Neo's review - Podcast 26

Wow. Episode 26, the Season Finale. Will it be a cliff-hanger? Will our questions be answered or will we be left with more mysteries than has been answered? (I'm looking at you, "Pandora Hearts").

First of all, I noticed the hosts giving English translation of the Japanese series titles. I'd like to think it's my constant pleading and whining, but whatever the reason I am sure this will help newcomers to anime.

"Seikon no Qwaser", or "The Qwaser of Stigmata"... Erm... what can I say? I have only seen the first episode and I'm debating whether to get the second.

With regards to "Titanic" and whether bodies float or sink - I worked for the local State Police for a while (8 years) and I have read a few books on the subject (research for fanfics) and I can tell you that bodies sink. At first. Then, decomposition sets in and various gases fill the body's cavities causing it to rise to the surface. After a while, the gases escape and/or the cavities burst and the body sinks once more.

By the way, Mitsugi - "Battle Angel Alita" (or "Hyper Future Vision: Gunnm") consisted of only two episodes: "Rusty Angel" and "Tears Sign". There was a 5 minute music video, but I don't think this should count.

As for any must-see anime...? I like to break people's minds by showing them "Tenshi no Tamago", aka "Angel's Egg". According to someone who supposedly tried after I showed it to him, watching it while high does not help one iota. Great visuals though.

"Are listeners interested in things that go on in our life?" Short answer - no. I listen to AAA to hear what you guys have to say about anime. I have enough going on in my own life without wanting to follow someone else's. And no, I don't twitter either.

"If you want something, tell us. We're shameless." not something you want to say to an audience which comprises people who listen to the Hentai broadcast. Some of the things that went through my mind were... erm... yes, I'm a naughty boy.

Live Podcast - if your demographic are mainly in the Americas, I say go for it! If not, may I remind you that some of us live in a city which is (on average) 15 hours ahead of the USA. You might want to take geographic location into account when you set up the time for the podcast.

A live-action "Ninja Scroll"? AAAAAAhhhhh!!!! Run for the hills. The live-action "La Blue Girl" was bad enough.

"Ladies versus Butlers!" - I felt this was a bad review. I'm sorry but it's true - when you mix up the two main female characters, it feels as if you didn't watch it properly and that your review is based on flawed premises. So here goes my take on it:
This was originally a set of Light Novels, a radio drama, a manga and now an anime. The story takes place in an academy where student are divided into two streams - the upper-ed students (rich kids learning to be ladies and gentlemen) and the servant-ed students (kids learning to be maids and butlers). Our first female protagonist is Saikyō Tomomi (normal hair, normal chest) who excels in all her classes but otherwise finds life in the academy boring. Our second female protagonist is Selnia Iori Flameheart (big chest, even bigger hair) who has played second-fiddle to Tomomi ever since middle-school. Enter our male protagonist Hino Akiharu, Tomomi's childhood acquaintance, who looks like a delinquent and in fact has been kicked out of most school. As a last resort he applied to the academy and was surprised to be admitted (there is a hint that Tomomi pulled strings to get him admitted). On his first day, he runs into Selnia (actually, she runs into him) and they both end up on the floor with Akiharu's hand firmly glomped onto Selnia's prodigious tracts of land. (BTW, what is it lately with anime and girls with graviton-emitting mammaries?) The show continues on the theme of Tomomi making life interesting (for her) at the academy by constantly setting up Akiharu in various situations. Most of the time it's for her own enjoyment, though sometimes she does it for apparently altruistic reasons. I like this anime because it never claims to be more than what it sets itself out to be - light entertainment with fan service. And while the fan-service is constant, it is different enough from episode to episode and more inventive than constant panty-shots (AiKA, anybody?) Again, my views based on my tastes. Which makes them neither better nor worse, just mine.

"Sora no Otoshimono", aka "Lost Property of the Sky". What can I say? A watered-down version of "DearS", down to the amnesiac 'alien' with huge tracts of land, but without the endearing qualities. Give it a miss, spend the time on another series (like "DearS").

"Trigun" - the show's post-apocalyptic feel is due to the fact that there was an apocalypse - the people are Earth colonist who crashed by mistake on this planet (for reason I will not divulge), killing most of the colonists in the process and damaging almost all of the colony's terraforming equipment. I felt the show itself was pretty formulaic for most of it, but it is the only show where I appreciated an evil henchman's dedication to corrupting Vash so much that I stood up in the middle of the theatre and clapped when he revealed his plan. It was... wonderful and perfect. If you've seen the show, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't yet seen it, you'll understand once you get to it. Oh, and people do die in Trigun... and not just bystanders.

"11 Eyes" - 6 protagonist, one eyepatch, giving us a total of (gasp) 11 eyes. Main character with a messianic complex. "Kämpfer" once again. It's been done before, and better. "Fate/Stay Night", for example. YMMV, of course.

Well, that's it for this review. I hope I did not sound too harsh - I am not trying to berate the hosts, just present my own views (not better, just different) on some of the shows they have mentioned - with, I hope, sufficient explanations as to why I did not agree with the hosts.

Now if you'll excuse me, I feel like watching some "Angelic Layer". Maybe the regional finals.