Iwa ni Hana

Japanese literati Miyazawa Kenji's short story 'The Biography of Gusukoobutori (グスコーブドリの伝記)' to be animated

The details on this anime are rather scant at the moment, though we do know that the director is Sugii Gisaburo (杉井ギサブロー), who has an interesting track record as:

• Animation Director of Kanashimi no Belladonna (1973)
• Director of Tale of Genji (1987)

Both Kanashimi no Belladoona and Tale of Genji are masterpieces that no one ever seems to know anything about. And I also noticed that he directed another adaptation of Miyazawa's short story in Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985).

For the record, I have a feeling that Biography of Gusukoobutori is likely to become yet another masterpiece that no one ever seems to know anything about.

(Source: ttp://www.animate.tv/nf/detail.php?id=0000002724)

New anime from Studio Rikka: 'Are You Enjoying the Time of Eve? (イヴの時間)'

Studio Rikka (ie. the independent studio who brought us Pale Cocoon and Aquatic Language, among others) is showing the first episode of their new anime Are You Enjoying the Time of Eve? at TAF 2008.

Here is my translation of the plot:

Due to the influence of the Committee of Robotic Ethics, people got used to treating robots as 'home appliances'. But those who are influenced by the appearance of robots (which is just like humans except for the link above their heads) and therefore treat them like humans are called dori-kei and are treated as a social problem. 

Rikuo, a high school student, treats robots as convenient tools rather than humans due to his education since childhood. Then, he begins to notice strange words on the action records of his home android robot, Sami.

Together with his best friend Masaki, he follows Sami to seek the mysterious truth...

I know you are probably thinking that this doesn't sound like an interesting story as far as sci-fi goes, but Studio Rikka is not Studio Rikka for no reason. There is always a unique touch to their works. I am rather looking forward to see what they are up to this time.

(Source: ttp://www.studio-rikka.com/)

Fabricated Japanese article purports 'moe' was first used in a newly discovered manuscript of Sei Shonagon (and a look at what it means for subculture at large)

The cheeky article in question is found here on Kyoko Shimbun ('Fabricated News'). The gist of it is that a manuscript of Sei Shonogan is recently discovered and in it the great Japanese court lady/diarist opines that 'men who moe Murasaki-no-Ue is very unbecoming'. It is, the article purports, the first use of moe in the meaning which is now widely used in present-day subcultures.

For those of you who have not read Genji Monogatari - Murasaki-no-Ue is a lady who was raised from childhood to be Prince Genji's dream woman and actually does grow up to be his dream woman. (It's more complicated than this but you get the idea.) I suppose you may read the purported criticism from Sei Shonagon as:

• a criticism of Heian gentlemen being obsessed with a fictional (ie. unreal) female character in Genji Monogatari; or
• a criticism of their obsession with prepubescent/teenage girls.

I think the former interpretation is more likely than the latter in this context, though either way it is a subtle commentary on today's gal-game/eroge and moe anime subcultures. However, I think there is a key difference between the obsession with prepubescent/teenage girls then and now: Prince Genji is interested in the potential of young Murasaki growing into a beautiful and refined woman of his dreams, but now many male anime fans into gal-game/eroge are interested into the grown version of the dream girl? Prince Genji is interested young Murasaki in what she will be, but it seems to me that most fans of gal-game/eroge are interested in the dream girl only as so far as she remains the way she is at that  particular age - it is as though if she grows up, the magic will somehow be gone.

To be fair, my personal opinion is that Murasaki-no-Ue is a woman's vision of the ideal woman than a man's vision per se (she is a female character created by a woman for the consumption of women after all). But then it's not like I have an X-ray vision into the minds of men past and present.

That is all I have to say for now. Ladies and gentlemen - the floor is all yours to have your say.

[Announcement] Kon Satoshi's new anime 'Yume-miru Kikai (夢みる機械)'

So the word is out that Kon Satoshi's new anime is entitled Yume-miru Kikai, or 'Dreaming Machine'. The details on this are scant but it is said that the anime is to be a 'future folklore story for children'. 

The artstyle, like that of Yuasa Masaaki's upcoming Kaiba, seems to be Tezuka-inspired. This retro artstyle would seem to be a curious choice if the anime were truly aimed at young children of today - my guess is that it is probably aimed at nostalgic adults as well. In fact, the whole description of 'future folklore story for children' is something of a paradox. A folklore by definition is a traditional, archetypal story that is part of the collective memory of a people. How can there be a 'future folklore' before the future is here? It seems to be an ambitious endeavour on the part of Master Kon to write the history of the future.

The best of Iwa ni Hana

In light of the upcoming Anime Blog Awards, I think this would be a good opportunity to round up past posts on Iwa ni Hana that I rather like. (I would also like to point out that Iwa ni Hana is not just one blog, but one main blog with several series-specific sub-blogs.) Anyway, here it goes:

Cultural Theory & General Observation

Anime that they do not want foreigners to see, and anime that they do want foreigners to see

Some observations of the behavioural patterns of Japanese and English-speaking anime fans

The fantasy of growing up fast in older anime/manga

The aesthetics of the 'deliberate blank' in anime

Just what English-speaking anime/manga fans mean by 'angst'?

The strategy of 'being loved by everyone, one person at a time' in HaruToki (and economic reality)

Why so many adaptations?

The Problem with Depictions of Parent-Child Relationships in Anime

How do you define a 'cult classic' in anime?

Racial identity in anime

Markerting strategies of English anime ads and Japanese anime ads

Announcement: Programme tour and DVDs of Kawamoto Kihachirou

I just received an email from Jordan S., a regular commentator of this blog that:

1) In the UK, there is a programme of Kawamoto Kihachirou's films and other stop-motion currently showing in Bristol, which will proceed to tour to a few other cities in the country. See here for all the info and images on this.

2) On 22 April 2008, two DVDs of Kawamoto's work (a collection of short films and the feature Shisha no Sho) will be released on region 1 DVD in the USA. Here is catsuka.com's info in this regard and below is the trailer:

Too bad I don't live in the UK or the US. But those of you who do, you may wish to check this out. I for one am a bit surprised that Shisha no Sho is voice-acted by quite a number of renowned Japanese actors and actresses like Miyazawa Rie - she is an extremely picky actress these days, so there must be something Very Special about this piece.

You can find out more about Kawabata at Jordan's website here.

Is Japan the place of romance in Chinese shoujo light novels? Just as Europe was the place of romance in Japanese old-school shoujo manga?

I was browsing through a mainland Chinese bookstore and came upon a section of original Chinese shoujo light novel. I checked out some of the novels and an idea crossed my mind: Is Japan the place of romance in Chinese shoujo light novels? Just as Europe was the place of romance in Japan in old-school shoujo manga?

I say so because:

• Some of these stories are set in present-day Japan or some fictional place bearing strong resemblance to present-day Japan.
• The characters tend to have vaguely East Asian names that are conceivably Japanese as opposed to distinctly Chinese names.
• The covers and artwork that accompany these novels are the of the generic Japanese shoujo artstyle.

As I discussed in my earlier post Racial Identity in Anime, anime/manga is a medium on which issues of racial identity are projected. Europe was the stage of choice in countless old school shoujo works from The Rose of Versailles, The Poe Family, Kaze to Ki no Uta, The Window of Orpheus to Candy Candy, and it seems fair to say that there was a prevalent wishful longing (憧れ) for Europe in these works. The romance and drama in these stories all happen in Europe, or at least a fantasized or refined version of the old aristocratic Europe, at a time when the real Europe of the 60s and 70s succumbed under the fads of the Beat Generation - a cultural movement that was in many ways a backlash against tradition. The male chivalry, the feminine grace, the elevating concepts of refinement, honour and nobility that were celebrated and idealized in these shoujo manga were no more. It seems as though these shoujo manga artists longed for a Europe that no longer was (or perhaps never had been).

Returning to my question of whether Japan is the place of romance in Chinese shoujo light novels - I would probably need more time to investigate what is it about present-day Japan that these Chinese shoujo light novels long for, though I have to say at this stage that most of these light novels seem to be copycats with ideas pinched here and there from J-drama and present-day Japanese shoujo manga - in other words, the typical boy-meets-girl stuff.

Iwa ni Hana at The Anime Blog Awards

I am pleased to say that psgel of Star Crossed Anime Blog put forth the name of Iwa ni Hana in the Best Editorial Blog and Most Thought-Provoking Blog categories. (Many thanks for your kind appreciation, psgel.) I also received a personal email from the staff running The Anime Blog Awards and it would appear that the voting happens on April 1st.

To be honest, I think the comments of readers of this blog are probably more insightful than my own posts. Readers regularly post illuminating essays in the comment section of this blog. Personally I would like to nominate AniPages Daily in the Best Editorial Blog category as soon as I figure how to register etc.

The thing is, I think I am brought up in such a way that I take a detached attitude towards competitions of any kind - I don't feel too much joy if I win and I don't feel let down if I lose. But I will see.

Ghost in the Shell: Subversiveness, The Definition of Masculine Strength and Love in a Cybernetic World

So I am having a marathon run of the two seasons of the TV version of Ghost in the Shell over the Easter weekend. I have never seen it and it is quite overwhelming to see all 52 episodes in one go. Here are some quick impressions.

[Massive spoilers ahead]

Subversiveness

Methinks if you actually manage to get your head around all the maze of events in and philosophy behind the work, you may be surprised that the work was not banned by censorship or otherwise obstructed from ever being produced at all. I think it is fair to say that Ghost in the Shell is a story set in the 21st century that is really about Japan in the post-WWII economic boom. As I watch it, I could feel this raw, seething rage against the Establishment / the Old Guard / the Social System of Weasels, by Weasels, for Weasels that Japan frankly is. It is almost as though the creators have a personal grudge against all the shams in the world (世の中のいんちき) and want to overthrow the whole damn apple cart. The finales of the two series feel almost like Judgment Day.

'Intolerance' directed by Phil Mulloy

Intolerance is an ingenious and wacky series of animation shorts. I appreciate the art direction, the black humour and the originality of the concept behind the series:

An alien race is discovered far out in space. The alien race resembles mankind physically except their sexual organs are located where our heads are and their heads are located where our sexual organs are.  The habits of life and ideas of sexuality are the opposite of ours. In addition, they believe that they, too, are made from the image of God. The two races decide that the universe is too small for them to co-exist and send out fleets of warships to annihilate each other...

You can see the first two parts of the series here and here on Youku.

Studio Ghilbli: 'My Neighbours The Yamadas'

[Spoilers ahead]

I watched My Neighbours The Yamadas (ホーホケキョとなりの山田くん), a delightful and humorous anime surrounding the daily life of the fictional Yamada family. The artstyle is similar to Ghiblies, and there are the haiku poems interspersed in between story arcs.

There are the trademark flights of fancy you would expect from Studio Ghibli. For example, there is a sequence where Mr and Mrs Yamada put on their wedding headgear as though they were putting on helmets and getting ready to tough out a motorcycle ride.

But it turns out that figures of Mr and Mrs Yamada riding the motorcycle are doll figures gliding down a huge wedding cake. I like the creativeness of this visual trickery. It starts from the diminutive and as the camera pans out you see the bigger picture.

Then, with the voice-over of a speaker at the wedding cautioning the two on the travails and difficulties of married life, the motorcycle ride suddenly transforms into a sea voyage and other adventures to visually complement the speaker's words.

   

A very neat sequence that is. Plus there is never a dull moment even though the anime is about mundane daily life. Heartily recommended.

Upcoming Russian animation: 'Fedot the Shooter'

So I learned about this upcoming Russian animation called Fedot the Shooter from Twitch. The details of the interior somehow remind me of... Mononoke, though I can't say that I am overall sold on this from what I see from the trailer above yet. It just... does not seem to have the alchemical magic you see in animation from, say, the Russian master Ivan Maximov. You can check out the company's website here.

I am guessing that it is based on a story written by Leonid Filatov and there has already been an earlier cinematic adaptation in 2002.

Rewatching Kon Satoshi's 'Millennium Actress': An Analysis

I rewatched Millennium Actress over the weekend (see my previous post from over a year ago here), and was amazed all over again at how great an animated film it is. Certainly it is a film one gets more out of with every viewing, and here is what I got out of it this time:

[Massive spoilers ahead]

1) The thing about this movie is that you are never sure what you see is:

i) A real movie Chiyoko has starred in;
ii) A subjective fantasy Chiyoko experienced;
iii) The historical/objective reality Chiyoko experienced

For example, the scene where she chases after the painter. We know that it was something that veritably happened in Chiyoko's real life. But we also learn that the same scenario later appears in a movie she starred in.

This is fair enough, as movie plots may well be some sort of recycling bin of real-life cliches. But as you follow her in those surreal footages, you realize that there seems to be some sort of wish-fulfillment, fears, premonitions and forebodings that must have welled up from within her mind. For example:

Eastern European Animation: 'Lavatory Lovestory'

So I ran into this 10-minute video clip of Lavatory Lovestory on the Chinese video site Youku. The premise of the story is quite interesting. An unassuming lavatory lady of a men's washroom (the kind you have to pay to get in) dreams of being in love. She sees many men pass her by everyday and one day she finds flowers in her money jar. She puzzles over who her secret admirer may be...

It's quite an interesting and unique piece. I like the simple black and white which is set in contrast against the colours of the flowers the lavatory lady receives - it's an effective graphical representation of the idea that love enlivens the monotony of life. Do please check it out if you have time.

Light novel series 'Count and Fairy (伯爵と妖精)' to be animated

Here is what I made of the Japanese Wikipedia entry with as little spoilers as possible: The story is set in a fantasy Victorian England. Lydia, an expert of fairies, meets Edgar, a young man who claims to be the Blue Knight Count (青騎士伯爵), who wants to acquire the sacred sword Merou that is passed down from generation to generation in the Blue Knight family. Lydia is hired by Edgar to aid his mission, and is soon involved in a series of incidents related to fairies.

This seems to be a spade of shoujo fun. Sure, it does not deviate much from the shoujo formula in the sense that the hero who is calculating and cold to every one else grows protective of the heroine over time and pays a Heavy Price to save her life etc etc. But I suppose shoujo fun is shoujo fun after all. I will probably be checking this out just for the heck of it.

Final version of 'Summery Fancy' (fan-made otome game based on cult classic 'Saint Seiya') to be released in 2008

This announcement was made on 8 February 2008 (the birthday of Aquarius Camus), so I am a bit late in learning about this. According to the details provided on the official forum, it seems that the final version is a huge improvement to the beta version, which I wrote about on this blog earlier here.

Here is what I have learned so far:

• The interface is improved.
• The player has to answer a bunch of tricky questions about life in general at the beginning and draw a card on the inborn intelligent/potential she is to possess in the game.
• You can choose your faculty and experience different stories.
• You can have things like NDS and notebook computer in the game.
• There are a number of fields you must work to gain points on in order to gain the affections of the Gold Saint(s) of your dreams: knowledge, logic, sensibility, sensitivity, flexibility, athletics, insight, sociability, finances and luck.
• You can join school clubs.

The game is only available in Chinese, and there is no news on translating the game into English yet. Best of all, it is free.

(I have a feeling that when this game comes out, this blog will no longer be an animation blog but a gaming diary...)

Breaking New: 'Appleseed' to become a TV anime series

I remember watching Appleseed a long time ago and being bored to tears by it. Since then, it has stayed on my list of 'highly acclaimed anime I should probably rewatch at some time in the future to see if it was just silly me missing the point after all.'

Apparently, it is now to become a TV anime series.

Has anyone else seen Appleseed out there? So what did you like and did not like about it?

(Source: ttp://www.tokyoanime.jp/event/view_stage.php?id=23&time_id=5)

'McDull Wudang': Animation from Hong Kong

To those of you who are on the look out for creative Chinese animation, McDull Wudang may be just your thing. Here is the plot summary from Twitch:

This summer, while some children go to New Zealand to ski, some go to Beijing University to learn Putonghua, some go to Oxford to study English and visit the Harry Potter film set, McDull is the only one left in Wudang to study martial arts.

Life in Wudang is slow and boring and Tai Chi is even slower and more boring.  Without TV or air-conditioning at night, there is only the sound of the crickets and bugs and the clicking of Tao Master clipping his toenails.  McDull cannot hold back his tears any longer.

Still, he has to practice his Kung Fu. “The International Kindergarten Martial Arts Competition” is imminent.  How can McDull coordinate his clumsy limbs with his slow and boring Tai Chi, to compete against children from other schools of martial arts?  What will the students of Bruce Lee, Yuen Wo Ping and Piggy Wing do to McDull?

I admit that I am very tempted by the storyline to check it out. You can also see the image gallery here.

Fans of 'The Legend of Galactic Heroes' rejoice! Tanaka Yoshiki's space opera 'Titania' to be animated!

Breaking news indeed! Just 2 days after we learned that Titania is to be adapted into manga format, we now learn that it is