Saturday 25 April 2015

Review

When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace

Episodes 1-12 Streaming

Synopsis:
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace Episodes 1-12 Streaming
Andou, Tomoyo, Hatoko and Sayumi comprise the literature club of their ordinary high school. Sometime ago, the four of them—along with their advisor's elementary-school-age niece, Chifuyu—suddenly acquired various supernatural powers. So did Kudou, the student council president who is envious of the Literature Club's bond, and suspicious of their activities. Yet all these students' lives have gone on as before, as mundane as ever. As a self-admitted chuunibiyou, Andou dreams ofwhen he'll get to use his power—useless black flames he calls “Dark and Dark”—in a dramatic supernatural battle. The more-powerful girls try to keep him out of trouble as they all secretly practice their abilities in the Literature Club.
Review:
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace is many things. Firstly, it's a light novel adaptation, as its lengthy title might indicate. It has the familiar marks of the genre: chuunibiyou characters with insights into how they tick, goofy school antics and a harem for the main male chuuni. Yet it also tries at some self-awareness—for example, with monologues about how alienating chuunis can be for their fellow outcasts. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, since the very premise is "what if the characters had superpowers but were stuck in a slice-of-life high school comedy?"
The show is also deeply in the shadow of Studio Trigger's previous success, Kill la Kill.Supernatural Battles apes its popular predecessor's visual style and animation techniques. It also designs characters with cartoonish round edges and comedic, stilted movements. That's no mark against it; Kill la Kill's intentionally "bad" animation was a lot of its charm and a fun artistic choice. It makes it hard to evaluate Battles as its own beast, though. And it seems likeTrigger doesn't want you to, as it takes every opportunity to remind you of its flagship series. The tennis racket lying by the side has life fibers. That's Mako Mankanshoku swimming past in the pool episode. The visual gags referencing Kill la Kill are fun, but also clearly indicate how much Battles isn't trying to be its own thing. It's for fans of its source material, presumably, and people who liked Trigger's previous works.
At least the characters are distinctive, and fun to watch bounce off each other. And along the way, there are some real gems in Battles's character writing. Each girl is well-developed into her own character, especially Tomoyo, who pretends to be cool but secretly shares Andou's love of light novels and even plans to write her own, and Hatoko, Andou's childhood friend who now has little in common with him. The dynamic is nothing new, but Battles adds its own spin on it by specifically rooting it in “chuunibiyou” culture. Tomoyo's bond with Andou encourages her to embrace her geekier side, and enter her light novel in a competition. Meanwhile, with Hatoko it emphasizes how she and Andou are growing apart. She delivers an extended rant to him about this in episode 7, the show's strongest by far. In it, she calls out to him how she's sick of him waving her off as “not understanding” his weird interests, instead of explaining them to her. She's sick of the exclusion. She likes him and wants to understand better! Her frustration is specifically rooted in her romantic rivalry with Tomoyo, of course, but it's a familiar one to any girl who's dealt with exclusionary geeky guys. (The rant gets in some good cracks, too, at how chuuni think random English words or negative ideas like “darkness” and “sin” are automatically cool.) Battles also earns points by not pitting its girls against each other for liking the same boy. It therefore joins Kill la Kill in bringing something to the table for both male and female otaku. It has plenty of fanservice (Sayumi's bouncing boobs) and gross sex humor (like one dull gag about Andou being mistaken for a lolicon). Yet it also develops its female characters well, and makes them relatable to women watching the show.
Andou himself is endearing, if predictable, as the male lead for this sort of thing. He's a showy doofus, but one with a big heart. It's easy to see why some of the girls would fall for him. Some—not all. Along with the two previously mentioned, elementary-schooler Chifuyu's crush on Andou is also understandable. Even the dorkiest teenager looks super-cool to you when you're that age. Chifuyu herself is a fun character, if nothing new in anime: the innocent little girl who's surprisingly worldly. It isn't gross like the usual examples, though. She's just savvy in ways the older kids don't expect. I also really liked aloof, serious Sayumi, though her crush on Andou came out of nowhere, as did the one from antagonistic student council president Kudou. In short, Battles tried too hard to enforce its harem, making it hard to take it seriously as an “affectionate parody” of the genre. Even straight examples usually leave at least some of the love interests on the subtextual level for a reason. You can't believably develop that many romances in a 12-episode runtime. That's especially true when you're trying for a larger story.
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace does try for just that, and that's where the show really falls apart. Its premise alone is intriguing—watching the kids find uses for their new powers in a mundane setting. The show doesn't need actual supernatural hijinks, enemies and worldbuilding to explain it all. At least, it shouldn't detract from the personal relationships that drive its drama, which is what that contrived conflict does. There's no resolution to the “which girl will Andou pick?” arc as a result of this. With the harem elements, it means Battlesnever gets to be the genre commentary it seemingly wants to be. Episode 7 was a great example of sticking it to the genre and subculture's less savory elements. It wasn't a sign of things to come, though. The show was too focused on pandering to chuuni to really make its messages stick and ultimately mean anything.
That desire to have its cake and eat it too was all over Kill la Kill as well. The show tried to say something about clothing and nudity while simultaneously indulging fanservice in every scene. “Teasing depth and never delivering” was the wrong thing to take from that show going forward, and unfortunately, that's what Trigger did if Battles is any indication. Kill la Kill did at least have fun characters and a tight story, though, so it didn't matter if it didn't have much of a “message.” It was a fun watch regardless. Battles can't even be that, because it's too unfocused. It's trying to be too many things at once. There are about three better shows in here, but combined they're just a muddled mess.
Still, there are moments of hope in When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace. The hints of strong character writing (even if they don't reach their fruition) make it a worthier entry than many light-novel adaptations. That isn't enough to recommend the show as a whole, though. There are so many signs of how Battles could have been better, it's just thatmuch more disappointing that it wasn't.
Grade:
Production Info:
Overall (sub) : C
Story : C-
Animation : A
Art : B+
Music : B-
+ Fun and mostly well-written characters; similar exaggerated aesthetics to other Trigger shows
 Confused, overly-ambitious story; ineffective as a parody; tries too hard to ride Kill la Kill's coattails
Chief Director:Masahiko Otsuka
Director:Masanori Takahashi
Series Composition:Masahiko Otsuka
Script:
Nanami Higuchi
Masahiko Otsuka
Masanori Takahashi
Storyboard:
Akitaro Daichi
Yasuo Ejima
Daizen Komatsuda
Ryouji Masuyama
Tomomi Mochizuki
Nobutoshi Ogura
Masahiko Otsuka
Hisatoshi Shimizu
Masanori Takahashi
Yuki Watanabe
Satoshi Yamaguchi
Episode Director:
Yasuo Ejima
Shinsuke Gomi
Kazuhiko Ishii
Yoshihiro Miyajima
Masahiko Otsuka
Hisatoshi Shimizu
Housei Suzuki
Masanori Takahashi
Satoshi Yamaguchi
Music:Elements Garden
Original creator:Kota Nozomi
Original Character Design:029
Character Design:Satoshi Yamaguchi
Art Director:Yasutada Kato
Chief Animation Director:Satoshi Yamaguchi
Animation Director:
Sunao Chikaoka
Isamu Fukushima
Shūhei Handa
Tetsuya Hasegawa
Katsuzo Hirata
Natsumi Inoue
Kazumasa Ishida
Yoshihiro Maeda
Kana Miyai
Reiko Nozaki
Kengo Saitō
Masaru Sakamoto
Yoshio Usuda
Yuki Watanabe
Satoshi Yamaguchi
Shuuhei Yamamoto
Sound Director:Jun Watanabe
Director of Photography:Hiroaki Yabe
Producer:
Kazuhiro Kanemitsu
Hitoshi Kawasaki
Hideo Momoda
Natsuko Nagase
Mika Shimizu
Shūichi Takashino
Hiroshi Takeuchi
Hiroyuki Tanaka
Yoshiki Usa
Kosuke Yabuno
Full encyclopedia details about
Inou Battle Within Everydaylife (TV)
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1st Sinbad Anime Film's Trailer Unveils Voice Cast

3-part project to star Tomo Muranaka, Momoko Tanabe, Hiroko Yakushimaru

The official website for Nippon Animation's Sinbad: Sora Tobu Hime to Himitsu no Shima (Sinbad: A Flying Princess and a Secret Island) anime began streaming the film's first trailer on Saturday. The video previews the anime's main voice cast that the website also unveiled on Saturday.
The main cast includes:
Tomo Muranaka as Sinbad
Momoko Tanabe as Sana
Nao Nagasawa as Ali
Hiroko Yakushimaru as Latifa
Takeshi Kaga as Captain Razak
Yakushimaru will also contribute the insert song "Wataridori" (Migratory Bird). The film marks Yakushimaru's first voice acting role in 35 years. Her last voice acting role was the as Jona Macka in the 1980 film Toward the Terra.
The website also unveiled a new poster for the film:
Additionally, the website announced on Saturday that Nippon Animation's Sinbad anime will be a three-part project. The first film, Sinbad: Sora Tobu Hime to Himitsu no Shima, is slated to open in Japan on July 4. The second film is slated to open in December, followed by the third in March 2016.
Junior high school students and younger children who see the first film in theaters will receive aticket to see the film a second time for free. While "boat ticket" supplies last, those children can see the film an unlimited number of additional times for free.
The website had revealed on Thursday that the female vocal unit whiteeeen (live-action Strobe Edge film theme) will perform the film's theme song "Pocket." The group consists of four teenaged girls: Meri (15 years old), Kana (16), Hima (17), and Noa (18). The popular music group GReeeeNcomposed the song's music. GReeeeN held auditions to pick whiteeeen's members in October.
Sinbad: Sora Tobu Hime to Himitsu no Shima's story begins when Sinbad, the sailor made famous in the One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) stories, dreams of voyaging to an unknown world. He and his pet monkey Mimi encounter Sana, a girl riding a flying wooden horse. "The wind shifted…."
Nippon Animation is collaborating with Shirogumi to plan and produce the project as Nippon Animation's 40th anniversary work. Shinpei Miyashita (Doraemon: Nobita No Kyoryu assistant director) is directing the film. The character designer and animation director is Yoshiharu Sato (My Neighbor TotoroOnly Yesterday), and Hiroyuki Kawasaki (Ronja the Robber's Daughter) is in charge of the scripts. Kaeko Hayafune wrote the actual script. Aeon Entertainment is distributing the film.
Shirogumi producer Kentarō Koike and Nippon Animation producer Takashi Inoue previously said this about the film: "The theme of the project is 'succession,' and the precious things a parent can pass on to a child that is inherited through the generations. We'll depict this through a timeless work in a form for the present day."
Nippon Animation was founded in 1975 as an animation studio and are best known for making theWorld Masterpiece Theater, a decades-long string of television anime based on children's literature. World Masterpiece Theater included Anne of Green GablesDog of Flanders, and Rascal the RaccoonNippon Animation also animated both the 1990 Chibi Maruko-chan television series and its current incarnation that has been airing since 1995.
Shirogumi is an animation studio that specializes in visual effects and CG graphics. The company is credited for the visual effects in the live-action movie Always: Sunset on Third Street, and the animation production in last year's movie Stand By Me DoraemonShirogumi has also made cinematics for video games such as No More HeroesDemon's Souls, and Tales of Hearts.
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BlazBlue Alter Memory Anime's English Dub Trailer Streamed

Series slated for Blu-ray/DVD pack on June 30

FUNimation Entertainment began streaming an English-dubbed trailer for the BlazBlue Alter Memory television anime on Friday.
The series will ship on a DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on June 30.
Most of the cast members are reprising their roles from the BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma fighting game. The English dub cast includes:
Laura Bailey provided the voice of Platinum the Trinity in the games, while Ezra Weisz played the role of Nago in the games. Funimation has not announced the English dub actors for the characters Taokaka and Iron Tager.
BlazBlue Alter Memory is based on Arc System WorksBlazBlue fighting game series, and adapts stories from the BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift installments of the series. Funimation describes the story:
Catch all your favorite BlazBlue characters in action in this thrilling anime based on the popular fighting game franchise!
Long ago, an insidious black beast sought to obliterate the human race, but the monster was defeated by a valiant Band of Heroes wielding the power of Ars Magus: a potent combo of magic and technology. Now, a roguish outlaw known as Ragna the Bloodedge seeks to wreak havoc upon the Librarium, a clandestine organization that governs Ars Magus. Armed with the mighty Azure Grimoire, Ragna quickly becomes the target of vigilantes, scientists, vampires, and Librarium foot soldiers. As he spirals toward a violent showdown with the maniacal Hazama, Ragna will discover just how closely his fate is tied to the future of our world!
Discover the story behind gaming's deadliest moves in this series from the animation studio behind the BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma cutscenes!
The TV anime series premiered in Japan in October 2013, and Funimation streamed the series as it aired. Funimation licensed the series for home video last August.
Arc System Works released BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma EXTEND in Japan on April 23, while Aksys Games will release the game in North America during the summer release window.

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PS Vita Saekano -blessing flowers- Game's Video Features Utaha Kasumigaoka

Game about "raising" a heroine for doujin work to ship on April 30

The official website for the Saenai Heroine no Sodate-kata -blessing flowers- (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend -blessing flowers-) game for the PlayStation Vita began streaming a thirdtest scene video on Thursday. The video focuses on a shower scene with Utaha Kasumigaoka (voiced by Ai Kayano).
The game will utilize Live 2D software that moves characters with CGI but retains their two-dimensional look.
Players take on the role of the protagonist Tomoya Aki (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) to "raise" a heroine of their choosing for a doujin game. At certain points in the game, the heroines will clash over issues and the player will have to decide which opinion to support. The heroines include:
The game is slated to ship in Japan on April 30. A limited edition with an original soundtrack CD and a B2-size cloth poster will retail for 8,800 yen (about US$74), a regular edition for 6,800 yen (US$57), and a download edition for 6,000 yen (US$51). The first copies of all editions will include a download code for an original custom PS Vita theme.
Fumiaki Maruto's original light novels with illustrations by Kurehito Misaki revolve around Tomoya Aki, an otaku who is working part-time to earn enough money to buy anime on Blu-ray, who meets a beautiful girl on his way home during spring vacation. He eventually models the heroine of his own doujin game after her. However, he finds out a month later that the girl is in fact his classmate, and he doesn't know her name. He learns that the girl — named Megumi — actually is hardly noticed by others. Tomoya also has no artistic ability or writing skills, so he asks ace of the art club Eriri Spencer Sawamura to provide the art, as well as the honor student Utaha Kasumigaoka to write the scenario. Can they produce a decent game for Comic Market?
The television anime adaptation premiered in Japan on January 8. Aniplex of America streamedthe series on Aniplex ChannelCrunchyroll, and Hulu as it aired in Japan.
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Digital Manga's Clockwork Apple Kickstarter Reaches Stretch Goal to Publish Brave Dan

Campaign's 2nd stretch goal aims to reprint Tezuka's Barbara

North American publisher Digital Manga's Clockwork AppleKickstarter campaign reached its first stretch goal to printOsamu Tezuka's manga Brave Dan on Saturday. The campaignsurpassed its first stretch goal of $18,200, with $19,186 total as of press time.
This will be the first time the 1962 manga is being published in English. The story follows the adventures of a young boy after he meets and befriends a tiger who escaped from a trainon its way to the zoo.
Digital Manga's second stretch goal for the campaign is to reprint Tezuka's Barbara manga if the campaign reaches $22,900.
Digital Manga successfully funded a campaign to publishBarbara in 2012. The English release of Barbara wasnominated for an Eisner award in 2013.
Digital manga describes the story of Barbara:
Barbara opens with famous author Yosuke Mikura wandering the packed tunnels of Shinjuku Station, where he makes a strange discovery: a drunk woman, her rags caked in mud, who can quote French poetry. Her name is Barbara. He takes her home for a bath and a drink, and before long Barbara has made herself into Mikura's shadow, saving him from egotistical delusions and jealous enemies. But just as Mikura is no saint, Barbara is no benevolent guardian angel, and Mikura grows obsessed with discovering her secrets, tangling with thugs, sadists, magical curses and mythical beings - all the while wondering whether he himself is still sane.
Digital Manga also used Kickstarter to raise funds to printTezuka's Ludwig BSwallowing the Earthand Captain Kenmanga. Most recently, Digital Manga funded its release of Tezuka's Alabaster manga throughKickstarter.
Digital Manga's Kickstarter campaign to publish Tezuka's 13-volume The Three-eyed One manga and seven-volume Rainbow Parakeet manga failed to meet its US$380,000 goal last year. Digital Manga president Hikaru Sasahara said that he originally wanted to use Kickstarter to fund 50-70 books a year, but has switched to a goal of 20-30 volumes in order to lower the cost of publishing including licensing fees, advanced royalties, labor, and other expenses. He added that he would like to launch a new campaign for one to five books almost every month, with a week or two in between each campaign.
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