Zipang: Can anyone tell me about this?

[Elsa Bibat]

Zipang summary:
Mirai, an improved Kongou-class Aegis guided missile destroyer, is one of the newest and most advanced ships in the entire Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF). Her crew, also one of the newest, is lead by Capt. Umezu Saburo and Executive Officer Kadomatsu Yosuke. While running scheduled training exercises one day, Mirai encounters a fierce storm that throws their navigation systems into temporary disarray. After a few minutes of recovery, the crew is shocked to discover that they've been transported back in time to June 4, 1942 -- The Battle of Midway, during World War II. Letting history take its course for this battle, they manage to avoid the conflict firsthand and make a vow to remain annonymous, changing history as little as possible. However, when the crew comes across the dying Lt. Commander Kusaka Takumi, XO. Kadomatsu's instincts to save lives takes over, changing the course of history more than he could've imagined.
Anybody watched this and any idea if it's good? Sounds interesting but I'd rather not waste time if it goes crazy ass bad.

[Valles]

I've seen the first four or five episodes. Since it's not a particularly fast-moving show, I can't really testify as to the plausibility or palatability of later developments in the real meat of the plot, but I can say that it treats its concept and subject matter with due seriousness and attention to detail. It's definitely aimed at thinking grownups rather than action junkies. The character designs are, um, rather dated - a la Matsumoto or Wings of Honneamaise (sp?), but with a normal TV budget rather than their gorgeous production values. Mechanical and historical details were spot on to the best of my ability to determine.
I have every intention of picking up and watching the rest of the series or its manga incarnation at some point... I'm just... um... *eyes massive 'To Watch' pile, including about half of BTVS and all of B5* ...procrastinating. My viewing was interrupted by download and storage issues, though, not anything related to the show itself.
Ja, -n

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"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."

[HoagieOfDoom]

Like Valles said, Zipang treats itself with utter seriousness. I watched up to episode 15 or 16 before I stopped because I couldn't handle how dark the show gets, especially after reading the Wikipedia article on how the manga continues (it's around 28 volumes while the anime is solely 26 episodes). The crew of the Mirai essentially adopt the position that they'll do whatever they can to stop the war in the Pacific. Noble goal, but the execution goes horrifically wrong. Especially the IJN Naval Officer finds out the history of the war from the Mirai's library. A highly nationalistic officer...
To answer your question, it's actually very good story wise. Mechanical designs are really good still. Some of the in-motion CG is really bad but negligible. If you're a fan of military tech you'll be right at home; it's fun watching a 21st century Aegis cruiser whoop the crap out of whatever comes their way. Well, for a time, anyways. They'll run out of cruise missiles eventually.
Character designs are slightly dated, but meh. I still enjoy early 90s animation just as much as today's, so I don't really care. (Although the lack of whites in some character's eyes is a little creepy.)
Finally, I just want to reemphasive are realistically brutal Zipang is. No punches are pulled. As long as you're prepared for that, it's quite good.*********
Touched By His Noodly Appendage
www.venganza.org

[robkelk]

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Zipang summary:

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Golly, that summary looks familiar... 8-)
When Dave Baranyi sent me that writeup, he also mentioned a bit of background material. (No written notes; sorry.) The show is as accurate as it can be for a time-travel story ( or, more accurately, a close-parallel alternate world story: the crew of the Mirai discover a few minor historical differences that existed before they arrived ) - this means that it's not pretty. What we'd call "war crimes", on both sides, are either mentioned or shown. Even the crew of the Mirai do some morally questionable things in the name of survival. And there's plenty of boredom punctuated with moments of sheer terror, like there is in real-world war.
If your tastes run toward happy stories, avoid this show. (This is not something like Sakura Wars.) If, on the other hand, you'd rather watch the original Gundam than Macross, then you might enjoy Zipang.

-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[ordnance11]

The premise sounds like a Japanese version of the "Final Coundown"...only an Aegis cruiser rather than a super carrier gets thrown back in time.
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

[Elsa Bibat]

I like the concept and I like the writer - he did The Silent Service manga, BTW - but I'm pretty much worrying about the denouement. It's a 28 volume manga and it's a 26 _episode_ series - is the ending satisfying enough?
I've been burned way too many times with bad endings (I'm looking at you GONZO).
I'm not asking for spoilers just an answer to the question: are all or majority of plot threads at least tied up? I don't want it to leave me hanging.

[robkelk]

Since nobody else has answered, I've forwarded the question to Dave Baranyi.
(I'm only halfway through the series, myself.)

Edit: And he's already gotten back to me. Here's Dave's reply, in total:

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As far as I know the manga is still continuing. The anime picked a particular point in the story, and in the war, and reached a conclusion that I found satisfying, but if your friend wants total closure, then Zipang isn't the anime series to watch. The ending to the anime occurs at a point where the three main characters make decisions that are pretty much permanent, but as to the eventual results of those decisions - well, that's not answered. Let's put it this way - think of the difference between the ending of "Citizen Kane", and the ending of "Casablanca". Both are great movies, but does it really matter what happens to Rick after he leaves Casablanca?

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I trust Dave's judgment, but I know him. Elsa, it's up to you whether you want to go for it.
(Oh, yes - the first half of the series is available in R1 from Geneon. Disc 4 should be out Any Time Now...)

-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Murmur the Fallen]

The manga's by the guy what did Eagle
And Silent Service
So expect it to be political.
-murmur

[Elsa Bibat]

Hmmm...probably pick it up after I run through Red Garden and the last of Saiunkoku Monogatari season 1.