Gen X Otaku 1971: the OG blog

As I said, I'm delighted that SAO and Fate/Zero, as well as Tiger and Bunny are getting an English dub. I understand why some shows are way too niche, like Bakemonogatari, to warrant an English dub. And then there are absolute travesties, like Toradora! not getting an English dub.

Also currently watching...and listening to...

I remembered a few other shows I'm currently watching but didn't get to talk about below because I was kind of under time constraints at the time, gettting ready to head out and attend services at Houston Oaisis, a freethought community gathering that I am an intermittent member of, from time to time.

Anyway, I am also working my way through the old school Anime The Slayers; it's a 1990s anime that's a "Sword & Sorcery" epic told in an action/comedy style, with emphasis on comedy and being zany.  It reminds me of some of the hand drawn cartoons one used to find at the back of Dragon magazine back in the day (the U.S. publication of that name).  Ironically enough, it was originally serialized in a Japanese periodical of the same name first.  Netflix has all the original volumes save the first one.  I tried to watch the first few episodes online but the Episode 1 that I happened to find and watch a sub for must have been for The Slayers: Next or some later series.  I tried to watch Episode 2 and did find it and in English as well, but the action in it didn't jive with the Episode 1 I'd just watched in Japanese so I gave up in frustration and just started watching in medias res from about episode 7 onward.  It was not too bad and I did not get overly confused in so doing.  I am now waiting to receive & view Disc 4 from Netflix, and then will pick up with Disc 1 of The Slayers: Next, which is the sequel as far as I can tell.  The dub is adequate but not great.  The only noteworthy actors that are familiar to me today are Lisa Ortiz (Lina) and Crispin Freeman (Zelgadis).

I am also infrequently watching the rather trippy Requieum from the Darkness which is sort of a Twilight Zone-esque Anime set in what feels like early 19th century Japan.  It's slightly more interesting, creepy, and visually interesting than Mushi Shi, though a little heavy handed with the CGI.  At least it's not boring, so I will probably keep on watching this show.

I also attended an accidental screening of the first four epsiodes of the classic Pioneer anime series Tenchi Muyo, a recent license rescue by FUNimation.  It's another 1990s anime show that was the grandfather of many lesser harem shows that followed it.  It's goofy and very stupid but at least marginally entertaining.  We were supposed to watch the Baka & Test OVAs but because the run-time on those is only 60 minutes total, Rommel made an unnounced schedule change at the last minute, the day of the screening.  I'd already put in my food order so I figured I might as well stay and watch it, even if my enthusiasm fell off markedly at first.  I have no intention of buying Tenchi Muyo, but the original Pioneer series is still available on rental DVD from Netflix so I will probably get around to finishing that original series fairly soon.  Maybe as a way to take a break from The Slayers, say.  There's still a lot of classic anime not on streaming but only on DVD that I still want to get around to watching legally without pirating a fan sub or the English dub illegally.  I recently finished the ESCAFLOWNE box set, and do want to re-watch the ESCAFLOWNE movie, but I also want to pick up and watch the whole Rahxephon box set as well.  I got to watch Ep.6 and Ep.7 recently at a private screening hosted by the Houston Anime Meetup and was duly impressed with the show.  I want to pick up with Episode 1 and watch the whole thing through to the end.  Ive heard Rahxephon described as Evangelion done better with a slightly less whiny protagnoist.  It definitely got high marks from the ANNCast "Best of the 2000s" panel, whose opinions I value highly.  I also need to get around to eventually watching Patlabor 2, even though I own the inferior Bandai dub and not the superior Manga Entertainment dub recommended by Zac & Justin.

I have also discovered a number of new fan-generated Anime podcasts that I'm quite enthusiastic about.  I love the Anime 3000 network and downloaded their app; it's not free but it's money well spent for literally hours of entertainment and information.  I also discovered Alpha Counter and Method to Madness, both of which I like.  See also Fightbait.com and "Fast Karate for the Gentleman" as well as The Anime Addicts Anonymous" podcast.  Don't get me wrong, I love the well polished productions of ANNCast and A.W.O., but sometimes you gotta just embrace the fan nerdery out there, shows like 2Lazy2bOtaku, that actually discuss shows I'm actually currently watching myself and are therefore relevant to my interest and experience.  Since I'm a dub fan, I'm usually about 1 year out of touch/date with my fellow sub-only otaku.

Speaking of dubs, I'm delighted to hear announced that Sword Art Online, though an Aniplex release, like Fate/Zero, will indeed be getting an English dub.  Fate/Zero is also slated to get an English dub as well.  I first learned of this via Ani.me, ("Any dot me") which is an excellent website and iPhone app.  I'm very happy I will get to see this phenomenal sounding show in English.  I am also looking forward to getting my mitts on a copy of Tiger and Bunny, Season 1, also dubbed into English by BangZoom!, who will be doing the dubs for SAO and Fate/Zero and who did the dub for Redline.  Yes, finally got around to watching my Redline Blu-Ray and it was fantastic.

I know the Madoka Magica movies are still out there being screened but unlike the TV series no dubs announced yet.  I can keep hoping, nonetheless.  I have the 2013 Madoka Magica calendar but I wonder if it is inspired by the movie because a lot of the artwork depicts scenes that were never part of the TV series that I can remember.  I converted my Jan/Feb page of that calendar into a "normal" poster by cutting off its edges with the date info and border using a paper cutter and hung it up in my cubicle at work.  I also hung up a Megatokyo poster there as well, and I also have pinned up a lot of anime title postcard announcements of new titles as well.  My cubicle is a vertitable shrine of Anime goodness.  I do keep the more moe/ecchi stuff at home, however.

Anyway, that's a good summary of what I've been up to in Anime  & Manga land lately...

 

The Last Airbender by M. Night Shyamalan.

 

I have seen the entire AVATAR: The Last Airbender cartoon series by Nickelodeon via Netflix streaming.  I liked it so much that I ended up ordering the box sets of the 3 seasons as well which now proudly sit on my DVD shelving.

A friend suggested that it would be better to watch the live-action The Last Airbender first, before the cartoon, and there is probably some merit in this but I did not do so.

But I did get around to watching it, and in the main, I can say, it's not that bad.  It's not good by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not terrible either.  Its main faults lie in a poorly written script and bad acting from inexperienced child actors.  The film does not tell the entire story and concludes with the season finale at the North Pole, with its climatic battle and resolution.

The following critique really nails a lot of what is wrong with the movie, and does so in a way that makes me laugh every time:

 

I think I would've been more appreciative of the film if they would've taken themselves less seriously and been a bit more Zany. I can accept the Fire Nation being changed to being more South Asian, resembling Indians and Pakistanis--but if they were going to go that route, I'd almost rather they went "Full Bollywood" with it, cheese it up with more camp, especially given the lackluster performances elsewhere. Either that or cast Sokka with a genuine comedic actor like Clark Duke, say, and give him a script that exploits his comedic genius; What's interesting is how much more emotionally compelling the voice actors' performances were over the live action cast...the best part of the movie DVD are the special features where the creators of the Animation are interviewed and talk about their own original inspirations for the show...that is informative and quite worth watching.

 

Finally finished Legend of Korra, Sn.1

I finally finished Nickelodeon's THE LEGEND OF KORRA, Season 1.  I was able to do so because I was supplied a download copy from a friend and was able to view it on my home PC, which was hooked up via HDMI cable to my TV, so actually I watched it on my full sized flat screen TV with the sound coming from the computer speakers, which was an acceptable compromise.

Like AVATAR: The Last Airbender, while it is not technically an Anime, it is very much inspired by and influenced by Anime style and tropes.  KORRA was originally pitched as a short mini-series and this is obvious from the way Season 1 has such tight storytelling and wraps up all its loose threads by the final episode.  The creators were prepared to do "one and done".  What they did not anticipate, however, was the enormous popular success and ratings of the show, which prompted interest from Nickelodeon in more seasons.

Besides being an engaging tale in its own right, we get to see (through flashbacks) the story of the adult lives of Avatar Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Katara (who is the only one of the original band still alive in Korra's world, albeit quite elderly, and the mother of Tenzin, the most current Air Bending master).  There is so much of the tale left to tell that one hopes there will be more room to explore these avenues in future seasons of KORRA.

Like Katara, Korra hails from the Southern Water Tribe and is beautiful and immenently likeable, if a bit of a hot head; She is not wholly unlike Prince Zuko in her impulsivity and impatience.  At a tender age, she managed to master the arts of not only water-bending but also earth and fire-bending as well.  Her only stumbling block is Air Bending, which she seems to lack the finesse and above all patience for.

At the heart of AVATAR: The Last Airbender was the love story between impish Aang and more mature Katara.  KORRA does not forget this secret of AVATAR success and gives Korra a love triangle (love trapezoid?) to contend with as well.  The artwork and animation in KORRA is quite beautiful and visually arresting.  The dub also brings in the talents of veteran Anime voice actor Steven Jay Blum in the role of the central antagonist of LEGEND OF KORRA, namely the "Equalist" cult leader, Amon.  Steve brings the right level of presence and gravitas to the role, in the same way that Darth Vader is inconceivable without the deep bass voice of James Earl Jones.

I would like to take a minute to gripe about Nickelodeon's failure to re-run LEGEND OF KORRA, Season 1 in the "off season" while waiting for Season 2.  This was, I think, a mistake.  Likewise, the only legal/legitimate venue for LEGEND OF KORRA has been iTunes, where the digital version is very much overpriced.  I have subsequently put down money on pre-order via Amazon for the DVD release of LEGEND OF KORRA for actually *less* than the digital version costs.  This is just not right.  If the price-point for the digital version of LEGEND OF KORRA were more reasonable, like from $5-$7, I might have bitten my toungue and gone for it.  But at a price in excess of $20 USD for digital-only release?  Forget about it.  And even though I ended up resorting to slightly shady means to watch it the first time, this did NOT hurt the publishers because I opted to buy physical media at the end of the day anyway.

I am hopeful for future seasons of LEGEND OF KORRA, though I am a bit anxious because of how neatly self-contained Season 1 ended up being; I'm unsure where they intend to go from here and hope they do not screw it up.

Japanese version, "Gee"

While I do not speak either Japanese nor Korean, I can recognize the differences between the two, and I've listened to this song enough in both languages to tell the difference.  This is definitely the Japanese version, from Girls' Generations "1st Japan Album" that was released in Japan but is, as far as I can tell, NOT available via U.S. iTunes; there are instrumental versions available on some J-Pop compilation albums, but not this Japanese vocal track.  Which is annoying and disppointing, since they're cutting out a potential US market in Anime otaku who love J-Pop/J-Rock but may not yet be into any K-Pop...like yours truly (though I do like PSY and Hyuna Kim).

 

RWBY "White" trailer now out!

The new "White" trailer for the Rooster Teeth series "RWBY" (prounced "Ruby") is now out!  Only slightly less violent and 100% just as moe as the "Red" trailer.

Click through to the link to this post to view the embedded video if necessary, yada yada...

 

older PSA for Anime at the Alamo

Click thru to see embedded video, FYI.

While most of this info is still legit, please note that the Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks Mall is now closed and that the Anime screenings have shifted to the Mason Park location in Katy, TX.  FUNimation screens every Tuesday, while Sentai Filmworks screens their stuff every 3rd Monday.

Best way to keep up with the screenings is via the two Facebook groups, "Anime at the Alamo" and "Sentai Anime Night".  If you live in Houston and love Anime, you really ought to be there.

Please support Alamo Drafthouse for supporting Anime screenings in Houston.

 

Anime at the Alamo, Subs & Dubs
by: JJR1971

Western Animation vs. Anime

Older video I have done addressing this topic, btw.  Once again, it seems you have to click directly on the link for the post to see the embedded video if it is not the first post on this blog.  Dumb glitch, I know.

 

Anime vs. Western Animation
by: JJR1971

Currently watching

I'm currently watching a number of different shows, mostly via Netflix streaming, but also on DVD, both rental and owned.

I recently finished the ESCAFLOWNE box set, having previously only watched the movie before, and there's quite a difference between the two...Hitomi being suicidally depressed in the movie, versus being a fairly well ajusted, emotionally grounded person in the series.  I need to go back and watch the movie soon, now that the series is fresh in my head.

I started Blassreiter last night, having forgotten it was set in Germany, which piqued my interest.  I feel certain I saw the first 4 episodes at Alamo Drafhouse ages ago but that it didn't leave much of an impression at the time, but I liked episode 1 and I think I appreciate it better now.

I am also working my way through Aquarion (Season 1).  It's a giant mecha show and seems vaguely Evangelion inspired.  Also finished the box set of Freezing lately, which was action packed and enjoyable.  I can understand critics who attack this show from a feminist perspective, though, and not just because of the excessive fanservice (though the fanservice is not overly sexualized, it's merely presented "just so" as an effect of battle).  I like that the "2 Guys and a Mic" podcast basically liked that show.

I am also watching Vandread, which if viewed as a projection of male Otaku fear & loathing about women, is actually pretty freakin' hilarious so far.  It certainly sometimes feels like women are from another planet...

I am trying to slog through Guin Saga and Mushi Shi, or as I call them, dull and duller.  Even the action in Guin Saga is barely enough to hold my interest, and Mushi Shi is a snooze fest, almost as repetitive as Hell Girl.  I am also working my way through the show Needless, which is a show about X-men-esque mutants in a post-disaster landscape.  It's weird and mildly amusing; I've watched enough episodes that the end credits *finally* make sense.  It's pure moe/yuri eyecandy and makes zero sense in connection to the rest of the show until much further in and you meet Hillary Haag's character named Mio.  I thought it was a mistake or coding error until I finished that particular episode.

As always, I watch Sgt. Frog infrequently; I'm somewhere in the middle of Season 3.  And lo and behold, my Magnovox Blue Ray player restored its Netflix functionality a day or so ago.  I'm glad it's working again but I'd already been using a work-around (HDMI cable from my computer) for quite some time.

I recently attended a Houston Anime Meetup outing where we got to meet a local voice actor and they screened a few episodes of Rahxephon and Pretear, both of which feature this actor in supporting roles.  I own the Rahxephon box set but haven't gotten around to watching the whole thing yet.  My decision to buy it was influenced by the ANNCast "Best of 2000s" epsidoe awhile back.  Anyway, that's a short summary of stuff I'm watching these days.

On the manga front, I'm working my way through some Yen Press editions of Manga adaptations of some works by James Patterson.  I guess you could argue they're bastardizations of manga, or not technically manga, but they're done in that style...I had very low expectations but actually they're not half bad.  Plus I love the artwork of Svetlana Chmakova, and she has put her talents to use in the James Patterson Wizards & Witches series, after having recently found a stopping point for her own (similar) series Nightschool.  Also, despairing of the Megatokyo omnibus ever coming out, I broke down and ordered the remaining individual volumes I'm currently lacking.

I also anticipate a heavy month of attending all the FUNimation sponsored Anime screenings at Alamo Drafthouse this month (March).  All continuations of good shows I wanna keep watching.

My top 3 preferences for English dubs

My Favorite American Companies producing Dubs for Anime
by: JJR1971

Due to a typepad glitch, you may have to click on the direct link for this post to see the embedded video...not sure why but sorry for the inconvenience, folks!