Just a quick rant blog - moving is really stressful :-(
But what's good is that you tend to discover and find things that you've been looking for a long time.
Ok, back to packing/sorting. Updates to follow. Have a lot to post and blog about.
Stay tuned!
Cheers! ;-D
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya OVA
I just finished watching the anime OVA "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya". It's part of the Haruhi Suzumiya series. For those not familiar, check out this Haruhi Suzumiya wikipedia entry..
The series is based on a story of 5 high schoolers, all joined together because of Haruhi Suzumiya. And to add to that, three of the people in the group aren't exactly normal humans - one is a time traveler, another is an Esper, and one is a humanoid interface sent out by a group called the 'Integrated Data Sentient Entity' (don't ask me what that is...).
Back then I read so much rave about the series, and decided to watch it. I got hooked immediately and even got the season one DVDs. I honestly do not like the character of Haruhi that much, as compared to the other characters. But in a way, she balances the group out, with her 'tsundereness' and her quirky ways.
Season 2 came out and I was stoked to watch it - until they experimented on a looping episode called 'Endless Eight'...that really tested the patience of viewers and fans alike. But let's discuss this in another blog and focus on the OVA for now.
The cast (also known as the SOS Brigade) of Haruhi Suzumiya (from L to R): Itsuki, Yuki Nagato, Kyon, Haruhi Suzumiya, Mikuru Asahina.
Going back to "The Disappearance..." OVA, I must say it was really, really well done. I don't watch that much anime, but for those that I really like I wouldn't mind watching them over and over again. And "The Disappearance..." does fall in that category of animes that will be there in the top best 10 animes ever, period.
I like how the producers (Kadokawa and Kyoto Animation) stuck faithfully with the manga. And watching it added so much visual emphasis, and you 'see' the emotions more.
And as lame as it may sound to some, yes, I did feel the characters and their sentiments. I guess that's a good gauge that the animation was done very well. There were scenes that I just imagined at times when I was reading the manga, and seeing it unfold in actuality was just amazing. More than once I had that "that's how I imagined this scene was!" reaction.
Of course without watching the season series and knowing the characters, this movie will be a little hard to relate/understand for those watching for the first time. Without the backgrounder, it will be challenging to put things together and understand deeper parts of the plot.
Is the plot basically cliche? Yes of course, but it is presented in a very nice way here. And scenes that are actually quite touching.
I also think that the entire series addresses some good lessons and presents everyday/slice of life events that almost everyone can relate to. Though I would not really recommended it for the younger audience, but more for teens and up.
All I can say is, once the DVD is out (and thanks to Bandai USA for getting the distribution license already) I will get the DVD (or hopefully BD) version as soon as it hits the shelves. The movie aired in Japan last February 6, 2010.
I cannot wait to watch it in full and clear screen. Lucky the San Francisco folks as they are having an advanced theater screening for it on May 21, 2010. I wish we had something like that going here too. :-/
And to Kadokawa Pictures - you have redeemed yourselves from that 'nasty'season 2 fubar. Good job! So now...when is Season 3 coming? ;-)
The series is based on a story of 5 high schoolers, all joined together because of Haruhi Suzumiya. And to add to that, three of the people in the group aren't exactly normal humans - one is a time traveler, another is an Esper, and one is a humanoid interface sent out by a group called the 'Integrated Data Sentient Entity' (don't ask me what that is...).
Back then I read so much rave about the series, and decided to watch it. I got hooked immediately and even got the season one DVDs. I honestly do not like the character of Haruhi that much, as compared to the other characters. But in a way, she balances the group out, with her 'tsundereness' and her quirky ways.
Season 2 came out and I was stoked to watch it - until they experimented on a looping episode called 'Endless Eight'...that really tested the patience of viewers and fans alike. But let's discuss this in another blog and focus on the OVA for now.
The cast (also known as the SOS Brigade) of Haruhi Suzumiya (from L to R): Itsuki, Yuki Nagato, Kyon, Haruhi Suzumiya, Mikuru Asahina.
Going back to "The Disappearance..." OVA, I must say it was really, really well done. I don't watch that much anime, but for those that I really like I wouldn't mind watching them over and over again. And "The Disappearance..." does fall in that category of animes that will be there in the top best 10 animes ever, period.
I like how the producers (Kadokawa and Kyoto Animation) stuck faithfully with the manga. And watching it added so much visual emphasis, and you 'see' the emotions more.
And as lame as it may sound to some, yes, I did feel the characters and their sentiments. I guess that's a good gauge that the animation was done very well. There were scenes that I just imagined at times when I was reading the manga, and seeing it unfold in actuality was just amazing. More than once I had that "that's how I imagined this scene was!" reaction.
Of course without watching the season series and knowing the characters, this movie will be a little hard to relate/understand for those watching for the first time. Without the backgrounder, it will be challenging to put things together and understand deeper parts of the plot.
Is the plot basically cliche? Yes of course, but it is presented in a very nice way here. And scenes that are actually quite touching.
I also think that the entire series addresses some good lessons and presents everyday/slice of life events that almost everyone can relate to. Though I would not really recommended it for the younger audience, but more for teens and up.
All I can say is, once the DVD is out (and thanks to Bandai USA for getting the distribution license already) I will get the DVD (or hopefully BD) version as soon as it hits the shelves. The movie aired in Japan last February 6, 2010.
I cannot wait to watch it in full and clear screen. Lucky the San Francisco folks as they are having an advanced theater screening for it on May 21, 2010. I wish we had something like that going here too. :-/
And to Kadokawa Pictures - you have redeemed yourselves from that 'nasty'season 2 fubar. Good job! So now...when is Season 3 coming? ;-)
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