One of the most common comments I receive in email is "I wish New Trials was made into an anime," which I feel very flattered about and yet rueful. It is fun imagining what New Trials would look like as an anime, because unlike when I write original stories, when I write this fanfiction, I am often envisioning scenes in animation and transcribing them into words. Hence, it has been fun coming up with songs to associate with New Trials "soundtrack," if it were indeed an anime. Since we have moved into the middle of Arc 4 of New Trials, it was fun making an ending theme for the "last season" of New Trials and culminating everything that New Trials is into a couple minutes.
Song: 紅茶 - Koucha/ Kōcha "Black Tea"
Singer: 坂本真綾 Maaya Sakamoto
Album: Lucy (2001), Everywhere (2010)
Composer: Yoko Kanno
Lyrics: Maaya Sakamoto
The clock-tower that tolls the end of love is waiting for the next hour
Can't stop this moment
The cherry-blossoms at the subway entrance will bloom again this year
So I guess we’ll grow older by another year
Spring has drawn near
As a sign of eternity,
The two of us at that time waited for a night when the meteors would come and made a wish
Embracing each other, saying things will never change
I was thinking I had obtained everything
What remains in these hands is but one thing
You were my first boyfriend
It felt like we could go anywhere we wanted by bicycle
I even remember the taste of the black tea I drank by the street-side on a cold day
It’s not that I’m lonely
This is supposed to be a choice I made myself
Yet there are times I want to do nothing but cry
What is there in the future beyond here?
How many more heartbreaking goodbyes will there be?
The clock-tower that tolls the end of love is waiting for the next hour
Can't stop this moment
Embracing each other, saying don't go anywhere,
I was thinking I had obtained everything
What remains in these hands is but one thing
You were my first boyfriend.
Lyrics referenced from Miyuki Mouse and Korean translations.
Maaya Sakamoto's 2001 album "Lucy" is probably here strongest collaboration album as a whole with Yoko Kanno (though she has had many other stronger individual songs). She wrote most of the lyrics on the album, including the lyrics for "Koucha," and if you pay attention to the lyrics, the album sort of unfolds like a love story. "Strobe no Sora" is the third song on the album and can be described as vibrant, upbeat and hopeful, which is why I chose it as the ending theme for Arc 2 of New Trials. In contrast, "Koucha" has a twinge of bittersweet nostalgia. (Ironically, the last song on the album is titled "I Throw a Vase from Atop the Hill." Koucha is one of my favorite of Maaya's non-anime songs because it has such a haunting yet lovely tone. I was glad to see the song included in Maaya's new 15th anniversary compilation album "Everywhere" because I think it deserves more recognition.
Because I envisioned this as the ending theme to arc 4 of New Trials, I felt obligated to include symbolism and whatnot in the video. I actually had two main themes going on. Because of the refrain in the chorus, "Everything is fading with the bell, ringing to me it's time to go," I had to use Cinderella theme. This is not the first Cinderella reference linked to Maaya and CCS; the B-side to Card Captor Sakura opening 3 single, "Purachina" (Platinum) is "24" (both Yoko Kanno songs), which is a homage to Cinderella. It's an adorable song, with lyrics in English. And of course, you can't forget the hilarious CCS episode where Touya and Yukito participate in their class production of Cinderella for the cultural fair. Cinderella is a good old happily-ever fairytale but really is an allegory of the persistence of time, as the spell breaks after 12'o'clock. What happens when the clock-tower strikes midnight?
The other theme was the rain scene, which I don't know if you recognize from the end of Chapter 59: Thundercloud. I mentioned that I get inspiration from many different things when writing New Trials, and I think this is a situation where I drew the scene before writing the scene. The idea probably started with me wanting to draw Sakura and Syaoran sharing a green umbrella in the summer rain. Most of the key S+S artwork in this AMV is from over a year ago, because I conceptualized this video before my first ending theme for New Trials to Maaya Sakamoto's "Strobe no Sora" and then didn't have time to work on it. My first New Trials AMV was the Arc 3 season finale trailer. I never studied film or animation or anything of the sorts, so it's been a fun process figuring out how to do things. The first New Trials trailer was painstakingly made frame by frame in Windows Movie Maker on my old laptop which really didn't have enough RAM capacity to render videos, so working with Sony Vegas makes editing so much easier. I still dream of having a large screen monitor and all the proper equipment for digital art and video editing, which is sort of out there for me because I am far from the art field and in the meantime have to work with the small screen of a widescreen laptop which seems to stretch out everything I draw.
I probably had the most fun making the 10 second preview for the "Next Episode of New Trials," Episode 62: Sakura and Syaoran and the Fashion Show (aka Chapter 62: Designs in Crime), same as how I had most fun making the preview for Episode 1: Sakura and Syaoran and the New Beginning (named after the fashion all CCS anime episodes are named--it's all Sakura + something something). I love how Irino Miyu's voice has matured, and it's a pity I can't bring Makino Yui and Irino Miyu and make them act out S+S scenes. My next goal is making an opening theme to New Trials with Utada Hikaru's "Sakura Drops," which I think I have wanted to make since 2001, but back then, I didn't have any video editing skills whatsoever. Most of the main characters of New Trials make an appearance in the ending theme. Can you identify them all?
Showing posts with label anime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anime. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Kobato Episode 2
Episode 2 is about as sweet as the first episode. I didn't really notice the background music in the first episode but this time around, I remember being pleasantly surprised by some of the bgm numbers. I'm not sure if the OST would become as iconic as the Card Captor Sakura bgms (which I think represents a series where the bgm itself embodies the series) or as in Tsbasa Reservoir Chronicle, which I think the soundtrack MAKES the anime.
Kobato is so adorable, I can't help loving her despite her ditziness and lack of common sense. Which is rare. CLAMP's heroes and heroines are usually a hit or miss for me ie. Hikaru from Magic Knight Rayearth may be one of my least favorite characters, though I have no idea why. I think she is so bright and optimistic, it grates my nerves. Then again, I adore Fuu and Umi is one of my favorite female CLAMP characters (mainly because she is pretty). CCS Sakura inevitably has become my favorite female CLAMP character and is probably one of the most iconic female majou shoujo heroines in the history of anime. Now, Kobato is a little bit older but probably has the mental capacity of someone younger than Sakura. She is loveable nonetheless because rather than being plain stupid, I find that she is just genuinely childlike and naive in an alienesque sort of way. And she's adorable. In a 'I want to pull her hair and pinch her cheeks sort of way.' I know, it's horrible. I want a younger sister like Sakura-chan that I would squeeze into a tight hug, but with Kobato, I want to tease her or something. Yes, I am very much sympathetic to Ioryogi-san.
I like how CLAMP made Sakura and Syaoran's character design reflected each other, like how Kobato and Fujimoto's designs reflect each other (with their layered hairstyle and long hair). Their colorings are even sort of similiar, but Fujimoto's eyes seem a little greener while Kobato's is a bit more hazel (I find the anime made her eyes greener than I anticipated). I find Fujimoto's character design really appealing because it's very unique for a CLAMP character to have the perfect balance between "tough cool guy" and "bishounen," and I dig his glasses and piercings juxtaposed to his gentle occupation. The most nostalgic part about the series though is the way Madhouse did the eyes of the characters so much like they did Card Captor Sakura eyes. Especially the kids looked like they would pop up in CCS.
The encounters between Fujimoto and Kobato this episode reminded me of Sakura and Syaoran's relationship in the beginning. Kobato's indignant reactions to Fujimoto's crassness was very reminiscent of Sakura's reactions to Syaoran when he was being mean. Fujimoto playing the organ reminded me of Kinomoto Touya, as well. I find Fujimoto's personality a cross between Syaoran and Touya (their love child?), while Ioryogi makes me think that Tomoyo-hime one day decided to punish Kurogane and turn him into a blue plush dog doll. They sound the same and they act the same). I adore Ioryogi-san and think he's the most badass "magical animal" sidekick any shoujo heroine has had.
Fumiko Orikasa is wonderful as usual as Sayaka and never fails to impress me with her versatility. I swear, she never sounds the same. Kobato's seiyuu is perfect for the part, albeit sounding sort of like a Clannad girl, as is Inada Tetsu as Ioryogi.
It's been a while since I've seen a "magical girl" theme anime, and forgot the doki doki sense of anticipation waiting for the potential hero to appear at the opportunate moment and the fact that they don't appear all the time. I remember going through episodes of CCS where Syaoran barely showed up or did not show up at all. And in those days, I judged how good an episode was by the role Syaoran played in it. The only episode I really enjoyed without Syaoran in it was Sakura and the Calendar of Memories, the episode about Touya and Nadeshiko and the organ. Anyhow, Fujimoto might make it to my list of top 3 favorite CLAMP males. I've only read the manga on and off, but I'm looking forward to some character development and the appearance of Okiura (Shinichiro Miki).
Kobato is so adorable, I can't help loving her despite her ditziness and lack of common sense. Which is rare. CLAMP's heroes and heroines are usually a hit or miss for me ie. Hikaru from Magic Knight Rayearth may be one of my least favorite characters, though I have no idea why. I think she is so bright and optimistic, it grates my nerves. Then again, I adore Fuu and Umi is one of my favorite female CLAMP characters (mainly because she is pretty). CCS Sakura inevitably has become my favorite female CLAMP character and is probably one of the most iconic female majou shoujo heroines in the history of anime. Now, Kobato is a little bit older but probably has the mental capacity of someone younger than Sakura. She is loveable nonetheless because rather than being plain stupid, I find that she is just genuinely childlike and naive in an alienesque sort of way. And she's adorable. In a 'I want to pull her hair and pinch her cheeks sort of way.' I know, it's horrible. I want a younger sister like Sakura-chan that I would squeeze into a tight hug, but with Kobato, I want to tease her or something. Yes, I am very much sympathetic to Ioryogi-san.
I like how CLAMP made Sakura and Syaoran's character design reflected each other, like how Kobato and Fujimoto's designs reflect each other (with their layered hairstyle and long hair). Their colorings are even sort of similiar, but Fujimoto's eyes seem a little greener while Kobato's is a bit more hazel (I find the anime made her eyes greener than I anticipated). I find Fujimoto's character design really appealing because it's very unique for a CLAMP character to have the perfect balance between "tough cool guy" and "bishounen," and I dig his glasses and piercings juxtaposed to his gentle occupation. The most nostalgic part about the series though is the way Madhouse did the eyes of the characters so much like they did Card Captor Sakura eyes. Especially the kids looked like they would pop up in CCS.
The encounters between Fujimoto and Kobato this episode reminded me of Sakura and Syaoran's relationship in the beginning. Kobato's indignant reactions to Fujimoto's crassness was very reminiscent of Sakura's reactions to Syaoran when he was being mean. Fujimoto playing the organ reminded me of Kinomoto Touya, as well. I find Fujimoto's personality a cross between Syaoran and Touya (their love child?), while Ioryogi makes me think that Tomoyo-hime one day decided to punish Kurogane and turn him into a blue plush dog doll. They sound the same and they act the same). I adore Ioryogi-san and think he's the most badass "magical animal" sidekick any shoujo heroine has had.
Fumiko Orikasa is wonderful as usual as Sayaka and never fails to impress me with her versatility. I swear, she never sounds the same. Kobato's seiyuu is perfect for the part, albeit sounding sort of like a Clannad girl, as is Inada Tetsu as Ioryogi.
It's been a while since I've seen a "magical girl" theme anime, and forgot the doki doki sense of anticipation waiting for the potential hero to appear at the opportunate moment and the fact that they don't appear all the time. I remember going through episodes of CCS where Syaoran barely showed up or did not show up at all. And in those days, I judged how good an episode was by the role Syaoran played in it. The only episode I really enjoyed without Syaoran in it was Sakura and the Calendar of Memories, the episode about Touya and Nadeshiko and the organ. Anyhow, Fujimoto might make it to my list of top 3 favorite CLAMP males. I've only read the manga on and off, but I'm looking forward to some character development and the appearance of Okiura (Shinichiro Miki).
Friday, August 14, 2009
Card Captor Sakura Fanart - Let's Go to the Beach!!!
Cardcaptor Sakura Summer Lovin by ~wishluv on deviantART
My first fanart on my new laptop! I would rather work off a full monitor, and I find laptop widescreen monitors annoying to work on because I feel like they're shorter. But then my painting programs were not freezing up on me every other minute, so that was awesome--I would not have been able to draw a picture this big on my old laptop without it crashing up.
The theme is "Summer Lovin' "-- I wanted to capture a breezy beach full of sunlight. I guess this is more of a Card Captor Sakura fanart than a New Trials one, but you should spot two familiar faces from the New Trials scene. :) I wanted to draw everyone happy and carefree for a change. The inspiration for this pic is CCS episode 17 (?) where Sakura is repeating "Umi umi umi" over and over again because she's so excited to go to the beach. Ah, she used to be so adorable. I wanted to draw Eriol and crew as well, but he wasn't there when Meilin was, unfortunately. And young Miho and Mikai are playing in the background, not knowing Sakura and crew at all.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Card Captor Sakura: The New Trials Anime Ending Theme
ストロボの空 - Sutorobo no Sora - A Sky of Strobes
Singer: Maaya Sakamoto
Album: Lucy
Composer: 菅野よう子 - Yoko Kanno
Lyrics: 坂本真綾 - Maaya Sakamoto
It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
For a while it’s nothing but a world of pure white
No one’ll wait for you to prepare yourself emotionally
When I noticed it had already begun, a tale with no end
I know
I know, the weakness I crushed in my hands
What was that sound that I heard at such a time?
Where is it coming from?
Who is calling me to stop?
That’s the sound of life that spilled out from the body, pulsating with certainty
Those who make dreams come true
Those who are loved
are fighting while accepting with all their being
Joys and equal pains
It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
From between the clouds, the path of a new wind
What was that sound that unexpectedly knocked at my heart?
It’s okay to rely on someone
It’s okay to have more faith
The sound of life that continuously rings out as if to so whisper in my ear
The fact that rainbows disappear
The fact that there is moist ground
The miracles that I had always overlooked
were shining more beautifully than anything else
I felt like I had been forgiven for being born
Those who make dreams come true
Those who are loved
Are fighting while accepting with all their being
Joys and equal pains
It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
For a while it’s nothing but a world of pure white
Lyrics from http://www.animelyrics.com/jpop/sakamoto/strobonosora.htm translation by Miyuki Mouse and Korean translation.
Over the years, I have received so many emails stating "I wish New Trials really is an anime or the Fourth Season of Card Captor Sakura," which made me very happy. I've always mentioned that if New Trials was an anime, I would use Utada Hikaru's "Sakura Drops" as the opening and Maaya Sakamoto's "Strobe no Sora" as the ending theme.
The first time I ever heard "Sutorobo no Sora" I immediately knew it was perfect for Card Captor Sakura because the song gives such an uplifting, refreshing feeling. First off, we already have the Maaya Sakamoto and Yoko Kanno tie-in, since the pair also did the CCS third season ending "Platinum." The song is from their collaboration album, "Lucy," which is one of my favorite albums. I mentioned before that "Koucha" from that album would be perfect as the New Trials Fourth Arc ending (if it were an anime). The album is beautiful because if you listen to the lyrics (or read the translations in my case), the songs unfold like a story of a girl's process of falling in love and heartbreak. Secondly, the lyrics of this song are truly beautiful, and I think everything about it simply embodies "Kinomoto Sakura," as you can read below.
I made this video because I got distracted while I was making the ending for Arc Four ending "Koucha," which is a bit bittersweet. I drew a ton of artwork for that video, but I had more fun making this video because it's sort a flashback to all of my favorite S+S moments. I am rather pleased with how the flashback sequence turned out. The video itself is inspired from Second Season ending "Honey" by Chihiro with Sakura watching the rain out the window. And the last frame from "Fruits Candy." Lol... This actually took longer to make than I anticipated because my computer is so slow. But it's my first time using Sony Vegas 9.0, a big improvement from the always crashing Windows Media Player. The scene itself probably happens in Arc 2 when you-know-who lives with you-know-who. Yes, it's Syaoran's house if you can't tell by the green curtains. keke... I also recreated a typical CCS preview using voice clips from Irino Miyu and Makino Yui which were very annoying to extract. I love Irino Miyu as a teenage Syaoran in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. ^_^ hanyaan... Next will be Arc Four ending theme "Koucha." Anyhow, making this video was a trip down the memory lane for me and just proves the durability and longevity of our beloved Card Captor Sakura even after a decade (with a comeback in BluRay).
Full version of song:
Monday, April 6, 2009
Tsubasa Shunraiki 1 and Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood 1
"I want to be together, forever, with the person I love. Before this simple wish can be granted, we go our separate ways."
I finally got to watch the Tsubasa Shunraiki OAD/OVA. As I thought, I definitely like the new opening, "Sonic Boom," sung by our Tomoyo-hime's seiyuu Maaya Sakamoto after another listen. The lyrics are quite beautiful, as expected from Maaya. I have mixed feelings about the actual episode itself. Overall, I was more awed by the production quality of Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations. It annoys me that the whole Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles franchise has gotten suc
h a shoddy animation treatment. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic about the possibility of getting even these OVAs, but I would have preferred a solid third season without missing arcs, without having to wait months for a single episode. Lol. I don't mind that we skipped several arcs straight to the Nippon arc because we get to see our darling Tomoyo-hime again!
The best part about this first episode is Tomoyo-hime. Some of the character designs were unstable throughout the episode, but Tomoyo-hime was very lovely as usual. And it was so nostalgic to hear Maaya Sakamoto using a princess-voice again after her run of boyish-sounding characters, ie. Haruhi, Ciel and Crona. Nippon Arc is all about Kurogane, so we see little of Sakura-hime and Syaoran. But next episode will be exciting with Syaoran vs. Clone!Syaoran. Kurogane is a character that has really grown on me through the course of TRC.
On a side note, I have grown very desensitized to limbs chopped off here and there and eyeballs gouged out and whatnot. Sighs... I'm so squeamish with gore, too. Watching the scene where Kurogane chops off his arm in color made me wince a bit. But it segues very nicely into my next review.... The return of Fullmetal Kurogane!... Oops, I meant, Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric.
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood is awesomeness! I was a little wary at first, as I mentioned earlier, but the first episode brought me straight back into nostalgic mode for good old Edward, Al, Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes! It's taking me time to get adjusted to Roy's new seiyuu (who is King Touya in Tsubasa), but then again, Roy is one of the characters who diverges a lot from the manga to the first Bones anime adaptation. I actually like the first Bones character designs better because they're more suited for fluid animation, whereas this adaptation sticks closer to the original Hiromu Arakawa manga designs. But as can be expected from a Studio Bones project, the action, the production quality, the music, everything is executed superbly. I noticed a bit more manga elements in this first episode though, which was just an action-packed, character-slammed, never still for a moment introduction episode. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes which return back to the beginning.
I think I'm going to get very addicted to the new opening and ending soon. I originally thought Sid's "Uso" would be a better Opening Theme and Yui's "Again" a better Ending Theme, because I heard it first and was addicted immediately. But both songs are so catchy, I bet they'll wind up on my playlist. I've always liked Yui, and I wasn't sure if I would like the new opening for FMA 2, but it's grown on me really fast. The chibi ending animation for Sid's "Uso" is cute, but I would have preferred a more serious animation to match such a beautiful song (but Bones seems to have used up their budget on the Opening sequence.)
- "Sonic Boom" - Maaya Sakamoto, Tsubasa Chronicle Shunraiki Opening
I finally got to watch the Tsubasa Shunraiki OAD/OVA. As I thought, I definitely like the new opening, "Sonic Boom," sung by our Tomoyo-hime's seiyuu Maaya Sakamoto after another listen. The lyrics are quite beautiful, as expected from Maaya. I have mixed feelings about the actual episode itself. Overall, I was more awed by the production quality of Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations. It annoys me that the whole Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles franchise has gotten suc
h a shoddy animation treatment. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic about the possibility of getting even these OVAs, but I would have preferred a solid third season without missing arcs, without having to wait months for a single episode. Lol. I don't mind that we skipped several arcs straight to the Nippon arc because we get to see our darling Tomoyo-hime again!The best part about this first episode is Tomoyo-hime. Some of the character designs were unstable throughout the episode, but Tomoyo-hime was very lovely as usual. And it was so nostalgic to hear Maaya Sakamoto using a princess-voice again after her run of boyish-sounding characters, ie. Haruhi, Ciel and Crona. Nippon Arc is all about Kurogane, so we see little of Sakura-hime and Syaoran. But next episode will be exciting with Syaoran vs. Clone!Syaoran. Kurogane is a character that has really grown on me through the course of TRC.
On a side note, I have grown very desensitized to limbs chopped off here and there and eyeballs gouged out and whatnot. Sighs... I'm so squeamish with gore, too. Watching the scene where Kurogane chops off his arm in color made me wince a bit. But it segues very nicely into my next review.... The return of Fullmetal Kurogane!... Oops, I meant, Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric.
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood is awesomeness! I was a little wary at first, as I mentioned earlier, but the first episode brought me straight back into nostalgic mode for good old Edward, Al, Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes! It's taking me time to get adjusted to Roy's new seiyuu (who is King Touya in Tsubasa), but then again, Roy is one of the characters who diverges a lot from the manga to the first Bones anime adaptation. I actually like the first Bones character designs better because they're more suited for fluid animation, whereas this adaptation sticks closer to the original Hiromu Arakawa manga designs. But as can be expected from a Studio Bones project, the action, the production quality, the music, everything is executed superbly. I noticed a bit more manga elements in this first episode though, which was just an action-packed, character-slammed, never still for a moment introduction episode. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes which return back to the beginning.
I think I'm going to get very addicted to the new opening and ending soon. I originally thought Sid's "Uso" would be a better Opening Theme and Yui's "Again" a better Ending Theme, because I heard it first and was addicted immediately. But both songs are so catchy, I bet they'll wind up on my playlist. I've always liked Yui, and I wasn't sure if I would like the new opening for FMA 2, but it's grown on me really fast. The chibi ending animation for Sid's "Uso" is cute, but I would have preferred a more serious animation to match such a beautiful song (but Bones seems to have used up their budget on the Opening sequence.)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Full Metal Alchemist 2 2009 Trailer
Gosh, I am such a big fan of Full Metal Alchemist if you don't already know that. The anime was perfect (albeit I was not to crazy about the departure from the manga and the ending.) Still, I think of the 21st century, FMA might be my favorite shounen anime, and I watch more shounen than shoujo. Everything about it was stellar, voice actors, music, animation quality, plot (yes, every episode was brimming with tension, emotions, etc.), the fight scenes were brilliantly executed. I do not have enough praise for FMA. I remember when I first heard of it, I thought the premise sounded grim and serious--and I thought the "guy in the armor" was older. But it's cute little Alphonse trapped in the armor. For those of you not familiar with the story, it's about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who lose their mother. They try to use alchemy to bring her back and result Edward loses a limb and Alphonse his body. Edward sacrifices his arm to seal Alphonse's soul into an empty armor lying about. It is their quest to find the philosopher's stone in order to bring back Al's body and for Ed to regain his limbs (he uses automail as artificial limbs, hence "Full Metal.") A central theme of FMA is "to gain something, you have to give up something equivalent in return."
Yes, does this sound familiar? Yes, it sounds a lot like Youko-san's motto from XXXHolic. I always relate everything back to CLAMP, but when Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles came out, I thought, wow, some principals are a lot like FMA. Especially since we learned Fei Wong Reed wants to bring back someone? But of course, CLAMP always held a fascination with alchemy (if you couldn't tell with Clow Reed.) After all, Clow Reed was based after magi Aleister Crowley who held a fascination for the occult and alchemy. And there's of course Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with Lord Voldemort's desire to return to a physical body. Bringing back someone from the dead is a universal theme related with humans' dread for mortality. Anyhow, I've been reading up on alchemy ever since FMA came out, which in return let me to understand CLAMP better and also the way magic theory works in CCS and TRC.
I'm excited and still a bit skeptical about the FMA remake. I like the idea of a more manga-faithful version. But truthfull, the first half of the anime did an even better job than the manga in terms of plot execution, pacing, etc. Some of the most memorable scenes were in the anime and not as striking in the manga. And the music, as I stated in an earlier post, was so spectacular I can't imagine a new OST. But I'm excited to see the latter part of the manga animated and at least Paku Romi is back. I have a weird hobby of tracing the7 degress of separation in the anime seiyuu world. Miki Shinichirou (King Touya of TRC) is voicing Roy Mustang, my favorite character, so I'm not too bitter about the change in the voice cast. Anyhow, that officially connects FMA to the CLAMP franchise. Lol... Well, I recommend FMA if you haven't already seen it. The plot has everything you can ask for--political intrigue, brotherhood, military fun, tons of action, war, genocide, a dash of romance potential, comedy, alchemy, adventure, mystery...
The trailer got me excited-the ending song sounds awesome.
Sometimes, I like trailers even better than the actual show. That happens a lot for Hollywood movies, it seems. Especially some comedies--they ruin all the best punch lines in the trailer and the actual movie is a waste of two hours, unfortunately.
The trailer for Eden of the East is AWESOME, one of the best trailers I've seen of late. (I should do an entry on trailers lol.) Interesting note is that Oasis is doing the opening song (yes, the English band that did "Wonderwall," an awesome song.) And the designs were done by Chika Umino of Honey and Clover (my favorite slice-of-life anime), hence the male lead looks like Morita-senpai! Oh, and it's Production I.G. so you know the animation is going to be stellar.
Anyhow, 2009 seems like an awesome year for anime, with Kobato coming along too for a good shoujo fix. I have to say I watched a lot less anime for the past year or two than I used to, and very few shows really have caught my attention. So, I'm excited!
Yes, does this sound familiar? Yes, it sounds a lot like Youko-san's motto from XXXHolic. I always relate everything back to CLAMP, but when Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles came out, I thought, wow, some principals are a lot like FMA. Especially since we learned Fei Wong Reed wants to bring back someone? But of course, CLAMP always held a fascination with alchemy (if you couldn't tell with Clow Reed.) After all, Clow Reed was based after magi Aleister Crowley who held a fascination for the occult and alchemy. And there's of course Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with Lord Voldemort's desire to return to a physical body. Bringing back someone from the dead is a universal theme related with humans' dread for mortality. Anyhow, I've been reading up on alchemy ever since FMA came out, which in return let me to understand CLAMP better and also the way magic theory works in CCS and TRC.
I'm excited and still a bit skeptical about the FMA remake. I like the idea of a more manga-faithful version. But truthfull, the first half of the anime did an even better job than the manga in terms of plot execution, pacing, etc. Some of the most memorable scenes were in the anime and not as striking in the manga. And the music, as I stated in an earlier post, was so spectacular I can't imagine a new OST. But I'm excited to see the latter part of the manga animated and at least Paku Romi is back. I have a weird hobby of tracing the7 degress of separation in the anime seiyuu world. Miki Shinichirou (King Touya of TRC) is voicing Roy Mustang, my favorite character, so I'm not too bitter about the change in the voice cast. Anyhow, that officially connects FMA to the CLAMP franchise. Lol... Well, I recommend FMA if you haven't already seen it. The plot has everything you can ask for--political intrigue, brotherhood, military fun, tons of action, war, genocide, a dash of romance potential, comedy, alchemy, adventure, mystery...
The trailer got me excited-the ending song sounds awesome.
Sometimes, I like trailers even better than the actual show. That happens a lot for Hollywood movies, it seems. Especially some comedies--they ruin all the best punch lines in the trailer and the actual movie is a waste of two hours, unfortunately.
The trailer for Eden of the East is AWESOME, one of the best trailers I've seen of late. (I should do an entry on trailers lol.) Interesting note is that Oasis is doing the opening song (yes, the English band that did "Wonderwall," an awesome song.) And the designs were done by Chika Umino of Honey and Clover (my favorite slice-of-life anime), hence the male lead looks like Morita-senpai! Oh, and it's Production I.G. so you know the animation is going to be stellar.
Anyhow, 2009 seems like an awesome year for anime, with Kobato coming along too for a good shoujo fix. I have to say I watched a lot less anime for the past year or two than I used to, and very few shows really have caught my attention. So, I'm excited!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Best Anime OST
I thought I would start out with my favorite artists or songs, but I was inspired about anime OSTs today. I look at OSTs in two different ways. Firstly, do they serve their purpose, meaning, does the music do its job to convey the mood or emotion of the scene and also the anime. One of the reasons I may prefer watching anime to reading manga is because of sound because music can move me to tears, make me feel happy or give me fear and anticipation. Secondly, in an OST, I look at the individual pieces--are their themes or distinct songs that you can listen to alone and find beauty in it as music, separate from its original context.
My favorite Japanese composers are Joe Hisaishi, most famous for all his Studio Ghibli compositions. I call him the John Williams of Japan (Hisaishi and Miyazaki Hayao are like John William and Steven Spielberg lol...), and of course Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno is most famous for her compositions in Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in a Shell, Escaflowne, Sousei no Aquarion and Wolf Rain. She can do anything from orchestration, like in Escaflowne to more jazzy sounds in Cowboy Bebop or light pop like in her works for Maaya Sakamoto. I am actually more of a fan of her orchestration and choral works but that's just my taste.
I write about OSTs today because lately when I watch TV, especially Korean TV, I often here snippets of anime OSTs and they always make me smile. There was a Korean commercial and a bgm from Card Captor Sakura came on. CCS OST (I to IV plus movies and character singles) is a good example of an OST that everything is done right. The bgm conveys the giddy, feel good moments like with Sawayakana Asa(A Fresh Morning), the grandeous magical feeling when Sakura seals a card in Sakura's Theme, the suspicious mysterious feeling when there is a Clow Card lurking with Card no Keihai or the lonely feeling of the triangle when Sakura is heartbroken in "Heartbreak." Even Sakura's "Hoe" song is classic. Even the brief eyecatch and subtitle when the episode title shows up and during halftime captures the mood of the show so well. Because everything is done so well, the CCS soundtrack is something I feel like I underappreciate; but I also can't listen to it because it brings back every moment of the anime so vividly. Of the bunch, OST IV (Season Three) is my favorite, mostly because it contains the orchestration version and piano version of my favorite CCS song, Purachina, a Yoko Kanno composition. So, my favorite bgm piece may be Hontou no Ichiban (Purachina orchestration) and Hoshi no Michi no Kokuhaku (piano version.) But the fact is, you can see the progression of Sakura's growth simply by listening to the four original soundtracks for the CCS anime. Anyhow, kudos to Takayuki Negishi for creating a flawless OST!
So, on to my favorite OSTs in no particular order.
1. Joe Hisaishi - Honoo no Alpen Rose (Flaming Alpen Rose). There are two CDs, the anime OST and the Symphony Version, which is absolutely beautiful, especially since one of the main characters in the 1985 anime is an Austrian musical prodigy and composer. This is probably one of the animes that remains most in my mind that I watched when I was younger, and it was partially because of the music. The song to note is "Alpen Rose no Uta." I recently rewatched the anime in a French dub (the only version available) and realized how much I missed out on the story of the anime when I was little. In the brink of World War II, a young girl loses her parents and her memory. She is found by a boy called Lundi who names her Jeudi. This is the story of Jeudi and Lundi finding Jeudi's parents in the midst Nazi occupation and all the ostacles they face along the way. Jeudi has no memory except of a beautiful song, "Alpen Rose no Uta," a beautiful song that is actually the theme of French Resistance (had no idea about the Resistance when I first watched it when I was like 9... just thought it was a pretty song.) But the whole OST is perfection and is the first OST I bought (though I recommend the Symphony Version if you have to choose one.) The Jeudi and Lundi's theme piano version was played on the radio a lot when I was in Korea, and I remember first thinking, where have I heard this theme before? Lol...
2. Joe Hisaishi - Howl's Moving Castle. It's my favorite Studio Ghibli movie next to "Whisper of the Heart" which ironically isn't even a Hayao Miyazaki production. Anyhow, you really can't go wrong with a Joe Hisaishi + Ghibli creation.
3. Yoko Kanno - Escaflowne. The anime that introduced me to Yoko Kanno--the OST is sheer brilliance--the Gregorian chants, the orchestration. Wow... And even the opening song "Yakusoku wa Irenai." I was inspired to write this theme because I was watching cable TV and on the Korean channel, they're having a movie/drama award session and "Dance of the Curse" came on. Talk about exhilirating and astounding. I also love the violin in "Memory of Fanelia" and there's a Maaya Sakamoto vocal version "Aoi Hitomi" as well. Her voice still sounds so young and raw then! Everybody already knows I love "Yubiwa" from the movie OST.
4. Kaoru Wada - Inuyasha. Another example of an OST that everything is done so right that it's sort of underrated. I love Inuyasha's theme, I really love "Inuyasha to Kagome," all the different versions of it... It's a pity the anime went sort of nowhere. The first third was so promising. One of my favorite background OST while writing New Trials was Inuyasha Symphony Version. (Yes, do you see a pattern here? I like orchestration so much over synthetic sounds.) I looked at his credits and found out he composed the music for Kindaichi Shounen Jikenbo, where I also loved the bgm. Anyhow, I think he's underrated at times.
5. I like Yuki Kajiura a lot as well... I loved her from her Xenosaga stuff. I don't play games but I know the composer. Lol. Hence, I loved the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles OST. Yoko Kanno + Yuki Kajiura would be my dream team.
6. Michiru Oshima - Full Metal Alchemist. I loved the anime so much--everything was executed with perfection. Animation, characterization, music, action, voice actors. I guess you can't go wrong with Studio Bones, nee? I am excited about the new remake for this awesome anime, especially since I didn't fancy the anime original ending and would like a manga faithful version. But the first half of the anime is so awesome, perhaps surpassing the manga and any other anime of its "generation." Puts all other shounen anime to shame. Either way, FMA had amazing opening and endings, all eight of them (you'll see them pop up when I make my favorite anime openings list.) I'm sort of skeptical that the magic and beauty of FMA can be conveyed with different music in the new version. Bratja is one of the most beautiful insert songs ever and probably the most memorable song from the OST. I believe it is sung in Russian, and it's usage in the anime can literally bring tears to my eyes. Anyhow, it's important to have a good OST and also have a good sound director who can insert the right music in the right places. FMA was sort of like that--the bgm had everything done "right."
Notable mention: I don't play Final Fantasy (though I had a friend obsessed with it) but I was quite obsessed with Eternity: Memory of Lightwaves for a while. My bravenet guestbook was kindly made by Cherry Star and has the midi for Final Fantasy X To Zankerland and for the longest time, I was like, oh it's pretty. Wonder what song it is. So, Final Fantasy Piano Collections was often on my playlist during my college era before my harddrive went bye-bye.
I also usually end up music-based anime, where music plays an integral part of the story (as if you can't tell in New Trials) such as Alpen Rose, Macross F and Full Moon wo Sagashite. I love that anime to pieces, but I didn't include it because I was striving more for a bgm theme more than vocals for this entry. Same with Macross Frontier, which did have fantastic bgm on top of good songs. The harmonica version of "Aimo" sticks in my mind. Another notable mention is the Saint Tail OST by Hayato Matsuo (which gives a similar vibe to CCS) who coincidentally did another favorite of mine, Magic Knight Rayearth. Yes, I'm the sort of geek who goes to animenewsnetwork.com and looks at who directed what, who did the music, who did the script. Lol...
Anyhow, the only thing to take out of here is Joe Hisaishi and Yoko Kanno are gods. :P
My favorite Japanese composers are Joe Hisaishi, most famous for all his Studio Ghibli compositions. I call him the John Williams of Japan (Hisaishi and Miyazaki Hayao are like John William and Steven Spielberg lol...), and of course Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno is most famous for her compositions in Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in a Shell, Escaflowne, Sousei no Aquarion and Wolf Rain. She can do anything from orchestration, like in Escaflowne to more jazzy sounds in Cowboy Bebop or light pop like in her works for Maaya Sakamoto. I am actually more of a fan of her orchestration and choral works but that's just my taste.
I write about OSTs today because lately when I watch TV, especially Korean TV, I often here snippets of anime OSTs and they always make me smile. There was a Korean commercial and a bgm from Card Captor Sakura came on. CCS OST (I to IV plus movies and character singles) is a good example of an OST that everything is done right. The bgm conveys the giddy, feel good moments like with Sawayakana Asa(A Fresh Morning), the grandeous magical feeling when Sakura seals a card in Sakura's Theme, the suspicious mysterious feeling when there is a Clow Card lurking with Card no Keihai or the lonely feeling of the triangle when Sakura is heartbroken in "Heartbreak." Even Sakura's "Hoe" song is classic. Even the brief eyecatch and subtitle when the episode title shows up and during halftime captures the mood of the show so well. Because everything is done so well, the CCS soundtrack is something I feel like I underappreciate; but I also can't listen to it because it brings back every moment of the anime so vividly. Of the bunch, OST IV (Season Three) is my favorite, mostly because it contains the orchestration version and piano version of my favorite CCS song, Purachina, a Yoko Kanno composition. So, my favorite bgm piece may be Hontou no Ichiban (Purachina orchestration) and Hoshi no Michi no Kokuhaku (piano version.) But the fact is, you can see the progression of Sakura's growth simply by listening to the four original soundtracks for the CCS anime. Anyhow, kudos to Takayuki Negishi for creating a flawless OST!
So, on to my favorite OSTs in no particular order.
1. Joe Hisaishi - Honoo no Alpen Rose (Flaming Alpen Rose). There are two CDs, the anime OST and the Symphony Version, which is absolutely beautiful, especially since one of the main characters in the 1985 anime is an Austrian musical prodigy and composer. This is probably one of the animes that remains most in my mind that I watched when I was younger, and it was partially because of the music. The song to note is "Alpen Rose no Uta." I recently rewatched the anime in a French dub (the only version available) and realized how much I missed out on the story of the anime when I was little. In the brink of World War II, a young girl loses her parents and her memory. She is found by a boy called Lundi who names her Jeudi. This is the story of Jeudi and Lundi finding Jeudi's parents in the midst Nazi occupation and all the ostacles they face along the way. Jeudi has no memory except of a beautiful song, "Alpen Rose no Uta," a beautiful song that is actually the theme of French Resistance (had no idea about the Resistance when I first watched it when I was like 9... just thought it was a pretty song.) But the whole OST is perfection and is the first OST I bought (though I recommend the Symphony Version if you have to choose one.) The Jeudi and Lundi's theme piano version was played on the radio a lot when I was in Korea, and I remember first thinking, where have I heard this theme before? Lol...
2. Joe Hisaishi - Howl's Moving Castle. It's my favorite Studio Ghibli movie next to "Whisper of the Heart" which ironically isn't even a Hayao Miyazaki production. Anyhow, you really can't go wrong with a Joe Hisaishi + Ghibli creation.
3. Yoko Kanno - Escaflowne. The anime that introduced me to Yoko Kanno--the OST is sheer brilliance--the Gregorian chants, the orchestration. Wow... And even the opening song "Yakusoku wa Irenai." I was inspired to write this theme because I was watching cable TV and on the Korean channel, they're having a movie/drama award session and "Dance of the Curse" came on. Talk about exhilirating and astounding. I also love the violin in "Memory of Fanelia" and there's a Maaya Sakamoto vocal version "Aoi Hitomi" as well. Her voice still sounds so young and raw then! Everybody already knows I love "Yubiwa" from the movie OST.
4. Kaoru Wada - Inuyasha. Another example of an OST that everything is done so right that it's sort of underrated. I love Inuyasha's theme, I really love "Inuyasha to Kagome," all the different versions of it... It's a pity the anime went sort of nowhere. The first third was so promising. One of my favorite background OST while writing New Trials was Inuyasha Symphony Version. (Yes, do you see a pattern here? I like orchestration so much over synthetic sounds.) I looked at his credits and found out he composed the music for Kindaichi Shounen Jikenbo, where I also loved the bgm. Anyhow, I think he's underrated at times.
5. I like Yuki Kajiura a lot as well... I loved her from her Xenosaga stuff. I don't play games but I know the composer. Lol. Hence, I loved the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles OST. Yoko Kanno + Yuki Kajiura would be my dream team.
6. Michiru Oshima - Full Metal Alchemist. I loved the anime so much--everything was executed with perfection. Animation, characterization, music, action, voice actors. I guess you can't go wrong with Studio Bones, nee? I am excited about the new remake for this awesome anime, especially since I didn't fancy the anime original ending and would like a manga faithful version. But the first half of the anime is so awesome, perhaps surpassing the manga and any other anime of its "generation." Puts all other shounen anime to shame. Either way, FMA had amazing opening and endings, all eight of them (you'll see them pop up when I make my favorite anime openings list.) I'm sort of skeptical that the magic and beauty of FMA can be conveyed with different music in the new version. Bratja is one of the most beautiful insert songs ever and probably the most memorable song from the OST. I believe it is sung in Russian, and it's usage in the anime can literally bring tears to my eyes. Anyhow, it's important to have a good OST and also have a good sound director who can insert the right music in the right places. FMA was sort of like that--the bgm had everything done "right."
Notable mention: I don't play Final Fantasy (though I had a friend obsessed with it) but I was quite obsessed with Eternity: Memory of Lightwaves for a while. My bravenet guestbook was kindly made by Cherry Star and has the midi for Final Fantasy X To Zankerland and for the longest time, I was like, oh it's pretty. Wonder what song it is. So, Final Fantasy Piano Collections was often on my playlist during my college era before my harddrive went bye-bye.
I also usually end up music-based anime, where music plays an integral part of the story (as if you can't tell in New Trials) such as Alpen Rose, Macross F and Full Moon wo Sagashite. I love that anime to pieces, but I didn't include it because I was striving more for a bgm theme more than vocals for this entry. Same with Macross Frontier, which did have fantastic bgm on top of good songs. The harmonica version of "Aimo" sticks in my mind. Another notable mention is the Saint Tail OST by Hayato Matsuo (which gives a similar vibe to CCS) who coincidentally did another favorite of mine, Magic Knight Rayearth. Yes, I'm the sort of geek who goes to animenewsnetwork.com and looks at who directed what, who did the music, who did the script. Lol...
Anyhow, the only thing to take out of here is Joe Hisaishi and Yoko Kanno are gods. :P
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
New Tsubasa: Shuraiki Trailer
The trailer of the new Tsubasa: Shunraiki OAD coming out this march is out at the official website: http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/tsubaholi/tsubasa/special.html#MOV
I never finished watching the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle anime series, but I loved the seiyuu and music. Obviously Beetrain was much criticized over animation quality and the fillers. I'm not opposed to fillers, as in the case with Card Captor Sakura anime; some of my favorite CCS episodes were original episodes, such as the Move Card episode, the whole Meilin arc, the Dream Card episode and the elevator episode. Well, I think Ohkawa-sensei was involved in the script-writing process though, so it's still partially canon whereas some anime just do a horrible job with non-linear "fillers." Either way, I enjoyed the execution of the first set of Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations OVAs/OADs... Especially CCS!Sakura-chan's cameo. I was underwhelmed by the trailer itself, but it was only a 45 second clip-- Tomoyo-hime looks beautiful. I liked Maaya Sakamoto's first ending better though. Saigo no Kajitsu has this wistful quality that Maaya is so good at singing, and the lyrics were pertinant too, but perhaps Sonic Boom would grow on me as well. Both are on her new album Kazeyomi.
The image of TRC!Syaoran + Clone!Syaoran from the cover of TRC 211 is so heartwarming and bittersweet. The manga is heading to its climax now, nee? It's CLAMP's 20th anniversary and they're doing a rerun of Card Captor Sakura in Japan in the spring. How nostalgic! And CCS in Blu-ray is being released as well. It's amazing how CCS still remains so popular, and can you question why--amazing art, story, characters and music. It has the whole package and as far as shoujo manga/anime goes, CCS is the cream of the crop and a trendsetter.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)