August 11th, 2022
08/11/2022 - Reflection on Birdie Wing and the state of epic battle fantasy anime!
Anime Relations: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story
Now before you judge this anime for it being a anime about playing "golf", just give me a chance to tell you ... Would I have watched an anime just about playing golf? Honestly, I am a human who enjoys multiple and eclectic parts of life (<3), but I can earnestly say Golf is not one of them. Golf is definitely the boring sport in my mind, where it takes up acres of land and millions of gallons of water to make these perfect segments of land for, what are usually wealthy, people to graze upon in a majestic (but boring) stroke game. Now we all know what golf is, but that's exactly what Birdie Wing isn't!
After reading the biographical sketch of the anime, Birdie Wing's MC [i] Eve [\i] seems to be a golf gambler, conquering the underworld of golf betting, which sounds both terrifyingly boring and narrowly exciting. But the subject matter is not important, because anime is the art of making the boring acts of life into DBZ (Dragon-ball Z)-like exciting arcs of human experience. Thats the delicate job that Bandai Namco, the studio behind the show, seek to uphold with their latest sport anime, which is definitely the first time I have ever enjoyed golf programming. What better way to elevate such a mundane appearing human tapestry then with an excellent sports-romance hybrid anime, where the main characters are constantly peeling away their innocuous battle tropes into full-fledged human beings with motivations way past survival.
The MC pair of Eve and Aoi initially seem like a weird pair that meet in a 4D game experience where users battle each other in gold, but they are but a mirror image of what each's life could have been. Both are ridiculously determined to be the best in the golf world, but in different aspects. Both are trained from youth to be experienced in the delicate but explosive stroke game required in professional golf, yet both find the pure enjoyment in besting their opponents and their own limitations. Most importantly, both feel human with actual motivations over the 13 episode-run that has two distinct arcs. To avoid spoilers, I won't say much on the arcs but need to note that the first arc had a strong emotional impact while the second is building up for the legendary tale of this duo and there fued to become the world's best golfers, not just female golfers.
To be clear, I am not stating this anime takes itself seriously as well. Eve definitely says taht she just hits a ball with a stick for money (actual golf tho), and the spoofs they pull off on gold tournaments and action shots make you chuckle almost every time. The buildup to a stroke is ecstatic and grand, yet once the hit foes off it is just shown as a masterful yet ordinary stroke and the ball soars into the air before falling down its physical trajectory. It is the power of anime to elevate something as mundane (to me) as golf.
So please give this anime the chance it deserves; it is one of the best animes of this year and definitely one full of laughs and remarks that will leave you remembering how it made you feel more than the epic shots of, well, golfing. They do make the game more interesting through the explosive animation and fierce attitude of its golfers, but the true strength of the anime lies in its heart and soul.
After reading the biographical sketch of the anime, Birdie Wing's MC [i] Eve [\i] seems to be a golf gambler, conquering the underworld of golf betting, which sounds both terrifyingly boring and narrowly exciting. But the subject matter is not important, because anime is the art of making the boring acts of life into DBZ (Dragon-ball Z)-like exciting arcs of human experience. Thats the delicate job that Bandai Namco, the studio behind the show, seek to uphold with their latest sport anime, which is definitely the first time I have ever enjoyed golf programming. What better way to elevate such a mundane appearing human tapestry then with an excellent sports-romance hybrid anime, where the main characters are constantly peeling away their innocuous battle tropes into full-fledged human beings with motivations way past survival.
The MC pair of Eve and Aoi initially seem like a weird pair that meet in a 4D game experience where users battle each other in gold, but they are but a mirror image of what each's life could have been. Both are ridiculously determined to be the best in the golf world, but in different aspects. Both are trained from youth to be experienced in the delicate but explosive stroke game required in professional golf, yet both find the pure enjoyment in besting their opponents and their own limitations. Most importantly, both feel human with actual motivations over the 13 episode-run that has two distinct arcs. To avoid spoilers, I won't say much on the arcs but need to note that the first arc had a strong emotional impact while the second is building up for the legendary tale of this duo and there fued to become the world's best golfers, not just female golfers.
To be clear, I am not stating this anime takes itself seriously as well. Eve definitely says taht she just hits a ball with a stick for money (actual golf tho), and the spoofs they pull off on gold tournaments and action shots make you chuckle almost every time. The buildup to a stroke is ecstatic and grand, yet once the hit foes off it is just shown as a masterful yet ordinary stroke and the ball soars into the air before falling down its physical trajectory. It is the power of anime to elevate something as mundane (to me) as golf.
So please give this anime the chance it deserves; it is one of the best animes of this year and definitely one full of laughs and remarks that will leave you remembering how it made you feel more than the epic shots of, well, golfing. They do make the game more interesting through the explosive animation and fierce attitude of its golfers, but the true strength of the anime lies in its heart and soul.
Posted by jomothegrey | Aug 11, 2022 8:07 AM | 0 comments
February 12th, 2022
Gurren Lagan: The Struggle for Humanity (spoilers)
Anime Relations: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
In the beginning, humans were condemned to live as moles and rats, furnishing a life underground as a reaction to an ancient threat. This is a broad statement that held true for the beginning for Gurren Lagan, a coming-of-age tale for our protagonist Simon and his valiant yet brash older "brother" Kamina. In this episodic action adventure, we perceive a world ruled by beasts who shun humanity to the shadows, and the maturation of humanity through these brothers' pursuits of freedom. I know these words seem broad, but when I think back to what Gurren Lagan is at the essence, I can only picture another story of brothers fighting for to find the truth and somehow, in this pursuit, liberating humanity and leaving the viewer in awe of the story's advancement.
As the words of Kittan echo in my head, "This is humanity's soul", I can't help being surprised at the stories albeit dramatic progression from the tale of brothers fighting with giant mechas to humanity's last hope fighting with giant mechas against cosmic almost god-like beings. I mean this post not only as a reflection to the story but also a talking point for any readers, what did this story mean to us? What enhanced Gurren Lagan from just another mecha adventure to "The show that turns boys into men", as stated by reviewer [url=https://myanimelist.net/anime/2001/Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann/reviews] IAmSovereign[/url] who gave the anime, like many others, a high grade and praise. I am in a middle ground, having seen this anime as both a naive youth and an experienced adult, in which I can now assert my true feelings for the story of Simon and Kamina.
Of course, the stories first half where Simon is a young child is one of bountiful and beautiful imagery and fighting sequences, where almost each episode the duo of Simon and Kamina must overcome some new enemy in the form of beastman and mechas, a very tangible obstacle for the viewer to connect to. The turning point of the series, where the viewer is plunged into their first form of darkness, is, of course, the death of Kamina. After this grand sacrifice, we are left to a disheartened Simon and a new, grander enemy, the King of the Beastman. Him and his daughter, Nia, change Simon's life through their interactions, and led Simon to conquer the surface for humanity. But the second turning point is a plunge into darkness, where instead of beastman, the enemy is the Universe itself, transforming the story into a Cosmic Horror where Simon is leading Humanity without the brash leadership of Kamina. This is where the series urges a sense of desperation into me, where now instead of a coming-of-age story of the manly brothers, we know have humanities last efforts to fight against the anti-spiral gods that can change both time and space.
Anyway, this seemingly Edge of Darkness is masterfully decorated with epic Mecha battles and the last advice from Kamina to Simon, where their universe is the one in their hearts, their bond and their fight for freedom for manliness. This is occurring during the alternate universe that the Cosmic Anti-Spiral Gods force our crew into where they must recover their senses and their Spiral Power (analogy for Humanity or the Essence of Life), and "Fight the Power". As an adult who studies the mysteries of the universe, I can appreciate these complex topics and ambiguous destructive forces of the Universe as being ever present in our current struggle to survive as a species, in a planet that seems to be suffering under our (Spiral forces) life.
The anime is filled with the image of spirals, from Simon's hand drill and key drill that liberates him and humanity, to the sketchy spiral in the eyes of our humans as they fight for their ultimate beliefs. The whole idea of Spiral lifeforms leading to the destruction of the universe just through them living in large amounts and corrupting the Universe is a very poignant metaphor for us living in the modern era of global pandemics, nuclear weapons, and climate change that have shown humanity how feeble they are in the presence of humans with power and money. The image of a small child digging through the dirt could uncover the power to change the world, even liberate all humans from a measly life under the shadows, is a very powerful one that feeds on our subconscious need for hope. Even the inability for us to have a small inkling of effect on the world's deprecation in the hands of the few with power, we continue each day in hope that we will live a long and legendary life as Simon did for him and Kamina. So the spiral is nothing more than the determination of these beings to continue living through evolution and adaptation, but under the Cosmic powers that govern their world, they have no chance unless they all come together to win, beastman and human, together as people of the spiral.
Then we come to the last episode, where we finally perceive the Anti-Spiral evils true form. They were once people of the Spiral, regular humans like us, who saw the threat of too much Spiral life, and deemed they are responsible for annihilating all Spiral life. At the same time, they stopped their own evolution and humanity, and became masters of space and time. These are the few, who grasped enough wealth and power, to finally control the other life forms struggling to survive, keeping them hidden and in misery. These people mastered science, religion, and biology to make themselves untouchable by the feeble peoples, much like many believe today they are above all other humans,
launching their own space craft, advertised as "trying to liberate humanity from the insecurity of living only on one planet." But I ask you, when their plans are all complete and they can finally colonize other planets, who will they send? Dont be fooled. They will, like the Antispiral people, prioritize their own people and the skilled that will report to them, and not all people, not all life.
In this, we all want to believe in Simon, in a child that came from nothing and saved all of Humanity without judgement and leads them toward becoming a powerful species. He teams up with all beings of the Spiral in order to defeat the antispiral gods, all with just his ideas of Drills. "We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before. Little by little, we advance a bit further with each turn. That's how a drill works!" These are Simons words when finally defeating the Anti-Spirals, collecting the spirit of all humanity, and opening a hole in the Universe to open a path for all with dreams. This idea of the drill and the double-helix which distinguishes all life on earth as part of the Spiral energy, and creating equality for all, is the true beauty of Gurren Lagan. Our struggle for Humanity needs to be a struggle for all life, for protecting all life is to also protect the Universe. When finally defeated in a cross of glory, the gods plead to Simon to protect the Universe at all costs, in which Simon promptly responds, "Of course we will. Humanity is not that stupid." If only Simon was right. I want to believe in these words as much as anyone, but can I? After seeing Humanity in the 21st century, I will live by Simon's courage to fight toward a brighter future.
This is the moment that I realized that Gurren Lagan is a tale that does turn boys into men. With that transformation, we stand with Simon as the love of his life disappears, in which we continue to grasp onto life and smile through it all. For being a man in this world is accepting it for its faults, for the reality of death and the reality of our future. We can all be diggers, and turmoil in our sweat and blood, but to find that hope to lead and continue life is one that we all must turn to.
Kind Regards,
Jomo 02/12/2022
As the words of Kittan echo in my head, "This is humanity's soul", I can't help being surprised at the stories albeit dramatic progression from the tale of brothers fighting with giant mechas to humanity's last hope fighting with giant mechas against cosmic almost god-like beings. I mean this post not only as a reflection to the story but also a talking point for any readers, what did this story mean to us? What enhanced Gurren Lagan from just another mecha adventure to "The show that turns boys into men", as stated by reviewer [url=https://myanimelist.net/anime/2001/Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann/reviews] IAmSovereign[/url] who gave the anime, like many others, a high grade and praise. I am in a middle ground, having seen this anime as both a naive youth and an experienced adult, in which I can now assert my true feelings for the story of Simon and Kamina.
Of course, the stories first half where Simon is a young child is one of bountiful and beautiful imagery and fighting sequences, where almost each episode the duo of Simon and Kamina must overcome some new enemy in the form of beastman and mechas, a very tangible obstacle for the viewer to connect to. The turning point of the series, where the viewer is plunged into their first form of darkness, is, of course, the death of Kamina. After this grand sacrifice, we are left to a disheartened Simon and a new, grander enemy, the King of the Beastman. Him and his daughter, Nia, change Simon's life through their interactions, and led Simon to conquer the surface for humanity. But the second turning point is a plunge into darkness, where instead of beastman, the enemy is the Universe itself, transforming the story into a Cosmic Horror where Simon is leading Humanity without the brash leadership of Kamina. This is where the series urges a sense of desperation into me, where now instead of a coming-of-age story of the manly brothers, we know have humanities last efforts to fight against the anti-spiral gods that can change both time and space.
Anyway, this seemingly Edge of Darkness is masterfully decorated with epic Mecha battles and the last advice from Kamina to Simon, where their universe is the one in their hearts, their bond and their fight for freedom for manliness. This is occurring during the alternate universe that the Cosmic Anti-Spiral Gods force our crew into where they must recover their senses and their Spiral Power (analogy for Humanity or the Essence of Life), and "Fight the Power". As an adult who studies the mysteries of the universe, I can appreciate these complex topics and ambiguous destructive forces of the Universe as being ever present in our current struggle to survive as a species, in a planet that seems to be suffering under our (Spiral forces) life.
The anime is filled with the image of spirals, from Simon's hand drill and key drill that liberates him and humanity, to the sketchy spiral in the eyes of our humans as they fight for their ultimate beliefs. The whole idea of Spiral lifeforms leading to the destruction of the universe just through them living in large amounts and corrupting the Universe is a very poignant metaphor for us living in the modern era of global pandemics, nuclear weapons, and climate change that have shown humanity how feeble they are in the presence of humans with power and money. The image of a small child digging through the dirt could uncover the power to change the world, even liberate all humans from a measly life under the shadows, is a very powerful one that feeds on our subconscious need for hope. Even the inability for us to have a small inkling of effect on the world's deprecation in the hands of the few with power, we continue each day in hope that we will live a long and legendary life as Simon did for him and Kamina. So the spiral is nothing more than the determination of these beings to continue living through evolution and adaptation, but under the Cosmic powers that govern their world, they have no chance unless they all come together to win, beastman and human, together as people of the spiral.
Then we come to the last episode, where we finally perceive the Anti-Spiral evils true form. They were once people of the Spiral, regular humans like us, who saw the threat of too much Spiral life, and deemed they are responsible for annihilating all Spiral life. At the same time, they stopped their own evolution and humanity, and became masters of space and time. These are the few, who grasped enough wealth and power, to finally control the other life forms struggling to survive, keeping them hidden and in misery. These people mastered science, religion, and biology to make themselves untouchable by the feeble peoples, much like many believe today they are above all other humans,
launching their own space craft, advertised as "trying to liberate humanity from the insecurity of living only on one planet." But I ask you, when their plans are all complete and they can finally colonize other planets, who will they send? Dont be fooled. They will, like the Antispiral people, prioritize their own people and the skilled that will report to them, and not all people, not all life.
In this, we all want to believe in Simon, in a child that came from nothing and saved all of Humanity without judgement and leads them toward becoming a powerful species. He teams up with all beings of the Spiral in order to defeat the antispiral gods, all with just his ideas of Drills. "We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before. Little by little, we advance a bit further with each turn. That's how a drill works!" These are Simons words when finally defeating the Anti-Spirals, collecting the spirit of all humanity, and opening a hole in the Universe to open a path for all with dreams. This idea of the drill and the double-helix which distinguishes all life on earth as part of the Spiral energy, and creating equality for all, is the true beauty of Gurren Lagan. Our struggle for Humanity needs to be a struggle for all life, for protecting all life is to also protect the Universe. When finally defeated in a cross of glory, the gods plead to Simon to protect the Universe at all costs, in which Simon promptly responds, "Of course we will. Humanity is not that stupid." If only Simon was right. I want to believe in these words as much as anyone, but can I? After seeing Humanity in the 21st century, I will live by Simon's courage to fight toward a brighter future.
This is the moment that I realized that Gurren Lagan is a tale that does turn boys into men. With that transformation, we stand with Simon as the love of his life disappears, in which we continue to grasp onto life and smile through it all. For being a man in this world is accepting it for its faults, for the reality of death and the reality of our future. We can all be diggers, and turmoil in our sweat and blood, but to find that hope to lead and continue life is one that we all must turn to.
Kind Regards,
Jomo 02/12/2022
Posted by jomothegrey | Feb 12, 2022 1:06 PM | 0 comments