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JoinedOct 12, 2009

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Feb 12, 2017

Space Pirate Captain Herlock: Outside Legend - The Endless Odyssey (Anime) add

Not Recommended

First of all. This is not an entry point into the series. If you want to get started on Captain Harlock then look elsewhere. Oh yeah. There was one other thing. Endless Odyssey is also shockingly bad. Most of the pieces are there. But they've all been assembled incorrectly.

Here's how I think the pitch meeting went down. In 2002 Madhouse presumably thought that anime fans wouldn't be interested in going back to watch a series that was over 20 years old at the time, if such a thing was even available to find at the time that is. I'd say that was a correct assumption. ... Especially considering the negative attitude most current anime fans has against pre-2000's shows. Instead this series is squarely aimed at people who had seen the original 1978 Captain Harlock series. Not a bad idea I suppose. Make a bit of money of some nostalgia. I'm sure Leiji Matsumoto wouldn't mind some licencing money so he could buy a ship in a bottle or some hair extensions for his wife. So what could go wrong?

I can only presume that whoever wrote this had never actually seen the original series. But instead had a drunken friend describe the show for him. Everything is explained to him in a series of half remembered plot points, vague explanations of the majority of the cast, a need to stress that manliness is one of the core aspects of the show and an extremely enthusiastic need to emphasize that Captain Harlock is a pretty cool guy. When the writer presses him for more information about Harlock and what makes him such a cool guy he had already passed out.

Endless Odyssey would claim to be a sequel to the original show. The Mazone invasion and the ending is referenced. Despite this Tadashi is not a former crew member. His father Professor Daiba is still alive somehow too. So it's kind of a continuity snarl I guess. But that's not exactly a deal breaker. On the surface everything looks like it checks out. A darker take on the original to reflect the fact that whoever caught the show when it originally aired was around their mid to late 20's when this came out. A pinch of horror atmosphere to go with that nostalgia. It's just a shame the plot is really dumb. The Earth is stolen(?!) by Cthulhu-esque horrors. None of that can faze Captain Harlock of course. He can just stare them down or whatever since he's such a cool guy. You're kind of pushing it here guys. The supernatural twist isn't really working.

But hey. What would a captain be without his crew? Well. Unfortunately they get the short end of the stick. Because all of the lovably crew of the Arcadia are criminally mishandled and underused. They're used for cheap nostalgia moments or callbacks. When they show up for the first time you're supposed to go "yaaaay!" ( Ok maybe I did get a bit excited when Miime first showed up. ) and then? They do pretty much nothing. None of them have any impact on the plot at all. A great supporting cast just squandered. And before you ask. No, Captain Harlock isn't bringing his A-game to carry the show. At best he's on auto-pilot. At the very worst he's grossly mischaracterized perhaps to make him seem more "cool". You're not expected to follow orders? Yeah it's not like he's the captain of the ship or anything. Fuck off. Yeah he let the crew do what they want when they were off-duty in the original. But they were all expected to follow his orders when it was go-time. Get this personality-free body snatcher off my screen and bring back the real captain. Even the voice actor for him is totally wrong. Sorry. Makio Inoue is the definitive Harlock. Anyone else just sounds like a pale imitation.

I will give Madhouse some credit though. The art is just wonderful. It is very faithful to the original work and lovingly rendered although with that modern shininess of course. The cast has never looked better though! Quirks of the original show such as the tall, slender women with long hair and the cartoonishly deformed small people are all accounted for. The Arcadia also looks great which is obviously of huge importance. I have no doubt that whoever drew this was a big fan. So I can only hope he never actually watched this. To match the "darker" tone and horror posturing the art is suitably dark. But good art can only get you so far. And for being an OVA the animation is nothing special. Pretty much just TV quality. Still I would call this show a visual treat. So it has something going for it.

I will also give it credit for a kind of interesting ending. And a relatively understated sense of masculinity. A breath of fresh air in an era where manliness is relegated to a post-ironic and over the top sideshow in anime. Don't think I need to name any examples there. You know what I'm talking about.

If you want to get into Harlock I'd suggest starting with the lavishly produced Arcadia Of My Youth movie and go from there. Endless Odyssey is for completionists only.

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Feb 5, 2017

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 (Anime) add

Recommended

The original Bubblegum Crisis is an iconic and stylish OVA that everyone should watch. It seems logical that remaking something that is so stylish would be going in waaaay over your head. And yet here we are! A good remake! Instead of trying to copy everything that made the original good and surely failing. It found its own strengths by taking the core of the original and doing something different, like a good remake should.

The year is 1998. Bubblegum Crisis 2040 was made into a 26 episode show presumably after AIC won the whole legal rights debacle by slicing the head of their former ... co-producers and absorbing their powers. Priss and the gang are back. Although obviously looking a bit different time around. They're still fighting boomers. And they still aren't exactly fans of the shady mega corporation Genom. That's the familiar core brought back.

A lot of the characters have changed though. With 26 episodes to work with there's no shortage of time to characterize them all. Unlike the original who only really bothered to characterize Priss and Nene properly. In this adaptation those two are more or less the same as the original. Priss being the cool and somewhat detached ace and Nene being the cutesy hacker working as their inside man in the AD Police. Linna actually gets to have a character this time around! Not only that but the show starts it's very first episode from her perspective as the idealistic small town girl going to Tokyo to get the most cyberpunk job of all. A shitty office job. High tech low life indeed. Still she wants to join the Knight Sabers that she heard about on the internet. As the devious Genom makes sure that the news don't report to them they're just a rumor. Sylia is given a new lease on life as a more mysterious ( with a mystery that's actually clearly explained this time around ) and tortured character with a seemingly personal vendetta towards boomers that plays a big part into the story. Yes! You heard me right. Story! This show actually tells a complete story from beginning to end unlike the original. Now I absolutely don't want to spoil any of it because it's quite a ride once it's set everything up. Although if you're at all familiar with the works of Chiaki Konaka who had a hand with the script of this series you can probably guess that it occasionally goes in some weird and dark directions. Not only that but they finally finished reading the "world building 101" book that they only briefly looked at in the original by actually showing the boomer working class that was so critical to the rebuilding efforts this time around ( although Crash did show some worker boomers as well ). Showing the general disdain that regular people seem to have towards boomers. Additionally Genom and Mason's motivations are a little more clear this time around too instead of just infinite resources to throw at anything and zero strategy other than being shady and shadowy for the sake of it. The story and characters is the one place where the remake clearly and unequivocally beats the original as it actually bothers to explain itself and expand on things rather than just bringing things up and then forgetting about it such as Priss' hatred for the AD Police for example.

Even though now AIC is way too busy coasting on it's former glories and IPs to make new and original shows. A fate that is tragically too common with old school studios. Back then at least it seems the studio had some smarts and probably knew they couldn't make this show as ultra stylish as the original, and instead playing to it's strength in the writing department. After all the OVA had months in between episodes to perfect its Blade Runner worshiping aesthetic instead of a TV schedule to deal with for one. If they tried I have no doubt it would've failed completely. Instead they settle for the tried and true classic 90's realism for their character designs. Although your mileage may vary when it comes to the redesign of the classic characters. I think the Priss redesign with the kind of spiky hair and sharper eyes captures the rebellious spirit of the original fairly well. The boomer designs are also more creative than the bootleg Terminators hidden in Genom secret service types that the original was so fond of. Everything from waitress boomers to Metal Gear style military boomers go mad. As they go mad they also grow monstrous and even eldritch looking at times. Liquid metal. I guess they updated from Terminator to Terminator 2 now that I think about it. Just because it's nowhere near as stylish as the original doesn't mean it looks bad. I prefer the 80's aesthetic of the old show and it's more detailed and alive looking take on the city. But it's certainly not without it's visually striking moments however. Though they mostly save those for around the end. The show is at it's most stylish when it's visually darker and shadowy in an almost horror-like manner. Perfectly complementing the monstrous boomers and making the Knight Sabers' opponents much more intimidating. Besides everyone knows sunlight and good lighting are the most un-cyberpunk thing in the world. It's animated well enough and fairly consistent. I only noticed one very odd slip up with Genom's chairman occasionally not moving his lips while talking for some strange reason. I guess Genom works in mysterious ways. Otherwise it's clear that care, polish and talent went into the series.

For the soundtrack you're getting served up some rock music. Just in case episode titles such as "Are You Experienced" "We Built This City" and "Shock Treatment" didn't clue you in. Although more alt rock and even sometimes industrial than the dad rock that the titles would suggest, some of them even being dad rock back in 98'. But atleast they didn't reference REO Speedwagon. I'm pretty sure it was mandated by international law to downtune your guitar in the 90's so you're getting a lot of that. For garnish you might get some acid bleeps and bloops that sounds like they came straight from a 303. Since Priss is still in a rock band she gets to play some songs too. But here I have to absolutely stress that you're not getting some sort of Konya Wa Hurricane showstoppers or even sequences where she gets to play a whole song while other stuff happens in some sort of montage. And even though I find the soundtrack to this show to have some good songs and it fits the tone of the show quite well ( I really like the OP song Y'know. The suspiciously sampled drums are delicious ) it comes up painfully and even embarrassingly short when compared to the lavish soundtrack of the original where the hits just kept on coming. AIC was probably aware of this and made the soundtrack more low key than the 80's excess original to avoid comparisons. Although I doubt it helped their case all that much. Priss' preformances are instead kept very short, presumably just as some sort of lipservice to the original. Or maybe to show that she has a hobby other than riding her officially mandated red cyberpunk motorcycle and being aloof.

I did love this show though. I was very fascinated by the mysteries that the series set up very early on. Such as Sylia's past and her volatile reaction and emotions towards boomers. And that even almost 10 years later Nene is still best girl. Of all things they even gave an explanations for why the Knight Sabers are all female, y'know besides the fact that they're more marketable that way. It's pacing is kind of deliberate in the beginning . And it keeps some of it's cards close to it's chest until the very end. But it all leads up to something special let's just put it that way.

As much as I love 80's anime aesthetic. And I know there's a lot of people out there that does too ( although they're not really to be found on great numbers on MAL ) keep in mind that not everything has to be made exactly like they did back then. There's joy to be had in exploring the different takes of different eras has on genres. It's a beauty that all mediums hold, not just anime. Ignorant nu schoolers that only watch seasonal stuff should definitely go back and watch the classics to actually get some sort of basic understanding of the medium they claim to love and it's rich history that might be lost if the community keeps going the way it is right now. And bitter old schoolers obviously needs to stop the Miyazaki style rambling and actually watch some good shows instead of just cherry picking the high school slice of shlock shows as examples. Unless they're mech-heads ofcourse then I'll pass them a 40' and bow my head with them in remembrance of when Sunrise used to be good studio.

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Jan 11, 2017

Najica Dengeki Sakusen (Anime) add

Recommended

First of all. If fan service is a complete and total deal breaker for you then move along citizen. Nothing to see here. But if you can tolerate it, or heaven forbid, even enjoy it from time to time then let's continue.

Najica Blitz Tactics is an episodic action series from 2001. It's about secret agent Najica on missions to capture humaritts who are basically androids. On her spare time she drives around in her totally rad Shelby Cobra looking car while getting the yuri stare from her co-workers at her perfumer cover job. Also her partner Lila is a humaritt. Their interactions and relationship is ... really the X factor that kept me interested in the show. With Lila's robotic literal mindedness being fertile ground for some pretty funny scenes. I'd say the humor is kind of low key though. And I think tagging it as a comedy is a mistake. It's more of a comedic relief kind of thing. I think the show is very funny when it wants to be though. And I'm sure there's a share of the viewership who'd think the show is at times unintentionally funny. Your mileage may vary I guess. On the way there's the tried and true "learning about human emotions" and "what does it mean to be human" themes sort of sprinkled in. Like a diet Ghost in the Shell of sorts. Or if Philip K. Dick ate alot of pocky and owned a bunch of body pillows. It's not exactly super profound, although it has it's moments of surprising depth. And it elevates what would otherwise be very shlocky into what is in my mind a pretty watchable and entertaining show. Against all odds it won me over by going above and beyond the call of duty for a show of this caliber.

It has an excessive amount of fan service however. Much like Agent Aika which was also made by the same studio. You won't find any female characters wearing pants or shorts that are comfy and easy to wear here. Short skirts is what's on the menu with more panty shots than gunshots. Leaving most casual observers to dismiss the show offhand as ecchi trash like say, Queen's Blade. And it goes without saying that it attracts certain cynical viewers watching shows in bad faith. Perhaps to pad their MyAnimeList, for ironic chuckles or to leave scathing reviews on anime websites. Who can say? But since the show is pretty upfront about it you have only yourself to blame if you get upset about it. Aika was a better looking protagonist than Najica though. Since the 90's perfected the mature office lady look. Just saying.

This was made by a Studio Fantasia ( Another casualty of the travesty of a year that was 2016 when they filed for bankruptcy. RIP. ). A bunch of jobbers with a production credits list mostly reading like a who's who of ignored anime. They presumably made this with a fistful of yen and pocket lint as it's production budget. Reeking of sweatshop animation labor, cup noodles for dinner and Korean outsourcing. Something that's not helped by the fact that it was made in the early 00's. The awkward transition to digital art churning out some of the very worst looking shows in all of anime history. As a result the show looks pretty bad by default. Character designs are pretty uninspired fare mostly just distinguishable by hair color and style. ( Shoutout to Najica rocking what I'd describe as some sort of mullet. ) And when the animators get lazy, or outsourced. Seeing as how there's some suspiciously Korean sounding names in the credits, it's a truly horrific sight to behold. You're in for some occasional QUALITY in other words. But occasionally some animation slave pit overseer cracked the whip to produce closeups with actual shading and semi-decent animation in fights on special occasions. Overall though the show looks terrible. But that's par for the course in that dark age of animation. And those panties are never off-model I guess. You got to give them that. If only it was made a few years before or after though...

Oh. And the jazzy soundtrack is also pretty rad. Not once did I skip the OP or ED. The ED in particular ended up being one of my favorite of all time to be honest. A definite highlight of the series for sure.

In the end I liked it. Check your cynicism at the door and maybe you'll find that it's a pretty decent show. Who cares if people judge you online in your taste of Mongolian motion drawings. They're probably watching worse stuff than you are anyway. And pour out your 40' or Mt. Dew for ADV while you're at it. Rest in peace you guys.

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Jul 26, 2012

Eiken: Eikenbu yori Ai wo Komete (Anime) add

Recommended

At my job as a cashier I sometimes use the downtime to watch the junkies and alcoholics that hang outside the church across the street, and sometimes I ponder how the manage to gather the money to fund their frequent trip to my store to buy cigarettes and alcohol only to get distracted by a neurotic woman that wants to buy a pregnancy test. But anyway, the other times I use to reflect opon the finest entertainment I've consumed over the years of staring at a computer screen. Needless to say one stands head and shoulders over the rest.

The one

The only

Eiken

With a colorful cast of ... characters who's names I almost remember and a plot that rivals the best that cinema has to offer ( yes, even Rats: Nights of Terror ) it's not hard to see that Eiken is a anime that defined a generation.

Uninformed detractors might say something along the lines of "If you want a picture of Eiken, imagine a pair of breasts smacking into a human face, forever." which would be unfair considering the deep emotional, philosophical and political issues that Eiken touches on such as love, the role of women in society, body image, cross dressing and subtle imagery that could take weeks or maybe even months for your mind to digest properly.

While many remember this terrific series for it's truly magnificent artwork and not to mention the realistic yet subtly sensual imagery I personally feel that the story is what makes Eiken such a masterpiece. Our main character Densuke is a complex man in a relatable situation struggling to prove his love to a woman suffering from chronic back pains because of her tragically over sized breasts and to prove himself as something other than your run-of-the-mill playboy he joins their secret club and enter a contest. ( I'm particularly fond of the famous yogurt slide scene as I'm sure most viewers are, I will go into this more deeply later ) The stakes are high, my pulse got high, the writer may or may not have been high and it all adds up to a truly artistic spectacle unlike anything else seen in anime, cinema or dadaist art.

Despite being a progressive piece of art, Eiken still follows some standard narrative conventions, Densuke has a rival to face in the competition. Our antagonist is thrown into the mix for a love triangle of sorts, the likes that many novels have probably taken inspiration from. Being a very forward thinking series I won't spoil the ending, it'll leave you shocked, surprised and possibly even a bit aroused.

I'll now touch opon my favorite scene in Eiken, the yogurt slide. Because it's filled to the brim and beyond with social commentary about human nature and the likes. To win the yogurt slide the team must be touching each other or lose the game. Paralleling the hardships of life in a way that is both unique and touching ( no pun intended ). When we as a species lose our connection with each other we fragment and eventually start fighting and as such we lose the game of life. Fighting over things like oil, land and different beliefs. Eiken sees that the only way to win the game of life is to stick together through the ups and downs. Then we can all emerge victorious and finally evolve to the next level as human beings. This is the message I took most to heart and try to live by.

It's a shame that in anime and cinema alike women have been mainly shown as nothing but pinups and sex objects. But where Eiken has earned most of its rightly gained acclaim is its sensitive portrayal of women both in the writing and the artistic department, shunning the exploitative industry standard. In fact, the art is probably what most viewers will remember. Vividly animated and beautifully drawn in a way that would make Hayao Miyazaki positively green with envy. It draws the viewer in and never lets go, much in the same way a magnificent painting would. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in Eiken's case I think ten thousand is a more realistic estimate.

I simply can't recommend Eiken enough. So go pick up a copy of it, even the dub is fantastic which many anime fans will say is quite a rarity. Our time here on Earth is short and it should be spent watching the finest in entertainment. Thankfully I'll be here to point them out.

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