Manga Select: Oishinbo

Manga Selection: Oishinbo

 

Oishinbo is more than a manga, it’s a window into the foundations of Japanese society itself, the way all cultures differ and share similarities, food. The manga has since become essential, sold in book stores anywhere with manga and even airport stores in Japan, just to give you an idea of it’s influence, as well as it’s representation of a country with pride in its traditions that has remained intact even to this day.

     Each volume is dedicated to a particular food group such as rice, vegetables, and fish and so on. They draw from a 100 volumes in a series that is still ongoing, highlighting some of the best chapters or the most relevant to what each volume is about. Food groups used in Japanese cuisine and that’s the thing, this isn’t just food but dishes that are prepared as fine culinary dishes as well. Yamaoka Shiro along with his co-workers work for a newspaper  Tozai Shimbun, preparing to present a spotlight they call the ultimate menu, which finds them seeking out the best of the best for each dish, even the intricate aspects that go with these dishes.

 

     Though each volume is divided into a topic (sort of), there is plenty to explore within it and the first volume shows more than what’s expected, even preparing what seems simple like the perfect miso soup or green tea or even the proper dishes and cups to serve them in. Why not even have one that focuses on the chopsticks themselves, yes it is an experience you’ll relish as you read it. As insightful as it was when the manga first started in the 80’s. Natural taste and seasoning, the right balance, where they come from and how they should be used.  

 

       Quite the task no matter who undertakes it, luckily for the magazine they have Yamaoka Shiro. While he may seem disinterested and bored, Yamaoka is extremely knowledgeable about Japanese cuisine, understanding the complex aspects of dishes and why the simplicity sometimes is the key. It also helps that he knows legends and unknowns in the food industry that can bring out the taste and was raised in the kitchen much to his benefit and his dismay.

         How he has obtained such a keen knowledge for such things bothers him more than he cares to admit, especially when he finds the magazine will have to deal with a rival newspaper working on what they're calling the superior meal assisted by the top gourmet, his father Yuzan Kaibara. The two can hardly be in the same room together without shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. When Yamaoka was younger, his father was demanding, overbearing, everything needed to be perfect to his taste. His job and his home life inseparable had forced Yamaoka’s mom to redo meals over and over again. Even his father’s cooks had to walk on eggshells and for this reason there was never an enjoyable moment without incurring his father’s wrath.

 

      Still these circumstances have given him the delicate, sensitive taste buds and the keen eye for what Japanese cuisine should be.  Even so the author can’t help but bring these two together and this first collection of stories sees this face off quite often. Now the volumes are collected stories so they shoot through the time line but still you can't help but feel like the editors enjoyed the father and son showdown to splice so many so close together.  At times it even misguides Yamaoka who goes against what he would normally do in order to prepare a dish just to try and best his father, with results that make his regret this choice.  Though sometimes it feels as though his father is guiding him, teaching him even in his own stuck up way.

 

    One thing it never does is distract you from what the manga is all about. Informative and loving for the art of Japanese cuisine, it’s challenges what people know in order to expand it and as an effect brings people together. Yamaoka tends to help struggling cooks or preparing a menu or get volunteered into something when someone visits the office. When it isn't these situations, it tends to be someone disliking a dish and having to be proved wrong, there's other rivalries and other personal social issues that come up and attached themselves to the food storytelling.  These usually take readers through particular taste which come with a bit of history. Even if Yamaoka is unwilling and his co-workers have to drag him along.

 

      Many dishes or explored and the author doesn’t leave you wondering how the meals are prepared, providing recipes to many of the dishes. However what is interesting is the length Yamaoka goes or other cooks go to prepare these dishes. There is even a scene where Yamaoka jumps into the water in order to obtain the right ingredient for a meal he is preparing. Oishinbo was a part of the movement during the 80’s called the gurume movment ( the gourmet boom) and yet managed to stand apart from the rest and is still an enriching experience. Since it’s publication the manga has received numerous awards and is still one of the longest running manga titles even though it’s run into a bit of a hiatus in the last couple of years.

 

    Though it isn't the first time, the recent one was shortly after a bit of controversy. It goes back to 2014 where the author received criticism for the way he depicted a story that referenced the Fukushima Nuclear Plant post meltdown. The largest nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl, which happened as a result of the 2011 Tsunami in Japan, knocking out generators and back-up generators.  In the story, a journalist finds himself getting sick shortly after visiting the Fukushima plant. Shortly after the manga went on hiatus though the editor insisted that it had been planned beforehand.

      Naturally the concern came from how the public would react, fears of fish from the area being tainted with radiation and many wanted to assure there was no cause of concern. On the other side there are some that will defend the comic, speaking out on the symptoms that they have, similar to those of the character in the story “The Truth of Fukushima.” Tetsu Kariya, author of the manga defended the story even if the reaction came as a surprise, it was a story that was researched for two years and something he and the others that worked on it wanted to stick by.

       As are all the stories in the manga you see, heavily researched to give an authentic view on Japanese culture, when you become this iconic of course it can cause a wave of reactions. Manga is versatile like all comics, anyone that would try and argue this fact has never heard of Oishinbo. For years Oishinbo has stood out as an important cornerstone not just in manga but in all aspects of Japanese culture. As the author says, it’s something to bring us all together so it may just be a manga about us as people in general and that comes from the joy of food.

A Podcast Companion

https://soundcloud.com/rats-on-a-plague-podcast

*Need more otaku time, well for more ideas why not hop on to the newly minted podcast Rats On A Plague Ship. A podcast that speaks on all matters of geekdom with yours truly and my fellow co-host Sal Almaraz. The true cure to when the hours feel like they drag!

  

Take A Pick Tuesday: Witch Hunter Robin

 Take A Pick Tuesday: Witch Hunter Robin

 

 

There’s a sort of fog like atmosphere that comes to mind with this show, it doesn’t seem to be driven by any other force except its own pace and style of storytelling. How perfect that the series is an occult detective series at heart. Many fans of many generation will find the name to be familiar and that isn’t too surprising, it’s considered a classic in it’ own right and was to me at least a part of a sort of anime renaissance, shows that stormed their way from Japan to exposure from all places across the globe.  It was an exciting time and many anime fans were born at this particular time.  Witch Hunter Robin would be very comfortable with American show counterparts and not just for the occult theme purposes.

 

       The story follows Robin Sena who returns to Japan the country of her birth from the Roman Catholic Church in Italy where she was raised. As a craft user she is sent as a replacement in this branch of the organization SOLOMON, the STN-J. It’s an organization that hunts down witches that have gone astray and we’re not talking all witches, they have a vast database and can cross-check genes and family in which a person has had their powers passed down. The list is massive so not every witch is targeted, they seem the same as any other person would. Instead they hunt down ones that commit crimes.

 

      The interesting this is though Robin is fifteen years old, she is a craft user and has had experience in the organization and witch hunting. Despite that many of the early episodes show the group ignoring her or scolding her at looking, touching things in the crime scene. Almost always though it’s Robin that makes the headway in the case and is the deciding factor in solving them, she’s at times acquainted with the target even before realizing they are the target. Robin is soft spoken and extremely relaxed seeing, a little on the introverted side but despite her trench and perhaps to some gothic look is gentler than the rest of the gang whose comments can rub you the wrong way at times.

 

     One of the first things Robin finds out though it takes the first episode for any of them to let her up into the office considering no one realized she was the new person being sent is that witches aren’t hunted the same way. For the STN in this particular branch witches are captured alive, at least that’s priority and taken to a facility they call factory. Of course immediately it raises eyebrows on why the witches are taken alive and to what purpose. Seems strange to Robin whose craft allows her to control flames much to the concern of her co-workers.

 

      Her partner is Amon. The silent angry type that seems to dislike her at first but not truly, yet despite being her partner it’s a long time before he even takes her out properly on an assignment. There is also this mistrust felt, perhaps by the other hunters but more so with the head of the unit who conveys this to Amon, we’re not sure on why. Some of the vague aspects of the show instead of being frustrated help set the mood, so once they actually begin to fill in the gaps such as the consequences of hunting the witches, of who the inquisitors are and who Robin may be, it only adds a deeper layer to the show. Even so each episode feels like a case which means you can have someone sit down with you and watch it yet it has a satisfying underlining story that gives you the pleasure of watching it from the beginning to the end.

 

Some interesting aspects that go into Robin’s psyche but spread out through the complexity of the show is her relationship with Amon, as said before he hardly takes her out in the beginning but eventually does, not only that but notices that she needs glasses when using her craft, since it was fire that was probably a good idea. Still there is this unspoken relationship between the two, passed by looks and I’d like to even call it trust, where distrust would seem obvious. Romantic but not in the usual romantic since and yes she is fifteen years old. Still though it’s hard to have characters close and separate at the same time and still seem to complement each other. I think that’s why the opening song “Shell” has such a cool insight into this aspect of the show.

 

     Another insight that comes from Robin is the actual history of witchcraft, how though they are hunted there is this question of why is it still a sin to be a witch even now in present day. Sure there is a database with all the witches that there are in the world and they aren’t capturing all of them but what if they aren’t. Why does it still feel like it’s such a crime to be a witch which goes into the persecution of people accused of being witches whether real or not throughout history even beyond Salem witch trials. If anyone has an interest in the actual persecutions of people accused of witch craft, it’s an interesting history less throughout our human history and it may make you cringe a bit. Having read about some of this I couldn’t help but question when it began to finally bubble to the surface.

 

      It has a way of linking all the previous witch hunts and some episodes don’t sit right and of course leaves certain endings bittersweet and some just bitter. It’s well thought out and helps mentor the maturity that it carries effortlessly and yet has weight when these things start to come up though at first you only really get a piece.  Now these guys may be witch hunters but they are definitely not skilled in prevention, there is an episode where they literally scream for someone not to kill the other, stand there with guns pointing and watch it happen. Also it seems like Robin and Amon are really the ones leading this team. Once there is a big shift in the series you think you figure out what’s happening and yet there’s a twist in that too, the motives are more ambitious than that. It plays off Witch Hunter Robin’s subtlety.     

 

        There is endless amounts of thoughts to play with from things that aren’t said, if you follow close enough, pay attention to gestures, simple things said you can get something much larger from the show. That might take time to get used to, it might even be seen as a fault, don’t believe it is, it is the style in which the show was born to have.  Questions linger in the air and soon their crowded with more or simply the questions become greater.

 

    Luckily the answers trickle faster than confusion can set in.  Not direct questions of the twist and turns but more so this feeling that witches being hunted aren’t always threats, sometimes they are but this feeling that’s obvious that STJ-N do not know the reasons  their after their targets only solidifies the feeling. It brings to mind why animal protecting organizations have to protect black cats during Halloween. Superstitions run deep and the fear associated from them can cause horrible things to happen. In many ways Robin sees this and then experiences it.

 

     Yet when they begin to reach this point morally you’ll find yourself saying thank goodness. If they hunted no questions asked well it wouldn’t be Witch Hunter Robin truly.  The answers begin to flood in and the broader picture of what’s happening becomes clearer. Though some twists and secrets are kept close to the chest, very close to the chest, even Robin who you know very little about begins to unravel secrets of her own. This is where the mood and pacing of the show shine and show how well they worked with the story.

 

      It’s almost essential at this point, the massive change halfway through the series requires it as well as adding another main character to help probe what we are watching and the other side of what we wanted answers towards.  It becomes clear the secrets kept or a part of the organizations itself divided between its own agendas and goals, which is part of what the secrets reveal.  Soon we see it for everything it is and the truth of Robin, the truth of witches and the truth of people in general is enough to overshadow the warring organization and finally see where every character stands.

 

     We get a philosophical, ethical question to the entire premise of the series and only than do you truly understand what Witch Hunter Robin is about. So where does it leave the characters of the show, some answers are shown. Others are left a little more ambiguous, can whatever is left of the organization still hunt witches even after everything the characters see, I’d like to think things have changed but of course, it’s up to you to find what you think is the answer by the end of the series.

 

      This exciting time for anime was merely a platform for a series that stood on its own and still does today, a great example to showcase the unique versatile realm of storytelling that anime holds. A must see show that asks questions without having to shake them in front of your face, all the while carrying around an irresistible mood. It’s great to take in daily or as much as you can in a single sitting.  The horror places on the aspects that are mystery in the series and at least to me is a great heir to a modern gothic story. Characters that are shadows upon the background world of theirs that seems perfectly normal only complete the landscape, reaching far through this fog in order to reach into your after thoughts and the dreams that will follow.

Take A Pick Tuesday: My Love Story

                                                             Take A Pick Tuesday: My Love Story

 

 

One very distinctive show and one I had been really excited for since the anime had been announced is My Love Story. Takeo is a high schooler that many not be the usual anime Prince Charming but is the lead character in this series.  His friend is the dashing Sunakawa who happens to catch the eyes of all the girls as well as the credit of heroic deeds. When really it is Takeo is doing them, such a saving a child from drowning, running in a burning building and any other heroic feat imaginable. The first person to say it wasn’t Suna is Suna and there is a reason for that.

 

     Takeo is over six feet, huge with bulging muscles, thick rugged lips that are more human than anime as well as long side burns, which are backed up by his monstrous strength having been the captain of his Judo team in middle school which is before he became a freshman in high school. Yes he’s a freshman, one who appears to be a body builder someone who may belong in a fighting anime.  Except looks can be deceiving as they are in real life.

 

    His best friend Suna knows what we know as we watch the series, Takeo has a heart of gold, gentle as can be, extremely polite, thoughtful and kind of longing for true love.  The only problem with that is despite Suna being disinterested in the sort of attraction that the women have for him it sort of snatches Takeo’s chances away. Except that changes when they are on a train and Takeo spots a grouper who is making a young girl uncomfortable and a little more than that, touching her. So Takeo steps in and lifts the man’s hand in front of the whole train car, embarrassing him.

 

     When explaining it to the authorities, the young girl Yamamoto stands up for Takeo as well as Suna who stood there but in his usual quiet way assisted. It’s quick to get her interest in thanking the two of them and she’s beautiful to Takeo, unfortunately even she personally comes to his house to thank him he’s sure it’s like all the other girls that her real interest is in Suna since she seems to get flustered around the two of them.

 

     However Suna seems to know the truth and eventually calls it as he sees it, allowing the chance for Yamamoto to show that she’s been appearing on purpose, baking on purpose because she actually has feelings for Takeo.  Right in this instance the show accomplishes two things that are not only unique but organic to the show. They resolve what the usual premise to most romantic comedies is and offer something more.  As well as place an unlikely underdog as the main character.

 

         My Love Story is in a lot of ways what it’s like to be in a relationship, even more so for someone who never believed they would be. Finding out about the person that changes this belief and trying to understand them. Takeo is indeed a great boyfriend, the smallest things about Yamamoto make him happy as it is for her who declares him hot even though her friends find the pairing odd to say the least. Though Takeo has a way of impressing anyone, simply by his good character.

 

 

       Another twist to the series is that Takeo is the opposite of a perv.  He’s a gentlemen with what some might call an innocent mind, he wouldn’t even hold hands with Yamamoto until she brought it up. Takeo has a great respect for her which may at times make it more difficult for him to understand what she’s thinking. Yamamoto on the other hand has no problem imagining dirty thoughts and in a lot of ways she moves the relationship forwards. Of course Takeo has help from his best friend Suna whose disinterest in dating kind of places him in the third wheel position. Something he is quite aware of, usually he’s placed there without even wanting to be but truth be told Takeo needs the help.  Though even for the stoic Suna, some of the things he’s needed for to help Takeo can even scare a reaction out of him, such as Takeo wanting to learn to kiss, putting plastic wrap on Suna’s head which makes it appear like he’ll kill him throwing him to the wall with the image of Takeo’s lips approaching.  Poor Suna and still after the scaring experience he’s a faithful friend.

 

      Everyone knows it too, it never goes unnoticed with his obvious answers to their dilemmas, playing it calm, cool and collected, Suna hardly bats an eye at his sisters’ devastation that Takeo has a girlfriend having apparently been in love with him for years. Every once in a while the quiet, helpful Suna reading a book and can find his assistance to help in his own personal life, such as a family matter which shows that this quaint heartwarming love story can have consequences and concerns that do not necessarily overshadow the romance but enhance the world it’s placed in.

 

        We witness everything from birthdays to rivalries to child birth? Ok it isn’t Takeo having a baby so spoiler on that but I say nothing until you watch it but really heartwarming episodes,  transcending cute while still maintaining tension in the characters’ dilemmas, giving you the sense of what they’re experiencing in front of them, something that they may go through themselves in the future, yes even having a child. You never know where this is going.  You also get a look at Takeo's parents, his mother who he seems to get his super strength from and his perfect father who doesn't need the white in his eyes is where he must get that relaxed charm.

 

       An interesting contrast is other relationships happening around the two characters. Now Takeo and Yamamoto move slow, real slow and it’s a different pacing that people around them have to comment on  but again I think it’s great how they emphasize on every step in their relationship, see challenges, maybe even realize something as simple as not everyone gets the happiness the two do. It makes it all the more fragile and important.

 

       Now as unlikely as Takeo might seem to be the main character or even to some in the show, I’d said that people are impressed about how great a guy he seems.  This helps see an admiration for Takeo coming from everywhere, all the characters around them. Takeo restores your faith in people to be kind and yearn to understand accomplishing what it’s set out to do in a bold way, give you a bit of a twist on a genre you were cocky enough to believe you figured out. If all this sounds like a lot to take in it’s packed in nicely with the humor in the show as well, laugh out loud humor in large part because of Takeo’s gestures. When he is passionate he looks serious enough to kill someone often portraying his great strength and speed or his positive encouragement you’d be a fool not to take. You have this to compare to Yamamoto, to Suna, to everyone and it’s great to watch. Is it surprising that the hit manga didn’t just spawn this series but also a live action movie as well. Of course not, watching this makes that very clear. Where will the series go from here, will it maintain and innocence while still delving deep in the intricacies of the relationships of people  or taking a completely different direction as only anime can. Only time will tell and we’ll revisit this Take A Pick Tuesday Article when that times comes.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take A Pick Tuesday : Working The First Season

Take A Pick Tuesday- Working!!!/Wagnaria: The First Season

 

 

 

An interesting thing about anime is that you never know where you can get a show out of, so it makes sense that they would have a show about working or well at least being in the workplace. I know it isn’t the first one to be made but it doesn’t stop it from being a wholly unique experience. In need for another employee Popura Taneshima asks a young man with glasses if he would like to work at the family restaurant Wagnaria, although she’s a complete stranger that asks him out of the blue he says yes, why? That would be because of his love for very tiny cute things and she happens to be very short.

 

      So we hit the ground running and see Sota Takanashi starting at the restaurant but everyone there is similar to him that they are a bit unique for sure. His love of small things that in some terms can make him come off as being a pervert is not the oddest thing this family restaurant has to offer. There is Yachiyo Todoroki who has a fixation on her female manager Kyoko Shirafuji, who also happens to be Yachiyo’s childhood friend,  who eat or snacks I should say more than anything else, mostly this means parfaits that are prepared by her chief waitress,. Even so Yachiyo is a star waitress except for the fact that she carries around a katana with her that tends to make people just a little nervous.

 

        Another waitress and one whose largely focused on is Mahiru Inami, who has androphobia,  a phobia of men so every time Takanashi sees her he gets punched in the face. Although in truth any men is in danger which includes the other employees as well. The focus on her is as large as the various attempts made in helping her get her androphobia under control. The effort means as terrified as Inami is of all men, she takes a certain liking to Takanashi. There is of course certain other issues involving her such as with her father, a major jealous type and Takanashi having to dress like a woman, when the man comes to pay a visit.  Of course you also have the cook Jun Sato, he may be a little more normal except for the way he teases Taneshima with her height, which believe it or not she is a year older than the main character Sota Takanashi. The cook also reminds me of Sanji from One Piece if the pirate cook was less hyper to see women and a little quieter and cool as he is when Nami, Robin or any hot woman is around. He is also in love with Yachiyo but for obvious reasons he can’t tell her this considering her fixation on the manager who had saved her from being bullied and would then become childhood friends.  

 

        Then there is also Hitoomi Soma who seems to be kind of nosy and manipulative but everyone just sort of deals with it, he also works in the kitchen with Jun Sato, no one knows anything about him which he uses to his advantage so that he always has leverage on everyone else. Though occasionally in between lying to certain workers like Taneshima he’ll tip the line and comment on the unrequited love that Sato has for Yachiyo and get hit or have to be face to face with Inami and her androphoiba. In fact his fear like everyone else is if the main character Takanashi leaves then her reaction to her phobia will be taken out on the rest of the men.  The big manager Hyogo Oota whose never really there is gone most of the time searching for his wife and is afraid of Kyoko even though he’s her superior especially if he doesn’t bring souvenirs. Often he’ll have to fear Yachiyo who seems to want to kill him with her sword when she thinks that he’s trying to seduce Kyoko. This makes his visits back to Wagnaria very brief and returns to looking for his wife, though his wife couldn’t even find herself if she wanted to, with her horrible sense of direction.

 

     Although in one return Oota did bring something other than a souvenir Aoi Yamada a mysterious sixteen year old he met during one of his vast searches for his wife.  Soon after she begins to work and actually lives in the restaurant. Although she worries about her place in the restaurant want she really wants is a family, something no doubt brought on by Oota who in the second season she asks to adopt her.  Then you have the quiet Maya Matsumoto who isn’t so quiet on the fact that she is the only “normal worker” among the rest of the staff in Wagnaria, when I first started watching the series it almost seemed like the character was meant to be a joke, in the background always but never introduced, supposedly she is the normal one. Although she gets her occasional moment here and there it’s clear she’s not nearly as focused on as is the rest of the characters.

 

      The show does a fine job at being able to make its jokes without having to cross that cautious line of being old and used,  you know starting to miss the sensitive funny bone spots. At least I keep laughing at especially when Inami sees Takanashi and punches him in the face.There is also Takanashi’s  family who he tries to keep under wraps, though they show them at home. Well most of them shown in the first season anyway. As said there are various love connections in the series, though you could say it’s love that goes unnoticed mostly, something you might believe as a show that will for the most part be unresolved and shouldn’t have any expectations of connections can be something more. If nothing else they leave room by the end of the season to dive deeper on the characters relationships. Time will tell as I get on to the second season and then wait for the third season in works.

 

      The family restaurant is the center piece for the show even if they’re not in the restaurant like when they go to a hot springs trip together though a complication stops them from having a ride over there and Sato the cook happens to drive by and ends up attempting to take them to the hot springs. Though not planning on making another much longer stop he runs out of gas and they end up getting a ride elsewhere leaving him. Even a pretty big episode where two characters go somewhere else, the other characters are meeting about it at work, even though there not scheduled. One of the great strengths of the show is how the characters complement each other. Which is kind of essential in a slice of life comedy and it offers that warm relaxing feeling that brings just a simple joy to watch and may be a great change of pace depending on the show you watched before it. While this means that they also give you sufficient time to understand all the characters, you know without a doubt that there is plenty of room to explore. Though I do like how they get a grasp of each other’s niches and deal with it in everyday situations in the workplaces like Kyoko hiding the toys that come with the kids meals from Takanashi since he’s obsessed with tiny things.

 

 Definitely in some ways it feels like a 4-Panel manga and in fact it is, at least that’s what it’s based off of from the manga but that also can be misleading in the sense of it being non-linear, it definitely continues whatever the story in each episode is, there is just so much going on. Which is a good thing in this instance, especially what they managed to squeeze in on such a short episode count for these season. The charm and confidence in the show makes it unsurprising to see the popularity and attention it has. It’s hard not to feel your spirits lifted when watching it, the only surprise is that it took so long for me to watch it.  Sure enough though I’ll be following the second season with the same enthusiasm.  As well as the third season coming out this summer! It won’t take long either, the first two seasons are only twelve episodes. If anything seems obvious from watching the series is what they promote with the characters that the essence that draws them together is the enjoyment that they having in being around each other, there are a lot of anime that have settings in restaurants or more so in the kitchen these days, if you’re looking for one to start with that might be a little different than Wagnaria might be for you.