Abenobashi deserves more critical acclaim

It's a shame that Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi passed under the radar of so many anime critics, because it is one of the most original shows of all time.

Every part of this show shines with vivacious energy and animation. The entire span of the series is a big mind trip. In the same way that Paranoia Agent plays tricks on you with its scare tactics, Abenobashi fools you into thinking that this series will follow a tragic turn of events.

Yet, it's not a series about the tragic human condition, where all people have to die at some point or another. The show is all about a boy's coming of age. He learns how to turn his best moments into reality.

It certainly takes a while for the main character to fully understand every part of his dream world. However, this show is one of the few pieces of animation that takes you on a joy ride, to try and understand how movies are really supposed to enlighten us.

Somehow, the main characters change their real world into a culmination of shared experiences with faces they love. The Abenobashi characters cannot settle with accepting things as they are--they have to take action in order to turn their best dreams into reality. The final ending is a surprisingly hopeful vision, that we hardly ever see in an anime.

Many other series have tried to follow the Abenobashi formula, but failed. Kyoto Animation tried to pull off a similar storyline in their series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This saga, Endless Eight, was a hideous story arc, where the characters kept repeating the exact same events in every episode of the story.

Only Abenobashi truly nailed the endless dream formula. If only other anime shows would follow suit with this show, because it's just that good.

DVD Classic: Never-ending Adventures in J-pop worlds

"Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi" will astound anime fans with a journey that literally takes two young kids on a never-ending trip through the Japanese pop culture universe.

This series has had an awkward release history in America. Although it first aired in 2003, it took two years until Geneon released this series in the U.S. Even then, I don't think this show received the attention that it truly deserves.

Thankfully, ADV Films re-released this series last year. I had the fortunate thrill of seeing it on The Anime Network's website. To say the least, this is one of the most creative anime shows I've ever seen.

The show begins in the Abenobashi shopping district in Osaka. Two teenagers, Satoshi "Sashi" Imamiya and Arumi Asahina, are spending their last summer playing in the empty streets. Their parents' businesses were forced to close, as part of the redevelopment of the Abenobashi shopping arcade. Unfortunately, Arumi's family is also planning on moving to Hokkaido, as soon as her grandfather closes his shop.

Their summer of fun takes a tragic turn, when Asahina's grandfather almost dies after slipping on his rooftop. Asahina's entire family is planning on moving to Hokkaido as soon as he recovers. This could be the last day that Sashi and Asahina can play together.

On that day, though, the town completely turns upside down. The group of elderly people exercising in the park transforms into mushrooms. The buildings fall apart like cardboard cutouts, revealing a magical role-playing video game world in some European pasture.

Thus, the two children begin their treacherous journey through the magical other-dimensions of Abenobashi.

This series is amazing for its immensely inventive visuals. The show jams in an astonishing load of parodies on video games, robot television shows and martial arts series. Anime fans are bound to laugh at anything and everything.

They'll especially enjoy the insane antics in the third episode, where Asahina loses her panties to a goblin creature. Near the end of the episode, the goblin somehow turns into the mask for some gigantic robot ship with a demon head. And for some reason, that head still has Asahina's panties on it.

"Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi" is literally as unpredictable as episode five in FLCL. It is riotously funny, like a hyper episode of Shin-Chan. Yet, there's also a subversive tone of despair throughout the journey. As much as Sashi enjoys the Abenobashi worlds, the two kids are still trapped inside these wacky J-pop dream worlds with little hope of reaching their home.

I have yet to reach the ending, but this series is truly buried treasure. Unfortunately, I've heard that most of the special DVD features are only in the individual volume boxes from ADV. Regardless of which set you buy, you have to see this series. It's one of the few shows that will make anyone laugh.

Even if the English dubs put in some awkward Western cowboy accent for the main characters, this is series is golden. Check it out at least once, because you won't regret it.

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Anime streaming review: Fun slapstick routines about slave labor

"He is My Master" shows off some funny slapstick routines for a fan service anime, as long as you're able to stand the cruel master-and-slave relationships.

This new Gainax show is a heinous slice-of-life comedy that grew on me as I kept watching. It focuses on two middle school girls, Izumi and Mitsuki Sawatari, who run away from their home to find a new place to live.

After numerous homeowners reject them from taking residence, they eventually find a humongous mansion. They take pity on the the 14-year-old owner of the house, Yoshitaka Nakabayashi, whose parents died in a car accident.

They agree to work for him. However, they don't realize that this boy is a cruel master who wants the girls to work as his personal maids. The only remaining women's outfits in the house are racy maid outfits with short skirts, strapless tops and garter belts.

Although the first episodes are incredibly mean comedies with loads of fan service gags, the series packs in plenty of laughs for what it's worth. For starters, the girls own a ravenous pet alligator named Pochi, who always wants to eat Izumi's clothes. Most of the best jokes involve the cute, but ravenous reptile.

As if this wasn't enough, the boy even holds a demented contest with Izumi to be the first to catch Pochi. Don't even ask how this show got to this point. In the last parts of this episode, Izumi breaks all of the master's expensive pots and artifacts by throwing them at Pochi. The master's expression is priceless as he grimaces through this entire scene.

If you're looking for a quick laugh, consider renting "He is My Master" for Netflix. The show will lighten anyone's day with some devious visual jokes involving fan service. And there's even some hints of romance between Izumi and Nakabayashi, in spite of all the chaotic chemistry between the two.

The show is also available on The Anime Network.

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Get it now, before it's gone

In case you've noticed, I wrote a post in memory of Satoshi Kon. And just so you know, now is the time to stock up on all of Satoshi Kon's greatest works.

I'm not kidding. The prices of his movies and his anime show, "Paranoia Agent," are skyrocketing. The last time I looked at amazon.com, the lowest price for volume four of "Paranoia Agent" was a whopping $40.

This is because the DVDs of this anime series are extremely rare. And now that the director of the series passed away, this series will become a precious treasure to come by. I already bought the first two DVDs of "Paranoia Agent." I'll probably pick up the last two volumes tomorrow.

So unless some genius plans on re-releasing "Paranoia Agent" anytime soon, you'd better look for "Paranoia Agent" now. And you'd better not even think about getting the two copies that I saw in my local f.y.e. store or I'll rip your guts out.

Well, maybe I won't go that far, but I'm still not going to let you have it.

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In memory of Satoshi Kon

In case you haven't heard, Satoshi Kon, the great anime director, died of pancreatic cancer at age 54. He passed away on August 24.

Satoshi Kon will always be revered for creating some of the most unpredictable anime films in history, including "Perfect Blue," "Tokyo Godfathers" and "Paprika." He has an uncanny ability to tell stories through sudden transitions in time and place.

The first Satoshi Kon I saw was "Perfect Blue" in 1998. To tell the truth, I probably shouldn't have seen such a bloody, explicit horror film when I was in middle school. However, "Perfect Blue" was an exquisite thriller about a Japanese pop diva who was being stalked by one of her most sadistic fans. The show took me through the haunting experience of an idol who is willing to take any means necessary to succeed in her career, even if she has to bare it all.

Of course, the anime had plenty of gratuitously violent scenes. The stalker's brutal attack with an ice pick shocked my system with gushing blood and brutality. However, Kon's cinematography was astounding. Even the final fight between the protagonist and the stalker had truly agonizing lighting effects and cinematography, taking me through every second of the frightened woman's struggle for life.

The second Satoshi Kon film was "Milennium Actress." It was an essential masterpiece that, frankly, didn't receive the recognition it deserved from older critics. My parents didn't understand a single bit of it when they first saw it. This piece can tend to be his most misunderstood movie, taking anime viewers through a movie actress's entire career as she searches for her soul mate. The ironic ending was an introspective look at the true nature of romance stories. To say the least, it was a tale that forced us to reflect on all the failures of our own love lives.

By the time Kon released his third and fourth films, "Tokyo Godfathers" and "Paprika," I was under a heavy load of college homework. I didn't have the time to ponder endlessly over the meaning of another Kon film, although I always hungered for more of his works.

When a mysterious Satoshi Kon television series called "Paranoia Agent" aired on Cartoon Network, however, I couldn't resist. "Paranoia Agent" was one of the only Adult Swim series where I wanted to watch every episode. Kon's show just oozed with beautiful scenes that forced me to contemplate the true meaning of animation. The Shonen Bat was a such an elusive character that took on epic proportions in this series as a juvenile terrorist. Sure, the apocalyptic ending was a little far-fetched, but it transformed our vision of horror films and animation with unfathomably cryptic symbolism.

It's hard for me to even imagine a world without Satoshi Kon. He will always live on in my memory as the best post-modern anime director who ever lived.

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Streaming video review - Avant-garde moe for the artist's soul

If you like watching four really cute art student girls on abstract art backgrounds, you're in for a treat.

The Anime Network's newest slice-of-life series, "Hidamari Sketch" turns the anime format into modern art by integrating actual photographs and various forms of modern artwork.

At first glance, this series looks like a low-quality rehash of "Honey and Clover," a similar show which centers on the romantic lives of everyday art students. "Hidamari Sketch" takes a much simpler approach by analyzing the visual talent of young female art students in their day-to-day lives.

There is visual beauty in every part of this anime. The director of the show did an extraordinary job, by pasting actual photographs into the environment of "Hidamari Sketch" to portray the actual surface textures of wood and paint. There's even a couple polka dot textures in the pop art style.

The nameplate of the girls' apartment was created by actual painters. The main character uses tourist photographs, pop logos and anime-styled "postcards" in her photo collage. The crowds of people in the summer festival are abstractly represented by simple peg-like sticks.

Although the anime director's "art exhibition" approach tends to get a little redundant, no one can deny that this show looks remarkable. The anime has many wonderful sections where each art girl get to discuss her own approach to her work.

The jokes and the dialogue is geared mostly toward young girls, so hardcore anime nuts might pass on watching "Hidamari Sketch." However, the director of "Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei" did a incredible job in giving this moe series much more pizazz than I expected. Take the time to at least watch a few episodes, because the visual style of this series is very unique.

DVD Re-release - The worst romance story with a naked girl

"This Ugly Yet Beautiful World" is one of the most horrible shoujo anime shows ever made, with mediocre dialogue and romantic situations that are bound to make you puke.

It actually starts pretty strong as a romantic comedy, even though there is a lot of fan service. Although this show is not the most perverted romantic comedy I've ever seen, it presents plenty of uncomfortable shots of completely naked girls. In the first half of the anime, you're bound to see at least a girl's breasts at least once in each episode.

At first, the story of the show holds up pretty well, for all that it's worth. The anime's story centers around a lazy high school boy named Takeru Takemoto, who works as a delivery boy for his uncle. One day, he and his friend, Ryou Niyomiya, find a mysterious naked girl in a tree. This girl, named Hikari, looks almost like the dream girl which Ryou drew for Takeru.

When a giant centipede monster attacks Takeru and Hikari with its tentacles, Takeru suddenly transforms into a powerful shonen fighter with big muscles and long hair. After beating up the monster, he swears that he will protect Hikari, no matter what.

This show would have worked well as a shonen battle anime, but that isn't what the remainder of the series is about. For some reason, all of Takeru's friends and family members gather around the alien girl to provide clothes and a room for her. You don't even know how his friends heard about the girl so quickly, or why his friends decided to come together to see the girl. The show eventually turns into a disturbing harem comedy, where even Takeru's sister fights to win back her brother's love.

Around episode three, the show introduces another alien girl, named Akari. She strikes up a close friendship with Takeru's friend, Ryou Ninomiya. Akari's character is much more relatable, because she isn't so obsessed with smothering her new boyfriend with love. However, the series wants us to focus on Hikari, the least interesting of the two characters.

And for some reason, all the characters seem interested in Hikari, who wastes time in every episode by talking about the air, the water and the crickets of the Earth. No joke. In every episode, Takeru's friends and family are always around to gaze at Hikari. They all comment on Hikari's awkward fascination with the world. I mean, you'd think that after episode eight, these kids would have better things to do than to pay attention to the happy-go-lucky alien girl.

Fortunately, there is a serious story, in which ancient insect-like monsters actually attempt to destroy the world. These humongous, violent monsters awaken when they sense elevated levels of ED in teenagers such as Takeru. However, when you consider that ED actually stands for "Extended Definition," you'll find that there really isn't a good reason for anything in this anime. Sure, there are hints in episode nine about the upcoming apocalypse, but nothing is ever explained thoroughly.

Believe it or not, the series actually turns into an apocalyptic thriller at the end of episode 10. The ending also makes for a touching climax to this show. But by then, most people will get tired of all the redundant sitcom jokes. It's hard to forgive a repititious series that can't even manage to teach people to appreciate the boredom of everyday life. Even the conclusion of this series is an underwhelming disappointment.

Unless someone forces you to watch this anime at gunpoint, absolutely stay away from this series. It is possibly one of the worst anime shows ever made. And it is guaranteed to bore you to death, unless you manage to stick with it after the first five hours.

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Upcoming reviews for September

I decided to kick off the fall semester by watching some more anime shows. I'm thinking about switching to an ordinary anime live streaming subscription. The streaming sites are cheaper than Netflix and they provide a smorgasbord of shows, new and old.

Look forward to watching reviews of "This Ugly Yet Beautiful World," a series that features more nudity and fan service than any other shows I've seen. I'll probably finish the latest episodes of "High School of the Dead" as well. I need my fix of random zombie violence and fan service.