Hige vs. Otaku

Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki
Production: GAINAX
Fansubs by ANBU & Solar

Story & Characters
In these first two episodes I found it extremely difficult to shake the feeling of FLCL in pretty much every aspect of the story and characters (as well as the animation and design, but that, unlike this, is a great thing). Of course Aim for the Top 2! has the exact same core production staff of FLCL, the same director, head writer and character designer, but this shouldn’t be used as a basis for criticism. Nor should any comparison to FLCL – it’s one of my all time favourites. But when the perpetual sense of deja vu gets to unbearable levels it’s hard to see Aim for the Top 2! as a show in its own right, beyond what quickly becomes typically ‘Tsurumaki’ (the director) and typically ‘21st Centaury GAINAX’ (which of late seems to mean ‘perverted as fuck’). And it truly pains me to say that. Kazuya Tsurumaki has shown himself to be very capable in a number of shows I love and enjoy, but these two episodes demonstrate that he seems to find it difficult to go beyond his stock of tricks, accomplished as they may be. I’ll talk about the typically Gainax business in the final paragraph of this section as I may rant a wee bit.

Still, let’s keep in mind these are the first two episodes of a six part OAV, and generally speaking FLCL innovated on a whole bugger load of levels (ironically coupled with lots of parody), so a likeness to that must mean Aim for the Top 2! still different from every other show out there, right? No, not really. While there’s a definite similarity between the pace, direction and quality (which is very high), Aim for the Top 2! has a much more accessible, dare I say conventional framework. This is a sequel after all and an ‘event’, so it maintains the Big Robot Anime formula quite obediently. And when it deviates slightly, it maintains the Evangelion Big Robot Anime formula obediently. But in many ways this makes Aim for the Top 2! much easier watch and when taken as a whole, independent from its sister GAINAX works, and it’s actually quite accomplished and enjoyable. Die-hard fans of FLCL may have to train their minds a wee bit, however. Regardless of the glaring similarities I think this is just a different show that utilises similar concepts.

The story follows a young female android (with suspiciously life-like AI – we aren’t even informed she’s android until episode two, and you wouldn’t have a clue otherwise) called Nono on her quest to become a space pilot and crusader of justice. Rather than spend the numerous years of training this takes Nono plans to rely on sheer ambition and blind hope (this is called ‘Aim for the Top’ afterall) after running away from home to live in the big city. It is rather convenient that she then meets the space pilot (more specifically a member of the elite ‘Topless’ who pilot the giant Diebuster robots) called Larc in the bar she where works. And so after a series of events Nono ends up at the Fraternity (Topless HQ) and is enlisted as an apprentice Topless after showing a possible connection to the Bustermachine Dix-Neuf.

Most of you familiar with this kind of subgenre in anime could easily guess how she gets from point A to point B with the obligatory fights in between, but this is an OAV and compressed storytelling like this is to be expected. It’s done with a lot of flare and excitement and an undeniable sheen of quality. The main characters are generally likable without much depth, but given there’s still two-thirds of the show to rectify this we can’t make any firm judgements yet. How all this connects to the original Gunbuster? I haven’t the foggiest. Perhaps it’s more a spiritual sequel rather than anything direct. Or maybe there’s more to this ‘Nonoriri’ (Noriko?) Nono keeps mentioning . . . wild speculation leads me to think Nono herself might be more directly connected to Gunbuster’s original cast than we might expect.

Okay, let’s backtrack a moment here to the GAINAX thing I mentioned before. I need to spend a few sentences to talk about the fan-service in this show. For me, at least, it verges on gratuitous. If there was one aspect of that show that would make me actively not recommend it to others it’s the fan-service. It’s not cheeky like most anime fan-service, with the occasional panty shot or suggestive camera angle – it’s downright in your face and kind of gross. The sad thing is I’m really not conservative about these things. I understand that fan-service is a mainstay of Japanese animation and got over it fairly early on in my watching career – a lot of the time finding it funny as it was often intended, but in Aim for the Top 2! it will grate on you and generally serve to undermine the credibility of the show. Maybe things will get better in coming episodes as it takes a maturer turn, but it’s simply frivolous and tacky at the moment.

Animation & Design
Ah, now this is where I really get to gush like the GAINAX fanboy I am. With a few minor exceptions, everything visually to do with this programme is fantastic. Sadamoto’s character designs make much more sense in motion than they do stationary (I was among those who thought ‘erk’ when first seeing the concept art). The 3D animation is a hundred times more obvious than it was in FLCL, but it still goes to great lengths to integrate with the normal animation and succeeds on most accounts. The robot designs aren’t much to my taste, reminding me of those big clunky things in Big O, but hold their own in the action sequences. Hopefully more will be expanded upon with them in coming episodes, giving us a better explanation on their powers, technical specifications and relation to the previous series, rather than the current ‘omg kewlness’ factor. Generally the visual presentation suits the ‘big event’ GAINAX were aiming for with this OAV and Sadamoto’s design prowess is not undermined.

Sound
Again the music fits in with the big event theme with a sweeping classical score. It almost reminds me of a more robust Evangelion, if it had a bigger budget to afford more variety. The Japanese voice acting seemed appropriate without any standout performance. The opening and closing themes are annoyingly catchy and as J-Poppy as you could imagine, fitting the light-hearted nature of the show. Generally decent.

Conclusion
With a mediocre, conventional plot Aim for the Top 2! is pulled above the rest with fantastic production values and a definite aesthetic style. FLCL fans will be left confused and unimpressed by their beloved creative team’s latest effort, but as a stand-alone work Aim for the Top 2! is enjoyable and has a lot of room to develop a bit more depth and live up to its predecessor in the coming episodes. The higher-than-average fan service will simply piss some people off like it did with myself, but these first two episodes can’t be faulted for serving their purpose in setting the scene and introducing the characters with a few exciting action sequences and a few intriguing mysteries. I’m clueless to how this connects to its predecessor Gunbuster and I hope time will tell. I’m willing to give GAINAX, Kazuya Tsurumaki & co the benefit of the doubt to really do something special with the next four episodes in this series and hope everyone else will be patient, too.

Author: Tsutomu Nihei
Publisher: Tokyopop

“Killy is a man of few words. He wanders, seemingly endlessly, through a lonely, gargantuan labyrinth of concrete and steel, fighting off cyborgs and other futuristic nightmares, searching only for something called Net Terminal Genes. And he has a very powerful gun, which he uses without hesitation whenever anything resembling danger rears its ugly head.”

Plot & Characterisation
I think BLAME! will be the one of the few mangas I’ll review where more is written in the ‘Art’ section than here. But don’t get me wrong; this is one of BLAME’s most distinctive and defining characteristics. You could probably fit all the entire dialogue of this fairly bulky volume (256 pages) on one side of A4, and the book doesn’t suffer any loss of impact or atmosphere because of it. Actually, as you might expect for this kind of ‘silent’ narrative, when there is dialogue you learn much more about Killy and this dystopian urban death maze he wanders. A simple purpose is formed, the search for these Net Terminal Genes; a fail safe is introduced in the form of Killy’s insanely powerful handgun that solves most of his obstacles with a twitch of the trigger; a mysterious evil force is hinted at (and sometimes seen with seriously creepy robots) in the form of the Authority; and Killy, our protagonist with a silly (albeit appropriate) name, completely void of personality, at the centre of all this – confused and directionless as we are. But it all works with great effect and most of this is to do with the artwork.

Artwork
Words like visceral, stark, destitute, atmospheric and oppressive are all applicable in describing BLAME! and not just your typical publisher hyperbole. The set pieces are full of straight-lines that disappear into vanishing points miles and miles into the distance, often with Killy dwarfed by the immensity. The technical accuracy of Nihei’s mechanical artwork seems convincing, although obviously I can’t say with any authority. They’re certainly rendered with an insane amount of detail and make sense within the context of the book. One of the most impressive aspects of BLAME! is its cohesive visual style and design. It feels like Nihei has seen all of Chris Cunningham’s music videos (‘All is Full of Love’ – Bjork, ‘Come to Daddy’ – Aphex Twin etc.) and taken the concepts fifty steps farther in the disturbed and fucked-up direction with much success.

While seemingly claustrophobic in detail, the sequential method of each panel is rarely convoluted or hard to follow. This is where BLAME! again succeeds artistically by being chocker full of violence and action but with the reader knowing exactly what’s happening (unless, of course, we’re meant to be surprised, often brutally). Once you come towards the end of the book the formula of Ambush, Fight (avec companion death), Killy’s Gun, Complete Desecration becomes predictable, but strangely everything still feels fresh and exciting. This probably won’t last for long, and hopefully more depth and story will be expanded in the coming volumes. Still, the fights independently are well thought-out and even once you see the gun and a thin white line cutting through everything, you still feel satisfied that the bad guys have had their arses handed to them and have been suitably explodinated.

One small problem I had with the artwork was the inconsistent character designs. While the clothes/armor generally had the same design flare and panache as everything else in the manga, Nihei’s human faces seemed a bit amateurish and awkward in comparison. Perhaps it’s actively meant to be this way to be just that slightly weirder, but to me it came across that he simply has trouble drawing faces with correct proportions and spacing (with eyes practically sitting on the temples, for instance). Yet, manga isn’t especially known for its technical accuracy when it comes to facial features so it doesn’t detract much if you’re used to the style. It would’ve been nice to have more variety and expression considering how capable Nihei seems to be in other areas, though.

Presentation
As to be expected from one of the Big Guns of the manga publishing world (and the key innovator in a lot of ways) Tokyopop produces an excellent book with top marks on all fronts, generally living up to the ‘100% Authentic’ label they love to throw around. I can’t confirm that the cover is the same as the original Japanese version, but it’s certainly nicely designed either way.

Obviously due to the lack of dialogue the translation can’t really be judged to any extent, but it reads fine and all the original sound effects are intact with small English translations in the margins. The only thing I’d request from Toykopop is some colour pages when the artwork has obviously been painted, because judging from what I’ve seen on the internet the colour work is pretty damn special. And it’s not like Toykopop couldn’t afford to do it . . .

Conclusion
If you like your action fast, brutal and gruesome (in the most beautiful possible way) without all that pointless jibber-jabber then BLAME! is for you. Nah, BLAME! is for anyone who can appreciate a well-realised visual narrative with loads of great action. While not the deepest comic on the shelves, with perhaps too much reliance on a certain handgun to finish fights, there’s room for more depth to develop in the future and this first volume serves its purpose of setting the scene and the players. Exciting and different, in a horrible sort of way.

Author: Yasuhiro Nightow
Publisher: Dark Horse

“A lot of the Gung-Ho Guns have fallen victim to defeat and therefore death, but not by the bullets of the reluctant hero, Vash the Stampede. But even if the “Guns” seem to be dwindling, that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of violent freaks tearing up the planet. In Gunslinger Vash is running into all sorts of weirdos with guns. All the while, Knives and his crew have something mysterious going on behind the scenes, and it doesn’t look good for Vash and the people he lives to protect.”

Plot & Characterisation
Trigun’s characters have always held a certain appeal with me because it seems like every one is full of conflict (well, maybe except for Millie, who is too kick-arse to be concerned with such seriousness), and any good Lit student knows conflict breeds drama and is the basis to any good story. Vash is a pacifist with the power to end the world; Wolfwood is Vash’s faithful (but ever-critical) companion who is knee-deep in betrayal and subterfuge; Meryl is motivated by obligation to her job but has also developed feelings for Vash, and is now showing signs of mild trauma from witnessing Vash’s second ‘Angel Arm’ incident. All these aspects of Trigun Maximum are what continue to maintain my interest, because the whole Gung-Ho Guns formula is seriously starting to wear thin. Especially as we don’t even get a Gung-Ho battle this volume, just some ridiculous, farcical Ying-Yang clowns who are dealt with in a very regimented and boring manner. I actually said ‘Thank god for that’ out loud when Legato said, “You two are the last.” It’s a bit dubious and slightly lazy that the ‘Eye of Michael’ takes up three slots in the Gung-Ho’s, but if it means things will conclude soon Nightow has my full support and understanding.

But don’t let me sell this volume short. It’s certainly weaker in comparison to others previous, relying on a formula that is rapidly crumbling under age, but there are two key chapters here that are vital to overall story and are genuinely disturbing and touching respectively. First is chapter four, where we get a flashback of Knives travelling to meet the creator of the ‘Plants’ and so, it seems, himself and Vash. We learn a number of important plot points that will foreshadow coming events as well as witnessing the terror of Knives power with great effect, thus adding his already intense mystique of Uber Baddy. The other is chapter six, where get another stella Rem flashback. These scenes never fail in having great emotional impact and reflecting Rem’s endless compassion and altruism, which ultimately serve as Vash’s defining reason to love and protect humanity. When you find yourself infuriated with Vash’s uncompromising principles to never harm another, we get a Rem chapter and everything about Vash makes perfect sense, and we love him just that little bit more. For these two chapters alone the volume is worth the purchase, and suggest enough promise in volume seven to keep with the series just that little longer.

Artwork
Nightow is one of those artists who has shown himself to be exceptional initially (while admittedly confusing at times, volume one & two of the original Trigun were just jaw dropping) and will now be doomed to be judged on what he’s capable of, and in vol. 6 of Maximum he isn’t really living up to his potential. His art work is still of a high standard when compared to other mangakas, but after six volumes (eight if you include the first two tomes) his layouts are still confused and difficult to follow. The drop in detail does make the action sequences less mind-bending and less likely to cause you go cross-eyed, which is good to an extent, but it feels like a lot of the passion has gone. Although, a special note needs to be given to the aforementioned chapter four where Knives is perfectly portrayed as a completely terrifying and immense power. ‘Functional’ rather than astounding (as the art has been in the past) might be the best way to put it. The covers are starting to get a bit tired as well, although the spoof versions on the insides still make me grin (rather than belly laugh in the past).

Presentation
You can’t really fault the presentation in any respect. Fantastic translation (DMP, I suspect, makes the dialogue better), good quality paper and printing, nice uniform style, fun bit of omake in the back from Nightow . . . just a solid package all-round, as to be expected from industry vets like Dark Horse. No complaints at all.

Conclusion
While mostly flimsy and throwaway with a formula that’s starting to show cracks, volume six of Trigun Maximum has at least two very important and fantastic moments for you to buy it assuming you’ve come this far in your collection. An exciting and dramatic end is in sight which I can’t deny that I’m not intrigued and a little excited about. Trigun’s characters and their troubles will always be just enough for me to stick with the series and hopefully I won’t be disappointed for my dedication when it draws to a close.

Author: CLAMP
Publisher: Dey Rey Manga

“Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!”

Plot & Characterisation
A slow, but genuinely interesting start. And in the world of manga that’s perfectly acceptable and even expected; not the mention that xxxHOLiC is a quite casual and easy-going manga in terms of plot progression when compared, say, to its sister-series Tsubasa. Rather than having a strong sequential narrative that follows directly from one chapter to the next, staying within that timeline, each new chapter (or sometimes a couple or three chapters) of xxxHOLiC is like a new day with a new story. There’s been no ‘arch-villain’ identified yet either, which I found refreshing. Although, the latter part of volume five suggests something may be on the horizon with Yûko dropping hints in her typically ambiguous way, but still it took five volumes to get to this point and the story doesn’t suffer at all because of it.

Of course, there are unifying plotlines that run throughout the entire series such as Watanuki and Dômeki’s complimentary powers of visionary and exorcist of spirits respectively (a set-up that aggravates the envious and irate Watanuki no end) that is often at the centre of most xxxHOLiC’s stories. The enigmatic Yûko, the inter-dimensional space time witch with rather dark ad sinister undercurrent, strictly enforces her policy of a price equal and matching of her services even when it seems inappropriate or unfair. And the ending is not always happy, and sometimes fatal and gruesome. These unconventional aspects of xxxHOLiC are what make it a truly outstanding manga; the moral ambiguities and shades of grey that subtly and lightly (never heavy-handedly) explore the human condition maintain a lot of ground in real life, regardless of the supernatural subject matter.

But there are a few downsides that sadly revert to typical manga conventions. These mostly revolve around Watanuki, the protagonist. While I definitely enjoy that he’s not the typical manga hero (see Syaoran from Tsubasa for a good example of that), bespectacled, irritable and never afraid to point out the bizarreness of a situation, Watanuki still remains at the centre of a couple of aggravating stereotypes. First is the love-triangle between Watanuki, Himawari and Dômeki. It is actually possible to not have a love-triangle somewhere in manga or anime? Perhaps because it’s such a staple for the category it isn’t worth complaining about, but in the context the otherwise different and unconventional xxxHOLiC it disappoints me a little. Himawari’s wafer-thin, inoffensive character strongly supports she isn’t much more than an object for Watanuki’s affection (although I found it hilarious that she buys all her cooked presents rather than being a master chief and uber-wife-to-be most of these characters tend to be). The second stereotypical element is Watanuki and Dômeki’s rivalry, which bugs me more for a lack of a decent reason rather than anything else. It serves as a nice contrast in character, especially as they’re both inextricably linked, but it isn’t really properly explained beyond Watanuki’s general dislike of Dômeki (who is completely indifferent to most of this in his typically cool, relaxed way). Still, there’s plenty of time for a more robust explanation to appear in later volumes. These two quibbles are very minor in the grander scheme of things, and people familiar with manga and anime probably won’t even think twice about them.

Artwork
First, I need to gush about the covers (see images): they are truly beautiful pieces of art that I would bend over backwards to get in a poster form. Everything from the composition to the colouring is lush and aseptically beautiful and every one of these five volumes is fantastic (volume 3 being a personal favourite of mine).

The interior keeps up this standard in line-work form with simple but effective layouts and lots of wonderful spreads (usually involving Yûko being sultry and/or mysterious with lots of swirly lines and mist). Out of all the CLAMP mangas I’ve read, which I admit is only currently three, this is definitely my favourite in terms of artistic style. And that’s just it; xxxHOLiC is simply stylish.

(Side note: I actually almost cried from the intense cuteness of the Pipe Fox Spirit (the clue’s in the name for a visual – sort of like a tiny version of from Falkor The Neverending Story, only more fox-like than Chinese dragon) in volume five. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever gone ‘SQUEE~~!’ over a comic. It’s a slippery slope, I know. CLAMP manga is just inherently cute. It’s inescapable.)

Presentation
Del Rey will continue to get numerous brownie points for their translation notes in the back of each of their mangas. It’s helped me enjoy xxxHOLiC even more and I’m actually learning interesting things about Japanese culture at the same time. Trust a publisher known for it’s non-fiction (Del Rey is owned by Random House, a huge publishing house that deals with every genre) to be educational as well as fun, eh? It also means their translation is fantastic; Random House being very capable with their translations of Japanese book authors like Haruki Murakami.

Production quality is generally good, with those lovely covers getting a nice textured paper, but I did get a pretty crappy volume four in terms of paper quality. I get the impression recycled paper is used, which more than fine by me as it only means the whites are slightly less than say a Tokyopop book and it’s helping the environment, but I suppose it opens things up to the occasional bum-note. It was probably just as much my fault for not finding a better copy. Otherwise the blacks are vivid and I haven’t had any printing smears or errors so far.

A quick note of the colour pages included: I agree they are strangely positioned at the beginning of the book and then reprinted in black and white sequentially, but I’m happy to have them if only for those kick arse spreads.

Conclusion
I don’t mind admitting to bias, xxxHOLiC is certainly a favourite of mine. From its mature story-lines to its effortless, undeniably cool style there’s endless things to praise about the manga, with only a few minor quibbles that ultimately serve to underline the majority of brilliant points. People who weren’t particularly impressed with Tsubasa shouldn’t over-look xxxHOLiC because of its heavily advertised crossover moments. Those are few and far between and xxxHOLiC stands independently in being exceptional and unique. Interested in the occult and supernatural, but value humanity and subtly in your stories? Time for a purchase, I think.