Monday, March 26, 2012

Spring 2012 Anime Season

The winter season has been unexpectedly excellent- fingers crossed for spring. The only two spring shows that I'm 100% certain I'll watch are Fate/Zero and Saki Achiga-hen, but there are several others that look interesting.

03/16
 Ozma (2 episodes watched):
Matsumoto Leiji's first series in five years, at six episodes long.
In a desert world in which people travel in metal sand ships, a plucky teenager named Sam saves a white-clad damsel-in-distress named Maya from the military ships pursuing her. He brings her to the sand ship where he lives. Here, we meet Sam's tomboyish childhood friend Mimay, the ship's incredibly badass Captain (no exaggeration- when soldiers shoot at her, she just stares them down and doesn't give a shit, as seen in the screencap above), and an assortment of other crew members. The military ships catch up to them and demand Maya. Rather than surrender Maya, the Captain and her crew decide to submerge their ship in the sand and wait until the military ships leave. Just before it becomes impossible for the ship to remain submerged without its members succumbing to heat stroke, the military ships withdraw. Going by the preview for the third episode, there's going to be conflict among the crew over whether harboring Maya is more trouble than it's worth. I couldn't care less, just as I didn't care when Maya fainted and almost died in episode 2, because she has no personality.

The people working on this show have done an excellent job recreating the old school style- visually and aurally. That and the Captain are the two things that I really like about this show. But alas, the Captain isn't quite awesome enough to make me sit through the Maya-centric plot and parade of uninteresting characters, so I'll probably drop this show.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and ViKi.

Noteworthy Seiyuu:
Tanaka Rie (CANAAN's Liang)
Tanaka Atsuko (Ghost in the Shell: SAC's Major Kusanagi)


04/01
Hiiro no Kakera:
Studio DEEN's latest otome game adaptation.
When 17 year-old Kasuga Tamaki's parents go overseas for work, she moves into her grandmother's home in a town in the mountains. There, a boy named Takuma saves her from "mysterious creatures." Takuma is one of the five Suzaku Seishi Guardians of the Tamayohime.

Even though the TV premiere date is April 1, the first episode has been released in advance.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.

Seiyuu:
Sugita Tomokazu (Suzumiya Haruhi's Kyon)
Ohara Sayaka (Fate/Zero's Irisviel, Aria's Alicia)

Saint Seiya Omega:
A sequel to the original Saint Seiya anime, starring Kouga, a 13 year-old boy who becomes the Bronze Saint of the Pegasus constellation. Saori, the woman who raised Kouga, is an incarnation of Athena. Mars (why not Aries?) kidnaps Saori, and Kouga must save her with help from the other Saints.

I'm not interested (I haven't tried Saint Seiya, and the plot sounds pretty "meh" anyway), but I'm happy for the Saint Seiya fans who get more of a franchise they like.
PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Konishi Katsuyuki (Gurren Lagann's Kamina)
Furuya Tooru (Mobile Suit Gundam's Amuro Ray)
Midorikawa Hikaru (Fushigi Yuugi's Tamahome)

Uchuu Kyoudai:
An adaptation of a Morning manga starring two brothers, Mutta and Hibito. As children Mutta and Hibito vowed to travel to space. Hibito, the younger brother, became an astronaut, but Mutta did not. Nevertheless, Mutta's life "changes one fateful day." How does it change? I'll try the first episode and see.
PV streaming here.

Update: Will stream on Crunchyroll.

Seiyuu:
Sawashiro Miyuki (CANAAN's Canaan)

04/02
Kimi to Boku. 2:
A second season following a group of friends in high school. I'm not interested, and haven't tried the first season.

Noteworthy Seiyuu:
Nope.

Zetman:
An adaptation of a manga by Katsura Matsakazu (Video Girl Ai, DNA², I''s), about Jin, a homeless boy who can transform into the superhero "ZET," and Kouga, the heir of an industrial magnate who becomes a superhero too.

Doesn't sound like my cup of tea.
PV here.

Seiyuu:
Miyano Mamoru (Ouran's Tamaki)
Hisakawa Aya (Sailor Moon's Ami)
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Mato)
Paku Romi (NANA's Oosaki Nana)


04/03
Gakkatsu!:
A slice-of-life gag comedy in which a middle school class discusses various weird, random topics.

Each episode is five minutes long, so I'll probably try the first one.
PV streaming here.

Noteworthy Seiyuu:
None.

Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden:
An adaptation of a gag manga starring Rock Lee. This series will air in Bleach's time slot after Bleach ends.

I'm not a Naruto fan, so pass.
PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Tamura Yukari (Nanoha)

Queen's Blade: Rebellion:
After Reina won the Queen's Blade, she handed the title of queen over to her older sister Claudette and decided to keep wandering around. Claudette seemed like a good ruler at first, but within four years she became a worse tyrant than Aldra and abolished the Queen's Blade so that no one could take her place. A knight-princess named Annelotte decides to rebel, and a bunch of other new characters join her.

It's Queen's Blade. Cool-sounding plot, soft porn-y execution. And the new characters...it's not like the old Queen's Blade was a paragon of story-telling, but underneath its service, most of its cast was pretty decent. They actually look good next to the new (and unnecessary, considering that this takes place four years after the original; it's not like it's a generation later) batch. Especially this one.
Because the first two seasons of Queen's Blade had some yuri, I'll give Rebellion a shot- at least for my Early Impressions of Spring Shows post.
Lots of cringe-making PVs here.

Seiyuu:
Endo Aya (Macross Frontier's Sheryl)
Toyosaki Aki (K-ON's Yui)
Taketatsu Ayana (K-ON's Azusa)
Tomatsu Haruka (CANAAN's Yunyun)
Sakurai Harumi (Koihime Musou's Sonken)
Mizuhashi Kaori (Hidamari Sketch's Miyako)
Inoue Kikuko (Aa Megami-sama's Belldandy)
Kotobuki Minako (K-ON's Mugi)
Chihara Minori (Ga-Rei: Zero's Kagura)
Satou Satomi (K-ON's Ritsu)
Itou Shizuka (Marimite's Rei)
Kobayashi Yuu (Saki's Yumi)


04/04
Kore ha Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD:
The second season of a series about a high school boy who gets murdered by a serial killer and revived by a necromancer, before he accidentally deprives a magical girl of her powers and has to fight her enemy in her stead. The necromancer and the magical girl both end up living with him.

Tried the first episode of the first season. Pass.
PV here.

Seiyuu:
Shimizu Ai (Strawberry Panic!'s Tamao)
Nabatame Hitomi (Strawberry Panic!'s Shizuma)
Shitaya Noriko (Kannazuki no Miko's Himeko)
Hikasa Youko (K-ON's Mio)

Lupin III ~Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna~:
Lupin III is an iconic series from the 70's about a gentleman thief named Lupin who advertises what he plans to steal before he steals it. This new series will focus on Fujiko, Lupin's love interest, and take place before the main Lupin III timeline.

Admittedly, I haven't seen or read anything Lupin III. I know that its tone and characters influenced Cowboy Bebop (Lupin -> Spike, Fujiko -> Faye), and the promo looks quite cool.

Seiyuu:
Sawashiro Miyuki (CANAAN's Canaan)
Kurita Kanichi (Lupin in over a dozen earlier iterations of the Lupin III franchise)

Medaka Box:
A Weekly Shounen Jump adaptation.
Medaka wins her school's student council presidency with 98% of the vote. She creates a "Medaka Box," in which students can submit requests to the student council for help with anything. (Mostly problems involving supernatural powers and battles.)

The PVs look "meh" and the premise sounds an awful lot like Sket Dance, but shounen series starring female leads are rare and it's a Gainax show, so I'll give it a shot. (I expect to only watch one episode, though.)

Seiyuu:
Kayano Ai (Lagrange's Muginami)
Toyosaki Aki (K-ON's Yui)
Katou Emiri (Sasameki Koto's Kiyori)


04/05
Acchi Kocchi:
An adaptation of a Manga Time Kirara 4-koma starring a short tsundere girl named Tsumiki, an unsociable boy named Io, and their classmates.
Pass.
PV available here.

Seiyuu:
Nabatame Hitomi (Strawberry Panic!'s Shizuma)

Natsu-iro Kiseki:
A slice-of-life starring four high school girls voiced by the members of the seiyuu music group Sphere. Like Symphogear, Natsu-iro Kiseki is merely a vehicle to promote the seiyuu starring (and singing) in it, but I'm trying it anyway.
PVs streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Toyosaki Aki (K-ON's Yui)
Takagaki Ayahi (Sasameki Koto's Sumi)
Tomatsu Haruka (CANAAN's Yunyun)
Kotobuki Minako (K-ON's Mugi)

Sankarea:
An adaptation of a manga by Hattoori Mitsuru, who some yuri fans know as the creator of Concerto.
15 year-old Furuya is obsessed with zombies. His obsession grows after his cat dies in an accident. He runs into a runaway girl named Sanka Rea. Sanka tries to commit suicide by drinking the resurrection potion Furuya created. She dies after falling off a cliff and revives as a zombie. (Of course, she doesn't decompose as a proper zombie should because rotting flesh isn't sexy.) She kisses Furuya, fulfilling his dream of being kissed by a zombie, then bites him, making him half-zombie. They start living together. Rea quells her desire to eat human flesh by eating hydrangeas.
Wtf.
PV here.

Seiyuu:
Fukuen Misato (Hidamari Sketch's Natsume, Smile! Precure's Miyuki)
Iguchi Yuka (Symphogear's Miku)

Sengoku Collection:
An adaptation of a social networking service game, in which the key historical figures of the Sengoku Era are re-imagined as cute girls.

I might just try it to see if it's worse than Sengoku Otome.

Seiyuu:
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Mato)
Kudou Haruka (Honey and Clover's Hagumi)
Nakahara Mai (Strawberry Panic!'s Nagisa)
Noto Mamiko (Marimite's Shimako)

Shirokuma Café
An adaptation of a gag manga from Monthly Flowers, about a café run by a polar bear and the penguins and other animals that patronize it.

Not interested.



Seiyuu:
Sakurai Takahiro (Code Geass' Suzaku)
Endo Aya (Macross Frontier's Sheryl)
Ono Daisuke (Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian)
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou-sensei)
Fukuyama Jun (Code Geass's Lelouch)

04/06
Accel World:
In the year 2046, a bullied middle school boy named Haruyuki meets the prettiest girl in school, Kuroyukihime. She reveals a virtual world called "Accel World" to him.

Pass.
PV here.

Seiyuu:
Toyosaki Aki (K-ON's Yui)
Tomatsu Haruka (CANAAN's Yunyun)


04/07
Fate/Zero season 2:
YEAH, FATE/ZERO! *fistpump* My fangirl heart is pitter-pattering with anticipation for the awesome battle royale fights and slash fodder that are sure to come in this season. (Not to mention the resolution to season 1's cliffhanger.) BRING ON SEASON TWO!! *kicks back with popcorn* *waves Team Saber pennant*

Update: Preview screencaps!
Update 2: PV! With Saber on a motorcycle!

Seiyuu:
Kawasumi Ayako (Chikane)
Ohara Sayaka (Aria's Alicia)
Ishida Akira (Mai Hime's Nagi)
Midorikawa Hikaru (Fushigi Yuugi's Tamahome)
Toyoguchi Megumi (Marimite's Sei)
Seki Tomokazu (Cardcaptor Sakura's Touya)
Ueda Kana (Marimite's Yumi)
Shitaya Noriko (Kannazuki no Miko's Himeko)

Ginga he Kickoff!:
Kickoff follows Shou, whose soccer team that was disbanded because it didn't have enough players. After Shou meets a pro soccer player named Erika, he strives to create a team again.
I like that Shou's inspirational role model is a woman, since that role would normally be filled by a man in this type of series. But I'm not really into sports series. I don't expect to follow Kickoff, but I'll try its first episode.

Seiyuu:
Kobayashi Yuu (Saki's Yumi)
Kuwashima Houko (Azumanga Daioh's Kagura)
Neya Michiko (Read or Die/R.O.D. the TV's Nancy)
Tanaka Rie (CANAAN's Liang)

Jewelpet Kira Deco!:
The newest Jewelpet series, focusing on a new heroine, Oomiya Pink. Pink and her friends partner with Jewelpets to find the legendary Deco Stone and save the world from Eternal Darkness.

Never tried anything from the Jewelpet franchise before, not starting now.

Seiyuu:
Toyosaki Aki (K-ON's Yui)
Hirano Aya (Suzumiya Haruhi)
Sawashiro Miyuki (CANAAN's Canaan)

Kuroko no Basuke:
Another Weekly Shounen Jump series. Kagami Taiga is a new student at Serin High School with a talent for basketball. He befriends Kuroko, the former sixth "shadow" member of another school's "Generation of Miracles" basketball team. Kagami and Kuroko strive to create a championship-winning team and beat the team from Kuroko's old school.
Again, sports series. Probably won't follow it.
PV here.

Seiyuu:
Saito Chiwa (Madoka Magica's Homura)
Ono Daisuke (Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian)

Nazo no Kanojo X:
When a mysterious transfer student drools on her desk, Akira decides to taste it. Little does he know that they will soon be dating.

...
PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Fukuen Misato (Hidamari Sketch's Natsume, Smile! Precure's Miyuki)
Hirohashi Ryou (Kaleido Star's Sora, Aria's Alice)

Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future:
A sequel taking place three years after Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream, starring a new group of girls who want to make it big as idols.

Pass.

Seiyuu:
Itou Kanae (Hanasaku Iroha's Ohana)
Yonezawa Madoka (K-ON's Ui)
Asumi Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Yuu)

Upotte!:
Based on a manga by the creator of Eden's Bowy, about a school filled with guns anthromorphized as girls.

It increasingly feels like the producers and sponsors for this season have been collectively sniffing glue, doesn't it?

Seiyuu:
Iguchi Yuka (Symphogear's Miku)

04/08
Cardfight!! Vanguard: Asia Circuit Hen:
The sequel to that awful new card tournament series.

Seiyuu:
Shitaya Noriko (Kannazuki no Miko's Himeko)
Hirohashi Ryou (Kaleido Star's Sora, Aria's Alice)
Nanjou Yoshino (CANAAN's Maria)

 
Metal Fight Beyblade Zero-G:
The other crappy tournament series sequel of the season.

Noteworthy Seiyuu:
None.


Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle season 2:
The sophomore season of a show about a boy who solves deadly puzzles to unlock treasures and hopes to eventually solve the ultimate Divine Puzzle.

Never tried Phi Brain, not interested in doing so.

Seiyuu:
Fukuyama Jun (Code Geass's Lelouch)
Ishida Akira (Mai Hime's Nagi)
Saito Chiwa (Madoka Magica's Homura)
Ono Daisuke (Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian)
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou-sensei)
Shimizu Kaori (Marimite's Noriko)
Goto Mai (Shin Koihime Musou's Ryuubi)
Miyano Mamoru (Ouran's Tamaki)
Saito Momoko (Saki's Momo)
Satou Rina (Marimite's Tsutako)
Yukino Satsuki (R.O.D. the TV's Nenene)
Sakurai Takahiro (Code Geass' Suzaku)
Sugita Tomokazu (Suzumiya Haruhi's Kyon)
Hikasa Youko (K-ON's Mio)
Taketatsu Ayana (K-ON's Azusa)
Nakajima Megumi (Macross Frontier's Ranka)
Koyasu Takehito (Fushigi Yuugi's Hotohori)

Saki Achiga-hen episode of side A:
Yay, more Saki! Unfortunately, we won't see the original Saki characters, aside from (going by one of the promo videos) a younger Nodoka. (And I will never like Saki's brand of service.) Fortunately, this series will revitalize interest in the franchise enough to, hopefully one day, get a continuation of the original story animated. At least we can expect some over-the-top mahjong competition and yuri.
PVs streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Yuuki Aoi (Madoka Magica's Madoka)
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Mato)
Tooyama Nao (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon's Margot)
Ishihara Kaori (Lagrange's Madoka)

Tasogare OtomexAmnesia:
Niiya Teiichi enounters the ghost of a student named Yuuko at his school. They try to figure out who or what caused her death because she can't remember what happened.

This season's lone horror series. It doesn't look bad. I'll try it.
PVs here and here.

Seiyuu:
Kitamura Eri (Madoka Magica's Sayaka)
Fukuen Misato (Hidamari Sketch's Natsume, Smile! Precure's Miyuki)

04/09
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san:
A high school boy is chased by aliens one night, until a girl named Nyaruko saves him. Nyaruko is really Nyarlathotep, one of the Outer Gods from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos. Romantic comedy hijinks ensue.

Pass.
Will stream on Crunchyroll.

Seiyuu:
Kitamura Eri (Madoka Magica's Sayaka)
Asumi Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Yuu)
Hisakawa Aya (Sailor Moon's Ami)
Kouda Mariko (Marmalade Boy's Miki)
Kugimiya Rie (Marimite's Touko)
Arai Satomi (Railgun's Kuroko)

04/10
Jormungand:
An adaptation of a Monthly Sunday Gene-X (same magazine that runs Black Lagoon) series about an arms dealer named Koko and her crew of bodyguards. One of them is a boy named Jonah who only joins Koko's group because he wants to find the arms dealer who killed his family. (Koko's group becomes a sort of surrogate family for him.) One of Koko's bodyguards, Valmet (the knife-wielding woman above), is in love with Koko.

I tried the manga, but couldn't get into the story because the art was so scratchy. The anime won't have that negative, and the trailer looks pretty awesome, so I'm looking forward to it it.

Seiyuu:
Itou Shizuka (Marimite's Rei)
Ohara Sayaka (Fate/Zero's Irisviel, Aria's Alicia)

04/12
Eureka Seven Ao:
A sequel to Eureka Seven, taking place ten years after its predecessor. Ao lives on Okinawa, where he saves money so he can the island to search for his mother who disappeared ten years ago. Scab Coral turn up on the island, and monsters called the "Secret" start attacking. Ao boards a mech called the Nirvash, which hasn't been activated in (what a coincidence!) ten years, and starts fighting the Secret alongside the mercenaries that the government hired.

I watched Eureka Seven six or so years ago- long enough ago that I thought "Whuh?" when I read some of the world-building terms in this series's description (like Scab Coral and Nirvash) and had to look them up. Eureka Seven never blew my mind, but I enjoyed it enough to finish it. I'll give this series a try.
PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Omigawa Chiaki (Hidamari Sketch's Nazuna, Hanasaku Iroha's Minko)

Sakamichi no Apollon:
A Noitamina show.
In the summer of 1966, straight-laced honor student Kaoru moves in with his relatives in Kyushu. He befriends a laid-back boy named Sentarou and learns to enjoy life.

I like stories that take pace in different eras. But when I first read this show's description, I was a little apprehensive that it wouldn't try to appeal to people who don't have golden, nostalgia-tinged memories of its setting, like Showa Monogatari. But it's being helmed by Cowboy Bebop director Watanabe Shinichiro, with music by a certain goddess of soundtrack composition (jazz will play a prominent role in this series), so I'm looking forward to it. The OP's even being sung by YUKI, who sang the opening theme for Honey & Clover. It feels like Noitamina's trying to return to its roots this season, after an unusually (but not exclusively) otaku-pandering line-up this past year. Don't get me wrong. I really liked Ano Hana and I mostly liked Black Rock Shooter even though it ended weakly- but I want Noitamina to keep focusing on shows that aren't meant to appeal to otaku. Every other late night time slot already does that.
PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Endo Aya (Macross Frontier's Sheryl)

Shining Hearts ~Shiawase no Pan~:
An adaptation of an RPG.
An amnesiac woman named Kaguya washes ashore the island of Wyndaria. She meets a swordsman named Rick, who works at a bakery. Pirates invade Wyndaria to steal the sacred stone Kaguya that wears on a necklace. Rick and his co-workers decide to help Kaguya.

Ho-hum. Pass.

Seiyuu:
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou-sensei)
Itou Kanae (Hanasaku Iroha's Ohana)
Saito Chiwa (Madoka Magica's Homura)
Midorikawa Hikaru (Fushigi Yuugi's Tamahome)
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou-sensei)
Kuwashima Houko (Noir's Kirika)
Nakai Kazuya (One Piece's Zoro)
Kugimiya Rie (Marimite's Touko)
Hirohashi Ryou (Kaleido Star's Sora, Aria's Alice)
Horie Yui (Aoi Hana's Kyouko)

tsuritama:
This season's other Noitamina series.
A slice-of-life about four friends living on an island: Yuki, who has poor communication skills and isn't good at making friends; Haru, who calls himself an alien and wants to teach Yuki how to fish; Natsuki, who is perpetually irritated but loves fishing; and Akira, the "mysterious Indian who watches them all from a distance" and carries a pet duck named Tapioca.
 
I'll do a write-up on the first episode of this series because it's a Noitamina show. I don't expect to follow it, though.

Update: PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Sugita Tomokazu (Suzumiya Haruhi's Kyon)
Katou Emiri (Sasameki Koto's Kiyori)
Hirano Fumi (Urusei Yatsura's Lum)

04/22
Hyouka:
A boy named Houtarou, who isn't very sociable, joins his school's classic literature club because his older sister tells him to. He and the other club members work on resolving an "incident" that happened to an uncle of one of the club members thirty three years ago.

This series is based on a novel that won an honor in the Young Mystery & Horror category of the 5th Kadokawa School Novel Prizes, and it's by Kyoto Animaton, so I'll try it.
PV streaming here.

Seiyuu:
Satou Satomi (K-ON's Ritsu)
Nakamura Yuuichi (Clannad's Tomoya)
Kayano Ai (Lagrange's Muginami)
Toyosaki Aki (K-ON's Yui)
Koshimizu Ami (Marimite's Kanako, Saki's Nodoka)
Yuuki Aoi (Madoka Magica's Madoka)
Asano Masumi (Ikkitousen's Hakufu)
Satsuki Yukino (R.O.D. the TV's Nenene)
Yukana (Mai Hime/Otome's Mashiro and Fumi)

04/29
AKB0048:
A series based on members from AKB48- and, going by the voice cast, its sister groups SKE48 and NMB48- taking place in what appears to be a space colony. The people working on this series clearly have the Macross franchise's success in mind. I'm not into AKB48, SKE48, or NMB48, so this series doesn't interest me.
PV here.

Seiyuu:
AKB48 members Ichijou Yuuka (who also played the glasses girl in Morita-san ha Mukuchi), Ishida Haruka, Iwata Karen, Watanabe Mayu, Nakaya Sayaka, and Satou Sumire.
SKE48 members Yagami Kumi and Hata Sawako.
NMB48 member Mita Mao.
Kawasumi Ayako (Chikane, Saber)
Ueda Kana (Marimite's Yumi)
Nakahara Mai (Strawberry Panic!'s Nagisa)
Noto Mamiko (Marimite's Shimako)
Sawashiro Miyuki (CANAAN's Canaan)
Shiraishi Ryouko (Saki's Mako)
Horie Yui (Aoi Hana's Kyouko)
Tamura Yukari (Nanoha)

And whoo-hoo! Mouretsu Pirates is continuing through the spring! ^__^

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Legally Streaming Yuri and Yuri-ish Anime Series (Updated)


Color me shocked. (Really; I'm not being sarcastic.) Oniisama E has been licensed for streaming. It's viewable everywhere except Italy and Japan. Now you can watch this dark classic, which I consider the earliest yuri anime series, legally and with good video quality instead of the unfortunate graininess of the fansub.

This bit of news put me in the mood to list every series containing (what I consider) canon yuri that's streaming legally in English. "Canon yuri" runs the gamut from something focusing squarely on yuri, like Sasameki Koto, to a series in which the only canon yuri is a one-sided crush from a side character, as with Noir's Chloe or Gokujou Seitokai's Kaori. Thankfully, the one-sided crush shows tend to have some nice subtext also. I'm not looking up the region restrictions for all of these shows. I'm sorry if you're blocked from watching something and agree that region restrictions are stupid. If I've missed a show, feel free to let me know!

Enjoy!


2x2=Shinobuden (Ninja Nonsense) episodes 1 and 2 on YouTube

Air Master on Crunchyroll and Funimation 

Blue Drop on The Anime Network, YouTube, and Crunchyroll.

CANAAN on The Anime Network and YouTube 

El Cazador de la Bruja on Funimation

Gokujou Seitokai (Best Student Council) on Crunchyroll

Hidamari Sketch season 1, season 2 and season 3 <- The first two episodes of each season are available for free. The rest are only available to people who subscribe to The Anime Network.

Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son) on Crunchyroll

Ikkitousen seasons 1 and 2 on Crunchyroll

Jormungand on Funimation

Kanamemo on Crunchyroll

Kannazuki no Miko (Destiny of the Shrine Maiden) on The Anime Network

Kiddy Grade on Funimation <- Dubbed only. I still haven't watched this show, but I'm told there's some canon yuri. 

Koihime Musou, Shin Koihime Musou and Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan on Crunchyroll

Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora (Shattered Angels) on Funimation <- Dubbed only.

Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere) seasons 1 & 2 on Crunchyroll

Noir on Funimation

Maria-sama ga Miteru (Maria Watches Over Us) season 1, episodes 1 through 9 on YouTube

Morita-san ha Mukuchi on Crunchyroll

Mouretsu Pirates (Bodacious Space Pirates) on Crunchyroll <- If this series is faithful enough to the novels it's adapting, there should eventually be a canon couple. Update: Couple confirmed!

Oniisama E (Dear Brother) on ViKi and Hulu

Psycho-Pass on Funimation and Hulu

Puella Magi Madoka Magica on Crunchyroll

Queen's Blade seasons 1 and 2 on Crunchyroll

Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes 1 and 2 on YouTube

Rose of Versailles on Viki (5 more episodes will be added each week.)

Saki on Crunchyroll

Saki Achiga-hen Episode of Side A on Crunchyroll

Sasameki Koto on Crunchyroll

Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox (Battle Girls: Time Paradox) on Crunchyroll 

Senki Zesshou Symphogear on Funimation 

Taisho Yakyuu Musume (Taisho Baseball Girls) on The Anime Network <- The first two episodes are available for free. The rest are only available to subscribers. 

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun) on YouTube and Hulu

YuruYuri seasons 1 & 2 on Crunchyroll


And here are some subtext-only shows that are popular now:

Removed Black Rock Shooter from this listing because Funimation removed its stream of it.

Last Exile: Fam no Ginkyoku (Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing) on Funimation and Hulu

Rinne no Lagrange (Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne) on Viz and Hulu

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Mini-Reviews: More Lesbian Movies

What the title says. :-) My previous list of movie reviews can be found here.

And Then Came Lola:
And Then Came Lola is a lesbian parody of Run Lola Run (which you should see.) While Run Lola Run's Lola has twenty minutes to get one hundred thousand marks to her boyfriend Manni before he robs a supermarket to pay off his debt to his crime boss before the debt's deadline (she fails twice, and time gets reset until she succeeds), Run Lola Run's Lola has an hour to get a set of photo prints to her girlfriend Casey before she leaves Lola for Danielle, the client she's meeting with. (Here too Lola fails twice, and time gets reset until she succeeds.)

Seeing Run Lola Run spun as a lesbian comedy was actually kind of fun- but the audience is meant to root for Lola to win Casey... and this movie doesn't succeed at making me do that. I thought it was lol-worthy that all Lola had to do was treat Casey and Danielle to wine, make a dinner reservation, and send a text message to make Casey suddenly think that Lola is obviously the better choice. (Hint: She's not.)

Better Than Chocolate:
Maggie is a college-aged lesbian working at a queer bookstore. She hits it off with a butchy painter named Kim who, in an early hint that this isn't a subtle movie, travels from place to place in a rainbow-colored van with a naked woman painted on its side. Kim's van gets towed while she and Maggie make out in it, so she simply must move in with Maggie. :-) (Cue the famous body-painting scene.) The day Kim moves in is the same day Maggie's mom and younger brother move to Maggie's apartment because Maggie's stepfather left them. This is an awkward living arrangement because Maggie isn't out to her family. Better Than Chocolate is a comedy, so of course things turn out happily.

This classic from the 90's has quite a few cheesy moments, but it's a fun, intentionally campy, feel-good movie. Maggie and Kim are a cute couple and there are a couple of good subplots- the queer bookstore's problems with Canadian border officials confiscating the books they import and the storyline about Maggie's older friend Judy, a trans lesbian who faces some transphobia (yikes, that bathroom scene) but gets a happy ending and a girlfriend. This movie is very much a product of its time (you'll get what I mean when you see it), but it still holds up against newer lesbian romcom offerings.

Circumstance (شرایط):
Atafeh and Shireen, both sixteen, are best friends attending the same high school in Tehran. Atafeh has the backing of her wealthy parents, while Shireen lives with an uncle because her parents were professors who "disappeared" because of their political views. Atafeh and Shireen party in the underground club scene and strike up a relationship. Things go downhill after they get arrested for driving while smoking. While Atafeh's family pays her way out of jail and her dad understands because he once did rebellious teenage things, Shireen only gets out of jail by taking the offer Atafeh's brother Mehran (a member of the Morality Police) secretly offers her- that is, to marry him. She marries Mehran, breaking Atefeh's heart, but she and Atafeh continue their relationship in secret. Everyone in Atafeh's family's liberal social circle increasingly feels the state breathing down their neck because of Mehran's zealotry, and Mehran catches Atafeh and Shireen's affair because of the security cameras he installed in his family's house.

At this point in the story, I was afraid that I was going to see the most depressing ending since Grave of the Fireflies. But I wouldn't want this movie to have a happy ending that feels inorganic or forced, either. This movie went neither route. The ending isn't happy or completely sad. But it's definitely worth watching.

Someone on Afterellen pointed out that after seeing the full movie, one could interpret the movie's opening scene as showing what ultimately happens to Atafeh and Shireen, making everything that follows a flashback. Hope that helps, if you desire a happier ending that makes sense. :-)

Leading Ladies:
Tasi and Toni are sisters with an overbearing stage mother named Sheri. Over the years, Sheri has focused on polishing Tasi's competitive ballroom-dancing skills to a sparkling sheen while relegating Toni to gopher. After Toni gets her first girlfriend, Mona, she finally starts to have her own life and eventually comes out to her mom. (It doesn't go well. Thankfully, Toni's mother comes around in a wonderful scene. Shocking, I know, that I love homophobic-parent-becomes-supportive storylines- like Emily's mother's storyline in Pretty Little Liars.) Tasi reveals that she's pregnant (Sheri initially thinks that the father is Tasi's openly gay dance partner Cedric), so Toni takes her place for an upcoming dance competition, partnering with Mona.

The characters are all surprisingly well-developed: Toni is never a complete doormat, but she really comes into her own over the course of the movie; Tasi initially seems like a brat, but we see that she resents Sheri's stage parenting as much as Toni does- she and Toni privately joke and complain about it- and she's completely supportive when Toni comes out; and for Sheri's many lousy decisions, it's clear that she does care about her daughters. Leading Ladies is another solid pick for a feel-good lesbian movie. (I dare you not to smile at the ending.)

Room in Rome (Habitación en Roma):
Alba, a Spanish tourist who's a lesbian, and Natasha, a Russian tourist who identifies as straight and hasn't been with a woman before, meet on their last night in Rome and go to Alba's hotel room. As they learn more about each other's backgrounds and interests, they click intellectually and emotionally much more than they expected and have to decide whether they'll stay in touch or not the next morning.

This movie has gotten very mixed reactions. With its touches of magical realism (i.e. the arrow scene), plentiful nudity (I can imagine this being more of a hurdle to this movie being taken seriously by audiences in the U.S. than, for example, Europe, where matter-of-fact nudity and sexuality in entertainment doesn't generally seem to ruffle people as much), and earnestness to the point of occasional cheesiness (even considering that this movie is mostly composed of bedroom talk), it definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I like it. Do I believe in love at first sight (or first night)? No. Logically, this movie pushes a lot of my inner cynic's buttons. But I found myself rooting for Alba and Natasha by the end and my inner romantic squealed at the final scene. Give it a shot.

Water Lilies (Naissance des Pieuvres):
A coming-of-age film about three fifteen year-olds, taking place over a summer. Skinny Marie and slightly overweight Anne are two not-very-popular best friends. Marie has a crush on her school's synchronized swim team captain Floriane- the popular beauty who has a promiscuous reputation even though she's never actually slept with anyone. In fact, Floriane is interested in Marie and very much aware of Marie's crush, but pretends to be boy crazy. (An AE commenter wrote a great analysis of this aspect of Water Lilies here.) She's pretty and feminine, so that's what people expect from her. (More than from nerdy, unpopular Marie, at least.) Anne likes a boy named François, but he likes Floriane.

As a coming-of-age movie, Water Lilies feels heartfelt and realistic. (I will admit that years ago, I knew a Floriane- that popular girl who was like "OMG BOYS BOYS BOYS, I'M ONLY INTO BOYS, I HAVE SO MUCH EXPERIENCE WITH BOYS EVERYONE" but was...not so straight when it was just me around. As Marie figures out by the end of this film, that sort of relationship won't go anywhere.) This movie's ending, like everything else about it, was handled really well. Definitely recommended.

Yes or No (อยากรัก ก็รักเลย):
Pai finds out that her new roommate is a butchy girl named Kim. Unfortunately, Pai hates "Tom" (Thai slang for "butch") women and divides their room with tape, telling Kim to stay on her side. By just being nice Kim gets Pai to soften up, allowing them to become friends and then...you know where this is going. Pai and Kim's dorm mate Jane also pursues Kim, while Pai's male friend Van tries to woo Pai. Of course, Jane and Van fail. Kim's family is supportive and non-homophobic, but we can see that Pai got her initially homophobic views from her mom.

Despite the coming out drama, this movie manages to be breezy and funny- and Kim and Pai are adorable together. It's a little slow towards the end, but still great. (If only it were licensed. I had to watch it via fansub. Hint hint, Wolfe Video?)

And for anyone looking forward to Pariah, Wolfe Video says it's coming out on April 24. I'm also keeping an eye out for Kiss Me (Kyss Mig), Mosquita y Mari, Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together, and Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

New Yuri Essay: The Evolution of “Recognition/Assertion of a Lesbian Identity” vs “Akogare” in Manga

 

I wrote an essay on lesbian identity in manga that Yuricon's Erica has been nice enough to post on the Yuricon website. Please take a look! ^_^ If you haven't checked out Yuricon's Essay section yet, you should, since it links to a panoply of interesting pieces on the yuri genre.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Update on JManga's Yuri Selection

Along with Girl Friends, Poor Poor Lips and Morita-san ha Mukuchi are now available globally. Poor Poor Lips is the one that I most wanted to see go global, so I'm  happy. ^___^ (Although I'm glad that JManga is still pushing for more titles to be available worldwide.)

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Manga Review: Mermaid Line



Mermaid Line's author, Kindaichi Renjuurou, is most well-known for the shounen series Hare + Guu- which I have never read- but has also done shoujo, seinen, and josei. (Her Liar x Liar series- which turned out to be a guilty pleasure when I read the first volume of it- seemed popular when I was in Tokyo this past summer.) Mermaid Line is her contribution to the yuri genre, and it's a darned good one at that.

The three part "Megumi and Aoi" arc focuses on Aoi, a "normal" girl who becomes the lone friend of the eccentric beauty in her class, Megumi. Megumi tells Aoi that she's a mermaid princess (even though she can't swim) and explains why, to her, The Little Mermaid is a homosexual love story. (As A Day Without Me points out, Hans Christian Andersen actually was bisexual and unlucky with men and women.) Aoi puts two and two together and realizes that Megumi is in love with her. Refreshingly, Aoi isn't self-conscious about Megumi's feelings because they're both girls. She just doesn't see how someone as amazing as Megumi could see a "commoner" like her as a prince.

When some bullies in Megumi and Aoi's class ask Aoi if she and Megumi are a lesbian couple, Aoi blurts that she isn't "like that," and instantly realizes her mistake. But too late, the bullies target Megumi and Aoi can't face her out of guilt. Of course, poor Megumi thinks that Aoi's avoiding her for the same reason the bullies are bothering her. Megumi dates a boy to try to make herself "normal" so she can approach Aoi someday as a "normal" girl and they can be friends again. She breaks up with her boyfriend when she realizes that it isn't working.

While looking at a copy of The Little Mermaid in the library, irritated that every version ends with the mermaid princess dissolving into foam after falling in love with the stupid prince, Aoi sees Megumi. She berates the prince in The Little Mermaid for being such an idiot. When Megumi makes it clear that she isn't mad at Aoi, Aoi cries. In the epilogue chapter, "Girl * Girl," Aoi asks Megumi about her sexual orientation while they're eating cake and decides that she's glad they're both girls.

The girl doesn't really get the girl in "Megumi and Aoi," but I still like it. The leads are likeable and feel like realistic high schoolers. And I like how Kindaichi incorporates The Little Mermaid as a motif.

The one part "Yukari and Mayuko" arc is...argh. Yukari and Mayuko work in an office. Mayuko gets dumped by her boss. On a whim, Yukari suggests that she and Mayuko go on pretend-dates. After Mayuko gets a new boyfriend, Yukari realizes that she developed real feelings for her. She thinks that when she's married with kids someday, she can at least have her happy memories from her time with Mayuko. ARGH.

Next, we get a much-needed happy story about adults with the two part "Ayumi and Aika" arc. Ayumi always thought that she would become a beautiful bride after dating a nice man. But one day over dinner, her fiancee Ryuunosuke tells her, "Sorry, Ayumi-chan. But I think it was a mistake that I was born a man." Ryuunosuke breaks up with Ayumi, assuming that Ayumi couldn't possibly want them to stay together.

When Ryuunosuke, now named Aika, goes to Ayumi's apartment to pick up her things, Ayumi finds out that Aika's parents kicked her out and she's been sleeping at the bar where she works. Ayumi offers to let Aika stay at her apartment for the time being. Aika refuses because, contrary to what Ayumi assumed, Aika likes women and is still in love with her. Now that Ayumi knows this, she admits that she still loves Aika.

After Aika tells Ayumi about her plans for transitioning (like taking hormone shots and changing her sex in her family register), Ayumi starts acting distant. Aika becomes afraid that Ayumi doesn't really love her now that she isn't Ryuunosuke anymore. Aika sees a guy harassing Ayumi and tells him to leave her alone. Ayumi tells him off for thinking she's single just because she said that she doesn't have a boyfriend. She hugs Aika and says, "I do have a cute girlfriend." To Aika's relief, everything was one big misunderstanding. ^_^ "Ayumi and Aika" is the strongest arc in this collection.

"Miura-san and Me" is the shortest story in this collection, and by far the most forgettable. Sayoka likes Miura, the girl who sits in front of her in class. Sayoka especially likes Miura's long hair. Miura cuts her hair short and Sayoka still likes her.

For "Megumi and Aoi" and "Ayumi and Aika," this collection is worth reading. And even though I don't like every story, I appreciate the variety that Kindaichi was going for.

Story: Varies really widely. But mostly quite good.
Art: B+
Overall: B+

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Manga Review: Sweet Guilty Love Bites


Amano Shuninta's Yukemuri Sanctuary is fun, but it's pretty clear that it's her debut collection. Since creating it, she has honed her skills. (Her art in the series she's currently drawing for Yuri Hime looks leaps and bounds better than Yukemuri Sanctuary's.) It really shows in Sweet Guilty Love Bites.  

Sweet Guilty Love Bites follows the loves of four hostesses working at Club Rose.

One night after work, Kirie kicks what she thinks is a pile of garbage out of her way...but whoops, there's a person (Myata) under it. Panicking, Kirie takes Myata home and Myata, apparently homeless, starts living with her. Just as Kirie starts falling for Myata, Myata disappears. A few months later, Myata shows up at Kirie's door and tells her what really happened. They make up, and Happily-Ever-After. ^_^

Niina has a drunken one night stand, but figures that even though she regrets it (since she wouldn't have had a one night stand with anyone if she hadn't been wasted, and she doesn't think that she can have a love life and still be a good single mom), at least she won't see the woman from that night again. The woman from that night turns out to be Mayu-sensei, Niina's daughter Ryuuna's pre-school teacher. lol Mayu is still interested in Niina. As they spend more time together, Mayu proves that she really loves Niina and won't let her juggle all of her responsibilities alone anymore. She moves in with Niina and Ryuuna, and Happily-Ever-After again. ^__^ This is my favorite story in this collection.

Kokoro, a university student, works at Club Rose for a naïve but charming reason. She likes being able to make money by looking fabulous while getting an eyeful of gorgeous women. (As she gushes this out loud, another hostess is like, "Could you take this job seriously? You're one of those women.") Kokoro falls in love with the number one hostess at the club, Kurea, who is also her roommate. After Kokoro accompanies Kurea to a modeling photoshoot, Kurea confronts Kokoro about her obvious feelings for her and they get together. Kurea has trouble focusing at work now that she's dating Kokoro. Rather than break up with her, she decides to switch to a different club. Kokoro hears about this and...they resolve it happily. And Kokoro proposes. Yay! ^_^ This is my second favorite story in this collection.

The characters are all likeable, Amano Shuninta's art is charming in a way that I can't quite put my finger on, and each story has a grin-inducing resolution. Where each chapter in Yukemuri Sanctuary could be described as sex with a tenuous frame of a story, each chapter in Sweet Guilty Loves Bites is a story with sex as a nice bonus. (Nothing really wrong with the former, but the latter does take more effort to write.) Highly recommended for something that's more mature than the norm (in more than one sense, since the characters are all working adults), with a liberal dose of Happily-Ever-After.

Story: Averages at A-
Art: B+
Overall: A-