“Unresolved conflict. Zero tension. Maximum pretty star effect. J.C. Staff’s watercolour palette.”

It’s really what I’d call this show. It’s a traditional id software code throw back to a type of anime I’ve never seen. And because I’m writing this while I’m sick, my ability to create comprehensive thoughts are shoved through a window made out of air. This implies that this window doesn’t exist, and more of a hint that a rectangular hole revealing the outside is in place. So what is Kill Me Baby, and why should anyone care? Truth is, you still won’t know what it is after watching, nor will you care afterwards after claiming you do. It’s so narrow in its idea of appeal, that only those who have a reckless taste in brain-foaming, sedative induced laughter would entertain the idea of watching this show for recreation.

And by golly, this show is perfect for me.

Yasuna’s stupidity and Sonya’s twintails of murderous intent is where it’s often focused, but there’s a lot surrounding it in a strange plastic wrapping. You know that feeling of peace and warmth you get when you climb into your bed after slogging through a cold wintery outside? None of that is here. It’s all awkward and full of Kyon-kun’s eye glazing humor, while lacking in the actual Kyon department. And every time I mention Kyon, I realize how much of a mancrush Ariolander has on Crispin Freeman. I’m lucky enough to have a female seiyuu I semi-obsess over, and it’s Satomi Arai — her voice, even in small vocal quips, always make me post on my blog. I’d have no idea how to react if Tomokazu Sugita actually had a character in Kill Me Baby. It didn’t help that Kugyuu (Rie Kugimiya) is also in this show, as the new character in episode 3. Get a Mr. Sakaguchi Daisuke in there and Patsuwan it up.

I might be a lost case to the seiyuu faggotry that invades a Japanese’s otaku’s mind. But I attempt to allay these fears by playing FPS games loaded with explosions, and punching for victory in Vindictus with Karok’s new weapon.

The music is rather apt for the show, nailing it’s non-Kyonitivity. Anyone who doesn’t like the opening and closing songs are actually allowed to. Because when haters realize they’ve fallen into the pit of “Yeah, you’re supposed to react like that.” they’ll feel stupid. I have a brain optimized for both musician and non-musician inklings, so I tend to enjoy liking music when others hate it just to spite them. And in this bad habit of mine, I discovered that I whatever I enjoy, I enjoy. I’ll be damned if I couldn’t properly explain why such music is still enjoyable even without a hint of academic music theory in my bones.

Is BONES doing anything this season? I need another middle-of-the-road, generic, robot drama with an OP that has copious amounts of interpretive dance.

Honestly, I’m writing this while sick. Why I could write more than usual is probably explained by my lack of judgement.

-maserbeam

I haven’t been as excited for the insertMonogatari series. As much as I like SHAFT, the material is starting to feel text heavy — as if it weren’t already. So far the only thing that I’ve noticed is the massive upscale of fanservice the show provides. Character interactions are feeling a little better, since it’s no longer Senjougahara-centric as Bakemonogatari was. But that’s probably my bias again, since I’m such a faggot for Yui Horie’s voice. The near OVA like production quality in the first episode was probably a sign that SHAFT finally came into some good money after Madoka Magicka’s stint.. and soon thereafter blowing it all on said episode. I think the art quality has taken a small dive, but some sequences still show consistency and maintenance. The bath scene that the above screencap comes from is a section that contains a large amount of drawn frames for something that easily could have been pared down to half, or even a quarter of frames used, and still be well animated. I’m curious if hiring additional frame checkers would have mattered.

Now, about the screencap I have provided.

On one hand, this screencap is obviously dangerous to look at in a workspace, and/or if you’re still paranoid about someone watching over your shoulder who might think, “A show about watching two persons in a bath?! Questionable! I must report him/her.” Context is a very important thing, and not everyone is able to process SUCH advanced thinking in such a short time span with limited information. On the other, you could have told someone they were brothers, and it’s Japan. Then the chain of thought changes to, “Oh. That’s right, people in Japan have those public baths.” It’s possible someone would call you out on it, declaring that a blonde couldn’t possibly be brothers with a black haired character. You would then rectify the misunderstanding by saying, “It’s anime.” Or maybe even: “Brothers-in-law. Separate mothers or fathers. Happens a lot in anime/Japan/Easter Island.” If you’re lucky, they won’t even bat an eyelid at the Easter Island bit.

What the fuck, right?

Also, sorry for the bad Japun in the title. (Japanese word pun. You know. Except I did it in English. I tried to combine 4 and story together. Fourth story. It’s the fourth episode. Clever? Of course it is. Maybe it still works in Japanese. Someone confirm for me.)

-maserbeam

I could have sworn I was watching Toradora. And while I was watching this episode, I thought to myself, “I’m probably right.”

Wasn’t a surprise I was. Anyone who has spent time oogling at director Tatsuyuki Nagai’s works, like Shigofumi or A Certain Scientific Railgun, would find Ano Natsu de Matteru’s art instantly recognizable. It’s that slightly stylized and blocky, but proportionate anatomy that gave it away for me. Nagai directed episodes 2, 7, and 11 of Shigofumi according to ANN. I had to put in the the effort to backtrack and rewatch those episodes since I wasn’t really aware of Nagai’s stuff until Toradora. I also found out that exact head angle in the above screencap is a good way to find the differential markers between styles. To try this out, go watch Amagami (either one, first or current season), Toradora, and Rinne no Lagrange. Keep an eye out for that particular sideways angle, away from the camera, and it completely changes how the artists have to compensate for the art style.

Amagami’s anime art style unfortunately looks like they have cardboard faces most of the time. I’m surprised I managed to stick with that series because I’m picky with what art style I’m willing to watch.. and sometimes I’m not, with exemplary series such as Akikan and Akagi. Occasionally I can spare myself from puking out my soul and intestines by briskly deleting the files from my brain and HDD. Here’s looking at you, Yoake ~ Cabbage Love.

By the way,  Tantei Opera Milky Holmes is an awesome series. I can’t believe how retardedly happy I got when I saw it on the seasonal anime previews.

I’ll end on the note that Yukari Tamura is voicing the loli on the left of the top image. It’s almost too natural for her voice — it makes me hnng everytime. It’s unfair.

After a couple of seasons of self-analysis about anime tastes, I have determined that it’s not that my standards have lowered. It’s just the range has increased by a large amount. I wonder what I watched that pushed the bottom out so far that I actually enjoy Milky Holmes. I now cannot fathom how people would hate on Milky Holmes. Is it getting across that I love that show? OH YEA.

-maserbeam

“L is for Last Exile!”

I haven’t really posted much about Last Exile ever since I mentioned it somewhere in this blog that I was going to hide in my cave and watch it. Oh boy, has it delivered the goods. Along with some bruised apples and Russians.

I like apples. Give me one.

-maserbeam

These things share two things in common. I can’t get enough of either of them, and there’s people who complain about how it looks.

Skyrim is getting a glut of informational write-ups on how to make the game look “better”. Admittedly, there’s a couple of instances of wishing the visual fidelity was questionable. I don’t always have a problem with how it looks. It would be extremely nitpicky of me to squish my character’s face against a rock slab and declare, “This kind of texture resolution is unacceptable!”. Quite frankly, I’m happy that it already feels less buggy than I anticipated. Some faggots think it’s incredibly buggy and broken with no recourse available to salvage what’s left of the game. Lucky for us they’re a relatively small minority (but still louder than ever).  I think it’s a great game and it’d be a huge disservice to the game if your only reason not to play it was because someone else told you it was buggy. Besides, the game does eventually get fixed via official patches or through fan created fixes.

Haganai, otherwise known as Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai, has our male protagonist luckily not in Nordic skivvies. In fact, he looks rather dashing if you look at the top image. That is if you know nothing about Japanese culture and their silly nomenclature for guys who have lived 30 years and not experienced the warmth of a lover.

Actually, I’m not sure if there are people who complain about Haganai’s look. The show has taken a few dips in the art, but nothing nearly as notorious as some parts in the second season of Minami-ke. Oddly enough, there was one episode that had an entire segment that was decidedly animated by a highly skilled someone, and now the name escapes me. Perhaps I’ll rewatch that season to provide screencaps of the horrendous and the beautiful.

I’m personally rather happy to hear Misato Fukuen voicing Rika. Her role as Miyafuji Yoshika in Strike Witches was great, and puts her voice to great effect in Rika’s debut episode. Rika screaming “UNIVERSE!!!” was hilarious, and somehow arousing. I can gush about Marina Inoue and Kanae Itou too, but that’ll take up another entry.

Almost approaching 400 words, so I’ll shut up and save it for later.

yayskyrimohwhatit’salreadyfinalsohno.

-maserbeam