The NHRV staff contest will be closing in just two days, so don’t forget to get your application in.  This will be the last chance you’ll have to join The Nihon Review for a while, as we’ll be closing applications temporarily once the contest is over.  Get on board, it’s a great opportunity to improve your writing and work with a team of enthusiastic people.

Edit: (6th Feb 2009) The staff contest is now over. We want to thank everyone who took part. The quality of entrants surprised us, and now we have the difficult task of deciding the winners. We will announce the results very soon, so stay tuned.

It’s not an understatement to say that reading people’s thoughts on soundtracks is something that brings me that rush of excitement since the background music forms such an integral part of the anime viewing experience through its interplay with the mood and emotions flowing out of a given scene. And given how hard it can be to articulate on this subject, I’m glad to have the excellent writing staff at the Nihon Review supporting me in this endeavor.

Today’s review looks at the music from Mobile Suit Gundam 00.  Shadowmage notes that the soundtrack contains the grand, epic tracks that one might expect out of the franchise, but the diversity of themes isn’t one of its stronger suits.  So with that in mind, I give you his review of the Gundam 00 Original Soundtrack 2.

Though Yoshiura Yasuhiro’s works have gotten plaudits from many viewers, Shadowmage notes that while both Eve no Jikan and Pale Cocoon stand out by virtue of their art and animation, the overall execution leaves him wanting at times, preventing both shows from truly reaching greatness.

After a lengthy bout of inactivity, we’ve decided to officially close down our Soundtracks section.  However, this isn’t the end of soundtrack reviews from The Nihon Review staff, and we’ll be making (or at least aspiring to make) regular contributions to our new official anime soundtrack affiliation site, Anime Instrumentality Blog, which is run by our very own anime music aficionado, zzeroparticle.  Check out Anime Instrumentality Blog for yourself, I daresay it’s the best anime music review site on the web, and we take massive pride in our new partnership.

Today we’ve got two new anime reviews: Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Umineko no Naku Koro ni.

We’re currently in the throes of recruiting, but this time round we’re doing something different: a staff contest. The amount of people we take will depend on the number of entries we get, but at this stage, we’re looking to top up our existing staff list with two or so new reviewers. If you’ve ever thought about joining The Nihon Review, now is the time to do so, as we’ll most probably be closing applications temporarily afterwards.

What type of person are we looking for?

The basic requirements we’re looking for are an interest and knowledge of anime and/or Japanese media and competent writing skills. You do not need to be terribly experienced in writing about anime. You don’t even need to always agree with what we write. We’re not trying to be a hive-mind here, we’re looking to provide a diversity of opinions, and what we want are people who have confidence in their own opinions and are able to back them up with reasoned, sensible criticism. We’re also looking for people who like to scratch at the surface of the titles they watch; we’re not really interested in superficial reviews and analyses.

Reasons to join us.

You’ll be walking into an established site with an established culture. Being part of a friendly team, you’ll constantly have people around who are able to help you out every step of the way, from the writing itself, to the editing and fine-tuning, and promoting your publications. You’ll also have the opportunity to actively take part in discussions and interact with many writers who share a love for the medium. There will be minimal in the way of “set up” and you’ll be writing to a moderate yet growing readership. The demands aren’t high. If you can write an average of 4-6 reviews and/or articles each season, that’s ideal.

Why we’re recruiting.

We’ve recently had a couple of resignations, and I’ve gone about removing much of the dead wood from our staff list. The basic reason we’re doing this is simply that it’s good to have some fresh blood every now and then. People who are interested in contributing to our underloved live action section and blog will be given special consideration.

How do I apply?

Simply go here and follow the instructions. You may submit a review (400-600 words with a ~100 word synopsis) or an article (500-700 words). You will be gauged on your review/article and your answers to the compulsory questions… the answers to the optional questions will only be considered in line-ball decisions. Email your entry to appl…@nihonreview.com. (Solve the reCAPTCHA to get the full address.) Applications will be open until 5th February, and the results will be announced soon after that. However, keep an eye on your email in the meantime, as we may try and get in contact with you if you’re in contention.