Denpateki na Kanojo – A solid entry into the psychological thriller genre

Yikes, what a long winded title. With joking aside, the title of this post reflects my opinion perfect about the first episode of the Denpateki na Kanojo OVA perfectly. The psychological thriller genre is one that holds a very special place in my heart. From the early days of Hitchcock, to the masterpieces of Kubrick, I have been infatuated with the twisted inner workings of the human mind, and the profoundly dark and often times destructive nature of human beings. When it comes to films, psychological horror is dime a dozen, but when it comes to anime the genre is quite scarce, so when I first learned about Denpateki na Kanojo, I approached to OVA with high hopes, and for my faith, I was rewarded with one of the most atmospherically engrossing thrillers I have seen in a long time. While the OVA is not on par with Monster or Serial Experiments Lain, Denpateki na Kanojo remains as one of my favorite recent endeavors. Denpateki na Kanojo, is certainly treading familiar ground, but is doing it with confidence and gusto.

A brief synopsis taken from MAL: Juuzawa Juu is a delinquent high school boy who just wants to be left alone. One day, he is approached by Ochibana Ame, who claims that she knew him in a previous life, and now wants to serve him as his “knight”. At first Juu wants nothing to do with Ame, but after a classmate is murdered, he accepts her help as he looks for the killer.

The story is something we’ve seen before in some form or another. But where the story lacks in originality, it certainly makes up for it with atmosphere. Very rarely does a show have tha ability to really grip the audience without clonking us over the head with blatant and in your face plot twists. It takes quite a bit of skill to move a story forward with atmosphere, excellent pacing, and masterful characterization. If these three concepts are understood and successfully executed, then we have a great show on our hands. The plot, as important as it is, will become second nature, and flow more naturally. That said, there are plenty of plot driven anime that deliver the same enjoyment, but that’s not where I’m looking today.

What I’m looking for is an anime that oozes atmosphere from every orophous and has the ability to make my hairs stand on end without so much as a word from the main characters. Oddly enough Denpateki na Kanojo does NOT, accomplish this. Putting in the same cateogry as Aria (which has unbelievable atmosphere) and Monster (which not only provides a dark, brooding tone, but also a masterfully crafted story), would be a diservice to these masterpieces. However, Denpateki na Kanojo does try it’s hand at this difficult artform and comes out with impressive results.

Although it’s a step behind the masterpieces mentioned before, it does take a step forward when compared to the countless anime that are released every season. It surely isn’t a masterpiece, but it is definitely something to look into. Every once in a while, taking the road less traveled with produce rewarding results.

A less than glorious return to blogging

This is my first post in quite a while. Although I don’t have too many readers, I think it’s about time to explain my long absence.

For those who have been reading up on my blog, the time that was available for blogging, and anime in general was severely undermined by the fact that my grandmother’s condition began to worsen. I decided to take some time out of my schedule to care for her, even so I managed to write an entry or two here and there.

Sadly on April 3, 2009 my grandmother passed away. I was busy with funeral preparations as well as having to deal with a few legal disputes between overzealous family members. On top of that, I thought it was crucial to take a bit of time off in order to reorganize and re-evaluate my life, so I decided to take a break from blogging. As a result of this I had to put off some of my daily duties, most notably this blog, and my podcast, and  some new obligations as well, most notably my new writing position on the Anime Instruemtality Blog.

I can not deny that I have severly neglected my responsabilities to the site, and I would like to formally apologize to zzeroparticle, the site’s manager and chief writer. There really is no excuse for me to have suddenly droped off the face of the planet for a month without any indication as to why. I do take my responsabilites quite seriously, so I humbly apologize.

Within the next week, I will return to blogging, andreturn to a more daily routine. To the very few readers I have, I would like to give out an apology for leaving without so much as a word. It was a fault on my part. Till then.

Life’s Tribulations: Hara Hetta on Temporary Hiatus

Life has a funny way of throwing you curve balls at you during very important times. For the past few months I have been preoccupied with schoolwork, so much so that I had to quit my job, and cut down on blogging. However, very recently my grandmother contracted Phenomena, and I was informed that she was slowly recovering. I brushed it off, knowing that should we recover eventually, but after I returned home from an otaku outing with friends today, I received a phone call from the Good Samaritan Hospital in L.A. informing me that she has once again been admitted to the hospital, and was unconscious. They further explained that after an MRI, they could find no definitive problem. I later discussed the matter with my parents, whom I have been on rough terms for a year or so, making the matter even more painful. Later on the hospital called me once again and informed me that my grandmother had a clot of some sort, but would not be able to undergo any kind of surgery due to her age. At this point I’m still in the dark, and plan on visiting the hospital myself tomorrow and learn what her circumstances are.

My grandmother raised me for nearly my entire childhood, and I owe her my life. As I grew older, and started to become a bit more rebellious and became an obnoxious little delinquent, I treated my grandmother insensitively to say the least. I have always regretted being unable to give her an apology. It was because of many sacrifices on her part that I could grow up happy. I wanted to show her my gratitude, and to at least pay her back in some way, So I decided to start visiting and assisting her as long as I possibly can, even if it means taking time out of my own schedule.

So for the next few months, I will be driving back and forth between here and L.A. every few days and keeping my grandmother company, making sure she eats well, and just making sure she is happy and comfortable. Because of this, as well as my increasingly important school work, I’ll have almost no time to blog. I will still update as often as I possibly can, but keep in mind that many of my actives that are associated with anime and manga will be cut down severely. I’ll be sure to start blogging feverishly when things have settled down again, but I ask you guys be patient as this blog is on a temporary hiatus.

This will be my last entry for some time, and as promised here is the Shugo Chara OP/ED collection I have amassed. I wish I could post this entry on a lighter note, but things just aren’t looking up. Be sure to give credit to kitty87 at Zero Degrees for sharing this with me.