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Bones’ Forgotten Film Saga – Towa No Quon, Part 1

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After watching Star Driver, I didn’t think that Bones could surprise me like this again. I like to think that the studio couldn’t have had any more hidden gems to uncover, partly cause I don’t want to be known as “the blogger who never shuts the fuck up about Bones.” But a short series of films?… How the actual fuck?

Towa no Quon, a six-part series of short films, was previously only known to me by an animation cut by Yutaka Nakamura in a MAD. So obviously I looked into it and, after much delay, am finally giving it a look, since not a ton of people talk about it. Perhaps an omen, as the back of the box claims it has the potential to be remembered as “a classic” and after watching the first two films… I don’t see it.

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SSSS. Gridman Was Worth It

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Okay, I’ll take full responsibility for this. I placed SSSS. Gridman in an unfortunate position, when I claimed it could be another misfire. Granted, after Darling in the Franxx, I had to be somewhat cautious, but I also acted like this had to be the new Evangelion. As far as I’m concerned, that is always going to be a setup for disappointment.

So now that the ridiculous standard I put it to has been set aside, the question remains: was SSSS. Gridman another misfire from Studio Trigger? Well, you likely read the title to this review so, probably not. But just how good is it?

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A Review of Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger

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Expectations can be rough. In my post about searching for my “perfect” anime, I laid out the key elements present in most of the media I enjoy. When I see even one of these components presented especially well in an upcoming show, I become obsessed. This is more or less what drew me to B: The Beginning at the start of 2018 and it has happened again now with Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger.

But integral the success of any of my favorite shows are qualities that only present themselves when the entire picture shows itself. In this way, Sirius hooked me with its style, concept and the mastery of its action, but when the dust settled there wasn’t much left. Sirius is a lesson in the price of basing the crux of a show’s appeal on just action

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Imagining My Perfect Anime

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The “best” anime of all time is different for everyone. Across all media, in fact, you would be hard pressed to find a unanimously agreed upon “best” thing, outside of the agreements found within one’s own tight-knit group. Even then, there will be differences in taste.

“It’s all subjective,” is the point I’m trying to get across, but perfection doesn’t have to be dismissed in critique just because it’s improbable. If the perfect anime is different for everyone, and no consensus can be reached, then perfection is purely personal taste. It is absent of objective standards of quality and instead panders to the greatest amount of our interests.

I believe most people have not found their perfect movie or TV show, possibly because it doesn’t exist yet. We all have favorites though, so it stands to reason that if I took three of my favorite anime of all time and picked them apart, I could get a sense for what my perfect anime would be. Bear with me, this is going somewhere.

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A Review of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

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How do you follow up a classic? Better question, how do you follow up a classic that concluded so perfectly as to deter any attempt at a continuation? You can try to advance the narrative beyond the conclusion but the result may be so different as to not attract the same audience or so similar it gets called derivative. For instance, Studio Sunrise’s Cowboy Bebop has received no shortage of praise, but what about the film from 2001?

Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven’s Door, was not a continuation of Bebop. It featured the same characters doing what they do best for two hours, but never feeling like a cheap cash in, but rather just… Bebop. A lesser studio may not have pulled it off, but this was no ordinary studio. As it turns out, it wasn’t even Studio Sunrise, but Studio Bones. Only fitting as its three founders were former members of Sunrise. So, how was the follow up to one of the most legendary anime when given the Bones treatment?
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A Review of Megalo Box

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There is something indicative of Megalo Box’s lasting impact on me when it took so long to get around to writing this review. I could understandably blame it all on my own shotty schedule prior to committing to my current release schedule, but maybe the writer’s block that occurred every time I tried to put my thoughts into words spells something more interesting.

It makes me wonder if the show was truly the classic in the making that I praised it for being. However, to imply that Megalo Box was not a good show through and through would be a gross misinterpretation. I may not praise it as a classic, but I’ll be damned if I call it anything but a good time.
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A Review of DARLING in the FRANXX

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After an incredible midseason finale, Darling in the Franxx kept going strong while taking things a bit slower to focus on the character drama. This part of the story has always been the most engaging throughout the entire program, and my hopes were high for the second cour of this fairly divisive show.

Sadly as it reached the conclusion, I became conflicted about the direction the show took. I waited patiently, knowing I wouldn’t have a solid grasp on my feeling towards the show until it was completed. Now that it is, I can safely say that Darling in the Franxx did not live up to the lofty promises that detractors would argue never bore fruit in the first place.
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A Review of Batman Ninja

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A couple years ago, DC could undoubtedly be called the kings of animated Superhero film and TV. The old WB channel shows like Batman or Superman and the golden age of Justice League and the DC animated films from the 2000’s were my childhood. Early 2010 animated shows like Young Justice pushed the envelope further and DC was on top compared to even Marvel’s best successes.

Sadly, recent projects have been of mixed quality. Films like Gotham by Gaslight and Killing Joke are held back by their writing or uninspired artwork. Even worse, it is likely that future DC cartoons are fated to be relegated to DC’s new streaming service. Not all is in vain though, as Kamikaze Douga’s new animated feature, Batman Ninja, has managed to break this monotony, creating one of the most visually captivating films the studio has made in years.

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Megalo Box is a Love Letter to Anime’s Past

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Remember two years ago when Studio Wit released Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? To this day, that show’s greatest strength was its artwork and how it called back to the anime of the 80’s in both character design, shading and even how the characters evolved. It was a beauty to behold and I’m happy to hear that the series is going to continue despite the first season’s lackluster narrative.

The few anime from the 80’s I have seen I have LOVED. Gunbuster is easily one of my favorite OVAs ever made and even the 80’s anime I have not seen speak volumes through the artwork I’ve stumbled upon. For this reason, I am delighted that TMS Entertainment has decided to further pay homage to the animation of yesteryear with Megalo Box. Continue reading →

Mid-Season Checkup – DARLING in the FRANXX

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The spring Anime season is upon us and everyone is either watching Violet Evergarden now that it is on Netflix or the new season of My Hero Academia. Meanwhile, I’m over here still watching Darling in the Franxx, the collaboration between Trigger and A-1 that I covered a couple months ago. So before everyone forgets about it, I thought I would cover the show thus far and see how it has been shaping up as it enters the second half of its 24-episode run.
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