Based on the light novel series (11 volumes) by Isuna Hasekura (writer) and Ju Ayakura (ill.)
Rating: PG-13 (A little bit of wolf-girl nudity, and a little bit of violence)
It's the MOOOOOOOOOON!
There are two kinds of werewolves in the world. The ones we are most familiar with are the kinds that are people first, cursed by fate or a bite or any number of "causes" these people transform from human into animal and wreak havoc on others. The second kind of werewolf is a different thing altogether a wolf who, through magic or kindness or age or wisdom or courage (there are a lot of stories), becomes a human in order to assist humanity in some way. Sadly, we don't see very many depictions of these kinds of werewolves, but there are cultures (surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, because of isolation and turmoil, my Appalachian culture is one of them) who look to these werewolves as kindred spirits and protectors. I love stories about these kinds of werewolves, so I actually write about them a lot.
The wolf in Spice and Wolf is a god. Holo, the wise wolf, has been blessing the town of Pasloe with abundant harvests of wheat for over 600 years, but times change. Old gods fall, and new religions arise, and new technologies come into play. When the story begins it seems that the need for Holo's blessings have fallen to the wayside and the town of Pasloe is held in suspicion by the new Christian Church for it's pagan ways. Holo knows it is time to go. She sheds her wolf-skin and sneaks her way into the back of a travelling merchant's cart where Kraft Lawrence discovers her, looking all of 16 and naked but for her tail and ears.
Overall, I'm going to say the story is good, but Holo is weird. And bossy, and drunk, and naked, and kind of all...naughty for apples.
Holo has a thing for apples.
And Kraft Lawrence is a little strange too. He's a shifty merchant with a heart of gold who I am supposed to feel sympathetic towards. He does seem like a gentle guy, but he's also a bit of a con-man who takes advantage of his customers and his fellow merchants.
Don't you try that innocent look with me.
Around the middle of the first season I got excited by some brief discussions of Church dogma and pagan persecution, but sadly none of that story line really seemed to pan out at all. That disappointment combined with some rather "odd" discussions about trades, tariffs and monetary exchange rates that were either generally confusing, or way over my head, to create my wishy-washy reaction to the series as a whole. It needed something...more oompf, more direction, less discussion of medieval guild practices, more burning pagans at the stake...something, anything. It was, sadly, kind of a let-down.
But, the animation is pretty, and the series wasn't a total bore. Plus there's the fact that the closing credit song is perhaps one of the cutest I've ever heard (and it's a total earworm). It could be vying with _Furubu_ for cutest ending song ever. Just...just, hit play:
Did you hit play? Okay. Now, can we talk about this? OMG, I KNOW, RIGHT? Supercute! Done.
All in all, I don't know that I'm rushing out to watch the second season, named Spice and Wolf II, but I will share the trailer. The second season aired last summer on the Funimation Channel.
I've been gone forever, and have no better excuse than "life got in the way." I hate when that happens. Why can't people leave me alone and let me do my thing? Ah, such is life (imagine I'm French when you read that). Apparently I've been gone long enough for Mr. Empty to accuse me of killing one of his children...which is okay, because one of his children is a super-annoying, self-referential anime series named Excel Saga. Your kid is annoying--shut that brat up! I'll post a rebuttal to his rebuttal soon. In the meantime I'm offering up this sad and depressing review of the first season of Supernatural: The Anime.
Again, I'll remind you that way back in the way back machine, when rumors had begun to stir about the Supernatural anime, I was thrilled. How could I not be? All I could think of was possibility. But possibility, Dear Readers, filled me with hopes that did not pan out. My dreams of what might have been were dashed.
By what?
By this:
:
This little clip posted on Youtube is of, as the title says, "the first brotherly love moment," in the anime. Watch it. This is supposed to be a emotional moment, right? So why does it feel like Padalecki is just reading off a page, and the person reading Ackles' part hasn't ever seen the show? Where's the emotion?
There are a few problems with this anime. The whole thing makes me sad and angry. I've been duped! Hornswaggled! It was a bait and switch!
Problem one:
Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester. He's not the most emotive actor in the world. If I'm being honest, that last sentence is me trying very hard to be nice. He's...not a very good actor. He has like five facial expressions, and each of them is a little unconvincing. I felt this way about him when he was in Gilmore Girls as well. (Yes, I watched Gilmore Girls, but in my defense, I did not enjoy it and I do not like the show...it turns out my husband really, really does. Why? I have no idea. Like none. It's awful.) Padalecki is very athletic, so that's good. And he's cute. I'll admit he's cute. But, he reads lines like he's reciting them for a school play, and relies on Ackles to carry the emotional weight of the scene. Ackles makes Padalecki a better actor. So, now, with the anime, Padalecki has an even tougher job...to be convincing and realistic ONLY using his voice. He does not pull it off. It's weird and wooden and offputting. Sam's not always the most likable character anyway, which is what makes him and the series interesting, but he is redeemed because he is emotional (well, we're told he is) despite his selfishness (Sam you are so selfish!) and questionable morals at times. His performance is, I'll say it, a mess. An unconvincing mess.
Problem two:
No Jensen Ackles, who plays Dean Winchester. Ackles was busy doing voice work for another project and could ONLY devote enough time to do the voices in the last two episodes, which were...SURPRISE!...better than all the previous episodes combined. Finally, there was some real emotion being voiced. Even Padalecki seemed more relaxed somehow, or at least he didn't suck as much. Now lest you think that I'm just so Ackles infatuated that "no one else can play Dean"...well, maybe, but there's more than that. He's a good actor. Dean is a difficult role. Really. His emotions are wild and uncontrolled. He's a mix of arrogance and vulnerability. He's a lot of contradictions. And no one should be able to pull off a performance of a character that complex and have it feel genuine. When Dean's heart breaks, my heart breaks...and that's Ackles fault.
Problem three:
I had high expectations, and I'll admit that may have swayed my response to the series. It just had so much potential, and yet...bleh. The reason my review of season one took so long to complete is that I got bored with it, and kept putting off watching the remaining episodes. That's bad. If there is a target audience for a Supernatural anime...well, I'm it. I AM THE AUDIENCE! I couldn't have been tailor made for such a role. If your ideal audience is bored enough to step away and not return, then you have a problem. I'l admit to having watched the whole series of Supernatural more than once. I'll also admit to watching some of my favorite episodes multiple (as in more than 5) times. And I don't get bored. I notice new things--it's always interesting. But this? This was NOT interesting. And it should have been. If it can't keep my attention it is doing something wrong. Part of me knows the voice acting is to blame. Part of it is the animation style itself...it was okay, not beautiful, not chilling, not unique, just...there. Part of it was the lack of innovation. The writers and animators had carte blanche to do whatever they wanted here. They could start with the characters and reinvent parts of the story-line, throw them new curve balls, dig deeper into the situation. Instead, most of it wasn't much different than what was in the live-action series, minus a few original episodes that didn't do much for me. The pacing was slow and it didn't move forward with the same emotional impetus as the original. All in all, it did the same things as the live-action series, only it didn't do them as well.
Problem four:
Sometimes when a story crosses mediums, say from book to movie, or in this case live-action series to anime...bad choices are made. I can remember feeling this way with quite a few book to movie scenarios.
Let's use an example of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned. I'm a geeky creepster, so I loved this book. And it's exciting, it could have made an excellent film, but two bad things happened. If you had read the book you walked away from the movie angry because so much was left out. Oh, what do you mean Armand is an important character? He was just some guy who never talked and was in two scenes of the film, just hanging out in the background. So, book fans...are mad. But what if you aren't a book fan? Well, for some reason Queen of the Damned relied on some knowledge of the book, because it made a lot of assumptions about what viewers knew about the plot and characters. So, people who didn't read the book are just lost...and therefore mad. EVERYONE LOSES! I feel the same way about Supernatural: The Anime. Fans like me are annoyed that it isn't as good as it could be, and new viewers...I don't know how they'd follow along. I'm tempted to force someone (but I won't because it could be misconstrued as torture) who knows nothing about Supernatural to watch the anime, just so I can ask them if they understand what's going on. Right now, I'm not sure that they couldn't follow the plot, or figure out the characters, but my gut reaction is that anyone not already knowing something about the series would just be confused. And I don't mean confused in a, ooh Davinci Code kind of way, more in a...what's going on here? Who is that again? Why do I care at all?...kind of way.
The whole viewing experience makes me sad. I don't want to have to give this series a negative review, but I have no choice.
And that is sad.
Don't cry, Dean. I still love you. We'll just pretend the anime never happened.
Title: I Want to Bite
Author: Isaya Takamori
Illustrator: Chigusa Kawai
Rating: 18+ MA
Fun fact: I LOVE books, but I'm not fond of light novels.
Here is a non-fiction story entitled, Dr. M's reaction to reading I Want to Bite.
Dr. M's reaction to reading I Want to Bite.
Dr. M sat on her gray exercise ball and bounced away as she logged into eManga. There in the list of titles for review sat a vampire story entitled I Want to Bite. She clicked tentatively on the link and only got as far as the title and first name of the creator...the ever-lovely Chigusa Kawai. Dr. M grinned widely and chuckled softly as she inwardly rejoiced--"Chigusa Kawai and Vampires!" She bounced faster as she clicked on the pink "READ" button. Images of Georges and Robert from La Esperanca swam around in her head. But what was this? Kawai didn't write it, she only illustrated it. Dr. M's eyebrows lowered into her signature frown and her bouncing slowed. "That's okay," M thought, "She did illustrate it, so there will be tons of lovely vampiric wind!" She clicked "next" on the digital reader, and there were words. "Next," more words. She made a deep rumble in her throat that sounded like a growl, "Oh, man...a light novel?" She stopped bouncing and uttered a "meh," before clicking the x to close the viewer and moving on to the next selection.
The End--A story by Dr. M
Okay, I don't have anything against light novels, but I wanted a manga. Kawai did like 20 illustrations for this and nothing more. It was, to say the least, disappointing. And I may have read it, IF...IF there weren't like 20 other books waiting to be read on my actual shelves. This one gets saved for later, or maybe if we're lucky, Ms. Shakespeare will give it a read. Light novels are more her thing.
Finally I have my own sign in, thank you ladies (even if you are both decidedly unladyish).
As promised you'll find another installment of Winchester Wednesday below. This one centering on the surprisingly difficult answer to the simple question: who is the hero in Supernatural?
Supernatural and the Hero's Journey
One of the things that makes Supernatural so deliciously complex is the dual protagonists viewers find in Dean and Sam Winchester. Fans of one or the other Winchester can rationalize and provide support for their favorite amongst the boys as the central hero of the storyline. I myself have had arguments over "central hero" several times, and the debate usually centers on the fact that most stories contain only one protagonist. There may be subplots and side-stories, but the larger overarching plot normally (with exceptions, of course) depends on one, and only one, lead character or hero.
Think of every epic ever written. Beowulf, The Illiad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Divine Comedy, Lord of the Rings (yeah, I went there), Sundijata,The Epic of Gilgamesh, Paradise Lost, any number of Arthurian romances, Norse sagas, quest journeys, and even Star Wars. There is onecentral and primary hero in each of these epics. It is rare to see more than one protagonist--this leaves SPN fans choosing a primary hero, because as readers we expect we will be required to do so.
Were I to pick one protagonist I would, out of devotion/obsession more than anything else, pick Dean. I could make the argument that Dean's story is a knights tale, and a pretty traditional one at that. Sam is then the equivalent of either a princess (ha!), a character foil (it is possible), a replacement for a more traditional love-interest (ask me about my wincest 1 issues!), or simply a plot device.
That's not really fair to Sam though. Ms. Shakespeare, among others, has argued that the reverse is true and that Sam is the central protagonist because the story begins with him and climaxes (sort of) with his fall from grace and redemption. The most compelling reasoning for this argument is that Sam changes while Dean does not (at least not in the same drastic ways), because it is Sam, and not Dean, who needs to be redeemed. To that I say, "okay, okay."
Now Dr. M has a very different point of view--she believes that Sam is a "whiny douchenozzle" who "isn't good enough to share a hotel room with Dean," and that were Dean not "the most forgiving, tragic, beautiful and heartbreaking demi-god" to ever walk the earth he would have "shot Sam's ass in episode 20-something.2" She is certifiably nuts and incapable of most rational conversation, or thought, when it comes to Dean Winchester...which is why I am writing these posts instead of her. She also argues that Sam is plot, while Dean is character...but that's a post and argument for another Wednesday.
The truth is neither Dean nor Sam entirely fills the role of "hero" on their own, not in a traditional sense, anyway. Joseph Campbell, preeminent comparative mythologist and all-around friend to literature, outlined the stages of the traditional, cross-cultural hero's journey in several of his books, most notably The Hero with a Thousand Faces.3This central monomyth4 has been revisited countless times across millenia and throughout wide-spread (worldwide really) areas. Supernatural seems to be one contemporary western retelling of this monomyth, albeit with an obvious twist--neither Winchester brother singularly fills the role of traditional hero. It takes both Dean and Sam to retell this foundational myth. I contend that these brothers, soul mates really, serve as fractured halves of what is usually a single hero. It is only together that they complete the journey and find wholeness.
Let's see how these beautiful boys stack up by running down the first stage of the hero's journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell 5.
In the departure stage, the first stage of the hero's journey, the protagonist moves from the known into the unknown. It is Sam who rather clearly steps into the role of hero at this point, and he begins as the story's primary hero. It is not until later on that we see how each brother fulfills various roles in the standard monomyth. It is Sam who fulfills the traditional steps in the first part of this story. He has, as many heroes do, a birth of unusual circumstance or import which serves as a foreshadowing of what is to come, or an indicator of the hero's "special nature." The departure stage consists of several subsections, or steps, but not every story will fulfill ALL of those steps, or fulfill them in the same order. This seems to be the case with Supernatural. In fact, some of the steps are fulfilled by both brothers in different ways, indicating that not only are they serving as co-heroes, but are completing individual journeys alongside the larger collective journey.
Home Culture: Sam has, despite the rigors and limitations of his upbringing into a hidden side of life as a hunter, found a home and a sense of "normalcy" through college and his relationship with Jessica. He has, prior to the series, abandoned his uncommon family and co-dependant bonds with his brother/caregiver/soul mate for one more socially acceptable. Without the rift between Sam and his previous life, the foundation for "normalcy" could not exist, and the journey would end before it even started, in a way. His rejection of the "family business" establishes him as a rebel, but a strange sort of rebel...one that desires not adventure, but the mundane existence of "normal" people. This stage is important, without it there is no "beginning" to start from. Dean cannot yet be the hero in this sense, because his role is to call Sam away from this false-life he's created and set him on the hero's path.
Dean as Call to Action/Adventure...I'd heed that!
Call to Adventure: The call to adventure in Supernatural occurs immediately with the pilot episode. Dean at this point clearly serves not as a hero, but as the call to adventure personified. His pleas to Sam for assistance in his supernatural quest to find their father interrupt the normal life Sam has attempted to create. In truth, as soon as Dean enters the scene Sam's part of the hero's journey begins. But like every hero, he is reluctant to take up the mantle, or the sword, either out of selfishness (Sam is still bitter, and angry at his father and brother) or out of disbelief (Sam does not feel that he has much to offer; if Dean cannot find him, how will Sam be able to help?).
Refusal of the Call: Again, this occurs almost immediately, in the first episode, but the refusal continues in later episodes as Sam continues to look for reasons to return to his normal life. Dean faces his own calls (plural) to adventure and puts up his own (less successful, due to his character) refusals to heed that call in later seasons, especially in Season 4, when he is called from hell by heavenly mandate to become a soldier for god, and in Season 6 when he is called from his life with Lisa to rejoin Sam. The cyclical aspect of the show and its various story-arcs further complicate the question of who the "hero" might be, and further supports my view that each takes at least part of a larger role while still following their own individual journeys. Sam's story in later seasons becomes less that of traditional hero and more of a modern-day internal journey to redemption and absolution. He is certainly a flawed hero, though his will is always for good he actually succumbs to a sort of false hero's journey in Season 4, believing he is on the right track as he is deceived by Ruby and Lilith.
Supernatural Aid:At some point in every hero's journey the hero must accept some supernatural aid. The show is called Supernatural so, it's not really unexpected that some aid comes from a supernatural source. Now, for Dean and Sam this is not always a positive thing. They do find supernatural aid in the form of Missouri and the ghost of their mother early on in the episode "home," and in Castiel in seasons 4-6, but that is part of a later stage of the journey. In this stage the supernatural aid pushes the hero further into the unknown, and convinces them to accept the journey. Campbell's steps never insist that the supernatural act, character or item that pushes the hero onto the path be a positive thing. It certainly is not in Sam's case. For Sam this supernatural event is first and foremost Jess's death. It is this act by supernatural forces that returns Sam (now motivated by vengeance) back to the hunt and back to his brother's side.
Crossing the First Threshold: Joseph Campbell provides that this step is the moment when the hero moves out of their comfort zone alone, and is "confronted with an obstacle that must be overcome before s/he can finally enter the dangers of the unknown journey" 6 . For Sam it seems that the threshold comes in episode 11 of season 1, "Scarecrow," when he abandons Dean to search for their father alone. While waiting for a buss alone he weighs his love and obligations for his family--primarily to Dean--and comes to an acceptance of his role. He also arrives just in time to save Dean from the scarecrow, which is convenient if not slightly implausible. Sam's threshold is acceptance; he accepts his journey and his place by his brother's side.
Now, if this seems like Sam is clearly the hero--think again. The truth is that Dean's journey is parallel and shaped by his own inner conflict, issues and obstacles. By the time Dean leaps into Sam's life he has at least partially accepted his awkward destiny and his role in the world. His call to adventure comes early on, at age four! And his decision to heed that call is motivated by his need to protect his brother (whom he sees as a central responsibility) and avenge his mother. The obstacle he must overcome is more internal--it has to do with pride, self-worth, and trust. Dean's personality leads him to leap headlong into danger spurred on by his love for Sam.
It is in this second stage of the hero's journey, which Campbell calls Initiation, that they boys begin to take on dual roles as hero.
The Road of Trials: This is quite literal with the Winchesters, as they are knights in shining Impala. In this step of the journey the "protagonist is found vulnerable and the outcome reveals a part of him/her that s/he did not know existed." For Sam this is literal. His demon blood is a weakness of sorts and is revealed late in season 1. For Dean this becomes literal as well, in some ways, in an early episode Dean 's heart is damaged in the hunt and he seems unconcerned with his impending death (this moment also forshadows his lack of concern for himself in season 3 after the crossroads deal). It is then that we, and Sam, realize that Dean's capacity for selfless behavior hides something equally beautiful and heartbreaking--a clear lack of self worth manifesting as a tendency towards sacrifice to help others. There are multiple moments along each brother's literal and metaphorical road of trials that reveal weaknesses, strengths, personality traits, and more. Each case, each "hunt," reveals more about the brothers to each other, the viewers, and themselves. Each case that brings them close to the Yellow Eyed Demon reveals more about Sam's infancy and destiny, while at the same time revealing more about Dean's personal scars and devotion.
Meeting a Soul mate: Well, let's call it "realizing" a soul mate for the Winchesters, because clearly they belong to one another in complex ways--they are parent/child, brothers, best friends, yin/yang, confidants, and for all intents and purposes, beloveds. We'll save the whole "beloved" argument for a later discussion...to be continued! Certainly they are not only willing to die for one another, but suffer eternally so that the other will survive. There seems to be no limits to the love they have for one another, although they admittedly have communication and trust issues...that's all part of the journey as well. For Dean the "soul mate" is realized most clearly when he is faced with Sam's death at Cold Oak. The subsequent deal he makes is the act of a desperate man who cannot live without his other half. For Sam this realization comes later in what I feel is one of the most revealing episodes of the series "Mystery Spot." During the Trickster's trials he comes face to face with the emptiness and desperation of a life without Dean.
Dean realizing Sam as soul mate.
Sam realizing Dean as soul mate.
Overcoming Temptation: Sam faces temptation more than Dean does in a lot of ways. Dean's temptation is selfless and temporary, finding its center in "What Is and What Should Never Be" (season 2, episode 20) when he is tempted by a Djinn into accepting a better life for both Sam and himself. Sam's temptation has to do with Ruby and his desire for power. Even though his desire for power, and his relationship with Ruby, is motivated by what he thinks is a larger good, it is deceptively evil. His nature is taken advantage of, and the temptation is only overcome by Dean's intervention and Dean's love.
Viewing the Whole Picture: This is something difficult to come by in Supernatural. The boys only have glimpses of the whole. Dean in "The End" and both brothers in "Changing Channels" in what seems on the surface like a "fluff" episode reveals a lot about the overarching plot and has strong allusions to another great epic Paradise Lost; only this time Lucifer isn't the hero at all. The view of the whole is revealed slowly in Supernatural. Pieces of the larger picture are revealed to brothers and viewers who struggle to construct some overarching plan.
The Ultimate Goal: Every hero's journey has to have one. So, what is the goal in Supernatural? Well, in a lot of ways, the goal is status quo...the goal is that the world go on, flawed as it is, as it always has, under the power of free will, and free from overt interference from supernatural forces. In another way the goal is salvation, not just of the world but of self. And certainly Sam's journey carries with it another goal, that of redemption, in the eyes of his brother, and for himself.
The third stage of the journey, Return, is when Dean takes center stage in some ways, while Sam takes up the slack as part of Team Winchester. Some of this story is left untold still, as one conflict leads to the next and the cycle begins again. It will be hard to predict what direction the journey will take in these last seasons. The Return consists of some classic literary tropes, such as The Chase, and The Rescue (these stages are fulfilled by Dean's pursuit of Sam's soul in later seasons, and in Sam's pursuit of redemption in earlier seasons). Both boys Cross the Return Threshold with a journey into the underworld. Both are called by forces outside of their realm (angels for Dean, demons for Sam) to become Master of Two Worlds in accepting or refusing (Refusing to Return) their roles as vessels for angelic hosts. The final stage of the hero's journey is yet to be realized, and I wonder if this is where the series will take a serious detour from the traditional form. The final stage is Freedom something that the boys cling to throughout the series, but something that has not yet been realized for them.
What kind of journey is this? Is it about redemption? Is it about vengeance? Or sacrifice? Or salvation? Well, it's about all of those things--each brother faces temptation, each descends (literally) into the underworld, and each is willing to sacrifice themselves (but not the other) to create a better world. Why? Well, because for the Winchesters the world cannot (does not) exit without the other in it. They act heroic, but are spurred on more by love for one another than any other emotion or incentive.
There is, in many ways, no point in saving a world without the other in it, because the "world" ceases to be, or at least it ceases to matter (that's very Wuthering Heights). As Sam says early on in season one's "Devil's Trap" some things, specifically Dean, are more important than any vengeance or closure. Both boys battle with their need to sacrifice themselves when, to misquote someone I've forgotten--the absolute worst thing that could happen to either of them wouldn't actually happen to them, but to the other.
So, neither Dean nor Sam is a hero in and of themselves, both satisfy steps in the traditional hero's journey, turning it into a heroes' journey, something plural and driven by love.
And that, Dear Readers (as our hostesses are wont to say), is some profound shit!
1. Wincest is a term invented by fan fiction writers and fans of the show that implies that Dean and Sam are not only soul-mates, but they have the hots for one another. Normally I would wince at a blatant disregard for the incest taboo, but there seems to be extenuating circumstances to their relationship. Plus, they're hot.
2. Dr. M. "You stupid c*%tface." Message to the author. 19 Sept. 2011. Email.
3. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 3rd ed. New York: Pantheon, 2008.
4. A good outline of the heroic monomyth proposed by Joseph Campbell can be found via the History Through Literature Project pages produced by Berkeley's ORIAS (Office of Resources for International and Area Studies) program at: ORIAS. "Monomyth Home." History Through Literature Project. University of California Berkeley, 8 Nov. 2007. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
5. A very nicely detailed chart of the stages of the hero's journey can be found at Seifert, S. "Hero's Journey Chart." Hero's Journey Defined. Earthlink, 18 March 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
6. Seifert, S. "Hero's Journey Chart."
7. Supernatural. Dir. Eric Kripke. CW. CNUV, Baltimore. 2005-2011. Television.
Dear Readers, Ms. Shakespeare and I are rather busy ladies, but we do try to post regularly amid our complex and demanding lives. For instance, I am deeply embroiled in some international espionage at the moment and as a result could find no time to present anime/manga ta-tas for this past Ta-Ta Tuesday. I regret this, because there are so many ta-tas and so little time.
I have invited, after some rather existential discussions with Ms. Shakespeare (who in the last post called herself a mister...either way, sister), my good-twin James Parker to submit his thoughts for Winchester Wednesday.
Now, you might be asking, why have a Winchester Wednesday at all? I mean, it isn't anime (well, there IS an anime), it isn't manga (although there are plenty of doujinshi), and it isn't Japanese. Well, the answer is simple: Supernatural is about as anime-esque as a live-action anything can possibly be (except for maybe Torchwood). So, James Parker will provide the occasional guest blog post. The first of which, can be found, Dear Readers, below. Remember, you don't have to be nice to him...I'm not.
My name is James Parker Lombard, and I am a fanboy. Or, a fanman, although that sounds, as I say it, like an altogether ridiculous term. But, it is not as ridiculous as the fact that your two fine, upstanding babblingly-girly hostesses, Dr. M and Ms. Shakespeare, have called on me to submit to this anime/manga review site. To be honest, I don’t think I can pronounce either of those words. Is it Anne-may, or Ah-Nee-may? Is it Man-Guh or Mon-guh or Mah-n-gah? Dr. M has tried to correct me on several occasions, although I keep telling her, quite clearly and in no uncertain terms, that I don’t care. I am not here for manga or anime, no matter how one wants to pronounce it. I am here by squiggly, wiggly, “squee”ing request, to participate in Winchester Wednesday.
There are some things you should know about me. I am academic to a fault. I am not keen on emotions of any sort, mine or others. Actually, I’m not super-keen on people in general, so I try to keep to myself. I drink a lot of coffee. I have been known to be a “scowly mofo” (thank you, Dr. M). I put my foot in my mouth, but it doesn’t seem to bite me in the ass very often. I watch a lot of Supernatural. I may or may not write fanfiction of a dubious nature. I have a “thing” for Dean Winchester, and I tolerate Sam because Dean loves him.
My participation in Win-Weds is purely analytical, although it is driven by perhaps a sick-ish obsession with the nuances of the show, and that “thing” for Dean Winchester I mentioned. I don’t plan on being a moon-eyed, swooning sycophant about things. I plan on keeping this old-school analytical—I would be talking footnotes and works cited whenever possible, but I know my audience, so I’ll keep it to a minimum. I’m thinking Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Joseph Campbell, Homer, Dante, T.S. Elliot, Blake and some Plato paired with some hard-core critical theory, psychology, lit crit, and sociology. See, real old-school academic shit, because that’s how I roll.
Like the ladies here, I don’t warn about spoilers and I don’t pull punches. I dig complexities and condemn stupidities. I also encourage responses. Let’s get in a conversation about the over-watched and under-analyzed brilliance that is SPN. Post some responses, argue with me (I know Dr. M and Ms. Shakespeare will…I think they only invited me here because they think they’ll get to bitch and moan about things); I like an argument. Offer up theories of your own so I can shoot them down with wild abandon. I’d like that.
Next Wednesday’s post: Supernatural and The Hero's Journey
A little Joseph Campbell checklist and a look into who the hero of the story might be. It isn’t as clear as one might think.
Okay, first I have to admit something. I love Supernatural. I don't just like it. I don't want to be friends with it. I LOVE it. Like, love-love. I love it in a way I haven't loved a television series since Buffy...and that, Dear Readers, is saying quite a bit. But, to be honest, Buffy didn't have Dean Winchester.
Dean Winchester (played by Jensen Ackles)--
I admit to blushing just looking at him.
The car helps.
Now, in order to resist babbling on and on (and I could at length) about Dean Winchester and my insane love of yet another fictional character, I will now slowly scroll down the page as I post, so as not to become distracted by him. And I will say, only briefly, that I would like to be Dean Winchester when I grow up. Pain and all. I'll take it. Ah, he's my second favorite kind of hero...le sigh.
When I heard, almost six months ago, that two of my favorite things: anime and Supernatural were going to make a baby...I squeed so loudly that I think I may have pulled a muscle. How often does that sort of thing happen? It was like a gift from Chuck (who art in heaven). Maybe, just maybe, my hopes were too high?
Not that Supernatural: The Anime is bad, mind you...it's just not...I dunno. I have concerns.
My first concern has to do with the storyline itself. Now, being a Dean-obsessed, theory-driven, research nerd, I know my SPN. I might know it too well. The storyline of the anime follows the original, yet it feels a little sketchy or "holey." I find myself wondering if I would be able to follow theise first episodes as part of a greater story arc were I not such an idiotically huge fangirl. I know the backstory, so I feel like maybe I'm filling in gaps that unfamiliar viewers may not be able to fill so easily. That IS a concern.
The selections of episodes are strange so far, and I wonder about their order and the decision-making process behind that order. It began with an episode entitled "Skins" which was fed almost directly by the live-action version, with some alterations. The next two episodes ("Roadkill" and "Home") were also inspired by the series, and shared titles with the original live-action versions. Then we start to get some new episodes, which are meant to fit within the original story line. The original episode I watched was entitled "Ghost on the Highway," and I have to say that it wasn't what I expected from the typical live-action Supernatural episode. I hate to say it, but it wasn't as well written, as complex or as interesting. And it should have been, because it was about the Impala (which may be this secret gear-head's favorite thing about the show...even moreso than Dean). I appreciate that the writers of the anime didn't just rehash the live-action series. I think that's important, and I applaud them for their efforts to create new episodes that seasoned viewers can appreciate. It's a great opportunity to add to the Supernatural storyline by creating side-stories and in-between stories to expand on the series. I just hope the rest of the new episodes are a bit more complicated and a bit more engaging.
Although Ms. Shakespeare has heard me rant ad infinitum almost about this already, I have to say it again...Jared Padalecki isn't a great actor. He's pretty to look at (not as pretty as Ackles), but he's not a great actor. He has a hard time delivering lines with believable emotion, and as a result of this sort of (dare I say) deficiency, his voice-acting becomes even more wooden and awkwardly delivered. It's almost like I can hear him reading off of cue cards. In once scene he laughed, and it was the most awkwardly delivered fake laugh I have ever experienced. I felt physical shame for him, because (as most people know) I am nothing if not overly empathetic at times. I cringed. My heart sank. Oh, it was so forced and uncomfortable that it hurt me. But, at least he's doing Sam's voice.
Jensen Ackles, who is an incredible actor with an uncanny sense of delivery (especially in funny or poignant moments) hasn't made a peep yet in the episodes I've seen. I know he's a good voice actor because he rocked his role of Jason Todd in Under the Red Hood...he made that film. It was stunning. Plus, his voice is at least half the charm of Dean's character. Although voice actor, Andrew Farrar, does a passable job...he just isn't Dean. In fact, he comes off a little less tough, and a little more goofy in a way I don't like. Dean is equal parts both, and Ackles walks a fine line in the live-action version between lovable goof-ball and angst-ridden knight in shining muscle car. I've seen reviews that say that the two episodes he voiced are far more emotional and effective than the earlier ones, but we'll have to save that for a later Winchester Wednesday post.
While I'm on Dean (which is something I would never pass up), I have to say that the animation leaves a little less to be desired. Padalecki already looks a bit like an anime character, but I was imagining Dean much differently than the way he was presented in the series. I believe I said, ALOUD to the tv, "Come on, Dean is hotness personified...draw him better."
Dean and Sam animated. Sam looks good. Dean looks...weird with dark brown hair.
I will, because I am obsessed, complete the series, and I'll try to keep an open mind. As it is, I don't think this series has done a poor job with the translation from live action into anime, it just hasn't been all I expected. I will enjoy the monster of the week feel, and found myself laughing at the COMPLETELY awkward live introductions to each episode done by Padalecki and Ackles...again, I got these weird pangs of empathetic shame-facedness when they came on the screen to introduce each episode; they are so obviously uncomfortable that it hurts me. Maybe my concerns will be aliviated as the series progresses--I promise to give it a fair shake.
If only out of my love for Dean. (It's like a sickness really.)
**Don't skip over the closing song when you watch this series. The J-pop version of Kansas' "Carry on My Wayward Son" is something to be heard...not admired, mind you, but heard nonetheless. Really, really funny stuff!
Amaenaideyo!! with two, count'em, TWO exclamation points appears to be about a 16-year-old Shinto priest-in-training named Ikko. Ikko gains spiritual superpowers when he becomes aroused, and in his super-charged, power-up state can defeat all sorts of supernatural chicanery, shinanigains, no-good-nik-ism and scallywaggification. It's a good thing for everyone involved that Ikko is surrounded by a group of teenaged nuns-in-training with plenty of bodacious ta-tas for viewing.
Fondling! Also for a good cause, maybe?
Either way, it's booby exposure every other minute in just the first episode. The pilot, cleverly entitled "Don't Make Me Come." (Bwahahahah?) centers on a yearly Shinto memorial ceremony for "retiring" old dolls and stuffed animals who have absorbed human feelings over their lifetime of love. Unfortunately, someone snuck in a uppity British porcelain doll, who seems to be posessed by an uppity British bitch who is unaffected by the sutras for purification because she's foreign...although she still speaks Japanese, so...? Anyway, BOOBIES!
Some are intentionally exposed to power-up poor Ikko, who is kind of a pervert.
Some are exposed as a result of "unfortunate accidents" in typical, "Oops, I saw your whatnots!" moments.
Some are the result of those frisky, underaged nuns-in-training trying to annoy each other.
Some seem just randomly to pop out...blam, boobies!
So, I don't think I'll continue this series, but if you are interested in things like perverted underaged priests, sexual innuendos, scantily clad teen nuns, or really, really stupid puns, then you might like it, Dear Readers. It honestly isn't bad, it's just not my cup of tea (served by an uppity British porcelain doll).
The title of Dororon Enma-Kun has been handily translated into the following Engrish equivalent--BAMF, It's Enma! Admittedly in electing to watch episode one of this series, I half knew what I was getting into...some fairly bad crap. Little did I know, Dear Reader, how deep the crap was. So deep. Such deep crap. Mind-boggling depths of crap!
Some of this depth can be seen in the trailer. Unfortunately the trailer has not been subbed into English, but I'd like to think you don't need to understand the language when the stupidity is wordlessly obvious.
The series begins in a bathhouse where shirtless elderly "Granny Gossip," sporting strange face paint and a beret that says "God" on it, begins swinging her pendulous boobs like propellers in order to warn main character Harumi that there are demons at the appropriately named Youkai Elementary school (youkai are demons). These demons, it turns out, will steal your face. Okay, the propeller boobs was a bit much, but face stealing demons are part of Japanese folklore tradition, so I start to think, maybe this is just a bit weird and spastic, and not bad at all. I am wrong. I am often wrong.
Expectedly, Harumi fails to heed the warning of geriatric tit-augerer Granny Gossip, and enters the school with a few exceptionally irritating friends. Their faces are stolen. I'm shocked. Harumi nearly drowns in the school pool while running from the now-faceless bodies of her friends and is rescued by a kappa (a kappa is a turtley, frogish, monk-haired, pervert demon and is a very traditional presence in Japanese demon stories). The kappa, named Kappa (inventive!) leads Harumi to the school basement where the nephew of the Great King Enma (also named Enma) has built the Hell House, doorway to hell. The magically naked Princess Yukiko invites them in and a talking hat named Grandpa Chappeau leads the "stray human" to Enma.
Then, things get weirdly pervy for a minute or two during a weirdly random discussion of panties that makes no sense. I am at a loss. I have no idea what is going on, and the small amount of knowledge of Japanese folklore that I have is only making it more difficult to understand. King Enma IS the king of hell, right? So, wtf is going on? I don't know. And every character in this anime is on a level of annoyingly hyper that has destroyed any reference point I have for such things. SO ANNOYING! Argh!
The group decides to round up the bad demons as part of a Demon Patrol. Hooray, a plot? They decide to use Harumi as bait, but (get this!) everyone falls asleep while waiting for the Face Stealer to attack. And our heroine almost pees herself when the demon comes for her. Really. There's a huge monologue about having to pee, during which her face is stolen. I shake my head at this.
Finally Enma wakes up and there's a battle with the monster, one involving, of all things, Dick SWORDS! Hooray, Enma breaks the monster's dick off. How do I know this happens? Well, they show it, AND the monster says, and I quote, "Oh, No! My dick broke!"
This, Dear Readers, is the moment I turned the anime off. Sometimes, as the great Kenny Rogers (another face stealing demon? Perhaps! You decide!)said, you have to know when to walk away (silently shaking your head in confusion).
When I grow up I want to be a few things:
1. Dean Winchester! (Or Sam, if I have to. I'd be a little disappointed though...so close to perfect, yet so far away.)
2. Part of an evil travelling circus akin to the one Bradbury writes about in "Something Wicked this Way Comes."
3. A priest who is called upon to advise church leaders in instances of supernatural phenomena as a result of my occult research.
4. One of a small group of intrepid folk who fight for survival during the coming zombie wars.
5. A secret rock star like Hannah Montana (well, maybe not that one).
6. A tactical sorcerer like the characters in Strait Jacket (as long as I don't turn into a gross blobby monster thing).
The film is set in a steampunky alternate future/past (I can't tell which) where scientists from the Potter-esquely named Magic Administration Bureau have successfully brought magic (in the form of a sort of laser alchemy?) "from myth into reality." After this "scientific" discovery the government and private sectors began utilizing magic in everyday life to aid public welfare, medicine, agriculture and, most inauspiciously, in connection with the military. Surprise--things go wrong!
People using magic are occasionally transformed by something referred to as "The Curse," turning into gross blobular demons who do things like cut people in half with their demonic appendages before eating them. And a terrorist group known as The Ottomans starts using magic to run amok in the city. But I guess it's not like they could, let's say, STOP USING MAGIC IF IT MAKES PEOPLE INTO MONSTERS! Jeesh! It turns out it isn't that easy. People are addicted to magic and the power it brings...it's like crack. There are even children being born with "hereditary magic poisioning" which the MAB calls Child Sorcery Addiction like a sort of otherworldly supernatural Fetal Alcohol Syndrom. These kids are magic crack babies. Something must be done!
The MAB creates Tactical Sorcerers to combat the growing numbers of demons and counter the terrorist magic attacks. Tactical Sorcerers are protected fro their own tranformations by sigil body paint and charmed armor called "The Mold" which keeps them from turning into the demons they battle. It is this "mold" that earned these warriors the nick-name, Strait Jackets. Unfortunately, "The Mold" isn't infallable the Strait Jackets are always risking their own lives in more than one fashion when the battle these demons.
The film begins as Junior Agent Mary Simmons is called to a hospital under siege from a doctor who transformed mid-surgery into a blood thirsty monster (and a gross blobular one at that). The city itself is in dire straights, so many people are transforming as a result of sabatogued molds (by terrorists) or irresponsible magic use that there aren't quite enough Tactical Soldiers to go around. Without options and with the death count rising inside the hospitals wards, Mary finds herself suddenly calling on the assistance of unlicensed (and illegal) Tactical Sorcerer Reiotto Steinberg. Rey is hot as hell and kind of a grumpy bad-ass who spends his time atoning for past sins. He seems callous on the surface, but has a weakness for kids coupled with an admirable sacrificial/suicidal streak. These are all of the things I like in my reluctant heroes.
A sinner looking for redemption. Oh, tortured Rey...mmm...
The animation is a little graphic, but quite beautiful. The spell-casting battles against demons are dramatic with a whole lot of interesting shouting. "I defy all laws and transcend reason!" I think that's a great battle cry. I kind of wish that were my battle cry.
The story of Rey's attempt at redemption is touching and unnerving at points. He is a sympathetic character who pushes himself closer and closer to the breaking point in every battle. Mary proves herself to be more than the annoying petty beaurocrat she seems at first. One of the side-characters, a very heroic Tactical Sorcerer named Hammond, serves as a foil to Rey, and his life, like the lives of others before him, ends badly. In fact, everything ends badly. But, like the Winchesters say, "it all ends bloody or sad," Dear Readers, sorry. Strait Jacket ends bloody AND sad, but it's still worth a watch.
Tokko makes me mad. Not because it is bad, mind you, but because the end of this 13 episode series doesn't seem like an ending at all. The series itself, up to the abrupt conclusion (which concludes very little) is rather interesting. Tokko is a psychic cop-drama...of course I like it! But it has one of the most incomplete feeling endings of any series I've ever watched.
Now, I know what you're thinking, Dear Readers, and no, they didn't just discontinue the series--they did actually plan a complete story arc...and what we see is the result. There is no part two. There is no resolution. There's just a whole lot of nothing (I mean beyond the unanswered questions and annoyance at being sucked into an anime that just fizzles out).
The series follows new recruit (and orphan!) Ranmaru Shindo as he begins work with the fictive Special Mobile Investigation Troops First Division. Driven to both solve and avenge the death of his parents, Ranmaru in his investigations stumbles upon the members of Tokko, or Special Mobile Investigation Troops Second Division. Members of Tokko are shrouded in occult rumors, conspiracy theories and mystery. Ranmaru keeps having run-ins with the members and eventually is taken into their unit. Tokko unit members are "marked" by demonic power, and adopt a symbiant who protects and strenthens them in their primary mission--to destroy all 108 of the demons and phantoms brought into this world by the mystical "Box of Dirge." The destruction of these demons and phantoms will destroy the box, and close the pathway between the demonic and human worlds. During his time with Tokko Ranmaru discovers that it is this box and the demons it contained which were responsible for the death of his parents. In fact, he discovers that he is among a handful of survivors of what has come to be called the "Machida Massacre" a disaster which claimed the lives of nearly everyone in a large apartment complex in Machida.
Then there's some stuff with a doctor who mutates, and all of a sudden it just ends. Boom. Done. No resolution. No finale. No final battle between good versus evil. Bleh. Done.
BOO! (If you are the type that can tolerate unfinished business, then this anime is well worth a watch, but those of you who need closure should look elsewhere).
Hey, Blue Exorcist, I like you. I mean it. You are everything I like in an anime!
What is not to like about an exorcist cram school where the teenage son of Satan, a demon in human form, Rin, studies under the tutelage of his twin (younger) brother, Yukio, who just happens to already be an amazing exorcist himself? Absolutely nothing!
Though he may be the devil's spawn, Rin Okumura, plans on learning to harness his blue flame powers and demon dispelling sword, so that he can one day avenge the death of his adoptive father, a pretty bad ass priest and exorcist, Shiro Fujimoto. In order to do this he must attend exorcist cram school with a group of fellow (misfit-type) pupils.
Exorcist cram school, True Cross Academy, exists in a place called Academy Town where students can go to study anything. Rin's brother, Yukio, happens to be an instructor there, even though he is only fifteen. The chairman is a man named Mephisto Pheles (who I keep wanting to call Dr. Faustus). He's a bit off and seems to have some secret ties to the demon world. All of the students at the academy have their own special reasons for being there, mainly wanting to defeat Satan. Some have stories that will clearly emerge as time passes. Studying happens. Things ensue. Enjoyment is had.
This anime is a salty mix of high school comedy and supernatural hijinx. In some ways it reminds me of the best things I loved about Bleach in its first season. I hope Blue Exorcist doesn't lose its momentum but stays on course to remain a really fun show.
I love Rin's character. He's a sweet guy with a bit of a temper in service to the people he loves. He is not over the top angsty, though being Satan's kid, he's probably got some stuff to deal with.
Actually, I like all of the characters so far. They are all adorable, especially Shiemi, the budding tamer with her little demon familiar the infant greenman.
She reminds me of my little sister when she was a kid :)
”Best?” Yes. He is vicious. He’s also creepily calm and intense. I don’t like it. He is so creepy that Ms. Shakespeare and I have been known to quote him just to skeeve the other one out. Ms. Shakespeare, "do you remember our sensuous night beneath the cherry trees?" Mwahahah! Dr. Muraki is the best anime villain in that he is irredeemably evil, overtly predatory and still somehow charismatic and beautiful. So evil! SO EVIL!! Is he human? Is he demon? No one knows. He seems to have no motivation beyond just being evil (and attracted to our hero Asato Tsuzuki)...EVIL! Like a pretty, pretty snake who will tie you up and make sexually suggestive remarks before biting you.
A close second is Light Yagumi of Death Note (yet another Shigigami or Soul Reaper drama) he is irredeemably awful, and the lead character. I like the way Death Note sets up Light as the protagonist only to allow viewers to watch him fall further and further from his first purpose into a narcissistic villain who destroys pretty much everything he once believed in. He’s truly horrible, but he doesn't quite have the creep factor of Dr. Muraki. So despite playing God, betraying everyone he knows, and stacking up one hell of a body count, he gets bumped to number two.
I need to do a Death Note post soon. It is a pretty messed-up series.
I first heard about Yano Toboso's Black Butler while I was enrolled in Japanese classes in San Francisco. One of my very junior little otaku classmates told me she thought I would love it, and she wasn't wrong.
Set in an alternative Victorian London, Black Butler features a 13-year-old protagonist, Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive, a mature for his years, orphan who heads the family business, who keeps deep ties to the underworld and an allegiance to the queen. Ciel lives in a manor with a number of attendants, most notably a butler of amazing talent: Sebastian.
It's not long before we learn that Sebastian is actually a demon who has a pact with Ceil. Ceil needs his help to avenge his parents' deaths and his own humiliation at the hands of an evil group of a**holes and in payment, he will give his soul to Sebastian.
It's an interesting relationship. It's not master and servant, though it can seem that way. Ciel orders Sebastian around. Sebastian follows orders. Sebastian is loyal to Ciel, and he protects the crap out of him, but it's not love or fidelity that binds them. It's the promise of a tasty soul, which Sebastian is willing to wait for. After all, he's immortal. And, he knows that Ciel's soul is going to taste really good, so full of hate and thoughts of cruel revenge for someone so young. Sebastian may seem tender, but he doesn't have feelings, not in the way humans might experience them.
The main plot, of course, is that with Sebastian's help, Ciel will seek his revenge, but there are plenty of subplots to keep the viewer's interest. Whether they are hunting down Jack the Ripper or engaged in a Queen's favorite curry cooking contest, the characters and plot are engaging.
The art is great. I have to say, Ciel looks adorable in a dress:
This show has been the inspiration for many a cosplayer, I'm sure. Truth be told, with such fun fashion, I might be convinced to to dress up as a character from this show!
So, will Ciel get his revenge? Will Sebastian get his tasty treat? Watch and find out!
Can something be both underrated and overrated? I mean, Inuyasha is pretty universally loved, but it gets a lot of flack from "real" anime fans who see us Inuyasha lovers as some sort of less-than fan just because we happen to think it's cool. (Incidentally I have also gotten flack for just liking the English Dubs...apparenty I am "missing out" on the original which is "so much better." Bleh.)
I have heard the following phrases, or some variations of them, several times in my anime-lovin life (a few times from Ms. Shakespeare perhaps...ahem, ahem..?):
"Yeah, but it's so mainstream."
So? It's mainstream because it's good. I get a little defensive of Inuyasha at times. Just because something is popular doesn't automatically make it bad. This feels like the whole "sell-out" theory of rock. BTW world, if Someone you like gets famous and other people like them now, they do not automatically become sell-outs. You should be happy that someone you like finally hit the big time, instead of throwing out scornful and nostalgic crap about how they were "so much better" before everyone started watching/listening to them.
"It's all very monster of the week."
So? There are a LOT of monsters in the feudal era (this is non-fiction, right? I mean Feudal Japan was like crawling with oni? Inuyasha is practicaly a documentary, right?). There is still an overarching plot (or five) that ties all the pieces together.
"It's for kids."
No. It is not for kids.
Inuyasha has been around for a long time, sure. And it's really popular, sure. It's also weirdly underrated as an interesting, complex and well-written (most of the time) show. Plus, they'll keep you going for a while with 167 episodes and 4 feature films. Ah, I can remember waiting for the new seasons on [AS].
I do hate the way it ended though...boooooo! BOOOO!
The manga spans 56 volumes. 56!!! I don't have the time or energy to read all of that, although I hear it is a little more violent and risque than the anime series. Plus I think it has an ending.
So, Inuyasha haters of the world. Quit underrating and under-appreciating one of my favorite series of all times.
I can't tell you how excited and nervous the official trailer for Supernatural: The Anime makes me. I love Supernatural...I am an addict. So, when I heard that they would be reimagining the series as an anime, I was stoked. The latest news is that the US Release is scheduled for July 26. I will be saving my meagre dollars. Supernatural is a series that could lend itself well to anime...long story arc, monsters, complex characterization.
The only things that concern me are:
1) The animation of older brother, Dean Winchester, is not exactly what I would have envisioned (then again, I am a fan of Dean Winchester) and younger brother, Sam, seems to be getting the brunt of attention...he might be the lead, which is offputting to me. They are a duo, plus I just don't think Sam is as interesting (or complex) as Dean is.
2) Someone covered "Carry on My Wayward Son" as the themesong. It plays a prominent role in the live-action series, and is a good classic rock song...I happen to like Kansas (it is one of my favorite state-named bands). So, the cover seems weak.
3)Jared Padelecki (Sam) voiced the US episodes, but Jensen Ackles (Dean) only did a select few...who is doing them? Does anyone but Ackles sound like Ackles? I don't think so. I like his voice. He was awesome as Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood, so he CAN do voice work. (Plus his dad is a voice-over legend). The choice is odd.
4) It may be drawing too much from the storyline in the live-action series. What I see from the preview is most of an episode called "Roadkill" from season two. (Yes, I am that much of a geek.) I hope that there are new plotlines, otherwise I'm not sure what the point of redoing the series in animated form might be.
Concerns aside, I am (pun intended) geeked! I look forward to viewing and then reviewing the series here on Squeefinity...it will give me something to do during the summer hiatus of the live action show. And new ways to oogle Dean.
To be honest, I watched it twice, and not because it was good; rather, because it is short (50 minutes with commercial breaks) and because it has nothing to do with psychics. Really, nothing. There isn't a single psychic in the whole thing. It's like being handed a Sour Patch Kid with all the sour licked off...I mean I'll eat it, because it's my favorite candy, but I'll miss the sour part and I'll wonder why people are licking things before they give them to me (don't do that). Although,I suppose this unfortunate analogy is even more inaccurate because this isn't a Sour Patch kid (pre-licked or otherwise); it's a bad anime.
So, it has nothing to do with psychics...or wars really. Here's what it does have to do with: demons, nurses, curses (rhymes!), tiny headed men in very large suits with wide shoulderpads, really awkward English dialog and a plot that was both predictable and confusing at the same time.
Now, at times when I am confused by anime, for instance FLCL (I'll talk about it later...I'm so confused!!), I suspect that there is something lost in the translation, or some cultural theme that a native Japanese viewer might have which I, sadly, do not. This is about demons though, and (nerd-confession) I am pretty well informed for a gai-gin, because I have read some traditional mythology (in translation) and I tend to be a research junky. I did recognize some of the Oni (demons) in the story as being traditional to Japanese culture. And I was still confused by all of it. ALL OF IT!
Now, it could be that I am missing something, OR it could be that the thin plot was just a vehicle for demon fighting, intense wind storms, exploding shirts (you know what I mean) and exorcism rituals. I suspect that the latter is more probable. Not that I'm so clever, but that this plot was extremely undeveloped and stilted. 50 minutes of mostly fight scenes, windy forest scenes, and a unlikable main character who doesn't seem to care that his "quest" makes no logical sense. It's also one of those anime that you see coming from a mile away...I predicted the conclusion after the first ten minutes and then hoped for something surprising which failed to arrive. I give this a BLARGH! Although, if you'd like to buy it Amazon (click link above) has it for $22 dollars. That's the bargin price of 44 cents per minute...and that is the most surprising thing I can say about Psychic Wars.
