June 10, 2012
Adjust Your Schedules
...'cause next Saturday you're going to want to have a half hour free, and popcorn on hand.
Not pictured: (1) The context (2) Her brass balls.
It looks like there are only 3 more episodes of Bodacious Space Pirates. I'm really going to miss this show.
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June 09, 2012
BATTLESHIP
After the success of the Transformers and Twister franchises, Hasbro and Universal looked around for some other Hasbro property to monetize. They inexplicably skipped over the cubist masterpiece that could have been Connect 4 The Motion Picture and went with Battleship.
Although the concept is dubious in the extreme, this film is surprisingly entertaining. Imagine what would happen if Irwin Allen and Ishiro Honda had collaborated and had Jerry Bruckheimers special effects staff. THIS! Seriously, it's a late '50s Toho epic with a disaster movies plot structure.
Although the concept is dubious in the extreme, this film is surprisingly entertaining. Imagine what would happen if Irwin Allen and Ishiro Honda had collaborated and had Jerry Bruckheimers special effects staff. THIS! Seriously, it's a late '50s Toho epic with a disaster movies plot structure.
Taylor Kitsch and Japanese A-Lister Tadanobu Asano are the defacto leads playing two naval officers trying to deal with the alien threat. The film puts both the USN and JMSDF in a really good light. Though they get cut to pieces the survivors use their wits and behave in a fairly intelligent manner. My one complaint was Kitsch's character, who was such a screw up at the beginning that it beggers belief he would have made it that far. On the other hand his getting it together is handled pretty well.
The films effects are pretty good , either a lot more practical effects were used than is the norm or the CGI has gotten a lot better. There are surprises, a couple of obligatory "OH NO WAY!"moments and some unlikely coincidences but amazingly, no glaring plot holes.
This film is by no means art, but is rather better than most. I quite enjoyed it.
The films effects are pretty good , either a lot more practical effects were used than is the norm or the CGI has gotten a lot better. There are surprises, a couple of obligatory "OH NO WAY!"moments and some unlikely coincidences but amazingly, no glaring plot holes.
This film is by no means art, but is rather better than most. I quite enjoyed it.
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June 04, 2012
Oh What The HELL Was That?
Then this happens...
I watched two more episodes of Mysterious Girlfriend X.
Good grief this is an odd show.
It's wacky.
It's quirky.
It's gross.
Good grief this is an odd show.
It's wacky.
It's quirky.
It's gross.
Then this happens...
More importantly, a bit after that happens Urabe makes a pronouncement...
Which, in the context of the episode is really disturbing.
Possibilities:
1: SHE'S AN ALIEN
2: Souvlaki keeps a log of these things and she secretly read it.
3: She's a witch.
4: Souvlaki will soon discover that his quiet high-school life is shattered when Urabe reveals that he has been chosen to pilot a GIANT ROBOT.
Three episodes in, laughs are still outnumbering gag reflexes, but WTFs are catching up to both. I am now quite thoroughly intrigued.
Which, in the context of the episode is really disturbing.
Possibilities:
1: SHE'S AN ALIEN
2: Souvlaki keeps a log of these things and she secretly read it.
3: She's a witch.
4: Souvlaki will soon discover that his quiet high-school life is shattered when Urabe reveals that he has been chosen to pilot a GIANT ROBOT.
Three episodes in, laughs are still outnumbering gag reflexes, but WTFs are catching up to both. I am now quite thoroughly intrigued.
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Oh My! Yes!
Trailer for the second Yamato 2199 movie.
If you are like me and saw Star Blazers as a kid this is going to make you very, very happy.
Like the first film, this looks to be quite well updated and yet astonishingly faithful.
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June 02, 2012
Falling Short is not the Same as Scewing Up
Leadership can be thankless.
Even if one does everything right...
Even if one has a superb staff, excellent kit, a clever and thoroughly solid plan that one executes admirably...
Even if one does everything right...
Even if one has a superb staff, excellent kit, a clever and thoroughly solid plan that one executes admirably...
The enemy ALWAYS gets a vote...
Oh my.
Numerous people have remarked about the methodical pacing of Bodacious Space Pirates.
That pacing really comes to the fore in this installment. After last weeks action packed previews and the episodes rather jarring teaser the story switches gears abruptly to move at a quite leisurely clip.
Marika formulates her plan, there are character expositions and various background points are clarified. In any other show a build up this gradual would drag unbearably, yet here, every little bit of what seems at first glance to be padding is structure. Every bit of it matters, if not to the plot, then to the characterizations.
When it finally happens, the action is that much more satisfying.
Of course, I'm not sure if my high opinion of this kids show speaks more negatively of US television or me.
That pacing really comes to the fore in this installment. After last weeks action packed previews and the episodes rather jarring teaser the story switches gears abruptly to move at a quite leisurely clip.
Marika formulates her plan, there are character expositions and various background points are clarified. In any other show a build up this gradual would drag unbearably, yet here, every little bit of what seems at first glance to be padding is structure. Every bit of it matters, if not to the plot, then to the characterizations.
When it finally happens, the action is that much more satisfying.
Of course, I'm not sure if my high opinion of this kids show speaks more negatively of US television or me.
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May 28, 2012
Aniplex Announcements
Crunchyroll has a report on a bunch of recent Aniplex announcements.
There is a bit of good news in that Sentai did indeed get UlBW. They have announced a Bang Zoom dub which speaks well of their finances and confidence in the market.
However, In the rest of the announcements I note the continued trend in avoiding dubs. While this is of little direct concern to many of our readers it means that the current plan does seem to be to skip the US Distributors and simply release Subtitled Japanese Blue Rays at... Japanese prices.
US Anime is doomed!...must..tweet...everybody!
Ubu saw this coming a while back, and while it is indeed a big FU to the US fans it is not entirely out of the blue.
The Japanese prices are insane and, I believe, counter-productive even to their domestic market in the long term, but they are, in part, a response to the huge piracy issue, the shrinking domestic market (which the prices help to shrink) and the fact that the Japanese companies have the additional overhead of producing the product (US and other overseas distributors just have licensing, distribution and occasionally dubbing ).
I would be very surprised if a lot of the licensing was not discontinued in favor of just the subtitle track. The total sales would drop but a few hundred or a couple of thousand sales total would make what they'd get from licensing with an option for more if it was a runaway hit. If there is licensing in the future it might well be restricted to dub only in the future to kill re-imports.
Of course they'll also kill off most of the legit market here because 700 dollars (350 per season) for a series is stark raving cuckoo for cocoa puffs.
The Japanese prices also make clear one reason why collector Otaku are thought of poorly in Japan. The hobby there takes as much money as a heroin habit. Someone who indulges in it there is either rich beyond the dreams of Avarice or has some seriously screwed up priorities.
- Sentai Filmworks is confirmed as the licensor for Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works
- Aniplex will take pre-orders for the second volume of Fate/zero on Blu-Ray starting June 1st for release on September 9th simultaneously with the Japanese release
- Bakemonogatari will be receiving a new sub only boxset release this Fall on Blu-Ray with no plans to dub either it or the sequel series Nisemonogatari. Unfortunately, there are also no plans to stream Bakemonogatari.
- Aniplex does not have plans to go back and dub either Blue Exorcist or Fate/Zero
- OreImo will be re-released later this summer in a lower-priced DVD edition
- Baccano will be re-released following its previous limited Blu-Ray box release
- Kara no Kyoukai/Garden of Sinners will be released in a new limited edition DVD boxset this Fa
There is a bit of good news in that Sentai did indeed get UlBW. They have announced a Bang Zoom dub which speaks well of their finances and confidence in the market.
However, In the rest of the announcements I note the continued trend in avoiding dubs. While this is of little direct concern to many of our readers it means that the current plan does seem to be to skip the US Distributors and simply release Subtitled Japanese Blue Rays at... Japanese prices.
US Anime is doomed!...must..tweet...everybody!
The Japanese prices are insane and, I believe, counter-productive even to their domestic market in the long term, but they are, in part, a response to the huge piracy issue, the shrinking domestic market (which the prices help to shrink) and the fact that the Japanese companies have the additional overhead of producing the product (US and other overseas distributors just have licensing, distribution and occasionally dubbing ).
I would be very surprised if a lot of the licensing was not discontinued in favor of just the subtitle track. The total sales would drop but a few hundred or a couple of thousand sales total would make what they'd get from licensing with an option for more if it was a runaway hit. If there is licensing in the future it might well be restricted to dub only in the future to kill re-imports.
The Japanese prices also make clear one reason why collector Otaku are thought of poorly in Japan. The hobby there takes as much money as a heroin habit. Someone who indulges in it there is either rich beyond the dreams of Avarice or has some seriously screwed up priorities.
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In Defense of the Indefensable
I have a confession to make.
I...
I...
I actually liked High School of the Dead.
I may be the only human being for whom that is true.
Allow me to defend this most indefensible of opinions.
First, it must be acknowledged that most of the criticisms of this show have valid points. The fan service is a bit over the top. I sure as hell could have done without the damned panty shots. It is a grim show. It is aggressively and flamboyantly excessive. It is disrespectful to physics.
The early episodes in particular do a better job than many zombie movies (even Romero's own) of conveying the actual horror of the whole zombie apocalypse situation. They handle that bit really well. This is all the more remarkable because of the breakneck pacing of the early episodes. The show manages to combine non-stop action with a sense of genuine dread as the characters realize just what is going on and the implications of it.
It is a horrific show, and at times hard to watch, but the admittedly excessive fan service actually mitigates this somewhat. It is sufficiently silly to act as comic relief and thereby break some of the tension.
In fact, the two most gratuitous episodes regards cheesecake, 6 and 7, (where the show managed to work in sort of a bathhouse episode), were in some ways the saving grace of the series. Both actually had some neat, even thoughtful, character bits. They also added a bit of humanity and decency that saved the show from becoming the nihilistic exercise so many stories in this genre are.
From that point the show becomes not so much a horror show as a show about retaining ones humanity in the midst of a societies collapse. The cheesecake is somewhat toned down in later episodes as well.
In any event the show is never boring.
For all that, I probably would not have liked it had I not first seen the dub, which is superb, and is delivered with the staccato pacing of a Howard Hawks film and with just a bit of snark. The voice acting is really well done Mark Laskowski and Maggie Flecknoe in particular do a superb job. The nurse in the dub has a voice that can grate cheese...but that actually fits. As I type this there's a 12 minute spoileriffic excerpt from ep2 of the dub here which gives a good overview of the pacing of the early episodes.
The show is indeed aggressively and flamboyantly excessive.
It is also, despite it's exceedingly grim nature, a show that manages to be surprisingly upbeat and I frankly found it rather fun.
...and now
Well, now you know that about me.
#Regards...that .gif
The bullet is traveling in the vicinity of 2700 feet per second.
The bosoms in question transit back and forth during the time that the projectile passes through the area of interest and thus are moving at least twice as fast as the bullet itself. This gives a breast speed of at least 5400fps.
The speed of sound at sea level is roughly 1100fps. 5400 fps is just under 5 times that or approximately Mach 4.8-Mach 4.9 so a conservative reading of the available evidence would indicate that in addition to her levelheadedness, well developed sense of ethics, athleticism and general competence, Saeko possesses hypersonic tits.
The above analysis was originally posted here....where spoilers and snark dance the tango together.
I have a confession to make.
I...
I...
I actually liked High School of the Dead.
I may be the only human being for whom that is true.
Allow me to defend this most indefensible of opinions.
First, it must be acknowledged that most of the criticisms of this show have valid points. The fan service is a bit over the top. I sure as hell could have done without the damned panty shots. It is a grim show. It is aggressively and flamboyantly excessive. It is disrespectful to physics.
Physics and her friend Anatomy called...They're pissed!#
All that being said this show has some real strengths. The early episodes in particular do a better job than many zombie movies (even Romero's own) of conveying the actual horror of the whole zombie apocalypse situation. They handle that bit really well. This is all the more remarkable because of the breakneck pacing of the early episodes. The show manages to combine non-stop action with a sense of genuine dread as the characters realize just what is going on and the implications of it.
It is a horrific show, and at times hard to watch, but the admittedly excessive fan service actually mitigates this somewhat. It is sufficiently silly to act as comic relief and thereby break some of the tension.
In fact, the two most gratuitous episodes regards cheesecake, 6 and 7, (where the show managed to work in sort of a bathhouse episode), were in some ways the saving grace of the series. Both actually had some neat, even thoughtful, character bits. They also added a bit of humanity and decency that saved the show from becoming the nihilistic exercise so many stories in this genre are.
From that point the show becomes not so much a horror show as a show about retaining ones humanity in the midst of a societies collapse. The cheesecake is somewhat toned down in later episodes as well.
In any event the show is never boring.
For all that, I probably would not have liked it had I not first seen the dub, which is superb, and is delivered with the staccato pacing of a Howard Hawks film and with just a bit of snark. The voice acting is really well done Mark Laskowski and Maggie Flecknoe in particular do a superb job. The nurse in the dub has a voice that can grate cheese...but that actually fits. As I type this there's a 12 minute spoileriffic excerpt from ep2 of the dub here which gives a good overview of the pacing of the early episodes.
It is also, despite it's exceedingly grim nature, a show that manages to be surprisingly upbeat and I frankly found it rather fun.
...and now
Well, now you know that about me.
#Regards...that .gif
The bullet is traveling in the vicinity of 2700 feet per second.
The bosoms in question transit back and forth during the time that the projectile passes through the area of interest and thus are moving at least twice as fast as the bullet itself. This gives a breast speed of at least 5400fps.
The speed of sound at sea level is roughly 1100fps. 5400 fps is just under 5 times that or approximately Mach 4.8-Mach 4.9 so a conservative reading of the available evidence would indicate that in addition to her levelheadedness, well developed sense of ethics, athleticism and general competence, Saeko possesses hypersonic tits.
The above analysis was originally posted here....where spoilers and snark dance the tango together.
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May 27, 2012
Chekov's Zodiac
This episode of Bodacious Space Pirates started out as a bit of a mess.
It muddled along as a moderately enjoyable collection of random events until suddenly...
It all began to come together.
Every random bit is there for a reason, either to ad to the plot, or distract from it or provide nice character continuity.
This episode is a rollicking good time but it is has a much darker edge than earlier ones. This is a real battle and in the worst possible circumstances.
This show really exemplifies why Japanese kids shows are sometimes more satisfying than many American live action dramas. These kids are striving to be adults. They don't always succeed at that (they are kids) but they have goals and dreams and they generally behave as young adults. They take their responsibilities seriously. In a lot of contemporary shows here the adults are trying desperately to avoid responsibility, whine a lot and generally act like kids.
Also this show has space battles, dogfights...and silly pirate hats that make perfect sense in context.
I'll call this one a win.
It muddled along as a moderately enjoyable collection of random events until suddenly...
It all began to come together.
Why is she wearing her pirate hat in the dingy?.Oh never mind..
Every random bit is there for a reason, either to ad to the plot, or distract from it or provide nice character continuity.
This episode is a rollicking good time but it is has a much darker edge than earlier ones. This is a real battle and in the worst possible circumstances.
Also this show has space battles, dogfights...and silly pirate hats that make perfect sense in context.
I'll call this one a win.
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May 20, 2012
Oh..So There's a Fetish for That
I probably could have led a happy, prosperous and productive life and never known that....but didn't so I do.
Mysterious Girlfriend X is a perversely engaging show. I'm not sure I'll be able to get past the squick factor, but I laughed out loud several times.
Certainly it delivers at least part of what it promises in that there is a girlfriend and she is sure as hell mysterious.
Urabe is the quintessential mysterious transfer student and seems to have a rather traumatic past...
She's a bit odd; not a typical space cadet in that she seems to be aware and a decent student, just not very sociable, a little awkward and apparently sleep deprived. She's really kind of interesting in the same way our hero protagonist is not...
Souvlaki here is well named as he appears to be just a random piece of animated meat whose job is to be enough of a cypher that salivapheliacs of all walks of life will be able to relate to him.
"Excuse me. My name is Tsubaki."
Anyway...
The two end up sitting next to each other and after a while romance blossoms oozes between them.
It is a very off-beat and rather cute show.
There is also drool...rather a LOT of drool.
I nearly wretched twice.
I laughed out loud 4 times..once while almost wretching.
Thus I find myself conflicted but holding at 2 to 1 in favor of continuing the series.
Mysterious Girlfriend X is a perversely engaging show. I'm not sure I'll be able to get past the squick factor, but I laughed out loud several times.
Certainly it delivers at least part of what it promises in that there is a girlfriend and she is sure as hell mysterious.
Not Pictured: Her exceedingly sexy voice.
Urabe is the quintessential mysterious transfer student and seems to have a rather traumatic past...
She's a bit odd; not a typical space cadet in that she seems to be aware and a decent student, just not very sociable, a little awkward and apparently sleep deprived. She's really kind of interesting in the same way our hero protagonist is not...
Souvlaki here is well named as he appears to be just a random piece of animated meat whose job is to be enough of a cypher that salivapheliacs of all walks of life will be able to relate to him.
"Excuse me. My name is Tsubaki."
Anyway...
The two end up sitting next to each other and after a while romance blossoms oozes between them.
It is a very off-beat and rather cute show.
There is also drool...rather a LOT of drool.
I nearly wretched twice.
I laughed out loud 4 times..once while almost wretching.
Thus I find myself conflicted but holding at 2 to 1 in favor of continuing the series.
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May 07, 2012
Palate Cleanser
Sort of...
The last post was High octane nightmare fuel so here is something that is...merely wrong.
Beware, NSFW language.
The last post was High octane nightmare fuel so here is something that is...merely wrong.
Beware, NSFW language.
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May 05, 2012
Earnestly Paving The Road to Hell
Magical girl shows:
Someone has given ENTIRELY too much thought to the concept.
I'd long heard that Puella Magi Madoka Magica was good.
But...
It's a magical girl show
I'm 42.
I'm a dude.
To say I have little interest in the genre is an understatement. It was, therefore, rather far down on my to watch list.
I was particularly afraid that it was going to be a creepy underage cheesecake vehicle.
Oh my!
It's not. It's creepy in an entirely different way! Six episodes in I'm finding this to be an an intelligent, albeit rather disturbing show that raises a lot of questions. Those include hard questions about ethics as well as questions about who the HELL the target audience is.
The character designs and animation are nothing to write home about but the art direction and writing is really inspired. Set in the near future (as envisioned by Corning it would seem) the backgrounds are gorgeous and imaginative. This contrasts jarringly with moments of frightening otherworldlieness that come off as downright Lovecraftian.
The story is excellent thus far and is consistently surprising. This show has quite important things to say....Be advised though, it goes to some very dark places.
I'm hoping against hope that they can keep this up for the last half of the show. At the midway point I'm inclined to recommend it highly.
UPDATE: Wow...
more...
Someone has given ENTIRELY too much thought to the concept.
I'd long heard that Puella Magi Madoka Magica was good.
But...
It's a magical girl show
I'm 42.
I'm a dude.
To say I have little interest in the genre is an understatement. It was, therefore, rather far down on my to watch list.
I was particularly afraid that it was going to be a creepy underage cheesecake vehicle.
Oh my!
It's not. It's creepy in an entirely different way! Six episodes in I'm finding this to be an an intelligent, albeit rather disturbing show that raises a lot of questions. Those include hard questions about ethics as well as questions about who the HELL the target audience is.
The character designs and animation are nothing to write home about but the art direction and writing is really inspired. Set in the near future (as envisioned by Corning it would seem) the backgrounds are gorgeous and imaginative. This contrasts jarringly with moments of frightening otherworldlieness that come off as downright Lovecraftian.
The story is excellent thus far and is consistently surprising. This show has quite important things to say....Be advised though, it goes to some very dark places.
I'm hoping against hope that they can keep this up for the last half of the show. At the midway point I'm inclined to recommend it highly.
UPDATE: Wow...
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April 29, 2012
"Then Lets Take Them Out."
Great googly moogly....
Episode 17 of Bodacious Space Pirates was full of all sorts of surprises...
...and had a thoroughly satisfying story that...
...that...that... ENDED!!1!?
I gotta wait a week? A whole week? GHAAAH!
UPDATE:
more...
Episode 17 of Bodacious Space Pirates was full of all sorts of surprises...
"...and that, children, is a 'Zuka review."
...and had a thoroughly satisfying story that...
...that...that... ENDED!!1!?
I gotta wait a week? A whole week? GHAAAH!
UPDATE:
more...
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April 22, 2012
The Hakuoh Pirates' First Job
This episode of Bodacious Space Pirates was largely humorous with less adventure and more silliness than usual. There was a
serious point though.There are no longer ANY training wheels. Marika is well and truly in
command now. She OWNS this, and although she has a solid XO there is really no
one to fall back on.
Also: I didn't see this coming.
The XO is shocked too! At what, we won't tell.
more...
Also: I didn't see this coming.
The XO is shocked too! At what, we won't tell.
Bodacious Space Pirates really is an intriguing show. Set in the FAR FAR FAR future, the story of a 16 year old girl, who due to an unlikely set of circumstances,* ends up in charge of an interstellar privateer is obviously a thing of whimsy. However, it is surprisingly down to earth and thoughtful in other ways.
One of the things that has impressed me is that it actually deals with leadership. I mentioned in an earlier post that Marika, the young CO, was initially thrown into a position not unlike that of a green ensign or "90 day wonder". That is, she had considerable skill, but zero experience and found herself in command of a small unit, virtually every member of which has been doing their jobs far longer than her. She had to learn to delegate, take advice and cope with the fact that the buck stops with her. It is upon her decisions that the crew will live or die (or go bankrupt...the privateer is a business after all). This has been handled with far more intelligence and subtly than one has any right to expect from a sci-fi cartoon.
Now they've turned this on its head and Marika is in a situation where SHE is the veteran and has to train, mentor and direct people who, while they are volunteers, have very rudimentary training, and not all of them have gotten their heads around the fact that this is a real job, and not just a lark. Marika and her acting XO handle this quite well. The writing on this is impressive. It's like 12 O'Clock High with zap guns.
This show has a 16 year old female protagonist and it is (very occasionally) set in a high school, and yet it is not a teen angst show, or a show about slacking or raging against an unfair world.
If I had a daughter, I'd want her to watch this.
This show actually has a lot in common with Heinlein's juvies in that it's is aspirational. Marika is a young adult who is dealing with life's challenges as an adult. She does not run from her responsibilities, and while she takes them seriously she does so with good humor.
Quite aside from all that, the premise is pretty clever....
The treaty loophole** that allows the planet to keep highly regulated privateers as naval auxiliaries, combined with the "official" synergy between the insurance companies, the Cruise Lines and the Privateers...is just inspired.
The action is superb, the characters are likeable and 16 episodes in we haven't had a single upskirt shot yet. I'm quite impressed.
UPDATE: Slightly spoilerish explanations for * and ** added below the fold.
One of the things that has impressed me is that it actually deals with leadership. I mentioned in an earlier post that Marika, the young CO, was initially thrown into a position not unlike that of a green ensign or "90 day wonder". That is, she had considerable skill, but zero experience and found herself in command of a small unit, virtually every member of which has been doing their jobs far longer than her. She had to learn to delegate, take advice and cope with the fact that the buck stops with her. It is upon her decisions that the crew will live or die (or go bankrupt...the privateer is a business after all). This has been handled with far more intelligence and subtly than one has any right to expect from a sci-fi cartoon.
Now they've turned this on its head and Marika is in a situation where SHE is the veteran and has to train, mentor and direct people who, while they are volunteers, have very rudimentary training, and not all of them have gotten their heads around the fact that this is a real job, and not just a lark. Marika and her acting XO handle this quite well. The writing on this is impressive. It's like 12 O'Clock High with zap guns.
This show has a 16 year old female protagonist and it is (very occasionally) set in a high school, and yet it is not a teen angst show, or a show about slacking or raging against an unfair world.
If I had a daughter, I'd want her to watch this.
This show actually has a lot in common with Heinlein's juvies in that it's is aspirational. Marika is a young adult who is dealing with life's challenges as an adult. She does not run from her responsibilities, and while she takes them seriously she does so with good humor.
...and humor is an important thing to have when things go all higgly piggly...
The treaty loophole** that allows the planet to keep highly regulated privateers as naval auxiliaries, combined with the "official" synergy between the insurance companies, the Cruise Lines and the Privateers...is just inspired.
The action is superb, the characters are likeable and 16 episodes in we haven't had a single upskirt shot yet. I'm quite impressed.
UPDATE: Slightly spoilerish explanations for * and ** added below the fold.
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April 21, 2012
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san
I'm not really keen on magical girlfriend shows, but when the magical girlfriend is Nyarlathotep I've got to watch at least one.
This was much better than it ought to have been. I ended up watching both of the episodes that have aired as of tonight and I'll add it to my list. The shows premise is that the Lovecraft Mythos is real, but Lovecraft, perhaps because he was a paranoid bigot , got a lot of stuff wrong. The magical girlfriend (seen holding the blasphemous, baleful big-gulp above) is Nyaruko, an alien. Nyarlathotep is actually the name of her race. She claims to be an intergalactic cop who's been in Tokyo trying to disrupt the lucrative hentai smuggling trade (Tentacle pr0n is popular with several mythos races. Who'd've thunk it?), She claims to have then stumbled onto a related slavery operation that involves a plot to kidnap a fellow named Mihiro Yasaka for ghastly and indescribable purposes. With the help of an "unspeakable tire iron" she saves him from several night-gaunts (which Lovecraft was largely right about) and proceeds to inform him that to keep him safe she'll have to move in with him...and he is totally her type.
Cyclopean hijinks ensue.
This show made me laugh out loud. I'm very surprised that they got so many mythos jokes to cross the language barrier. It's a fun show that uses the 'shotgun method' of humor and aims at targets far removed from Lovecraft as well. Despite the implied love dodecahedron in the credits it appears to actually involve a love...umm...line and not be a harem show.
Of course its geometry is less Euclidian in other areas.
Be advised though that It manages to be at once quite clever and bone-crushingly stupid ...which in itself risks some san loss.
An abominable, aberrant, anomalous, appalling, atrocious, and animated alien ahoge!
more...
This was much better than it ought to have been. I ended up watching both of the episodes that have aired as of tonight and I'll add it to my list. The shows premise is that the Lovecraft Mythos is real, but Lovecraft, perhaps because he was a paranoid bigot , got a lot of stuff wrong. The magical girlfriend (seen holding the blasphemous, baleful big-gulp above) is Nyaruko, an alien. Nyarlathotep is actually the name of her race. She claims to be an intergalactic cop who's been in Tokyo trying to disrupt the lucrative hentai smuggling trade (Tentacle pr0n is popular with several mythos races. Who'd've thunk it?), She claims to have then stumbled onto a related slavery operation that involves a plot to kidnap a fellow named Mihiro Yasaka for ghastly and indescribable purposes. With the help of an "unspeakable tire iron" she saves him from several night-gaunts (which Lovecraft was largely right about) and proceeds to inform him that to keep him safe she'll have to move in with him...and he is totally her type.
Cyclopean hijinks ensue.
This show made me laugh out loud. I'm very surprised that they got so many mythos jokes to cross the language barrier. It's a fun show that uses the 'shotgun method' of humor and aims at targets far removed from Lovecraft as well. Despite the implied love dodecahedron in the credits it appears to actually involve a love...umm...line and not be a harem show.
Of course its geometry is less Euclidian in other areas.
Be advised though that It manages to be at once quite clever and bone-crushingly stupid ...which in itself risks some san loss.
An abominable, aberrant, anomalous, appalling, atrocious, and animated alien ahoge!
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
02:32 AM
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April 05, 2012
Trailers!!
The first 10 minutes of Yamato 2199 have been previewed on Japanese TV. This remake of the 1974 series is going to be a series of 7 THEATRICAL releases over the next year or two. Interestingly, aside from the possibility of other specials there won't be a TV release for at least 2 years.
Be sure to hit "CC" for the subtitles! And hit the fullscreen option to enbigulate. It's a good quality clip.
A few quick observations:
There is a new trailer out for Ridley Scott's Prometheus. This looks cool too!
A few quick observations:
There is a new trailer out for Ridley Scott's Prometheus. This looks cool too!
The trailer for The Hobbit also looks VERY good.
I'd missed the Hobbit trailer until I stumbled upon it here. Which reminds me that Gone to Amerikay is out and getting rave reviews in places as diverse as the Wall Street Journal and The Comics Bulletin.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
08:46 PM
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April 02, 2012
Achievements Unlocked
I've unlocked achievements playing...er...Crunchyroll?
That was just odd.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
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April 01, 2012
Midori Kanda and Friends
Sadly, no...There is no Gai Rei series.
There is, however, a particularly awesome group of cosplayers....
Siergen, this one's for you.
Also, I finally figured out how to use fancy Kanji fonts in Paintbrush.
For the sake of posterity the original post is below the fold.
For legal purposes this was all Wonderduck's fault.*
I hope April is good to you all.
*That is my story and I am sticking to it.
more...
Siergen, this one's for you.
Also, I finally figured out how to use fancy Kanji fonts in Paintbrush.
For the sake of posterity the original post is below the fold.
For legal purposes this was all Wonderduck's fault.*
I hope April is good to you all.
*That is my story and I am sticking to it.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
01:58 AM
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March 28, 2012
Ozuma
Thus begins Ozuma (Ozma?) a series set in a post apocalyptic future that has generated some buzz because it's a resurrection of a canceled early-80s Leiji Matsumoto project.
Although the beginning narration doesn't sound fun AT ALL, this show is rather more upbeat than its grim premise would suggest.
This show has a decidedly retro feel.. It's not just Matsumoto's distinctive art style, which is evident both in the characters and the very retro-futuristic mechanical designs, the story is a a throwback in a lot of ways with the dystopic 'future in a desert' so prevalent in the 80's.
In other ways the times have caught up to Matsumoto. He has generally had strong women to compliment his male leads and this series is no exception. Despite the grim backdrop, the characters are pretty likable, even admirable. The show has a somewhat whimsical, occasionally upbeat feel to it as well.
OZUMA also has a decent, somewhat catchy, theme song....
...In English.
The OP sounds like...my God it sounds like it was translated from Japanese to English to fit the rhythm...(Like several US dubs in the 80's). I feel I should be watching this on a UHF channel in the late afternoon or at, like, six in the morning.
This is actually kind of brilliant!
Two episodes in, things are proceeding at a very decent pace. The story is actually engaging and seems to have a bit of depth to it. I'm really liking it thus far.
A quick collection of spoilers from episode 1 are below the fold.
more...
Sometimes The Sun is a
loving mother bringing life to the surface of the earth Sometimes
it is a strict father bringing terrible trials. These trials, which have
occurred many times since the creation of the earth have come once
again. The land is dry, the oceans barren, what little life survives is
on the verge of extinction, clinging to the thin atmosphere that
remains. But some still live on in the dry seas of sand....
Thus begins Ozuma (Ozma?) a series set in a post apocalyptic future that has generated some buzz because it's a resurrection of a canceled early-80s Leiji Matsumoto project. Although the beginning narration doesn't sound fun AT ALL, this show is rather more upbeat than its grim premise would suggest.
This show has a decidedly retro feel.. It's not just Matsumoto's distinctive art style, which is evident both in the characters and the very retro-futuristic mechanical designs, the story is a a throwback in a lot of ways with the dystopic 'future in a desert' so prevalent in the 80's.
In other ways the times have caught up to Matsumoto. He has generally had strong women to compliment his male leads and this series is no exception. Despite the grim backdrop, the characters are pretty likable, even admirable. The show has a somewhat whimsical, occasionally upbeat feel to it as well.
OZUMA also has a decent, somewhat catchy, theme song....
...In English.
The OP sounds like...my God it sounds like it was translated from Japanese to English to fit the rhythm...(Like several US dubs in the 80's). I feel I should be watching this on a UHF channel in the late afternoon or at, like, six in the morning.
This is actually kind of brilliant!
Two episodes in, things are proceeding at a very decent pace. The story is actually engaging and seems to have a bit of depth to it. I'm really liking it thus far.
A quick collection of spoilers from episode 1 are below the fold.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
11:34 PM
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Post contains 1109 words, total size 10 kb.
March 12, 2012
Hopeful Liscencing News.
Sentai has landed Unlimited Blade Works and K-On! season 2. This is hopeful because it indicates that some of the Bandai properties that were abandoned when Bandai USA dissolved may yet come over. ULBW gives some slim hope that there will be a version of Fate Zero available that is not....350 bucks.
Also the fact that they are putting out to have Bang Zoom do dubs for both is a vote of some confidence in there being a future.
Also the fact that they are putting out to have Bang Zoom do dubs for both is a vote of some confidence in there being a future.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
12:30 AM
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March 10, 2012
Pursue! Beat them to it! Take a piece of the action!
Just a few observations.
It's really nice to see that Kurihara actually enjoys her work... a lot.
It's somewhat reassuring that princesses are not exempt from child labor laws.
Slower than light generation starships ought not to be making hyperspace jumps.
I predict whining about the weather, as nebulae just aren't that thick. However, they established earlier that our heroes would be inspecting proto-stars and getting perilously close to black holes. The "turbulence" is arguably consistent with those.
Having watched the series thus far in 3 sittings it occurs to me that I've caught up...and need to wait a WHOLE WEEK until I can see more. That sucks.
For those than know not of what I speak...you are sad, deprived, pitiable souls and you have my deepest sympathies.
Here's a hint...
Also,
It's really nice to see that Kurihara actually enjoys her work... a lot.
It's somewhat reassuring that princesses are not exempt from child labor laws.
Slower than light generation starships ought not to be making hyperspace jumps.
I predict whining about the weather, as nebulae just aren't that thick. However, they established earlier that our heroes would be inspecting proto-stars and getting perilously close to black holes. The "turbulence" is arguably consistent with those.
Having watched the series thus far in 3 sittings it occurs to me that I've caught up...and need to wait a WHOLE WEEK until I can see more. That sucks.
For those than know not of what I speak...you are sad, deprived, pitiable souls and you have my deepest sympathies.
Here's a hint...
Also,
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
09:39 PM
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