Fall 2008 Schedule Announced

We are pleased to announce our Fall 2008 schedule! A new semester means a new schedule. This one looks particularly awesome, and we hope there’s something here for everyone. Notice we have moved our showing time one hour earlier to 7:00 – 11:00. Since we will be ending earlier in the night, we hope more people will be able to stay for more of the schedule.

We have two movies this semester: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Sep. 6) and Tokyo Godfathers (Nov. 1). Both are not to be missed. We will be posting articles on both as the screening dates get closer. For now, we focus on the series and OVAs in the schedule. What follows is a brief overview of each show to give a flavour of what our schedule has to offer. More detailed show descriptions appear at the end of the article.

xxxHOLiC

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

We have two very new shows that have just become available in the U.S. xxxHOLiC, a horror/supernatural drama mixed with slice-of-life, features well-developed characters and a unique story based on superstition and folklore. In Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a teen-aged boy and his face-shaped mecha leads a rebellion against beast-men who have overrun the Earth’s surface. Common sense has no place; only the burning passion of the soul and fearless courage are what matters!

Twelve Kingdoms

Mushishi

Two more series are also making their CJAS debut. Often considered the best fantasy anime of all time, Twelve Kingdoms is a gripping action-packed drama of a young girl who confronts her destiny in a strange mythical world. Mushishi is a fascinating masterpiece that explores Japanese mysticism and its impact on the characters’ lives. It always has a moral to tell and leaves you very satisfied after every episode.

Azumanga Daioh

Kino’s Journey

Elf Princess Reine

The remaining shows in our schedule were very popular when we screened them in the past. Azumanga Daioh is an episodic series with good, wacky humour. Update: We are now showing Welcome to the NHK in place of Azumanga because NHK will now be out in time. Kino’s Journey takes us through some strange and fantastic lands as we follow the adventures of a young traveller and a talking motorbike. Elf Princess Reine is a futuristic fairy tale in which a treasure hunter gets a cute little elf for a partner. Filled with nothing but pure magical crack and goofiness. Here is Greenwood is a fun slice-of-life romance comedy revolving around a group of high school boys. Underscoring some really wacky plot (e.g., cute ghosts that haunt because they have a crush) are the themes of friendship, love, and familial loyalty. FLCL, a high-energy coming-of-age story, is no doubt strange and hard to get at first. Highly rewatchable with a wide variety of visual styles and an amazing soundtrack that brought international fame to the J-Rock band “the pillows”. Finally, we end with Giant Robo and its awesome, hilarious, and over-the-top giant robot action.

Here is Greenwood

FLCL

Giant Robo

Click below for more summaries of everything we are showing.

Series

Azumanga Daioh
The day-to-day antics of a group of high school girls. Wacky Tomo, child prodigy Chiyo, perfectionist Yomi, oddball Osaka, and cool Sakaki go through high school with their immature homeroom teacher Yukari.

Update: We are now showing Welcome to the NHK instead of Azumanga Daioh

Welcome to the NHK
Satou Tatsuhiro is a hikikomori, a person who has chosen to withdraw from social life. He thinks everything is a conspiracy and that a mysterious organization called N.H.K. is responsible for his anti-social behavior. Satou tries to reintegrate himself into society but faces self-delusion, MMORPGs, otaku-dom, and the like. An interesting mix of depression and humor. A 24-episode series.

Kino’s Journey
Kino and talking motorcycle Hermes visit various interesting and unusual locales. Their adventures are strange but very exciting. Set in a unique fantastic world.

xxxHOLiC
Watanuki is an average teenage boy—except for his very annoying ability to see and be affected by ghosts. He encounters a wish-granting witch named Yuuko who will remove this power—for a price. The series chronicles Watanuki’s various run-ins with the supernatural while working as Yuuko’s indentured servant. Episodic, with elements of horror and a good deal of Japanese mythology.

Twelve Kingdoms
Yoko, a red-headed girl from Japan, gets transported to an alternate world and must learn its ways to fulfill her destiny. Based on a series of fantasy novels; each arc portrays one or two of them. Depicts an immense world with a detailed history, excellent music, and a large cast of varied, developed characters.

Mushishi
Before plants, animals, or mankind, there lived Mushi, primeval spirit creatures that occupy every corner of the world, from the darkness behind our eyelids to the tops of the tallest mountains. This series follows the travels of Ginko, a Mushishi, who travels around to various majestic natural landscapes investigating the mysteries of the Mushi and helping those who are affected by the supernatural phenomena brought about by them.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
A ridiculous(ly) awesome 2007 series by Gainax. Kamina and Simon are stuck living in an underground village until they discover a drill mech and are able to escape to the surface. They form the Gurren Brigade, a mech-based resistance against the beast men who forced them into their underground homes. Animation and soundtrack are both well done.

OVAs
Elf Princess Reine
If you think you can pack more crack into two episodes, I’d like to see you try. Fun, hyperkinetic zaniness from the director that brought you Kodomo no Omocha. If you can speak as fast as the cast, a career awaits you as an auctioneer.

Here is Greenwood
A high school student moves into a boarding school and deals with all of the weird people he lives with. A bizarre slice-of-life comedy that deals with everyday problems, with a weird twist thrown in to make each situation fresh and interesting. Full of wacky hijinks that doesn’t insult your intelligence, and drama without the melodrama.

FLCL
FLCL is Gainax’s highly acclaimed atypical coming-of-age story about a boy who starts releasing robots from his forehead after being hit there by an alien’s bass guitar. Its fast pace allows it to tell a very complete story within its small number of episodes. An excellent soundtrack, wide array of visual styles, and vast number of genres (sci-fi, action, comedy, romance) makes FLCL extremely re-watchable despite its eccentricity and confusing nature.

Giant Robo
A boy and his BIG ASS ROBOT help the Experts of Justice fight a shadowy plot to deprive the world of all its power sources in this epic OVA by Imagawa “Berserk/Violinist of Hameln” Yasuhiro.

Movies
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Nausicaä, the princess of a small nation, lives in a world devastated by the “Seven Days of Fire”. She tries to stop other warring nations from destroying themselves and from destroying the only means by which their world can be saved from the spread of toxic wastelands. A deep, emotional and satisfying story with colourful side characters and strong interpersonal relationships. Miyazaki’s first film to feature the theme of ecological responsibility.

Tokyo Godfathers
Three homeless people find an abandoned baby and struggle to decide what to do with it. In the process, they learn a lot about themselves. One of many great Satoshi Kon movies.