The Tower of DRUAGA -the Aegis of URUK- Episode 1

April 5th, 2008 by Brack

Well done GONZO, well done. Regardless of actual content quality, this digital distribution/streaming model is an incredibly forward thinking move. In fact, that they allow embedding puts them ahead of a lot of US companies using Youtube at the moment. The pay what you want download model, may not pay off right now, but it’s an experiment that might give them a clearer idea of what fixed price to charge in the future. However, the free, low resolution streaming is something that should be embraced and saluted.

This show, at least in this episode, is somewhat unexpectedly, a comedy. It’s sillier than Slayers, but not quite as goofy as the Guru Guru series. The last few minutes throw into question whether this level of tomfoolery is to be maintained, and it may settle down to a more Slayers level of light fantasy. Even if the rest of the show fails to entertain, this first episode is fun, fun, fun with some Itsuki Imazaki Kaneda-style craziness at the end.

GONZO’s english site for the show

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Youtube thoughts

March 25th, 2008 by Brack

GONZO’s plan to immediately stream their next two terrible series around the world for free is a GOOD THING. And it’s really something that a bigger fuss should be being made over. As much as I hate on GONZO’s content, in terms of how the international home entertainment business works nowadays, they are quantum leaps ahead of the pack of the Japanese anime industry.

Strangely it coincides with my realisation that Human Giant are doing the exact same thing with their second season. The last two episodes had all the sketches online after the episode had aired on MTV. And in fact they now have every aired sketch online. When you consider it’s a MTV (part of the Youtube suing Paramount) show, a pretty big hurdle has been crossed. The MTV site doesn’t even seem to have country blocking on it. Yay!

Vaguely related: Marcus Estes at WFMU’s Beware of the Blog has a sensible piece (with a great title) on the issues Billy Bragg raised about social network sites and musicians.

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Anime released in the UK for 04/02/08

January 31st, 2008 by Brack

Just single volumes again this week, so only buy if you are a rich idiot, and if some of these are ADV I’m not even sure they will be out.

—

Four of these things belong together, four of these things are kind of
the same, but one of these things is doing it’s own thing. Now it’s
time to play our game. It’s time to play our game.

Witchblade: Vol.1

I caught some of the first episode of the TV-edited version, and frankly it bored me stupid. However Witchblade fans might enjoy it. Because they are likely attention deficient morons easily distracted by massive cleavage.

Ergo Proxy: Vol.4 - Wrong Way Home

Talking of things that bored me. Ergo Proxy though is a higher quality of boredom, and I believe there’s a smattering of stylistically interesting episodes later on. Perhaps they are on this volume.

Basilisk: Vol.5 - Shades Of Night

Unlike Manga’s Naruto release you aren’t getting your ninja value for your ninja money here.

Black Cat 3 - Cat and Mouse

Hey something else I saw the first episode of and didn’t like. Shonen Jump adaptation with terrible pacing.

Speed Grapher: Vol.6

I’ve seen more of this, and frankly the best thing about it is the complete opening with the Duran Duran theme. Which I don’t believe this release has.

—

Did you guess which one is the odd one out. It’s Basilisk, as that was made by Manglobe. The other four are by the cancer that is killing the anime industry through flooding the market with shows that look eminently licensable but are in fact crap.

It’s GONZO~!

It’s insane that 4 out of the 5 anime series released on the same day are all by the same production house. It’s strong evidence that:

a) too much anime is being made.
b) too much is being licensed.
c) and above all, there isn’t enough diversity in both what is made and is licensed.

GONZO’s series have a well documented tendency to burn out quickly in terms of quality, and when you look at just how much they make (not even counting outsourced projects they take on) it’s not surprising. I don’t know if it’s Japanese TV, local DVD sales/rental or foreign sales that are fueling this churning out of TV anime, but you can’t help but think if they cut back a bit they could make something as good as Gankutsuo again.

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