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I have frequently remarked about my 40-year flirtation with anime before I finally settled down back in 2004 to accept it. It was during my Third Permutation that I ran into (what it was called then) “Star Blazers”. I had two problems with the show. The first was trying to wrap my head around the concept of a sea-worthy battleship in space (I would later discover that the Japanese flung all kinds of things into space for their animes). The second was the battleship seemed to fire its main weapon, have it break down and take two or three episodes to repair it, fire it again and repeat the cycle. Since I felt the show was going nowhere (and this was at a time when it showed once a week), I abandoned it and thus ended that trial.Continue reading

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Science Fiction is always a tough genre to work within. You are, in a sense, looking at things that have no real basis in science, but are not completely dismissed out of hand for being improbable or even impossible. But there still has to be a grounding of some caliber so you can project your story from that. I bring up this lengthy explanation as “Kokkoku: Moment by Moment” asks us to look at time in a different manner.Continue reading

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The Japanese really love their robots, whether it is the standard mechanical type, their Gundams or the AI versions. They all have a place in their society and “Beatless” takes a look at a world where everyone seems to have this caliber of assistant or compatriot or bodyguard. Well, almost everyone.Continue reading

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It’s a drinking show. There is nothing more cuter than seeing a lady drink…..unless it’s a bunch of ladies drink! This one isn’t much different than “Osake wa Fūfu ni Natte kara”, except it’s times four. “Takunomi” (“Drinking at Home”) tells the story of 20-year-old Michiru Amatsuki (lower right). She arrives in Tokyo, where she will start a new job and enjoy a big-city lifestyle. Continue reading

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What is it with food shows? It seems that practically every time I turn around, there is another food show. But you have to be careful. I mean, to me, it is more than just seeing people eat endless plates of food or trying to learn the cultural and geographic difference that makes the same dish not really the ‘same’ dish. This is kind of the mixed approach to “Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles (“Rāmen Daisuki Koizumi-san”).Continue reading