline completely, but this time they've also completely changed the art style, and it'll be interesting to see how it turns out. No confirmation yet on whether or not Pixy Misa will appear, but if she does the show will certainly be a must-see.
There are a couple recent shows I haven't mentioned before that deserve comment. Mushishi is about a travelling "Mushishi", someone who catches the supernatural creatures called "mushi". Very well done series. No over-all plot, but the character interaction and the themes of each episode are great.
For more on the off-the-wall comedy front, there's Pani Poni Dashi, which is about the genius Rebecca Miyamoto, youngest ever graduate of MIT, who has gone to Japan to teach high school despite being 11 years old. Lots of odd students in the class combined with tons of anime references. Not as good as Hare+Guu, but it can hold its own with Excel Saga. Becky (Rebecca's nickname) makes for a great genius, and has that dash of evil necessary to make such a character truly fun; one of her professors from college comments that he thought she became a teacher to destroy Japan's education system from the inside. Also quite possibly the only anime to ever include an homage to Fillerbunny, although I'm not sure if the resemblance was intentional or not.
Apparently, a second season of Honey and Clover is planned, but hasn't started yet. Probably the title I'm most looking forward to.
The manga side of things has been fairly quite in comparison, at least in the US. I don't read enough Japanese to follow them very closely, but the big news there is that Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has come to an end with volume 14.
I think that covers all the major points. Maybe an update on the manga side later if I remember something to add.
Wraith
"Exactly! And for expendable people, we have an expendable mecha!"
-- Coach Roberi ("Prefectural Earth Defense Force")
It's been a few months, so it's time for another Anime Apolyton.
A number of good releases have been continued, of course. Most importantly, Hare+Guu finally has a couple discs out. Definitely the best release so far this year for anyone who likes off-the-wall comedy.
The other major release recently was the latest wave of Ghibli films. Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Whisper of the Heart. The last being my favorite from this wave, although it was one of the very small number of Ghibli films not directed by Miyazaki or Takahata.
A number of complete collections, of course, from Crest of the Stars to older series like Saber Marionette J and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Odd title out is probably Prefectural Earth Defense Force. This is pretty much a sentai spoof, but it's an older title that's had something of a cult following for a long time. Some pretty good comedy, unfortunately ADV's distribution of the title isn't that great. There's only a couple places to get it right now.
Just out is a rerelease of Patlabor the Movie. The biggest draw here is the limited edition version, which includes a couple books. One is a set of storyboards for the film, and another includes all sorts of criticism and commentary on the film, including interviews with Mamoru Oshii and Kazunori Ito (director and screenwriter). There'll be a similiar rerelease done for the second Patlabor movie in July.
The biggest, for me, up-coming title is Kamichu, the story of a middle school girl who suddenly discovers that she's a goddess, but doesn't know what she's the goddess of. I was surprised to hear that this one got licensed, but quite pleased as I was about ready to buy the R2s.
Coming out next month is Animation Runner Kuromi-chan 2. This series is a comic inside look into the production of anime, and a good watch for anyone interested in the medium.
On the Japanese side, a new season has started up. This includes the second season of Ah My Goddess, which will hopefully at least include the Fourth Goddess story arc. They skipped over this one in the first season, but since Peorth features prominitely in the new opening, hopefully she'll get some screen time this run.
The other second season to watch is Aria the Natural. Unfortunately, still no word from ADV on whether or not (or when) they'll bother continuing to release the manga of this.
Of new shows, the stand-out so far is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (big spoilers at the link). This one is set in a high school. On the first day of school, as the students are introducing themselves in class, Haruhi stands up to announce that she's not interested in normal humans, but if you're an alien, a time-traveller, or an esper, to come to her. And she's completely serious about it. The first episode is rather unusual, in that's it's an amatuer film put together by the club Haruhi starts, complete with plot holes, bad acting, off-key singing, and cheap special effects. Nevertheless, it was a great hook, and the show is very enjoyable. Another series based on a book I can hope will eventually get translated.
A couple other shows have some potential, but aren't as stand-out. One is Yume Tsukai (Dream Users). I've read some of the manga to this, which is part of why I think it's got potential, but the anime so far risks turning into a monster-of-the-week series, which would be a pity. In this one a team of "dream users" combat the dreams that have become powerful enough to leak into waking life. It has some very amusing characters, from the little girl who tries to be way more grown up than she is, to the guy with the heavy lolita complex who wears an aquarium for a hat.
The other is Ouran High School Host Club. In this one a poor student on scholarship to an exclusive high school full of ultra-rich kids. After accidentally breaking an expensive vase, Haruhi is drafted into the Host Club to attract new customers until the debt is payed off. Only the Host Club is all-male, and they at first don't realize that Haruhi is female.
One I have yet to see any of, but very much want to, is Magical Girl Club, another outing in the Tenchi-spinoff Pretty Sammy series. Tenchi spinoffs often change the storyline completely, but this time they've also completely changed the art style, and it'll be interesting to see how it turns out. No confirmation yet on whether or not Pixy Misa will appear, but if she does the show will certainly be a must-see.
There are a couple recent shows I haven't mentioned before that deserve comment. Mushishi is about a travelling "Mushishi", someone who catches the supernatural creatures called "mushi". Very well done series. No over-all plot, but the character interaction and the themes of each episode are great.
For more on the off-the-wall comedy front, there's Pani Poni Dashi, which is about the genius Rebecca Miyamoto, youngest ever graduate of MIT, who has gone to Japan to teach high school despite being 11 years old. Lots of odd students in the class combined with tons of anime references. Not as good as Hare+Guu, but it can hold its own with Excel Saga. Becky (Rebecca's nickname) makes for a great genius, and has that dash of evil necessary to make such a character truly fun; one of her professors from college comments that he thought she became a teacher to destroy Japan's education system from the inside. Also quite possibly the only anime to ever include an homage to Fillerbunny, although I'm not sure if the resemblance was intentional or not.
Apparently, a second season of Honey and Clover is planned, but hasn't started yet. Probably the title I'm most looking forward to.
The manga side of things has been fairly quite in comparison, at least in the US. I don't read enough Japanese to follow them very closely, but the big news there is that Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has come to an end with volume 14.
I think that covers all the major points. Maybe an update on the manga side later if I remember something to add.
Wraith
"Exactly! And for expendable people, we have an expendable mecha!"
-- Coach Roberi ("Prefectural Earth Defense Force")
Motoko, the kick-ass woman protagonist, is naked a lot, but Masamune draws her like a Barbie. No nipples, no vagina, no pubic hair. Such a prude. 
He should take some lessons from Manara.
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