It’s fall and this blog is back from its summer hiatus! Hope everyone is well and thriving...
While I was off, I published a new book (The Female Gaze: Through a Different Lens), saw some movies, and tried to speed through my Netflix DVD list (more on that later).
If you read this blog, you know that I’ve been feeling a little distant from the anime scene and re-evaluating what anime and manga mean to me. Except for Bleach’s recent return I haven’t been watching anything regularly.
It got worse when I looked at the upcoming fall anime season and saw that there is still a ton of isekai series in the animesphere. I have to wonder: is isekai really that popular, or is it a trend that I simply don’t get the appeal of?
Regardless, I did find a few series that I think I’ll try out.
Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions
(Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri)
From Anime News Network:
An unusual private investigator and police detective duo team up to solve a series of thrilling mysteries!
From My Anime List:
Despite lacking the skills suited for his role on the Metropolitan Police Department investigative team, Totomaru Isshiki wants to solve murders and help people. Following the advice of one of his seniors, he ventures out to enlist the aid of the reclusive Ron Kamonohashi.
Five years ago, Ron was the most promising detective from the illustrious Detective Training Academy Blue; yet for reasons unknown to the public, he sank into obscurity.
Totomaru expects a well-dressed, composed man; but what he gets is a messy-haired and uninhibited eccentric. After years in solitude, Ron barely resembles his former self and he refuses to even hear out the detective. However, as quickly as Ron rebuffs, he flips on a dime and dives headfirst into the current serial murder case.
The true reason Ron withdrew from the detective world was not from lack of desire, but rather from something out of his control - and Totomaru might just be the key for his return to his former calling. Together, the wide-eyed officer and deranged detective tackle each mystery that comes their way.
My New Boss is Goofy
(Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen)
From ANN:
Kentaro Momose’s new job may be stressful, but his new boss is more laid-back than he looks.
From MAL:
Momose, a 26-year-old office worker, recently changed jobs after being harassed by his former boss. He is concerned that his new boss will also use power harassment to make his life miserable. Momose tries to hide his concern about facing a similar situation with his new boss, Shirasaki. To Momose’s surprise, however, Shirasaki’s inherent airheadedness immediately alleviates all of his concerns, giving him a sense of relief.
By the way, there’s no BL overtones at all in that pic - none at all. ;-D
Heaven Official’s Blessing Season 2
(Tian Guan Cifu Er)
From ANN:
Xie Lian reunites with Hua Cheng when he’s sent on a mission in the Ghost City.
... Which reminds me, I still need to finish season one on Funimation. Another first season I need to finish is Spy X Family. The second season starts on Oct. 7, but as of this writing, Crunchyroll hasn’t announced that they have the license yet. I expect that will change soon.
Also, I thought My Hero Academia and Boruto were supposed to return this October. I looked into it and found that My Hero Academia is set to return with Season 7 in Spring 2024, while Boruto has a new manga arc, “Two Blue Vortex,” which began in August. However, no word yet on when the anime will return.
The second cour of Bleach’s Thousand Year Blood War arc, which began in summer, is winding down now, and it’s been great. The episodes have been my only weekly touchstone as far as having a regular anime schedule goes and I’ve had something to look forward to each Saturday because of it. It’s set to end on Sept. 30 with a doubleheader of the two final episodes.
And now for the end of something else. After 25 years, Netflix DVD is closing down its subscription service.
Before Crunchyroll was legit, before almost any anime you wanted to watch was legally available, Netflix DVD was one of the few ways you could watch anime legitimately and guilt-free. For a small monthly fee the whole universe of entertainment that was available on DVD discs could be sent to your door.
I watched more anime movies than series in the early days. (There was nothing worse than trying to binge a series when you had to wait for the U.S. Postal Service to bring you the next disc - it felt like forever, lol.)
But the anime movies more than made up for it. I’m pretty sure I first watched Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal via a Netflix disc, as well as Embracing Love: A Cicada in Winter.
The trend for or against DVDs went back and forth through the years. First, it was streaming will kill off discs. Then it was outsmart the expensive streaming services by rebuilding your disc collection! There was validity on both sides of the argument.
From the FAQ page at Netflix DVD:
Q. When is the last day you'll ship out discs?
A. On April 18th, we announced that after 25 years of shipping DVDs, this will be our Final Season, and we'll ship our last disc on September 29th, 2023.
I found two answers intriguing:
Q. Can I purchase discs from DVD Netflix?
A. We are unable to sell discs from our rental inventory.
Q. Do I need to return any remaining discs after the last shipping day?
A. You will not be charged for any unreturned discs - please enjoy them for as long as you like! If you do choose to return the disc, we will continue to accept returns until October 27th, 2023.
What are they going to do with their inventory of thousands of discs?? My first thought when I heard Netflix DVD was closing down was - Can we buy the DVDs? Apparently the answer is no. I hope that they’ll donate them to libraries, senior centers, retirement homes, etc.
And... “If you do choose to return the disc...” So the last disc is a freebie? I have Doctor Zhivago at home now. If I hurry up, watch it, and return it to Netflix and change my queue, maybe I can get a DVD I’d really like to keep...? I mean... that is what they’re saying, right?
There’s actually a serious consideration here. Besides the doomsday prepper aspect of what if the internet goes down and streaming disappears there’s a certain negative outcome that can be counted on to happen in these situations.
Every time technology changes and a new delivery mode of entertainment takes over, some art gets lost. When cassette tapes replaced vinyl records, not all of the music that was on records got transferred to the new technology. The same when CDs replaced cassettes, and when MP3s replaced CDs.
An example: through the years I’ve rented Kadokawa Mystery & Horror Tales, a series of Japanese short horror tales, from Netflix DVD. Each disc featured several creepy short videos that I would watch with English subs. I’m not saying they were Oscar contenders but I will miss them. Where else will I be able to watch something like this?
It’s not Netflix’s fault. They can close down their business if they want. But the loss of their huge DVD inventory, which included the foreign and the obscure, the indie and the exploitation movies - all the not-so-popular or weird things to watch - will make it more difficult to discover something unusual, or even just something that isn’t American.
Not everything is on streaming. It may feel like it sometimes if you go through Netflix’s or Hulu’s or Amazon Prime Video’s seemingly endless film and video offerings, but everyone who is my age remembers that small indie or foreign film from the 1960s or 70s that you can’t find to watch anywhere now. Maybe it was available on VHS but not on DVD, so it’s certainly never going to be available on a streaming platform. Essentially, it’s gone.
So Netflix DVD closing down isn’t just Netflix closing down its DVD division - it’s a loss of access to certain films and TV series and a narrowing of choice. I really do hope that they don’t simply trash those discs, because even creepy obscure Japanese horror stories have their place.
