http://www.animenano.com/ An anime blog aggregator and community. en-us Now that there is a fansub for this show, perhaps it will begin to get the attention it deserves.Hoshi no Umi no Amuri 星の海のアムリ is a three-episode OVA done almost entirely in 3DCG, including the characters. I would call it a moe science-fiction fantasy: it's real moe, and real science fiction.What hooks me about this show are the unusual characters, the moe voice acting and character design, the real science-fiction setting and plot (fantastic as they are), the overall production values, and the general weirdness.There are some great scenes, including brilliant explosions and light-show battles in space; and unique visual settings, such as the bizarre landforms of a satellite constructed from garbage. The 3DCG is excellent. The music works beautifully. The sound effects are particularly well done. And the direction is fascinating, with interesting angles and motion and timing. (click images to enlarge, mouseover for captions) There is plenty of comedy in the show, but some serious undertones, as well. It is set in a near future in which the Earth and its inhabitants have been changed by a period of strong solar radiation. Many people have died from skin cancer, and many babies have been born with special physical characteristics that make them stronger than normal humans.These new humans are called Adapters, because they can adapt to almost any condition, including being able to live for a time in the vacuum of outer space. A new global government has arisen, called Region Free, to deal with the crisis. The director/writer/storyboarder is Yonetani Yoshitomo 米たにヨシトモ. His previous directing jobs were Betterman and Brave King Gaogaigar, but he did storyboards for Gundam Seed Destiny, Planetes, Banner of Stars, Shakugan no Shana, and even numerous Doraemon shows. This, however, is entirely his show: he even voices a character (the leader of the rescue squad) and sings an insert song (credited as "※-mai-") . The character design and modelling are by MA@YA, who worked on the LoveDeath and Shining Force EXA games, as well as the new 3D Custom Shoujo game. The science fiction advisor was Morita Shigeru, who was involved in the early stages of several Gundam shows, as well as Code Geass and Toward the Terra. The animation studio is Studio Hibari, which did Moonlight Mile, Kashimashi, and Sumomomo Momomo, as well as helping on Ghibli productions.The excellent sound effects are by Noguchi Toru, also a Ghibli veteran, who did sound effects not only for Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, but also for both the original Evangelion series and the new movie. Music is by Kubota Mina, who did music for Kaleidostar and Kannazuki no Miko, and wrote OPs for various ARIA shows. Sound director Nagano Toru has done many shows, including KareKano, Glass Mask, and FLCL. the storyOur heroine, Kakkyoin Amuri, is a 13-year-old Adapter who has lived a hard life on Earth. She has the strange "allergy" of rejecting all outside stimuli. Whenever she touches anything, she or it bounces away in a shower of light, due to her "repulsion allergy." It's like a full-body sneeze. Her condition killed her mother when she was born. She was never able to touch the grandmother who brought her up. Her clothing had to be made from fabric derived from her own cells. She had no friends. Everyone laughed at her. We meet her when she is just just arriving at a space station to begin life in space, working with Region Free (at least I think that's why she's there). As she arrives, the shuttle and the space station are attacked and destroyed and she is hurled out into space.This is the first of many wtf moments in the show: how can anyone survive unprotected in space? Adapters can, however, and Amuri bounces around the detritus until she bounces into a spherical life-support capsule, like a big organic cell, which is called "Uterus." Inside it are a girl with an eyepatch, sitting in a chair, and a robot avatar that looks like a stuffed bunny. Are you with me so far, lol? There are some amazing scenes in the capsule, which is filled with a fluid that allows people in it to breathe. Things like jellyfish float around -- and through -- the two girls in the cell-like capsule. More wtf moments. But I like wtf moments, and these are just beautifully done, in image and music.The capsule is picked up by automated magnetic garbage collection machines and transported to a big satellite called Galapagos, which is like a small planet made from garbage. The capsule is unceremoniously dumped into the garbage landscape, which includes forests made of trees of scrap metal, and fields covered with cake-slices made from garbage, each cake topped with a red bomb like a strawberry. Memorable images. A huge machine prowls up to the capsule and tries to sweep it up in its bucket, but the bucket just passes through the capsule and its inhabitants, somehow. The metal arms passing through Amuri are an amazing scene.Meanwhile, on a command ship called Pearl Shell, the commander is an Adapter called Pulmo Allen (voice: Kaneda Tomoko), who looks like a five-year-old child, and is always held in the arms of a woman dressed as a nurse (voice: Noto Mamiko). The amazing images just keep coming. Commander Pulmo sends out a tokusatsu-like squadron to rescue the survivors from the destroyed space station (which was called Pink Coral). They go out in a blaze of song and confidence, launched by being shot, spinning, out of big guns. wtf. They manage to drive off the garbage collecting machine, but hordes of new machines show up and the poor heroes are smashed and scattered. As a magnetic drill is about to destroy the capsule, Amuri finds a button that she can actually touch without repelling and discovers the true strength of her ability to repel things: she transforms into a mahou shoujo-like creature, dressed in ribbons that make her like a huge avenging butterfly/sunflower in space. Her sunflower clothing is also made from her own cells. By repelling all attacks back on the attackers, she lays waste a large swath of Galapagos.But the episode ends with the news that the capsule has run out of oxygen. The preview for episode 2 says that Amuri and friends will "invade" the garbage satellite in search of air. On the AnimeSuki forum, there was some criticism of underage fanservice in this show. I guess there is some -- distant pantsu in the ED, a mahou shoujo transformation that implies nudity before the ribbons of the new garment cover it. But this is really at the level of Nanoha, and not unusual for a moe anime. Some people may not like the voices, but that is a matter of taste. These are high moe voices. It took me a while to get used to Makino Yui's squeaks of pain as Amuri bounced among detritus in space. But the voice ended up working for me. Saitou Momoko uses a deeper, soft voice as the girl in the chair (Perrier). She has a couple of beautifully delivered lines. And even 15-year-old Aizawa Michiru, who was the harsh-voiced Furoe in Simoun, and enters the capsule as a third inhabitant (called Suzu), seems to have a somewhat softer voice this time.There is a slight hint of yuri, as Amuri drifts into the other two girls lip-to-lip when they each first meet, and comments on how cute the blushing Perrier is.Anyway, have a look at the show. This is one of those shows that some people will just dismiss out of hand, but that a few of us will love. Or maybe it's just me, lol. I had been looking forward to this show, but even I was pretty non-plussed at first. Having a sub makes things easier to understand.If you want an idea of where the weirdness comes from, just take a look at the director, Yonetani Yoshitomo, right.As a countermeasure to that, here are photos of the main cast (l-r) Makino Yui (Amuri), Saitou Momoko (Perrier), Aizawa Michiru (Suzu): This first episode came out in Japan in May. Episode 2 is due July 25, with episode 3 to follow on September 26. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:31:25 -0000 http://hashihime.blogspot.com/2008/07/amuri-in-star-ocean-01-weird-gem-of-moe.html It’s amazing what 1 volume of manga can do to a story and the characters. While in vol. 9 I wanted to kick Yusuke in the balls, in vol. 10 I wanted to give the poor guy a hug. And instead I wanted to kick Koushi in the balls, but he got what [...] Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:59:02 -0000 http://www.minaidehazukashii.com/hinano/2008/07/04/manga-review-sumomomo-momomo-vol-10/ Yen Press announced at NYCC that they will be starting their Yen Plus (or Yen+?) manga anthology on July 29th. They have acquired the Higurashi manga, Nabari no Ou, Soul Eater, Bamboo Blade, and Sumomomo Momomo to serialize in their magazine, with tankobon coming in early 2009. Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat are gonna have one [...] Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:58:00 -0000 http://cjblackwing.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/yen-press-to-start-anthology-magazine-on-july-29th/ Nijuu-mensou no Musume 二十面相の娘 -- also known as Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief -- debuted Saturday, starring Hirano Aya. I liked Nijuu-mensou enough that it is now one of my five early-season favorites: Kurenai, Macross Frontier, Vampire Knight, Allison & Lillia, and Nijuu-mensou no Musume. There's still nothing in the class of True Tears, Blue Drop, or ef, for me, but time will tell. Kurenai is the show I like most so far. (click images to enlarge)Nijuu-mensou has a retro feel. Director Tomizawa Nobuo directed a Lupin III movie, and it shows. But from the first episode, the story seems to me to have some depth. It is full of powerful myths: Robin Hood; Superman; Sherlock Holmes; Cinderella; the myth of the exiled princess; the myth of being in constant mortal danger; the myth of being so unhappy that you long to be anywhere but where you are...and then are rescued by your hero, in the sudden fulfilment of a fantasy. Since I think myths are the heart of anime's appeal, these strong myths are a big plus for me.The backgrounds and animation are good, if nothing special. Animation is by Telecom, with help from Bones. The show is slated for 22 episodes and is based on a manga that ran to eight volumes between 2002 and 2007. The adaptation is by Tsuchiya Rikei, who also did Major and KimiKiss (as well as Kirarin Revolution).Director Tomizawa did Futakoi 1 and Kanban Musume, and the sharp direction of the latter is very much in evidence here. The story is told very economically, completing three adventures and setting up the main characters in the first episode. Largely thanks to Hirano Aya's great emoting, we really get a feel of the main character, in moments of great travail.I'm a fan of Aya's, but even I found her other starring role this spring, Kaoru in Zettai Karen Children, a bit over the top, especially in episode one. In Nijuu-mensou, she returns to the emotion that I think is her greatest strength. I first took notice of her as Layla in NANA, where she almost made me weep every time she spoke. And then I noticed hints of this power in Suzumiya Haruhi, Manabi Straight, and even Sumomomo Momomo. She is not the most naturalistic actress, and some people can't get past what they see as overacting. But for me, she has an ability to communicate real emotion that few other seiyuu can approach.I particularly liked both the OP, by 369, and the ED, by Aya. From my point of view, Aya's singing is getting better and better. She gives the song energy and rhythm, conveys emotion, has good phrasing, and hits all the notes dead on, unlike many seiyuu/singers, including Aya herself in the past. The OP and ED are both on YouTube.Now, I appear to be the only blogger with much enthusiasm for this show, or for the ED, so your mileage may vary, but I was involved and entertained throughout.Summary The Thief With Twenty Faces robs the rich of their treasures. He warns them ahead of time, but still manages to succeed in every heist. He has promised to steal a rich man's golden casket, so the man fills his house with police. The Thief succeeds by infiltrating the guards and then having his zeppelin rip the top off the house, allowing him to escape -- and incidentally revealing an illegal treasure the man has hidden in his attic. Chizuko is a young girl who is fascinated with the Thief. She lives in a grand house. But she seems to be refusing to eat: she dumps her tea on the table and leaves her cakes untouched. Her parents appear to be baffled by her behavior. Back in her room, we see that Chizuko is clearly depressed and upset. She wants to be anywhere but where she is. At the next meal, her father grabs her violently and tries to force her to eat, but fails. After every meal, however, the butler comes in to give her something to eat, and she eats it. We finally learn that these are not Chizuko's real parents, but her father's brother and his wife. Her parents have died somehow. Her aunt and uncle and the butler come into her room to give her some soup, but she refuses even that, after tasting one spoonful. Finally, the butler drops his disguise and reveals himself as the Thief. He tells the aunt and uncle that the food they are offering is good only for pigs, so they should eat it themselves. He produces a bottle of aconite poison and says it is the aunt's "secret spice." The Thief asks Chizuko if she wants to go with him. She says she does, and runs to him, desperately. Hirano Aya's wild little gulp as she races for him is a magic moment. But once in his car, they have to outrace the police, which they do with the help of a couple of accomplices who join them in the car after blocking the police. One of the accomplices gives Chizuko the nickname Chiko. Then they are chased by a man/youkai called the Tiger, but at the last minute, as they are on a train track with a train bearing down on them, the Thief's zeppelin arives and they climb up a rope ladder to safety, as the train apparently demolishes the Tiger. The Thief observes to Chiko that the world looks small from up in the sky, and they are now off to another country.We have a good set-up, and now it seems that Chiko will develop into a star member of the Thief's gang. Whether the show fulfils its promise or not will depend on how well they develop the characters, especially Chiko, and how well the capers retain their freshness. The show could look like just a kids' detective show, or it could develop more of the psychological depth I saw glimmers of in episode one.By the way, I'm not planning to blog this show. I just wanted to express my feelings about the first episode. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:46:58 -0000 http://hashihime.blogspot.com/2008/04/nijuu-mensou-no-musume-another-spring.html Well this basically concludes ALL the episodes of Sumomomomomomo. Episode 24 was kinda lame because it included some angry loli who wanted to create chaos so that she could continue making weapons for people to use. She abducted Koushi and made it seem like she wanted to have him be protected from other Budoukas. [...] Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:16:42 -0000 http://www.minaidehazukashii.com/hinano/2008/03/16/sumomo-momomo-24-actual-final/ I was informed on MAL that Sumomomomomomo actually is 24 episodes, and the last 2 were goofy specials unrelated to the story that were released on DVD only. (Something another studio is planning to do as well.) I dug around a bit and found them uploaded to various video sites because the torrent for [...] Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:09:43 -0000 http://www.minaidehazukashii.com/hinano/2008/03/16/sumomomo-momomo-23/ Hirano Aya had a live show in Osaka on Saturday, and will put on a similar show in Tokyo on March 15.The Osaka show consisted of a musical quiz at the beginning, then a set of six songs and two encores. Reaction from a few attendees who posted on 2channel was mixed. A couple of people commented on there being some women in the audience.Here are a slew of photos from Aya's blog. First are some from the performance itself -- (l-r) Aya and the band psyching themselves up for the show, Aya nervous, Aya made of light, the band: (click to enlarge) Recently, I've been listening to Neophilia, MonStAR, and First Goodbye, and to the scat song from a Sumomomo Momomo CD, and I actually think she's very good as a jazzy pop performer, quite musical and rhythmic, and uses some of her seiyuu techniques to bring meaning. To me, the CDs are more interesting and enjoyable than most singers', even if she's not really a polished professional and I'm not sure she has the ability to do it live. I look forward to hearing more from this show and the one in Tokyo.Here's the set list: LOVE★GUN, NEOPHILIA, MonStAR, (costume change), Love Song, forget me nots..., GLITTER -- encore medley (Breakthrough, Ichiban Hoshi, Bouken Desho Desho?, Kazeyomii Ribon, Ashita no prism, Yorokobi no Uta). Photos during and after the show: "Princess Aya", as she appears on GyaO Midtown TV, and during make-up. The shirt apparently says "I'll teach you XXX": At rehearsal the week before. I'm surprised to see the leaf on the yellow shirt: Farewell to the cast of Eyeshield21, at a cast party after recording the final (146th) episode (l-r) ??, Irino Miyu, Aya, Miyano Mamoru, Yamaguchi Kappei. At the cast party after recording the last episode of Dragonaut, Gouda Hozumi, who played Nozaki, turned out to be a graduate ("OB" = "old boy") of Aya's school. Aya with the DVD for Hello Kitty -- Apple Woods Parallel Town, in which she does a voice. She and Uchida Yuya, who plays Nijuumensou, went to see Ohara Shinji, the mangaka of Nijuu Mensou no Musume ("Chico, Heiress of the Phantom Thief"), in which Aya will star starting in April. Aya says they had a very interesting conversation and got a lot that they can use in preparing to play the character: Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:30:28 -0000 http://hashihime.blogspot.com/2008/03/hirano-aya-live-shows-in-osaka-tokyo.html Porororon poro roro roporon ron! “This episode is full of kanji and makes me tired.” . Cha chiri chiririn, docchudocchurin! “Yes, I agree heartily, good sir.” . Miri kiriri rururin mirurun mirakuru mikurunrun! “It also contained many obscure puns that most English speaking viewers won’t understand at all!” . Sumomomo momomo! “Not to mention incoherent rambling from every character for the first 12 minutes [...] Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:30:41 -0000 http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/EpicWin/%7E3/221454870/ I picked up Sumo^6 this afternoon at Kinokuniya hoping for an exciting continuation of this passionate budouka story. Unfortunately even though it was the “next” volume, the story felt like it had progressed backwards. Koushi still sucks and can’t be a Budouka, and it’s emphasized in this volume by Yuusuke who say that it takes [...] Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:15:33 -0000 http://www.minaidehazukashii.com/hinano/2008/01/07/manga-review-sumomomo-momomo-vol-9/ Been a while since I did a post on this right? I was reading the manga well into the show and after the anime ended abruptly (on a disappointing number may I add - I mean 22 wtf?) I sorta kept on with the manga chapters. (I missed ch. 54 though but anyway) I [...] Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:52:29 -0000 http://www.minaidehazukashii.com/hinano/2007/11/21/manga-review-sumomomo-momomo-vol-8/