Spring 2016 Animaymays

What I plan to see next season: 

Bungou Stray Dogs
Boku no Hero Academia
flying witch*
Gyakuten Saiban
JoJo Pt 4
Ushio to Tora s2
Magi: Sinbad no Bouken*
Mayoiga*
Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge
Unhappy

* - I'm not seeing it but this is just so I remember it exists.

This current season, Winter 2016, I am currently seeing twelve shows, so I do not want to see ten next season, even if Spring 2016 is likely to be a better season. Seven, thus, is a much more manageable number and should help me attain my goals of 300 anime. I'm starting to realize how crucial airing is towards keeping the TV ratio high. Otherwise it's tempting to just watch movies to make progress.

Currently, I feel like I am making good progress on airing shows while also still maintaining some semblance of a life. Now, regarding that, I have been working on an icebreaker speech for Toastmasters - so I intend to practice it to perfection, mainly.

In other news, I finished My Little Monster today and really enjoyed it. Then I started A Girl by the Shore by Inio Asano, which is rather short, but quite gripping (and very sexual). But fools decided to not include Chapter 15, so I have no idea what I will do about that. Next on the list is likely Aku no Hana, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Taiyou no Ie. But still, this variation is probably  good for my development as a manga reader.

Lastly, today I began Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, which has a pretty fun premise. Kobeni is quite adorable and I'm sure Rena (Ryuguu) would want to take her home, following full engagement of Kyute~ mode. I can't shake the feeling that I'm watching this just because I want more Dogakobo. 

Pondering about Resolutions

On December 31st of last year I resolved to :

" 1) Try to restore friendship with that person
2) Write 1 "full" blog post a month - an actually researched post that's more than 3 pages long - and two short posts a week
3) Complete at least 300 anime on MAL, with a ratio of at least 65% TV
4) Try to actually finish the story I'm working on
5) Annoy Justin to tears
6) Get into grad school/rough equivalent (such as Fulbright)
7) Read at least 2 long VNs (20hrs+)

8) Finish at least 2 mangas (that are 7-12 volumes in length), so including One Week Friends

9) Finish Shirobako tomorrow"

The latter two are no longer applicable - I finished Shirobako on January 1st, One Week Friends manga recently, and Your Lie in April manga yesterday.  But I feel this resolutions were a bit too broad or lax or poorly worded in some ways.

In place, I propose  to:
1) Reach closure with that friend; restore the friendship if possible
2) Write 1 "full" blog post a month that is at least 3 pages (including images); two short posts a week; at least one post per month must describe an airing show
3) Complete at least 300 anime on MAL, with a ratio of at least 65% TV (44 TV/64 total); Watching < 15; Dropped =0; On-hold < 10; Plan to Watch<125; Finish LOTGH; Watch Kara no Kyoukai movies
4) Read at least 2 long VNs (20hrs+; Clannad and Koichoco are both possibilities for this goal); complete 3 short VNs (Higurashi volume 2, which I finished today, counts towards this goal)
5) Complete a rough manuscript (30 pages+) of story; annoy Justin
6) Improve public speaking skills by attending Toastmasters 3 times each month; perform at least 3 prepared speeches
7) Put my best efforts towards going to graduate school or pursuing Fulbright/Whitaker
8) Finish reading Infinite Jest; read at least other 2 books that I own (but have not read)
9) Read 1 manga by Inio Asano; read and catch up to March Comes In Like A Lion by Chica Umino; complete 5 manga (interval starts today) that are at least 40 chapters; complete 5 manga that are less than 40 chapters; stay caught up with ongoing manga.



These goals are generally more specific but also help me fill up my time better and avoid being  bored. A lot of these resolutions are based off the momentum of 2015, which makes me want to do better.

Because I did two of "these" kinds of posts in a row, I guess I'll have to come up with something exciting for the next one.

"Most Improved"

Today was my second meeting of Toastmasters - a group where you try to work on your public speaking skills - and I received the "Most Improved" award. My first meeting I participated in the "introduction" (as I am still a guest) and the table topics - The table topic event is where one person, in charge of the topics, goes to the front and explains the prompt; then the volunteer has to do a brief 1-2 minute impromptu speech. My second meeting I participated in the same events, but this time I was able to extend my impromptu speech to 35 seconds (still under). I decided to do some non sequitur story about Thor's hammer, fighting a dragon, and ending up toasted.

If I keep partaking in this club, I hope to write a speech about myself and present it - in fact, this speech may be posted here if it is to my liking. Right now I'm still in the drafting phase and I sorely want to reference anime - and Hayamin - but that probably would be unwise as it would be awkward. Unless I can be sly about it.

Another new aspect of my life is wearing a portable heart monitor, four leads stuck to me near the chest area. The cords are awkward to deal with, even more so to hide, but I am slowly getting used to them. I am about, again, a week into this position, so I certainly do not know how my results will end up. The orange 'event' button has been pressed a somewhat alarming amount of times to indicate heart palpitations. Hopefully no serious complications will be revealed by this monitor, and that it shows my cardiac healthiness.

Lastly, I was reminiscing about the piece "Lamplight" from Little Busters - swift, minimalistic piano sets a chilling atmosphere followed by a chiming sound and a woodwind instrument. The piece, with its soothing timbre, sets a nocturnal tone, calming the listener.

Luck and Logic: Dogakobo's Foray into Color

Today, I will try out something mostly new. Some may recall my art critique of Hyouka. Today, I want to forgo a plot analysis and focus on how the artstyle interacts with the other elements of the show. Naturally, there is bias, as I will probably write about a show that I find beautiful.
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To begin with, Luck and Logic is an anime-original show by Doga Kobo Studios - it started last week. Lacking any source material, this show is, at least apparently, free in whatever artistic approach it seeks. This story focuses on the Logicalists - a portmanteau of Logic and specialist - who work in tandem with Goddesses. (For example, a specialist in the Monogatari series tracks down and slays apparitions. This role is analogous to the "specialist" in Luck and Logic if "apparitions" are replaced with "foreigners" or "monsters.") Their goal is to protect society from insidious foreigners.

As a science fiction show, the art is meant to be futuristic. This idea is rather abstract but you tend to see particularly electric colors, especially blues, that fill up the screen - objects are cleanly mechanical in depiction, symmetry, and all that. But the backgrounds tend to be realistic style, and grounded in some realism.

Though this premise is followed in L&L, the show appears to utilize 'unrealistic' signifiers that differentiate the "action area" from the true background; for this effort to work, a broad perspective must be used to separate these areas. Figure 1 indicates a simple example - the giant teal gate, floating in the sky, stands in contrast to the environment. As a result, we can understand that the gate represents a fundamental departure, ensuring its existence as alien. Through this effort, one can see that the Logicalists, despite acting as an extension of society, exist partially outside of it.

Figure 1. A Sky Gate Summoned by Tamaki (one of the Logicalists).

 The relative reticence so far tips off one fact - most of the episode utilizes a "normal" act of realism. However, the show has particular moments where it shows off the true capabilities of the Logicalists. If every depicted scene was as bright as Figure 2, the effect would be considerably lessened. One concept brought up in the show is the "Paradox Zone" which appears around foreigners (monsters, essentially).

 In the below, two Logicalists - Mana and Tamaki - are depicted in special - that is to say, flashy - uniforms as they fight in this Paradox Zone. For example, both are wearing unusual headwear: Mana, a black hat, and Tamaki, pink flowers. This zone is represented by a color scheme borrowed from molten magma - there are patches of bright, saturated orange unevenly mixed with brown, an effect that screams danger. These two styles are linked by being completely separate from the ordinary surroundings, which places both outside of the society. Neither the Logicalists or the monsters they fight fit within such boundaries.

This approach suggests something troubling: if they are visually distinct from society, then why can they act as a policing force? Then, this society may be run according to a police state, suggesting that order is preferred over the exchange of free speech and free ideas. Mana and Tamaki, wielding dangerous-looking weapons, maintain the order by defeating and restraining foreigners; thus, they are entirely police in the offensive manner, forgoing duties such as directing civilians to safety or seeking nonviolent solutions. (Yoshichika, a civilian, for example, makes an effort to direct civilians outside of the Paradox Zone.) Then, the art style cements the story as dystopian - intentionally pondering this different future.

Figure 2. Mana (left) and Tamaki (right) glare at a monster facing them.

 Yoshichika, the aforementioned civilian, is pulled away from the Paradox Zone (Figure 3), caused by the same monster but in a different location, by the Goddess Athena. Compared to Yoshichika's simple garb, Athena seems outlandish - she wears a white dress with a blue ribbon but also has hair that appears as slightly green. However, this scene indicates that her role is similar to the Logicalists in its emphasis on the Paradox Zone; yet Athena plays a much more defensive strategy than Mana and Tamaki. If anything, Athena visually seems like the medium between the Logicalists and Yoshichika; compared to the Paradox Zone, Athena and Yoshichika are both distant and small.

Figure 3. Athena (left) pulls Yoshichika (right) away from the Paradox Zone - and the same monster.

 In short, this show utilizes the lava-aesthetic to differentiate the battle-zone from the rest of society. Thus, the Logicalists, as a special police branch, are portrayed as different from civilians, such as Yoshichika, and the building surroundings. As a result, a contradiction is created: they fight for the civilization but play a role outside of it. Their actions can only be seen as above-and-beyond civilians, allowing for the story to seem dystopian. Characters like Athena bridge the gap between civilian and Logicalist, which adds nuance to this authoritarian dynamic. Ultimately, Luck and Logic is a story about the individual and the state, with an emphasis on the latter.
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Here the art critique folded into a plot analysis. One concern of mine in these posts is my inexperience in the rigorous analysis of artstyle, especially in an animated show. However, because animation is an imitation of real life, sociological themes can be drawn out based on the very style. In an animated show especially, the aesthetic approach pursued represents key concepts portrayed in support of the plot. It can never just be seen as meaningless and disconnected from the true backbone of the story.

Goldberg Variations

Two short blog posts! One long blog post per month! That was the plan. Until Fire Lord Justin messed it all up. What a great guy, messing up, confounding, convoluting, conniving, destroying that plan!

In this post, some form of a plan for 2016 in Nighttrail:
1) The Top ____ Anime post - split into several parts
2) A review of artistic methods used in a show (something new-ish won't hurt right?)
3) Some album reviews
4) More posts that lambaste Justin, that incinerate him, that SKEWER HIS ESSENCE
5) Just in general, I want to write more reviews
6) Various ideas proposed (to be mentioned later)
7) Create a hypothetical soundtrack
8) Observation style posts that focus on what happened over its meaning
9) Updates on "Aria"

Namida, Orphans

Happy new year!

Below are what I resolved for this year:
"1) Try to restore friendship with that person
2) Write 1 "full" blog post a month - an actually researched post that's more than 3 pages long - and two short posts a week
3) Complete at least 300 anime on MAL, with a ratio of at least 65% TV
4) Try to actually finish the story I'm working on
5) Annoy Justin to tears
6) Get into grad school/rough equivalent (such as Fulbright)
7) Read at least 2 long VNs (20hrs+)

8) Finish at least 2 mangas (that are 7-12 volumes in length), so including One Week Friends

9) Finish Shirobako tomorrow"

Per #2, I am required to tell you guys that New Years Resolutions are indeed a thing. But these regulations didn't say nothing about a picture about Miuna! So here's one for Miuna Monday.

Hikari is about to be called a "dolicon."

Resolution #9 is completed, #5 will always be true, leaving the remaining resolutions. Yesterday, I finished Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, bringing me closer to #3. The show was not especially meaningful or thematically interesting, but it was entertaining for what it was.

To be honest, I'm not sure where I want to take the blog this year. I probably won't even keep updating on New Years Resolutions (yes, yes, slippery slope). But there are some more items I would like to uphold as the new anime season kicks into gear:

1) Celebrating Miuna Monday
2) Writing about shows as I see them

3) More photos of Kaori Fujimiya

4) More arbitrary references to raising one's flag Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans

With these constraints set into place, surely I can write enough for this blog!