Mitsue… I became a god
April 7, 2008
Sometimes it's easy to disqualify an anime. It may have an intro song sung by a whiny male artist, feature robot on human dating, or just be an embarrassment to the human race. But usually you have to spend an hour of your life sitting through two episodes to make sure nothing interesting is going to happen. My disqualification du jour is the characters. If I can't stand the people in the show I kick it to the curb. There are some exceptions: Pani Poni Dash has a huge cast and thus the annoying ones (such as the teacher) are absorbed by the average; and Ninja Nonsense's tiny ensemble allows the grating Onsokumaru to be softened by Shinobu and Kaede.
Rare cases may actually put their best foot forward, and in Kamichu it's love at first sight. The first words spoken by Yurie Hitotsubashi are "I became a god" in a quiet, casual voice. Her friend Mitsue doesn't believe her at first, but outspoken shrine daughter Matsuri Saegusa defends the new deity immediately. Together they discover Yurie's powers, help other gods, and interact with the magical creatures that live all around us.
One thing you won't get in Kamichu is an explanation. They never tell you how Yurie became a god, what those strange creatures are that walk around everywhere, and whether it's all real or a coincidence. Signs point to "it's real," however, as even the ferry operator quickly believes in Yurie's divinity. I'm fine with this lack of grounding; the last thing you need to worry about in a magical middle school fantasy is somebody's power level.
For me, the highlight of Kamichu is listening to the auditory details of the voice actresses. Innocent Yurie, dour Mitsue and brash Matsuri emote constantly and adorably. You hear a lot of little squeaks that other shows reduce to one noise ("annoyed grunt") and I can't get enough of it. The animation in this little TV series holds up its end, displaying as much personality as big features like Spirited Away. Watch how Yurie descends the ladder, is embarrassed, and then retreats to it. If you haven't absolutely had your fill of anime that takes place in generic Japanese schools, Kamichu is a rare treat.
Normal shows are ones where I don't mail the disc immediately back to Netflix after two episodes. Such is Karin, another show taking place in a generic Japanese school, this one featuring a vampire girl (the titular "Karin"). She lives with a family of vampires who, the opening very carefully informs us, only suck small amounts of blood from humans. These vampires prefer blood from people with certain negative personalities, like liars or egoists or those under stress. Your preferred, uh, blood type, is called your blood affinity.
Karin is a bit different. While she sucks blood and has a blood affinity (unhappy people), she can go out in the daytime and is immune to garlic, crosses and running water. The big shock – a genuine surprise at the end of the first episode – is that Karin is a primary a blood discharger. She has nosebleeds that would fill a blood bank. That's how she ends up bonding with the love interest, Kenta Usui.
My affinity for the show probably has something to do with the fact that it was animated by the folks at JC Staff, responsible for the peerless Excel Saga. Karin is constantly embarrassed, but she has fantastic expressions and will effortlessly go into super deformed mode for a gag. There's nowhere near the level of audio delights that can be found in Kamichu, but she does her best.
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that my favorite part is when Kenta discovers Karin is a vampire. Like another excellent anime, My HiME, the heroine breaks down and starts crying near the start of the series. This is the only emotional release you'll ever get, except the obligatory "I love you, Male Character" thirty seconds before the end credits on the final episode. It ain't much, but I'll take it.
I am not ashamed, however, to admit that I went to the FSU anime convention Freecon last weekend and had a great time. My only other experience with conventions is the 30,000+ juggernaut known as PAX, but that's primarily a gaming show. This was my first time in an anime con and I've suddenly got a taste for it.
The first time I went to PAX I knew I was there for the swag. I circled the convention hall a dozen times and came back with a suitcase full of shirts, buttons and posters: a rich man. In 2007 I went to explore Seattle and stressed my poor little digital camera. Mission accomplished. At Freecon… I didn't know what I wanted. They had anime viewings, discussion panels, artist alley, dealer booths and a small game room.
I thought I wanted a figurine, but there was nothing from a show I recognized and didn't despise. I tried to watch some new anime, but – despite the superior selection of JACT's great anime minds – there was little I hadn't already seen. The panel I attended was horrible, and not just because it was named "The panel that Man was not meant to attend." We watched absurdly awful anime from the 80's and laughed at it. Seemed like a winning formula in Mystery Science Theater 3000, but here… not so much. Imagine thirty people yelling out whatever pops into their head, competing with each other to make the stupidest and least funny remark before some other mental patient says it first. It was nice that you couldn't hear the show over the cacophony, but both evils were impossible to accept. I left quickly.
Full credit to JACT, however, for the well-run and well-researched hentai panel. I thought I knew what mad sexual depths the Japanese were capable of, but it turns out I had no idea. The black mark on my hand wouldn't come off for three days, and I cried myself to sleep on Saturday. Bravo.
My favorite was definitely artist alley. Four girls set up tables with their drawings and would even do commissions on the spot. Three themes were prevalent: Invader Zim, Avatar and Kingdom Hearts. Ever wonder what Zim looks like in Sora's outfit? What's wrong with y – I mean, wonder no more. I bought two custom drawings from Hihoshi: Mai Tokiha from My HiME and Savannah Vice from my dusty comic The Villain. For a lady no more than 26 pixels high, Savannah turned out great.
I can't wait to go to another con. Um, just as soon as I can wipe the images of the hentai panel from my brain. Still dirty…
