As I was, I say as I was sayin’, I’ve been watchin’ that thar Japanese Animation and tarnation if a whole ass whuppin load of it ain’t fun like a purdy lil’ southern belle sittin on the porch waitin’ for some feller to come an’ sweet talk her out of her daisy dukes. Well what in the name of Bull Run are we waitin’ for boy? Let’s get to the reveiwin’!
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.hack//SIGN

Now this little show has been causin’ a fuss all over the far flung internet. Either people really like this show or they really hate it. The premise is kind of like “Serial Experiment lain” put in a fantasy setting with a larger cast of characters. The set-up is simple, online people engage in a massive multiplayer game known as “The World”. It operates as a large online fantasy game and seems to be highly addicted. Lately the Sysops have been in a panic over the reported sightings of a player named Tsukasa. It seems Tsukasa is player character with powers far beyond his playing time. This makes everyone playing nervous, nervous enough for the Sysops to send out the “Scarlet Knights”, a special online unit designed to kill off unwanted PCs. But Tsukasa has an interesting secret about why he can do what he does, a secret that will leave the other PCs he encounters confused and even scared.

Initially I hated this show. It did nothing for me after the first dialogue intensive episode. Then I watched the second episode and I find myself getting sucked into “The World” and the conflict that Tsukasa seems to bring to it. I’m not going to give away Tsukasa’s secret here, but let’s just say that it freaks the other characters enough to the point where they question whether they should even continue to play this game.

I find myself wanting to watch more of this show, as it is very intriguing despite its rather bland animation. It has a very nice limited amount of music and the characters talk a lot and I mean a lot. The first 4 episodes are pretty dialogue heavy and that could distract anyone from watching this, but I find it refreshing for a fantasy show to tone down its action quota. For now the show gets thumbs up from me, hopefully further episodes will draw me in even more.
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Abenobashi Mahou Shogentai

Hey its one of the latest from GAINAX, those wacky bastards who can make gold (Gunbuster, Honeamise, FLCL) and then make a commercial failure that people turn around and claim is a classic (Evangelion). Truth is out of all the material Gainax has put out the only thing I didn’t like was the bastardized Gundam that was “Evangelion”. Well I’m glad to see that this studio has finally decided to stop taking itself so damn seriously.

“Abenobashi Mahou Shogentai” is by the same GAINAX team that gave us the super fun “Galaxy Express 999” retread known as FLCL. Trust me that is not a slam on FLCL; comparing it to GE999 is putting it in high praise indeed. “Abenobashi” just may be the first truly original style story GAINAX has attempted since “Wings Of Honeamise”. It mashes so many genres together to make something fun as hell to watch. What more could I ask for?

The premise is that Sasshi and his new friend Ayumi keep getting bounced around from world to world thanks to the magic guardians of their hometown Abenobashi. Hijinks ensue would be one way to describe what happens to them. The wackiness gets cranked up another level as every world they visit takes the people who live in Abenobashi and incorporate them into the currant scenario. Take episode 2 where Sasshi and Ayumi find themselves trapped in a RPG video game world. Every time Sasshi dies Ayumi has to take him to get resurrected. Even worse, every lesser monster is a form of Sasshi’s big-breasted sister. Do I need to mention the neighborhood Transvestite?

The show is like “Excel Saga” with a plot and that my friends is something very scary to think about. I already love the over the top parody style of “Excel Saga” and to throw in an actual overall story just makes everything click on all cylinders. Looks like GAINAX has a legit hit on their hands, something that won’t be threatened to be cancelled after 11 episodes. Overall it is just a very solid show, clean animation, nice character designs and every episode is furthering along the overall plot. Holy crap, GAINAX made something clear and concise, alert the fucking media!
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Hunter X Hunter

You have to appreciate a man who won’t quit. Take Yoshihiro Togashi for example. For the last 10 years his major hits in the manga field always end up being the #2 favorite story in whatever magazine he publishes in. When he was busy churning out “Yu Yu Hakusho” back in the 90’s, he was busy playing second fiddle to Akira Toriyama’s “Dragonball” and eventually to “Slam Dunk” as well. He followed that up by playing back up to Nobuhiro Watsuki’s “Rurouni Kenshin”, with the horror/thriller “LEVEL E”.

So Togashi took a few years off to recharge. In that time he managed to score himself a wife in fellow manga-ka Naoko Takeuchi (aka she who created "Sailormoon"). Then in 1998 Togashi came back with a story that would soon eclipse his most popular creation (Yu Yu Hakusho) in the form of “Hunter X Hunter”.

“Hunter X Hunter” takes the team concept and juggles it around. It has a main character but at times he plays a minor part in the current storyline. In fact Togashi seems to have a pattern to history arcs. If main character Gon Freaks is featured heavily in one story then he will have a minor role in the next one. Every one of the main characters develops in the story process and that is important to getting a feel of the group dynamic. Togashi is great throwing out unique and interesting characters that speak to a reader on some level.

There is Gon, who is looking for clues to locate his long missing father. He is joined by Leorio; a man who is desperate to become a doctor in order to help those can’t afford one. Then there is Kurapica, the last of his wiped out clan, who seeks revenge against the guild of assassins that committed the crime. Finally there is Kilula, the heir to the greatest family of professional killers in the world. All of them meet during the annual gathering of prospective “hunters”. A hunter is highly skilled individual who uses the skills they are best at to attain whatever interests them most. Those who become Hunters gain the “Hunter’s Card” that allows them access to free lodgings, food and other resources. The Hunter is respected and feared, as there are both good and bad Hunters.

Togashi seems to love mixing the elements of classic fantasy with modern settings. “Hunter X Hunter” will take place in a temple filled with traps for one story and then shift gears the next story and send the characters to New York City the next. The characters use each story to improve their skills and become more powerful in the use of the mystic art of Nen (the equivalent of Ki from “Dragonball”). This is an engrossing and fun with elements of “Dragonball”, “Blackjack” and even “Chojin Locke” used to create complex yet fun world. This series deserves your attention, few shows are both fun and intriguing these days yet “Hunter X Hunter” seems to do so effortlessly, keeping the viewer engaged in the current story while anticipating what will happen next.

I ask simply, “Why can’t more shows do this?”
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“Chojin Locke”
Manga By Hijiri Yuki

Last time I talked manga with all of you, we discussed the greatness of Mamoru Nagano and his grand epic that is “The Five Star Stories”. Nagano’s vision and drive to tell the tales of Amaterasu and The Joker Cluster are a testament to one creator never giving up on telling his story. It is the same drive that brings us to Hijiri Yuki’s awe inspiring tale of “Chojin Locke”.

What does it truly mean to be immortal? What is it like to be a reluctant catalyst of change? What is mankind’s ultimate purpose?

These are questions that “Chojin Locke” has asked at times through its main character, the seemingly immortal ESPer known only as Locke. Since the dawn of the time known as the “Cosmic Century” Locke has participated in or witnessed the major events that have shaped the future of mankind. Locke is a loner, not always by choice but more often than not because he knows that his immortality separates him from the people who seek to get close to him. He would rather live in peace than fight but like any hero he will fight to seek a better peace. He is quiet, lonely and tragic all at once. In some wayshe is kindred spirit to Leiji Matsumoto’s “Eternal Traveller” concept. Both Locke and the Eternal Travellers know that their existence is to watch over the course of human events and whether or not they act upon them depends on their own personal ideals.

“Chojin Locke” has a rough history in its published form. To date every publisher, there have been 4 of them thus far, that has serialized the manga has gone out of business. Yet the popularity of Locke is tremendous. Yuki continues to tell Locke’s sad adventures and the fan base continues to rabidly absorb each new story. At its peak in the mid-80’s“Chojin Locke” was the most popular manga in Japan, its circulation never reached that of say “Dragonball” or “Urusei Yatsura” but that is more due to Yuki’s preference to publish the story in smaller, more hardcore science fiction manga anthologies. It has been like this for nearly 30 years of Locke’s publication.

Locke as a story is complex and thus far only one story has been animated, the fan favorite “Millenium Of The Witch” story arc which has the Galactic Government seek out Locke in order to fight and defeat “Jessica”, a woman who is raising an army of ESPers to bring the galaxy under her control. While this may sound like very generic sci-fi meets 007, it is in fact much deeper as Locke has to deal with the inner issues. What do his powers entitle him to? Should he be helping Jessica? Is Government sanctioned murder just? Is Jessica just using the ESPers who serve her or does she really care about their future?

Locke is filled with bold images, brutal fights, pensive inner conflict and operatic storylines. Sadly, this has never been translated into a mass market format for the Western world. With over 40 volumes of manga published it seems doubtful that any company would take a chance on “Chojin Locke”, but then again I thought the same thing about “The Five Star Stories”. I can hope and pray I suppose. Everyone should hunt down “Chojin Locke” and marvel at it, even in its own Japanese. Even with the barrier of language its brilliance is undeniable.
 

James