Pascoite gets bored and reviews anime, vol. 14 · 9:59pm Jul 28th, 2021
A day late, but not a dollar short! But before I get into my oh-so-witty intro, I'll say that this week's featured items are Last Exile and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi.
And why? Well, the above-the-break stuff doesn't actually remain above the break if it gets too long, and last time, I prattled on long enough to bury that, which probably explains the notable dip in readers. You'd figure they know what to expect by now, but hey, maybe I get some drive-by readers based on which series I'm discussing.
Anyway, I'll be out of town when I'd normally post the next blog, and the week after as well, so I'll just skip the next scheduled slot. Our featured items and the usual short reviews of whatever has the massive luck of sitting in this range of the alphabet (or things earlier in the alphabet that I recently finished) after the break (which likely already occurred, so I'll have to wrest myself out of that infinite loop).
Last Exile is a great show. The art, music, story, characters... everything was top-notch, with few reservations. I first saw it long ago, but I recently rewatched it because I wanted to see the sequel, and it held up well.
Claus and Lavie live in a somewhat run-down town and make their living as aerial couriers and sometimes racers. Their fathers had been a renowned pilot/navigator team, who died trying to cross a permanent and legendary windstorm called the Grand Stream. The nation they live in (Anatoray) is at war with another on the other side of that storm (Disith), but only the Disith seem to be able to navigate the storm in their large battleships. This is probably due to the meddling of the third faction, the Guild, who are ostensibly neutral, but since they have a monopoly on the most advanced technology, it's in their interests to keep that war going as long as they can.
The technology is closest to WWI era, though the propulsion systems enable the small airplane analogs (vanships) and the large battleships to fly without any sort of wings, propellers, jets, or anything else you'd associate with flight. They're similar to warp engines, in a way. The engines in vanships are simple enough, but the Guild jealously guards the ones in battleships. No outsiders are allowed access, a Guild member is stationed on each ship to operate it, and if the Guild is displeased, they can simply detach that engine and fly it back to their headquarters, leaving the ship to fall out of the sky.
The first few episodes take you through the initial world building and a somewhat typical courier mission, but soon enough, Claus and Lavie take on one with a danger rating far higher than they knew such a thing could go. Part of that involves not only delivering a message, but a young girl as well—one whose importance and abilities few understand, and what they are doesn't get revealed until late in the series. As part of that, Claus and Lavie get embroiled in the war, which neither one of them ever wanted, though one of them takes to it far more readily than the other.
There are a number of subplots going on: a power vacuum in Anatoray, a rogue battleship crew, trying to do right by this girl (Alvis) they've agreed to protect, their differing attitudes about the war. And as often happens in wartime, the enemy isn't as vicious as anyone's been led to believe, though realizing that will undercut the Guild's desire to see the war continue. Suffice it to say there's a lot going on, and everything is skillfully woven together.
Ah, but I mentioned some reservations, didn't I? A few of these are nitpicks. One, the show likes to take on a Greek aesthetic, but when you look at the words written on maps and ship hulls and whatnot, it's literally what you get when you switch your computer to a Greek font but type in English. A lot of the letters correspond, some don't, and it's just plain lazy. Two, the CGI wasn't too conspicuous until near the end, where everyone is vying for some mythical treasure. The defensive system of the place they're trying to go just looks dumb and OP, imo, and it stood out in a negative way against the otherwise clean animation of the rest of the show. And three, the ending feels very vague and expository. It's tough to pull both of those off, but this manages to. At the time, a lot of people speculated on what it meant, and most got pretty close. The sequel spells it all out though.
I'd rank this as one of my top few favorites of all time.
Rating: excellent.
26 episodes, relevant genres: adventure, drama, steampunk.
I'll cover the sequel with it.
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing takes place in some different time and location from the original, and at first, it's pretty confusing. One character from Last Exile shows up right away, but he looks a little different, and the dub has a different VA for him, so I wasn't sure for quite a while whether it was actually supposed to be that character. Well, it is, though it's late in the series before any more familiar faces show up.
The action centers around young pilot Fam (who flies something even smaller than a vanship called a vespa) and her navigator Giselle, who are part of a sky pirate clan. Their fathers had shared the same relationship and used to participate in races (heard this before?) until they were killed in an event related to the outbreak of war. There are more factions involved than in the original, but one that used to more or less be the most powerful one has decided they need to take over the rest. Their motivation for doing so eventually gets revealed, which also provides the justification for why the original show even happened, and while most of the territories they threaten continue to resist, they do curiously gain one significant ally.
Fam helps to protect and further the interests of a young ruler whose territory has been overrun, hoping that they can re-establish her country. Honestly, this felt a lot like Star Wars—a collection of small underdog armies tries to resist a large and powerful force that can unleash utter destruction if they choose to. it's just that most of their opponents hadn't been worth such a demonstration, at least not until now. And as I had already touched on Fam and Giselle's origins lying in parallel to those of Claus and Lavie, they run into the same conflict about how much to become involved in the war.
More so than the original, Fam runs into power creep issues, where fleets can suddenly absorb massive losses, when smaller numbers of ships were implied to be important early on. Another curiosity is that one of the nations speaks Russian. In the subbed version, you do get a translation of their dialogue, but in the dub, you don't, and just have to get the gist of what they're saying based on other characters' replies and reactions. The ending wraps up what was behind the original as well, as I said, though I'm not really sure where the Guild originated. They're really not present in Fam, and just based on technology levels, maybe they came from the Russian-speaking nation? But it does culminate well in a typical "bad guy had a legitimate and reasonable motivation" reveal, though whether anyone actually accomplished anything isn't clear.
Rating: very good.
21 episodes, relevant genres: adventure, drama, steampunk.
Then there's Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing: Over the Wishes. I was hoping it would be another sequel, but it's just Fam compressed into a movie, and so much of the context got cut that I think it would be hard to follow and lacks the investment that the series could elicit. Just watch the series. It's much better.
Rating: good.
Movie, relevant genres: adventure, drama, steampunk.
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi reminds me a lot of FLCL, in a way. On its surface, it's kind of a wacky comedy, but underneath it all is a surprisingly poignant coming of age story. A young boy (Sasshi) and girl (Arumi) have lived all their lives near each other, due to their families owning businesses in the titular shopping area. But it's not the nice place it once was. The whole area of town has become run down, not many customers come by anymore, and all the remaining businesses continually talk about closing up and moving on.
As kids do, they start hatching schemes to help rejuvenate the area, but they're all talk and no action, plus Arumi seems only halfhearted about it anyway. One of Sasshi's attempts results in an accident, and soon after that, something starts to seem off about the whole place. As soon as they start to make sense of it, the same thing happens, but even worse, and it soon becomes apparent they're tumbling through alternate universe versions of their home. This is mostly played for comedy, and quite effectively. But as they navigate these worlds, they find some connecting threads that reveal to them a couple things. One, a love story from the past that had a big influence on why the present day turned out the way it did. And two, how to return home. If they want to, that is.
It's a funny and action-packed series, but it has a very sweet story that emerges by the end, both in the present for Sasshi and Arumi, and in the past that informs it. Also, since this takes place near Osaka, it's common for dubs to give the characters a southern US accent. I found that weird when I first watched it, since I didn't know that was somewhat of a convention, but now that I do, it makes sense in an academic way. Though it's still weird to hear that accent on people who are ostensibly Japanese. Yeah, I know: it's an analog thing. But still.
Art and story are great. I don't remember the music at all (even though I rewatched it not that long ago), so it's probably average.
Rating: very good.
Abenobashi Maho Shotengai, 13 episodes, relevant genres: comedy, action, romance.
And the also-rans:
Beastars (24 episodes)—this started off well, though a little more on the adult side than I normally like. It's like a more serious version of Zootopia. A wolf named Legoshi (a play on Bela Lugosi) goes to a boarding school where carnivores and herbivores are integrated. However, one of the herbivore students was recently killed and eaten, so tensions are running high, since the culprit hasn't been found. I found this clever in the way it dealt with different dietary needs, socialization, environmental requirements, and just plain physical size, which Zootopia also did to a degree. There are a number of plot threads, like Legoshi trying to fit in socially, do well in school, battle with his nature as a carnivore, and become attracted to an herbivore, but they never really come together. By the end, it seems like it's just trying to cobble together some sort of conclusion on at least one plot point so they can call it a wrap, and as I hear, that's pretty much what happened to the manga. The title suggests that the legendary figures known as Beastars will be a major plot element, but while they certainly seem to be foreshadowed as such, they never come into play at all. Basically, it's what I'd do in a marathon: sprint out to an impressive lead for the first half mile, then flop on the ground in a pool of sweat and decide to go home and eat some chips on the couch. Rating: good (on the strength of season 1), relevant genres: action, mystery, drama.
Kubo and the Two Strings (movie)—I get the impression this movie didn't do well at the box office, though I kept hearing how good it was. To me, it was fine, but didn't quite live up to the hype. Kubo is a child who cares for his mother and is warned about all sorts of malevolent spirits who live in the area and would attack him after sunset. Of course he doesn't heed this warning, and he gets attacked, but he's saved by his sickly mother somehow... and then he wakes up in an unfamiliar place with a couple of companions: a snow monkey (based on a charm he had) and a small origami man (based on his ability to manipulate origami with his music). They embark on a quest to find a powerful sword and suit of armor they can use against the big bad guy Kubo had been warned about, which leads to them picking up another companion, a beetle-like samurai. Of course there are some mini boss fights along the way, and while they're enjoyable, they still feel like a plot I've seen countless times before. A fetch quest while learning about one's history? It's rather reminiscent of things like Coco. It was still good, just not the first one that comes to mind when thinking up things to recommend. Rating: good, relevant genres: adventure, action, drama, fantasy.
loliRock (52 episodes)—what an unfortunate title. This is a kids' series made in France, and it delivers pretty much what you'd expect. Laughably inept villains who crack out a scheme du jour to try capturing the good guys. The main character, Iris, is a princess who was hidden away to protect her from a usurper to the throne, and two princesses of vassal nations were sent to be her protectors. They have typical magical girl powers, and in the meantime, they're also members of a somewhat famous band. This is all really reminding me of Sailor Moon season 5. It was decent enough, and there are some good redemption arcs for the baddie's henchmen, plus a not-unexpected yet pretty good cliffhanger at the end of season 3 that just stopped because the show got cancelled. If you like magical girl shows, you could do worse, though the music gets cringe-inducing at times, which isn't surprising, given the demographic it's written for. That title? It's what they actually named their band. Yeah. it also provides some dissonance for MLP fans, in that Ashleigh Ball voices the badass workaholic, while Tabitha St. Germain voices the airheaded, fun-loving one. Rating: decent, relevant genres: fantasy, action, adventure, drama, romance.
Lupin III (278 episodes for Part I through Part V, + OVA "Is Lupin Still Burning?")—there's a part VI due out this year, so I'm jumping the gun a bit on this, though I might not watch it. Toonami's been consistent about getting them, but I don't know that I'd bother tracking it down on my own. Anyway, Lupin is a master criminal, and he's got as companions a con woman (Fujiko), a master samurai (Goemon), and a crack pistol marksman (Jigen), plus a few who come and go over the seasons. Inspector Zenigata has devoted his life to taking Lupin down. It's a common show type, and Lupin is always either up to planning some monumental heist or working to help someone in dire need. The heists themselves may be simply for the thrill of it, or because he feels justified in punishing the owner for something they've done. There's really no need to go into plot, so suffice it to say it's a genre piece, and if you like elaborate theft or intrigue schemes, like Ocean's Eleven or James Bond, you'll probably like these as well. The longer seasons do tend to drag, but I liked Part V and the character introduced there (Ami). That might be a good starting point for someone wanting to give it a try, as it's not that critical to have the context of earlier seasons, and it's one of the shorter ones (24 episodes). Not bad overall. And Jigen is best pony. He goes in the list of side characters who steal the show, much like YuYu Hakusho's Kuwabara or Megumi from Food Wars! Rating: decent, relevant genres: action, adventure, mystery, comedy.
Macross Plus (movie)—this was described to me as being inspired by the competition between the YF-22 and YF-23 for the US Air Force, but I don't know if that's true. It came at a time when mecha anime had made a big impression over here, and these are very reminiscent of the Robotech Valkyries. I know very little Robotech lore, so maybe this is supposed to be in the same universe? Anyway, the test pilots for competing aircraft to win a military contract start to take things a little too personally, especially as a third member of their long-ago circle shows up to open old wounds. One gets injured when they go overboard during a mock battle. And then both are told their efforts are all for naught: another secret project being developed behind the scenes will be moving forward instead, as an unmanned fighter. Meanwhile, their common love interest has become the manager for a pop star who, unbeknownst to the public, is an AI, but one whose manager is required as a backup to provide emotion and make her seem lifelike at concerts. The line between the two begins to blur due to someone else's malevolent actions, and when you combine a haywire AI with a computer-controlled fighter aircraft, then as historical depictions of future technology tell us about the present day, deadly monkeyshines ensue. As a movie, the plot isn't too surprising, but it's executed well. Art is fine for its era, and the music is by Yoko Kanno, or in other words, great. Rating: good, relevant genres: action, drama, sci-fi.
Seen any of these? Did I convince you to try any of them? I'd like to hear about it in the comments.
Last 10:
vol. 4 here
vol. 5 here
vol. 6 here
vol. 7 here
vol. 8 here
vol. 9 here
vol. 10 here
vol. 11 here
vol. 12 here
vol. 13 here
Macross is the series that Robotech took from to "start". So the original Macross TV series was bought by Carl Maseck and Harmony Gold, then it was hotchpotch-ed together with Southern Cross and Mospeada to create the thing known as Robotech. (There's a reason the "good" part of Robotech is always the "first" part).
Long story, but Harmony gold prevented Macross from reaching North America for decades until finally last year that finally came apart.
5561372
All this makes me wonder if I've seen some of the old Macross TV series. Something was on about the time I was in 5th or 6th grade, and I thought it was Robotech, but it never grabbed me much, and then it was gone.
Abenobashi is a show I've wanted to watch forever. Heard about it back when I started watching anime -- and getting your hands on it was much harder -- and just never took the time to find it. :B
I remember Abenobashi, but I saw it ages ago and don't remember much beyond it being a comedy. Don't recall it being that deep, but I do recall liking it a lot.
I loved Kubo and the Two Strings, but I think I liked it more for its unusual style than a specific fondness of the plot or characters. I believe it was made by the same people who made Coraline which I also loved.
Macross Plus is another movie I really enjoyed as a kid (and I can genuinely say "kid" for this one). Your summary has differences from the one I saw, but I understand there were, like, three or four different versions that each did things a little differently. For example, in the one I saw everyone knew Sharon Apple wasn't real, or at least those who paid any attention to her at all knew. Just the thought of the movie makes me nostalgic; I listened to Information High for months.
5561387 There were two versions of it, the Movie which was one single thing, and a... four episode? one that might be the one you're thinking about.
5561375 Yeah, it really depends on what you might've seen and at what stage. The issue with Macross (the first part of Robotech) was that it has a solid story, so jumping in the middle didn't make much sense, and Southern Cross and Mospeada had NOTHING to do with Macross, but Harmony Gold made up a "continuous" story for them, which... made no sense and essentially ruined them as well so seeing that midway was just not a thing you could do and enjoy.
Kubo and the Two Strings was very good. It is something I really enjoyed, but like Paul I'm not too specific on what it was particularly (except the cover of "My Guitar Gently Weeps" which was pretty sweet.)
5561447
Ah, right. Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing there was a mini-series version. I owned the movie version.
5561375
If it was in English, it was Robotech. Super Dimension Fortress Macross has never been properly localized for the USA. Subs only, and those are rare.
Harmony Gold has a stranglehold on that property. Or did until very recently. I believe it's been relaxed.
I remember years ago buying the soundtrack for Last Exile. The music for that show was rather good.