This blog lives

Hey, this blog is still around but it really is not used much. If you are interested in this club, check us out on Facebook. Check out the group "GW Anime Society." Thanks.

President Akhilesh Pillalamarri

GW Anime Society Meeting 9/11/08 & Schedule Changes

Good Evening GW Anime Society Members,

The first meeting went pretty well and I hope to see you all back when we meet tomorrow. The meeting will begin at 7:30 and go to just after 11 In Marvin Center Room 308, also called the Parks Room. Also, it has come to our attention that the lineup is being criticized for being to heavy on action shows and/or being too old. In order to combat this and make a more audience reflective schedule, we will be replacing One Piece with Shion No Ou and replacing Ichigo 100% with Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. Both of these are on a provisional basis and if the response to these shows is overwhelmingly negative, we will search for other options.

Marvin Center 308

Schedule:
7:30 - Socializing
8:00 - Shion no Ou
8:30 - Genshiken
9:00 - Code Geass
9:30 - BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
10:00 - Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
10:30 - Neon Genesis Evangelion
11:00 - Gunbuster (The scratched disc issue has been resolved and we can now finish both episodes 1 & 2.)

-Ed Lang

Welcome Back GW Anime Society: 9/4/08 Meeting and Free Raffle

Welcome Back GW Anime Society.

It's time again for the fall semester to start and with that a new season has begun for the GW Anime Society. I hope everyone had a good anime-filled summer, and though it sucks that classes have to start it means our weekly meetings are going to be starting too. Like last year our meetings will be on thursday nights from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, with socializing from 7:30 to 8:00. Our first meeting will be on September 4, 2008, exactly one week from today in Marvin Center Room 404. In addition to the shows we will be watching on thursday I will also give a little introductory speech for the people who have never been to a meeting, also there will be a small raffle for those who show up, with prizes including the first two volumes of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga, a One Piece DVD, and a small model of Setsuna F. Seiei's Gundam Exia from Gundam 00.

And without further ado here is the screener list and schedule for the first meeting:

7:30 - Socializing
8:00 - One Piece
8:30 - Genshiken
9:00 - Code Geass
9:30 - BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
10:00 - Ichigo 100%
10:30 - Neon Genesis Evangelion
11:00 - Gunbuster


I appreciate any input you all have about what shows you have an interest in seeing on our screener list and since about half of our shows are 13 episodes or fewer there's a chance of getting things selected for next semester. Any questions comments or suggestions can be submitted to the gwanime email address or over at our blogspot page, which either I or Akhilesh will try to update at least once a week.

Hope to see you all there,

Teh Prez

Katsucon Preregistration

Registration for Katsucon, the GW Anime Society's big event, will officially begin this month. What this means is that we need to know as soon as possible who is going to be attending. Admissions fee, normally $45, will be free if you register through us.

For those of you who don't know, Katsucon is DC's biggest anime convention, held in February for 3 days (Friday the 15th to Sunday the 17th) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, a short walk away from the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro stop. A few of the main attractions to this include anime/movie showings, a large dealer room with import goods, cosplay, the artist's alley and various other panels and events. For more information, visit this link.

Go here for the registration form. If you intend to go, fill it out and hand it in to me IN PERSON. Please note that we will only be allowing members who have attended the Anime Society at least once this semester the opportunity to register through us.

ALL APPLICATIONS FOR KATSUCON ARE DUE BY THE 1ST OF DECEMBER.

- Teh Prez

Bones Co-Founder Hiroshi Ōsaka Passes Away

Hey all,
This isn't really club related, but it's definetly sad news for the anime world in general. On Monday morning, one of the three co-founders of BONES animation studio, Hiroshi Ōsaka, passed away at the age of 44. Ōsaka-san was not only a co-founder of BONES, but an influential animator whose contributions to anime include the legendary Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Jin-Roh, Macross Plus and Gundam 0083, among many others. He will be missed.

The full story can be found here:

- That Guy

Anime Profile #7: Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

This was meant to be a double profile with the original Vampire Hunter D, but for some reason, the font kept getting messed up when they were together. Separation was the only cure. So, I apologize (again) if it seems I'm flooding the blog with stuff about Vampire Hunter D. The next post will not be about Vampire Hunter D.

- That Guy

Though it will probably never receive the ‘classic’ status of its predecessor, Bloodlust is certainly a more polished product overall. Based on third novel (titled Demon Deathchase) in Hideyuki Kikuchi’s series, the story of Bloodlust, despite its title, is actually both more interesting and engrossing than the original.

This time around, D has been hired by the Elbourne family to recover their daughter Charlotte, who has *surprise* been kidnapped by a vampire. However, we soon find out that this particular vampire is not just any vampire, but the infamous Meier Link, a vampire especially feared for his ‘bloodthirsty nature’ (yay). And so, in order to further ensure the return of their daughter, the Elbourne’s have also hired the Markus Brothers, a ragtag group of human vampire hunters known for finishing the job, and at the same time, removing the competition. To make matters worse, Meier Link has no intention of simply taking Charlotte to his castle to wait for the hunters to come charging in. Instead, he decides to take her someplace far, far away. And so, a great chase begins.

What makes the plotline more interesting this time around is not only the larger, more unique cast of characters, but, as D quickly finds out, that some sort of relationship has developed between Meier and Charlotte. ‘Is this possible?’ D thinks to himself, is it simply a case of seduction, or can a vampire and a human genuinely love each other? Can a predator fall in love with his prey? Thankfully, the movie doesn’t get bogged down in any sort of philosophical garble, something that would definitely hinder of movie of this type. Instead, the romance is simply told as it is and allows the movie to succeed where its predecessor failed, at a decent love story. Again, love here is secondary, but it is more poignant and feels much more at home in round two. Another interesting plot point is with D. While D himself isn’t developed much as a whole, we at least get a glimpse into his world, a life of loneliness, as he is looked down upon by the vampire world for not only having human blood, but choosing to hunt his kin, while at the same time finding rejection from the human world for being a ‘monster’. D is hated and feared everywhere he goes for reasons he can’t control. Again, this plot comes in as a little side story, and isn’t heavy handed or all consuming in its message, but instead adds to the movie.

Finally, the movie more than succeeds at its main goal, action. Made in 2000, the animation and art direction by MADHOUSE (Perfect Blue, X, Trigun, Metropolis) is astounding. The movie is simply gorgeous to look at. Everything, from the unique characters to the gothic atmosphere is superbly detailed, crisp and completely fluid. Not only this, but Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, X TV) is in the director’s chair, and once again proves himself a master of action films. Each and every one of the fight scenes are imaginative, fast paced and memorable. Better yet is the movies pacing overall, which ensures that even when the people aren’t duking it out, the viewer is never bored. Everything always feels like it’s moving, even when the characters aren’t.

And so, if action movies (or even romance, at this point) are your thing, but the first Vampire Hunter D sounded a little on the cliché or boring side, check out Bloodlust. Like the original, the movie is licensed in the states by Urban Vision, and is widely available. Oh, and as a side note, the movies original language is English (with surprisingly good dubbing at that). So, don’t worry if you buy it and there’s no Japanese track.

Anime Profile #6: Vampire Hunter D

Hi folks, sorry for the long delay in between updates. Still getting used to the system. Anyway, this is my first post, I hope you all find it informative, amusing or something.

- That Guy




Anime Profile #6: Vampire Hunter D

Considered a cult classic both in both Japan and America, Vampire Hunter D saw its release in the land of the rising sun in 1985. Based on the first book in a series of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi and character designs by Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy fame, the movie takes place in the year 12,090 A.D. in a futuristic, yet desolate post-nuclear holocaust world. In this world, the remnants of humanity, divided into various towns and cities, spend their days fending off supernatural beasts while living in fear of Vampires, who have become the world’s ruling nobility.

At the onset of the movie, we are introduced to the human Doris Lang, who, while out monster hunting one night, is approached and bitten by local Vampire Lord, Count Magnus Lee. Unfortunately for Doris, the Count’s eternal unlife has recently become a little stale and in dire need of excitement. And so, five days after tasting her blood, he decides to make Doris his wife. In order to rid herself of such a fate, Doris begins looking for a vampire hunter to kill the Count. Fortunately for Doris, the vampire hunter she finds is D, an enigmatic, but highly skilled human-vampire hybrid, or dhampir. With D’s introduction, a grand adventure ensues, as Doris becomes the center of a conflict between Count Lee, his daughter Ramika, the mutant servant Rei Ginsei and the town mayor's son, Greco Rohman, who wants Doris for himself. Doris is eventually kidnapped by the Count, leaving D to chase after her and save the day.

Though it was billed by its producers as a ‘dark future science-fiction romance’, Vampire Hunter D is definitely not a love story. While romance exists, it is secondary to the elements that truly define the movie – atmosphere, horror and super stylized action. Vampire Hunter D attracted fans in Japan because it created a creepy, yet fantastical world that allowed for action sequences that, though incredibly kinetic (and badass!) in an animated form, would have looked ridiculous in a live action production. Vampire Hunter D gathered a cult following in America for similar reasons. As part of the initial wave of anime to reach the states, the movie, along with other cult favorites that became popular at the time, (Fist of the North Star!), attracted fans because it was a cartoon that was like nothing shown in America; it was dark, violent and sexual. It was a cartoon aimed at a slightly older demographic then cartoons in America were typically intended, and as such, garnered attention.

And now I’ve reached the end of my blurb. Vampire Hunter D won’t appeal to everyone, especially given the fact that it’s now twenty years old. The movie always fell into a niche genre, and now that’s its considered ‘old’ makes it even more of an acquired taste. However, for those who are interested in a fun, old school action adventure, Vampire Hunter D is undoubtedly a classic. The movie is licensed in the states by Urban Vision, and is widely available.