HardDoor@15

Fifteen years.

It is hard to believe anything Internet-related to be fifteen years-old. AOL discs and Infoseek still feel like just a few months ago! So it feels equally-unbelievable that it has been 15 years to the day that I decided to start this blog centered around anime, boxing, and a little bit of randomness. And here we are, 466 posts of anime and boxing previews, reviews, features, guides, and more later.

Unfortunately, I haven't been anywhere close to as active as I would've liked to have been in the last five years, and I truly thought, this time, I was back on-track a year ago, but life matters, other matters, and time flying by said otherwise (one of those matters being the existential dread of having to talk about an anime I really did not want to relive again, which I'll attempt to discuss in the future. "Attempt…").

I've been keeping tabs on HardDoor: Screenshot Haven (tumblr) and trying to get back into Twitter (HardDoor~Live, still something of a tentative title…Facebook's HardDoor+ even moreso…), but I yearn to accomplish more than what I've done. I am unsure of what I exactly want to do, but will hopefully have a better idea in the future…

Happy 15th Anniversary, HardDoor!!

(Man, that really does sound weird to say…)

--HD

HardDoor--The Fourteenth Anniversary: Ani-Journal Edition!!

I would add a screenshot from the actual movie of A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi), but Netflix, like the Blu-ray Disc Association, hates that sort of thing. So we'll just settle for this one from the ED MV special from…elsewhere…

It's the fourteenth anniversary of HD, so I thought, why not switch things up a bit and do a return of Ani-Journal in commemoration, instead!! Being that it's been six years since the last one, and the first substantive post in four, this'll likely be the first installment of a few. So, without further(more) waste, let's go!!

—While I have yet to see your name. (Kimi no Na wa.), it was not very hard to see why In This Corner of the World (Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) won as many accolades as it did, eventually usurping the megahit in award season (not that coming out later and being a folksy movie didn't hurt…). It did a great job conveying the everyday life of rural Japan and the concerning undercurrents around WWII, and the inevitable perils that came. It did this by focusing almost solely on Japanese life, and not revisionism or nationalism (perhaps one latter scene has a whiff, but it is understandable in context). It also (thankfully) did not fall into the trap of emotional manipulation, even though it would be quite easy to with the material (though some may disagree, which is understandable). The style and mastery of the storytelling meant events felt more natural, making them feel more effectual in the end. Common, everyday life in wartime isn't usually covered in films, unfortunately, but ITCotW really did it and its story justice.

HardDoor--The Thirteenth Anniversary

While the main blog side of HardDoor hasn't seen much action in something-something years, Screenshot Haven and ~Live have, and I did not want to go any longer without formally wishing HD a happy anniversary—its thirteenth!!! So: Happy Anniversary, HardDoor!!

But, "~Live"? And "HardDoor+"? That's another discussion for another day, among a number of other things…

…I hope…

…Stay tuned… 🤞

But, let us just enjoy the good of today… 😊

'Til next time…

—HD

Wishes for the New Year…

My New Year Wishes…

—To have the time to be able to regularly post here again…

—To able to watch less politics and more anime. *shakes fist at ever-breaking news*

—To finish that Anime Pick special…

—To keep abreast better (better abreast?) on when boxing is on (which is seemingly everywhere now…so much for a "dead sport"…).

—That x fighter or anime better be worthwhile for everything everybody says about them/it…

—To able to always watch as much of HBO Boxing in High Definition and with SAP on.

—For more la la larks…

—To get more into manga. (# Read & Finished This Year: 1 (scum's wish; which was quite good…))

—To not fall asleep on supposedly "exciting" bouts…

—To get…through…at least…an 1/8…of that streaming anime backlog…



To a hopefully more active 2018…


—HD

The Grand Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Journal!!

The 2016 Summer Olympics, held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, came in with great controversy—much of it warranted—and left…without (much) controversy. While there were empty seats for events for various reasons (though less prevalent over time and closer to final events), a police shooting, misbehavior of some athletes and coaches (not an unusual occurrence), and a busted bathroom courtesy of one famous swimmer, there was no apocalyptic outbreak of viruses and diseases, nor was egg on the face of Rio organizers or the IOC. It was not a flawless Games, in execution, but it appeared to be handled as well as it possible, given everything. In terms of athletics and competition, however, it was one of the very best, with a healthy mix of masterclasses and upsets.

:anime: The After-Review:: Pan de Peace!

Like a charm…

(Click here for the preceding review!)

The After-Review: Pan de Peace!

Welcome all to the second-ever "after-review" at HardDoor! If you are wondering what an "after-review" is, it is basically the equivalent of an "after-party" for a review, where things are less formal, I shoot-the-breeze a bit, and delve into matters that either didn't make the review or were too spoiler-ish. There is no true format or decorum, and we just might drift off-topic, but it's all good!

We've got ourselves a bread party going on here (the best kind of party), so grab a plate, and some of that fancy-tasting cheese, and let's have some nice, peaceful (mostly) wholesome fun!!

:anime: Final Impression:: Pan de Peace!

Give the gift…The gift of bread…

[Also July's Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick!]

Review: Pan de Peace!

Additional Links: Official Site, ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video {Free [Streaming]}: Crunchyroll

There is no way to read the description for Pan de Peace! and not think of it as the final, lowest marker in the depths of the "cute girls in a high-school club"/"cute-girls-doing-cute-things" sub-genre, popularized by K-ON's "light-music" focused group, among others. In the cramped vastness of "show/club (often barely) revolving around n" and the ever-prevalent "me, too" mentality, a title about four girls in a bread-lovers club feels almost as if one has reached the absolute limit of workable potential within the concept, akin to one reaching the end of time or the Internet.

Surely, no one would ever bother animating such as title, lest they be so plainly desperate. No matter how short its runtime, there could be no real reason for its existence, correct?

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Not As Advertised…

Last time, we focused on anime that, at first glance, seemed certain to be horrible, but turned out to be better than expected. This time around, we'll be tweaking the focus a bit and looking at shows that plain looked uninteresting, not worth anticipating, or just "more of the same". Just as one might be compelled to ignore a short that looks bad, who would want to spend a whole cour (12-13 episodes, or roughly a season's length (i.e. summer, winter)) watching something they are not interested in or think they have seen countless times elsewhere? Well, it can pay to take a step forward (or two)…

HardDoor--The **Tenth** Anniversary!!

 

457 posts. 3 social networking pages. 1 screenshot haven. 1 free anime directory. Thousands of pageviews. A number of specials. 3.5 designs. 3 logos (or 4, if you count the title banner). And 10 years later…

Nine times have I come and commemorated this day, giving a little tidbit about the blog, maybe a state of affairs, and giving you, the reader, my genuine thanks. I have had many things to talk about, many anime to spotlight, many matches to analyze, and a slew of items to preview and review on two of my favorite interests, coupled here in what I have come to internally call "the chicken & waffle house of the internet". I've had more than a few pictures to share, fun nights live blogging, things that I've written that I've been happy about and others I've self-critiqued to no end (more than a few times, it was very same piece!). I've done things I never thought I'd do, like have a Twitter account or even a tumblr, even moonlight a time or two. I have wrestled about whether to write about this first or post "that other one" later; scrutinizing and proofreading a lengthy post or just a simple message multiple times over; have a free flow of thought one time and long, pondering sessions leading to just a few sentences others; and sometimes, maybe not a whole lot of time or resources to write and do what I've truly wanted to do or go with something.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Not Too Shabby, Shorties…

[Post Date: May 31, Actual Post Date: June 27. Spent much of May updating, upgrading, and setting up three computers with Windows 10, respectively. Spent much of June dealing with the ramifications of getting little sleep and having a slew of other things to do/come up. Slightly better now, still haven't got an appropriate amount of sleep. Wait, what's "sleep" again…?]

As much as the practice gets derided, and as much as people attempt not to, everyone, in some form or another and likely more than a few times, has "judged a book by its cover". Even when one tries to keep an open mind and be fair, that quick bolt of suspicion can strike faster than one's better discernment. Sometimes, that instinct can prove correct, but other times, the end results may yield an exact opposite reaction.

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::05.18.16:: Canelo vs. Khan

It may have been tempting to pick Amir Khan and his blazing hand-speed, skill, or experience over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in the requisite Mexican boxing showcase on Cinco de Mayo weekend, but the outcome was the only real prediction anyone could reasonably (if not sensibly) give. Alas, for all of Khan's superlatives, his chin has been his greatest weakness—if not his most distinct attribute. Granted, he was moving up in weight, Canelo had his trademark power, and it may be difficult to find to many pugilists that could've beaten the count after such a shot, but with the Brit, it was much more of a "when" than "if"…

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Gundam Reconguista in G

As I was beginning to wrap up June 2015's (delayed…) F/L-CAP special, "Manager's Special Mk. II!!: Anime Only This Manager Seems to Love…", I learned that one of the titles, Gundam Reconguista in G, was no longer available at YouTube, the only site it was made available at. I had thought at the time that it still was and had already written out its entry, so the final check-through was none-too-pleasing, particularly when I was really looking forward to spotlighting it the special, let alone a F/L-CAP installment. Later in the year, Sunrise would post the series onto Hulu, but there were either other titles I had staked out or notable ones that popped up that were too good to pass up. I thought about just updating Manager's Special Mk. II, but I also wanted to do a standalone Pick, as well (something I wanted to do from the start, until I came up with the former). Said other choices would overshadow what I excised from MS Mk. II overtime, until I remembered about it, recently. As a result, this something of the best of both worlds: an addendum to the former, and a posting all for itself! So, without further ado, here it is, finally, the show you may either like or won't (as originally written in June-July 2015, with slight date clarifications and Hulu mention): Gundam Reconguista in G!!

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2016 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Finally!

After so long, finally Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Koutetsujou no Kabaneri) sees the light of day on noitaminA!! First announced late 2014, the series appeared poised to air with the other titles it was announced with, only to have next to nothing said for months on end. Instead, ERASED/BokuMachi was announced out of the blue and slated for the winter.  It was only until December that anything was revealed about Kabaneri, and what the news yielded since then were beautiful visuals, character designs by a returning legend, a potentially faint-inducing ED duet from Aimer and EGOIST's chelly, and yes, more comparisons to Tetsuro Araki and WIT STUDIO's much-much-lesser-known work, Attack on Titan…

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SYNTAX ERROR: "Mar 32, 2016" is not a valid date.

=RefCode4=

:EmergencyDataPurge

...Restoring library from last known checkpoint

ARGH!!

And, right there, goes what I had planned form April Fool's this year, which I spent the better part of March preparing and crafting (and it was sooooo good!). Obviously, no one on Blogger's developmental team is on the same time level as I am. March 32 does exist, people! (Then again March ends on the 40th, so maybe I should've waited…nah, it's their fault…)

Sorry, guys & gals… (sigh…)


—HD

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: KUROZUKA

KUROZUKA

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crackle

DEATH NOTE, Highschool of the Dead, and Attack on Titan director Tetsuro Araki aims to make another big splash in next month's Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Before even hitting forty this November, he has been responsible for some the biggest hits of the last decade: titles with appeal and panache spanning across borders, with a trademark bombast all his own, and a penchant for high production quality. His resume—surprisingly and not—is a short one, but it is not difficult to see how quickly he rose through the ranks at MADHOUSE and, later, becoming one of the leading forces at Production I.G spinoff, WIT STUDIO. Simply put, if someone like Yoshiyuki Tomino allows you to do an episode of a show of his, you probably have something good going on…

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Viewster, The Anime Network

For the much of its history, a sizable portion of anime made has consisted of manga adaptations. However, the last decade has seen the strong emergence of "light novel" adaptations (stories typically too short to be considered a "novel", but too long to be considered a "novella"). While popular works such as Full Metal Panic!, Slayers, The Twelve Kingdoms, and Boogiepop Phantom preceded it, the trend was truly born in the afterglow of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's mega-success, followed by a more rapid ascension within the last couple of years. With any such flood (or oversaturation) of works, unsurprisingly, there is a collection of well-received titles (Spice & Wolf, Durarara!!, Toradora!) and a greater glut of titles that range from hidden gems (Kyouran Kazoku Nikki, Brave Story) and divisive entries (Sword Art Online, The irregular at magic high school) to pretenders, dullards, and lazy cash grabs (Rail Wars!, Akikan! Aesthetica of a Rouge Hero).

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month Friendly Reminder:: ERASED (Boku dake ga Inai Machi / BokuMachi), Garakowa Premiere

Though I kicked January off with the reveal of the month's bonus Free/Low Cost Anime Pick, I actually neglected to formally announce its primary Pick, ERASED (Boku dake ga Inai Machi / BokuMachi), which was designated so last month (although I kinda did with links on the blog itself and its social network outlets). Most of you are likely already acquainted with the noitaminA drama from Sword Art Online's Tomohiko Ito, which has made waves straight from its first episode, but not only is it this month's Pick, there is also a review of its first two episodes back at its preview (towards the end of it) in the given link above!

Also, I would like to reminder everyone that said Bonus Pick, Garakowa, will be debuting tomorrow on Crunchyroll worldwide outside of Asia (of which you can find more info of in the first link of this post)!! Also an A-1 Pictures production, there is the added layer of irony in its director, Masashi Ishihama (From the New World), also doing the ending for ERASED (first used in the second episode)! That style is unmistakable, indeed…

While I may not be too warm towards ERASED (yet…?) and remain unsure about Garakowa, hopefully you, and maybe I, will be able to enjoy them in the end.

Happy Viewings (well, as "happy" as you can get with ERASED…)


—HD

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Bonus Pick!! - Garakowa -Restore the World-

© Project D. backup
[Taken as is from Official Japanese Site (top image)]

Garakowa -Restore the World-

Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll (Japanese w/ multi-language subtitle options)

It is not very often that one has the chance to watch a new anime film in a theater, unless you live in a major metropolitan area or are in Japan at the time and can watch it without the aid of subtitles. This makes Garakowa -Restore the World- (Glass no Hana to Kowasu Sekai)'s rollout all the more notable and unusual, as not only will the film debut tomorrow in Japan, but it will be streamed worldwide outside the country a week later on Crunchyroll (excl. Asia), not to mention in four Japanese theaters with English subtitles(!)! In addition, CR premium members will be allowed to see the film for free in San Jose the same day the film bows in Japan—complete with goodies and activites—before making the rounds on select dates in Germany, France, and Austria.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: The Princess and The Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku)

The Princess and The Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku)

Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll, Hulu (Japanese with English subtitles at both)

Movie-watching is a big part of the holiday season, so I thought it would be appropriate to not only end the year with a movie, but quite a fine one, at that. The Princess and The Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku) is a TMS Entertainment-produced (Akira, The Rose of Versailles, Yowamushi Pedal, Fuse: Memoirs of the Hunter Girl), Madhouse-animated film (ONE-PUNCH MAN, Chihayafuru, Death Parade, HUNTERxHUNTER) based on the quasi-fantasy airplane light novel series by Kokoru Inumura.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Young Black Jack

Black Jack…looks kind of different…

[Post Date: Dec. 26, 2015. Intended Post Date: Nov. 30, 2015. Due to computer issues and a whole lot of Christmas decorating… ]

Young Black Jack

Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll, Hulu

In May 2013, Black Jack OVA was highlighted in an installment of "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month". Since the 1993 work, Osamu Tezuka's popular unlicensed doctor has seen a few TV series and a movie or two, but aside from a 2-eps. 2011 OVA, there has not been a substantial anime starring him in about ten years. So, enter "Young Black Jack", a 12-eps. TV adaptation of an officially-sanctioned prequel manga series by Yoshiaki Tabata (who also penned the scripts) and Yuu Gou Ookuma that is a most curious beast, to say the least.

The telltale staples are still there, from the title character's surgical wizardry and sometimes morally-questionable characters to nods to the OVA's seminal artistic flourishes and involving, sometimes bizarre, episodic tales. The series may follow the steps of then-medical student/wunderkind Kuroo Hazama, but as soon as the first episode rolls, it is clear that it won't quite be your usual Black Jack.