Binbou Shimai Monogatari , which translates to something like “The Story of Poor Sisters“, is a 10-episode anime based on a seinen manga of the same name.  The general premise of the story is that two girls, the older being in middle school, live alone in a rather modest apartment (think Ikkoku-kan from Maison Ikkoku).  They live in relative poverty without parental support, as their mother has passed away and their father has left them for his gambling addictions.  The older sister takes up a part time job while the younger one devotes herself to housework, and by depending on each other, they are able to live independently.

I’m sure there are some preconceptions floating around in your minds as there were when I first glanced over the plot description for this series.  It’s probably best to let go of them immediately – this is not a serious, dramatic, or particularly emotional series.  The premise may remind one of something like Dare mo Shiranai and other depressing stories, but the execution really couldn’t be more different.  In fact, Binbou is more or less a slice-of-life comedy series with only mild forays into drama.  The sisters’ poverty never poses any real threat, the possible emotional trauma of their situation is tucked aside, and the strangers around them are all more than happy to do any favour they require.  If you’re looking for a profound exploration on childhood tragedy, look elsewhere (I recommend Grave of the Fireflies). On the other hand, if you focus exclusively on the light-hearted aspects of the show, there aren’t too many faults here.  The sisters are generally quite likable, though the overt sweetness of their sibling bond lacks the more down-to-earth charm of, say, the sisters from My Neighbor Totoro.  And while new ground in comedy isn’t being broken here, there are more than enough genuinely entertaining scenarios strewn about.

The anime doesn’t really have any further message to tell the audience other than the fact that the two sisters are very, very close.  If the sound of a “sweetness overload” repels you, you will probably want to avoid the series.  Every episode has at least one or two moments where the sisters embrace in front of a flowery background  - moments where the audience are presumably expected to “aww” at the loving relationship being shown to them.  Sometimes this is emphasized for comedy – like when the camera pulls back to reveal a third character staring awkwardly at the display of cartoonish affection.  While it tends to get a little tedious, it isn’t the biggest problem with the anime.

As you’d expect, Binbou falters whenever it attempts to inject anything more dramatic into its story, due to the fact that the level of buildup or believability required simply isn’t there.  These scenes end up feeling a tad contrived.  The very first episode has an example of this, where a drawn-out conflict between the sisters occurs due to misinterpretations and conclusion-jumping.  Yet when they are otherwise portrayed as the closest and most loving siblings on planet Earth, why wouldn’t they give each other the benefit of the doubt here?  The best example of contrived drama, though, is an episode late in the series where the sisters each become deeply concerned about the other due to……problems reaching the other on their cellphone.  I couldn’t help but note the humour in the fact that a series about orphaned children living alone had to resort to cellphone accessibility as a source of tension.  Now, the final episode does contain an attempt at delving into the girls’ past and possible trauma (though only regarding their mother), but the content is too bare and is delivered too late to leave any significant impact.

It’s also possible to start delving into the plot and finding all sorts of further oddities – like the sisters’ source of income.  They seem to live rather comfortably in an average size apartment entirely on the salary from the older sisters’ morning paper route.  One episode has a side character from a rich family who nevertheless competes with the sisters’ for discounted items at the local supermarket.  The side cast isn’t particularly well-developed either, apart from the landlord – one of the only characters whose background is given a fair bit of exposition (imagine if the same had been done for the girls’).  He is one of those familiar characters with a gruff exterior masking more noble, caring intentions.  Barring the landlord, though, the other characters don’t really have much in the way of substance and sometimes feel like recurring cameos.  They are all generally kind and never pose any conflict or trigger any real character development in the series.

In the end, it’s hard to say something like “it could have been better”, because I’m fairly sure that many people looking for a light-hearted show will be perfectly content with a comedic series about two sisters in a candy-coated vision of poverty.  On the other hand, in those moments where it briefly attempted to deliver something with actual drama or tension, you can’t help but notice how much of the premise went to waste and how much potential for character development was ignored.  So if you want a short series that will be fairly easy to digest and without any real depth, Binbou is entertaining on a superficial level, but perhaps it suffers a little too much from the potential of its own premise.

Somehow, it hadn’t crossed my radar that Nodame Cantabile had returned to the airwaves with a new season, probably because I’ve been paying less and less attention to ongoing anime.  Of course, I’ve picked it up again, though I’ve only had the time for one episode so far.  At first glance, it appears to carry on the beloved Nodame formula fairly well,  the enjoyable blend of romantic comedy with a musical backdrop.  However, I was one of those people that thought the second season was not quite as strong as the first.  This might be due to the length of the two, with Paris-hen only having a mere 11 episodes and not being as self-contained as the original season (actually, the storyline of Paris-hen more or less continues directly into this third season).  However, perusals of various forums indicate that many people felt that the “formula” had changed too much and resulted in a less entertaining or captivating version of Nodame Cantabile.

Part of it probably has to do with how much the musical aspect of the show ties into your enjoyment of Nodame.  I know many people who are big fans of the show but aren’t particularly enamored with classical music, and found the more extended musical sequences of the original anime and especially the live-action version to be “boring”.  Paris-hen was probably a welcome change for them in that regard.  But as for me personally, while the romantic comedy aspect of the series was enjoyable, of course, what really made Nodame stand out amongst others was its combination with the highlighting of the serious pursuit of music in a conservatory setting.  That was definitely what piqued my curiosity in the anime at first.  That’s not to say that the musical aspect was missing from Paris-hen, but the climactic nature of the performance scenes was certainly missing the same level of impact, and I felt like those were rather important.  When the orchestra from season 1 went through it’s first performance, or during the competition scenes, you could practically feel the satisfaction of the accomplishment, or the tension of the moment.

The other underwhelming part of Paris-hen was the side characters, which just didn’t feel as memorable as those of the original.  That’s not to say that the original cast members were all strong – I’ll admit they sometimes felt more like running jokes than characters.  But all the same, although they could have used some more development, their roles in the story felt a little more concrete, Streseman in particular.  I don’t really find much noteworthy about the Paris-hen characters.  The first one that comes to mind Tanya, the Russian pianist who dislikes practicing and wants to find a boyfriend.  I’m not sure at what point we were supposed to start to like her character, but it never happened for me.  And when she was paired up with Kuroki at the end, it felt a little forced – I’m not sure I saw much chemistry between them.

After watching the first episode of Finale, I suppose these side characters are here to stay, so I’ll have to make an effort to be interested in them.  Otherwise, its the familiar and likable Nodame humour and style, though I had no interest in the scenes involving Rui.  Watching the excellent live-action version probably forever ruined my ability to enjoy the animated orchestra scenes, which have the same robotic quality to them.  I’ve read many complaints that it was rushed, and this is probably a result of manga familiarity more than the actual episode, so I didn’t really notice it.  Anyways, I’ve put myself back into the Nodame world, so here’s hoping for a great finish to one of the best shows in the genre.

Before reading further, I will point out that my actual review is found here, while this post will contain spoilers as well as my general impressions of the film’s plot and ending.  I should also mention that my “top ten anime list” has been modified to include Millenium Actress.  I thought long and hard about what it would replace, and finally had to decide on the removal of Ookiku Furikabutte.

I usually make it a habit of checking IMDB comments on films that I have just seen, and I was a little surprised to see some negative comments from people who felt like the last line of the film ruined the story.  This is because they thought that what the last line implied was that her quest to find the artist, which seemed to drive much of the film, was actually just a superficial “thrill of the chase”, without any more meaning, and that this made Chiyoko look like a vain person.

I don’t think that’s what Kon was aiming at, and I had a completely different interpretation of the film.  In the second half of the film, Chiyoko is already revealing the fact that she doesn’t even remember any firm details about the man, her memories of him are faint and inconsequential.  At the beginning, we may be driven into the idea of Chiyoko on a life-long quest for love, but the truth is that she didn’t really get to know the man well at all, not enough to sustain such a quest.  I think that what Kon is trying to build at, and what is so wonderfully summed up in the final line, is that Chiyoko wasn’t longing for the man she had met, she was longing for the childhood in which she had met him.  She was longing for her old, young, innocent self that could be so easily swept up in such feelings.  Trying to interpret the film as a straight love story, in my opinion, ignores a lot of the other layers that Kon added.   And it was that multi-layered approach which impressed me far more.

Of course, there are some pretty major symbols that Kon threw into the film to make us aware of it.  The one that sticks most in my mind is the old witch (wraith) who seems to haunt Chiyoko in several of her memories.  Late in the film, she looks into her reflection and sees the old woman looking back at her.  The “hag” was, of course, a projection of herself, or at least, Chiyoko’s view of herself.  This was her constant, looming fear – of becoming old, of losing her youth, of changing into something she didn’t wish to be.  This is why the dissident artist was so important to her, because it was the one remaining thread of her childhood and innocence, and by searching for him so fervently, she could remain bound to her youth and passion.  She had become a movie star, but it had never satisfied her.  What she longed for was to be able to remain as the girl who had dreamed of looking at the stars from the snowy fields of the artist’s imagination.

This all makes the wraith’s final line, as she looks at Chiyoko, that she “loves her and hates her more than she can bear”, such a poignant one.  Being a reflection of Chiyoko herself, the quote reflects her inner longing for that young, pure, optimistic girl she loved, versus the weary, aged actress who had pointlessly chased a faint memory that she was becoming.  When it is revealed that the artist had died many years earlier, we realize that the search itself had been futile and hollow.  In some ways, it extends beyond the film and speaks to everyone’s need for some greater, more satisfying goal or purpose in their lives that may not ever exist.  When I next watch the film, one of the things I will looking out for specifically is the moment or period in her life where her longing to find the man had subtly transformed into a longing for her old self.

It’s strange, in a way, how there is a great deal of sadness in this film, but it nevertheless leaves you with such a positive feeling once it’s over.  I found myself sympathizing and feeling sorry for Chiyoko for having what was essentially a fairly unrewarding life, yet her very existence, the culmination of everything she had went through, all of it seemed to come together to leave a distinctly affirming and positive impact on me.

Anyways, it’s a really wonderful film.  I think I had delayed watching Kon’s other films because they had often been described as “trippy”, which didn’t really sound very appealing to me, but what a mistake that was.

I’ve always heard the name Satoshi Kon pop up in serious anime discussions, but my familiarity with his works has been fairly restricted.  There is, of course, Tokyo Godfathers, which was an enjoyable film that earned quite a positive review from me, but I’ve been told that it is the least indicative of his general style.  After watching Millenium Actress, I think I might have a better idea of what that “style” may be, and it is indeed a very interesting one.

Millenium Actress is about Fujiwara Chiyoko, an aging and reclusive former-actress who has finally agreed to be an interviewed by a documentary director (and major fan), Tachibana.  He surprises her with an item of hers that he has kept for her ever since she first went into seclusion –  a memento which contains a significance that only she knows of.  The film delves into her mind and swims through her memories as they come tumbling down – from her experiences as a child to her life as a famous actress.  The key event is one from her youth, when she had accidentally met, and then sheltered, a dissident artist who then was forced to escape.  Her desire to find him once again is what drives the narrative forward, and is etched into nearly every scene from her memory.

I think that for most, Kon’s approach to storytelling will be the most immediately obvious quirk.  Tachibana and his cameraman are literally stepping right into her memories, observing them as if they were there, and often directly interacting with them.   Sometimes this is done for humour, such as when Tachibana inserts himself into the role of being Chiyoko’s protector during one of the memories of past films – but even that, which seems superficially to be comic relief, has a purpose, reaffirming a true event which happened in Chiyoko’s life.  Tachibana’s cameraman mostly contributes a sense of cynicism which grounds the film before it could possibly become melodramatic.  The memories also mix with one another in their presentation very frequently.  Memories of Chiyoko’s true life frequently merge together with those from her films, which then merge with the present day, and these transitions are mostly left for the viewer to interpret and understand.  Judging by many of the opinion pieces I’ve read, however, some people may find this approach disorienting.  Personally, I feel that as long as you’re attentive, it should be perfectly comprehensible.

There is a lot of warmth and humour in the film, just like Tokyo Godfathers, but the climactic moments and ending contain a tremendous emotional impact.  The depiction of Chiyoko’s life, her emotions, her regrets – all of it is done in such a superb, mature, and poignant manner.  If I had to describe the film in one word, I would choose “poetic”.  It allows its narrative to drift and wander as needed to encroach slowly on a single unifying theme, one that is different from the potentially simple love story we had at the beginning, one that is so perfectly captured in a final line at the very end of the film.  I feel like discovering how the theme subtly change is part of the joy of the film, so I will keep the spoilers to other posts.  I just can’t emphasize enough, though, the level of satisfaction I felt as the film neared its conclusion, to have had that window into Chiyoko’s life for that brief period of time.

Another enjoyable aspect of the film is the way it traverses through Japanese history, both military and film.  Through Chiyoko’s film memories, we are brought back into feudal Japan, and through her life memories, we live through the Japanese occupation of Manchuria through the post war era.  And because of the ways that her memories mix together and complement one another, every memory reflects or comments on the ongoing exploration of her life and deep-seated longing to find the artist from her youth.  In some ways, the passage of time reminds me of Omohide Poroporo.  In that film, seeing the main character as a child in a visibly different environment added so much to her modern personality and gave her immense depth – here, that feeling has been multiplied as we watch Chiyoko grow from an infant into an adult in one of the most tumultuous periods of Japanese history.

As with the works of Studio Ghibli, the artwork in Millenium Actress is typically exceptional, and that is a significant achievement when you consider how many different types of architecture and clothing had to be covered due to the varying time periods.  While the music wasn’t always top notch, there was one specific piece of music, the theme for Chiyoko, that succeeded very well in conveying that satisfying and slightly bittersweet feeling that characterized the film as a whole.  It’s effect towards the end of the film is particularly noteworthy – you’ll know what I mean when you see/hear it.   My only complaint on this front is that I felt that the song which begins as the credits roll was a tad ill-suited.  While I’m voicing complaints, I might as well mention that I also felt, once or twice during a film memory, that the scene in question was perhaps going on a little too long.  These are, of course, very minor complaints in the big picture.

I really loved Millenium Actress.  I think it is both one of the best anime as well as one of the best films I’ve seen, and its a textbook case of how to deliver a film with real emotional impact without resorting to cheap melodrama or forced conflicts.  Despite being very different from a typical Ghibli film (which usually top my lists), it has that same level of sincerity and heart that make them so universally appealing, combined with a delicate, touching exploration of its central character.  It gets nothing less than the highest recommendation from me, and is a fine example of what anime with artistic purpose and vision behind them can accomplish.

Figure 17 aired back in 2001 under a fairly uncommon format – it consists of 13 episodes, but each episode is about double the length of a typical anime episode.  So in terms of actual length, it is more or less the equivalent of a common 26-episode series.  The story revolves around Tsubasa, a girl from Tokyo who has moved to rural Hokkaido and finds herself having trouble fitting in (not helped by her reserved demeanor).  One day, she stumbles upon a crashed alien ship and discovers a man fighting for his life against a giant, violent creature.  The creature corners Tsubasa inside the ship, where she accidentally breaks a vial, the contents of which merge with Tsubasa to form a “Figure”, which is essentially a sort of transformation that the characters undergo for battle.  After their battle concludes, the Figure separates, but as the vial had broken, the other half manifests itself as a duplication of Tsubasa.  Essentially, she gains a twin sister.

There are two halves to Figure 17.  The first is a portrayal of a girl and her “twin” living in a small town, making friends, going to school, living alone with only a father – that sort of thing.  The other is a sci-fi story about two girls with a power to merge into “Figures” and their battle, along with the surviving members of the crashed ship, against enemy monsters called “Maguar”.  These two parts of the story, however, exist in separate planes for much of the anime.  I am not exaggerating – several episodes follow a similar format where the first half will focus on the everyday lives of Tsubasa and Hikaru (her twin), while the second half will then make a complete switch and feel more like a sci-fi action show.  If you were to drop someone into either half, it wouldn’t be too hard to convince them that the other did not exist.  That is simply how unrelated these two sides of the story often feel – not always, but often enough.  Of course, as one would expect, the sci-fi plot does drive the show forward, and the two angles do merge into one by the end.  Just be aware that there is a very two-faced quality to the series.

There were times where I felt as though the show was aiming towards a younger audience.  Some of the smaller indications are things like the music (music during battle sequences tends to be of the typical shounen-action variety).  Primarily it’s due to the nature of both the physical and emotional conflicts.  For example, the battles against the Maguar are fairly simple monster-of-the-week style outings against stock “badguys”.  And the emotional conflicts in the slice-of-life portion, while powerful at times, also felt a bit restrained.  They can be occasionally charming and occasionally quite moving (particularly during a tragic incident late in the series), but I didn’t feel as though they had that universal, ageless appeal of something like My Neighbor Totoro.  On the other hand, the show completely lacks slapstick humour or overt caricatures, as well as several other elements often found in kids shows.  So perhaps it would be a mistake to make hasty labels about its demographic.

If you have similar tastes as I do, I think there is a strong possibility that you will not be very interested when the show switches into “action” mode, particularly since the plot just doesn’t feel original enough.  However, there are plenty of positive aspects to the show to make up for that.  The characters are likable, the slice-of-life portions are enjoyable for fans of that genre, and watching the development of the main character, Tsubasa, will give a certain degree of satisfaction as well.  While the main characters are young girls, they are portrayed in a realistic manner, and not just as ‘moe’-pets for otaku viewers.  In the end, Tsubasa, along with Hikaru, are the anchors for this show for anyone who isn’t drawn into the second sci-fi plotline, which includes myself.  I’m sure their very familiar elementary school classroom with elicit some nostalgia from older viewers as well.  For all the monster-killing that goes on, it’s the slow-paced scenes of childhood that stole the show.

Technically speaking, the artwork is generally quite pleasant.  The segments which focus on the girls’ daily lives often feature some lush, green environments and warm colors.  The action sequences typically are the opposite, with dark hues and a generally unwelcome palette, and weren’t of much interest to me.  The Maguar are predictable in their appearance, you’ve probably defeated several creatures that resemble them in video games in your youth.  The voice acting is generally of good quality, but the music does tend to get a little grating.  Most of this is due to the action music during the battle sequences.  As I mentioned above, they tend to resemble action pieces from shounen action shows, and are perhaps the most childish element of this anime.  There is a main theme to the series which is quite “hummable”, but it is used so often that I image some listeners will get tired of hearing it so repetitively.

Figure 17 isn’t remarkable, and doesn’t exactly have universal appeal – there are a lot of moments throughout the anime that I felt like skipping past in order to get to what I considered the next “enjoyable” section.  While the plot isn’t particularly mindblowing and the action sequences feel juvenile – the endearing characters and portrayal of their lives and growing bond is enough for Figure to get a reasonable recommendation from me.  The anime isn’t particularly well-known, and while it might be an overstatement to call it a “hidden gem”, it still remains superior to a lot of the junk that is aired these days, so a trial run of an episode or two wouldn’t be a bad idea.
1/2

I’ve uploaded it both on youtube as well as in mp3 form right here.

The piece is primarily in an ABABA format.  It opens with the primary motif, which is based heavily on a flowing, arpeggiated progression up and down the minor pentatonic scale – played by the celesta in the opening portion.  This motif isn’t really “thematic” in its basic sense, but a repeating melody does exist – a short phrase which descends on the violins atop this texture (around 0:10 is where it makes its first appearance).  To me, it brings to mind the boats haphazardly moving atop the waves, which are themselves represented by the arpeggiated backdrop.  I suppose that there are many different ways to view Hokusai’s painting, some people would envision music that is purely destructive and violent.  I, however, think there is a gracefulness and elegance to the waves as well, and I wanted this to be represented in the composition.

Harmonically, the piece is based primarily on the pentatonic and whole-tone scales.   Both the main motifs are pentatonic in nature, but the transitions between them often traverse through the whole tone scale – an example, can be seen right when the first A section completes (around 1:30).  This leads to the section at around 2:00, which is an introduction to the melodic motif that will characterize the B section.  However, it is played in the whole tone scale and seems to build to a climax – before suddenly disappearing and being replaced by a graceful pentatonic theme on the flute.  The effect that I was trying to have was to seemingly build towards a harsh, whole-tone climax at 2:11, but instead subvert the expectation by introducing the gentler B theme at that moment of tension.

The development of this new theme reaches a climactic point at around 2:55, the waves crash down,  and we roll right into a powerful restatement of the A theme, now transposed up to F Minor.  This tumultuous passage once again softens and we have a moment of calm at around 3:30 onwards.   The A theme repeats itself in this passage, though the execution is quite different now.  What we are leading to is the combination of both the A and B motifs into one final climax.  This occurs at around 4:20.  The B melody is repeated in a full forte by the violins, except the backdrop is now based around the minor pentatonic scale, with the harp replacing the celesta in sweeping up and down the scale.  When I was writing the climax, I didn’t want to just do a straight, violent, harsh passage.  I think there is a certain positive, majestic quality to the moment captured in Hokusai’s painting, something quite beautiful and not entirely violent, despite the fate of the boatmen.

My hope with this piece is that it will be the beginning of several compositions, all based around parts of Hokusai’s “Views of Mt. Fuji“.  I have to admit, though, that completing a piece like this takes so much time and effort that it will probably be a long, long time until the next one is finished.  Regardless, I’m fairly happy with the output of this one.

The new season’s anime previews has been posted up at CF’s website – you can take a look here.  I’m going to take a page out of psgels’ book and write a commentary on each of the offerings.  However, I’m not as familiar with the backgrounds of various non-Ghibli studios and directors, so my impressions will not be very insightful, are based mostly on merely the plot descriptions and images.

Angel Beats: This one seems to be from the subset of anime (visual novel based, otaku-oriented) that I generally dislike (sometimes storywise, sometimes in terms of female characterization), so this is not high on my interest list.  The story itself doesn’t particularly captivate me either, so I’ll remain a little skeptical. Interest: 1/5

Arakawa Under the Bridge: I don’t have much to say on this one.  It looks like it will be a “quirky” comedy, going by forum posts, and I doubt it will be one that I will follow. Interest: 2/5

B Gata H Kei: If you’ve read the plot description, then I don’t need to explain.  Interest: 0/5

Giant Killing: Probably not. The art style makes it stand out, but I think I will wait to see how others respond before giving this one a shot.   Which is better than my response would have been one year ago, when I would have dismissed any sports series off the bat. Interest: 1/5

Heroman: Stan Lee works with Studio Bones – interesting enough.  However, it is probably going to be action-heavy, which means I probably won’t be sticking around for it.  We’ll see. Interest: 2/5

House of Five Leaves: Again, not much to say about this one.  The artwork seems to give the impression of a supernatural/horror series, but that’s just my superficial interpretation.  Will give it a try.  Interest: 3/5

Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou: Doesn’t seem like my kind of anime.  The premise reminds me a lot of fantasy shounen series. Interest: 1/5

Iron Man: A Japanese company’s interpretation of an American franchise – with full creative freedom!  While I did love Spider-man as a kid, I’m not much for superheroes, nor do I like action shows, but the unique background to this one gets some interest from me. Interest: 3/5

Kaichou wa Maid-sama! : Ever since Honey and Clover, seeing “J.C. Staff” as the studio always draws my interest, despite the fact that much of their later products (Toradora!, Asatte no Houkou) were often disappointments to me.  The premise of this anime doesn’t particularly me either, so perhaps I will take a pass on J.C. Staff for once. Interest: 1/5

Kiss x Sis: Garbage. Interest: 0/5

K-On Season 2: K-ON and the similar new wave of otaku shows are often described as centered around “cute girls acting cute” (with “cute” often meaning “ditzy, airheaded, or childish”).  I’ve never been very interested in them.  Interest: 0/5

Ookiku Furikabutte! Season 2: Definitely.  Right when I had thought that I had seen all that baseball anime had to offer, Oofuri completely shattered my expectations with a fresh portrayal of both the sport, as well as the friendship and teamwork associated with it. Interest: 5/5

RAINBOW: A very captivating premise.  I have very, very high hopes for this. Interest: 5/5

Ring ni Kakero: Seems like your typical shounen action show. Interest: 1/5

Senko no Night Raid: This one takes place in an around- WW2 setting, it seems – Imperial Japan in China.  That sort of not-often-seen-in-anime setting draws my interest immediately, but it remains to be seen whether the characterization or writing will hold my interest.  So this is on my “try” list.  Interest: 4/5

Yojo-han Shinwa Taikei: The plot description brings to mind Honey and Clover due to its college setting – and such a comparison is always good in my books.  Plus, it’s in the Noitamina timeslot, furthering the similarity.  I will definitely be giving this one a chance.  Interest: 5/5

Working! : At this point, it’s an enigma to me.  Interest: 3/5

There are other series listed on CF’s chart, but many seem to be straight children’s shows – or action series, neither of which I would spend much time with.  The question that is looming in the back of my mind is….when do we get a new season of Natsume Yuujinchou?

People often say Japanese is a difficult language, but that’s primarily due to kanji.  The actual spoken language is, I find, fairly sensible and logical, and easier to grasp than English.  I must admit, though, that it shares more similarities with my first language than with my most-spoken language, English, so perhaps it’s that familiarity that makes me say that.  Pronunciation is definitely a lot easier, though, since Japanese has a limited and simple set of sounds.  Of course, there are a lot of synonyms and contextual problems you have to worry about, but those exist in every language.  At the end of the day, the primary element of Japanese that drives away most people interested in it is the kanji.

Over two thousand characters to memorize, each with multiple readings depending on context (though those rules are fairly consistent).  It seems like a fairly daunting, and perhaps impossible task, yet millions of Japanese students do it through their school years.  Yet we also have to remember that it takes them almost ten years to complete their study, and that’s with the benefit of being surrounded by it their entire lives.  I picked up English easily because I grew up in Canada, and Japanese kids should have a natural advantage to kanji, yet it still takes ten years.  It’s easy to see why people would be put off with the idea of needing that long just to be able to read a Japanese newspaper.  Of course, in reality it’s not always so simple.  Some people do take years learning kanji, and then give it up when they feel their progress is too slow.  On the other hand, I’ve read accounts of people who picked up most of the kanji they needed within two or three years by using efficient methods which worked for them.

So when I started to tackle kanji, my first thought was to look at the different approaches and figure out a method that worked best for me.  As an engineering student, I don’t have too much time, so I was fine with the idea of a less intrusive method that might take a bit longer.  The big innovation at the time was Nintendo DS kanji games which gradually introduced kanji to the user and allowed for practice and evaluation of your own writing.  I used these for a while, but found them ineffective in the long run, simply because I would often come across words that I didn’t immediately recognize the meaning of, and as there is no English component to these programs, would then would have to look up separately.  In other words,the program would essentially teach only pronunciation (as it expects Japanese kids know what these words mean), while the English speaker had to research the meaning separately.  The whole process was just too cumbersome.  However, if you’ve picked up your vocabulary before tackling kanji, it would be a far better option for you.  For someone who is learning kanji and vocabulary concurrently, it isn’t so useful.

I then went for a more traditional approach, and bought a book, a kanji dictionary that was organized specifically to be used as a kanji learner (in other words, simpler, common words at front, complex, obscure ones at the back).  They also had a very good system of teaching compounds – they would only use kanji that had been taught earlier in the book, thereby reinforcing your kanji knowledge with each entry.  The problem, though, is that this restriction meant they had to show less useful compounds often simply because they met that restriction, which isn’t always particularly useful.  So I found the best way was to combine this kind of dictionary along with the website www.kanjidamage.com.  The good thing about this website is that its written by someone who lives in Japan and includes a rating for each kanji and compound that tells you how useful it is.  The common words get five stars, the obscure ones get less – so as a beginner, you can restrict yourself to the more useful ones and target the others when you are more advanced.

Of course, one of the bigger problems with kanji learning is that its as easy to forget a kanji as it is to learn one.  The Japanese have the benefit of being surrounded by kanji 24/7. The best way that I’ve been able to counter this tendency to forget is fairly simple-keep a small booklet with me, in which I write all the kanji and compounds I’ve learned.  This way, whenever I have a few moments throughout the day, such as waiting for the bus, I can pull it out and read over the kanji that I’ve learned.  It works very well.

I recall reading arguments online about whether one could learn Japanese by watching anime and Japanese television shows.  I think that it’s naive to expect that you can master a language this way – but it certainly helps for obvious reasons.  On the other hand, it really depends on the person and their ability to pick up on patterns.  A smart individual watching anime will easily begin to notice certain quirks and patterns in the language that will stick in his mind when he actually learns the language.  I myself picked up quite a bit of vocabulary and grammar from watching subtitled anime.  There’s only so many times that you can hear “何” used in a sentence while reading the translation before realizing its meaning.  On the other hand, I know many people who passively watch anime without taking in much of the language at all.  It’s all relative.

One of the tutorial videos that I found helpful early on was the “Let’s Learn Japanese!” videos produced by the Japan Foundation.  There are two sets of these videos: one produced in the eighties and one produced almost ten years later.  Both of them are connected through their use  of a story called “Yan and the Japanese People” – an episodic, ten minute series that is played at the beginning of the lessons and then used as a tool for analysis of Japanese grammar.  There are also small skits featuring three Japanese actors acting out scenes revolving around whatever that episode’s lesson is.  The first set of videos is hosted by an American woman, who acts as a sort of intermediate between the audience and the completely Japanese-speech skits.  I found this to be a fairly good formula, as it allowed the viewers to see regular Japanese conversation without getting too lost.

Part two of this series changed things a bit.  The stories about Yan returned, although they now resembled a melodramatic daytime show more than the light-hearted skits of the first one.  The hosts and actors changed as well, with the host being more intertwined with the other components of the show (apart from the Yan videos).   More complex grammar was also explored here.  One aspect that I liked was the absence of writing sections – teaching writing on video just doesn’t work.  The old series spent lots of time teaching hiragana on-screen, which could have been accomplished far more efficiently with a book.  Thankfully, those sections are gone in the second series, which focuses entirely on speaking and understanding Japanese sentence patterns.  If you’re looking for your first introduction to Japanese, I think it’s a great place to begin.  However, they do use a lot of vocabulary in their skits which isn’t always explained, so again, it’s probably better for those f us who picked up a lot of vocabulary from watching anime and other Japanese media.

Mamoru Hosoda is probably best known as the director of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a film which was fairly popular both critically as well as commercially (despite limited release).  The praise was certainly well-deserved – it was a very well-made film, and clearly showed that Hosada possessed real talent for directing.  Of course, I did have some of my own criticisms of that film, particularly in regards to the balance of the sci-fi elements in the story in the overall plot.  Summer Wars has some similarities with that film as well, not least in its merging of a sci-fi plotline with what I suppose most people would call “slice of life” elements.

Summer Wars, however, is also a very big film (and I mean that in its most basic sense), much bigger than the fairly quaint Girl who Leapt Through Time in regards to its sci-fi scope and set pieces.  At first glance, it fits all the preconceptions of what a “summer movie” would be, for better or for worse – bright, dazzling, fun, ambitious, larger-than-life.  It starts out with a common romantic-comedy premise – the main character’s secret crush asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend, in this case to satisfy her strict grandmother.  However, this storyline is more or less thrown to the side as we pursue an over-the-top plotline involving a virtual world (think Second Life) where something has gone terribly wrong causing the entire world to be in  danger.  Inevitably, the only hope rests in the main character, math whiz Kenji, and the extended family of Natsuki, the aforementioned crush.

Is the plotline somewhat silly?  Well yes, and if suspension of disbelief isn’t your strongest point, you might want to avoid it -  it’s fairly obvious that Hosoda isn’t trying to convince you otherwise.  Clearly the biggest motivation behind this film was  to entertain, and he throws a lot of different things at the audience to accomplish that beyond the zany plotline.  For example, it’s packed with creative and visually impressive action sequences which take place in the stylized virtual social community of Oz.  Many people will also have a lot of fun with the large cast of characters who make up Natsuki’s family.  Throw in a good share of comedy and a feel-good, though predictable ending, and you have a pleasant 2-hour film that will appeal to people from all over the age and taste spectrum.

It is a fun film, but you might be a little disappointed if you go in expecting anything significantly deeper.  There are a few, simple thematic messages accompanied by some modest character development, and I could certainly point to a few touching scenes throughout (a letter from the grandmother on the topic of family relationships being on them).  Yet overall, when it comes to emotional impact or forming an attachment with the characters, what it delivers is competent but not exceptional.  This is not to say that Summer Wars is just some vapid blockbuster flick.  There is a real heart in this film, it’s just not quite on the same level of say, the best work of Studio Ghibli – and I accept that this is a purely subjective comparison.  That being said, Summer Wars does add credit to my belief that Hosoda is one of the anime directors to watch in the future.  With several of the current masters of the medium aging (Miyazaki and Takahata), we will need a new generation of directors to take their thrones, and Hosoda clearly has the talent and potential to produce classics of his own, even if I disagree with those who believe he has already done so.

As for the technical qualities, the animation is quite vivid and enjoyable, and I’m sure many people will enjoy the colorful forays into the virtual realm, even if I found the action sequences a tad tiresome after a while.  The film also has some very good character designs which resemble the more realistic look of Studio Ghibli’s characters (though the best comparison, obviously, would be with Girl who Leapt Through Time).  The musical score was generally a good fit throughout, and I had no complaints regarding the voice acting, either.

When compared to the majority of anime released today, and perhaps the films of the past few years, Summer Wars is clearly one to recommend if you’re looking for something a little more ambitious.  There are some clever angles to the story, particularly Hosoda’s semi-satirical take on online communities, but I think that it’s important to note Hosoda’s own intentions when making this film, and that was to create a “lively, refreshing, and enjoyable” summer movie.  And certainly, he has succeeded – it is entertaining, over-the-top, and adventurous, but personally speaking, it isn’t the sort of thing that will stick in my mind for long after watching it.  As far as the crownings of him as the next king of anime and the heir to Miyazaki, well, I think I still need to delay my verdict on that until another film or two.
1/2

Cross Game appears to be closing in on its climax.  The Adachi-based anime has mostly had a slow pace similar to Touch until this point, but as we near the possible end of the series, various subplots are being kicked awake for possible development/resolution.  I’m not entirely sure when the series will be ending – I was fairly sure it was capped at 51 episodes, but apparently this isn’t really a confirmed number.  Whatever the case, 10 episodes probably isn’t enough to resolve both the aforementioned subplots along with the greater Koshien story in a satisfying way, but I’ll keep my mind open.

I haven’t written much about Cross Game, as I don’t really think i have much to add to the story – it’s something that you watch and enjoy.  Since my last post, there was one large change to the show’s dynamic, which was the introduction of the Akane character.  I have to admit, the idea behind her character (a Wakaba lookalike) seemed a little too blatant and I was quite skeptical about her role in the series.  Having reached episode 41, while I am still a huge fan of Cross Game, I have remained unsure about her characterization.  I still find myself wary about the way she is viewed so often as Wakaba version 2.  Parents make references to the Tsukashima sisters being “reunited”, Aoba tells her that she will allow only her to use Wakaba’s bed – even Wakaba’s father succumbs to this tendency at times.

I suppose that overall, I’m just a tad concerned at how she has so quickly carved herself a place in the established character dynamics due to primarily a superficial resemblance.  Her gentle personality certainly does not resemble the energetic young Wakaba, nor are her relationships with Aoba and Kou all that similar to Wakaba’s.  As a character, she appears to like the idea of fate and perhaps has accepted the role that the other characters view her as, intentionally or not.  In the midst of the rest of the drama of this show, which is, for the most part, fairly quiet and understated, the focus on this purely physical resemblance doesn’t always ring true to me.

But, for the most part, I am still undecided about it.  I generally like Akane as a character, even if she doesn’t feel as vibrant and unique as, say Minami from Touch.  The show hasn’t really suffered too much from what I mention above, either – her interactions with the characters have certainly resulted in some of the great character moments that define the series.  However, the resolution to the subplots concerning her will probably end up determining if the show will end up being one of my perfect reviews or not.

On another note, I’m also anticipating the beginning of Koshien and a return to baseball matches.  Although I think I still like Touch better overall, primarily due to its characters, Cross Game’s storytelling and pacing is more finely tuned and concise, and I’m sure the portrayal of the final climax will be very enjoyable.