So, you know, thanks for that.
Still, now that it's about time to go back to work I would appear to be feeling almost healthy, and the P.C. has been reinstalled, so I guess it's about time to check in with some highlights from the past year. As with last year I'll be addressing the various things I have personally consumed or experienced. whether or not it was actually released is an entirely separate issue.
Music
It was actually a pretty good year for music. This isn't really all THAT shocking since music is one of my primary motivating factors. But what was interesting was that this year there was actually some really good western metal coming out. Or, to put it another way, a few bands I liked from back in the day finally put out some new CDs.
So new albums from Aborym, The Vision Bleak AND The Meads Of Asphodel. Dense, dark industrialised black metal, sweeping and grandiose gothic metal and... whatever it is that the Meads do. It's perhaps a little odd, but it's also pretty awesome. The main reason I've generally drifted away from the whole metal "scene" is simply through a lack of genuinely interesting music. These bands are some of the few left that actually perk my interest.
We also found the delicious oddity of Metroid Metal, which I've talked about previously. Both the exquisitely titled Varia Suite and then the Expansion Pack. Metal covers of the various Metroid soundtracks. Do you REALLY need anything else?
But what of the motherland? How have we fared for music from the mysterious east?
NEW KANA ALBUM!!
Seriously you guys. I admit I'm a hopeless Kana fanboy, but I really can't help it.She's just so ADORABLE.
On the Darkest Labyrinth front we've had several strong releases, with new CD's from GPKISM and Seileen, some really promising singles from Lix and a couple of really good compilations. But the highlight of the year for me as got to be The Sound Bee HD.
Starting out in their old releases with a Mad Capsule Markets style tech rock before moving into more gothic industrial territories with the DL debut album Hachi. Their sound really advances though with Doku. It's here that the shamisan touches come forward a little more, and it's these subtle touches of traditional japanese instrumentation that really set things off. I really can't wait to see where they go from here.
Add to that new releases from 9Goats Black Out, Kanon Wakeshima, Yousei Teikoku and of course Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- and you've got some fucking good tunes.
A special (if sneaky) mention also needs to go to the KanonXKanon single Calendula Requiem.
See, when this first came out I had no idea what it actually was. Nowhere had I seen "This is Kanon Wakeshima and Kanon from An Cafe" written down, so it wasn't until near the end of December that I finally found out by seeing the video. Of course, once I found that out I "acquired" a copy post haste. Now, the title track is really cool, no question. And the video for it is pretty fun. But it's the B sides that are the real highlight. The second track "The Doll House" is awesome yes. But it's the third track that really gets me. That's called "Umigame Soup". Now, I have no idea what it's actually about, but that doesn't matter. What do you suppose you get when you have a sweet voiced japanese girl singing a song about soup.
GOTHIC LOLITA CLANGERS.
And it is exactly as adorably creepy as that sounds. Moving on...
Film & TV
Strangely there doesn't seem to have been much in the way of particularly great visual stimuli this time around. But luckily what we lack in quantity we more than make up for in quality.
Oh yes. The new series of Doctor Who thundered onto our screens and then just... didn't stop. Okay the resolution of Victory Of The Daleks was a bit soft, and the whole football bit in The Lodger dragged on a little, but whose counting? A bold new vision for the show, literally sweeping away what came before whilst simultaneously building on it. Matt Smith firmly cements himself as the Doctor within nanoseconds of falling out of the TARDIS, and a whole new era is born. What could be better than this?
How about some Ultraman? Ultra Galaxy Legend finally came out on DVD and, best of all, HAD ENGLISH SUBTITLES!! This, of course, made me a very happy bunny.
No, not that one
Featuring (very nearly) 100 monsters, an evil Ultraman, the land of light itself, the crew of the Space Pendragon and more Ultramen than you could shake a cosmic sting at, never mind a stick. Whilst there a few valid criticisms that could be made this whole film is basically a gigantic fanboy boner fest. You can't help but love it.
But outside of the writhing orgy of my fanboy lusts, has there been much stimulating viewing?
Hmmm, perhaps I chose the wrong analogy. The Ancient Dogoo Girl is a surprisingly great series. I mean that in the sense that it works on far more levels than the whole "busty girl in a bikini fights monsters" thing that you get on first glance. Starting out comedic it has some pretty dark episodes, but always remains entertaining. My only lament is the quality of subtitles on my copy takes a dive right at the point where the more serious aspects start up. Why we can't get anything this good on TV over here I don't know.
Outside of these few instances however I'm not sure that there's been too much that really bears repeating. Whilst there have been other things I've mentioned throughout the year there's not been that many that really spring to mind right now. partly I guess this is due to the shocking fact that somehow I've only bought one anime in the past year.
Though I did finally manage to snag a copy of the Ultraman Tiga region 1 DVDs. That was pretty epic.
Reading
I have to say, even I was shocked to see what crap year it's been for reading. When I check back over my records there's hardly anything I've bought that isn't manga. And that's mostly been continuing series. Why this mysterious lack of interesting reading materials?
I WONDER.
When you take into account the horrors I've put myself through recapping those bloody awful novels it's hardly surprising that I've been a little put off reading. Even after that there's just not been that much that's really good. I got the City Of Heroes novels, sure. And one of them was actually good. However the other one... wasn't. So that's hardly much of a highlight.
In the Manga stakes, as I said it's been mostly continuing series. For some reason I don't seem to have launched into much in the way of new titles with my usual gusto. Of what there is though I do have at least a couple of highlights.
First up is King Of Thorn. This had cropped up on my radar ages ago, but it wasn't until seeing the movie that I finally got around to getting it. This is a pretty cool story, with some imaginative touches and a nice creepy atmosphere (which is one of the great things about the movie. It's got fantastic atmos). One of the advantages about this is that, without giving too much away, they made some pretty major changes in the film version. So even if you've seen that there's still plenty here to surprise you. At 6 volumes it's a nice easily collectible length as well, so it shouldn't be too difficult to pick up a full set.
If King Of Thorn is my top "old" series for the year then I guess my top "new" has gotta be Ratman.
Focusing on the exploits of a wannabe hero whose tricked into working for a semi-competent evil organisation it's like a mash up of City Of Heroes and Dokkoida with touches of Excel Saga. It's an original and amusing take on the whole hero genre, though it's not without it's serious moments of course. There's only a couple of volumes out at the moment, but I'm certainly looking forward to more.
Gaming
Ahh. That's where the year went. I gotta say I have been doing an awful lot of gaming this year. Which is probably why I haven't managed to do so much of everything else. But out of the morass of various time wasting applications, what have been the best?
Prob gonna have to go with Metroid Prime Trilogy. If only to spite the flawed wreckage that constituted Other M. It may seem odd making the game of the year a collection of other older games, but at the end of the day these are fucking GOOD games. Fun to play, and gathered together like this damn good value for money, even of you pay over the odds for them like I did.
However second place, or if we're really honest, joint first place goes to Sakura Wars: So Long My Love.
Part strategy, mostly dating sim. I have really played a game like this. It's just so much FUN. The lack of a reasonable dub option for the Wii is easily overcome by simply turning the voices off, and then you get a great time of trying (and mostly failing) to impress various lovely ladies. All of whom drive combat mechs and could break you in a second. With the various characters to woo the game has a fair degree of replayability, and it even has a crossdressing section. Which for some reason always makes a game better. Quite why we don't get more dating sims I don't know. I guess romance isn't as politically correct as disembowelment for some reason.
Other honorable mentions go to Monster Hunter Tri (for providing all the grindyness of an online game without any of the idiots), City Of Villains (because who wants to be a hero really), Guild Wars (because I got a pet robot) and Kororinpa (for being far more fun that it has any right to be. Also the Penguin).
This isn't an exhaustive list of stuff by any means. But then it doesn't have to be. Just a few highlights of the year that was. It's fun to stop and consider what was best about the past year, if for no other reason than we can then use those conclusions to inform the coming age.
So me? I'm gonna go buy some books. GOOD books.
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