Getting Into The Bones of the Like vs. Enjoy Conflict – It Exists, You Have It

I like Angel's Egg but fuck all it was BORING.

Yesterday, Ghostlightning did a post about how it’s possible for him to like a show that he did not enjoy, and to conversely enjoy a show that he did not like. I at first decried this as impossible for myself – after all, I’m known for not putting up with things I don’t enjoy – my enjoyment seems to be intrinsically tied to what I do or don’t like. However, I mulled around with the thought and realized that, holy shit, ‘like’ and ‘enjoy’ are two totally different things, and then I finally cracked open on something I’ve been fighting for a while. I’ve always hated the way that people often declare ‘their favorites’ as separate from what they consider ‘the best’ anime. And now I’ve stumbled on the real meaning of those dual-lists – it’s a difference between what you ‘like’ and what you ‘enjoy.’

Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen Ep. 1 – What the Shit-Hell? YES.

The guy I worship over at Eastern Standard has probably put it best. The new Mazinger is simultaneously nonsensical garbage and the greatest thing to ever exist. I pretty much knew this was coming, and I was more than ready to hop right in and love every minute of it. Yasuhiro Imagawa is one of my favorite directors – he created Giant Robo and directed Mobile Fighter G Gundam, both of which are some of the most awesome throwbacks to 70s-style super robot anime there are. I’m sure he pretty much wet himself when he got the opportunity to work on the newest anime installment of the classic Go Nagai series Mazinger, and fans like me wet ourselves knowing he’d get to do it.

What Makes a Great Mech? OH! Repost 1

Because Oi, Hayaku has gone defunct, I will be reposting all my OH! posts here. Enjoy if you haven’t already.

Mecha has always been a huge element of anime since the good old days of Tetsujin 28. There was the super robot era in the 70s, the real robot era in the 80s, the 90s when genres began colliding and Evangelion made mecha psychological, and today when shows like Gurren Lagann make a point to reference and pay homage to all eras of mecha anime. But why do anime fans like mecha so much? What is it that makes a mech great? I decided to analyze different qualities of a that make them stand out, as well as share which mecha I think best represent these qualities. If you think there are other qualities or more deserving nominations, be sure to let your voice be heard in the comments!

Minor Characters That Deserve Their Own Anime

This post on Low On Hit Points inspired me to do a post about my favorite minor characters. I won’t be defining it necessarily by pure screentime, as some will be more minor than others. However, these are all characters that were around, but had little focus. They might have done something really useful once or twice, but when all is said and done, they don’t get a huge place. They are characters who most people would forget all about once the show is over, but a select fanbase will never forget them.

Digital Boy's 'Must Buy' List for Feb 08

Some crap I’d really like to get by the end of February. Not likely I’ll get any of it, but it’s nice to dream.

State of the Blogger Address

Okay, this post has been planned for a while, but wanted to make sure everything was in order before it happened. New readers to Euphoric Field, I welcome you, and older readers, you may have noticed some changes all over this blog. I want to talk about those changes now as well as firmly state the direction of this blog and even say some things about my personal life which is quite exciting at this time.

Opinions vs. Absolutes in Anime Reviews

This is a carry-over discussion from my comments section on the Unrepresentative Studio Screw-ups post.

The word ‘good’ gets thrown around a lot in anime discussion, and in conjoint with various aspects of what most consider to matter in an anime. ‘Good animation’ or ‘good characters’ or ‘good directing’. Good is always taken to have an objective meaning (I won’t get too deep into that, though, since I’m sure I have too many times on this blog.) However, some of these things are totally up to opinion, while others aren’t. I’d like to explore what things should and shouldn’t be personal considerations.

Look! The East is Burning Red! <- Obligatory G Gundam Post Title

WARNING: Major G Gundam spoilers throughout.

Fists, Burning, and Allenby - My G Gundam

When a post is made about G Gundam, it’s pretty much a given that it’s going to be about manliness, epicness, and TONS of awesome catchphrases (or perhaps analysis on said manliness). After all, that’s what makes G Gundam one of the most fuckwin anime around and a definite addition to my favorites list. However, I hate to repeat things that I’ve read a thousand times, so I’m going to go on about the less-mentioned parts of G Gundam – namely, Allenby Beardsley. But first, I need at least a quick paragraph to get all the manliness out of my body.