[Story via Ars Technica]

Oh boy, was I excited when Ghost Hunt Collection One landed on my desk last week. I’d seen this particular anime kicking about the scene last year. Expectations were high, after all, who doesn’t like a good scary ghost story? The first let down was the rating. A PG rating really doesn’t inspire much confidence of a good scary anime. But I’m open minded, I can overlook the underwhelming rating. Its has to be better than Hell Girl, which has an MA rating, but lacks any lasting appeal. If you’re the type to judge an anime on its opening episode then you’re going to be disappointed. Ghost Hunt takes a couple of episodes to show its true colours. The characters are all insultingly one dimensional most of the time, and the main character, Mai Taniyama, is just another cookie cutter school girl character caught up in something sinister. I’ll  overlook the Australian catholic priest character who literally introduced himself by saying, “G’day mate. I’m from the outback.” I am Australian and I’ve never said anything remotely like that in my life!

I’m around seven episodes in and what really holds this anime together is the ghost stories themselves. They’re all quite interesting and compelling in their own ways, which in turn helps the characters maintain some interest factor. They discuss the science of ghost hunting and whatnot, which is fascinating in its own right, which is why I’ve kept going with Ghost Hunt. I am hoping to see the story pickup though. Not a whole lot has happened beyond a few unhappy poltergeists thus far.

[Watch Episode One via Madman]

Behind Anime Lines – Episode 05

You can download from right here on the Behind Anime Lines Website, or you can subscribe via these services:

Two prominent members of GAINAX who manage the Evangelion movie copyrights have left and formed a new company called Ground Works to manage those rights. GAINAX’s name has been left off of a huge portion of new Eva materials and merchandise, replaced by Ground Works. Thus, GAINAX and the recent Evangelion films may be splitting up. It’s not like Hideki Anno’s anger helped, either.

What does this really mean? Who knows… You can get the whole story over at Japanator. [Link]

Vexile, while not as definitive a touchstone as Blade Runner or GiTS or Akira is certainly part of the cyberpunk genre of a dystopic near future where issues of humanity and machine blurrings are at the fore. It depicts both images of high tech utopias of machine assisted life. As well as dystopias of alienation from each other, baren wastelands, scientific abuses that have had resulted in the death and mutation of large populations. It also has a nostalgia for a early post-war Japan where people struggled to make do with make-shift housing, black markets, the proliferation of yakuza culture, and sustenance where they could find it. The portrayl of a low-tech Tokyo inhabited by high-tech humans becoming androids foregrounds many of these concerns. The US is presented as high-tech, while Japan, save for the dominant Daiwa corporation is portrayed as low-tech and fostering a rag-tag guerilla force within its remaining population which has been correlled into the protective walls of Tokyo.

Japan here certainly isn’t coming to the aid of anyone, and has regressed to this modern Tokugawa fortress Japan space. Underlying this high tech/low tech clash is some important issues of isolationism, xenophobia and national identity. But this is never adequately followed up or effectively integrated to felsh out the characters further. From Vexille’s hatred of androids, to Maria’s sudden outburst of xenophobia towards the American Vexille, as well as the tension between the mad scientist and his henchman – this tension over identity flares up, but never crystalises around a stronger character conflict or broader political statement. It looks great, but its potential critical voice is muted and dulled through a confusing narrative and a rather anti-climatic ending.

• Hear more of Doc Norris’ opinion on Vexille in episode 05 of Behind Anime Lines.

Right, down to business. This episode of the podcast will look at:
POP JAPAN TRAVEL’S NEWEST TOUR – TOKYO INTERNATIONAL ANIME FAIR from Active Anime (press release)
More about anime freak Mere Doyle USA Today
Hobart’s AI Con is on the radar.

Not Manga related, but a fun idea:
Pretend To Be A Time Traveller Day
“because obviously there aren’t enough time travellers”
What: Performance
Start Time: 08 December at 00:00
End Time: 08 December at 12:55
Where: Everywhere You Can Possibly Harass Citizens

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=133916279611&mid=17db0d5G3e34191fG11d2f8eG7