HappySoda Vol #01 Released

Currently nothing to report. Just a small update, although I am kinda late to the party.

Super rats over at HappySoda has released a photo book consisting of a select number of his photos, some of which are accompanied by explanatory text. I’m a big fan of his work; if anyone’s figure photos had to be the subject of an artbook, I’d place my money on HappySoda’s. Without rambling too much, he has a PDF preview available so you can have a browse before you decide to purchase. According to his post, it will only be available between October 21-28, so best head on over if you have even the slighest interest.

Economic Crisis: Akumetsu hates on dem banksta’s, dawgs

I know what you’re thinking – anime and assets? Manga and mortgages? Figurines and the Federal Bureau? It will all be explained in due course.

Perhaps you don’t want it explained in due course, but want answers now. Understandably so; you’re feeling a little tetchy, what with the global economic crisis that looks set to sweep most financial institutions off their feet with a firm roundhouse kick, although there are some notable exceptions.

Interesting is the response, with many governments announcing bailout plans for the banks: a motion which seems paramount to medieval Europeans attempting to halt the Black Death by overfeeding vermin cheese until they perish in bodily explosions of gluttonous ecstasy.

Shylock: lolis loathe bankers; yea, verily, they chase them through the streets for their unmoeness.

I somehow doubt that the higher-ups who got us into this mess are going to be the ones to suffer the repercussions of their “financial mismanagement”, which is a nice, politically-correct and euphemistic phrase that basically means, “Duuuurrrrr you done gone and catched us, but you cant dooz nothin’, we gonna fuck your shit up and we’re gonna need more (your) money to fix it, kthxbye newbs.”

Eve no Jikan – Of Goodness in Golems

What is it about robots and coffee? Is the future to be populated with darling droids and ye old coffee shops? Is the fragrance of the Brazilian blend to be the scent of the new technological era? Will coffeehouses always serve as the germination for revolutionary seeds?

Influenced by the Robot Ethics Committee, it’s become common sense for people to treat androids like household appliances. Their appearance – indistinguishable from humans except for the ring over each android’s head – has lead some people to empathize unnecessarily with androids. Known as “android-holics,” such people have become a social problem.

Rikuo (Jun Fukuyama), a high school student, has been taught from childhood that androids are not to be viewed as humans, and has always used them as convenient tools. One day Rikuo discovers some strange data in the behavior records of his family’s household android.

Rikuo and his friend Masaki (Kenji Nojima) trace Sammy’s (Rie Tanaka) movements, only to discover a mysterious café that features a house rule that “humans and robots are to be treated the same” . . .

Eve no Jikan is a fascinating show. For a 15 minute ONA, it manages to cram in a lot of visual detail and information while maintaining a steady flow in the story itself. While the music, pacing, animation and characters are all excellent, it is the angle which Yasuhiro Yoshiura has taken, along with the wealth of information in the background, that I would like to discuss.

Eve no Jikan offers a lot for the viewer who is willing to engage with it beyond a superficial level, and I hope that my essay will add to your enjoyment of the show and get you thinking. This is based solely on Acts I and II of the show.