January 2013 | Lost in America: Anime & More

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Shirokuma Café - 42

For a minute there I thought I was watching “Bears on the Slope”.

I can't say this news surprises me all that much, but it's still absolutely wonderful to hear that Space Brothers has been renewed, and not only that, will move to a coveted Saturday evening timeslot to share a block with Detective Conan.

This is further proof that there's more to commercial success in Japan's anime world than selling Blu-rays. Hunter X Hunter and Chihayafuru are other recent examples of the fact that things that TV ratings and manga sales (and movie tickets, for the former) still matter. The Uchuu Kyoudai film was a huge smash, I see large displays for the manga in every bookstore, and the series has a broad cultural penetration in Japan.

Quality wins the day again - that's reason enough to celebrate - but even better is the fact that we'll now get to see Mutta as an astronaut! "Space Saturdays" here we come...

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Sankarea 13 - (OVA)

Yep, still damn good.

Bakuman 3 - 17

In a sense, all of Bakuman up to this point has been a prelude to what happened this week.

He’s baaaaaaaaaack…

Little Busters! - 16

Playtime’s over. Again. For now.

Hunter X Hunter 2011 - 64

Damn, Togashi is really a geek.

I don’t know what the hell that was, but it sure was fun.

[HorribleSubs] Space Brothers - 42 [720p].mkv_snapshot_10.01_[2013.01.27_15.39.37]

[HorribleSubs] Space Brothers - 42 [720p].mkv_snapshot_16.31_[2013.01.27_15.46.31]

[HorribleSubs] Space Brothers - 42 [720p].mkv_snapshot_19.04_[2013.01.27_15.50.45]

As much as I love Space Brothers, there are definitely times when I wish it had a neck so I could strangle it. And this is one of them.

The more things change, the more they… well – get worse.

Chihayafuru 2 - 03

There are many anime of recent vintage that I love, but there’s nothing that feels quite like the experience of watching Chihayafuru.

Forgive the pun, but things are heating up on Robotics;Notes in every way.

It’s always been obvious that the Emperor had no clothes, but this week Psycho-Pass paraded him around naked in front of the world.

Kotoura-san - 03

[HorribleSubs] Kotoura-san - 03 [720p].mkv_snapshot_17.57_[2013.01.25_10.34.27]

After three episodes it’s safe to conclude that Kotoura-san is a series that isn’t going to pull many punches.

“Slice of Life” may just be the most overused word in anime, but Shirokuma Café really owns it when it wants to.

Weekly Digest: 1/24/12 – Amnesia, Tamako Market

[Mazui]_Tamako_Market_-_03_[4CD0E3A9].mkv_snapshot_07.21_[2013.01.24_20.44.37]

[Mazui]_Tamako_Market_-_03_[4CD0E3A9].mkv_snapshot_12.55_[2013.01.24_20.55.34]

The three-episode rule is going to be a tough call with these two.

[Doremi-Oyatsu] Ginga e Kickoff!! - 33 (1280x720 8bit h264 AAC) [45A8B8AE].mkv_snapshot_18.36_[2013.01.23_23.02.57]

Not since Tsuritama ended have I seen such an expression of pure joy communicated so brilliantly in anime.

Bakuman 3 - 16

Leave it to Kaya-chan to sum up Master Eiji in a nutshell – “He’s almost too cool.”

[Eveyuu] Sankarea 14 [DVD Hi10P 720x480 H264] [FF741818].mkv_snapshot_05.47_[2013.01.22_23.07.24]

[Eveyuu] Sankarea 14 [DVD Hi10P 720x480 H264] [FF741818].mkv_snapshot_13.13_[2013.01.22_23.15.41]

[Eveyuu] Sankarea 14 [DVD Hi10P 720x480 H264] [FF741818].mkv_snapshot_21.42_[2013.01.22_23.24.58]

I’ve seen nothing in the two OVAs to make me question my original conclusion – Sankarea is a damn good show.

Minami-ke Tadaima - 03

Every household should have an emergency maid outfit, you know? This is anime as public service.

Don’t worry, Chairman-san – I don’t think I’d have noticed he was a guy either…

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha - 03

Confounding? Yes. Interesting? That too.

Intense and riveting is probably a pretty good start in describing this episode of Uchuu Kyoudai.

As any boy who specializes in Jan-Ken-Pon knows, rock beats scissors.

[Mazui]_Boku_Ha_Tomodachi_Ga_Sukunai_NEXT_-_02_[AA292D99].mkv_snapshot_06.22_[2013.01.20_12.37.26]

[Mazui]_Boku_Ha_Tomodachi_Ga_Sukunai_NEXT_-_02_[AA292D99].mkv_snapshot_10.05_[2013.01.20_12.41.12]

[HorribleSubs]_OreShura_-_03_[720p].mkv_snapshot_11.53_[2013.01.20_14.34.51]

[HorribleSubs]_OreShura_-_03_[720p].mkv_snapshot_21.50_[2013.01.20_14.53.05]

Both of these series have something to offer, but they share some of the same problems.

[HorribleSubs]_Zetsuen_no_Tempest_-_14_[720p].mkv_snapshot_05.34_[2013.01.20_10.54.13]

[HorribleSubs]_Zetsuen_no_Tempest_-_14_[720p].mkv_snapshot_12.14_[2013.01.20_11.00.53]

[HorribleSubs]_Zetsuen_no_Tempest_-_14_[720p].mkv_snapshot_15.59_[2013.01.20_11.04.38]

Zetsuen no Tempest may have undergone a pretty significant style change, but there’s still nothing else quite like it.

Watching Shin Sekai Yori is a sweet, beautiful sadness.

Chihayafuru 2 - 02

Advice to young girls not so interested in Karuta – don’t ask Harada-sensei “What’s so fun about Karuta?”

This series is the epitome of “under the radar”, but it just keeps delivering – and while the pacing may not be priority overnight, service is as reliable as it gets.