That Was Yesterday

With another frost warning for tonight, it seems like summer is but a distant memory already. For me it is the second lost summer in a row with hardly anything done outdoors. Yet tomorrow is October and I must move on, even if the sun refuses to shine this week.

I am having too much fun watching The Big Sleep to review it. Today I will be watching the original unreleased cut to compare versions and I am looking forward to it greatly. It is too bad we live in an era where somebody like Bogart could never be a top tier star.

Hot Fish Shop that used to be in Winona is going to reopen. That is the good news. The bad news is that it will be in Rochester. Ah well. Hopefully the recipes will be the same as what I remember. But it would be nice if it were closer.

Facebook is out to prove they are utterly evil, it appears. Narcissism is a bad thing and it looks like a lot of people are going to find out just how bad. What is going to alarm people the most is finding out that Facebook never really gets rid of deleted messages.

Because of all the privacy flaps, I know people moving to Google + and Twitter instead. But I would say they are not going to be much better about data harvesting. What do you expect for a free service?

Hope that this report pans out. Just because we finally got Bin Laden does not mean the mission is over. There are still a lot of bad guys out there and the way Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are going there will be many more new ones.

And I stalled finishing this long enough for blue sky to appear and actual sunlight to emanate from above. At last the new matchstick blinds will get a test.

Squid Girl Ep. 2, Season 1

UPDATE September 4, 2018

More DMCA take downs have hit the blog despite screen captures long being considered fair use. Due to my not being able to afford a lawyer, I have no choice but to remove them or have the blog suspended. Only the words will be left.

TVTokyo is proving to be foolishly draconian in targeting posts meant to get people interested in seeing the Squid Girl anime and perhaps even purchasing it on DVD or Blu-ray. Being anti-piracy myself this is infuriating that they are targeting posts I wrote hoping to encourage people to try out a delightful show.

More characters join Squid Girl’s expanding cast as the aquatic invader attempts to make sense of the surface world. A lifeguard gets her attention, she gains an admirer, and fireworks ensue -- but not necessarily in that order.

Aren’t We Squids of a Feather?

Starting off with a spoof of Baywatch makes sense for a comedy set on a beach and it is made all the better after it is revealed to all be in the head of the local life guard. So enters a new character, Goro.

When the pretty girl he is chatting up notices someone in distress, he springs into action. Wait… Is that Squid Girl out there flailing madly? Apparently she forgot to stretch her tentacles before entering the water and suffered a cramped one.

Yes, I know what you are thinking and it is addressed in a most amusing way. But back to Life Savers… err, Squid Girl.

One quick rescue later, Goro is horrified to find out that he has rescued a monster from the sea. Fortunately, Eiko and Takeru are present to explain things. Well, as much as you can explain someone like Ika Musame. We also find out that Goro has quite a crush on Chizuru.

Oddly enough, the life guard and invader hit it off when they both reveal themselves to be protectors of the sea. But their ideas of how they protect the sea are just a bit different and a falling out is unavoidable. Squid Girl decides there isn’t room enough for two protectors….

Hijinks ensue and a serious moral lesson is learned in the end; something not unusual with this show.

Consquidilations?

The second segment is about something everyone can relate to: birthdays. Puzzled by the spectacle of a family having a birthday party at the Lemon Beach House, Squid Girl wants to know just what the squid is going on. Once she finds out what a birthday is and that it involves cake, gifts, and attention, she pitches a fit.

Yes, it is time to declare it is her “hatchday” and demand a celebration. Chizuru thinks it is a great idea, much to her younger sister’s dismay. So preparations begin with locking Squid Girl in a back room to keep things a surprise. Ever snoopy, her imagination gets the best of her as she overhears the conversations.

Hey, calamari is tasty, so I can understand her paranoia.

What follows is a nice illustration of one of the show’s best strengths, that of portraying those first time experiences from childhood. Amidst all the goofy comedy and slapstick antics are sweet reminders of how things we now take for granted were once magical. Do you remember what it was like the first time you tried to blow out candles on a birthday cake? How about the first time you played with fireworks?

It is all there, the good and the bad, but exaggerated which makes for great fun.

A feeling of family is also beginning to develop nicely. That is good, for dangers await the squidling.

Want to Swim Out and Play?

Sometimes danger comes disguised in the most innocent of packages. That is a hard lesson to learn growing up and a lot of adults never do. Take the two screen caps above, for example. One is of a cute little puppy and the other is of a sweet looking teenage girl. Which is the dangerous one?

Eiko’s friend, Sanae, brings her new pup to the restaurant to show him off. He is a big hit and an envious Squid Girl cannot believe that the dog is considered cuter than she. Ika is such a child in so many ways, good and bad.

Her demand for equal treatment leads to hilarious proof that you should be careful of what you wish for. It is an utterly silly scene that would not be out of place in an old Looney Tunes cartoon.

Hmm. I wonder what a meeting between Daffy Duck and Squid Girl would be like?

An invitation to visit Sanae’s place is made and this is where we find out why the series is rated for 13 and older.

Yep, we have just encountered a tired anime trope, that of the lesbian teen with a raging crush on a main character. Sanae’s attentions toward Ika are uncomfortable for the young squid and disturbing to Eiko, who doesn’t verbally pull her punches. Oh if that were only the problem with Sanae. When Eiko takes the puppy for a walk, Squid Girl ponders turning the air conditioned house into her invasion headquarters.

But who is the hunter and who is the prey?

Sheer lunacy, trauma, and shameless inkjet printing follow with a nice visual moment to wrap up the episode.

Thoughts

As I wrote earlier in the review, the reminders of magical moments of childhood is one of the things that makes Squid Girl such an appealing show to me. Genuine warmth can also be found between the comic bits, which make it more than just a gag show. That is why the middle segment was the one I liked the best out of this episode.

Ika Musame is an interesting character, with it becoming a little clearer that she is a good girl at heart, if obsessed with global domination. The relationship with Eiko is settling into something more like siblings. Specifically, siblings close in age who always fight with each other.

Sanae is very annoying. But beyond that, she is very creepy and while it is treated light heartedly stalkers are not that amusing to me. That is not to say this segment was unamusing, merely of questionable taste. That could be said about the character of Sanae, period.

The quality of the video continues to impress me greatly. For a lowly DVD to scale up as well as this one does on my 1680 x 1050 monitor is very unusual. It matches the quality of 720p videos I have purchased from iTunes, which is mind blowing. Keeping each disc to three episodes and keeping the quality high is probably the reason for this.

What’s On Tap

Finding myself brain dead, but ambulatory today means a serious post is not likely. Instead I will toss up another Squid Girl episode review to make sure I keep typing words.

I plan to alternate reviews of movies between serious and not so serious films to keep me from being bored with it all. Most come from my personal DVD collection and right now the tentative plan looks something like this: The Big Sleep, TRON, Zulu, Gamerz: Dorkness Rising, and The Maltese Falcon. Two of those will have spinoff soundtrack reviews.

Meanwhile, I am watching HBO’s John Adams miniseries and so far it is excellent. But I am disappointed they had unnecessary nudity in the first episode. This whole “we have to have something R rated because we are a pay cable network” thing is extremely annoying. Doubly so for me, since I was thinking there would be no way they would insert any – about two minutes before they did.

Since I do not bother much with television these days, the only thing out of the new season I am looking forward to is actually streaming on the Net. Squid Girl season 2 has begun in Japan and is being streamed in the USA by Crunchyroll. Since they do not have enough of interest to pay for a membership, I will settle on the one week delay and resume the squidvasion on Monday.

Blind Justice

Besides accidently damaging my air conditioner, I have had a fit of cleaning befall me this month. It is a pernicious and dangerous disease, especially in a messy old farmhouse such as the one I reside in. It all started with noticing dust on the plastic adjustable window blinds.

The mistake was not in noticing they were dustier than a mummy’s tomb. The mistake was in deciding to try to clean them. That brought forth a curse worthy of Tutankhamen's burial site.

The resulting dust cloud drove me from the room and forced me to run the air purifier at full speed for a couple of hours before I could return. Ah, dust mite allergies.

Having condemned the blinds as uncleanable as well as ugly, I started looking for matchstick or bamboo blinds to replace them. Prices on the Net were not wonderful, but not out of the question. But it would be over $20 for each not counting shipping. It would be November before I could swing any. Old cheap plastic ones left over from yesteryear were going to have to suffice for the time being.

So it was with great surprise that I wandered into the local Alco discount store and found matchstick blinds marked radically down with a promise of a further 20% off.  Only one problem – they were all 48” wide when 36” is the largest my windows could handle.

Humphing to myself, I noticed one oddball two-tone set in the plastic ones on clearance. Eureka! They were 36” and would be perfect for the most important window that gets the most sunlight.  $7.00?! Okay, they are mine, I thought.

Digging one last time amongst the plastic blinds turned up another natural colored matchstick blind with a 31” width. Just enough to cover the other window, but no price on it. Eh, with a discount it would be worth it anyway.

So off to the register I marched, blinds slung over one shoulder. Combined and with sales tax, I scored them both for just under $11.00.  Now to get them put up once the cordless drill recharges.

Bleach Ep. 9: Unbeatable Enemy

The conclusion to the Memories in the Rain mini-arc finds Ichigo face to face with a nightmare from his past and reveals just a little more of Rukia’s. Can Ichigo save his sisters from the fate that befell their late mother or will his anger lead to yet another tragedy?

I’ve always enjoyed the creativity of the individual episode title shots. Blink and you may miss them. Part of the fun of Bleach is the ever changing opening and closing sequences along with the different music themes.

With the cliffhanger of the previous episode yet to be resolved, things start with Ichigo rescuing Yuzu but unable to do the same for Karin. Back up arrives in the form of Rukia and the Soul Reaper sent to retrieve her.

One of the things about anime that alternately cracks me up and annoys me is the exposition that is shoe horned into fights. Both sides suddenly stop until the dialogue is concluded, then go back to fighting. It is like having Lex Luthor explain everything every other moment in a battle with Superman – but without kryptonite to keep him weakened. Call it the pro-wrestling effect, which is what it reminds me of.

So we get an entire conversation from Rukia, the Soul Reaper, and Ichigo while the Hollow just stands there and watches. Maybe he is enjoying the fact that he is a legend who is notorious amongst the Soul Reapers and has a name, the Grand Fisher. In the end it doesn’t matter as the stunning revelation that this Hollow is the one who killed Ichigo’s mother drives Kurosaki into a berserk rage.

The following fight does not go well.

Rukia backs up Ichigo with spell casting, which is delivered in a pretty display only to have little effect. It goes worse for the Soul Reaper who sacrifices himself to save Karin. There is no sense of fun in this particular fight, only well rendered grim desperation.

Oh and it is revealed that Soul Reapers are mortal and can be killed. That is an interesting little tidbit to go along with the fact that the Grand Fisher has killed multiple Soul Reaper’s over the past decades. Ichigo is completely out matched.

So of course the teen decides to take on the Hollow solo. The rain begins to fall, one of the themes associated with Ichigo throughout the series. Meanwhile, Kon finds it difficult to maintain acting like the boy as he and Isshin wait out the rain at a temple.

It isn’t just his own personal grief driving the substitute Soul Reaper. As he is fighting, images and thoughts of how hard it was for his sisters to loose their mother fuel his anger even higher. There is a relentless sense of loss underlying every moment of the episode.

For the first time, Ichigo takes serious wounds in Bleach. Watching in horror, Rukia wants to intervene in this private battle of vengeance, but flashes back to her life in Soul Society when a mysterious superior lectured her on how some fights are about honor.

Because of what happened then, she decides to hold herself back though it is killing her not to help. All she can do is hope he does not die.

Then things in the fight get worse as Ichigo finds his resolve shaken by an unexpected turn of events.

Thoughts

Memories in the Rain is a sad exploration of what motivates young Ichigo Kurosaki and the visuals of the episode are dark, dreary, and despairing. In some ways, he comes off as almost an anti-hero because of his anger and dour disposition. But here we are shown a  good reason for it and it adds some depth to the character.

The tantalizing snippets of Rukia’s past add to her character too. More mysteries lie with this woman, it is clear.

It strikes me that even the humor is muted in this episode, something unusual for the series so far.

BEWARE HERE BE SPOILERS!

 

 

 

 

The use of a copy of Ichigo’s mother by the Grand Fisher had to be one of the creepier moments. That creature is so disgusting in concept that it amplified the wrongness of her being used to counter the boy.

The idea that her last thoughts were absorbed and copied by the Hollow is interesting, because it implies that souls are actually devoured by these creatures. When her last thoughts prove to be more powerful than the Grand Fisher can control, it is a wonderful bit of dramatic irony. He is undone by a previous victim of his.

Masaki Kurosaki’s last thoughts were of her family and especially of her son, Ichigo. It is a touching moment when he hears how she felt about him and a pivotal one for Ichigo. With her love and approval empowering him, the boy manages to wound his opponent badly.

The lack of resolution to the battle and the Grand Fisher’s escape might bother those who tune in for the fights, but it was high drama. Not being able to avenge your own mother’s death is yet another thing to add to Ichigo’s adolescent frustrations.

Orihime’s thoughts about reaching Ichigo’s heart are repeated near the end of the episode. Her kind sweetness and growing devotion to the boy are gently handled in poetic fashion.

Notice the attention paid to the full moon in Bleach. This is another theme associated with Ichigo, one that becomes clearer much later on. People may slam Tite Kubo as a hack writer, but he is not as bad as they think. It may not be deep material, but it isn’t shallow. I enjoy the symbolism he slips in from time to time.

Well written is how I would describe the father and son scene between Isshin and Ichigo at the end. Unexpected seriousness and good advice from the usually manic parent is well executed, with the impression that this is the real man without his clown mask on. It is also clear that he isn’t over the loss of Masaki.

Rukia’s expression looks like something close to adoration there, doesn’t it? The Soul Reaper left while saying he wouldn’t want to “break up such a serious couple” earlier and the lines were not delivered in a sarcastic tone. Ichigo may be oblivious, but it appears he now has two girls interested in him.

The imagery of the final shot jumped out at me. Here is the full moon out with the rain having stopped. Ichigo and Rukia are looking at each other, with her in a higher position, nearly unattainable.  To what heights will Kurosaki have to ascend to reach her?

Good Thing It Is Cold Outside

One of the “joys” of chronic illness is dealing with the fallout of trying to do something when ill. In this case, a fall out of the window by my air conditioner. It was one of those things I should not have been doing while really sick, but with a cold wind blowing in I could not take it anymore and started preparations to remove it.

I forgot it was not properly installed this year.

As soon as the window sash went up, out the window it went to hit a rock outside and bounce with a mighty crash. I knew it was a goner the moment I saw it hit. My father is an eternal optimist unto self destruction and insisted on running an extension cord to the battered unit. It wouldn’t even turn on.

So the money I was hoping to save up for a new pistol, rifle, or HDTV is now needed for an air conditioner. Good thing I have all of autumn and winter for that. Sigh.

The Internet Becomes a Small Town

Having grown up for part of my childhood in a small town, I became aware at a young age of the fact that there are few, if any, secrets that manage to stay secret. Privacy is an illusion as gossip and snooping are a way of life. Of course the facts are secondary to a good story and are among the first casualties.

The Internet is getting to be the same way, but with a goal of selling information rather than running other people down. Or is it?

One of the first things to catch my eye this morning was a report about how the Fed is planning to scour the Net for people opining on their policies. Are they soliciting viewpoints to incorporate into their decision making? No, they are looking to find who is shaping opinion and run a counter espionage style operation to control the public’s perception of them.

The fact that they have put out a request looking for a technology vendor to implement this is disturbing. Unlike a lot of people on the political right, I have no beef with the Federal Reserve. Well, until now. For this act alone, I think they should be disbanded. It smacks of being a government unto themselves and an Orwellian one at that.

Meanwhile, Facebook has been tracking every webpage that their members browse for at least a year. Not even logging out will stop this. As an immediate counter to this I have moved to using Internet Explorer solely for Facebook and will not be using my main browser, Firefox, for it anymore.

Combine that with the new “Timeline” interface and you have the world’s biggest snoop into people’s private lives. This is worse than knowing the old lady across the street is watching your windows, folks. Some websites will automatically update your status with your browsing their page under the new system. Since I was already winding down my Facebook usage to just gaming, I plan to take it all the way to that step pronto.

With those “features” in place, privacy settings are a moot point. It is clear there is no privacy where Facebook is involved and it creeps me out greatly. It is amazing how many people want your information. As much as tailoring advertising is supposed to increase sales, this has become ridiculous!

Time to roll down the shades, close the curtains, and maybe invest in virtual black out tape.

Health 9-26-2011

Well that was a bad weekend. Whatever bug got to me persisted through Sunday into the early hours of today. While the nose went from a spigot to merely swollen, the rest of the system decided to punt. Two days in a row going to bed and getting up eleven to twelve hours later is not how I like things.

At least I am functional today. The crossword puzzle took a whopping seven minutes and four seconds to complete, with a full five seconds wasted staring at the rain outside the window. I do believe that is a new record for me. Audiosurf was good, with the only error caused by me composing a blog post in my head when I was supposed to be playing.

The H2O2 regimen continues at fourteen drops for today’s doses. I had bowel distress in the early AM that may be related to it, but nothing came of it. Keeping a close eye on things with side effects in mind.

Did not like missing church yesterday, but I was in no condition to drive and did not have any ability to really listen until late in the day. At least I can look forward to General Conference next weekend.

Health 9-24-2011

Not at all well today and it started well as far a the crossword puzzle and Audiosurf were concerned. A runny nose that got worse as the day progressed has that tickle in the chest going again. It amazes me how little it takes.

Thankfully, the faucet in the nose has nearly shut off here in the evening hours. I notice that I am being irritable, impatient, and grouchy – so yep, I’ve come down with something again. Does not appear to be allergies since I am unable to get warm.

At least it is a little more convenient being sick tonight. Convenient? Yep, turns out the Saturday evening gaming session was canceled and I did not know it. So it is a good night to be sick.

Yes, I know I am struggling for a silver lining, but please do not rain on my parade! Watched some Squid Girl and anything that can make you laugh when miserable is a good show.

Squid Girl Episode 1 and Season 1 Part 1 DVD Set Review

UPDATE September 4, 2018

More DMCA take downs have hit the blog despite screen captures long being considered fair use. Due to my not being able to afford a lawyer, I have no choice but to remove them or have the blog suspended. Only the words will be left.

TVTokyo is proving to be foolishly draconian in targeting posts meant to get people interested in seeing the Squid Girl anime and perhaps even purchasing it on DVD or Blu-ray. Being anti-piracy myself this is infuriating that they are targeting posts I wrote hoping to encourage people to try out a delightful show.

A ferocious being from the depth of the sea sets forth to invade the surface world and wreak havoc on humanity in retaliation for pollution. Another Japanese giant monster movie? No, it is Squid Girl and she is here to dominate all you minnows! Well, if she could get over her shrimp addiction and pay off the putting a hole in a wall. It is squidtastic fun as we follow Squid Girl’s dealing with life in on the surface.

In late 2010, an anime debuted in the wee hours of the morning  (2 AM) in Japan and the world was never the same. A little heralded manga character suddenly became an Internet meme and amassed a cult following world wide. Her name? Ika Musame, or Squid Girl!

Each episode adapts three of the original short manga chapters, with each segment having an equally punny title. Be warned, Squid Girl is all about the puns, but interleaved with often witty observations about modern life. On to the review and Squid Girl’s weird and silly world, degeso!

How About an Inkvasion?

The show opens with a female voice ranting about the pollution in the sea and threatens an “inkvasion” of the human world. Ominous tentacles and a Jaws like camera point of view set a dark horror movie mood.

Which is promptly demolished by the aural assault on the ears that is the main theme. It is quite horrible the first time you hear it, but then it grows on you and I’ve become quite fond of it -- especially after reading the lyrics. The opening montage has quit a few spoilers for the series and makes it clear there will be no scares.

The creature approaches the beach, which is rather picturesque and home to a seaside restaurant, Lemon Beach House. Like Amity Island, the tourist spot has no clue what is about to hit it.

The creature leaps upon a table and makes a declaration of war.

The customers are stunned.

You would be too, if a blue haired girl in her early teens espousing world domination laced with fish puns interrupted your lunch. Alas, the waitress is not impressed and hauls the invader out back for a few choice words.

In back of the restaurant, Squid Girl explains who she is and why she is there. Thinking that she is just a cosplayer, Eiko listens to her demands and nicely tells her to go home. Showing the temperament of a Humboldt, Ika dashes in to tell her off only to be told by the gal running the place to take a couple of orders to a table.

Which she does without question.

The azure haired would be conqueror finds herself bussing the tables and quickly overwhelmed by the requests from the customers. A crisis follows causing her to remembers why she is there and it is time for another talking to out back.

It seems our little aquatic invader had miscalculated the number of humans in the world and can’t even handle 30 customers. The shock of finding out there are billions of humans is almost too much for her, but a mosquito turns into another challenge to her competence at warfare. Consequently, Squid Girl loses her temper and shows that she isn’t human after all in a hilarious battle to the death with the insect.

But there is collateral damage from the fight and her fate is not what she had expected. Now she is a waitress slaving to pay off the damage to the building.

What the squid?! This isn’t how inkvasions are supposed to go!

Aren’t We Brothers in Arms?

Settling in to her new job, Squid Girl finds herself being followed and one panicked encounter later has a willing soldier under her command. Sadly, he turns out to be Eiko’s little brother, Takeru. So much for relying on humans!

Spurned by the speciesist Squid Girl, Takeru comes up with a cunning plan. It involves paper and scissors, mistaken identity, and the gillibility of certain squid.

With a willing comrade in arms, what could go wrong? Well, err… lots?

Who’s the Mightiest Squid of All?

In the final segment, Squid Girl’s many faces are shown to great comic effect when things move to a horror movie like setting of an isolated Lemon Beach House. How can it be isolated on a busy beach, you ask. Rain. That foe of fun in the sun has driven all the customers away.

But it does give Squid Girl a chance to ask who the gal with the gill long hair is. She knows that the woman runs the place but is clueless otherwise. It turns out it is Eiko’s older sister, Chizuru.

The cold temps trigger a sneeze from Ika and that sprays ink all over Chizuru. She takes it calmly and goes off to shower, leaving the place in the care of Eiko, Takeru, and Squid Girl. Ah yes, the old divide and conquer opportunity arises. But first, the young invader (or is it inkvader?) is horrified to find out that squid ink is used as a sauce for spaghetti. Even worse, squid meat is consumed with it!

It is eat or be eaten time!

Easily besting the two kids, Squid Girl gloats when Chizuru of the ever closed eyes returns. One final boss to beat and it will be INVASION TIME!

So begins the tales of Squid Girl and her attempted invasion of humanity. Loopy, silly, filled with puns and more than a little sweetness, Squid Girl has to be one of the most improbable hits in anime history. Episode 1 does a good job of setting up the main characters for this slice of life comedy, degeso.

Thoughts

Squid Girl is great fun and always leaves me with a smile, which is something I have come to value more as I have grown older and the world darker. A lot of comedies could learn from this adaptation as it shows impeccable comic timing in direction and line delivery. That made it something of a worry when I read it was going to come out with an English dub on the DVD alongside the original Japanese.

While I still give much higher marks to the voice actors of the original, the American cast does a good job, especially the voice of Squid Girl. Though she doesn’t have quite the bombast when Ika is in scheming mode, the voice actress has caught her character well. The puns are slightly different than in the subtitles, but all are witty and convey the charm of the original.

The decision to dub should broaden the audience and that is a good thing. Everyone could use a little Squid Girl in their entertainment diet. Or at least squid ink spaghetti.

The show is aimed at teenagers and older, not little kids. In fact the case says “13 AND OLDER” on the back. But there will be things that will amuse younger ones, so I leave it to the discretion of parents to judge for themselves whether their kids should see it.

Technical

The 1:78 anamorphic widescreen transfer is gorgeous and I hope the screen captures show that well. Since there are no plans for a Bluray release in the States, this is as good as it gets.

Sound is good, with Dolby Digital surround actually using the rear speakers at times. That kind of surprised me, since this was a relatively low budget anime.

Language options include English, English with subtitles, Japanese, and Japanese with subtitles.

On Disc Two, extras are found which include:

Textless Opening

Textless Closings for all six episodes (subtle visual changes in each), but you can’t choose to watch them individually.

Interview with Hisako Kanemoto, the Japanese voice actress who plays Squid Girl.

Hat Folding video which is a continuation from the interview. Fans on the Internet figured out how to make Ika’s hat like Takeru did.

Trailers for other titles put out by Media Blasters. WARNING: the first preview is of a smutty series and is out of place on this set.

The DVD Case:

Oddly enough, this is the second time this month I feel that the presentation of the DVD case merits mentioning.

First off, the layout is rotated ninety degrees, which is very unorthodox. But given how off kilter Ika Musame’s world is, it seem appropriate. It also allows the whole cast to be shown and the art conveys the lively energy of the series.

The second thing to note is something I noticed when I found Disc 2 rattling loose from shipping. Take a look at the center plastic holder for the DVD. The prongs are Squid Girl’s tentacles! Very clever.

The case itself has a chemical smell to it, but I imagine that will pass in time.

Media Blasters and Anime Works deserve a lot of credit for putting this out in the first place and even more for the quality of the DVD’s. Nobody expected this to be a hit, not even the producers of the show. I for one, would like to thank them for helping us submit to our new squid overlord.

And so in tribute I will leave you with 8 bit Squid Girl from the opening to admire:

Health 9-23-2011

Punchy today and slept longer than usual. The H2O2 therapy has started to affect my sleep patterns. It is harder to get to sleep and earlier in the week I was up to 5 AM – not good.

On the flip side, my crossword puzzles and Audiosurf results have shown a sustained improvement as I appear to be more alert. Side effects of getting more oxygen to the brain?

As of today I am at 10 drops of food grade hydrogen peroxide in 8 oz of water three times a day. The taste is starting to become harder to take, so it looks like fruit juice will be the dilutant in the near future.

My appetite and capacity for food is decreasing too. It will be interesting to see if that continues.

Just realized I forgot to take my generic Zyrtec, better do it while I’m thinking about it.

Can Be Used for Good or Evil

The ever changing thing called modern technology can be a wonderful thing. It also can be a terrible thing for doing harm when placed in the wrong hands.

So it was interesting to see this account of an ATM skimming crew using 3D printers to make skimmers. When I found the link to this at Blue’s News, I knew I had to click on it as it hit two things I’m interested in: 3D printing technology and high tech theft. No, I don’t want to steal things, but rather like to be forewarned.

Having first read about this last year, I admit wondering where they got the plastic made for the devices. Now I know. The 3D printing tech has gotten so much more advanced over the years and I really would love to have one for fabricating model building parts.

Sadly, I am poor and unlike the users in the first article, not a crook. All I would use it for would be parts to make exotic versions of jet fighters.

Bleach Ep. 8: Memories in the Rain

The action anime shows it is capable of being something much deeper in this classic episode from the first season. As the tragedy that shaped Ichigo Kurosaki is fully revealed, an old danger threatens his family and a new one threatens Rukia.

Bleach can be an exasperating show simply because it occasionally reaches emotional heights it has no right to. Because of that, it can be frustrating wading through the lesser material while waiting to see it do something amazing again. Somehow I think P.T. Barnum would approve of how the original author and animators string along the audience that way. Memories in the Rain is one of those stories that keeps fans coming back.

The ending of the previous episode is an integral part of the story continued here and this serves as the middle act with the next episode completing it. So it is difficult to review it as a single episode.

Things begin with a glimpse of the ghastly netherworld of shadows shown sparingly earlier in the series. The voice of the mysterious mastermind Hollow is heard as he decides to go to the mortal world himself rather than dispatch minions. I have to say the theatrical voice employed for the character fits perfectly.

While that is going on, we see Karin and Yuzu hiking up a steep street with their brother and father trailing behind. Isshin plays the family idiot as usual but this time it is Karin who takes him down with a single kick. But the comedy is short lived as the walk to the cemetery is interrupted by a sudden appearance of Rukia.

The diminutive Soul Reaper wants to know if a Hollow killed Ichigo’s mother. It is a tension filled scene as Ichigo’s emotions boil over and he claims that he was the one who killed her. A shocked Rukia lets the teen leave as she tries to process what she has been told.

Following up on the moody scene in Episode 7, Orihime wants to know more about her crush and Tatsuki fills in some of the blanks of Ichigo’s past. When they were little, she used to beat up Orihime’s “super hero” at the dojo they studied at. Back then, the orange haired boy was a happy smiling kid who wasn’t the least bit tough. But everything changed when his mother died.

It is a lovely character building scene between the two girls talking and the flashback.

Rukia is upset with herself for prying to deeply into Ichigo’s pain and I particularly liked the visuals used to convey this. Her body language says more than her voiced over thoughts. Yet it is her past that is catching up to her, not Ichigo’s when the Soul Reaper seen at the very end of the last episode shows up to confront her.

But it is Ichigo’s tormented memories that make this one of the greatest episodes of Bleach. Here we find out why rain is associated so much with his soul, as he relives the fateful day his mother was murdered. And yes, he is responsible for her death. Back when he was nine, he couldn’t tell the difference between the living and spirits, so when a little girl jumped in the river…

With the death of his mother, the heart of the Kurosaki family was ripped out and everything changed for them all. Damage was done to each and the repercussions still show in the family.

Rukia’s past is starting to be revealed as well by the strange Soul Reaper who fancies himself something of a comedian. It turns out the he attended the same academy as she did in Soul Society. Sadly for him, she doesn’t have a clue who he is. So much for being the funny one in school!

So Rukia turns out to be from a noble family, but adopted in. This appears to make her an outsider at the Soul Reaper Academy. It looks like more is to come on her.

Here things begin to go bad as it is made clear Rukia has broken a very serious law of Soul Society by giving Ichigo her powers. This is compounded when the boy shows up to rescue her and the battle begins with an opponent out of his league.  However this is the least of their worries.

Ichigo’s past has caught up to him.

Thoughts

One thing going for Bleach is the interesting and well written characters. There can be no substitution for character development in my opinion and this show has it in spades.

Memories in the Rain also manages to convey serious drama amidst the action and comedy in a very effective way. I remember watching this and being floored by how emotional it was. As a result, I committed to watching this series.

Interestingly, this story was used as the “pilot” for the series and was shown as a stand alone video in Japan at a convention. It is also a pretty episode, with the art conveying the past really standing out.

Summer Wars (2009) Review

An extraordinary animated film that switches between real world rural Japan and an online virtual community provides laughs, tears, and the possibility of the end of the world – all during one high school student’s unexpected summer vacation. But looking beyond the protagonist, this science fiction film is also about the importance of family relationships, good and bad. UPDATED for Blu-ray details and HD screen captures.

While some people enjoy blind buying movies, I am not one of them. This one is not quite a blind buy because I saw part of a fan translated manga adaptation and thought it looked interesting. It ended up on my Amazon wish list and was forgotten until scrolling through that to find it on sale. So did it become a purchase to regret? Read on to find out.

When the movie started, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. The opening scenes are shown as an online tutorial and introduction to a virtual social community called OZ. OZ looks like a cross between Facebook and Second Life, with cute avatars representing the users of the system. In fact, it goes through the entire creation of an avatar as if it were a real system.

But is more than just a riff on Facebook and other online communities. OZ is also the backbone of all communications in the world with government agencies and facilities using it as an operating system. It is like if Microsoft, Apple, or Google ran the entire planet’s infrastructure. Now there is a frightening thought!

All of this was presented in cell shaded CGI rather than traditional animation was extremely cutesy in a corporate way. By that I mean in a talking paperclip kind of style for those of you who remember that in Microsoft Office. Not my cup of tea.

Suddenly we are deposited in the real world, or more accurately the traditionally animated depiction of a Japanese high school computer club. In Japan, they have clubs for almost everything and they are a big part of a teen’s high school life. Here we meet two computer geeks who are part time administrators in OZ.

Then something happens that never happens in real life – the prettiest girl in school walks in and offers a paying job. No, Natsuki isn’t asking them to rig her grades. Instead the older student needs one boy to come traveling with her to the countryside.

And so our hero, Kenji begins his assignment of escorting Natsuki in a montage that manages to catch subtle nuances of every day life while interweaving glimpses of cyber life on OZ. We also find out the shy boy is a math wiz who narrowly lost out being the Japanese representative at the international math olympics. It also turns out he has been hired to pose as Natsuki’s boyfriend to meet her family.

And oh what a family she belongs to! The Jinnouchi clan are descendants of samurai and the matriarch Sakae is the one all orbit around. In fact, her 90th birthday is approaching and that is why the family has gathered together. Natsuki reveals a scheming side when she introduces Kenji to her great grandmother and unreels multiple lies about who he is. The biggest one being that he is her fiancé.

It is a scene that demonstrates marvelous comic timing as the clueless boy slowly realizes what is going on. But amongst the comedy is a sublime moment where Sakae stares at him with all the ferocity of her spirit to evaluate the lad. She sees something deep within him and gives her approval to the marriage. For some reason Kenji is rather upset about being misled, but Natsuki is determined to keep the ruse going.

Meeting the rest of the boisterous and varied family follows at dinner. Not even a flow chart can help him keep everyone straight. I loved this scene for it rang with the authenticity of how families behave, from the banter to the insults as we get a glimpse of each personality. All are believable, realistic characters – even Shota the second cousin cop with a crush on Natsuki. He’s there for comic relief and because every large family has someone like him.

Throughout the movie, we are shown the various family members interacting and many little things are planted for future reference. This is a very complicated movie. Also interwoven is a parallel to baseball presented in the television broadcasts of one of teens of the family in a high school baseball tournament. Keep an eye out for that.

But not all is fun and games at the Jinnouchi gathering. Every family has a black sheep and theirs is named Wabisuke. His appearance brings with it unexpected tension and seriousness to the movie, which had been light hearted until now. It is a foreboding scene and sure enough, things begin to move in a bad direction for Kenji and company. It doesn’t help that Natsuki has obvious feelings for her “uncle”.

Inability to sleep and a strange email with a cypher asking to be broken leads to Kenji being framed for hacking OZ. Suddenly a wanted international criminal, it is up to him to find out who stole his account and is vandalizing OZ. With help from Kazuma, a young computer gaming ace in the family, Kenji begins his attempts to clear his name while hiding what is happening from the family.

But with media being everywhere in modern society, that doesn’t work out so well. Exposed and arrested, Kenji’s spirit manages to shine when confronted before being hauled off. His family is small and doesn’t interact very much, so his gratitude for his experiences with the Jinnouchi’s says a lot about what the movie is really about.

Horrified by the turn of events, Natsuki surprisingly shows great concern for Kenji as it appears the shy boy has managed to make an impression on her after all. I suppose being hauled off in hand cuffs helps with the whole bad boy thing girls go for. I kid, I kid. Or do I?

Meanwhile things are going very wrong in OZ. Very wrong and what goes wrong in OZ will go wrong in the real world.

The hacker isn’t a hacker, but a rogue artificial intelligence unleashed from a United States university. Named “Love Machine”, it begins consuming accounts and interfering with everything from stop lights to atomic clocks. As the chaos expands, the entire country of Japan is paralyzed.

Enter Sakae and her very old fashioned rotary phone with equally archaic hand written address books. Her many decades of contacts with noble families and the government turn out to be very handy when modern communications fail. It is a tour de force performance, something I never expected to write about a cartoon character.

Her efforts and that of her family are traceable, however. Love Machine now knows he has an opponent and more importantly, knows the clan crest. The AI is cunning and growing even more dangerous.

Returned to the mansion due to Natsuki’s efforts, Kenji is on hand when things finally come to a boil regarding Wasibuke as secrets are revealed and a dramatic confrontation occurs. Later on, a card game of hanafuda changes one life as the shy teen is forced to make a fateful promise by the scheming matriarch.

Hanafuda is a way of life to the Jinnouchi’s and another reoccurring theme to watch for. This movie made me want to learn how to play it. I have a feeling I will be buying a set of cards.

Things go from bad to worse as Love Machine continues its rampage, the world itself is endangered, and Kenji finds himself accompanying the Jinnouchi clan into cyber battle. With the stakes being raised to that of life or death, the peaceful summer vacation has turned into a summer war.

Can Kenji save the world and maybe, just maybe, get the girl?

Thoughts

Summer Wars is a wonderful film, filled with all those moments that make families truly family. It is also a ripping good science fiction yarn; one of those that warns of a possible future already happening. The gradual takeover of everything by the Internet includes our electrical power plants and hackers have already accessed them. The potential to bring things to a grinding halt is not very far fetched anymore.

But the heart of the movie is the Jinnouchi clan and all their colorful personalities. This really is an ensemble cast and the director’s having the voice actors together in the same studio really paid off. Come to think of it, this movie feels like a live action film in the real world scenes because of this.

The main message of  Summer Wars is the importance and strength of family. None of it is rendered in a sappy way and it is unflinching in showing the embarrassing sides of relatives. I also loved the character of Sakae, the matriarch. While it is not rare to see the elderly shown respect in anime, it is unusual to see a woman of her intellect and fire combined with age. She alone makes the movie worth seeing.

Fortunately, there is a lot more that makes the film great.

The development and growth of the two leads is also well done and manages to be believable despite the short amount of time it happens over. Kenji’s becoming the young man Sakae saw in him is a joy to behold.  Natsuki gets her share of progression too, going from a selfish girl to someone willing to risk all for others – becoming more than a little like her great grandmother.

The Japanese voice cast is absolutely superb across the board. I do want to point out that Natsuki’s voice actress, Nanami Sakuraba, doesn’t sound like the typical cutesy anime girl, but like a real one. It makes her character and I couldn’t imagine her any other way.

Though I am on record as hating English dubs, this one has a very good one with a cast that rises to the occasion. The only complaint I have is that when they did the dub script, more profanity was introduced than was in the subtitles. This is something I have noticed in fan subtitling and it seems to be spreading to official dubs, unfortunately.

Because of the scatalogical profanity, I cannot recommend it for children. It is rated PG and contains violence, both in the virtual world and the Jinnouchi mansion. Older teens and up are the real targets of the movie, anyway. There are some scenes in the the virtual world of OZ that could give nightmares to little ones.

Speaking of children, this is a rare anime where the little kids are voiced by little kids rather than women.

I highly recommend Summer Wars, as it is a true delight and holds up very well on repeated viewings. In fact, I recommend purchasing it outright. Not bad for a semi-blind buy, eh?

Technical

This is a review of the DVD, so I can’t say if the Blu-ray is even more spectacular, but I would hope it does full justice to the gorgeous transfer. Make no mistake about it, this is a beautiful film and after adjusting to the CGI world of OZ I found that impressive as well.

UPDATED: Yes, the Blu-ray is even more spectacular. Animated content gets a huge boost in quality in this format and everything is better.

It is presented in 1.85:1 ratio with a full 5.1 Dolby Surround mix for both Japanese and English dubs. Sound is excellent with full use of positioning and ambient noises that are very effective at making you feel that you are in the countryside. On the Blu-ray the sound is in Dolby TrueHD and is even better.

The soundtrack fits the film perfectly, especially during the sequences set in OZ. Madhouse has created something to rival Studio Ghibli in every facet of film making.

Funimation issued this as a two disc set with the movie on one DVD and the extras on the other. All are on one disc in the Blu-ray release. The extras are well worth looking at with interviews with the main cast members and the director. It is interesting to see behind the scenes of how voice work was handled, normally you get extras on the animation.

The packaging has to be mentioned. Summer Wars comes in a sturdy plastic case that doesn’t skimp on plastic to save costs. A separate plastic leaf holds the movie with the extras DVD on the inside back. The case is clear which allows a rather unique insert to be used. On one side is the front and back while the inside of the insert is a mini poster of the lead couple backed by the rest of the cast. The Blu-ray case is smaller and only has one disc, but the rest applies to it.

Taking things a bit further, the case comes with an embossed slip cover which shows the same characters on the cover but as their OZ avatars. The back is the same reversal. It is extremely clever and testifies to the quality of the issue. Oh and the artwork is very good.

Funimation deserves kudos all around on the effort.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

 

 

 

 

The death of Sakae is handled wonderfully as she becomes the sole casualty of Love Machine. Here is where the movie becomes more than just a lark, but something deeper and sweeter. With the loss of their matriarch, the Jinnouchi clan both pull together and splinter at the same time – mainly along gender lines.

The panning across the porch conveys the loss powerfully and how it affects everyone differently. It is one of the best scenes in the movie.

And it is here that Kenji and Natsuki start becoming a couple. Having been spurned Kenji when trying to comfort her earlier in the movie, Natsuki’s request to have her hand held is a sweet moment as he enables her to release her grief.

Having been through enough family deaths to outnumber the amount of weddings I have been to, the way Sakae’s death is handled by the family rang true. It was all too familiar, especially since my immediate family was bound together by my mother.

Another sub story I enjoyed in the movie was that of Kazuma, the kid with the laptop. His alter ego, King Kazma is the champion of fighting in OZ and a direct outgrowth of two things: his being bullied in school and being taught kung-fu by his uncle. His frustration and despair at failing to save his family from imminent death is what finally unites the family.

The prodigal son arc of Wabisuke is deftly handled and another highlight of the film. His creation of Love Machine was meant to restore the family fortune lost by the great grandfather, but like the biblical figure he came to calamity in a far off land. His return and guilt make this a redemptive movie on top of everything else.

Seeing Natsuki pull herself together and support Kenji in the last stand while death was hurtling down upon the mansion showed her growth. Becoming the champion of her clan, the power up in the final battle of hanafuda conveys her blossoming beauty and stature of soul. Here she becomes worthy of the boy chosen by Sakae to be her husband and protector.

Then there is our hero of the story, Kenji. Sakae took pride in being able to assess a person’s character by looking at them and her confidence in him was well placed. Calling upon strength and leadership he didn’t know he had, Kenji ends up leading the clan into battle by rallying the men to fight back. One gets the feeling Sakae was looking for a strong man to restore the family after many generations of women running the clan.

The ending was fantastic, except for the very last moment which went to slapstick comedy. But I’ll forgive it. After all, how many happy endings feature a funeral?