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And to conclude, a reader that feels Akadot ought to give "Lost Universe" a break. In one week alone we
published three pieces on the ADV release, all extremely critical:
A drinking game, a review,
and a column.
I've been enjoying your site and its intelligent, often cynical view of anime and anime fandom since
its beginning. I laughed at the drinking games, read the industry pieces with interest, and...okay, you get the
idea, Akadot and I get along well. However, I am now succumbing to the same impulse every other approving reader
on earth does, sooner or later: I am only writing to express my appreciation when I'm also writing to complain.
I'm a fan of Lost Universe. I used to be a rabid fan of Lost Universe, back in its fansubbed days.
Since then I've more or less lost interest in the series, but it's still on my "good" list. Not my "mediocre"
list or my "so bad it's funny" list...my "good" list. And that's because LU's painful first half -dull, badly
paced, uninterestingly designed, bad CG, bad characterization, you know, you said it all- gives way to a second
half that's, if not great anime, a decent shot at it. The writing and animation improve, the characters stop
hitting each other and grow into real personalities and relationships, the back story increases in darkness
and complexity. It's no "Cowboy Bebop," but there have been many, many worse space operas than what "Lost Universe"
becomes. And yes, it also acquires themes that make the opening song make sense.
The review only covers the first commercial LU tape. I could name a lot of anime that only get to
the point at the halfway mark, or after a hefty percentage of the total run. "Evangelion." "Revolutionary Girl
Utena." "Trigun." "Gunbuster." "Rurouni Kenshin." If we'd all based our opinions of these on the first few episodes,
we would have missed a lot. Can't you wait to judge an anime until you've seen a little more of it? And if you
can't wait, do you have to do three features to express your disgust?
-Rachel
Dear Rachel,
Thank you for your articulate reply. Yes, we certainly feel that plenty of anime and live action television
alike improve in time, and the Akadot staff recognizes that anything can pay off in the end. However, we must
approach a DVD, especially one that contains the first episodes of a series, as an independent unit.
The first four episodes of "Lost Universe," in the opinion of our reviewer, fail to plant any substantial
seeds of intrigue, nor do they develop engaging characters. Future reviews may reflect a change of opinion.
In fact, that same reviewer is slated to cover the Volume 4 DVD, and perhaps he will see the merits of the series
more clearly.
The opposite phenomenon struck our reviewer for the "Gasaraki" series. He enjoyed the first DVD, noted
its rich narrative tapestry and speculated as to where the characters might journey in future episodes.
However, he felt that the second DVD didn't grow from the initial premise but rather indulged in insipid mecha
battles. (He has since seen the last few DVDs and has returned to his initial opinion). Our reviewer for the
"Maison Ikkoku" series (reviews for which we will post soon) felt that the first few episodes are cliché and weak,
but she keeps her mind open for future episodes.
Akadot supports open dialogue rife with disparate points of view. We shall soon be adding a message board,
and the staff is currently discussing how to implement a more official letters to the editor aspect to the site.
Now, running three features that express disgust may have been excessive. One, however, is a drinking game,
not meant as a serious critique. One is a column, The Dub Track, written by fan and critic Ryan Mathews whose
focus is the quality of the English language dub. One is the actual review. How did we come to this profusion of
"Lost Universe" coverage? The Akadot editorial staff often groups content pieces together thematically. For example,
in January we ran an entire month dedicated to "Blue Submarine No. 6." The practice gives more weight to the
attention paid certain titles (had we not done the "Lost Universe" triptych we may never had heard from you). It
just so happens that when we farmed out the work for "Lost Universe," we harvested three different voices sounding
very similar opinions.
And now yours is the fourth voice we hear, a dramatic change of pace from our onslaught of ridicule. And
passionate enough to spur us into re-evaluation. Your points will definitely affect the way we cover "Lost Universe"
in the future.
Sincerely,
Luis Reyes
Editor, Akadot
Again, please feel free to write to us by clicking the envelope icon on the main page, or by clicking here.
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