Retrospective #1

There’s a very simple story behind this blog’s rebirth. I was reading an atelier emily article, amazed at her conciseness and elegant writing. And I was thinking, ‘sheesh, her blog is so advanced. She must be some kind of genius, award winning writer’. So I checked out the blog’s About page, and there it read-

“…trying to improve my writing…”

Improve her writing? Improve what writing? So she was weaving all this magic as a side thing? To improve? In that case, what am I doing!? Seeing a non-professional writer write so professionally filled me with a burning sense of combined envy and motivation. After all, what’s stopping me from getting that good?? So I remembered my old anime blog, completely renovated it (in her style (like a real noob)) and blazed up a post on the only anime I could think of: Kino’s Journey. And 6 posts in, my priorities have shifted from imitating blogs far better mine and stressing over stats, to…just writing, I guess. For the fun of it.

It’s all been a process of me finding my preferences away from anyone else. At first, I was a bundle of nerves, and looked to other blogs for things like word count per post, layout, writing style etc. I wanted people to look at my posts and go, ahh that looks good. That looks normal. I feel bad when I write too little (really undersold the Fantasia short) and I feel bad when I write too much (Kakukaku Shikajika). But honestly, I’m too tired to care. I want my blog to feature a variety of things, so the aim is to keep trying something new. That’s one thing I discovered: being new to this whole thing gives you way more freedom and peace of mind to really experiment. I never want to become too experienced to experiment. It’s too fun.

I’ve been more dedicated to this blog idea than I ever thought I would be. I’m really proud of myself, because I’m bad at commitment. I think the hardest part of blog writing at first was the stats. It’s common sense that stats will always be low for an up and coming blog, but my silly self worried so much about it that she ended up pumping out posts that she didn’t like just because she felt she had to put something on the blog before people (which people??) lost interest. My review of Now and Then, Here and There was the worst for this I think. I liked the show immensely, but watching it became less fun as I forced myself to finish it for the sake of having something to put on this blog. I think that was disrespectful to the show and to the blog itself as both ended up feeling like homework assignments as opposed to the fun hobby it should’ve been. In fact, I’ve been caring less about stats, and this has given more freedom to spend time on posts to make sure they’re up to a decent standard. The review of Now and Then, Here and There, had a rushed final third, that disrupted the flow that I’d tried so hard to achieve. I wonder how other bloggers do it, balance watching a show to review it, and watching a show just to watch it. I don’t ever want to watch a show again just for the sake of reviewing, it’s a tedious process. And I don’t think I’ll ever review every show I watch. One of the most recent shows I’ve been watching is Hisone to Masotan and it’s…cute. Cute animation. Cute writing. Cute music. But there’s nothing about it that makes me go, ahh, I must write about that. I’m probably not the only one who does that.

But seriously, the less I think about stats, and this blog in general, the freer I feel to watch shows I want to watch, and the more enthusiastic I feel about writing for this blog. Which is strange…Jin-Roh was definitely the most fun for this. I watched it because it was just there, and it ended up being one of my favourite posts on the blog due to just how fun it was to write for. I felt like I was a kind of detective, trying to figure out why I felt this way about that, and it led to a more engaging result. Now and Then, Here and There was much more obvious in its strengths and weaknesses and I think this made the whole process more dull because I struggled with finding a way to write it engagingly. This leads me to another issue- how does one write a review? It seems so straightforward, write what works, write what doesn’t work, and for a lot of blogs that works great. But I’m afraid of my writing becoming a boring list, as opposed to being written as something that’s actually compelling. A lot of reviewers that I like find really good ways to combine that straightforward review style with something more interesting and meandering. Demolition D+ (his scripts are amazing) and iblessall were writers whose style I was fond of, because of how their reviews were more interesting and less tied to a format, whilst keeping a clear structure and professional feel (the professional feel is debatable in Demo though…). I wanted to write like that so I studied both their scripts to feel out how they did it. My first, clumsy attempt was with (the scapegoat) Now then here and there, with that botched final third. I tried to compensate with pictures, but there were too many stupid pictures making it a pain to read. For reviews, I’ll keep it light on the pictures I think. Ultimately, they’re not necessary. It’s a more professional approach in the future.

So far, my favourite posts are the Kino’s Journey post, the review of Kakukaku Shikajika and Jin Roh. These posts were the most cathartic for me. Most fun was definitely the Akira post, which was random and silly (and those gifs were hellish), but sooo fun. The film is pretty to look at and there’s a lot to talk about. It’s obvious which post I didn’t like, so I won’t go on. I’ve decided every six posts to write a retrospective that reflects on how I’ve fared with every six posts. My desire is to improve and never stop improving. Obviously this is a tall task, especially at the glacial pace I write, and I can already see a lot of flaws in the posts I’m proud of, but oh well. I’ve got to start somewhere.

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Cool blogs/writers/posts that inspired me when writing these six posts:

washiblog– his sakuga writing is so precise and thorough. After I’d finished my post on Bill Tytla’s Chernabog, I went to his blog and realised there was so much more I could’ve done.

tamerlane– did a couple of guest posts on wave cannon motion on the differences between Western and Japanese animation, and sakuga culture and they were sooo illuminating. They really help me with how approaching animation writing.

iblessall– his posts are just fun. I read them and they take me to a place of warmth.

luminous mongoose’s review of Emma– it’s always nice when you get to see an appreciation post on something you love, and Kaoru Mori’s art is something I love. Had it not been for this post, I would not have gone back to Emma and loved it all over again.

I read this post after I’d published my 6th post, but it was such an interesting perspective of Nora’s character (Noragami). Irina does good work 😄

And finally Rodrovich’s Sporadic Thought-Precipitator. What a name. It really captures the eclectic spirit of the blog, which focuses on music as well as anime. Rodrovich is a really well rounded writer; his post on k-pop music was so sharp, it almost sold me on k-pop. Almost.

I want to give a huge thanks to MagicConan14 for mentioning my Kino’s Journey post in their monthly round up of anime posts. It was such an honour and I’m glad people enjoyed the post. And thank you to my followers. It’s a small blog, but I really want to write some great things on here. Thanks for checking it out.

So yeah. I think that’s it. See you in six posts’ time 🤗

Fantasia: Bill Tytla’s Chernabog

Chernabog begins boisterously and ends with the silent sound of bells. He stretches out his wings with sharp movements, wrought with tension, heavy and simultaneously light. He’s surprisingly agile as Tytla contrasts sudden, decisive action with more languorous ones- so the demon partakes in his evils with eager, careful delight. His fingers dance, stirring up chaos with unexpected grace and elegance. Tytla communicates such weight to his expression that you feel like he would shatter the earth if he fell. His movements are theatrical- broad, sweeping gestures – without being overwrought. And the slowness of his timing contrasts wonderfully with the fast action of the spirits he brings to life.

All of this is enhanced by a powerful design. Chernabog feels carved out of the night, as silly as that sounds, due to the deep blue-blacks used for the shadows, and brighter highlights that sharpen his form. His design is just close enough to convention to be immediately recognisable as ‘demonic’, whilst having enough nuance to it to make him iconic.

Chernabog’s animation elevates the Night on Bald Mountain to the most impressive short in Fantasia. How Tytla managed to animate a character that complex, both heavy and light in form and action, is beyond me. Animation’s complexities reveal themselves in performances like this.

A little something on Akira

Do I need to introduce Akira? It’s a milestone, a landmark, an absolute necessity in anime viewing. It blew up the medium in the west, and is considered one of the greatest sci-fi/anime/adult animated films ever. It’s the only anime I’ve seen animated on 1s/2s, making it the most fluidly animated anime film I’ve ever seen. Akira’s a hype film, and it lives up to this hype mostly in the first third, where everything is still straightforward and intriguing. The scenes where Kaneda’s gang, the Capsules, take on a rival gang on the streets of Neo-Tokyo are some of my favourites in the movie. They’re energetic, beautiful and establish the story and world excellently. Here’s what I loved about theses scenes.
The city is perfectly chaotic

From the dingy club we meet Kaneda in, to the claustrophobic high rise buildings that choke the screen; to the neon lights and signs, and the cramped back-alleys; Neo-Tokyo is a decaying, decadent city. It’s full of light and colour, but the inhabitants scrabble in dimlit hideaways, or otherwise get beaten up by rogue gangsters.

The all-powerful nature of the gangs

There’s a part where a man gets caught up in part of the gang fight. The camera switches to a bird’s eye view, as we see him brake to a stop, the bikes zipping all around him. He’s trapped in the bikers’ world. Before his car is smashed, we see an ethereal glow almost blind him. We know it’s from the motorbikes, but it seems almost… godlike. As if these gangs are omnipotent beings with total control of the city. The havoc they wreak between themselves affects harmless civilians. One guy is in a restaurant before a biker crashes through the window, ramming his front wheel into the poor man’s head. The culprit stops, smirks and zips off.
The animation

Akira was animated on a mix of one’s (24 frames per second) and twos (12 frames per second)- far more drawings than most anime films. More drawings meant more action, and it really is such catharsis to see so many drawings in an anime film. The increased frame rate allows the movement to be more fluid and detailed.

These gifs aren’t very good, but look at that fluidity. I also really like how action in one cut flows directly into the other cut. Akira uses that technique a lot, and it’s not one I see in anime a lot.

And there’s actual lip syncing! The full animation allowed the animators to convey the high speed of the motorbikes, whilst allowing smaller details to carry more weight.

When Tetsuo falls of his bike, you really feel its weight as he struggles to drag it back up. The background animation is also very detailed. Moving the camera within a 3d space is difficult and pricey in cell animation, but Akira does it anyways. The moving backgrounds add energy to the chase scenes and immersion to the city of Neo-Tokyo.
The visual differences between Kaneda and Tetsuo

It’s probably the most basic of symbolism, but it’s effective nonetheless. Kaneda is dressed in vibrant red and rides a vibrant red motorbike. The jacket he wears has broad shoulders to convey his strength and confidence. By contrast, Tetsuo is dressed in washed out blue colours; his sweatshirt is comprised of gentler sloping lines. Tetsuo is weaker, more passive. When the two elements are put together they clash. There’s a moment where Tetsuo is sitting on Kaneda’s bike and he’s practically swallowed up by its saturated red and aggressive design. From the beginning, Tetsuo’s insecurities and jealousy towards Kaneda are shown, foreshadowing for the violent showdown between them later on. Which leads me to…

Tetsuo’s character is really well established

If there’s one thing that Akira the movie does better than Akira the manga, it’s Tetsuo’s before his psychic powers. There’s the aforementioned bike scene where he expresses jealousy towards Kaneda’s new fancy bike. Later he falls off his motorcycle in the heat of the chase and is told to buck up. These build up to an excellent action scene where he hunts down two isolated Clown members into a deserted part of the city. From what we’ve seen, Tetsuo is insecure and wants to be appreciated, treated with the same respect as Kaneda. After having made a fool of himself, he carries out the chase obsessively. We can see his frustration and pent-up rage, and the tension grows as we cut between the chaser and the chased, and Tetsuo grows more intense.

Then the tether snaps and Tetsuo smashes the biker’s head in a powerful emotional climax. It’s an act of revenge for being made a fool of, borne from his desire to prove himself as a powerful threat like Kaneda. Naturally, it all quickly goes downhill. He crashes the bike in a psychic collision and the actual plot begins. In less than 5 mins, Tetsuo’s entire character has been established and we’re ready to see where the narrative will take him. Or where he will take the narrative.
Conclusion

When I was writing this post, I had no idea that this year was Akira 30th anniversary. It’s pretty amazing how it continues to inspire people so many years after its release. It’s not perfect – nothing is – but its accomplishment makes the watch worth it, especially its animation. I feel like I didn’t stress this enough, but Akira’s animation is. Actually. Insane. Where else can you see 24 delicious frames per second of detail in anime?

These are probably my favourite cuts in the entire first half.

With that, I close this post. Thank you so much, Katsuhiro Otomo, for creating the Akira experience. And thank you so much,the production staff, animators, layout artists, ink/paint artists e.t.c, who brought it to life.

Happy Birthday, Akira.