Spice and Wolf – Season One (2008)

Introduction:

When it comes to fantasy anime, you have a set of tropes that usually come into play. Sure the setting may be medieval inspired (European or Japanese) but at some point laser guns and robots will appear. Someone will end up wielding a sword at least as big as they are (usually larger). And if there are elves in the story they will have super long pointed ears. But this anime goes in a much different direction.

Summary:

Kraft Lawrence (Jun Fukuyama) is a smalltime peddler in this medieval land. He usually barters his goods for ones with greater value and then obtains surprising amounts of profit for his long travels. One day he stops in a familiar village as they are wrapping up their harvest festival. Before the church really spread this village worshiped a wolf goddess who would favor them with wondrous harvests. These days the folks of the town go through the motions, not really believing, but not willing to anger the goddess.

Good idea, because Holo (Ami Koshimizu) is still around. This long-lived wolf goddess has gotten bored with the little town and decides to take up the peddler’s life. She transforms into the guise of a young woman and teams up with Lawrence, much to his chagrin. But the two work well together. Lawrence is business savvy and knows how to spot a good opportunity. Holo can read people (including Lawrence) very well and uses this to their advantage. Along the way they will encounter a currency manipulation plot, a bad deal for armor, and Holo’s nemesis – a shepherd. In the end will Lawrence and Holo make a profit, fall in love or maybe both?

Good Points:

• Holo and Lawrence are great characters that work well together
• The laid back pacing makes for an easy viewing experience
• The conflicts that revolve around being a merchant make for a refreshing change

Bad Points:

• Some of the financial scheming is explained very quickly and may lose some viewers
• Very little action in the series at all
• Doesn’t really have an overarching narrative, but weaves from adventure to adventure

Overall:

This series was a great change of pace. Holo is a fun character and her interaction and banter with Lawrence are what keep you coming back to see what happens next. Conflicts are never very intense, but they are atypical of what you find in most fantasy anime. The animation is quite lovely and really gives the world a unique pastoral feel. Looking forward to returning to these characters in the second season.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

In Depth Review

On the road for fun and profit.

I heard about Spice and Wolf when it first made it to DVD nearly ten years ago. It sounded like a unique and lighthearted tale that was different from much of the fantasy anime I’d experienced. I’ve had it on my radar since then and was pleased to see it appear on Hulu (both seasons). I finally dove in, hoping it was able to live up to the hype.

Hype is really too strong a word for Spice and Wolf. The series is mellow, easy going and for the most part a story about a growing friendship that covers 13 episodes. Yes there are some intense moments in the story, and the world the characters inhabit can be dangerous. But for the most part this series travels along the road slowly but letting the viewer take in the atmosphere and the relationship it is building.

The focus to the series is the two main characters. Lawrence is a pragmatic man with a keen eye for details and the ability to see how these details can be exploited to his financial advantage. But he is not without feelings. In fact his empathy get the pair in trouble, and Holo accuses him of being too kind hearted. Lawrence is obviously taken with Holo, but knows full well that this is some kind of immortal being he is dealing with. The way he attempts to navigate their growing relationship is charming and amusing. He makes the perfect straight man for the more mercurial goddess.

Don't try pulling a fast one on Holo, she got ears like
a wolf... literally.

But the wolf of Spice and Wolf, isn’t your typical over the top anime girlfriend. This is a creature that is hundreds (or thousands) of years old. While she looks like a young woman her experience and keen senses give her advantages over the “youngsters” around her. But she is still the spirit of a wolf, and as such sometimes those instincts overpower her more human aspects. So when she finds something she enjoys eating, apples for example, she will just keep eating and eating them until she makes herself sick. She can be greedy. Other times she can take offense to seemingly minor issues. But she will often toy with Lawrence, teasing him with performances as an ideal partner, before mocking how gullible he is. But through it all, we see how lonely she has become and how much she appreciates Lawrence. By the time we hit episode 13 the two really understand each other and it is great to have that kind of character evolution.

Lawrence is just a nice guy in a love triangle
with a wolf and capitalism.

The other interesting element of the series is the world created in Spice and Wolf. Modeled after medieval Europe before gunpowder was introduced, we have a society in the grip of a powerful monotheistic church. There are trade guilds that wield power over merchants. We see how different kingdoms use different coins (with varying weights) and how this impacts trade as well as currency schemes when one king tries to obtain financial power over others. The world feels like a real place because of these details. But I also enjoy the art style, especially in the open road where we see the lovely countryside or the ominous mountains that loom above the characters. While this isn’t top tier animation, it works very well in the context of the show.

He should have known that a shepherd would cause a
problem for his wolf.

I watched the series in Japanese and most of the cast was very good. Koshimizu makes Holo very appealing and does a great job with a character with so many facets. Fukuyama matches her with his even approach to Lawrence. You can’t help but smile when he gets annoyed or befuddled by Holo’s latest scheme.

I enjoyed the score to the series. It keeps mostly in a medieval style with some lovely a cappella vocals taking over at key moments. It works well in context and adds to the atmosphere of the show. I also like both the songs used in the credits. Tabi no Tochu performed by Natsumi Kiyoura is a melodic piece that sets the opening mood. The Wolf Whistling Song is a cute jaunty tune performed by Rocky Chack. It has charming lyrics and works well with the end credit animation.

"Does this bother you? I'm totally touching you."

On some level I can’t imagine Spice and Wolf working. It seems at times too simplistic in concept or too obscure in execution to really gel. But it does. Part of it is the way the relationship builds over the course of the episodes. The series was constructed with a keen eye to making it all flow together, even if there isn’t a real antagonist for the whole series. Instead you get mini-adventures that last a few episodes. This gives us enough time to hang out with Holo and Lawrence. The characters are the focus and because they are so well realized it brings you back for more.

An atypical anime for me, and miles away from something like Log Horizon or Attack on Titan, but shows that fantasy stories can take many shapes and be uniquely entertaining. In some circles Spice and Wolf is considered a classic, I can see why. I’m looking forward to the second season and where it takes our two entrepreneurs.

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"Here's to good friends. Tonight is kinda special!"

Crimson Peak (2015)

Introduction:

The trailers for Crimson Peak caught my interest. It looked like a visual feast with a heavy lean on gothic style. And it was directed by Guillermo del Toro. While his movies don’t always land for me, I always appreciate his visual and his boldness in going full bore for the type of movie he is trying to make. I was hoping this film would be a little better than Pacific Rim. Let’s see what happened.

Summary:

Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is feeling trapped in her life as a secretary for her industrialist father. She is an aspiring novelist, but since this is the 1800s that profession is frowned upon for proper young ladies. Edith meets a handsome baronet from England who dreams of making his fortune using a unique steam powered machine. He is a fiery dreamer named Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and with his taciturn sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) they are seeking capital for their venture.

Edith’s father turns Thomas down, but she falls for the dashing young man and hurries off to England as his new bride. Once they get to the ancient mansion, Edith finds that things are much different then she realized. The old house is literally falling apart. Lucille goes from taciturn to downright disturbing. And then there are the ghosts – vividly, horrifically bloody ghosts. And when Edith hears that the area is called Crimson Peak she recalls a message from a spectral form of her mother warning her against visiting this evil place. Will Edith be able to unravel the mysteries of Crimson Peak or is she already ensnared in a deadly trap?

Good Points:

• Amazing atmospheric visuals and style
• Excellent acting by the entire cast
• As sense of fun and energy to the whole film

Bad Points:

• The visual style of the ghosts doesn’t quite fit with the film
• Some may find the focus on gothic romance to be annoying
• The storyline borrows from many classic tales so it may be overly familiar to some viewers

Overall:

If you are looking for a fun throwback to the Hammer style horror films then you’ll enjoy Del Toro’s energetic effort to capture that type of film. With a focus on gothic romance, a dash of visceral violence and some impressive visual design the movie aims high and nearly hits all the points.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 4

Acting:  4

Script:  3

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

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Movie Musings: Wait, I've Seen this Before!

So my wife found a Blu-ray edition of It Happened One Night by Criterion Collection for a great price at Costco (of all places). We had the DVD release for quite a few years, but figured we could replace it with Criterion's clean up copy.

So yeah, this print looks great, but what surprised me was the sound. Holy crap did that audio sound as crisp and natural, as if the film were just made yesterday instead of 1934. I shouldn't be too surprised, Criterion always does a fine job with restoration. But before this turns into a full fledged commercial for the Criterion Collection (too late), I had this odd epiphany while watching the movie.

I wrote earlier this year about how much Ex Machina reminded me of Ghost in the Shell. I have an upcoming post about the similarities between Dune and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. So I must have movie comparisons on my mind. But It Happened One Night was something different. It reminded me of a ton of different movies while watching it. But the reason for that is because It Happened One Night pretty much refined the romantic comedy genre into a a crystallized perfect specimen... in 1934! Nearly all mainstream romantic comedies that followed have borrowed in some way from this classic film. Some have modified and improved elements. Most just copied and pasted the sequences and moments wholesale into their films.

Memorable scene? Sure, but there is more to this movie.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, It Happened One Night is a very entertaining film. It has some great dialogue, two excellent performances, and moves a great pace. Frank Capra does a fine job putting the whole thing together, and working with the chemistry between Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Sure every time this film is mentioned all you see is the infamous hitchhiking scene. But this scene works even better in the context of the film because of the adventures and interaction building up to it. This movie may be considered the great grandfather of romantic comedies, but it works so well: you laugh and you swoon. What more do you want in this type of film.

We are actually getting away from the influence of It Happened One Night in this modern era of movies. Fellow writer Richard Bellush at Richard's Pretension has pointed out that many modern "romance" films view romance through a cynical lens. Characters who fall in romantic love are mocked and considered the oddballs. The comedy stems from how bizarre these characters are. After years of Hollywood basing their films off of It Happened One Night, it is a pretty refreshing.

That said, I'm a softy at heart (check out my review of Oh My Goddess if you don't believe me). So something like It Happened One Night or When Harry Met Sally still work great for me.

I love the whole discussion about dunking doughnuts.

What is interesting is that even though It Happened One Night feels overly familiar, through no fault of its own, I still enjoy it. But on a revisit of North by Northwest, I found it really hard to get over the fact that I knew every plot twist and sequence because so many movies have borrowed (and yes lets just say it, ripped off) the 1959 classic thriller. I wonder if it has something to do with the genres. With a thriller you are there to enjoy the twists and the build up of tension. With those things neutralized the movie is less entertaining. I enjoyed North by Northwest, but not as much as I enjoyed rematching Rear Window. Might have to take a closer look at why in a future blog post.

But for It Happened One Night, I am there to watch the interaction between Gable and Colbert. I'm there to see those characters work their way out of those situations. And I'm there for fun ride. All those things hold up well, and make it a true classic, not just of the genre, but in the space of all film history.

Have you ever watched an older film that inspired a whole slew of imitations? Did that impact your reaction to the original?

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Oh My Goddess (OAV) (1993)

Introduction:

This series was part of Animeigo’s one-two punch to show the North American anime market that Japanese animation was more than exploding heads, naughty tentacles, super powered robots and guys swinging swords the size of Chicago.  How would a romantic comedy with fantasy elements play to an audience that loved Akira?

Summary:

Keiichi Morisato (Scott Simpson) is a college freshman at the bottom of his dorm food chain. So while everyone else is out having a good time, Keiichi has to stay behind to answer the phone and take messages. Lamenting his fate and also getting hungry for dinner, he phones for some delivery. Instead he dials The Goddess Helpline. Within seconds a beautiful young woman climbs out of a mirror and says she can grant him a single wish. Keiichi figures this is part of an elaborate joke, so he jokes back, “I want you to be my girlfriend forever.” And his wish is granted.

Now Keiichi finds himself in the company of Belldandy (Juliet Cesario), a super sweet and super cute goddess, with mystical powers. Any time circumstances occur that may separate them, the holy contract that binds the two kicks in, and all kinds of magical shenanigans ensue. Things get even more fun when Belldandy’s older sexy sister Urd (Lanelle Markgraf) and younger bratty sister Skuld (Pamela Weidner) show up to help or hinder the relationship. What Keiichi doesn’t know is that a promise made in the past may end up taking Belldandy away from him on Christmas Day.

Good Points:

• A fun set of characters and situations
• The final two episodes handle the melodrama very well
• The English voice cast is very good (for this era)

Bad Points:

• If you’re not into romance in your anime, then keep away
• Some of the characters may drive viewers up the wall
• Fans of the manga may not like the changes for the OAV

Overall:

Based loosely on the manga, but with enough changes to take it into a new direction, this OAV series starts out as cute romantic fun. But the final two episodes take it into dramatic territory as the characters you’ve grown to like are put to the test (romantically of course). The English voice cast does a fine job with the material. Even if the animation isn’t as polished as it could be, the end result is a very entertaining show that wears its heart on its sleeve.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 5

Total: 4

In Depth Review

Keiichi makes a great first impression.

If Kosusuke Fujishima has an enduring legacy in anime and manga, then it has to be Oh My Goddess (or Ah My Goddess as it is also known). The comic series has been running since 1989 and is still going strong. It inspired this original animated video (OAV) series, a couple of television series and a full length feature film. All this from a one off joke in Fujishima's other manga series You’re Under Arrest. The Goddess Belldandy appeared in one issue and Fujishima just took the idea and ran with it.

One of the things I like about the OAV is that is manages to capture all the major elements from the manga, sticking very closely to key storylines. But it is also different enough to not feel like a rehash. I love how it goes into a new direction in the final two episodes, but stays true to the characters. The ending is actually poignant and even though a happy ending is never in doubt, our two leads are put through quite a bit.

Now for those who are not familiar with anime genres, there is a whole set of shows that revolve around the "magical girlfriend". Sometimes she's from space, or a witch, or maybe just appearing out of a VHS tape like the creepy ghost in Ringu, but cuter and with less death. Anyway, this genre usually revolves around a hapless and hopeless young man who meets the "magical girlfriend" and falls for her. Of course all kinds of wacky, magical things happen. There's usually a love triangle or rectangle in there, or maybe it turns into a harem show (were a bunch of magical girls show up and fall for the protagonist). Oh My Goddess falls neatly into this genre, and is probably one of the most popular behind Rumiko Takahashi's Urusei Yatsura featuring everyone's favorite space demon/babe Lum. 

Kei and Bell share a quite moment. The lighting
in the park gives this scene of soft glow.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Oh My Goddess uses Fujishima’s character designs to start with, but since the animation company is AIC (of Tenchi Muyo  fame), and this was made in the 1990s, the characters end up with a mix of that AIC look with the original character designs. It actually reminds me a bit of what happened with Gunsmith Cats. It’s a shame, because Fujishima’s style is pretty unique and very attractive. That’s not to say that the characters are hideous in their animated form, but they are a bit blander looking than in the manga.

In addition it looks like some cost saving animation was used in several places. The third episode features a motorcycle drag race. Fujishima is a motorhead of the highest degree and the manga is filled with car and motorcycle races and road trips. Keiichi is even part of the college motor club and several series plot points revolve around him dealing with the rival club and racers. So you expect a bit of that in the anime series. Unfortunately the racing montage uses a lot of still frames, empty backgrounds and tight shots of only the helmets of the racers filling the screen. Compared to the fully animated race scenes in You’re Under Arrest it’s a bit of a let down. I’ve also noticed that the character animation is inconsistent, especially from episode to episode.

Belldandy makes a startling discovery. I love
the way they capture the sunset in this sequence.

However the animation crew for Oh My Goddess does end up giving us plenty of animation for the magic spells, mystical encounters and decrees from heaven that frequently occur in the show. One of the most impressive occurs in the first episode, where Belldandy uses her powers to restore a ruined Buddhist temple to its former glory. But the most impressive visuals are the wonderful atmosphere and mood created by the backgrounds and lighting. There is a real romance to the entire series. The soft backgrounds, and colorful lighting help create this feeling. One of my favorite uses of lighting is during the second episode where Belldandy and Keiichi go to the beach (and Urd does her best to help them connect, only to fail spectacularly each time). There are some great scenes with the sunlight dancing on the ocean, sunset casting a burning orange light everywhere and a finale by moonlight. Great stuff, and it mirrors the conflicted emotions that Keiichi is dealing with.

Belldandy: so sweet that if you may need to brush
your teeth after each episode to avoid tooth decay.

This type of show doesn’t have a lot creative sound effects. Even the magical spells sound like they came from a standard library. It’s not bad work, but it doesn’t pop. The music is simple stuff, a bit over the top at times. It actually made me laugh when it started to sound like it came from a corny soap opera. Where the series does offer some musical highlights are in the songs featured in the series. The Japanese voice actresses who play the goddess perform these songs. All three ladies sing very well. Kikuko Inoue, who played Belldandy, has an especially sweet voice. These songs often fit the show well, and the opening and ending credits use songs from “the Goddess Family Club”. They are both very catchy and you might find yourself humming or singing along.

With a total of five episodes, each running about a half hour Oh My Goddess does a great job introducing the characters and giving them an entertaining series of adventures to experience. The first episode introduces us to Keiichi and his dorm mates. When Belldandy arrives on the scene and grants his wish things go badly very quickly. He lives in a men’s only dorm, and is kicked out for sneaking a girl inside. The rest of the episode deals with the two trying to find a place to stay and bonding as friends. Keiichi obviously hasn’t had a girlfriend before and is very awkward around Belldandy. While it isn’t spelled out so much in the OAV, in the manga it is very clear that Keiichi is very Japanese and Belldandy is very Western (most likely Scandinavian). So Keiichi is dealing with a foreign Goddess. But Belldandy is true to her word; she stays with him and becomes his best friend.

Urd: once described as being a few fries short
of a happy meal.

Episode two introduces the sexy goddess Urd, Belldandy’s older sister. She is sick of Keiichi’s pathetic attempts to woo Belldandy, and wants the two to hook up faster. So she offers to help. Belldandy is a domestic goddess (literally), who loves cooking, taking care of the home (or temple in this case) and spending time with Keiichi. Urd is into magic potions, alchemy and generally getting into trouble. She loves teasing Keiichi, often getting him to blush at her provocative behavior. But she isn’t interested in him. She is protective of her younger sister and just wants to see her happy. But she tends to act before thinking and it gets everyone in trouble. Urd also is probably the wittiest of the characters in the show, and has plenty of scene stealing lines.

Skuld: Left alone in heaven with a bunch of bugs,
she's going to make things difficult for Kei and Bell.

The third episode of Oh My Goddess deals with the youngest sister, Skuld. After the events of episode two, she is left behind in heaven and is lonely. When she finds out that Belldandy is in contract to a mortal. She’s annoyed. When she actually meets Keiichi and finds out that he’s a bit of a nerd, she loses it. Skuld wants her sister back and she’s going to stop at nothing to do it. Meanwhile Keiichi is selected by his Motor Club to participate in a motorcycle drag race. He has to construct the bike from scratch. In addition the upper classmen have made a bet with the rival motor club. The stakes are simple. If the rivals win, Belldandy joins their club. If Keiichi’s club wins, the rivals disband their club. Keiichi can’t let this happen, but Skuld sees the perfect opportunity to separate the two of them, and prove how big of a loser Keiichi is.

Skuld uses special glasses to see the dimensional rift.

The fourth and fifth episodes comprise one storyline. It all starts with a snowy day at the temple. When Keiichi goes down the hill to check the roads, he discovers that the snow is only on the temple. The rest of the city is snow free! Obviously some magic is at work. The goddesses determine that a system bug is loose in our world and is causing havoc. They destroy the bug, but more keep appearing. Skuld determines that a dimensional rift has opened up allowing the bugs to cross into the mortal world. What is causing the rift? It opens any time Belldandy and Keiichi get close. Once this news gets back to heaven, they cancel Belldandy’s contract with Keiichi and give her three days to put her affairs in order and return to heaven.

What is cuter than Belldandy? A flashback to Belldandy
as a little kid. Diabetics should not watch these scenes.

Keiichi can’t believe it and teams up with Urd and Skuld to find another solution. Meanwhile Belldandy, being the dutiful one, prepares for her departure. This includes erasing all evidence that she was ever in Keiichi’s life, including erasing his memories of her. But Belldandy is hiding something. As a child she made a promise, one that she broke. Even though she was only a child she is still a goddess. This means the promise is a holy vow. This broken promise has torn a hole in reality and is causing the rift. Belldandy can’t do anything to repair it without hurting Keiichi. Meanwhile Keiichi struggles with a series of odd jobs to buy something special for Belldandy for Christmas. Skuld and Urd end up bickering more than planning their scheme to keep Belldandy on earth.

Belldandy tries to explain to Skuld why she has
to stay on earth with that "loser" Keiichi.

I decided to give a summary of each episode because it plays into my discussion of the characters, acting and overall construction of the series. One of the most fun aspects of Oh My Goddess is the mix of Norse mythology with sci-fi futuristic technology. The supernatural aspect of this series is based on the idea that the entire universe is essentially one giant computer system. Belldandy and her sisters are high-level operators in that system. They are goddesses to us mortals, but still part of technological and bureaucratic system. In the manga they go into more detail with this, but the anime series does a good job by providing some shorthand scenes. One of my favorites is Skuld de-bugging the system. Basically she runs around with a giant hammer and squishes the rabbit-like bugs. Urd calls into the network to find out what is going on in heaven, and is put on hold. Talks of binding contracts, and the “ultimate force system” mix the computer and mythological concepts. Then there are the goddesses themselves, named after The Norns from Viking mythology. These three sisters drew and cut the lifelines of mortals and gods. They are often tied into time: Urd to the past, Belldandy to the present and Skuld to the future. While those powers don’t come specifically into play, they obviously affect the age of the girls.

Keiichi is normally a mellow guy, but when Belldandy
is recalled to heaven, he demands an explanation.

The English dub cast does a very good job. This was an early dub from Animiego and those dubs could be hit or miss. Simpson gives a solid performance as Keiichi, balancing the awkward nature of the character with a nice gentle demeanor. However, when things start getting darker in the final two episodes Simpson meets the challenge giving Keiichi more determination. He won’t accept Belldandy’s return to heave lying down. He has a great scene in the fourth episode where his frustration bubbles over and confronts Belldandy about the broken vow.

All three actresses who play the leads in Oh My Goddess are also very good. Cesario may have the toughest part, because Belldandy is so sweet, so kind and so loving, that she’s a bit bland. She also cries at least once in each episode, but Cesario is able to make each of those moments different. The warmth in her performance really sells the character and her vocal chemistry with Simpson makes the romance work well. Belldandy is one of those characters that will either annoy the heck out of viewers or become completely endearing to them. She's so gentle and kind, that she can be a bit of a doormat. I think Cesario's real challenge was making Belldandy more relatable and less simpering than the character ends up appearing at times. It was a tough job, because Cesario only had her voice to use to pull it off. But she does it well. She adds some conflict to the performances where Belldandy breaks down in tears. She's not just sad, but struggling with an inner dilemma. We don't understand what this might be until the final episode, but this nuance keeps Belldandy from becoming a 2D character (something that happens in the manga series surprisingly). 

"You're nothing but a mean old fungus head, and
I hate you! Bleeeehhhhh!"

Markgraf as Urd and Weidner as Skuld get the flashier parts. Markgraf has the steamy, sexy voice down pat, and matches Urd's alluring animation. But she also captures the impatient and a reckless side of the character too. The second episode gives her the most screen time to work with. But she also has plenty of humorous interplay in the last two episodes. Urd has all the great lines in the series and Markgraf delivers them perfectly. Weidner nails the bratty little sister role as well. She keeps it from getting too annoying. She interacts really well with both her sister characters. At the time of the recording, the actress' two kids were around Skuld's age. So she used some of their put-downs in the actual dialogue, giving the lines the feel of something only a kid could come up with. 

Keiichi and the gals find themselves in a bit of a
dilemma. 

The way the Oh My Goddess OAV is constructed gives the viewer a brief introduction to each goddess: one episode per goddess. Then it dives into a solid threat to the romantic leads, that not only will tear them apart from each other, but also threatens to taint their relationship in an unusual way. It’s a twist that I never saw coming and one that I think will come as a bit of a surprise to anyone watching the series for the first time (although there is foreshadowing of this issue in the third episode). What I like is that this twist is not your typical rom-com complication: a love triangle or misunderstanding or stupid interference from other characters. It grows out of the story and concepts of the mythic/technological hybrid that Fujishima created in his comic series. It plays by it’s own rules and makes this world more interesting and less predictable. We root for Keiichi, a mere mortal who is up against the bureaucratic and heavenly machine. But his love and Belldandy’s love must win through. This is primarily a romance after all.

Keiichi struggles to give Belldandy her Christmas
gift, but the gate to heaven is already open.

The final two episodes are heavy on the drama (some of it very much melodrama) and lighter on the comedy, but there are still some funny moments, mostly involving Urd and Skuld attempting to find a loophole in the system. But here Keiichi rises above some of the other guys in this genre of “Magical Girlfriend” anime. He takes an active role in trying to keep her. From the first episode we see that Keiichi has a low self esteem. He’s picked on by his senior classmates. He is short and tells Belldandy that is why he doesn’t have a girlfriend. But by the time the fourth episode rolls around Keiichi has grown in confidence. He loves Belldandy and he won’t let them be torn apart without showing her how much he cares. And then you have Belldandy tied up on the red tape of the heavenly laws and forced to literally erase all of Keiichi’s memories of her (a heartbreaking scene for romance fans). This final stuggle that literally pits the two lovers against each other works wonderfully and pushes this series up from being an average rom-com/magical girlfriend series and into something that is touching.

A first kiss on a moonlight beach.

With the finale happening around Christmas, you’ve got another anime that is perfect for holiday viewing. It also makes for a nice bit of alternate viewing for anyone who doesn’t mind a dash of romance in their sci-fi anime. Oh My Goddess was one of the first anime series I shared with my wife and it became one of her favorites. She even got into collecting the manga series for several years. So yes, nostalgia plays a part in my grading, I’m sure. But I was surprised with this viewing how the story structure does such a good job buiding up to the finale, and how it still manages to get to me, even though I know Kei and Bell have to end up together happily ever after. I’m an old softy after all. I guess this means I'd better watch Ninja Scroll again.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

Introduction:

This anime title would always pop up when I was doing some research on Satoshi Kon films. He didn’t have anything to do with it, but it seems that a lot of folks who like his stuff enjoyed this film. So I decided to give it a try.

Summary:

Makoto Kanno (Emily Hirst) is your typical high school aged girl. She’s got a couple guy friends Chiaki Mamiya (Andrew Francis) a handsome goofoff and Kosuke Tsuda (Alex Zahara) an athletic baseball fan. When she isn’t hanging out with these guys, she’s running late to class, annoying her sister and visiting her aunt Kazuko (Saffron Henderson).

One day Makoto finds something odd in the storage room behind the school science lab. She never gets a good look at it, but from that day forward she can time travel. With a leap, she can hurtle back in time. Mokoto quickly uses this to correct mistakes she makes throughout the day. Annoying sister eats her pudding snack? A quick jump back and Makoto gets to first. She makes an ass out of herself during Home Ec? Jump back and let some other poor dope lights his food on fire. She’s having so much fun that she doesn’t realize that all her little changes are affecting everything around her. When one of her friends ends up in very real danger because of her changes Makoto has to figure out a way to undo the damage before her ability runs out.

Good Points:

• An interesting take on time travel
• Manages to work a little romance and poignancy into the story
• There’s a neat twist at the end

Bad Points:

• Some of the animation is a little on the sparse side
• The tone of the movie varies wildly
• Makoto is a bit dense at times.

Overall:

This movie was a pleasant find. Many of Makoto’s actions feel just like something a typical teenage girl would do if granted the power of time travel. But the movie can’t seem to nail down a tone – one minute it’s silly high school comedy, next it’s a meditation on fate and death, next it’s a romance. It ends up hurting the pacing a bit and kept pulling me out of the story. But the final result was an entertaining film with enough depth to make it worth your time.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 3

Script: 4

Music: 3

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total: 4

In Depth Review

Most tales of time travel focus on the big picture. How will the character shape or interact with major events in history. Its rare to encounter a story that focuses on time travel in the smaller scale, just jumping back a day or two to change things around.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is not about the why or how time travel is possible, but more focused on the themes of choice and fate. In that way, it’s less a sci-fi story and more of a character study of Mokoto. She’s your typical high school aged girl. She’s unsure of herself, a bit awkward, but a decent girl who only seems to be truly annoyed by her little sister. But also she’s completely focused on herself and how others perceive her. That’s not to say that Makoto is vain, but she’s a typical adolescent.

We watch her during the course of one day, the way she interacts with people, the choices she makes, and the little incident in the storage room behind the lab. But on her way home things go badly: the brakes on her bike don’t work and she ends up being thrown in front of a train. But this “leap” pushes her into a time warp and the next thing she knows she can time travel. Once she figures this out, it becomes a game to her.

At first the movie is light fun, with Mokoto doing her best to make the perfect day. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Groundhog Day. But the incident with the train stays in our mind (and Mokoto’s). After a conversation with her aunt, who is often referred to as Aunt Witch, Mokoto realizes that the little changes she makes may be affecting others.

This is combined with the fact that a small couple of numbers appears on her arm, counting down the number of jumps she has left. Now Mokoto attempts to fix some of the impacts she makes on others and discovers how interrelated everything is. This is actually a very interesting concept: a dash of chaos theory. The smallest thing can have a huge impact on the way her day turns out. There are times when she gets asked out on a date; other times she is left wandering home alone. Sometimes one of her friend’s ends up on the broken bike, and killed, other times she finds herself back at the same fork.

What I found interesting is the fact that death appears early in the film and continues to loom through the rest of the movie. It’s like those Choose Your Own Adventure novels that would end in your demise. Mokoto doesn’t want her friends to die, and she doesn’t want to die, but is it necessary that someone dies in front of that train?

Eventually the movie reveals how Mokoto obtained the ability to time travel, and while it does end up slowing down the finale of the film a bit, it also adds an interesting twist to the whole thing. We’ve seen so many of the same moments with slight variations that it becomes obvious that one of the times that Mokoto ends up in the storage room, she could easily have run into herself or someone else who is also time leaping (shades of Back to the Future Part 2). This combined with some of the more cryptic lines from Aunt Witch and we begin to wonder just how often folks end up time leaping.

While all these themes are present the movie spends most of its time providing an interesting combination of gentle laughs, a bit of romance and some sadness to the story. The only problem is that these transitions end up being a bit jarring. Things get a bit convoluted in places and the ending lacks the proper punch, because of all the different elements that make it up. In all honesty this is actually a pretty ambitious story to tell, and I can see how it ended up a bit tangled.

The animation is pretty good, a bit plain looking in places and lacking in some detail (especially compared to something like Tokyo Godfathers or Ghost in the Shell). But in many ways it fits the story and the mood the film is going for. There’s a lot of softness to the movie and the colors tend toward the golden and airy. The exceptions are the time warp scenes, which utilize hard looking computer animation and lots of brilliant colors. It makes these sequences stand out but again, fits with the story.

The English voice acting was pretty good and fit the characters. So if you prefer your anime in English this one won’t cause your ears to bleed. The musical score was a perfect fit, but never really caught my attention.

All in all you get a pretty solid movie, one that takes a typically sci-fi premise and turns it into something of a romp. Anyone looking for something a bit different for a weekend rental will find a lot to enjoy here.