As you know, I’m a total fanboy when it comes to ef. Yes, rly. The...Summer’s Endless ∞ Part Two
Ξ August 12th, 2009 | → 6 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
And now for something completely… darker. The four remaining Summer Season series that I’m watching consist of stories that are decidedly more sinister and, while containing a few laughs, definitely tend more towards violence. And what is not violent skews into the outright bizarre!
So, we’ll start with that fine representation of the uncanny, unusual, and un-sane (sic but not-quite-sick), Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. This third season of “So Long, Mister Despair” (along with a trio of OVAs) is a completely random assortment of satirical sketches and riffs of observances on the despair of modern life, Japanese or otherwise. Believe me, words cannot suffice in relaying the utter whack of this show! Scatter-shot and shotgunned flashes of scenery and walls-of-text right into (and right past) your face (and likely over your head) are all-too-commonplace. Depending on which fansub group decided to tackle this huge amount of dialogue, your enjoyment will be wholly dependent upon their skill in translating the insane amount of text and dialogue. It’s no surprise that very few groups are brave (or talented) enough to take this series on.
The show’s main character is Itoshiki Nozomu, the appropriately-titled “Mr. Despair.” ANN’s description puts it thusly: “Itoshiki Nozomu is the world’s most negative person. To his way of thinking, there is no hope or meaning in this existence. Even the three kanji of his name become the two-kanji word zetsubou, “despair”, when compressed. What an ironic twist of fate, then, that he becomes teacher to a class containing his precise opposite, the invincibly positive-minded Fuura Kafuka.”
What this overly-simplistic paragraph doesn’t reveal is that his class consists of well over a dozen students, among them a litigous flasher, a friendly psychotic, a girl who obviously looks like a psychotic (but may not be), a stalker, a mute girl who communicates only via cell phone, a recluse, an immigrant identity thief, a normal-looking girl who hates to be called normal, a constantly bandaged and banged-up victim of supposed domestic violence, a bland-looking guy so bland that he’s essentially invisible, and on, and on, and… well, the cast is virtually endless LOL
Here’s the EnDing Theme (ED) for the current season of Zan SZS, featuring most of the cast in what is probably the most coherent sequence of scenes spanning 1:30 anywhere in the history of this franchise:
I suppose that the tone of this show was set in the very beginning of the first episode of season 1, when Fuura Kafuka comes upon the hapless teacher attempting to hang himself from a tree. It’s not the last such attempt for him, either. He’s alternately doggedly persistent, consistent, and resigned to his fates, which through the unwrapping/unravelling of the shows are many! Incidentally, Hiroshi Kamiya, the voice of Itoshiki, won a seiyuu award last year; I believe as best male performance, and he deserves it fully. SO MUCH DESPAIR!!!
As for plot… well, aside from the first season which did have a shred of continuity to it, each successive season became more and more… extreme, both in randomness and any semblance of Story. Studio Shaft is completely untethered (and obviously on laughing gas); their technique and style are both rendered in extremes of grace and crudity, often following close on each other, like a mad dog chasing its tail. AND I LIKE IT! The director, Akiyuki Shinbo (seen in the following OP), has a reputation for outlandishness that is unparalleled; I believe that he must firmly grip the other end of that leather tether and is whipping the animators into a frenzy with it. Like so:
Casual viewers should be warned though, that this show is heavy with Japanese-oriented humor and references, aside from the kanji-combination jokes, and will need a good fansub group that has taken the time to provide notes. Prediction: your arm will be permanently positioned over the “pause” key so you can read everything (I got a pinched nerve in my neck from that, so beware!)… (Of course, I HAD to keep watching!) Do try to start this from season 1, if you dare! There is no madder cap 
Director Shinbo and Studio Shaft are also responsible for the second entry, Bakemonogatari, which somehow translates to “Ghostory”. Don’t ask. The series director, Tatsuya Oishi, seems to have quieted down Shinbo’s more extreme tendencies, but still, the studio presents a dynamic world, though largely surrealistically static, against which the characters play, and, mostly, speak. Lots of dialogue here, but at this early stage, helps in providing some much-needed exposition. Because what is going on is quite un-apparent!
The gist of the story, again from ANN, because they put it better than I can and I’m feeling a bit lazy 
: “Bakemonogatari centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third year high school student who is almost human again after briefly becoming a vampire. One day, a classmate named Hitagi Senjōgahara, who infamously never talks to anyone, falls down the stairs into Koyomi’s arms. He discovers that Hitagi weighs next to nothing, in defiance of physics. After being threatened by her, Koyomi offers her help, and introduces her to Meme Oshino, a middle-aged homeless man who helped him stop being a vampire.”
This makes no mention of the fact that she attacks him with a stapler to his face! She’s a bit… dangerous, let’s say. Even in her quieter moments, there’s no telling what she’ll say next. And where Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has a huge cast, Bakemonogatari’s cast is miniscule. But getting very interesting 
I should also mention that Sensei’s award-winning Hiroshi Kamiya portrays Araragi, and my favorite seiyuu, Yui Horie (Ayu from Kanon), has a part that I hope will be expanded, in the person of Tsubasa Hanekawa (who’s seen first in the second video clip below). Such a great, versatile voice (both of them)!
An unsubbed Promotional Video that features many of the cast follows, since the OP is kinda unremarkable:
But this series is typical Shaft; they really put forth a superb effort in animating and creating storyboards that are in no way typical or borrowed from other series. And that makes them quite unique among all studios. They also produced the ef animes, which goes to show that they can really put on a story of depth alongside the above-mentioned forays into the bizarre and atypical. Where ef wonderfully jumped back and forth all over the world (even though you didn’t know it), Bakemonogatari’s recent “playground” episodes were practically one-scene one-location wonders; you’re so taken with the dialogue and character-reveals that you don’t notice that you’ve been staring at the same set for half-an-episode!
Also of note are the use of bold primary colors, repeated and symbolic patterns of shape and form, the various disorienting camera-angles for characters, points-of-view, props, and scenery, and very unpredictable pacing. These ingredients conspire to always keep you on your toes and your attention focused. It’s been said (not by unbiased experts, I should add) that Studio Shaft’s work is often “pretentious” and (what amounts to) “art-school puffery.” This is nonsense. They take great risks in presenting non-formulaic anime that really is of a quality unseen and incomparable to anything else out there. That makes them distinct, courageous, and unafraid to tackle new obstacles and attain new heights. And that is a good thing, as non-conformity is a good thing. And it is.
So there.
How about a little action? Where Bakemonogatari is lacking in action, Canaan is full of it. Or, I should type, CANAAN. It’s all in caps. Why? Dunno. But from the first episode’s first moments, I was captivated. Languidly-floating balloons popping over a cityscape from the hidden Canaan’s target practice get your attention, and then when she emerges the real action takes over! And what a ride it is, smooth-flowing and seamlessly blending from scene to scene; the direction is superb. Supported with an excellent and interesting supporting cast, this story of a pair of assassins is rich, colorful, and intriguing in how the story is playing out so far.
Canaan herself is shaping up to become a real fave with her uncanny skills with weaponry, a cat-like acrobatic grace, a quiet-but-deadly demeanor, and aside from all that has a very sexy back! That’s pretty much all you’ve seen of her skin since she favors cargo pants, which is fine with me as I really dislike unnecessarily-exposed flesh (*cough one-pantsleg-girl from To Aru Majutso no Index cough*), and gratuitous nudity. Ungratuitous nudity is fine though But she is definitely sexy; in fact, she reminds me somewhat of Saber from Fate/Stay Night, another favorite, and another creation from TYPE-MOON, as CANAAN is. Hm, maybe that’s why the caps LOL
And speaking of TYPE-MOON, you can’t leave out scriptwriter Kinoko Nasu, who’s responsible not only for CANAAN and Fate/Stay Night but the amazing Kara no Kyoukai as well. With those credits the story of this anime should prove to be fascinating, at least! So far we have the paths of these two contrasting assassin/terrorists slowly, inexorably coming together, a mutated virus that grants strange powers spreading amongst the populace and now political entities, the furtive and delicate friendship between Canaan and Maria, Minoru’s attempt to reveal the conspiracy behind the virus, or at least unearth exactly what it is… and it’s not even halfway through!
The supporting cast is pretty large and diverse, including the cruel assassin Alphard and her severely sadistic sister Liang Qi, the reporter/photographer team of Minoru and the delightful Maria, who is also Canaan’s friend, the mysterious and silent “cat-girl” Hakkoh, the funny, wacky, and morally-ambiguous Yunyun, and an awesome unnamed taxi-driver who Can Really Drive a Cab :-O
Here’s the unsubtitled OP so you won’t get distracted
Hard to believe that there’s only to be 13 episodes, but I’ve read that there will be three OVAs out later this year. Hopefully that’ll be the case
Great fun, direction, story, characters, animation… very enjoyable, and I just hate waiting a week for the next episode!!! Aside from Spice and Wolf 2 (see Part one of this article), CANAAN might be my favorite show of the season. Check it out!
And now… and now. I present to you the odd case of Umineko no Naku Koro ni (”When the Seagulls Cry”). While I’m a huge fan of Ryukishi07, who assembled the brilliant puzzle that is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (”When the Cicadas Cry”), this anime is kind of turning into a train wreck, no doubt solely attributable to the rush-job that Studio DEEN is putting together. I’ve played through a good portion of the visual/sound novel (also referred to as a “game”) that this series is based on, and even with its sorry graphics it’s light years ahead of its anime in terms of suspense and story. Don’t get me wrong; it’s still a good ride, but very slapdash and uneven so far. The animation is also of mixed quality, and there is no escape from the horrid DEENFACE :-O
The story, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” (also known as “And Then There Were None”), is on its face intriguing and horrifying mystery fare, as seen through the eyes of its large cast and Ryukishi07’s trademark labyrinthine plot(s) that entangle them. Long before the anime was even rumored, I was reading reports from rabid players of how fantastic the game was. But the anime leaves so much to be desired. In the hands of a larger studio and budget, this could be a great series. Here’s the subbed version of the OP anyway
My favorite element so far is Yui Horie’s portrayal of the little and ever-so-creepy Maria, who has a… “connection” let’s say, to Beatrice, the Golden Witch. And, another Witch, who only briefly appears, who connects this story to Higurashi. THAT was my favorite moment to date, but to say more would spoil it, so *zips lips*
BONUS CHANCE AND HINT-O!!! Since Higurashi is on my mind now, here’s the subbed OP (by Triad Fansubs) from that SUPERBLY HORRIFYING anime which had such a great theme song, wonderful characters all the way down the roster, and a story that takes real time, attention, and dedication to unravel… and where Studio DEEN did such a really great job with Ryukishi07’s twisted tale. Higurashi and its sequel season taken as a whole are in my “sacred circle” of superlative anime. One only hopes that Umineko can salvage itself…
Well, that about wraps it up for Summer Season ‘09! I really doubt that the Fall Season will be able to even come close to this season’s excellence, and I haven’t yet checked out many of the titles available that are still airing. I do want to give Aoi Hana a try, and perhaps some others, pending recommendations from people with similar interests. Look for what you like; that’s how you find the good stuff
Have fun
on August 13th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Really nice entry, you hit the nail right on the head. There are some very good shows airing right now, the summer season has been very convincing, though that was predictable to some degree as Andou, Kasai and Shinbou are great anime directors. I have to admit that I don’t watch “Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” as I think it’s a bit too much to do three seasons of it. I liked the first season for the Shinbou-ish visuals and the great humour, but even that one began to feel a bit repetitive in the end, so I haven’t really the urge to watch any more of it in the near future. The other current Shinbou/Shaft show (Bakemonogatari) is in return even better than I expected, certainly Shaft’s best anime since ef ~ memories. It’s great in every aspect, especially the script is fantastic, I haven’t seen such a well-written and thought-out script for this kind of show since the best days of Haruhi Suzumiya or to some lesser extent Kannagi. Most recent comedy shows lack this kind of quirkiness and well-observed humour which feels fresh in its nature, and Shinbou’s great directing makes it even more effective. And you are absolutely right in saying that Tatsuya Oishi quiets down Shinbou’s more extraordinary side, Oishi’s influences can be seen everywhere. The storyboards are indeed superb, it’s exciting to follow the shot progression and to watch the compositions which are often supported through some nice animation/camera work, something which I haven’t seen that often in recent Shaft shows. Bakemonogatari wouldn’t work with most other studios/directors as the emphasis lies on conversations, since proper direction and animation are essential to sustain the audience’s attention. Shinbou is simply a genius in making such sequences visually appealing, naturally it’s even more exciting when he does the storyboarding himself, but he hardly does any storyboards these days. Btw he did the storyboard for ef ~ memories #2 if you want to check out more “pure” Shinbou work (though he used an alias in the credits, maybe he is shy
), and that episode is indeed amazing regarding the amount of interesting camera work and compositions.
Oh, and the Bakemonogatari version of Shinbou’s typical use of a running gag is absolutely hilarious, of course I mean Mayoi mispronouncing Araragi’s name, it gets me every time
As for Umineko: I’m glad that you picked up the VN, now you can experience Ryukishi07 talent in its pure form. This visual novel is simply a masterpiece, it even gets better when you think it isn’t possible anymore. Currently I’m somewhere in episode 4 and begin to realize the true scale of this story. If you think that Higurashi is great, then you won’t find any words to describe Umineko ^^
And because you mentioned an “old acquaintance” in one of your comments here, she has a really interesting role in this one too
Concerning other recommendations: if you add Aoi Hana to your watching list, then you certainly follow all the good stuff for now. I’ve written about the noteworthy things/series of the summer season on my MAL blog (http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=36914), there were some pretty good first episodes of otherwise mediocre/bad anime (like Princess Lover).
This year’s fall season is hardly promising, the best series will probably be Kenji Nakamura’s Kuchu Buranko and Darker than black 2. There’s some other interesting stuff like Kimi no Todoke, The Sacred Blacksmith, Kobato or Tatsuyuki Nagai’s “To Aru Kagaku no Railgun”, but apart from that pretty disappointing.
on August 15th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Thanks for the tidbit regarding Shinbou’s storyboarding for efMemo episode 2; I didn’t know that he’d done so. I just rewatched it in order to comment and damn near got sucked back into watching the whole series again! I seriously think that this (and efMelo) comprise my favorite story in anime, if not ever, it’s that good.
Since I tried to focus more on the presentation this time I did see his touch, though without comparing it to the other excellent episodes surrounding it it’s kind of tough to appreciate what stands it out from those others. ef is very consistent and I really enjoy not picking it apart but enjoying it as a whole
With that being said though, it is fun to examine its disparate elements in order to see how it works as a whole; the dialogue, camera angles, animation, unfolding-of-plot(s), the backgrounds and Shinkai-skies, and especially Tenmon’s soundtrack comprise what in my opinion is Studio SHAFT’s greatest work. The various experimentations don’t take the viewer out of the picture as Bakemonogatari sometimes does, but is such a delicious meal of its own that one doesn’t even notice the separate dishes, or what a sumptuous feast it is until digestion commences. It is here that it hits you… in retrospect, appreciating what a fine meal you just had.
The thing I anticipate most about Bakemono is the rewatching, when I don’t have to wait a week in between episodes so that I can chow down all at once
I much prefer keeping the vibe and feel of a series as continuous and fresh as possible; in this way I receive the creators’ Art-Work as fully and as unflinching, as of one piece as possible. I can cut my own meat just fine, thankyouverymuch, and while understanding the necessity of a weekly schedule of half-hour episodes, prefer my meals in huge swallows rather than stingy bite-sized morsels
I have to agree with you about the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei sequels; their enjoyment quotient seems to diminish a little each season, though to me they’re still enjoyable on the whole. But it’s quite overly-fragmented and a bit too random in presentation in recent seasons. Hopefully Sensei will continue to find new real-life (his LOL)situations to despair about rather than random observances…
Wow, it took me TWO DAYS just to get through Chapter One of the Umineko Visual Novel :-O Had to take a break before tackling Chapter Two, though I did get quite a kick from seeing F. B. appear (as expected!) in the extras afterward…
Since I had episode 7 of the Umineko anime I watched that today and while the facial expressions sometimes are still annoying, I’m trying to just enjoy the story without criticism; why ruin any fun I might get from it? If I’m mildly disappointed by what I’ve seen so far, it’s not so bad that I’m hating or mocking it. And really, I respect Ryukishi07’s talent too much to fault him for DEEN’s delivery. I’m sure that the problematic pacing to date (not to mention animation) is probably budget-based, and that things will improve shortly, as Higurashi Kai did over its first season. Umineko is something I’ve long-anticipated, and NOTHING will deter me from enjoying it! xD
Kind of curious that no total-episodes count is projected for Umineko (at least in MAL); I wonder if it’ll take 24-26 to finish? I hope so; if the whole is as rushed as the first few eps were there’ll be trouble down the line I’m sure.
Oh well… on to Umineko Chapter Two! I’ve got up to Chapter Four, and I do believe that Chapter Five’s release is imminent though Comiket? *crossing fingers, toes, and other appendages*
OMG F.B., do you really have a … !
on August 15th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Wow, you guys write a lot.
Anyways, Rob knows I hate Bakamonogatari, haven’t watched anything Zetsubou, and has CANAAN on hold, so I won’t trash those three…for now.
Umineko is a nice little anime. It’s so far not as good as Higurashi (anime comparison here folks) but it’s still suspenseful and interesting. The OP is just amazing. I want it when it is released. And of course, I absolutely love both Higurashi OPs. Damn, they know how to make good OPs for these types of anime.
About Endless 8 itself, the ending (episode 9) was really good. Haruhi became tsun and blushed, so nothing could be better. Episode 10 was…nice. It seems like KyoAni tried to animate Haruhi to be more moe or something, because I haven’t noticed her this much in the first season. But overall, the episode was okay. I’m not expecting much anyways. After the first season, I knew that there was no way they could follow such a masterpiece. Rigth now, I’m satisfied with their moe route and maybe hit us with unexpected drama in the future.
And you need to get online BEFORE midnight, you know, when NORMAL people falls asleep.
on August 16th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Hi KS, thanks for popping in and off
You… you hate Bakemonogatari? I thought you were kidding when you mentioned that in IRC a while ago! You are, aren’t you? :-O
Oh well, strokes/folks tastes/mouths and etc
I’m still enjoying CANAAN (WHY THE CAPS???) for all its diversity, talent, and fun characters, so I’ll stick with that one. (Once an anime passes the “first-4-episodes-litmus-test” I’ll almost always watch it through to the end. Sometimes to my regret *cough Index cough* LOL)
Ditto Umineko, despite its weaknesses which you know I won’t hold against an anime unless it really truly sucks. It hurts me to include Index in this category, but hell… they really dropped the ball on that one and pissed me off LOL Here’s hoping that Railgun will be much better; I really feel that it will be.
I’ve been playing (a.k.a. “reading”) the Umineko Visual Novel for the past several days (which is why I haven’t been on IRC much) and finally got caught up to the anime’s 7th episode. Oddly enough, the VN’s “lo-fi” character designs and elementary sound effects make me appreciate the anime more; the VN also gives a lot more story that fleshes the animated series out. I agree that it’s OP is excellent; I wish I’d been able to embed the HQ version but YouTube sucks at times… Both Higurashi OPs are classics; it was all I could do to restrain myself from putting Kai’s OP up as well
Must… maintain… semblance… of… focus…
I really need to rewatch Haruhi 2 ep 19 again (fak their numbering system); I was SO afraid that it wasn’t going to end that I was fairly distracted
I didn’t even see Haruhi blush, so that alone will be cause enough! I’d love to be able to see Haruhi as moe, but aloof tsun characters just don’t strike me that way. THEY DON’T NEED ME!!! But all it takes is just a scene, the right expression (ponytails in season 1) and… yeah. You can penetrate the hard exterior and see that heart o’ gold xD
This “season 2″ just seems to be a side dish of SOS-ness until they really get serious with “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya”, whenever they get around to it. And you know they will LOL
Yeah, I do write a lot. I’m a writer. Go figure
Actually, I like “wordy” posts/comments because I’m a glutton for knowledge; as long as the poster says something with all those words it’s all good. But I welcome short comments too, being aware that everyone’s time is so precious.
-he says, typing this all out at 3AM o.O
on August 16th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Okay so you’re going to force me to talk to you on here before you refuse to come on IRC…BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
Yes, I hate Bakamonogatari. But I’m one of the very few, so I don’t talk about it. I just ignore people who talk about it. So I recommend you not to talk to me about it.
But thanks to you, I’m going to start watching some things I put on hold, like Tokyo 8.0 and CANAAN (with all caps for the lulz). I’ve been playing games and blogging though, so I’m not watching much anime. I need someone to talk to on IRC and you’re not here so I’m sad.
on August 17th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Ack, sorry! I’ve been wrapped up playing/reading the Umineko VN
Since I have to FullScreen it I don’t like to minimize/multi-task as it takes me out of the story. But I’m pretty far enough into it now that I can pause my progress and conduct business as usual
Glad that you’re watching Tokyo and CANAAN; they’re different enough that you ought to get some enjoyment out of them.
Now all you need to do is watch Bakemon- oh wait, nevermind
Talk to you soon