After reading in rumorville, aka Wikipedia, I set off to purchase the first Japanese Flash Anime series Hanoka and I was more then surprised what I actually got in the post. I got 2 DVDs but they don't come in a boxset. Getting straight to the point. This next part will shock you. (not read bait but be prepared) The entire anime series has 12 episodes but... the entire series is less then an hour. Yes... that's right. The entire anime series is less an then hour long and it's split between two DVDs. For those that don't know what I'm trying to say. Standard DVDs can hold 2 hours worth of movie content but Hanoka is less then an hour long and comes on 2 DVDs.
I had another look at Amazon from those who listed it and it says NOTHING about how long the anime is and the internet wikipedia pages explains how it comes in 12 episodes like they're standard 20 to 30 minute episodes. Each episodes is an average of three to four minutes with the last epsidoe being over ten minutes long. I mean don't get me wrong, Flash animations around here for almost two decades have been on average, Three or four minute long and someone in Japan decides to make an anime television series but each epsiode is three or four minutes long and it gets printed onto DVDs and costs like a normal DVD and still does. Does something many Japanese producers give, make the last episode feel it's worth it's weight. Final epsiode being over 10 minutes long. having said that, Amazon sellers, you think I'm going to review that on Amazon? The anime series doesn't use three quarters of the space it was printed on, so someone in Japan hopes that someone would get it and praise the marketing they worked so hard on to get the DVD covers and discs printed on them while there's barely any content on both discs.
Those DVDs cost me around $13 each. Even I feel short changed and then someone, like myself would says something redeeming like 'It's just for research for the Adobe community!'. The average common mainstream buyer isn't going to know that! This is just the beginning of the hell I went to speed-watch this.
The story is about a bunch of female soliders fightng a war in the future. The leader character (with the sliver hair) is named Hanoka (I think, I'm not bothered translating that, it too predictable to watch but maybe I'll translate it anyways since it's so damn short) and the story is between her relationship between her and the other troopers, how they help her be the heroine she is. Because it's in Flash, the characters look like they float on screen as they move and breathe, it's very very flash like and a bit wierd too. Not the translation style of animation but it does sell itself as a Flash animation.
It's clear why they've made the main characters all female. Sex appeal doesn't stop in an attempt to sell what's going on in the screen. At one point, an attack causes the lead character too get most of her clothing ripped in a suggestive manner.
She and the others eventfully encounter the evil leader. Not a good time to poke out it looks like ... a Pokemon. It's a Japanese thing, they always put the bad guy as some naturous hazard with all the times I've watched Japanese content.
Earth Charmander GOOOOOOO-O-O-O!!! Oh wait!!!
Oh in less then an hour and across two DVDs. That's Hanoka. One thing worth pointing out. While it's aims to say it's the first animation in Japan made in Flash, the backgrounds are mostly hand drawn traditionally and clearly placed in using the insert image function. It's barely noticible and doesn't have the Flash traits someone would be impressed by. They've tried to make it up by making each scene unique with the characters to have something different. Flash is known to be tough because of that, so it is a bit impressive but I'm still hurt by the fact that it comes across 2 DVDs for a less then an hour anime series and it's clear they wanted to make these sell for money. Another Japanese sell that does a great job misleading buyers into purchasing this. So there's the news. That's Hanoka folks. I doubt Japan wouldn't want to make another anime using the same techniques in Adobe Animator. Not as great as all the other anime kind of content found here on Newgrounds but it's clearly meant to say 'This is the first anime, so let this crap take over your lives because we hate Flash!'.