Guide to Studios

NAME: Artland



FOUNDED IN: 1978

Top 20 Seiyuu

It's been a while since I've posted my Now it's time to let the fangirl loose.



I was planning on giving reasons for each person, but I realized they'd all be the same: vocal versatility, wide variety of roles, etc. So instead I singled out a role that particularly stood out to me and talked about that.

Dragon Ball Z, episodes 1-5

I guess the decision to watch Dragon Ball Z before I watched the first season (Dragon Ball) is quite weird. But I wanted to see whether or not it is possible to enjoy the series as a separate show. People say it is possible. Some say it is not. Well, here is my answer.



Even if you have never seen Dragon Ball or any other incarnation of the series, you probably know who he is. Goku.

I Want To Hammer My Point In With Many Nails Instead of Few, And That's Terrible: A Galaxy Express 999 Post

After seeing Rintaro's movie version of Galaxy Express 999, I took a look at the summaries for the actual series and was shocked at how awful they made it seem. For 113 episodes, Tetsuro and Maetel do nothing but visit planets and learn lessons regarding how awful it is to be a cyborg? That wouldn't last me through a 13-26 episode series let alone one that's longer than Legend of the Galactic Heroes. How can people like that stuff?



Editor's Note: I forgot to take the time period of the anime into account when writing this, so whilst I stand by my points, I admit that it could have been reworded better and clarified my issues with Kadian in the comment section below.

Preserving the Tension in Action-Comedy

Action comedy - in which conflicts play out in an inherently absurd or amusing world - is a genre which must balance its threat to the characters with its general tone. This is not to say a moment of seriousness within an amusing story cannot work, but that finding a balance of tone and keeping this consistent is crucial to a cohesive and credible story. A series like The Irresponsible Captain Tylor or Dominion Tank Police lays out its slapstick nature plainly from the start; even if the setting is a high-stakes one there is little actual risk to anyone because the tone is defined by physical, farcical humour. Neither shies away from reminding the viewer that weapons hurt but at the same time their characters mess around and in the process avoid fights with consequences - or properly taking responsibility for them. A good example is the first battle Tylor fights in the former series; a series of slapstick mishaps result in a bomb exploding on a warship's bridge, causing a weapon malfunction which destroys a number of other ships in formation. It is a military victory - many enemy personnel are assumed to have died as the ships explode - yet it is portrayed as the punchline to a visual joke telegraphed much earlier in the episode.



This example from Captain Tylor presents one approach to action comedy; the stakes are real and people die but it is presented no differently to the consequence-less fun that precedes it. It suits that series, which parodies plainly the grand strategies and deceptions that are so memorable in the battles of Space Battleship Yamato or Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Tylor is just, through convoluted coincidences, doing exactly the same as a character like Okita in Yamato sets out to do intentionally. That tension is in fact the core joke behind Tylor. It is interesting to compare this approach with that of Majestic Prince, a series that I have written on previously. Majestic Prince had moments of silliness and ineptitude yet - a few key moments when levity suited excepted - its action was tense and shown to be consequential. Indeed, the move away from pervasive silliness as the series progressed let the characters develop beyond one-note archetypes while making the jokes that did remain stand out more. Characters died in Majestic Prince's battles, ship crews and pilots on both sides. The humour came from the pilots trying to get by and live normal lives between missions. Tylor uses enemy crews dying to friendly fire as a punchline.

Legend of Galactic Heroes: My Conquest is the Sea of Stars (1988)

LEGEND OF THE GALACTIC HEROES: MY CONQUEST IS THE SEA OF STARS is (aside from a mouthful) pretty much what happens when anime is mixed with classcal art and music.It acts as a prequel for the 110 epsiode OVA that was released right after.It shows the first the first battle between the Galactic Empire's Admiral Reinhard von M sel and Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet's Wen-li.The two sides have been at war for 150 years, so one can only guess that this encounter will act as a bit of a turning point in history for the two groups.None of that happens here however, as the whole hour is spent on developing characters and leading up to one big battle.



While it seems like this movie might be a waste of time if it doesn't get to the root of story, it's okay.It gives you enough.This was meant to be a prequel to a pretty lengthy OVA series, after all.While there isn't a lot of background given, it is still pretty easy to catch on and follow along for the hour and there is enough there to just be able to appreciate a historical rooted war story.

In Short: Autumn is GO!

MOST OF THESE LITTLE TIDBITS ARE ONLY COVERING THE FIRST EPISODE AS I WROTE THEM SHORTLY AFTER AIRING. WE'RE NOW IN THE 2ND (TECHNICALLY 3RD) WEEK OF THE SEASON, THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH SOME SHOWS, BUT SO FAR IT'S SHAPING UP NICELY.

DIABOLIK LOVERS (DAILOVER): Another otome game adaption. I've always felt like these were a terrible idea to adapt unless the studio picked a single route. But instead, they try to cram every route possible into a short series. It ends up being a muddled mess once they try to connect each one... DiaLover episodes clock in at 15 minutes each, the first of which I found