Take A Pick Tuesday: Chobits

Take A Pick Tuesday: Chobits

 

 I'm dreaming of Summer, it's many months away (we aren't even in spring yet) but perhaps I'll have awoken by then and until then, I would much rather dream than live in a dreamless state. Summer is the right time to recommend Chobits. After all years ago it was when I first watched it and its impact  on me has lasted ever since. Also what made it relevant to our culture and with the tides of change, its beginning to prove even more so with each passing day. I can’t think of a time these days that I don’t see a major magazine not discuss artificial intelligence, robotics or the debate on its ethics. Certain countries who have robots have found this debate slowly move into a center where all other topics are discussed. This heartwarming romantic comedy had been asking it long before then and asking them well.

 

     Hideki was just a country boy when he found himself coming to Tokyo to enter cram school after failing his entrance exams. It can’t be ignored in the city, everywhere you look there are Persocoms, personal computers the size of humans, robots basically that have begun to be one of the essential needs for people. Hideki knows nothing about them except the women ones are cute like humans, uncanny in fact except for their ears that are like cat ears to tell them apart. The only other thing he knows is that they are extremely expensive.

 

      He finds himself in an apartment he’s sure he won’t be able to afford soon or anything, including Persocoms which keep coming back into his mind. His neighbor Shinbo is also going to cram school and calls it right away on Hideki being a virgin and a bit of a pervert. That’s one of his first introductions to Persocoms, by someone he knows, although Shinbo’s whose name is Sumomo is a mobile version, a smaller almost pocket sized one who every time she sees Hideki says: "master he’s scary.” This is all a little much for Hideki new to the city and fascinated with all the women around him,it doesn’t help that his landlady is as beautiful as is his teacher. Soon so is his co-worker who  Hideki develops a major crush on however everything will take on another dimension when he finds what seems like a woman, thrown on bags of trash, hardly wrapped in anything except a few white clothes, almost mummy like. Sorry had to throw a mummy reference in there.

 

 

 

     Of course Hideki panics, is it a dead body, what should he do until he realizes those cat like ears.  She’s a Perscom, one that has been apparently abandoned. After thinking it over he takes the chance given to him carrying it to his house, first thing he realizes is that adult sized Persocoms are heavy like human beings, if not more so at times.  It won't be the last time he needs to carry her too. Even before the two actually meet, you have a feeling that Hideki would probably jump in front of a bullet for her. Not something that would go unnoticed by others and is proven time and again through the series.

 

  When he takes her home Hideki remembers that he’s clueless, about many thing yes but especially about Perscoms, he was forced to touch all over its body in order to find the on switch until he narrows it down to one last place.  When she comes to life, his life at that moment changes forever, soon others will know. Shinbo will first of course, realizing after trying to check the specs on her that she isn’t just a broken Perscom that says Chi over and over again (which is why Hideki names her Chi) after she nearly breaks Sumomo from her sheer power.

     To say Chi is special is an understatement, even the person he’s referred to, a child, that lives in a wealthy mansion surrounded only by Perscoms especially one in particular, can hardly figure Chi out. Yet she’s missing the most basic things, however it becomes clear that she can learn them.  So Chi becomes a quick learner imitating him even at the worse of time and her devotion towards Hideki is both heartwarming and hilarious. This show does everything right and does it in spades. It can have you watch Hideki try and figure out how to go to a woman’s store to buy some panties without having a nervous breakdown or being clubbed to death for being a pervert in one episode and then question the connections to humans that a Perscom has in another.

       Is it justified or are we replacing a part of our life missing with them, if so what are the repercussions and then does it make it wrong to have them by our side, maybe even love them? Can humans continue down that path and possibly no longer interact with each other?

 

        It easily sorts through these episodes and the connections to the characters, their past and secrets that surround Hideki, you'll never feel their depth isn't explored, quite the opposite and when it’s done and they go back to him it makes his connection with Chi that more potent. Also a certain little mystery starts to foreshadow the whole thing. Even though at so many points I could just see the anime conclude it doesn’t and that’s a great thing. Somehow Chobits does this while embracing some of the episodes we've come to expect from the romantic comedy shows.  It has it’s beach episode, it has what I call Halloween episode which is hilarious for one scene which is Hideki not getting any sleep and explaining it to Shinbo in class and then when walking off nearly using the window as a door. As well as frightening and  a connection to one of the underlining stories.  It’s even got a gaming episode where Hideki and Chi try out what it’s like to go into a MMORPG.  Never does it feel like it's simply going by the model of the genre, it takes these things that we love and does it in the way only Chobits can.

      In these episodes important storytelling is still show and character development, maybe even a few hints for some of the unpredictable twists they have. How can you imagine that Ms. Shimizu or M or Shinbo or any of the other characters could change the focus of the episode so drastically but they do. There is no part of the show that’s a throw away and it makes the experience no matter in what capacity that much more rewarding.

 

         What's interesting is that Chi is so recognizable from this show alone but like all of Clamp shows, it's set in a larger universe. In fact reading the manga or even having ever watched the anime Angelic Layer you'd see that is had taken place only a few years before. Also having set the stage of asking certain questions that Chobits asks in the series. Not to mention you can find Chi in various other shows and manga including Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, xxxHolic, and even Kobata.

     Chobits certainly has an infectious charm to it, juggling genre elements like a pro and I like to think of it as a modern classic. It deserves a go by any anime fan really, it’s never an easy task to bring a Clamp title to anime form. Even so Chobits has a rare quality that sets it apart from the other series. If anything the anime shows that we are complicated as humans as well, having Perscoms in our world doesn’t really change that, it just adds to the already present complexity. How perfect is it that we go through it with Hideki, that could be any of us. Could Chobits be science fact soon, who can say? Some would say it already has.  What we do know however is that there are things that come, cause us to open our heart and we feel like we need to examine it when it does, in that way Chobits does a great job of showing us what’s under the hood. Immerse yourself in it and perhaps you'll see the dream, perhaps you'll be in the midst of summer.  

Take A Pick Tuesday: One Piece

Take a Pick Tuesday: One Piece

 

For as popular as the series is, for as many people that enjoy it, it still amazes me how I’ve never truly seen anything like it. It’s easy to get swept up in the popularity of a show and while that isn’t a bad thing, it can mask shows that truly change the game and shape of things. One Piece is one of those shows, with its wild art, to its storylines, to its infinite array of characters, One Piece has stood strong for over fifteen years and I’ve yet to see it repeat itself. 

      Years of watching this show I’ve come to carry the firm belief that it is one of the most important, intricate layered shows that on every side of it is enjoyment and something truly important, a shining representations of anime as well as storytelling. Not just that but motivation to see the firm connections in our lives as well as it's reflection. Certainly with watching it and those I’ve shared it with, it’s something we can completely agree on. For however strange the world and characters seem they always have one foot into ours, emotionally you can relate to them and feel attached. One Piece allows you to dream with them, hope with them and come off feeling firmer in your belief. It's about living for today, enjoying the moment in a more positive light then is probably associated with the term. This isn't about the impossible odds, it's about overcoming them.

    Yet that is something you expect even from the beginning, that promise of a truly epic story. One thing you can’t wave away is the humor in One Piece, strange characters, strange faces and their interaction shows how it is able to dominate a person’s emotions when they invest in the long run of episodes. How do you go from a character that uses boogers as explosions to a heartfelt promise to a scared whale that has waited years for a friend. From a skeleton that is asking to see women's panties to a queen that makes the unpopular decision to accept humans, trying to  bridge the gap of two species only to pay the ultimate price for it.  What is fear compared to the freedom of happiness. What are an infinite amount of mountain like obstacles compared to dreams. How the hell does a boy made of rubber who starts out without a ship or a crew believe he'll be King of The Pirates.  That is the power of One Piece.   

      Diversity rules the day in this series from the early introductions in the East Blue arc to the promise as they approach the grand line, to them entering their major arcs from then on which is everything from Alabasta, Skypiea, Water 7, to Thrillerbark and  and the game changer War of The Best. Since then the stakes have only continued to be raise, the addition of more plates spinning at the same time, the great zany factor keeps growing and the explorations of characters familiar and new dives deeper with plans to go even further. One Piece is in control of all the corners of this sort of story telling, it's just waiting for you to find out and see.

 

    In the manga on one of the side panels or author notes if you will, it has Eiichiro Oda describing what the life of another type of pirate was like, Vikings. In speaking of it he said that to most they were a terror, a danger lurking, and a based fear. But to them what they did, no matter how horrible, was just them working, they would go home to feed their families. I think in a way its an excellent insight into how this show’s story unfolds. The main focus are a group of pirates with a goal of being the greatest of or the finding something legendary and in all sense though in there case they are the good guys, which makes their pursuers the bad guys though not all pirates are that great ( they are pirates after all) and not all of the navy are awful people. Except the Straw Hats still seem to be the unique exception, there intentions are good and it's through this that they gain a reputation of infamy and they become known to the most dangerous elements of the sea. 

   It’s not so much as the grey line as it is an ocean worth of stories and dreams. Dreams build this show as does ambition, as does tragedy. Your introduction to the main cast has a way of becoming a tear jerker and even some of their adversaries have stories themselves that would shock you.  For those that don't actually know what One Piece is about well as said before, Monkey D Luffy dreams of being King of The Pirates, good luck trying to change his mind, it isn’t happening?  The man knows what he wants.  Against all odds he gets quite the impressive, diverse, unexpected crew. His first mate who sets out to be the greatest swordsman that ever lived, Zoro, who also happens to be a pirate hunter. Nami the thief that in the beginning always seems to have her own agenda but despite this is a genius in drawing out and mapping any destination in the world. Dreaming of one day having the first comprehensive map that entails on lands in the world as well as all the seas.


       Usopp the liar, who tells tales of adventures that were never something he was involved in, until he is and through the majority of the show and even now is a coward. Even so he is the crew’s sniper seeking to live up to the myth that he holds for himself. Sanji the cook, who dreams of seeing the all blue, a fabled ocean who just can’t help but be a horn dog chasing after every woman possible. He fights with his legs because his hands are only meant for cooking. Having survived once at the near point of starvation and thanks to a great sacrifice of another he has kept the value of food close and can cook just about anything. Chopper the reindeer who wants to continue the dream of another in being a Doctor. Something that almost seemed impossible until Luffy and the crew came to Drum Island. His power allows him to transform in various forms we see when we first meet him and others forms he keeps secret. His knowledge in medicine is invaluable for the crew.

      Nico Robin their archeologist who had been a part of an illegal organization only to be hidden from something even more, she dreams of finding the great wonders and inscriptions of an ancient text that are the key to something of great importance. One major storyline that is built and foreshadowed through the series.  Naturally you need a shipwright, someone to look after the ship repair it, or simply keep it from being damaged. Then you have Franky, the shipwright who is the definition of cool. Wavy blue hair, well at first, and wears a speedo and Hawaiian Shirt oh and he’s a cyborg too whose main power source is Cola.  Finally  there is the musician Brook, a skeleton who when they first met him didn’t even have a shadow.  The sole survivor of a crew long since dead who holds a promise he still hopes to fulfill. As sad as his story is Brook usually is in good spirits as is most of the crew which at least to me says something about the enduring spirit.

       Every pirate since the previous King Gold D Roger was executed, have been after his treasure he spoke of right before he was killed, it started a new age of piracy and it is Luffy’s goal too but as much as the journey is for these goals for the crew as a whole and as individuals, it’s also about freedom, to live one’s life, to be happy unchained to the world. It seems so simple but it essence to enjoy life can be the greatest thing to achieve of all not to mention something that you may find challenge you, in fact in the case of the Straw Hat crew there is an entire institution against them as they are of all pirates.

 

       The shows wears humor as if it were its clothes, it is not simply a layer it is the core of the show as is some of its most serious issues and storylines. It also is what makes the show so balanced and so fluid in its animation. If you wonder the depth of this series I think it’s always important to bring up, people that enjoyed it are swelled up in the story that we don’t always speak on what we’re seeing but everyone knows the same thing. The show can go in depth, it’s amazing how much of a reflection you can find from it on us, almost effortlessly from the subjects that range from racism, drug use, corruption, religion, war, friendship, family, even love.

 

With this a massive intricate world is established, one that is stranger and even more fun as you progress.  Everything is more than it seems, you don’t just get pirates, you get pretty sophisticated levels of power, with characters that are infamous from all places in the world. Some of the strongest and most feared pirates are called The Seven Warlords, feared for their power they are granted immunity as long as they come to the aid of the Navy when asked. Then you have the Four Emperors, easily these pirates can be the next king after Gold Roger. Each with their own domain and claim to land, and some of these characters are actual kings, loved rulers, dictators, or straight up war criminals. Others are kind hearted and with closers connections to Monkey D Luffy then you think. Not to mention that alliances at times can be formed, by people more powerful than you can imagine.

 

      Power at times for characters can come from what is called the devil fruits,  they appear as fruit but taste terrible, each one gives a different power, the way the world on One Piece is, many that hold any control or hope and dreams are devil fruit users, not all but Luffy is one of them. His may seem like a strange power when there are so many out there but at least to me it may be the greatest power of them all, the power to stretch his body like rubber. Luffy hadn’t eaten it for the intention of power, like most things he was guided by his stomach, it was an item belonging to his mentor and friend Shanks, leader of The Red Haired Pirates.

      It comes with a cost though, anyone that eats the devil fruit can no longer swim, they drown like a sinking stone. There is even an item used against devil fruit users or has weapons or bars made up of it to contain them called Sea Prism Stone. Still if that was enough to stop the devil fruit users from both sides whether pirate or marine than this wouldn’t be One Piece. It doesn’t stop Luffy or his crew with half of them being devil fruit users. Being made out of rubber does help with physical damage and if anyone ever had a power like say over lightning than you might be the one person that could stand up to them. I’m not saying anything. Even the Devil fruits have their own categories, like I said intricate but I could talk about this all day.

 

      You’ll get to see these users and the many places, every episode is unpredictable, whether they’re on the seas with the weather changing constantly the further you are on the grand line or the islands, all different from each other, some could feel like you’re on a different world. It can be an island of snow with giant rabbits or an island of giants period, high above the clouds or below in the sea, it can be an island where one half is a blazing fire and the other a snow wilderness.  Others are like ports  in normal cities, some are kingdoms. Then you have ones where there are toys and people walking around them.  So it sort of breaks even I suppose.

 

With all these characters and powers and worlds it doesn’t allow you to believe that the Straw Hat Crew are the most powerful. They are beasts of power for sure. Zoro has no devil fruit powers but lifts weights with his legs that are as big as the ship and can cause whirlwinds with his swords, Sanji can air walk and his legs can come down with you while on fire and Usopp can shoot something out of the sling shot and giant plants emerge. Nami with her navigating skills seems perfect to manipulate the weather with her particular weapon. Even so with them and the other devil fruit users, one being a skeleton, they don’t for a minute allow you to believe that there isn’t a threat that can't challenge the Straw Hat Crew. They tend to be outmatched and the power seems to be just to beastly in the series causing them to get stronger as they go through their adventures.  However that shows you there is more to the show than fighting, after all their pirates at sea, through it all they really just want to have fun.  

 

For the collector in every heart you have figures of every story line, millions of variations, along with every merchandise imaginable. As well as being  the champ in the Guinness book of world records with a stunning amount of manga in print, we’re talking 320,866,000. Since then it's broken a whole slew of records. All from a creator that is the lowest profile of a high profile author I’ve ever seen. Well he has his moments I suppose. 

      Oda has been asked a good amount of questions, many you won’t get a straight answer for. There are some things though you can count on, his dedication proves that hard work does pay off. It's been reported previously that the author/artist only gets 3 hours of sleep, sees family only once a year, keeps a small amount of assistants and does a great deal of the drawing himself. Even hospitalized Oda had been found from visitors to still be drawing, it is something he enjoys, saying in a certain way it relieves stress. Mind you the author has a wife and kid but perhaps much like Luffy he knows how to make the stretch to get it all done. Come on I couldn't resist.

      One Piece as you’re coming to understand is a lot of things but above all its heart, so many adventures if done right can have a lot of heart in them. You understand it’s ok to dream, and it’s a reinforced thing in a show that’s gone on for years. You think that’s a lot but spend the time with the characters, with the story and the adventure and you’ll dread every TO BE CONTINUED that they place at the end of an episode. One Piece has a lot being said about it, it’s gone on long enough to earn that and it’s innovative and challenging story telling is why it only grew larger with age, especially in these last few years One Piece is proven to be a global phenomenon. The reason for that is, the depth in one piece, storytelling , characters, dedication  and adventure is an example of a well done anime. One Piece is a dream waiting for us to follow.  

Take A Pick Tuesday: .hack//sign

                                              Take A Pick Tuesday: .hack//sign

 

 

 

These days shows that depict you In a virtual reality type game or both common and popular. One could note Sword Art Online as being the big one but also Log Horizon and even the new Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon. The list goes on and on these days but years ago there was .hack//sign. Let me tell you first watching it, it felt like there was nothing quite like it, in many ways I felt like it was showing the eventual future of not just gaming but also how we socially interact with each other how we mask ourselves as someone else, no one ever truly knowing who we are, what we’re going through. How isolated we are or how much we really need help.

 

     I’m happy and unhappy to say that a lot of that came true. On the technological side it seems like the gaming industry really is looking into those aspects for gaming. Interactive is the key word in just about everything and is very likely to be how everything is in a few years. Same can be said about how we interact socially, we don’t communicate as much as we do on the various networks and devices. While the show depicts this, I’d say people were as awkward around each other in real life as they had predicted. Time will tell though I suppose.

 

    The premise for .hack//sign is focused on a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) called The World. The way the story starts off is in this world, with a character that wakes up as if he was unconscious, unable to remember how he got where he was, possibly who he even is. However you come to find out that he can wield though not always in full control an illegal item, this strange golden glob that has a way of shooting long arms into the characters, killing them. Soon he’ll be hunted by those that are sort of like police, knights in general and those that want to understand and befriend him. At first wanting to spent time with, form travel parties and play the game but then also to journey with but not with frustrations as he tends to push away characters, alienate himself or even make it impossible for anyone to help him.

 

       His real trouble comes with being found with an illegal cat character according to the silver knights and though he can’t recall this it sets him to often warp out of dudgeons and various other places, adding to the impossibility of his character since he’s not supposed to be able to do this. Except he can never truly leave, you see Tsukasa finds it impossible to exit the world. This will lead him to search for the Key of The Twilight something all the other characters will begin to search for as well.

 

The first thing to know about the .hack universe is that it is a massive as the fictional online game it portrays in its story. At the same time of the anime, the very first .hack games were released for the Playstation 2. These events were running parallel to the .hack//sign tv show. The characters do eventually meet in the OVA’s of the TV show. A similar issue happens in the game in which a new character named Kite loses his friend Orca, a legendary character already to a strange figure Seth and is placed into a Coma in real life.  Each game also had a DVD come with it called .hack//limalinty where it deals with characters facing the strange occurrences that are happening from THE World but in real life.

 

    There are even novels that are set during the time of the game and mangasof the sequel shows that would follow as well as books that are set before the events of .hack sign and even during the beta version of The World called fragment. In fact the novels develop a timeline for these events as well as an event called Pluto Kiss in which all things related to the world would come from as is an author who had posted pieces of a story in which The World is based on. Massive is the world for this whole universe and half of it started with .Hack//Sign.

 

Tsukasa seems to have an aimless approach to The World once he realizes he can’t log out. Sometimes it feels like he is hiding the misery behind being unable to log out and other times the freedom of not having to face the real world anymore.  The real word outside the game which is depicted from time to time lacks the color and elaborate beauty that the game world has to offer, sound is almost absent from it although it does bring insight into why Tsukasa cannot log out of the world. While Tsukasa is a brooding character, other characters make up for it with their other emotions and attitude, no nonsense, Mimru, a heavy blade that despite her constant fallouts with the main character is as secretly concerned as the rest of them. She warns him of the circumstance of being pursued by The Crimson Knights and tries to instill a little responsibility in him. Even in the game world people should be responsible.

 

     Then there is Bear who also tries to assist Tsukasa when they first meet but gets a warp out from the main character as a response. Then there is the leader of the Crimson Knights, Mimiru. With her and the Crimson Knights you get a sort of gateway into the state of The World as they speak of the moral issues with certain characters. Sometimes you get big name bombs dropped like the two legendary warriors Balmung of The Azure Sky and Orca of The Azure Sea. That’s right the same Orca who falls into a coma and which drives Kite to try and save and reverse the infection spreading in The World in the Playstation 2 game.  Other characters abound and appear as the show progresses, you get to experience other common things in The World suck a Play Killers and the term PK’d. As the lingering mystery around Tsukasa becomes clearer and perhaps the purpose for him being trapped in The World and what it may mean for the game and the characters in it.

 

       You see hackers and worlds where trash date resides as they battle ideals with people that are supposed to be a part of the company that created the game. It teases what the game knows in aces that there are many dark secrets in The World and some will be attempted to be covered up.  While it is a show about a game it does feel like an adventure story the settings are comforting and the character designs fit well into the world and the various personalities that fill it. What can’t be ignored is the amazing music in the show. An orchestrated hymn like that feels like it’s roots come from the various cultures in Europe that The World would borrow it’s designs from. Almost Gallic at times the composer Yuki Kaijiura. The music can be dark and brooding, epic in scope and intensity and calm, relaxing and thought provoking.

 

      .Hack had opened a place where many shows could also follow, certain aspects about gaming and communicating that has become a part of our society. Even if the show hadn’t done it years ago, it can still stand on it’s own and is worthy of viewing even among a genre with other popular titles. Not to mention delving into The World is immersing yourself the various platforms and it can be fun to connect the dots. How did Balmung and Orca become Legendary Heroes? How did characters Like Aura come about or even The World itself. What is the legend behind the game itself and what exactly is Pluto Kiss, why is it more relevant today than it has ever been. Starting with Another Birth in the Books to the timeline of .hack GU and beyond it with the shows that follow and the movie, .hack is a worthy universe to become a part of and makes us all hope that when the president of Cyber Connect 2 has heard our interest in seeing more in every format, he was speaking the truth.

 

I’ve always loved .hack//sign, it goes without saying and also enjoy the voices provided for it in the English Dub. It’s easy to enjoy shows and the characters, voices and forget that real people are behind these shows making it possible. Real people with real lives that are also trying to make a living. It’s also easy to turn a blind eye to horrible things that happen to them but I find as fans it’s just as easy for us to turn an eye toward it, to reach out and help those that are responsible for shows that in ways help us, maybe helps us grow as people and enjoy them, sharing them being immersed into something much larger.

 That is why I’m bringing intention to the sad news that has befallen actress/voice actresses Brianne Bronzy. A spinal injury on the set of NCIS: Los Angeles from a falling metal grip that landed on her neck according to the report in various new sites. In March 2014 she had already undergone a life threating spinal surgery, its left her in a constant state of pain and no one has really taken responsibility for it, neither worker’s comp or court systems have acknowledged this and will not pay for it. They are raising funds for her required Post Physical Therapy treatments. Below is the portal page to donate to try and help someone in the industry in need. To see more about the Campaign see the Anime News Network link below. Where I first read about it. A portal page to donate money is below the anime network link.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-06-03/campaign-for-digmon-hack-sign-voice-actress-brianne-brozey-medical-funds-launched/.88785

 

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/in-desperate-need-for-temporary-medical-living-

expenses-/329777