June 17, 2007
This is a repost from my old blog....primarily as a public service to protect people from making this same terrible terrible mistake....
While over at Pulp Junkie and Gorilla Daze,
they astutely watched really cool (or at least creative) things this
weekend, I am stuck with the awful knowledge that I just spent money on
Grenadier.
Some time ago, I saw episode one which looked promising, I was told that this show was very much like Trigun, which I was very fond of, so when the econopack came available I picked it up.
Unfortunately, it is completely UNlike Trigun
in every meaningful way...except in that the main character has a
pistol. Although the first episode is promising, it is, regrettably,
followed by episode 2 which, sadly, is followed by episode 3...this
unwelcome trend continues 9 more times.
The story is
disjointed, the pacing is bad and the animation (with the exception of
gratuitous bosomy bouncing) is below even most '90s television norms.
The
show is a cliche' buffet that seems to have been put together by
brainstorming and taking elements from various shows that were popular
at the time...
"guns...check"
"blonde heroine with same...check"
"ronin sidekick...check"
"cute kid sidekick...check"
"a
way to realistically work rubber bunny suits with push-up-bras into a
epidode concerned with alpine survival....no...but what the heck"
The main charachters are likeable but essentially cut-outs.
Rushana Tendou, the smiling gunfighter:
her goal is to spread peace and love and turn people away from the ways
of war...she travels from village to village smiling and living like a
monk trying to defuse conflicts...but as her only real skill other than
a winsome smile and an hourglass figure is an almost magical competence
with her revolver...action abounds. She not just well proportioned, she
is top-heavy almost to the point of diminishing returns. The shows only
glimmer of imagination is turning this bit of fan service into the
shows signature stock-footage moment...
..this delightfully silly speedloading technique... 
This should've been the greates show evah!
Yajiro Kojima:
Mark 1 Mod 1 ronin (wandering masterless Samurai). He hates
gunfighters, considering them cowards, but he is impressed with
Rushana's genuine chivalry and sincerity, and so joins her.
Mikani Kurenai:
Mark 1 Mod 2 kid the sidekick her parents were your typical fudal era
rubber balloon artisans (!!!) and were killed by a band of thugs. She
has the skills of a master balloon craftsman and can fashion any sort
of latex inflatable thing on short notice....but as there is no latex
or plastic readily available one suspects that she's actually a mutant
or something and is excreting the rubber...(I prefer to think of it as
a latex summoning spell, that bothers me less)
This should have
been a decent show especially with the screwball wackieness implied by
the reload antics and kids bizarre skillset, but it plods along looking
for a plot until suddenly our heroes find a price on their heads....put
on them by Rushana's sensei...which then devolves into a stock
meet-specialist-bounty-hunter/warrior-of-the-day cliche' for several
eps....Then...suddenly...the villain is revealed......to be reason...
...no
really. The big bad is some clown in 18th century European garb who
explains that the heroines hippie feelgood "get in touch with your
feelings"philosophy is no match for the "enlightenment of evil". So we
have sentimental emotional fluff opposed to the nashty trixie concepts
of the enlightenment.
...just wrong on so many levels.
How bad?
At one point a roving band of rapist thieves are defeated, but in the spirit of feel-goodery they are all given jobs in the brothel they were trying to seize/loot/pillage...so....ummm...everybody wins(?!!)
Even given different cultural mores in Japan, I can't get past that...it is just vile.
Additionally, the peeping Tom humor and fan service gets old quick and there's even a loathsome scene with an old man feeling up his granddaughter (which is supposed to be funny).
Finally, if you are in it for the guns, our heroines muzzle brake is on the bottom....meaning it would accentuate felt recoil....just stupid...this is a really minor point compared to the utter lack of focus....but damn.
The show makes an interesting contrast with Van-Dread, another show that cobbled together a series of cliches' and fan service to make a show. In that case despite the silliness of the premise, it was a very satisfying, action packed, superbly paced and even thoughtful show with really impressive character development.
Right Way...Wrong Way
This show is just painting by numbers....badly....no vision, no spark, no clue.
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This series, like Van Dread, had hype around it that had been fairly off-putting, I'd gotten the impression that it was a Naruto clone and mainly a fight show...neither of which is my cup of tea.
In fact, it is a clever and engaging superhero show, which I did not really expect.
Ichigo Kurosaki would be a normal Japanese high-school student were it not for two things, he is of mixed race and has his late mothers blond hair...which served to get him beaten up throughout his childhood, but has contributed to his being extremely good at fisticuffs...oh and he sees dead people.Like the one behind him in the picture....
Yes Ichigo can see spirits, ghosts, and as he soon discovers other things that exist on the astral plane.
He lives with his 2 sisters and rather stressed out father who runs a small private medical practice. (Dad has not adjusted well to Moms death and although he is a good doctor, and basically decent sort, he is a holy terror of bizarre behavior around the house) Although a bit hotheaded, Ichigo is a remarkably decent fellow with a strong sense of ethics. In fact he is one of the more likable heroes of recent years.
Kurosaki Yuzu is one of his younger sisters.With her light colored hair and sunny demeanor, she seems to take
after their late mother. She tries hard to fill in for Mom. She cooks,
she cleans, and is generally domestic. She very much hopes someday to
be able to see ghosts too....which she thinks would be the "coolest
thing!"Kurosaki Karin Yuzu's fraternal twin sister looks, and acts utterly different. She is fairly dour, in part because she CAN see ghosts....but she says is in denial about it...the whole thing seriously creeps her out. she wants to be normal...but thanks to circumstances, is basically a goth in spite of herself.
Kuchiki Rukia A "shinigami" currently assigned to Japan (shinigami translates as Death God...but in the
English dub it is translated , perhaps wisely, as "soul reaper" ).She is part of an astral order that deals with problems of the spirit realm. Specifically, she helps the spirits of the dead move onto the next level, (a place called the "soul society") and fights monsters ( "hollows" ) on the astral plane that feed upon the spirits of the dead....and occasionally the living.
Note that although the soul reapers exist in another dimension/plane or whatever...they do most of their work amongst us, but in spirit form...and thus are invisible to most people.
Rukia is extremely competent, professional, and dedicated.(Top of her class, all that).
She also claims to be very old and, at the beginning of the show, has the powers of a minor god. Although she does most of her work on earth in spirit form, she has the ability to interact with humans by channeling her spirit into a human looking body she keeps stashed for emergencies in her area of responsibility. (But what is the likelihood that she'd EVER have to do that? )
Rukia is really impressive and likable character. Brave, as well as practical, she is able to think on her feet and adapt to the most dangerous...and ignominious....situations.
Chad A soft spoken giant on the rare occasions he chooses to speak at all, Chad is a classmate of Ichigo...and one of a handful of people Ichigo genuinely admires. He has unbelievable physical strength. However, out of
fear of killing someone (likely well founded...he can break concrete and bend steel) he never fights back...against humans. He is remarkably tough though, as well as idealistic, and physically brave to a fault. Chad chooses to speak so little, that he has a reputation for being a bit "slow". It is a reputation quite undeserved.
Other characters are revealed as the show progresses, but their explanation involves spoilers...
...such as this, which is simply the most awesomest bird EVER!
Of course explaining superhero origins is usually going to involve episode one spoilers...
...with that in mind...
more...
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June 13, 2007
This has been "coming" for 7 years or more, and I thought the whole project was dead, but thanks to Shamus I have something to look forward too in video games.
The first 2 Fallout games, were among the best of the single player RPGs of there time, and they still have considerable replay value. They had a neat system, interesting world and an optimism that transcended their post apocalyptic setting. They also had consequences....both good and bad for ones actions. Finally, they tended to not leave one feeling particularly "unclean".
They certainly are keeping the same aesthetic. I'm not really concerned with the "real time vs. turn based" debate, both have perks. I just hope this keeps the same overall feel.
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June 10, 2007
• Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep.
• Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit.
• Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game.
...or looking below the fold
more...
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I'm super-busy and still on active duty but I do note that for some reason there suddenly seem to be several shows competing for the very narrow demographic of...Ken....
Moonlight Mile:After scaling Mt. Everest, mountain climbing partners Saruwatari Gorou and "Lostman" Jack F. Woodbridge see the ISA Space Station, and each vows to make the trek into outerspace. When Helium 3, a new energy source, is discovered on the moon, NASA forms a new project named "Nexus" to harness that energy for use on earth. This is the story of the two and the paths they take to see their dream become a reality in the quest to harness the next-generation energy source. From ANN.
This show, despite its optimistic tag line, looks (from the credits) to be a quite intense seat of the pants thriller...in fact it looks rather grim (but still cool)
Hell...near future space tale that has helium 3 mining....damn strait I'm gonna watch it.
Rocket Girls: A private space launch company testing a rocket in the Solomons is having spectacular failures with their newest rocket prototype. They need some manned launches or their investors will bail. They fall back on their previous (successful) model but due to its vastly lower thrust they must cut weight dramatically...Thus a young , very petite Japanese girl....while roaming the Solomon Islands in search of her long lost father is able to get a part time job...astronaut.
This one looks really cute.
And on an utterly silly note....the secret history of space travel is revealed in...
Oh! Edo Rocket! : A group of fireworks artisans in the late Edo period of Japan, are thrown into unemployment when the shogun bans fireworks
(this actually happened).
They continue to secretly build and test fireworks in defiance of the law
(this probably happened)
Tamaya Seikichi is determined to build a rocket that can go higher than any has before
(this could have happened)
....While on the lam from authorities he is a approached by a mysterious young lady of dubious hair color...who asks him and his gang of carpenters, carnies and a renegade mathematician to build her a rocket big enough to take her to the moon....
(Golly! I never knew about that!)
This certainly has potential...I mean it sounds like October Sky meets a Samurai Show .....with circus freaks and fireworks!
Thanks to Pulp Junkie and Don for the pointers!
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June 08, 2007
Somebody...
Explain this...
...please.
(via the mad commentors of Wonderduck)
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June 04, 2007
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June 02, 2007
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....I dunno who 'shopped it, but they've captured the very essence of nightmares!
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June 01, 2007
I've seen 2 and a half episodes.
I will say that I think the decision to present the show in order (as opposed to broadcast order) is one of the more ill-conceived of the last several years.
Still what I have seen is quite intriguing and there is a subbed version!
Update: In a related Post at Chizumatic Stephen Den Beste has thoughts on bunny suits and marriage....no really.
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Latest UNSPEAKABLE cruelty in the 1st comment to this timely, insightful and socially relevant post.
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May 22, 2007
...until now...thanks to You Tube.
...and part 2
Keep in mind this was done by fans...painting cells the old fashioned way....with little or no computer assistance. It is actually a pretty damned impressive accomplishment.
UPDATE: It actually compares well in animation quality to this early Daicon video by what became the Gainax people.
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May 18, 2007
A RAMPAGING GORILLA!!
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — A 400-pound gorilla escaped from its enclosure and ran amok in a Rotterdam zoo Friday, biting one woman, dragging her around and causing scenes of panic among dozens of families before being subdued, zoo officials said.
My life is now complete.
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I dunno, I'm busy but here's a roundup....
Astro has thoughts on the new anime "season" I'm really looking forward to "Darker than Black".
Pete Zaitcev has 7 irons in the fire at the moment.
Pulp Junkie has reviews of All Quiet on the Western Front...the silent version of The Last of The Mohicans and is doing capsule reviews of TCM's programming.
Over at Gorilla Daze, Allan Harvey has been blogging up a storm of comic book related reviews and history...and he has a very special cover of the week...well...at least the slash writes itself.
There are always gems at Chizumatic, but the fact that there are no permalinks there mean one must check in frequently to catch the fleeting, ephemeral goodness.
UPDATE: Wonderduck has posted thoughts on the news shows as well, with minimal overlap.
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May 16, 2007
What he does do is make a scurrilous and disrespectful assertion....Namely that Van Dread is NOT based on a video game.
Well, I was told when I first saw the show that it was based on a video game, and anyway, it should be easy to verify ...so after over an hour of Googling for "Van Dread Video Game"...and wading through the horrifically foetid search results of "Van Dread H-Game"...I can only conclude that...I've been punk'd.
Savor your victory Stephen....
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May 13, 2007
Due to writers block.... and the pressing need to let people over here know where I stand on the all important issues of the day....here is a rather reworked repost from my old blog. 
10:Roberta (From Black Lagoon)
Not even a main character but a sort of guest star, Roberta nevertheless manages to make the list.
A former commie terrorist with the FARC, Roberta was inspired as so many youths are by revolutionary rhetoric. However, after some years of carrying the banner for Che's murderous descendants, she became increasingly sickened by the vast gulf between the revolutionary rhetoric she heard and the reality she saw.
Roberta had honed her skills to a razor edge, becoming a frighteningly effective guerrilla fighter and an infamous assassin. Over time the results on her actions and the horrific nature of her organization began to blow upon the few smoldering embers deep within the charred remnants of her conscience. Her conscience was finally set fully aflame when she saw communisms true nature reflected the glassy eyes of a dead child staring up from a mass grave.
...as it so often is ....
Leaving the movement was very nearly an act of suicide in that part of Columbia but she succeeded through sheer skill in not getting killed. Marked for death by both the Government she now grudgingly supported and the murderous thugs she had renounced, she, rather astonishingly, offered her services as penance to one of the rich landowners she had previously been trying to kill. Even more astonishingly, the old man took her in and accepted her offer to work as a bodyguard for his surviving household.When introduced, is is his sole surviving household servant.
Nominally a maid, Roberta is also the body guard for the family child.She takes this job very seriously.
In addition to training as an assassin, terrorist and guerrilla, Roberta has superb organizational skills and is an effective maid.
She is is not however, a particularly competent cook.... her employer doesn't seem to mind this.
Appearing in only a few episodes of the series, one might be forgiven for wondering why she's on the list...
Let us review
She's a hot, smart, competent Latin girl...
who is almost always in a maid outfit....
...while wearing glasses...
...annd she really hates commies
PLUS SHE HA..HAS THE CONTENTS OF A WHOLE YEARS WORTH OF G..G..GUNS AND AMMO ON HER PERSON!!
And she's great with kids!
'nuff said.
9:Lum (From Urusei Yatsura) An alien princess with dainty little horns, elf ears, green hair, the ability to fly and her preferred costume is a tigerskin bikini. She is a weirdness magnet and is funny to boot...What's not to like?
OK, the lightning bolts, and the jealousy...and the temper...but given that she found herself in an arraigned marriage to idiot lechmonger Ataru Moriboshi , and is trying heroically to make her marriage work, those "flaws" are quite forgivable.
Besides...she's frickin' LUM....of course she'd be on the list!
8: Lafiel (From Crest Of the Stars) The whole 'Space Princess' character type is a bit of a cliche', but Lafiel is quite interesting (as is this rather under-rated series). Though somewhat ambivilant about her role as royalty, sheever does not fall into the 'poor little princess' funk and carries herself with considerable grace. She is a genuinely likable and sympathetic character.
At the start of the series Lafiel is a freshly commissioned (space) ensign who happens to be in line for the throne of the Abh Empire..she is also quite inexperienced.
She is a good judge of character though. While she and her male co-star/significant other are not exactly pivotal players in the events of grand cosmic drama that unfold around them, they must face down and survive considerable dangers and ethical issues. Both characters are pretty much punching above their weight throughout the entire series. Lafiel is loyal unpretentious and dutiful.
Courageous both physically and morally, she is also extremely smart and grows into the role of command quite well ....Of course, she's also got that whole blue-haired-pointy-eared-never-gets-old-space-elf thing going too.
7:Yomiko Readman (from Read or Die and Read or Dream) One of the better superhero concepts of recent years, the scatterbrained but brilliant Yomiko brings new meaning to the word "Bond paper", for she has the unusual superpower of combat origami!
Even when the second series jumps the shark towards the end, Yomikos' sense of ethics, loyalty and general competence are sufficiently engaging to give the increasingly outlandish show direction and meaning. Yomiko is a genuinely decent person.
And it's just plain hard to top a cute, super-powered, bibliophillic, nerd girl
6:Yuki Mori (Nova Forrester) From Space Cruiser Yamato (Starblazers) One of the few women in the crew of the Yamato (Argo) and likely the only female to survive the phyrric first voyage of that storied ship.
The unbelievably competent Nova is the ships radar operator and counts among her collateral duties, assistant science officer, pilot, and paramedic. Her quick thinking saves the ship (and thereby humanity) more than once and she ultimately is willing to sacrifice her life for the sake of humanity...though she...um...got better....
..and there was much rejoicing!
Nova also manages to pull off wearing what is one of the most unflattering spandex /color combinations of any uniform ever conceived...and still not look half bad...all while exuding an air of professionalism that transcends that outfit.
5:Sayaka Yumi: (From Mazinger Z) Tenacity personified, giant robot test pilot Sayaka Yumi sallies forth every week in the experimental robot Aphrodite Ace to battle the
fearsome robotic automatons of Doctor Hell.
Unfortunately she is a chick in a '70's robot show and her mighty steed is actually an experimental agricultural robot, with limited strength and durability, hastily fitted with an armament of exactly 2 missiles, which provide the dubious contraption with an impressive bosom...until they are fired..
(I'm not making this up ...Go Nagai did).
Sayaka and her well endowed robot are almost always thrashed , badly, while running interference for the super combat robot Mazinger Z.
Yet despite the odds stacked so high against her, Sayaka never gives up. Indeed, more than once she actually saves the day. (At one point in fact, she manages to singlehandedly take out the largest villain robot in the whole Mazinger/ Grandizer continuity!)
Sayaka keeps going and facing impossible odds through sheer force of indomitable will. She is also fiercely loyal to her beau, and she's got a way cooler form fitting yellow outfit than some people. (art by Ryu)
4:Lady Eboshi (From Princess Mononoke)
An astounding character, Lady Eboshi has carved out a place for herself in a world that considers her very existence an affront.
Eboshi is a noblewoman who achieves independence for her little fiefdom in feudal Japan. Despised by all who have power, she offers sanctuary to the outcasts of society, prostitutes, lepers and debtors.
Between the corrupt and covetous baronies on one side and the ferocious forest beasts on the other, she makes her stand to protect her people. For a time she perseveres through tactical and diplomatic brilliance as well as technical innovation and scientific know-how personified in her expertise with firearms.
Not perfect by any means, she still an awesome and admirable character
.
Additionally, in the American version she is voiced by Minnie Driver....who has one of the sexiest voices in the whole world!
3:Meia Gisbourne (from VanDread) VanDread is a show that displays all of the natural warning signs of suckage...(It's advertized as a harem AND mech show, it's based on a video game, it involves a war between
men & women, and is riddled with technobabble and magical McGuffins of "technology")...yet it is a surprisingly nice, heavilly character oriented bit of fantasy.
Likewise, Anime (and sci-fi in general) is full of hard-ass warrior 'beeotches' with attitude.
Most are boring (or loathsome) 2 dimensional parodies of viking berserker's.
Meia Gisbourne is not one of those.
The senior flight leader for the fighter wing of a group of female pirates (ALL female...there is a battle of the...NO literally a BATTLE of the sexes going on at the beginning of the series).
Meia is a paragon of competence, and professionalism. She does everything in her power to save the members of her squadron that survived the pilot, putting aside her bigotries to lead by example.
When she is asked to integrate a male pilot into her outfit she does so under protest but is quick to recognize his potential and works to safeguard him as she would any other member of her crew. The fact that the male hero (her subordinate) and her never become romantically involved is a refreshing change of pace in and of itself. There is considerable professional respect between them though. She also helps develop a fine Esprit Des Corps for her perpetually outnumbered squadron.
The portrayal of her command and leadership skills is surprisingly realistic and said skills are genuinely impressive. Meia is astoundingly well realized for a fictional officer ( for example, she makes mistakes and learns from them) and is one of fairly 
few "ace pilots" in science fiction to be both believable and likable. This is all the more remarkable given the alternatively terrifying and screwball situations she finds her suddenly mismatched flight team up against.
Noble, professional, and displaying a rare combination of physical and moral courage, Meia is presented as a fine example of what an junior officer should be .
This is a surprising find in any anime. It is an absolutely astounding one when it's a female in a mecha/harem comedy. 
2:Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Warrior, aviatrix, scientist and diplomat, Nausicaa is the princess of a tiny principality in a distant post-apocalyptic future.
Nausicaa is brave as they come and sharp as a tack. She is a beacon of reason and decency in a truly horrific age.
Although in she has scientific equipment not far advanced beyond "stone knives and bearskins" she uses rationalism, logic and science to determine the true purpose of the toxic forest and realizes that mankind's greatest threat is also potentially its salvation.
A cross between Annie Oakley, Ben Franklin and Joan of Arc, Nausicaa , through her optimism, determination and courage makes a tale that should by all rights be an utterly dystopic, post-apocalyptic nightmare, into a story of great and inspiring hope.
Oh, and she's cute, she can fly a weird ultra-lite-seagull thing
...and she doesn't get all freaked out by bugs!
1:Kyoko Otanashi (from Maison Ikkoku) Looking tantalizingly like InuYasha's Kagome might if she weren't...you know...umm...jailbait,
Er,
The lovely widow Kyoko Otanashi is the owner and manager of a small boarding house filled with the weirdest of tenants. She is deeply loyal...to a fault...remaining chaste for a very long time out of respect for her late husband.
Kyoko is optimistic, competent and deals with the peculiar types of weirdness life throws at her with considerable grace and aplomb. Happily, she does eventually manage to find someone new.
She's a cute sane, competent woman who falls for a man, who, despite being well beyond typical college age, is trying to pursue a college education despite considerable obstacles and setbacks!!!!!
WHICH MAKES HER THE HOTTEST ANIME BABE EVAH!!!!
Update:Fixed formatting, spelling and factual errors.
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May 12, 2007
It's the random anime plot generator!
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37 queries taking 0.0408 seconds, 130 records returned.
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