June 06, 2008

Roll the dice

I mentioned recently that there wasn't much that I wanted. Tonight I decided to play some longshots. I started reading through Bob's catalog, checking every title that was available, and when something looked interesting, I researched it further on ANN and AnimeOnDVD. I've now worked my way up from A to G. So this is what I just ordered:

Dokkoida
Battle Skipper
Alien Nine
Cleopatra DC
Ayane's High Kick
Aika R-16
Early Reins
Figure 17

Quite a varied lot. All of those are complete series. (Most of them are short.) Battle Skipper, Cleopatra DC, Ayane's High Kick, and Early Reins are fanservice comedies, for cheap. Aika R-16 is the latest release from the folks who gave us the original Agent Aika and Najica Blitz Tactics. Obviously I have to get it.

Alien Nine is another low-priced title. Probably no fan service, but it looks like it might be fun.

Dokkoida is goofy, and Chris Beveridge thought well of it and indicated that it had a particularly strange ending, which he liked. Apparently it isn't lacking in fan service; one of the bad guys is a girl with purple hair and huge boobs. Chris rated the three DVDs B+, B+, and A- -- so there's a good chance it won't be a complete waste of time. (He also says there's an onsen episode.)

The one I'm holding out most hope for is Figure 17. What I'm hoping I'm going to get here is something a lot like Petite Princess Yucie or Sugar. It's not the same kind of story, of course, but what I mean is that I'm hoping to get a story written for kids that adults (me) will like, too: sweet, but not saccharine; endearing, but not dumbed down. Chris Beveridge gave the series straight A's, and someone whose blog I read regularly just said they loved it. (Alas, I don't remember who.)

UPDATE: Another reason I have to get Aika R-16 is the director. I just discovered that the director of Kirameki Project, which has become one of my favorite recent purchases and has a surprisingly high rewatch rate, also directed Najica Blitz Tactics, the original Agent Aika, the first Project A-Ko movie, and Labyrinth of Flames. Which certainly explains why there's so much panchira in Kirameki project.

He directed something called Megami Paradise, which is one of the titles lost in ADV's vaults. ANN shows them having the license, but it was never released here. It looks like another fluffy fanservice vehicle; shame we never got a chance to see it.

Anyway, he also directed Aika R-16, so that's another excuse to get it. As if I needed one.

UPDATE: Yes, I know that Figure 17 is a "No" on my "Future Series" list.

UPDATE: It shipped today, so I'll have it in a week.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 12:23 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 471 words, total size 3 kb.

1 I'll be interested in hearing your comments on Figure 17.  I enjoyed the series.  If nothing else, the double-length episodes gave it a distinctive pacing that I found to be refreshing.

Though I don't see it as being quite your kind of thing, you've surprised me before.

Posted by: pflorian at June 06, 2008 01:37 AM (Ipvhu)

2 You know, Sugar is pretty deceptive, in that, despite appearances, it wasn't actually written for kids - it was written for the fan market. It ran in the wee hours (0200-ish, or 2600 as they call it in Japan, IIRC) where those you'd perceive it as being targeted at would never actually see it.

I'll be interested in seeing what you make of Alien Nine. I love it personally, but the ending credits to the last episode are fairly infamous, and the AoD review doesn't really go into how much of a trippy mind f*** of an experience it is at times...

Posted by: DiGiKerot at June 06, 2008 03:02 AM (A9t+r)

3 You didn't really order Battle Skipper, right?  That was just a joke?

Battle Skipper is horrible.

Ed

Posted by: atomic_fungus at June 06, 2008 03:15 AM (th/GK)

4 Alien 9 and Figure 17 are both ones I like. Figure 17 is the better of the two, by a fair ways, and is almost unique in having double length episodes. I think you'll find it interesting, and hope you'll like it. I've never seen Dokkoida, and so will be looking forward to your comments on the series to see whether that is a lack to be corrected, or left as is.

Posted by: HC at June 06, 2008 03:54 AM (3BXdo)

5 Alien Nine is another low-priced title. Probably no fan service, but it looks like it might be fun.

This should be interesting... my money is on you hating it.

Posted by: Wonderduck at June 06, 2008 05:27 AM (AW3EJ)

6 Don't think I ever saw Megami Paradise, but I seem to remember it being on the porn label. Could be wrong, but I don' think so.

Aika R-16 is a cute romp. ;p

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at June 06, 2008 06:12 AM (pWQz4)

7 Yes, I really did buy Battle Skipper. It was $9. And Alien 9 was $15.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at June 06, 2008 07:54 AM (+rSRq)

8

Alien Nine has amazing production values.  The character designs mimic the the original manga far better than I could have ever believed possible.  The overall animation quality is superb--it was a labor of love for the production team.  The music is a real standout as well.

But the story...well, I'll await your analysis with interest to see if it struck you the same way it struck me.  More, deponent sayeth not.

Posted by: Toren at June 06, 2008 03:39 PM (ioZdY)

9 I'm sorry if my comments were seen as baiting by you. I thought that I was being careful in that I didn't recommend any new titles, just that you might look though some of your unwatched DVD pile at least for some screen captures.

As far as the titles you just ordered, I've seen four of them which would be Dokkoida, Cleopatra DC, Ayane's High Kick and Figure 17. Figure 17 is easily head of the class here but I really have no idea if you will like it or not. If you turn out liking it, I suspect it will be one of those series that you rewatch a lot in the next several weeks as it is a pretty deep show in that you will notice new details each time you watch it. It is probably in my top ten list personally for various reasons.

For the others I have seen on your list, I can't even remember how Dokkoida ended even though I watched it around the beginning of this year. Cleopatra DC is pretty bare bones even in the subtitle area, you will see what I mean. Ayane's High Kick was decent but it really should have run longer.

Posted by: ColoradoJim at June 06, 2008 04:26 PM (sAwtw)

10 I suspect it may be Lawson (non-spoiling as usual): http://anime.jefflawson.net/2006/07/05/lets-take-a-trip/

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at June 07, 2008 06:43 PM (6pl+Z)

11

Actually, Pete, I thought it was you, but when I searched your blog I couldn't find the thing I thought I had read. It was something to the effect of so I decided to watch Figure 17 again, which is one of my favorite series which I was trying to find, and I read it in a recent post.

I looked through your posts, and while you have watched the series I got the impression that you were lukewarm about it. So it wasn't you.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at June 07, 2008 08:59 PM (+rSRq)

12 Not me, definitely. I only saw Figure 17 once. It was a lot of work, I don't think I can complete it again soon. But I thought about getting one, because I burned a couple of times on titles which are out of print.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at June 08, 2008 04:13 PM (9EXSZ)

13 Battle Skipper is better than you'd expect, but given that it's a low-budget toy commerical that's still not saying much.  I've certainly seen worse, though.

Megami Paradise is indeed a fan-service fluff piece.  I seem to recall a hentai title that's similar - probably what Avatar's thinking of - but the title eludes me.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 08, 2008 07:22 PM (PiXy!)

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