Anime: Seirei no Moribito aka Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:25 pm

Title: Seirei no Moribito (a.k.a. Guardian of the Sacred Spirit)
General Info: Anime News Network (ANN)

ANN Summary:

Plot Summary:
Balsa the spearwoman is a wandering warrior, who takes on the task of saving lives, in atonement for a past sin. On her journey, she happens to save a prince, and is tasked with becoming his bodyguard. And he is going to need one, for his own father, the emperor, wants him dead.

Just watched three episodes, good artwork/direction, suitable music, and great fight choreography. Recommended so far, especially those in the mood for a good adventure series.

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:31 pm

Hey Vinny I gave an old journalist friend from CMU (actually The Tartan) your email. She's got an assignment on anime history. Feel free to just say no if you don't feel like sharing. Name's Lorelei Laird.

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:56 pm

No problem, I'll help if I can and if I'm free.

From my numerous random readings I've heard of Lorelei (not sure if it was blog, some CMU graffiti board-related, and/or something else), so the name is familiar to me, although I can't say why. I do vaguely remember her being very knowledgeable about Japanese culture, probably more so than myself.

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:53 pm

She was big graffiti lurker back in the day and had a blog after graduation.

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:09 pm

Just to make sure, is she familiar with Mohtalim? Should I provide any links back to here?

Post by **Jonathan** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:59 pm

I think I told her to check it around 2004.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:49 pm

Watcha a bit of this anime, it sucks. watch the one where some kid can see micros and goes to an agriculture university. way better!

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:55 am

It's quite horrible, I assure you.

Code: Select all

2008-01-19       23 seirei no moribito
2008-01-19       22 seirei no moribito
2008-01-19       21 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       20 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       19 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       18 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       17 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       16 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       15 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       14 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       13 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       12 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       11 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18       10 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18        9 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18        8 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18        7 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18        6 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18        5 seirei no moribito
2008-01-18        4 seirei no moribito
2008-01-17        2 spice and wolf
2008-01-16        3 seirei no moribito
2008-01-16        2 seirei no moribito
2008-01-15        1 seirei no moribito

(only 3 eps left, grr...)

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:44 am

Ok, the microbe anime got old, and fast.

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:23 pm

Temporary derail:

First, microbe anime == Moyashimon (ANN)

Jason Miao wrote:Moyashimon: “I’m sorry for making people wait eight episodes before getting to the epic lesbian fanservice. I think I would be ranked higher than Umisho if it happened six episodes earlier. But just to stick it to everyone, I got the best viewership numbers in Japan (especially surprising for a late night anime that isn’t from Shounen Jump) than all the series in Best of 2007. Yes, even beating out Gundam 00 occasionally.”

From best of 2007: apologies (blog article)

I personally still need to watch more. Chuck seems hooked on it though!

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:29 pm

Also, excerpts from hastily written responses to Lorelei, in case anyone's interested: (and for me to laugh at later)

VLSmooth wrote:=== Disclaimer ===

I am not an expert, and primarily watch "recent" series, mostly starting in the 90s. However I have delved and enjoyed a few older series (*cough*Kimagure Orange Road*cough*) and spend an arguably unhealthy amount of time thinking about anime.

Also, there's a lot I could mention, but I'll try to tone it down. A side-effect is that the ending may be abrupt due to time and I most likely will miss a lot of points. Hopefully it's better than nothing.

=== Recommended Resources ===

Anime News Network is an amazing resource, albeit it might be difficult to glean something general like anime history.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/

You may find the rating stats especially useful. They have a strong english-speaking slant due to the site's language.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... -anime.php

Besides that, with some filtering, wikipedia is a good resource.

=== Important Non-Anime Release Thoughts ===

Conventions...
have had a large effect on the anime community. In particular, Anime Expo is the largest US anime convention hosted annually in California. Otakon is the 2nd largest (largest on the East Coast) US anime convention hosted annually in Maryland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime_Expo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otakon

Broadcast TV
Cartoon Network and Anime on Demand have drastically improved the accessibilty of anime.

Fansubs
Fansub history can take a long time to discuss, but the biggest change came with digital distribution. The digital fansubbing "scene" is huge and greatly influences the anime community. It's come a long way from mailing VHS tapes, to IRC/FTP, to BitTorrent, to video streaming sites like YouTube, crunchyroll, etc. Incidentally, ADV Films, the largest US anime licensor (need link) has also experimented with digital title distribution

=== Anime Releases ===

Next, are you really targeting the most influential anime releases, or the most critically acclaimed anime releases? Most of what you've listed suggests the prior. It's unfortunate that the former and latter rarely intersect.

--- Critically Acclaimed ---

Some a few critically acclaimed anime in the US I can list off the top of my head include: (Not sure of DVD release dates, listing movie release or TV broadcast dates)

* Princess Mononoke (JP 1997 / US 1999)
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... php?id=197
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_mononoke
I think this is the first theatrically released anime movie in the US with an all-star voice acting cast

* Neon Genesis Evangelion (JP 1995 / US 2005)
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... .php?id=49
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genes ... TV_series)
Gainax's (studio) immensely popular and controversial work covering a large number of issues and emotions. Admittedly, I despised the main character enough to dislike the series, but I can't fault its influence and production values. It has been re-released many, many, many times due to its popularity and there are new alternative retelling being produced today.

* Paprika (JP 2006 / US 2007)
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6142
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika_(2006_film)
Another movie released in the US with a limited release, but good return per theater. The movie itself drew rave reviews from festivals and the New York Times.

You can also hunt down the film festivals the movies where submitted to (listed off the ANN links) to find other critical works.

--- Influential ---

Quick listing for sake of time

* Dragonball Series
Arguably what funded the US anime boom
Ridiculous popular in Japan, arguably the most popular, sans some nostaligic ongoing series from the 70s
* Pokemon Series
Another huge influx of popularity and cash
* Gundam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundam
"The" mecha series which has spanned decades
* Rumiko Takahashi Series (of which you're probably familiar)
- More influential amount the VHS fansub generation
- Urusei Yatsura
- Maison Ikkoku
- Ranma 1/2 (personal fave)
- Inuyasha (highly popular due to Cartoon Network)
* Rurouni Kenshin
- extremely popular during the VHS fansub era
* Cowboy Bebop (fan favorite)
* Trigun (fan favorite)
surprisingly, was MUCH better received in the US than Japan
* Full Metal Alchemist
* Naruto
* Bleach
* One Piece
Despite being incredibly popular in Japan (we're talking Dragonball levels here), it had a very bad start in the US. There's immense discussion of the excessive editing that 4Kids Entertainment applied, strongly implying they drove the US franchise into the ground. Recently, it's been picked up by Funimation and making a comeback, although the most popularity likely comes from extremely high-quality fansubs.

VLSmooth wrote:Of course, one can always refer to the wiki history of anime article too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_anime

VLSmooth wrote:Doh, I cutoff some of my notes.

Some recent "instant" classics, that exploded both in Japan and the US (notably through fansubs first, or only in the case of TTGL)

* The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
o http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6430
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Melanc ... i_Suzumiya
o A sleeper hit that took the industry by storm
* Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (TTGL)
o http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6698
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann
o By Gainax, the creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), this very recent series (2007) has already been picked up for US release due to it's incredible energy. A somewhat common sentiment is that TTGL is Gainax's well-accepted apology for inflicting the headache NGE is on the community.

Vyrosama · Post by **Vyrosama** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:14 pm

Dave wrote:Ok, the microbe anime got old, and fast.

I was hoping that it'd be another yakitate japan...but like dave said...it got old...fast...but it's still worth watching...and it's educational...and most importantly...short

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:33 pm

Totally don't recommend this anime past 3 eps!

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:46 pm

Hah, I take it you thought it was an action anime?

I guessed wrong as well. Although there are a few incredible choreographed and animated fights (ep22 in particular), the main focus is on Balsa and Chagum. I found it very well done though.

Too bad the anime was licensed by Geneon, which recently closed down (wiki) so who knows when it'll be released stateside, if ever. At least the novels were licensed by Scholastic for a US release. Guardian of the Sacred Spirit is only the first volume of ten (it's complete).

Post by **Jonathan** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:55 pm

Thread hijack!

True or false: In Japan, creative types feel comfortable telling a story that's ten or twenty hours long.

This length is a huge no-no in the US. Occasionally a mini-series will get to about that length. LOTR was a great example of a ten hour story. Mostly, US TV writers shoot for stories that will run for multiple seasons until the audience or actors get bored. And US movies feel that (probably rightly) the three hour mark is the limit.

I think this is really limiting. I would enjoy watching ten or twelve hours of tightly written, directed, and acted story on DVD or internet. Make it happen!

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:01 pm

VLSmooth wrote:so who knows when it'll be released stateside, if ever.

Does this really matter? I haven't bought any anime at all since... random kenshin boxset with an amazon gift card hehe.

Lame ending! too much filler! stupid annoying nurseman!

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:19 pm

Note: You might want to split this off as a different thread.

Don't have too much time now, but you're bringing up what I consider the old issue of episodic-ness. I believe you're correct to focus on the audience, after all, that's what the shows are pandering to for ratings.

In the past, American television prided itself on episodic shows that could be watched in any order. The primary benefit of this approach is limited commitment in the form of not needed to remember and not having to worry about getting lost in the plot from missing an episode. However, as you pointed out, this drastically hamstrings the content that can be presented. Sure, you can reference a few key events, but for the most part, a non-dedicated audience would be turned off by having to keep track of such information.

However, newer series like Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, etc have been breaking this mold. I have no doubt that DVR technology and easy access to DVDs helped this movement.

Continuous plot development is one of my anime draws. Sure, one can find the occasional episodic sitcom-like anime show, but many non-episodic alternatives exist. As for why this is seemingly more common to Japan than the US, perhaps it's due to a different culture of discipline and regularity. Keeping a schedule to watch a show probably is not as big of a hassle to them. Also, Japan is usually an early technology-adopter, which permits easier content access.

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:22 pm

Dave wrote:Lame ending! too much filler! stupid annoying nurseman!

Maybe it made too much sense? I found the pseudo-plausibility of the plot refreshing. It's also nice to have smart characters. I don't remember thinking of any of the characters as dumbasses, which is a good sign in my book. Also, the presentation/direction itself was top-notch.

Post by **Jonathan** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:39 pm

VLSmooth wrote:However, newer series like Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, etc have been breaking this mold. I have no doubt that DVR technology and easy access to DVDs helped this movement.

BSG is exactly my point. From what friends have told me, BSG has maybe a 30 hour taut story to tell. But they'll just keep on writing new episodes and spinning out new crap with the same characters, rather than wrapping up a story and moving on to the next.

Commercial novelists are extremely guilty of this as well.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:22 am

There were 3 decent fights in the whole series and they all occured in the 1st 3 episodes. They reused one (flashback) and fighting the weird plant things with firesticks was just lame, plus the animation was crap compared to the 1st 3. I didn't like any charcters that didn't use a spear or sword, and most of them just annoyed me (medicine guy/master, the 'lets kill my son' emperor ). The majority of the series was to develop the prince and he wussed out at the end anyways.

Last tv show I actually looked forward to watching (not counting random comedies like office) was Dexter, and season 2 ended in December and lasted like 11 episodes.