After over a week of releasing all of my hate, let's return to our regular reviews starting with a quick one.
Clamp in Wonderland is a music video showcasing the history of Clamp works from their early days along with a sequel that brings in the first half of the 00s, as it is a music video I cannot talk about voice acting or actual plot as there is none. The best I can compare this to are the openings to Project X Zone another well known crossover, there really isn't much to criticise but it proves how good Clamp are at design and visuals, both music videos look gorgeous.
Final Verdict: it shows what Clamp are good at without any story to drag it down.
Every so often a costume comes a long in anime that you have to say to yourself, "that can't possibly exist in real life" and yet cosplayers still have a go at pulling off these costumes, some with better results than others. So here are the top ten impossible costumes.
Honorable Mentions
Lina Inverse: Difficult to make sense of but not impossible.
Anything Skin Tight: Not impossible but horribly impractical.
Most of the Strike Witches: I doubt anyone is brave enough.
10. Juraian Kimonos from Tenchi Muyo
While not impossible and ain't half as impractical as their bizarre spaceships, it certainly looks like it takes some effort to put on.
9. Bloodberry's Costume from Saber Marionette J
Has actually been proven in real life to be impractical mainly for the rope loops on the back of the kimono. Then again this is the same show that has characters with cheeks that make them look like they swallowed a coat hanger.
8. Dragon Kid's Hair Decorations from Tiger & Bunny
How do you fight with those disc things on your head? Seriously Dragon Kid is quite a mobile character when she gets going so how on earth do you support those disc things?
7. Knight Sabers from Bubblegum Crisis
I could say the same for other battle suits but these ones are especially notable for their high heel design for the feet, as they are part of the suit itself they cannot be taken off so easily so you definitely don't want to walk in them for long missions.
6. Yuuko's Kimonos from XXXHolic
Clamp does impossible clothes quite a lot but Yuuko's takes some effort to pull off. Many a cosplayer find it easier to make up a design for Yuuko to wear rather than copy her directly.
5. Haydee's Dresses from Gankutsuou
The Art style plays more of a role in this than the actual costume, although her opera dress is especially extravagant.
4. Neya's Cyber Dress from Infinite Ryvius
Provides the image for this top ten list. It looks like it was made from colored tin foil.
3. Lacus Clyne's Entire Wardrobe from Gundam Seed
Whether it's a kimono that can't fit a spacesuit or a dress that seems to defy physics, Lacus Clyne always looks fabulous.
2. Erza's Armors from Fairy Tail
The Heaven's Wheel Armor alone is on a different level to other battle armors. But looking at her extensive catalog of clothing it's fair to say that Erza doesn't always have eyes for style or practicality.
1. Any Stage Dress from Aikatsu
Seems to be a trend for Idol shows these days but Aikatsu takes it a bit further, either through it's impossible color schemes or over the top decorations and wings, you can guarantee that the Aikatsu stage will always light up.
Bonus: A close real life example would be Heian Period Kimonos. Hard to put on and so many layers to wear.
I've recently had a surge of good ideas come through my mind so my entries will start coming in thick and fast for a few days so to kick off the frenzy I will start with Top 10 Author Avatars.
An author avatar is where a certain character within the story represents the author writing it, whether it be the main character or a mascot, so let us begin.
10. Akira Toriyama Robot from Dr Slump & Dragonball
In his early works Akira Toriyama recreated himself as a small robot wearing a gas mask, often with a clockwork key and an array of clothing.
9. Koshi Rikdo from Excel Saga
Rikdo who appears alongside a later entry on this list would kick start each episode of Excel Saga by agreeing to let his characters indulge in a particular genre of anime for gags, with hilarious results.
8. Eichiro "Odacchi" Oda from One Piece
During a soccer special short before one of the films, Eichiro Oda re-imagines himself as a soccer player to take a shot for the villain allstars only for it to be saved by Coby. It covers Oda's childhood passion for soccer in which his nickname was Odacchi.
7. Naoko Takeuchi from Sailor Moon
Naoko named Usagi's immediate family after her own and Usagi herself is rumored to be based on her.
6. Tatsuhiko Tokimoto from Welcome to the NHK
The show is such a grim reminder of his past life that it drives him insane whenever he thinks about it.
5. Jin Kobayashi from School Rumble
Harima Kenji is Jin Kobayashi, going to the point that Harima wants to become a Manga artist.
4. Ken Akamatsu from Love Hina
Keitaro Urashima is Ken Akamatsu, down to the nearest facial features as well, even his wife is based on Naru & Mutsumi, making Love Hina an exaggerated version of Akamatsu's own love life.
3. Mokona from CLAMP works
You see the weird rabbit thing and you think Mokona who is a member of the CLAMP team who frequently appears in many of CLAMPS stories.
2. Nabeshin from Any Work he's involved in
A rare case of a Director rather than the actual creator of the manga to insert himself into his work. As a master of gag anime, Nabeshin is usually a welcome sight in the likes of Excel Saga, Nerima Daikon Brothers & Nurse Witch Komugi to name a few. He even cosplays himself.
1. Hideaki Anno from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Shinji Ikari is Hideaki Anno or rather his personified depression. Every episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion is a different stage of Anno's depression culminating in a complete breakdown by the movies which was during a time when Gainax were facing financial difficulty; the reboot movies of the last few years show that Anno is feeling much better now, but what a series to make while depressed, I'd hate to see the origins of Madoka Magica.
One last note: Big shout out to Nimbusoak for the awesome fanart picture, as a reward you can pick the next anime to be reviewed on Retro Retrospect.
