Whisper of the heart and a box!

This is a title in the Studio Ghibi Catalogue originally released in 1995 I had very briefly as I had a lot of pausing issues on the original 2006 dvd that proved most frustrating so unfortunately it had to go.

In essence this is a coming of age story around junior high student Shizuku Tsukishima, who is quite popular, has a real talent for writing which can be seen in her new lyrics for the John Denver song Take Me Home,Country Roads which is to be performed for her junior high graduation. She's also a very avid reader taking book upon book out of the library that is just switching from paper card booking systems to a computerized one. 

The change saddens her because she likes to see who took out the book previously and notices a boy called Seiji Amasawa has taken out many of those she reads.

Taking the train to the library one day she notices a ginger lone cat sitting next to her who leads her off onto an adventure introducing her to an antique shop who we later learn is owned by the boys grandfather and although things are awkward between them at first in time, it becomes obvious they are in love with each other and both have self doubts about their talents, Seija with his violin making and playing abilities and Shizuku with her writing whose preoccupation with appears to override her need to get good grades to go the a good high school to complete her education.

Spotting in the antique shop a cat statue of The Baron and its story, this inspires her to work very hard for hours per day writing a story that promises to show Seiji's grandfather first and this leads to her exploring her hopes and fears set out in her book Whisper Of The Heart.

That is really the main focus of this anime rather less than the romance between her and Seiji, looking at what it is she wishes to do in her professional life, and indeed the new lyrics to Take Me Home Country Road, is not only about the personal road upon she is set but expresses a nostalgia for the rapidly disappearing rural landscapes of Japan.

I really enjoyed watching this full length anime for its themes and where The Baron 's sequences inspired Studio Ghibi to make The Cat Returns in 2002.

If you were rather observant you may of noticed something on the top of the first picture that hasn't been on any of the anime entries here before.

 

Er yes two words "Blu Ray" cos after the end of the VHS era circa 2000, we had a dvd player where most of my anime titles were first bought on and I bought my last dvd player April 28th 2014 which was a Toshiba that played discs from anywhere in the world.

Since then a number of things happened such as our main tv got bigger (32 inches) and the market has stabilized somewhat with disc prices coming down so I acquired a Panasonic Blu Ray player.

Mine though has been ahem modified  so the dvd playback is multi-regional which as as well as just over half my dvd's are North American releases while the blu ray section is just Region B (GB and Ireland, Europe and Australasia)

 

It also has RCA sockets for audio output and even composite video which is seriously retro apart from HDMI, the modern does everything including handshake digital standard.

Its reproduction of the anime was extremely good with loads of definition and sharpness on the newer television.

The Wind Rises

It's Halloween  soon but apart from having a ghoulish time of it tonight I have a new anime to watch.

A little different than most because it is very much about Jiro a Japanese aeronautical designer who worked for Mitshibushi who was inspired by the Italian Caproni who because he'd been near sighted from a young age wasn't able to become a pilot joins the company in 1927.

He goes on to become one of the world's most innovative and accomplished airplane designers and in that respect this anime by Hayao Miyazaki is a tribute to him.

A secondary interest in this anime, unexpected and much appreciated by me watching it is the romance between Jiro and Nahoko who is ill with tuberculosis marrying her. 

Some of the scenes showing his love for her during periods where she was very ill are really moving.

The anime, chronicles much of his life time, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Depression and the entrance of Japan into war in 1937.


The film also explores the growing friendship between him and his colleague Honja.
While some have criticized this anime for being ambivalent on what Jiro designed, warplanes that were a important part of Japan's war machinery, the overall message is one of how war only brings down countries and anti war opinions are voiced.

Overall I thought this was a really good anime, a fitting tribute not just to Jiro but also to the director.

Summer 2014 Anime update

I do watch animes sometimes streaming, other times through value dvd box sets and this is an update on my current watches.

I'm slowly getting through the last 14 episodes of Fairy Tail as the series progresses  ending one arc and beginning another. 

Also I have finished watching  Is the order a rabbit? which centres around the adventures of Cocoa Hoto as she's moved to a new town and inevitably a new school where we find she has moved in with Chino Kafu at her families Rabbit House café where she takes a job to pay for her accommodation. Cocoa soon meets Rize who is also a waitress at the café and having had a military father, shows the same strongly disciplined approach although not to the exclusion of having a cutesy feminine side.

The show also stars Tippy, an Angora rabbit who sits atop of Chino's head when  not around Cocoa and we met Chiya whose family also runs a rabbit café.

The show can be caught on Crunchyroll as also for North Americans can the much anticipated redux of Sailor Moon known as Sailor Moon Crystal (UK and Europe need to go to Sailor Moon Crystal to watch that due to a licensing restriction).

More anime

 

We're still watching a good deal of anime here and spending time in a couple of clubs on the anime streaming site Crunchyroll just talking about anything and everything, having a laugh

Some series are just massive in terms of the number of episodes and Fairy Tail is one I've been following for a while.

To begin with, the first few episodes on the disc are just  the conclusion of the Fighting Festival and the arrival of a reporter from Sorcery Weekly magazine.

We also see more about Lucy worrying about her love life, learn about about her father and Juvius attempting to use a potion supplied by a dodgy dealer.

The main theme running through Series Two is the the uniting with Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Cait Shelter to take on the powerful Dark Guild that marks the commencement Oración Seis arc where they are looking for a powerful weapon to spread darkness and this where more characters to the series are introduced.

The series remains gripping and very funny in parts.

From Up On Poppy Hill

Today I talk about a dvd that was issued on September 23rd in the UK.

Called From Up On Poppy Hill, this anime stage play by Hayao Miyazaki and lovingly directed by his son, Goro, is a coming of age romance set in Yokohama, Japan in 1963, just 18 years after the end of World War Two and the establishment of modern day Japan.

Set in the ramshackle club house of their high school , it charts the romance of Umi and Shun as they join forces to save it from demolition for a new sports facility for the (then) upcoming 1964 Tokyo Olympics. 

The musical score is jazz based and features Sukiyaki the World conquering  1963 Japanese song that had a cover version by Kenny Ball's trad jazz  band in the UK.

The animation as is usually the case from this studio, Studio Ghilbi, is unapologetically old school cell drawn and all the better for it allowing you to concentrate on the story.
Strongly recommended. 

Love Live!

 

I'm watching Love Live! on Crunchyroll, the anime streaming site presently.

Each title in the Love Live! franchise focuses on groups of teenage schoolgirls who become "school idols" as an extracurricular activity, and their main activities involve singing and choreographed dancing to self-written songs they perform at concerts or other music events. 

Other activities include designing their own costumes, as well as filming promotional videos and music videos. Top-class groups are very popular among fans of school idols, aided in part by exposure in magazines and other media, in addition to merchandise of school idols sold in shops catering to otaku-related items.

The ultimate school idol competition featuring the best groups in Japan is called Love Live, and entry into the competition is determined by the popularity of each group. 

The size of these groups can range anywhere from solo idols to groups with nine or more members. Due to the highly competitive nature of the Love Live competition, some school idols opt not to attempt entry and simply take part in performing at other events. 

It's hugely enjoyable to watch.

However, participation in the event is very prestigious, and any group that wins the competition is afforded legendary status.

Fairy Tale 4

There is an anime series I've been following but as made a budgeting mistake in January I didn't get around  to picking up the last installment until late last week!

It's a light hearted story of a guild as scene through  the eyes of a runaway girl  Lucy Heartfilia.  A boy she meets in a nearby town, Natsu Dragneel , and his talking cat, Happy,  appear to hold the key to her dreams who joins a group of wizards.

This set, the 4th, contains episodes 37 thru 48 starting with the conclusion over the first four and a half episodes of the Tower of Heaven arc with Erza and her friends are in a race against time to defeat the assassins of Trinity Raven as well as Erza's former friend Jellal before the Magic Council unleash the power of the Etherion to destroy the Tower and everything around it.

The remaining seven and a half episodes of this collection take us through the whole of the Fighting Festival arc. 

Upon their return Lucy, Natsu and the others from Magnolia, they discover that the rebuilding of the guildhall has been completed and there are some new members for the guild as well.

Magnolia is preparing for the annual Harvest Festival, leading to everybody in the guild being excited but things soon turn nasty when Laxus, Makarov's grandson , crashes the party and sets into motion a battle that could tear the guild apart.

Arrietty

I had this for a while but forgot to write about it with having a damaged disc on arrival to deal with.

Arrietty is  based upon the classic English children's book The Borrowers by Mary Norton, this adaptation takes the action to Tokyo where Arrietty's family are discovered in a mansion by Sho, a young boy.

The anime was developed by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi being released on dvd and blu ray January 9th in the UK.

This anime is well up to the Studio Ghibi standards being a largely faithful retelling of the original story but with a poignant ending as Arrietty realizes she and the Big People have to live alone departing with gifts from Sho.

Recommended to all.

Vampire Bund

The story revolves around Mina Țepeș, Princess-Ruler of all vampires, and her werewolf protector Akira Kaburagi Regendorf. Like other vampires, Mina has been in hiding with her people for many years. Seeking to end centuries of isolation, Mina gains permission to create a special district for vampires called "The Bund" off the coast of Tokyo, Japan by paying off the entire national debt of the Japanese government with her family's vast wealth.

Following a discussion show where known vampire movie actor Seiichi Hirai (who was revealed to be an actual vampire) is killed by her during his rampage, Mina reveals to the world the existence of vampires while mentioning her desire for both races to live together as they are residing on "The Bund". However, tensions run high as fearful humans and extremist vampire factions begin to interfere with Mina's wish for peace with the human world. This causes Mina and Akira to defend "The Bund" from these attackers.

Sakura in her School Uniform from Vampire Bund

Naruto Shippuden Vol.5 & 6 with The Galaxy Railways

While some no doubt have been checking if they still have a neighbourhood after this weeks disturbances that I'll keep a dignified silence on least anyone get the wrong idea, apart from being pawley -again - which is why this entry is kinda short, I had a dvd come that I'd put off due to other much more expensive stuff I wanted to get a few months back. Such is life!

Naruto is a series I've enjoyed since starting the Shippendun series to which you'll find previous entries dotted about this blog, this volume No.5 which thankfully comes as 13 episodes on two discs in a single dvd case.

I really really dislike single volumes discs of the four episode types we used to get and some Japanese companies are forcing their overseas distributors to do as with Vampire knight and K-On!

This latest installment, Volume 5, follows Naruto our ninja, who is troubled by nightmares after his second failed attempt to bring Sasuke home. While recovering in the hospital Kakashi,, suggests a new training regime for Naruto that puts him in touch with his wind chakra nature.

Here we go to Volume 6 of this long running series. In the village Hidden in the Leaves, ninja reign supreme, and school is literally a battlefield. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are teenage classmates and ninja in training, working together -of sorts! - under the instruction of their teacher, Kakashi. 

Sasuke is training to win revenge...Sakura is training to win Sasuke...And Naruto, the class clown, insists that he ll become the greatest ninja in the World! Nothing like self belief now is there?

THE GALAXY RAILWAYS

 "The Galaxy railways" is an adventure series set in as the title suggest on the Galaxy Railways, linking all the galaxies together by railroad with a team of crack railway security people, the SDF, whose job it is to keep them safe for terrorists and the like.

Surprisingly this title has never been issued in the UK but can be bought from UK Amazon as well as Amazon.com and as I've always loved things about railways as adventure stories or actual journeys from boyhood this'll do fine.

Funimation in the States has a budget line called S.A.V.E for older titles so for those whose dvd player will do Region 1 discs you can save a bit too while building a collection and that series included this title

Suzuka

This anime is one I've just completed watching over the last few weeks having bought it a while back.

It's in Funimations really cheap re-issue series called S.A.V.E and was not issued in it's entirety in the UK as ADV who had a license only issued the first three before hitting financial problems and dropped it.

The best way to describe this anime is really a slice of life school romantic comedy albeit one set around a track and field school club.

If you remember high school you just might recall relationship status and how to improve them figured a lot in your thoughts as well as peer popularity pressure. 

Our hero is Yamato who has moved to Tokyo to attend high school but is very clumsy with relationships, a bit immature and not to put too fine a point on it a slacker.

Yamato has just moved in with his Auntie at an all girl bath house and he has fallen head over heels in love with Suzaka, the school's number one athlete. One problem - she hardly realizes he exists. 

In an attempt to try and win over the girl, Yamato tries his hand at sports and finds that he has a hidden talent when it comes to sprinting. 

Not only this, but he soon becomes the object of love and admiration from TWO other girls at school , while Suzuka battles with her conflicting emotions over him.

It may hardly be groundbreaking but it has a good heart, is hugely enjoyable as RomComs go and shows it's never too late for the loser to be the first cross the finishing line.

Meet the gang!

Eden Of The East

Recently I bought Eden Of The East directed by Kenji Kamiyama that came out late last year as it was on special offer at Amazon.

The story goes something like this:

On November 22nd, 2010, ten missiles strike Japan. Known as "Careless Monday," this attack does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, three months later... Saki Morimi, a young woman currently Washington D.C. on her graduation trip, is saved by a mysterious man, who has lost his memory, and has nothing except for a gun and a phone with 8.2 BILLION yen in digital cash. 

At the heart of the story is the fate of young disenfranchised Japanese people and their struggle against the conservative and traditional ruling establishment that holds them back from realising their true potential in a modern globalized world, represented here not only by Saki and her friends who are developing a revolutionary computer program, but by the existence and the role of NEETs or Shut-ins, young men who have dropped out of conventional society in favour of a locked-room, computer-oriented existence.

It's this that lifts this 11 part anime from being a run of the mill apocalypse story which is not uncommon as a subject.

*Updated for Blu Ray 2019*

Panda Go Panda!

Originally released back in May 2009 I missed getting this dvd until prompted buy discussion in chat and a too good to be true offer by Amazon.
This is the acclaimed produced Hayao Miyazaki first ever production from 1972 which wasn't seen outside of Japan .
Cheerful Mimiko has a very strange family for a little girl - a Panda for her Papa, and his son, Panny, calls her Mom! Join this happy family and their many adventures! When Panny follows Mimiko to school, he must pretend to be a teddy bear so Mimiko won't get into trouble, but everyone wants a cute Panda! Despite his efforts to behave, Panny causes trouble in the school kitchen, and now the whole school is after Panny! Then, Panny makes a new friend, Tiny, a baby tiger who's wandered off from the circus. Getting Tiny back to his mom becomes the first adventure, but after a hard rain, the whole town is flooded and Mimiko, Papa Panda and Panny must rescue Tiny and other animals from the trapped circus train
I think the panda's awful cute.

Evangelion2.22 You Can (NOT) Advance & Trigun

Arriving shortly through my mailbox is this Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 which is the second part of the re-visualization using contemporary CGI of the original series made in long movie form.

The explosive new story sees brutal action and primal emotion clash as a group of young pilots manoeuvre their towering, cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy.

In the battle to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact, Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity's hopes on their shoulders as through the onslaught of the bizarre, monstrous Angels escalates, both find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. In this thrilling new experience for fans of giant robot destruction, the young pilots fight desperately to save mankind - and struggle to save themselves.

Up on the dvd player today and probably for next week and a half is this Trigun which my best friend raved over so I thought I'd a get a copy.]

In essence Set in the distant future on a desert planet, the anime follows Vash The Stampede who has a $60,000,000,000 reward on his head for destroying numerous towns, although he is yet to end a human life.

Kashimashi!

Only available in R1 I'm currently watching the anime based on the manga that I own. The story is that of a love triangle between three girls but with a twist for Hazumu was formally a boy who declared his love for Yasuna only o have it rejected.
Feeling so rejected from being spurned, Hazumu took to the mountains and was squashed by an alien spaceship. 

Feeling sorry for what hey had done in an act of restitution they remade his body but they for it wrong for he was now a girl!

From now on Hazumu needs to learn to be the girl of her parents desire while in the throws of this love triangle between Tomari and Yasuna which commenced when Tomari oversaw Yasuna and Hazumu kissing.

If this wasn't enough the alien responsible for Hazumu's new life reveals she has only 3-0 days to live and only by merging her fate with another can she survive.

Bamboo Blade

I'm presently watching the shojo (girl's) sports series Bamboo Blade.

The story starts with perpetually broke part-time Muroe High School coach Toraji Ashida making a bet with an old school chum: if he can assemble a winning girl's kendo (Japanese fencing) team, then he'll get a year's free dinners at a sushi restaurant.

As instructors go he's the laughing stock of all the others which is hardly inspiring.

Sounds corny but you have to hang the plot on something I guess! 

Ashida-sensei's motives may be less than altruistic, but he manages to recruit a few promising candidates. 

The wildcard in his hand is short of stature Tamaki Kawazoe, who's grown up in her family's dojo (training complex) and is a likely candidate for a national title. 

Tama-chan loves Super Sword Squadron Blade Bravers , a sci-fi anime spoof where she finds playing on her desire to emulate the champions of justice in the series, Ashida gets her to join the team, knowing her skill and speed will inspire the other girls to win.

Summer Wars

I bought this fairly recently and watched it last week.

Available on blu ray and dvd as well as a double pack with The Girl Who Leaped Thru Time which is by by the same director Mamuro Hosoda, this is about romance, family life and a cautionary note on putting technologically speaking all your eggs in one basket.

We begin with timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso who is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family's Nagano home for a summer job.

Kenji agrees without hesitation. Natsuki's family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era, and they've all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the driven matriarch of the family, Sakae. Kenji upon arriving discovers his summer job is to pretend to be Natsuki's fiancé and dance with her at the birthday celebration. 

As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki's act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can't resist solving. 

Little did he realize it turned out to be the solution to the mysterious equation that causes a hijacking of the social networking site through which most of the world's social and business traffic flows.

Kenji and family have the difficult task of putting right this AI created situation.

This is one anime that never lets up to the last minute keeping you on the edge of your seat and is strongly recommended.

Five CM Per Second with current watched anime list

I recently bought this short anime movie and watched it whilst 'Pawley'(tm).

Director Makoto Shinkai paints a breathtakingly vivid tableau of young love, desire, loss and hope. The movie begins with the lyrical image of cherry blossoms falling at five centimetres a second. 

Told in three breathtaking chapters we follow the young dreamer Takaki through his life as cruel winters cold technology silence and finally adult obligations and responsibility converge to crush the delicate petals of true love. 

Finding beauty in everyday objects and moments Shinkai reveals he is a master of animation and haunting beautiful storytelling which is something I really appreciate in a movie.

In some respects it reminded me of Studio Ghilbi's Only Yesterday Fall in love for its beauty truth and innovation and thoughtfully reflective qualities.

From time to time people at various places ask me about my current watched anime's and here's the current list:

Durarara (Will buy the upcoming dvds)
OHSHC
Soul eaters
Naruto shippenden to box 4
Starship Operators
K-on!
Kanon
Clannad + Clannad After Story
Diamond daydreams
Fruits basket
Moonphase
Ghost Hunt
Spiral
xxxHolic
Tsubasa chronicles
Cardcaptor sakura
Wondering Son
Skip Beat!
Angelic layer
Slayers
Vampire Knight
Akira!
To be opened:
5Cm per second -Done!
Soul Eater 4
Summerwars
Suzama

Funimation SAVE releases

Driving me pretty much to the poor house are Funimation's budget 'SAVE' line in anime dvd's which came out a few months ago.
In essence they are reprints of older titles often keeping the packaging from the previous edition all at a cheap price generally under USD $30 even for a complete series which may have up to 26 episodes.
The one above "The Galaxy railways" is an adventure series set in as the would suggest on the Galaxy Railways with a team of crack railway security people, the SDF, and is really good.
Surprisingly this title has never been issued in the UK.

This one - Aquarion - has and was last out in the UK late in 2009 but the US Funimation box set is cheaper and a good deal neater. As I was a bit short of funds at the time I missed out on getting it but as a Mecha series goes this is great and it is really well drawn.

Lucky Star and Air

Well this is a provision entry title as I'm feeling a little tired this afternoon and I had an entry to prep up although as I say it'll take it's final form in a couple of days time so be sure to return!

I've been watching between work, reading blogs, websites and listening to more music the following two animes:-

I'll be finished watching this one by Saturday.

Issued by Bandai in the States in their budget Anime Legends series, it hasn't seen a R2 issue although Beez have expressed a bit of interest in putting it out.

It's in part a examination of high school recollections that must of us can easily identify with coupled with a great parody of the whole otaku take on life, that never ending dash to be be first with the new manga, collecting points at the store, cosplay, obsessing over RPG's that you play overnight when you're meant to be sleeping.

Much of that is shown through Konata the anime and video game obsessed character who is older than the other three schoolgirls who can put so much into that devising grand plans to get around the comic cons and yet completely mess up with exam revision and homework. 

On the other hand Kagami is the shy, more seriously mined who has a younger sister Tsukasa who is very much the sweet but ultimately air headed one. 

For moe appeal it's Miyuki, the cute bespectacled friend with an almost encyclopaedic memory for the key facts of all subjects

Heck every episode ends with the Lucky Channel segments of hyper presenters and the shows characters doing karaoke style singing to songs from tv shows and animes, all of which served with loads of side-splitting humour and uber-cuteness.

Here's Lucky Star's very own otaku herself, Konata.

I mean they even reference Haruhi for crying out loud!!!

Now this is the opposite and strongly recommended for Kanon and Clannad fans and is issued in Funimations S.A.V.E budget series.The story arcs revolve around Yukito Kunisaki and three girls all of whom are connected.

Air is the sad tale of Misuzu a child who is ill, desperately lonely and abandoned by her real Mum, She takes a shine to Yukito,a travelling children's entertainer with only the clothes on his back as possessions who lifts her spirits and we witness her aunt Haruko who in the end quite movingly makes that step from being an Aunt to being her Mum just as sadly she has only a couple of days left to live.

The day after being taken in by Misuzu and Haruko, Yukito meets a girl named Kano Kirishima and a stray dog named Potato; Kano and Misuzu go to the same high school. 

Later that day, Yukito meets a third girl named Minagi Tohno, Misuzu's classmate, and her friend Michiru.Kano and Minagi like Misuzu, both have strange personalities connected with mysterious pasts. 

Before long, a legend of "one thousand summers" begins to unfold where the mysteries of the past are framed primarily by the relationship between Yukito and Misuzu.

Misuzu's offer of food and shelter to the destitute and close to starving Yukito causes the lifes of both to change as they grow ever closer sharing dreams of a life lived beyond the clouds. 

It is obviously that what drives Yukito chasing the story of "The Girl in the Sky". Not knowing when or if he will find her he clings on for hope. His need to find her is so strong and the answers floating in the breeze unfold as the story progresses.

The story arc comes in three parts; Dream (episodes one through seven), Summer (episodes eight and nine), and Air (episodes ten through twelve), with the recap episode (episode thirteen) following. 

As ADV didn't licence the recap episode for North America originally this dvd misses it off but it's no great loss.

We see hope in the face of adversity, trust even when badly let down and preparedness to do your very best even if it may not be enough.

The dvd adds the Air in summer OVA's issued separately in Japan on disc three.