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Homoerotic is an understatement.
As Spring ends and the revolt on K-On fans revolt across Southeast Asia with a fury unbridled, we take a look at what 2009 has brought to us so far. Truly, it has been a year of moe. Winter 2008-2009 brought us Akikan, a series that manages to pull in the slightest bit of excitement with action and a touch of drama before reminding you that it is an anime about cans. Another season of Hajime no Ippou, which makes me tired on the Wii. Chrome Shelled Regios with its lack of plot, Slayers Revolution with a taste of the past, and the second helping of Minami-Ke. Not quite Azumanga Daioh, but enjoyable.
The Spring was much stronger. While there hasn't been a slam hit the likes of Seirei no Moribito, Gurren Lagann or Mnemosyne yet, the majority of the line up is delicious. One that I have been waiting for since its announcement was the anime adaption of Kurimoto Kaoru's Guin Saga. Fantasy is my favorite genre, second only to Sci-Fi. It certainly delivers.
What isn't to like about a leopard-headed beast of a man that hits a guy so hard that his helmet strikes a tree on fire? Yes, you read that run-on sentence right. Guin Saga follows the tragic sending of Rinda and Remus, the twin heirs to a prosperous kingdom name Parros.
Though, it isn't my style to just jam the setting down everyone's throat. The series has been around for a while, and honestly. Alt+tab and look at wikipedia. One of the larger concerns around the often perilous, pantsu filled translations from book to anime/manga/game was keeping true to the true content. While the anime style is still certainly Eastern in origin, the quality and detail of the artwork is simply superb.
Guin Saga manages to capture the essence of Western Fantasy appeal with enough depth to be considered more than just another anime series. At the very most, the fighting scenes animated in the series seem fluid to an Asian MArtial Arts style. It takes nothing from the Western appeal, however. There are no cheap flashing backgrounds, no high speed punches or giant swords produced out of nowhere. While it is a bit chatty, we don't have to worry about ten minute expositions about some ancient legend every time the main character feels squirrley.
We have achieved Berserk status once again.
Alright, so we're only at 11 episodes, 12 to come out a bit after this article is published, but it matters not. Since the days of Lodoss, the Anime High Fantasy fans have been waiting for something to light their burning flames. Slayers Revolution was a breath of fresh air, but it was only one small peice in the puzzle of our hearts. Guin Saga is one step further towards bringing anime back to the way it used to be.
As in not about cans that change into girls.
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