See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Bragging Rites (3)
Hi. I got not 1, not 2, not 3...but 4 pieces of loot to show off. Enjoy!
See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
Tenchi Muyo Review
Ladies & gentlemen, I’ve reviewed a lot of anime of this blog. Old, new, famous, obscure, I’ve seen it all (Well, a good chunk of it anyway). However, today’s review is a big one. It’s a series that built up the popularity of the medium in the United States, and the world abroad. A series that built up Cartoon Network’s old Toonami block back in the day, and has forever remained in the minds of those that watched. I’ve had the good fortune of receiving a Blu-Ray/DVD combo through the mail as part of a contest I won late last year. So, without further delays, here’s my review for the iconic Tenchi Muyo!
I think by now most otaku know the story, but for those few who haven’t watched the show, here’s a quick synopsis: Tenchi, along with his grandfather Yosho, and his father, live quietly in the Japanese countryside. One day, Tenchi stumbles into a cave that his grandfather told him is forbidden, and accidentally releases the ancient demon Ryoko. However, the demon part is something of a misnomer, as it turns out that Ryoko is a sexy woman with a temper. By releasing her, this sets in motion events that call other women to his house. From there, all sorts of hijinks ensues, with some being funny & fanservice-ey, and others being quite serious & dramatic. It is perhaps one of the most entertaining animes you’ll ever watch, and one that you won’t forget.
Let’s start off with the story itself as the first positive. There’s a lot of things going on, not only in front of the viewer, but behind the scenes. You have the standard boy meets girl(s) scenario, but there’s also searching for lost family members (and eventually finding said family members), hiding & discovering of secrets, lover’s quarrels, etc. There’s a bunch of stuff that goes on, but there isn’t so much that you get overwhelmed by it all (Even when there is an overwhelming moment, there’s usually something that offsets it soon after).
Next positive is it’s mastery of the harem genre. Let me just say that it’s my opinion (And perhaps the opinion of most fans of the series) that Tenchi Muyo is the foundation of the modern harem series. It uses the standard facets of the genre (1 boy, multiple girls with different personalities, etc), but there’s some interesting changes. For example, there’s the main boy Tenchi, but you also have his grandfather & father interacting with the girls as well. The grandfather is acting like the wise sage with occasional moments of perversion & silliness, and the father basically filling the role of comic relief.
The girls all fill the standard harem roles, but there’s something more to them as well. They are:
Ryoko Hakubi: The tomboy. Ryoko is a woman prone to carnal pleasures (drinking, overeating, trying to get into Tenchi’s pants), and is a galaxy-wide known space pirate.
Ayeka Masaki Jurai: The proper girl. The princess of Jurai (Her homeworld), he maintains a rivalry with Ryoko for Tenchi’s affection, and reluctantly decides to stay with Tenchi and his family, as well as Ryoko.
Sasami Masaki Jurai: The adorable one. The sister of Ayeka, she can occasionally be more mature than everyone else, and has actually bound herself to a goddess from her homeworld. She also cooks & cleans, and does other chores around the house to carry her share of the weight.
Mihoshi Kuramitsu: The lovable dits. She acts very clumsily, but has a surprising level of intelligence, and is a member of the Galaxy Police. She also has an incredibly streak of good luck, due to being distantly related to Washu.
Washu Hakubi: The absent-minded genius. One of the galaxy’s top scientists, her recent experiments/pursuits include investigating the gems that Ryoko uses, and creating entities that can harness the gems’s power. It’s also hinted at in later series that she’s a manifestation of a divine goddess, and it’s revealed that she’s the “mother” of Ryoko.
Tenchi Muyo’s 3rd positive is the voice acting. Ironically, the voice acting in the Funimation release is exactly the same as it was when it first came out back in the early 2000s. Essentially, you’re hearing the exact same voice cast in this edition. You have Matt K. Miller voice the lead male Tenchi, Petrea Burchard provides the sultry & sexy tone’s of Ryoko’s speech patterns, and so forth. If I had any other comment about the voice acting, it’s that it’s sounds slightly better than the original edition, thanks to the audio adjustments Funimation made. The voices sound a little more crisp & clean, and this also applies to the sound effects in the show as well.
The 4th positive of Tenchi Muyo is the animation. You might laugh, but I think the show looks better now than it did when it first came out. Thanks to Funimation’s work, it looks like a more modern show, despite the actual age of the animation (More on this a little later). The house where Tenchi and his family (Including the girls) live looks very believable, along with Washu’s laboratory, the various spaceships & spaceship interiors, etc. Tenchi was always knows for having some damn good visuals, and this release doesn’t disappoint.
The 5th positive of Tenchi Muyo is it’s length. Measuring in at 13 episodes, and running about 30 minutes each (This includes the opening, episode in question, ending, and preview), this show is great to watch over the course of a couple days. I watched it over the course of a week, watching 2 to 3 episodes a day.
The 6th and last positive of Tenchi Muyo is it’s availability. Having come out late last year (December 18th, to be specific), the series can be readily found in places such as Best Buy, FYE, and sites like Amazon. Prices will possibly vary between the retailers, but chances are that they’ll be a bit on the expensive side (More on this in a bit).
Tenchi Muyo is as close to anime perfection as Otaku can get. There’s so much going for it, how could anyone argue? Sadly, despite being great, there’s a trio of problems that seem to be permanently attached to the series. They range from meh, oh, and damn. So, let’s start with the meh.
The first problem, or the “meh”, is the pricing. At the time of this writing, pricing for the collection on Amazon is in the lower $40 dollar range, with pricing over in Best Buy in the higher $40 dollar range, possibly dipping into $50 dollars, and Fye is probably somewhere in the $40 dollar range. I recommend waiting until the show is on sale, regardless of where you’re trying to get it from.
Now it’s time for “oh”, aka the second problem. Despite having vastly improved visuals, Tenchi Muyo is still a show from the 90s. 1992, to be specific. It suffers from the standard problems that early 90s anime typically suffers from: rough textures, jagged edges, etc. Thankfully, the work that Funimation did on the series has severely reduced these things, but even some hard work can’t get rid of it all.
Here’s is perhaps the biggest problem of Tenchi Muyo, better known as “damn”. Despite how fun it is, despite the colorful cast of characters (Both good guys & bad guys), despite the setting, looks, and overall high quality, Tenchi Muyo for some reason hasn’t necessarily aged well over the years. Everything else with the show is great, but as a harem anime, it feels rather archaic, and isn’t quite as strong now that when it first came out.
Tenchi Muyo gets a 8 to 9.5 out of 10. The story is awesome, it’s a pinnacle of the harem genre, there’s the familiar & good voice acting, the animation looks fresh, it lasts for a decent amount of time, and it’s easy to find, but it can be a bit expensive, it still has animation problems despite the work done to it, and isn’t always on par with modern harem shows.
See you all later today, when I show off some more Borderlands 2 goodies, and see you all later this week, when there will be some celebrations on this blog. Until then, stay Otaku!
I think by now most otaku know the story, but for those few who haven’t watched the show, here’s a quick synopsis: Tenchi, along with his grandfather Yosho, and his father, live quietly in the Japanese countryside. One day, Tenchi stumbles into a cave that his grandfather told him is forbidden, and accidentally releases the ancient demon Ryoko. However, the demon part is something of a misnomer, as it turns out that Ryoko is a sexy woman with a temper. By releasing her, this sets in motion events that call other women to his house. From there, all sorts of hijinks ensues, with some being funny & fanservice-ey, and others being quite serious & dramatic. It is perhaps one of the most entertaining animes you’ll ever watch, and one that you won’t forget.
Let’s start off with the story itself as the first positive. There’s a lot of things going on, not only in front of the viewer, but behind the scenes. You have the standard boy meets girl(s) scenario, but there’s also searching for lost family members (and eventually finding said family members), hiding & discovering of secrets, lover’s quarrels, etc. There’s a bunch of stuff that goes on, but there isn’t so much that you get overwhelmed by it all (Even when there is an overwhelming moment, there’s usually something that offsets it soon after).
Next positive is it’s mastery of the harem genre. Let me just say that it’s my opinion (And perhaps the opinion of most fans of the series) that Tenchi Muyo is the foundation of the modern harem series. It uses the standard facets of the genre (1 boy, multiple girls with different personalities, etc), but there’s some interesting changes. For example, there’s the main boy Tenchi, but you also have his grandfather & father interacting with the girls as well. The grandfather is acting like the wise sage with occasional moments of perversion & silliness, and the father basically filling the role of comic relief.
The girls all fill the standard harem roles, but there’s something more to them as well. They are:
Ryoko Hakubi: The tomboy. Ryoko is a woman prone to carnal pleasures (drinking, overeating, trying to get into Tenchi’s pants), and is a galaxy-wide known space pirate.
Ayeka Masaki Jurai: The proper girl. The princess of Jurai (Her homeworld), he maintains a rivalry with Ryoko for Tenchi’s affection, and reluctantly decides to stay with Tenchi and his family, as well as Ryoko.
Sasami Masaki Jurai: The adorable one. The sister of Ayeka, she can occasionally be more mature than everyone else, and has actually bound herself to a goddess from her homeworld. She also cooks & cleans, and does other chores around the house to carry her share of the weight.
Mihoshi Kuramitsu: The lovable dits. She acts very clumsily, but has a surprising level of intelligence, and is a member of the Galaxy Police. She also has an incredibly streak of good luck, due to being distantly related to Washu.
Washu Hakubi: The absent-minded genius. One of the galaxy’s top scientists, her recent experiments/pursuits include investigating the gems that Ryoko uses, and creating entities that can harness the gems’s power. It’s also hinted at in later series that she’s a manifestation of a divine goddess, and it’s revealed that she’s the “mother” of Ryoko.
Tenchi Muyo’s 3rd positive is the voice acting. Ironically, the voice acting in the Funimation release is exactly the same as it was when it first came out back in the early 2000s. Essentially, you’re hearing the exact same voice cast in this edition. You have Matt K. Miller voice the lead male Tenchi, Petrea Burchard provides the sultry & sexy tone’s of Ryoko’s speech patterns, and so forth. If I had any other comment about the voice acting, it’s that it’s sounds slightly better than the original edition, thanks to the audio adjustments Funimation made. The voices sound a little more crisp & clean, and this also applies to the sound effects in the show as well.
The 4th positive of Tenchi Muyo is the animation. You might laugh, but I think the show looks better now than it did when it first came out. Thanks to Funimation’s work, it looks like a more modern show, despite the actual age of the animation (More on this a little later). The house where Tenchi and his family (Including the girls) live looks very believable, along with Washu’s laboratory, the various spaceships & spaceship interiors, etc. Tenchi was always knows for having some damn good visuals, and this release doesn’t disappoint.
The 5th positive of Tenchi Muyo is it’s length. Measuring in at 13 episodes, and running about 30 minutes each (This includes the opening, episode in question, ending, and preview), this show is great to watch over the course of a couple days. I watched it over the course of a week, watching 2 to 3 episodes a day.
The 6th and last positive of Tenchi Muyo is it’s availability. Having come out late last year (December 18th, to be specific), the series can be readily found in places such as Best Buy, FYE, and sites like Amazon. Prices will possibly vary between the retailers, but chances are that they’ll be a bit on the expensive side (More on this in a bit).
Tenchi Muyo is as close to anime perfection as Otaku can get. There’s so much going for it, how could anyone argue? Sadly, despite being great, there’s a trio of problems that seem to be permanently attached to the series. They range from meh, oh, and damn. So, let’s start with the meh.
The first problem, or the “meh”, is the pricing. At the time of this writing, pricing for the collection on Amazon is in the lower $40 dollar range, with pricing over in Best Buy in the higher $40 dollar range, possibly dipping into $50 dollars, and Fye is probably somewhere in the $40 dollar range. I recommend waiting until the show is on sale, regardless of where you’re trying to get it from.
Now it’s time for “oh”, aka the second problem. Despite having vastly improved visuals, Tenchi Muyo is still a show from the 90s. 1992, to be specific. It suffers from the standard problems that early 90s anime typically suffers from: rough textures, jagged edges, etc. Thankfully, the work that Funimation did on the series has severely reduced these things, but even some hard work can’t get rid of it all.
Here’s is perhaps the biggest problem of Tenchi Muyo, better known as “damn”. Despite how fun it is, despite the colorful cast of characters (Both good guys & bad guys), despite the setting, looks, and overall high quality, Tenchi Muyo for some reason hasn’t necessarily aged well over the years. Everything else with the show is great, but as a harem anime, it feels rather archaic, and isn’t quite as strong now that when it first came out.
Tenchi Muyo gets a 8 to 9.5 out of 10. The story is awesome, it’s a pinnacle of the harem genre, there’s the familiar & good voice acting, the animation looks fresh, it lasts for a decent amount of time, and it’s easy to find, but it can be a bit expensive, it still has animation problems despite the work done to it, and isn’t always on par with modern harem shows.
See you all later today, when I show off some more Borderlands 2 goodies, and see you all later this week, when there will be some celebrations on this blog. Until then, stay Otaku!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Bragging Rites (1)
A quick little post for you. I just got this from The Warrior in Borderlands 2 just a couple minutes ago. BEHOLD!!!!!
As a little treat for you all, everytime I get a special item, I'll post up a picture for you to look at. Stick around if you want to see more!
As a little treat for you all, everytime I get a special item, I'll post up a picture for you to look at. Stick around if you want to see more!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
DRY Soda: Blood Orange Review
Hi everybody. Breaking code again, I decided to try out something a bit different from my regular schedule of anime/album/game reviews in favor of doing a new type of review. If you couldn't tell by this post's title, I'll be doing my first ever food-based review, and checking out a particularly interesting soda. With that said, let's begin.
For starters, here's the origins of the DRY Soda Company itself (Taken from the website):
"I love fine food paired with good wine. And I’m passionate about good health. I’m also the mother of four children and I spent my pregnancies eating beautiful meals without the complement of a paired beverage. My options were uninspiring - tea, club soda and sugary drinks that overwhelmed the taste of my food. I wanted a beverage that was better for me than super-sweet juice or soda. The inspiration struck me to create a beverage that tasted good and was better for my health, and the health of my family. And like that, the idea for DRY Soda was born.
In early 2005 I started to develop DRY Soda in my home kitchen where I spent hours educating myself on beverage creation and researching flavor profiles. I made batches and batches of soda, and my family helped me taste every one of them until we found the perfect flavors. In August 2005, with the help of a few of the Pacific Northwest’s leading chefs and award-winning designers, I launched the first DRY flavors: Lavender, Kumquat, Lemongrass and Rhubarb.
In the beginning DRY Soda was offered in the nation’s finest restaurants and then DRY expanded to retail distribution. Due to the success of the original four flavors, DRY Soda added Juniper Berry and Vanilla Bean DRY in 2008, and in early 2009 Cucumber DRY joined the line-up. In 2011 DRY introduced the newest flavor, Wild Lime DRY.
I wanted to create a soda that was less sweet, all natural and made with the best quality ingredients so that the flavors would shine through, and I’m proud that DRY Soda does just that. Each DRY flavor has a unique profile that makes DRY Soda a delicious beverage to sip on its own or pair with food. And because I developed DRY to use the minimum amount of pure cane sugar, the DRY flavors sparkle and enhance the taste of food instead of overpowering it.
The uniqueness of DRY flavors have inspired our customers to share with us their best-loved ways to drink DRY: paired with a favorite recipe, as a lunchtime refreshment, mixed with top-shelf spirits for cocktails or poured over ice cream for floats.
DRY Soda has gained national recognition as a soda that is better tasting and better for you thanks to the hard work and dedication of the DRY Team, our industry partners and our enthusiastic customers. The complete line of seven flavors is available in DRY’s Tasting Room and Company Store, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, resorts and boutiques throughout the United States and Canada.
I’m so thrilled that what started as an idea in my kitchen has become soda re-imagined - perfect for any occasion, any day."
I'm always a sucker for these kind of stories. It's nice, shows off an individual's entrepreneurship, and is all around very smile-inducing.
Next up is the bottle.
As you can see, it's a plain & clear ordinary bottle that sorta looks like a coke bottle, minus the styling. What is nice is the flavor label on the front, the health statistics & ingredients on the back, and the calorie count at the tip (More on this in a moment). A neat little aspect about the labels is that they each have a different color related to the flavor in question (Blood Orange is...well, orange). Not only that, the front label also has a little pattern that also related to the flavor (In the case of Blood Orange, orange slices decorate the front).
Now it's time for the health factor. Never in my entire life have I seen a soda so healthy, and so good for you! If you don't believe me, take a look at the ingredients below:
Pure Carbonated Water
Cane Sugar
Natural Extract
Phosphoric Acid
That's it, that's all there is. Only 4 ingredients make up this soda, and considering how many ingredients are in most modern soda (Foreign & Domestic), that's incredible. On top of that, the calorie count in this soda (As well as the rest of the flavors) is really low. If fact, take a look at how much is in each flavor:
Wild Lime: 65 Calories
Vanilla Bean: 60 Calories
Lavender: 70 Calories
Blood Orange: 50 Calories
Cucumber: 45 Calories
Rhubarb: 60 Calories
Juniper Berry: 55 Calories
As you can see, DRY Soda is quite healthy, regardless of the flavor. You can also see that the various flavors are rather interesting. With that said, let's look at the actual flavor & taste of this soda.
For starters, they don't lie with the name. DRY Soda is very dry: it's not that there isn't any sweetness, because there is. There is just enough sweetness that you can taste, but not enough to become sickeningly sweet and overwhelm the orange taste. In fact, it almost tastes like a orange-flavored seltzer water with a hint of sugar, which to me honestly isn't that bad. I'm not a fan of dry sodas/drinks, but this one surprised me. At least for me, there's a balance between the hint of sugar, the orange flavoring, and the seltzer feeling.
I'm personally giving this a 7.5 out of 10. The bottle looks nice, it's incredibly healthy, and it has just the right balance between three separate aspects. The one bad thing is that if you aren't used to dry sodas, it'll hit you off guard.
See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
* If you're interested in the drink, take a look at the link below:
http://www.drysoda.com/
For starters, here's the origins of the DRY Soda Company itself (Taken from the website):
"I love fine food paired with good wine. And I’m passionate about good health. I’m also the mother of four children and I spent my pregnancies eating beautiful meals without the complement of a paired beverage. My options were uninspiring - tea, club soda and sugary drinks that overwhelmed the taste of my food. I wanted a beverage that was better for me than super-sweet juice or soda. The inspiration struck me to create a beverage that tasted good and was better for my health, and the health of my family. And like that, the idea for DRY Soda was born.
In early 2005 I started to develop DRY Soda in my home kitchen where I spent hours educating myself on beverage creation and researching flavor profiles. I made batches and batches of soda, and my family helped me taste every one of them until we found the perfect flavors. In August 2005, with the help of a few of the Pacific Northwest’s leading chefs and award-winning designers, I launched the first DRY flavors: Lavender, Kumquat, Lemongrass and Rhubarb.
In the beginning DRY Soda was offered in the nation’s finest restaurants and then DRY expanded to retail distribution. Due to the success of the original four flavors, DRY Soda added Juniper Berry and Vanilla Bean DRY in 2008, and in early 2009 Cucumber DRY joined the line-up. In 2011 DRY introduced the newest flavor, Wild Lime DRY.
I wanted to create a soda that was less sweet, all natural and made with the best quality ingredients so that the flavors would shine through, and I’m proud that DRY Soda does just that. Each DRY flavor has a unique profile that makes DRY Soda a delicious beverage to sip on its own or pair with food. And because I developed DRY to use the minimum amount of pure cane sugar, the DRY flavors sparkle and enhance the taste of food instead of overpowering it.
The uniqueness of DRY flavors have inspired our customers to share with us their best-loved ways to drink DRY: paired with a favorite recipe, as a lunchtime refreshment, mixed with top-shelf spirits for cocktails or poured over ice cream for floats.
DRY Soda has gained national recognition as a soda that is better tasting and better for you thanks to the hard work and dedication of the DRY Team, our industry partners and our enthusiastic customers. The complete line of seven flavors is available in DRY’s Tasting Room and Company Store, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, resorts and boutiques throughout the United States and Canada.
I’m so thrilled that what started as an idea in my kitchen has become soda re-imagined - perfect for any occasion, any day."
I'm always a sucker for these kind of stories. It's nice, shows off an individual's entrepreneurship, and is all around very smile-inducing.
Next up is the bottle.
As you can see, it's a plain & clear ordinary bottle that sorta looks like a coke bottle, minus the styling. What is nice is the flavor label on the front, the health statistics & ingredients on the back, and the calorie count at the tip (More on this in a moment). A neat little aspect about the labels is that they each have a different color related to the flavor in question (Blood Orange is...well, orange). Not only that, the front label also has a little pattern that also related to the flavor (In the case of Blood Orange, orange slices decorate the front).
Now it's time for the health factor. Never in my entire life have I seen a soda so healthy, and so good for you! If you don't believe me, take a look at the ingredients below:
Pure Carbonated Water
Cane Sugar
Natural Extract
Phosphoric Acid
That's it, that's all there is. Only 4 ingredients make up this soda, and considering how many ingredients are in most modern soda (Foreign & Domestic), that's incredible. On top of that, the calorie count in this soda (As well as the rest of the flavors) is really low. If fact, take a look at how much is in each flavor:
Wild Lime: 65 Calories
Vanilla Bean: 60 Calories
Lavender: 70 Calories
Blood Orange: 50 Calories
Cucumber: 45 Calories
Rhubarb: 60 Calories
Juniper Berry: 55 Calories
As you can see, DRY Soda is quite healthy, regardless of the flavor. You can also see that the various flavors are rather interesting. With that said, let's look at the actual flavor & taste of this soda.
For starters, they don't lie with the name. DRY Soda is very dry: it's not that there isn't any sweetness, because there is. There is just enough sweetness that you can taste, but not enough to become sickeningly sweet and overwhelm the orange taste. In fact, it almost tastes like a orange-flavored seltzer water with a hint of sugar, which to me honestly isn't that bad. I'm not a fan of dry sodas/drinks, but this one surprised me. At least for me, there's a balance between the hint of sugar, the orange flavoring, and the seltzer feeling.
I'm personally giving this a 7.5 out of 10. The bottle looks nice, it's incredibly healthy, and it has just the right balance between three separate aspects. The one bad thing is that if you aren't used to dry sodas, it'll hit you off guard.
See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
* If you're interested in the drink, take a look at the link below:
http://www.drysoda.com/
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Anime Acquisition Update (Quickie)
Hi everybody. I haven't done one of these in a bit, so bare with me.
Recently, I've downloaded a bunch of out-of-print & unreleased in the states series, enough to the point that I have a rather giant backlog. The list below are the shows/movies that I am going to review on this blog (The ones I'm willing to review, anyway):
June Reviews
AD Police Files (Reviewed)*
Angel Cop (Reviewed)*
Appleseed (Reviewed)*
Baoh (Reviewed)*
Barefoot Gen & Barefoot Gen 2 (Review 1 | Review 2)*
Bio Hunter (Reviewed)*
Black Magic M-66 (Reviewed)*
--------------------------------------
July Reviews
Cleopatra DC (Reviewed)*
Crimson Wolf (Reviewed)*
Crying Freeman (Reviewed)*
Cyber City Oedo 808 (Reviewed)*
Demon City Shinjuku (Reviewed)*
Digital Devil Monogatari Megami Tensei (Reviewed)**
Eiken (Reviewed)*
Fatal Fury (Legend Of The Hungry Wolf/The New Battle)(Review 1 | Review 2)*
--------------------------------------
August Reviews
Fatal Fury (The Motion Picture)(Reviewed)*
Gakuen Tokusou Hikaruon (Reviewed)**
Goku - Midnight Eye (Reviewed)*
Golgo 13 The Professional (Reviewed)*
Gundress (Reviewed)*
Hanappe Bazooka (Reviewed)*
I Dream of Mimi (Reviewed)*
Junk Boy (Reviewed)*
Legend of Lemnear (Reviewed)*
--------------------------------------
September/October Reviews
Mezzo Forte (Uncut Edition) (Reviewed)*
Miyuki-chan In Wonderland (Reviewed)*
Neo Heroic Fantasia Arion (Reviewed)**
Project A-Ko (Reviewed)*
Sukeban Deka (Reviewed)*
Taro the Dragon Boy (Reviewed)*
Tenchi Muyo Mihoshi Special (Reviewed)*
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Reviewed)***
Ultimate Teacher (Reviewed)*
Urban Square - Kouhaku no Tsuigeki (Reviewed)**
Venus Wars (Reviewed)*
Wicked City (Reviewed)*
Windaria (Reviewed)*
Wounded Man (Reviewed)**
* Released in the U.S.
** No Western Release
*** Technically Not Anime (More On This In The Review)
As you can see, that is a lot of stuff to review. 40 shows & movies, to be exact. So, perhaps against my better judgement, I will be temporarily reinstating my "2-reviews a week" policy that I enforced upon myself for the majority of last year. I'll begin these reviews either in June or July (More than likely I'll start in June, as a majority of my time will be getting ready for Connecticon), since May will be devoted to something special. On top of that, I'll be going in alphabetical order, and as I finish a review, I'll mark it off the list, and when I'm done with all of these shows, I'll get rid of this post completely.
See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
(Updated: 2/7/2014 - 7:17 P.M. Eastern Standard Time): As you can tell, I've pretty much reviewed everything that I listed here, and I said that once I reviewed everything, I'd delete this. Well, laziness struck me, and I've pretty much ignored this post until now. Instead of deleting this page, I'm keeping it up as sort of a guide for anyone who wants to look up these reviews. Just click on the "Reviewed" and you'll be taken to the review in question.
Recently, I've downloaded a bunch of out-of-print & unreleased in the states series, enough to the point that I have a rather giant backlog. The list below are the shows/movies that I am going to review on this blog (The ones I'm willing to review, anyway):
June Reviews
AD Police Files (Reviewed)*
Angel Cop (Reviewed)*
Appleseed (Reviewed)*
Baoh (Reviewed)*
Barefoot Gen & Barefoot Gen 2 (Review 1 | Review 2)*
Bio Hunter (Reviewed)*
Black Magic M-66 (Reviewed)*
--------------------------------------
July Reviews
Cleopatra DC (Reviewed)*
Crimson Wolf (Reviewed)*
Crying Freeman (Reviewed)*
Cyber City Oedo 808 (Reviewed)*
Demon City Shinjuku (Reviewed)*
Digital Devil Monogatari Megami Tensei (Reviewed)**
Eiken (Reviewed)*
Fatal Fury (Legend Of The Hungry Wolf/The New Battle)(Review 1 | Review 2)*
--------------------------------------
August Reviews
Fatal Fury (The Motion Picture)(Reviewed)*
Gakuen Tokusou Hikaruon (Reviewed)**
Goku - Midnight Eye (Reviewed)*
Golgo 13 The Professional (Reviewed)*
Gundress (Reviewed)*
Hanappe Bazooka (Reviewed)*
I Dream of Mimi (Reviewed)*
Junk Boy (Reviewed)*
Legend of Lemnear (Reviewed)*
--------------------------------------
September/October Reviews
Mezzo Forte (Uncut Edition) (Reviewed)*
Miyuki-chan In Wonderland (Reviewed)*
Neo Heroic Fantasia Arion (Reviewed)**
Project A-Ko (Reviewed)*
Sukeban Deka (Reviewed)*
Taro the Dragon Boy (Reviewed)*
Tenchi Muyo Mihoshi Special (Reviewed)*
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Reviewed)***
Ultimate Teacher (Reviewed)*
Urban Square - Kouhaku no Tsuigeki (Reviewed)**
Venus Wars (Reviewed)*
Wicked City (Reviewed)*
Windaria (Reviewed)*
Wounded Man (Reviewed)**
* Released in the U.S.
** No Western Release
*** Technically Not Anime (More On This In The Review)
As you can see, that is a lot of stuff to review. 40 shows & movies, to be exact. So, perhaps against my better judgement, I will be temporarily reinstating my "2-reviews a week" policy that I enforced upon myself for the majority of last year. I'll begin these reviews either in June or July (More than likely I'll start in June, as a majority of my time will be getting ready for Connecticon), since May will be devoted to something special. On top of that, I'll be going in alphabetical order, and as I finish a review, I'll mark it off the list, and when I'm done with all of these shows, I'll get rid of this post completely.
See you all next time. Until then, stay Otaku!
(Updated: 2/7/2014 - 7:17 P.M. Eastern Standard Time): As you can tell, I've pretty much reviewed everything that I listed here, and I said that once I reviewed everything, I'd delete this. Well, laziness struck me, and I've pretty much ignored this post until now. Instead of deleting this page, I'm keeping it up as sort of a guide for anyone who wants to look up these reviews. Just click on the "Reviewed" and you'll be taken to the review in question.
Ozzy Osbourne: Ozzmosis Review
Hi everybody! I’m quite surprised with myself, especially since it’s taken me some time to bring this musical artist to the blog. I uses to not like this individual for a long time, mostly due to my Mother & Father playing his/her songs on a somewhat constant basis when I was younger. If it wasn’t for that one tune in 2001, and getting a compilation album in 2002 for my birthday, I may have very well continued to dislike this person. But the ways of metal are quite strong, and eventually I gave in to this person’s mastery of the genre. The person in question.....is Ozzy Osbourne.
Yep, Ozzy Osbourne. I used to not like his music for ages, enough to the point that my parents would make fun of me about it. However, in 2001 I managed to come across his song It Gets Me Through You (Click “***” to listen), and for some reason I was almost immediately hooked. When I was given the compilation album The Ozzman Cometh for my 15th birthday, my soul surrendered to Ozzy’s powerful voice. About a month or two ago, I download an album that many Ozzy fans call “okay”, and by extension metal fans say is underrated. Intrigued, I’ve listened to the whole album, and I’m ready to give my opinion. So, for your pleasure, here’s my review for Ozzy Osbourne’s 1995 release, Ozzmosis.
Background
Ozzy Osbourne. A musician without few equals, Ozzy has managed to transcend his humble beginnings in Black Sabbath, and became a Heavy Metal god known throughout the entire world. What really makes him a great musician is that he always knew how to adapt to the changes in the musical world. While he kept his classic rock sound for a long time, it was in the early 90s that he decided to embrace a new feel to bring in newer metalheads. It started with No More Tears, which was a big hit in the United States, and has sold over 5 million copies across the world. Continuing his transition into more modern metal, he releases his second album, Ozzmosis, on October 24, 1995.
To make this album, Ozzy Osbourne brought on a impressive crew. Some of these members include guitarist Zack Wylde (Who worked on the previous two albums, and would later form Black Label Society, which is a good band in it’s own right), former Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler, and Steve Vai (You may recall me mentioning Steve Vai in my review for Devin Townsend’s Ocean Machine: Biomech). When the album was released, the media outlets of the time gave the album praise, but many fans of Ozzy weren’t as impressed. Since it’s mid 90s release, Ozzmosis has been certified twice in the United States as a platinum record, selling 2 million copies, and has since become a cult classic of an album.
Songs
Perry Mason: Any TV show buff might recognize the name for this opening song, but for those not in the know, this was the name of a crime show that aired from 1957 to 1966. It was much like Law & Order: the cops investigate a crime, the criminal is taken to court, etc. It should be noted that before this album, Ozzy was going through court-required drug rehab, and once he got out of the program, Perry Mason was the first TV show he watched. Because of this, it inspired him to make a song about it.
This song really defines Heavy Metal. Dark, brooding, slow, complete with good guitar & drum work, not to mention Ozzy iconic singing voice. It all comes together into a decent tune that feels like Heavy Metal, but also feels safe for some reason, and not the good kind of safe.
I Just Want You: I should start by say that this song is good.....damn good, in fact! One of my favorite tracks on the album, I Just Want You is full of emotion, both positive & negative, as well as great instrumentation & singing. However, this song shows of the major problem with Ozzmosis, and that’s track speed.
A majority of the songs on this album are slow ballads, and while a few hear and there don’t ruin an album (Except for really picky fans), too many of them will make for a sluggish listening experience. This really was the single point that fans & critics focused on when Ozzmosis came out: despite sounding good, too many of the songs are slow. It also doesn’t help the fact that this song, and the one below, contradict the speed & feeling of the first song on this album.
Ghost Behind My Eyes: Yet another slow ballad, Ghost Behind My Eyes really shows of the main problem that Ozzmosis suffers from (Overabundance of slow ballads). Having said that, this is a good sounding song, as you can feel Ozzy putting his heart & soul into it. His singing comes across as mournful & melancholic, and the instrumentation also feels like this. This isn’t necessarily one of my favorite songs on this album, but it’s fun to listen to.
Thunder Underground: Return to the sounds created by Perry Mason, Thunder Underground shares many of the elements within that song. A dark, brooding, and slow atmosphere, along with some decent guitar & drum work. If I have one complaint about this song, it would be Ozzy’s singing.
Long before this song, his voice would be processed to sound cleaner & crisper, but in Thunder Underground, he almost sounds a member of Alvin & The Chipmunks. It’s incredibly earsplitting, and you almost want to switch to another song (Whether it’s Ozzy or not). I had to do this at least once or twice, and even then, my ears were ringing for a few seconds afterwards.
See You on the Other Side: Though I’ve been complaining about the abundance of slow ballads on this album, I’m not really pitching a fit about this one. As sputnikmusic.com user Jacob Russell says:
“I find this to be the best ballad on the LP. It has beautiful lyrics about the death of a friend or lover, and how he'll see them again once his time comes. It is just a very great sounding song overall, I'm not sure what else I can say.”
Tomorrow: This is such an odd song. Tomorrow feels like the many other ballads on this album (Slow instrumentation, slow verses), but it’s the chorus that separates it from all the others. The chorus comes down on you like a ton of Heavy Metal coated bricks, with everybody giving it their all when it comes around! Again, this isn’t one of my favorites, but it’s fun regardless.
Denial: If I had to pick a song that I would consider to be the worst on Ozzmosis, it would be this one. Denial feels too much like See You on the Other Side: the instrumentation feels the same, the tone & mood feel the same, and even Ozzy’s singing sounds the same. The only difference is that while See You on the Other Side sounds like a lot of work was put into it, Denial doesn’t sound like it has as good of quality.
My Little Man: As silly as this might sound, this was a song that almost made me cry. Written for Ozzy’s son Jack, who was 10 years old at the time, My Little Man has to be one of the most emotionally charged Ozzy songs I’ve ever heard. The instrumentation feels like something plucked out a children’s book, with a overwhelming dream-like/fantasy vibe to cradle you, and Ozzy’s hopeful singing voice having a very comforting tone. Goddamn, I think I’m crying right now!
My Jekyll Doesn't Hide: For starters, this has to be the dumbest name for an Ozzy song...ever!
Secondly, it’s not that bad. It’s not the greatest song on Ozzmosis, but it’s not unbearable to listen to. The instrumentation sounds like Perry Mason/Thunder Underground, and Ozzy’s vocal range sounds like he dipping into his early 80s work, while at the same time staying fresh & modern. In fact, Jacob Russell described Ozzy’s singing in this song like this:
“It really shows the modernization of the heavier portions of the album as well as having some very interesting lyrics and unique vocal work that kinda reminds me of Ozzy's days in Black Sabbath.”
Old L.A. Tonight: We conclude this review of Ozzmosis with the last song on the album, Old L.A. Tonight. More than any song on this album, you can tell that Ozzy longs for the old Los Angeles, which is where he felt the most comfortable. The instrumentation feels much the same, and almost has a rock/blues things going on. It should be noted that Zack Wylde performed some great guitar solos, and the piano work is absolutely beautiful. Overall, Old L.A. Tonight is a touching & wonderful song that somehow works great as a ending track.
Overall Impression & Rating
It’s understandable why a lot of Ozzy fans don’t necessarily like this album. Slow pacing, slow songs, and singing that’s not necessarily up to Ozzy’s standard badassery, Ozzmosis has kinda been swept under the rug, which is a real shame, because it’s actually not that bad. There’s a couple good tracks on here that are worth a listen to, and even the worst on this album isn’t actually the worst. I’d say give it a go. If you like it, great! If you don’t, then it’s okay.
Ozzmosis gets a 7 out of 10.
See you all next week, when we look at one of the most iconic harem anime ever made. Until then, stay Otaku!
*Apologies for this being a day late. I had a bunch of stuff to get done, and by the time I could actually post this, I was way to tired to do so.
Yep, Ozzy Osbourne. I used to not like his music for ages, enough to the point that my parents would make fun of me about it. However, in 2001 I managed to come across his song It Gets Me Through You (Click “***” to listen), and for some reason I was almost immediately hooked. When I was given the compilation album The Ozzman Cometh for my 15th birthday, my soul surrendered to Ozzy’s powerful voice. About a month or two ago, I download an album that many Ozzy fans call “okay”, and by extension metal fans say is underrated. Intrigued, I’ve listened to the whole album, and I’m ready to give my opinion. So, for your pleasure, here’s my review for Ozzy Osbourne’s 1995 release, Ozzmosis.
Background
Ozzy Osbourne. A musician without few equals, Ozzy has managed to transcend his humble beginnings in Black Sabbath, and became a Heavy Metal god known throughout the entire world. What really makes him a great musician is that he always knew how to adapt to the changes in the musical world. While he kept his classic rock sound for a long time, it was in the early 90s that he decided to embrace a new feel to bring in newer metalheads. It started with No More Tears, which was a big hit in the United States, and has sold over 5 million copies across the world. Continuing his transition into more modern metal, he releases his second album, Ozzmosis, on October 24, 1995.
To make this album, Ozzy Osbourne brought on a impressive crew. Some of these members include guitarist Zack Wylde (Who worked on the previous two albums, and would later form Black Label Society, which is a good band in it’s own right), former Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler, and Steve Vai (You may recall me mentioning Steve Vai in my review for Devin Townsend’s Ocean Machine: Biomech). When the album was released, the media outlets of the time gave the album praise, but many fans of Ozzy weren’t as impressed. Since it’s mid 90s release, Ozzmosis has been certified twice in the United States as a platinum record, selling 2 million copies, and has since become a cult classic of an album.
Songs
Perry Mason: Any TV show buff might recognize the name for this opening song, but for those not in the know, this was the name of a crime show that aired from 1957 to 1966. It was much like Law & Order: the cops investigate a crime, the criminal is taken to court, etc. It should be noted that before this album, Ozzy was going through court-required drug rehab, and once he got out of the program, Perry Mason was the first TV show he watched. Because of this, it inspired him to make a song about it.
This song really defines Heavy Metal. Dark, brooding, slow, complete with good guitar & drum work, not to mention Ozzy iconic singing voice. It all comes together into a decent tune that feels like Heavy Metal, but also feels safe for some reason, and not the good kind of safe.
I Just Want You: I should start by say that this song is good.....damn good, in fact! One of my favorite tracks on the album, I Just Want You is full of emotion, both positive & negative, as well as great instrumentation & singing. However, this song shows of the major problem with Ozzmosis, and that’s track speed.
A majority of the songs on this album are slow ballads, and while a few hear and there don’t ruin an album (Except for really picky fans), too many of them will make for a sluggish listening experience. This really was the single point that fans & critics focused on when Ozzmosis came out: despite sounding good, too many of the songs are slow. It also doesn’t help the fact that this song, and the one below, contradict the speed & feeling of the first song on this album.
Ghost Behind My Eyes: Yet another slow ballad, Ghost Behind My Eyes really shows of the main problem that Ozzmosis suffers from (Overabundance of slow ballads). Having said that, this is a good sounding song, as you can feel Ozzy putting his heart & soul into it. His singing comes across as mournful & melancholic, and the instrumentation also feels like this. This isn’t necessarily one of my favorite songs on this album, but it’s fun to listen to.
Thunder Underground: Return to the sounds created by Perry Mason, Thunder Underground shares many of the elements within that song. A dark, brooding, and slow atmosphere, along with some decent guitar & drum work. If I have one complaint about this song, it would be Ozzy’s singing.
Long before this song, his voice would be processed to sound cleaner & crisper, but in Thunder Underground, he almost sounds a member of Alvin & The Chipmunks. It’s incredibly earsplitting, and you almost want to switch to another song (Whether it’s Ozzy or not). I had to do this at least once or twice, and even then, my ears were ringing for a few seconds afterwards.
See You on the Other Side: Though I’ve been complaining about the abundance of slow ballads on this album, I’m not really pitching a fit about this one. As sputnikmusic.com user Jacob Russell says:
“I find this to be the best ballad on the LP. It has beautiful lyrics about the death of a friend or lover, and how he'll see them again once his time comes. It is just a very great sounding song overall, I'm not sure what else I can say.”
Tomorrow: This is such an odd song. Tomorrow feels like the many other ballads on this album (Slow instrumentation, slow verses), but it’s the chorus that separates it from all the others. The chorus comes down on you like a ton of Heavy Metal coated bricks, with everybody giving it their all when it comes around! Again, this isn’t one of my favorites, but it’s fun regardless.
Denial: If I had to pick a song that I would consider to be the worst on Ozzmosis, it would be this one. Denial feels too much like See You on the Other Side: the instrumentation feels the same, the tone & mood feel the same, and even Ozzy’s singing sounds the same. The only difference is that while See You on the Other Side sounds like a lot of work was put into it, Denial doesn’t sound like it has as good of quality.
My Little Man: As silly as this might sound, this was a song that almost made me cry. Written for Ozzy’s son Jack, who was 10 years old at the time, My Little Man has to be one of the most emotionally charged Ozzy songs I’ve ever heard. The instrumentation feels like something plucked out a children’s book, with a overwhelming dream-like/fantasy vibe to cradle you, and Ozzy’s hopeful singing voice having a very comforting tone. Goddamn, I think I’m crying right now!
My Jekyll Doesn't Hide: For starters, this has to be the dumbest name for an Ozzy song...ever!
Secondly, it’s not that bad. It’s not the greatest song on Ozzmosis, but it’s not unbearable to listen to. The instrumentation sounds like Perry Mason/Thunder Underground, and Ozzy’s vocal range sounds like he dipping into his early 80s work, while at the same time staying fresh & modern. In fact, Jacob Russell described Ozzy’s singing in this song like this:
“It really shows the modernization of the heavier portions of the album as well as having some very interesting lyrics and unique vocal work that kinda reminds me of Ozzy's days in Black Sabbath.”
Old L.A. Tonight: We conclude this review of Ozzmosis with the last song on the album, Old L.A. Tonight. More than any song on this album, you can tell that Ozzy longs for the old Los Angeles, which is where he felt the most comfortable. The instrumentation feels much the same, and almost has a rock/blues things going on. It should be noted that Zack Wylde performed some great guitar solos, and the piano work is absolutely beautiful. Overall, Old L.A. Tonight is a touching & wonderful song that somehow works great as a ending track.
Overall Impression & Rating
It’s understandable why a lot of Ozzy fans don’t necessarily like this album. Slow pacing, slow songs, and singing that’s not necessarily up to Ozzy’s standard badassery, Ozzmosis has kinda been swept under the rug, which is a real shame, because it’s actually not that bad. There’s a couple good tracks on here that are worth a listen to, and even the worst on this album isn’t actually the worst. I’d say give it a go. If you like it, great! If you don’t, then it’s okay.
Ozzmosis gets a 7 out of 10.
See you all next week, when we look at one of the most iconic harem anime ever made. Until then, stay Otaku!
*Apologies for this being a day late. I had a bunch of stuff to get done, and by the time I could actually post this, I was way to tired to do so.
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Top 5 Scariest Video Game Levels
Hi everyone! It might early for some Halloween-style horror, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy something scary from time to time. Although out the history of games, there’s always been at least one level that’s scared the socks off of us. A level that, whether because of it’s dark atmosphere or vivid imagery, stays with us for all of our gaming lives. So, for your pleasure, here are what I consider to be top 5 scariest video game levels of all time.
5) Third Level - Unreal (“***”)
Compared to today, the first scare you come across in Unreal is a bit weak, but at the same time is still memorable. After leaving a crashed prison ship, you arrive on a planet that at first seems peaceful, yet for some reason there isn’t a sign of life, except for the natural wildlife. When you go through what looks like a few mining structures, you realize that the power isn’t working. Walking around for a bit, you come across the switch that will turn the power on...at the end of a lit hallway...around a corner. I think you all know where this is going.
You reach the switch & turn on the power, and at first things seem okay. Then, the lights turn off, one by one. The hallway is now pitch black, and the only light around is the soft glow of your laser pistol. Then.....metal bars slam through the hallway, cutting off your escape! As if that wasn’t enough, a bloodthirsty Skarrg (One of the main enemies in Unreal) bursts out from the wall, and tries to kill you! Despite having a weak weapon, you eventually kill the Skarrg, the metal bars move out of the way, and the hallway lights come back on.
Back in the mid-to-late 90s, this was one of the scariest things on the planet. Unfortunately, the dated graphics haven’t aged well, thus cheapening the moment. Still, it’s a pretty frightening experience, and it manages to give me chills to this day.
4) Crypt - Return To Castle Wolfenstein (“***”)
What I liked about this level is the buildup to it. When you start the game, you’re trapped in a castle controlled by the Nazis. You escape, you shoot, no big deal. Then you come across a snowy village, and you go through a similar situation: escaping, and shooting. About halfway through the village, you come across an allied agent, who informs you that the Nazis have made it to a local digsite, and that strange things were going on. You kill a few more Nazis, then you arrive at a graveyard. Things still seem relatively normal, until you blow off the seal of a mausoleum, and descend into the depths below.
Right away, you can tell that nobody should be in this place. The crypt feels too ancient, and perhaps too alien, for modern minds to understand. It also appears that the Nazi soliders are having a hard time in the crypt, as the bodies of the ancient Germanic people bursting from their graves, and ripping the soldiers apart, limb from limb. Not only are there zombie-like creatures devouring Nazi flesh, but equally ancient Germanic warriors also assail you, wearing rusted chainmail, and swinging equally rusted swords & axes. Even if nobody was in the crypt, you can just feel this dark aura over the whole place, and a coldness just seems to drape over you like a heavy blanket.
Compared to Unreal, the graphics in this game have fared far better, and thus have managed to preserve the horror & suspense better. Killing Nazis is always fun, but when you’re killing them in a dank, frightening crypt, it ramps up the terror ten-fold.
3) Die Rise - Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (“***”) (Sorry bout the commentary on this one)
Originally I had the Nuketown Zombies at this spot, mainly because it’s a damn creepy level. What ultimately caused me to change the choice for the number 3 spot is mainly because the theme of the level (A post-nuclear wasteland, filled to the brim with the hordes of the dead), is relatively popular in gaming. With Die Rise, you have a relatively unique level & theme.
Taking place in post-apocalyptic Shanghai, Die Rise has you fighting the zombie horde amid a group of three ruined skyscrapers, one of which has toppled over to create an upside down environment. There’s a feeling of a worker’s utopia within these buildings, as imagery of Chinese Communism can be seen on the walls at times, along with aspects of commercialism & capitalism within the starting area. Did I mention that there’s a meteor shower happening all around you as you’re killing things!?
All of these elements come together to create a level that’s not only scary, but also raises the tension quite a bit. Much of the fighting is done in various hallways & workspaces of the skyscrapers, not to mention an upside-down Buddhist temple. These tight spaces (For the most part, there’s tight spaces) force you to be a little paranoid, as you look around frantically for the next sign of the zombie horde.
2) Orphanage - Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell (“***”)
Holy shit this level is friggen creepy! If you recall my Painkiller review (Click “***” to read), I said the game takes place in Purgatory, and the levels within were fantastical takes on various points in time, and the Orphanage is no exception. When you spawn at the beginning, you’re surrounded by a fog-covered swamp, with hordes of dead trees strewn all over the place. The orphanage itself is situated on top of a hill, but it looks more like a old, and rather large Victorian house rather than a place that takes care of kids.
When you step inside, right off the bat you know something is wrong. The entry hall is dark like midnight, with the only light source coming from the player. As you step up the stairs, a child’s ball bounces down, and some of the creepiest music kicks in. You take a turn to the right, and you come across demonically possessed girls, who promptly burst into flames and try to smother you. After promptly putting them to sleep, you continue to journey through the decrepit locale. You walk through a library, a play room, a class room, and a jail/torture chamber (What the hell is a jail/torture chamber doing in a orphanage!?), killing the possessed kids in the process. In addition to the girls, there’s possessed boys armed with knives, and’ll turn into headless beasts with claws if they take enough damage. There’s also puppets that’ll poke you with their sharpened noses (Makes sense?), children in body bags that will explode if you’re too close, a butcher-like demon that swings around an axe, and to conclude this assortment of horror, a ghostly nun that throws fire balls. During the portions with the butcher, you’re chased through a bloody kitchen, a set of dank stairs, and finally the orphanage’s basement, where you finally kill him. To really creep you out (And perhaps to weird you out as well), your battle with the ghost nun takes place in a small crypt, with a single sarcophagus right in the middle.
If you have the courage, try to play the level. I can only say that if you don’t survive, you’ll never trust kids again!
1) Hell - Doom 3 (“***”)
I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that the depiction of Hell in Doom 3 is one of the scariest levels I've ever played through. Even today, I still look over my shoulder once in a while when I’m playing that level, making sure that nothing’s behind me. When the original Doom depicted Hell, no PC gamer at the time saw anything like it. It was dark, creepy, and had plenty of atmosphere. Nowadays, it doesn’t hold a candle compared to this newer depiction, and feels more nostalgic than horrifying.
For starters, you still have some of the elements from the original hell (Blood splatters, mutilated bodies, etc), but the at the time revolutionary graphics somehow turned these horror staples into Lovecraft-style mind warpers. This also applies to the environment, as you’re constantly traveling through open space (Complete with a black-red sky, dotted with stars, and filled with occassional lightning & thunder), and underground caves dotted with lava pools, steam vents, and remnants of the scientists that traveled to Hell before you did.
The creatures also add to the horror & suspense. There’s imps that meld into the stone, floating heads that try to bite you, massive Hell Knights that’ll either rip you apart, or throw orbs of green energy that’ll incinerate you, and a assortment of other beasts. Although you do have armor & weapons available, there isn’t enough that it’ll make you feel superhuman. Even the standard health packs are somewhat hard to find, and thus it forces you to be more careful than normal. To really ramp up the horror, the voice of a demonized Dr. Betruger chimes in from time to time, taunting the player into giving up, and being overrun by the denizens of Hell.
All of these elements combine into a whole that truly terrifies you, and stays in your mind for a long time.
See you all next week, when we’ll all perform Ozzmosis. Until then, stay Otaku!
5) Third Level - Unreal (“***”)
Compared to today, the first scare you come across in Unreal is a bit weak, but at the same time is still memorable. After leaving a crashed prison ship, you arrive on a planet that at first seems peaceful, yet for some reason there isn’t a sign of life, except for the natural wildlife. When you go through what looks like a few mining structures, you realize that the power isn’t working. Walking around for a bit, you come across the switch that will turn the power on...at the end of a lit hallway...around a corner. I think you all know where this is going.
You reach the switch & turn on the power, and at first things seem okay. Then, the lights turn off, one by one. The hallway is now pitch black, and the only light around is the soft glow of your laser pistol. Then.....metal bars slam through the hallway, cutting off your escape! As if that wasn’t enough, a bloodthirsty Skarrg (One of the main enemies in Unreal) bursts out from the wall, and tries to kill you! Despite having a weak weapon, you eventually kill the Skarrg, the metal bars move out of the way, and the hallway lights come back on.
Back in the mid-to-late 90s, this was one of the scariest things on the planet. Unfortunately, the dated graphics haven’t aged well, thus cheapening the moment. Still, it’s a pretty frightening experience, and it manages to give me chills to this day.
4) Crypt - Return To Castle Wolfenstein (“***”)
What I liked about this level is the buildup to it. When you start the game, you’re trapped in a castle controlled by the Nazis. You escape, you shoot, no big deal. Then you come across a snowy village, and you go through a similar situation: escaping, and shooting. About halfway through the village, you come across an allied agent, who informs you that the Nazis have made it to a local digsite, and that strange things were going on. You kill a few more Nazis, then you arrive at a graveyard. Things still seem relatively normal, until you blow off the seal of a mausoleum, and descend into the depths below.
Right away, you can tell that nobody should be in this place. The crypt feels too ancient, and perhaps too alien, for modern minds to understand. It also appears that the Nazi soliders are having a hard time in the crypt, as the bodies of the ancient Germanic people bursting from their graves, and ripping the soldiers apart, limb from limb. Not only are there zombie-like creatures devouring Nazi flesh, but equally ancient Germanic warriors also assail you, wearing rusted chainmail, and swinging equally rusted swords & axes. Even if nobody was in the crypt, you can just feel this dark aura over the whole place, and a coldness just seems to drape over you like a heavy blanket.
Compared to Unreal, the graphics in this game have fared far better, and thus have managed to preserve the horror & suspense better. Killing Nazis is always fun, but when you’re killing them in a dank, frightening crypt, it ramps up the terror ten-fold.
3) Die Rise - Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (“***”) (Sorry bout the commentary on this one)
Originally I had the Nuketown Zombies at this spot, mainly because it’s a damn creepy level. What ultimately caused me to change the choice for the number 3 spot is mainly because the theme of the level (A post-nuclear wasteland, filled to the brim with the hordes of the dead), is relatively popular in gaming. With Die Rise, you have a relatively unique level & theme.
Taking place in post-apocalyptic Shanghai, Die Rise has you fighting the zombie horde amid a group of three ruined skyscrapers, one of which has toppled over to create an upside down environment. There’s a feeling of a worker’s utopia within these buildings, as imagery of Chinese Communism can be seen on the walls at times, along with aspects of commercialism & capitalism within the starting area. Did I mention that there’s a meteor shower happening all around you as you’re killing things!?
All of these elements come together to create a level that’s not only scary, but also raises the tension quite a bit. Much of the fighting is done in various hallways & workspaces of the skyscrapers, not to mention an upside-down Buddhist temple. These tight spaces (For the most part, there’s tight spaces) force you to be a little paranoid, as you look around frantically for the next sign of the zombie horde.
2) Orphanage - Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell (“***”)
Holy shit this level is friggen creepy! If you recall my Painkiller review (Click “***” to read), I said the game takes place in Purgatory, and the levels within were fantastical takes on various points in time, and the Orphanage is no exception. When you spawn at the beginning, you’re surrounded by a fog-covered swamp, with hordes of dead trees strewn all over the place. The orphanage itself is situated on top of a hill, but it looks more like a old, and rather large Victorian house rather than a place that takes care of kids.
When you step inside, right off the bat you know something is wrong. The entry hall is dark like midnight, with the only light source coming from the player. As you step up the stairs, a child’s ball bounces down, and some of the creepiest music kicks in. You take a turn to the right, and you come across demonically possessed girls, who promptly burst into flames and try to smother you. After promptly putting them to sleep, you continue to journey through the decrepit locale. You walk through a library, a play room, a class room, and a jail/torture chamber (What the hell is a jail/torture chamber doing in a orphanage!?), killing the possessed kids in the process. In addition to the girls, there’s possessed boys armed with knives, and’ll turn into headless beasts with claws if they take enough damage. There’s also puppets that’ll poke you with their sharpened noses (Makes sense?), children in body bags that will explode if you’re too close, a butcher-like demon that swings around an axe, and to conclude this assortment of horror, a ghostly nun that throws fire balls. During the portions with the butcher, you’re chased through a bloody kitchen, a set of dank stairs, and finally the orphanage’s basement, where you finally kill him. To really creep you out (And perhaps to weird you out as well), your battle with the ghost nun takes place in a small crypt, with a single sarcophagus right in the middle.
If you have the courage, try to play the level. I can only say that if you don’t survive, you’ll never trust kids again!
1) Hell - Doom 3 (“***”)
I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that the depiction of Hell in Doom 3 is one of the scariest levels I've ever played through. Even today, I still look over my shoulder once in a while when I’m playing that level, making sure that nothing’s behind me. When the original Doom depicted Hell, no PC gamer at the time saw anything like it. It was dark, creepy, and had plenty of atmosphere. Nowadays, it doesn’t hold a candle compared to this newer depiction, and feels more nostalgic than horrifying.
For starters, you still have some of the elements from the original hell (Blood splatters, mutilated bodies, etc), but the at the time revolutionary graphics somehow turned these horror staples into Lovecraft-style mind warpers. This also applies to the environment, as you’re constantly traveling through open space (Complete with a black-red sky, dotted with stars, and filled with occassional lightning & thunder), and underground caves dotted with lava pools, steam vents, and remnants of the scientists that traveled to Hell before you did.
The creatures also add to the horror & suspense. There’s imps that meld into the stone, floating heads that try to bite you, massive Hell Knights that’ll either rip you apart, or throw orbs of green energy that’ll incinerate you, and a assortment of other beasts. Although you do have armor & weapons available, there isn’t enough that it’ll make you feel superhuman. Even the standard health packs are somewhat hard to find, and thus it forces you to be more careful than normal. To really ramp up the horror, the voice of a demonized Dr. Betruger chimes in from time to time, taunting the player into giving up, and being overrun by the denizens of Hell.
All of these elements combine into a whole that truly terrifies you, and stays in your mind for a long time.
See you all next week, when we’ll all perform Ozzmosis. Until then, stay Otaku!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Strike Witches: Season 2 Review
Hi everyone. About a year ago, I posted up a review for the first season of Strike Witches (Click “***” to read it). In that review, I basically said it was a near-perfect show, with the only flaws being some dubbing that didn’t fit some of the characters, and a character flaw that really bugged me. At Genericon this year, I managed to acquire the second season of the series. Is it as good as the first season, and does have the same flaws? Well, let’s not waste anymore time, and look at Strike Witches: Season 2.
Let’s start off with the story. It’s been 6 months since the end of the first season, and the Neuroi have been defeated in Gallia. However, a more powerful form of Neuroi was discovered over Venezia, a territory in the country of Romagna (The name for Italy in the series). In the 6-month period, Yoshika Miyafuji has graduated middle school, and has greater power & control over her healing magic. After getting a letter from her father (Who’s supposedly dead, btw) containing blueprints, she heads towards one of her commanders, and after getting into a small argument, walks away. But when the Neuroi attack off-coast, they reunite and do battle, along with the rest of the 501th Fighter Wing, aka the Strike Witches. From that battle they regroup at a new base, and continue to do the things they did before.
This review is going to go by rather quickly, simply because most of the things in that review are in this show as well. Due to that fact, I’ll have those components in parentheses below.
“We start off the positives of Strike Witches with how it views the world during this crisis. In the real world around this time, the Allies were fighting against the forces of the Axis Powers, and neither side gave the other any quarter. In the alternate setting of Strike Witches, the countries that composed the Allies and Axis Powers have put aside their differences to combat the Neuroi. In addition to that, the countries that the characters come from have different names from their real-life counterparts, and their respective territories are different than those of the real world. It’s actually impressive how this all works out, as it’s essentially a what-if scenario...minus the aliens, magic, girls without pants (more on that in a bit), and obliterated swathes of Earth. It’s also interesting to note that the girls in Strike Witches are based off of real life pilots, who generated a lot of fame for themselves during WW2.”
“The second positive of Strike Witches are the main characters. The show deals specifically with the 501th Joint Fighter Wing, which is composed of some of the most colorful young girls ever created for an anime. Each of them have a distinct personality that separates them from one another, yet each of them have things in common that connect them to one another, and form some very strong friendships. Although I liked them all, my favorite had to have been Francesca Lucchini, the youngest out of the girls. Being 12 years old, she’s as playful and mischievous as a 12 year old girl should be, yet she can show greats amount of courage, and never falters when fighting the Neuroi. Oh, she also has a thing for boobs, but it’s more of a love for them rather than anything more...fanservice-y. ”
“Which leads into the third positive of Strike Witches. This is perhaps one of the dirtiest shows I’ve ever seen, yet at the same time is a little bit reserved in regards to the fanservice (with perhaps a few exceptions). I said earlier that the girls where absolutely no pants whatsoever (but they still have on panties-like garments, and the two Japanese characters wear swimsuits under their sailor tops.), yet because of the nature of their airplane legs, the can’t wear pants, as their legs need to be in direct contact on the inside of them for their increased magical powers. Also, because of the random attacks of the Neuroi, taking off pants would waste time, and possibly get them killed. So, because of the chaotic attacks, they don’t wear pants. Even with the underwear that some of the characters wear, you can see a good portion of their buttcrack (trust me, there’s a lot of butt shots). Despite this, noone else around them is a pervert (except perhaps a few of the 501th fighters), as they see this as a completely normal thing.”
“In addition to this, there are a few other fanservice moments. There’s Lucchini’s love of cleavage, some moments of exposed cleavage and full nudity, and there’s yuri vibes as well, which isn’t so obvious unless you know what to look for. While not on a risque level, many of the characters kinda have a thing for one. For example: Yoshika (one of the first primary characters the viewer meets) has a thing for her friend Lynnette, mostly because she has a large pair of breasts. At first this is why she has the hots for her, but over the course of the seasons, she develops real feelings for Lynnette, but hasn’t told her yet. There are plenty of other examples of yuri parings, yet to tell you more of them would ruin some of the story elements. They don’t necessarily move the story along, but they do add for some funny and touching moments.”
“Outside of the fanservice, the next positive of Strike Witches is the mix of genres it uses. Comedy, drama, magical girl, science fiction, and fanservice comprise the bulk of genres within Strike Witches, along with a few others that I can’t think of at the moment. Usually this mix can either do a great job together, or they’ll try and tear each other’s throats out. Luckily, Strike Witches succeeds at mixing these together to create a highly entertaining show that’ll stick in your head for quite a while.”
“Strike Witches’s next positive is the voice acting. With perhaps a few exceptions, the voice acting is well done. The voices for the main characters sound quite believable, and even the secondary characters feel as though a lot of work was put into them. Sorry if this section of the review is shorter than the rest, but I honestly can think of anything else to put here, other than there was a lot of good work done with the voice acting.”
With those older components out of the way, let me talk about the new parts. For starters, season 2 seems to go for a lighter tone. Granted, there are still some serious moments (Some damn good ones, by the way), but the second season has more opportunities to create some smiles, and to make you laugh as well. There’s even a couple of heartwarming scenes in the show, but I won’t spoil those for you. Suffice it to say, you’ll be looking for a tissue box to wipe away the tears.
Secondly, Minna’s tragedy that took place in the first season doesn’t crop up nowhere near as much in this one. I won’t go into it too much (Click on the link at the start of the review to see what happened), but I will say that this was one of the things that aggravated me the most in the original series. In the second season, her past pain only appears towards the end, where it actually makes sense. I had no complaints about what she did this time around, as I can actually feel some sympathy towards Minna. Still find it a little aggravating!
Finally, Season 2 of Strike Witches is easily available. Being released in October of last year, this show can be readily found in places like Best Buy, FYE, and on websites like Amazon. As I said, I bought my copy at Genericon a couple weeks back for a high price (More on this in a moment), but I was able to find it rather quickly.
Like the first season, I’ve given the second season of Strike Witches nothing but praise. Called me opinionated, but I really enjoyed this show. Having said that, this show has two problems perched on it’s shoulders, but they aren’t quite as major, and the first one is quite familiar.
“As I said earlier, the voice acting in Strike Witches is great, but there are a few exceptions. It’s not that they weren’t doing a good job or anything, because they were. It’s just that the voice for some of the characters just didn’t quite fit. In the Japanese dub, Lynnette sounds innocent and shy, but in the English dub, she sounds a little more confident and strong. It doesn’t match the character, as she really is innocent and shy. I might be a little nitpicky about this, but it’s at least worth mentioning.”
The second problem is the pricing. This show can be pretty damn expensive to buy. When I got my copy at Genericon, it cost a whopping $55 dollars (Whether this included the tax or not, I forgot). The copy in question I bought was the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack, and to my knowledge their isn’t a normal DVD release. Over on Amazon, the pricing is much less expensive, clocking in at $40 dollars. It’s still expensive, but it doesn’t quite stab your wallet as hard as the $55 dollars.
Strike Witches: Season 2 gets a 9.5 out of 10. The alternate timeline is played out well, the main characters are great, the fanservice is plentiful yet somehow tasteful, has a nice mix of genres, the voice acting rocks, had a lighter tone than season 1, and it can be easily found, but some of the voice acting doesn’t quite fit with some characters, and the pricing is a little expensive.
See you all next week, when we’ll look at some of the scariest levels in video game history. Until then, stay Otaku!
* Today was my birthday! 26 years old.....WOOT!!!
Let’s start off with the story. It’s been 6 months since the end of the first season, and the Neuroi have been defeated in Gallia. However, a more powerful form of Neuroi was discovered over Venezia, a territory in the country of Romagna (The name for Italy in the series). In the 6-month period, Yoshika Miyafuji has graduated middle school, and has greater power & control over her healing magic. After getting a letter from her father (Who’s supposedly dead, btw) containing blueprints, she heads towards one of her commanders, and after getting into a small argument, walks away. But when the Neuroi attack off-coast, they reunite and do battle, along with the rest of the 501th Fighter Wing, aka the Strike Witches. From that battle they regroup at a new base, and continue to do the things they did before.
This review is going to go by rather quickly, simply because most of the things in that review are in this show as well. Due to that fact, I’ll have those components in parentheses below.
“We start off the positives of Strike Witches with how it views the world during this crisis. In the real world around this time, the Allies were fighting against the forces of the Axis Powers, and neither side gave the other any quarter. In the alternate setting of Strike Witches, the countries that composed the Allies and Axis Powers have put aside their differences to combat the Neuroi. In addition to that, the countries that the characters come from have different names from their real-life counterparts, and their respective territories are different than those of the real world. It’s actually impressive how this all works out, as it’s essentially a what-if scenario...minus the aliens, magic, girls without pants (more on that in a bit), and obliterated swathes of Earth. It’s also interesting to note that the girls in Strike Witches are based off of real life pilots, who generated a lot of fame for themselves during WW2.”
“The second positive of Strike Witches are the main characters. The show deals specifically with the 501th Joint Fighter Wing, which is composed of some of the most colorful young girls ever created for an anime. Each of them have a distinct personality that separates them from one another, yet each of them have things in common that connect them to one another, and form some very strong friendships. Although I liked them all, my favorite had to have been Francesca Lucchini, the youngest out of the girls. Being 12 years old, she’s as playful and mischievous as a 12 year old girl should be, yet she can show greats amount of courage, and never falters when fighting the Neuroi. Oh, she also has a thing for boobs, but it’s more of a love for them rather than anything more...fanservice-y. ”
“Which leads into the third positive of Strike Witches. This is perhaps one of the dirtiest shows I’ve ever seen, yet at the same time is a little bit reserved in regards to the fanservice (with perhaps a few exceptions). I said earlier that the girls where absolutely no pants whatsoever (but they still have on panties-like garments, and the two Japanese characters wear swimsuits under their sailor tops.), yet because of the nature of their airplane legs, the can’t wear pants, as their legs need to be in direct contact on the inside of them for their increased magical powers. Also, because of the random attacks of the Neuroi, taking off pants would waste time, and possibly get them killed. So, because of the chaotic attacks, they don’t wear pants. Even with the underwear that some of the characters wear, you can see a good portion of their buttcrack (trust me, there’s a lot of butt shots). Despite this, noone else around them is a pervert (except perhaps a few of the 501th fighters), as they see this as a completely normal thing.”
“In addition to this, there are a few other fanservice moments. There’s Lucchini’s love of cleavage, some moments of exposed cleavage and full nudity, and there’s yuri vibes as well, which isn’t so obvious unless you know what to look for. While not on a risque level, many of the characters kinda have a thing for one. For example: Yoshika (one of the first primary characters the viewer meets) has a thing for her friend Lynnette, mostly because she has a large pair of breasts. At first this is why she has the hots for her, but over the course of the seasons, she develops real feelings for Lynnette, but hasn’t told her yet. There are plenty of other examples of yuri parings, yet to tell you more of them would ruin some of the story elements. They don’t necessarily move the story along, but they do add for some funny and touching moments.”
“Outside of the fanservice, the next positive of Strike Witches is the mix of genres it uses. Comedy, drama, magical girl, science fiction, and fanservice comprise the bulk of genres within Strike Witches, along with a few others that I can’t think of at the moment. Usually this mix can either do a great job together, or they’ll try and tear each other’s throats out. Luckily, Strike Witches succeeds at mixing these together to create a highly entertaining show that’ll stick in your head for quite a while.”
“Strike Witches’s next positive is the voice acting. With perhaps a few exceptions, the voice acting is well done. The voices for the main characters sound quite believable, and even the secondary characters feel as though a lot of work was put into them. Sorry if this section of the review is shorter than the rest, but I honestly can think of anything else to put here, other than there was a lot of good work done with the voice acting.”
With those older components out of the way, let me talk about the new parts. For starters, season 2 seems to go for a lighter tone. Granted, there are still some serious moments (Some damn good ones, by the way), but the second season has more opportunities to create some smiles, and to make you laugh as well. There’s even a couple of heartwarming scenes in the show, but I won’t spoil those for you. Suffice it to say, you’ll be looking for a tissue box to wipe away the tears.
Secondly, Minna’s tragedy that took place in the first season doesn’t crop up nowhere near as much in this one. I won’t go into it too much (Click on the link at the start of the review to see what happened), but I will say that this was one of the things that aggravated me the most in the original series. In the second season, her past pain only appears towards the end, where it actually makes sense. I had no complaints about what she did this time around, as I can actually feel some sympathy towards Minna. Still find it a little aggravating!
Finally, Season 2 of Strike Witches is easily available. Being released in October of last year, this show can be readily found in places like Best Buy, FYE, and on websites like Amazon. As I said, I bought my copy at Genericon a couple weeks back for a high price (More on this in a moment), but I was able to find it rather quickly.
Like the first season, I’ve given the second season of Strike Witches nothing but praise. Called me opinionated, but I really enjoyed this show. Having said that, this show has two problems perched on it’s shoulders, but they aren’t quite as major, and the first one is quite familiar.
“As I said earlier, the voice acting in Strike Witches is great, but there are a few exceptions. It’s not that they weren’t doing a good job or anything, because they were. It’s just that the voice for some of the characters just didn’t quite fit. In the Japanese dub, Lynnette sounds innocent and shy, but in the English dub, she sounds a little more confident and strong. It doesn’t match the character, as she really is innocent and shy. I might be a little nitpicky about this, but it’s at least worth mentioning.”
The second problem is the pricing. This show can be pretty damn expensive to buy. When I got my copy at Genericon, it cost a whopping $55 dollars (Whether this included the tax or not, I forgot). The copy in question I bought was the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack, and to my knowledge their isn’t a normal DVD release. Over on Amazon, the pricing is much less expensive, clocking in at $40 dollars. It’s still expensive, but it doesn’t quite stab your wallet as hard as the $55 dollars.
Strike Witches: Season 2 gets a 9.5 out of 10. The alternate timeline is played out well, the main characters are great, the fanservice is plentiful yet somehow tasteful, has a nice mix of genres, the voice acting rocks, had a lighter tone than season 1, and it can be easily found, but some of the voice acting doesn’t quite fit with some characters, and the pricing is a little expensive.
See you all next week, when we’ll look at some of the scariest levels in video game history. Until then, stay Otaku!
* Today was my birthday! 26 years old.....WOOT!!!
Monday, April 1, 2013
My Top 10 Movies & TV Shows
Two down, three to go. For your pleasure, here are my top 10 movies & TV shows. Yeah I know I said I’d only be doing movies in my first top 10 post, but in a way television is a lot like cinema, only on a smaller scale.
10) MXC (Sample Episode: “***”)
Looking back, if there was a television show that I was ashamed of liking, it would be this. Airing from 2003 to I think 2006, MXC (Formerly known as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) was a Japanese game show with english dubs. Now, if that sounds strange, let me go on by saying that the dub doesn’t match up with the mouth movements all that well, the dub in question is filled with incredible amounts of crude sexual innuendo, racial humor, pop culture references, and a host of other things to turn a Japanese game show into a American Gladiators spoof.
The reason this show was able to work in the first place was that it aired at the stage in SpikeTV’s early years, where a good chunk of the shows were relatively crude, and they were still touting the “Network for Guys” moniker. If they were to re-air the show today, or somehow make new episodes, it would totally clash with Spike’s cleaner (But still manly and occasionally crude) image. I guess the reasons why I liked MXC was because of the crude humor, and it somehow appealed to my younger self (I was 16/17 when I first watched the show). When I watch a episode or a clip of an episode, I still laugh, but at the same time a piece of me dies.
9) A Christmas Story (Sample Clip: “***”)
The sad thing is, Scrooged is a movie I enjoy more than this, but only just. The premise behind it is familiar, but somehow new at the same time. It also helps that Bill Murray headlines the movie (Hell, his face is plastered on the front of the DVD case), and his performance is just awesome. So you’re asking yourself “If you liked Scrooged more, why are you putting A Christmas Movie on this list instead?” Well.....
I’m putting A Christmas Story on this list because I can relate to it more. I can remember being as young as the main character during the holidays. I can remember how strange things could get during that time, and I can remember the wonder (And occasional horror) when I came down the stairs to gaze upon the sparkling tree with the presents underneath. It’s those kind of memories that ring stronger in me, and I would put this in a film ark in a minute because of that!
8) Deadliest Warrior (Sample Episode: “***”)
There was a time, in the course of SpikeTV’s history, that they actually seemed to be gaining credit & respect. From about 2008 to maybe late 2011, the network was bringing in shows & specials that seemed relatively intelligent & interesting. Of these shows, Deadliest Warrior was right on top for quite a while. For anyone who didn’t read my review of season 1 (Click “***” to read it), the show was a “What if insert name fought against insert name”, and used elements of Reality TV, History, and Science Fiction. It was actually kinda revolutionary, as silly as that may sound, because while this idea been flying around for a while, nobody has ever picked it up.
It was really fun to watch! I liked the idea of the show. I liked the testing of the various weapons, and the history behind the warriors of a particular. Even the Reality TV aspects of Deadliest Warrior were fun, as they weren’t as standard as other shows of the genre. The one thing that prevents me from putting it lower on the list is the fact that, regardless of the seasons, there were screwup after screwup. Sometimes it was an expert that wasn’t who they say he was (Or they weren’t as impressive as they were shows), sometimes they screwed up a fact, and they even sometimes screwed up with the editing of a scene. Nowhere was this more evident than in season 3, when everything that was wrong with the show, and then some, became readily apparent, but that’s for another review (My season 2 review will appear in a couple months, and I’ll get the review for the 3rd season up sometime after that). Suffice it to say, Deadliest Warrior is an example of a enjoyable & surprising television series, despite the bullshit.
7) Surviving Disaster (Sample Episode: “***”)
Getting axed even sooner than Deadliest Warrior (That show ran for 3 seasons, while this one only ran for 1), Surviving Disaster was another one of the shows that SpikeTV aired that was intelligent, but still provided some entertainment. The basic premise of the show was that the host (Who’s name escapes me) would guide a small group of people through a worst-case disaster, and teach the viewers & people how to survive the disaster in question, hence the name of the show. There was a surprisingly interesting selection of disasters that the show focused on, and they were:
Airplane Hijacking
Office Building Fire
Hurricane
Home Invasion (1 Solitary Individual/Tiger Kidnappers)
Avalanche
Lost At Sea
Mall Shooting
Nuclear Attack (1 mile from the blast & 3 miles from the blast)
Earthquake
Pandemic (Nerve Gas Attack/Global Pandemic)
From the beginning to end, the host told you explicit steps to follow, and experts from various fields would chime in and give their wisdom about the disaster in question. It was really informative, and was quite entertaining in the process. If I had one complaint about Surviving Disaster, it was that the disaster would sometimes be oblivious towards the host, often to the point of ignoring him. Nowhere was this most evident than in the first portion of the home invasion. I won’t spoil it for you, so go watch it.
6) UHF (Sample Clip: “***”)
It’s really such a shame that this movie was slammed back in the day, because I thought that the film was Weird Al at his best. He was consistently funny throughout the entire film, and the supporting cast (Which included the guy that played Kramer, as well Fran Drescher from The Nanny) added a lot of personality to it. What also makes this film fun, at least for me, was the wackiness of the scenes (More like skits, but I’ll save that for the eventual review), and trust me when I say that some of these scenes/skits are some of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen.
You have Weird Al’s daydream sequences (The first one is a spoof on the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a later sequence he’s imagining himself as Rambo rescuing Kramer), karate students getting thrown through walls and out of windows, the Wheel of Fish, and a host of other scenes/skits that I can’t really explain. This is an example where watching the movie will make far more sense than me trying to explain it.
5) Good Eats (Sample Episode: “***”)
I’m very conflicted with this show. On the one hand, I enjoy the host. Alton Brown has been doing this show since 1999, and brings an energy & fun that most other cooking show hosts don’t. Mr. Brown also brought in a lot of history about many of the more iconic dishes (Beef Wellington, Pavlova, and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce are just a couple of dishes he brings into the light), and can get very scientific at times. Good Eats is also helped by having a lot of humor in the show (With maybe an exception of the first 1 to 3 seasons), and thus keeps viewers glued to the TV screen.
On the other hand, Alton Brown is no longer doing the show (His last episode, a 1-hour special on dark chocolate, aired back in February of 2012). He’s also incredibly opinionated, often to the point of frustrating, and some of his cooking methods are downright bizarre. Steaming & baking chicken wings instead of frying them!? Baking a roux in the oven!? Cooking a lasagna in the crockpot!? These are just a small few of the methods he uses that makes me scratch my head. Despite some of the faults, Good Eats is a great show to get cooking info, or just to be entertained.
4) The Thing (1982 Edition) (Sample Clip: “***”)
How ironic, that when this film was first released, it was a bomb. Nowadays, this movie is considered a classic in the horror genre. Small world, ain’t it?
The funny thing about this film is that I’m usually not a fan of horror films. I have a very vivid imagination, enough to the point of sometimes feeling the physical pain that the characters are feeling at that moment. This movie is one of the few exceptions, along with the first Hellraiser film, and the A Nightmare on Elm Street series (Not that crappy 2010 remake). There’s definitely some jump scares, but there’s always some kind of buildup before them. You’ve also got some great sci-fi, suspense, and a cast of characters that fit in with one another. It also helps by having a younger/sexier Kurt Russell as the lead character.
For anyone wondering, I did watch the original film, but I consider it inferior when I put it next to this one.
3) Blazing Saddles (Sample Clip: “***”)
Easily the most politically incorrect movie I’ve ever watched, Blazing Saddles also has the distinction of being one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. If there’s anything wrong with the film, it’s that another film like it will never be made again, simply because the politically correct environment we live in right now won’t let it be made. It’s really sad that so many people get upset by what’s in the film, cause it’s a really great satirical comedy.
If you remember my review from July last year about the film (Click “***” to read it), I said that some of the most racial & sexual humor I’ve ever witnessed. Words like “Nigger” & “Chink” are thrown around (But not constantly, and at the right time), and jokes about breasts and other body parts appear sometimes at random. Despite the subject matter of the humor, the underlying message of Blazing Saddles is just how ridiculous racism & sexism is, and that we should get along regardless of race or gender. It’s a great message that needs to be spread all over the world, and perhaps there won’t be as much bloodshed.
2) The Mummy (1999 Edition) (Sample Clip: “***”) & Mystery Men (Sample Clip: “***”)
Right around 1999 to 2000, I was beginning to get more into movies, the first two films I got addicted to was The Mummy & Mystery Men. I really can’t separate these two films, simply because I enjoy them that much.
Now, I’ve never seen the original 1932 edition of The Mummy (At least not completely), so I really can’t compare it to this one (Unlike The Thing). When I saw this movie for the first time, I was awed by what I saw. Before The Mummy, the movies I saw were relatively tame, mostly because my mother was cautious about what I saw. I had turned 13 around 1999/2000, and this was the first movie I saw when she loosened up a bit.
What I can say is that this version of the Mummy is very different than it’s predecessor. Whereas the original movie was focused mainly on horror & suspense, the 1999 edition was a mix of action, horror, suspense, and it also managed to sneak in a couple comedic moments. The cast was also a plus for the movie, with Brendan Fraser as the lead good guy, and Arnold Vosloo as the main bad guy. There were plenty of other good actors that graced the movie, such as Rachel Weisz, John David Hannah, and Kevin J. O'Connor. The setting of a mid 20s Egypt brings a mystical & early modern wonder to the movie, making for a great movie to watch when the lights are dim.
Like The Mummy, I watched Mystery Men in that 1999-2000 period of my life, when I was getting a better grasp & understanding of movies. Also like the previous movie, I watched the hell out of the VHS copy I have, probably to the point of making the tape fragile. What makes Mystery Men a fun film for me, is that it takes a standard film trope (In this case the Superhero genre) and turns it on it’s head. In the movie, the bay guy is fairly obvious, the obvious good guy turns out to be a douchebag, and the real good guys are the underdogs that save the day in the end.
Even if the movie wasn’t a goofy superhero/sci-fi comedy, it’s the cast of characters that endears me to the movie. For the good guys, there’s William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Janeane Garofalo, and Wes Studi as various lesser-known superheroes. With the bad guys, Geoffrey Rush is the lead villain, and Eddie Izzard as one of his second-in-command. This cast is quite an ensemble of A-list and B-list actors & comedians, and somehow, through some mysterious way, all of these people meld together, and create a truly memorable experience.
1) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Sample Clip: “***”)
I should start by saying that this show hasn’t necessarily aged well over the years. The 3d effects look cheap, the acting at times is incredibly hammy, and the sets don’t look so great now. Having said that, this was a show that I had incredible amounts of fun watching when I was younger. It was also one of the first things on TV I watched with my Mother & Father, right up there with Saturday morning cartoons, and oddly enough, CBS News.
If I had one word to use when talking about this show, it would be fun. Kevin Sorbo, despite being something of a B-list actor, really puts his all into his role as Hercules. The setting of Ancient Greece was interesting: it was familiar, but gets turned onto it’s head. It also helps that the show has a great sense of humor (Emphasis on great), it knew how & when to be serious, and the main cast of actors just seemed to fit (Bruce Campbell anyone!?). Again, the show aged poorly, but it’s so much fun to watch, it’s hard to hate on it.
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!
10) MXC (Sample Episode: “***”)
Looking back, if there was a television show that I was ashamed of liking, it would be this. Airing from 2003 to I think 2006, MXC (Formerly known as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) was a Japanese game show with english dubs. Now, if that sounds strange, let me go on by saying that the dub doesn’t match up with the mouth movements all that well, the dub in question is filled with incredible amounts of crude sexual innuendo, racial humor, pop culture references, and a host of other things to turn a Japanese game show into a American Gladiators spoof.
The reason this show was able to work in the first place was that it aired at the stage in SpikeTV’s early years, where a good chunk of the shows were relatively crude, and they were still touting the “Network for Guys” moniker. If they were to re-air the show today, or somehow make new episodes, it would totally clash with Spike’s cleaner (But still manly and occasionally crude) image. I guess the reasons why I liked MXC was because of the crude humor, and it somehow appealed to my younger self (I was 16/17 when I first watched the show). When I watch a episode or a clip of an episode, I still laugh, but at the same time a piece of me dies.
9) A Christmas Story (Sample Clip: “***”)
The sad thing is, Scrooged is a movie I enjoy more than this, but only just. The premise behind it is familiar, but somehow new at the same time. It also helps that Bill Murray headlines the movie (Hell, his face is plastered on the front of the DVD case), and his performance is just awesome. So you’re asking yourself “If you liked Scrooged more, why are you putting A Christmas Movie on this list instead?” Well.....
I’m putting A Christmas Story on this list because I can relate to it more. I can remember being as young as the main character during the holidays. I can remember how strange things could get during that time, and I can remember the wonder (And occasional horror) when I came down the stairs to gaze upon the sparkling tree with the presents underneath. It’s those kind of memories that ring stronger in me, and I would put this in a film ark in a minute because of that!
8) Deadliest Warrior (Sample Episode: “***”)
There was a time, in the course of SpikeTV’s history, that they actually seemed to be gaining credit & respect. From about 2008 to maybe late 2011, the network was bringing in shows & specials that seemed relatively intelligent & interesting. Of these shows, Deadliest Warrior was right on top for quite a while. For anyone who didn’t read my review of season 1 (Click “***” to read it), the show was a “What if insert name fought against insert name”, and used elements of Reality TV, History, and Science Fiction. It was actually kinda revolutionary, as silly as that may sound, because while this idea been flying around for a while, nobody has ever picked it up.
It was really fun to watch! I liked the idea of the show. I liked the testing of the various weapons, and the history behind the warriors of a particular. Even the Reality TV aspects of Deadliest Warrior were fun, as they weren’t as standard as other shows of the genre. The one thing that prevents me from putting it lower on the list is the fact that, regardless of the seasons, there were screwup after screwup. Sometimes it was an expert that wasn’t who they say he was (Or they weren’t as impressive as they were shows), sometimes they screwed up a fact, and they even sometimes screwed up with the editing of a scene. Nowhere was this more evident than in season 3, when everything that was wrong with the show, and then some, became readily apparent, but that’s for another review (My season 2 review will appear in a couple months, and I’ll get the review for the 3rd season up sometime after that). Suffice it to say, Deadliest Warrior is an example of a enjoyable & surprising television series, despite the bullshit.
7) Surviving Disaster (Sample Episode: “***”)
Getting axed even sooner than Deadliest Warrior (That show ran for 3 seasons, while this one only ran for 1), Surviving Disaster was another one of the shows that SpikeTV aired that was intelligent, but still provided some entertainment. The basic premise of the show was that the host (Who’s name escapes me) would guide a small group of people through a worst-case disaster, and teach the viewers & people how to survive the disaster in question, hence the name of the show. There was a surprisingly interesting selection of disasters that the show focused on, and they were:
Airplane Hijacking
Office Building Fire
Hurricane
Home Invasion (1 Solitary Individual/Tiger Kidnappers)
Avalanche
Lost At Sea
Mall Shooting
Nuclear Attack (1 mile from the blast & 3 miles from the blast)
Earthquake
Pandemic (Nerve Gas Attack/Global Pandemic)
From the beginning to end, the host told you explicit steps to follow, and experts from various fields would chime in and give their wisdom about the disaster in question. It was really informative, and was quite entertaining in the process. If I had one complaint about Surviving Disaster, it was that the disaster would sometimes be oblivious towards the host, often to the point of ignoring him. Nowhere was this most evident than in the first portion of the home invasion. I won’t spoil it for you, so go watch it.
6) UHF (Sample Clip: “***”)
It’s really such a shame that this movie was slammed back in the day, because I thought that the film was Weird Al at his best. He was consistently funny throughout the entire film, and the supporting cast (Which included the guy that played Kramer, as well Fran Drescher from The Nanny) added a lot of personality to it. What also makes this film fun, at least for me, was the wackiness of the scenes (More like skits, but I’ll save that for the eventual review), and trust me when I say that some of these scenes/skits are some of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen.
You have Weird Al’s daydream sequences (The first one is a spoof on the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a later sequence he’s imagining himself as Rambo rescuing Kramer), karate students getting thrown through walls and out of windows, the Wheel of Fish, and a host of other scenes/skits that I can’t really explain. This is an example where watching the movie will make far more sense than me trying to explain it.
5) Good Eats (Sample Episode: “***”)
I’m very conflicted with this show. On the one hand, I enjoy the host. Alton Brown has been doing this show since 1999, and brings an energy & fun that most other cooking show hosts don’t. Mr. Brown also brought in a lot of history about many of the more iconic dishes (Beef Wellington, Pavlova, and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce are just a couple of dishes he brings into the light), and can get very scientific at times. Good Eats is also helped by having a lot of humor in the show (With maybe an exception of the first 1 to 3 seasons), and thus keeps viewers glued to the TV screen.
On the other hand, Alton Brown is no longer doing the show (His last episode, a 1-hour special on dark chocolate, aired back in February of 2012). He’s also incredibly opinionated, often to the point of frustrating, and some of his cooking methods are downright bizarre. Steaming & baking chicken wings instead of frying them!? Baking a roux in the oven!? Cooking a lasagna in the crockpot!? These are just a small few of the methods he uses that makes me scratch my head. Despite some of the faults, Good Eats is a great show to get cooking info, or just to be entertained.
4) The Thing (1982 Edition) (Sample Clip: “***”)
How ironic, that when this film was first released, it was a bomb. Nowadays, this movie is considered a classic in the horror genre. Small world, ain’t it?
The funny thing about this film is that I’m usually not a fan of horror films. I have a very vivid imagination, enough to the point of sometimes feeling the physical pain that the characters are feeling at that moment. This movie is one of the few exceptions, along with the first Hellraiser film, and the A Nightmare on Elm Street series (Not that crappy 2010 remake). There’s definitely some jump scares, but there’s always some kind of buildup before them. You’ve also got some great sci-fi, suspense, and a cast of characters that fit in with one another. It also helps by having a younger/sexier Kurt Russell as the lead character.
For anyone wondering, I did watch the original film, but I consider it inferior when I put it next to this one.
3) Blazing Saddles (Sample Clip: “***”)
Easily the most politically incorrect movie I’ve ever watched, Blazing Saddles also has the distinction of being one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. If there’s anything wrong with the film, it’s that another film like it will never be made again, simply because the politically correct environment we live in right now won’t let it be made. It’s really sad that so many people get upset by what’s in the film, cause it’s a really great satirical comedy.
If you remember my review from July last year about the film (Click “***” to read it), I said that some of the most racial & sexual humor I’ve ever witnessed. Words like “Nigger” & “Chink” are thrown around (But not constantly, and at the right time), and jokes about breasts and other body parts appear sometimes at random. Despite the subject matter of the humor, the underlying message of Blazing Saddles is just how ridiculous racism & sexism is, and that we should get along regardless of race or gender. It’s a great message that needs to be spread all over the world, and perhaps there won’t be as much bloodshed.
2) The Mummy (1999 Edition) (Sample Clip: “***”) & Mystery Men (Sample Clip: “***”)
Right around 1999 to 2000, I was beginning to get more into movies, the first two films I got addicted to was The Mummy & Mystery Men. I really can’t separate these two films, simply because I enjoy them that much.
Now, I’ve never seen the original 1932 edition of The Mummy (At least not completely), so I really can’t compare it to this one (Unlike The Thing). When I saw this movie for the first time, I was awed by what I saw. Before The Mummy, the movies I saw were relatively tame, mostly because my mother was cautious about what I saw. I had turned 13 around 1999/2000, and this was the first movie I saw when she loosened up a bit.
What I can say is that this version of the Mummy is very different than it’s predecessor. Whereas the original movie was focused mainly on horror & suspense, the 1999 edition was a mix of action, horror, suspense, and it also managed to sneak in a couple comedic moments. The cast was also a plus for the movie, with Brendan Fraser as the lead good guy, and Arnold Vosloo as the main bad guy. There were plenty of other good actors that graced the movie, such as Rachel Weisz, John David Hannah, and Kevin J. O'Connor. The setting of a mid 20s Egypt brings a mystical & early modern wonder to the movie, making for a great movie to watch when the lights are dim.
Like The Mummy, I watched Mystery Men in that 1999-2000 period of my life, when I was getting a better grasp & understanding of movies. Also like the previous movie, I watched the hell out of the VHS copy I have, probably to the point of making the tape fragile. What makes Mystery Men a fun film for me, is that it takes a standard film trope (In this case the Superhero genre) and turns it on it’s head. In the movie, the bay guy is fairly obvious, the obvious good guy turns out to be a douchebag, and the real good guys are the underdogs that save the day in the end.
Even if the movie wasn’t a goofy superhero/sci-fi comedy, it’s the cast of characters that endears me to the movie. For the good guys, there’s William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Janeane Garofalo, and Wes Studi as various lesser-known superheroes. With the bad guys, Geoffrey Rush is the lead villain, and Eddie Izzard as one of his second-in-command. This cast is quite an ensemble of A-list and B-list actors & comedians, and somehow, through some mysterious way, all of these people meld together, and create a truly memorable experience.
1) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Sample Clip: “***”)
I should start by saying that this show hasn’t necessarily aged well over the years. The 3d effects look cheap, the acting at times is incredibly hammy, and the sets don’t look so great now. Having said that, this was a show that I had incredible amounts of fun watching when I was younger. It was also one of the first things on TV I watched with my Mother & Father, right up there with Saturday morning cartoons, and oddly enough, CBS News.
If I had one word to use when talking about this show, it would be fun. Kevin Sorbo, despite being something of a B-list actor, really puts his all into his role as Hercules. The setting of Ancient Greece was interesting: it was familiar, but gets turned onto it’s head. It also helps that the show has a great sense of humor (Emphasis on great), it knew how & when to be serious, and the main cast of actors just seemed to fit (Bruce Campbell anyone!?). Again, the show aged poorly, but it’s so much fun to watch, it’s hard to hate on it.
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)