Hero of the Week: Guts

This week's hero is the Black Swordsman with the crossbow equipped mechanical arm. I could only be talking about the vengeance seeking protagonist of Berserk, Guts!

















On the surface, Guts just seems like any other angry anti-hero on a quest for revenge. This couldn't be more wrong. It might not even be possible to put Gut's depth into words.

While I tend to disagree with the notion that "tragic past=deep character", this is a perfect example of where the story mechanic actually works. I can't think of one character in all of fiction that has gone through more than Guts has. After being raped by his adoptive father, losing nearly all of the people he cared about thanks to his former leader, having his lover raped by said former leader and having his child be born prematurely due once again to his douche bag former leader, it's hard to believe the man has the emotional fortitude to carry on. It's no wonder he's pissed off at Griffith (the former leader).

Speaking of Griffith, he actually helps make Guts all the more likable. In any other series, it would be hard to sympathize with Guts considering the amount of people he himself has killed. However, Miura does such a good job at portraying Griffith as a villain that you'll find pretty much everyone rooting for Guts. Very rarely can an author make you hate a character so much. Guts can decapitate a thousand soldiers if it gets him to Griffith faster for all I care. Not saying Guts is impossible to sympathize with as he is easily one of the nicer ones in this universe, though it may be hard from an outsider's perspective.

While Berserk isn't exactly known for its consistent schedule, we are finally getting back to Guts after following Griffith for a long time. I have been anticipating the return of the protagonist for quite some time now, something I rarely do when it comes to the absence of main characters. Hopefully it doesn't take another 20 years for him to get his revenge on Griffith.

The Death Note Phenomenon

Death Note is popular; there's no denying that. This popularity is enjoyed worldwide. The problem is that sometimes when a work of fiction gets popular, their concepts and creations carry over into the real world, which is not always a good thing.

For those unfamiliar with the plot of Death Note, it is a series built around a supernatural notebook whose names written in it will die. A series of twists and suspense lead Death Note to worldwide popularity. It became so popular that students and other people would actually create their own Death Note and write the names of those they disliked.

In 2007, a high school student in Virginia was suspended for having a Death Note with the names of fellow students in it. In 2008, a middle school student in South Carolina was caught with a Death Note and disciplined accordingly. Also in 2008, two sixth grade boys in Alabama were actually arrested for having Death Notes, also with the names of fellow students in them. Once again in 2008, four middle school students in Washington were caught with a Death Note and disciplined.

This phenomenon is not unique to the United States. In 2005 A full out banning took place in many parts of China due to students altering existing notebooks to look like Death Notes.

The worst offender is the alleged copycat crime that took place in Belgium. A mutilated corpse was found in Brussels with a note nearby that read "watashi was kira dess" which translates to "I am Kira", the code name used by the main character to carry out his murders.

The reason I bring this up is that another incident involving the fictitious notebook has recently occured. An 8th grader in Sydney was found with a Death Note, but this one was more intricate than just having names in it. It actually had plans for planting bombs in the school. It also was not devoid of names, but the deaths actually had descrpitions rather than just names.

While I think the whole phenomenon is mostly harmless, there is the possibility that disturbed youths can be identified much easier if they have a Death Note. If it's a way for troubled teens to vent, I don't see any reason why they can't have one. They also might have one because they plan to cosplay as a character from the series or just might think having one is cool with no intention of writing any names down. The problem is seperating the disturbed from the fans that just thought it would be cool to have one. While I don't think anyone should be arrested for owning one, I also don't think it should be ignored.

Live-Action Cowboy Bebop being Re-Written

Those who have been waiting for the live action Cowboy Bebop movie will have to wait a bit longer. It seems the script is being re-written because it was "too good". Had they gone with the script, it would've cost the studio half a billion dollars. As much as I hate to say it, I don't see anyway to take this as anything but bad news. A script extremely faithful to the anime is going to be destroyed because the budget didn't call for it. I'll remain optimistic that a faithful adaptation can be made, but even if the movie is amazing, the lingering thought of "what could've been" will most likely never go away.

I'll have more on this once we have more info.

Hero of the Week: Vash the Stampede

This week's hero is the Gun toting pacifist with the destructive arm. I could only be talking about the protagonist of Trigun, Vash the Stampede.





















Vash is an interesting character. On one hand, he covers the shonen protagonist archetype of not wanting to kill anyone. On the other hand, he is a destructive force that has killed in tens of thousands, albeit unintentionally. While the archetype of "pacifist that brings about destruction" is nothing new, Vash is an anomaly even in his own category. He is an extreme contradiction, going so far as to make graves and cry for the villains that massacred his loved ones.

This sentiment is echoed through his memory of REM, the girl that taught him human emotions in the first place. Even with horrible scars all over his body as a result of years of mistreatment, he will not falter in his belief that no one deserves to die.

Throwing the tree hugger tendencies aside, Vash is actually a very capable fighter. Despite seemingly having a disadvantage in every fight, Vash pulls through with fantastic marksmanship and maneuvering. Simply wrapping a string around his gun can be used to disarm one of the world's greatest swordsman.

Let's not forget how funny Vash can be. Even the most dangerous of situations, the man won't hesitate to make a joke about groping breasts or play around with a rubber band. Add this to the wide array of face faults displayed by the vigilante and you got a genuinely funny and likable character. After all he's been through, it's amazing Vash can still smile and crack jokes.

In a world where killing is a standard of living, one man goes against the grain, hoping to bring peace to both the western and final frontiers. Admirable and inspirational, it's almost impossible to find a nicer character than Vash the Stampede.

Mini Break Due to TGS

As the gamer readers know, the Tokyo Game Show is this week. While this is almost as important if not as important as E3, I will be focused on that for the next few days. I'll be posting the coverage over at Level One - Start, so you guys should go check it out if you play video games.

You can look forward to the Hero of the Week segment on Friday.

Bakuman

The duo that did Death Note is back, but the dark and philosophical nature of their previous work has been traded in for a comedic slice of life that details the workings of the very magazine they are published in. What starts out as the dream of two middle school students quickly becomes a reality as they become established manga-ka and become well recognized in the industry.

Join Takagi and Masahiro, two boys with a dream of becoming serialized in the country's number 1 manga, Weekly Shonen Jump. After a series of mishaps and style changes, the duo finally makes it into the coveted manga via contest. After a few more contests and rank shuffling, Takagi and Masahiro do what very few highschool students have ever done before; become serialized.

While this may sound boring on the surface, the ambitions of two young boys coupled with other important commitments makes for a funny and dramatic story. In addition to their dream chasing, the highschoolers must juggle school work, relationships, hanging out with friends, and taking care of their health. As you may have guessed, some of these life necessities crumble at one point or another due to the stressful nature of being part of both the Japanese school system and a business that requires long hours.

Interestingly enough, the series tackles some very visible issues with Shonen Jump such as the popularity being equivalent to the page placement in the magazine. With the main characters and several supporting ones optimism toward changing Jump, you would almost expect it be serialized in an anti-jump magazine.

The series is only a year in, so making a final judgement now would be unfair. However, I will say it is much weaker than the duo's previous work. I'll give Ohba and Obata a break since a series like Death Note is hard to follow no matter who you are. I have been enjoying it, but I do miss the shocking plot twists and thriller nature of Death Note. Perhaps my expectations of the duo shouldn't be represented in a post about a romantic comedy, so I'll just say it's a nice time-waster with a somewhat unpredictable plot. I would reccomend it to anyone that is looking for another series to read, but not another action one.

Remains of Shin Chan Creator Found?

This is sad, sad news. The remains of someone believed to be Shin Chan creator, Yoshito Usui, were found yesterday in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture. While I wasn't the biggest fan of his acclaimed series, I did watch it from time to time on Adult Swim despite the complete butchering of the script.

Whatever happens to Shin chan happens, but may Usui R.I.P. He deserves it.

Hero of the Week: Haru Glory

This week's hero is the silver-haired boy on a quest to rid the world of Dark Bring. Hailing from Garage Island, the outgoing Rave Master; Haru Glory!

















So what is it that separates Haru from those other shonen heroes? It can't be his big-ass sword or endless determination. It can't be his "friends come first" mindset either. Actually, Haru is a very by the book shonen protagonist...But what's wrong with that!? Cliche but effective.

As the successor to Rave, Haru is pretty much catapulted into a quest to rid of the world of the evil equivalent, Dark Bring. As a shonen hero, he is thrown face first into several high action fights against several characters with interesting powers. With the power of his rave stones and a large sword known as the Ten Commandments, he is often victorious. Facing many strong foes and eventually the main villain, Lucia Rarengrove, Haru is every bit deserving of his title as Rave Master and hero.

Of course like all shonen heroes, there's also a fun side to him. He isn't above getting drunk and stripping down completely to "protect the honor" of the female protagonist, Elie. In addition to this, his face faults usually end up being pretty hillarious (when he isn't the one causing them for the other characters).

While Haru is just like any other shonen hero, he can hang the title high in the air and be proud of who he is. After all, saving the world isn't something just anyone can do.

The Shonen Formula Part 5: A Little bit of Help Justifies Forgiveness

So you've just beaten a major villain. A few friends may have died, but at least you beat that pesky evil man and/or woman; too bad he/she escaped. Well, at least you're safe until the next villain shows up. Oh, but what's this? It seems like the new enemy is also the enemy of your old enemy (trying saying that six times fast). You know what they say; the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

There are several examples of bad guys becoming good guys just because of a mutual enemy or goal. Vegeta, Scar, Mukuro, Franky, Gaara, every JJBA character that isn't the main, Kurei, all of Soul Society, Kon, Faust VIII. They are given a clean slate as all the horrible things they did to the main characters are forgotten. It doesn't matter how many they maimed, raped, killed or prank called. As long as they help out with the fights, they might as well be the main character's best friend. Hell, even if they don't help out with the fights, they're pretty much forgiven as long as they don't cause any trouble.

This wave of forgiveness also spreads to the secondary characters. It doesn't matter if he killd her ex boyfriend; Bulma will still hook up with Vegeta beccause he "tries hard". Even though Faust VIII cut open his chest, Manta won't hold a grudge and even trust him to fight alongside Yoh.

Sometimes a major villain becoming an ally almost downplays the trouble the protagonists had with said villain in the first place. With the recent temporary alliance between Crocodile and Luffy, you almost forget the Strawhats spent around 80 episodes tracking this guy down and beating him, suffering two total defeats in the process. I have to admit, it does make rewatching the battles a little less epic, but who cares when you have a total badass like Crocodile on your side?

The former enemies may also be forced to interact with the protagonists. Maybe they fell into the same trap or entered the same tournament or something like that. Either way, the malicious feeling and tension is either gone or has deteriorated significantly. I guess all these characters needed was a little time apart to prevent them from going at each others throats.

Obviously the severity of the former villain's actions varies from character to character, but enemies becoming allies is a part of shonen and isn't going to change any time soon. It's a great way to gather more main characters in the beginning as most pre-chapter 30 villains become allies in some shape or form. Look at it this way; a villain you might have loved but got taken down pretty quickly will now get significant air time.

2 Cons for the Price of 1: NY Anime Fest and NY Comic-con

The New York Comic-Con is the only convention I've ever been to. I'm not really big on the whole "Con" scene but I definitely had a blast. While the next one is more than a year away, it seems we have a very extensive event to look forward to. That's because it's actually two conventions in the same place at the same time. Anime Fest and Comic-Con will be in the Javits Center from Oct 8-10 2010. Paying for a ticket at either event gets you access to both. It'll be interesting to see how the staff handles this. Hopefully it won't end up being a mess.

Hero of the Week: Sakata Kenzo

This week's hero is the laid back psychic and master to other psychic, Cherry. I'm of course talking about one of Gantz's Tokyo Team's most gifted fighters, Sakata Kenzo.




















Like most of the Gantz team, Sakata was just a normal boy before his death and revival in the Gantz game. But unlike the rest of the team, Sakata actually discovered he had powers before his death at the hands of Izumi. After discovering his psychic powers, it is implied he killed a few bullies that decided to mess with him. This may not sound like a very good hero, but like most of the characters in Gantz, Sakata grows to appreciate life a bit more.

In fact, Sakata is the first to bring up a very philosophically sound argument involving the deaths of those around him. Is it right to continue to bring those in the database back to life? Even though Sakata brought Cherry back to life a few days earlier, his point is valid. From his viewpoint, bringing those back that have died honorably just cheapens their death and makes their life out to be a joke. Even when coming face to face with the 100-point alien, intending to die, he hopes he is not brought back to life. While this could be seen as an empty sacrifice as his organs were failing due to overuse of his powers, it is still a nice notion.

Currently, Sakata is dead as a result of holding off the Nurarihyon alien. Considering the nature of Gantz and his ability to revive those in the database, it is unclear if he will stay dead, but even if he does, his death was definitely heroic.

Awesome Baccano AMV

Through my daily checking of Youtube and Japantor, I found a really cool Baccano music video. It really fits with the jazz inspired soundtrack and early 20th century setting. Check it out.

More Negima Anime on the Way

After a flurry of Negima OVAs, it looks like slowly but surely, the more badass parts of the Magister Negi Magi series are being pieced together in animated form. The short batch of episodes will be joined by what seems to be a feature film set to release in 2011. While it doesn't appear that any details have been given, there's a good chance it will involve an adventure in the magic world. Considering the magical world has already shown up in the OVAs, each new feature or OVA brings us one step closer to the ridiculously badass fight between Negi and Rakan. Who knows, maybe even this feature will cover it.

Hero of the Week: Bando

This week's hero brings us the man that never gives up, even when going up against a psychopathic horned girl that dismembers her victims with invisible arms that can cut through steel. I'm of course talking about the bionically enhanced member of the Special Assault Team, Bando.




















Bando may not be the nicest guy in the bunch, but he's got the balls to do something very few do; fight against the Diclonious. Those who are unfamiliar with Elfen Lied would think of these horned little girls as nothing more than that, but the ones shown are all monsters with no regard for human life, decapitating and ripping apart even children with their transparent limbs. But this doesn't scare Bando one bit. Even with the loss of his eyes and a few body parts, he continues to clean the beach so he can have a rematch with Lucy, preventing her from throwing any objects with her 2 meter vectors.

Despite Bando's rage filled attitude and personality, he is not completely devoid of human emotion. He has saved Mayu's life and even showed sympathy to Nana who did not want to fight despite her Dicloni instincts activating a few moments earlier. He also has at least some morals as shown by his disgust of the mysterious man's perverted actions and keeping alive the torso of a Silpelit.

He's also pretty damn durable. Being able to survive multiple run-ins with the horned psychos is nothing short of a miracle. Even being torn in half to save Mayu didn't stop him from getting a new bionic lower half.

Yes, Bando's badassery and inability to die along with his deceptively heroic exploits make him a man to be admired. Afterall, an anti-hero is still a hero.