Archive for December 2006

Since Mike did his list…

Since Mike did his list…

I’ll do mine, simply because I’m bored as hell and I don’t feel like translating all these shitey documents I got right now. My kick ass show of 2006: Black Lagoon. My comment: Duh. Yeah. Revy. My suck ass show of 2006: Ergo Proxy My comment: stupid flashback, stupid philosophy that doesn’t work, stupid silent [...]

Michael Huang’s Year-End Roundup

Michael Huang’s Year-End Roundup

2006 was the year I joined an anime club and got caught up with newer shows again, kicking off what is for me the Second Age of Anime Indulgence (the first was my first years of fandom in college). I’ve never downloaded and watched and been involved in the anime scene as much as I [...]

The Third – Aoi no hitomi no shojo

The Third – Aoi no hitomi no shojo

Now what the freaking hell is that? It’s a nicely written show that’s based on a novel. Shows based on that usually comes with great plots. Think Crest/Banner of the Stars, which they got Ayako to play Lafiel. For the The Third, it’s Toyoguchi Megumi, who also played Revi in Black Lagoon. But that’s not [...]

Dubbing…Yeah.

Dubbing…Yeah.

Gee, there’s dubbing, and there’s hell. For me that is. Only the American Duo Maxwell did a great job, because the character was supposed to be American to begin with! Sheesh, other than that, dubs are atrocious. You don’t think so? Well, which American voice overs for Japanese animes (for ghibli works don’t count – [...]

The Disturbingness of Haruhi Suzumiya…English Auditions

The Disturbingness of Haruhi Suzumiya…English Auditions

On the official American Haruhi Suzumiya website, there is a hidden link where you can actually vote on four different English renditions of Mikuru. (The original Japanese audio is included for comparison.) The scene being played, of course, is one of the many “costume assault/rape” scenes where Haruhi forces Mikuru into various otaku fetish getups. [...]

Black Lagoon blows me away

Black Lagoon blows me away

When I first watched the show I was only impressed with the fact that there’s a main girl with two large guns IN HER HANDS, a probable high body count, and just about everyone in the Lagoon Co. is bad ass of some sort, except Roc, who’s sort of a wuz. As time went on, [...]

Scattered Cels Podcast #2

Scattered Cels Podcast #2

This week, Ray and I tackle the Haruhi licensing and the depredations of viral marketing, Japanese Academy Award nominations, and review School Rumble! Notes/Errata Kadokawa Pictures USA, has actually also actually licensed Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, another Kyoto Animation property. My guess is that they might become KyoAni’s house licensor in the US? [...]

The Phenomenon of Haruhi Suzumiya

The Phenomenon of Haruhi Suzumiya

It’s strange how badly companies want to emulate, through viral marketing, the natural process that is “word of mouth.” What makes “word of mouth” marketing work is precisely its spontanaeity and its lack of connection to those who might do such a thing for the money. Anything less is, well, marketing. (Look what happened to [...]

Review: Welcome to the NHK!

Review: Welcome to the NHK!

I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of recent anime have been about, or targeted directly to, otaku. Genshiken and Comic Party are about fandom; Haruhi Suzumiya and other “moesploitation” shows cater to otaku fetishes (even if it’s with a wink and a nod); the Densha Otoko phenomenon has even glamorized otaku for a [...]

Welcome to the NHK 23

Welcome to the NHK 23

Impressions Though the show comes to an end with the next episode, I still marvel over how far it has come since it started. Today I was rewatching the early episodes (1-6) and while the seeds of all that has happened in the show’s second half are clearly there, the emphasis on black humor and [...]

Scattered Cels Podcast #1

Scattered Cels Podcast #1

The first episode of the Scattered Cels Podcast is here! My co-host, Raymond Hu, reports in from Taiwan, while I’m here in the United States. We introduce ourselves, go through the anime news, and and also review an anime we both like, Black Lagoon. Leave your comments and questions in the comments area of this [...]

Scattered Cels Now Open!

Scattered Cels Now Open!

Hi everyone! This is the official opening post of a new anime blog, “Scattered Cels.” I hope you enjoy reading the reviews and commentary on this website as well as listen to the podcasts. (We’ll be aiming for having one podcast per week.) Comments, of course, are always welcome. See you soon!