Holo and Nagisa Hijack the AMV Post!
Ξ June 22nd, 2012 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Music is Life, The Anime Annals |
I really should do one of these AMV posts a week just to keep “current” with what’s been posted on YouTube, and not get so far behind! A very nice crop of new vids has popped up on my radar, and I’d like to share a few of them before they get lost, deleted, or otherwise vaporized.
The other day I got sent to YT by someone totally unaware of what a time-sink that place is for me (OR WERE THEY), and sure enough, after I finished with theirs and before I could very quickly leave had glanced at the suggested videos and saw just one… I… hadn’t seen… before…
Hours later I finally extricated myself. (If one is ever freed from that place!) Not helping one bit at all, I’m about to share with you some of the better AMVs I’ve come across on my latest expedition. There were quite a few gems among the mundane stuff, running the gamut from rom-com to action to horror and back again. Unless not in that order. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE (let’s hope)!
If possible, please watch them Full-Screen and in the highest quality your rig’ll run for maximum enjoyment. Also, if you’ve the time, check out the video-maker’s info for further credits, and visit animemusicvideos.org for The Real Thing(s). These aren’t necessarily the best, but what caught my fleeting eye…
Also, I’ll only post a vid if I dig the music. It might not be a song I’d buy, or even in “my genres”, but a good song is a good song, and if suited to its visual component, is just right enough 
Let’s kick it off on an up-beat with “Make Us High” and yes, it will If you wanna dance, now’s your chance to shake your booty!
I dunno who that green-haired girl is, but I like her 
So you think you can keep dancing? Okay, hereyago: The massively-talented Nostromo with “Auriga”…
Wow, his AMVs always leave me mindblown :-O (And another unknown cutie at 4:13-4:16; anyone know what anime she’s from?)
Two benefits of AMVs is that they introduce me not only to new music (for this out-of-touch music-junkie), but also turn me on to a great many shows and characters I’d not otherwise have seen. And this is healthy for the industry, so I’m glad to see more AMVs surviving on YT -And here *cough*
One show that I passed on for some reason was Okami-san and her Seven Companions (I need a break from typing those long-ass Japanese titles LOL) I think I might’ve viewed it as just another high-school problem-solver’s club show which is what it… is, actually. On Davecat‘s recent visit and our adventure in Japantown’s Kinokuniya store I came across a postcard handout featuring the cast of Okami-san, and something about the character designs (including wardrobe) appealed to me. And then I saw this AMV:
That sold me to at least check it out; AMV-mission accomplished! It looks like Studio JC Staff came with their top game, and as long as I can keep from those Okami-Taiga impressions it might prove to be a very funny series, although problem-solving type shows are usually episodic with not much of a central plot. That’s where thoughtful character development comes in, and as long as some characters progress, that can carry a series for a dozen episodes or so.
Okami’s voice actress, Shizuka Itou, has played a few memorable characters (Shana‘s Wilhelmina, Nagi in ef-a tale of melodies, and currently Koko Hetmatyar in Jormungand) and it’s fun to hear a new (and hopefully different) role from a talented seiyuu. Some of them have quite a range in pitch; Yukari Tamura comes immediately to mind. A short dramatic sampling of her Rika Furude from Higurashi no Naku koro ni:
Yikes. And that doesn’t even feature her lower register :-O But as for the Okami attraction, it might just be the resemblance to Toradora‘s Taiga. I expect that effect to diminish the more eps I get in; I dislike comparing shows, but sometimes it can’t be helped. The following Toradora AMV contains a few spoilers, but I like it for integrating a few lines from Taiga for effect. Her seiyuu, Rie Kugimiya (another big favorite), is another one who can really let it loose:
Wow, well I digressed again! Back to AMVs and into the groove with this sexy AMV featuring Studio SHAFT’s (their caps, not mine LOL) Nisemonogatari. I’d say it was NSFW but I’m not easily offended 
One of the most unique anime I’ve seen is Mushi-shi; there’s been nothing before or since like it. Coincidentally, here’s a Mushi-shi AMV that I can say the same about! Paired with Nightwish’s Celtic-flavored driven instrumental, the visuals almost literally take on a life of their own:
How to Find a Worthwhile Anime: Another show that (now) looks interesting is Darker Than Black. I can’t remember why, but this was on my (written) to-watch list but since it WAS written and not on MAL (My Anime List), I forgot all about it. So, I just checked the ANN Encyclopedia link (you can also search MAL if you prefer), and for genres I see: action, drama, mystery, science fiction, supernatural and for themes I read: living dolls, neo-noir, superhuman, superpowers all of which I’m into. Also, that I can actually WATCH it on ANN, if the button’s any indication! Now for the AMV, though:
Great work, and very moving. Checking the ratings, half of the scores are Excellent (9) or better; that bodes well for the story. “Objectionable content” = mature, another plus (if not gratuitous shite). Oh wow, music by Yoko Kanno? That cinches it LOL! Animation is through Studio BONES, a company that has improved greatly in quality. This older work (2007) should prove solid. Several excellent seiyuu contribute to the cast, including Nana Mizuki, Sanae Kobayashi (the first seiyuu’s name that I would follow thanks to her role as Lucy/Nyu in Elfen Lied), and the late and truly great Tomoko Kawakami, who voiced AIR‘s Misuzu.
THAT is a LOT of pluses! All led to via that little AMV…
Great. I forgot where I was going with this, went to YT and got lost again 
-BUT! I found another great AMV! So that’s a good thing! *rubs bleary eyes*
I saw this and just couldn’t resist; I love Spice and Wolf videos, especially if well done. And this one is! They’re always so full of life 
Funny, when I first seriously got into anime (around 2007), I couldn’t take characters with animal ears, tails, and other appendages. Too weird, even for me! They were one step above talking sidekick-implements-of-destruction. In the first International Saimoe League tournament (ISML), I was mystified that Holo (sometimes “Horo”), a girl who was a wolf (of sorts), could even be in a moe contest, as it seemed kind of repulsive to me, and hardly cute at all. (Over-thinking it = not good.) I was so curious about its high regard though that I had to check the series out despite it being based around currency and the market, neither of which I’ve an interest in, at all. Let alone a girl with wolf ears and tail! But Holo, the Wise Wolf, is beautiful, when you get to know her:
Holo distracted and derailed me (again LOL). So I’m going to wrap up with a returning favorite AMV which had been gone from YT for awhile.
Clannad, to me, is the most emotionally powerful, hard-hitting, realistic yet fantastic series I’ve seen. I felt I’d reached the highest levels of satisfaction after the second season After Story wrapped up. It’d been such a long and meandering journey following the exploits of Tomoya and Nagisa as they climbed that steep steep hill through school and into adult life that by its end I felt as if I’d been on that journey with them the whole while. Tomoya starts out irresponsible and hating his father, only to have to come to terms later on in an unexpected way. Nagisa, despite her “plain” appearance and “bland” personality (as the haters brayed), developed into such a strong person and beautiful soul that I really came to love her.
These are characters to really care about, whom you can care about, if you allow yourself. The layer of fantasy is subtle and so beautiful; the last half will leave you joyous, shattered, apprehensive, crushed, and then… well. THAT would be telling
It’s no surprise that Clannad After Story is in the #1 position on Anime News Network’s Top 10 Anime list; just check its ratings out. BUT: this video has HUGE spoilers, so if planning to watch the series (and I highly suggest you do if the genre’s of any interest), do so before you get spoiled, as even a visit to Wiki or YouTube can ruin it for you by revealing one of any of the many plot twists, which’ll really kill the suspense. Word to the wise!
For those who have seen Clannad and After Story, you should absolutely love this “synopsis” AMV (as well as that classic Tomoya and Ushio scene, two Posts below). As a good example of AMVs turning me on to good songs, case in point: this was the first time I heard “Halo” and discovered what great pipes Beyonce has, and which has since become a favorite song. The combination of music and animation with Sweeturk’s excellent editing in the following is just damn fine:
S wonderful