Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade (2015) Review

~ bristlebristle ~ 2 Comments

EOn1Ilt.png

Little Witch Academia: Enchanted Parade, even more so than its predecessor, embodies the sheer fundamental joy of animation. The sincere joy of seeing images come alive, images bound only by the limits of imagination coming into motion. Enchanted Parade is sometimes breezy and whimsical, sometimes awesome, sometimes funny, sometimes intense. But through genuine mastery it makes all those moods look like second nature. It’s Little Witch Academia‘s ongoing love letter to the traditions of animation and so much more.

Continue reading “Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade (2015) Review” →

The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! (2014) Review

~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

[Chibiki] THE IDOLM@STER MOVIE - To the Other Side of the Light! [BD][1080p][BD4007D5].mkv_snapshot_01.43.45_[2017.06.24_00.46.40].jpg

For a business as manufactured and suspect as the idol industry we sure do see a lot of well-crafted anime surrounding it. Of all the ones I’ve seen I found The iDOLM@STER to stand above the rest of the pack, bringing together an ensemble of incredibly talented animators to create a work filled with endearing subtlety and tons and tons of engaging vignettes and little narratives. The iDOLM@STER Movie is essentially cut from the same cloth, a continuation of all the little things that made the original series great in an extended feature-length format.

Continue reading “The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! (2014) Review” →

The Re-Watch Pile: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

~ bristlebristle ~ 2 Comments

[Doki] Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - 10v2 (1280x720 h264 BD AAC) [DD6C6F14].mkv_snapshot_23.53_[2017.06.23_02.08.54].jpg

Every time I watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica it reverberates through me for days. It sticks to me aesthetically, thematically and emotionally and refuses to let go. It’s often noted that Madoka is a “dark” series, and in many ways that’s true. It’s filled with loss and tragedy and a hint of existential dread. It acknowledges and understands the struggle of humanity in a troubled world that can’t begin to value all our sacrifices, contained in a universe where the way we think and feel is utterly miniscule. And yet it’s ultimately a tale of hope.

Continue reading “The Re-Watch Pile: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)” →

Quick Reviews – Pokémon Origins

~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Pokémon Origins is a refreshing slightly grittier take on the Pokémon world, that much is true. Its battles are slightly more violent than the main anime series, its character designs and voice acting are more grounded and mature and generally it fulfils my childhood desire to see a more serious anime about an actual Pokémon game. So for all of that I think this is a pretty cool thing. But on the whole Pokémon Origins is more or less just a serviceable slice of fanservice.

Continue reading “Quick Reviews – Pokémon Origins” →

Quick Reviews – Little Witch Academia

~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

I watched the original Little Witch Academia short way back when it was all the rage and I got plenty out of it. I thought it was cute and fun and engaging, a sign that Studio Trigger was a force to be reckoned with in the industry. But it’s only rewatching it now that I appreciate its craft. It’s an absolute pleasure of a work that almost anyone can find something to appreciate in, and it’s full of all sorts of little details that make that possible.

Continue reading “Quick Reviews – Little Witch Academia” →

Funcurve Summer 2016 Anime Roundup

~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

lovelivesunshine-ep10-scr3

In the interest of getting enough sleep for Wrestlemania (which begins in the morning in this tragic timezone) I’ve decided to delay today’s article. Instead I figured I would give an update on Funcurve. In light of personal struggles I stopped being able to contribute to the site and eventually moved to just being a guest writer, but before I stopped contributing as an actual writer I did some more articles on the Summer 2016 Anime season. You can find them after the break. Enjoy!

Continue reading “Funcurve Summer 2016 Anime Roundup” →

Evangelion Episode 1 and Framing

~ bristlebristle ~ 1 Comment

gr8tu6u

One of the reasons Neon Genesis Evangelion stands as one of anime’s biggest cultural icons is the boldness of its framing and shot composition. Nothing that came before it and very little that came after conveys quite as many things as Evangelion does in the dynamic composition of its space. Most vividly this is seen in the construction of Shinji’s space, cold and distant by default but veering on tense and claustrophobic in moments of conflict. In the first episode of Evangelion alone there’s a lot to pick at in the way Shinji is framed, and we’re going to do just that.

Continue reading “Evangelion Episode 1 and Framing” →

The Beauty and Sadness of Bojack Horseman’s ‘Fish Out of Water’

~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Covl6M1WYAA_F9B (1).jpg

I have no hesitation when saying there has never been a better time to be a fan of western animated television. More things have grown on me, blown my expectations away, touched me and brought me to tears from this medium than ever before. But none with the sheer emotional gravitas of Bojack Horseman. That a sneering pop culture satire built around so many unlikeable individuals could carry this much sincerity and vulnerability itself is a feat well beyond many of its peers, but that it never lets go of that dignified seriousness and takes it into so many dark and extraordinary places is what puts it at the apex of its craft. ‘Fish Out of Water’ is at once one of the most ambitious and most tragic episodes of the series. It’s wonderful, it’s funny, it’s experimental, it’s deeply painful, it’s Bojack Horseman.

Continue reading “The Beauty and Sadness of Bojack Horseman’s ‘Fish Out of Water’” →

What happened to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?

~ bristlebristle ~ 1 Comment

maxresdefault1

Let’s talk about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Yes, that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The once revered and controversial show about cartoon horses learning the magic of friendship is still going strong with a seventh season and a feature film on their way later this year, but it seems to have more years behind it than ahead of it at this point. The viewer base and the overall enthusiasm towards the series has seen a significant drop-off, and most notable fandom personalities have moved on to other things (sometimes as in the case of Digibro much bigger things). There’s been a lot of reasons for this, both specific personal reasons and reasons that broadly reflect the current state of the series. Putting aside fandom drama I want to talk about the direction the show has gone in and how that’s sparked disinterest.

Continue reading “What happened to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?” →

On Representation

~ bristlebristle ~ 1 Comment

maxresdefault

Broadly speaking we tend to see society become a little more open towards different groups over time, and with that comes slowly but surely increasing media representation of them. A cynical way to look at this is that it’s simply because their existence has become profitable, and that’s certainly a very valid way to look at it given the slew of middlebrow oscar bait exploiting historical prejudice and hamfisted tokenism. A more positive way to see it is that media representation gives us a platform to humanise different groups, to become aware of their existence and their validity as individuals. I believe both perspectives can be true at once, and in that sense there needs to be conscious thought about how representation is implemented.

Continue reading “On Representation” →