November 17, 2011
Schemes to Annoy the Virtuous Fan
Ubu speculates and rants on what may (or may not) be a worrisome development.
His concern is that the Japanese companies are simply going to cut the US distributors off. Instead of going that route they might start providing subtitles on their Blu Ray discs like they have done with Dog Days which provided English, French, and Chinese subtitle tracks. Given the seemingly rather myopic and desperate business plan of much of the anime industry, this does not seem far fetched, especially given that the US and Japan share the same region in Blu Ray. One thing is curious about this example though....France and China do NOT have the same region coding as the US and Japan (though of course there are the Quebecois). France, however, is a lucrative anime market and China is just plain huge, so this may be a reflection on the accessibility of region free players. Still, I'd be more concerned about this particular development if the language tracks were Portuguese, Spanish and English. So don't go to pieces just yet...
If this DID happen it would be unfortunate. The US releases would almost certainly penetrate deeper into the US market. There is also the fact that companies that bring this stuff over would be nuked and their now quite talented cadre of Voice Actors dispersed.
Then there is cost...Japanese discs cost several times what the US disks do. The business plan for the Japanese companies seems to revolve around really exorbitant BD with lots of extras and steam removal. This has contributed to the narrowing of the market in Japan, where the merchandise is priced high which weeds out the less fanatical enthusiasts which results in a smaller, more intense market which demands more fan service, which appalls polite society, further shrinking the market which causes the companies to raise prices which shrinks the market yet more thereby increasing the percentage of maladroit fandom demanding panty shots which further marginalizes the market until you get hemlines halfway up the buttocks and plots revolving around bust size competitions (oh wait). Eventually the market will consist entirely of 47 rich trustfunder NEETS who will die out never having touched a woman thus ending the industry.
Only moderate BD prices and Josei can save us from this fate.
On a related note there is this.
This strange bit of corporatism could have interesting results...not necessarily good ones mind you. I do note that this seems to be a sop to the biggest media conglomerates and they are only going for really big ticket properties. Therefore, it most likely will not affect most anime releases and certainly won't have much affect on more obscure shows. Dan Kanimitsu has thoughts. I for one wonder why they dont just have Toho and Daiei hire international actors and a few directors for international adaptations.
Of course, perspective is important. None of this is in any way the end of the world.
"Fandom...doomed...must..tweet EVERYBODY!"
...but of course your mileage may vary.
more...
His concern is that the Japanese companies are simply going to cut the US distributors off. Instead of going that route they might start providing subtitles on their Blu Ray discs like they have done with Dog Days which provided English, French, and Chinese subtitle tracks. Given the seemingly rather myopic and desperate business plan of much of the anime industry, this does not seem far fetched, especially given that the US and Japan share the same region in Blu Ray. One thing is curious about this example though....France and China do NOT have the same region coding as the US and Japan (though of course there are the Quebecois). France, however, is a lucrative anime market and China is just plain huge, so this may be a reflection on the accessibility of region free players. Still, I'd be more concerned about this particular development if the language tracks were Portuguese, Spanish and English. So don't go to pieces just yet...
Then there is cost...Japanese discs cost several times what the US disks do. The business plan for the Japanese companies seems to revolve around really exorbitant BD with lots of extras and steam removal. This has contributed to the narrowing of the market in Japan, where the merchandise is priced high which weeds out the less fanatical enthusiasts which results in a smaller, more intense market which demands more fan service, which appalls polite society, further shrinking the market which causes the companies to raise prices which shrinks the market yet more thereby increasing the percentage of maladroit fandom demanding panty shots which further marginalizes the market until you get hemlines halfway up the buttocks and plots revolving around bust size competitions (oh wait). Eventually the market will consist entirely of 47 rich trustfunder NEETS who will die out never having touched a woman thus ending the industry.
Only moderate BD prices and Josei can save us from this fate.
.....but I digress.
On a related note there is this.
A new company backed by the government will buy the rights to Japanese anime, toys and other creative products and tout them to Hollywood producers.
All Nippon Entertainment Works Co., which has received 6 billion yen (about $80 million) from the 90-percent government-sponsored Innovation Network Corp. of Japan (INCJ), will begin acquiring rights this month. It plans to invest 3 billion yen over the next three years to acquire the rights to 10 products and get movies made.
This strange bit of corporatism could have interesting results...not necessarily good ones mind you. I do note that this seems to be a sop to the biggest media conglomerates and they are only going for really big ticket properties. Therefore, it most likely will not affect most anime releases and certainly won't have much affect on more obscure shows. Dan Kanimitsu has thoughts. I for one wonder why they dont just have Toho and Daiei hire international actors and a few directors for international adaptations.
Of course, perspective is important. None of this is in any way the end of the world.
"Fandom...doomed...must..tweet EVERYBODY!"
more...
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November 13, 2011
I Always Liked Pertwee
...so did these fans it would seem.
...so did these fans it would seem.
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November 06, 2011
She's Come From the Sea to Pun-ish Us All
I laughed, I cried..I groaned, I wept, I cried, I laughed, I hurled, I laughed some more...
From the stygian depths of the Pacific, comes a being hell bent upon conquest and fueled by a thirst for vengeance upon all mankind. Spawned of rage at mankind's destruction of the marine ecosystem, the creature lumberers through the surf and slouches inexorably towards its unsuspecting victims. A beachfront noodleshop is the first to feel her wrath, after which...
...um...well...due to various and sundry complications tonight's program of bloody vengeance and world conquest has been delayed indefinitely.
But, there is shrimp fried rice..and the shop's signature ramen.
Thus begins Squid Girl , the tale of a girl from the sea with squid tentacles coming out of her head ,who, due to poor planning, ends up working as a waitress at a seaside noodle shop while she tries to devise various cunning plans to take over the world.
This is actually a nostalgia show, pining for the experience of what going to the beach in Japan was like some years ago. It's also a comedy that is directed by lunatics with a wildly inconsistent style that ranges from slapstick to poignant to just plain silly. The show consists (mostly) of a series of skits. The timing of the sketches is excellent and the production values are top notch.
I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
However, it isn't something that one would think would translate well. For one thing, the shows particular brand of nostalgia's going to be lost on most people here, and then there is Squid Girl's speech tic...adding "degeseo" (which means squid tentacle) to the end of her sentences. This sort of tic is something of a trope in Japan but doesn't work in English, where the closest equivalent is probably "smurf". Bang Zoom, the dub studio, went a similar route...inventing a number of adverbs and adjectives sharing the root word squid...and some puns...occasionally quite a few... episode 4 packs them in like sardines. Some purists will be unable to fathom why they did this. I suspect it was just for the halibut. In any event I laughed.
This show has sole.
All that aside the translation is faithful in spirit and is quite good. Six episodes in I'm quite impressed. It is a cute little show with an upbeat message.
I laughed, I cried..I groaned, I wept, I cried, I laughed, I hurled, I laughed some more...
From the stygian depths of the Pacific, comes a being hell bent upon conquest and fueled by a thirst for vengeance upon all mankind. Spawned of rage at mankind's destruction of the marine ecosystem, the creature lumberers through the surf and slouches inexorably towards its unsuspecting victims. A beachfront noodleshop is the first to feel her wrath, after which...
...um...well...due to various and sundry complications tonight's program of bloody vengeance and world conquest has been delayed indefinitely.
But, there is shrimp fried rice..and the shop's signature ramen.
Thus begins Squid Girl , the tale of a girl from the sea with squid tentacles coming out of her head ,who, due to poor planning, ends up working as a waitress at a seaside noodle shop while she tries to devise various cunning plans to take over the world.
This is actually a nostalgia show, pining for the experience of what going to the beach in Japan was like some years ago. It's also a comedy that is directed by lunatics with a wildly inconsistent style that ranges from slapstick to poignant to just plain silly. The show consists (mostly) of a series of skits. The timing of the sketches is excellent and the production values are top notch.
I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
However, it isn't something that one would think would translate well. For one thing, the shows particular brand of nostalgia's going to be lost on most people here, and then there is Squid Girl's speech tic...adding "degeseo" (which means squid tentacle) to the end of her sentences. This sort of tic is something of a trope in Japan but doesn't work in English, where the closest equivalent is probably "smurf". Bang Zoom, the dub studio, went a similar route...inventing a number of adverbs and adjectives sharing the root word squid...and some puns...occasionally quite a few... episode 4 packs them in like sardines. Some purists will be unable to fathom why they did this. I suspect it was just for the halibut. In any event I laughed.
This show has sole.
All that aside the translation is faithful in spirit and is quite good. Six episodes in I'm quite impressed. It is a cute little show with an upbeat message.
I'm particularly surprised that something as gentle and wholesome as this show was picked up by Media Blasters, who did Queen's Blade, Ikkitousen, and K...KanoKon. I guess it was a fluke.
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October 29, 2011
The Thing (2011)
The local movie critic said it was "delightfully campy". In retrospect this is a bizarre way to describe this film. However it gave me confidence that I could take a friend without
fear of reprisal*. Both the Howard Hawks, and the John Carpenter versions are classics and this not only had big shoes to fill, it is a prequel to boot so we know how it's gonna end...pretty much.
The staff at a Norwegian research outpost in Antarctica discover someTHING buried in the ice.
The Carpenter version had a sequence set in the Norweigian base with the Americans finding really odd "clues" to the mayhem that transpired there. This film fastidiously explains every one of those shots. In that sense it almost feels like fan-fic, complete with a Mary Sue.
But it's good fan-fic. The film may not be on the same level as the other two but is a perfectly solid thriller. The suspense, paranoia and confusion are excacerbated by the language barriers in the international team, with people at one point literally having 2 different conversations with one another.
My only real complaint is the heavy use of CGI, to complement the excellent puppet work, but it is, all in all, quite well paced and creepy. I actually recommend this one.
A few random and spoilerish thoughts
*Red Planet and Hulk still have not been forgiven.
The staff at a Norwegian research outpost in Antarctica discover someTHING buried in the ice.
The Carpenter version had a sequence set in the Norweigian base with the Americans finding really odd "clues" to the mayhem that transpired there. This film fastidiously explains every one of those shots. In that sense it almost feels like fan-fic, complete with a Mary Sue.
But it's good fan-fic. The film may not be on the same level as the other two but is a perfectly solid thriller. The suspense, paranoia and confusion are excacerbated by the language barriers in the international team, with people at one point literally having 2 different conversations with one another.
My only real complaint is the heavy use of CGI, to complement the excellent puppet work, but it is, all in all, quite well paced and creepy. I actually recommend this one.
A few random and spoilerish thoughts
*Red Planet and Hulk still have not been forgiven.
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October 20, 2011
Buy Cool Stuff...Help Out a Fan
One of life's calamities has hit an Otakuette who goes by the handle of "Arlnee". She is currently selling her collection on E-Bay to raise funds.
Ooohmygod she's got some of the most awesomest stuff ever!
Ooohmygod she's got some of the most awesomest stuff ever!
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September 12, 2011
Hidemari Sketch: Hoshimittsu
The third Hidemari Sketch series picks up the 'story' in the next semester and sees 2 more girls join the 4 previous characters. It continues with more of the same. The new season's animation's rather better, but increasing the core cast from 4 to 6 thins the available bandwidth for character development a bit. Still, its well paced. Those who liked the previous incarnations are likely to enjoy this one.
They seem a bit more chibi-fied on this cover.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, it is based on a 4 panel comic strip and involves the antics of a group of young ladies going to a small but well regarded art school as they try to cope with living in a town extensively polluted by the detrius of an exploded zipatone factory,
( That last bit might not be canon)
Being about art students and written by creative types, it's sort of a Mary Sue strip for aspiring artists. The humor is generally pretty dry and revolves mainly around sketch comedy and character bits. The pacing reminds me a lot of Peanuts.
The art and direction is exceedingly quirky. This latter may grow out of the first series being a throwaway filler show with no budget. The production team seems to have compensated for their initial lack of resources with offbeat art and a LOT of screen-tone. The first series was a runaway hit and SHAFT seems to have responded by throwing money at the animation team, though the quirkiness remains.
They seem a bit more chibi-fied on this cover.
( That last bit might not be canon)
Being about art students and written by creative types, it's sort of a Mary Sue strip for aspiring artists. The humor is generally pretty dry and revolves mainly around sketch comedy and character bits. The pacing reminds me a lot of Peanuts.
The art and direction is exceedingly quirky. This latter may grow out of the first series being a throwaway filler show with no budget. The production team seems to have compensated for their initial lack of resources with offbeat art and a LOT of screen-tone. The first series was a runaway hit and SHAFT seems to have responded by throwing money at the animation team, though the quirkiness remains.
One thing I did find slightly dismaying:
The characters are all living in an apartment complex near the school and one of them is an established (and award winning) writer who has enrolled in the school to learn to draw so she can illustrate her light novels. So...I'd gotten it into my head that this was a college and that Sae was much older than the rest. That was certainly the vibe I got from the first two discs.
This show makes it much clearer that the art school is actually a high school. It just specializes in art.
The characters are all living in an apartment complex near the school and one of them is an established (and award winning) writer who has enrolled in the school to learn to draw so she can illustrate her light novels. So...I'd gotten it into my head that this was a college and that Sae was much older than the rest. That was certainly the vibe I got from the first two discs.
This show makes it much clearer that the art school is actually a high school. It just specializes in art.
This means that ...ummm...Sae is a high school student....which for some reason makes me feel both dirty and old.
"Why would that make...?...!!...Oh God...I just threw up a little in my mouth."
"Why would that make...?...!!...Oh God...I just threw up a little in my mouth."
Despite that jarring realization It's still an enjoyable little franchise. A third of the way in this third installment is holding up very well.
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September 05, 2011
Legalities of the Reboot
Brian Wang at Next Big Future has an interesting post on some of the legal reasons behind the Superman Costume changes that are part of the upcoming DC Reboot.
Art by Rags Morales
Art by Rags Morales
It looks to be at least in part a legal gambit to deny the Siegel and Schuster estates ownership of the properties.
Most interesting to me is this bit from Brian Wang:
This could actually be interesting.
Most interesting to me is this bit from Brian Wang:
The interpretations also seem to be that the Siegel and Shuster families will be able to start developing movies and other projects with the portions of copyright that they control starting in 2013.
Their version of Superman would seem to be legally restricted from developing the powers of flight. They would be forced to stay at the power levels of Action #1 and the first two weeks of strips. Although both parties would be free to create new works based on these separate versions. I think it would be perfectly possible the 1938 Superman to be made very interesting and vibrant franchise.
This could actually be interesting.
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August 27, 2011
Confession Time
With the storm almost upon me I feel the need to confess something I have been holding back for a couple of years.
I...
I liked Pani Poni Dash.
It is a terribly stupid, pointless show but every bonecrushingly inane episode made me laugh. Worse, as the jokes reference everything from Matango to Scott Pilgrim, the fact that I understood many of them is a damming condemnation of my wasted life.
Also: Taeko explains much about the world.
I...
I liked Pani Poni Dash.
It is a terribly stupid, pointless show but every bonecrushingly inane episode made me laugh. Worse, as the jokes reference everything from Matango to Scott Pilgrim, the fact that I understood many of them is a damming condemnation of my wasted life.
Also: Taeko explains much about the world.
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August 21, 2011
HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD
Oh boy...another high school show.
Much like Hidemari Sketch, this show concerns cute girls in a high school who get stressed out over the little curveballs life throws at them.
HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD differs in that the curveballs include flesh eating zombies.
more...
Much like Hidemari Sketch, this show concerns cute girls in a high school who get stressed out over the little curveballs life throws at them.
HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD differs in that the curveballs include flesh eating zombies.
The whole zombie apocalypse idea has been done so often that it is a cliche' and this show breaks no new ground in overall concept. However, it is a very well executed example of the genre.
Now I have heard some complaints about the show and the most persistent one is that the fanservice is excessive.
There is some truth to this...
Not only are there lots of powertools...
Now I have heard some complaints about the show and the most persistent one is that the fanservice is excessive.
There is some truth to this...
Not only are there lots of powertools...
....but we get to see cute, snarky, intelligent girls using said power tools and doing so in a manner not consistent with manufacturer recommendations!
Oh golly willakers!
Oh..wait....yeah...the other fans.
Actually this show did come close to diminishing returns. as it is quite gratuitous in both its horror...
...and occasionally its cheesecake.
However, the show has superb pacing, likable characters and very good writing. The dub is one of the absolute best I have ever heard, with rapid-fire dialog that is fantastically delivered. The rewrite for the dub is faithful but a bit more engaging than the subs. This is one of 3 or four shows that I think are better in their US dubbed versions. The American VA's do a stellar job in bringing out the characters They really make this show work with character nuances the subs can't quite catch.
The show is an excersize in gratuity, but it never bored me and did not devolve into utter nihilism. I quite enjoyed it.
UPDATE: The dubiously researched fluid dynamics animation above is from one particular episode that is...excessively...excessive in that regard. However, switching gears did serve as a welcome respite from the horror. As gruesome and silly as the show can be, it was actually that episode which made it clear that the show is ultimately about people who looked into that dark pit and determined that they will not abandon their humanity.
Shorter version...HSOTD is a sucking chest wound of awesome.
Slightly spoileriffic character sketches below the fold.
Actually this show did come close to diminishing returns. as it is quite gratuitous in both its horror...
Just think. Men who have never seen real boobs move were paid money to animate this.
However, the show has superb pacing, likable characters and very good writing. The dub is one of the absolute best I have ever heard, with rapid-fire dialog that is fantastically delivered. The rewrite for the dub is faithful but a bit more engaging than the subs. This is one of 3 or four shows that I think are better in their US dubbed versions. The American VA's do a stellar job in bringing out the characters They really make this show work with character nuances the subs can't quite catch.
The show is an excersize in gratuity, but it never bored me and did not devolve into utter nihilism. I quite enjoyed it.
UPDATE: The dubiously researched fluid dynamics animation above is from one particular episode that is...excessively...excessive in that regard. However, switching gears did serve as a welcome respite from the horror. As gruesome and silly as the show can be, it was actually that episode which made it clear that the show is ultimately about people who looked into that dark pit and determined that they will not abandon their humanity.
Shorter version...HSOTD is a sucking chest wound of awesome.
Slightly spoileriffic character sketches below the fold.
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August 10, 2011
Ga-Rei-Zero Very First Impressions
I've worked down my "to watch" pile to Ga-Rei-Zero.
The set is encased in a very hefty box, over an inch thick. It is being sold only in DVD blue-ray combo packs which gives Funimation an excuse to jack up the price. There is a thin layer of plastic surrounding the box upon which is affixed a sticker that says $44.99. This is a point of some consternation as the price plummeted days after I bought this set. The plastic around the set breaks easily. The box with disc 2 is not individually wrapped, but the one containing the first disc is. It requires a knife to open. Despite the weight and size of the packaging there are no fannish extras in the box whatsoever (aside from a Funimation subscription card but that hardly counts). The only thing accounting for the extra weight and bulk is the presence of 2 discs in a format I did not want. They are packaged with 1 BD and 1DVD in each volume-specific case so I can't even sell the Blueray discs.
Well...those are my first impressions. Sometime this week I'll have to watch it, but first I need to do Queens Blade and Hidemari Sketch reviews...the combination of which I fear might give me whiplash.
The set is encased in a very hefty box, over an inch thick. It is being sold only in DVD blue-ray combo packs which gives Funimation an excuse to jack up the price. There is a thin layer of plastic surrounding the box upon which is affixed a sticker that says $44.99. This is a point of some consternation as the price plummeted days after I bought this set. The plastic around the set breaks easily. The box with disc 2 is not individually wrapped, but the one containing the first disc is. It requires a knife to open. Despite the weight and size of the packaging there are no fannish extras in the box whatsoever (aside from a Funimation subscription card but that hardly counts). The only thing accounting for the extra weight and bulk is the presence of 2 discs in a format I did not want. They are packaged with 1 BD and 1DVD in each volume-specific case so I can't even sell the Blueray discs.
Well...those are my first impressions. Sometime this week I'll have to watch it, but first I need to do Queens Blade and Hidemari Sketch reviews...the combination of which I fear might give me whiplash.
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Oh My!
RC Geekgasm!
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August 09, 2011
Quick! Go to Zoopraxiscope
Don has discovered all sorts of wondrous things, including this gem.
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Usagi Drop
Pulpjunkie provided me with the first episode of this show, which I had high hopes for. It met and rather exceeded those expectations.
Daikichi Kawachi, a thirtysomething Japanese bachelor attends his grandfather funeral. To his astonishment he learns that his grandfather had, 4 years prior, sired Rin, an illegitimate child...a blonde illegitimate child...who he had been raising after the mother abandoned her.
The extended family is utterly appalled by the little girls existence and want nothing to do with her. Despite there being families with kids present, everyone refuses to take the girl and the family meeting quickly becomes an excersize to determine who will get rid of the little girl as quickly as possible.
Daikichi is sickened by the rough treatment the girl is getting and cannot abide the child being disowned and sent to an orphanage. So he adopts his aunt...thus begins the series.
This is a beautifully done show that highlights the best and worst of humanity.
Particularly jarring in the first episode is the disdain shown towards Rin, a child trying to comprehend the death of her father who she obviously loved very much. Despite this rather dark subject matter, the show manages to be both upbeat and quirky. The balance is pitch perfect. Daikichi is a bit out of his depth and hasn't quite thought this all the way through, (thus comedy) but he is a decent guy and this looks to be a really, really good show.
I highly recommend it.
Daikichi Kawachi, a thirtysomething Japanese bachelor attends his grandfather funeral. To his astonishment he learns that his grandfather had, 4 years prior, sired Rin, an illegitimate child...a blonde illegitimate child...who he had been raising after the mother abandoned her.
The extended family is utterly appalled by the little girls existence and want nothing to do with her. Despite there being families with kids present, everyone refuses to take the girl and the family meeting quickly becomes an excersize to determine who will get rid of the little girl as quickly as possible.
Daikichi is sickened by the rough treatment the girl is getting and cannot abide the child being disowned and sent to an orphanage. So he adopts his aunt...thus begins the series.
This is a beautifully done show that highlights the best and worst of humanity.
Particularly jarring in the first episode is the disdain shown towards Rin, a child trying to comprehend the death of her father who she obviously loved very much. Despite this rather dark subject matter, the show manages to be both upbeat and quirky. The balance is pitch perfect. Daikichi is a bit out of his depth and hasn't quite thought this all the way through, (thus comedy) but he is a decent guy and this looks to be a really, really good show.
I highly recommend it.
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August 05, 2011
The Space Princess Equation
John C. Wright has postulated it!
Logically, Catgirl Space Princesses require only a few more variables be added.
Logically, Catgirl Space Princesses require only a few more variables be added.
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July 24, 2011
K-ON! DVD Volume 2
I had found the first 4 episodes of this show to be dry but cute and they had made me laugh. So last night, a friend and I popped in the second disc.
The show is still dry but the characters are developing quite well as the young ladies are hone their instrumental, singing and blackmail
skills while dealing with the various speedbumps of life.
Unlike the shows earlier episodes the girls misadventures are not overwhelmingly failures. They do have quite a few successes: most notably in the blackmail department.
Hearing Stephanie Shea and Christina Vee sing was...startling, but they did a pretty good job and the dub overall continues to be above average.
I actually like this show a lot more now. The faculty adviser is a surprisingly interesting character who really gets the show moving. As it is a show about a music club, one would expect there to be music, it does, and it has an awesome soundtrack.
The show is very cute, didn't bore me and made me laugh. It also teaches an important and sobering life lesson...madness can lurk in the most unexpected places.
Hearing Stephanie Shea and Christina Vee sing was...startling, but they did a pretty good job and the dub overall continues to be above average.
I actually like this show a lot more now. The faculty adviser is a surprisingly interesting character who really gets the show moving. As it is a show about a music club, one would expect there to be music, it does, and it has an awesome soundtrack.
The show is very cute, didn't bore me and made me laugh. It also teaches an important and sobering life lesson...madness can lurk in the most unexpected places.
Stark Raving Whackadoodle Win!
Anyway, I can firmly recommend the show. I will be collecting this.
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July 16, 2011
The Even Darker Underbelly of Fandom
Even worse than creepy fetishes.
Amy Player is
Jordan Wood is Victoria Bitter is Andrew Blake
(updated)
...and that's only the tip of the
iceberg.
Allow me to explain.
Some years ago, a fan from my neck of the woods (one Amy Player) convinced several members of the LOTR cast that she was Elijah Wood's nephew/cousin/brother/something'r'other and conned them (and a great many Lord of the Rings fans) into donating to and otherwise supporting a bogus charity that turned out to be the Amy Player enrichment fund.
It gets worse.
Much worse.
Now she/he* has gone and gotten people killed.
Colleen Doran has a long, well researched post on this.
Read the whole thing. It is incredible and it is all true.
Be advised that, as one of her commenters points out, the story is like a
TV tropes thread. This psychopath has cut an intricate, vast and
nigh unbelievable swath of misery, theft and betrayal through several
branches of fandom.
This has rather more urgency than it might because the person is still out there preying on people. Even now, under the name Andrew Blake, this character is running...yet another charity. Appallingly, it is dedicated to the memories of those that this sick person helped get killed.
Warn your friends in fandom, especially those involved in cons. Put the word out. This louse is a crook and any charity said louse is involved in is likely to be a scam.
There is a collection of photos of this parasite here.
There is an excellent written account of Amy Players Continent Spanning Lord of the Rings charity scam by Jeanine Renne. It can be bought here.
UPDATE:
* ( its unclear to me if there was ever surgery involved, the person was a trap when going by the name Amy Player, or the person in question is just a misandrist moby pretending to be a guy)
Allow me to explain.
Some years ago, a fan from my neck of the woods (one Amy Player) convinced several members of the LOTR cast that she was Elijah Wood's nephew/cousin/brother/something'r'other and conned them (and a great many Lord of the Rings fans) into donating to and otherwise supporting a bogus charity that turned out to be the Amy Player enrichment fund.
Much worse.
Now she/he* has gone and gotten people killed.
Colleen Doran has a long, well researched post on this.
Read the whole thing. It is incredible and it is all true.
This has rather more urgency than it might because the person is still out there preying on people. Even now, under the name Andrew Blake, this character is running...yet another charity. Appallingly, it is dedicated to the memories of those that this sick person helped get killed.
There is a collection of photos of this parasite here.
There is an excellent written account of Amy Players Continent Spanning Lord of the Rings charity scam by Jeanine Renne. It can be bought here.
UPDATE:
* ( its unclear to me if there was ever surgery involved, the person was a trap when going by the name Amy Player, or the person in question is just a misandrist moby pretending to be a guy)
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
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July 01, 2011
Zombie Cheesecake DENIED!
A few weeks ago Worlds Best Comics, the store run by my friend BOB!1!tm was robbed. The thief made off with the register...on a Sunday night/Monday morning...This was a pretty bad hit for the store.
One of the more minor bits of fallout from this was only just realized this week: In the ensuing Chaos and confusion the Sentai Filmworks order for June was not placed...no HSotD on the 28th. This has been rectified....but there is no Zombie Cheesecake for Ken this weekend.
So I wait.
In the meantime I ponder spontaneous hydroponics.
I've cleaned my folks gutters 3 times this spring/summer...including less than a 2 weeks ago and yet... You know, there are people who PAY for hanging gardens and those who try very hard to get hydroponics systems to work. I should give them my parents gutters.
Anyway, as I was lying on the roof cleaning the gutters a fourth time in 3 months I encountered...a leech. Leeches are aquatic, not aboreal. They do not belong in my parents gutters. This leech was utterly wrong. A few minutes later along the gutter over the back of the house, I encountered wasps. Wasps fly and make nests under overhangs. These wasps were utterly correct...and yet I found the leech far less annoying.
Odd how that works.
A few weeks ago Worlds Best Comics, the store run by my friend BOB!1!tm was robbed. The thief made off with the register...on a Sunday night/Monday morning...This was a pretty bad hit for the store.
One of the more minor bits of fallout from this was only just realized this week: In the ensuing Chaos and confusion the Sentai Filmworks order for June was not placed...no HSotD on the 28th. This has been rectified....but there is no Zombie Cheesecake for Ken this weekend.
So I wait.
In the meantime I ponder spontaneous hydroponics.
Anyway, as I was lying on the roof cleaning the gutters a fourth time in 3 months I encountered...a leech. Leeches are aquatic, not aboreal. They do not belong in my parents gutters. This leech was utterly wrong. A few minutes later along the gutter over the back of the house, I encountered wasps. Wasps fly and make nests under overhangs. These wasps were utterly correct...and yet I found the leech far less annoying.
Odd how that works.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
12:24 PM
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June 28, 2011
Angelic Layer Post Script
Well, two months after my first post on this, I finally finished Angelic Layer. It was not what I expected, which is to say it was exactly what it claimed to be. It's a sports anime for girls, with bit of interpersonal drama thrown in. Its not my personal cup of tea but the story telling is solid and it's got a lot of interesting points. It is definitely aimed at young girls and is unusual in that it does not look like it would be condescending or insulting to them.
I was a bit surprised because I expected something of a change in direction midway through (after the big tournament) but it continues in the same vein with still bigger tournaments. One reason for my thinking this was that Chobbits is allegedly set in the same universe as this series a few years later. Therefore, I was expecting some, development regards sentient machines. The credits promo art and episode eycatches seemed to hint at something along those lines with the dolls. However, this is not the case.
A couple of things really stand out in the show. One is the very high degree of sportsmanship exhibited by most of the participants. Also, most of the tournament opponents are very well realized charachters in their own right. They are presented as not simply obstacles to our heroine, but sympathetic human beings with their own lives and backstories. Misaki, the protagonist, is a like-able person in her own right and does not need to learn to be a good person, she is one (this is CLAMP not Shonen Jump).
All in all I liked it. It is an episode or two too long in order to fill out the 26 episode run, but in that regard it is a FAR less egregious offender than many. It is well above average.
If one has a daughter this is probably a very good show to acquire. With that in mind the dub is decent and Jessica Boone does a fine job in the lead. However the dub does have one peculiar failing that I hadn't seen in years...about midway through the show, the direction seems to have changed and there is suddenly an emphasis on matching
the
mouth move-
-ments
in the a-
-nima
-tion to the di-
-alog. It's understandable but occasionally distracting. The actors themselves, aside from this odd direction do do a pretty good job.
I have a few other thoughts but they involve spoilers.
I was a bit surprised because I expected something of a change in direction midway through (after the big tournament) but it continues in the same vein with still bigger tournaments. One reason for my thinking this was that Chobbits is allegedly set in the same universe as this series a few years later. Therefore, I was expecting some, development regards sentient machines. The credits promo art and episode eycatches seemed to hint at something along those lines with the dolls. However, this is not the case.
A couple of things really stand out in the show. One is the very high degree of sportsmanship exhibited by most of the participants. Also, most of the tournament opponents are very well realized charachters in their own right. They are presented as not simply obstacles to our heroine, but sympathetic human beings with their own lives and backstories. Misaki, the protagonist, is a like-able person in her own right and does not need to learn to be a good person, she is one (this is CLAMP not Shonen Jump).
All in all I liked it. It is an episode or two too long in order to fill out the 26 episode run, but in that regard it is a FAR less egregious offender than many. It is well above average.
If one has a daughter this is probably a very good show to acquire. With that in mind the dub is decent and Jessica Boone does a fine job in the lead. However the dub does have one peculiar failing that I hadn't seen in years...about midway through the show, the direction seems to have changed and there is suddenly an emphasis on matching
the
mouth move-
-ments
in the a-
-nima
-tion to the di-
-alog. It's understandable but occasionally distracting. The actors themselves, aside from this odd direction do do a pretty good job.
I have a few other thoughts but they involve spoilers.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
10:46 PM
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June 27, 2011
Tomorrow!
I really hope this release is successful. I'm actually pulling for ZOMBIE ADV Sentai Filmworks, but in a larger sense, I suspect that sales of this show (which given buzz and subject ought to be a runaway hit) are going to be very closely scrutinized with regards to the future viability of the R-1 Market. In other words, if this isn't a hit the viability of companies like Sentai, Funimation and the others might be dubious indeed.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
01:08 PM
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June 18, 2011
Important Upcoming Dates
June 28!
August 2!
September 27!
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
09:06 PM
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This gets creepier still.
It seems that there is another Andrew Blake who is actually known and presumably respected in the charity/NGO community.
This bit of trivia might explain why this waste of skin got such high profile endorsements for his most recent venture (Which includes Starbucks).
UPDATE2:
Via Colleen Doran