Recap: Does Having Many Faces Make You Great?

Hello again. It's been a little while since my last recap. I say it's time I've done another.

Today, I think I'll do something a little different. Normally, I tend to recap bad episodes of

anime, save for the occasional positive recap, piece of anime news, or Top 13 list. This time,

however, I intend to dispute an episode of anime that is regarded as bad; but I actually found

very entertaining.

It's an episode of my favorite anime, Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann is a production

of Studio Gainax, a studio that has produced many memorable works in anime. One of their

most notable is Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is essentially a deconstruction of the

mecha genre. Gurren Lagann, on the other hand, is an homage to that same genre. If

Evangelion is the cynical side of the mecha genre, then Gurren Lagann is the optimistic

side of it. It is also by far the best-animated series of its genre I've ever seen, and one of the

best in the entire medium of anime. Battles are animated with great fluidity, colors are all around; and by the end of the series, entire galaxies become backdrops for the series.

Imagine one's surprise then, when an episode early on didn't turn out so well. Yes,

the episode that is my subject today became infamous among fans for how off-model it was.

The episode had a different director than it normally did; and characters were drawn rougher,

animation was stiffer, and colors were all washed-out. You know something, though? I actually

didn't find this episode as bad as some people say it is. In fact, I rather enjoyed it; and I'm

going to tell you why. So, let's open up “Does Having Many Faces Make You Great?” and

see one of the strangest-drawn things ever committed to anime.

We first get the theme song, “Sorairo Days”. It is one of my favorite anime theme

songs. I feel that so much works with it, that I'm posting a link of it.

We then get our title card for the episode. The title card looks very minimalist, and I like

it like that.

We open on Simon (pronounced like in Raven-Simone, not Simon Belmont)

complaining that he's incredibly hungry while Boota looks on.

As the Gunmen walk along the surface of the earth, we see that the color scheme is

indeed very washed-out. So far, this episode is setting up for its reputation.

Kamina reminds Simon about how they combined, and says they have more special

training on how to do that. Kamina feels embarrassed about it. As he says this, he's drawn

in a much rougher style. The infamy this episode gained among fans because of its off-model

artwork from having a different director; which is why I chose to recap this episode.

The pencil marks on my face demand masculinity!

Kamina asks Simon to climb onto his shoulders, but Simon claims it's pointless when

they're not in their Gunmen.

Kamina responds by throwing a rock at Simon, and Simon tells Kamina to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cPvN6XF58U

Yoko and the team mechanic, Leeron, observe the situation. Leeron states that Simon

and Kamina seem to be enjoying themselves. Even in this rougher art style, this scene is

pretty well-conveyed. One more thing: Leeron is voiced by Steve Blum (pronounced like

“Bloom,”, not “Plum”). This is a hilarious departure in casting, as Blum is known more for

playing masculine characters like Spike from Cowboy Bebop. Seeing him voice one of the

most obvious gay stereotypes elicited much laughter from fans.

Leeron puts on a pair of white gloves, and gestures for some small robots to bring up

a Heads-Up Display so he can inspect Lagann. He sings a peculiar song as he works, and Yoko

dismisses the robots as “creepy toys.” If you think that's bad, you should see what some fans

have done with the Revoltech custom figures. The results are...disturbing.

He also pulls out a small device to check on Lagann further, and Leeron is amazed at

Lagann. Just to drive the gay stereotype further, the device looks a bit like a makeup mirror.

How's my eye shadow? I need to go record lines for Starscream after this, so I need to look the part!

I must also point out the copy of the episode I'm using to write this recap was from

Sci-Fi's Ani-Monday block; before the channel started misspelling itself and running wrestling

because they're under the impression women don't like science fiction.

Kamina is not pleased with the admiration The Scorpion King gets.

Simon is still running from rocks being thrown at him, and doing so in the most

exaggerated way possible due to the art style. I don't know how to make animated .gif files,

but if you decide to watch this episode, play this music over the episode and you should get

the idea.

Suddenly, a figure in a cloak appears over the cliff. He is flanked by three more

cloaked figures, and they mock Simon's predicament.

Simon complains again that he is hungry, but Kamina replies that a man's growling

stomach cannot match his fighting spirit. At that moment, his own stomach growls.

Firing at Gurren, the people in cloaks come barreling down the mountain.

A female voice comes from one of the cloaked figures as they surround Simon.

Kamina tries to give Gurren a good tap to start it, but he has gone without food for so

long that everything shuts down around him.

Another one of the cloaked figures attacks Kamina, accusing him of being a Beastman.

Kamina does not take this and punches him.

The people all take their hoods down at that moment. Kamina and the man exchange words,

talking over each other comically.

Simon is ecstatic that there are girls in the group. The girls then race to Kamina instead.

The eldest sister is Kiyo. Second is Kiyon, and third is Kiyal.  

The brother is Kittan. Together, they form the Black Siblings.

Just look at that cross-hatching and that inked nose.

Yoko, Kiyo, Kiyon, and Kiyal then go out to hunt for food. Kiyo, Kiyon and Kiyal

all comment on how great Kamina is.

Kittan laughs at Kamina's plan to travel to Beastman Headquarters. The girls come

in and present the animal they caught.

As the others wonder what the food is, Simon just sticks his fork in it. At that moment,

the food gets up and talks! One by one, the fuzzballs gather. As they flee, it turns out the

fuzzballs are Beastmen. Kittan then vows to go after them.

Kamina leaps into action, and encourages Simon to do the same. The Beastmen are

after Kamina, as they have their own Gunmen.  

Simon jumps into Lagann, and prepares to combine with Kamina in Gurren.

Kamina just knocks Simon aside, and reminds Simon of the training they did.

The Beastmen combine into a 16-faced Gunman, and Leeron expresses surprise at this.

Kamina still insists on a special way of combining; and Boota encourages Simon to

do it Kamina's way.

At last Simon realizes what must be done, and he runs up to Kamina. Once again,

I recommend that this music be played at this running animation.

Simon still struggles to combine, as he gets knocked on his back by the enemy Gunman.

Life...signs...faint. Animation...budget...running...out.
Can't...talk...in...complete...sentences.

Just then, Kittan and Yoko come running up and start throwing bombs at the Gunman.

This gives Simon the opening he needs. Simon then bounces up and down, bobbing and

weaving at the Gunmen get thrown around.

With a leap into the air, Lagann finally combines with Gurren; giving us the

eponymous Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann gets ready to face the Gunman.

Simon and Kamina lament that with no food, they have no energy to fight. Boota then

tears off his tail and part of his rump for the two to eat.

With meat in their stomachs, Simon and Kamina now have the strength to fight.

Kamina then calls out the Gunman, saying having many faces doesn't make you great

(it's common for episodes of this anime to have a paraphrasing of the episode title

somewhere in the episode).

As he continues his speech, Simon notices drills coming out of their mecha's arm.

They drill through all their faces, and the fuzzball feels royally screwed.

I don't know how I'm conveying this situation, but I'm doing it as hard as I can!

He rolls forward to attack, only for him to get skewered on the drills. So that's all

16 faces on a Gunman kabob.

With their mecha destroyed, the fuzzball makes one of the biggest faces of disappointment in this episode.

This is a really bad day for him.

Kiyo, Kiyon, and Kiyal narrowly escape being buried, and Kittan expresses his joy that

his sisters are safe. Leeron dryly says that he needs to make repairs again.

As the sun sets, Kamina remarks that he liked the taste of Boota's rump meat, and wants

more. Simon says what he had will have to do, since he's not getting anymore.

We end on Kamina chasing Simon because he wants to eat Boota. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qBK4RRpouQ

Also, the ending theme, “Underground”, is played over a pre-Network Decay Sci-Fi

advertisement. I don't really appreciate one of my favorite anime endings being fast-forwarded

and squished, so I'mposting a link of it. I'm also not fond of how these cheesy monster movies

are one of the few things to survive from the decay.

Now we're talking! A commercial for this show! Ever since I first saw it in 2011, Gurren

Lagann is my favorite anime. The DVD is on my list of titles to pick up.

“Does Having Many Faces Make You Great” is better than its reputation lets on.

While the art may be rather crude in comparison to the rest of the series; the story is

actually pretty well-done. Even so, a lot of unintentional humor comes from the off-model

animation. This episode became so infamous even within Gainax that the manga adaptation

completely rewrites/redraws the story from scratch; and Gainax's next anime, Panty and

Stocking with Garterbelt, contains an episode which may have been meant to invoke a similar

reaction; “Vomiting Point.” That is all for now. I probably won't do another recap until after I move. Later.

A sprinkle of anime news for Valentine's Day.

Hello again, and happy Valentine's Day. The writing process has started on the next recap, but for now, I will share some anime news.

First, there is another addition to the new Toonami. The 2008 series Soul Eater is now airing on Saturday nights. Soul Eater is a horror/action series that is replacing Samurai 7 reruns on the block's roster. It begins this coming Saturday night on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

Next, we have an update on Digimon Fusion, the upcoming English dub of Digimon Xros Wars. Digimon Fusion will be airing on Nickelodeon this fall; continuing the channel's push to appeal more to boys after losing ratings to Cartoon Network and Disney XD. The series is one of the newest in the long-running Digimon franchise.

Finally, I think I'll throw in another announcement of new anime DVDs. The first volume of Toriko is now on sale on DVD and Blu-Ray. One of the newer series on the market, it is about a young chef who quite literally hunts the best delicacies in the world for restaurants. Another is the complete second season of Digimon; Digimon Adventure 02. This is the first time the series has been released on DVD in years; the previous release was hard to find new and cost hundreds of dollars even used, which had many fans resort to online video piracy instead. Now, there is a set of the second season available for a reasonable price this month.

That is all for now. I have started the writing process for my recap of the fourth episode of Gurren Lagann, but I will probably have to watch it more than once to take screencaps for it. My internet connection has been inconsistent lately. On top of that, I am in the process of moving and things will probably be slower as most of my time will be spent packing. See you space cowboy.

Top 13 Anime Women

Hello again. Well, it's time for another top 13 list. What will it be on this time? Well, I think it's high time I honor the women of anime. These are the ladies that helped make each viewing possible.
So, without further ado, here's the Top 13 Anime Women.

13. Rika Nonaka (Digimon Tamers)

Rika was definitely a departure from the typical female Digidestined. While Sora and Kari were optimists and Mimi was a lovable ditz, Rika was a pure cynic that didn't see the connection between caring for your Digimon and their growth. As Digimon Tamers went on, however, her experiences with Takato and Henry helped her understand that Digimon are more than just data; and they truly do have feelings. Regarding why I'm using her to open the list, though? I plan to include women like her to prove that beauty isn't everything, and I like female characters with flaws as well as strengths.

12. Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)

I decided to buck the trend of how other Bleach fans choose their favorite female characters. I just felt that Matsumoto had more in the way of cleavage than she did in fighting ability, Kukaku looked like a tramp, and even though Orihime is pretty; she didn't have much in the way of character. That's where Rukia comes in. From the moment she climbed up to Ichigo's window, she proved what kind of character she was going to be. Rukia wastes no time in telling Ichigo that she's just doing her job, protecting the world from Hollows (represented by doodles of bunny rabbits). Even as she's forced to relinquish her powers to Ichigo, she retains the same no-nonsense attitude about fighting throughout her time with Ichigo. That's good enough to get her the #12 spot on my list.

11. Trixie (Speed Racer)

Speed Racer is one of the few anime that seems to be common knowledge among people, and Trixie is right at the forefront of that. She was never far behind Speed in her chopper in races, sometimes even fighting alongside him. In the 2008 film adaptation by the Wachowskis, she even helps drive one of the cars on his team when a teammate is poisoned. She is one of the finest women that Tatsunoko Production put on celluloid.

10. Lisa Hayes (Robotech: The Macross Saga)

Lisa Hayes is a grand working girl in the military in the world of Super Dimension Fortress Macross; which was adapted into Robotech: The Macross Saga. Being ever-supportive of Rick Hunter, as well as showing initiative in the SDF-1 and the war against the Zentraedi, Hayes is one of the strongest women in anime; and again, she was a product of Tatsunoko Production.

9. Kaname Chidori (Full Metal Panic)

Kaname is not your typical female lead. Assigned to the protection of male lead Sosuke Sagara, she is none too thrilled about each school day being filled with Sosuke bringing guns and explosives about to settle each conflict. That said, she's one of the few high school students I know that will stand up and slap a man whose pockets are full of automatic weapons. Kaname is audacious and honest, and honestly wants the best for Sosuke even though she doesn't always agree with him.

8. Maka Albarn (Soul Eater)

A young woman in training to be a Death Meister at the DMWA, Maka is yet another woman that portrays a no-nonsense attitude in dealing with her targets and peers. She will bluntly hit them with a textbook for acting stupid; and is a woman that rarely needs rescuing. Even the upskirt shots of her that were prevalent in the manga were cut from the anime. That is a true statement to how fanservice can be successfully eschewed in favor of making the character herself better.



7. Lynn (Spirited Away)

Spirited Away was the movie that cemented my liking for anime, and encouraged me to check out the Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli catalog of films. Chihiro goes through a transformation from a whiny brat to a well-behaved young girl over the course of the movie, and being put in the care of Lynn helped make that happen. A worker at the bathhouse that much of the film takes place at, Lynn is another woman that takes very little from others; and encourages Chihiro to help pick herself up and find the courage to grow as she works at the bathhouse. Lynn is gruff, but caring and motivated in her duties and her dealings with her peers.

6. Panty Anarchy and Stocking Anarchy (Tie) (Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt)

I've talked about many strong women on this list so far, now I shall start on women that are strong AND sexy. I've mentioned before that I've had a huge appreciation for the strides Studio Gainax made in anime; and nowhere is that more apparent than with Panty and Stocking. Modeled after heroines of the Genndy Tartakovsky/Craig McCracken/Man of Action cartoons of the early-to-mid-2000s; Panty and Stocking are not your typical heroines. Panty loves men, Stocking loves sweets, and both have incredibly foul mouths and nasty hits. With their enchanted garments in hand, they start taking out Ghosts like nobody's business; and are very pretty for such simple character designs.

5. Misty (Pokémon)

Misty was one of the first anime girls, if not THE first anime girl I was attracted to when I was younger. A water Pokémon specialist and gym leader, she has a very straightforward way of dealing with people and Pokémon. She is quite tomboyish, readily getting into battles and arguments with other female trainers; but she is quite capable of being a lady when she wants to, dressing up for festivals and formal events with ease. She spends much of the original series trying to earn her sisters' respect, finally doing so at the end of it; getting promoted to a full gym leader. In the games, she also gets a redesign with a one-piece swimsuit and her hair down (but still resembling her original hairdo). Misty is the ideal woman to start off the top 5.


4. Clare (Claymore)

I just started this anime about a month ago, and I'm already impressed with what Clare has shown she can do. She shows grand fighting prowess against the Yoma as a Claymore; easily laying waste to them. I may only be 5 episodes in, but I'm looking forward to what else she can do.

3. Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Of the two main women of Evangelion, I chose Rei instead of Asuka like most people. While Asuka is the obvious choice, I just felt more sympathy for Rei with her being experimented on as a pilot for the EVA units. She needs to be loved a lot more, and I plan do so as I go through Evangelion (I plan to finish the original 26 episodes and watch End of Evangelion).

2. Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga (Azumanga Daioh)

Osaka is by far the strangest anime girl I've put on this list, and for good reason. Her real name being Ayumu Kasuga, resident jerk girl Tomo took to calling her by her hometown of Osaka, and the name just stuck (to the point of the school's bureaucracy listing her by her nickname). She is a definite cloudcuckoolander, with her words and actions having little basis in the real world. Over the course of the series from her introduction onward; she has some of the most bizarre and hilarious actions ever put in an anime. She ends up attempting to do weather fortune telling with her shoe and loses it on top of a truck, tries to wake up everyone at Chiyo's summer home with pots and pans and grabs a knife instead, goes swimming for gym class and deduces she has to drown in order to learn to float (as corpses float), and ends up having one of the strangest visions ever put into an anime. She is the strangest girl to make this list.

1. Yoko Littner (Gurren Lagann)

Now, I present my top choice for anime women, Yoko Littner. Misty was the type of girl I was attracted to at age 9, and Yoko was the one I was attracted to at age 19. While I'm not sure of the practicality of her outfit is in a future where much of humanity has been forced underground (a flame-pattern bikini top, tight shorts, stockings and boots); the gesture is very much appreciated. Yoko is not just a pretty girl, she is also the strongest female character I've seen. Always having a firm grip on the situation and her enormous assault rifle. Never needing to be rescued (in fact, she's often the one doing the rescuing). Helping others of Team Gurren/Team Dai-Gurren get their head in the game; whether it's against the Beastmen or the Anti-Spiral. Even after the timeskip in the second part of the series, she's still a force to be reckoned with. With all this, she is my favorite anime woman, and she will be for a very long time.

So, there's my top 13 anime women. As for what I want to do for my next recap, I think I'll do the fourth episode of Gurren Lagann. As in, the one that was drawn in a rougher art style due to the episode having a different lead animator. I also have another piece or two of anime news to share that I will before I start writing that recap. Also, I've gotten through a good chunk of Haruhi Suzumiya, and I'm still not seeing why everyone values it so highly. On the other hand, Bobo-Bo is by far the most weird and wonderful show I've seen in a long time; and I love it for that. I'm thinking about starting Hell Girl; and I'm also looking for old episodes of Hamtaro (which has not been easy, as of the 296 episodes, only 104 got dubbed, and only 9 got released on VHS and DVD). After that, I will get through more of the series I said I was going to do this year. See you space cowboy.