~Graduation and Happy Birthday to MagiCasparagus~

I can't believe it's already been one year since I started anime blogging! I haven't written as much and as often as I liked, but it's still pretty great to have the space here to rant whenever I'm in the mood. So Happy B-Day to my dear blog and may you live a long and bright life (but that depends on your whimsical owner doesn't it...). Speaking of being whimsical, if you are wondering why I named my blog after a vegetable, one that I dislike for that matter, I can tell you it's totally out of whim. My friend and I were high one day, and I randomly thought Asparagus sounds like some kind of magical spell, and here we have it, a blog born out of my unrestrained randomness. 

Anyways, the second point of this post is I officially graduated from university! Like hell, that was four years of pure torture and test of will power. It's not uni life if it's not punctuated by unproductive all-nighters, excessive consumption of caffein (I also hate coffee), and day-dreaming in some of your most tedious classes lectured by professors whose name you purge from memory the moment you get your credit. I still remember the first day of uni, boy was I excited and full of aspiration, even the grass looked greener. Well, they are not kidding when they say sometimes university education is the very thing that kills your dreams and hopes – endless assignments, essays, exams, and the number on your transcript could really worn you out and make you forget why you were here in the first place (other than the name of a prestigious school is attractive and ego-feeding). Just when you thought you've escaped the clutch of having your life planned (in other words, from highschool) and could learn whatever you want, you realize whatever you end up learning is never entirely what you had mind. Four years later, I no longer make an effort to go to every class on time, I no longer admire the beautiful buildings on campus, and I no longer think I am capable of doing everything in the world. 

That said, I do have plans to go back to school (see...I am masochistic), hopefully next year if I can find a gradschool willing to take me in. I'm sure they don't want to see me pan-handling on the street because I couldn't find a job with a undergrad degree in Psychology, which is pretty much equivalent to naught in this day and age in the job market. Oh..on second thought, they probably don't care? I mean why else would they implement that stupid bell-curve policy to lock the class average in the C+ range and why else they make university easy to get in and difficult to get out? School is a business, regardless of what we think. Cynicism is another thing that's been amplified through my university experience. 

Well, I make it sound like I just escaped from hell and resented the experience with my very soul. Okay, it's really not all bad, at least the knowledge part is great, especially on dinner table when you can spew nonsense your parents don't understand and they look at you admiringly for the first time as if you aren't their offspring. In all seriousness, I don't regret the choices I made (and my alter-ego screams: you liar! what about that random stats course you took and almost flunked), the point is education isn't all about the facts you memorize and regurgitate on the test (though that's important also, GPA is the cruel but unavoidable part of the journey), it's more about showing you how to look at the world from different angles – the one true lesson I learned. Many years down the road, I doubt I will remember many of the things I picked up from textbooks, but the mentality I developed through these four tough years will stay and aid me in life, cynicism or not. 

I'm not quite sure I'm ready to step into society and stop leeching off my parents. For one thing, I need to get my driver's license, I have no excuse to put it off now that I graduated. Somehow driving is such an unappealing idea to me, I'd rather share germ with other bus riders, but what I gotta do is what I gotta do. 

As for anime plans, I've been so furiously busy these days I barely have time to turn on my computer nevermind making time for anime. Hopefully after this "house-selling" shenanigan settles down, I will finally have time to start on my backlog, which is long and glaring. 

Well, that's about it for my life report haha, I almost forgot this is an anime blog, this is just something I wanted to share. 

KyoAni going Bishie, Say What?!

Original Article Kyoto Animation's Free! Swim Team Anime Promo Streamed

Well, shit just hit the fan. It's hilarious, but I don't personally find it entirely out of character for KyoAni to swing from one end of the extreme to the other end of the extreme. It's KyoAni's job to generate talks. "Cute girls doing cute things" has been a staple of the studio for as long as we can remember, and regardless what critics may say, we can't deny no one in the industry has quite mastered the art of pandering as well as KyoAni has. Even when they've been so reliant on their tried and true formula, they usually manage to inject some intelligence into the narrative, and underpinned with an interesting directory style and monstrous production value, things usually work out pretty well on the commercial front. No question about it, moe is largely marketed for the male demographic, and though the diversity of the actual audience is hard to say, I do find moe irksome when it's over exploited, which is often the case with KyoAni series (Haruhi and Hyoka are debatable). So...here we have this, KyoAni attempting to expand its female fanbase using pretty boys flaunting prettiness, and opening a can of worms while they are at it. 

To be honest, I'm pretty immune to blatant pandering in general and I don't find it particularly appealing either way, but the industry double-standard needs some readdressing. The bottom line is you don't often find comments like "Eww...Pedophiles" whenever moe infested shows come along, but the moment KyoAni caters to female fanservice, forums are rampant with homophobic remarks. And yes, apparently Fujoshi is representative of all girls who find pretty boys attractive. I'm not bashing on moe-fans here and it's perfectly fine to enjoy the stuff (even if I don't myself), but acting like a narrow-minded hypocritical individual is a different story altogether. Watching some fans rage is amusing and grating at the same time, but at least this provided a rare opportunity for people to talk about the lopsided state of fanservice in the open. So I say bring it on KyoAni, let's rock some boat. 

Some rant and comment on Rurouni Kenshin

As the title indicates, I'm just using the space to vent some of my frustration after revisiting Rurouni Kenshin (the anime and the manga) for the Nth time. Where is my Jinchuu arc anime?! And better yet....where is my faithful remake?! With RK's 15th anniversary in 2011, I was hoping to finally receive the news I had been waiting for, but what I got was a bunch of side projects that accomplished little more than bringing about another wave of nostalgia that reminded me just how remarkable the series is – and the grim reality that we probably won't see a reboot anytime soon. It's disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that the industry still remembers this wonderful story and is showing some effort in preserving the public interest, but with so much that could be and should be done for this franchise, I am simply not satisfied with the result. 

I am a passionate RK fan and has been for almost 10 years. This is one of the first series I've watched after being introduced to anime, and curiously, my love for the story and the characters only grew deeper and deeper with each revisit. The TV series has 95 episodes; the first 60 episodes follow the manga faithfully, but the last 35 episodes are fillers due to the fact the last arc (Jinchuu arc) of the manga wasn't finished when the anime was in production. Well, this is a pretty big deal given the length and significance of the last arc – it spans roughly 100 chapters, and the entire manga is only 255 chapters in length. The Jinchuu arc explores the titular character Himura Kenshin on a profound level, connecting his past to the present, and thus bringing everything full circle. Perhaps to compensate for the lack of closure in anime format, two OVAs were produced after the manga concluded. The first OVA (Tsuioku Hen - Trust and Betrayal) details Kenshin's life amidst the revolution as the feared Battousai and more specifically, his encounter and ensuing relationship with Tomoe that ultimately ended in tragedy. It's told beautifully – poetic in narrative and in style. The second OVA (Seisohen - Reflection) recounts the manga story with a self-invented ending for the MCs. Adopting the same art style and atmosphere as the first OVA, it leads to an conclusion that's overbearing and simply too heartbreaking to accept – this is another reason why I want the last arc adapted, to see Kenshin getting the happy ending he deserves. Now, I want to talk about Himura Kenshin, the titular character.  

Studio Profile: BONES

"Cowboy Bebop Helmer Shinichiro Watanabe, BONES Plan New TV Anime"

For full article, link here --> Anime News Network

We got some great news today! The legendary director Shinichiro Watanabe (Director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope) is going to be working with Bones on a new original series. I should point out that Watanabe was part of Studio 2 at Sunrise, which split from the company after completing Cowboy Bebop in order to establish BONES. So considering the numerous connections he has with the personnel at BONES, having him back with the studio is really something to look forward to. Put the two together, I think we should expect something stylish, innovative, and lushly animated. Now I'm actually wondering if this new series is related to CB in any way, because Bones announced a couple of month ago that they were working on a new version of a "familiar" title. It's really hard not to draw parallels with Watanabe on board. But either way, I'm just happy we have the talents reunited. I can't wait for more updates!

On a second note, Watanabe is also working with MAPPA on a new series. Kids on the Slope, also directed by Watanabe, was MAPPA's first project after the studio was established by the co-founder of Madhouse. My initial surprise at how well Kids on the Slope was produced subsided when I found out MAPPA's origin. I want to talk a little about the parent company Madhouse. Madhouse hasn't been doing all that well financially, probably as an impact of taking on less mainstream projects that are well praised but not popular within the general market, and this led to the loss of its independence last year when NTV became its biggest stockholder. While being under another company buffers the financial situation and ensures that the studio receives enough budget to carry on, it also raises a lot issues. As we saw with the case of Studio 2 splitting from Sunrise as a response to the increasing pressure from Bandai, Madhouse also risked losing a lot of creative freedom by being under NTV. Let's face it, an artist's unique vision might not give rise to works that actually sell, and the boss company probably sees making a profit as the more important objective. When there is a conflict of interest, guess who wins? So MAPPA was established as an effort to preserve the creative freedom. Works that can't be produced at Madhouse will be produced at MAPPA. Well, that sounds better than nothing, and I hope with the help of many talents, such as Watanabe, the studio will continue to shine.  

Key Figures in the Anime Production Process