2006
Noah’s Barks pages covering things relating to the year 2006.
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Buso Renkin
‘Buso Renkin’ is a surprisingly enjoyable, lightweight "battle shonen" series penned by the creator of ‘Rurouni Kenshin.’ (read more)
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Home Tutor Hitman Reborn!
‘Reborn!’ is an absurdist comedy about a hapless, diffident youth that eventually turns into a dedicated "battle shonen" series. However, this tonal whiplash is the least of the show’s problems. (read more)
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Hellsing Ultimate
‘Hellsing Ultimate’ is a bombastic OVA epic that brings Kouta Hirano’s action-horror saga to dramatic heights deserving of its Gothic influences. (read more)
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I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK
Yes, the premise sounds cute. For a half-hour, I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK even feels cute, but the film’s devotion to setting building over plot can’t sustain itself due to the strangling nature of this schizophrenic hospital’s culture. Deciphering the meaning of many scenes is a waste, because when you do, it never pays… (read more)
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Massive Attack – “False Flags / United Snakes” (2006)
“False Flags” is a pretty solid deep cut, also available on the two-disc versions of Collected. However, the B-side “United Snakes” has never been officially re-released, to my knowledge. It’s the longest song Massive Attack have ever done, excepting the closer “Antistar” off 100th Window. “United Snakes” possesses much of the same ambiance that pervaded said album,… (read more)
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Camera Obscura – “Let’s Get Out of This Country”
Thank you, Camera Obscura, for giving me “If Looks Could Kill.” I haven’t heard such a blissfully perfect pop song since… I don’t even remember. But it’s been my most played song since giving Let’s Get Out of This Country a shot. Sometimes, I like to pretend I’m a man above being charmed by twee… (read more)
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Paprika
Satoshi Kon directs Paprika, a beautifully kaleidoscopic journey through the dreamworlds and wishes of its characters. (read more)
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Inland Empire
Inland Empire (IE) beats out Eraserhead for the scarier surrealist movie, mostly because it has much less of David Lynch‘s diffident, “unintentional” humor. Frustratingly enough, that humor still shows up in IE from time to time, but despite its incomprehensibility, IE is somewhat entertaining in how manic and disturbing it is, where Lynch’s earlier cryptographs… (read more)
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Killing Joke – “Hosannas From the Basements of Hell” (2006)
At release, Hosannas From the Basements of Hell is the heaviest album Killing Joke (KJ) have ever released, which is quite an accomplishment considering what came before it. Both albums vie to be my favorite by the band. Still, Hosannas From the Basements of Hell definitely sounds different from any other KJ album. Apparently, the… (read more)
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The Raconteurs – “Broken Boy Soldiers” (2006)
Broken Boy Soldiers has a lot of decent to good songs, but not enough great ones. “Steady, as She Goes” is an obvious winner. I also quite like “Hands” and “Intimate Secretary,” but the album gets tiring quickly. I suppose it’s a good thing it’s only 33 minutes total. Though The Raconteurs have some great… (read more)