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Oct 10, 2023
"It really is a lonely process."
Music, by nature, is a unique and subjective experience, and Blue Giant is no different. To me, it was an exceptional movie with passion at its core and flair in its execution. And for a movie in the music genre, with how straightforward themes in said genre usually ends up being, the extremely grounded manner in its telling impressed me. This movie was clearly made with musicians in mind, and for everyone to enjoy.
Anyone who’s performed jazz, or just music, in any capacity will be able to appreciate the amount of detail that went into the scenes, and I’m
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not just talking about the soundtrack. The characters in Blue Giant reflect a personality or feeling you’ve likely felt before. The experienced and jaded. The talented and confident. The amateur and fiery. They’re simple yet effective characters, and the way they interact makes them really feel like a band of real people. Not so close that they’re corny, and not so ragtag to seem unnatural or idealistic. And despite being in the same band, each of them clearly go through their own individual journeys. The script is solid, and the characters develop thoroughly.
And the music in a jazz movie, as advertised, is amazing. Despite the story being thorough, it still really feels like 90% music and 10% movie. Personally, as someone who’s played a bit of jazz, I have a great amount of respect for jazz musicians, both live or recorded, real or animated. Improvisation is such a difficult yet expressive style of music, it’s hard not to admire the amount of work it takes to reach a presentable form. And to be honest, the soundtrack is not something I see myself downloading and listening to again. What makes this movie special is how well it recreates the experience of a jazz/improv performance, which is hard to reproduce by nature. Improv reflects how the performer feels in the moment, and the timing and circumstances the band in the movie performs under enhances the experience and makes it feel truly one of a kind.
The visuals that accompany the music are great as well. The shot composition is very dynamic yet almost dizzying at times. The use of CG in the filler scenes, I’ll admit, can be distracting, and I’m not usually someone who’s bothered by this stuff. And if I were to nitpick a bit more, they also definitely overused “black-line shading” in the 2D animation. But otherwise, it doesn’t take away from the experience, and the 2D + CG in the key scenes are well done and incredibly immersive.
Blue Giant is a movie I’d lightly recommend to the average person but strongly recommend to the true jazzphile. I’d definitely catch it in a theater if possible, or at least somewhere with a good sound system, hopefully GKIDS brings it back someday. You’ve probably already decided whether or not this is your type of movie or not based on the trailer, but if not, hopefully my stamp of approval can *swing* your opinion.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 2, 2022
*Mostly spoiler-free review, spoiler section marked below*
Trying to write a coherent review of an Asano piece is a monumental task, but considering Asano himself is able to consistently deliver compelling work after compelling work, all while separating himself from the formulas that brought him success in the past, I figured I’d at least give it a try.
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction (DDDD for short) can be a hysterical dystopian slice-of-life, an all-out sci-fi world war, a defamation case against our superficial society, or perhaps the most modern and pertinent sociopolitical commentary of our time, but to me, it’s just a fun, simple reminder of things
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that matter.
If you never read Asano’s books before, you might be taken aback by the incredibly genuine dialogue, unfiltered humor, or even just the impossibly detailed background art. There’re probably just as many brushstrokes on each page than there are pixels on your screen. Flip through a landscape or two and see for yourself. But instead of dropping your jaw at each exquisite illustration and passing it off as substanceless detail, I implore you to look past just the art and take a chance at understanding Asano’s deeper ideas, as wordy as they may be.
The funny thing is, you can probably get away with skipping 75% of the text, specifically all of the news talk and political pseudo-speech. Not to say that it’s not important to the story, but you really only need to read the headlines to know what’s going on. Anything beyond that becomes drastically diminishing returns in terms of useful information, much like in real life (a comparison that applies to many other ideas in this story as well). At the same time, there are certain conversations which have such heavy implications yet have such subtle delivery that it’ll take a revisit or two to really understand. If that sounds like something that interests you, then please, be my guest.
On one hand, you could be more entertained by tuning out all the outside noise and relegating everything to “cute girls doing cute things”. On the other hand, the fact that you wouldn’t be able to even if you tried is what makes DDDD such a unique experience. Whether it be the overbearing news headlines, Asano’s doomsaying scenery, the, not-so-subtle foreshadowing (X DAYS UNTIL ___________________), or the convoluted character writing which has you wondering how the hell they became the people they are, the story of the world told between the lines drives the narrative and its glaring contrast with the apparent story of the characters pulls you in for more.
However, if you have read Asano’s books before, like myself, you can probably go in expecting his signature style of “deep fiction” and still be impressed because, despite the complicated description of his style I made above, one of the first things you’ll notice is “Hey, it’s not as heavy as I thought it would be.” Compared to his other works (Solanin, Punpun, etc.), DDDD turns out to be quite the easy pill to swallow, and I’d say that’s mostly due to the fact that the minimal humorous jabs he’s included previously has been replaced with the very upfront satire against everything superficial in this world (AKA anything that comes out of Ontan’s mouth). I mean, the inclusion of “Isobeyan”, a weekly manga strip within a manga, in the beginning and throughout makes a slight against the average, terrible-yet-not-completely worthless and mildly entertaining media that saturates today’s market, and if that doesn’t explain how meta you have to be to understand Asano’s sense of irony, I don’t know what will.
The comedy will definitely throw you for a loop, especially at the beginning, and it’ll take you a while to figure out what the story’s actually about but once you get into the meat of things, you’ll find that it evolves into a pretty hard book to put down.
*BEGINNING OF SPOILER SECTION*
I’m not gonna pretend I understood everything DDDD was about. I’d even go as far as to say that trying to understand absolutely everything Asano was trying to say is a completely futile task. But at least *some* of his themes got through to me, enough of which I was able to internalize, feel, and form my own ideas with.
There’s realist/pessimistic romantic drama (historically one of Asano’s strong suits) reflected through short yet dense side character mini’s (Watarase/Sumaru, Kiho/Kohiruimaki, Ai/Monica, etc.).
There are political agendas tinged with conspiracy and corruption, where, although fictional, is explored on such a worldly scale that it feels nearly impossible Asano was able to accumulate so many points of views from his home in Japan.
There’s socially-driven xenophobia fueled by economic interests, and the fact that the cause and effect of A-rays are never clearly explained should tell you a lot.
There’s conflict on the very thin line between centrist-progressivism and radical progressivism, where I wish I could step back, ignore, and roast the masses with a vocabulary as articulate as Ontan’s, but instead find myself in Futaba’s shoes believing in independent thinking, noble and self-righteous up until the very moment it actually matters.
There are so many themes that I can try to list, but ultimately, there’s no better place to hear them than from Asano’s own pages.
On top of all of that is Ontan’s, Kadode’s, Hiroshi’s, Ooba’s, and Asano’s own argument that none of it actually matters, and despite the turbulence of the ever changing, politically and economically-driven society we live in, we’re better off choosing to focus on what’s in front of us, because there’s only so much of it that’s in our control. Sure, you could say it’s naive to oversimplify things to “absolutes” like the characters do, but in the end it’s up to you to decide who’s actually happier and who you’d rather be like. The validity of the argument is constantly up for debate.
I, for one, had doubts on the believability of each character’s path. For example, there was a turning point in chapter 64 where a demon takes the autism pill and a pen-shaped AK-47 falls from the sky, greatly exaggerating a point that’s already been made while also becoming the basis of the entire plot. However upon rereading, I actually appreciate the intervention of the pill because it made Kadode’s personality even less contrived than it could’ve been if she’d developed her disturbing worldview “naturally”, regardless of the bullying, domestic tension, and blind devotion to her friend.
But of course, I went full circle and thought “Wait, how much of that even matters.” I mean Asano literally resets his entire universe twice, the first time for a little girl trying to save her friend and the second for a manga artist trying to look out for his daughter yet doing nothing more than speaking to her nicely a few more times, which in my opinion, is a really self-deprecating thing to do, but hey, Asano’s the manga artist, not me.
Some would say that’s a bit of an anti-climactic conclusion, but again, let’s try to wrap our heads around what “actually matters” here. In some universes, Ontan is friends with Kadode. In others, they’re not friends. And in some, the earth is destroyed. You can decide for yourself which one you’d rather be in, but I think the smiles on their faces tells which one Asano would prefer.
*END OF SPOILER SECTION*
Asano really outdid himself this time, writing my personal favorite manga to date, and that’s not to take away from any of his other works or manga in general. It’s just that when you read something so modern and relevant to our generation, it’s hard not to make comparisons between a fictional world and our own and constantly form ideas that challenge the status quo. The story is an argument and a counter-argument in it of itself, endlessly touching upon complex themes, while at the same time, remains delightful and enjoyable.
“No matter what anyone says, your life is yours alone.”
Thanks for reading to the end. I realize that this review might come off as a bit of a roller coaster, but maybe it reflected my experience reading this book.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 28, 2021
Whereas Kabi-sensei’s first two works shared some of her internal and mental issues, My Alcoholic Escape From Reality is more of a physical experience for both her and the readers. And while the newest entry doesn’t reach the peaks of introspective reflection as its predecessors do, it doesn’t take away from the quality and is still a great read for fans of the series.
Kabi-sensei’s struggle to draw and write manga about herself is no secret to anyone reading, and the hesitance is as clear as day after she reveals that she and her mother talked about how much of their private relationships they’re comfortable
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with sharing to the public. Quite ironic, isn’t it? A writer who’s most successful when writing about her struggles now struggles with sharing her more personal struggles and ends up encountering newfound struggles overcoming her creative block. But the recurring theme of one problem leading to another isn’t a huge surprise at this point.
The third installment doesn’t pick up right where the second left off, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the second leads up to the third. After trying to deal with moving out, living alone, and periodically moving back in with her parents, our tragic hero picks up a habit of alcoholism, which is lightly touched upon in the second and is now the main focus of the third. Through this she hits not exactly a new low, but a different low, where her unhealthy physical body has finally caught up with her deteriorating mind and now she must find a new way to well… live. Whether it be intermittent stomach pains, a demotivating hospital diet, or an irritating IV drip, Kabi-sensei carefully illustrates how ordinarily negligible pains become considerably more painful when stacked upon an already anxious and draining lifestyle. She’s no model citizen (and she acknowledges this), and while it’s easy to just take her mistakes as decisions NOT to make, I think there’s more value to be found in learning how her mistakes made her a stronger, slightly more capable person.
The main internal struggle of this entry deals with Kabi-sensei deciding whether or not to continue writing memoirs or to switch to writing fiction. This struggle is outlined by the unfolding of events in her hospital but is also apparent in how she approaches this book itself. Like I mentioned before, there is a clear hesitance for her to share her relationships with her friends and family compared to her previous books, whether it be because she thinks it’s wrong or that her writing’s getting stale. It leads her to digress into writing about her more surface-level, obvious struggle in a sickbed and stretch a month-long hospitalization into something readable. That’s why to me, this doesn’t directly feel like a 3rd entry but a 2.5th. But as she finds a new level of solace in her writing style following this condensed experience, I am left feeling confident that Kabi-sensei will deliver a new, compelling sequel to come.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 26, 2021
“And yet I lost a relation I thought I had— as easy as that. All because I’m a bottom-tier character.”
Seeing as this show flew under most people’s radar, I thought I’d write a review with hopes of giving it a little more attention than it received.
Let’s get this straight off the bat— it’s not amazing. But it’s not as bad as some others make it out to be, and I think going in with the right expectation is really important if you want to enjoy this show.
First of all, there are some major plot points you need to wrap your head around. The main character
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is Japan’s #1 Tackfam player (this anime’s equivalent to Smash) and he finds out the #2 player who he’s been competing against the whole time is a pretty and popular girl who goes to his school. That introduction alone should raise a ton of red flags for anyone, myself included. At this point, between the “Drama, Romance” tag and Project No.9’s track record with light novel rom-com adaptations as a whole, most people would expect some kind of annoying, competitive romance between two people who’d never exist in real life abundant with drama-inducing harem side characters as teased by the cover art. But when you take a step back and look at it, it’s not really a romance at all but rather a study on social groups and situations.
Of course, there’s no way you’d know that going in.
Anyway, let’s say you weren’t bothered by that and gave the first few episodes a chance. There are still some hurdles regarding the premise you need to jump over: Why do they make so many weird analogies between games and life? Why does this guy feel so compelled to fit in with the popular kids? Why are there absolutely no like-minded, introverted gamers in his school he could make friends with? And why is she so obsessed with making him “good enough at the game of life” for him to score a girlfriend? These types of talking points make this show really easy to attack and could quite possibly sabotage your entire opinion of it.
But let’s just say, hypothetically, that Tomozaki is *actually* the only otaku in the entire world, and that he truly wants to break out of his shell and get along with these “popular kids” who should want nothing to do with him. If you can live with that, then I think this is where the show starts becoming enjoyable.
Initially, this show caught me off guard was when Tomozaki tried talking to a girl who sat next to him in class for the first time:
“Um… sorry, Izumi— got a second?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Er… do you have a tissue? I’ve got a cold, but I forgot to bring any.”
“Oh, sure. Hang on.”
From this excerpt of text alone, it’s hard to tell what’s stands out about this scene. Then, I realized that the thing that made it special was precisely the fact that it was so ordinary, so routine. No dirty looks. No kimochi warui’s. Just two classmates talking to each other. Through this kind of subtlety is where the anime truly shows what it’s made of.
It betrayed my expectation of the stereotypes it built up so highly and hit me with the “damn, this is what happens when you actually talk to people in high school”. As a biased, introverted gamer myself, you could call me out for being so unwarrantedly taken aback by two humans conversing and that there are way better anime I’ve never seen which do the same thing. And to you, I concede that point. But if you could relate to me or Tomozaki at all, you might realize that the dark cloud that loomed over your high school days and prevented you from talking to other people never existed at all, and that most people are actually quite nice when you talk to them. You could accept that though it’s not a completely original idea, the anime and author are providing their own personal yet entertaining perspectives on it, and that’s honestly all you could ask for from most shows these days.
The characters are not outstandingly cringe and are quite well-written for how much screen time they have. Just because you can see only one side of them doesn’t necessarily mean they are that shallow a person. It’s a common theme which the story surfs the line of pretty well. The animation is nice and colorful but not too detailed, and it helps set the tone of the show as enjoyable and light-hearted, though it does feel a little bit off when they try to be serious. The voice acting is exceptional and, when combined with the script, make the characters more comparable to real people than most other shows. (Except for maybe Tomozaki himself, who feels a bit awkward during the delivery of certain lines, but take that with a grain of salt because that’s technically the goal of his character in the first place.) The sounds are pretty standard and a bit repetitive which doesn’t matter all that much, although I will give DIALOGUE+ a shoutout for making another breakthrough with their hit OP/ED.
In conclusion, if you can acknowledge its flaws while appreciating its strengths, I think this show is definitely good enough to give a chance. Like myself, you probably won’t regret it.
Thanks for reading to the end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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