Dammit, Netflix!

Last night I tried to stream Murder Princess. I figured it was only six episodes – I could finish that in one sitting.

Nope.

I couldn’t even finish the opening credit sequence without Netflix having to stop and “retrieve” four times! Then, it stopped another two times before I finally gave up. Yes, I’m horribly stubborn.

The only possible explanation I can come up with for why this continues to happen to me is that my PS3 (which I stream Netflix on) is too far away from my wireless router (which is upstairs). Right now, I’m too lazy to test this theory. Besides, I don’t have an HD TV upstairs.

After much hemming and hawing, I settled upon Shonen Onmyouji as my DVD selection. I was quickly turned off by the dubbing and switched over to subtitles, but I barely made it through two or three episodes before getting sleepy and completely missing whatever happened beyond that. Looks like I’ll have to try again later.

What I’m Watching: Girls Bravo!

Lisa, Miharu, Kirie, and Koyomi

Poor Yukinari has a problem. He’s allergic to girls. Whenever he comes into contact with one, his skin breaks out in a rash. The only exception to his allergy is Miharu, a pink-haired girl from the planet Seiren.

Honestly, his allergy isn’t much of an issue. Aside from some red dots that appear on his skin when a girl touches him, he suffers no adverse effects. It’s kinda like having non-contagious measles or chicken pox. I don’t see what the big deal is, other than girls being scary an’ all.

Miharu is a naive girl who has to learn how things work on Earth. There was a delightfully perverse scene where she first discovers bananas. The marketplace vendor weaves a nostalgic tale of his first taste of bananas and how it led to his desire to sell fruit, while Miharu demonstrates her fellatio techniques on a banana in the background.

At first, I figured Girls Bravo was a typical boy-meets-girl comedy anime with Miharu set up as Yukinari’s one true love (or whatever), since he can actually touch her without the hives. But the show quickly turned into a harem series as more cute girl characters were added. They all, of course, live with Yukinari, except Kirie, the buxom, athletic human girl who secretly harbors affections for Yukinari.

I’m ten episodes into the eleven-episode first season, and I’ve come to realize there is no overall plot to the show, which I guess makes it reminiscent of a sitcom. It’s not a bad way to spend a lunch hour thanks to Netflix streaming, but I probably won’t be adding this to my collection anytime soon.

Yaoi-za!

When listening to podcasts and browsing forums, it seems to me that girls and women love yaoi. I don’t get it. What exactly is the appeal of “boys love” anime/manga to the female gender?

If you’re reading this and happen to be a fan of yaoi and a female, please clue me in.

The Otakufiend Returns!

Well, sorta.

I’ve started watching anime again this past month or so, and I thought I might check in and knock some of the dust off this old place. As you can see, there’s a whole new look about it. I just like to mess around with new themes every once in awhile.

Ultimately, I’d like to start writing about the stuff I’m watching, but I refuse to make any actual commitment to doing so since I have such a penchant for abandoning things before they start.

You have been warned.

The Otakufiend has moved!

If you happen to be a regular visitor, please update your bookmarks, and please feel free to drop by the new place.

Animail – Tuesday

Yesterday, I came home to a stack of packages on the table.
• The Claymore starter box I pre-ordered from Amazon had arrived.
• A recent order placed with eStarland arrived. Some of the titles look better than used, with shrinkwrap and security tape still in place. On the other hand, a couple looked sun-bleached.
• Devilman & Angel Cop arrived! I’ll have to make time to watch them, soon.

I wish my large order from secondspin would’ve arrived, but it’s not like I’m lacking things to watch. Besides, there’s always today’s mail.

Ultraviolet: Code 044 – Ep. 01

I’ll admit it. I enjoyed the Ultraviolet film for its Milla Jovovich-ness, cool action, and nifty effects. Sure, it’s not a particularly deep movie, but I like it on popcorn-flick/pure entertainment basis. When I found out there was an Ultraviolet anime, I had to check it out.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!

From what I can tell, there’s only a passing resemblance to the film with little to no connection to any of the characters. This Ultraviolet goes by “Agent 44″, and works as a government assassin. She was created in a lab, and at the age of fourteen, she was injected with a virus that amped up her physical abilities and greatly decreased her lifespan.

The action is quick, and sometimes awkwardly framed as she slices her way through bad guys with a very cool looking sword. Fans of the color-changing clothes and hair, however, will be disappointed as neither makes an appearance in this episode.

Agent 44 is tall and slender like an underweight fashion model, which conjures up images of Peter Chung’s Aeon Flux design. And just like Aeon Flux, 44 spends a lot of time in the buff or scantily clad. Unfortunately, the nudity is no more titillating than a Barbie doll.

The environment is dark and grim, reminding of Blade Runner more than the setting of the Ultraviolet film. And the science fiction angle has been amped up quite a bit. When Agent 44 is sent on an assignment to Jupiter (yes, the planet) in a passenger space shuttle that still launchs like a shuttle from Cape Canaveral.

After one episode it’s hard to judge this show’s story quality. There’s still a way to go before the verdict is in. However, if you’re into action flick chicks, you’ll probably want to check this show out.

The Continuous Erosion of Our Freedom

On October 9, 2008, the CBLDF announced that it will participate as a special consultant to the defense of Christopher Handley, a 38-year-old Iowa manga collector who faces up to 20 years in prison for possession of manga that the government claims to be obscene. Of his collection of more than 1,200 volumes of manga seized by the government, Handley is being prosecuted for images that occur in just a handful of volumes. No photographic content is at issue in Handley’s case.

You can read more about it here.

December ’08 Solicitations – ADV Films

ADV Films New Title Solicitations (Dec ’08) via TRSI

• Area 88 (TV): Complete Collection (Re-release) – 300 minutes – $39.98 – 12/30/2008
• My Beautiful Girl Mari / A Tree of Palme: Double Pack – 180 minutes – $26.99 – 12/9/2008
• Nadia, Secret of the Blue Water: Complete Collection 2 (Re-release) – 565 minutes – $49.98 – 12/16/2008
• Nanaka 6/17: Complete Collection – 325 minutes – $39.98 – 12/23/2008
• Neo Ranga: Complete Collection (Re-release) – 600 minutes – $49.98 – 12/2/2008
• Nurse Witch Komugi: Complete Collection – 120 minutes – $34.98 – 12/30/2008
• Ushio & Tora: Complete Collection (Re-release) – 275 minutes – $29.98 – 12/23/2008
• Wedding Peach: Season 1 Collection (Re-release) – 675 minutes – $39.98 – 12/9/2008

I might go for the Area 88 thinpak if I haven’t already bought the artbox and singles by then. I’ve also been wondering about Nadia. That might be worth Netflixing first. I’ve heard little to nothing about the quality of Neo Ranga, but I’d be willing to give it a shot.

If we could only get ADV to release an Aura Battler Dunbine thinpak and a complete Mazinkaiser set similar to their recent re-release of Devil Hunter Yohko, it’d make me one happy otaku.

FUNimation answers fans’ pleas

From the ANN forums:

Hello anime fans,
We do understand your concern regarding the future releases of these two series in which you have already invested so much time and emotion. I won’t bore you with the long explanation as to how we came to the decision we did as to how to package these series nor rattle off the many factors that led to that decision.

That being said, we have taken your comments to heart and here’s what we are going to do: in addition to the box sets we will ALSO release Red Garden Volumes 4 and 5, Pumpkin Scissors v.5, and NHK v.5. They will be available through The Right Stuf in December — though street dates have not yet been finalized. Volume 6 for all three of these series will be available at a later date, still to be determined, and will also be available via The Right Stuf.

Best regards — Official FUNi Rep

That’s great news for fans of Pumpkin Scissors, Red Garden, and Welcome to the NHK, including me, since I went and bought all the singles for Red Garden and NHK a couple months ago.